Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Ranchi: Federation of Jharkhand Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FJCCI) expects relief and exemptions for the real estate sector from the Union Budget 2020, which is to be presented on February 1. Praveen Kr Jain, vice president, FJCCI, told ANI, "Real estate contributes to a great extent in our economy. Most importantly, it provides employment. We have suggested the Finance Ministry that income tax on housing property interest should be increased from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 4 lakh so that real estate could see a boom. Presently builders give 5 per cent GST of housing property, but they don`t get tax credit. This increases the cost." Live TV Jain further said, "Apart from this, we demand to increase the income tax examination limit. Also, we have given our suggestions for agriculture and industries. FJCCI is quite hopeful that good steps will be taken by the government for industry and trade sectors." Vikash Vijaywargiya, Joint Secretary, FJCCI, said that the Union Budget should be such that it ensures betterment for all. "I think the Budget should be beneficial for all, and also it should take forward the industry and trade. Changes should be made in tax slab. Today the market is facing a cash liquidity crisis. So, the income tax limit should be increased to Rs 10 lakh. It will increase purchasing power and the market will improve," he added. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 21:54:34|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close KIEV, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Kiev is ready to invite Iranian, French and Canadian experts to decrypt the black boxes of the Ukrainian passenger plane shot down near Tehran, and insists that the process takes place in Ukraine, a senior official told Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday. "It's not that we do not get answers on the black boxes, but that these answers change several times a day. Different Iranian officials provide different information, so we don't have an overall understanding," Prosecutor General of Ukraine Ruslan Riaboshapka said. "Our position has been and will continue to be that the decryption of the black boxes should take place in Ukraine," Riaboshapka said, adding that France and Canada are ready to send their experts to help. "Since the tragedy happened in Iran, Tehran must ensure an effective investigation and trial. We must also conduct our investigation," he said. On the morning of Jan. 8, the Ukrainian Boeing-737 flying from Tehran to Kiev crashed shortly after taking off, killing all 167 passengers and 9 crew members on board. On Jan. 11, Iran admitted that it had "unintentionally" shot down the jetliner. DES MOINES, Iowa Bernie Sanders is the frontrunner in Iowa and now hes being treated like it. The Vermont senator is being pounded on television in the first-in-the-nation caucus state from both sides, with attack ads airing by a pro-Israel Democratic super PAC and a conservative dark-money group. Faced with the dilemma of how to respond in the face of bombs dropped on him days away from the Iowa caucuses, the Sanders campaign is mostly sticking to pocketbook issues for now. Sanders TV ads in the state remain centered on Medicare for All, a major focus of his campaign, as well as womens rights and his movement. Thats a different approach than that of Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren, who are making more explicit appeals to electability in the final sprint before Iowa. The spots are designed to remind Democratic voters of one of Sanders key strengths: Polls show they trust him on health care more than any other 2020 candidate. But they also risk feeding into perceptions among some voters that he is too far left to defeat President Donald Trump, particularly as outside organizations amplify that message with negative ads. Medicare for All has become a distinguishing fight in this primary," said Faiz Shakir, Sanders campaign manager. We are leaning into health care. Its a core conviction of Bernie Sanders. For the better part of his entire adult life, he has fought for a single-payer system, if youre looking for a candidate who you can trust to take on the pharmaceutical companies. Sanders spots also appear to be aimed at peeling off support from Warren, who backs Medicare for All as well but wants to pursue it in her third year in office instead of immediately, which has angered some progressives. The ads portray his plan as an attempt to deliver on the promise of universal health care made by Democratic presidents for decades, and they also say that Sanders is on our side, and always has been when it comes to womens rights. Story continues Sen. Bernie Sanders arrives at a campaign stop in Des Moines on Jan. 20. I think thats a strategy to bleed as many people off of Warren as he can, particularly if shes fading, said Joe Trippi, the former campaign manager for Howard Deans 2004 presidential campaign. Its a lot easier for him to pick off progressives who like Warren for Medicare for All, like him for Medicare for All. Youre not going to win the argument with people who are worried about the private insurance companies being taken away. Sanders has also been fighting in recent days with Biden over their records on Social Security, an apparent attempt to sap the former vice presidents strength among senior voters. Both candidates have exchanged negative videos over the issue on social media. At the same time that Sanders is promoting Medicare for All on the airwaves, the Democratic Majority for Israel super PAC is pouring nearly $700,000 into TV ads in Iowa that claim he cannot beat Trump because of his democratic socialist identity. They also raise the issue of his heart attack, a subject his Democratic rivals have shied away from. Sanders responded in an online video, using the attacks as an opportunity to underscore his populist message: It is no secret that our campaign is taking on the political establishment and the big-money interests who are now running negative ads against us in Iowa. The billionaire class is getting nervous, and they should. That video illustrates another goal of Sanders pitch as he faces attacks by opponents on the left and right before the Iowa caucuses: As much as its about health care, its also about sending the message that he is sticking to his guns even under siege, something his team believes will energize his supporters and motivate them to go to the polls. "You have Sen. Sanders here in the closing stretch being willing to demonstrate that he has the spine for the fight, Shakir said. There is some evidence his approach might be working: The Sanders campaign said Wednesday it raised more than $1.3 million from 70,000 donations after sending a fundraising email to supporters referencing the Democratic Majority for Israels negative ad, though not by name, as well as spending by a pro-Biden super PAC. Mark Mellman, president of the Democratic Majority for Israel, downplayed the fundraising. Sanders raised over $100 million for this race, he said. So this $1 million doesnt amount to a hill of beans. Shakir did not rule out the possibility that the campaign could air a TV ad in Iowa defending Sanders in the wake of the attacks, including around electability, however. And the Sanders campaign is considering a spot contrasting his record with Trump's, according to a source. Asked whether another ad was coming in Iowa, spokesman Mike Casca said, Stay tuned. On the stump, Sanders has told Iowans he is the best-positioned candidate to defeat Trump and boasted that the president views him as a threat. The conservative Club for Growth Action is also airing an ad in Iowa that says the 78-year-old Sanders is too old and too liberal. But it criticizes him in a way that may appeal to Democratic voters, saying he wants to give government health insurance to everyone and comparing him with liberal icons Barack Obama and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Sanders has supported single-payer health care for decades, and Medicare for All was a key part of his campaign platform in his 2016 presidential run. But his team decided this summer that a renewed focus on health care was critical to jump-starting his campaign. That decision came amid concerns that a different strategy was needed to stand out in a multicandidate field. In addition to airing ads promoting Medicare for All, Sanders has for months put this strategy to use in town halls in Iowa, where he asks residents to share their experiences dealing with the health care industry. Residents now come to the events prepared to talk about their troubles. While top Sanders surrogate Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was taking questions at a Cedar Falls town hall on Saturday, a woman told her that her paychecks were being garnished because of medical bills. She started crying, and they embraced. At a rally in Marshalltown the same day with Ocasio-Cortez and filmmaker Michael Moore, two people who attended cited health care as a top reason they are supporting Sanders. Im really, really into health care, nursing assistant Angela Hodge said. My son works really hard and he cant always afford everything my grandson needs. So my grandson does without. Its almost $10,000 to buy a cochlear [implant] for my deaf grandson. Her husband, James, added: Weve got a funeral going on right now for a young friend who couldnt afford his insulin and thats why he passed away. For a better experience on our website and avoid any trouble, we strongly recommand to activate Javascript ( click here ). Hello and welcome to Journal des Palaces You are a communication or the PR manager? Click here You are an applicant? Check out our questions and answers here ! In August of last year, approximately 751 kilograms of cocaine were seized and six people arrested, after an investigation led to the interception of a yacht, which had been bought in Majorca, off the coast of Wales, and two men have been jailed this week by a Swansea court. National Crime Agency intelligence had identified the vessel, the Sy Atrevido, as carrying a large drugs shipment to the UK from South America. As a result, officers from Border Force cutter HMC Protector boarded the sailing yacht approximately half a mile off the coast of Wales on Tuesday, 27 August.The vessel was then escorted into Fishguard port and a search by Border Forces Deep Rummage team began. Officers discovered numerous packages containing white powder, which had been distributed throughout the vessel. Forensic inquiries indicate that this is cocaine. Two men aged 53 and 41 were arrested onboard the vessel and remained in custody for questioning. Four others - three men aged, 23, 31 and 47 and a woman aged 30 - were arrested in Liverpool and Loughborough. They were later released on bail. However, this week, Gary Swift, 53, from Liverpool, was sentenced to 19-and-a-half years in prison. Scott Kilgour, 41, also from Liverpool, was jailed for 13-and-a-half years. Both will serve half these sentences. They will then be released on licence. Both men pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing. Scott Kilgour (l) and Gary Swift (r). The court heard the two men were caught red handed with 751kg of cocaine onboard the vessel, which they sailed across the Atlantic. Swift and Kilgour sailed from the Canary Islands in June 2019 to collect the Class A drug from Suriname, on the north-east coast of South America. Paul Mitchell, prosecuting, said Swift conducted a dummy run across the Atlantic in another vessel called the Mistral in December 2017. That vessel got into difficulties off the Welsh coast and was towed into Fishguard harbour for repairs and this incident alerted authorities to Swifts activities. Over a year later, in another boat, the SY Atrevido, Swift, along with Kilgour, sailed again from the European mainland to Suriname to collect the cocaine. The boat was under surveillance and arrived in St Brides Bay on 25 August. Border Force Officers intercepted the vessel on 27 August near Fishguard. They arrested the pair and towed the boat to the nearby harbour for inspection. 1 U.N. hacked: An internal confidential document from the United Nations says that dozens of servers were compromised at its offices in Geneva and Vienna. Those include the U.N. human rights office, which has often been a lightning rod of criticism from autocratic governments for its calling-out of rights abuses. The hack was first detected over the summer, and the extent of the damage remained unclear, especially in terms of personal, secret or compromising information that may have been stolen. The internal document from the U.N. Office of Information and Technology says 42 servers were compromised and 25 others were deemed suspicious. 2 Ice rescue: In a nearly seven-hour operation, Russias emergency services rescued 536 ice fishermen after they got stranded on a giant ice floe that broke off the island of Sakhalin in eastern Siberia, officials said. Around 60 more people were able to get back onto the shore on their own Tuesday evening. Footage of the incident showed groups of people using smaller pieces of ice as rafts and trying to row to the Russian coast on them as the giant ice floe drifted farther away from land. Its the third time in a week that emergency services in the Sakhalin region had to rescue ice fishermen stuck on drifting glacial masses. By PTI NEW DELHI: The European Parliament has decided not to conduct a vote on Thursday on a resolution against India's new citizenship law, a move seen as an attempt to not jeopardise Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Brussels in March for a bilateral summit with the 28-member bloc. The European Parliament on Wednesday decided to take up the voting against the Citizenship Amendment Act during its new session beginning March 2. Government sources called the deferment of the voting a diplomatic victory, adding that friends of India prevailed over the friends of Pakistan in the European Parliament on Wednesday. India reached out to almost all countries of the powerful bloc, trying to persuade them against going ahead with the resolution against the CAA. Sources said the European lawmakers agreed to delay the voting to get a direct perspective from about the CAA from External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar who is scheduled to visit Brussels to prepare the ground for Modi's visit in mid-March. The EU lawmakers also wanted to wait for judicial review of the contentious law by India's Supreme Court. Diplomatic sources said the vote on the resolution against the CAA may take place between March 30 and 31, but a debate on it will go on as scheduled later on Wednesday. Six political groups of members of the European Parliament had moved a joint resolution against India's citizenship law, calling it discriminatory. "Strenuous efforts of outgoing British MEP (Member of European Parliament) Shaffaq Mohammad to have a resolution passed by the European Parliament against India on the penultimate day before Brexit were defeated," a source said. The government has been maintaining that the CAA is a matter internal to India and it was adopted following a due process through democratic means. The sources said they expect that their perspectives in this matter will be understood by all objective and fair-minded MEPs. A move by a group of MEPs to totally reject the resolution against the CAA was thwarted at the EU Parliament. The resolution takes note of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights statement last month, which described the CAA as "fundamentally discriminatory in nature", and also of other UN as well as the European Union (EU) guidelines on human rights as it calls on the Indian government to "repeal the discriminatory amendments". "While the CAA's stated goal of protecting persecuted groups is welcome, an effective national asylum and refugee policy should be just and holistic in nature and apply to all those in need," it notes, describing the CAA as "discriminatory in nature and dangerously divisive". There is also a reference to the Indian government's "push" for a nationwide citizenship verification process, the National Register of Citizens (NRC), which it says "aims to strip Muslims of their citizenship rights while protecting those of Hindus and other non-Muslims". The new citizenship law passed by Parliament in December 2019 offers citizenship to non-Muslim persecuted religious minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. India has been witnessing massive protests against the new law, with opposition parties, civil rights groups and activists saying granting citizenship based on religion is against the Constitution's foundational principle. The high-resolution images from the National Science Foundations Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, on the summit of Haleakala, Hawaii, show a close-up view of the Suns surface, which can provide important detail for solar astronomers and physicists. The images show a pattern of turbulent boiling plasma that covers the entire Sun. The cell-like structures are the signature of violent motions that transport heat from the inside of our star to its surface. That hot solar plasma rises in the bright centers of cells, cools off and then sinks below the surface in dark lanes in a process known as convection. NSFs Inouye Solar Telescope will be able to map the magnetic fields within the Suns corona, where solar eruptions occur that can impact life on Earth, said Dr. France Cordova, NSF director. This telescope will improve our understanding of what drives space weather and ultimately help forecasters better predict solar storms. Its an exciting time to be a solar physicist, said Dr. Valentin Pillet, director of NSFs National Solar Observatory. The Inouye Solar Telescope will provide remote sensing of the outer layers of the Sun and the magnetic processes that occur in them. These processes propagate into the Solar System where the Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter missions will measure their consequences. Altogether, they constitute a genuinely multi-messenger undertaking to understand how stars and their planets are magnetically connected. These first images are just the beginning, said Dr. David Boboltz, program director in NSFs division of astronomical sciences. Over the next six months, the Inouye telescopes team of scientists, engineers and technicians will continue testing and commissioning the telescope to make it ready for use by the international solar scientific community. The Inouye Solar Telescope will collect more information about our Sun during the first 5 years of its lifetime than all the solar data gathered since Galileo first pointed a telescope at the Sun in 1612. On December 15, 2013 the telescope formerly known as the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope was renamed the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope in honor of the late senator from Hawaii. Senator Inouye was a tireless proponent of science, technology, engineering and math, especially when it came to enriching the lives of the people of Hawaii. Built by NSFs National Solar Observatory and managed by the Association of Universities for Astronomy (AURA), the telescope combines a 13-foot (4 m) mirror the worlds largest for a solar telescope with unparalleled viewing conditions near the top of Haleakala, Mauis largest volcano, to create conditions for unprecedented observation of the Suns surface. Focusing 13 KW of solar power generates enormous amounts of heat heat that must be contained or removed. A specialized cooling system provides crucial heat protection for the telescope and its optics. More than seven miles of piping distribute coolant throughout the observatory, partially chilled by ice created on site during the night. The dome enclosing the telescope is covered by thin cooling plates that stabilize the temperature around the telescope, helped by shutters within the dome that provide shade and air circulation. The heat-stop blocks most of the sunlights energy from the main mirror, allowing scientists to study specific regions of the Sun with unparalleled clarity. The telescope also uses state-of-the-art adaptive optics to compensate for blurring created by Earths atmosphere. The design of the optics reduces bright, scattered light for better viewing and is complemented by a cutting-edge system to precisely focus the telescope and eliminate distortions created by the Earths atmosphere. This system is the most advanced solar application to date. With the largest aperture of any solar telescope, its unique design, and state-of-the-art instrumentation, the Inouye Solar Telescope for the first time will be able to perform the most challenging measurements of the Sun, said Dr. Thomas Rimmele, director of the Inouye Solar Telescope. After more than 20 years of work by a large team devoted to designing and building a premier solar research observatory, we are close to the finish line. Im extremely excited to be positioned to observe the first sunspots of the new solar cycle just now ramping up with this incredible telescope. [January 30, 2020] Micro-Mobility Leader, Helbiz, Launches e-Bikes in Washington, D.C. Helbiz, a global leader in micro-mobility, has launched its safe and innovative e-bikes in Washington, D.C. after having been awarded a one-year permit by the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) to service all the communities within America's capital. An initial fleet of e-bikes will be on the streets today with the full fleet of 2,000 U.S.-assembled e-bikes rolling out strategically in the first half of 2020. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005194/en/ Helbiz launches its U.S.-built e-bikes on the streets of Washington D.C. today (Photo: Business Wire) "Washington, D.C. is our first e-bike fleet in the United States, and we're excited to help District residents and visitors get from point A to point B in a safe, affordable and environmentally sustainable way," said Salvatore Palella, founder and CEO of Helbiz. "We look forward to working closely with Mayor Muriel Bowser, DDOT Director Jeff Marootian and through our variouscommunity programs, to help expand safe alternative mobility options and to grow the local economy, foster talent and develop career opportunities in the District." Last month, Helbiz was selected from a highly competitive field of applicants due to its commitment to safe and responsible deployment, as well as its innovative technology and workforce development approach. The company opened a D.C.-based office and warehouse to run its operations on-the-ground, employing a full-time team to ensure its fleet is charged, repaired and well-maintained. Helbiz is hiring rapidly in the area and will launch the Helbiz Apprenticeship Program to provide career pathway opportunities in the high-demand mobility industry. The company will also hire District residents as part-time employees as "Ward Liaisons," who will serve as part of the company's commitment to more robust community engagement and safe riding education. For low-income District residents, Helbiz will offer its Helbiz Access Program, which provides unlimited free rides up to 30 minutes for District residents enrolled in SNAP, TANF, Housing Choice Voucher Program and other low-income services. "Our e-bikes are proudly assembled in the United States, using innovative new materials and technologies to ensure a safe and comfortable ride throughout the District," continued Palella. "We look forward to being a part of everyone's daily commutes and leisurely rides as we strive to make D.C. more eco-friendly and accessible." Users can download the Helbiz app on iOS and Android to instantly geolocate, rent and unlock e-bikes directly from their phones with a tap and simply park them at bike racks or at available designated parking hubs when finished with their ride. For additional information, visit www.helbiz.com. ABOUT HELBIZ Helbiz is a global leader in micro-mobility services. Launched in 2017 and headquartered in New York City, the company operates e-scooters and e-bicycles in over 20 cities around the world including Milan, Madrid, Belgrade and Miami. Helbiz utilizes a customized, proprietary fleet management platform, artificial intelligence and environmental mapping to optimize operations and business sustainability. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005194/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] If the only thing getting you through Janu-worry is the thought of your next holiday, then dont wait for the post-holiday blues to get worse. Be an early bird and hop on holiday specials for the beginning of 2020. When it comes to holidays, the Early Bird certainly catches the best deals. A lot of people think if they wait until the last minute, theyre going to benefit from lots of cut-price holiday options, but it simply isnt true, says Andrew Stark, Flight Centre Travel Group Middle East Africa Managing Director. Youll also find that the variety of holiday deals on offer diminishes dramatically later in the year. Holidaymakers who leave it to the last minute are invariably disappointed because they cant get the deal they want. January is one of our most popular bookings months as people battle the post-December holiday blues and book their travel from February onwards towards Easter and the school holidays. Flights get booked up fast and accommodation becomes scarce. And the fewer opportunities, the more expensive it becomes to travel. Rule of thumb, book as early as you can while you can have your pick of the holiday spoils. On the radar for 2020 are the following destinations: Durban Go local to the favourite haunt of South African families for decades. Durbans Golden Mile and Umhlanga shines brightly year-round. Both are an ever-affordable option for families wanting a beach getaway thats close to home and convenient. Weather : Warm and pleasant, Durban has a sunny average temperature of 29. : Warm and pleasant, Durban has a sunny average temperature of 29. What to do : If youve got kids, head to uShaka Marine World. And if youre travelling with your significant other, or friends, consider a visit to the Moses Mabhida Stadium, tempt lady luck at Suncoast Casino or perhaps go further afield to the KZN Midlands for some craft beer and adventuring. : If youve got kids, head to uShaka Marine World. And if youre travelling with your significant other, or friends, consider a visit to the Moses Mabhida Stadium, tempt lady luck at Suncoast Casino or perhaps go further afield to the KZN Midlands for some craft beer and adventuring. Where to stay: The exquisite Oyster Box hotel stands majestically on Umhlangas prestigious beachfront, with views of the Indian Ocean and direct beach access. Zanzibar In just under four hours after leaving Johannesburg, you could be walking the spice-scented streets of UNESCO-listed Stone Town, or lounging poolside at a fabulous beach resort. Zanzibars rich history, fascinating architecture (be prepared to snap hundreds of photos of doors), dhow cruises and spice farms are worth a visit if you can prise yourself out of your pool lounger. Weather: The weather averages a blissful high twenties to mid 30s year-round. The weather averages a blissful high twenties to mid 30s year-round. What to do: Explore the island on the back of a quad bike, racing through plantations and local villages. Or simply relax poolside with that bestseller youve been meaning to finish for months. Explore the island on the back of a quad bike, racing through plantations and local villages. Or simply relax poolside with that bestseller youve been meaning to finish for months. Where to stay: Karafuu Beach Resort & Spa lies on the east coast of Zanzibar under swaying palm trees. Two swimming pools, tennis courts and soft, white sandy beach complete the perfect picture. Mauritius South Africans favourite Indian Ocean island, Mauritius is visa-free and a short, four-hour flight from Johannesburg (direct flights from Cape Town and Durban also available). The island is a perfect all-rounder destination, with an appeal for families, honeymooners and groups. Visitors are spoilt for choice when it comes to accommodation. Weather: The island records daily temperatures of around 25C. The island records daily temperatures of around 25C. What to do: Take a catamaran cruise to Ile aux Cerfs, enjoy a day trip to Casela World of Adventures and watch traditional Sega shows. Take a catamaran cruise to Ile aux Cerfs, enjoy a day trip to Casela World of Adventures and watch traditional Sega shows. Where to stay: Casuarina Resort & Spa lies in a lush tropical garden across the beautiful beach of Trou aux Biches in the north west of Mauritius. Its just 30 minutes from the capital, Port Louis and 10 minutes from the lively village of Grand Bay. Dubai Dubai is a playground in the desert. Visit the Miracle Garden (over 100-million fresh flowers have been planted in an outdoor fairytale-type garden) and the old Souk in the Dubai Creek area. Adventurers can go dune bashing safari in the desert, complete with feasting on a traditional Bedouin meal camping under the stars. Weather: Dubai is extremely hot from June to September. The weather is warm and dry from April to October. Dubai is extremely hot from June to September. The weather is warm and dry from April to October. What to do: What cant you do in Dubai?! Its truly a playground of adventure with theme parks, shopping malls and fun galore. What cant you do in Dubai?! Its truly a playground of adventure with theme parks, shopping malls and fun galore. Where to stay: Splurge on a stay at the iconic Atlantis the Palm. The resort boasts 17 hectares of water park and more to keep the family entertained all day long. There is a hand-picked, expert-approved holiday escape thats just perfect for you. Now is the time to be an early bird and catch the travel worm. Flight Centres Early Bird Sale is now on. This Page Is Under Construction - Coming Soon! Why am I seeing this 'Under Construction' page? RNC Minerals Announces New 5km Structure Identified at Higginsville and Approval Received for Baloo Stage 2 Mining Posted by Publisher Internet br /> High Density Gravity Survey Program -A recent high density gravity survey has delineated a new geological structure at the Company?s Higginsville Operations (?HGO?). -The new structure extends for approximately 5 km, and runs sub-parallel to the major regional Zuleika, Speedway and Boulder Lefroy shears which controls the bulk of the gold mineralisation between the Golden Mile (60 Mozs).and Norseman (6 Mozs) mining centres. -The new structure is located 5 km north of the previously mined 1.0 Moz Trident underground mine and the HGO mill. The Company will look to fast track exploration in this area as part of its expanded exploration focus at HGO. Approval for Baloo Stage 2 Approval for Baloo Stage 2 has been received from the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, with mining expected to commence mid-2020 and extend to January 2021. RNC Minerals (TSX: RNX) (\RNC\ or the ?Company\ https://www.commodity-tv.com/play/rnc-minerals-increasing-gold-production-up-to-110k000-oz-in-2020/ ) is pleased to announce the results of a recently completed high density gravity survey program at Higginsville. The program has identified a newly interpreted structure extending over 5 km north of the previously mined high grade 1.0Moz Trident gold deposit. The new structure is considered to have high potential for mineralization at depth and will be the focus of a new round of drilling by RNC as part of its 2020 exploration program. RNC is also pleased to announce that Stage 2 of the Baloo open pit has been approved by the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety. Baloo Stage 1 was originally forecast to be completed at the end of January, however recent grade control and extensional drilling has extended Baloo Stage 1 until June 2020. Baloo Stage 2 will begin upon completion of Stage 1, notwithstanding the potential for further additions to the Stage 1 mine plan. Paul Andre Huet, Chairman & CEO, commented: ?Although early stage, our interpretation of the potential size of this new structure is an exciting development for our HGO-focused exploration activities. With the Morgan Stanley Royalty recently renegotiated in December 2019, it now makes sense to explore these and many other areas across the Higginsville tenement package which holds strong potential for new discoveries. While exploration begins in earnest at HGO, production remains on target at both our operations. Considering that both Baloo Stage 1 and 2 pits were initially expected to be completed by mid-2020, the extension of Baloo out to early 2021 is a testament to the quality of the open pit opportunities at Higginsville. We expect the extended Baloo life to provide the additional production and mining flexibility that comes from operating two open pits over the course of this year.? High Density Gravity Survey As part of the renewed focus on exploration at Higginsville, a high density gravity survey was conducted over a 60 km2 area covering a 5km strike distance north of the previously mined 1.0 Moz Trident gold deposit and HGO mill. The survey area had previously been the focus of reconnaissance aircore drilling and limited bedrock drilling as part of a regional approach by previous owners. However, following the renegotiation of the Morgan Stanley royalty, exploration re-commenced in this area and the survey was conducted. The aim of the survey was to define both shear-hosted and paleochannel structures on 200 m X 100 m line spacings. The survey (see Figure 1) was conducted in December, 2019. Results from the gravity survey highlight a new 5km long north-south structure (see Figure 2) interpreted to be a splay off the main Burke-Barcelona mineralised shear which lies parallel and west of the regionally significant Zuleika Shear. The new gravity defined structure, combined with historical shallow aircore drilling (including a best intersection of 4 m of 1.7 g/t in HIGA157, from 16m), highlights the prospectivity of the full 5 km length of the structure and enhances the potential for mineralisation at depth.? Follow-up RC bedrock drilling is planned to test the newly interpreted structure at depth for primary mineralisation as part of HGO?s 2020 exploration plans. Baloo Stage 2 Approval On 24th January 2020, RNC received notice from the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety that mining of Baloo Stage 2 has been approved. Mining of the second stage will follow completion of Stage 1 which is currently scheduled for late June 2020, notwithstanding the potential for further mineralization discoveries within the Stage 1 mining area. To date, grade control and resource definition drilling has continued to add additional expected production to the Stage 1 mine schedule. As part of the HGO open pit ?production pipeline?, it is expected that Baloo Stage 1 and 2 will be mined in conjunction with a series of additional open pits commencing with Fairplay North and Pioneer (mining at the former has already begun).? Additional resource definition and grade control drilling is underway in a number of other areas to continue to define the pipeline of open pits. ? Compliance Statement (JORC 2012 and NI 43-101) The disclosure of scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by?Stephen Devlin, FAusIMM, Vice-President, VP Exploration & Growth, Salt Lake Mining Pty Ltd, a 100% owned subsidiary of RNC, a Qualified Person for the purposes of NI 43-101. About the Gravity Survey The gravity survey was designed to cover the Burke-Barcelona mineralised corridor north of the Higginsville mill. Data collection was undertaken by Atlas Geophysics Pty Ltd on a 200m by 100m grid using a Scintrex CG-5 gravity meter. The gravity data were reduced to the sea-level datum by standard reductions (Tide, drift, height, temperature, pressure, tilt, free air, and bouguer corrections) using a bouguer density of 2.67 g/cm3?to reflect the underlying geology. The collected data was processed by Resource Potentials Pty Ltd. The image presented in this announcement is a bouguer anomaly-2.67-1VD image with an underlying regional gravity colour over aeromagnetics. About RNC Minerals RNC is focused on growing gold production and reducing costs at its integrated Beta Hunt Gold Mine and Higginsville Gold Operations (\HGO\) in Western Australia. The Higginsville treatment facility is a low-cost 1.4 Mtpa processing plant which is fed at capacity from RNC\-\-s underground Beta Hunt mine and open pit Higginsville mine. At Beta Hunt, a robust gold mineral resource and reserve is hosted in multiple gold shears, with gold intersections along a 4 km strike length remaining open in multiple directions. HGO has a substantial historical gold resource and highly prospective land package totaling approximately 1,800 square kilometers. In addition, RNC has a 28% interest in a nickel joint venture that owns the Dumont Nickel-Cobalt Project located in the Abitibi region of Quebec. Dumont contains the second largest nickel reserve and ninth largest cobalt reserve in the world. RNC has a strong Board and management team focused on delivering shareholder value. RNC\-\-s common shares trade on the TSX under the symbol RNX. RNC shares also trade on the OTCQX market under the symbol RNKLF. Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains \forward-looking information\ including without limitation statements relating to the liquidity and capital resources of RNC, production guidance and the potential of the Beta Hunt Mine, Higginsville Gold Operation and Dumont Nickel Project. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of RNC to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could affect the outcome include, among others: future prices and the supply of metals; the results of drilling; inability to raise the money necessary to incur the expenditures required to retain and advance the properties; environmental liabilities (known and unknown); general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; results of exploration programs; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; political instability, terrorism, insurrection or war; or delays in obtaining governmental approvals, projected cash operating costs, failure to obtain regulatory or shareholder approvals. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, refer to RNC\-\-s filings with Canadian securities regulators, including the most recent Annual Information Form, available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although RNC has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and RNC disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Cautionary Statement Regarding the Beta Hunt Mine and Higginsville The decision to produce at the Beta Hunt Mine was not based on a feasibility study of mineral reserves, demonstrating economic and technical viability, and, as a result, there may be an increased uncertainty of achieving any particular level of recovery of minerals or the cost of such recovery, which include increased risks associated with developing a commercially mineable deposit. Historically, such projects have a much higher risk of economic and technical failure. There is no guarantee that anticipated production costs will be achieved. Failure to achieve the anticipated production costs would have a material adverse impact on SLM?s cash flow and future profitability. Readers are cautioned that there is increased uncertainty and higher risk of economic and technical failure associated with such production decisions. It is further cautioned that mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. ?A production decision at the Higginsville gold operations was made by previous operators of the mine, prior to the completion of the acquisition of the Higginsville gold operations by RNC and RNC made a decision to continue production subsequent to the acquisition. This decision by RNC to continue production and, to the knowledge of RNC, the prior production decision were not based on a feasibility study of mineral reserves, demonstrating economic and technical viability, and, as a result, there may be an increased uncertainty of achieving any particular level of recovery of minerals or the cost of such recovery, which include increased risks associated with developing a commercially mineable deposit. Historically, such projects have a much higher risk of economic and technical failure. There is no guarantee that anticipated production costs will be achieved. Failure to achieve the anticipated production costs would have a material adverse impact on the Corporation?s cash flow and future profitability. Readers are cautioned that there is increased uncertainty and higher risk of economic and technical failure associated with such production decisions. Burma Amid Chinese Flu Fears, Mandalay Goes Without Masks While Dealers Make Profits A man wears a face mask in downtown Mandalay. / Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy Mandalay As concerns over the coronavirus rise, pharmacies and medical stores in Mandalay are facing shortages of surgical masks. Mandalay receives the highest number of Chinese arrivals by air or overland, making the city particularly vulnerable to the virus. It is also a Chinese business hub with the largest jade market in the country, attracting many Chinese gem traders. The shortage of masks in Mandalays stores seems to suggest that, given the deadly virus Chinese origins, the city in Myanmar that is most frequented by Chinese visitors isnt taking any chances. Surgical masks are almost out of stock and the prices have reached 10 times the normal level in Mandalay. Surgical masks have been out of stock since Monday. Weve put in an order but the company has stock shortages, said the owner of a major pharmacy near Mandalay General Hospital. Usually, we sell a pack of 100 surgical masks for 2,300 kyats [US$1.70]. But now some medical stores which still have stocks sell them for 25,000 kyats [$17] for 100 masks, he said on condition of anonymity. Another pharmacy also said prices were rising and stocks were depleting. The pharmacies said brokers, rather than residents, were buying up masks. Weve faced this situation when there were outbreaks of Sars, H1N1, swine flu and avian flu. Retailers bought the masks in large numbers, only to store them and to sell them back when stocks have gone and to profit from the crisis, said a pharmacy owner. The 10-piece pack of surgical masks used to sell for 700 kyats with prices now reaching 7,000 kyats ($4.80). The N95 respirators the recommended mask which prevents the spread of the virus usually cost around 1,000-1,500 kyats ($0.68-1) each but they currently cost about 9,000-12,000 kyats ($6-8) and stocks are very low. But few Mandalay residents appear concerned about the virus that has so far killed 170 people in China, according to the official estimates. Mandalays markets, shopping malls and parks remain crowded with many people not wearing masks. The price of sanitizing hand gel and disinfectant liquid is unchanged and supplies are still plentiful. When asked, people said no cases had been reported in the country. The Ministry of Health and Sport reported this week that there were no suspected cases in Myanmar. The ministry has told the public to avoid crowded areas, to wear masks when going out or if sick and to wash their hands properly to prevent infection. We only heard there is an outbreak in China, not here, so we thought we did not need to worry. We do not have masks and do not want to wear them, said Ma Aye Aye Tint, a grocery store owner at Mandalays Phayagyi market. Mandalay author Hsu Nget said awareness of the coronavirus was high but few followed the instructions from the Ministry of Health to prevent infections. Concerns and fears over the coronavirus are only on social media. On the ground, there is little use of proper hygiene. Few wear masks as it is inconvenient, said Hsu Nget. He added that more needed to done to raise awareness about preventing the spread of the coronavirus. No coronavirus cases have been reported and there are few educational programs at the regional level, meaning residents concerns are very low, Hsu Nget added. The Chinese health authorities said Wednesday there were 7,711 confirmed cases in China. The virus has so far spread to Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, Vietnam, France and the United States. Thailand has about 14 confirmed cases and India said today that the virus had been diagnosed in a student who recently came back from Wuhan, where the outbreak began. There were reportedly about 670 suspected cases in India. China said there were two confirmed cases at Ruili, the town bordering Muse in northern Shan State. Civil society organizations said they were ready to work with the regional government on educational programs and in other measures to address the threat of the virus. The Mandalay regional government said a surveillance team had been formed to observe arrivals and it would cooperate with community organizations. Once the government gives the green light, we will begin the educational programs and distribute handouts in crowded areas, said U Kyaw Hein, a duty officer from the Chanmya Shwepyi Social Volunteer group. You may also like these stories: Dengue Fever Kills 68 in Myanmar in 8 Months China Coronavirus Infects 830, Kills 26 as Lunar New Year Holiday Begins What We Know About the New Coronavirus Spreading in China and Beyond The novel coronavirus fear has now spread to the start-up ecosystem in India. Around half a dozen Chinese venture capital (VC) firms with active presence in India have postponed their trips to the subcontinent. There is a complete lockdown for these VCs till February 11. They have been asked not to travel out of China. One of the investors has moved his team to a hotel and they would be operating from there, said a start-up founder who works closely with Chinese investors. This could lead to delay in the funding process, said industry insiders. Some of the ... Karanvir Bohra, who was flying off to Nepal, was detained at New Delhi airport because as he was carrying his Aadhar Card (UID), which is not valid identity document in Nepal for Indian nationals, if you are flying into the country. The actor took to social media and questioned the airline how he was allowed to travel from Mumbai to Delhi if that was the case. The actor tweeted, "Deported at Delhi airport on my way to #nepal.trvlng wid #adhaarcar not allowed Nepal gov alows (PP,voters ID & Adhaar by road,by air only PP & VI)Then,Y did @airindiain in Mumbai let me fly with my Adhaar?Y didn't they stop me there? #indianembassy @DrSJaishankar @IndiaInNepal." (Image Source: Instagram) When the airline shared the link for reference, the Naagin 2 actor wrote, "Thank u 4 this link,& I believe not only 4 the passengers,its 4the officials2, how could they allow me to travel on an invalid document? If I was told in Mumbai itself I wud have arranged it immed & not make my guy fly down2 Delhi to hand me the passport." Twitter users pointed out the same to Karanvir, and said that the rule has been followed since a long time. One of the users wrote, "Aadhar is not valid to travel to Nepal by air.. this is the rule since very long, should have checked before travelling." Another user commented, "Common sense! Nepal is different country n when you travel@to other country you should carry passport!! No visa policy does not mean no pass port as well. Also its not Airline's responsibility to check your landing documents." This is not the first time the actor is having trouble in travelling. Last year, he was detained at Moscow airport over a damaged passport. He thanked the then External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and officials who helped him in getting a temporary passport and visa on short notice. (Social media posts are not edited) Also Read: Latest TRP Ratings: Naagin 4 Drops To Second Place; Bigg Boss 13 Witnesses Major Jump 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. Advertisement Elle Fanning was the picture of elegance as she led the glamour at the 40th London Critics' Circle Film Awards 2020, held at the five-star The May Fair hotel in London on Thursday evening. The screen star, 21, commanded attention as she hit the red carpet with confidence, sporting a cream strapless gown with a flowing skirt. Bong Joon Hos dark class-war comedy Parasite came out on top during the evening, as the critically-acclaimed movie scooped the Film of the Year and the Director of the Year prizes, voted on by over 150 of the UKs leading film critics. Centre stage: Elle Fanning was the picture of elegance as she led the glamour at the 40th London Critics' Circle Film Awards 2020, held at the five-star The May Fair hotel in London on Thursday evening Showcasing her sartorial flair, the Maleficent star teamed her sophisticated number with a pair of pointed stilettos to boost her height, complete with a chain-strap design. The thespian pulled out all the stops for the event as she exuded elegance with her choice of accessories, sporting a diamond choker necklace. The younger sister of fellow actress Dakota Fanning scraped her light locks away from her face and into a sleek bun to display her glowing porcelain complexion, which was highlighted with shimmery silver eyeshadow, rose-tinted blusher and dewy lipstick. London critics gave special honours to Aardman, filmmaker Sally Potter and costume designer Sandy Powell, and the event, which was sponsored by Pearl Pictures Productions, was hosted by actor and writer Sally Phillips. Enjoying herself: Elle couldn't help but smile as she arrived on the red carpet for the awards show Working it: The screen star, 21, commanded attention as she hit the red carpet with confidence, sporting a cream strapless gown with a flowing skirt Pop of pazzazz: The thespian pulled out all the stops for the event as she exuded elegance with her choice of accessories, sporting a diamond choker necklace Radiant: The younger sister of fellow actress Dakota Fanning scraped her locks away from her face and into a sleek bun to display her glowing porcelain complexion, which was highlighted with shimmery silver eyeshadow In good company: Elle engaged in a lively conversation with costume designer Sandy Powell, who became the first fashion maven to receive the Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film Prestigious event: The Teen Spirit star posed for a snap with Anna Smith, Chair of the Critics' Circle Film Section, and Rich Cline, Vice Chair of the Critics' Circle Rubbing shoulders: The excited young actress was joined by award-winning film director Sally Potter, who was also received the Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film Presentation: During the award ceremony, Elle took to the stage to present The Dilyns Powell Award for Excellence In Film to Sally Potter Victorious: Elle and Sally later posed for a photo after the film director took to the stage to receive her accolade Heading out: After the night's events, Elle wore a longline cream coat to keep off the winter chill On her achievement, Sandy, whose career spans a whopping three decades and became the first fashion maven to receive the prize, said ahead of the ceremony: 'I am honoured and thrilled to be the first costume designer to be a recipient of this prestigious award!' In addition to The Dilys Powell Awards and the 40th Anniversary Award (to be presented to Aardman), Joanna Hoggs memoir The Souvenir took home the British/Irish Film of the Year prize as well as the Young British/Irish Performer award, thanks to leading lady Honor Swinton Byrne's performance, the 22-year-old daughter of Tilda Swinton. Another multiple winner was Noah Baumbachs searing divorce drama Marriage Story, recognised for its screenplay and Laura Derns supporting performance. During the event, Rocketman director Dexter Fletcher touched on Taron Egerton's snub at the upcoming Oscars ceremony for this role as pop legend Elton John. Turning heads: Tilda Swinton's daughter Honor (L), 22, who won the Young British/Irish performer prize, Technical achievement award nominee Daniel Pemberton (C) and Natalia Ryumina (R) were also in attendance Edgy: Wild Rose Jessie Buckley caught the eye in a velvet dress as she attended the event for her nomination in the British/Irish actress category Dazzling: Host of the evening Sally Phillips (L) posed up a storm alongside Megan Shandley (L) and Nicole Simone (R) Cutting shapes: Smack the Pony star Sally, 50, put on a kooky display as she struck a series of kooky poses while donning a Time's Up badge The filmmaker threw his support behind the actor's performance as he told MailOnline: 'Theres no doubt about it, he gave an Oscar-worthy performance, hes brilliant in it, he certainly gave a Golden Globe worthy performance, which he won. 'You know, its an incredibly tough year, if you look at whos actually in that category, its not like theyre first timers and youve never heard of them. 'Theres some incredible names on that list, and I think Taron is wise to that as well, he got his recognition at the Globes and, I think, of course it would have been nice and a lot of people are fans of the movie who would like to see that, but not this time. Itll be another time, hes a young man!' Actor Noah Jupe, who has been nominated for the Young British/Irish performer accolade, touched on his experience on working with Shia LaBeouf on Honey Boy - a movie based on the filmmaker's life. He told MailOnline: 'It was eye opening, it was hard, it was intense, definitely a mountain to climb but I was surrounded by amazing people who made me feel safe, including Shia. Honourees: Aardman Animations founders Peter Lord and David Sproxton took snaps with their products as they collected the 40th Anniversary Award Starry: During the event, Rocketman director Dexter Fletcher (L) touched on Taron Egerton's snub at the Oscars for this role as pop legend Elton John, while Young British/Irish performer nominee Raffey Cassidy cosied up to industry executive Rich (R) 'Honestly, I couldnt have done it without him. Most of the scenes with him and reacting off him, hes such a truest amazing scene partner to be with. It was intense but I had a great time, it definitely taught me a lot. I came out a changed person.' The A Quiet Place star, 14, went on to share his take on the drama film as he shared: 'Its Shias journey of him turning his pain into an amazing piece of art.' Asked about how former child actor Shia, 33, directed him on-set, he elaborated: 'There wasnt necessarily a sense of verbal advice... 'It was more of a fact of experiencing him in person and seeing him on set and playing around with this character taught me a lot about myself and this script. 'Its a beautiful script that he wrote, taught me a fundamental thing of keep those safe people close to you because in this industry and this world theres a lot of dark places you can fall into, so try to keep your family or whoever keep them close.' Earlier this month, media personality Elle admitted she finds cruel comments from social media trolls 'bizarre' in an interview with February's Marie Claire. Impressive: Mystery drama The Souvenir sweeps the board with seven nominations, while Martin Scorseses The Irishman (pictured) and Sam Mendes 1917 follows closely behind with six Impressive: Bong Joon Hos dark class-war comedy Parasite came out on top, winning Film of the Year and the Director of the Year, voted on by over 150 of the UKs leading film critics (still from film) 'Twitter scares me,' she admitted to the publication. 'Oh my God, Twitter is so intense. Instagram I do enjoy; I have a private account and a public one.' The blonde admitted paying too much attention to social media (and her 3.7million followers) isn't good for her health. 'I do think there are dangers that I totally fall into, of looking down that rabbit hole, comparing yourself to everybody else and seeing, Oh, their life, that vacation. I try to keep it light and tell fans about movies that are coming out or about a photo shoot. 'That can get really intense too. People can say they don't read any comments, but... Mmm, yeah, you do! I do! Of course you look! "Oh, your ankles look huge." What the heck?! It is bizarre, like, who is this person?' A man convicted of capital murder in the shooting deaths of three Birmingham police officers in 2004 is set to be executed in March. Nathaniel Woods, 44, is set to die by lethal injection on March 5 at William C. Holman prison in Atmore. The Alabama Supreme Court released its order setting the date on Thursday afternoon. Woods was convicted in December 2005 of capital murder for the June 17, 2004 shooting deaths of Birmingham police officers Carlos Owen, Harley A. Chisholm III, and Charles R. Bennett while they were serving a warrant at an apartment in Ensley. He also was convicted of attempting to murder Officer Michael Collins. It was the deadliest day in the Birmingham police departments history. The jury recommended by a vote of 10 to 2 that Woods be sentenced to death. The judge followed the jurys recommendation and sent Woods to death row. Woodss co-defendant, Kerry M. Spencer, was also convicted of capital murder and was sentenced to death. He is awaiting an execution date. It was Spencer, not Woods, who shot the officers. The Alabama Attorney Generals Office asked the states highest court to set a date for Woods execution on October 29. Court records show on June 17, 2004, the four Birmingham police officers were in the process of arresting and taking into custody Woods at a west Birmingham apartment where he dealt drugs with Spencer. After the officers arrived, and several had entered the home, Spencer opened fire. Owen, Chisholm, and Bennett were dead when help arrived, while Collins was suffering from gunshot wounds. Each (of the three officers) had died from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the states motion asking for an execution date. Responding officers found an SKS assault rifle in the grass outside, a handgun in the bathroom, and two long guns in a bedroom. The officers bulletproof vests had been pierced, typical of damage sustained by high-powered rifle fire, the motion states. When Woods was located, he was sitting with other men on the porch of (a neighbors) house nearby, apparently very relaxed. He gave his full name and was found to have two .22 caliber bullets in his pocket. Kerry Spencer was eventually pulled out of (the neighbors) attic," the motion states. A doorman" at the drug house testified Woods and Spencer sold mostly crack cocaine to 100-150 customers per day, according to court records. On December 5, Woods attorneys asked in a motion to the Alabama Supreme Court that the court fully review Mr. Woods' constitutional claim that he was denied the effective representation of counsel guaranteed by the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. Specifically, this Court should consider how trial counsel's performance during the penalty phase of Mr. Woods' capital trial was woefully deficient. But for counsel's errors, Mr. Woods almost certainly would not have been sentenced to death, the motion from attorney J.D. Lloyd said. The attorney stated in his motion that the court should not set a date of execution until it has more fully examined trial counsels performance during the penalty phase of Mr. Woods trial. The execution date comes after years of appeals. The Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed Woods convictions and sentence in 2007 after a remand for an amended sentencing order, and the Alabama Supreme Court denied Woods appeal in 2009. The United States Supreme Court denied to review the case on February 22, 2010. Woods filed an appeal in Jefferson County circuit court in December, 2008. The circuit court dismissed the petition in 2010, and the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the dismissal in April 2016. The Alabama Supreme Court again denied to review the case. Woods also filed a federal lawsuit in October 2016, but the district court dismissed the case in 2018. He asked the United States Supreme Court to review that claim, but they too denied to review the case on October 7, 2019. See photos of the aftermath of the 2004 Birmingham police shootings. This story is developing and this post will be updated. Landra Gould, widow of senator Harry M. Reid, pays respects at his casket at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll/Bloomberg News) The former Senate majority leader was remembered as a pragmatic dealmaker who became a political force across two presidencies. The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday said 78 people who had arrived from coronavirus-hit China were under "house quarantine" and being monitored but asserted no positive case of the deadly virus has been detected in the state so far. State Health and Family Welfare Minister C Vijayabaskar also said there was no need for any panic as preventive measures had been put in place and the government was paying more attention after one person tested positive for the virus in neighbouring Kerala. As of date, 78 people who had arrived from China were under government monitoring, he said. "Public Health Department doctors are in touch with all the 78 on a daily basis. Nobody is affected, none of them is in a hospital. They are in their homes. They are in house quarantine," the Minister told reporters here. "So far there is no positive case of coronavirus in Tamil Nadu," Vijayabaskar said. He stressed on personal hygiene and adviced people to wash their hands multiple times daily. Responding to a question on the status of some Tamil Nadu medicos studying in China's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the virus, he said the Chinese Embassy has informed the state government that they were safe. "We are taking all follow-up action to ensure their wellbeing," he added. The novel coronavirus epidemic death toll in China has touched 170 with over 7,000 others being infected while it spread to at least 17 countries. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 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 LOS ANGELES, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A new entry to the ultra-luxury skincare market, built to give the European skincare legends a run for their money, is an American line called CIREM (a-MERIC-a in reverse). Born in a compounding pharmacy, where pharmacists are trained to formulate the most efficacious ingredients to ensure they can be utilized by the body, CIREM is made in America in an artisanal small batch method. The line of ultra-fine ingredient-forward SKUs includes a serum, sheet mask, moisturizing cream, eye gel, sunscreen, primer, shave butter, two skin tools, two face mists and a facial oil. The actives include some of the most luxurious and trending functional ingredients including luminescent diamond dust, nourishing caviar, hyaluronic acid, Retinol and bioavailable oil-soluble Vitamin C. CIREM is available at CIREM.com and Amazon. Ten percent of proceeds benefit women's safe houses throughout the U.S. CIREM The line is enveloped in a chic white and gold branding that is recyclable. CIREM's signature HCR 3-IN-1 serum was clinically proven to rapidly boost moisture by over 200% within seconds, creating a trademark process called Rapid Absorption Technology. CIREM includes three collections: The Classic, Moonglow and Jardin de Fleurs. The Classic Collection includes: HCR 3-IN-1 Serum, HCR 3-IN-1 Sheet Mask, YouthBoost Diamond Eye Gel-Cream, YouthBoost Diamond Moisturizing Cream, Skinsurance Protective Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF30, Skinsurance Protective Primer tinted SPF50 and CIREM Velvet Dreams Creme Riche Shave Butter. The Moonglow Collection includes: Mending Moon Moonglow Face Oil and Mending Moon Moonglow Hydrating Face & Pillow Mist. Jardin de Fleurs Jardin de Fleurs Flawlessly Floral Rose & Lavender Eye Cream and Jardin de Fleurs Rose D'or Hydrating Face Mist. The line also includes skin tools fashioned of Zamac metal that stays cold and supports lymphatic drainage to reduce the appearance of puffiness, fine lines, wrinkles, and loss of elasticity. About : CIREM is an American ultra-luxury skincare brand developed by a compounding pharmacy that formulates the most superlative ingredients obtainable in the most bioavailable manner possible. CIREM bypasses the use of co-packers to deliver artisanally batched products directly to consumers in sustainably responsible, but resplendent packaging. Encouraging women to feel good in their own skin serves as the founding ethos of the brand, and as such, CIREM donates 10% of revenue to support women's safe housing throughout the U.S. CIREM's Rapid Absorption Technology , was shown in a clinical trial to increase moisturization by over 200% within just seconds. Press Contacts: Alyson Dutch / Macy Harrell BROWN + DUTCH PR, INC., 310.456.7151 [email protected] SOURCE CIREM Investors are concerned over the future of a popular mini-bond scheme as managers failed to meet a second interest payment in just months. Blackmore Bond was meant to pay out to investors this Friday, January 31, however blamed a slow property market for the missed deadline. Chief executive Patrick McCreesh wrote to bondholders on Wednesday saying that they would have to wait for the payment. As we have mentioned previously the delays are due to the slow property market throughout 2019 and we continue to work as hard as we can to complete sales. This however is in the hands of solicitors and we are unable to dictate or influence the speed of their processes, he wrote in a letter seen by the PA news agency. Expand Close Blackmore Bond lists a series of property investments on its website. (Blackmore Bond/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Blackmore Bond lists a series of property investments on its website. (Blackmore Bond/PA) The company had already skipped an October coupon payment that shareholders were meant to receive. Mr McCreesh said the firm has hired a top-tier independent accountancy practice to support management in its appraisal of the current position and with a view to making a proposal to the bond holders to move matters forward. He admitted that many investors have asked for better communication from Blackmore. Based in Manchester, the fund invests in property developments across the UK. It had originally promised to hand out the missed October payment at the end of December, but that deadline came and went. On Wednesday, Mr McCreesh told bondholders that Blackmore Bond plc will not meet the overdue October coupon payment due to you today, and will not meet the January 31 payment on time. He promised to bring the October coupon up to date in the coming weeks as soon as it has received funds. The world of mini-bonds was thrown into the spotlight a year ago when the collapse of London Capital and Finance left 237 million of bondholders money in limbo. The PA news agency understands that several investors in London Capital and Finance have also put money into Blackmore Bond. Earlier this week investment giant M&G said that it would extend the suspension of its 2.5 billion property fund. Management first blocked investors from taking out their cash in December after too many asked for their investment back. 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 man posed as an officer of the Mumbai police's Crime Branch and inspected a mall here in Maharashtra on pretext of checking sale of narcotics, police said on Thursday. The accused, Kalpesh Vasant Patil (29), a resident of Varatak Nagar in Thane district, has been arrested, they said. A case was registered against Patil at the Kapurbawdi police station on Wednesday and he has been booked under IPC section 170 (impersonating a public servant), police said. According to the police, the accused, posing as an officer of Crime Branch of the Mumbai police, went inside the mall and met its manager, saying he has information that narcotics are being sold in the complex. The man inspected some areas of the mall and said he will forward a report to his superiors, the police said. He then asked the manager to pay him Rs 11,500, saying his son is unwell, they said. Patil's behaviour aroused suspicion following which the manager called the local police, who confirmed the man was a fake officer and arrested him. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Lolita Baldor/Associated Press PRINCE SULTAN AIR BASE, Saudi Arabia Across the vast expanse of this desert air base, hundreds of tents have popped up and a newly arrived squadron of U.S. Air Force F-15E fighters is lined up on the tarmac, flying daily missions over Iraq and Syria. Off in the distance, two American Patriot missile batteries are scanning the skies, prepared to knock down any Iranian attack against the Saudi kingdom. The U.S. troop presence here has grown to roughly 2,500 since last summer, when the U.S. announced it had begun deploying forces to what once was a major U.S. military hub. The return of U.S. forces to Prince Sultan Air Base is one of the more dramatic signs of Americas decision to beef up troops in the Middle East in response to threats from Iran. Midland County Hospital District officials anticipate a $38.4 million drop in the districts annual Medicaid supplement reimbursement by fiscal year 2024. Russell Meyers, president and CEO of Midland Health, repeatedly has warned the community of the impending reduction and the cuts it would mean to health care in Midland County if nothing is done. So, today, Meyers is placing a proposal to call for an election in May that, if approved, will raise the sales tax rate inside the city and county a quarter of a cent. The hope is the anticipated $30 million in revenue will help the district -- which includes Midland Memorial Hospital -- prevent cuts, avoid a property tax increase of about 120 percent over the next four years and improve the districts ability to retain and recruit health care professionals. The hospital district board will meet at 11:45 a.m. today inside the administration board room at Midland Memorial Hospital. If members vote to approve the plan, an election will be held May 2. Currently, the sales tax inside the city of Midland is 8 percent. If voters approve, items will be taxed at 8.25 percent, which is the cap for sales tax in Texas. The quarter-cent amounts to an extra 25 cents for every $100 spent. Just inside the city of Midland last year, a quarter-cent would have raised more than $15 million. Meyers told the Reporter-Telegram on Wednesday that the loss in Medicaid supplement reimbursement reductions will specifically impact Community Healthcare Services funding. That includes 501as (nonprofits), Midland Community Healthcare Services (such as the Coleman Clinic), contracted physicians, the districts partnership with Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, mental health partnerships with Oceans Behavioral Hospital and the Springboard drug and alcohol treatment facility and ER calls. Meyers said combined funding reached $40.147 million in fiscal year 2019. That figure, he said, included at least some compensation for 200 doctors, or about 75 percent of the medical staff. If nothing is done now, the hospitals unrestricted cash would be impacted. Hospital officials expect it to fall from $29.6 million at the end of FY 2020 to a deficit of $8.115 million at the end of FY 2024. The board has an important decision to make, wrote Jeff Beard, one of seven elected board members. If approved by the board then the citizens of Midland County will decide what the future of health care in our community can look like. Meyers said that 501a support is a primary vehicle for physician recruitment. In FY 2019, 501a funding accounted for $15.613 million of the total $40.1 million in Community Healthcare Services funding. The next largest line items were the $7.534 million for contracted physicians and $6.485 million for ER calls. Cuts to ER calls and contracted physicians likely would mean a reduction in the number of doctors and the ability to provide certain health care operation in Midland, according to hospital district officials. Mental health cuts likely would mean Oceans and Springboard would struggle, and the Midland County Hospital District would be forced to develop its own programs. Meyers stated a funding reduction for TTUHSC would likely result in programs reduced, and the TTUHSC likely retrenched in Odessa. Lastly, the reduction in funds for MCHD is expected to increase inappropriate emergency department usage. To provide a little more context to the amount of money needed to make up for anticipated Medicaid reductions, Meyers said the hospital district would be required to raise the amount of property tax revenue by 72 percent next year, 13 percent in FY 2022, 12 percent in 2023 and 1 percent in 2024. That equals to a 119 percent increase compared to the baseline in 2020. Meyers said the hospital district board has consistently set the property tax rate to just below the rate that would call for an automatic election to approve. There was hope that the hospital district could have waited and partnered with the city of Midland and Midland County on a larger revenue-generating solution that would help all entities. City leaders have stated that the $15 million that could have been raised inside the city with the quarter-cent could have helped with future infrastructure. I wish we could have partnered in a little different way moving forward, Mayor Patrick Payton said this week. Im going to be supportive of what the hospital thinks that they must do, even though quite frankly, and Ive told all involved at the hospital, that I wish we could have maybe come up with a partnership on that quarter-cent, but they need to do what they feel like they have to do and we'll see where that goes in May. Hospital officials said they were ready to place the item on the Nov. 5 ballot but allowed Midland ISD to go forward with its $569 million bond without another tax item on that ballot. Meyers said that should voters approve an item in May, the hospital district wouldnt begin to receive funding until November, so waiting wasnt an option. The MCHD has come before the voters twice before, according to Roz Grover. She led the 2009 bond campaign, the first $100 million bond election approved by voters in Midlands history. MIDLAND MEMORIAL HOSPITAL 400 Rosalind Redfern Grover Parkway, Midland, Texas, 79701 Phone: 221-1111 Website: www.midland-memorial.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/MidlandMemorialHospital Twitter: twitter.com/MidlandMemorial President Russell Meyers 221-1584 Directors -- District 1: Tracie Greene, District 2: Dwain Tomlin, District 3: Larry Mercer, District 4: Link Grimes, District 5: Cari Chaplin, District 6: Joe Kiowski, District 7: Jeffrey Beard State and federal officials said the sixth infected person in the United States is married to the Chicago-area woman who contracted the virus when she traveled to Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak. The unidentified man, who is in his 60s, has been isolated in the same suburban hospital as his wife since Tuesday, when he began exhibiting symptoms consistent with the early stages of the virus, including fever, coughing and shortness of breath, officials said. The Trudeau government is being urged to quickly reform Canada's broadcasting and telecom legislation by an expert panel tasked with overhauling the system for the 21st century. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/1/2020 (714 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Janet Yale Chair of the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review panel holds up a copy of the report during a news conference in Ottawa, Wednesday, January 29, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld The Trudeau government is being urged to quickly reform Canada's broadcasting and telecom legislation by an expert panel tasked with overhauling the system for the 21st century. The panel's recommendations, released Wednesday in a 235-page report, would give the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission sweeping new powers and responsibilities, including oversight of foreign streaming services. "The single most important message to convey on behalf of Canadians is one of urgency," Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review Panel chairwoman Janet Yale wrote in the introduction to the report. "I encourage your government to move promptly to consider this report and engage with Canadians to implement the necessary changes to ensure that Canada is positioned for success." The report is the result of 18 months of consultations and research by Yale and the other members of the panel. The ministers responsible for broadcasting and telecommunications said they would consider the 97 recommendations and act "as quickly as possible" to modernize the legislative framework. "Reforms are needed to level the playing field on which conventional broadcasters and digital media companies compete," Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault and Navdeep Bains, the minister of innovation, science, and industry said in a joint statement. "We recognize that, for Canada's culture to keep flourishing and for our economy to keep growing, we need to ensure that Canada's telecommunications and broadcasting landscape is properly aligned with today's digital age." The ministers, who are not legally required to adopt any of the recommendations in the panel's "Time to Act" report, didn't provide a timetable in their statement. Daniel Bernhard, executive director of Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, said in an interview that the government can either take the panel's recommendations seriously or "dawdle" and pretend there isn't an urgent problem. "The government had very similar recommendations put to it in 2018," he said. "They punted it for 18 months into this panel. We're now out of time and out of excuses. It's time to move." Some of the recommendations are relatively simple such as renaming the Broadcasting and Telecommunications acts, as well as the CRTC while others will be contentious and politically difficult. For example, the Liberal government has been under pressure to require a growing number of foreign companies such as Netflix, Amazon and Apple fund Canadian content. At the same time, the Liberals have also promised to make telecommunications services more affordable for consumers while ensuring they get wide access to content from outside Canada. The panel, for its part, recommends giving the CRTC a broader mandate, more regulatory powers and a continued role in balancing the various factors through a new Media Communications Act and a new Electronic Communications Act. For instance, the report says the CRTC should be responsible for a new registration process for internet companies such as Netflix that distribute media content in Canada, whether the provider is domestic or foreign. "Under this approach, any media content undertaking with significant Canadian revenues and delivering media content by means of the internet would be required to register," the report says. The reports says the registration process, much like licensing, would give the CRTC powers to collect fees at a corporate level rather than on the consumer side. The new registration regime, to be administered by the CRTC, would require online streaming services that benefit from operating in Canada to invest in programming that will "attract and appeal to Canadians." Yale told reporters at an Ottawa press conference that foreign companies would agree to the registration process out of "commercial necessity." "Right now, it's easy for them to be in Canada because they have no obligations. And we're saying ... if you benefit from operating in a Canadian system, you should contribute." Meanwhile, Canada's private-sector broadcasters and distribution companies such as BCE's Bell, Rogers, Quebecor's Videotron would be required contribute to Canadian content through a more flexible licensing regime. "This approach would ensure a meaningful contribution to Canadian cultural policy objectives and the production sector. It need not result in higher prices for consumers," the report says. On a separate but confusingly similar issue sales taxes the panel recommends that Ottawa immediately require foreign streaming services to join their domestic rivals in collecting GST/HST and sending the money to the government. The report says Australia, countries in the European Union and the provinces of Quebec and Saskatchewan already collect sales or value-added taxes on streaming services sold in their jurisdictions. Recommendations from the report include: amend the Broadcasting Act (Media Communications Act) to require the federal government to provide five-year funding commitments to the federal broadcaster, the CBC/Radio-Canada. remove the specific reference to radio and television in CBC/Radio-Canada's mandate, so a broader range of media content is included. eliminate advertising on any of the CBC/Radio Canada platforms over the next five years, starting with news content. give the CRTC sole jurisdiction to mandate and establish terms and conditions of access to wholesale wireless services. assign the CRTC the explicit responsibility for the administration of databases related to the functioning and location of telecommunications networks. 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. create a more consistent, transparent, and predictable process for appeals of individual CRTC decisions to the federal cabinet. CRTC chairman Ian Scott issued a brief statement acknowledging the report, without getting into details. "At first glance, it is clear that the panel recognizes that fundamental changes need to occur to fully enable the CRTC to act in the public interest," Scott said. "We look forward to future legislative changes to effectively fulfil our mandate in this new environment." with files from Victoria Ahearn in Toronto and Teresa Wright in Ottawa. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2020. India has confirmed that at least one case of coronavirus has reached the country. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said the country's first case was in a patient in Kerala, a southwestern coastal state. The ministry said in a statement that the patient is a student at Wuhan University in China and has been isolated in a hospital. The case was confirmed to the government by the National Institute of Virology, and that the person is "stable and being closely monitored." See: Coronavirus live updates Delhi has a plane ready to fly to Wuhan and pick up Indian nationals with no evidence of sickness but is awaiting permission from Chinese authorities. A British Airways flight to bring 200 U.K. nationals back to Britain was due to take off Thursday but also had not received permission. Meanwhile, the Philippines also confirmed its first case Thursday. Health Secretary Francisco Duque told reporters the patient is a 38-year-old woman from Wuhan who arrived in Manila on Jan. 21. She was admitted to a hospital four days later with a mild cough but was no longer displaying symptoms. According to the latest update by China's National Health Commission, the coronavirus in China has taken the lives of 170 people and infected more than 7,700. The World Health Organization will again meet Thursday to decide if the outbreak should be considered a global health emergency. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday that cases in Germany, Vietnam and Japan had revealed human-to-human transmission and that progress of the virus in some countries was worrying. Meanwhile, the Chinese central province of Hubei, the origin of the outbreak and where almost all deaths have occurred, remains in a state of lockdown. Global stocks fell Thursday as the death toll from the coronavirus rose. Stocks in Asia slipped heavily with China's main index in Shanghai closing 2.75% lower. The pan-European Stoxx 600 dropped 1% in early afternoon London time, and U.S. stock futures were pointing to a lower opening. Pro Global Holding Ltd., global re/insurance outsourcing and consulting specialists have formed a partnership with VIPR, a software provider that focuses on delegated authorities. This move will see the two combine their expertise in the areas of bordereaux and coverholder management to deliver a solution to the complex areas faced by managing agents. The new four-year partnership combines VIPRs Intrali bordereaux management tool with Pros Exposure Management Facility, which is called CAI. When Intrali is used to ingest, transform, standardize and validate property data, the output will seamlessly pass to CAI where additional processing takes place to geo-code, standardize and confirm occupancy, construction descriptions and address information. The data can then be used by a range of catastrophe modeling tools, which allows managing agents to use a consistent and robust end-to-end process that will produce results, faster and easier, said the companies in a statement. While we are still at a very early stage of this venture, we have already had interest from the market, states Paul Templar, CEO at VIPR. This comes as no surprise during a time of increased regulatory and compliance pressures where technological advancements are becoming a must-have in order to comply and to help the industry to gain competitive advantage. The collaboration allows both Pro and VIPR to provide a strong and innovative solution that will solve the problems experienced by many managing agents. Were very excited by the potential that this partnership with VIPR represents. As the insurance market modernizes and looks for ways to reduce costs there is a demand from clients for vendors to offer innovative new solutions that robustly and efficiently address the complex challenges they face, said Pro Chief Operating Officer Chris Everson. Linking VIPRs technology with our innovative exposure data cleansing platform CAI will make it much easier for cleansed accurate data to flow electronically between systems, Everson continued. Digital transformation in the underwriting process offers real and tangible advantages for reducing costs and increasing efficiency for managing agents. We look forward to working together with the expert team at VIPR to deliver for the industry. About VIPR London-based VIPR is a software provider for the insurance market, specializing in solutions that focus on delegated authorities. VIPRs suite of products focus on data and include Intrali for bordereaux management, Active Reports for presenting and analyzing data and Intarga for delegated authority entity management. About Pro Pro is an international consultancy and service provider that focuses on delivering flexible outsourcing solutions for live and run-off business, operational consultancy and audit services for the insurance industry. Founded in 1993 and headquartered in London, Pro has some 160 clients spanning the global insurance market, including insurers, reinsurers, brokers, lawyers and corporate investors. Source: Pro Global and VIPR Topics Mergers Agencies Market Insurance Wholesale The Boulder Creek Beveled Jewelry Mirror from Brandenberry Amish Furniture. The jewelry storage is cleverly integrated into the back of the mirror. So it's not easily apparent. The Boulder Creek Beveled Jewelry Mirror from Brandenberry Amish Furniture represents the perfect way to look ones best before going out and being seen. It also prevents ones jewelry from being seen. The mirror comes with an easy-tilt feature. So it readily adapts to everyones height. Also, customers can request a jewelry compartment behind the mirror. Its the ideal way to keep precious items in a secret place. In fact, the jewelry compartment has room for items like rings, earrings, bracelets, broaches, necklaces and accessories. Attractive and functional, the Boulder Creek Beveled Jewelry Mirror blends perfectly into a bedroom or large bathroom. In addition, it works well as a stand-alone piece. Or, customers can complement it with other items from the Boulder Creek Bedroom Collection. These items are also available from Brandenberry Amish Furniture. "The jewelry storage is cleverly integrated into the back of the mirror. So it's not easily apparent," observes Floyd Eash, furniture consultant at Brandenberry Amish Furniture. The jewelry mirror is handcrafted by skilled Amish cabinetmakers. Also, the craftsmen use quality regional hardwoods, like maple, oak and cherry so the mirror is superbly constructed. In fact, with proper care it can easily become a future family heirloom. Customers can order the Boulder Creek Beveled Jewelry Mirror online or, they can visit Brandenberrys furniture store on the south edge of Shipshewana, a small Northeast Indiana town. About Brandenberry Amish Furniture Brandenberry Amish Furniture is located at 1045 N. State Road 5 in Shipshewana, at the intersection of State Road 5 and US 20, near the Indiana Toll Road. The store is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment. Brandenberry Furniture opened its doors in 2008. The Brandenberry Furniture concept allows customers to design the furniture of their dreamsto explore the rich woods and stains that only nature can offer. Nothing matches the feel, the smell and the weight of hickory, oak, cherry, maplereal woods that come to life in an Amish handcrafted piece. They are meant to last a lifetime and beyond. Whether a customers favorite style is Mission, Traditional, Modern or something in between, if Brandenberry Furniture doesnt carry it, their craftsmen will build it to specification. Brandenberry Furniture offers everything from bedroom and dining collections to home accessories, patio and exclusive furniture pieces. Browse our easy-to-use website with detailed photographs and information, and youll find furniture categorized by room (including family room, dining room, bedroom, office, childrens) as well as by wood species (including oak, hickory, cherry, elm, maple, pine and cedar) and style. At least six of the 12 young men charged with second-degree rape for events that happened on the Jacksonville State University campus last year will not be prosecuted. A grand jury declined to indict the six men, court records entered Tuesday show. They were each charged with second-degree rape. The men who were not indicted are Christian Lane Homesley, 19; Caleb Matthew Lafollette, 21; Kyler Taran Morgan, 18; Seth Robert Emmenegger, 22; Spencer Chase Thompson, 20; and Reece Barton, 19. Court records were not available for four other men who were charged in the incidents. Those men are Avory Triston Cosby, 20; Walker Harris, 18; James Lyle, 19; and Daniel Ralph George, 18. The names of two other men charged have not been released. Requests for comment to several defense attorneys and District Attorney for the 7th Judicial Circuit Brian McVeigh were not successful by the time of publication. All men were charged with second-degree rape except Harris, who was charged with second-degree sodomy. The charges stem from sexual encounters with two girls who were over the age of 12 but under the age of 16, according to court records. The incidents took place from January through September 2019. In September, Investigator Jay Harrington with the 7th Judicial Circuit Major Crimes Task Force said authorities signed warrants against a total of 12 men in the case. At the time, he said two had not yet been arrested. Harrington said previously the victims knew the suspects; but, because of their ages, the victims could not legally consent to sex. It was not rape by forcible compulsion by any means, Harrington said. There were six alleged incidents last year that led to the charges. Five of the alleged incidents occurred on the Jacksonville State University campus, according to the universitys crime log, including Dixon, Meehan and Sparkman halls, and the parking lot of Rowe Hall. The sixth alleged rape occurred off campus on Mountain Street. Bill Hawkins, Morgans attorney, said the case was a combination of tragic circumstances for everyone involved. Everybody loses in this situation, he said. Brett King, who represents Thompson, also released a statement. We are obviously pleased with the outcome of this case, he said. These cases should serve as a warning for all young people using dating apps, as well as their parents. We hope that all the affected families and the Jacksonville community as a whole can begin healing and to put these unfortunate events behind them. Under Alabama state law, second-degree rape is when someone 16 years old or older engages in sexual intercourse with a member of the opposite sex who is younger than 16 and older than 12 -- as long as the offender is at least two years older than the member of the opposite sex. This post will be updated. Ft. Lauderdale, Florida--(Newsfile Corp. - January 30, 2020) - The Movie Studio, Inc. (OTC Pink: MVES) (http://www.themoviestudio.com) proudly announces that it has engaged MaxeleratorIT (www.maxeleratorit.com) for acceleration of the Company's current APP available I the google play store and the Apple App store for application of the Company's initial two verticals of "Watch our Movies Be in our Movies only $2.99 a month!". The Movie Studio is applying a split screen graphic interface where one will allow for the download to "Watch our Movies" with open end architecture though PiviotShare (www.pivotshare.com) allowing for the addition of substantial motion picture content or feature film libraries. The Movie Studio looks to pull motion picture content onto the Companies Over The Top (OTT) platform utilizing revenue share agreements with Motion Picture Producers, Distributors and Content providers. The second graphic interface will allow subscribers the ability to upload a thumbnail from our one of our three movies in development click on screenplay lines (sides) for Male/Female record and download the selfie clip and send to The Movie Studio for consideration from our Producers of "Be in our Movies" only $2.99 a month! The Subscriber can upload one video clip per month and change application between the different movie opportunities. The Application will mirror to the Companies current website and utilize our OTT platform as the foundation off the subscription-based Video on Demand (SVOD) and upon completion, the initial marketing campaign targeted is designed for Instagram and Facebook and the millennial demographic. The Company has completed production of the initial launch advertisement clip for click application for the APP. The Movie Studios unique SVOD Business model is designed as the recurring revenue model outside feature film distribution arteries and disrupts traditional motion picture participation ideologies of legacy pathways of how to be in motion pictures. "We are extremely excited about engaging MaxicelatorIT and believe they intrinsically understand the proposed App and OTT platform architecture and upon completion, application and marketing and aligned with our brand, could create a significant user subscription base and aligns perfectly with our disruptive tive production and distribution ideology that could also translate to substantial interest in The Movie Studio Company from additional third party interests," Gordon Scott Venters The President and CEO Announced today. ABOUT THE MOVIE STUDIO The Movie Studio, Inc. is currently involved with launching its own OTT platform and "APP" for integration of its own and aggregated substantial feature film projects, music videos, television shows and other intellectual properties. And operates as a vertically integrated motion picture production and distribution company. It acquires, develops, produces, and distributes independent motion picture content for worldwide consumption in theatrical, video on demand, foreign sales, and on various media devices. The Movie Studio, Inc. is disrupting traditional media content delivery systems with its digital business model of motion picture distribution and intends direct server access of its content with geo- fractured territories for worldwide distribution. The company was formerly known as Destination Television, Inc. and changed its name to The Movie Studio, Inc. in November 2012. The Movie Studio, Inc. was founded in 1961 and is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. For information on the Companies, please visit: www.themoviestudio.com or contact: The Movie Studio, Inc. Gordon Scott Venters President & Chief Executive Officer 2598 E. Sunrise Blvd. #2104 Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33304 gsv@themoviestudio.com Telephone: 954-332-6600 http://www.transmediagoup.com TransMedia Group Adrienne Mazzone President 240 West Palmetto Park Road Suite #300 Boca Raton, Florida 33432 561-750-9800 561-750-9800 x2270 amazzone@transmediagroup.com This release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements may differ materially from actual future events or results, specifically in the areas of future sales growth and profitability. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties to which forward-looking statements are subject include, but are not limited to, the effect of government regulation, competition and other material risks. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/51960 We have to maintain the dignity, the tone and the focus that our managers have brought to it. Our audience is, of course, the American people. But, the challenge is to change the minds of a few senators, Pelosi said Wednesday, according to a Democrat inside the closed-door caucus meeting who spoke on the condition of anonymity to freely describe the comments. File image The Kamal Nath-led Madhya Pradesh government is launching a revised version of its Yuva Swabhiman Yojana (YSY) a scheme for the unemployed with an increased monthly stipend and annual number of working days, The Times of India has reported. The scheme -- a Congress manifesto promise and a flagship programme of the Kamal Nath government -- was launched on January 31, 2019, ensuring 100 days of employment every year to economically weak urban youth at a stipend of Rs 4,000 per month. A year after the scheme's launch, the Congress government in the state is increasing the amount of monthly stipend to Rs 5,000 from Rs 4,000, while the days of employment will be increased to 365 days from 100 days earlier, the report said. The revised version of YSY will be launched on February 1 by Chief Minister Kamal Nath, state public relations minister PC Sharma told the publication. We have decided to relaunch the scheme for unemployed youths after a year. The stipend has been hiked by Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 per month. On the lines of MNREGS, the government is ready to extend the guarantee of 100 workdays to 365 days of temporary employment a year, Sharma was quoted as saying. As per the report, the governments decision has come on the basis of a yearly review of the scheme, where youths asked for a better stipend and more working days. Taking note of the feedback, the government decided to relaunch it in a new avatar, the report said. The revision aims to generate 25,000 new jobs at an expense of Rs 200 crore, said Sharma. Under the scheme, the urban development department has prepared a plan to select registered unemployed youths for temporary jobs as per their qualification and provide them with 10 days of training, he said. For the revised scheme, the government will make a special allocation in the state budget to make it more effective and practical, Sharma added. Relaunch of the scheme has been called 'futile' by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Asked about the revision of YSY, BJP MLA Vishwas Sarang said the decision itself exposes the Congress governments failure in fulfilling its promises. Not a single jobless youth was given stipend or a new job. This is mere face-saving. Congress should come clear with previous records of generating employment, the article quotes Sarang as saying. Alan Dershowitz, the most famous and flamboyant of Donald Trump's defense team, accused his pro-impeachment Harvard rival of being 'woke' and claimed academics and lawyers flipped their views because of their dislike of the current president. When addressing his ever-evolving stance on impeachment, Dershowitz claimed his opinion was never influenced by partisan issues reminding those on the Senate floor, again, that even though he's defending Trump, he's a 'liberal Democrat.' 'You asked what happened between 1998 and the current to change my mind. What happened between the 19th century and the 20th century to change the mind of so many scholars? Let me tell you what happened. What happened is that the current president was impeached,' Dershowitz said, throwing his hands up during an impassioned speech in the Senate Wednesday evening. Dershowitz also claimed that if it were a Democrat being impeached for the same reason, scholars would be on his side that it's improper to impeach for anything that does not amount to a high crime or misdemeanor. Donald Trump's impeachment attorney Alan Dershowitz gave an impassioned defense Wednesday, claiming legal scholars and lawyers flipped their positions on impeachment because the current president is facing the proceedings 'These scholars are influenced by their own bias, by their own politics and their views should be taken with that in mind,' he bashed. He also hit at fellow Harvard professor Laurence Tribe, claiming he has become 'woke' on impeachment because he wants to see Trump removed Tribe (pictured) has publicly spared with Dershowitz and the two have mocked each other for impeachment flip-flops in their television appearances. Dershowitz usually appears on Fox News and Tribe on MSNBC 'If in fact, President Obama or President Hillary Clinton,' he continued, using air quotes around the word 'president' before Clinton's name, 'had been impeached, the weight of current scholarship would be clearly in favor of my position because these scholars do not pass the shoe-on-the-other-foot test.' 'These scholars are influenced by their own bias, by their own politics and their views should be taken with that in mind,' he asserted. 'They simply do not give objective assessments of the constitutional history.' The staunch defense of Trump came during the eighth day of the Senate impeachment trial Wednesday, where the 100 senators were given eight hours, beginning at 1:00 p.m. to ask questions of the defense and prosecutions' legal teams. Dershowitz, 81, also brought up Laurence Tribe, a 79-year-old Harvard law professor and constitutional historian who has publicly feuded with Dershowitz in the past and has mocked his flip-flop on impeachment. 'Professor Tribe suddenly had a revelation, himself. At the time when Clinton was impeached, he said 'Oh, the law is clear: you cannot you cannot charge a president with a crime while he's the sitting president,' Dershowitz said. 'Now we have a current president. Professor Tribe got woke,' he continued. 'And with no apparent new research, he came to the conclusion, 'Oh, but this president can be charged while sitting in office.' That's not the kind of scholarship that should influence your decision.' Tribe has advised Democrats on impeachment throughout the process and has also kept up a Twitter stream critical of his Dershowitz, a fellow Harvard professor. Tribe and Dershowitz have both appeared frequently on news channels in recent weeks to mock each other's views. Dershowitz, who defended O.J. Simpson, admitted in an interview in the hallway of the Senate during a recess that it's likely his opinion on impeachment would continue to evolve. Tribe tweeted that if Americans agreed with Dershowitz, it would put the country on a 'path toward dictatorship' 'You know, I've changed my view so many times about so many issues. I've written 40 books, and every time I write a book, I think of it as a first draft. And then I write another book and another book. And my views evolve and change,' Dershowitz told reporters in the Capitol. 'So, I was shocked that people thought it was such a big deal that I had changed my views,' he continued. 'Of course I changed my views, I'm probably going to change them again. In fact, even in the course of this debate, I've changed them.' 'These views evolve and change,' he admitted. 'But I can tell you one thing, none of the changes are partisan. I'm a liberal Democrats. I would be making this argument for Hillary Clinton. On the other hand, some of my colleagues' views change corresponding to their political views, mine did not.' Dershowitz, who also represented Jeffrey Epstein in a case in the early 2000s, has come under fire for being a divisive figure. 'People have said, 'Well, how come everyone disagrees with you?' Well that's been my life,' Dershowitz told reporters questioning him in the Capitol Wednesday. The state of South Dakota has agreed to pay $350,000 to Native American job applicants as part of a settlement negotiated by the federal government. The settlement resolves a lawsuit initiated by the Department of Justice in November 2015. The complaint alleged that the South Dakota Department of Social Services discriminated against against Native Americans who applied for jobs at the agency's office on the Pine Ridge Reservation The Civil Rights Division is committed to enforcing the nations anti-discrimination laws on behalf of all Americans, including Native Americans, to make sure they areas the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King challenged 56 years agojudged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin, Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of DOJ's Civil Rights Division said in a press release Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against the South Dakota Department of Social Services Alleging Intentional Race Discrimination Against Native American Job Applicants at the Pine Ridge Reservation https://t.co/XZIkC7FrRR Justice Department (@TheJusticeDept) January 29, 2020 This settlement helps move our nation towards Dr. Kings dream of making opportunity available to all unfettered by unlawful discrimination," Dreiband said. "It provides monetary relief for Native American applicants, ensures equal opportunity to compete for jobs, and establishes a reporting and oversight process to guard against racial discrimination in the future. According to the lawsuit, which was amended in November 2016, the state repeatedly rejected qualified Native Americans for jobs at Pine Ridge. From 2010 through 2012, the agency hired 11 non-Natives and just one Native person even though 40 percent of applicants were Native, the federal government said at the time. Cedric Goodman, who was a citizen of the Oglala Sioux Tribe , was among those who experienced mistreatment. The suit alleged he was passed over for a position at Pine Ridge by a non-Native who was less qualified -- a person was hired a day after the state agency mysteriously "closed" the job vacancy, according to the lawsuit. Goodman died in February 2019 , before his complaint was resolved. His estate will receive $10,000 out of the settlement, according to the agreement filed in federal court on Wednesday. The remaining $340,000 will be split among the 60 Native Americans who applied for jobs at the Pine Ridge office. If additional claimants are deemed eligible, they can also seek a share of the settlement. Although the state agreed to the $350,000 settlement, it is not admitting to anything illegal. "Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as an admission by DSS of any liability or wrongdoing," the document reads. The settlement marks another instance of the South Dakota Department of Social Services facing scrutiny for its dealings in Indian Country. In April 2015, a federal judge determined that the agency violated the Indian Child Welfare Act by removing Indian children from their communities at alarming rates. The ruling was later reversed on appeal, but on legal grounds, not on the merits or the facts of the case. The state has since implemented improvements sought by Indian parents and guardians and by the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Read More on the Story Join the Conversation Related Stories When you think of the biggest furniture brand in the country, names like Broyhill, Basset or Thomasville probably come to mind. Try to guess the biggest furniture retailer in the country, and maybe you come up with Rooms To Go, RH or Ikea. In all of these choices, you would be dead wrong. The biggest supplier and retailer of furniture in the country is a brand that may or may not be on your radar, but most certainly is for the American home furnishings buying public: Ashley. And with the recent opening of its 1,000th Ashley HomeStore, the companyunlike any other consumer product brands in the countryis the largest player on both ends of the product pipeline. Its as if Amazon made every product it sells, or if General Foods controlled every supermarket in the country. Ashley is so dominant in what is still a highly fragmented furniture industry, that it remains one of the few consumer product categories in the country with a still-robust independent specialty store component and a supplier base that stretches from the hills of North Carolina all the way to China and Vietnam. With some $5 billion in annual revenue and now with its thousand retail stores (most are franchises or licensees), Ashley has achieved something no other company has been able to do. Its what makes Ashleys story and modern positioning all the more remarkable. Privately owned by the Wanek family and headquartered in the wilds of Wisconsin, it seemingly would have been one of the most unlikely candidates around to have reached the pinnacle of the business. Started in the 1970s as Arcadia Furniture in the town of the same name, Ashley was originally a hole-in-the-wall producer of cabinets and tables that sold its products through a Chicago-based sales agency called Ashley Furniture Corp. The two companies merged in 1982, but even then it was just a tiny player compared to powerhouses like Broyhill or La-Z-Boy. But from those modest (read: very modest) origins, Ashley started to do things few others were doingand it generally did them better than anybody else in the business. As early as 1984, when the vast majority of furniture was still made domestically, the company began setting up production overseas in Asia. At the same time, it invested heavily in modern American manufacturing facilities, leveraging the best of both worldsnot just figuratively, but literallyto become a low-cost producer. It also borrowed a page from another rapidly growing American company, Walmart, by focusing on logistics and supply chain technology in a way that was still largely foreign to the furniture business. All the while, Ashley was expanding its product line, first into bedroom, then dining, and eventually into leather and upholstery. It created a sub-brand called Millennium that featured a proprietary finish, and built that business into a state-of-the-art plant in Wisconsin. The 1,000th Ashley HomeStore (Millsboro, Delaware) Courtesy of Ashley Furniture Under Ron Wanek, who was later joined in the business by his son Todd Wanek, the company continued to expand. Unlike competitors such as Furniture Brands or La-Z-Boy, its growth was internal rather than through acquisitions. In 1997, Ashley entered the retail side of the business with its first Ashley HomeStore in Anchorage, Alaskaperhaps to keep it away from the prying eyes of competitors who were curious to see what the company was up to next. The first international store, located in Japan, followed three years later, at the same time as the company continued to invest in Chinese manufacturing facilities. By 2005, Ashley proclaimed itself the largest manufacturer of furniture in the world; at the time, its store count had grown to 200. Many were, and continue to be, operated by conventional furniture retailers who set up freestanding Ashley units adjacent to or nearby their existing full-line stores. Two years later, in 2007, Ashley announced that it had supplanted Walmart as the largest retailer of furniture and mattresses in the country, a ranking it continues to hold today by a wide margin. Over the past decade, the achievements have kept on coming: plants in Vietnam, entry into the mattress and outdoor furniture businesses, significant philanthropic initiatives, more overseas expansion of its retail fleet, and a next-day-delivery program. All have been under the watch of Todd Wanek, who became CEO in 2002 and is credited by many in the industry for the companys unparalleled success. And while rumors surfaced a few years agoon the front page of The Wall Street Journal, no lessthat Ashley might go public, for now it remains in private hands. One of the reasons stated for remaining private was the familys belief that there were many more opportunities out there yet to be taken advantage of. What would they be? I dont know, Jerry Epperson, a leading industry analyst, recently wrote at Furniture Today. But I bet the folks at Ashley do. They study and analyze our market like no other company, looking for new ways to leverage its industry leading logistics and technology. ____________ Warren Shoulberg is the former editor in chief for several leading B2B publications. He has been a guest lecturer at the Columbia University Graduate School of Business; received honors from the International Furnishings and Design Association and the Fashion Institute of Technology; and been cited by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN and other media as a leading industry expert. He was also a guest on the BOH podcast, and his Retail Watch columns offer deep industry insights on major markets and product categories. Homepage image: Courtesy of Ashley Furniture Protesters raise slogans against the amended CAA and NRC during Bharat Bandh in Bhopal on Wednesday. Berhampore/Kolkata: A Muslim cleric and a teenager were shot dead while three others were injured after a gang of miscreants allegedly backed by the Trinamul Congress opened fire on them during a clash. The incident occurred over a bandh called by an outfit against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) at Jalangi in Murshidabad on Wednesday morning. The victims were identified as Anwarul Biswas (65), a Maulavi of at a local mosque and Salauddin Sheikh alias Maqbool (18), a mason. The incident has left chief minister Mamata Banerjees party in a tight spot as the Trinamul supremo has been spearheading a massive movement against the CAA and NRC across the state. The outfit, Nobojagoron Nagarik Mancha, claiming itself to be apolitical, called the bandh at Sahebnagar in Jalangi demanding the withdrawal of the CAA and NRC. Clashes were reported in Maha, Gujarat It also added the recent arrest of Jawaharlal Nehru University PhD student Sharjeel Imam by the Delhi Police, among the issues. At around 7 am, the bandh supporters launched their protests blocking the road near Sahebnagar Market, a local Nurul Islam Sheikh said. A local teacher Abdul Jabbar was leading the agitation. Soon after three vehicles carrying Trinamul workers rushed to the spot. Jabbar claimed that the agitation was peaceful. The group, led by Trinamul Jalangi (North) block president Tahiruddin Mondal and a Trinamul-ruled gram panchayat head, allegedly attacked bandh supporters with sticks and rods to lift their road blockade forcibly. They even hurled bombs, torched a motorcycle and ransacked many houses. The group, which attacked the bandh supporters first, allegedly opened fire killing Anwarul at the spot. Salauddin, who was also shot at, succumbed to his injuries at Domkal Sub Division Hospital later. Local TMC MP Abu Taher denied the party's involvement in the clash and alleged that the violence was by Congress and CPI(M) supporters. Senior Congress leader and MLA Manoj Chakraborty said that the party was not involved in the incident and demanded a judicial inquiry into it. Meanwhile, clashes between two groups were reported in Maharashtra's Dhule, besides incidents of stone-pelting in a few districts and a train blockade in Mumbai. Incidents of road blockade and stone-pelting were reported during the 'Bharat Bandh' in Gujarat on Wednesday, police said. Suspects detained in two recent traffic stops were traveling with significant amounts of drugs, according to a Friendswood Police Department bulletin. Patrick OBrian Hubert, 31, of Pearland was charged with possession of a controlled substance after a traffic stop for expired registration at 11:46 p.m. Jan. 15 in the 200 block of West Parkwood Avenue, police said. During a vehicle search, the officer reportedly seized: 12 vacuum-sealed bags and other small bags of hydroponic marijuana, 20 units of Soma, 17 units of oxycodone, 93 units of Xanax, 300 packages of THC edibles, 90 marijuana cigarettes and 18 prepackaged flavored buds. Bond was set at $43,000, police said. Then at 2:33 a.m. Jan. 18, Lauren Marie Mortensen, 17, of Friendswood was charged with possession of a controlled substance after a traffic stop in the 600 block of Sun Park Drive. She was a passenger in the vehicle, police said. The officer found her in possession of five Xanax pills, marijuana, THC wax and 21 grams of Ecstasy, according to the report. Bond was set at $25,000, police said. Suspect remains in custody after alleged purse-snatchings A man accused of two aggravated robberies in October remains in Galveston County Jail on an $80,000 bond, Friendswood Police Department spokeswoman Lisa Price said. To Thanah Tung, 40, was arrested Oct. 13, according to a department bulletin. He allegedly robbed a 42-year-old League City woman Oct. 12 at Kroger, 3135 FM 528, and a 40-year-old Pearland woman the next day at the Kroger at 141 N. Friendswood Drive. In each instance, Tung used a knife and made off with the victims purse, police said. Both robberies are Friendswood cases, though one occurred in Galveston County and the other in Harris County, according to the bulletin. Tung has a discovery hearing set for March 19 in the 122nd District Court with Judge John Ellisor, Price said. Police arrest 12 on DWI charges A dozen people were charged with driving while intoxicated between Jan. 13 and Jan. 20 in Friendswood, according to reports from the citys police department. Police charged a League City man, 25, with DWI and possession of a controlled substance after a crash in the 100 block of South Friendswood Drive. According to a witness, the man sped through a stop sign. He had several open alcohol containers and marijuana inside his vehicle and was found in possession of Xanax, police said. Police charged a 56-year-old Galveston woman with DWI and possession of a controlled substance Jan. 13 in the 1700 block of West Parkwood Avenue. A witness reported an intoxicated person driving erratically from Alvin into Friendswood, police said. The suspect vehicle ran a red light on West Parkwood and turned north onto Sunset Drive, according to the report. An officer conducted a traffic stop and a search of the womans purse allegedly yielded 10 carisoprodol tablets. A San Leon man, 28, was charged with DWI after a traffic stop for speeding and failure to maintain a single lane Jan. 17 in the 1900 block of FM 528, police said. The passenger, a 28-year-old San Leon woman, was charged with public intoxication, according to the report. Police charged a League City man, 36, with DWI after a traffic stop for failure to maintain a single lane Jan. 18 in the 2500 block of South Friendswood Drive. A League City man, 45, was charged with DWI Jan. 18 in the 100 block of East Parkwood Avenue, police said. He allegedly had stopped in oncoming traffic at an intersection. Police charged a Pearland man, 27, with DWI after a traffic stop for failure to maintain a single lane and following too closely Jan. 18 in the 1500 block of Sunset Drive. A 45-year-old Houston man was charged with DWI and unlawfully carrying a weapon Jan. 19 in the 200 block of West Parkwood Avenue, police said. He allegedly was asleep in the drivers seat of his running vehicle in a bank parking lot. As he was taken into custody, he told officers he had a firearm inside his vehicle, according to the report. Police charged a Bay City man, 33, with DWI and unlawfully carrying a weapon after a traffic stop for speeding and weaving Jan. 19 in the 200 block of West Parkwood Avenue. His drivers license was invalid and he was found in possession of a handgun, police said. Police charged a Crosby man, 54, with DWI Jan. 19 in the 1600 block of Winding Way. He allegedly pulled out of a parking lot in the 3200 block of FM 528, crossed three westbound lanes and entered the median. He was speeding, driving outside his lane and turning his high beams on and off, police said. A Texas City woman, 31, was charged with DWI after a traffic stop for speeding and weaving Jan. 19 in the 200 block of South Friendswood Drive, police said. Her registration also was expired, according to the report. Police charged an 18-year-old Pearland man with DWI after a traffic stop for failure to maintain a single lane Jan. 20 in the 1000 block of West Parkwood Avenue. Another 18-year-old Pearland man, a passenger, was charged with public intoxication, minor in possession of alcohol and minor in possession of tobacco, police said. A Houston man, 49, was charged with DWI Jan. 20 in the 2100 block of West Parkwood Avenue, police said. He allegedly did not slow down or vacate the lane immediately next to an officer already conducting a traffic stop. Burglary A red and white Honda CR80 dirt bike, a green and purple Kawasaki KX60 dirt bike and two weed trimmers were stolen from a residence in the 400 block of E. Castle Harbour Drive, according to a Jan. 15 police report. Police conducted a burglary investigation Jan. 16 at Wendys, 104 E. Edgewood Drive. A window behind the drive-thru was broken, and the cash register was open and empty, according to the report. All exterior doors were locked, police said. A Stihl leaf blower was stolen from the equipment room at Huntington Wood Apartments, 701 S. Friendswood Drive, according to a Jan. 19 police report. The burglar gained access to the office through a broken window and rummaged through several drawers, police said. Theft A gray 2017 Chevrolet Silverado with Texas license plate JDT8354 was stolen sometime after 8 p.m. Jan. 14 from the parking lot at Baywood Apartments, 5025 FM 2351, according to a Jan. 15 police report. Theft of money was reported Jan. 15 at Flawless Skin Lounge, 607 S. Friendswood Drive, police said. The victim reportedly issued a business check for training services, but the payee has not provided the training, according to the report. The suspect allegedly has been linked to several business names, websites, addresses and phone numbers that are disconnected, shut down or false. A 2018 double-axle, white and tan Gulf Stream 28BBS Streamlite camper with Texas license plate B105629 was stolen from the 4800 block of FM 2351, according to a Jan. 16 police report. The camper was posted for sale at the time of the theft, police said. Fraud A Friendswood mans identity was used to open a loan through MaxLend, according to a Jan. 15 police report. He reportedly received a letter from a collections agency claiming he owes the company $2,000. A Friendswood woman discovered six unauthorized charges on her credit card statement, according to a Jan. 16 police report. The charges were made at Macys, 200 Baybrook Mall, police said. A Friendswood mans name and former address were used fraudulently to open a credit card account, according to a Jan. 17 police report. The man reportedly is being sued for an unpaid debt. A Friendswood woman received a phone call from a collections company and learned an AT&T account had been opened with her identity but not her knowledge, according to a Jan. 18 police report. Someone in Idaho charged $6,000 on a Friendswood womans Lowes credit card, according to a Jan. 18 police report. She applied for the card in December, police said. A Friendswood family suspects a caretaker is fraudulently stealing funds from a relatives credit card, according to a Jan. 20 police report. The unauthorized transactions date back to September 2019. Criminal mischief A vehicles rear passenger tire was deflated intentionally, according to a police report filed Jan. 20 in the 900 block of Laurelfield Drive. A small rock was inserted into the valve stem cap, causing the tire to deflate slowly, police said. The victim has named a subject, according to the report. Assault Police charged a Friendswood man, 38, with injury to an elderly person and aggravated assault of a peace officer Jan. 15 at Hut Mobile Home Park, 110 Woodlawn Drive. The man allegedly was involved in a disturbance with his mother. During his handcuffed escort to the police vehicle, he kicked the arresting officers in the neck and cheeks, police said. Bond was set at $70,000. A Friendswood woman, 34, was charged with assault, family violence Jan. 17 in the 16700 block of Barcelona Drive. She allegedly assaulted her mother. Narcotics Police charged a Houston man, 25, with possession of drug paraphernalia after a traffic stop for expired registration, no insurance and a fictitious buyers tag Jan. 14 in the 100 block of East Edgewood Drive. The officer allegedly found marijuana residue, a jar containing synthetic urine and a vape cartridge containing THC residue during a vehicle search. A 25-year-old Friendswood woman, a passenger, was released from the scene with a citation for possession of drug paraphernalia, police said. Shortly afterward, however, an anonymous caller told police dispatch the woman was seen pushing a bag of marijuana into her shirt before entering a Walgreens, according to the report. Another officer contacted the woman, and she allegedly produced the bag of marijuana and was taken into custody. Police charged a Kemah woman, 20, and Houston woman, 18, with possession of drug paraphernalia after a traffic stop for a lighting violation Jan. 15 in the 100 block of West NASA Boulevard. A vehicle search yielded marijuana, TCH wax, a grinder and a scale, police said. A 16-year-old Friendswood High School student was charged with possession of a controlled substance in a drug-free zone, a third-degree felony, according to a Jan. 16 police report. School officials reportedly found her in possession of a dab pen and THC oil. After processing at the Friendswood Police Department, the girl was transported to the Galveston County Juvenile Detention Center, police said. Police charged a Bacliff man, 44, with possession of drug paraphernalia after a traffic stop for an improperly mounted buyers tag Jan. 17 in the 4000 block of FM 2351. The vehicle did not have insurance and its registration was expired, according to the report. The man had an invalid drivers license and an outstanding warrant for shoplifting in Webster, police said. The officer reportedly observed marijuana on the gear shifter and found the man in possession of a bag of marijuana and a pipe. An Alvin man, 20, and woman, 25, were charged with possession of drug paraphernalia after a traffic stop Jan. 18 in the 600 block of East Parkwood Avenue, police said. The officer found marijuana shake, rolling papers and a cigar filled with marijuana during a vehicle search, according to the report. Police charged a Deer Park woman, 42, with possession of a controlled substance after a traffic stop for an insurance violation Jan. 20 in the 700 block of West Parkwood Avenue. The officer reportedly found a marijuana pipe and Adderall during a vehicle search. Bond was set at $2,000. A 17-year-old Friendswood woman was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and minor in possession of tobacco product after a traffic stop Jan. 20 for traveling north in the southbound lane along the 16000 block of Blackhawk Boulevard, police said. The officer reportedly found a cigar filled with marijuana in the ashtray as well as five packages of cigarillos. Public intoxication A 19-year-old League City man was charged with public intoxication after an officer saw him exit a vehicle and stumble across the parking lot Jan. 17 at Circle K, 700 W. Parkwood Ave., police said. He allegedly left his drivers-side door open and his wallet on the ground. The man also was charged with criminal mischief after he shoved rolls of toilet paper into a toilet at the jail and blocked a floor drain, causing his cell to flood, police said. Police charged a Pasadena man, 38, with public intoxication Jan. 20. He allegedly was found near a vehicle in a ditch at Lundy Lane and El Dorado Drive. Weapons Police charged a Pearland man, 27, with unlawfully carrying a weapon after a traffic stop for an insurance violation Jan. 17 in the 500 block of South Friendswood Drive. Asked if he had anything illegal inside the vehicle, the driver allegedly said he had marijuana and a firearm under the passenger seat. MBABANE A South African businessman has taken Swazi Plastic Industries to court demanding E160 000 for alleged breach of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Wayne Parsons (plaintiff), a South African entrepreneur residing at Tubungu, in his particulars of claim, mentioned that on May 22, 2019, he entered into a written MoU with the defendant (Swazi Plastic Industries) on rates, the effect of which was that Swazi Plastic Industries enlisted professional services of the plaintiff. Parsons claimed the material terms of the MoU were inter alia that the defendant would pay to the plaintiff a pull of 80 hours a month at E500 per hour. These are allegations contained in the plaintiffs particulars of claim whose veracity is still to be tested in court and the respondent is yet to file its detailed papers in the event it is disputing the claim against it. The purported MoU, according to the plaintiff, further stipulated for every extra hour worked after the 80 hours between Mondays and Fridays, it would attract an extra E500 per hour. For hours worked over the weekend, plaintiff was to be paid an overtime rate of 1.3 per hour, alleged Parsons. He further claimed that the defendant was to pay the plaintiff every Friday subject to approved invoices by the factory manager. Parsons also alleged that in terms of the agreement, he was always on call for among others, fixing the machines and ensuring that they were in working condition at all material times at the defendants place of business. Stipulated The plaintiff avers that over and above the terms stipulated in the MoU on rates, the parties agreed further that plaintiff will be paid by the defendant a retainer fee of E40 000 per month, submitted the plaintiff. Parsons alleged that the defendants had breached the agreement by among other things writing to him on December 2, 2019, advising him that his decision to unilaterally terminate the agreement was confirmed despite having not confirmed any cancellation in any manner whatsoever. Furthermore, he averred that despite communication through his attorneys advising Swazi Plastic Industries to withdraw the alleged acceptance of his unilateral termination and allow him to continue discharging his obligations in terms of the agreement, the defendant denied him access and stopped paying him in November 2019. As a result of the purported defendants breach, Parsons claimed that he had lost income, could not access the site and consequently could not meet his financial obligations as he was not paid the retainer fee. When the agreement was concluded, the plaintiff and the defendant were aware of the following facts, and the agreement was entered into on the basis of the following facts: that the plaintiff will have unlimited access at the site to ensure that production is not stifled by not working machinery, hence the machines should be at a workmanlike condition at all material times, alleged Parsons. He further claimed that the agreement concluded that he would always be available whenever Swazi Plastic Industries required him without fail and that he could not commit to other jobs as he was required to avail himself as and when required by the defendant. Parsons averred that as a result of the defendants alleged breach of agreement, he had lost income in the sum of E160 000 representing the outstanding months of the contract being December, January, February and March. He claimed that these months were now owed and payable but despite demand, the defendant refused and or neglected to pay same. His prayers to the High Court were that he be paid the E160 000 and that its compensation should incur an interest of 9 per cent per annum. Parsons further sought that the costs of suit be incurred by the defendant. Summons In the event the defendant was disputing the claim, Swazi Plastic Industries was advised to within 10 days of receiving the summons to file their notice of intention to oppose and serve a copy thereof to the plaintiff. Thereafter, the defendant was further advised that they should within 21 days after serving notice of intention to defend, file with the registrar of the High Court and serve upon the plaintiffs attorneys, a plea, and exception notice to strike out with or without a counter-claim. Parsons is represented by attorneys from Linda Dlamini and Associates. 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 PARIS, Jan. 30, 2020 which will take place here on 9-10 March at Les Salons Hoche. Batters, who has been called the most powerful farmer in the UK, will present "How Farming Can Help Mitigate Climate Change" at the premier day-and-a-half conference - the perfect complement to International Women's Day on March 8. As the first female president in the 112-year history of the National Farmers' Union, Batters will provide her unique perspective and insight on this contemporary topic. "Farming and food is much maligned as a problem of the modern age, but it's rarely recognised for its adaptability and phenomenal successes," said Batters as she described her topic of discussion. "For too long, farming has been on the wrong end of the climate debate, rarely recognised for its role in the carbon cycle and even more rarely recognised for the enormous potential of agriculture to deliver a range of solutions for mitigating anthropogenic carbon emissions." Batters will highlight the NFU's vision for UK agriculture to have a net-zero contribution to climate change by 2040, as well as outline industry action and the critical need for the government to get agricultural policy and trade policy aligned. Other speakers who will present on the Women in Agribusiness Summit Europe stage include: Laura Cieraad - global head of digital marketing, Syngenta Jolanda Van Haarlem - animal nutrition group director, Cargill Renee Marais - managing director, Rabobank Christine Tacon - grocery adjudicator, UK Silvia Cifre Wibrow, country manager, BASF The European event is fashioned after the very successful Women in Agribusiness Summit hosted by U.S.-based HighQuest Group , which was first held in 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. The annual event regularly convenes more than 800 attendees from nearly 45 U.S. states and 10 countries. The Women in Agribusiness Summit Europe debuted in Barcelona, Spain, in February 2015, which was an intimate gathering praised for being a solutions-oriented, uniquely-focused agricultural event for women that discussed current market trends. Current sponsors of the 2020 European event include: Cargill, Corteva Agriscience, ING, Syngenta and DeLacy Executive Recruitment. Event partners are agriDees, iGrow, International Milling & Grain Directory, Milling & Grain, Nebraska Grain and Feed Association, and World Grain. Learn more about the Women in Agribusiness Summit Europe at womeninageurope.com , or follow us at @ Womeninagri , on Facebook and LinkedIn . Register for the event with a 10% discount using promo code: PARIS20. Women in Agribusiness is a business unit of HighQuest Group , a global agribusiness consulting, events and media firm, based north of Boston, Mass., USA. Its initiatives include WIA Membership , WIA Demeter Award of Excellence , Scholarships , WIA Meet Ups and the WIA Quarterly Journal . womeninag.com CONTACT: Michelle Pelletier Marshall Senior PR/Media Manager 10 South Main Street, Suite 209 Topsfield, Mass. 01983 USA mmarshall@highquestgroup.com +1.978.790.0565 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d8149bc1-acdd-47cd-965c-2d1b7d20946c NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Thursday issued a show-cause notice to BJP MP Parvesh Verma for allegedly calling Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal a "terrorist''. Delhi's ruling AAP had on Wednesday filed a complaint with Delhi's Chief Electoral Officer against BJP MP Parvesh Verma, demanding registration of an FIR against him for reportedly calling Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal "a terrorist". In its complaint, AAP had said by equating Kejriwal to the "anti-national forces" fighting India, Verma has tarnished the image of the chief minister. Calling it a "blatant" violation of the model code of conduct, the complaint by the AAP demanded registration of an FIR against Verma. Meanwhile, hitting back at the BJP for "terrorist" remark against him, Kejriwal on Thursday said the people of Delhi would decide if he is their "son" or a terrorist. Speaking to the media, Kejriwal, who is also the Aam Aadmi Party`s National Convenor, said, "I have worked for five years as your son. I leave it to you to decide whether I am a son or a terrorist." The Chief Minister made the emotional statement a day after Verma called him a "terrorist" while addressing a public meeting. "In the last five years, these people did nothing except making me suffer. There were raids at my residence and my office. Various charges and cases were filed against me. When I went back to my home yesterday, I had my parents waiting for me. They were very disappointed with these statements. All that they had to say was that our son is a patriot and not a terrorist," he said. The Chief Minister said he tried to be a son to every family in Delhi and take responsibility for the family. Live TV "Since the formation of our government in the last five years, I have considered every child as my own while striving to provide good education. Does that make me a terrorist? I have arranged for better treatment and medicines to the people of every household in Delhi. Does that make me a terrorist?" He said his government made arrangements so that elders of all families could go on pilgrimage. "Does that make me a terrorist? I tried to take care of the families of the martyrs in Delhi. Does that make me a terrorist? I have never asked for anything for myself or my family. I have always tried to be of service to the people with all my heart and soul, I will sacrifice my life for the nation if need be," said Kejriwal. He said he belongs to IIT Kharagpur - one of the most reputed institutions of the country. "I was a bright student who attained good marks, I could have gone to a foreign nation like my peers. But I chose to stay back because I thought that it is only us who can work for and improve the nation. I left a job as the Income Tax Commissioner to take part in the nation`s biggest movement against corruption. Are these steps that a terrorist would take?" asked Kejriwal. He also recalled that he has "exposed" some of the most powerful and eminent people in cases of corruption, because of which he had to suffer. "Would a terrorist do that? I am a diabetic, I take insulin four times a day. If a patient of diabetes does not consume something every three-four hours, he/she might collapse due to low blood sugar levels. Despite being on such a high risk, I sat on a protest against corruption twice, once for 10 days and and a second time, for 15 days. Doctors would advise me against it. I risked my life for the nation," Kejriwal said. - Apple has released the list of iPhones that have been rendered outdated in 2020 in terms of software updates - Experts say using these obsolete iPhones exposes the phones to hacking - With this new development, so many people will be forced to change their phones - Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in A lot of iPhone users will no doubt be disappointed and start making plans to change their phones as Apple has revealed that iPhone 6 and older iPhones have been rendered obsolete. The Sun reports that this is because Apple no longer sends security updates to some of these older models of iPhones. YEN.com.gh gathers that the iPhones that are obsolete in terms of software updates include the iPhone 5C, 5S, 5, 4S, 4, 3GS, 3G and the 2007 iPhone. READ ALSO: Nigerian stowaways heading to Europe land in Ghanas Tema port city instead Software updates are the gateway through which Apple send security updates to iPhones across the globe. Experts have warned that using these iPhones when they become obsolete exposes the phones to hacking. A security specialist at Comparitech.com, Brian Higgins, said: "Unsupported software and devices are incredibly dangerous for consumers as theres no protection from cybercriminals. The iPhones that have been rendered obsolete will not be able to download iOS 13, which is the latest verstion of Apple's mobile software. Supported devices for iOS 13 include the iPhone SE, 6S, 7, 8, X (ten), XR, XS, XS Max, 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max. ATTENTION: Read the best news on Ghana #1 news app. Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Ghana Various "Plus" versions of each of these models also still receive Apple updates. Experts say using these obsolete iPhones exposes the phones to hacking. Photo credit: The Sun UK Source: UGC READ ALSO: Coronavirus: It is a plague sent by God to punish sinners - Rick Wiles Reacting to the development, Jade Walker on Facebook said: "I personally feel the phones only have a 2 year life that Im happy with so upgrade to the newer version. Now have the 11 and I like the upgrade of screen quality, volume, speed, etc etc..... but I still wouldnt keep an old iPhone as they dont support the newer upgrades and fall behind." Any iPhone running software older than iOS 7 will no longer be supported and any Android device with version 2.3.7 installed will also be affected. Recall that the Facebook-owned app stopped working on a number of devices on December 31, 2019. This is what makes 4-year-old Nii Omanye aka Kwame Nkrumah the smartest child in Ghana| #Yencomgh READ ALSO: Ship that mysteriously vanished almost 100 years ago with 32 people aboard found 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 Disney's 'The Lion King' has rightfully been studded with three honours at the Visual Effects Society Awards 2020. The 18th edition of the ceremony took place at Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on Wednesday (local time). The good news was shared by the production house through the movie's official Instagram handle. Along with a picture describing the film's win the caption reads, "Congratulations to #TheLionKing for winning 3 Visual Effects Society Awards for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature, Outstanding Created Environment in a Photoreal Feature (The Pridelands), and Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a CG Project. #VESAwards." 'The Lion King' has won in three of the apt categories that are Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature, Outstanding Created Environment in a Photoreal Feature and Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a CG Project The 2019 release helmed by Jon Favreau has been one of the top winners among other notable films like 'The Irishman', 'Toy Story 4' and 'The Mandalorian'. Both 'The Lion King' and 'The Irishman' have got their head locked for the upcoming Academy awards as they compete in the same category there as well. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Express News Service VISAKHAPATNAM: High alert has been sounded in Visakhapatnam port in the aftermath of coronavirus threat. All the vessels calling and arriving at the port and its entire crew are being subjected to screening as per the standard operating procedure (SOP) of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. As per its directive, the medical staff have been provided among other things 500 N-95 masks, 20 hand sanitisers, 500 sets of disposable gloves, disposable total body full-length gowns five sets and a thermoflash hand gun. The entire exercise of medical examination is being carried out by port health officer (PHO) Amit Gayan. The port has also taken other measures including ensuring that all pilots go with masks, the master of the ship or vessel should give a health declaration of its entire crew every day. Any symptom of ill-health shall be brought to the notice of PHO or port authority immediately and any suspicious case will be shifted to isolation ward in Infections Diseases Hospital (IDH) at Pedda Waltair. All vessels and crew irrespective of the country of origin will be subjected to screening, the port authorities said. No crew will be permitted to go out of the vessel, they said. While this was so, a vessel named Fortune Sun with 21 Chinese crew onboard docked in Vizag Port and was berthed at WQ-5 at 8.25 am on Wednesday. After examination by the PHO and upon his confirmation that the entire crew are medically fit and healthy, the vessel was permitted to load the cargo. Another vessel Weichi, which arrived on Jan. 25, is presently at anchorage. It is likely to be berthed within two days and immediately the crew will undergo screening by PHO, the authorities said. The authorities said VPT is well prepared to handle the situation and is all geared up with the required equipment to meet any health emergency. Meanwhile, a 35-year-old man, who complained of throat pain, was immediately shifted to King George Hospital for tests here on Wednesday. The man, who is a native of the city, landed in Visakhapatnam from Dubai. After conducting preliminary tests for coronavirus, the doctors at the KGH and Chest Hospitals declared him to be carrying none of the symptoms of the nCorona-2019 virus and discharged him. Following the outbreak of the virus in China, all airports, including Visakhapatnam International Airport, have put up screening centres in the premises where all suspects are tested. The airport officials are on the alert especially while testing those passengers coming from China via Malaysia and Singapore. - Larry Madowo said he publicly criticised the government's shut down of media houses in 2018 during Raila Odinga's mock swearing-in - His criticism of the regime landed him in trouble and he was set for arrest alongside two others but they managed to escape to a safe house - Fortunately, they were granted anticipatory bail and were free to go back to work - However, Nation Media Group inhibited him from going on air or publishing a piece about the experience he had had with the government - NTV's infringement of media freedom alongside the State made him leave the station and later got a plum job in BBC Celebrated Kenyan journalist Larry Madowo has opened up on the circumstances that led to his exit from Nation Media Group. The journalist said his woes started during the mock swearing-in of opposition leader Raila Odinga when the government shut down mainstream media on grounds of national security in 2018. READ ALSO: No hurry to evacuate Kenyans from China: Kenya's ambassador to China says READ ALSO: Moses Kuria says supporting BBI cannot save doomed Tanga Tanga team Speaking while receiving an award from Association of Foreign Correspondents USA, Madowo said he was publicly critical of the shut down since it was an absolute threat to press freedom and this got him into trouble with the current regime. "I was on air when the government shut down our signal and I was openly critical to that, not only on social media but on international media outlets. READ ALSO: Wakazi Taita Taveta walalamika uhaba wa maji, wadai yamenyakuliwa na DP Ruto "One of my colleagues, myself and our boss were earmarked for arrest by this very brutal wing of the Kenya police that is known for reinforced arrest and disappearance of individuals and so basically we would have disappeared forever," said the international media personality. The three of them escaped from the authorities by hiding under a car; the very bottom of the vehicle and were driven out of the newsroom to a safe house. Luckily, they got anticipatory bail which meant the government could not arrest them but they would in turn show up in court when required. Things, however, got worse when he went back to NTV after the anticipatory bail and his bosses told him he would be off-air until temperatures in the political sphere cooled down. "I used to write a column for the same organisation for a newspaper it owned (Daily Nation) and I said I wanted to write about the whole experience but the organisation said it would not do that. "So, I was not only facing threats from the government but the media house did not want to displease the government and therefore censoring content," said Madowo. READ ALSO: Kobe Bryant wife and kids (photos) Nation Media Group's attempt to silence him was completely unacceptable to him and he resorted to write the piece and published it on CNN. "I published the piece on CNN and I left the organisation," he said. The decorated media personnel later got a plum job in BBC as a business correspondent of Africa. While winding up his speech, the ex-NTV anchor honoured all journalists who expose wrongdoings and end up arrested or even killed. "Those journalists shine a spotlight to corruption and speak truth to power. They are the true heroes and they are the ones that deserve recognition," said the anchor to the ovation of his listeners. 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. Edgar Obare is not sorry for exposing celebrities | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke TICKERS: CGM; CFGMF Source: Peter Epstein for Streetwise Reports (1/29/20) Peter Epstein of Epstein Research discusses recent developments at the company. On January 29th, California Gold Mining Inc. (CGM:CSE; CFGMF:OTCQB) announced an agreement with a North Carolina-based hemp-CBD extraction company for the sale of CBD isolate produced by running CGM's 100%-owned, high-CBD hemp biomass through the private company's state-of-the-art extraction facility. CBD isolate is a crystalline solid or powder containing >99.5% CBD and <0.3% total THC. The fixed purchase price is US$3,500/kg of CBD isolate, and CGM's Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) is expected to be US$2,450/kg, which would be a margin of US$1,050/kg. Up to 1,000 kg of isolate is expected to be sold in March. The company plans to make recurring sales for an initial one-year term. California Gold's President & CEO, Mr. Vishal Gupta stated, "The execution of a second sale agreement soon after executing the first is a testament to the high quality of CGM's refined products, and management's commitment to achieving positive cash flow in Q1 2020. CGM's board recognizes that diversification of the Company's revenue stream is critical to long-term sustainability of positive cash flow in the nascent hemp-CBD sector. With this in mind, management continues to explore additional avenues for revenue generation from the Company's hemp business segment." If January and February operating activities are successful, CGM would likely acquire additional hemp biomass in North Carolina and/or neighboring Virginia to produce and offer for sale specialty refined products in partnership with the family-owned NC-based extraction company. Readers may recall that on January 15th, California Gold announced an agreement with a California-based hemp-CBD brokerage firm for the sale of a specialty, high-end product, zero-THC distillate (zTd), produced from the company's wholly owned, high-CBD hemp biomass. zTd is an oil derived from hemp plants that contains 0% THC and >80% CBD by weight. The purchase is US$4,300 per liter of zTd. The initial term of the agreement is one year. According to the press release, CGM's COGS associated with the production of zTd is expected to be US$2,400/liter, resulting in a margin of US$1,900/liter. After an initial batch of up to 500 liters is delivered next month, CGM hopes to execute additional sales of zTd over the remainder of the year. CEO Gupta added, "We are delighted to be in a position to deliver on our promise of realizing CGM's first revenues and achieving a healthy operating profit in Q1 2020. We are currently negotiating additional sales agreements with interested parties for our bulk, refined, hemp-CBD products. These products were generated from the initial batch of hemp biomass purchased from farmers in Virginia & North Carolina, along with hemp biomass harvested from our wholly owned Grove Road farm in Illinois." Management believes there's higher operating margins and stronger demand for specialty, refined products such as zTd, than for commodity-like crude oil products. CGM's board is contemplating the purchase of additional high CBD-content hemp biomass to get converted into high-end refined products once the current inventory is sold. In the chart below are some CY 2020 net revenue (net of a 5% sales commission) scenarios (in CAD$ FX: 1.31:1). These are indicative figures only, based on press released data. Both the range of monthly production quantities (CBD isolate & zero-THC distillate), as well as the pricing for each product, could end up outside the ranges depicted in the chart. The range of total net annual revenue from both products could approach or exceed C$100 million. To be more conservative, C$40-C$60 million might be a reasonable expectation, IF EVERYTHING GOES REASONABLY AS PLANNED. That was a big IF for most companies last year. Make no mistake, execution will be a major challenge again in 2020. Even if CGM's revenue comes in at the low end of the chart, around C$23 million, that would still be a great outcome. The company's enterprise value (EV) [market cap + debt cash] is C$20 million. California Gold is trading at under 1x 2020 (expected) net revenue. Readers should note that revenue could absolutely come in below the C$23 million mentioned above. Two of the primary risks are 1) operating logisticsunexpected downtime, delays in permits, approvals or supplies, longer extraction runtimes, etc., and 2) lower pricing. Pricing has fallen >50% in the past nine months, but it seems to have leveled out. If CGM is trading at under 1x 2020e net revenue, (a very low market valuation) it would be in the top 6% for that metric of the 302 names I'm tracking. Among the 18 trading under 1x revenue, some have share prices below $0.05, some are down >90% from last year's highs (CGM is down 59%), some are in cut-throat, low-margin competitive segments like cannabis delivery, beverages or the selling of supplies/equipment. By contrast, CGM expects strong margins. California Gold would be trading at under a 1x 2020e EV/EBITDA multiple if it were to generate $70.3 million in net revenue (see chart above). Now that CGM is on the cusp of revenue and positive cash flow, one can start to wonder about acquisitions, M&A. Readers should glance at the Annual U.S. Hemp-Derived CBD Retail Sales Estimates: 2019-2024 chart below. Could CGM capture just 1.0% of the 2020 hemp-CBD market? YES. Will CGM be an acquirer or be the one taken out? I believe a takeout of CGM will not come before 2021. The company has too much going for it, they will soon be cashed up in an epic buyer's market of distressed assets. On the other hand, once CGM has ramped up revenue and cash flow well into the tens of millions, it will become a prime takeover target itself. Management runs a tight ship, there are just five employees and minimal options / warrants or overhead. I expect that net revenue divided by employee will be 10x to 25x higher than that of the major MSOs and LPs. For example, Canopy Growth has over 2,700 employees, Aurora Cannabis over 1,600. This is a very exciting time for California Gold and any company with ample cash liquidity. A lot of companies, large and small, blew up in 2019 or are in the process of blowing up this year. For instance, roughly 20% of the names I'm tracking have over 300 million shares outstanding, some over 500 million. CGM has 60 million shares outstanding. Surprisingly, about 25% have negative working capital balances (more short-term liabilities than assets). Slightly over 100 companies (34%) have less than or equal to $500,000 in trailing 12-month revenue. Of course, some of these names will see revenue soar in 2020, but the vast majority won't achieve >$10 or $20 million this year. CGM could end 2020 with trailing 12-month revenue in the top 70 or 80, but it's currently ranked about #180 on my list. Even more exciting, if the company can deliver strong margins, they could be in the top 50 or 60 in terms of annual EBITDA. Companies ranked #50 to #80 range in EVs from ~$75 million to ~$155 million, vs. CGM at $20 million. So, there's substantial upside potential (and still very significant risk) in the shares of California Gold Mining Inc. [CGM] (CSE: CGM) / (OTCQB: CFGMF). Investors should know by mid-year how management is executing, if they run into any problems and if pricing holds up. This is all in the U.S., 100% hemp, no cannabis. There should be lots of news on existing operations and possibly acquisitions/joint ventures. Peter Epstein is the founder of Epstein Research. His background is in company and financial analysis. He holds an MBA degree in financial analysis from New York University's Stern School of Business. [NLINSERT] Streetwise Reports Disclosure: 1) Peter Epstein's disclosures are listed below. 2) The following companies mentioned in the article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: None. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. 3) Statements and opinions expressed are the opinions of the author and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The author is wholly responsible for the validity of the statements. The author was not paid by Streetwise Reports for this article. Streetwise Reports was not paid by the author to publish or syndicate this article. Streetwise Reports requires contributing authors to disclose any shareholdings in, or economic relationships with, companies that they write about. Streetwise Reports relies upon the authors to accurately provide this information and Streetwise Reports has no means of verifying its accuracy. 4) The article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports. 5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the interview or the decision to write an article until three business days after the publication of the interview or article. The foregoing prohibition does not apply to articles that in substance only restate previously published company releases. Disclosures: The content of this article is for information only. Readers fully understand and agree that nothing contained herein, written by Peter Epstein of Epstein Research [ER], (together, [ER]) about California Gold Mining, including but not limited to, commentary, opinions, views, assumptions, reported facts, calculations, etc. is not to be considered implicit or explicit investment advice. Nothing contained herein is a recommendation or solicitation to buy or sell any security. [ER] is not responsible under any circumstances for investment actions taken by the reader. [ER] has never been, and is not currently, a registered or licensed financial advisor or broker/dealer, investment advisor, stockbroker, trader, money manager, compliance or legal officer, and does not perform market making activities. [ER] is not directly employed by any company, group, organization, party or person. The shares of California Gold Mining are highly speculative, not suitable for all investors. It is assumed and agreed upon by readers that they will consult with their own licensed or registered financial advisors before making any investment decisions. At the time this article was posted, Peter Epstein owned shares of California Gold Mining Inc. and the Company was an advertiser on [ER]. Readers understand and agree that they must conduct their own due diligence above and beyond reading this article. While the author believes he's diligent in screening out companies that, for any reasons, are unattractive investment opportunities, he cannot guarantee that his efforts will (or have been) successful. [ER] is not responsible for any perceived, or actual, errors including, but not limited to, commentary, opinions, views, assumptions, reported facts, financial calculations, etc., or for the completeness of this interview or future content. [ER] is not expected or required to subsequently follow or cover events & news, or write about any particular company. [ER] is not an expert in any company, industry sector or investment topic. Press Release January 29, 2020 Bong Go supports possible China-PH travel ban and other necessary measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus Senator Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go said on Wednesday, January 29, that he will recommend to President Rodrigo Duterte the ban on flights and ship travels between the country and China if it is necessary to prevent the entry of the novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV to Philippine shores. Authorities reported that 132 persons already died of the 2019-nCoV and over 6,000 are infected in mainland China and abroad. "Kung saka-sakaling kakailanganin ay irerekomenda natin kay Pangulong Duterte 'yan. Araw-araw naman po may inter-agency (coordination). Nakatutok tayo dito, ang ating mga health officials, foreign officials. Antayin lang natin ang kanilang rekomendasyon. Kung sakali, pabor ako diyan para maiwasan po itong pagkalat," Go said during an interview by broadcaster Erwin Tulfo on his show "Tatak Erwin Tulfo" on the radio station Radyo Pilipinas. The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) has imposed a ban on flights from and to the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus outbreak began in late December. Tourists from Wuhan who visited Boracay were also deported. But flights between other cities in China and the Philippines are still permitted. In China, certain travel restrictions are in place in the whole Hubei province, while Wuhan City remains on lockdown. As of now, the Chinese government has issued a travel ban in areas around the country for tour groups of Chinese citizens. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has earlier stopped the issuance of visas-on-arrival to Chinese nationals. The DFA eventually temporarily stopped the issuance of visas to travellers from Hubei province, altogether. "Sa ngayon ay wala na tayong issuance po ng upon arrival visa, di katulad noon na mas maluwag tayo. So ingat tayo, lalo na 'yang mga galing diyan sa Wuhan. Nakaalerto po ang ating awtoridad. Kapag may sumbong lang, tsinetsek agad ng ating health officials," Go said. The Senator said he agrees with the position of the Department of Health (DOH) on putting some travel restrictions on Chinese visitors entering the Philippines. "Ingat lang po tayo. Maging alerto tayo sa lahat ng pangyayari. Ayaw natin na pumasok 'yan dito. Si Pangulong Duterte inatasan na ang lahat na tutukan po itong coronavirus," he added. The Senator urged DOH to strictly impose precautionary measures to protect Filipinos by implementing quarantine procedures when necessary and providing regular advisories to guide the public. The Senator also said that the government is ready to assist Filipinos in Wuhan who are willing to voluntarily return. "Kung sino ang gustong umuwi dito, nakahanda po ang gobyerno. Inaantay lang ang go signal po ng bansang China kung payagan na nilang (makabalik) po ang mga kapatid natin sa Wuhan." Pursuant to the issuance of the Resolution by the Inter-agency Task Force, the DFA is now crafting the relevant issuances needed to carry out the recommendations of the Inter-agency Task Force. The foreign affairs department said that it has been in close coordination with the Philippine consulate in Shanghai regarding the Filipinos staying in Wuhan. The department is expected to release the updated number of Filipinos from Wuhan who expressed intent to voluntarily go home. The DFA will be announcing that anyone who wishes to voluntarily return home from Hubei can contact the Philippine Consulate in Shanghai to let them know of their desire to return. This announcement will be disseminated through the Filipino community in China and through local social media outlets. The DFA is expected very soon to have a better idea about the number of Filipinos in Hubei who may opt to return home since not all Filipinos in Hubei may opt to do so. Once they obtain a better idea on the number of voluntary returnees, the DFA will work closely with the Chinese authorities to follow protocols for the voluntary return of Filipinos in Hubei. According to the DFA, two private charter corporations have signified their willingness to help in the return of Filipinos. Thus, private planes or military planes may be utilized, depending on the final decision. The DFA also clarified, however, that Filipinos outside Hubei province may still voluntarily return to the Philippines on their own if they wish to do so. Go for his part also said that the Senate Committee on Health, which he chairs, will conduct a hearing on the matter on February 4. "Magkakaroon po tayo ng pagdinig sa Martes dito sa Senado. Ipapatawag natin ang lahat ng ahensiya ng gobyerno, lahat ng namamahala--for example po, diyan sa airports, ang DFA officials natin, ang ating health officials--kung ano ba ang safety measures na ginagawa nila sa ngayon." He also reminded Filipinos to take precautionary measures. "Ingat tayo parati, at ito namang mga airports at seaports, meron tayong thermal scanners. Sana naman po hindi tayo mahawa dito, hindi 'yan dumating sa ating bansa," he added. Go earlier asked Filipinos to cooperate with the government's efforts. "Kapag merong kahinahinala, i-report niyo agad sa ating health officials. Sundin niyo ang mga payo nila, at ang mga bawal, huwag niyong gawin. Kung kailangan, maglagay ng face mask. Maghugas tayo palagi ng ating mga kamay," he said. According to a DOH advisory, severe cases of coronavirus may result in pneumonia, acute respiratory syndrome, kidney problems and death. DOH has advised the public to wash their hands frequently, avoid contact with live animals, drink plenty of water and make sure that food being consumed are cooked properly. DOH also advised the public to avoid those who have cough and colds and to always cover one's mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing to stop the possible spread of viruses. Those with flu-like symptoms are also advised to consult a doctor. Go further advised the public to take the threat seriously and cooperate with authorities in order to ensure that Filipinos will not be affected by the virus. Wayanad : , Jan 30 (IANS) Taking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday described him as "the same as Nathuram Godse who shot dead Gandhiji". Gandhi said this while addressing a huge public rally here soon after leading a 'Save the Constitution March' against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. "Today is a sad day for India, as it was on this day that the greatest man ever born in India - Mahatma Gandhiji, was shot dead by a man full of hatred and anger. Godse did not like Gandhiji as he searched for truth and wanted everyone to believe in their religion and faith. Today an ignorant man rules India and he is one who is full of hatred, anger and is a liar. Both Godse and Modi believe in the same ideology. These two people only believe in themselves and never listened to others," Rahul said. "A liar or a coward cannot look into the truth and Modi has done just that. India always showed the world how different religions, faiths, beliefs, cultures, live peacefully, but today that situation has changed and it's a war-like situation in our country. People who speak are shot dead like Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh, women are being raped, unemployment is the worst ever and the economy which grew at 9.5 per cent is now growing at 2.5 per cent," said Rahul. "And now today Indians are asked to prove that they are Indian. I am an Indian and I don't have to produce a certificate to prove I am an Indian and so is the case with 1.3 billion Indians. Modi likes only his friends and today Adani has been given all ports and airports and is now planning to give Indian railways also, but I assure you that we will finally win as we believe in love and affection. We will defeat them with our love and affection," he said. "The way out from this is we have to join hands together. Today the world is looking towards India to compete with China which leads in production. Investors are willing to invest in India, but we have a man who is ignorant as Prime Minister. But I assure you we will finally beat them and all the youths will get jobs," he added. Earlier in the day, accompanied by senior party leaders and workers from the state, Gandhi began his march from the SKMJ High School road to the new bus stand at Kalpetta -- a distance of two kms. Mumbai, Jan 30 : Arhaan Khan has reacted to his girlfriend and contestant Rashmi Desai's comment about the former "Bigg Boss 13" contestant not being her "type". According to a new task, TV actress Devoleena Bhattacharjee has entered the house as Rashmi's connection. While talking to Devoleena, Rashmi in an episode had said that Arhaan is not her type. According to missmalini.com, Arhaan has reacted to the comment and said that their relationship is not so weak and that the two are connected emotionally. According to the portal, he said: "Rashmi has not said that 'I am ending my relationship with Arhaan'. So, people should not think that. She said that she will talk to me once she is outside the house. And this is what she had told me when I was there. Our relationship is not so weak and we are connected emotionally. "When I came out of the house she cried a lot. That means we mean a lot to each other. We are handling it maturely by not talking about it in the "Bigg Boss" house. I don't know why people are talking and making a scene about it," Arhaan added. This week, a new twist will put the contestants' connections to test. Following the family week this will be the "connections week", wherein the friends and family members of the contestants will enter the "Big Boss" house for a week to support them in their tasks. Latest updates on Bigg Boss Season 13 Advertisement The winning images in a prestigious building photography competition have been revealed - and they are truly mesmerising. The Art of Building Photographer of the Year contest, now in its 10th year, is run by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) to celebrate creativity in the construction industry. The competition's judges sifted through thousands of entries from photographers in more than 100 countries to draw up a shortlist of 12 before picking an overall winner. They have awarded their prize to Pedro Luis Ajuriaguerra Saiz, a professional photographer from northern Spain, who captured a fascinating shot of Hemisferic, a science museum in Valencia, designed by Santiago Calatrava. His photo, which he called 'Fish', 'cleverly captured the building and its reflections, to reimagine it as a living creature'. Meanwhile, the public was also allowed to vote for its favourite. Taking home the public choice award, with more than 30 per cent of the vote, is Alexandr Bormotin from Ivanovo in Russia. His incredible image shows a futuristic new underground train station in Moscow. Other stunning images to make the final shortlist include a dramatic shot of the City in London, an aerial image of the National Forum of Music in Wroclaw, Poland, and an incredible photo of window cleaners on a skyscraper in Abu Dhabi. Caroline Gumble, chief executive at the CIOB, said: 'So many images managed to create a sense of mood and place, it was a delight to judge the competition. The winning photographs both show the beauty and harmony in great architecture and are a reminder of the impact on our emotions and well-being that well-designed buildings can achieve.' Scroll down to behold the two winning images and the other 10 that have been shortlisted... The winner of the judges' prize in the Art of Building Photographer of the Year contest is Pedro Luis Ajuriaguerra Saiz from Spain for this dramatic image of the Hemisferic science museum in Valencia, which he called 'Fish'. Pedro said: 'Due to the reflection of the water at night, the architecture of the buildings shows us the figure of a fish, perhaps prehistoric with its heart still alive' This shot of a train station in Moscow helped Russian photographer Alexandr Bormotin win the competition's public choice award. He said that the station, pictured, is one of the newer ones on the network and that it has been built in a 'futuristic style' German photographer Volker Sander makes the shortlist with this incredible image of a skyscraper in Abu Dhabi, which he called 'At Work'. He said: 'The photo is an example of needful interaction between humans and buildings. Without the busy people cleaning the giant glass frames of the tower, the building would look quite ugly' Another image by Volker Sander, which also makes the shortlist. It shows both old and new buildings in the German city of Hamburg. He said: 'This picture shows the peaceful co-existence of old and new architecture. The buildings don't fit together, but they are not fighting against each other. They show the creative development in the city centre' This dramatic shot, called Bank, was captured in London by photographer Jonathan Walland. He explained: 'I use minimalism as a method of enabling clarity. My process eliminates distraction, keeping the viewer focused on the purest elements of photography; form, light, texture and the way these components amalgamate' Grzegorz Tatar, a Polish photographer, impressed the judges with an aerial image, left. He said: 'This is an aerial view of one of the underground entrances to the National Forum of Music in Wroclaw. It is an excellent example of axonometry in architecture.' Spanish photographer Agnese Sanvito took this colourful image, right, of the famous Muralla Roja apartment complex near Alicante. She said: 'When I photographed La Muralla Roja, it felt like being in a De Chirico painting due to the dream-like feel of the place. This image encapsulates for me the sense of light and colour. The blue frame offers a cinematic view and the soft tones of the early morning light captures the calmness and quietness of the building in its setting' Portuguese photographer Jose Pessoa Neto captured this image in his home country and called it 'Eiffel Bridge'. He said: 'People were waiting for the street festival Senhora da Agonia - one of the biggest in Portugal. From the street, I saw these beautiful silhouettes, the bridge, the green crosses and the building behind, in harmony' Pegova Olya shot this fascinating picture showing a building covered in a faux facade in Russia. She said: 'In the past, faux facades were rare and temporary interventions in urban spaces, but today they have become a part of the city landscape, only being changed from time to time' This image, called 'Sea and Humans', was captured in Peru by David Martin Huamani Bedoya. He said: 'The intervention of man in nature is not always bad. The photo shows the tranquillity of nature and a balcony from where people can appreciate it better' Indian photographer Debdatta Chakraborty shot this mesmerising image in the House of the Black Madonna in the Czech capital, Prague. He said: 'The building was designed and built between 1911 and 1912. Josef Gocar built the house as the first example of cubist architecture in Prague, and it remains probably the most celebrated' Saorview customers in County Kilkenny may notice a change in service as the frequency is changing. Customers in Kilkenny are likely to be affected by the frequency change and should take action now to avoid any disruption in service. To find out if you are affected and what you need to do visit saorview.ie/changes Why is this happening: Following a decision by the EU, some of the TV broadcast spectrum that is used by Saorview is being reallocated for other purposes. This is part of future-proofing Irelands infrastructure. When is this happening: Between now and 4th March 2020. Who is affected: Many customers wont notice anything at all, some will need to take action to ensure their service continues. What does this mean: Many customers won't notice any change. For some a simple rescan or their Saorview box or TV will solve any issues. A small number of customers will need to take further action and should contact Saorview if a channel rescan doesnt work. Speaking of the change in frequency, Head of Saorview Jim Higgins had this to say: Most Saorview customers will experience perfect continuity of service. Some customers will need to do a simple channel rescan, while a small number of customers may need to take further action. We want to support our customers through this EU led frequency change, and our helpline and call centre is primed with the answers our customers need to continue to enjoy Saorview. Higgins continued The important thing is to check if you are affected and to take action now if needed. Customers are still able to enjoy service on both the new and old frequencies but after March 4th the old frequency will terminate. If you are unsure whether you are affected or not, go to saorview.ie/changes , call 1890 222 012 / 01 258 3540 or email info@saorview.ie to find out more. Joe Giudice was pictured partying with a bevy of bikini-clad women in Mexico last week, after splitting from his wife Teresa. Now Melissa Gorga has revealed what Teresa had to say about the photos. 'Yeah, [my husband] Joe [Gorga] and I were actually sitting on the couch together, and Teresa texted us the link to TMZ,' Melissa said on Watch What Happens Live on Wednesday. 'She answered back, "LOL"': Melissa Gorga revealed what her sister-in-law Teresa Giudice had to say about the pictures of Joe partying with women in Mexico 'I answered back, "Who are these hoes?" And she answered back, "LOL."' It really looks as though Teresa and Joe are moving on with their lives, after splitting following 20 years of marriage and four children together. The last few years of the couple's relationship were fraught with turmoil. The pair both served time in prison for fraud, and their relationship was put under further strain when Joe was sent to his native Italy following his release. Living it up! Joe Giudice was seen having a blast with several bikini-clad women during a recent trip to Mexico New man: Last year Teresa was seen holding hands with the hunky contractor Tony Not long after the separation, Teresa was seen holding hands with the hunky contractor Tony. On the latest episode of The Real Housewives Of New Jersey, Teresa showed off the shirtless snap Tony sent to her. In a perfect world, Melissa says she would love to see Teresa and Tony together. 'I would love for her to end up with Tony': In a perfect world, Melissa says she would love to see Teresa and Tony together 'I honestly don't think that's going to happen': Gorga insisted Teresa and Tony were better off as friends However, she insists they are better off as friends. 'Tony is at my house five days a week,' Melissa revealed. 'He's Joe Gorga's best friend since they were in third grade!' Melissa was adamant they should not get together when asked by Andy Cohen. 'They are really just a friendship, they really are. Tony is dating the world!' Melissa said. 'They grew up together also, they lived across the street from each other their whole life, and I think they're both single right now so they're just kind of like, "Hey look at me!, well look at me!"' 'He's a good guy, I would love for her to end up with Tony, but I honestly don't think that's going to happen,' she added. Brazzaville, Congo (PANA) - The Congolese minister for posts, telecommunications and the digital economy, Leon Juste Ibombo, opened a meeting here Wednesday on cyber security dedicated to resilience against cyber attacks, data protection linked to privacy, with a view to strengthening the national system We now have this historic opportunity to ensure that equal rights, regardless of sex, are properly recognized as part of the Constitution, said Herring, a Democrat who has said he is interested in running for governor. Virginians have made it clear that it is their will that the ERA be ratified, and I now have the great honor of continuing that fight. ITEXPO exhibitor Ingate just launched their SIParator/Firewall S42 and S82 SBCs which offer rack or wall mounting and allow for 1/10Gbps SFP+ fiber ports. The new S42 model replaces Ingates S52 model, at the same price, with same or better performance and features, while the S82 has about twice the performance and close to Ingates S95 server-based SBC, specified at handling 4000 concurrent sessions with voice media. The new S42 and S82 models have hard disks for permanent logging and monitoring, ethernet as well 1/10 Gbps SFP+ network ports for fiber and direct attach, and can be fed by DC. Both models fit desktop, wall mount and 19 rack mount applications. Upon request, for volume projects, Ingate can add Wi-Fi modules for the LAN side of the S22, S42 and S82 models. The S42 and S82 models can be equipped with a 4G/LTE wireless module for the WAN side connection as well as Power Over Ethernet. Visit Ingate at ITEXPO where you can Ask the SBC Expert, Ingates Ernesto Casas, director of Worldwide Sales Support, questions about your deployments. Together youll whiteboard solutions for any type of installation. Click here for 25% off an All Access pass to ITEXPO, February 12-14 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA. Ingate will be at booth 100. Ingate GM Steven Johnson will address communications trends in the ITEXPO session, Will Microsoft Teams Replace the PBX? Join us on Wednesday, February 12 at 9am in room 304. See the ONLY UCaaS, CPaaS and Collaboration vendors that matter at the ITEXPO #TECHSUPERSHOW: Amazon, Cisco, Google, IBM, 88, ClearlyIP, Avaya, Vonage, 88, Comcast Business, BlueJeans, CoreDial, Dell, Edify, Epygi, FreeSWITCH, Grandstream, Granite, Ingate, Intrado, Frontier Business, Fujitsu, Jenne, West, Konftel, Intelisys, Martello, NetSapiens, OOMA, Oracle, OpenVox, Peerless Network, Phone Sentry, Phone.com, Poly, QuestBlue, RingByName, Sangoma, SingTel, Spracht, Spectrum, Sprint, Tallac, Tech Data, Telarus, TCG, Teledynamics, Teli, Telinta, Telispire, Telstra, Unified Office, Vital PBX, VoIP Supply, Voxbone, VoIP.MS, Windstream, XCALY, XORCOM, Yealink, Yubox, and ZYCOO. Full List. Join others with $8.5B+ in IT buying power who plan 2020 budgets! Including 3,000+ resellers! A unique experience with a collocated Future of Work Expo, SD-WAN Expo, and MSP Expo Feb 11-14, 2020, Fort Lauderdale, FL. Register now. Governments and companies are warning against travel to and from China and airlines are canceling flights, including from SFO, as the deadly coronavirus outbreak spreads. United Airlines canceled eight routes from SFO to Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai from Feb. 1 to Feb. 8. but kept some flights to the major hubs. Nationwide, the company suspended 24 routes up to a third of its flights to China. United said the move was due to a significant decline in demand for travel to China. The airline didnt say it was due to the virus, but with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warning against travel to China and the State Department evacuating U.S. citizens from Wuhan to southern California, fears are high. SFO has 90 flights per week to China. Three of those were flights by China Southern Airlines that flew from Guangzhou to SFO with a stopover in Wuhan. Since the Wuhan airport closed, that leg was canceled on Jan. 22 until further notice, SFO spokesman Doug Yakel said in an email. Air China, which runs one flight a day between SFO and Beijing, is seeing passengers cancel reservations, said spokeswoman Jessie Wong in the airlines SFO office. The airline didnt anticipate making scheduling changes because although outbound flights are losing passengers, the return flights from China to SFO are very full, she said. American Airlines spokesman Curtis Blessing said in an email that given the significant decline in demand for travel to and from China the airline will suspend travel between Los Angeles International Airport and Shanghai and Beijing from Feb. 9 through Mar. 27. LAX is Americans primary hub to Asia, with most passengers from SFO transferring there. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes CNBC reported that Boeing, on its earnings call Wednesday, listed the coronavirus outbreak as something that could affect its earnings. Industry analyst GlobalData estimated in a report released Wednesday that the coronavirus could seriously impact the global tourism industry. China had 159 million outbound tourists in 2019, which accounted for 12.2% of all outbound travelers globally. The virus has killed 132 people and infected 5,974, the Associated Press reported. No cases have been confirmed in the Bay Area. Mallory Moench is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mallory.moench@sfchronicle.com Twitter:@mallorymoench Married At First Sight's Natasha Spencer appeared to get cold feet just moments before walking down the aisle to marry Mikey Pembroke. The 26-year-old financial analyst stunned in a figure-hugging white dress on the day, which was held in September, but seemed undeniably nervous. Natasha spoke to a female producer and also had a tense conversation with a man believed to be her father, shortly before tying the knot at Stanwell Tops on the outskirts of Sydney. A runaway bride? Married At First Sight's Natasha Spencer (left) appeared to get cold feet just moments before walking down the aisle to marry Mikey Pembroke in September Is everything okay? Natasha spoke to a female producer (pictured) and also had a tense conversation with a man believed to be her father, shortly before tying the knot at Stanwell Tops on the outskirts of Sydney Natasha stunned as a bride, wearing a plunging and sleeveless gown. Her white dress featured gorgeous lace embroidery and a flowing mermaid train. She wore her dark locks out and over her shoulders in loose curls, and her makeup consisted of flawless foundation, eyeliner and a nude lip. Last-minute jitters? The 26-year-old financial analyst stunned in a figure-hugging white dress on the day, which was held in September, and appeared rather nervous Blushing bride! Her dress featured gorgeous lace embroidery and a flowing mermaid train But despite her last-minute nerves, Natasha appeared much happier during the ceremony, where she met Mikey, 29, for the first time. They smiled through what can only be described as an awkward moment, and Mikey looked dapper in a black suit and bow tie. The operations manager, who helps run his family's nursing home, leaned in for a kiss after the pair had exchanged vows. Just married! Despite her last-minute nerves, Natasha appeared much happier during the ceremony, where she met Mikey (right) for the first time Sealed with a kiss! The 29-year-old operations manager, who helps run his family's nursing home, leaned in for a kiss after the pair had exchanged vows Will they last? Married At First Sight returns to Channel Nine on Monday, February 3 According to Woman's Day, Natasha previously dated Love Island Australia star Eden Dally between 2016 and 2017. The 27-year-old prison guard is currently expecting a child with Cyrell Paule, who coincidentally appeared on last year's season of MAFS. Married At First Sight returns to Channel Nine on Monday, February 3 Israel's health minister said Thursday that the country would bar all flights from China over the coronavirus epidemic, as fears of global contagion grew. "We shall not allow any flight in the near future from China to land in this country, not one," Yaakov Litzman said at a televised press conference. He added that anyone already in Israel who had travelled from China, or stopped over there on the way from another country, should stay at home for 14 days and not mix with the general public, even if they had no symptoms. Earlier Thursday, Israel's national carrier El Al announced it was suspending flights to Beijing, its only destination in mainland China, until March 25. According to the World Health Organisation, the virus has already killed 170 people. There have been no recorded incidents of the new coronavirus in Israel yet, but the health ministry said Wednesday it was "a matter of time". Major airlines that have suspended or pared back services to China include British Airways, German flag carrier Lufthansa, American Airlines, KLM and United. A growing number of governments -- including Britain, Germany and the United States -- have advised their citizens to avoid non-essential travel to China. Chinese authorities have taken extraordinary steps to arrest the virus's spread, including effectively locking down more than 50 million people in Wuhan and surrounding Hubei province. The contagion has spread to nearly every corner of China, with remote Tibet reporting its first case on Thursday. It has triggered fears in part due to its striking similarity to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak of 2002-03, which also began in China and eventually killed nearly 800 people worldwide. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) HOUSTON The head of a company involved in a massive explosion in Houston that killed two workers and injured 20 others on Tuesday backtracked on a pledge he had made earlier in the day to fix the hundreds of structures damaged by the blast. John Watson, who is the CEO of Watson Grinding and Manufacturing, had told KTRK-TV on Tuesday, I will repair all the damaged homes My insurance company will. City officials say 450 structures, mostly homes, were damaged after the explosion early Friday at a warehouse at Watson Grinding and Manufacturing. Most of the homes, 358, had minor damage. But 35 had major damage. However, later Tuesday, Watson issued a statement taking back his earlier comments, saying, At this point, it is premature for the insurers to make any decisions with regard to payment from this tragic incident. To correct comments I made earlier today, no claims process has been established at this time. Who is at fault and who will pay for damages cannot be determined at this early stage, Watson said. Robert Kwok, an attorney representing 120 people whose homes, businesses and apartments were damaged by the blast, said hes disappointed Watson walked back his pledge. We were ready to go to the table and make a deal with Mr. Watson. It looks like were in for a fight, Kwok said. While some of his clients have insurance, Kwok said others do not. These folks are in a bad spot. They need Mr. Watson to come and do the right thing as he previously promised, he said. Of the 120 people he represents, Kwok said up to 50 have been displaced from their homes and are living with relatives, friends or in temporary housing. The American Red Cross is operating a recovery service center at a church and connecting residents with community resources. Dozens of volunteers helped residents this past weekend with clean up and repairs. At Mayor (Sylvester) Turners direction, city representatives are in talks with nonprofit groups to see how we can partner to help those who dont have insurance or any other means to quickly recover, said Mary Benton, a spokeswoman for the mayor. Officials are asking residents whose homes were damaged to call the citys 311 request line. Benton said most of the calls have been about immediate short or long-term housing needs. Killed in Fridays blast were company employees Frank Flores and Gerardo Castorena. Since Fridays explosion, 10 lawsuits have been filed against the company, including a wrongful death suit by Flores family. The cause of the explosion is still being investigated. A complete investigation is essential to determine the cause and identify potentially responsible parties, Watson said. About the photo: Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena talks with Hortensia Lima, whose home was seriously damaged and deemed uninhabitable on Stanford Court in Houston, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, after the Friday morning explosion at the Watson Grinding Manufacturing plant. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via AP) Slovak government approves defense treaty with US US senators unveil bill to impose sanctions against Russia EU wants to help Lebanon avoid economic collapse CSTO to approve Kazakhstan peacekeepers withdrawal order German president calls for thorough discussion on mandatory vaccination Andranik Hovhannisyan elected UN Human Rights Council vice-president Aliyev: Peace treaty with Armenia not a guarantee for avoiding war Russian Foreign Ministry: Further NATO enlargement involves risks Aliyev not to let OSCE deal with the Karabakh conflict Ex-Mayor of Yerevan invited to police Boris Johnson apologizes for attending party during lockdown Global COVID-19 cases rise by 55% percent, deaths stable Thailand introduces $9 tourist fee Erdogan vows to tame Turkish inflation as scepticism grows Turkey's Turkic world ambitions face reality check in Kazakhstan Teacher in Baku beats student NEWS.am daily digest: 12.01.22 Turkish FM expresses concerns to Chinese counterpart OSCE Chairman-in-Office speaks on situation along Armenia-Azerbaijan border Iran cancels travel ban on common borders CSTO defense ministers council special session to be held Thursday Dollar loses value in Armenia Which NGOs, extra-parliamentary forces to be included in Armenia Constitutional Reform Council? 4,391 foreign nationals visit Artsakh in 2021 China calls on US to immediately close Guantanamo prison State Department says more progress must be made to salvage nuclear deal Measure ensuring implementation of law on addendum to law on Armenia state border is approved Davit Minasyan is sworn in as new mayor of Armenias Parakar enlarged community World Bank: Armenia economic growth expected to be 4.8% in 2022 and 5.4% in 2023 Azerbaijani Defense Minister receives new commander of Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh Biden names Kamala Harris as US president during Atlanta speech Ombudsman: Azerbaijan is launching provocations in Armenia territories where it earlier invaded Russia-NATO Council meeting kicks off in Brussels Serdar Kilic is appointed Turkey special representative for Armenia Armenia ambassador to Georgia informs Switzerland envoy about Azerbaijan's gross ceasefire violation Economy minister: Armenia government was guided by political considerations when lifting sanctions on Turkey goods Turkey defense minister expresses support for Azerbaijan in another military aggression against Armenia Pashinyan, Putin discuss Karabakh, Kazakhstan Toivo Klaar: Deeply worried by reports of renewed incidents and casualties on Armenia-Azerbaijan Germany: A record 80,430 COVID-19 cases detected per day 3 more persons die of coronavirus in Artsakh Criminal case launched into 3 Armenia soldiers killing by Azerbaijan shootings Copper rises in price 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 BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) will carry out a number of projects in Azerbaijan, a source in the Turkish Government told Trend. According to the source, at the initial stage, the National Metrology Institute under TUBITAK plans to create 27 laboratories in the Azerbaijan Institute of Metrology. The source added that the establishment of laboratories is expected in the period of 2020-2022. "TUBITAK is interested in expanding activities in Azerbaijan and other Turkic-speaking countries," the source said. TUBITAK has been operating since 1963 and carries out joint projects with leading organizations and universities in the world. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Four out of every 10 homes in Glenveagh's development portfolio have private rental sector potential, according to a presentation from the group. The listed company, which is one of Ireland's biggest housebuilders, is concentrated on developments mainly in the Greater Dublin Area. Yesterday it said there is "significant" private and institutional demand for housing, particularly starter homes. The extent of the institutional demand for residential homes is such that the group now expects to forward fund a series of urban apartment developments. A relatively new phenomenon in Ireland, the build-to-rent market is becoming increasingly popular as large scale investors - dubbed cuckoo funds - radically change the country's traditional housing market by buying or building entire blocks of accommodation to be rented long-term. Glenveagh plans to build an extra 2,650 homes between 2022 and 2024, amid "favourable" market conditions. Over the four-year period the group now expects to construct a total of 8,400 houses and apartments. It had previously targeted 5,750 units. "We have now completed our net investment in land and, with the inherent opportunities in our business and underlying strengths of our organisation, I'm confident in our ability to deliver the significant ramp-up in volumes alongside maximising sustainable returns to our shareholders," said Stephen Garvey, CEO of Glenveagh. In a presentation to investors in London yesterday, the company said there was a "structural occupier shift to rental" properties and the "institutionalisation of the rental sector" in urban areas. Colin Sheridan, analyst at Davy Stockbrokers, said the increase in Glenveagh's medium-term targets "demonstrates the confidence that the company has in the platform that it has rolled out over the last circa two-and-a-half years since IPO". "The expectation of forward fund deals also accelerates revenue, profit and cash from Glenveagh's urban schemes," he added. Earlier this month Glenveagh said it expects its revenue for last year to hit 284m, up 238pc on 2018. In a trading update ahead of its full-year results, the group said it sold 844 homes in 2019, an increase of 207pc on the prior year. The average selling price per home increased to 332,000 last year, from 287,000 during 2018. The company said at the time that the rise in price reflected "significant deliveries" from the group's starter-home schemes and the sale of 90 units at Herbert Hill, Dundrum, in Dublin. Glenveagh finished the year with 240 housing units signed or reserved for this year. Founded in 2017, the company raised 550m in its initial public offering. Shares in the group were up more than 2pc in afternoon trading yesterday. Glenveagh will release full-year results on February 28. An award of 158,864 damages to a woman who tripped and fell while crossing a courtyard area adjacent to her workplace has been overturned by the Court of Appeal. Giving the three-judge Appeal Court judgment, Mr Justice Brian McGovern said there was "no credible evidence" to support the liability finding of the trial judge. Geraldine McHugh (aged 66), now retired from her job as a clerical officer with the Revenue, had sued the Office of the Revenue Commissioners, the Minister for Social Protection and the State over the accident at Cranmore, Co Sligo, on September 1, 2014. She alleged concrete pavers in the courtyard area were in a dangerous and defective condition and she was caused to trip and fall as a result of that. She alleged her left foot was caught on a raised tile, she fell forward and suffered injuries to her wrist, thumb, back and hip. The defendants denied liability, pleaded contributory negligence and appealed after the High Court's Ms Justice Bronagh O'Hanlon awarded a total 158,864 damages to Ms McHugh in late 2018. A stay applied on the award pending appeal which was against both the finding of liability and the sum awarded. In the Court of Appeal judgment, Mr Justice McGovern said CCTV footage established Ms McHugh had incorrectly identified to her engineer the point at which she fell. Having seen that footage, Ms McHugh accepted she had identified the wrong area and her engineer accepted his report was on the basis of his having examined an area where she did not trip and fall, "although close to it". Her engineer also accepted under cross-examination there was no tripping hazard at the place where Ms McHugh actually fell and this evidence was corroborated by the engineer called on behalf of the appellants. The High Court's conclusions on liability were based on comments by Ms McHugh's engineer the snagging of her toe was consistent with the raised lip of a concrete paver, Mr Justice McGovern said. That conclusion was "against the weight of the evidence". He said the trial judge had accepted the "fallacious thesis" of Ms McHugh's engineer that Ms McHugh fell over, she must have tripped and if she tripped, there "must have been a trip hazard (even though none could be identified on inspection)" and if there was a trip hazard, there must have been negligence. Because Ms McHugh fell in the manner in which she did, it does not necessarily follow there was a trip hazard. He said: Everyone's experience of life is that people can fall in the absence of any specific hazard. The High Court judge was invited to fill in the evidential gaps in Ms McHugh's case and fell into error in doing so, he held. The trial judge erroneously considered the evidence satisfied the burden of proof on Ms McHugh but the evidence fell short of doing so to such an extent it could be said there was "no credible evidence" to support the liability finding. He concluded the appeal would be allowed. Because of the rejection of the High Court findings on liability, there was no need to address the claim the sum awarded was excessive, he added. The defendants are also entitled to their costs, he directed. Imperial Valley News Center President Donald J. Trumps United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Delivers a Historic Win for American Workers Washington, DC - "The USMCA is the largest, most significant, modern, and balanced trade agreement in history. All of our countries will benefit greatly." ~ President Donald J. Trump DELIVERING ON HIS PROMISE: President Donald J. Trump is replacing the outdated North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Today, President Trump is signing his historic USMCA deal, making good on his promise to deliver fairer and more reciprocal trade for the American people. USMCA will replace the terrible NAFTA agreement that resulted in the loss of millions of American jobs and devastated communities across our county. The deal marks a tremendous victory for American workers, farmers, manufacturers, and businesses alike. STANDING UP FOR AMERICAN WORKERS: USMCA will deliver more jobs and better labor protections that benefit American workers, while fostering more growth for American businesses. While NAFTA was a disaster for American workers, USMCA will deliver new jobs and better protections for hardworking Americans across the country. USMCA has the potential to create nearly 600,000 jobs and generate up to $235 billion in economic activity. This deal includes the strongest, most advanced, and most comprehensive labor chapter of any American trade agreement in history. Workers in all sectors of the economy are expected to benefit from this landmark agreement. USMCA is the first United States trade agreement to ever include a chapter supporting small and medium sized businesses. SUPPORTING AMERICAN FARMERS: USMCA includes tremendous breakthroughs for American agriculture. USMCA is a monumental win for American farmers and ranchers, improving access to Canadian and Mexican markets to export their goods. As a result of President Trumps efforts to secure a better deal for our farmers, American agricultural exports are expected to increase by $2.2 billion under USMCA. Under the agreement, Canada has agreed to expand market access for American dairy, egg, and poultry producers. The agreement is expected to grow annual dairy exports by nearly $315 million. American wheat growers will have access to a more level playing field. Thanks to this deal, Canada will finally give fair treatment to American-grown wheat. DRIVING NEW GROWTH FOR THE AUTO INDUSTRY: USMCA will provide a massive boost to American manufacturers, particularly our vital auto industry. USMCA will achieve fairer, more reciprocal trade that supports high-paying American manufacturing jobs and grows the economy. USMCA includes innovative provisions to incentivize new investments in the American auto industry and support high-paying jobs for American auto workers. New wage and rules of origin requirements included in the agreement will put American autoworkers on a level playing field with workers from other countries. USMCA is expected to create up to 76,000 new auto jobs, spur $34 billion in new investment in the auto industry, and add $23 billion in auto parts purchases annually. MODERNIZING REGIONAL TRADE: USMCA will bring our trade relationship with Canada and Mexico into the 21st century. The day after President Donald Trump visited Wildwood to hold his Keep America Great Rally at the Wildwoods Convention Center, the city returned to its quiet state, the way it usually is in late January. Even though Wildwood Mayor Pete Byron was not invited to attend the rally, he was pleased with the citys efforts. Byron said on Tuesday he wasnt invited after he told NJ Advance Media that hed be requesting the local Republican party refund the city for its expenses. I think this city represented itself very well, Byron said. I think anybody who came here felt safe. In the national spotlight, we shined. The mayor said there were no arrests. As for the trash and its removal, Byron said the city was not responsible for providing a specific amount of trash cans or portable bathrooms for the event, and that the Trump campaign was. People were calling us about port-a-potties, and they were running out of paper and stuff, Byron told NJ Advance Media. That was on the promoter, which was the President. The Secret Service, you dont put out a trash can or port-a-potty out there that they do not have to check. You could not have people going out there and empty the trash cans because you cannot get on the site without clearance. See photos from the massive crowds of people waiting in line Convention Center crews began working Tuesday night to clean up the area. At 7 a.m., both the convention center workers and Wildwood Public Works employees began finishing the work, with everything cleared by noon Wednesday. The parking lot had to be cleared for an event being held Wednesday night. Byron added that in addition to the convention center parking lot area, public works was also cleaning up trash within a six-block radius of the convention center. The total expenses for Tuesdays event will not be known for about a month as Wildwood departments and other law enforcement agencies finalize the amount to be paid for providing security and other event-related items. The mayor added that hell still ask the local GOP for reimbursement once those figures are calculated. The president is welcome back at any time, the mayor said. We certainly enjoyed his visit. RELATED STORIES Trump said tens of thousands were outside his N.J. rally in Wildwood. Heres what we found. Heres what Trump said at the Wildwood rally. We fact-check the president. 30 portable toilets for thousands at Wildwood Trump rally. Heres how thats going. Chris Franklin can be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @cfranklinnews or on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. A nurse in Germany has been arrested on suspicion of poisoning five newborn babies with morphine, officials said Thursday, adding that the infants had survived. The woman was taken into custody on Wednesday after investigators found an oral syringe containing breast milk mixed with morphine in her locker at Ulm University Hospital in southern Germany. The premature and newborn babies, who were between one day and five weeks old and staying in the same hospital room, suddenly all developed breathing problems "at almost the same time" in the early hours of December 20, said Ulm police chief Bernhard Weber. "Only because of immediate action taken by the staff could the five lives be saved," he told a news conference. Doctors do not expect the infants to suffer any lasting harm. The nurse taken into custody has yet to be formally charged but faces five counts of attempted manslaughter and grievous bodily harm, Ulm prosecutor Christof Lehr told reporters. She denies poisoning the babies, he added. - 'Inconsistencies' - Ulm University Hospital initially suspected the infants had caught an infection. But this was ruled out after urine tests came back negative on January 16, said the hospital's paediatrics chief, doctor Klaus-Michael Debatin. The tests did however show traces of morphine -- although none of them were supposed to receive the heavy painkiller, he added. Morphine is administered to treat severe pain. In infants, it is also often used to treat withdrawal symptoms in babies born to drug-addicted mothers. A morphine overdose can lead to life-threatening respiratory failure. The hospital notified the police the following day, on January 17. A search of the lockers of six employees on duty around the time of the incident turned up the syringe "filled with breast milk", said prosecutor Lehr. Testing "confirmed the terrible suspicion that the syringe contained morphine", he added. It is common for premature and newborn babies who are too weak to drink from a bottle to be fed orally through a syringe. But the breast milk or formula they are given is never combined with medication, according to the hospital. Prosecutors believe the nurse who was arrested acted with premeditation and "accepted that the babies could die" as a result of her actions, Lehr said. The woman, only described as "young", has spoken to investigators in the presence of her lawyer but rejects the accusations against her. Her psychological state is currently being evaluated. "We have to assume that a crime was committed here," Debatin said. The use of morphine is strictly regulated in Germany, he said, pointing out that the drug is stored in "a locked cupboard" and a log is kept of when it is administered and on which patients. The hospital has however "found some inconsistencies" in the data, Debatin said. - Similar case - Ulm University Hospital said in a statement that "rapid medical intervention" meant the babies' conditions "were stable again within 48 hours and they could breathe on their own again". The institute's medical director, doctor Udo Kaisers, offered the hospital's "sincere apologies" for the incident and vowed to "work hard" to restore the public's trust. "We can very much understand the worries and fears of the affected parents," he said. "Our employees too are shaken." The incident revived memories of Niels Hoegel, a German nurse jailed for life last year for the murder of 85 patients. Hoegel, believed to be Germany's most prolific serial killer, murdered patients with lethal injections between 2000 and 2005, before he was caught in the act. He admitted to administering the injections that caused heart failure or circulatory collapse so he could then try to revive patients to impress colleagues. The drama in Ulm also carried echoes of case in a hospital in the central city of Marburg, where a nurse was found guilty of endangering the lives of three premature baby girls in 2015-2016 by unnecessarily giving them sedatives and anaesthetics. The woman was handed a life term in November 2019. Prosecutors said she was motivated by a desire to show off her life-saving medical skills. The Met confirmed Mr. Terfels withdrawal after he canceled two upcoming recitals in the United States. First the Lyric Opera of Chicago announced that he had withdrawn from a concert planned for Feb. 2, which was to have been his first appearance there in nearly 15 years. Lyric Opera said that he had fractured the three prominences of his ankle, causing the ankle to partly dislocate and requiring a surgery scheduled for later this week. Then Carnegie Hall announced that his Feb. 9 date was off. The Met now has a hole at the center of one of its most important productions of the year. It is a high-profile assignment: The new production is being directed by Francois Girard, whose striking 2013 staging of Wagners Parsifal was widely praised. The cast of the opera, conducted by Valery Gergiev, includes the acclaimed soprano Anja Kampe, making her Met debut as Senta. This is not the first time Mr. Terfels long-delayed return to the Met has been postponed: In 2017, he withdrew from a new production of Puccinis Tosca, citing vocal fatigue. He has not performed at the Met since May 9, 2012, when he sang the role of the Wanderer in Wagners Siegfried, in Robert Lepages much-debated, high-tech staging. He has occasionally been seen in the United States since then he made a memorable appearance in the title role of Sweeney Todd with the New York Philharmonic in 2014, opposite Emma Thompson but he has confined most of his appearances in staged operas to European houses. He has also gone through a number of changes in his personal life, including getting married last year, to the harpist Hannah Stone. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo predicted Thursday that Brexit would bring "enormous benefits" to the United States and the UK, as he wound down a visit to Britain on the eve of its historic departure from the European Union. The chief US diplomat also played down a dispute about Britain's decision to plug in Chinese technology into its next-generation mobile network, suggesting that Washington would continue sharing intelligence with London. "There were things that the United Kingdom was required to do as part of being a member of the EU, and they'll be able to do them differently now," Washington's top diplomat told a think-tank audience in London. "Some of this will be worked out through the free trade agreement, some of it will be worked out by entrepreneurs just kicking it," he said, alongside British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. "You will see the enormous benefits that accrued to both of our nations as a result of this." Britain will enter a new chapter when it becomes the first country to quit the EU's institutions at midnight Brussels time (2300 GMT) on Friday. "It is a great moment for our country... a moment of hope and opportunity," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Wednesday, as he prepared to address the nation at 2200 GMT Friday -- an hour before Brexit. Pompeo paid a courtesy visit to Johnson before flying to Kiev, the second leg of his five-nation tour that includes four former Soviet republics. Contentious Issues Although Britain will remain under most EU rules during an 11-month transition period, it is then likely to lose privileged access to the single European market -- the world's largest and most important for UK trade. Johnson has argued he can negotiate ambitious free trade agreements with both his 27 former partners and the US, but has seen recent strains in the so-called "special relationship" with Washington. Britain has been angered by American refusal to extradite the wife of a US diplomat who is using the cover of diplomatic immunity to avoid prosecution over the death of a teenager in a road accident in England. Johnson's hopes for a US trade deal are also complicated by US President Donald Trump's unpopularity in Britain and domestic pressure to stand up to Washington. The British premier has defied expectations since taking power last July by failing to side with the United States on everything from the Iran nuclear deal, which Trump has abandoned, to working with Chinese tech giant Huawei. Trump -- a long-time fan of Brexit and Johnson's ability to deliver it successfully -- has publicly urged Britain to rethink, yet has so far been restrained in his criticism. But others, including Republican senators who will have to sign off on a future US-UK trade deal, have cautioned that sharing intelligence and striking an agreement could be imperilled by the Huawei decision in particular. Pompeo sounded a more positive note on Thursday. He said the US-UK intelligence sharing relationship would remain "deep" and "strong" and that he was "confident" the next generation of technology would be secure. However, he warned strongly about Beijing's growing global influence, calling China's ruling Communist Party "the central threat of our times" that challenges Western principles. 'Long Live Europe' Britons narrowly backed departing the EU in a 2016 referendum that left the country locked in political crisis and acrimonious division. Johnson, who headed the pro-Leave campaign, won a thumping election victory in December on the mantra "get Brexit done". That is now finally happening, with Britain's departure set in European law Wednesday, amid emotional scenes, as the bloc's parliament voted to ratify the divorce papers. "We will always love you and we will never be far," said EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, adding: "Long live Europe." Britain's eurosceptic lawmakers were in triumphant mood after two decades as a thorn in Brussels' side, brandishing British flags in contravention of the chamber's rules. Search Keywords: Short link: "America's Dirty Clergy Revealed!" screams the 'National Enquirer' headline above a story claiming to name "4,120 Predator Priests." Hundreds of Catholic priests accused of sex offenses are named across four densely-packed pages of small print in what promises to be the first of a month-long expose, identifying the alleged violators "as a public service." But it's not such a great public service when you realize how old the 'Enquirer' information must be: more than half the abusive priests named are deceased. Of the 36 "pervy predators" identified in Alaska, for example, one was imprisoned, one retired and one removed. The remaining 33 are all dead. "Hunting the Predators: More Names Exposed Next Week!" promises the 'Enquirer.' Can't wait. I'm sure they're all spinning in their graves. 'People' magazine turns to a different faith for its clerical abuse: "A Jehovah's Witness Cover-Up?" Survivors of pedophile sexual abuse within the religious group are speaking out in a new TV documentary series 'The Witnesses,' which 'People' reports was sparked after internal memos by faith elders were discovered "detailing how Jehovah's Witness leaders are instructed to conceal abuse complaints from police." The group reportedly "keeps a database of all sex-abuse allegations from within its 13,000 U.S. and 120,000 worldwide congregations,," which is branded "a potential mother lode of criminal evidence involving children." Makes me glad to be an atheist. The Royal soap opera's latest dramas continue to occupy the tabloids, with their traditionally tenuous connection to reality. "Palace Confirms Queen Near Death!" reports the 'Enquirer' cover. No, Buckingham Palace didn't say any such thing. The Palace merely confirmed that the monarch had "a slight cold" last week, which an insider assured was "no cause for alarm." "Charles & William Bitter War For Throne!" screams the 'Enquirer' cover. We've been over this before, but they never learn: The Settlement Act of 1701 which determines the rules of succession mandates that after the Queen's death the crown must pass to Prince Charles. Unless he voluntarily abdicates there's no "war" for the throne. Of course, that doesn't stop the 'Enquirer' calling this fictional battle "a real life game of thrones." Cue the dragons. "Meghan's Reign of Terror!" proclaims the 'Globe' cover. "Two Royal Families Destroyed." It's the predictive school of journalism in which the 'Enquirer' specializes: reporting on events years before they happen. Evidently Duchess Meghan is not only "blamed for bringing monarchy to its knees" by the grammatically-challenged 'Enquirer. "Now royal watchers fear her new life in Canada with Prince Harry and Archie is next on the chopping block." Meghan will allegedly leave Harry in three to five years, according to a "royal commentator." Hence, she has destroyed "Two Royal Families." Even though it hasn't happened yet. Meghan also "Attacks own Dad in ugly court fight," reports the 'Enquirer,' getting the story entirely backwards: It's her father, Thomas Markle, Sr., who has attacked Meghan and expressed his willingness to testify in court against her in a court case defending British newspaper The Mail on Sunday from a Royal lawsuit's allegations of publishing selected excerpts of a private letter Meghan sent to her father. Meghan has sued the paper, but has not yet attacked her own father in the court battle. While Meghan's PR team effectively self-immolates, Duchess Kate's PR team continues to position her as marginally more saintly than Mother Teresa, but with better fashion sense. "Brave Kate," declares the objective and journalistically impartial cover of 'Us' magazine, promising "Her Side of The Story." Not that Kate is sitting down to talk to the celebrity rag, but it fawningly promotes her team's talking points about her self-sacrifice and private sorrows: "18-hour days, hands-on mom & comforting the Queen; No contact with Harry & Meghan since exit; Forced to put baby No.4 on hold." Kate's reportedly "in a panic and has been having bouts of anxiety" after Prince Harry & Meghan's departure from the ranks of the senior Royals have left her and hubby Prince William with double the Royal workload. Kate & Meghan "couldn't be further apart" says an unnamed insider, and Kate is still steaming over the time she overheard Meghan say: "I don't want any advice from her." Do these people know they're living in a telenovela? 'People' magazine continues the hagiography with "Princess Kate's New Project Honoring Holocaust Survivors." Amateur lenswoman Kate, AKA The Duchess of Cambridge, photographed a pair of holocaust survivors and their grandchildren as part of her tribute to the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. A worthy cause, no doubt, but the resulting photos, reportedly "inspired by the work of Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer," might leave Vermeer's heirs filing a defamation of character lawsuit. Making it up as they go, the 'Globe' offers its usual array of celebrity medical stories that barely rise above sheer speculation. "Ryan O'Neal's Dying of Broken Heart!" the mag claims. "Haunted by Farrah's tragic end." The star of 'Love Story' and 'Paper Moon' has reportedly lost weight and now walks with a cane, therefore "friends fear the sickly star may not survive 2020." Because as every doctor knows, walking with a cane and losing weight are incontrovertible signs that a patient has less than 12 months to live. He's pictured walking along a beach, which seems pretty life-affirming, except for the picture caption: "Crippled Ryan O'Neal Loses Will To Live." Right. Elvis Presley's daughter comes in for a similarly inspired diagnosis: "Tormented Lisa Marie May Need New Liver!" Or she may not. She's been photographed with a bulging belly, which "medical experts say could be a sign of advanced liver failure!" Or over-eating. Or pregnancy, though at the age of 52 that's a slim possibility. Is a liver transplant the only possible outcome for what looks like a beer belly? The 'Enquirer' gets in on the act with its story about "Skin-&-Bones" actor Johnny Depp, reporting that the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' star who plays Captain Jack Sparrow "may be on his last voyage!" But hasn't he always been thin? Fortunately we have the crack investigative team at 'Us' magazine to tell us that Julianne Hough wore it best, that Wendie Malick "can stand on my head in a cocktail dress, raise one eyebrow at a time and whistle like a sailor," that TV's 'Dynasty' actress Elaine Hendrix carries lipstick, keys and bobby pins in her vegan Shiraleah tote, and that the stars are just like us: they lift weights, hail cabs and go to flea markets. News you can use, as ever. The most bizarre offering in this week's tabloids comes courtesy of an ad for "bedroom rocket fuel" under the headline: "Men in Italy don't need ED drugs. Now we know why . .." The ad invokes well-worn cultural profiling that suggests "older men from Italy and all over Europe are famous for staying energized, passionate and sexually active well into their 80s" and goes on to explain that Italian men don't need drugs to resolve erectile dysfunction because . . they take an herbal remedy for the problem. You can't argue with science. Onwards and downwards . . . Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 29, 2020) - Grande Portage Resources Ltd. (TSXV: GPG) (OTCQB: GPTRF) (FSE: GPB) ("Grande Portage" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that its non-brokered private placement of up to 9,090,910 Units announced on January 16, 2020 has now closed with the issuance of 9,092,000 Units at a price of $0.11 for gross proceeds of $1,000,120 with all securities issued having a four-month hold period which expires on May 30, 2020. As previously announced, each Unit in this offering consists of one common share in the capital of the Company (each a "Common Share") and one half of a share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each whole warrant entitles the Unit holder to purchase one (1) additional GPG common share at a price of $0.15 per share at any time within 18 months of the closing. The Company will pay an aggregate of $6,999 in cash and issue 63,630 Finders Warrants in connection with this offering. Each Finder's Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one common share of the Company at $0.15 per share for 18 months from the date of closing. The Finder's Warrants are issued on the same terms and conditions as the private placement Warrants. The net proceeds of the offering will be used to advance exploration activities at the Company's Herbert Gold property, located in southeast Alaska, as well as for general working capital. About Grande Portage: Grande Portage Resources Ltd. is a publicly traded mineral exploration company focused on the Herbert Gold discovery situated approximately 25 km north of Juneau, Alaska. The Company holds a 100% interest in the Herbert property. The Herbert Gold property system is open to length and depth and is host to at least six main composite vein-fault structures that contain ribbon structure quartz-sulfide veins. The project lies prominently within the 160km long Juneau Gold Belt, which has produced nearly seven million ounces of gold. The Company's recent Mineral Resource estimate is quoted at a base case mineral resources cut-off grade of 2.50 grams per tonne gold (g/t Au) and consists of: An indicated resource of 606,500 ounces of gold at an average grade of 10.03 g/t Au (1,880,500 tonnes); and An inferred resource of 251,700 ounces of gold at an average grade of 14.15 g/t Au (553,429 tonnes). ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Ian Klassen" Ian M. Klassen President & Chief Executive Officer Tel: (604) 899-0106 Email: Ian@grandeportage.com NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICE PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED UNDER THE POLICIES OF THE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/51938 A grandfather died when a rock the size of a 'hay bale' fell on him when he attached his hammock to an unstable cliff, an inquest heard. Former church minister Doug Curry, 66, was celebrating his 35th wedding anniversary with a staycation with wife, Margaret, and went to visit their favourite beach on July 16 last year. When they arrived at Sandymouth Beach in Bude, Cornwall, Margaret went into the water with her body board and Doug went to go string his hammock. Former church minister Doug Curry, 66, was celebrating his 35th wedding anniversary with a staycation with wife, Margaret, and went to visit their favourite beach on July 16 last year But for some reason he picked a different spot to usual and strung his hammock in an area with dangerously unstable cliffs - and a huge boulder fell right on top of him . The inquest heard he was killed almost immediately by the impact. Margaret, from Gretham, Hampshire, told the inquest in Truro, Cornwall, she initially had no idea her husband had been killed until she saw the emergency services. In a statement she said she had met Doug when she was just 16 at a Christian study group, and they married when she was 22. Doug, a father of four, went on to be a minister - a position from which he had only recently retired, and was given a green cloth hammock when he did. When they arrived at Sandymouth Beach in Bude, Cornwall, Margaret went into the water with her body board and Doug went to go string his hammock. Sign pictured on the beach Margaret said in her statement: 'We left the camp site in the morning and went to get provisions. We arrived at the car park for Sandymouth Beach at 9.39am. 'Doug got out his tea making stove that he always took to the beach and I headed into the sea with my body board. 'I returned from the water and saw that Doug had got his hammock out. He had used it for years. This one had been given to him when he retired so it was not that old.' Margaret said that whenever the couple visited the beach, Doug would use his green cloth hammock and he had attached it to a cliff recently in Greece. It had two loops on either end and would be secured in place using ratchet straps similar to those used on lorries. Margaret, from Gretham, Hampshire, told the inquest in Truro, Cornwall, she initially had no idea her husband had been killed until she saw the emergency services (pictured) She added: 'He didn't return for some time and I began to wonder where he had gone. 'When I couldn't see him anywhere obvious I called his name. I thought he must have been exploring. 'I became aware of a search and rescue helicopter up the beach and I wondered why it was here.' Margaret approached the scene and saw police officers there turning people away, and approached one to ask what was going on. After a brief interchange she learned it was her husband who had been involved in the incident. The statement continued: 'The officer returned and said my husband was dead. 'I was in shock, I sat on a rock and started calling people to tell them what had happened. 'He was not an adrenaline junky, he would always assess what he was doing and if there was a danger he would not do it. This was a terrible accident.' Margaret approached the scene and saw police officers there turning people away, and approached one to ask what was going on. Rescue efforts the day after the incident The incident was witnessed by a beach user, Chris Latham, who also gave a statement that was also read out at the inquest in Truro today. He said he saw Doug above him on a cliff face and thought he was in a precarious position, but returned to his family to look after his children. Then he heard a loud noise and turned to see a plume of dust in the air where Doug was, and sprang up to see what had happened. The statement read: 'A rock the size of a hay bale was now in the area, I could not see the man but I could see an arm coming out from under the rock. 'I could see the arm under the rock belonged to the man.' Chris then approached to see if he could help. He added: 'I could see his face, eyes and hands. There was a lot of blood on his face. 'There was no movement to his face or hands.' After the incident, RNLI lifeguards who were on scene went to help in the situation. Giving evidence at the hearing, Josh Compton, lifeguard supervisor for the South West, said he was notified of the incident by a member of the public and went over to help. He said: 'A man was stuck under a boulder. He wasn't breathing at that point. The medical cause of death was recorded as catastrophic head trauma. Response scene pictured 'The boulder was large, too large for us to move.' A post mortem revealed that Doug had suffered multiple fractures, a ruptured trachea, and had obvious catastrophic chest trauma. The medical cause of death was recorded as catastrophic head trauma. Concluding, coroner Stephen Covell, said: 'Given the weight of the rock where it was, and the injuries we have heard, that he would have been killed instantly. 'He was recovered the following day, the rock was of such weight that it had to be recovered by the fire brigade. 'As Doug was lying on his hammock a large rock freed itself and fell or rolled down onto him. 'My conclusion is that this was an accidental death. Doug's wife and daughter were present at the inquest, but didn't wish to speak further. REMEMBER: KC NOVA NEVER REALLY WORKED!!! This strategy helped stop murders, prosecutors say. But Kansas City, Mo., police killed it KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Soon after he became Kansas City's police chief in 2017, Rick Smith pulled officers away from a strategy credited with reducing homicides. The effort, called the Kansas City No Violence Alliance, or KC NoVA, garnered national attention after killings dropped to a historic low of 86 in 2014, the fewest in Kansas City in more than four decades. Happy Rock Allegations After Tragic Toddler Gunfire Death Gladstone man charged in death of 2-year-old that police originally deemed an accident CLAY COUNTY, Mo. -- A Gladstone man is now facing charges in the death of a 2-year-old who police originally said unintentionally shot himself. A Clay County grand jury has indicted 30-year-old Christopher Ellis on charges of second-degree murder and felony child endangerment. The shooting happened on Sept. JoCo Sex Assualt Report Overland Park man charged with rape, aggravated battery KANSAS CITY, Mo. - An Overland Park man has been charged with rape and aggravated battery. Jonam Edward, 34, was charged in Johnson County Court on Wednesday for the Sept. 13, 2019 incident. According to court documents, Edward "knowingly engaged in sexual intercourse" with a person older than 16 who did not consent to the act. Teacher Creeper Convicted Former Cameron teacher sentenced to 20 years for secretly recording teens in bathroom KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A former Cameron High School teacher will spend two decades behind bars for secretly recording pornographic videos of teenagers when they were using his bathroom. William D. Williams, 40, was sentenced in U.S. District Court on Tuesday to 20 years in federal prison without the possibility of parole. JoCo Crash Charge Postscript No medical or vehicle issues found in crash that killed Overland Park teen, court documents say OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- No medical or vehicle issues were found for the 71-year-old male driver charged with striking and killing an Overland Park teen who was walking home from school. Court documents say on April 12, 2019, officers responded to an injury crash on Switzer Road near west 123rd Street in Overland Park. Hatchet Man Shot Today Belton police shoot hatchet-wielding man Belton police said they were able to subdue a man armed with a hatchet Wednesday night.Police said they were called to the 1200 block of Toulouse at 11:30 p.m. Don't Break The Law WHEN The Chiefs Win The Super Bowl Mother pleads with public to avoid celebratory gunfire KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A mom who lost her daughter to celebratory gunfire is urging people to put the guns down if the Chiefs win the Super Bowl. https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/mother-pleads-with-public-to-avoid-celebratory-gunfire Our readers have told us they like these updates of bad news that often escapes citywide debate . . . And so here's the latest collection of police action, court cases and all manner ofmisdeeds.Developing . . . A bank robber who hid his identity by wearing 'blackface' is being hunted by police in the US. Perryville Police Department is searching for the man, after he robbed a PNC bank branch in the northeastern state of Maryland. Officers have asked members of the public to help identify the suspect, who painted his face in a bid to disguise his identity. He is described as white, between 5ft to 5ft'"5 tall and in his late 20s or early 30s. "We are seeking the publics help in identifying the below pictured subject," Perryville Police Departmenr wrote on Facebook. "This subject is responsible for a bank robbery that occurred on January 28th at the PNC Perryville branch. "Suspect is described as a white male, with paint on his face, approximately 50-55 and late 20s to early 30s." The Delhi polls are a contest between Prime Minister Narendra Modi who eliminated terrorists through surgical strikes inside Pakistan and those supporting the Shaheen Bagh protest, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday. Seeking votes for the BJP during an election meeting at Bhatti Mines Sanjay Colony(Chhatarpur), Shah said the refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan have as much right over the country as its other citizens. "Two forces are face to face in the assembly elections in Delhi. On one side is Prime Minister Narendra Modi who eliminated terrorists through air and surgical strikes inside Pakistan and on the other hand are those supporting Shaheen Bagh. You have to decide whom do you support," he said. He said a vote for the BJP in the February 8 polls will ensure security of Delhi and the country. Shaheen Bagh in south east Delhi, has emerged as the epicentre of anti- Citizenship Amendment Act protests in the country. A large number of women protesters have taken the centrestage at the protest in Shaheen Bagh since mid-December last year. Attacking senior AAP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Shah said the BJP was with thousands of Pakistani refugees living in Delhi's Sanjay Colony. "Sisodia said I am with Shaheen Bagh. Now I am saying we are with Sanjay Colony. I want to say to Dalits who came from Pakistan and settled in Sanjay Colony that you have as much right over this country as I and my son have," he said. The Home minister attacked the AAP and the Congress for opposing the CAA which was meant for providing citizenship to minorities like Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhishts "persecuted" in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The vote of Delhi people on February 8 will not only replace the Kejriwal government but also ensure victory of those who worship mother India, he asserted. "It will not only change the Kejriwal government, it will also defeat an ideology. Formation of the BJP government in Delhi will preserve the ideology of worshipping Bharat Mata," he said. Shah also credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with finding solutions to issues like Ram temple and Article 370 and accused the AAP and the Congress of opposing the BJP, fearing backlash from their vote bank. He promised that the Ayshman Bharat health scheme of the Modi government will be implemented in Delhi within hours of BJP forming the government here. The BJP is contesting 67 seats in Delhi, leaving three seats for its alliance partners JD (U) and LJP. Votes will be cast on all 70 seats on February 8 and results will be declared on February 11. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two college students in Ohio are being tested for the deadly coronavirus that has killed 170 people in China. The students, from Miami University in Butler County, had recently traveled to China during January break, but it's unclear if they visited Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. Health officials took three samples - a blood draw, nasal swab and respiratory sample - and sent them to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Results from the tests are expected to return within a week and, if confirmed, they would be Ohio's first cases of the SARS-like infection, Two students at Miami University in Ohio (pictured) are suspected of having coronavirus and have had blood draws, nasal swabs and respiratory samples sent to the CDC for testing. According to the Enquirer, one of the two students - a male Chinese national - visited Miami University's student health services with flu-like symptoms on Monday. After learning about his visit to China, along with his travel companion, samples were taken from both of them. Melanie Amato, a spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Health, told the Journal-News that both students are isolated in their residences off-campus and are being monitored by the Butler County General Health District. During a press conference on Tuesday, officials from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) told students that they shouldn't be concerned. 'Only with that travel history [to China] or with a direct contact with someone under investigation are you truly at risk,' said Dr Amy Acton, director of the ODH, according to the Enquirer. Health officials said wearing masks wasn't necessary and students and faculty could take precautions such as washing hands with warm water and soap and coughing or sneezing into an elbow. Miami University has more than 19,000 undergraduate and graduate students on campus, with Chinese nationals making up the largest international student population at 2,334, according to the university's website. This is not the first time that college students have been suspected of contracting the infections. One of the five cases in the US is an unidentified student enrolled at Arizona State University in Tempe. Additionally, students at Texas A&M University and Tennessee Tech University were also screened, but it's unclear if they tested positive. The virus was recently confirmed to have emerged from illegally traded wildlife at a seafood market in Wuhan. Aside from China and the US, cases have been confirmed in Australia, Cambodia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam. Nearly 8,000 people worldwide have been infected with the virus and 170 people - all in China - have died. As of Thursday , five cases have been confirmed in the US: Maricopa County, Arizona; Orange County and Los Angeles County, California; Chicago, Illinois; and Snohomish County, Washington. WASHINGTON President Donald Trump is preparing a massive show of GOP unity in Iowa ahead of the state's presidential caucus and as a pivotal vote in the Senate impeachment trial exposes rifts among Republicans who will decide his fate. Days before Iowans choose a Democratic candidate in the nation's first presidential caucus, Trump will take the stage at Drake University in Des Moines for his fourth rally of the year. The campaign will then send an unusually long list of GOP heavyweights to Iowa, including Cabinet officials, congressional leaders and members of Trump's family. The president's campaign and Republican observers described the parade of political events as a flexing of muscles a warning to Democrats that Trump's operation is far better organized and funded than it was in 2016. But the display will also serve as a potent reminder of Trump's grip on the party as Senate Republicans wrestle with whether to end his impeachment trial or extend it further by hearing from witnesses. Live impeachment updates: Trump Senate impeachment trial to resume with final questions David Kochel, a veteran Republican political operative in Iowa, described the president's itinerary in the state as "classic Trump." "Its a very smart move and it has little to do with his own nomination, which is not in doubt," said Kochel, a senior adviser to Jeb Bush's campaign in 2016. "Its to fire up our base, and step into the middle of their primary dance and take some of the oxygen." The caucuses take place Monday, and the president's travel will coincide with a last-minute push by several of the Democratic candidates seeking to replace him. Bolton: John Bolton stirs GOP fury but friends say he's prepared for a knife fight Iowa power: Do winners of the Iowa caucus typically become president? Trump brings GOP star power to Iowa President Donald Trump speaks about Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, standing foreground, before signing "phase one" of a China trade agreement at the White House. Trump's rally will come hours after an official White House event in Michigan to highlight his new trade deal with Mexico and Canada, a rare bipartisan win for the president that will have implications for Iowa farmers and manufacturers. Then, as the nation shifts its attention to the Democratic caucus race, Trump will send about 80 surrogates to the state. Story continues The roster includes at least eight members of the Cabinet, such as Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.; Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio; and Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., are also expected to stump for the president. Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Lara Trump are among the president's family members heading to Iowa. Incumbent presidents, who usually do not face serious challenges for the nomination, rarely devote so much attention to campaigning so early in the process. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds after signing an executive order to streamline the regulatory process for agricultural biotechnology while visiting the Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy ethanol plant on June 11, 2019, in Council Bluffs. Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh described the effort as a "good workout for our ground game" and said that the caucuses are "an opportunity to flex the organizational muscles of President Trumps" operation. Democrats in the state framed the events as a sign of "panicking." "No amount of kicking, screaming, or tweeting can spin that legacy of failure, or voters desperation for something new," said Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Troy Price. What impeachment questions were asked: Here are questions senators asked during Trump's impeachment trial Rally on eve of key trial vote Trump's visit to Iowa initially appeared to offer an opportunity to take a victory lap and a hard pivot to the election. Senate Republican leaders signaled the impeachment trial could wind down as early as Friday, potentially yielding the long-expected acquittal on charges that Trump abused his power by withholding military aid to Ukraine. A New York Times report a forthcoming memoir by former Trump national security adviser John Bolton raised new uncertainty about the trial timeline. The Times said the book will allege the president demanded Ukraine officials open an investigation into Biden in exchange for U.S. foreign aid an issue at the center of the impeachment debate. A handful of centrist Senate Republicans, including Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, have said they are willing to hear from witnesses, including Bolton. Friday will be the pivotal day when the GOP-led Senate will decide whether to extend the trial in order to hear from witnesses, or to move forward with a vote on possible acquittal. Trump, who came in second in the Iowa caucuses in 2016, carried the state in the general election by more than 9 percentage points. Polls suggest the contest could be closer this year, depending on who wins the Democratic nomination. The president was about 2 points ahead of Biden in a New York Times/Siena College poll of likely caucusgoers released this month. That same poll had Trump beating Sen. Bernie Sanders by 6 points and Sen. Elizabeth Warren by 5. Trump last traveled to Iowa in June to tout his efforts to promote gasoline with higher blends of ethanol a popular position with many Iowa farmers. He held a campaign rally in Council Bluffs, Iowa, a month before the 2018 midterm elections. What senators are thinking: Senators' questions at Trump impeachment trial show most minds are made up 'Demented hoaxes' President Donald Trump speaks to supporters at a rally in New Jersey on Jan. 28, 2020. Republican operatives said the president's visit to Iowa was a signal he intends to remain on the offensive and isn't taking even the states he won handily for granted. They also predicted the effort may draw attention away from what is expected to be a huge turnout among Democrats. If the turnout is larger than usual, it could be read as a show of strength by Democrats with implications beyond Iowa. "Deploying this many surrogates on caucus night and the caliber of the surrogates covering the amount of ground statewide will yield tremendous dividends as Iowa Republicans begin focusing on the general election," said Jimmy Centers, a Republican consultant who worked for former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad. Centers rejected the idea that Trump's show of force in the state had anything to do with the impeachment trial, noting that voters have generally not named impeachment as a top election issue in polls. "The trial occurring around the Iowa caucuses," he said, "is nothing more than a coincidence." Trump barely mentioned the trial during a rally in New Jersey on Tuesday. He slammed Democrats for demented hoaxes, crazy witch hunts and deranged partisan crusades, but that language is similar to what he has embraced at his rallies for years. Trump told a crowd of cheering supporters that Democrats had been working for years to overturn the results of the 2016 election. And he vowed they would not succeed. "We will make sure they face another crushing defeat in the next election," Trump said. "We are going to have a victory that is even greater than 2016." Contributing: Christal Hayes, Michael Collins This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump Iowa rally: GOP plans show of force ahead of impeachment vote Jennifer Cunningham Jennifer Cunningham, one of the most powerful women in New York politics, is exiting SKDKnickerbocker in March to travel and explore new challenges, according to an email sent to staffers. The SKDKnick partner is former political director of the powerful 1199SEIU union and a long-time friend of Governor Andrew Cuomo. She handled Cuomos first run for governor and the successful 2011 bid to legalize same-sex marriage in the Empire State. City & State NY ranked Cunningham and then-SKDKnick partner Josh Isay No. 1 in its inaugural Political PR Power 50 list released Jan. 13. It lauded Cunnigham as one of New Yorks savviest communications strategists. SKDKnick elevated Isay, who was campaign manager for New York Senator Chuck Schumer, to CEO on Jan. 16 and named five new partners. He promised, an incredibly exciting year for SKDK as we actively pursue companies to acquire, new talent to come in-house and deliver an even better and more robust product for our clients. Mark Penns Stagwell Group owns SKDKnick. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that President Trump cannot be acquitted in his Senate impeachment trial unless senators vote to introduce more evidence and call on witnesses to testify because the trial will otherwise be invalid. He will not be acquitted. You cannot be acquitted if you dont have a trial, Pelosi said at her weekly press briefing. And you dont have a trial if you dont have witnesses and documentation. The Senate is facing the possibility that Fridays vote on whether to call for witness testimony could end in a tie, forcing Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to cast the deciding vote. That is a great unknown. Theres no way to know procedurally what he would do. Or if hell do anything, said Republican Senator James Lankford. I would hope that the senators if it comes to a tie or if theres a question of hearing testimony or receiving documents would leave it up to the chief justice of the Supreme Court, Pelosi said Thursday. I would think that they would have confidence in the chief justice of the United States. The speaker accused Republicans of being afraid of Roberts breaking a tie, calling it interesting. Republicans had been confident for weeks that the GOP Senate majority would vote to continue the impeachment trial without witnesses. However, that plan was thrown into chaos earlier this week when the New York Times reported that former national security adviser John Bolton states in his upcoming memoir that President Trump told him specifically that U.S. military aid to Ukraine was contingent on the opening of an investigation into Joe Biden. Several Republican senators, including Mitt Romney of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska signaled in the wake of the Bolton revelation that they will likely vote to call on him to testify. And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell reportedly told his caucus Tuesday that he lacks the 51 votes needed to block new witnesses. More from National Review The student was studying at Wuhan University, has been kept under observation, in Kerala. Update: Information on the patient from the media briefing. India has reported its first confirmed case of a novel coronavirus in Kerala, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare confirmed. The patient is a student from Kerala, who had returned from Wuhan and was studying at Wuhan University in China. Wuhan is the epicentre of the virus and it spread from a wet market that was selling illegal wildlife, which has now been shut down. The patient is reported to be in a stable condition, isolated and is being monitored closely. "One positive case of Novel Coronavirus patient, of a student studying in Wuhan University, has been reported in Kerala," the Health Minister was quoted as said by NDTV. The Kerala Health Minister K.K. Shailaja had called for a media briefing at 3 pm. She said, "Out of the 20 samples that we had sent for testing 10 returned as negative, 6 were suspected, out of them one came out as positive" and that the government "will conduct a meeting with health experts to ensure that there is no spread." "We have set up an isolation ward in Thrissur Medical Hospital. The condition of the boy is not serious, he is being taken care of," said Shailaja, whose main concern are the cases coming in from Wuhan. Shailaja said that control rooms have been opened and rapid response teams have been activated. All hospitals will monitor patients coming with similar symptoms and the health department will isolate patients who are showing symptoms of the virus and start their treatment, reported ANI. In Kerala, one person each from Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta and Malappuram and three from Ernakulam district have been kept in isolation wards of various health centres, PTI reported. As a precautionary measure, health authorities in India have already placed many people under medical watch. Various airports in the country have started screening passengers arriving from China for symptoms of coronavirus infection. According to the Kerala Health Ministry, 800 people have been kept under observation in the state. While most of them are quarantined at home, seven people were kept under observation in isolation wards at different hospitals, PTI reported. India has issued travel warnings to travellers going to China in light of the spread of the virus. The government and the embassy in Beijing are working to get the Indians, stuck in China's lockdown, back to the country. China, in order to stop the spread, has placed travel bans on 16 cities with around 50 million people in it. What is Coronavirus? A novel coronavirus (CoV), or a new coronavirus, is one that hasn't been previously identified. The 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV, in short) is a respiratory virus that was first discovered in Wuhan, a city in China's Hubei Province in December 2019. It is a large family of viruses of which only six can infect humans. The 2019-nCoV is one of them, and so are the SARS and MERS viruses. While there is no confirmation on the origin of the virus, it is suspect that the first human victim(s) was infected by a snake, at the Wuhan market. The virus, till date, has claimed the lives of around 170 people in China and around 7,711 people are infected. It has spread to many Asian countries Hong Kong, Thailand, Macau, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Vietnam and Cambodia as well as France, Australia, US, Canada, Germany, Ivory Coast, Nepal and Sri Lanka. However, there have been no fatalities in any of these countries. With inputs from agencies A former Nigerian justice minister accused of complicity in a billion-dollar oil scandal involving Shell and Eni was on Thursday granted bail by a high court in the nation's capital. Judge Abubakar Kutigi ordered the release of Mohammed Adoke from custody to face his trial along with other suspects. The judge asked him to provide surety of 50 million naira ($139,000, 126,000 euros) before he could leave custody. The court then adjourned the case to March 26. Adoke, who also served as attorney-general between 2010 and 2015, was arrested last month on arrival from the United Arab Emirates where he had been detained on a Nigerian warrant over one of the West African state's biggest-ever corruption scandals. He was accused of money laundering and collecting a bribe worth 300 million naira to broker the $1.3-billion sale of lucrative offshore oil block OPL245 to Shell and Eni in 2011. Adoke has pleaded not guilty to the charges along with two co-accused. Both Shell and Eni have denied any wrongdoing in the case, dubbed the "Malabu scandal" after the key company involved in the deals. Accusations against the international oil majors have led to a string of cases in a number of countries that have seen convictions in Italy and a probe against Shell in the Netherlands. Former Nigerian oil minister Dan Etete is still on the run over the scandal. It was during his time in office in 1998 that Malabu was illegally awarded control of the block. The Abuja court on Thursday issued a warrant for Etete's arrest. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bahrain is gearing up to host the ninth edition of the annual Bahrain for All festival, which will bring together more than 50,000 people from over 40 local and expatriate communities to showcase their respective cultures, said a report. Capital Governor Shaikh Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa unveiled the plan for the upcoming festival, said a report in BNA. Held under the theme Leaving Nobody Behind, this years festival will take place at Bahrain Bay on February 6 and 7 on the 7,000-sq-m site, which will house more than 250 market stalls and a 128-sq-m stage that will feature performances by the Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Filipino, Jordanian, Thai, Bangladeshi, and Egyptian communities, among others. What we see in Bahrain today is a testament to its long history of tolerating and respecting different religions, sects and beliefs, where people are able to live in harmony and dignity, Shaikh Hisham said. This is evident by the many mosques and maatams that exist in Bahrain side by side with churches, some more than 100 years old, as well as synagogues and other places of worship belonging to different religions and denominations. Bahrain For All is a celebration of Bahrains many economic, social and political accomplishments, and its desire to create a society in which all people live in peace and dignity, no matter their religions, sects or backgrounds. Bahrain has shown the world that it values these elements which indicate the advanced level of development it has achieved, he added. We congratulate the Bahraini police force on its security achievements under the leadership of Lieutenant General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, the Minister of Interior, the capital governor said. The kingdoms stability owes a lot to the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, His Royal Highness the Prime Minister, Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, and the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander, and First Deputy Prime Minister, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa," he said. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 30) There will be a sequel to the 2017 romance-drama 100 Tula Para Kay Stella. Director Jason Paul Laxamana shared the official news in one of his Twitter posts on Tuesday. He also attached a photo of himself beside the film's poster. Laxamana did not give the release date of the new movie, which will be called 100 Tula Para Kay Stella 2, based on his post. Actress Bela Padilla and actor JC Santos are expected to reprise their roles. Santos and Padilla recently reunited for another project called 'On Vodka, Beers, and Regrets.' The original film, which has been made into a book, revolves around the love story of Fidel Lansangan and Stella Puno who met as first year psychology students at the Pampanga Agricultural College. They became great friends despite being polar opposites. Fidel, who has a speech defect, started to write love poems for Stella, but did not find the courage to let her know about it until his 100th piece. Contractors of Free SHS projects have been tasked to complete the projects on time before their certificates for payment will be honoured. Currently, there is massive construction of additional facilities such as classroom blocks, dormitories, assembly halls, dining halls, among others, in various second cycle schools all over Ghana as part of the government's effort to phase out the double track system. The Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, served the notice when he inspected ongoing government projects in some schools on Tuesday in his constituency, Sunyani West. The inspection took him to Chiraa Senior High School where he inspected a six-unit classroom block that had reached roofing level but expressed dissatisfaction that 'shoddy' work was being done by the contractor. The minister urged the headmaster and Chiraahene to constantly inspect the ongoing work and give a report. Apart from the six-unit classroom block, the minister also inspected ongoing works on three dormitories. He commended two of the contractors whose work was about 90% complete but again was not happy with another contractor whose work was less than 40% complete. The Member of Parliament later met with staffs and students and on behalf of the Education Minister and handed over 360 metal dual beds, 720 mattresses and 270 chairs and tables and teacher's desks. The minister advised the students to study hard in order to chalk up success in their exams to justify the huge investment the government is making on them. The Chiraahene, Nana Afari Mintah, accompanied the minister to inspect the projects and were taken round by the Headmaster of the school, Francis Antwi-Bosiako. ----Daily Guide MBABANE The elderly are eagerly awaiting His Majesty King Mswati IIIs Speech from the Throne in order to confirm that their grants will be increased. The Prime Minister, Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini, last year announced that the grants would, during the 2020/2021 financial year, be increased. However, the elderly hope to hear it from the Head of State. One of the interviewed elderly, Gogo Nxumalo, was of the view that it was always good to hear from the King such good news. We are also very grateful for the grant, no matter how little it is, she said. Increase The grants are currently E400 per month and government had announced that they would increase to E500. However, Nxumalo said as much as they appreciated the grant, she had hopes that it would go as high up as E2 000 once the economy had recovered. She said the E400 was too little, especially since they had to look after their grandchildren as their own parents were mostly unemployed. Gogo Nxumalo, a vendor who sells fruit and vegetables, said they had a lot on their plate. She said, the other challenge was the delay in payment when the grants were being disbursed. The fact that we have to wait for three months is unacceptable and by the time we are paid, we have already created debts. Another elderly woman, Maria Lukhele, also said she was anticipating to hear if the King had good news for them as earlier promised. She said the King was full of love for the elderly and therefore she was confident that he would not disappoint them. The King never disappoints us as he always mentions the elderly and therefore we await nothing but good news even though we are aware that the countrys economy is not performing well currently, said Lukhele. Last year, the King said looking after senior citizens was embodied in the cultural ethos. He said despite the meagre national resources, government would also continue to support free primary education (FPE), orphaned and vulnerable children and those with disabilities to guarantee a healthy life and protection. A former Tory MP has accused Scotland Yard chiefs of allowing a 'cover-up' of misconduct surrounding the force's disgraced VIP child abuse inquiry. Harvey Proctor delivered his stinging rebuke after a top officer rejected his criminal allegations against detectives in the case. Mr Proctor was falsely accused of being a serial child killer by the fantasist previously known as 'Nick' whose claims the Met once described as 'credible and true'. Mr Proctor spoke out after Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball's decision to deny his demands for a new, independent investigation into the conduct of five key officers. Former Tory MP Harvey Proctor has accused Scotland Yard chiefs of allowing a 'cover-up' of misconduct surrounding the force's disgraced VIP child abuse inquiry He said the force's attitude could best be described as 'a failed authority marking its own homework' and accused senior officers engulfed in the scandal of being part of a 'self-preservation society'. Miss Ball is a key ally of Scotland Yard Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick, who sanctioned the launch of the disastrous inquiry and is separately under investigation for alleged misconduct in the case. Mr Proctor revealed he has appealed against Miss Ball's decision and called on the police watchdog to review its previous decision to clear five other officers of wrongdoing. He said: 'I await with interest to see if the Independent Office for Police Conduct again allows the police to get away with it and continues to participate in the cover-up. Even at this late stage the IOPC can institute a thorough and rigorous inquiry.' His statement piled pressure on ex-Metropolitan Police deputy assistant commissioner Steve Rodhouse, who oversaw the running of the inquiry, codenamed Operation Midland and was later promoted to become the 245,000-a-year head of operations at the National Crime Agency. In November Mr Proctor announced he had reported five former Scotland Yard officers including Mr Rodhouse for alleged criminality during Operation Midland. Citing 'fresh and new evidence' of wrongdoing, he revealed he had made allegations of perverting the course of justice and misconduct to an independent force, Northumbria Police, which passed them to the Met. Scotland Yard Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick (right) sanctioned the launch of the disastrous inquiry and is separately under investigation for alleged misconduct in the case. The Yard's witness known as Nick was in fact former nurse Carl Beech, 51, (left) who was jailed for 18 years last July for his lies about VIP child abuse Mr Proctor, 72, lost his 'home, job and repute' when officers raided his house as part of Operation Midland. Yet, despite the force paying 100,000 in compensation to both former Armed Forces chief Lord Bramall and the widow of Lord Brittan and more recently 500,000 to Mr Proctor not one officer has faced any punishment. Last year a former High Court judge, Sir Richard Henriques, savaged police watchdogs who cleared five 'Nick' scandal detectives. He said justice had been 'perverted'. In a separate move ex-senior district judge Howard Riddle said in October he was 'misled' by Operation Midland officers seeking permission to raid the homes of Mr Proctor, Lord Bramall and Lord Brittan, all falsely accused of appalling child sex crimes. The Yard's witness known as Nick was in fact former nurse Carl Beech, 51, who was jailed for 18 years last July for his lies about VIP child abuse. In a letter this month to Miss Ball, head of professionalism at Scotland Yard, Mr Proctor said: 'You have decided, on flimsy pretext, that my complaints are not worthy of formally recording and therefore not to investigate them.' He said her view was not supported by Sir Richard or Mr Riddle. Mr Proctor, who made the letter public yesterday, said: 'This is not the end of the matter.' He warned Miss Ball's actions and those of the Met would be considered by MPs and a public inquiry. Miss Ball said in letters to him that seven of his eight allegations had already been investigated or were 'out of time', adding that he had already been apologised to. Proper structures must be instituted to ... Ukraine insists that 'black boxes' from UIA plane downed over Tehran should be deciphered on its territory Riaboshapka Ukraine is ready to invite experts from Iran, France and Canada for deciphering the "black boxes" from the Ukrainian passenger plane, which was downed over Tehran, and insists that the procedure should be held on the territory of Ukraine, Prosecutor General of Ukraine Ruslan Riaboshapka has said. "The point is not in the fact that there is no answer on the "black boxes," but in the fact that these answers change several times a day. Various Iranian officials provide different information, and that is why we do not have a final understanding," Riaboshapka said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine, while speaking on the situation with possible passing of the "black boxes" to Ukraine for deciphering. "The core of our position was and is that the "boxes" should be deciphered in Ukraine," the Prosecutor General said. When asked whether the French side was ready to participate in the procedure, Riaboshapka said, "We are ready, the French side too. They have responded that they would send their experts for the deciphering. We are ready to invite not only Iran, but also French and Canadian experts to this process." He also said that in fact two investigations are being held: one of them is civil, within the framework of the Convention on International Civil Aviation and the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air, while the second one is criminal. Riaboshapka added that the results of the investigation which is being conducted International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) could be attached to the criminal investigation. "In general, a criminal investigation will then continue based on the results of the civil investigation. This means that it might become a big and important part of the criminal investigation," he said. When asked where the trial on those found guilty of the crash of Ukraine's Boeing should be held, Riaboshapka said, "There are different opinions on the issue. As the accident happened in Iran, Iran has to ensure an effective investigation and a trail. We also have to conduct our own investigation." As reported, Ukraine International Airlines' (UIA) Boeing 737-800 performing flight PS752 from Tehran to Kyiv crashed in the vicinity of Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport in the early hours of January 8, shortly after takeoff. None of the 167 passengers and nine crewmembers aboard survived the crash. The casualties included 11 citizens of Ukraine, including the nine crewmembers, 82 Iranian citizens, 63 Canadians, ten Swedish citizens, four citizens of Afghanistan, three Germans, and three citizens of the UK. Iranian authorities said on January 11 that the national army had downed the Boeing by mistake. Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Aerospace Forces Amir Ali Hajizadeh assumed full responsibility for the Ukrainian plane's crash. JOS, Nigeria, January 30, 2020 (Morning Star News) At least 32 people were killed and a pastors house and church building were burned down in two nights of attacks this week by Muslim Fulani herdsmen in Plateau State, Nigeria, sources said. The Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) building and home were destroyed in an attack on predominantly Christian Marish village on Monday evening (Jan. 27), one of three communities in Bokkos County hit in armed assaults that began the previous evening, area residents said. The attacks were the latest bloodshed in an escalation of violence in Plateau state, where herdsmen killed Christians in Riyom and Mangu counties earlier this month. Herdsmen killed 17 people in Marish and Ruboi villages on Monday after killing 15 people in an attack on Kwatas on Sunday (Jan. 26), Titus Ayuba Alams, former speaker of the Plateau state House of Assembly, told Morning Star News. The attacks took place between the hours of 7 p.m. and 4 a.m. on Kwatas on Sunday, and also on Monday within the same time frame on Ruboi and Marish by the herdsmen, Alam said. Five people were wounded in the attacks and several houses were burned, area resident Theophilus Mancha told Morning Star News. A pregnant woman and 16 others have been killed, Mancha said. Kwatas, Marish and Ruboi are suburbs of Bokkos town, about 15 kilometers (nine miles) southwest of Plateau State University, Bokkos. Kelly Kanang, another area resident, confirmed that Fulani herdsmen launched the attacks. Benjamin Dogo of Kwatas informed Morning Star News in a text message, Our people have been killed again. About 15 of the dead have been evacuated to the mortuary along with many others that sustained injuries during the attack on Sunday night. State police said 13 persons were killed and five injured in the attack on Kwatas. Police spokesman Ubah Gabriel Ogaba on Monday confirmed the attack by unknown gunmen on Kwatas in a press statement. Ruboi and Marish were attacked after police issued the statement, and officers have provided no details on those attacks. Plateau Gov. Simon Lalong condemned the attacks on the Christian communities in a statement through press spokesman Makut Macham. My heart again bleeds by this tragedy as lives of innocent citizens are cut short for no reason, reads the statement issued on Monday. Security agencies must go after those who are behind these attacks and their sponsors so they can face the law and be taught a lesson. Sen. Istifanus Gyang, deputy chairman of the Nigerian Senate Committee on Defense, said attacks on the Christian communities raise questions on the readiness of security agencies to protect people against herdsmen onslaughts. Only last week, Kombun village in Mangu LGA was attacked and now, it is Kwatas, Marish, and Ruboi villages in neighboring Bokkos LGA, he said. Nigeria ranked 12th on Open Doors 2020 World Watch List of countries where Christians suffer the most persecution but second in the number of Christians killed for their faith, behind Pakistan. 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: Ricardo Gomez Angel/Unsplash Banijay Rights has signed a first-look deal with Scottish indie, Firecrest Films. The new deal will give Banijay Rights exclusive access to new documentaries, factual television series and features from the producer. Glasgow-based Firecrest Films has expanded since taking a minority investment from the Channel 4 Growth Fund in 2017. The investment saw the company expand its creative team and add high-end documentary and factual formats to its catalogue. In the following year, it made both the highest-rating Panorama film for BBC One and the highest rating Dispatches film for Channel 4. Included in the Banijay Rights catalogue will be Firecrests critically-acclaimed legal documentary, Murder Trial: The Disappearance of Margaret Fleming (2 x 60) for BBC Scotland and BBC Two. Other shows in the catalogue include Murder Case (2 x 60) for BBC One Scotland and BBC Two. New shows include The Secret Life of the Museum (4 x 60), a new factual format for BBC Scotland. The series follows nine children aged around ten-years-old as they visit different museums. The childrens experiences are then intercut with interviews with curators from the museum who tell us the facts behind the collection. Andreas Lemos at Banijay Rights comments, We could not be more excited by this latest partnership. We have long-admired Firecrest Films. Its factual series and documentaries have not only made a huge impact on screen but have resonated in the wider media as well just going to show the power behind the stories that they choose to tell. We cannot wait to introduce Firecrests work to the international market, who we know are waiting in anticipation. Nicole Kleeman, Managing Director of Firecrest Films adds, Its a hugely exciting time to be a fast-growing indie in the Nations. Having the support from Banijay Rights will help us continue our growth into new genres and markets. Share this story Hyderabad: Telangana state health minister Etela Rajender on Wednesday appealed to people not to give into anxiety or panic over possibility of the coronavirus infections. He said the state government was following the Centres guidelines on identifying and treatment of any possible case of the disease in the city and across the state. Arrangements are in place at the Fever Hospital for admitting anyone who might want to get checked for the disease and for treatment. Steps are being taken to put into place all required systems in place in the Gandhi and the Chest Hospitals, which between them would have 100 beds in special wards, Mr Rajender told a news conference. He said that screening of all passengers flying into the city from anywhere in China, from where the virus originally emerged, and from other countries is already in place. If anyone thinks they have flu like symptoms, they can contact the government helpline, he added. Telangana wants to test samples in state labs The Union Ministry of Health has set up a 24-hour helpline (011-23978046) that people can call to get information about the district and state surveillance officers, and in case they have any clinical query, they get connected to an Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) officer. Mr Rajender, who said samples from three more patients were sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for testing, said that with temperatures set to rise in coming weeks, it was very likely that coronavirus would not be able to survive in such conditions. Typically, the virus needs cold weather to last that could lead to infections. Compared to swine flu, which has a mortality rate of 10 per cent, the new virus is being said to cause four per cent mortality among those infected, the minister said. The state government has asked the Centre to allow it to use state-of-the-art diagnostic labs it runs in the city to be allowed to carry out testing for virus. This will eliminate need to rush samples to Pune. We have asked for diagnostic kits be given to the state so we can do the tests here, he said. The health minister called on people to practice simple hygiene such as not coughing or sneezing without covering the mouth with a handkerchief and making sure they wash their hands often. If in any doubt, contact Fever Hospital or the helpline for guidance and assistance, he said. There are some unfounded news reports that are making rounds on social media. People should not blindly share or forward such messages. A three-member team of officials from the Centre that visited the city to inspect airport screening procedures and facilities at hospitals, has made some suggestions which the government is implementing, Rajender said. He allayed fears that adequate equipment and medicines for treating possible cases were not available at hospitals in Hyderabad. Whatever is required to treat a patient, will be made available. Our doctors and staff are being trained again on handling patients and samples, Mr Rajender added. DES MOINES, Iowa - Joe Biden's campaign contacted Sen. Amy Klobuchar's campaign about a caucus night alliance. Biden's allies contacted Andrew Yang about a similar deal - but so have allies of Sen. Bernie Sanders. And Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who's stopped campaigning in Iowa, just visited a Sanders office in New Hampshire in a show of solidarity. With no Democrat in clear command of the race in Iowa, chatter and actual planning about caucus night team-ups are getting an early start. A decades-old rule that eliminates candidates who do not get 15 percent of the vote in a caucus room has gained extra resonance in a crowded race where voters view most of their candidates warmly. Five of those candidates are above or close to the threshold in statewide polling: Biden, Sanders, Klobuchar, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg. But there will be almost 1,700 across the state Monday, and those candidates' strengths vary wildly from region to region and room to room. Four more candidates are actively competing across the state but are less likely to meet those thresholds and are being asked whether they will advise voters on where to move. "Many of my supporters would naturally head to Bernie," Yang told reporters at a Wednesday morning breakfast sponsored by Bloomberg News. "I don't think they need me to say anything for them to head to Bernie. It wouldn't be surprising to me for them to head in that direction." Yang declined to give those voters a message, saying that he'd have "a hard time getting them to do anything they don't want to do." But Yang himself had already picked up a support from a former rival, author Marianne Williamson, who rallied with him last week in Fairfield - a liberal stronghold, home to the Maharishi International University, where she had built a following. "I'm lending my support to Andrew in Iowa, hopefully to help him get past the early primaries," she said. Voters, many of them flummoxed by their options, sometimes talk the same way. In a Monmouth poll released Wednesday morning, 45% of Iowa Democrats said that they could change candidates inside the caucuses. "You have so many talented people in the race," former HUD secretary Julian Castro said after speaking to supporters of Warren, whom he's endorsed, in Pella on Tuesday afternoon. "It may take a while to sort it out." At town halls, especially the ones hosted by Biden, voters frequently ask the candidates whether they would consider another candidate as a running mate. That factors into their own thinking, with many voters saying they are ready to move across the room if it helps their second-choice candidate stay viable. "It's a blend of what I personally think and support and of who I think is electable," said Kelly Hoenig, a 37-year-old pharmacist who came to a Monday night Buttigieg event in the Cedar Rapids suburbs. "What I think of Buttigieg, compared to Warren, is general likability, electability, as opposed to someone who's on the left. But they'd make a strong ticket." The can't-they-all-win sentiment has spread into the party's own system for reporting caucus results. In the past, Iowa Democrats have calculated the number of delegates each candidate won in each precinct, but not the total number of people who gathered to pick those delegates. For example: In a room of 10 Iowans, if one candidate got eight votes and two candidates each got one, the party would report only that the first candidate got that precinct's delegates. This year, the party will report three numbers: the total vote when Iowans first gather in their caucuses, the total vote at the end of the night, and the number of delegates won by each candidate. That has not reduced the pressure to win outright, but it will demonstrate how much support candidates had before being eliminated by the "viability" rule. Some horse-trading is inevitable, and it took place in both 2004 and 2008, in very different ways. In 2004, antiwar candidate Dennis Kucinich entered the night below the threshold and made a public deal: His supporters would help John Edwards in rooms where Kucinich was eliminated. That helped Edwards surge in areas where he had not had natural support, and it required both candidates to form a plan and keep it quiet. "Principals have to be in communication," Kucinich told The Washington Post on Wednesday. "The decision to agree to pair is made at the top and is unlikely to be communicated to supporters until near the end of the first round of caucusing. This is why good relations between the candidates are important. They facilitate a willingness to help, if another candidate falls short and makes it easier to ask supporters to go along." In 2008, the trade was kept quieter; a now-defunct news outlet reported that then-New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson's organizers were "instructed" to direct their voters to Barack Obama. Both campaigns denied it, but reporters saw organizers behave accordingly, helping push Obama past Hillary Clinton in some precincts. In both cases, the candidates who suffered from the deals were the ones perceived to represent the party establishment. It's much less clear who would benefit from deals, formal or informal, in this race. The same Monmouth poll that showed nearly half of Iowans open to other candidates found that every candidate stood to gain as weaker candidates were eliminated. Biden gained the most, in a situation where Klobuchar was no longer an option. But support for Sanders is more solid than support for any other candidate, and many of the caucusgoers flirting with Yang, Warren, Gabbard and even Biden had supported him four years ago. Biden, who was badly hurt by the "viability" rule in his own 2008 run, also has an ingrained habit of telling voters they should support someone else if they disagree with him. On Tuesday, he demonstrated that in a conversation with Ed Fallon, a former state legislator and full-time climate activist, who told Biden that he could not support a candidate whose climate plan did not get the country off fossil fuels before 2050. "Go vote for someone else," Biden said, putting his hand on Fallon's chest. "You're not going to vote for me in the primary." After Fallon asked for a picture, Biden refused, telling Fallon that "Bernie" was the candidate who could enact his ideal climate plan. "I'm actually supporting Tom Steyer," Fallon said. On his website, Fallon had already explained that Steyer was his first choice but that he could caucus for Sanders on the second round. WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Chamber of Digital Commerce, the worlds leading blockchain trade association, today welcomed Digital Finance Group (DFG) as a member of its Executive Committee. DFG joins a select group of companies working to accelerate and promote the adoption of blockchain-based technology for social good, innovation, jobs and investment. The Chamber of Digital Commerces Executive Committee shapes the organizations vision and strategy, and supports its mission to promote the acceptance and use of digital assets and blockchain technology worldwide. At DFG, we share the Chambers commitment to advancing and accelerating the development of the global blockchain industry. Their advocacy for a more inclusive business environment will incentivize investment in blockchain across all sectors, said Terry Culver, CEO, Digital Finance Group USA. We are pleased to join this impressive group of like-minded industry leaders. We look forward to working closely with this team of innovators to assist the Chamber in influencing and guiding strategic direction for the blockchain ecosystem. Our Executive Committee is a reflection of the diversity in the blockchain sector and our commitment to the growth of the digital asset ecosystem, said Perianne Boring, Founder and President of the Chamber of Digital Commerce. DFG has established itself as a global leader in developing and building blockchain companies, and it adds a new sphere of knowledge to the executive team. The Chamber is thrilled to welcome the experience and leadership of DFG to our Executive Committee. About the Chamber of Digital Commerce Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Chamber of Digital Commerce is the worlds first and largest trade association representing the digital asset and blockchain industry. For more information, please visit DigitalChamber.org, and follow us on Twitter @DigitalChamber. About DFG Digital Finance Group is a multinational corporation committed to the development of a vibrant, mature, and regulated blockchain and digital asset ecosystem. DFG manages both private equity and digital asset hedge funds with more than $550M AUM, and operates digital custody, wallet, and exchange services, including Matrix, a regulated digital asset exchange scheduled to launch in Abu Dhabi in 2020. Founded in 2015, DFG has locations around the world, including offices in San Francisco, Singapore, Shanghai, and Abu Dhabi. DFG is also the founder of Ethereum Classic Labs, a steward of Ethereum Classic, one of the worlds major public blockchains. ETC Labs is dedicated to research and core technical development to solve issues in deployment for users of the ETC protocol and it invests in innovative initiatives that deliver positive economic and social impact. For more information, please visit: dfg.group and etclabs.org The 70-member Delhi Assembly will go to polls on 8 February and the results will be announced on 11 February. New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said the Bharatiya Janata Party did not wish to come to power in Delhi riding on hatred and such a victory would be unacceptable to the party. Addressing a rally in Adarsh Nagar, the senior BJP leader also sought to assuage the concerns of Muslims over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and said bona fide citizens would remain unaffected under the new law. "We do not want a victory that has been achieved because of hatred. Even if we win, we will not accept such a victory," he said. Hitting out at the Opposition, Singh said there were some staging protests at Shaheen Bagh and instigating fear that Muslims will be stripped of their citizenship. The BJP has been aggressively raising the pitch on Shaheen Bagh, an anti-CAA protest site in south Delhi. Singh said Muslims should not suspect the government's integrity. "I do not know whether you will vote for us or not, but I request you not to suspect our integrity. As the defence minister of this country, I assure you that every Muslim is a citizen of this country. Forget questioning his citizenship, I assure you that no one can even touch a Muslim citizen of this country," he added. Singh said if Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP had any malice, the government would not have come up with the "sabka sath sabka vikas" slogan. He also accused the Opposition of playing the politics of hatred. The 70-member Delhi Assembly will go to polls on 8 February and the results will be announced on 11 February. Amid rising construction costs, careers in the construction industry are proving to be highly fulfilling for many Ontarians. A new 50-part video series commissioned by a coalition that includes the Residential Construction Council of Ontario is offering a glimpse of a shining future in the industry particularly because the next few years will be characterized by ever-growing demand for high-rises and infrastructure. We need to get the message out that there are thousands of well-paid, rewarding jobs that will be available for young Ontarians in the coming decade, RESCON president Richard Lyall said of the series, which can be viewed at jobtalksconstruction(dot)ca. U.S. Border Patrol San Diego Sector and partners discovered what appears to be the longest illicit cross-border tunnel known to exist along the Southwest border, designed to move large packs of drugs, according to a CBP announcement on Jan. 29, 2020. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) Smuggling Tunnel Discovered on USMexico Border is Longest Ever in Southwest US: CBP The longest cross-border smuggling tunnel ever found along the southwestern U.S.-Mexico border was discovered after a challenging multi-year operation, U.S. authorities announced on Jan. 29. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced in a news release that the illicit cross-border tunnel was first discovered in August 2019 and stretched more than three-quarters of a mile from an industrial site in Tijuana, Mexico, to the San Diego area. Border Patrol San Diego Sector and partners have exposed the longest illicit cross-border tunnel ever discovered along the Southwest border. Details: https://t.co/KPlEzke3ra pic.twitter.com/N8IwRxHr2H CBP (@CBP) January 29, 2020 At around five and a half feet (1.68 meters) tall and two feet (0.61 meters) wide, the tunnel featured an extensive rail and cart system, forced air ventilation, high voltage electrical cables and panels, an elevator at the tunnel entrance, and an elaborate drainage system. Agents first discovered the tunnel after spotting several hundred sandbags concealing a suspected former tunnel exit in the Otay Mesa warehouse district within the U.S., the CBP said. The CBP added that the tunnels location was uncovered by the San Diego Tunnel Task Force (SDTTF), an inter-agency unit consisting of agents from DEA, United States Border Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Attorneys Office. The tunnel was mapped from Mexico by members of the SDTTF. They found it travels north into the U.S. bending slightly west and extends 4,068 feet (1,239 meters) from the border, but measures 4,309 feet. (1,313 meters) in total. It went under several warehouses in the Otay Mesa area, where sophisticated tunnels have typically ended, and extended into open fields. The next longest tunnel in the U.S. was discovered in San Diego in 2014. It was 2,966 feet (904 meters) long. While no arrests or drug seizures have been made since the tunnels discovery, agents have expressed their relief that it will no longer be used. By federal law, U.S. authorities must fill the U.S. side of tunnels with concrete after they are discovered. I am thrilled that this high-level narco-tunnel has been discovered and will be rendered unusable for cross-border smuggling. I am proud of the tremendous efforts of the Tunnel Task Force and our agents, said USBP Deputy Chief Patrol Agent Aaron M. Heitke. The investigation continues, and I am confident that our hard work and dedication to uphold the law will lead to future arrests and seizures. Meanwhile, Cardell T. Morant, acting special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego, said the tunnels discovery is a cause for concern. The sophistication and length of this particular tunnel demonstrates the time-consuming efforts transnational criminal organizations will undertake to facilitate cross-border smuggling, he said. The tunnel raised questions about the effectiveness of President Donald Trumps border wall, which stretches several feet underground in the area. The tunnel was found at about 70 feet underground, well below the wall foundation. Authorities have found 15 sophisticated tunnels on Californias border with Mexico since 2006, with features including lighting, ventilation, railway tracks, and hydraulic lifts. The tunnels are concentrated in an area where clay-like soil is conducive to digging, and industrial warehouses provide cover. The latest tunnel was discovered by Mexican authorities in a Tijuana parking lot for cargo trucks, next to the citys airport. Authorities didnt say who they believe was behind the tunnel, but the area has been a stronghold of Mexicos Sinaloa cartel. The cartels longtime leader, Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, was sentenced to life in U.S. prison in July. The Associated Press contributed to this report. But in recent years, the district has tilted leftward as once rural areas of Chesterfield County have been developed into housing that attracts young professionals. The newcomers often have brought different, more liberal political sensibilities, becoming a potent force on gun safety issues. And some suburban women, even longer-term residents of the district like Ms. Johnson, who now considers herself a Democrat, have changed their opinions on gun control or increasingly seen gun limits as central to their political outlook. In November, that tilt became clear with the election of Ghazala Hashmi, the Democrat who won the State Senate seat with 54 percent of the vote. She defeated Glen Sturtevant Jr., a Republican incumbent who had been endorsed by the National Rifle Association. I think women especially have realized they have a strong opportunity to make political change, Ms. Hashmi said. For me, I felt not just a deflation of expectation when gun safety laws werent passed last summer, but I also noticed there was a more general feeling going around that enough is enough weve given these folks every opportunity to give the public what they want. In interviews this week with about two dozen people who live in her Senate district, many said they supported restrictions on firearms to prevent gun violence, including suicides. But opinions varied, often significantly, depending on which portion of the district the voter lived in. Powhatan County is only a 45-minute drive from Richmond but can feel much further away, with its forested fields and hawks circling overhead. There, people said lawmakers in Richmond had gone too far. Some said they fear that gun control measures being weighed in the state capital in recent days were a prelude to the government seizing all firearms. What I see is that people want to control something theyre afraid of, or they dont understand, said Jean Gannon, Powhatan Countys Republican Party chairwoman. This is just the beginning because the ultimate goal is to take guns from people. At the root of this districts and Virginias political transition is a slow-moving demographic change, a new kind of suburbanization that is sweeping through national politics. From Atlanta to Houston, this pattern is repeating itself suburban housing developments gobbling up rural areas and farmland and lifting Democrats to power. While not a mind-blowing move, it is good to see that the Chengdu PUTIAN Telecommunications Cable Company Limited (HKG:1202) share price has gained 19% in the last three months. But that is small recompense for the exasperating returns over three years. Indeed, the share price is down a tragic 58% in the last three years. So the improvement may be a real relief to some. Perhaps the company has turned over a new leaf. Check out our latest analysis for Chengdu PUTIAN Telecommunications Cable Given that Chengdu PUTIAN Telecommunications Cable didn't make a profit in the last twelve months, we'll focus on revenue growth to form a quick view of its business development. 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. In the last three years Chengdu PUTIAN Telecommunications Cable saw its revenue shrink by 33% per year. That's definitely a weaker result than most pre-profit companies report. With no profits and falling revenue it is no surprise that investors have been dumping the stock, pushing the price down by 25% per year over that time. Bagholders or 'baggies' are people who buy more of a stock as the price collapses. They are then left 'holding the bag' if the shares turn out to be worthless. It could be a while before the company repays long suffering shareholders with share price gains. The image below shows how earnings and revenue have tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail). SEHK:1202 Income Statement, January 29th 2020 We're pleased to report that the CEO is remunerated more modestly than most CEOs at similarly capitalized companies. It's always worth keeping an eye on CEO pay, but a more important question is whether the company will grow earnings throughout the years. Before buying or selling a stock, we always recommend a close examination of historic growth trends, available here.. Story continues A Different Perspective Investors in Chengdu PUTIAN Telecommunications Cable had a tough year, with a total loss of 22%, against a market gain of about 3.3%. Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 14% over the last half decade. Generally speaking long term share price weakness can be a bad sign, though contrarian investors might want to research the stock in hope of a turnaround. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Chengdu PUTIAN Telecommunications Cable better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 3 warning signs with Chengdu PUTIAN Telecommunications Cable , and understanding them should be part of your investment process. If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them). Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on HK 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. Police are hunting a man who was spotted masturbating at a cemetery. He was seen 'acting suspiciously' at Dunedin Northern Cemetery, on New Zealand's South Island, on Wednesday at 4.30pm. Senior Sergeant Craig Dinnissen told the Otago Daily Times the man has been described as Maori and between 18 and 20 years of age. A man was seen at Dunedin Northern Cemetery (pictured), on New Zealand's South Island, on Wednesday at 4.30pm 'acting suspiciously' He was wearing black shorts and a bright red jacket at the time of the offence. The man also has long hair, according to a witness. Police were called to the cemetery and spoke to the person who reported the man. However, police were unable to apprehend the man. Daily Mail Australia has contacted New Zealand Police for additional comment. Sorry! This content is not available in your region Representative image Tata Sons and Malaysia-based AirAsia Berhad are working on ironing out their differences over a non-compete clause signed for their joint venture AirAsia India, Business Standard reported. The non-compete clause might hinder Tata Sons from bidding for divestment-bound Air India, the report added. The government formally began the bidding process for the national carrier on January 27. The differences between the two companies is a precursor to AirAsia exiting the JV, a source told the publication. Tata Sons owns a majority stake (51 percent) in the JV while AirAsia Berhad owns the remaining holding. The two groups are in talks to sort out all the pending issues, another source told the paper. Moneycontrol could not independently verify the story. Spokespersons for Tata Sons and AirAsia Berhad declined to comment when approached by Business Standard. The exclusivity agreement between the two airlines specifically bars them from engaging directly or indirectly in the low-cost aviation space. If Tata Sons were to bid for Air India, budget airline Air India Express will clash directly with AirAsia India. The differences between the two groups comes at a time when the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is investigating AirAsia chief executive Tony Fernandes and other senior executives on charges of money laundering. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had registered the first information report (FIR) in May 2018, following which the ED began its probe into the allegations. Amid coronavirus outbreak, Russia's Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on January 30 ordered to close its border with China to prevent the spread of the virus. According to a Russian news agency, Mishustin said that the order to take the measures to close the border in the Far East has been signed. The deadly virus is increasing at a terrifying pace every day as the death toll climbed to 170 and has left nearly 7,711 people infected. As the disease continues to spread rapidly, health authorities around the world are taking action to prevent a global epidemic, with cases reported in Australia, France, the United States and several Asian countries besides China. Macau has also denied entry to visitors from China's Hubei province unless they can provide documentation showing that they are not infected with the virus. The Macau government said that they will also not allow those who visited the province 14 days prior to their arrival. READ: First Coronavirus Case Confirmed In India; Health Minister Harsh Vardhan Issues Response China's immediate neighbour, Mongolia has further closed all universities and educational institutes until March 2 to prevent the spread of the deadly Coronavirus. Citing a cabinet meeting, Mongolian state media also said that it has closed the border crossings for auto vehicles and pedestrian traffic from January 27 and called for public gatherings to be cancelled. India also requested the Chinese government for the permission to operate two flights to evacuate Indian nationals from Hubei Province of China. Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar posted an update on January 29 that Indian Embassy in China is also currently in touch with the Chinese authorities for the necessary logistics to bring back Indians. READ: 10-year-old Boy Raises Fear Coronavirus Could Spread Undetected Risk assessment for china 'very high' The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also urged all the governments to take action over the outbreak of deadly SARS-like virus. The organisation also called for an emergency meeting to be held on Thursday over whether the viral epidemic should be declared a global health emergency. Earlier this week, WHO had also updated the global risk degree from 'moderate' to 'high' and cited an error in their previous report. Further, the WHO's risk assessment for China is 'very high'. READ: Two New Cases Of Coronavirus In Japan Showed No Symptoms READ: Coronavirus: Three Men Kept In Isolation Ward Of RML Test Negative For Virus (with inputs from agencies) New Delhi/Beijing, Jan 30 : Following the spread of the novel coronavirus nCoV2019 epidemic to all the regions of China, New Delhi has been in consultation with the Chinese authorities about the evacuation of Indian nationals trapped in Wuhan city, the epicentre of the outbreak. Aarti Tikoo Singh New Delhi/Beijing, Jan 30 (IANS) Following the spread of the novel coronavirus nCoV2019 epidemic to all the regions of China, New Delhi has been in consultation with the Chinese authorities about the evacuation of Indian nationals trapped in Wuhan city, the epicentre of the outbreak. Sources said the discussions were still on because the Chinese authorities have been advising against evacuation given the high risk of the spread of the virus. Wuhan city with a population of 11 million people, has been placed under a lockdown. New Delhi has requested Beijing for a permission to operate two flights to bring back Indians from Hubei province capital. The embassy is in touch with Chinese authorities on the ground to work out necessary logistics and has started sharing evacuation 'consent forms' online with Indians stranded in Wuhan. The consent form makes it mandatory for the evacuated Indians to be quarantined for 14 days on arrival. Evacuation will, however, start after preliminary medical check-ups. The death toll caused by the coronavirus in China has risen to 170. Chinese authorities also confirmed that the epidemic has spread to all the 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps as well. China's national health commission in its daily report said that out of 7,711 people infected with the virus, 1,370 patients were critical and 12,167 under observation for suspected infection. But around 89,000 people have been in close contact with patients, so far. The outbreak, though with miniscule numbers, has spread to at least 16 other countries triggering a worldwide panic. The World Health Organization (WHO) will meet later in the day to assess whether the epidemic in China is now a global health emergency. India on Wednesday sent 27 samples of Indian nationals to the Indian Council of Medical Research, National Institute of Virology, Pune. However, "all of them tested negative for nCoV2020", the government said and also advised citizens to refrain from travelling to China. "In view of the spurt of cases being reported from China and travel related cases appearing in many countries, travellers to China are advised to refrain from travelling to China. All travellers from China were advised to monitor their health closely," the government said in its advisory. Data shows that dating violence is experienced by nearly 1.5 million high school students nationwide each year and nearly half (43%) of all college women and one third (28%) of college men report having experienced either abuse or controlling behaviors in a dating relationship. "Dating violence is an epidemic that is 100% preventable. We need to support our teens with education about dating violence prevention," says Katie Ray-Jones, CEO of The National Domestic Violence Hotline and its project loveisrespect. "If every teen can understand just one more thing, we can prevent dating abuse." Throughout the month, participants are encouraged to engage others on social media using #1Thing, and download the #1Thing Action Guide. "With 1 in 3 teens experiencing dating violence, it is clear that all teens are at risk," says Katie Ray-Jones. "We want everyone to come together to promote messages highlighting the differences between healthy, unhealthy, and abusive relationships." Follow #TDVAM2020 and #1Thing to join the conversation. Feb. 9-15 : It's Respect Week! It's time to get educated about unhealthy behaviors. Feb. 10 , 1:00 PM EST : Join the webinar "Update on Teen Dating Violence: #1Thing to Start a Movement" loveisrespect , the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the One Love Foundation will discuss the epidemic of dating abuse, current dating trends among young people, and what to look for in a healthy relationship. Register here. Join the webinar , the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the One Love Foundation will discuss the epidemic of dating abuse, current dating trends among young people, and what to look for in a healthy relationship. Register here. Feb. 11 : Wear orange today and share on social media why you stand against dating abuse. loveisrespect.org is a project of The National Domestic Violence Hotline. Its purpose is to engage, educate and empower young people to prevent and end abusive relationships. Advocates provide support through online chat at loveisrespect.org, text loveis to 22522* or call 1-866-331-9474, 24/7/365. *Msg&Data Rates apply on text for help services. Read our privacy policy and Terms & Conditions. Text STOP to 22522 to unsubscribe. Text HELP to 22522 for tech support. The National Domestic Violence Hotline relies on the generous support of individuals, private gifts from corporations, foundations, and federal grants. It is funded in part by Grant Number 90EV0426 from the Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Family and Youth Services Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Administration for Children and Families or the U.S. Department of HHS. SOURCE The National Domestic Violence Hotline Related Links http://www.thehotline.org TOKYO, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau (TCVB, New York Branch) is thrilled to make its first ever appearance at the Chicago Travel and Adventure Show (February 8th 9th) after a banner year of promotional activity in the region. This year, the organization focuses on a selection of appealing collectibles both old and new, all part of the city's Tokyo Omiyage Project -Tokyo Souvenir-; the collaboration with local businesses is a celebration of some of the most culturally significant goods coming out of Tokyo today, including traditional sweets that date back to the city's Edo Period, modern and futuristic products, and everything in between. Companies with this designation have created limited edition goods that have been adorned with the 'Tokyo Tokyo' logo. Upon completing a short questionnaire, attendees will be entered into a lottery to win from the following: Ukiyoe "Hiroshige" graphic tape that depicts 30 famous views of Edo; a handcrafted tapestry by Osamu Hyodo portraying frolicking animals; a hand-made maneki neko (lucky cat) sculpture; a lightweight and durable stainless-steel travel bottle. Moreover, the TCVB booth will be accompanied by models wearing authentic kimono, offering those who are admirers of the form and colors a fun and colorful photo opportunity, as well as unparalleled insight into this ageless custom. Representatives on hand at the booth will also be able to discuss the various aspects of the 'Tokyo Tokyo Old meets New' campaign, along with all of the contrasting historical and contemporary elements that continue to make Tokyo one of the most thrilling cities to visit. As high-level travel professionals, journalists, and consumers provided TCVB with incredible feedback over the past year, the organization looks forward to exceeding all expectations in Chicago with an inspiring and rewarding program. For more information about Tokyo Tokyo Old meets New at Chicago Travel and Adventure Show (https://travelshows.com/shows/chicago/), contact Tokyo Tourism Representative Office New York at 917-200-4887 / [email protected]. SOURCE Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau TORONTO, Jan. 29, 2020 /CNW/ - True Patriot Love Foundation today announced the recipients of the 2019 Bell True Patriot Love Fund. Ten organizations that provide mental health support to serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces, Veterans and their families received grants to support their important work. The $1 million fund, launched in 2013 in partnership with Bell Let's Talk, is a multi-year initiative supporting mental health programs for the military and Veteran community across Canada. To date, 100 grants have been distributed that have provided life-changing resources. Programs that received funding offer a wide range of service and support, including mental health workshops, suicide prevention and intervention training, music therapy and mindfulness education, crisis support for youth, and skill development for children of military families offered through courses or classroom sessions. "True Patriot Love is committed to supporting the mental health needs of those who bravely serve Canada, and the families who stand behind them," said Nick Booth, CEO of True Patriot Love Foundation. "Bell Let's Talk shares our focus on developing and enhancing mental health programs for the military and Veteran community, and we are tremendously proud and grateful to partner with them on this important initiative." "It is an honour for Bell Let's Talk to support the mental health of Canada's military members, Veterans and their families through the Bell True Patriot Love Fund," said Mary Deacon, Chair of Bell Let's Talk. "We congratulate each of the Fund recipients for their commitment to making a real difference in the lives of all those who serve our country." "We are grateful to receive a grant from the Bell True Patriot Love Fund to support Peer and Trauma Support System (PATSS) training for Canadian Veterans," said Dave Gallson, National Executive Director, Mood Disorders Society of Canada. "There is no substitute for being among people who have gone through the same things and who share their knowledge and experience. The PATSS program assists Veterans and their families in healing and will provide the foundation for Veterans to use peer support to maintain wellness and support each other to live fulfilling lives." The 2019 Bell True Patriot Love Fund grant recipients are: 4 Wing Military Family Resource Centre Society, Cold Lake, AB Suicide prevention & intervention programs Suicide prevention & intervention programs Kids Help Phone National texting service for youth from military families Mood Disorders Society of Canada Two-day Peer and Trauma Support System Training program in Quebec, Ontario and Alberta Two-day Peer and Trauma Support System Training program in Quebec, and New Brunswick Military Family Resource Centre, Oromocto , NB Little People, Big Emotions: Emotional Intelligence for Children, and Parenting the Child with Oppositional Defiant Disorder , NB Little People, Big Emotions: Emotional Intelligence for Children, and Parenting the Child with Oppositional Defiant Disorder Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Association Mental health and suicide awareness workshops in Alberta Canadian Light Infantry Association Mental health and suicide awareness workshops in Prince's Trust Canada Prince's Operation Entrepreneur national mental health training project Quebec Veterans Foundation Recreation therapy and creative arts therapy programs at Ste. Anne's Hospital in Montreal and Longueuil Hospital in Montreal and Roots of Empathy Preventing bullying and aggression while nurturing positive mental health for children of military families program (PEI, NB, NL, AB, BC) Toronto Military Family Resource Centre Theraplay: child and family play therapy Veterans Transition Network National training of paraprofessionals program For more information about the 2019 Bell True Patriot Love Fund recipients, please visit https://truepatriotlove.com/bell_tpl_fund_recipients/. Bell Let's Talk Day is today Everyone is invited to join the conversation today by sending messages of support across multiple platforms to drive awareness and action in mental health. Bell donates 5 cents to Canadian mental health programs for each of these communications on Bell Let's Talk Day, at no cost to participants beyond what they would normally pay their service providers for online or phone access: Talk: Every mobile and every long distance call made by Bell wireless and phone customers Text: Every text message sent by Bell wireless customers Twitter: Every tweet and retweet using #BellLetsTalk, featuring the special Bell Let's Talk emoji, and every Bell Let's Talk Day video view at Twitter.com/Bell_LetsTalk Facebook: Every Bell Let's Talk Day video view at Facebook.com/BellLetsTalk and every use of the Bell Let's Talk frame Instagram: Every Bell Let's Talk Day video view at Instagram.com/Bell_LetsTalk Snapchat: Every use of the Bell Let's Talk filter and every Bell Let's Talk Day video view YouTube: Every Bell Let's Talk Day video view at YouTube.com/BellCanada About True Patriot Love Foundation Founded in 2009, True Patriot Love Foundation has become Canada's leading organization supporting the military community. The foundation raises awareness around the challenges related to military service and funds programs for serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces, Veterans and their families that support their well-being, enable rehabilitation and recovery from injury, assist the children and spouses of those who serve, and promote re-integration into communities following service. Since inception, True Patriot Love has committed over $28 million in funding to 825 community-based programs across the country, which has helped change the lives of more than 30,000 military members, Veterans and families. For more information, visit www.truepatriotlove.com. SOURCE True Patriot Love Foundation For further information: For media inquiries please contact: Ya Shan Waley, Senior Director, Marketing and Communications, True Patriot Love Foundation, 416-206-2481, [email protected] Related Links http://truepatriotlove.com/ The European Court of Human Rights ruled that Azerbaijan violated two articles of the Convention in respect of Manvel Saribekyan, an Armenian national who was captivated by Azerbaijan in 2010. The Court has delivered a judgement in case of Saribekyan and Balyan v. Azerbaijan. The Court held that there has been a violation of Article 2 of the Convention (right to life) in respect of the death of Manvel Saribekyan; a violation of Article 2 of the Convention in respect of the inadequacy of the investigation into the death of Manvel Saribekyan and there has been a violation of Article 3 (prohibits torture, and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment) of the Convention in respect of the torture of Manvel Saribekyan. The Court obliged Azerbaijan to pay 60,000 euros in respect of non-pecuniary damage and 2,200 euros in respects of costs and expenses. Manvel Saribekyan, resident of Ttu Jur village of Armenia, was taken into Azerbaijans captivity in September 2010. Saribekyan was a civilian, a shepherd, while Azerbaijan persistently called him an Armenian saboteur. Later it was reported he allegedly hang himself on October 5. The Armenian side claimed he was either killed or forced to commit a suicide. It was proved by the fact that the Azerbaijani side refused to return his body for a month. On November 4, Azerbaijan handed his body to the Armenian side under agreement reached by Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian leaders during their meeting in Astrakhan last October. Visitors wear face masks as they arrive at Da Nang railway station in Da Nang City on January 29, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Dong. Vietnams central hub Danang City has better equipped its hospitals in preparation for the fight against the Wuhan coronavirus. The Da Nang government Wednesday approved a health department proposal to spare VND20 billion ($860,000) from the citys budget to buy more equipment to detect and treat patients with pneumonia caused by the nCoV virus. The sum will be spent on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a life support machine for those suffering a severe and life-threatening illness that stops their heart or lungs from working properly, ten ventilators, a machine that breathes for patients or helps them breathe, ten patient monitors, 30 electric syringes, two portable ventilators, 30 infusion machines, 10 feeding machines and a portable X-ray machine. The municipal health sector also plans to use Da Nang Hospital for Lung Diseases, which has up to 140 beds, as backup in case more patients are found to be infected with the new coronavirus. Ever since the outbreak started in December in Chinas Wuhan City, Da Nang has quarantined a total 52 people showing symptoms of coughing and fever, all from areas of outbreak in China. So far, 24 have been discharged from hospital after testing negative, including ten foreigners. Those still in quarantine include ten Chinese, two Malaysian, and 16 Vietnamese. All of them have stopped coughing and only some still suffer a slight fever. As Da Nang and Khanh Hoa along the central coast are top destinations for Chinese tourists in Vietnam, other localities in the central region have also taken preventive measures to stop the disease from spreading. Quang Tri Province has set up two remote body temperature meters at its La Lay and Lao Bao border gates along with tens of handheld thermocouples to quickly detect those with high fever that enter Vietnam. Staff have been assigned to both border gates as well as at the Cua Viet sea gate to conduct medical checks around the clock. Anyone arriving with symptoms of fever, headache, vomiting and dizziness will be quarantined. On Wednesday, Nghe An Province formed four quick response teams with 30 staff in total to take action against any possible infection. Thua Thien-Hue Province on Monday set up a temperature meter along with quarantine rooms at Phu Bai Airport and Chan May Port. Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue and Nghe An have yet to report a single case of infection. The Ministry of Health confirmed Thursday that three Vietnamese nationals have tested positive for the new pneumonia virus thats killed 170 people in China. Two of the citizens are Hanoians and the other belongs to the central province of Thanh Hoa. One patient is being treated at Thanh Hoa General Hospital and the others at the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi. All three of them had returned recently from Chinas Wuhan City, the epicenter of the epidemic. As of Thursday afternoon, Vietnam has recorded five cases of individuals infected with the new coronavirus. Two Chinese nationals were confirmed on January 23 as Vietnam's first cases of nCoV infection. Li Zichao, 28, one of the two Chinese nationals, a father and son duo, had recovered by Tuesday morning, But his father remains on a ventilator, doctors at Cho Ray Hospital in HCMC said Wednesday. The government has deployed various measures to combat the virus, including keeping out tourists from Chinas epidemic-hit areas and quarantining Chinese workers returning to Vietnam after Tet. The virus has spread from mainland China to Hong Kong, Macao, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan, Australia, the U.S., South Korea, France, Germany, Canada, Vietnam, UAE, Nepal, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, India and the Philippines. Chinese authorities say 170 people had died of the disease as of Thursday morning. The number of confirmed infections has topped 7,819. Western Massachusetts, like many other areas, is facing the challenge of securing an educated future workforce. Across Massachusetts businesses are waging war against securing qualified talent. The Associated Industries of Massachusetts reported that hiring skilled employees remains one of the central economic challenges in the long-term plans for Massachusetts. Across the region, businesses, non-profit organizations, schools and post-secondary educational institutions are working together to solve the problem. The Springfield Regional Chamber created a subcommittee on workforce education to follow trends and support bills in the state Legislature that support 21st century skills development and workforce readiness. The solution is not easy. It requires changing the public education system, embracing hands-on learning, to build real-world understanding and to support workplace-ready skills. It also means making changes to the existing workforce development system to ensure that people of all ages are being taught the skills that employers need. Teaching the skills that people need to be successful in the 21st century workforce does not mean only the technical skills. While important, technical skills, being computer literate is a must in todays workforce but as important are: the ability to communicate effectively- including talking, listening and writing; problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration, adaptability or flexibility, multitasking and information literacy. There are many programs that are in place now that are working to create a skilled workforce, including: Early college programs, designed to blend elements of high school and college to provide students with the opportunity to experience and complete college level academic coursework on a clearly articulated pathway and simultaneously gain exposure to a variety of career opportunities. Early college programs also reduce the time and expense of earning a college credential while increasing the likelihood of completion. In Western Massachusetts, early college programs are offered at Holyoke Community College and Westfield State University; and Innovation Pathways, designed to give students coursework and experience in a specific high-demand industry, such as information technology, engineering, healthcare, life sciences and advanced manufacturing. Innovation Pathways are designed to create strong partnerships with employers in order to expose students to career options and help them develop knowledge and skills related to their chosen field of study before they graduate high school. Currently, MassHire Franklin Hampshire Employment Board and Tech Foundry partner with Northampton High School for an information technology pathway. MassHire Hampden County Workforce Board partners with West Springfield and Agawam high schools to create an advanced manufacturing pathway. Business owners like Kristin Carlsen, president of Peerless Precision in Westfield, work tirelessly throughout the year offering students opportunities to learn about careers in advanced manufacturing. Last year Junior Achievement of Western Massachusetts partnered with MassHire Hampden County, Associated Industries of Massachusetts and local School-To-Career organizations to host an interactive, hands-on career fair for students in grades 7 through 12. The goal of JA INSPIRE was to raise awareness of the outstanding career opportunities available in Western Massachusetts, along with the world-class post-secondary educational institutions from the region, how to visual a career pathway. Over 50 businesses and educational institutions participated in the event, which was attended by nearly 400 students. Students learned first-hand from business professional the skills and education needed to be successful in the workforce. Providing students with opportunities to visit businesses, to learn about different careers, up close, is a great starting point. Looking ahead there will be opportunities to offer new programs in addition to expanding programs such as early college, Innovation Pathways, JA INSPIRE and job shadowing, such as: Credentials for Success, an initiative to build a strong talent pipeline that fuels growth and opportunity in our companies and economy by ensuring every student is prepared for college, career, and citizenship. The program expands opportunities for high school students to earn credentials linked to labor market demand in fields and jobs that pay higher living wages, putting students on pathways to success, fueling a diverse, highly-skilled workforce pipeline; and strengthening the economy and businesses; and Expanding Access to Computer Technology by increasing access to and participation in computer science education in grades kindergarten through 12 and ensuring that underserved students have equal access to computer science coursework. In order for our region to develop and secure a future workforce it is vital that we work together. Western Massachusetts has a rich tradition in innovation and a wealth of businesses and educational institutions to support building a great future. Jennifer A. Connolly is president of Junior Achievement of Western Massachusetts. To learn more about JA and its regional programs, go online to jawm.org. MBABANE - Busted! The Royal Eswatini Police Service has arrested four people who are suspected to have been the architects of fraudulent South African study permits. One of the accused was arrested at the Ngwenya Border Gate on Tuesday where the syndicate reportedly conducted its alleged illegal business. The other accused persons were rounded up by the law enforcers at their different places of abode. The four are Nonhlanhla Joyce Msweli (58) of Siphocosini, Busisiwe Dlamini (39) of Sandla, Machawe Masina (37) of Gelekeceni and Bongani Mabuza (38) of Waterford. They made their first appearance before acting Magistrate Temantimandze Shongwe at the Mbabane Magistrates Court yesterday, charged with six counts of forgery. Defraud In the first count, its alleged that the accused acted in furtherance of a common purpose in that they wrongfully, unlawfully, falsely and with intent to defraud and to the prejudice of the South African High Commission, forged an instrument in writing, to wit, a study permit Control no:A06202062. According to the charge sheet, the quartet purported that the study permit was made by the South African Ministry of Home Affairs and issued at the high commission in Mbabane on January 2, 2019. The recipient of the forged study permit in this charge was one *Sifiso whose passport no is: 40706601. Sifiso was expected to take up studies at Sisukumile Secondary School in the Republic of South Africa. Pupils The quartet is alleged to have applied the same modus operandi with intent to obtain study permits on behalf of five other pupils who were expected to take up studies at the same school. Five of the study permits were purportedly issued by the South African High Commission on January 2, 2019 while the sixth study permit was purportedly issued on January 30, 2019. Msweli and Masina are represented by Banele Ngcamphalala while Dlamini and Mabuza elected to conduct their own defence. Ngcamphalala applied that his client be released on bail. He submitted that they had undertaken to abide by all conditions attached to their bail. He stated that his clients were rooted in Eswatini and that there was no way they could evade trial. He implored the court to consider that there was no element of violence in the offences which were allegedly committed by his clients. He stated that an offence of that nature required that accuse persons be released in their own recognisance. However, Ngcamphalala submitted that his clients offered E1 000 each for bail. The court should consider the principle of law which says an accused person is presumed innocent until found guilty by a competent court of law, he said. Senior Crown Counsel Chris Sibandze did not object the application made by Ngcamphalala; however, he submitted that the State would by no means release the four in their own recognisance. Magistrate Shongwe granted the four bail fixed at E1 000 each on condition that they did not interfere with the Crown witnesses while out on bail. They were warned to attend all remand hearings when ordered to do so. They were remanded until February 7, 2020 pending setting of trial date. The forging of the South African study permits happened at a time when emaSwati struggled to obtain them at the South African High Commission. The situation compelled some people to spend nights in the cold in order to beat the long queues at the high commission. Meanwhile, recently, the South African High Commission issued over 130 study visas and also invited all emaSwati aspiring students who have been accepted in SA tertiary institutions to apply for study visas. This was communicated through a press statement issued by the commission. Prospective Since the beginning of the year 2020, the South African High Commission received study permit applications from prospective emaSwati nationals aspiring to study in SA. The applications received were processed with Section 13 (1) of the Immigration Act, reads part of the statement. It was further highlighted that the Immigration Act stated that a study visa may be issued in a prescribed manner to any foreign national intending to study in SA for a period longer than three months. The statement articulated that all international students who were provisionally accepted at the institution of learning for a period exceeding three months may apply for visas at the commission. It was stated that this practice was in line with the Immigration Act. In addition, there were requirements which students were expected to comply with. These involved an application for temporary residence and an official letter confirming provisional acceptance or acceptance at that learning institution. The high commission further emphasised that the normal processing period for study visas was eight weeks. However, it was said through the prioritisation of the students future, visas had been issued within the space of one to two weeks. In this regard, it was mentioned that from January 3 to 15, 2020, 131 study permits were successfully issued to emaSwati who qualified to study in SA. The study visa fee was said to be E425 and could only be paid once the application was submitted and bar code reference was issued to the applicant. In addition, it was noted that a study visa issued in terms of the Immigration Act shall automatically lapse if the holder thereof failed to register with or deregistered from the learning institution at any time during the period for which his or her visa had been issued or if any of the undertakings referred to in sub-regulation (1) (b) were not met. In new videos from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the sun's surface can be seen close-up in the highest resolution yet. The footage was taken with the NSF's Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, one of the federal agency's most powerful telescopes that is perched at the top of Haleakala Observatory on the Hawaiian island of Maui. It shows details of the sun's surface that are as small as Manhattan Island -- the most granular features to ever be captured of the sun's surface. The movie, which was released this week, was captured at a wavelength of 705 nanometers for 10 minutes, reveals "unprecedented detail of the sun's surface" and "will enable a new era of solar science and a leap forward in understanding the sun and its impacts on our planet," the NSF said in a statement. Scientists have been able to capture photos of the sun's surface in the past, but never at this resolution. (NSO/NSF/AURA) The movie shows images of cells pulsing due to the rising, cooling and sinking of hot plasma, a process known as convection. Each plasma cell is the size of Texas, according to Thomas Rimmele, the telescope's director. "It's like if you watch a pot of boiling water," Rimmele told AccuWeather. "You see these convection cells in the boiling water change over time, and this is what you see on the sun as well." CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP He said scientists have been able to capture photos of the sun's surface in the past, but never at this resolution. This telescope, however, is the first to provide ongoing measurements of magnetic fields in the sun's atmosphere. Corey Powell, science writer, former editor in chief of Discover Magazine and co-host of the Science Rules podcast with Bill Nye, said the reason scientists have had so much difficulty in observing the sun up close like this in the past is due to the brightness and close proximity to Earth. Story continues "In astronomy, it's often easier to look at dim things than bright things, and it's often easier to look at things that are far away than things that are up close," Powell told AccuWeather. "The sun is so bright that most of the tools you would use in astronomy are useless for looking at it." He shared the video on Twitter, saying, "Even at this fine resolution, the scale is enormous." This is the sharpest movie of the Sun ever made. Even at this fine resolution, the scale is enormous; each plasma cell here is about the size of Texas. https://t.co/0G1VI3hrhi via @NatSolarObs pic.twitter.com/JYSDw1Grx6 Corey S. Powell (@coreyspowell) January 29, 2020 "That one patch of the sun is bigger than the entire earth," Powell said. One of the biggest challenges that comes with studying the sun, according to Rimmele, is how much heat the telescopes collect, as they are essentially giant magnifying glasses directing heat into a very small area. To mitigate the effects of this, they must use thermal control techniques like producing swimming pools full of ice at night to cool down the telescope during the day. They also have seven-and-a-half miles of pipes running through the facility to help keep the massive instrument cool. The Inouye Telescope holds the world's largest mirror for a solar telescope at 13 feet. The telescope also has the largest aperture - an opening that allows light to travel through - of any solar telescope. With the sensitivity of this telescope, scientists will be able to see the magnetic fields at a much smaller scale and measure them "very precisely," which will eventually help to build models similar to weather models on earth that could predict solar events. He called the videos "just the tip of the iceberg" of magnetic fields. "We use technology everywhere, it's very much impacted by space weather, and space weather originates on the sun and with its magnetic field," Rimmele said. When solar activity hits Earth, it can lead to aurora displays. However, it can also cause disruptions in everyday life in ways like delaying air travel and interfering with GPS services and fry satellites. The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope holds the world's largest mirror for a solar telescope and the largest aperture. (NSO/NSF/AURA) "We live in the outer atmosphere of the sun and, if the sun has a hiccup like one of these solar eruptions, it impacts us," he said. Powell said the results of solar storms are oftentimes "manageable," but there are solar storms about every hundred years that have the ability to cause major consequences. He recounted an example of a severe solar storm in 1859 that resulted in all the telegraphs in the world shutting down, with some even sparking so much the operators had to step away from them. Powell said if a solar storm at the same intensity as the one in 1859 were to happen today, with the larger amount of electronics that are now present, it could cause a global blackout and cost a trillion dollars in damage due to the shutdown of the internet and stock market. "We've never experienced the worst of what the sun could do," Powell said. The physics behind solar eruptions, Rimmele said, is what the scientists are after, which will help in learning more about the impacts on Earth. The telescope project began more than a decade ago and, over the next eight months, will go through a testing period. According to the National Solar Observatory (NSO), the telescope will not be up to its full capabilities for months - possibly years - but even now it has been able to provide the highest resolution images of the sun ever taken. The telescope has an expected lifespan of 44 years, and according to NSO, "It promises to revolutionize our understanding of the sun forever." In a tweet heralding the photos, the NSF said the telescope will "collect more information about our sun during the first 5 years of its lifetime than all the solar data gathered since Galileo first pointed a telescope at the sun in 1612." "It's the sun, you see it every day, there's no mystery about it," Powell said "And then you look at it through this telescope, you see these images and you realize, Oh I had no idea what the sun looked like."' Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios. OTTAWA - Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who presided over the talks that led to a new North American free trade deal, urged the opposition parties to get on with enshrining the revamped pact into law in order to provide certainty after years of turmoil. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/1/2020 (713 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA - Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who presided over the talks that led to a new North American free trade deal, urged the opposition parties to get on with enshrining the revamped pact into law in order to provide certainty after years of turmoil. Freeland kicked off debate on a bill to implement the new deal by saying it was time for Canada to join the U.S. and Mexico by ratifying the deal. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Chrystia Freeland rises to vote on a motion to implement the trade agreement between Canada, the United States and Mexico, in the House of Commons, Wednesday, January 29, 2020 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld The "new NAFTA" preserves the core of the existing North American Free Trade Agreement while improving parts of it that affect numerous Canadian industries, Freeland said. The legislative path the deal must follow will see it debated in the House of Commons and Senate, and in their committees, and while Freeland suggested that process has its merits, she stressed the need to move quickly. "It is in the national interest for us to finish this process, to put this process behind us, to have the economic and political certainty that ratification will bring," Freeland said Thursday outside the House. "But I am far from thinking that the debate we're hearing in the House now, the discussions we'll hear in committee, are pointless." Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Chrystia Freeland rises for debate on the USMCA trade agreement in the House of Commons in Ottawa, Thursday January 30, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld Despite the Opposition Conservatives signalling they were willing to support the agreement, despite holding their noses, Freeland said she will not take any votes for granted. The United States and Mexico have already ratified the agreement and President Donald Trump held a signing ceremony at the White House Wednesday. The Canadian implementation bill was introduced in the House of Commons later that day, with only the Bloc Quebecois voting against a motion to make way for the legislation. A host of industry groups and premiers have come out asking MPs and senators to support the bill without delay. It has been more than two years since Trump demanded the three-country deal be revised. The 13-months of negotiations placed a strain on the relationship between Canada and the U.S. as the Trump administration took what Freeland described as unconventional bargaining positions and enacted punitive tariffs. "Canadians have come a long way since 2017, when Canada's most important trading relationship, indeed our national prosperity itself, was put at serious risk," she said during her speech to begin the debate in the House. Conservative MP Randy Hoback was more critical. The Saskatchewan MP praised the cross-partisan "Team Canada" approach to negotiating a new deal and thanked Freeland for involving other parties. "I know they did their best. I really do. I know they tried their best and did their best, but having said that, there is some shortfalls, there is some problems," he said. "I think the reality is the president and Mexico sat down and did a deal and they came back to Canada and said 'Here you go, take it or leave it.' And that's disappointing. It didn't have to be that way." The deal needs close scrutiny and effort to mitigate any problems it creates, Hoback said. But he signalled that at the end of that, the Conservatives expect the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement to be approved. The Liberals will need the backing of at least one other official party to pass the legislation in the Commons. 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 party supports, and wants a free-trade deal with Canada, the U.S. and Mexico," Hoback said. "Some things are just too big to play politics with." If the bill receives parliamentary approval, the three parties to the agreement will take several months to develop regulations to interpret the pact's provisions before rules finally take hold. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said "securing access to the North American market is incredibly important" to workers and businesses in all three countries, and urged all MPs and senators to ratify the deal quickly. "It will be hopefully done quickly, but properly, in the House of Commons," Trudeau said Thursday afternoon at an event in Brampton, Ont. "I am counting on all parliamentarians to work together to make sure that it's done right." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2020. Recovery courts, one of the judiciarys most powerful tools to combat substance abuse, reduce costs and put lives back on track, have seen a remarkable growth in Tennessee in recent years. Since 2013, there has been a 67 percent increase in the number of recovery courts in the state starting at 49 and increasing to 82including family treatment courts, safe baby courts, mental health courts, veterans courts, and more. At the helm of each court is a judge, who takes on the challenge to make a difference in the community and who does not receive extra compensation or benefits for the work. This increase in the number of recovery courts in the state has been driven largely by a growing awareness that addiction is not just a problem that can be incarcerated away, but a disease that requires treatment. Recovery courts give people a way to access that treatment, and their effectiveness in lowering rates of recidivism, among other positive outcomes, has been well-proven in recent years. In late December, 29 of the states drug court judges expanded their knowledge of addiction, treatment options, relapse, case management, and more at the Tennessee Association of Recovery Court Professionals 15th Annual Recovery Court Conference. At the conference, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee spoke of his personal commitment to the pursuit of criminal justice reform and to the continued growth of recovery courts. He said that recovery court judges and staff have a key role to play in the move to reform the criminal justice system in the state. Im honored to do it with you, and I need your help, he said. We are going to do some great work over the next number of years to transform peoples lives, reduce crime, [and] save taxpayers money. Today, 82 drug-related courts provide services to 86 out of Tennessees 95 counties, covering almost the entire state. To date we are serving every county that has expressed interest, and we truly hope to get to all 95, said Marie Williams, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Commissioner. And how will we do that? By you that are judges and staff reaching out to those counties saying, come along, there is so much we can do together to make a difference in this state. Equally as striking is the enormous surge in recovery court funding that has accompanied the growth in the number of courts. In fiscal year 2013, the total amount of funding for recovery courts in the state stood at $11.5 million. Through the diligent advocacy and hard work of legislators and staff in state government that number has grown to $31.1 million in the current fiscal year. That money has been put to good use. Over 10,000 people have been admitted to recovery court programs in the state during the period covered, Commissioner Williams said. Forty-six percent of those successfully completed their programs. Compared to the national statistics, 46 percent is great, Commissioner Williams said. Of those who have graduated from their programs, 80 percent have seen improved employment and 74 percent have experienced improved housing. The state has seen a huge uptick in resources for those with substance abuse disorders outside of recovery courts as well. Commissioner Williams drew attention to the fact, for instance, that the state has gone from having just six Oxford Houses for people in recovery in fiscal year 2014 to 102 this year. There are now 724 beds in the state for those in recovery. There has been growth in the states pre-arrest diversion infrastructure, as well. Seven prearrest diversion sites have been funded, and from September 2017 to June 2019, 7,180 people were diverted from jail thanks to that infrastructure. Significant growth has also been seen in other critical areas, including in the number of criminal justice liaisons, Tennessee Recovery Navigators, community anti-drug coalitions, and faith-based community resources. Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Jeff Bivins encouraged attendees to continue their leadership in this area and shared accounts of seeing Tennesseans take prominent roles on the national stage during a recent trip to Washington, D.C. I am here to say how proud we are of what a leader Tennessee is in the nation as far as recovery courts are concerned, he said. Tennessee is recognized literally across this country as one of if not the preeminent leader in that field. One event he attended in Washington D.C. was an awards ceremony for 4th Judicial District Circuit Court Judge Duane Slone, who was named the 2019 recipient of the National Center for State Courts prestigious William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence. Judge Slone was recognized for his pioneering efforts to combat addiction through innovative strategies like the Tennessee Recovery Oriented Compliance Strategy docket, which has seen 110 neonatal abstinence syndrome-free births by program participants in recent years. That, ladies and gentlemen, is making a difference, Chief Justice Bivins said. Chief Justice Bivins also drew attention to the official rollout of the National Judicial Opioid Task Forces final report, which was unveiled at the National Press Club. That task force was co-chaired by Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts Director Deborah Taylor Tate. That task forces work represents an incredible resource for judges and recovery court professionals that I would strongly encourage you to use, Chief Justice Bivins said. Despite all of the recent growth and progress, Commissioner Williams declared that the work is far from done. In the coming years, she is committed to increasing substance abuse clinical treatment dollars, expanding addiction recovery wraparound service programs, and adding more criminal justice liaisons, among other goals. She made it clear that these formidable tasks could only be accomplished by working together. In partnership with you, our community behavioral health providers, and with the support of the Administrative Office of the Courts, we will continue to further enhance recovery courts, criminal justice services, prevention, treatment, and recovery services for Tennesseans across this state, she said. Video of sessions from the Tennessee Association of Recovery Court Professionals Conference will be on the Tennessee Judicial Opioid Initiative website soon www.tjoi.org Palestinian presidential adviser Nabil Shaath reflected on the dilemma facing President Mahmoud Abbas following the unveiling of the Peace to Prosperity plan for the Middle East. The president has re-emphasized the need for national unity, and has agreed to a request to go to Gaza to attend a unity meeting, has supported the need for popular struggle and has called for [revisiting] the functions of the Palestinian Authority, he said. Al Monitor reports in its article Abbas caught between rock and hard place as Trump unveils Mideast plan that Shaath added, The decision to implement the decisions of the Palestine national and central councils will obviously include the decision to suspend security coordination. What Shaath was unable to say is whether the decisions that Abbas will make will force him to choose between political, or even personal, survival as part of the process of reviewing relations with Israel. In a televised speech on Palestine TV the night of Jan. 28, Abbas listed the actions that can be taken in reaction to the American plan. Abbas spoke about the upcoming Arab League meeting Feb. 1, to be followed by a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the nonaligned countries and then a meeting of the African Union. But Abbas emphasized that Palestinians cant expect help from outside without doing our own part. Diana Bhutto, a former legal adviser to the Palestinian negotiating team, described in much sharper language the choices facing Abbas. In the past, President Abbas has been reluctant to do what is needed to hold Israel accountable for its actions," she said. "If he decides to change and pursue a strategy of holding Israel accountable, then he has no choice but to begin supporting the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement and to suspend security coordination with Israel. When asked, Shaath was hesitant to say whether Abbas would support BDS. BDS is an act by activists or factions such as Fatah and Hamas but not by the government," he said. "When we stopped importing calves a few weeks ago, the Israelis implemented harsh revenge on us. The Palestinian Authority banned the import of calves from Israel in October 2019, instead importing them from other countries as part of an economic disengagement plan. Israel responded with a number of measures that negatively impacted the Palestinian economy. Bhutto understands that if Abbas were to pursue these steps it would provoke Israels wrath. The question that needs to be answered is whether he is backed by a strong, unified people willing to bear the consequences of such a courageous decision. Bhutto told Al-Monitor she is not confident that Palestinian factions are willing to unite. If the 2014 war against Gaza didnt get them to unite, nothing will, she said. Hani al-Masri, the executive director of Masarat think tank, believes the idea of national unity cannot be addressed simply by a one-off meeting. There has to be a wide net that encompasses the largest possible representation of Palestinians, he told Al-Monitor. According to Masri, for national unity to work, it can't be limited to a few leaders but must include representatives of civil society, the womens movement and youth activists, as well as union leaders and community organizers throughout Palestine. Salwa Hudaib, a member of the Fatah Revolutionary Council, told Al-Monitor that while the participation of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the leadership meeting Tuesday was welcomed, she doesnt believe this will lead to unity. I dont trust that Hamas will continue in the unity process, she said. Meanwhile, Kayed Maari, director of the Witness Center for Citizens Rights in Nablus, told Al-Monitor that what is needed is strategic and continuous action, not an isolated reaction to Donald Trump's speech. Abbas addressed the popular struggle in his speech, but it was not clear if the Palestinian leadership is willing to commit to an escalation of unarmed attacks against Israel. Palestinians have long discussed and debated nonviolent struggle, but without a clear consensus on guidelines. In Gaza, unarmed attacks in the form of the March of Return were often politically manipulated and failed to stay totally nonviolent. The choices available to the Palestinian leadership are not easy. While the Palestinian side has a strong and effective negative power in saying no to policies and ideas that are presented, the latest effort by the United States might not be easy to overcome. Although the Trump plan reflects his support for the reelection of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, what is worrisome is that such a detailed plan, with its many gifts to Israel, will become the new reference point. It risks prompting a shift away from international resolutions to a pro-Israel plan that might result in the annexation of more Palestinian land. This is what makes the Palestinian leadership's position so difficult. Strong national unity and a willingness to make even more sacrifices are needed. Two U.S. senators have expressed concerns in a letter to Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia over recent events that indicate "a backsliding" on the Caucasus country's commitment to build the institutions of democracy, the second such letter to Tbilisi in just over a week. "We are increasingly concerned by recent events that indicate a weakening of Georgian democracy and governance," Senator Jim Risch (Republican-Idaho) and Jeanne Shaheen (Democrat-New Hampshire) wrote in the letter released on January 29. Risch is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, while Shaheen is the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation. The senators said that "two of the most pressing matters are parliament's failure to uphold its commitment to electoral reform and the government's violent suppression of peaceful protests." "We understand that the promised electoral reform was expected to give proportional representation to Georgian voters to ensure the system did not unduly favor any one political party. "Your government's decision to prevent that change indicates a backsliding from commitments to build the institutions of Georgia's democracy," they wrote. The senators wrote that "an independent, democratic Georgia has many international supporters, and we are eager to continue to assist your country." "However, we are motivated to support Georgia's economic and political development only as long as we can rely on Georgia to be a stable, trustworthy, and democratic partner in this effort. "We sincerely hope that you will work quickly to reverse this decline and fulfill the promises made to the Georgian people." The letter comes a week after Georgia's government released a letter written by four U.S. lawmakers in the House of Representatives expressing concerns over the government's failure to deliver on promises of democratic reforms and a police crackdown on protesters over the issue. Republican Congressmen Adam Kinzinger and Michael McCaul and Democrats Gerald Connoly and Eliot Engelwrote wrote in the letter dated January 21 and made public the next day that 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," said the letter, also addressed to Prime Minister Gakharia. The congressmen expressed hope 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 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." With reporting by RFE/RLs Georgian Service HANGZHOU, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Jack Ma Foundation has announced it will donate 100 million yuan (14.4 million U.S. dollars) to support the research and development of a novel coronavirus vaccine. "We firmly know that while scientists are racing against the clock, it won't be an easy task from the vaccine research to the final large-scale production and use," said Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group and the Jack Ma Foundation. Ma said the foundation will strive to provide more help for the development and accumulation of medical science in the fight against viruses. Alibaba Group said it would provide public research institutions free access to all AI capabilities needed for the development of vaccines and new drugs for the novel coronavirus. The group has set up a 1-billion-yuan special fund for medical supplies as well as a health guarantee of up to 500,000 yuan for medical workers who are on the frontline fighting the epidemic nationwide. Georgian, who won GEL 1,182,454, was found in a refugee settlement - GeorgianJournal Southern Lit Alliance announces applications are open for the Barnett Prize for Local Distinguished Author. The Barnett Prize is awarded annually to recognize the outstanding achievement of authors in the area and to raise awareness of their talent. "The award is offered through the generosity of Warren Barnett, art philanthropist and president of Barnett & Company, a firm offering personalized investment council in Chattanooga for 35 years," officials said. Nominations for the Barnett Prize will be accepted through Feb. 28. Authors must reside in Hamilton or the contiguous counties of Sequatchie, Marion, Rhea, Meigs or Bradley counties in Tennessee. Eligible Georgia authors must reside on Catoosa, Walker, or Dade counties. Self-published works are not eligible for the award. For more information about the award, click here. Authors, or their nominating agent, should submit an application, curriculum vitae and three copies of a completed, published work. Send the application to: Southern Lit Alliance 301 E. 11th Street, Suite 301 Chattanooga, Tennesse 37403 A three-judge panel whose members have demonstrated knowledge and expertise in the field of creative and published writing will choose the winner. The winning author must demonstrate a successful track record of publication in the genre of fiction, non-fiction, short story or poetry. The winner will be announced as a part of the SouthWord literary festival on April 3 at noon at the University Center at UTC. For ticket information on SouthWord click here. UPDATE: Police release name of wrong-way driver killed in crash with Michigan DNR officer BAY CITY, MI Bay County Sheriffs deputies are on the scene of a traffic crash involving a wrong-way driver on Interstate 75. Sheriff Troy R. Cunningham said that about 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 29, deputies were advised a person driving a white SUV was heading south out of Arenac County in the northbound lanes of I-75. Around mile marker 174 in Bay Countys Fraser Township, the vehicle collided with a northbound Michigan Department of Natural Resources truck, Cunningham said. The driver of the wrong-way SUV died of injuries he suffered in the wreck, Cunningham said. The sheriff described him as an Iosco County man in his 70s. The DNR officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries, Cunningham said. The sheriff did not know if the DNR officer was on- or off-duty at the time of the collision. Northbound I-75 in the area remains closed as of 8:15 p.m. Traffic is being rerouted onto Linwood Road at exit 173, according to Bay County Central Dispatch. Cunningham said the wrong-way driver died of injuries sustained in the crash. He was an Iosco County man in his 70s. The DNR officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries, the sheriff said. A toddler boy is clinging to life at a Birmingham hospital in what investigators say is a horrific case of abuse and neglect. Ive been here 20 years and Ive not seen one this bad, said Attalla police Chief Investigator Doug Jordan. This is the worst child abuse case where the child is still alive. The 21-month-old boys mother and stepfather were arrested this week and remain jailed. The boy is on life-support at Childrens of Alabama. The investigation began Thursday, Jan. 23, when the childs mother, 27-year-old Maria Francisco Huang showed up at Childrens of Alabama. Hospital staff first called Rainbow City police and then it was determined that the alleged crimes happened in Attalla. Thats an hour or more drive and she passed two hospitals on the way, Jordan said. The child was having trouble breathing when they arrived. According to court records, the child was severely malnourished, and he had numerous fractures, bruising and a brain bleed. The abuse is believed to have taken place over a period of several months. Huang was arrested Monday on a felony charge of aggravated child abuse. Her husband, 28-year-old Jose Morales-Calvo, was jailed Tuesday on the same charge. Both remain held in the Etowah County Detention Center on $250,000 bond. Each. Authorities said Morales-Calvo is an undocumented immigrant who has previously been deported from the U.S. Huang was arrested one year ago on charges of domestic violence/strangulation and unlawful imprisonment involving an adult female victim. In that case, she is accused of choking a woman to the point she couldnt breathe. Those cases have been forwarded to a grand jury for indictment consideration. Jordan said neither suspect is cooperating with authorities. Two other young children a toddler and an infant - were taken from the home and have been placed in the custody of the Department of Human Resources. Jordan said they are in good health. The investigator said the prognosis for the little boy is dire. Were not sure if hell pull through, he said. Its a really sad situation. No child should be exposed to what this child has been exposed to. Its heart-wrenching. Cote dIvoire will shortly open a Consulate General in the Moroccan Southern city of Laayoune, announced on Wednesday spokesperson for the Ivorian government, Sidi Tiemoko Toure. The decree establishing the consulate in Laayoune was adopted by the Council of ministers, convened Wednesday in Abidjan, the spokesperson announced at a press briefing. This measure aims to bring the consular administration closer to Ivorian nationals living in southern Morocco and to strengthen their consular protection, he said. This new Ivorian consular administration in Morocco will also consolidate the ties of friendship and cooperation between the two countries, the spokesperson said. Cote dIvoire was among the very first African countries to open an honorary consulate in Laayoune in June 2019 to intensify the multidimensional relations between the two countries, as put then by Ivorian ambassador to Rabat Idrissa Traore. The Moroccan Southern Provinces have regularly made the headlines lately as several countries have opened consular representations there, materializing thus their support to Moroccos historic legitimacy over its Saharan provinces. Laayoune is hosting the Consulates General of the Comoros, which started its activities in December, of Gabon, of the Central African Republic, and of Sao Tome & Principe, while Gambia and Guinea chose Dakhla to set up their consulates. Participants in a Moroccan-Egyptian Strategic Forum, held recently in Dakhla, welcomed these African countries decision to open consulates in the Moroccan southern provinces as another evidence of support for the moroccanness of the Sahara. Former federal Labor MP Melissa Parke has launched defamation proceedings against Liberal MP Dave Sharma over a tweet accusing her of anti-Semitism and "trafficking in conspiracy theories". Ms Parke, who stepped down shortly before the 2019 federal election as the ALP's star candidate for the West Australian seat of Curtin, filed defamation proceedings on Wednesday against the Wentworth MP in the South Australian registry of the Federal Court. She is also suing Colin Rubenstein, executive director of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, and the News Corp-owned tabloid the Herald Sun, over separate publications including a front-page story that she alleges portrayed her as an anti-Semite, among other claims. The defamation proceedings were filed against Liberal MP Dave Sharma and two other respondents on Wednesday. Credit:James Alcock Ms Parke, a former Labor MP for Fremantle and minister for international development in the Rudd government, was named in April last year as the ALP's candidate for the blue-ribbon Liberal seat of Curtin, which was vacated by former deputy prime minister Julie Bishop before the May 2019 election. President of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday accused Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal of not fulfilling promises made to the people of Delhi. "Kejriwal ji, you had promised to set up 1000 'mohalla clinics' every year, but you did not open the promised clinics, and the existing ones do not have facilities or medicines," Nadda said in a tweet. He slammed AAP, saying that the party is responsible for the poor being deprived of the benefits of 'Ayushman Bharat Yojna' in Delhi. "Aam Aadmi Party's petty has deprived the poor in Delhi of the benefits of Ayushman Bharat Yojna, a scheme which provides a cover of Rs 5 lakhs annually," the tweet further read. This comes amidst the high decibel campaigning by both the parties ahead of the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections. The capital is scheduled to vote on February 8, and the results will be announced on February 11. In 2015, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had won 67 out of the 70 Assembly seats while the BJP managed to win just three seats. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A number of protests will take place on the Derry-Donegal border tomorrow night to send the message that local communities rejected Brexit. At 11pm on Friday, January 31, the UK, including Northern Ireland, will legally leave the EU. That means the UK will no longer be represented in EU institutions and Northern Ireland's three MEPs, including Derry Sinn Fein MEP Martina Anderson, will no longer sit in the European Parliament. Trade negotiations will now take place which British Prime Minister Boris Johnson aims to complete within a year, however, the EU insists it will not be rushed. Foyle voted by 78.3% to remain in the EU, with the exception of the tiny enclave of Gibraltar no other constituency declared its intentions to remain more strongly. Dermot OHara of Border Communities Against Brexit (BCAB) said Brexit does not have the support of the people in the North of Ireland. BCAB is holding a rally at Bridgend this Friday, January 31 at 9.30pm to show its opposition to Brexit. Further demonstrations will take place at the Magilligan ferry terminal at 11pm in parallel with others at Strabane, Aughnacloy and Killean to highlight uncertainties that remain. Protesters have been encouraged to use their mobile phones to light up the border area. Mr OHara commented: Whilst the current deal means that there will be no hard infrastructure at the border, many threats and serious challenges remain. Brexit in any form is bad for citizens, our economy, our peace and our future. It remains the case that the British government has unilaterally decided to walk away from not only the EU, but also from important aspects of the Good Friday Agreement. All of this is being done in opposition to the democratically expressed wishes of the people in the North who voted 56% remain. For people in the North, Brexit still means that their rights and protections will be reduced. Opportunities for young people will disappear, he says, and essential funding streams will be lost, including payments under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The Tories will also seek to roll back on EU safeguards for workers' rights. Human rights and equality guarantees in law are a central part of the Good Friday Agreement but Tory/DUP Brexiteers are planning to scrap the Charter of Fundamental Rights post-Brexit. We should never ever forget that the DUP policy towards a Hard Brexit would have created a hard border on this Island, resulting in a serious threat to our peace process and caused 100,000 jobs to be lost on this island. The British Government must meet their obligations under the Good Friday Agreement, including the continued incorporation into law of the European Convention on Human Rights. The interests of Ireland and the rights of citizens in the North must be front and centre of negotiations on the future relationship between the EU and Britain. The lobbying, profile and activity of BCAB helped to ensure that there will be no hard border in Ireland. The work of BCAB has included public meetings in border communities, widespread media engagement in Ireland, in Brussels, and engagement with political representatives at local, national, EU level and America. Mr OHara concluded by saying political representatives in border counties must continue to apply pressure to ensure that the Irish Government stands up for the interests of all the people in the North. Irish unity Martina Anderson has called for maximum support for the protests. She said: "I would urge as many people as possible to come out on Friday night and send a strong message to the British government that although it ceases to be a member of the European Union at 11pm, that you as Irish and EU citizens will continue to demand that your human and others rights as such citizens will be respected. "You expressed your democratic choice to stay in the EU in the 2016 referendum and again when you elected MEPs in May 2019. Despite this, the British government is dragging us out of the EU with all the drastic consequences that it will have for all aspects of our lives. "Brexit is a threat to the Good Friday Agreement, to our hard-won rights and will decimate our economic potential. Ms Anderson added: "When the impact of Brexit hits home and community groups are starved of EU Funding, when young people can no longer avail of the Erasmus programme, when farmers no longer receive CAP Payments and when environmental, labour and consumer protections evaporate, I believe that it will result in more and more people joining the reasonable, sensible and mature conversation about the need for constitutional change in Ireland. The Sinn Fein representative believes a referendum on Irish Unity would mitigate the damage that Brexit will inflict on Derry and across Ireland. Uncertainty Ahead of Brexit Day on January 31, Redmond McFadden, President of the Londonderry Chamber of Commerce said that while businesses in the North West are relieved that they will be leaving the EU on Friday with a negotiated deal, Brexit day is certainly not a cause for celebration for the majority of its members. He said: This is not the end of Brexit but, rather, the end of the beginning. The negotiations before December 31 this year will be crucial to the future prosperity of the North Wests economy. Given our unique position on the border, it is vital that businesses in the North West can continue to trade openly across these islands and that they have seamless, unfettered access to markets in Great Britain and Europe and unfortunately we dont have any certainty around that yet. One business which set-up on the Derry-Donegal border amid Brexit uncertainty last November is Grianan Outdoors. Located at Bridgend it at the site formally occupied by Harrys restaurant, the store specialises in top outdoor brands. Store manager, Catherine Weatherall said that concerns have lessened given assurances that no border infrastructure will be put in place. However, Brexit has partly influenced their decision to operate a card-only policy because of constantly fluctuating exchange rates. She said they are the first retail store on the island to implement such a policy. Business has been going great, and I suppose you do think about whats going to happen after Brexit. Our staff would come in from the north so we would never want to see a hard border. Then theres the issue of tax and whether youd be charged more. If that happened then it would have a big impact on business. In terms of goods coming in, if manufacturing prices went up then that would also have a knock-on effect for retail and for everybody. Visit the BCAB Facebook for more details about tomorrows rallies. Israels Hot Mobile has submitted a bid to take over 100% of rival operator Partner Communications. Hots parent firm Altice Europe confirmed that the offer had been extended but added that no final decision has been reached, and cautioned it is yet uncertain that any such transaction will be concluded. The terms of the offer have not been revealed. While Altice Europe has been divesting non-core assets in a bid to reduce its debt burden, this new offer affirms its commitment to the Israeli market. The conglomerate is owned by billionaire Patrick Drahi. An influx of competition to the Israeli market in 2012 led to operator revenues being stretched, with Barclays analysts Tavy Rosner and Mathieu Robilliard telling Reuters that consolidation is required to restore some form of price repair. Operators will be looking to invest in 5G, with auctions lined up for this year after a tender process that began last July. SC stays death warrant issued by Guj court in rape and murder of 3 year old SC stays Madras HCs proceedings on plea challenging Kanimozhi's election in LS polls India oi-PTI New Delhi, Jan 30: The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the Madras High Court proceedings on a petition challenging the election of DMK leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi from Thoothukudi constituency in Tamil Nadu. A bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices B R Gavai and Surya Kant took note of the submissions of the DMK leader's lawyer and stayed the proceedings before the Madras High Court. Kanimozhi contested from the Thoothukudi constituency in 2019 and her election was challenged by a voter, A Sanathana Kumar, on the grounds that she failed to mention her husband's Permanent Account Number (PAN) in her election affidavit disclosing family assets. Those serving party for long were given tickets, no dynasty politics in DMK: Kanimozhi The Madras High Court had earlier rejected the plea of Kanimozhi seeking dismissal of two election petitions filed by the voter and a BJP leader separately challenging her election to the Lok Sabha. The election petition should necessarily be taken to its logical end, it had said. EU Parliament postpones voting on resolution against CAA, India hails it as diplomatic win|Oneindia While dismissing Kanimozhi's plea, the high court had said that the election petitioner must be given a chance to marshal evidence to prove his claim of improper acceptance of nomination. The DMK leader had said her husband was an NRI living in Singapore and he neither possessed a PAN card nor does he pay any income tax in India. Kanimozhi had defeated her nearest rival Tamilisai Soundararajan (now Governor of Telangana) of BJP. 2G case: HC grants additional time to Kanimozhi, Raja to reply to CBI's appeal against aquittal Another plea challenging the election of Kanimozhi was filed by Soundararajan, who withdrew the plea after becoming Governor of Telangana. A Muthuramalingam, a local BJP leader, has substituted Soundararajan as a party in the high court. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, January 30, 2020, 13:51 [IST] Serial killer Ted Bundy's former girlfriend, her daughter wonder why he spared them originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Elizabeth Kendall said it feels strange to flip back through old photos of her former boyfriend, to see him smiling at the camera next to a younger version of herself, to see him playing with her daughter who was a child at the time, to see him being silly. Its because that man was Ted Bundy, one of the most prolific serial killers in American history. I sometimes cant believe this has really been my life, Kendall told 20/20. I kept those photos of us when we were happier, before we knew what he was capable of. Speaking out for the first time in 40 years, Elizabeth Kendall and her daughter Molly Kendall sat down exclusively for Amazon Originals five-part docuseries, Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer, which will be available Friday on Amazon Prime Video. They then also sat down with ABC News Amy Robach for a two-hour 20/20 report on ABC. PHOTO: Elizabeth Kendall (left) and her daughter Molly Kendall (right) are seen here during an interview with '20/20.' (ABC News) "I really felt we needed to hear their stories so we could reframe this finally once and for all from the perspective of the women," Trish Wood, the director and producer of the series, told "20/20." "And that was important to me also because I think we need to call this what it is. It's misogyny, it's hatred of women. We don't need... to figure out what the diagnosis was for Ted Bundy. Simply, he killed women because he hated them. He obliterated them. So I thought it was important to reframe it." Even after all these years later, Elizabeth Kendall has kept photos from her and her daughters life together with Bundy. There's one showing him holding Molly as she rode his bike and another showing him laughing in the grass. These photos are published in an updated and expanded edition of her book, "The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy," published by Abrams Press. PHOTO: 'The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy' (Abrams Press.) Thats my childhood, Molly Kendall said. Unfortunately, the memories that are attached to those pictures have lost their original emotional content and become something different. Story continues MORE: Timeline of many of Ted Bundy's brutal crimes Bundy mercilessly and viciously kidnapped, raped and killed dozens of innocent women across the United States in the 1970s in a trail of terror that took him from the Pacific Northwest to Florida. Days before his 1989 death by electrocution, Bundy confessed to killing 30 women in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Colorado and Florida between 1973 and 1978, but authorities believe its possible that there were many more. I still have a sense of disbelief that this man that I loved and that seemed to be a great guy could go out and do such horrific things, Elizabeth Kendall said. Its just so hard to accept. Elizabeth Kendall said she and Bundy dated for about five years, from 1969 to 1974, which overlapped with some of his gruesome crimes. She and her daughter said that at the time, they had no idea the man they spent so much time with was a serial killer. I always felt loved, Elizabeth Kendall said of the man she once planned to marry. But with Ted, it's impossible to tell. It could've been love, it could've been just another manipulation. She once thought Bundy was the man she was going to marry, she said, and she has wondered why he spared her and Molly. I hate to even say this because it makes him sound normal, but I do think he loved us, Elizabeth Kendall said. I heard a story told by one of his attorneys he had. He said Ted told him that he would play games with these animals, I dont remember if they were mice or something else, her daughter Molly Kendall added. And he would let some of them live and some of them die, and to me, thats us, were just these mice that were allowed to live. MORE: Chi Omega survivor of Ted Bundy murders: I was asleep when evil opened door and attacked me Elizabeth Kendall said she met Bundy in at a bar in Seattle. A single mother who had just moved to town from Utah at the time, Kendall said she was pretty smitten when she saw Bundy, who had grown up in Tacoma, Washington. I saw him sitting at a table. I went over and talked to him because I told him he looked lonely, she said. When they were dating, Bundy was earning a degree in psychology at the University of Washington. He drove a Volkswagen Beetle, worked on political campaigns and had aspirations of going to law school. To Kendall, he appeared to be a smart and doting boyfriend. [He] put a lot of energy into making us happy, doing fun things he always seemed to embrace us as a family unit, Elizabeth Kendall said. I loved going to places with him. He was never at a loss for words, whereas I was on the shy side. While they were together, Kendall recalled some oddities about Bundys behavior. She said one day he showed up at her apartment with a pair of ski boots he had stolen from the universitys student union. And he said, If I hadn't stolen them, somebody else would've, so I just took them, Kendall said. Authorities later learned that Bundys crimes had started with animal mutilation and petty theft, then evolved into peering into peoples windows and then brutal killings. MORE: How notorious serial killer Ted Bundy was able to escape from custody not just once, but twice By the summer of 1974, Elizabeth Kendall said her relationship with Bundy had started to sour. He would start walking home late at night, rather than spending the night at my house. Just subtle changes where I felt like maybe I was losing him or maybe he was seeing somebody else, she said. Never in my dreams did I think he was out stalking women and then eventually abducting and murdering women. There was no context for that, she added. Years later when he was on death row in Florida, Bundy confessed to FBI Special Agent Bill Hagmaier that by the summer of 1974, he had been abducting and killing women for months. When he was with Liz, he said he really enjoyed being a family man, Hagmaier told 20/20 in a previous interview. I mean, he said the things that I would expect my brother to say about his family. One of his victims that summer was 18-year-old Georgeann Hawkins, who Bundy strangled to death in June 1974. On July 14, 1974, Bundy abducted and killed both Janice Anne Ott, 23, and Denise Naslund, 19, at the popular Lake Sammamish State Park. Kendall said she had seen Bundy that July morning, and he had asked her what she was going to do that day. I said I was going to go to a park and lay in the sun. Molly was in Utah. And he asked me which park, Kendall said. And I think he was just wanting to know, if [I was] going to Lake Sammamish, then he wouldn't be going that way. He'd go to another park. She said Bundy then called her hours later that same day, around 5:30 p.m. She said she later learned it was right after Nasland had gone missing, but Bundy gave no indication that he had spent the day committing two brutal crimes. We went out to eat, Elizabeth Kendall said. Just so hard to believe thats what he was doing. Its heartbreaking, Molly Kendall added. Looking back now, Elizabeth Kendall said there were some red flags that her boyfriend at the time could be the suspected abductor police were looking for in those cases, but she said she kept talking herself out of it. Kendall said a co-worker gave her a newspaper article that had a composite drawing of the suspect because that person thought it looked similar to Bundy. She said police had identified the suspects car as a Volkswagen Beetle but the color they noted didnt quite match Bundys car. PHOTO: The 1968 Volkswagon Bug that belonged to serial killer Ted Bundy sits in the corner of a rental lot waiting for a buyer, July 15, 1997, in Salt Lake City. (Steve C. Wilson/AP, FILE) Even a report about the Lake Sammamish disappearances that noted witnesses told police the suspect was a handsome young man who called himself "Ted" struck her as odd, Kendall said, but she still tried to talk herself out of believing this could be the Ted she knew. It wasn't something that I looked at and thought, Oh my God. It was like, Oh, that's weird, she said. Even the idea that this man went up and introduced himself by Ted, I think, Oh, you know, if you're going to abduct somebody, you'd never say your real name. One month before the Lake Sammamish abductions, Georgann Hawkins, a University of Washington student, had gone missing. Kendall said she had read that witnesses reported seeing a man on crutches near the sorority house where Hawkins had been heading. When she spotted a pair of crutches in Bundys room, she asked him about it. He said that his landlord had hurt himself and was on crutches, but he was going to take the crutches back to the rental place. So that made sense to me, she said. Elizabeth Kendall said she even read some of these newspaper reports out loud to Bundy while they were together, but he brushed them off. Listening to these conversations, Molly Kendall said at one point she had teased Bundy about the similarities between him and the man police were looking for. When they had a profile of him, I brought up the similarities to him, Molly Kendall said. I said, This guy's name's Ted. Your name's Ted. This guy has a Volkswagen. You drive a Volkswagen. You know it's you, and he just laughed. [He said], No, Monkey, of course, I would never do anything like that. In September 1974, a grouse hunter discovered the remains of Ott, Naslund and Hawkins one mile east of an old railroad trestle outside of Issaquah, Washington. Once I started to worry, like, Could this be true? I didn't feel safe bringing it up," Elizabeth Kendall added. "I didn't want him to know what I was thinking." By the fall of 1974, she said Bundy was attending law school in Utah and called her regularly. I loved talking with him or being with him because he was just Ted. He was just the Ted I knew. Nothing was amiss, Kendall said. And then I'd hang up and think, What was I thinking that this could possibly be true? Eventually, Elizabeth Kendall said she began talking with authorities. All the while, Bundy was continuing his vicious spree of abducting, raping and murdering young women. In a matter of weeks, Bundy had murdered four women in Utah that fall. In November 1974, at a mall in Murray, Utah, Bundy approached 18-year-old Carol DaRonch and identified himself as a police officer. He said someone had tried to break into her car and he wanted her to come down to the police station. Once DaRonch was in Bundys car, he attempted to attack her, but DaRonch managed to get out of the car and run for help. It was the first and only known instance of someones escaping a Bundy abduction, and she later became a key witness for the prosecutions case against Bundy. PHOTO: Ted Bundy, right, poses for a snapshot with Carol Bartholomew as he helped with the dishes after a birthday party in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1975. (Salt Lake City Deseret News via AP, FILE) His killing spree continued the following year, when he kidnapped and killed 23-year-old Caryn Campbell in Colorado and several others. Then by chance, on Aug. 16, 1975, Bundy was arrested in Granger, Utah, after he was spotted parked outside a house where two young women lived. A Utah Highway Patrol officer came across Bundy in his Volkswagen Beetle loitering outside the house that morning at 3 a.m. When the officer approached, Bundy drove off. After a brief chase, the officer stopped and then searched Bundys car and found a ski mask, pantyhose with eyes cut out, gloves, rope, a crowbar and handcuffs. He was arrested under suspicion of evading a police officer but was released the next day on bail. By then, Elizabeth Kendalls relationship with Bundy had ended, but she said they kept in touch. She said she found out about the car search incident from Bundys Washington state landlord, who told her detectives had been by his apartment there. It was just very frightening to see it all laid out together, and I was devastated, Kendall said. Eventually, I ask him about it after I told him that I'd gone to the police, and he tried to just brush it off. Oh, for God sakes, Liz, he said I need the crowbar for if I get in a wreck and need to pry cars apart. I need the ski mask for when I'm shoveling snow. Sometimes I wear a pantyhose mask under that just for warmth. After Bundys 1975 arrest, police linked him to the attempted abduction of Carol DaRonch, who had identified him in a lineup. Bundy went on trial for aggravated kidnapping and was convicted in March 1976. He was sentenced to a minimum of one to a maximum of 15 years in a Utah state prison. He was later extradited to Colorado where he was charged with Campbell's murder. But in 1977, he escaped from police custody in Colorado twice, then made his way to Florida, where he continued his murderous spree. On Jan. 15, 1978, Bundy brutally attacked four young women at the Chi Omega sorority house near Florida State University. Two women, Margaret Bowman and Lisa Levy, died of their severe injuries. That same night, Bundy also brutally attacked Cheryl Thomas, whose house was just blocks away from the sorority house. She survived. PHOTO: Chi Omega Sorority members Lisa Levy, 20, and Margaret Bowman, 21, were killed by Ted Bundy at Florida State University, Jan. 15, 1978. (Bettmann via Getty Images, FILE) About three weeks later, on Feb. 9, 1978, Bundy kidnapped and murdered 12-year-old Kimberly Leach. She was one of Bundys youngest victims and his last murder. MORE: Remembering Kimberly Leach, 12, Ted Bundy's last victim: 'The world missed out on a great soul' Bundy was arrested again on Feb. 15, 1978, after a police officer saw him driving very slowly in the early hours of the morning. Running his car's license plate, the officer realized the car had been reported stolen. Bundy refused to give his real name at first, but then told police he would identify himself if they let him make a phone call, which police granted. The person Bundy called was Elizabeth Kendall, who had already seen news reports about the Florida murders when the phone rang. He said, I've been arrested, and I said, Where are you? And he said, Florida, Kendall said. Oh, my heart just dropped. And I said, Oh, I was afraid that you were going to be in Florida. PHOTO: Suspected murderer Ted Bundy leans on the Leon County jail wall as an indictment charging him with the murders of two FSU coeds at the Chi Omega house is read by Leon County Sherriff Ken Katarsis in Tallahassee, Fla., July 27, 1978. (Bettmann Archive/Getty Images, FILE) On a later jailhouse phone call, Kendall said Bundy confided in her that he felt he was "sick." It took him telling me himself that he had something wrong with him, Kendall said. It was awful, and yet it took me so long to really fully accept that he did those things. Even after he told me that, I still was spending endless hours trying to figure out how this could be, how this man that I thought I knew could do these things. It was really a struggle. In 1979, Bundy was found guilty of murdering Levy and Bowman and the attempted murder of three other women. The following year, he was found guilty of kidnapping and murdering Kimberly Leach. He was sentenced to death for the murder convictions. Molly Kendall was particularly shaken by the Leach case. They both would have been the same age if Leach were alive today. It's hard to find words for how devastating it is, the loss of this girl, and the things that he did to her, Molly Kendall said. It's been a lifelong source of agony, thinking about her parents, her friends, and just the loss of personal relationship that we thought we had to this person. PHOTO: Kimberly Leach, 12, was a victim of serial killer Ted Bundy. (Acey Harper/LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images, FILE) Looking back on her relationship with Bundy, Elizabeth Kendall said she still carries a lot of guilt with her. Guilt about causing this in my daughter's life, guilt about what he had done, guilt that I had loved this man that was so gruesome. She said she worked hard to rebuild her and her daughter's lives, and she hopes that sharing their story now will serve as an inspiration for others trying to overcome hardships. I hope [others] will see that it's possible to have terrible, traumatic experiences and it's possible to rebuild your life, Elizabeth Kendall said. Tom Tom has released its annual Traffic Index, covering 416 cities across 57 countries on 6 continents. This is the 9th year, the TomTom Traffic Index has named four Indian cities in the top-10 list of cities with the worst traffic congestion worldwide. Check out which Indian city takes the top spot. (Image: PTI) No 10 | Jakarta | The Indonesian capital city stands at the 10th spot on the list of cities with the worst traffic. It has recorded a traffic congestion of 53 percent. (Image: Reuters) No 9 | Istanbul | The Turkish city has recorded a traffic congestion level of 55 percent, up 2 notches from last year. (Image: Reuters) No 8 | New Delhi | The capital city of India has recorded a decline in traffic congestion from 58 percent in 2018 to 56 percent in 2019. Interestingly, among all the four Indian cities on the list, Delhi has the most number of cars. The report has pointed out that Delhi has the best roads among metro cities in India. (Image: PTI) No 7 | Lima | The Peruvian capital has recorded a marginal decline in traffic congestion from 58 percent in 2018 to 57 percent in 2019. Pictured: Cars in a traffic jam at the Javier Prado road in Lima, Peru. (Image: Reuters) No 6 | Moscow | The Russian capital witnessed a congestion level of 59 percent and is sixth on the list. The traffic congestion has grown by 3 percent as compared to 2018. (Image: Reuters) No 5 | Pune | The city is one of the educational hubs of India and is an unexpected entry on the list. The city in Maharashtra was fifth on the index, with a traffic congestion of 59 percent. (Image: Reuters) No 4 | Mumbai | India's financial capital has registered traffic congestion of 65 percent. (Image: Reuters) No 3 | Bogota | The traffic congestion in the Colombian city is at 68 percent, up 5 percent from 2018. (Image: Reuters) No 2 | Manila | The capital of the Philippines ranks second on the list with congestion levels at 71 percent. Pictured: Commuters walk on an overpass walkway overlooking heavy traffic jam during rush hours along the main highway in Manila. (Image: Reuters) We became intrigued by this issue while studying the effects of patience on educational outcomes. In a study published in 2019, we examined the educational and birth records of roughly 375,000 first- and second-generation immigrant students attending public schools in Florida, from kindergarten through 12th grade. We tested whether hailing from a country known as a result of social science research for high patience would be linked to better performance at school. Indeed, children of immigrants from countries whose citizens score high on tests of delayed gratification, like South Korea, did better on dimensions ranging from standardized tests to disciplinary issues than those from less patient countries Egypt and Colombia, for example. (Overall, the children of immigrants outperformed native-born students.) The Shinhan Investment headquarters, left, and the KB Securities headquarters on Yeouido, Seoul / Korea Times file By Park Jae-hyuk Shinhan Investment and KB Securities, both of which managed to get "stable" credit outlooks in 2019, are feared to face rating downgrades, due to their involvement in investment fiascos involving alleged financial fraud, the Korea Investors Service (KIS) hinted Thursday. The Seoul-based ratings agency said the controversies over the suspended redemptions of Lime Asset Management's trade finance funds, and KB Securities' alleged involvement in real estate investment fraud in Australia are "credit negative" for the large brokerage houses. "Because of a series of investment fiascos that occurred in 2019, the recent issue regarding Lime is also likely to tarnish the reputations of securities firms and lead to lawsuits," KIS analyst Lee Jae-woo said at a press conference at the agency's headquarters. "Although the investment fiascos have yet to be reflected in the credit ratings of the brokerages, we will wait to see what decision the financial authorities make and how the lawsuits unfold." In consideration of these uncertainties, the affiliate of Moody's Investors Service declared the credit outlook for large securities firms was "negative" this year. This expectation will deal a severe blow to Shinhan Investment and KB Securities. Shinhan Investment is suspected of being an accomplice to alleged financial fraud involving Lime. Because the securities firm was a prime brokerage service provider that extended loans to Lime, the Financial Supervisory Service suspects that Shinhan Investment sold the fund to investors, despite being aware of the fact that Lime's fund options involved a U.S. hedge fund that engaged in fraud. Lime investors have already sued Shinhan Investment for fraud. "Brokerages involved in the Lime fiasco may face sanctions from ther authorities or be ordered to compensate investors for their losses," Lee said. "PBS providers that extended loans to the hedge fund may not get their money back." KB Securities was sued by several institutional investors, who allege the firm conducted poor inspections of real estate linked to the JB Australia NDIS Fund it sold. The fund has been embroiled in real estate investment fraud in Australia, due to local borrower LBA Capital's breach of contract there. The KIS analyst mentioned deteriorating reputation and compensation to investors as risks facing the brokerage firm. "Despite a short history of large brokerages' alternative investments overseas, investment fiascos have continued to break out, so doubts are rising about their overall investments," he said. At the press conference, the KIS also announced the 2020 outlook for 10 other industries steelmaking, shipbuilding, construction, oil refining, automobile, retail, aviation, petrochemicals, life insurance and non-life insurance. Including the securities business, none of the sectors were facing a "favorable" industry outlook. In particular, the aviation and refining industries were mentioned as sectors affected by Wuhan coronavirus. "In addition to a rapid decline in the number of passengers for flights to China, the overall demand for air tickets will decrease," KIS analyst Won Jong-hyun said. Analyst Kwon Ki-hyuk expected refiners will face difficulty with earnings improvement again this year, as the coronavirus spread has reduced China's fuel demand. C hlorinated chicken must be included in a post-Brexit trade deal, the US secretary of state has said. Mike Pompeo insisted that the controversial agricultural products would make a really good deal for British shoppers. In an interview with LBC Radio on Thursday, Mr Pompeo confirmed that Washington will demand the inclusion of the chemically-washed poultry , despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisting he will refuse the request if they lower standards. Critics of using chlorine and other substances to strip bacteria from chicken say the process can be a "desperate attempt" to correct poorer hygiene standards earlier in the production process. The practice is banned in the EU. Mike Pompeo described his London visit as a "starting gun" for post-Brexit trade negotiations / Getty Images Donald Trump's administration wishes to eliminate or reduce the barrier to exporting agricultural products to the UK in a trade deal to be brokered after the UK leaves the EU on Friday. Asked if the row over the chlorine-washed chicken would be the biggest barrier to a deal, Mr Pompeo agreed the issue would be real contentious but warned US farmers would demand it. Our ask will be as it has been in the other negotiations, he said. We need to be open and honest about competitiveness. We need to make sure we dont use food safety as a ruse to try and protect a particular industry. Mr Pompeo added that the biggest winners would be consumers who are going to be the net beneficiaries of these really good deals. The state secretary said he hoped that by late summer the two sides would have made substantial progress in talks, before they move on to the most difficult issues. WASHINGTON - The Senate on Wednesday started the clock on 16 hours of questions from lawmakers - spread over two days and directed at House impeachment managers and President Donald Trump's attorneys. But the biggest question looming over the trial won't be answered until later: Will enough Republicans join Democrats to vote in favor of subpoenaing witnesses like former national security adviser John Bolton, or will GOP leaders succeed in keeping their caucus united to bring the trial to a swift end? A trio of Republicans considered to be potential swing votes on witnesses started the question-and-answer phase shortly after 1 p.m. Eastern time in a process that was likely to last two days. Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Mitt Romney of Utah and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska asked the president's lawyers what would happen in the event senators concluded that the president had more than one motive in asking Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden - a personal political reason, as Democrats claim, and another rooted in the national interest, such as addressing Ukraine's corruption, as Republicans have argued. Their question may indicate that the three - considered the most likely Republicans to join Democrats in calling for witnesses - are struggling as they consider the conflicting motives presented about why the Trump administration held up nearly $400 million in U.S. aid to Ukraine, the centerpiece of the impeachment. ADVERTISEMENT Patrick Philbin, deputy counsel for the president, said that as long as there was a possibility of a public concern, that "destroys" the House's case. "Once you're into mixed motive land, it's clear that their case fails. There can't possibly be an impeachable offense at all," Philbin said. House managers were not asked to respond to the same question, though Romney had it on his list of questions for Democrats. Questions were to go back and forth between Republicans and Democrats all day, read aloud by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. The sessions come after six days of oral arguments over Trump's impeachment by the House. The Senate is expected to address the question of witnesses on Friday. Republican leaders conveyed optimism Wednesday that they would have the votes to defeat the Democrats' attempt to call witnesses and acquit the president as early as Friday. "The momentum is clearly in the direction of moving to final judgment on Friday," said Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the No. 3 Republican in the Senate. "We still have a couple of members who said they want to listen to answers to questions. But that's where the momentum is." Democrats would need to persuade four Republicans to cross the aisle and vote with them to subpoena witnesses and start a debate over who should testify. Although two Republicans - Romney and Collins - have indicated they are likely to want to hear from Bolton, it is unclear whether there will be two additional GOP votes. Murkowski, a third potential vote for witnesses, met with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday morning but demurred on disclosing her position. "I am not going to be discussing the witness situation right now," she said. "I've got some more questions that I want to get into the mix. So I've been talking with the folks in the cloakroom about what the universe is to see how we can supplement that." Other Republicans are deeply skeptical of opening the door to witnesses, arguing that additional testimony won't change the expected outcome: acquittal of the president. Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., who is facing perhaps the most difficult reelection of any Senate Republican this year, told Colorado Politics that he wouldn't support the vote for witnesses. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., said he was "very, very unlikely" to support the measure, too. ADVERTISEMENT Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., the top Democrat in the Senate, suggested that all Democrats and the two independents that caucus with the party would support the idea of opening the trial to witnesses. But Sen. Joe Manchin III, D-W.Va., broke ranks Wednesday by indicating that he would be open to hearing from Hunter Biden, the son of the former vice president. Republicans have threatened to subpoena Hunter Biden if Democrats insist on calling Bolton. Hunter Biden was on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company that faced corruption allegations while his father was in office. Hunter Biden's position raised conflict-of-interest concerns, but there is no evidence of wrongdoing. Most Democrats say Hunter Biden's testimony would be immaterial to the impeachment. But Manchin disagreed, calling Hunter Biden a relevant witness. "Being afraid to put anybody (on the witness list) who might have pertinent information is wrong, no matter if you're a Democrat or a Republican," Manchin said on MSNBC. At the center of Trump's impeachment was his July 25 phone call with Ukraine's president in which he pressed the foreign leader to announce an investigation into the Bidens. Democrats say that amounts to asking a foreign government to intervene in the 2020 presidential election. Meanwhile on Wednesday, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., disclosed for the first time that on Sept. 23 -not long after Bolton left his White House post - Bolton suggested that Engel's committee look into the recall of former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch. "He strongly implied that something improper had occurred around her removal as our top diplomat in Kyiv," Engel said. The House impeachment inquiry concluded that Yovanovitch was pushed aside because she was viewed as a threat to schemes being planned by Trump loyalists. ADVERTISEMENT The revelation was designed to push back on the idea that Bolton hadn't previously raised questions about Trump's behavior. Engel said he found it important to release the detail now to set the record straight because Trump has "called (Bolton's) credibility into question." Trump tweeted Wednesday that Bolton wrote a "nasty & untrue book. All Classified National Security." There is no official time limit on Wednesday's question-and-answer session, but Roberts suggested to lawyers Tuesday that they should adhere to the model set up by Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist in President Bill Clinton's 1999 impeachment trial of a five-minute limit on answers. If that limit is adhered to and all the time is used, senators could - in theory - ask upward of 150 questions. During the Clinton trial, senators asked about 106 questions, according to the congressional record, and only used about 10 hours over two days. Senators have suggested that they expect to use nearly all of the time this week. Democratic leaders have collected proposed questions from their side to "avoid duplication and pick the ones in sequences that make sense in terms of delivering a message," according to Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill. Republicans discussed their questions at a closed-door meeting Tuesday afternoon. Pointed inquiries are expected from Republicans of the lead impeachment manager, Rep. Adam B. Schiff, D-Calif., including whether he should have pushed harder to get Bolton's testimony during the House investigation. Bolton was asked to testify but was not subpoenaed, with House Democrats arguing that Bolton had made clear he would go to court to fight the subpoena, as one of his close colleagues did. Both Republicans and Democrats have suggested they have questions about Trump's personal attorney, Rudolph W. Giuliani, whose activities in Ukraine were central to the House impeachment. "I want to confirm that Rudy Giuliani was working personally for the president and not on behalf of the United States of America," said Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said he'd like to know why the House never really pursued Giuliani's testimony. When asked Tuesday, several senators refused to reveal their questions in advance or offered vague outlines. Gardner said he would ask about executive "privilege and some other questions that concern constitutional rights." --- (c)2020 Los Angeles Times Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. North Korea has suspended trade with China and its consulates there stopped issuing visas Tuesday amid the rapid spread of coronavirus. Trade with China is virtually the regime's sole economic lifeline, which suggests how desperate it is to prevent the outbreak from spreading through North Korea, which lacks medical facilities and supplies to deal with any epidemic. All cargo traffic from the Chinese border town of Dandong to Sinuiju has been blocked since Tuesday. Radio Free Asia quoted a source in North Pyongan Province as saying the customs checkpoints have not officially closed but are letting no cargo trucks through. A source in the Chinese city of Shenyang told RFA that the North Korean Consulate there put up a notice on Monday that it would not issue visas. Earlier, the regime banned all Chinese tourists and made it mandatory for all foreigners arriving via China to be kept in quarantine for a month and undergo health checks. "The North has a poor epidemic control system that could collapse if its quarantine seals are broken," a former Unification Ministry official here said. The North Korean state media are stressing the need every day to block the spread of the new virus under any circumstances. Every bathroom in Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport now has signs to help human trafficking victims by posting the number of a helpline dedicated to saving such victims. The signage was installed thanks to a partnership between the Junior League of Birmingham and the Birmingham Airport Authority. Besides aiding victims, the signs will also help airport customers identify victims and encourage them to report human trafficking cases. The bathroom is the place where victims usually have their only time alone from their captors, the partnership noted. When I think about the number of human trafficking victims that could potentially pass through this airport, it breaks my heart and compels me to take whatever action I can to help protect our children, said Ronald Mathieu, president and CEO of the Birmingham Airport Authority. We are grateful to partner with the Junior League of Birmingham, as well as local law enforcement, to raise public awareness, identify human trafficking situations and help any victims that may be travelling through the Birmingham airport. We must all work together to confront this crime against humanity and protect our children. Commercial sex is estimated to be a $110 million industry in the Birmingham metropolitan area, according to Doug Gilmer, resident agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations. That figure does not include child sex trafficking or illegal massage parlors. These statistics are absolutely heartbreaking, said Julia Meyers, Anti-Human Trafficking Chair, Junior League of Birmingham. The Junior League cannot stand by and let this happen in our community. We must educate each other on the signs of sex trafficking and learn how to respond when we see something suspicious. We believe that this powerful partnership will be a huge step in directing the public to submit tips to Homeland Security and help put an end to this tragic trade. The signs will be displayed in both English and Spanish and include the number for the Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline: 1-888-3737-888. The hotline can also be reached by texting HELP or INFO to 233733, with tipsters encouraged to include tag numbers and car descriptions in their texts. While the partnership is focused on the airport, businesses with public restrooms can also receive the signs free of charge. The partnership hopes the signage will go up in businesses like gas stations and fast food restaurants. A new section of President Donald Trumps US-Mexico border wall has blown over in high winds, US officials have said. Steel panels from the fence lining the town of Calexico, California were pictured leaning up against a wall of trees on the Mexican side of the border after being knocked down on Wednesday morning. The concrete used to anchor the 30ft panels in place had not yet dried as the US Weather Service reported gusts of around 30mph in the area. It comes a day after Mr Trump boasted at a campaign event in New Jersey that the wall was going up in record speed. A construction crew works on the fallen section of the US-Mexico border wall / AFP via Getty Images The fence is one of the President's key 2016 campaign promises and is part of an effort to stop illegal migration across the 1,954 mile-long US-Mexico border. The high winds had blown the newly installed panels against the trees lining a road in Mexicali, a city on the Mexican side of the border. "Luckily, Mexican authorities responded quickly and were able to divert traffic from the nearby street," US Border Patrol agent Carlos Pitones told the LA Times. President Donald Trump boasted the wall was going up "at record speed" at a campaign rally in New Jersey / Getty Images There was no damage to property or injuries, Mr Pitones said. Pictures and video show construction workers with a crane apparently attempting to fix the fence. When visiting a section of the wall in California last year, Mr Trump described its concrete and steel slats as "virtually impenetrable". TIJUANA, Mexico - The Perla family of El Salvador has slipped into a daily rhythm in Mexico while they wait for the U.S. to decide whether to grant them asylum. A modest home has replaced the tent they lived in at a migrant shelter. Their 7- and 5-year-old boys are in their second year of public school, and their third son is about to celebrate his second birthday in Tijuana. They were among the first migrants sent back to Mexico under a Trump administration policy that dramatically reshaped the scene at the U.S.-Mexico border by returning migrants to Mexico to wait out their U.S. asylum process. The practice initially targeted Central Americans but has expanded to other nationalities, excluding Mexicans, who are exempt. The Homeland Security Department said Wednesday that it started making Brazilians wait in Mexico. Today, a year after the policy began, many other migrants have given up and gone back to the home countries they fled. Others, like the Perlas, became entrenched in Mexican life. The system known as the Migrant Protection Protocols helped change Washingtons relationship with Mexico and made the neighbour a key ally in President Donald Trumps efforts to turn away a surge of asylum seekers. The Perlas are faring better than most of the roughly 60,000 asylum-seekers, many of whom live in fear of being robbed, assaulted, raped or killed. Human Rights First, a group critical of the policy, has documented 816 public reports of violent crimes against those who were returned to Mexico. Late last year, the body of a Salvadoran father of two was found dismembered in Tijuana. A Salvadoran woman was kidnapped into prostitution in Ciudad Juarez. Rapid expansion of the policy was key to a June agreement between the U.S. and Mexico that led Trump to suspend his threat of tariff increases. The Republican president said at the time that Mexico was doing more than Democrats to address illegal immigration. American officials praised President Andres Manuel Lopez Obradors government last week after security forces repelled a caravan of Honduran migrants on Mexicos southern border with Guatemala. Mexico continues to be a true partner in addressing this regional crisis, Mark Morgan, acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said on Twitter. U.S. border authorities say the policy has contributed to a sharp drop in illegal crossings, though legal challenges could modify or even block it. Immigration judges hear cases in San Diego and El Paso, Texas, while other asylum-seekers report to tent courts in the Texas cities of Laredo and Brownsville, where they are connected to judges by video. This month, judges in El Paso began hearing cases of people who were returned to Mexico through Nogales, Arizona, the last major corridor for illegal crossings where the policy hadnt been adopted. This has forced migrants to traverse dangerous sections of Mexico and travel hundreds of miles to make court appearances. Richard Boren, a teacher, accompanied two Guatemalan women and their four children, ages 4 to 16, across an international bridge to their El Paso hearing. The Guatemalans travelled 13 hours by bus from the Arizona border. I was really worried about them, said Boren, 62, who met them after they were returned to Mexico through Arizona and reconnected with them for their first hearing. Of nearly 30,000 cases decided through December, only 187, or fewer than 1%, of asylum-seekers sent back to Mexico won their cases, according to Syracuse Universitys Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. Lack of legal representation helps explain why. Fewer than 5% have lawyers. Juan Carlos Perla, 37, said all five legal-services agencies that U.S. authorities say provide free representation in San Diego declined to represent him. Many attorneys refuse to represent clients in Mexico. The Perlas abandoned their small bakery in El Salvadors capital for Mexico in December 2018, arriving during a small window when the Mexican government issued one-year humanitarian visas with permission to work. The family told U.S. immigration authorities that they could not pay extortion fees to gangs in San Salvador. We were told that if we did not pay the last two months, the next time they would come to our house not to beat us but to kill us, Ruth Aracely Monroy, 26, Perlas partner and mother to their children, told U.S. officials, according to a transcript. We left to save our lives. After bouncing around migrant shelters in Tijuana, they found a rental house for the equivalent of $65 a month an hours drive from downtown, where factories on the citys east side give way to dairy farms and hillsides dotted with olive trees. The older boys walk one block to school in a densely packed neighbourhood of concrete-block homes with satellite dishes on the roofs. Perla is grateful to be in Mexico, but grinding fear about the future has taken its toll on his health. I am the driving force that keeps them from having to suffer from hunger, he says. Monroys sister, brother-in-law and their children fled El Salvador and became neighbours in June. Their first court date was in December in San Diego. Perla earned enough at a factory that makes wood pallets to pay monthly rent with barely a weeks work, but he lost his job when his work permit expired. While he waits on a renewal, he scrapes by as a street vendor. The family appears to face long odds of winning asylum, especially without a lawyer. The grant rate for Salvadoran asylum-seekers is 18%, and cases involving gang violence can be among the most difficult. The family plans to take its chances and if they lose, try to return to Tijuana to live. Their sixth, and possibly final, hearing in San Diego is scheduled for March 26. Mexico has been very kind, Perla said. ___ Associated Press Writer Cedar Attanasio in El Paso, Texas, contributed to this report. Fotis Dulos left a note protesting his innocence over his wife Jennifer's murder before attempting suicide in his home, it has emerged. The 52-year-old died Thursday in Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx after trying to take his own life at his home in Farmington, Connecticut, on Tuesday. Police went to his home after he failed to show up at court for an emergency bond hearing and found Dulos unconscious in his vehicle in his garage after he tried to poison himself with carbon monoxide. They dragged him into the fresh air, performed CPR and rushed him to the hospital, his family from Greece rushed to be by his side. He is accused of murdering his wife Jennifer in May last year and disposing of her body, which has still never been found. Scroll down for video Fotis Dulos was found in his home in Connecticut on Tuesday where he attempted suicide. He was awaiting trial for murdering his wife Jennifer. When his home was searched on Thursday, police found a note claiming his innocence in the murder Emergency workers are shown trying to revive Fotis Dulos at his home in Farmington, Connecticut, on Tuesday Dulos consistently denied having anything to do with her death before trying to kill himself. On Thursday, before he died, police executed another search warrant at his home. While authorities would not comment on what they hoped they would find, many were eager to know whether he had confessed to Jennifer's murder in a note before trying to take his own life. According to The Hartford Courant, they did find a note - but it protested his innocence and not his guilt. Fotis' sister, Rena, who had traveled from Greece to support him throughout his legal woes, is shown outside Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx Rena Dulos speaks with her brother's attorney, Norm Pattis, at the hospital on Thursday Rena previously said she believes her brother is innocent and that he would never have harmed Jennifer 'Not once did I consider he was at risk of suicide,' Attorney Norm Pattis said Tuesday. 'He was held up to the world as a man who murdered his wife... 'I think the weight of it is difficult to bear. I don't think that people who haven't been accused can understand the savageness of the criminal justice system. 'People have a presumption of innocence in this country for a reason and all the folks who harped on Mr Dulos can take some grim satisfaction from today's event. 'My message to each and every one of them is - shame on you.' Dulos and his estranged wife were in the middle of a contentious custody battle and divorce when she vanished in May last year. It took weeks for him to be charged with evidence tampering, along with his then girlfriend Michelle Troconis. It took even longer for him to be charged with her murder. Fotis Dulos is transported into Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx on Tuesday after attempting to kill himself with carbon monoxide poisoning in his garage in Connecticut before a court appearance Cop cars were seen parked outside the mansion in the hours after he tried to take his own life Police said in arrest affidavits that Jennifer was attacked in the garage of her home in New Canaan, Connecticut, after dropping her children off at school for the day. They think her killer then transported her body out of the home in her own car. The car was found abandoned not far from the property later that day, but there was no sign of her. Police then found large pools of her blood in the garage. They also said they had surveillance footage of two people who looked like Dulos and Troconis depositing garbage bags at various locations that night that, when tested later, were found to contain Jennifer's DNA. She had said in divorce papers that she was afraid of him and their children's former nanny said she witnessed him 'chase her through the house' once. Dulos, however, gave interviews protesting his innocence. He said he never harmed her and, at one stage, his attorney suggested Jennifer had killed herself in a Gone Girl style plot to blame it on him. On Tuesday, Dulos was due in court for a bond hearing which could have sent him back to jail. The company which insured his $6million bond wanted to renege on it and it was uncertain who would put up the cash. Bail bondsman Ira Judelson, a celebrity favorite, offered to step in but before the issue even got to court, Dulos attempted suicide. Another Chinese tourist has been diagnosed with coronavirus, taking the total number of cases in Australia to nine. A 42-year-old woman who flew into the country on a Tigerair flight TT56 on Monday was confirmed to be infected in the Gold Coast on Thursday evening. She was travelling with a 44-year-old man who has already been confirmed as having the killer virus. Their companions - who include children - are being tested. At least four of them, including the children, are among those showing symptoms of the virus. The group were staying at a hotel in Broadbeach. The development came just hours after a woman in her 40s, from China's Hubei province - the epicentre of coronavirus - was found to have the virus in Melbourne. People wearing face masks walk by Flinders Street Station after cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in Melbourne on Wednesday Nine cases in Australia have been confirmed - four in NSW, three in Victoria and two in Queensland She went to a GP and was referred to hospital, where tests later found that she had contracted the virus. She has been in Australia for about a week and had reportedly been showing symptoms for two or three days. The woman is now being treated in isolation at Royal Melbourne Hospital. The total number of Australian cases is now nine, with three of those in Victoria, four in New South Wales and two in Queensland. Two other Australians have been infected in China. Meanwhile, concerns are growing over a Tiger Airlines domestic flight which an infected man boarded last week. Authorities are seeking to track down other passengers on board Flight TT566 from Melbourne to the Gold Coast, on January 27. The other infected man to fall ill from the Gold Coast was from Wuhan - the Chinese city at the epicentre of the virus outbreak - and flew in to Melbourne via Singapore on January 22. He developed symptoms on the flight, which was carrying about 150-200 passengers. He spent five days in the city before flying north to the Gold Coast, where he became increasingly unwell at his accommodation and called an ambulance. He was travelling with eight other tourists, four of whom have fallen ill and are being tested for the virus. Australian authorities are trying to track down everyone who was on board a Tiger Airways flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on January 27, as an infected man was a passenger Mr Joyce said it was too early to say what impact the coronavirus outbreak might have on the carrier's business (people leaving arrivals terminal at Sydney International Airport) China Eastern Airlines cabin wear a protective face masks at Brisbane International Airport He is in isolation in hospital. Tiger Airways says it's in the process of contacting affected passengers and crew members, and would direct them to see their doctors. Anyone who was on the flight has also been urged to call Queensland Health to ensure they take the safest and most appropriate action. A total of 167 flights that can carry 48,999 people are landing in Australia from mainland China per week as coronavirus spreads around the world. 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 Based on those figures, as many as 342,993 people may have entered Australia from China since the deadly virus was first detected in Wuhan seven weeks ago. On Thursday, major airlines suspended or reduced services to China including British Airways, Lufthansa, American Airlines, KLM, and United. But the airlines that fly from China to Australia - including eight Chinese airlines and Qantas - made no changes to their routes, except for China Eastern cancelling its flight from Wuhan to Sydney last week. The flights include 62 planes from Guangzhou, 42 from Shanghai and 18 from Beijing per week, with direct routes to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Darwin. On Wednesday, Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said the airline was considering scrapping its Sydney to Beijing route due to low demand. The airline had already announced plans to axe that service from March, but Mr Joyce suggested that could happen sooner. He also said it was too early to say what impact the coronavirus outbreak might have on the carrier's business. He said the most similar comparison to coronavirus was the 2003 SARS epidemic in 2003, which cost the airline $55 million in lost earnings over a six to eight-month period and led it to cut some international capacity. Meanwhile, in New South Wales, authorities fear as many as 16 other Australians in New South Wales may have contracted the disease. Four people there have been diagnosed with the disease, and three in Victoria. Some 170 people have died from the virus in mainland China and more than 7,000 have been infected worldwide People are seen leaving the arrivals terminal at Sydney International airport on January 29, 2020 The Federal government is planning to quarantine Australians evacuated from Wuhan on isolated Christmas Island. The disease, which has killed at least 162 people around the world, is believed to have come from Wuhan, a city of 11 million people. The virus is believed to have spread from the Huanan Wholesale Seafood Market. Such 'wet' markets sell meat and seafood alongside live animals such as dogs, rats, snakes, civets and supposedly koalas. The proximity of people to live and dead animals makes it easy for humans to contract viruses. The SARS virus which broke out in 2003 also likely started in wet markets. SARS was originally hosted by bats which infected other animals. Those animals transmitted SARS to humans. By Andy Mukherjee When Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his second term in May, Id hoped for a reset of his governments fraught relationship with domestic business and global capital. Eight months later, the stalemates have only multiplied, while the worlds view of the country under his watch has dimmed. Growth has collapsed. The annual budget on Feb. 1 will present another opportunity for course correction. But if the previous budget in July it is presented late in election years is any guide, truth and honesty may rank way below expediency and bravado. Theres no shortage of ideas to fix the economy, provided New Delhi accepts that its facing a crisis. The last budget would have been the right time to press the panic button. However, the newly re-elected government tried to whitewash its funding crunch with outlandish forecasts of tax collection that have fallen badly short. Doubling down on those rosy predictions with an off-budget corporate tax cut cheered the stock markets but worsened the governments revenue shortfall and did nothing for an economy-wide insufficiency of demand. Nominal gross domestic product growth of 7.5% is the slowest in more than four decades. Virtually every industry, from banking and auto to real estate, power and telecom is in disarray. The fiscal space available to fight the slowdown is limited. Broader society, grappling with a multiyear drought in investment and jobs, has been swept up in the frenzy of Modi 2.0s non-economic agenda. Indias 200 million Muslims fear that the Hindu-majority nation is weakening the protections of its secular constitution. Mass protests have erupted against a project that might require 1.3 billion people to furnish documents to prove citizenship. The end result could be discriminatory along religious lines, hurt the undocumented poor, or both. Microsoft Corp.s Indian-born chief executive, Satya Nadella, has expressed his disappointment and financier George Soros has rebuked the government. When Amazon.com Inc. boss Jeff Bezos visited recently to promise more investment, an official from Modis party snubbed the Washington Post owner over the newspapers criticism of the countrys policies. India is doing some things right. Modi has restarted a privatization program thats been dead for nearly two decades: A white elephant like Air India Ltd. may finally cease being a burden on the taxpayer. Legislation to make layoffs easier so that private firms will undertake labor-intensive work is also welcome, though the likes of Bangladesh and Vietnam have already stolen a march in textiles and electronics. To reclaim the economic goals obscured by a fog of political nationalism, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has to acknowledge that the fiscal deficit of the federal government is around 4.5% to 5% of GDP nowhere close to the 3.3% target for the financial year ending March 31. Theres little chance of that happening. The 2017 goods and services tax has flopped, pushing New Delhi to incur more liabilities outside the budget, for instance by dipping into peoples post-office savings for food subsidies. Without accepting that the GST needs an overhaul, a fair share wont reach Indias states and into the hands of people who can spend it. But fixing the GST isnt something that can be done in the budget. It will require a buy-in from states that are being starved of resources. With many of Indias state governments virulently opposed to what they see as Home Minister Amit Shahs agenda of turning India into a Hindu nation, its unclear if a coordinated effort to stabilize the rudderless economy is politically feasible. Equity markets may be chuffed if Finance Minister Sitharaman does away with a tax on long-term capital gains, though I would be more keen to see a bold recapitalization of the broken shadow banking system. An Indian version of the US Troubled Asset Relief Program, which floated the American economy through the 2008 financial crisis, is needed. As for generating resources in a weak economy, a push to include Indian government debt in global indexes is a good idea, but foreigners will demand even more transparency than local investors. Telling them that the governments debt-to-GDP ratio, currently 46%, will perhaps miss the 40% target set for March 2025 by as many as five years could push borrowing costs higher, and nudge the rupee lower. A safer choice would be to acknowledge an annual fiscal slippage of, say, 0.5 percentage point to 3.8% of GDP for a couple of years and finance the additional budget deficit with money printed by the central bank. That, I suspect, is Indias current ceiling on truth-telling. Ukraine-EU trade estimated at US$42 bln in Jan-Nov 2019 trade envoy 16:07, 30.01.20 803 Europe is now a key market for Ukrainian exports, the official says. Backgrounder: Key points of Trump's Middle East peace plan People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 19:17, January 29, 2020 WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday presented his long-awaited Middle East peace plan, calling for a two-state solution while recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's "undivided capital." The White House released a statement, title "Peace to prosperity: a vision to improve the lives of the Palestinian and Israeli people," after Trump finished his televised speech outlining his Middle East plan. The following are some key points of the plan. "KEEP JERUSALEM UNITED" Located in the heart of the Middle East, Jerusalem is the holy city for three major religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. According to UN General Assembly Resolution 181 adopted in 1947, Jerusalem should be run by the United Nations as an internationalized city, while both Israelis and Palestinians see Jerusalem as their capital. In Trump's proposal, Jerusalem will be recognized as Israel's "undivided capital," adding that the plan is to "keep Jerusalem united." Trump said Palestine's capital should be in "East Jerusalem" located in all areas east and north of the existing security barrier, including Kafr Aqab, the eastern part of Shuafat and Abu Dis. In 2017, Trump announced his official recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and decided to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city. So far, most countries with diplomatic relations with Isreal have kept their embassies in Tel Aviv. TWO STATES In the 80-page vision, the United States designed a map setting out borders for a "realistic" two-state solution, said Trump at the White House alongside visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump promised to double Palestinian-controlled territory and proposed a four-year freeze of Israeli development in the area expected to be part of a Palestinian state. The plan said that a future Palestinian state would benefit from "state-of-the-art infrastructure," including a high-speed transportation link that connects the West Bank and Gaza over Israeli territory. Under the proposed plan, Palestine would have "special access" to two Israeli ports in the future, while Israeli enclaves located inside contiguous Palestinian territory would become part of the State of Israel, and the Jordan Valley would be under Israeli sovereignty. The Jordan Valley, making up some 20 percent of the West Bank, was seized by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war and controlled ever since despite international criticism. In November 2019, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the U.S. government will no longer consider Israel's West Bank settlements "inconsistent" with the international law. Most of the international community, including the United Nations, said the settlements are illegal. PALESTINIAN REFUGEES The Israeli-Arab wars left over 1 million Palestinians homeless. According to UN General Assembly Resolution 194 adopted in 1948, Palestinian refugees are entitled to return to their homeland. However, Israel insists the refugees stay where they are as their return may greatly change regional demographics and create security concerns. Under the plan, "there shall be no right of return by, or absorption of, any Palestinian refugee into the State of Israel." Rather, the refugees would be absorbed into the State of Palestine or integrated into their current host countries. Up to 5,000 Palestinians would be accepted by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation member countries who agree to participate in Palestinian refugee resettlements, said the plan, adding that a fund would be raised to provide some compensation to Palestinian refugees. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - New York state has set some of the nation's most ambitious goals on fighting climate change, but some activists say it isn't moving fast enough. Lawmakers holding budget hearings this week faced protests from environmental and left-leaning groups who criticized the lack of new solar and wind projects breaking ground in the state. This year, the governor has proposed borrowing $3 billion for flood protection projects, wildlife habitat restoration, and construction of small renewable energy systems. Still, the state has a long way to go to reach its environmental goals. YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. The ministry of emergency situations informs that on January 30, as of 08:00, some roads are difficult to pass in Armenia. The ministry told Armenpress that Vardenyats Pass and Sotk-Karvachar highway are difficult to pass for all types of vehicles. The Georgian side informed that the Stepantsminda-Lars highway is open for all types of vehicles. Drivers are urged to use winter tires. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan NORTH WALES Five local residents have stepped up to serve on a new borough board they hope is never needed. Residents Patti Armstrong, Collette DAngelo, Tim Clarke, Johanna Owings and Moira Blacksmith were each nominated to the newly established borough Human Relations Commission. Thank you very much. We appreciate your stepping forward, said council President Jim Sando. Started in May 2019 council discussed whether to adopt a local nondiscrimination ordinance modeled after one passed the year before in Lansdale, setting up a local commission to field and act on complaints about discrimination against local residents, business customers or visitors, with rulings that could be appealed into the court system. Talks continued throughout the summer of 2019 when the town heard from a member of Governor Tom Wolfs LGBTQ Affairs Commission, refined their new proposed code through August, and formally adopted it last October, with a call for volunteers issued soon after. Sando and borough Manager Christine Hart announced Tuesday that five letters of interest were received, and all five were then appointed unanimously by council: DAngelo to a one-year term running through 2020, Clarke and Owings through 2021, and Armstrong and Blacksmith through 2022, with all terms to become the full three years after the initial appointments. The term will become a three-year term the second time its voted on, Sando said. Blacksmith could not attend Tuesday nights council meeting due to an illness, but the other four introduced themselves and described their backgrounds for the board. DAngelo said she has worked in the mental health field for the past sixteen years, currently as the director of a program helping those in need. Im very passionate about helping people who are discriminated against, have a voice, have a say, in their life and in their community. This brings me joy, to be a part of this committee, she said. Clarke said he has worked at Muhlenberg College for the past ten years, and currently serves as a member of their cultural advisory board. Ive been trained in inter-group dialog, and how to form and run affinity groups, and Im looking forward to taking direction, receiving the training, and doing what I can to be helpful, he said. Owings said shes been a borough resident for ten years and currently works as a family doctor with a federally qualified health care center in Norristown. I pretty much directly deal with a lot of immigrant populations, and refugees, on a daily basis. On most days I pretty much feel more like a social worker, she said, and had done numerous medical mission trips overseas before having two children: Now I dont get to travel a lot, but Im glad to do something in my own community. Hopefully we dont need it. Armstrong has lived in North Wales for 24 years, the past 22 of which she has worked in the field of human resources, and said shes currently a senior HR manager and preparing for a work-related trip to North Carolina for further HR training. Ive got an extensive background in dealing with employee relations, discrimination claims, harassment; in fact, Im flying to our Greensboro office in two weeks to do sensitivity training for the office, she said. All five members were appointed unanimously by council, and Armstrong joked that she, Clarke and DAngelo already have one thing in common: living on different blocks of Prospect Avenue. I guess I know where were having the meetings then, Sando joked. Members of the state Human Relations Commission in Harrisburg have been in contact with the borough, Sando said, and will likely visit the town in the coming weeks to set up training and share any needed information with the new members. North Wales borough council next meets at 7 p.m. on Feb. 11 at the borough municipal building, 300 School St. For more information visit www.NorthWalesBorough.org. Thirty-three people of five different nationalities have been in quarantine at a hospital in the south-central Vietnamese province of Khanh Hoa over suspected infection of the novel coronavirus (nCoV), with roughly a third of them discharged by Thursday, according to the provincial health authorities. The Khanh Hoa Department of Health said that the 33 people isolated at Khanh Hoa Hospital for Tropical Diseases include 15 Chinese nationals, 15 Vietnamese, one Russian, one Filipino, and one South Korean. Among the 33 cases, 31 people have been quarantined since Monday or earlier, while a Chinese and a South Korean have been monitored since Tuesday. As of Wednesday afternoon, test results from the Pasteur Institute of Nha Trang, the capital city of Khanh Hoa, showed that ten people among the 33 cases are negative. Two other patients suffered from a flu caused by two old strains of the coronavirus, which are different from the new one responsible for the ongoing outbreak in China. Nine other cases were infected with four seasonal influenza viruses. The 12 remaining patients were still waiting for their test results by the end of Wednesday. On Thursday morning, the health department of Khanh Hoa said that only ten patients remained in quarantine at Khanh Hoa Hospital for Tropical Diseases, including six Chinese and four Vietnamese. Vietnam is among many countries with confirmed infected cases after a pneumonia outbreak, caused by nCoV - a new strain of the coronavirus family that also caused SARS and MERS, first surfaced in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019. The coronavirus epidemic has killed 170 people in China and infected more than 7,800 globally as of Thursday morning, according to Reuters. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The official said she had received no relevant signals from Putin. Ukraine and Russia have not reached new arrangements for the exchange of held persons, according to Russian Ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova. The official says she is unaware of any new information confirming such exchange agreements, TASS reports. "As practice shows, work on the exchange of citizens between the two states starts from the arrangement between the two presidents. I'm not aware of such an arrangement. I only heard statements by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, while no signals have been sent yet from the other side," Moskalkova said. Read alsoUkraine to take back all its citizens from Russian captivity envoy to TCG Earlier, UNIAN reported that, according to Ukraine's envoy to the political subgroup of the Trilateral Contact Group for Donbas settlement in Minsk, Oleksiy Reznikov, Ukraine intends to secure the release of Ukrainian prisoners being held in occupied Donbas and Crimea, as well as in the Russian Federation. "Were thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Czech Airlines," said Mike Stacy, CEO of ID90 Travel. "Their employees will get an easy-to-use, highly rated mobile app and website that fully automates shopping for and booking air travel." ID90 Travel, the global travel solutions leader thats revolutionizing the way airline employees across the world plan and book non-revenue travel, recently entered a multi-year agreement and launched their tools with Czech Airlines. The airlines employees will benefit from a proprietary, consumer-grade web and mobile app solution for all their leisure and corporate staff travel needs. The European carrier joins Hawaiian Air, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Aeroflot and dozens of other carriers who have chosen ID90 Travel to automate their staff travel. ID90 Travel has become the one-stop travel site and mobile app for more than 800,000 airline employees. Friends and family of airline employees, as well as airline retirees who travel worldwide on non-revenue tickets also use ID90 Travel to shop, compare, list and book all of their travel. We wanted to ensure that our employees have the best possible non-rev and corporate travel experience, said Ivana Vostra of Czech Airlines. ID90 Travels proven solutions will help our employees make the most of their travel privileges. "Were thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Czech Airlines and look forward to integrating our full range of products. Their employees will get an easy-to-use, highly rated mobile app and website that fully automates shopping for and booking air travel. Theyll also get deeply discounted rates for hotels, resorts, cars, cruises, and travel insurance, plus gold standard customer care, said Mike Stacy, CEO of ID90 Travel. Features of the ID90 Travel integrated solution are: Airline-Employee Online and Interline Ticketing: Partner airline employees can easily shop, list and/or book non-rev and discounted flight travel on their airline and on partner airlines. COBUS Ticketing: Automate online and interline duty travel and corporate travel with complete control and flexibility over eligibility, rules, roles, and authorizations. Listing Platform: Employees from any airline can search, view loads, and submit a listing request directly into the ID90 Travel interface. Airline-Employee Hotel Pricing: Search and book from among close to 1 million hotels, resorts and vacation rentals around the world with exclusive discounts of up to 70% off prices youd find on popular consumer travel sites. Discounted Cruises: Get some of the best interline cruise deals exclusive to airline employees on cruise lines like Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Celebrity and others. Destination Activities: Choose from ready-made itineraries of 30,000 things to do and see across the globe. Airline-Employee Travel Insurance: Purchase low cost trip-interruption insurance and be covered for out-of-pocket expenses that come with being stuck in a destination. Gold Standard Customer Care: Airline employees get quick answers to their questions with 24/7 multi-lingual customer service support. All-in-One Mobile App: Everything comes together in a fast, easy-to-use mobile booking app. Learn more about ID90 Travel here: https://www.id90travel.com/ About Czech Airlines Established in 1923, Czech Airlines is a modern European airline providing friendly and flexible services based on adherence to safety and high quality using their vast experience and long tradition. Czech Airlines is one of the five oldest airlines in the world, a founding member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and a member of a global alliance of air carriers, the SkyTeam Alliance. About ID90 Travel ID90 Travel provides airlines around the globe a SaaS platform that automates and reduces costs associated with airline employee travel programs. It is a one-stop, comprehensive solution for airlines' employee travel needs. With more than 1 million airline segments booked annually, ID90 Travel provides Online and Interline ticketing for employees to fly for leisure or company business on their own carrier or partner airlines. In addition, with more than 130,000 international hotels in inventory, and the largest selection of rental cars and cruise lines available to non-revenue travelers, ID90 Travel is the first company in the airline industry to provide employee pass-travel programs with the ability to seamlessly book discounted hotels, rental cars and cruises. ID90 Travel also offers a trip insurance policy tailored to the needs of these travelers. ID90 Travel clients include some of the largest carriers in the world, including United Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Spirit, and Aeroflot, to name a few. For more information, visit http://www.ID90travel.com. Media Contact: Taylor L. Cole, APR taylorlcole@gmail.com or 972.333.4343 @TravelwithTLC How can you put into words the depths of horror that were brought about at Auschwitz, Buchenwald, Bergen-Belsen, Dachau? Simply put, you cant. And the list goes on. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/1/2020 (713 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion How can you put into words the depths of horror that were brought about at Auschwitz, Buchenwald, Bergen-Belsen, Dachau? Simply put, you cant. And the list goes on. Monday marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, as religious leaders, politicians, families and survivors spoke out, vowing to never forget the atrocities and to work to prevent such horrors from happening again. Yet for many of us who have observed what has been happening south of the border since 2017, with brown-skinned children trapped in cages at detention camps, separated from their families and housed in squalor, it seems like perhaps the lessons of history have not been fully absorbed. In keeping with his 2016 election promises, U.S. President Donald Trump implemented family separation as an aspect of his immigration policy to deter illegal immigration. Beginning in 2017, federal authorities separated children from their parents or guardians when they attempted to enter the U.S. at the Mexican border. The parents were moved to federal jails, and the children have been housed in immigration camps under the supervision of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. When news of the situation started to break, showing images of wire cages in which small children were taking care of smaller children, some observers made the comparison to Nazi concentration camps a criticism others suggested went too far, particularly supporters of Trump who were quick to point out that former president Barack Obama also engaged in family separation policies as part of his immigration program. In Canada, its hard to understand how our government, which has taken it on the chin for its dealings with Saudi Arabia and that countrys dodgy human-rights record, continues to allow the U.S. to get away with such terrible behaviour. Recall that an international trade dispute between Canada and Saudi Arabia escalated in 2019 after the Liberal government denounced the Saudis for human-rights abuses. In 2018, Canada, the U.K. and Mexico, among others, rebuked Trump for the family-separation policy. The practice was supposed to have stopped in the summer of 2018, but reports suggest it continues according to government records, more than 1,100 children were taken from their parents in December 2019, bringing the estimated total to more than 6,000. And that number might be low, because record-keeping is inconsistent. Its now thought it may be difficult to reunite some of these children with their families because no one knows who their parents are. According to the U.S. government, the separations now occur only when the parent has a criminal history or is considered unfit. However, the American Civil Liberties Union says this is still a violation of the rights of children and families. Moreover, the decisions are being made by border patrol officers who are untrained to make those determinations, and the decisions are based on brief interactions. Despite this, Canada has said little since 2018 to confront the U.S. on its policy, and now the idea of children in cages has become old news. Theyre still there, but weve moved on to other things and so, it seems, have the governments. Last Monday, parliamentarians returned to work in the House of Commons, with Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland calling for bipartisan co-operation to ensure the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade deal is passed without unnecessary delays. The deal has gone to the Standing Committee on International Trade for scrutiny. But how can this country work out a deal on a new trade agreement with a government that has been accused of violating international laws against another signatory in the deal? To remain silent on this issue seems obscene, particularly given the anniversary that has just been commemorated. Canada also has its own record to consider. The Canadian government has also detained immigrant children according to Human Rights Watch, 227 were detained in the immigration facility in Toronto between 2011 and 2015; public outcry resulted in a directive from Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale ordering Canada Border Services Agency officers to avoid separating families and to keep kids out of detention in all possible circumstances. 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. That may be one reason why Canada has been guarded in its remarks about the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border. Look, the free-trade deal is great for our economy. And anyone whos paid any attention knows that Freeland had to do all sorts of diplomatic manoeuvring to get it to this stage. But, it would still be nice to see just one member of parliament give notice that theyre uncomfortable signing a trade deal with a partner that continues to keep brown-skinned kids in cages. Just one MP has to say that they think human dignity is worth more than the economy. Someone must remember that what we stood up for last Monday still means something on this Thursday morning. Shannon Sampert is a retired political scientist and is now a communications consultant with her company Media Diva. S.sampert@uwinnipeg.ca Twitter: @paulysigh CAIRO - Losses from the closures of Libyas major oil fields and production facilities have continued to increase, surpassing $560 million for a 10-day period, the countrys national oil company said. The closures came about when powerful tribal groups loyal to Libyan military commander Khalifa Hifter earlier this month seized several large export terminals along Libyas eastern coast, as well as southern oil fields. Hifters forces, which control the eastern and much of the southern part of the country, launched an offensive in April to capture Libyas capital, Tripoli, from the U.N.-supported but weak government based there. Since the 2011 ouster and killing of dictator Moammar Gadhafi, Libya has sunk further into turmoil and is divided between rival governments based in its east and west, each supported by various armed militias and foreign backers. Hifter is loyal to the east-based administration. In a statement late Wednesday, the National Oil Corporation, which dominates Libyas critical oil industry, said the losses were recorded for the 10-day period ending Tuesday. The NOC, which put the daily losses at nearly $60 million, posted on its Facebook page an appeal to end the illegal closures and to allow the corporation to resume production immediately. The company on Jan. 18 declared a force majeure, which means its unable to fulfil international contracts due to sudden and disruptive events. The daily production has since then fallen from 1.2 million barrels a day to nearly 288,200 on Tuesday, according to the statement. At the same time, the NOC offered assurances to residents in central and eastern Libya that there was still sufficient fuel in storage, though it warned that warehouses in the countrys western and southern provinces were running short. Oil, the lifeline of Libyas economy, has long been a key factor in the civil war, as rival authorities jostle for control of oil fields and state revenue. Libya has the ninth largest known oil reserves in the world and the biggest oil reserves in Africa. The closure of the oil facilities was seen as part of Hifters efforts to capture Tripoli and punish his adversaries there for sealing security and maritime agreements with Turkey, opening doors for unlimited military support from Ankara. The shutdowns also come against the backdrop of a crumbling cease-fire mediated by world leaders in Berlin earlier this month. U.N. envoy for Libya Ghassan Salame told the U.N. Security Council on Thursday the economy in Libya is becoming increasingly unstable due to the conflict. He said the fragmentation of institutions and inability of the rival governments to enact a unified economic policy is exacerbating existing challenges and creating new ones. ___ Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer in New York contributed to this report. AP Senators including three key Republicans began peppering House Democrats and Donald Trump's legal team with question in his impeachment trial about the president's motives towards Ukraine and the bar the prosecution's case must clear to remove him from office. The three GOP politicians, who will have a major say in the shape of the trial, after another day of questioning showed some of their cards right off the bat, with one of Mr Trump's attorneys telling them the premise of their query should lead them to acquit the president. Democratic senators need four Republicans to vote with them to force votes on witnesses, with Maine's Susan Collins, Alaska's Lisa Murkowski and Utah's Mitt Romney on the list of GOP members who have yet to signal their plans. They got the question-and-answer period, which could last 18 hours over two days, off to a quick start. Ms Collins read a joint question aloud, the first time a senator not named Mitch McConnell or Chuck Schumer the majority and minority leaders had spoken into a microphone inside the chamber in over a week. She asked the president's counsel whether, if Mr Trump had more than one motive in his actions towards Ukraine, could he be convicted? The crux of the inquiry was this: If part of his motive was acting in the interests of the United States and/or over worries about giving American monies to a corrupt government, should senators vote to acquit on the abuse of power article? About such a "mixed motive," Patrick Philbin, deputy White House counsel, replied one "couldn't possibly be the basis for an impeachable offence". He pointed to a House Democratic-prepared report about its impeachment inquiry, saying the Judiciary Committee Democrats established a standard for their case for themselves in which they had to prove Mr Trump was asking Ukraine's government to announce a "sham" probe of the Bidens and there was "not a scintilla" of evidence "to look into" about then-Vice President Joe Biden and son Hunter Biden's business dealings there. Story continues "That's a very demanding standard they've set themselves to meet," Mr Philbin said, noting Obama administration officials raised concerns about Joe Biden's anti-corruption work in Ukraine while his son sat on the board of an under-investigation energy firm there. "And that means their case absolutely fails." Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican who once harshly clashed with Mr Trump, asked the president's legal team if it matters whether Mr Trump was after a quid pro quo with Ukraine. Alan Dershowitz, a celebrity Harvard University professor working on Mr Trump's legal team, replied again, defying many in his own profession that such an action by a president only would be impeachable if the quid pro itself contained an illegal action. "If the president does something, in the public interest, that he thinks might help him get elected," Mr Dershowtiz told senators, the action would not be unlawful or meet the Constitution's impeachment standard. Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn and a handful of other Republicans asked Mr Trump's team about whether the standard for impeachment by the House is lower than that senators should use when considering whether to convict and remove a sitting commander in chief. Mr Philbin fielded the question, saying the Senate has a higher standard to consider than the House, returning to the defence team's week-long argument that Mr Trump committed no crimes. That means he cannot be impeached, he said, because the Constitution links impeachment to criminal actions. It is unclear if that argument, however, will sway any Democrats to vote with Republicans for an acquittal because their legal theory has been debunked by many legal scholars. The first day of questioning began with a cloud hanging over the proceeding: Will four GOP senators join Democrats later this week on whether to call witnesses, setting up a longer trial than Mr Trump would like and a possible legal battle. Mr Schumer told reporters, minutes before the trial resumed, that he is "hopeful" he can pick off four Republicans but he said he views the task still as an "uphill fight". Not showing his cards, he merely described his side as "still in the ballpark" on calling witnesses. The New York Democrat denied Republican warnings that bringing in witnesses would drag the trial on for months especially if the question of whether Mr Trump can invoke executive privilege to block testimony heads to the courts. "I understand the pressure my Republican colleagues are under to wrap this up quickly because President Trump demands it," Mr Schumer said. "We could settle any questions of executive privilege right on the Senate floor. So we are not talking about a lengthy delay here. ... It could be reviewed expeditiously." Read more Trump accused of trying to silence Bolton with threatening letter Donald Trump Jr to speak at worlds largest trophy hunt convention Three things to watch as Trump impeachment enters 'no one knows' zone 'President knew everything' Parnas says in surprise Capitol visit Theres nothing pro-Israel about Trumps peace plan Black and Latino children, particularly from low-income families, could lose crucial services, unless something is done to rectify their long-standing undercount in the U.S. Census. In the 2010 Census, nearly two million children (approximately 4.6%) ages 0-5 were undercounted or miscounted, and one million were not counted at all, according to Mayra Alvarez, president of The Childrens Partnership, a statewide policy and advocacy organization focused on child health and wellbeing. Counting children translates to more funding for key programs, including Medicaid, CHIP (Childrens Health Insurance Program), foster care, adoption assistance, and child care, indicates Alvarez and other child advocates. This year, they have partnered with ethnic media to help raise awareness about how children ages zero to four can be easily undercounted, solutions, and why all children must be counted in Census 2020. ADVERTISEMENT When you think about the impact on funding distribution, on political representation, missing a million young kids that are disproportionately kids of color, makes a big difference when it translates into those dollars, said Alvarez during a recent presentation to the Los Angeles Census Ethnic Media Table. Counting children when the Census starts on April 1 also means better planning for school sizes, health facilities, and a more equitable distribution of funds. In reality, an undercounting could cost California more than $3 billion in federally funded programs, said Alvarez in her January 16 presentation to ethnic media at Asian Americans Advancing Justice L.A. Because the Census Count occurs every 10 years, children could miss out on many resources for a big chunk of their childhoods, if they are not counted. Some of those most at risk of being missed include children who are isolated due to language barriers, who live in renter-occupied housing and multi-unit structures, and newborns, for instance. A million children were not counted, but the rates are double for kids of color Black or Latino kids than for White children, said Alvarez. According to research, young children were missed due to different types of errors, such as the housing unit was missed, entire household or part of the household, or just the child was missed. Whole-household errors were more common for biological and adopted children, while partial-household errors were more common for grandchildren, other relatives, and non-relatives of the householder. They may have been missed along with their young mothers, and, participants made errors such as counting children who were not related to the householder or who were relatives other than biological and adopted children, according to Census Research research of the 2010 count. The key thing for parents and guardians to know is they can fill out the Census on their own schedule, and it only takes about 10 minutes to complete, said Alvarez. In addition, the Census Count data collected private and cannot be shared, immigrants rights activists point out. They emphasize the Census Bureau has very strict, confidential protection laws that prohibit all inter-agency information sharing, meaning it cannot disclose a persons name, immigration status, or other information. Much of our work is driven from the idea that in order to have an equitable California for all kids, we really should focus on our most marginalized communities, mainly children of color, low income children of color. Parents should know that the number of young kids in the Census that are missed, is large, its growing and the consequences are serious, said Alvarez. Mayra Alvarez, President of The Childrens Partnership, shows statistics graph and explains why counting children of color, particularly Blacks and Latinos, during Census 2020 is crucial. (Photos by Charlene Muhammad) Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 30, 2020) - Silk Energy Limited (CSE: SILK) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed two tranches of its previously announced private placement offering of convertible debentures (the "Convertible Debentures"). To correct and clarify the Company's news release of December 11, 2019, the Offering of Convertible Debentures is additional to, and separate from, the Company's ongoing offering of up to $2,000,000 of units. The Company intends to raise up to USD $2 million from the issuance of Convertible Debentures and closed an initial tranche for gross proceeds of USD $800,000 on December 17, 2019. The Company closed the second tranche raising gross proceeds of USD $200,000 on January 27, 2020. The Convertible Debentures bear interest at a rate of 8% per annum, have a term of 15 months from the date of issue, and are convertible into units ("Units") at a conversion price of $0.15 per Unit for a period of the later of 90 days following the issuance of the Convertible Debentures and 60 days from recommencement of trading of the Company's common shares (should the Company fulfill the CSE's criteria for listing). Each Unit will consist of one (1) common share and one-half (1/2) of a common share purchase warrant. Each whole warrant (each a "Warrant") will be exercisable to acquire one common share of the Company at a price of $0.21 for a period of eighteen months from the date of issuance of the Convertible Debenture. Net proceeds of the offering will be used for general corporate and working capital purposes, including the payment of a USD $1 million fee to KazMunayGas which is a prerequisite to obtaining the Kazakh government's approval of the Company's acquisition of UnionField. The completion of the acquisition of UnionField is one of the conditions precedent to the Company's obtaining approval to list on the Canadian Securities Exchange Securities issued pursuant to the offering are subject to a statutory hold period lasting four (4) months and a day after the issuance of the securities. Debt Settlement/Issue of Shares The Company's board of directors also authorized the issue of common shares to settle certain debts owed to a former auditor of the Company and an arm's length consulting firm. The Company settled the amount of CAD $25,990 owed to the former auditor by payment of CAD $13,000 in cash, and the issuance of 65,000 common shares at the deemed price of $0.20 per share. The Company further settled the amount CAD $75,000 owed to the arm's length consulting firm by payment of CAD$25,000 in cash and the issuance of 250,000 common shares at the deemed price of $0.20 per share. Conditional Approval for Listing The Company received a conditional approval letter from the CSE on December 9, 2019. The Company will be listed on the CSE subject to the conditions enumerated in this letter. For further information, please contact Steve Kappella, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, at info@silk-energy.com. The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward Looking Information This press release contains forward-looking statements based on assumptions, uncertainties and management's best estimates of future events. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Company's application for listing on the CSE, completion of the acquisition of UnionField, and the Kazakh approval associated therewith, the Company's oil and gas exploration activities in Kazakhstan and its proposed financing activities. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the Company's inability to obtain financing on reasonable terms, or at all, the Company's inability to satisfy the CSE's listing conditions, or not obtaining the required government approval and permitting for exploration activities in Kazakhstan. The Company has no intention to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/51984 Masks are part of the medical equipment stored in the National Strategic Stockpile, which is distributed in government-controlled warehouses around the country. But experts said they did not know how many were in storage or how long the supply was projected to last in an epidemic. Government MISSOULA BOARD of County Commissioners, 2 p.m., Sophie Moiese Room, Courthouse Annex, 200 W. Broadway. Public events YOGA FOR PARKINSON'S (caregivers welcome), 10 a.m., $5, Red Willow, 825 W. Kent St. Call 531-7110. MISSOULA PUBLIC LIBRARY, 301 E. Main St., 721-2665 or missoulapubliclibrary.org: open hours in the Makerspace, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and 2-6 p.m.; Tiny Tales for ages 0-3, 10:30 a.m.; Lego Club for ages 12 and under, 3:30 p.m.; Frenchtown family movie night, 6 p.m. NORTH VALLEY PUBLIC LIBRARY, Stevensville, 777-5061: Art Club, 4 p.m. BITTERROOT PUBLIC LIBRARY, Hamilton. 363-1670: Book Club discusses "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann, noon; documentary and narrative film "The Last Animals," an examination of the genocide of African elephants and rhinos, 7 p.m. Organizations MISSOULA SENIOR CITIZEN'S CENTER, 705 S. Higgins Ave., 543-7154, missoulaseniorcenter.org: yoga, 9 a.m., $5; lunch (open to the public), 11:30-12:30 p.m., $5 ages 60 and over, $7 general, kids 8 and under free; Pinochle, bridge, Mahjong, 12:45 p.m.; bingo, 6:30-8:30 p.m. (doors open 5 p.m.), $18 for 10 sheets. AL-ANON: Keep It Simple Family Group, 5:30 p.m., St. Paul Lutheran Church, 202 Brooks St. Men Do Al-Anon, 7 p.m., University Center Room 215, UM (open, women welcome). The Legacy AFG, 7:30 p.m., First Presbyterian Church, 235 S. Fifth W. Alateen, 7:30 p.m. First Presbyterian Church. Stevensville Al-Anon, 7:30 p.m., Independent Living Center, 57 Main St. Expect a Miracle, 5:30 p.m., Sunburst Mental Health, 109 First Ave., St. Ignatius. Call 1-888-425-2666 or visit mt.al-anon-alateen.org. ALATEEN for ages 10-18 only, 7:30 p.m., First Presbyterian Church, 235 S. Fifth St. W. Call 1-888-425-2666 or visit mt.al-anon-alateen.org. AA MEETINGS Call 888-607-2000 or visit aa-montana.org. Early Sunrise Group Discussion (C/H), 6:30 a.m., Unity Church, 546 South Ave. W. (side entrance, basement); Early Birds Discussion (C/H), 7 a.m., Polson Alano Club, 8 Third Ave. W.; Sunrise Group Discussion (C/H), 8 a.m., Unity Church, 546 South Ave. W.; Sober Steppers Beginners (O/H), 10 a.m., Polson Alano Club, 8 Third Ave. W.; High Noon Group Discussion (O), noon, First United Methodist Church, 300 E. Main St.; Thompson Falls Group (O), noon, behind Bear Muscle Fitness, 107 Spruce St.; Attitude Adjustment (O/H), noon, Polson Alano Club, 8 Third Ave. W.; Pathway to Serenity Discussion (O), 3:30 p.m., Clark Fork West Church, 34 St. Regis Ave., St. Regis; Downtowners Discussion (O/H), 5:30 p.m., Fourth D Alano Club, 1500 W. Broadway; Silvertip Group Discussion (C), 6:30 p.m., Immanuel Lutheran Church, 830 South Ave. W.; Big Book Study Group (O/H), 7 p.m., Polson Alano Club, 8 Third Ave. W.; Do It Sober Discussion (O/H), 7 p.m., St. Luke's Conference Room, 107 Sixth Ave. SW, Ronan; The Blackfoot River Group, 7 p.m., Our Savior Lutheran Church, 8985 Highway 200, Bonner; Solution Group Discussion (C/H/B), 7:30 p.m., First Presbyterian Church, 201 S. Fifth St. W.; Plains Group Big Book Study (O), 7:30 p.m., Plains United Methodist Church, 206 Meany St.; Not a Glum Lot (O), 7:30 p.m., Thompson Falls Community Church, 306 Church St.; Missoula Group Beginner's, (O/H), 8 p.m., 112 N. Pattee St. (Front Street entrance); Young Guns in Sobriety Literature Study (O), 10 p.m., First Presbyterian Church, 201 S. Fifth St. W. ADULT ASPERGER'S support group, open meeting for those with Asperger's as well as their family and friends, 4:30-6 p.m., University Center, Room 215, UM. Contact Monique Casbeer at 721-3947 or Cindy Bacon Janego at cjanego@communitymed.org for more information. NAMI MISSOULA free weekly meeting, 10 a.m.-noon, Providence Center Room 103. Open to anyone affected by mental illness (including family members) or interested in learning more about NAMI. Call 880-1013. NAMI CONNECTION Support Group for adults with mental illness, 1:30-3 p.m., 202 Brooks St., Room 210. Call 880-1013. DUPLICATE BRIDGE novice game, 6-9 p.m., Southgate Mall, near Dillard's, across form Hallmark Store. Visit missoulabridge.org. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Can't allow every person who thinks of some solution to COVID-19 to file petition: SC Nirbhaya: SC rejects curative plea filed by another death row convict India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Jan 30: The curative plea filed by Akshay Singh, one of the convicts in Nirbhaya case has been rejected by the Supreme Court. Singh now has the option of filing a mercy petition before the President and if the same is rejected, he could seek recourse in the SC in the form of another curative petition. Meanwhile, the advocate for the convicts in the Nirbhaya case has moved the Delhi High Court seeking a stay on the execution slated for February 1. He said that none of the four convicts can be hanged until all of them have exhausted legal options including the mercy petition. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court dismissed the curative plea filed by Mukesh Singh. He had challenged the rejection of his mercy petition by the President. With the SC rejecting the curative plea, Singh has run out of all legal options. Nirbhaya: Convicts seek stay on Feb 1 execution EU Parliament postpones voting on resolution against CAA, India hails it as diplomatic win|Oneindia On Wednesday evening, another convict Vinay filed a mercy petition with the president. The same was filed directly in the President's secretariat. The fourth convict Pawan is yet to file a curative plea. Under Section 854 of the revised Delhi Prison Rules, none can be hanged till the last one has exhausted all options in case of multiple death row convicts, held guilty for the same crime. Further, even if the President rejects the mercy plea, two weeks time has to be given to the convict before the execution. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: (Newser) Jason Delacruz didn't have time to deliver all the mail on his route, so ... he put it in a storage locker. The United States Postal Service employee pleaded guilty to delay of mail after more than 200 pieces of first- and second-class mail were found in a storage unit he was renting in Virginia Beach for $49 a month, WAVY reports. Also there: 4,723 pieces of advertisement mail, six ad/coupon bundles, and one package. Delacruz, who started working as a USPS carrier assistant in June 2018, told authorities he felt "pressured" to complete his route but "can't make time." He said he started hiding mail in November or December 2018, and by February 2019, had decided to rent the storage unit solely to hold the mail, WTKR reports. He told authorities "he first intended to deliver the mail when he found time, but fell behind and was never able to." story continues below On May 29, 2019, someone saw him unloading mail into the storage unit, took pictures, and complained to the USPS Office of Inspector General. The OIG found Delacruz and interviewed him, and after first denying the allegations, he ultimately confessed. The first-class mail, which included tax return documents and correspondence from the DMV, IRS, insurance companies, and banks, was delivered, but since the advertisement mail was so old it was disposed of. Delacruz will be sentenced Feb. 12. (Read more weird crimes stories.) by Wendy Davis , Staff Writer @wendyndavis, January 30, 2020 Facebook has agreed to pay an eye-popping $550 million to settle claims that it violated an Illinois privacy law by compiling a database of faceprints, the company said this week. News of the settlement comes one week after the Supreme Court rejected Facebook's request to intervene in the lawsuit, a class-action alleging that it violated a 2008 Illinois privacy law. That measure, which prohibits companies from collecting or storing people's biometric data without their consent, is considered one of the strongest in the country. It not only allows individual consumers to sue, but also provides for damages of up to $5,000 per violation. The class-action dates to 2015, when a group of Illinois residents sued Facebook for allegedly violating the state privacy law with its photo-tagging function, which draws on a vast trove of photos to recognize users' faces and suggests their names when they appear in photos uploaded by their friends. advertisement advertisement Facebook allegedly used facial recognition technology on photos uploaded by users in order to compile the faceprint database. The social networking platform argued that the lawsuit should be dismissed for several reasons, including that its users weren't injured by any alleged violations of the state law. U.S. District Court Judge James Donato in the Northern District of California rejected Facebook's stance. He ruled that the case could proceed as a class-action on behalf of Illinois users who had their faceprints stored by the company since 2011. Last August, a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that decision. Those judges suggested in a written opinion that creating faceprints could have vast and far-reaching privacy implications. "Taking into account the future development of such technology ... it seems likely that a face-mapped individual could be identified from a surveillance photo taken on the streets or in an office building, the appellate judges wrote. Or a biometric face template could be used to unlock the face recognition lock on that individuals cell phone. Facebook then attempted to appeal to the Supreme Court, but was turned away last week. Full details of the settlement haven't yet been revealed in court papers, but Illinois class members who submit claims are expected to receive more than $200 each. The settlement must still be approved by a judge. While numerous tech companies have settled privacy lawsuits, few of those settlements have resulted in monetary payments to consumers. Instead, many of the settlements require the tech companies to donate to nonprofits -- a practice that has come under fire from activists who say class members should directly benefit from settlements. Even in cases where consumers have received payment, it has been relatively nominal. For instance, some purchasers of Vizio televisions were expected to receive approximately $16 each after that company settled allegations that it shared information about consumers with ad-tech companies and data brokers. News of the Facebook settlement comes as state lawmakers throughout the country are considering new privacy laws, including ones that would restrict the use of facial recognition technology. While the technology is still nascent, its use is rapidly growing. Just last week, it emerged that the startup Clearview AI sells faceprint databases to police departments. That company reportedly scraped billions of photos from Twitter, Facebook and other companies, used facial recognition technology to create its faceprint database, then sold the database to police departments across the country, according to an explosive report in The New York Times. (Clearview itself is now being sued in Illinois for allegedly violating the same biometric privacy law at the center of the Facebook case.) Currently a number of states either regulate facial recognition technology or are considering doing so, but Illinois is the only one that allows residents to sue over biometric privacy violations. Jay Edelson, one of the attorneys who represented the Illinois residents who sued Facebook, says the settlement doesn't just send a message to businesses, but also to lawmakers who are considering new privacy measures. As issues like the Clearview scandal keep happening, I expect that there will be more and more discussion in state houses throughout the country about whether residents from Maine to Alaska can similarly protect their biometric privacy, he says. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- For the first time in eight years, Ohio is trying to count all the bald eagle nests in the state. But it needs help. The Division of Natural Resources is asking Ohioans to report any bald eagle nest sightings as the birds settle in to lay eggs and incubate them in February and March. Wildlife biologists estimate that Ohio hosted more than 350 nesting pairs of bald eagles in 2019, according to a news release. Its a remarkable increase from 40 years ago, when there were only four pairs of nesting bald eagles in the state. Bald eagles are no longer endangered in Ohio, and there hasnt been a full count of the population since they were delisted in 2012. Having an count of bald eagle nests, instead of estimating based on select areas of the state, will allow state officials to properly assess conservation efforts and measure the species comeback in Ohio. From the Ohio River to Lake Erie, our state has become an ideal home for the bald eagle, ODNR Director Mary Mertz said in the release. This is a great opportunity to get outdoors and see this soaring raptor, all while providing a valuable conservation service to our state. Bald eagles in Ohio tend to nest near water, because they mainly eat fish and carrion. In the northern part of the state, thats Lake Erie. In the southern part, thats major rivers like the Great Miami or the Hocking. Nests are found in trees. The western Lake Erie region, including Ottawa, Lucas, Erie and Sandusky counties, draw large amounts of bald eagles, according to the release. In recent years, Ohios Industrial Valley became more of a hot spot for bald eagles. The first successful bald eagle nest in more than a century came in 2018, and ever since more bald eagles are showing up near the Cuyahoga River. If you see a nest, stay at least 100 feet away. It is illegal to disturb bald eagle nests. You can submit sightings on ODNRs website from Feb. 1 to March 31. The state will provide online updates on the project. Wisconsins work requirement for childless adults on Medicaid, initially scheduled to begin Nov. 1 and delayed until Thursday, has been postponed again with a new requested start date of April 29. Premiums and some other stipulations adopted by former Republican Gov. Scott Walker and approved by President Donald Trumps administration are set to begin Saturday. Ten states have had Medicaid work requirements approved, but federal courts have blocked the measures in Arkansas, Kentucky and New Hampshire, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Indiana and Michigan have implemented the program but face legal challenges and have had delays. Arizona, Ohio, South Carolina and Utah, along with Wisconsin, have not started their programs. Wisconsin plans to limit Medicaid coverage to four years for poor adults without dependent children unless they work, train for a job or participate in certain other activities. Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat who took office last year, tried to block the work requirement, but the Republican-controlled Legislature kept it. Evers administration has said it would implement it. Andrea Palm, the secretary of the Department of Health Services appointed by Evers, requested more time in September, and the Legislatures GOP-controlled Joint Finance Committee approved the delay to Jan. 30. On Wednesday, Palm sent another letter to the committee asking for an extension to April 29. Palm said the state is reviewing feedback from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, and submitting more information. DHS believes attention to detail and compliance with CMS direction will be essential for successful implementation and long-term success of the program, she wrote. DHS continues to monitor the legal challenges other states have experienced implementing the program. Some other aspects of Walkers plan are set to begin Saturday, health department spokeswoman Elizabeth Goodsitt said. They include monthly premiums of up to $8 and allowing members to reduce premiums through healthy behaviors, such as not smoking or maintaining a healthy weight. Emergency room visit co-payments of $8 for non-emergencies, which were scheduled to begin Saturday, are delayed until June 30 because CMS required a temporary suspension, Goodsitt said. Meanwhile, a plan to add a Medicaid benefit for residential facility substance use disorder has been put on hold, Goodsitt said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 She has her own sense of style, is counted as one of the country's fashion influences and has more than 50,000 followers on Instagram. But what makes Eileen Smith stand out from the crowd is that she is about to celebrate of 81st birthday. Eileen is now one of the stars of RTEs newest fashion show, The Style Counsellors, and has earned a whole new legion of fans who include Roz Purcell and Pippa OConnor. And rather than being an early adopter of technology, her daughter Suzanne had to set up her Instagram account several years ago. Previously, Eileen and her daughters had used an app to exchange photos of each others outfits and accessories. Despite her Instagram handle (EileenStyleQueen, which was chosen by Suzanne), Eileen says: I dont consider myself queen but I do love style. She is stunned by her sudden stardom, but she says that everyone she meets is very nice. If Im out and about in Dundrum, or a shopping centre, anywhere like that, the people who come up and talk to me are all young ladies. "Sometimes men say that theyre taking a photograph for their girlfriends. The warm relationship between Eileen and her co-presenter influencer Suzanne Jackson is a key aspect of the show. Suzanne said Eileen now one of her "favourite people in the world". "We got on amazing. I think people are loving that as well, our relationship on TV," she said in a recent interview. Eileens Instagram feed gives a peek into what she describes as a very normal life, but certainly an authentic one, and one that is lived in the best possible fashion. I know my own style, says the mother-of-four. I know what I cant wear, which is more important than what you can wear. I am a firm believer that you should buy good quality but you shouldnt have to buy an awful lot because you can mix and match, particularly at my age." For Eileen, age is simply a number. She loves spending time with her friends and family. Seven of us are off for a weekend in the west of Ireland next month. Well have a great time. Were exhausted when we come home because were all talking too much. Read the full interview with Eileen in tomorrow's Feelgood magazine. Free with the Irish Examiner print edition. Surveys have found Millennial investors take into consideration ESG principles more than other generations. / Gettyimagesbank By Anna J. Park With more and more millennial investors entering the global capital market, exchange-traded funds (ETF) that closely consider ESG criteria listed firms' environmental, social, governance elements are gaining more attraction. According to a report by eBest Investment & Securities, ESG-dedicated funds' aggregated volume of asset under management (AUM) in the U.S., as of Jan. 13, stood at $16.1 billion, up 2,720 percent from 2014. In Korea, ESG funds have shown signs of gaining popularity over the past few years. As of Jan. 30, there are 11 ETFs with ESG attached to their names, with their total net asset value (NAV) standing at 118.2 billion won, or some $99.8 million, and their AUM at 129.2 billion won or $109 million. Nine out of the 11 ESG-dedicated funds in Korea launched since late 2017. The most recently-created fund is Samsung Asset Management's KODEX 200 ESG, which was launched in November, 2019. Mirae Asset operates four out of the 11 funds, including Tiger MSCI Korea ESG Leaders and Tiger MSCI Korea ESG Universal, both launched in February, 2018. The company's Hong Kong branch has newly issued three ESG-themed ETFs, all listed on the Hong Kong exchange market (HKEX) since about two weeks ago. Investors in Korea can also purchase them through securities firms. ESG-dedicated funds are at a burgeoning phase in Korea, in terms of total volume of capital inflow. / Gettyimagesbank Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 30, 2020 19:24 713 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2061c7ae5 1 World coronavirus,China,Wuhan-coronavirus,Hubei,Jokowi Free President Joko Jokowi Widodo has ordered the immediate evacuation of all Indonesian citizens from coronavirus-hit Hubei province in China. The decision was made by the President after he met several of his ministers, including Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi in Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base in East Jakarta on Thursday evening. The President has instructed [us] to immediately evacuate Indonesian citizens from Hubei province, Retno said after the meeting. Retno previously said Indonesia was carrying out intense and detailed coordination with the Chinese authorities so that the evacuees could be repatriated soon amid a lockdown in Wuhan and surrounding Hubei province -- the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, which has killed 170. Approximately 243 Indonesians are trapped in Hubei. The Air Force has maintained three aircraft and health personnel on standby to evacuate Indonesian citizens from Hubei at any time, awaiting instructions from the government. The government has also prepared Sulianto Saroso Hospital in North Jakarta to be used as a quarantine facility to monitor the inbound citizens once they arrive in Indonesia. (kuk) India and the UK must work together on promoting the ancient Indian medical science of Ayurveda, believes well-known cosmetic entrepreneur Shahnaz Husain, who said she has dedicated her life to promote India's plant power around the world. During a seminar on 'Ayurveda: A power for health & beauty', organised by the Indian High Commission in London on Wednesday evening, the founder, chairperson and managing director of the Shahnaz Husain Group spoke of the importance of moving away from chemicals in cosmetics. "The purpose of my life is to sell India's 3,000-year-old civilisation in a jar. The human race is using chemicals for beauty, which is a very dangerous trend," said Husain. "I have therefore dedicated my life to promote Ayurveda to the world and replacing chemicals with herbs," she said. The seminar, which included addresses by the Kairali Ayurvedic Group from Kerala and Dr Tanuja Nesari, professor and head of department of Dravyaguna at the All India Institute of Ayurveda in Delhi, focussed on the key milestones in the Indian government's efforts to put Ayurveda on the world map. "Many countries have started adopting the system of Ayurveda, several medical institutes have adopted it as an alternative treatment and the government of India is working on collaborative projects with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to promote this Indian traditional system of medicine across the globe," said Ruchi Ghanashyam, the Indian High Commissioner to the UK. She announced that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the All India Institute of Ayurveda and College of Medicine UK to promote academic collaboration in the field of Ayurveda in 2018 during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's UK visit was in progress. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 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(0x7f0482c00570)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0482d36f50)', '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(0x7f0482c00570)') 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(0x7f0482d36f50)') 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(0x7f047b117068)') 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(0x7f0482d36f50)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0482d36f50)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0482272bd0)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f0482d6aba8)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f0482d6aba8)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 T he closest ever photos of the Sun capture a fascinating view of its turbulent surface. The world's largest telescope, based in Hawaii, took the images which give a fresh insight to our nearest star, providing important detail of space weather to help predict solar storms. Features as small as 18 miles in size are detailed for the first time ever, with imagery from the National Science Foundation's Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope. These reveal details of a pattern of turbulent boiling plasma that covers the entirety of the Sun. The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope has produced the highest resolution image of the sun's surface ever taken. / NSF/Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope The cell-like structures each about the size of Texas are the signature of violent motions that transport heat from the inside of the Sun to its surface. The ground-based telescope is set to work with Nasa's Parker Solar Probe, which is orbiting the sun and the upcoming European Space Agency/Nasa Solar Orbiter to study how the space weather it creates could affect Earth. Amazing NASA Space Images - In pictures 1 /80 Amazing NASA Space Images - In pictures Astronaut Buzz Aldrin walks on the lunar surface during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 NASA This 1969 photograph of the eclipse of the sun was taken with a 16mm motion picture camera from the Apollo 12 spacecraft during its trans-Earth journey home from the moon. The fascinating view was created when the Earth moved directly between the sun and the Apollo 12 spacecraft NASA Astronaut Bruce McCandless II photographed 320 ft from the Space Shuttle Challenger during the first untethered EVA, made possible by his nitrogen jet propelled backpack (Manned Manuevering Unit or MMU) in 1984 NASA The brilliant tapestry of young stars flaring to life resemble a glittering fireworks display in the 25th anniversary NASA Hubble Space Telescope image NASA Space shuttle Atlantis blasts off from Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida in 2011. This lift off is the last in the 30-year-old shuttle program Getty Images The first teklevision image of Earth from a weather satellite taken by the TIROS-1 satellite in 1960 NASA The Echo 2 satellite in 1960. Once the balloon was launched into orbit, a prerecorded message from President Dwight Eisenhower was transmitted from California and heard with clarity in New Jersey NASA The original seven Mercury astronauts and pioneers in human space exsploration pose in their silver spacesuits in 1961 NASA President John F. Kennedy calls for a moon landing in 1961 durning Congress NASA Astronaut John Glenn climbs into his Friendship 7 space capsule in the Atlas rocket in 1962. Glenn was the first American to orbit the earth NASA A close-up view of an astronaut's bootprint in the lunar soil, photographed with a 70mm lunar surface camera during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity (EVA) on the moon in 1969 NASA Man's first landing on the Moon. Lunar Module, "Eagle," touched down gently on the Sea of Tranquility on the east side of the Moon. Astronauts Edwin Aldrin and Neil Armstrong wre the first men to walk on the Moon in 1969 NASA After an 8 month voyage to Mars, Mariner 4 makes the first flyby of the Mars (the red planet) in 1965 and became the first spacecraft to take close-up photographs of another planet NASA Astronaut Edward H. White II, pilot on the Gemini-Titan 4 spaceflight, is shown during his egress from the spacecraft. His face is covered by a shaded visor to protect him from the unfiltered rays of the sun. White became the first American astronaut to walk in space. He remained outside the spacecraft for 21 minutes during the third revolution of the Gemini-4 mission in 1965 NASA The X-15 completed 199 flights to the edge of space from 1959-1968. Neil Armstrong was one of it's budding young pilots NASA Earthrise over the moon from Apollo 8 in 1968 NASA American astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins lift off from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, in the mammoth-sized Saturn V rocket on their way to the moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 Astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr. saluting the US flag on the surface of the Moon during the Apollo 11 lunar mission in 1969 NASA Home View of Moon limb with Earth on the horizon in 1969 during the Apollo 11 mission NASA Apollo XI astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin laugh with President Richard Nixon aboard the USS Hornet in 1969 Richard Nixon Foundation via Getty Images Lunar mission Astronaut John W. Young, commander of the Apollo 16 lunar landing mission, leaps from the lunar surface as he salutes the United States flag at the Descartes landing site during the first Apollo 16 extravehicular activity (EVA) in 1972 NASA First image of Viking 1's foot plantid on martian soil foot in 1976 NASA The first ever long distance image of the Earth and Moon together. The image photograph was taken by Voyager 1 in 1977 NASA A dramatic view of Jupiter's Great Red Spot and its surroundings in 1979 NASA The first space shuttle launch Columbia lifts off in 1981 NASA Astronaut Sally Ride on the flight deck of the space shuttle Challenger in 1983. She became the first American woman in space NASA One of the most celebrated images taken by the Hubble called 'Pillars of Creation' NASA Space shuttle Challenger destructs after lift off in 1973 NASA NASA's Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope aboard ESA's SOHO spacecraft took this image of a huge, handle-shaped prominence in 1999. Prominences are huge clouds of relatively cool dense plasma suspended in the Sun's hot, thin corona NASA Trailing a column of flame and smoke that dwarfs it, Space Shuttle Endeavour leaps into the clear blue Florida sky on mission STS-99 in 2000 Space Shuttle Atlantis clears the tower as it roars into space on mission STS-106 after a perfect on-time launch in 2000 NASA 2004 The deepest view of 10,000 galaxies taken by the Hubble Space Telescope called the Hubble Ultra Field Deep (2004) NASA 2005 A new view of the Eagle Nebula, one of the two largest and sharpest images Hubble Space Telescope has ever taken (2005) NASA International Space Station pictured by the crew of Atlantis in 2008 NASA The rim of Gale Crater is visible in the distance, through the dusty haze, in this view of NASA's Curiosity rover of a sloping hillside on Mount Sharp NASA Taken on June 03, 2008 and released by NASA on June 4, 2008 shows US space shuttle Discovery Mission Specialist Michael Fossum being photographed by US Mission Specialist Ronald Garan (reflected in Fossum's face shield) as they work outside The International Space Station during the first of three planned space walks. AFP/Getty Images In celebration of the International Year of Astronomy 2009, NASA's Great Observatories -- Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, and Chandra X-ray Observatory -- have produced a matched trio of images of the central region of our Milky Way NASA A striking black and white image showing the detail of the planet Saturn NASA This majestic false-color image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows 'mountains' where stars are born. These towering pillars of cool gas and dust are illuminated at their tips with light from warm embryonic stars NASA The space shuttle Atlantis is seen over the Bahamas in 2011 prior to a perfect docking with the International Space Station NASA Aurora Australis, seen from a point over the southeast Tasman Sea near southern New Zealand. in 2011 NASA NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, Expedition 32 flight engineer, appears to touch the bright sun during the mission's third session of extravehicular activity (EVA). During the six-hour, 28-minute spacewalk in 2012 NASA Behold one of the more stunningly detailed images of the Earth yet created. This Blue Marble Earth montage, created from photographs taken by the VIIRS instrument in 2012 on board the Suomi NPP satellite, shows many stunning details of our home planet NASA Numerous recognizable features appear in this detailed view of London, photographed by an Expedition 10 crew member on the International Space Station (ISS). The most striking visual features are green open spaces such as Regent's Park, Hyde Park and St. James's Park east of Buckingham Palace NASA International Space Station image of London at night NASA This image of Tropical Storm Anna taken from the International Space Station in 2015 NASA Pluto's haze layer and its blue colour, taken by the New Horizons Ralph/Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC) in 2015 NASA NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, dark, narrow streaks on the slopes of Hale Crater are inferred to be formed by seasonal flow of water on surface of present-day Mars. These dark features on the slopes are called "recurring slope lineae" or RSL NASA Earth observation taken during a night pass by the Expedition 49 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in 2016 NASA The moon rises in low Earth orbit by NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik from the International Space Station in 2017 NASA Hurricane Harvey is pictured off the coast of Texas in 2017 NASA The International Space Station continues its orbit around the Earth as Expedition 50 astronauts captured this night image of sparkling cities and a sliver of daylight framing the northern hemisphere in 2017 This composite image made from a series of 2018 photos shows a self-portrait of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover in the Gale Crater NASA US. National Parks From Space. Mt Saint Helen's looking spectacular from above NASA SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft as it lifts off on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in 2018 NASA NASA's Juno spacecraft captures Jupiter's southern hemisphere, as the spacecraft performed its 13th close flyby of Jupiter in 2018 NASA The stunning iamge was shared on social media by astronaut Paolo Nespoli NASA The Bailey's Beads effect is seen as the moon makes its final move over the sun during the total solar eclipse NASA The Moon is seen passing in front of the Sun during a solar eclipse from Ross Lake, Northern Cascades National Park, Washington NASA Swirling cloud belts and tumultuous vortices within Jupiter's northern hemisphere picture taken by NASA's Juno spacecraft as it performed it's 13th flypast. Juno was about 9,600 miles (15,500 kilometers) from the planet's cloud tops. NASA Since NSF began work on this ground-based telescope, we have eagerly awaited the first images, said France Cordova, NSF director. We can now share these images and videos, which are the most detailed of our Sun to date. NSFs Inouye Solar Telescope will be able to map the magnetic fields within the Suns corona, where solar eruptions occur that can impact life on Earth. [January 30, 2020] FIDO Alliance's Authenticate Conference Announces 2020 Keynote Speakers SEATTLE, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Authenticate , the FIDO Alliances industry conference dedicated to the who, what, why and how of modern user authentication, announced today its 2020 keynote speaker lineup. Featured keynoter Dr. Whitfield Diffie, the co-inventor of public key cryptography, and executives from Google, Microsoft and Yubico will headline the inaugural event, being held June 2-3, 2020 in Seattle. Other headlining keynote speakers are: Joy Chik, corporate vice president of identity at Microsoft; Mark Risher, senior director of product management at Google; and Stina Ehrensvard, CEO and founder of Yubico. Were excited to welcome our keynote speakers to the Authenticate stage to share their vision and experiences in moving to more modern and secure FIDO Authentication, said Andrew Shikiar, executive director and CMO of the FIDO Alliance. These speakers each offer unique perspectives on the state of authentication today, and will provide the ideal kickoff to our program filled with case studies and implementation advice for organizations to adopt simpler, stronger authentication. CISOs, security strategists, enterprise architects, product and business leaders will walk away from this two-day event with a real understanding of the value of the FIDO approach to simpler, stronger authentication, and the tools and best practices they need to integrate FIDO Authentication into their own services. Experts will go in-depth on the state of authentication today at Authenticate 2020, covering a range of topics including: Authentication trends & insights. Passwords, one-time passcodes and push-based authentication; FIDO Authentication; risk-based authentication and behavioral biometrics; smart cards; single sign on; decentralized authentication; authentication factors (iometrics, FIDO security keys) Passwords, one-time passcodes and push-based authentication; FIDO Authentication; risk-based authentication and behavioral biometrics; smart cards; single sign on; decentralized authentication; authentication factors (iometrics, FIDO security keys) State of security & credential attacks. Phishing, credential stuffing, password spraying, man-in-the-middle, presentation attack Phishing, credential stuffing, password spraying, man-in-the-middle, presentation attack Case studies & implementation strategy. Global consumer/enterprise/government case studies, IAM integration, industry standards, certification programs, identity verification, account enrollment and recovery Global consumer/enterprise/government case studies, IAM integration, industry standards, certification programs, identity verification, account enrollment and recovery Vertical trends & initiatives. IoT, payments, healthcare, government, IoT, payments, healthcare, government, Industry standards. FIDO, EMVCo 3DS and SRC, W3C WebAuthn and Web Payments FIDO, EMVCo 3DS and SRC, W3C WebAuthn and Web Payments Regulatory impact on authentication. PSD2, GDPR, CCPA Register Today! Take advantage of early bird pricing by registering by March 8. To register, visit https://authenticatecon.com/register/ . Authenticate will be held in conjunction with the FIDO Alliance member plenary being held June 4-5. FIDO Alliance members have exclusive access to discounted rates to attend both events! Get involved at Authenticate Companies looking to showcase their brand and products front and center at Authenticate can learn more about remaining sponsorship opportunities at www.authenticatecon.com . Follow Authenticate on Twitter @AuthenticateCon to participate in the conversation and get important updates leading up to and during the event. TWEET THIS: [email protected] has announced its keynote speakers. It's time to embrace a new way to #authenticate - these great speakers will show you how! @Uniken_Inc @WhitfieldDiffie @microsoft @joychik @MRisher @Google #StinaEhrensvard @Yubico #Authenticate2020! http://www.authenticatecon.com About Authenticate Authenticate is first conference dedicated to the who, what, why and how of user authentication - with a focus on the FIDO standards-based approach. Authenticate is the place for CISOs, security strategists, enterprise architects, product and business leaders to get all the education, tools and best practices to embrace modern authentication across enterprise, web and government applications. Authenticate is hosted by the FIDO Alliance, the cross-industry consortia providing standards, certifications and market adoption programs to accelerate utilization of simpler, stronger authentication. In 2020, Authenticate will be held June 2-3 at the Motif Seattle in Seattle, Washington. Visit www.authenticatecon.com for more information and follow @AuthenticateCon on Twitter. Authenticate Contact [email protected] PR Contact Adrian Loth Montner Tech PR 203-226-9290 [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] WASHINGTON (AP) U.S. forces on Tuesday recovered the remains of two American service members killed in the crash of an Air Force plane in Afghanistan, the U.S. military command in Kabul said. They also retrieved what they believe is the plane's flight data recorder. They were the only two people aboard the Air Force E-11A electronic surveillance aircraft when it went down on Monday in Ghazni province, officials said. Their identities have not been publicly announced, pending notification of their relatives. The statement from Kabul said the cause of the crash is under investigation, but there are no indications that it was downed by enemy fire. The Taliban hold much of Ghazni province. Monday's plane crash there is not expected to derail U.S.-Taliban peace talks if the crash investigation determines, as expected, that it was not the result of hostile action. The U.S. and the Taliban are negotiating a reduction in hostilities or a cease-fire to allow the signing of a peace agreement that could bring home an estimated 13,000 American troops and open the way to a broader post-war deal for Afghans. A journalist in the area, Tariq Ghazniwal, said Monday that he saw the burning aircraft. He told The Associated Press that he saw two bodies and that the front of the aircraft was badly burned but its body and tail were hardly damaged. The crash site is about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from a U.S. military base, Ghazniwal said. Local Taliban were deployed to protect the crash site, he said. In its statement Tuesday, the U.S. military command in Kabul thanked local Afghans for treating the remains with respect. It said that after removing the remains, U.S. forces destroyed the remnants of the E-11A aircraft. New Delhi, Jan 30 : The long march towards Rajghat by Jamia Millia Islamia students to protest against the new citizenship law (CAA), here on Thursday, was stopped by the police near the Holy Family Hospital after a man opened fire on the protesters. The police caught the assailant and are questioning him. "We have caught the person and are interrogating him," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Chinmay Biswal. Several march participants said the man who opened fire was a "follower of Nathuram Godse". "We are following the ideology of Gandhi, but the same ideology that killed Mahatma wanted to kill us," said a participant. According to witnesses, a man was seen raising religious slogans before he opened fire with a country-made pistol at the rally. "He was shouting 'Deta hu tumhe azadi' (Let me give you freedom). He then shouted 'Jai Shri Ram' and opened fire," said a protestor. Meanwhile, Shadab, a journalism student who received a bullet injury on his arm, was taken to the Holy Family Hospital for medical care. The students formed a human chain and didn't let the policemen in plainclothes enter the protest site. Latest updates on Gandhi Jayanti 2019 Over 20 children, who had been held hostage by a man at his house in Uttar Pradeshs Farukkhabad have been rescued and the hostage-taker, Subhash Batham, shot dead in the rescue operation, said a senior state official. Batham shot dead in the rescue operation, said Mohit Agarwal, IG Kanpur. Additional chief secretary, (Home), Avanish Awasthi confirmed the killing and added that all children have been rescued. Batham allegedly invited the children over to his place on Thursday evening on the pretext of a birthday party and then held them hostage. When some local people tried to open the door, he started firing from inside injuring three policemen and a villager. Batham even hurled a low-intensity bomb from the window. He told negotiators that he had 30 kg of explosives with him. Police said Batham had sent out a typed complaint addressed to the district magistrate that alleged that he had been denied a house and a toilet under the Central housing scheme for poor. His letter indicated that he had planned the act well in advance, said the police. Top state police officers including IG Kanpur range had been monitoring the hostage crisis and a team of commandoes had also been summoned. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath had also convened an emergency meeting at his official residence to take stock of the situation. The villagers said 20-25 children had been held hostage. NEW ORLEANS - Environmental groups and women from Alaska and Louisiana are asking a federal court to make the Environmental Protection Agency set new rules for use of oil spill dispersants, citing worries about the chemicals health and environmental effects. We want our foods to come to us. Whats going to happen to them if they come through these areas where dispersants are used? said Rosemary Ahtuangaruak, who lives in a village on the Arctic Ocean, in a telephone interview. Shes a plaintiff in the lawsuit filed Thursday afternoon in federal court in Washington, D.C. EPA does not comment on pending litigation, an emailed statement said. Ahtuangaruak said people in her indigenous community depend on oily fish and fatty marine mammals for the energy they need to survive in an area where temperatures are often far below zero degrees Fahrenheit (-18 Celsius). Ahtuangaruak said she began investigating dispersants after working as a health aide in Utqiagvik, formerly Barrow, following the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill. The hospital treated some people who had applied dispersant and blamed it for symptoms ranging from respiratory and skin disorders to fatigue and foggy thinking, she said. The EPAs current rules were last updated in 1994, five years after the tanker ran onto rocks in Prince William Sound. The agency made its proposed revisions public in January 2015 and received 81,000 comments, but has done little since then, according to the lawsuit. The EPAs outdated response plan is increasingly dangerous as the Trump administration guts other rules aimed at preventing offshore oil spills, Kristen Monsell, oceans program legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity said in a news release. Deepwater Horizon was a wake-up call that current response methods only increase the destruction oil spills cause. The EPAs delay in revising its rules, last updated in 1994, is increasing the harm to wildlife and public health. The centre is a plaintiff in the lawsuit. The introduction to the proposed rules says they are based on information learned from spills including the BP oil spill of 2010. It says they take into consideration not only the efficacy but also the toxicity, long-term environmental impacts, endangered species protection, and human health concerns raised during responses to oil discharges, including the Deepwater Horizon blowout. That spill spewed millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico for 87 days, starting in April 2010. Estimates of the amount varied widely; a judge set a figure of nearly 134 million gallons (507 million litres) for the purpose of levying penalties. The Environmental Law Clinic at the University of California Berkeley is asking the court to rule that EPA violated federal law by dragging its heels, and to set a schedule for updating the rules. The clinic notified EPA in March and again in September that its clients would sue if rules were not completed within 60 days. In addition, EPA has not provided any documents in response to a December 2018 freedom of information request for documents showing any progress since 2015, the suit states. The current rules allow open-ended use of chemical dispersants in offshore oil spills, the lawsuit says. However, overwhelming scientific evidence indicates that dispersants likely do more environmental harm than good, and generally exacerbate a spills ecological impact, it alleges. Terry C. Hazen, a professor at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and a coauthor of The Use of Dispersants in Marine Oil Spill Response a 364-page report published last year by the National Academy of Sciences laughed when he heard that sentence. I guess everybodys entitled to their opinion, especially if its in a lawsuit, he said. He said scientists who worked on the report generally considered that the dispersant used at the Deepwater Horizon wellhead and on the surface wasnt harmful overall and may have improved things. The Berkeley university law clinic represents Ahtuangaruak (ah-TOON-gah-rook), who lives in the Inupiat village of Nuiqsut (noo-IK-sut), Alaska; Kindra Arnesen of Buras (BYOO-ruhs), Louisiana; and several environmental groups. Those include Alaska Community Action on Toxics;Cook Inletkeeper, also from Alaska; and Earth Island Institutes ALERT project, which is based in Berkeley. They have more recently been joined by the Center for Biological Diversity, a Tucson-based environmental non-profit represented by one of its own lawyers. ___ Joling reported from Anchorage, Alaska. LAKEWOOD, Ohio, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Onix today announced that it has achieved the Cloud Migration Partner Specialization in the Google Cloud Partner Advantage Program. By earning the Partner Specialization, Onix has proven its expertise and success in building customer solutions in the cloud migration field using Google Cloud Platform (GCP) technology. Specializations in the Google Cloud Partner Advantage Program are designed to provide Google Cloud customers with qualified partners that have demonstrated technical proficiency and proven success in specialized solutions and service areas. Partners achieving this specialization have demonstrated success in building foundational architectures and then migrating significant numbers of customer workloads from either on-premises or other cloud providers to GCP. "Onix is pleased to add this newest partner specialization to our roster of Google Cloud Partner Specializations. These include Work Transformation - Enterprise, as well as Infrastructure and Location-Based Services," said Onix President and CEO Tim Needles. "As a Premier Partner, we're committed to providing customers with a complete Google Cloud experience, including planning, deployment and ongoing support and services." Learn more at www.onixnet.com . About Onix As a leading cloud solutions provider, Onix has elevated businesses to the next level with consulting services, infrastructure, collaboration, devices, enterprise search and geospatial technology. The company achieves this with solutions from such industry leaders as Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services (AWS), among others. Onix uses its ever-evolving expertise to solve clients' technology pain points across numerous business sectors. Onix backs its strategic planning and deployment with incomparable ongoing service, training and support. It also offers its own suite of standalone products to solve specific business challenges, including digital accessibility of websites and online documents through its Equidox brand, and cloud billing and budget management software through OnSpend. Based in Lakewood, Ohio, near Cleveland, Onix also has Canadian offices in Toronto and Ottawa. The company also maintains a strong presence across major cities, including Atlanta, Austin, the San Francisco Bay area, Boston, Chicago and New York. Learn more at www.onixnet.com . Contact: Robin Suttell Onix 216-801-4984 [email protected] SOURCE Onix Related Links www.onixnet.com Travelers wearing protective masks wait in line for taxis after arriving at Hong Kong High Speed Rail Station in Hong Kong on Jan. 29, 2020. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images) Russia Closes Border With China in Far East Amid Virus Outbreak: Prime Minister Russias Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed an instruction to close the Far Eastern Regions border to prevent the spread of coronavirus, which has prompted lockdowns and quarantines in several Chinese cities. A corresponding instruction was signed today. Work on it is already in progress. We will inform all those concerned properly about the measures to close the border in the Far Eastern region and other steps the government has taken [to prevent the spread of coronavirus in Russia], Mishustin said during a cabinet meeting on Thursday, according to the state-run TASS news agency. The Far Eastern Region is the largest region in Russia, sharing borders with China, Mongolia, and North Korea. The region includes the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Zabaykalsky Krai district, Primorsky Krai district, and the Khabarovsk Krai district. The land border stretches about 2,500 miles. There have been no confirmed cases in Russia. Russias Foreign Ministry also said it had suspended issuing electronic visas for Chinese nationals, Reuters reported. They were able to use permits to enter the country in several areas. On Wednesday, Russia added that it would limit its railway links with China starting from Jan. 31. The only direct trains are now from Moscow to Beijing. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin chairs a government meeting in Moscow on Jan. 30, 2020. Russia said on Jan. 30, 2020 it was closing its border with China to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus and would stop issuing electronic visas to Chinese nationals.(Photo by Dmitry Astakhov/Sputnik/AFP/Getty Images) The virus, which originated in Wuhan in late December, has prompted travel warnings for Hubei Province and in some cases, all of mainland China. Chinese authorities placed Wuhan and other parts of Hubei under lockdown to enforce a quarantine. Cases of the virus outside of mainland China have been confirmed by U.S. health authorities in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, Australia, Cambodia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, the United States, and Vietnam. In the United States, five cases have been confirmed so far, including two in California, one in Washington state, one in Illinois, and one in Arizona, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Indias government, meanwhile, announced Thursday that at least one case of coronavirus has been confirmed. The patient is a student at Wuhan University in China and was isolated in a hospital in Kerala, said the health ministry. The patient is stable and is being closely monitored, the agency wrote. This week, a number of major airlines announced they would suspend some or all flights to China, saying that travel demand to the country has plummeted. United Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Delta Airlines, and Lufthansa are among the companies slashing China service. World Health Organization officials are slated to meet Thursday in Geneva to consider declaring coronavirus an international health emergency. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Wed, January 29, 2020 22:08 714 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206198b01 2 Entertainment mick-jagger,Movie,The-Burnt-Orange-Heresy Free This year, the Rolling Stones frontman is returning to the big screen in the upcoming neo-noir thriller, "The Burnt Orange Heresy." The film, directed by Italian filmmaker Giuseppe Capotondi, is adapted from Scott B. Smith's 1971 crime novel "The Burnt Orange Heresy." The dark thriller follows ambitious art critic James Figueras (Claes Bang) and his new lover Berenice Hollis (Elizabeth Debicki) as they receive an impromptu invitation to the Lake Como property of powerful art dealer Joseph Cassidy (Jagger). Cassidy tasks Figueras to steal a rare masterpiece by his protege Jerome Debney (Donald Sutherland), in exchange for a career-booming interview with the legendary reclusive artist. Last October, Capotondi discussed with Billboard his collaboration with Jagger for "The Burnt Orange Heresy," which the director described as a "Faustian tale." "We heard that he was looking for a last film to make and so we sent the script. He liked it and I went to London to see him. It was very unnerving before going in, but he's just a gentle soul. He wanted to do it and then when he was on set, it was just like any other director and actor. He wasn't a Mick Jagger from the Rolling Stones," he explained, adding that the 76-year-old rock star brought "some histrionism to the character." This is not the first time that the Rolling Stones legend will bring his talents to the big screen. Jagger has appeared in numerous films over the years, including 2003's Australian western "Ned Kelly" and 2001's thriller "The Man From Elysian Fields." More recently, the "You Can't Always Get What You Want" vocalist reissued his entire solo catalog on vinyl last November. My complete solo album catalogue has been remastered on vinyl and is available to pre-order now - out December 6! https://t.co/swHr4MCZmH pic.twitter.com/7Bmmhk6Euy Mick Jagger (@MickJagger) November 5, 2019 Read also: Mick Jagger says 'on the mend' after medical procedure Among them are 1985's "She's The Boss," 1987's "Primitive Cool," 1993's "Wandering Spirit" and 2001's "Goddess In The Doorway," with all four albums being remastered by veteran engineer Miles Showell at London's Abbey Road Studios. While "The Burnt Orange Heresy" premiered last fall at the Venice International Film Festival, the film will hit North American theaters on March 6. T he Duke and Duchess of Sussex have backed a Canadian mental health campaign in a string of social media posts. Harry and Meghan, who are in Canada after deciding to give up senior royal duties, supported the telecommunication company Bell's 'Lets Talk' campaign on their official Instagram account. Some of the images show people holding up cards with positive messages such as: Be kind to everyone you meet it goes a long way. It is not the first time the couple have supported mental health campaigns and the pair have spoken out about their own experiences The couple have shown their support for mental health campaign / Sussex Royal Instagram Harry described his mental health and the way he deals with the pressures of his life as a matter of constant management. He also joined forces with US chat show queen Oprah Winfrey on a mental health documentary series. January 29 is the 10th annual Bell Lets Talk Day, a national conversation around mental illness aimed at fighting stigma and raising money for the cause. The pair published the post for the annual Bell Lets Talk Day, / Sussex Royal Instagram Mary Deacon, chairwoman of Bell Lets Talk, said: I am so excited to be celebrating the 10th anniversary of Bell Lets Talk Day with Canadians in every corner of the country and people all around the world. Over the last decade, weve worked together to reduce the stigma around mental illness, grow awareness of its wide-ranging impacts and build acceptance of the need for real change. SpendEdge has been monitoring the global rail freight industry and the industry is poised to experience spend growth of more than USD 60 billion between 2019-2024 at a CAGR of more than 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/20200130005358/en/ Read the 143-page research report with TOC and LOE on "The Global Rail Freight Industry 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 coal and crude continue constituting the major parts of cargo ferried via railways, the gradual shift of consumers towards renewable energy sources and their preference towards sustainable vehicles that utilize electric energy are inhibiting demand growth in the rail freight industry. In North America, the increase in oil and gas production is increasing buyers' reliance on rail freight services to ferry crude oil and gas. This is driving spend growth in the rail freight industry in this region. Europe is witnessing a steady growth in the spend momentum because of the intra-European freight movement, innovations by service providers to increase efficiency, and the rise in the volume of rail freight between China and Europe. 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 Rail Freight Service Providers Enlisted in this Report: Frequent fluctuations in energy prices are propelling service providers' OPEX which is compelling them to increase their service charges. On this note, this report has listed the top rail freight service providers, SLA agreement insights, and the selection and negotiation strategies that buyers must undertake to achieve optimal and cost-effective procurement in this industry. Insights into some of the service providers are given below: SNCF Group- Employee cost is serving as another major cost accelerator in this industry which is propelling service providers' OPEX at a significant rate. To tackle this increasing OPEX, service providers such as SNCF Group are exploring the possibilities of investing in autonomous trains that can run without locomotive pilots. SNCF Group had pledged to invest USD 65 million in 2018 for the development of autonomous trains in partnership with other service providers and a major rail technology company. BNSF Railway Co- BNSF invested USD 45 million in 2018 in the electrification of trucks, cranes, loaders, and trains as part of its green initiatives. It is among those service providers that are known to invest in the reduction of emissions from trains to avoid penalties related to nonadherence to US emission standards for railway locomotives. Union Pacific Railroad Co- In 2018, Union Pacific adopted UAVs to monitor infrastructure condition and for maintenance operations. Such investments in automation technologies will reduce manual errors, improve service quality, and mitigate the impact of the rise in labor costs. 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 rail freight industry. Some of the key topics covered in this report are: Rail freight industry spend segmentation by region Rail freight supply market analysis Regional spend opportunity for rail freight service providers Rail freight service providers cost structure Total cost of ownership analysis in the rail freight industry Rail freight pricing models analysis Category management objectives Cost saving opportunities in the rail freight industry Free sample of reports that you may like: Global Road Freight Transportation Services Market Procurement Intelligence Report Global Deep Sea Freight 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/20200130005358/en/ Contacts: SpendEdge Anirban Choudhury Marketing Manager US: +1 630 984 7340 UK: +44 148 459 9299 https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad will take steps on improving its ranking and has set a target of generating Rs 200 crore per year for funding research by 2024 through various sources, its director Prof B S Murty said on Thursday. The current level of research funding stands at Rs 50 crore a year, a release from IIT Hyderabad said. At present, the institute is ranked at 8th position in the 'Engineering Institutions' Category in National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2019. The Institute is also targeting breaking into the top 400 Global Institutions, from its current rank, which is between 600 and 800, the release said. Murty, who took over as director in August 2019, unveiled the 'IIT Hyderabads Vision for 2024' to the media on the campus. Major highlights of the roadmap to Vision 2024 include enabling 40 companies at IIT Hyderabad Research Park from the current five, increasing startups incubated from the present 20 to more than 50, doubling faculty strength of the Institute to 400 and increasing the student strength to 5,000 from the current level of 2,850. Murty said since August 2019, IIT Hyderabad has entered into four MoUs with Japanese Institutes and entered into five collaborations with Indian Research Centers, Private Companies and the Telangana government. Murty further said a Research Park and an Incubation Cell spanning 1.5 lakh sq.ft each are also coming up, which will be a major boost to startups and industry relations. The Institute is also introducing an M.Tech in Healthcare Entrepreneurship and also plans to launch Industry-supported M.Tech programmes in sectors such as E-Waste Management, Cyber Security and Advanced Manufacturing. IIT Hyderabad will also launch a new Department called the 'Department of Management and Entrepreneurship,'which will focus on encouraging students to become 'Job Generators' through entrepreneurial activities, the release added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) They have formed a close friendship in recent years, bonding over motherhood and life in the limelight. And Sam and Billie Faiers supported their BFF Luisa Zissman for the launch of her Valentine's collection with Style Cheat, which she hosted at her lavish Hertfordshire home. Sam, 29, cut a chic figure in a white knitted midi dress, while Billie, 30, showcased a monochrome polka dot dress from the collection. Ladies who lunch: Sam and Billie Faiers supported their BFF Luisa Zissman for the launch of her Valentine's collection with Style Cheat, which she hosted at her lavish Hertfordshire home The dress, which came complete with a wrap over plunging neckline and material belt, complemented Sam's slender figure. The Mummy Diaries star slipped into white open toe court shoes and accessorised her chic outfit with a gold pendant. Billie, meanwhile, looked lovely in her halterneck polka dot maxi dress, which featured a pleated skirt. Style sisters: Sam, 29, cut a chic figure in a white knitted midi dress, while Billie, 30, showcased a monochrome polka dot dress from the collection Stunning: The dress, which came complete with a wrap over plunging neckline and material belt, complemented Sam's slender figure She wore her blonde locks in a glamorous up do and accentuated her bronzed complexion with a full face of make-up. Luisa, 32, wore a pink version of Billie's polka dot dress and white pom pom shoes. The Apprentice star appeared in high spirits as she hosted an amazing brunch at her huge home. Also joining the girls was Katie Piper, 36, who exuded glamour in a plunging black bustier and wide-legged trousers. Dotty: Billie, meanwhile, looked lovely in her halterneck polka dot maxi dress, which featured a pleated skirt Girls' time: Also joining the girls was Katie Piper, 36 Luisa pulled out all the stops for the Valentine's collection launch as she decorated her home from head-to-toe. A huge balloon archway at the entrance welcomed guests, while a grazing table littered with bouquets of flowers created a pleasing aesthetic. The girls appeared in their element as they posed in their pieces from her collection against a stunning flower wall. Amazing: Luisa pulled out all the stops for the Valentine's collection launch as she decorated her home from head-to-toe Feminine: Luisa, 32, wore a pink version of Billie's polka dot dress and white pom pom shoes Fashion maven: Katie exuded glamour in a plunging black bustier and wide-legged trousers Beauty: Katie wore her brunette locks in a sleek straight side parting and amped up the glamour with a bronzed palette of make-up Flower power: The girls appeared in their element as they posed against a stunning flower wall in their pieces from her collection Party-time! A huge balloon archway at the entrance welcomed guests, while a huge grazing table littered with bouquets of flowers created a pleasing aesthetic Welcome! The Apprentice star appeared in high spirits as she hosted an amazing brunch at her huge home The brunch party comes after Luisa's holiday to the Maldives. The television personality gave fans a glimpse at the break away last Wednesday, before starting to plan her next holiday as she asked whether or not she could fly in ski instructors for the occasion. The TV personality showed off her sensational figure in a blue floral-print bandeau bikini that accentuated her slender figure as she posed for snaps in the idyllic location. (Photo : Screenshot From GTA VI Facebook Page) GTA VI possibly released 2020 or 2021 Grand Theft Auto VI has been on top of everyone's expectations ever since Rockstar Games has been doing a great job with all of their games, and things just got better when an ex-employee leaked the possible release date for the up and coming to GTA VI this 2020 or 2021! Rockstar Games has an incredible reputation of keeping its development process secretive from fans from the release date, platforms, to the latest development itself! Read Also: 8 Grand Theft Auto V Details You May Have Missed Everything we know so far about GTA VI Only bits and pieces of trusted information about GTA VI have been released, and although it has not come as an official statement, reliable sources have relayed this information; Therefore, fans can lean towards believing them. The setting of GTA VI is set to be in the holy land of Vice City and is greatly inspired by the Narcos TV series on Netflix. Without official statements from Rockstar, we cannot entirely get our hopes up as we wait for the official statement regarding the upcoming GTA VI. The good news though, is that at least we have something to look forward to! Imagine how amazing GTA VI would be!? What we can expect based on reputable sayings An equity research firm Jeffries has spoken to Darion Lowenstein, who is one of the industry's veterans when it comes to video game companies having experience working with big names like Activision, EA, Rockstar, and others. According to Lowenstein, we cannot be expecting GTA VI to come any time soon. Reports from The Daily Star have given his statement. Darion noted that Rockstar is more concerned about the quality of GTA VI rather than the actual deadline of the game, which is why they cannot be expected as soon as we want them but rather, on a mysterious Holiday on 2021! A sad reality, but gamers will have to wait just a little bit more. Lowenstein's reliability when it comes to the release of GTA VI Lowenstein has had a great experience, and a couple of good insights when it comes to the workings of Rockstar, which is why deeming him as bankable would be something fans would have to do. But at the end of the day, everything up to this point is still a guess. The future is still uncertain pertaining to the release date of GTA VI Trevor from GTA V GTA V's Trevor, played by Steven Ogg was an amazing performance. In October 2019, Ogg released a statement that a sequel could be on the works and released around 2020 or 2021, which supports what Lowenstein was talking about. Connecting the dots, both statements make sense that 2021 could, in fact, be the year of release for the next GTA game. Better than nothing, at least we have something to look forward to, and we are sure to be surprised on a mysterious Holiday when Rockstar suddenly announces the final release date for Grand Theft Auto VI! 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / January 30, 2020 / Compare-autoinsurance.org (http://compare-autoinsurance.org/) is a top auto insurance brokerage website, providing car insurance quotes online from trustworthy agencies all over the United States. This website offers car insurance info about different coverage types, available discounts, and money-saving tips. Commercials encouraging drivers to change their current providers are quite common. Every insurance provider is promising that switching to them will help drivers save money on car insurance. Switching to a new insurance company can help drivers pay lower premiums, but in some cases, this action will have the opposite effect. Drivers should stay with the same carrier for the following reasons: Get renewal discounts . Drivers who are considering switching their carriers should check if the renewed insurance premiums are better than the current ones. Some insurance companies are offering a small discount upon renewal to their loyal customers. Drivers should compare the price of the renewed rates with the ones from the other insurers and then decide if switching the provider is a better move than staying. . Drivers who are considering switching their carriers should check if the renewed insurance premiums are better than the current ones. Some insurance companies are offering a small discount upon renewal to their loyal customers. Drivers should compare the price of the renewed rates with the ones from the other insurers and then decide if switching the provider is a better move than staying. Good bundling policies. Bundling policies to save money on car insurance is quite common. Many drivers are bundling their car insurance policy and the homeowner's insurance policy to the same insurance company. Policyholders should check if their current carrier is offering competitive insurance prices for both policies. If the current insurance plan is better than the ones offered by the competition, then drivers should stay with their current insurance providers. Bundling policies to save money on car insurance is quite common. Many drivers are bundling their car insurance policy and the homeowner's insurance policy to the same insurance company. Policyholders should check if their current carrier is offering competitive insurance prices for both policies. If the current insurance plan is better than the ones offered by the competition, then drivers should stay with their current insurance providers. Accident forgiveness. This option is not offered by all insurance companies. In most cases, this option is offered to loyal customers who managed to maintain a clean driving record for several years. This option is very useful for drivers who are in their first at-fault car accident. This option will forgive one at-fault accident and will prevent the insurance premiums to increase. 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. "Drivers can easily be tempted to switch their car insurance providers. However, drivers should not switch their providers without comparing the prices of the current policy with the ones offered by the competitors", 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/574624/Car-Insurance-Tips-2020--When-It-Makes-Sense-To-Keep-The-Same-Insurance-Provider Peter Rainer in The Christian Science Monitor: When Canadian biologist Anne Innis Dagg was 3 years old, her mother took her to the zoo for the first time. There she saw her first giraffe, and a lifelong love affair ensued. And who can blame her? Is there any other four-legged creature whose looks are more magisterially goofy? Dagg is the focus of Alison Reids The Woman Who Loves Giraffes, and it confirms a long-held tenet of mine: If the subject of a documentary is fascinating, it doesnt much matter if the filmmaking is workmanlike. Now in her 80s, Dagg is such a singular personality that everything about her seems sprightly and newly minted. At 23, in the summer of 1956, with a masters degree in biology, she traveled alone to South Africa during a time of mounting political unrest in order to study up close her beloved giraffes. Other than a Scottish study of red deer, she was the first person to venture into the wilds to investigate animal behavior. This was years before either Jane Goodall or Dian Fossey embarked on their work with chimpanzees and mountain gorillas. Her dogged independence had a rich pedigree: Her mother, Mary Quayle, was the dean of women at the University of Torontos University College; her father, Harold Innis, was a famous economist. Thanks to the welcoming ministrations of Alexander Matthew, whose citrus and cattle ranch was also home to many free-roaming giraffes, Dagg was able to closely observe these magnificent animals. Her research was groundbreaking, and the 16 millimeter color footage she shot at the time, amply displayed in the documentary, is breathtaking. (I was especially grateful that Dagg didnt photograph any maulings or attacks an unfortunate ingredient in far too many wildlife documentaries.) More here. Mr Wilson told the court that the high court in the last hearing of the matter has given another one weeks time to file written statement. New Delhi: In a relief to DMK leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, the Supreme Court on Thursday put on hold the proceedings before the Madras high court challenging her elections to the Lok Sabha froim Thoothukudi constituency. A bench comprising Chief Justice S.A. Bobde, Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice Surya Kant stayed the proceedings before the high court as senior advocate P. Wilson told the court that though the matter is pending before the top court but the high court has said that Ms Kanimozhi was seeking adjournments for prolonging the adjudication of the matter before it. The high court had noted that Ms Kanimozhi has sought repeated adjournments for filing the written statement and the time permissible under the Code of Civil Procedure had lapsed and she was given another four weeks time. Mr Wilson told the court that the high court in the last hearing of the matter has given another one weeks time to file written statement. Mr Wilson was assisted by advocate Joseph Aristotle. As the lawyer appearing for the opposite party objected to the stay of the proceedings, CJI Bobde asked him to make a statement that he would not insist on written statement by Ms Kanimozhi before the high court. John Hopkins University recently published a "Guide to Employers Physical Activity in the Workplace." It concludes that organizations benefit financially when employees exercise. Unfortunately, even those organizations offering fitness facilities are missing an easy and almost free fitness approach, which includes biking, walking and/or busing to work. Developing bike, walk and bus programs to work are incredibly effective. Large and small organizations have introduced well-designed employee motivation programs, then they watch their profits grow. If you lead an organization, there are active transportation advocates in town willing to help you get started. And dont forget, Longview has passed a Complete Streets ordinance dedicated to making walking, biking and busing easier and safer. If you are an employee and your company isnt offering a program, ask them to support your active transportation fitness efforts. It will improve your health and help you and your company financially. Muscles instead of motors will make a big difference in your life. Check out Facebook - Longview Active Transportation group on Facebook for more information. We are ready to help. David Fine Longview The Costa Smeralda cruise ship is docked in the Civitavecchia port 70km north of Rome on January 30, 2020. (Filippo Monteforte/AFP via Getty Images) Passenger on Docked Cruise Ship Didnt Have Coronavirus: Italys Health Ministry A Chinese cruise ship passenger who was suspected of having coronavirus, which has prompted quarantines and lockdowns in several cities in China, do not have the virus, said the Italian Ministry of Health on Thursday. The health agency confirmed the development on its website, saying the cruise ship samples [are] negative. CNN, citing the ministry, reported that the patients had the H1N2 flu virus. The incident prompted Costa Cruises to investigate the matter while local officials held the ship at the port and didnt allow passengers to disembark, according to a spokesperson for the mayors office. A Costa Cruises spokesperson told Epoch Times that a sanitary protocol has been activated for a guest on the Costa Smeralda, docked off the coast of Civitavecchia, adding that the person is of Chinese origin. She was placed isolation on the onboard hospital since last night together with her travel mate. As soon as the suspected case was detected, the medical team on board immediately activated all the relevant health procedures to promptly isolate and manage the case, according to the cruise liner. All the other passengers are, at the moment remaining on board, another spokesperson told CNN, adding to it and Reuters that the Costa Smeralda is being held off the coast of Italy. According to reports, around 6,000 to 7,000 people are on board. The Costa Smeralda cruise ship is docked in the Civitavecchia port north of Rome on Jan. 30, 2020. (Filippo Monteforte/AFP via Getty Images) Cruise line spokesman Davide Barbano said that 114 Americans are currently on the ship. The cruise ship first came from Palma de Mallorca and is currently engaged in one-week cruises in the western Mediterranean, the company said to the AFP news agency. A company spokesperson told Reuters that no one is being allowed off the ship while medical checks are being carried out. Italys Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, in a statement, said his government is not worried, but vigilant and cautious, AFP reported Civitavecchia Mayor Ernesto Tedesco also issued a statement and said the suspected coronavirus case at the port is under control. From this morning I am in continuous contact with the health and maritime authorities We are following all the protocols and we are constantly monitoring the case, he said. Italys maritime authority agreed to place a hold on passengers after the mayor requested it, said Patrick Vignola, a spokesman for the mayor. The mayor himself does not have the authority to overrule decisions by the port authority, Vignola told NBC News. Nevertheless, once we learned that more than a thousand passengers were going to be allowed to disembark, he sent a request to the health ministry, the port authority and health authority to keep all passengers on board until the result of the tests clears the suspicion of coronavirus. Vignola added: He did that because as a mayor he is responsible for the well-being of his citizens, and worried port workers were asking him, `How do we know we are safe? We are glad the authorities listened to our plea. The development comes as American citizens who were evacuated from virus-hit Wuhan have voluntarily stayed at a California air base to undergo medical evaluations. At least 19 countries have reported cases of coronavirus infection, while the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned against nonessential travel to China. The State Department has also advised U.S. citizens to reconsider travel to China and avoid going to Hubei Province, of which Wuhan is the capital. The ship is operating seven-day cruises in Civitavecchia, La Spezia, Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, and Palma de Mallorca, according to the company. Civitavecchia is located about 50 miles north of Rome, the capital city. : Five people were arrested on Thursday in connection with the murder of the BJP functionary Vijaya Raghu here following previous enmity, police said. The arrested were identified as Mohammed Babu (24), Sudarvendhan, Yasser, Hari Prasad and Sachin (all aged between 19- 20), the police said. The five have been lodged in the central prison, they said. Vijaya Raghu (40), a zonal secretary of the BJP at Palakarai, was collecting parking fee in a market area in the city on Monday when he was surrounded and hacked to death by the gang, they added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The number of so-called 'conditional unconditional' offers handed out by universities is expected to plunge after a barrage of criticism. A record one in four British university applicants were handed such an offer last year. These see students awarded a place if they achieve a required set of grades but if they make the institution their first choice, the grade requirement is dropped. The tactic has been likened to bribery and pressure-selling. Critics warned that students were being drawn into committing to unsuitable universities and coasting through A-levels because their places were guaranteed. A record one in four British university applicants (stock image of students) were handed a so-called 'conditional unconditional' offer last year, compared to 3.1 per cent in 2014. This type of offer sees students awarded a place if they achieve a required set of grades but if they make the institution their first choice, the grade requirement is dropped Data also shows that students with unconditional offers are more likely to drop out than their peers. The desire of universities to fill places and secure income has been blamed for the proliferation of the offers. However, up to three quarters of the institutions who made them in 2019 are now expected to drop the offers this year according to Ucas, the organisation which manages university applications. Responding to the news yesterday, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: 'Under no circumstances are conditional unconditional offers justified and I will write to all universities continuing them asking them to end this practice. 'We know students who accept unconditional offers are more likely to miss their predicted A-levels. I welcome those institutions leading the way in committing to end these offers, but there is clearly more to do.' Ucas said that in 2019, there were 35 universities and colleges where at least 1 per cent of offers made were conditional unconditionals (pictured: stock image of students on graduation day) Ucas data published last month showed that just over a quarter (25.1 per cent) of 18-year-old university applicants from England, Wales and Northern Ireland some 64,825 students received a conditional unconditional offer in 2019, up from 20.9 per cent (53,355 students) in 2018. Five years ago, in 2014, only 3.1 per cent of applicants received such an offer. Ucas said that in 2019, there were 35 universities and colleges where at least 1 per cent of offers made were conditional unconditionals. Of these, there were eight institutions where more than 50 per cent of offers were of this type. The desire of universities to fill places and secure income has been blamed for the proliferation of the offers (stock image) Ucas said it was now detecting a significant move away from the practice, following widespread criticism. It forecast that as many as 75 per cent of the institutions which made conditional unconditional offers last year will not do so 2020. However, concerns remain that less prestigious universities may switch to making straightforward unconditional offers with little regard for applicant's suitability to a particular course. Clare Marchant of Ucas said: 'We will likely see universities and colleges deploy other offer-making strategies, including direct unconditionals, in this competitive market.' Geoff Barton of the Association of School and College Leaders, the head teachers' group, said: 'We are pleased Ucas is forecasting a significant decline in conditional unconditional offers.' However, he added that 'we are concerned this will simply be replaced by other marketing tactics'. University of York (pictured), Bournemouth University and the University of Brighton have all said they would no longer make conditional unconditional offers He continued: 'We encourage students to disregard these inducements and to select courses on the basis of what excites their interest and reflects their ambitions. ' They will be paying back the cost of their course for many years and they should spend their money well.' Bournemouth University, the University of Brighton and the University of York have all said they would no longer make conditional unconditional offers. ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, Jan. 30 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: A meeting of Turkmenistan's Constitutional Commission on amendments and additions to the country's main law was held in Ashgabat, Trend reports with reference to the Turkmen Government. The project was discussed under the chairmanship of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. This project has been developed as part of the restructuring of the country's legislative body, the expansion of its powers and the further improvement of its activities, Berdimuhamedov said. It is expected that the corresponding amendments to the Constitution of Turkmenistan will be adopted in connection with the inclusion of the highest representative body - the People's Council (Halk Maslahaty) and the Assembly (Mejlis) of Turkmenistan into a single bicameral structure. It is also proposed to name the new body the National Council (Milli Genes) of Turkmenistan, its legislative chamber - the Mejlis, and the representative chamber - the Halk Maslahaty. In accordance with the current Constitution, the parliament adopts laws, makes amendments and additions to the Basic Law, approves the state budget; resolves the issues related to the holding of popular referendums, sets the elections of MPs, members of representative bodies, presidential elections; considers the issues of the appointment and dismissal of the chairman of the Supreme Court, the attorney general, the interior minister, the minister of justice upon the presidents proposal; ratifies and denounces international treaties; and addresses the issues of changing the state border and the administrative-territorial division of the country. EVELETH, Minn. United Steelworkers is putting Rep. Pete Stauber to the test, asking him to meet them on the union's side of an upcoming piece of workers' rights legislation. A group of United Steelworkers members from across Minnesotas Iron Range met Wednesday, Jan. 29, in Eveleth with officials from Staubers office, urging the congressman to support a workers rights bill currently under consideration in the U.S. House. They asked him to support legislation that would make it easier for unions to organize, and penalize businesses that obstruct unionizing drives. What made the visit unique was that the Steelworkers went on record with the meeting in a news release afterward. Stauber is a first-term Republican congressman from Hermantown and a retired union Duluth Police Department officer. His office declined to forecast Stauber's vote or share a position on the particular legislation. "Congressman Stauber organized, led and negotiated on behalf of his police union in Duluth," spokesperson Kelsey Mix said. "He has always been and always will be a strong labor supporter." ADVERTISEMENT She added that Stauber and his office make it a priority to meet with all groups from his district "to ensure he has an informed perspective on all issues, including this particular legislation." When asked if the visit was intended to challenge Stauber's merits with the union, Steelworkers spokesman R.J. Hufnagel, from Pittsburgh, said: "This visit was not intended to be confrontational, but rather educational. Nothing really more than a group of constituents asking Rep. Stauber to vote for legislation that was important to them and their community." Stauber has earned attention, despite his freshman status, for getting work done in a bipartisan manner and having friendly relations outside traditional Republican interests, such as with unions. Stauber launched his reelection campaign at the carpenters' hall in Hermantown earlier this month . At it, he said he would protect Social Security and Medicare from cuts or legislative plunder. Protecting those benefits is a core union issue, but some in the Republican Party have talked about bringing reform to those large balance sheets. In the news release Wednesday, the Steelworkers seemed to challenge the depths of Stauber's support by urging him to vote yes on a workers' rights bill wending its way through the House of Representatives. "Polls show that more than half of non-unionized workers would join unions tomorrow if they had the chance," said USW Local 2660 President Dan Pierce in the news release. Pierce has worked for almost 20 years at U.S. Steels Keetac operation in Keewatin. "(T)oo often companies bully and intimidate and otherwise block the efforts of well-meaning workers who simply want a voice in their workplaces," he said. ADVERTISEMENT Stauber is hosting a demonstration in Virginia in support of copper-nickel mining at 2 p.m. Friday at the carpenters' hall, 724 Fourth St. N. Copper-nickel mining is widely supported by miners on the Iron Range, and Stauber has earned additional credibility among union workers for stressing policies that reinforce economic drivers, and reduce barriers to business and industry. The proposed union rights legislation, Protecting the Right to Organize Act, was introduced last year by Rep. Bobby Scott, a Democrat from the state of Virginia. It would restore a number of worker protections contained in the National Labor Relations Act of 1935, which Steelworkers say has been slowly eroded over the years by corporations and anti-union lawmakers. "Every worker deserves a voice in their workplace, and every worker deserves fair treatment, good wages, quality health care and a secure retirement," said USW District 11 Director Emil Ramirez, who represents workers in nine states, including Minnesota. Ramirez also echoed something Stauber has said in the past about making policy for Main Street America. "The PRO Act will level a playing field that for too long has been tilted in favor of big corporations," Ramirez said. "This bill will give power back to the families on Main Street instead of Wall Street." The House Education and Labor Committee passed the PRO Act (H.R. 2474) in September 2019, and the full House is expected to debate and vote on the bill in the coming weeks, the Steelworkers said. Rudy Giuliani's indicted associate Lev Parnas is in another video with President Trump - this time at an intimate high-dollar donor event at Mar-a-Lago. The Washington Post published portions of the video Thursday, which showed Parnas - and also the nametag of his sidekick, Igor Fruman - attending an event in a gilded ballroom, as Trump is heard addressing the group. 'When Trump would see us, he would call us "my boys,"' Parnas told The Post. 'Me and Igor together? It's not something you'd forget, particularly in that scene.' New video obtained by The Washington Post shows Lev Parnas, pictured Wednesday on Capitol Hill, at an intimate Mar-a-Lago fundraiser hobnobbing with President Trump, who has described Parnas as a 'groupie' President Trump (second from right) has tried to distance himself from Rudy Giuliani's (right) associate Lev Parnas (center), because in media interviews Parnas has backed up the main allegations Democrats are making in Trump's impeachment trial Trump has tried to distance himself from Parnas and Fruman, especially after Parnas did a media tour and alleged that the president, indeed, had a master plot to hold up military aid in order to get the Ukrainian president to announce an investigation into Joe and Hunter Biden. Former Vice President Joe Biden is a top 2020 political rival of Trump. Trump's ongoing impeachment trial centers around this scheme. Last week in Davos, Switzerland, Trump described Parnas as a 'conman.' 'I don't know him other then he's sort of like a groupie, he shows up at fundraisers,' Trump told reporters during an impromptu press conference at the World Economic Forum. Parnas, though his lawyer, has pushed back. His attorney, Joseph A. Bondy, gave The Washington Post the footage of Parnas at Mar-a-Lago. Parnas is seen posing for a photo with the president and also helping other guests take a picture with Trump. That event was held ten days before the April 2018 dinner Parnas and Fruman had with Trump at the president's D.C. hotel. Bondy released footage of that gathering last week. Rudy Giuliani, the president's personal attorney who would go on to work with Parnas and Fruman, was at neither event, The Post said. Parnas and Fruman were arrested in October on campaign finance law violations. Everest Rehabilitation Hospitals We are so excited to provide our ultra-quality rehabilitation care to the citizens of Northwest Arkansas Today, after nearly two years of planning and construction, Everest Rehabilitation Hospitals, NWA, LLC is cutting the ribbon on its newest, modern, state-of-the art, physical rehabilitation hospital in Rogers, Arkansas. Everests comprehensive rehabilitation hospital is centrally located for the entire Northwest Arkansas population to benefit. The rehabilitation hospital is located just a block east of Interstate 49 at the corner of South Pleasant Crossing and South Dixieland Road (4313 S. Pleasant Crossing Blvd, Rogers AR). Everests Rehabilitation Hospital includes: 41,000 square feet of a modern, naturally sunlit design to enhance our patient and staff experience. 36 private rooms with the predesigned ability to expand the hospital by another 18 rooms in the future. 2 large, modern equipped, Inpatient and Outpatient Therapy Gyms. A complete, licensed pharmacy and in-house dialysis. A Therapy Car for mobility therapy. A large therapy courtyard with a multitude of therapy options. A HydroWorks pool/treadmill with water jets to create buoyancy for low impact resistance therapy. A fully furnished Assisted Daily Living apartment with Kitchen and Bath. A large dining hall with a patio for patients, physicians, staff and family to enjoy. A multitude of family gathering and meeting areas. Jay Quintana, Everest Rehabilitations CEO said, We are so excited to provide our ultra-quality rehabilitation care to the citizens of Northwest Arkansas! We provide one to one, physical therapy care to our patients, five to seven days a week. We have a very strong nurse patient ratio that contributes to optimal outcomes in our modern, naturally lit hospitals. Our enormous level of care in our acute rehabilitation hospital setting cannot be provided at other levels of care such as skilled nursing facilities or nursing homes. Everest Rehabilitation Hospitals physical therapy programs are led by physicians and staff specifically trained in medical rehabilitation and provide for around the clock registered nursing care to patients overcoming a stroke, brain injury, neurological deficits, orthopedic conditions, pulmonary disease, spinal cord injury, amputations and other medically complex conditions. About Everest Rehabilitation Hospitals, LLC Everest Rehabilitation Hospitals LLC, based in Dallas, Texas, is a multispecialty acute care physical rehabilitation hospital company focused on providing high quality, physical rehabilitation care. Everest is passionate about patient care; striving to create healing and nurturing environments for all patients that not only meet their medical needs but address their emotional and social needs as well. Patients are guided through the necessary steps to reclaim daily life, recover function, and return to an optimal quality of life by combining the latest treatments, technologies, and research with a unique interdisciplinary team approach involving the patient and family from day one. Everest provides the highest level of care available to patients with disabilities caused by injuries or illnesses, or from traumatic accidents. http://www.everestrehab.com Jay Quintana, CEO/ Co-Founder Jquintana(at)everestrehab.com 469-713-1145 January 29, 2020 News By C. Todd Lopez Defense.gov Used Ships Could Solve Sealift Readiness Issues The aging vessels used to move personnel, equipment and supplies around the world pose a readiness concern, the commander of U.S. Transportation Command said. In September, the command held a "turbo activation" exercise, activating more than 30 transport vessels with no notice to assess their ability to get ready for operations. "We kind of confirmed what we knew. The readiness of the fleet today is not where it needs to be," Army Gen. Stephen R. Lyons told an Atlantic Council panel in Washington yesterday. Through the Military Sealift Command, Transcom relies on about 125 civilian-crewed surface vessels averaging about 50 years old to replenish Navy ships, conduct specialized missions and transport personnel, cargo and supplies. "It's very hard to conduct service-life extensions on a ship that is that old," Lyons said. "What we are finding is the money that is provided against it is woefully insufficient to come back out of the shipyard in a ready status." Lyons said he thinks purchasing used ships to augment the fleet is a good solution to the problem. "Congress has granted us the authority granted the Navy the authority to purchase seven used ships on the open market," he added. By the end of this year or the beginning of the next fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1, the Defense Department expects to buy the first two of those used vessels, followed up with two or three more, the general said. The president's budget proposal will be released next month; following that, Lyons and other leaders within the U.S. military will testify on Capitol Hill to explain their portions of that budget proposal. The general said he expects he'll ask Congress for money for used ships, rather than new ones. "What I'd like to see is more money to accelerate the used-buy move ahead," he said. "I frankly think the 'new buy' piece is going to be very, very difficult for the Navy to go after. My own personal view is the faster we can move to demonstrate good faith in what the Congress gave us to do, the faster we can demonstrate that this is a viable way to move forward." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A former Harris County Precinct 3 Constables Office captain is facing two felony charges after a woman told police he sexually abused her for nearly a decade in the 1980s, records show. Jack Hagee, 74, is facing charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child, according to court records. Hagee worked for the constable's office for decades and is the brother of John Hagee, pastor of San Antonio's Cornerstone Church. The woman told Baytown police officers that Hagee started sexually abusing her when she was five years old in 1989. She said she was abused three times a week for nearly 10 years, according to court records. MORE FROM JAY R. JORDAN: Charges upgraded for driver after Good Samaritan declared brain dead John Hagee told police he called his brother to confront him about the allegations, according to court records. During that phone call, Jack Hagee allegedly admitted to the abuse. "Oh my God, Jack," the pastor reportedly said over the phone, according to court records. He went on to tell his retired-cop brother that he was unwelcome in his home in light of the news, John Hagee's wife told police. A spokesperson for John Hagee offered the following statement on behalf of the megachurch pastor: "Since Pastor Hagee was made aware of this situation, he and his wife have offered and given their full and unconditional support to the victim, including respecting their decision when to go to law enforcement and also speaking to law enforcement on the victim's behalf." When police tried to interview Jack Hagee by phone, he refused to answer questions, according to court records. He was arrested Wednesday on the two felony charges. He is facing a prison sentence anywhere between five and 99 years. Jack Hagee worked two stints with the Harris County Precinct 3 Constable's Office between 1980 and 2015, separated only by a brief hiatus in 2012, according to spokesperson with the constable's office. 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 STAY INFORMED: Subscribe to the Houston Chronicle for complete local news coverage. Boris Johnson will promise to heal the divides opened by Brexit as the UK leaves the European Union at 11pm on Friday. But signs of unity over the way forward for Northern Ireland at the head of the Stormont government appeared distant. The pro-Leave DUP First Minister Arlene Foster admitted that the Brexit "rhetoric from all sides of the debate has been divisive and common ground has not always been easily found". But she said the debate is now over, and with a new power-sharing government in place, "our economic wellbeing must be one of those issues upon which we can all unite". She called for those who supported frictionless cross-border trade to now "step up and use their voices in support of ensuring Northern Ireland has the access it needs within the United Kingdom's single market". Read More Sinn Fein Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said Brexit was "absolutely unacceptable", and there was "a real risk" of UK talks with the EU failing over the next year. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Brexit gallery: From referendum to departure, how Belfast Telegraph reported three torturous years / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp "If this happens, it is absolutely vital that the provisions to prevent a hard border come into effect and the Good Friday Agreement is protected in all of its parts," she said. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Brexit: From referendum to departure, how Belfast Telegraph reported three torturous years Close Brexit gallery: From referendum to departure, how Belfast Telegraph reported three torturous years / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Brexit gallery: From referendum to departure, how Belfast Telegraph reported three torturous years Mrs O'Neill said she saw "no contradiction" between sitting in government with the DUP at Stormont, while using Brexit as a vehicle for Irish unity. Read More Meanwhile, the Prime Minister will hail the "dawn of a new era". At 11pm on Friday, bonds stretching back to 1973 when the UK joined the European Economic Community will be broken, but the Prime Minister insisted that Brexit will mark "not an end, but a beginning". Very little will change at the moment of Brexit as a result of the deal which Mr Johnson agreed with Brussels and the 27 remaining member states. But the UK faces further uncertainty as both sides seek to strike a trade deal by the end of the year. In a symbolic move, Mr Johnson will chair a meeting of his Cabinet in Sunderland, the city which was the first to back Brexit when results were announced after the 2016 referendum. And in what Number 10 billed as an "address to the nation" released an hour before the moment the UK leaves the EU, Mr Johnson will attempt to sound an optimistic note about the future and divisions which have been caused in the bitter Brexit battles. He will say: "Our job as the government - my job - is to bring this country together and take us forward." He will call Brexit "the moment when the dawn breaks and the curtain goes up on a new act". "It is a moment of real national renewal and change. "This is the dawn of a new era in which we no longer accept that your life chances - your family's life chances - should depend on which part of the country you grow up in." As 11pm arrives, Big Ben will remain silent, despite a high-profile campaign fuelled by Mr Johnson for repair works to be halted to allow Parliament's bell to ring. But on Parliament Square, Brexiteers will gather for a party led by Nigel Farage, while Union flags are already flying around Westminster. In official events, Downing Street will be illuminated with a light show and a new 50p coin will enter circulation. In Brussels, the UK flag will be removed from the EU institutions, with one Union flag expected to be consigned to a museum. Domestic telecom gear makers seek a Rs 10,000 crore line of credit facility from the government in the upcoming budget to bring them at par with foreign competitors, according to a wishlist submitted by the telecom committee at PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry New Delhi: Domestic telecom gear makers seek a Rs 10,000 crore line of credit facility from the government in the upcoming budget to bring them at par with foreign competitors, according to a wishlist submitted by the telecom committee at PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The industry body has also demanded up to 75 percent quota for locally-made telecom equipment to reduce imports. "Foreign vendors are able to provide their countries export line of credit without sovereign guarantee to Indian telcos. Therefore, even if our prices and equipment are good to buy, we are not able to supply to Indian telecom service providers, as they are always short of funds for procurement. Initially we request a Rs 10,000 crore domestic line of credit facility," PHDCCI said in its submission to the telecom ministry. The industry body has suggested the government to impose custom duties on imported 4G and 5G equipment and declare sales under 'preference to Make in India' scheme as deemed exports. The recommendation said that the share of investment in Digital India (Telecom) is approximately Rs 3.2 lakh crore, out of which the approximate funding by the state and central government is about Rs 2.5 lakh crore. "We request that provisions be made in the budget to ensure that wherever central, quasi or state government funds are used, PMI and preferential market access policy of the DoT, may be implemented in the right earnest to get the maximum impact of this expenditure on GDP growth and GST generation," PHDCCI recommended. It said that at 20 percent of government expenditure, MSMEs should get business worth Rs 50,000 crore under existing policies. Follow full coverage of Union Budget 2020-21 here Facing flak for its unscientific advisory asking people to use homeopathy to prevent coronavirus infection and that Unani medicines could manage its symptoms, the ministry of Ayush (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Homoeopathy) on Wednesday was forced to issue a rejoinder saying the advisory was a preventive measure and not claiming to be a treatment advice for the coronavirus infection. Ayush system is based on traditional health practices. The traditional healthcare system of the country provides lifestyle advocacies to boost immunity, which helps in the prevention of various kinds of infectious diseases. Recently, the outbreak of coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has been noticed which mainly involves the respiratory system. The ministry of Ayush is issuing the advisory as preventive measure and not claiming to be a treatment advice for the Coronavirus infection, read the statement. The health ministry did not comment on the advisory. Since it has been issued by the Ayush ministry, any clarification should be sought from them. Health ministry has nothing to do with this advisory, said health secretary Preeti Sudan. The advisory was issued following the 64th meeting of the scientific advisory board of the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH) under the Ayush ministry to discuss ways and means for prevention of the nCoV infection through homoeopathy a day ago. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON When the two old political fraudsters emerged at the White House this week with the most deranged, farcical tragi-comedy in Middle East history, it was difficult to know whether to laugh or cry. The 80-page peace plan from the White House contained 56 references to Vision in its first 60 pages and yes, with a capital V on each occasion to suggest, I guess, that this deal of the century was a supernatural revelation. It was not, though it might have been written by a super-Israeli. It said goodbye to Palestinian refugees the famous/infamous right of return and all who now rot in the camps of the Middle East; farewell to the old city of Jerusalem as a Palestinian capital; adieu to UNRWA, the UN relief agency. But it welcomed a permanent Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the total annexation of almost every Jewish colony built there against all international law. Its a given, of course and has been for days that this nonsense might just cast some magic dust over the travails of the leaders of America and Israel. As the two rogues, Donald Trump under impeachment and Benjamin Netanyahu charged with corruption, grinned to the applause of their supporters in Washington, it became clear at once that this mendacious document containing absurdity, burlesque and dreary banality in about equal measure destroyed forever any hope of an independent Palestinian state of any kind. Thats not what it said, but you only had to glance at the verbiage where Israels occupation, the longest in modern history, was described as a security footprint and where the Oslo accord was trashed as an agreement which produced waves of terror and violence. Truly, all must read these 80 pages. And every reader should go through them twice, in case, first time round, they missed some extra egregious indignity inflicted upon the Palestinians. Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Show all 18 1 /18 Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Palestinian protesters burn pictures of US President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a demonstration in the West Bank against the expected peace plan proposal AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan US President and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announce Trump's Middle East peace plan in the White House AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Reuters Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Reuters Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AP The document wasnt just a gift to Israel. It embodied every Israeli demand ever made to Washington (plus a few more) and effectively destroyed every effort made by the United Nations Security Council; every UN resolution on Israeli withdrawal; every effort of the EU and the Quartet on the Middle East to produce a just and fair resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli war. In short, Israel will under this wretched deal, doomed though it was within seconds get all of Jerusalem forever, most of the West Bank, own almost every Jewish colony in occupied land and dominate a disarmed, truncated, neutered Palestinian people who must promise to call Israel the nation state of the Jewish people (albeit almost 21 per cent of its people are Arabs), censor its own schoolbooks, arrest and interrogate anyone daring to oppose the Israeli occupier, and who will have a cluster of villages outside Jerusalems walls to call a capital. True, this is a unique and historic document that the Trump menagerie (especially son-in-law Jared Kushner) has produced, since its belief that the Palestinians would dream of accepting such a deranged, farcical set of political demands is without precedent in the western world. But when should we journalists take all the stops out, I asked myself when Id finished reading the 56 Visions there are others, by the way, in lower case, and several missions and the list of prohibitions imposed upon the Palestinians? These included, we should note, the instruction that the State of Palestine may not join any international organisation if such membership would contradict commitments of the State of Palestine to demilitarisation and cessation of political and judicial warfare against the State of Israel. So goodbye as well to the protection of the International Criminal Court. Recommended Coronavirus panic shows how little China has learned since SARS Some of my colleagues lapsed into apoplexy, like Marwan Bishara of Al Jazeera. Farce, fraud, fury, surrealistic, opportunistic, populist and cynical. He used all these descriptions but surely he was mincing his words. Gideon Levy, my hero from the Israeli daily Haaretz, was not so apoplectic. He was apocalyptic. It was the final nail in the coffin of that walking corpse known as the two-state solution, he wrote, and created a reality in which international law, the resolutions of the international community and especially international institutions are meaningless. There is no Palestinian state, quoth Levy, and there never will be. Its got to be one democracy between the Jordan and the Mediterranean equal rights for both Israelis and Palestinians or Israel is going to be an apartheid state. Trump had created a world in which the US presidents son-in-law is more powerful than the UN General Assembly. If the settlements are permitted, everything is permitted. Quite so. But do we writers and journalists and experts and analysts still possess the tools to deal with this mumbo-jumbo? Is this not a moment not just the end of morality, justice, integrity, dignity to ask an ever-more important question: when will journalists have to stop taking this stuff (and themselves) seriously? Merely to write about this Trump ballyhoo as if it is real or workable or even discussable is somehow demeaning, humiliating, preposterous. Not just for media rabbits, but for those who must suffer the consequences of this dreadful document; the Palestinians and all who have faithfully supported their perfectly reasonable demands for freedom and fairness. I realised a few hours after reading it that, for every anti-Israel Muslim who believes in the fantastical, crazed verbiage of the Zionist conspiracy, these 80 pages of White House notepaper would only reinforce those mind-boggling beliefs. In cases like this, perhaps we should invite our comedians to become reporters. Or ask our cartoonists to write the story. Or maybe I should turn to that fine old Ripleys Believe It or Not feature to get the message across. Believe it Or Not: a US president gave a foreign power the right to eternally occupy someone elses land. To me, that captures the story in 15 words. But lets not forget that in return for their abject surrender, the Palestinians will get cash, cash and more cash millions of greenies set out in pages of graphs and funding plans, and fast-track tourism (that phrase is actually used in the document) and massive investment, social betterment (sic), self-determination (sic again, I guess), and a path to a dignified national life, respect, security and economic opportunity. And didnt our Boris Johnson tell Trump it was a positive step forwards? And didnt our Dominic Raab call it a serious proposal worthy of genuine and fair consideration? Believe it or not, indeed. Actor-turned-politician Urmila Matondkar on Thursday compared the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) to the infamous Rowlatt Act of the British era. She was speaking at a protest against the CAA and the National Register of Citizens, organised on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi's death anniversary at Gandhi Bhavan memorial here. Gandhi's ideology was still alive, as thepeople "who are against us (those who support the CAA) and their leaders have to go to Rajghat and pay tributes to him, she said. Gandhi was a true follower of Hinduism, and the person who shot him dead (Nathuram Godse) was also a Hindu, Matondkar said. "History would remember both the Rowlatt Act (the repressive legislation brought in during British rule) as well as the Citizenship (Amendment) Act as black laws," she said, alleging that the CAA was against the poor and "it is challenging our Bhartiyatva". "Therefore, we will not accept this law," she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Shot in arm for CPM govt as governor reads out portions critical of CAA in policy address. Security personnel help Kerala governor Arif Mohammed Khan as he is blocked by protesting Opposition legislators on his arrival into the house in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday. (Photo: PTI ) THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The CPM-led LDF Government in Kerala received a shot in the arm with governor Arif Mohammad Khan, who had taken a strident position against the state governments opposition to Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), reading out the portions that were highly critical of the Centres new law. Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan had sent a missive to Raj Bhavan on Tuesday night categorically stating that the government wanted the policy address to be delivered in the House in its entirety. The governor, in his reply, sent on Tuesday midnight reiterated his earlier position, defending the CAA. The ruling front kept its fingers crossed over Governments stand vis-a-vis policy address till the beginning of the session on Wednesday. Before reading the controversial portions, he reiterated that the CAA does not come under the definition or programme of the government. I am reading this paragraph because the honourable chief minister wants me to read this. Although I hold the view that this (CAA) does not come under the definition of policy or programme of state government, he said, adding that the chief minister has said in his letter that this is the view of the government. Mr Khan further said that to honour the CMs wish, despite his disagreement, he would read the paragraph. And what he read out subsequently was diametrically opposite to the views of Modi Government on the CAA. Our citizenship can never be on the basis of religion. Secularism is the basic structure of our constitution. This august body unanimously passed a resolution requesting the centre to abrogate the Citizenship Amendment Act, which my government believes, goes against the cardinal principles underlying in our constitution. Pursuant to this, my government filed a suit in the Supreme Court invoking provisions Article 131 of the constitution. A strong state and strong centre are pillars of our federalism. The voices of genuine apprehensions of the states need to be considered by the central government in the right spirit keeping broad national interest in mind particularly when Constitutional values are involved. There are widespread anxieties and apprehensions among a large number of our citizenry. The members of treasury benches thumped the bench loudly as Governor read out the paragraph which till then many believed he would skip. So what made the governor take a different route in House? Many say it was the opposition notice to Speaker for bringing a resolution in Assembly for the recall of the Governor. Mr Khan is believed to have got an assurance from the government that it would not support the oppositions move for his recall.The opposition notice will come up before the Business Advisory Committee on Friday. Union Budget 2020 will be announced on February 1. Crucial policy measures are expected from the government across sectors to uplift the current economy and revive the ongoing slowdown. With the dual objectives of India becoming a USD 5 trillion economy by 2024-25 and also doubling farmers' incomes by 2022-25, the government must make important provisions to boost the agriculture sector, which is the backbone of the economy. For the agricultural sector to grow, not only does the farm production and productivity need improvement but the quality of output needs to be looked at simultaneously. It has been observed that there's an acute micronutrient deficiency in soils and crops worldwide including India, resulting in severe yield losses and deterioration in nutritional quality. FULL COVERAGE:Union Budget 2020 According to an ICAR report, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, India is a zinc-deficient country and about 37 per cent soil samples analysed for available zinc were found deficient. Given the deficiency of this essential micronutrient, World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported that about 800,000 deaths happen annually due to zinc deficiency, of which 450,000 are children under the age of five. It is estimated that 60-70 per cent of the population in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa could be at risk of low zinc intake. In absolute numbers, this translates into about 2 billion people in Asia and 400 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa. The widespread zinc deficiency has led to zinc malnutrition in humans, especially in developing nations like India. This has drawn the attention of the government and policymakers in India and generated awareness on the critical role of zinc in human health. As far as the fertilizer policy is concerned, the role of zinc was targeted through additional subsidy at Rs 500 per ton under the Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) Scheme initiated in 2010. The government is actively promoting the use of zinc under the National Food Security Mission (NFSM) by providing an additional subsidy to farmers at Rs 500 per hectare for using micronutrients, including zinc fertilizers. Besides, large fertilizer players are also entering into the foray of zinc fertilizer business in India. Also read: Budget 2020: Date, timings, where to watch, expectations from Modi govt's most challenging Budget However, urea - the largest selling fertilizer product - is out of the gambit of the NBS scheme. As a result of being highly subsidised, it is the cheapest fertilizer in the market, and farmers are attracted to purchase it much more than what is required by the crops. This has resulted in highly skewed N:P:K consumption ratio, as distorted as 33:8:1 in Punjab, 27:10:1 in Rajasthan, 23:6:1 in Haryana, etc, in 2018-19, whereas the ideal N:P:K ratio is considered as 4:2:1 on an average. This is deteriorating the overall soil health and environmental sustainability. On the contrary, if urea is considered in the NBS scheme, the balanced plant nutrition will be certainly encouraged, and farmers will be prompted to use zinc fertilizers and other micronutrients. The Centre is exploring the possibility of including urea in NBS scheme, which is a welcome move. Once that happens, it would certainly encourage farmers to practise balanced plant nutrition, using higher zinc fertilizers. Also, the subsidy disbursal through Direct Cash Transfer (DCT), replacing the existing Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), is under active consideration by the Centre. Also read: Budget 2020: Modi govt may announce two mega initiatives to boost agricultural output It is heartening to note that neem coated urea is a success story in India. However, it is very unfortunate that zinc -- a widespread deficiency of which is causing malnutrition in humans -- and its fortification with urea was grossly ignored, though Zincated-Urea was approved in Fertiliser Control Order (FCO) by Centre way back in the 1990s. But, it is not being produced or marketed in India due to some minor price disparity. At present, about 32 million tonnes of urea is being consumed in India, whereas there is not a single grain of zincated-urea used. It is, therefore, strongly recommended that the Centre should consider this keeping in view the widespread zinc deficiency in soils and crops. During the launch of GST - a historic tax reform in India since independence - the rate on fertilizer was reduced from 12 per cent to 5 per cent, which has proved beneficial for farmers. However, this reduced tax rate is restricted to N, P, K fertilizers only and the secondary and micronutrient fertilizers are left out. The GST rate on micronutrients is 12 per cent and higher. This taxation system is discriminatory and discourages the farmers in practising balanced plant nutrition and using micronutrients like zinc fertilizers. The GST rates, therefore, should be made at par for all the fertilizers mentioned in FCO. The government should take cognizance of these recommendations to address the widespread zinc deficiency in crops and also provide benefit to the farmers. The writer is Director (South Asia), Zinc Nutrient Initiative, International Zinc Association SCOTTVILLE West Shore Community College is hosting an exhibition of student works titled Inspired by Cuba: Student Works. Students participating in the exhibition are students from the college, ASM Tech Early College High School, Mason County Central High School and Pentwater High School. The exhibit is on display through Feb. 14 in the Manierre Dawson Gallery. The student works were produced at workshops presented as part of the humankind event series exploring Cuba and its unique culture. The Cuban revolution brought about a new way of thinking and, with that, a new and experimental visual language. In these workshops, students were exposed to a visual culture which cherishes breaking the boundaries of various media such as books and posters. The books were created in a book-making workshop with Cuban-American author Professor Ruth Behar. She presented a series of unique handmade books produced by Cuban artist Rolando Estevez. Students, using Estevezs works as inspiration, made their own poetry books. The posters were created in a poster-making workshop with journalist and researcher Elisa Schoenberger. She presented on the visual language and history of Cuban solidarity posters, asking, Who or what cause are you in solidarity with? Each student, using Cuban posters as inspiration, picked a topic and made a poster reflecting their solidarity with their own personal cause. For more information on humankind visit humankindWSCC.org and facebook.com/humankindWSCC. Interview with Christopher Gerteisen Sydney, Jan 30, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Nova Minerals Limited ( ASX:NVA ) ( FRA:QM3 ) ( OTCMKTS:QTRPF ) Interview with Christopher Gerteisen, Director and General Manager of Nova Minerals Ltd.In an interview with GOLDINVEST.de, General Manager Christopher Gerteisen explained what has been achieved so far and how to double or even triple the already known resources of 2.5 million gold ounces.To watch the video please visit:To view research report from Martin Place Securities, please visit:About Martin Place Securities Martin Place Securities is Australia's Boutique Resources Investment Firm, specialising in emerging mining, resources and energy companies. MPS was founded in October 2000 to provide a link between Australian resource sector opportunities and investors from major financial centres in Europe, North America and China. We are well known for identifying and financing early stage prospects that develop into successful growth companies. MPS provides services in Corporate Advisory, Stockbroking, Investment Research and Education. About Nova Minerals Limited Nova Minerals Limited's (ASX:NVA) (FRA:QM3) (OTCMKTS:NVAAF) vision is to develop North America's next major gold trend. The company is focused on exploration in Alaska's prolific Tintina Gold Belt, a province which hosts a 220 million ounce (Moz) documented gold endowment and some of the world's largest gold mines and discoveries including Victoria Gold's Eagle Mine and Kinross Gold Corporation's Fort Knox Gold Mine. The company's flagship Estelle Project has a current total estimated JORC gold resource of 9.6Moz (3Moz Indicated and 6.6Moz Inferred). Estelle is a 45km long string of 15 identified gold prospects bracketed by the Korbel deposit in the north and the RPM deposit in the south. These two deposits are currently host to extensive exploration programs. Additionally, Nova has an indirect interest in the Canadian Thompson Brothers Lithium Project through a substantial stake in Snow Lake Resources Ltd (NASDAQ:LITM) and holds a 12.99% interest in Torian Resources Limited (ASX:TNR), a gold exploration company based in Western Australia. CLEVELAND, Ohio Authorities arrested a Cleveland woman Wednesday in connection with deadly shootings in Cleveland and Georgia. U.S. Marshals arrested Emani Nickerson-Skanes, 21, in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, about a half-hour south of Milwaukee. Nickerson-Skanes and Robert Foots, 25, of Racine, Wisconsin, were arrested in connection with the Jan. 20 fatal shooting of a man in Clevelands Buckeye-Shaker neighborhood. Nickerson-Skanes and Foots are accused of shooting and killing Terrill Jackson, 21, in the doorway of an apartment building. Jackson was shot in the face and head. A Cleveland police report say the shooting was drug related, but does not elaborate. Nickerson-Skanes and Foots then robbed Jackson and left the area. Both were charged Wednesday with aggravated murder in Jacksons death. Investigators quickly identified Nickerson-Skanes as a suspect, according to the U.S. Marshals. Foot was identified as the other suspect shortly before his arrest, the marshals said. Nickerson-Skanes was also arrested in connection for another deadly shooting in College Park, Georgia that happened under similar circumstances, according to the marshals. Details on that case were not immediately available. Foot was also being sought by police in Wisconsin for violating the terms of his parole stemming from a sexual assault conviction, the marshals said. To comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments page. Man tries to abduct 7-year-old girl at Cleveland school, police say Man climbs through Cleveland womans window and tries to rape her at knifepoint, police say Cleveland father charged after 3-year-old boy shot himself with illegal gun Man shoots attacker in self-defense in Clevelands Slavic Village neighborhood, police say Harbor Springs school board authorizes May bond proposal During Monday's meeting, the board unanimously adopted a resolution to authorize the bonding proposal, with the election scheduled for Tuesday, May 3. Thirty-six people have been killed in a suspected militia attack in the eastern DR Congo region of Beni, where hundreds have died in violence since November, a local official said Wednesday. Congolese troops have been carrying out a military operation on an armed group in the east of the country -- long plagued by various militias -- and militiamen have responded with a series of massacres against civilians. "They were all hacked to death. This brings (the toll) to 36 bodies," local Beni governor Donat Kibwana told AFP, updating casualties from Tuesday's attack. Officials had earlier reported 15 fatalities. Two people with skull fractures caused by machetes have been admitted to the hospital in Oicha for surgery, an AFP reporter there said. The main attack took place late Tuesday in Manzingi, a village 20 kilometres (12 miles) northwest from Oicha, while a pastor was also killed in nearby Eringeti. Democratic Republic of Congo. By (AFP) According to a toll compiled by a civil society organisation, the Kivu Security Tracker (KST), 265 people have now been killed in the Beni region since the army began its crackdown on the armed group, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), on October 30. The massacres seem to be a tactic by the ADF to frighten the population into silence, local commentators say. The group has also disrupted operations to curb an outbreak of Ebola in North Kivu province. Tuesday's massacre occurred to the west of the ADF's usual area of operations, which is closer to the Ugandan border. The army offensive, unfolding in thick forest and jungle, has led to what the military say is the capture of the group's headquarters and the killing of five of its six leaders. Brutal militia The ADF, blamed for the deaths of more than a thousand civilians in Beni since October 2014, began as an Islamist-rooted rebel group in Uganda that opposed Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. It fell back into eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in 1995 during the Congo Wars and appears to have halted raids inside Uganda. Its recruits today are people of various nationalities. UN experts estimated the ADF in 2018 to number around 450 fighters. A report to the UN Security Council last week said the ADF seemed to follow an extreme Islamist ideology, but there is no information on whether the group had links with international jihadist groups. The spate of massacres has become a major challenge for President Felix Tshisekedi, who took office a year ago last Friday. In November, angry protests erupted in the city of Beni, the region's administrative hub, as citizens accused the UN peacekeeping force in DR Congo of failing to protect them. Tshisekedi, in his first state-of-the-nation address to Congress, last month said he had changed the army command in Beni and sent 22,000 troops to the region. Brisbane lord mayor Adrian Schrinner has called for community calm in the wake of Queensland's first confirmed case of coronavirus. Cr Schrinner said no Lunar New Year events hosted by Brisbane City Council had been cancelled, but he would abide by Queensland Health advice on large assemblies. The Chinese New Year festival in Fortitude Valley, pictured here in 2016, will go ahead unless Brisbane City Council receives advice from Queensland Health. Credit:Michelle Smith The Lunar New Year is set to be celebrated in Fortitude Valley's Chinatown on Saturday and Sunday as part of the council's annual BrisAsia Festival, a month-long citywide celebration of Asian culture. "I have a whole range of Lunar New Year events coming up, I'm looking forward to those events," Cr Schrinner said. Actionable intel by India, diplomacy by India led to arrest of Khalistan terrorist in Germany 2022: Why India must worry about the revival of Khalistan terrorism Pakistan unlikely to return Khalistan terrorist Happy PhDs body India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Jan 30: Pakistan is unlikely to return the body of top Khalistan terrorist, Harmeet Singh to India. While the parents of the slain terrorist have urged that his body be returned, the same is unlikely to happen. Top sources tell OneIndia that this is unlikely to happen owing to the fact that Singh was living under a fake identity at the Nankana Sahib in Punjab, Pakistan. The Punjab police had got nine red corner notices issued against him. He was killed by a local gang over a financial dispute that stemmed out of a drug deal, sources said. The source said that he was shot by a local gang near the Dera Chahal Gurudwara near Lahore. Happy PhD top Khalistan terrorist who killed Hindu leaders shot dead in Lahore EU Parliament postpones voting on resolution against CAA, India hails it as diplomatic win|Oneindia Harmeet alias Happy PhD took over as the chief of the Khalistan Liberation Force in 2014 after the outfit's boss Harminder Mintoo was arrested by the Punjab Police from Thailand. Mintoo had managed to escape from jail, but he was arrested again. He died of a cardiac arrest in 2018. Singh, who was killed was living in Pakistan for the past 20 years under the patronage of the ISI. Singh was accused of radicalising the youth in Punjab. He would raise funds for the terrorist group and was a key player in the narcotics world. Jason William Dean, 36, was arraigned Wednesday in Michigan A married teacher has been accused of committing dozens of sex acts with a female middle school student that he taught a decade ago. Jason William Dean, 36, was arraigned Wednesday on felony criminal sexual conduct charges in Oakland County, Michigan after the former student came forward alleging they had sex in 2010, when she was 14. Police say that Dean, a father of two, admitted to the sex crimes in an interview with detectives, and that he had told his wife about the matter. At the time of the alleged sexual encounters, Dean was a teacher at Cedar Crest Academy in Clarkston, which includes students from kindergarten through eighth grade, according to authorities. Dean remained silent as he appeared on video link at his arraignment from county jail At the time of the alleged sexual encounters in 2010, Dean was a teacher at Cedar Crest Academy in Clarkston (above). The former student says they had oral sex in a classroom Police say Dean's inappropriate relationship with the girl began when she was just 12, and the two began talking on AOL Messenger, an instant messaging platform that no longer exists, according to WDIV-TV. The relationship became sexual a few years later, when she was in seventh and eight grade, according to police. Prosecutors say that in March of 2010, Dean engaged in oral sex acts with the girl in his classroom at Cedar Crest Academy. Then at some point between March and June of that year, Dean had sexual intercourse with the girl at the Quality Inn in Waterford Township, according to prosecutors. The former student told police that Dean had sexual intercourse with her at the Quality Inn in Waterford Township (above) Dean also rented a secret apartment in this complex, where the former student said that she had sexual intercourse with him at least 30 times, prosecutors say Then, unbeknownst to his wife, Dean rented a secret apartment where the former student said that she had sexual intercourse with him at least 30 times, prosecutors say. Finally, prosecutors alleges that Dean engaged in sexual activity with the girl on an airplane while returning from Orlando on an eighth-grade class trip. Dean has no prior criminal convictions and now lives with his wife and children. His wife would welcome him back into the home if he makes bail, his attorney says. At the time of the charges, Dean was a teacher at Northville High School, but has been placed on administrative leave by the district, officials said. A judge set Dean's bail at $500,000. A probable cause conference is scheduled in the case for February 10 His defense attorney told the Oakland Press that he is waiting to review the evidence in the case. At Wednesday's arraignment, Dean remained silent as he appeared by video link from the county jail as a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf. He was ordered held pending bail of $500,000 and remained in custody at the Oakland County Jail as of Thursday. A probable cause conference is scheduled in the case for February 10. EU wants to ban green and blue tattoos in a new law that has been discussed on the same day it was revealed the bloc are also gunning to scrap chargers being sold with new mobile phones, Express.co.uk reports. German online publication OE24 reports the EU is seeking to ban tattoos that have green and blue in them because the colours are no longer permitted as hair dye according to the Cosmetics Ordinance. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is seeking the ban immediately on the basis that tattoo colours are also considered cosmetics. The ECHA said it is still disputed as to whether or not black contours should be allowed. The European Commission said in a statement: More than 100 colorants and 100 additives are in use. Most tattoo inks on the EU market are imported from the US, while PMU inks are generally manufactured in Europe. The pigments used are not specifically produced for tattoo/PMU applications and generally show low purity. The statement added the majority of them are not authorised for the use in cosmetic products They argue colour tattoos have more toxins, claiming some EU destinations put car paint or printer ink in the product. Up to 300 shades are mixed to create a colour tattoo, making it more challenging for toxins to be identified. . Claude Lewis was ready to leave the culinary world forever. The Jersey City chef had lost 100 pounds, a result of hyperthyroidism, and in his weakest moments couldnt even reach the bathroom without his wifes help. His illness, exasperated by the stress of working in the kitchen, was slowly killing him. But it was a 2012 trip to his familys native Antigua and a truckload of tropical fruit that miraculously saved his life, he says. I ate about 500 mangoes in two weeks because my aunt has a field (of mango trees)," Lewis says, noting that the more mangoes he ate, the better he felt. "I came back and there was nothing wrong with me. Im dead serious. The juicy fruits somehow restored Lewiss health, he says, and soon after his career found new life, too: Also in 2014 he responded to a Craigslist job posting for a Grove Street pizzeria that turned out to be the wildly popular restaurant Porta. They said, I dont know where were going to put you, but we want you, Lewis says of his Porta interview. From that point I would say things really started changing, because Porta was such an experience. He climbed the ranks and became the restaurants executive chef, winning an episode of Food Networks Chopped" in March 2019 along the way. Now hes branching out on his own. Lewis, 39, just opened Freetown Road Project, a breezy West Indian restaurant in Journal Square where he serves the food of his parents homeland, only miles from the Jersey City Heights neighborhood where he was raised. A quick note before we dive into the dishes: West Indian food is not from Western India but rather the West Indies, a chain of islands in the Caribbean, and the cuisine reflects the many different cultures that settled in those islands: African, Indian and European. Lewiss menu draws comparisons to American soul food, with lots of stews, greens, potatoes and fish. Growing up, Lewis was more focused on eating food than cooking it, he says. But he found himself working at restaurants while at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale and realized he loved food more than art, so he returned to Jersey City and went to the Hudson County Community College Culinary Arts Institute. Lewis cut his teeth at restaurants throughout New York and New Jersey before launching Freetown Road Project, an amalgam of the towns his parents are from: his father grew up in Freetown Village, his mother in Old Road Village. Lewis was raised on Antiguan food many of the dishes he now serves sneaking his parents leftovers out of the fridge in the middle of the night. His parents cooking was so good that extended family would drive down from Upstate New York just for his mothers white rice and vegetables. Thats how good the food is, you know? Lewis says. It really stems from that, from just me wanting and yearning for that food." Braised oxtail and rice at Freetown Road Project in Jersey City.Jeremy Schneider | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com A meal at Freetown Road Project will have you sneaking leftovers yourself with delectable, hearty dishes: braised oxtail and stewed chicken that both fall off the bone served with fluffy, flavorful rice and beans and roti (Indian flat bread) to sop up the sauce. Flaky beef patties that could almost pass for empanadas, and creamy, cheesy mac and cheese that reminds you why Lewis calls his cooking soul food. Wash it all down with a glass of homemade ginger beer, with chunks of fresh ginger spicy enough to cure a cold. The richness of the food and the portion size will have you ready for a nap, making the restaurants unique layout fortuitous. The concrete dining tables built by Lewiss father are surrounded by large pillow-padded wooden couches, perfect for lounging and enjoying the reggae music and palm plants throughout the space while you digest Lewis invites diners to take their time and stay awhile (Freetown is BYOB). Its located right on bustling Newark Avenue, but as soon as you step into Freetown Road Project you feel like you walked into a bungalow on the beaches of Antigua. Mac and cheese at Freetown Road Project in Jersey City.Jeremy Schneider | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Lewiss desire to bring West Indian food to Jersey City isnt just a tribute to his parents, its also market analysis. Even as the bulging city progresses as New Jerseys hottest food town, it is still lacking in Caribbean cuisine. Lewis listed just two other restaurants serving the same sort of eats in Jersey City, and neither of them are in Journal Square a lacking food neighborhood compared to the Heights and Grove Street areas. The restaurants mission goes beyond serving customers, Lewis says, noting he plans to work with the SALT Foundation, his sisters charity group to have monthly events at the restaurant to feed the homeless and those in need. To be where I am now, Lewis says. I feel that it would really harm the aura of this place for me not to pay that forward. Jeremy Schneider may be reached at jschneider@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Schneider. 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. As most of the funds earmarked 13 years ago for the construction of a barrack in Arthur Road jail here were spent on setting up a high security cell for 26/11 terror attacks convict, Ajmal Kasab, the cost of the project has now nearly doubled to Rs 4.49 crore, an official said. The Maharashtra Home Department on Monday issued a government resolution (GR) sanctioning funds as per the fresh cost estimate for construction and electrification work of barrack-1 in Arthur Road prison in central Mumbai. "The prisons department was sanctioned Rs 2.62 crore in the 2006-07 financial year for the ground plus one storey structure of the barrack under the central government's Prisons Improvement Scheme," an official said on Thursday. "The funds were sanctioned as per the rates prevailing then. However, after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks accused Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab was brought to the prison, priority was given for the construction of a high security cell to lodge him," he added. "Most of the funds that were sanctioned for the construction of the barrack were then diverted for setting up the high security cell. With the remaining funds, work for the ground floor of the barrack was carried out," the official said. Executive Engineer of Public Works Department (PWD) and Prisons department had submitted a fresh proposal stating the cost of the project has escalated to Rs 4.49 crore. Ten Pakistani terrorists, including Kasab, had launched an attack on key locations in the city on the night of November 26, 2008. The terrorists killed 166 people and injured over 600 others. While nine of the terrorists were killed during the siege, Kasab was caught alive by the Mumbai police at Marine Drive in south Mumbai. Kasab was hanged at Yerwada Central Jail in Pune in November 2012. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Republican strategist Rick Wilson just jumped the shark during a recent interview segment with CNN's Don Lemon. "Jumping the shark" is a term inspired by the infamous episode of Happy Days in which tough guy Fonzie was literally dared by a California beach bum (who subsequently chickened out) to a water-ski jumping contest over a shark confined by a net. The show had been in a gradual decline for a while there are only so many times the same basic idea can get recycled and still generate laughs but that was the coup de grace for the series. The phrase means you've gone too far. And who is Rick Wilson, you might ask yourself out of morbid curiosity? An excellent question, considering I was just asking myself the same thing. According to his Wikipedia page, Wilson's claim to fame as a Republican strategist dates back to the late 1980s, when he worked for Connie Mack's campaign for one of the Senate seats from Florida. Then he worked for President Bush (41)'s Department of Defense before helping Rudy Giuliani win the race for mayor of New York City. His most recent foray into a political campaign was to serve as the brains behind the spectacular failure during the 2016 primaries that ought to be known as Evan McMullin's Ultimate Exercise in Futility, for even trying to beat Donald Trump in the Republican primaries after seventeen or so better known candidates had already tried and failed. Wilson was a NeverTrump long before our president was elected and sworn into office. Rick Wilson laughs at Trump voters (Twtter video screen grab, cropped). So, once upon a time, Wilson really was a Republican, at least according to the John McCain/Mitt Romney definition of the word, meaning as long as it was convenient for him and served his purposes. Wilson's more recent claim to fame and most likely the reason he was a panelist on Don Lemon's show is probably due to his authorship of the New York Times #1 bestseller (for one week) Everything Trump Touches Dies: A Republican Strategist Gets Real about the Worst President Ever. Because I haven't read the book, unlike my own (liberal) critics, I can't write a review on a book I haven't read. I can't really express an opinion on anything except the title, which I would recommend changing to something along the lines of Everything Trump Touches Dies, Except the Economy, Foreign Trade, Domestic Employment, and the American Dream. I doubt that a book published with my revised title would be as popular with the Don Lemon crowd as Wilson's original, but I suspect that it could do well with the audience of Rush Limbaugh and the readership of American Thinker. But I digress... Precisely when did Rick Wilson get seduced by the Dark Side and become a former Republican strategist? Apparently, it happened only a couple of days ago, after Wilson mockingly joked that Trump wouldn't be able to find Ukraine on a map even with the letter "U" and a picture of a crane next to it. Naturally, Don Lemon reacted as if it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard, just as any other TDS sufferer would do. Please remember that Wilson is talking to the same guy who once asked a different panel of guests if a black hole could have swallowed a missing Malaysian Airlines jetliner, and it had to be explained that a small black hole could conceivably suck in our entire universe and gently suggested that serious questions about serious matters such as the disappearance and presumed deaths of several hundred people should not be inspired by silly plots of television shows like Lost and The Twilight Zone. Three years younger than I am seems too young for Wilson to have retired...perhaps he has transitioned into a writing career like me. It remains to be seen how many "bestsellers" bashing President Trump can be written, though, and his career as a Republican campaign consultant probably just suffered a fatal blow...yeah, Mitt Romney would still hire the guy, but Utah and Massachusetts both seem to have experienced some buyer's remorse, and he could never again come as close to the presidency as he did in 2012. Yesterday, a caller to Rush Limbaugh's program suggested we should thank Mitt Romney for losing to Obama, because Trump could have never been elected otherwise. I agreed with Rush (I usually do) on the call he countered that we should instead be grateful to Candy Crowley for exposing the weakness in Romney, and he's absolutely right, because we were richly rewarded in 2016 we got a much better president in Trump than the weak Romney could have ever hoped to be, and we haven't heard from Candy Crowley since. Maybe Rick Wilson has made enough money that he can "retire" from the grind of a political campaign to the ivory tower of media punditry. Perhaps he could afford to jump the shark without worrying if anyone would ever hire him as a Republican campaign strategist ever again, which would be good for him, because I don't think he could get another job unless he decided to cross over and consult for Democrat politicians in the future. That brilliant satire website, The Babylon Bee, offered the best takeaway from Rick Wilson's disgraceful appearance on Don Lemon. The hilarious (and true) headline says it all: "CNN Airs Free Commercial For Trump Campaign." It's been done already. John Leonard writes novels, books, and occasional articles or blogs for American Thinker. You may follow him on Facebook or his website (and blog, which includes the AT "rejected" pieces) at southernprose.com. Move over AOL-Time Warner merger. Bayer's takeover of Monsanto is small potatoes. Altria Groups $12.8B investment for a 35 percent stake in Juul Labs announced November 2018 may be the worst deal of all time. The parent of Philip Morris said Jan. 30 that it took another $4.1B write-down in the e-cigarette company. That followed a $4.5B write-down in October. The rapidly shrinking value of Juul is now pegged at $4.2B. Altria warned investors that more pain may be in the works. It said the latest charge is primarily due to the increased number of legal cases pending against Juul and the expectation is that the number of legal cases will continue to increase. The number of lawsuits has jumped by 80 percent since October and there could be adverse developments in pending or future cases, according to Altria. The company though gave investors a break. It didn't warn of the myriad of regulatory challenges faced by Juul. Long-time newspaper champion Warren Buffett is unloading Berkshire-Hathaways 30-member newspaper group, which includes his hometown Omaha World-Herald, to Lee Enterprises, dealing a psychological blow to that troubled media sector. How eager was the Oracle of Omaha to get BH Media off his hand? He arranged for Berkshire-Hathaway to finance the deal, agreeing to provide a $576M loan to Lee to help pay off $400M in debt. Buffett, who was a newspaper delivery boy, has been a big fan of papers, reading five of them a day. Apple created a game in 2019 called Warren Buffetts Paper Wizard, based on his newspaper delivery game. That came following Apple Tim Cooks appearance at Berkshire-Hathaways annual meeting in Omaha in 2019. In 2016, Buffett said the newspaper business was declining at a faster rate than he anticipated with the dailies getting thinner and thinner. At the time though, He promised that B-H would never sell a newspaper. I want to be the last guy standing, said Buffett. Take a seat, Warren. At long last, the Iowa caucus is almost here, and its not a minute too soon for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who ranks on top of Group SJRs Storytelling Index. The WPP unit shared video clips of the top six leading Democratic presidential contenders during their Jan. 14 Des Moines debate with a group of Iowa and New Hampshire, which holds the first primary, voters. It gauged voters on SJRs three pillars of storytelling (wisdom, wonder and delight). Sanders scored the highest in each, doing especially well in the wonder pillar as his think big message inspired voters across demographic groups. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren came in second. Addressing the challenges facing Americans and her plans to tackle them was a textbook case of conflict and resolution, according to SJR. Her presentation scored high marks among college-educated voters but not so much among those who did not go to college or non-white voters. Ex-South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg needs to turn the page. He scored low among non-whites and less-educated voters, which may not hurt him in Iowa and New Hampshire but hes toast elsewhere. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar did well among voters over 55 in the poll, making her a dark horse for New Hampshire. Former Vice President Joe Biden came in dead last as his message lacked a beginning, middle and end, according to SJR. The Iowa results will tell us if SJR's storytelling index is, using one of Bidens favorite phrases, just a bunch of malarkey. According to the Ministry of Health, 142,659 people fell ill with acute respiratory viral infection (ARVI) over the past week, of which 60.3% were children Open source According to the Ministry of Health, 142,659 people fell ill with acute respiratory viral infection (ARVI) over the past week, of which 60.3% were children. The intensive incidence rate is 21.7% less than the epidemic threshold in Ukraine. But while doctors, referring to these figures, say that the situation is not epidemic yet, from October and as of January 22, 11 deaths, caused by influenza, were recorded, and a large number of Ukrainian schools are quarantined. At the beginning of the 2019-2020 epidemic season, the Center for Public Health (CPH) calculated the forecast of possible cases of influenza in Ukraine at 4.8-6.7 million people. Rising waves were expected in December and late January early February, with a possible peak in the 4th week. But from the beginning of January, there has been an increase in the number of patients. For example, over the past week, the incidence of influenza and SARS in Kyiv has increased by 35.2%. According to the CPH, from September 30, 2019, to January 19, 2020, more than 2.2 million people (6.2% of the population of Ukraine) fell ill with the flu, 67.113 people were hospitalized, of which 78.7% were children under the age of 17 years. Epidezone influenza strains 2019-2020 in Ukraine According to WHO estimates, this year, influenza viruses circulate in the Northern Hemisphere, similar to A / Brisbane / 02/2018 (H1N1) pdm09, A / Kansas / 14/2017 (H3N2), B / Colorado / 06/2017 (line B / Victoria / 2/87), B / Phuket / 3073/2013 (line B / Yamagata / 16/88). In other words, four strains of influenza are possible in Ukraine: Brisbane (Australia), Kansas (USA), Colorado (USA), Phuket (Thailand) - they have the names of the cities where they were registered for the first time. Ukrainians already have immunity to one of them. For example, V-Phuket circulated last year, which means that many have already managed to get sick with it. Particular attention should be paid to the first two species, which are the most dangerous ones. They can cause complications such as encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), meningoencephalitis (inflammation of the meninges), myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), pneumonia (inflammation of the lungs), etc. It is also worth noting that these strains can affect not only people but and mammals and birds. According to Alla Mironenko, the head of the department of respiratory and other viral infections of the Institute of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases (Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine), Brisbane is the most dangerous for people of working age, people with chronic diseases are in the zone of greatest risk. And Kansas is dangerous for the elderly (from 65 years old), pregnant women, people with obesity and pathologies. According to the results of laboratory studies, Brisbane prevailed in Ukraine, as a result of the Texas strain, no deaths were recorded so far, but in 2018, America lost about 80 thousand citizens because of it. The likelihood of an epidemic in Ukraine The epidemic threshold for Ukraine and separately for each region is calculated annually. For the current epidemic season, the threshold is 476.7 per 100,000 of the population. The following levels of intensity of the epidemic rise in the incidence of influenza are distinguished: the average - 649.71 per 100,000 population; high - 845.25 per 100,000 population; very high - 921.59 per 100,000 population. As of January 22, Ukraine recorded 11 deaths due to influenza. Doctors noted that this happened due to the fact that patients did not come to hospitals in time, and also did not have vaccinations. In particular, most of the dead were registered in the Zhytomyr region. During laboratory studies over the past 4 weeks, 75 such patients were examined in the region, of which 31 were confirmed laboratory-confirmed flu - pandemic influenza A virus (H1N1) - "swine flu" was detected in throat swabs. A week ago, the incidence rate in Zhytomyr was 32% below the epidemic threshold. And as of January 21, the level rose to 11%. According to Flu and SARS in Ukraine newsletter for January 13-19, influenza and SARS are at non-epidemic levels in most regions, with the exception of the Ternopil region, where low epidemic activity is recorded. But how long can this tendency be preserved, given the fact that in a number of cities indicators of the incidence rate are close to the epidemic level, and in some, they have already exceeded it? In a number of regions of Ukraine, schools are quarantined. In particular, 59 schools of the Donetsk region are closed, seven schools of Volyn region, all schools and kindergartens of Berdyansk town (Zaporizhia region), 39 schools of Rivne region, and 15 schools of Sumy region. However, the Ministry of Healthcare is reassuring, explaining that exceeding the epidemic threshold for the incidence of influenza does not mean the onset of an influenza epidemic. Most often, this is a typical epidemic rise in the incidence rate typical for the winter season. Prevention of influenza and SARS From year to year with the beginning of the new epidemic season, doctors emphasize the importance of preventive measures (vaccination), as well as some preventive measures that can protect Ukrainians from the disease. Here are useful everyday tips: Wash your hands often with soap, especially after contact with handrails, common objects, if you have no opportunity to wash your hands, use an alcohol-based antiseptic; Dress according to the weather and keep your feet warm (the DSP also notes that overheating is just as dangerous as hypothermia); Eat balanced, eat fortified foods; Avoid contact with sick persons; keep a distance of at least 1 m from a person with signs of illness; Ventilate the room more often, do wet cleaning (viruses do not like fresh air and die quickly in it); Sleep well. How to recognize a disease In order to recognize the disease in time, you need to be guided by its symptoms, because different types of strains have their own characteristics of impact on the human body. For example, group A strains (Kansas and Brisbane), except chills, joint pain, sore throat, loss of appetite and fever up to 40 C (signs that are common for group B viruses (Colorado and Phuket) are associated with eyes pain, photophobia, nausea, and diarrhea. To ensure the safety from complications and deaths, the Ministry of Health reminds to call an ambulance immediately if you notice dangerous symptoms: dyspnea; skin rash; hemoptysis; bluish skin tone; vomiting and diarrhea; chest pain; pressure reduction; slow heart rate; arrhythmia; impaired consciousness; Delay in hospitalization can lead to the death of the patient. San Francisco gets credit and blame for pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable business for everything from the Gold Rush to Airbnbs to $8 avocado toast. But often forgotten is this: Before Los Angeles became known as Americas porn studio, the real disrupting was done here. Fifty years ago, San Francisco established itself as the porn capital of America the New York Times and Dianne Feinstein called it such. This was largely thanks to a documentary made by a former craps dealer with a bad limp who would become the first porn millionaire. And he did it while facing regular police busts and opposition from local politicians such as Feinstein. Alex de Renzy, then 34, released a documentary called Pornography in Denmark on Feb. 24, 1970 at the Presidio Theatre on Chestnut and Scott. The small room of San Franciscans became the first audience to watch a publicly screened hard-core porn movie in America. De Renzy shot the movie on location in Copenhagen for $15,000. By the end of 1970, hed made over $1.5 million off it, was living in a hilltop San Rafael mansion with two women and their kids, and he was the subject of major news features. He was, in a way, Americas first porn star, despite having none of the sex. "That film broke the boundary," said Mike Stabile of the Free Speech Coalition, who made a 2011 documentary on porn in San Francisco called "Smut Capital of America." "Not only was it a legal success but also a financial success. That really pushed the door open for a lot of people." The choice to show sex in its entirety throughout a movie was risky and unprecedented. Even theaters showing softer-core porn such as masturbation were being busted by police. An Aug. 1969 raid on the Mitchell Brothers OFarrell Theater, captured by KRON News, shows patrons shielding their faces from the camera. Warhols "Blue Movie" in 1969 showed a tamer display of explicit sex for about 10 minutes of a 140-minute film, but it would lose an obscenity case in New York and only saw a limited release. Nevertheless, De Renzy made a calculated risk, billing his film as a documentary first, porn second. "De Renzy was a filmmaker before being an adult filmmaker," Stabile said. "When they got the footage back, the sensible thing to do was, 'Hey, weve got something here. We may be able to get away with this." San Francisco Chronicle San Franciscos porn wars were effectively fought and decided in 1970 both in the courts and in public meetings. To build her case against the smut shops, Feinstein took concerned (or possibly curious) citizens on tours of them. "The next thing well see is sexual intercourse right out in the parks, the way they do in Denmark," warned San Francisco Supervisor Peter Tamaras at a publicly attended debate while De Renzy booed him. De Renzy got away with it. Despite the SFPD arresting him and seizing copies of his film, he won an obscenity case in court. A judge ruled the movie had redeeming social value as a documentary. The Chronicle gave a seemingly stunned review of the unedited sex in "Pornography in Denmark," calling it a "mind-boggling display." While dealing such traditional film criticisms as "the narrative writing is second-rate," it assures prospective viewers that "this is no more a stag film than what a couple does in the privacy of their own bedroom is pornography." The Chronicles famous Little Man, who usually appears on movie reviews, is noticeably absent. San Francisco wasnt a one-man smut show, however. Other local operators, many of them young and college-educated with neatly kept theaters, helped San Francisco spearhead the shortly lived "porn chic" era in the early '70s, marketing to young couples and curious out-of-towners everywhere from the Tenderloin to the Marina. They included two bearded brothers in their mid-20s one of whom would later shoot the other to death (more on that later). In 1967 there were six "blue movie" theaters in San Francisco. In late 1970 there were 28 of them, with an estimated 30,000 customers paying $150,000 a week despite business owners and patrons being constantly raided by police. A November 1970 feature on the porn industry by the Chronicle detailed the effect: "The year 1970 will go down in history as the year the lid came off, the year when women began going to stag films in great numbers, when erotic films became Big Business, when thousands of San Franciscans shelled out millions of dollars to watch sex on stage and some of the bluest movies ever made." Other local pornographers, such as Mitchell brothers Artie and Jim, responded to the ruling by hurriedly making their own hard-core porn. When the brothers learned their customers werent interested in plot, they stopped including it. Some directors went back into films they had already finished just to splice in hard-core scenes, out of fear they would look dated with the more lenient standards. A full-on porn rush ensued. "This happened overnight in S.F., kind of like the arrival of scooters," Stabile said. "Suddenly you wake up and theyre showing porn movies and theres a line around the block." De Renzy earned fame and fortune from the porn boom. Along with his mansion he sailed with a coterie of women on a 185-foot yacht that was converted from a Navy anti-submarine vessel. His face appeared in Time Magazine and the Chronicle interviewed him and his actors on location at his porn shoot. One 1973 interview includes a photo where he looks like a pirate with his macaw on his shoulder. Asked in 1970 if he felt guilty about making millions from smut, he responded, "It never entered my mind. If I get rich its because I work hard." Where did all the skin for these skin flicks come from? Thank the Summer of Love. San Francisco was going through a massive influx of young people who took a more libertine view of sex and nudity than many residents were used to. One of the first American porn stars, Marilyn Chambers of 1972s porn-chic hit "Behind the Green Door," got her start dancing nude at the Mitchell Brothers OFarrell Theater. She filmed the movies sex scenes without a line of dialogue including possibly the first interracial porn scenes in North Beach as a 19-year-old. San Francisco Chronicle While hippies may have been starring in porn films, they werent the ones buying them. A 1970 study led by a Cal State professor found that the majority who patronized San Francisco porn theaters and bookstores had white-collar jobs with college degrees. Middle-aged men were the target demographic at most theaters, but women took an interest too. Les Natali, a former psychology major who managed De Renzys Screening Room, said 30 percent of the customers at his North Beach Theater were women many of them tourists. By December 1970, San Francisco had established such a large adult-film footprint that it hosted the first International Erotic Film Festival at the Presidio Theatre (see footage here, including a concerned Feinstein). It was co-sponsored by Sutter Cinema porn theater owner Arlene Elster, then in her late 20s and a former medical researcher. Elster kept her theater clean and offered free coffee and doughnuts during movies. Despite their successes, even San Franciscos porn makers expressed dismay with the more extreme movies being made during this free-for-all. "Animal Lover," for example, was pure bestiality depicting a young woman having sex with a boar and a dog. A jury in January 1971 banished it from theaters as obscenity, which De Renzy and others applauded. But even then, a new bestiality film was set to release called "Gorilla Lover." "I dont want those people for customers," De Renzy said at the time. Time and technology ultimately helped both sides of the porn wars get some of what they wanted. Residents decided they didnt want live sex shows, such as the ones in the Mission or animal porn, shown in their communities. VHS tapes allowed people to enjoy their erotica from home, leading to fewer theaters. The Presidio switched from porn to mainstream releases a long time ago. According to the book "Erotic City," Feinstein tried but failed in 1970 to draft a city ordinance banning the sale and display of porn. But she won a 1973 ordinance that forbade the street display of signs or pictures displaying nude bodies. The Mitchell Brothers were charged over 200 times with lewdness and obscenity, losing just once. They kept on with their theater work until April 25, 1992, when Jim Mitchell fatally shot Artie in a home confrontation and was sentenced to six years in prison. He served three. De Renzy kept facing legal challenges but made an estimated 200 adult films before dying at the age of 65 in 2001. One 1971 production was called "Powder Burns" and was filmed in the Nevada ghost town of Sutro. "There were all these naked people running around in boots and holsters ... I couldn't understand it," said a person present during the production. "Then I saw the movie and I still don't understand it." Greg Keraghosian is an SFGATE homepage editor. Email: greg.keraghosian@sfgate.com While the coronavirus spreading from China around the world may have you freaked out, theres something posing a much greater threat to public health at home: influenza. So far this flu season, there have been at least 15 million cases of the flu, 140,000 hospitalizations and 8,200 deaths nationally, including 54 pediatric deaths, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports in its weekly flu tracking as of Jan. 18. In Pennsylvania, there have been a total of 48,510 lab-confirmed cases of the flu, 1,089 flu-related hospitalizations and 33 -- 9 in the last week -- deaths, according to the state Health Departments weekly flu activity report through Jan. 25. When a positive lab test is reported to the state, its logged as a confirmed flu case. The states still seeing high activity thats geographically widespread -- the top tier in terms of distribution -- across all 67 counties, although there was slight decrease in cases in the last week, the department notes. In Pennsylvania, it is estimated that 5% to 20% of residents, or 600,000 to 2.4 million people, get the flu each year and 120 to 2,000 die from flu-related complications. It is estimated to kill about 650,000 people annually, according to the World Health Organization. The coronavirus -- a novel respiratory illness that first emerged in China -- has sickened 6,065 globally and killed 132 people, according to the WHO. The vast majority of cases are in China with only five confirmed in the U.S. Health experts are reminding folks in the U.S. that influenza poses a much higher risk to them than this new respiratory illness that, like the flu, strikes the medically vulnerable hardest. The 2017-18 flu season was one of the worst in recent history, killing more than 61,000 people in the U.S. This season got off to a fierce start with a high number of pediatric deaths -- although none in Pennsylvania -- from this years dominant strain of influenza b, which children are quite vulnerable to. When we think about the relative danger of this new coronavirus and influenza, theres just no comparison, Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine and health policy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told Kaiser Health News. Coronavirus will be a blip on the horizon in comparison. The risk is trivial. While predominant viruses vary by region and age group, influenza b/Victoria is the most detected flu virus in Pennsylvania. The department notes influenza A(H1N1) pdm09, and A(H3N2) viruses are also circulating. When health officials say the flu is widespread, it means there are confirmed outbreaks or increases in confirmed cases of the flu in at least half the regions of the state. It is not an indicator of severity. The vast majority of people who contract the flu never get tested or go to the doctor. So, the Health Department cautions its case counts actually only represent a faction of the flu in the state at any time. The flu season officially began Sept. 29 and runs until May 16, 2020, but the illness tends to peak in the middle of the winter, often on the heels of the holidays. Mapping the flu We analyzed the Pennsylvania Department of Healths available confirmed flu cases data to find which of the 67 counties have been hardest hit this flu season. For privacy purposes, the department did not release figures for counties with five or fewer flu cases. This is denoted by a * on the map. The data covers from the start of the flu season Sept. 29 until Jan. 25. Click or tap on a county to see the total number of flu cases and its flu rate per 100,000 people. Here are the 15 hardest hit Pennsylvania counties The statewide flu rate currently is 379 per 100,000 people. As of Jan. 11, 2020, the statewide flu rate was 252 cases per 100,000 people. At the end of November, it was 21 cases per 100,000. 22. Lehigh County Flu rate: 467 cases per 100,000 people. Total cases: 1,686 15. Huntingdon County Flu rate: 591 cases per 100,000 people. Total cases: 270 14. Washington County Flu rate: 629 cases per 100,000 people. Total cases: 1,307 13. Snyder County Flu rate: 670 cases per 100,000 people. Total cases: 272 12. Wayne County Flu rate: 676 cases per 100,000 people. Total cases: 349 11. Northampton County Flu rate: 683 cases per 100,000 people. Total cases: 2,055 10. Jefferson County Flu rate: 685 cases per 100,000 people. Total cases: 303 9. Blair County Flu rate: 712 cases per 100,000 people. Total cases: 888 8. Cambria County Flu rate: 778 cases per 100,000 people. Total cases: 1,057 7. Greene County Flu rate: 795 per 100,000 people. Total cases: 297 6. Schuylkill County Flu rate: 825 cases per 100,000 people. Total cases: 1,190 5. Potter County Flu rate: 832 per 100,000 people. Total cases: 142 4. Bedford County Flu rate: 837 per 100,000 people. Total cases: 409 3. Fulton County Flu rate: 841 per 100,000 people. Total cases: 123 2. Bradford County Flu rate: 999 per 100,000 people. Total cases: 615 1. Beaver County Flu rate: 1,012 cases per 100,000 people. Total cases: 1,702 Symptoms of the flu Influenza is a highly contagious respiratory virus. Symptoms include: fever, headache, tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, nasal congestion and body aches. Health officials recommend everyone 6 months and older get the flu vaccine annually. It takes about two weeks for the antibodies from the vaccine to develop protection against infection. The department reminds Pennsylvanians to practice health habits like frequent hand washing; covering your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze; staying home when youre sick and disinfecting things like door knobs, light switches, cellphones and computers. Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter@sarasatullo and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. A hedgehog has regained its spikes after being found almost completely bald due to suffering from a severe infection. The animal, which has been named Ratty, was taken to the Scottish SPCA national wildlife rescue centre at Fishcross on November 10 last year. After being found by the animal welfare charity's staff, he weighed just 324g and was missing his fur and spines due to a ringworm infection. But after months of care and support, his weight has nearly tripled to 940g while his spines and fur have returned. Scottish SPCA/PA He is now being released back into the wild - just in time for Hedgehog Day on Sunday. Centre wildlife assistant Claire Powell said: "We're delighted with the progress Ratty has made during his time with us. Ratty the hedgehog when it was found missing his fur and spines. / PA "He spent some time in a room in the centre to build body condition then for the past two weeks he has been outside in an aviary going from strength to strength while we waited for more spines to grow in. Ratty the hedgehog who has fully recovered after being found almost completely bald from a severe infection. / PA "It's great that he's ready to go back to the wild, especially as it's Hedgehog Day on February 2. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 05:00:56|Editor: yan Video Player Close DOHA, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Doha on Wednesday hosted the first ever Chinese fashion show where Chinese culture and fashion were interwoven together to impress the audiences. The show, the first of its kind in Qatar and also the first ever by renowned Chinese designer Lan Yu in the Middle East, took place as part of the cultural exchange between China and Qatar. It also coincides with celebrations marking the Chinese news year. Lan Yu, whose design aspect is combining traditional Chinese Suzhou embroidery with haute couture, offered designs that clearly showed modern and traditional fashions with a touch of potpourri of Chinese, Arabian and Western cultures with varied colours and details. Even the models picked to sashay on the catwalk were of different nationalities to in an attempt from the Chinese Queen of Couture Wedding Dresses to accentuate cultural disparity and intimacy among peoples of the world. "The show, marked by traditional Chinese music in the background, offered 30 types of garments made of high-quality southern Chinese silk," 34-year-old Lan Yu said following the event. The show left an excellent impression on more than 100 audiences, including specialists, fashion buffs, visitors and journalists. Its rare for Chinas top court to use strong language against the countrys police force. After all, they are both part of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC). So, it was surprising when the Supreme Peoples Court hauled up the Wuhan police for detaining and questioning a group of eight persons for sharing posts on social media about a SARS-like fever spreading in the city on January 1. The eight, along with an unidentified doctor from a Wuhan hospital, were harassed by the police for sharing a post that said several patients had been diagnosed with pneumonia all from a seafood and fish market in the city. Yes, the same market to which more than 90 percent of the cases have been linked. The doctor, according to the Beijing Youth Daily, had even clarified in the group that it was a new type of virus. Instead of an alert, the posts were taken as rumours. The judge was furious. It might have been a fortunate thing if the public had believed the rumour then and started to wear masks and carry out sanitisation measures, and avoid the wild animal market, the judge said. Facts show that, although the novel coronavirus-infected pneumonia was not SARS, information released by the eight people was not entirely fabricated, the Court said in a social media update. The judge was clearly voicing public opinion this time. The doctor and the rest of the group received support from one of Chinas top epidemiologists who commended them for being alert. In retrospect, we should highly praise them. They were wise before the outbreak, Zeng Guang, chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention told the tabloid Global Times. The January 1 alert from the Wuhan group shows that the virulent Coronavirus was in stealthy circulation from December if not earlier in the city. Many online users, the tabloid said, termed that detaining of the eight whistle-blowers as evidence of local authorities incompetence to tackle a contagious and deadly virus. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON John Roberts is facing a moment of truth. It appears increasingly possible that the Senate will split 50-50 on calling witnesses to testify in the trial of President Donald Trump. While Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has done all he can to get Republicans to toe the party line, Sens. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Mitt Romney are raising conscientious objections that may lead them to join 47 Democrats to call for witnesses, which would result in a tie vote. Advertisement It would then be up to Roberts to decide whether, as presiding officer, he will break the tie. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on Thursday called on Roberts to fulfill his constitutional role and obligation to the rule of law. I would hope that the Senatorsif it comes to a tie, or if theres a question of hearing testimony or receiving documentswould leave it up to the chief justice of the Supreme Court, Pelosi said. I would think that they would have confidence in the chief justice of the United States. In fact, the decisive precedent for such a tie-breaking vote was established during the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson. As presiding officer, Chief Justice Salmon Chase broke ties at two turning points in the proceeding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chases actions had a firm foundation in the constitutional text, which allows the vice president, who is the Senates normal presiding officer, to remain in the chair when other governmental officials are impeached. In these and all other situations, the Constitution explicitly states that the vice president shall have no Vote, unless [the Senate] be equally divided. If the vice president regularly breaks ties on less consequential matters, surely Chase was right to assert tie-breaking authority when presiding over Senate deliberations on Johnsons fate. Moreover, the Senate rules confirm this point by explicitly granting the chief justice the sole authority to direct all the forms of proceedings at the trial. If there is a tie on witnesses, it would be up to Roberts to issue a direction stating that 5050 means yes or no. Without his ruling on this issue, the trial cannot proceed to the witness stage (yes) or to a final vote on conviction (no). Advertisement In facing up to his constitutional responsibilities, Roberts will then have no choice but to confront Alan Dershowitz and his assertion that the Houses charges do not add up to an impeachable offense. If Roberts believes that Dershowitz is right, there is no point in hearing any more witnesses, and he should send the matter onwards for a final vote. Advertisement But Dershowitz is dead wrong. Despite his claims to the contrary, if he had done his homework, he could never have reached a conclusion which is so out of line with serious scholarly opinion. According to Dershowitz, the trial of Andrew Johnson serves as an authoritative precedent to support his view that the mere abuse of presidential power is an insufficiently grave charge to warrant impeachment. Advertisement Advertisement But Dershowitz has failed to dig deep enough into the facts to recognize that the crucial impeachment article against Johnson did more than containing free-floating allegations of abuse. It contains two particular charges that have remarkable parallels to those made by the current House against Trump. Advertisement Advertisement The first charge against Johnson asserted that he attempted to prevent the enforcement of a congressional resolution ordering him to allow Edwin Stanton to retain his position as Secretary of the Army. The key word here is attempted. In fact, Johnson tried, but failed, to discharge Stanton, but the secretary refused to obey his order, and insisted that he should follow the instructions issued from Capitol Hill. Trump is charged with making the same kind of attempt in connection with Ukraine. But in his case, the managers have a great deal of evidence supporting their claim thatin contrast to JohnsonTrump succeeded in removing officials who tried to prevent him from forcing Ukraines president to investigate the Bidens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The second charge advanced in 1868 is even more relevant today. It attacked Johnson for unlawfully devising and contriving to manipulate funds appropriated by Congress for the support of the army for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1868 in ways that abused his fundamental obligation to take care that the law be faithfully executed. This is almost identical to the charge advanced against Trump for manipulating the release of $391 million of United States taxpayer funds that Congress had appropriated in order to force Ukraine to intervene in the forthcoming election. Dershowitz has never confronted, much less refuted, these facts. Yet they led 35 out of 56 senators to convict Johnson of High Crimes and Misdemeanors in 1868one vote shy of the two-thirds required to remove him from office. Moreover, historians have compellingly established that the vote of Sen. Edmund Ross, who provided the decisive ballot for acquittal, was purchased in a blatant act of bribery. Advertisement Dershowitz hasnt confronted this fact either. He insists that the purchased acquittal of Johnson serves as a decisive precedent to block the Senate from seriously considering the charges against Trump. Advertisement To put it mildly, John Roberts finds himself in a very different position from the presidents lawyers. He has a high obligation to recognize that there is indeed a solid foundation for the view that the charges against Trump are well within the class of abuses that the Constitution condemns as High Crimes and Misdemeanors. Nor is there any fair question about his duty to break a tie if Senators cant resolve the witness question on their own. Up to the present time, the chief justice has struggled mightily to preserve the Supreme Courts reputation as a body that can rise above politics at moments of polarizing conflict. Will he rise to this challenge again? CANBERRA, Australia Australias government on Thursday defended its plan to send citizens evacuated from the epicenter of Chinas novel coronavirus emergency to a remote island used to banish asylum seekers and convicted criminals, despite warnings that that some Australians would prefer to stay in China. Australia is preparing to send potentially hundreds of its citizens rescued from Hubei province to a quarantine camp on remote Christmas Island. The Indian Ocean island has been used by the government in a widely condemned policy of banishing asylum seekers who attempt to arrive by boat to offshore camps. Spirits giant Diageo has tempered its sales expectations for the current year as it faces a backdrop of global uncertainty. The Gordons gin and Captain Morgan rum maker warned that full-year sales are expected to be on the lower end of forecasts as it was affected by volatility in global markets. The FTSE 100 firms bosses also slammed the US governments decision to introduce a 25% tariff on Scotch single malt whisky in October but said it was well-shielded from the impact of the tax during the half-year. We dont like the tariffs and are working very hard with the support of the UK government, the US and EU to ensure our category does not get impacted in a negative way with tariffs and to reverse the existing tariffs, said chief executive Ivan Menezes. He added that the companys US whiskey business and strong tequila business in the country means it can handle it, but warned that hundreds if not thousands of jobs could be at risk at smaller Scottish distilleries. However, the London listed firm hailed a good half-years trading performance as it said net sales increased by 4.2% to 7.2 billion for the six months to December 31. It added that operating profit increased by 0.5% to 2.4 billion as organic growth was offset by unfavourable exchange rates. Diageo said it made progress, but warned that the company would not be immune from further policy changes in an uncertain political environment. In October, the US government introduced 25% tariffs on single malt whiskies but said this has not had a significant impact on its trading performance. Diageo said it expects net sales growth for the full year to be towards the lower end of its forecast range, of between 4% and 6% growth. It said its half-year performance was in line with guidance despite the impact of volatility in India, Latin America and Caribbean and travel retail. The company said all its spirits categories reported growth for the period, apart from vodka, which reported a modest level on decline. Diageo said it was particularly buoyed by strong growth in tequila, particularly in North America, while gin sales remained strong globally. In the UK, the company was strengthened by sales growth for Tanqueray, offsetting a slight decline in Gordons sales. Expand Close Alcohol-free drinks business Seedlip was founded by Ben Branson in 2014 (Diageo/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Alcohol-free drinks business Seedlip was founded by Ben Branson in 2014 (Diageo/PA) During the half-year, Diageo also increased its stake in non-alcoholic spirit brand Seedlip to take majority control. Finance chief Kathryn Mikells said non-alcoholic spirits is in an area they are investing in, both organically and inorganically. She added: We are looking at other small founder-led brands. Its still quite a nascent space but we do view it as a real growth opportunity for us. Ivan Menezes, chief executive of Diageo, said: Diageo has delivered another good, consistent set of results in the first half, with broad based organic net sales growth across regions and categories. Weve announced our interim results for the half year ended 31/12/2019. See our full announcement here: https://t.co/BwvvnMbfxK #DiageoResults $DGE pic.twitter.com/h43VaeMbRc Diageo News (@Diageo_News) January 30, 2020 We have continued to increase investment behind marketing and growth initiatives, while expanding organic operating margins. There is ongoing uncertainty in the global trade environment and we would not be immune from further policy changes. We remain focused on building the long-term health of our brands, supported by data-led insights and a culture of everyday efficiency. Bay of Plenty We are looking for STMS' for permanent full-time roles. To be chosen as one of the successful candidates, you will have... View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nz The situation of the Wuhan Coronavirus in China is getting worse every second, affecting over 4000 people and claiming over 130 lives. And while the authorities are trying their best to take control of the situation, theyre actually far from it, with the disease spreading to other parts of the globe too. Reuters Jack Ma, the founder of the largest e-commerce platform Alibaba in China (who also is the richest man in China), has contributed $14 million (which is approximately Rs 100 crores) to develop a vaccine for fighting the deadly Wuhan coronavirus. Done through Jack mas charitable trust, from the total amount, $5.8 million will be given to research institutes led by the Chinese government with the remaining amount being contributed to prevent and treat the novel coronavirus. In case you were unaware, there is no medicine or vaccine as such to cure someone of this virus. The virus causes severe pneumonia-like symptoms with many also experiencing severe breathing issues. Doctors, however, prescribe regular flu and pain medication to ease the symptoms till it gradually moves out of the body. Reports have indicated that leading pharmaceuticals brand Johnsons & Johnsons is confident to find a vaccine for the disease. In a statement to CNBC, they revealed that dozens of their scientists are currently working to find a solution to this conundrum. They are confident that the vaccine will not only be effective but also last long. However, the vaccine will take around a year to fully develop and enter the market. Recently, an Indian Siddha Doctor claimed that his ayurvedic medicine can help in eliminating the virus within two days stating, "We have formulated a medicine from an extract of herbs. It is very effective to cure any type of viral fever. Our herbal extract medicine is used to treat dengue, multi-organ fever and acute liver fever. In coronavirus too I am confident our medicine will be very effective." The rising costs are nothing to scoff at rates for property and business interruption coverage have risen by 25% to as high as 100% for some refiners, especially if theyve had explosions or fires before. Refiners are choosing to buy coverage for only 90, 80, 70% of their total asset value in response to insurance rate hikes, a senior refining executive told Reuters. In the case of the blaze at the Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery, that incident could cost $1.25 billion in insured losses alone, although industry sources told Reuters that the company will probably receive less from its insurers. It was also reported that the liability to insurers for incidents in the global refining and petrochemical sector over the past three years totals more than $12.5 billion, which is more than twice the gross premiums paid to insurance companies, according to global broker Marsh in a recent report. For insureds in the sector, yearly premiums are costly, with a refiner worth $1 billion likely getting a bill for $2.5 million or more. Insurers like AIG and CV Starr, which have a lot of exposure to the energy space, are now providing less capacity as well as reducing their exposure, according to insurance industry sources in the Reuters report. At the same time, risks for refineries are increasing. The number of unexpected outages have shot up recently, with more than 2,000 incidents reported in 2019, which is 4x the number of outages in 2015, according to Industrial Info Resources. And with energy and chemical production in the US booming, complex refineries where an interruption in one unit can impact production across other units are running at full speed and taking no downtime to boost profits. Reuters noted that refining margins have been strong over the past two years, which is why refiners have been discouraged from shutting down for maintenance. When refinery margins are high, there can be a tendency for refineries to extend turnarounds in order to take advantage of the more profitable environment, said Ian Robb, head of risk engineering at Liberty Specialty Markets. Sometime soon, the impeachment trial of Donald John Trump will likely end and the Senate, notwithstanding who might get called as a witness, will acquit him. The president, of course, will claim victory and, having escaped punishment, will presumably return to doing what he has been doing for months looking for ways to discredit Democrats, even if it involves help from foreign governments. The rest of us will also jump quickly from impeachment and back to the presidential race, hardly missing a beat. That means Iowa and New Hampshire. As I have been arguing for months, the early national polls were essentially meaningless. Iowa will scramble the overall Democratic contest, since the fallout from caucuses will affect New Hampshire, fundraising, media coverage and the narrative about who is ahead nationally. Up in the air Given the wildly conflicting polls (and the difficulty in polling caucus attendees), we still cant be certain wholl win Iowa, what the order of finish will be or what the margins between candidates will look like. So there is a lot up in the air. On the other hand, the shape of the Democratic contest continues to look a good deal like 2016, though the current field is much larger than the two-person contest of four years ago. Then, populist progressive Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, who had support from much of the party leadership and establishment, finished in a virtual dead heat in Iowa. Clinton drew 49.8% of attendees, while the Vermont senator drew 49.6%. She won 23 delegates to Sanders 21. This cycle, the Jan. 20-23 New York Times/Siena College poll found the two populist progressives, Sanders (25%) and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren (15%), drawing a combined 40% in Iowa, while the three pragmatists in the contest, former Vice President Joe Biden (17%), former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (18%) and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar (8%), combined for 43%. Biden, Buttigieg and Klobuchar actually are mainstream Democrats who generally hold liberal views but preach working together across the aisle, electability and the benefits of caution, which separates them from Sanders and Warren, who preach fundamental, structural change and never talk about the need to compromise. So the divide in the state between the Democratic Partys two wings echoes the conflict from four years ago. Of course, the race could change over the next week, and how supporters of the candidates who dont hit the 15% threshold behave during the caucuses could well determine who wins and what the various margins look like. Members of the media tend to look for winners and losers in contests, so candidates failing to meet expectations will suddenly find themselves in a media feeding frenzy. They will have to spend time explaining their performance and prospects instead of talking about health care, the environment and guns. A Sanders sweep? Four years ago, Sanders followed up his surprising showing in Iowa by beating Clinton rather soundly in New Hampshire, 60% to 38%. He earned 15 delegates to her 9. Of course, New Hampshire voters always seem to enjoy being quirky, and Sanders benefited from geography (being from neighboring Vermont) and the fact that the Granite State allows independents to participate in either primary. This year, Warren is also from a neighboring state, and other candidates (such as Buttigieg), could benefit from the states interest in new candidates. The new NBC News/Marist poll from New Hampshire shows Sanders leading the field with 22% to Buttigiegs 17%. Those results, along with Iowas, have journalists talking about Sanders surge. But while Sanders leads in polls, he is nowhere near his showings of four years ago. (Readers beware: Journalists like to find surging candidates.) While a Sanders sweep of Iowa and New Hampshire would give him momentum, help his fundraising and cause party pragmatists to start pulling their hair out, it wouldnt put him in a very different place than he was four years ago. (Of course, the lack of a large bloc of superdelegates this time benefits the Vermont progressive.) The next two contests in 2016 were won by Clinton, who bested Sanders narrowly in Nevada (53% to 47%) but clobbered him in South Carolina (73% to 26%). This year, party strategists continue to believe that Bidens strength in the African American community is unassailable, making South Carolina the former vice presidents firewall. But will that firewall hold if Biden underperforms in the first two or three contests? Wouldnt both black and white voters start looking for alternatives if Biden were to finish third or even worse in Iowa and New Hampshire? And then there is Michael Bloomberg. He remains a curious contender who aims to jump-start his campaign on Super Tuesdays March 3 contests. But his rationale continues to be based on Biden failing, and he continues to assume Democrats will embrace a billionaire businessman. The greatest danger for each of the partys two wings is for the opposition to unite around one candidate while it finds itself divided among two or three contenders. For example, what if Biden, Buttigieg and Bloomberg are fighting it out in late March for the pragmatic lane, while Sanders emerges as the standard-bearer of all progressives? That would surely advantage the Vermonter. While polls suggest Democrats care more about beating Trump in November than having a nominee who matches their views, the fight between the two wings of the party could last for some time, possibly even until the Democratic National Convention in July. Obviously, the longer the battle, the greater chance for animosity, which would benefit only one person Donald Trump. Stuart Rothenberg is a columnist for CQ-Roll Call, a newspaper and website published in Washington, D.C. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Representative image A woman who had plans to visit Wuhan the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak cannot stop thanking her naughty little pooch for saving her life. The Taiwan resident was supposed to fly to Chinas Wuhan city earlier this month, right around the time the novel virus started spreading. However, since her pesky pet Kimi decided to chew away bits of her passport, she couldnt book flights to Hubei province and was forced to stall her plans for later. Had the golden retriever not chewed away her passport while she was away, coronavirus might have claimed another life by now. On January 13, when the woman returned home to find her hungry dog had destroyed her travel documents, she had taken to Facebook and written: I got back to the room and found this scene! Can anyone explain it to me? However, as days went by and she saw how Wuhan was rife with coronavirus patients, with most of the city dwellers under quarantine. This prompted her to share a follow-up post on Facebook, this time, thanking her pet dog for saving her life. 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 She wrote: Do you remember this passport? Seeing this in retrospect, I realise, the baby was just protecting me. I couldnt go to Wuhan because of my torn passport, only to find out about the spread of coronavirus later. To think of it now, I find it very, very touching that Kimi ruined our plans. Today host Karl Stefanovic and his wife, Jasmine Yarbrough, are expecting their first child together later this year. But the couple had another reason to celebrate on Wednesday because it was Jasmine's 36th birthday. They went out for a fancy dinner in Melbourne, where Karl is broadcasting from during the Australian Open. Birthday girl! They're expecting their first child together later this year, but Karl Stefanovic and Jasmine Yarbrough had another reason to celebrate on Wednesday Karl, 45, was seen arriving at Stokehouse, a beachside restaurant in St Kilda, with his glamorous wife by his side. The Channel Nine star opted for a flamingo print shirt, blazer and jeans, and finished off his look with brown shoes and a necklace. While his outfit left much to be desired, the same could not be said for Jasmine. Let's eat! To celebrate Jasmine's 36th birthday, the couple went for dinner at Stokehouse, a beachside restaurant in St Kilda Interesting! Karl opted for a flamingo print shirt, blazer and jeans, and finished off his look with brown shoes and a necklace Showing him up! Karl's outfit left much to be desired, but the same couldn't be said for Jasmine The Mara & Mine co-founder wore a billowing animal print dress with a plunging neckline, and draped a blazer across her shoulders. She accessorised her chic outfit with gold-heeled shoes and styled her blonde hair in loose waves. Her loose frock may have concealed her baby bump, but Jasmine nonetheless looked glowing on the day. The pair live together in Sydney, but they are in Melbourne at the moment for Today's coverage of the Australian Open. Elegant: The Mara & Mine co-founder wore a billowing animal print dress with a plunging neckline, and draped a blazer across her shoulders Hot mama! She accessorised with gold-heeled shoes and styled her blonde hair in loose waves Pregnancy looks good on her! Jasmine's loose frock may have concealed her baby bump, but she nonetheless looked glowing on the day Karl paid tribute to his wife on her birthday, sharing a touching post to Instagram. 'Happy birthday my love,' he wrote. 'You are such a light. A great big beautiful happy unwavering light. I'm so grateful.' They began dating in late 2016, shortly after Karl had separated from his first wife, journalist Cassandra Thorburn, after 21 years of marriage. They married in Mexico in December 2018 and are expecting a baby girl in May. Karl already has three children from his marriage to Cassandra: Jackson, 20, River, 12, and Ava, 14. Just visiting! Karl and Jasmine live together in Sydney, but they are in Melbourne at the moment for Today's coverage of the Australian Open On occasion, you may receive a notification telling you that you might be eligible to participate in a class action lawsuit or settlement. Typically, this occurs when theres a chance that you were negatively impacted by a company. And many others were as well. This leads some plaintiffs to come together in an attempt to secure compensation. Once the lawsuit is deemed a class action, others can get involved without much inconvenience. However, you might be eligible for certain class action settlements even if you dont recall being directly notified. Here are five that you may want to check to see if you qualify. 1. Rack Room Shoes, Inc. If on April 2, 2014, or after, you received unsolicited text messages from either Rack Room Shoes or Off Broadway Shoes, you might be eligible for compensation. Those affected may have the ability to choose between two forms of payment. The first is $5 in cash. While the second is a $10 voucher that gets posted to their Rack Room Shoes rewards account. The deadline is approaching quickly. Its set for January 31, 2020. If you might be eligible for the class action settlement. Complete a claim form as fast as possible. Otherwise, you wont receive compensation and arent legally able to file a separate suit, either. 2. CooperVision, Inc., and Bausch & Lomb, Inc. If you bought certain brands of disposable contact lenses during the period between June 1, 2013, and December 4, 2018. You might be eligible for compensation. Both of the companies settled over accusations of violating antitrust laws. You have until January 31, 2020, to submit your proof of claim and potentially receive cash. There are also Litigation Classes for claims against other companies. However, those differ from settlement classes. 3. TD Bank Class Action Settlement TD Bank customers who were charged insufficient funds overdraft fees between August 16, 2010, and June 20, 2011. They might be eligible for funds from a settlement. Additionally, TD Bank customers who were charged an overdraft fee between August 16, 2010, and June 26, 2019. This is related to a one-time debit or ATM transaction, may also qualify. Overdraft fees related to Uber or Lyft services between December 5, 2011, and June 26, 2019. Along with any overdraft fees between March 8, 2013, and June 26, 2019, could similarly qualify for compensation. Anyone making a claim must submit the form by February 7, 2020, to join. 4. Amalie Oil Company Anyone who purchased XCEL Premium Motor Oil during the period between December 1, 2014, and October 11, 2019, might be eligible for a settlement payment. The value of the compensation varies, falling between $2 and $20 depending on the exact circumstances. Those who wish to participate have until February 12, 2020, to file a claim. Those who do not will not receive compensation from the class action settlement account. 5. Obesity Research Institute, LLC If you purchased Lipozene, a weight loss pill product, between August 10, 2012, and October 28, 2019, you might be eligible for compensation. The company behind the product Obesity Research Institute, LLC reached a settlement after being accused of misrepresenting Lipozenes effectiveness. You could receive up to $15 per unit in cash (for a maximum of four units or no more than $60). Proof of purchase is required for the full payment amount. Otherwise, claimants may be eligible for up to $7 without proof of purchase, under penalty of perjury should a claim be determined to be false. Should You Join a Class Action Lawsuit? Whether you participate in any class action settlements is a personal decision. If you are eligible, you need to review the rules for becoming a participant, as many involve waiving certain legal rights or to take particular kinds of action on your own in the future. Review all of the associated notices and claim form documentation. If you are eligible to participate and comfortable with what is outlined, then you may wish to join. However, you also have the option to decline to participate or do nothing, both of which create different results. Choose the legal approach thats best for you, above all else. Have you ever participated in a class action settlement? What was your experience like? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Read More: If you enjoy reading our blog posts and would like to try your hand at blogging, we have good news for you; you can do exactly that on Saving Advice. Just click here to get started. New Delhi, Jan 31 : The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme of the government which gives Rs 6,000 a year to farmers may see a cut in budgetary allocation. It is learnt that the allocation for PM-Kisan may be slashed by 20 percent to about Rs 60,000 crore in the upcoming general budget from Rs 75,000 crore. The amount allocated to the scheme was Rs 75,000 crore, in the budget estimate of 2019-20. The reason for this massive cut is the obstacles being faced in its implementation in some of the states. Under the PM-Kisan scheme, farmers are given a total of Rs 6,000 in three installments annually. However, according to sources, the revised estimate can come to Rs 61,000 crore in the current financial year. The reason for this is not to implement the scheme by some states like West Bengal. Also, many states do not have proper data of farmers. The target of farmers availing this scheme has been reduced from 14.5 crores to 14 crores which will mean lower spending and allocation under the scheme. PM-Kisan is a Central Sector scheme with 100% funding from Government of India. The scheme is effective from December 1, 2018. Under the scheme an income support of Rs 6000 per year is provided to all farmer families across the country in three equal installments of Rs 2,000 each every four months. The definition of family for the scheme is husband, wife and minor children. The entire responsibility of identification of beneficiary farmer families rests with the State / UT Governments. The fund is directly transferred to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. A man charged over the cold-case murder of his wife almost 40 years ago allegedly "had the means" to dispose of her body at a piggery, and told ambulance colleagues "pigs dont leave any evidence, they will never find her". But the lawyer for former ambulance worker John Bowie, 69, has told the Supreme Court that Roxlyn Bowie could still be alive despite there being no confirmed sightings of her since she disappeared on June 5, 1982, from the couple's Walgett home they shared with their two young children. John Bowie is accused of murdering his wife, Roxlyn, who disappeared from their Walgett home in 1982. Credit:AAP "I understand it's a bold submission ... but I need to make that submission ... there isn't in fact a body that has been found," defence lawyer Sam Karnib said before Justice Robert Hulme during a bail application for his client on Thursday. Justice Hulme asked Mr Karnib what the "alternative hypothesis" was: "She's just disappeared?" Trends exclusive interview with Zaur Gahramanov, CEO of SOCAR Turkey Summing up 2019 results for SOCAR Turkey 2019 is of special importance for SOCAR Turkey as a year when the company started to get the results of its investments, said Gahramanov. As you know, in June 2018, we opened the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), which is a great step towards ensuring energy security. Since then the commercial natural gas supplies to Turkey began. The construction of the entire 1,850-kilometers long TANAP was completed in late 2019, thereby bringing natural gas to the European gate with the ceremony held in Ipsala, he added. He noted that after the commissioning of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), Azerbaijani natural gas will be supplied to Europe. Another huge investment is Star Refinery worth $6.3 billion, which was opened in October 2018. Star Refinery that produces diesel, naphtha, jet fuel and LPG, which play an important role in Turkey's current account deficit, started to operate at full capacity in 2019 and began sales to the domestic market, said Gahramanov. The CEO went on to add that another important step was the acquisition of Bursagaz, Kayserigaz, SOCAR Enerji Ticaret, Enervis, and Millenicom in June 2019. Thus, SOCAR Turkey also became involved in natural gas distribution, thereby completing the whole refinery-petrochemical-energy-logistics-distribution-supply chain, he added. We launched an integration process covering all of our group companies and created SOCAR Turkey Refinery and Petrochemical Business Unit, SOCAR Turkey Natural Gas Business Unit, SOCAR Turkey Innovation and Technologies Business Unit and SOCAR Turkey Logistics Business Unit. I believe that Star Refinery was the first concrete proof of what kind of advantages this integration will bring us. We saw the benefits of the integrated operation of Star Refinery and Petkim in the financial results of Petkim in the third quarter of 2019. We will continue to increase synergy and profitability in our business processes with the common infrastructure we have created in our business units and common services, which will be provided, Gahramanov said. Transportation via TANAP The volume of gas transportation to Turkey via the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), which is the most important part of the 3,500 kilometers long Southern Gas Corridor that will supply Azerbaijani natural gas to Turkey and Europe, reached 3.7 billion cubic meters as of late 2019 [since the start of commercial gas supplies on June 30, 2018], Gahramanov said. TANAP, which has a total capacity of 16 billion cubic meters [per year], will supply 6 billion cubic meters of gas to Turkey and will deliver 10 billion cubic meters to the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) on Turkey-Greece border, he added. Gahramanov pointed out that with this project, Azerbaijan will play an effective role in ensuring Europes energy supply security. Petkim petrochemical complex Petkim petrochemical complex, the majority stake of which we acquired in 2008, is still the first and only integrated petrochemical plant in Turkey. Petkim, which is the the most reliable supplier of Turkeys petrochemical market, produces nearly 60 different petrochemical products at 15 major and six auxiliary facilities. We are constantly evaluating investment options to process intermediate products and convert them into different products at Petkim, he said. With Petkim's 55 years of experience and R&D Center, we continue our research and business development activities to expand our petrochemical portfolio with our established facilities or additional investments. In this year's focus, there are alternative evaluation options for our products and synergies as a result of integration between STAR Refinery and Petkim, noted Gahramanov. He pointed out that despite the contraction both in general terms and in the petrochemical field in the world markets in the third quarter of 2019, Petkim's financial results were quite good. Petkim petrochemical complex broke production records with 3.4 million tons of gross production in 2019 and the aim is to continue this success in 2020. He went on to add that exporting to more than 78 countries, Petkim petrochemical complex stands out in the world markets with high quality of its products. Gahramanov noted that within the scope of the Turquality program, a target market study was carried out for each product of Petkim. In this study, countries with GDP of over $50 billion in 2017 were ranked according to geographical location, political instability, difficult-to-enter markets criteria and countries with economic potential were selected as target markets. Malaysia and Pakistan, which are among the countries with high economic potential, are also in the list of our target markets, added Gahramanov. After acquiring the majority stake in Petkim petrochemical complex, SOCAR Turkey has invested in it on average nearly $100 million each year. 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. Star Refinery The volume of refined crude oil at Star Refinery, which started the production at full capacity in September of 2019, reached 7.2 million tons as of late 2019, said Zaur Gahramanov, He reminded that Star refinery, which is the biggest investment project of the real sector in Turkey, started to operate after the opening ceremony held in October 2018 with participation of Azerbaijani and Turkish presidents. Star Refinery, which has a capacity of refining 10 million tons of crude oil per year, produces 4.8 million tons of diesel, 1.6 million tons of naphtha, as well as jet fuel and LPG, which play an important role in Turkeys current account deficit, added Gahramanov. He pointed out that SOCAR Turkey uses the most modern technologies in the world at Star refinery, which was built with $6.3 billion worth investment. While continuing our operations, we do modeling studies and process the products with the best prices and quality according to the market conditions. Naturally, the countries, wherefrom we purchase the products and the quantities of products also change. In addition to Russia and Iraq, we started to import from more sources as of the end of 2019. We plan to add more import sources Joint project with BP on building a petrochemical complex in Aliaga He pointed out that preliminary engineering and design works still continue on the petrochemical complex project that is planned to be implemented in the Private Industrial Zone in Aliaga, Izmir. We will give updates regarding the final investment decision in 2020. As a result of commissioning of this facility, Turkeys imports of pure terephthalic acid (PTA) are expected to come down to zero and at the same time, it will be possible to produce paraxylene (PX) products in Turkey, which are now imported in the amount of 800,000 tons, Gahramanov concluded. As these monumental developments take place, liberal Zionists have watched with alarm. For some time now, they have begun to see that the "two-state solution" proposed by the Oslo accords is passe. It is now clear that Israel will never evacuate hundreds of thousands of settlers; that a town like Ariel (with 20,000 inhabitants and a research university) will not be removed from the West Bank's centre. Clinging to the two-state idyll is like climate change denial: it flies in the face of fact. Since Palestinian representatives were not invited to the White House for the policy's announcement (Trump told reporters last week that the details of the program had been discussed with Palestinian leadership only "briefly"), the policy's significance seems to lie outside the formal proposal that is, in how Israel, backed by the United States, will respond once the Palestinians reject the offer. But Israeli progressives have not offered a politically viable counterpoint. Partly, that's because today Zionists of every political stripe believe that Jews need sovereignty their own state. And partly it's because, in order for that state to be democratic, it must have a Jewish majority. Since Palestinians account for about 50 per cent of the combined population of Israel and the occupied territories, a Jewish and democratic state is impossible without a two-state solution. Loading Also, Israeli nationalists, who support annexations, want to protect Israel's Jewish majority. So a politics of "transfer" code for ethnic cleansing is emerging on their agenda. Transport Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is also a member of the cabinet, openly advocates for expulsions of Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Avigdor Lieberman, the country's former defence minister and likely future partner of Israel's centre-left, even supports removing Arab Israelis from the Israeli towns where they live. For these reasons, a two-state solution seemed like the only hope for progressives who don't want to trample another people's rights. Understandably, they now despair. Yet this anguish is based on a false premise. Zionism today is based on the idea that Jews have the right to their own sovereign state, but the movement's founders held a more nuanced view. Intense ideological disagreements divided Theodor Herzl, Ze'ev Jabotinsky and founding Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, but they all agreed on the distinction, now often forgotten, between Jewish self-determination and Jewish sovereignty. And, until very late in Zionist history, they were all committed to the former but denied the latter. They believed the Jews had the right to exercise political self-rule to run their own lives and revive Jewish culture but they did not think that this should be done in a sovereign Jewish state. Herzl, for example, envisaged the Jewish state as a mere political autonomy, existing under a multinational imperial authority. He rejected the idea that the Jewish state should ever gain independence and become an ethnic nation-state "like the new Greece", which he thought would become parochial and provincial. Jabotinsky, whose Zionism is commonly regarded as the nationalist alternative to Herzl's, supported to the end of his life the principle that "the future of Palestine must be founded, legally speaking, as a 'binational state'". In such a federation, he explained, "the Jewish and the Arab ethno-communities shall be recognised as autonomous public bodies of equal status before the law". Hannah Arendt could have written this sentence just as well. The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah has handed over the 47 ambulances to the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives for onward distribution in the region. The ambulances were part of governments one constituency one ambulance initiative. According to the Minister, all 47 ambulances have been made available for distribution to the various constituencies. We have all the 47 ambulances. So we will go with the media and count them one after the other to make sure we have all the 47 ambulances so that we don't leave here and someone will say that, because we counted only those in front, there were only 30 ambulances. We will count them one by one so the media will see we have all the 47 ambulances for all the 47 constituencies in Ashanti region. The Minister added that the region is expected to receive two more ambulances and pleaded with the government to make it such that they will be stationed at various busy areas. Mr. Simon Osei-Mensah explained that only 31 of the ambulances have bays available as 16 other bays are still under construction. As a result, the 16 ambulances will be stationed at Fire Service Stations and Police Stations until the ambulance bay are ready. I wish to inform all of you, that so far only 31 ambulance bays are ready and about 16 of them are still at various stages of completion. He further directed the other MMDCE's within whose districts, the bays are not ready to speed up with the completion so the ambulances could be stationed there. This puts high task or premium on the MMDCEs to complete the construction of the bays so that within two weeks or a maximum of one month we have them ready so the ambulances can be stationed there. The Regional Minister also urged the general public to support the National Ambulance Commission to manage the ambulances well. The regional coordinator for the Ghana Ambulance Service, Dr. Dominic Awariya disclosed that although each constituency, will be allocated with an ambulance, it must be made available to other constituencies when there comes an emergency. Even though these ambulances will come to your constituencies, if there is an emergency, this ambulance can be moved from one constituency to another constituency. After missed deadlines and some controversies, President Akufu-Addo finally inaugurated the 307 ambulances at the Black Square on Tuesday, 28th January 2020. The ceremony paved the way for the distribution of the ambulances to the various constituencies. Volta Regional Minister justifies recommissioning of new ambulances The Volta Regional Minister, Dr. Archibald Letsa, earlier defended the decision by government to re-inaugurate the ambulances in the regions. The people of Ghana, many of whom may not have watched it on television or might not have read newspapers also need to know what has happened, he said at the Volta Region Coordinating Council. When ambulances have been allocated to Volta Region, there is nothing wrong with the ambulances coming to the coordinating council for us to receive them and hand them over to be taken care of by the assemblies. Anybody who criticises this has a problem and we need to take him to a synagogue for deliverance, Dr. Letsa also joked. ---citinewsroom A former Alabama corrections officer accused in the sexual assaults of women in three states pleaded guilty Thursday during the middle of his ongoing trial. The trial for Matthew Moore, a 50-year-old Springville man and former prison guard at St. Clair Correctional Facility, began this week in Fulton County Superior Court. He was arrested in 2018 and implicated by DNA in sexual assaults in George, Alabama and Florida. Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard announced Thursday announced Moores conviction by a non-negotiated guilty plea. He now stands convicted of rape, aggravated sodomy, false imprisonment, impersonating an officer, aggravated sexual battery and aggravated assault in the attacks on two Georgia women. Moore was sentenced to life in prison with 30 years to serve. He will be on probation for life. Moore, a former military police officer in the U.S. Army, was arrested by police in Georgia in late March 2018 on multiple charges related to an alleged sexual assault that happened more than two years earlier in Fulton County. Following that arrest, Moore was charged with two additional sexual assaults for a total of three in Sandy Springs and Cobb County. Matthew Moore (Contributed) In June 2010, Moore met an Atlanta woman online for the purpose of erotic massage, according to the district attorney. The two agreed to meet in person on June 17, 2010, at the Homestead Suites along Hammond Drive in Sandy Springs. When she arrived, Moore identified himself as a police officer, and he flashed a badge, a firearm, and pepper spray. Moore proceeded to force the victim to perform oral sex upon him, and then raped her while his gun sat upon the bed. Moore then wiped himself with a napkin, got dressed, and left the hotel room. The victim called 911, and she was transported to a hospital where she underwent a sexual assault examination. The napkin was collected as evidence. On November 17, 2015, Moore contacted a woman who had placed an advertisement on the website Backpage.com to solicit clients who were interested in receiving an erotic massage. The woman agreed to meet Moore at the Hawthorne Suites along Barfield Road in Sandy Springs. Upon his arrival at 5:35p.m., Moore brandished a knife and a firearm, which he pointed at the victim. Moore pressed himself upon the victim, and with the knife in his hand, he said to her, Youre going to do everything I say tonight, or Ill be the last person you see. Howard said Moore used the knife to remove the victims clothing and then placed the knife and a pair of metal handcuffs upon the bed. Moore positioned his cellphone upon the nightstand so he could record the entire incident. Moore placed pantyhose around the victims hands and then zip tied her arms behind her back. He proceeded to orally, vaginally, and anally rape and sodomize the victim with his hands and penis for more than 40 minutes. The victim was eventually able to escape as Moore attempted to continue to rape her. The victim screamed and ran toward the hotel room door which she quickly opened. Three men who were outside in the hallway saw the victim who was naked and screaming for help. Additionally, they observed Moore who was also naked. Moore pointed his firearm in their direction, forced the three men to retrieve his cell phone, which was near the bedside, and then he fled the hotel. The victim underwent a sexual assault examination. Investigators gathered several items that Moore left behind including the pair of handcuffs which were inscribed with the name of the jail where Moore worked in Alabama as a corrections officer. A year and a half later - in 2017 - the sexual assault examination revealed the existence of DNA that matched the DNA collected from the victim of the Homestead Suites rape in Sandy Springs in 2010, as well as a 2008 sexual assault in Homewood, a 2010 sexual assault in Cobb County, and a 2010 sexual assault in Birmingham. Homewood police said that agency's case happened at the Econo Lodge on Oxmoor Road. The victim, a prostitute, had a male customer come to her room. He started to assault her, but she was able to pull a gun and then shot him. The suspect fled the scene and it is unclear if he sought medical treatment, but his blood was left behind. The suspects identity remained unknown until Moores arrest in Georgia. The Birmingham case happened in 2010 at a hotel on U.S. 280. Details weren't immediately available, but Birmingham authorities said DNA also helped identified Moore as a potential suspect in their case. They have not, however, been able to locate the victim in the nearly 10-year-old case. No charges have been filed against Moore in Alabama. The Sandy Springs Police Department conducted a search of cell phone related records which ultimately led investigators to Matthew Moore. Sandy Springs investigators determined that Moore worked at a correctional facility in Alabama, and they began to track his phone. On March 30, 2018, the Sandy Springs Police Department executed search warrants at Moores home and place of employment. A DNA buccal swab was collected from Moore, and they also recovered zip ties, pantyhose restraints, computers, cell phones, and sex toys. The video that Moore recorded of the 2015 rape in Sandy Springs was still on his phone three years later. Investigators proceeded to arrest Moore for the rapes in Sandy Springs. In addition to the Georgia and Alabama cases, Moore was implicated in a sexual assault of a 64-year-old woman in Jupiter, Florida on March 7, 2018. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Constance Russell presided over the case. Deputy District Attorney Amy Ferguson led the prosecution, and was assisted by Assistant District Attorney Shamma Iqbal, Deputy Chief Investigator Donna Kimbrell, and Victim-Witness Advocate LaVert Forrest of the Fulton County District Attorneys Office. Det. W. Johnson from the Sandy Springs Police Department was the lead Investigator in the case. An updated assessment of the impact of a massive explosion at a warehouse in Houston that killed two workers and injured 20 others shows that 450 structures, mostly homes, were damaged. The new total is more than double the initial assessment of about 200 damaged structures after the explosion early on Jan. 24 at a building at Watson Grinding and Manufacturing. The company produces valves and thermal-spray coatings for equipment in various industries. Also Jan. 24, the surviving family of one of the two workers killed filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Watson the fourth lawsuit filed against the company in the wake of the blast. Employees Frank Flores and Gerardo Castorena were killed in the explosion. Flores family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Watson alleging the company failed to provide a safe workplace and failed to enforce safety rules. The company declined to comment on the suit. Authorities say an additional 20 people were injured two other warehouse workers and 18 others from neighboring homes and businesses. The cause is being investigated. Of the structures that were hit, 358 suffered minor damage, said Cory Stottlemyer, a spokesman for Houstons Office of Emergency Management. Another 35 had major damage, including partial failures of a roof or walls, while 57 were affected, meaning they had mostly cosmetic damage, Stottlemyer said. The American Red Cross said that it expects to keep a recovery service center at a church open for the rest of the week. Red Cross officials said they have provided more than 200 emergency supplies and nearly 1,600 meals and snacks to residents, and caseworkers are connecting residents with community resources. Dozens of volunteers helped residents this past weekend. We came out with lumber and able bodies to assist these folks. We cleaned up a lot of glass, boarded up a lot of windows, put a few tarps on and were able to just love on our neighbors a little bit, said Trevor Barnett, the executive director of the Restoration Team, which is a network of churches dedicated to assisting families whose homes were damaged from flooding during Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Dylan Boots, 24, whose rental home is located just a few hundred feet from the blast site and was heavily damaged, said his shattered windows have been covered by plywood and an insurance adjuster was assessing the damage. Boots said he believes several walls will have to be completely rebuilt and hes not sure hell be able to live in his home while its being repaired. I hope I can stay, if not well figure something out, said Boots, an Army veteran. Right now, Im living in my house. Im doing good, surviving. Related: Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Gov. Kay Ivey suffered a fractured shoulder Tuesday night when she fell after tripping over her dog. The governor sent out a short statement today alerting people that they would be seeing her with her arm in a sling but that the injury wont interfere with her work. Alabamas First Dog Missy is such a fun and active friend to have at home, and she is fiercely protective, Ivey said. Last night, she unintentionally tripped me up, and I hit my shoulder. Youll see me in a sling, but this wont slow me down a bit! Ill keep you posted on the recovery, but most importantly, Missy is also doing just fine! Ivey, 75, announced three weeks ago that she had received a positive report from her doctor three months after completing radiation treatment for what she described as a tiny, isolated cancerous spot on one of her lungs. Her doctor said she would continue to receive routine surveillance imaging but he considered her to be cured. Prosecutors there have taken to trial former Trump confidant Roger Stone and former Obama White House counsel Gregory Craig, and have taken over cases involving former Trump deputy campaign manager Rick Gates and former national security adviser Michael Flynn. They are managing a grand jury investigation into former acting FBI director Andrew McCabe, who is accused of misleading federal investigators about a media disclosure, and are handling a leak case in which they have focused at least some of their questioning on former FBI director James B. Comey. Comey and McCabe have been outspoken critics of Trump, and the D.C. U.S. attorneys office has faced criticism that it is unfairly targeting the presidents political rivals. People are rushing to buy face masks to try to protect themselves from the coronavirus in the UK, but health experts are doubtful about how effective they are. Human-to-human transmission of the virus has been confirmed in Japan, Germany and Vietnam, of the 15 countries where people have fallen ill. The UK does not yet have any confirmed cases of coronavirus, but the Boots website has sold out of a six-pack of safe & sound surgical face masks, with a note saying no further stock will be received. A box of 50 masks is also sold out and also marked as not being restocked. On Amazon, a pack of 12 anti-virus flu surgical face masks is sold out, with the retailer saying it does not know when or whether it will be back in stock, although other masks are available on the site. 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 A branch of B&Q in London appeared to be low on stocks of dust masks, with racks empty on Wednesday evening. However, experts say surgical masks may still allow bacteria to reach the face because they are too loose to seal off the nose and mouth, and very small particles can pass through the paper. Viruses may also reach the eyes. Recommended Coronavirus fears after York paramedics treat man in hazmat suits Jimmy Whitworth, professor of international public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told The Independent: Theres little evidence that they are very effective. Theyre more beneficial if you have a virus and dont want to pass it on than to prevent catching anything. People touch their faces often, allowing bacteria to get close to the eyes, although masks do at least prevent people touching their mouths, he said. But masks do need to be changed frequently. Better ways of preventing infection are washing your hands with warm water and soap, not touching your eyes or nose, and if you cough, cough into a tissue that you put in the bin. Prof Whitworth said he himself would not use a mask even if coronavirus came to London. China has reported a 29 per cent spike in coronavirus deaths, bringing the toll to 170, as the number of confirmed sufferers rose to 7,711 on Thursday. The World Health Organization (WHO), which says the whole world needs to be on alert over the coronavirus, is poised to decide whether to declare an international public health emergency. Three Japanese people who returned from China have the virus, two of them not displaying any symptoms before testing positive. UK nationals brought home from Wuhan, the centre of the outbreak, will be quarantined for 14 days. The provincial government there has bought more than 3 million face masks. In Hong Kong and the Philippines, long queues formed outside stores with supplies. In Britain, health officials are still trying to trace about 2,000 people who flew into the country earlier this month. Boots said it was working to get more face masks in stores and online, which it hoped would arrive over the next week, but meanwhile they could be ordered at pharmacy counters. An Amazon spokesman declined to comment, and B&Q has been contacted for comment. Recommended Britons arriving from Wuhan to be quarantined for two weeks Nathalie MacDermott, of Kings College London said masks meant people were not coughing or sneezing into their hand so were less likely to spread viruses when touching surfaces. But she added: The very basic, flimsy surgical mask offers limited protection because the fit may be inadequate and they can become moist quite quickly through the act of breathing in and out. They were not designed to protect the wearer from becoming infected with a virus, they were designed to be worn by surgical staff to protect a patient being operated on from any viruses or bacteria carried in the nose and mouth of operating theatre staff. N95 respirators, a stronger type of mask designed to filter out pollutants, offer more protection than surgical masks, according to the New Scientist, but may also make it more difficult for a person to breathe, so could be dangerous for someone showing symptoms of infection, which include coughing and shortness of breath. The WHOs advice on avoiding coronavirus includes hand and respiratory hygiene, and safe food practices. A poster says: If you choose to wear a face mask, be sure to cover mouth and nose avoid touching mask once its on. Immediately discard single-use mask after each use and wash hands after removing masks. A Boots spokeswoman said: The best way to help prevent catching a virus is by making sure you regularly wash your hands with soap, and avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth to prevent transmission from surfaces, especially after blowing your nose, sneezing and coughing. Antiviral hand foams and gel can also be useful when you are out and about. Health experts also advise people when they cough and sneeze to do so into their sleeve to keep their hands clean. Police in Northern Ireland have been warned certain restraint techniques could potentially kill. The warning from Police Ombudsman Marie Anderson comes after an investigation of an arrest found a man appeared to have "passed out" while he was being taking into police custody. Following an investigation, one officer, it was recommended, was to be disciplined. Mrs Anderson said officers should be aware that certain restraint techniques could interfere with peoples ability to breathe, with potentially fatal consequences. The man, who had been struggling and aggressive with officers after being arrested, was lying across the back seat of a police car when the incident happened in September 2018. His hands had been cuffed behind his back and leg restraints fitted before he was placed into the police car to be taken from Londonderry to a custody suite in Coleraine. The officers involved had requested the use of a cell van, but none was available. The Police Ombudsman investigator who dealt with the case, said the man continued to struggle but quickly became less active and could be heard telling police that he couldnt breathe. He then began to make gurgling noises, and police body worn video footage shows him becoming quiet and motionless. Thankfully police stopped the car and checked on his condition. When he came round he almost immediately became aggressive again. Officers restrained him, then placed him into a more appropriate upright position between two officers and continued their journey to the custody suite. Once there, he was examined by a police doctor. Police Ombudsman, Marie Anderson, said the incident illustrated the potentially fatal risks associated with a phenomenon known as positional asphyxia. This causes people to have difficulty breathing due to the positioning of their body. A face down position is recognised as a risk factor, as are alcohol or drugs. "It can happen to people who are being restrained, and is also known to be a risk for infants if the positioning of their head and body obstructs their breathing, said Mrs Anderson. I know that police have provided training on this issue, and guidance for officers is available on the PSNI website. I would urge police officers to refresh their knowledge of the guidance so that they remain mindful of the risks of certain restraint techniques and alert to the danger signs of positional asphyxia. The police officer who had been in the rear of the police car said he could not recall the man having been lying face down for a long period of time. He acknowledged that he had received training and was aware of police guidance on positional asphyxia, and said he had tried to ensure that the man had enough air and room to breathe. However, the Police Ombudsman found that the officer should have been more alert to the risks of a person being restrained while face down, and to danger signs such as the person making gurgling noises. She recommended that he be disciplined. The PSNI accepted that there had been failings and the officer in question was given advice and feedback by his line management. The PSNI has been approached for comment. With social media presence already established across several platforms and accessible retail point of sales locations secured, OPPO is in a strong position to enter the Levant market. OPPO is committed to localization initiatives to provide better service to customers while becoming a key component of local communities. The OPPO Levant team already comprises 200 employees, 71% of whom are nationals. Ethan Xue, President of OPPO Middle East and Africa (MEA), said: "The Levant is of strategic importance to OPPO, and so we are glad to announce achieving this expansion milestone development with our entry into this exciting new market. Going forward, the Levant market will serve alongside the UAE and Saudi Arabia markets as the three main pillars supporting OPPO's sustainable growth in the Middle East." Since entering the Middle East, OPPO has solidified its commitment to the region by bringing its flagship Find X model to the market for the first time in 2018, followed by selecting Dubai as the first international launch location in April 2019 for its new OPPO Reno smartphone series. The company enjoyed a successful 2019 in the region, and intends to strengthen its position by introducing consumers in the Middle East to more flagship and 5G products featuring OPPO's signature cutting-edge technology. To date, OPPO is present in several markets across MEA, including Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Kenya, Nigeria, and now the Levant. About OPPO OPPO is a leading global technology brand, dedicated to providing products infused with art and innovative technology. Based on the brand elements of leading, young and beautiful, OPPO dedicates to the mission of letting the extraordinary users enjoy the beauty of technology. For the last 10 years, OPPO has been focusing on manufacturing camera phones, while innovating mobile photography technology breakthroughs. OPPO launched the first mobile phone, the Smile Phone, in 2008, which marks the beginning of a journey to explore and pioneer extraordinary technology. Today, OPPO brings the aesthetics of technology of global consumers through smart devices, ColorOS, and Internet service like OPPO Cloud and OPPO+. 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 6 research institutes and 4 R&D centres 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, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Kenya, Nigeria, and the Levant. OPPO set up its factory in Algeria in 2017, which made OPPO the first Chinese brand setting up factory in North Africa. 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 Reno Series. OPPO will continue to evolve its local product line to offer more premium series to consumers in the region. For more details, please contact: OPPO PR Team Email: [email protected] SOURCE OPPO Related Links https://www.oppo.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-31 04:13:12|Editor: yan Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- President of the UN General Assembly Tijjani Muhammad-Bande will kick off a month of special UN tours designed to commemorate the victims of slavery and the slave trade, his spokeswoman said. Reem Abaza said that on Friday afternoon, Muhammad-Bande will gesture the start of the UN Black History Month Tour in front of the Ark of Return Memorial at the UN visitors plaza, which is a tribute to the courage of the enslaved people and the abolitionists. She said the UNGA president will then interact with a group of school children about the contributions of people of African descent to the work of the UN in fields, such as peace and security and human rights, with a special emphasis on decolonization. According to New York City's tourism authorities, the UN Black History Month Tour will be available throughout February on weekday afternoons. It will include a visit to the Ark of Return as well as access to the Security Council chamber, the Trusteeship Council chamber and the General Assembly hall. Designed by Rodney Leon, an American architect of Haitian descent, the Ark of Return was unveiled on March 25, 2015 in New York. Stress is prevalent in modern society and can affect human health through its effects on appetite. However, knowledge about the neural mechanisms related to the alteration of the subjective level of appetite caused by acute stress in humans remains limited. We focused on the effects of stress caused by expecting critical personal events such as school examinations and public speaking engagements on appetite and aimed to clarify the neural mechanisms by which acute stress affects appetite in healthy, non-obese males during fasting. In total, 22 fasted male volunteers participated in two experiments (stress and control conditions) on different days. The participants performed a stress-inducing speech-and-mental-arithmetic task under both conditions, and then viewed images of food, during which, their neural activity was recorded using magnetoencephalography (MEG). In the stress condition, the participants were told to perform the speech-and-mental-arithmetic task again subsequently to viewing the food images; however, another speech-and-mental-arithmetic task was not performed actually. Subjective levels of stress and appetite were then assessed using a visual analog scale. Electrocardiography was performed to assess the index of heart rate variability reflecting sympathetic nerve activity. The findings showed that subjective levels of stress and sympathetic nerve activity were increased during the MEG recording in the stress condition, whereas appetite gradually increased during the MEG recording only in the control condition. The decrease in alpha (8-13 Hz) band power in the frontal pole caused by viewing the food images was greater in the stress condition than in the control condition, suggesting that the acute stress can suppress the increase of appetite and this suppression is associated with the alteration of the neural activity in the frontal pole. Since it has been reported that the frontal pole is involved in the thinking and planning of future actions and the cognitive control of appetite, it is speculated that the participants' expectations of the forthcoming speech-and-mental-arithmetic task in our present study activated the frontal pole for the thinking and planning of future actions and this activation of the frontal pole might have interfered with the regulatory processes related to appetite that were also subserved by the frontal pole, resulting in the suppression of appetite under the stress caused in our experiment. These findings will provide valuable clues to gain a further understanding of the neural mechanisms by which acute stress affects appetite, and could contribute to the development of methods to prevent and reduce the adverse effects on health caused by stress. Lyricist Javed Akhtar revealed that his wife, and veteran actor Shabana Azmi is all set to return home on Friday. Shabana was hospitalized for a couple of weeks after she got injured in a car accident on January 18. The actor had completely recovered some time back, but had been kept under observation for a few extra days. Bollywood Hungama quoted Javed as saying, "Shabana is completely recovered now. She has been fully healed for some time now. But the doctors decided to keep her under observation in hospital for a few days extra and I completely agreed with them. She is now ready to return home. We are bringing her home on Friday morning." The accident occurred on Mumbai-Pune Expressway, when Shabana's car rammed into a truck. Javed Akhtar was travelling in a different car. The driver of Shabana's car also suffered minor injuries, and has been booked for rash driving and negligence. "It could have been a lot worse. I'd say Shabana had a miraculous escape," Javed added. Initially, Shabana was rushed to MGM hospital in Panvel, and was later shifted to Kokilaben Dhirubai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai. Many Bollywood celebrities including Farhan and Zoya Akhtar, Shibani Dandekar, Boney Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Farah Khan and others visited her in the hospital. ALSO READ: Shabana Azmi Rushed To Hospital After Being Injured In Car Accident On Mumbai-Pune Expressway ALSO READ: Shabana Azmi To Be Discharged Soon; Javed Akhtar Says 'All Tests Including MRI Are Positive' ALSO READ: 'Shabana Azmi Is Sedated, But Is Coherent And Talking Normally,' Says Boney Kapoor SALINE, MI - Jennifer Winters has heard about the way students discuss her daughters nose and African clothing. Shes all too familiar with the struggles some of her seven black children have had adjusting to Saline Area Schools, with some classmates teasing them for having a mother who is a voodoo queen. And yet, shes adamant about staying because she sees the communitys potential. Saline (Area Schools) will not push my family out of Saline. Its got to be fixed immediately, Winters said at the Tuesday, Jan. 28 Saline School Board meeting. ... Im going to enjoy this beautiful community and you guys are going to make it comfortable for all of us to live in the community together. Winters was among several parents who shared the experiences their children have had in the district and the perception of its culture after news broke about racist comments being made by Saline High School students in a social media chat group on Sunday. The incident, which was described by Superintendent Scot Graden as an act of racism that created harm to all of our students, especially students of color," shined a new light on the districts struggles to foster a diverse and inclusive climate in recent years. Parent Katie Mitchell pleaded with the board to consider changes in how it addresses diversity, equity and inclusion. She reminded the board that a decade ago it decided not to change its non-discrimination policy to add the words sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. We do not need to discuss whether or not there is bullying and intimidation in our schools, Mitchell said. We do not need to discuss whether there is racism in our communities. We do not need to discuss all of these things that are absolutely glaring. "Our reputation as a city is that we are racist. That is flat out true. Parent Heidi Naasko said Sundays Snapchat thread should serve as a reminder that the district has work to do to be more welcoming, but should also provide the board with an opportunity to take new action. Id like the school and the school board to identify a comprehensive plan that will affect some change and an opportunity to ensure that all of the students have a baseline knowledge of how to be an anti-racist and that white supremacy does not have a place here in Saline, Michigan, Naasko said. I also encourage the formation of a parent oversight committee with your help or with those that are already here today to ensure that more dramatic changes are implemented here tonight. Some parents discussed other incidents that have raised questions about the districts commitment to diversity, including successfully pressuring school administrators to cut ties with Planned Parenthood, which was going to train students as peer educators to lead lessons on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer issues as part of the schools sex education curriculum. Parent and longtime resident Corey Memering said the board lost his trust more than a year ago when his rights were infringed on as the district was embroiled in heated debate sparked by plans to read to elementary students from a book named I am Jazz," written by Jazz Jennings, a transgender teen, about a transgender character. Memering said it wasnt the subject matter of the book that was upsetting, but the perception that it was being injected into the school. He wants to see love shown between students of all backgrounds, making a point to describe his stance of all means all to describe his desire for all students to be treated equally and without political favor. From a 30,000 foot view, I looked down and I see you guys have our best interests of our students, I really do, he said. " ... But when I when I want to zoom in a little bit, I wanna I question motives, just a touch. ... Its about the outside influences that are being pushed inside of our schools. The district will host a community conversation on diversity, equity and inclusion as it relates to Saline Area Schools at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 3 at Liberty School. Students weigh in on culture at Saline Area Schools after racist group Snapchat Act of racism in Snapchat group denounced by Saline Area Schools Saline school board votes to leave non-discrimination policy unchanged Transgender childrens book draws mixed reactions from Washtenaw County parents US President Donald Trump will visit the Sabarmati Riverfront in Gujarat during his India trip in February, the state Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said on Wednesday. Rupani said this while addressing an election rally in north Delhis Shastri Nagar. In the entire Asia, the Sabarmati river has become the cleanest river which was ensured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Prominent leaders like Japan and Israel prime ministers also visited the riverfront and got surprised to see it. US President Trump will also come (to India) in February and he will also visit the riverfront, the Gujarat chief minister said. However he did not specify the dates. Earlier this month, government sources said Indian and US officials were engaged in talks to finalise the dates for Trumps visit to India. Both sides are in discussions to finalise the dates, a source said. Trumps two-day visit to India could take place on February 24-26. India had invited Trump to grace the Republic Day parade as the chief guest last year but the US president could not come due to scheduling issues. JACKSON, Mich., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CMS Energy announced today 2019 reported net income of $680 million or $2.39 per share, compared to reported net income of $657 million or $2.32 per share for 2018. CMS Energy announced $708 million of adjusted net income or adjusted earnings per share of $2.49 for 2019, compared to $2.33 for 2018. CMS Energy raised its guidance for 2020 adjusted earnings to $2.64 - $2.68* per share (*See below for important information about non-GAAP measures) or 6 to 8 percent annual adjusted earnings per share growth. Longer-term, adjusted earnings per share growth remains at 6 to 8 percent with a bias toward the midpoint. "CMS Energy continues to be an industry leader operationally, environmentally and financially by delivering consistent results for our customers, employees and our investors," said Patti Poppe, President and CEO of CMS Energy and Consumers Energy. "We will not let up in 2020 as we continue to focus on our triple bottom line of people, planet and profit." CMS Energy noted several accomplishments in 2019: Approval with broad support of Consumers Energy's Integrated Resource Plan, providing for the closure of all the utility's coal plants and a 90% carbon reduction by 2040. Committed to net-zero methane emissions by 2030 for our natural gas distribution system. Increased Customer Satisfaction: Ranked #1 in J.D. Power Midwest Large Residential Gas Study. Obtained regulatory support for $1.2 billion of gas infrastructure investment to improve safety and reliability. of gas infrastructure investment to improve safety and reliability. Worked across the state to attract 75 megawatts of new electric load to Michigan , bringing an estimated 3,600 jobs and over $1.5 billion of investment. , bringing an estimated 3,600 jobs and over of investment. Maintained first quartile Employee Engagement among US Utilities and exceeded the US High Performing Benchmark in Fortune's Most Admired and Best to Work for Companies lists. Won the Edison Electric Institute's Mid-Cap Index Award for 5-year total shareholder return. CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS) is a Michigan-based company that has an electric and natural gas utility, Consumers Energy, as its primary business. It also owns and operates independent power generation businesses. CMS Energy will hold a webcast to discuss its 2019 year-end results and provide a business and financial outlook on January 30 at 8:30 a.m. (EST). To participate in the webcast, go to CMS Energy's homepage (cmsenergy.com) and select "Investor Meeting." Important information for investors about non-GAAP measures and other disclosures. *This news release contains non-Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (non-GAAP) measures, such as adjusted earnings. Adjustments could include items such as discontinued operations, asset sales, impairments, restructuring costs, regulatory items from prior years, or other items detailed in the attached summary financial statements. Management views adjusted earnings as a key measure of the company's present operating financial performance and uses adjusted earnings for external communications with analysts and investors. Internally, the company uses adjusted earnings to measure and assess performance. Because the company is not able to estimate the impact of specific line items, which have the potential to significantly impact, favorably or unfavorably, the company's reported earnings in future periods, the company is not providing reported earnings guidance nor is it providing a reconciliation for the comparable future period earnings. The company's adjusted earnings should be considered supplemental information to assist in understanding our business results, rather than as a substitute for the reported earnings. All references to net income refer to net income available to common stockholders and references to earnings per share are on a diluted basis. This news release contains "forward-looking statements." The forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause CMS Energy's and Consumers Energy's results to differ materially. All forward-looking statements should be considered in the context of the risk and other factors detailed from time to time in CMS Energy's and Consumers Energy's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Investors and others should note that CMS Energy routinely posts important information on its website and considers the Investor Relations section, www.cmsenergy.com/investor-relations, a channel of distribution. For more information on CMS Energy, please visit our website at cmsenergy.com. To sign up for email alert notifications, please visit the Investor Relations section of our website. Financial Results and Outlook 2019 Results Amount Reported EPS $2.39 Adjusted EPS $2.49 2020 Updates Amount Adjusted EPS Guidance $2.64 - $2.68* Annual Dividend $1.63 CMS ENERGY CORPORATION Consolidated Statements of Income (Unaudited) In Millions, Except Per Share Amounts Three Months Ended Twelve Months Ended 12/31/19 12/31/18 12/31/19 12/31/18 Operating revenue $ 1,795 $ 1,829 $ 6,845 $ 6,873 Operating expenses 1,484 1,579 5,606 5,711 Operating Income 311 250 1,239 1,162 Other income (expense) 28 (3) 109 70 Interest charges 134 121 519 458 Income Before Income Taxes 205 126 829 774 Income tax expense 37 17 147 115 Net Income 168 109 682 659 Income attributable to noncontrolling interests 1 1 2 2 Net Income Available to Common Stockholders $ 167 $ 108 $ 680 $ 657 Basic Earnings Per Average Common Share $ 0.59 $ 0.38 $ 2.40 $ 2.33 Diluted Earnings Per Average Common Share 0.58 0.38 2.39 2.32 CMS ENERGY CORPORATION Summarized Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) In Millions As of 12/31/19 12/31/18 Assets Current assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 140 $ 153 Restricted cash and cash equivalents 17 21 Other current assets 2,174 2,294 Total current assets 2,331 2,468 Non-current assets Plant, property, and equipment 18,926 18,126 Other non-current assets 5,580 3,935 Total Assets $ 26,837 $ 24,529 Liabilities and Equity Current liabilities (1) $ 1,484 $ 1,531 Non-current liabilities (1) 7,051 6,429 Capitalization Debt, capital leases, and financing obligation (excluding securitization debt) (2) Debt, capital leases, and financing obligation (excluding non-recourse and securitization debt) 10,518 9,646 Non-recourse debt 2,478 1,854 Total debt, capital leases, and financing obligation (excluding securitization debt) 12,996 11,500 Noncontrolling interests 37 37 Common stockholders' equity 5,018 4,755 Total capitalization (excluding securitization debt) 18,051 16,292 Securitization debt (2) 251 277 Total Liabilities and Equity $ 26,837 $ 24,529 (1) Excludes debt, capital leases, and financing obligation. (2) Includes current and non-current portions. CMS ENERGY CORPORATION Summarized Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) In Millions Twelve Months Ended 12/31/19 12/31/18 Beginning of Period Cash and Cash Equivalents, Including Restricted Amounts $ 175 $ 204 Net cash provided by operating activities 1,790 1,703 Net cash used in investing activities (2,816) (2,606) Cash flows from operating and investing activities (1,026) (903) Net cash provided by financing activities 1,008 874 Total Cash Flows $ (18) $ (29) End of Period Cash and Cash Equivalents, Including Restricted Amounts $ 157 $ 175 CMS ENERGY CORPORATION Reconciliation of GAAP Net Income to Non-GAAP Adjusted Net Income (Unaudited) In Millions, Except Per Share Amounts Three Months Ended Twelve Months Ended 12/31/19 12/31/18 12/31/19 12/31/18 Net Income Available to Common Stockholders $ 167 $ 108 $ 680 $ 657 Reconciling items: Other exclusions from adjusted earnings 36 8 37 9 Tax impact (9) (*) (9) (*) Gain on assets previously sold - - (*) (4) Tax impact - - * 1 Tax reform - (4) - (4) Adjusted net income non-GAAP $ 194 $ 112 $ 708 $ 659 Average Common Shares Outstanding Basic 283.0 282.6 283.0 282.2 Diluted 284.8 283.3 284.3 282.9 Basic Earnings Per Average Common Share Reported net income per share $ 0.59 $ 0.38 $ 2.40 $ 2.33 Reconciling items: Other exclusions from adjusted earnings 0.13 0.03 0.13 0.03 Tax impact (0.03) (*) (0.03) (*) Gain on assets previously sold - - (*) (0.01) Tax impact - - * * Tax reform - (0.02) - (0.02) Adjusted net income per share non-GAAP $ 0.69 $ 0.39 $ 2.50 $ 2.33 Diluted Earnings Per Average Common Share Reported net income per share $ 0.58 $ 0.38 $ 2.39 $ 2.32 Reconciling items: Other exclusions from adjusted earnings 0.13 0.03 0.13 0.03 Tax impact (0.03) (*) (0.03) (*) Gain on assets previously sold - - (*) (0.01) Tax impact - - * * Tax reform - (0.01) - (0.01) Adjusted net income per share non-GAAP $ 0.68 $ 0.40 $ 2.49 $ 2.33 * Less than $0.5 million or $0.01 per share. Management views adjusted (non-Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) earnings as a key measure of the Company's present operating financial performance and uses adjusted earnings for external communications with analysts and investors. Internally, the Company uses adjusted earnings to measure and assess performance. Adjustments could include items such as discontinued operations, asset sales, impairments, restructuring costs, regulatory items from prior years, or other items detailed in these summary financial statements. Adjusted earnings should be considered supplemental information to assist in understanding our business results, rather than as a substitute for reported earnings. SOURCE CMS Energy Related Links http://www.cmsenergy.com On January 28, US President Donald Trump unveiled his administrations "deal of the century" plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace, which is intended to provide a realistic solution for two states for two peoples a demilitarised Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel. Can this deal go where no other deal has gone before and actually succeed? An Israeli flag flies in a Jordan Valley Jewish settlement. Credit:Getty Images While the proposal has been welcomed by both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Opposition Leader Benny Gantz, as expected, it has been vigorously rejected by the Palestinian leadership. While no one expected Trumps deal would result in an overnight breakthrough, the plan could plant the seeds of hope for a new fruitful dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians, for a number of reasons. Firstly, it clarifies that both Trump and Netanyahu support a two-state outcome. This clarification is important as both Trump and Netanyahu have been criticised for expressing reservations about Palestinian statehood in the past. Secondly, it is the first time that a mediator has brought forward a conceptual map outlining the proposed borders of Israeli and Palestinian territory. This map offers a potential new starting point for compromise between Israelis and Palestinians. , . - ... Press Release 30 January 2020 The new award is named after the late area vice president of IDeaS Revenue Solutions, who passed away unexpectedly in December 2019 and was a dedicated supporter and friend of HSMAI Europe. It will be given to one hospitality professional every year in recognition of their individual contributions to revenue optimisation in the industry. The award's first recipient was Nina Niemenin, director of revenue management and distribution, at SOK Travel and Hospitality Industry Chain Management. Klaus Kohlmayr, IDeaS' chief evangelist, said when presenting the award:"Nina has, for many years, successfully led the growth and development of the revenue and distribution areas of a key European hotel group. Her focus beyond rooms into food and beverage, meetings and events, and other areas, put her at the forefront of innovation in the region. She is an active member of HSMAI, promoting collaboration and innovation throughout the industry, and is regularly engaged as a public speaker. She is always ready to share insightful perspectives with colleagues, peers and academics. I am proud to present her with this award." Advertisements Ingunn Hofseth, president and CEO of HSMAI Region Europe, said: "We were all deeply shocked and saddened when we heard the news of Fabian's passing. Fabian was engaged with HSMAI Region Europe since the beginning of the European ROC. He was a reliable and trustworthy person to work with and I admired him. He was accessible, emotionally supportive, and he prioritized HSMAI. He meant a lot to us, and to me personally, and he will be thoroughly missed. We are proud to introduce this new award as a living testimonial to his memory." Dr. Ravi Mehrotra, president, founder and chief scientist, IDeaS, said: "Fabian's impact on the global hospitality industry was immense. For over 20 years, Fabian helped IDeaS define the market for revenue management. A hotelier at heart, Fabian was an educator, a market change agent, and a visionary in the hotel revenue management space. Most importantly, Fabian treated his clients and colleagues with trust and courtesy that will serve as a guiding example for our industry. Through this trust and courtesy Fabian earned not only the respect, but often the friendship of industry leaders. This award is a testament to Fabian's commitment to the industry and IDeaS is honored to support HSMAI Europe in acknowledging the most dedicated and forward-thinking revenue professionals each year."The winner of the Fabian Specht's Revenue Optimization Professional of the Year Award, next to recognition, wins free attendance included hotel and travel to the 5 day-HSMAI Region Europe Summer Camp taking place in Berlin this year. About HSMAI Europe HSMAI Region Europe is committed to growing business for the hotel, event and travel industry and their partners, and is the industry's leading advocate for intelligent, sustainable revenue growth on a local, national and European level. The association provides practical tools, insights, and cutting edge expertise to enable knowledge sharing and enhance professional development as well as fuel sales, inspire marketing, transform businesses digitally and optimise revenue. For more information about HSMAI Region Europe, please visit us at https://hsmai.eu/ HSMAI is a global organization founded in the US in 1927. HSMAI Region Europe is the European arm of the organisation. From left: Remy Merckx, Vice President Global Digital, Radisson Hotel Group, Frederic Toitot,Vice President, Global Learning & Development at Accor, & Chair HSMAI Region Europe Revenue Optimization Board, Ingunn Hofseth, President & CEO, HSMAI Region Europe, Nina Nieminen, Director of revenue management and distribution at SOK Travel Industry Chain Management at SOK and Klaus Kohlmayr, Chief Evangelist, IDeaS Photo: HSMAI Europe After having been active in Europe for many years on National levels, HSMAI Region Europe became a true PAN-European organisation at the end of 2015. Their European Office was relocated to London by the end of 2018. HSMAI ROC 2021 will take place in London Tuesday January 26th. About IDeaS IDeaS, a SAS company, is the world's leading provider of revenue management software and services. With over 30 years of expertise, IDeaS delivers revenue science to more than 11,000 clients in 129 countries. Combining industry knowledge with innovative, data-analytics technology, IDeaS creates sophisticated yet simple ways to empower revenue leaders with precise, automated decisions they can trust. Results delivered. Revenue transformed. Discover greater profitability at ideas.com. OTTAWAThe World Health Organization on Thursday declared the coronavirus outbreak a global emergency as the federal government scrambled to airlift Canadians out of the affected region in China. The declaration will step up international efforts to combat the spread of the virus that already has confirmed cases in 18 countries, including three reported in Canada. The committee believes that it is still possible to interrupt virus spread, provided that countries put in place strong measures to detect disease early, isolate and treat cases, trace contacts, and promote social distancing measures commensurate with the risk, the health organization said in a statement. In Canada, politicians and public officials were united in saying that the risk remains low to Canadians and that the WHO declaration changes little for their response to the public health crisis. And they took aim at the misinformation and racist rhetoric they said is fuelling concerns. Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu said that Canada is already fully in line with recommendations for dealing with the global emergency. She said the declaration is primarily to bolster the capacity of less-developed countries to respond. Theres an implication that stronger countries need to support the weaker countries in the world to further prevent the transmission of the illness, Hajdu said, adding that Canada is providing technical and research support to the WHO. The number of Canadians asking for Ottawas help as they cope with a China-imposed quarantine on Hubei province has grown to 196, mainly centred in the city of Wuhan, where the public health emergency originated, said Canadas global affairs department. The federal government continued Thursday to work on its contingency plan to charter an aircraft and return them to Canada, an issue that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau insisted had the governments full attention. We will continue to do everything that we can to secure their return to Canada and do so in a way that is safe and that doesnt allow for a greater propagation of the virus, said Trudeau, who did not deny that the government has already moved to evacuate some family members of Canadian diplomats right away. Trudeau stressed that the risk for people in Canada remains low despite the organizations declaration, in part because of the precautions in place. We have strong measures in place at airports. We have strong measures in place in all of our health centres and hospitals to ensure that the risk of transmission, spreading of this virus is low, he said. He pivoted to a public health message to Canadians, urging people to wash their hands regularly, get the flu shot, cough into your elbow all things he said were good ways to behave to protect against all kinds of seasonal viruses. Trudeau cautioned against believing unreasonable fears expressed on the internet, urging Canadians, including those of Chinese origin, to pull together and lean on each other. Dr. Theresa Tam, Canadas Chief Public Health Officer, said the emergency declaration doesnt change how the risk to Canadians remains low given that the virus has not been shown to be spreading within Canada, and that the processes to screen travellers at airports and isolate any who feel sick are working. Canada has only three confirmed cases out of about 100 who have been tested, and all three of the infected individuals are in stable condition, Tam said. In Ontario, 27 people are being tested for coronavirus, but most remain at home and there is no evidence of person-to-person transmission here, provincial health officials said. Tam warned against misinformation and the spread of unfounded fear, and took particular issue with negative social media messages, including racist rhetoric that will hinder a successful response to the situation. Lets turn the dialogue around, raise our collective voice for good and work together to address this global public health emergency, she said. Dr. Eileen de Villa, Torontos medical officer of health, also said that the risk is low and that the declaration has little impact on Torontos response. We are actively monitoring the situation in collaboration with our provincial and national health colleagues, she said in a statement. Hajdu was unable Thursday to say how that plan to airlift Canadians out of China was progressing, saying it was complicated by the need to negotiate the approval of Chinese authorities to fly into the quarantined zone where travel has been restricted. Hajdu told the House of Commons Thursday that there are preliminary indications from the government of China that patients who are ill will not be permitted to leave. Hajdu said officials are working to ensure the safe transfer of Canadians who want to leave, and to ensure the safety of those who remain in China. Patients who are ill would be isolated when they return to Canada, Hajdu later told reporters. If any patients were exhibiting symptoms of being ill, they would be isolated until we can determine they were free of the coronavirus, she said. But she said that no decision has been made yet on what to do with those Canadians who are displaying no symptoms. The United States is quarantining arriving passengers at an airbase in California for at least 72 hours. Australia said its citizens would be quarantined on an island for up to two weeks. Federal officials say public health experts are deciding what precautions are needed to best avoid the spread of the disease here in Canada. We are working out the processes right now to determine who is coming, what is the state of health will be when they board the plane and what processes we need to take in order to ensure their health when they return, she said. Currently passengers arriving in Canada on commercial flights from China are given information about the virus and asked to report if they exhibit any symptoms. In China, there have been 7,711 confirmed cases and 12,167 suspected cases and 170 people have died, according to the WHO. In its statement, the WHO praised Chinas commitment to transparency, and the efforts made to investigate and contain the current outbreak. China quickly identified the virus and shared its sequence, so that other countries could diagnose it quickly and protect themselves, which has resulted in the rapid development of diagnostic tools, the organization said. The Globe and Mail reported Thursday that the Canadian government has begun to evacuate vulnerable family members of diplomats in mainland China, including those over 65, young school age children, along with people with existing medical conditions. Trudeau was asked why the family of Canadian consular staff are leaving when others have not yet been flown out. He dodged a direct answer, saying only that Canadian consular staff are fully engaged and are responding to the concerns that Canadians have on the ground in China. Meanwhile, the spread of the novel coronavirus is likely to have an economic impact as well, Canadian officials said, noting Canadian exports of lobster have been hit with a price drop, and other export sectors, like meat and wheat, may still be affected. Speaking to a special Commons committee on Canada-China relations, Global Affairs officials said its not clear if the price drop is due to fewer Chinese consumers headed to food markets for live lobster, or whether other factors are at play, including movements of Chinese consumers across the massive country during the Lunar New Year, or state measures like transit or market shutdowns. Lenore Zann, a Liberal MP from Nova Scotia, said lobster producers in her riding have seen lobster prices drop two dollars a pound. Read more about: Swaraj Abhiyan's Yogendra Yadav has been detained by the Delhi Police from the Delhi Gate where protesters had formed a human chain against the Citizen Amendment Act (CAA), the Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Population Register (NPR). Meanwhile, leaders of Left parties including Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury had also formed a human chain in protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act outside the Rajghat today. Protests are being held in different parts of the capital including Jamia Nagar over the contentious act, which was passed by parliament last year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-29 23:32:24|Editor: yan Video Player Close by Olatunji Saliu ABUJA, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- A total of 41 deaths have been recorded from the latest Lassa fever outbreak in Nigeria, as the acute viral hemorrhagic fever continues to spread in the most populous African country, the local center for disease control said on Wednesday. In a statement made available to Xinhua in Abuja, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) said 258 confirmed cases of the disease were recorded in 19 out of the 36 states in the country since the beginning of the year. There have been 689 suspected cases so far. The majority of the cases were recorded in the southern states of Ebonyi, Edo, and Ondo, the NCDC said. The local disease control center said five health workers were among the victims. A national emergency operation center has been activated to coordinate response activities nationwide. With the tropical climate in Nigeria, there is a high risk of infectious diseases like Lassa fever because of the vector. This also is the case for other West African countries with a similar environment, minister of health Osagie Ehanire said in a separate statement. "Despite the increase in the number of confirmed cases, the overall case fertility rate for 2020 is 15 percent compared with 2019 which was 20 percent," Ehanire said. According to him, health authorities in Nigeria were already working to achieve a single-digit case rate. This, he said, could be achieved through the continued support response activities, surveillance and contact tracing in affected states. "Nigeria is contributing to research for the development of the Lassa fever vaccine to proffer a lasting solution to the disease," the minister said. Experts say the cost of Lassa treatment is very high. Ribavirin, a potent antiviral medication, is known to be a very expensive drug in Nigeria. 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. Photo: Dillon Shook/Unsplash Here's the most recent top news you may have missed in Los Angeles. Palmdale parents indicted on murder, torture charges in killing of 4-year-old Noah Cuatro: DA A Palmdale couple accused of killing Noah Cuatro, their 4-year-old son, have been indicted on murder and torture charges, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced Tuesday. Read the full story on KTLA 5 Morning News. There arent enough words to describe our pain, Kobe Bryant's wife says Vanessa Bryant speaks out for the first time, while Los Angeles stands ready to accommodate thousands of mourners. Read the full story on The New York Times. FBI raids Los Angeles church to make immigration fraud bust Federal agents raided a Philippines-based church in Los Angeles early Wednesday in a human trafficking investigation that led to arrests of two church leaders in what prosecutors said was a decades-long scheme to trick followers into becoming fundraisers and arrange sham marriages to keep them in the U.S. Read the full story on NBC LA. Detectives continue to seek answers, search Saugus shooters home Detectives with the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department served a search warrant at the home of the deceased Saugus High School shooter earlier this month. Read the full story on Santa Clarita Valley Signal. This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. LOS ANGELES The men bringing James Dean back to life for a forthcoming film are aiming to give his digital likeness not just a role, but a whole new career. Deans planned appearance in the Vietnam War movie Finding Jack, and the possibility of future parts, comes as digital de-aging and duplication of real actors has tipped from cinematic trick into common practice. And its giving new life to old arguments about the immortality and dignity of the dead. Our intentions are to create the virtual being of James Dean. Thats not only for one movie, but going to be used for many movies and also gaming and virtual reality, said Travis Cloyd, CEO of Worldwide XR, who is leading the design on the Dean project. Our focus is on building the ultimate James Dean so he can live across any medium. Legally, they have every right to do it, via the full agreement of the Dean estate and his surviving relatives. Our clients want to protect these valuable intellectual property rights and the memories that they have of their loved ones, said Mark Roesler, CEO of CMG Worldwide, the legal and licensing company that has long owned the title to Deans likeness. We have to trust them. They want to see that their loved ones image and memory continues to live on. Dean is an obvious candidate for revival with his embodiment-of-Hollywood image and the brevity of his life and career he died at 24 and made just three films: East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant. Roesler and Cloyd have not obtained the rights from Warner Bros. to use footage from those films, but they have a large trove of photos and Deans dozens of TV roles. There are thousands of images that we do have to work with, Cloyd said. What we typically do is we take all those images and videos and we run them through machine learning to create that asset. That will be added to the work of a stand-in actor using motion-capture technology as commonly done now with CGI characters, along with the overdubbed voice of another actor. The announcement of the role last year caused a quick backlash, with responses like that of Captain America star Chris Evans on Twitter: Maybe we can get a computer to paint us a new Picasso. Or write a couple new John Lennon tunes. The complete lack of understanding here is shameful. I think theres definitely something cynical and what feels like a little bit distasteful about bringing especially long-dead actors back to life, said Terri White, editor in chief of film magazine Empire. The reaction to the likes of the James Dean news has actually shown that I think most people dont really want that. For the people behind the Dean project, the negative reaction is as inevitable as they believe the eventual acceptance will be. Cloyd foresees a Hollywood where even living actors have a digital twin that helps in their work. This is disruptive technology, Cloyd said. Some people hear it for the first time and they get shaken by it. But this is where the market is going. The revival of the dead, often done clumsily, has been happening for much of Hollywoods existence. Footage of Bela Lugosi, combined with a double holding a cape over his face, was used in 1959s Plan 9 From Outer Space, released after the horror stars death. Bruce Lees film Game of Death, left unfinished before his 1973 death, was completed using doubles and voice overdubs and released five years later. The Fast and the Furious star Paul Walker died in 2013 before shooting was done on Furious 7. His two younger brothers and others acted as stand-ins so his scenes could be finished. Even Lennon, and many other dead historical figures, were digitally revived in 1994 in Forrest Gump. But the technology of re-creation and resurrection has taken a major leap forward in quality and prestige, with the extensive de-aging and re-aging used in Martin Scorseses The Irishman; a young Will Smith digitally returning to play opposite the current version in last years Gemini Man; and Carrie Fisher, whose younger self briefly returned digitally in 2016s Star Wars: Rogue One and appeared again after her death, in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. These instances have elicited scattered skepticism both of the quality of the technology and the propriety of the revivals but audiences have largely accepted them. Guy Williams, visual effects supervisor at filmmaker Peter Jacksons Weta Digital, said the possibilities do offer a moral dilemma. The question isnt so much if you use somebodys likeness to bring them back or to create a digital version of them, its what you do with it and the respect that you show to it, Williams said. So that, to me, is the more important question. Pablo Helman, the visual effects supervisor behind the de-aging of Robert De Niro and others in The Irishman, said he considers that moral dilemma in his work. The main question that you need to ask yourself is why do it? Helman said. You know, just because you can do it doesnt mean you should, you know? That would be one thing that Im always questioning: Is it in service of the story? Ethical considerations are likely to give way to market forces if viewers decide they find digital versions of dead actors plausible, and palatable. I think the moral question is going to be decided by the audiences and society, whether they want to see that, said Bill Westenhofer, visual effects supervisor on Gemini Man. Dean will be playing a supporting role in Finding Jack, which is now in preproduction. The limited screen time is, at this point, as far as those re-creating him want to go. But they hope the digital avatar can eventually carry a movie, possibly even playing James Dean himself at different ages. At some point theres going to be the James Dean biopic, Cloyd said. I think the technology is not necessarily there today to take the risk. Andrew Dalton and Matt Kemp are Associated Press writers. Saudi Telecom Company (stc) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Vodafone Group in relation to the potential acquisition of Vodafones 55% shareholding in Vodafone Egypt by stc. stc and Vodafone have agreed a cash consideration of $2.392 billion for Vodafones 55% shareholding in Vodafone Egypt, equivalent to a total enterprise value of $4.350 billion for the company. The final consideration will be determined upon signing of the definitive agreement, said a statement. On completion of the transaction, the parties intend to enter into a Partner Market Agreement, which will include use of the Vodafone brand, and a range of other Vodafone services. The statement made it clear that the MoU is non-binding and that there is no certainty that the transaction will be completed. It said the market will be updated in due course. Nasser al Nasser, Chief Executive of stc, said: The potential acquisition of Vodafone Egypt is in line with our expansion strategy in the Mena region. The transaction, which is still subject to detailed due diligence, confirms stcs eagerness to maintain a leadership position not only in the KSA, but also in the wider region. Vodafone Egypt is the leading player in the Egyptian mobile market and we look forward to contributing further to its continuing success. Nick Read, Chief Executive of Vodafone, said: I am deeply proud of our business in Egypt, being the clear number one leader in the market. Under stc, I believe they will continue to flourish. This transaction is consistent with our efforts to simplify the Group to two differentiated, scaled geographic regions - Europe and sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, it will reduce our net debt and unlock value for our shareholders. We look forward to continuing our close relationship with the business through a Partner Market agreement, and building on our significant shared service operations in Egypt, known as VOIS (Vodafone Intelligent Solutions). Following the completion of due diligence on Vodafone Egypt by stc, any binding agreement with respect to this transaction will be subject to obtaining the approvals of stc and Vodafone boards as well as any relevant regulatory approvals, said the statement. -TradeArabia News Service W omen going through the menopause face more shortages of hormone replacement therapy drugs. Health Secretary Matt Hancock has pledged to intervene but drugs companies admit some treatments will be out of stock until later this year. Munira Wilson, the Lib-Dem MP for Twickenham, said the lack of availability of HRT drugs for some women was critical. She challenged Mr Hancock in Parliament to address the shortages, which first emerged about a year ago. She told the Standard: Anecdotal evidence I have picked up from talking to people, and what Ive found out, has concerned me. HRT helps manage a lot of difficult symptoms of the menopause. One London woman said she began experiencing problems obtaining Elleste Duet pills almost a year ago. She suffered extreme tiredness, night sweats and sleep deprivation after having to switch medications. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said shortages of HRT therapies were an incredibly important issue / AFP via Getty Images She had to find the next best alternative herself because her GP had little knowledge of the menopause and HRT. If you find the drug you have tried and tested is no longer available, it is quite difficult, the woman said. You cant just instantly swap to another one [without side-effects]. My experience was when I went to the pharmacist, they were not able to tell me why it was out of stock. They just say its not available. She added: People think the menopause is something old ladies have. But there will be millions affected. Andree Frieze, a mother of two and councillor in Richmond, said she had been unable to obtain Evorel patches since the start of the month. She said they had dramatically improved her quality of life when she started taking them last summer. I was sleeping a lot of the time, which is unlike me, she said. Im normally somebody who has quite a lot of energy. Emotionally I would say I was a bit all over the place. My husband started to say he was slightly scared of me. The day after I had the first patch I just felt myself again. This [supply shortage] is not just about the headaches. It seriously impacts on my ability to live my life as a working woman. Mr Hancock said shortages of HRT therapies were an incredibly important issue and stemmed from problems with factories abroad. Last October the Government imposed restrictions on exports of UK-manufactured HRT medications in a bid to shore up supplies. The British Menopause Society this week warned that Indivina tablets will be out of stock until the end of next month, some Evorel patches will not be available until March and some FemSeven patches may be unavailable until next year. Problems are said to include manufacturing issues, shortages of raw ingredients, regulatory issues and some firms withdrawing products. The Department of Health and Social Care believes supplies will improve by the end of February. It did not know how many women had been unable to receive HRT. A spokesman said: We understand how distressing the HRT shortage is for women who need these medicines and we have been doing everything we can to ensure they can access them as soon as possible We are working closely with all suppliers to resolve this issue as soon as possible. Listen to today's episode of The Leader: Donald Trump had barely finished expounding on his vision for Middle East peace when the tectonic shifts he had unleashed became very real. Annexing land seized by Israel in a 1967 war and that Palestinians claim for a state had long been taboo, even for nationalist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Not any more. As the two leaders, each facing legal threats to their rule, relished their time in the spotlight Tuesday, television screens flashed reports the Cabinet would meet within days to discuss bringing Jewish settlements built on the occupied West Bank into a bigger Israel. Netanyahu is, after all, a man in a hurry. Within weeks, he'll face his third election race in less than a year after two tight and inconclusive polls, and this time the urgency to win has become even greater. Since the last vote, he's been charged in three graft cases, and securing the extra support needed for victory offers him his only guaranteed opportunity to avoid jail -- the chance to push through immunity legislation that would shield him from trial. The optics of him standing beside Trump as the U.S. leader unveiled a plan so favorable to Israel were a world away from the televised announcement of his indictment just two months ago. "He looks like the guy you want to run the country," said pollster Mitchell Barak, a former Netanyahu aide. "The indictment thing is going to be peanuts because we've been talking about his indictment for three years already." Netanyahu is "throwing everything he's got," he said. While the prime minister chases an edge ahead of the March 2 election, unilateral annexation would sap the Palestinians' dream of an independent homeland with the West Bank as its heart. The state of Palestine envisaged by Trump -- which Netanyahu played a core role in conceptualizing -- would incorporate only 70% of the territory, far less than previous peace plans the Palestinians rejected. Annexation wouldn't change anything immediately on the ground for the Palestinians, who already live under an occupying force. But it could make life more difficult in the future if continued Israeli construction in annexed areas creates new encumbrances on the movement of Palestinian people and goods in the West Bank, said Khalil Shikaki, director of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research. "It would be extremely problematic and create a tremendous amount of tension," he said. By Wednesday, there was already doubt over the timetable for an annexation decision. Yariv Levin, a lawmaker in the prime minister's Likud party, told Army Radio that technical reasons would delay a Cabinet vote for several days, and it won't take place on Sunday as planned. U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman told reporters a joint U.S.-Israel committee would have to discuss annexation plans. "The hope is they'll wait until after the election," Trump's senior aide Jared Kushner told GZERO Media, a subsidiary of the Eurasia Group political risk consultancy. It's not even clear whether a caretaker government, which Israel has been functioning with for more than a year, would even have the authority to make such a major decision. While it's Netanyahu's hope, there's no guarantee that the Trump plan's endorsement of expanding Israel's borders will push the prime minister over the top in his race against former military chief Benny Gantz and his Blue and White bloc. Previous Trump pre-election gestures -- including recognizing contested Jerusalem as Israel's capital -- didn't deliver the boost the prime minister needed to secure a fifth term. But the U.S. initiative does stand a chance of bolstering his support, said Ofer Zalzberg, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group consultancy. "There are Likud voters who did not vote, maybe because of his legal issues, and now would, so in this sense I think it works in his favor," Zalzberg said. On the other hand, "I see very few people who intended to vote for Blue and White who would vote now for the Likud, because Blue and White gave the impression it welcomes the plan as well," he said. Israel has already annexed east Jerusalem, in 1967, and the southern Golan Heights in 1981, decisions rejected by most countries. The concept of annexing land in the West Bank, where more than 400,000 settlers live among 2.6 million Palestinians, had been unthinkable for decades, because of its questionable legality and the international outcry it would provoke. But the idea has gained acceptance as the prospects for peace with the Palestinians dimmed. Many see the territory as the cradle of Judaism, or a strategic security asset, or both. And in the course of a quarter of a century of on-again, off-again peace talks, the number of settlers quadrupled, making any future transfer of the territory to Palestinian control increasingly difficult. Now, Israel must act immediately to annex all of the territory the U.S. now recognizes as Israel's, and not in phases as some have recommended, said lawmaker Naftali Bennett of the nationalist New Right party, who was instrumental in bringing the annexation idea from the fringes and into the Israeli mainstream. "What is postponed until after the election won't happen," Bennett said. Israeli media reported that Likud is split over whether to annex via a Cabinet decree, or also bring the proposal to parliament for legislation, where it would put Gantz into a tight spot. His Blue and White is an amalgam of centrists, leftists and hard-line nationalists. A vote on unilateral annexation -- as opposed to annexation within the framework of an agreed peace deal -- could create internal divisions that Netanyahu could try to leverage to his electoral advantage. Gantz himself has publicly endorsed the Trump plan, but in the past has opposed acting unilaterally on settlements. Blue and White wants the election "to be about Netanyahu's indictment and corruption and ability to perform as a prime minster who is sitting in trial," said Yael Patir, Israel director for left-wing group J Street. "If it's a referendum on the future of the territories, then it takes us away from that." Woman attacked by bottle-wielding man, police say A Chico man is waking up behind bars this morning. Police say he attacked a woman with a bottle, police arrested Tommy Hazelton Wednesday night. Earlier this month, he opened the car door of a woman waiting in her car and threw a bottle at her. She was injured but able to escape. He is charged with assault with a deadly weapon. Man barricaded inside 7-Eleven for 7 hours identified, Chico police say Chico police surrounded a 7-Eleven Wednesday morning after Dennis Bryant locked himself in the bathroom for seven hours. Officers say he flooded the bathroom, tried to set fire to the store and refused to leave. Police eventually busted through the door and sent in a K-9. Bryant is charged with burglary, assault on a police dog and arson. FEMA Expands dead tree removal coverage to private roads Cal OES and FEMA say the agencies will now cover the costs of removing trees along private roads. Dead tree removal is mandatory. In order for government agencies to complete the work, you must sign a right of entry form. The deadline for that has been extended to Feb. 21. To download the Tree ROE form, CLICK HERE. New bill may force PG&E to pay back customers for future blackouts A new bill before state lawmakers would require utilities to pay customers for black-out related claims. Reimbursement may include assets, revenues, medical bills, travel expenses, and lodging costs. PG&E representatives say the bill would impact decisions of whether to call for a power shut-off, and that could lead to future tragedies. Wreckage from Kobe Bryant helicopter crash moved to Phoenix The investigation into what caused that helicopter crash that killed 9 people is moving forward, with the national transportation safety board shifting focus from the crash scene to the wreckage itself. Crews transported debris from the wreckage to a facility in Phoenix, Arizona. In this next phase of the investigation, agents will examine mechanical parts of the helicopter including the engine and gearboxes. 7,000 people held on cruise ship in Italy as Wuhan coronavirus fears spread 7,000 passengers are stuck onboard a cruise ship over fears of potential coronavirus cases. Doctors are checking on two tourists from Hong Kong who reported having a fever. They say at least one of those tourists is showing signs of the Coronavirus. Impeachment trial: Last day of questioning comes ahead of pivotal vote on witnesses Today, more questions evolving in the president's impeachment trial, as demands for witnesses intensify. At this moment democrats appear one vote short of being able to call any witnesses. Today, lawmakers will have their second chance to submit questions. And a chance to decide how long the trial will last. Advertisement A policeman who launched a campaign to collect fellow officer's epaulettes in tribute to hero PC Andrew Harper has been sent 15,000 from around the world. PC Stuart Roberts, 47, a forensic collision investigator at Northamptonshire Police, has been sent donations from Russia, Sudan, New Zealand and the Falklands. He came up with the moving idea that has now turned into a global movement after leaving his own at the scene of PC Harper's killing. He died on on August 15 last year while responding to a burglary call-out near the village of Sulhamstead, Berkshire. Workers from all emergency services are now sending in their collar numbers in memory of colleagues who have fallen in the line of duty. Pc Stuart Roberts, 47, a forensic collision investigator at Northamptonshire Police, has been sent up to 15,000 epaulettes from across the world. Pictured here is Russia, Sudan, New Zealand and the Falklands. Pictured here is about 1,000 different arm numbers, from firefighters, the ambulance services, the police, army and navy and air force The vast collection includes epaulettes from all over the world. Pictured here are epaulettes from the Royal Navy, the Met Police, Welsh Police, the South Australia Police Force and one from the South Australia ambulance service. PC Roberts has 15,000, and more are still being sent The collection includes police badges from around the world. Pictured here are some of the badges sent from officers in the US, including those from most major cities, like Boston, San Diego, Philadelphia, Seattle, New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Los Angeles So far PC Roberts has been sent 15,000 epaulettes (pictured, just a small part of his collection showing police badges) from across the world. He has sparked a global movement after setting up a campaign to pay tribute to PC Andrew Harper who was killed on duty Police officers from across the UK have sent in their epaulettes (pictured) in tribute to PC Andrew Harper, which will be used to create a lasting memorial to the fallen officer. He was killed on duty when he responded to a burglary in Sulhamstead in Berkshire in August last year Some of the epaulettes sent to PC Roberts from the military, including the army, navy and air force. Other seen here include the Royal Military Police, The International Security Assistance Force - a NATO-led military mission in Afghanistan Some of the epaulettes sent from Australia, including the South Australia Police and the South Australia Ambulance Service. PC Roberts is planning to create an artwork of the epaulettes once he decides to stop taking the donations and also hopes to display them in a museum He has even received one from the Metropolitan Police's commissioner Cressida Dick. PC Roberts is planning to create an artwork of the epaulettes once he decides to stop taking the donations and also hopes to display them in a museum. He said: 'Sometimes, tragically, people lose their life in the line of duty.. It's for anybody who wears an epaulette, essentially. 'Over the decades and generations there has been a healthy rivalry between the emergency services. 'But, when it comes down to it, we do stand side by side, shoulder to shoulder. We work day in, day out directly alongside each other. PC Stuart Roberts, 47, (pictured) a forensic collision investigator at Northamptonshire Police, has been sent donations from Russia, Sudan, New Zealand and the Falklands PC Roberts is planning to create an artwork of the epaulettes once he decides to stop taking the donations and also hopes to display them in a museum. He wants to create a lasting memorial for PC Harper (pictured) who was killed on duty in August last year Pictured here are police epaulettes sent from Belgium and Germany. Since PC Roberts launched the campaign as a memorial for PC Harper he has seen 15,000 sent to him, and it has become a global movement All members of the 'protective services' have joined the campaign, including members of the UK's Border Force 'We are one big family. I've had contributions from all over the world - contributions from people who have lost their fathers, mothers, brothers. 'I've lost count but it's probably about 15,000. They have just been coming in - they're still coming in. 'It's been great. The support I have had has been amazing. 'We planned to finish in December but we've extended so no one gets left behind. My chief constable if fully behind it, which has been fantastic.' PC Roberts decided to leave his own epaulettes at the scene of PC Andrew Harper's death after realising he couldn't take a traditional tribute on his bike. Some of the badges sent from abroad, including from Quebec in Canada, Texas, Louisiana and Miami in the US, Durban in South Africa, and Queensland in Australia PC Roberts decided to leave his own epaulettes at the scene of PC Andrew Harper's death after realising he couldn't take a traditional tribute on his bike. PC Roberts tweets out pictures of many of the donations @AddShoulders. PC Roberts is planning to create an artwork of the epaulettes once he decides to stop taking the donations and also hopes to display them in a museum These were sent from Russia with a note that read: 'I will be glad if you accept these two pairs of my police colnels epaulettes for your collecton to commemorate fallen brother in arms Pc Harper He said: 'I live about an hour up the road. I went to the scene but couldn't carry things like flowers. 'But I wanted to leave something so I left one of my epaulettes in a clear perspex box. 'Loads of people then commented [online] saying how personal it was. So I thought: 'We can collect loads for Andrew'. 'The Facebook group was how it all started. Andrew was the catalyst but the idea has very much mushroomed.' PC Roberts has enlisted the help of artist Sam Bailey to create a drawing once the request for donations has finished. PC Roberts came up with the moving idea that has now turned into a global movement after leaving his own at the scene of PC Harper's killing. He died on on August 15 last year while responding to a burglary call-out near the village of Sulhamstead, Berkshire. Workers from all emergency services are now sending in their collar numbers in memory of colleagues who have fallen in the line of duty Health service workers have also been sending in their donations, including those from the St John Ambulance, South Central Ambulance Service and the London Ambulance Service. There is also a donation pictured here from the Prison Service She previously sketched every member of the British armed forces who lost their life in the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts. PC Roberts added: 'She happens to be one of the art teachers at the school my children went to. 'We got chatting at a parents' evening and it was like a lightbulb moment. We want to create all the different colours to create something to remember..' PC Roberts tweets out pictures of many of the donations @AddShoulders. It comes after Pc Harper's widow said she wishes he 'had been a little less brave' as she collected a posthumous award in his honour. Grieving Lissie Harper, who had only been married to the police constable for four weeks when he died last year, branded Andrew 'amazing' in a heartbreaking tribute. Grieving Lissie who had only been married to the police constable for four weeks when he died, branded Andrew 'amazing' in a heartbreaking tribute. She's pictured collecting award, left, and with PC Harper on their wedding day in July (right) She was speaking as she accepted a posthumous award on 28-year-old Andrew's behalf on Tuesday. Lissie, now 29, said: 'Andrew wanted to be a police man since he was a little boy, fuelled with enthusiasm and a contagious love for adventure that never left him when he grew into adulthood. 'I think if you were to have asked Andrew what the most important thing about being a police officer was, he would say protecting the innocent from harm and being the barrier of strength and accountability against the guilty.' She added: 'I wish more than you could ever know that I wasn't standing up here accepting this acknowledgement on behalf of Andrew, I wish in so many ways that he had been just a little less brave. 'But then he wouldn't be the amazing person that he was. The silent protector going about his job without expectation or recognition.' Earlier this month, Henry Long, 18, pleaded guilty to Andrew's manslaughter and conspiracy to steal a quad bike, but denied murder at the Old Bailey. He is due to go on trial in March alongside two 17-year-old boys who are accused of manslaughter and conspiracy to steal. They both deny the charges. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment In our country, the average American is a law-abiding person who works hard to pay his or her debts, including taxes and student loans. For this type of person, government bailouts are unnecessary. Sadly, presidential candidates do not seem to be interested in appealing to this type of voter. For example, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has campaigned on a plan to eliminate student tuition debt. This has not pleased those students and their parents who worked hard, and maybe took on an extra job, to pay these burdensome debts. On Monday, one of those fathers confronted Warren at a campaign event in Iowa. The video of their exchange went viral. He said to Warren, My daughter is getting out of school. I saved all my money. She doesn't have any student loans. Am I going to get any money back? The Senator coldly responded, Of course not! He continued, So you're going to pay for people who didn't save any money, and those of us who did the right thing get screwedMy buddy had fun, bought a car, went on vacations. I saved my money. He made more than I did. But I worked a double shift, worked extra my daughter worked since she was 10. At that point, the responsible father became incensed when he realized that Warren was not taking his comments seriously. He said to her So, you're laughing. Although she claimed No, I'm not, the outraged father was not convinced. He concluded his brief visit by telling her, Yeah, that's exactly what you're doing. We did the right thing, and we get screwed. When he walked away, Warren immediately started talking to the next person in line, but the impact of their conversation will not fade away any time soon. It is reminiscent of the exchange at a 2008 Toledo, Ohio campaign event between then presidential candidate U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) and Samuel Wurzelbacher who became known as Joe the Plumber. Wurzelbacher questioned Obama about his tax plan. He said, your new tax plan is going to tax me more isnt it? Obama gave a long-winded answer about how higher taxes would benefit those at the bottom and give them more money to afford plumbing services. The future President said, when you spread the wealth around, its good for everybody. Well, not exactly President Obama! As his horrible eight-year record showed, the Obama administrations policies might have been good for government bureaucrats and politicians, but not for average, hardworking Americans. President Obama believed strongly in income redistribution. As noted by Americans for Tax Reform, there were 21 different taxes passed during the Obama administration. Clearly, his onerous tax and spend agenda was harmful to the economy. Under President Obama, the country suffered through a weak economy with low growth while $9 trillion was added to the national debt. Even worse, an additional 13 million Americans needed food stamps to provide for their families. In contrast, tax cuts are good for almost everyone, which is why the economy has responded so well to President Trumps fiscal policies. He has reduced both taxes and federal government regulations. The response from the American people has been astounding. In the last three years, over 7 million jobs have been created and the nation is enjoying an unemployment rate of 3.5%, the lowest in 50 years. The stock market is reaching new highs on a regular basis and the consumer confidence rating is extremely strong. One of the reasons President Trump was elected was that the American people wanted to move away from the disastrous policies of Barack Obama. A Hillary Clinton administration would have been four more years of a similar agenda. If only more Americans would have listened to Joe, the Plumber! His enlightening debate with Barack Obama gave Americans a real insight into why income redistribution does not work. In a similar way, the Iowa encounter with the outraged father has given Americans a real insight into the flawed philosophy of Elizabeth Warren. Her real plan is to give bailouts and buy votes. Warrens proposal to pay all student loan debt will cost $640 billion and will be funded by higher taxes on the wealthy. However, it is more than the wealthy who will suffer if Warren is elected President. She offers nothing of substance to hard working Americans trying to do the right thing. In fact, her $52 trillion Medicare for All plan will lead to higher middle-class taxes. Thanks to the Iowa father who exposed Warrens true agenda. Hopefully, this will lead to millions of average Americans becoming awakened to the dangers of not only her policies, but also those of her fellow Democratic presidential candidates. Advertisement Desperate Chinese citizens unable to buy face masks have deployed fruit rinds and plastic bottle helmets to shield against the deadly coronavirus. Companies have been working overtime to supply citizens with protective masks amid surging demand as cases of the deadly flu-like virus soared to nearly 8,200 today. Social media posts show people donning tangerine and grapefruit skins as masks, water-cooler bottle headgear, while pranksters have mocked the health crisis with absurd alternatives, including iceberg lettuce. It comes as Chinese health officials warned people not to re-use their protective masks after videos emerged of people boiling their surgical masks and hanging them up to dry. Medical experts warned that this greatly reduces the effectiveness of the masks, a spokeswoman for the Gansu province Health Commission added that they should be discarded after just four hours of use. With more than 50 million residents on lock-down and 170 deaths in the country, some provinces such as Guangdong have mandated that people wear masks and are handing out fines for offenders. Scroll down for video. Posts on Chinese social media sites have shown the desperate lengths some have gone to, using grapefruit peel (left) to cover their faces, while others - such as the man wearing a mask of lettuce (right) - are presumably mocking the health crisis A man wearing a mask made out of one massive bottle and fitted with other smaller bottles, with tissues presumably fitted for some sort of filtration. It comes as cases of the virus soared to nearly 8,200 today with 170 deaths reported in China A woman who has fitted her face mask with a female sanitary item (left) and another man was spotted with a bra wrapped round his ears (right). It comes as health officials warned citizens of the dangers of re-using their masks after social media videos showed some boiling their masks and then hanging them up to dry A man waits to be served while wearing a hulking plastic bottle taken from a water cooler on top of his head in an effort to fight off germs The latest death toll figures reflected an increase of 38 deaths and 1,737 cases in the last 24 hours, for a total of 7,711 cases. Of the new deaths, 37 were in the epicentre of the outbreak in Hubei province, with one in the south-western province of Sichuan. Beijing has sent more than 6,000 doctors from around the country to Wuhan and ordered at least five coronavirus hospitals to be built in a bid to stop the epidemic. International developments in the Wuhan coronavirus crisis today include: The number of cases has jumped to more than 8,200 and 170 people have died in China India declared its first case, making it the 21st country or territory outside of China to do so Three Japanese people taken home on the evacuation flight have been diagnosed with the coronavirus World Health Organization will meet this afternoon to reconsider whether to declare a global emergency British Airways extended the cancellation of flights connecting London to Beijing and Shanghai until March Surgical face masks sell out in the UK as Brits panic buy protective gear amid fears the virus will hit home soil A man and young woman in China with what appear to be melon rinds held around their faces with lengths of string as they go about their daily lives A man wearing a foil mask (left) and a woman with a plastic bag covering her face in a bid to keep the deadly virus away A young child wears a protective mask and is covered in a plastic bag over her torso while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport on Thursday A woman riding the subway with a water cooler bottle over her head as she tries to keep deadly coronavirus germs away from her face A woman with lemon peel wrapped around her face (left) and a child wearing orange peel (right) as the mask shortage in China deepens Deaths have also risen to 170, with 38 patients dying in one day - the biggest 24-hour jump since the outbreak began last month. A man wearing a plastic bottle helmet with a smaller face mask beneath It comes after three Japanese people who were evacuated from Wuhan have tested positive for coronavirus - while India has become the latest country to confirm a case. Two of the Japanese nationals did not show symptoms when they boarded the plane on Wednesday - fuelling fears hosts of the virus may be spreading it unwittingly. They were among 206 passengers flown to Tokyo from the epicentre of the outbreak. While the vast majority of cases have been in China, more than 100 have appeared in about 20 other countries and territories, including the US, Canada, France and Australia. Japan's three new cases take the Asian nation's tally to 11, while India became the latest nation to confirm a case. The Indian patient was a medical student from the country's Kerala region, who had been studying at Wuhan University. The student is said to be in stable condition and is being monitored closely, India's health ministry said in a statement. More than 800 people have travelled from Hubei province in China, which surrounds Wuhan, and are under observation in Kerala. A Chinese girl wears a plastic bottle as makeshift homemade protection and a protective mask while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport on Thursday The staff at this supermarket have donned face masks while one of their customers has gone a step further with a water cooler bucket over his head Young children with t-shirts wrapped around their faces to form protective masks as their parents try to keep them safe from the coronavirus Among Japan's 11 cases is a tour bus driver who was infected after coming into contact with Chinese visitors. Meanwhile 7,000 people are stranded on an Italian cruise ship after it was put on lockdown over two suspected cases of the deadly coronavirus. A man wearing an orange peel around his face in an attempt at preventing infection Samples from a Chinese couple were sent for testing after three doctors and a nurse boarded the Costa Crociere ship in the port of Civitavecchia. They were called in to treat a 54-year-old woman from Macau who had a cough and a fever. Costa Crociere confirmed the ship, carrying some 7,000 people including the crew, was in lockdown. It said the woman 'was placed in solitary confinement in the on-board hospital last night with her travel companion'. The Costa Smeralda, the company's flagship and the fifth-largest cruise ship in the world, had travelled from Palma de Mallorca and is currently engaged in one-week cruises in the western Mediterranean. The couple flew in to Milan from Hong Kong on January 25, before getting on the cruise, according to Italian media reports. China reported its biggest single-day jump in novel coronavirus deaths on Thursday, as global fears deepened with at least 15 countries confirming infections. The World Health Organization, which initially downplayed a disease that has now killed 170 in China, was preparing to meet Thursday to decide whether to declare it a global emergency. Chinese children wear plastic bottles as makeshift homemade protection and protective masks while waiting to check in for a flight at Beijing airport on Thursday In some Chinese cities face masks are running out. The flu-like virus has killed at least 170 people and has infected more than 8,200 worldwide One man even wore a motorcycle helmet as protection during a flight from Shanghai to Perth Finland and the UAE yesterday became the latest countries to confirm cases of the SARS-like infection, which has now been spotted in twenty nations and territories. Australia today announced an eighth case, with a Chinese woman in her 40s being treated in isolation in a hospital in Melbourne. World health chiefs will meet later today to discuss whether the outbreak constitutes a global health emergency, after ruling against it last week. The epidemic appears to be ramping up in its severity, with the number of cases more than tripling since the weekend. A woman wears a protective mask and ski goggles as she lines up to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport on Thursday A man wears a protective mask and goggles as he lines up to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport on January 30, 2020 in Beijing, China Parents walking through Beijing airport with their child today, the mother and father both wear face masks while their daughter is covered in a larger plastic bag World Health Organization figures showed just 2,014 patients had been struck down with the SARS-like infection by Sunday, January 26. That number rose dramatically to 7,100 by the Wednesday, with cases in the US, Australia and Canada. Figures also show there were just 445 cases by Wednesday last week - meaning the outbreak that is continuing to escalate has increased in size by almost 14-fold in the space of seven days. It means the outbreak in mainland China is now bigger than the 2003 SARS epidemic, when 5,327 cases of the killer virus were confirmed. However, it is still slightly behind the total toll of the outbreak, which infected 8,000 people - but it is expected to soar past that by this coming weekend. It comes after a renowned scientist at China's National Health Commission warned the spread of the infection is only going to get worse. Dr Zhong Nanshan admitted he fears the crisis will peak 'in the next 10 days'. Fears the coronavirus outbreak had reached Africa were raised yesterday after Sudan and Equatorial Guinea reported suspected cases One Beijing-based online seller, Zhou Tianxiao, says he is now selling 10 times the number of special dog masks every day than before. He sells the devices for 5.40 for a pack of three Chinese pet owners are flocking to buy face masks to protect their dogs from the deadly novel coronavirus, which has killed at least 170 people in the country and infected over 8,200 worldwide A man surrounded by stacks of luggage at Beijing airport today wears goggles over a pair of glasses with a face mask on today Other photographs at Vancouver airport show a woman with a plastic water container over her head Two citizens of Sudan - believed to be a man and woman - are being monitored after displaying symptoms of the virus following a visit to Wuhan, local reports say. And officials in Equatorial Guinea have quarantined four travellers who arrived from Beijing amid fears they may have the killer SARS-like infection. World Health Organization chiefs said they were 'concerned' about any cases in Africa because the impoverished continents' health services do not 'have the capacity' to handle the virus. Leading scientists also fear the virus could be difficult to contain in Africa, warning that medical facilities are 'extremely limited'. Dr Michael Head, a global health scientist at the University of Southampton, today told MailOnline: 'All countries are on high risk. 'Whatever Sudan have in terms of facilities, will be extremely limited. If there are more than a few cases it may be difficult to contain it.' Photographs have surfaced on social media which appear to show the desperate lengths people are going to to avoid catching the deadly disease which has killed at least 170 people already 'There is quite a few migrant Chinese workers that go to and from Africa a lot to do work such as mining and construction.' He added a few cases would therefore be expected, but any more than a handful in any African nation would be 'concerning'. Meanwhile major airlines have suspended flights to China in a desperate bid to stop the global spread of coronavirus. British Airways cancelled all direct flights from London to Beijing and Shanghai until March. United Airlines, the biggest US carrier to China, has also announced it will be cutting 24 flights in the near-term to China and the White House is said to be considering stopping all US-China flights completely to stop the virus spreading. American Airlines, Air Canada, Cathay Pacific, Lufthansa, Air KBZ (Myanmar), Urals Airlines, and Finnair are among carriers that have cancelled some or all China flights as countries expand travel warnings and demand plummets due to the coronavirus outbreak. And Air India and South Korean budget carrier Seoul Air are also halting all flights to the country, and Indonesia's Lion Air plans to do the same. Virgin Atlantic will continue to operate its flights between Heathrow and Shanghai, the company said, but passengers who no longer want to travel will be able to rebook or obtain a refund free of charge. Yesterday Google became the latest global franchise to shut down offices in China to prevent the virus from spreading. Chinese people around the world have started wearing plastic containers and bags over their heads to protect themselves from the coronavirus One picture shows a family, including a mother carrying her baby in a harness, wearing plastic bags in an airport Most of the cases in China have been in Hubei province, specifically in Wuhan - a city of 11million people The coronavirus is spread by particles from coughs and sneezes and takes anywhere from one to 14 days to incubate The tech giant confirmed Wednesday that it is temporarily closing all of its offices in the country - including the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Google is also restricting employees from traveling to the countries and urged any employees currently in China and Hong Kong to return home and spend two weeks working from home before returning to the office. Its offices are already closed for the Lunar New Year holiday, which the Chinese government announced on Monday it was extending to February 2 in the hope that this will encourage people to stay in their homes, reducing the spread of the disease. The holidays had been due to end on January 30. Google's decision to close down its offices indefinitely comes as several other tech firms have also taken steps to protect their workers in the region. Electronics firm LG issued a blanket ban on employees traveling to China and instructed all employees currently in China to return home Wednesday. This followed Apple CEO Tim Cook's announcement on Tuesday live on an earnings call with investors that it was suspending travel to China, is measuring employees' temperatures regularly, and that at least one Apple store in China had been closed. The killer coronavirus rapidly sweeping the world has now infected every region of China and 20 other countries. The death toll is 170 in China, while cases have soared to over 8,200 worldwide As well as a dramatic increase in cases of the never-before-seen virus, figures also show the number of deaths have spiralled. Since yesterday, deaths rose by 38, marking the biggest 24-hour jump since the outbreak began last month World Health Organization figures show just 2,014 patients had been struck down with the SARS-like infection by Sunday, January 26. This has now risen dramatically to 8,200, with cases in the US, Australia and Canada Chinese health officials warned people not to re-use their protective masks after videos emerged of people boiling their surgical masks and hanging them up to dry. Medical experts warned that this greatly reduces the effectiveness of the masks, a spokeswoman for the Gansu province Health Commission added that they should be discarded after just four hours of use. Almost all of the big players have offices in China, given the country's rapid growth in the tech industry over the last two decades and its large manufacturing hub. According to Google, it has four offices in China based in Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai, and one office in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Bosses at Disney have shut Disney Land resorts in Shanghai and Hong Kong amid the epidemic, during what is their busiest time of year. McDonald's has shut all stored in Hubei province - home to 60million people - while Starbucks shut more than half of its stores in China. KFC and Pizza Hut have closed stores in the outbreak's epicentre Wuhan. All 30 of IKEA's shops across China have been temporarily closed, as have 45 H&M stores. The fashion retailer has suspended business travel to and within China. Staff arriving from China are advised to stay home for 14 days. In its earnings announcement on Wednesday, Facebook revealed it has settled a class-action lawsuit over claims that it violated an Illinois law meant to protect residents' privacy. The $550 million settlement stems from a claim that the company's "Tag Suggestions" feature used biometric data from photos uploaded to the service without getting permission from users. The settlement only applies to Illinois residents and pales in comparison with the company's $5 billion settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over privacy violations related to the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The New York Times has reported that as a term of that settlement, "Facebook agreed to provide 'clear and conspicuous notice' about its face-matching software and obtain additional permission from people before using it for new purposes they had not agreed to." Facebook was denied an appeal to the United States Supreme Court regarding whether individuals should have to prove financial loss--as opposed to simply having had their information captured--before they could sue. That cleared the way for the company to enter into a settlement that "in the best interest of our community and our shareholders to move past this matter," according to a Facebook spokesperson. The "Tag Suggestions" feature was controversial from the time it was rolled out in 2011. Users complained that it was enabled for everyone by default, though you could turn it off if you knew how. The feature especially raised concerns by privacy advocates who pointed out that the technology used photos that were never intended for that purpose in order to enhance Facebook's facial recognition capabilities. They also pointed out that Facebook never sought consent for the use of peoples' photos in that way. Facebook had even been forced to shut down the technology in Europe in 2012, though it brought it back as of 2018. While facial recognition technology has several benefits for users--like making it possible for Facebook to notify you if someone else is using a photo of you as their profile picture--the settlement is a reminder that the company has a major problem when it comes to handling user privacy. Earlier this month, Facebook's VP of public policy, Erin Egan, appeared on a panel at CES to say that Facebook believes in "privacy by design." Egan went on to say that "on Facebook, privacy is protected today." The problem is that almost no one outside of Facebook believes that to be true because that's not the experience of real-world users. The company has been involved in a long series of data breaches, privacy violations, and even scandals like Cambridge Analytica, leading users to feel like Facebook doesn't prioritize the protection of their personal information. Granted, Facebook has introduced a series of steps designed to give users more control over how their information is collected and tracked. Just yesterday, I wrote about the company's new "Off-Facebook Activity" tool that allows you to stop Facebook from tracking what you do on other sites. And, earlier this month, Facebook rolled out an update to its Privacy Checkup tool, which makes it somewhat easier to access settings that allow you to control how your information is used. While both of those are welcome steps, neither actually changes how Facebook fundamentally operates, which is to collect as much information as possible about you and your activity and use that to show you targeted advertisements. Rain launched its 5G network in November 2019, becoming the first South African mobile network to have an active commercial 5G network running in the country. This was following the launch of the service to a few select users in September 2019. Rain CMO Khaya Dlanga previously said that Rains 5G service offers up to 700Mbps in optimal conditions, and MyBroadbands speed test found that Rains 5G service was operating at an average of around 500Mbps. 5G can be ordered directly from Rains website if there is coverage where you live. MyBroadband asked the company about the uptake of this 5G product since its launch last year, as well as the speeds achieved by customers. Uptake and speeds achieved Dlanga told MyBroadband that Rain has been satisfied with the initial uptake of its commercial 5G services. The initial take-up has been in line with our expectations for a premium-priced home Internet service in a targeted geographical area, said Dlanga. However, Rain was not willing to disclose sales figures at this stage. Dlanga said that there was a notable increase in data usage by 5G users compared to its 4G users. Our 5G users obviously consume much more data than the 4G base, as the 5G service is unlimited for 24 hours of the day. Streaming is also invariably in HD as the 5G network can provide the requisite capacity, Dlanga added. He noted that Rains latest data shows that some users have achieved speeds as high as 900Mbps, while average download speeds are approximately 250Mbps. Plans for 2020 Dlanga said that Rain has plans to expand coverage in the Gauteng region particularly the Johannesburg and Tshwane metro areas. He said Rain also hopes to launch 5G in Cape Town and Durban during 2020. Rains goals to expand its network were echoed by Rain CEO Willem Roos in December 2019, who said that Rain has big plans to build its 5G network out significantly to compete with fibre providers across the country. Our focus in 2020 will be to expand our 4G and 5G network coverage size, Roos said. Currently Rain has 250 5G sites. Our initial 5G network of 250 sites already passes 500,000 households. Thats almost an equal size to the two largest fibre network operators in the country. Roos said that Rain aims to have 700 5G sites active in South Africa by the end of 2020. Expanded products Alongside its indoor 5G routers, Rain has begun bundling Huaweis outdoor 5G routers with its 5G packages. We are now bundling the Huawei 5G CPE X with our 5G offering. It is a router than can be used indoor as well mounted outdoor, said Rain. It comes with a 10-metre flat power-over-Ethernet cable which makes installation very easy, said the company. Using an outdoor 5G router can improve signal strength for the end-user, allowing for faster speeds and overall improved performance. This could be a reason for the peak speeds of Rains 5G users rising from 700Mbps to 900Mbps. Other networks waiting for spectrum MyBroadband recently spoke with Vodacom and MTN, both of which said they are waiting on the government to release 5G spectrum so they can launch commercial 5G networks in South Africa. Vodacoms network in South Africa has been 5G ready since August 2018 and we expect to be in a position to commercially launch the technology in South Africa once we have access to the requisite spectrum, said Vodacom. The most significant challenge preventing MTN from commercially launching 5G services is the lack of appropriate 5G spectrum, agreed Jacqui OSullivan, executive for corporate affairs at MTN South Africa. OSullivan added that if they receive 5G spectrum, they hope to launch their commercial network this year. Now read: Liquid Telecom to launch 5G network High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Gwagwalada, Abuja, has ordered the arrest of former minister of petroleum , Dan Etete, over his alleged involvement in the fraudulent Malabu Oil deal. Justice Abubakar Kutigi ordered the arrest of Etete along with Munamuna Seidougha, and Jospeph Amaran on Thursday, January 30, 2020. This followed an ex parte application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which had accused them of playing roles in the alleged fraudulent allocation of the lucrative Oil Processing Licence 245 to Malabu Oil and Gas Limited in 1998. The three were said to be the owners of Malabu Oil and Gas Limited to which Etete, as the then Minister of Petroleum under the regime of General Sani Abacha, facilitated the fraudulent allocation of the oil block. EFCC had named Etete, Seidougha, and Amaran as being on the run in the 42 counts of the alleged fraudulent Malabu Oil transactions recently filed against the immediate-past Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr Mohammed Adoke (SAN), and six others. The prosecutor, Bala Sanga, in an exparte application informed the court that Etetes arrest is pivotal to unravelling the details of the oil deal. Justice Kutigi granted the request and ordered the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu to arrest Etete. An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan has acquitted over 80 Christians after the complainant entered into a compromise with the accused who were allegedly involved in lynching of two Muslim men and vandalism following a suicide attack on twin churches in Lahore in 2015. On March 15, 2015, two blasts occurred at Roman Catholic Church and Christ Church during Sunday service in Youhanabad, Lahore, killing 15 Christians and leaving 70 wounded. The attack was followed by mob violence killing two men mistaken as militants. The bombings occurred during prayers at two churches in thickly-populated Youhanabad that is home to more than 100,000 Christians. Anti-Terrorism Court Lahore Judge Arshad Hussain Bhutta announced the verdict on Wednesday after legal heir of the deceased - Muhammad Naeem and Babar - pardoned 41 suspects. "The victim and accused families reached an out of court settlement after the latter submitted a statement saying they had forgiven the suspects and had no objection if they were acquitted," a court official said. The court also gave the benefit of the doubt to 47 other suspects accused of arson, rioting and vandalism in the aftermath of the attack on the churches. Hundreds of Christians had smashed vehicles in a rare show of anger by the beleaguered minority community. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan's Jamaat-ul-Ahrar faction claimed responsibility for the attack. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Muslim Fulani herdsmen kill 16 Christians in Nigeria; gov't condemned for inaction Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Muslim Fulani herdsmen killed 16 Christians in separate attacks in Plateau state this month amid a spate of violence carried out by various groups against believers in Nigeria. Herdsmen invaded Torok village in Riyom County on Jan. 20, killing Reuben Bulus, a 25-year-old member of the Church of Christ in Nations, said Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, a human rights activist with the Emancipation Centre for Crisis Victims in Nigeria, to Morning Star News. Just two days earlier, 13 COCIN members were slain in Plateau states Kulben village, Mangu County, in an attack carried out by about 20 herdsmen who also wounded three others. In Gako village, near Rim in Riyom County, another COCIN member, Ngam Stephen Dachung, was shot and killed by herdsmen on Jan. 1, Mwantiri said. In December, herdsmen killed a Christian woman, Mary Machief, and her baby daughter in Plateau states Bokkos County. A relative told the outlet Machief was not killed instantly but died later from her wounds. We all prayed for God to give her quick healing, but God deemed it fit to take her to eternal home, he said. Christians in the northern region and in the Middle Belt have experienced an uptick in violence at the hands of radical Islamic groups, such as Boko Haram, ISWAP, and Muslim Fulani herdsmen in recent years. A 2018 report from the Combatting Terrorism Center at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point suggested there could be as many as 6,000 Islamic State-aligned militants spread over nine different cells in Africa. Last week, it was reported that the Rev. Lawan Andimi, a Nigerian pastor who made headlines for praising God in a ransom video, had been executed by Boko Haram militants in Nigeria. That video followed another video released by the extremist faction last month purporting to show the killing of 11 Christian aid workers in Nigeria. Additionally, the Islamic State recently published a video showing a child soldier killing a Christian man in Nigeria. The child is seen declaring that [w]e won't stop until we take revenge for all the blood that was spilled. Faith McDonnell, the director of religious liberty programs at the U.S.-based think tank Institute on Religion & Democracy, responded to the news of Andimis murder by condemning the Nigerian governments inaction. It is obvious that the president of Nigeria will do nothing to stop this without pressure from the West, she wrote on Facebook. We need President Trump to appoint a Special Envoy for Nigeria and the region soon. At a news conference this month, Open Doors CEO David Curry also criticized Nigerias government for its inability to control the violence perpetrated by terrorist groups across the country. The great tragedy of Nigerias ineffectual response to Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen is now parts of Cameroon and those other areas like Burkina Faso are greatly affected, Curry said. Curry said Nigeria still represents the most violent country in the world for Christians as far as Open Doors USAs data can track. The persecution watchdog ranks Nigeria at No. 12 on its 2020 World Watch List of countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. Notes Open Doors: "The violence against Christians by militant Islamic groups in the north often ends in loss of life and physical injury as well as loss of property. Pray for those dealing with the effects of recent violence against them. Please pray for the Lords provision in all their physical and spiritual needs." In December, Nigeria was placed for the first time on the U.S. State Departments Special Watch List for countries in which severe religious freedom violations are tolerated. WUHAN, China One week into a lockdown, anger and anxiety deepened in China on Thursday as the central province at the center of the coronavirus outbreak endured shortages of hospital beds, medical supplies and doctors. In a sign of growing frustration, a relative of a patient infected with the virus beat up a doctor at a hospital in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province, the state broadcaster CCTV reported on Thursday, citing the police. The man was accused of pulling and damaging the doctors mask and protective clothing potentially exposing him to the virus after his father-in-law died in the hospital. The man was later detained. [Read: China says 1,700 health workers have contracted coronavirus.] At the same time, hospitals in the region renewed pleas to the public for help to replenish their supplies, which were fast disappearing. The shortages have become especially severe in Huanggang, a city of seven million not far from Wuhan, where some medical staff members were wearing raincoats and garbage bags as shoe covers to protect against infection, according to Yicai, a financial news site. The Lipinski-Newman battle attracted a lot of national attention in 2018 because of the candidates starkly different positions on abortion, among other issues. Lipinski, who prevailed in a tight race, is notorious for being one of the few remaining pro-life Democrats in Congress. Newman is pro-choice. Both have drawn supporters from all over the country, as has Darwish. Algeria on Thursday offered to host a reconciliation forum on Libya during a meeting of African leaders discussing ways to end the long drawn-out conflict, the African Union said. The talks were attended by Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairman of the African Union (AU) Commission, and Ghassan Salame, the UN secretary-general's special representative, along with several African presidents. An AU statement said it "has taken note of the Algerian offer to host a forum of national reconciliation" and underscored the pressing need for "an inclusive dialogue uniting all the Libyan parties... to find a Libyan solution to the crisis." The African leaders had been due to meet behind closed doors with the head of Tripoli's government Fayez al-Sarraj, and separately with envoys from commander Khalifa Haftar, who controls eastern Libya. The African leaders included the presidents of Congo-Brazzaville, which hosted Thursday's talks, as well as of Mauritania and Djibouti. There was no official confirmation if the meetings had taken place. Salame on Thursday accused foreign actors of meddling in Libya in violation of commitments made at an international summit in Berlin this month. "These manoeuvres to resupply the two parties threaten to precipitate a new and much more dangerous conflagration," he told the UN Security Council in New York. "They violate the spirit and the letter of the Berlin Conference," Salame said. "I urge the parties and their foreign sponsors to desist from reckless actions and instead renew their expressed commitment to work towards a ceasefire," he added. Leaders of the 55-nation AU are to meet in Addis Ababa on February 9 and 10. Libya has been mired in chaos since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising that killed longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi. Turkey is planning a military deployment to Libya to shore up the al-Sarraj's government while Haftar is backed by Egypt, Russia and the United Arab Emirates. The crisis has deeply worried countries to the south of Libya, which are already battling a bloody jihadist insurgency. "Africa's worry is that there's a risk that all these weapons (from Libya) will transit through the Sahel," Senegalese President Macky Sall said on Tuesday. France's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier this week spotted a Turkish frigate escorting a cargo ship delivering armoured vehicles to the Libyan capital Tripoli in defiance of a UN embargo, a French military source said Thursday. The cargo ship Bana docked in Tripoli port on Wednesday, said the source, who asked not to be named. According to the Marine Traffic specialist website, the vessel was recorded Thursday off the coast of Sicily. Search Keywords: Short link: By IANS NEW DELHI: Hundreds of women protesting at Shaheen Bagh here against the CAA for around six weeks now have been denied permission by Delhi Police to take out a march on Thursday from Jamia Millia Islamia to Rajghat, though there is no official word on the matter yet. After the women protesters announced their proposed march, Delhi Police were alerted to the plan. Police conveyed to the march's organisers in clear terms that permission would not be granted due to fears over law and order. Delhi Police spokesperson Mandeep Singh Randhawa preferred not to comment on the issue when IANS contacted him. On the other hand, the protesters maintained that they had planned a peaceful march to the Rajghat on the death anniversary of the Mahatma Gandhi and dubbed it "murder of basic human rights". They accused the Delhi Police of heavy-handedness and doing the bidding of the Modi government. Meanwhile, Gandhi Peace March led by former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha from Maharashtra to protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act will culminate on Thursday at the Rajghat after travelling from Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh. Those associated with the march said that Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar, former Gujarat and Maharashtra Chief Ministers Suresh Mehta and Prithviraj Chauhan and other leaders were expected to participate. California personnel working on emergency projects to protect wildfire-vulnerable communities 2019 CAL Fire View Photos Sacramento, CA The California governor reports that nearly three dozen high priority measures across 90,000 acres to protect the states most wildfire-vulnerable communities are complete. Governor Gavin Newsom is referring to CAL Fires recently provided 45-day Community Wildfire Prevention & Mitigation Report and listed projects to his office in response to an executive order last March to identify areas, then plan and complete fuels reduction and wildfire risk mitigation projects to put the state on a path toward long-term wildfire prevention and forest health. The impetus for Newsoms urgent action came in the aftermath of the Camp Fire, the Woolsey Fire, and the Carr Fire, among the most destructive and deadliest wildfires in state history. It set CAL Fire, National Guard, and California Conservation Corps crews working together at an emergency pace to complete what are typically multi-year projects in less than one year. California isnt just waiting around for next fire season. We are acting quickly with emergency pace to protect communities most at risk and save lives before the wildfire starts, Newsom states. The unprecedented scale of the crisis requires an unprecedented response. These projects are part of Californias all-of-the-above, all-hands-on-deck approach to preventing and fighting wildfires. High Priority Mother Lode Projects Of the listed projects, two are in Mariposa County. The Grist Fuel Break, south of Highway 49 near Bootjack, removed brush and pruned and trimmed trees across 102 acres to improve upon an existing fire road. The effort involved CAL Fire, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) personnel and local property owners with the goal of protecting the communities of Bootjack (population: 969), Mariposa (population: 2,173), and Midpines (population: 1,204). The 44-acres Metcalf Gap Fuel Break in Mariposa County near the Madera County line in the vicinity of Nelson Cove and Miami Mountain is a road maintenance and fuel reduction project. The project connects a new fuel break to the Watt and Stumpfield road fuel breaks in the Chowchilla River Canyon and is expected to help protect multiple communities in Madera and Mariposa counties. CAL Fire treated a critical access road into the Chowchilla River Canyon while developing a continuous fuel break. Among the communities and habitats, it was designed to protect is Ahwahnee (population: 2,246), Nipinnawasee (population: 475), Ponderosa Basin (402 Homes), and Lush Meadows. The largest project in Madera County, the 4,621-acre Highway 41 Management Plan between Hildreth and Little Table Mountain, involves burning annual grasses along Highway 41 in the eastern part of the county, which has an unfortunate history of the most wildland fire starts in the area. The project burn targeted improving rangeland while reducing highway hazards and high fire suppression costs. It protects Coarsegold (population: 1,840), Oneals (population: 172), Hidden lakes (208 homes). In the Bald Mountain area of Madera County, the Beal and Musick fuel breaks are located just south of Shaver Lake the Rush Creek and Blue Rush fuel breaks. A 728-acre fuel break, the Beal break has been a combined project with the USFS. The break has effectively stopped the forward progress of four wildland fires and maintenance of it directly reduces the impacts of fire for the residents living on Beal Fire road and the communities of Meadow Lakes and Alder Heights that are directly above the break. The areas were impacted by over 80 percent of tree mortality in recent years. The Musick Fuel Break, a new 393-acre roadside treatment, was undertaken to create a safe evacuation corridor for residents and provide access to a high-risk area for wildland fire for both CAL Fire and the USFS in the Jose Basin area. The scope was to remove brush, dead hazard trees, and thin understory. It is noted that the main transmission lines for the Big Creek Hydro Electric Facility transect the area. Besides Meadow Lakes, Alder Heights and Shaver Lake this break also protects Pine Ridge. The visa waiver will be valid from January 31, 2020, to January 30, 2021 Open source The visa-free regime of entry into Ukraine and transit through Ukraine was introduced for citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on a temporary basis from 31 January 2020 to 30 January 2021. The corresponding decree #28/2020 of January 29, signed by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, was published on the Presidents website. "To introduce visa-free entry into Ukraine and transit through the territory of Ukraine for citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from January 31, 2020, to January 30, 2021, if their stay in Ukraine does not exceed 90 days for 180 days, the decree reads. As we reported earlier, Ukraine signed visa-free agreements with Ecuador and Colombia as Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Honcharuk informed about it on his Telegram page. We have just approved the international Agreements with the governments of two countries on the mutual cancelation of visa demands, Honcharuk wrote. Thus, Ukrainians will be able to travel without visa for 90 days during 180 days. FIANNA Fail MEP Billy Kelleher has been slapped down by his party leader Micheal Martin who said he does not agree with calls for a cut in the RTE licence fee. Mr Kelleher said RTEs coverage of EU affairs was pitiful and suggested the 160 licence fee should be reduced. As MEPs we try to do what we can along with EU institutions to inform the public, he said. RTE as the public service broadcaster must also play its role, he added. In his original post social media, Mr Kelleher noted he had met RTEs Europe Editor Tony Connelly. RTE News Managing Director Jon Williams said Mr Kellehers comments were bizarre and disappointing. Mr Kelleher clarified he was not criticising Mr Connelly but rather RTEs coverage of EU issues. Mr Martin said the licence fee should not be cut despite Mr Kelleher's call for such action and that Fianna Fails position on that had been consistent in recent years. Mr Martin also mounted a robust defence of RTEs Europe Editor Tony Connolly and the national broadcasters role in in what he said was distilling Brexit for the Irish population. Speaking in Dublin on Thursday morning, he said: Theyve performed superbly and Tony Connolly in particular, I think has earned the acclamation of the Irish public in terms of his consistent, very hard work on an ongoing basis in terms of presenting Brexit in a very simple manner to the Irish public and he deserves great credit, RTE deserves credit. Asked if he was concerned about Mr Kellehers threat to vote against the Brexit deal in recent weeks - which he later backtracked on - and his tweet last night, Mr Martin made light of the issue. A politician not getting coverage is not a shocker and complaining about it, he said. Meanwhile, Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty accused Mr Kelleher of linking political coverage to a cut in the licence fee. Public Service Broadcasting, and indeed a free media, are critical components to any democratic society, she said. It is completely unacceptable for any politician to link the political coverage they and their colleagues receive to a potential cut in the RTE licence fee. And to do so in the middle of the General Election campaign is even more worrying. This sets a dangerous precedent and I would expect Micheal Martin to publicly state whether he agrees with Billy Kellehers late night tweet, she added. A Harvard University professor charged with lying about his role in a Chinese talent recruitment program was released from custody Thursday and ordered to post a $1 million cash bond. Charles Lieber appeared in Boston's federal court wearing orange jail garb and chains around his ankles two days after his arrest at his Ivy League university office, where he was chair of the chemistry and chemical biology department. Lieber is accused of lying about his participation in China's Thousand Talents Plan, which targets overseas scientists and researchers willing to bring their expertise to China in exchange for things like research funding and lab space. Prosecutors had proposed setting bond at $1.5 million secured by Lieber's suburban Boston home. But Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler instead ordered Lieber to post a $1 million cash bond by next Thursday. Lieber did not comment as he left the courthouse with his wife amid a throng of reporters after the hearing. His lawyers also declined to comment. Lieber is required to give up his passport and disclose any foreign bank accounts and is barred from talking to any potential victims or witnesses in the case, among other restrictions. His wife will also hand over her passport after prosecutors raised concerns that she could move cash to another country. Prosecutors say Lieber agreed to conduct research, publish articles and apply for patents on behalf of China's Wuhan University of Technology in exchange for $50,000 per month and about $150,000 in living expenses. He also received $1.5 million to establish a research lab at the Chinese university, authorities said. Authorities say Lieber hid his involvement in the program from Harvard and told federal investigators in 2018 that he had never been asked to participate in the program. Harvard officials said Tuesday that Lieber has been placed on administrative leave and that the school is conducting its own review of the alleged misconduct. Lieber has been at Harvard since 1991 and is described by his research group as a pioneer in nanoscience and nanotechnology. He has also won prizes for growing huge pumpkins in the backyard of his Lexington home, including a 1870-pound (850-kilogram) pumpkin in 2014, ABC News reported at the time. Lieber's arrest highlights the federal government's growing concern over China's efforts to steal U.S. research and technology. Chinese recruitment programs such as the Thousand Talents Plan have been exploited by scientists who have downloaded sensitive research files before returning to China, filed patents based on U.S. research, lied on grant applications and failed to disclose money they had received from Chinese institutions, according to a congressional report issued last fall. Federal prosecutors in Boston also announced charges this week against a researcher at Boston University, who is accused of concealing her ties to the Chinese military. Yanqing Ye, who prosecutors say is a lieutenant in the Peoples Liberation Army, lied about her military service to get into the U.S. and researched U.S. military projects and gathered information on two U.S. scientists for the Chinese military, authorities allege. The FBI on Thursday released a wanted poster for Ye, who is believed to be in China. Related Content: SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hagens Berman urges Green Dot Corporation (NYSE: GDOT) investors who have suffered losses in excess of $100,000 to submit their losses now to learn if they qualify to recover their investment losses. The February 17, 2020 lead plaintiff deadline in a securities fraud class action that has been filed against the company and senior executives is fast approaching. Class Period: May 9, 2018 Nov. 7, 2019 Lead Plaintiff Deadline: Feb. 17, 2020 Sign Up: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/GDOT Contact An Attorney Now: GDOT@hbsslaw.com 844-916-0895 Green Dot Corporation (GDOT) Securities Class Action: The Complaint alleges Defendants misled investors concerning Green Dots business and operations. More specifically, according to the Complaint, Green Dot, CEO Steven W. Streit, and CFO Mark Shifke misrepresented and concealed that: (1) Green Dots strategy to attract high-value long-term customers was at the expense of one and done customers; (2) Green Dots one and done customers represented a significant source of revenues in its legacy segment; and, (3) consequently, Green Dots business strategy was self-sabotaging. The truth about Green Dots failed business strategy was revealed over a series of disclosures beginning on Feb. 21, 2019, when Green Dot reported poor FY 2018 financial results, which drove the price of Green Dot shares down about 10% that day. Then, on May 9, 2019, the Company disappointed investors when it slashed earnings guidance and announced it would be dramatically increasing spending on technology and marketing to attract new users. This news caused a massive 26% drop in Green Dots share price. On Aug. 8, 2019, Green Dot announced another guidance reduction due to a steep decline in legacy prepaid card product line and the Companys delay in launching its newest BaaS product. This news caused Green Dots shares to plummet another 42%. On Nov. 7, 2019, CEO Streit blamed disappointing financial results for the third fiscal quarter and nine months ended Sept. 30, 2019 on the continuing year-over-year decline of accounts in its active consumer business approximating 620,000 and revealed these were mostly one-time use accounts. This news caused Green Dots shares to plummet over 18% on Nov. 8, 2019. On Dec. 18, 2019, Defendants announced that CEO Streit and CFO Shifke would be leaving their positions effective Dec. 31, 2019. This news drove the price of Green Dot shares down as much as 15% during intraday trading that day and prompted certain analysts to issue sell ratings. Recently, on Jan. 14, 2020, a Seeking Alpha contributor published an article concluding Green Dot (GDOT) looks like a raging dumpster fire to me. The contributor observed (1) loan delinquency is skyrocketing in a booming economy where other banks are reporting robust consumer behavior, (2) GDOTs active accounts are declining (down 5% in Q3 19) due to competitive pressure, and, (3) [w]ith the sudden departures last month, investors should heavily discount GDOTs product road map. If you invested in Green Dot between May 9, 2018 and Nov. 7, 2019 (the Class Period) and suffered significant losses, you may qualify to be a lead plaintiff one who selects and oversees the attorneys prosecuting the case. Contact Hagens Berman immediately for more information about the case and being a lead plaintiff. Were focused on investors losses and proving Defendants misled investors about Green Dots growth prospects, asset quality, and existing account metrics, said Hagens Berman partner Reed Kathrein. If you purchased shares of GDOT and suffered significant losses, click here to discuss your legal rights with Hagens Berman . Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Green Dot 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 GDOT@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 . Contact: Reed Kathrein, 844-916-0895 The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the curative petition of Akshay Thakur, one of the four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case and also rejected an application seeking a stay on the convicts' execution, which is scheduled for February 1. "The application for an oral hearing is rejected," a five-judge bench headed by Justice NV Ramana and also comprising justices Arun Mishra, RF Nariman, R Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan said dismissing the petition, which sought commutation of the convict's death sentence to life imprisonment. "The application for stay of execution of the death warrant is also rejected. We have gone through the curative petitions and relevant documents," the Apex Court said in its order. "In our opinion, no case is made out within the parameters indicated in the decision of this Court in Rupa Ashok Hurra v Ashok Hurra and another. Hence, the curative petitions are dismissed," the order read. The curative petition, which was filed by advocate AP Singh on behalf of Akshay, sought the commutation of the sentence of the petitioner "as it serves all the purposes that the death penalty claims to serve and protects society from the impending reality in the near-future in which torture and murder are equated with justice as a panacea for all social evils". The plea had said that lack of criminal antecedents, erroneous reliance on deterrence, and the probability of reformation, socio-economic circumstances, non-consideration of constitution bench judgment, were not considered by the courts while awarding his client the death sentence. The top court had dismissed Akshay's review petition in December last year. Yesterday, the apex court dismissed the plea of another Nirbhaya Mukesh Kumar Singh challenging the rejection of his mercy petition by the President. Earlier this month, a Delhi court had issued the death warrant for convicts -- Akshay, Mukesh, Pawan Gupta, and Vinay Kumar Sharma -- and ordered their hanging on February 1. The case pertains to the gang-rape of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012, by six people including a juvenile in Delhi. The woman died at a Singapore hospital a few days later. One of the five adults accused, Ram Singh had allegedly committed suicide in the Tihar Jail during the trial of the case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) LEIPZIG, Germany and EMERYVILLE, Calif., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Profusa, a digital health company that is pioneering the next generation of personalized medicine, today announced research findings that suggest the company's Lumee Oxygen Platform may help improve the clinical management of patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI) who are undergoing endovascular revascularization treatment (EVT). The data, from a recent post-market clinical study called OMNIA (Oxygen Monitoring Near Ischemic Areas), were detailed in a series of presentations at the Leipzig Interventional Course (LINC) in Leipzig, Germany. The Lumee Oxygen Platform is a tiny, injectable tissue-integrated biosensor with an intelligent data platform intended for continuous, real-time monitoring of tissue oxygen levels. "Performing revascularization in patients with critical limb ischemia is standard practice, but the tools surgeons and interventionalists typically use to gauge effectiveness of the procedure are not ideal," said Marianne Brodmann, M.D., interim head of the Clinical Division of Angiology, Department of Internal Medicine, at Medical University in Graz, Austria. "These research findings from OMNIA suggest that continuously measuring tissue oxygen may result in better outcomes for these patients." CLI is a serious form of peripheral artery disease (PAD), a condition that affects more than 200 million people worldwide and results in the narrowing of blood vessels and reduced blood flow to the lower limbs. Decreased tissue oxygen levels in the lower limbs of PAD patients can lead to disabled walking, or in more advanced cases, gangrene and amputation. CLI can result in severe pain in the feet or toes, even while resting. OMNIA, a multicenter trial of the Lumee Oxygen Platform, monitored tissue oxygen levels in the affected limbs of 35 CLI patients who underwent EVT procedures, which are designed to clear obstructed arteries. Study participants were injected with four Lumee biosensors, three in the foot and one as a reference sensor in the arm. OMNIA collected measurements of oxygen throughout the revascularization process (with measurements performed before, during, and one, three, six, and twelve months post-procedure). OMNIA also recorded traditional hemodynamic metrics, including ankle-brachial index and toe-brachial index, and clinical assessments of wound healing at each follow-up visit. The OMNIA data presented by Brodmann showed that increases in tissue oxygen during EVT were significantly higher in patients who experienced wound healing than in those who did not (p<0.01). In addition, tissue oxygen levels during revascularization were a better predictor of wound healing than traditional clinical measures, such as ankle-brachial index or toe-brachial index (p=0.59 and p=0.14, respectively). "These findings show the importance of further investigating how continuous tissue oxygen measurements may satisfy an unmet clinical need to objectively evaluate how the increases in blood flow offered by EVT actually translate into nutritive oxygen delivery to the injured tissue," added Brodmann. Martin Werner, M.D., an angiologist at Hanusch Hospital in Vienna, noted that traditional angiography during EVT does not sufficiently measure microvascular blood flow, a special concern for people with diabetes who may have microvascular impairment. He presented results of a retrospective classification analysis from OMNIA in which continuous oxygen traces measured by the Lumee Oxygen Platform were analyzed throughout EVT. Findings showed that oxygen changes between discrete time points, specifically start and end of EVT, may not be predictive of wound healing, but dynamic changes continually assessed throughout the procedure were. "These results indicate that continuous measurements of blood flow in the foot during EVT may reveal factors that provide clues to treatment outcome that would have been missed if only measured at the start and end of the procedure," said Werner. Stephen Kanick, Ph.D., data science lead for Profusa, presented data from OMNIA that evaluated how Lumee biosensors assess long-term tissue viability following EVT treatments in patients with CLI. Results showed that patients who improved showed larger oxygen increases after EVT and maintained larger oxygen values at a three-month follow-up compared to patients who did not improve. Miguel Montero-Baker, M.D., vascular surgeon and associate professor in the Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, discussed how tissue oxygen measured before, during and after EVT can be combined to provide a more accurate predictor of patient healing. According to Montero-Baker, "The Lumee Oxygen Platform gives us insights we have not had before about how CLI patients are responding to treatment." "These findings from OMNIA affirm the emerging role of injectable biosensors in informing the treatment of patients with limb-threatening ischemia," said Ben Hwang, Ph.D., chairman and CEO of Profusa. "Being able to monitor biochemical data such as tissue oxygen on a real-time basis may mean the difference between effective interventions and a catastrophic worsening of the condition." Profusa's Lumee Oxygen Platform and second-generation product, the Wireless Lumee Oxygen Platform, are CE (Conformite Europeenne) marked for use in the European Union. In the U.S., the Wireless Lumee Oxygen Platform is an Investigational Device limited by federal law to Investigational Use. About Profusa Based in Emeryville, Calif., Profusa is a digital health company led by visionary scientific founders, an experienced management team and a world-class board of directors who share the long-term goal of improving health and well-being for patients worldwide. With its long-lasting, injectable and affordable biosensors and its intelligent data platform, Profusa aims to provide people with a personalized biochemical signature rooted in data that clinicians trust and rely upon. These data may allow people to act as an active and educated participant alongside their care team and understand how their choices and decisions impact health and well-being, day-in and day-out. "LUMEE", "PROFUSA" and the PROFUSA logo are registered trademarks of Profusa Inc. in the United States, Canada, European Union, China, Japan, South Korea and Australia. For more, visit https://profusa.com. About the Lumee Oxygen Platform Profusa's first clinical offering, the Lumee Oxygen Platform, and the next-generation Wireless Lumee Oxygen Platform, which are CE marked for use in the European Union, are indicated for use in patients with potential acute and/or chronic changes in tissue oxygen levels who may benefit from monitoring. The Lumee Oxygen sensor provides an opportunity for continuous and long-term monitoring of oxygen changes in subcutaneous tissue. After a single injection, measurement thereafter is obtained non-invasively using an optical reader. In contrast to external pulse oximeters, which measure oxygen bound to the hemoglobin in larger blood vessels, the Lumee Oxygen Platform measures dissolved oxygen at the tissue level in the fluid that bathes our cells. Contact: Sylvia Aranda W2O pure [email protected] SOURCE Profusa, Inc. Related Links https://profusa.com In a major diplomatic coup for India, the European Parliament on Wednesday decided to defer voting on the joint resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act until March 2020. Michael Gahler, a member of the European Peoples Party introduced the proposal to delay the vote in the 751-member House. Out of the 483 MEPs present, an overwhelming 271 members voted to delay the vote. On the other hand, 199 MEPs didnt want the vote to be postponed and 13 others abstained. Read: Congress Slams WB CM Mamata Banerjee After 2 Die In Murshidabad Anti-CAA Protest Pakistan lobby's attempt fails As per government sources, the efforts of the Pakistan lobby were comprehensively defeated. Outgoing British MEP Shaffaq Mohammad had played a pivotal role in trying to get the resolutions passed which painted the country in a negative light. Sources maintained that the CAA was an integral matter of India and asserted that the legislation was adopted after a due democratic process. According to sources, the government was confident that its concerns would be understood by all objective and fair-minded MEPs. Critical resolutions All the initial 6 EU Parliament resolutions were scathing of the CAA and commented on the negative impact after implementing the National Register of Citizens. However, the most critical resolution was mooted by the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, the second-largest political group in the European Parliament. It contended that the CAA had the potential to create the largest statelessness crisis in the world. Read: Mumbai's LGBTQ Pride March Cancelled After Message Surfaces Linking It To CAA-NRC Protests PM's visit to Brussels The delay in the voting assumes significance as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Brussels for the India-EU summit on March 13. The EU is Indias largest trading partner with 92 billion euros of trade in goods in 2018. This accounts for 12.9% of the total quantum of Indian trade. The EU is also a key market for Indian exports. So far, the Ministry of External Affairs has officially refused to comment on the anti-CAA resolution. Read: 'Brexit Will Help Global Growth' Says European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde What is the CAA? he CAA seeks to provide citizenship to the minority communities namely Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. This will be applicable to the members of these communities having arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014. Moreover, they will not be considered as illegal migrants. Read: Digvijaya Singh Questions Centre On Need For CAA, Cites Citizenship Granted To Adnan Sami South Africa's embattled national airline on Thursday announced plans to scrap close to one hundred domestic and international flights in February to reduce costs. Cash-strapped South African Airways (SAA) was pushed to the brink of bankruptcy after a costly week-long strike by thousands of its workers last month. The flag carrier was placed under state-approved rescue plan as a last-ditch bid to avoid total collapse. Laden with debt, it has failed to make a profit since 2011 and survives on government bailouts. "Flight demand has been scrutinised to ensure SAA is running efficient flights" said the airline in a statement on Thursday. "SAA will therefore cancel and consolidate selected scheduled flights where there is low demand based on current forward bookings for the month of February." A total of 48 domestic and 48 international flights will be cancelled next month, including trips to Washington and Nairobi. SAA announced the cancellations one day after a state-owned South African bank offered to lend it 3.5 billion rand ($2.4 million). It said the "conservation of cash" through "various cost reduction measures" would be critical to running an "efficient airline". Chief commercial officer Philip Saunders vowed to minimise disruption and said affected customers would be accomodate on alternative flights. South Africa's government has admitted it is still seeking a solution to finance SAA, which has a fleet of more than 50 and employs over 5,000 workers. The airline had already scrapped almost a dozen flights earlier this month to "conserve cash". sch/jh HANOI - Vietnam will stop issuing visas for Chinese tourists, the government said on Thursday, after the Southeast Asian country detected three new cases of coronavirus. Cross-border trade between Vietnam and China is not encouraged at the moment, the government said in a statement. "The outbreak is spreading rapidly, and in a serious manner," the statement said. Chinese tourists accounted for one-third of tourists visiting Vietnam last year, according to Vietnamese government statistics. Last week, Vietnam's health ministry said two Chinese citizens in Vietnam had tested positive for coronavirus. One has since recovered. Countries began isolating hundreds of citizens evacuated from the Chinese city of Wuhan on Thursday to stop the spread of an epidemic that has killed 170 people as worry about the impact on the world's second-biggest economy rattled markets. Vietnam's health ministry said on Thursday that the latest three people to have contracted the virus had all recently returned from Wuhan, where the virus first emerged. Two of the three patients are being treated in the capital Hanoi, the health ministry's official newspaper said. Another is receiving treatment in the northern province of Thanh Hoa, 160 kilometers from Hanoi, the report said. Most of the border gates between Vietnam and China in the northern province of Lang Son have halted imports and exports of goods until February 9, the state-run Vietnam News Agency (VNA) said on Thursday. The coronavirus outbreak has stoked a wave of anti-China sentiment around the globe, from shops barring entry to Chinese tourists, online vitriol mocking the country's exotic meat trade and surprise health checks on foreign workers. In this years biggest jury verdict from this year, Apple Inc. and Broadcom Inc. have been ordered by a California Court to pay a collective $1.1 billion in damages for patent infringement. The plaintiff in this case is California Institute of Technology (Cal Tech.) who claimed that Apple broke patent laws by using Broadcom Wi-Fi chips in their devices. Apple has been ordered to pay $837.8 million while Broadcom was hit with a $270.2 million verdict to pay Cal Tech. The case was based on Cal Tech claiming that the companies violated over a range of patents related to wireless data transmissions. The lawsuit was filed back in 2016 and it claimed that Apple devices like iPhones, iPads, iPods, Apple Watches, Mac computers, HomePod smart speakers, and the since-discontinued AirPort wireless routers have been using patent infringing Broadcom components. Apple and Broadcom did confirm that they will appeal the verdict, denying the infringement of the patents at all. Their lawyers also do not agree with how much significant damages CalTech is entitled to even if they were using the inventions. A spokesperson from Caltech, upon hearing the verdict, said that Caltech is, pleased the jury found that Apple and Broadcom infringed Caltech patent, and added that the school is committed to protecting its intellectual property in furtherance of its mission to expand human knowledge and benefit society through research integrated with education. Source The US will be staging additional flights for citizens who want to escape Wuhan but they will have to wait until next week. On Thursday, the Department of State announced plans to transport more Americans home, after an initial flight Wednesday, as the coronavirus toll hit 7,800 globally with five cases confirmed in the United States and 170 deaths worldwide. Some of 1,000 Americans who live in the area central to the outbreak are relieved more flights are planned out of Wuhan Tianhe International Airport 'on or about February 3, 2020', but it was unclear how many private citizens could be shuttled. The flights will be operated on a reimbursable basis, a statement said, and the Department asked those interested - and in possession of valid passports - to email travel document and contact information. US will be staging additional coronavirus evacuation flights from Monday. Pictured, a pilot parks an aircraft at the unloading area of the Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan, which is central to the coronavirus outbreak in China Mother Priscilla Dickey was not able to board the first flight with her child, Hermione Dickey (pictured) They hitched a ride to the airport with another American citizen amid a lockdown. Thursday, the Ohio woman said about the additional flights: 'I'm ecstatic. I'm happy. But my face isn't showing it because I'm tired' 'There is no need to call to confirm receipt of your email; you will be contacted,' the statement advised, amid worldwide panic about the virus which has caused many airlines to suspend flights. It's as 7,711 cases of coronavirus were confirmed on mainland China. In addition, Hong Kong has 10 cases and Macao has five. Nearly all of the 170 deaths have been in central Hubei province, where illnesses from the new type of coronavirus were first detected in December. On Wednesday, an evacuation flight bringing 195 Americans home from the Chinese city at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak landed at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, California. The plane chartered by the US government to fly diplomats and private citizens -with the addition of six crewmembers - back from Wuhan touched down at the air base just after 8am PST. The state had initially said the plane could carry up to 240 passengers and that it would the only evacuation flight. Officials in hazmat suits were seen approaching the plane on the tarmac before passengers - including some children - began filing out and stepping into awaiting buses. The capacity for private citizens on the flights next week is unknown. People are eager to leave as the infection toll hit 7,800 globally with five cases confirmed in the US by Thursday. Pictured, Singaporeans board a Scoot flight back to from Wuhan Thursday The virus which has caused many airlines to suspend flights, including British Airways, United Airlines, American Airlines, Air Asia, Cathay Pacific, Air India, IndiGo, Lufthansa and Finnair But one mother was not able to board the flight with her eight-year-old child, Hermoine Dickey, whose passport was at her father's apartment in Changsha, 250 miles away. They instead packed a photocopy for the flight but she was refused. Her mother is a teacher who lives in a dorm at Hubei University of Science and Technology in Wuhan while she studies and teaches. The little girl, who was born in Shiyan, spends weekends there and weekdays with her father, a 90-minute train ride away. But trains are on lockdown amid the outbreak and she had to hitch a ride with another American. 'At this point, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be on a plane,' Priscilla Dickey, 35, told the Wall Street Journal. Adding she'll 'dot the I's and cross the Ts' to make sure she gets on next's week's shuttle. She said about the prospect of leaving and getting back to Ohio: 'I'm ecstatic. I'm happy. But my face isn't showing it because I'm tired.' The CDC and Department of Health and Human Service says screening will take place at 20 airports, for the deadly coronavirus that has sickened five patients in the US and three in Canada More than 7,800 people have been infected globally with the virus traced to a seafood market in the central city of Wuhan that was illegally selling wildlife and 170 people have died The likes of British Airways, United Airlines, American Airlines, Air Asia, Cathay Pacific, Air India, IndiGo, Lufthansa and Finnair have announced plans to halt flights due to decreased demand. Unions at Air France have demanded the carrier stop flying to China, cabin crew representatives told Reuters, amid concern that the flights may expose employees to the coronavirus and help spread infections. 'When the staff see that other airlines have stopped flying there, their reaction is 'Why are we still going?',' UNAC president Flore Arrighi said. Air France said it had no immediate comment on its discussions with unions. 'Air France is monitoring the rapidly evolving situation in real time,' a spokesman said. 'The health and safety of its crew remain the absolute priority. Air France has already put in place a voluntary system allowing pilots and crew to opt out of China flights with no loss of earnings, and shortened staff layovers in Beijing to try to reduce their potential exposure to the virus. CONFIRMED US CORONAVIRUS CASES 1. Man in Washington state The first US coronavirus case was confirmed on Tuesday, January 21. The patient - a Washington man in his 30s who lives in Snohomish County - has been quarantined at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, outside of Seattle. The man had traveled by himself from Wuhan but did not visit any of the markets at the epicenter of the outbreak. He reportedly had no symptoms upon arrival in the US on January 15, but after reading about the outbreak online and developing symptoms, he contacted his doctor. The patient allegedly sought treatment on January 16 and was tested the following day. He is said to be in stable condition. He is being treated in a bio-containment room by a few staff members and a robot to limit the spread of the virus. The robot has a stethoscope attached to take the man's vitals and a large screen so doctors can communicate with him, Dr George Diaz, chief of the infectious disease division at the Providence Regional Medical Center, told CNN. 'The nursing staff in the room move the robot around so we can see the patient in the screen, talk to him,' Dr Diaz told the network. Officials have also been monitoring more than a dozen people the man reportedly came into contact with in the five days between when he arrived back in the US and when he was diagnosed. 2. Woman in Chicago The CDC confirmed the second US case on Friday - a 60-year-old woman in Chicago, Illinois, who had traveled to Wuhan in late December. The woman, who has not been named, arrived at O'Hare International Airport on January 13 but did not begin experiencing symptoms until several days later. Health officials say the woman appears to be 'well' and in stable condition. The unidentified patient is currently in isolation at St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. 3. Patient in California Orange County Health Care Agency announced that a patient in California had tested positive for novel coronavirus. The agency said the patient had traveled from Wuhan and reached out to the health care agency prior to being diagnosed. They were given guidance to avoiding exposing the public to the virus while waiting for test results. 'The individual has now been transported to a local hospital and is in isolation in good condition,' added the agency who did not identify the patient. 'In consultation with the CDC and the California Department of Public Health, the HCA is following up directly with all individuals who have had close contact with the case and are at risk of infection.' 4. Los Angeles County Case Health officials say that the Los Angeles County patient, had recently returned from the epicenter of the outbreak in Wuhan, China. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said that the infected person presented themselves for testing after feeling unwell, and are 'currently receiving medical treatment'. 5. Arizona Case Officials confirmed a fifth case in Maricopa County, Arizona. No other information was immediately reported about the patient. Advertisement In a media call, Dr Nancy Messonnier of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the passengers have been 'screened, monitored and evaluated' for signs of coronavirus since landing. Dr Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, also added the passengers are voluntarily under quarantine for 72 hours. Prior to this, passenger underwent four screenings over the course of the journey - two before departure in Wuhan and another two during a refueling stop in Anchorage, Alaska. The plane was originally scheduled to fly to Ontario International Airport in Ontario, California, but was diverted to the air base 25 miles away without explanation late on Tuesday night. The US consulate in Wuhan began reaching out to all Americans registered as living in the locked-down city last week to offer them a seat on the rescue flight after Washington gained approval for the operation from China's Foreign Ministry and other government agencies. China has cut off access to Wuhan and 16 other cities in Hubei province to prevent people from leaving and spreading the virus further. In addition to the United States, countries including Japan and South Korea have also planned evacuations. There are said to be 1,000 Americans living in Wuhan, meaning the majority of citizens would be left behind. Ahead of the flight, the State Department said priority would be given to diplomats and staff from the US consulate in Wuhan, followed by 'individuals at a greater risk from coronavirus', according to the State Department. Government officials reportedly made phone calls to executives at major US carriers Tuesday and said a temporary ban is possible. United Airlines, which has around a dozen daily flights, on Tuesday said it would cancel more flights to China and Hong Kong as the outbreak worsens. Eight coronavirus cases are in North America including the third Canadian case which was confirmed on Tuesday. British Columbia's first victim is a man in his 40s, who 'travels regularly to China for work and was in Wuhan city on his most recent trip,' and developed symptoms after returning to Vancouver earlier this month. In the US, screening has been expanded to 20 airports, authorities from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the CDC said in a press conference on Tuesday. Preliminary research suggests the virus was passed to humans from snakes or bats. But Chinese health officials report that cases have been caused by human-to-human transmission. New concerns have been raised that the virus can spread even when patients don't have symptoms. 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. Encouragingly, Dr Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health said the agency is studying a 'candidate vaccine,' modeled after an experimental one developed amid the 2003 outbreak of SARS, a coronavirus cousin of the current infection. But the first stage of human testing isn't expected to begin for several months. He added that several drugs are being used in China to try treat coronavirus patients under 'compassionate use,' but there is no proof of the efficacy that the medications will work. Azar said that the US had tried three times to send assistance to China, but that the government declined. As Azar made these statements, the WHO revealed that China has agreed to allow the agency to send international experts there 'as soon as possible.' China has urged its own citizens to delay trips abroad, with at least 18 countries and territories having confirmed cases of the disease. Cases have been confirmed in Australia, Cambodia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, the UAE and Vietnam. Cases are also suspected in Mexico, Colombia, the Philippines and the UK. 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 Preliminary research suggests the virus was passed to humans from snakes or bats. But Chinese health officials report that cases have been caused by human-to-human transmission. Pictured, left and right: The coronavirus strain CORONAVIRUS INFECTIONS BY COUNTRY People with face masks arrive at a BTS Sky train station in Bangkok on January 27, 2020. Thailand has detected 11 coronavirus cases so far China: 7,771 Thailand: 14 Japan: 11 Singapore: 10 Taiwan: 9 Malaysia: 8 Australia: 7 South Korea: 6 France: 5 Vietnam: 5 United States: 5 Germany: 4 Canada: 3 United Arab Emirates: 4 India: 1 Philippines: 1 Finland: 1 Nepal: 1 Cambodia: 1 Sri Lanka: 1 Advertisement 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. The death toll in China has reached 132 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 House Democrats and defense lawyers face their final day of questioning Thursday in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial, before the Senate holds a crucial vote on whether to consider new witnesses and documents. Beginning at 1 p.m. ET, senators will have approximately eight hours to submit questions in writing to Chief Justice John Roberts, who is presiding over the trial. Roberts will read each question out loud, alternating between parties. While Thursday's questions still have the potential to elicit new information, outside the Senate chamber all eyes will be on the Republican whip count. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has been working all week to lock down enough votes within his 53-member caucus to block a Democratic attempt to admit additional evidence in the trial. As of Thursday morning, McConnell's efforts appeared to be paying off. By most counts, Democrats did not yet have enough breakaway Republican votes to compel the chamber to allow new witnesses. If Friday's expected vote on new witnesses fails, the Senate could move forward with a final vote on whether to convict or acquit the president as early as Friday afternoon. The State of the Union speech is scheduled for Tuesday. Asked on Thursday morning about his plans for Friday's votes, McConnell played coy. "We'll see what tomorrow brings," he told reporters in the Capitol. Read more: Trump impeachment trial: Senators seek answers on John Bolton, Ukraine aid timing and the president's motives On Wednesday, House impeachment managers and Trump's legal team fielded a range of pointed queries from senators. House impeachment managers led by Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., were asked to expound on why additional witnesses and documents would be central in Trump's impeachment trial. On the other side, the defense, led by Trump's personal lawyer Jay Sekulow, was primarily asked about the standards of impeachment and the possible consequences associated with it. They were also pressed on the question of corrupt motives. While it remains unlikely that the Senate will vote to convict and remove Trump from office, several moderate Republicans had voiced support for calling relevant witnesses and pulling in additional documents. Democratic House managers have made a forceful case for what they see as the need to call Trump's former national security advisor John Bolton to testify. According to his forthcoming memoir, Bolton personally heard Trump say he wanted to withhold military aid to Ukraine unless the country helped him with investigations into Trump's political rivals, notably former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Trump was impeached by the House last month on charges that included abuse of power stemming from his decision to suspend congressionally mandated foreign aid to Ukraine last summer while he sought investigations from Ukraine's newly elected president. He was also charged with obstruction of Congress, a charge predicated on the White House effort to stonewall a congressional probe of Trump's Ukraine policy. Thursday's trial session was expected to last well into the evening. Country United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine 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 Investment management company, Kgori Capital introduced an online transaction platform offering a convenient way for investors to transact online. Dubbed, Kgori Secure Services the platform is geared towards both retail and institutional investors and designed to provide the most secure and convenient way for them to obtain and manage their portfolios and investments. Launching the platform on Wednesday, Kgori Capital Managing Director, Alphonse Ndzinge said they introduced the online platform because they have identified digital platforms as an important element of business. As a business we are always looking for new and innovative opportunities for our clients. In the ever evolving world of technologies, we remain cognisant of our role in Botswana to improve financial literacy to facilitate the growth of a much stronger savings culture, said Ndzinge. He highlighted that the Kgori Capital seeks to play an impactful role in transforming the investment management industry into an environment that allows it to produce excellent investment outcomes for clients. We believe the Kgori Secure Service is a solution that will enhance our customer experience as well as cater for the increasing appetite in the personal investment and savings space. The Kgori Secure Service transactions are processed in a secure environment that requires a One-Time-Pin (OTP) to access, ensuring that one is wholly protected at all times. The key features of the Kgori Secure Service include viewing ones full portfolio of Unit Trust investments, extracting statements and transactions and buying, selling and switching units among others. Ndzinge said they remain dedicated to empowering Batswana further to invest in their future through more diversified and innovative platforms.We are very excited to bring this investment solution to the market. At Kgori Capital, we appreciate that customers are always seeking convenience as they navigate their daily lives. In this regard we are always seeking for solutions that bring the convenience that our customers need and expect, he said. Christie & Co recently launched their new report focusing on the hostel markets in Vienna, Prague and Budapest. The report shows an overview of the business model itself, key characteristics, the evolution of the hostel concept and gives a deeper insight of the mentioned markets: Vienna, Prague and Budapest, in [] DALLAS - A 78-year-old former Roman Catholic priest whose whereabouts remain unknown has been accused of aggravated sexual assault of a child while serving as a priest in North Texas, according to a police affidavit. Dallas police obtained a warrant Tuesday for the arrest of Richard Thomas Brown, a priest who served at five North Texas churches before he was removed in 2002 and recently defrocked. The affidavit accused Brown of sexually molesting a child on July 5, 1989. Brown is the first Catholic priest to be charged with sexual abuse since Dallas police raided the offices of the diocese last year. One year ago, the diocese issued a list of 31 priests its officials said were credibly accused of molesting children. Brown was on that list. The present case against Brown began in 2018, when an Irving abuse victims aunt emailed the diocese to report that her niece had been molested during the 1980s. The police, contacted by the diocese, interviewed the victim who said the diocese had been alerted in 2004. The affidavit, which was obtained by WFAA-TV, said the victim told of Brown sexually assaulting her over several months in the 1980s at Holy Family of Nazareth Catholic Church in Irving. Browns activities were reported long before 2004, though. In depositions taken in 1995 and 1996 in a civil case, Sister Caroleen Hensgen, then the superintendent of the parochial schools in the diocese, testified that the principal of the school at the Holy Family school in Irving told her of those activities during the 1980s. She said she passed those reports on to then-Bishop Thomas Tschoepe. Brown was transferred to another parish. According to the police affidavit, Brown continued to be transferred from one parish to another, one diocese to another. Police believe he sexually abused as many as 50 children between his ordination in 1980 and his removal from the priesthood in 2002. In a letter dated last Sept 19, the diocese said Browns last known whereabouts was in or near Delaware. It is our prayer that the arrest of Richard Brown will provide an opportunity for the legal system to address the accusations against him, the letter stated. No telephone number could be found listed in that area for Brown, and he could not be reached for comment. Teachers in the Netherlands have decided to carry out a new two-day national strike on January 3031, following national one-day strikes in February and November of 2019. These strikes are part of a protracted struggle for state funding to provide increased staff, better facilities, increased pay and reduced workloads. The teachers strikes in the Netherlands come amidst a historic resurgence of international class struggle against social inequality, austerity and imperialist war, increasingly defying the political grip of traditional parties and their appendages, the trade unions. Since 2018, a wave of teachers strikes has swept across five continents, ranging from the United States to India. In 2019, teachers in Poland organised their first national strike since the Stalinist regime restored capitalism more than 30 years ago. Workers entering into struggle in the Netherlands are confronted with critical political issues. The decisive question is the international unification of the struggles of workers and youth and the adoption of a politically independent program and perspective based on socialism. For free public education The Dutch ruling class has decimated education budgets over the past decade, siphoning off public funds to bail out the banks and corporations responsible for the 2008 financial crisis. The past decade has seen the largest ever transfer of public wealth from the bottom of society to the top. The burn-out rate amongst educators is at an all-time high due to increasing class sizes and demands outside of the classroom. Children are frequently sent home due to chronic shortages of teachers, or are forced to do their homework at school. In Amsterdam, several schools had to cut the school week to four days due to unfilled vacancies, while growing numbers of teachers work on temp contracts with little job security. Education is a basic and universal democratic right. It is critical for teachers in the Netherlands to unite with their class brothers and sisters internationally to coordinate and unify efforts to provide free and universal education for all. For a socialist programme Workers must reject the lie that there is no money for basic social needs. Capitalist governments and union bureaucrats use this false claim to beat workers into submission. In the Netherlands, the richest 10 percent own 68 percent of the countrys wealth. Worldwide, 2,153 billionaires have more wealth than the 4.6 billion people who make up 60 percent of the planets population, as Oxfam reported in its latest survey of social inequality. Tax evasion in the Netherlands plays a significant role in the widening gap: 10 percent of the profits multinationals divert worldwide to avoid paying taxes end up in the Netherlands, which serves as a tax haven. The Netherlands illustrates the obscene growth of social inequality worldwide. According to Rabobank, disposable household income has stagnated since 1977. Many Dutch workers have actually seen a fall in their real income since the 2008 financial crisis, though the AEX stock market closed 2019 with record gains. The only progressive way to address the acute social problems caused by this concentration of wealth is to expropriate the parasitic financial aristocracy and place its assets under democratic workers control. This requires the revolutionary political mobilisation of the working class on an international scale. Break with the trade unions! Build action committees! The way forward for Dutch teachers is to take their struggles into their own hands. Workers cannot fight for socialist policies by appealing to the government or limiting themselves to protest strikes orchestrated by the unions. The union bureaucracies work relentlessly to coerce workers into accepting social cuts. The treachery of the teachers union AOb reached a new low when it called off a national strike in early November 2019 after reaching a deal with Education Minister Arie Slob for a one-off funding supplement. But teachers rebelled, courageously striking on November 6. In every country, the nationally-based trade unions have undergone a grotesque degeneration. When General Motors workers in America staged a month-long strike last year against plant closures, falling real wages and the expansion of temporary labour, they were betrayed by the United Auto Workers union, which is embroiled in a corruption scandal for taking massive bribes from the auto companies. The way forward for Dutch teachers and associate workers in education is to build rank-and-file organizationsaction committeesindependent of the unions and their so-called independent third party affiliates. These action committees will mobilise the growing opposition of other sections of workers, including health care workers who also struck last November, to coordinate industrial and political action and imbue the developing movement of the international working class with socialist consciousness. Workers need their own party The existing Dutch parties offer nothing to workers and will prove bitterly hostile to independent struggles by the working class. The social democratic Labour Party (PvdA) carried out most of the social cuts in recent decades and has overseen Dutch participation in many of the imperialist wars of the NATO alliance. As for the Green Left and the ex-Maoist Socialist Party (SP), they pursue the nationalist agenda of their affluent middle class social base, whose politics are indistinguishable from Greeces pro-austerity Syriza party. Their cynicism and right-wing records disgust workers, leading some to vote for the far right. Across Europe, the ruling elite is promoting the neo-fascists. The Alternative fur Deutchland (AfD) has become Germanys largest opposition party. In Poland and Hungary, far-right parties are in power, while they are rapidly rising in France, Italy and Spain. In the Netherlands, the far-right Forum for Democracy (FvD) gained 12 seats in the parliamentary Senate after the provincial elections in March 2019. Workers who break with the unions, which are wedded to the political establishment, and take up an independent, international struggle against the capitalist system will face pressing political issues. The fight against social and political reaction demands one thing above all: the formation of a new, independent political leadership in the working class, a section of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI). The ICFI bases itself on an unbroken record of struggle against national opportunism and for the independence of the working class from all bourgeois and petty-bourgeois parties. It stands in the tradition of the Left Opposition and the Fourth International, which, led by Leon Trotsky, defended Marxism and socialist internationalism against the betrayals of Stalinism. Amid the growing strikes, it seeks to develop a socialist and internationalist movement of the working class to reorganise economic life on the basis of social need, not private profit. We urge workers seeking a way to fight austerity, defend democratic rights and oppose militarism to read the World Socialist Web Site, contact the ICFI via the WSWS, and support the fight to build a section of the ICFI in the Netherlands. The authors also recommend: Teachers strike wave spreads across five continents [7 March 2019] Dutch health care strike: The defence of health care requires a socialist perspective [20 November 2019] : Korean auto-maker Hyundai Motor India is in the process of developing an electric vehicle in the next two-three years to serve the mass market, a top official of the company has said. On Thursday, the auto major rolled out its three millionth 'Made in India' car being shipped to overseas market from its manufacturing unit at Sriperumbudur near here. After formally signing on the bonnet of the three millionth car which was unveiled at the facility, Hyundai Motor India's managing director S S Kim said the company was developing a mass market electric vehicle for India. "That will be introduced in two - three years. In terms of price it will be affordable", he told reporters without being specific on the price. Hyundai Motor India had, in 2019, introduced the electric vehicle 'Kona' priced at around Rs 25 lakh. The company has claimed the vehicle delivers a range of 452 km in a single charge under standard testing conditions. Globally, the company has sold over 15,000 units in markets like Canada, USA, Europe, Russia, Korea and Australia. On the three millionth car, Kim said the company's latest sedan Hyundai Aura has been rechristened with a left hand drive as 'Grand i10' for the Colombian market. He said the company also began shipping the Aura range of cars to overseas market starting with Colombia. Around 130 units of Aura would be shipped in the first lot, a company official said. According to Kim, the rollout of the three millionth car was the fastest since inception of the unit in 1998. "The fastest 'Made in India' three millionth export car rollout is a significant milestone as it showcases the global success story for Hyundai," he said. "We started our export operations in 1999 and crossed many a milestone. We thank our global customers and overseas distributors for their trust," he said. HMIL began exporting cars in 1999 with the first batch comprising 20 units of popular hatchback 'Santro' shipped to Nepal. In October 2004, the company reached the first milestone of exporting the 1,00,000th car. In March 2008, the company exported its 5,00,000th car followed by 10,00,000th car and 20,00,000th car in February 2010 and March 2014 respectively. Currently, a Hyundai car is produced every 33 seconds at the facility, an official said. In 2019, Hyundai Motor shipped 1.81 lakh units with 792 customised variants according to country-specific preference and demand, Kim, who is also the company's CEO, said at an event in the manufacturing facility. With a marketshare of 26 per cent in 2019 to the total exports of passenger cars from India, Hyundai has been a significant contributor to the Indian automobile industry, he said. Kim said the company, during the last two decades, had invested Rs 24,000 crore in its manufacturing unit. The company has already announced Rs 7,000 crore additional investments, which include new product launches and powertrain enhancement, he added. Chennai Port Trust chairman P Raveendran, who was present on the occasion, congratulated Hyundai Motor India for reaching the export milestone. He said the Port Trust started focusing on three Cs - containers, cars and cruise. Hyundai Motor India ships 13 models of cars across segments, including the electric vehicle 'Kona', to 88 countries in the continents of Africa, Middle-East, Latin America, Australia and the Asia-Pacific. HMIL has 515 dealers and 1,329 service points across India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Kremlin prisoner Oleh Sentsov noted that Ukraine should continue its fight and named the steps by Volodymyr Zelensky that he supports. Ukrainian film director, released from Russian captivity in September 2019 in a prisoner swap effort, Oleh Sentsov, has made an unexpected statement that the only way to achieve peace in Donbas is defeat. He noted that negotiating with Russian President Vladimir Putin is impossible, and turned to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The ex-prisoner noted that Ukraine should continue the fight and called the steps taken by Zelensky that he supports. "I have my own opinion, which in some respects does not coincide with that of our president. In my opinion, we cannot negotiate with Putin. For us, the only way to achieve peace in Donbass is defeat. We must give in, and after this, peace will come to Donbas. But it will be peace of a conquered state," Sentsov said in an interview with the Voice of America. He noted that the only alternative is to continue the fight, and only having survived, Ukraine will be able to defeat the horde. Read alsoUkraine did not ask Kremlin for Zelensky-Putin meeting in Israel aide "Not to give up. We cannot defeat Putin objectively by military means. We cannot kill him economically. He has more resources, but we can simply refuse to give up and prevail in this confrontation. I always compare Ukraine with the tower on which we stand as the horde storms us, and we just need to survive. We cannot go down and kill this horde there are a lot of them down there, we only have to survive," said the ex-prisoner of the Kremlin. Sentsov supported Zelensky's steps regarding the ceasefire and release of prisoners. He noted that he did not believe that Putin would let Donbas integrate. In addition, he said that Zelensky himself knows how everything should be done. "He is an adult, the leader of our country, knows what to do, so let him do it. I don't offer advice. He has own advisors and he has his own head on his shoulders. He understands how it should be done," summed up Sentsov. CLEVELAND, Ohio A suspect in the disappearance and death of a 29-year-old woman in Alabama was arrested Wednesday night in Garfield Heights by federal agents. Officials with the Northern Ohio Fugitive Task Force found Frederick Hampton, 50, of Brighton, Alabama, at the home of a family member on the 13600 block of Eastwood Avenue, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. Agents had to force their way into the home, but Hampton was taken into custody without incident. He is being held in the Cuyahoga County Jail awaiting extradition to Alabama. Hampton is charged with abuse of corpse after Paighton Houstons body was found in a shallow grave on Jan. 3 behind a home just outside Birmingham, Alabama, according to al.com. Houston disappeared after leaving a bar in Birmingham on Dec. 20. The home where the grave was found belongs to relatives of Hampton, authorities say. Paighton Laine Houston, 29. (Birmingham Police/Facebook) Hampton has not been charged with Houstons death. Authorities tell al.com the abuse of a corpse charge is in connection with accusations that Hampton buried Houston. He is under investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service for possible federal violations. According to al.com, the Jefferson County Coroners Office is still working to determine the cause and manner of Houstons death. Investigators also are waiting for the results of additional testing, including toxicology, which takes four to six weeks. Sheriffs Office Deputy Chief David Agee said earlier this month that there were no signs of physical trauma to the body, al.com reports. To comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments page. Other crime-related content on cleveland.com: Woman arrested in Wisconsin in connection with deadly shootings in Cleveland, Georgia Man tries to abduct 7-year-old girl at Cleveland school, police say Man climbs through Cleveland womans window and tries to rape her at knifepoint, police say Cleveland father charged after 3-year-old boy shot himself with illegal gun Man shoots attacker in self-defense in Clevelands Slavic Village neighborhood, police say Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 30, 2020) - Canadian Palladium Resources Inc. (formerly 21C Metals Inc.) (CSE: BULL) (OTCQB: DCNNF) (FSE: DCR1) (the "Company") has signed a contract with Vital Drilling of Val Caron, Ontario for a 10,000 metre diamond drilling program on the Company's East Bull Palladium Property. With the recent closing of a $4 million non-brokered financing, the planned exploration program is fully funded. The primary objective of the program is to expand the Company's current NI 43-101 inferred resource of 523,000 ounces of Palladium equivalent (News Release dated July 3, 2019). The present resource is defined over 1.8 kilometres and drilled down dip (-45o) to 125 metres. The new program will test the full 3.0 km length, to a depth of 240 metres. The Company's goal is to expand upon the inferred resource. Drilling will commence shortly with the expectation of having core to view at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) Convention in early March. Access to the property is via a numbered highway that connects to a bush trail previously built to service historic drilling. Selection of diamond drill sites by the company's geologists and advisors has commenced. Wayne Tisdale states, "Given the recent and unprecedented increase in palladium prices, we want to move quickly to expand our inferred resource. The closing of our financing and the commencement of our exploration program allows us to do exactly that." For additional information please contact: Canadian Palladium Resources Inc. Wayne Tisdale, President and CEO T: (604) 639-4472 Reader Advisory This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. In particular, forward-looking information in this press release includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the proposed timing and completion of the private placement and the proposed use of proceeds from the private placement. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. We cannot guarantee future results, performance or achievements. Consequently, there is no representation that the actual results achieved will be the same, in whole or in part, as those set out in the forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking information. Some of the risks and other factors that could cause the results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: general economic conditions in Canada and globally; industry conditions, including governmental regulation and environmental regulation; failure to obtain industry partner and other third party consents and approvals, if and when required; the availability of capital on acceptable terms; the need to obtain required approvals from regulatory authorities; stock market volatility; liabilities inherent in water disposal facility operations; competition for, among other things, skilled personnel and supplies; incorrect assessments of the value of acquisitions; geological, technical, processing and transportation problems; changes in tax laws and incentive programs; failure to realize the anticipated benefits of acquisitions and dispositions; and the other factors. Readers are cautioned that this list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. We undertake no duty to update any of the forward-looking information to conform such information to actual results or to changes in our expectations except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Not for dissemination in the United States or through U.S. newswires To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/51932 Three dams with a total capacity of 367 million cubic meters will be built in Marrakesh region (central Morocco) within the frame of the National Drinking Water Supply and Irrigation Program worth 10.8 billion. According to local officials, the three new dams will enhance drinking water supply in the region and help cope with the low rainfalls, which had affected water reserves and agriculture. In another development, Moroccos National Office for Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEEP) has allocated around 111 million (MAD 1.18 billion ) to carry out several water projects in the Guelmim-Oued Noun region, southern Morocco, announced the head of ONEEPs agency in Guelmim, Ahmed Salem Benjimouaa. The projects aim to strengthen and diversify drinking water resources, optimize the demand management, reinforce the drinking water supply in rural areas, and extend and rehabilitate distribution networks and wastewater treatment plants. Benjimouaa made the announcement at a regional meeting about Moroccos 2020-2027 national water plan, held on Wednesday Jan. 29, in Guelmim. The newly unveiled projects are part of the national water plan, sealed lately at a ceremony chaired in Rabat by King Mohammed VI. The plan aims at ensuring sufficient water supply in the Kingdom over the next seven years, and diversifying drinking and irrigation water supply notably through dam building, in a bid to bring up Moroccos water storage capacity to 27.3 billion m3. The program seeks to improve water management, increase supply to rural areas and build desalination plants to support the already operational plants in Laayoune, Boujdour, Tan Tan and Akhfenir. Morocco is also planning the construction of 20 large dams, including a dam with a capacity of 1.35 billion m3 to meet needs of Tangier and Oujda. The water plan also provides for exploring groundwater to mobilize new resources. The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) projected a continued warming trend in Morocco. Every decade since 1970, the average temperature in Morocco has increased by 0.5 C, exceeding the global average by 0.15 degrees. Over the next 20 years, IPPC estimates Morocco will become more vulnerable to drought and other extreme weather events. Reports note that temperatures in Morocco could keep increasing by up to 7 C by 2100 unless serious preventive measures are taken. BJP open to any govt formation proposal from Sena: Mungantiwar India pti-PTI Mumbai, Jan 30: Senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar on Thursday said his party is willing to join hands with the Shiv Sena to form government in Maharashtra if its "natural ally" comes up with a proposal in this regard. In November last year, the Shiv Sena snapped ties with the BJP, its long-standing ally, and joined hands with the Congress and the NCP, its ideological opponents, to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. Sena president Uddhav Thackeray is now chief minister of the MVA coalition. Mungantiwar, who was finance minister in the erstwhile Devendra Fadnavis cabinet, said if the Sena realises its "mistake" of walking out of the saffron alliance, the BJP is ready for a patch up. "If tomorrow the Sena comes to us saying it was a 'mistake' to part ways and proposes to form government, the BJP will have no objection in accepting the Sena's proposal," he said and described the Thackeray-led party as the BJP's "natural ally". "The BJP has no problem in forming government with any party that adopts the line of thinking of (Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji to protect this country," Mungantiwar said. "If the Sena comes with a proposal -- chalo der aaye, durust aaye... (better late than never) subhah ka bhoola sham ko laut aayaa...(one who realises his mistake) then the BJP will have no objection in accepting the Sena's proposal," he said. Mungantiwar was speaking on the sidelines of an event in Nanded district of central Maharashtra. The former state BJP president also took a dig at the Sena leadership for joining hands with the Congress. "The Congress' support to the Sena for government formation is a wonder of 21st century. With it, Mumbai's once strong Matoshree (Thackeray's home in suburban Bandra) has now weakened, but Delhi-based Matoshree (a reference to interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi) has become stronger," he said. "Both the parties -- the Sena and the Congress -- have different principles and stand on issues. They do not match at all. Congress leader Ashok Chavan has admitted both the parties came together on the demand of Muslims to keep the BJP away from power," said Mungantiwar. Meanwhile, speaking in Aurangabad, Chavan, who is a minister in the Sena-led government, said Mungantiwar was "dreaming" and thinks he is still in government. He was replaying to queries from reporters about Mungantiwar's comments on forming government with the Sena. "Mungantiwar has a habit of dreaming. But our government is working smoothly," said Chavan, a former chief minister. For hundreds of years, practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine have used an herb called Stemona sessilifolia as a remedy for parasitic infections, such as those caused by pinworms and lice. Now, researchers reporting in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry have identified 10 compounds that might be responsible for the herb's effectiveness. But there's a twist: The insecticides are produced by symbiotic microbes that live within the plant's cells -- not by S. sessilifolia itself. Endophytes are microorganisms that live inside plant cells but do not cause apparent disease. Instead, some endophytes help plants survive by enhancing growth, nutrient acquisition, or resistance to drought or pests. Therefore, scientists are investigating endophytes as potential sources of new medicines and agrichemicals. Xiachang Wang, Lihong Hu and colleagues wanted to screen endophytes from S. sessilifolia for insecticidal activity. To isolate endophytes, the researchers spread fresh, cut-up pieces of S. sessilifolia on agar plates. They then collected the bacteria that grew on the plates, analyzed the DNA and identified the microbes as Streptomyces clavuligerus. Using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, the team purified 10 new compounds from the bacteria with structures similar to a class of insecticides known as pyrroles. Testing the substances on insects revealed that they were strongly toxic to aphids and moderately toxic to spider mites. A bacterial extract containing all of the compounds had greater lethal activity than any compound alone. These substances, or the bacteria that produce them, could be promising new natural pesticides, the researchers say. Anna Heinrich and Tim Robards have shut down rumous that their marriage is in trouble. Speaking to Who magazine, The Bachelor couple insisted that things between them are great despite their long-distant arrangement. Tim, 37, is currently based in Melbourne where he films Neighbours, while Anna, 33, still lives in Sydney. 'When we have kids we definitely want to be in the same state': Tim Robards and Anna Heinrich have opened up about their long-distance marriage and revealed plans to start a family 'I'm 33 and we always wanted to have a family,' Anna admitted, adding that Tim's acting career has been a barrier in their quest for children. 'When we have kids we definitely want to be in the same state,' Tim explained. 'So we'll just see how the start of this year pans out and go from there.' 'I'm 33 and we always wanted to have a family': Anna, who is based in Sydney, has to wait until Tim finishes working on Neighbours in Melbourne before they can have children Anna insisted that her modern marriage to Tim is no different than any other busy couple today, saying: 'We chat five times a day on FaceTime.' Tim and Anna met on the first season of The Bachelor back in 2013. They officially tied the knot in 2018 in a lavish Italian wedding ceremony surrounded by friends and family. One month after their nuptials, Tim relocated to Melbourne after landing the role of Pierce Greyson on Neighbours, leaving Anna behind to hold down the fort in Sydney. 'We'll just see how the start of this year pans out and go from there': Tim is currently focused on his acting career The former chiropractor has made a huge splash on the soap, and plans to continue his role 'well into 2020'. 'We are absolutely delighted with Tim's performance and have just recontracted him to ensure his character is on screen well into 2020,' the show's executive producer Jason Herbison told Daily Mail Australia in October. 'We have some incredibly juicy story arcs in the pipeline for Pierce which are sure to shock and enthrall fans and we have no doubt Tim will deliver,' Mr Herbison added. Egypt's national airline EgyptAir said it will resume flights in the upcoming period to Chinese cities in accordance with the incoming reservations and demand Egypt's flagship airliner EgyptAir said it is suspending flights to and from China as of February over the outbreak of coronavirus in the East Asian country, the company said in a statement on Thursday. According to the statement, EgyptAir is suspending flights to the Chinese city of Hangzhou effective 1 February, and Beijing and Guangzhou starting 4 February until further notice. EgyptAir said it is taking the measure to preserve the safety and health of travelers and flight crews. The company added that it is committed to returning Chinese tourist groups currently visiting Egypt, and that the last group is set to leave the country on 4 February. EgyptAir operates a daily flight to Guangzhou, and three weekly flights to Beijing and Hangzhou. The statement added that the civil aviation ministry and EgyptAir are following developments on the matter to determine when flights will be resumed. In a following statement on Thursday, EgyptAir said it will resume flights in the upcoming period to Chinese cities in accordance with the incoming reservations and demand. EgyptAir is joining a list of global airliners in the suspension or scaling back of flights to and from China, including British Airways, United Airlines, American Airlines, Air Asia, Cathay Pacific, Air India, IndiGo, Lufthansa and Finnair. The epidemic has killed at least 170 people in China, with thousands infected worldwide. China has started quarantining hundreds of citizens evacuated from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the disease. Search Keywords: Short link: Two Kolkata businessmen, Aditya Aggarwal and Anish Loharuka, along with one of their employees were arrested on Tuesday by the Detective Department of the Kolkata Police on charges of extorting money from numerous women by threatening to make videos of their intimate moments with the two businessmen public. A city court on Wednesday remanded them in police custody for a week. Joint commissioner of police (crime) Murli Dhar Sharma said the cyber cell of the detective department arrested both businessmen. In the laptops seized during the arrest police found 182 videos which were shot since 2013. An officer on condition of anonymity said that the investigation into the case was on since November 2019. According to a senior officer, the woman, on whose complaint the probe started in November, paid Rs 5 lakh but decided to approach the police when she was pressured to pay Rs 10 lakh more. Police first arrested Anish Loharukas cook Kailash Yadav based on the complaint of the woman whom Yadav had called to extort money. Following his arrest, Yadav informed the police about Agarwal and Loharuka. It was WhatsApp messages from different women sent to the cooks phone that led us to believe it was one of the biggest cases of extortion, said a senior police officer. An officer on condition of anonymity said that Yadav was used as a cover so that no suspicions would arise against the businessmen. Initially, they used to only record intimate moments but since 2018 they started using these videos to extort money, the officer further added. Aggarwal and Loharuka had allegedly videoed these women whom they had befriended since 2013. In all the cases they had taken these women to locations where cameras were installed in advance. Aditya Aggarwals family runs ethnic wear stores while Anish Loharuka owns hotels. The accused were arrested under several sections of the IT Act and Indian Penal Code. Aggarwal and Loharuka were arrested on Tuesday night and produced before a city court on Wednesday and remanded in police custody, said public prosecutor Snehanshu Ghosh. Johnson set to back HS2 Boris Johnson is poised to approve HS2 as part of his attempt to level up Britain in a move that will put him at odds with his most senior adviser. The prime minister will hold meetings today with Sajid Javid, the chancellor, and Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, before deciding the projects future. He is expected to announce within days that the project should go ahead but make significant cost-savings amid concerns that the final bill will exceed 100 billion. Dominic Cummings, his closest aide, and Andrew Gilligan, a senior adviser on transport, are said to have been arguing that the project should be scrapped. Mr Cummings, who has described HS2 as a disaster zone, has suggested the money would be better spent on alternative infrastructure. The Times Hes urged to make a decision as it is splitting the Tory Party The Sun Project should proceed, says the Chancellor Daily Telegraph Three new-intake MPs urge him to give it the green light The Times Shapps goes full steam ahead with rail overhaul plan FT Editorial: Only infrastructure upgrades can fix the network The Times Prime Minister faces Tory rebellion over Huawei Conservative critics of Boris Johnsons Huawei decision will push for a commitment from the government that the Chinese firm must be forced out of Britains telecoms infrastructure within three years. Johnson defied the US and rebels in his party on Tuesday by deciding to allow Huawei to build part of the UKs 5G network as long as it is restricted to non-core parts of infrastructure and has no more than 35% of market share. A group of anti-Huawei Tories want an assurance that the government will work towards reducing the Chinese companys influence in UK infrastructure to zero, ultimately stripping it out of the 4G network as well. The Guardian Pompeo warns that decision could affect intelligence relationship Daily Telegraph Johnson praises Trumps Middle East peace plan at PMQs The Guardian Comment: Post-Brexit Britain cannot rely on a special relationship Philip Stephens, FT Johnson is still triumphant. Huawei shows that wont last Martin Kettle, The Guardian >Today: Garvan Walshes column: Kushners Middle East peace deal is a bad idea from every perspective >Yesterday: Brexit: Prime Minister to tell EU hes prepared to accept border checks Boris Johnson will tell the EU he is prepared to accept post-Brexit border checks rather than allowing Britain to be a rule-taker in a major speech setting out his aims for a trade deal next week. The Prime Minister will say sovereignty is more important than frictionless trade, defying warnings from Brussels that the UK must accept EU standards on goods if it wants the best possible deal It means Mr Johnson will tell businesses they might face extra paperwork and physical checks on goods crossing the border, a price he is willing to pay to avoid crossing his own red lines, which include the right to diverge on standards and regulations, full control of Britains fishing waters and the end of European judges influence in the UK. Daily Telegraph British businesses face disruption if London diverges from EU sanctions FT Comment: How the dream of 1973 turned sour Dominic Sandbrook, Daily Mail >Today: Steve Barclay MP in Comment: Tomorrow we will get Brexit done, and start building a better future for every corner of our United Kingdom and Downing Street in stand-off with broadcasters over official message The BBC and other broadcasters are in a stand-off with No 10 over the Prime Ministers plan to address the nation as Britain leaves the European Union. Boris Johnson intends to break with a long-standing tradition by using his personal videographer to record the historic message, bypassing the media. The BBC said it will not guarantee that Mr Johnsons address will be aired. The message is understood to take the form of a fireside chat, urging the nation to embrace Brexit. No 10 then plans to hand out the prerecorded footage for use on air. All previous Prime Ministers have used the pool system, in which footage is shot by one broadcaster and shared with others. Daily Telegraph European Parliament gives its blessing to UKs Brexit deal FT Farage says Britain is too big to bully The Sun More: BBC faces biggest threat in decades, says head of news FT >Today: Video: WATCH: EU farewells 1) Hannan You are losing a bad tenant, but gaining a good neighbour >Yesterday: ToryDiary: The claim that the UK has become a more xenophobic country since the referendum is a damaging myth Allister Heath: Weve got Brexit done, but the task of Euroscepticism remains Yet even though it has triumphed in Britain, Euroscepticism remains an unfinished project. Its not just that we dont yet know the terms of any future deal with the EU, and whether our government will concede too much. Im not even referring to the fact that we will remain part of the European Convention on Human Rights, another post World War II, non-EU but still supranational legal construct from which a mature, pro-rights democracy such as ours should also be moving on. The real reason Euroscepticism remains incomplete is that the EU will boast 27 member states on 1 February, and it will accelerate ever-closer centralisation. No Brexiteer should be comfortable with abandoning Europes liberal, mainstream pro-democracy Eurosceptics to their fate. Daily Telegraph >Today: Interviews: Lamont describes how the belief that Britain should leave the EU entered the Tory mainstream >Yesterday: Mark Wallace in Comment: How Eurosceptics survived the wilderness years, and returned to win the day Javid orders ministers to find savings Sajid Javid, the chancellor, has ordered cabinet ministers to draw up cuts of up to 5 per cent from their budgets. The Treasury wants to free up money to spend on other priorities, such as the NHS. A government source said: This isnt about cuts for their own sake, its about living within our means and prioritising what we do spend on our radical agenda: levelling up the country. Not every department will be expected to make every cut suggested. This month Boris Johnson told his cabinet that it was time for the slaughtering of sacred cows and to cull pet projects supported by his predecessors, Theresa May and David Cameron. He said that the government should proceed with large-scale cuts even though some civil servants would squeal. The Times Tories will write minimum school funding into law The Times Johnson pledges 5,000 per pupil to every secondary school in England The Sun >Today: ToryDiary: The calm before the reshuffle? Our first Cabinet League Table of 2020 Hancock promises to step in to help veterans charity after NHS cuts Health secretary Matt Hancock has pledged to step in to help veterans charity Combat Stress which slashed support because of NHS cuts. The mental health service for former members of the armed services announced it had been forced to stop taking referrals after a shortfall in funding. But after a meeting with Veterans minister Johnny Mercer and Tory MP Sir Bernard Jenkin, vice chairman of the organisation earlier this week, the health secretary said work had started to make up the shortfall. Sir Bernard asked him about the cut and Mr Hancock replied: There is work on a new contract to replace the old one and I hope that is settled and agreed as soon as possible. The Sun Former May cabinet members to lead select committees Several Conservative ministers who served in Theresa Mays government have been elected to chair House of Commons select committees after Boris Johnson, prime minister, dispensed with their services last year. Jeremy Hunt, the former foreign secretary, is the most prominent ex-cabinet minister to take up a chairmanship along with former business secretary Greg Clark and defence minister Tobias Ellwood Mr Hunt, who was also the UKs longest-serving health secretary, was elected chair of the health and social care committee on Wednesday evening by 433 MPs. He unsuccessfully challenged Mr Johnson for the Tory leadership last summer and later rejected his offer to serve as defence secretary. FT Davison speaks of fathers killing The Times >Yesterday: MPs Etc.: Select Committee chairmanships announced Poll shows Tories ahead of Labour in Wales Labour are predicted to lose seats at the next Welsh assembly election next year. As the current Government of Wales, Labour holds the most seats in the Senedd, the countrys National Assembly, with the Conservatives trailing just behind. Yet, according to a new poll, Labour is set to lose crucial seats in the Senedd in the 2021 election. The poll, exclusive to ITV and carried out by Cardiff University, found that Welsh voters are currently rewarding Boris Johnson, who is set to successfully lead the UK out of the EU on January 31. With the majority of Wales having voted Brexit, the Conservatives currently enjoy historic levels of support in the country. Daily Express Scottish government wins vote to keep EU flag flying over Holyrood The Guardian Long-Bailey forced to backtrack over worked through the night claims Rebecca Long-Bailey has been forced to backtrack over claims that she had worked through the night to help keep Labour afloat in the wake of the 2016 revolt against Jeremy Corbyn. The Labour leadership candidate has in recent days sought to highlight her loyalty to Mr Corbyn by referring back to her efforts after a frontbench colleague quit unexpectedly the night before an important committee hearing. The Salford MP retold the story at a dinner on Saturday alongside Mr Corbyn, during which she also claimed that shared files had been deleted after Robert Marris, who worked alongside her in the shadow treasury team, flounced off But on Wednesday the shadow business secretary was forced to admit that her version of events were incorrect, as it emerged that the committee hearing had in fact been adjourned until five days later. Daily Telegraph She calls on opponents to commit to re-nationalising energy, water, rail and mail The Sun More: Thornberry and de Piero in shocking clash over Brexit on heated Peston Daily Express >Yesterday: Video: WATCH: The Brexit Story 12) Nobody is ruling out Remain, says Starmer Hoyle dismantles John Bercows constitutional vandalism Lindsay Hoyle has dismantled former Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercows rule to ignore the advice of Parliamentary clerks in a move to repair the constitutional vandalism caused by the previous leader. Speaker Hoyle, who was elected for the role before Christmas, has empowered Commons Clerks to state their views in the Commons library, which in turn restrains the power of the Speaker. The move is a rebuke of the constitutional vandalism caused by Mr Bercow, who last year passed an amendment by fellow Remainer Dominic Grieve to give excess power to the Speaker in a bid to halt Brexit, Tom Harwood of Guido Fawkes said on Twitter. Other Twitter users are quick to echo his comments. Daily Express >Yesterday: Video: WATCH: The Brexit Story 15) Ministers pull the meaningful vote, Bercow cuts up rough News in Brief: The outgoing acting deputy chief constable of the PSNI has taken legal advice after he was not shortlisted for the permanent role. Stephen Martin said the process needed to be rigorously fair. The Policing Board is responsible for appointments and said they were made based on merit and openness. These processes need to be rigorously fair, they need to be lawfulStephen Martin Mr Martin told the BBC: These processes need to be rigorously fair, they need to be lawful. If that were not the case I would certainly be shocked and grossly disappointed and would feel considerably let down. I have taken legal advice and the board are aware of that now. He added: When you apply for a position, you weigh these things up carefully, you put a lot of personal investment into it, preparation, and when it doesnt work out I think naturally anyone in my position would be disappointed. Mr Martin was appointed acting deputy chief constable in August 2018. He has 32 years of police service. The recruitment process for the deputy chief constable position is based on the principles of merit, fairness and opennessPolicing Board The senior officer was interviewed for the chief constable role but lost out to Simon Byrne. A Policing Board statement said: The recruitment process for the deputy chief constable position is based on the principles of merit, fairness and openness. It incorporates independent scrutiny at all stages to provide additional probity and transparency. As the process is ongoing the board will not be making any further comment. A sincere thanks to the dozens of @PoliceServiceNI colleagues who joined me today to say farewell. Very emotional for me; I truly appreciate your support & friendship. Thanks to Alan, Paula & Trevor for your lovely remarks. Youre all a special bunch of people doing a special job pic.twitter.com/4PFAyNH00C Stephen Martin (@SMartinOBE) January 29, 2020 Earlier this week Ulster Unionist board member Alan Chambers withdrew from the process to appoint the new deputy chief constable. In a statement he said: I am writing to formally state my concerns at some aspects of the recruitment process which was run last week for the post of deputy chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland. This is obviously a key post within the PSNI second only to the post of chief constable itself and whoever gets it will have a major role in delivering policing throughout Northern Ireland. It is therefore absolutely vital that whoever is ultimately appointed to that post is done so via a process that is rigorously fair. I regret to say that my experiences last week did not leave me with this impression. This is to say the least a most unsatisfactory state of affairs and I would therefore like it to be formally noted that my confidence in this recruitment process is less than it was at the start of last week, and far short of where it needs to be. Therefore, I wish to withdraw from this process forthwith. The board is holding a special meeting to make the appointment on Thursday evening. If you have been following the Prime Ministers ongoing stand off with the Scottish National Party and why wouldnt you be? you might have noticed a marked shift in how the Government is taking the fight to the separatists. Rather than simply reciting the usual lines about our precious Union and the fact that the 2014 referendum was supposed to be once in a generation, Boris Johnson has been repeatedly attacking the Scottish Governments record on bread-and-butter issues such as education and health. This isnt the first time the Tories have tried to put a spotlight on the poor performance of the devolved administrations. David Cameron went hard on Welsh Labours NHS record at the 2015 election, branding Offas Dyke the line between life and death. Michael Gove also tried to contrast Cardiffs dire education performance with the Governments school reform agenda. But such efforts have previously been infrequent, whereas they now seem to be becoming a more central part of the anti-separatist strategy a stealthily devo-sceptic note which is both overdue and welcome. Unlike straightforward appeals to the Union, attacking the SNPs record in government actually has the potential to reach middle-of-the-road voters who arent already convinced unionists. Johnson just won a landslide on the back of a promise to get Brexit done, and it makes sense for him to try to apply this get-on-with-the-day-job approach to the Scottish question too. It also creates cover for the Government to start parking its tanks on the Scottish Governments lawn. In recent years there has been a growing tendency for the devolved administrations to spend public money duplicating reserved functions such as foreign affairs whilst fighting tooth and nail against any perceived incursion by Westminster onto their turf. See for example the row over the badly-mislabelled post-Brexit devolved powers. Yet now we read that the Prime Minister is mulling UK-level policies that at least impact on devolved competencies, such as this story about a new bursary to encourage students to study in different parts of the country and prevent the development of higher education silos via the home tuition arrangements established by Edinburgh and Cardiff. If the Government has the will, there is plenty of running to be made here. Since the advent of devolution in the late 1990s both Wales and Scotland have performed badly in key areas. The latest evidence bears this out again. Those responsible are not fond of this being pointed out: when Gove made his above-mentioned intervention a Welsh Labour minister accused him of harbouring invincible colonial attitudes towards the Principality. But if were to stick with devolution, there is an obvious role for Westminster in preventing the devolved administrations from marking their own homework. One of the upsides of the system, in theory, is that it allows different policies to be tried and compared. Whitehall should be tasked with facilitating that comparison, even indeed, especially if this plan is met with outrage in Holyrood and Cardiff Bay. Establishing a UK-wide set of metrics for assessing outcomes in areas such as health and education, and regularly publishing the figures, would be a good place to start. An even bolder development would be to formally enshrine Parliament as the ultimate guarantor of acceptable public services nationwide, with a remit to step in in the face of persistent failure at the devolved level. All of this is potentially a serious break from the magical-thinking devolution strategy of the past two decades. But as I have written elsewhere, that is a very good thing. Russia's S7 Airline plane landed in Moscow after one of the female passengers said that she had an explosive device with her, Baza reported. S7 Airline confirmed the information. According to the airline's press-service, during the flight from Simferopol to Moscow, one of the passengers stood in the aisle of the aircraft and said that she had an explosive device with her. At the same time, she hasn't taken any action. Following the statement, the aircraft's chief pilot reported the incident to the crew of Domodedovo airport near Moscow. S7 Airline said that the plane with around 195 people aboard landed safely. After which, it was driven to a separate parking lot and received by the crews of emergency service and law enforcement agency. According to Baza, as of 15:50 local time, the woman has been arrested, while no explosive device has been found. "According to preliminary reports, she is intoxicated," the source said. The administration of the airport said that the functioning of the facility hasn't been hampered by the incident. Lesli Esposito, an attorney representing the company, told the Tampa Tribune at the time that the company was not admitting to any of the allegations but simply made the business decision to resolve the matter, so they can move forward with business and helping veterans. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! WILLIAMSPORT An out-of-court settlement has been reached in a federal lawsuit in which a New York State man claimed he paid $217,181 for 61 guaranteed rare, uncirculated Lincoln pennies he later discovered were worthless. Terms of the settlement, notice of which was filed Thursday in U.S. Middle District Court, are confidential but the plaintiffs attorney, Christopher P. Coval, described it as amicable with no one admitting liability. Daniel Rosenfield of Irvington, New York, in 2018 sued Numiscent and its managing member Thomas P. Frank of Millheim seeking recovery of the $217,181 plus damages. The suit stated: Rosenfield in 2010 began collecting high-end uncirculated coins, specifically Lincoln pennies minted between 1909 and 1931. After connecting with Frank through an eBay auction he bought directly from him or Numiscent what he thought were 66 high-grade, uncirculated Lincoln pennies. In 2016 due to a cancer diagnosis, he decided to have his collection professionally graded. He learned 46 of the 61 pennies he sent could not be graded because they had questionable color, meaning they had been improperly cleaned or altered. The Numismatic Guaranty Corp. retested 15 of the coins and came to the same conclusion. In response to the suit, Frank said the only guarantee that accompanied these sales was the coins were genuine issue of the U.S. Mint. Rosenfield was advised Numiscent could not guarantee a for-profit, third-party grading service with its own standards would grade any particular coin, he claimed. Frank denied deceiving Rosenfield and contended at all times he was fully aware of the risks in purchasing raw coins. -- Other recent John Beauge stories on PennLive Penn State, 80-year-old Florida man spar over trademarked names Appeal court affirms sentence of inmate who threatened to kill Trump Man pleads guilty, sentenced to life in prison in Williamsport murder-for-hire case Unwed Pa. teacher fired for being pregnant loses second bid to get her job back Judge to decide whether dog killings will affect jurors in horrendous murder case Fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi, fighting extradition to India on charges over the nearly USD 2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud and money laundering case, was produced for a regular remand hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on Thursday and further remanded in custody until February 27. The 48-year-old, who has been lodged at Wandsworth Prison in south-west London, appeared via videolink from prison before District Judge David Robinson. I am told that your case is proceeding in accordance with the directions for a final hearing on 11 May, the judge told Modi, as he set the next 28-day remand hearing via videolink for February 27. Modi's extradition trial is scheduled for five days starting May 11, with the case management hearings in the case set to begin once all the evidence has been handed in to the court for the trial. He had made a last-ditch bail application in November last year with an unprecedented house arrest guarantee, akin to those imposed on terrorist suspects, as well as citing mental health issues from being behind bars at Wandsworth since his arrest in March 2019. But the bail plea was turned down by Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot over continued fears of witness intimidation and failure to surrender before the court for his extradition trial this year. The UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which represents the Indian government in the extradition proceedings, said there is no further prospect of an appeal for bail in a higher court as the UK High Court had already turned down Modi's plea earlier last year. Modi is meanwhile expected to appear for call-over hearings every 28 days at Westminster Magistrates' Court until the case management hearings for his extradition trial kick in. The diamond merchant denies the charges of fraud and money laundering and his defence team, led by barrister Hugo Keith, has claimed that the Indian government has wrongly blackened Modi's name as a world-class schemer. As part of the change in circumstances required for a fresh bail application, Modi's lawyers had offered to double the bail bond security offered to the court, from the previous GBP 2 million to GBP 4 million. They had also informed the court of attacks on their client from fellow inmates at one of England's most overcrowded prisons. Modi has been behind bars at Wandsworth since his arrest on March 19 on an extradition warrant executed by Scotland Yard on charges brought by the Indian government. During subsequent hearings, the UK court has been told that Modi was the "principal beneficiary" of the fraudulent issuance of letters of undertaking (LoUs) as part of a conspiracy to defraud PNB and then laundering the proceeds of crime. His extradition trial is scheduled between May 11 and 15 this year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Some of these people have been in this group and working on their work and contributing to the community through their artistic endeavors for a really long time, said Fosberg about Area Artists Association, which is an organization within Lubeznik Center for the Arts. Cultures are set to collide at the Watergate Theatre this weekend as the medieval Japanese theatre art of noh arrives at the Marble City. Still performed and regularly adapted to this day, the basic premise of noh has remained untouched throughout the centuries. Noh, as it is known today, became popularised by a man named Zeami during the Muromachi Period (1333-1573) in Japan. Takasago, written by Zeami, is one of the most important and well known plays in the classical noh repertoire. The play deals with the legend of the twin pines of Sumiyoshi and it was Takasago that was chosen to be performed at the Watergate. According to legend, the spirit of the Sumiyoshi pine travels across Osaka Bay nightly to visit his wife, the Takasago pine, in a bond that transcends space and time. It will be performed as han-noh, meaning half noh, featuring a very quick and strong second half of the play. The lead role will be played by Kinue Oshima, the only professional female noh actor in the Kita school. Tickets for the production, Saturday at 7.30pm, are 26 including booking fee and are available via watergatetheatre.ie. The Watergate Theatre is also hosting a noh mask-making workshop on the same day as the Takasago production at 4.30pm if you want to make the most of the Japanese cultural experience while it's here. Maskmaker Hideta Kitazawa has been making masks for both classical and contemporary noh for more than two decades and is happy to share his craft. Tickets for the mask-making workshop are 13 including booking fee. This Saturday will also see Butler Gallery host a one work event with artist Deirdre OMahony at 2pm. The event allows for an in-depth discussion of Daphne Wright's film I Know What Its Like, exhibited as part of A Most Favourable Soil, Butler Gallery's latest exhibition at Kilkenny Castle. The film offers an opportunity to publicly reflect on uncomfortable and difficult subjects and the role of the gallery in opening avenues of communication between generations today. To make a booking please contact Hollie at 056 7761106 or email hollie@butlergallery.com. If youd just like to kick back and enjoy some cracking live music this weekend then weve got you covered too. Rafter Dempseys hosts cover artist Gavin Carroll on Friday evening at 10pm and Music Junkies on Saturday at the same time. Matt The Millers welcomes up-and-coming Portarlington rock band The Electrix on Friday evening also if thats more your thing. As always , Kytelers Inn is stacked when it comes to top-notch live music every night of the week. Check out our Gig Guide for full detailed listings! Ten prison staff are being investigated by Mexican authorities after a cartel financier and two of his lieutenants linked to Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman escaped from jail having walked through five locked doors. Victor Felix Beltran, known as 'El Vic', escaped with Luis Meza and Yael Osuna from the high security jail on the south side of Mexico City on Wednesday. El Vic is believed to have managed the finances of El Chapo's children, who themselves are known as Los Chapitos. Victor Felix Beltran - known as 'El Vic' - managed the finances of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman's children before his arrest. He escaped from jail along with two associates Luis Meza, pictured, also walked out of the high security prison yesterday They were joined on the run by Yael Osuna, pictured. All three were facing extradition to the United States on drugs and organised crime charges The three cartel members escaped from the high security Reclusorio Sur prison in Mexico City on Wednesday. The men made their way through five locked doors leading authorities to conclude that they had insider help Rosa Icela Rodriguez, interior minister for the Mexico City government said following the jail break: 'The escape of an inmate from this prison cannot be carried out without the involvement of public servants.' Deputy minister for Mexico City's prison system Antonio Hazeal Ruiz said the three fugitives had passed through five locked doors and ten staff were suspected of helping the cartel men El Vic and Meza are both from Culiacan, Sinaloa while Osuna is from Nayarit. All three men were facing extradition to the United States where El Chapo is serving life imprisonment without control. Guzmans's children, collectively known as 'Los Chapitos', enhanced their family's near-mythical outlaw reputation last year when hundreds of heavily-armed Sinaloa Cartel henchmen poured into Culiacan to rescue one of Guzman's detained sons, briefly taking hostage the modern city of a million people. A major investigation has been launched following the escape from the high security facility in Mexico City The fugitives were linked to Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman - who managed to escape from jail twice - and is now serving a life prison sentence with no parole for his role leading the Sinaloa cartel Guzman himself escaped from two high-security prisons in Mexico but was eventually captured and extradited to the United States. Last year, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole and moved to a high security facility in Colorado after being convicted in a U.S. court of smuggling tons of drugs to the United States over a colorful, decades-long career. (Reporting by Raul Cortes; Writing by Julia Love and Stefanie Eschenbacher Editing by Alistair Bell) Record heat forecast for coming years Paris, Jan 30 (AFP) Jan 30, 2020 The coming five years are anticipated to be warmest period on record, Britain's Met Office said Thursday, warning of an outside chance of Earth breaching the Paris deal 1.5C temperature rise cap before 2024. In a regular "decadal forecast" looking at predicted near-term climate trends, it said that each year between 2020-2024 is set to be 1.06-1.62C hotter than historical averages. The Met Office forecast it "likely" that the hottest year on record, 2016, will be beaten in that time frame. "The latest five-year forecast suggests continued warming, consistent with sustained high levels of greenhouse gases," said Doug Smith, a Met Office fellow and decadal prediction export. "Uncertainties exist within the forecast, but most regions are expected to be warmer and forecast patterns suggest enhanced warming over land, especially northern parts of Europe, Asia and North America -- extending the ongoing trend." The forecast said that barring a large volcanic eruption that could dent global heating with Sun-blocking debris, average five-year temperatures are expected to be between 1.15-1.46C above pre-industrial levels. That compares with an average warming in 2015-2019 of 1.09C. All years in that period were among the hottest on record. Last year alone, record highs were registered in several countries, including across northern Europe during an unprecedented heatwave that scientists said was made more likely by climate change. The 2015 Paris deal commits nations to limit temperature rises to "well below" 2C (3.6 Farenheit) through sweeping cuts to greenhouse gas emissions. A more ambitious cap of 1.5C would require emissions to fall 7.6 percent annually by 2030, according to the United Nations. But emissions from burning coal, oil and gas are rising year-on-year off the back of surging energy demand and billions worth of taxpayer subsidies. The Met Office forecast said there was an outside chance (roughly 10 percent) that a single year between 2020 and 2024 could exceed the 1.5C threshold. "A temporary exceedance of 1.5 C doesn't mean that the Paris Agreement will be breached," said Stephen Belcher, the Met Office's lead scientist. He pointed out that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's climate pathways refer to a long-term average temperature rise, rather than a single year. "However, with our forecast showing a further warming trend, the window of opportunity continues to narrow," he said. With just over 1C of warming so far, Earth has already been battered by a string of deadly wildfires, droughts, and storm surges exacerbated by rising seas -- phenomena all made more likely by climate change. A number of people were accused of assault related to incidents in mid-January, according to Pearland Police Department reports. Most of the cases involved conflict between family members, police said. A Pearland man, 23, received a citation for assault, family violence Jan. 20 in the 3300 block of Aspenbrook Court, police said. Police filed an assault report Jan. 20 in the 5900 block of Becky Lane. Police arrested a Pearland man, 30, and woman, 56, for assault after a reported family violence incident Jan. 20 in the 2400 block of Business Center Drive. Two students planned to assault another student during school hours Jan. 17, according to a police report filed Jan. 21 in the 2300 block of Old Alvin Road. Discharge of firearm was reported Jan. 21 in the 2200 block of Business Center Drive, police said. Police charged a Pearland man, 35, with assault Jan. 21 in the 2200 block of Oday Road. Aggravated assault and a mental health incident were reported Jan. 22 in the 3100 block of Trail Ridge Drive, police said. Police arrested a Pearland man, 21, on a charge of assault, family violence Jan. 22 in the 2900 block of Tower Bridge Court. A man pulled a gun on his ex-girlfriend after a physical altercation at her apartment Jan. 22 in the 2500 block of Business Center Drive, police said. Police conducted an assault, family violence investigation Jan. 23 in the 2300 block of Willow Boulevard. A Pearland man, 58, was taken into custody on a charge of assault, family violence Jan. 23 in the 3000 block of Keswick Drive, police said. Police filed an assault, family violence report Jan. 24 in the 2300 block of Dolan Falls Lane. Two Pearland women, ages 18 and 40, received citations for assault, family violence Jan. 25 in the 5700 block of Broadway Street, police said. Aggravated assault was reported Jan. 25 in the 9700 block of Broadway Street, police said. Police filed a family violence report Jan. 26 in the 3400 block of Harvest Valley Lane. A Pearland man, 29, received a citation for assault Jan. 26 in the 3600 block of Main Street, police said. Burglary Burglary of a building was reported Jan. 20 in the 11500 block of Magnolia Parkway, police said. Police filed a burglary of habitation report Jan. 20 in the 1100 block of Union Valley Drive. A vehicle break-in was reported Jan. 21 in the 3600 block of Business Center Drive, police said. Property was taken from a vehicle between Jan. 18 and Jan. 21, according to a police report filed Jan. 21 in the 1800 block of Main Street. Burglary of a habitation was reported Jan. 21 in the 16800 block of Wellborne Drive, police said. Property was stolen from a vehicle parked in a hotel parking lot Jan. 21 or Jan. 22 in the 11200 block of Broadway Street, police said. Vehicle burglary was reported Jan. 22 in the 10000 block of Dawn Brook Drive, police said. Burglary of a habitation occurred Jan. 22 in the 1100 block of East Brompton Drive, police said. Vehicle burglary was reported Jan. 23 in the 2700 block of Westland Lane, police said. Police filed a vehicle burglary report Jan. 23 in the 4100 block of Caneshaw Drive. A complainants vehicle was burglarized Jan. 24 in the 3700 block of Lancer Circle after an unknown suspect followed him from the bank, police said. Two women reported their vehicles burglarized Jan. 24 in the 11000 block of Shadow Creek Parkway, police said. Vehicle burglary was reported Jan. 25 in the 12600 block of Windy Bridge Lane, police said. A vehicle was burglarized Jan. 24 or Jan. 25 in the 1400 block of Main Street, police said. Police filed four vehicle burglary reports Jan. 25 in the 12500 block of Broadway Street. Vehicle burglary was reported Jan. 25 in the 2400 block of Shorebrook Drive, police said. Police filed a vehicle burglary report Jan. 25 in the 13100 block of Centerbrook Lane. Vehicle burglary was reported Jan. 25 in the 2700 block of Pine Needle Lane, police said. Police filed a burglary of habitation report Jan. 25 in the 3000 block of Navarre. Vehicle burglary and property damage were reported Jan. 26 in the 2900 block of Silhouette Bay Drive, police said. Theft Theft was reported Jan. 20 in the 3200 block of McLean Road, police said. Police filed a shoplifting report Jan. 20 in the 11200 block of Broadway Street. Shoplifting was reported Jan. 21 in the 2700 block of Pearland Parkway, police said. Police conducted a shoplifting investigation Jan. 21 in the 2800 block of Business Center Drive. Police charged a Houston woman, 34, with theft, possession of a controlled substance and failure to identify Jan. 21 in the 11200 block of Broadway Street. A Houston woman, 21, was charged with theft and a warrant, police said. Vehicle theft was reported Jan. 22 in the 2400 block of Business Center Drive, police said. Police filed a report for truck theft Jan. 22 in the 2500 block of Business Center Drive. Police charged a Houston man, 39, with theft after he allegedly stole merchandise Jan. 22 from Dillards, 11200 Broadway Street. He had a warrant and was charged with resisting arrest, police said. Police arrested a Houston woman, 39, for shoplifting, possession of drug paraphernalia and an outstanding warrant Jan. 22 in the 10100 block of Broadway Street. Theft was reported Jan. 23 in the 1700 block of Main Street, police said. Police filed a shoplifting report Jan. 23 in the 1900 block of Main Street. A womans purse was stolen from her shopping basket Jan. 23 at H-E-B, 2805 Business Center Drive, police said. Theft and identity fraud occurred between Dec. 14, 2019, and Jan. 23, according to a police report filed Jan. 24 in the 11100 block of Shadow Creek Parkway. Shoplifting was reported Jan. 23 in the 1700 block of Broadway Street, police said. Police arrested two 18-year-old Houston men and a 17-year-old Houston woman on theft charges Jan. 24 in the 11200 block of Broadway Street. A 17-year-old Houston man was charged with theft and possession of drug paraphernalia, police said. A tailgate was stolen from a vehicle Jan. 23 or Jan. 24 in the 14100 block of Timber Ridge Drive, police said. Police filed a shoplifting report Jan. 24 in the 12700 block of Broadway Street. Theft was reported Jan. 24 in the 2900 block of Kingsley Drive, police said. Merchandise was stolen Jan. 24 in the 12200 block of Shadow Creek Parkway, police said. Police filed a shoplifting report Jan. 25 in the 12200 block of Shadow Creek Parkway. Theft was reported Jan. 25 in the 1600 block of Main Street, police said. Police arrested three Houston men, ages 25, 26 and 29, on charges of shoplifting Jan. 25 in the 2800 block of Business Center Drive. Vehicle theft was reported Jan. 26 in the 10000 block of Broadway Street, police said. Police filed a theft report Jan. 26 in the 12300 block of Shadow Creek Parkway. Theft was reported Jan. 26 in the 1100 block of Lake Shore Drive, police said. Police charged two Houston men, ages 26 and 45, with theft and possession of a controlled substance Jan. 26 in the 1700 block of Allison Place. A 22-year-old Houston man was charged with theft, police said. Theft was reported Jan. 26 in the 111000 block of Shadow Creek Parkway, police said. Police charged a Houston man, 24, with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle Jan. 26 in the 6500 block of Broadway Street. Robbery Police filed an aggravated robbery report Jan. 25 in the 3600 block of Madison Drive. Two men committed robbery Jan. 26 in the 2800 block of Miller Ranch Road, police said. Fraud, forgery Forgery occurred between Dec. 29, 2019, and Jan. 21, according to a police report filed Jan. 21 in the 6800 block of Haley Court. Theft by wire fraud was reported Jan. 21 in the 9800 block of Hallmark Lane, police said. Police filed an identity fraud report Jan. 21 in the 2100 block of North Austin Avenue. Fraudulent use of debit card information was reported Jan. 22 in the 6500 block of Broadway Street, police said. A victims identity was used fraudulently at two banks in Pearland between Dec. 2, 2019, and Jan. 17, according to a police report filed Jan. 22 in the 2900 block of Broadway Street. A victims credit card was used to make unauthorized purchases online, according to a police report filed Jan. 23 in the 3400 block of Crossbranch Court. An unknown caller posed as a public servant to defraud a complainant Jan. 21, according to a police report filed Jan. 23 in the 7600 block of Bailey Road. Police filed an identity fraud report Jan. 23 in the 2500 block of Barry Rose Road. Credit card abuse was reported Jan. 23 in the 4300 block of West Plum Street, police said. A complainants debit card was used to make unauthorized charges at businesses in Houston, according to a police report filed Jan. 24 in the 11300 block of Enclave Lake Lane. Forgery was reported Jan. 25 in the 1700 block of Broadway Street, police said. Police filed a credit card abuse report Jan. 26 in the 2700 block of Lost Maples Drive. The use of counterfeit money was reported Jan. 26 in the 12600 block of Broadway Street, police said. Narcotics Police arrested a 23-year-old Alvin man for possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia Jan. 21 in the 4500 block of Main Street. A suspect was found in possession of possible THC and prescription pills Jan. 21 in the 2000 block of Cullen Parkway, police said. Police charged a Freeport man, 29, with marijuana possession Jan. 22 in the 5400 block of Broadway Street. An 18-year-old Pearland High School student was charged with marijuana possession in a drug-free zone Jan. 23 in the 3700 block of Main Street, police said. Police charged a Houston woman, 58, with possession of a controlled substance and evidence tampering Jan. 23 in the 10500 block of Broadway Street. Police charged a 38-year-old Lake Charles, Louisiana, man with marijuana possession Jan. 23 in the 11000 block of Broadway Street. Driving while intoxicated A Pearland woman, 43, was charged with DWI Jan. 22 in the 8100 block of Broadway Street, police said. Police charged a Katy man, 41, with DWI Jan. 24 in the 15000 block of Texas 288. A 33-year-old Pasadena woman was charged with DWI Jan. 26 in the 1500 block of Broadway Street, police said. Threats, harassment Unauthorized photos of a person were posted, according to a publishing of intimate visual matter report filed Jan. 20 in the 4500 block of North Magnolia Elms Drive. Police filed a terroristic threat report Jan. 20 in the 2900 block of Woodson Terrace Lane. A woman was the victim of harassment, according to a police report detailing the publishing or threat to publish intimate visual matter filed Jan. 22 in the 1300 block of Broadway Street. Police filed a terroristic threat report Jan. 23 in the 5800 block of Brookside Road after an alleged disagreement between two juvenile students on school property. Terroristic threats were reported Jan. 23 in the 3000 block of Old Alvin Road, police said. Criminal mischief, trespass City of Pearland property was reported damaged Jan. 20 in the 3900 block of Liberty Drive, police said. An unknown suspect spray painted a retention wall in a drainage area, according to a police report filed Jan. 20 in the 1100 block of Pearland Parkway. Police conducted a criminal trespass investigation Jan. 22 in the 12800 block of Broadway Street. Criminal mischief was reported Jan. 24 in the 1900 block of Plum Falls Lane, police said. Police filed a criminal mischief report Jan. 24 in the 1900 block of Highland Meadows Drive. Police charged a Pearland man, 67, with criminal trespass Jan. 25 in the 2100 block of North Austin Avenue. Criminal mischief was reported Jan. 26 in the 4500 block of Fox Run Street, police said. A vehicle was reported vandalized Jan. 26 in the 2300 block of Smith Ranch Road, police said. Other incidents Police charged a Pearland man, 29, with reckless damage Jan. 20 in the 2300 block of Longwood Drive. An Alvin man, 39, was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon Jan. 21 in the 2200 block of Main Street, police said. Police filed a disorderly conduct report Jan. 22 in the 8300 block of Broadway Street. A La Porte man, 29, was charged with public intoxication Jan. 26 near Mayfield Boulevard and Magnolia Parkway, police said. The CBI has filed a charge sheet against the then development commissioner, Special Economic Zone, Surat and Mangalore (now retired), for allegedly amassing disproportionate assets to the tune of over Rs 14 crore while in service, officials said on Thursday. The charge sheet was filed against Vijay Narayan Shewale, who retired as additional director, General Foreign Trade, and his family members in a special court in Mumbai under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code, they said. The CBI has registered a case against Shewale for allegedly acquiring huge assets in his own name as well as in the names of his family members from January 1, 1999 to July 14, 2016, the officials added. "During investigation, huge recovery of cash around Rs two crore, 42 immovable properties at Mumbai, Malegaon and Nasik, gifts from in-laws and 25 bank accounts were found from him and his family members. It was also alleged that huge amounts of cash were frequently deposited in most of the accounts," a CBI spokesperson said in a statement. The agency has alleged that disproportionate assets worth Rs 14.50 crore (approx.) were found in his possession as on July 14, 2016. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Victoria Derbyshire has been nominated for News Presenter of the Year after the BBC confirmed they are axing her television show. Ms Derbyshire said she had been left 'absolutely devastated' after finding out about the cut last week when she read it in a newspaper. The BBC announced that around 450 jobs will be let go from BBC News under plans to reach its 80 million savings target by 2022. Now, following revelations that Ms Derbyshire's current affairs programme was being axed, the Royal Television Society today said the presenter has been shortlisted for an award. The Victoria Derbyshire twitter account today posted: 'Congratulations to @vicderbyshire who has been nominated for RTS News Presenter of the Year for the 5th year in a row for her work on @VictoriaLIVE.' The Royal Television Society has revealed that Victoria Derbyshire, pictured leaving the BBC Broadcasting House on January 23, has been shortlisted for Network Presenter of the Year The Victoria Derbyshire twitter account today posted: 'Congratulations to @vicderbyshire who has been nominated for RTS News Presenter of the Year for the 5th year in a row for her work on @VictoriaLIVE' The account then posted a series of clips from the show, including her discussions with controversial YouTuber Carl Benjamin on his comments about Jess Phillips MP, relatives of knife crime victims, and the father of paedophile Vanessa George. Also included in Network Presenter of the Year nominations was Newsnight BBC Two's Emily Maitlis - who grilled Prince Andrew over his friendship with US paedophile Jeffrey Epstein - and Tom Bradby of ITV News. BBC2's flagship current affairs show Newsnight is also among the programmes bearing the brunt of the cuts, along with popular radio station Radio 5 Live and the World Service. It comes after Victoria Derbyshire yesterday confronted the chief of BBC News, asking if bosses had lied to her about the axing of her BBC Two current affairs programme. The 51-year-old presenter asked the BBC's director of news and current affairs Fran Unsworth if they had lied to her and her team about the show's goals. Ms Unsworth, who earns 340,000 a year, apologised about the programme being cut, telling the host: 'I'm paid to make really difficult decisions about this.' Ms Derbyshire revealed she was 'devastated' to learn of plans to end her programme last week Victoria Derbyshire, pictured on her show last week, today confronted the chief of BBC News Derbyshire live tweeted from a briefing to BBC staff about the cuts to the news division as part of a cost-reduction drive Ms Derbyshire, who earns 215,000 a year, found out about the cut last week after reading it in a newspaper. But Ms Unsworth said during today's meeting at Broadcasting House: 'I'd like to apologise to the team for the way the story emerged, that was not our intention.' Ms Derbyshire condemned claims by the BBC that it is cutting her show because it failed to grow its live audience. She tweeted: 'We were NEVER asked to grow the linear TV audience. Ever. We were asked to grow our digital audience - we did. This graphic was posted on a screen during the announcement in London today, showing the split between 'outlets', 'story teams', 'specialist production teams' and 'commissioning points' Fran Unsworth said today the plan is to have 'multi-skilled story teams', showing this graphic 'Our digi figures are huge (our successful digital figures appear to be an inconvenience to those making the decisions).' Fran Unsworth, director of news, spoke at BBC's Broadcasting House in London today She added: 'Our remit when we were set up: 1. Original journalism 2. Reaching underserved audiences 3. Growing the digital figures. We achieved all three.' Ms Derbyshire live tweeted from a briefing to BBC staff about the cuts to the news division as part of a cost-reduction drive. She posted an image of a screen from the presentation, entitled Modernising BBC News, which she said was being streamed to staff elsewhere in the BBC. She told her followers: 'Head of internal comms just said to us all, ''enjoy and relax''.' And she wrote of the BBC's director of news and current affairs: 'Fran Unsworth arrives.... ''Cheery'' music in room like you hear when you're your put on hold.....' An online petition calling for the corporation to reverse the BBC's decision to cut the programme has 60,000 signatures. Thieves in the Swedish capital Stockholm stole bronze sculptures and etching by surreal artist Salvador Dali from a gallery in a smash and grab raid in the wee hours of Thursday, international media reported. The incident happened during an exhibition of the Spanish artists work which was held at the Couleur gallery, in Stockholm's upmarket Ostermalm district. Exhibits were on loan from Switzerland According to reports, the exhibition contained around ten pieces of the Dalis work. Peder Enstrom, who owns the gallery, while talking to international media revealed that the stolen articles were worth 200,000 to 500,000 crowns ($21,000 to $52,000) each before adding that it was terrible. He further said that all the exhibits were on loan from Switzerland. Speaking about the incident, the Stockholm police said that robbers smashed the glass entry doors of the gallery and robbed the articles. The scenes were immediately cordoned off for the forensic experts to conduct an examination. Read: Meet Padma Shri Awardee Yogi Aeron, A Doctor Who Has Been Treating Burn Patients For Free Read: Theatre Artist Sanjna Kapoor Receives French Honour In a similar tragic case, an explosion in Lagos reportedly killed four people and burned several shops and vehicles after thieves breached a fuel pipeline, said emergency services on January 20. The acting zonal coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said that they recovered the bodies of two men, a woman and her child from the scene. The incident occurred on January 19 in the Abule-Egba area of Nigerias commercial hub which engulfed buildings, shops, and vehicles. NEMA official said that the tragic incident was a result of vandals breaking a state-run pipeline to steal petrol. Read: Spanish Super Cup Final: Real Madrid Hold Their Nerve To Beat Atletico; Sergio Ramos Stars Read: A Failed Italian Job: Driver Evades Flaming Highway Robbery The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and State government confirmed the incident and the latter said that fire was successfully doused after several hours of intense fire fighting by the combined teams of Lagos Fire services and other agencies. According to the local government, the fire at Ile Epo Ekoro Road, Abule-Egba was curtailed by 9 pm on Sunday and was finally put off by 11.30 pm. (with inputs from agencies) UPDATE: Arrest made in arson that gutted vacant home, police say A raging fire Tuesday at a Carbon County home was intentionally set, Pennsylvania State Police said. The fire was reported at 1:42 p.m. Tuesday at the vacant home at 860 W. Sunset Road in East Penn Township. Photos from the scene posted by Bowmanstown Volunteer Fire Co. showed flames shooting out of windows on all side of the stone building. Police said the fire spread throughout the entire building. A state police fire marshal determined the fire was intentionally set and ruled it an arson. Troopers found a small red container of two-stroke fuel that may have been used in the crime. State police at the Lehighton barracks ask anyone with information to call them at 610-681-1850. 1/28/20 Sunset Road, East Penn Township - Dwelling fire Thanks to districts 1,3,4,7,8 and Palmerton Ambulance for responding in! Posted by Bowmanstown Vol Fire Co on Wednesday, January 29, 2020 Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) London, United Kingdom Thu, January 30, 2020 19:40 713 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2061c7b8e 2 World Pompeo,communism,China,comments,coronavirus Free US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday called China's ruling Communist Party "the central threat of our times" that challenges Western principles. "The Chinese Communist Party presents the central threat of our times," Washington's top diplomat said at a joint appearance with Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. He added that Western allies must "ensure that the next century is governed by these Western democratic principles". Pompeo arrived in London on Wednesday seeking reassurances over China that could let the two old allies continue sharing intelligence and strike a post-Brexit trade deal. The first leg of a five-nation tour that also takes in Ukraine comes with Britain facing a historic crossroads as it parts ways with the European Union after nearly 50 years on Friday night. US President Donald Trump has long backed Brexit and trusted the ability of Prime Minister Boris Johnson -- a headline-grabbing leader he once compared to himself -- to set Britain on a more independent and pro-American course. Topics : Pompeo communism China comments coronavirus A plan to quarantine Australian coronavirus evacuees on Christmas Island has been labelled a 'colonial-era idea' by the remote territory's mayor. The Australian government on Wednesday announced the 'humanitarian' mission to get its citizens out of the disease epicentre in the Chinese province of Hubei as more than 600 Australian citizens in the region registered for advice or assistance. Chinese officials confirmed on Thursday the country's death toll had risen to 170 from 132 the day before, while the number of infections jumped 30 per cent to 7,700. With infections continuing to rise, medical teams are bound for Christmas Island to deal with Australian coronavirus evacuees in a bid to protect the mainland from the deadly disease. The plan to use Christmas Island detention centre (pictured) as a quarantine site for Australians evacuated from coronavirus-stricken Hubei province has been slammed Christmas Island Shire president Gordon Thomson told ABC News the decision would turn the island into a 'leper colony'. 'Saw PM's announcement. Regressive colonial era ideas since 2001. Create convict settlement for innocent people - now we'll be a leper colony,' Mr Thomson said in a text message. It is unclear how many evacuees will be put into quarantine on Christmas Island, which sits 1,650 kilometres off the coast of Western Australia. Earlier, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton defended the Christmas Island plan, saying it would help keep Australia safe. 'I can't clear a hospital in Sydney or Melbourne to accommodate 600 people. We don't have a facility otherwise that can take this number of people,' he told the Nine Network on Thursday. Australian diplomats are continuing negotiations with Chinese authorities to clear the way for the evacuation mission. Officials at Thailand's Bangkok airport prepare to disinfect the cabin of an aircraft to prevent the spread of coronavirus on Tuesday Christmas Island Shire president Gordon Thomson said the quaratine decision would turn the island (detention centre, pictured) into a 'leper colony' Qantas has offered its aircraft for use in the evacuation, which is a joint operation with New Zealand. On Thursday, Health Minister Greg Hunt revealed two Australians in China's Guangdong Province had contracted the virus, but had been treated and appeared to be okay. 'They have been treated and the advice that I have - and I would want to be cautious on this - is that they have been released and are not seeking consular assistance at this stage,' he told reporters. Mr Hunt said Australia's actions were driven by medical advice, and the World Health Organization was strong in its support for quarantine measures to stem the spread of the virus. 'Our job is to protect Australians and provide support for citizens overseas and the best way to do that is to find a place which was designed to deal with people who were coming (from) overseas... and to do that in a way which is humane,' Mr Hunt said. 'This is a humanitarian mission. ... It protects Australians home but it provides a pathway home for those Australians who are in Hubei.' Mr Hunt said the National Critical Care and Trauma Centre had secured the personnel they need for Christmas Island, and teams would begin heading there later today. There are seven confirmed cases of the deadly virus in Australia: four in New South Wales, two in Victoria and one in Queensland, and others are being tested in various states. Two Australians have been diagnosed with the virus in China. She took home the gong for Best Factual Programme, for her critically-acclaimed BBC Three documentary - Odd One Out - at the National Television Awards. And after being awarded the accolade, Jesy Nelson headed out for celebratory drinks with her nearest and dearest in London on Tuesday evening. The Little Mix star, 28, shared snaps on Instagram from the fun-filled evening, but failed to mention her beau Chris Hughes after he was caught up in a spat at the awards ceremony. Big win! Jesy Nelson headed out for celebratory drinks with her nearest and dearest in London on Tuesday evening After leaving the InterContinental hotel without Jesy, Chris had a violent brawl with a photographer. The incident is now being investigated by the Met Police. Since then images have emerged of the couple looking tense moments before Jesy joined her friend in a taxi and Chris headed outside through a side door. The following morning, Chris took to social media to apologise to his girlfriend and admitted the night 'should have been about her' and not the scrape. Moving on: The Little Mix star, 28, shared snaps on Instagram from the fun-filled evening as she brushed off the drama from her beau Chris Hughes' spat at the awards ceremony And while Chris addressed the fight on his social media, Jesy completely ignored it and instead chose to upload snaps from her celebratory night. Jesy was joined by a host of her gal pals in the photographs as they sat and enjoyed cocktails together following the songstresses' big win. A couple of the pictures show Jesy cuddling her best friend Dilem, who she described as her 'ride or die' in the caption of the post. Having fun: And while Chris addressed the fight on his social media, Jesy completely ignored it and instead chose to upload snaps from her celebratory night Hugging it out! Jesy was joined by a host of her gal pals in the photographs as they sat and enjoyed cocktails together following the songstresses' big win Another person in attendance at Jesy's bash was director Adam Goodall, who produced the documentary which looked at Jesy's struggles with her appearance. Although Chris didn't appear in any of Jesy's posts, it seems that the pair have brushed off Tuesday night's drama as they headed for dinner together the following evening. Chris shared a clip on his Instagram Story of Jesy feeding him food while they ate dinner out together. Celebrate! Another person in attendance at Jesy's bash was director Adam Goodall, who produced the documentary which looked at Jesy's struggles with her appearance Yum! Chris shared a clip on his Instagram Story of Jesy feeding him food while they ate dinner out together The photographer involved told MailOnline his account of the altercation, explaining: 'I am a freelance photographer so I only earn money depending on what pictures I sell - I really wanted a picture a Chris and Jesy together.' 'However, they exited the hotel separately and I was disappointed as a picture of Chris on his own doesn't really sell.' 'I'm sorry for the language, but I said: 'that's a c***' under my breath. I was referring to the situation and not to Chris.' 'He took it the wrong way and flipped his lid. He came for me with punches and kicks. I walked away but he came back three or four times. He kept coming at me. Altercation: The celebrations looked to be short-lived, as Chris found himself grappling with a photographer outside the O2 in the early hours of Wednesday morning 'He caused damage to my 1k camera which he kicked twice. It's now in the hands of the police.' While details are sparse on how the altercation came about, Chris was seen being approached by the bundled-up photographer, looking irritated. The pair were seen grappling with one another as Chris left his bags on the pavement, clasping at the photographer's coat, as they scuffled outside the East-London venue. Aggressive! The grapple appeared to get very intense at times Drama! The altercation got very heated between the two men Tussle: The pair were seen grappling with one another as Chris left his bags on the pavement, clasping at the photographer's coat, as they scuffled outside the East-London venue The fight was soon broken up, with Chris ushered into the taxi with his pop star partner and Jesy's stylist and friend, Jamie McFarland. The altercation was stopped by Chris' manager, Chris Drake, who tried to calm the Celebrity Hunted star down. Chris appeared riled up by the incident, which would have put a dampner on an otherwise emotional night for him and Jesy. Calm down! The altercation was stopped by Chris' manager, Chris Drake, who tried to calm the Celebrity Hunted star down Pals: Earlier in the night, Chris had called his manager one of his 'favourite humans' Agitated: The former Love Island star appeared agitated as he explained what had happened to his girlfriend and her backup dancer Keeping their distance: Jesy's pal led her away from the drama Leave it out! The fight was soon broken up, with the men pulled apart from each other Regrets: Inside the cab looked to be a very sombre affair Earlier in the evening teary-eyed Chris watched from the audience, as Jesy thanked several people involved in making the film - which detailed the abuse she received after winning The X Factor in 2011 with her band Little Mix. In the documentary, Jesy tells of how she was targeted by trolls who branded her too 'fat and ugly' to be a pop star. She took the stage and said: 'This is so overwhelming, I'm such a baby [for crying]. I want to thank every single person in the documentary for being so brave and courageous for telling their story. Spruced up: The put on a glam display earlier in the night By Express News Service VISAKHAPATNAM: In a cybercrime case, city police arrested four Nigerians and one woman from Meghalaya for duping a person of Rs 6.62 lakh in a fake online charity donation case. The police have identified the accused as Everistus (38) of Anambra State, Koffi Eric (32) of Ivory Coast, Ohazureme Emmanuel (30) and Ogunjiofur Chukwujekw (30) of Nigeria and Eusivia Lyngkoi (27) of South Delhi. As per the complaint Sanjay Singh from Malkapuram, he had received a message on December 17 last stating, My name is Aisha. As my health condition is not well, I want to donate US $5.5 million (Rs 39 crore) for charity to the poor. When the complainant replied on the email provided, the woman directed him as to where she would send her lawyer to Delhi to complete the fund transfer formalities. This, she replied, is to transfer the funds in his name for distribution among the poor, Commissioner of Police RK Meena said, while addressing mediapersons. The complainant was asked to deposit money to get access to the funds and he deposited Rs 6.62 lakh in instalments. On coming to know that the entire thing was a fake and that he was conned, Singh filed a compliant at Cybercrime Police station. On coming to know these activities are being carried out from Delhi, Inspector Gopinath visited Delhi and arrested the accused, who were immediately sent into remand. The police seized two laptops, six mobile phones, 7 SIM cards, two ATM cards and Rs 55,000 in cash from the accuseds possession. Funds amounting to Rs 1,46,264 in their bank account was also frozen. A New Mexico mom is alerting parents after her 12-year-old daughter received a threatening text message from a supposed drug cartel. Amber Phillip told KOAT that her daughter was at school when the sixth-grader got the message that left her shaken. "They said that they were part of the Zeta cartel, and if we don't pay a fee, they were going to kill family, that they had the address and for her to give them a call as soon as possible," she said. "She was feeling major anxiety, she was scared, and she had a hard time sleeping at night." Phillips did some research and found out the text message was a hoax, but scammers being able to contact kids is what scares Phillips. "I control a lot of things on her phone," Phillips said. "So for them to have even accessed her phone number, and she's had it for so long, kinda worries me on where they even got that information to begin with." FBI official Frank Fisher said even if they are hoaxes, messages that contain threats like these need to be reported. "That text threatened to do things to the victim's family," he said. "Nobody, especially a young person, should be exposed to that." While it's tempting to call these scam numbers back, Fisher said you shouldn't, because that makes you more vulnerable to scams. "We don't want victims to get fixated on the area code or the ZIP code or where this communication may be coming," said Fisher. Phillips is warning parents to be alert when it comes to your kids and their phones. "We need to come together as a community, make this aware of every parent out there," she said. "Even your children, make them aware, sit down and have conversations with them." Fisher said interstate communication threats whether it be via the phone, a computer or a fax machine are federal crimes. Suspects can face up to five years in prison if convicted. South Dakota's chief justice seeks $5 million for courthouse security In Chief Justice Jensen's State of the Judiciary Address, he mentioned courthouse security, sexual harassment training and a lack of court reporters. Indians wearing surgical masks walk out of the government general hospital where a student who had been in Wuhan is kept in isolation in Thrissur, Kerala. (AP) New Delhi: The first positive case of novel coronavirus was reported in India on Thursday, from Kerala. The health ministry issued a statement on Thursday saying the patient was a student studying at Wuhan University in China. The patient has tested positive for novel coronavirus and is in isolation in the hospital. The patient is stable and is being closely monitored, the statement said. The ministry also issued an advisory asking travellers coming back from China to take certain precautions. The three men kept in an isolation ward of New Delhis Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital have tested negative for coronavirus. Their samples were sent for testing to NIV Pune and they have tested negative, a health ministry official said. So far, 38 samples from all over India were tested at the Pune laboratory and all have tested negative. The three men had self reported at the RML Hospital, that is designated to deal with such cases, on Monday with complaints of respiratory trouble and fever. The health ministry has made four more labs functional other than NIV-Pune for testing samples. These are Alleppey, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai. Contact with 600 Indians in China established The external affairs ministry said it established contact with over 600 Indians living in coronavirus-hit Hubei province in China and asked Indians whether they want to return. The MEA said it hoped the necessary approval from China will be granted soon to operate two flights evacuating Indian nationals from Hubei, with sources saying if the Chinese approval comes in by Thursday night, the evacuation flights would be operated on Friday itself. The Indian embassy in Beijing has established contact with 600 Indian nationals in Hubei province and is trying to find out if they want to be evacuated. New Delhi is also apparently seeking logistical help from the Chinese side to get such Indian nationals to the airport at Wuhan city. India said there was no delay by the Chinese side in granting approval and that the process takes time, adding that it appreciates the support extended by the Chinese government. New Delhi also said there were no restrictions imposed on the travel of Chinese nationals to India. The Government of India has been conducting a regular review on the situation arising out of the outbreak of nCoronavirus in China. We have put out regular updates on the arrangements which are being made. You are aware that we have made a formal request to the Chinese government for bringing back Indian nationals from Hubei province in two flights. We are awaiting approval from the Chinese side. We hope this will be granted soon, MEA spokesman Raveesh Kumar said. The Chinese government has said it will cooperate with India to jointly strengthen epidemic prevention and control the virus spread. Chinese embassy counsellor and spokesperson Ji Rong said in New Delhi said they were in close communication with the Indian government. The Chinese side pays close attention to the report of the emergence of one confirmed case of pneumonia caused by novel coronavirus in India and will cooperate with the Indian side to jointly strengthen the epidemic prevention and control. The Chinese government attaches great importance to safeguarding the safety and health of every foreign national in China, including the Indian people. We are willing to continue to maintain close communication with the Indian side, provide necessary assistance and convenience to ensure the health and safety of Indian citizens in China, and address their legitimate concerns, the spokesperson said. Meanwhile, a health ministry advisory asked people to maintain utmost care. If you have recently travelled to China (within the last 14 days) or had possible contact with an nCoV infected person, it is advised to stay in home isolation for 14 days after your return, sleep in a separate room, limit contact with other family members and avoid visitors, cover nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing, and, avoid close contact with anyone with cold or flu like symptoms (maintain a distance of at least 1 metre from any individual), the health advisory said. Disney+ has ordered four new non-fiction projects to series, including a remake of the fantasy-reality competition show The Quest from the executive producers of The Lord of the Rings, Queer Eye and The Amazing Race. The news was announced on Wednesday morning at the Realscreen Summit in New Orleans. The remake of the reality series, which originally aired in 2014, will return to the man-made fantasy world of Everealm, which will be filmed at a castle outside Vienna, Austria. Teenaged contestants will compete in an unfolding drama where they encounter mystical beings and magical encounters that rival their favorite books, games and movies, according to Disney+. They will be immersed in a 360-degree technological world featuring creature design, practical effects and scripted characters who will interact with them throughout the competition. The streaming service also ordered The Maze from the Amazing Race executive producers behind The Quest. The brainteaser competition series will feature five teams solving riddles and deciphering clues to guide them through European cities and fairytale villages in an attempt to solve an elaborate maze. Also Read: 'Bambi' Live-Action Remake Lands 'Captain Marvel,' 'Chaos Walking' Writers Disney+ also ordered National Geographics Meet the Chimps, a six-part series which will follow the lives the chimpanzees in a Louisiana wildlife sanctuary, including food squabbles, alliances, romances, bromances, tears, tantrums, high jinx and heartbreaks, according to Nat Geo. The fourth project is an untitled docuseries about Pixars SparkShorts program, which follows a group of Pixar employees who are given a chance to make their own animated short film. The Quest will be executive produced by Court Fives Mark Ordesky (The Lord of the Rings) and Jane Fleming, Scout Productions David Collins, Michael Williams, Rob Eric (Queer Eye), and New Media Collectives Bertram van Munster, Elise Doganieri and Mark Dziak (The Amazing Race). Story continues Also Read: 'Obi-Wan' Star Ewan McGregor Downplays 'All This Bulls--' About Disney+ Series Delay The Maze is also executive produced by van Munster, Doganieri and Dziak. Meet the Chimps is produced by Blink Films (Meet the Penguins, Meet the Orangutans, The Creative Brain). Justine Kershaw and Michael Welsh will executive producers, while Virginia Quinn will direct. The untitled Pixar project is executive produced by Brian McGinn, Jason Sterman and David Gelb. Read original story Disney+ Orders Remake of Fantasy Reality Series The Quest, 3 Other Nonfiction Series At TheWrap Among the affected species the flamingo, the Northern shoveler and the coot. The tests would have ruled out (avian) flu or Newcastle disease. Ban on hunting or selling birds, burning animal carcasses. Among the possible causes, botulinum poisoning from rotting roots. Tehran (AsiaNews) - At least 6 thousand migratory birds have been found dead in the Miankaleh peninsula, in the province of Mazandaran, northern Iran. Official Irna news agency reports the carcasses were found along the banks of the Caspian Sea that border the villages of Galoogah and Qalehpayan, in the south-eastern town of Behshahr. Local witnesses report that, on the fourth day of monitoring, the number of dead birds reached 5900. Three of the most affected species: the flamingo, the Northern shoveler and the coot. In a period of international alert for the ongoing coronavirus epidemic, which started from an animal market in Wuhan, China, even the news of a (mysterious) death of birds can cause alarm. At the moment, the causes of the death are not yet known and the veterinary organizations have not made an official pronouncement. However, the latest tests would have ruled out (bird flu) or Newcastle disease as there were no symptoms such as bruising, bleeding and enlarged spleen. Hossein-Ali Ebrahimi, head of the environmental department of Mazandaran province, confirms the ban on hunting any species of migratory bird in the eastern province, until further notice, to guarantee the health of the population. At the same time, the sale of birds is also prohibited, until further investigations into the causes of death are made. In the meantime, the authorities collected the carcasses and burned them as a precaution. Ebrahimi urged the entire population of Mazandaran not to buy or consume wild birds in order to ensure their health. Ali Aboutalebi, an environmentalist in the area, points out that similar cases of mysterious deaths have occurred in the area's forests in recent years; the analyzes showed that some birds were allergic to a particular type of algae and, more generally, "bird deaths show a high risk of poisoning or contamination". Water pollution is one of the reasons for the massacres of animals. Safar Ali Makenali, deputy director of the Organization of Health and Veterinary Prevention, talks about possible botulinum poisoning and the origin of the toxin to be found in the "roots of decaying plants". The Miankaleh peninsula is a 48 km long strip between 1.3 and 3.2 km wide, which separates the Gorgan bay from the Caspian Sea. It hosts several unique birds from the Caspian region, as well as reptiles found only in the area. The place is also an important internationally recognized refuge for migratory birds. Excessive grazing, illegal hunting, fishing, deforestation and the unplanned spread of villages are some of the challenges that pose a threat to the region's environment. 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. President Donald Trump declared the coronavirus situation 'very well under control,' saying there is 'very little problem' in the U.S., as global health officials declared a public health emergency. Trump spoke about the situation from Warren, Michigan, where he touted a new trade deal and bashed 2016 rival Hillary Clinton. He said Americans who had contracted the disease were 'recuperating nicely' and said: 'We think it's going to have a very good ending for us.' Trump said the administration was 'working very closely" with China, where the outbreak began and where millions are on lock-down. Bordering nations have shut their borders, searched flights, and imposed other restrictions amid fears of a large-scale deadly outbreak. "We think we have it very well under control. We have very little problem in this country at this moment five,' Trump said during his remarks Thursday afternoon. Those people are all recuperating successfully." He said he and his team were 'working very strongly with China.' The president added: 'Hopefully it wont be as bad as some people think it could be.' 'We think it's going to have a very good ending for us.' Donald Trump addressed coronavirus as he spoke about his replacement for NAFTA - the USMCA - at a factory in Warren, Michigan Global emergency: Shortly before Donald Trump spoke in praise of his USMCA, the World Health Organization said that the coronavirus outbreak is now a worldwide concern 'Very little problem.' The president took to the stage at Dana Inc., an auto supplier in Warren, Michigan, just after the World Health Organization declared coronavirus a global health emergency The administration created a new task force to deal with the problem on Monday. The president's up-beat remarks came as the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Thursday that it was declaring the deadly coronavirus outbreak spreading from China to be a global health emergency. The warning, officially known as a 'public health emergency of international concern' and defined as an 'extraordinary event', is the highest alert the UN health agency can issue. Just one week ago, the organization decided to hold off the declaration as there was no evidence of human-to-human evidence outside of China. However, in the week since, the number of cases surged ten-fold. Additionally, Thursday was the first confirmed case of person-to-person case transmission of coronavirus in the US after a man in was infected from his wife, who had previously traveled to China. 'The main reason for this declaration is not for what is happening in China but because of what is happening in other countries,' Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General, said at a press conference. 'Our greatest concern is for the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems, which are ill prepared to deal with it.' He added that the declaration didn't mean a 'vote of no confidence in China' and, in fact, congratulated the Chinese government for taking 'extraordinary measures' to contain the outbreak. This marks the fifth time the WHO has made such a declaration since the rule to do was implemented in 2005: for the influenza pandemic of 2009, a resurgence of polio 2014, the Ebola crisis in 2014, the outbreak of Zika virus outbreak in 2016 and the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2019. Such a declaration does not give the WHO more money, but officials can make recommendation on travel or trade was well as mobilize public and political action. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEOS On Thursday, the World Health Organization announced in a press conference (pictured) that it was declaring the deadly coronavirus outbreak to be a global health emergency The warning, officially known as a 'public health emergency of international concern', is the highest warning the WHO can give The first person-to-person case of coronavirus has been confirmed in a Chicago man who was infected by his wife, who traveled to China It's the first time an American has caught the case without having traveled to China. Pictured: Passengers arrive at O'Hare International Airport as they in Chicago, January 24 The wife, 60, had traveled to Wuhan - where the virus originated - in late December to take care of her elderly father. Pictured: Medical staff in protective suits treat a coronavirus patient at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan, January 28 She returned to Chicago on January 13, but did not show symptoms until several days later. Pictured: Medical staff in protective suits treat a coronavirus patient at Zhongnan Hospital in Wuhan, January 27 More than 8,200 cases have been confirmed in 18 countries and territories around the world It comes on the heels of news of the sixth confirmed case in the US of a man whose wife had already been infected. The man's wife, who is in her 60s, became the second American after she returned from a trip to Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. 'Given what we've seen in China and other countries with the novel coronavirus, CDC experts have expected some person-to-person spread in the US,' Dr Robert Redfield, director of the CDC told reporters in a media call on Thursday. 'We understand that this may be concerning, but based on what we know now, we still believe the immediate risk to the American public is low.' The couple, who have not been identified, are now both being isolated at St Alexius Hospital in Hoffman Estates, a suburb of Chicago. According to officials from the Illinois Department of Health, the wife is 'doing well' and the husband is 'stable'. The wife traveled to Wuhan - where the virus originated - in late December to take care of her elderly father. The couple, who have not been identified, are now both being isolated at St Alexius Hospita (pictured) l in Hoffman Estates, a suburb of Chicago Several countries have advised against non-essential travel to the China. Pictured: Funeral workers disinfect themselves after handling a coronavirus victim in Wuhan on Thursday She arrived at O'Hare International Airport on January 13, but did not begin experiencing symptoms until several days later. CDC officials say they do not believe she infected her husband until she was symptomatic. The husband had some pre-existing medical conditions, similar to many infected patients, but health officials would not elaborate on what those conditions were. Health officials say that the man was not attending mass gatherings and they are monitoring close contacts. 'This person-to-person spread was between two very close contacts, a wife and husband,' said Ngozi Ezike, the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health in the media call on Thursday. 'It is not spreading in the wider community.' More than 8,000 people worldwide have been infected and 170 people have died. Pictured: A doctor attends to a patient in an isolation ward at a hospital in Wuhan on Thursday There have been cases of human-to-human transmission reported outside of China, including in Germany, Japan, Taiwan and Vietnam. Pictured: A doctor puts on a protective suit and goggles at a hospital in Wuhan on Thursday Medical workers in protective gear help a suspected coronavirus patient get out of an ambulance in Wuhan Previously, all confirmed US cases had been in patients who travel to Wuhan, where an outbreak has been ongoing since December 2019. However, there have been cases of human-to-human transmission reported outside of China, including in Germany, Japan, Taiwan and Vietnam. The four other cases have been confirmed in Maricopa County, Arizona; Orange County and Los Angeles County California; and Snohomish County, Washington. Currently, 168 cases are under investigation in at least 26 states - 21 of those alone in Illinois. The CDC say it is likely that more cases of the virus, known as 2019-nCoV, will be reported in the next several days and weeks. Signs and symptoms of the illness include fever, cough, and shortness of breath, with 20 percent of cases becoming severe. Health officials say the best steps Americans can take to stay safe is to practice basic hygiene including washing hands with warm water and soap and coughing or sneezing into an elbow. Meanwhile in China, the coronavirus death toll has risen to 170 as of Thursday afternoon and several countries - including the US and UK - have advised against non-essential travel to the nation. More than 8,000 people have been sickened by the deadly strain in at least 18 countries and territories amid an international effort to stop the spread. US EVACUATES 195 AMERICANS FROM WUHAN AND PLANS SECOND RESCUE FLIGHT On Wednesday, an evacuation flight with 195 Americans onboard landed at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, California. They were greeted by in officials hazmat suits before being filed onto awaiting buses and taken to another building. The plane, which also carried six members, departed Wuhan before dawn on Wedneday before stopping to refuel in Anchorage, Alaska. Originally scheduled to fly to Ontario International Airport in Ontario, California, tje flight was diverted to the air base 25 miles away without explanation late on Tuesday night. Currently, the passengers are under a voluntary 72-hour quarantine as officials check for signs and symptoms. Prior to this, the passengers underwent four screenings: two before departure in Wuhan and another two during a refueling stop in Anchorage, Alaska. There are more than 1,000 Americans still in Wuhan, bu the US State Department announced on Thursday it was planning a second evacuation flight. On Wednesday, an evacuation flight with 195 Americans onboard landed at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, California (pictured) Officials in hazmat suits met passengers as they stepped off the plane and onto awaiting buses (left and right). Currently, the passengers are under a voluntary 72-hour quarantine WUHAN EVACUEE TRIES TO WALK OFF BASE AND IS PLACED UNDER MANDATORY QUARANTINE One of the passengers on the US evacuation flight from Wuhan allegedly tried to walk off the March Air Reserve Base (MARB) less than halfway through the 72-hour quarantine. The unidentified passenger was one of 195 who were asked and voluntarily agreed to remain on base for three days so they could be screened and monitored for any symptoms of coronavirus. However, on Wednesday night, the traveler tried to leave the base, the details of which are unclear, forcing Dr Cameron Kaiser of the Riverside County Public Health Department to issue a quarantine order. This means the passenger is required to stay on base for the entire 14-day incubation period or until authorities say he or she is free to leave. 'This action was taken as a result of the unknown risk to the public should someone leave MARB early without undergoing a full health evaluation,' Riverside County public health officials said in a written statement. " " Napoleon Bonaparte dominated European affairs for over a decade as the Emperor of France and became one of the most celebrated military leaders of all time. Wikimedia Commons More words have been written about Napoleon Bonaparte than almost any other historical figure. But for those with limited time resources, here's a short primer on the wildly ambitious French military leader with help from Peter Hicks, historian and manager of international affairs for the Fondation Napoleon in Paris. Advertisement Born in Corsica, Arrives in France Napoleon was born Napoleone di Buonaparte Aug. 15, 1769, on the island of Corsica, only recently bought by France from the Italian city-state of Genoa. Young Napoleon, the son of a prominent Corsican family, was sent to mainland France for school, where his Parisian classmates made fun of his provincial accent. "Instead of calling him Napoleon, they called him 'straw on the nose,'" says Hicks, "mispronouncing his name in French with a Corsican accent." After graduating from the French military academy and becoming part of the French Revolution, Napoleon dropped the extra vowels in his Italian-sounding name. Advertisement Marriage to Josephine Napoleon was six years her junior when he met 32-year-old Paris socialite Marie-Josephe-Rose de Beauharnais, who already had two children: Eugene, born in 1781 and Hortense, born in 1783. Their father, Alexandre de Beauharnais, had been executed in 1794 during France's Reign of Terror. Napoleon and Josephine married in 1796 and Napoleon became stepfather to her children. In the course of time, it was discovered that Josephine was incapable of having more children. Napoleon would divorce her in 1809 to marry Austrian Archduchess Maria-Louise, banking on her to produce him an heir, which she did with the birth of a son, Napoleon Francois Joseph Charles Bonaparte, later Napoleon II, in 1811. Napoleon was said to have loved Josephine for the rest of his life and her name was reportedly the last word on his lips when he died in 1821. But back to the battlefield. Advertisement Hero of the Italian Campaign Napoleon rose through the ranks of the French army and was promoted to major general after helping to quash a royalist coup in Paris. In 1796, at just 26 years old, he was sent to Italy to mount a last-ditch campaign against France's bitter rival Austria. He found the French troops exhausted and unpaid but whipped them into excitement with promises of glory and riches to be won. Despite being outnumbered almost two-to-one by Austrian and Italian Piedmontese fighters, Napoleon used speed and cunning to separate the enemy forces and ruthlessly attack their weak points. Napoleon's armies could cover up to 30 miles (48 kilometers) a day compared to just 6 or 7 (10 or 11 kilometers) for the Austrians and Italians. "They sent a young madman who attacks right, left and from the rear," complained a Piedmontese officer. "It's an intolerable way of making war." When the Austrians and Italians surrendered, Napoleon demanded payment in gold, which he gave to his fighting men, sealing their loyalty. Word of his exploits spread far and wide. "Napoleon really burst onto the scene with the staggering success of the first Italian campaign, which put him on the radar with the rest of Europe," says Hicks. "Everybody wanted to know, 'Who is this guy?'" " " The consecration of the Emperor Napoleon I (1769-1821) and Coronation of the Empress Josephine (1763-1814), in Notre Dame cathedral, 2nd December 1804. Painting by Jacques Louis David (1748-1825), 1806. Musee du Louvre, Paris, France. Photo Josse/Leemage/Getty Images Advertisement Visions of Empire in the Exotic East It didn't take long for Napoleon to begin seeing himself as the French incarnation of Julius Caesar or Alexander the Great. He could have made a play for emperor in 1797, but felt the moment wasn't quite right in Paris. So he rallied his armies and set off for Egypt, where he hoped to cut off British trade with India. Napoleon scholar Jean Tulard called the Egyptian campaign, "probably the craziest expedition in the history of France." Napoleon marched 35,000 troops across the desert from the port city of Alexandria toward Cairo. At the Battle of the Pyramids, he faced a wall of 10,000 fearless Mameluke fighters on horseback. "Soldiers," Napoleon shouted to his troops, "from the height of these pyramids, 40 centuries look down upon you." The French, following Napoleon's ingenious battlefield strategies, crushed the saber-wielding Mamelukes and took Cairo. But while Napoleon was daydreaming of conquest "I saw myself founding a new religion," he later wrote, "marching into Asia riding an elephant, a turban on my head, and in my hand the new Koran" the British struck back, destroying the French fleet docked in the Mediterranean. Stranded in Egypt, Napoleon decided to pick more fights with the locals. He took on the Turks in Syria and bombarded the centuries-old walls at the ancient city of Acre. But by 1798, morale was low and a civil war was raging back home. Napoleon saw an opening for his triumphant return, so he abandoned his troops in Egypt and secretly made for France. The Egyptian campaign wasn't a total wash, though. Napoleon's soldiers, while digging to reinforce a fortress wall in 1799, made an accidental discovery in the Nile Delta the Rosetta Stone. Advertisement From First Consul to Emperor When Napoleon arrived in France in October 1798, he found his country in chaos. The state coffers were empty, a coalition of enemies was on the attack, and the French central government lead by a five-man Directory was divided and crumbling. France needed a strong, authoritarian leader and Napoleon knew just the right guy for the job. In a matter of weeks, he plotted with two of the Directors and some wealthy backers to hatch a coup d'etat. They convinced the legislature that another royalist coup was imminent, pretense for relocating the government to a country palace and sending in troops to "protect" them. First, Napoleon made a ham-handed speech presenting himself as France's savior, which the constitutional body violently rejected, crying "down with the dictator!" and "death to the tyrant!" He returned the next day with more troops, and in a complicated series of political maneuvers, convinced the deputies to dissolve the Directory and create a new three-person consul with Napoleon at its head. After rallying the army to defeat the Austrians, Napoleon earned the title of "First Consul for Life" and decided it was time to bring monarchy back to post-Revolution France. On Dec. 2, 1804, after literally snatching the crown from the hand of Pope Pius VII, Napoleon named himself Emperor of France. Advertisement Napoleon Helped Make Modern France While still First Consul, Napoleon created several new state institutions and spearheaded reforms that pulled the country out of chaos by consolidating power in a strong central government. Among the big changes were to bring religion back to France through a pact with the Pope. Not only did Napoleonic France recognize Catholics, but welcomed Protestants and Jews on equal footing. Under Napoleon, France created its first central bank, the franc was introduced, and taxes were collected in a fair and timely manner. The messy post-Revolution legal system was codified under what's known as the Civil Code or the Napoleonic Code. On the flip side, women lost almost all legal rights and slavery was reintroduced in French colonies. "Government was settled along a top-down structure and it was very much one man at the top," says Hicks, "but Napoleon's reforms brought financial security, and also political and social stability." Advertisement France Versus the World Napoleon's rule of France was dominated by nonstop fighting with European rivals, chiefly Britain, Austria, Prussia and Russia. The Napoleonic Wars spanned from 1796 to 1815 and were bankrolled by Britain, the major economic and military power of the day. "Britain was happy to have Europe fighting itself so it could run the rest of the world," says Hicks. "Britain paid other countries to do the fighting against France, but the other guys didn't need much encouraging. They found Napoelonic France quite challenging." The British formed coalition after coalition against the French Empire, but Napoleon managed to keep the upper hand and even win more territory until 1812, when he made a fateful and failed gamble in Russia. Advertisement In Russia, Napoleon Was Beaten by Retreat When the Russian czar Alexander I backed out of Napoleon's blockade of British goods in 1811, Napoleon was livid. Against the advice of his generals, Napoleon chose to invade Russia with one of the largest European armies ever assembled, an estimated 600,000 soldiers from France, Italy, Germany and Poland. Napoleon's army charged into Russia in the blazing heat of the summer. The Russians, overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemy fighters, fell back in retreat, burning the towns and countryside behind them. Exhausted and without towns to raid for supplies, the French forces suffered from disease and desertion. Finally, the two armies met at the Battle of Borodino, where Napoleon threw his men into a brutal, all-day assault that cost tens of thousands of lives on both sides. The Russians finally relented and Napoleon marched triumphantly into Moscow, only to find the city in flames. The Russian winter arrived early and with a vengeance. Napoleon's army, fully unprepared for temperatures as low as -22 degrees F (-30 degrees C), froze to death by the thousands. Starving soldiers killed each other over horsemeat. And throughout the ordeal, Cossacks raided the retreating French army, dealing devastating blows to its flanks and rear. Of Napoleon's invading army of 600,000, only 100,000 made it out of Russia alive. Advertisement Exile to Elba After barely escaping total disaster in Russia, Napoleon came home to fight off another coalition of European foes: Britain, Russia, Prussia, Sweden and Austria. With diminished forces, he held off the coalition for a year before the enemy marched on Paris itself and Napoleon's generals refused to follow him into a final battle. On April 12, 1814, Napoleon abdicated his throne and was exiled to the tiny island of Elba between Italy and Corsica. Hicks says that Napoleon's expulsion to Elba was "kind of a joke," less of a punishment for Napoleon than a strategy engineered by the Russians to destabilize Austrian-controlled Italy. "Cartoons at the time compared Napoleon on Elba to Vesuvius next to Naples," says Hicks. "It's going to blow up, and it did." Advertisement Triumphant Return and Final Defeat at Waterloo After less than a year in exile, Napoleon sailed from Elba with 1,000 supporters and landed on the French mainland, where he was met by exultant crowds. King Louis XVIII, who had been installed by the coalition allies in Napoleon's place, skipped town without a fight. The Emperor was back, but not for long. What followed is known as the Hundred Days Campaign, Napoleon's last desperate grasp at power. With coalition forces amassing against him, Napoleon decided to strike first by invading Belgium. He had some luck against the Prussians in a preliminary battle, but then he came up against the British outside the Belgian town of Waterloo. The British army, under the command of the formidable Duke of Wellington, numbered 68,000 troops at Waterloo, roughly the same size as Napoleon's force. But Napoleon didn't know that the Prussians were waiting in the wings with 72,000 more enemy troops. Napoleon might have won if he had ordered the attack on the British line sooner, but he opted to wait and let the muddy ground dry. Those extra hours gave the Prussians time to join the fight and rout the French. On June 22, 1815, Napoleon abdicated the throne for the second and final time. " " The death mask of Napoleon Bonaparte in the Musee de la Maison Bonaparte, the ancestral home of the Bonaparte family, in Ajaccio, France Michal Osmenda /Wikimedia Commons ( CC By 2.0 Advertisement Death on St. Helena, an Island Prison The British weren't going to take any chances with Napoleon's second exile. They chose the remote tropical island of St. Helena, thousands of miles from France off the coast of Africa. There, in a ramshackle estate called Longwood, a single prisoner was guarded by 2,800 men and a Royal Navy squadron of 11 ships. Napoleon died May 5, 1821, likely from stomach cancer. He was 51 years old. He was buried on St. Helena, but his remains were eventually returned to France where he was entombed at Les Invalides among the great French leaders of all time. Now That's Interesting Napoleon wasn't nearly as short as his enemies made him out to be. Historians believe he stood 5 feet, 6.5 inches(169 centimeters), which was average for his day. A garda at the scene where the burnt-out getaway car was found Gardai believe that the target of a reckless criminal who fired two shots at unarmed gardai yesterday morning is a member of one of the country's most prolific burglary gangs. Two uniformed officers were responding to reports of suspicious activity when they were threatened with a handgun at point-blank range - and shot at minutes later - during a chase with a crazed criminal who sources said last night "had murder on his mind". His target is living at an address near Gorey, Co Wexford, close to where a thug was spotted hiding in a ditch near his home by a concerned member of the public. Murder The garda patrol car that reacted to the situation was later fired upon twice by the thug, who detectives suspect was in the area to murder a key member of a Tallaght-led organised crime mob. "On arrival the two gardai encountered a male who pointed a handgun in their direction and threatened them," a garda spokeswoman said. No arrests had yet been made last night as a major armed garda manhunt continued for two suspects, including the lone gunman who fired at the two male gardai before leading the brave officers on a high-speed chase. A motive for the suspected botched gang hit had not yet been established last night "but it is rooted in serious criminality" and the two gardai who were shot at were being comforted by friends and family. The shocking incident happened in broad daylight yesterday at 8.30am and sources revealed last night that the suspected target has previously been warned of an active threat against his life. Gardai on patrol came across the suspect, who detectives believe was acting as a lone hitman. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who was at an event in Co Wexford yesterday, described the events in north Wexford as a matter of "serious concern". "I only have some very basic information on that - I heard about the events in Gorey, but I don't want to comment on them until I know what the full facts are," Mr Varadkar said. "[But] I think everyone in the country is worried about the spate of violence and violent crime that we have witnessed in the last couple of weeks in different parts of the country." In an unusual development, the suspected hitman was on his own in the Gorey Hill area when he was confronted by brave gardai, who then pursued him for around 6km before he was met by a waiting accomplice. "This car was followed by a uniform patrol car and failed to stop for gardai along the Gorey to Carnew Road R725 driving erratically and dangerously," a garda spokeswoman said. Outrageous "On two occasions the driver of the car slowed down the BMW and discharged shots from a handgun at pursuing unarmed uniform gardai. "This male is described as 6ft, slim build, black jacket, scarf over face and wearing a hat." The unarmed gardai were forced to back-off and by the time that armed back-up arrived, the BMW which had been used by the shooter, was discovered burnt out. "This car was subsequently discovered burnt out in the townland of Banntown, Co Wexford. Gardai are appealing for any information on the activities and location of this blue BMW 318 06W1012 overnight and in recent days," the garda spokeswoman said. Superintendent Gerry McGrath said: "The illegal discharge of a firearm is a reckless act at any time, but the discharge of a firearm at unarmed uniformed members of An Garda Siochana, is an outrageous act." By Kang Seung-woo Amid growing public concerns over the coronavirus outbreak, the main opposition Liberty Korea Party's (LKP) calls for "preventive measures" are raising eyebrows as many of them may be inciting hatred of China and Chinese people. The opposition party has called for banning Chinese nationals from entering Korea and deporting those who are already here. Party members are intensifying these calls as the epidemic has snowballed, killing more than 170 people and infecting nearly 8,000 in China. Korea has reported six confirmed cases. "Chinese from Wuhan and Hubei Province, where the coronavirus is rampant, are admitted to Korea without proper quarantine process. The government has not dealt with the coronavirus thoroughly," Rep. Won Yoo-chul of the LKP said during a party meeting at the National Assembly, Wednesday. "I will submit a revision bill to the Quarantine Act to impose an entry ban on foreigners who stayed in Wuhan or passed through the city." Won submitted the bill after the meeting. Won's action is in line with a recent online petition posted on Cheong Wa Dae's website which urged the government to ban all Chinese people from entering Korea. Nearly 600,000 people agreed with the idea as of Thursday. "Malaysia has imposed a temporary ban on Chinese nationals arriving from Wuhan and Hubei Province to stem the spread of the coronavirus outbreak. In addition, the public strongly want such a preventive measure, so the government needs to take a swift action," Won added. Cho Kyoung-tae, another LKP lawmaker, said, "The government should temporarily ban Chinese people from coming to Korea and send those who are now visiting here back to China immediately." The four-term lawmaker also said in a media interview, "It has nothing to do with anti-China sentiment and it is a call on the government to prioritize the safety of the Korean people as other countries such as Taiwan, the Philippines and Hong Kong do." Cho also slammed the government for its decision to provide 2 million masks to China to help the efforts to fight the virus, saying, "The government should be committed to supporting its nationals first." Kim Moo-sung, a six-term veteran lawmaker, went further, saying the government needs to assume that the whole of China is infected with the coronavirus. "The government should do its utmost (in terms of) quarantine efforts because even a small loophole could put Korea, a country close to China and frequented by Chinese travelers, in danger," Kim said. Rep. Yoo Seong-min of the minor opposition New Conservative Party also urged the government to ban Chinese and Koreans from visiting each other's countries if necessary. However, government officials say such a ban on nationals of a specific country is unlikely according to international law. "It is the right thing to strengthen quarantine measures and screen people with symptoms regardless of nationality. Banning people based on nationality can cause a huge problem," Health and Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo said Wednesday. A Cheong Wa Dae official also said the World Health Organization (WHO) has not recommended restricting travel and trade. "We are complying with the WHO decision," he said. In addition, history is not on the LKP's side as the previous administrations did not ban Chinese nationals and Middle Easterners from entering Korea when Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) broke out. "Such claims went too far," said Park Won-gon, a professor of international politics at Handong Global University. "If the situation gets worse, we need to move in line with other countries. Considering relations between Korea and China, it is nonsense for the Korean government to independently do so." In response, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) criticized the opposition side for stoking anti-China sentiment that could trigger diplomatic problems. DITTMER, Mo. - A former Catholic priest has been arrested at a Missouri facility that provides a home for disgraced clergy, accused of sexually assaulting a child in North Texas 31 years ago. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 78-year-old Richard Thomas Brown was arrested Tuesday on a warrant issued by Dallas police. Brown is charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child. The arrest occurred at a supervised living facility known as the Vianney Renewal Center in Dittmer, about 30 miles (48.28 kilometres) southwest of St. Louis. The centre is run by the Servants of the Paraclete. It wasnt immediately clear if Brown had an attorney. A phone message left Thursday with an official with the Servants of the Paraclete was not immediately returned. A woman answering the phone at the renewal centre declined comment. Last year, the Dallas Catholic Diocese named Brown on a list of credibly accused priests. Brown, who was ordained in Texas in 1980 and removed from priesthood in 2002, served at least five churches in North Texas. New Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has received support from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of Mamata Banerjee for the Delhi Assembly election 2020. TMC national spokesperson Derek O' Brien on Thursday backed AAP in Delhi election and uploaded a video on his Twitter handle in which he endorsed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the candidate from Rajendra Nagar constituency Raghav Chadha and all AAP candidates in the 68 other Assembly seats of the national capital. "Vote for @AamAadmiParty, Vote for the candidate from Rajendra Nagar constituency @raghav_chadha, Vote for @ArvindKejriwal and all AAP candidates in Delhi," O' Brien tweeted. In the video, O' Brien is in Rajendra Nagar constituency in Central Delhi where he endorses the Kejriwal government saying it has delivered what it promised in terms of health, education, water, electricity and pollution. "What they promised, they have delivered. The candidate here is Raghav Chadha, he is a boy from here, very enthusiastic. One of the youngest bright minds I have seen in Delhi. Vote for AAP, vote for Raghav Chadha. May the Aam Admi Party do very very well," said O' Brien. Vote for @AamAadmiParty Vote for the candidate from Rajendra Nagar constituency @raghav_chadha Vote for @ArvindKejriwal and all AAP candidates in Delhi WATCH pic.twitter.com/KcgHbPpkB7 Citizen Derek | (@derekobrienmp) January 30, 2020 AAP and TMC have spoken in one voice on several issues with Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal also sharing a cordial relationship over the years. The Delhi CM came out in support of his West Bengal counterpart during Lok Sabha election 2019 and also during her face-off with the Centre over Kolkata police chief Rajeev Kumar. Banerjee too on her part condemned attacks on Kejriwal during the general elections and lashed out at the BJP over the issue. Delhi is voting in a single phase to elect a new 70-member Assembly on February 8, 2020. The counting of votes will take place three days later on February 11 and the results will be declared simultaneously. The main contest in Delhi is between AAP, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress. In the last Delhi poll in 2015, AAP swept to power winning 67 seats with the BJP securing three and the Congress ending up with a zero. (With inputs from PTI) China on Thursday allocated nearly USD four billion funding to support efforts to contain the dreaded coronavirus as the death toll from the epidemic jumped to 170, with the foundations of Jack Ma and Bill & Melinda Gates also opening their wallets to help in the fight against the outbreak. The coronavirus outbreak began in Wuhan, capital of China's Hubei province, in December and has now spread across the globe. The Chinese authorities are trying to contain the epidemic while other countries, including India, are working on plans to evacuate their citizens from Wuhan and other cities in Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak. The death toll in China has increased sharply to 170 with 38 more fatalities while the confirmed cases jumped to 7,711, China's National Health Commission said on Thursday. China has allocated 27.3 billion yuan (about USD 3.94 billion) to support the battle across the country against the novel coronavirus, the Finance Ministry said. The funds have been allocated to guarantee the coronavirus prevention and control work, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. More efforts are required to improve fiscal and taxation measures for coronavirus prevention and control in a timely manner, the Finance Ministry said. Financial departments at all levels should reasonably allocate funds and make sure that the prevention and control work will not be affected by funding problems, the meeting noted, Xinhua reported. Also, the government has announced a special daily subsidy of 300 yuan (about USD 42) for medical personnel working in close contact with the coronavirus affected patients, it said. Meanwhile, funds are pouring in to step up research to develop vaccine to counter the coronavirus. Alibaba founder Jack Ma, the second-richest person in China, reportedly pledged USD 14 million (100 million yuan) to efforts to develop a coronavirus vaccine through his Jack Ma Foundation. "We firmly know that while scientists are racing against the clock, it won't be an easy task from the vaccine research to the final large-scale production and use," Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group and the Jack Ma Foundation said. Ma said the foundation will strive to provide more help for the development and accumulation of medical science in the fight against viruses. Alibaba Group said it would provide public research institutions free access to all AI capabilities needed for the development of vaccines and new drugs for the novel coronavirus. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced a USD10 million commitment to help frontline responders in China and Africa contain the spread of novel coronavirus. The foundation pledged USD five million in support of response efforts in China and is working with public- and private-sector partners to accelerate national and international cooperation in the areas of critical need, including efforts to identify and confirm cases, safely isolate and care for infected patients, and develop treatments and vaccines. China is still in emergency mode in dealing with the coronavirus threat and not yet started counting the costs and the impact it would have on its already slowing down economy. The world's 2nd largest economy grew by 6.1 per cent last year, the lowest annual growth rate in 29 years amid the bruising 18-month long trade war with the US. The government is hoping to halt the slowdown this year after reaching the phase one trade deal with Washington. With the coronavirus causing devastating impact by virtually bringing the country to halt, analysts say it may have substantial impact on the economy this year. Russia reports 1st suspected coronavirus case Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova announced that Russia has closed its border with China to pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Russia has reported its first suspected coronavirus case as a citizen who returned from China was hospitalized on Thursday. Officials said the man recently traveled to Chinas Hainan Island and was admitted for treatment in the city of Tula, around 200 kilometers south of Moscow. PATIENT TAKEN UNDER OBSERVATION The patient was placed under observation at an infectious diseases ward on Wednesday, the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being said in a statement. Health officials carried out sanitation and epidemic prevention measures at the patient's place of residence, it said. RAILWAY SERVICES WILL BE LIMITED Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said railway service will also be limited from Thursday midnight and trains will only operate between Moscow and Beijing. A decision on air traffic will be taken by Friday, Golikova added. "We should implement a regime that would allow the return of Russians with appropriate quarantine measures and the possibility of Chinese citizens leaving Russia," she said. Russias measures come as the death toll in China has climbed to 170, with 7,711 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the coronavirus, also known as 2019-nCoV. Our Divisions Copyright 2021-22 DB Corp ltd., All Rights Reserved This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics. She's the former Big Brother star who isn't afraid to flaunt her body on Instagram. And Skye Wheatley did just that on Thursday, as she shared a jaw-dropping picture of herself wearing incredibly sexy white mesh underwear while posing in her Gold Coast mansion. The blonde bombshell, 24, was seen gazing seductively in the mirror as she showed off her famous curves to the camera, placing her hand on her head to draw attention to her washboard abs. Super sexy! Skye Wheatley (pictured) turned up the heat on Thursday, as she shared a jaw-dropping picture of herself wearing sexy white mesh underwear in her Gold Coast mansion The sun-kissed beauty enhanced her striking features with a subtle silver highlighter and a dark pink lip, and wore lengthy lashes to frame her gorgeous eyes. Skye wore her hair in space buns for the occasion, taking three different shots - with one on her knees on the floor - to show off all her best angles. 'White errrrthang has always been a thing for me @loungeunderwear whats your fav colour to wear? Lachy loves black but Im an all white gal,' she captioned the sultry shot. How adorable! Skye wore her hair in space buns for the occasion, taking three different shots - with one on her knees on the floor - to show off all her best angles Gorgeous: The sun-kissed beauty enhanced her striking features with a subtle silver highlighter and a dark pink lip, and wore lengthy lashes to frame her stunning eyes The doting mum regularly shows off her impossibly phenomenal physique online, after welcoming her son Forest in December 2018 with her boyfriend Lachlan Waugh. She met the 29-year-old a year prior, on dating app Tinder. The makeup artist snapped back to her pre-baby body in record time, crediting her 'healthy lifestyle' for the quick turnaround in an Instagram post last August. 'I'm in such a better mindset': Skye snapped back to her pre-baby body in record time, and put it down to her new 'healthy lifestyle' in an Instagram post in August (pictured) Posing in a racy white bikini to flaunt her frame, Skye told followers: 'I'm honestly pretty proud of how motivated I have been to get my pre-baby body back! 'I'm actually more fit than I was before which is pretty crazy! Leading a healthy lifestyle is so important to me now because of how much better I feel.' The blonde bombshell rose to fame on the 2014 season of Big Brother Australia, and now has a successful YouTube channel. Acquisition Marks Critical Step in Celanese's Acetyl Core Derivatization Strategy and Supports Continued Growth of VAE Emulsions Business Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE), a global chemical and specialty materials company, and Nouryon today announced they have signed an agreement for Celanese to acquire Nouryon's redispersible polymer powders business offered under the Elotex brand (Elotex business). As part of the acquisition, Celanese will acquire all of Nouryon's global production facilities for redispersible polymer powders across Europe and Asia, all products under the Elotex portfolio, as well as all customer agreements, technology and commercial facilities globally. "By acquiring Elotex, Celanese will have direct access to a relatively fast-growing applications and a customer base that is complementary to our emulsions business. The acquisition offers additional flexibility and downstream growth optionality through derivatization, both of which are vital to unlock value under our unique global acetyl chain business model," said Todd Elliott, senior vice president, Acetyls. "With this acquisition, Celanese will extend its global leadership position in the VAE emulsions space and continue to support our customers in construction and building materials, where Celanese is already focusing significant product, solution and customer development efforts." "I want to thank our Elotex employees and our loyal customer base for their contribution in building this business," said Charlie Shaver, Chairman and CEO of Nouryon. "It is very well positioned for growth and I strongly believe that it will prosper under the new ownership and continue to meet and exceed customer expectations in this market by providing industry leading products and solutions." Elotex is one of the world's leading manufacturers of redispersible polymer powders for the following product applications: self-leveling flooring and wall texturing smoothing/painting exterior thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS) which provide exterior walls with an insulated and waterproof surface, applied as a topcoat by trowel or spraying cement tile adhesives and grouts for floor and wall tiles, mosaic and flat natural stone on dimensionally stable sub floors gypsum plaster and joint fillers, polymer binding systems, and cement and time-based renders Celanese expects to integrate Elotex's redispersible polymer powder product portfolio and production facilities into its global acetyl chain to further meet global product demand. Elotex has production facilities in Europe and China that include Frankfurt, Germany; Geleen, Netherlands; Moosleerau, Switzerland; and Shanghai, China. Elotex's manufacturing facilities in Frankfurt and Geleen are co-located and operationally integrated with Celanese emulsions assets at these locations. Elotex has its global headquarters, R&D and Technical Services functions located in Sempach, Switzerland. The parties expect to complete the transaction in the second quarter of 2020, subject to customary closing conditions, regulatory approvals and subject to completion of the works council process. Until closing, Celanese and Elotex will continue to operate as independent businesses. About Nouryon We are a global specialty chemicals leader. Markets worldwide rely on our essential chemistry in the manufacture of everyday products such as paper, plastics, building materials, food, pharmaceuticals, and personal care items. Building on our nearly 400-year history, the dedication of our 10,000 employees, and our shared commitment to business growth, strong financial performance, safety, sustainability, and innovation, we have established a world-class business and built strong partnerships with our customers. We operate in over 80 countries around the world and our portfolio of industry-leading brands includes Eka, Dissolvine, Trigonox, and Berol. About Celanese Celanese Corporation is a global technology leader in the production of differentiated chemistry solutions and specialty materials used in most major industries and consumer applications. Our businesses use the full breadth of Celanese's global chemistry, technology and commercial expertise to create value for our customers, employees, shareholders and the corporation. As we partner with our customers to solve their most critical business needs, we strive to make a positive impact on our communities and the world through The Celanese Foundation. Based in Dallas, Celanese employs approximately 7,700 employees worldwide and had 2018 net sales of $7.2 billion. For more information about Celanese Corporation and its product offerings, visit www.celanese.com or our blog at www.celaneseblog.com. Forward-Looking Statements: This release may contain "forward-looking statements," which include information concerning the company's plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future revenues or performance, capital expenditures and other information that is not historical information. When used in this release, the words "outlook," "forecast," "estimates," "expects," "anticipates," "projects," "plans," "intends," "believes," and variations of such words or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations and beliefs and various assumptions. There can be no assurance that the company or its customers will realize these benefits or that these expectations will prove correct. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this release. Numerous factors, many of which are beyond the company's control, could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed as forward-looking statements. Other risk factors include those that are discussed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and the company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which it is made or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005400/en/ Contacts: Celanese Investor Relations Chuck Kyrish +1 972 443 4574 chuck.kyrish@celanese.com Media Relations Global W. Travis Jacobsen +1 972 443 3750 william.jacobsen@celanese.com Media Relations Europe (Germany) Jens Kurth +49(0)69 45009 1574 j.kurth@celanese.com Nouryon Andrew Wood, Corporate Communications T. +31 20 899 1510 E. media_relations@nouryon.com In 1980, from April through October, over the course of seven months, roughly 125,000 Cubans fled Cuba for the United States. It was a direct result of Fidel Castros decision to open the ports for anyone who wished to leave Cuba. This event is known as the Mariel Boatlift and is named after the port of Mariel, which lies west of Havana. Eventually the mass immigration ended when the U.S. government and Cuba government came to a mutual agreement. What Precipitated It? Fidel Castro, President of Cuba, during a news conference. Editorial credit: Rob Crandall / Shutterstock.com Fidel Castro had been in power for 21 years and Cuba was suffering under the combination of Castros communism and U.S. sanctions. Throughout the 70s, much of the countrys services had been nationalized, from education to healthcare to industry. However morale was low in the country among workers and although there had been economic growth in the early 70s, by the mid-to-late 70s, economic growth had stalled out. In 1973, Castro had stopped allowing Cubans to leave the country in an attempt to prevent the brain drain that was occurring. 1979 saw Cuban exiles allowed to return to the country; many of them returned to visit family and brought money and appliances and other hard-to-get items. This in turn led to increased discontent among those still living in Cuba. Additionally, there were food and housing shortages. People were unhappy. The Peruvian Embassy Incident And What Followed On April 1, 1980, Hector Sanyustiz, accompanied by four others, drove a bus through a fence at the Peruvian embassy and claimed asylum. Although Castro demanded that the men be returned, the embassy declined to do so. By April 6th, nearly 10,000 Cubans had swarmed the embassy, claiming political asylum and requesting assistance. The Peruvian president, Francisco Morales, had announced that he was willing to accept asylum-seekers. Two overloaded boats in Key West Harbor during the Mariel Boatlift in 1980. Photo by Raymond L. On April 14th, U.S. President Jimmy Carter announced that the U.S. would accept 3,500 refugees. The situation escalated even further when Castro stated on April 20th that anyone who wished to leave Cuba was free to do so as long as they left via the Mariel port and were picked up by Cuban relatives in Florida. Shortly after this began, Carter realized that it would become larger. He stated that the U.S. had a open-arms policy Simultaneous to this occurring, there was also an influx of Haitian refugees that were allowed to enter the United States this transpired under the Cuban-Haitian Entrant Program (June 20th). Castro exploited Carters declaration of open-arms and used the opportunity to deport convicted criminals and many who were released from mental institutions or hospitals. As the refugees and deportees continued to pour into the United States, it began to have a negative effect on Jimmy Carters presidency. In fact, the Mariel Boatlift is widely considered to be an influencing factor on why Carter lost the next Presidential election to Ronald Reagan. As of 2016, there were still Marielitos who remained to be deported; they are considered to be serious criminals. New Delhi: A man opened fire during anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protest at New Delhi's Jamia, injuring one student. The gunman has been taken into custody, police is investigating whether he was a part of the protests. According to eyewitnesses, the man came near the protesters waving his gun. He said, "Main hun Ram ka bhakt, aao tumhe deta hun azadi. (I am Ram's Bhakt, let me give you freedom)." The protesters were shouting slogans against the Delhi Police. As a security measure, entry and exit gates of Jama Masjid, ITO and Delhi Gate metro stations have been closed. The injured student, named Shadab, was shot in the arm and has been admitted to the Holy Family Hospital. Live TV Earlier, people had gathered at Jamia's gate number 7 for the march which was to start from Jamia to Batla House then back to Jamia and conclude at Rajghat. (This is a developing story. More details awaited) Press Release January 30, 2020 Recto: Put up temporary Great Wall vs Chinese visitors "I think it is time to put a temporary 'Do not enter sign' on our doorstep for visitors from China," Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said. "Let us explain to them that we are not permanently closing our doors. This is not a permanent Great Wall. This is only during the duration of the coronavirus crisis," Recto said. Recto said such Philippine action is consistent with what China is doing to stave off the spread of the virus. "We will only be borrowing a page from their manual," Recto said. "If Hong Kong has drastically reduced high-speed train and ferry services from China, then why can't we do the same? Recto said, referring to the territory's decision to slash cross-border travel with mainland China. Even within China, its government has quarantined 40 million of its people, confining them in their homes and restricting their travel, Recto noted. "If many of their people are not allowed to travel from Point A to B in China, then why are we allowing travel from most points in China to all points in the Philippines?" Recto asked. "Sabi nila, a temporary ban on Chinese visitors will harm them. On the contrary, it will harm us more, in tourism receipts forfeited. And greater harm if the virus will be carried in here by them," he said. "There is no hint of racism or xenophobia in this policy. This is an assertion of the national wellbeing. And an acceptance of the fact that our defenses and capacity to respond to a health emergency is not that strong," Recto said. "When China sneezes, we get pneumonia. If that is the case, then an ounce of border control is worth a ton of cure," Recto said. He said it was wrong for the Bureau of Quarantine to "clear that cruise ship from China in express fashion. Abundant caution should have been exercised." Recto said airport screening of incoming passengers "regardless of their origin" should be strict because the virus can come here via other routes and means. Netflixs new television show Cheer has been a smash hit since it was released, propelling a Navarro College cheerleading team to global stardom. Kendall Jenner, who was a cheerleader in high school, is a massive fan of the show and was surprised by her favourite Cheer member Morgan with a crash course. Jenner appeared on The Ellen Show and revealed her cheerleading past, as well as adding that she was a huge fan of Cheer. Michael Rozman/Warner Bros. She specifically mentioned that Morgan Simianer, one of the stars of Navarros team, was her favourite - which prompted host Ellen DeGeneres to bring Simianer out for the supermodel to meet her. It became obvious that the pair were big fans of one another, as Jenner immediately embraced Simianer in a hug and they later held hands. Simianer also surprised Jenner with her very own Navarro cheerleading uniform top, and it seems that she was also given a white bow which she wore later on in the programme. After Jenner changed into the outfit, she was taken onto a mat where she joined Simianer and other members of Cheer - as well as Ellen and her staffer Andy, who was also there for the impromptu class. Jenner was asked to demonstrate one of her old high school cheers, which she did, before the Navarro team took over and showed off the impressive trick that Jenner would be learning - a stunt called a Prep, where the cheerleaders would be standing straight up in the air. Although Jenner was initially uncertain about it, she nailed the trick on the first try, which had even Simianer and her crew impressed. Andy, who tried out the trick later, managed it too but with more of a wobble. Michael Rozman/Warner Bros. Jenner told Ellen, After I watched Cheer, I was like, I was definitely not this kind of cheerleader. She was also ambushed by a less than flattering photo of herself in her old cheerleading uniform, which made the model laugh as she revealed her friends would send her the picture to make fun of me. Loading.... The cast of Cheer appeared on The Ellen Show last week, where they demonstrated a revised version of their competitive cheerleading routine from the Daytona Nationals. A few members also joined Ellen on the couch, where Jerry demonstrated his mat talk for Ellen - hyping her up as he clapped his hands. Courtesy of U.S. Navy Will Chesney, K9 handler from the Navy SEAL team that killed Osama bin Laden, will be the keynote speaker at the Fulshear-Katy Area Chamber of Commerce meeting on Feb. 12. On May 2, 2011, Chesney and his dog, Cairo, a Belgian Malinois, were part of the SEAL Team 6 special task force that stormed bin Ladens compound. By Trend Studies have been carried out at Chinese restaurants in Azerbaijan amid the spread of the 2019-nCoV coronavirus in China, Chairman Azerbaijan's Hotels and Restaurants Association Samir Dubandi told Trend. The association has contacted Chinese restaurants that have been operating in the country for a long time, the chairman said. "It turned out that the news about the coronavirus did not adversely affect the operations of these restaurants. The restaurants reported that none of their foodstuffs comes from China, but are imported from the nearest Asian countries," Samir Dubandi said. The chairman added that a memorandum was signed between China and Azerbaijan in 2019, and this year 200,000 Chinese tourists were expected to arrive in Azerbaijan. "Not many tourists from China come to Azerbaijan. But last year, a memorandum was signed between the two countries, according to which it was planned to attract up to 200,000 tourists to Azerbaijan. Unfortunately, it seems like we have lost this number of tourists from China," the chairman added. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Reuters The United States on Wednesday urged Britain to rethink its decision to allow China's Huawei a role in 5G networks, cautioning that American information would only be allowed to pass across trusted networks. Prime Minister Boris Johnson granted Huawei a limited role in Britain's 5G mobile network on Tuesday, frustrating a global attempt by the United States to exclude the Chinese telecoms giant from the West's next-generation communications systems. "There is also a chance for the United Kingdom to relook at this as implementation moves forward," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters as he flew to London. "We will make sure that when American information passes across a network we are confident that that network is a trusted one," he said. "Our view of Huawei is: putting it in your system creates real risk." Pompeo is due to arrive in London later on Wednesday. He is scheduled to meet his British counterpart Dominic Raab as well as Johnson. He said telecoms and security would be "part of the conversation". In what some have compared to the Cold War antagonism with the Soviet Union, the United States is worried that 5G dominance is a milestone towards Chinese technological supremacy that could define the geopolitics of the 21st century. Washington says Huawei, founded in 1987 by a former People's Liberation Army engineer, is an extension of the Chinese state and that it helps Chinese intelligence to steal secrets - an allegation denied by the company. "This is an extension of the Chinese Communist Party with a legal requirement to hand over information to the Chinese Communist Party," Pompeo said of Huawei. "We'll evaluate what the United Kingdom did." True Competitors Huawei, the world's biggest producer of telecoms equipment, has said the United States wants to frustrate its growth because no US company could offer the same range of technology at a competitive price. Britain argued that excluding Huawei would have delayed 5G and cost consumers more, echoing warnings from the telecoms industry. "It's important for everyone to know there is also real work being done by lots of private companies inside the United States and in Europe to make sure that there are true competitors to Huawei," Pompeo said when asked if the United States would cut security cooperation with Britain. Johnson said on Wednesday he wanted to ensure people have access to the best technology but that his Huawei decision would not harm cooperation with the United States. "I want to assure ... the country that I think it's absolutely vital that people in this country do have access to the best technology available," he told parliament. "But that we also do absolutely nothing to imperil our relationship with the United States, to do anything to compromise our critical national security infrastructure." "We are proud indeed of the work that we and our partners have done over the last 100 years to protect the remaining ancient redwoods and to create redwoods parks that inspire millions of visitors every year. But that's just the beginning," said League President and CEO Sam Hodder . "Now, Save the Redwoods League is shifting from defense to offense, growing the resources that will enable us to dramatically scale up our pace, reach and impact, changing California's story for the next 100 years. PROTECT The League's Vision commits to accelerating the pace and scale of redwood forest land conservation. To that end, just over half of the Forever Forest campaign goal$61 millionis dedicated to protecting coast redwood and giant sequoia forests in California. Already, funds raised during the quiet phase have gone to acquire and protect such properties as the Alder Creek (2019), Red Hill (2018) and Harold Richardson Redwoods Reserve (2018) propertiesthe three largest privately owned coast redwood and giant sequoia properties. Announced today, the League has entered into an agreement to purchase the 564-acre Cascade Creek property in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The property is nestled between Big Basin Redwoods and Ano Nuevo state parks, and it will serve to create a continuous corridor of protected redwood habitat from the Santa Cruz Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. "Cascade Creek has more than 100 acres of ancient coast redwoods and expansive stands of large second- growth redwoods. Right here in the Bay Area, we are protecting a critical piece of our 'forever forest.' Interwoven among the ancient trees is a young redwood forest growing back and already well on its way to becoming the old-growth forest of the future," said Hodder. "The opportunity to connect two state parks and heal a mountain-to-sea landscape helps ensure the long-term ecological health and climate resiliency of the entire region." The acquisition and protection of Cascade Creek is predicated on the League raising $9.6 million by May 30, 2020. To date, the League has raised $8.6 million toward that goal. The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation has committed a significant lead gift; the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), a project partner, will contribute $2 million; the California State Coastal Conservancy voted last month to approve a grant up to $2.5 million; and private individuals have contributed $1.85 million through the Forever Forest campaign. Forever Forest campaign lead donors Ralph Eschenbach and Carol Joy Provan were so inspired by the opportunity to save Cascade Creek that they donated an initial $500,000 to launch the fundraising effort. In order to help meet the goal, they have pledged an additional $500,000 if it is matched dollar-for-dollar by May 30, 2020. The public can donate to support the protection and restoration of Cascade Creek at SaveTheRedwoods.org/SaveCascade. For more information on the Cascade Creek property, please see the fact sheet. RESTORE The League's Centennial Vision also advances restoration efforts to put 800,000 acres of younger coast redwood forests on a path toward becoming the old-growth forests of the future. To launch efforts to meet that ambitious goal, as well as support research that is critical to informing the restoration work, the Forever Forest campaign aims to raise $24 million. In 2018, the League launched a collaborative restoration project, Redwoods Rising, with the National Park Service and California State Parks. This effort aims to rehabilitate the vast landscape of formerly logged coast redwood forest that constitutes most of Redwood National and State Parks along the northern coast of California. Supported by the campaign, the first phase of Redwoods Rising restoration work began in late 2019. The initial restoration sites are located in two major watersheds in Humboldt and Del Norte counties. Restoration will address the overly dense and damaged condition of the forest. Redwoods Rising will also remove hundreds of miles of defunct logging roads and restore streams impacted by erosion. When restored, this forest will become the largest contiguous stand of old-growth coast redwoods anywhere in the world. "Redwoods Rising is nothing short of monumental. It is our commitment to be scientifically guided and environmentally responsible as we restore an entire forest ecosystem that was fundamentally altered by human activities before the parks were established," explains Hodder. "The redwoods store more carbon per acre than any other forest in the world and provide resilient habitat in a changing climate. By letting our iconic redwood forests grow old again and regain their natural grandeur, we are truly leaving the world better than we found it. Our Forever Forest campaign is aptly named." The Forever Forest campaign will also support such important long-term research programs as the Redwoods and Climate Change Initiative, which is exploring the impact of climate change on the forests and how redwoods are supporting efforts to curb carbon impacts. It will also support the Redwood Genome Projecta five-year collaboration with scientists at University of California, Davis, and Johns Hopkins University to sequence the redwood genomes, make the data available to seed research and discovery and build technology that forest managers can use to assess and protect genetic diversity during restoration activities. CONNECT The League's Centennial Vision includes goals for expanding access and deepening engagement of audiences that reflect the diversity of California, as well as creating world-class redwood destinations for current and future generations. The Forever Forest campaign is committing $35 million for initiatives such as the construction of raised walkways that will enable safe and ecologically informed access for the first time to the popular Grove of Titans in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. The campaign has also supported the development of a conceptual design for a world-class recreation and education destination at the southern gateway to Redwood National and State Parks, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The League is working closely with its public partners to secure the state and federal funds required to realize this shared vision. Part of envisioning the future of redwoods access is creating the first new redwoods park in 40 years, Harold Richardson Redwoods Reserve in Sonoma County, 100 miles north of San Francisco. Protected by the League in 2018 with Forever Forest campaign support, the 730-acre reserve is 30 percent larger than Muir Woods National Monument. It contains 47 percent more old-growth redwoods. More than 300 old-growth redwoods stand more than 250 feet tall, with many over 300 feetas tall as the Statue of Liberty. The oldest known coast redwood south of Mendocino County and the widest coast redwood south of Humboldt County has been discovered on the property. It is estimated to be 1,640 years old with a trunk diameter of 19 feet (as wide as a two-lane street). The League is currently conducting research and planning for public access to land that was in private hands for more a century. "With dedicated support from the Forever Forest campaign, we can develop and open to the public the first new redwoods park to be established in more than 40 years," explains Hodder. "It will be transformative to have such a significant forest publicly available so close to the millions of residents and visitors in the San Francisco Bay Area. Forever Forest: The Campaign for the Redwoods is an effort to raise $120 million in private support for Save the Redwoods League to accelerate the pace, reach and impact its work to protect, restore and connect people to the iconic redwood forests of California. The campaign is led by Chair John Scharffenberger and Vice Chair Peggy Light. Ralph Eschenbach and Carol Joy Provan are honorary chairs and are lead supporters of the campaign. Other lead supporters include the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, John Scharffenberger and Dr. John Woollam. Save the Redwoods League One of the nation's oldest conservation organizations, Save the Redwoods League has been protecting and restoring redwood forests since 1918, connecting generations of visitors with the beauty and serenity of the redwood forest. The League's 29,000 supporters have enabled it to protect more than 216,000 acres of irreplaceable forests in 66 state, national, and local parks and reserves. For more information, please visit: SaveTheRedwoods.org. To schedule an interview, contact Robin Carr at (415) 971-3991 or [email protected]. SOURCE Save the Redwoods League Related Links https://www.savetheredwoods.org NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- J.F. Lehman & Company ("JFLCO"), a leading middle-market private equity firm focused exclusively on the aerospace, defense, maritime, government, and environmental sectors, is pleased to announce that an investment affiliate has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Global Marine Group ("GMG" or the "Company"), headquartered in Chelmsford, UK. With a legacy dating to 1850, Global Marine Group is a leading provider of subsea cable maintenance and installation services to the telecommunications, offshore wind and utility markets worldwide. GMG owns and operates a highly specialized fleet of marine equipment and vessels, including three cable installation and repair vessels, four cable maintenance vessels and 19 crew transfer vessels, enabling the Company to provide its suite of highly technical offshore engineering services quickly and effectively to customers anywhere in the world. "Global Marine Group has been a market leading provider of critical marine services for decades and is an exciting addition to the JFLCO portfolio of companies," said Alex Harman, a Partner with JFLCO. "The Company's strong market positions, comprehensive suite of unique services and assets, and talented workforce align well with our investment strategy." Will Hanenberg, a Principal at JFLCO added, "We believe the Company has significant opportunities for growth in its core telecommunications and offshore wind markets, and we look forward to supporting the Global Marine Group team as it executes its exciting vision for the future." Dick Fagerstal, Chairman of Global Marine Group commented, "I believe JFLCO is an excellent partner for GMG to help facilitate the next phase of our growth. Together with Ian Douglas, CEO of GMG, and the rest of the Global Marine Group management team, we look forward to leveraging JFLCO's extensive maritime experience and considerable capital base in further developing GMG's core business in the telecommunication and offshore wind markets." Ian Douglas added, "Additionally, we are excited about the prospect of developing new investment opportunities in related service areas while continuing to deliver high quality subsea solutions to our global customer base." The agreement, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2020. Debt financing for the transaction was provided by Deutsche Bank. Winchester Capital served as financial advisor to JFLCO and Jones Day (lead counsel) and Blank Rome (maritime) provided legal advice. Deutsche Bank and ABN AMRO served as financial advisor to Global Marine Group and Hogan Lovells provided legal counsel. About J.F. Lehman & Company, Inc. Founded in 1992, J.F. Lehman & Company is a leading middle-market private equity firm focused exclusively on the aerospace, defense, maritime, government and environmental sectors. The firm has offices in New York and Washington, D.C. For more information about J.F. Lehman & Company, please visit www.jflpartners.com. SOURCE J.F. Lehman & Company Related Links http://www.jflpartners.com US Dollar, British Pound, GBP/USD Price Analysis The FOMC rate decision from yesterday led into the BoE rate decision this morning. The US Dollar put in a bearish move post-FOMC. The BoE rate decision added more fuel to the bearish USD -theme, with GBP/USD breaking out to fresh near-term highs. Fed, Bank of England Bring Some FX Volatility to the Table Its been a busy past 18 hours in global markets, as yesterdays FOMC rate decision led into this mornings rate meeting at the Bank of England. This was Mr. Mark Carneys final rate decision atop the BoE, with successor Andrew Bailey set to take over from here. Neither bank made any actual moves but the BoE did cut growth forecasts for the next few years; somewhat of a parting gift from Mark Carney. Nonetheless, the British Pound has thus far gained on the back of this mornings drivers as there were actual expectations that the bank may have cut this morning, and the fact that they didnt quickly took rate cut bets out of the market as GBP/USD broke-out to a fresh near-term high. Perhaps the most notable takeaway at this point has been the pullback in the US Dollar. The Greenback came into this series of drivers with a full head of steam, continuing a January rally that had wiped-out more than 50% of the Q4 sell-off in the currency. That 50% marker at 98.01 in DXY proved to be an item of near-term support that helped to hold the lows in DXY after the FOMC rate decision. That level has now been traded through, aided in-part by the bullish breakout in GBP/USD on the back of this mornings Bank of England rate decision. US Dollar Hourly Price Chart Chart prepared by James Stanley; US Dollar on Tradingview In GBP/USD, the pair had previously put in a dour week of price action with buyers remaining on the sidelines as the pair dwindled back to the psychological 1.3000 level. Yesterday even brought some temporary breaches of that barrier but price action soon returned above the level and held until this mornings European open. The BoE rate decision acted as a slingshot as rate cut bets were quickly priced-out of the market; and even with the drag produced by those forecast reductions, the pair has continued to jump in the aftermath, raising the possibility of longer-term trend possibilities in the currency and, specifically, in the GBP/USD pair. This is something Ive been tracking in webinars for some time now as a longer-term bull pennant formation has appeared in GBP/USD. At this point, GBP/USD is testing a near-term resistance zone running the 1.3117 Fibonacci level. Beyond that, 1.3187 looms large and then 1.3250 becomes a potential point of resistance. GBP/USD Hourly Price Chart Chart prepared by James Stanley; GBPUSD on Tradingview Bigger picture, the operative question is whether buyers are ready to return to the British Pound. Tomorrow is the official Brexit day and this has generally been a bullish driver in the currency as optimism has taken over in the past few months. The first three quarters of last year were fairly brutal for the GBP as Brexit was opaque and few harbored any positive prognostications as to how the whole split might finally go down. But last September is when a long-term trendline came into play, and after some jostling in the month of September, buyers have taken over in the past few months, posing a series of bullish breakouts in the pair. GBP/USD Monthly Price Chart Chart prepared by James Stanley; GBPUSD on Tradingview October produced a big breakout in the pair as GBP/USD jumped by more than 800 pips in the month; resistance eventually playing-in off of the 1.3000 psychological level. The pair then spent the next six weeks digesting that gain, trading in a range with a bullish bias. And then December brought even more hope on the Brexit-front and prices again broke-out to fresh highs, this time finding resistance off of the 1.3500 handle. Since that 1.3500 test in mid-December, a similar train of digestion has shown in GBP/USD as what came up after the 1.3000 test in October; but this time price action has built in to a symmetrical wedge formation which, when taken with the prior bullish trend, makes for a bull pennant formation. The support side of that wedge/pennant was tested multiple times this week, through FOMC and BoE, but so far that level has held and buyers have come back into the matter, keeping the door open for longer-term bullish scenarios in GBP/USD, particularly with Brexit day so nearby. GBP/USD Daily Price Chart Chart prepared by James Stanley; GBPUSD on Tradingview --- Written by James Stanley, Strategist for DailyFX.com Contact and follow James on Twitter: @JStanleyFX President Tsai Ing-wen has been reconfirmed dramatically as leader of the government of Taiwan. The election of Jan. 11 gave her 57.1% of the vote, a stunning landslide. She is the first woman to hold this top government position, a milestone of tremendous importance. This also continues political complications with mainland China. The current governing party, the Democratic Progressive Party, is formally committed to independence from China. The DPP also retained a majority in the legislature. Ironically, the conservative Kuomintang opposition party has been more comfortable than the DPP with pragmatic cooperation with Beijing. The government of China predictably has complained bitterly about this latest political development. Current assertiveness of China in maritime and military terms adds teeth to the rhetoric. Beijing has already reduced, but not terminated, trade and tourism. Nonetheless, tensions likely will continued to be mitigated without resort to armed conflict. The earlier DPP government from 2000 to 2008 was able to finesse the political challenges with Beijing. Today, economic concerns remain more important than ideological purity for the communist great power. In 2016, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago, which represents Taiwan, hosted a seminar to review and discuss the implications of the return of the DPP to governing power. There was general agreement President Tsai had effectively endorsed the framework of cooperation initiated by Beijing and Taipei in 1992, without actually stating Beijings commitment to one country, two systems. One seminar participant suggested emphasizing the Chinese people globally, a primary source of overseas investment. This was an insightful and shrewd suggestion, still worth consideration by government leaders of Taiwan. In February 2014 representatives of the island and the mainland agreed to exchange representative offices. Face-to-face negotiations were led by Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun of China, and Taiwan Mainland Affairs Minister Wang Yu-chi. In 2016, however, Beijing suspended direct communications The two sides share a bitter legacy of battle and blood. In 1949, Nationalist forces of General Chiang Kai-shek evacuated to Taiwan. Mao Zedongs armies controlled the mainland of China. Except for the island territory, communist revolution was complete. The Korean War of 1950-1953 made the Cold War global, with China and the United States direct combatants. U.S. commitment to Taiwan security became explicit. The foundation of cooperation has been built steadily if slowly over time. Pragmatism characterizes Taiwans approach to mainland China. Following formal U.S. diplomatic recognition of Beijing in 1978, a consequence of President Richard Nixons 1972 visit, Taipei immediately launched a comprehensive essentially non-confrontational strategic response. In November 2008, agreement was reached on far-reaching trade accords, including direct shipping, expansion of weekly passenger flights from 36 to 108, and introduction of up to 60 cargo flights per month. In 2010, the bilateral Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement was concluded. This has been a major triumph for previous President Ma Ying-jeou. His election as chief executive in 2008 and 2012 greatly furthered rapprochement with Beijing. Taiwan has become essential investor for the enormous industrial revolution taking place on the mainland. Commercially successful, generally well-educated overseas Chinese in turn are a vital source of capital for the mainland. Expatriate Chinese also vote in Taiwan elections. President Tsai symbolizes equality, fairness and progress. Open competitive markets undercut rigidities of tradition and ideology. The ECFA framework is now so strong that a return to earlier hostility across the Taiwan Strait is unlikely. Taiwan, without doubt, has now effectively embraced representative democracy. Arthur I. Cyr is the Clausen Distinguished Professor at Carthage College. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 HALIFAX, Nova Scotia Jan. 29, 2020 CAD$2.3M Halifax Sherri McFarland Martin Greenwood May 2019 Gary O. Inman $2.3M Prince Edward Island Shelley King Stephen Ball Ron Keefe Michael Sherman Prince Edward Island Halifax, Nova Scotia the United States Canada Canada's Canada's $4.25 Million-dollar $150,000 $250,000 Martin Greenwood /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- PhotoDynamic, Inc. has secured investment funding from the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO), completing a series of successful financing rounds totaling. The-based company has developed a patented light-activated antimicrobial oral hygiene technology designed to kill bacteria which causes plaque and overcome challenges associated with traditional oral hygiene regimens. Discovered by Dr., a world-renowned expert on photo activated chemistry, the technology completed successful clinical trials in 2018."While applicable to anyone's hygiene regimen, our technology solves a particular problem for orthodontists and their patients who can face real difficulties maintaining good oral hygiene during treatment," said, CEO of PhotoDynamic. Scheduled to launch this fall, the company's daily oral hygiene technology combines a natural botanical foam and a light-emitting medical device. Greenwood explains that "Receiving the AAO investment provides a great opportunity to further connect with the orthodontic community and further promote the potential patient impact of our technology."In, the AAO established a fund to support innovation that advances the specialty of orthodontics. The fund can be used to develop new products and services for orthodontists and patients by building, partnering or investing. "The AAO thoroughly vetted PhotoDynamic. We were impressed with the clinical results and the potential to improve orthodontic patient care" said Dr., AAO President. "We're delighted to have Martin and the PhotoDynamic team as our first investment."In addition to the AAO and several dental angel investors, thefinancing round includes major investors Island Capital Partners and Natural Products Canada. Island Capital Partners is abased early stage venture fund supporting local innovation while Natural Products Canada is a national not-for-profit corporation with an investment fund dedicated to naturally derived products, technologies, and services."PhotoDynamic's ground-breaking product is a perfect example of the power of natural compounds to create truly disruptive market opportunities," says, CEO of Natural Products Canada. "We are proud to invest in this high-potential company and support them in their commercialization journey." Joining the PhotoDynamic board will be, Regional Director (Atlantic) of Natural Products Canada, along with, ICP partner and former CEO of Biovectra, and Dr.an Orthodontist and Trustee with the AAO.Greenwood adds, "We've gathered a group of strategic investors that can assist with our supply and sourcing on, elevate our expertise in developing leading edge natural products, and strengthen connections with our core orthodontic market; we couldn't be happier with this investment round."About PhotoDynamicPhotoDynamic Inc (PDI), was founded in 2012 to establish a new standard in oral hygiene and health, using safe natural compounds. Our core technology combines a patented botanical extract with light, in a process called natural photodynamic inactivation (nPDI), to control oral bacteria. This technology provides a convenient and effective oral hygiene alternative that overcomes many of the barriers that dental patients can encounter with traditional hygiene regimens. Our technology has been clinically demonstrated to reduce the build-up of dental plaque which leads to cavities and gum disease, and for orthodontic brace patients unattractive white spot lesions. PDI is headquartered in. Visit http://www.photo-dynamic.com.About the AAOThe American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) represents 19,000 orthodontist members throughoutand abroad. Founded in 1900, AAO is the world's oldest and largest dental specialty organization. AAO is dedicated to, among other goals: (a) ethically advancing the art and science of orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics worldwide; (b) improving the health of the public by promoting quality orthodontic care, the importance of overall oral healthcare, and advocating for the public interest; and (c) educating the public about the benefits of orthodontic treatment and the educational qualifications of orthodontic specialists. For more information, visit aaoinfo.org.About Natural Products CanadaNatural Products Canada (NPC) is the driving force behindNatural Product Innovation Clustera strategic community of SMEs, research institutes, corporations, investors, government departments, and service providers who support the development and commercialization of naturally-derived products and technologies in health and life sciences, natural resources, agriculture and agri-food, and sustainable bioproducts. As part of its role in the Cluster, NPC offers a suite of Commercialization Programs to help companies and researchers advance high-potential products and technologies; provides connection and innovation scouting services to industry and investors through its Innovation Hub; and leverages its Investment Fund to help develop and de-risk promising Canadian opportunities. NPC has nearly 600 opportunities in its pipeline, has completed 10 investments, and has already experienced two exits. Established in 2016, NPC is funded by a range of public and private investors, including the Government ofCentre of Excellence in Commercialization and Research (CECR) program, administered by the Networks of Centres of Excellence. Visit http://www.naturalproductscanada.comAbout Island Capital PartnersIsland Capital Partners is a seed stage venture fund investing in high growth potential companies raising capital. Thefund was founded in 2017 with initial investments ranging between. The management team of the fund is looking for strong founders with scalable innovative businesses. For more information, visit peislandcapitalpartners.com.Legal disclaimer - Individuals and third-parties should not rely on the AAO's actions or representations regarding PhotoDynamic in making their own financial or practice decisions. The foregoing press release is for informational purposes is only, intended to be an update, and is not and should not be considered financial, investment, tax or any other advice or guarantees of any kind. The AAO will not be liable for loss or damage of any kind, including lost profits (whether or not the parties have been advised of such loss or damage) arising in any way with individual's or third-parties' acts or omissions based on the foregoing AAO update.Press ContactPhotoDynamicChief Executive Officer PhotoDynamic Inc. Phone: 902.209.2256 http://www.photo-dynamic.com info@photo-dynamic.comSOURCE PhotoDynamic West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh courted yet another controversy on Thursday when he said one cannot become a political leader unless he visits jail. Asking party cadres to "actively" counter the ruling TMC, Ghosh said sitting back at home would not make one a good political activist. "Don't expect to be a good political activist just by sitting back at home. You all have to work. You have to be active, so that police is forced to arrest you. Don't get cowed down by threats from TMC goons. "Unless you visit the jail, you can't be a good leader," the BJP leader claimed. Reacting to his comment, TMC minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, said Ghosh, being a leader of a political party, should be more cautious about the statements he makes. "His comments reflect both his and his party's mindset. But I would still suggest him to be more cautious about the comments he makes," Chattopadhyay said. Earlier this month, too, Ghosh, the BJP MP from Midnapore seat, had stirred up a storm when he said "anti-CAA protesters who destroyed public property were shot like dogs in BJP-ruled states". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tata Motors on Thursday posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 1,755.88 crore for the third quarter ended 31 December, 2019 New Delhi: Tata Motors on Thursday posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 1,755.88 crore for the third quarter ended 31 December, 2019. The auto major had reported a net loss of Rs 26,960.8 crore during the October-December period of 2018-19. Total revenue from operations stood at Rs 71,676.07 crore as compared with Rs 76,915.94 crore in the year-ago period, Tata Motors said in a regulatory filing. #3QWithCNBCTV18 | Tata Motors Q3 consolidated EBITDA margin at 10.3% Vs 8% (YoY) pic.twitter.com/HJTSeZf0a4 CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18Live) January 30, 2020 On a standalone basis, the company posted a net loss of Rs 1,039.51 crore as against a profit of Rs 617.62 crore in the year-ago quarter. Standalone total revenue stood at Rs 10,842.91 crore as compared with Rs 16,207.67 crore in the same period a year-ago. During the third quarter, the company's standalone wholesales, including exports, declined 24.6 percent to 1,29,185 units. Revenues of British arm Jaguar Land Rover increased to 6.4 billion pounds, up 2.8 percent as compared to same period last fiscal. The brand's total retail sales fell 2.3 percent during the period under review as against the same period of previous fiscal. While Jaguar Land Rover has continued its turnaround, market decline and BS-VI stock reduction in domestic market has affected company's performance, Tata Motors said. Jaguar Land Rover continued its turnaround and transformation journey with another quarter of strong delivery. China continues to improve gradually while Project Charge is well ahead of plans having already delivered 2.9 billion pounds so far, it said. In India, the auto industry continues to be impacted by the general economic slowdown. The profitability was impacted by adverse mix where despite increasing market shares, M&HCV volumes declined, the company said. "This coupled with proactive system stock reduction of Rs 3,800 crore resulted in loss of operating leverage," it said. It further said, "Though the near-term market situation is fluid, we are optimistic on the medium term as we launch our exciting BS-VI range of products with our system inventory at a multi-year low. We remain focused on driving our turnaround strategy and transitioning seamlessly to BS-VI." Shares of Tata Motors on Thursday ended 0.98 percent lower at Rs 186.20 apiece on the BSE. Finland is a dream vacation destination for outdoor enthusiasts and art lovers. From the sea to the snow, the place is a hidden gem for many tourists and travellers. Helsinki, the most visited place in the country, is the main entry point for most visitors travelling to Finland. The country is also known as The Land of the Midnight Sun, which is located in Northern Europe and is a truly magical place. Here is a list of things to do and places to visit in Finland. ALSO READ: Hill Stations In Karnataka Is One Of The Most Beautiful Places You Must Visit Suomenlinna Fortress Image Source: Shutterstock The place is considered as one of the world's largest sea fortresses. Also, the 18th-century fort on Suomenlinna is a 15-minute ferry ride from Helsinki's Market Square. The place was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in the year 1991 as a unique and special monument of military architecture in the country. Moreover, the place is also an inhabited district of the city of Helsinki. Santa Claus Village This lovely amusement park nestled in the snowy mountains of Lapland is Finlands version of a Disneyland. With ice restaurants, husky and reindeer sleigh rides, an igloo hotel, and safaris and excursions, you can surely find something which will attract you here. Your Finland travel is incomplete without visiting this amazing place. Helsinki Image Source: Shutterstock Helsinki, one of the most beautiful cities in the country, is the capital of Finland. Hence it remains one of the hottest Finland tourist spots. Covered with modern buildings and lush landscapes, the city offers many wonderful and amazing spots to visit. You can take a ferry ride or taste some traditional Finnish fare here. Helsinki districts like Kapyla and Vallila are good places to see wooden houses. ALSO READ: Hill Stations In Meghalaya That Must Be On Every Nature Lover's List Turku The major attraction in Turku is the Turku castle which was built around in the 16-17th century. The place is now home to the Turku Museum. This old town harbours a shopping centre, a Church, a market, and even a Swedish theatre. Do not forget to visit the quirky riverside restaurants which satisfy all senses. Porvoo Known to be Finlands few medieval settlements, Porvoo is the city which has a history of more than 600 years. However, many do not know that the town squares clad in cobble are creations via the directions of the Swedish masters. You can often see a glimpse of the tales of the Russian and Danish invaders in the Porvoo Cathedral. ALSO READ: Hill Stations In Tamil Nadu That You Must Visit Once In Your Life ALSO READ: Hill Stations In Kashmir That Will Make The 'traveller In You' Happy President Xi Jinping has ordered Chinese military to keep its mission firmly in mind and shoulder responsibility to make contributions to winning the battle against the novel coronavirus epidemic. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in a recent instruction to the military on the prevention and control of the outbreak of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus. The military resolutely implemented the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee after the novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan of Hubei Province, Xi said, adding that the armed forces rapidly initiated the joint prevention and control mechanism and sent elite medical teams to combat the epidemic at the frontline. Xi said the epidemic prevention and control remained grim and complex and demanded the armed forces shoulder their responsibility, fight the hard battle and actively assist local authorities in fighting the epidemic. The armed forces are tasked with treating patients in Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, which reflects the high level of trust that the Party and the people place in them, Xi said. To meet the expectations and fulfill the task, the military must strengthen leadership, enhance coordination with local authorities, adhere to scientific treatment, and pay attention to their own protection, Xi added. Huoshenshan Hospital, which is under construction, is a makeshift hospital dedicated to treating patients infected with the novel coronavirus. Xi ordered military hospitals engaged in the epidemic control to treat patients with all-out efforts and military research institutions to step up scientific research to contribute to winning the battle against the epidemic. A former nurse who pleaded guilty to helping a Colorado man cover up the murder of his fiancee has received the maximum sentence. Krystal Lee Kenney was ordered on Jan. 28 to spend three years in prison, said Jon Sarche, a spokesman with the Colorado Judicial Branch. After prison she must serve one year of parole, Sarche said. Kenney had agreed to plead guilty to one count of tampering with physical evidence and then testified against Patrick Frazee nearly a year ago in his first-degree murder trial. Kenney told the court she was in a relationship with Frazee, who was convicted in November of killing Kelsey Berreth and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Frazee appealed his case earlier this year, according to Teller County court records. Kenney, who lived in Idaho, said she disposed of Berreths phone after the womans disappearance. Kenney apologized in court Tuesday, saying, Im sorry that I did not save Kelsey, according to CNN affiliate KMGH. District Attorney Dan May told KMGH, This is probably the most emotional case I have ever been involved in. According to the Denver-based station, Dru Nielsen, who represented Kenney, said in court Tuesday that her client was manipulated by Frazee. She said Kenney is a genuinely good and moral person. Frazee instilled fear in her, the attorney told the judge. As we know, rational good decisions are not made when a person is acting out of fear, she said, according to KMGH. The-CNN-Wire & 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. In late 2019 Japan revealed that its military (the SDF or Self-Defense Forces) will receive new types of rifles and pistols. The new assault rifle is the Howa 5.56, which will replace the Type 89, a rifle based on the American AR-18 introduced in 1989. The AR-18 was an improved AR-15 design that was cheaper to manufacture and avoided some of the problems the AR-15 suffered from. The M-16 was a military version of the AR-15 that was further developed by the U.S. military and is still in service, mainly as the M-4. The M-16 type weapons are being replaced in the American military by a new design using 6.8mm ammo. The new Howa 5.56 won a competition involving the HK 416 and SCAR-L. These two weapons were also candidates to replace the American M16/M4 rifles. The Howa 5.56 is a new design introduced in 2016 but the manufacturer has not released specifications, only pictures. It looks a lot like the FN SCAR-L that was introduced in 2009. SCAR-L is a 3.29 kg (7.3 pound) weapon that is 889mm (35 inches) long with the stock extended, and 635mm (25 inches) with the stock folded. The barrel is 355mm (14 inches) long and the weapon is a gas-operated short-stroke piston with a rolling bolt. The SCAR-L, like several similar rifles, was designed with modularity in mind and uses the superior short-stroke gas piston system to automatically extract the cartridge after the bullet has been fired, and load the next round. This is preferred to the M16 gas-tube (direct impingement) system, which results in carbon being blown back into the chamber. That leads to carbon build-up, which results in jams (rounds getting stuck in the chamber, and the weapon unable to fire.). In the short-stroke system, hot gases are trapped in an easy to clean piston rather than the bolt and carrier section. In theory this system is a little less accurate than direct impingement but offers much better reliability. It should be noted that a little less accuracy in assault rifles is an acceptable tradeoff in a real firefight. Even modern M16/M4 (much improved vs early Vietnam era variants) are less reliable than piston-driven competitors. During an M16/M4 vs HK 416 comparison test, the later had 75 percent fewer jams. The Howa 5.56 also uses the Extruded Aluminum uppers and polymer lowers as seen in the other recent designs. It is a simple and cost-efficient production method. The only available photo shows also a foldable stock similar to SCAR-L or HK 433. The controls look identical to other AR-15 style rifle and it has foldable iron sights mounted on a full length 12 oclock Picatinny rail. The Japanese have ordered 3,283 Howa assault rifles for $2,800 each. This is probably only the first batch because the SDF currently has around 151,000 active personnel who use assault rifles. The current SDF pistol, the Minebea 9mm Pistol (a licensed SIG Sauer P220 copy) is being replaced by the German made HK SFP9 which bested Italian Beretta APX and Austrian Glock. HK SFP9 is a striker-fired polymer frame design with a steel frame and uses magazines that hold 15 standard 9 mm rounds. Thanks to the usage of polymer it weighs only about 703 grams (1.55 pounds) empty. Moreover, it has a very good ergonomic because the grip structure was co-designed by Nill Griffe, who was responsible among others for the iconic HK PSG-1 pistol grip, and all controls are ambidextrous so left-handed users will feel like at home. The initial batch will involve 323 pistols $876 each. That will be followed by more orders in the coming years as the older pistols are retired. The Japanese are continuing their effort to upgrade SDF amid simmering tensions with China and a still dangerous North Korea. The small arms upgrade is a part of more large scale modernization. Moreover, it should be noted that Japan again tries to procure a new system domestically or via license production. It isnt the cheapest way to do but it provides better control over new equipment than buying from the shelf. --- Przemyslaw Juraszek An Australian family have pulled out all the stops for their daughter's seventh birthday party, with Mediterranean catering, balloon installations and rides entertaining 80 guests on the day. Amy Movsisian, who runs a business called Arden Events out of Melbourne, spent two months planning her little girl Melina's carnival-themed function, which set them back $20,000. 'After her ice cream-themed sixth birthday we were searching on Instagram for seventh birthday ideas and that's where she was inspired to have a carnival theme party and rides,' Amy told FEMAIL about the January event. Amy Movsisian spent two months planning her little girl Melina's carnival-themed function Melina had 'absolutely no idea' what was planned and was extremely excited for the surprise, although she did accidentally see the $730 cake on her mother's phone Melina had 'absolutely no idea' what was planned and was extremely excited for the surprise, although she did accidentally see the $730 cake on her mother's phone. 'It took two months to book a lot of the vendors but everything came together in the last few weeks,' Amy said. The party was held at an Armenian community hall in Melbourne and there were 30 children and 50 adults in attendance. The party was held at an Armenian community hall in Melbourne and there were 30 children and 50 adults in attendance All of the tableware was personalised and kids munched on a box filled with nuggets, hot dogs and chips at lunchtime, while the adults indulged in Mediterranean catering A professional photographer and videographer captured the day with ease and Amy went on to share them on Facebook All of the tableware was personalised and kids munched on a box filled with nuggets, hot dogs and chips at lunchtime, while the adults indulged in Mediterranean catering. There were plenty of pink balloons, which cost $1,000, and light up letters to spell out Melina's name, as well as ice cream and cotton candy to enjoy for dessert. A ballerina spun around the room wearing a pink carnival costume and led people to the outdoor area to enjoy a range of rides, including a jumping castle. There were plenty of pink balloons, which cost $1,000, and light up letters to spell out Melina's name, as well as ice cream and cotton candy to enjoy for dessert This jumping castle was included in the rides A professional photographer and videographer captured the day with ease and Amy went on to share them on Facebook. 'Stunning! This looks like one of the Kardashians birthdays,' one woman commented. 'I was a wedding and events planner before kids so I go very over the top for all three of my kids parties also. Well done. Looks absolutely fabulous. I love it when parents do this,' said another. A third added: 'I'm not showing this to my daughter... this is amazing!' Melina's sixth birthday had a pastel-coloured theme with similar vendors, and cost the family $12,000 to produce. The first confirmed case of Coronavirus in the country has been reported from Kerala. A student who returned from Wuhan University, China, infected with the deadly virus is under treatment at an isolation ward in a hospital. The blood samples sent to National Institute of Virology, Pune is said to have tested positive for the virus. The condition of the student is said to be stable and being closely monitored, according to Kerala health minister, K.K. Shylaja. India is the 17th country to have confirmed the presence of the deadly virus. We have sent 20 samples to National Institute of Virology, Pune of which 10 tested negative. Of the remaining, one case is positive. Four students who returned from China are under observation in Thrissur government general hospital. There are currently 806 persons under observation in the state. Ten persons are quarantined in isolation wards of various hospitals in five districts, K. K Shylaja told media persons in Thiruvananthapuram. The minister convened a high level emergency meeting and also held discussions with the chief minister and reviewed the situation. The positive case was reported during a video conference of state health secretaries convened by Union health secretary Preeti Sudan on Thursday morning. The virus infection has been confirmed among the four symptomatic students who were admitted in the isolation ward suspecting the virus infection. Result of the other students are yet to come from Pune. Though the initial result tested positive, it can be fully confirmed after getting the result of gene identification sequencing test which is expected in few hours. The contact tracing and back tracking of the student will be done at the state level and national level, said principal health secretary Dr Rajan N Khobragade. Isolation ward and other facilities will be set up at Thrissur government medical college and the student will be shifted to the medical college. Health minister and other top officials will go to the Thrissur medical college and a meeting will be convened there to review the situation. All possible measures have been taken to prevent the spread of the virus. The government does not want to have even a single Coronavirus death in the state for which public support is crucial. While many people with a travel history to virus infected countries, especially China, report voluntarily, some of them are reluctant to approach health authorities, added the health minister. According to her, there is no room for panic and the state has the experience in contact tracing and containing the virus spread. The state could contain Nipah virus through effective contact tracing and home quarantine which is important in any case of virus outbreak," she informed. A meeting of the rapid response team is expected to be convened while a control room has already been set up in Thiruvananthapuram. An alert has been issued to medical offices across districts to ensure not even a single case is left unreported. With more than 2,500 Indians including Keralites waiting to return from China, the preventive and control measures have to be fool-proof, said the principal health secretary. The health minister urged the public and those with recent travel history to infected countries to cooperate. Strict action will be taken against those spreading false news and creating panic. Meanwhile, in the wake of virus infection, the Indian Council of Medical Research will be setting up facilities to test Coronavirus at Virology Institute, Alappuzha which will help in getting the lab results faster. Nearly 170 persons returned from China on Wednesday and all of them were screened and asked to remain indoors for next 28 days. Air travellers with symptoms including cold, fever and cough were advised to fill up the 'Self Reporting Form' before landing. India was listed among the top 30 countries at high risk from Coronavirus. With a huge number of students from Kerala studying in many universities across China including Wuhan, the state is considered to be highly vulnerable. The North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) here is starting a short-term Japanese language course from July this year, which will be funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The short-term course will later be converted to a diploma course and those the clear it are likely to find employment with various Japan-related programmes in India, NEHU vice-chancellor said on Thursday. "The NEHU is starting a short term Japanese language course in early July. It will further deepen the relationship between the two countries," Srivastava told PTI. He said the expenses for the faculty will be borne by the JICA while the host university will provide accommodation to them. The Japanese government funding agency is financing over 1000 kilometres of road and other infrastructure development projects spreading across Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura, Assam and Nagaland. A group of 22 students from the NEHU are visiting Japan from February 1 to February 9 as part of a cultural exchange programme, the vice-chancellor said. Sixteen students drawn from all NE states including Sikkim had visited Japan last year, NEHU dean of school of economics and management, B Panda, said. The NEHU authorities have advised the students to carry masks and sanitisers in view of the coronavirus outbreak in China. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sentsov says it was a conscious choice. Ukrainian film director and former political prisoner Oleh Sentsov has explained the reason for switching to the Ukrainian language of communication. Read alsoEx-political prisoner Sentsov says not interested in politics "It was a conscious choice. Because it is the language that unites us. If we create a new Ukrainian nation, which is formed according to national principles, a political nation, we should have some guidelines. This is our independence, our state symbols, our history, our language," he said in an interview for the Voice of America. Sentsov says he now speaks Ukrainian under certain circumstances. "I speak Ukrainian with Ukrainian speakers, try to write [social media] posts in Ukrainian. I try to speak Ukrainian at official events," he added. As UNIAN reported earlier, Sentsov spoke in the U.S. Congress on Tuesday about his prison term in Russia. He also addressed overall conditions in Russian penitentiary facilities and mentioned confessions of the Russian military involved in seizing Ukraine's Crimean peninsula. Novel gene therapy approach to prostate cancer already seeing results in clinical trial and may have impact on other solid tumor cancers A scientific team is developing a new CAR T-cell gene therapy treatment for advanced metastatic prostate cancer at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) with a $500,000 grant from Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT). The ACGT grant was awarded to Joseph Fraietta, PhD, assistant professor of microbiology and a T-cell biologist with expertise in tumor immunology and translational medicine, and Naomi Haas, MD, director of the Prostate and Kidney Cancer Program, associate professor of medicine, and nationally renowned expert in the field of prostate and kidney cancer. The goal of the ACGT-funded study is to overcome prostate cancer's stubborn resistance to CAR T-cell therapy, a therapy that has been successful in treating blood cancers. Drs. Fraietta and Haas are exploring approaches for re-engineering T-cells to enable them to induce safe, long-term remission for advanced, metastatic prostate cancer patients. "The grant from ACGT will help us advance our clinical work in a very novel way," said Dr. Fraietta. "If we can unlock the epigenetic code that controls the fate and function of T-cells, it could be a game changer." "The ACGT Scientific Advisory Council is impressed with the potential of this research team and their successful innovations in the use of T-cell therapy," noted Kevin Honeycutt, CEO and president of ACGT. "Because Drs. Fraietta and Haas are building on direct results already achieved with patients, there may be less transition time required to get a promising new treatment into the clinic for prostate cancer patients. Plus, we believe this research could provide a tumor-attack roadmap to help fight other cancers, including lung, pancreatic, ovarian and brain." In the ACGT-funded study, Drs. Fraietta and Haas are going from the bedside back to the benchtop to employ new insight into how to better enable T-cells to battle cancer cells in solid tumors. Drs. Haas and Fraietta will explore the connection between nutrient availability and epigenetic programming, and how these factors influence the viability of T-cells and their anti-tumor functionality. This research builds on durable results being achieved by Dr. Haas in related prostate cancer clinical trials. In these trials, different doses of CAR T-cell gene therapies are being used to treat metastatic patients for whom traditional hormonal therapies, chemotherapies, radiation and surgery have failed. "For so many years, chemotherapy, radiation and surgery were the traditional treatments for cancer. For prostate cancer, there's also hormone therapy," said Honeycutt. "Unfortunately, as the cancer progresses, it often stops responding to these traditional treatments. New cell and gene therapy approaches like the ones Drs. Fraietta and Haas are employing offer new hope to all cancer patients. ACGT has been dedicated to funding innovative science that harnesses the power of cell and gene therapy and transforms how cancer is treated. The work of Drs. Fraietta and Haas is a great example of this promise." ACGT has been instrumental in funding some of the decade's most transformative research, including breakthroughs in the use of CAR T-cell gene therapy for leukemia by the University of Pennsylvania's Carl H. June, MD. "Dr. June received his first ACGT grant in 2004 and a second in 2008, back when gene therapy was considered a risky proposition," says Honeycutt. "Fast forward to today and the field has changed dramatically with major pharmaceutical companies and research institutions vying for the next big discovery using gene therapy or immunotherapy." ### To learn more about Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT), visit acgtfoundation.org, call 203-358-5055, or join the ACGT community on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. To learn more about University of Pennsylvania's Abramson Cancer Center, visit pennmedicine.org/cancer. Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT) For nearly 20 years, Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy has funded research that is bringing innovative treatment options to people living with deadly cancers - treatments that save lives and offer new hope to all cancer patients. Founded by Barbara and Edward Netter after their daughter-in-law's devastating death from breast cancer, ACGT funds researchers who are pioneering the potential of cancer cell and gene therapy - talented visionaries whose scientific advancements are driving the development of groundbreaking treatments for ovarian, prostate, sarcoma, glioblastoma, melanoma and pancreatic cancers. 100% of all public funds raised by ACGT directly support research. For more information, visit acgtfoundation.org, call 203-358-5055, or join the ACGT community on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Pilot of helicopter that crashed heralded for 'miracle' landing The crew of a Hagerstown-based helicopter and the juvenile patient they picked up in Chambersburg, Pa., are OK after a crash near Philadelphia. Another protest against CAA and NRC has taken place, this time in Ludhiana, where slogans of Azadi were raised. Protests have been held in several parts of the country where people are trying to compel the Centre to revoke the CAA alleging that the law will lead to the detention of Muslims, despite the Centre's repeated assurances that no Indian will be detained due to the CAA as the law is about granting citizenship to persecuted minority refugees from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh, and not about snatching citizenship from any Indian. The Pentagon has identified the two U.S. Air Force officers killed in the crash of their Bombardier E-11A electronic-surveillance plane in Afghanistan and restated that there was no indication the plane was downed by hostile fire. The U.S. military on January 29 said the victims were Lieutenant Colonel Paul Voss, 46, of Guam and Captain Ryan Phaneuf, 30, of New Hampshire. The cause of the crash in Afghanistan's Ghazni Province remains under investigation. "I'm pretty confident there was no enemy action involved. Aircraft mishaps happen," General Frank McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, told reporters at the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. The Taliban claimed that its forces had shot down the U.S. plane. McKenzie added that he did not believe U.S. troops suffered any resistance going to the crash site. "The main resistance was from the weather, which was really significant back there," he said. He added that "appropriate precautions" were taken by U.S. recovery forces at the site "because the last thing you want to do is have another mishap or have other people lose their lives in attempt to get up there." Afghan officials had said their forces initially were driven back by Taliban snipers when they attempted to approach the wreckage. The crash came as the Taliban and United States have been in talks on ending the 18-year war in Afghanistan. The two sides had been negotiating the deal for a year and were on the brink of an announcement in September 2019 when U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly declared the process "dead," citing Taliban violence. Based on reporting by AP and Daily Beast The Register doesnt have to do it all by ourselves anymore, she said during an interview in her office just off the open-plan newsroom with its clear sight line to the Iowa statehouse. Like many papers, the Register had to leave its longtime home, a landmark downtown building, years ago. That was a sentimental loss, but the new digs are appropriate for digital-first journalism and very attractive, to boot. Pompeo is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko and Defense Minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during his visit to Kyiv will discuss a set of important issues about European security with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Read alsoUkraine huge trading partner for U.S. Pompeo "We'll have a good set of conversations in Ukraine with the team and with President Zelensky on a set of important issues about European security," he said ahead of his travel to Ukraine, according to the U.S. Department of State. Pompeo is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko and Defense Minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk to highlight U.S. support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. He will also attend a wreath laying ceremony on Mykhailivska Square to honor those who have fallen in Donbas, and meet with religious, civil society, and business community leaders. REDDING, Calif. - A Redding middle school was on lockdown after a student assaulted a staff member and jumped on vehicles in the school parking lot on Wednesday. Redding Police Officers said it happened at Sequoia Middle School around 11:45 a.m. The 13-year-old assaulted a staff member and made several threats. The school also reported the student was jumping on vehicles and throwing rocks in the parking lot. The school was placed on lockdown as Redding Police were called. Once police arrived, they took the student into custody at 11:52 a.m. and the school lifted their lockdown status, police said. The offender was booked at Shasta County Juvenile Hall for suspicion of making criminal threats, and battery against a school employee. The assaulted staff member was treated at Shasta Regional Medical Center for minor injuries. Police said the school had been monitoring the student prior to the incident for behavior issues. Icon films have been commissioned by Channel 5 to produce two behind-the-scenes documentaries looking at an American landfill and the production of airline food. The Bristol-based indie will continue their Secrets of the Mega documentary strand, following on from last years All You Can Eat: Secrets of the Mega Buffet and Totally Stuffed! Secrets of the Mega Christmas Buffet. Both docs gave an insight into the inner working of the buffet restaurant chain, JRC Global Buffet. The 90-minute stand-alone documentaries Secrets of the MegaAirline Food and Secrets of the MegaLandfill have been commissioned by Daniel Pearl, Commissioning Editor for Factual at Channel 5. The former will explore the sky-high ambition of Alpha LSG, the UKs largest supplier of airline food. The Landfill doc will explore one of the biggest waste landfill sites in North America, looking at how the industry transports, processes and reuses waste on a daily basis. Icon Films Creative Director Stephen McQuillan said: We are excited to create more of the Secrets of the Mega documentaries with this double commission from Channel 5. Its important for Icon Films to expand our UK business with these deeply researched specialist factual shows alongside the continued growth of our global content. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px} Share this story [January 30, 2020] 2019 Sees Continued Growth for Cayman International Insurance Cayman's international insurance industry continued to thrive in 2019; with final quarter figures recently published by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA (News - Alert)). Matching the number of new licenses from the previous year, 33 new licenses were issued for 2019. At 31st December 2019, there were a total of 764 insurance licensees under the supervision of the Insurance Supervision Division (the "Division"), with 670 related to international insurance markets. There were a total of 646 Class "B", "C" and "D" insurance companies. Pure captives and group captives represented the two main categories, with 283 and 123 companies respectively. Twenty percent (20%) of the total Class "B", "C", and "D" insurance companies were formed as segregated portfolio companies, with over 600 segregated portfolios and 27 Portfolio Insurance Companies. (Legislation was specifically designed to allow Cayman Islands insurers established as segregated portfolio companies (SPC's) to incorporate one or more of their segregated portfolios/cells, as separate legal entities). The total value of premiums at the end of 2019 was over US$18 billion, seeing a rise of U$2. billion from 2018, with assets, US$ 68.9 billion in total assets - also up on the previous year, and an increase of almost US$10 billion over a two-year period. The Cayman Islands remains the leading jurisdiction for healthcare captives representing almost one-third of all the captives. Medical Malpractice Liability ("MedMal") continues to be the largest primary line of business with approximately 33% companies (re)insuring MedMal, and Worker's Compensation the second largest with over 21% of companies assuming this risk. The Insurance Managers Association Cayman (IMAC) Chair, Colin Robinson remarked "Licencing activity for 2019 shows again the strength of the domicile and the continued interest in the Cayman Islands as a jurisdiction of choice. Our new formation numbers are a testament to quality of local and international service providers who work tirelessly for our clients. We are also proud to be supported by international standard leading regulation and laws provided by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority and the Cayman Islands Government." For additional information, including regularly updated statistics on insurance licensing, visit the website of the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority by going to: www.cima.ky The Cayman Islands is an international insurance centre with a 40-year-plus history in international insurance products, specialising in captive insurance, ILS structuring, and reinsurance. Cayman also hosts the world's largest captive insurance conference, attracting 1,500 captive owners, directors, officers, reinsurers, ceding carriers, brokers, consultants, and service providers. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005679/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] What drives Muslim animus for Israel: brotherly love for "oppressed" Palestinians or religious hatred for "infidel" Jews? A recent incident in Jerusalem goes a long way in answering this question. Hizb al-Tahrir the "Liberation Party" held a large, outdoor event near al-Aqsa mosque commemorating the anniversary of the Islamic conquest of Constantinople (May 29, 1453). There, as he had done before, Palestinian cleric Nidhal Siam made clear that, from an Islamic perspective, liberation and conquest are one and the same. After all the takbirs (chants of "Allahu Akbar") had subsided, Siam spoke: Oh Muslims, the anniversary of the conquest [literally, fath/, "opening"] of Constantinople brings tidings of things to come. It brings tidings that Rome will be conquered in the near future, Allah willing. We are approaching the fulfillment of three prophecies, and we pray that Allah will fulfill these prophecies by our hands. The first prophecy is the establishment of the rightly-guided Caliphate in accordance with the way of the prophet. The second prophecy is the liberation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the establishment of Jerusalem as the capital of the state of the Caliphate. The third prophecy is that Islam will throw its neighbors to the ground, and that its reach will span across the east and the west of this Earth. This is Allah's promise, and Allah does not renege on his promises. He and the assembled throng then repeatedly chanted, "By means of the Caliphate and the consolidation of power, Mehmed the Conqueror vanquished Constantinople!" and "Your conquest, oh Rome, is a matter of certainty!" Consider for a moment the significance of these remarks coming as they are from Palestinians, who, when speaking to and seeking sympathy from the international community, often present themselves as an oppressed people whose land is unjustly occupied. First of all, the Islamic conquest of Constantinople was just that a brutal and savage conquest the sole legitimacy of which was the might of arms. As Muslims had done for centuries earlier in North Africa and the Middle East, they invaded and conquered "New Rome" not because it had committed some injustice, but because Islam commands the subjugation of non-Muslims, as Siam made clear. Moreover, Islam had long targeted Constantinople beginning with its prophet, Muhammad, who desired its women as the "ultimate prize." Which leads to Rome: what does it have to do with the Arab-Israeli conflict that it too deserves to be conquered? Absolutely nothing except that, since the conquest of Constantinople, Islam has seen Rome as the symbolic head of the Christian world, and therefore in urgent need of subjugating. Or, in words of the Islamic State, "We will conquer your Rome, break your crosses, and enslave your women, by the permission of Allah [We will cast] fear into the hearts of the cross-worshipers." Most telling is Siam's "third prophecy" delivered to thundering applause: "that Islam will throw its neighbors to the ground, and that its reach will span across the east and the west of this Earth." Surely all this must seem surreal when placed in context? How can Muslims seek to present the Palestinians as a conquered and oppressed people whose land was stolen while, in the very same breath, praising former and hoping for future conquests, replete with oppression and land grabbing from other peoples, only because they were/are non-Muslims? Further underscoring the idea that the "liberation of Palestine" is intimately connected with the conquest of the non-Muslim world, Siam called on the Muslim world to work towards fulfilling the "three prophecies," that is, "to establish the Caliphate, to liberate the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and to conquer Rome." Note how, while the "liberation of al-Aqsa" may seem to revolve around notions of universal justice and the elimination of oppression, the establishment of a caliphate is, as it was throughout history, about conquest and expansion to say nothing of the open wish to subjugate Rome. Yet all three are presented as part of Islam's selfsame vision. The message is clear: for too many Muslims, desires about "liberating Palestine" are really more about "conquering Israel" not because Israelis are unjust, but because they are infidels. Note: See the author's Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West, for much more on the fall of Constantinople and other themes related to this article. U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine to join W&M Chancellor Robert M. Gates for Crucibles of Leadership discussion Crucibles of leadership: William & Mary Chancellor Robert M. Gates 65, L.H.D. 98, a former U.S. secretary of defense and CIA director, will join U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) LL.D. 06 to discuss Crucibles of Leadership: U.S. Foreign Policy Past, Present and Future. Photo by Stephen Salpukas Photo - of - Hide Caption U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) LL.D. 06 will join William & Mary Chancellor Robert M. Gates 65, L.H.D. 98 for a discussion on Crucibles of Leadership: U.S. Foreign Policy Past, Present and Future at the Sadler Centers Commonwealth Auditorium Feb. 6. The event, which begins at 8 p.m., is free and open to the public. Doors open at 7:15 p.m., and seating will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Overflow seating will also be available. Kaine will join Gates, a former U.S. secretary of defense and CIA director, to discuss their personal journeys as public servants, learning from the past to shape present-day foreign policy and the future of U.S. leadership in a rapidly changing world. Samantha Custer, director of policy analysis for AidData at W&Ms Global Research Institute, will moderate the discussion. William & Mary President Katherine A. Rowe will introduce the talk. Gates will be visiting William & Mary next week to participate in the universitys annual Charter Day ceremony, which celebrates the founding of the university in 1693. At last years ceremony, Gates was re-invested as the universitys 24th chancellor, a role he has held since 2012. This years ceremony is scheduled for Feb. 7 at 4 p.m. in Kaplan Arena. A history major at W&M, Gates went on to a long career in public service. In addition to leading the CIA and defense department, Gates also led Texas A&M as its president. He is currently a partner with the consulting firm Rice, Hadley, Gates & Manuel LLC. Throughout his career, he has remained closely connected to the university. As chancellor, he participates in W&Ms largest traditions and often participates in other special events. He received an honorary degree from the university in 1998 and an Alumni Medallion in 2000. Kaine served as Virginias lieutenant governor from 2002 to 2006 and governor from 2006 to 2010. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2012 and reelected in 2018. Kaine, who served as chair of the Democratic National Committee from 2009 to 2011, ran for vice president of the U.S. in 2016. Kaine has visited W&M many times throughout his career. In 2006, he served as the Charter Day speaker and received an honorary degree from the university. He has also served as a speaker at such events at W&M Law Schools graduation ceremony in 2016 and the 2014 W&M Coastal Policy Conference. Editor's note: This story, originally published Jan. 30, 2020, has been updated to reflect the addition of U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine to the event. President Donald Trump had plenty to talk about during his latest big campaign rally, regaling a friendly crowd in New Jersey with his thoughts about impeachment, the economy, the border wall, local politics and much more. But the president was conspicuously quiet about one big issue that has much of the globe on pins and needles: the spread of a deadly new type of coronavirus. A self-described germaphobe, Trump has had little to say in public about the new virus that so far has killed more than 170 people in China, sickened thousands more there and led to a handful of confirmed cases in the U.S. And he speaks in broad terms when he does talk about it. We're very much involved with them, right now, on the virus that's going around, Trump said of China before signing a trade deal at the White House on Wednesday. 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 He said he had discussed the situation with Chinese President Xi Jinping and added, We're working very closely with China. Aides and confidants say Trump's careful approach is part of a political strategy crafted to avoid upsetting the stock market or angering China by calling too much attention to the virus or blaming Beijing for not managing the situation better, according to a White House official and a Republican close to the White House. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss private conversations. Later Wednesday, Trump tweeted out photos from a briefing on the virus he attended with administration officials in the Situation Room, writing that we have the best experts anywhere in the world and they are on top of it 24/7! In keeping with the low-profile approach, the White House announced by email Wednesday night that the meeting included members of a task force that will lead the US response to the new virus. The 12-person team is chaired by Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar and coordinated through the National Security Council. The president's comments contrast sharply with the fierce criticism he lobbed at his predecessor, President Barack Obama, during the 2014-15 Ebola crisis, which left more than 11,000 dead in three West African nations. At the time, Trump ripped into Obama as a dope and incompetent" and called for a travel ban on visitors from Ebola-infected countries. Trump also advocated preventing infected American health care workers from coming home for treatment. Obama faced some criticism from public health officials for being slow to address the Ebola crisis initially, but also received plaudits for eventually attacking it with vigor. He nudged Congress to make a USD 5.4 billion emergency appropriation to aid the fight and sent 3,000 US troops to West Africa to help with the international response. Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University, said he's taken a measure of comfort in the fact that Trump, so far, hasn't overreacted and has resisted fanning the flames as he did with his rhetoric during the Ebola crisis. That leaves room, Gostin said, for public health professionals to take the lead. "As long as that continues and as long as there isn't political interference or mass quarantines in the U.S. or outright travel bans, I will feel comfortable with how the White House is handling it, Gostin said. He added that he'd like to see Trump ask Congress for a $1 billion emergency appropriation to help agencies battling to contain the virus. Trump is well aware the virus outbreak in China could create a wild card for the US economy during an election year. And he has long prioritized the US economic relationship with China, especially during trade negotiations, and similarly largely held his tongue during widespread protests in Hong Kong. He also takes enormous pride in the personal relationship he's developed with Xi and has commended him for demonstrating transparency" as he deals with the crisis. Trump said we have it totally under control when he was asked about the new type of coronavirus while in Switzerland last week to attend an economic conference. And in a separate Twitter posting, he offered reassurance but scant detail for his confidence. (Newser) The first day of the Q&A portion of President Trump's impeachment trial lasted approximately 10 hours Wednesdayand the more than 90 questions read aloud by Chief Justice John Roberts included one asked by both Republicans and Democrats. Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski asked whether Trump had mentioned the Bidens in connection with Ukrainian corruption in the two years before Joe Biden announced his White House bid, the Hill reports. The question was later repeated by Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse. White House lawyer Patrick Philbin said he couldn't name a specific instance before 2019 when Trump pursued investigations of the Bidens. More: Tough questions from GOP trio. Most questions posed to either White House lawyers or Democratic impeachment managers came from their own side, but Collins, Murkowski, and Sen. Mitt Romney asked tougher questions than their colleagues. Romney asked when exactly Trump had ordered a freeze on Ukraine aid, and White House lawyers "cited discussions other people had about aid to Ukraine but never addressed when Trump ordered the hold on aid or what he told people when he did it," Politico reports. story continues below The "Louis XIV defense." One of the most talked-about moments came when Trump lawyer Alan Dershowitz argued that when a "president does something which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment." Critics including Human Rights Foundation chair Garry Kasparov denounced the argument as authoritarian and reminiscent of France's King Louis XIV, who proclaimed "I am the state," Vox reports. One of the most talked-about moments came when Trump lawyer Alan Dershowitz argued that when a "president does something which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment." Critics including Human Rights Foundation chair Garry Kasparov denounced the argument as authoritarian and reminiscent of France's King Louis XIV, who proclaimed "I am the state," Vox reports. Schiff warns that Senate could lose power . After Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris asked what would happen if the Senate "fails to hold the president accountable for misconduct," impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff warned that the Senate could be drained of its power, the New York Times reports. "If you allow a president to obstruct Congress so completelyin a way that Nixon could never have contemplated, nor would the Congress of that day have allowedyou will eviscerate your own oversight capability," he said. . After Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris asked what would happen if the Senate "fails to hold the president accountable for misconduct," impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff warned that the Senate could be drained of its power, the New York Times reports. "If you allow a president to obstruct Congress so completelyin a way that Nixon could never have contemplated, nor would the Congress of that day have allowedyou will eviscerate your own oversight capability," he said. Romney analogies . The Washington Post reports that both sides used analogies involving Romney. Schiff argued that Barack Obama would definitely have been impeached if he had told Russia he would withhold military aid to Ukraine if they investigated Romney before the 2012 election. GOP Sens. Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham later asked Schiff if it would have been OK for Obama to have asked Russia for an investigation if Romney's son worked for a corrupt Russian company. . The Washington Post reports that both sides used analogies involving Romney. Schiff argued that Barack Obama would definitely have been impeached if he had told Russia he would withhold military aid to Ukraine if they investigated Romney before the 2012 election. GOP Sens. Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham later asked Schiff if it would have been OK for Obama to have asked Russia for an investigation if Romney's son worked for a corrupt Russian company. The Bolton issue. Trump's defense argued that John Bolton, who reportedly claims in an upcoming book that Trump linked Ukraine aid to the Biden investigations, should not be called because it would set a bad precedent. The Senate calling new impeachment witnesses "should not be the precedent set here for the way this body will have to handle all impeachments in the future, because if it becomes that easy for the House to do it, theyll be doing it a lot," Philbin said. Earlier, Schiff argued that a fair trial can't be held without witnesses and calling Bolton would "erase all doubt" about Trump's motivations. The question-and-answer session will continue Thursday, followed by an expected vote on whether new witnesses can be called. (Read more Trump impeachment stories.) MOSCOW (Sputnik) The FSB said last week that thousands of anonymous bomb threats had been sent via Dutch internet service StartMail. Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor blocked access to StartMail in Russia, but schools, courts and hospitals across the country continue receiving threats. Since the so-called email terrorists continue distributing fake bomb threats to Russian facilities and are now using Swiss internet service ProtonMail, the service will be blocked in the country, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Wednesday. From 24 January, anonymous users have been using Protonmail.com email service (Switzerland) to continue their criminal activities. Similar messages with bomb threats were sent to emails of courts located in four [federal] subjects across Russia. Texts also mentioned 830 allegedly mine-infested objects of social and transport infrastructure. All the threats were fake, the FSB said in a press release. According to the FSB, this internet service was already used for distributing fake bomb threats to 123 facilities across Russia last year. The FSB added that access to the service was blocked in Russia starting Wednesday. Since November, a massive wave of bomb threats has hit Russian institutions, including schools, kindergartens, shopping malls, as well as metro stations, prompting mass evacuations. So far, no explosive devices have been found following the messages, with all of them being just hoaxes. The Victorian Education Department has forced a primary school principal to overturn her decision to ensure Chinese exchange students were quarantined for 14 days before joining classes due to coronavirus fears. The department refused to respond on Thursday to questions about its intervention after the principal acted on concerns from parents who wanted the school to follow the NSW education department's ruling that all students who had recently visited China be quarantined. The state government has moved quickly to bring Mentone Primary school into line. Credit:Quentin Jones The Victorian department maintains only students who had visited the Hubei province or had contact with a confirmed case should stay away from school. Six Chinese exchange students will now begin classes at Mentone Primary School from next week. Addressing schoolchildren here, Uttar Pradesh Jail Minister Jai Kumar Singh played down the importance of education for politicians, saying political leaders just need to be visionaries. Singh, an Apna Dal legislator, also criticised "educated people" who taunted ministers who had not studied beyond Class 10, saying these "educated persons" often created a "bad atmosphere". "Many a times it happens that educated people like IAS and PCS officers, doctors and engineers used to say that a particular leader or legislator is only a high school (10th) pass and that illiterate people are ruling educated persons. These educated persons used to create different type of bad atmosphere. A leader need not be educated," Singh said while addressing students at a school in Mehmudabad tehsil on Tuesday. "I am the jail minister. That does not mean I have to run the jails myself. There are jail superintendents and jailors for that. I have to just say that jails should have good food and management," Singh said. The minister added that education and degrees have no meaning for a political leader. "A leader should be a visionary. Education of a leader, his knowledge and degree do not have any meaning. If I envision that an ITI needs to be set up then it has to be built by engineers and architects, and not by the minister concerned," he said. Photo: The Canadian Press People wear masks in Thrissur, Kerala state, India, which reported its first case of the coronavirus on Thursday. UPDATE: 4:50 p.m. China is reporting 9,692 confirmed cases of a new virus with a death toll of 213, as the World Health Organization declared the outbreak that has spread to more than a dozen countries a global emergency. Friday's numbers covering the past 24 hours represent an increase from 7,711 cases and 132 deaths on Wednesday. The vast majority of the cases have been in Hubei province and its provincial capital, Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. ORIGINAL: 6:30 a.m. China on Thursday raised the death toll to 170 and more countries reported infections from a new virus, including some spread locally, as foreign evacuees from China's worst-hit region returned home to medical tests and even isolation. India and the Philippines reported their first cases, a traveller and a student who had both been in Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the first illnesses appeared in December. South Korea confirmed a case that was locally spread, a man who had contact with a patient diagnosed the new type of coronavirus earlier. In Geneva, the World Health Organization convened its coronavirus expert committee to assess whether the outbreak warrants being declared a global emergency. The committee last week had advised the U.N. health agency it was too early to make that pronouncement. Locally spread cases outside China are a worrying concern as potential signs of the virus spreading more easily and the difficulty of containing it. The new virus has now infected more people in China than were sickened there during the 2002-2003 outbreak of SARS, another type of coronavirus. The latest figures for mainland China show an increase of 38 deaths and 1,737 cases for a total of 7,711 confirmed cases. Of the new deaths, 37 were in Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, and one was in the southwestern province of Sichuan. India's health ministry said a student who had been studying in Wuhan was confirmed to have the virus after returning home to Kerala state during the Lunar New Year break. Philippine health officials say a woman who travelled there from Wuhan via Hong Kong tested positive. A second Japanese flight carrying 210 evacuees landed in Tokyo. Reports said nine of those aboard the flight showed signs of cough and fever. Three of Japan's confirmed cases were among a group of evacuees who had returned on a government-chartered flight the previous day. In South Korea, residents in two cities where quarantine facilities are being prepared threw eggs and water bottles at government officials to protest plans to isolate in their neighbourhoods 700 South Koreans the government plans to evacuate from China. Tourist wears a protective mask as she leaves the Galeries Lafayette department store in Paris as the country is hit by the new coronavirus By Matthias Blamont and Johnny Cotton PARIS (Reuters) - For some shopkeepers in Paris, home to prestigious stores where Chinese tourists love to splurge, an abrupt drop-off in visitors as China tries to contain a fast-spreading coronavirus health crisis is hitting hard. "If it goes on like this I will not have my job anymore," said Chomphunut Supraditapron, a manager at Paris Look, a duty free outlet in the city centre that sells pricey cosmetics from French brands like Lancome and Chanel. The store - which derives around half its clientele from Asia and is usually packed with Chinese shoppers, especially during the Chinese Lunar New Year holidays - was nearly empty on Thursday. "We need Chinese customers because it is Chinese customers who buy the most," Supraditapron said. The influx of tourists travelling to Paris from China - as well as to other major tourist destinations around the world - has dried up as the Chinese government enforces travel restrictions on some cities, including to and from Wuhan, where the virus originated. Estimates of the impact on businesses from hotels to high-end stores in France are still scarce. But Chinese shoppers have become an increasingly important motor for these enterprises, spending an average of 1,024 euros ($1,136.03) when in Paris, usually for around 5 nights, compared with 640 euros forked out by visitors from elsewhere, according to Paris' regional tourism board. In 2018, some 2.2 million Chinese nationals visited France. "The crisis is deepening and we are witnessing some kind of hysteria," Didier Kling, the head of the Paris chamber of commerce said, adding that he feared museums and shops would be affected. "It is all about getting an idea of whether this epidemic will be contained quickly or if it will last." Jean-Virgile Crance, president of a federation which represents around 4,000 hotels in France, said initial data showed a marginal effect of cancellations on revenue. Story continues But some facilities dealing specifically with Chinese clients could see revenue fall by some 30% by the end of the first quarter, he said. A spokeswoman for the family-owned Galeries Lafayette department store group, which has a shop dedicated to Chinese clients in central Paris, declined to comment on whether the group was taking special measures or on the impact on demand. But Fouzia Es Salmi, a staff representative for the CGT union at Galeries Lafayette, said footfall was down. Many among the dwindling number of Chinese customers were wearing protective face masks. French customers were also staying away, she added. "There is a sort of psychosis that has set in," she said. (Reporting by Matthias Blamont, Johnny Cotton ; Additional reporting by Sarah White; Editing by Mike Collett-White) WASHINGTON Senator Rand Paul clashed publicly on Thursday with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. after the Kentucky Republican tried and failed to ask a question at President Trumps impeachment trial that would have named the person widely thought to be the whistle-blower whose complaint formed the basis for the charges. In a striking moment on the Senate floor, Chief Justice Roberts, who is presiding over the trial and has the task of reading senators questions aloud, refused to read one from Mr. Paul, instead saying: The presiding officer declines to read the question as submitted. Mr. Paul, visibly angry at being thwarted by the chief justice, quickly left the Senate chamber while the trial was still in session and rushed to a news studio upstairs in the Capitol, where he read the question the chief justice had rejected and the name of the individual in question in front of television cameras, complaining that his question deserved to be asked. I think it was an incorrect finding not to allow the question, he told reporters. The extraordinary back and forth reflected the determination of some of Mr. Trumps staunchest defenders on Capitol Hill to shift the focus of the impeachment proceeding away from the presidents conduct and toward what many Republicans suggest was a plot by his opponents to manufacture a basis for removing him. Heidelberg West mother Maud Steenbeek has been remembered as a lovely yoga and pilates instructor who was considering a sea change before she was killed by an alleged intruder in her home on Tuesday night. Ms Steenbeek, 61, who was killed when she was attacked by an alleged intruder while she was on a video call in her home about 8pm. Maud Steenbeck who was found dead in her Heidelberg West home following an alleged home invasion. A neighbour heard her yelling "get out of the house now" at her home on Liberty Parade. The mother had been on a video call with an overseas relative when she was fatally attacked. The relative noticed a stranger moving behind Ms Steenbeek before the call suddenly cut out, according to Nine News. Married At First Sight's executive producer, Tara McWilliams, has acknowledged that not all of the participants sign up for the right reasons. McWilliams, who oversees production of MAFS for Endemol Shine Australia, told The Sydney Morning Herald that many people go on the show for fame. 'I think the experience is probably the main driver now,' she said. 'The experience is probably the main driver now': MAFS' executive producer, Tara McWilliams, has acknowledged that not all of the participants sign up for the right reasons 'Being on television, being part of the experiment and whatever that brings. I don't think it's so black and white as either love or fame,' McWilliams added. 'But even if people are coming on to increase their profile, or to get Instagram followers, or to get some sort of public profile out of this, I genuinely believe that everyone who comes on hopes they are matched with someone they like and potentially could have a relationship with.' In the past few years, dozens of MAFS participants have launched careers as social media 'influencers' after filming the show. Just looking for fame? Jessika Power - who cheated on her 'husband', Mick Gould, in season six - gained 215,000 followers due to her notoriety and landed several sponsorship deals Social media sensation: Back in October, she told Daily Mail Australia she was making between $8,000 and $10,000 per week as an influencer Jessika Power - who cheated on her 'husband', Mick Gould, in season six - gained 215,000 followers due to her notoriety and landed several sponsorship deals. Back in October, she told Daily Mail Australia she was making between $8,000 and $10,000 per week as an influencer. Former makeup artist Martha Kalifatidis also became a full-time Instagram model after finding love with Michael Brunelli last year. Love and fame! Former makeup artist Martha Kalifatidis (right) also became a full-time Instagram model after finding love with Michael Brunelli (left) last year With more than 297,000 followers, Martha is said to earn around $700 for each sponsored post, according to social analytics website Influencer Fee, which calculates how much an influencer is worth based on their popularity. Meanwhile, season five star Nasser Sultan is believed to get the occasional discounted meal as a 'micro-influencer'. Married At First Sight returns to Channel Nine on Monday, February 3 at 7.30pm An Iranian lawmaker on January 28 said twenty-three lawmakers have filed a lawsuit against Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and intend to impeach him. Speaking to the state-run Mehr News Agency, Mohammad-Reza Pourebrahimi said the lawsuit would be the first step towards the Foreign Minister's impeachment. In a letter to the Parliament's Presidium, these lawmakers have alleged that Zarif's interview with Der Spiegel last week had led to a "rude" response from Donald Trump. Last Saturday, President Trump said in a tweet: "Iranian Foreign Minister says Iran wants to negotiate with the United States but wants sanctions removed," and added: "No Thanks!" Zarif hit back by a tweet along with an excerpt from the controversial interview and advised Trump to avoid misunderstandings to base his foreign policy comments and decisions on facts rather than Fox News headlines or his Persian translators. "The Trump administration can correct its past, lift the sanctions, and come back to the negotiating table. We're still at the negotiating table. They're the ones who left," Zarif wrote. On Tuesday Pourebrahimi himself demanded that the Parliament impeach Zarif for the remarks he made in an interview with Germany's Der Spiegel concerning negotiation with the U.S. Asked by the German newspaper whether he ruled out the possibility of negotiations with the U.S. following the killing of Iran's Qods [Quds] Force Commander Qassem Soleimani, Zarif had said he never ruled out the possibility that "people will change their approach and recognize the realities". Hundreds of enraged Iranian hardliners on Monday afternoon rallied in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran to protest against Zarif's remarks. The Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi tried to play down his boss' comment and said Trump had misunderstood Zarif. Nevertheless, Pourebrhimi insisted on Tuesday that Zarif's response had triggered a "wave of rage" among Iranians. "Making such comments, before the fortieth day of 'martyrdom' of Lieutenant General Soleimani, and while people of Kerman (Soleimani's place of birth) are still mourning his loss, is unacceptable", he said. Its been years since Motorola has been a top five smartphone maker, but its not for lack of trying. The companys Moto G smartphones have a reputation for offering decent features at a budget/mid-range price. The Moto Z line is unique for continuing to support modular MotoMod add-ons year after year. And lately the company has launched a line of Moto One devices with unusual features like a macro camera, an action cam, or big batteries. The next big thing from Motorola is a modern take on the Razr flip phone with a flexible display. But it looks like the company also plans to launch its answer to the Samsung Galaxy Note series soon. A series of leaks point to a new model called the Moto G Stylus that will likely be a mid-range device with a stylus. Earlier this week @evleaks posted a picture of the upcoming phone. While the device hasnt been officially confirmed by Motorola, Evan Blass has a pretty strong track record with this sort of leak, and fairly high standards (if hes unsure that a product is real he either says so or doesnt post it at all). Yesterday he followed up with a name for the phone the Moto G Stylus. While Blass hasnt said anything about the phones specs, the Moto G branding suggests that this will be a mid-range device that will likely sell for somewhere between $200 and $400. That could make it a much more affordable option than Samsungs stylus-enabled Galaxy Note smartphones albeit one that will likely have less impressive processor, memory, and storage options. One thing we do know from the photo is that the Moto G Stylus will have a display that covers almost all of the front of the phone, with a small bezel on the bottom and a small hole-punch in the screen for a single front-facing camera. Most recently, the folks at 91Mobiles posted whats allegedly a real-world set of pictures of the Moto G Stylus, giving us a look at both the front and back of the phone. It look like we can expect four rear cameras, including a 48MP primary camera. 91Mobiles also says one of the other cameras is a 117-degree wide-angle action camera, and the site has sources that suggest the phone will have a 6.3 or 6.4 inch display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 6xx series processor, 4GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a 4,000 mAh battery. But Id take those specs with a grain of salt for now. We probably wont have long to wait for more details Motorola is expected to unveil several new phones at Mobile World Congress in late February. The sister of the young man who was recently doused in petrol and set alight in his home has appealed to a judge not to jail her for shoplifting where she reversed a car into two security men. Judge Olann Kelleher said Sandra Greaney, 29, was at risk of jail for an organised theft and careless driving where the security men could have been killed". Defence solicitor, Joseph Cuddigan, said the young woman would become the primary carer for her brother as she was the last one left in her family with her brother, Keith Greaney, 23, who is still in hospital after sustaining critical injuries in the assault and fire attack. She has had a troubled life in a very short period. Her mother, father and brother all committed suicide. She became addicted to Benzodiazepines. In 2013 she went to Coolmine (rehabilitation centre) for 18 months, Mr Cuddigan said. Sergeant Gearoid Davis said that the shoplifting offence occurred last year when Sandra Greaney went to the store at Penneys in Wilton and rolled out a trolley full of goods with a total value of 678 out to the car park on February 23, 2019. She went out to a car and loaded up the goods. Two security officers stood behind the car and she reversed the car towards them. Judge Kelleher referred to the risk posed to the lives of the security officers who were only doing their jobs. Mr Cuddigan stressed that they were not injured by Sandra Greaneys careless driving. Judge Kelleher imposed a six-month suspended sentence on the accused in respect of the theft and careless driving and disqualified her from driving for one year. Mr Cuddigan said the accused had been doing better in her life since she moved away from the city. The address on her charges was Riverview, Doneraile, Cork. It has been widely reported that 23-year-old Keith Greaney was attacked by three men in his home at Dunard in Mayfield in Cork at about 4am on Monday, January 20. Three men broke into the house and attacked the father of three young children, with a machete before dousing him in petrol and set him alight in front of his partner. Mr Greaney was taken by ambulance to Cork University Hospital where doctors treated him for severe burns to his head and chest. The man stepping in to run San Franciscos Public Works department while its director is prosecuted for alleged corruption started meeting the employees who steam the sidewalks, remove graffiti and clean the bus stops Thursday morning. Alaric Degrafinried, appointed interim public works director on Wednesday, has been the city purchaser, overseeing city contracts for most departments, not including Public Works. The transition comes in the wake of DPW Director Mohammed Nuru and high-profile restaurateur Nick Bovis being charged with fraud Tuesday following a public corruption probe that shocked City Hall. Nuru was arrested by federal authorities Monday on allegations of corruption, bribery kickbacks and side deals, according to a U.S. attorney. He faces up to 20 years in prison. With Nuru on paid leave, Degrafinried is now in charge of more than 1,600 employees and a $500 million budget. He has no experience with steam-cleaning sidewalks or managing cleanup crews but got an early lesson in Glen Park on a misty Thursday as commuters scurried into the BART station and lined up for commuter buses. While hes focusing on cleaning up the DPWs reputation, particularly its contracting procedures, its employees will be doing their usual clean-up work around the city, he said. We have 1,600 extremely great folks working in the Public Works department, Degrafinried said. Whatever is happening at the top, we have great people out here doing the job. In addition to street cleaning, DPW is responsible for construction management, maintaining public buildings and caring for street trees. Its also been involved in controversial sweeps of homeless encampments. After meeting six members of a cleaning crew, Degrafinried acknowledged a lot of turmoil in the department and said he would bring openness and transparency, particularly in the process of bidding for contracts. He said the department will do more outreach to potential bidders and try to get more local businesses involved. My focus is to continue the good work that has been done in Public Works and try to bolster the process of contracting, he said. City Administrator Naomi Kelly, who was at Glen Park with Degrafinried, said she could not comment on the allegations because theyre a personnel matter. But rest assured we are taking these allegations very seriously, she 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. Kelly said she has asked the city attorneys office to conduct a thorough review of the public works department. She described Degrafinried as an expert at contracting integrity. Supervisor Rafael Mandelman stopped by to greet the acting director, express faith in the departments employees and say that everyone in City Hall needs to do whatever we can to restore faith in the department. As workers wiped down a bus shelter and prepared to remove graffiti from a trash can and planter boxes, Degrafinried acknowledged that he has a lot to learn. Im coming into this as someone who doesnt know the operations side of the house, he said. Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan Fairly or not, this does raise vital questions for Biden and for voters who believe that Trump must be defeated at all costs. If Biden is the nominee, there is no question he will face an unending barrage of unfair attacks. Burisma will become a Trump rallying cry the way Benghazi was four years ago. Bidens strategy thus far has been to remain above the fray, resisting Trumps attempts to drag him into the gutter. Perhaps that will work better for him than it worked for John Kerry when he was being swift-boated to defeat. Perhaps not. Beijing propels into action to contain coronavirus ahead of two sessions Global Times Source:Global Times Published: 2020/1/29 17:31:56 The Beijing government on Wednesday issued guidelines calling for greater control and intensified screening of people coming to the capital from high-risk areas in a bid to contain the coronavirus outbreak before it advances to an expected spreading phase during return travel rush at the end of the Spring festival holidays. Beijing has stepped up preparations to prevent the outbreak with an all-round effort ahead of the upcoming two sessions scheduled in March. Shifting the battleground to the grassroots community and village level, according to the guidelines, Beijing has instructed officials at all levels to concentrate their resources and support the grassroots. "The number of confirmed cases in the city is slowly increasing, and the outbreak is showing signs of moving from the importation to the diffusion period. Epidemic prevention is at a critical juncture with mass arrival of people returning to Beijing after the Spring Festival, "said the guideline. Beijing's Xiaotangshan Hospital, built in 2003 as a dedicated hospital for SARS patients, is being rebuilt and expected to reopen in the coming days, with construction squads and physicians moving in, Global Times learned on Wednesday. District governments shall beef up inspections of all local communities, hotels, construction sites, among other susceptible locations. Wildlife trade is strictly prohibited and live poultry markets in the city have been closed, according to the guidelines. Beijing authorities announced the extension of the Spring Festival holiday by three days until February 2. The latest guidelines request all workers and officials at different levels in state-owned institutes return to work on schedule and pay particular attention to the serious battle against the novel coronavirus. Public health service institutes and all medical workers should swing to full action. People coming back to Beijing from other places should be included in community health management system, according to the guidelines. For instance, communities in Beijing's southern Fangzhuang region have designated officials to follow up with residents returning from neighboring provinces and monitor their health conditions, besides arranging psychologists to provide counseling to residents, Wu Hao, director of community health service at Fangzhuang in Beijing's Fengtai district, said at a press conference held by the National Health Commission on Wednesday. The guidelines also assured a sufficient supply of protective gear and daily goods such as vegetables. Community authorities should organize disinfection and garbage disposal to guarantee a clean and healthy environment for residents. Beijing residents can call on the hotline if they have any queries concerning the epidemic. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President Rouhani terms Deal of Century as most despicable plan IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, Jan 29, IRNA -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in a Twitter message described Trump's so-called 'Deal of Century' as the most despicable plan. The White House claimed that this Vision is the most serious, realistic, and detailed plan ever presented, one that could make Israelis, Palestinians, and the region safer and more prosperous. "This Vision is just the first step and provides the basis for historic progress toward peace. The United States hopes this Vision will lead to direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians," it added. "Enough of these foolish attempts," President Rouhani wrote on his Twitter account. "The Most Despicable Plan of the Century," he added. Earlier, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said in a message that the US evil policy against Palestine and the so-called 'Deal of Century' will never materialize. "To the dismay of US politicians, the satanic, evil US policy about Palestine the so-called #DealOfTheCentury will never bear fruit, by the grace of God," Supreme Leader's official Twitter account reported. "About the Judaization of #alQuds and saying it should be in the hands of the Jews, they're talking foolishly & unwisely," he added. "The issue of #Palestine will never be forgotten, the Supreme Leader noted. He reiterated: "The Palestinian nation and all Muslim nations will definitely stand up to them and not allow the so-called #DealOfCentury to be realized." 9376**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address An armed man, accused of murder, took hostage over 20 children on Thursday after inviting them for a birthday party at his house in a village here, police said. Hours later, he released a six-month-old girl by handing her over to his neighbour from a balcony, even as the crisis continued late in the night, they said. Subhash Batham fired from inside the house on those who tried to speak to him, police said, adding that a man suffered a bullet injury. He has released a six-month-old girl and a special team and other officials are engaging with him, Director General of Police (DGP) O P Singh. Meanwhile, a team of NSG (National Security Guard) commandos has taken a special aircraft to reach Farukhabad, a senior security official in Delhi said. Police said Batham handed over the girl to his neighbour from a balcony. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is monitoring the situation in Farrukhabad's Kasaria village, which is nearly 200 km from Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow. The children are in the age group of five to seven years and they are in the house for the past seven to eight hours, a distraught mother said around 11 pm. "They must be thirsty and hungry by now," she said. Television channels have appealed to Batham to contact them in case he wanted to share his demands with the government or authorities. "We are ensuring the safe rescue of the children and if needed, the NSG will also be called for the operation," the DGP said. He said that commando units have been directed to reach the village. A top home department official has asked the electronic media not to show rescue operation live. Police said Batham is a murder accused and he seems to be mentally unstable. "Twenty children are being held hostage at Kasaria village," Additional Director General of Police P V Rama Shastri said. Inspector General of Police, Kanpur Range, Mohit Agarwal, said, "The man called the children for a birthday party and held them hostage in the basement of the house. He fired six shots from inside the building." He said Batham, who appears to be mentally unstable, fired on those who attempted to speak to him. Batham wanted to talk to the local MLA, but he refused to speak to the leader when he arrived, Agarwal said. The chief minister is personally monitoring the situation and has directed top officials to ensure the immediate release of the children without any physical harm, officials said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe A controversial proposal to require high school students to take an extra year of math or a related class, like personal finance or coding, to be considered for admission to the Cal State University system is on hold. Opponents of the plan have said it would discriminate against low-income students and students of color. The CSU board of trustees had been previously scheduled to vote on whether to authorize it at its meeting on Wednesday. Instead, they decided to wait for the results of a year-long independent study of the plan. WHAT IS THE PLAN? Those following the controversy closely may know the plan by its former name: the CSU Quantitative Reasoning Proposal. Education advocates had long argued that the proposal would shut out students from schools that don't have the resources to add a fourth year of math or related courses. They are applauding the trustees' order for further study. "We are encouraged that the Chancellor listened to our concerns that a shift in the admissions policy could have made it more difficult for students of color and low-income students to enter CSU," said Elisha Smith Arrillaga, executive director of Education Trust-West, in a statement. "The proposed analysis is a positive step to ensure educational equity." HOW THE STUDY WILL WORK The study will last a year and be conducted by a yet-to-be-named independent research group. Then, the trustees will review the study. Assuming it's completed on time, they'll vote in 2022 on whether to require stricter "quantitative reasoning" standards. A yes vote would require incoming students to have finished more advanced classes in math or disciplines that require good math skills. Supporters of such requirements say that would better prepare incoming freshmen for college-level courses. WHAT CLASSES WOULD QUALIFY? Here are some of the classes CSU says could meet the new requirement: Engineering Forensics Veterinary Science Sports Medicine Environmental Science Statistics Economics Personal Finance Accounting Computer Science Robotics Programming Coding Game Design THE COUNTER VIEW Opponents say the burden to create and staff these classes would fall on California public school districts. And they say that's an issue. L.A. Unified, the state's largest school district, says fewer than half of its graduates qualify to apply to Cal State under the current three-year math requirement. The school district, along with districts in Santa Ana, Anaheim, San Francisco, Sacramento, and others, are opposing the Cal State proposal. California State University has argued that the change wouldn't be such a big push because nearly 80% of its incoming freshmen already have a fourth year of math or a quantitative reasoning class under their belt. Trustees point to Long Beach Unified as a model district for the change. Long Beach high schools already require graduates to take a fourth year of math or a class with math skills. Korean auto-maker Hyundai Motor India achieved a significant milestone by rolling out its three millionth 'made in India' car being shipped to overseas market from the Tamil Nadu manufacturing unit, a top official said on Thursday. The three millionth car was the company's latest sedan Hyundai Aura which has been rechristened 'Grand i10' for the Colombian market, rolled out from the assembly line at the state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in nearby Sriperumbudur. The company on the occasion also said that it has begun export of Hyundai Aura range of cars, besides shipping other models. The rollout of the three millionth car was the fastest since inception of the unit in 1998. "The fastest Made in India 3 millionth export car rollout is a significant milestone as it showcases the global success story for Hyundai," Hyundai Motor India Managing director S S Kim said. "We started our export operations in 1999 and created many milestones. We thank all our global customers and overseas distributors for their trust...," he said. HMIL began exporting cars in 1999 with the first batch comprising 20 units of popular hatchback 'Santro' being shipped to Nepal. Later, it reached the first milestone of exporting one lakhth carin October 2004. In March 2008, the company exported its five lakhth car followed by 10 lakhth car and 20 lakhth car in February 2010 and March 2014 respectively. In 2019, Hyundai Motor shipped 1.81 lakh units with 792 customised variants according to country specific preference and demand, Kim who is also the company CEO, said at an event at the manufacturing facility. With a market share of 26 per cent in 2019 to the total exports of passenger cars from India, Hyundai has been a significant contributor to the Indian automobile industry, he said. Kim said the company during the last two decades had invested Rs 24,000 crore at it's manufacturing unit. The company has already announced Rs 7,000 crore additional investments which include new product launches and powertrain enhancement, he added. Chennai Port Trust Chairman P Raveendran, who was present on the occasion, congratulated Hyundai Motor India for reaching the export milestone. He said the Port Trust started focusing on three C's --Containers, Cars and Cruise. Hyundai Motor India ships 13 car models across segments including the electric vehicle 'Kona' to 88 countries in four continents including Africa, Middle East, Latin America, Australia and the Asia Pacific. HMIL has 515 dealers and more than 1,329 service points across India. Boba Drive | Photo: Allen L./Yelp Need more tea in your life? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top tea spots in Sunnyvale, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of the best spots 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. Philz Coffee photo: philz coffee/yelp Topping the list is an outpost of the Philz Coffee chain. Located at 125 S. Frances St. in Washington, the breakfast and brunch spot, which offers coffee, tea and more, is the highest-rated tea spot in Sunnyvale, boasting 4.5 stars out of 584 reviews on Yelp. 2. Coffee & More Cafe photo: dayna k./yelp Next up is Washington's Coffee & More Cafe, situated at 100 S. Murphy Ave., Suite 1. With 4.5 stars out of 437 reviews on Yelp, the breakfast and brunch spot, which offers coffee, tea and sandwiches, has proven to be a local favorite. 3. Happy Lemon photo: rachel g./yelp East Murphy's Happy Lemon, a location of the chain located at 520 Lawrence Expressway, Suite 301, is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the spot to score bubble tea, juices and smoothies 4.5 stars out of 205 reviews. 4. Boba Drive photo: joanne c./yelp Boba Drive, a cafe that offers bubble tea and desserts in Lakewood, is another go-to, with four stars out of 271 Yelp reviews. Head over to 677 Tasman Drive 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. Art collectors can spend thousands of hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars or more in collecting paintings, sculptures and other works. But many of those collectors spend far less time and resources deciding what happens to that collection after they die. Whether you collect art as a labor of love or as a means to diversify your investment portfolio, it is important to invest time in deciding whether to donate all or part of the collection to a museum, gift it to family and friends, or sell it and distribute the proceeds. The biggest mistake people make is not planning, says Ramsay Slugg, a managing director and wealth strategist with Bank of America Private Bank and author of the Handbook of Practical Planning for Artists, Art Collectors and Their Advisers (ABA Books, $90). It really needs to be thoughtfully discussed. Know what you own. Experts recommend that you start by creating a comprehensive inventory of your collection. Get the facts first, says Anne-Marie Rhodes, the John J. Waldron Professor of Law at the Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Historically, that is the best way to start. An art collection inventory should be more than a list, experts say. Ideally, each piece has its own file with the names of the work and the artist, a photo of the work, its location and any pertinent paperwork. Paperwork could include the bill of sale from your purchase, and if obtainable, previous bills of sale, as well as museum or gallery catalogs that include your artwork or similar pieces created by the same artist around the same time as yours. Correspondence from the artist is very desirable, especially if it mentions the work you own; ask the gallery owner who sold the work if he or she has any letters or notes and can send you copies. Proper documents can establish the provenance, or history, of the artwork and attest to its authenticity, which could raise its value. Find a suitable appraiser. Once you know what you have, you need to learn what it is worth. Websites such as ArtNet.com, ArtPrice.com and MutualArt.com, which track auction prices of many artists work, may help you decide which of your works are worth the cost of a professional appraisal. You dont want to spend more on an appraisal than a painting is worth. Appraisers usually charge by the hour, including time spent on inspecting and researching a work, then estimating its value and preparing an appraisal report. It is not unusual for an experienced appraiser to charge $150 to $200 an hour, with a $300 minimum; appraisals that require a lot of research can take more than one day and cost thousands of dollars. Before you hire an appraiser, come to a specific agreement with him or her on the services to be provided, all costs involved and a deadline for delivering a final report. You can save time and money by putting everything you want to be appraised in one location, along with documentation you have collected. There are several ways to find an appraiser. The gallerist who sold you the work may recommend one, or you can ask a local museum for a referral. Alternatively, three professional societies for appraisersthe American Society of Appraisers,the Appraisers Association of America and the International Society of Appraisershave tools on their websites to help you find appraisers near you. Alan Bamberger, an art consultant in San Francisco, recommends using an art appraiser rather than a general appraiser. He and other experts also advise that work should not begin until you and the appraiser have the specific agreement detailing the work and costs. Avoid appraisers who offer to work for a percentage of the sale price or want to buy the artwork themselves. Before calling an appraiser, talk with your financial adviser and insurance broker about the kind of appraisal you need. Fair-market-value appraisals, for example, estimate what art is worth on the open market; this helps to estimate the amount that will be included in your estate and determines the tax deduction you could claim by donating art to charity. Your insurer may want a replacement-value appraisal, which estimates the cost of replacing lost art quickly; the need for speed may result in a higher appraised value. Talk to your heirs. Once you know what you have and what it is worth, you should schedule a family meeting to help determine what to do with your collection after you die. Anticipating death is understandably uncomfortable for many families, but a family conversation can help to avoid rancor and lawsuits later. The US Navy promoted Chief Petty Officer Tony DeDolph four months after he allegedly admitted that he choked a Green Beret to death in West Africa. The Green Beret, army staff sgt Logan Melgar, was assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group and near the end of his deployment when the Navy Seal allegedly killed him, in circumstances that have led to his being charged for murder. Mr DeDolph is set to return to court on Thursday for a preliminary hearing, and has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The alleged murder took place in Mali in June 2017, when Melgar was a part of an intelligence operation supporting counterterrorism against a local al Qaeda affiliate. Shortly after Melgars death, Mr DeDolph reportedly admitted to a witness that he had choked him to get back the victim for a perceived slight, according to NBC News. US Navy SEAL on trial accused of murdering wounded Isis fighter Show all 11 1 /11 US Navy SEAL on trial accused of murdering wounded Isis fighter US Navy SEAL on trial accused of murdering wounded Isis fighter US Navy SEAL Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher leaves court with his wife Andrea 17 June 2019. He is on military trial at San Diego Naval Based accused of murdering a wounded Isis fighter in Iraq in 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake US Navy SEAL on trial accused of murdering wounded Isis fighter US Navy SEAL Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher leaves court with his wife Andrea 18 June 2019. REUTERS/Mike Blake US Navy SEAL on trial accused of murdering wounded Isis fighter Andrea Gallagher via REUTERS US Navy SEAL on trial accused of murdering wounded Isis fighter US Navy SEAL Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher poses with his wife Andrea. Andrea Gallagher via REUTERS US Navy SEAL on trial accused of murdering wounded Isis fighter Andrea Gallagher via REUTERS US Navy SEAL on trial accused of murdering wounded Isis fighter Andrea Gallagher via AP US Navy SEAL on trial accused of murdering wounded Isis fighter Former US Army member King Cohn arrives at court to support US Navy SEAL Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher during the first day of jury selection on 17 June 2019. REUTERS/Mike Blake US Navy SEAL on trial accused of murdering wounded Isis fighter REUTERS/Mike Blake US Navy SEAL on trial accused of murdering wounded Isis fighter Andrea Gallagher via REUTERS US Navy SEAL on trial accused of murdering wounded Isis fighter Defence attorney Timothy Parlatore, representing US Navy SEAL Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher, speaks with reporters at a pre-trial hearing. Earnie Grafton/REUTERS US Navy SEAL on trial accused of murdering wounded Isis fighter Andrea Gallagher via AP But before that, Mr DeDolph had told investigators that he was wrestling with the victim at around 4am, before a fellow Navy Seal Navy Chief Special Warfare Operator Adam Matthews entered the room and they all toppled onto a bed. Once they were up, they said Melgar had stopped breathing and that they attempted CPR. In the days after Megar died, Mr DeDolph who was then a petty officer first class was flown back to his home base in Virginia Beach, under the suspicion of murder. Matthews, last year, pleaded guilty on charges of battery, unlawful entry, obstruction of justice and conspiracy to commit assault in connection to Melgars death. On 15 September of 2017, Mr DeDolph reportedly began wearing an insignia on his uniform indicating a higher rank had been achieved, according to Defence Department officials who spoke with the Daily Beast. He began receiving the higher pay associated with a chief in December of that year. That promotion came just three days after the medical examiners report on Melgars death was signed, indicating that the cause of death was asphyxiation and the manner of death a homicide, according to documents reviewed by the Daily Beast. The reports that Mr DeDolph was promoted in spite of the concerns that he may have murdered a fellow American serviceman, come just after a separate report by the Daily Beast indicating that Melgar had discovered that some Seals were pocketing money form a counterterrorism fund intended to pay local informations for information. Separate accounts indicate that Mr DeDolph had become upset alongside several other Navy Seals after Melgar intentionally tried to evade them while he was driving to a party, according to a witness, who said that the group made numerous comments on how to get back at Melgar, according to an Army Criminal Investigative Command preliminary report. In an interview later, Biden was as specific as he could be about why the president doesnt want to face him: I have the best chance of beating Trump, picking up those states we lost, Pennsylvania, Michigan, etc. I have the best chance of helping us win back the Senate because Im value-added in states like North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, based on the polling data. And who else is going to add value there and not downside? The National Investigation Agency (NIA) plans to interrogate Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) commander Naveed Babu about militant supporters, who may have helped the alleged 2019 Pulwama attack mastermind Mudassir Khan, two officials aware of the matter said on Wednesday. Babu was arrested on January 11 along with Jammu and Kashmir police officer Davinder Singh while they were on their way to Jammu along with two others. The NIA is probing the case. Babus brother, Irfan Shah, was also arrested a week later and handed over to the NIA. Khan, a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) commander, has been named as the Pulwama attack mastermind. He was killed three weeks after the February 2019 attack along with Sajjad Bhat. Bhats car was used in the suicide attack that left 40 Central Reserve Police Force troopers dead and brought India and Pakistan on the brink of war. India on February 26, 2019, launched an airstrike on a JeM camp in Pakistan after the group claimed responsibility for the attack. Pakistan retaliated a day later and captured an Indian pilot before releasing him days later. The officials cited above said the NIA has been unable to fully connect the dots in the case due to the killings of key conspirators involved in the Pulwama attack. They include the attacker, Adil Ahmed Dar, who blew himself up. The agency has collected crucial technical evidence, forensic reports, intelligence assessment and testimonies of several JeM operatives related to the attack. We will question Naveed Babu about the others involved in the Pulwama attack. Being a senior commander in the region, we believe he knows most of the operatives of the Lashkar-e-Taiba [LeT], JeM and other outfits. Usually, the outfits based in the [Kashmir] Valley work together and take each others help in terms of logistics. In fact, the JeM, the LeT, and the HM have had meetings to decide on their action plan, said one of the officials cited above. Babu is believed to be an important link to solving the Pulwama case as he is accused of recruiting several militants since 2017 when he joined the HM, the official added. The NIA officials clarified that Davinder Singh is not under probe in the Pulwama attack case. The agency in September filed a charge sheet against alleged JeM members Mudassir Khan, Sajjad Ahmed Khan, Tanvir Ahmad Ganie, Bilal Ahmed Mir and Muzzafar Ahmad Bhat arrested in a separate case related to alleged plans to carry out attacks in Delhi. The interrogation of these JeM members did not reveal a lot about the Pulwama attack, said a second official. We now hope to get crucial leads from both Naveed Babu and his brother on the Pulwama attack. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/30/2020 -- Since the past few years, adoption of digitalization in the banking sector has been robustly increased. This has led to increasing awareness about banking facilities as well as encouraging global consumer debt. In addition to this, government legislation such as Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (BAPCPA) has increased the credit card debt and further escalated business growth of Debt Collection Software. This software streamlines and administrates debt collection and recovery processes. Moreover, it increases the banking software automation and helps to overcome the limitations of the existing database systems. According to AMA, the Global Debt Collection Software market is expected to see growth rate of 7.16% and may see market size of USD3966.24 Million by 2024. Advance Market Analytics released a new market study on Global Debt Collection Software 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 Debt Collection Software Forecast till 2025*. Some are the key players taken under coverage for this study are FICO (United States), Pegasystems Inc. (United States), Temenos AG (Switzerland), Experian PLC (Ireland), Chetu (United States), Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (United States), EXUS (United Kingdom), Sopra Banking (France), Quantrax Corporation (United States), Indus Software (India), Pamar Systems (United States) and Intellect Design (India) Free Sample Report + All Related Graphs & Charts @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/sample-report/12514-global-debt-collection-software-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 FICO (United States), Pegasystems Inc. (United States), Temenos AG (Switzerland), Experian PLC (Ireland), Chetu (United States), Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (United States), EXUS (United Kingdom), Sopra Banking (France), Quantrax Corporation (United States), Indus Software (India), Pamar Systems (United States) and Intellect Design (India) ** 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/12514-global-debt-collection-software-market Market Trend - Increasing Global Consumer Debt will Upsurge the Demand - Credit Card Debt is on the Rise Due to the Bankruptcy Protection Act of 2005 Market Drivers - Upsurging Demand for Integrated Banking Software - Enhanced Economic Condition led to Improved Cash Flows - Eliminated the Concerns Regarding Existing Database Systems Opportunities - Increasing Need for Customer-Centric Debt Collection Approach - Growing Adoption of Digitalization for Collection methods - Rising Awareness About Self Service Models Restraints - Higher Initial Investment and Post Maintenance Cost - Lack of Awareness from Economically and Technologically Underdeveloped Regions Challenges - Stringent Rules and Regulations such as Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) To comprehend Global Debt Collection Software market dynamics in the world mainly, the worldwide Debt Collection Software 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/12514-global-debt-collection-software-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 Debt Collection Software, by Market Segmentation and Geography (value, volume**) (2013-2018) ------ USD1400 Global Debt Collection Software Deployment (On-premises Debt Collection Software, Cloud-based Debt Collection Software), Service (Consulting, Implementation, Training and Support), Organization Type (Large Enterprises, SMEs), Component (Software, Services), End User (Collection Agencies, Finance Companies, Retail Firms, Law Firms & Government Departments, Others) Global Debt Collection Software 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 Debt Collection Software - 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 Debt Collection Software, 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. "In that decision, there is no interference from the Executive Branch, it is totally clear. That is why, while respecting the independence of powers, we recognize that this judicial decision must be fulfilled because it is a mandate we all must respect ," he concluded. Oregons biggest marijuana company will pay a record $110,000 penalty to settle state allegations that it mislabeled its Select brand of vaping products, incorrectly claiming more than 186,000 vapes were 100% marijuana. The settlement includes a dishonest conduct sanction. The state has levied more than 100 penalties against recreational marijuana companies since Oregon began licensing recreational marijuana companies in 2016, but this is the largest to date. Regulators initially proposed suspending Curas license altogether. The mislabeling and other conduct described in Thursdays announcement are the latest in a string of controversies plaguing Cura Cannabis and apparently stood in the way of the Portland company completing its long-delayed sale to a Massachusetts company called Curaleaf. The Oregon Liquor Control Commission, which regulates recreational marijuana for the state, said the agreement clears the way for the deal to go through. Curaleaf has said it expects to close the acquisition by Saturday. Cura did not respond to a request for comment Thursday. According to the settlement, Cura misrepresented the contents of its Select Elites line of marijuana products. The company marketed its vaping products as 100% derived from cannabis, but in fact they contained other additives. It seems like effectively the left hand didnt know what the right hand was doing, said T.J. Sheehy, manager of marijuana technical operations for the liquor commission. The cooks in the kitchen were apparently adding ingredients to the Select products, Sheehy said, but not telling the companys marketers what they had done. He said that apparently resulted in the improper labeling. The commission uncovered the mislabeled products last fall, according to the settlement. More than 180,000 Select products werent labeled to note they included botanically derived terpenes and/or medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil as an ingredient. Its unclear whether such additives pose any health risks, according to Sheehy. The research is nebulous, he said. The health effects are unknown for these types of products when theyre heated and vaporized. The incorrect labeling also made it impossible for retailers and consumers to know that the products were subject to Oregons short-lived flavored vaping ban last fall because they couldnt tell they contained flavorings. The settlement calls for a $100,000 penalty for misleading labeling. The agreement indicates that the liquor commission, which regulates recreational marijuana sales in Oregon, also proposed a 34-day license suspension for Cura. After negotiations, regulators substituted a $10,000 dishonest conduct penalty instead of the suspension. The settlement indicates Cura recalled the mislabeled products. Cura agreed in May to sell to Curaleaf in an all-stock deal initially valued at nearly $1 billion. A sharp decline in marijuana stocks substantially reduced the transactions value in the ensuing months. Curaleaf then reworked the deal to reduce the purchase price further. The transaction is now worth about $400 million, but Curas owners could potentially double their return if Selects sales hit certain financial targets this year. Cura, which obtained its initial funding from a real-estate scam that sent a Lake Oswego investment manager to prison, has also been the subject of controversy because of rape allegations against Nitin Khanna, who served as Curas CEO and later as its executive chairman. -- Mike Rogoway | mrogoway@oregonian.com | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699 Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Tanaiste Simon Coveney has confirmed a number of Irish citizens have requested to leave Wuhan in China, where the deadly coronavirus is believed to have originated. These people are likely to be quarantined in France for up to a fortnight, he said. Mr Coveney said his officials have been highly active in liaising with Irish citizens in China and the Department of Foreign Affairs is advising Irish citizens against all non-essential travel to China. Speaking at a Fine Gael event in Dublin, Mr Coveney said there is a small number of Irish citizens who are in the province thats affected in China. We will make contact with them through our embassy. Some are happy to stay and a very small number want to leave. Were putting arrangements in place, working with EU partners to facilitate that, Mr Coveney said. There is no evidence to suggest that any Irish citizen has contracted the virus. When asked to clarify the numbers of people involved, the Tanaiste said it was less than 10. He said his officials are liaising with other EU countries who are sending planes into China to bring people home and confirmed that the Irish affected are likely to be subject to supervision in France. Irish citizens had initially been advised against visiting just Wuhan, a city of 11m people, where the disease is reported to have emerged in December. The advice was then extended to include the province of Hubei, where Wuhan is located. Now, the department is advising against all non-essential travel to the whole of China. The Department of Foreign Affairs noted that travel within the province of Hubei has become tightly controlled and all tourists facilities have been closed. It added: Under these circumstances, travellers are advised against visiting the province of Hubei. It said the situation remains very fluid and that it is likely increasing containment measures will be deployed by the Chinese government. Care and Feeding is Slates parenting advice column. In addition to our traditional advice, every Thursday we feature an assortment of teachers from across the country answering your education questions. Have a question for our teachers? Email askateacher@slate.com or post it in the Slate Parenting Facebook group. This weeks Ask a Teacher panel: Katie Holbrook, high school, Texas Amy Scott, eighth grade, North Carolina Cassy Sarnell, preschool special education, New York Matthew Dicks, fifth grade, Connecticut I am a teacher at a large, diverse public high school in an urban area. Yesterday, one of our students was shot and killed by another student on campus. It was the third gun-related incident on our campus this year. I feel so sad and angry and helpless, and I dont know what to say to my students. Some teachers are saying that this is all because we let students get away with dress code violations and tardies, while others are saying that they want to start carrying their own guns at school, and I dont know how to respond to that nonsense either. I just feel so empty. I love my job and my students, but I have no idea how to move forwardI have a baby of my own, and I dont even know if I want to return next year. I would be so grateful if you could help me make sense of all of this. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Searching for a Way Forward Dear Searching, I am so deeply sorry. This is truly a nightmare. You have to put your oxygen mask on first. I dont know what you saw or experienced, but its possible that these incidents have been traumatic for you. If you are experiencing symptoms of trauma, I urge you to reach out to your loved ones as well as a mental health professional. During this time, your school should be offering crisis counseling to students and staff. If they are not, I encourage you to contact your principal and insist they provide such counseling immediately. For those of us who are not currently unmoored by a senseless tragedy, let this be a reminder: We need to take action. Katie Holbrook As far as how to respond to your co-workers nonsenseand it is nonsenseits OK to conserve your energy right now. A simple nobody dies breaking a dress code or more guns are not the solution can suffice for now. Though I agree they are frighteningly off-base, they are likely feeling as lost as you are. Advertisement Advertisement As to whether or not you should return to your school, that is an extremely difficult decision. On the one hand, your students will be looking for consistencyfamiliar, loving faces are reassuring during times of tumult. High faculty turnover can exacerbate the pain they are experiencing. If you stay, please make a plan for self-care. But I wouldnt blame you one bit if you decide to leave. You have the right to put yourself first, and if returning to this school is traumatic, if you feel you can no longer do your job, or if you believe that your safety is at risk, then its time to move on. I fully support you, whatever you decide. Advertisement For those of us who are not currently unmoored by a senseless tragedy, let this be a reminder: We need to take action. We can join an organization, educate ourselves on the issue, write our members of Congress, andmost importantlyvote for leaders who support gun control. And when you are feeling up to it, letter writer, perhaps you will join us, too. Advertisement Advertisement Ms. Holbrook I am the parent of a 12-year-old sixth grade girl. She had choices for which middle school she attended and elected for a brand-new STEAM-based charter program started by well-respected individuals. While I had some concerns about sending her to a school that was just starting out, she felt strongly that this school would be a good match for her. Advertisement Advertisement Brief description of our daughter: Shes very bright and in advanced classes, but also is behind on some key basic skills (ADD-related, shes being treated now). She has social anxiety, and is introverted and kind of shy, and despite seeming to be well-liked, has never had many close friendships and has unique interests that she says often make her feel like an outsider. She exhibits some symptoms of depression, however, I also know that kids this age may have more emotional ups and downs than at other ages, and that they struggle with perspective on whats normal. Advertisement Advertisement We are halfway into the first year, and her father and I have real concerns. The education is technology-basedall kids carry laptops. Our daughter, who was placed into the academically advanced group, reports poor classroom managementlots of kids goofing off and teachers seeming to allow it. She never has homework, which I have mixed feelings about. Im glad for no nighttime homework struggles, but I worry shes missing out on developing necessary study habits. Also, she is a minority in the school population both in race and gender (gender split is probably 70/30 boys to girls), and rarely talks of any other female friends at school. She has a small social network of male friends, but is not included in any invitations outside of school. Advertisement Advertisement For both social and academic reasons, her dad and I want to force her to change schools for seventh grade, but she is against this, I think largely because of social anxiety, which I understand. But I think it could be good for her, long-term. It worries me greatly that she feels so alone as a 12-year-old, and the academics/classroom management are not strong enough at her school to make me feel confident shes being well prepared for high school. Making a change obviously doesnt guarantee any improvements in academic or social setting, and given her opinion about changing vs. staying, were struggling with what to do and would like some input from educators. Do we force a change that we think will be for her own good? How do we best support her socially if we do? How do we help message this to her to minimize resentment that might result from a forced change? Advertisement Advertisement Best regards, Worried Mom Dear Worried Mom, These devil you know questions are always the hardest ones to answer because, as much helpful detail as you gave in your letter, theres no way for you to paint a complete picture of the situation in a few paragraphs. A few things come to mind, however. Have you inquired with the teachers or administration about the academic and social issues youre seeing? Id start there. Regardless of their intentions and experience, the first years are probably not going to meet their own expectations. Do they see these challenges? If so, what are their plans to address them? If not, how receptive are they to your concerns? The no-homework thing is definitely de rigueur these days, and for younger grades, its well-supported by research. But studies show middle schoolers do benefit somewhat from homework, depending on the kind and amount. My homework is always whatever you didnt finish in class, which has the double-benefit of encouraging the kids to get it done in school while still being connecting to our current unit of study. Dont let the homework thing be a deal-breaker. If theyre not going to assign it, accept that, and let her exercise or paint or code or whatever it is shes into outside of school. Shell often get as much academically out of that than homework. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As for being a racial minority, is she a racial minority outside of school? Or is she white? If its the former, make the best choice for her and your family. If she would feel more empowered being in a school with people of her own race, thats something you should take into consideration. If its the latter, I think its actually beneficial for white people to experience being in the minority sometimes. It gives a person perspective. I do worry a bit about the gender imbalance. When my classes are boy-heavy, I notice the boys often dominate, and the girls often shrink. I try to counter these effects with management techniques, but it takes awareness and skill. Do the teachers at your daughters school have both? Advertisement Ive buried the lede here. You mentioned she has social anxiety and exhibits some symptoms of depression. While its true that middle schoolers have more emotional ups and downs than at other ages, and that they struggle with perspective on whats normal, I dont think you should ignore these symptoms of a mental health struggle. In fact, I think before you do anything else you should schedule an appointment with a therapist for her. Let her speak to an impartial party about the issues shes experiencing. That person can help her parse her feelings and develop language to key you in on what she thinks is best for her. Then have a big conversation, and weigh her perspective earnestly. Shes at the age when not doing so might cause bigger problems in the next few years. Advertisement Ms. Scott I am the mother of three young children, and my oldest will start kindergarten this fall. While Im not concerned about his academic or social readinesshe knows all of his letters and numbers, he is starting to learn to read, and hes friendly and social with other childrenI am a little concerned about the adjustment to a school day. Advertisement We are very rural, and there is no preschool or day care offered in our area beyond Head Start, for which we do not qualify. Thus, minus the occasional play date, he spends the majority of his time at home with his brothers and me. I already structure his day as best I can: We have structured meals, rest, and bedtimes, but otherwise he does what he wants (within reason), and he and his brother spend their time playing. He occasionally helps my husband at work on our ranch. Advertisement Other than home-schooling him, which doesnt really appeal to me, our only school option is our local kindergarten, which is a full day, four days a week. What can we do to help him be ready, and what can we do to make sure hes getting enough play time when he gets home from school? And if homework is a thing in his kindergarten, does he need to do it? The school days are longer because of the four-day week, and Im balking at him having to do any school outside of the school day. Advertisement Advertisement What do you recommend? Getting Ready Dear Getting Ready, Wow. I have immense respect for you! Its hard enough to be a stay-at-home parent to three kids under 5, but taking on the role of preschool teacher to them, too, is incredible. To start, give yourself a little cheer because everything youve done so far, including structuring the kids day, is absolutely the right idea. Go you! Advertisement Moving on to your questions, my broad response is: Dont worry. Yours is not the first kindergartener walking in on the first day without day care or preschool (especially since your area doesnt have these programs widely available). Kindergarten teachers always teach school readiness skills and behaviors in the first weeks of school because they have to assume that none of the kids in their class have ever been to a classroom before. Given how hard youve tried to provide structure and enrichment, your son may even be better prepared than the average kid in the room. Advertisement So, what can you do? Kindergarten challenges young kids by introducing them to more adult directed activities (the teacher decides what theyre doing), versus those that are child directed (independent, less structured play). In the preschool model we use at my school, we aim for a roughly 50/50 split during our daythat is, we direct activities for about half the day, and let the kids run free (within limits) for the other half. Advertisement Advertisement Maintain the routines at home (bedtime, wake-up, rest time if your son needs it, etc.), but plan to cut back on other structured activities once kindergarten starts. Once he starts kindergarten, try to keep a relatively open schedule after school so that he can have this free time at home. Im a big believer in at-home routines because children do thrive when they have predictable structures, but make space in your routine for him to just be a 5-year-old. And if I can get on my soapbox just for a second: Where I live, play dates have fallen out of fashion, but I recently visited a relative in Western Canada, and for the week I was there, his two kids had play dates every day. Admittedly, it was during winter break, but they saw friends every day. I love play dates, and I think part of the reason that theyve fallen out is that parents have a hard time being the first one to invite someone elses kids over. I get that, but play dates are a great opportunity for your children to socialize outside of the limited free time at school, and they can help your kid unwind while building bonds with their community. And, in turn, you can build bonds with the parents of those kids, which really does make it a win-win. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Good luckit sounds like your son will have all the tools he needs to get off to a great start. Ms. Sarnell My 7-year-old daughter is in second grade and was diagnosed with ADHD last year. Her kindergarten and first grade teachers worked really well with her. Because of the atmosphere of those early grades, she had lots of time to run around and play and get her energy out in order to focus in the classroom, and they had a relaxed academic atmosphere. Now that she has entered into a more academic phase of learning, shes started to struggle a lot more. Second graders at her school only get one 20-minute recess a day, and they dont have PE every day. Her time at school primarily consists of staying in her seat all day to work, and there is very little physical movement associated with their learning. To the best of my knowledge, her teacher is old-school and enforces a strict sit-still-and-be-quiet policy for her students. Advertisement Because of her squirming and fidgeting during class (which I believe is primarily caused by a lack of adequate recess), her teacher is taking away her recess at least twice a week, and making her sit on a bench and work on math problems while the other kids run around. Advertisement I have talked to the teacher about this, but she says that district policy says that this is really the only real discipline she can use, and that I should put her on medication because shes very disruptive. I dont think that she needs medication, I think she really needs time to run around and be a kid. I also really think the teacher is overstating how disruptive my daughter is. How do I go about navigating this situation? Advertisement Advertisement She Needs to Move Dear SNtM Wow. Im never happy to hear stories of teachers making terrible decisions, and this appears to be a multicar pileup of bad decisions. Here are some of my issues: Its ridiculous to think that the only discipline a teacher can impose is the removal of recess. Any teacher worth her salt can find other ways to impose consequences on students who require them. Your daughters teacher is either not being honest or is incapable of the most basic problem solving. Also, it may violate state law to take recess away from your daughter. At least 12 U.S. states now require that students enjoy at least 20 minutes of recess, and the American Academy of Pediatrics has described recess as a necessary break in the day for optimizing a childs social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development that should not be withheld for punitive or academic reasons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I agree. Most educators would, too. This teacher is not making good decisions. I cant see you making any headwind with her, so my suggestion is to give her one more chance to find solutions to your daughters struggle, and if that doesnt happen (soon), take this issue to your principal. Ideally, you want your daughter to have recess every day without exception, and if a consequence is required for her behavior, the teacher must find something else than recess. Let me add that I feel overwhelmingly that a student who is squirming and fidgety may not even need to be reprimanded or punished. There are plenty of simple strategies to try first that could significantly mitigate her disruptive behaviors. There are chairs specially designed to allow children some movement that can often be helpful in reducing fidgety behavior. Fidgetssmall objects that children can hold and quietly manipulate in class are also often helpful. The teacher can include regular breaks or incorporate physical activity into transitions. Your daughter could be assigned jobs in the classroom that allow her to get up and move around appropriately. These are just a few. Advertisement Advertisement Ill also add that medication for ADHD can be exceptionally beneficial for some students, so keep an open mind. Im not sure why you and your daughters doctor decided to forgo the use of medication, but I meet many parents who reject it outright without ever giving it a chance, but for some students, I have seen it change their lives. Its possible, for example, to have your daughter begin taking medication and monitor the effects. Advertisement My daughter takes ADHD medication daily, and our approach to her diagnosis and the doctors recommendation was to try the pills and see if they made a difference, and weigh that difference against any side effects. Ive seen students on medication lose their appetite, for example, so much so that weight loss became more of an issue than their ADHD. My daughter thankfully exhibits no side effects, and the medication has made an enormous difference in her life, so I encourage you to not dismiss medication if thats the case. It might help, too. Advertisement You should also be aware that when teachers suggest to parents that medication might be in order, as your childs teacher has, parents can often require school districts to supply that medication, since it was an educational recommendation. Best of luck. Mr. Dicks More Advice From Slate My daughter is currently in half-day kindergarten. She loves it. She loves her teacher. All seems well, and she seems to be excelling academicallyat least as far as I can tell, but I have no real feedback from the teacher, and no idea if any is coming. How much info should I be getting about a kindergarten students performance? Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Anna Naghdalyan says the analyses of former director of the National Security Service of Armenia, politician Davit Shahnazaryan have nothing to do with the reality today. Davit Shahnazaryans analyses might attract the Azerbaijani side or the circles disseminating those analyses, but the main shortcoming is that they have nothing to do with the reality today, Anna Naghdalyan said. Davit Shahnazaryan declared that substantive talks are underway and a broad range of issues are being discussed in Geneva. Among those issues is the creation of zones for the joint settlement of Armenians and Azerbaijanis in Nagorno-Karabakh. The first issue being negotiated is the issue of Shushi, as well as the intensification of substantive talks. It is in this context that US Ambassador to Baku Lee Litzenberger undertook the initiative and had a meeting with head of the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh alongside the talks underway in Geneva yesterday, he stated. Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu has come under heavy fire on social media over a reply to Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe who called for resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari over an alleged increase in the spate of insecurity in the country. After Senator Abaribe had called for Buharis immediate resignation over the rising spate of insecurity in the country, Garba Shehu described the call as foolish. Shehu said it was the senator that was supposed to resign from his position and replace the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu in Correctional Service for facilitating the escape of the IPOB leader. The presidential aide said it was Abaribe who signed the bond for the court to release Nnamdi Kanu on bail after which the IPOB leader disappeared from the country. He added that Abaribe is supposed to replace Kanu in jail, having failed to produce him many times in court in line with the bail bond he signed. Garba Shehus statement has sparked a lot of outrage and below are some reactions on Twitter: Senator Abaribe really rattled Aso Villa today. Theyre worried that someone in the senate is thinking. Garba Shehus statement hints there may be a plan to get Abaribe jailed over Nnamdi Kanu. Nigerians are behind Abaribe and the call for Buharis resignation. https://t.co/bndbczJ9HG Mali (@clinton_mali) January 30, 2020 The speed with which the @NGRPresident through Garba Shehu responded to Senator Abaribes #BuhariResign address is remarkable. Same FG has been silent on the killings, abductions & bombings. Meanwhile, terrorists are rewarded for bad behavior while Nnamdi Kanu should rot in jail Okwuru Oha (@Ejaic) January 30, 2020 Garba Shehu you are a big fool by by saying that Abaribes call for @MBuhari resignation is foolish, if it were in days of old you would have been stoned to death for that unpatriotic statement. Nigerians are dying every minutes of d day and ur there in asorock speaking thrash. pic.twitter.com/t59VojYvYo Monday Johnson (@MondayJ80006183) January 30, 2020 Lol. Garba Shehu admitting that the government doesnt know where Nnamdi Kanu is. https://t.co/Sr9LDoIjWq Mitch ? (@mitch_ihejirika) January 29, 2020 Garba Shehu AKA Mr AGIP( Any Government In Power), you are not only FOOLISH but completely infantile, petty, trivial and silly. Your response on this patriotic call by Abaribe is a nugatory. With hare-brains like you around Buhari, the word FAILURE is the magnetic bond. Shame! Chinyelugo (@Obienukpo) January 30, 2020 Senator Abaribe is sure going to be the latest victim of the federal assault & Garba Shehu has given us an idea what their hold on him would be. As usual, theyd always leave the message & attack the messenger, classic Nigerian scenes. Either ways, Buhari should resign, enough! pic.twitter.com/3u0asFS7OW Disgruntled Nigerian ? (@shedy88) January 29, 2020 The Garba Shehu that I know will not describe Honourable Senator Abaribe as foolish. Only Garbage Shehu can do that#BuhariResign Chikwado Any1nw5 (@chikwadoca) January 29, 2020 Garba Shehu you are foolish? Buhari also calls for Jonathans to resign. We are also calling on #BuhariResign too. WeGlobe (@iSellJoy) January 30, 2020 Instead of Garba Shehu to respond to the accusations that Nig isnt secured under Buhari by Senator Abaribe, he brought the issues of Nnamdi Kanu that disappeared after Sen. Abaribe signed for his bail, this shows that Nig isnt secured, if Kanu can disappeared from Govt easily. Zaddy Ajala (@UNCLE_AJALA) January 29, 2020 Garba Shehu AKA Mr AGIP( Any Government In Power), you are not only FOOLISH but completely infantile, petty, trivial and silly. Your response on this patriotic call by Abaribe is a nugatory. With hare-brains like you around Buhari, the word FAILURE is the magnetic bond. Shame! Chinyelugo (@Obienukpo) January 30, 2020 I have been expecting Garba Shehu to speak on what Sen. Abaribe said You paid to lie so I dont need you people not to come and defend your Boss which in a normal Ground he should resign by now for not been able to work on its primary object @GovAyoFayose@OfficialPDPNig Hate speech (@folayan_ajanaku) January 30, 2020 Those who live by propaganda will die by propaganda. Senator Abaribe Garba Shehu, your infantile propaganda is stale and boring. Nigerians are sick and tired of lies and falsehood because the lifespan of a propaganda is shorter than falsehood. Rothschild (@timi_wakanda) January 30, 2020 We all know he the president is not honourable enough to resign. And dear Mr Garba Shehu deep down do you want to say senator Abaribe is not right? Dini (@dinijnr3) January 30, 2020 Rubbish reply from Garba shehu. Your reply is inconsistent with the truth on ground. Please shut up. EBENEZER OBAFEMI (@EBENEZEROBAFEM2) January 29, 2020 Senator Abaribe ask president Buhari to resign over insecurity Asking president Buhari to resign by Senator Abaribe is foolishness~Garba Shehu Lest we forget Garba Shehu is acting beyond his boundary, therefore he should resign ~Aisha Buhari#BuhariResign Mr. M Abba (@M_Abba_) January 30, 2020 #BuhariResign is long overdue, the lives n property of Nigerians is not worth the blood of any politician. Senator Abaribe has just spoken the minds of sane Nigerians, Garba Shehu bringing up the case of Nnamdi Kanu is unnecessary. #hypocrites https://t.co/BZw3IFMmTL Collins O (@OkoroCollins11) January 29, 2020 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. (Newser) A ship thought to have disappeared a century ago in an area known as the Bermuda Triangle turned up in the Gobi Desert in Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Now it has reportedly been found for real. The SS Cotopaxi set out to carry coal from Charleston, SC, to Havana, Cuba, in 1925 and was lost. Underwater explorer Michael Barnette now believes the ship sits in pieces some 35 miles off the coast of St. Augustine, Fla., north of the Bermuda Triangle, having been caught up in a sudden storm for which it was ill-equipped. The site, known as the Bear Wreck, was first discovered almost 35 years ago, and USA Today reports it looks like an "underwater junkyard," which perhaps explains why the identity of the vessel there has remained a mystery for so long. story continues below The steam-powered Cotopaxi departed Nov. 29, 1925, two days before sending out a distress signal received in Jacksonville, Fla., notes CBS News. Barnette determined the signal came from the rough location of the Bear Wreck, which has the same overall length as the Cotopaxi, per Newsweek. The measurements of the boilers sync up, too, and one of the valves came from a company based 12 miles from where the Cotopaxi was built in Michigan. Barnette believes the ship was "doomed" as it confronted a storm so large it was noted in historical weather records. Insurance records show Cotopaxi's wooden hatch covers were in bad shape, meaning water flooding over the ship would have leaked below deck; the crew of 32 would've "had no shelter," he says. More details are to be shared in the series premiere of Science Channel's Shipwreck Secrets on Feb. 9. (Read more shipwreck stories.) Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Thursday reviewed the country's preparedness to deal with coronavirus as the first case was reported from Kerala. A female medical student of a university in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, tested positive for the virus that has killed 170 people in China and is spreading worldwide. "The patient tested positive for novel coronavirus and is in isolation in a hospital," the Health Ministry said. It added the student is stable and being closely monitored. Priya Abraham, the director of ICMR-NIV in Pune, said 49 samples have been tested till now at the national institute of virology and one came out positive. "The positive sample belongs to a student from Kerala who was studying in Wuhan. Now a next test known as 'next-gen sequencing test' will be done on her sample and the final result will be declared till tomorrow evening," Abraham said. The Cabinet Secretary reviewed the preparedness with the ministries of Health, External Affairs, Defence, Home Affairs, Civil Aviation, Information & Broadcasting, Labour & Employment, and Shipping and it was decided that all travellers from China since January 15 will be tested for nCoV. A video conference withChief Secretaries of the states and UTs was also taken by the Cabinet Secretary, an official statement said. "All hose who have come from China after 15th January, 2020 shall be tested as there in an incubation period for the virus," the health ministry said in a statement. The Cabinet Secretary has stressed upon the need for 14 days' home isolation for all those who have returned from China, the statement said, adding that it is also advised that trip to china should be avoided. During the meeting it was also decided to augment the lab facilities. The statement said six more labs will start functioning from Thursday at NIV Bengaluru Unit, (2) Victoria Hospital Campus, KR Road, Fort, Bengaluru (3), AIIMS, New Delhi (4), NCDC, Delhi (5) Kasturba Hospital for infectious diseases, Mumbai (8) NIV Kerala Unit. Six more labs will start functioning by January 31 2020 at ICMR NICED, Kolkata (2) GMC, Secunderabad (3) KGMU, Lucknow (4) SMS, Jaipur (5) IGGMC, Nagpur (6) KIPMR, Chennai, it said. Discharge portal for patients have been prepared by DGHS which is being disseminated. It was decided to put up check-posts in relevant tourist locations for better surveillance, the statement said. Gram panchayats are being organised to make people more aware regarding the symptoms, precautions and measures taken by the State Governments regarding prevention and management for nCoV in villages bordering Nepal. States have also been advised to open control rooms, appoint a nodal officer and popularize the control room number. A Total of 43346 passengers from 234 flights at 21 airports have been screened for possible exposure to nCoV so far, the statement said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Two decades ago, Louie Noia, then a nightclub promoter, switched careers after his wife (then fiance) Christine told him to go get a more traditional job. With a passion for working out and eating mindfully, he set out in 2004 to open his first restaurant -- Better Gourmet Health Kitchen, now known simply as Better. And, as the moniker suggests, its a business built on healthy foods. That would be Noias idea of healthy -- no butter, little fat and zero sugar added to the eats. He was heavy as a kid, after all, and had figured out a formula for a slimmer lifestyle thanks to a cornerstone of whole fruits and vegetables, whole-wheat breads, brown rice and lots of protein. Coco Craze Bowl - organic acai, topped with banana, granola, unsweetened coconut flakes and a honey drizzle (Courtesy of Christine Noia)Louie Noia Better now has four locations on Staten Island -- 2333 Hylan Blvd., New Dorp; 877 Huguenot Ave., Huguenot; 400 Forest Ave., West Brighton; 4077 Victory Blvd., Travis. Its flagship store was located a few doors down from its current Travis home. In the inaugural days of the business, Noia blended Splenda into smoothies to dial down sugar and used fat-free cheeses in Betters dishes. We used to use Splenda, now we use honey, he explained. The narrative of health changed from 15 years ago to the present day, Noia recalled. Back then, fat-free dressings were the rage, but they have added sugar. Now we use full-fat cheese with no additives. He continued, Fifteen years ago no one was asking for a side of quinoa. Now everyone asks for avocado. Poke Bowl - ahi tuna, homemade mango salsa with added avocado over brown rice and a light teriyaki sauce. (Courtesy of Christine Noia)Louie Noia While he said his deep belief in good eating habits hasnt much changed over time, his perspective broadened a bit with new nutritional information -- and having kids. He sat down over the summer and went through each menu item line by line. In December, he introduced a more streamlined collection of entree items, salads and sandwiches. There is a vegan, plant-based patty called the Incredible burger made from wheat and minimal soy flour -- plus seasonings like onion and carrot juice concentrate. Soy milk is no good for you, Noia said, citing studies that estrogen-like isoflavones can ultimately lead to breast cancer. I never used tofu -- it has horomones in it that arent good for men, he declared. The Flu Shot -- a blend of carrots, ginger, orange juice. Better Gourmet around Staten Island was created by Louie Noia and managed by Darren Fischer. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri And hes followed national trends that embrace organic foods and shift away from cows milk. Hes ditched the highly processed, fat-free cheeses on the old offerings for whole-fat cheddar with no artificial ingredients. There are no more white potatoes, only sweet potatoes for fries and entree sidekicks. Spinach can be substituted for romaine in the lettuce options for more iron and vitamins. We use only organic chicken, oat and almond milk, said Noia, adding that its more expensive keep them in the inventory, but more in line with his food philosophy. We make our bison burger and turkey burger with organic meat. So we got rid of hormones in the meats. Were 90% organic, Noia pointed out. In fact, he started sourcing poultry from a farm in Pennsylvania to which he personally paid visits. The farmer raises free-range birds with organic feed. The Chef Salad with turkey bacon (Courtesy of Christine Noia)Louie Noia Some people dont like the word change. But everything we did now is better for you, said Noia, pointing out that orders are custom-made so the staff is used to modifications on items. A sign at the registers in each store reminds patrons that they can still get favorite dishes from the old menu; all they have to do is ask. The customers spoke. We listened, said Noia. This is why the shops sell Snapple and Coke. Noia said theyre not what hed drink, but thats what the guests want. Soon the restaurant locations will see a rewards program. Better has a brisk online ordering business and Noia made that feature more user-friendly. The Forest Avenue eatery started selling juices. Drinks like the Flu Fighter -- with fresh pressed ginger, carrot and orange will be added to other stores in the future. Darren Fischer, left, is managing partner at Better Gourmet Health Kitchen. Louie Noia started the brand in 2004. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri The managing business partner at the West Brighton location, Darren Fischer, has been best friends with Noia since they were neighbors in Great Kills and classmates at PS.32. He said hes thrilled with the partnership. All the produce is delivered daily. Wed rather run short than throw anything out. Everythings so fresh -- its the only way, said Fischer. Noia said he is getting ready to franchise the operation. Im actually excited again about the business! he enthused. Besides this, food is my lifestyle. This is the way I eat, and they way I train my kids to eat. We practice what we preach." The Greek Freak could be a salad or wrap - lettuce, tomato, onions, black olives, cucumbers, feta cheese, tzatziki and balsamic sauce with grilled Organic chicken breast. (Courtesy of Christine Noia)Louie Noia China Town Bowl - organic grilled chicken breast, broccoli and a light teriyaki with a side of brown rice. (Courtesy of Christine Noia)Louie Noia Veggie Delight Bowl - gluten free made with roasted cauliflower, broccoli, chickpeas and baked sweet potato with a honey mustard dressing at Better Gourmet. (Courtesy of Christine Noia)Louie Noia Cajun Chicken with brown rice wrap at Better (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri PARIS (Reuters) - France has confirmed a fifth case of infection by the new coronavirus from China, the French health minister said on Wednesday, adding the patient was the daughter of an 80-year-old man already hospitalized with the disease. Agnes Buzyn also said the first flight, which will later repatriate French nationals from the Chinese town of Wuhan - the epicentre of the virus - would depart France for China later on Wednesday, with a second flight to follow on Thursday or Friday. France confirmed its first three cases of the Wuhan coronavirus on Friday, and a fourth case on Tuesday. PARIS (Reuters) - France has confirmed a fifth case of infection by the new coronavirus from China, the French health minister said on Wednesday, adding the patient was the daughter of an 80-year-old man already hospitalized with the disease. Agnes Buzyn also said the first flight, which will later repatriate French nationals from the Chinese town of Wuhan - the epicentre of the virus - would depart France for China later on Wednesday, with a second flight to follow on Thursday or Friday. France confirmed its first three cases of the Wuhan coronavirus on Friday, and a fourth case on Tuesday. "We now have five cases, out of which two are under surveillance," Buzyn said at a press conference. The virus has killed more than 130 people and sickened more than 6,000, the vast majority of them in China. (Reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Christian Lowe and Bernadette Baum) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. 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. Last spring, Mike Pence called for NASA to return astronauts to the moon, pronto. NASA got to work. The program, eventually named Artemis after the twin sister of Apollo, aims to land the first woman and next man on the moon by 2024. While the timeline has been called fanciful, Artemis has gained momentum in the past year and secured funding and partnerships. For the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972, a lunar landing seemed within reach. But last Friday, House legislators introduced a bipartisan bill that effectively snubs Artemis. H.R. 5666, an authorization act for NASA, sparked immediate concern in the space policy community. If enacted, H.R. 5666 would move the lunar landing date to 2028 and shift the goal of human spaceflight to Mars. Advertisement While its still far from becoming law, H.R. 5666 highlights the continued fixation on what some have called a Mars fantasy. It also shows just how hard launching people into space becomes when its left in the hands not of scientists, but of changing policymakers and administrations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorization bills arent required for NASA to operate year-to-year (the last one was signed into law in 2017), but they do set policy and indicate what Congress will be willing to fund. Artemis problem, as Casey Dreier, senior space policy adviser for the Planetary Society, puts it, is that it exists due to executive fiat alone. And executive fiat cant fund it. The White House already requested $1.6 billion to kickstart the programbringing NASAs budget to more than $22 billion for fiscal year 2020. Instead, Congress provided $600 million and asked the White House for a five-year budget plan, which will be released on Feb. 10. Advertisement Advertisement While NASAs Artemis program would aim to send humans to Mars in the late 2030s and 2040s, its current focus is lunar exploration and conducting meaningful activities on the moon, including establishing a base and extracting lunar resources. The idea is that sustained presence on the moon will become a bedrock for future exploration. H.R. 5666 would scrap that notion for the sake of speed. Rep. Kendra Horn, a Democrat from Oklahoma and chairwoman of the space subcommittee, even spoke of the bill in terms reminiscent of the urgency and national unity of the Space Race. She said in a press release, Americans should be the first to set foot on the Red Planet, and H.R. 5666 moves us closer to that goal by directing a steady and sustainable course of action. Advertisement Advertisement H.R. 5666s plans rely on a regular lunar missions starting in 2028, but for the express purpose of a crewed Mars orbit mission by 2033. The bill prohibits the possibility, for instance, of developing ways to mine the moons resources. It also calls for NASAs creation of a Moon to Mars program office within 60 days that would be responsible for creating an integrated, master plan for human spaceflight to the red planet. Advertisement Advertisement Since its introduction, H.R. 5666 has received widespread criticism, and not just because it reflects politicians determining scientific goals. Although Artemis has been criticized for its rushed timeline, space policy experts and NASAs Advisory Council have generally supported it for its concrete plans and attempts to learn from decades of space policy failure, according to Ars Technicas Eric Berger. Artemis allows for public-private commercial agreements and encourages competition for fixed-price contracts among companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin, in addition to traditional giants like Boeing. H.R. 5666, as Berger points out, would instead favor a government-owned lunar landing craft and cost-plus contracts exclusively with Boeing. The Commercial Spaceflight Federation denounced the bill for this reason, arguing that it set[s] NASA up for failure, and NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine expressed serious concern that H.R. 5666 imposes some significant constraints on our approach to lunar exploration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And that doesnt even get to what is perhaps the most concerning aspect of H.R. 5666. As more than a few critics have mentioned: Redirecting exploration to Mars by 2033 is simply unfeasible. The cost, risks, and necessary technological advances, according to a 2019 study by the Science and Technology Policy Institute, are too great. (The estimated expense of just one Mars mission, without the prerequisite lunar missions, is $120.6 billion, and Berger argues that the House would have to at least double its human exploration budget for it to be a possibility.) Additionally, by shortening the timeline for Mars and pushing the moon landing timeline to 2028, H.R. 5666 would make a moon landing less likely, given how much can change between different administrations. Advertisement Still, its just a bill and likely wont be passed as-is. The House space subcommittee changed little in its markup of H.R. 5666 on Wednesday, but if its eventually passed, H.R. 5666 will have to be reconciled with the Senates 2019 version of the NASA authorization bill, which is closer to Artemis, but is still more Mars-focused and doesnt include a lunar landing timeline. Advertisement Space exploration may be one of the few issues that isnt partisan, but chronically different visions, often driven by passing whims and ambitions, have long made for muddled, unsuccessful space policy. For now, what the House has come up with may not align with Pences ambitions (or those of the current Administration as a whole), but we can rest assured that H.R. 5666 corresponds to Trumps infamous agenda circa June 2019: Advertisement For all of the money we are spending, NASA should NOT be talking about going to the Moon - We did that 50 years ago. They should be focused on the much bigger things we are doing, including Mars (of which the Moon is a part), Defense and Science! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 7, 2019 Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. MUMBAI: The Bombay high court (HC) on Thursday allowed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to continue dumping trash at Deonar, after the civic body informed the court that a plant will soon be set up at the dumping ground to convert 3,000 tonnes of solid waste into energy every day. The HC was hearing a plea filed by BMC, seeking an extension of the courts December 31, 2019 deadline to stop dumping trash at Deonar as the site does not adhere to Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules. The HC had then said that no further extension would be granted to the civic body under any circumstances. However, BMC on Tuesday filed a fresh plea, seeking a further extension of the deadline for two years. Its counsel, senior advocate Anil Sakhare, said measures taken by the civic body helped reduce municipal solid waste taken to dumping sites from 8,509 tonnes a day in 2015, to 6,782 tonnes a day in 2019. Sakhare also submitted that BMC plans to set up a plant at Deonar to convert 3,000 metric tonnes of solid waste into energy every day. He said the tender for the plant had been finalised and the final approval of the standing committee was likely on Thursday. The contractor will require at least three years to set up the plant and make it functional, Sakhare told the court. A division bench of justices SC Dharmadhikari and RI Chagla allowed BMCs plea. The judges said that although the Environment Protection Act and the Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules require solid waste to be treated properly and disposed scientifically, no time limit can be laid down for implementation of the rules as collection and disposal of municipal solid waste in metro cities is a humongous task. The bench said that on certain occasions, its beyond the control of the local body to comply with the requirements. We are mindful of the ground reality, said the bench. The court has now posted the plea for further hearing on June 22, and has directed BMC to file an affidavit disclosing how they plan to further reduce the quantity of solid waste taken to dumping grounds and the status of the proposed waste-to-energy plant at Deonar. The court had in April 2013 ordered that dumping should be stopped at Mulund and Deonar dumpyards from July 2013, but the deadline was later extended by a year in November 2014. Although the dumping ground at Mulund was shut, the civic body continued to dump trash at Deonar after obtaining multiple extensions from the HC. The Central government should ponder over why India's internal matters are being discussed in the European Parliament, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal said on Thursday, referring to the six resolutions against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) tabled by the MEPs. Speaking to ANI, Sibal congratulated the External Affairs Ministry over the postponement of the voting on the anti-CAA resolution but at the same time said that they should "ponder why this happened in the first place." "The government should think why these six resolutions were tabled in the European Union parliament. We do not want our internal matters to be discussed in the European Parliament or in the United States House (of Representatives)," he said. In a diplomatic victory for India, the European Parliament on Wednesday decided to postpone voting on a five-page resolution on the CAA. The resolution alleges that the CAA is not only "discriminatory" and "dangerously divisive" but also a "violation of India's international obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights". A Pakistan-origin Member of European Parliament (MEP) Shaffaq Mohammed is reportedly behind the draft resolution against the CAA. Sources told ANI that Mohammed's efforts to get the resolution passed were "defeated". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [January 30, 2020] OPPO Expands Into Levant With New Office in Amman DUBAI, UAE, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading global smart technology brand, OPPO, is expanding its presence in the Middle East by entering the Levant market. A new OPPO market development office has been established in Amman, Jordan, to manage Levant operations, in addition to serving as a sales and marketing center, plus offering maintenance and after sales services for OPPO devices. OPPO's expansion into the Levant region follows the company's successful growth in the Middle East and Africa, where its smartphones have proved exceptionally popular amongst consumers. With social media presence already established across several platforms and accessible retail point of sales locations secured, OPPO is in a strong position to enter the Levant market. OPPO is committed to localization initiatives to provide better service to customers while becoming a key component of local communities. The OPPO Levant team already comprises 200 employees, 71% of whom are nationals. Ethan Xue, President of OPPO Middle East and Africa (MEA), said: "The Levant is of strategic importance to OPPO, and so we are glad to announce achieving this expansion milestone development with our entry into this exciting new market. Going forward, the Levant market will serve alongside the UAE and Saudi Arabia markets as the three main pillars supporting OPPO's sustainable growth in the Middle East." Since entering the Middle East, OPPO has solidified its commiment to the region by bringing its flagship Find X model to the market for the first time in 2018, followed by selecting Dubai as the first international launch location in April 2019 for its new OPPO Reno smartphone series. The company enjoyed a successful 2019 in the region, and intends to strengthen its position by introducing consumers in the Middle East to more flagship and 5G products featuring OPPO's signature cutting-edge technology. To date, OPPO is present in several markets across MEA, including Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Kenya, Nigeria, and now the Levant. About OPPO OPPO is a leading global technology brand, dedicated to providing products infused with art and innovative technology. Based on the brand elements of leading, young and beautiful, OPPO dedicates to the mission of letting the extraordinary users enjoy the beauty of technology. For the last 10 years, OPPO has been focusing on manufacturing camera phones, while innovating mobile photography technology breakthroughs. OPPO launched the first mobile phone, the Smile Phone, in 2008, which marks the beginning of a journey to explore and pioneer extraordinary technology. Today, OPPO brings the aesthetics of technology of global consumers through smart devices, ColorOS, and Internet service like OPPO Cloud and OPPO+. 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 6 research institutes and 4 R&D centres 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, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Kenya, Nigeria, and the Levant. OPPO set up its factory in Algeria in 2017, which made OPPO the first Chinese brand setting up factory in North Africa. 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 Reno Series. OPPO will continue to evolve its local product line to offer more premium series to consumers in the region. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1083573/OPPO_Levant_New_Office_Amman.jpg For more details, please contact: OPPO PR Team Email: [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Gardai investigating the murder of Francis 'Frankie' Dunne have spoken to a man in Romania. Mr Dunne's body was discovered in a derelict house on Boreenmanna Road, Cork on December 28 last. Gardai have completed their door-to-door enquiries and have gathered CCTV evidence from the surrounding areas. They have taken numerous statements including one from a man in Romania. "We would like to thank those who have come forward and provided us with vital information into this horrific murder, but we need more," said Chief Superintendent Barry McPolin. "Anyone who has any information, no matter how insignificant they think it is, I would ask that they pick up the phone and contact us. Gardai are anxious to speak to anyone who was in the Boreenmanna Road area of Cork city between 7pm and midnight on Friday 27 December, 2019. Anyone with information is asked to contact Bridewell Garda Station on 021 4943330, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing with several lines of enquiry still to be pursued. : The Kerala government on Thursday decided to extend by another 90 days the suspension of IAS officer Sriram Venkitaraman arrested on charges of driving a car in an intoxicated state and fatally knocking down a journalist here in August last. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan issued the extension order two days before the suspension was to end. Chief Secretary Tom Jose had reportedly recommended to the government revocation of the suspension while the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) had opposed any such move. The KUWJ appealed to Vijayan not to revoke the suspension of the officer whose car had killed K M Basheer, a 35-year-old journalist of a Malayalam newspaper. Since a olice investigation was on in the case, revoking the suspension of the 34-year-old officer now could affect the case, the KUWJ said. The journalists body, in a letter, had asked the Chief Minister to ensure that the IAS officer gets deserving punishment. Venkitaraman, appointed Survey Director by the state cabinet in August last, was booked under sections 279 (rash driving on a public way) and 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code. His driving licence was cancelled. On August 3 last year, Sriram was returning from a private party. He allegedly drove the car in a rash manner hitting Basheer, who was on his motorcycle, killing him on the spot. Police arrested the IAS officer on August 3, nearly 17 hours after the accident. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Xi orders military to contribute to winning battle against epidemic People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 19:32, January 29, 2020 BEIJING, Jan. 29 -- President Xi Jinping has ordered Chinese military to keep its mission firmly in mind and shoulder responsibility to make contributions to winning the battle against the novel coronavirus epidemic. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in a recent instruction to the military on the prevention and control of the outbreak of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus. The military resolutely implemented the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee after the novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan of Hubei Province, Xi said, adding that the armed forces rapidly initiated the joint prevention and control mechanism and sent elite medical teams to combat the epidemic at the frontline. Xi said the epidemic prevention and control remained grim and complex and demanded the armed forces shoulder their responsibility, fight the hard battle and actively assist local authorities in fighting the epidemic. The armed forces are tasked with treating patients in Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, which reflects the high level of trust that the Party and the people place in them, Xi said. To meet the expectations and fulfill the task, the military must strengthen leadership, enhance coordination with local authorities, adhere to scientific treatment, and pay attention to their own protection, Xi added. Huoshenshan Hospital, which is under construction, is a makeshift hospital dedicated to treating patients infected with the novel coronavirus. Xi ordered military hospitals engaged in the epidemic control to treat patients with all-out efforts and military research institutions to step up scientific research to contribute to winning the battle against the epidemic. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Telecom infrastructure company Bharti Infratel on Thursday posted a 23 per cent jump in consolidated net profit for the December quarter at Rs 798.7 crore. The company, in a regulatory filing, noted the recent USD 3 billion fund raising by Bharti Airtel has eliminated uncertainty about the ability of the parent firm to comply with the Supreme Court judgement on statutory dues. However, it also cautioned that loss of a significant number of customers or failure to attract new business could have an adverse effect on the company. Bharti Infratel's consolidated profit after tax increased 23 per cent year-on-year to about Rs 799 crore for the just ended quarter. Its net profit stood at Rs 648.4 crore in the year ago period. Total income slipped 4.2 per cent to Rs 1,684.5 crore, although after incorporating its share of revenue from Indus Towers, Bharti Infratel showed a 1 per cent year-on-year increase in its segment revenue to Rs 3,673 crore for the reported quarter. Bharti Infratel is in the process of merging with Indus Towers and is awaiting clearance from the Department of Telecom. The company said the telecom industry continues to face financial uncertainty due to the recent Supreme Court judgement on statutory dues, but for which growth of towers and co-locations would have been even stronger. Bharti Infratel Limited Chairman Akhil Gupta noted that the company witnessed another quarter of improved net additions on both towers and co-locations during the three months ended December 31, 2019, with net tower additions being the highest in four years on a quarterly basis. "As a result, the company has been able to largely recover the revenue and profitability that was lost due to large exits of co-locations that it witnessed over the last few quarters. "The telecom industry continues to have financial uncertainty due to the recent AGR case judgement by the Supreme Court, but for which we believe that the growth of towers and co-locations would have been even stronger," he said. Two telecom operators have filed modification petition before the Supreme Court whose outcome is awaited. "We look forward to a positive outcome so that the operators are able to speed up investment in their networks. Bharti Infratel and Indus Towers will benefit from this enhanced momentum," Gupta said. Fifteen telecom operators 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 last year held that non-core revenues have to be considered for calculating statutory dues from Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR). 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 spectrum usage charge dues (not including the dues of Telenor and Tata Teleservices). Vodafone Idea -- which is staring at unpaid statutory dues of Rs 53,038 crore, including Rs 24,729 crore of spectrum dues and Rs 28,309 crore in licence fee -- has already warned of shutdown if no relief is given. Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea Ltd, and Tata Teleservices have, meanwhile, jointly filed a modification application in the Supreme Court seeking more time to pay the statutory dues. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Opinion Article 30 January 2020 "Service with a smile" has always been a common hospitality practice in the United States. Welcoming some international guests with this non-verbal cue, however, can be problematic. In Japan, a smile often conveys anger, sadness, or embarrassment rather than joy or friendliness. In Russia, smiling at a stranger is considered insincere and impolite. In the U.S., people nod their heads in agreement or acknowledgment; in Greece, Turkey, and other nearby nations, a single nod of the head upward actually means "no." And forget offering international visitors a thumbs up. For many cultures, this gesture is vulgar and rude rather than a sign of agreement or confirming that all is well. Because hoteliers don't want their front desk and Concierge staff to remain stern-faced with their hands at their sides when greeting international guests, and they can't expect workers to learn how to say "hello" in all languages, hotel operators are leveraging voice technologies to help them be more welcoming and hospitable. Considering that in 2018, 39.9 million of the 79.6 million U.S. arrivals came from countries other than Canada (21.2 million) and Mexico (18.5 million), according to the U.S. Travel Assn, investing in voice translation technologies should be top of mind. With Gartner predicting that by 2020, 85% of relationships with businesses will not require human interaction, it's clear that hoteliers need to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) today if they are going to effectively engage with their global customers in the future. Consider this: According to Google, 20% of all searches today are conducted with voice. Google's voice assistant is now available on more than 1 billion devices. 31% of smartphone users worldwide use voice tech at least once a week (Source: Statista, Location World). 52% of smartphone owners in the U.S. report using voice assistants on their mobile devices. This is equivalent to 41.4% of the total U.S. population. (Source: Voicebot) 50% of all online searches will be voice-based by 2020. (Source: Fast Company) 55% of households are expected to own smart speaker devices by 2022. (Source: OC&C Strategy Consultants) 65% of consumers in the 25-49 age group speak to their voice-enabled devices at least once every day, and 61% of 25 to 64-year-olds say they will use their voice devices more in the future. (Source: PwC) Almost 20% of all voice search queries are triggered by just 25 keywords. (Source: seoClarity) 53% of smart speaker owners say it feels natural talking to these devices. (Source: Google) Global voice commerce is expected to be worth $40B by 2022. (Source: OC&C Strategy Consultants) The Google Assistant's interpreter mode + Volara is Speaking Your Guests' Language Equipping hotels with voice assistant technologies is just the first step. Google has recently launched a hospitality-grade voice translation technology spanning 29 languages that is now being made available to hotels worldwide through a distribution and implementation partnership with Volara. The Google Assistant's interpreter mode is designed to improve the quality of interactions between hotel staff and guests from diverse language backgrounds, resulting in better communications and higher-value service. Here's how it works. Hotels place Google Nest Hub devices - provisioned by Volara with enterprise grade management tools and custom branded hotel content - at their front desks or Concierge stations. Then, when foreign-speaking travelers arrive, the staff member simply says, "Hey Google, help me speak English/Japanese/Chinese," or "Hey\ Google, be my English/Japanese/Chinese interpreter." Then, the Google Assistant's interpreter mode will - in real time - translate the conversation both verbally and visually, removing the language barrier between the guest and the hotel staff (see a demo here). For a small annual fee per location, hotels will receive a hassle free powerful multilingual solution: The Google Assistant's interpreter mode, inclusive of privacy protection technologies Google Nest Hub Device Google Nest Hub Provisioning, including adding custom hotel branded content Google Nest Hub Installation Spare Device Provisioning Staff Training, including educational leave behinds Email and phone-based support Device monitoring Device and Software Upgrades Device Loss Mitigation and Replacement Rather than losing revenue to poor communications, technologies such as the Google Assistant's interpreter mode + Volara will help U.S. hotels attract, and build loyalty with, at least 80% of today's travelers - i.e., those that don't speak English. This not only makes foreign guests feel more welcome, but it will improve operations, personalize services, drive revenues, and meet the individual needs of all guests. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Tata Motors, the parent company of Jaguar-Land Rover, said on January 30 that the Ralf Speth, Chief Executive of the two British brands, will retire in September and a hunt for his replacement has started. N Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons and Tata Motors, said: I want to thank Ralf for his passion and commitment over the last 10 years. Ralf developed JLR from a niche UK centric manufacturer to a respected, technological leading, global premium company." "I am delighted that Ralf has agreed to maintain his relationship with JLR by becoming a Non-Executive Vice Chairman. A search committee has been formed which will work with me to identify a suitable successor in the coming months," he said in a Tata Motors' statement. Speth will continue to remain on the board of Tata Sons. His retirement from an executive role is one of multi, high profile exits from JLR in recent years. In the middle of last year, JLRs CFO Kenneth Gregor stepped down after serving 11 years with the company. Ian Callum, JLR's design head, quit the company after 20 years last year, while Fiona Pargeter, Head of Customer Experience, quit the company a few week ago after spending less than two years. Speaking on his exit, Speth said in a statement, I feel very honoured to have worked with so many dedicated and creative people, both inside and outside of JLR. I want to say thank you for all their support and commitment. Speth had joined JLR as CEO in February 2010 and later that year he joined the Tata Motors board. In 2016, he joined the board of Tata Sons. It was under Speth that JLR recorded the biggest-ever quarterly loss in Indias corporate history of about $4 billion. He is set to leave the company as it battle challenges in China, increased competition from luxury car makers, increased restriction on emissions and shift to electric mobility. Prior to joining JLR, Speth was a Director at The Linde Group, the international industrial gases and engineering company. He had previously worked at BMW for 20 years before joining Ford Motor Companys Premier Automotive Group in 2007. Ralf has a Doctorate of Engineering and is a Professor at the University of Warwick. Over the last year, Isabel Allende has been coping with loss and grief after the passing of her mother, a stepfather whom she "adored'', and an ex-husband. But not everything was bad, she says: "On the other hand, I also got married last year." At 77, the Chilean author still believes in love. "I am not afraid of it,'' she says laughing when mentioning her third nuptials, to New York lawyer Roger Cukras. She also published her 17th novel and 24th book, "A Long Petal of the Sea." It follows Victor and Roser, a couple fleeing the Spanish Civil War. The writer places them among the 2,000 refugees aboard the real-life SS Winnipeg, an old cargo ship arranged by the poet Pablo Neruda to bring Spanish exiles to Chile. It is the third novel about refugees, displacement and migration by Allende, who was born in Peru, raised in Chile and lived in exile in Venezuela before settling down in California about 30 years ago. In an interview with the AP, Allende spoke enthusiastically about her life, work and her own unconventional loves. AP: "A Long Petal of the Sea'' presents what Neruda did to save 2,000 Spanish refugees in the Winnipeg to a new generation. You have said that Neruda advised you to quit journalism and pursue literature. Did you want to honor him in some way with this novel? ALLENDE: It was impossible not to honor him, because all the Winnipeg odyssey was the workmanship of Neruda. Neruda followed the Spanish Civil War closely because he loved Spain, he had friends among the intellectuals and the artists of Republican Spain, and when the drama of half a million refugees at the frontier with France erupted, he convinced the Chilean government to let him bring immigrants to Chile, Spaniards who were in concentration camps in France. In Chile, the right wing and the Catholic Church opposed their coming because they were all leftists, many of them atheists, known for allegedly burning churches and raping nuns. ... The narrative, the anti-immigration rhetoric in 1939 Chile, was exactly the same as the one we are seeing right now in the United States. So, Neruda not only convinced the government, he also went to Paris, raised the money, bought a cargo ship that was somewhat dilapidated, transformed it in a passenger's ship and transported 2,000 people. AP: In the notes of the book, it says that you first heard about Neruda's "ship of hope'' as a kid. How did it affect you? ALLENDE: I heard about the arrival of Spanish republicans in Chile because, even though it happened before I was born, it was shortly before I was born, and some of those people were friends of my family. I would see them coming for lunch, or for dinner... It didn't make a big impression on me back then... But when I was in Venezuela, among the thousands of exiles was a Chilean man named Victor Pey Casado, who was one of the passengers of the Winnipeg and was living in his second exile. He told me everything that he went through. He was the one who really consolidated the story for me. It took 40 years before I wrote it. AP: You have been an immigrant for most of your life. Where have you found the biggest sense of belonging? ALLENDE: California is where I've lived the longest, but when you ask me where I am from, I tell you I am from Chile. And I wasn't even born in Chile! I spent only part of my childhood there, but apparently those years marked me so much that I feel Chilean. But, if you ask me about my roots, I would say that my roots are in my memories, in the books that I've written, in the people that I love. AP: Speaking of Chile, it seemed one of the most stable countries in Latin America. Suddenly we've seen its streets covered in flames and tear gas. How do you explain this? ALLENDE: I think the Chilean situation, that seems so unexpected, could bring very positive transformation. Over the years, the indignation of the people has grown, and it exploded with the rise of the Metro by the equivalent of 15 cents of a dollar, more or less. But people were outraged, and they expressed it. What is going to happen? Vary good things can come out of this, or a terrible leader can rise and lead the country into chaos. AP: What do you miss most about the Chile of your childhood and youth? ALLENDE: Look, the Chile of my childhood doesn't exist. I wrote a book titled "My Invented Country'' precisely because the country of my memory doesn't exist anymore. I don't miss anything because I did not have a happy childhood by any means. But the years I worked as a journalist in Chile were the years when I had my two children, was just married, those were happy years in which I felt that I was participating, that I belonged. All that ended the day of the military coup (in 1973). In 24 hours the country changed. Forces that always existed but that we didn't see coming emerged, and it became a fascist dictatorship. How did that happen without us noticing? I don't know. That's why today's situation in Chile scares me, because it can go either way. AP: The love story in "A Long Petal of the Sea'' is somewhat unconventional, starting with a marriage arranged for survival reasons. What has been your most unconventional love? ALLENDE: I have had three husbands, but maybe my most unconventional relationship was when I fell in love with an Argentine musician and I left my family, I left my children, my husband, and went after him to Spain. I mean, that was absolutely crazy and I regret it very much. I regret it because I inflicted a lot of pain in my children. It took a lot for them to forgive me. That was my least conventional love, but now I am also in an unconventional situation having fallen in love at 74 and marrying at 77. AP: What do you feel when you see all your achievements and love from your readers? ALLENDE: I am very moved by the affection from the readers, and the way they write to me fills me with emotion and warmth. But when I'm told that I have sold 75 million copies, that happens in another circle, in a different dimension that doesn't touch my private life. ... I live in a tiny, one-bedroom house, I drive a small car, I have two ordinary dogs, (rescued) from the Humane Society, of course. My life is still the same. Search Keywords: Short link: A man has been arrested after he was caught allegedly importing almost $100 million worth of methylamphetamine from Central America into Sydney hidden inside machinery. Australian Border Force officers discovered the drugs at a Sydney air freight depot in December 2019 acting on information provided by NSW Police. The consignment was declared as being large machinery but was found to contain 130 kilograms of ice, detectives say. A 26-year-old man was arrested for allegedly smuggling 130 kilograms of ice worth nearly $100 million Police arrested a 26-year-old man at a Yagoona home in Sydney's southwest on Thursday morning after searching the house and an industrial unit in nearby Condell Park. Footage of the seized meth shows a huge amount of bags being wheeled along in a trolley before they were spread out on the floor to be counted. Investigations are continuing. Morgan County Sheriff ARRESTS, CITATIONS Bridgett A. Harweger, 29, of Payson was booked into the Morgan County jail at 4:59 a.m. Wednesday on charges of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Jacksonville Police ARRESTS, CITATIONS Lawrence A. Jackson Jr., 41, of 244 E. Dunlap St. was booked into the Morgan County jail at 10:37 p.m. Tuesday on a felony retail theft charge after being accused of taking merchandise from County Market, 1255 W. Morton Ave., without paying. Derrick E. Davis, 31, of 1647 Portuguese Hill Road was booked into the Morgan County jail at 10:03 p.m. Tuesday on a Mason County warrant accusing him of burglary. Compiled by David C.L. Bauer A day after the Election Commission (EC) put West Delhi MP Parvesh Verma on notice over an interview in which he alleged that protesters gathered at Shaheen Bagh will enter homes...rape...and kill, a fresh controversy erupted on Wednesday when he was seen calling Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal a terrorist in a video clip at a public event. In a video clip, Verma was heard saying, If Kejriwal comes to power again, Madipurs streets will become Shaheen Bagh. There are many Natwarlals (cheats) like Kejriwal and aatankwadis (terrorists) like Kejriwal hiding in Delhi. We have to throw them out. I fail to understand if we should fight terrorists in Kashmir or against terrorists like Kejriwal in Delhi. Verma made the controversial remark at an event organised to inaugurate the BJPs election office at Madipur assembly segment for their candidate Kailash Sankhla. When contacted, Verma said he had called Kejriwal a Naxalite, and not a terrorist. The clip was posted on social media by several people, including the Aam Aadmi Party functionary Ankit Lal. Kejriwal said he was dismayed by the BJP leaders comment . I have been working day and night for Delhi for the last five years. I gave up everything for the people of Delhi. After joining politics, I faced many difficulties so that I could improve the lives of the people. Today in return, the Bharatiya Janata Party is calling me a terrorist ... It is very sad, he said in a tweet in Hindi. Later in the evening, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) lodged a complaint before the chief electoral officer (CEO) Delhi against Verma, demanding the registration of an FIR against him. Parvesh Verma has openly called Arvind Kejriwal as a terrorist. This is an allegation aimed at tarnishing the image of a democratically elected chief minister. This is a blatant violation of model code of conductIt is requested that an FIR be registered against Verma and CEO Delhi may ban him from campaigning in Delhi assembly elections 2020, the letter read. Verma was removed from the BJPs list of star campaigners on Wednesday on the Election Commission of Indias orders following an interview to news agency ANI in which he said: Lakhs of people gather there (Shaheen Bagh). People of Delhi will have to think and take a decision. They will enter your houses, rape your sisters and daughters, kill them. AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh hit out at the BJP on Wednesday. The BJP is continuously using objectionable language against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. By calling Arvind Kejriwal a terrorist, the BJP has insulted two crore people of Delhi. People will give reply to the BJP on February 8, Singh told reporters. Verma, meanwhile, alleged an unknown caller threatened him and his family. A police officer said Verma received the call around 8am. The caller allegedly said if he continued to speak against a particular community, you will be taken care of. Deputy commissioner of police (New Delhi) Eish Singhal said, We are looking into the matter, the DCP said. Verma tweeted a screenshot, which mentioned the number was from Rwanda. Got a threat cal in the morning from this no. Filing a police complaint. @DelhiPolice. For Democrats, the case for calling new witnesses at the Senate impeachment trial seems to be deflating like a bad souffle. That's the news focus now, and even the New York Times and Reuters are reporting that the Democrats' quest for witnesses is falling apart fast. Here's the Times: Republican leaders signaled they were regaining confidence that they would be able to block new witnesses and documents and bring the trial to an acquittal verdict as soon as Friday. Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, acknowledged that winning enough Republican votes was unlikely. Here's Reuters: WASHINGTON (Reuters) A Democratic push to force Republicans to accept witnesses at President Donald Trump's impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate appeared to be flagging on Wednesday, raising the possibility he could be acquitted as early as Friday. ...and... Democratic Senator Chris Coons was asked during a break if the Democrats' fight for witnesses was lost. "I don't know that for sure one way or the other," he said, but called the tone and questions of senators "not encouraging." You know that if the left-biased press is reporting such news, there must be no way to spin it. Meanwhile, The Hill reports that Republicans are ebullient: It was clear to Senate Republicans on Wednesday after a morning meeting between Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) that the question of having additional witnesses is settled, and the Senate will vote Friday to wrap up the impeachment trial of President Trump. There was no discussion of witnesses at a Senate GOP lunch meeting Wednesday, which was held a couple hours after McConnell and Murkowski met for about 20 to 30 minutes. That was seen as a sign by several senators that Democrats will fail to convince four Republicans to join them in calling for witnesses. Without a vote to hear from witnesses, the trial could end as soon as Friday. "We're going to get it done by Friday, hopefully," Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said following the meeting. Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), emerging from the lunch, said, "I think I can say the mood is good." And this is far from the only pain for the Democrats. It gets worse, way worse, with news that President Trump's inevitable acquittal, as soon as Friday if the witness hurdle is busted, is next up likely to lead to a bipartisan acquittal. Several Democrats have signaled that they will be defecting to the acquittal side. Here's the Washington Post: Democrats are casting a nervous eye on a small group of publicly undecided senators in their ranks as Republicans target a coveted prize in the Senate impeachment trial a bipartisan acquittal of President Trump. Under the spotlight are two centrist mavericks who won election last year Sens. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) as well as Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.), who will face voters this year after a long-shot win in a special election in 2017. "I talk to those three every day; I don't have a sense on where they're going to be in the end," said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who described the coming verdict as a "conscience vote" in which senators are leaving colleagues to reach their own conclusions. So it's not just Manchin who's wavering. There are now two others: red-state Democrats who are unlikely to keep their seats if they vote otherwise. It's now Democrats feeling the heat, not Republicans (except perhaps for Mitt Romney, who's feeling heat, too, reviled on the right for his egotistic call to want witnesses alongside the Democrats amid inauspicious polls emerging from his home state of Utah). Reuters made clear what the entire purpose of having witnesses was: While the Senate is expected to acquit Trump and leave him in office no matter what happens, allowing witnesses could inflict political damage on the president as he seeks re-election on Nov. 3. This pretty well exposes Romney as a complete jerk and explains why he's the lone Republican feeling the heat. The Democrats are feeling it, too. It's not just the call to witnesses that's falling apart; there seems to be a dam breaking upstream that might just mean complete exoneration and vindication of President Trump. Not only would they not be able to oust President Trump, but they wouldn't even be able to weaken him. And that which doesn't kill him is going to make him stronger. There's the old saying about "if you strike the king" that they're going to learn about firsthand from voters. What's going to be left is a humiliating defeat for rage-filled Democrats. And it could hit them like a freight train as soon as Friday. The Government's project on health programmes is just one step ahead in using the money correctly to the patients' benefit, according to the Save Romania Union (USR) party, which stated that every Romanian must have the right to choose his health insurer. "We believe that every Romanian should have the right to choose his health insurer. USR proposes, in the governing programme, a health system open to competition that will encourage the emergence of new healthcare providers and the removal of CNAS (the National Health Insurance House) from the monopoly area. We see that the current Minister of Health is proposing a programme to liberalize health programmes, which is good, with the only problem that, at this point, it seems to us that CNAS remains the only institution that has the money in Health, which means that the Government's project is just one step in the right direction of using the money to the benefit of patients," said the USR head in a Facebook post.According to the same source, an analysis of the impact on the state system is needed and more attention should be paid to regulating prices."Last but not least, we see that the prohibition for the coordinating doctors from the national health programmes to work both in the public and the private system, at the same time, as is the case of the Minister of Health Victor Costache, is lacking. There is still room for improvement, but is a good first step," added USR.In the context in which it was reported by the press that a night at the Floreasca Hospital costs a patient 350 euros, the Save Romania Union emphasized the need for competition in the health system and for transparency of settlements."The news about the bill of a hospitalized patient at Floreasca hospital reaching nearly 10,000 lei for just one night, three times higher than at a private hospital, shows how important the discussion about the existence of competition in the health system and the transparency of healthcare settlements is. USR has brought a significant contribution in this direction.From October 2019, the project of the USR Deputy Tudor Pop has entered into force, providing that any insured person should receive from the National Health Insurance House (CNAS) information regarding the settlements made on their behalf," according to the press release (Photo : Hannah McKay of REUTERS) British Airways, American Airlines, and Other Carriers Cancelled Flights Due to Coronavirus in China (Photo : Ahmed Yosri of REUTERS) British Airways, American Airlines, and Other Carriers Cancelled Flights Due to Coronavirus in China British Airways is now suspending their direct flights in Mainland China due to the Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak that is happening in the country. According to the airline, the decision of the suspension will be implemented instantly until Friday, Jan. 31. Other airlines are also now backing out from their scheduled flights to the Asian country. Some of them are recommending refunds to their customers to protect them from the said disease. International airlines no longer allow china flights due to coronavirus As first reported via Reuters, British Airways' website no longer shows any direct flights to Mainland China. The airline already explained that China direct flights are not in a total ban state but only suspended for quite some time as the airline continues to 'assess' the health situation in the country. British Airways said that the Chinese flights would continue as scheduled until Jan. 31. However, CNN reported that the airline is now unavailable to be booked online for China flights until Feb. 29, although flights to Hong Kong are still available to be reserved from the company. The airlines have not yet explained the said extended suspension of flights, although they reiterated that the 'safety of customers and crew will always be their priority.' Aside from that, the company also said that more flights might be canceled soon once information from British nationals is released. And since the British Airways already canceled flights, hundreds of British citizens that came from Wuhan, China, are now also undergoing quarantine for two weeks upon their arrival. They will be signing an agreement upon their arrival to complete the quarantine process. American Airlines, United Airlines, and other carriers suspended Chinese flights American Airlines and United Airlines were also the very first ones that suspended some of their China-based trips. United Airlines suspends flights from Feb. 1 until Feb. 8 between its United States hubs and Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. While American Airlines also canceled Los Angeles to Shanghai flights and Beijing from Feb. 9 to Mar. 27. Both of these U.S. airlines explained that the "significant decline in demand" forced them to suspend and stop their flights in Chinese flights totally. Delta Airlines and Air Canada also canceled more Chinese flights over the days due to the said Coronavirus scare. Lufthansa, Germany's national carrier, also canceled flights. Along with Air Asia, Air India, and Finland's Finnair, which already decreased their Chinese trips since the disease. Coronavirus update As of Thursday, Jan. 30, a total of 170 citizens already died due to the Wuhan Coronavirus spread. According to experts, the numbers are likely to get even higher soon since over 7,000 confirmed victims were previously reported worldwide. A total of five citizens from the United States, 14 victims on Thailand, and 11 victims in Japan were all confirmed having the same respiratory disease. Other countries also reported confirmed victims from their regions, and others are still monitoring the Coronavirus spread. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Yuriy Grymchak, the ex-deputy minister for occupied areas of Ukraine is now released from custody. His wife Yulia Grymchak posted that on Facebook. "Yura is free", she wrote. Just a week ago, on January 23, he was brought from the Chernihivske detention center to Kyiv's Lukyanivske detention center. Mrs. Grymchak confirmed that, saying she had "no idea where he was, who else was in his cell, what kind of conditions were there". A nurse in Germany has been arrested on suspicion of poisoning five premature babies with morphine, police said Thursday, adding that the infants had survived. The woman was taken into custody on Wednesday after investigators found a syringe containing breast milk and traces of morphine in her locker at Ulm university hospital in southern Germany. The babies, who were between one day and one month old and staying in the same hospital room, all suddenly developed breathing problems "at almost the same time" in the early hours of December 20, Ulm police chief Bernhard Weber said. "Only because of the immediate action taken by the staff could the five lives be saved," he told a press conference. Doctors do not expect the infants to suffer any lasting harm. The young nurse taken into custody has yet to be formally charged but faces five counts of attempted manslaughter, Ulm prosecutor Christof Lehr said at the same press conference. She denies poisoning the babies, he added. Hospital staff initially suspected the infants had caught an infection, "but this could be ruled out after urine tests", police chief Weber said. The tests did however show traces of morphine -- although two of the babies had not been prescribed the heavy painkiller as part of their care. The hospital then notified the police. A search of the lockers of employees on duty around the time of the incident turned up the syringe "filled with breast milk", said Lehr. Testing then "confirmed the terrible suspicion that the syringe contained morphine", he said. An arrest warrant was then issued for the woman who owns the locker, on suspicion of "attempted manslaughter". Prosecutors believe she acted with premeditation and "accepted that the babies could die" as a result of her actions, Lehr said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) VANCOUVER, Jan. 30, 2020 - Kincora Copper Ltd. (the "Company", "Kincora") (TSXV: KCC) is pleased to provide an update on its expansion activities in the Lachlan Fold Belt ("LFB"), Australia's leading porphyry region. Highlights Following the granting of the Nyngan project (762 km 2 ), Kincora will significantly grow its landholding to 1,732 km 2 through 2 transactions: ), Kincora will significantly grow its landholding to 1,732 km through 2 transactions: Kincora has a second direct application in progress, for 382 km 2 , to the south-east of the Nyngan project, at Nevertire Kincora has entered into a binding agreement with RareX Resources Limited ("RareX") which provides for a controlling interest in a portfolio of 6 advanced to early stage copper-gold exploration projects that have demonstrated mineralisation and strategic appeal, including the brownfield Trundle project The addition of the Nevertire project and RareX portfolio supports a district scale land package and industry leading proposition of copper-gold targets LFB lends itself to a complementary exploration approach and scale of targets to ongoing activities in the Southern Gobi, Mongolia Sam Spring, President & CEO, commented: "The Company's expansion activities in the Lachlan Fold Belt ("LFB") provide an extremely attractive entry over an extensive license portfolio with proven strategic investor appeal. Our team has demonstrated Tier 1 exploration success in the region and believe the expanded portfolio supports excellent potential for new higher-grade porphyry and skarn copper-gold discoveries in a number of proven mineralized systems. The Company remains favourably funded to pursue this. The Trundle project, secured as part of the RareX transaction, is a high priority for immediate exploration. Trundle has extensive mineralization adjacent to new untested targets in a brownfield environment next to Australia's second largest porphyry system and operation". Chairman Cameron McRae, noted, "The Kincora team are focused on opportunities where we have a competitive advantage, funding will be focussed on high impact, value add programs, underpinned by targets with strong indications for world-class scale potential. Access to the New South Wales government facilities, and geological and historical exploration records, has expedited the process of building our position in the belt. With John Holliday's experience, Kincora had focussed on the LFB prior to the recent high quality discovery by Alkane Resources at Boda. Alongside the expansion activities at both Cadia and Northparkes, the Boda discovery indicates the considerable value of any new commercial porphyry discovery at moderate depths in this region. The impact of the Alkane discovery also provides compelling peer group valuations with other exploration juniors active in the region." Nevertire license application Following Kincora's successful direct application for its Nyngan project (previously announced November 21st, 2019), covering 762 km2, an application for a second large new exploration license has been made directly to the NSW State for the Nevertire project, covering 382 km2. The Nevertire and Nyngan projects consolidate what is interpreted to be the most prospective and shallow to moderate cover of the commonly accepted extension of the Junee-Narromine Belt of the Macquarie Arc. The region was previously the focus of St Barbara Ltd's Big Gold Lachlan Project-Marra Joint Group project that covered various separate license areas across an 80km strike. St Barbara interpreted "the area to contain the largest volcano-intrusive centre of the Ordovician-Early Silurian Macquarie Arc, which to the south hosts the Northparkes and Cadia Valley mines." 1 Similarly to the Nyngan tenement, encouraging regional exploration results have been inadequately followed up at the Nevertire project. Drilling by past explorers on the southern portion of the Nevertire Magnetic Complex has provided geological, petrological and lithogeochemical information to strongly suggest that the Paleozoic basement rocks are Macquarie Arc. The most northern hole, approximately 1.5km south along magnetic trend from the Nevertire project, reached basement at 234 metres (EOH 318.4). ACDNY006 returned anomalous mineralization and intense propylitic alteration, including 82 metres (from 236) @ 280 ppm Cu and 0.06 g/t Au, including 2 metres (from 304) @ 769 ppm Cu and 0.2 g/t Au. Newcrest also undertook limited historical drilling on the southern extension of the Nevertire Magnetic Complex and reported "drilling has identified lithologies, alteration and veining consistent with a setting similar to the Cadia-Ridgeway and Goonumbla porphyry Cu-Au deposits. Alteration is largely propylitic (chlorite-epidote-magnetite), although higher temperature (K feldspar +/- hematite) phases are also present. All elements are indicative of a potential porphyry Cu-Au system." 2 The mineralization hosted on adjacent and nearby properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralization hosted on the Company's property. RareX transaction Kincora has entered into a binding Memorandum of Understanding ("MoU") and made a non-refundable option payment of $25,000 to RareX Limited ("RareX") providing the exclusive right to acquire a 65% interest in 6 mineral leases covering 587 km2 in the Lachlan Fold Belt ("LFB"). RareX is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange ("ASX") with the ticker "REE", formerly known as Sagon Resources and Clancy Exploration Limited. RareX is now focused on the development of its Cummins Range rare earths project in Western Australia. The 6 tenements include advanced to early stage exploration projects and porphyry targets located in the key volcanic belts of the Macquarie Arc that have attracted considerable interest from industry groups. This portfolio has previously resulted in asset level deals from High Powered Exploration Inc. ("HPX"), Kaizen Discovery ("Kaizen"), Mitsubishi Materials Corporation ("Mitsubishi") and Ramelius Resources Ltd. ("Ramelius"). All previous counterparties withdrew within a 6-month period at the bottom of the previously commodity price cycle. No drilling or follow up exploration of note has taken place since their withdrawal. Kincora believes there are largely untested targets that were identified by Typhoon geophysical surveys undertaken by HPX and Kaizen at the Trundle and Fairholme projects respectively. Generation of additional targets is also expected with: advancements in modern exploration techniques; increased acceptance of a deeper horizon for copper-gold porphyry exploration, particularly in the LFB following Alkane's recent discovery at Boda; and, expansion of first quartile cost operations at both Northparkes and Cadia at such target depth profiles. Summary table of RareX's portfolio included in the MoU Project Trundle Cundumbul Fairholme Condobolin Jemalong License(s) - EL 8222 6661 6552 & 6915 7748 8502 Size (Km2) 167.0 69.3 169.2 89.1 91.5 Previous partner HPX Mitsubishi Kaizen Ramelius NA Volcanic belt Junee-Narromine Molong Junee-Narromine Junee-Narromine Junee-Narromine Holes by depth profile # Holes (Metres drilled) 0-25 metres 1359 1 21 317 1 (15,260m) (18m) (373m) (2,670m) (0m) 25-50 metres 683 1 56 117 1 (23,656m) (34m) (2,197m) (4,446m) (42m) 50-100 metres 98 3 358 39 11 (6,364m) (260m) (27,791m) (2,735m) (811m) 100 to max depth 68 5 206 14 51 (15,866m) (532m) (32,408m) (2,705m) (6,848m) Max depth 589.4m 118m 799.5m 250m 183.2m Total # Holes 2,208 10 641 487 64 Total Metres drilled 61,146m 844m 62,768m 12,556m 7,701m The MoU provides Kincora a 6-week period to complete due diligence, customary regulatory approvals and definitive agreements, the key commercial terms from the binding MoU are: issuing 14,950,000 common shares at a deemed price of $0.065 per share of Kincora upon closing, subject to a voluntary 12-month lock-up, resulting in RareX becoming a 9.9% shareholder. Payment of $150,000 in cash to RareX upon closing as follows: $100,000 in cash consideration; and, $50,000 in cash as reimbursement to RareX for outstanding holding costs and license renewals. Kincora acquiring a 65% interest in the respective licenses, becoming operator and sole funder of all further exploration until a positive scoping study or preliminary economic assessment ("PEA"). Upon completion of the PEA, Kincora and RareX will form a joint venture with standard funding and dilution requirements and right of first refusal on transfers. Kincora is committed to maintain the full licence portfolio in good standing for a period of 12-months and RareX shall have the right to retain a 100% ownership in any licence that Kincora may elect to drop or to not renew, for no consideration. The agreement is subject to customary regulatory approvals, such as the TSX Venture Exchange. All licenses are considered prospective for Cadia Valley and/or Northparkes style copper-gold porphyry deposits. The Trundle project is of immediate interest and will be a priority for the exploration program. A systematic review and ranking of targets at other licenses will also be undertaken across the full license portfolio, noting the Cundumbul license is located 20km south of the Boda discovery of Alkane Resources with previous exploration indicative of a proximal copper-gold porphyry environment. Kincora's review of the Trundle project and RareX portfolio benefits from knowledge and previous exploration success in the belt from Technical Committee chairman and board member John Holliday being a principal discoverer and site manager of the Cadia and Marsden porphyry Tier 1 gold-copper deposits in this belt, formerly Chief Geoscientist of Newcrest Mining Ltd. and is still based in the region. The Company's review and due diligence of the Trundle project has also benefitted from access to extensive prior exploration records and data, including prior drill core, with both John Holliday and Barry de Wet (Kincora's consultant geophysics) having previously worked on the Trundle project. The Trundle project The Trundle project is located 30km west of the China Molybdenum Company (CMOC) operated Northparkes copper-gold mine, which has a total endowment (past production and current resources) of over 20Moz Au-equivalent3. CMOC acquired an 80% interest in Northparkes from Rio Tinto in July 2013 for US$820 million (Sumitomo retaining a 20% minority interest) and has since undertaken a material expansion of production and extension of mine life. Trundle hosts the inferred westerly rift of the Northparkes Igneous Complex with extensive evidence of porphyry and skarn-style copper-gold mineralisation associated with Ordovician intrusive centres similar to the Northparkes and Cadia Valley deposits and mines. Sealed and unsealed roads traverse most of the license area, which hosts the town of Trundle. Surface geological mapping, geochemistry, magnetic, gravity and Induced Polarisation ("IP") coverage, coupled with structural and basement interpretations have been positive, indicative of multiple levels and phases of a large mineralised system supporting the excellent potential for blind preserved higher-grade porphyry and/or skarn gold and copper deposits. Past drilling has been extensive with the completion of 2208 holes for 61,146 metres but the use of modern exploration techniques, and deeper drilling to basement and target depth has been inadequate. Only 7.5% of all holes have been drilled to deeper than 50 meters with just 11 holes (0.5% of holes drilled) beyond 300 metres (for 5,393 metres). Only one hole (in 2015) has been drilled since the most recent deeper penetrating ground geophysical survey. At the Trundle Park prospect mineralized intercepts are associated with magnetite skarn, similar in style to the Big Cadia skarn that is peripheral to the Cadia porphyry copper-gold deposits. Significant intercepts at the Trundle Park prospect include: 60m @ o.54g/t Au from 1m 4 56m @ 0.88g/t Au, 0.35% Cu from 34m 5 , including: , including: 2m @ 20g/t Au, 6.97% Cu and 81g/t Ag from 64m 39m @ 0.55 g/t Au, 0.14% Cu from surface 3 35m @ 0.55 g/t Au, 0.25% Cu from 12m 3 51m @ 0.58 g/t Au, 0.14% Cu from 33m 3 58m @ o.44 g/t Au, 0.17% Cu from 22m 5 , including: , including: 4m @ 1.19g/t Au and 0.41% Cu from 28m HPX deployed its proprietary deeper penetrating Typhoon Induced Polarisation and Electro Magnetic geophysical ("Typhoon") system to the Trundle project to assist with its strategy to explore beyond the previous search space, to a vertical depth of over 1000 metres, assist defining the deeper source of the near surface copper-gold anomalism and vectoring to the richer potassic core of the porphyry system. The Typhoon survey covered 38km2 covering a prospective zone of magnetic anomalies and copper-gold mineralisation extending across a 12.5km long prospective corridor from the Trundle Park area in the south to north of the Mordialloc prospect. Multiple broad, anomalous deep-seated chargeability zones were identified at Mordialloc, Mordialloc NE and Trundle Park, within a total of 23 IP targets ranked. However only one hole was subsequently drilled testing any of these targets. The Mordialloc prospect contains low-grade porphyry quartz-sulfide veins overprinted by phyllic alteration adjacent to porphyrtic monzonite stock, and has a history of small-scale mining from the early 1900's when shafts were developed on quartz chalcopyrite vein breccias. A deeper diamond drill hole (CTD006, drilled in 2008) on the periphery of the subsequently defined chargeability high outer shell intersected 48 metres @ 0.15% Cu, 0.12g/t Au and 41ppm Mo from 478 metres in a quartz monzonite porphyry. CTD006 ended in mineralisation with the grade profile improving as the hole approached the IP shell. See Figures 7 and 8. A second deeper hole (TERCD001) returned anomalous copper and gold but is interpreted to have drilled between the main subsequently defined chargeability anomalies. In November 2015, approximately 2 km to the NE from any prior deep drilling, HPX drilled one hole (TRACD001) into the Mordialloc NE target identified by the Typhoon survey. The hole intersected a 10 metre wide sulfide-bearing porphyritic monzonite dyke which intruded several carbonate-rich stratigraphic horizons to form a garnet-rich calc-silicate skarn and silicate hornfels with vein controlled and patchy sulfide mineralisation, dominated by pyrite, lesser chalcopyrite and some fine visible molybdenite. References: Newcrest Mining Ltd., Dec'12 open file report "Woolartha, Nyngan report for the period ending Nov'08 "* St Barbara Ltd, August 2012 open file report "Nyngan JV annual report for the period ending June 2012"* Anglogold Ashanti Australia Limited, Jul'14 open file report for EL7751* See RareX (then Clancy Exploration) ASX release dated 25 Jun'10 for further details See RareX (then Clancy Exploration) ASX release dated 9 Mar'10 for further details See RareX (then Clancy Exploration) ASX release dated 28 Feb'11 for further details * publically available from the DiGS Geological Survey of NSW Qualified Person The scientific and technical information in this news release was prepared in accordance with the standards of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum and National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and was reviewed, verified and compiled by Kincora's geological staff under the supervision of Peter Leaman, B.Sc (Hons) Geology, FAusIMM, Senior Vice-President of Exploration of Kincora Copper, who is the Qualified Person for the purpose of NI 43-101. The review and verification process for the information disclosed herein on the RareX projects has included the receipt of all material exploration data, results and sampling procedures of previous operators under a confidentiality agreement and review of such information by Kincora's geological staff using standard verification procedures. About Kincora Copper Limited (KCC TSXV) Kincora is an active junior seeking to make a major discovery in Mongolia, the Lachlan Fold Belt in Australia and other prospective complementary jurisdictions. Our technical team is credited with multiple discoveries of Tier 1 copper assets and in June 2019 the Company completed an oversubscribed $6.25m offering supporting an aggressive drilling and program generation strategy. Forward-Looking Statements Certain information regarding Kincora contained herein may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements may include estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance or other statements that are not statements of fact. Although Kincora believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. Kincora cautions that actual performance will be affected by a number of factors, most of which are beyond its control, and that future events and results may vary substantially from what Kincora currently foresees. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration results, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. The forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The information contained herein is stated as of the current date and is subject to change after that date. Kincora does not assume the obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. 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. SOURCE Kincora Copper Ltd. They're no stranger to getting dressed up for a fun-filled night out. And TOWIE star Ella Rae Wise was flaunting her slender pins in a statement white mini dress as she joined her co-stars Clelia Theodorou and Chloe Ross leaving The Box night club in London on Wednesday. The reality star, 19, looked sensational as she left the hot spot following a wild night out, while Clelia, 24, donned a black mini dress and Chloe, opted for plunging orange co-ords. Dressed to impress: TOWIE star Ella Rae Wise was flaunting her slender pins in a statement white mini dress as she left The Box night club in London on Wednesday Ella was a vision in a gorgeous white dress with a single long sleeve as she headed out of the nightclub in the capital. The reality star teamed her look with nude thick-strapped heels and a matching clutch bag, while her blonde tresses were in a classic side-swept look. Ella was in high spirits as she headed out of the nightclub with her co-stars in tow, who donned their own contrasting looks. Perfect: She was joined by her co-stars Clelia Theodorou (right) and Chloe Ross at the London hotspot, as they headed home after a wild night out Meanwhile Clelia showed off her own trim figure in a sheer black mini dress with ruched detailing, and added an Essex twist with knee-high white leather boots. The brunette beauty covered up her dress with a matching black coat as she headed home after a night of partying. Chloe opted for a more colourful ensemble as she sported a plunging orange blazer with a tie waist and wide-legged trousers. Statement: Chloe opted for a more colourful ensemble as she sported a plunging orange blazer with a tie waist and wide-legged trousers The outing comes after it was reported by MailOnline that Chloe had been axed from the TOWIE lineup ahead of the new series later this year, along with Jayden Beales, 21, Joey Turner, 18. An insider told MailOnline: 'The TOWIE cast fear this time of year as they know bosses look at who's made an impact on the show and who hasn't resonated as well with fans. 'Producers made a lot of changes last year and it was a risk introducing so many new characters, some have worked and others haven't. 'Chloe has decided to take a step back from the show to focus on her modelling and influencing work. 'She's just been announced as the new ambassador for Ann Summers and is in a long-term relationship that she wants to keep off the show. 'There's talk of a few new faces joining the next series but final decisions are yet to be made.' Australians flown home from Wuhan, China, will be quarantined on an island for two weeks. Americans, also evacuated from Wuhan, will be temporarily housed on an air base in California. And in South Korea, police have been empowered to detain people who refuse to be quarantined. For countries outside China, the time to prevent an epidemic is now, when cases are few and can be isolated. They are trying to seize the moment to protect themselves against the coronavirus outbreak, which has reached every province in China, sickening more than 7,000 people and killing more than 170. More than a dozen nations with a handful of cases including the United States are isolating patients and monitoring their contacts, as well as screening travelers from China and urging people to postpone trips there. But whether this virus can be contained depends on factors still unknown, like just how contagious it is and when in the course of the infection the virus starts to spread. 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 China, with nearly 1.4 billion people, is the most populous nation on Earth, and it has taken extreme measures to try to stop the disease, first reported in December in Wuhan, a city of 11 million. The government has stopped travel in and out of that city and surrounding ones, effectively locking down tens of millions of people. The fact that to date we have only seen 68 cases outside China and no deaths is due in no small part to the extraordinary steps the government has taken to prevent the export of cases, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization, said at a news briefing Wednesday. But the disease has spread far and wide inside China and, with extensive worldwide travel by its citizens, especially during the celebration of the Lunar New Year, countries everywhere are bracing for the arrival of more new cases. Person-to-person transmission is occurring, and cases have turned up in several countries with people who have not visited China. Mentioning those cases, Tedros said the potential for further global spread was one of the reasons he had called on the WHOs emergency committee to meet again Thursday to decide whether to declare the epidemic a public health emergency of international concern. The committee met twice last week but was split about whether to declare an emergency, saying it did not have enough information to decide. I think things are going to get worse before they get better, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the United States, said in a podcast posted Tuesday by the medical journal JAMA. If China can somehow contain its outbreak, and if other countries with cases can prevent sustained transmission, Fauci said that it might be possible to end the outbreak, just as the coronavirus that caused the SARS epidemic in 2003 was stamped out. But its going to be a real kind of tightrope walk, because if it gets so expansive, then its not going to just disappear the way SARS did, he said. I think the next four to five weeks are going to be critical. Its either going to start peaking and go into a downturn, or its going to explode into a global outbreak. Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in an interview that he thought it would become clear in a few days whether the outbreak could be contained. If were seeing widespread transmission, thousands or tens of thousands of infections in the community, I dont see how this gets controlled, Frieden said. On the other hand, if we see a SARS-like situation, where with incredible effort they were able to isolate people, tamp down the spread, then were in a containment situation. A particular concern is the possibility that the virus could wreak havoc in Africa, where possible cases are being investigated. We are very concerned about Africa because some of the least prepared countries for outbreaks are in Africa, Frieden said, adding, We know the systems there to find it and stop it are weaker there than elsewhere. If efforts to contain an outbreak fail, public health authorities will focus on mitigation dealing with the disease and trying to minimize the harm it does to people and communities. Its a worrisome situation in China, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said in an interview on Wednesday. It seems like more of a mitigation strategy than a control strategy that China has moved to. The United States still has a chance to avoid Chinas fate, she said. We still only have five cases, and we can really do aggressive measures around those cases, Messonnier said. Were trying to contain the disease, and by being aggressive were hoping to learn more about what it takes to contain it. The five patients have hundreds of contacts. Some are being tested for the virus, and the results may help researchers understand how the disease is transmitted. The CDC is also monitoring more than 100 patients under investigation some with cough or fever who have been to Wuhan, or have had contact with a patient. But if the case count were to increase exponentially, Messonnier said, it would be hard to continue the concerted containment efforts. The CDC is already gearing up should the approach need to evolve to mitigation strategies like closing schools, preventing public gatherings and helping hospitals prepare for a surge of cases. One troubling question is whether infected people can start spreading the virus before they themselves get sick. Chinese health officials have said they believe such transmission has taken place. If it happened often, it could make stopping an outbreak much harder. The reason is that the first step in halting outbreaks has traditionally been to identify people who are ill and then stop them from infecting others, usually by isolating them. But that approach will not work as well if people without any symptoms are already transmitting the disease. Health officials in the United States said they had not seen data from China to support that claim, nor any evidence that people without symptoms had spread the disease in the United States. The five patients in the United States had all visited Wuhan, and so far none of their contacts have become ill or tested positive for the virus. Fauci said that epidemics are fueled by people with symptoms like sneezing and coughing, which help spray the virus around and not by those without symptoms, even if some of them can spread the virus. Frieden said if asymptomatic people do transmit some virus, sick patients are likely to spread a lot more. People with colds or flu can spread viruses for a day or two before they become ill, but how big a role that plays in outbreaks is not known, researchers say. In any case, flu spreads worldwide every year, infecting tens of millions of people. And the spread of the new coronavirus is starting to resemble that of seasonal flu, said Dr. Michael T. Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. I think we have to revisit which model were really using, and I think we really over the past week and a half have come closer to the influenza model, Osterholm said. Trying to stop influenza in a community without vaccine is like trying to stop the wind. I dont know how were going to stop this. He added, The only thing operating in our favor is at least it doesnt appear to be as severe as SARS or as MERS. Among patients with the Wuhan coronavirus, about 20% have become seriously ill, and the rest have a mild illness, the WHO said at a news briefing on Wednesday. So far, the death rate appears to be about 2%, but that is not certain yet. Those who die tend to be older people with underlying ailments. The median age of the first 425 patients in China was 59, and a little more than half were male, according to a report published in The New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday. Diseases caused by related coronaviruses are deadlier: SARS killed 10%, and MERS about 35%. But if the new virus were to spread even more widely and a 2% mortality rate continued, the death toll could be considerable. Seasonal flu, with a much lower overall death rate of 0.1%, kills more than half a million people worldwide every year. At least 8,200 people in the United States have died during this flu season, according to estimates from the CDC. Lieutenant General CP Mohanty assumed command of the Southern Army on Thursday with a solemn wreath laying ceremony at the National War Memorial, Pune, wherein he paid tributes to the fallen soldiers, followed by a traditional Guard of Honour at Headquarters Southern Command. An alumnus of the Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), Dehradun and National Defence Academy, Lt Gen Mohanty is a June 1982 batch infantry officer from the Rajput Regiment and is currently also the Colonel of the Regiment. During his distinguished military career, Lt Gen Mohanty has had vast operational, logistics and administrative experience in varied command and staff appointments. He commanded his battalion in Jammu and Kashmir and North East, a Mountain Brigade along the Indo-China border and a Mountain Division in counter insurgency operations in North East. Later, he commanded a strategically important Corps in the eastern theatre post Doklam incident and also Uttar Bharat Area at Bareilly. The General Officer has vast overseas experience of commanding a multi-national brigade in the Republic of Congo besides being a military advisor to the Government of Seychelles. He has held important staff appointments in an armoured brigade and military secretary branch besides being the director general of operational logistics and strategic movement at the Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Army) at New Delhi. An MPhil and management degree holder, he is academically inclined and has researched extensively on China, South Asia and North East India making him a domain expert of these regions. He is a graduate of Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington and also an alumnus of prestigious National Defence College, Delhi. The General Officer and his wife, Mamun Mohanty, who is also the regional president of the Army Wives Welfare Association, were accorded a warm welcome by the military officials in Pune. Two Australian citizens in China have been diagnosed with the deadly coronavirus, as the number of cases inside Australia hits eight. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said on Thursday that both nationals remain in China, and are receiving treatment in Guangdong province. A Chinese woman in Melbourne was confirmed to have the virus on Thursday, the eighth case in Australia. Meanwhile, concerns are growing over a Tiger Airlines domestic flight which an infected man boarded last week. Authorities are seeking to track down passengers on board Flight TT566 from Melbourne to the Gold Coast, on January 27. Daily life Wuhan,the Chinese city where the coronavirus is believed to have started earlier this month, and medical protection equipment is now in vogue Australian authorities are trying to track down everyone who was on board a Tiger Airways flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on January 27, as an infected man was a passenger The man came from Wuhan - the Chinese city at the epicentre of the virus outbreak - and flew in to Melbourne via Singapore on January 22. He spent five days in the city before flying north to the Gold Coast, where he became increasingly unwell at his accommodation and called an ambulance. He is in isolation in hospital. Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles said authorities were trying to track down everyone on board. He said anyone on the flight should contact Queensland Health immediately for advice, but there was no need for panic. The government is examining eight members of that man's tour group. Four are unwell and are being tested today. Meanwhile, in New South Wales, authorities fear as many as 16 other Australians in New South Wales may have contracted the disease. Four people there have been diagnosed with the disease, and two in Victoria. The Federal government is planning to quarantine Australians evacuated from Wuhan on isolated Christmas Island. More than 162 people have died around the world from the virus. Above, a Wuhan courier has his temperature tested Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said two Australian citizens are fighting the disease in China's Guangdong province. His government will quarantine people evacuated from Wuhan on Christmas Island The government currently it runs a detention facility which only currently shelters a four person Sri Lankan asylum seeker family. The disease, which has killed at least 162 people around the world, is believed to have come from Wuhan, a city of 11 million people. The virus is believed to have spread from the Huanan Wholesale Seafood Market. Such 'wet' markets sell meat and seafood alongside live animals such as dogs, rats, snakes, civets and supposedly koalas. The proximity of people to live and dead animals makes it easy for humans to contract viruses. The SARS virus which broke out in 2003 also likely started in wet markets. SARS was originally hosted by bats which infected other animals. Those animals transmitted SARS to humans. Dubai-headquartered leading mobile phone brand, XTOUCH has announced the launch of its 6.26-inch Waterdrop Notch HD IPS display screen smartphone, S40. The new XTOUCH smartphone unveils a complete new style statement at just Dhs399 in the United Arab Emirates. Farhad Khan, Vice President at XTOUCH, said: Over the years, XTOUCH has become synonyms with the most affordable brand of powerful smartphones available in the region. Once again we are happy to introduce our latest cost-effective smartphone, S40 offering revolutionary speed, enhanced power and high performance that is going to enthrall the users in the region. The XTOUCH S40 comes with backside fingerprint sensor physical button to unlock this dual-SIM smartphone in a flash. The new device runs on Android 9.0, and is powered by Quad-core processor for speedy operations. The 4GB RAM ensures a smooth and speedy multitasking operation. The 32GB storage that can be extended upto 128 GB with a Micro SD card to provide enough space for photographs, files and videos. The 6.26-inch Waterdrop Notch HD IPS display smartphone is equipped with triple back cameras 13+0.3+0.3 MP and the advanced 5MP front camera, that helps the user enjoy lightning autofocus and take bright light and vivid color images. The new device provide users take perfect selfies by the front camera that captures live moments in real colours. The XTOUCH S40 is backed by large 3000mAh li-ion battery allow users keep using their phone with fastest Wi-Fi or 4G network. The S40 enables switch easily between business and family phone talks. The bluetooth technology allows users to stay connected to Bluetooth, headset, external speakers and more. We are excited to begin the year with the launch of S40 smartphone that is best in class, and offers satisfaction and happiness to the customers in the region, concludes Khan. -- Tradearabia News Service Nick Frost has joked he's getting a 'penis reduction' after being hospitalised with a mystery illness. The 47-year-old actor took to Instagram on Thursday as he shared a snap of himself lying in bed and hooked up to an IV drip. Although he did not disclose the real nature of his illness, Nick couldn't resist cracking a joke as he quipped: 'This penis reduction will change my life.' Mystery: Nick Frost took to Instagram on Thursday as he shared a snap of himself lying in bed and hooked up to an IV drip whilst suffering with a mystery ailment Amusing: Although he did not disclose the real nature of his illness, Nick couldn't resist cracking a joke as he quipped, 'This penis reduction will change my life' Nick previously revealed he was suffering with leg pain, as he posted a snap using 'cupping' across his calf muscle While the actor did not explain whey he had to get the treatment, he did claim that he felt 'sore' afterwards. Originating in China, cupping was first performed with cross sections of bamboo or cattle horns. Now, silicone is used. Treatment: Nick underwent cupping therapy on his leg for a mysterious ailment as the actor claimed he is 'sore' from treatment in an Instagram post shared back in October The idea is to produce a vacuum effect that loosens tight muscles and improves blood flow through the body. What is Cupping? Originating in China, cupping was first performed with cross sections of bamboo or cattle horns. Now, silicone is used. The idea is to produce a vacuum effect that loosens tight muscles and improves blood flow through the body. Advertisement According to webMD, it is meant to 'help with pain, inflammation, blood flow, relaxation and well-being.' A representative for Nick declined to comment when approached by MailOnline. This comes after it was announced that Nick and Simon Pegg could reunite as Orion Pictures has acquired the rights to their horror pitch Svalta. The pair co-wrote the popular Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy together, also known as the Blood and Ice Cream trilogy, made up of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World's End. According to Deadline, Svalta tells the story of a family who go on holiday to an isolated Swedish island where they discover a serial killer is on the loose. To their dismay, the locals seem to have no interest in helping the tourists during their time on the fictional island which the project is named after. Nick is said to be penning the screenplay along with Stolen Picture creative directors James Serafinowicz and Nat Saunders, which is the pair's production company. Orion Pictures president John Hegeman said the project has a similar sensibility to the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy films. New project: This comes after it was announced Nick and Simon Pegg could reunite as Orion Pictures has acquired the rights to their horror pitch Svalta (pictured in Shaun Of The Dead) He said: 'We are unbelievably excited to be partnering with Simon, Nick and Miles on Svalta. 'The story is scary, awesome and crazy, and their unique voice is perfect for this movie. We cant wait to bring this to the big screen with them.' Simon and Nick have been working together for 20 years, with their first project together being the 1999 sitcom Spaced which was co-written by Simon. COMMUNICATIONS Minister Richard Bruton rejected as "untrue" suggestions that a special voting pact between himself and his Dublin Bay North running mate, under-fire Senator Catherine Noone, was ever paused by Fine Gael. Mr Bruton, speaking as his canvassed in Waterford, said he was never given the green light by Fine Gael headquarters to "roam all over the constituency" for votes and that the voting divide was vital for a party trying to deliver two seats. However, he confirmed that party headquarters had paused the distribution of a specific campaign leaflet in the wake of the controversy over Sen Noone referring to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar as "autistic". Mr Varadkar said he did not require an apology over the remark - but the Irish people, and in particular families with autistic children, needed an apology. Sen Noone apologised profusely for her remark and confirmed she will now meet with autism charities and support groups to get a better understanding of the issues involved. She personally contacted the Taoiseach to offer a direct apology. However, Mr Bruton - Sen Noone's running mate in Dublin Bay North - has moved to dismiss reports that she was the target of any "pause" in the party electoral strategy which has seen the constituency effectively divided between the two candidates. "The position is that we divided the constituency between us - there were reports that that had been changed and that I was free to roam all over the constituency. That was never the case," Mr Bruton said. "I think it was reported that Fine Gael headquarters did make a decision to pause the delivery of a particular leaflet. That was something I was never consulted about." "That element of the report was accurate. But the suggestion that I was roaming all over the constituency or that there was a change in the strategy was untrue. That is the factual position and we continue to operate that divide." "I think it is important to our strategy to deliver the two seats." Mr Bruton said the remark passed by his constituency colleague was "very serious." Tanaiste Simon Coveney slated Senator Noone's comment as "ignorant, offensive and wrong." "I think Catherine made a very serious mistake and both the Taoiseach (Leo Varadkar) and Tanaiste (Simon Coveney) have shown and said it was not in accordance with our values," Mr Bruton said. "However, she has also made a very sincere apology. I accept that and we are continuing to work together now to deliver two seats in Dublin Bay North." He dismissed as insignificant the decision by Fine Gael not to release a video where Sen Noone personally apologises for what happened. "Fine Gael headquarters make decisions on allocations of time and videos every day. That is not a matter that I give any great significance." "The truth is that we are out on the ground and working to deliver the two seats in Dublin Bay North. I believe we will do that." Mr Bruton denied that there was ever any U-turn on the party's electoral strategy in the constituency. Dublin Bay North is a five seat constituency being contested by 16 candidates. Russia denies bombing bakery and medical clinic in Syria's Idlib Moscow, Jan 30 (AFP) Jan 30, 2020 Moscow on Thursday denied bombing a bakery and a medical clinic in Syria's rebel-held Idlib after a monitor said Russian air strikes killed 10 civilians in the area. "The Russian aviation did not carry out any combat tasks in this area of Syria," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement, calling foreign media reports a "provocation." The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that Russian air strikes hit near a bakery and a medical clinic in Syria's rebel-held Idlib region early on Thursday. At least five women were among the dead in the town of Ariha in Idlib province, where Russian-backed government forces are conducting an offensive against the country's last major rebel bastion, the monitor said. The latest deaths bring the total number of civilians killed by Russian air strikes in Idlib over the past 24 hours to 21, the Observatory said. Thousands of Russian troops are deployed across Syria in support of the Syrian army, while a contingent of Russian private security personnel also operates on the ground. The internet is hailing a group of fishermen for releasing an endangered whale shark back into the sea. With the growing intensity of commercial fishing, this thoughtful gesture from the fisherman is winning peoples hearts. The clip posted on Twitter shows the complete operation by which the whale shark was released back into the sea. The clip starts with some fishermen trying to lift the huge shark with the help of ropes. One of the fishermen is seen getting hit by the sharks tail fin. They, however, continue their effort. After fastening some ropes around it, the fishermen successfully lift the shark and release it into the water. According to the tweets caption, the fishermen are from Puthiyappa fishing harbour in Kozhikode, Kerala. Posted on January 28, the video has garnered almost 30,000 views and tons of appreciation from netizens. While some called the fishermen heroes and true warriors of the environment, some expressed concern about how the shark was going to survive after the ropes tied on its fins. Heroes with Conscience. True environmental warriors these #KozhikodeFisherman are and to all the #fisherman who does these kind of things. You guys are true heroes. #WhaleShark https://t.co/nCE7Lmdhnm Karthik Vijayan (@iamkarthikvjn) January 28, 2020 Was wondering how the fish would get out of the rope they used to carry it. Amazing critical thinking there https://t.co/eiXk2gRdGL visithra manikam (@visithra) January 28, 2020 Fabulous! They are the true keepers of our planet! Pervin Sanghvi (@pervinsanghvi) January 28, 2020 So glad to see the effort made to help the creature live.... Meghna Girish (@megirish2001) January 29, 2020 What do you think of this rescue story? - The world is waiting with bated breath to see the outcome of the coronavirus outbreak - Over 100 deaths have been reported in China, and the virus appears to be spreading despite controls being hastily put in place - Briefly.co.za explores the situation as it stands, and Africa's place amid the global panic PAY ATTENTION: Click See First under the Following tab to see Briefly.co.za News on your News Feed! The coronavirus 2019-nCoV is making headlines across the globe as reports of it spreading to other continents emerge. The World Health Organisation has explained that the virus is part of a family of viruses that includes the common cold, severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle East respiratory syndrome. The disease has already taken 100 lives in mainland China and now reports have indicated an unconfirmed case has been noted in Africa. CNN reports that a 34-year-old woman has become the first African to be tested for the virus. A student, the African citizen had travelled from Beijing to the Ivory Coast over the weekend. READ ALSO: Government: Measures in place to prevent cases of Novel Coronavirus Authorities spotted symptoms of the virus and promptly placed the woman in quarantine until further tests could be conducted. A statement issued by the Ivory Coast's Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene noted that early observations hinted towards pneumonia, but the similar symptoms could not be ignored: Her general state is satisfactory. There are, at this stage, suspicions of a case of pneumonia tied to the coronavirus." Reports indicate that 4 500 infections have been recorded across the globe, with concerns that the measures put into place by the Chinese government came too late. Closer to home, Briefly.co.za reported that the Department of Health had assured citizens that the necessary measures had been put into place to protect South Africa from an outbreak. OR Tambo International Airport is currently the only option for travellers to get to China and those moving through the region are being closely monitored upon arrival in Mzansi. Enjoyed reading our story? Download BRIEFLY's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major South African news! Source: Briefly News MattGush/iStock(PHILADELPHIA) -- A 4-year-old boy has been shot and killed during a home invasion overnight. The incident occurred at approximately 1 a.m. in North Philadelphia when emergency responders received a call reporting a home invasion robbery at a family home where the father was with his 4-year-old son and a younger child while the mother was at work, according to ABC News Philadelphia station WPVI-TV. "[The father] reported that it was a home invasion robbery when he called it into police radio and to the first responding officers," according to Acting Philadelphia Police Commissioner Christine Coulter. "We don't have any viable flash at this time regarding the person involved, but hopefully as he is questioned at Homicide we will be able to get a clearer picture as to what exactly happened." When authorities arrived on the scene, however, they found the father cradling the younger child downstairs and the 4-year-old boy upstairs in a bedroom with a gunshot wound where he was unconscious and unresponsive. "He was obviously rushed to the hospital and was pronounced at the hospital," Coulter told WPVI. Authorities are continuing to gather evidence from the crime scene and are currently scouring surveillance footage of the area for more clues in the case. Police have not made public if anything was taken during the home invasion or what the motive may have been. Commissioner Coulter told WPVI just how tragic this case is for the family as well as the officers who have to deal with these kinds of cases. "Unfortunately, officers throughout the city over the last year have been in that situation, you know, and we are very conscious of the help they may also need, too, said Coulter. A lot of them, themselves are parents of young children- to just put a kid, who was shot, in the car, try to save their life, and not have those results ... The boy's father is also being interviewed by police as authorities and investigators try to learn more about the circumstances surrounding the home invasion and murder. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. What I most want them to get out of this experience is to understand that, even now at their age, they have a voice in society, said Meghan Carey, one of the seventh-grade social studies teachers who coordinated the project. "Its a great experience for them to do their research and be able to talk about it. New Antioch COGIC Celebrates 50 Years New Antioch Church of God in Christ will celebrate its 50th anniversary on Sunday, Feb. 9, at 3:30 p.m., in the edifice located at 7826 S. Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles. The theme is Remembering Our Past, Embracing Our Present, Anticipating Our Future based on I Thessalonians 1:3. Bishop Joe L. Ealy, presiding prelate of the First Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction, will be the keynote speaker. According to a spokesperson, New Antioch is a ministry that began humbly and prayerfully under the leadership of the late Bishop James A. Lewis and General Mother, Dr. Barbara McCoo Lewis. ADVERTISEMENT It continues to grow numerically, spiritually, and powerfully under the leadership of Superintendent Jeffrey M. Lewis and First Lady Floetta Lewis. Everyone is invited to come and join us on this momentous occasion and time of joyous fellowship in celebration of this great milestone in ministry. For information, contact the church office at (323) 778-7965, or visit newantiochcogic.org. Also, Supt. Lewis provides expository teaching each Sunday at 8 a.m. and 11 a.m., which can be viewed live a newantiochcogic.tv. What happened Wednesday? Senators on Wednesday asked President Donald Trumps defense team and House managers dozens of questions during the first of two question-and-answer sessions. Senators asked mainly partisan questions in a bid to further their arguments either for Trumps conviction or to undermine Democrats case. They also inquired about former national security adviser John Bolton, including when the White House knew about his unpublished manuscript and whether they sought to block its publication. Chief Justice John Roberts played a mostly ceremonial role, reading questions aloud in the Senate chamber. But Roberts essentially blocked several of Sen. Rand Pauls inquiries by refusing to read questions identifying the alleged whistleblower who helped fuel the Ukraine saga. There was also some action outside the Senate floor, with Sens. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) all coming out against a call for new witnesses. Whats happening Thursday? The trial will reconvene at 1 p.m., and senators will have another marathon session to ask questions of Trumps defense team and Democratic the impeachment managers. Its also the last shot that party leaders have to try to sway senators ahead of a crucial vote Friday on whether to call witnesses and extend the impeachment trial or move toward a final verdict on Trump. 10:20 p.m. McSally ready to close up shop Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), who faces a competitive race this year, said Wednesday its time to end the Senate impeachment trial. I have heard enough. It is time to vote, McSally said in a statement. A dangerous precedent will be set if we condone a rushed, partisan House impeachment with no due process that shuts down the Senate for weeks or months to do the Houses work. She added that its time for the Senate to focus instead on other priorities, like the cost of prescription drugs and infrastructure. McSallys statement comes before a crucial vote Friday on whether to bring in additional witnesses and arrives hours after Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo), who also faces a competitive race, said he would not vote for additional witnesses. Story continues Democrats have called for the Senate to subpoena four witnesses, including former national security adviser John Bolton. But so far, theyre still short the Republican votes. Marianne LeVine and Burgess Everett 9:09 p.m. The moments that mattered Amid nearly eight hours of largely political theater, a few crucial moments stood out in the senatorial question-and-answer. The most critical question remains whether to call witnesses like John Bolton over allegations Trump abused his power to solicit Ukraine's interference in the 2020 election. Later, an attorney for Trump laid out a conception of executive power so startlingly broad, it outstripped even the president's fiercest defenders. And two key Republican senators hinted that they are skeptical about a central tenet of Trumps defense against the impeachment articles. Read the full story. Kyle Cheney, Andrew Desiderio and Darren Samuelsohn 8:40 p.m. Roberts shuts down Rand Chief Justice John Roberts has communicated to senators that he will not read aloud the alleged Ukraine whistleblowers name or otherwise publicly relay questions that might out the official, a move thats effectively blocked Sen. Rand Paul from asking a question. In a behind-the-scenes fight, Paul, a Kentucky Republican, has composed questions that violate Robertss edict, according to several Republicans familiar with the dynamics.Paul who has strongly opposed the impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump has been floating the alleged whistleblowers name in media interviews for months. But Roberts signaled to GOP senators on Tuesday that he wouldnt allow the whistleblowers name to be mentioned during the question-and-answer session that started the following day, said the sources. Robert was allowed to screen senators questions before they were submitted for reading on the Senate floor, the sources noted. And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and other top Republicans are also discouraging the whistleblowers identity from being disclosed. Read the full story. John Bresnahan, Burgess Everett, and Heather Caygle 7:49 P.M. Manchins phone rings, and he runs Senators sitting through the presidents impeachment trial are not permitted to have their phones on them. But that didnt stop one Democrats ringtone from going off loudly enough to echo through the chamber. West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchins cellphone rang at approximately 7:42 p.m. Wednesday evening. He immediately turned it off, got out of his seat and ran to the Democratic cloakroom just off the Senate floor. Manchin returned from the cloakroom approximately seven minutes after the phone slip-up, presumably cellphone-less. Other senators have been spotted throughout the trial with smart watches on their wrists or tablets in their laps; on Saturday morning, Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) was seen slipping a cellphone to a page to be brought off the floor. Sen. Lamar Alexander also appeared to accidentally bring his iPhone onto the Senate floor after the dinner break Wednesday, but quickly came clean. Alexander flagged a Senate page to come collect his phone, while Sens. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.), who both sit nearby, caught Alexanders eye, gestured toward the phone and chuckled. Jesse Naranjo and Sarah Ferris 6:26 P.M. Senate and John Roberts face possibility of epic tie on witnesses Ahead of a tight vote on whether to hear new witnesses in President Donald Trumps impeachment trial, the Senate is preparing for the possibility that this crucial roll call has an asterisk in the history books: it ends in a tie. And it's a scenario that would suddenly put a spotlight on Chief Justice John Roberts. For weeks, Republicans and Democrats alike have been confident that Roberts would not break a tied-vote during Trumps impeachment trial, citing past precedent, the Constitution and their own gut feelings about how it would play in a polarized nation. But ahead of Friday's widely anticipated showdown over whether to call new witnesses and with GOP leaders moving to lock down on-the-fence Republicans, the Senate is newly abuzz over the uncertainty of what happens if the chamber deadlocks and what Roberts might do in the event of a stalemate. Read the full story. Burgess Everett and John Bresnahan 5:38 P.M. Ive had it take years: Boltons book could be tied up past November Former national security adviser John Boltons forthcoming tell-all has spawned a fight with the president over classified information that could drag on for months as National Security Council lawyers determine what he can disclose publicly from his time in the White House. While the National Security Councils pre-publication review process is normally fairly straightforward, Boltons case may be more complicated. The claims he reportedly makes in his book are central to President Donald Trumps ongoing impeachment trial, which could politicize the process and lead to a protracted legal battle. That means the presidents lawyers could, in theory, bottle up Boltons manuscriptand the explosive allegations it is said to containuntil past the presidential election in November. Read the full story. Natasha Bertrand 4:18 P.M. Rand Paul not allowed to ask question Sen. Rand Paul is not being allowed to ask a question about the origins of the House impeachment trial, according to a source familiar with the matter. It's not exactly clear what the Kentucky Republican is trying to ask, though he's been a proponent of naming the whistleblower behind the Ukraine probe and is a close ally of the president. Burgess Everett 3:23 P.M. Quid pro quo, so what? Alan Dershowitz broke new ground in the presidents impeachment defense, essentially justifying any presidential conduct if its for the presidents own electoral advantage. If a president does something that he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that leads to impeachment, he said. His comments came in response to a question from Sen. Ted Cruz, who asked if it mattered there was any quid pro quo or if quid pro quos are often used in foreign policy. Read the full story on senators throwing questions at both legal teams. Kyle Cheney 2:58 P.M. White House warned Boltons lawyer against publishing book The White House sent a letter last week to John Boltons attorney informing him that Boltons forthcoming book revealing sensitive details about his conversations with President Donald Trump could not be published because it contained classified information. An official with the National Security Council sent the letter on Jan. 23 to Charles Cooper, shortly before The New York Times published an explosive article detailing how Bolton planned to reveal that Trump directly tied the withholding of foreign aid to Ukraine as he pressured the country to launch investigations into his political rivals. The letter states that Boltons manuscript for "The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir contains significant amounts of classified information. Read the full story. Meridith McGraw 2:31 P.M. Schiff: Obama wouldve been impeached for ordering probe of Romney Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) had an interesting hypothetical as he answered questions from the Senate on Wednesday: What would have happened if somebody had ordered an investigation into the GOPs 2012 nominee, Mitt Romney? In front of Romney, now a Republican senator from Utah, Schiff argued that President Barack Obama would surely have been impeached for asking for a probe into his electoral rival. Responding to the presidents lawyers who raised Obamas comments to the Russian president at the time, Dmitry Medvedev, that hed have more flexibility after the 2012 election, Schiff composed a scenario in which Obama instead asked Medvedev to investigate Romney. Do any of us have any question that Barack Obama would be impeached for that kind of misconduct? Are we really ready to say that would be OK if Barack Obama asked Medvedev to withhold money to get an investigation of Mitt Romney? Thats the parallel here. Burgess Everett 1:45 P.M. Demonstrators converge on Capitol to urge for witnesses A couple hundred protesters marched from the Hart Senate Office Building to the steps of the Capitol to demonstrate support for calling witnesses in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. Many donned black shirts featuring phrases such as Trump is guilty and an acquittal is a coverup. After walking to the Supreme Court, they crossed the street to the Capitol, where some unfurled a banner with the text of Article 2 Section 4 of the Constitution the one stipulating impeachment. Its not a partisan issue, its about right and wrong, its about behavior, its about decorum, its about statesmanship, said Janine Fields, who traveled from Philadelphia with a friend to demonstrate. And honoring oaths that all these senators took and theyre not doing that. Roughly two dozen protesters remained on the steps after Capitol Police urged the rest to move as to not block traffic. The people who remained on the steps were put in handcuffs. Jesse Naranjo 1:44 P.M. Cory Gardner opposes bringing in witnesses Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) said Thursday he would not support calling any additional witnesses in the impeachment trial, giving Republicans another vote against prolonging the trial with new testimony. I do not believe we need to hear from an 18th witness, Gardner said in a statement, which was first reported by local outlet Colorado Politics. I have approached every aspect of this grave constitutional duty with the respect and attention required by law, and have reached this decision after carefully weighing the House managers and defense arguments and closely reviewing the evidence from the House, which included well over 100 hours of testimony from 17 witnesses. The Senate hasnt heard any witnesses yet. Gardner is up for reelection this year and is likely the most vulnerable Republican incumbent on the map. His statement puts him in the same camp as other Republican senators up for reelection, including North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, who have opposed hearing from new witnesses in the trial. James Arkin 1:19 P.M. Eliot Engel says Bolton implied Yovanovitch ouster was improper House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) revealed on Wednesday that former national security adviser John Bolton strongly implied during a Sept. 23 phone call that President Donald Trumps ouster of the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine was improper. On that call, Ambassador Bolton suggested to me unprompted that the committee look into the recall of Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, Engel said in a statement, referring to the ambassador whom Trump recalled amid a campaign by his allies to tarnish her. He strongly implied that something improper had occurred around her removal as our top diplomat in Kyiv, Engel continued, adding that the phone call took place after Bolton left the White House. Read the full story. Andrew Desiderio and Kyle Cheney 12:10 P.M. Lev Parnas visits Senate trial The Lev Parnas show arrived on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. The indicted associate of President Donald Trumps personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, strode through Senate office buildings where he obtained a ticket to observe the impeachment trial but likely wont be allowed in because of an unremovable ankle bracelet. Parnas, who has accused Trump of orchestrating a corrupt effort to pressure Ukraine to investigate his Democratic rivals, has already rocked the Senate trial, transmitting a cache of evidence to House impeachment investigators just as the trial was set to begin. He has also volunteered to testify in the trial itself, but Democrats and Republicans are wary, given the pending indictment against him charges of a campaign finance scheme that included allegedly illegal donations to a Trump-supporting super PAC. Parnas said hed love to bump into Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) during his visit, and he also said hed like to see both Trump and Giuliani attend the trial as well, though hes not holding his breath. Parnas said he hasnt spoken to Giuliani since he was arrested in October but said hed urge him to tell the truth. Parnas was identified by House investigators as the implementer of a Giuliani-led effort to smear and remove the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch last year. Yovanovich, they alleged, was viewed as an obstacle to an effort orchestrated by Trump to investigate his political rivals. Asked if he was worried that his public and media campaign would hurt him in his legal battle, Parnas said no and his lawyer said it would actually help him because people respect someone when youre contrite and tell the truth. Parnas received his ticket from the office of Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), his home-state senator. Kyle Cheney 11:51 A.M. Schumer still hopeful Republicans will join Democratic calls for witnesses Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday that he remains hopeful that four Republican senators will join Democratic calls for witnesses, adding that President Donald Trumps legal defense only bolstered their case. Mr. [Jay] Sekulow had the temerity to stand on the floor of the Senate and say you must acquit because there are no eye witnesses, Schumer said. The hypocrisy of Mr. Sekulows arguments was not lost on Republicans, Im sure even Republicans added this up the hypocrisy. If anything, Sekulows arguments made the case for witnesses and documents even stronger. Democrats have seized on recent reporting from the New York Times that former national security adviser John Bolton claims that Trump told him that he withheld aid from Ukraine because he wanted the country to pursue political investigations against his rivals. So far, only three Republican senators Susan Collins of Maine, Mitt Romney of Utah and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska have suggested theyre open to hearing from Bolton. But a fourth vote remains elusive. Schumer also panned Republican arguments that bringing in witnesses would prolong the trial unnecessarily. The Republican argument is wrong, it wont take too long, Schumer said. Is President Trump so insistent on immediate acquittal that the Senate trial cannot take one second longer to have a fair trial? Marianne LeVine 11:22 A.M. Murkowski meets McConnell Sen. Lisa Murkowski leaves the Capitol on Tuesday. Sen. Lisa Murkowski met privately with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday morning, according to a person familiar with the meeting. The Alaska Republican is one of the key senators considering voting to hear more witnesses, though shes been less out front on the issue than GOP Sens. Mitt Romney and Susan Collins. The meeting was first reported by the New York Times. Burgess Everett 11:18 A.M. Toomey appears unlikely to back witnesses Sen. Pat Toomey on Wednesday signaled that he is unlikely to support witnesses in President Donald Trumps trial, further winnowing the list of undecided Republicans who could possibly vote with Democrats this week. Toomey one of several Republicans who had floated a witness trade for former national security adviser John Bolton this week appeared to back away from the idea on Wednesday in an interview with local reporters, further boosting the chances that Senate GOP leaders can defeat Democratic motions to call witnesses on Friday. My decision about a witness is going to be whether or not there is a fact in dispute that a witness can shed enough light on that it could resolve the dispute, and do so in a way that would change my mind about how I ought to vote on the final question," Toomey said, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. "And Im very, very skeptical ... that that criteria is going to be met. The job before us is not to entertain, you know, all kinds of possible discussions about this, Toomey said, one day after White House lawyers concluded their arguments to defend Trump. As of Tuesday night, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told Republicans that he did not yet have the votes to block witnesses, though it appeared McConnell was simply conceding there were undecided senators and not that Republicans would lose the vote. GOP Sens. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Mitt Romney have said they would like to hear from Bolton, but a fourth senator who would cast the deciding vote on witnesses has not emerged. Sarah Ferris 10:58 A.M. Trump downplays prospects for bipartisan acquittal President Donald Trump appeared to dismiss the notion that as many as three red-state Democratic senators could break from their caucus and vote to clear him, despite their votes potentially giving the president the kind of bipartisan acquittal hes professed to be worthy of. There is much talk that certain Democrats are going to be voting with Republicans on the Impeachment Hoax, so that the Senate can get back to the business of taking care of the American people, Trump posted. Sorry, but Cryin Chuck Schumer will never let that happen! Trump wrote in a tweet, referring to the senate minority leader. Read more here. Caitlin Oprysko 10:04 A.M. Manchin: I really do think Hunter Biden is relevant Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin cracked open the door to hear from Hunter Biden in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial, saying that he thinks former Vice President Joe Biden's son is a relevant witness. For weeks, it's appeared there have not the votes to subpoena Hunter Biden, who worked at a Ukrainian energy company and is the focus of Republicans' defense of Trump, arguing the president was worried about corruption in Ukraine. But if a handful of Democrats joined most Republicans, the Senate could in theory cobble together a majority for Hunter Bidens testimony -- that is, if at least four Republicans go along with 47 Senate Democratic Caucus members and vote to consider witnesses. Asked on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" about whether Biden is relevant, Manchin replied: "I think so, I really do. "I dont have a problem there because this is why we are where we are. Now, I think that he can clear himself of what I know and what Ive heard. But being afraid to put [on] anybody that might have pertinent information is wrong no matter if youre a Democrat or a Republican," Manchin said Wednesday morning. "I want witnesses, I want people to tell me what you know. Youre asking me to make the most important decision Ive ever made in the critical arena that Im in or as an individual and I want to hear everything I can," he said. "I want to make sure that the decision I make is the right decision." But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) dismissed questions about Manchin's comments. "It's not up to Joe Manchin, it's no up to any of us," Schumer said. "The Republicans could call Hunter Biden today, they have the votes ... they don't want to, they know it would turn things into a circus." When asked about Democratic unity faltering, Schumer said the caucus has had "total unity on the issue that will be before us." Burgess Everett and Marianne LeVine 8:57 A.M. Trump claims Bolton book is 'classified national security' President Donald Trump on Wednesday suggested that his conversations with former national security adviser John Bolton are entirely classified, setting up a new line of defense against potentially devastating testimony from Bolton should he be called as a witness in the presidents ongoing Senate impeachment trial. Trump also suggested that Bolton, long regarded as a hawk within GOP foreign policy and national security circles, would have entangled the U.S. in multiple major world conflicts if not for the presidents refusal to heed his counsel. Bolton, Trump tweeted, was fired because frankly, if I listened to him, we would be in World War Six by now. The president claimed his former aid had begged me for a non Senate approved job and then IMMEDIATELY [wrote] a nasty & untrue book. All Classified National Security. Who would do this? Trump concluded. Read the full story. Quint Forgey 5:02 A.M. 12 questions to expect at Trumps impeachment trial Its Q&A time. After a week-long stretch of opening presentations in President Donald Trumps impeachment trial, all 100 senators will have a chance to pose their most pressing questions starting on Wednesday. The process is straightforward yet important. Heres how it will work: Any senator can write their questions on a piece of paper and specify who the question is for someone on Trumps defense team or one of the House impeachment managers. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer will then serve as a clearinghouse, bundling together similar asks from their party rank-and-file. From there, Chief Justice John Roberts will read the questions aloud. Only one side will get to answer each question. And its all expected to last up to 16 hours. Read the full story. Darren Samuelsohn and Marianne LeVine A man who brutally stabbed his partner to death by slashing her head, neck and chest has been jailed for 18 years. Daniel Eckersley murdered Amanda Harris with a kitchen knife in front of their three young children while their young son desperately tried to save his mum's life. The 40-year-old killer was said to be in a drug-induced psychosis after overdosing on Tramadol and becoming convinced his partner, 36, was poisoning the family. One of their young sons battled to stop the attack, but was kicked away by his violent dad, who proceeded to try and torch the house using a cigarette lighter. Amanda Harris, 36, was brutally stabbed to death in front of her three young children in the Melbourne home she shared with Daniel Eckersley Eckersley (pictured) admitted to stabbing his partner of 17 years to death in July 2018 and will serve a maximum of 18 years in prison Neighbours found Ms Harris and dragged her body from the fire in her south-east Melbourne home, after Eckersley fled with the children. Eckersley was sentenced to a maximum of 18 years in prison for the attack on his partner at their home in Cranbourne North on July 7, 2018. Ms Harris' distraught mother sobbed and screamed as her daughter's killer was jailed in the Supreme Court of Victoria on Thursday. 'You b*****d,' the victim's mother yelled. 'What about his kids? This is bull****.' The woman continued to sob and yell as she was led out of the courtroom. Mother-of-three Amanda Harris (pictured) died in her Melbourne home after being stabbed by her long-term partner Eckersley said he was in a psychotic state caused by prescription drug abuse when he took a hammer to the kitchen and then stabbed Ms Harris in the head, neck, chest and upper body. He had been taking far more than the recommended amount of the opioid drug Tramadol and anti-depressant Pristiq. Justice John Champion described the killing as an act of 'savagery' committed against a defenceless woman. 'The impact on your children of seeing you murder their mother is difficult to fully imagine,' the judge said. Daniel Eckersley (pictured, left) stabbed his partner Amanda Harris (right) to death in front of their children 'Having committed this awful crime, you did not then help ... but acted to destroy her body and the scene by attempting to burn down your home with her body in it. 'You treated your children callously after they had witnessed your brutality by driving them away and telling them to tell others Ms Harris had committed suicide.' But Justice Champion handed Eckersley a lesser sentence because he was suffering from psychosis. 'It must be clearly acknowledged that when you committed this horrible and intensely violent crime, you were in a severe acute psychotic state,' he said. Eckersley had a history of abusing prescription and illicit drugs as well as alcohol. Father Daniel Eckersley (pictured) murdered the mother of his three children and tried to set their home on fire His mental state deteriorated markedly in the lead-up to the murder. Days before she was killed, Ms Harris took a 'depressed, sad and tearful' Eckersley to the doctor and was so concerned she also contacted his family. '(Ms Harris) was a loving and caring partner and mother,' Justice Champion said. 'You have deprived your children of both their mother and also of you. Your actions have destroyed your own family.' Eckersley recovered quickly from his psychotic episode after being arrested. The judge accepted the killer was remorseful and did not believe he posed a continued threat to the community, with the caveat that he never again used the drug Tramadol. Psychotic reactions are a rare side effect of the commonly-used medication, but Justice Champion will ask Victoria's coroner to look at whether doctors should be given more information about the risks involved. Eckersley has spent 572 days in pre-sentence detention and must serve at least 14 years before being eligible for release on parole. New Delhis bid for a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) got a major boost after British High Commissioner to India Dominic Asquith backed it. Speaking about post-Brexit relations with India, Asquith said that the UK will remain the most important European partner of India. You will see the expansion of diplomatic and trade activities. The UK will adopt a distinctive approach, said the British diplomat. Asquith also talked about the ongoing anti-CAA protests saying demonstrations happen in every democracy and he is sure that the government will address the concerns of its citizens. Recently, Estonia Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu met External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and conveyed that his country supports India's candidature for the non-permanent membership of the UNSC for 2021-22. Calling the meeting very marvellous, Reinsalu said that there was "no political agenda because India and Estonia's political relation is cloudless." Read: Estonia, Niger, St. Vincent And The Grenadines, Tunisia, Vietnam Elected UNSC Non-permanent Members Jaishankar confident of getting permanent seat EAM Jaishankar has repeatedly expressed confidence in the possibility of India becoming a permanent member of the UNSC. During the winter session, Jaishankar said in the Rajya Sabha that India is working in this direction step-by-step, adding that it takes a long and patient effort to get a permanent seat at the council. "Well, I will hope soon. But I am realistic enough to know that it is a long and patient effort. We are not lacking in patience and not lacking in our perseverance and we are not lacking in our aspirations. We will get that one day. I am very confident and it is progressing step by step," Jaishankar had said in the Upper House while replying to a query from AIADMK leader Vijila Sathyananth. Read: Estonia Extends Support To India's Candidature For UNSC's Non-permanent Membership Currently, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States are the five permanent members of the UNSC. Of the five permanent members, France has also backed Indias bid in the past and called for the UNSC's enlargement as the "first crucial part" towards its reform. Read: Jaishankar: Confident Of India Becoming Permanent Member Of UNSC Read: BIG: In "first Crucial Part" Of UNSC Reform, France Reiterates Support For India's Permanent Membership (With inputs from agencies) Photo editor Rick Wiley is the photo editor of the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson. From 1995-2004, he was director of photography at the East Valley Tribune in Mesa. From 1988-94 he was a photographer at the Tucson Citizen. He is a graduate of ASU (yes, that ASU). COLUMBIA Santee Cooper suffered a series of setbacks Thursday in a major court fight over whether South Carolinas state-owned utility can charge its customers billions of dollars more for a nuclear plant construction project that was never finished. Jean Toal, a former S.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice who is handling the case, rejected Santee Coopers request to stop the case from becoming a class-action lawsuit, a move that would have greatly reduced the number of South Carolinians seeking refunds and rate cuts from the utility. Toal also dismissed Santee Coopers petition to limit the cases potential monetary penalties against the 85-year-old utility. Finally, Toal sided with the group of attorneys who are suing Santee Cooper on customers behalf in agreeing to postpone the cases Feb. 24 trial date to April 20 in Greenville. Ratepayer attorneys said they wanted more time to prepare their case against Santee Cooper and S.C. Electric & Gas, its partner in the failed, $9 billion V.C. Summer Nuclear Station expansion project. They also wanted time to notify the 2 million South Carolinians who get Santee Coopers power either directly or through an electric cooperative of the class action lawsuit. The case seeks to force Santee Cooper to refund customers what they have already paid in higher power bills for the project while also preventing the utility from charging customers any further for the unfinished plant. Santee Cooper and SCE&G abandoned the project in July 2017 after years of construction site dysfunction and rapidly escalating costs. SCE&Gs new owner, Virginia-based Dominion Energy, last year agreed to a lawsuit settlement that lowered SCE&G customers power bills but still requires them to pay $2.3 billion more for the failed project. Now comes Santee Coopers turn in court. Toal expressed her hope that all sides could reach a settlement in the case before the April 20 trial, especially as the S.C. General Assembly explores whether to sell Santee Cooper to pay off its debts or keep it state owned. I am very sympathetic with the notion that Santee Cooper deserves to have a quick resolution to this matter, Toal said. A special court in Telangana on Thursday awarded death sentence to three persons in connection with the Samatha gang-rape and murder case. "Today the special court has awarded death sentence to the three accused -- Shaik Baba, Shaik Shaobuddin and Shaik Maqdoom in Samatha case," Malla Reddy Superintendent of Police (SP) Komaran Bheem Asifabad told ANI here. The case pertains to the gang-rape and murder of a woman in Asifabad district on November 24, 2019, after she was dragged into the forest area by the three convicts. Soon afterwards, the accused in the matter were arrested and sent to judicial custody. The district police had filed a charge-sheet in the case on December 14, 2019, in the special court formed by the Telangana government for the trail of Samatha rape and murder case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) London, Jan 31 : The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said the United Kingdom is "at the front of the line" for a trade deal with Washington on the eve of Brexit. The head of US diplomacy visited London to strengthen ties between the countries, one day before the UK began negotiating its future trade relationship with the European Union, Efe news reported. US President Donald Trump has spoken in favour of Brexit since he came to the White House, unlike his predecessor Barack Obama, who on a visit to the UK shortly before the 2016 referendum warned London would be "at the end of the line" for a trade agreement with the US if it left the EU. Pompeo said he travelled to the UK to start the dialogue on an agreement as soon as possible. "The previous administration took the view that if the United Kingdom made this decision they'd be at the back of the line, we intend to put the United Kingdom at the front of the line," he told the press during a meeting with UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab in London. "This is a historic relationship between our two countries... it's been fantastic and I mean that." He would not set a specific calendar to reach an agreement, although he said that Washington was committed to working as fast as possible in that direction. As of 1 February, the UK will be a state outside the EU and will have free access to negotiate trade agreements with third countries, while trying to forge a relationship with the 27 member states of the bloc. Raab said at the event with Pompeo on Thursday: "We need to bring the country together, we need to bring other countries together but having the US say look it's all fine by us and do you know what there's a great opportunity for a free trade deal, it's great." Pompeo also held a meeting with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson at 10 Downing Street. A spokesman for the prime minister said they addressed the opportunities that will be open to the country after its exit from the EU, including a free trade agreement with the US. The Bank of England on Thursday lowered its forecast for growth of the UK economy in 2020 from 1.2 per cent to 0.8 per cent due to the uncertainty generated by the negotiation of a new trade deal with the EU after Brexit. The UK will formally leave the EU at 11pm on Friday, more than three years after the British public narrowly voted in favour of the divorce. Brussels wanted a sober goodbye and will simply remove British flags from the buildings of its institutions. The day will be marked differently around the UK, including an illuminated countdown clock on the bricks of Downing Street followed by a light show. Whitehall government buildings will be lit up red, white and blue, while Pall Mall and Parliament Square in London will be dressed in British flags. Pro-Brexit party Leave Means Leave, backed by Eurosceptic politician Nigel Farage, will hold a public party in London that is expected to be attended by around 10,000 people. A new 50p coin will be released into circulation which will include the message "Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations". Johnson was also due to give a televised speech addressing the nation. No festivities were expected in Scotland and Northern Ireland, where citizens mainly voted to remain in the EU. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced the approval for $300 million in funding for the New York State's "Reimagine the Canals" initiative. This was first announced in a Governor's 2020 State of the State proposal. That funding is going to help with the upkeep of the Erie Canal Corridor. The governor says this new money will revitalize it to help expand tourism, boost economic development and reduce flooding along the corridor. The New York Power Authority board also approved $30 million to fund reimagine initiative projects in 2020. It is part of the five-year plan, which also aims to enhance irrigation, restore wetlands and expand recreational fishing opportunities. "The Erie Canal transformed New York into an economic powerhouse in the 19th century, and in the 21st century can again serve as an engine for growth along the canal corridor," Governor Cuomo said. "With this initiative, we are both honoring the canal's heritage and ensuring a very bright future." Bahri Logistics, one of five business units of logistics and transportation leader Bahri, showcased its portfolio of technology-driven logistics and rail freight solutions at the recently concluded The Railway Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The forum was organised by the Saudi Railways Company (SAR) in cooperation with the Ministry of Transport, under the patronage of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, from January 28-29. Saudi Minister of Transport, Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, inaugurated the two-day event in the presence of key ministers and dignitaries. Bahris participation in the forum came as part of its ongoing initiatives aimed at contributing to the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 to transform the kingdom into a unique regional and global logistics hub and international transportation gateway to three continents, namely Asia, Europe, and Africa. Abdullah Aldubaikhi, CEO of Bahri, delivered a keynote address as part of a panel titled Logistics Railway Benefits at the forum. The industry veteran highlighted the significance of developing an integrated transportation network and a sustainable logistics system to enable the kingdom to seize future opportunities in both domestic and international trade and commerce. He also shed light on Bahris role in building a robust logistics and transportation sector in Saudi Arabia. Aldubaikhi commended the Saudi governments numerous achievements towards realising its vision to become a leading logistics and transportation hub, including the establishment of a strong railway infrastructure connecting the centre, north and east of the country and simplified customs clearance procedures, among others. Aldubaikhi said: Saudi Arabias railway sector has been experiencing rapid growth in the past few years on the back of increased investment in infrastructure and a steady rise in passenger and freight volumes. The countrys keen focus on capitalising on its strategic geographic advantage to emerge as a global hub of logistics and transportation as envisaged in Saudi Vision 2030 will catalyze the further development of the sector and promises many exciting investment and commercial opportunities for local and foreign investors. With its unmatched total logistics capabilities and strong partnership with Saudi Railway Company, Bahri is competitively positioned to seize these opportunities and remain at the forefront of the Kingdoms ambitious transformation, he added. Bahri has partnered with Saudi Railway Company (SAR) to provide global logistics support, including customs clearance and consultancy services. The total logistics solutions provider has been offering transportation and shipping services for all types of cargo as well as an electronic system to track all shipments from the country of origin to the final destination since 2017. TradeArabia News Service Three Japanese nationals who are among more than 200 evacuated people from the Chinese city of Wuhan have been tested positive for the new strain of coronavirus, Japan's Health Ministry said on Thursday. Two of these three people -- a man in his 40s and a woman in her 50s -- had not shown any symptoms of the disease, the ministry said, as reported by NHK The three individuals were among the over 200 passengers who returned to Japan on Wednesday on a government-chartered flight. Coronavirus originated in Wuhan, a Chinese city of more than 11 million people and has since then spread to various countries around the As many as 170 people have been killed, while over 1700 cases have been registered in China alone. Health authorities around the are taking action to prevent a global pandemic as the virus continues to spread, with cases reported in Australia, France, the United States and several Asian countries besides China. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mas Tacos | Photo: Amber K./Yelp Need more tacos in your life? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the best affordable taco hot spots in Nashville, 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. Mas Tacos Photo: Kelsey C./Yelp Topping the list is Mas Tacos. Located at 732 McFerrin Ave. in Greenwood, the spot to score tacos and more is the most popular affordable taco spot in Nashville, boasting 4.5 stars out of 1,346 reviews on Yelp. Yelper Stefonia T., who reviewed the business on Jan. 23, wrote, "We ordered most of the menu iced coffee with horchata, chicken pozole, pulled pork tacos, cast-iron chicken tacos, spicy beef tacos, sweet potato and quinoa tacos, fried avocado tacos, elote, tamales (a Wednesday special) and sweet plantains. Our food was ready quickly and everything was delicious!" 2. Five Points Tacos Photo: ting w./Yelp Next up is Lockeland Springs's Five Points Tacos, situated at 1101 Woodland St. With 4.5 stars out of 41 reviews on Yelp, the food truck, which offers tacos and more, has proven to be a local favorite for those looking for an inexpensive option. Yelper Emily Q. noted, "Got two perfectly scrambled egg tacos with avocado, cilantro and onion. Don't forget to ask for the sauces! They're perfect and delicious. I would love to eat them every day of my life." 3. Tacos Lopez Photo: Jessica L./Yelp Southwood's Tacos Lopez, located at 5414 Nolensville Pike, is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the affordable food truck, which offers tacos and more, four stars out of 23 reviews. Yelper Kenneth P. wrote, "Tacos Lopez serves two excellent tacos the only ones I order. First, the carne asada (steak) and the tripa (tripe). The tripe is not for the faint of heart, but if you order it crispy, it is as good or better than most I have eaten in Mexico." 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. [January 30, 2020] Noble.AI Bolsters Commitment to Accelerating the Advent of Science-Based AI by Announcing Scientific Advisory Board SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Noble.AI , whose artificial intelligence (AI) software enables engineers, scientists, and researchers to innovate and make discoveries faster, today announced the creation of a Scientific Advisory Board. This Board aims to bring together the brightest research and scientific minds from around the world. Noble.AI's Scientific Advisory Board is comprised of research leaders with expertise in cutting-edge science and R&D. These leaders have distinguished careers, are globally recognized experts in their fields, and can provide a research perspective on Noble.AI's work, accelerating the path towards science-based AI. The inaugural members of the Scientific Advisory Board include Dr. Ed Moses , a world-leader in fusion physics and member of the National Academy of Engineering, among other distinguished societies. Dr. Moses is the former head of large-scale scientific organizations such as the National Ignition Facility and Giant Magellan Telescope. Joining him on the Scientific Advisory Board is Prof. Moritz Riede , a world-leader in organic solar cells and soft functional nanomaterials. Prof. Riede is former head of the Global Young Academy , and a professor in the University of Oxford Department of Physics. "We believe AI that understands science is smarter AI. Because it's based on facts and equations, it's more accurate and people can better understand it. Also, it's inherently less susceptible to bias and adversarial attacks which we all know have become increasingly problematic in today's world," noted Noble.AI Founder and CEO Dr. Matthew C. Levy. "That's why science-based AI is a key piece of the puzzle for what we need to accelerate progress within the 'world of atoms' in the decade to come, and we are thrilled to welcome Dr. Ed Moses and Prof. Moritz Riede to our Scientific Advisory Board and look forward to their contributions," he added. Dr. Moses commented, "AI powering science is the key to the future for rapid development and optimization of a wide variety of technologies, products, and processes." Dr. Moses added, "Noble.AI is defining the cutting edge of this field, providing insights deeply rooted in physics using adaptive AI techniques to accelerate and economize the R&D process, exactly where any high-tech enterprise's competitive advantage lies. I am privileged to continue my partnership with Matthew and to be on the Noble.AI Scientific Advisory Board." Said Prof. Riede, "In the area of materials research, I've been eyeing for some time the prospects of AI and machine learning, in particular for advanced functional materials like organic semiconductos." Prof. Riede added, "I believe Noble.AI can have a significant impact in this field and am thus excited to join its Scientific Advisory Board." As part of its commitment to accelerating the advent of science-based AI, Noble.AI hosted NobleTalks: Applications of Science-Based AI in Geophysics on December 11, 2019, during the 2019 Fall American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco. The session featured a panel of AI and geophysics experts including Prof. Tarje Nissen-Meyer (University of Oxford), Prof. Anya M. Reading (University of Tasmania), Prof. Malcolm Sambridge (Australia National University), and moderator Dr. Matthew C. Levy . The lively discussion explored the application of science-based AI to achieve vast accelerations within projects such as seismic wave propagation, seismic imaging, bedrock classification, and surrogate modeling. The discussion led to the production of an Executive Briefing which is available from Noble.AI's website. Background on Noble.AI Scientific Advisory Board members is below. Dr. Ed Moses has more than 40 years of experience working in engineering, physics, fusion technologies, laser science, and astronomical observatories. He has brought together academia, national and international laboratories, commercial companies, utility entities, and other interests to enable the maturation of science, engineering, and technology in developing cutting edge big-science facilities. Dr. Moses organized, managed, and led the design and execution for three $1 billion-plus programs, forging cooperative efforts among mission planners, system designers, architecture/engineering firms, operating organizations, technologists, and scientists. These projects included his role as the project manager and director of the National Ignition Facility (NIF), the world's largest and most energetic laser, and his tenure as president of the Giant Magellan Telescope Organization. Dr. Moses is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the Optical Society of America, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a Fellow of SPIE. Dr. Moses has received many honors, including the Jefferson Award for Public Service, the 2009 Edward Teller Medal for his leadership in the development and completion of the NIF, the Fusion Power Associates 2008 Leadership Award, the Memorial D. S. Rozhdestvensky Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Lasers and Optical Sciences, and the R&D 100 Award for the Peregrine cancer radiation therapy program. He also received the Project of the Year Award, the highest accolade of the Project Management Institute (PMI), for leading the NIF. Additionally, Dr. Moses has obtained 29 patents in the areas of lasers, optics, fusion energy, and radiation health physics, and has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals. Prof. Moritz Riede is a Professor of Soft Functional Nanomaterials at the University of Oxford Department of Physics. Before moving to Oxford, Prof. Riede worked in Germany at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE and the University of Freiburg as a Ph.D. student and at the Technische Universitat Dresden as a postdoctoral researcher and head of a junior research group. Prof. Riede's academic research focuses on organic solar cells, a new solar cell technology that has potential for lightweight, cheap, flexible, large-area, long-living, and efficient solar cells. This kind of emerging solar cell is based on organic semiconductors, i.e., the same material class that is used in the OLED displays of many modern smartphones. The investigations range from fundamental studies in the photophysics of organic semiconductors to the optimization of organic solar cells. Beyond organic solar cells, Prof. Riede's interests include renewable energies and tackling the corresponding challenges for transforming our energy system into a sustainable one, as well as the special responsibility of scientists towards society. About Noble.AI Noble.AI builds AI tools that lower the cost of enterprise R&D. The company partners with the world's most important R&D organizations to accelerate their process of innovation and help them bring products to market faster. By structuring and centralizing access to complex data, and by automatically ruling out candidate experiments that could never occur in the real-world, the Noble Platform enables R&D teams to work with vastly higher productivity to achieve innovation. Learn more at http://www.noble.ai or schedule a live demo of the Noble Platform here . View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nobleai-bolsters-commitment-to-accelerating-the-advent-of-science-based-ai-by-announcing-scientific-advisory-board-300996496.html SOURCE Noble.AI [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The World Health Organization is meeting again Thursday to decide whether to declare the coronavirus epidemic an international public health emergency, as China said that another 38 people had died from the virus. The global health agency met twice last week but was split about whether to declare an emergency, saying it did not have enough information to decide. Such rulings can rally a global response but also put countries at the center of any outbreak under even greater scrutiny. China said Thursday that the total number of deaths from the coronavirus had risen to 170, with cases now confirmed in every province and region in the country. More than 7,700 people have been sickened in mainland China, while 68 cases have been reported around the world. The WHO has so far praised Chinas response. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the organizations director-general, met with Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader, in Beijing on Tuesday. Xi had led a monumental national response, Tedros wrote on Twitter, adding he was struck by the determination of Chinese leadership. One hundred seventy people have died. More than 7,711 cases have been confirmed. Thirty-eight more deaths in China from the coronavirus were announced Thursday, bringing the toll to 170. Most of those recent deaths, 37, occurred in Hubei province, the center of the outbreak. One person died in the southwestern province of Sichuan. Another 1,737 new cases were recorded in the past 24 hours for a total of 7,711 worldwide, according to Chinese officials and the World Health Organization. The real number is likely to be higher. Tibet reported its first confirmed case. This means that all of Chinas provinces and territories have now been touched by the outbreak. Thailand has reported 14 cases of infection; Japan has 11; Hong Kong and Singapore have 10; Taiwan has eight; Australia, Malaysia and Macao each have seven; France and the United States have five; South Korea, Germany and the United Arab Emirates each have 4; Canada has three; Vietnam has two; and India, the Philippines, Nepal, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Finland each have one. Cases recorded in Taiwan, Germany, Vietnam and Japan involved patients who had not been to China. There have been no reported deaths outside China. Wuhan residents lashed out over handling of the outbreak. Anger and frustration have escalated in Wuhan, the center of the outbreak, as the citys overwhelmed hospitals pleaded for urgent help to replenish diminishing supplies. A relative of a coronavirus patient assaulted a doctor at a hospital in Wuhan, pulling and damaging the doctors mask and protective clothing, the state broadcaster CCTV reported Thursday, citing local police. The Beijing Youth Daily, a state-owned newspaper, reported that two doctors had been attacked at the hospital, including one who was threatened and had his protective gown torn off. In the face of rising public anger, the central government has sought to present itself as intervening to hold accountable local officials in areas that have been hit hard by the epidemic. CCTV aired footage Thursday showing a central government inspection team grilling officials in Huanggang, a city about 50 miles from Wuhan, about the number of beds they had set aside for coronavirus patients. As the two local health officials fumbled their responses to seemingly basic questions, the visiting inspectors questions took on a more impatient tone. Unusual in its blunt portrayal of inadequate government response, the report was quickly shared on Chinese social media sites with the hashtag one question, three dont knows. Officials say medical supplies are running dangerously low in central China, despite gear being delivered in bulk from around the world. The Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan wrote on Weibo, a social media platform, that the city had received 240,000 masks, 25,000 protective gowns and 4,000 pairs of medical goggles from its alumni group in Germany. The Chinese community in Singapore sent 75,000 medical masks. Photographs posted online showed hospital workers, many still in protective gear, slumped over their desks and on the floors in exhaustion. In eerily quiet Wuhan, few people are venturing out except for food. From Chris Buckley, our chief China correspondent, on the ground in Wuhan: Since the central Chinese city of Wuhan went under official lockdown last week, most shops have shut, few cars venture onto the roads, and fear has kept most people in their homes. When Wuhan residents do step outside, its mostly to go to the supermarkets, food stores and pharmacies that have stayed open as part of a government effort to sustain the city. Senior officials have promised that residents need not worry about supplies of vegetables, fruit or other staples, even as large swaths of the province, Hubei, are also locked down to curtail the outbreak. Yet Wuhan residents complained about price hikes and expressed fear that a prolonged shutdown might choke off food supplies. Poorer people, both in urban Wuhan and in the countryside, would suffer more acutely from tightening supplies. If we cant bring in produce, it will become more expensive, or we might even have to close up, said Zuo Qichao, who was selling piles of cucumbers, turnips and tomatoes. As he spoke, a woman accused him of unfairly raising the turnips price. Every county, every village around here is now putting up barriers, worried about that disease, Zuo said. Even if the government says it wants food guaranteed, it wont be easy all those road checks. Several migrant workers who were trapped in Wuhan by the lockdown said they were getting by on cheap cartons of instant noodles and canned foods partly because they had nowhere to cook proper meals, and partly because they were trying to save money, in case the nationwide emergency should lead to an economic downturn. Ive been eating so many containers of instant noodles that my mouth and nose are raw, said Qiu Dongjun, a 38-year old construction worker from rural Hubei Province, who worried that the lockdown would threaten jobs in the city. What will we do if we dont have jobs? he said. I have to save money. The U.S. commerce secretary sees a silver lining in Chinas woes. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Thursday that Chinas loss might be Americas gain because the coronavirus outbreak could prompt employers to move jobs to the United States. I dont want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease, Ross said in an interview on Fox Business. I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America. Some to the U.S., probably some to Mexico as well. Ross cited previous disease outbreaks in China, suggesting that a prevalence of diseases there would become a factor in businesses leaving the country and relocating to North America. You had SARS, you have the African swine virus there, now you have this, Ross said. His remarks may be seen as insensitive to a country in crisis, and he has faced such criticism in the past. During the government shutdown in early 2019, Ross suggested that furloughed workers should take out loans while they went without pay for more than a month. China now has more cases of the virus than it had of SARS but comparing the two is tricky. Cases of the mysterious new coronavirus in mainland China now outnumber the infections that China saw during the entire SARS outbreak of 2002 and 2003. SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, ultimately killed 774 people in 17 countries. Chinese authorities were criticized for their response to that epidemic, which began inside its borders. By Thursday, the number of confirmed cases of the new coronavirus had risen to 7,711 worldwide, according to Chinese officials and the WHO. All but 68 of those infections have been in mainland China. Experts cautioned that comparing the two diseases was difficult. Tracking SARS infections was complicated by a dearth of testing equipment and a lack of transparency among local politicians and the central government. While officials say China has made progress on those fronts, similar concerns threaten to undermine an accurate count of infections from the new coronavirus, known to scientists as 2019-nCoV. Preliminary figures suggest the new coronavirus is less likely to result in death than SARS, which killed 1 in 10 infected patients, but it is still too early to paint a full picture of its mortality rate. By comparison, MERS, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, another coronavirus, killed 1 in 3 patients. The mortality rate of seasonal flu is about 1 in 1,000. Russia suggests it will close its border with China and limit visas. Russia prepared for a partial closure of its 2,600-mile border with China as fears about the coronavirus outbreak mounted in Moscow. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin ordered 16 of the approximately 25 crossing points that Russia operates on the Chinese border to be closed as of midnight Wednesday local time. He said the closures would be part of a new raft of measures to stop the infection from spreading to the country from Russias southeastern neighbor. Russian officials say that no cases of coronavirus infection have been confirmed in Russia. We have to do everything to protect our people, Mishustin said in televised remarks at a Cabinet meeting. We will inform everyone about the relevant actions being taken to close the border in the Far Eastern region and other measures being taken by the government. Australia plans to quarantine citizens on a remote island. Australia said it would quarantine its citizens evacuated from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak, for two weeks on an island 2,000 miles off the coast of mainland Australia, amid global fears that the spread of the virus will accelerate. Six people in Australia, all of whom recently spent time in China, have already been diagnosed with the new coronavirus. But there are also about 600 Australian citizens trapped in Hubei province, where Wuhan and other cities have effectively been under lockdown for a week. The government said it would transport those isolated and vulnerable people to Christmas Island, the site of a detention camp used for housing immigrants in the country illegally and asylum-seekers. Timing for the evacuation remains uncertain as the government awaits approval from China. Officials said Qantas Airways would facilitate the evacuation. Christmas Island, which is near the Indonesian island of Java, has played an important but checkered role in Australias contentious use of faraway sites to house refugees and other migrants. Some Australians questioned the implications of using the island as a quarantine site. Last year, the government reopened a detention center on the island, in a bid to counter legislation that would let sick detainees seek treatment on the mainland. Moving people to Christmas Island is not an appropriate solution, Dr. Tony Bartone, president of the Australian Medical Association, said in a television news interview, adding that the government had other facilities it could use, such as military sites. People trapped in Wuhan said they were torn between staying in China or spending two weeks at a remote detention facility. I have mixed feelings about it, Daniel Ouyang, an Australian who visited Wuhan for the Lunar New Year holiday, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. The government, he said, had not been forthcoming about what conditions they should expect on the island. Whats going to happen to our freedom? he asked. Christmas Island for 14 days is a long time, Bon Lee, a Sydney man in Hubei province, told The Sydney Morning Herald. Its a drastic measure. Anger in Taiwan as China refuses its evacuation request. In Taiwan, anger has been growing over Chinas refusal this week to let Taiwan evacuate about 300 of its people from Wuhan, even as it has given the United States, Japan and other countries permission to do so. Chinas ruling Communist Party considers Taiwan, a democratically governed island, to be part of China, and the two sides have no formal ties. Referring to the rebuffed evacuation request Tuesday, Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesman for Chinas Taiwan Affairs Office, said in a statement that Taiwanese people in Hubei province, which includes Wuhan, were receiving appropriate care. Kolas Yotaka, a spokeswoman for Taiwans government, said China was prioritizing politics over lives. Many of the Taiwanese seeking evacuation from Wuhan were tourists or on business trips, while others were residents of the city who suffered from chronic diseases, Kolas said. We call on the Chinese government to demonstrate basic humanity and agree to our request as soon as possible, she said. As part of its campaign to isolate Taiwan diplomatically, China has blocked it from participating in international bodies like the World Health Organization a fact that has also angered Taiwanese people this week, as they try to prepare along with the rest of the world for the possibility of a worsening epidemic. Doctor challenges Communist Party members to head to the front lines. Comments from a doctor in Shanghai surged across Chinese social media after he described challenging Communist Party members to take the lead in fighting the coronavirus outbreak. Dr. Zhang Wenhong, the head and party secretary of the infectious disease department at Huashan Hospital, said the first wave of doctors from Shanghai to head to the outbreaks epicenter in Hubei province were volunteers but that he later ordered Communist Party members to follow suit. The first batch were all amazing doctors, he said, adding that they went to the front line when they didnt even know the risk of the virus. But it was unfair to take advantage of their altruism, said Zhang, who is responsible for organizing the medical teams sent from Shanghai. I changed and gave all the front-line positions to the Communist Party members, he said. Didnt the Communists say when they took the oath that they put the interests of the people first? His comments hinted at the ruling Communist Partys efforts to control the response to the epidemic, even as some critics have said that its obsession with secrecy aided the initial spread of the disease. On Tuesday, the partys Central Committee called on members in the medical community to play the vanguard roles and build a strong defense network against the disease, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. The response online to Zhangs remarks was widely supportive, with many commenters praising his blunt language. Some even suggested that he replace leaders in Hubei, who have been heavily criticized over the outbreak. Peoples reasons for joining the party have grown less ideological in recent decades, and membership is increasingly seen as a way to make connections and boost career prospects. Some social media users suggested that they supported Zhang because he was forcing party members to live up to their pledges of public service. What were left to infer is many party members hid at the back and let the sincere people charge to the front, wrote one commenter on Weibo. The reality is many party members are out for status and personal benefit and not to serve the people. Investors dump stocks and buy gold on coronavirus fears. Fears that a mysterious and fast-moving virus in China could affect the global economy drove investors in Asia to dump stocks Thursday. Money fled riskier assets like stocks and oil and flowed instead into investments that are considered safe havens like gold as growing numbers of policymakers, economists and corporate executives have sounded alarms. Major benchmarks across the region fell by more than 1%. Europe and Wall Street also looked poised for a day of selling. Early on, economists had speculated that Chinas economy would not likely be as badly hit as it was during the 2002-03 SARS epidemic. Some have now begun to revise their outlooks as more details emerge about the number of cases and speed of transmission of the coronavirus. A growing number of companies have also warned they will have to close or shift operations and could take a financial hit from widespread business disruptions in China. In Tokyo and Hong Kong, stocks were down 1.5%, while in Seoul they fell 1.7%. Traders in Taipei, returning from the Lunar New Year holiday, pushed the market down by 5.8%. Chinas markets remain closed for an extended holiday until Monday. Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, hit its lowest price this year before paring some of its losses. It was trading about $59 a barrel. Policymakers in Japan and the United States issued warnings about the potential effect of the virus on the economy. There will clearly be implications, said the Federal Reserve chair, Jerome Powell, on Wednesday. We just have to see what the effect is globally. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. The Indian embassy in Beijing said India was preparing to evacuate its citizens from Wuhan on Friday The government has reached out to over 600 Indians living in China's Hubei province, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak, to ascertain their willingness to be brought back to India. India has already approached Chinese authorities to allow it to send two flights to Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, to bring back Indian nationals, and the evacuation process may start from Friday. "We have established contact with over 600 Indians across the province and are individually ascertaining their willingness to be repatriated. Our Mission in Beijing is working round-the-clock on the ground to work out the necessary logistics," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said at a media briefing. Kumar said there is no report of any Indian being affected by the coronavirus in either Hubei province or in any other country. The MEA spokesperson also said that India has not put any restriction on the movement of people from China to India in view of the coronavirus outbreak in the country. He said the government has been conducting a regular review of the situation arising out of the outbreak of coronavirus in China. The Indian embassy in Beijing said India was preparing to evacuate its citizens from Wuhan on Friday. According to the Chinese authorities, the nationwide death toll from novel coronavirus has jumped to 170. "We have made a formal request to the government of China for bringing back Indian nationals from the Hubei province in two flights. We are awaiting for the necessary approval from the Chinese side. We hope this will be granted soon," Kumar said. Kumar said arrangements are being put in place for people to travel to the airport in Wuhan. "We remain committed to the safety and well-being of our nationals abroad. We appreciate the support extended by the government of China and other ministries in the government of India in putting this process together," Kumar said. He said the number of Indians in Hubei province used to be around 1,200 but it is difficult for the government to find out the exact number now. News Washington, DC - Remarks by President Trump at a Signing Ceremony for the United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement: THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you very much. Thats beautiful music. Such talented musicians, and we appreciate it very much. We have a tremendous (applause) we have a tremendous list of people here today. In fact, so long that if I announced every name, wed be here for about three hours. (Laughter.) And we have to get back to business. Everybody does. Please sit down. Please. But I want to thank everybody for coming coming to the White House on this very momentous, historic, and joyous occasion. Its been a long time. Everybody said this was a deal that could not be done. Too complicated, too big. It couldnt be done. We got it done. And today, were finally ending the NAFTA nightmare and signing into law the brand-new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. (Applause.) Very special. Very, very special. The USMCA is the largest, fairest, most balanced, and modern trade agreement ever achieved. Theres never been anything like it. Other countries are now looking at it, but there cant be a border like that because, believe it or not, that is by far the biggest border anywhere in the world, in terms of economy, in terms of people. Theres nothing even close. This is a colossal victory for our farmers, ranchers, energy workers, factory workers, and American workers in all 50 states and, you could almost say, beyond because its all beyond. This is all over the world even though its at one beautiful border where, by the way, a very major powerful wall is, right now, being built. (Laughter.) Okay? I dont know if I should say that at this particular reading. I know last night it got a very big hand. (Laughter.) Today, theyre a little bit like, Are we supposed to clap now? (Laughter.) The USMCA is estimated to add another 1.2 percent to our GDP and create countless new American jobs. It will make our blue-collar boom which is beyond anybodys expectation even bigger, stronger, and more extraordinary, delivering massive gains for the loyal citizens of our nation. For the first time in American history, we have replaced a disastrous trade deal that rewarded outsourcing with a truly fair and reciprocal trade deal that will keep jobs, wealth, and growth right here in America. (Applause.) And, in a true sense, its also a partnership with Mexico and Canada and ourselves against the world. Its really a trade partnership, if you look at it that way. And its a day of great celebration in all three countries. I want to thank our amazing Vice President, Mike Pence, who helped us so much with the deal. (Applause.) And our sincerest appreciation to Ambassador Robert Lighthizer and Jared Kushner and Steve Mnuchin (applause) and all of these incredible people for the job youve done. (Applause.) Like I said, they said it couldnt be done. Welcome also to many members of Congress who were key to getting the deal done, including Senator Grassley. Where is Chuck? Where is Chuck? Oh. Oh, he was brutal. (Applause.) He would call me; he would say, How is it going? How is it going? And with Chuck, you just dont mess around. You said, Well get it done. Dont worry. Thank you, Senator, very much. And Pat Roberts, Martha McSally. And I want to just, if I could, mention because we do have some incredible people that worked so hard, and senators. And maybe Im being just nice to them because I want their vote. Does that make sense? (Laughter.) I dont want to leave anybody out. Hey, congressmen, I already got your vote 196 to nothing. The hell with you. (Laughter.) I think I have to mention some senators that are here. But Marsha Blackburn, whos been so wheres Marsha Blackburn? Marsha, great. Marsha Blackburn. (Applause.) Great state of Tennessee. Roy Blunt. Thank you, Roy. Thank you, Roy. John Boozman. Thank you, John. Thank you very much. Great job. Mike Braun. Hes become a big fixture on television and doing a great job. Shelley Moore Capito. Thank you. West Virginia. (Applause.) Great place. Senator Bill Cassidy. Senator, thank you very much. (Applause.) John Cornyn. Thank you, John. (Applause.) Your poll numbers are looking good, John. (Laughter.) Very, very good. You dont have to worry about Beto either, do you, John? (Laughter.) A great young gentleman, and hes been with us right from the beginning: Senator Tom Cotton. Where is Tom? (Applause.) Thank you, Tom. Thank you, Tom. Kevin Cramer. (Applause.) Thank you, Kevin. Ted Cruz. Boy, has he been where is Ted? Boy, oh, boy. (Applause.) And hes dying to get back there and ask those questions. I know. (Laughter.) He said, Let me out of here, President. I want to ask those questions. Hes got some beauties, Ill bet. Thank you, Ted, for everything. Youve been incredible. Steve Daines. My friend from the beginning. Thank you, Steve. (Applause.) Joni Ernst. Joni Ernst. That was a team the tag team, with Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst. It was impossible. I just say, Just tell them Im not in, please. (Laughter.) Senator Deb Fischer. Terrific person. (Applause.) Terrific person. Lindsey Graham. Where is Lindsey? He may be having a news conference right now. Hes working on something. He said, Im going over to a news conference! I said, You know what? Id rather have you at the news conference. Dont worry, well take care of it. A young, brilliant guy whos done incredibly well and respected by everybody: Senator Josh Hawley. Josh, tremendous. (Applause.) I think hes another one. He doesnt want to come over here right now. Wheres John Hoeven? John? You have been so great. Thank you, John. (Applause.) John Hoeven. Senator James Lankford. (Applause.) He is a terrific person. Were just together on a very special day. Right, James? Kelly Loeffler. Kelly? Congratulations, Kelly. (Applause.) Really great. They already like you a lot. Thats what the word is. Thank you, Kelly. Martha McSally. (Applause.) Good, Martha. Great. Jerry Moran. Jerry? Thank you, Jerry. (Applause.) Did a great job in a lot of different ways. And another one is James Risch. James? Fantastic job you do. (Applause.) And Mike Rounds. Where is Mike? Mike, thank you. (Applause.) Hes always there Mike. Hes fantastic. Tim Scott. Mr. Opportunity Zone. And I think hes over there fighting. Hes saying, Just read the transcripts. Thats what hes saying. Hes great. Thom Tillis, whos doing pretty well, is what Im understanding. Thom Tillis. (Applause.) Where is Thom? Yep. And Roger Wicker. By the way, is there anybody thank you, Roger. Roger. Is there anybody I didnt introduce? I would like to apologize immediately. THE VICE PRESIDENT: Rick Scott. THE PRESIDENT: Wheres Rick? Wheres Rick? Hes been one of the greats. Oh, I figured he was over there. Rick, why are you not over there, Rick? (Laughter.) Rick Scott has been so incredible. Great Governor of Florida. A great, great governor, and now hes a great senator. (Applause.) Thank you very much. The rest of you I dont have to bother with. (Laughter.) Im sorry. You know the way it works in life, right? Right, Ivanka? Thats the way it works in life. Im trying to teach here, but she could actually teach me. Well, I want to really thank all of those people. And also with us is Kevin McCarthy and Kevin Brady and Mike Conaway and Vern Buchanan and Steve Scalise. Theyve been incredible from day one. (Applause.) And, literally, a hundred other wonderful congressmen and women. We appreciate you being here. And, Kevin, congratulations on your big victory yesterday. That was incredible. And hes also a tremendous fundraiser not that that matters. We dont even think about that. But that was a big a big victory you had yesterday. Thank you very much. Also here are many of the state and local leaders, including a really good friend of mine, somebody that is going to get that pipeline through and approved and finished: Pete Ricketts of Nebraska. Where is Pete? (Applause.) Pete, thank you very much. And a special man and a very popular governor and a very capable governor whos done an incredible job, and hes been a tremendous supporter of all of us: Greg Abbott of Texas. (Applause.) Thank you, Greg. Great job. Great job you did. Were very grateful for the close partnership and cooperation with Prime Minister Trudeau and for our incredible friendship and the relationship that weve developed with President Lopez Obrador. Were honored to be joined by Acting Ambassador Hillman from Canada, Ambassador Barcena of Mexico, Mexican Undersecretary Seade, Mexican Minister of Economy Marquez, and Mexican Foreign Minister Ebrard. They were really great people. We got to know them very well. This was a long negotiation, complex. Spent a lot of time with them. Thank you very much for being here. (Applause.) And I want to say that I have our great Cabinet right up here. But Im not sure. I dont know Ted, should I introduce the Cabinet? You want to get back, right? Lets forget it. (Laughter.) My Cabinet is great every one of them. Every one of them, theyre fantastic. (Applause.) They are fantastic and we appreciate it very much. Youve done a great job. Getting good credits for what youre doing, and we really appreciate it. Really fantastic. After NAFTAs adoption more than 25 years ago, the United States lost nearly one-fourth of all of its manufacturing jobs, including more than one in five vehicle manufacturing jobs. Think of that: one in five jobs lost so needlessly. Thousands of factories were shuttered, millions of manufacturing jobs were destroyed, and entire communities were devastated, from Ohio to Pennsylvania, Michigan to Maine, and California to North Carolina. Devastated. Two decades of politicians ran for office vowing to replace the NAFTA and this was a catastrophe: the NAFTA catastrophe. Yet once elected, they never even tried. They never even gave it a shot. They sold out. But Im not like those other politicians, I guess, in many ways. I keep my promises, and Im fighting for the American worker. And were all fighting for the American worker. Everybody here is fighting for the American worker. This agreement is a tremendous breakthrough for American agriculture. Canada will finally provide greater access for American dairy. Canada is opening up. It will grow annual exports to our neighbors by an estimated $315 million. Poultry exports to Canada are expected to rise by at least 50 percent, and egg export could increase by 500 percent. Where is the Canadian folks? Where are they? (Applause.) You guys did a good job on us before this deal, Ill tell you. (Laughter.) Thats Canada was very tough. But theyre good. Theyre our friends, so we appreciate it. Very importantly, Canada will finally give fair treatment to American-grown wheat. The USMCA is also a massive win for American manufacturers and autoworkers. Under NAFTA, companies were given huge incentives to produce cars in foreign countries and ship them to America tax-free. No tax, no nothing. We lost our jobs, we closed our factories, and other countries built our cars. But weve changed that. And were now setting records. The USMCA closes these terrible loopholes and includes strong provisions to ensure that new cars are fashioned by American hands thats a fancy word of saying built and manufactured with American labor. We have some of the great labor leaders here, right now. I think James Hoffa. Where is James Hoffa? James? Thank you very much, James. (Applause.) Its great. Thank you, James, very much. Its great. Fiat Chrysler is already investing $4.5 billion and creating 6,500 new jobs in Michigan, and opening up the first new Detroit plant in more than 30 years. (Applause.) And we have a lot of them happening. (Applause.) Ford is putting in $1.5 billion and creating 3,000 new jobs, while GM is investing $2.2 billion and creating 2,200 new jobs in Michigan to build vehicles of the future. And I believe we have the Chairman and President and the bosses of those two companies. Please, Mary. Where is Mary? Mary Barra, thank you very much. (Applause.) And, Ford, thank you very much. We appreciate it. What a great job. Please stand. Come on. For that kind of money anything over $2 billion, youre allowed to stand. (Laughter.) Anything over $2 billion; otherwise, we dont have you stand. (Laughter.) Thank you. Thank you both very much. Steel Dynamics is building a 1.9 billion-dollar flat roll steel mill near Corpus Christi. And international automakers are pouring $25 billion into the United States, creating 50,000 new American jobs at a minimum. They are all investing in a future where we buy, hire, and drive American cars again. I like that. Its a very important part of the deal. (Applause.) Mexico and Canada have agreed to new labor protections that my administration negotiated. The USMCA is the first trade deal in nearly two decades, endorsed by the AF of L-CIO. Thank you very much. Great. That was great. Thank you. (Applause.) The USMCA contains critical protections for intellectual property, including trade secrets, digital services, and financial services. It establishes new standards and safeguards protecting the environment. And currency stability something that has been on my mind for a lot of years, long before I got here. What theyve done to us with currency is crazy. It includes protections for American-made fibers, yarns, and fabrics, boosting the U.S. textile industry by numbers that you wont even believe. Youll see them soon. This is a cutting-edge, state-of-the-art agreement that protects, defends, and serves the great people of our country. Thanks to our pro-worker, pro-American economic policies, unemployment is at the lowest level in more than 50 years. Its great. (Applause.) And weve created, in a very short period of time, a number that nobody wouldve believed. If I ever said it during the campaign, they wouldnt have believed. The estimate was 2 million. The most you could do was 2 million. Weve created over 7 million new jobs up until this point. (Applause.) Over 7 million new jobs. Nobody wouldve believed that. Real median household income is now the highest level ever recorded history of our country, ever recorded. More Americans are working today than have ever worked in the history of our country. Were up to almost 160 million people working. Weve never even come close to a number like that. We have the hottest economy on Earth. Other countries come to see me in the Oval Office, and the first thing they say is, What are you doing with your economy? They try to copy us. Many have copied us, and it hasnt worked so well for them, to put it mildly. Were we are doing better than any country anywhere in the world, and its not even close. Millions of extraordinary men and women strengthen our country every day in factories and warehouses, fields and farms, mills and stockyards, all across this magnificent land. Their work and devotion and drive inspires our people and powers our nation. Together, were building a glorious future that is raised, grown, built, and made right here in the glorious USA. I would now like to invite Vice President Pence and Ambassador Lighthizer to say a few words. They worked very hard on the agreement. And Im just going to finish off saying that this is something we really put our heart into. Its probably the number-one reason that I decided to lead this crazy life that Im leading right now, as opposed to that beautiful, simple life of luxury that I led before this happened. (Laughter.) But I love doing it. And the reason I love doing it is that nobody, in a period of three years, has done so much as all of us have. Nobody. Theres never been an administration that has done what weve done in the first three years. (Applause.) That means were doing great things for the people of our country and beyond the people of our country. And its a real honor to be involved and to have helped so many people. A real honor. And its an honor to have all of you with us. Thank you very much. Mike, please say a few words. (Applause.) THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Mr. President. (Applause.) Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, members of Cabinet, and especially Ambassador Bob Lighthizer, governors, members of the Senate, members of the House of Representatives, leaders from businesses large and small across America, and all the hardworking Americans that are here and are looking on: This is a great day for American workers and American farmers because, Mr. President, thanks to your leadership, NAFTA ends today and a new era of jobs and growth begins under the USMCA. (Applause.) Mr. President, as a candidate and as our President, you said we could get this economy moving again. And with the support of the members of Congress gathered here, we cut taxes for working families and businesses large and small. We rolled back regulation. You unleashed American energy. But, Mr. President, you also challenged our party and the American people to think in new ways about international trade. And the American economy is booming. As you just said, more than 7 million jobs created; unemployment at a 50-year low. And I know what means most to you is that wages are rising across the board but theyre rising most rapidly for hardworking, blue-collar Americans. (Applause.) Mr. President, today youll sign the largest trade deal in American history. And today, thanks to your leadership, well leave behind the failed policies of the past and have a new trade deal that will benefit every American. As a son of the Heartland, let me say: I couldnt be more grateful for your leadership. I saw firsthand how NAFTA hollowed out communities, caused thousands of factories to close, shuttered businesses in communities across my state and across the Heartland. We saw thousands of jobs go south of the border. Over a million Americans lost their jobs. But thanks to your leadership, Mr. President, those days are over. (Applause.) Now, there are so many to thank here members of the House and Senate who stood with us every step of the way that youve acknowledged. Youve done a great service to the American people. Let me also thank the governors here and governors around the country, and mayors around the country, who stood with this President believing that we could do better as well. And, Mr. President, you directed me to travel across this country over the past year. Ive traveled to nearly 20 states. Ive met with farmers, and workers, and owners of businesses large and small. And today, I want to give credit to them as well. To Americans like Jay and Sue Blanchard of Safety Signs in Lakeville, Minnesota; to Don Walker of Magna International in Lancaster, Ohio; and Doug Freitas of Freitas Farms in California: It was Americans like them who let their voice be heard and supported your leadership. And Congress acted to approve the USMCA. (Applause.) This day is theirs as well. But finally, Mr. President, on their behalf, I want to say thank you to you for having the vision long ago that America could do better than NAFTA. I want to thank you, Mr. President, on behalf of all of the American people for simply keeping your word, for fighting for the forgotten men and women of this country every day as you do, for driving a hard bargain, for never letting up until we got a deal that put American jobs and American workers first. So were here today because of great allies in Congress and statehouses and city halls. Were here today because the American people stepped forward and demanded better. But I want to say with a grateful heart that were here mostly because we have a President who will always put America first. Thank you, Mr. President, and congratulations. (Applause.) THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. AMBASSADOR LIGHTHIZER: Mr. President, Mr. Vice President: The President was elected in large part on his promise to change the direction of U.S. trade policy, a policy that for too long had led to exploding trade deficits, the outsourcing of U.S. jobs, and the brazen theft of American intellectual property. For many, NAFTA came to symbolize everything that was wrong with that policy. The agreement was highly controversial from the start, and passed with a narrow majority in the House of Representatives. Many of those who cast votes in favor came to regret their decision. They did so because many of the promises that were made in order to procure their votes came to nothing. NAFTAs weak, unenforceable labor side agreement did not raise wages in Mexico. The outsourcing fears that prominent NAFTA voices anti-NAFTA voices came to nothing. And the situation got worse later in the decade when China joined the WTO. This experience colored every subsequent debate over trade policy. And nearly every trade agreement after NAFTA passed with an increasingly narrow majority, and often along party lines. President Trump set out to chart a new course. The Trump trade policy is designed to create more manufacturing jobs, protect Americas competitive advantage in technology and innovation, secure greater market access for American businesses, farmers, ranchers, and, critically, to change the stale politics of trade by creating bipartisan consensus around a new model that works better for all Americans. The USMCA achieves each of these goals. This great historic agreement is truly the result of extraordinary effort by many, many people. It is multinational, whole of administration, and bipartisan. It affects every sector, thousands of businesses, and millions of workers in our economy. Of course, the President was our leader and inspiration. And the Vice President was intimately involved in this process, in every single step, and devoted an enormous amount of his first term to making sure that we succeeded. For that, Im very grateful. The complexity of this effort is perhaps best shown by the fact that, in the early rounds, as many as a thousand negotiators from the three countries would be involved. We needed experts on agriculture, manufacturing, automobiles, banking, telecommunications, labor, environment. And I can go and on. I would like to thank my negotiating partners from Mexico: Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo, Ambassador Jesus Seade, as well as the absolutely essential Luis Videgaray, Secretary Marcelo Ebrard, as well as Secretary Graciela Marquez, and past and present Ambassadors Gutierrez and Barcena from Mexico. On the Canadian side, I would like to thank Deputy Prime Minister and good friend Chrystia Freeland, Gerry Butts, Katie Telford, and Steve Verheul. And, again, the Ambassadors there, past and present, MacNaughton and Heymen. All were critical. Mexico and Canada are fortunate to have such impressive public servants. I would also personally like to thank the members of Congress, Republicans and Democrats, who worked so hard on this agreement not just last year, but during the course of the negotiations. They also were involved every step of the way. They made this a bipartisan success. I have been in town long enough to know that listing members at a time like this makes more enemies than friends. (Laughter.) So Ill only mention that Im grateful to the leadership of the House, the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Ways and Means Committee and the Finance Committee, and, of course, Leader McConnell. Many others made immense contributions. Thank you also to congressional staff. You were magnificent for two years. Finally and I apologize for the length of my remarks I want to show my appreciation to the inspiring men and women of USTR, as well as the Departments of Commerce, Agriculture (applause) Treasury, Labor, Transportation, EPA, and other agencies that worked so hard. These people worked tens of thousands of hours for two-plus years, many going home at two and three oclock in the morning, or not at all. Chief among the leaders of this effort is my deputy, Ambassador C.J. Mahoney. (Applause.) Since his confirmation two years ago, he has worked continuously on this effort, day and night, and seven days a week. Thank you also, Ambassador Doud, our agriculture negotiating, and the long-suffering Jamieson Greer, who has the unenviable task of being my chief of staff. (Laughter.) As I said 16 months ago, thank you also, Jared Kushner, my friend and partner, for all your work and guidance and support. (Applause.) I said before, from the heart, and I mean it again now: Thank you to the Cabinet members who devoted a substantial part of their terms to this effort, particularly the Secretaries of Treasury, Commerce, Agriculture, Labor. And thank you, of course, Larry Kudlow and Peter Navarro. The chief negotiator of the USMCA was Assistant USTR John Melle. (Applause.) He was, throughout, the one who is responsible for the 350 or so people on our team. John is the best example of a career public servant. He retires this week, and he will be missed. (Applause.) In closing, let me just say that I mostly want to thank the President of the United States for allowing me to lead this special team, for his constant steady leadership, and for always being supportive during very difficult times, and to congratulate him on his magnificent achievement. To do this, and to do it under these circumstances, is a monumental part of your legacy, and Im happy to be part of it. (Applause.) Ill end where I began. The President ran and was elected on replacing NAFTA with an agreement that puts American workers first, American farmers, ranchers, and businesses first; that will bring manufacturing back; help service industry workers; and raise wages. All I can say, if youll pardon the appropriation: Promise made, and three years later, promise kept. (Applause.) THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Great job. Well, great job. Well, with all of the power and wealth and status in front of me, I think we would all agree that the people that are, by far, the most important with us today happen to be standing right behind me. (Applause.) Thank you all. Thank you all. Great. Theyre the ones. Theyre the workers. Theyre the workers, and theyre the ones that are going to benefit most by what were doing. So thank you very much for being here. Thank you. PARTICIPANT: Thank you, Mr. President. THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you. And I would like you to remember that, two weeks ago, we signed another little deal: our trade deal with China. And we expect to be taking in $250 billion a year in purchases. They will be purchasing so much from our farmers. Ive been saying they have to go out and buy, immediately, larger tractors and more land. (Laughter.) I hope they can do it. But they the number is the largest number theyve ever produced was $16 billion a year. I think, Chuck, we could say that. Joni, you would say sixteen was the number. I called up our great Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny who is probably around here someplace and I said, Sonny, whats the biggest number? Sonny Perdue. And he said, Sir, $16 billion is the biggest number. I said, All right, but were going to make it up, because they were targeted perhaps correctly. You know, China is negotiating. Thats why nobody wanted to take it on. They said, Were going to target your farmers. And every other leader of our country said, Oh, were going to pass. Our farmers were incredible because they said, The President is doing the right thing. But I said, Whats the number were talking about? And it was $16 billion, and it was $12 billion from the previous year. So it was $12 billion and $16 billion, and that was it. That was the maximum theyve ever done. So I said, You know what we have to do? Were going to reimburse them and help them with $12 billion for the first year; $16 billion, same thing, for the second year. And the farmers got through. And they didnt want that. Nobody wanted to call it a subsidy. And it wasnt a subsidy; it was really a targeting fee, you could call it. But our farmers Ill never forget we had them over at the White House in the Cabinet Room. Thirty-five farmers. And they said, Sir, we dont want any money. We just want a level playing field. We dont want money. And I said, You know what? Ive been President now at that time for two and a half years. I said, Thats the first time anybody has ever said that. Everybody wants money and they dont care how they get it. (Laughter.) This is the first time. They said, We dont want we just want a level playing field. They are the most incredible people. And when some of the people from the media Im going to be very nice today the people from the media went out to the farms, and they went out to Iowa, and they went to Nebraska, they went to all of the different many of the different states and they said, What do you think about what the President is doing? They all I dont think I heard one negative no matter who it was, no matter which network. The farmers would say, The President is doing the right thing. This shouldve been done a long time ago. Ill never forget it. (Applause.) And now the farmers are going to be tremendous beneficiaries. In fact, when Bob was getting ready to sign the agreement, very close we were a few days off and I said, What are we getting for the farmers? Sir, we have it up to $20 billion purchased. I said, Make it 50. They said, What do you mean, Make it 50? Remember that one, Bob? I said, Make it 50. THE VICE PRESIDENT: (Laughs.) Its true. THE PRESIDENT: He said, Sir, they cant produce that much. I said, Theyll find a way to do it. I think theyll find a way. Chuck, if they dont find a way, Im going to be very angry at you, okay? Theyll find a way. But its true. We had it down to 20; thats more than they had ever done before. I said, Make it 50. And theyre going to. I think China is going to really be terrific. I think our relationship has never been better. Were very much involved with them, right now, on the virus thats going around. Were working very closely. I spoke to President Xi. Were working very closely with China. And, honestly, I think, as tough as this negotiation was, I think our relationship with China now might be the best its been in a long, long time. And now its reciprocal. Before, we were being ripped off badly. Now we have a reciprocal relationship, maybe even better than reciprocal for us. Because we have a long way to go before we get back some of the $500 billion a year that we were losing for year after year to China. So were very honored by that deal and were very honored by the USMCA. And I just want to thank everybody in the audience because almost every one of you, indirectly or directly, was involved. And history is going to show youre going to be very, very proud of whats happening and very proud of whats happening to our country. Thank you all for being here very much. And Im going to have the honor of signing the USMCA. Thank you very much. (Applause.) Why dont we have some of our great leaders come up? Cabinet members, come up. Why dont we have everybody come up? Mick, everybody. Cabinet. Jared, Ivanka. Come on up. This will be very historic. So if you dont senators, come on up. Come on, senators. Come on, senators. Please, come up. Please. Please, come up. Oh, were going to take care of the senators. The workers understand. They get it better than anybody. Hi, fellas. Good. This is great. And, Bob, if we could have some of the folks that worked so hard on the agreement come up, from your department. Come on up. Come on up. Some of them are they just didnt stop. They worked long hours. Thank you very much. Okay. Thank you very much. Thank you, Kevin. Thank you, Roger. Okay. Thank you very much. (The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement is signed.) (Applause.) Thank you all for coming. Its a great honor. WASHINGTON The House voted Thursday to sharply limit President Donald Trump's ability to launch a military strike against Iran and to repeal the 2002 law that authorized the Iraq war, which has been used as justification for other U.S. military operations. Democrats said the two votes were vital to reining in what they see as a reckless and impulsive president, pointing to his decision to authorize a U.S. drone strike that killed Gen. Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad on Jan. 2. Trump has taken the U.S. "to the brink of war with an assassination of a foreign leader, without any imminent threat demonstrated, only double-talk," said Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas. "It is time to put the brakes on his dangerous pursuits." Republicans warned the two House bills would tie the president's hands at a perilous moment. And they applauded Trump's decision to target Soleimani, saying the Iranian leader was a terrorist with American blood on his hands. "The president's not trying to start a war with Iran," said Rep. Michael McCaul, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. "In fact, he's shown incredible restraint against Iran, after they shot down our drone" and attacked a Saudi oil field. He said Democrats did not object when former President Barack Obama conducted "thousands of unauthorized strikes in Libya," and said it was "hypocritical and dangerous" for Democrats to limit Trump's powers to respond to "the very real and growing threats that Iran and its proxies pose." In the first House vote, lawmakers approved a bill that would block Trump from using any federal funds for "unauthorized military force against Iran." The final tally was 228-to-175. The House then passed a bill repealing the 2002 Iraq war authorization sought by then-President George W. Bush. The Trump administration said the 2002 Iraq war law gave the president the authority to target Soleimani, who was killed while visiting Baghdad. While the 2002 law authorized the war against then-Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq, it also identified Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations operating in Iraq as threats against the United States. Story continues Democrats said it was outrageous to cite the Iraq war authorization as its legal basis for killing an Iranian military leader. Both the Trump and Obama administrations have also cited the 2002 law as justification for military strikes outside of Iraq including in Yemen and Syria. Rep. Eliot Engel, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the 2002 measure has been "misused time and time and time again." He said Thursday's vote would send a clear message to Trump and future presidents. "Were saying today theres no blank check for war," Engel said. Republicans warned that the U.S. faces continuing dangers in Iraq, noting the Islamic State terrorist group still operates in the country. McCaul said he agreed the 2002 authorization should be updated to reflect the U.S. changed mission in Iraq. But, he said, simply repealing it "does not recognize the reality on the ground that our counter-terrorism mission in Iraq is ongoing." The repeal measure passed by a vote of 236-to-166. Both bills will face stiff opposition in the Republican-controlled Senate. Trump could also veto both measures. The president blasted the two measures on Wednesday. Live impeachment updates: Trump Senate impeachment trial to resume with final questions "With Votes in the House tomorrow, Democrats want to make it harder for Presidents to defend America, and stand up to, as an example, Iran," the president wrote on Twitter. "Protect our GREAT COUNTRY!" While the House debated the presidents war powers, the Trump administration announced new sanctions against the regime, as well as three waivers that will help Iran continue work on its civilian nuclear facilities. Brian Hook, the State Departments top Iran representative, said the U.S. would sanction Irans Atomic Energy Organization, which oversees the countrys civilian nuclear program, and its chief officer. At the same time, Hook said the U.S. would also renew three waivers allowing China, Russia and European companies to continue nonproliferation initiatives at an Iranian research reactor and other sites. Conservatives criticized the Trump administration's decision to grant the waivers. The Iranian regime continues to violate the limits of the nuclear deal, yet it continues to receive direct assistance from Vladimir Putins Russian regime, China, and other foreign countries who are contributing to its nuclear program," said Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida. Supporters said those waivers are designed to ensure Iran's nuclear activities are for purely civilian purposes. ." What did senators ask?: Here are questions senators asked during Trump's impeachment trial The Senate is also poised to debate Trump's war-making powers, although perhaps not until the Trump impeachment trial has concluded. What are senators thinking?: Senators' questions at Trump impeachment trial show most minds are made up President Donald Trump speaks in the East Room of the White House during an event with U.S. mayors on Jan. 24, 2020, in Washington. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: House to vote on barring Iran strike, repealing Iraq war authorization Corey Yazzie If any Alibi readersand that includes members of the current municipal administrationwant to have a better idea of how far the city remains from fully embracing the city police as well as the reforms mandated in the DOJ settlement of 2014, then we highly recommend the following. Go to a meeting like the Activist Police Reform Forum held at the Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice on Saturday, Jan. 25. We did. And the combination of fear and hope and suspicion and anger and acceptance experienced at the latest convocation of this collection of citizens, community activists, and yes, plain old local hell-raisers should be noted by those in leadership role around the Duke City. That includes the Mayor and his entourage. That includes the Chief of Police and his cadre of sergeants, lieutenants and captains. And all the new, young, shiny, good-postured and forward-looking recruits, too. Of course, that list also includes more people like you and me. That is to say, more ordinary citizens should consider adding their voices to the community-centered workshops being held in coordination with local activist groups like RISE New Mexico. Were sure that if there were more citizen participation, more voices and a higher level of moderation added to such gatherings, real work could be done and progress made. By doing so, wed all be sure to get a better picture of what is and what will be, regarding the conversion of our once notoriously dysfunctional police force into a trusted, progressive ensemble of officers whose main job is to serve and protect. More importantly, by voluntarily participating in the community processwhether by sending a representative or meeting separately with organizersthe city could demonstrate a real willingness to engage deeper concepts contained within the umbrella of process called community policing. Held within public territory, such encounters would facilitate a sense of trust and togetherness amongst citizens. And the fact is some citizens are still outraged by the events of two months ago, six years ago, 10 years ago and 40 years ago. And though our local police force is being rebuilt into a responsive and responsible model by Chief Geier and Mayor Keller, Weekly Alibi encountered many at the meeting who were still suspicious of APD, its motives and its future. Getting There The drive to the Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice causes one to pass through what is affectionately known in Burque as the Student Ghetto. Over the years, the area has become wan but still retains a funky, Burque flavor that is culturally memorable. The Living Batch bookstore might be gone, but Frontier Restaurant, El Patio and the Peace and Justice Center remain. As rental houses occupied by at least four generations of undergrads grow ever shabbier, some quaint holdoutsno doubt professorial digsremain. Theres also some new development, if one considers more paid parking an upgrade. Its sorta ironic that a Joni Mitchell song referencing that very thing was playing on the radio as our reporter arrived at the corner of Harvard Drive and Silver Avenue, home of the Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice. The west side of the building features a full color mural dedicated to the struggle of Leonard Peltier. The famous Indigenous rights activist was convicted of killing two FBI Agents in the mid-1970s. Since his imprisonment beganand even after an escape attempt in 1979Peltiers cause has been an important aspect of some forms of activist culture here in New Mexico and broadly in leftist communities across the nationa cause celebre as it were. Peltiers next parole hearing is scheduled for 2024. By then, the activist will be 79 years old. Meeting People Theres a meeting hall just past the main office of the peace center. A large accommodating kitchen is adjacent to the space, but today it is quiet and dark. On the southern wall, a beautiful display of flowers, Buddhist symbols and bright colors bids a warm welcome to those who enter. In the midst of it all, about 30 chairs had been formed into a circle. About two-thirds of them are taken. There are new activists, college student-aged and full of eloquent outpourings about injustice, organizing and the performative nature of social media as a basis to drive change. Then there are people whove been coming to these types of meetings at the peace center for years, some for decades by their own accounting to us. They include some who are righteously angry over horrible events that transpired way before the name James Boyd became a local barometer of police dysfunction in the Duke City. There are also local community activists. Those include Tom Dent, one of the leaders, along with Selinda Guerrero, of local activist group RISE New Mexico. Dent, Vice Chair of the Southeast Area Community Policing Council, is committed to bringing people together to solve local problems. That includes managing an ongoing bronca many other local activists continue to have with APD. Right in the middle of the meeting, our reporter boldly and somewhat bluntly asked if anyone in the room was in favor of having more police officers on the local force. This question caused an uproar and none of those present were in favor of the 100 more police per year that Keller has proposed. In fact, some present at the meeting bristled at the ideaand the fact that it came from a member of the local press. After that critical juncture came and went, many people with many different ideas spoke. Local independent activist Verland Coker took the microphone a few times to speak on the roots of police violence as a tool of oppression of the lower classes, particularly ethnic minorities and women. Among other things, Coker told those gathered that the already compromised public education systembasically a school to prison pipeline for many young people of colorwould be further stressed by the global climate crisis, saying, a lot of education money is coming from oil and gas. This money coming in is pressuring the state not to divest. This will inevitably cause problems with the working class and the police may respond. Another, older woman recounted her experience with APD. She told a story of a close relative killed in an officer-involved shooting that occurred more than 10 years ago. Although she chose not to go on the record, her plea was passionate, even incredulously angry that there had been no justice for her son. Taking Action Two members of the discussion stood out more than the rest, however. Andres Valdez, a longtime voice in the local police reform movement, is working on two pieces of legislation that would accelerate progressive police reform. Valdez also keeps and constantly updates an ongoing chronicle of police abuses in Albuquerque. Felina Sunshine Romero is a woman interested in social justice and equity. Now a youth organizer at the local community college, Romero has her roots in Albuquerques Old Town area and is a veteran of peace marches and protests in Burque. Valdez told the tale of Rito Canales and Antonio Cordova, local members of the Chicano movement who the activist says were murdered by Albuquerque police on Black Mesa on Jan. 29, 1972. Valdez said the murders were a setup; basically thats the story. Reports indicate that the two were lured into taking a trip to a local construction site. Elsewhere, someone tipped off APD that Canales and Cordova would be onsite to steal dynamite, potentially for a terrorist activity. Of course both men died and no one at APD was ever held responsible, according to Valdez. Valdez is also the sponsor of two measures at this years legislature. One would call for a change in the prosecution process for officer-related shootings in Albuquerque. Under such an act, the local District Attorney would be recused and a special prosecutor named to investigate such shootings. Another proposal would involve asking for changes to the settlement agreement through an amicus briefing to the court. Romero is just as dedicated but much more positive in her outlook. When asked to speak to the issue of addressing the root problems of crime in the Albuquerque, Romero pointed to this citys children, urging better lives for all of them as a preventative measure. According to the youthful activist, the best way to approach this problem is by each taking individual action. What Im going to do is start volunteering at the Metropolitan Detention Center. And Im going to help enlighten and empower and motivate the youth. I want to be there to listen to them, to hear their stories and tell them that other people go through this. If we start to advocate for them and start to educate them [prisoners], we can possibly end this. I feel like we really need to educate the youth more, they should fill these chairs at the peace and justice center. That just about says it all. Islamabad, Jan 30 : Two polio vaccinators have been shot dead in Pakistan. Shakeela Bibi, 28, was killed on the spot and Ghuncha Gull, 30, was critically injured and died later in hospital. The women were attacked by gunmen on a bike as they were travelling to a hospital to deposit their vaccine kits, Efe news reported. They had been immunising children in the town of Parmoli in the Swab district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police said. According to local police, the polio workers were not escorted by security guards as the region was not marked as a highly sensitive area. Jihad Khan, Parmoli police station head, told EFE: "After doing their duty at 15:15 hours both were walking to deposit their kits when two unidentified gunmen riding a bike opened fire from their back. "The gunmen were able to escape the scene." Gull was initially taken to the Kalu Khan Hospital in Swabi before being transferred to the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar where she died from her injuries, the police officer said. Attacks on polio workers are common in various parts of the conservative Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces. Unknown gunmen shot dead two policemen who were part of an immunization program in the country's volatile northwest in December. The pair were killed as they were heading to escort a team of medics in the Dir area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Dir police station in-charge Faisal Khan told EFE at the time. Pakistan witnessed a jump in the number of polio cases from 12 in 2018 to 140 in 2019. Zulfiqar Babakhel, of the Polio Eradication Cell, told EFE: "This year six polio cases have been reported in Pakistan so far. "Three cases were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, two in Sindh and one in Balochistan." Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria are the only three countries in the world where the poliovirus continues to affect the lives of the children. Those under the age of five are the biggest victims of the infectious disease that can cause paralysis and muscular atrophy of the limbs. Ayush Ministry has put up an advisory regarding prevention from the novel coronavirus that has taken life of nearly 170 people in China and has affected 1700 people. The Ministry tweeted on Tuesday that coronavirus can be prevented by using Unani, Homeopathic and Ayurvedic medicines. AYUSH system is based on traditional health practices. The traditional Healthcare system of the country provides lifestyle advocacies to boost immunity which helps the prevention of various kind infectious diseases. pic.twitter.com/MgElWbQatB Ministry of AYUSH (@moayush) January 29, 2020 A similar advisory was released by PIB. It said, "Homoeopathy for prevention of coronavirus infections, unani medicines useful in the symptomatic management of coronavirus infection." Advisory for #CoronaVirus Homoeopathy for Prevention of Corona virus Infections Unani Medicines useful in the symptomatic management of Corona Virus infection Details here: https://t.co/OXC7PtM7L3 PIB India (@PIB_India) January 29, 2020 These health advisories are drawing a lot of flaks from netizens. A Twitterati Shruti Chaturvedi tweeted, "Umm what? This is such blatant misinformation being spread by the government! Corona Virus is as new as today's sunrise and thousand year old "science" knew it's cure? Bother to call China and impart your knowledge to them na." Umm what? This is such blatant misinformation being spread by the government! Corona Virus is as new as today's sunrise and thousand year old "science" knew it's cure? Bother to call China and impart your knowledge to them na, @AyushmanNHA? @AltNews @boomlive_in can u pls check Shruti Chaturvedi (@adhicutting) January 29, 2020 Twitter user Shaantanu Singh said, "Official government outlets promoting 'alternative medicine' for a currently raging epidemic that has just crossed into the country. This, while China builds entire hospitals in a week and combats its second epidemic since SARS. Keep electing fake degree chaiwalas, India." Official government outlets promoting 'alternative medicine' for a currently raging epidemic that has just crossed into the country. This, while China builds entire hospitals in a week and combats its second epidemic since SARS. Keep electing fake degree chaiwalas, India. Shaantanu Singh (@singh_shaantanu) January 29, 2020 A twitter handle @GorwayGlobal took a jibe at PIB, "This is absolute madness. The advice is a mix of (A) standard WHO advice (hygiene, hand washing, etc) and (B) a series of herbs/potions etc which are at best useless, at worst toxic due to processing impurities. But the real danger is people will ignore (A) and practice (B)." This is absolute madness. The advice is a mix of a) standard @WHO advice (hygiene, hand washing, etc) AND b) a series of herbs/potions etc which are at best useless, at worst toxic due to processing impurities. But the real danger is people will ignore (a) and practice (b). JayEnAar (@GorwayGlobal) January 29, 2020 Another Twitter handle @YogaVedanta slammed goevrnment for circulating these advisories. It said, "This is not just ridiculous, downright shameful. It's still wondering why this govt is so obsessed with quack medicine over serious health crisis. Govt will lose credibility pushing things like in the time of global crisis." MIAMI, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL;NYSE: CUK) and the company's Italian brand Costa Cruises have confirmed that Italian health officials diagnosed a passenger on board a ship docked in Civitavecchia, north of Rome, Italy with the common flu. The ship will resume its Mediterranean program on Friday. Guests who should have disembarked today can either disembark or remain on board overnight, at their discretion. All guests scheduled to embark today will be accommodated in hotels near the port and embark on Friday. About Carnival Corporation & plc Carnival Corporation & plc is the world's largest leisure travel company and among the most profitable and financially strong in the cruise and vacation industries, with a portfolio of nine of the world's leading cruise lines. With operations in North America, Australia, Europe and Asia, its portfolio features Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O Cruises (Australia), Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard. Together, the corporation's cruise lines operate 105 ships with 254,000 lower berths visiting over 700 ports around the world, with 16 new ships scheduled to be delivered through 2025. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour company in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices. With a long history of innovation and providing guests with extraordinary vacation experiences, Carnival Corporation has received thousands of industry awards including recognition by the Consumer Technology Association as a CES 2019 Innovation Awards Honoree for OceanMedallion. A revolutionary wearable device that contains a proprietary blend of communication technologies, OceanMedallion enables the world's first interactive guest experience platform transforming vacation travel on a large scale into a highly personalized level of customized service. The prestigious CES Innovation Awards honor outstanding design and engineering in consumer technology products. Additional information can be found on www.carnival.com, www.princess.com, www.hollandamerica.com, www.seabourn.com, www.pocruises.com.au, www.costacruise.com, www.aida.de, www.pocruises.com and www.cunard.com. SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc Related Links http://www.carnival.com WEDNESDAY, Jan. 29, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- It's still the early days, but a report on the first 99 cases of the new coronavirus treated at a hospital in Wuhan, China, finds severe respiratory infection that proved fatal in about 10% of cases. It should be noted that the report only involved patients sick enough to warrant hospitalization with 2019-nCoV -- the overall death rate from the infection remains much lower than that recorded in this study. As of Wednesday, Chinese authorities report that nearly 6,000 cases have been reported, including 132 deaths. That's a death rate of about 2% -- roughly similar to that seen with the flu. All of the patients in China were admitted during the earliest stage of the outbreak, between Jan. 1 and Jan. 20, at Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan, close to the seafood market where it's thought the 2019-nCoV pathogen emerged in late December. All had pneumonia when they were admitted, and most (75%) had pneumonia in both lungs, said a team reporting in the Jan. 29 issue of The Lancet medical journal. The typical patient was male (two-thirds of those treated), middle-aged or older (average age was 55.5 years) and almost half had underlying chronic diseases such as heart disease or diabetes, said a team led by Li Zhang, of the Tuberculosis and Respiratory Department at Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital. Besides pneumonia, most patients had fever and coughing, and about a third had shortness of breath. But the large majority -- 88 -- have survived their coronavirus infection, the group noted, and patients were treated with antiviral or antibiotic drugs and/or oxygen therapy. However, 17 of the patients developed a critical condition known as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). According to the American Lung Association, "the main complication in ARDS is that fluid leaks into the lungs making breathing difficult or impossible." Eleven of the 17 people affected died after multiple organ failure, the Wuhan medical team said. As for the rest, more than half (57) were still in the hospital as of Jan. 25, while about a third have been discharged. According to the Wuhan team, the new data shows that "early identification and timely treatment of critical cases of 2019-nCoV are important." "Effective life support and active treatment of complications should be provided to effectively reduce the severity of patients' conditions and prevent the spread of this new coronavirus in China and worldwide," the group concluded. They stressed that many of the 11 patients who died were older and had underlying health issues: "five were older than 60 years, three had hypertension, and one was a heavy smoker," the team noted. The researchers said that pattern fits the typical profile of people who die from a viral pneumonia, as can happen with another viral disease, influenza. Dr. Len Horovitz is a pulmonary specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. Reading over the findings, he agreed that the clinical progress of 2019-nCoV appears to mimic that of flu. "Complications and fatalities are associated with older adult men with comorbidities such as diabetes and pre-existing pulmonary conditions," Horovitz said. And he added that "this is not SARS." The death rate with SARS was roughly 10%, according to the The Lancet study. An outbreak of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) in China made headlines in 2003. SARS is from the same family of coronaviruses as 2019-nCoV, although it has key differences from the new germ. One key difference is that it now appears people can transmit 2019-nCoV even when they are not showing symptoms -- a factor that could encourage the spread of the virus, experts say. So far, only five cases of 2019-nCoV have been reported in the United States, all of them originating in people who were infected in China. No U.S. person-to-person transmission of the coronavirus has yet been reported, though a handful of other countries have seen such transmissions. In related news, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday that a plane carrying U.S. citizens from Wuhan arrived at March Air Reserve Base in California on Wednesday morning and was met by CDC medical officers. The 210 passengers were screened, monitored and evaluated by medical personnel at every stage of their journey, including before takeoff, during the flight, during a refueling in Anchorage, Alaska, and upon arrival in California, the CDC said. Risk assessments -- including temperature checks and observing for respiratory symptoms -- have been conducted by CDC staff to check the health of each passenger, the agency said. According to Horovitz, Americans should be vigilant about the new coronavirus, but should not panic. He said the comparisons to flu might be useful. "It's clear that while there is cause for concern, mortality from coronavirus does not appear to be high," Horovitz said. "Up to 40,000 people die annually from influenza in this country in an average year -- and people still refuse the flu shot." More information The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on the new coronavirus. By PTI AHMEDABAD: Renowned historian Ramchandra Guha on Thursday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi misused Mahatma Gandhi's name to "promote himself", and asked if he was "fond of" Gandhi before becoming prime minister. Guha, here to deliver a lecture on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi's death anniversary, also slammed the BJP-led Union government over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), saying Gandhi would have opposed it if he were alive. In a piece of advise for Kartikeya Sarabhai, a trustee of the Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust, Guha said the Ashram should have maintained a distance from Modi after he became prime minister. He also criticised Sabarmati Ashram and other Gandhian institutions such as Gujarat Vidyapith (which was founded by Gandhi himself) for not speaking up against the CAA. "After May 2014, you (Sarabhai and other trustees) should have kept the PM at arm's length. Was he fond of Gandhi before he became PM? He misused Gandhi's name to promote himself," Guha, who has penned a two-volume biography of the Mahatma, said. "If Gandhi was alive, he would have opposed CAA. It is deceitful for the PM to misquote Gandhi," said Guha during a question-hour session after his lecture. The CAA -- which grants citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh -- is "illogical, immoral and ill-timed", he said. Any morally upright person who believes in the Constitution and non-violence would oppose it, he added. "Even if the Supreme Court upholds it, CAA must be resisted, but non-violently," the historian said, before slamming Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his comments about the ongoing protest at Shaheen Bagh in Delhi. "It's the obligation of the political class to try and contain, manage, tame and overcome violence. But here, record of our political leadership has been unfortunate," Guha said. "Just look at the violence in the language of the two of the most important people in India," he said. "For the Home Minister of India, the remarks he made about the women in Shaheen Bagh are unconstitutional. In any decent democracy, he should have been dismissed overnight. It is because of what the Home Minister said, the junior minister said even worse things," said Guha. He did not specify exactly which remarks he was referring to. Guha also accused the PM of using "abusive and demeaning" language for his political opponents. To a question about why he declined to accept Ahmedabad University's offer of a teaching post in 2018, Guha blamed the BJP, saying "the ruling party did not allow me". The Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the RSS, had submitted a memorandum to the private university, seeking cancellation of Guha's appointment. "Remember, there was Gujarat before Modi and Shah, and there will be Gujarat after Modi and Shah," said Guha, addressing the audience which included prominent intellectuals, lawyers, university students and civil rights activists. After the lecture, Guha visited Rakhial area of the city where Muslim women have been staging a Shaheen Bagh-like sit-in protest for the last one week against the CAA. The opposition National Democratic Congress in the Savannah Region has accused the Regional Minister, Adam Salifu Braimah of unlawfully withholding the recently distributed One-Constituency-One-Ambulance for "funfair" activities in the regional capital Damongo. President Akuffo-Addo the commissioned 307 ambulances to provide emergency healthcare services in constituencies nationwide, and handed over to National Ambulances Service (NAS) on Tuesday, 28th January 2020 at the Black Stars Square on Accra. The NDC in a statement signed by Malik Basintale, the Regional Communications Officer expressed their disapproval of the minister withholding the ambulances for another re-commissioning ceremony. The Party in the region has therefore issued 48-hours for the minister to immediately release ambulances for the various constituencies in the region or face their wrath. Read a copy of the statement below: PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release 30th January 2020 RELEASE S/R AMBULANCES WITHIN 48-HOURS OR FACE OUR WRATH. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Savannah region has taken notice of an insensitive and tactless attitude being exhibited by the Savannah regional minister Mr. Adam Salifu Braimah in unreasonably withholding the tax-payers ambulances meant for the various constituencies at his office awaiting another regional commissioning and funfair after President Akufo-Addo has already done same. The funfair commissioning that took place at the forecourt of the Black Star Square in Accra on Tuesday, January 28, 2020 saw all ambulances been driven straight to their respective constituencies and were directed to their various Units for the commencement of work as the already built hospitals, clinics and CHP compounds in various districts by H.E John Mahama were ready to receive them. It is highly disappointing that the ambulances earmarked for the Savannah Zone only found their way through the various constituencies they were allocated to without stopping and driven straight to the regional capital and were parked directly at the doorsteps of the regional ministers office. They have since been tasked to continuously drive through the streets of damongo township on hourly bases with loud sirens and parked every night at the ministers compound or the West Gonja DCE's compound since the last two days. This insensitive and intolerable act has mounted tensions in the region as on watchers feel irritated by this misconduct being exhibited by the regional minister and can no longer control their temper with this unpardonable act. A situation where 2 patients around the langbanto traditional area in damongo died yesterday due to lack of urgency to the hospital yet saw these ambulances displaying wastefully on the streets just for public attention. The NDC has found it necessary to salvage the situation with immediate effect by giving the regional minister a 48-hours ultimatum to get the ambulances to their designated locations or face a forceful dispatch and allocation of these ambulances for work to commence. We will not wait until we are told few days later that one of the ambulances has been stolen just as the Toyota Hilux pickup being used by the regional minister was purported to have disappeared neither will we watch on as indigenes lose their lives as a result of this shameful misconduct. The Next CAUTION will be ACTION. Thank you. Signed: Malik Basintale Regional Communication Officer - S/R A film festival intended to introduce American communities to life in French-speaking countries via cinema is kicking off its seventh year at Illinois College next week. The Tournees Film Festival at IC is funded by a grant from the French-American Cultural Exchange Foundation, which works to bring lesser-known French films to American college campuses, according to festival organizer Devin Bryson, an IC associate professor of modern languages in French. Every year I hear from students who are surprised, both by how unique or how different some of the films are (from American films) but also how theres plenty of similarities between either the characters or the stories and the types of films theyre watching, Bryson said. The grant, a competitive grant for which Bryson applies annually, funds the screening of six films. The organization offers from 15 to 20 film options from which to choose. One of the six films has to be a classic film, while the other five typically were released in just the past few years. As might be expected, the films are in French with English subtitles. I always reach out to students who have attended before for suggestions, Bryson said. I try to think of films that could be used in other courses or disciplines, so my colleagues at IC can have their students come. Last year an economics professor had students come to a film showing the economic life in Congo. This years classic film is the 1943 drama/thriller The Raven. (No, it has nothing to do with Edgar Allan Poe.) Considered one of the most influential films in the history of French cinema, The Raven Le Corbeau in French follows the breakdown of civic order in a small town when poison-pen letters begin to spread suspicion among residents. It was made during the German Occupation of France in World War II and was a huge success when it was released. After the Liberation, its dark depiction of French life and its not-so-subtle references to the culture of denunciation under the Nazis turned controversial and led to director Henri-Georges Clouzots lifetime ban from filmmaking. While Clouzot eventually was reinstated, it took years for The Raven to be recognized as a masterpiece. I think for anyone who wants to come and try one film, to see what this is like, the classic film The Raven is a really great movie, Bryson said. Its quite acceptable for anyone. Its great as a mystery film (but) also has this really deep historical tie. Bryson also is looking forward to the film Mrs. Hyde, a 2017 adaptation of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde that moves Robert Louis Stevensons tale to a high school in a tough Paris suburb. It starts Isabelle Huppert as a physics teacher who undergoes a transformation after being struck by lightning in her lab. It takes an unflinching view of the challenges facing France and its school system while believing in the power of education. I havent seen it yet, Bryson said of the film. But I love the lead actress, Isabelle Huppert. I love any opportunity I get to watch one of her movies. Huppert is perhaps best known to American audiences as the title character in the 2018 drama/mystery/thriller Greta, with Chloe Grace Moretz. The full lineup for the Tournees festival is: Tuesday The Wild Boys is a gender-bending, influence-scrambling adventure tale about five teenage troublemakers who are given into the custody of a Dutch sea captain who has promised to bring them back to their parents as obedient boys or not at all. The adventure/drama/fantasy runs 110 minutes and is not rated. Feb. 6 Mrs. Hyde is a comedy/drama/sci-fi film that is not rated. It runs 95 minutes. Feb. 11 Tazzeka follows Elias, who works in a tiny convenience story in a rural Moroccan village while dreaming of being a chef in Paris. But when he makes the journey, he struggles to make a living as a day laborer while fearing police raids on illegal immigrants and the stigma of returning home a failure. The 2018 comedy runs 95 minutes. Feb. 20 Vivre Riche is a documentary about young internet scammers in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, who spend their days in front of laptop screens, trying to lure European women into online relationships in hopes of taking their money. It is a portrait of resourceful young Ivorians but also raises questions about the moral compass of a young generation with few opportunities. The 2017 film runs 54 minutes. Feb. 25 The Image Book is an 84-minute, 2018 drama written, directed by and starring Jean-Luc Godard. It blends images from classic films with news footage to create a vision of a world in crisis and a meditation on cinemas relationship to history before ending with hope for the future. Feb. 27 The Raven is a 92-minute crime/drama/mystery. It is not rated. All screenings are at 7 p.m. in Kirby Learning Center, Room 6, on campus. The festival is free and open to the public, including the wider Jacksonville community, Bryson said. I, personally, would always love to see more people there, he said. We set it in one of our bigger auditorium classrooms. I would love to see it packed. WASHINGTON John Bolton, the former national security adviser, privately told Attorney General William Barr last year that he had concerns that President Donald Trump was effectively granting personal favors to the autocratic leaders of Turkey and China, according to an unpublished manuscript by Bolton. Barr responded by pointing to a pair of Justice Department investigations of companies in those countries and said he was worried that Trump had created the appearance that he had undue influence over what would typically be independent inquiries, according to the manuscript. Backing up his point, Barr mentioned conversations Trump had with the leaders, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and President Xi Jinping of China. Boltons account underscores the fact that the unease about Trumps seeming embrace of authoritarian leaders, long expressed by experts and his opponents, also existed among some of the senior Cabinet officers entrusted by the president to carry out his foreign policy and national security agendas. Bolton recounted his discussion with Barr in a draft of an unpublished book manuscript that he submitted nearly a month ago to the White House for review. People familiar with the manuscript described its contents on the condition of anonymity. The book also contains an account of Trump telling Bolton in August that he wanted to continue freezing $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine until officials there helped with investigations of political rivals, The New York Times reported Sunday. The matter is at the heart of the articles of impeachment against the president. A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment on Barrs conversations with Bolton, as did a spokesman for the National Security Council. In a statement Monday, Bolton, his publisher and his literary agency said they had not shared the manuscript with The Times. There was absolutely no coordination with The New York Times or anyone else regarding the appearance of information about his book, The Room Where It Happened, at online booksellers, Bolton, Simon & Schuster and Javelin said in a joint statement. Any assertion to the contrary is unfounded speculation. Dean Baquet, the executive editor of The Times, responded that The Times does not discuss its sources, but I should point out that no one has questioned the accuracy of our report. Bolton wrote in the manuscript that Barr singled out Trumps conversations with Xi about the Chinese telecommunications firm ZTE, which agreed in 2017 to plead guilty and pay heavy fines for violating U.S. sanctions on doing business with North Korea, Iran and other countries. A year later, Trump lifted the sanctions over objections from his own advisers and Republican lawmakers. Barr also cited remarks Trump made to Erdogan in 2018 about the investigation of Halkbank, Turkeys second-largest state-owned bank. The Justice Department was scrutinizing Halkbank on fraud and money-laundering charges for helping Iran evade sanctions imposed by the Treasury Department. Erdogan had been making personal appeals to Trump to use his authority to halt any additional enforcement against the bank. In 2018, Erdogan told reporters in Turkey that Trump had promised to instruct Cabinet members to follow through on the matter. The bank had hired a top Republican fundraiser to lobby the administration on the issue. For months, it looked as if the unusual lobbying effort might succeed; but in October, the Justice Department indicted the bank for aiding Iran. The charges were seen in part as an attempt by the administration to show that it was taking a tough line on Turkey amid an outcry over Trumps endorsement of its incursions in Syria. Boltons statements in the book align with other comments he has made since leaving the White House in September. In November, he said in a private speech that none of Trumps advisers shared the presidents views on Turkey and that he believed Trump adopted a more permissive approach to the country because of his financial ties there, NBC News reported. Trumps company has a property in Turkey. Trump has repeatedly praised dictators throughout his presidency. Last year, he said, Wheres my favorite dictator? as he waited to meet with President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt, The Wall Street Journal reported. Trumps soft spot for authoritarians dates at least to his presidential campaign, when he praised Saddam Hussein for being good at killing terrorists and suggested that the world would be better off were Col. Moammar Gadhafi, the deposed Libyan dictator who was killed in a violent uprising in 2011, in charge right now. Trump then suggested the ouster of both men was ultimately worse for the Middle East because the Islamic State had filled the void. Trump declared himself a big fan of Erdogan as they sat side by side in the Oval Office last fall after Trump cleared the way for Turkish forces to invade Syria, though he warned Erdogan behind the scenes against the offensive. Of Xi, Trump has been similarly effusive. When the Chinese Communist Party eliminated term limits, allowing Xi to keep his tenure open-ended, Trump extolled the outcome. Xi had personally asked Trump to intervene to save ZTE, which was on the brink of collapse because of tough U.S. penalties for sanctions violations. Lifting the sanctions on ZTE, a Chinese telecommunications giant that also serves as a geopolitical pawn for its government, most likely helped Trump negotiate with Xi in the trade war between the two countries. But Republican lawmakers and others objected to helping a Chinese company that broke the law and has been accused of posing a national security threat. Boltons reputation for muscular foreign policy was always an odd fit with Trump, who often threatens excessive force but rarely reacts with it. Bolton was pleased when Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, including the United States, that the Obama administration had entered into. Other Trump advisers had urged him against it. But Trumps lack of action after Iranian aggression against the United States rankled Bolton. Boltons book has already netted significant sales. Shortly after the disclosure of its contents Sunday night, Amazon listed the book for purchase. By Monday evening, it was No. 17 on Amazons bestseller list. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Three Japanese evacuated from the epicentre of a deadly new coronavirus outbreak have tested positive for the illness, the government said Thursday, as it faced criticism for the country's minimal quarantine measures. The new cases were announced as another evacuation flight from Wuhan landed in Tokyo, and the government confirmed three more local cases. More than 400 people have now been repatriated from Wuhan, the centre of the outbreak that has killed 170 people and infected thousands. But while returnees praised the government's effort to bring them home quickly, there has been criticism of Japan's decision to allow the arrivals to "self-quarantine". Two of Wednesday's returnees initially refused to be tested for the virus, although officials said the pair were now willing to be checked. The health ministry said Thursday there were now 14 confirmed cases in Japan, of which two have not shown any symptoms. On Wednesday, authorities reported a second case involving someone who had not recently travelled to China. The woman was a tour guide -- for visitors from Wuhan -- who worked on the same bus as a driver who also contracted the virus. - 'A truly new situation' - "The eighth case is the second suspected incident of human-to-human transmission in Japan," Health Minister Katsunobu Kato told parliament. "We are in a truly new situation." Earlier Thursday, 210 Japanese arrived on a second flight from Wuhan and a third flight departed Tokyo later in the evening to collect remaining citizens. More than a dozen people from the first flight have been hospitalised with varying symptoms, while another 26 on the second evacuation were also sent to hospitals. All the passengers on the second flight took the test to verify the infection and the remaining 184 are staying at accommodation chosen by the government to monitor their condition, the ministry said. Japan is not forcibly quarantining arrivals, saying they lack the legal basis to confine people who have not tested positive for the virus. Returnees were initially asked to stay at home until they test negative for the virus but the majority of them are staying at a hotel in Chiba prefecture near Tokyo, according to the health ministry. Minister Kato also urged returnees to stay at government-provided accommodation for two weeks even if their tests come back negative. - Fierce criticism - The two who initially refused to take the test were asked to avoid public transport, and quarantine officers will follow up on their health. The government has classified the new virus a "designated infectious disease", meaning it will be able to forcibly hospitalise those who test positive, but only once the regulation takes effect from February 7. And the rules on testing people with no symptoms will not be affected. Japan's approach sits in stark contrast with other countries that are isolating repatriated nationals for between 72 hours and 14 days and there has been fierce criticism online in the country. "The government really doesn't seem to be planning to contain the coronavirus," wrote one Twitter user. "It's unbelievable they don't prepare any facilities to quarantine the returnees." "The government's risk management sucks," added another. "I want them to do everything in their power and force quarantine for the returnees." Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told parliament that the first flight was "arranged in extreme chaos" but that efforts were made to convince all those on the second flight to be tested for the virus. Kato said Japan would need to "expand screening" in light of cases in people with no symptoms. He also urged people to avoid stockpiling surgical masks -- which are in short supply -- but ruled out larger-scale measures including cancelling mass gatherings as necessary so far. STREETSBORO, Ohio -- Streetsboro police on Thursday identified the man who was found dead Tuesday afternoon in a partially wooded field as Nathan Nate Fry. Fry, 35, had been staying in the Portage County area, but is from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, according to police Lt. Patricia Wain. His cause of death was not immediately apparent. Police are waiting for results from the Portage County Coroners Office. Someone called 911 just after 1 p.m. Tuesday to report they had found a body in a field near Ohio 43 and Ohio 14, between Market Square Plaza and the northeast drive to University Hospitals Streetsboro Health Center, Wain said previously. Anyone with information about Frys activities in the days leading up to Tuesday is asked to call Streetsboro police at 330-626-4976. To comment on this story, visit Thursdays crime and courts comment section. Sue Phillips, the national convenor of the Committee for Public Education (CFPE) and a writer for the World Socialist Web Site, recently spoke with a pre-service teacher, an English as an Additional Language teacher (EAL) and youth counsellor about the conditions in South Australian (SA) schools. At the end of December an Australian Education Union and South Australian state Liberal government agreement on wages and working conditions narrowly passed a union ballot, in the face of widespread anger and opposition from educators. The sell-out deal has done nothing to address inadequate staffing and resources, crushing workloads, poor wages and growing casualisation. South Australian teachers protesting last July [Credit: Australian Education Union (SA Branch) via Facebook] A union survey last year found that in an average classroom of 28 students, teachers reported that five students often require individual education plans and six students for whom English is not their first language. Another five have learning difficulties that are not diagnosed and not funded, eight others require emotional or behavioural support and three others have disabilities. Added to this is the increasing casualisation of the workforce. Nearly one third of teachers, 56 percent of Student Support Staff on contracts, 90 percent of Early Childhood Workers and 51 percent of Aboriginal Education Workers are employed on insecure contracts. Diane is a pre-service teacher in training. She has completed two placements in SA schools and one in the state of Victoria. Diane is due to finish her final placement in Term One, 2020, and hopes to gain a teaching position in a primary school. Sue Phillips: Tell me about your teaching experiences in schools? Diane: My first placement was in a suburban Adelaide school, a typical public school with 800 plus students and 30 in each class, if not more. I had a Year 4 class, one of the smaller classes, with only 28 kids. We also had a couple of special need students. The biggest issue was the students with learning difficulties. I cant really say they were students with disabilities because they werent [officially] diagnosed. There is so much pressure on the teacher because there are no additional services or support staff. We had to efficiently plan to support those studentsover and above teaching 26 other kids. A generic lesson is not suited to all of them because every student has different learning abilities. Five students might understand the generic lesson, the rest wont, or vice versa. So, youve got to focus on supporting students with specific learning issues. In one case there was one student who was in grade 4, but learning at a grade 1 level, and we had to plan for the student. Because of the lack of resources, all we had was for him to sit at a desk with worksheets. It would be different if they were only one year behind, but this student was three years behind. So basically, it was just a simple fix of giving him worksheets, while were focussing on 27 other children. That was my first teaching placement, so I was surprised to see that. SP: Were you given specific training at college to deal with the complexity of classrooms? Diane: No, weve not been taught how to support students with disabilities. Every student is different and we should plan for that. We are not taught about students who are a long way behind when there seems to be no medical reason behind it. They are just a troubled student. Ive almost finished my degree, and I still couldnt tell you how I would handle such a situation, other than giving students worksheets. SP: Do you expect to get a job after your training concludes? Diane: I would like to go in on a contract. There is no guarantee. Its a very tough market. Im expecting that my first job will be as an emergency teacher, temporarily replacing absent teachers, because its that sort of industry. You have to resign yourself to what you can get just to get your foot in the door. A job is a job for me at the moment, and if I have to, Ill try and get a job as a Student Support Officer [SSO]. Thats not ideal, I havent studied for six years to be an SSO, but its a job. Hopefully, it will take me somewhere from there. Rosalind is a long-standing teacher of nearly three decades. For the last 11 years she has worked as a teacher of English as an Additional Language, educating refugee, migrant and international students. SP: Could you say something about your school? Rosalind: Our school takes any student in South Australia who doesnt have the English level to cope with mainstream schooling. Some are refugees, some are international students and some are migrants. We teach much smaller class sizes than in regular schools. I predominantly teach refugees whose literacy levels are often lower in their own language than we would expect for similar aged students in Australia. They have had very disrupted schooling. Technically, I have a maximum of 10 students although my current class has 11 students. The refugee students are from everywhere. From Pakistan, Syria, Myanmar, Nepal and African countries such as the Congo. Our international students can be from China, Vietnam, Japan, while migrants can be from anywhereRussia, Spain, Italy. Trauma is a huge part of our students lives. In my last class, there were significant numbers. The things theyve seen and been through, you just cant imagine. There are lots of things to deal with, apart from teaching them English. Weve all had some training to deal with trauma but its an ongoing, daily thing in the classroom. SP: Could you speak about teacher workload? Rosalind: Every teacher understands that extra administration tasks are killing us. I dont understand why they keep giving us more. This means we spend less time providing quality teaching and making the curriculum more accessible for my students. It is beyond frustrating. I absolutely love teaching and going to work every day. I get quite cranky every time I have do a tedious administrative task. Here in SA the [Education] Department is rolling out One Plan, which means individualised learning plans for students with special needs. The plan could apply to a student who has a disability, who is under guardianship of the Minister, or an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. It is now expected that all these students require an individualised learning plan. The learning plans have to meet certain criteria. I have heard teachers who have students with multiple and severe learning needs and that it takes 15 to 20 hours to write one of those plans. They have to consult with every agency involved with the students wellbeing. Its crazy that the classroom teacher is responsible for all of that. Special Ed is not a compulsory requirement when you are studying teaching. But you have to be a Special Ed expert now on day one when you come into your class. Everybody has a child with needs in their class, no matter where you teach. You are now required to put that into a document, with expertise and knowledge of all the programs and support services and how they should be implemented. I feel my job is like a buffer between what the Department thinks should happen, and what we know really should happen in the class. No wonder teachers are leaving. Parents should expect the best education for their children, it should be individualised, if needed, absolutely. But the government just says, Yeah, yeah thats right. Off you go teachers and provide a quality service. But there is no consideration or understanding of how much time that takes, how student numbers and the number of students with needs impact on teachers. The people we live withand share our livessee how hard we work and the hours we put in. Kerri taught for six years in the Catholic system in South Australia but was unable to secure a permanent job. She then retrained as a counsellor. SP: Tell us something about your teaching experience? Kerri: After teaching in Japan for 12 months, I came back to Australia with a burning desire to become a teacher, so I did a post-grad degree. My degree did not give me the skills I needed to teach. I learnt most of my experience on the job, liaising with other teachers, and just being in a classroom with kids and trying to cater to the various student needs. I did subjects like special needs. However, that does not equip you to teach special needs children. I am all for inclusionI support it whole-heartedly. However, we cant have inclusion without the necessary skills, experience and resources to support those children, and the other children within the class. SP: Why did you leave teaching? Kerri: I worked mainly in the Catholic system. It was really difficult to get permanency. I would reapply for jobs every 12 months. Not just for one job but youd have to write maybe eight, nine or ten different applications, go through an interview process, and hopefully pick up a job for another 12 months. I did that for six years. From that I thought, I am frustrated. I can see that children have got significant emotional and social problems and I cant help these kids. So, I decided to do a diploma of counselling. I found it difficult to get employed in a school as a counsellor because the Department tends to employ school principals in a dual role of counselling and administration, so I work privately. I go into some schools and work one-on-one with trauma kids, but what I am seeing now is that its far more complex. As society has become more complex, so too have our kids. Its not uncommon nowadays to see second and third generation trauma in kids in classrooms. SP: How does this complex situation impact in classrooms? Kerri: What I am seeing is teachers, not only new graduates, working extraordinarily hard to get the best possible outcomes for their students. However, theyre dealing with very, very complex students, meltdowns, extreme behaviours and learning difficulties, and then weve got a lot of special needs children on the autistic spectrum. We have got kids with auditory processing difficulties, and then add large class sizes to the mix, then add parents to the mix. I am not saying that in a derogatory way. I mean that it is very difficult to understand the complexities of a classroom until youve been in and taught in that classroom and youve tried to manage perhaps 28 or 32 students, all with varying needs. Generally, parents dont understand the kind of stress that teachers are under. Then you add the extra administration that teachers need to deal with, the curriculum and so on. As a counsellor, what stands out for me is the trauma in kids, seeing children have meltdowns, seeing the effect of that on other children in the classroom. It traumatises children who see that. Years ago, problems like that were the exception rather than the rule, whereas these days it seems to be fairly common. SP: So why do you think this situation is intensifying? Kerri: Society is becoming more complex, and we dont teach our kids how to handle their emotions. Ive worked at what one would consider really middle to upper class schools, and Ive worked in lower socio-economic schools. I think it just gets hidden a lot more in some of the better schools. Its still there, its just suppressed more. If were looking to really help these kids, suppressing these emotions and getting them to conform and to sit in desks might help the teacher temporarily, but its not doing anything long term to address the trauma. I think getting professionals like psychologists and social workers to actually work in schools might help alleviate some of the teachers stress. There is no point in a child sitting in an office, trying to hold it together, for a meeting with a Child Protection Officer or whatever. Psychologists and social workers need to be in a classroom to see that child have a huge meltdown. They need to observe that child and how they relate to their peers. We are looking at kids who are self-harming, having all kinds of social issues, violence, and unprotected sex at very young ages. We need to be looking, really closely at how were managing these kids, or rather how were not managing them. What were doing at the moment isnt working. ANNAPOLIS, Md., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A new annual ranking of Fortune 100 companies shows many fail to include faith and religion as part of corporate diversity initiatives. The Religious Freedom & Business Foundation's new Corporate Religious Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (REDI) Index, released today, gives high marks to major companies like Google/Alphabet, Tyson Foods, and Intel for taking steps to recognize the importance of faith in the lives of employees. Religious Freedom & Business Foundation The REDI Index establishes a new benchmark for annual assessment of the state of corporate America's inclusion of religion as an integral part of its diversity initiatives. Despite a positive faith-friendly trend emerging in a number of major corporations, the REDI Index also exposed striking shortfalls among Fortune 100 companies. Most companies on the list continue to overlook religious inclusion in favor of prioritizing other important diversity classifications such as race, sexual orientation, disability, and others. "Companies scoring well on the REDI Index are using a variety of innovative programs to make faith expressions more welcome in the workplace, creating a more inclusive environment," said Dr. Brian Grim, President of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation. The Foundation is the leading global authority on issues surrounding how faith contributes to global business and economic success. Each of the top ten companies encourage respectful religious expression in the workplace ranging from the development of faith-based Employee Resource Groups to having corporate chaplains. The top ten companies in the 2020 REDI Index raking are: 1. Google/Alphabet 2. Intel (tie) 2. Tyson Foods (tie) 4. Target 5. American Airlines (tie) 5. Facebook (tie) 7. Apple 8. Dell 9. American Express (tie) 9. Goldman Sachs (tie) Alphabet/Google scored highest on the 2020 REDI Index because of the number and diversity of faith- and belief-based Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) mentioned on the company's website. Google has established an Inter Belief Network (IBN) that aims to create a culture of inclusion, tolerance, and mutual understanding at the company. IBN consists of multiple member chapters representing specific communities of interest, including but not limited to Buddhists, Christians, Jewglers [Google's term], and Muslims. Google's IBN also aims to ensure that the voices of belief-based communities are represented in Google's products. Tied for second in the ranking, Tyson Foods openly welcomes what they call "the whole person," when it comes to matters of faith, even fully including those who don't identify as "religious." The company has ninety-eight dedicated chaplains that can provide compassionate pastoral care to team members and their families, no matter what their religious affiliation or beliefs. While some of the biggest brands have begun recognizing that respect for faith expression is vital to recruitment, retention and creating a productive work environment, the majority of Fortune 100 companies have yet to account for the value of faith-friendly workplaces. The REDI Index revealed that outside of the top ten, many Fortune 100 companies fail to include religion as compared to other major identity categories: race/ethnicity, women/gender, sexual orientation, veterans/military, dis/ability, age, and family. "With religious affiliation and diversity continuing to grow world-wide between now and 2050, companies that fail to understand the value of a religiously inclusive workplace are increasingly at a competitive disadvantage," stated Grim. REDI Index Top Line Findings include: 57 of the Fortune 100's diversity landing pages fail to make a single mention of faith or religion. Race or Ethnic Diversity is mentioned more than 1000 times across company public platforms, but religion only 92. Fewer than 1-in-5 (18-percent) of companies mention having faith-related Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) Of 775 ERGs touted by companies, only 5% are related to faith, interfaith, religion or specific religions Companies that include faith in diversity programs are overall more inclusive, including LGBTQ inclusion "Failing to foster religious inclusion can be costly. In 2017, there was a $25 million court finding against Hilton for not reasonably accommodating the religious needs of a dishwasher. A high-profile Supreme Court decision was also rendered against Abercrombie & Fitch for putting their 'looks policy' above religious nondiscrimination. Going beyond the minimum legal requirements, employers are increasingly promoting religious diversity and inclusion in order to strengthen employee recruitment and retention," Grim said. "While companies still have a long way to go to be faith-friendly, with major brands like Walmart, Salesforce, PayPal and others also starting to make this a priority, we are at a tipping point at which we will very likely see greater momentum on this issue in the near future. That's a great thing for business, especially because it means better, more inclusive workplaces for employees," said Grim. The full study, including its methodology and the rankings of all Fortune 100 companies can be found at: https://religiousfreedomandbusiness.org/redi. Next month, the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation in conjunction with the Busch School of Business at Catholic University will hold a groundbreaking conference in Washington DC, "Bringing Your Faith to Work," for employees and executives to discuss the importance of corporate programs that foster religious inclusion. It will feature executives and members of faith-oriented Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) sharing best practices, challenges and opportunities. ABOUT THE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND BUSINESS FOUNDATION The Religious Freedom & Business Foundation is the preeminent organization dedicated to educating the global business community, policymakers, non-government organizations and consumers about the positive power faith and religious freedom for all have on business and the economy. RFBF believes that business and religious freedom combine to form a powerful force for a better world. Through groundbreaking expert research, training programs, practical business tools and convening interfaith dialogue, RFBF helps demonstrate the critical link between respect for faith, successful enterprise and dynamic national economies. RFBF's pioneering work serves as a catalyst for executives to promote Freedom of Religion or Belief for all people through employee programing, customer-facing policies, and leveraging their broader societal influence. RFBF is a non-partisan, non-political registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization in the United States. For more information or to get involved visit www.ReligiousFreedomandBusiness.org. CONTACT: Tom Basile, Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, [email protected] 917-579-2216 SOURCE Religious Freedom & Business Foundation The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the curative petition of Akshay Thakur, one of the four Nirbhaya gangrape and murder convicts, who sought commutation of his death sentence to life imprisonment. A five-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Justice NV Ramana, heard the matter in his chambers. The curative petition, which was filed by advocate AP Singh on behalf of Akshay, sought the commutation of the sentence of the petitioner "as it serves all the purposes that the death penalty claims to serve and protects society from the impending reality in the near-future in which torture and murder are equated with justice as a panacea for all social evils". The plea had said that lack of criminal antecedents, erroneous reliance on deterrence, and the probability of reformation, socio-economic circumstances, non-consideration of constitution bench judgment, were not considered by the courts while awarding his client the death sentence. The top court had dismissed Akshay's review petition in December last year. Yesterday, the apex court dismissed the plea of another Nirbhaya Mukesh Kumar Singh challenging the rejection of his mercy petition by the President. Earlier this month, a Delhi court had issued the death warrant for convicts -- Akshay, Mukesh, Pawan Gupta, and Vinay Kumar Sharma -- and ordered their hanging on February 1. The case pertains to the gang-rape of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012, by six people including a juvenile in Delhi. The woman died at a Singapore hospital a few days later. One of the five adults accused, Ram Singh had allegedly committed suicide in the Tihar Jail during the trial of the case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi, Jan 30 : The mid-air row involving television anchor Arnab Goswami and stand-up comic Kunal Kamra is far from over. It all started after Kamra shared a video on Twitter where he could be heard asking uncomfortable questions to his co-passenger Goswami, including "viewers today want to know if Arnab is a coward or a nationalist?" Taking cognizance of the viral social media post, Indigo, Air India and SpiceJet have have temporarily banned Kamra for allegedly heckling Goswami in a flight from Mumbai to Lucknow on Tuesday. After the flying ban, the comedian flooded twitter with witty tweets which have amused netizens. Kamra wrote: "To all you 'Nationalists'...A member of the Anti-national club approached Arnab for a dialogue, he could educate me better on national interests & how I should keep nation first... instead of that he chose to watch some ****** movie & not engage. Arnab your mask is off...."Kamra also took sarcastic jibes at the situation and took a dig at Indigo after the airline barred him for flying. "Thank you Indigo a six month suspension is honestly very kind of you...Modiji might be suspending Air India forever," he wrote. On Air India slapping a ban on him, he wrote, "I had 4kgs excess luggage once, your card machine wasn't working & I didn't have cash...He said 'Jane do sir'...I said 'Nahi, aapki airline debt main hai, Main paise de ke jaunga'...I waited till he could figure how to take my money. Acha Sila diya tune mere pyaar ka..." Replying to the SpiceJet ban, he wrote: "Modiji can I walk yaan uspe bhi baan hai..." Another post read, "IRCTC ka website Nahi Khul raha...Kare to Kare kya bole toh bole kya." One post read: "Maine suna hai road transportation pe bhi baan hai mera." "Right Wing - Goli maaro saalon ko...Liberals - We must not disturb people on flights & respect an individuals private space," he wrote. Another tweet read: "I used to earlier make calculated decisions using my mind & I use to care about how the work I put out makes me look...The mind is a coward & takes calculated risks & measures rewards, I'm no more a mathematician I now follow my heart...The heart is stupid." "Arrey @airvistara kar hi do yaar, I won't judge you, Main drive karke goa nikal ne ka plan bana hi raha hoon... thoda break bhi lena Banta hai...," read a post. Another post remarked: "People who took a flight when they shouldn't have...Vijay Mallya, Lalit Modi, Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi...Thought I'd just put it out there...." One tweet read: "Chronology of finding Purpose : 1) There is no Purpose, 2) I don't have answers to the Purpose, 3) I don't care about the Purpose. 4) Search is the Purpose, 5) There is no Purpose." An airline passenger is speaking out about the "horrific" experience she had on a recent flight, after she and her daughters were allegedly forced to move seats due to their weight. Huhana Iripa was on a Thai Airways flight from Bangkok, Thailand to Auckland, New Zealand where she lives when the alleged incident occurred. Iripa, 59, and her daughters Renell, 28, and Tere, 37, had each paid $1,727 ($2,650 NZD) for business class tickets so they could travel comfortably, the New Zealand Herald reports. "We were utterly humiliated in front of all the other passengers," Iripa said of the family's experience boarding the plane. "We went up to business class check-in and the member of staff on the desk looked at us and said, 'sorry you can't.'" Iripa said that exchange prompted several staff members to begin talking about them in a different language and looking at them "as if [they'd] committed a crime." The 59-year-old told Insider that one staff member eventually came forward and said, "No, you're too big." "She then pulled out a measuring tape and wrapped it around my daughter Renell, moving her arms outstretched, before trying to do the same to me and Tere," Iripa added. "Everyone was just standing [and] staring at us. The whole thing was disgusting." Iripa told the New Zealand Herald that she "broke down in tears" as she and her daughters were moved to economy class for the 11-hour flight home. According to the New Zealand Herald, Iripa asked for a full refund following the flight but was instead offered the difference between the business class and economy tickets approximately $815 ($1,250 NZD) each. The family later met with Thai Airways and were offered an additional $293 ($450 NZD), but Iripa refused. "For their rudeness, their disrespect and the trauma of what they put us through, how could they identify that price as compensation?" Iripa said. However, Flight Centre, the travel agency that helped Iripa book the tickets, ultimately offered the family a full refund, with a company saying spokesperson saying she "shocked" to hear about the incident. Story continues Thai Airways, for its part, said the airline was forced to ask the family to move due to the type of plane a Boeing 787 Dreamliner their flight was scheduled to use. Wayne Cochrane, a spokesperson for the airline's New Zealand sector, told the New Zealand Herald that, due to an airbag design, extension seatbelts could not be added to the business class seats on that plane. "As this issue involves passenger safety, I am sure you will understand that we cannot compromise on this," Cochrane said. In 2018, Thai Airways faced backlash for similar policies, after the airline announced it would not allow people with a waist of 56 inches or larger to sit in business class on particular flights. That rule, also reportedly based on airbag restrictions, applied only to the Boeing 787-9 model. India reported its first case of the Coronavirus in Kerala on Thursday and the patient has been kept in an isolation ward, the state health minister said even as the government stepped up its efforts to detect and prevent the spread of the virus that has killed at least 170 people and infected more that 7,700 in China. The government will also evacuate Indians on Friday from China's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the deadly Coronavirus, which has spread to at least 17 countries already. Soon after the confirmed case of the novel Coronavirus (nCoV) was reported in the country, Chinese embassy in New Delhi issued a statement, assuring cooperation to India in jointly strengthening the epidemic prevention and control. Confirming the first positive case of the Coronavirus, Priya Abraham, director of ICMR-NIV in Pune, said 49 samples have been tested till now at the national institute of virology and one sample has tested positive. "The positive sample belongs to a student from Kerala who was studying in Wuhan. Now, a next test known as 'next-gen sequencing test' will be done on her sample and the final result will be declared till tomorrow evening," Abraham said. In Thiruvananthapuram, state health minister K K Shylaja told reporters that the condition of the patient was stable. India has taken a number of steps to detect and control the deadly virus, which started from a seafood and wild animal market in Wuhan in Hubei province. The Cabinet Secretary on Thursday reviewed the country's preparedness with the concerned ministries --health & family welfare, external affairs, defence, home affairs, civil aviation, information & broadcasting, labour & employment, and shipping to tackle the spread of the virus, an official release said, adding he also did a video conference with the chief secretaries of the states and UTs. During these meetings, it was decided that all those who have come from China after 15 January will be tested for the exposure to the virus and also the lab facilities will be augmented. While six more labs will start functioning from Thursday, including one in AIIMS in Delhi, six more labs will start function by Friday., the release added. Apart from putting measures in place to battle the spread at home, the government is also getting ready to evacuate its nationals on Friday from China, which continued to scramble to contain the spread of the deadly virus. Indian embassy in Beijing in a note circulated through social media on Thursday said that preparations are on to evacuate Indians from the virus-hit region. "We are preparing for air evacuation from Wuhan tomorrow in the evening. This flight will carry those Indian nationals who are in and around Wuhan and have conveyed consent for their evacuation," the note said. "There will be another flight subsequently which will carry those who are from other parts of Hubei province," it added. Talking about the evacuation process, external affairs ministry spokesperson Ravish Kumar in Delhi said,we have made a formal request to the government of China for bringing back Indian nationals from the Hubei province in two flights. We are awaiting for the necessary approval from the Chinese side. We hope this will be granted soon. Kumar said arrangements are being put in place for people to travel to the airport in Wuhan. "We remain committed to the safety and well-being of our nationals abroad. We appreciate the support extended by the government of China and other ministries in the government of India in putting this process together," Kumar added. Chinese Embassy Spokesperson Ji Rong said the mission has maintained close communication with India on the issue by briefing regularly on the nCoV spread and China's efforts in preventing and controlling it. "The Chinese side pays close attention to the report of the emergence of one confirmed case of pneumonia caused by the novel Coronavirus in India, and will cooperate with the Indian side to jointly strengthen the epidemic prevention and control," Ji said. The Chinese government attaches great importance to safeguarding the safety and health of every foreign national in China, including the Indian people, Ji said. "We are willing to continue to maintain close communication with the Indian side, provide necessary assistance and convenience to ensure the health and safety of Indian citizens in China, and address their legitimate concerns timely," he said. "We also hope Indian side could continue to render understanding and support to China's efforts in epidemic prevention and control," Ji said. India has already increased the number of airports from seven to 21 where thermal screening of passengers is being done for a possible exposure to the deadly nCoV and issued travel advisory asking nationals to refrain from travelling to China. The Centre has also stepped up vigil in areas bordering Nepal in view of a confirmed case of nCoV detected there. The Union health minister has also written to all chief ministers, requesting them for personal intervention to review the states' preparedness for control and management of the spread of the virus. Hundreds of people have been quarantined in hospitals, including over 800 in Kerala, and are being monitored by doctors, according to ministry officials. Three men kept under observation in an isolation ward of Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in Delhi for possible exposure to nCoV have tested negative, a Union health ministry official said. On Wednesday, the only two Indian carriers that fly to China - IndiGo and Air India - announced suspension of most of their flights to the country, joining other airlines based in Asia, North America and Europe which have restricted operations to the region. The Union health ministry has also advised those who have recently travelled to China (within last 14 days) or had possible contact with an nCoV-infected person to stay at home in isolation for 14 days after returning and sleep in a separate room. It has advised them to cover nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing and avoid close contact with anyone with cold or flu like symptoms (maintain a distance of at least 1 meter from any individual). The ministry has also asked people coming from China to contact its control room no +91-11-2397 8046 for further information in case they develop fever, cough or difficulty in breathing anytime within 28 days of their return. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The new online resource, Smart Energy Education, will leverage pre-existing programs, such as the Resourcefulness: An Introduction to the Energy-Water Nexus STEM curriculum, and include new programs, such as the Watt Watchers of Texas program, that provide interactive learning materials for students, educators, industry professionals and communities around the globe. Additionally, the Resourcefulness and Watt Watchers of Texas programs are now available in Spanish as a result of Itron and CPS Energy's ongoing commitment to connect with as many communities as possible in the San Antonio region and beyond. Smart Energy Education is bridging collaboration among community thought leaders, trusted educational programs and digital platforms that are working to improve energy-water literacy and student multimedia experiences around the world. "CPS Energy is an industry leader that shares Itron's passion for educating communities about resourcefulness," said Marina Donovan, Itron's vice president of global marketing and public affairs. "With Smart Energy Education, students in the Greater San Antonio region and beyond will be equipped to think critically and carefully about energy-water management and conservation. This is a local initiative that can be leveraged globally and is being made available by our ongoing commitment to invest in education and corporate social responsibility programs and initiatives that promote the resourceful use of energy and water." "CPS Energy is proud to collaborate with Itron on Smart Energy Education," said Rudy Garza, Chief Customer Engagement Officer (CCEO) for CPS Energy. "San Antonio is the seventh largest city in the United States, which makes our community the perfect place to launch a program with interactive learning materials that encourage our next generation to be resourceful. Our goal is to demonstrate how Smart Energy Education can not only foster community engagement but also inspire children to implement energy saving practices into their everyday life starting at a young age." Smart Energy Education will be officially announced today during an educational mega-session at DISTRIBUTECH International in San Antonio, Texas. The session will feature an educational screening of the Thirst for Power documentary, followed by a panel, which will discuss the importance of energy and water literacy. The panel will include Dr. Michael E. Webber, author of Thirst for Power, Energy 101 and Resourcefulness as well as the Chief Science and Technology Officer for ENGIE; Paula Gold-Williams, the President & CEO of CPS Energy; Sharelynn Moore, senior vice president, Networked Solutions at Itron; and will be moderated by Kimberly Britton, CEO of EPIcenter. For more information, visit www.smartenergyeducation.com. About CPS Energy Established in 1860, CPS Energy is the nation's largest public power, natural gas and electric company, providing safe, reliable, and competitively-priced service to 840,750 electric and 352,585 natural gas customers in San Antonio and portions of seven adjoining counties. Our customers' combined energy bills rank among the lowest of the nation's 20 largest cities - while generating $7 billion in revenue for the City of San Antonio for more than seven decades. As a trusted and strong community partner, we continuously focus on job creation, economic development and educational investment. True to our People First philosophy, we are powered by our skilled workforce, whose commitment to the community is demonstrated through our employees' volunteerism in giving back to our city and programs aimed at bringing value to our customers. CPS Energy is among the top public power wind energy buyers in the nation and number one in Texas for solar generation. www.cpsenergy.com About Itron Itron enables utilities and cities to safely, securely and reliably deliver critical infrastructure services to communities in more than 100 countries. Our portfolio of smart networks, software, services, meters and sensors helps our customers better manage electricity, gas and water resources for the people they serve. By working with our customers to ensure their success, we help improve the quality of life, ensure the safety and promote the well-being of millions of people around the globe. Itron is dedicated to creating a more resourceful world. Join us: www.itron.com. Itron is a registered trademark of Itron, Inc. All third-party trademarks are property of their respective owners and any usage herein does not suggest or imply any relationship between Itron and the third party unless expressly stated. [January 30, 2020] ERI's David Hirschler Featured on Technology Panel at 2020 New York In Transit Summit David Hirschler, Director of OEM, Sustainability and Legislative Affairs for ERI, the nation's leading fully integrated IT and electronics asset disposition provider and cybersecurity-focused hardware destruction company, was a featured technology panelist today at the City & State 2020 New York in Transit Summit at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City. City & State's Transit Summit offered industry executives, public sector leaders and academics the opportunity to discuss all aspects of New York's transportation systems. Following the release of the MTA's five-year capital plan and the continuation of long-planned expansion projects, New York's systems for moving people and information are poised for a significant makeover. The New York In Transit Summit brings together experts across sectors to assess the current state of New York's transportation systems, break down recent legislative actions, and look towards the future of all thngs coming and going in New York. As part of a cross-disciplinary panel titled "How Technology is Transforming Public Transit," Hirschler was joined on stage by Senator Leroy Comrie, Chairman, Corporations, Authorities and Commissions Committee; New York City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, Chairman, Committee on Transportation; Joshua Benson, Deputy Commissioner for Traffic Operations, New York City Department of Transportation; and Michael Affronti, SVP, Product Management, Dataminr. The session was moderated by Annie McDonough, Tech Reporter for City & State NY. During the discussion, Hirschler described and shared insights on what types of private data can be easily accessed on consumer electronics in a smart city age, and also talked about the importance of destroying the data stored on old technology when new innovations are introduced. "It has been rewarding to share what we know and what we've learned with other thought leaders from government agencies and the private sector at this important and vital summit," said Hirschler. "It is particularly rewarding to discuss the urgent importance of data destruction, protecting the privacy of people and businesses of the great city of New York. Proper destruction of private digital data has become a crucially important issue and making it part of the overall discussion is vital." ERI is the largest fully integrated IT and electronics asset disposition provider and cybersecurity-focused hardware destruction company in the United States. ERI is certified at the highest level by all leading environmental and data security oversight organizations to de-manufacture, recycle, and refurbish every type of electronic device in an environmentally responsible manner. ERI has the capacity to process more than a billion pounds of electronic waste annually at its eight certified locations, serving every zip code in the United States. ERI's mission is to protect organizations, people and the environment. For more information about e-waste recycling and ERI, call 1-800-ERI-DIRECT or visit https://eridirect.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005773/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussexs decision to step back from their royal duties required some sacrifices it wasnt a decision they made lightly. A close friend of Harrys maintains he has suffered a lot but his priority is protecting his family. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle | Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage Prince Harry and Meghan made a swift exit Following their extended break from their royal duties, Prince Harry and Meghan returned with a huge announcement: they wanted to take a step back from it all. It was unclear what that meant, but Queen Elizabeth met with other senior members to discuss the situation and agreed to the Sussexes exit, though Prince Harry and Meghan would have to give up their HRH titles and public funding. The queen announced her support of their exit plan, noting, in part: Following many months of conversations and more recent discussions, I am pleased that together we have found a constructive and supportive way forward for my grandson and his family. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved members of my family. I recognise the challenges they have experienced as a result of intense scrutiny over the last two years and support their wish for a more independent life. Prince Harrys friend speaks out Someone in Prince Harry and Meghans life with a bit of insider information spoke out in a Good Morning America interview about the couples exit from the royal family. Harrys close friend, Argentinian polo player Nacho Figueras, shed some light on how the Duke of Sussex has suffered and made the big decision to benefit his family. I spoke to Harry a few days ago. He has suffered a lot for all the things that have happened to him, Figueras told GMA, adding, Hes being a father a guy who is trying to protect his cub and his lioness from whatever it takes. He has become an incredible man, a man that his mother would be proud of. Figueras continued: He wants to live a normal life, as normal as his life is going to be, right? When you have 1,000 paparazzi outside your house in Canada waiting to get one picture of your son, thats not very normal. The bottom line for Prince Harry, according to Figueras, is his familys protection: Hes protecting his family, hes protecting his wife and his child. He was the son of someone who suffered attacks from the press and its undeniable. He doesnt want for that to happen for his family. Was Meghan suffocating in the royal family? While its hard to know exactly what royal life was like for Meghan, American-born Viscountess Julie Montagu shared her own similar experience with royalty and how it can be suffocating. Montagu left behind her life in Illinois 20 years ago when she married husband Luke, who is in line to be the Earl of Sandwich. People commented [Meghan] knew what she was getting into. Ive got to be honest you dont know until youre in it, Montagu told GMA. She continued: I can attest to that as an American we have been brought up from day one (being) told you can do whatever you want to do, you can be whatever you want to be. All of a sudden shes moved over here and she cant be anything she wants to be anymore, she cant do anything she wants to do anymore. Montagu believes that the loss of freedom might have contributed to Prince Harry and Meghans exit decision, explaining, I think it can be suffocating for somebody who is American and their whole life was spent working towards becoming this TV actress, having passions in her life and all of a sudden going into a much more claustrophobic world where you cant be political, you cant be emotional and you cant have opinions. Racing commentator Francesca Cumani and her ITV co-host Oli Bell have called it quits after two years of dating. Bell is rumoured to have struck up a romance with Britain's most successful female jockey, Hayley Turner. The former couple, who have covered the Royal Ascot together, began dating in 2018 following Cumani's separation from polo-playing husband Rob Archibald. Bell has reportedly moved on with Turner, who regularly rides for his uncle, Derby-winning trainer Michael Bell. Splitsville: Francesca Cumani and co-host Oli Bell have called it quits after two years The 37-year-old, who splits her time covering the British and Australian racing seasons, is regarded as one of the most popular racing personalities on television Despite the breakup, the two will be forced to reunite in the next couple weeks on air as part of ITV's horse racing commentary team, The Herald Sun reported. Ms Cumani previously spoke about leaning on Bell for support when it came to dealing with media attention saying, 'we understand each other's worlds and we very much are there for each other'. She married Archibald in 2014, and had son Harry two years later. The two owned a $2.4million in Randwick, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, as well as holiday home in the Hunter Valley. The 37-year-old, who splits her time covering the British and Australian racing seasons, is regarded as one of the most popular racing personalities on television. She is the daughter of Italian-born trainer Luca Cumani. The couple are reported to have split after Bell was rumoured to have struck up a romance with British female jockey, Hayley Turner (right) Early last year, she was scooped up by Channel 10 in a lucrative deal earning $250,000 a day. She had been the face of ITV racing in 2016 before moving to Channel 7 to cover the Spring Racing Carnival. She then signed a $100million contract for the next five Melbourne Cup Carnivals, after Channel 10 secured the signature of the highly sort after racing expert in a deal believed to be worth $5million over five years. Cumani had spoken about her decision to move, noting she would have been devastated to miss the race that stops a nation. 'When the Melbourne Cup moved homes I was hopeful I could go with it because I could not imagine it not being part of my year and I am really, really thrilled to be part of it with Channel 10,' she said of the move. 'I would have been so miserable watching from afar.' Tesla shares extended their rally on Wednesday, rising more than 11% after market hours following better-than-expected results for the last quarter of 2019. On an earnings call to discuss the Q4 report, retail and institutional investors asked CEO Elon Musk if it may not be a perfect time to raise more capital. They suggested Tesla could raise easily at favorable rates now, either to pay down its debts, or to accelerate the company's progress on new products and factories. Musk, whose sentiments were echoed by CFO Zachary Kirkhorn and Tesla's Automotive President Jerome Guillen on the call, said Tesla has no intention to raise more capital at this time, or possibly ever again. The Tesla CEO said, "We're spending money as quickly as we can spend it sensibly." He emphasized, "We are not artificially limiting our progress. Despite all that, we are still generating positive cash. In light of that, it doesn't make sense to raise money because we expect to generate cash despite this growth level." Musk has a lot of big expenses ahead. Tesla has promised to build and start vehicle production at a factory near Berlin by the end of 2021. It is still building out its factory in Shanghai, and supply chains in China. And it has promised customers and investors "feature-complete" self-driving technology and a new Plaid powertrain this year, while improved battery tech, an all-electric Semi truck, a next-generation Roadster and Cybertruck are also on the horizon. Loup Ventures' Gene Munster, who is bullish Tesla, asked Musk to speak to how much it may cost Tesla to produce Cybertrucks, and how many the CEO thinks his company could make. Musk responded, "We don't comment on those detailed numbers. The demand is far more than we can reasonably make in the span of 3-4 years." Instead, he said, Tesla will be focusing on increasing battery production capacity and lowering the cost of battery production. Musk said, "If you don't improve that, you end up shifting unit volume from one part to another and you haven't actually produced more electric vehicles. That's one reason we have not accelerated production of the Tesla Semi. Because it does use a lot of cells. Unless we have got those cells available, then accelerating production of the Semi would mean making fewer Model 3 or other cars." Tesla plans to hold a Battery Day presentation for investors, most likely in April, Musk said. Musk also declined to give details about planned capital expenditures for 2020, and how pricing on Tesla vehicles may change as the company begins producing and selling more of them outside of the U.S. He said, "We're trying to make the cars as affordable as possible, as fast as possible, while still being a little bit profitable and growing the company like crazy and having good free cash flow and accumulating a cash balance." While Tesla reported two consecutive quarters of profit in 2019, it has yet to sustain profitability for a full year. The company lost $862 million in 2019 (on a GAAP basis), an improvement from its loss of $976 million in 2018. [January 30, 2020] Leslie Godridge to Retire From U.S. Bank; Jim Kelligrew Assumes Vice Chair Role for Corporate & Commercial Banking U.S. Bank said today that Leslie Godridge, the company's vice chair and co-head of Corporate & Commercial Banking, has announced her retirement after 13 years of service to the bank and nearly 40 years in the industry. Jim Kelligrew, who has co-led the Corporate & Commercial Banking division with Godridge for the past four years, will become the new vice chair overseeing the entire organization. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005526/en/ Leslie Godridge (Photo: Business Wire) "Our Corporate & Commercial Banking team has grown significantly under Leslie and Jim's leadership, becoming a scale player and enabling us to compete with the largest banks in the nation. I m proud of where we are and the work the team has done to position us for ongoing success," said Andy Cecere, chairman, president and CEO of the bank. "As we move into the future, we will continue to grow our presence in this space, and I look forward to working with Jim in his expanded role." Kelligrew has 33 years of banking experience and joined U.S. Bank in 2009, focusing on fixed income and capital markets. He has co-led the Corporate & Commercial Banking with Godridge for the past four years. His distinguished industry experience also included leadership roles at Wells Fargo (News - Alert) Securities and Bank of America Securities. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics and sociology from the University of Michigan. Godridge is a respected leader in banking and has been honored as one of the most powerful women in the industry. Originally hired in 2007 to open the company's New York City office and build its corporate banking function, Godridge has helped the company became one of the largest investment-grade lenders in the United States. She intends to remain on the U.S. Bank team to assist with the transition for the next several months. About U.S. Bank U.S. Bancorp, with 74,000 employees and $495 billion in assets as of December 31, 2019, is the parent company of U.S. Bank National Association, the fifth-largest commercial bank in the United States. The Minneapolis-based bank blends its relationship teams, branches and ATM network with mobile and online tools that allow customers to bank how, when and where they prefer. U.S. Bank is committed to serving its millions of retail, business, wealth management, payment, commercial and corporate, and investment services customers across the country and around the world as a trusted financial partner, a commitment recognized by the Ethisphere Institute naming the bank a 2019 World's Most Ethical Company. Visit U.S. Bank at usbank.com or follow on social media to stay up to date with company news. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005526/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The last fighter ace of the Battle of Britain has died, meaning just two of 'The Few' are still alive. Wing Commander Paul Farnes died peacefully at his home in Hampshire on Tuesday morning, aged 101. Mr Farnes, a Hurricane pilot, was one of 3,000 Allied airmen who fought in the Battle of Britain and was the last surviving ace - a pilot who brought down five or more enemy aircraft. The Prince of Wales talks to Battle of Britain veteran Wing Commander Paul Farnes during a reception following a service marking the 77th anniversary of the Battle of Britain at Westminster Abbey, London Queen Elizabeth II meets Mrs K Foster (L), Wing Commander Paul Farnes (C) and Squadron Leader Tom Pickering as she visits the National Memorial to the Few ahead of opening a new wing Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visit Folkestone, Kent His death means there are now only two surviving members of 'The Few', who repelled Hitler's Luftwaffe during the 1940 battle in the skies over southern England. Mr Farnes was the only member of the group who was fit enough to attend the annual Memorial Day in July last year, just a week before his 101st birthday. He was exceptionally proud to have been awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal, the highest honour for non-officers. Mr Farnes joined the RAF volunteer reserve in 1938, and in July 1939 took the opportunity to spend six months with the regular RAF. Wing Commander Paul C. P. Farnes, 101 when he died (pictured left), Mr Farnes (pictured right) during his time in the RAF Farnes moved to Betheniville in France with the squadron on May 10, 1940, and during the Battle of France he destroyed one aircraft, possibly destroyed a second and shared two more He then converted to Hurricanes and joined No 501 Sqaudron, based in Gloucestershire, on September 14. He moved to Betheniville in France with the squadron on May 10, 1940, and during the Battle of France he destroyed one aircraft, possibly destroyed a second and shared two more. But that was simply a curtain raiser to his impressive tally that followed in the Battle of Britain. His tally of six destroyed, one probably destroyed and six damaged during the battle led him to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal on October 22, 1940. After being commissioned as an officer, he served as an instructor and fought in Malta with No 229 Squadron as well as serving in North Africa and Iraq. Wing Commander Paul Farnes DFM, then aged 100, laid a wreath remembering his comrades at the Battle of Britain Memorial in central London in September 2018 An RAF fighter ace, Wing Commander Farnes flew Hurricanes. He joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve in April 1938 as an airman pilot under training As the war ended, he was in command of two squadrons in the UK. Remaining in the RAF until 1958, he retired as a squadron leader, retaining the rank of wing commander. Mr Farnes later ran a hotel in Worthing, West Sussex. He leaves a daughter, Linda, and son, Jonathan. Another son, Nicholas, died in 1954. Flight Lieutenant William Clark, 100, and Flying Officer John Hemingway, 100, are now the only surviving members of The Few. Left to right: Fighter pilots Stefan Witorzenc, George Stoney, Antoni Glowacki and sitting Bob Dafforn, Paul Farnes, Kenneth 'Hawkeye' Lee, John Gibson and Hugh Adams of No 501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force rest between sorties and listen to an account given by Gibson who has just bailed out of his aircraft, having been shot down by an enemy aircraft on 15th August 1940 at RAF Hawkinge, near Folkstone, Kent, The group of men were dubbed 'The Few' following Winston Churchill's wartime address to Parliament, where he poignantly said of the brave RAF pilots: 'Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.' 544 men sacrificed their lives and successfully repelled the Luftwaffe in the summer of 1940, turning the tide of World War Two. 'I was very proud to be in the Battle of Britain and this brings it all back,' Mr Farnes told The Times in 2018. Wing Commander Tom Neil, 97, and Squadron Leader Geoffrey Wellum, 96, died in July and Flight Lieutenant Ronald Mackay, 101, passed away last month. He added: 'We have lost several pilots in the last year. 'I'm not the only one [still alive] but I am nearly the only one.' Air Vice-Marshal David Murray, Controller of the RAF Benevolent Fund, said: 'We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Wing Commander Paul Farnes DFM, the last fighter ace who flew in the Battle of Britain. 'Paul belonged to a generation of fearless men to whom we owe our freedoms today. More than that, Paul was one of The Few, who the Many will be forever thankful for. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time.' The White House told former national security advisor John Bolton that a book he has written reportedly containing damaging evidence for President Donald Trump cannot be published in its current form because it breaks secrecy laws. The warning was made in a letter to Boltons lawyer dated January 23 but only made public on Wednesday as Trumps impeachment trial intensified in the Senate. The National Security Council said after preliminary review of the manuscript -- a vetting process applied to any White House employees writing books -- that it contained significant amounts of classified information. Some of this information is at the TOP SECRET level, the NSC said in a letter to Boltons lawyer Charles Cooper, adding that the manuscript may not be published or otherwise disclosed without the deletion of this classified information. Boltons lawyer pushed back at the White House claims in a letter sent the next day, which he also made public on Wednesday. We do not believe that any of that information could reasonably be considered classified, Cooper wrote. Democrats are pressing for the Senate to subpoena Bolton after reports that his White House memoir The Room Where it Happened corroborates the key abuse-of-power impeachment charge against Trump. Bolton reportedly writes that the president personally told him in August that a freeze in military aid to Ukraine was directly linked to Trumps demand that Kiev announce investigations into Joe Biden, the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination. In his letter, Cooper asks the NSC to rapidly conclude its review of the manuscript, in light of the possibility Bolton may be subpoenaed to appear at Trumps trial. If he is called to testify, it seems certain that he will be asked questions that will elicit much of the information... dealing with his involvement in matter relating to Ukraine, wrote Cooper, who said he had received no response as of Wednesday. Several hours before the NSC letter went public, Trump lashed out at Bolton on Twitter, saying he had written a nasty & untrue book. All Classified National Security. Despite the formal review process of Boltons book, drafts have already circulated around Washington, where the passages describing Trumps relationship with Ukraine caused a sensation. At a news conference in Davos last week, Trump indicated he was worried about Bolton, whom he fired in 2019. Trump said the veteran foreign policy advisor 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 its not very positive? If there is one person who has been enjoying the shit-show that has been Kiambu for the last 2 years, it has to be former governor William Kabogo. Kabogo was swept away by Waititus wave and defeated with a landslide. Despite handing over power graciously then, Kabogo took every opportunity to remind Kiambu of the bad choice they made, and criticize Waititu. On Wednesday, he was vindicated. Waititu became the first governor in Kenya to be removed from office by an act of impeachment. Senate confirmed his removal by a healthy majority, and there is a lot of consensus that not even the courts can same him now. Deputy governor James Nyoro assumes the duties of governor until 2022. Following the news, Kabogo took to Twitter to state his mind. The people of Kiambu should start getting services now. Choices have consequences, he wrote. The people of Kiambu should start getting services now. Choices have consequences. Hon. William Kabogo (@honkabogo) January 29, 2020 He followed that with another poster simply saying Waititu Impeached We are watching to see Kabogos next political move. PRISTINA -- The European Union's chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, has emphasized the need for bilateral dialogue to resume between Serbia and Kosovo, saying it was the most effective way for them to mend ties. During his first visit to Kosovo on January 30, Borrell continued the EU's policy of mediation, which has sought to bring the two countries back to the negotiation table after talks broke down in November 2018 when Pristina imposed a 100-percent tax on Serbian goods over Belgrades refusal to recognize Kosovos independence. "My duty, my task, my endeavor, my objective, is to accompany, facilitate the negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo," Borrell said after meeting with Kosovar President Hashim Thaci. "Because the problem can only be solved by Serbia and Kosovoand the result can only come from an agreement between the two of them," Borrell said. "There is no other solution." The EU's top diplomat also stressed that the bloc was not competing with the United States in facilitating dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. On the contrary, Borrell said that Brussels and Washington are "working together to achieve a result." Last week, a team of U.S. diplomats led by Richard Grenell, the special U.S. envoy to the Balkan nations, brokered two deals for Kosovo and Serbia to resume air and railway links, which have been suspended for 21 years. Brussels started mediation in 2011 amid strained relations between Pristina and Belgrade that have lingered since the Kosovo war that ended in 1999 after claiming more than 10,000 lives and leaving more than 1 million people homeless. NATO intervened to stop the conflict. Kosovo's independence, declared in 2008, has not been recognized by Belgrade, Russia, and five EU nations. The United States and more than 110 other countries have recognized Kosovos independence. Borell added that the EU would not be complete until Western Balkan countries joined the bloc but said a decision to grant visa-free travel to the European Union to Kosovo citizens was up to EU member states. Kosovo is the only Western Balkan nation not to have been granted visa-free EU travel. Later, Borrell met with representatives of political parties and civil society. However, the leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Kadri Veseli, told journalists he would not be meeting with Borrell in protest at the EU's decision not to grant Kosovars visa-free travel. After his visit in Kosovo, Borrell will travel to Serbia on January 31. With reporting by AP STAMFORD, Conn., Jan. 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Finacity Corporation (Finacity), a member of the Greensill family of companies, announces the close of a trade receivables securitization for Nitron Group LLC (Nitron). The facility supported by Nitrons global receivables portfolio allows for up to $200 million in funding. Finacity provided analytic and structuring support, as well as serving as the ongoing Transaction Administrator. The program is the latest deal struck since Finacity joined Greensill in June of 2019, adding Finacitys world leading receivables securitization capabilities to Greensills market leading financing capabilities for all aspects of working capital finance. About Nitron Group Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Greenwich, CT, Nitron Group LLC is a leading global trader of chemical and agricultural fertilizers including urea, ammonium nitrate and sulfate, phosphates, and potash. Serving clients in over 65 countries, the company offers a wide variety of services focused on the distribution, importation and warehousing of chemical and agricultural fertilizers, enabling clients in Latin America, North America, Europe and Africa to receive a product which meets the legal, safety and environmental standards. For further information, please visit www.nitrongroup.com. About Finacity Finacity, a member of the Greensill family of companies, specializes in the structuring and provision of efficient capital markets receivables funding programs, supplier and payables finance, back-up servicing, and program administration. Finacity currently facilitates the financing and administration of an annual receivables volume of approximately $100 billion. With resources in the USA, Europe and Latin America, Finacity conducts business throughout the world with obligors in 175 countries. For further information, please visit www.finacity.com. About Greensill Greensill is a leading provider of finance to businesses and people around the world. Founded in 2011, Greensill offers alternative sources of funding, allowing companies to provide suppliers with the opportunity for faster payment, while at the same time preserving their own capital position. The company is headquartered in London with offices in New York, Frankfurt, Chicago, Miami, Singapore, Sao Paulo, Mexico City, Johannesburg, Sydney, Warrington and Bundaberg. Greensill provides working capital finance facilities to customers across Europe, North America, Latin America, Middle East, Africa, and Asia. The company owns Greensill Bank, which was founded in Bremen, Germany in 1927, has a suite of proprietary Supply Chain Finance Funds run by world leading fund management organisations, acquired Finacity in June 2019 and FreeUp in October 2019. Greensill works with dozens of institutional investors that together provide stable funding. In 2019, Greensill provided more than US$150 billion of financing to more than 8 million customers and suppliers across more than 175 countries. For further information, please visit greensill.com. For more information on this transaction, please contact: Finacity Corporation Darren Davies USA TEL +1 (203) 428-3537 ddavies@finacity.com I am a Christian attorney who was wrongly sentenced to 4 years in prison.With God's leading, I began serving God by ministering to the lost inmates Author Tom Masters shares the details of his unique prison ministry in Gods Forgiven Servant: A Christian in Prison ($16.49, paperback, 9781630502539; $8.99, e-book, 9781630502546). When he arrived in prison, Masters contemplated two options: suicide or four years of isolation, avoiding the other inmates. However, God had His own plans. Masters began a prison Bible study and used his time locked away to minister to his fellow prisoners as Gods servant. I am a Christian attorney who was wrongly sentenced to 4 years in prison.With God's leading, I began serving God by ministering to the lost inmates, said Masters. Tom Masters is an attorney who spent over 20 years ministering to Christian clients. He also served in law enforcement and as a member of the Federal Bomb Squad. Xulon Press, a division of Salem Media Group, is the worlds largest Christian self-publisher, with more than 15,000 titles published to date.Gods Forgiven Servant is available online through xulonpress.com/bookstore, amazon.com, and barnesandnoble.com. 3 1 of 3 Hearst Connecticut Media file photo Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Hearst Connecticut Media file photo Show More Show Less 3 of 3 MIDDLETOWN A significant increase in the prevalence of influenza has prompted Middlesex Health to limit the number of people allowed to visit or accompany patients at its facilities. These restrictions are effective immediately and apply throughout Middlesex Healths service locations. These include, but are not not limited to, the Middlesex Hospital main campus in Middletown, two satellite emergency departments in Westbrook and Marlborough, as well as the outpatient surgical center on Saybrook Road in Middletown, according to a press release. Highlights The Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro will come with 66W fast charging system. An Explorer Edition of the Mi 10 Pro is also supposed to get the same 66W system. The regular Mi 10 is rumoured to get a slower 48W fast charging solution. Xiaomi may have been keeping mum about its next-generation Mi 10 series flagships but that hasn't stopped tipsters from getting information about these upcoming phones. Xiaomi has so far only confirmed the name and the chipset that it will be using in the Mi 10 series but several tips have revealed more. We had a hint that the Mi 10 series will bring Xiaomi's 66W wired fast charging technology to the masses but thanks to MIUI 11, it now seems confirmed. A tipster on XDA Forums has shared information about the Mi 10 series phones that's been extracted from the MIUI 11 codes. Codes of MIUI 11 v20.1.6 released on January 16, 2020 for the Redmi K30 5G variant in China has information related to the charging technology on the Mi 10 Pro. The codes confirm that the Mi 10 Pro will come with 66W fast wired charging system and there might be another Mi 10 Pro Explorer edition that may also flaunt the same design. The MIUI 11 codes confirm the code names for the Mi 10 Pro variants and according to a previous leak, the same code number was found to pass through China's CCC certification portal. This device, known as the M2001J1C, is known to come with Xiaomi's 66W fast charging system. There was another device passing through certification at the time, carrying the code name M2001J1E, and this has also been spotted in MIUI 11 codes. This device could end up as an Explorer Edition of the Mi 10 Pro but nothing has been confirmed regarding this so far. Previously, there were reports carrying information that the Mi 10 Pro will get the 66W fast charging whereas the regular Mi 10 with a bigger battery than the Pro variant will come with a slower 48W fast charging. Xiaomi's headlining 100W fast wired charging system is yet to make a debut but it seems that it could be a while before Xiaomi releases it on one of its premium phones. Chances are that the Mi Mix series could get a new phone later this year and it might end up featuring the 100W charging system. The 100W fast-charging system has been said to recharge an average-sized battery in under 17 minutes and this could make it the fastest charging solution in the market. So far, the fastest charging system comes from Oppo in the form of its 65W SuperVOOC system in its Reno Ace smartphone LOS ALAMOS, N.M., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Knoze Jr. Corp will be honored with the "Star Business of the Year" award from the Small Business Development Center at UNM-LA. The Star Businesses will be recognized on the floor of the New Mexico legislature. The company is grateful with support from local communities and visions that the world will accept AllerPops for Allergies just as it accepts penicillin for pneumonia. Cliff Han developed a revolutionary theory to explain why we have allergies and invented AllerPops to solve the allergy problem. The reception will be at the La Fonda hotel on February 10th at 5:30 pm and Knoze Jr AllerPops will be acknowledged on the floor of the New Mexico House of Representatives on February 11th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Knoze Jr.'s founder, Cliff Han, invented AllerPops three years ago and started his company. AllerPops are a revolutionary prebiotic lollipop that gives people all-natural allergy relief that lasts for months. Current medicine for allergies only relieves symptoms temporarily with significant side effects. AllerPops target the cause of allergies, resulting in lasting relief with minimal side effects. The AllerPops business idea started with Dr. Han's family. Dr. Han's son had allergies since he was a baby. As a medical doctor, a biologist, and of course, a father, he wanted to find a solution. The opportunity came when he developed his own case of the allergies in 2014. He started to collect samples and data on his allergic reactions. In the spring of 2017, he revealed the secret behind allergic reactions that nobody had discovered. The application of his newly found theory, AllerPops, relieved him and his family's allergies shortly after. Knoze Jr was first established to study the allergies and then to market and distribute AllerPops Prebiotic Lollipops. Knoze Jr. can not only treat allergies with AllerPops but also prevent allergies. There is no other product on the market that does the same thing. "I developed AllerPops after discovering the real cause of allergies, and oral probiotic deficiency," says Dr. Han. "The beneficial bacteria have a natural function to calm the immune system. Without enough oral probiotics, the immune system surrounding the oral/nasal cavity will become hypersensitive. AllerPops contains cherry-picked nutrition for those bacteria and can restore the natural, peaceful condition." Seasonal allergies are a common disease that became an epidemic in the last 30-50 years. Currently, it impacts 10-30% of the human population around the world. In the US, it is estimated that 50 million people have allergies, either seasonal or long term. "My goal for the business is to make AllerPops the primary choice for people with common allergies in the US and the world in the next 5-10 years," said Han. The Qualities of a Successful Entrepreneur America's Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) is a local, national, global business resource. New Mexico SBDC is a national accredited business assistance program offering no-cost business consulting and low-cost business training for all types of businesses at all stages of business development. SBDC focuses on job creation, growing business, new businesses and economic development. Julianna Barbee is one of the SBDC Mentors said, "As a Star SBDC Client you have to be a strong business with strong leadership values. He has the qualities you need to make it as an entrepreneur. He embraces the challenge and he's not afraid of hard work and he surrounded himself with a great network of experts. He always maintains a high standard of ethics and integrity, and that is a rare quality these days." Barbee's areas of expertise include broadcast media, YouTube videos, and websites and she has been assisting Han in all these areas to help launch AllerPops nationally and internationally. Since the SBDC is made up of a global network of experts, she was able to reach out to colleagues to answer any questions that have come up for him along the way. "If I don't have the answers, I can find them," she said. "He really has access to local, national and global resources." She said, "It's been great working with him. I feel like I've become better at my job because he challenges me." Last fall, Barbee attended America's SBDC National Conference. "I found myself taking a lot of classes just so I could help Dr. Han, like future trend classes, marketing classes and financial classes." While there, she gave a speech where she shared the success of her local clients, including AllerPops and Black Mesa Winery. "Dr. Han is doing all the right things," said Barbee. "He's disciplined. He's a risk taker. He is not afraid to step out of his comfort zone. He's not afraid to fail. He's interested in solutions. Even the product itself is all about finding a real solution to allergies and not just masking the symptoms. His solution-based mindset is his competitive edge. He truly wants his customers to be well. His mind and his heart is truly with the customer and his focus is always on the customers, and what will help him and heal them?" Surrounded by a Network of Experts Helped Him Reach Business Milestones Faster "I have been working with both Joe Montes and Julianna Barbee at the Small Business Development Centers at Los Alamos and Espanola," said Han. "Their advice has propelled the progress of my company." The Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) at Santa Fe is another organization Han has interacted with. He met with Lee Lefton, Jim Owens, and Russ Mooney. Lee Lefton said, "Cliff Han is a real success story. A microbiologist, he developed a lollipop that would relieve and prevent allergies for long periods of time unlike anything else on the market. SCORE guided Cliff through the branding process helping him come up with the fun and memorable product name AllerPops. From there, Cliff launched a successful marketing campaign that included radio, television, social media and a website, all helping to boost sales and build a strong audience for the product. Cliff credits SCORE's mentorship in helping him get through FDA's oversight for AllerPops. Now, the sky's the limit for growing the business." After the discovery of the cause of allergies, the first significant effort was to protect the intellectual property by submitting multiple patent applications. Knoze Jr. has been awarded three patents for method and composition that treats allergies, and three others are pending. Patent applications to major international markets, such as Europe Union, China, Japan, and Korea, have been submitted. "After the invention of AllerPops, several other milestones got the business on the right track: finding the right contract manufacturer, selling on Amazon, and selling on knozejr.com," said Han. "I have learned plenty of things about how to run my business in the last two years. The most important thing is constantly reshaping myself to fit the development of the business. For example, my recent adaptation is to reduce my function as an omnipotent worker and hire more professional services to meet the need of Knoze Jr. High-quality work from professional services will facilitate market expansion." Before inventing AllerPops, Dr. Han was a biologist in Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) for 22 years, where he participated in the Human Genome Project. He led a team to complete many hundreds of bacterial genomes and authored more than 300 research papers. Before that, Dr. Han got his Ph.D. from Fudan University, was trained as a medical doctor and worked in a hospital for four years. He also worked at the Quality and Performance Assurance Division in LANL for three years, which prepared him in business administration, especially in quality control. You can buy AllerPops on Amazon and local drug stores. Log on to AllerPops.com for more information. Contact: Cliff Han Founder of AllerPops and owner of Knoze Jr 505-695-4236 [email protected] https://www.allerpops.com SOURCE Knoze Jr Corp A Louisiana man who was on board the commercial flight back to the US from coronavirus-struck China has revealed the inside of the hotel room where they are now being held in quarantine in California. Patrick 'Randy' Stockstill, 38, and his family live in Rhode Island. His wife Ping is Chinese and they had taken their two young children to her hometown of Yichang, 200 miles west of Wuhan, for the Lunar New Year when coronavirus swept the nation and put entirely cities on lock down. They were able to get themselves seats on a government-commissioned plane that flew 125 Americans out of China on Tuesday. Stockstill has been hit with a bill of $4,400 for the family of four, including their two young children, to get out. Now, they are being held at the March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, California, for three days to be cleared. They will then be able to return home. On Wednesday morning, the family appeared on Good Morning America via Skype from the air base. Scroll down for video This is the room on the March Air Base in California where Patrick Stockstill is being kept with his wife and their two young children after returning to the US from Wuhan, the epicentre of the deadly coronavirus One of Stockstill's two young children playing inside the air base. The family said they are being made 'comfortable' and are eager to 'wait out' the next three days Stockstill, his wife Ping and their two young children were in China, in his wife's hometown, celebrating Lunar New Year when the virus spread 195 Americans are under quarantine, as blood samples, throat and nose swab cultures get tested by the CDC, after being evacuated from the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in China. @WillCarr has the story. pic.twitter.com/OloC1Qrw6N Good Morning America (@GMA) January 30, 2020 They said they'd been made to feel 'comfortable' at the base and that they had everything they needed. 'They're doing a good job making us feel comfortable,' Stockstill said. The family were lucky to get seats on the plane. First priority went to US diplomats, he said, and there are still hundreds more Americans who are stranded in the US. 'I've never seen a plane set up like that before. It was a wide open cargo plane with passenger seats it felt like something out of a movie,' Stockstill said of the flight. Others have told how medics checked passengers every few hours throughout the flight. Now that they are on the air base, they are not allowed to leave their rooms. They have food and water but they have to 'wait it out' for three days before being cleared for onward travel. 'We're hoping to get back home this weekend,' he said. Stockstill also shared photographs from the State Department flight his family was abe to go on. He said it was a cargo plane that had been specially fitted with wide seats and that they were checked over every few hours Medics in hazmat suits performed checks on the people on the plane every few hours. It was a cargo plane which had been specially kitted out for the journey, he said His sister is now raising money for the family via a GoFundMe page to help them come up with the funds for their flights back from China and, eventually, their flights from California to Rhode Island. Stockstill made pleas for help on social media before the family learned they were among the few to get seats on the plane. Stockstill's wife with their youngest child. No one in his family has been found to have the virus but they still have to wait to be cleared 'Our original flight out was scheduled for Friday 1/31, however Hubei province (where we are) is locked down. Highways and most backroads are closed, trains aren't running and the airport is now shut down. 'There is a plane chartered by the state department we could possible get on tomorrow from Wuhan. It has a 230-seat capacity. First priority is for diplomats and their families. 'Any extra space will be provided to US citizens with priority to those who are most at risk. 'We are being considered for those spots but have to hear back from the American Citizen Services group with a definite yes. We have food, water, and shelter. We have top of the line medical masks being delivered to us this morning through one of Pings connections here. 'We are safe, but we really want to get on that plane,' he said on January 26. Other US families remain in China. The couple appeared on Good Morning America on Thursday from the airbase and said they felt happy to be back in the US Personnel in hazmat suits greet the people coming off the State Department plane in Riverside, California, on Wednesday Priscilla Dickey and her daughter Hermione are still in Wuhan after being stopped from boarding a seat on the flight because the eight-year-old did not have her passport. Priscilla and her ex-partner, James, moved to China from Tennessee to work as teachers. They split in 2017 but co-parent. When roads and railways began shutting down last week because of the virus, Hermione had a fever. Her mother was desperate to get her out of the country and was able to get them on the US State Department flight. However her passport was with her father, in his apartment, 250 miles away. With no way in or out of Wuhan, the family was left with no choice but to just photocopy it and hope the State Department would let her board. They were sent home from the airport and now have to wait for the roadblocks to be lifted. Hermione was cleared at the airport - she does not have the virus. Despite her frustration at not being allowed on the plane, Priscilla told The Washington Post how much she admired the Chinese immigration officials working round the clock to help get the US citizens out of the country on the government plane. 'I do have to give it to the Chinese though. A couple in Wuhan walk the streets on January 30. The city is on lockdown 'These guys were working at the airport so we could all leave. They were working. Its a holiday. Theres a quarantine in place. Everythings shut down. But yet they were there working for us until 3 a.m,' she said. Another State Department flight is expected to send more planes to Wuhan as early as Monday to get the remaining Americans out of Wuhan. US citizens with a valid passport who are stuck are asked to email CoronaVirusEmergencyUSC@State.gov with their information to try to get seats on those planes. So far, 170 people have died as a result of the killer virus which originated in a seafood market in Wuhan. The World Health Organisation is meeting on Thursday to decide whether or not to declare a global health emergency. There are five confirmed cases of the virus in the United States. Picture shows the headquarters of the German company, Webasto, where four employees have tested positive for the coronavirus, in Stockdorf near Munich, Germany, January 28, 2020. REUTERS/Michael Dalder Germany confirmed three more cases of coronavirus on Tuesday evening, bringing the total number of people infected in the country to four. On Monday, the health ministry in the state of Bavaria reported that a 33-year-old German man had contracted the virus and was receiving treatment in a Munich hospital. The German patient is Europes first confirmed case of human-to-human transmission of the coronavirus outside of Asia. The virus which originated in Wuhan, China, has killed more than 130 people in China so far, and infected around 6,000. It has spread to 13 other countries, including the US, Australia, Singapore, and Taiwan. READ MORE: Hong Kong stocks slump amid coronavirus travel lockdown The infected German man is an employee at Webasto, an automotive parts supplier headquartered near Munich with offices and plants in China. He had caught the virus from a Chinese co-worker, who was visiting the German office from Shanghai for a seminar. The Chinese employee started to feel ill on her flight home to China on 23 January, authorities said at a press conference on Tuesday, and was confirmed to be infected with the virus. On Tuesday evening, the German Health Ministry said that the three new cases were connected to the Webasto employee. The Webasto plant near Munich said it will close until further notice. "There were a total of around 40 employees who have been determined to have been in contact with the [Chinese] woman, the ministry said. Those affected will be tested on Wednesday as a precaution." German airline Lufthansa has so far not suspended direct flights to and from China, but said it was giving flight crews the option to wear protective masks if they prefer. A Lufthansa spokesman said on Tuesday that the air in the planes is filtered, which removes bacteria, so the risk of infection is low. READ MORE: British Airways suspends China flights amid coronavirus outbreak Federal health minister Jens Spahn said on Tuesday that Germany was well prepared to deal with the virus, and that theres no need for excessive worry. An airman assigned to Ellsworth Air Force Base was one of two officers who died in the recent crash of a Bombardier E-11A electronic surveillance plane in Afghanistan, the Pentagon announced Wednesday. Capt. Ryan S. Phaneuf, 30, of Hudson, New Hampshire, and Lt. Col. Paul K. Voss, 46, of Yigo, Guam, perished in the crash Monday. Phaneuf was assigned to the 37th Bomb Squadron at Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City. Voss was assigned to Air Combat Command headquarters at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia. The cause of the crash is under investigation, but officials have said there is no indication the plane was downed by hostile action. Im pretty confident there was no enemy action involved. Aircraft mishaps happen," Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, told reporters Wednesday at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. The remains of the two airmen were recovered Tuesday from the crash site in Ghazni province by American forces. McKenzie said that as far as he knows, the U.S. troops did not meet any resistance going to the site. The main resistance was from the weather, which was really significant back there, he said, adding that appropriate precautions were taken in moving the recovery team to the site "because the last thing you want to do is have another mishap or have other people lose their lives in attempt to get up there. Col. David A. Doss, the commander of the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth, said Capt. Phaneuf will be missed by all. This is a tragic loss to the Air Force and our Ellsworth family. Our thoughts and prayers are with the members family, friends and co-workers as we all come to terms with this tragedy, Col. Doss said Wednesday in a press release. Every uniformed and civilian Airman assigned to Ellsworth is a valuable member of our team and this Airman will be greatly missed by all. Please respect the familys privacy as we concentrate on caring for them and our team during this difficult time. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 3 Angry 0 Jaipur, Jan 30 : The Rajasthan police on Thursday arrested a man on charges of trying to forcibly take away a copy of the Quran written with letters in gold during the Mughal era. The police identified the man as Banwari Meena and alleged that he was a gang leader involved in the crime. "To sell, he had already struck a deal for Rs 16 crore with a Bangladeshi family. However, one of the gang members was arrested even before the deal could be finalised", said a police officer. The police said Mughal Emperor Akbar is said to have donated the Quran's copy with letters written in gold to one of the prominent families of Mandalgarh (Bhilwara). As the descendants of the family fell on bad days, they decided to sell the Quran's copy and contacted Rakesh, a resident of Jaipur. Rakesh later contacted the Banwari gang. The police said Meena called the owners of the Quran's copy and bashed them. He ran away with the holy book's copy in a car. Victim Yogendra Mehta had complained to the police on September 12, 2019, said DCP Dr Rajeev Pachar. The DCP said the police were looking for Meena ever since the incident. He said the Quran's copy with over 1,000 pages was recovered from Meena. The 54-year-old bass-baritone fractured his ankle this week while in Bilbao to perform in a different production of Dutchman; he has returned home to Wales for surgery. The March 2 opening would have been his first Met appearance in eight years. The New York Times NORFOLK (Jan. 24, 2020) MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopters assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5 the "Nightdippers" return from their nearly ten-month deployment as part of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7 assigned aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). While deployed, HSC 5's assigned MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopters provided sustained rotary-wing operations in the U.S. 5th, 6th, and 7th Fleet areas of responsibility and the North Arabian Sea. HSC 5 flew more than 4,000 hours of dedicated operational tasking around the world. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Theodore Green) X 0 20 Help Keep Us Soaring We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling. We need your help in reversing that trend. We would like to add 20 new subscribers this month. Each month we count on your subscriptions or contributions. You can support us in the following ways: Viking explorer Thorfinn Karlsefni on the north end of Boat House Row on Kelly Dr. Aug. 16, 2017. Alt-right groups have an affinity for Vikings and annually gather at The Viking Statue sometime in October around Leif Erikson's birthday. Read more Whats become of the Viking statue that vandals pushed into the Schuylkill along Boathouse Row in 2018? A reader contacted Curious Philly wanting to know. What is the status of the statue of Thorfinn Karlsefni that was vandalized, knocked off of its pedestal at the western end of Boathouse Row and pushed into the Schuylkill River? Is it still in the river? Or has it been retrieved and is awaiting reinstallation? one reader asked, through our Curious Philly portal. Curious Philly is where readers ask us questions, and our reporters hunt down the answers. READ MORE: ASK US: Submit your question to Curious Philly The answer to this one, from the citys Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, is that the statue is at the conservators studio, according to an email from Public Art Director Margot Berg. We currently do not have a timetable for reinstallation. Does everybody want Thorfinn back? The statue, potentially, looms as an ongoing source of conflict and expense, which makes it complicated. The statue had (in 2008 and 2013) become a rallying point for white nationalists on Leif Erikson Day (Oct. 9), which is likely why vandals preemptively knocked it off its pedestal and into the water Oct. 2, 2018. No arrests were made, and a police spokesman said: We have no updated information at this time concerning this incident. We asked Berg if the statues flash-point status has affected the timetable for its reinstallation. The City is aware of the unfortunate appropriation of this statue by some white nationalists, and we are taking that into consideration as we complete the conservation and plan next steps, Berg noted. The statue was spray-painted with Nazi symbols in 2017. Neo-Nazis gathered there for a Leif Erikson Day rally in October 2013, while a group of about 75 supremacists came together to lay a wreath at Karlsefni's statue in October 2008. The statue had stood at the end of Boathouse Row since 1920. It was created by Icelandic sculptor Einar Jonsson, who was paid a commission using funds from a bequest to the Fairmount Park Art Association, now the Association for Public Art. The funds were to be used to create sculptures emblematic of the history of America. An inscription at the base of the statue says that Karlsefni followed Erikson to North America in 1003, and stayed for three years before returning to Iceland. The second Thorfinn Jonsson created two identical statues of Karlsefni. The second stands in the northeast section of Reykjavik, Iceland. Jonsson is a celebrated artist in Iceland, and a visit to the Jonsson museum is considered a leading tourist attraction. The statue of Karlsefni that exists in Reykjavik is apparently visited far less often than the museum, is unknown to many locals, and is certainly not a focal point of provocative rallies. The Philadelphia statue, now slated for repair, is city property. The City owns the statue and therefore is responsible for any major repairs and conservation. Funding is always a consideration for the City, Berg said. Information on the repair budget was not immediately available. One week after Tillamook County was hit by a cyberattack, the county computers remain unplugged while a cybersecurity firm tries to negotiate with criminals who deployed the ransomware, a county official said Wednesday. Tillamook County Sheriffs Lt. Gordon McCraw, who is the county emergency manager, said the outage is creating the most havoc for the taxation and clerks offices in the coastal county, which are more reliant on computers. Department heads are of course unhappy that they can't do things the way they used to, McCraw said in a telephone interview. Customers have been checking out books from county libraries the old-fashioned way, with paper and pen, instead of scanning them, McCraw said. McCraw said the county needs an encryption key to access all the data that the criminals encrypted. A study determined that it would take 12 years to decrypt all the data without the key. Ransomware is malicious software that encrypts a system, effectively locking out its users. The attackers promise to decrypt the information with a decryption key if they are paid. The county reported the attack to its cyber insurance carrier. Arete Advisors, a cybersecurity company based in New York, has been engaged to oversee an investigation and coordinate with law enforcement and "is negotiating with whoever encrypted our filed, McCraw said. It was not clear if a ransom demand has been made or if Arete has established contact with the criminals. The company did not immediately respond to a request for information. The city government said in a statement on Jan. 22, the day of the attack, that its phones and some emails and computers were still offline, affecting all departments, including City Hall, the library, public works and police. Emergency 911 phone number and nonemergency dispatch lines were unaffected. The phones were affected because they are so-called VoIP devices meaning they use the internet. In 2019, 113 state and municipal governments and agencies, 764 health care providers, and 89 universities, colleges and school districts in the United States were hit by ransomware attacks, said Brett Callow, threat analyst at Emsisoft, a company that produces software to protect computers against attacks. The numbers came from a compilation of press reports and help requests the company received, Callow said. -- The Associate Press Emboldened by the latest United Nations report implicating Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in hacking Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos phone, Democrats are pushing the Donald Trump administration to toughen up on the Saudi heir. Foreign Relations Committee top Democrat Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., pressed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the UN report in a letter earlier this week, asking whether the State Department is aware of Saudi efforts to hack US government officials. His letter also contained a veiled criticism of Israels export control policies by asking whether the State Department is working with allies and partners to stop the sale of spyware to the Saudi government. (Last weeks UN report found that the Pegasus spyware made by Israels NSO Group was most likely used in the crown princes alleged hack on Bezos phone.) And on Wednesday the top Democrat on the Middle East panel, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., penned a letter asking the US intelligence community and the FBI to launch a probe into the crown princes alleged hacking. Why it matters: Bezos owns The Washington Post and the crown prince allegedly hacked the billionaires phone in May 2018 roughly the same time that the Saudis allegedly hacked associates of the newspaper's columnist Jamal Khashoggi. The UN has found credible evidence that bin Salman was involved in Khashoggis October 2018 murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. And while the White House convinced Congress to drop a provision sanctioning Saudi officials involved in Khashoggis murder from a defense authorization bill last year, the law still requires the intelligence community to disclose the names of every Saudi official complicit in the assassination. The Trump administration has blown through the deadline to submit the report, which was due earlier this month. Whats next: Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has given the director of national intelligence until the end of Trumps impeachment trial to submit findings on the Khashoggi murder before attempting to force a declassification of the report via the Senate Intelligence Committee. Know more: Julian Pecquet explains how the UN report implicating the NSO Group in the Bezos hack has complicated the Israeli firms lobbying effort. Then read Bryant Harris' coverage of how the White House pressured Congress to drop Saudi sanctions legislation over the Khashoggi murder. Brits who were cue to fly home from coronavirus-hit Wuhan on Thursday have been told their flight will finally leave China on Friday. The UK government had anticipated flying about 200 UK citizens out of the country, where the death toll has risen to 170, on Thursday but Chinese officials refused permission for it to take off. Now foreign secretary Dominic Raab has confirmed that the flight will depart China on Friday. He said in a statement: "We are pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities that the evacuation flight from Wuhan airport to the UK can depart at 5am local time on Friday 31 January. "The safety and security of British nationals is our top priority. Our embassy in Beijing and consular teams remain in close contact with British nationals in the region to ensure they have the latest information they need." People arrive at Heathrow airport wearing protective face masks following the coronavirus outbreak (AP) Current confirmed cases of coronavirus (PA) Quarantine Britons returning from Wuhan will be put in quarantine for 14 days. Government minister Nick Gibb confirmed that the plane carrying the passengers from Wuhan will land at a military base in the UK before being taken to an NHS facility. Downing Street said the Britons returning from Wuhan had agreed to be placed in "assisted isolation. Speaking at a Policy Exchange event in Westminster earlier, Mr Raab said officials in the Foreign Office had "been working tirelessly" to get citizens out of Wuhan. He added: "We've been working with the Department of Health flat out, 24/7, to try and make sure we can identify British nationals in Wuhan, get them to a muster point and get them to a flight, a chartered flight in and out." The evacuation flight which is expected to have 150 Britons on board will land at RAF Brize Norton and also include 50 non-Brits, mainly from EU countries. The plane chartered by the UK from a Spanish company will then head to Spain with the foreign nationals after taking the UK passengers to the Oxfordshire air base. Passengers will then be taken to an NHS facility in the North West for a quarantine period of 14 days, sources told PA. Story continues Kharn Lambert, whose grandmother Veronica Theobald, 81, from Lancaster, is hoping to leave Wuhan, said he was waiting for a confirmation email with flight details. "The situation is basically we won't go to the airport until we receive the confirmation email," he said. Passengers say they have been told only to take hand luggage on the flight. Passengers arrive at Heathrow Airport in London after the last British Airways flight from China touched down in the UK (AP) Mixed advice Britons returning to the UK had previously expressed fury after being told they must "self-isolate" while also making their own way home from the airport. Previous advice from Public Health England was for those returning to stay at home for 14 days. Read more from Yahoo News UK: As a virologist, I can tell why you can stop panicking about the coronavirus European shares dip as Chinese coronavirus concerns deepen China coronavirus: What are the symptoms, where has it spread and is there treatment? But Britons due to board the flight back from Wuhan said they had been told by authorities to make their own way through the city to Wuhan airport, and once they land on British soil they are expected to make their own way home, potentially coming into contact with hundreds of people on the way. Experts in China have said there is evidence that people could transmit the virus without showing any symptoms, although UK experts think the risk is low. A family seen wearing protective masks as they walk around Changi Airport in Singapore (SOPA Images/Sipa USA) Passenger frustrations Kharn Lambert, whose grandmother Veronica Theobald, 81, from Lancaster, is booked on a flight that was due to be leaving Wuhan on Thursday, told the PA news agency: "We are not sure what time the flight will leave yet. She got a seat almost straight away because of her condition. "She is relieved, so am I, but she's frustrated with the restrictions being put in place. She can only take 15kg of hand luggage and she came here with about 30kg of stuff. Mr Lambert has decided not to return, and will stay in Wuhan, but said his grandmother had been told previously she would have to get from London to Lancaster on her own. A Chinese volunteer wearing the protective clothing disinfects a street for prevention of coronavirus (Costfoto/Sipa USA) Containment efforts The Foreign Office updated its advice on Tuesday to warn against all but essential travel to mainland China, saying it may become more difficult for British nationals in other provinces to leave. On Wednesday, British Airways announced it was suspending all flights to and from mainland China with immediate effect. The cancellations will be in place for a month until 19 February. Virgin Atlantic said its flights between Heathrow and Shanghai will continue to operate as scheduled, although passengers are able to rebook or obtain a refund free of charge. Chinese airlines which serve UK airports such as Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester including Air China, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines and Tianjin Airlines all appear to be operating flights as normal. A Chinese worker wearing protective clothing checks passenger's body temperatures for prevention of coronavirus at the exit of Nanjing Railway Station (Costfoto/Sipa USA) Coronavirus in numbers The death toll in China from coronavirus has risen to 170, with confirmed infections surging to 7,711. Of the new deaths, 37 were in the epicentre of the outbreak in Hubei province, with one in the south-western province of Sichuan. Four cases have been confirmed in Germany, making it the second European country to report cases after France. The World Health Organisation said the latest indications are that one in five cases of coronavirus are leading to severe disease, such as pneumonia, or were causing death. The Department of Health and Social Care said on Wednesday that 130 people in the UK had been given the all-clear for the virus, although scientists predict it may have already entered the country. SILICON SLOPES, Utah, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today at the Silicon Slopes Tech Summit , attended by more than 25,000 people in just its fourth year, The Silicon Slopes Venture Fund was launched as a way to better support Utah's technology entrepreneurs. It will also provide a way to ensure additional long-term funding for Silicon Slopes, the non-profit organization that serves Utah's booming tech community. The Silicon Slopes Venture Fund was created by Qualtrics co-founder and CEO Ryan Smith, Omniture co-founder and Domo founder and CEO Josh James and Pelion Venture Partners General Partner Jeff Kearl. "As leaders who have each found success building businesses in Utah, we're always looking for ways to make the community stronger and give back, particularly to the next generation of technology entrepreneurs," said Josh James. "We often spend time meeting with different founders, sharing our mistakes and observations. Sometimes we invest. Partnering with Pelion, where Jeff is a full-time investor, allows me to stay focused on Domo, Ryan to stay focused on Qualtrics, and at the same time continue to invest in startups that deserve both expertise and capital." The business model of the Silicon Slopes Venture Fund takes an unprecedented approach to collaboratively building up a tech ecosystem in a specific region. Most firms keep a percentage of the fund's total amount to cover operating expenses, including salaries. In this case, the group will donate most fees to support the ongoing operation of the non-profit tech organization, Silicon Slopes. Pelion Venture Partners is providing the fund's operational support and managing the fund alongside Jeff, Josh and Ryan. The Silicon Slopes Venture Fund will work in collaboration with other Utah founders and investors to accelerate the most promising companies in Utah's tech community. A core component of the fund is driving diversity in Utah's tech ecosystem by ensuring the fund encourages a diverse set of entrepreneurs including female and minority run businesses. Jeff Kearl remarked, "With this initiative, we're formalizing the investments that we've been doing together as angel investors for many years. Each of us flew to Sand Hill Road when we raised venture capital for our businesses. As a result, we were able to observe first-hand how legendary funds like Accel, Benchmark, and Sequoia operated when they invested our companies. Now with Pelion and the Silicon Slopes Venture Capital fund, we have the chance to build the fund in Utah that we wish existed when we were fundraising." Ryan Smith remarked, "With more than 7,000 tech-focused companies in Utah, the tech community has never been more promising here. The model of this fund allows us to give back to the community in a meaningful way, keep complete focus on continuing to build our own companies, and ensure that the Silicon Slopes organization is supported for years to come. We have seen the power of what happens when we all come together to do something--just look at the Silicon Slopes Tech Summit. With approximately 85% of the venture capital dollars going into Utah startups coming from out-of-state venture funds, we knew there was an opportunity for us to get more involved. I'm all in on Utah and I know the others are as well." James, Kearl and Smith, all who attended BYU, found success starting and leading brands that dominate their respective markets. James, in 1996, co-founded and led web analytics powerhouse Omniture, took it public in 2006, and then sold it three years later to Adobe for $1.8 billion. Omniture was Kearl's first of many angel investments. Kearl later co-founded Stance, the lifestyle apparel brand, where he previously served as CEO. He joined Pelion as a General Partner in 2019 to focus on investing full-time. Smith, in 2002, co-founded Qualtrics, where he continues as CEO. Qualtrics was sold to SAP in 2019 in an $8 billion deal, the largest private enterprise software acquisition in global tech history. James, Kearl, Smith, and Pelion have a history of investing in startups. Their investments include prominent Utah companies such as Divvy, Galileo, Lucid, MX and Weave as well as out-of-state companies such as Coupa, Celonis, Cloudflare, Front, Scopely, Riverbed and Uber. The Silicon Slopes Venture Capital fund is being previewed at the Silicon Slopes Tech Summit, January 30-31, in Salt Lake City. For more information about the Silicon Slopes Venture Fund, visit www.siliconslopes.vc . To meet with the team, email [email protected] . About the Silicon Slopes Venture Fund The Silicon Slopes Venture Capital fund is focused on supporting start-up companies and entrepreneurs in Utah, while giving back to the tech community at large through its support of Silicon Slopes. Silicon Slopes is a non-profit organization that exists to empower Utah's tech community to learn, connect and serve with the goal of making entrepreneurship open and accessible to all. About Pelion Venture Partners Pelion is an early-stage technology venture capital firm headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. Founded in 1986, Pelion has invested in leading technology innovators, including Cloudflare, Divvy, Domo, Fusion-io, MX, RedHat, Riverbed and Weave. More at www.pelionvp.com . SOURCE Silicon Slopes Related Links http://www.siliconslopes.vc Lawyers say want to know if Trumps genetic material is on the dress Carroll says she wore during alleged encounter. Lawyers for a woman who accuses President Donald Trump of raping her in the 1990s are asking for a DNA sample, seeking to determine whether his genetic material is on a dress she says she wore during the encounter. Advice columnist E Jean Carrolls lawyers served notice to a Trump lawyer Thursday for Trump to submit a sample on March 2 in Washington, DC, for analysis and comparison against unidentified male DNA present on the dress. Carroll filed a defamation suit against Trump in November after the president denied her allegation. Her lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, then had the black wool coat-style dress tested. A lab report with the legal notice says DNA found on the sleeves was a mix of at least four people, at least one of them male. Several other people were tested and eliminated as possible contributors to the mix, according to the lab report, which was obtained by The Associated Press. Their names are redacted. While the notice is a demand, such demands often spur court fights requiring a judge to weigh in on whether they will be enforced. The Associated Press sent a message to Trumps lawyer seeking comment. Carroll accused Trump last summer of raping her in a Manhattan luxury department store dressing room in the mid-1990s. In a New York magazine piece in June and a book published the next month, Carroll said she and Trump met by chance, chatted and went to the lingerie department for Trump to pick out a gift for an unidentified woman. She said joking banter about trying on a bodysuit ended in a dressing room, where she said Trump reached under her black wool dress, pulled down her tights and raped her as she tried to fight him off, eventually escaping. The Donna Karan coatdress still hangs on the back of my closet door, unworn and unlaundered since that evening, she wrote. She donned it for a photo accompanying the magazine piece. Trump said in June that Carroll was totally lying and he had never met this person in my life. While a 1987 photo shows them and their then-spouses at a social event, Trump dismissed it as a moment when he was standing with my coat on in a line. She is trying to sell a new book that should indicate her motivation, he said in one of various statements on the matter, adding that the book should be sold in the fiction section. Trump poses in front of a swan fountain at the Mar-A-Lago estate, Palm Beach, Florida in 1996 [File: Getty Images] Carroll sued Trump in November, saying he smeared her and hurt her career as a longtime Elle magazine advice columnist by calling her a liar. She is seeking unspecified damages and a retraction of Trumps statements. Unidentified male DNA on the dress could prove that Donald Trump not only knows who I am, but also that he violently assaulted me in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman and then defamed me by lying about it and impugning my character, Carroll said in a statement Thursday. Her lawyer, Kaplan, said it was standard operating procedure in a sexual assault investigation to request a DNA sample from the accused. As a result, weve requested a simple saliva sample from Mr Trump to test his DNA, and there really is no valid basis for him to object, she said. Trumps lawyer has tried to get the case thrown out. A Manhattan judge declined to do so earlier this month, saying the lawyer had not properly backed up his arguments that the case did not belong in a New York court. The Associated Press typically does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted, unless they come forward publicly. Carroll said she did not do so for decades because she feared legal retribution from Trump and damage to her reputation, among other reasons. But when the #MeToo movement spurred reader requests for advice about sexual assault, she said, she decided she had to disclose her own account. Trump, a Republican, is not the first president to face the prospect of a DNA test related to a womans dress. Former President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, underwent such a test during an independent counsel investigation into whether he had a sexual relationship with onetime White House intern Monica Lewinsky and then lied in denying it under oath. After Clintons DNA was found on the dress, he acknowledged an inappropriate intimate relationship with Lewinsky. Clinton was impeached by the House in December 1998 and later acquitted by the Senate. Pastor Raphael Warnock Enters US Senate Race in Georgia Rev. Raphael Warnock, pastor of the Atlanta church where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. preached, announced a bid for a U.S. Senate seat in Georgia on Jan. 30. Warnock, who became the senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church at the age of 35 in 2005, released a campaign announcement video highlighting his family and upbringing, saying his parents taught him and his 11 siblings the value of hard work. Responding to those who might wonder why a pastor would run for Senate, Warnock told viewers: Ive always thought that my impact doesnt stop at the church door; thats actually where it starts. I love this country. I believe that what makes America so great, is that weve always had a path to make it greater. He also said that, Struggling families across Georgia have it tougher than I did back then, growing up in a housing project in Savannah with his brothers, sisters, and parents. Warnock is vying for a seat that was vacated by Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), 75. Kelly Loeffler, a 49-year-old business executive, was selected to fill the seat temporarily by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican. The seat is up for grabs in the 2020 election, as is the seat held by Sen. David Purdue (R-Ga.), who is running for reelection. Loeffler, a Republican, is facing a challenge from Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), who confirmed his bid this week to the dismay of establishment Republicans. Collins is a strong ally of President Donald Trump but Loeffler has earned accolades from Trump and other Republicans for her opposition to the impeachment efforts against the president. Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) and Vice President Mike Pence participate in a ceremonial swearing-in as Loefflers husband Jeff Sprecher looks on at the Old Senate Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2020. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) speaks to media while other impeachment defense team advisors look on, at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 27, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Warnock is the third Democrat to join the race. Also running are Ed Tarver, a former federal prosecutor who served as U.S. attorney for Georgias Southern District under President Barack Obama; and Matt Lieberman, the son of former senator and vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman. Under Georgias current special election setup, the more candidates that run, the greater the odds of the race going to a January 2021 runoff between the top two finishers, which is required if no candidate receives a majority of votes in November. State House Speaker David Ralston, a longtime Collins friend, is pushing a law that would force party primaries in May. Kemp has threatened to veto that proposal. Warnock, the son of two pastors, entered the ministry at an early age. After graduating from Morehouse College, he served at churches in Birmingham, Alabama; New York, and Baltimore before becoming Ebenezers senior pastor in 2005, when he was 35. Warnock hasnt shied away from politics at Ebenezer, where Martin Luther King, Sr. and his son played key roles in the civil rights movement. Warnock hosted an interfaith meeting on climate change alongside former Vice President Al Gore and championed reforms to the nations criminal justice system. In 2015 he considered running for the Senate against Isakson, before deciding against it. Three Democrats are challenging Perdue in the other race: 2017 congressional candidate Jon Ossoff, former Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson, and 2018 candidate for lieutenant governor Sarah Riggs Amico. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Wyoming Business Tips for Feb. 3-9 A weekly look at issues facing Wyoming business owners and entrepreneurs from the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network, a collection of business assistance programs at the University of Wyoming. By Bruce Morse, regional director, Wyoming SBDC Network Tax time is upon us and, near the end of 2019, business owners likely received notices from their county assessors regarding taxes and their personal property that are used in their businesses. This is often confusing, especially for new business owners who may be seeing information on their personal property taxes for the first time. Personal property tax is a tax on anything that is not real property. Examples are office furniture, computers, small equipment and tools. The administration of the tax varies slightly by county in Wyoming. The primary statute requiring the tax is Wyoming Statute 39-13-103(b) (v). There are more statutes and rules covering personal property. In summary, these statutes and rules mandate that county assessors offices around the state discover, list and value all equipment owned by businesses. Wyoming is a self-reporting state, which means that the assessors rely on businesses to report their equipment annually. This is the primary means of discovery; however, when a business does not report, other methods of discovery come into play. Information from sources such as the Wyoming Secretary of State, advertising and canvassing also lead to discovery of nonreporting businesses. The extended version of this Biz Tip -- with details on what happens if you dont report, how values are determined and what the timeline for the process looks like -- can be found at www.wyomingsbdc.org/biz-tips/. If you need help navigating the tax season for your small business, an upcoming webinar series, titled Tax Considerations for the Self-Employed, will go into detail about everything you need to know. The three-part series will take place Feb. 6, 13 and 20. You also can contact your local Wyoming SBDC Network adviser for no-cost, confidential assistance at www.wyomingsbdc.org. Special thanks to Park County Assessor Pat Meyer for providing information about this topic for this column. The Wyoming SBDC Network offers business expertise to help Wyoming residents think about, launch, grow, reinvent or exit their businesses. The Wyoming SBDC Network is hosted by UW with state funds from the Wyoming Business Council and funded, in part, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. To ask a question, call 1-800-348-5194, email wsbdc@uwyo.edu, or write 1000 E. University Ave., Dept. 3922, Laramie, WY 82071-3922. The new dolls, which were unveiled Tuesday, are the latest attempt by Mattel to shift away from Barbies image as the impossibly thin blonde icon blamed for distorting young childrens idea of beauty, skin tone and body shape | via @nytimes One doll is bald. Another has a prosthetic limb. And another dolls curly dark hair is swept away from her face to show she has vitiligo, a condition that causes patches of skin to lose melanin. They are among several new Barbie dolls that Mattel is hailing as its most diverse doll line that features more skin tones, hair types and body shapes than ever before. The dolls, which were unveiled Tuesday, are the latest attempt by the company to shift away from Barbies image as the impossibly thin blonde icon blamed for distorting young childrens idea of beauty, skin tone and body shape. I think this is the best thing that could happen for children, said Stella Pavlides, president and chief executive of the American Vitiligo Research Foundation in Clearwater, Florida, an advocacy group for people with the condition. The foundation features stories of children and young men and women with vitiligo, an autoimmune condition with no known cure in which the body attacks the cells that give skin its color. People with the condition have white patches or irregular shapes on the skin that can grow and spread. For children with the condition, a doll with a face that looks like theirs could help them with the social stigma associated with vitiligo, Pavlides said. It shows children that if they can make a doll that looks like them, then theyre okay, said Pavlides, 74, whose condition was diagnosed when she was 22. She remembers store clerks refusing to take money from her hand. Once one of the worlds top-selling dolls, Barbie struggled to stay relevant in the early 2000s as other toy companies began manufacturing dolls that showed more diversity and as parents steered their children away from a doll that had become an emblem of unrealistic and even toxic beauty. In 2010, the company was forced to apologise for a book about Barbie and computers. In the book, I Can Be a Computer Engineer, Barbie laughingly explained to her kid sister, Skipper, that she could design only a puppy on her laptop. Ill need Stevens and Brians help to turn it into a real game, she said. In 2016, Mattel launched the Fashionista Barbie line, which included curvier body types and different skin tones, facial features and hair textures. There are now 176 dolls with the new additions unveiled this week. In 2019, Mattel began selling Barbies in wheelchairs and claimed that more than half of all dolls sold by the company came from a diverse set of backgrounds. That year, the top-selling doll almost every week was a curvy black Barbie with an Afro, according to a Mattel spokeswoman. That same year, Mattel announced that sales of Barbie had reached a five-year high. Mattel is really catching up with the times and realising that more than 50 percent of children are from backgrounds other than white families, said Rebecca Hains, a professor of media and communication at Salem State University in Massachusetts and author of The Princess Problem: Guiding Our Girls through the Princess-Obsessed Years. She added, If they want to keep that market share, they need to do what theyre doing now. Lisa McKnight, senior vice president and general manager of Mattels Barbie and dolls portfolio, said the doll line continues to evolve to better reflect the world girls see around them. We know our efforts are resonating with eight consecutive quarters of growth, she said in a statement. These advancements in diversity aside, consumers should remember that Barbie dolls still do not truly reflect the population, said David Hagenbuch, a professor of marketing at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The faces are still perfectly symmetrical, the noses pert, and the bodies, while not all reed-thin anymore, are still not reflective of real American bodies, he said. I like what Mattel is doing, said Hagenbuch, who teaches ethics in marketing. Its a curvy Barbie, but if you were to match her weight with the weight of the average American woman or man, its still way off. If people claim theyre representing society in every fashion and facet, theyre not. None of us are perfectly proportioned or symmetrical like these dolls. Maria Cramer c.2020 The New York Times Company Boost for fast-growing global agro-industrial group Sodrugestvo EBRD loan supports foreign direct investment in Turkey and expansion of cross-border trade Sodrugestvo aims to become a regional leader in soybean processing The agricultural sectors of Turkey and eastern Europe are receiving a boost thanks to EBRD financing worth US$ 90 million for the agricultural commodity processor and trader Sodrugestvo Group. Founded in 1994, Sodrugestvo Group owns the largest soybean processing complex in Europe and ranks among the top 20 soybean processors in the world. Headquartered in Luxembourg, the company has more than 30 subsidiaries located in some 20 countries, including in Belarus, Brazil, Paraguay, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine. The EBRD is providing three loans to Turkish and European subsidiaries of Sodrugestvo to enhance their operations. The group manufactures proteins and oils and distributes agricultural commodities globally. In Turkey, a US$ 80 million EBRD loan will support foreign direct investment by financing the acquisition by Sodrugestvo of a multi-seed crushing plant in Izmir from Altinyag, a soybean processing company. Of the Banks loan, US$ 25 million is expected to be syndicated to foreign lenders. Sodrugestvo plans to improve the efficiency of its Turkish subsidiary by bringing it up to company standards, increasing profitability and sustainability. The company is working on the transformation of its Turkish facilities into a regional hub and a leading soybean processor in the country and the Mediterranean region. In addition, with US$ 10 million of EBRD funds, Sodrugestvo aims to increase the number of its agricultural suppliers in eastern Europe. Every Supreme Court case tells a story. Both sides vie to persuade the justices and, in big cases, the public as well to see the issues through one particular narrative lens. Heading into last weeks argument on whether Montana was obliged by the federal Constitution to keep subsidizing religious-school tuition under a scholarship program that violated the state Constitution, it was easy to see which story line was winning. School Choice Battle May Boost Religious Freedom was the headline on USA Todays preview of the argument. That is indeed the narrative put forward by lawyers for the school-choice movement, which seeks to use this case to break through the barriers that in many states have prevented parents from using school tuition vouchers for parochial school tuition. The libertarian Institute for Justice, long a leading proponent of vouchers, is framing its appeal, Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, as a case about religious freedom. (Its worth noting that this is not a religion case brought by the religious right; conservative religious groups, along with the Trump administration, are riding the Institute for Justices libertarian coattails in a symbiosis of convenience.) The state, defending its high courts decision to shut down the scholarship program for all private schools, secular and religious, has no correspondingly snappy one-liner to offer. It argues that religious freedom is enhanced rather than threatened by preventing the flow of public money to religious institutions. That argument gained no traction last week with a Supreme Court majority determined to lower the constitutional barrier between church and state. That this odd case is a glaringly defective vehicle for reaching that goal only shows the depth of the majoritys determination. The case is also a perfect vehicle for showing something else: the contradiction at the heart of the religious claims being pressed on increasingly receptive federal courts. Those making these claims say that religion and nonreligion must be treated equally. The rule is religious neutrality, Richard D. Komer, a senior attorney with the Institute for Justice, told the justices. So if parents are able use publicly financed scholarships for secular private school tuition, this argument goes, there should be no difference when it comes to religious school tuition. 3 1 of 3 Harris County Constable Precinct 1 Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Harris County Constable Precinct 1 Show More Show Less 3 of 3 A 71-year-old Heights-area man has been charged with felony aggregate theft after he allegedly scammed neighbors into handing over thousands of dollars for handyman work he never performed, according to Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Al Rosen's office. William Francis Herrington is accused of conning at least four people between July 5 and Dec. 5, 2019 for various amounts of money, according to a charging document filed on Wednesday. Herrington allegedly would respond to posts on Nextdoor, offering his services as a contractor to make home repairs throughout the Greater Heights, Woodland Heights, Rice Military, Norhill and surrounding neighborhoods. Union minister and Amethi MP Smriti Irani on Thursday claimed that the political parties which failed to win the 2019 Lok Sabha elections are supporting protests like Delhi's Shaheen Bagh, where "anti-national slogans" are being raised. She also alleged that the intention of the Congress was to "break the country". "There is anger in the entire country that in Shaheen Bagh, AAP and other political parties which had failed to win the 2019 Lok Sabha elections are supporting the talk of dividing the country," the Union minister said here. She alleged that "anti-national slogans are being raised at Shaheen Bagh", where protests are going on against the Citizenship Amendment Act since the law was passed in Parliament last month. "Today, on the death anniversary of Bapu, I will only say that even Mahatma Gandhi is being cursed from the platform of Shaheen Bagh. AAP leader Manish Sisodia has given his support to the protesters of Shaheen Bagh," she claimed. The Union minister said she would ask political leaders has their "standard of touched so low" that after the defeat in the Lok Sabha polls, they are not able to accept it and "speaking of dividing the country from these platforms". "They are talking about 'Jinnah wali azadi'. Countrymen are looking at these things," she added. To a question on the ongoing 'Ganga Yatra' in the state, she said, "It will be my fortune that I will be taking part in it in Rae Bareli and Pratapgarh." She, however, evaded questions on the visit of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi to the state earlier this month. Addressing a gathering in Bhetua block after laying foundation stones of 20 projects worth over Rs 5 crore, Irani claimed said now common people too will have access to solar lights like political leaders. She also visited Bhareta village to meet families of those killed in a road accident on January 20. During their visit here, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi had also met the bereaved families on January 23. In Pratapgarh, Irani said it cannot be the character of a true Indian to sit in Shaheen Bagh and talk of "breaking the country". Attacking the Congress, Smriti Irani said, "The intention of the Congress is to break the nation. Do not expect anything from them." "I will pray Ganga Maiya for letting better sense prevail upon people who depend on this land for survival but praise other," she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government has reached out to over 600 Indians living in China's Hubei province, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak, to ascertain their willingness to be brought back to India. India has already approached Chinese authorities to allow it to send two flights to Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, to bring back Indian nationals, and the evacuation process may start from Friday. "We have established contact with over 600 Indians across the province and are individually ascertaining their willingness to be repatriated. Our Mission in Beijing is working round-the-clock on the ground to work out the necessary logistics," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said at a media briefing. Kumar said there is no report of any Indian being affected by the coronavirus in either Hubei province or in any other country. The MEA spokesperson also said that India has not put any restriction on the movement of people from China to India in view of the coronavirus outbreak in the country. He said the government has been conducting a regular review of the situation arising out of the outbreak of coronavirus in China. The Indian embassy in Beijing said India was preparing to evacuate its citizens from Wuhan on Friday. According to the Chinese authorities, the nationwide death toll from novel coronavirus has jumped to 170. "We have made a formal request to the government of China for bringing back Indian nationals from the Hubei province in two flights. We are awaiting for the necessary approval from the Chinese side. We hope this will be granted soon," Kumar said. Kumar said arrangements are being put in place for people to travel to the airport in Wuhan. "We remain committed to the safety and well-being of our nationals abroad. We appreciate the support extended by the government of China and other ministries in the government of India in putting this process together," Kumar said. He said the number of Indians in Hubei province used to be around 1,200 but it is difficult for the government to find out the exact number now. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Boys abandoned at Moscow airport to be resigned to grandmother childrens ombudsman RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 14:59 30/01/2020 MOSCOW, January 30 (RAPSI) Russias child rights commissioner Anna Kuznetsova announced on Thursday that two minor boys, who had been left unattended in Moscows Sheremetyevo Airport by their father, would be resigned to a grandmother. A decision is pending, she said. A complex check conducted by the office of the childrens ombudsman revealed systemic failures in the work of authorized bodies. According to Kuznetsova, the boys were repeatedly abandoned by their parents, placed in a social rehabilitation center, parboiled; and police received reports. However, nothing was done, she stated. Two boys born 2011 and 2014 were found in the airports building on Sunday. Their documents and fathers letter asking to temporarily place the children in an orphanage because of his financial problems were found in the minors bags. According to investigators, the boys father departed for the city of Rostov. The case was opened against him over child endangerment. Later, he turned himself in one of the Investigative Committees units. Currently, the boys are in a social rehabilitation center near Moscow. According to Kuznetsova, information on the childrens parents has been collected in full and is now checked by police, investigators and other authorized bodies. File / Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media The current proposal to add tolls to Connecticuts highways is unnecessary. The reasons put forth by the governor and his supporters in the legislature are misleading and incorrect. Tolls are neither needed nor supported by our residents. I have campaigned in the 151st district for the last few weeks and I can say from first-hand conversations that a large majority of our residents, irrespective of party affiliation, are opposed to tolls on our roads. Despite lack of support from the majority of our voters, if the Democrats in state government muscle their proposal into law, given their super-majority in the state legislature, it would be a massive mistake. First, our transportation spending over the last few years has been inefficient and wasteful. Our state government spends annually an average $2.5 billion on the capital program and another $700 million on maintenance and operations. We have invested in a number of mega projects which have not delivered. The Hartford Line ($770 million), Hartford-New Brittany busway ($567 million), Norwalk Walk Bridge ($1.1 billion) are examples of such inefficient mega projects. The usage of the Hartford line hardly justifies the massive investment and the Norwalk Walk Bridge is overbudget and delayed. The proposed Bridgeport train station for a price tag of $300 million is another current glaring example of poor use of our tax dollars. The transportation commissioner has been on record about his strategy of build it and the users will come. Connecticut, with a stagnant economy and fiscal challenges, cannot afford this sort of speculative spending. On Tuesday, Britain announced that it would allow Huawei to supply non-core technologies, such as antennas and base stations, as part of its 5G network, while capping its overall share of the market at 35%. The decision was not unexpected. Huawei technology has been an integral part of Britains 3G and 4G networks, and the British government has worked closely with the Chinese company to ensure the security of its communications infrastructure. Its incorporation into 5G will both help reduce the cost to consumers and enable the deployment of the super-fast technology sooner than if Huawei were banned as part of the 5G rollout. An official from the chief ministers office (CMO) said that the government will bring an ordinance in this connection. Almost two-and-a-half years ago, the Devendra Fadnavis-led government had amended the Maharashtra Gram Panchayat Act, 1958, for direct election of the village sarpanch from among the people. Mumbai: The state cabinet has reversed the BJP-led governments decision to allow direct elections to the post of sarpanch. A cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Uddhav Thackeray approved the proposal to allow elected members of gram panchayats to elect the sarpanch from among themselves. Almost two-and-a-half years ago, the Devendra Fadnavis-led government had amended the Maharas-htra Gram Panchayat Act, 1958, for direct election of the village sarpanch from among the people. The move aimed at expanding the BJP footprint in rural parts. Before 2017, the village sarpanch used to be elected from among the elected representatives who alone could vote in the election. As per the latest cabinet decision, sections 7, 13, 15, 35, 38, 43, 62 and 62 (A) will be amended and new sections 30 (A-1b) and 145-1A will be added to the Act. An official from the chief ministers office (CMO) said that the government will bring an ordinance in this connection. Rural development minister Hasan Mushrif said that this decision would help the interaction between the sarpanch and the elected members. Besides, it would make the functioning of the gram panchayat faster and more comfortable. Criticising the previous governments decision to allow direct elections to the post of sarpanch, Mr Mushrif said that owing to the direct selection process of the sarpanch, the development works of villages had been adversely affected. Several gram panchayats had a situation where the sarpanch and elected members had different ideologies, he said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 05:40:59|Editor: yan Video Player Close ALGIERS, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Algeria on Wednesday said that it rejects the Middle East peace plan announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, also known as the "Deal of the Century." The Algerian presidency reiterated in a statement its "strong and permanent support to the Palestinian cause and the inalienable right of its people to establish an independent and sovereign state with East Jerusalem as a capital." Algeria further reaffirmed its rejection to any process to resolve the issue that doesn't involve Palestinians or undermine their interests, the statement added. The North African state stressed its adherence to the Arab peace initiative that was approved at the Arab League Summit in Beirut in 2002. Algeria urged for "sense of responsibility, the necessity of consolidating the Palestinian rank and unifying its position," as well as the necessity of "coordinating joint Arab and international action in order to overcome the existing blockage," the statement said. BERKELEY, Calif. - The law school at the University of California, Berkeley has stripped itself of a 19th century namesake who espoused racist views that led to the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act. John Boalts name was removed from a school building Thursday after a three-year process. University officials say this is the first time UC Berkeley has removed a facilitys name due to the character or actions of its namesake. The name removal comes as institutions around the country re-assess the people honoured with their monuments, streets and buildings. Last year, San Francisco removed a statue long deemed racist by Native Americans. Its incredibly important to confront racist symbols, like John Boalts name on a building, because these symbols act to reinforce the history of white supremacy in our institutions, said Paul Fine, a university professor and co-chair of the Building Name Review Committee. Oakland attorney John Henry Boalt was never a student or teacher at the law school, but after he died in 1901, his widow Elizabeth Josselyn Boalt put up money to construct a Boalt Memorial Hall of Law. Students and alumni have long referred to themselves as Boalties and the law school was casually referred to as Boalt Hall. It wasnt until 2017 that attorney and UC Berkeley law lecturer Charles Reichmann found Boalts racist writings and publicized them. Boalt had moved to California from Nevada in the 1870s, at a time when Chinese immigration was rising to meet labour demands. And as president of the influential boys-only Bohemian Club, he delivered an address in 1877 arguing that the Chinese could never assimilate and so should be removed. The movement filtered up and in 1882, Congress enacted the Chinese Exclusion Act. University officials say this is the second time the University of California system has removed a benefactors name. In 2018, UC Irvine removed the Ayala name from two buildings after an internal investigation substantiated sexual harassment claims against Francisco J. Ayala. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer kicked off her second State of the State speech Wednesday night by saying everybody looked fantastic, but that shouldnt be the focus. This is not the red carpet. Please, I urge you, focus on the substance of my speech. Its about issues, not appearances, Whitmer said. It was a nod to the reaction to her first State of the State speech last year when FOX 2 News in Detroit aired a story discussing the comments on social media about Whitmers outfit. Related: Whitmer calls out critics about her dress at State of the State speech At the time, she hit back in a series of tweets. Boys have teased me about my curves since 5th grade. My mom said hold your head high and dont let it bother you. That @ Fox2News story was way out of line. Im tough, I can take it. On Wednesday, she capped off her comments about it with a joke. I dont care how distracting Senator Shirkeys outfit iscut him a break, she said, turning from the podium to give him a hug. Later in her speech, she spoke more generally about diversity and inclusion, noting that she flew a pride flag from the governors office for the first time last year. She said there had been an uptick in hateful language and across the country, and everybody should stand up to hate and harassment. In Michigan, diversity is our strength, Whitmer said. The comments came toward the beginning of a wide-ranging speech by the governor that touted her accomplishments, tackled issues like education and the workforce and laid down a Plan B for roads. Related: Whitmers new road plan: Borrow $3.5B to fix them now Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., stands at the South Carolina Statehouse before a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day rally Monday, Jan. 20, 2020, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard) Associated Press Sen. Bernie Sanders is facing increasing pressure to explain how he'd pay for his signature plan, Medicare for All. He has previously declined to provide estimates, but his stance is starting to open him up to attacks from rivals like Biden and Buttigieg. The Urban Institute estimated last year that a comprehensive healthcare system on the scale Sanders is seeking would cost $34 trillion over a decade. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Sen. Bernie Sanders is surging in Iowa ahead of its February 3 caucus, but the increased prominence is coming with escalating scrutiny from Democratic presidential rivals over a key part of his progressive agenda: Medicare for All. The pressure comes after a CBS News interview that aired Friday, where Sanders doubled down on his refusal to give a price tag for the creation of a single-payer healthcare system that would insure every person in the US. Asked directly about its cost, Sanders declined to provide an estimate, saying, "Nobody knows. This is impossible to predict." However, he held that a federal health insurance system under Medicare for All would be cheaper than maintaining the status quo. Back in October, Sanders said in a CNBC interview he didn't believe he needed to outline the specifics of his plan for universal healthcare anytime soon, arguing that middle-class Americans would save money in the long run even if they faced a tax increase. The Urban Institute estimated last year that a comprehensive healthcare system with no premiums, deductibles, or out-of-pocket costs on the scale Sanders seeks would cost $34 trillion over a decade. Several independent analyses of Medicare for All proposals, though, suggest it can lead to considerable savings through federal negotiation of lower prices and less administrative spending. But the Vermont senator's refusal to lay out additional details on how he'd pay for the plan is opening him up to blowback, notably from moderate rivals former Vice President Joe Biden and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, according to The Hill. Story continues Joe Biden Iowa Carlos Barria/Reuters Biden recently went on the offensive against Sanders, his ascendant rival in Iowa, without calling him out by name. He warned that Sanders would be undercut by his own lack of financing details trying to pass Medicare for All through Congress. "Well, that's not a likely way to pass something through the Senate, saying, 'I don't know how much it's going to cost,'" Biden said, without naming Sanders directly. Buttigieg also piled on in a campaign appearance, saying he thought Sanders wasn't being straightforward with the public. "Call me simplistic, but I think when you put forward a plan, you ought to put forward how to pay for it, too," the former mayor said. The criticism echoes the attacks Sen. Elizabeth Warren faced late last year, as she surged through much of the summer wielding an array of sweeping plans to fundamentally restructure the American economy. Warren was initially a vocal supporter for Medicare for All, and for several weeks she faced substantial criticism after declining to say whether it would lead to a tax increase for the middle class. Then the Massachussetts senator put forward a two-step $20.5 trillion plan that proposed a public option first and would eventually lead to single-payer healthcare without raising taxes on most Americans. The Warren campaign did not respond to a request for comment. But experts have said that her quest to become the Democratic nominee and progressive standard-bearer was damaged as a result. "When you look at the polling she definitely paid a price for it," said Mary Anne Marsh, a Boston-based Democratic political strategist, adding that she believes Sanders hasn't been held to the same standard, with gender being a factor. "It's great to talk about these things, but if you don't talk about it, voters should know and that's part of the measurement every voter should have when they head to the polls," Marsh said. How Sanders could pay for Medicare for All Sanders has unveiled a series of possible options to cover the full cost of Medicare for All. Among them: A 4% income-based premium that employees pay, exempting the first $29,000 of income for a family of four. A 7.5% income-based premium that employers pay, exempting the first $2.5 million of payroll. A more progressive federal income tax system with a 70% marginal tax rate on people earning more than $10 million per year. An end to health tax expenditures. Larry Levitt, the executive vice president of health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation, said that though the Sanders Medicare for All bill is detailed, it leaves two significant issues unanswered: how much doctors and hospitals would be paid and which taxes go up to insure every person in the US and replace premiums and deductibles. "One of the most important things I've learned in health care is that getting specific about the difficult trade-offs rarely makes a health reform plan more popular," Levitt said in a tweet. Read the original article on Business Insider It should come as no surprise that the majority of shows on view at ShakespeareFest arent written by William Shakespeare. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/1/2020 (714 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. It should come as no surprise that the majority of shows on view at ShakespeareFest arent written by William Shakespeare. Theatre preview Click to Expand Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) By Ann-Marie MacDonald Theatre Projects Manitoba at Colin Jackson Theatre To Feb. 15 Tickets $10-$17 at 204-989-2400 Indeed, straight-up Bard shows are in the minority in the program. Most of the 23 dramatic productions at the fest represent flights of theatrical fancy inspired by Shakespeares work. This is especially true of Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), by Canadian playwright Ann-Marie MacDonald. First produced in 1988, the comedy finds two of Shakespeares most tragic heroines spinning in the orbit of troubled academic Constance Ledbelly (played by Robyn Slade), who refracts the two characters in the course of her own voyage of self-discovery. Michelle Boulet says Goodnight, Desdemona (Good Morning, Juliet) helped her overcome her intimidation of Shakespeares work. (Dylan Hewitt) The play won a Governor Generals award for drama and has been performed twice before in Winnipeg, at the Warehouse Theatre in 1991 and at the Black Hole Theatre in 2002. It was the earlier production that caught the fateful attention of a theatre student named Michelle Boulet, who would go on to become the artistic director of Shakespeare in the Ruins. Boulet, 50, suggests the experience may have been pivotal in her career. "I think I was just in first or second-year university, so I was totally bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and I went and saw this play," she says. "And for me the impact on me as I sat there was great, because I was someone that was intimidated by Shakespeare," she says. "Of course, I eventually got over that." Boulet ended a 12-year run as the A.D. at SiR last year, and directs this production for Theatre Projects Manitoba. She says that even after 32 years, MacDonalds work delights in the way it delivers a fresh perspective to Shakespeares centuries-old works. Robyn Slade, as troubled academic Constance Ledbelly, leads viewers through the worlds of Desdemona and Juliet. (Dylan Hewitt) "Ann-Marie did what we all want to do in Shakespeare, in terms of getting in there and making it accessible and trying to retell the story in a way," Boulet says. "And I think thats what she did. She ripped her favourite parts the most dramatic parts out of Othello and Romeo and Juliet and then she incorporated them into her own narrative." "I remember how it was a bit irreverent and extremely exciting," Boulet says, adding the show proved to be a sign she made the right choice changing her field of study from nursing to theatre. "It was one of those plays that had such impact on me. I decided this is why I want to do this, because it was that marriage of just having the audience in the palm of your hand and having a group of actors who had so much to work with, which is what I love. If you give actors so much raw material to work with, they will just fly. "And thats what I have with the cast that I have now," she says, referring to Slade, Laura Olafson, Tom Keenan, Joanne Roberts and Ryan James Miller. Laura Olafson (from left), Robyn Slade and Joanne Roberts deliver a new twist to two of Shakespeare's plays. (Dylan Hewitt) "Theyre so amazing and so adept and so funny and yet at the same time, they have a huge heart which actually grounds the play and takes it from just being kind of wacka-wacka Keystone Cops kind of comedy," she says. "Theres an underlying need to address all the fears in Constance. Really, really good theatre should make you laugh and at the same time, you should also be touched by it and this play does that." Boulet left the artistic director position last year, and stresses she didnt know at the time that Shakespeare would be the featured author in the 20th and final Master Playwright Festival. The coincidence makes her feel like one of Shakespeares fools of fortune. "I had no way of knowing that I might be involved in this stuff until after I left my position, so it almost came about like... the two planets just aligned themselves and I find myself in this rehearsal hall, which has been lovely. "I want to direct more so its been almost the perfect show for me," she says. "I cant speak for artists on why I got the nod, but there must be something about the fact that I have a comfort with the Shakespeare so it doesnt intimidate me. "I love to direct Shakespeare, but also, as a segue into freelancing out in the world, its really great to hone my skills and direct non-Shakespeare," she says. "So this has been a really great challenge." randall.king@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @FreepKing If you value coverage of Manitobas arts scene, help us do more. Your contribution of $10, $25 or more will allow the Free Press to deepen our reporting on theatre, dance, music and galleries while also ensuring the broadest possible audience can access our arts journalism. BECOME AN ARTS JOURNALISM SUPPORTER Click here to learn more about the project. 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. We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. 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 live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Kotak Mahindra Bank and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) seem to have reached a truce on the long standing battle to bring down promoter shareholding, and withdrew the writ petition filed by the bank in Bombay High Court against the regulator. On January 30, Kotak Mahindra Bank wrote to exchanges stating that the banking regulator has agreed in-principle to cap promoters voting rights to 20 percent of the paid up voting equity share capital until March 31, 2020. In a letter dated January 29, the RBI has told the bank that the promoters voting rights should be brought down to 15 percent of the paid up voting equity share capital from April 1, 2020. Once the private lender receives the final approval from RBI, it will also have to bring down the promoters shareholding down to 26 percent within six months. As on December 2019, the banks Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Uday Kotak and other promoters held 29.96 percent of the share capital in the bank. The letter also states that the promoters will not purchase any further paid up voting equity shares of the bank till their stake reduces to 15 percent of the paid up voting equity share capital of the bank or a higher level if permitted by the RBI over time. The promoters will be entitled to purchase paid-up voting shares of the bank up to 15 percent of the paid up voting equity share capital or such higher percentage as may be permitted in the future, and exercise voting rights on such shares, the statement said. In December 2018, Kotak Mahindra Bank had filed a writ petition in Bombay High Court contesting RBIs decision that did not allow the lender to bring down promoter stake after issuance of Perpetual Non-Convertible Preference Shares (PNCPS) in August 2018. RBI had said that PNCPS issuance does not meet their promoter dilution requirement. PITTSBURGH (AP) The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled to uphold a legal principle that allows drillers to drain oil and natural gas from outside their property lines. The court overturned a 2018 decision by the lower Superior Court Jan. 22 that said the rule of capture does not cover hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a method of extracting natural gas from underground rock. The rule of capture precedent that oil and gas in reservoirs belongs to whomever pulls it from a well first has been applied throughout the United States since at lease 1889, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. The parties to the appeal are in agreement and we concur as well that the rule of capture remains extant in Pennsylvania, and developers who use hydraulic fracturing may rely on pressure differentials to drain oil and gas from under anothers property, at least in the absence of a physical invasion, Chief Justice Thomas Saylor wrote. The Supreme Court did not rule on what happens if a fracking operation physically crosses a property boundary, in which case a company could be subject to a trespassing claim. Attorney Robert Burnett said the court left the door wide open for a plaintiff if they can prove there was a physical intrusion on the part of a hydraulic fracturing operation. Burnett filed a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of the Pennsylvania chapter of the National Association of Royalty Owners. (2020 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) Sailing towards a brighter future Weve been following Jakarta EEs progress pretty closely lately, including the Jakarta EE 9 release plan . However, the transformation of Java EE into Jakarta EE is not the only metamorphosis that has taken place recently. The community of Enterprise Java supporters formerly known as Java EE Guardians have been undergoing their own rebrand. Of course, it would end up getting confusing if the Java EE Guardians were still the ones contributing to and caring about Jakarta EE, so it makes perfect sense that they would have to update their branding to match. Thats why the Java EE Guardians are now called the Jakarta EE Ambassadors. The change from Guardians to Ambassadors is a very clear way to communicate a maturing and perhaps more nurturing approach to the communitys role in Jakarta EE; they are no longer just defending Java EE, but will be representing, communicating and participating in the platforms ongoing history. Considered in this light, the new brand gives a more positive outlook and suggests a greater agency and degree of participation than previously. Indeed, Jakarta EE Ambassador and Java Champion Kito Mann told us, over the years, Java EE has included many powerful key standards, and the Java EE Guardians were created to ensure that these standards survive. Now that the transition of Java EE to the Eclipse Foundation is complete, and Jakarta EE is out in the wild, its important that we rebrand as the Jakarta EE Ambassadors in order to make our intention clear: promote and lead efforts to ensure these standards continue to evolve and thrive. To mark the occasion we reached out to the Eclipse Foundation for comment. Executive Director Mike Milinkovich said, we very much appreciate the support and trust shown by the Java EE Guardians by their recent rebrand to Jakarta EE Ambassadors. On behalf of both the Eclipse Foundation and the Jakarta EE Working Group, we look forward to working with them as one of the major community groups interested in the future of cloud native Java. Many members of the Jakarta EE Guardians are active participants in our open projects, and are investing their time in helping drive this important technology platform forward in 2020 and beyond. SEE ALSO: A deep dive into the Jakarta EE 9 Release Plan We also heard from Tanja Obradovic, Jakarta EE Program Manager at the Eclipse Foundation, who said, with Oracles contribution of the Java EE to open source and the subsequent rebranding to Jakarta EE, we at the Eclipse Foundation and the whole community are thrilled that Java EE Guardians have followed suite and done their own rebranding to Jakarta EE Ambassadors. On a personal level, I want to thank the Jakarta EE Ambassadors for their contributions to the advancement of Jakarta EE. I look forward to collaborating with them to drive the success and growth of the Jakarta EE community. Some of the community also reached out to us offering their perspective. Reza Rahman, Principal Program Manager of Java on Azure at Microsoft and Jakarta EE Ambassador said of the rebrand: The transfer of Java EE to the Eclipse Foundation as Jakarta EE is now complete. This is an unprecedented step in the history of Java and something that a few years ago would have been considered a pipe dream. This is absolutely the right moment for the Java EE Guardians to rebrand ourselves to the Jakarta EE Ambassadors and signal our unequivocal support. There are still significant challenges ahead. The Jakarta EE Ambassadors and the broader community should help overcome those challenges on behalf of Java developers as a strong, unified ecosystem working towards common goals Java Champion and Jakarta EE Ambassador Josh Juneau told us, the open sourcing of Java EE marked a new chapter for Java in the cloud and in the enterprise. Jakarta EE is the future of cloud native Java, and it aims to provide low barriers to participation, as it is a platform led by the community. This is why it was important for the Java EE Guardians to rebrand as the Jakarta EE Ambassadors. We are the community, and it is our duty to advocate, develop, and help move the platform into the future. The rebranding very appropriately tells the story of our group, as we aim to help the Jakarta EE platform progress forward, and to help lead the community efforts. Visit the Jakarta EE Ambassadors website to learn more about the Enterprise Java community and what theyre up to, or alternatively check out the blog post in which they announce that the rebranding is complete. If youre really curious about the discussions that took place during the rebrand, you can take a look at the discussion in Google Groups. Ten citizens of Azerbaijan and 35 citizens of Turkey will be evacuated from China, due to the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan. According to Turkeys Ministry of Health, evacuated citizens will be quarantined in Turkey for 14 days. An outbreak of previously unknown pneumonia later identified as a new type of coronavirus and denoted as 2019-nCoV was registered in China's Wuhan in late Dec.2019. As of today, the number of those infected amounted to 7,711 people, whereas the number of deceased amounted to 170 people. Daniel Hutchinson From The Hutch Its great news that finally something is going to be done about State Highway 2 north of Tauranga. I say this with great sincerity and excitement for the simple reason; I dont live over there! Having enjoyed the progress at Bayfair for what now seems like most of my life, I can assure you that nothing will bring you more joy than watching a road slowly take shape as you crawl past in the car. By the time this project is finished, in five or seven or 10 years, commuters will have the equivalent of a degree in engineering. They will know about tenders and trimming costs. The nuances of ground work preparation and stabilisation will send tingles down the spine. Steel and concrete quality will be talked about regularly at mealtimes. A road for everyone We live in a country where road projects are epic, multi-generational affairs. Every road is either under construction, being repaired or still just a twinkle in the eye. New projects are like a gift from God handed down to us by our great leaders who promise economic benefits, prosperity and more time in the day for our hobbies. When God gives us a new road, it sparks all sorts of emotions but mostly relief and an overwhelming sense of endorsement that the frustration and fear you have experienced was real and now somebody understands. Those who miss out go through the various stages of grief. Right now leaders of our countrys southern provinces are angry. Canterbury gets just $159 million out of the Governments $6.8 billion transport spend-up. This kind of backs up my theory about how much people love roadworks. As a former Christchurch resident, who returns fairly frequently, I can confirm that just about every road is a new road in that city. Obviously a devastating earthquake is traumatic and inconvenient but the one silver lining is that you get all new stuff, including roads. Much as I love a good road, sometimes I do wish they would just leave them alone for five minutes so you can get from point A to point B. To put it into perspective, in China, they can build whole cities in the time it takes us to build a four lane highway to Omokoroa. In Wuhan where the deadly new virus is, they constructed a 1000 bed hospital in just a few days. This is a matter of scale Wuhan has a population of 11 million people which makes it just the seventh largest city in that country. It is basically their Palmerston North. Deadly virus Im not sure about you but I still havent got the foggiest idea what Coronavirus is. I do know its got nothing to do with putting dodgy lemon slices in your beer. The best description I can provide is that its like contagious pneumonia or maybe just a cold if youre lucky. To try and contain the issue the Chinese have pretty much shut down the city of Wuhan. Nobody in, nobody out. As you might imagine, this is pretty upsetting for all those visitors stuck there, including quite a few Kiwis and Aussies. A trip deep into the interior of China is a pretty overwhelming experience at the best of times, let alone being stuck in a city beset by a scary new virus that may or may not wipe everyone out. All your Christmases But dont worry, the Aussies have offered to quarantine these poor people on Christmas Island. Now, this sounds like a fun place and it is a tropical island but dont let the name seduce you. There have been some very mixed reviews from former guests of the Australian Government on Christmas Island. The main issue people seem to have is that they are detained there, because they are illegal immigrants or in the process of being deported. In fact, it is not unusual for more than half the population of that island to be trapped. There is a definite Hotel California vibe going on. So, I guess if its a choice between being taken down by a funky bat virus or a trip to Christmas Island courtesy of the Australian Government you would have to think pretty hard about that. At least the other prisoners will leave you alone once they know what you are in for. daniel@thesun.co.nz San Luis Obispo County sheriffs investigators disclosed Wednesday that they confiscated two trucks that belonged to a family of a Cal Poly student who was the last person seen with Kristin Smart in 1996. One of those trucks apparently was found out of state in October and brought back to California, according to a popular podcast examining the Smart case. Former Cal Poly San Luis Obispo student Paul Flores was last seen walking with Smart, who was intoxicated, to her dorm room from a party and has been the focus of a 24-year investigation by sheriff deputies. Although it is generally not our practice to comment on items of evidence in active investigations, in this specific case we can confirm that the Sheriffs Office currently holds two trucks in evidence that belonged to Flores family members in 1996, the department said in a statement Wednesday. The department, which has taken heat over the years for how it handled the investigation in the early months, provided new information about its efforts on the case since 2011, when current Sheriff Ian Parkinson took over. The department has served 18 search warrants, physical evidence searches at nine different locations, a complete re-examination of every piece of physical evidence in the case and the submission of 37 evidence items from the early days to a lab for modern DNA testing. The department has recovered 140 new items of evidence, conducted 91 person-to-person interviews and written 364 supplemental reports. The department has a team of investigators and forensic specialists working Smarts case, spending about $62,000 in expenses, including DNA testing. That does not include, the office said, investing more than 7,500 employee hours on the case in the last nine years. The Smart family released a statement Wednesday thanking podcast creator Chris Lambert, whose seven-part series Your Own Backyard ignited renewed interest in the missing womans case. Thanks to Chris and all the supporters who have made such an amazing difference, the family said. Your Own Backyard has been instrumental in renewing interest in Kristins investigation and generating many new leads... Keep the faith and know that you are all making a difference. Recently, the family told their local Stockton newspaper that the FBI alerted them to a big break in the case. However, the FBI denied talking to the family and it became clear the family spoke to a former FBI employee. Smart, 19, was walking home from a party and went missing in spring 1996. Her body was never found, but in 2002 law enforcement said that the freshman was presumed dead. She was last seen walking with Flores and the podcast has focused on the young mans possible involvement in her disappearance. 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. Former San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ed Williams previously said there are no other suspects in the Smart case other than Flores. Flores has never been arrested or charged in the case. The Smart family previously sued him for wrongful death. In Lamberts latest episode of the podcast, he interviews San Luis Obispo Sheriffs Commander Nate Paul about a tip he received that the department went out of state to recover a truck that the Flores family owned in 1996. I cant say specifically if we have an item like that, but thats an interesting theory, Paul said in the episode. On Wednesday, after it aired, the department confirmed it had two trucks owned by the Flores family at the time of Smarts disappearance. The family lived near the campus at that time. Its unclear when the second truck was seized. Matthias Gafni is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: matthias.gafni@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mgafni Bangalore: Alphabet Inc`s Google said on Wednesday it is temporarily shutting down all its offices in China due to the outbreak of a new coronavirus in the country. The shutdown includes all offices in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Google`s offices in mainland China, where the company`s services are not available, focus on sales and engineering for its advertising business. Live TV The flu-like virus has killed over 130 people in China and has set-off alarm across the globe with companies closing stores, putting travel restrictions on employees and warning of a financial hit from slowing business in the world`s most populous country. News media and the public have a right to see records of police shootings and officer misconduct that the state attorney generals office has received from law enforcement agencies throughout California, a state appeals court ruled Wednesday. Police personnel records were sealed from the public under longstanding California laws, but a new law effective last year provided for disclosure of records of shootings, use of force resulting in death or serious injury, sexual assault or findings of dishonesty by an officer. After state courts ruled that the law applied to records created before 2019, some police departments, including San Franciscos, have granted requests by news organizations for their records, while others have resisted. And many local police files have been turned over to Attorney General Xavier Becerras office, in at least some cases because that office conducts its own investigations of serious misconduct. Becerra has refused to release the records voluntarily, arguing that the law required disclosure only by the law enforcement agencies that created the records. He was sued by San Francisco public broadcaster KQED and the First Amendment Coalition, a media advocacy group, for records dating back to January 2014, a suit that drew supportive filings by organizations including the Hearst Corp., which owns The Chronicle. Upholding a decision last year by Superior Court Judge Richard Ulmer of San Francisco, the First District Court of Appeal said the new law was intended to cover any agency in possession of the records. Lawmakers viewed California as one of the most secretive states in the nation in matters of police misconduct, Justice Carin Fujisaki said in the 3-0 ruling, quoting a legislative staff analysis. She said the law was drafted to provide transparency. The court also said Becerras office, or any other office possessing such documents, could withhold them by showing that disclosure of a specific record was not in the public interest. Fujisaki rejected arguments by Becerras office that the time and expense of combing through large volumes of records sought in the lawsuit justified withholding them, but said Becerras office could seek to withhold individual records when the case returns to Ulmers court. 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. Attorney Glen Smith of the First Amendment Coalition said the next step was up to Becerra. Were hopeful they will follow the lead of other law enforcement agencies and start releasing records, Smith said. The attorney generals office has told us nothing about these cases, just about the burden of processing our request. We have no idea which agencies this might involve. Becerra could appeal to the state Supreme Court. His office said it was reviewing the ruling. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Brussels (AFP) - With Britain Brexiting, a lot of things are changing in the EU. But the absence already keenly felt in Brussels' halls of power is the British wit made famous around the world by Monty Python and Mr Bean. "The first thing (being missed) is the sense of humour" Britain's EU commissioners brought to meetings, European Commission Vice President Margrethe Vestager told journalists. "That may be coming from the Danish point (of view), because I think we share some of the same way to making ourselves laugh," the high-ranking commissioner hailing from Denmark said. For the past couple of months Britain has largely stopped sending its national officials to EU meetings and Julian King, Britain's last commissioner, was not re-appointed to EU president Ursula von der Leyen's new commission. Lower-ranking British officials already working in the European Commission will be able to continue on in their jobs, under an EU-British divorce deal worked out late last year. But their career prospects for advancement in EU institutions look limited unless they secure a second, EU nationality, as many have. Vestager said that, along with the British sense of humour, Britons' mastery of English -- the main working language in the Commission -- will also be missed. "I miss them because they came with the UK culture and language skills that we dont hold, all of us," she said. Although now almost fluent in English, Vestager recalled when she first started at the Commission: "I was really struggling." She said she turned to Britain's commissioner at the time, Jonathan Hill, and asked: "Are you exhausted by hearing how we all treat your language? And he said, 'Well no, of course not -- I'm so honoured that you are all trying'." Nevertheless, she said, the use of English posed a problem for some at the EU given the technical and complex issues they deal with. "You have to be very careful that actually you say what you think you are saying. And course I heard that from colleagues too, they had also to consider what they are saying," she said. Although Ireland and Malta have native English-speaking officials, Brexit has focused minds on whether English should continue to dominate in the Commission. As many as 20 children are being held hostage at a house in a village here by a man, who is facing murder charges, police said on Thursday. Subhash Batham, who had invited the children for a birthday party, fired from inside the house on those who tried to speak to him, they said. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is monitoring the situation in Farrukhabad's Kasaria village, which is nearly 200 km from Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow. "We are ensuring their safe rescue of the children and if needed, the NSG (National Security Guard) will also be called for the operation," Director General of Police (DGP) O P Singh. He said that commando units have been directed to reach the village. Police said Batham is a murder accused and he seems to be mentally unstable. "Twenty children are being held hostage at Kathariya village," Additional Director General of Police P V Rama Shastri said. Inspector General of Police, Kanpur Range, Mohit Agarwal, said, "The man called the children for a birthday party and held them hostage in the basement of the house. He fired six shots from inside the building." He said the man fired on those who attempted to speak to him. He said Batham, who appears to be mentally unstable, fired on those who attempted to speak to him. Batham wanted to talk to the local MLA, but he refused to speak to the leader when he arrived, Agarwal said. The chief minister is personally monitoring the situation and has directed top officials to ensure the immediate release of the children without any physical harm, officials said. Cruise tourists from Singapore checked for Wuhan flu at Patong Beach PHUKET: A delegation of Phuket health officials along with staff from Patong Hospital were on hand to check more than 1,000 tourists disembarking a cruise ship from Singapore at Patong Beach yesterday afternoon (Jan 29). culturehealthpatongCoronavirusCOVID-19 By The Phuket News Thursday 30 January 2020, 11:15AM Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup (left) and other officials yesterday walked the streets of Patong, handing out free face masks to people and distributing leaflets. Photo: Patong Municipality PR Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup (left) and other officials yesterday walked the streets of Patong, handing out free face masks to people and distributing leaflets. Photo: Patong Municipality PR Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup (left) and other officials yesterday walked the streets of Patong, handing out free face masks to people and distributing leaflets. Photo: Patong Municipality PR Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup (left) and other officials yesterday walked the streets of Patong, handing out free face masks to people and distributing leaflets. Photo: Patong Municipality PR More than 1,000 cruise liner tourists from Singapore were screened as they landed ashore Patong Beach yesterday (Jan 29). Photo: Patong Municipality PR More than 1,000 cruise liner tourists from Singapore were screened as they landed ashore Patong Beach yesterday (Jan 29). Photo: Patong Municipality PR More than 1,000 cruise liner tourists from Singapore were screened as they landed ashore Patong Beach yesterday (Jan 29). Photo: Patong Municipality PR More than 1,000 cruise liner tourists from Singapore were screened as they landed ashore Patong Beach yesterday (Jan 29). Photo: Patong Municipality PR Joining the welcome team were officers and medical staff from the Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO), Marine Department Region 5, Immigration officers and Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup, Kathu District Chief Somprat Prabsongkram explained that the cruise ship Genting Dream had arrived with about 2,000 people on board, with 1,229 coming ashore at Patong Jetty, at the southern end of the beach. In the high season, cruise ships come to Patong about four times a week, Mr Somprat said. The number of tourists each cruise brings depends on the size of the ship, which could be up to 6,000 tourists and ship crew and staff. Officers checked each tourist and ship crew member for any indication of infection of the coronavirus. All the people arriving were checked the same as new arrivals at Phuket International Airport, he added. Mayor Chalermluck said that the number of Chinese tourists in Patong has fallen. But we still have a lot of tourists from other parts of the world. They seem not worried about the virus. Today [Jan 30] there will be another cruise coming to Patong with more than 4,000 tourists, and officers will stand by to check them too, she said. As part of Patong Municipalitys Wuhan virus awareness campaign, Mayor Chalermluck and other officials yesterday walked the streets of Patong, handing out free face masks to people and distributing leaflets to let them know what symptoms to look out for and what to do if they suspect anyone of being infected. Prologic First and Sheraton Al Khalidiya Hotel in Abu Dhabi have announced a strategic technology partnership to leverage (TRAVPR.COM) UAE - January 29th, 2020 - Prologic First and Sheraton Al Khalidiya Hotel in Abu Dhabi have announced a strategic technology partnership to leverage and optimise operations at the hotel. As part of the agreement, Prologic First will provide its cutting-edge integrated product solutions to Sheraton Al Khalidiya Hotel in order to boost operational efficiency while enabling a new level of guest experience and revenue generation. These include WISHNet, Touche, WebProlIFIC (Accounting & Inventory) and WebPayTrax. Amit Sharda, Vice President EMEA, Prologic First, said, We are very grateful to Sheraton Al Khalidiya Hotel in Abu Dhabi for giving us the opportunity to collaborate with them. Whether working with an independent hotel or a chain, Prologic First delivers innovative multifunctional hospitality technology solutions that can be deployed on-site, in the cloud or hybrid combined with outstanding service. Rami Al Refai, General Manager of Sheraton Al Khalidiya Hotel, stated, We are extremely pleased to partner with a technology leader like Prologic First that will allow us to enhance our hotels performance and guest experiences with best-in-class solutions. This was necessary because many of the new features and functionality required in our day to day operations were not available in existing systems. Moreover, a key advantage of working with Prologic First is that a single vendor is able to provide the various solutions that integrate across all operational, commercial and guest experience systems which in turn helps us to optimising excellence while reducing costs. Prologic First is one of the worlds leading Smart Technology Solutions providers for the hospitality industry. Trusted by global hospitality leaders, the company has been at the forefront of providing multi-functional innovative technology solutions for hotels for more than two decades serving clients in over 40 countries. In addition to the most comprehensive hospitality cloud solutions, Prologic First has been a pioneer in hybrid and on-premise hospitality technology solutions and is the technology partner of choice for many leading hotels in the region and worldwide. For more information visit www.prologicfirst.com or call (+971) 4 336 6345 For media contact: Hina Bakht Managing Director EVOPS Marketing & PR Mob: 00971 50 6975146 Tel: 00971 4 566 7355 Hina.bakht@evops-pr.com www.evops-pr.com ### The coffin containing the remains of Yuri Andropov, former KGB chief and Soviet premier, is pulled through Moscow streets during his funeral on Feb. 13, 1984. Andropov called the Soviets strategy of ideological subversion in the West the final struggle for the minds and hearts of the people. (AFP via Getty Images) How Soviet Russia Conducted Ideological Subversion in Western Nations KGB spy who defected to Canada in 1970 exposed USSRs war of communist world aggression The defection of Russian intelligence officer Igor Gouzenko, stationed at the Soviet Embassy in Ottawa during and after the Second World War, is one of the highest-profile cases of defection in Canadian historyeven said to be the event that triggered the Cold War. Gouzenko exposed the extent of the Soviet spy network in the West at that time, including dictator Joseph Stalins efforts to steal nuclear secrets and the technique of infiltrating sleeper agents into target countries. But some of the most chilling revelations came from another spy who defected to Canada 25 years later, exposing how the Soviet Union set about creating chaos and discord in the Westthe fallout from which continues to be felt today. Yuri Bezmenov, a former KGB spy and state media propagandist who defected to Canada in 1970, said ideological subversionin other words, mass brainwashingwas one very effective method used by the communist regime to undermine and destabilize Western countries. Bezmenov managed to escape from his post as an informant for the notorious Soviet spy agency and was given a secret identity by the CIA and a new name: Tomas David Schuman. He worked in several professions until finally becoming a CBC Russian-language television correspondent in Montreal, broadcasting to the Soviet Union as part of the CBCs International Service. He left that position in 1976, later claiming that the Soviets urged then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau to pressure the CBC to remove him from his position. In the 1980s, Bezmenov became known for his anti-communist interviews, lectures, and books. His most famous book is Love Letter to America, a country he described as the most free, affluent, and just in todays world, and as such a prime target of the Soviet war of communist world aggression. He said the driving force behind the communist war of aggression was ideological subversionthe process of changing the perception of reality in the minds of millions of people all over the world, and what former KGB head Yuri Andropov called the final struggle for the minds and hearts of the people. Bezmenov expounded on this in a 1984 interview with American author and documentary film producer G. Edward Griffin, saying the KGB actually only devoted about 15 percent of its resources to intelligence-gathering. The other 85 percent is a slow process which we call either ideological subversion or active measuresin the language of the KGBor psychological warfare, he said. What it basically means is to change the perception of reality of every American to such an extent that, despite the abundance of information, no one is able to come to sensible conclusions in the interests of defending themselves, their families, their community, and their country. This is a great brainwashing process designed as a long-term four-fold strategy that is overt and openyou can see it with your own eyes, explained Bezmenov. The four stages are demoralization, destabilization, crisis, and finally, normalization. Demoralization Essentially propaganda education, demoralization takes 15 to 20 yearsthe span it takes to educate one generation by exposing them to the ideology of the enemy, Bezmenov said. Marxist-Leninist ideology has been pumped into the soft heads of at least three generations of American students, without being challenged or counter-balanced by the basic values of Americanism (patriotism). Most people in the United States who graduated in the 1960s now occupying positions of power in the government, civil service, business, mass media, and the educational system are already demoralized, the ex-spy said. They are programmed to think and react to certain stimuli in a certain pattern, and the process is complete and irreversible. You cannot change their mind, he said. Exposure to true information does not matter anymore. A person who is demoralized is unable to assess true information. Even if I shower him with information, with authentic proof, with documents, with pictures; even if I take him by force to the Soviet Union and show him a concentration camp, he will refuse to believe it. He noted that if one started educating a new generation today, it would take another 15 to 20 years to turn the tide of ideological perception of reality back to normalcy and patriotism. Destabilization Bezmenov explained that ideals such as social justice and equality no longer serve any purpose in the second stage. The focus shifts to destabilizing sectors such as the economy, law enforcement, foreign relations, media, and defence systems. It takes only two to five years to destabilize a nation, he said. The process involves radicalizing human relations to the point where people are unable to resolve issues in a civil way, fracturing traditional relations into groups: labour unions, womens rights, racial tension, and so on. As long as these groups come into antagonistic clash that is destabilization. He said the process of destabilization in the United States had progressed surprisingly fast in the 14 years since he had defected. Crisis In the third stage, Bezmenov said that after society is destabilized, it collapses into chaos, and inevitably the people will call for the government to step in to enforce stability. Either a foreign nation comes in, or the local group of leftists, Marxists a saviour comes and says, I will lead you, he said. Crisis typically takes one of two forms: either civil war, an example being the PLO insurgency in Lebanon that began in 1968, or invasion, such as the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. Normalization Lastly, the subverting country finally seizes control of the target country with forceful military overthrow; the chaos is stabilized, and the situation normalized. Use of the term normalized in this way is ironic, Bezmenov said. When the Soviet tanks moved into Czechoslovakia in 68, comrade [Leonid] Brezhnev said, Now the situation is normalized. This is what will happen in the United States if you allow all these schmucks to bring the country to crisis, he said. [There will be a promise of] all kinds of goodies and paradise on earth to destabilize your economy, to eliminate the principle of free-market competition, and to put a big brother government in Washington, D.C., with benevolent dictators wholl promise lots of things. Never mind if the promises are fulfilled or not. Media Manipulation In Love Letter to America, Bezmenov said the U.S. media is a willing recipient of Soviet subversion, the aim being to tear down traditional Western society and its values. I know this because I worked with American journalists and correspondents in Moscow while on the Soviet side, and after my defection to the West, he said, noting that the media landscape in the United States is monopolized both financially and ideologically by what are referred to as liberals. Promoting non-issues is one tactic, he said. An issue, the solution of which creates more and bigger problems for the majority of a nation even though it may benefit only a few, is a non-issue. The main purpose of non-issues and the devastating result of their introduction is the side-tracking of public opinion, energy (both mental and physical), money, and time from the constructive solutions, he said. Soviet propaganda elevated the art of infiltrating and emphasizing non-issues in American public life to the level of actual state policy. Another method Soviet subversion in American media and one of the most devastating, he said, was the discrediting of those who had evidence of communist crimes against humankind. In my own experience, communist defectors who have requested and sometimes literally begged to have stories of their life in the Soviet Union told to the American people via the major American media have been completely ignored. Heres the good news: These 30 schools are worthy of support. They are anchors and, as Cardinal Blase Cupich put it, beacons of hope in disadvantaged Chicago neighborhoods that get overlooked for investment. The less money and attention these communities receive, the further behind they drift. And so the more likely that neighborhood young people also will be left behind. But put money and energy into these schools and the payoff for Chicago students and neighborhoods is real. She is one of Hollywood's best-dressed stars. And on Tuesday, Reese Witherspoon headed to studio in Santa Monica looking chic in a business-inspired ensemble. The star was truly shining in a bright, orange dress layered under a plaid blazer and Rothy's "The Point" flats. Looking great! On Tuesday, Reese Witherspoon, 43, headed to set in Santa Monica looking chic in a business-inspired ensemble wearing the Rothy's "The Point" flats The New Orleans native accessorized her look with shades, minimal jewelry and a black bag. Reese wore her shoulder-length hair down and in waves. Her make-up was minimal, with a soft pink shade on her lips. The star kept refreshed with a water bottle in-hand. Beautiful: The talented actress wore her shoulder-length hair down and in waves. Her make-up was minimal, with a soft pink shade on her lips Reese took to Instagram to share a story of how she booked her very first movie role, A Man in the Moon. The Sweet Home Alabama talent said that she answered an ad in the local paper, and 'didn't hear anything for a month,' until she did. 'I came home from softball practice and my mom said, "Reese, I need to talk to you. they're calling and asking if you'll go to Los Angeles for a screen test." And I'll never forget my mom said to the people on the phone, "What kind of movie is this anyway?" I think she wanted to make sure I wasn't in like a dirty movie or something. Good job, mom,' she said. After LA, she received another call that she was going to Louisiana. She auditioned there, returned to Nashville, and received the call that she booked the lead role. The big time: Reese took to Instagram to share a story of her very first movie role, A Man in the Moon. She is seen at the film's premiere in 1991 The Draper James owner is a busy mother-of-three. From 1999-2007, Reese was married to ex-husband Ryan Phillippe. The two share daughter Ava, 20, and son Deacon, 16. Following their divorce, Reese married Hollywood agent Jim Toth in 2011. The couple share son Tennessee, seven. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 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. 30, Trend reports. 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. trump soleimani Leah Millis/Reuters; Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP The House passed two measures Thursday to limit the president's ability to wage war against Iran. President Donald Trump in early January ordered a strike that killed Iran's top general, pushing the US and Iran to the brink of war after months of tensions. Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna sponsored one of the measures, which aims to block funding from the Pentagon for any military action against Iran without congressional approval. "Do I think that the president has plans to go start a war in Iran? Probably not. But do I think that president is capable engaging in other reckless actions or strikes that would put us at a risk of that conflict? Absolutely. And that's what we need to prevent," Khanna told Insider ahead of the vote. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. The House passed a pair of measures Thursday aimed at limiting President Donald Trump's ability to go to war with Iran. Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California sponsored the first measure, the No War Against Iran Act, which aims to deny the Pentagon any funds for military action against Iran without congressional approval. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont introduced a companion measure in the Senate. The measure passed in the House in a 228 to 175 vote, with four Republican lawmakers Matt Gaetz, Warren Davidson, Trey Hollingsworth, and Thomas Massie voting in favor of it. But it's uncertain how the measure will fare in the Republican-controlled Senate. Khanna has been pushing to limit Trump's war powers for months, emerging as one of the loudest voices in Congress amid rising tensions with Iran and ongoing US support for Saudi Arabia in the Yemen conflict. After Trump in early January ordered a strike that killed Iran's top general, Qassem Soleimani, Khanna has continued that push. Ahead of Thursday's vote, Khanna on Monday told Insider that he takes the president at his word that he "probably does not want an all-out war" with Iran, but added that the "problem is the more situations like you have, the more you're playing Russian roulette that could lead to conflict...and that's not a risk I'm comfortable bearing." Story continues "Do I think that the president has plans to go start a war in Iran? Probably not. But do I think that president is capable engaging in other reckless actions or strikes that would put us at a risk of that conflict? Absolutely. And that's what we need to prevent," Khanna said. Rep. Ro Khanna (@RepRoKhanna) January 30, 2020 'We have just abdicated power, ability, and responsibility to stop war. That was not always the case' The California Democrat was highly critical of many of his Democratic colleagues in the House last month after they aided in the passage of a $738 billion defense bill the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that stripped language on both Iran and Yemen that Khanna had championed. One measure aimed to end US support for the Saudi-led coalition in the Yemen war, and the other required congressional approval for any military action against Iran. "The NDAA is a capitulation to the White House's priorities, as is evidenced by the president's tweet... He basically said that he got everything he wanted, from border security and a bloated defense budget to a blank check on policy in the Middle East," Khanna told Insider at the time. Less than a month after that vote, Trump ordered a drone strike that killed Soleimani, pushing the US and Iran to the brink of war. Khanna told Insider the Soleimani strike would not have happened had the defense bill kept his amendment on Iran. "Congress is the most powerful branch of government by far, but we don't act in a way that exercises our power...We have just abdicated power, ability, and responsibility to stop war. That was not always the case," Khanna told Insider on Monday. "Ultimately, Congress because of the power of the purse has the most power of any of the branches. They literally can stop any program. They literally can stop any action. And our failure to act resulted in giving this Pentagon a blank check, and escalating the situation to the extent it has," Khanna added. al Asad John Davison/Reuters After the Soleimani strike, Iran retaliated with a missile attack on US and coalition forces in Iraq. Though dozens of US troops were injured, none were killed and this contributed to Trump stepping away from a broader conflict. In the time since, Washington's attention has been diverted toward Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate, but tensions with Iran are still high and Khanna said there's an ongoing risk of conflict. "We've had so many escalations near the brink, it would be irresponsible for Congress to abdicate our responsibility for restraint," Khanna said. "We've seen that these conflicts have escalated and we need to make sure that there is no escalation." Khanna said there was a "moment of calm" when he originally introduced the amendment to the defense bill last year, "People said, 'Oh, it doesn't matter right now, there's no risk of imminent war.' But look what happened the Soleimani attack." The Soleimani strike never would've happened "had we actually kept that amendment in the NDAA," Khanna said. "The Pentagon never would've recommended it as an option," Khanna said, given the bipartisan support for the amendment. Rep. Matt Gaetz, a pro-Trump Republican, co-sponsored the amendment with Khanna, and 27 Republicans were among the lawmakers who voted in favor of adopting the measure as part of the NDAA in July (the amendment was removed in the final version of the defense bill). Khanna said it's time to stop allowing concerns over the oil supply drive US policy in the Middle East. "What we need to do is end the maximum pressure campaign, have a negotiation with Iran, get our troops out of harms way in that region, and start focusing on the real challenge, which is American leadership in the 21st century. And I got 27 Republicans to agree with that viewpoint when they voted with me before the Soleimani strike," Khanna said. "What my legislation does is simply cut off the funds' The House on Thursday also voted on an amendment introduced by Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee of California, to repeal the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force, the law that paved the way for the invasion of Iraq under the Bush administration. The Trump administration justified the Soleimani strike under the 2002 AUMF, though legal scholars rejected this. Lee's amendment passed in a 236 to 166 vote, which she celebrated via Twitter. Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) January 30, 2020 The House earlier this month passed a war powers resolution to bar Trump from taking military action against Iran without congressional approval. But it was a concurrent resolution, meaning it doesn't require the president's signature and is non-binding, and Republicans dismissed it as largely symbolic. Meanwhile, Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine is also pushing for the Senate to vote on a war powers resolution to limit Trump's ability to take military action against Iran without congressional approval. Kaine in mid-January said he had the GOP votes to see the bill passed. Unlike Khanna's legislation, these other resolutions do not focus on cutting off funding but are more geared toward the legal authority to take military actions, which could face hurdles in the judicial branch. "What my legislation does is simply cut off the funds. That's something that Congress can do...and literally grind almost any war to a halt. This is not a theoretical power...This is a power that brought the Vietnam War to an end," Khanna said. "That ultimately is the real power that Congress has where it doesn't depend on lawyers arguing about constitutional interpretation and relying on the Surpreme Court to intervene. It's actually a power that we can exercise tomorrow." Read the original article on Business Insider FIANNA Fail leader Micheal Martin has attacked Irelands EU Commissioner Phil Hogan accusing him of making a coded, partisan intervention on behalf of Fine Gael in the general election campaign. Mr Martin said that Mr Hogan, a former Fine Gael cabinet minister, should stay out of domestic Irish politics for the final week of the campaign. He was responding to the EU Trade Commissioners comments on Wednesday to RTE where he said he was "very concerned" by "a lot of complacency" in Ireland about forthcoming trade talks between the EU and the UK, with a crash-out Brexit still possible. He said people in Ireland need to "come out of their slumber" This came after Tanaiste Simon Coveney warned earlier in the day that Brexit is coming at us like a freight train. Speaking in Dublin this morning, Mr Martin said: I would make the point that they [Fine Gael] are politicising it. I think Phil Hogan should stay out of domestic Irish politics now for the next week. That was, to me anyway, a coded, partisan intervention and I just want to make this key point, you know, I kind of remember before Christmas this was a great deal. Everything was great and now in the last 48 hours there is a freight train coming down the tracks. Big Phil is telling the Irish people that they are in a slumber and so there is a new story being created, a new narrative has been created that things are desperate altogether and I think people are going to see through that, as, as an election creation designed to try and frighten people into voting in certain directions. I don't think it will work. The party leader was speaking after he delivered a speech to the Institute for International and European Affairs (IIEA) where he accused Fine Gael of trying to politicise Brexit in recent weeks to say that Ireland cant have a new government because only the current office holders have the skills and knowledge to handle Brexit. Mr Martin said that Fianna Fail government would carry out a rapid review of the various Brexit loan and support schemes established in recent years after claiming they have not worked. He also said that Fianna Fail will establish a new Department of Higher Education and Research to respond to the challenges presented by the UKs departure form the EU. "We must deal with Brexit but we must not let it define us or define Europe, he said. "We must be resolute in protecting our interests in the next negotiations, but we also have to move far more urgently on other issues." Mr Hogan hit back, saying he has "never interfered in domestic politics since becoming EU Commissioner". He said comments he made this week were made in the context of it being the eve of Brexit. He said he was sure it is the case that an alternative government could do just as well as Fine Gael with regard to Brexit, adding: "I'm sure that that is the case and I never said otherwise". He told RTE's Today with Sean O'Rourke: "I know people are sensitive at election time but I'm not sensitive about telling the truth about the position and alerting people out of their complacency." Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe has also responded to Mr Martin, defending Mr Hogans remarks. He said Mr Hogan was merely outlining the the reality that out country is facing. Mr Donohoe added: He is the figure that is at the heart of the trade negotiations that will be underway... Hes outlining the fact that Brexit is going to be at the very heart of the politics and economics of Ireland in 2020 and beyond. The question for Micheal Martin is why he believes he has the people or the plans to be be able to handle that reality differently, MrDonohoe said. We are making the case that we have in Simon, in Leo and in Helen the team of people who have the experience and ability to lead our country through the next phase of Brexit, he added. Mr Hogan's office has been contacted for comment. The Behmai massacre case, in which 20 people were killed allegedly by bandit Phoolan Devi's gang nearly four decades ago, will come up before a special court here on February 12. The case was earlier postponed from January 24 to January 30 due to a strike of lawyers, District Government Counsel (Criminal), Kanpur Dehat, RajuPorwal said. The case is still at the same stage as before in which the court had asked to place the original case diary before it, Porwal said, adding that the original case diary had gone missing on January 18 when the case was listed for pronouncement of verdict by Special Judge (UP dacoity-affected area) Sudhir Kumar. The judge had pulled up court officials for the absence of the case diary at the time of delivering the verdict and had asked him to place it before the court on January 24. The date was postponed to January 30 due to a strike called by lawyers. But in view of the strike over the issue of chambers continuing, the matter has now been further postponed to February 12, Porwal said. The court has to give its verdict on the role of the four surviving accused -- Posha, Bhikha, Vishwanath and Shyambabu. While Posha is still in jail, the rest are out on bail. Three other dacoits, including Man Singh, are absconding. Phoolan Devi had stormed into the non-descript Behmai village to avenge her alleged rape there by two other bandits -- Lala Ram and Sri Ram -- both Thakurs, a dominant caste in the village. She was gunned down outside her official residence in New Delhi on July 25, 2001, but was made immortal on the big screen by noted film director Shekhar Kapoor in his movie "Bandit Queen". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Most of the Irish citizens stranded in the Chinese city at the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak want to stay, according to Tanaiste Simon Coveney. The Foreign Minister said yesterday a small number of the estimated eight people who live in the locked-down city of Wuhan wish to leave. They can avail of transport on a European Commission repatriation flight later this week. However, Ireland was not among the countries listed as requesting the transport at a commission conference on the transport plan yesterday and the Department of Foreign Affairs said it could not comment. Most of the Irish people in Wuhan are expected to stay because they have families and partners there. The HSE was unable to say whether those who return here will have to agree to be quarantined, where they would avoid normal contact, in the same manner as people going back to the UK. It has been reported in the UK people who return will spend two weeks in supported isolation in an army base but this has not been confirmed. People who want to be brought back on one of the EU flights will undergo a medical assessment and will not be allowed travel if they are showing signs of the virus. The Department of Foreign Affairs yesterday issued a warning against all non-essential travel to China as a safeguard against the spread of the highly infectious, pneumonia-like infection. Several airlines, including British Airways, have also suspended all flights to mainland China with "immediate effect". Meanwhile, the Department of Education has issued advice to schools, creches and third-level colleges about coronavirus as global health authorities continue to monitor the spread of infection beyond the original outbreak. Around 6,000 people have been infected and 130 deaths reported. While Ireland is deemed to be at low risk, there have been eight cases reported in the EU in recent days - four in Germany and four in France. The HSE's Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) said yesterday there was a "moderate likelihood of further case importation into EU/EEA countries". The advice sent to schools, drawn up by the HPSC, provides guidelines for students returning to Ireland from Wuhan as well as general advice around protection, symptoms and what to do if they appear. Symptoms include a temperature of 38C or higher, a cough, breathing difficulties, shortness of breath and a sore throat. Advice about protecting against coronavirus includes washing hands with soap and water, covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, and avoiding close contact with anyone with cold or flu symptoms. Former ally Shiv Sena and current partner Janata Dal (United) were conspicuous by their absence from the all-party meeting. New Delhi: Barely a day after patching up with the BJP for the Delhi Assembly elections, the Shiromani Akali Dal on Thursday took on the government over the CAA and NRC, saying that legislation like this that would hurt citizens and minorities should not be passed like this. At an all-party meeting called by the Centre ahead of the Budget Session of Parliament, Akali Rajya Sabha MP Balwinder Singh Bhunder is learnt to have said: You cannot pass a legislation like this which would hurt citizens and minorities. It might be recalled that while the Akalis had voted in favour of the bill when it was passed in Parliament, it had refused to ally with the BJP for the Delhi polls, citing its opposition to the CAA, but on Wednesday they teamed up together at a joint press conference. Sources said almost all Opposition parties opposed the CAA and the proposed NRC and sought an immediate discussion on the issue. Trinamul Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Derek OBrien said the government had already collected data for Aadhaar. Why are you putting poor people under all this stress for data collection for NPR again. The DMK accused the government of not listening to the Opposition and said all railway projects cleared by former ministers Mamata Banerjee and Ram Vilas Paswan were being held up. Former ally Shiv Sena and current partner Janata Dal (United) were conspicuous by their absence from the all-party meeting. Apart from the CAA/NRC, other issues which were raised by the parties were unemployment, the demand for the release of political prisoners, including former Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers, and issues of federalism, specially those involving release of funds. Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad told reporters that the Opposition parties sought the immediate release of former J&K CM Farooq Abdullah so that he could attend the session from Friday, while senior leader Anand Sharma said the issue of some incendiary statements made by BJP leaders during the Delhi poll campaign was also raised. The parties also questioned the government on the worsening economic situation and rising unemployment, to which Prime Minster Narendra Modi responded that he agreed there was a need to discuss the economic issues as suggested by the members. He urged the members to see how the country can gain from the prevailing global economic scenario. Addressing the meeting earlier, Mr Azad accused the government of gradually shortening Parliament sessions. He said that earlier the Budget Session used to be around 3-4 months, but now it is barely 30 days. We brought the governments attention to these protests. The government has displayed arrogance by not reaching out to protesters to hear their concerns... The economic condition is worsening, GDP growth is down and unemployment is at its peak, he told the media. Parliamentary affairs minister Prahlad Joshi rejected the charge that the government has been reducing the duration of sessions, and noted that Opposition parties have often opposed any move to extend sessions. He also said the governments legislative agenda for the Budget Session had 45 bills, including seven financial measures and two ordinances. Another Tom is spoiling things for Marvel and Disney. This time, however, it is Tom Hiddleston who gave fans a sneak peek of an upcoming project. Hiddleston posted on Instagram a behind-the-scenes footage of his "Loki" series, prompting fans fans to start creating theories out of it! The launch of Disney Plus last year also meant the comeback of one of the deceased MCU characters: Loki. Since the announcement of Hiddleston's show in 2019, the team kept the updates and progress to themselver. However, as an early gift to his fans, the "Loki" actor gave a first look of him getting in action. Loki's Comeback The 38-year-old actor took to Instagram and posted a short clip of him practicing a stunt for a scene in the new series alongside the caption, "Prep is going really well. #Loki." In the said video, fans saw how the actor surrounded himself with wires and prepared himself before making a godlike jump. Of course, Hiddleston's fans welcomed him as he makes his long-awaited return. One fan wrote, "Oh my Loki... I've missed this so much! Thanks for coming back as the charming psycho (or maybe as the fallen prince? We will see!)" "Omg I am so happy you look so amazing doing this. Love you," another fan commented. The Instagram post is the first filming update ever since Marvel revealed the newest film and television shows line-up for the upcoming Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in July 2019. Why Fans Should Watch "Loki"? Marvel Chief Creative Officer Kevin Feige said that the upcoming Marvel movies would require all the viewers to get a Disney Plus subscription and watch all the series to be included on the site -- most especially "Loki." The anti-hero who first appeared in the 2011 movie "Thor" already died during "Avengers: Infinity War." Speculations about Loki still alive were debunked by the directors of "Avengers: Endgame," as they confirmed that Loki is truly dead even though he managed to escape in one alternate universe in the last film. Their move to revive Loki will complete all the missing puzzle pieces of the previous phases. Aside from that Instagram update, there was one thing Feige previously confirmed about the series: it will be tied with the 2021 film "Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness." "I'm not sure we've actually acknowledged that before. But it does," Feige confirmed. Hiddleston is expected to be seen not only in the series and the upcoming "Doctor Strange" movie, but also in the Disney Plus show "What If...?" It is an MCU animated series included in Phase 4, which will present the alternate scenes like what could have happened if Loki found Thor's hammer. According to IMDB, the God of Mischief will have six episodes to start the first season, and it will center around Loki. In addition, fans started to speculate that this comeback will also give way to the younger versions of Loki, who became well-known in the comic runs. Moreover, fans hope that marvel and Disney will finally reveal Lady Loki, another famous incarnation of the ever-shifting character. People have speculated that it can be possibly played by British actress Sophia Di Martino after she was chosen to play an unnamed role on the film. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell holds a news conference following the two-day meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting on interest rate policy in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 29, 2020. (Yuri Gripas/Reuters) Policymakers Fret Over Risk to Global Growth From China Virus Outbreak WASHINGTON/TOKYOA rapidly spreading virus outbreak in China is emerging as a potentially major new risk to the global economy and leaving policymakers, still grappling with the impact of the Sino-U.S. trade war, fretting over the widening fallout. In a sign of alarm over the possible damage, Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Masayoshi Amamiya said on Jan. 30 Chinas huge presence in the world economy must be taken into account in gauging the impact the outbreak could have on global growth. Stocks around the world tumbled on Thursday as the death toll from the spread of the coronavirus continues to climb, forcing airlines to cut flights and some stores to close. The potential impact on the world economy from the outbreak took center stage in U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powells news conference on Wednesday. Chinas economy is very important in the global economy now, and when Chinas economy slows down we do feel thatnot as much though as countries that are near China, or that trade more actively with China, like some of the Western European countries, Powell said. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also voiced concern on Thursday, saying he was closely watching the impact on Japans economy including declining inbound tourism. Zhang Ming, an economist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a top government think tank, projected the outbreak would cut Chinas first-quarter growth by one percentage point to 5 percent or lower. China has imposed travel restrictions and shut businesses to contain the outbreak, but has not quelled rising concern among companies and governments across the world. Asian stocks sank on Thursday as the death toll from the virus rose and more cases were reported around the world. Apart from the risk to human lives, it is likely to hit travel and consumption activities. In a scenario of widespread infection, it could materially weaken economic growth and fiscal positions of governments in Asia, S&P said on Thursday. A woman wears a face masks as she travels on a high-speed train near Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province, China, as the country is hit by an outbreak of a new coronavirus, on Jan. 29, 2020. (Thomas Peter/Reuters) Bigger Damage Than SARS Analysts are comparing the current coronavirus outbreak to the 2002-2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic, which led to about 800 deaths and slowed Asias economic growth. Many say the impact on global growth could be bigger this time as China now accounts for a larger share of the world economy, a view echoed by BOJs Amamiya. The number of Chinese tourists visiting Japan has increased by more than 20 times since then, Amamiya said. The outbreak also spread during Chinas Lunar (New Year) holiday, when consumption tends to peak, he added. Were looking very carefully at developments, including how much the impact could spread, Amamiya said in a seminar in Tokyo hosted by Jiji news agency. The fallout from the epidemic casts a shadow over the Bank of Japans projection that global growth will pick up around mid-year and help Japans economy sustain a moderate recovery. China is Japans second-largest export destination. The Chinese make up 30 percent of all tourists visiting Japan and nearly 40 percent of the total sum foreign tourists spent last year, an industry survey showed. By Lindsay Dunsmuir and Leika Kihara AUTOMOTIVE NEWS: QUOTE OF THE WEEK CarMax can probably integrate some of Edmunds data, content and some of their technologies, particularly their digital [retailing] technologies. As for Edmunds, they get cash. And from all indications, they needed it. - Peter M. Zollman, founding principal of AIM Group SEE OUR ARCHIVE: CarMax News (1998-Present) But First Snide's Remarks: Edmunds has announced that they will lay-off 129 of 550 employees to rejigger their business. If you want to discuss a buy into The Auto Channel (Bigger than Edmund's, Research Tools Invented Here, Actual Originator of online automotive ideas) just e-mail Bob Gordon bgordon@theautochannel.com RICHMOND, Va.--CarMax, Inc., the nations largest retailer of used cars, today announced it is partnering with, and investing in, Edmunds, one of the most influential and popular automotive research sites in the world. CarMax is investing $50 million to acquire a minority stake in the company. Edmunds has been consistently recognized as one of the most trusted online resources for automotive information, and an industry leader in digital car shopping innovations. This strategic relationship further strengthens CarMaxs new omni-channel experience, which empowers customers to buy a car on their terms, whether completely from home, in-store, or a seamlessly integrated combination of both. Edmunds proprietary content, comprehensive automotive market insights and streamlined user experience across the car buying and selling journey will allow us to deepen our engagement with customers shopping online, said Bill Nash, CarMax president and CEO. Consumers trust Edmunds for its in-depth, expert-driven automotive editorial content and unbiased reviews. Edmunds has also made significant investments (Where? Editor) in digital innovations over the last several years that align with our continued focus on enhancing the customer experience online. Were excited for this opportunity to collaborate with another well-respected industry leader that is dedicated toward making car shopping easier for consumers, said Avi Steinlauf, Edmunds chief executive officer. With our expanded resources and capabilities, were confident this will be a mutually beneficial partnership for many years to come. About CarMax CarMax, the nations largest retailer of used cars, revolutionized the automotive retail industry by driving integrity, honesty and transparency in every interaction. CarMax continues to innovate and is currently rolling out an omni-channel experience, providing customers the option to complete transactions entirely from home, in store, or in a seamless combination of both. CarMax has more than 200 stores nationwide, and during the latest fiscal year sold nearly 750,000 used cars and 450,000 wholesale vehicles at its in-store auctions. With more than 25,000 associates, CarMax is proud to have been recognized for 15 consecutive years as one of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For. For more information, visit www.carmax.com. About Edmunds Edmunds guides car shoppers online from research to purchase. With in-depth reviews of every new vehicle, shopping tips from an in-house team of experts, plus a wealth of consumer and automotive market insights, Edmunds helps millions of shoppers each month select, price and buy a car with confidence. Regarded as one of Americas best workplaces by Fortune and Great Place to Work, Edmunds is based in Santa Monica, California, and has a satellite office in Detroit, Michigan. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. New Delhi, Jan 30 : The Delhi BJP manifesto due to be released on Friday is likely to focus on three issues: residence for jhuggis, Yamuna riverfront and a pollution-free Delhi. This comes after the BJP launched 'Meri Dilli, Mera Sujhav', a drive to seek people's suggestions for its manifesto. Slum free Delhi'Jahan jhuggi, wahan makaan' (every slum will be replaced by a pucca house) is one of BJP's key poll promises that is likely to find place on its manifesto on Friday. Though it is a Central scheme, the BJP seeks to repackage it for the Delhi polls on February 8. Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, who has been closely involved with BJP's campaigning in Delhi, has already stated that the Central government will provide flats even to the tenants in slum clusters under the 'Jahan jhuggi wahan makaan' scheme. At least 10 lakh people are expected to benefit from it, which the BJP is likely to highlight in its manifesto. Earlier, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari had told IANS, "Wherever there is a slum, the poor will get a two-room house under the housing scheme. They would be provided all basic facilities such as gas and water connection and toilets. Also, no one will die out in the cold." Yamuna riverfrontAnother key issue the BJP is likely to project in its manifesto is the promised Yamuna riverfront, something that is promised to take shape in accordance with the Sabarmati riverfront in Gujarat. DDA which comes under BJP-led Centre's Urban Development Ministry, has already embarked on a mission to develop 1,500 hectares of Yamuna riverfront. DDA will take help of experts for landscaping, greening and plantation of the area to restore wetlands and riverine ecosystem. The Yamuna, which originates in Uttarakhand, covers a 50-km stretch, or 3.6 per cent of its 1,376-km journey, through Delhi. But to clean a dirty Yamuna is a herculean task that both the BJP claims it has taken upon itself. There is a strong chance of it prominently figuring in the Delhi manifesto. Pollution-free DelhiAnother key issue that the BJP is likely to focus on is pollution. During the peak stubble-burning season, party MP Gautam Gambhir sensed the citizens' anger and set up a massive air purifier in Lajpat Nagar area. Its likely the BJP will make more promises to make Delhi pollution free in its manifesto. In an interview to IANS, Tiwari said, "We will provide pure tap water in every house, and make all efforts to reduce the air pollution by 70 per cent. We are committed to bringing 5,000 new electric buses and improve the transport connectivity in Delhi with CNG buses." In this photo illustration, Netflix logo is seen displayed on TV screen in this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on January 11, 2020. (Photo illustration by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images) The Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review (BTLR) Panel released its recommendations for Canadas communications industry, including imposing a sales tax equally on all media services and new Canadian content regulations. Among the 97 recommendations, the panel said one immediate call for action is to end the competitive disadvantage facing Canadian companies by applying the GST/HST. We want to be clear that we are not recommending that Canadian content be supported by the so-called Netflix Tax - charging consumers an extra levy on subscriptions to such services as Netflix. It is more appropriate to establish a regime that requires such online streaming services that benefit from operating in Canada to invest in Canadian programming that they believe will attract and appeal to Canadians, the report said The panel said that the sales tax is consistent with what some provinces, like Saskatchewan and Quebec, have taken by charging a provincial tax. Ben Klass, a PhD student at Carleton University, said this was fair and that there is nothing wrong with imposing a tax on companies that generate significant revenue in Canada. But when it comes to Goods and Services Tax or a Harmonized Sales Tax, I dont think there is anything controversial about the idea of people selling services in countries should be remitting the tax, he said. Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault said to the media that he will review the recommendations before putting forth legislation, which could take a year. New Canadian Content contribution rules should be implemented The recommendations include that media services should contribute to Canadian content under new rules that would be mandated by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). The report said that media services should fall under three new categories that include curators, aggregators, and sharers. Curators would be services like Netflix, Spotify; aggregators could include news aggregators or cable companies that package a number of online streaming services; sharers could include companies like Facebook or YouTube. Story continues Specific obligations to support Canadian content would vary depending on the activity being conducted, the report said. Those would be reviewed by the CRTC. Upon initial viewing of the report, Klass questioned the new recommendations, which appear to have a significant expansion of the types of entities that would be contributing to such funds. I think that questions need to be raised on whether its appropriate to start harnessing all different types of activities online into funding a very small subset of those entities, Klass said. Are we trying to fund an existing subset of the industry? Is that the policy goal? Or is the policy goal to encourage jobs, economic activity, the creation of high-quality content? Dwayne Winseck, director of the Canadian Media Concentration Research Project, said the idea of having classifications for different types of content was okay, but was concerned with having news organizations fall under categories. This is an enormous expansion of the CRTC authority or the regulation of journalism, which I find extremely problematic. It regulates content, versus structure and behaviours, and its the most disliked kind of regulation under constitutional interpretations of speech regulations, he said. Details of how much Canadian content should be force-funded still need to be ironed out, which the CRTC would be tasked with. Will it affect customers? If the government decides to place a sales tax, consumers are likely to see a charge on their monthly bill. During a press conference in Ottawa Janet Yale, chair of the BTLR panel, was asked whether this would affect consumers in that platforms could raise the price of subscription costs to offset having to pay towards Canadian content. Yale said it wouldnt affect consumers if media services organized their programming budget so it automatically includes what is necessary to contribute to Canadian content. They spend a lot of money... it is not going to increase their program budgets, she said. We are saying a portion of their program budgets must qualify as Canadian. We do not think this is something that will be passed on to consumers or result in higher prices. Netflix announced in 2017 a pledge to spend $500 million on Canadian productions over the next five years. The company announced this plan after receiving considerable backlash from the government for not collecting sales tax. The company has said that it follows tax laws wherever it operates, and that currently under Canadian law foreign online services are not required to collect and remit a sales tax. We all have a role to play in supporting the future of film and television being created in Canada. We look forward to working with the government as it proceeds to modernize Canadas broadcasting and telecommunications laws, a Netflix spokesman said in an email. The local industry is flourishing; we will continue investing in made-in-Canada productions and stories, bringing them to the world. Winseck said the past the voluntary actions of Netflix choosing to pay extra money towards Canadian content were never going to be good enough, so he was not surprised that regulation for Netflix to contribute has been recommended. Im not surprised by this, I think its okay. I, particularly, like the idea that this also means much higher levels of disclosure with respect to revenue, subscribers, their content catalogs, he said. DUBLIN, Ohio, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, in continued coordination with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Cardinal Health announced it is initiating two voluntary field actions for select Cardinal Health Presource Procedure Packs containing gowns that were part of last week's recall of AAMI Level 3 surgical gowns. These procedure packs, also known as kits, had been placed on voluntary hold at the time of the gown recall. "I apologize to patients and our customers. We understand the gravity of this situation and the disruptions to the healthcare system that will impact patient care," said Mike Kaufmann, CEO of Cardinal Health. "We are fully committed to making this right, and we are doing everything we can to ensure it never happens again." Cardinal Health is initiating actions involving 2.9 million procedure packs manufactured between September 2018 and January 2020 that contain affected gowns: A voluntary correction of 374,794 procedure packs with components separated from the affected gown by inner, sealed packaging or other packs within the sterilization pouch. These packs can be "over-labeled," allowing the components within inner, sealed packages to be used after the gown is discarded. All other components including the gowns are to be removed and discarded. Approximately 62,976 of these packs remain in Cardinal Health inventory. A voluntary recall of 2,518,653 procedure packs containing gowns with components that are not separated from the affected gown by inner, sealed packaging. Those procedure packs should not be used and must be returned. Approximately 357,127 of these packs remain in Cardinal Health inventory. The affected procedure packs were placed on hold earlier this month. The gowns in the procedure packs are a subset of the 9.1 million gowns recalled last week. Procedure packs may be standard or customized to a customer's specifications and can contain a variety of components which may include one or more gowns. Cardinal Health customers will receive detailed instructions for handling the affected procedure packs on or about Monday, February 3. The decision to recall the packs is necessary based on information Cardinal Health received in December 2019 that Siyang Holymed, one of our FDA-authorized suppliers in China, had shifted production of some gowns to unapproved sites, in uncontrolled environments. On this basis, Cardinal Health cannot assure sterility of the gowns, presenting a potential risk to patient safety. Cardinal Health has terminated its relationship with Siyang Holymed. Cardinal Health is taking the following actions to address supply shortages as quickly as possible: Increasing its manufacturing production of similar and replacement products; Offering more protective AAMI Level 4 gowns to help bridge the supply gap; Working to identify alternatives including in many cases working with industry partners who offer comparable products; and Mobilizing employees from all parts of the company to work directly with health care providers to replace gowns and procedure packs. Cardinal Health had previously experienced supply chain issues with Siyang HolyMed. In spring 2018, Cardinal Health learned this supplier outsourced some of its production to a non-registered, non-qualified facility. At the time, Cardinal Health conducted a quality review supported by laboratory testing and concluded there was no impact to its products. Based on the results of the quality review, the company determined a field action was not necessary, and therefore did not coordinate any such action with the FDA. Moving forward, Cardinal Health is engaging third-party experts to conduct a comprehensive review of quality assurance processes and business practices and committing to the execution of corrective and preventive actions. With management support, the Cardinal Health Board of Directors formed a special committee of the Board to oversee management's actions in connection with the recall and related activities. The Committee is chaired by Director John Weiland, former vice chairman, president and chief operating officer of medical device company C.R. Bard, Inc. In connection with these surgical gown-related recalls, in the second quarter of our fiscal year 2020, we expect to record a $96 million charge. This charge represents our best estimate of costs for the recall, including inventory write-offs and other remediation costs, such as costs to replace recalled products. It is possible that the amount of ultimate loss may differ materially from this accrual. This charge, and any future increases or adjustments, will be excluded from our non-GAAP financial results. For more information and the latest updates, please visit www.cardinalhealth.com/SurgicalGownProductRecall. About Cardinal Health Cardinal Health, Inc. is a global, integrated healthcare services and products company, providing customized solutions for hospitals, healthcare systems, pharmacies, ambulatory surgery centers, clinical laboratories and physician offices worldwide. The company enhances supply chain efficiency for clinically proven medical products, pharmaceuticals and cost-effective solutions. To combat prescription drug misuse, the Cardinal Health Foundation and its education partners created Generation Rx, a national drug prevention education and awareness program. The Foundation actively supports an array of other solutions, including efforts to reduce opioid prescribing, promote drug take back and safe disposal and expand collaborative community work. Cardinal Health is backed by nearly 100 years of experience with operations in nearly 46 countries. For more information, visit cardinalhealth.com. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Cautions Concerning Forward-Looking Statements This release contains forward-looking statements addressing expectations, prospects, estimates and other matters that are dependent upon future events or developments. These statements may be identified by words such as "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "will," "should," "could," "would," "project," "continue," "likely," and similar expressions, and include statements reflecting future results or guidance, statements of outlook and various accruals and estimates. These matters are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, anticipated or implied. These risks and uncertainties include the risk that current and future costs associated with the recalls of our surgical gowns and related kits, including inventory write-off costs and other remediation costs, could have a material negative impact on our financial results; the risk that we could lose sales and customers due to the recalls or otherwise; the risks that these recalls could lead to actions by regulators or other governmental entities, and we may receive claims and lawsuits by customers and patients, including class action product liability lawsuits; and the risk that the recalls and related operational impacts could have unintended consequences, such as business disruption and distraction of management and other key employees. Cardinal Health is subject to additional risks and uncertainties described in Cardinal Health's Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K reports and exhibits to those reports. This release reflects management's views as of January 30, 2020. Except to the extent required by applicable law, Cardinal Health undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement. SOURCE Cardinal Health Related Links http://www.cardinalhealth.com The record-setting car, which achieved the 30 lakh figure, is the newest car from Hyundai, which was launched recently in India Aura. It is headed for the Columbian market with the moniker, Grand i10. The Hyundai Aura the South Korean brands latest compact-sedan has added a feather to its cap by becoming the 3 millionth car to be exported by Hyundai India. In India, the Hyundai Aura was launched earlier this month at a starting price of Rs 5.80 lakh ex-showroom. Based on the Grand i10 Nios hatchback, the Aura replaces the Hyundai Xcent compact-sedan in the brands Indian portfolio. Speaking about the cars achievement on the exports chart, MD & CEO of Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL), Mr S S Kim shared that the 3 millionth roll-out was a significant milestone that showcased the brands global success. He added that many milestones were met ever since Hyundai India started its exports business back in 1999. The very first export batch comprised of 20 first-generation Hyundai Santro units for Nepal. The figures hit 1 lakh units in four years and 10 months and grew to 5 lakh by March 2008. The first million was achieved in February 2010 and the graph touched 2 million in March 2014. As per CY 2019, Hyundai India commands a market share of 28% in car exports and has shipped 1,81,200 units, with 792 customised variants (depending on the foreign market). At present, Hyundai India exports 10 products: Atos (current-generation Santro), Grand i10 hatch, Grand i10 Nios, Xcent, Aura (as the Grand i10 sedan), Elite i20, i20 Active, Accent (Verna), Venue and Creta. In other words, the company exports almost all its products from the domestic portfolio. The markets stretch to 88 countries across four continents. In India, the Hyundai Aura is available with three engine choices: 1.2-litre Kappa petrol (83bhp/113Nm), 1.0-litre turbo petrol (120bhp/172Nm) and 1.2-litre diesel (75bhp/190Nm). All three engines come mated to a 5-speed manual transmission as standard while the 1.2-litre petrol and diesel units get an AMT as an option. Being a 2020 product, the Hyundai Aura is already BS6-compliant. The compact-sedan segment in the Indian automotive market has a lot of desirable choices including the segment-leading Maruti Suzuki Dzire (which is also one of the best-selling cars in the country). Besides the Dzire, the Hyundai Aura rivals the Ford Aspire, Honda Amaze and Tata Tigor. Neethu Sethumadhavan By Express News Service KOCHI: Kollam native Afzal Najumudeen, a student of Wuhan University, who was stranded at Guangzhou in China amid coronavirus outbreak returned to Kerala on Sunday morning. "I took a flight from Guangzhou at 6 am. I reached the airport six hours prior to the flight, as I expected tight survellience and checking at the airport," he said. Along with Afzal, five students, including a Punjabi student and four Malayali students, also boarded the flight back to India. "At the airport, the medical team checked our temperature and they asked if we had any symptoms, including fever and cough. Everyone was wearing masks. As we had no symptoms, they allowed us to check- in after four hours," he added. Afzal and other students reached Kolkata at 6.30 am IST. ALSO READ| All you need to know about coronavirus At Kolkata airport, they were asked to fill up a form containing questions regarding their health. They were cleared as they didnt show any symptoms and had normal temperature. "From Kolkata, we took another flight to Bengaluru. But there was no checking in Bengaluru, as we arrived in a domestic flight. I took a bus to my native place, Kollam," he said. "I called the health department officials who told me to stay at home for 28 days as a precautionary measure. I have been advised not to visit crowded areas and functions. Though my parents are relieved, they are scared to send me back. My friends back there in Wuhan told me they are fine, though the food is limited. The Indian Embassy is taking efforts to bring them back. I hope they will return to India soon," he added. 28 Malayali students still on varsity campus Now, a total of 63 students, including 28 Malayalis, are inside the Wuhan University campus. The Indian Embassy collected the filled-in consent form from the Indian students for evacuation. One of my big beefs about #MeToo is that is the movement has been almost entirely about defending upper class/professionally accomplished women. No one has ridden in to demand the ouster of employees of the union Service Employees International, known as SEIU, whove been accused of sexual misconduct, nor has any prominent woman objected to the way SEIU has promoted some of the accused while targeting whistleblowers and intimidating reporters and media outlet whove covered the SEIU abuses. The #MeToo sisterhood apparently doesnt extend to union members nor other lowly workers, like waitresses who report that workplace harassment is endemic. The latest victim of these SEIU shakedowns is union gumshoe Mike Elk, who publishes the PayDay Report newsletter. A SEIU unit has not only threatened Elk with litigation, but is even trying to get him to expose his sources, when in most states, both statute and case law offer rock-solid protection of their confidentiality. These SEIU threats against Elk and other members of the press are raw intimidation. Most reporters welcome defamation saber-rattling, knowing they are proof theyve gotten under their targets skin, since litigation would allow the journalist to do discovery and publish on anything they unearthed, which is the last thing organizations getting bad press want. But someone of limited means would lack the legal horsepower to get as far as using the power of the court to root in his opponents e-mails and file cabinets. Sordid History of SEIU Harassment SEIU has been forced to address some of executive-level misconduct, but has not only refused to respond to other charges but has gone into classic vilify the accuser mode. President Mary Kay Henrys deputy Scott Courtney departed in 2017 in the wake of a BuzzFeed expose of sexual abuse. Henry appointed an external advisory board to address sexual harassment. Thinking it was bona fide, a former SEIU staffer sent a memo that had already gone to the Guardian (in a big mistake to Henry and a ombudsman, not the new board) about the misconduct of Martin Manteca, Organizing Director of SEIU Local 721, the Southern California Public Service Workers Union, with 95,000 members. In 2016, a staffer complained of having been demoted after complaining about Manteca; she was not the first to allege hed been abusive. More than 60 staffers in Mantecas local filed a petition decrying his retaliation. That led to an investigationby the SEIU ethics office. Readers who know this terrain will recognize that for a probe to have the veneer of independence, it need to be led by an outside party. As Elk reported in early December: In depositions, obtained by the Payday Report, 16 SEIU staffers provided testimony against Manteca. The staffers painted a picture of a boss who not only sexually harassed women in the workplace but one who would become physically confrontational and harass those who tried to stand up to him in solidarity with his accusers. He was an absolute sociopath, said one staffer who wished to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation. If he was on the floor of your office, you hid at your desk. You didnt want to see him. He was such a terror. Elk posted most of the affidavits in a case filed by Mindy Surge against SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West. They cover sexual misconduct, including assault, by SEIU officers and mangers such as Dave Regan, Stan Lykes, Marcus Hatcher (who was eventually fired), Chokri Bensaid, and Pedro Malave (fired after a PayDay report expose). Weve embedded them at the end of the post. They make for vivid reading. As Elk describes, SEIU took no action against Manteca in the 2016 investigation. Elk describes another allegation, in 2018, of Manteca earlier making advances against her, which again failed to generate any sanction. Things continued to snowball: However, despite numerous accusations of sexual misconduct and two investigations by SEIU, Manteca was allowed to continue in his post as deputy trustee of SEIU Nevada in addition to his duties as Organizing Director of the SEIUs chapter of the SEIU Local 721, the Southern California Public Service Workers Union. While serving as deputy trustee of SEIU Nevada, Manteca was once again accused of harassment. In a lawsuit filed in March of 2019 and obtained by Payday Report, Manteca is accused of harassing a female staffer Debbie Miller for seeking a disability accommodation for her struggle with diabetes. Today, Manteca still serves in his position as the Director of Organizing of the Southern California Public Services Workers Union, where he makes $130,000-a-year SEIU #MeToo activists say that staffers like Manteca and Regan, who participate in hostile takeovers known as trusteeships of other SEIU locals, rarely face punishment. They are known within the union as part of the wrecking crew, a crew of bureaucratic union staffers that are intensely loyal to DC union leadership, often at the expense of local administration. Ironically, while SEIU has used federal trusteeship powers to take over dissident unions, it has failed to use trusteeship to punish those like Regan, who stands accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct. Indeed, SEIU has even permitted Regan to use his union, SEIU-UHW funds to defend the union leaderships against sexual misconduct allegations. Notice that the only #MeToo supporters who are trying to combat these apparent serial abusers are SEIU members; theres no evidence of interest, much the less help, from the rest of the movement. SEIU Retaliation Key sections from Elks January 29 newsletter, which I urge you to read in full: Yesterday, SEIU Vice President Dave Regan, who also serves as President of its SEIUs California-based affiliate SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW), had SEIU-UHW General Counsel Bruce Harland send me a letter threatening to sue me for defamation for my expose on cover-ups of sexual misconduct within SEIU. The unions General Counsel Bruce Harland also asked me to preserve all communications as relevant evidence as part of its ongoing defamation lawsuit against SEIU whistleblower Njoki Woods. A lawsuit, which many consider retaliatory as Woods statements about sexual misconduct and threats of retaliation were backed up by others in affidavits. Today, SEIU-UHW even took the desperate step of taking to Fox News to bash the seven women that came forward to give affidavits about sexual misconduct within SEIU as disgruntled employees.. In February of 2019, SEIU-UHW attempted to subpoena Google to get the company to reveal the name of the publisher of a blog published by an anonymous SEIU whistleblower entitled Stern Burgers with Fries. Ultimately, the lawsuit was dismissed after exhaustive legal preparations from the defendant. In March of 2019, SEIU-UHW fired Njoki Woods after she spoke out to Payday Report against sexual misconduct in her union. Now, they are suing her for defamation for an interview she gave to Payday Report in what many see as a warning shot to others thinking about speaking out about what many allege is rampant sexual misconduct within the union. SEIU has behaved badly on other fronts. It opposed single payer. It put $100,000 into a dark money group to oppose pro-transparency, former SEIU local president JJ Jelinic in his run for the retiree seat at CalPERS. One political expert believes that former SEIU president Andy Stern is a moving force behind the self-destructive loyalty of unions to private equity. If youd like to help, please donate to Elks legal defense fund, as I have. Publicize this shameless SEIU conduct on Facebook and Twitter, and if you have any friends who are union members or leaders, or in the left-leaning press, please e-mail them about it with a short cover note. Ditto for any #MeToo activists. SEIU is engaged in thuggery, both towards women who stand up to its internal predators, and anyone on the outside who comes to their aid. Its time to turn the tables on them. GUJRANWALA, Pakistan - Terror attacks in Pakistan plummeted by more than 85% over the last decade. Its a welcome statistic for the country, but one that risks being overshadowed by international concern over its efforts to curb terror funding and lingering militant activity that could test any future peace agreement in neighbouring Afghanistan. The tally, put together by Pakistani think tanks, found terror attacks dropped from nearly 2,000 in 2009 to fewer than 250 in 2019, a steady decline that underscores the long-haul nature of fighting terror. But a Paris-based international watchdog said in October that Pakistan was not doing enough to stop terror financing. The group meets next month to decide whether the country should be downgraded from a gray status to black, alongside Iran and North Korea, a step that could pose a challenge to Pakistans economy. Pakistans militant groups are often interlinked with those across the border in Afghanistan, so its progress at reining in terror is critical, particularly as Washington seeks to secure a deal with the Afghan Taliban to bring an end to the 18-year war, Americas longest military engagement. The sharp decrease in terrorist violence, which we began to see in 2014, is nothing short of remarkable, said Michael Kugelman, Asia Program Deputy Director at the Washington-based Wilson Center. But, he cautioned, Pakistan is certainly not out of the woods yet. Last year, the Financial Action Task Force, or FATF, the watchdog that monitors terror financing, said Pakistan had fully implemented only one item from a list of 40 measures to curb terror financing and money laundering. The other 39 measures were either partially implemented or in some cases overlooked entirely. If Pakistan is blacklisted, every financial transaction would be closely scrutinized, and doing business with the country would become costly and cumbersome. Pakistani officials say they are working to meet the task forces demands and expect to avoid a black listing at the crucial meeting in Paris in February. Earlier this month, Pakistans economic affairs minister held a preliminary meeting with an FATF regional affiliate to make a case for removal from the so-called gray list. Pakistans military and intelligence have long been accused by Washington, as well as by Pakistans neighbours, of supporting some militants while attacking others. Over the last two decades, successive American administrations have pressed Islamabad to crack down on terror. Pakistan points to its more than 4,000 military casualties since the 2001 start of the so-called war on terror higher than the U.S. and NATO deaths combined as proof of its commitment. Over the past decade, Pakistan has been home to a large array of militant groups with multiple and sometimes overlapping motives. Some have targeted the government or unleashed horrific bombings and attacks on the countrys religious minorities. Others are connected to anti-U.S. militant organizations in Afghanistan or have focused their attacks on Pakistans historic rival India, particularly in the disputed region of Kashmir. Since early last year, Pakistan has banned 66 organizations declared as terrorist or terrorist-supporting groups and listed an estimated 7,600 individuals under its anti-terrorism act. In a surprisingly tough ruling, a court last week handed jail sentences of more than 55 years to dozens of extremists who destroyed cars and storefronts protesting the acquittal of a Christian woman on blasphemy charges. Pakistans Prime Minister Imran Khan promised zero tolerance for extremists after several attacked a Sikh shrine earlier this month in southern Punjab province. Yet extremist groups and ideologies still find fertile ground in Pakistan. Pakistan-based organizations like Lashkar-e-Taiba or Jaish-e-Mohammed, which claimed responsibility for a suicide attack last year in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir, have been banned only to be resurrected under new names. Radicalization and terrorism remain very real threats, even if the main perpetrators of terror have become shadows of their former selves, Kugelman said. Amir Rana, executive director of the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies, one of the groups which released a report on the decreasing attacks, said the decline was indicative of the long-haul nature of fighting terror and those who perpetrate it. He said it involves years of surveillance, military counterterrorism offensives and a counterterrorism strategy that seeks to identify and curb funding. Still, Pakistan has a way to go in making the institutional changes necessary to curb terror financing and the militant groups still operating, Rana said. Less than 1% of Pakistanis pay taxes, revenues are routinely undocumented and the so-called hawala system of informally sending money around the globe still flourishes, all of which bedevils efforts to curtail terror financing. Pakistans success in tackling terror is essential amid American attempts to wind down the war in Afghanistan and withdraw U.S. troops. President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire to bring home the roughly 13,000 U.S. soldiers still in Afghanistan and last November gave his peace envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, the go-ahead to resume talks with the Taliban. Last week, the insurgent group handed Khalilzad a seven- to 10-day cease fire offer, which could pave the way for American troops to withdraw and jumpstart peace negotiations between Afghans on both sides of the conflict. Khalilzad said previously that any agreement will require the Taliban to abandon terror groups like al-Qaida with which they have longstanding ties that some analysts say could prove difficult to sever. Links still bind the militant groups operating between Pakistan and Afghanistan, according to Abdullah Khan, of the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, which also released a report documenting the declining attacks in Pakistan. Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent, which emerged in 2014 as a rival to the Islamic State affiliate that set up shop in Afghanistan the same year, might be vastly degraded, yet it still has cells in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, as does IS. Earlier this month, 15 people, including a police official tracking militants, died in an attack on a mosque in Pakistans southwestern Baluchistan province, for which the IS affiliate claimed responsibility. Last month, police raided the safe house of a cell of al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent that had just moved into the Punjab city of Gujranwala from the southern port city of Karachi. They discovered a trove of documents, weapons and propaganda material. A police charge sheet seen by The Associated Press said the five men who were arrested possessed weapons, suicide jackets, hate material, laptop, printing machine, printing material etc. and funds and receipts to achieve al-Qaidas organizational objectives. The police document went on to say that the cell was sending money to al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinents branch in Afghanistan. Last week, Reliance Jio became the first telecom operator to pay its dues arising out of the Supreme Court's October ruling on the controversial adjusted gross revenues (AGR) issue. The telco reportedly paid Rs 195 crore to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on the last day of the January 23 deadline. Although the DoT's internal estimates suggested that Jio is liable to pay Rs 60.43 crore for license fee outstanding up to 2016/17, and SUC (spectrum usage charge) up to 2018/19. Jio, however, ended up paying AGR dues till January 31 this year. As per sources, Jio paid its AGR dues for four licenses that it holds, which includes ISP (Internet service provider), NLD (national long distance), ILD (international long distance) and UL (unified license). Jio provides services in all these areas, and as per its own calculations, it has paid more than three times of the dues estimated by DoT. Jio's payment is likely to put non-telecom companies in a fix. How? So far, the DoT has made AGR demands from PowerGrid Corporation, Oil India, GAIL, and Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilisers & Chemicals. These entities have to cumulatively pay a whopping Rs 4.39 lakh crore to DoT for the different licenses that they had obtained from the department. Ironically, the AGR demand from non-telecom entities is nearly three times of the demand from telcos (Rs 1.47 lakh crore), and it seems absurd that only telcos were fighting the AGR dispute for 14 years - not even a single non-telecom company was party to the case. Meanwhile, in its petition filed to the apex court seeking clarification on its dues, Oil India has said that it's not liable to pay the Rs 40,000 crore demand since the NLD license that it holds is out of purview of the Supreme Court ruling. "The DoT has relied on the interpretation of AGR as upheld by the Supreme Court, and arbitrarily issued demand notices from 2007/08 to 2016/17 demanding a sum of Rs 40,108.42 crore by including the revenues of the Oil India from oil and gas business as miscellaneous revenues completely ignoring the fact that the definition of AGR under UAS [universal access service] license agreement is materially different from definition of revenue under NLD license agreement," says the Oil India application reviewed by Business Today. It further says that Oil India is not even a telecom service provider to which the Supremet Court judgement is applicable. "A substantial portion of the Oil India's revenues are not related to telecom services in any manner, and if the Supreme Court judgement is applicable to the Oil India, then the license fee liability will be calculated by taking into account the total revenue of Oil India. Oil India believes that such a demand would be wholly misconceived and unconscionable apart from being arbitrary, unreasonable and excessive," the Oil India petition says. Oil India's argument is in contrast to the Reliance Jio's stance which has cleared its dues for NLD license as well. Last week, the Supreme Court agreed to hear modification plea by these non-telecom PSUs (public sector units), along with telcos like Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel and Tata Teleservices who have been asking for easier payment terms. The decision on the matter is likely to come this week. The moot point is that if the court decides to take Jio's recent AGR payment as a precedent, then all the affected non-telecom entities will have to pay the entire amount sought by DoT, including for NLD licenses. The demand raised by DoT is far higher than the market cap, net worth, revenues and net profits of these PSUs. For instance, Oil India has been asked to pay up Rs 40,108.42 crore whereas its networth was just Rs 28,000 crore as on March 2019. In case these entities are forced to pay the entire amount, they would most probably become insolvent. That's not all! The AGR scare is also likely to spread to other non-telecom entities such as Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and RailTel who would join the list of entities impacted by the apex court ruling. These companies reportedly owe money to DoT for different types of licences - basic, UASL, cellular, ILD, VSAT, NLD, IP-I,PMRTS - that they have acquired for carrying out their businesses and sell services to end consumers. Also Read: Bengaluru people spent 243 hours on average in traffic in 2019, time they could use to watch 215 episodes of GoT Also Read: Budget 2020: Modi govt may announce two mega initiatives to boost agricultural output Also Read: Budget 2020: Zinc deficiency affecting crops, humans; need for a conducive policy in agriculture 13,500 Foxconn Workers to Stay Home During Chinas Viral Outbreak Published: 30 January 2020 by Chelsey Drysdale by Chelsey Drysdale TAIPEI Some 13,500 Foxconn workers in China will stay home until at least Feb. 13 as a result of Chinas viral outbreak. The Hubei Province government has issued an order for firms to keep their doors closed as fears mount over the coronavirus, which has now affected more than 7,800 globally. Foxconn said staff across China do not need to return to work until mid-February due to government guidelines. Also, employees coming from Wuhan are required to self-quarantine in Taiwan. More than 2 miles of Market Street in downtown San Francisco are now closed to private vehicles as of Wednesday morning, paving the way for safer streets. On Wednesday morning, city officials celebrated the start of the Better Market Street project, which prioritizes buses, bicyclists and pedestrians along the busy thoroughfare. As part the project's first phase, which launched Wednesday, private vehicles, including ride-hailing vehicles like Uber and Lyft, will be prohibited from traveling on Market Street eastbound from 10th to Main streets and westbound from Steuart Street to Van Ness Avenue, although they can still cross Market Street. Parking control and police officers are on hand directing traffic and helping call attention to the new changes. According to police, officers have been stopping private vehicles all day on Market Street and are issuing just warnings for now. Sonoma County District 5 Supervisor Lynda Hopkins is running for re-election against Santa Rosa resident Mike Hilber. The dominant issue in the district during the months leading up to the March 3 primary election has been clearing a homeless camp that had grown to 250 people along 2 miles of the Joe Rodota paved bicycle and walking trail between west Santa Rosa and Sebastopol on county-owned land in Santa Rosa. Homeowners who live along the trail have complained about the lack of public safety, unsanitary and squalid conditions, dirty needles, human waste and a rat infestation. The Sonoma County Regional Parks department advised people not to use the trail. At a Board of Supervisors meeting on Dec. 23, Hopkins pressed fellow board members to find an alternative site for an emergency campground and set Jan. 31 as a date to clear the campers from the trail. Hilber, a taxpayer advocate who said he won't raise money to challenge Hopkins, proposed that the county lease large vacant commercial buildings to house the homeless, buy property and set up a structure with partitions between beds or erect several smaller structures. He said expanding homeless shelter capacity is the most cost-effective way to address homelessness. A man is in critical condition at a hospital after being struck by a hit-and-run driver in Oakland's Chinatown district on Wednesday morning, police said. The collision was reported at Seventh and Webster streets at 5:57 a.m., according to police. The vehicle that struck the man fled the scene and remains at large, police said. Paramedics treated the victim at the scene and then transported him to a hospital, according to police. One man is in critical condition and another is in stable condition after they were shot in East Oakland early Wednesday morning, police said. The shooting was reported near the 7900 block of MacArthur Boulevard at 12:52 a.m., according to police. Officers who responded to the shooting found the two men suffering from gunshot wounds and arranged for them to be transported to a hospital to get treatment, police said. Two people were found stabbed in a home in San Bruno on Wednesday morning, police said. Officers responded at 11:31 a.m. to a home in the 500 block of Third Avenue on a report of a possible stabbing and found a man and woman inside with stab wounds. They were both taken to a hospital with what is being described as "serious" injuries, police said. Police said there were multiple witnesses in the home at the time of the stabbing and investigators are "confident that all of the involved parties are accounted for and that there is no ongoing public safety risk" related to the case. No other details were immediately released. Marin County sheriff's deputies arrested a Fairfield man on suspicion of possessing a replica AK-47 rifle near Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley that caused two schools to lock down Monday afternoon. The suspect, Michael Kessler, 21, is a former Tamalpais High School student, according to the sheriff's office. He was arrested around 7 p.m. Tuesday at 850 Drake Ave. in Marin City, and was booked into Marin County Jail at 11 p.m. Tuesday. The arrest came after a witness, who was aware of the lockdown at the high school, encountered Kessler Monday in the Good Earth Natural Foods parking lot at 201 Flamingo Road in Tamalpais Valley Junction. Kessler allegedly asked the unidentified witness why there was a large police presence in the area then pulled a mask over his face, sheriff's officials said. The witness notified the Sheriff's Office about the encounter on Tuesday. Three Oakland sisters have been charged with running a retail theft ring that involved selling more than $300,000 worth of merchandise that had been stolen from stores at the Southland Mall in Hayward and elsewhere, police and prosecutors said. More than $300,000 worth of suspected stolen items from 18 different stores was recovered when officers served search warrants at the sisters' Oakland homes last month, according to Hayward police. Sisters Jessenia Rodriguez, 24, Jessica Rodriguez, 27, and Norma Rodriguez, 33, were arrested on Dec. 18, the same day the search warrants were served. When the sisters were interviewed, they admitted operating the illegal business, according to police. The sisters were charged on Jan. 14 with felony counts of organized retail theft in concert with two more people, directing organized retail theft and receiving stolen property. Three 15-year-old boys were arrested for allegedly attacking and robbing a man in the downtown Palo Alto area on Tuesday afternoon, police said. The robbery was reported at 12:34 p.m. on Lytton Avenue near Tasso Street. Officers responded and learned a man in his 20s had been walking east on Lytton and passed a group of boys on bicycles. One of the boys tapped the man on his back while another grabbed the man's cellphone out of his hand, according to police. The man tackled the boy who stole his phone, and another suspect then punched him in the face while another demanded the victim's earbuds, police said. The victim's co-worker was nearby, heard the altercation and came to the victim's aid. The suspects fled on their bikes south on Tasso Street but a sergeant found and detained them about 40 minutes later in the 1400 block of Edgewood Drive, according to police. A 39-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly trying to take someone else's 2-year-old son out of a Goodwill store in Gilroy last weekend, police said Tuesday. Cesar Gutierrez was identified as the suspect in the Saturday afternoon incident at the Goodwill store at 845 First St. and was arrested at about 10:30 p.m. Monday in the 300 block of Walnut Lane in Gilroy, according to police. The case began around 3 p.m. Saturday when a family was shopping at the Goodwill store and the father realized his 2-year-old son was not in the aisle with the other children, then found the boy in another aisle with a man holding his hand, police said. The father heard the suspect say, "Let's go buddy," and saw him lead the boy to the front of the store. The father confronted the suspect, who let go of the child's hand, according to police. Police did not receive a report about any incidents at the store until a day afterward, and were able to identify the suspect as Gutierrez, who has been booked into Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of kidnapping and violating his probation, police said. 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 Fairfield High Preparatory School student is facing criminal charges after a fruity cereal concoction she brought to school sickened six students. The ordeal began about 11:30 a.m. when a female student began to convulse while in class. She was taken to the hospital by paramedics, said Fairfield City Schools spokeswoman Jennifer Gonsoulin. The student was stable before she was taken to the hospital and has now been treated and released. A couple of hours later, two other students began acting unusual and their parents were called. The parents, Gonsoulin said, also took them for medical treatment. Three others became ill, as well. School officials and Jefferson County sheriffs deputies immediately began to investigate. They learned a female student had brought the cereal concoction from home and distributed it to other students. She was arrested on a charge of distribution of a controlled substance. Gonsoulin said school officials dont yet know the identity of that substance. Gonsoulin called the incident alarming. Its eye-opening for the school, but also hopefully for parents and students to be aware of what they are putting in their mouths, she said. The school tries to provide a safe environment for all students. She said principal Dr. Terrell Davis will be going to classrooms in the near future to further discuss safety precautions. New Delhi, Jan 30 : On January 9, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was taking suggestions from top economists of the country to get the economy out of the crisis, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was meeting party officials at the BJP office. Sitharaman could not be seen even three days ago when the Prime Minister was meeting industrialists Ratan Tata, Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani, Anand Mahindra and others to discuss the Budget 2020-21. A number of questions were raised at that time about the absence of the Finance Minister ahead of the Budget on February 1. Everyone wanted to know why she was not there because late Arun Jaitley used to participate in all such meetings when he was the Finance Minister. For instance, Jaitley was also present with PM Modi at a meeting with economists on January 10, 2019, before the final budget of the first term of the government. When IANS spoke to sources close to the Sangh, Bharatiya Janata Party and the government, it learnt why Sitharaman was absent at these meetings. Sources associated with the RSS and the government told IANS that Modi felt that to bring the crisis-ridden economy back on track, bitter facts should be heard from the industrialists and economists by interacting with them openly. Modi wanted a feedback on the functioning and performance of the Finance Ministry. He felt that the industrialists and economists might not be able to openly express their views in the presence of the Finance Minister because they might be uncomfortable in questioning the policies of the Finance Ministry in front of Sitharaman. This was the reason why the PMO did not invite Sitharaman to these two meetings, the sources said. Dilip Deodhar, a Sangh ideologue who has written more than 40 books on the RSS, said something similar. He told IANS quoting the discussions in the 'Sangh Parivar', that "PM Modi had clearly told the industrialists and economists in the meeting that he would not listen to praise but wants suggestions. He would also listen to bitter things about the government. He also sought feedback on the policies of the Finance Ministry." The roadmap for the target of a $5 trillion economy was discussed in these meetings. Nirmala Sitharaman had to face criticism from the opposition for being absent from these meetings. She also gave a clarification on January 19 following attacks by Congress leaders like Shashi Tharoor, Prithviraj Chavan. Nirmala had said that she had participated in other programmes on the day of the meeting on January 9, only with the approval of the Prime Minister. In a statement in Chennai, she said: "I took part in another programme with the approval of the Prime Minister. But without full knowledge of the facts, some people are making comments. I am aware of my work and work is going on for the Union Budget." According to government sources, the Prime Minister holds such meetings with economists and industrialists to take suggestions from them every year before the Budget. After coming to power for the second time, Modi has kept Sitharaman away from such meetings till now. Sitharaman was also absent from the meeting convened in June before the Budget was presented on July 5 last year. However, in 2017 and 2018, then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley attended such meetings. However, sources in the Finance Ministry said that Sitharaman has been involved in discussions with economists and industrialists separately. There is no compulsion for the presence of the Finance Minister in the Prime Minister's meetings with economists. On January 9, Prime Minister Modi attended a meeting of industrialists along with Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Road and Transport and MSME Minister Nitin Gadkari, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar. NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar and CEO Amitabh Kant were also present at this meeting. Earlier, in a meeting with industrialists on January 6, Modi took feedback from them on the situation across industries and sought suggestions on increasing the economic growth rate. (Navneet Mishra can be contacted at navneet.m@ians.in) The Perspective Atlanta, Georgia January 30, 2020 Abstract A visionary and a constructively engaged perceptual struggle to maintain a proper balance between effective 2020 visionary post-conflict Liberias Law Enforcement-Criminal Justice and fairness under President George Weahs Administration and beyond for individuals, pervades the entire criminal justice systems in Liberia. It is particularly crucial and apparent in police work globally because every police action can impinge directly, and perhaps hurtfully, on a citizens freedom of action. I am carefully apprehensive about the structural dynamics of the present security apparatus in Liberia. As a Blacologically astute Law Enforcement Criminal Justice practitioner, I am finding difficulties in critically analyzing and differentiating the post-conflict UNMIL trained Liberian National Police (LNP) for which I was a part of this 21st-century sophisticated training masters in 2015; and to be in a present confused states of affairs in distinguishing LNP from the community vigilante protective force with warlords rebel combative mentality. As I watched videos and physically observed the recent social performances and collective actions of the present Liberian National Police, I become convicted with no alternatives but to once again put some of my multifaceted interdisciplinary expertise at the services of my people. This is an effort to help President George Weah in carrying the smooth affairs of our nation and people nothing else. Because I have what it takes to contribute to the amelioration of my people. Therefore, a 2020 visionary 21st century contemporary understanding of social change, with specific concentration of Law Enforcement-Criminal Justice in post-conflict Liberia PRO POOR Weahs Presidential Leadership and beyond; will not be complete without constructively producing a 21st century understanding of Law Enforcement, Criminal Justice. This is predicated upon and within the context of contemporary Pro Poor Liberian Police Science in post-conflict Liberia towards 2020 decade visionary Political Leadership and beyond. This is an effort to: (1) undo the archaic and rebel oriented combative Law Enforcement-Criminal Justice and police activities in post-conflict Liberia Pro Poor Political Leadership under President George Weah. (2) to introduce a 21st-century Homeland Security-911 Law Enforcement Criminal Justice Police Science in Post Conflict Liberia towards 2020 decades and beyond. (3), Finally, to inmate a contemporary transformational perspective of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice and Police Science in post-conflict Liberia 2020 and beyond. Introduction The celebration of post-conflict Liberias peace and conflict management, 18 years into the 21st century, requires a critical thinking philosophy in 2020. That Liberia, specifically in a time of worldwide political, technological, and social change. With the fall of the Soviet Union 30 to 40 years or ago, we see especially in the Middle and Eastern Europe-more emerging democracies and more consciousness of Human Rights. As Africa emulates a democratization of Law Enforcement Criminal Justice and Police Science, and as such changes happen, the overwhelming anxiety and anticipatory vigilance for Africa specifically post-conflict Liberia, becomes to generate an increasing interest in the role of modernization of Law Enforcement-Criminal Justice and police science. Police, Law Enforcement-Criminal Justice as an institution in a democratic society, Post Conflict Liberia National Police must be in readiness always to participate in a democratization of a peoples police protection and safety and security. In the present Liberian political leadership, if the people will have to fight the police in protecting themselves, this implies that when the wrong is right and the right is wrong, the people must find justice from the outside. It must be intellectually, culturally, and academically argued that the concept of democratizing of policing in post-conflict Liberia must be a transitional Pro Poor Agenda of President George M. Weah. This is essential as a primary issue. Because after September 11, 2001 (9-11), the global changing ideology in the context Homeland Security; the re-engineering, re-configuring, restructuring, and re-evaluating the traditional concepts of Law Enforcement-Criminal Justice and Police performance has changed. So the Pro Poor 2020 decade political leadership must pay specific attention on these research questions below. The research questions are: 1. Are post-conflict Liberias security agencies, (i.e.,) the Police and other Para-military agencies, the National Security apparatus a part of the global changing Law Enforcement Criminal Justice Police Scientific dynamics? See (Thomas Friedman (2005) argues that technology is a driving force behind globalization, while the other forces of social change (social institutions, population, environment) play comparatively minor roles. He suggests that we can view globalization as occurring in three distinct periods these are some of the reasons why in 2015 the author was asked by the Liberian National Police authorities and other Law Enforcement Agencies to teach their executive administrative officers the modern concepts of post 911 Law Enforcement Criminal Justice Police Science and Homeland Security Dynamics. 2. Are these UNMIL trained LNP practitioners integrated in the Pro Poor CDC Government? II. Facing the Challenge of a New Age in Post Conflict Liberian National Police Leadership with specific emphasis on Pro Poor Agenda Mission and Vision: Understandingly, the anticipated goals of the above proposition must be based on contemporary democratization of Law Enforcement Criminal Justice Police Transformational peoples oriented Leadership. This orientation, therefore; must be predicated upon the post-conflict Liberian National Police (LNP) Pro Poor Agenda Vision and Mission implementation leadership. This is very significant because it promotes an ongoing contemporary Law Enforcement Criminal Justice, Police Science, and Homeland Security intellectual growth. In the context of Democratization and Peoples oriented Community Policing, as it reflects on Black African people, specifically Post Conflict Liberian people, this exercise must always be constructively and comprehensively intolerant of ignorance with specific concentration on Pro Poor Agenda Vision and Mission. However, this exercise must indeed be understandable of the profound effect on illiteracy. Empirically, some of our people, however, unable to go to school, sometimes the faults are not of their own making, were and are more intelligent than some of our Western and European college professors and Ph.D. practitioners. Relevantly, it is never too late or old to learn, and learning as a matter of fact, is not a new or young activity. These people, (i.e.), Pro Poor Agenda Driven oriented masses must not be left in a social construction of reality and or a social marginality. Therefore, in post-conflict Pro Poor Agenda Vision and Mission-oriented ambitious march, and in our quest for advancement and knowledge of the contemporary Democratization of Law Enforcement Criminal Justice and Police enforcement; The Liberian National Police and National Security Agencies must integrate all strategic democratization efforts. CREATIVITY: A. A Significance Factor for Pro-Active and capable Liberian National Police Leadership in Post Conflict UNMAIL In a contemporary technological Law Enforcement Criminal Justice and highly concentrated era, The Pro Poor Agenda Oriented Mission and Vision Driven Liberian National Police(LNP) Leadership must be creative, innovative, with the power to manifest something new that will democratize the community and attract followers in generating a collective team-players mentality. Because Creativity leads to positive change agents who always strive to make sense out of senseless situations of popular interest. B. COMMUNICATION: A contemporary intellectual and excellent grasp of language, with specific emphasis on Police Language, Law Enforcement Criminal Justice, is virtually essential for a democratization of Community Policing and leadership. As LNP Leadership, we must be able to communicate and easily articulate ideas and persuasively discuss concepts with other Law Enforcement Agencies. This is an effort to have a willingness and ultimate desire to and for a generously share helpful, uplifting information, ideas, and knowledge sharing. Communication is Key to constant connection and social networking. C: A Pro Poor Agenda Mission and Vision Oriented Driven CHARACTER: This addresses the inner, spiritual beauty of a Pro Poor Agenda Mission and Vision Oriented Driven Liberian National Police leadership. In this context, Character refers to a person's, specifically a leader's, or the community sense of morality, and the moral and cultural values relevant to your belief systems, or what you relatively consider right or wrong against your people or your people against your pure sense of public service. D: CONVICTION: To have high ideas is a necessary qualitative condition for leadership, the Liberian National Police (LNP) Leadership must demonstrate conviction to contemporary and technical ideas, values, and social norms that develop personal integrity, support society, and uplift the community at large. This must be a post-conflict Liberian National Police pledge moving forward - 15 years into the 21st Century to 2017 and beyond. E: A Pro Poor Agenda Mission and Vision Oriented Driven COURAGE: Failure in this dimension and is perspective is not a blow to a man's or a peoples ambitious march to his or their anticipated goal, but rather a test of his or their determination and optimism. This means being committed to high ideals. Even when outvoted by a mass of the streets gnats and anti-Law Enforcement and Security Agencies to ridicule your efforts, or even when they say, 'you failed us.' You must note that Failure is not a blow to man's or a peoples ambitious march to his or their anticipated goal, but rather a test of his or their determination and optimism. This is imperative because, in the context of Liberian National Police Leadership, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in times of comfort or convenience, but where he stands in times of difficulty and controversies." (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) It must be critically elucidated in a simple synopsis of a guiding principle for a 21st Century post 911 and post-conflict LNP Respect Chart: I. As a 21st Century post 911 and post-conflict LNP, and a Pro Poor Agenda Mission and Vision oriented, ours will be is to serve humanity the Liberian populace. II. We will always conduct ourselves in a professional manner and maintain a professional surrounding and an enabling environment. III. We will go beyond the normal to provide compassionate and family services to each other and our first customers (the people of Liberia and our partners in progress). IV. We will treat each other and our customers with respect, dignity, our community, compassion, and a sense of oneness in humanity, land of nativity, and nationalism. V. We are the ones to teach others that act on one term of a shared commitment - each one teaches one. One loss of life of LNP is one too many. Sponsored Front row fashion favorite Jessica Alba has been around for quite some time. VI. We will work together and share information and ideas through social networking and collective consciousness of Law Enforcement - Criminal Justice - with Police Science by undoing our miss-education of the past; and VII. We will collectively remain open and consider all suggestions and ideas classified and de-classified that help our unified movement as LNP. Yet, we will remain vigilant and unambiguous of our alertness in an effort to avoid public panic and paranoia. Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the mind, the spirit, the soul, the community, and the world if appropriately utilized. For knowledge is power and the only cause of fear is ignorance. " In 2015, the author developed and presented the Law Enforcement-Criminal Justice-Police Science Curriculum to Cuttington University's Faculty Senate, Academic Standing Committee, and it was accepted and approved to be taught at the institution. This commenced on the main campus in Suakoko with BA degree. Also, an AA degree program anticipated at the Junior College in Kakata; with an anticipated projection at the Cuttington University Graduate School with MA/Ph.D. in Law Enforcement-Criminal Justice-Police Science. This positive mission and objectives rest on the shoulders of the Liberian authorities to utilize Liberians expertise to avoid foreign intervention and useless monitory expenditures to foreign nations when Liberians are sent there for semi-training Historically, the Liberia National Police was established in accordance with section 180 of chapter 13, subchapter "A" of the Executive Law in the Liberian Code of Law Volume 11 of 1955 within the Department of Justice and reversed under Section 22.70 of the same Executive Law of June 12, 1955. Throughout the decades, the Liberian National Police has educated its practitioners with certifications and qualifications. Based upon this analysis, it becomes imperative to articulate that contemporary perspectives of policing be Law in Action., as opposed to Black Letter as printed. It is legal realism giving life to laws that are at once substance, procedural, and restorative, concerned with legality, but also with due process, and doing justice. In this way, policing in the context of the contemporary, and a 21st Century post-conflict and post-Ebola Liberian National Police, and Pro Poor Liberian 2020 Visionary Leadership gives life to human rights, Liberian rights to life, liberty, and the peruse of happiness. As Victor Hugo told us many decades ago that "There is nothing more powerful in the entire world than an idea whose time has come." As I a follow up that "There is no vision that is greater than the fruition of a creative mind." President of Tanzania Dr. Julius Nyerere articulated: "We are the custodians of the cultures of our ancestors, mothers, and fathers. We are the perpetrators of the cultures of our children.... we have no right to leave behind a culture that is less filtered than the ones our parents left to us." The Liberian National Police Leadership of post-conflict Pro Poor Agenda Mission and Vision Oriented, must be cognizant of the fact that freedom only takes a free people to give it up. For in order to produce the future, you have to create the future. Because by truth Liberia will rise in peace again; in love, Liberia will expand with dignity again; and with redemption, atonement, and reconciliation, Liberia, with Pro Poor Agenda Mission and Vision Oriented Driven will never fall again in the decade 2020 and beyond Professor/Dr. Amos M.D. Sirleaf (Ph.D.) Blacology Research and Development Institute, USA Liberian Mission. Email: amdsirleaf@gmail.com, Website: Blacology 2406401752 or 3012927111 About the Author: Amos M. D. Sirleaf (Ph.D.) is Professor-Director-Law Enforcement-Criminal Justice-Police Science, Professor, Conflict Management and Peace Studies, Blacology Research and Development USA Liberian Mission amdsirleaf@gmail.com 202-4309988 Website: Blacology.com References: See George M. Scott, Randall J. Jones, Jr. and Louis S. Furmanski: Contemporary International Problems: World Politics, 2004. See Dr. Amos M.D.Sirleaf: Social Change and Democratization of Policing in Post Conflict Liberia 2008 See Howard Handelman; the Challenge of Third World Development, 2011 Custom Edition. See Dr. Amos M.D.Sirleafs Understanding the Dynamics of Politics in Cultural Pluralism: An Experimental Perceptive of Post Conflict Liberias 2017 predictions. Unpublished article 2006, Strayer University-USA. See Margaret L. Anderson and Patricia Hill Collins: Race, Class, and Gender, an Anthology, 2010, USA. See Thomas Sowell: Race and Culture, A World View, 1994. Globalization as Govern mentality, Alternatives 29 (2004) pp. 495-514 Report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization, Globalization and the Environment, general assembly official Records, fifty-fourth session, Supplement No. 1 (a.54/1), chapter IV. See (Thomas Friedman (2005) argues that technology is a driving force behind globalization, while the other forces of social change (social institutions, population, environment) play comparatively minor roles. , "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in times of comfort or convenience, but where he stands in times of difficulty and controversies." (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) By Express News Service Mortgage finance major HDFC is planning to invest up to Rs 100 crore per year in technology start-ups, chairman Deepak Parekh said on Tuesday. According to Parekh, HDFC will install a dedicated team tasked with understanding the start-up ecosystem to do investments. HDFC follows finance giants like State Bank of India (SBI) to thaw to the idea of investing in start-ups. SBI had earlier created an in-house fund to invest in start-ups. Parekh, who was speaking at the TiEcon summit in Mumbai earlier this week said, that he had first broached the idea at a board meeting. And just like the idea to branch out into universal banking, the board had expressed reluctance in investing in start-ups as well, he said, but added that he believed there was a need to invest in ideas of the future in the technology sectors. Parekh had helmed HDFCs foray into mainstream banking because of the need to diversify beyond its forte of mortgage finance. This announcement comes at a time when there is a lot of focus on the policy front to encourage start-ups in the country with an objective of encouraging innovation and creating employment opportunities. Parekh also urged young entrepreneurs to not get consumed by the ongoing economic slowdown, exuding confidence that the tide would change soon. India will be an important engine for the world, Parekh further said, pointing out that there was no time too late to take the entrepreneurial leap, giving as an example the fact that HDFC itself was started as a retirement venture by H T Parekh when he was 65-year-old. The new institution went through a string of difficulties from its earliest days, including an initial public offering which bombed, difficulties in arranging loans from LIC for which lawyers had to called-in from Washington for convincing and challenges in getting UTI Mutual Fund, the only domestic asset manager, to invest, Parekh pointed out. He also noted how Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthys first house in the financial capital was bought on a Rs 70,000 loan from his company, granted only on the basis of an appointment letter due to HDFCs unique model. The veteran industry player said honesty, integrity and accountability are key attributes that create a successful institution. A man who attacked his girlfriend and three emergency workers has been arrested by police. Footage caught on a body-worn police camera shows the moment Peter McLeod, 43, from Hendon, Sunderland, lashes out with kicks when officers try to restrain him before he is eventually subdued by CS Gas. McLeod later confessed during questioning he could not remember anything about the day, as he had '24 cans and taken some crack cocaine'. Peter McLeod, 43, from Hendon, Sunderland, is caught on a body-worn police camera kicking officers as they tired to restrain and arrest him McLeod, who has a history of violence and attacks on police, lashes out at the officers as they try to restrain him During the clip, McLeod exchanges words with the officers before he lashes out and is held down by officers. McLeod, who has a history of violence and attacks on police, had formed a romance with a pen-pal who wrote to him while he was serving an 11 year sentence imposed in 2009. Within months of being released back onto the streets, he launched a brutal attack on her at her home last October, where he repeatedly punched, headbutted and kicked her until she feared she would die. Newcastle Crown Court heard the victim had been on the phone to her daughter, who contacted the police when she heard that the violence started. After being arrested by police, McLeod spat at a detention officer who tried to help him. McLeod admitted assault, and assaults on three emergency workers. He was on a suspended sentence for assault on an emergency worker at the time, imposed just a month before. Prosecutor Alec Burns told the court McLeod had turned up at the woman's house and was 'behaving very oddly', accusing her of cheating, and made her 'terrified'. McLeod was sentenced to 20 months behind bars during a trial at Newcastle Crown Court The 43-year-old is held down on the floor by police officers after becoming aggressive Mr Burns said the attack happened in the victim's bedroom and added: 'He began= shouting at her, saying she had been cheating. 'He punched her in the face three times. She pleaded with him to stop.' Mr Burns said McLeod left the bedroom and punched a door on the way out but added: 'On return he headbutted her in the face, he was shouting at her. He hit her just above her right eye with his forehead. 'She curled up in on the bed to protect herself. He got on top of her, grabbing her by the throat. She thought for a while she might die.' The court heard the attack continued with more hits, headbutts and kicks until McLeod calmed down. When the police arrived McLeod was 'aggressive and threatening' and lashed out when the officers tried to handcuff him, saying he had a broken wrist. Judge Julie Clemitson sentenced McLeod to 20 months behind bars. The judge told him: 'Your relationship was a long association you had with her but your romantic relationship seems to have began while you were serving a long prison sentence. It began by correspondence, initially.' Judge Clemitson said the victim was left 'bruised and battered', with bruising and swelling to her face and torso and added: 'She was in her own home and with a man she should have been entitled to trust would treat her properly and not cause injury to her.' The court heard McLeod had a traumatic childhood and has received no real intervention from the authorities to deal with his deep seated problems. Rachel Hedworth, defending, said the victim wants McLeod to have a chance to 'get help' which she says he is 'crying out for'. Miss Hedworth said: 'He is extremely sorry, he is ashamed.' At the end of the hearing, McLeod told the court: 'I just want to apologise to the emergency workers involved and everyone else in the case, they shouldn't have to put up with that.' McLeod said his partner 'shouldn't have to put up with that' and added: 'I should have done more to deal with my past, I have just got to keep on trying and that's what I am going to get on doing.' HOLTON, MI A Muskegon County school district is shutting down for a couple days due to illness. Holton Public Schools announced Thursday afternoon, Jan. 30, that it will be closed Friday, Jan. 31, and Monday, Feb. 3, due to the prevalence of flu and other illness among its students. It follows other West Michigan school districts, including White Cloud and Hesperia, that have canceled classes this week due to illness. Were sick kind of across the board here, said Holton Public Schools Superintendent Adam Bayne. It was like OK, were in rough shape here. While the decision wasnt easy, Bayne said he realized that the best way to get ahead of illness-related absences was to give students time to rest and recover and custodians time to thoroughly clean the buildings. The decision to cancel classes was made in consultation with Public Health Muskegon County, Bayne said. Its never easy because obviously we want kids in school, he said. School closure - All evening events are on as is the game tomorrow. Posted by Holton Public Schools on Thursday, January 30, 2020 On Thursday, Jan. 30, 74 students were absent from the elementary school, where there are 340 students, he said. On the same day, 67 of 450 middle and high school students who attend classes in the same building were out sick, he said. Overall, 18 percent of students were absent on Thursday, he said. Buildings will be closed to all but the varsity wrestling team, which is practicing Friday for a Saturday tournament. In addition to school buildings, custodians will be giving buses a thorough scrubbing while students are gone, Bayne told families in a letter posted on Facebook. Attendance rates have been monitored all week and absences have climbed substantially in all our buildings, he wrote. Also on MLive: PHOTOS: GMAA city wrestling tournament at Holton High School Former staff member pleads to raping 12-year-old at Muskegon elementary Purchase of former Catholic church by Muskegon schools covers $39K in back taxes Tsemakh's lawyer Anatoly Kucherena said that "despite such a decision by the Strasbourg court, he will continue to look for other ways to protect Tsemakh's interests." The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has rejected the request filed by Volodymyr Tsemakh, a suspect in the MH17 downing probe, in which he asked to ban his extradition to the Netherlands. "It is about Tsemakh's complaint against the Netherlands and Ukraine. In November, the ECHR rejected the plaintiff's request for approval of an interim measure that would prohibit his extradition to the Netherlands," a court representative said, the Russian news agency TASS reported. Read alsoMH17 case: Kremlin spokesman declines to comment on Tsemakh Tsemakh's lawyer Anatoly Kucherena told the Russian news agency Interfax that "despite such a decision by the Strasbourg court, he will continue to look for other ways to protect Tsemakh's interests." "We are frustrated by the ECHR's decision to reject our request for approval of an interim measure that would ban Tsemakh's extradition to the Netherlands," the lawyer said. He also said he personally did not receive an official response from the Strasbourg court. As UNIAN reported earlier, the Netherlands Public Prosecution Service on December 2 said the Russian Federation had deliberately allowed Tsemakh to leave the country so as not to extradite him to the Netherlands. On September 7, Tsemakh was transferred to Russia as part of a major prisoner swap, as a result of which 24 Ukrainian sailors and 11 Ukrainian political prisoners returned home. Later it became known that he had returned to the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic." On September 7, the Dutch Prosecutor's Office sent a request to the Russian authorities for Tsemakh's temporary arrest for further extradition to the Netherlands. On September 11, the Netherlands changed Tsemakh's status from a key witness to a suspect. Russia Joins China In Search For Vaccine As Virus Outbreak Spreads By RFE/RL January 29, 2020 Russia says it has received the genome of the coronavirus from China and is working jointly with its neighbor to develop a vaccine against the illness as the number of deaths and confirmed cases continues to jump. Chinese authorities said on January 29 that there are 5,974 confirmed cases nationwide in the country, from which 132 people have died. Another 9,239 suspected cases of the respiratory illness are being monitored, the government's National Health Commission said on January 29. Dozens of cases have been confirmed outside mainland China as well, including in Europe, North America, the Middle East, and elsewhere in Asia, prompting Russia, which has no confirmed cases, to join the race to stop the illness. "Russian and Chinese experts have begun developing a vaccine," the Russian consulate in China's Guangzhou Province said in a statement on its website. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it believes China is able to contain the coronavirus, but mounting concern over the jump in cases has prompted hundreds of foreign nationals to leave the provincial capital, Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The total number of confirmed cases now surpasses that of SARS, another respiratory illness that killed more than 600 people worldwide in 2002-2003. Symptoms of the new kind of coronavirus include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Authorities have sealed off access to 17 cities in Hubei Province, where the pathogen is believed to have originated and was first reported in December. Australia plans to quarantine its 600 returning citizens for two weeks on Christmas Island, some 2,000 kilometers from the mainland. The European Union as well as countries including the United States, Japan, and South Korea are also repatriating their nationals. British Airways has suspended bookings on its website for direct flights from London to Beijing and Shanghai until March. The World Health Organization has recognized the outbreak as a national emergency but stopped short of declaring it an international one. With reporting by South China Morning Post, AP, AFP, Reuters, and TASS Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-joins-china- in-search-for-vaccine-as-virus-outbreak- spreads/30404015.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 Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-31 00:01:51|Editor: yan Video Player Close SINGAPORE, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) announced on Thursday it has confirmed three more imported cases of new coronavirus infection, bringing the total number of such confirmed cases in Singapore to 13. All the three new cases are Chinese nationals who have arrived from Wuhan, said the ministry, adding there is currently no evidence of community spread in Singapore. The three new cases are stable, while among the 10 previously announced cases, none is in critical condition and most of them are improving, said the ministry. As of 12 p.m.(0400 GMT), Jan. 30, 164 of the suspected cases in Singapore have tested negative for the new coronavirus, and 13 have tested positive. Test results for the remaining 49 cases are pending. Meanwhile, the ministry is trying to establish persons the confirmed cases had contact with, and once identified, the MOH will closely monitor all close contacts. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the Padma Vibhushan awarded to former Mauritius prime minister Anerood Jugnauth is a token of affection from 130 crore Indians for his continuous efforts towards deepening friendship between the two countries. Modi was responding to a tweet by Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth who thanked India for the award to Anerood Jugnauth. He was named for Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award, in the field of public affairs. "The award is a token of affection from 130 crore Indians to the Rt Hon Sir @AJugnauth for his continuous efforts towards deepening friendship between India and Mauritius," Modi tweeted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Seventy years ago, on January 1, 1950, the Soviet Union became one of the first countries to establish diplomatic ties with the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, contributing to the country's international recognition. However, the two countries relations started long before, dating back to the first time the young patriot named Nguyen Ai Quoc, who later became world-renowned as Ho Chi Minh, set foot in the Soviet Union on his journey of researching Communist theory and the national liberation movement. The first bricks of friendship and cooperation between Russia and Vietnam were laid during that time. People of the Soviet Union and later of Russia wholeheartedly supported Vietnamese people, both financially and mentally, during the Resistance War against America and post-war period. In those arduous days, important infrastructure was built and thousands of experts were trained in the USSR, many of them later held critical positions in the government. Russian Ambassador to Vietnam K.V. Vnukov. A symbol of the closeness of historical fate between our two countries is the celebration of the most important events this year 75 years of Russias victory in the Great Patriotic War (May 9) and 45 years of Vietnams Reunification Day (April 30). We will never forget the feat of Vietnamese volunteers who fought in the battle on the outskirts of Moscow in 1941-42 and contribution of Russian military and civilian experts in Vietnamese peoples glorious victory in the spring of 1975 and the countrys economic restoration. It is an honour to us that the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, President Nguyen Phu Trong has accepted the invitation of the Russian President V.V. Putin to join other countries leaders in solemn activities to remember people who fell in the fight against fascism in Moscow this May. In the new historic period in the early 1990s, the two countries did not only maintain the friendship and cross-assistance established by former generations but also strengthened and comprehensively accelerated them in many fields. Vietnam has been and will always be one of the priorities in Russias foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific. The basis of successful cooperation between Russia and Vietnam in all key areas from the humanities to the military is a high level of political reliability, unaffected by local fluctuations. The regular exchange of delegations, first and foremost at the highest levels, shows the constant interest of Russian and Vietnamese leaders in promoting bilateral relations. It is confirmed by the official visit of the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation D. A. Medvedev to Vietnam in November 2018 and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phucs visit to Russia in May 2019. During these events, essential topics of cooperation were carefully discussed on a constructive basis. One of the most important sectors is economic-trade cooperation. Mostly thanks to the Eurasian Economic Union Free Trade Agreement which came into effect in October 2016, Russia-Vietnam trade turnover in 2018 reached US$6 billion, a historical peak since 1991. Oil-gas cooperation is one of the key pillars in the Russia-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperation with the joint venture Vietsovpetro as a vanguard for decades. SK Rusvietpetro limited liability company in the Nenets Autonomous Region of the Russian Federation, Gazprom and Company NK Rosneft Joint Stock in Vietnam are also operating effectively. Russia is considering implementing projects in new high-tech sectors for Vietnam, especially gas power generation, production of engine gas fuel and construction of a liquefied natural gas terminal. We attach great importance to the major projects including Long Phu 1 Thermal Power Plant, the Center for Nuclear Science and Technology, Russian car assembly project in Vietnam and the establishment of agro-industrial complexes of the Vietnamese TH Group in Russia. Under the framework of cultural exchange, Vietnamese cultural days in Russia and Moscow days in Hanoi and other art activities have been held recently. The quota of Vietnamese students in Russias universities has risen to nearly 1,000. The number of Russian tourists to Vietnam in 2019 surpassed 645,000. Vietnamese people, conversely, increasingly travel to Russia. Russia has maintained close coordination with Vietnam in the international arena; it is critical in the context that Vietnam becomes a UNSC non-permanent member from 2020 to 2021 and ASEAN Chair in 2020. The best gift to celebrate the 70th anniversary of our diplomatic relations in 2020 will be the successful organisation of a series of bilateral communication activities during the first bilateral Cross Years in history among ministries, industries, regions and companies of the two countries, as well as the closing ceremony with the participation of senior leaders from Russia and Vietnam. On this occasion, I would like to send best wishes to Vietnam News readers. We wish you happiness, good health and prosperity in the Lunar New Year and expect to see the development in Russia-Vietnam partnerships. The Russian Embassy is always ready to provide comprehensive support for these efforts. VNS Russian Ambassador to Vietnam K. V. Vnukov PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc welcomes director of Russias National Guard Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc received Director of the National Guard of Russia General Viktor Zolotov in Hanoi yesterday. OTTAWA - Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who presided over the talks that led to a new North American free trade deal, urged the opposition parties to get on with enshrining the revamped pact into law in order to provide certainty after years of turmoil. Freeland kicked off debate on a bill to implement the new deal by saying it was time for Canada to join the U.S. and Mexico by ratifying the deal. The new NAFTA preserves the core of the existing North American Free Trade Agreement while improving parts of it that affect numerous Canadian industries, Freeland said. The legislative path the deal must follow will see it debated in the House of Commons and Senate, and in their committees, and while Freeland suggested that process has its merits, she stressed the need to move quickly. It is in the national interest for us to finish this process, to put this process behind us, to have the economic and political certainty that ratification will bring, Freeland said Thursday outside the House. But I am far from thinking that the debate were hearing in the House now, the discussions well hear in committee, are pointless. Despite the Opposition Conservatives signalling they were willing to support the agreement, despite holding their noses, Freeland said she will not take any votes for granted. The United States and Mexico have already ratified the agreement and President Donald Trump held a signing ceremony at the White House Wednesday. The Canadian implementation bill was introduced in the House of Commons later that day, with only the Bloc Quebecois voting against a motion to make way for the legislation. A host of industry groups and premiers have come out asking MPs and senators to support the bill without delay. It has been more than two years since Trump demanded the three-country deal be revised. The 13-months of negotiations placed a strain on the relationship between Canada and the U.S. as the Trump administration took what Freeland described as unconventional bargaining positions and enacted punitive tariffs. Canadians have come a long way since 2017, when Canadas most important trading relationship, indeed our national prosperity itself, was put at serious risk, she said during her speech to begin the debate in the House. Conservative MP Randy Hoback was more critical. The Saskatchewan MP praised the cross-partisan Team Canada approach to negotiating a new deal and thanked Freeland for involving other parties. I know they did their best. I really do. I know they tried their best and did their best, but having said that, there is some shortfalls, there is some problems, he said. I think the reality is the president and Mexico sat down and did a deal and they came back to Canada and said Here you go, take it or leave it. And thats disappointing. It didnt have to be that way. The deal needs close scrutiny and effort to mitigate any problems it creates, Hoback said. But he signalled that at the end of that, the Conservatives expect the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement to be approved. The Liberals will need the backing of at least one other official party to pass the legislation in the Commons. Our party supports, and wants a free-trade deal with Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, Hoback said. Some things are just too big to play politics with. If the bill receives parliamentary approval, the three parties to the agreement will take several months to develop regulations to interpret the pacts provisions before rules finally take hold. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said securing access to the North American market is incredibly important to workers and businesses in all three countries, and urged all MPs and senators to ratify the deal quickly. It will be hopefully done quickly, but properly, in the House of Commons, Trudeau said Thursday afternoon at an event in Brampton, Ont. I am counting on all parliamentarians to work together to make sure that its done right. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2020. There are currently no cases of the coronavirus in Ireland, according to the HSE. HSE assistant national director of public health and child health Kevin Kelleher said the health services had been dealing with people who had been in China and have health issues. Dr Kelleher said they had dealt with lots of inquiries about the virus but none had progressed to an actual case. Asked if anyone had been tested for the virus, Dr Kelleher, said there is no case in Ireland at the moment. We have been investigating people as per our guidance and that's where we are at at the moment. Questioned about a doctor giving evidence in a High Court action who told a judge that a Dublin hospital might have a case, Dr Kelleher said he had no idea about that at all. Asked if there are any suspected cases, Dr Kelleher said there were people they had been involved with and, in a sense, they were suspected cases. But the cases they had been dealing with could not be compared to cases in China where people were in hospital with severe symptoms of the disease and were awaiting a test result. He said the available tests were confined to just 12 laboratories around the world and the health authority would be using them when necessary. Dr Kelleher said if somebody was strongly suspected of having the disease they would be put in an isolation room, like anyone else with flu or another type of infectious disease. But we are not at the point, he emphasised during a HSE media briefing in Dublin. Director of the HSE's Health Protection Surveillance Centre Dr John Cuddihy said the likelihood of a having a coronavirus case confirmed in Ireland is moderate. Dr Kelleher added: "We are putting a massive amount of effort into dealing with any really quite low degree of possibility of a case to ensure we don't miss anything." Consultant virologist and director of the National Reference Laboratory, Dr Cillain De Gascun, said they would be able to test for the virus on site in the next few days, with a turnaround of eight to 12 hours depending on sample arrival time. Dr Kelleher agreed that in the worst case scenario there could be thousands of people affected. If you are looking for information in relation to coronavirus, visit our website https://t.co/QVZKG2QfAh pic.twitter.com/6QdAj9vnkl HSE Ireland (@HSELive) January 30, 2020 "What we are striving to do is to try and ensure that if we do have a case here we will minimise and, hopefully, make sure there is no spread of that disease. HSE national director of national services Joe Ryan said management had been developing plans to respond to the virus. A multidisciplinary team had been working on what was needed to deal with the virus since early January and had been meeting three times a week. Our current priorities are that the HSE emergency management protocols are in place alongside our public health emergency plans, and we're using these to manage the situation, said Mr Ryan. Hospitals had "critical care surge plans" to deal with any increase in capacity demand and the national ambulance service had tirage and treatment protocols in place specifically related to the virus. Norton Motorcycles goes into administration after tax bill woes Norton Motorcycles, the British company that provided bikes for the most recent instalment in the James Bond series, has gone into administration. The Leicestershire-based firm, founded in Birmingham in 1898, has appointed administrators after reports that it was having trouble paying its tax bill and was heading for a winding-up order from HMRC. It comes less than five years after its motorbikes featured in the 007 film Spectre - one of the most high-profile examples of Norton bikes featuring on the big screen. Lee Causer, from administrators BDO, said: "We are taking all necessary steps to ensure that customers, staff and suppliers are supported through the administration process. "Our job is to determine and execute the most appropriate strategy as swiftly as possible to protect creditors' interests, bearing in mind the need to minimise distress for all parties. "We are currently assessing the position of each of the companies in order to conclude upon the options available to them and the most appropriate way forward." Norton employs about 100 people at its factory in the market town Castle Donington, but PA news agency understands there have not yet been any redundancies. The unpaid tax bill reportedly stands at 300,000. Away from Bond, Norton bikes also starred in the 2004 Che Guevara memoir The Motorcycle Diaries, became known for their role in the Isle of Man TT races, and have been used by UK police forces over the years. The company was rescued by entrepreneur Stuart Garner in 2008 after its previous US ownership oversaw an end to bike production, with Mr Garner pledging to return the firm to its former glories. Bikes on its current production line include the Commando 961 Cafe Racer, the Dominator and the V4 RR. Sky News 2020 CAA internal matter of India, will continue to remain engaged with European Parliament members: MEA India oi-PTI New Delhi, Jan 30: Asserting that the CAA is an internal matter of India, the Ministry of External Affairs said it has noted the European Parliament's decision to not put to vote a resolution on the citizenship law on Thursday and will continue to engage with the MEPs on the issue. Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India has noted European Commission's clarification that the EU Parliament's views don't reflect the official position of the grouping. "As I have mentioned earlier, CAA is an internal matter of India. It has been adopted though due process and democratic means," Kumar said. "We will continue to engage with the MEPs, the European Parliament and other stakeholders in this matter," he said. Friends of India prevail over Friends of Pakistan: Indias big diplomatic win at European Parliament On the developments related with the deadly coronavirus outbreak in China, Kumar said the ministry has established contacts with over 600 Indians living in the virus-hit Hubei Province. "We have asked Indians in China's Hubei Province whether they want to return to India," Kumar said. "We do not have any confirmation about any Indian being affected by coronavirus," he said. On reports of US President Donald Trump's visit to India, Kumar said, "We are in talks with US. Kumar also said India has taken up with the British government the issue of anti-India protests outside the Indian High Commission in London on Sunday. These incidents create difficulties in functioning of our High Commission in London, he said adding that India hopes anti-India protests in London are not repeated in future. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, January 30, 2020, 17:44 [IST] French President Emmanuel Macron accused Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan Wednesday of failing "to keep his word" to end meddling in Libya, saying Ankara was sending ships with Syrian mercenaries to the conflict-torn country. These were the latest charges set out by the French president against Erdogan on issues ranging from Syria to the Mediterranean in an increasingly strained relationship between Ankara and Paris. "We have seen in recent days Turkish ships accompanying Syrian mercenaries arriving on Libyan territory," Macron said at a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. This deployment, he added, was "a clear violation of what President Erdogan pledged at the Berlin conference" where world leaders vowed to keep out of the Libyan conflict. "It is a failure to keep his word," the French leader added. Activists have accused Turkey of sending to Libya pro-Ankara Syrian fighters who hardened their skills fighting Kurdish militia and jihadists in the Syria conflict. Ankara however has denied meddling in the conflict, with Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu saying last week that only a limited number of Turkish troops were present in the country and were there for training but not to fight. - 'Provocations of Turkey' - Libya has been mired in chaos since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising that killed longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi, with two rival administrations vying for power. Since April last year, the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli has fought against an offensive launched by fighters loyal to eastern commander Khalifa Haftar, who controls three-quarters of Libyan territory. Although the GNA under Fayez al-Sarraj is recognised by the UN as Libya's legitimate government, the world body's member states do not agree when it comes to the oil-rich North African country. The GNA is backed by Qatar and Turkey, which is accused of sending hundreds Syrian fighters to Libya to shore up Sarraj's embattled government. Turkey's parliament this month approved a bill approving a military deployment to Libya to shore up the government. Moscow is suspected of backing Haftar but denies funding Russian mercenaries on the ground. Earlier this month in Germany, the presidents of Russia, Turkey, France and Egypt, as well as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and UN chief Antonio Guterres attended a summit where they agreed to end meddling in Libya and to uphold a weapons embargo as part of a broader plan to end the conflict there. Macron on Wednesday described Turkey's recent actions as "detrimental to the security of all Europeans and Sahelians" -- referring to the regions north and south of the Libyan conflict. South of Libya, local and foreign troops are struggling to quell jihadist violence raging across Sahel states Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, and there are fears arms from the North African country could flood into the region while giving more free reign to terror groups eyeing African and European targets. Macron also denounced what he said were "the intrusions and provocations of Turkey" against Greece and Cyprus, and announced the creation of a strategic security partnership between France and Greece. The project, to be detailed in the coming weeks, will see an enhanced French naval presence "to ensure the full security of a strategic region for Europe," the president said. Pune/Mumbai, Jan 30 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has moved a Special Court seeking transfer of the Elgar Parishad-Koregaon-Bhima case to a Special NIA Court in Mumbai, on Thursday, officials said. The NIA submitted its plea on Wednesday, five days after the Centre had transferred the investigations into the Elgar Parishad and the Koregaon-Bhima case from Pune Police to the NIA. The Pune Special Court Additional Sessions Judge S.R. Navander has posted the NIA plea for hearing on February 3. The development came two days after a three-member NIA team visited the Pune Police and sought the transfer of all records, papers and the case proceedings. Declining its request, the Pune Police said they would hand over the case to the NIA only after getting written orders from Maharashtra Director General of Police. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government has said it will take a final decision in a couple of days on a letter received from the Centre vis-a-vis the transfer of the case from the Pune Police to the NIA. "We have received the letter today. It is with the Law & Judiciary Department. After the legal advice is received, it will be discussed with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray," Home Minister Anil Deshmukh told mediapersons. The state government has already discussed the matter with state Advocate-General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni this week. While the Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and Congress have slammed the Centre's move to transfer the case abruptly to the NIA without the consent of the state government as "unconstitutional", Thackeray earlier this week held a meeting with the state top police brass to discuss the issue. Demanding a probe into the manner in which the Pune Police had investigated the case, NCP leader Sharad Pawar has said the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party is scared that its skeletons will come out in a fresh look at the case. Senior minister Nawab Malik has labeled the Elgar Parishad-Koregaon-Bhima case as "totally fabricated" intended to malign intellectuals, Dalit and human rights activists by charging them with harbouring Maoistsand branding them as "urban Naxalites". The case pertains to the December 31, 2017, Elgar Parishad in Pune, and the caste riots next day on January 1, 2018 in Koregaon-Bhima which left one dead, followed by the police swoop on over a dozen activists across India in June and August 2018 on charges of anti-national activities, planning to create political disturbances and wage a war against India, conspiring to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi and overthrowing the government. ROWAYTON, Conn., Jan. 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eaton Partners, one of the largest capital placement agents and fund advisory firms and a wholly owned subsidiary of Stifel Financial Corp. (SF), is pleased to have acted as exclusive placement agent for the second fund for Arc70 Capital (Arc70). Arc70 Fund II reached its hard cap of $230 million in capital commitments, exceeding its initial target of $200 million, in less than five months. The heavily oversubscribed fund received strong support from both new and existing top tier institutional investors, including notable asset managers, family offices, and high-net-worth individuals. Arc70 is a San Francisco-based investment firm focused on financing the development of affordable housing. The firm is active across the United States and concentrates its efforts on communities where housing affordability needs are the greatest. Arc70 takes a long-term approach to partnering with stakeholders to create significant social impact and value to their investment partners. Arc70 has leveraged its deep sector experience to create a unique, sophisticated strategy within affordable housing, and the investor appetite for this tax advantaged, uncorrelated investment was in high-demand from institutional investors, said Peter Purcell, Director at Eaton Partners. We look to partner with differentiated investment platforms like Arc70 and it has been a pleasure to work with this team on an efficient, successful fundraise, added Peter Martenson, Partner at Eaton Partners. Denny Hou, Co-Founder of Arc70 said, We are extremely grateful for the continued support of our investors and partners. We appreciate Eaton Partners expertise and its focus was instrumental to the success and speed of this process. Adrian Garcia, Co-Founder of Arc70 added, We are excited to build on the success of our first fund. We believe Arc70 is well-positioned to identify and capitalize on affordable housing investment opportunities. Story continues About Eaton Partners Eaton Partners, a Stifel Company, is one of the worlds largest capital placement agents and fund advisory firms, having raised more than $100 billion across more than 140 highly differentiated alternative investment funds and offerings. Founded in 1983, Eaton advises and raises institutional capital for investment managers across alternative strategies private equity, private credit, real assets, real estate, and hedge funds/public market in both the primary and secondary markets. Eaton Partners maintains offices and operates throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Eaton Partners is a division of Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, Member SIPC and NYSE. Eaton Partners subsidiary Eaton Partners (U.K.) LLP is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Eaton Partners subsidiary Eaton Partners Advisors (HK) Limited is approved as a Type 1-licensed company under the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) in Hong Kong. Eaton Partners and the Eaton Partners logo are trademarks of Eaton Partners, LLC, a limited liability company. Eaton Partners, 2020. About Arc70 Capital Arc70 Capital is a private investment firm focused on affordable housing. Since inception in 2017, Arc70 has financed the development of over 9,100 units of affordable housing. The firm manages approximately $350 million of equity capital commitments and is based in San Francisco, California. Stifel Company Information Stifel Financial Corp. (SF) is a financial services holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, that conducts its banking, securities, and financial services business through several wholly owned subsidiaries. Stifels broker-dealer clients are served in the United States through Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, including its Eaton Partners business division; Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc.; Miller Buckfire & Co., LLC; Century Securities Associates, Inc., and in the United Kingdom and Europe through Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited. Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited owns MainFirst Bank AG, which is authorized and regulated by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) and whose London Branch is authorized by BaFin and supervised by the Financial Conduct Authority for the conduct of UK business, whose Milan Branch is authorized and regulated by BaFin and supervised by CONSOB/Bank of Italy, whose Paris Branch is authorized and regulated by BaFin and supervised by AMP/Autorite de Controle Prudentiel. Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited also owns MainFirst Schweiz AG, which is authorized by the Eidgenoessische Finanzmarktaufsicht to act as an introducing broker for MainFirst Bank AG, MainFirst Securities US Inc., an introducing broker that is a member of FINRA and the SIPC, and Stifel Europe Geneva S.A. The Companys broker-dealer affiliates provide securities brokerage, investment banking, trading, investment advisory, and related financial services to individual investors, professional money managers, businesses, and municipalities. Stifel Bank and Stifel Bank & Trust offer a full range of consumer and commercial lending solutions. Stifel Trust Company, N.A. and Stifel Trust Company Delaware, N.A. offer trust and related services. To learn more about Stifel, please visit the Companys website at www.stifel.com . By Rasana Gasimova Two more Russian TV channels - Yuvelirochka and TNV Planet - will be broadcasted via Azerspace-1 satellite starting from February 2020. Azercosmos signed cooperation agreements with Yuvelirochka channel of the Russian VES-Media company and TNV Planet channel of the Radio and Television Noviy Vek company based in the Republic of Tatarstan, Azercosmos reported on its official website. The agreement was signed within the framework of the CSTB Telecom & Media 2020 International Exhibition of Television and Telecommunications held in Moscow on January 28-30. Yuvelirochka is a Russian 24-hour TV channel on jewellery sphere and broadcasts the history of jewellery, advertising of exclusive jewellery, as well as auction programmes in this area. TNV Planet is a television channel dedicated to the protection of the cultural heritage of Tatarstan. TNV Planet provides news, informative, entertaining, artistic and its production content in the Russian and Tatar languages. Yulia Averkina, VES-Media Distribution Manager noted that thanks to cooperation with Azercosmos, Yuvelirochka channel will be broadcasted via the Azerspace-1 satellite not only in Russia and the CIS countries, but also in over 30 countries of the world. We believe that this channel will be of high interest to Azerbaijani viewers as well. In our turn, we would like to thank our reliable partner Azercosmos for providing us access to global television broadcasting market. We hope for mutually beneficial and long-term cooperation, she noted. Azerbaijans first satellite, Azerspace-1, was launched into space in 2013 from the Kuru cosmodrome in South America. At present, its service area includes countries of Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa.The income from using the first telecommunications satellite has amounted to $72 million. On September 25, 2018, Azercosmos launched the new satellite Azerspace-2, from ELA-3 platform in Guiana Space Center located in French Guiana. December 2018, the satellite reached its test orbit on. The new satellite allowes Azercosmos to serve customers from the U.S., the UAE and Tanzania. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz WASHINGTON Finally playing an active role at President Donald Trumps impeachment trial, senators posed written inquiries that led to pointed, back-and-forth debate Wednesday as Trumps legal team and House Democratic prosecutors pressed their respective cases. Throughout, the urgent question of whether former national security adviser John Bolton will be allowed to testify remained at the forefront. Democrats argued that Bolton must be allowed to speak to ensure a fair trial, while Republicans said Democrats should have demanded earlier that Bolton and other witnesses testify. Meanwhile, the actions of former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, a former executive at a Ukraine energy company, drew continued attention from Republicans amid claims by Democrats that the younger Biden was irrelevant and "a distraction. Highlights of Wednesday's session and what's ahead as senators conduct just the third impeachment trial of a president BOLTON FALLOUT Republicans strained to contain the fallout over Bolton's forthcoming book, which threatens their hopes of ending the trial with a quick acquittal. Bolton writes in the book that Trump told him he wanted to withhold military aid from Ukraine until it helped with investigations into Biden, a top Trump rival in the 2020 election. If true, Bolton's assertion undercuts a key defense argument and goes to the heart of one of the two articles of impeachment against the president, abuse of power. Democrats say the Senate cannot render a fair verdict without calling Bolton or acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney to testify. There's no way to have a fair trial without witnesses," said Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and the lead Democratic prosecutor. A handful of Republicans signaled an interest in calling Bolton or other witnesses. I think Bolton probably has something to offer us," said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who met privately Wednesday with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Murkowski, Maine's Susan Collins and Utah's Sen. Mitt Romney are the Republican senators who have seemed the most open to calling new witnesses. With the Senate split 53-47 in favor of Republicans, at least four GOP senators must join all Democrats to reach the 51 votes required to issue subpoenas. MORE TRUMP ATTACKS Before the Senate session even began, Trump repeatedly attacked Bolton on Twitter, saying he fired the hawkish Bolton last fall "because frankly, if I listened to him, we would be in World War Six by now.'' Trump also complained that after he left the White House Bolton says he resigned the longtime GOP aide goes out and IMMEDIATELY writes a nasty & untrue book'' that includes classified information. The White House on Wednesday released a letter to Bolton's attorney objecting to significant amounts of classified information" in the manuscript, including at the top-secret level. Bolton and his attorney have insisted the book does not contain any classified information. The White House action could delay the book's publication if Bolton is forced to revise his draft. SPIRITED DEBATE In the trial's eighth full day, senators finally stood to speak, if only to announce questions that were read aloud by Chief Justice John Roberts. The questions ignited an hours-long debate, with many inquiries focused not so subtly on helping one side or the other clarify arguments made in six days of presentations by House prosecutors and Trump's defense. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said he and other Democrats directed so many questions to the House prosecutors "because they needed the chance to rebut the false arguments, fallacious reasoning, half-truths and even no-truths that the three days the president's counsel made. And this was their first chance to do it.'' Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said the Democrats' complaints were unwarranted. "No matter what we do in the next several days the Democrats will say this process wasnt everything it shouldve been, because were in the majority and theyre not, Blunt said. Asked if completing an impeachment trial without new witnesses would be a bad look for the Senate, Blunt said, Its for sure bad for democracy that the House didnt do their job. Still, Blunt said senators from both sides were paying attention and said the Senate looked at everything the House sent over on impeachment. WITNESS QUESTION UNRESOLVED McConnell privately told senators this week that he doesn't yet have the votes to block Democratic demands for witnesses now that the Bolton revelations have roiled the trial. Party leaders have warned GOP senators that calling Bolton as a witness could entangle the trial in lengthy legal battles and delay Trump's expected acquittal. White House lawyer Patrick Philbin made that point in responding to Democrats' first question. This institution will effectively be paralyzed for months on end if Bolton is called, Philbin said. A BIDEN-BOLTON TRADE? Saying it's very important that there be fairness,'' Collins urged that each side be able to select one or two witnesses, presumably including Bolton and Hunter Biden. One Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, said he was open to hearing from the younger Biden, but Schumer and other Democrats dismissed the idea. "The four witnesses we have suggested are eyewitness to what happened. Hunter Biden is irrelevant and a distraction,'' Schumer said. Trump and McConnell could call for Hunter Biden right now, Schumer added: "They don't want to. They know it would turn things into a circus.'' PARNAS WANTS TO PARTICIPATE In a sign the circus may already have arrived, a huge media throng watched as Lev Parnas, the indicted associate of Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, showed up at the Capitol saying, I want to testify." Parnas, who has turned over evidence for the proceedings, cannot enter the Senate with his court-ordered electronic-tracking device. Lawyer Joseph Bondy said his client, Parnas, would watch the proceedings from a safe location.'' Meanwhile, protesters swarmed the Capitol complex throughout the day, many demanding a fair trial. No cover-up! We want witnesses! the protesters chanted outside the Capitol. WHATS AHEAD Senators will continue questions Thursday, with crucial votes on witnesses expected as soon as Friday. By Matthew Daly By Trend Uzbek Ambassador to Spain Jahongir Ganiyev met with Abdellatif Ghedira, Executive Director of the International Olive Council (IOC), Trend reported citing Uzbek media. The purpose of the meeting in Madrid was to discuss the upcoming visit of International Olive Council head Giorgi Svanidze to Uzbekistan, during which the possible entry of the country into the IOC will be considered. During the talks, Ghedira noted that climatic conditions in a number of regions of the country allow setting up industrial cultivation of olives, and if there is an appropriate production base, Uzbekistan, in due course, may also set up production of olive oil. International Olive Council was established in 1959 on the basis of international agreement on olive oil from 1956. The founders of the Council were 11 Mediterranean countries of Europe and Africa: Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Great Britain, Israel, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia. The headquarters of the Council are located in Madrid. The main executive body is the plenary session of the Council, which is held annually in autumn. Today, the organization brings together about 80 percent of producers and 98 percent of exporters of olive oil and olives. The International Olive Board also provides assistance in the education and training of specialized agricultural professionals. 30.01.2020 LISTEN Lagos, Nigeria; 30 January 2020: As Nigeria continues to make significant progress in the e-commerce sector, a major player in the sector has reiterated its commitment to ensuring growth across its platform to satisfy its consumers. The Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Jumia Group, Jeremy Hodara stated this while reviewing the Companys activities for the year 2019. According to Hodara, a major milestone recorded in 2019, was the impressive acceptance of the Jumia Pay payment platform by consumers using the Jumia platform. Jumia Pay accounted for over 30% of transactions in the third quarter of 2019. Another major achievement for the Company in 2019 was its listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), thus making Jumia the first e-commerce company in Africa to be listed on the floor. The report also showed that Jumia expanded e-commerce opportunities in Ibadan and Edo states in the year under review while also extending e-commerce penetration to more rural areas in Bayelsa and Bonny in Rivers State, where choices for products are extremely limited. To better serve its customers in the remote areas, Jumia launched its cash-on-delivery programme for customers in 15 cities in the North and South-East regions. The expansion of the Jumias logistics network was another area of improvement in 2019. "We integrated more than 30 new logistics partners and opened more than 50 Last Mile delivery hubs to facilitate deliveries for our sellers to consumers", he said. We launched International Sneakers Day and Home of Brands marketing campaigns to drive e-commerce penetration in Nigeria. Again, in 2019, the Jumia App, was the most downloaded App in the Nigerian e-commerce space. Jumia was also recognized as one of the best places to work by Jobberman". Hodara restated that Jumia is keen on positioning the company for enhanced profitability and better services for its teeming customers. "Our focus for the next growth is to increase the purchasing power of customers, build a robust platform for Jumia Pay, partner with vendors and be the best logistics provider in Nigeria", he said. Meanwhile, as part of the companys drive for excellence along the lines of the next growth phase, erstwhile Chief Executive Officer, Jumia Nigeria, Juliet Anammah has been elevated to the position of the Chairwoman of Jumia Nigeria and Head of Institutional Affairs of Jumia Group. Consequently, Mr. Massimilliano Spalazzi assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer at Jumia Nigeria, while still functioning in his position as the Executive Vice President of Marketplace. Spalazzi, in his response, said he is determined to align with the company's growth plans for the coming years to drive the Nigerian business and indeed the growth of e-commerce in Africa as he assumes his new role as the Chief Executive Officer of Jumia Nigeria. I am happy to assume this role and we are committed to growing the e-commerce business in Africa. By this, we are inventing and diversifying our businesses to better cater to our customers. At Jumia, we are the custodian of our customers happiness, he said. About Jumia Jumia is the leading Pan-African e-commerce platform, present across 14 countries in Africa. Its mission is to improve the quality of everyday life in Africa by leveraging technology to deliver innovative, convenient and affordable online services to consumers while helping businesses grow as they use Jumias platform to better reach and serve consumers. The Jumia platform consists of a marketplace, which connects sellers with consumers, a logistics service, which enables the shipment and delivery of packages from sellers to consumers, and a payment service, which facilitates transactions among participants active on the Jumia platform in selected markets. On the marketplace, more than 80,000 sellers offer a broad range of goods and on-demand services. Jumia Logistics facilitates the delivery of goods in a convenient and reliable way, leveraging an extensive network of third-party logistics service providers, seamlessly integrated through the Jumia proprietary technology platform. JumiaPay offers a safe and easy solution to facilitate online transactions on the Jumia platform, with the intention of integrating additional financial services in the future. Rocky Mountain Powers 2019 Integrated Resource Plan outlines how we plan to meet the electricity needs of our Wyoming customers safely, affordably and reliably over the next 20 years. As I visit with customers and community leaders around the state, they have questions about what this means for Wyoming jobs, tax revenue, electricity bills and reliability of service. These questions are reasonable, and while the answers are sometimes difficult to hear, I think its helpful to share how we arrived at our conclusions. The decision to retire some of our coal units earlier than previously... Chineese tourists wear face mask near the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, on 26 January 2020. (Photo by Jerome Gilles/NurPhoto via Getty Images) Chinese nationals in European countries are reporting being subjected to racial abuse as global coronavirus fears continue to escalate. On Sunday, French national newspaper Le Courrier Picard published a front page headline that read Alerte Jaune - or Yellow Alert - featuring an image of an Asian woman covering her mouth. The article has been widely condemned in France, leading to anger from the French-Asian community who took to social media to share their anger at the headline. Chineese tourists wear face mask near the Montmartre, Sacre Coeur in Paris, France, on 26 January 2020. (Photo by Jerome Gilles/NurPhoto via Getty Images) The hashtag 'JeNeSuisPasUnVirus' ('IAmNotAVirus') is currently trending on Twitter as global fears around the deadly virus - borne in the Chinese city of Wuhan - continue to grow. Since the newspaper published the article, a separate apology titled About our January 26 front page stated: We apologise to anyone who may have been sincerely shocked. We will redouble our attention in the future. The news comes as France confirms four cases of coronavirus in the country. Read more: Thousands of cruise passengers stuck on ship in Italy as Chinese couple tested for coronavirus Coronavirus: Brits remain in China after officials refuse permission for flight to take off Demand for face masks appears to spike in UK amid coronavirus fears Stephen Nivet, director of the International League Against Racism and Antisemitism told French newspaper L'Express: Let's imagine for one second that the virus came from Africa, no newspaper would have dared lead with 'Black alert'. The fact that a newspaper published such a cover without realising that there was a problem proves that there is a problem. In Italy, national newspapers have reported a rise in discrimination against Chinese people following the outbreak of the disease in Wuhan, where the death toll has risen to 170. A woman wearing a mask walks by her electric scooter in via Paolo Sarpi, the commercial street of the chinese district of Milan on January 30, 2020. - Several well-known figures in the Chinese community in Italy on January 30, 2020 denounced "Discrimination without distinction" and "latent racism" from Italians frightened by the coronavirus epidemic and the risks of contagion. (Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP) (Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images) Racially fuelled episodes reportedly include Chinese tourists being spat at in Venice, while a family in Turin was accused of carrying the disease. The Local also reported how mothers in Milan called for Italian children to be kept away from Chinese classmates. Story continues In an open letter, Chinese journalist Hu Lanbo, an Italian resident of 30 years who runs the "China in Italy" publication, said: "Believing that one can catch the new coronavirus at the mere sight of a Chinese person really makes no sense. Current confirmed cases of coronavirus (PA) Thousands of cruise passengers were reportedly stuck on a ship in Italy on Thursday amid fears that Chinese holidaymakers were carrying the deadly virus. Currently, there are no recorded cases of the coronavirus in Italy. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared coronovirus an international public health emergency. Senators finally get their chance to participate in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial after a week of waiting by asking questions Wednesday a phase both sides are hoping can sway their undecided colleagues on the question of witnesses. The Senate kicks off two days of senator questions for House managers and the President's legal team at 1 p.m. ET, in the final phase of the trial before the Senate will debate and vote on whether to seek witnesses and documents. Senators still can't speak during the trial, as they will submit questions to be read aloud by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. LIVE UPDATES: Impeachment trial of President Trump Senate leaders in both parties have worked with senators to craft questions that will be asked, as Republicans push for an end to the trial while Democrats make their case for calling witnesses and subpoenaing documents. The vote on witnesses, which is expected Friday, comes down to the handful of Republicans who remain undecided on whether there should be witnesses called in the trial. Republican senators met behind closed doors on Tuesday, where Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told his conference they didn't have the votes yet to defeat witnesses, but Republicans left the meeting confident they can get there. "There have been a lot of discussions, but I have no idea how the votes are going to fall," said Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican who is leaning toward voting for witnesses. "I am pleased that I, along with Mitt Romney, Lisa Murkowski and others, worked very hard to get it into the resolution a guaranteed vote on whether or not to call witnesses at this point in the trial." McConnell met on Wednesday morning with Murkowski, an Alaska Republican also on the fence about witnesses. "I had a meeting with Leader McConnell, but I'm not going to talk to you about it," Murkowski said after leaving McConnell's office. "I am not going to be discussing the witness situation right now. ... I've got some more questions that I want to get into the mix. So I've been talking with the folks in the cloakroom about what the universe is, see how we can supplement that, so that's my purposes." McConnell is likely to have other meetings Wednesday in between with senators, one source said. Perhaps the biggest wildcard right now is Sen. Lamar Alexander, the retiring Tennessee Republican and Senate institutionalist who is close to members on both sides. He is also a very close McConnell confidante. Sources who attended Tuesday's Republican meeting say Alexander did not speak about his views on witnesses and is not tipping his hand one way or the other. He is reading through the materials from the inquiry and past testimony and continues to say he will make a judgment after the questioning period is done. On the Democratic side, there are still a handful of red-state senators who have not said how they will vote on whether to convict or impeach Trump on the articles of impeachment. Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, has said he wants witnesses, like former national security adviser John Bolton. On Wednesday, Manchin said he was also potentially interested in a key witness sought by Republicans: former Vice President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden. "I want witnesses. I definitely want witnesses," Manchin said. "The only thing I've said is that there should be an adult in the room and that's Chief Justice Roberts. We should vote again on Chief Justice Roberts being able to determine who is pertinent ... if Hunter Biden is one of the people who is pertinent to the evidence or to the trial, then absolutely." Manchin has not tipped his hand on his final vote, but said both sides did a "good job" with their presentations. Trump suggested on Twitter that Manchin would ultimately vote against him. "There is much talk that certain Democrats are going to be voting with Republicans on the Impeachment Hoax, so that the Senate can get back to the business of taking care of the American people," Trump tweeted. "Sorry, but Cryin' Chuck Schumer will never let that happen!" Questions to help make the case The rough expectation is there will be about 20 to 25 questions asked in total over two days, senators told CNN. The questions will alternate between Republican and Democratic senators, and they will be directed to either the House managers or the President's legal team. Senators will not be able to respond to the answer. Roberts on Tuesday encouraged the legal times on both sides to try to limit answers to five minutes per questions. Senators have huddled to craft the questions and, submitted them in both parties to leaders over the past two days, in part to help structure the questions and their case and avoid duplication. New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Democrats on his panel got together to go over lines of questioning on US aid to Ukraine. House Judiciary Democrats similarly huddled to talk about questions, he said. Senators in both parties say a large majority of the questions will be designed to have their side flesh out specific issues that better make their case. Democrats plan to ask the House managers to respond to the defense counsel's presentation attacking the Bidens in an effort to rebut it in full. Republicans will ask the White House defense much the same, in an effort to expand on it, sources say. Democrats will also tee up several questions underscoring the importance of witnesses and documents to a fair trial, while Republicans will push the argument that the trial needs to come to an end soon. Sources say both sides are expected to raise Bolton, who injected new fuel into the push for witnesses this week with an unpublished book manuscript alleging that Trump told him the US aid to Ukraine was conditioned on investigations into Democrats. The Pakistani government has decided not to repatriate its citizens stranded in China from the coronavirus-hit Wuhan city to show "solidarity" with China, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Zafar Mirza said on Thursday. "We believe that right now, it is in the interest of our loved ones in China [to stay there]. It is in the larger interest of the region, world, country that we don't evacuate them now," Dawn quoted him while addressing the media at a press conference in Islamabad. "This is what the Health Organisation is saying, this is China's policy and this is our policy as well. We stand by China in full solidarity," he said. On Wednesday, Mirza had announced that up to four Pakistani students in China were diagnosed with the coronavirus. A large proportion of the Pakistanis living in China were students of which over 500 students were based in the central city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the new virus. However, refuting the idea of repatriating the citizens from the East Asian country, the official said, "Right now the government of China has contained this epidemic in Wuhan city. If we act irresponsibly and start evacuating people from there, this epidemic will spread all over the like wildfire." "So far, China has not allowed evacuation [of people]," he said. "You will, of course, remind me the United States has evacuated its diplomatic staff -- not all citizens. This is a condition of the Vienna Convention which dictates that the host country can allow diplomats to leave if their country wishes for them to return," he added. Mirza said that the embassy in China was in contact with the Pakistani citizens and once again expressed faith in China's policies to contain the virus. According to media reports, a total of 7711 confirmed cases have been reported in China and 170 people have died due to the virus. Some countries, including India, Canada and the United States, have started evacuating their citizens from Wuhan. Heath camps have also been set up in different countries to screen passengers arriving from China. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Marco Perezs attorneys are requesting immunity in the capitol murder case involving Mobile police office Sean Tudor, according to court documents. Perez was charged with capitol murder for killing Sean Tudor in Peach Inn apartments on January 20, 2019. Perez was denied youthful offender status in a Mobile courtroom December 2019. Perez attorneys Dennis Knizley and Jason B. Darley are requesting a pre-trial motion hearing to determine if their client is immune from prosecution. Perezs attorneys claims that he was not aware that Tudor was an officer at the time or prior to the shooting and was acting in self-defense. Tudor was off duty in civilian clothing driving an unmarked police vehicle at the time of the shooting. Sean Tudor Surveillance footage and eyewitness accounts show Tudor getting out of his vehicle pointing a gun at Perez. Perez backed up with his hands up and Tudor cuffed him and put him on the hood of the vehicle. Mobile police also stated that theres no way Perez wouldve know Tudor was a officer anytime before the shooting as well. Perez has also been charged with receiving stolen property as the gun used in the murder of Tudor was stolen. The date for this hearing has yet to be determined. The trial of Kalen Schlatter, accused of first-degree murder in the death of Tess Richey in 2017, began Thursday. Heres some background on the case. What happened? Richey, 22, was reported missing to police on Nov. 25, 2017. She was out with a friend in Torontos Gay Village and had spent the night prior to her disappearance at Crews and Tangos, a popular drag bar and neighbourhood fixture. Richeys mother, Christine Hermeston, travelled to Toronto from North Bay to help look for her. Four days after she was reported missing to Toronto police, Richeys body was found by her mother in a stairwell, mere steps from where she was last seen. Const. Michael Jones and Const. Alan McCullough were charged under the Police Services Act with not performing a duty and not carrying out an order in Richeys disappearance. Their hearing has been put off until Schlatters criminal trial is over. Why has her death resonated? Richeys disappearance was one of many connected to the Gay Village, sparking public outrage and backlash against police, with many in the LGBTQ community claiming that officers werent protecting them. For years, men with a connection to the village had disappeared. Missing person posters were a common fixture in the downtown neighbourhood in November 2017. Police would eventually arrest Bruce McArthur, who pleaded guilty to killing eight men. One day after Richeys body was found, Toronto police identified the body of a transgender woman found in the Rosedale ravine in August 2017. Alloura Wells was last seen in July, and her family had reported her missing in November the same year. The family was allegedly told that her disappearance was not a high priority as Wells had been homeless for some time. How have police responded? Toronto police announced in 2017 that they would review their handling of missing persons cases, and in November 2019 a civilian review led by Ontario Court of Appeal justice Gloria Epstein was granted access to police files related to McArthur. The reviews mandate is to probe Toronto polices policies and practices concerning missing persons investigations and determine if they were hindered by systemic bias or discrimination. The review is ongoing and findings are set to be released in early 2021. Whats next? The trial for Schlatter, 23, is expected to continue for four to six weeks. T he World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared an international public health emergency over the coronavirus outbreak. Health experts confirmed the move on Thursday evening following a meeting of the WHO emergency committee in Geneva. After the announcement was made, the risk level of coronavirus in the UK was raised from low to moderate. The officers added that they do not think the risk to individuals in the UK has changed but that the government should "plan for all eventualities". This is only the sixth time such an emergency has been declared, with past examples including the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Zika virus 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 About 150 UK citizens are due to be brought back from China on a flight leaving Wuhan city at 7am local time on Friday 11pm Thursday UK time. Speaking to reporters, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: The main reason for this declaration is not because of what is happening in China, but because of what is happening in other countries. Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems, and which are ill-prepared to deal with it. Chinese children wear plastic bottles as makeshift homemade protection at Beijing airport / Getty Images Last week, WHO said it was too early to declare an international public health emergency but on Thursday said action was needed to help countries to prepare for the possibility of it spreading further. The new virus has now infected more people in China than fell ill during the 2002-2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) outbreak. The number of cases has jumped to 7,711, surpassing the 5,327 people diagnosed with Sars. The death toll, which rose to 170 on Thursday morning, is lower than the 348 people who died in China from Sars. In the UK, 161 people have tested negative for the virus as of Thursday. Passengers on the evacuation flight, which will have military medics on board, will land at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on Friday morning. Coronavirus: The confirmed cases around the world It is understood they will be taken to a former student accommodation block in the grounds of Arrowe Park Hospital. Janelle Holmes, chief executive of Wirral University Hospital, sent a message to staff on Thursday evening, saying: Around 100 British citizens will be travelling to the UK from China tomorrow. We will be welcoming and housing them in the accommodation block at Arrowe Park Hospital. Before arrival they will be screened for symptoms. If anyone becomes unwell after arrival they will be treated following appropriate protocols. It is understood passengers will have access to the internet and be able to make contact with family. Fifty foreigners mainly from EU countries will also be on the evacuation flight which will head to Spain afterwards. Officials have been working to secure a flight out of Wuhan for British nationals after one planned for Thursday failed to get clearance from Chinese authorities. British nationals have been asked to make their own way to the airport, and it is understood the British Consulate has provided letters to help people in cars get past security checkpoints. The Corporate Equality Index is a national benchmarking tool measuring corporate policies and practices for LGBTQ employees. The index is part of the Workplace Equality Program for the HRC Foundation, which advocates for LGBTQ equality and educates the public about LGBTQ issues. "Diversity and inclusion is a strategic business enabler," said Tiffanie McDonald, assistant vice president of diversity and inclusion at Cox Enterprises. "When we're open-minded and inclusive, it's not only good for business but for our society as a whole." The company has five LGBTQ employee resource group chapters focused on developing strategies that promote LGBTQ inclusion. Its enterprise-wide volunteer policy also allows employees to donate their time to organizations that matter to them like Pride. In 2019, the company also enhanced its health benefits package to include gender confirmation surgery for all benefits-eligible employees. Cox provides cash and in-kind donations to dozens of organizations dedicated to promoting diversity and advocating for the needs of minorities. For example, Cox is national silver sponsor of the Human Rights Campaign, and a gold-level sponsor of the Atlanta Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (since 2007) and the LGBTQ Institute's annual Diversity in Business Forum. Cox is also a Rainbow (top level) sponsor of the Atlanta Pride Festival each year and an annual supporter of Jerusalem House, a nonprofit in greater Atlanta that helps families and homeless individuals affected by HIV/AIDS. Additionally, Cox is a member of the HRC's Business Coalition for Equality Act to show support for federal legislation that provides the same basic protections to the LGBTQ people as are provided to other protected groups under federal law. This year marks the 18th year that HRC has issued the Corporate Equality Index report. For more information about the Corporate Equality Index and the HRC, including a breakdown of each business's rating click here. To learn more about Cox's commitment to fostering diversity through our employees, communities, products and suppliers, visit the Diversity page. About Cox Enterprises Cox Enterprises is dedicated to building a better future through our leading communications and automotive companies. Our major operating subsidiaries include Cox Communications and Cox Automotive, and we are strategically investing in new industries and emerging technologies, with sizeable interests in clean technology and health care. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Cox is a global company with $21 billion in annual revenues and brands that include Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book and Cox Homelife. Founded in 1898 by Ohio Governor James M. Cox, the company is a family-owned business committed to its people, communities and planet. To learn more about Cox, visit coxenterprises.com, view our Sustainability Report at coxcsrreport.com, or follow us on Twitter via @CoxEnterprises or @AlexTaylor_Cox. SOURCE Cox Enterprises Related Links www.coxenterprises.com Pakistan government has decided not to evacuate its citizens from the coronavirus-hit Wuhan city to show "solidarity" with its all-weather ally, a senior official announced on Thursday though four Pakistani nationals have contracted the deadly disease in China. There were up to 800 Pakistanis studying in various universities in Wuhan a city of 11 million people which has been quarantined by the Chinese authorities in an effort to stem the spread of the deadly virus that has killed 170 people and infected nearly 8,000 others. Pakistan has decided not to evacuate its nationals from China in accordance with the recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza said. "We believe that right now, it is in the interest of our loved ones in China (to stay there). It is in the largest interest of the region, world, country that we don't evacuate them now," he was quoted as saying by Dawn "This is what the WHO is saying, this is China's policy and this is our policy as well. We are standing with China in full solidarity," he said. "Right now the government of China has contained this epidemic in Wuhan city. If we act irresponsibly and start evacuating people from there, this epidemic will spread all over the world like wildfire," Mirza said. On Wednesday, Mirza confirmed that up to four Pakistani students in China were diagnosed with the coronavirus. "That number remains at four. It has not increased," he said on Thursday. Mirza said that the Pakistan government's decision not to evacuate its people from Wuhan did not mean that it didn't care about them. He said Pakistan's embassy in China was in contact with the Pakistani citizens. He said that the government believes that China's policies to contain the virus were adequate. "Government cares about its citizens just as much as their own families. But we don't want to take an emotional decision and become a reason for the spread of this disease," he said. However, some worried Pakistani students in Wuhan have complained that they are not being taken care of by the Chinese authorities and demanded immediate evacuation in a social media post earlier this week, The Nation newspaper reported. Unlike Pakistan, India has announced that it plans to evacuate its citizens, mostly students, from Wuhan city as well as from the worst-hit Hubei province from Friday. Earlier, Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said that the government had complete data of Pakistani students currently in China and was in touch with Chinese authorities to address any challenges the students may be facing. Farooqui lauded China's efforts to deal with the outbreak of the coronavirus and said Pakistan stood by China in this difficult time. A large proportion of the Pakistanis living in China were students of which over 500 students were based in the central city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the new virus. Meanwhile, the FO spokesperson said the opening of the Pakistan-China border has been delayed until April due to the virus outbreak. The border crossing was previously scheduled to begin functioning in February, however, the Gilgit Baltistan government had sought a delay in the opening as a precautionary measure. As Gilgit Baltistan is Pakistan's closest region to China, precautionary measures are needed to prevent any possible threat of the spread of the disease to Pakistan, an official statement said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Thursday said a 9-judge will on February 3 frame issues for deliberation in the matter relating to against women in various religions and at religious places including Kerala's Sabarimala Temple. It expressed displeasure at the outset over lawyers not being able to arrive at a consensus on legal issues to be adjudicated upon by the nine-judge bench. The will consider issues related to entry of Muslim women into mosques, female genital mutilation in the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community and barring of Parsi women, married to non-Parsi men, from the holy fire place at Agiary. A 3-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde, further said the 9-judge bench will go through the issues framed by some arguing lawyers and would try to crystalise the common legal questions to be adjudicated upon by it. It will also fix the hearing schedule. The bench, also comprising Justices B R Gavai and Surya Kant, said: "We are little disappointed as you could not arrive at a consensus. Now a nine-judge bench will go through the questions submitted by some of you (advocates) and try to crystallize the issues on February 3 and would decide on schedule and other modalities." The top court's remark came after senior advocate V Giri, mentioned before the bench that some senior advocates appearing in the matters, including in the Sabarimala case, had framed some legal propositions and the court should look into them. The court had on January 13 asked four senior lawyers to convene a meeting to decide on the issues to be deliberated by it in the matter. Senior advocate Indira Jaising said the court should also decide the way the proceedings will go on in the matters as there are a range of issues to be dealt with by the The bench said it would not allow two lawyers to argue on the same issue. "Our object is to settle the larger issues and then the individual cases may be looked into," the bench said. The top court had on January 28 said that its nine-judge Constitution bench would wrap up within ten days proceedings in the matter. It had made it clear that questions to be dealt with would be purely legal in nature and it would not take more time in concluding the hearing. "It cannot take more than 10-days. Even if someone wants more time, it cannot be given," the bench had said. The observations of top court had came when Solicitor General Tushar Mehta mentioned the case before the bench, saying that in pursuance of the court's earlier direction a meeting of lawyers took place but it could not finalise the common legal questions for consideration of the nine-judge bench. On November 14, last year, while referring the matter to a larger bench, the 5-judge bench had said that the debate about the constitutional validity of religious practices like bar on entry of women and girls into a place of worship was not limited to the Sabarimala case. It had said such restrictions are there with regard to entry of Muslim women into mosques and 'dargahs' and Parsi women, married to non-Parsi men, being barred from the holy fire place of an Agiary. It set out seven questions of law to be examined by the larger bench. They include interplay between freedom of religion under Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution; need to delineate the expression 'constitutional morality'; the extent to which courts can enquire into particular religious practices; meaning of sections of Hindus under Article 25 and whether 'essential religious practices' of denomination or a section thereof are protected under Article 26. While the 5-judge bench unanimously agreed to refer religious issues to a larger bench, it gave a 3:2 split decision on petitions seeking a review of the apex court's September 2018 decision allowing women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala shrine in Kerala. A majority verdict by then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices A M Khanwilkar and Indu Malhotra decided to keep pending pleas seeking a review of its decision regarding entry of women into the shrine, and said restrictions on women in religious places was not restricted to Sabarimala alone and was prevalent in other religions as well. The minority verdict by Justices R F Nariman and D Y Chandrachud gave a dissenting view by dismissing all review pleas and directing compliance of its September 28 decision. The split decision came on 65 petitions -- 56 review petitions, four fresh writ petitions and five transfer pleas -- which were filed after the apex court verdict of September 28, 2018 sparked violent protests in Kerala. By a majority 4:1 verdict, the apex court had lifted the ban that prevented women and girls between the age of 10 and 50 from entering the famous Ayyappa shrine in Kerala and held that the centuries-old Hindu religious practice was illegal and unconstitutional. 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 Seniors facing depression often find solace in religion. And a new study out of Baylor College of Medicine finds that patients can benefit from the addition of faith to their traditional treatments. Thats a message not just for patients but also for clergy, said Dr. Mark Kunik, professor of psychiatry research at Baylor. At the same time, traditional therapies are still effective for religious individuals. Kunik said the findings contradict negative stigmas concerning traditional therapies that sometimes persist in the religious community. All possible tools for coping with depression should be considered by psychologists, according to Kunik, who also serves as director of Mental Illness Research Education Clinical, Centers of Excellence at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, where he works with older veterans struggling with depression. Its important to pay attention to the role religion plays in the lives of older adults, he said. How do you reach more adults with emotional problems? How do you make mental health more acceptable and accessible to them? Religion is the answer for a number of patients, Kunik said, and faith can be incorporated into their treatment. Older adults are both less likely to see psychiatrists and more likely to prefer to get mental health counseling through their religion, he said. In past studies, Kunik found that adding religion or spirituality into psychiatric treatment for older adults made it more successful but only for those who already had a faith tradition as a part of their lives. For those who are not religious, faith is not an effective addition to treatment. But to those who do find it important, it remains strong, Kunik said. In fact, individuals in the religious population benefit from and enjoy the addition of faith to their therapies. Dr. Robert Roush, professor of medicine-geriatrics at Baylor, said that Kuniks study can play a part in health in general. We need to take into account more psycho-social aspects when talking to people, he said. You have to know your patients and know their backgrounds. Roush added that older patients will often say that family, friends and faith give them the most meaning. You can interpret faith in a lot of ways, Roush said. It varies by ones socioeconomic bracket, their cultural background and their experiences in life. The new Baylor study started in 2014 and concluded in 2019. Researchers studied 277 homebound seniors with depression. Most were low-income participants in Austins Meals-on-Wheels programs; many were minorities. Case managers identified participants depressive symptoms, while participants self-reported their religious coping mechanisms. Then the seniors were randomly assigned to three different groups. Two of the groups engaged in hourlong video sessions. The first was dedicated to problem-solving therapy, a cognitive treatment that teaches patients coping skills. This helps patients step back to those problems in their lives and teaches them to more objectively look at negative life events and put them in context, Kunik said. It helps them better appraise problems. It helps them better find solutions. The second group focused on behavioral therapy, which reinforces healthy behavior. For example, patients might work more on crossword puzzles or spend time calling a friend. Religious individuals could elect to read the Bible or watch church sermons on television. Its looking for what people can potentially do now, Kunik said. Were helping patients look for specific goals, and then we follow up with them to see what their barriers are. The third group was dubbed the attention control group. They did not participate in either form of therapybut still received regular telephone check-ins. The main aim of the study is really to look to see if these therapies are better than usual care and if either is better than the other, Kunik said. Initial findings show that both therapies are better than usual care - and that both are effective. In addition, the study found that video therapy sessions are effectiveand that religious coping skills are more common among women and African Americans participants. Peer-reviewed findings will be released in a couple of months. He said that the study shows that older adults who suffer from depression will benefit from traditional therapy. Kunik noted that religious patients could benefit from counseling provided by clergy members. He also recommends exercise, self-guided mental health books and online therapies. With the internet, he added, treatment becomes easier and more accessible. There are less and less reasons to drive your car to see someone, he said. Video works, at least, as well. One of the biggest problems with psychotherapy is that people stop coming. If youre doing it at home, its hard not to go. Kunik is already at work on another study to access sleep and fall-related injuries in older patients. Lindsay Peyton is a Houston-based freelance writer. New Delhi, Jan 30 : The Uttar Pradesh police on Wednesday arrested Gorakhpur doctor Kafeel Khan in Mumbai for making inflammatory statements at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) during a protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act on December 12 last year. An FIR was registered against him under section 153-A (Promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion) of IPC on December 13. Khan was scheduled to be at the Mumbai Bagh protests on Thursday. In the same mould as Delhi's Shaheen Bagh, women protesters have started an indefinite stir against the CAA at Mumbai Bagh, with the agitation entering the third day on Wednesday. Doctor Khan, a paediatrician hit the headlines after the death of 60 children in the Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College in Gorakhpur in August 2017 due to disruption in oxygen supply over unpaid bills. He was removed from his post at the state-run BRD hospital after 40 kids died in two days. Khan was the nodal officer of the 100-bed AES ward at the state-run hospital and was removed following the deaths on August 10 and 11. He was later arrested. [Left to Right] Zuzanna Steen, Ann Wheeler, Dr. Chad Knights, Dr. Molly Lynch, Dr. Anne Kress, Tom Rust, Tom Murtha, Mayor Hal Parrish, and Vice Mayor Preston Banks What we are celebrating is more than a cool learning space. What we really show are industry aligned and industry required training labs. The facility represents our dedication at NOVA for industry pathways that drive our region economies. On January 13, 2020, Northern Virginia Community College opened the doors of a state-of-the-art engineering technology Fabrication Laboratory with a prestigious ribbon cutting event to thank members of the institutions partners in the business and legislative community for the support of engineering technology programs. The Fab Lab for short, will serve as a hub to connect industry to the developing technology workforce, and support NOVAs industry-aligned Engineering Technology program. It will also be leveraged by NOVAs STEM outreach program, NOVA SySTEMic, to inspire K-12 interest and encourage future generations to pursue careers in engineering technology. The ribbon-cutting was followed by a week-long series of community events. The creation of such a project was in response to the many expanding technology companies in the Northern Virginia region. Such companies that have spearheaded tech partnerships with NOVA like Micron Technology Inc., one of the largest semiconductor manufacturers in the world, will invest $3 billion to expand memory chip production capabilities at its Manassas plant, with plans to create 1,100 new jobs by 2030. The project was a joint collaboration with GoVirginia, Micron, U.S. Armys Night Vision and Sensors Directorate and BAE Systems. The Fab Lab would let interested innovators have access to a space to lay the educational base for fulfilling these future job opportunities. The space is about letting everyone know that this is the career path for them. More often than naught, people may not see themselves in this capacity. WE DO STEM its about moving the region forward, said, NOVAs new President, Dr. Anne Kress. What we are celebrating is more than a cool learning space. What we really show are industry aligned and industry required training labs. The facility represents our dedication at NOVA for industry pathways that drive our region economies. The spaces offered through the Fab Lab such as a Woodshop, Makers Space, Computer Control & Computer Design Center and 3-D Printing Workshop -- will create the building blocks for careers in engineering technology. It is an open-access and inclusive multi-nodal innovator space with the mission to apply STEM principles and integrating it into easy and applicable concepts for all levels of interested students. From K-12 participants, college ready students, industry professionals looking for the latest and greatest session to build their repertoire and for teacher development in advanced machinery training the space will provide it all. The series of events offered after the commemorative ribbon-cutting allowed for demonstrations in the Fab Lab such as; STEM field trips and introductions to the labs CNC Router (48 x 48) was provided for a handful of participants. Lunch & Learn opportunities for faculty and staff were held Tuesday and Thursday in the lab. The capabilities of the Fab Lab and trends in additive manufacturing and robotics were discussed. On Thursday night the Fab Lab hosted a Robotics Night Open House where sixty-six attendees of all ages had the opportunity to use and learn about five different robotic systems. Two training sessions were held on the VEX IQ robots in which participants learned how to program and manipulate the robots. On Friday, the weeklong series of events closed with a College Open House with 90 attendees able to learn and use equipment to build molds and use a plastic thermoforming machine, make an LED Monster with sewable circuitry, play with electronic circuits and sensors, try their hand at robotic challenges, laser cut fabric, practice CAD drawing, and observe some wood working demos. Due to weather conditions, the Saturday (January 18th) Community Fab Lab Open House is to be rescheduled for March 14, 2020 from 10am to 4pm. In fall of 2018, NOVA was approved for a historic first round of project grants to create the Fab Lab at the colleges Manassas Campus. The Fab Lab will provide resources needed to grow and strengthen the current and future engineering technology workforce in Northern Virginia. The GO Virginia Board of Directors, which is comprised of members of the Governors cabinet, the General Assembly, the business community, and others, approved more than $2.2 million in GO Virginia Per Capita grant funding for five projects throughout the Commonwealth. Following such a prestigious event, NOVA SySTEMic, Northern Virginia Community Colleges STEM Outreach program will hold a premier signature event called Night at the Museum. The event is a two-day VEX Robotics Competition (VRC) signature event at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museums Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA on January 30, 2020 and on January 31, 2020. For more questions about the programs and future events, please contact Josh Labrie at jlabrie@nvcc.edu. For media questions, please contact Hoang Nguyen at hnguyen@nvcc.edu. ### Northern Virginia Community College is the largest institution of higher education in the Commonwealth of Virginia and one of America's largest community colleges. NOVA enrolls more than 75,000 students at its six campuses in Alexandria, Annandale, Loudoun, Manassas, Springfield and Woodbridge, and through NOVA Online. For more information about NOVA and its programs or services, call 703-323-3000 or visit the College's website, http://www.nvcc.edu. Legislative Attendees List: Andrea Bailey Prince William County Board of Supervisors David Choi Office of John Bell Donald Shuemaker, Manassas City Council Ian Lovejoy Manassas City Council Karen Klotz Jeffers Office of Congressman Ron Whitman Kenny Boddye Prince William County Board of Supervisors Laszlo Palko City Manager for Manassas City Park Michelle Davis-Younger, Manassas City Council Miriam Machado -- Manassas City Council Preston Banks Vice Mayor, City of Manassas Park Ralph Smith Manassas City Council Theresa Coates Ellis, Manassas City Council Victor Angrry Prince William County Board of Supervisors William Patrick Pete City Manager, Manassas Sponsors List: Lockheed Martin US Fort Belvoir Night Vision Labs BAE Micron Arconic Foundation PwC Service Authority The likelihood of finding missing baby Andrew Caballeiro alive grew weaker Thursday as his family members spoke publicly for the first time, revealing a growing rift that may have enraged the infants father, Ernesto Caballeiro who police say murdered Andrews mother, grandmother and great-grandmother in a home in the Redland before abducting the child and killing himself in Pasco County. While a desperate search for the infant continued, a potential promising lead did not appear to pan out. On Thursday, the Pasco County Sheriffs Office said an unidentified woman reported spotted near Caballeiros abandonded van likely had nothing to do with the case. A spokeswoman said the timeline suggested that the woman, if she was at the scene, was there several hours after Caballeiro, 49, had shot himself in the woods with what police believe was the same high-powered rifle he used in the Miami-Dade slayings. He was likely deceased by the time that woman was seen near the van, said lead Pasco County Sheriffs spokeswoman Amanda Hunter. Given the timeline, we dont believe her to be involved. The victims were identified as Arlety Garcia-Valdes, 40, Andrews mother; his grandmother Isabela Valdes, 60; and his great-grandmother Lina Gonzalez, 84. Supporters of the slain women have begun fundraising for funeral costs. By Thursday evening, a GoFundMe page had raised more than $14,500. Three generations of brave women were slain protecting the newborns life, the page said. Please pray with us for the safe return of baby Andrew. Despite the grim outlook, family members of Andrew said they still held out hope that the young boy was still alive. I have the hope that he [Caballeiro] handed him to someone, said Andrews great-aunt Reina Valdes. I have the hope that the baby is alive. Reina Valdes said that Caballeiro and Andrews mother had been separated, but the father stuck around offering support during her pregnancy. They did not have a pretty relationship, said the childs great-aunt. They were separated and my niece did not want to continue in that relationship. Thats the only thing I can tell you. Story continues Humberto Valdes Gonzalez, Andrews great-uncle who lives in Cienfuegos, Cuba, told el Nuevo Herald that Andrews mother told him there appeared to be friction in the relationship, but, I dont know anything else. By Thursday police, still had not offered a motive for the killings. Little Andrew, born just last week, became the target of a massive statewide manhunt Tuesday after police discovered the three women at Caballeiros home northwest of Homestead. Police suspect Caballeiro shot them with a high-powered rifle, then fled north toward Pasco with Andrew. Miami-Dade police were led to the home at 21941 SW 187th Ave. after the brother of Andrews mother called police because hed been unable to reach his sister. Detectives knew almost immediately that Caballeiro was the killer, according to law enforcement sources, because surveillance video showed him arriving home just after 10 a.m. Tuesday, then leaving about an hour later. And the footage appeared to show him holding his AR-15 rifle and the newborn child. Lina Gonzalez, 84, Arlety Garcia-Valdes and Isabela Valdes, 60, were found slain Tuesday in the Redland. Pasco deputies determined that the white van the subject of a statewide Amber Alert was parked on the side of a rural road in the town of Blanton between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Tuesday. After discovering the vehicle Wednesday, deputies scouring the wooded area with bloodhounds spotted Caballeiros body in the woods about 50 yards from the van. He died of a self-inflicted shotgun wound. An AR-15 was next to his body, sources say. Inside the van, Hunter said, deputies found some cash, old receipts and a pacifier. There was no childs car seat and no sign of any digging tool, like a shovel, Hunter said. Holding out hope that the pacifier belonged to Andrew, deputies directed a bloodhound to the object to try to pick up a scent. None was found, leaving Pasco deputies to believe that Andrew likely didnt make it to Pasco with his father. There was no indication the baby was in Pasco, Hunter said. A 21-year-old New Jersey man bribed at least two postal workers - offering them cash if the mail carriers would steal packages containing checkbooks, credit cards and iPhones, federal authorities said. Jabre Beauvoir, of Elizabeth, is charged with bribery and receiving stolen mail, the U.S. Attorneys Office for New Jersey said in a statement Thursday. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service began investigating after getting complaints beginning in December 2018 about missing mail on four routes in Elizabeth, according to charging documents. An investigation revealed that Beauvoir offered a mail carrier $200 for every every stolen checkbook, court papers said. Beauvoir also offered to sell any iPhones the postal worker stole for him and then share the profits, authorities said. A second employee later told investigators Beauvoir promised to pay $100 per package containing checkbooks, authorities said. Beauvoir directed the letter carrier to drop the package at a predetermined spot in Elizabeth, where hed later pick it up, according to a copy of the criminal complaint. That worker told investigators he knew Beauvoir only by Neck Tat, authorities said. In another instance, investigators planted an iPhone in the mail, suspecting one of the postal employees would take it and pass it along to Beauvoir, authorities said. With law enforcement watching on Sept. 26, the postal service worker gave Beauvoir the iPhone while in his postal van in Secaucus, authorities said. Neither postal worker was named in the criminal complaint. Beauvoir, who faces up to 20 years in federal prison, is scheduled to make a first appearance in federal court in Newark on Thursday afternoon. 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. WeWork, the coworking giant that has undergone financial turmoil and internal upheaval during the past six months, is following through on plans to open an office in downtown San Antonio or so it seems. The company appears slated to move into the shuttered Grant and Kress buildings on East Houston Street following the completion of renovations by the buildings owner, local development firm GrayStreet Partners, according to records filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Registration. The city of San Antonio last summer granted more than $1 million in incentives for GrayStreet to renovate the downtown buildings after WeWork leased two floors in the Grant building and four floors in the Kress building. GrayStreet previously sought to complete the Grant and Kress renovations by April, but records show the firm now expects to finish by the end of October. Construction will begin April 1. The development firm estimates it will cost $6 million to finish renovating the 63,000-square-foot space. WeWork declined comment, but Richard Gill, a partner at GrayStreet, confirmed WeWork is still set to move into the space. The lease is still on, Gill said. Theyve filed their permits theyre totally committed. But it remains unclear when, exactly, WeWork might move into the building and begin renting out office space. Memberships at the location are not currently offered on the companys website. WeWork famously postponed its initial public offering last fall after an investor prospectus showed the company was rapidly losing money. WeCompany, as its known, lost $900 million over the first six months of last year, and the companys former $47 billion valuation has fallen sharply. After the failed IPO, WeCompany drove out CEO Adam Neumann and later laid off 2,400 employees, about a fifth of the companys global workforce. The companys new leadership took over in September and has been selling off assets, including a wave pool company and a private elementary school. WeWork, founded in 2010, operates by purchasing urban office space, heavily renovating it and offering membership subscriptions for the modern workspace. The company seeks to attract primarily freelance workers and startups. WeWorks offices typically are fashionably designed open-area layouts; they once featured free beer, wine and kombucha on tap for members though recent cost-cutting measures have largely phased out the free booze. The company, which says its mission is to elevate the worlds consciousness, generally markets its offices as chic, communal hot spots of innovation and collaboration. A basic hot desk membership buys access to a common workspace area but no dedicated, permanent desk. The cost of a WeWork membership varies widely based on location. A hot desk membership in Austin starts at $410 per month. In Dallas and Houston, that same subscription costs between $260 and $390 monthly, depending on the location. The Houston Street WeWork office would compete with San Antonios other coworking spaces, but mainly with Geekdom, the locally founded tech-centric coworking office. Geekdom, also located on Houston Street, offers a $50 monthly membership that grants access to common working areas but no permanent desk. Still, local tech leaders have advocated for WeWork to come to San Antonio. I think it would be another shot in the arm to the efforts downtown to build density and clustering around young professional life and the tech industry, said David Heard, CEO of TechBloc, the local tech advocacy group. WeWorks higher prices and more advanced business services are geared toward a different set of professional workers than Geekdom or other local coworking offices, Heard said. (WeWorks) structure tends to aim at a professional business stratum that is perhaps a little bit more pricey, he said. Theres going to be some overlap of their clientele, or their target market. But at the same time, theyre somewhat distinct. Are they distinct enough? Are there enough potential clients within each distinct audience? Tough to say. I would hope so. The popularity of Geekdom shows downtown San Antonio can support another coworking office in the same area, said Ed Cross, CEO of San Antonio Commercial Advisors. Despite their financial difficulty with their IPO, I think they have an incredible concept, Cross said of WeWork. If just the tech world is keeping (Geekdom) full, then I would assume the rest of the office users would have a great demand for (WeWork). Cross said WeWork charges an appropriate premium for the high-quality environment and services it provides. But he said he wouldnt be surprised if membership prices were cheaper in San Antonio than the other large Texas cities. Im assuming theyre going to reflect the economy of San Antonio, Cross said. If its $250 a month for a hot desk, they will fill it up. San Antonios healthy economy and robust job growth have driven up demand for the citys office real estate market, economists said. The vacancy rate for all offices in the San Antonio area has dropped from over 19 percent in 2013 to 13.5 percent last year. And in downtown, the office vacancy rate is below 10 percent, according to CBRE, a commercial real estate firm. Coworking offices currently make up just 1 percent of total San Antonio office space, but the market has nearly doubled since 2014. As of last year, San Antonio had 313,000 square feet of coworking office space, up from 157,000 square feet in 2014. More than 41 percent of the citys coworking space is downtown, according to CBRE. Despite WeWorks tumultuous run, Heard said, the high-profile coworking space setting up shop here is a sign of the citys growth and would boost further development downtown. Sometimes, he said, half the battle is just a marquee name looking at our market and saying, Yes, San Antonio is ready, and were ready to make an investment. diego.mendoza-moyers@express-news.net After breaking his own anger cycle, Tom Satterly is helping special forces vetsand their familiesheal together Many combat veterans experience indelible psychological wounds, which often manifest as PTSD and make it difficult to adjust to civilian life. For Tom Satterly, a Delta Force veteran who served our nation for 25 years, the experiences he had in combat left him angry and isolated. But now, hes encouraging other veterans to take the hardest but most effective step toward healing: asking for help. Satterly was taking college classes at Indiana University when his best friend from high school returned from Army basic training. The two were on their way to a John Cougar Mellencamp concert, and he was telling Satterly about how positive his experience in the Army had been so far. By the time they arrived at the concert, Satterly was committed to enlist. Less than a year later, in February 1986, Satterly was in Army basic training. Initially, he only planned on serving for four years before attending college. Little did he know he would spend an entire career in the military. His commanding officer pushed him and his unit, which motivated him to try out for special forces. I wanted to end up being a Green Beret as soon as I could, Satterly said. Delta Force While he was in language school learning Farsi, two men from the special forces qualification course approached him. They told him he should train for The Unit, which was the original code name for Delta Force. In early 1991, he went to selection for Delta Force and made the cut. Satterlys first deployment was to Mogadishu, Somalia, and he was immediately thrown into combat. His first five missions were what he expected, and nobody got hurt. However, on Oct. 3, 1993, Satterly went on a mission that would end up becoming an 18-hour-long firefight. That completely and utterly changed everything for me and everything for the unit and how we even did tactics from that day forward, Satterly recalled. Tom Satterly in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993. (Courtesy of Tom Satterly) Satterly and his unit rappelled into dust, and were excited and jovial until the first Black Hawk helicopter crashed to their northeast. As they were fighting their way to the crash site, Satterly was firing down a street. When he turned to look at his friend, he was being dragged away. He had been shot in the head. At that moment I knew we werent invincible. That [was the] lie that we told ourselves the whole time, Satterly explained. Post-Traumatic Stress Satterly continued to serve in Delta Force until 2010. When he returned to civilian life, he didnt have a plan. After working in Amman to train the Jordanian military to be special forces-qualified, Satterly began drinking to excess. Satterly found himself immersed in a work-hard, play-hard culture. After two years of working in Amman, Satterly returned to North Carolina. He found himself awake all night and asleep all day, and not living a productive lifestyle for about four months. [I was] just really depressed that I had no mission, and no focus in life and what direction I was going to take, Satterly recalled. Satterly began abusing alcohol and his prescription medication, and was living a reckless lifestyle. The day Satterly almost took his own life is when he realized he was contending with post-traumatic stress. A year later, he almost ruined his fourth marriage within 24 hours. The Monday following his wedding, he started participating in anger management therapy. Since his experience in 1993 in Mogadishu, Satterly had lost all feelings of empathy and compassion. He had been blaming others for his issues, but after seeking treatment, he began to take a hard look at himself. Like a lot of combat veterans, he struggled to show any perceived weakness or vulnerability. However, once he discovered asking for help took courage, it became easier for him to address his own issues. Once someone reaches down and helps you, thats when you realize how easy it is to help others, Satterly said. Adapting to Civilian Life The muscle memory, skills, and behaviors that had made Satterly an effective warfighter would not function well in civilian society, and the attitude that had kept him and his friends alive wouldnt work well in the home environment. For instance, coming home to a kitchen with dirty dishes or rowdy children would make him infuriated. With the help of his wife, Jen, Satterly learned to interrupt the muscle memory that caused his rage, and he began telling jokes to his wife in order to break the anger cycle. Tom Satterly, a Delta Force veteran. (Courtesy of Tom Satterly) Satterly began to participate in emotionally focused therapy to objectify his emotions and address them and discover their root cause. Initially, he was skeptical of this method, but gave it a try. I started trying it and I realized how quickly I was breaking the cycle. How I was becoming aware of my emotional patterns, and I was able to feel them come on and stop them, Satterly said. Satterly had finally started to heal. The Veteran Community In his book All Secure: A Special Operations Soldiers Fight to Survive on the Battlefield and the Homefront, Satterly recounts his experience in Delta Force and coming home. He and his wife, Jen, have also cofounded the All Secure Foundation, which helps special forces combat veterans and their significant others heal from the invisible wounds of war, and improve their relationships. A lot of the work Satterly and his wife do is helping special forces veterans and their spouses heal together. They discuss the triggers that lead to specific emotions, and how the veteran can recognize those triggers. In turn, the spouse understands what the veteran is contending with, and can be more compassionate and understanding. The veteran also learns how to be empathetic toward their spouse, which creates a connection and eliminates the isolation that leads to feelings such as depression and anger. Tom Satterly with his wife Jen at their wedding. (Courtesy of Tom Satterly) If you build a bigger foundation with the spouse and the veteran, they have a better chance of healing and working it out in the long run, Satterly said. Another issue combat veterans struggle with is the loss of camaraderie and mission. Satterly helps these veterans by encouraging them to look forwardto learn skills that suit them or go back to school to discover their passion and purpose, which also helps them shake their feelings of unworthiness. Satterly also suggests that veterans surround themselves with the people they want to emulate, even it means spending time with people who dont understand and havent experienced combat. And above all, there is one crucial step they need to take in order to move forward. The second you start to ask for help, youll start to feel better, Satterly said. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared an international public health emergency over the coronavirus outbreak just hours before an evacuation flight to bring British nationals back to the UK is due to leave the Chinese city of Wuhan. Health experts made the announcement on Thursday evening following a meeting of the WHO emergency committee in Geneva. Shortly afterwards, the four chief medical officers of the UK said they had increased the risk level of coronavirus from low to moderate, but added that they do not think the risk to individuals in the UK has changed. It comes as about 150 UK citizens are due to be brought back from China on a flight leaving Wuhan city at 7am local time on Friday 11pm Thursday UK time. Speaking to reporters, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: The main reason for this declaration is not because of what is happening in China, but because of what is happening in other countries. Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems, and which are ill-prepared to deal with it. Last week, WHO said it was too early to declare an international public health emergency but on Thursday said action was needed to help countries to prepare for the possibility of it spreading further. The new virus has now infected more people in China than fell ill during the 2002-2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) outbreak. The number of cases has jumped to 7,736, surpassing the 5,327 people diagnosed with Sars. Expand Close Passengers arrive at Heathrow (Steve Parsons/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Passengers arrive at Heathrow (Steve Parsons/PA) The death toll, which rose to 170 on Thursday morning, is lower than the 348 people who died in China from Sars. In the UK, 161 people have tested negative for the virus as of Thursday. In a letter following WHOs announcement, the chief medical officers of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland said: In light of the increasing number of cases in China and using existing and widely tested models, the four UK chief medical officers consider it prudent for our governments to escalate planning and preparation in case of a more widespread outbreak. For that reason, we are advising an increase of the UK risk level from low to moderate. This does not mean we think the risk to individuals in the UK has changed at this stage, but that government should plan for all eventualities. They added that it is likely there will be individual cases in the UK, but that they are confident in the ability of the NHS and HSC in Northern Ireland to manage these in a way that protects the public and provides high quality care. Passengers on the evacuation flight, which will have military medics on board, will land at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on Friday morning. They will then be taken to an NHS facility on the Wirral for a quarantine period of 14 days. Expand Close The accommodation at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside (Peter Byrne/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The accommodation at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside (Peter Byrne/PA) It is understood they will be taken to a former student accommodation block in the grounds of Arrowe Park Hospital. Janelle Holmes, chief executive of Wirral University Hospital, sent a message to staff on Thursday evening, saying: Around 100 British citizens will be travelling to the UK from China tomorrow. We will be welcoming and housing them in the accommodation block at Arrowe Park Hospital. Before arrival they will be screened for symptoms. If anyone becomes unwell after arrival they will be treated following appropriate protocols. We have confirmation from the Chinese authorities that the flight for assisted departure is due to take off at 0700hrs (local time) on Friday 31 January from Wuhan Tianhe airport. The safety and security of British nationals is always our top priority. #CoronaVirus #UKinChina pic.twitter.com/IqZ8bTZbcB UK in China (@ukinchina) January 30, 2020 It is understood passengers will have access to the internet and be able to make contact with family. Fifty foreigners mainly from EU countries will also be on the evacuation flight which will head to Spain afterwards. Officials have been working to secure a flight out of Wuhan for British nationals after one planned for Thursday failed to get clearance from Chinese authorities. The Government anticipates flying out UK citizens who have been in Wuhan and the surrounding Hubei province. British nationals have been asked to make their own way to the airport, and it is understood the British Consulate has provided letters to help people in cars get past security checkpoints. Passengers say they have been told only to take hand luggage on the flight. Jeff Siddle, from Northumberland, told the BBC his family faced a terrible dilemma after he and his nine-year-old daughter were told they could fly back but not his Chinese wife, who has a permanent residency visa for the UK. Meanwhile, British Airways has extended its suspension of all flights to and from mainland China until Monday. Virgin Atlantic flights between Heathrow and Shanghai are continuing to operate as scheduled. Also on Thursday, an apartment-hotel in Yorkshire was put on lockdown after a man, believed to be a Chinese national, was taken to hospital after falling ill. The man, who was a guest at the Staycity Hotel in the centre of York, was taken to hospital by medics on Wednesday night. January 30th marks the first-annual observance of World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day. The hope is that raising awareness of these crippling diseases will increase support as well as investment in the fight against them, particularly in the areas most directly affected. Neglected tropical diseases, or NTDs, are maladies of the poorest of the poor. They are chronic disabling illnesses that thrive in areas with inadequate sanitation and lack of clean drinking water. NTDs have blinded, disabled, disfigured and killed their victims for centuries. Today, more than 1 billion people suffer with these illnesses. Furthermore, NTDs undermine the future of both the affected individuals and their communities. They lower childrens chances of thriving and of staying in school, as well as the ability of adults to work and be fully active in their communities, thus perpetuating the cycle of poverty. Nonetheless, most NTDs are frequently preventable or treatable, often with low-cost medications. So, back in 2006, the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, launched the Neglected Tropical Diseases Program, a public-private partnership to treat those who suffer from NTDs, and to help prevent the spread of these diseases by identifying at-risk communities, distributing medicines through mass campaigns, and measuring results. The program targets the most prevalent neglected tropical diseases that have proven, cost-effective health interventions. These include Lymphatic Filariasis, also known as elephantiasis; blinding Trachoma; Onchocerciasis, or River Blindness; Schistosomiasis, which is sometimes called snail fever; and illnesses caused by the Soil Transmitted Helminths hookworm, roundworm, and whipworm. Since the program began in 2006, USAID has helped leverage 22 billion dollars in donated drugs from five pharmaceutical companies. That has allowed 2.6 billion treatments of medicine to go to 1.3 billion people, or 1 out of every 6 people around the globe. Thus far, 10 USAID-supported countries have eliminated at least one neglected tropical disease as a public health problem. The United States believes that the first-annual World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day kicks off an important year in the fight against neglected diseases of poverty. Reducing the burden of disease and disability caused by NTDs is essential to improving the lives of the worlds poorest people. Pentagon Identifies Two Airmen Killed in Plane Crash in Afghanistan The two airmen who died in a U.S. military plane crash in Afghanistan on Jan. 27 have been identified, the Department of Defense announced on Jan. 29. Lt. Col. Paul Voss, 46, of Yigo, Guam, served at Headquarters Air Combat Command at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, and Capt. Ryan Phaneuf, 30, of Hudson, New Hampshire, served on the 37th Bomb Squadron at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, the Pentagon said in a statement. The Pentagon added that the men had been supporting Operation Freedoms Sentinel, the militarys official designation for the U.S. mission in Afghanistan. The men died in the crash of a Bombardier E-11A aircraft in Afghanistans Ghazni province, according to the statement. The E-11A is used to link troops in the field to headquarters and has been previously described by Air Force pilots as WiFi in the sky. The U.S. military said Tuesday that two bodies had been recovered from the crash by U.S. forces, adding that sensitive equipment also had been disabled by military personnel who arrived at the site. A defense official had previously told CNN there was an indication that the crew had made a distress call, a sign of some type of trouble with the aircraft, prior to its crashing. A spokesperson for U.S. forces in Afghanistan said Monday that there was no indication the plane had been downed by enemy fire. A U.S. Bombardier E-11A crashed today in Ghazni province, Afghanistan. While the cause of crash is under investigation, there are no indications the crash was caused by enemy fire. We will provide additional information as it becomes available, Col. Sonny Leggett said in a tweet. Taliban claims that additional aircraft have crashed are false, he added. The-CNN-Wire & 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. (Newser) Semen, worth $400,000? In this case, yes: An Oregon jury has awarded two men the eye-popping sum over dog semen that was allegedly damaged or destroyed. Richard Weiner and Brad Barcroft, both dog breeders, had accused the International Canine Semen Bank of mishandling the frozen semen of prized Labrador Retrievers. A jury ruled in their favor earlier this month and based the award on estimated future value of the pups, USA Today reports. Such disputes "can occasionally result in fairly significant awards/settlements given the high dollar value that certain dogs and horses (and even cats) can command in certain marketplaces," says the mens' attorney, Geordie Duckler. "This verdict nevertheless is on the larger end of that spectrum." story continues below Seems Weiner had paid the bank to gather and store the semen in 1995, then sold some to Barcroft in 2012, but tests soon showed that the semen had degraded in value. The Oregonian reports that by one account, a freezer door had been left open, while USA Today says bank employees had allegedly "mixed and diluted the goods." Either way, the breeders sued for $800,000 and got half what they wanted. "But it is what it is," Weiner says over the lost semen. "And there's not much I can do about it." Weiner says he especially grieves the loss of offspring from the award-winning dog King, whose father, San Joaquin Honcho, was US National Field Champion in 1976. The semen bank says it will appeal the case over evidence issues and possible witness tampering. (Read more dog breeders stories.) 1.6k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard The White House and Trump never bothered to tell the presidents impeachment lawyers that John Boltons book was bad for Trump. CNN reported: President Trumps attorney Patrick Philbin said no one had notified him or the White House legal team on whether the forthcoming book from former national security adviser John Bolton would cause problems for Trump. No, no one from inside of the White House or outside of the White House told us that the publication of the book would be problematic for the President. I think that we assumed that Mr. Bolton was disgruntled and we did not expect that he was going to be saying a lot of nice things about the President, but nobody told us anything like that, Philbin said. Trump didnt tell his lawyers that bad news was coming and they should prepare a proper defense to address it at his impeachment trial. The White House has had a copy of the book for months, but nobody cared enough apparently to read it and understand that it contained big problems for Donald Trump. Trumps defense has been a mess from day one. They dont dispute the facts with counterevidence. There is no theory to justify Trumps actions, outside of a false belief that Article II gives the president unlimited power. Their argument was so weak that the presidents defense team didnt use their full 24 hours to make their case. Donald Trump has a history of ignoring, not paying, and lying to his lawyers. He didnt provide his counsel with important information, which is why his defense has been a trainwreck. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook Burkina Fasos parliament has approved legislation permitting the military to use civilian volunteers in the fight against Islamic extremism. The decision shows just how much help soldiers need in dealing with attacks across the West African country. Burkina Fasos military has been criticized for killings carried out during its fight against militants. Observers warn that arming civilians with little training could lead to more claims of human rights abuses. Defense Minister Cheriff Sy said earlier this month that all volunteers would receive two weeks of training. The training would include subjects like how to use weapons and discipline. Sy said, We want to prevent these volunteers from becoming militias. Volunteers must be 18 years old. Sy said they will face what he calls a moral investigation before being permitted to serve. Volunteers will receive extra money once their service is completed. He added that health benefits would be paid to those who are wounded while on duty. Burkina Fasos military receives training and assistance from France and the United States. However, it has struggled to contain the spread of militant groups. Sy said the use of civilian volunteers would permit the military to do more against extremists. For years, Burkina Faso did not face the kind of Islamic extremism that affected neighboring Niger and Mali. A 2013 French-led military campaign removed extremists from power in several major towns. In January 2016, militants attacked a popular cafe in Burkina Fasos capital Ouagadougou. The attack killed at least 30 people. The following year, 18 people were killed at a Turkish restaurant in the capital. The United Nations reports that deaths from attacks have increased sharply in the last few years, from about 80 in 2016 to over 1,800 in 2019. Burkina Fasos military has been criticized for committing abuses in military campaigns following attacks by militants. Human Rights Watch said that security forces had killed more than 150 men last year. Most were ethnic Peuhl herders. The men were accused of supporting or protecting extremists. Activists say such killings by security forces have only increased the number of extremists. Im Jonathan Evans. The Associated Press reported this story. Jonathan Evans adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. ____________________________________________________________ Words in this Story discipline n. a way of behaving that shows a willingness to obey rules or orders benefit n. money that is paid by a company such as an insurance company or by a government when someone dies, becomes sick, stops working, etc. herder n. a person who manages, breeds, or tends to livestock The Supreme Court will on Thursday hear the curative petition of one of the four 2012 Delhi gang-rape death row convicts, Akshay Thakur who is seeking commutation of his death sentence to life imprisonment. New Delhi: The Supreme Court will on Thursday hear the curative petition of one of the four 2012 Delhi gang-rape death row convicts, Akshay Thakur who is seeking commutation of his death sentence to life imprisonment. A five-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Justice NV Ramana will hear the petition in the 2012 Delhi gang-rape case at 1 pm. The curative petition, filed by advocate AP Singh on behalf of Akshay, states that the present curative petition should be allowed by the apex court and it should set aside the 5 May 2017 order, which upheld the death sentence of the convicts. "Modify the sentence of the petitioner, to life imprisonment as it serves all the purposes that the death penalty claims to serve and protects society from the impending reality in the near-future in which torture and murder are equated with justice as a panacea for all social evils," the petition said. The plea said that lack of criminal antecedents, erroneous reliance on deterrence, and the probability of reformation, socio-economic circumstances, non-consideration of constitution bench judgment, were not considered by the courts while awarding his client to death. The top court had dismissed Akshay's review petition in December last year. A three-judge bench of the apex court earlier yesterday dismissed the plea of another Nirbhaya Mukesh Kumar Singh challenging the rejection of his mercy petition by the President. Earlier this month, a Delhi court had issued the death warrant for Akshay, Mukesh, Pawan Gupta, and Vinay Kumar Sharma, and ordered their hanging on 1 February. The case pertains to the gang-rape of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus on the night of 16 December 2012, by six people including a juvenile in Delhi. The woman died at a Singapore hospital a few days later. One of the five adult accused, Ram Singh had allegedly committed suicide in the Tihar Jail during the trial of the case. Afghan National Army forces go towards the site of an airplane crash in Deh Yak district of Ghazni province, Afghanistan on Jan. 27, 2020. (Mustafa Andaleb/Reuters-File) Taliban Kill at Least 29 Afghan Security Personnel in Renewed Clashes KABULAt least 29 members of the Afghan security forces have been killed in Taliban terrorist attacks that followed air and ground assaults by government forces on the Islamist terrorist group at the weekend. The surge in hostilities signals deadlocks at stop-start peace talks involving U.S and Taliban negotiators in Doha. The Defense Ministry said on Sunday government forces had killed 51 Taliban terrorists in the weekend assaults. But the Taliban hit back, carrying out attacks on security checkpoints in the northern province of Kunduz on Tuesday night in which a security official who declined to be identified said 15 members of the Afghan army were killed. The Taliban also attacked a police station on Monday night in Pul-e Khomri, capital of the neighboring Baghlan province, killing 14 policemen, said Safdar Muhseni, head of the provincial council. The Taliban said it was responsible for both attacks. The groups spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said 35 members of the Afghan security forces had been killed in the attack in Kunduz and 17 in Baghlan. Sources close to the talks in Doha said the Taliban had agreed internally to halt attacks against U.S. forces and reduce assaults against Afghan government interests. Still, clashes between the Taliban and Afghan forces have risen. Afghan forces and the Taliban also clashed on Tuesday when security personnel tried to access the site of a crashed U.S. military plane in central Afghanistan. U.S. forces were later able to access the site and recover the remains of two personnel and what is believed to be the flight data recorder. By Gibran Peshimam Meghan Markle's half-sister has called on the duchess to apologise to her father, and says she has brought embarrassment on her family over Megxit. Samantha Markle hit out at her sister over her split from the Royal Family, claiming she had no remorse for the grief and anguish her actions have had on her family. Speaking on NewstalkZB in New Zealand, Samantha said their father Thomas Markle was suffering in particular. Mr Markle has not seen Meghan since before her wedding, and has never met Prince Harry or his grandson Archie. Samantha Markle has slammed her half-sister Meghan, calling her an embarrassment to her family 'In all fairness and honesty, I think she has demonstrated no concern for our family and the royals,' Samantha Markle said. Samantha added that their father had given Meghan an 'amazing life' and that he shouldn't have to 'grovel' to speak to her. 'Screw her reputation, she needs to be an adult and do the right thing,' Samantha said. 'I'm hurt for my dad... That's my story and I'm sticking to it and she owes a lot of people apologies.' Samantha has been estranged from Meghan for more than a decade and was not invited to the royal wedding. It is the second time this week that Samantha has spoken out about her half-sister, after appearing on KIIS FM with Kyle Sandilands and Jackie Henderson on Tuesday morning. Samantha Markle believes her half-sister Meghan needs to apologise to their father Thomas (pictured) The Duke and Duchess of Sussex pictured leaving Canada House in London in January Mr Markle said in an interview with Piers Morgan earlier this week that he would give a major interview every month until he heard from his daughter or Harry. He admitted his bombshell media interviews will 'cause problems' with his daughter and her husband - but he believes speaking publicly about their rift is now his best and only hope of a reconciliation. He said: 'If after this interview, if I dont hear from somebody in 30 days, Ill give 30 days and Im going to try again, because 30 days is enough time to get back to me. I dont want to sit in silence in my living room for the rest of my life, waiting for someone to call me back or get in touch with me'. The Sussexes have received stinging criticism for their bombshell choice to resign as senior royals after just 20 months of marriage and move to Canada with Archie. Kansas City Big Game Street Party Plans Announced Fitting for Chiefs fans, KC Power & Light throwing a tailgate party Sunday with thousands expected KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Live Block in the Power and Light District may feel dormant on Wednesday, but it will be a much different story come Sunday. "We are going to put on a show for everyone," Rachel Waller, director of marketing of Power and Light, said. Community Discourse Tonight Northeast Newscast Episode 124: The Future of Pendleton Heights Neighborhood with Chris Binkley Want Northeast News articles sent straight to your inbox each week? Subscribe below!Enter your email address and click on the ... Local News Chop Talk Chiefs fans speaking out on 'Tomahawk Chop' after recent national attention KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) - The "Tomahawk Chop" has been a part of Chiefs games for decades. But the days leading up to the Super Bowl are pushing the chop onto a national stage and people are talking about it. From the Washington Post to the New York Times, the headlines are creating conversation. Fashion Hotness Review Georgia May Jagger sizzles in racy black lace and floral lingerie She's got star quality in the genes, as the model daughter of Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall. And Georgia May Jagger wows in her latest glam photoshoot, working with For Love & Lemons and Victoria's Secret. The collaboration sees the 27-year-old model sizzle in a series of lingerie shots with a retro vibe. Diversity Virus Debate 'I'm not a virus': French Asians angered by racism French Asians have taken to social media to complain of a backlash against them in response to the Chinese coronavirus outbreak. China has already seen almost 6,000 cases and 132 deaths, and France has had four cases confirmed. Anti-Asian racism has been reported in the UK and elsewhere, and now French Asians have complained of abuse on public transport and social media. Last Picture Show MoviePass Is Officially Kaput (Newser) - The long and winding saga of MoviePass has officially come to an end. The subscription service that allowed members to watch a movie a day in theaters filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection Tuesday, CNN reports. NBC News says the move came as "a surprise to no one." Stop The Presses?!? White House has issued formal threat to Bolton to keep him from publishing book The White House has issued a formal threat to former national security adviser John Bolton to keep him from publishing his book, "The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir," sources familiar with the matter tell CNN. Social Media Satire Sacha Baron Cohen tells Mark Zuckerberg 'history will judge you harshly - if we still have historians after you help destroy democracy' Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP Sacha Baron Cohen attacked Mark Zuckerberg on Twitter, criticizing the Facebook CEO's work to "destroy democracy." This latest critique was based on a recent Guardian report analyzing a year's worth of the Trump campaign's Facebook ads. Cohen has slammed Zuckerberg before, calling big tech " the greatest propaganda machine in history." Everyday People Reporting Introducing A People's History Of Kansas City KCUR's Suzanne Hogan brings you tales of the everyday heroes, renegades and visionaries who shaped Kansas City and the region. If these stories aren't told, they're in danger of fading into the past. The first episode drops February 6. Big Game Contribution Kansas City company wins Super Bowl tickets in business bet, donates the money to foster kids instead KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- After a hard decision, a local company's leadership has decided to forego tickets to the Super Bowl in order to donate money to help kids in the foster care system. For more than three years, Alenco, Inc. has made a friendly bet with similar home improvement companies across the United States. Fanboy Tech Hype Debut #WallpaperWednesday: Upgrade your phone with Patrick Mahomes, Tyrann Mathieu, Travis Kelce backgrounds In honor of the Kansas City Chiefs playing in the Super Bowl, it's time to upgrade your background on your phone.KMBC 9 has created three different versions with Kansas City's favorite Chiefs players: Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Tyrann Mathieu.Select your device size below and download your new wallpaper.Share your Super Bowl Heat Up Finally, a weather blog not about snow I promise this blog is NOT about another snowstorm headed our way. It's about a warm-up this weekend. A warm up that will feel great considering our crummy, cloudy, cold weather over the last three weeks. Yes, three weeks of winter gloom. Since January 10th, the average daytime high is 35 degrees. Inspired by the hotness of creative influencerwe share a quick peek at pop culture, community news and all manner of interesting items across the nation and around the world.And this is thefor tonight . . . The last fighter ace of the Battle of Britain has died, leaving only two of The Few alive. Wing Commander Paul Farnes DFM, died peacefully at his home in Hampshire on Tuesday morning at the age of 101. The Queen meets Mrs K Foster (left), wing commander Paul Farnes (centre) and squadron leader Tom Pickering in 2015. Credit:Getty One of 3000 Allied airmen who fought in the Battle of Britain, Farnes was the last surviving ace pilots credited with bringing down five or more enemy aircraft. His death leaves only two living members of the so-called Few, the heroic RAF pilots who defended Britains skies against Nazi invasion during the Second World War. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-31 00:09:51|Editor: yan Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Treasury announced on Thursday that it has slapped sanctions on the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and its head amid tension. It has also been reported that Washington on Thursday will renew waivers on Iran nuclear work for another 60 days, allowing foreign companies to continue work at Iranian nuclear sites to make it more difficult for Tehran to develop a nuclear weapon. The already strained U.S.-Iran tensions have escalated sharply since Qassem Soleimani, former commander the Quds Force of Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), was killed near Baghdad International Airport by U.S. drone strikes in early January. Shabana Azmi Health Update: Javed Akhtar Reveals That The Actress Has Completely Recovered! 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. The titan triggerfish regarded me with suspicion. She dropped the piece of coral she held in her mouth and turned to get a better look at the strange beige fish with yellow fins. Me. Equipped in my scuba gear, I gazed back at her but kept swimming. After all, I was in her territory: a coral reef off the island of Koh Tao, Thailand. Suddenly the trigger at the crown of her head raised. Probably guarding her eggs, she began to propel herself in my direction, mouth wide open. She was going to attack. I try to incorporate scuba diving into all my travels. Just as colors, tastes, and customs vary across countries, every underwater community has a unique culture. Each environment is home to a different mix of flora and fauna, but animal behavior also changes. I have swum with entire schools of triggerfish near Cozumel, Mexico, that showed none of the aggression of that Thai titan. Even the largemouth bass at Dutch Springs dive training lake in Bethlehem, Pa., have their own custom: They sometimes approach divers and repeatedly swim into them until the divers start turning over rocks, helping the bass catch the tasty crayfish underneath. The residents of Koh Tao live in harmony with the ocean. Koh Tao, which means turtle island and is reachable by ferries (about 3 hours) off the finger of Thailand that heads south to Malaysia, is home to an abundance of marine life. Its now a major destination for scuba divers, many of whom end up staying there several months. They adopt the Koh Tao lifestyle. Thai people take their shoes off before entering a house, but the people in Koh Tao, foreign or not, often walk around barefoot all the time. They eat tons of fresh fruit. They dont try to beat the afternoon heat but instead slow down and relax. The rhythm of each day is as soothing as the tides coming in and out. Experiencing another culture often makes me see my own in a new light and inspires me to bring home what Ive learned. Thailand taught me to get off my phone more, to eat more fresh fruit, to calm down. And everyone really should learn to take their shoes off before entering a house, because its a lot cleaner. I kicked as hard as I could to get away from the triggerfish, which was darting toward me faster than I could possibly swim. She tried to chomp at my calf but narrowly missed, then straightened herself to strike again. But by that time I had moved outside her territory, so she swam away, proud of herself for a job well done defending her nest. And there I was with my dive buddy, a little way off from the reef. As far as the eye could see in all directions, there was nothing but azure water punctuated by rays of light. This is what divers call the big blue. There was no culture, no behavior, no deadlines. The only reality was the endless water all around. This was peace. Harri Leigh grew up in Cheltenham and now lives in Harrisburg. The Unicode Consortium has unveiled 117 new emoji for 2020, which will roll out on TikTok, WhatsApp and other platforms later this year. The additions are comprised of 62 new images and 55 new gender and skin tone variants, with extinct animals and transgender symbols among the notable inclusions. A "smiling face with tear" and a "disguised face" are the only new additions to the most popular Smileys and Emotion category. Each emoji will vary slightly in appearance, depending on which platform or device it is used on, but will share the same key features. The Unicode Consortium is made up of all the major platforms, who approve the emoji and then add their own designs to their own platforms. "The new emoji start showing up on mobile phones in September/October some platforms may release them earlier," Unicode wrote in a blog post announcing the new emoji. New emoji characters pass through a long submission process before they are accepted and adopted by the Unicode Consortium. Anyone can submit a proposal but all submissions must meet certain technical and cultural criteria before they are considered. The proposal for the transgender flag emoji was sponsored by Google and Microsoft and was made due to a lack of options to represent the transgender community. 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 "We can see national flags, professions, skin tones and gender modifiers are all used to represent personal identity. The current emoji offering does not allow for the expression of transgender identity," the proposal stated. "We believe that given the transgender flag represents not only community affiliation but also an important role in personal identity [it] is integral to diversifying the options available: filling a significant gap and providing a more inclusive experience for all." Other gender inclusive options on the list of new emoji include an all-gender "person in veil", "person in tuxedo" and "person feeding baby with a bottle", which were previously limited to one gender. E. Jean Carroll's (pictured in November) lawyers served notice to a Trump attorney Thursday for the president to submit a sample on March 2 Lawyers for a woman who accuses Donald Trump of raping her in the 1990s are asking for a DNA sample from the president, seeking to determine whether his genetic material is on a dress she says she wore during the encounter. Advice columnist E. Jean Carroll's lawyers served notice to a Trump attorney Thursday for the president to submit a sample on March 2 in Washington for 'analysis and comparison against unidentified male DNA present on the dress'. Carroll filed a defamation suit against Trump in November after the president denied her allegation. 'The dress has been tested. We have the results. My attorney @kaplanrobbie has served notice to @realDonaldTrump's attorney to submit a sample of Trump's DNA,' Carroll tweeted on Thursday. Her lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, then had the black wool coat-style dress tested. A lab report with the legal notice says DNA found on the sleeves was a mix of at least four people, at least one of them male. Several other people were tested and eliminated as possible contributors to the mix, according to the lab report, which was obtained by The Associated Press. Their names are redacted. While the notice is a demand, such demands often spur court fights requiring a judge to weigh in on whether they will be enforced. 'The dress has been tested. We have the results. My attorney @kaplanrobbie has served notice to @realDonaldTrump's attorney to submit a sample of Trump's DNA,' Carroll tweeted (pictured) on Thursday Carroll accused Trump last summer of raping her in a Manhattan luxury department store dressing room in the mid-1990s. Carroll (second from left) is seen at a 1987 photo with Trump The Associated Press sent a message to Trump's attorney seeking comment. Carroll accused Trump last summer of raping her in a Manhattan luxury department store dressing room in the mid-1990s. In a New York magazine piece in June and a book published the next month, Carroll said she and Trump met by chance, chatted and went to the lingerie department for Trump to pick out a gift for an unidentified woman. She said joking banter about trying on a bodysuit ended in a dressing room, where she said Trump reached under her black wool dress, pulled down her tights and raped her as she tried to fight him off, eventually escaping. 'The Donna Karan coatdress still hangs on the back of my closet door, unworn and unlaundered since that evening,' she wrote. She donned it for a photo accompanying the magazine piece. Trump said in June that Carroll was 'totally lying' and he had 'never met this person in my life'. While a 1987 photo shows them and their then-spouses at a social event, Trump dismissed it as a moment when he was 'standing with my coat on in a line.' 'She is trying to sell a new book - that should indicate her motivation,' he said in one of various statements on the matter, adding that the book 'should be sold in the fiction section.' Trump (pictured on Thursday) said in June that Carroll was 'totally lying' and he had 'never met this person in my life' Carroll sued Trump in November, saying he smeared her and hurt her career as a longtime Elle magazine advice columnist by calling her a liar. She is seeking unspecified damages and a retraction of Trumps statements. 'Unidentified male DNA on the dress could prove that Donald Trump not only knows who I am, but also that he violently assaulted me in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman and then defamed me by lying about it and impugning my character,' Carroll said in a statement Thursday. Her lawyer, Kaplan, said it was 'standard operating procedure' in a sexual assault investigation to request a DNA sample from the accused. 'As a result, we've requested a simple saliva sample from Mr Trump to test his DNA, and there really is no valid basis for him to object,' she said. Trump's lawyer has tried to get the case thrown out. A Manhattan judge declined to do so earlier this month, saying the attorney hadn't properly backed up his arguments that the case didn't belong in a New York court. The Associated Press typically does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted, unless they come forward publicly. Carroll said she didn't do so for decades because she feared legal retribution from Trump and damage to her reputation, among other reasons. But when the #MeToo movement spurred reader requests for advice about sexual assault, she said, she decided she had to disclose her own account. Trump, a Republican, isn't the first president to face the prospect of a DNA test related to a womans dress. Former President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, underwent such a test during an independent counsel investigation into whether he had a sexual relationship with onetime White House intern Monica Lewinsky and then lied in denying it under oath. After Clintons DNA was found on the dress, he acknowledged an 'inappropriate intimate relationship' with Lewinsky. Clinton was impeached by the House in December 1998 and later acquitted by the Senate. Monash University has postponed almost 900 exams scheduled for next week, upending the plans of 4000 students as it seeks to ward off the potential spread of the coronavirus. The university is yet to detail when it will reschedule the exams, but has said any student planning to travel overseas after next weeks aborted exam period will need to alter their travel plans to fit around its revised timetable. It says it will give students at least 14 days' notice of when exams will be rescheduled. It has also said any student currently stranded overseas because of virus-related travel restrictions could be forced to defer their studies if they cannot attend classes before March 9. Teresa Guidice showed off a hunky selfie sent to her by her pool contractor on Wednesday's episode of The Real Housewives Of New Jersey. Over dinner in the Hamptons, the 47-year-old reality star told her friends that she'd dated the contractor, Anthony Delorenzo, in high school, and pulled out the sexy pic. Margaret Josephs, 52, asked Teresa cheekily if Tony had ever seen the 'inside of her pool,' to which Teresa replied, 'No,' pointing out that they had been in high school. Pool contractor: Teresa Giudice shared a hunky selfie from her pool contractor Anthony Delorenzo on Wednesday's episode of The Real Housewives Of New Jersey 'He's my friend,' she added unconvincingly, making her sister-in-law Melissa Gorga, 40, feel a little 'weird,' as she was only used to seeing Teresa with husband Joe Giudice, 47. The night before, Teresa revealed that Joe often spoke to her nastily on the phone, which had everyone in her friend group concerned. She told them all that Joe said she had a 'lot of baggage,' and opined that if they ever got divorced, no one would want her. That upset Jackie Goldschneider, 43, who told the cameras: 'I don't think Teresa is damaged goods. I think she is a woman who has weathered a lot of bad s***.' Shirt off: The 47-year-old reality star showed the selfie to her friends during dinner Old flame: Teresa told her pals that she dated her pool contractor in high school Weird feeling: Melissa Gorga felt 'weird' as Teresa showed the shirtless selfie of her contractor Still married: Teresa's sister-in-law said she was only used to seeing Teresa with her husband Joe Giudice Teresa acknowledged that she didn't know if she was going to stay with Joe once he left the Pennsylvania ICE facility in which he was being detained. Joe, who did not have American citizenship, had been there for months after finishing a lengthy prison sentence for fraud. Teresa recognized that her four daughters adored him, which made her decision harder. Tough time: Teresa acknowledged that she didn't know if she was going to stay with Joe once he left the Pennsylvania ICE facility in which he was being detained 'You're holding it together, and they're idolizing him,' Margaret empathized. 'Yeah, 'cause it's like, ''Hello, I'm over here, I'm doing everything'',' Teresa admitted, looking down. 'I don't know what my future holds,' she admitted. 'I wish I did.' Melissa later told her husband Joe Gorga, 40, about the things that Teresa's husband had said. Working out: Melissa told her husband Joe Gorga about Teresa being denigrated by her husband 'He f***ed up,' Joe said. 'Should he be better now, kissing her a**? Yes. But he's also in there right now, p***ed off at life.' 'But is he gonna change? That's the question. Because if he comes out of there and gives her a little lip, she's done,' he added. 'I'm gonna be honest with you,' Melissa returned. 'This Hamptons trip confirmed to me that she's leaning toward divorce.' Locked up: Joe said that Teresa's husband was mad at life while behind bars Divorce hunch: Melissa admitted that she felt Teresa was going to divorce her husband To get the scoop, Gorga took Teresa out for a drink, and asked her how she had been doing. She affirmed that Joe had been saying nasty things to her, and making her doubt her self-worth. Her brother tried to get her to see that he was wrong. Checking in: Joe took his sister out for a drink to see how she was doing 'You're beautiful, you're funny, you're a great mother,' Gorga said. 'He's in there, sitting behind those bars, so he's trying to mentally mess with your head.' Teresa shared that she had finally gotten clearance from ICE to visit Joe in the facility, noting that it had taken four months to get approved. Her daughters Gia, 18, and Milania, 15, would go with her, and she hoped that seeing them would help him. ICE visit: Teresa revealed that she had finally gotten clearance from ICE to visit Joe in the facility, noting that it had taken four months to get approved When the day finally came, she and the girls piled into a car and headed to the facility three-and-half hours away. 'I'm not a fan of going there,' Teresa told her daughters honestly. 'No one is,' replied Gia, who wanted to talk to her dad about 'school, prom, graduation.' Long drive: The reality star drove to see Joe with daughters Gia and Milania As the girls started to fall asleep in the backseat, something struck Teresa, and she screamed. She had forgotten her wallet with her license, and one of the girl's birth certificates and they were already halfway there. 'We'll never make it,' she worried. Freaking out: Teresa started screaming when she realized that she forgot their identification Stop screaming: Gia told her mother to stop screaming because it wasn't helping the situation Things had been tough for Teresa from the beginning of the episode, when the entire cast was still enjoying its trip to Jackie's house in the Hamptons. Over lunch one day, Jennifer Aydin, 42, and Melissa got in a fight over their host. Jennifer felt that Jackie had recently thrown an underwhelming birthday part for her child's birthday, serving pizza and Nutella cake, which Jennifer thought was the kind of thing you'd serve at a playdate. Rough lunch: Jackie was criticized by Jennifer Aydin for throwing a child's birthday party and serving only pizza and Nutella cake Melissa said that Jackie was actually doing well because she was frugal with her money, not wasting it on her kids' parties. She noted that Jackie was actually 'winning,' because her kids probably understood the value of money. 'In the long run, you watch whose children are set up nice in 30 years,' Melissa said. The comment riled Jennifer up, and she threw a plate in Melissa's direction, then stormed off, followed by Teresa and Dolores Catania, 49. Three amigas: Jennifer after throwing a plate at Melissa cooled off with Teresa and Dolores Catania At the table, Melissa and Margaret reassured Jackie that nothing was wrong with what she'd done. They did gently wonder, however, whether she had issues with food, as it always seemed to come up as something she struggled with. 'I do notice you don't eat,' Margaret told her, kindly. Food issues: Jackie was confronted by her friends over issues with food 'You're extremely cautious on what you put in your body,' Melissa agreed. Jackie shared that it was sometimes tough to deal with food, as she'd suffered from an eating disorder in young adulthood. She was the one to recognize she had a problem, she admitted, adding that she'd actually put herself in treatment years ago. Eating disorder: The reality star admitted that it was sometimes tough to deal with food after suffering from an eating disorder in young adulthood 'I had to get to a point for myself where I stood on a scale one day and I weighed, like, nothing,' Jackie recalled. On her honeymoon in Mexico, she revealed, she ate nothing but tuna and apples. 'I came home, and I got on the scale, and that day, I was like, ''Okay, I'm gonna die'',' Jackie said, beginning to cry. 'I was just like, ''I just gotta help myself, 'cause I'm gonna die''.' Big hug: Melissa hugged Jackie in a show of support 'And I went and got help, but that's why I've come so far, because when people say I don't eat, it kills me, because I came from a place where I really didn't,' she said. Back at the house, Jennifer, Teresa and Dolores discussed what had gone down over lunch. All of them decided that they felt too uncomfortable to stay at Jackie's home any longer, and would head back home to New Jersey. Riding back: Jackie said she had no intention of asking Jennifer to leave When Melissa and the other women returned, they all tried to hash it out. Jennifer said she'd thrown the plate to get Melissa's attention, because Melissa hadn't been listening to her. Teresa brought up the fact that Melissa had also called her 'ignorant,' and Jennifer tried to get in the middle of that argument, but Melissa wasn't having it. Not listening: Jennifer said she threw the plate toward Melissa to get her attention 'You know what else I think is ignorant?' Melissa said to Teresa. 'The fact that this girl threw something at me and you left. Why didn't you stay with me?' 'She didn't throw something at you,' Teresa returned. 'I threw something towards you,' Jennifer clarified. 'Well, guess who it hit?' Melissa retorted. Target struck: Melissa reminded Jennifer that the plate hit her Jennifer admitted that the issue of money had long been a sore spot for her. She pointed out that the year before, Jackie had used the Aydin family's extravagant parties as an example of overindulgence in an article she'd written. In a confessional, Jackie said she hadn't had money as a kid, and wasn't about to waste it as an adult. Money talk: In a confessional, Jackie said she hadn't had money as a kid, and wasn't about to waste it as an adult She told Jennifer she couldn't be friends with someone who couldn't accept her as she was, adding that perhaps they weren't meant to be friends at all. 'Right back at you, honey,' Jennifer said. As Jennifer went off to pack, she reminded Teresa that Melissa had also called her 'embarrassing,' trying to ignite another disagreement between them. Right back: Jackie told Jennifer that they weren't meant to be friends and Jennifer said, 'Right back at you, honey' 'Why don't you shut the f*** up?' Melissa told Jennifer, disgusted. 'You're getting in between family!' 'You shut the f*** up!' Jennifer responded. 'I'm bored of you right now.' Teresa made to leave, first asking Melissa to apologize for calling her 'ignorant,' which she did. Say sorry: Teresa made Melissa apologize for calling her 'ignorant' 'Thank you,' Teresa told her. 'I love you. B****.' As she started to go, everyone who was staying got upset, and Teresa was torn between who to side with: Jennifer or her sister-in-law, Melissa. She ended up staying, not wanting to appear that she was choosing friends over family. Family first: After starting to leave, Teresa changed her mind so she wouldn't appear to be choosing friends over family 'I've put this trip together to heal wounds in this group, and now it's worse than ever,' Jackie related in private. 'Thanks, Jennifer.' While the women were on the trip, Margaret's husband Joe Benigno, 66, met up with Gorga and Dolores' ex, Frankie Catania, Sr., for cocktails. They all discussed the fact that Jackie was now 'loaded,' and had even made her husband sign a pre-nupsomething they said that they would never have done. Guys night: Joe, Frankie Catania Sr and Joe Benigno had drinks while the women were away At the end of the show, Jackie went bowling with her brother Eric, son Hudson, 11, and Alexis, nine. She shared that she had needed to be strong as a kid, because her parents spent a lot of time looking after Eric, who was learning disabled. Jackie planned to tell her father what she went through the next time she saw him. Family outing: At the end of the show, Jackie went bowling with her brother Eric, who was learning disabled At her house, Margaret was saying something similar to her mom, Marge Senior. 72. Margaret was launching her first jewelry line, and needed some mothering, but Marge had always been unable to provide that for her. 'You just have to be more emotionally supportive,' Margaret stressed. 'You're my mother, and I want to make everything good for you. But who's gonna make everything good for me?' Marge Senior cried and offered that she would try to be more like a mother in future. The Real Housewives Of New Jersey will return next week on Bravo. Haiti - News : Zapping... Seismic activity on the rise The Ministry of the Interior notes a more intense seismic activity in recent days in the Caribbean region citing the recent earthquakes which affected in particular Porto-rico, and affected Cuba and Jamaica https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-29702-icihaiti-security-more-than-300-earthquakes-recorded-in-the-country-in-2019.html . The Ministry, through its Directorate of Civil Protection, joins the National Risk Management System and the Seismic Monitoring Unit, to remind the population that vigilance must remain in place. It also invites all institutions, both private and public sector, as well as all households, to review and strengthen their security plan to be applied before, during and after, in the event of an earthquake See also : https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-29702-icihaiti-security-more-than-300-earthquakes-recorded-in-the-country-in-2019.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29754-haiti-environment-in-20-years-98-of-earthquake-related-deaths-in-the-region-have-been-recorded-in-haiti.html Petit-Goave : Strike at Notre-Dame Hospital Employees of Notre Dame Hospital in Petit-Goave decided to strike to demand payment of several months of salary arrears and better working conditions. The USA welcomes the entry of Haiti into the Lima Group "We welcome Haitis entry into the Lima Group, joining other nations in the region committed to a peaceful, democratic transition in Venezuela through free & fair presidential elections. Through international cooperation we can return freedom and prosperity to the Venezuelan people" Michael G. Kozak Assistant Secretary for the" Michael G. Kozak Acting Assistant Secretary for U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29890-haiti-flash-haiti-becomes-a-member-of-the-lima-group-against-the-regime-of-nicolas-maduro.html The UEH tries to save the academic year The State University of Haiti (UEH) plans working hours with its entities, in order to save the 2019-2020 academic year. Rector Fritz Deshommes talks about difficulties which hamper the regular functioning of the UEH See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29899-haiti-flash-the-state-university-out-of-breath-in-financial-difficulties.html Funeral Vigil of Poet Georges Castera Fils The Castera family and the organizing committee for the tribute ceremony to Georges Castera, who disappeared on Friday January 24, 2020 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29852-haiti-social-death-of-the-famous-haitian-poet-georges-castera-fils.html , inform the poet's friends and the general public that the funeral vigil of Georges Castera will be held on Friday January 31, 2020, at the Art Center, 58 Ruelle Roy, Port-au -Prince, from 5:00 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. This funeral vigil will be an opportunity to pay a well-deserved tribute to the life and work of Georges Castera through testimonies, readings and artistic performances. Ninth proposals to end the crisis... This week in Petion-ville, political parties, grouping and regrouping of parties, civil society organizations, employers and trade unions launched a Conciliation Group for National Rescue, a new structure which offers in an agreement signed by the parties, a set of proposals to end the crisis. HL/ HaitiLibre A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Thursday rejected the curative petition filed by Delhi gang rape convict Akshay Kumar Singh. The bench, led by Justice NV Ramana, also turned down the death row convicts request to stay his execution. The application for oral hearing is rejected. The application for stay of execution of death sentence is also rejected. We have gone through the curative petitions and the relevant documents. In our opinion, no case is made out within the parameters indicated in the decision of this court Hence the curative petitions are dismissed, the five judges who considered the curative petition said in their brief verdict. The concept of a curative petition was evolved in 2002 by a Supreme Court judgment to cure any defect that may lead to gross miscarriage of justice in the top courts verdict. Akshay Kumar Singh is one of the four men convicted for the gang rape and murder of the 23-year-old paramedic student in 2012. The four convicts, Mukesh, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and Akshay, were convicted and sentenced to death by the trial court in 2013. Their conviction and sentence were confirmed by the Delhi high court in 2014 and the Supreme Court in May 2017. Subsequently, the review petitions filed by Mukesh, Pawan and Vinay against the Supreme Court judgment were dismissed in 2018 and Akshays review petition was dismissed in December 2019. The four men have been ordered to be executed on 1 February at 6 am. But hours before the Supreme Court rejected Akshay Kumar Singhs curative petition, the lawyer for the four convicts had approached a Delhi Court to request the judge to cancel their hanging because one of them had filed a mercy petition. She's known for her outspoken personality and championing body confidence, feminism and 'radical inclusivity'. And Jameela Jamil is set to spill the beans on her upcoming projects as she arrived at The View ahead of a TV interview in New York City on Thursday morning. The British actress, 33, put on a typically stylish display as she slipped into an orange and white polka dress, which featured quirky sleeves and a billowing hemline. Chirpy: Jameela Jamil is set to spill the beans on her upcoming projects as she arrived at The View ahead of a TV interview in New York City on Thursday morning Injecting daytime glamour into her appearance, The Good Place star boosted her frame in a pair of pointed pale pink stilettos. The media personality ensured focus remained on her sensational number as she opted for minimal accessories. Maintaining her colourful display, the presenter complemented her beauty with a slick of rose lipstick and styled her brunette locks into loose waves. Radiant: The British actress, 33, put on a typically stylish display as she slipped into an orange and white polka dress, which featured quirky sleeves and a billowing hemline Standing tall: Injecting daytime glamour into her appearance, The Good Place star boosted her frame in a pair of pointed pale pink stilettos Less is more: The media personality ensured focus remained on her sensational number as she opted for minimal accessories Jameela's appearance comes after she slammed her own behaviour during her days of presenting Channel 4 youth show T4, from 2009 until 2012. The actress said she acted like a 'smug, snide, privileged hipster w***er' on T4, when she responded to a fan who declared she 'wasn't the nicest' during her time on the show. Taking to Twitter late last year, Jameela wrote: 'I was a little d**k when I was on T4. That was our thing smug, snide, privileged hipster w***ers. Slammed: Last late year, Jameela slammed her own behaviour during her days of presenting Channel 4 youth show T4. Pictured with co-stars (L-R) Nick Grimshaw and Rick Edwards in 2011 'T4 was amazing for my career and I love so many people I met on it. But Christ I cringe at how we behaved and the things I said to fit in trying to be cool.' The London native's post was in response to one of her followers, who tweeted: 'Hi Jameela, I first half saw you on T4 on the beach. Honestly thought you wasnt the nicest. Saw you on #TheGoodPlace and loved you. [sic] 'Ive seen how you have grown. I love how you can apologise and learn. Relate to your growth and support you.' HALIFAX - Nova Scotia's environment minister concedes the province is living up to the spirit of the law but not the letter in allowing the Northern Pulp mill to continue to dump effluent past a legislated deadline Friday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/1/2020 (713 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Nova Scotia Environment Minister Gordon Wilson fields questions at the closing news conference of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment meeting in Halifax on Thursday, June 27, 2019. Nova Scotia's environment minister concedes the province is living up to the spirit and not the letter of the law in allowing the Northern Pulp mill to continue to dump effluent past Friday's legislated deadline to cease operations at its treatment facility. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan HALIFAX - Nova Scotia's environment minister concedes the province is living up to the spirit of the law but not the letter in allowing the Northern Pulp mill to continue to dump effluent past a legislated deadline Friday. Gordon Wilson said he agreed with a reporter's description of the government's decision to allow some discharge from the plant past the date when it was supposed to cease all operations at its treatment facility in Boat Harbour, N.S. "I think that's a good way of putting it, yes," Wilson told reporters following Thursday's cabinet meeting. Premier Stephen McNeil had previously maintained the Boat Harbour Act, which set the deadline, would not be breached because no new effluent would be flowing into the treatment lagoons near the Pictou Landing First Nation. Wilson said a ministerial order he issued Wednesday now sets the terms for an orderly shutdown of the Pictou County mill that will be monitored by department officials. It allows the mill to continue to release warm boiler water into Boat Harbour, as well as water generated from mill hibernation activities, site run-off and the mill's landfill, until April 30. Wilson said the step was necessary to allow limited operations at the mill site without a new industrial approval from his department. He said he believes the mill's shutdown plan is in sync with his demands. "Our order that we have is very clear and I will say that what we do have from the company meets everything that we have in the order," he said. Northern Pulp has moved to mothball the mill after its plan for a new treatment system that would see it pump treated effluent into the Northumberland Strait was rejected by the province last month. The province is responsible for cleaning up the discharge pipe and has said it would likely take until the end of April before it is cleaned, capped and disconnected from the mill. The company said in a statement Thursday it has given layoff notices to most of its more than 300 employees but will keep an unspecified number of workers on at the mill site over the next six months. "Thus far, we have transferred almost all chemicals from the site to other operating facilities in Canada, and the hibernation plan is on track to be completed by the end of April," said Brian Baarda, CEO of the mill's parent company Paper Excellence. Under the terms of the ministerial order, the mill must measure such things as wastewater flow and file monthly reports to the Environment Department. It must also develop a plan for the decomissioning of the discharge pipe and for leachate disposal from its landfill, which currently runs into Boat Harbour. The closure of the current effluent facility was a promise McNeil made to the Pictou Landing First Nation, whose lands border the effluent lagoons. The community had planned to mark the arrival of the provincial deadline with a celebration ceremony, but a spokeswoman said in an email that no event is planned on Friday because of the loss of a young community member this week. In an accompanying statement, Chief Andrea Paul said her community supports the environmentally safe hibernation of the mill and she called the ministerial order a "small step to the full cleanup of Boat Harbour." We do have some concerns regarding the leachate and we are working to get more information as it relates to that and what the plan will be for after April," said Paul. "But overall we are pleased to hear that there will be ongoing testing completed over the next few months, and this offers a bit of extra reassurance to us." Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston expressed disappointment in Wilson's admission on the enforcement of the Boat Harbour Act, which was unanimously passed in the legislature in 2015. "When you pass a piece of legislation you should understand the ramifications, you should understand what fulfilling the legislation requires and you should work to make sure that you understand that's happening," he said. "In this case, the government wasn't doing that." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2020. Patel Nagar Delhi Assembly Constituency Election Results 2020 Live Updates - Read Patel Nagar constituency vidhan sabha chunav latest news, party, constituency, candidate name wise winner, loser, leading, trailing live updates online at Firstpost.com. Patel Nagar Assembly Elections 2020: The AAP Aadmi Party's Raaj Kumar Anand has won the election from the Patel Nagar constituency against the Bharatiya Janata Party's Pravesh Ratn by a margin of 30,935 votes. Patel Nagar, a reserved constituency which is part of the New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, includes upper middle class areas like East and West Patel Nagar, Rajendra Place and Ranjeet Nagar, middle class areas like Baljit Nagar and Prem Nagar, and lower middle class colonies like Faridpuri, Punjabi Basti and Shadipur. The AAP had changed the candidate this time, replacing sitting MLA Hazari Lal Chauhan with Raj Kumar Anand, who is among the richest candidates this election with declared assets of Rs 76 crore. The BJP has fielded Parvesh Ratan while the Congress has given a ticket to Krishna Tirath. The constituency goes to poll on 8 February. Constituency Name: Patel Nagar Constituency Number: 24 District Name: New Delhi Total Electors: 1,71,213 Female Electors: 77,661 Male Electors: 93,550 Third Gender: 2 Reserved: SC Results in previous elections: In 2008, Rajesh Lilothia won the seat as a Congress candidate. However, he lost to AAPs Veena Anand in the 2013 polls. In the 2015 polls, he lost to AAPs Hazari Lal Chauhan. In fact, Chauhan's margin of victory - 68,868 - from this seat was the highest any candidate has ever secured from the Patel Nagar constituency during the 2015 Assembly elections. Demographics: The reserved seat is dominated by Jatavs, a sub-caste of Dalits. Balmikis, another reserved caste, are also found in sizeable numbers in the constituency. It has a mix of middle class and upper middle class localities. Radical Hindus storm house church, beat pastor, force him to sit before false gods Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Hundreds of radical Hindu nationalists attacked a house church in Indias Haryana state and kidnapped the pastor, forcing him to sit before idols before leaving him badly injured. Morning Star News reports that earlier this month, a mob of some 250 to 300 radicals surrounded a small house church led by Pastor Jai Singh in Bichpari village, located about an hour north of Delhi, in Indias Haryana state. About 30 assailants broke into the church and attacked Pastor Singh and the other Christians gathered for worship. They pushed me to the floor and I could not understand who was kicking me, who was slapping or beating on my back, Singh told the outlet. As a huge crowd surrounded me, I could only see their hands and shoes kicking me. They picked me up from the floor and took me inside [the] home and told me that I should go with them, if not they would kill me there on the spot. The assailants took Singh to a school where he was forced to sit before idols and was further beaten with wooden sticks. Later that day, he was taken to the Gohana police station where he was severely bruised and howling in pain. Police took him to the hospital, but when he returned to the station he had been falsely accused of forcefully converting Hindus to Christianity. The next day, on Jan. 6, Singh was presented before a judge and sent to judicial custody. Unknown persons in plainclothes were driving me to the court and then to the jail, he recalled. At first I suspected that they must not be a police officer as the persons were not in uniform. The journey from court to jail was torturous, as this person in plainclothes abused in vulgar Haryanvi language. He abused my family members, including my wife and children. I kept quiet and said in my heart, Oh Lord, if it is in Your will, then let it be, but give me strength to endure this. I am weak. I need you. Thanks to the intervention of the Alliance Defending Freedom-India, Singh was released on bail on Jan. 7. According to ADF-India, more than 300 cases of mob violence against Indias Christian community were documented in 2019, yet police prosecuted the perpetrators in only 40 cases. The group claims police often work in tandem with Hindu extremists to harass and persecute religious minorities. It has become a trend that a batch of Hindu extremists barge inside Christian homes and accuse them of proselytizing Hindus to Christianity, Dinanath Jaiswar, a volunteer with ADF-India, explained to Morning Star News. When Christians deny the accusations and restrain them from disrupting the prayers, they (the extremists) use the police to take the Christians into custody. India is ranked 10th on Open Doors 2020 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. Since the current ruling party took power in 2014, incidents against Christians have increased, and Hindu radicals often attack Christians with little to no consequences, notes Open Doors. The view of the Hindu nationalists is that to be Indian is to be Hindu, so any other faithincluding Christianityis viewed as non-Indian. Also, converts to Christianity from Hindu backgrounds or tribal religions are often extremely persecuted by their family members and communities. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedoms 2019 report warned that religious freedom conditions in India continued a downward trend. The commission warned against the growth of exclusionary extremist narratives that facilitate campaigns of violence, intimidation and harassment against non-Hindu minorities and lower-caste minorities from both public and private actors. According to the polls, Americans like politically correct electricity. But when theory becomes reality, they like wildlife, scenic vistas and property values more. Wind and solar are unreliable and diffuse sources of energy. The only reason breezes and sunshine add more than a smattering of electrons to Americas grid is government. R&D, production tax credits, renewable portfolio standards in the history of the country, no industry has received greater goodies from towns, cities, counties, states and D.C. Yet in 2020, not even a fifth of Americas electricity demand will be supplied by wind and solar. That means a great many turbines and panels are waiting in the on-deck circle, if the goals set by activists, pols and virtue-signaling utilities are to be achieved. Renewables, Land Use, and Local Opposition in the United States, just issued by the Brookings Institution, acknowledges an uncomfortable truth that few climate fabulists are willing to face. Production of fossil fuels for electricity generation, Samantha Gross writes, mainly coal and natural gas, generally happens away from population centers. The fuel is then transported to generation plants that tend to be large facilities located away from most of the population. In contrast, with an electricity system based on renewables, the fuel cant be transported. By their nature, renewable electricity systems will be more widely distributed geographically, with an extensive transmission system to move power to where it is needed. The expanding land needs of a renewable energy system raise concerns about energy sprawl. Gross dutifully cites the Cape Wind debacle, in which a proposal to erect wind turbines in Nantucket Sound was torpedoed. (Environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was a foe.) She tosses in several other examples, such as a solar farm in Virginia thats drawn the ire of locals concerned about the development reducing property values and ruining the rural character of the area, and the nixing of a wind project in Kansas, the U.S. state that gets the highest proportion of its power from wind, at 36%. Gross could have quite easily doubled or tripled her anecdotes, with a few minutes on Google: The SunZia Southwest Transmission Project, designed to carry wind and solar juice from eastern New Mexico to Arizona and California, remains in limbo a dozen years after it was conceived. In an April letter to the editor, a resident of Oracle thundered that the line would obliterate our dark skies and the natural beauty of the (Galiuro Mountains), tragic for our blossoming ecotourism businesses, including the dark sky designation of Oracle State Park. Crossing the Arizona Trail, there would be a requirement to denude the surface vegetation, affecting wildlife habitat and major migratory avian flyways. In July, the Maryland Court of Appeals made it clear that state law overrides local land use law governing the placement of solar arrays. Washington Countys deputy attorney wasnt satisfied, and is hoping for relief from legislators: While we are disappointed with the blow to the ability of counties and municipalities to exercise their traditional zoning authority, we would welcome the General Assemblys attention to the matter. Solar Energy Generating Systems, like at issue in this case, are different in scale and scope from traditional power generating stations and transmission lines and should be subject to site-specific analysis that zoning review provides. Outraged over the reduction in property values and the loss of prime agricultural ground, opponents of Indianas proposed Lone Oak Solar Energy Center sued the Madison County Board of Zoning Appeals for approving the facility. But with the Madison County Council denying the project a $5 million tax break in October, litigation may no longer be necessary, as the project is not fiscally viable without its anticipated corporate welfare. Gross concludes her paper with admirable, if unconvincing, advice for promoters of carbon-free power. Wind and solar firms need to engage in serious public consultation to get buy-in, and (r)enewable development can be focused on brownfields or degraded agricultural land. Such approaches promise scant relief. Greenies, get used to being hoist with your own land-use petards. You helped make America a NIMBY nation. Now youre learning how the rest of us feel. D. Dowd Muska is a New Mexico-based writer for InsideSources.com. Listen to the latest episode above or on your favorite app including Alexa, Apple, Google, Spotify and Stitcher. Episodes are available every morning on PennLive. Subscribe/Follow and rate the podcast via your favorite app. Today in Pa. Daily Podcast | January 30, 2020 UPS will be making a $1.4 billion expansion in Pennsylvania, which will bring over 1,700 jobs to the state. Senator Pat Toomey has stated he doubts he will be convinced about the need to call witnesses in the Senates impeachment trial of President Trump. The Pennsylvania Senate has passed a bill requiring insurance companies to cover breast cancer screenings for women in high-risk categories. And two satellites narrowly avoided a collision as their orbits crossed above Pittsburgh. Those are the stories we are covering in the latest episode of Today in Pa, a daily weekday podcast from PennLive.com and hosted by Julia Hatmaker. Today in Pa is dedicated to sharing the most important and interesting stories in the state. Todays episode refers to the following articles: Enjoy Today in Pa? Consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or on Amazon. Reviews help others find the show and, besides, we like to know what you think of the program. 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. [January 30, 2020] Get ready for #FacetoFaceFeb Centennial College students launch 29-day campaign for The GenWell Project to get more people connected TORONTO, Jan. 30, 2020 /CNW/ - The GenWell Project, a human connection movement, is declaring next month as Face-to-Face February, a 29-day calendar challenge on social media encouraging people to engage in face-to-face interactions. A 2019 survey across Canadian post-secondary institutions found that nearly 70 per cent of students felt lonely throughout the school year. The Face-to-Face February challenge was created by students in Centennial College's post-graduate public relations program to tackle this issue of loneliness and features daily prompts for their peers and the community to engage in face-to-face activities. So, get ready to "compliment a stranger" in week one, "take a friend on your next grocery trip" in week two, and "study for midterms" in week three. At the end of each day, participants are encouraged to post photos of themselves performin and completing the daily challenge using the hashtag #facetofacefeb. "The curated challenges are based on helping people develop a lasting habit by proactively connecting with others throughout the month," said Mubashira, a student who is working on the campaign. "We all spend far too much time on technology, but strategically we are using the medium via @GenWellProject accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to reach our peers." "Technology and human connection do not have to be mutually exclusive," said Pete Bombaci, the Chief Connection Officer at The GenWell Project. "It's all about balance. Use your device as a catalyst to engage in real conversation.face-to-face." "Although created for students, everyone can benefit from this campaign, and we encourage all Canadians to complete these daily challenges. Study after study shows the positive mental and physical health benefits of interacting with people face-to-face and it keeps people happier and healthier. We hope these daily prompts will help people form healthy connection habits and inspire others," Bombaci added. About The GenWell Project The GenWell Project is a human connection movement whose mission is to make the world a happier and healthier place by reminding people about the importance of face-to-face social connection and inspiring them to take action and create healthy connection habits ongoing. Join the movement, bring your community together, become a generator of great conversations and connections in your life and in the lives of others. For more information, please visit our website. About Centennial College Centennial College is Ontario's first community college. It was established in 1966 and primarily serves the eastern portion of the Greater Toronto Area through five campuses and seven satellite locations. Our college is best known for its record of exemplary teaching, innovative programming and extensive partnership building. www.centennialcollege.ca SOURCE Centennial College [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] ALBANY A palm print left on the body of a dead man 44 years ago in California led an army of FBI agents and San Diego police to the culprit they believe beat the man to death before vanishing for nearly half a century. Dennis LePage's freedom ended Friday in Brunswick, when he was surrounded by federal agents and police who stopped his car. The arrest of the 62-year-old may close a cold case that had bedeviled San Diego police for decades, in part because Alvardo Espeleta's killer managed to avoid contact with police for decades after Espeleta's body was found. LePage lived in an apartment in Brunswick. "I have nothing to say," a woman who came to the door told the Times Union. Up until October, LePage rented an apartment in Averill Park. His former landlord, who declined to be identified, said Lepage told him he was a retired Navy veteran who had served for around six years. He was the nicest guy, he said, adding that LePage could have a temper at times. He said LePage and a girlfriend moved out in October. An official familiar with the case speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case said Thursday that LePage's recent arrest on a relatively minor charge resulted in his fingerprints being run through a law enforcement database. That triggered a match to evidence found at the murder scene. Once in custody, LePage, who appeared haggard and used a cane, kept muttering, "F___ing San Diego," the official said. It is unclear where the earlier arrest took place. Public records show he lived in a series of homes and apartments in Massachusetts stretching back at least three decades. Espeleta's body was found on Dec. 31, 1975, by two co-workers who had gone to check on him after the 28-year-old failed to show up for work at the Marine Corps Recruiting Depot. Local homicide detectives pursued leads in the case for years, "but eventually all investigative leads were exhausted," San Diego police said. But investigators from the San Diego Police Cold Case Unit, San Diego County District Attorneys Office Cold Case Unit, the FBI and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service Southwest Field Office continued looking at the case and comparing the evidence against emerging forensic sciences and technology, the police statement said. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The exact form of that evidence hasn't been revealed yet. LePage who would have been in his late teens at the time of the killing remains in New York pending extradition to San Diego, where murder charges have been filed against him. He is being held in the Rensselaer County jail. After his arrested, LePage was arraigned in Brunswick Town Court and jailed as a fugitive from justice. He made an appearance Monday in the County Court where he was represented by the county public defender's office. He was sent to the county jail without bail. Several family members were present at his arraignment. So far, officials said, LePage says he plans to put up a legal fight to block his return to California. Rensselaer County Chief Assistant District Attorney Matthew Hauf said he is awaiting the governors warrant from the San Diego District Attorneys Office. Authorities in the Capital Region did not publicize Friday's arrest, which was first reported in San Diego media, including the Union-Tribune. Kenneth C. Crowe II contributed to this report. On the eve of the upcoming Budget Session of Parliament, sparks flew at the customary all-party meeting on Thursday over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, or CAA, and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), according to people present, indicating that the session is likely to see a slew of protests and disruptions. National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ally Shiromani Akali Dal, and the governments steadfast supporter the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), turned the heat on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the meeting, the people added, asking not to be identified. Akali leader Balwinder Singh Bunder said that the government should not pass any legislation that divides people, referring to the CAA without taking its name. And, in a reference to states not yet having received their share of money raised from the Goods and Services Tax for the past four months, BJD floor leader Pinaki Misra alleged that the Centre is not paying states their due and forcing them come to Delhi with a begging bowl. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who joined the meeting midway, urged parties to discuss how India could harness the global situation to improve its economy. He also said that the government is ready to answer all issues in the House. Parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi announced that the government intends to bring 45 bills and two ordinances on insolvency and coal mining apart from seven financial bills in the Budget Session. The session starts on Friday in the backdrop of the continuing, widespread protests against the CAA. The CAA, passed in December in Parliaments Winter Session, fast tracks the citizenship process to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who arrived in India before 2015. The Opposition-ruled assemblies of Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan and West Bengal have already passed resolutions in their assemblies demanding the scrapping of the law, which has already been challenged in the Supreme Court. Opponents of the law insist it is discriminatory and unconstitutional because it leaves out Muslims and links faith to citizenship in a secular country. They say it could result in the expulsion or detentions of the Muslims unable to provide the documentation if the law is seen in the context of the proposed pan-India National Register of Citizens (NRC). A process to identify undocumented immigrants in Assam led to the exclusion of around 2 million people from the NRC last year. The government has since clarified there are no immediate plans for a pan-India NRC. Politicians across opposition parties said they will launch an all-round attack on the government on citizenship issues, lack of jobs and the state of economy. Almost all opposition parties, except the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, demanded at the meeting that political leaders detained in Kashmir be released. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha tweeted, The entire focus was on CAA protests, unemployment and the release of political detainees from Jammu and Kashmir. The economy grew at 4.5% in the three months to September 2019, the lowest since March 2013. Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad accused the government of dividing the country through legislation and said the ruling dispensation doesnt allow any discussions. The all-party meeting is now a photo op and reduced to a ritual, Azad said, adding that the government is diminishing the role of the Opposition. Trinamools Lok Sabha floor leader Sudip Bandopadhyay and his Rajya Sabha counterpart, Derek OBrien, demanded a debate on the CAA, NRC, National Population Register (NPR), jobs and the state of the economy. Bandopadhyay also protested against the role of the Bengal governor. The Shiv Sena, a former ally of the BJP which has since parted ways with its partner, skipped the meeting. RJDs Manoj Jha praised defence minister Rajnath Singh and said as long as Singh was the home minister the BJP didnt nullify Article 370 or bifurcate the state into two Union territories (as was done in August last year) because Singh understood the problems in Kashmir. He also said that the new BJP would not understand the difference between majority government and majoritarian government. National Peoples Party (NPP) leader Agatha Sangma demanded that north-east India should be exempted from CAA and NRC. In his concluding remarks, Modi welcomed the suggestions that the session should focus on the economic situation. In this Budget Session, and in the beginning of the new year, if we can give a proper direction to the countrys economy it would be in the best interest of the country, he said. Modi also added that there should be an open discussion on all such issues, while asking members for increasing the productivity of Parliament. The first two sessions of this house have been very productive. The Lok Sabha utilised 135% and 115% of its time in the Budget Session and Winter Session respectively. The Rajya Sabha, too, has utilised its full time for two consecutive sessions. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla called another all-party meeting on Thursday evening. He said, All party leaders have assured that the House will run without disruptions. The House belongs to the people and so the House must run smoothly. He said members cutting across party lines will be given sufficient time to speak on all issues. The Budget Session will end on April 3. Both Houses will be adjourned for recess from February 11 to March 2. Parliamentary affairs minister Joshi said the session will provide 31 sittings spread over a period of 64 days. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A close adviser to Irans supreme leader on Thursday described the US Mideast peace plan as a continuation of the objectives of crusaders and Zionists. The plan, announced Tuesday by US President Donald Trump, consists of selling and dismantling Muslim lands, said Ali Akbar Velayati, who advises Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on foreign policy issues. Trumps objective is the realisation of the goal of the crusaders and Zionists, Velayati said during a brief press conference in Tehran. The US plan, seen as overwhelmingly supportive of Israeli goals, has been firmly rejected by the Palestinians. It grants the Jewish state full control of Jerusalem and gives it a US green light to annex key parts of the occupied West Bank, including in the strategic Jordan Valley. Trump will fail in this plan, just like he has failed in his previous anti-Islamic plans, the former Iranian foreign minister added, saying its announcement had already united Palestinian leaders like never before in the history of their battle. The Islamic republic will certainly not remain silent, Velayati said. The Iranian people, guided by the supreme leader, continue to consider the Palestinian question as the principal concern of the Muslim world. Iran will continue its consultations with Arab countries that remain faithful to the Palestinian cause, he added. Iran does not recognise Israel. On Tuesday evening, Irans foreign ministry called Trumps plan the treason of the century and said it was doomed to fail. ap-mj/lg/fz PARIS, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. France is one of the main guarantors for the continuation of peaceful negotiations on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, French President Emmanuel Macron said during the annual gala dinner of the Coordination Council of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF). In the settlement process of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict France plays its role within the frames of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship and is one of the main guarantors for the continuation of peaceful negotiations, President Macron said. The French President said he is in contacts with both the Prime Minister of Armenia and the President of Azerbaijan, stating that ensuring the operative connection between the Armenian PM and the Azerbaijani President is one of the key steps to ease tension. France is just ought to stand with Armenia taking into account the democracy created by the efforts of a very young state of a millennia-old nation, as well as the achievements that are now being recorded thanks to the recent revolution, the French President said. The CCAF annual gala dinner was also attended by famous Turkish historian Taner Akcam who recognizes the Armenian Genocide. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan European Parliament approves UK's Brexit deal The Brexit deal was ratified by an overwhelming majority in a 621 to 49 vote, while 13 members of the European Parliament abstained. The European Parliament on Wednesday ratified the Brexit deal reached between the EU and the UK paving the way for Britain's exit from the bloc after more than 40 years of membership. "A GREAT NATION LEAVING THE EU" After nearly three years of deadlocked negotiations and severe turmoil in British politics, the European Union and the United Kingdom finally agreed on the terms of the withdrawal agreement last October. Following the British parliaments approval, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council head Charles Michel signed the document last week. If we could stop Brexit by voting no today, I would be the first to recommend it, Guy Verhofstad, the European Parliaments Brexit coordinator, said at the debate before the vote. The Belgian politician also expressed his deep regret over a great nation leaving the EU. Brexit is a failure of the Union, which needs to be reformed as a consequence, Verhofstad added. Friday, Jan. 31, marks the end of political negotiations between the U.K. and EU, while tough negotiations on future trade relations are yet to start. The partners are supposed to agree on the terms of economic cooperation in an 11-month transition period. For the moment, an agreement seems to be out of reach as the EU finds British Prime Minister Boris Johnsons propositions unacceptable. 73 British members of the European Parliament will have their last working day on Thursday as the UK will not be able to keep any seats after Brexit. Maura Higgins is said to have left Tuesday's National Television Awards in tears as she engaged in a heated exchange with her boyfriend Curtis Pritchard. Insiders have said the dancer, 23, claimed he and the Dancing On Ice star, 29, only secured the red carpet presenting gig at the ceremony because of his fame, despite the pair both rising to prominence on last year's Love Island. According to sources, the former ring girl confided in her friends that she felt 'used' and 'like a d*** for trusting him', before leaving the star-studded bash. Claims: Maura Higgins is said to have left Tuesday's National Television Awards in tears as she engaged in a heated exchange with her boyfriend Curtis Pritchard (pictured) Maura reportedly vented to her industry pals about the incident as The Sun claims she said: 'He said I only got the NTAs gig because of him. It was actually my management that sorted it.' 'He likes to think that he is the one people are after him not me. Hes totally ruined my night.' The insider also insisted minders attempted to escort the ballroom pro out the bash, with Curtis refusing to leave and letting loose with his pals instead. They added: 'Things were clearly very frosty between them. Curtis seemed to be so drunk he had no idea Maura was just meters away from him.' Tense: Insiders have said the dancer, 23, claimed he and the Dancing On Ice star, 29, only secured the red carpet presenting gig at the ceremony because of his fame Less than impressed: According to sources, the former ring girl confided in her friends that she felt 'used' and 'like a d*** for trusting him', before leaving the star-studded bash MailOnline has contacted Maura and Curtis' representatives for further comment. Curtis and Maura have beaten the odds by joining Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury as one of two couples to remain in a committed relationship from last year's show. Since their stint in the villa, the media personalities have gone on to lead successful careers in their own right. 'He's a user': The insider also insisted minders attempted to escort the ballroom pro out the bash, with Curtis refusing to leave and letting loose with his pals instead The model is currently competing on this year's Dancing On Ice, serves as a showbiz correspondent on This Morning, and is a brand ambassador for fashion retailer Boohoo, lingerie company Ann Summers, and luxury tanning brand Bellamianta. Choreographer Curtis, meanwhile, stars as a receptionist on BBC One's The Greatest Dancer and was a guest judge on Ru Pauls Drag Race last year. Earlier this month, their romance was rocked by cheating claims on Curtis' part, but the Dancing With The Stars Ireland personality firmly denied the rumours. Appearing on Lorraine, the hunk addressed a video which emerged of him hugging a woman in a club on New Year's Eve. Strong? Curtis and Maura have beaten the odds by joining Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury as one of two couples to remain in a relationship from Love Island (pictured earlier this month) Curtis said at the time: '[The] new year photos [are] nonsense - you can't hug somebody or talk to somebody in this day and age without something coming out! 'Me and Maura are completely fine. I was there watching her on Dancing On Ice yesterday.' During a recent appearance on Heart Radio's Capital Breakfast, Maura outlined the three main reasons why they have managed to stay together. 'That's nonsense': Earlier this month, their romance was rocked by cheating claims on Curtis' part, but the dancer firmly denied the rumours (pictured in August) The brunette beauty said: 'I think trust one another, don't believe everything you read in the press and one main thing don't let fame get to your head. You just need to stay grounded,' she said. Despite finding fame on Love Island, Maura also admitted they were yet to watch the latest series as a couple, telling Capital host Roman Kemp: 'We haven't actually watched it together, no. 'Curtis came to my house late last night so it was already over but we'll watch it tonight.' Keeping busy: The model is currently competing on this year's Dancing On Ice (pictured earlier this month with Alexander Demetriou) Initially, university doctors, suspecting an infection behind the infants sudden illness, ran a series of test that came back negative. Only then did they test the babies urine, thinking, according to one doctor, that a pathogen or agent in a heating or air-condition unit might have caused the infants sudden ailment. In a twist, three of the infants placed in artificial respirators after being struck ill were given morphine as part of the standard treatment, according to doctors. But the tests showed traces of morphine in all of the infants even the two who had not been prescribed the pain killer. The fact that all five infants started experiencing respiratory difficulties at roughly the same time led officials to conclude that the five had been poisoned around the same time, most likely during a night shift in late December. The morphine that is officially prescribed by doctors at the hospital in Ulm is kept locked away, and each use is carefully recorded. Still, the police believe the hospitals morphine was used to poison the babies. According to hospital doctors, the suspect had access to the morphine storage unit on the ward. The police were called on Jan. 17, nearly a month after the crime was committed a delay apparently tied to the hospital staffs search for a biological infection and the Christmas break. The police eventually interviewed all six people who were on duty during the night shift two doctors and four nurses and searched their personal and work areas on hospital grounds. In the nurses changing locker, the police found the feeding syringe with breast milk laced with morphine. The police say they believe the nurse in Ulm gave the babies morphine during their feeding, but the investigation is continuing. Doctors say there will be no lasting effects on the five babies health. It is only thanks to the quick and immediate actions of the hospital staff the lives of the five infants could be saved, Bernard Weber, the head of the Ulm Police, said at the news conference. BRUSSELS - Russia and China are waging a digital war with fake news and disinformation to undermine democracy in Europe, and the European Union must develop tools to fight back, a top EU official said Thursday. European Commission Vice-President Vera Jourova, who leads efforts to preserve democratic principles across the bloc, said the two countries have weaponized information and wont back down until Europe stands up to them. There are specific external actors, namely Russia and increasingly China, that are actively using disinformation and related interference tactics to undermine European democracy, Jourova told a conference of disinformation experts and policymakers in Brussels. The two countries will feel comfortable doing so until we demonstrate that we will not tolerate this aggression and interference, she said. She said that digital war is a favoured method of Russia and China because they see that its efficient, its cheap, and I am not naive enough to believe that some talk will discourage them from doing that. Jourova cited as examples the fake news reports from Russia surrounding the shooting down of a Malaysian airlines flight over eastern Ukraine in 2014 and in the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in Salisbury, England in 2018. Europe must find the best way to defend ourselves and our territory and use the most efficient tools to do that, including funding and new policies, she said. Experts at Thursdays conference said Russias aim is to sow confusion and to undermine western organizations like the EU and NATO, while China uses more subtle methods, combined with a lot of money, to persuade decision-makers and influence policy. Twenty children are being held hostage at a house in a village here by a man, who is facing murder charges, police said on Thursday. Subhash Batham, who had invited the children for a birthday party, fired from inside the house on those who tried to speak to him, they said. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is monitoring the situation in Farrukhabad's Kasaria village, which is nearly 200 km from Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow. "We are ensuring their safe rescue of the children and if needed, the NSG (National Security Guard) will also be called for the operation," Director General of Police (DGP) O P Singh. He said that commando units have been directed to reach the village. Police said Batham is a murder accused and he seems to be mentally unstable. "Twenty children are being held hostage at Kasaria village," Additional Director General of Police P V Rama Shastri said. Inspector General of Police, Kanpur Range, Mohit Agarwal, said, "The man called the children for a birthday party and held them hostage in the basement of the house. He fired six shots from inside the building." He said Batham, who appears to be mentally unstable, fired on those who attempted to speak to him. Batham wanted to talk to the local MLA, but he refused to speak to the leader when he arrived, Agarwal said. The chief minister is personally monitoring the situation and has directed top officials to ensure the immediate release of the children without any physical harm, officials said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The 7th Philippine Conference on the New Evangelisation ended yesterday. The new prefect of Propaganda Fide gave a speech summarising the event. Everyone has needs but everyone also has a gift. Your gift is the response to the needs of the others, Tagle said. Manila (AsiaNews/Agencies) Card Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, archbishop of Manila and new prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, yesterday gave his synthesis of the 7th Philippine Conference on the New Evangelisation (PCNE-7). The key step in the journey of dialogue is a "personal encounter" with others, he said, in particular with those who are considered "unique", real people, "not just caricatures or a concept. The conference was held on 28-29 January at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City, centred on theme At Sino Ang Aking Kapwa, And who is my neighbour? (Luke 10:29). Card Tagles address ended two days of meetings and testimonials. In one of his last official actions as Manilas archbishop, the prelate told participants that by meeting ones neighbours we hopefully will learn the path of humility, admitting our prejudice and even the injustice that we have committed. Let us be converted to the truth. From humility and repentance, hopefully, I will be open to the others who are Gods creatures too, he added. According to the new prefect of Propaganda Fide, following the path of dialogue also means "to be a neighbour", getting away from fears, pride and self-righteousness, which prevent us from seeing the uniqueness of our neighbours. Someone in need is a neighbour, "and that means every person, said the cardinal. Everyone has needs but everyone also has a gift. Your gift is the response to the needs of the others, Tagle said. A neighbour, he explained, both invites and gives compassion. We dont only ask who is my neighbour, we also ask can I be a neighbour to others. Card Tagle launched the first conference in October 2013 in response to the call for a new evangelisation. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) organised this years edition, PCNE-7, as part of the Year of Ecumenism, Interreligious Dialogue and Indigenous Peoples planned for 2021, when the Church will celebrate 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. SALT LAKE CITY - A California businessman accused of leading a nearly $500 million biodiesel fraud scheme was actually being used by a Utah polygamist who didnt want to share the proceeds with his community, a defence attorney said Thursday. Polygamist Jacob Kingston previously pleaded guilty in the scheme and is now trying to shift the blame to businessman Lev Aslan Dermen, lawyer Mark Geragos said during opening statements at Dermens federal trial in Salt Lake City. Kingston was raised in a toxic environment where he learned to lie and carry out government fraud by an incestuous polygamous group that lives by what they call bleeding the beast, said Geragos, making polygamy central to the case. The northern Utah-based Davis County Cooperative Society, also known as the Kingston Group, has a male-dominated hierarchy and Kingston utilized Dermens connections to Turkey to avoid sharing the millions he brought in with higher-ups, Geragos said. They deal in fraud. That is all theyve ever done, Geragos told jurors. At the end of the day, youll find that all roads lead to Jacob Kingston. A spokesman for the group, Kent Johnson, called the allegations categorically false in an emailed statement Thursday. He said the co-operative condemns in the strongest terms fraudulent business or personal practices and stresses that this behaviour goes completely against our beliefs and principles. The group practices polygamy and owns hundreds of businesses. Dermen has pleaded not guilty to 10 counts, including money laundering and mail fraud. Dermen is a reputable businessman who has owned gas stations and a trucking company for 25 years, said Geragos, a Los Angeles lawyer who has represented Michael Jackson and other celebrities. The monetary transactions cited in the case by prosecutors were all legitimate, he said. Prosecutors painted a starkly different picture for jurors, saying Kingston and his brother teamed with Dermen two years into the scheme in exchange for protection by what Dermen called his umbrella of law enforcement and government sources. Dermen pushed the Kingstons to expand the operation exponentially by using burner phones, elaborate money transfers through Turkey and Luxembourg, and shipping fuels from countries such as Ireland and India through Panama, U.S. prosecutor Leslie Goemaat said during her opening statement. Dermen told the others to launder the money by buying million-dollar luxury cars and houses, she said. The prosecutors showed jurors pictures of Dermen and Kingston in front of a silver Bugatti and gold Lamborghini. The same two cars appeared in a photo taken in front of a multi-million dollar Utah home that prosecutors said Dermen helped Kingston buy with money from the scheme. She told jurors that the men aimed to defraud the government of $1 billion but only received $470 million before their final claims in 2015 were rejected. A federal investigation was started weeks later and the three men were indicted in 2018. The business involved in the scheme, Washakie Renewable Energy, once described itself as the largest producer of clean burning and sustainable biodiesel in Utah. Prosecutors say the company was actually creating fake production records to get renewable-fuel tax credits, then laundered the proceeds from 2010 through 2016. Instead of making its own biodiesel, as required in the program, the company was allegedly buying and selling biofuels from other places. Dermen bought some of that second-hand biofuel and sold it at his gas stations, prosecutors allege. Jacob Kingston and his brother Isaiah Kingston owned a renewable energy company used in the scheme. They pleaded guilty last year to money fraud and other charges and are expected to testify against Dermen during the trial that may last a month or longer. Goemaat said Dermen travelled with bodyguards and in private planes and an armoured car with bulletproof windows. He has close contacts with government and police contacts, but the prosecutor didnt reveal their names or locations. She referred to him by his original name, Levon Termendzhyan, which he changed to Lev Aslan Dermen. She said he loves lions and Aslan means lion in Turkish. Geragos said Dermen changed his name because he planned to move to Turkey after his wife died and he wanted to avoid ethnic persecution aimed at people of Armenian descent. YEREVAN. I will perform my duties until the last moment; I will do it with high responsibility. Armenias Acting Police Chief Arman Sargsyan stated this in a conversation with journalists, after his meeting today with members of the majority My Step faction in parliament. Asked if the Prime Minister had already offered to appoint him the Chief of Police, he replied: "If it is not yet decided whether I will stay or not, why should there be an offer? If it happens, it means I'm not going to stay." And asked if he would like to be appointed Chief of Police, Sargsyan responded: "I want to serve Armenia, wherever it may be." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Geneva Thu, January 30, 2020 08:07 713 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20619feda 2 Entertainment Javier-Bardem,Hollywood,actor Free A new international treaty giving new rights to film and television actors will come into force in April, the UN said Tuesday, in a development hailed by Spanish screen star Javier Bardem as "an act of justice". The Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances was adopted in 2012, but is only coming into force now that the minimum required number of 30 countries have ratified it. "The Beijing Treaty is the most important thing that has happened to actors since the invention of cinema," Bardem said in a video distributed alongside the announcement by the UN's World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The treaty gives performers rights over the reproduction, distribution and rental of their audiovisual performances, which could mean they are able to earn more money. It updates previous multilateral provisions agreed in 1961 for the digital era and extends to actors some of the same protections enjoyed by musicians, giving them more power to decide how their performances are used. Spanish star Bardem said it would allow actors to "participate fairly in the use of our audiovisual work" and would give performers "more dignified lives". Read also: 'Little Mermaid' can help save oceans, says Bardem "It puts an end to a historic injustice which has prevented actors from receiving the basic rights long enjoyed by musicians and other creators. "It represents an act of justice for actors, and a show of solidarity that benefits society as a whole," he said. WIPO chief Francis Gurry said many audiovisual performers "could in fact use some support in ensuring the sustainability of their livelihoods." "The Beijing Treaty bolsters AV performers' rights to their work, which translates into rising earnings, and promotes the economic sustainability of the audiovisual industry that delights us all," he said. China, Japan and Russia are among the 30 countries that have ratified the treaty. But big players including the European Union and the United States have not. "Eventually, we would expect most of the big players to join," Michele Woods, director of WIPO's copyright law division, told AFP. wuhan coronavirus city lockdown quarantine Arek Rataj/AP Wuhan, a city in the Chinese province of Hubei with a population of 11 million, has been under an unprecedented quarantine since January 23 because it is the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak. The coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, had killed at least 170 people and infected more than 7,700 worldwide the vast majority in China as of Thursday morning. In just a week under quarantine, Wuhan has experienced food shortages, an overwhelming number of patients, and several evacuations of foreigners visiting the city. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. The epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, Wuhan, a city in the Chinese province of Hubei with a population of 11 million, has been under an unprecedented quarantine since January 23. The coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, had killed at least 170 people and infected more than 7,700 worldwide the vast majority in China as of Thursday morning. The number of Wuhan coronavirus infections in the mainland officially outstripped those of SARS on Wednesday morning. The number of SARS cases on the mainland topped out at 5,327. SARS, which also originated in China, had spread to more countries and killed nearly 800 people worldwide from 2002 to 2003. That disease, which stands for severe acute respiratory syndrome, was caused by the same viral family as 2019-nCoV. In just a week under quarantine, Wuhan has experienced food shortages, an overwhelming number of patients, and several evacuations of foreigners from the city. Developments in the coronavirus outbreak and how the city is coping paint a picture of panic. People crowd into hospitals seeking treatment for coronavirus symptoms, which mirror those of pneumonia or the flu. China line wuhan virus Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images A doctor said thousands of patients were waiting hours to receive medical help as the coronavirus continued to spread at "an alarming rate." Source: Business Insider The city is attempting to build two new hospitals to accommodate the influx of patients. Story continues wuhan coronavirus panic building hospital cnsphoto via Reuters Construction has begun on two hospitals in the city the Wuhan Huoshenshan Hospital, which is expected to open February 3, and the Leishenshan Hospital, due to open February 5. Source: Business Insider China is sending in military doctors and medical workers from other provinces to assist local doctors and nurses with a staggering number of patients. In this Friday, Jan. 24, 2020, photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, a medical worker attends to a patient in the intensive care unit at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province. China expanded its lockdown against the deadly new virus to an unprecedented 36 million people and rushed to build a prefabricated, 1,000-bed hospital for victims Friday as the outbreak cast a pall over Lunar New Year, the country's biggest, most festive holiday. (Xiong Qi/Xinhua via AP) Xiong Qi/Xinhua/AP Medical professionals from other provinces are traveling to the epicenter with boxes of protective masks and other supplies to provide aid to Wuhan. State media reported that the country's central military command also sent 40 medical staffers to assist civilian doctors and nurses in Wuhan and expected to send more. Source: South China Morning Post, Reuters Hospital staff in Wuhan are treating so many people simultaneously that they have begun wearing diapers because they don't have time to use the bathroom. wuhan doctor STR/AFP via Getty Images Hospital workers in Wuhan are wearing adult diapers because they don't have time to use the bathroom in between treating coronavirus patients, The Washington Post reported last week. Medical workers are also wearing diapers so they don't have to take off their hazmat suits those who rip them while taking them off may not get a new one amid supply shortages. Source: Business Insider; The Washington Post As transportation into and out of the city is on lockdown with the quarantine, there are reports of shelves being empty at supermarkets. Wuhan Xiaolu Chu/Getty Images/Business Insider When the lockdown was first announced, people began to stockpile food and resources in a desperate attempt to sustain themselves amid an unprecedented quarantine. A woman from New Zealand, who was in Wuhan to visit her father for the Lunar New Year, told NewsHub about the conditions. "It's quite scary here," she said. "There's all kinds of rumors online and there's a shortage of medical supplies. If we go outside, we cannot buy masks anywhere. "There's also a shortage of food," she added. "A lot of shelves are empty." A video shows medical staff apparently in Wuhan saying there was no more food or drink left in the hospitals and asking for more provisions to be sent to the city. City officials shut down local transportation like buses and trains and encouraged residents to stay home amid the outbreak. People wearing face masks walk down a deserted street in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020. China's death toll from a new viral disease that is causing a global concern rose by 25 to at least 106 on Tuesday as the United States and other governments prepared to fly their citizens out of the locked-down city at center of the outbreak. (AP Photo/Arek Rataj) Associated Press Streets are eerily empty throughout the city as residents come to grips with isolation to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus. Source: Business Insider Foreigners are leaving Wuhan in droves. Passengers board buses after arriving on an airplane carrying U.S. citizens being evacuated from Wuhan, China, at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, Calif. Jan. 29, 2020. The passengers will undergo additional screenings in California and be placed in temporary housing. Officials have not said how long they will stay there. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu) Associated Press US citizens boarded a flight to California from Wuhan. The passengers are being held at March Air Reserve Base in Southern California for screening for the coronavirus. Source: Business Insider Several countries have issued travel warnings to citizens thinking of visiting anywhere in China. wuhan coronavirus travel warnings Patrick Ngugi/AP Several countries, including the US, the UK, and Canada, have warned against all nonessential travel to China to stem the spread of the disease, which has already been confirmed in at least 18 countries. Source: Business Insider The coronavirus outbreak caused cities across the country to cancel their celebrations of the Lunar New Year. doctors signs wuhan hospitals THE CENTRAL HOSPITAL OF WUHAN VIA WEIBO via Reuters The novel coronavirus outbreak in China began in tandem with a significant holiday in the Chinese culture: the Lunar New Year. Cities around the country moved to cancel one of the most important cultural events of the year. Source: Business Insider The disease takes not only a physical but an emotional toll on patients as they are forced to be isolated from their friends and families. wuhan coronavirus families separated Reuters/Stringer/File Photo The Beijing-based therapist Candice Qin told The Washington Post that she talked to a doctor who was infected by a patient, saying the doctor was "devastated." Qin added that the doctor isolated herself in her apartment without telling her parents, feeling a "sense of helplessness and loneliness." Source: Business Insider The city is experiencing a shortage of protective gear to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. wuhan coronavirus face mask queue Achmad Ibrahim/AP Fears from the coronavirus are causing a high demand for face masks, so much so that Chinese officials warned that the country was facing a massive shortage of the protective device. Experts, however, say the masks may not be that helpful in preventing the spread of the disease. Source: Business Insider Wuhan is not the only city on lockdown. China wuhan checkpoint makshift Sky news Shortly after Wuhan was put under quarantine, other Chinese cities were also put on lockdown. As of earlier this week, 46 million people across 16 cities were under quarantine. The coronavirus has been detected in every province in China. Source: Business Insider Read the original article on Business Insider NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- WeissLaw LLP, a national class action and shareholders' rights law firm with offices in New York, California and Georgia, announces an investigation of Sealed Air Corporation (NYSE: SEE) ("SEE," or the "Company"). If you own SEE shares and wish to discuss this investigation or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests, visit our website: http://www.weisslawllp.com/sealed-air-corporation/ Or please contact: Joshua Rubin, Esq. WeissLaw LLP 1500 Broadway, 16th Floor New York, NY 10036 (212) 682-3025 (888) 593-4771 [email protected] The investigation focuses on possible breaches of fiduciary duty and violations of federal securities laws by SEE's Board of Directors for the alleged dissemination of materially false and misleading information in connection with the Company's operations. Specifically, the Company is alleged to have improperly deducted $1.49 billion in asbestos claims relating to its purchase of Cryovac, and to have used a conflicted process to hire its independent auditor. As a result of an internal investigation by the Company's Audit Committee, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer William G. Stiehl, was fired for cause. Additionally, Stiehl and former director Lawrence R. Codey are alleged to have engaged in insider trading. Additionally, the SEC issued a subpoena against SEE in June 2018 in connection with an improper tax deduction and related accounting practices. In June 2019, the SEC issued another subpoena for documents relating to the process SEE used for selecting its auditor. The U.S. Justice Department has also opened a criminal investigation into the Company. WeissLaw LLP has litigated hundreds of stockholder class and derivative actions for violations of corporate and fiduciary duties. We have recovered over a billion dollars for defrauded clients and obtained important corporate governance relief in many of these cases. If you have information or would like legal advice concerning possible corporate wrongdoing (including insider trading, waste of corporate assets, accounting fraud, or materially misleading information), consumer fraud (including false advertising, defective products, or other deceptive business practices), or anti-trust violations, please email us at [email protected] SOURCE WeissLaw LLP Related Links http://weisslawllp.com The Federal Government has asked Nigerians to avoid travelling to China for now because of the coronavirus disease spreading across the Asian country. The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, gave the directive at the end of the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, January 29, 2020. He had given an update on Coronavirus to the session, which was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari. Speaking at the end of the meeting on Wednesday, Osagie Ehanire advised all passengers from China to stay in isolation for two weeks before reuniting with their families. In view of the trending stories around the Coronavirus, it has become very necessary to issue a travel advisory to Nigerians, the minister said. The first is that all Nigerians and all from Nigeria, intending to travel to China should delay all their travel plans until further notice, except it is extremely essential for them to do that trip. All persons arriving from China or any country that has a major outbreak is advised, if they have no symptoms at all, to self isolate, meaning that they stay indoors in their homes for at least two weeks and if they develop any symptoms, like cough, caterrh, sneezing, breathing difficulties within this period, to report to the nearest health facility. We are also advising all airlines to report any case of a passenger falling sick on-board before the plane lands. That is a requirement in the agreement. Nigerian Port Health Services, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control are on alert at our airports and other points of entry. That is the advisory. The death toll from the disease that broke out in Wuhan, China, has risen to 132 in that country. According to the South China Morning Post, the country recorded 840 new cases in Hubei province, while Germany and Vietnam have patients who had contact with people linked to Wuhan. A total of 2,014 cases were confirmed globally as of Sunday with victims in 15 countries excluding China. Cases of the disease have been confirmed in Australia, Cambodia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, US and Vietnam. KanyiDaily recalls that the Federal Government had earlier shut down Panda Supermarket belonging to some Chinese nationals located in Abuja over issues with the dreaded and spreading coronavirus. The government said that the move was to serve as a deterrent to others and to safeguard the lives of citizens from the deadly Coronavirus. Mumbai attack mastermind and Jamat-ud Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed's lawyers finally completed their arguments before an anti-terrorism court here on Thursday in terror financing cases against him. The Anti-Terrorism Court-I (ATC) indicted Saeed and his close aides - Hafiz Abdul Salam, Muhammad Ashraf and Zafar Iqbal - on terror financing charges on December 11. "The anti-terrorism court adjourned the hearing in terror financing cases against Saeed and others till Saturday after his lawyers completed arguments on Thursday," a court official told PTI. Saeed's lawyers - Advocates Naseeruddin Nayyar and Imran Fazal Gull - presented their arguments declaring their client innocent. Saeed and his aides were brought in the court in high security. Saeed has already recorded his statement before the court in two terror financing cases against him in which he pleaded "not guilty". The cases of terror financing have been registered against him in Lahore and Gujranwala cities on the application of Counter Terrorism Department of Punjab police. Cross examination of prosecution witnesses against Saeed and his three close aides by the defense counsel has already been concluded. The prosecution had produced a good number of witnesses against Saeed. The CTD had registered 23 FIRs against Saeed and his accomplices on the charges of terror financing in different cities of Punjab province and arrested him on July 17. He is held at the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore. Saeed-led JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the Lashkar-e-Taiba which is responsible for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attack that killed 166 people, including six Americans. The US Department of the Treasury has designated Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and the US, since 2012, has offered a USD 10 million reward for information that brings Saeed to justice. The US has also welcomed Saeed's indictment, urging Islamabad to ensure a full prosecution and expeditious trial of the charges against him. The indictment followed growing international pressure on Pakistan to stop militant groups from collecting funds in the country and to take immediate action against those still involved in militant activities. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) OXFORD, Mississippi As University of Mississippi students resume classes for the spring semester, they are sharing the campus sidewalks with a fleet of robots that can deliver meals at the push of a button. Starship Technologies, the world's leading autonomous delivery service, has launched robot food delivery services at the university, the first in the Southeastern Conference to have autonomous delivery robots. The robot service began Jan. 22, when Ole Miss students, faculty and staff were first able to access the Starship Deliveries app on iOS or Android to order food and drinks to be delivered anywhere on campus, within minutes from any of the 30 robots serving UM. The service will work in conjunction with student meal plans. "Ole Miss Dining is focused on the continued utilization of advanced technology to enrich the student, faculty and staff dining experience," said Chip Burr, resident district manager of Ole Miss Dining Services. "We are excited about the expansion of our mobile ordering operation and the new opportunities this partnership creates." By making food and drink more accessible, the Starship robots save time and reduce stress, aiming to make the busy lives of the Ole Miss community a little easier, Burr said. Items can be ordered from Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, McAlister's, Panda Express, Which Wich, Qdoba, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Raising Cane's, Steak 'n Shake, Freshii, Papa John's and Sambazon. After choosing their items, users select their location by dropping a pin on the campus map where they want their food delivered. The app allows users to watch the robot's journey in real time through an interactive map. Once the robot arrives, the user will receive an alert and can meet the robot and unlock it through the app. The delivery usually takes just minutes, depending on the menu items ordered and the distance the robot must travel. The robots can carry up to 20 pounds. Starship Technologies operates commercially on a daily basis around the world. Its robots have traveled more than 350,000 miles and completed some 100,000 autonomous deliveries. The robots use a combination of sophisticated machine learning, artificial intelligence and sensors to travel on sidewalks and navigate around obstacles. The computer vision-based navigation helps the robots to map their environment to the nearest inch. They can cross streets, climb curbs, travel at night and operate in both rain and snow. A team of humans also can monitor their progress remotely and take control if needed. Were honored to be able to help make lives a little bit easier for Rebels across the Ole Miss campus by offering the worlds leading autonomous delivery service said Ryan Tuohy, senior vice president of business development at Starship. Whether its getting breakfast delivered in the morning or having a late-night snack, our robots are here to serve students, faculty and staff at all times of the day. BEIJING (AP) The Latest on the outbreak of a new virus from China (all times local): 11 p.m. Russia is closing its land border with China, similar to steps taken by Mongolia and North Korea, to guard against a new viral outbreak. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin issued the decree Thursday, ordering the 2,600-mile land border with China closed starting Friday. It had been de facto closed because of the Lunar New Year holiday, but Russian authorities said the closure would be extended until March 1. Train traffic between the countries was halted except for one train connecting Moscow and Beijing. But no decision has been made about air traffic between Russia and China. Some countries have reduced flights and airlines have halted them because of the new virus that has sickened thousands in central China. Russia has not confirmed any cases of the virus. The dozens of cases outside China mostly have been in people who visited Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. ___ 10 p.m. A group of eminent experts says the world needs to boost preparedness for outbreaks like the new virus in China, notably through more funding to lesser developed countries. The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board has urged governments even in countries that have not been affected by the new coronavirus to urgently dedicate resources to building their essential preparedness capacities, and wants researchers to accelerate development of vaccines, diagnostics and treatments. It said donors should financially support lower resourced countries. The board, co-sponsored by the World Bank and World Health Organization, started operating last March and its members include U.S. immunologist Dr. Anthony Fauci; Director-General of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention George Gao; and Russian Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova. The group issued a statement Thursday expressing concern that many countries remain unprepared and urging leaders to act immediately to ensure they have what's necessary to respond to the virus. Story continues ___ 10 p.m. South Korea has sent a chartered plane to China to bring home people from the center of the new coronavirus outbreak. The aircraft departed Thursday night en route to Wuhan Airport. Several countries are trying to arrange similar flights to get their citizens out of the city. When the plane returns, the South Korean returnees will be quarantined in one of two temporary living facilities for 14 days. Residents of Asan and Jincheon strongly protested the government's decision to quarantine the returnees in their hometowns. Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho said the returnees are essentially asymptomatic so the government was trying to bring them home while strengthening safeguards. Lee also said the government was stepping up coordination with China to return other South Koreans who wanted to return home as well. ___ 9:30 p.m. Indonesia's government says it is preparing to evacuate nearly 250 Indonesians from China's Hubei province due to a viral outbreak. An official statement from his office said President Joko Widodo issued the instructions for the evacuation after a Cabinet meeting Thursday. The Chinese government is ready to facilitate the repatriation of Indonesian citizens from areas affected" by a new coronavirus, a foreign ministry statement said. Several other countries have made similar plans. The government said it was making domestic preparations and that an Indonesian Embassy team in China was helping facilitate with travel and documents. Indonesia was going to send two Boeing 737s and a military C130 Hercules aircraft for the evacuation, which Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto said was expected to be done on Saturday. ___ 9: 20 p.m. Britain says a delayed repatriation flight for 200 U.K. nationals in Wuhan will take off from the Chinese city on Friday. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab says Chinese authorities have confirmed that the evacuation flight can leave at 0500 local time. The U.K.-government chartered plane had been due to return to Britain on Thursday, but the flight was delayed by because permissions form the Chinese government had not come through. The returning Britons will be quarantined for 14 days on arrival. ___ 9 p.m. Singapore has reported three more cases of a new virus, all involving women from the Chinese city hardest-hit in the outbreak. The confirmations Thursday increases the number of infections in Singapore to 13. The health ministry said a 31-year-old woman traveling with a man previously diagnosed tested positive late Wednesday. A 37-year-old Chinese woman traveling with her family also tested positive Wednesday night. On Thursday, a 73-year-old Chinese woman who is visiting Singapore with her family tested positive, it said. Despite the rising cases, the ministry said there was currently no evidence of community spread in Singapore. ___ 7 p.m. A passenger plane has left Portugal en route to China to pick up about 350 Europeans from a virus-hit region. The A380 plane took off Thursday morning from a former military airport in Beja, southeast of Lisbon. Captain Antonios Efthymiou said it would pick up doctors and additional crew in Paris before heading to Hanoi, Vietnam, and then China. He told Portuguese media it would bring back about 350 Europeans of various nationalities. Efthymiou described the flight as a humanitarian mission. He said the crew would take special medical precautions, but he did not elaborate. Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva said the flight was coordinated between European Union countries and Chinese authorities. The United States and Japan have made similar flights to evacuate their citizens from the city of Wuhan, where illnesses from a new coronavirus have been concentrated. ___ 6:25 p.m. Sweden's IKEA has announced all of its stories in mainland China will remain closed for now to protect its customers and staff from the coronavirus outbreak. The furniture and home goods retailer is a favorite destination of Chinese city dwellers both for shopping and for just hanging out. The company said in a statement posted on its website that the stories would remain closed from Jan. 30 onward after shutting a week ago for the Lunar New Year holiday. It asked everyone to please excuse the inconvenience. IKEA's website lists 33 outlets in China, including one in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak of the virus, which can cause pneumonia and other severe respiratory symptoms. The company said, We will pay close attention to the epidemic situation, and the stores will be closed until further notice." It also said, We believe that the viruses will not cut off our love of life. Hand in hand, the epidemic will be defeated!" ___ 6 p.m. South Korea has confirmed two more cases of a new virus, including the first locally spread case. The new cases reported Thursday bring South Korea's total to six cases of a new coronavirus that has sickened thousands in China. South Koreas Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said a 56-year-old man was infected after contacting an earlier patient. The other new case was a 32-year-old man who returned from a business trip to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, on Jan. 24. Both men are in isolation and undergoing treatment. ___ 5:45 p.m. Spains national airline Iberia says it is halting its three weekly round-trip flights between Madrid and Shanghai because of the coronavirus health alert. The company said in a statement late Wednesday that the suspension would start Friday and continue through the month of February, and could be extended. It said ticketed passengers could change their flight dates or be reimbursed. Iberia said it would seek alternative arrangements for those passengers looking to complete booked return journeys within the suspension period. Spanish health authorities said they were finalizing preparations to evacuate some 20 Spanish citizens from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus outbreak. They will be quarantined in an unspecified hospital for two weeks. Spain has no confirmed cases of the virus so far. ___ 5:30 p.m. Cambodia's leader has urged citizens to remain calm about the new virus from China, which has been confirmed in a single case of a visitor from Wuhan, while threatening to kick out reporters or officials seen wearing a face mask. Prime Minister Hun Sen said in a live televised address Thursday that people should not be scared because the real illness they faced was fear, based on inaccurate information on social media. "The prime minister does not wear a mask, so why should you be wearing a mask here," he said. Hun Sen, who very actively posts on his own Facebook account, was critical about misinformation about the virus that had spread on that platform in Cambodia. ___ 4:45 p.m. India's health ministry says it has detected its first case of the novel coronavirus in the southern state of Kerala. A student who had been studying at Wuhan University tested positive for the virus. The ministry says in a statement that the student has been kept in isolation and is being monitored at a hospital. It's not clear when the student returned to India from China. Passengers who have travelled to China recently are being screened for symptoms in at least 20 Indian airports. The health ministry says that isolation wards have been identified in different hospitals across the country in order to prepare for a potential outbreak. The Indian government said Wednesday that it is planning to operate two flights to evacuate Indians from Hubei in China and isolate them for 28 days in the Indian capital of New Delhi. The health ministry says that it was planning to airlift only those who don't appear to have symptoms of the flu in order to minimize the risk of the infection spreading. ___ 4:25 p.m. The Philippines has confirmed its first case of a new virus that has infected thousands in China. Health Secretary Francisco Duque said the 38year-old Chinese woman had traveled to the Philippines from Wuhan, China, via Hong Kong on Jan. 21. She sought treatment on Jan. 25 due to a mild cough. Duque said at a news conference the woman was confirmed positive from test results Thursday and currently has no symptoms. The outbreak of the new type of coronavirus surfaced in the central city of Wuhan in December. ___ 4:20 p.m. Korean Air says it will cut or suspend some of its flights to mainland China starting on Sunday as demands decrease amid a growing coronavirus crisis. South Koreas largest airline on Thursday said it will suspend flights from Incheon International Airport to Huangshan, Zhangjiajie, Changsha and Kunming as well as flights from Busan to Beijing and Nanjing and from Jeju to Beijing. The company will reduce the number of flights from Incheon to Beijing, Qingdao and Shenyang and from Busan to Qingdao and Shanghai. Korean Air had operated four flights a week to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, before suspending them on Jan. 23. The company says flights to Wuhan will continue to be grounded at least until March 27. On Wednesday, Asiana Airlines, South Koreas second-largest carrier, said it will suspend flights to the Chinese cities of Guilin, Changsha and Haikou starting next month. ___ 4:10 p.m. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging "closer coordination" with Chinese authorities to help identify people traveling from China to African nations who might have the new virus. The statement on Wednesday came as the World Health Organization expressed concerns about "weaknesses" in disease surveillance and control in parts of Africa. The Africa CDC acknowledged the problem earlier this week, saying it's possible there are already cases on the continent. No cases in Africa have been confirmed, but a growing number of suspected cases in several countries has been reported. ___ 2:40 p.m. South Korean police say protesters have thrown plastic water bottles and paper cups at the country's vice health minister to oppose plans to quarantine Wuhan evacuees in their neighborhood. The rally took place Wednesday in the southern town of Jincheon, where residents protested the government plan to isolate in their neighborhood some of the South Koreans who will be evacuated from the Chinese city at the center of a new virus. Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip visited the area to explain the plan. Police said Thursday it wasnt clear if Kim was hit by objects thrown at him. Photos showed some protesters grabbing Kims arms while his upper jacket was partially ripped. Officials say Kim was apparently unhurt and attended a parliamentary committee meeting on Thursday. ___ 1:10 p.m. A Japanese official says 13 of 210 evacuees who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan to Tokyo had cough, fever or other health issues and are expected to be sent to designated hospitals. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga says Japan is negotiating to evacuate some 300 more citizens and their families from Wuhan as early as Thursday. Shigeru Omi, the former regional director for the World Health Organization who now heads Japan Community Health Care Organization, said that two evacuees who tested positive for the virus without showing any symptoms could have spread the disease further. He urged Japanese health authorities to step up surveillance measures based on that assumption. Japan has confirmed 11 cases, including two suspected human-to-human transmissions in people who had not visited China. ___ 1 p.m. New Zealand's government is chartering a plane from national carrier Air New Zealand to get people home from Wuhan. Foreign Minister Winston Peters says the plane will take up to 300 passengers. He says officials are working through operational requirements with authorities from both countries and that the flight is still subject to approval from China. He says any spare seats would be offered to Australian or Pacific island citizens. New Zealand officials are preparing to isolate incoming passengers for up to two weeks. Singapore meanwhile says it flew back 92 of its citizens from Wuhan on Thursday. Celebrities including Little Women star Emma Watson, Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker director JJ Abrams and Mollys Game actor Idris Elba are among more than 2,000 campaigners who have backed an open letter addressed to world leaders. The letter, which has been released on the Global Goals website, urges world leaders to tackle the emergency facing people and planet by taking action to combat the climate crisis, poverty and inequality. In 2015, all member nations of the United Nations adopted the Agenda for Sustainable Development, which outlined 17 sustainable development goals for countries to aim to achieve by 2030. The new open letter includes 20 signatories from a selection of the most renowned activists across the globe, including female education campaigner Malala Yousafzai, primatologist Dr Jane Goodall and #MeToo founder Tarana Burke. This is an emergency. We are activists for different causes from across the world, writing as one for the first time to demand your immediate action in this critical year, the letter reads. Five years ago, at the United Nations, 193 countries committed to the Global Goals for Sustainable Development. A historic plan to end extreme poverty, conquer inequality and fix the climate crisis. Look at our world now. The letter outlines several issues that people are facing on a daily basis across the planet. Our climate is heating up. Natural disasters are increasing. Millions flee their homes. Children suffer without vital food and healthcare. Activists are murdered for their views, it outlines. Girls and women are refused an education and subjected to discrimination and violence. But still dare to hope that in 2020 you will act decisively and courageously and kickstart a decade of action. Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here Show all 29 1 /29 Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here The protest in Parliament Square, London on February 15 AFP/Getty Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here The protest in Parliament Square, London on February 15 Getty Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here The protest in Parliament Square, London on February 15 EPA Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here The protest in Manchester on February 15 Getty Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here The protest in Manchester on February 15 Getty Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here The protest in Parliament Square, London on February 15 Getty Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here The protest in Brighton on February 15 Getty Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here The protest in Parliament Square, London on February 15 AFP/Getty Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here The protest in Parliament Square, London on February 15 AFP/Getty Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here The protest in Parliament Square, London on February 15 Reuters Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here The protest in Parliament Square, London on February 15 PA Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here The protest in Parliament Square, London on February 15 PA Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here The protest in Parliament Square, London on February 15 PA Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here The protest in Parliament Square, London on February 15 PA Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here The protest in Parliament Square, London on February 15 PA Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here The march in Brussels, February 14 Reuters Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here The march in Brussels, February 14 Reuters Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here The march in Brussels, February 14 AP Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here The march in Brussels, February 14 AP Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here The march in Brussels, February 14 Reuters Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here The march in Brussels, February 14 AP Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here The march in Brussels, February 14 AP Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here The march in Brussels, February 14 Reuters Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here The march in Brussels, February 14 Reuters Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here The march in Brussels, February 14 Reuters Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here The march in Brussels, February 14 Reuters Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here The march in Brussels, February 14 Reuters Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here The march in Brussels, February 14 Reuters Climate strike: See the best signs from the protest here The march in Brussels, February 14 AP Burke highlighted that the Global Goals are a solution-focused plan that the world needs. They build on a vision of a world in which women and girls can live free from violence, harassment and discrimination, but we all know that is a long way off, the #MeToo founder said. Thats why we must use these Goals as a tool to hold our leaders to account and to boost all our efforts. Dr Goodall said that now is the time for action if world leaders are to achieve the Global Goals they committed to five years ago, adding: We all have a role to play. Recommended 10 quotes from women that defined the decade The campaigners who are backing the letter hope that world leaders will demonstrate their commitment to the Global Goals during key moments through the year. These include the 2020 United Nations Climate Change Conference, the Gavi replenishment conference, Generation Equality Forums in Mexico and France, the UN General Assembly and a biodiversity conference in China. Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of Black Lives Matter and founder and chair of Reform LA Jails, said that the battle for justice and equality becomes more urgent with every passing day. I am proud to join together with 19 other activists today, across issues, across continents and generations, to demand world leaders deliver on their promises contained in the Global Goals," Cullors said. We are doing our bit. They must do theirs. To read the full list of the letters signatories, click here. To peruse the names of the 2,020 backers of the letter, click here. Cronkite News WASHINGTON A House committee gave preliminary approval Wednesday to a bill that would reverse Trump administration changes to the Endangered Species Act, after a heated debate between members over which side had the best interest of the act at heart. Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson, sponsored the bill that he said is needed to overturn rules by the departments of the Interior and Commerce that undermine the protections of the act. But defenders like Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Prescott, say the Endangered Species Act is in desperate need of reform and that the administrations efforts to modernize it will help move America forward and make America great again. The bill [ H.R.4348 PDF ] passed the House Natural Resources Committee on a party-line vote after close to an hour of debate. Good News! @NRDems passed my bill out of committee that would stop President Trump's attacks on the Endangered Species Act. We must continue safeguarding biodiversity and protecting critical habitats. #StopExtinction pic.twitter.com/GZAoM6CqmE Raul M. Grijalva (@RepRaulGrijalva) January 29, 2020 Grijalva, who chairs the committee, said one of the rules his bill targets is the administrations decision to exclude climate change when officials are considering how a species might fare in the future and whether it should be listed as endangered or threatened. They undermine the protection for critical habitats, they dramatically limit the scope of what can be considered future threats, Grijalva said. Climate change under the administrations new definition of foreseeable future cant be considered and to some extent does not exist. But Gosar said Trumps rules help make a flawed Endangered Species Act more transparent (and) efficient, noting that it has failed to improve the status of the vast majority of species it aims to protect. Since the passing of the Endangered Species Act, only 3% of species that had been listed under the act have been delisted, Gosar said. If only 3% of patients admitted to a hospital walked out healthy, that hospital would be shut down immediately. Defending the Endangered Species Act in @NRDems today against gutting by the current administration. Among many success stories since ESA was signed into law by President Nixon in 1973, Hawaiis state bird, our endemic nene goose, likely owes its very survival to ESA. pic.twitter.com/61FGBEfUbf Rep. Ed Case (@RepEdCase) January 29, 2020 Other committee members challenged that figure, saying it does not take into consideration how other species have improved. Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, said 99% of the listed species are recovering because of the Endangered Species Act. Yes, it does cause people to have to go through some hoops, Case said of the law. Thats as it should be if the end goal is to preserve our endangered and threatened species. The debate was testy throughout, with committee Democrats questioning Republicans motives. The problem is, many of my colleagues across the aisle have spent years fighting against the funding of our federal resource agencies, said Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif. Its a little bit like the arsonist lamenting fire damage. Gosar snapped back at Democrats on the panel, saying you better know a lot about my background before you start implying what I stand for. Im very passionate about species, Gosar said. In fact, in my front yard I have a pond that were trying to build in regards to threatened frogs. Gosar tried to amend Grijalvas bill to cement the administrations changes to Endangered Species Act in place, but it failed on a 15-22 vote. We should be working together to improve the Endangered Species Act and supporting changes that bring it into the 21st century on a bipartisan basis, Gosar said before that vote. Rep. Deb Haaland (D-New Mexico), one of the first two Native women in Congress, is seen on the far right at a markup of the House Committee on Natural Resources in Washington, D.C., on January 28, 2020. Photo courtesy House Committee on Natural Resources Democrats The bill still has to pass the full House and it faces an uphill fight in the GOP-controlled Senate. But environmental policy advocates applauded the committees approval. The world loses more unique animals and plants to the extinction crisis every day we dont take action, said a statement from Stephanie Kurose, an endangered species policy specialist at the Center for Biological Diversity. She said there is an ongoing species die-off around the world. Were grateful lawmakers have taken this important step to reverse the Trump administrations cruel attack on the Endangered Species Act, her statement said. House Committee on Natural Resources Notice This story is part of Elemental: Covering Sustainability, a new multimedia collaboration between Cronkite News Rocky Mountain PBS and PBS SoCal . It originally appeared on Cronkite News and is published via a Creative Commons license . Cronkite News is produced by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University Join the Conversation Rajinder Nagar Delhi Assembly Constituency Election Results 2020 Live Updates - Read Rajinder Nagar 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, Rajinder Nagar Profile | The Aam Aadmi Party's Raghav Chadha has won the election from the Rajinder Nagar constituency against the Bharatiya Janata Party's Sardar RP Singh by a margin of 20,058 votes. Rajinder Nagar is part of the New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency. A Punjabi-dominated area, Rajinder Nagar saw a triangular contest as AAP replaced its sitting MLA Vijender Garg to field a more popular face, Raghav Chadha, who lost the 2019 Lok Sabha polls to BJP's Ramesh Bidhuri from South Delhi seat. Chadha, a Punabi will take on veteran BJP leader from the Sikh community, RP Singh and Congress' student leader from Jat community, Rocky Tuseed, who was president of Delhi University Students' Union in 2017 and ended the five-year-drought for the Congress-affiliated National Students Union of India. Here is a brief profile of Rajinder Nagar constituency: Constituency Name: Rajinder Nagar Constituency Number: 39 District Name: Central Delhi Total Electors: 182530 Female Electors: 78227 Male Electors: 104294 Third Gender: 9 Reserved: No Results in previous elections: Sitting AAP MLA Vijender Garg had won the 2015 Delhi polls with over 54 percent votes and 20,000 votes against BJP veteran RP Singh in 2015. But the party has replaced him with Chadha, perhaps sensing the need to field a stronger candidate. Garg, meanwhile, let his grouse known and claimed that he was "sacrificed to oblige a big name in the party" Before Garg claimed the seat for AAP in 2015, it was primarily a BJP bastion. Singh had won the seat in 2013 elections, before losing out to Chadha in mid-term polls. Before him, Puran Chand Yogi, a veteran BJP leader, represented the seat from 1993 until his demise in 2008. Congress has held this seat only once in 2008 when Rama Kant Goswami won the seat after BJP fielded Yogi's wife Asha at the last minute, after he committed suicide. Demographics: Largely an upper-middle-class locality, Rajinder Nagar is dominated by Punjabis as thousands of displaced families were settled in this area after the Partition. Rajinder Nagar also has a significant population of SC and OBC voters. SCs and OBCs together form at least 40 percent of the population in the constituency, however, various caste dynamics within themselves has kept the community from voting as a cohesive unit. In fact, this is one of the constituencies the Mayawati-led BSP has been trying to win since 2008. Rajinder Nagar also has a Jat-dominated pocket, Dasghara and a Yadav-dominated locality, Todapur within its bounds. However, over the years, it has seen a sharp demographic shift . In recent years, the demography in areas such as Inderpuri, Naraina Vihar and Pandav Nagar has again changed to with a substantial number of Purvanchali migrants moving to the area. A US-Israeli woman jailed for drug trafficking in Russia flew into Tel Aviv with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday after she was pardoned by President Vladimir Putin. Israeli TV stations screened live coverage of 26-year-old Naama Issachar's arrival at Ben Gurion airport, near Tel Aviv. "I just want to say thank you to everyone for all the support," she said smiling. "Right now I'm still in shock from the whole situation." Russia freed her from prison shortly before Netanyahu met Putin at the Kremlin to discuss US President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan. Bringing Issachar home after 10 months in prison was a publicity coup for Netanyahu ahead of March 2 elections. Her fate had sparked a wave of sympathy in Israel, where the veteran premier had pledged to do everything for her release. She was arrested at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport in April 2019 while in transit from India to Israel. Russian authorities said they found nine grammes (0.3 ounces) of cannabis in her checked luggage and she was sentenced in October to seven and a half years in prison. Her case was controversial because she was arrested whilst in the airport's transit zone, while the drugs were in her hold luggage. Netanyahu posted a video on Twitter showing him and his wife hugging and kissing Issachar and her mother at a Moscow airport before their departure. "We're excited to see you. Now, we're going home," his office quoted Netanyahu as telling Issachar. Putin had pardoned Issachar on Wednesday after she submitted a request at the weekend. "Guided by the principles of humanity, I pardon Naama Issachar," he said in a decree cited by the Kremlin. The prison service said early Thursday that she had been released from a penal colony in the Moscow region. Putin told Netanyahu that it was lucky for Issachar that she did not cross the border, suggesting this would have complicated the pardon procedure. "She -- thank God, it's very good for her -- didn't even cross the Russian border," Putin said, adding that the drugs were found in her luggage while it was being moved from one plane to another. "Give my very best regards to her, her family and her mum," he told Netanyahu. In December, Issachar lost an appeal against her sentence, which Netanyahu had described as disproportionate. During the appeal hearing, Issachar had proclaimed her innocence, denouncing the charges against her as absurd. After initially refusing to appeal to Putin, on Sunday she signed a request for a pardon. The Russian leader met Issachar's mother and Netanyahu while visiting Israel last week to commemorate the liberation of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz 75 years ago. The Israeli foreign ministry had called the verdict "harsh and disproportionate" and President Reuven Rivlin had appealed to Putin's "mercy and compassion" when asking him to intervene in the case. Netanyahu and Putin on Thursday also discussed Trump's Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, but Putin did not comment on the proposal in front of the reporters. Netanyahu had stood alongside Trump at the White House when the peace plan was announced Tuesday, and called it a victory for Israel. He told Putin he was the first foreign leader he had spoken to about the plan, adding: "I'd like to speak to you and hear your insights and see how we can combine all our forces for security and peace." Russia has said it will study Trump's plan and called on Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate directly to find a "mutually acceptable compromise". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi: The youth who opened fire in Anti-CAA march conducted by Jamia Coordination Committee, injuring a student of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University, in New Delhi on Jan 30, 2020. The attacker was apprehended by the police and the victim was Image Source: IANS News New Delhi: A Journalism student of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University, identified as Shadab Khan, was shot in his arm by an unidentified man during an anti-CAA march conducted by Jamia Coordination Committee at Jamia Nagar in New Delhi on Jan 30, Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, Jan 30 : The man who opened fire on students protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Jamia area here on Thursday, had put up several posts on Facebook making his intentions clear that he would indulge in violence to "end" the Shaheen Bagh protests. The man, who goes by the name of Rambhakt Gopal on Facebook, has written several posts that he would "end the protest" at Shaheen Bagh by January 31. The women and residents of Shaheen Bagh are protesting against the controversial CAA and the NRC for the past one month. As the students were set to start their march from Jamia Millia Islamia to Rajghat, he took out a country-made .315 bore pistol and opened fire a student sustained an injury in his hand. The police, which was watching the actions of the youth from the side, instantly took him into custody after he opened fire. Before opening fire, the youth had shouted, "If you people have to stay in India then you will have to say Vande Mataram, and now I am going to give you your freedom." Even before firing the pistol, the youth was heard raising slogans of "Jai Shri Ram". While scrolling through his Facebook posts, it was found that Gopal went live a number of times from outside the campus of Jamia and made a numbers of posts in which he mentioned that he was a lone Hindu in the area and none of the mediapersons covering the protest were Hindus. In one of his posts, he also asked the people to help his family in his absence and as a last wish he wrote that his body should be wrapped in the saffron cloth and people should raise the slogan of "Jai Shri Ram" on his last journey. In one post he also mentioned that he will avenge the death of Chandan Gupta, who died in firing while taking out a bike rally in Uttar Pradesh's Kasganj two years ago. In a January 28 post, Gopal said that "everyone should take his Facebook profile seriously". Meanwhile, the student who received a bullet injury has been identified as Shadab Farooq, a student of MA Mass Communication. He was shifted to Holy Family Hospital for treatment. The police is interrogating Gopal. The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress has come out in support of the Aam Admi Party (AAP) ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, with its national spokesperson Derek O Brien uploading a video endorsing not just Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal but all AAP candidates. Vote for @AamAadmiParty, Vote for the candidate from Rajendra Nagar constituency @raghav_chadha, Vote for @ArvindKejriwal and all AAP candidates in Delhi, O Brien tweeted on Thursday morning. Vote for @AamAadmiParty Vote for the candidate from Rajendra Nagar constituency @raghav_chadha Vote for @ArvindKejriwal and all AAP candidates in Delhi WATCH pic.twitter.com/KcgHbPpkB7 Citizen Derek | (@derekobrienmp) January 30, 2020 In the video accompanying the tweet, OBrien is heard saying that AAP fulfilled all the promises it made - be it on the education front, providing electricity or healthcare. The TMC leader is standing in Rajinder Nagar, from where AAPs Raghav Chadha is contesting the elections. Raghav Chadha is from Rajinder Nagar. He is a boy from here, who has grown up here. Very bright, very enthusiastic. One of the brightest young minds I have met in Delhi, OBrien says in the video. May Aam Aadmi Party do very, very well, OBrien says at the end of the 41-second video. The AAP is seeking to return to power, banking on a number of schemes it announced in the election season. Party chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal made metro and bus rides free for women, announced free electricity upto 200 units and reduced water bill. The party had won 67 out of 70 seats in the Assembly elections held in 2015, and is now aiming to break that record. The rest of the three seats were won by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is hoping to come back to power in Delhi after more than two decades. The BJP has roped in star campaigners like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, party chief JP Nadda, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and other Union ministers who will address massive public rallies in addition to ongoing neighbourhood meetings. Delhi is scheduled for assembly polls on February 8 and the results for the 70 constituencies will be declared on February 11. Kevin Hart attends the Australian premiere of ''The Secret Life of Pets 2'' during the Sydney Film Festival on June 6, 2019, in Sydney, Australia. Read more Cancel culture has become so pervasive that even former President Barack Obama has weighed in on the phenomenon, describing it as an overly judgmental approach to activism that does little to bring about change. For the uninitiated, heres a quick primer on the phenomenon: An individual or an organization says, supports, or promotes something that other people find offensive. They swarm, piling on the criticism via social media channels. Then that person or company is largely shunned, or canceled. It happened to Chick-fil-A when its ties to organizations such as Focus on the Family invited backlash from LGBTQ activists; it happened to YouTube influencer James Charles, who was accused of betraying his former mentor and lost millions of followers; and it happened to Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross after people learned he had held a fund-raiser for President Donald Trump. Outrage can spread so quickly on social media that companies or individuals who dont adequately respond to a mishap intentional or not can face swift backlash. You can send a thoughtless tweet before boarding a flight and, upon landing, realize youve become the target of global ire. A lot of attention has been given to repercussions of cancel culture on celebrities, from J.K. Rowling to Kevin Hart to Lena Dunham. Less talked about is the way algorithms actually perpetuate cancel culture. Algorithms love outrage My own research has shown how content that sparks an intense emotional response positive or negative is more likely to go viral. Out of millions of tweets, posts, videos, and articles, social media users can be exposed to only a handful. So platforms write algorithms that curate news feeds to maximize engagement; social media companies, after all, want you to spend as much time on their platforms as possible. Outrage is the perfect negative emotion to attract attention and engagement and algorithms are primed to pounce. One person tweeting her outrage would normally fall largely on deaf ears. But if that one person is able to attract enough initial engagement, algorithms will extend that individuals reach by promoting it to like-minded individuals. A snowball effect occurs, creating a feedback loop that amplifies the outrage. Often, this outrage can lack context or be misleading. But that can work in its favor. In fact, Ive found that misleading content on social media tends to lead to even more engagement than verified information. So you can write an immature tweet as a teenager, someone can dig it up, express outrage, conveniently leave out that its from seven or eight years ago, and the algorithms will nonetheless amplify the reaction. All of a sudden, youre canceled. Hart goes down We saw this dynamic recently play out with comedian Kevin Hart. Once it was announced that Hart would be the host for the 2019 Academy Awards, Twitter users plumbed a series of homophobic tweets from 2009 to 2011 and started sharing them. Few were aware Hart had tweeted about homosexuality. The outrage was swift. Harts unapologetic response on Instagram inflamed the online anger. Algorithms anticipate what users want based on detailed information about their preferences. All of a sudden, those most likely to be upset by Harts homophobic remarks were having tweets about them splashed across their feeds. Within a day of Harts Instagram post, the actor announced he would withdraw from hosting. Cancel culture is just one outgrowth of social media algorithms. More broadly, people have criticized how algorithms such as YouTubes actively promote divisive posts in order to suck people into spending more time online. In 2018, a British Parliament committee report on fake news criticized Facebooks relentless targeting of hyper-partisan views, which play to the fears and prejudices of people. Algorithms encourage second acts Paradoxically, the same algorithmic forces that buttress cancel culture can actually rehabilitate canceled entertainers. A few months after the Hart controversy, Netflix decided to produce two shows featuring the comedian. Why would Netflix expose itself to criticism by elevating a supposedly canceled celebrity? Because it knew that there would be an audience for Harts comedy that, in certain circles, the fact that he had been canceled made him that much more appealing. Like social media platforms, Netflix also deploys algorithms. Because Netflix has a massive library of content, it deploys algorithms that take into account users prior viewing choices and preferences to recommend specific shows and movies. Maybe these users are die-hard Hart fans. Or maybe theyre inclined to see Hart as a victim of political correctness. Either way, Netflix has granular data about which users would be predisposed to watching a show about Hart, despite the fact that he had been nominally canceled. On Netflixs end, theres little risk. Netflix probably knows, on some level, which of its subscribers are likely to be offended by Hart. So it simply wont promote Harts show to those people. At the same time, partnering with controversial brands and individuals can be good for business. Together, the phenomenon of cancel culture is an illustration of the weird ways algorithms and social media can upend, distort, and rehabilitate the lives and careers of celebrities. Anjana Susarla is an associate professor of information systems at Michigan State University. She originally wrote this for the Conversation. The body of an environmental activist who fought to protect the famed monarch butterfly has been found in a well two weeks after he went missing, officials say. Homero Gomez Gonzalez, 50, was reported missing on 14 January amid fears he had been targeted by criminal gangs and illegal loggers in the central Mexican state of Michoacan. The cause of death has not yet been determined, however an initial investigation found his body showed no apparent signs of violence. Last week, prosecutors questioned 53 local police officers over Mr Gomezs disappearance. As the manager of El Rosario butterfly reserve and a former communal land officer, he led efforts to preserve the pine and fir mountaintop forests where the monarch butterfly spends the winter. 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 Millions of monarchs come to the forests of Michoacan and other areas after making the 3,400-mile migration from the United States and Canada. They need healthy tree cover to protect them from rain and cold weather. Mexico has clamped down on illegal logging, which was once a major threat to the reserves but which has fallen to about one-third of last years level. But there have been reports of increased salvage logging of supposedly sick trees. In an interview in November last year, Mr Gomez said the butterfly sanctuary had worked to eradicate the felling of trees and planted more than a million new firs and pines in four years. Disputes over water from mountain springs have also occurred in the region, and avocado planters have long coveted the area, which has near-ideal growing conditions for the valuable fruit. Mr Gomez was last seen at about 7pm on 13 January in the town of El Soldado, Ocampo, and was reported missing the next day. More than 200 volunteers helped search for him, along with officials from the municipal police, land authority and security ministry. Additional reporting by agencies. The PLO and Fatah sent top representatives to Syria recently in what some observers say was a move to repair their ties with Damascus at the expense of Fatah's rival, Hamas. The high-level delegation arrived in Syria on Jan. 15 and participated in a Jan. 17 ceremony Fatah organized in Damascus to commemorate the party's 55th anniversary. The delegation was headed by Azzam Al-Ahmad, a member of both the PLO Executive Committee and the Fatah Central Committee. He was accompanied by a number of senior Palestinian officials including fellow Executive Committee member Wasel Abu Youssef, Fatah Central Committee member Samir al-Rifai, head of the PLOs political department in Syria Anwar Abdul Hadi and Palestines ambassador to Syria, Mahmoud al-Khalidi. During the trip, the delegation discussed with Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mikdad the situations in Palestine and Syria. Mikdad thanked the Palestinian leadership for its stance against US pressure on Syria. Abdul Hadi briefed former Syrian Prime Minister Muhammad Miro on the developments of the Palestinian cause. They both denounced the US peace plan. Abdul Hadi also discussed conditions at Palestinian camps in Syria with Syrian Minister of Social Affairs Rima Al-Qadri. Nabil Shaath, an adviser to the Palestinian president and head of the PLO's Refugee Affairs Department, was quoted by Arabi21 news Jan. 17 as saying, Syria is an important country despite our past differences. He affirmed, Today, Syria shares our problems with Israel and Washington. It is crucial for us to maintain our relationship with it. Al-Monitor spoke to Abu Youssef, part of the delegation to Damascus. The visit sought to achieve three goals, ensuring Palestinian-Syrian coordination to face the US 'deal of the century,' discussing the conditions of Palestinian refugee camps in Syria and holding meetings with Palestinian factions, he said. We do not link improving our relationship with Syria to its estrangement with Hamas. No Arab country should be angry at us for improving our relationship with Syria. Our cause supersedes all Arab differences. It's hard to believe that the PLOs visit to Damascus, about 10 days after the visit by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh to Iran, was mere coincidence. Abdel Sattar Qassem, a political science professor at An-Najah National University in Nablus in the West Bank, told Al-Monitor, The PA wants to keep Hamas blockaded and this visit aims to achieve just that. He noted that well-informed PA sources in Syria told him the PA was inciting against Hamas during its visits to Damascus. This is the fifth visit of the PLO to Syria since 2013. Previous visits took place in July 2019, January 2019, July 2018 and February 2013 as the PA strove to fill Hamas place in Syria. In January 2019, Palestine TV opened its headquarters in Damascus and in July of that year, Assad gifted Palestinian Authority President and Fatah member Mahmoud Abbas a Quran written in gold ink. Still, Qassem added, A visit by Haniyeh to Syria is not unlikely if carefully arranged in advance, despite Syria espousing intransigent policies vis-a-vis the reconciliation with Hamas. An official source in Hamas told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, The movement does not like to talk to the media about the issue of Syria. There is no relationship between us. The PAs visits to Damascus have nothing to do with Hamas renewing its relationship with Syria or not. No surprise visit by Haniyeh to Syria is looming on the horizon, as political relations do not come suddenly. Meanwhile, it does not seem that the PAs relationship with Egypt and Saudi Arabia will be affected negatively by its visits to Syria. Hostility toward Arab revolutions has become a common denominator among Cairo, Damascus and Riyadh. Cairo has security and military ties to Damascus, while recent indicators showed a desire for rapprochement between Syria and Saudi Arabia. Ties between Hamas, Saudi Arabia and Egypt remain weak. Sari Orabi, a Palestinian writer on Islamist factions and a researcher at the Vision Center for Political Development based in Istanbul, pointed out that Fatahs rhetoric toward the Syrian regime changed when the latter cut ties with Hamas. This is why the PLO delegations visit to Damascus is only natural, he said, noting that Fatah is worried that after Haniyehs recent visit to Tehran, Hamas might get Iran to persuade Syria to reconcile with it. He continued, There have been previous attempts to mend the relationship between Hamas and Syria. The two sides had held secret meetings mediated by Iran and Hezbollah, but they failed because of Syrias intransigence. [Some] internal voices within Hamas are now calling for resuming the relationship with Syria, but the latter keeps rejecting any reconciliation efforts. Before the Syrian revolution broke out in 2011, the Syrian government had maintained strong relations with Hamas political bureau in Damascus since 1999. The estrangement started when Hamas refused to back President Bashar al-Assad against the Syrian opposition. Hamas then moved its political bureau to Cairo in 2012. Iran and Hezbollah repeatedly attempted to reconcile the two sides, to no avail. It's no secret that the relationship with Syria is an issue of great sensitivity within Hamas ranks. Some encourage it, others feel it would be best to take things slowly and part of the movement rejects it. These positions are natural and expected in light of legitimate questions about Hamas gains or interest from this relationship. Syria has become penetrated by regional and international security services and is unable to provide a safe environment for Hamas should it decide to return there. Syrian airspace is exposed to Israeli aircraft, which can assassinate Hamas cadres there. Mahmoud Zaghmout, a member of the Action Group for Palestinians of Syria, told Al-Monitor the Syrian regime has become a burden, even for its allies. I don't see how Hamas would benefit from resuming relations with Syria. On the contrary, it could have adverse consequences. The Syrian regime is economically and militarily collapsed, politically isolated, illegitimate and internationally accused of committing genocide. The PLO's recent visit confirms that Syria maintains contradictory relations with the Palestinians, building ties with Fatah while breaking them with Hamas. It seems Iran and Hezbollah have stopped trying to bring Damascus and Hamas together after many failed attempts. Meanwhile, Russia's strong influence in Syria may hinder its reconciliation with Hamas. Moscow believes a rapprochement could strengthen Tehran's position in Damascus and provoke Israel. Without a Russian green light, Syria cannot restore its relationship with Hamas. BOSTON, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Liberty Mutual Insurance today appointed Tracy Ryan President of Global Risk Solutions (GRS) North America. Ryan will oversee the company's North American commercial property, casualty, and specialty operations including underwriting, distribution and claims. Ryan has held several leadership positions during her 25-year career at Liberty Mutual, most recently as Executive Vice President and Chief Claims Officer for GRS. Prior to claims, she held leadership roles in actuarial, product, and client management in the United States and Europe. "Tracy is a proven leader who delivers strong results with a customer-centric focus," said Liberty Mutual Insurance Executive Vice President & President, GRS Dennis Langwell. "By aligning the property, casualty and specialty businesses that support our customers in North America, we will ensure an even more collaborative business model, collectively focused on delivering the full breadth of our products, services and solutions to our customers, while interacting with our broker partners as a single organization." About Liberty Mutual Insurance Liberty Mutual's purpose is to help people embrace today and confidently pursue tomorrow. The promise we make to our customers throughout the world is to provide protection for the unexpected, delivered with care. In business since 1912, and headquartered in Boston, Mass., today we are the fifth largest global property and casualty insurer based on 2018 gross written premium. We also rank 75th on the Fortune 100 list of largest corporations in the U.S. based on 2018 revenue. As of December 31, 2018, we had $41.6 billion in annual consolidated revenue. We employ nearly 50,000 people in 30 countries and economies around the world. We offer a wide range of insurance products and services, including personal automobile, homeowners, specialty lines, reinsurance, commercial multiple-peril, workers compensation, commercial automobile, general liability, surety, and commercial property. You can learn more about us by visiting www.libertymutualinsurance.com. Contact: Richard Angevine 617-574-6638 [email protected] SOURCE Liberty Mutual Insurance Related Links www.libertymutual.com The Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) has warned revenue generating agencies to comply with the Fiscal Responsibility Act for transparency, fiscal prudence and accountability in the management of public funds. Acting Chairman of the Commission, Victor Muruako, gave the warning at a two-day training on Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) 2007 for the management and staff of the Nigerian Immigration Service on Wednesday in Keffi. He said that the aim of the capacity building workshop was to enlighten and educate the relevant agencies of the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act. It is also to strengthen their compliance level, particularly so that they can conform to the template for calculation of operating surplus, which is the standard document produced by the commission. The template provides for allowable and disallowable expenditures from these agencies, it also clear the issues on remittances to the Consolidated Revenue Funds of the Federal Government. We want to ensure that the relevant revenue earning agencies of the Federal Government including Nigerian Immigration Service make their own contributions to the Consolidated Revenue Funds of Federal Government, he said. According to him, the commission is also working hard to ensure that these agencies submit their audited account on time in line with the provisions of FRA. This is part of our efforts to support the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that the revenue profile of the Federal Government is strengthened, he said. Some revenue generating agencies are the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). Quebec's public health director is urging the public not to give in to fear and misinformation as the province remains officially free of the new coronavirus. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/1/2020 (713 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Quebec's public health director is urging the public not to give in to fear and misinformation as the province remains officially free of the new coronavirus. Horacio Arruda says there are no confirmed cases of the virus in Quebec, and the chances of it being transmitted to the community are considered low. However, he said it's possible some cases could be brought in by travellers, and advised anyone who had travelled to the affected areas of China to contact health authorities if they're experiencing symptoms such as coughing, fever or respiratory problems. Arruda said four people were tested in Quebec but none tested positive for the new coronavirus identified as a possible cause of an outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan. He said confusion about how the virus is spread can lead to unnecessary anxiety, which does more harm than good. While the numbers of deaths and the images circulating online can be scary, he reminded the public that the virus is not everywhere, and that officials in Quebec and elsewhere are taking measures to prevent and control it. "Fear is a very bad epidemic," he said. "Fear can make us take decisions that are not the right ones, and focus on things that are not important." He urged the general public not to rush out to buy masks, saying they are ineffective and can even be counterproductive unless proper protocols are followed. As an example, he said wearing a mask can encourage people to touch their faces more often, which runs counter to the goal of preventing illness. "If you use something in not the right way, it's like if you don't use it, or even it could be worse," he said. Instead, he urged people to practice good "respiratory hygiene," which includes frequent hand-washing and coughing into a tissue or one's elbow. More than 7,700 people in China have been diagnosed with the new coronavirus and 170 of them have died. There are three confirmed cases of the virus in Canada two in Ontario and one in British Columbia and all are linked to recent travel in China. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan 30, 2020 Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to reporters aboard his plane en route to London, Britain on Jan. 29, 2020. (KEVIN LAMARQUE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) Pompeo Urges Britain to Rethink Huawei 5G Decision A top U.S. government official on Jan. 29 urged Britain to rethink its decision to allow Chinas Huawei a role in the countrys 5G networks. The United States has previously asked countries around the world not to include the communist regimes telecoms giant in their communications systems. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson granted Huawei a limited role in Britains 5G mobile network on Jan. 28. Theres also a chance for the United Kingdom to relook at this as implementation moves forward, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said when asked by reporters about risks to Americas national security as he flew to London for talks with counterpart Dominic Raab and Johnson. Pompeo said they have spoken with the United Kingdom at great length on the issue at both the political level and national security level over the past months. He said the United States sees Huawei as a real risk that is an extension of the Chinese Communist Party with a legal requirement to hand over information to the Chinese Communist Party. Our view is that we should have Western systems with Western rules, and American information only should pass through trusted networks, and well make sure we do that, he told reporters. Pompeo said that telecoms and national security would be part of the conversation during his visit. Read More Chinas Global Control of 5G Could Be a Cyber Pearl Harbor for US Just last December, U.S. national security adviser Robert OBrien warned the UK government that any move to allow Chinese telecommunications companies into the nations 5G network would benefit the Chinese regime by allowing it access to the private data of British citizens and other sensitive information. Following the UKs announcement that it was granting the Chinese telecom giant a role in building non-sensitive parts of its next-generation wireless network, a U.S. Department of State spokesperson told The Epoch Times they are disappointed by the decision. There is no safe option for untrusted vendors to control any part of a 5G network, the spokesperson said on Jan. 29 via email. We look forward to working with the UK on a way forward that results in the exclusion of untrusted vendor components from 5G networks. The spokesperson added that the United States is continuing to urge all countries to carefully assess the long-term national security and economic impacts of allowing untrusted vendors access to important 5G network infrastructure. Huawei is classified as a high-risk vendor by the UK, meaning that it will be excluded from the sensitive core where data is processed, and barred from all critical networks and sensitive locations such as nuclear sites and military bases. As a high-risk company, its involvement would be capped at 35 percent. Pompeo also told reporters that the United States will evaluate the decision by the UK, though he acknowledged it was still a little unclear precisely what theyre going to permit and not permit. Washington has repeatedly stated that Huaweifounded in 1987 by a former Peoples Liberation Army engineeris an extension of the Chinese state and that it helps Chinese intelligence to steal secrets. Huawei denies the allegations. Huawei also denied a report on Jan. 29 that alleged the German government was in possession of evidence that the company had cooperated with Chinese intelligence. Huawei Technologies has never, and will never, do anything to compromise the security of networks and data of its customers, the Chinese company said in response to the report in the Handelsblatt business daily. The Handelsblatt report cited a confidential foreign ministry document as a smoking gun that showed Chinese companies were unsafe partners for building next-generation 5G mobile networks. The intelligence was shared by U.S. officials. Huawei is currently the worlds biggest producer of telecoms equipment, with the Wall Street Journal reporting that its growth has been on the back of state subsidies to the tune of $75 billion which has helped the company undercut many competitors on price. Britain has argued that excluding Huawei would have delayed its 5G rollout and cost consumers more. When asked if the United States will lessen the sharing of information with the United Kindgom, Pompeo brought up the topic of private company competitors. Its important for everyone to know there is also real work being done by lots of private companies inside the United States and in Europe to make sure that there are true competitors to Huawei, he told reporters. Johnson said on Jan. 29 that he wanted to ensure people have access to the best technology and that his Huawei decision would not harm cooperation with the United States. We also do absolutely nothing to imperil our relationship with the United States, to do anything to compromise our critical national security infrastructure, Johnson told parliament. U.S. officials this year have increasingly spoken out about countries opening their arms to Chinese companies for key infrastructure such as artificial intelligence and 5G. Epoch Times reporter Cathy He and Reuters contributed to this report. Motorola's G series is its most successful ever, and over the past few years has been what's kept the manufacturer going. While the company is expected to soon reveal its first true flagship smartphone in years, the Edge+, it's also getting ready to expand the G family even more. Remember that recently leaked stylus-toting Motorola device? Because its official-looking render leaked so soon after the first ever mention of the Edge+, some people assumed it was that, but it's not (and this should have been made obvious by its huge bottom bezel, unworthy of a true high-end device in this day and age). Instead, it's going to be called Moto G Stylus, according to famous leakster Evan Blass, aka @evleaks. The Moto G8 Plus and Moto G8 Play have already been made official, and we're expecting the Moto G8 and G8 Power to surface in February at MWC. The G Stylus could join them. Additional details dug up using Canadian and FCC certifications reveal that the Moto G Stylus has the codename "sofia+". That's interesting because the Moto G8 Power is codenamed "sofiar", which means the Stylus may just be a variation of the G8 Power - perhaps sharing specs aside from, obviously, the stylus. The model number of the G Stylus is XT2043-4. The Moto G8 Power is allegedly going to feature a 6.36-inch FHD+ touchscreen, the Snapdragon 665 SoC, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, quad rear cameras (with a 16 MP main one), a 25 MP snapper for selfies, and a 5,000 mAh battery with 18W fast charging support. It should run Android 10 from day one. Source 1 | Source 2 | Via By Associated Press GUJRANWALA: Terror attacks in Pakistan plummeted by more than 85% over the last decade. It's a welcome statistic for the country, but one that risks being overshadowed by international concern over its efforts to curb terror funding and lingering militant activity that could test any future peace agreement in neighbouring Afghanistan. The tally, put together by Pakistani think tanks, found terror attacks dropped from nearly 2,000 in 2009 to fewer than 250 in 2019, a steady decline that underscores the long-haul nature of fighting terror. But a Paris-based international watchdog said in October that Pakistan was not doing enough to stop terror financing. The group meets next month to decide whether the country should be downgraded from a gray status to black, alongside Iran and North Korea, a step that could pose a challenge to Pakistan's economy. Pakistan's militant groups are often interlinked with those across the border in Afghanistan, so its progress at reining in terror is critical, particularly as Washington seeks to secure a deal with the Afghan Taliban to bring an end to the 18-year war, Americas longest military engagement. The sharp decrease in terrorist violence, which we began to see in 2014, is nothing short of remarkable, said Michael Kugelman, Asia Program Deputy Director at the Washington-based Wilson Center. But, he cautioned, Pakistan is certainly not out of the woods yet. Last year, the Financial Action Task Force, or FATF, the watchdog that monitors terror financing, said Pakistan had fully implemented only one item from a list of 40 measures to curb terror financing and money laundering. The other 39 measures were either partially implemented or in some cases overlooked entirely. If Pakistan is blacklisted, every financial transaction would be closely scrutinized, and doing business with the country would become costly and cumbersome. Pakistani officials say they are working to meet the task force's demands and expect to avoid a black listing at the crucial meeting in Paris in February. Earlier this month, Pakistan's economic affairs minister held a preliminary meeting with an FATF regional affiliate to make a case for removal from the so-called gray" list. Pakistans military and intelligence have long been accused by Washington, as well as by Pakistan's neighbors, of supporting some militants while attacking others. Over the last two decades, successive American administrations have pressed Islamabad to crack down on terror. Pakistan points to its more than 4,000 military casualties since the 2001 start of the so-called war on terror higher than the U.S. and NATO deaths combined as proof of its commitment. Over the past decade, Pakistan has been home to a large array of militant groups with multiple and sometimes overlapping motives. Some have targeted the government or unleashed horrific bombings and attacks on the country's religious minorities. Others are connected to anti-U.S. militant organizations in Afghanistan or have focused their attacks on Pakistan's historic rival India, particularly in the disputed region of Kashmir. Since early last year, Pakistan has banned 66 organizations declared as terrorist or terrorist-supporting groups and listed an estimated 7,600 individuals under its anti-terrorism act. In a surprisingly tough ruling, a court last week handed jail sentences of more than 55 years to dozens of extremists who destroyed cars and storefronts protesting the acquittal of a Christian woman on blasphemy charges. Pakistans Prime Minister Imran Khan promised zero tolerance for extremists after several attacked a Sikh shrine earlier this month in southern Punjab province. Yet extremist groups and ideologies still find fertile ground in Pakistan. Pakistan-based organizations like Lashkar-e-Taiba or Jaish-e-Mohammed, which claimed responsibility for a suicide attack last year in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir, have been banned only to be resurrected under new names. Radicalization and terrorism remain very real threats, even if the main perpetrators of terror have become shadows of their former selves, Kugelman said. Amir Rana, executive director of the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies, one of the groups which released a report on the decreasing attacks, said the decline was indicative of the long-haul nature of fighting terror and those who perpetrate it. He said it involves years of surveillance, military counterterrorism offensives and a counterterrorism strategy that seeks to identify and curb funding. Still, Pakistan has a way to go in making the institutional changes necessary to curb terror financing and the militant groups still operating, Rana said. Less than 1% of Pakistanis pay taxes, revenues are routinely undocumented and the so-called hawala system of informally sending money around the globe still flourishes, all of which bedevils efforts to curtail terror financing. Pakistan's success in tackling terror is essential amid American attempts to wind down the war in Afghanistan and withdraw U.S. troops. President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire to bring home the roughly 13,000 U.S. soldiers still in Afghanistan and last November gave his peace envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, the go-ahead to resume talks with the Taliban. Last week, the insurgent group handed Khalilzad a seven- to 10-day cease fire offer, which could pave the way for American troops to withdraw and jumpstart peace negotiations between Afghans on both sides of the conflict. Khalilzad said previously that any agreement will require the Taliban to abandon terror groups like al-Qaida with which they have longstanding ties that some analysts say could prove difficult to sever. Links still bind the militant groups operating between Pakistan and Afghanistan, according to Abdullah Khan, of the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, which also released a report documenting the declining attacks in Pakistan. Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent, which emerged in 2014 as a rival to the Islamic State affiliate that set up shop in Afghanistan the same year, might be vastly degraded, yet it still has cells in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, as does IS. Earlier this month, 15 people, including a police official tracking militants, died in an attack on a mosque in Pakistan's southwestern Baluchistan province, for which the IS affiliate claimed responsibility. Last month, police raided the safe house of a cell of al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent that had just moved into the Punjab city of Gujranwala from the southern port city of Karachi. They discovered a trove of documents, weapons and propaganda material. A police charge sheet seen by The Associated Press said the five men who were arrested possessed weapons, suicide jackets, hate material, laptop, printing machine, printing material etc. and funds and receipts to achieve al-Qaidas organizational objectives." The police document went on to say that the cell was sending money to al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent's branch in Afghanistan. SIPHOFANENI - A family of a 13-year-old girl has been left shocked and traumatised after the teenager attempted to end her life by jumping off a bridge. *Thoko, who wrote three suicide notes, informed her family that jumping off the bridge was the easiest way to die after she had failed her Grade VI and was forced to repeat the class. It would seem the teenager could not accept this and decide to make an attempt to end her life. The incident happened on Wednesday, at around 7pm. The bridge from which Thoko jumped off is one of the countrys most recognisable and highest structures, located at Siphofaneni, Great Usuthu River. It was officially opened by His Majesty the King in 2017. Suspected Even though certain details regarding the incident remain unclear, it is suspected that the teenager left home unnoticed, and headed for the bridge. From there, she simply jumped off the bridge and hit the ground. Thoko survived the fall but suffered multiple fractures. She is said to have been found by motorists who immediately called the police on Wednesday night. She was rushed to the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial (RFM) Hospital by a Fire and Emergency Services ambulance with life- threatening injuries. Upon this reporters arrival at the hospital yesterday, Thokos father, *Luke, refused that the reporter interview or take pictures of his daughter. He said he had been warned by psychologists at the hospital not to expose her child to the media. However after a while, when he was told that his childs identity would be hidden, he revealed events which led to the suspected suicide attempt. Luke informed this reporter that Thoko did not sleep at home last week Monday, a day before schools opened for the first term. She is a wayward child, however, as a family we managed to control her. She disappeared on Monday and when we went looking for her at her school, we were informed that she was present though she was not wearing uniform, the father, who had the suicide notes, said. He added that prior to that, Thoko had allegedly lost some of her textbooks and, as a result, her report card was not released by the school. The father refused to give the name of school that Thoko attends. He stated that after the textbooks were paid for, the report card was released and it was discovered that Thoko had not made it to Grade VII. Despite her being ordered to repeat the grade, we encouraged her to go to school as she would do well this time around. We were informally told that she had been expelled from the school, hence her move to try and commit suicide. We again enquired from the school about the latest developments, however, we were told that they were not true. Upon arrival at home later, we did not find her and when she eventually pitched, she had brought the suicide notes, however, without anyone noticing, Luke added. Suicide He said he was called by the police on Wednesday at around 7pm, informing him that Thoko had tried committing suicide by jumping off the bridge and an ambulance had already been called to ferry her to hospital. Namuhla ngiya le blohweni, ngyotibulala, sengidziniwe, - loosely translated, Today, I am headed to the bridge as I want to end my life, I am tired reads in part one of the suicide notes. When Thoko got to hospital after the suicide attempt, she was taken for X-rays. It was gathered that medical doctors later referred her to the Mbabane Government Hospital for scans and more check-ups as there were fears that her spinal cord and brain were also affected when the incident occurred. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed the incident and said investigations were still underway. Increasing Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA) Communications and Advocacy Officer Slindele Nxumalo said youth suicide attempts were an increasing trend which required adults, parents and guardians, to question themselves what the causes were. Attempted suicide cases are more prevalent among teenage girls, however, with adolescent boys, they always succeed in committing the suicide. This therefore begs the question to parents as to whether or not they give themselves time to get to know and better understand their children, especially the youth, without being judgemental towards them, Nxumalo said. She added that after experiencing defeat, the youth was afraid of being scorned, judged or given an ultimatum because there could be a lot of underlying issues that had not been dealt with before and eventually leading to their failure. The family of this girl in question is advised and encouraged to allow her to recuperate then seek other counselling services for her psychological well-being after the ordeal. She will need family support at all times, Nxumalo added. Tech company Granite Digital is to create 50 jobs in its Dublin, Cork and Galway offices as part of a 2.5m investment. The jobs being created are in both technology and creative areas. And they will bring the firm's workforce to more than 100 within the next three years. The investment comes as the company, which helps businesses with websites, online marketing, strategy and security, has more than doubled its revenue to 5m over the past three years. It plans to further its income to 10m by 2022. "The demand for customer-focused, engaging websites and applications has grown exponentially in recent years and we've experienced significant growth on the back of this, consolidating our position as Ireland's leading full-service digital agency," said CEO Conor Buckley. Set up in Skibbereen, Co Cork, in 2008 by four friends, the company has expanded to a team of 60 people with offices in four countries. Granite's clients include Enterprise Ireland, Dalata Hotel Group, UCC, UCD, Uniphar, St James's Hospital, Bons Secours Health System, Dublin Bus, Davy, Fexco and insurance group Aon. Mr Buckley described setting up during the recession as "an advantage". "While it was difficult at the time, we didn't know any different as we were not around for the boom. "We kept our cost base low and our pricing competitive," he said. Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation commented on the meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Geneva during a briefing in Moscow. We will accept as a basis the fact that today the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs will make a joint statement and post it on the website of the OSCE, and I believe there is no sense in making predictions, Zakharova said. Reporters also asked Zakharova if there is any clarity regarding the time limits for making the US biolaboratories operating in Armenia available for Russian specialists, which is current with respect to the spread of the coronavirus. In response, Zakharova said she didnt have any information, but would ask for clarification. North India has seen one of the harshest winters this year and even though January is coming to an end, many places in Uttrakhand and Himachal are receiving heavy snowfall still. But, when there's true love, then nothing can stop you, not even heavy snow blankets. Recently, a groom from Uttrakhand walked four kilometers along with his baraat to reach the brides house. The cars couldnt go further due to snow, so...he walked! ANI took to its Twitter and wrote, A groom traveled four km on foot to reach the bride's home in Bijra village in Chamoli district as roads were closed due to heavy snowfall in the region. Heres the tweet- Uttarakhand: A groom travelled four km on foot to reach the bride's home in Bijra village in Chamoli district as roads were closed due to heavy snowfall in the region. pic.twitter.com/sS9pjqdZLL ANI (@ANI) January 29, 2020 The wedding ceremony took place in heavy snowfall in the Luntara village of Ghat block and the groom walked four kms in his wedding attire. Despite the situation, the groom decided to not postpone the wedding and people are saying a lot of things to him for just 'being in love'. He couldnt wait and he walked instead! Garmiyo tak intezaar ni hua bhai se Aisa bhi Kya yaar Sakshi Panwar Chaudhary (@just_to_offend) January 29, 2020 We think it's sweet. This is so sweet and so funny ! Shaadi ke ladoo khaane ki itni betaabi! Will surely remember this day many years hence Devang (@Devang2019) January 29, 2020 Umm..okay. Char dino ka pyar ho rabba badhi lambi chadhai ho badhi lambi chadhai Saanvi (@Lil_MissTrolls) January 29, 2020 Oh, should have thought about that though. Now he will make the bride walk back through the same snow.... How desperate can one get! Cheated Indian (@Sunil967) January 29, 2020 Level of commitment 101 It's not the tharak, ladki, it's about the commitment that he made with his better half Bharat Rawat (@BharatRawat21) January 29, 2020 Indeed. Groom and his family member will always remember his marriage. db (@Adeepakbhandari) January 29, 2020 Hahahahah. Only he has perfect answer to, "What is the craziest thing you have done for sex?" Somendra (@i_am_Shivam___) January 29, 2020 Pyaar tune kya kiya.. It redefines mera Rajkumar ghode pe sawar ho kar aayega ...! This Prince Charming is certainly writing a new definition of love with a smile! Surabhi Dalela (@surabhisdalela) January 30, 2020 The snow has disrupted the regular routine of the people who live in the hills. Recently, a pregnant woman was rescued by 100 army personnel who had to walk for four hours to make her reach the hospital. All Tesla Inc. directors except Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk agreed to a $60 million settlement to resolve shareholder lawsuits over the companys purchase of SolarCity, according to people familiar with the deal. Insurers covering Teslas directors and executives will foot the bill as part of a so-called derivative settlement, two people familiar with the accord said Wednesday, declining to be identified because they arent authorized to speak publicly about the deal. Musk and the board were accused of duping investors in 2016 into backing the $2 billion buyout of the solar-panel installer, which was co-founded by Musk and his cousins. Critics of the deal called the acquisition a bailout of SolarCity and questioned the companys corporate governance. Pension funds that objected to the deal are likely to press ahead with a March trial against Musk over his alleged failure to disclose SolarCity was in deep financial trouble when he urged shareholders to back the buyout. Of Teslas nine directors, the holdovers from when the company acquired SolarCity include Musk, who was forced to step down as chairman in 2018; his brother, Kimbal Musk; and longtime backers of his business endeavors. Proxy advisers have questioned the independence of directors including Steve Jurvetson, a venture capitalist, and Antonio Gracias, a private equity firm founder. Both indicated last year that they will not seek re-election this year. Tesla representatives and Chairman Robyn Denholm didnt respond Wednesday to requests for comment on the partial settlement. Details of the settlement are to be be made public Thursday in Delaware Chancery Court. In earlier court filings, Tesla officials defended the directors work in reviewing the SolarCity deal, claiming that both the process and the price of this acquisition were inherently fair to Teslas stockholders. The settlement comes as Tesla turns a corner with back-to-back reports of better-than-expected earnings, which have sent shares soaring. The stock climbed as much as 12% in early trading Thursday. The accord leaves Musk, Teslas largest shareholder, to battle alone against investors who complain the billionaire overpaid for SolarCity, and that directors rolled over instead of properly scrutinizing the deal. Judge Joseph Slights III will hear the case in Wilmington without a jury, which is normal in the Chancery Court. Musk painted the SolarCity deal as a no-brainer that would combine the leading U.S. electric-car maker with what was then the largest provider of rooftop solar panels. Tesla now has roughly 400,000 solar customers, one of the biggest U.S. renewable-energy portfolios. It ran into a stumbling block when Walmart Inc. sued last year, saying the companys rooftop panel systems caused fires at stores and warehouses. The companies later reached a settlement. Efforts to integrate SolarCity coincided with Tesla struggling to ramp up production of its all-electric Model 3 sedan, and that put the company under financial pressure, Musk acknowledged in emails unsealed as part of the investors suits. In one email, Musk said he was forced to shift SolarCity workers to help with Model 3 production issues. If he hadnt done that, Tesla would have faced bankruptcy, he said. He admitted in a pre-trial deposition that he probably wouldnt make the same deal again. At the time I thought it made strategic sense for Tesla and SolarCity to combine. Hindsight is 20/20, he said. And if I could wind back the clock, you know, I would say I probably would have let SolarCity execute by itself; would have let Tesla execute by itself. The case is In Re Tesla Motors Inc. Stockholders Litigation, No. 12711, Delaware Chancery Court (Wilmington). Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics Claims Tesla Yermak says there were no requests for the meeting. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's aide Andriy Yermak has said Ukraine did not send any requests to Russia for a meeting between the Ukrainian leader and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, when both were in Israel. "No meeting with Putin took place in Israel. Media reports and certain statements by [Putin's aide] Ushakov do not correspond to reality. There were no requests for a meeting," he said, according to the Ukrainian online newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda. Read alsoNo meeting held between Zelensky and Putin in Jerusalem Russian media Yermak said Zelensky had given Holocaust survivors the invitations of his delegation to the World Holocaust Forum not because of Putin who was scheduled to deliver a speech there. According to Yermak, the topic of the Holocaust is close to the president and he was deeply touched that the people who had survived that tragedy could not be present at the forum, so he decided to allocate the seats to them. As UNIAN reported earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov said a request had come from Kyiv for a meeting with the Russian leader in Israel. Later, it became known the meeting did not take place. On January 24, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said if necessary, a meeting could be arranged for Putin and Zelensky. The reservations of union members could be a bigger problem for Mr. Biden than they were for Hillary Clinton during her 2016 Democratic race against Mr. Sanders. Some large unions, including the American Federation of Teachers, endorsed Mrs. Clinton, though many members later supported Mr. Sanders. In the current cycle, many of these unions have skipped an early endorsement, making it easier for individual members and in some cases locals to support their own candidates. The teachers union in Los Angeles has endorsed Mr. Sanders, as has the Ottumwa local of the United Food and Commercial Workers, whose 1.3-million-member international endorsed Mrs. Clinton before the 2016 Iowa caucuses. A large Pennsylvania local of the food workers union has endorsed Mr. Biden. While the Labor Department recently reported that union membership last year fell to a record low 10.3 percent of the work force labor endorsements can still be critical because of the role of unions in educating members about candidates and canvassing for them on the ground. Mr. Laursen, the U.A.W. local leader in Ottumwa, estimates that more than half his members who are primarily workers at a John Deere plant backed Mr. Trump in 2016. But he says many of those who oppose the presidents re-election are supporting Mr. Sanders over Mr. Biden. And the skepticism toward Mr. Biden among union voters may be even more pronounced in the less white, less male parts of the labor force. Nicole McCormick, a West Virginia music teacher who helped organize a statewide walkout that made national headlines in 2018, said she worried that Mr. Biden wasnt willing to push for the things that we as Americans look at as radical, but the rest of the world looks at and is like, We did that 50 years ago. She cited expanded access to unions, universal health care and paid parental leave as examples. Murdered Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) chief Harmeet Singh, nicknamed Happy PhD, appears to have been cremated on Wednesday afternoon in Lahore in presence of fellow extremist Lakhbir Singh Rode, the chief of secessionist International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF), according to people familiar with the matter. They added that Happy PhD was discreetly cremated at Babu Sabu Chowk cremation ground at 4pm in the presence of an superintendent-rank police officer and the Station House Officer of the Dera Chahal station. The pro-Khalistan terrorist was gunned down at Dera Chahal Gurudwara, near Lahore, on January 27 by a local gang over a financial dispute related to drug smuggling. He was involved in over 17 cases of heinous crime, and there was an Interpol Red Corner notice issued against him in 2018. Counterterror operatives who asked not to be named told HT that the body of the extremist was brought from Mayo government hospital in Lahore and cremated in presence of Kulwant Singh, Granthi, Prakash Asthan, Gurudwara Ramdassji, Chunna Mandi, Lahore, Giani Manjit Singh, Granthi, Dera Sahib, Lahore and Azhar Shah, caretaker at the same Dera Sahib gurudwara. The pyre was apparently lit by Munir Masih, a helper at the cremation ground. Happy PhDs parents, who live in Amritsar, were seeking that his body be brought to India for final rites, but HT reported on Thursday that it was unlikely that Pakistan would comply. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Palestinian refugees in Lebanese camps pessimistic as Trumps deal of the century includes no right of return. Beirut, Lebanon Abu Khaled has never been to his hometown of Jaffa. His parents were expelled from the port city along with about 120,000 other residents when it came under Israeli control following the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. They eventually settled in Beirut, in what is today the Shatila Palestinian Refugee Camp, where Abu Khaled was born in 1959. The father of two said he would die a happy man if he could one day see the town of his ancestors. But under the Peace to Prosperity plan released by US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, that prospect appears remoter than ever. Under the plan, also referred to as the deal of the century, the majority of the territory that is now Israel and the occupied West Bank would formally become part of the Israeli, with illegal settlements and the Jordan Valley annexed. The occupied Golan Heights would also be annexed to Israel. A second entity, referred to as the future state of Palestine, appears on a conceptual map as an archipelago of disjointed territories connected by a number of roads and tunnels. It is wholly surrounded by Israel, except for a small sliver of territory in Gaza that borders Egypt. The proposed Palestinian state does not include Jaffa, one of the oldest port cities in the world, to which roughly 15 percent of Palestinian refugees trace their heritage. Palestinians would have no right of return there under the plan. 190624182330043 Instead, Abu Khaled could remain in Lebanon, go to the new Palestinian state, or apply to resettle in a number of undisclosed countries that are part of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation. He said the humiliation the proposal entails is too great for it to be taken seriously. Im very pessimistic, I dont think well ever go back in my lifetime, he told Al Jazeera. Neither is Palestine going to be liberated by force thats all nonsense nor will we go there as free people via airplane, he said. This plan is rejected by everyone, all we can do is wait for something better. In response to the announcement of the plan, Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon announced a general strike on Wednesday. Schools and shops were closed in at least two, including the biggest Palestinian camp, Ain al-Hilweh in southern Sidon. There, protesters burned American and Israeli flags while local Palestinian security forces brandished weapons. The US-Israeli conspiracy led by Trump and [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu will not pass, and will fail due to Palestinian opposition and the clear stance from Jerusalem and refugees, Maher Shabaita, the local secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said in a televised statement from Ain al-Hilweh. Demonstrators set fire to makeshift Israeli and US flags during a protest against Trumps Middle East plan in Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp [Ali Hashisho/Reuters] Restrictions in Lebanon While there were at one point roughly half a million Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, a 2018 survey found there were just some 175,000 living there now. Conditions have long been difficult for Palestinians in a country that has imposed restrictions on everything from place of residence to the types of jobs they can perform, under an official policy that sees them as short-term guests even though most were born and raised in Lebanon. I feel more Lebanese than Palestinian this doesnt mean I would let Palestine go, but of course my life would change if I could get Lebanese citizenship, 29-year old Abu Hasan told Al Jazeera. Abu Hasan is ancestrally from the Palestinian town of Saffuriyeh, which was all but destroyed after it came under Israeli control in 1948. Because he does not have Lebanese citizenship, Abu Hasan said he was fired from his job at a glass factory after his bosses feared being fined during a labour ministry crackdown on foreign workers. Palestinians are prevented from working in dozens of professions, ranging from engineering and medicine to driving a taxi and fishing. These restrictions forced Abu Khaleds son, an engineer, to travel to Germany for work, while his daughter, who studied to be a pharmacist, has been unable to find a job. As soon as they see Palestinian on the CV, they decline, he said. Making matters worse, Lebanon is in the midst of its worst economic crisis in a generation, with scores of businesses closing down, hundreds of workers losing their jobs and thousands of salaries slashed. There is no mercy for Lebanese in Lebanon, so how do you think it is for us? Abu Hasan said. Were stuck here as the country collapses, and I have no hope well be able to leave. I will die here just like my father and grandfather. The restrictions on Palestinian participation in political and economic life in Lebanon have long been justified by successive governments on sectarian grounds. Palestinians are mostly Sunni Muslim, while Lebanon is roughly a third Sunni, a third Shia Muslim and a third Christian, and has a political system based on the representation of sects. A boy walks along a street at Burj al-Barajneh refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon [Aziz Taher/Reuters] Christian groups have long opposed permanent Palestinian settlement in the country over fears it would curb their political influence. This means the majority of Palestinians in Lebanon are forced to live in cramped camps with poor sanitation and public services, much like Beiruts Shatila camp. Inside, a thicket of electricity wires hangs between crumbling, pock-marked concrete buildings, many several-storeys high despite having no foundations. Tarpaulins are draped over the electricity wires to shield the streets below from rain. The camps shallow sewage system overflows, putrid water spilling into alleyways crowded with stalls, motorcycle traffic and pedestrians. Billion-dollar bribe Aside from its political dimension, the Trump proposal also includes an economic plan that offers tens of billions of dollars in funds to Palestinians and nations in the region that host Palestinian refugees, including Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon. Half of the funds would come in the form of grants, the rest in subsidised loans and private investment. A total of $6.3bn is earmarked for Lebanon, approximately $4.6bn in loans, $1.2bn in private investment and $450m in grants. The proposal does not specify the conditions under which this money would be unlocked. The bulk of the money would go on improving Lebanons crumbling highways and building a rail network with the potential for a regional railway network collectively priced at $5bn, mostly in loans. A further $1bn would go to expanding Beiruts airport and seaports in Beirut and Tripoli. Lebanon is badly in need of foreign help. It is the third-most indebted nation in the world as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) and a dollar shortage have made it increasingly likely Beirut will soon default on debt repayments. Experts have said the country may need a $20-25bn bailout to emerge from the crisis. Still, Lebanese leaders unanimously rejected the Trump plan, with House Speaker Nabih Berri likening it to a bribe. President Michel Aoun called Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to personally convey his opposition to it, while new Foreign Minister Nassif Hitti told Sky News Arabia: No one gives up their national identity in exchange for material temptations. The Palestinian people cannot be dispossessed in exchange for financial aid. A woman was left clinging on to the hood of a car for eight blocks in a road rage incident before losing her grip and being crushed to death. CCTV footage of the dramatic incident has been released by prosecutors in Miami, Florida, during an ongoing murder case. Natasha Boothe, 22, is accused of driving the vehicle that killed 42-year-old Norky Contreras Acosta. In the video, Mrs Contreras can be seen standing behind a gold Chrysler that is stationary in a parking bay. She then leans against the trunk of the vehicle and furiously crosses her arms. But the driver of the Chrysler begins to reverse despite Mrs Contreras attempting to stand her ground. She turns around and bangs on the back windscreen as two other people run to try and help her. The vehicle continues to maneuver around the car park as Mrs Contreras rushes to grab at the door handle on the passenger side. The CCTV footage was recently released by prosecutors in Miami, Florida, during an ongoing murder case. Norky Contreras Acosta, 42, was trying to prevent a gold Chrysler leaving the scene The car manoeuvres around the car park as Mrs Contreras frantically hurries toward the bonnet but she is forced to hop up on to the hood as the vehicle begins to speed away She then frantically hurries toward the bonnet of the car before being forced to hop up on to the hood as the driver begins to speed away. The clip then cuts to footage from another CCTV camera that shows the vehicle heading toward the car park's exit with Mrs Contreras still clinging on. Various cameras track the vehicle through the streets and the video ends shortly afterwards. She was able to hold on for eight blocks despite Boothe 'braking violently, speeding and driving erratically from left to right at high speed in an attempt to force the victim to fall from the hood,' according to the arrest warrant. The clip then cuts to footage from another CCTV camera that shows the vehicle heading toward the car park's exit with Mrs Contreras still clinging on Various cameras track the vehicle through the streets as other cars rush toward the vehicle to try and help Mrs Contreras before the video ends But Mrs Contreras eventually lost her grip and was crushed by the vehicle. She was taken to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital where she was later pronounced dead. The incident originally took place on October 25. Hialeah Police said that the road rage incident was sparked when Mrs Contreras and her family had been travelling in a blue Volkswagen Tiguan that was hit by the gold Chrysler. She was able to hold on for eight blocks despite Boothe 'braking violently, speeding and driving erratically from left to right at high speed in an attempt to force the victim to fall from the hood,' according to the arrest warrant Natasha Boothe (pictured), who was not supposed to be driving after her license was suspended on October 7, remains behind bars in Miami-Dade County. She is due back in court on March 25 Mrs Contreras had then followed the Chrysler as it pulled into the parking lot in an attempt to stop the driver fleeing the scene. Officers charged Boothe with murder and leaving the scene of an accident to which she pleaded not guilty. Boothe, who was not supposed to be driving after her license was suspended on October 7, remains behind bars in Miami-Dade County. She is due back in court on March 25. In yet another run-in with the state government, the Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday complained that the law and order situation in the state has completely collapsed after he witnessed a police officer reading a newspaper at Martyrs day event. The incident took place at Gandhi Ghat in Barrackpore where Dhankhar, power minister Sobhondeb Chattopadhyay and senior bureaucrats took part in a government programme to pay homage to Gandhi on his death anniversary. How can it happen on a day like this? Shame on us. Senior police officers behaving like this in presence of the constitutional head. He was casually reading a newspaper. Can a police officer behave like this? This is a total breakdown of law and order. Send me a list of all people. I do not open a file to close it, Dhankhar told Manoj Verma, commissioner of Barrackpore police district, in the presence of guests and the media. ALSO WATCH | West Bengal turning into West Bangladesh: BJP leader slams CM Mamata Dhankhar alleged that Verma was reading a newspaper sitting in the front row when the programme was going on. Verma refused to comment on the incident. This is total collapse of law and order. Total lawlessness. It is worrisome... Where was the Kolkata Police when the governor was stopped at Calcutta University convocation? said Dhankhar referring to Tuesdays student agitation because of which he had to return without attending the convocation. The ruling Trinamool Congress, however, sided with the students who demonstrated against Dhankhar on Tuesday, saying even Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had led protests against a British professor during his student days. He is saying all these things because he is looking for publicity. He is acting below the dignity of his position, said state minister Chattopadhyay. The Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reacted by saying that the governor should seek the Centres intervention. The governor has talked about the lawlessness. He should also inform the Centre and seek its intervention, said Bengal BJP state unit general secretary Sayantan Basu. Though they did not want to be quoted, several IPS officers expressed displeasure at the governors reaction. A senior officer cannot be treated like that. This can affect the morale of the police force, said Pankaj Dutta, a retired IPS officer. OPEC wants to extend current oil output cuts until at least June from March, with the possibility of deeper reductions on the table if oil demand in China is significantly impacted by the spread of a new coronavirus, OPEC sources said. Oil futures yesterday broke a five-day losing streak but Brent crude stayed below $60 per barrel. On Monday it hit a three-month low of $58.50, as the virus outbreak triggered a global selloff of riskier assets. Saudi Arabia joined by key oil producers such as the United Arab Emirates, Algeria and Oman, sought to calm market jitters on Monday - urging caution against gloomy expectations on the impact of the virus on the global economy and oil demand. But OPEC officials have also started weighing their options and intensified internal discussion on how best to respond to the price slump, the sources said. A further extension is a strong possibility and a deeper cut is a possibility, said one OPEC source, adding that the impact of the China virus on oil demand would be clearer over the coming week. Extension is highly possible ... until June, another source said, adding that an additional preferable option is to extend the pact until end of 2020 and that a deeper cut was possible if there was a need for it. A source familiar with Russian thinking, said that although Moscow had been keen earlier to exit from cuts, it would stay on board if oil prices continued to trade below $60 a barrel OPEC+, which includes Russia, has been reducing oil supply to support prices, agreeing in December to hold back 1.7 million barrels per day (bpd) of output until the end of March. Russia had insisted it wanted the current deal to last only until March, while Saudi Arabia has been keener for the deal to last longer, according to OPEC+ sources. This year, OPEC expects its world market share to fall further as output booms in non-OPEC rivals including the United States, Brazil, Canada, Australia, Norway and Guyana while global demand is rising. Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said on Friday all options were open when OPEC+ meets next in Vienna in early March, when asked about the possibility of a further output reduction. Crowds in Conakry demonstrate (with national flag) against Presidential third term bid (file photo). (AFP or licensors) Republic of Guineas Catholic Clergy Union assembly held this week, in Nzerekore, southeast Guinea, has spoken out about the political climate in the country. English Africa Service - Vatican City. According to RECOWA-CERAO News the West African Catholic Bishops regional office, the Guinean priests have spoken out about the countrys deteriorating political climate which they described as fraught with regionalism, nepotism, ethnocentrism, favoritism, injustice and clannism. President Condes third term bid Guinea is currently in a state of increasing political turmoil as President Alpha Conde tries to extend his stay in power beyond the two constitutionally mandated limits. His second term is supposed to end this year. Guinea has since seen many demonstrations, organised by the opposition and civil society. Most of the countrys young people are opposed to Condes Third Term bid. There have been more than 20 media-reported deaths since October 2019, in connection with the protests. Restore peace and harmony The countrys priests say repression by the countrys security forces grows worse by the day. The (current tension) is serious, because of loss of human lives and the destruction of property. All these are causing fear and (profound) sadness among the people, say the clergy. They have called on the Republican President, Alpha Conde, as the head of state, guarantor of national unity, to break the silence, renounce his third term bid, respect the current constitution and bring about peace, harmony, reconciliation in the country. Our democracy is being flouted in the service of regionalism, nepotism, ethnocentrism, favoritism, injustice and clannism. Violence and unpunished crimes are on the increase, the clergy denounced in a statement. They further invited the opposition groups to embrace dialogue as the way forward. Sanders starts from a weaker position; his candidate favorability ratings have come back to earth, declining in CNN polls, for example, from 59 percent favorable and 35 unfavorable in April 2017 to 43 percent favorable and 44 percent unfavorable in December 2019. They could decline still further given the weaknesses in his background, which are little known to wide swaths of voters. How many Americans know that Sanders is not just an avowed democratic socialist but a former supporter of the Trotskyist Socialist Workers Party, which wanted to abolish the federal defense budget and supported solidarity with revolutionary regimes like Irans and Cubas? Do people know that he spoke positively about Fidel Castro and the Cuban revolution (a very profound and very deep revolution) and even praised the Soviet Union and criticized the United States during a honeymoon trip to the U.S.S.R.? Could Sanders successfully distance himself from these statements, or would the public perceive them as disqualifying? No one knows, but the downside risk for Democrats has no precedent among front-runners in contemporary American political history. When Steven Nguyen pulled his car out of his garage in September 2019 and saw a contractor in the driveway, he wasnt suspicious. He told me he was working on the driveway of my neighbor down the block, Nguyen said. It was true that the driveway of my neighbor down the block was being worked on, however, it was done by a different contractor, as I later learned when I looked at the ad sign on the lawn. Nguyen decided to hire Better Paving Asphalt and Masonry of Toms River, which would redo his driveway for $7,800. The Matawan homeowner said he gave Michael Gilk, the owner, $2,000 as a deposit, in cash, and he received a contract that said the work would begin that month. That never happened, Nguyen said. Since signing the contract and receiving my money, Michael Glik and Better Paving have not come back to my house and have not called or contacted me, he said. "I demanded the return of $2,000 and have received no response. He decided to file a complaint with the Division of Consumer Affairs in October. And he waited. It is going to be three months from the filing of the complaint and the Division still has not acted on the complaint, despite repeated inquiries from me, Nguyen said. The contractor in the meantime has continued to solicit business from other homeowners in my town. Nguyen got tired of waiting, so he filed both a small claims case and criminal complaint, which resulted in a summons for Gilk to appear in Old Bridge Municipal Court on a theft by deception charge, documents show. The criminal case came up first. When they met with the Old Bridge prosecutor in December, Gilk promised to pay back the $2,000 at small claims court, which was scheduled for the next day, Nyugen said. Based on the payment promise, the prosecutor downgraded the charge from theft by deception $500-$7,499 to theft by deception less than $200, which is basically a disorderly persons offense. The next court date is in March, the Old Bridge Municipal Court confirmed to Bamboozled. But Gilk didnt show up for the small claims case which meant Nyugen was still out the money. He was awarded a $2,000 default judgment, plus court filing fees. A judgment is great, but it could be years before Nguyen sees his money if ever. Nguyen asked Bamboozled for help. A CLOSER LOOK We took a look at Better Paving. Consumer Affairs said it has had 33 complaints against the company since 2014, including the one from Nguyen. It said 26 of the complaints remain open and are under review. Nguyens judgment against Gilk and Better Paving wasnt the only one found in public records. There were 14 judgments against Gilk and the company from cases filed by consumers and banking institutions. There was a state tax lien, too. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) reports the company has an F rating with 11 complaints in the past three years. Eight of those were in 2019, citing shoddy work and promised refunds that were never made. Two of the complaints from 2018 were answered by the company, BBB said, but the rest were ignored. A quick look at Yelp! showed a mix of five-star and one-star reviews. We reached out to Gilk, who disputed many of the facts put forth by Nguyen. He said the criminal case was dismissed by the prosecutor. However, we later confirmed it was not dismissed, but downgraded. He also said the reason he didnt give back the $2,000 deposit was because Nguyen cancelled the contract after the three-day rescission period, which essentially broke the terms of the contract. Gilk said he was working for eight or 10 other families in the neighborhood, and he told Nguyen he was backed up and it could take some time to start the job. I guess through that time he got frustrated and because he was waiting so long, he cancelled, Gilk said. But I had already ordered his stuff, supplies for his job. Gilk also denied being out of touch with Nguyen, saying they spoke several times and Gilk could always be found working in the neighborhood. Gilk said he didnt show up to small claims court because he had the flu. And yes, he will pay the judgment, he said. I spoke to my attorney and he told me theres nothing much I can do. He said if I had showed up, at least I could have fought it, he said. Ill probably be paying it in the next couple of weeks. Nyugen was glad to hear that, but he disputed Gilks recounting of events, sharing paperwork from the court to show the next hearing was in March. He said the prosecutor said he would probably drop the case as long as Gilk refunded the money. We went back to Gilk to give him an opportunity to clarify, but he didnt respond to messages. BEFORE YOU HIRE A CONTRACTOR There are several steps you can take to protect yourself before you hire a contractor. Rely on recommendations from friends, family and neighbors rather than hire a contractor who knocks on your door. Or try your community Facebook page for recommendations. Research the contractor. Contact Consumer Affairs to make sure your contractor has a valid license or registration. You can check that here or call (800) 242-5846. (See if the worker requires a license or registration here.) Also ask the Division if there are any complaints against the company or contractor. Next, check BBB and Google the contractors name and company name with the word complaints. Learn about contracts. State law requires all jobs for more than $500 have a written contract, which must include the legal name and business address of the contractor, the start and end dates for the project, a description of the work, the total price and other items. The contract must also have the business' license or registration numbers, and the contractor must give you a copy of his commercial liability insurance policy and the insurer's phone number. Get estimates. Before you hire anyone, get three different estimates so you can compare the offers before making a decision. After you hire a contractor, keep detailed notes on everything that happens just in case something goes wrong. Record dates, names and conversations that will support you in any future dispute. For more tips on hiring a contractor, read this Bamboozled story. One more thing: Consumer Affairs said anyone who believes they have been cheated or scammed by a business, or suspect any other form of consumer abuse, should file an online complaint with the State Division of Consumer Affairs by visiting its website or call 1-800-242-5846 to receive a complaint form by mail. NJ Advance Media Research Editor Vinessa Erminio contributed to this report. Have you been Bamboozled? Reach Karin Price Mueller at Bamboozled@NJAdvanceMedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KPMueller. Find Bamboozled on Facebook. Mueller is also the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com. Over the first week of November, the police in San Francisco and New York responded to a series of telephone calls claiming that hostages were being held in the homes of Adam Mosseri, a senior Facebook executive. The calls appeared to be coming from inside the homes. Officers arrived in force and barricaded the streets outside. Twice. But after tense, hours-long standoffs, they realized the calls were hoaxes. There were no hostages, and no one in the homes had called the police. Mosseri is one of a number of tech executives who have been targeted recently in so-called swatting incidents. Swatting is online lingo used to describe when people call the police with false reports of a violent crime of some sort inside a home, hoping to persuade them to send a well-armed SWAT team. These episodes have become more common in communities rich with tech companies and their billionaire executives, like the Bay Area and Seattle, according to six police departments contacted by the New York Times. Exact numbers are unclear, the police say, because there is no central repository of information for these sorts of attacks. But as online discourse has become more combative and more personal, some in the industry arent surprised that tech executives the people who decide what is posted on social media and who is barred from it have become regular targets. Swattings have spiked at Facebook in particular, according to local police departments and security officials at the Menlo Park company, which in recent years has cracked down on false accounts, threatening language and other types of content that violates its rules. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity surrounding the attacks. Mosseri declined to comment, and a Facebook spokesman, Anthony Harrison, said in a statement that because these things deal with security matters and our employees, we are unable to comment. Like any other type of crime, when the cost is zero and the deterrent is very low, youve created a perfect opportunity for people to pour time and resources into that crime, said Brian Krebs, a swatting victim who writes a widely read blog, Krebs on Security. The attacks have been aided by forums that have sprung up both on the public internet and on the camouflaged sites of the dark web. These forums name thousands of people, from high-ranking executives to their extended families, who could be targets, providing cell phone 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. 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. Because few people carrying out swattings are ever caught, the police and tech companies can only guess at their motivations. They have seen, however, a correlation between removals of large numbers of accounts for threatening behavior or hate speech and what they believe to be retaliatory attacks against the executives responsible. As more police departments recognize the threat, some have already found practical solutions. In Seattle, people who believe they are at risk of being swatted can include their information and that of their families on a police registry. When an emergency call about a potential threat comes in, the police check to make sure the home isnt in the registry. If it is, they call the home first to see if they can reach someone inside, and check with neighbors to see if there are any corroborating reports of shots fired or other disturbances. The registry is a voluntary thing we created, and it is a small but effective step for people who know they are at risk of being targeted, said Carmen Best, the police chief of Seattle. Swatting is not a new thing. Its been around for a long time, and it weaponizes our 911 system. Its a lot more than a hoax or a prank. Seattles approach is unusual. None of the other police departments contacted by the Times had a similar registry, or had even heard of the idea, despite the recent swattings against tech executives in their jurisdictions. Because swattings are largely organized online, the people behind them can live anywhere in the world. And despite numerous attempts to create federal legislation banning the practice, there is no specific statute that allows swatting to be investigated and prosecuted as a federal crime. Facebook, Google and Twitter did not respond to requests for comment on measures they have taken to protect their employees from swatting. In recent months, all three companies have held discussions with employees who they believe are at risk. They have asked those employees to take added precautions, such as not publicly giving their whereabouts or listing information about their families. The tech companies have also privately let the local police know when certain high-profile executives are at risk, according to police departments around Silicon Valley. The home of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was permanently flagged as high risk, said one Facebook security expert, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the topic. Facebook, Google and Twitter informally share information about potential swattings, giving warnings to one another if they spot a threat, the expert said. In an attack on another Facebook executive last year, police officers encircled the mans home in Palo Alto, after being told that he was at risk of harming himself and his family. The episode was resolved without anyone getting hurt. Facebook had flagged the executive as a likely target for swatting and had taken precautions to protect him and his family. The police still sent a SWAT team. Anyone can be at risk of being swatted, but people who work in tech are at a particular risk, Best said. We have to get a foothold on this, before more people get hurt. Sheera Frenkel is a New York Times writer. Another legal battle is brewing involving owners of 650 Parliament and their handling of the dislocation of hundreds of residents following a fire 18 months ago. The city is set to take the buildings ownership to court over the nonreimbursement of more than $3.5 million incurred in the immediate aftermath of a six-alarm fire that forced an estimated 1,500 residents out of their homes since Aug. 2018. The money from the city coffers was spent on providing emergency services that residents needed, including shelter, food, clothing and transportation, in the first two months after the fire. Council has adopted a motion directing the city solicitor to launch a civil action against Parwell Investments Inc. and Bleeman Holdings Ltd., two companies that own 650 Parliament and a number of other residential buildings in St. James Town. As this deals with a potential litigation matter, we are not able to provide any comments beyond what is in the public staff report, a city spokesperson wrote to the Star on behalf of the legal counsel. A short statement from the propertys ownership noted the citys latest move was expected, but perplexing in its timing. It is surprising that, while we remain singularly focused on continuing to provide assistance to our residents, addressing the staggering reconstruction efforts required, and meeting our primary goal of returning tenants to their homes as quickly as possible, there are those who, at this critical time, would seek to divert resources in any way from where they are most needed, the statement noted. The buildings owners added that discussions with the city have been productive and that the motion at council is just procedural in nature. The owners have not yet been served with a statement of claim, the statement added. Should the city go ahead and file this lawsuit, it would be the third time ownership and management at 650 Parliament have been served in connection with the 2018 fire, which has been characterized as one of the worst the city has seen in a long time. Two class-action lawsuits were filed in the months following the fire and mass displacement, seeking compensation for damages that residents sustained in the process. Last summer Justice Edward Belobaba of the Ontario Superior Court certified a merged version of the two actions, with a total of $40 million sought in damages. The case continues. Regarding the new potential litigation, details in the staff report submitted to council this week indicate that the owners were presented with hundreds of pages of documentation showing how the costs accumulated, and were given ample time to pay back. In failing to reimburse the city, the property owner has breached their agreement with the city and been unjustly enriched. Commencing a civil action to hold the property owner to account is warranted, the report reads in part. With the sudden evacuation of all 570 apartment units in the 22-storey building on the afternoon of Aug. 21, city officials made it clear to the owners that it was their responsibility to take care of the displaced residents. But property ownership president Samuel Grosz indicated that ownership was not well equipped with staff and enough resources to provide emergency assistance, and asked the city to step in, according to the city staff report. He agreed to make the city whole, if they could help with providing the much-needed services. As part of its resiliency and preparedness program, the city has a standing contract with Red Cross, whereby the charity can be called upon to offer various forms of assistance in case of an emergency. The Red Cross stepped in, deploying 80 permanent staff and 233 volunteers, who spent thousands of hours helping provide basic needs and medical support. Initially, the city opened up nearby community centres to serve as temporary shelter for displaced residents, while other people were moved into hotels and other housing units across the city. By the time property ownership moved to take care of residents needs in early October 2018, the city had shelled out a total of $3,754,994 in response to the emergency, according to the staff report. The money includes all the Red Cross invoices as well as citys overtime staffing, additional security and direct assistance in food transportation for residents. Nearly a year-and-half later, none of that amount has been paid back, according to the staff report. The fire that displaced all the residents did not cause any major injuries. Fire officials concluded the incident was caused by an electrical system failure that triggered an explosion in the electrical room. Management estimates the total recovery work to cost anywhere between $60 million and $70 million. Earlier this month, property management announced that repairs were complete and residents are scheduled to return home, starting March 2. Some of the previous residents have since broken their leases and moved on to other places, but management expects occupants of close to 500 units to return. SPRINGFIELD State Sen. Rachelle Crowe, D-Glen Carbon, has become the first woman appointed to Chair of the Illinois Senate Judiciary Committee. I am elated to be chosen as the first woman to lead the chamber in this coveted position, she said. Im excited to get started improving fairness and accountability in the Illinois court system for all people and children in our state. [January 30, 2020] Phoenix Awarded US Army IDIQ Contract to Demonstrate Neutron Radiography Techniques for Munitions Inspection FITCHBURG, Wis., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Madison-based nuclear technology company Phoenix, LLC. has been awarded a $10 million ceiling IDIQ (indefinite quantity, indefinite delivery) contract with the US Army to demonstrate improved neutron radiography and X-ray techniques applicable to the quality assurance of ammunition, armaments, or components of weapons and defense systems. This contract includes the development of software packages which will allow Army radiographers to more easily identify defects and interpret part or assembly quality. Additionally, Phoenix will develop and run training programs which will introduce Army personnel to the fundamentals and practical applications of neutron radiography. Phoenix will also work with Army subject matter experts and American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) committees to develop new and rigorous standards for computed neutron radiography. Neutron radiography, or N-ray, is an industrial NDT (non-destructive testing) technique that can reveal flaws and defects in objects such as munitions, missile payloads, ejection mechanisms, and other critical components with high costs of failure without dismantling or damaging them. Neutron radiography can provide Army personnel with unique information about their assets that cannot be obtained with other NDT techniques. "With the increasing complexity of future defense systems, a variety of inspection tools will be needed to continue to meet the challenge of providing safe and effective assets for the warfighter, and Phoenix's transition from the SBIR contract to this new contract vehicle represents an important stepping stone in the technology development roadmap," says Phoenix president Evan Sengbusch. "This IDIQ contract gives us the ability to work on advanced non-destructive testing projects across the Department of Defense, opening the door for advancements in quality assurance, research and development, and failure analysis." The federal funding for this contract was secured by Senator Tammy Baldwin andCongressman Mark Pocan, who have long supported Army investments in neutron radiography research and development efforts taking place in Wisconsin. "I'm proud to have helped secure additional federal funding to continue the Army's investment in neutron radiography technology," says Sen. Baldwin. "This new contract highlights Phoenix as a global leader in neutron generation and applications, and I'm pleased to support their continued partnership with the Army, which leverages and grows our skilled STEM workforce in Wisconsin while supporting American servicemembers." "This Army contract will continue to fund Phoenix's innovative neutron radiography technology development and ensure continued skilled job growth in the Second District," says Rep. Pocan. "I will always work to protect funding for strong projects like this that spur economic development at home in Wisconsin." Phoenix, LLC. has a long history of partnership with the US Army dating back as far as 2007. In 2014, Phoenix was awarded a $3 million contract with the Army under the SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) program to design an accelerator-based neutron imaging system for the inspection of critical defense components. In 2016, Phoenix received two additional contracts valued at a combined $3.6 million under the SBIR program to further develop its neutron imaging system and develop a mobile neutron generator prototype with the aim of conducting standoff buried IED detection. In 2019, Phoenix received an additional $4 million toward demonstrating thermal and fast neutron imaging at PNIC and developing a method to combine the results of X-ray and N-ray imaging into a single hybrid image. Phoenix recently completed a scope of work under its SBIR contract to demonstrate the ability to perform high-quality, high-throughput thermal neutron radiography as well as fast N-ray computed tomography with its third generation accelerator-based neutron source. About Phoenix, LLC. Founded in Madison, Wisconsin in 2005, Phoenix, LLC. designs and manufactures the world's strongest accelerator-based high-flux neutron generators. Phoenix's cutting-edge nuclear technology has been used in the aerospace, defense, medical and energy sectors to improve manufacturing efficiency and quality. Since 2012, Phoenix has designed and delivered neutron generators for a wide range of practical purposes including neutron radiography, nuclear fuel inspection, and medical isotope production. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/phoenix-awarded-us-army-idiq-contract-to-demonstrate-neutron-radiography-techniques-for-munitions-inspection-300995781.html SOURCE Phoenix, LLC [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Scots would vote to break up the UK if a fresh referendum was held today, according to a shock poll. YouGov research found 51 per cent north of the border would support independence - the first time the firm has recorded a majority in favour since 2015. The figures - which were hailed by the SNP as evidence momentum is on their side - emerged as Nicola Sturgeon and Boris Johnson do battle over whether to hold another national vote. The First Minister has demanded one immediately saying circumstances have been changed by Brexit. But the PM has flatly dismissed the idea, insisting the 2014 ballot - which the separatists lost convincingly - was a once-in-a-generation decision. The YouGov poll, conducted between January 22 and 27 found that most new voters and those who did not participate in the last referendum were in favour of splitting from the UK. YouGov research found 51 per cent north of the border would support independence - the first time the firm has recorded a majority in favour since 2015 However, 42 per cent thought the move would make Scotland worse off economically, 35 per cent who believed it would be better off. Some 56 per cent were also against holding a referendum this year. Excluding those who did not express a view, the overall figure was 51 per cent to 49 per cent. Although within the margin or error for such research, it will cause alarm among unionists. Last August a poll by Lord Ashcroft found Scots backed independence by 52 per cent to 48 per cent, again excluding those who did not voice a preference. Yesterday MSPs passed a motion by 64 votes to 54, calling on the UK Government to 'reach an agreement with the Scottish Government on such a referendum taking place on a date and in a manner determined by the Scottish Parliament'. Ms Sturgeon has been demanding a referendum in the second half of this year. Nicola Sturgeon (pictured at Holyrood yesterday) insists a second vote on independence is necessary to protect Scotland from Brexit Boris Johnson (pictured right with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo today) has flatly dismissed the idea of permitting another independence referendum She told MSPs yesterday: 'Given what the Tories have in store, proposing a further decision on independence isn't simply legitimate - it is necessary.' She accused UK ministers of being 'completely deaf to Scotland's interests, needs and voice', adding that their vision for the UK is driven by 'jingoism and xenophobia'. Scottish Conservative interim leader Jackson Carlaw criticised SNP ministers for their focus on independence, saying: 'If only this Government spent the same amount of attention on police and schools as it does on polling and spin, we might have the safest streets and the best schools in Europe.' :: YouGov polled 1,039 Scottish adults (aged over 16) between January 22 and 27. DENVER More Americans are getting high before driving, a new study shows, and public health officials say it's a worrying trend that could lead to more deadly crashes on the nation's roads. In Washington state, the number of THC-positive drivers involved in fatal crashes more than doubled, to 18%, in the five years after voters approved recreational marijuana use for adults, according to the report published Thursday by the AAA Foundation, which was based on state-collected data. The study didn't examine whether the drivers were at fault for the crashes, but the data confirms long-held fears among public health officials that drivers think it's OK to get behind the wheel while high. "The problem here is that people don't think they're going to get caught," said Jake Nelson, AAA's director for traffic safety advocacy and research. "What we found is that drivers are more likely to use and get behind the wheel after the law passed." Simulated marijuana smoke billows from a specially equipped car being used by Colorado traffic-safety officials to draw attention to state laws prohibiting marijuana users from getting behind the wheel while stoned. The study found that in the five years before Washington legalized marijuana in 2012, an average of 56 drivers annually tested positive for marijuana after having been involved in a fatal crash. That rose to an average of 130 drivers in the following five years. The federal government lacks equivalent national statistics about fatal crashes involving marijuana. Overall, alcohol-related crashes remain a far larger problem than stoned drivers. According to the federal government, alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities accounted for 29 percent of all motor vehicle traffic fatalities in the United States in 2018. Federal statistics say drivers are four times as likely to get behind the wheel after drinking than they are after consuming marijuana. While marijuana intoxication can have similar effects to alcohol -- from delayed reaction times to an inability to judge speed correctly and impaired spatial awareness -- people who are stoned don't seem drunk, Nelson said. That might leave drivers and their friends thinking that getting high comes without impairment. Story continues "Because somebody who is high on marijuana isn't stumbling or slurring their speech, because they don't fit our mental models of what an impaired driver looks like, we tend to think they are less impaired or not impaired at all," he said, "even when they are." Jars of dried marijuana flowers sit inside a display cabinet at the Denver-based Medicine Man marijuana store. Each jar contains about 2 ounces of marijuana, which sells for about $160 per ounce, depending on quality. This marijuana is legal to sell to adults under Colorado law, but remains illegal at the federal level. The AAA study focused on a specific component of marijuana, known as Delta 9-THC, which indicates the presence of active cannabis intoxicants in a person's body. Most drug tests check for other compounds, which can linger for days or weeks, but aren't a good indicator of actual intoxication. The study also factored in the increased enforcement and testing conducted by police officers after Washington state's legalization. But Paul Armentano, deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said he remains deeply skeptical that any study can adequately account for the change in enforcement. Armentano used a fishing analogy: If you fish with one rod today, and then three rods and a fish finder tomorrow, you'll catch more fish the second time, but only because you're trying harder to find them. Further, he said, there's no consensus about whether fatal crashes have even risen significantly, if at all, in states with legal marijuana. Traffic-safety experts say answering these questions requires better data collection from multiple states that have legalized cannabis, while collecting similar data in states where it remains illegal. Some smaller studies have show traffic deaths increased in states with lega l cannabis, while others have shown a decrease. Eleven states have legalized recreational or adult-use cannabis, and 33 states permit some form of medical marijuana use. Public-health officials across the country, from California to Vermont, Illinois to Alaska, have warned that legalization must be accompanied by education campaigns telling people that consuming marijuana before driving is dangerous. In Colorado, for instance, public-health officials launched a multi-million-dollar education campaign, and overhead message boards along the state's highways remind drivers of the consequences: "Drive High, Get a DUI." Marijuana products and plants on display at The Green Solution dispensary in Denver, Colorado. And in California, state officials have launched a "Go Safely, California" campaign to highlight the dangers and consequences of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The federal government has largely remained silent about the dangers of stoned driving in part because the issue is so touchy since marijuana is still illegal nationwide, said Kevin Sabet, executive director of the national anti-legalization group Smart Approaches to Marijuana. "The reality is that this has become a political hot potato on either side, so it's become safer to ignore it, and states have been left holding the bag, largely. There have been people in this administration who have been very strategically talking about marijuana, but there hasn't been someone standing with a megaphone talking about it," said Sabet, a former official with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy under the Clinton, George. W. Bush and Obama administrations. "They are just scared to talk about the issue both the Obama and the Trump administrations are guilty of that." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Marijuana legalization may be increasing number of stoned drivers The Tobacco Shoppe of Midland is celebrating 25 years of bringing people together over luxury tobacco products and building a community around it. The shop, located at 113 E. Ashman St. in Center City, is owned by Sharon and Kevin Fitzgerald, a husband and wife duo who said they spend more time at the shop than at their own home. This lends itself to the homey, comfortable atmosphere that the shop has. They said the lounge is a place that attracts all types of people from the community who come in for a good time, setting aside their differences at the door and creating bonds over cigars. Kevin said the lounge is usually packed every Friday night and they jokingly refer to it as adult daycare. Smoking cigars I dont care what anyone says, at least for me, its not smoking. Its all about the people youre with, and just relaxation, Kevin said. In addition to a comfortable lounge with Wi-Fi and a flatscreen TV, The Tobacco Shoppe of Midland has a large assortment of cigars and pipe tobacco in a humidor. Originally from Mount Pleasant, Kevin and Sharon have been able to build a group of friends and a community in Midland thanks to the shop, which is now mainly a cigar lounge. They said theyve considered adding the name Ashman Cigar Lounge to their branding. However, not only has the Midland community supported them for the last 25 years, but the Fitzgeralds have strived to build trust and rapport with their customers, creating loyal relationships. They said they have customers who have been coming since day one. We probably know about 90% of our customers by their first name, Sharon said. I think that means a lot. Going beyond just names, Kevin takes the time to learn his customers palates and has gotten good at recommending new cigars. They said that trust is key to their success. Thats part of the fun, Kevin said. You have to be honest; you always have to be friendly; do your best. Cigar smoking is luxury so people can quit and not do it to save money, so its got to be a really good experience every time theyre in and theyre going to want to come back. Because otherwise, you can buy online. Kevin said hes even had the opportunity to create relationships with the cigar brands as well, which has allowed him to take several trips to places like Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Nicaragua to see the production process. This is more of a relationship industry, he said. You develop relationships with the owners and it just keeps getting better and better every year. However, Kevin and Sharon said their biggest challenge over the years has been evolving to keep up with changing government regulations and anti-tobacco campaigns. Theyve had to change what they sell and what can be smoked inside, as well as most recently, the age of whos allowed into the shop. With the current location in the Ashman Circle, which is the third place theyve been located, Kevin and Sharon are looking to start some renovation projects, such as painting and upgrading the outside facade to match the more luxurious interior. While retirement is on the horizon for the Fitzgeralds, they said they are just enjoying everything right now. They said neither of their kids are interested in taking over so theyre unsure what the future holds for the shop. However, they are looking to host a ticketed cigar dinner in March to thank their loyal customers. To learn more about The Tobacco Shoppe of Midland, visit its Facebook page or call 989-835-9756. Advertisement A defiant Nigel Farage today insisted Brexiteers will have a good time at his Brexit party despite a ban on booze, live music and fireworks. The Brexit Party leader claimed the 'Establishment' had done everything it possibly could to make the event in Parliament Square tomorrow night a 'damp squib'. But he said 'none of that matters' and the restrictions would not stop him and his fellow Leave voters from marking a 'remarkable piece of history'. He told MailOnline: 'Everything that could be done to make the event a damp squib has been done by the Establishment. 'From Big Ben which was able to bong on Remembrance Sunday and for New Year, to no fireworks and no alcohol. 'But do you know what? None of that matters. We are there to mark and celebrate two things. 'One, a remarkable piece of history. And two, the victory of ordinary people against the political establishment. It can rain if it wants to. It does not matter.' Union flags have been erected along The Mall in central London, with Buckingham Palace framed in the distance, ahead of the Brexit deadline tomorrow A taxi unfurls the flags for Brexit as The Mall is transformed into a sea of patriotic red, white and blue ahead of the EU exit tomorrow Parliament Square was also today being readied for the Brexit night celebrations as workers put up dozens of Union flags Remainers have accused Brexiteers of gloating over their victory but some Eurosceptics are expected to stay away from public celebrations Nigel Farage, pictured in London today, claimed the 'Establishment' had attempted to sabotage his plans for a Brexit party in Westminster tomorrow night Buildings on Brussels' Grand Place display the Union Jack colours during an event called 'Brussels Calling,' sponsored by the capital city Stop Brexit Man with a placard outside Parliament ahead of Brexit happening tomorrow, with the preparations going on all around him There will also be events to mark Brexit in Brussels with Green MEP Magid Magid hosting a 'Brexit's s***, but let's party anyway' gathering in Place du Luxembourg. Ain't no party like a Brexit party: How the UK will celebrating its EU exit Official celebrations: Will be limited. The UK government celebrations will start with Boris Johnson addressing the nation tomorrow evening at 10pm. Downing Street will be illuminated with a 'countdown clock' intended to symbolise the strength and unity of England, Scotland, Wales Northern Ireland, and a light show in Downing Street at 11pm will mark the actual moment when Britain will split from the EU. Earlier this month week, the House of Commons Commission killed off the idea of Big Ben bonging for Brexit, claiming it would cost more than 500,000 to interrupt huge repair works now under way on the clock and the historic Elizabeth Tower that houses it. Buildings around Whitehall will also be illuminated and the Union Jack flag will fly on every flag pole in Parliament Square. Meanwhile, round the corner: Just a matter of yards away at Parliament Square outside the Palace of Westminster, Brexiteers led by Nigel Farage will hold their own party. The Leave Means Leave event promised to feature numerous speakers - but it seems live music, alcohol and fireworks have been banned. Scheduled to speak are JD Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin, broadcasters Julia Hartley-Brewer and Michelle Dewberry, MEP Ann Widdecombe, Brexit Party chairman Richard Tice and of course, Mr Brexit himself, Nigel Farage. The festivities start at 9pm and end at 11pm with a recommended minimum donation of 10 to join. The organisers say: 'We would also like to ask everyone come in good voice to sing some patriotic songs and bring along as many Union flags as they can, to wave in a patriotic display of pride.... we want to make you aware that Westminster is a 'Controlled Drinking Zone' so it is advisable that you do not bring alcohol along.' And in Brussels: There will also be events in Brussels to mark the occasion. City authorities organised a so-called 'Brussels Calling' event this evening to underline the Belgian capital's long friendship with the UK. Meanwhile, Green MEP Magid Magid is hosting an unofficial 'Brexit's s***, but let's party anyway' gathering tomorrow night in Place du Luxembourg. Advertisement But that event tomorrow night is likely to be different in tone to Mr Farage's which was given the go ahead by the Greater London Authority earlier this month. Workers were busy this afternoon putting up Union flags around the square and along The Mall, ready for the celebrations. But the event could be quieter than originally expected because the area outside Parliament does not have a licence for live music. That means any music played must only be incidental to proceedings - for example if it is played in between speeches. The organisers - the Leave Means Leave campaign group - have also been barred from setting off fireworks while Parliament Square is part of a controlled drinking zone which means revelers will be unable to consume alcohol. Despite the restrictions, the Brexit Party has labelled the event a 'once-in-a-lifetime' party. Proceedings will start at 9pm and end shortly after the UK leaves the EU at 11pm. A handful of speakers have been confirmed for the party, including Mr Farage, Brexit Party chairman Richard Tice and Brexit Party MEP Ann Widdecombe. An email sent to Brexit Party supporters said: 'We would also like to ask everyone to come in good voice to sing some patriotic songs and bring along as many Union flags as they can, to wave in a patriotic display of pride. 'Finally, we want to make you aware that Westminster is a 'Controlled Drinking Zone' so it is advisable that you do not bring alcohol along. 'We look forward to seeing you all there. Let's make it a night to remember.' The organisers had fought for Big Ben - currently undergoing massive renovations - to bong for Brexit at 11pm but their efforts were rejected by parliamentary authorities. Remainers have accused Brexiteers of gloating over their victory and a number of prominent Eurosceptics have said they will not be celebrating in public due to the need to unite the country. Mr Farage's gathering outside the Palace of Westminster will coincide with official government celebrations to mark the moment. Boris Johnson will start tomorrow by hosting a meeting of his Cabinet at a location outside of London as he tries to hammer home his desire to 'level up' the rest of the UK. Winston Churchill's statue in Parliament Square in central London kept a close eye on preparations for the Brexit party this afternoon Events to mark Brexit have also been planned in European cities. The city of Brussels organised a 'Brussels Calling' event to highlight its friendship with the UK. An activist is pictured waving flags in Grand Place, Brussels, today Numerous anti-Brexit campaigners attended the event in the Belgian capital just one day after MEPs rubber-stamped the Brexit divorce deal Boris Johnson, pictured in Downing Street today during a meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, is expected to address the nation tomorrow night before the moment of Brexit at 11pm He is then expected to address the nation tomorrow night before the clock strikes 11pm. There will also be a countdown clock to the moment of departure with a Downing Street light show also planned. But in a sign that the government wants to move on from the UK's departure from the bloc as quickly as possible, it is understood there will be no Brexit-related ministerial activity over the weekend. In fact, the government is expected to keep quiet on Brexit until the PM delivers a major speech at some point next week when he will set out his plans for trade negotiations with the EU. Summing up the PM's desire to move on from Brexit and focus on other things, one government source today said flatly: 'Brexit will be done on Saturday.' The saying even beggars in China also have QR Code shows the great impact WeChat has in China. Grab, Zalo, Go-Viet, be and Now are also struggling to become the super-app with similar level of influence in Vietnam. The common characteristic of the apps is that they develop from basic services, either e-hailing, messaging or social network. Later, they were integrated with new services to create all-in-one apps. E-hailing Grab, Go-Viet and be all were originated as e-hailing services. However, Grab has been the most successful player as it pioneers in the field and it has huge long term capital. The e-hailing platform of Grab has become the No 1 choice for Vietnamese with the number of trips provided in 2019 increasing by 29 percent. The common characteristic of the apps is that they develop from basic services, either e-hailing, messaging or social network. Later, they were integrated with new services to create all-in-one apps. ABI Research reported that in the first six months of 2019, Grab led the Vietnamese market with 73 percent of market share, followed by be with 16 percent and Go-Viet 10 percent. Now once provided motorbike ride hailing service NowMotor in late 2018 in HCM City and Hanoi, but left the market just six months later. Zalo also launched Zalo Taxi, but it no longer exists. Food delivery Established as a food delivery app, Now had stayed firmly in the No 1 position for a long time until newcomers appearing. The appearance of GrabFood, Go-Food and Baemin, a player from South Korea, has threatened Nows position. According to Kantar, GrabFood is the most popularly used food delivery app in Vietnam. It is also the only app which applies the central kitchen model with the name GrabKitchen. Delivery service Among available instant delivery services, GrabExpress has the highest growth rate, 97 percent. Go-Send still cannot squeeze into delivery service divisions of e-commerce websites. beExpress cooperates with Lazada. Meanwhile, GrabExpress not only cooperates wth Shopee and Sendo, but also with VinMart, the retail chain with the largest coverage at this moment. E-payment Of the platforms which have the ambitions to become super-apps, be and Go-Viet still dont have e-wallets of their own. Grab has Moca, Now has AirPay and Zalo has Zalo Pay. Moca has obtained the most impressive growth rate as it spent big money on sale promotion programs last year. A report showed that the total value of transactions via Moca on Grab increased by 131 percent and 43 percent of transactions on Grab were under the mode of non-cash payment. Other services Besides these services, platforms also provide other services to retain users. Grab has joined forces with Agoda and Booking. Com to provide hotel booking services. Now books tables at restaurants or at beauty salons. Mai Lan CEO of ride-hailing service Be resigns Tran Thanh Hai, CEO of the ride-hailing service Be, has stepped down after two years at the head of the service, which he joined in the beginning days. Then-national security adviser to President Donald Trump, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, arrives to a swearing in ceremony of White House senior staff in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Jan. 22, 2017. (Andrew Harrer-Pool/Getty Images) Flynn Formally Asks Judge to Dismiss Case Against Him Michael Flynn asked a federal judge on Jan. 29 to dismiss the case against him, after having telegraphed to the court for months that he was planning to make the move. Flynns lawyers say prosecutors failed to give the retired three-star U.S. Army general a plethora of exculpatory information and the case should thus be dismissed, for outrageous government misconduct and in the interest of justice. This factually and legally baseless investigation and prosecution of Mr. Flynn has no precedent everything about this prosecution has violated long-standing standards and policy for the FBI and the DOJ, the court filing says (pdf), listing a lineup of extraordinary circumstances that led to Flynn pleading guilty on Dec. 1, 2017, to one count of lying to the FBI. On Jan. 14, Flynn asked District Judge Emmet Sullivan, who is overseeing the sentencing, to allow him to withdraw his plea. Flynn was formerly the national security adviser to President Donald Trump; he also headed the Defense Intelligence Agency during the Obama administration. On Jan. 24, 2017, four days after Trumps inauguration, then-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe called Flynn to ask if two agents could stop by to talk to him. Within two hours, Peter Strzok, then-deputy assistant director for counterintelligence operations, and Supervisory Special Agent Joe Pientka entered the White House. Between the two agents, they took several pages of handwritten notes. Within five days, they should have produced a report from the interview: an FBI 302 form. Yet, the earliest 302 draft provided to Flynns defense was from Feb. 10 and it had taken another five days before McCabe approved it. Based on the 302, prosecutors got Flynn to affirm that he had lied to the agents by denying that he made two requests in December 2016 to then-Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergei Kislyak. One request was for Russia to not escalate the situation after President Barack Obama expelled dozens of Russian diplomats. The other was for Russia to abstain from or delay a United Nations vote on Israeli settlements. There was nothing illegal about either request, since, as a member of the transition team, it was Flynns job to communicate with foreign officials regarding the incoming administrations positions. Flynns current lead lawyer, former federal prosecutor Sidney Powell, has said that Flynn didnt lie. She said he only pleaded guilty because prosecutors at the time didnt give him exculpatory information, they exerted pressure on him and his family, and because his previous lawyers had a conflict of interest that prevented them from advising him properly. While its possible that what Flynn told the agents didnt quite match what the FBI knew from wiretaps of Kislyaks calls, Flynn didnt intentionally lie, Powell has said. On Jan. 16, Powell revealed she has a witness who saw an earlier draft of the 302, one not provided to the defense, which did, in fact, say that Flynn was honest with the agents and did not lie. Powell now says that further exculpatory information was revealed in the Dec. 9, 2019, report by the Justice Departments Office of the Inspector General (OIG). The report delved into the FBIs counterintelligence investigation of the Trump campaign, dubbed Crossfire Hurricane, and particularly a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant taken out by the FBI against Trump 2016 campaign volunteer Carter Page. The OIG concluded that the warrant and its three subsequent renewals contained at least 17 significant errors or omissions, saying the errors and other issues constituted serious performance failures by the supervisory and non-supervisory agents. The supervisory agent on the case was Pientka, who reported to Strzok. In Powells view, Flynn was supposed to be told about Pientkas role in the Page warrants, two of which have since been determined to be invalid by the Justice Department. This information was useful to Flynns defense, Powell said, because it mirrored allegations that Flynn was making against Pientka in his case. Just as the OIG attributed to Pientka numerous inaccuracies, omissions, and unsupported statements in the FISA warrants, Powell alleges that the Flynn 302, reveals equally troubling inaccuracies, omissions, and unsupported statements. Migrants from Brazil who seek asylum at the United States southern border will now have to wait in Mexico to learn their fate along with tens of thousands of others turned back under a year-old Trump administration policy. The number of people from the South American country seeking refuge from the U.S. has spiked, the Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday. The surge of Brazilians forced the administration's hand and immigration officials have begun sending them back into Mexico. Reuters first reported earlier this month that the Trump administration had weighed the inclusion of Brazilians in the MPP program. The program previously had covered Spanish-speaking migrants. But the addition of people from Brazil, where Portuguese is the official language, expands its reach further. Rogelio Pinal, the head of the human rights office in Juarez, Mexico, said that Brazilians who cross the border in El Paso, Texas, and are sent to wait in Juarez will be taken to a federally run migrant shelter and provided with an interpreter. The Trump administration announced Wednesday that Brazilian refuge seekers now have to wait in Mexico to receive a final decision for asylum petitions. The decision falls under the Migrant Protocols Plan [MPP] or 'Remain in Mexico' policy enacted January 2019. Pictured above are a group of migrants at a makeshift refugee camp in Matamoros, Mexico According to Reuters, the Trump administration juggled its decision as to whether Brazilian asylum seekers should be included in the Migrant Protocols Plan or "Remain in Mexico" policy. There are more than 55,000 non-Mexican migrants in Mexico who are waiting to for a response from the U.S. after requesting asylum. Pictured above is a group of migrants receiving instructions from a CBP officer at a border bride connecting the U.S. and Mexico According to DHS, the number of Brazilian migrants arriving at the southern border had tripled over the past year. U.S. Border Patrol caught roughly 17,900 Brazilians at the southwest border in the last fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, 2018. The figure was a sharp increase from 1,500 arrests a year earlier. At least 55,000 non-Mexican migrants are waiting in Mexico for rulings on their asylum claims, decisions that can take months or even years. In December, acting Customs and Border Patrol Chief Mark Morgan vowed to try to shut down asylum for migrants from outside the immediate region, noting migrants from Haiti, Brazil and African countries. Previously, migrants presenting themselves at the southern border or apprehended while trying to enter the country were, if they met the initial threshold for asylum, often released on parole in the U.S. to await a final determination by an immigration judge. President Donald Trump's administration began forcing them to stay in Mexico as part of a broader effort to reduce what DHS calls 'irregular migration' to the United States. Advocates for immigrants have sued the federal government to halt the Migrant Protocols Plan, which was introduced January 25, 2019. Opponents of the policy, known informally as 'Remain in Mexico,' argue that it deprives people of the right under international law to seek asylum and makes it harder for them to press their legal cases in backlogged immigration courts. The U.S. began returning migrants from Central America to Mexico last year. Pro-migrant groups have also denounced the Trump administration's policy which has tested the patience of asylum seekers, undertaking dangerous decisions that have claimed the lives of migrants seeking unlawful entry into the United States. Oscar Alberto Martinez Ramirez (right) lost his patience with United States' immigration policy that forces migrants to wait in Mexico to learn of their asylum application process. He and his daughter Angie Valeria Martinez (center) drowned in their attempt to enter the U.S. in June The bodies of Salvadoran migrant Oscar Alberto Martinez Ramirez and his nearly 2-year-old daughter Angie Valeria lie on the bank of the Rio Grande in Matamoros, Mexico, in June The bodies of Salvadoran migrant Oscar Alberto Martinez Ramirez and his nearly 2-year-old daughter Valeria lie on the bank of the Rio Grande in Matamoros, Mexico Perhaps the most heartbreaking took place in June when a Salvadoran man and his 23-month-old daughter drowned in the Rio Grande and their bodies were pictured floating on the Mexican river bank across from Brownsville, Texas. Family members said that Oscar Martinez had grown frustrated with the amount of time it was taking for officials in Matamoros, Mexico, to conduct their petition interview. The desperate migrant told his wife it was time to make the trip across the Rio Grande and turn themselves in to U.S. border patrol officials before tragedy struck. Oscar made across the river with Angie Valeria and placed her down on the U.S. shore so that he could go back to help his wife, Tania Vanessa Avalos, cross. Unsure why her dad was returning to the Mexican side of the river, Angie Valeria got back into the water and her dad fatefully went in to save her. Avalos could only watch in horror as her husband and daughter were swept a few hundred yards downstream to their deaths and were found the next morning face down in shallow water Photos from the scene show his black shirt hiked up to his chest with the girl's head tucked inside. Her arm was draped around his neck suggesting she clung to him in her final moments. NEW kid on the political scene, the Peoples Party (PP) fronted by former Tourism minister Walter Mzembi has been dealt a body blow after one of its top executives, Vince Musewe, pulled out hardly a month after the formation of the opposition grouping. Musewe, who had been appointed as the partys secretary for research and economic affairs, resigned just a few weeks after his appointment, saying the risk benefits were not worth his while. Party secretary-general Lloyd Msipa confirmed the fallout which he said was driven by Musewes desire to get paid for holding the post. We are looking for membership not mercenaries; this is a peoples project and we could, therefore, not pay him for belonging to the party, Msipa said. The party alleged that Musewe indicated that he would be taking a huge risk being the only member in senior leadership representing the party from Zimbabwe and therefore, wanted an allowance for the risk he was taking. He said he was going to be vocal and this would affect his other sources of income, therefore, he needed to be paid. The party is not about that, so we parted ways, but its important for me to note that it was him who came to us expressing interest in holding that position. Musewe confirmed he had left the party, but denied allegations that he had demanded payment. Please note, I have withdrawn my membership from PP. The risk benefits are not worth my while at this stage, he said. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 30) The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation has arrested three members of the church founded by Filipino megachurch leader Apollo Quiboloy for an immigration fraud scheme case. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) said three top administrators of the Davao-based Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name or KOJC founded in the Philippines by President Rodrigo Duterte's spiritual adviser and close friend were charged with conspiracy to commit immigration fraud. Guia Cabactulan and Marissa Duenas were arrested in the church compound in Van Nuys, while Amanda Estopare was apprehended in Virginia on Thursday (Philippine time). The US DOJ said the three brought KOJC members from the Philippines to the US to work as fundraisers, but ended up as pawns in the church's years-long fraud scheme. The charge sheet alleged that workers were ordered to solicit donations with false promise that the donors' money will be used to help the poor children in the Philippines. The charges also said KOJC set daily cash solicitation quotas; when it's not met, the workers were abused. The criminal complaint also said the workers were forced to marry fellow KOJC members who were US citizens so they can stay in the country. The affidavit, filled with accounts of victims who have fled the church, said the workers in the US sent huge sums of cash back to KOJC in the Philippines through commercial and private flights. US DOJ said Cabactulan was identified as KOJC's leader in US and kept direct contact with the group's heads in the Philippines. Duenas allegedly handled "fraudulent immigration documents" for the workers sent to the US and the one who illegally kept their passports. Estopare allegedly managed the finances, including enforcing fundraising quotas for KOJC workers. The charge of conspiracy to commit immigration fraud carries a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. Most or all of the money raised was used to finance KOJC operations and Quiboloys lavish lifestyle, the US DOJ said, citing the complaint. However, Quiboloy's lawyer, Israelito Torreon, said the charges against the administrators of the church are part of a "grand conspiracy of lies concocted by former members of the kingdom who struck an alliance with forces who have an axe to grind against" their leader. Torreon also insisted that Cabactulad and Duenas were "just exercising their religious rights in spreading the good news to the whole world." He claimed that the two had to face disciplinary proceedings in the church, but they opted to charge admninistrators instead of facing penalties. He added that Quiboloy is ready to forgive them and welcome them back into their church. Quiboloy is no stranger to charges. He is facing several allegations of cash smuggling and running a "child sex ring" in Hawaii. A former follower filed a case against him in Davao City in 2019 for rape. His camp has denied the allegations. Malacanang, aware of Quiboloy's close ties to Duterte, has opted to keep its hands off the issue. The megachurch leader previously said his friendship with Duterte goes way back to when his congregation was just starting out. Quiboloy admitted giving properties, a house, and a vehicle to Duterte. He also lent choppers and other aircraft during the 2016 presidential campaign. Quiboloy, a self-proclaimed Appointed Son of God, claimed his church has six million followers worldwide. On February 2, 1971 a small group of environmentalists signed an international agreement at the Ramsar Convention in Iran - this day came to be known as World Wetlands Day. On this occasion, EPIC Channel India Ka Apna Infotainment brings a new Original - Wetlands - Miracles in Mumbai continuing the channels endeavor to focus on the countrys ecological diversity. EPIC Channel with a legacy of some exceptional innovative content has been a pioneer in curating and creating premium India-centric originals in the past couple of years, redefining the infotainment genre. Shot entirely in 4K, Wetlands - Miracles in Mumbai will take the audience across these hidden biological gems in Indias business capital, along with underlining its strong position in coping with the alarming climate crisis. The original a 40-minute film will be telecast at 1:00 pm, 4:00 pm & 8:30 pm to celebrate the World Wetlands Day, February 2, 2020, on EPIC Channel. Apart from celebrating to the 58.2 million hectares of mangroves in the country that accounts for 3% of the worlds mangroves, Wetlands - Miracles in Mumbai captures the little nuances of natures coast guards that are invaluable carbon sinks, and miraculously countering forces against climate change. A visual treat for nature lovers, this EPIC Special deep-dives into the rich ecosystem of wetlands around Mumbai, introduces some of its unique natives and features experts who elaborate on the role, relevance, and necessity on conserving wetlands. Commenting on the launch of the film, Tasneem Lokhandwala, Head Content & Programming, EPIC Channel, said, Mumbai is always spoken of as the maximum city and a concrete jungle, but few people are aware that it provides diverse habitats to hundreds of migratory birds and aquatic creatures even in congested areas like Andheri and Powai. Wetlands - Miracles in Mumbai will capture the complexity between this city and its surrounding ecosystem, with a never seen before view of Mumbais most valuable real-estate its wetlands. From the majestic Flamingos that make Mumbai their winter home, to lesser known species of birds like the Bronze-Winged Jacana, White-Breasted Waterhen, Sandpipers as well as the myriad aquatic fauna, Wetlands - Miracles in Mumbai follows the many living beings hidden in plain sight amidst the towering skyscrapers of Mumbai. EPIC Channel is available across the operators Tata Sky, Airtel TV, Dish TV, Sun TV and streams live on its OTT platform EPIC On; as also on SonyLIV, and MX Player. EPIC On the smartphone app is available across iOS, Android, Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV and MI TV. A new study published in January 2020 in the journal Science Translational Medicine depicts for the first time ever a beautifully detailed map of the way three different species reacts to tuberculosis, based on their genetic and immune differences. The researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and its collaborators, the Texas Biomedical Research Institute in San Antonio; and the University of Cape Town in South Africa, studied humans, macaque monkeys and mice to arrive at their conclusions. This map is likely to be a huge help in understanding the diverse reactions to the disease among various species and will assist further research into tuberculosis eradication. The background Tuberculosis (TB) is a killer disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other mycobacteriaceae. It is still among the most serious health problems in the world. In 2018, it took a toll of 1.5 million lives, and sickened a quarter of the worlds people, which comes to about 2 billion people. Most of these are in low- and medium-income countries where resources for healthcare are scarce. Bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis, 3D illustration Credit: Kateryna Kon / Shutterstock It is a matter of public record that research on tuberculosis in animal models seems to bring up different findings than those that actually happen when the same thing is applied to people with the disease. This is why drugs to treat and vaccines to prevent tuberculosis, and even diagnostic tests, just dont work as well in human patients as they did in the experimental models. This is also the reason why the disease is still alive and rampaging in many parts of the developing world. Researcher Shabaana A. Khader says, For many years, scientists have been frustrated by the fact that animal models of TB especially the genetically identical mice so often studied dont really reflect what we see in people with TB infections. This study is important because now we show in great detail where these animal models overlap with humans with TB and where they dont. The study The current study used mice with many different types of genes rather than the clones more often used in laboratory research. This ensures that the real-life experience of tuberculosis affecting a range of people with widely different levels of immunity can be recreated more efficiently and more faithfully. In other words, the mice show various ranges of severity, some with no symptoms at all, some with moderate and some with serious lung inflammation. After recording the immune responses and the genetic data from this collection of infected mice, the researchers then went on to analyze the results from similarly infected macaques in San Antonio. Meanwhile, in South Africa, they were testing blood drawn from young people who were part of a clinical trial on tuberculosis. This means that the three sets of researchers were obtaining data from three different species, and these datasets could be studied, and the results compared with each other. The results The clinical trial in South Africa which has been going on for years has already picked up a cluster of 16 genes which are activated by tuberculosis infection more than a year in advance of clinical diagnosis. The pattern is so characteristic of active tuberculosis that it is called a human TB gene signature, and it marks the divide between patients with active tuberculosis and those with latent infection. Of men and monkeys Since macaques are close relatives of humans in some ways, they have been thought to share the same characteristics. The current study confirmed this, showing a complete overlap between the human TB gene signature and the genes activated in infected macaques. Says another researcher, Makedonka Mitreva, Its important to have the definitive data showing it to be true. Of mice and men When the human signature was compared with that of infected mice, there was some overlap, but also enough of a discordance that in some areas, tuberculosis research in mice would not be very useful in advancing the treatment of human infection. Of the 16 genes that are overexpressed in people who go on to have severe tuberculosis infection, 12 are expressed in mice as well. The remaining 4 are either not present in mice or are essential for mouse development when they are knocked out, the embryos die. These could not be studied, as a result, and we dont know how they agree with the results in humans. The 12 concordant genes are of three types: those which protect against the infection, those which increase the animals chances of being infected, and those which have no obvious effect. The implications The study is of immense importance. Khader explains: Until now, we have studied mouse models to understand TB disease progression, not knowing where the mouse disease translates to human disease and where it doesnt. Now, we have shown that many areas do translate but that there are important aspects of TB infection that dont. If you are using mouse models to develop TB vaccines or other therapeutics that target areas that dont overlap, you likely wont succeed. As the result of this important new study, the immune pathways that are responsible for the disease processes have been identified. Now researchers will be able to choose animal models that will be helpful in working out one or more pathways of molecular or genetic response to the infection. They may also be able to choose the therapies that enhance the expression of the protective genes or inhibit those genes that increase susceptibility to tuberculosis. The scientists say, Together, our cross-species findings provide insights into modeling TB disease and the immunological basis of TB disease progression. The future The researchers now plan to use the knowledge to analyze drug-resistant tuberculosis, which is a serious complication in endemic regions. The genetic signature will reveal which genes are being stimulated and which shut down in this scenario. Moreover, the data could also help reveal the reason behind the unexplained differences in induced immunity following tuberculosis vaccine administration to people at increased risk of infection why some of them become immune while others remain susceptible. They have also put their observational data in the public domain for use by other tuberculosis researchers, in the best traditions of scientific inquiry and integrity. PASADENA, Texas, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership (BAHEP) honored San Jacinto College Chancellor Dr. Brenda Hellyer with the prestigious Quasar Award for Economic Development Excellence Friday night during an awards dinner at South Shore Harbour Resort and Conference Center. The Quasar Award is presented annually to an outstanding elected official or business leader who has demonstrated a strong, continual effort to support the business foundations of the greater Bay Area Houston communities. While the Quasar plaque has my name on, this is really for the San Jacinto College community, said Hellyer. The work at San Jacinto College is accomplished by an amazing team of employees. The success of San Jacinto College is due to a strong and visionary Board of Trustees who establish the strategic goals for the College, and are focused on the success of our students. Hellyer was named the fifth chancellor of San Jacinto College in May 2009. Throughout the last decade she has worked with the Board of Trustees and College employees to create transformational change at the College, resulting in a more than 106 percent increase in the number of certificates and degrees awarded, a nearly 20 percent increase in enrollment, and a national top 10 community college recognition from the Aspen Institute. As part of that change, San Jacinto College has enhanced the student experience and improved educational accessibility. When the new Generation Park Campus opens this fall the fifth campus for the College it will complete the construction of 16 new facilities over the last decade. Additional facilities have also been renovated during that time, all to meet the needs of todays students. Among those buildings are the Maritime Technology and Training Center, which opened in March 2016; the LyondellBasell Center for Petrochemical, Energy, & Technology, which opened in September 2019; the EDGE Center at the Houston Spaceport, which opened in January 2020; and the new Generation Park Campus, which will open fall 2020. Dr. Hellyer is a shining example of excellence that the Quasar Award exemplifies, said Bob Mitchell, BAHEP President, during his remarks at the award dinner. She has taken San Jacinto College into the 21stCentury with the addition of programs that are essential to building and maintaining the skilled workforce that is fundamental to the economic well being of the region. In addition to adding and renovating facilities over the last decade, San Jacinto College has made significant changes to help students finish what they start. The College transitioned to a simplified tuition model, which eliminates registration fees and adopts a standard per-credit-hour rate that allows for up-front budgeting and cost transparency to help students plan their expenses without additional unexpected financial obstacles. The College also implemented Open Books, an open educational resource program that provides students access to free or low-cost textbooks and digital course materials that has saved students more than $6.5 million in textbook costs over three years. This fall, the College will begin offering the Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a program designed for registered nurses with an associate degree who are currently working in the field. The College has implemented many additional support programs and initiatives during the last 10 years as well, such as campus food pantries and a free campus cafe voucher system to help alleviate students food insecurities, a coat closet, assistance with immunizations, and more. These resources help students overcome some of the obstacles associated with pursuing a higher education credential which allows them to focus on classroom learning and course work. As San Jacinto College heads into the next decade, we will continue to provide students and the community with evolving, innovative, and necessary programs and services that meet the regions needs, concluded Hellyer. Working alongside organizations such as the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, we know we can help grow the economy in our region and provide our partners with the talented and skilled workforce they need for decades to come. United States Congressman Dr. Brian Babin, representing Texas 36thCongressional District, issued a statement and recognized Chancellor Hellyer from the House Floor. In his remarks, which were published in the Congressional record on Jan. 16, he said in part, I rise today to congratulate an exceptional educator, San Jacinto College Chancellor Dr. Brenda Hellyer, on receiving the prestigious Quasar Award for Economic Development Excellence from the Bay Area Houston Partnership (BAHEP).After becoming Chancellor of San Jacinto College in May 2009, Dr. Hellyer led a rigorous strategic planning process to transform the image of the college. These efforts have transformed San Jacinto College into a modern community college, offering students education in collaborative classrooms and hands on training with equipment they will encounter as they move into the workforce. Madam Speaker, I thank Dr. Hellyer for her dedication as Chancellor of San Jacinto College, and for her outstanding community engagement in the greater Bay Area. Recent Quasar Award recipients include Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush (2019), Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner (2018), Senator Larry Taylor (2017), Clear Creek ISD Superintendent Dr. Greg Smith (2016), Dr. William Bill Merrell (2015), and University of Houston Chancellor Dr. Renu Khator (2014). About San Jacinto College Surrounded by monuments of history, industries, and maritime enterprises of today, and the space age of tomorrow, San Jacinto College has served the citizens of East Harris County, Texas, since 1961. The College is fiscally sound, holding bond ratings of AA and Aa2 by Standard & Poors and Moodys. San Jacinto College is a 2019 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence Top 10 institution, a 2017 Aspen Prize Rising Star Award recipient, and an Achieving the Dream Leader College. The College serves approximately 45,000 credit and non-credit students annually, and offers eight areas of study that put students on a path to transfer to four-year institutions or enter the workforce. San Jacinto Colleges impact on the region totals $1.3 billion in added income, which supports 13,044 jobs. For more information about San Jacinto College call 281-998-6150, visit sanjac.eduor join the conversation on Facebookand Twitter. ### Attachments AmWINS Group Inc. has named Christopher Bromiley a vice president and casualty broker in the AmWINS Insurance Brokerage of Californias Los Angeles office. Bromiley will focus on primary and excess placements for difficult construction-related risks. Prior to joining AmWINS, Bromiley was with wholesale brokerage firms, including RT Specialty and CRC Insurance Services. AmWINS Group is an independent wholesale distributor of specialty insurance products. Topics California On Jan. 29, Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported to India an asylum-seeker who had spent nearly eight months in ICE detention. He was one of five asylum-seekers of South Asian origin who went on a hunger strike in October at the LaSalle Detention Center, an ICE processing facility in Jena, La, operated by the for-profit prison company GEO Group. All five had exercised their legal right to claim asylum, after escaping religious or political persecution. My organization, Freedom for Immigrants, runs a national visitation network of more than 4,500 volunteers, who conduct weekly monitoring visits in immigrant jails and prisons throughout the country. One volunteer, who visits with two of the men detained weekly has reported that their condition is deteriorating: They are short of breath and have difficulty moving without assistance; their bones are visible, their skin tone grayish, their eyes hollow and their features sunken. Despite legal avenues for release and the fact that all of the men have family or close friends willing to care for them upon release, they have been detained for more than a year in facilities with extensive and well-documented histories of abuse, including overcrowding, medical neglect, sexual assault, barriers to legal access and retaliatory use of solitary confinement. In a recent statement to volunteers, three of the detained men report that they have been held in solitary confinement, in apparent payback for their strike. All have said they will continue their hunger strike, even if it means death. These men are not the only ones waging hunger strikes in immigrant jails and prisons in the United States. Over the last year, we and our partner groups have documented hunger strikes in ICE prisons in New Mexico, Louisiana and Texas, the majority of which have been waged by asylum-seekers. Detained immigrants have told volunteers that officials have responded with excessive use of force including pepper spray and solitary confinement. 30.01.2020 LISTEN The Volta Regional Minister, Dr. Archibald Letsa, has defended his decision to hold another funfair before distributing the new ambulances meant for the region. After President Nana Akufo-Addo commissioned 307 ambulances for distribution nationwide on national tv this past Monday, Dr. Letsa feels some Volta Region residents who missed the January 28 ceremony deserve to see another form of commissioning. The people of Ghana, many of whom may not have watched it on television or might not have read newspapers also need to know what has happened, he said at the Volta Region Coordinating Council. When ambulances have been allocated to Volta Region, there is nothing wrong with the ambulances coming to the coordinating council for us to receive them and hand them over to be taken care of by the assemblies. Anybody who criticises this has a problem and we need to take him to a synagogue for deliverance, Dr. Letsa also joked. Ho Central NDCs criticism But the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Ho Central criticised his plans and accused the Minister of overseeing wastage. Sefadzi Agama, the Ho Central Constituency Communication officer of the NDC, argued that maybe somebody may be in the need for ambulances at the moment yet they have been lined up waiting to be recommissioned before distribution. We think that it is a waste of time. there is so much waste in the system, he added. In an earlier statement, the Ho Central NDC also described the recommissioning ceremony as an exercise in mediocrity. The intention of the Regional Minister is a loud testament to the fact that the Nana Akufo-Addo-led government has achieved very little despite the huge resource at its disposal hence making a festival out of this ambulance distribution. ---citinewsroom Lao authorities at a border crossing with Vietnam seized seven truckloads of timber last week after the trucks owner failed to pay a bribe to allow the unprocessed wood, which is illegal for export, to leave the country, Lao sources said. The logs were harvested at a saw mill owned by a Vietnamese businessman in the Saysettha district of Attapeu province, and were seized at the border on Jan. 24, an official working at the border checkpoint told RFAs Lao Service. They are now being kept in a warehouse at the border for investigation, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Also speaking to RFA, a source in Attapeu with knowledge of the matter said that authorities had earlier stopped seven trucks from the same firm carrying finished wood products, but then allowed these to cross into Vietnam since they could be legally exported. The Vietnamese business owner did not pay officials the required bribe for the timber, though, so the officials decided to confiscate it all, he said. Reached for comment, an official at Attapeus department for investigating timber smuggling denied any knowledge of the event, adding, Im not involved in this investigation. I dont know anything about it. Smugglers will now often mix timber with finished wood products to move across the border, one source in Attapeu said, while other sources told RFA that vendors now prefer to smuggle timber to Vietnam through the Lalai international checkpoint because it is easier to bribe officials there. While officials at the border in Attapeu charge at least U.S. $1,000 per truckload, officials in Saravan charge only $500, sources said. Meanwhile timber harvested from endangered trees costs more to send to Vietnam than ordinary timber, sources said. A widespread problem In late 2017, the central government dismissed the governor of Attapeu province, whose wife had been implicated in the transport to Vietnam of timber harvested illegally in their heavily deforested region. The dismissal followed the seizure in May 2017 of a convoy of 27 trucks of logs owned by Seng Viyaketh, wife of Attapeu's then-governor Nam Viyaketh, at the Phoukeua checkpoint on the border. Authorities determined that the timber was illegally obtained in Laos. Corruption has been a widespread and long-term problem in the developing country because of Laos weak laws and lack of enforcement by authorities Transparency International, a Berlin-based global anticorruption coalition, ranked Laos 130 among 180 countries on its Corruption Perceptions Index for 2019 and gave the country a score of 29 on a scale in which 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean. Corruption exists at every level of government in Laos and is difficult to uproot because it has become part of the countrys culture, a source familiar with corruption in Laos told RFA. Reported and translated by Ounkeo Souksavanh for RFAs Lao Service. Written in English by Richard Finney. Ms Nandy says the step is essential if her party is to rebuild trust, and is part of being open and transparent with voters. She promises, too, that she will implement any recommendations that the equalities watchdog makes once it has completed its investigation into Labours anti-Semitism problem. She is right on all counts, because Labour needs to restore its reputation not just with the Jewish population, but also with the many other voters who have been put off by the way that racism has been allowed to fester and at times been condoned within the partys ranks. It is dismaying to have to recall that at least since the time of the lamentably inadequate report into the partys anti-Semitism problem by Shami, now Baroness, Chakrabarti, in 2016, there has been a persistent failure by the Labour hierarchy to address this vile prejudice adequately, or to swiftly root out the bigoted individuals responsible. Its essential that whoever takes over as Labours new leader ensures that this inaction ends, and it is welcome that Ms Nandy is both clear, and convincing, on this point. Her leadership rivals, Sir Keir Starmer, Rebecca Long-Bailey and Emily Thornberry, who have all been part of Labours frontbench team while the anti-Semitism problem has festered, must show similar resolve, as well as explain why, in their respective positions of power, they did not do more earlier to eliminate its malign influence on their party. There are, of course, many other important issues on which Labours leadership contest should also be decided. But restoring decency to one of Britains great political parties by banishing anti-Semitism from its midst is critical. TODO: define component type apester Provide HRT drugs now The continuing difficulty faced by women in obtaining hormone replacement therapy drugs highlighted by the Evening Standard today and raised in Parliament this week by the Twickenham MP Munira Wilson is a problem that has blighted lives for too long, and must now be urgently addressed by the Government. As Ms Wilson told the Health Secretary Matt Hancock in the Commons, the unavailability of such drugs is having an unacceptable impact on women who need them to overcome the effects of the menopause, which can include extreme tiredness, night sweats and emotional imbalance. The testimony of women who have spoken to the Standard as part of our report today illustrates the individual suffering that results. Its obvious this is not a niche issue: every woman will face this challenge, and its wrong that the drugs they need to help them are too often hard to obtain. Mr Hancock said this week that the shortages, which apply to a number of HRT drugs, were the result of problems at factories overseas which produce them, and said he recognised the importance of the issue. Thats good, but he must do much more to ensure the problem is rapidly resolved. Women across Britain deserve nothing less. Ultra-fast broadband BTs chief executive Philip Jansen warns today that the Government must do more to help it achieve the Prime Ministers target of delivering ultra-fast broadband nationwide by 2025 because things are not moving as fast as we would like. Mr Jansen wants a tax cut on money spent laying fibre cable, and clarity on how much profit it can make. His demands will need to be carefully assessed, but he is right about the urgency of the issue. Ultra-fast broadband is vital for businesses, consumers and the economy in general, and must be delivered on time. Listen to The Leader podcast here: Facebook said on Wednesday that it had reached a $550 million settlement in principle related to a class-action lawsuit that claimed it illegally collected and stored biometric data for millions of users without their consent. The lawsuit began in 2015, when Illinois users accused Facebook of violating the state's Biometric Information Privacy Act in collecting biometric data. Facebook allegedly accomplished this through its "Tag Suggestions" feature, which allowed users to recognize their Facebook friends from previously uploaded photos. Under the state law, companies must obtain explicit permission before collecting biometric data - including scans of faces, the Washington Post explained. The lawsuit began in 2015, when Illinois users accused Facebook of violating the state's Biometric Information Privacy Act The settlement came after Facebook failed to petition the Supreme Court to quash the lawsuit. In a statement, law firms Edelson, Robbins Geller and Labaton Sucharow said the plaintiffs will ask the district court to give preliminary approval for the settlement. ABINGDON, Va. A former vice president of First Bank & Trust pleaded guilty to a federal embezzlement charge in U.S. District Court in Abingdon on Wednesday. Lisa Tiller, 39, of Lebanon, pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement by a bank employee, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Virginia. Tiller, who worked vice president of electronic banking for 17 years, contacted an e-commerce representative in April to have the Russell County Health Coalitions bank account added to her personal online banking profile, the release states. Authorities say she then made six transactions between Aug. 5-16, transferring $4,750 from the coalitions account to her own. As the bank began an audit and contacted Tiller about the discrepancies on Aug. 20, her husband deposited funds into Tillers personal account to cover the loss, and Tiller transferred $4,750 back to the coalitions account, the release states. Tiller told bank officials that she wrongly transferred the funds and admitted to the embezzlement to a Russell County Sheriffs Office investigator, the release states. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 23. Tiller faces a potential maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Attorneys Office. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 15:19:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A press conference on the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus outbreak is held by the Information Office of Beijing Municipality in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 30, 2020. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang) BEIJING, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Beijing has begun to renovate its hospital Xiaotangshan, formerly used to quarantine SARS patients, as a precaution in the face of the novel coronavirus outbreak, according to a press conference on Thursday. Whether the hospital will be put into use will be based on the future development of the outbreak. In the treatment and control of SARS, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which spread rapidly on the Chinese mainland in 2003, Beijing built Xiaotangshan Hospital, a temporary medical center in the northern suburb of the city, in just a week. The hospital admitted one-seventh of the SARS patients in the country within two months. The hospital requires renovation due to some aging facilities and pipelines. Passengers from China wearing masks to prevent a new coronavirus are checked by Saudi Health Ministry employees upon their arrival at King Khalid International Airport, in Riyadh, yesterday. Photo: Ahmed Yosri/Reuters The World Indoor Athletics Championships has been postponed until March 2021 due to the coronavirus outbreak. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri Passengers with face masks at Heathrow Airport in London after the last British Airways flight from China touched down A medical worker in protective gear walks in the street near a community health station in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province. Photo: Chinatopix via AP The city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus, remains in lockdown mode (Handout/PA) The coronavirus outbreak has placed most countries on alert including Thailand, where Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha addressed journalists at Bangkoks airport while wearing a facemask on Wednesday (Thai Government handout/AP) The coronavirus outbreak has led millions of people to wear face masks in various parts of the world, such as these commuters in Taipei (Chiang Ying-Ying/AP) Ambulance crew members in protective gear walk with workers at a community health station in Wuhan (Chinatopix via AP) Joe Ryan, Dr Kevin Kelleher and Dr Cillian De Gascun during a media briefing on Coronavirus (2019-nCoV),Seasonal Flu and Winter Plan as part of the weekly HSE update at the HSE National Communications Division Cornmarket, Dublin. Photo:Gareth Chaney/Collins There is a "moderate" risk of a coronavirus outbreak in Ireland with health experts saying they are prepared to deal with any cases. While there have been no confirmed cases of the virus, a number of tests have been carried out on concerned patients. The virus which has so far killed 132 people, infected more than 6,000 and is spreading across China and into 14 other countries and there are concerns it could reach Ireland. Speaking at a HSE briefing in Dublin, Dr John Cuddihy, director of the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), advised any members of the public who have developed symptoms and have travelled to the centre of the coronavirus outbreak to ring their GP. "If somebody has travelled to Wuhan in the Hubei province and you become unwell, especially with respiratory symptoms, temperature, cough, breathing difficulties, within 14 days of returning, then we're emphasising that person should phone their GP and mention relevant concerns," Dr Cuddihy said. "Currently there are no cases of coronavirus in Ireland, and therefore you're extremely unlikely to catch a virus from somebody in Ireland. "If there were to be a case in Ireland in the future then healthcare professionals will contact anyone who's been in close contact with the infected case and advise them. "In caring for that patient, adherence to the infection prevention control and guidance that we have disseminated would make it very unlikely that the case would transmit and cause another case." The HSE has also advised Irish citizens to avoid travelling to the Hubei province unless it is essential. The group of health experts were asked about any potential cases in Ireland after it was reported on Thursday that a High Court Judge was told by a doctor that a Dublin hospital may have a suspected case. Dr Kevin Kelleher, assistant national director of Public Health and Child Health, said he had "no idea" about the case. Joe Ryan, national director of national services, said that management has been developing the plans to respond to the virus. A HSE multidisciplinary team has been working on what is needed to deal with the virus since early January. Mr Ryan said: "Our current priorities are that the HSE emergency management protocols are in place alongside our public health emergency plans, and we're using these to manage the situation." The heath experts said that, if they are seriously concerned about a patient's safety, the patient can be put into isolation. Dr Cuddihy said that, while there is a moderate chance of a case being found in Ireland, they will minimise the chance of the spread of the disease. Read More Dr Kelleher added: "We are putting a massive amount of effort into dealing with any really quite low degree of possibility of a case to ensure that we don't miss anything." Meanwhile, Samuel McConkey, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of International Health and Tropical Medicine at the RCSI, said that we need to be prepared in case of an outbreak of the virus here. "We need to start preparing for very large numbers of people coming to GP practices and emergency rooms with signs of flu, some of whom will have the traditional flu but some of whom will have this new coronavirus potentially. "It hasn't yet been detected in Ireland but it is quite possible that over the next thee, four, six or eight weeks that we might be seeing thousands of people coming to emergency rooms with that virus. "From the data in China, about 2 per cent may die, about 25pc of those people will need oxygen and hospital care to stay alive," he said on RTE Radio One's Morning Ireland today. "We're a very, very wealthy country. To put this in context the Chinese have just given 8 billion to build two big hospitals in Wuhan to deal with isolated cases - that's four children's hospitals they're proposing to build in two weeks and they probably will. "We could do that if we needed to, we have the technical ability to respond to this if it becomes an issue of extensional survival of 20,000 people in Ireland potentially. "So I think we're well organised, we've good technology, good diagnostics, very well-trained staff so I think we could survive it." He also gave an insight into how our health system can prepare for potential coronavirus patients. Professor McConkey said: "Planning, strengthening our diagnostic capacity, nobody knew this virus existed before December, so we have to develop and test new diagnostic tests. "Have them widely available so if someone does come to the emergency room, you can rapidly find out do they have it or not, just as we've done with flu. "Fortunately, some of the same technology platforms that we've been using for influenza can be transferred to work for this new coronavirus. "Secondly, teaching staff about personal protective equipment - gloves, gowns, masks - it's not all that exciting but it turns out how to take it off correctly is really important to protect staff and other patients. "The deaths from Ebola in West Africa we found were from people contaminating their skin, eyes, mouth accidentally by touching the outer surface of their gowns and masks." This comes as Tanaiste Simon Coveney confirmed that less than a dozen Irish citizens who have sought immediate evacuation from China because of the coronavirus epidemic will have to remain in quarantine in the EU member state they fly back to. Ireland has sought seats on a special aircraft organised by the French Government for evacuations from the Wuhan region starting from Friday - and Mr Coveney insisted that Ireland is now doing everything possible to prepare for the highly contagious virus. Almost 140 people have died from the new variant of Coronavirus which has prompted an unprecedented lockdown across China to prevent its spread. Mr Coveney said the priority is to protect Ireland from the virus and to ensure it never arrives here - while aiding Irish citizens in China and complying with EU health guidelines. "There are a small number of Irish citizens who are living in the region affected in China," he said. "We have reached out to them in the last few days through the (Irish) Embassy in Beijing. "It is a small number but it is still important. Our consular services want to make sure that Irish citizens in the affected area and city are given support and options. "A small number of those Irish citizens have indicated they want to leave and to be assisted in doing that. "We have set about doing that with our EU partners. "The reason that France has been mentioned is that France happens to be sending a plane into the city (Wuhan) to take out French citizens. "The UK may be doing the same for British citizens. There are not commercial flights operating in and out. "This involves essentially a special arrangement whereby EU countries may be sending specific flights to bring EU citizens out and that is being co-ordinated at an EU level." More than 600 EU citizens are in the Wuhan region hardest hit by the virus. "We have spoken to our French colleagues and we are hopeful and confident that we can secure a seat on planes that would take Irish citizens who want to leave out - then, of course, when they arrive back in Europe they will have to go through the appropriate health measures. "This will ensure that they are not carrying any infection and that their healthcare needs are being looked after as they should be. "We are working on that process and I am confident that we can support any Irish citizen anywhere in China but particularly in the region concerned. We can support them if they want to leave and we can find a way of getting them out working with other EU countries who are more than happy to help in that regard." A number of Irish citizens have opted to remain on in China - but some have sought immediate evacuation. "The number who have requested to leave is in the low single figures - I think it is better that I don't give exact figures. It is certainly not huge numbers. "They are obviously Irish citizens and will get the help of the Irish State." Mr Coveney said the self-isolation and quarantine issue was an important part of EU health regulations and the policy towards dealing with the virus. "Nothing is finalised or confirmed yet. We are working with France and other EU countries to ensure that if Irish citizens that are living in the region concerned want to leave, we will help them to leave. "France happens to be sending a plane tomorrow and we are talking to France about securing seats on that plane. "I think we should be able to do that - but we also need to be sure that if people come back to the EU that when they land they are treated in a way that is appropriate to ensure that no infection is spread and, of course, that they get any supports they might need." This will involve a fortnight of quarantine or self-isolation in the arrival EU member state. "I do want to emphasise that there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that any Irish citizen has contracted the virus. But anybody leaving that region and coming to the EU effectively means that process must be managed to contain any potential spread of the virus." Mr Coveney insisted that the Government will support Irish healthcare systems to ensure the country is as prepared as possible for any threat posed by the coronavirus. "We have a chief medical officer and a Department of Health that is very much focused on ensuring that Ireland will be as prepared as we can be should that happen," he said. "But I think the important thing is that we do everything we can to make sure that it doesn't (arrive here)." "That is why any Irish citizens who will be coming home whether it is via Paris or any other EU city...that process would be managed in a way to ensure they would not be carrying the virus into Ireland. "The EU is working together on this to make sure we do everything we can to contain any potential risk and I am confident we can do that." An association of Kashmiri students here on Thursday condemned the attack on a Jamia Millia Islamia student by a man who fired a pistol at anti-CAA protestors near the university. Tension spiralled in Jamia Nagar after a man fired a pistol at a group of anti-CAA protesters, injuring a Jamia Millia Islamia student before walking away while waving the firearm above his head and shouting "Yeh lo aazadi" amid heavy police presence in the area. The man, who identified himself as "Rambhakt Gopal", was subsequently overpowered by police and detained. He was taken into custody and was being interrogated, police said. "We were moving towards the Holy Family Hospital where the police had raised barricades. Suddenly, a gun-wielding man came out and opened fire. One bullet hit my friend's hand," Aamna Asif, a student of economics at the university, told PTI. She said her friend, Shadab Farooq, a mass communication student, was trying to calm the attacker but he shot at him injuring his left hand. Farooq belongs to Kashmir. "Injuring an innocent student in broad daylight in the presence of the media and police personnel is a highly deplorable and condemnable act. Such criminals should be brought to book," spokesman Jammu and Kashmir Students' Association Nasir Khuehami said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) MTN is planning to invest US$1.6 billion into its Nigerian unit across the next three years. The pan-African operator groups President and CEO Rob Shuter pledged the investment in a discussion with Nigerias Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami. Financial inclusion and access to funding and digital services all become easier when our continent is powered by connectivity. The benefits of a connected continent are far reaching, making a positive impact across Africa, said Shuter. Earlier this month MTN Nigeria was absolved of a US$2 billion tax bill by the countrys attorney general, bringing a long-running standoff between the two parties to a close. MTN is retracting its legal challenge against the fine and will work with the authorities to resolve the case. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Kharishar Kahfi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 30, 2020 16:37 713 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2061c3157 1 National omnibus-bill,job-creation,civil-society,colonialism Free Forty civil society organizations in a coalition called the Indonesian Peoples Faction (FRI) have rejected deliberations on an omnibus bill on job creation, arguing that the bill is undemocratic, as the drafting process only involves businesspeople and the bill resembles the Dutch colonial administrations attitude. The coalition argued that the employment system stipulated in the bill resembled the labor system used during the Dutch colonial era, in which businesspeople were allowed to employ workers on tobacco plantations for low wages and with no employment protections. The colonial-era regulation, which was issued at the end of the 19th century, threatened workers with heavy punishment if they were found in violation of its terms, while businesspeople were punished with only light fines, the coalition said in a statement issued on Thursday. The bill returns to the national agrarian politics of the colonial era because [...] it has as its goal the facilitation of foreign investment to open land for business as much as possible, while taking away local and indigenous peoples rights to their land, the statement said. The coalition also criticized President Joko Jokowi Widodo for dispatching law enforcement and intelligence agencies to approach organizations that rejected the bill and communicate with them about it. This practice is similar to that of the colonial police, who were tasked with arresting and torturing common people. Read also: Omnibus law may sacrifice human rights, environment The civil society groups presented 12 reasons why people should reject the omnibus bill on job creation: 1. The bill will legitimize investments that lead to environmental destruction, while the government tends to ignore existing investment by the people and indigenous communities, which is more environmentally friendly and bring more prosperity to the people. 2. There have been defects in the bills deliberation process because it was drafted in closed-door meetings without any participation from civil society organizations. It also included unconstitutional provisions. 3. The bill is elitist and does not accommodate the interests of citizens affected by the regulation. 4. It will concentrate authority within the central government, which is in contrast to the spirit of reform. 5. The threat of corruption is increasing due to a lack of monitoring and supervision as well as the elimination of citizens rights to sue. 6. It will lead to the seizure and destruction of the peoples living space. 7. The bill will worsen the environmental crisis due to unsustainable investments that lead to pollution, man-made ecological disasters and further destruction. 8. It will create modern slavery through the flexible manpower system as shown by provisions allowing workers to be paid under the minimum wage standard, allowing hourly-rate wages and an expansion of outsourcing working contracts. 9. It will create massive lay-offs and worsening working conditions. 10. [It will establish] an education system to create cheap labor for industry in-line with the massive number of investments. 11. The bill will threaten farmers, fishermen, indigenous communities, women and children, disabled people and other minority groups of faith, gender and sexuality. 12. It will create the potential for criminalization, repression and excessive force by the state apparatus against the people while the state provides legal immunity and privileges to businesspeople. The government is preparing an omnibus bill on job creation, which, if passed, would amend more than 1,000 articles in various prevailing laws, including the Labor Law, whose rigid provisions have been blamed for hampering investment in the country. The bills stated aim is to ease doing business in the country, attract more foreign investment and create jobs. Ireland is "overwhelmingly likely" to host a third manufacturing facility for Botox. Allergan CEO Brent Saunders made the forecast in an exclusive interview with the Irish Independent as he this week oversaw the official opening of the 145m Biologics 2 facility at Allergan's manufacturing facility in Westport, Co Mayo. "We're beginning to scratch our heads and thinking about a third site for Botox. And that will overwhelmingly likely be in Ireland," Mr Saunders said. "Botox is arguably the most recognised biopharmaceutical brand in the world," he said. "It's in the echelon of brands like Coke and Pepsi and Apple." Allergan opened its first Irish facility in 1977 in Westport and started making Botox there in 1995. Today its Westport campus employs 1,500, including 200 contractors. Two robotics-assisted lines produce Botox from bulk neurotoxin delivered by private jet from California. The Biologics 2 facility, officially opened on Tuesday, also greatly expands the space available for research and development of potential new products using strains of the botulinum toxin. Mr Saunders, Allergan's CEO since 2015, will step down from the role later this year once its $63bn (57bn) merger with Chicago-based AbbVie closes. AbbVie says it will continue to promote Botox and other cosmetic treatments in a separate division retaining the Allergan name. "Ireland would be the perfect host if you had to open another facility," said Mr Saunders, who will join the AbbVie board. "Our experience there over 40 years has overwhelmingly proved how important Ireland is and how wonderful the IDA is, the Government is, the communities are, and most importantly how wonderful the talent is." As Westport's second Botox production line became fully operational, he said, "you have to start thinking about your third facility". "If we had to open a third facility, I would strongly advocate and strongly believe it should be in Ireland." Ms Saunders stressed that no decision had been taken, only that such a move in the medium term would be logical. He said AbbVie - which already employs 700 people on five sites across Ireland - would strengthen the combined company's ability to invest in R&D and new products. And he said Ireland - with third-level courses producing steady supplies of graduates primed for pharma careers - meant the enlarged AbbVie should be just as committed to Ireland. "Ireland is our home, Ireland is a huge part of who Allergan is, and it will remain an important part of who AbbVie is. "Westport will continue to be the centrepiece of Allergan's operations. It really is the crown jewel of our operations. Westport is clearly a big piece of our history and an important part of our legacy. "But most importantly, it's a very important investment opportunity for us in the future." Mr Saunders said Botox is far and away Allergan's most important product with annual sales of around $3.5bn. It's also one of its fastest-growing products, with sales up by 60pc since 2014. He says brand awareness surveys have found that more than 90pc of people worldwide have heard of Botox. Donald Trump's plan for ending the Israel-Palestine conflict has been branded "insulting", "shameful" and "a disgrace" by Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. At refugee camps across the country, Palestinians staged strikes, protests and sit-ins a day after US President Donald Trump revealed the long-awaited details of the plan. It was denounced as ridiculously lop-sided, with Palestinians saying it gives them no rights. Sawsan Warde, a middle-aged Palestinian woman at the crowded Bourj al-Barajneh camp in the Lebanese capital Beirut, said: "Trump's words mean nothing to us. This isn't his land for him to bargain or sell or give to someone else. "He can give the Jewish people or Netanyahu a part of his land but Palestine is for us. It was, it is and will always be ours." The words reflected the deep bitterness felt by Palestinians at the plan unveiled by Mr Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday. It supports the Israeli position on nearly all of the most contentious issues in the conflict and falls far short of Palestinian demands, leaving them with disjointed areas and allowing Israel to annex its settlements in the occupied territory. Among Palestinian refugees, many likened the plan to the Balfour Declaration, the UK government's promise in 1917 to Zionists to create a Jewish home in Palestine. "This is an extension of the Balfour declaration," said Mariam Gebril, who took part in a protest at the Ein el-Hilweh camp just south of Beirut that houses up to 70,000 refugees. "Trump thinks he controls the world and other countries. He imposes sanctions, opens and closes embassies as he wishes. "The world doesn't work this way," she added, saying Palestinians need to fight back with weapons because negotiations do not work. Protesters burned tyres and pictures of Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu. They also set fire to American and Israeli flags. Many expressed outrage at Gulf Arab countries they see as complicit in the plan. Representatives from Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates were present at the White House on Tuesday but there were no Palestinian representatives. "It is shameful and it makes you want to cry," Ms Warde said. "The collusion by Arab countries is what makes us want to cry even more." B T revealed the Government cap on the use of Huawei kit in the nations telecoms infrastructure will cost it more than 500 million over the next five years. Chief executive Philip Jansen also warned the Government needs to take urgent action if it is serious about hitting its target of having ultrafast internet across Britain by 2025. Boris Johnson and his ministers put a 35% limit on Huawei in the new 5G and full-fibre future, a move seen as a compromise that stopped far short of the outright ban called for by Washington. BTs acknowledgement of the cost of spreading its business across other suppliers Nokia and Ericsson are two of the likely beneficiaries is the first indication of how costly the Huawei ruling could be for the industry. BT shares fell 4% to 168p on news of the half-a-billion-pound hit. Jansen said while security is really important the decision will hit BTs plans. The 500 million is just an initial estimate, it could go higher. BT is already rolling out 5G using Huawei radio equipment, although it will not be using it in the core. It is removing the Chinese companys kit from the core of its 4G network. On broadband, Jansen said Whitehall, Number 10 and Ofcom need to let the telecoms giant know how much return it can make on what would be a multi-billion pound investment. The consultation with the industry on how best to meet the goals set out by Johnson lasts another year, he notes. That is a year missed, he said. Things are not moving as fast as we would like. Jansen wants clarity on the so-called fair bet rules which dictate how much profit BT can make on broadband in the long term. Without it, he cant get shareholder backing to begin a project he has said will cost 30 billion and require 30,000 staff to complete on time. He is said to have introduced a less formal atmosphere at BT and sought to encourage entrepreneurship at a business regarded as sluggish. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Chancellor Sajid Javid and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps are meeting to discuss whether HS2 should be built. Here are 11 key questions about the controversial high-speed rail project. Do the Conservatives support HS2? The party is split on the issue. Chancellor Sajid Javid is set to back the project, but the Tory benches erupted into shouts of No during Prime Ministers Questions when Mr Johnson was asked if he agreed that HS2 should go ahead. Mr Johnsons most senior adviser, Dominic Cummings, is said to be in favour of scrapping the scheme. Expand Close Artists impression of an HS2 train on the Birmingham and Fazeley viaduct (HS2) PA Media / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Artists impression of an HS2 train on the Birmingham and Fazeley viaduct (HS2) What was its original expected cost? The project was allocated 56 billion in 2015. What is the latest estimate? A widely leaked review by Douglas Oakervee found it could cost up to 106 billion. Expand Close Construction work at Old Oak Common, in west London, where underground platforms for HS2 will link with Crossrail trains (Aaron Chown/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Construction work at Old Oak Common, in west London, where underground platforms for HS2 will link with Crossrail trains (Aaron Chown/PA) How much money has already been spent? HS2 Ltd has spent around 8 billion. The money has gone towards the purchase of land and property, ground investigation work, technical designs, IT systems, wages and public engagement. What about the timetable? The first phase between London and Birmingham was due to open in 2026, but services between the cities are now forecast not to start until between 2031 and 2036. What has gone wrong? Whitehall spending watchdog the National Audit Office found that the project is over budget and behind schedule because its complexity and risks were under-estimated by the Department for Transport and HS2 Ltd. Expand Close Some environmental groups are against HS2 (Steve Parsons/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Some environmental groups are against HS2 (Steve Parsons/PA) Who is in favour of HS2? Political leaders in northern England and business groups claim the railway is vital to boost transport links across the region, providing increased capacity on an overcrowded network. Construction firms warn that scrapping HS2 would cause major damage to the industry. Who are its opponents? Several environmental groups claim building HS2 would cause huge damage to natural habitats, including dozens of ancient woodlands. Communities living on or near the route have expressed anger at the impact on their lives, while many people have said the project is simply too expensive and the money would be better spent elsewhere. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) What is the planned route? Phase 1 is planned to run between London and Birmingham. Current designs involve a second Y-shaped phase launching in two stages: Phase 2a from the West Midlands to Crewe followed by phase 2b from Crewe to Manchester, and Birmingham to Leeds. What impact would HS2 have on journey times? Examples given by HS2 Ltd include Manchester-London journey times cut from two hours and seven minutes to one hour and seven minutes, and Birmingham-London trips reduced from one hour and 22 minutes to 45 minutes. When will a decision be made? The Prime Minister told the Commons on Wednesday that a decision will be made very shortly. STAMFORD Friends and family of the late Michelle Pavia described the Stamford woman as a giving person, and now theyre hoping others will give back. A recently launched GoFundMe page was set up to collect donations for Pavias 5-year-old daughter Mia. The description on the website states, While something like this can never lessen the pain of a young child losing a parent, we are hoping that it can help support her through life as she continues to grow into a beautiful woman just like her mom. Michelle Pavia, the daughter of former Stamford Mayor Michael Pavia, was a teacher at Whitby School in Greenwich, where Mia currently attends. Michelle Pavia died Saturday when she was ejected from a snowmobile she was driving on a frozen pond in Maine. She was 43. Mia is the sweetest little girl who absolutely loves going to school, where she was lucky enough to see her mom every day since Michelle was a very well-liked art teacher there, reads the description. The GoFundMe was set up by Meghan Guarnieri and her mother Mary Ellen Guarnieri. Meghan Guarnieri is Pavias cousin, and said one of the main reasons she launched the campaign was to help raise funds for Mia to stay at the private Whitby School, which would require tuition payments. School is one of her happiest places, Guarnieri said. Since posting the page on Wednesday, the family had raised more than $6,000 by late Thursday afternoon. Doing it for Mia was our whole goal and just helping her continue to live a normal life and become the woman we know her mom wanted her to be, Guarnieri said. To find the page, visit gofundme.com and search for Making it Happen for Mia. Pavia was driving off the pond when the snowmobile she was piloting crashed into the shoreline, sending her airborne toward trees, wardens said. The wake for Pavia will be held on Sunday from 3 to 6 p.m. at Bosak Funeral Home. A Celebration of Life in Pavias honor will be held at the same location on Monday at 10 a.m. The burial will be a private event. ignacio.laguarda@stamfordadvocate.com Winding up the trial in little over a month, a special court in Telangana on Thursday sentenced three men to death for raping and murdering a Dalit woman last year. The court also imposed a total fine of Rs 26,000 on them. The body of the 30-year-old woman with throat slit and stab marks was found in Lingapur mandal of Kumram Bheem-Asifabad district on November 25, 2019, a day after the offence. The three men were arrested on November 27 and booked under IPC sections including 376 (D) (gang rape) and 302 (murder) besides the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Additional Public Prosecutor M Ramana Reddy said. The court found them guilty under all the sections and awarded death penalty. The woman was a vendor, selling balloons for a living. Expressing happiness over the verdict, the woman's husband said "We are happy. Justice has been meted out and we request the court that they should be hanged immediately." The Telangana government had last month issued orders, designating the Fifth Additional Sessions Court as the special court for speedy trial in the case. On December 14, 2019, a charge sheet was filed and the trial commenced on December 23. Arguments were completed on January 20 and the case subsequently posted for judgment. As many 25 witnesses were produced by the prosecution which had been demanding capital punishment on the lines of death penalty awarded to the accused in the Nirbhaya gang rape murder case in Delhi. The three accused had earlier pleaded not guilty. Earlier in December, the woman's family and different people's organisations had staged protests and demanded an 'encounter' death for the three men on the lines of the four accused in the 'Disha' (woman veterinarian) gang rape and murder case. The four accused in the veterinarian case were killed in an alleged exchange of fire with police on the outskirts of Hyderabad on December 6, 2019. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In the first genetic analysis of schizophrenia in an ancestral African population, the South African Xhosa, researchers report that individuals with schizophrenia are more likely to carry rare damaging genetic mutations than those who are well. The work informs the understanding of schizophrenia for all human populations. Critically, this study was not undertaken because the Xhosa have an unusually high prevalence of schizophrenia, but rather, because ancestral African populations - which rarely have been the focus of genetics research - harbor the most human genetic diversity. The lack of genetics studies in Africa, where nearly 99% of human evolution took place, leaves a major gap in understanding the human genome and the genetic causes of complex diseases like schizophrenia. Without studies in Africa, many generations of human genetic history are missing from scientists' understanding of human adaptation and disease. Schizophrenia, a debilitating long-term mental disorder that can significantly impact how a person thinks, feels, and behaves, is estimated to affect between 0.3-0.7% of the world's population. The illness varies genetically among patients, and in many patients involves mutations that damage genes essential to brain development. Because fewer children are born to persons with schizophrenia, very recent and de novo mutations are a major factor in its development. Suleyman Gulsuner and colleagues from the U.S. and South Africa examined the DNA sequences of all genes from more than 1,800 Xhosa individuals from South Africa, roughly half of whom had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Individuals with schizophrenia were more likely to carry one or more rare damaging mutations, particularly in genes that function in brain synapses. Human biology is universal. The greater genetic variation in Africans provides a unique opportunity to discover and evaluate disease-associated genes that are relevant to all human populations. These discoveries can help inform new treatments. ### Taliban attack kills 10 policemen in northern Afghanistan Iran Press TV Wednesday, 29 January 2020 10:57 AM At least 10 policemen have been killed in an attack by the Taliban militant group on a checkpoint in Afghanistan's northern Baghlan Province. "The Taliban attacked the police checkpoint from several directions. The fighting lasted several hours. Ten policemen were martyred. The Taliban also suffered casualties," said provincial police spokesman Ahmad Jawed Basharat on Wednesday. He added that the Taliban militants also ambushed the police forces sent to reinforce the checkpoint. Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi has confirmed the death toll from the attack, which took place in the Khwaja Alwan district of Baghlan Province early Tuesday. The Taliban also later claimed responsibility. The militant group has resumed talks with the United States about a possible foreign troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Taliban have been negotiating with the administration of US President Donald Trump for more than a year over the withdrawal of US troops in exchange for security guarantees from the militants. Negotiations began last year in the Qatari capital, Doha, but have been interrupted at least twice after Taliban attacks on US military personnel in September and December last year. The Afghan government is excluded from the talks. The United States invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 and overthrew a Taliban regime in power at the time. But US forces have remained bogged down there through the presidencies of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and now Donald Trump. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NORWALK, Conn., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Choyce Peterson, Inc. (www.choycepeterson.com), a full-service commercial real estate brokerage and consulting firm, announced that The Field Group Commercial Real Estate (TFG) has appointed Choyce Peterson, Inc. as the exclusive listing agent representing TFG's free-standing building at 2009 Summer Street in Stamford, CT. This 17,900 square foot office / medical building has several suites available that can be tailored for small to mid-size tenants seeking space at a great value in Downtown Stamford. The Choyce Peterson agency team is made up of Vice President Adam Cognetta and Associate Casey McKnight. This building boasts an ideal location situated within walking distance of Ridgeway Shopping Center and offers close proximity to other medical offices, Stamford Hospital and the Stamford Courthouse. In addition, building tenants will have use of a shared conference room and onsite parking spaces, a portion of which are covered. The ADA-compliant property has an available suite of 2,051 square feet well-suited for medical use, as well as a 1,519 square foot suite. The landlord, TFG, has maintained its headquarters at 2009 Summer Street for over 18 years, and owns over 500,000 square feet of commercial space in the region. "We are thrilled to be working with a strong, local ownership group on a quality asset in such a prime location," Cognetta said. "This downtown office/medical building attracts and retains a quality, professional tenant base suitable for a wide variety of businesses that are looking to relocate to a convenient, well-maintained property." About The Field Group Commercial Real Estate We are a family owned commercial real estate firm with over 30 years in Fairfield County, Connecticut. We develop, manage, and lease commercial properties, and are always reviewing possible acquisitions across Connecticut and the neighboring states. About Choyce Peterson Choyce Peterson, Inc., a full service commercial real estate brokerage and consulting firm, was founded in 1997 and has offices in Norwalk, CT and Rye Brook, NY. For corporate and healthcare-focused companies headquartered in Fairfield and Westchester counties, Choyce Peterson has negotiated millions of square feet of transactions in Fairfield and Westchester counties as well as 42 states and Canada. The Choyce Peterson process delivers comprehensive and creative real estate solutions to ensure clients derive maximum value from their real estate decisions. Contact: Adam Cognetta Mat Field Vice President Member Choyce Peterson, Inc. The Field Group Commercial Real Estate (203) 961-8173 (203) 359-0000 x19 [email protected] [email protected] www.choycepeterson.com www.tfgcommercial.com SOURCE Choyce Peterson, Inc. Related Links https://www.choycepeterson.com Frankfurt Am Main: A nurse in Germany has been arrested on suspicion of poisoning five premature babies with morphine, police said Thursday, adding that the infants had survived. The woman was taken into custody on Wednesday after investigators found a syringe containing breast milk and traces of morphine in her locker at Ulm university hospital in southern Germany. The babies, who were between one day and one month old and staying in the same hospital room, all suddenly developed breathing problems "at almost the same time" in the early hours of December 20, Ulm police chief Bernhard Weber said. "Only because of the immediate action taken by the staff could the five lives be saved," he told a press conference. Doctors do not expect the infants to suffer any lasting harm. The young nurse taken into custody has yet to be formally charged but faces five counts of attempted manslaughter, Ulm prosecutor Christof Lehr said at the same press conference. She denies poisoning the babies, he added. Hospital staff initially suspected the infants had caught an infection, "but this could be ruled out after urine tests", police chief Weber said. The tests did however show traces of morphine -- although two of the babies had not been prescribed the heavy painkiller as part of their care. The hospital then notified the police. A search of the lockers of employees on duty around the time of the incident turned up the syringe "filled with breast milk", said Lehr. Testing then "confirmed the terrible suspicion that the syringe contained morphine", he said. An arrest warrant was then issued for the woman who owns the locker, on suspicion of "attempted manslaughter". Prosecutors believe she acted with premeditation and "accepted that the babies could die" as a result of her actions, Lehr said. Marquee Speakers Announced for 4th Annual Event NASHUA, N.H., Jan. 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dresner Advisory Services today launched the 2020 Real Business Intelligence conference, the only industry event for business and IT communities focused completely on real world best practices and proven methods for business intelligence, analytics, information management, and performance management. The 2020 Real Business Intelligence Conference will be held May 5-6, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Tang Center in Cambridge, MA. The focus of the two-day, single track event will be on strategies for success with BI, analytics, information management, and performance management, providing attendees with pragmatic and actionable takeaways. Registration for this premier event is now open at www.seebeyondthenoise.com . This years Real BI event, as in all previous years, has been completely reformulated to address the dynamic and changing needs of our community. With all new content and presenters representing the very best that the industry has to offer the event will provide critical guidance to those striving to improve their organizations leverage of data, said Howard Dresner, conference chair of the 2020 Real BI Conference. The premier event features an exciting roster of topics and speakers, including: Busting Big Data Myths with Analytics by Design and Forecasting 2.0 - New Ways to See Around Corners - Dr. Kirk Borne, Chief Data Scientist at Booz Allen and ranked as the #1 thought leader in Data Science Machine, Platform, Crowd: Harnessing Our Digital Future - Professor Erik Brynjolfsson, Director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy How Charts Lie: What You Design is Not What People See: The Power and Danger of Data Visualization - Professor Alberto Cairo, Professor of visual journalism at the University of Miami School of Communication and author of How Charts Lie The Derivation of Unique Solutions and Future Trajectories through the Simultaneous Exploration of Intrinsic Multi-Domain Synergies Retired NASA astronaut Story Musgrave Storytelling with Data: Bringing Data to Life Through Pictures and Story - Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic, CEO and author of Storytelling with Data Understanding Emotional Needs and Experiential Desires of Consumers through Data Analytics: The Convergence from Tangible to Intangible Value Propositions - Gebhard Rainer, CEO of Sandals Resorts The Shape and Substance of Data and Analytics in a Distant Place and Time: Explorations of Khipu Accounting in the Inca Empire - Professor Gary Urton, Archaeology Professor at Harvard University and an expert on the Incan Empire and the Khipu A Fireside Chat addressing pressing issues facing organizations today, from a C-level and Office of Finance perspective including digital transformation, GDPR, privacy, regulation, and artificial intelligence - Robin Washington, former CFO at Gilead Sciences, and member of the Boards of Directors at Alphabet, Honeywell, and Salesforce Story continues For more information, visit www.seebeyondthenoise.com . Winter pricing is in effect until March 1, 2020. About Dresner Advisory Services Dresner Advisory Services was formed by Howard Dresner, an independent analyst, author, lecturer, and business adviser. Dresner Advisory Services, LLC focuses on creating and sharing thought leadership for Business Intelligence (BI) and related areas such as advanced and predictive analytics, enterprise planning and end user data preparation. The hopefuls include a former vice president getting on in years, and an even older man who frequently shakes his fist. There is a college professor turned banking industry watchdog turned senator, and the gay ex-mayor of a town of 100,000 people. There are billionaires, millionaires, and a man who wants to give everyone a guaranteed basic income of $1,000-a-month. But can any of them unseat Donald Trump? As Democrats gather in Iowa to hold their first actual ballot of the 2020 election cycle, the party has rarely appeared so anxious. This is not the first time that Democrats have worried about the electability of a candidate. They did so in 2004, for instance, over the French-speaking, windsurfing John Kerry, who some worried was a bit too posh, and who ended up losing to George W Bush, who was equally blue blood but worked to project an earthy, plain-spoken manner. With so many Democrats across the country aghast at the presidency of Donald Trump, however, and the pressure to oust him all the more intense, scrutiny of the contenders has been unprecedented. It it also why so many candidates more than two dozen have entered the race. The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions testimony. She has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord Vice News The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a special meaning for the Latino community in the US Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty It was not supposed to have been like this. In the months of shock and despair endured by Democrats in 2016 when Hillary Clinton received almost 3 million more votes than her opponent and yet was still denied the White House, many assumed some rare glitch had upset the system and would swiftly be corrected. As the probe by Robert Mueller into alleged links between the Trump campaign and Russias election interference gathered pace, many thought that the president could soon be impeached. And the results of the 2018 midterms in which women and suburban voters, who had backed the president but were now turned off by his angry tweets, enabled the Democrats to regain the House led some to assume his defeat would swiftly follow. And yet Trump remains, more resilient than any might have guessed. He has been impeached by the House, yet looks certain be cleared by the Senate. His approval rating of about 41 per cent remains a stable line on the graph, as flat and unchanging as the landscape of Iowa. Unemployment is at a record low, and the economy seems like it will remain solid at least for the next 12 months. Indeed, a poll for ABC News/Washington Post suggested that opinion of his handling of the economy has improved in the past three months. That poll signalled that with nine months until election day, Americans believe Trump is the slight favourite, with 49 per cent expecting him to win and 43 per cent predicting victory for his challenger. In short, the Democrats have a fight on their hands. Only time will tell. What we do not know, with voter suppression and without the protection of the Voting Rights Act [gutted by Republicans and the Supreme Court], is the extent to which Republicans are going to interfere in the election, says Christina Greer, associate professor of political science at Fordham University in New York. Iowa man claims swastikas and confederate flags aren't racist A poll published this week by Quinnipiac University, suggests that the Democratic field is being led by Joe Biden on 26 points, followed by Bernie Sanders on 21, Elizabeth Warren on 15, Michael Bloomberg on 8, Pete Buttigieg on 6, Amy Klobuchar on 7, and Andrew Yang on 3. In Iowa, a predominantly white, largely rural midwestern state that critics of its first-in-the nation status point out is unrepresentative of the country, the lead is held by Sanders, the senator from Vermont, who has long identified as a Democratic socialist. Depending on which poll you examine, he is followed by either Biden or Buttigieg, who are both positioned as centrists. Then comes Warren, another progressive, and Klobuchar, another centrist. Victory in Iowa would be a huge boost for any candidates campaign, helping them springboard into the next votes in New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, and then Super Tuesday on 3 March, when more than a dozen states hold their primaries. Super Tuesday will also be the first to judge the non-traditional campaign of Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York, who has largely ignored the first four voting states, and is instead spending tens of millions of dollars of his own money in battleground states, such as Florida, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan, that will likely determine the outcome of the election. Recommended Why people have had it up to here with Iowa The challenge for whoever becomes the Democratic candidate, said Greer, is to be progressive enough to energise the partys base, while being moderate enough not to scare off independents and disgruntled Republicans, who might be seeking an alternative to Trump. That juggling act has been at the centre of the tensions between the various candidates. Warren and Sanders, with their policies of universal healthcare and a transition to a green economy, are seen by some in the party as being too progressive. Meanwhile, the likes of Biden and Klobuchar are seen as too establishment and unexciting to ensure a big turnout. Buttigieg has positioned himself as a bridge between the two wings: progressive on some issues, but not threatening, and with a new face that many in the party like. Others point out that he is the first openly gay candidate of any major party, which could be a hindrance, and that his apparent lack of support among voters of colour will be a major problem. Michael Fraioli, a Washington-based Democratic strategist, says the party should not take anything for granted. Yet he remains optimistic that the likes of Biden or Klobuchar could take on and defeat the president. One thing you can bank on, is that there is a woman on the ticket, says Fraioli. Either as the candidate, or the vice-presidential candidate, there will have to be a woman on the ticket. Otherwise, we might as well pack up and go home. Fraioli credits Trump for having more political skills than many had anticipated, and that all the major decisions taking during his first three years the tax cuts, the appointment of two conservative justices to the Supreme Court, the hard line on immigration, and the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel had been done to satisfy his base. He has remained at 43 per cent or whatever it is, this whole time. His base is not going anywhere, he says. I am starting to think he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and get away with it. Trump also brings to the fight the benefit of being the incumbent. Only a handful of US presidents seeking re-election have failed to achieve it, the most recent being George HW Bush, who was beaten by Bill Clinton in 1992 at the end of his first term. In addition, those who hope the impeachment issue will dent the presidents chances are likely to be disappointed. A poll by Rasmussen Reports found that only 27 per cent of likely voters thought the ongoing drama will hurt Trump. In fact, 31 per cent said it would likely help him. In the end, impeachment will simply harden the party lines on both sides though the lines are already a lot stronger than Trumps border wall, says Larry Sabato, professor of politics at the University of Virginia. By November it wont be much of a factor. Why? Trump will have generated another hundred controversies, and impeachment will seem like ancient history. AMSTERDAM and BENGALURU, India, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Infosys (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation Digital services and Consulting, has signed a multi-year, multi-million contract with ABN AMRO Bank to accelerate its cloud and DevOps transformation journey. As part of this renewed contract, Infosys will enable ABN AMRO Bank to achieve its business and operational goals by aligning its IT transformation with its cloud platform strategy. Leveraging its expertise in cloud and data management services, Infosys will help ABN AMRO Bank to navigate to a single public cloud to deliver agility and cost efficiency in business operations. Infosys will deliver this transformation through agile execution. To build a culture of collaboration, Infosys will train the workforce on Microsoft Azure, and other cloud native tools including the ABN AMRO Bank specific toolset, to facilitate CICD (continuous integration and continuous delivery), with a focus on security and code quality. Mohit Joshi, President and Segment Head Banking, Financial Services & Insurance, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Infosys, said, "Over the years, Infosys has significantly helped ABN AMRO bank streamline their digital transformation journey and enhance their overall business efficiency. ABN AMRO and Infosys's strategic joint venture in end-to-end mortgage administration services, Stater, has allowed us to deepen the relationship further with the bank. We will continue to leverage our investments in cloud, digital and DevOps to help the bank achieve agility and optimal business efficiency. As one of ABN AMRO's longest tenured partners, we are delighted to continue our strategic collaboration with them and will continue to set new digital benchmarks." Christian Bornfeld, Chief Innovation & Technology Officer (Group COO) and Executive Board Member at ABN AMRO Bank, said, "At ABN AMRO Bank, we're excited to be working with Infosys and accomplish our strategic goals and deliver this very key IT transformation in the coming years. Infosys' strategic investment in cloud, digital and DevOps has helped create best in class solutions and we are confident that this partnership will help us transform our IT environment in a timely and cost-effective way." About ABN AMRO Bank ABN AMRO Bank N.V. is a Dutch bank with headquarters in Amsterdam. ABN AMRO Bank is the third-largest bank in the Netherlands. Additional information is available online at www.abnamro.nl About Infosys Ltd. Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. We enable clients in 46 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With over three decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer our clients through their digital journey. We do it by enabling the enterprise with an AI-powered core that helps prioritize the execution of change. We also empower the business with agile digital at scale to deliver unprecedented levels of performance and customer delight. Our always-on learning agenda drives their continuous improvement through building and transferring digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem. Visit http://www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next. Safe Harbor Certain statements mentioned in this release concerning our future growth prospects are forward-looking statements regarding our future business expectations intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry and the outcome of pending litigation and government investigation. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law. SOURCE Infosys January 30 : Bollywood beauty Katrina Kaif can pull off any fashion, unusual or casual, in stylish ways. While the Bharat actress dresses intricately, she creatively chooses her style and customises her looks, from a tone of sweetness to exoticness. The gorgeous actress took to her Instagram handle and shared a picture that oozes sensuality. The Tiger Zinda Hai actress wore a cute pale yellow floral dress with a plunging neckline, and bowled us over with her sultriness. The diva teamed her chic dress with a white jacket, which she threw over her shoulders. The actress kept her hair messy and let it fall on her shoulders. She opted for subtle makeup and nude lip colour. The Zero actress left us drooling over her sophistication, as she posed with her charming smile. Watch the video Meanwhile, on the professional front, Katrina is gearing up for her upcoming film Sooryavanshi opposite Akshay Kumar. Helmed by Rohit Shetty, the film also features Gulshan Grover, Sikander Kher, Vivaan Bhatena in vital roles. While Akshay will play Veer Sooryavanshi in the film, Katrina plays the role of his wife and a doctor. Sooryavanshi is scheduled to hit the silver screens on March 27, 2020. A Georgia man was arrested in Bayonne Wednesday afternoon when a loaded handgun was found during a motor vehicle stop, police said. Mikael H. Waajid, 21, of Austell, Georgia, a small city outside Atlanta, was charged with unlawful possession of a handgun and possession of a handgun for an unlawful purpose, Lt. Eric Amato said. Amato said police conducting the traffic stop at 2:36 p.m. in the area of West 49th Street when they recovered a loaded .22 caliber handgun and a box of .22 caliber ammunition. A check of the handgun determined that it had not been reported stolen, Amato said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 18:19:09|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close DHAKA, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank has reiterated its commitment to help Bangladesh sustain high economic growth, as the global lender's Vice President for South Asia Hartwig Schafer concluded a three-day visit to the country. "Bangladesh has proved that with commitment and determination of the government and the people, a country can come out of poverty and emerge as a low middle-income country within only a span of four decades," Schafer was quoted as saying in a statement of the bank received here Thursday. To accelerate growth and reach the next level of development, he said Bangladesh would need to create more and better jobs for its youth. A robust private sector, conducive business climate, skilled labor force, efficient infrastructure along with the right policies and quick actions will be critical. During the visit, Schafer called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office and commended Bangladesh's remarkable progress in economic development and poverty reduction. They discussed the country's development priorities, and how the World bank can support them to sustain the impressive results they have achieved in the past few decades, said the statement. "The World Bank is committed to join Bangladesh on its journey to upper middle-income status, in close cooperation with the government, stakeholders, and development partners, and for the benefit of all people," said Schafer. Jaipur, Jan 30 : THe Rajasthan police on Thursday arrested a man on charges of trying to forcibly take away a copy of the Quran written with gold letters during the Mughal era. The police identified the man as Banwari Meena and alleged that he was a gang leader involved in the crime. "To sell, he had already struck a deal of Rs 16 crore with a Bangladeshi family. However, one of the gang members was arrested even before the deal could be finalised", said police officer. The police said Mughal Emperor Akbar is said to have donated the Quran's copy with gold letters to one of the prominent families of Mandalgarh. Due to financial trouble, the family decided to sell the Quran's copy and contacted Rakesh, a resident of Jaipur. He later contacted the Banwari gang. Meena called the owners of the Quran's copy and bashed them. He ran away with the holy book's copy in a car. Victim Yogendra Mehta had complained to the police on September 12, 2019, said DCP, Dr Rajeev Pachar. He said the Quran's copy with over 1,000 pages was recovered from Meena. PHILIPSBURG:---- The Honorable Minister of Public Health and Acting Minister of TEATT, Pamela Gordon- Carty paid a working visit to the Princess Juliana International Airport - SXM on Wednesday, January 29, 2020. The Minister was briefed during a walkthrough tour of the facilities which enabled the Chief Operations Officer, COO, Michel Hyman the opportunity to provide her with an overview of the precautionary measures taken to escalate the awareness of good hygiene practices in response to the worldwide notification of the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak. The Management Board of the SXM Airport has officially activated its Emergency Management Committee (EMC) in response to the Novel Coronavirus outbreak, in light of the increased number of confirmed cases of infections derived from China. Recommendations to the EMC includes the constant monitoring of the international situation as it evolves. "We continue to work closely with our local Ministry responsible for Health, and stakeholders to respond to the threat and to prepare all stakeholders on how to reduce exposure and establish actions in dealing with infectious agents, if they were to happen in Sint Maarten," stated the COO, Michel Hyman. The COO assured the Minister of Public Health that there are no restrictions on international travel and no special precautions travelers need to take when traveling to the Caribbean since there have been no reported cases of 2019-nCoV in the Caribbean. Travelers are thus advised to: Stay informed about the 2019-nCoV situation in any country to which they are traveling. Practice general infection control measures, such as frequent handwashing with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. "SXM Airport remains committed to protect the health and welfare of its staff, travelers, users, and the public. Several preparedness plans are already in motion for the 2019-nCoV, such as refreshing training of our EMT staff in the universal precautions and the placement of additional hand sanitizers and World Health Organization (WHO) awareness posters at strategic locations," declared Mr. Hyman. The Minister of Public Health applauded the airport body for a job well done with its pandemic plan and the overall awareness and prevention measures. Cookie Preferences Cookie List Cookie List A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website when visited by a user asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes: Strictly Necessary Cookies We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a sale of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more. Functional Cookies We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a sale of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more. Performance Cookies We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a sale of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more. Sale of Personal Data We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated sale of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website. Social Media Cookies We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated sale of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website. Targeting Cookies We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated sale of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website. Abu Dhabi Airports recently welcomed the arrival of Etihad Airways Greenliner at Abu Dhabi International Airport, said a report. The first-of-its-kind Etihad Greenliner is the result of an eco partnership announced last year between Etihad Airways and Boeing to develop a specially-themed Boeing 787 Dreamliner to test products, procedures and initiatives designed to reduce aircraft carbon emissions, said a report in WAM. Based out of Abu Dhabi International Airport, one of the first airports in the region to earn the accreditation level of Reduction as a part of the ACI Airport Carbon Accreditation programme, the Greenliner will operate scheduled services across Etihads network. Bryan Thompson, chief executive officer of Abu Dhabi Airports, said: "Sustainability is a key enabler of our vision of becoming the worlds leading airports group. Through upgrading our airfield lighting system with energy-efficient bulbs to our numerous accreditations, this is testament to our commitment to protecting the UAEs natural heritage and mitigating the impacts of climate change. As such, we are delighted to welcome Etihads Greenliner to Abu Dhabi International Airport and look forward to continuing to enhance the sustainability of our operations in partnership with Etihad Airways." Tony Douglas, chief executive officer of Etihad Aviation Group, said: "The Etihad Greenliner is the result of our commitment to advancing sustainable practices in aviation, and we are pleased to be working in partnership with Boeing and Abu Dhabi Airports to discover new ways of incrementally lowering fuel consumption and carbon emissions." The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is recognised as being 20-25 per cent more efficient than similar-sized aircraft, however, Etihads Greenliner will enable equipment suppliers, airspace regulators and other interested partners to test efficiency measures and sustainable technologies that have the potential to further reduce the planes fuel consumption and carbon dioxide output, the report said. Consumer expectations and behaviour are constantly changing in the Middle East and retailers are leaving no stone unturned in keeping pace with evolving trends and buying habits, a recent research by Orient Planet Research (OPR), the market research unit of Orient Planet Group, and Galal & Karawi Management Consulting (G&K Consulting) has found. The lines between online and offline shopping are blurring, as consumers prefer to switch between online and offline across the various touchpoints of their retail buying experience. This is why brick and mortar retail showrooms are still relevant despite the steady growth of e-commerce in the region. However, overlooking the importance of online presence could cost retailers dearly, says the study. In their attempt to stand out from the market clutter and capture the attention of buyers, retailers are increasingly focusing on enhancing the customer experience journey. Nevertheless, brand loyalty is diminishing as consumers tend to move away from their preferred brands to options that promise better value for money these days. These findings are in agreement with insights from McKinsey, which indicated that Middle East consumers are increasing their online spending, while also becoming more price conscious and less brand loyal. In response, brands are increasingly relying on data-driven, intelligent retail models to design highly customised shopping experiences for their customers. In terms of demographics, online shoppers are often between 25 and 44 age band, although this continues to expand. Retailers consider paid advertising as a powerful tool to reach out to this target pool and leverage additional targeting features of advertising platforms such as display, remarketing and shopping ads. Besides, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered highly personalised product recommendations on these platforms are providing retailers with great results, as cited by the Microsoft and PSFK in their Retail Trends Playbook 2020. Mena is the fastest growing region in e-commerce markets with an annual growth rate of 25 per cent according to market reports. Convenience, speedy deliveries, an array of payment options and the ability to check reviews and ratings by other customers before making the purchase are the factors driving this growth. The UAE is considered the most advanced in the region, followed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. An e-commerce study by Visa Inc in June 2019 reported that the UAE retail industry, including its in-store and e-commerce engagement can bring revenue growth as much as $63.8 billion by 2023. Nidal Abou Zaki, Managing Director, Orient Planet Group, commented: Given the fast pace of developments in the GCC and Middle East markets, it is always important to pay attention to market trends such as e-commerce and new strategies that address the increasing role of digital technology in engaging customers and winning brand loyalty. We constantly monitor and explore these developments in the region to promote better awareness and shed light on new strategies which expand across sectors. Abou Zaki noted: The ongoing digital transformation continues to bring about innovation in customer engagement and will continue to impact marketing and communications with customers. Businesses must remain aware and up to date of these trends and explore ways to adopt them if they want their brands to enjoy a better perception, and thereby increase sales, loyalty and better position of their products and services. The regions retailers are aware of these developments to a great extent and are being recognised for their growth performances globally. This is evident in the continued growth of leading retailers in the region such as the UAE's Emke Group and Majid Al Futtaim Holding LLC, which were ranked by Deloitte among the top 250 companies achieving the strongest growth rates in FY2017 in its 'Global Powers of Retailing' report. Asem Galal, Managing Partner of G&K, said: Brick and mortar retailers have no option but to rise up to customer expectations and deliver a superb customer experience by embracing omnichannel sales and marketing, in order to survive and compete with global and regional e-commerce powerhouses. Omnichannel requires a new strategy that is modeled around the new consumer: the Omnishopper. It calls for restructuring of processes, re-training of staff, and keeping pace with technology advancements, which typically includes designing and launching of a mobile app. Galal added: Our findings show that businesses can no longer ignore the growth potentials of e-commerce platforms and must find ways to blend these various platforms to provide customers with a seamless shopping experience and win their loyalty. Consumers are now omnishoppers who engage in both webrooming and showrooming. This was evident during the recent Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales as offline retailers who adopted an omnichannel approach recorded better results during the promotions. Many customers who went to experience the products in the stores before the sales ended up buying them online from the stores mobile app or website during the promotions to avoid the sales traffic and parking inconveniences. The OPR and G&K study noted that retailers in the Middle East are increasingly catching up to new ways of adapting to the constantly changing consumer behaviours, which have high level of access to digital technology and social media platforms. However, shopping experiences and retail events in the region such as Black Friday, Yellow Friday and White Wednesday, among other retail promotions have revealed that while more people now buy things online, the existence of brick and mortar or the physical retail stores continue to flourish. Webrooming means a shopper would browse the online stores, read and watch the reviews on social media platforms or websites before deciding to buy it in the actual store. The Showrooming, on the other hand, refers to shoppers visiting the stores, and see the actual product and then buy them online, even using their smartphones, while still within the store, to get it for a cheaper price. The study suggested that to maintain competitiveness, it would be a wise move for retail owners to implement an omnichannel strategy, a marketing strategy which provides integrated and continuous brand engagement to consumers using connected multiple channels, which include websites, mobile apps, and physical stores. He further cited that one main feature of an omnichannel approach is the ability to provide a unique customer journey experience to shoppers. OPR and G&Ks analysis further cited that the growing popularity of mobile apps for grocery shopping within the region reveal a new trend indicating shops can no longer ignore e-commerce and that being online or in a mobile marketplace or having an individual mobile app as they add strong value to the business while offering convenience to shoppers. Brands are enhancing the customer experience at every touchpoint and every interaction of the customer to the brand whether it is in a digital platform or in physical stores, the study concluded. -- Tradearabia News Service Advocate for the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder convicts, AP Singh on Thursday moved a petition in a Delhi court seeking a stay on the execution of the convicts, scheduled on February 1. Singh,who is representing convicts Akshay Thakur and Vinay Sharma, said that according to the Delhi Prison Rules, none of those convicted can be hanged untill all of them have exhausted all legal options including the mercy petition. The matter will be heard by Additional Sessions Judge AK Jain today at 2 pm. Earlier this month, a Delhi court had issued the death warrant for Akshay Thakur, Mukesh Singh, Pawan Gupta, and Vinay Kumar Sharma, and ordered their hanging on February 1. Through an application seeking postponement of execution, AP Singh also apprised the court about the recent development. Recently, Vinay Sharma filed a mercy petition with President Ram Nath Kovind. Earlier, Mukesh Kumar too had filed a mercy petition, which was rejected by the President. He later challenged the rejection of his mercy petition which was dismissed by the Supreme Court. The case pertains to the gang-rape and brutalising of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012, by six people including a juvenile in Delhi. The woman had died at a Singapore hospital a few days later. One of the five adults accused, Ram Singh, had allegedly committed suicide in the Tihar Jail during the trial of the case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell reportedly edged closer to completing an impeachment trial of President Donald Trump with no witnesses or subpoenas for documents. It would be the first-ever impeachment trial without testimony and evidence in the history of the Senate and the chef-doeuvre in McConnells storied career of dismantling the norms of that body in order to will the Republican Party to power. The Democratic minority needs to win four Republicans to its side before Friday if it hopes to force the Senate to consider hearing from witnesses with direct knowledge of Trumps efforts to secretly pressure Ukraine into attacking his political rivals. Key senators on the Republican side appeared, though, to be falling neatly in line behind McConnell. Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado told Colorado Politics on Wednesday that he did not want to hear from any more witnessesincluding former national security adviser John Bolton, who has reportedly written in his forthcoming book that Trump told him that Ukraine aid was tied to political investigations, contrary to months of no quid pro quo claims from the president. Alex Bolton of the Hill, meanwhile, reported that McConnell had met on Wednesday morning with potential fence-sitter Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and that it was clear at the Senate GOP lunch that the votes are there to defeat a motion for additional witnesses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still, between now and the vote, the show trial must go on. On Wednesday that meant the first of two scheduled days in which senators are asking questions of the House managers and the presidents attorneys via notes passed to the trials presiding officer, Chief Justice John Roberts. The questions themselves demonstrated how, despite the Bolton revelations over the weekend, the Republican senators are going to justify declining to call him as a witness. What they will say is this: Quid pro quos are totally fine now. Near the start of the questions, Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz put forth this argument after being asked by Sen. Ted Cruz: As a matter of law, does it matter if there was a quid pro quo? Is it true that quid pro quos are often used in foreign policy? Advertisement Advertisement During his #impeachment trial, President Trumps legal team argued that if a politician believes his reelection is in the national interest, then asking a foreign country to investigate a political rival cannot be impeachable https://t.co/LM62GI1h3U pic.twitter.com/yrqIvXLIGK Reuters (@Reuters) January 30, 2020 Advertisement Dershowitz answered with a rambling response that is at the heart of the Republican refusal to hear from witnesses: We dont need to know the truth, because even if the president did what you are accusing him ofand what he has denied for monthshe was only doing what he thought was best for the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Every public official that I know believes that his election is in the public interest, Dershowitz said of the allegation that Trump tried to gain an illicit advantage in the upcoming election by getting Ukraine to announce an investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden. And if a president does something, which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment. Basically, if Trump cheats in the election, so what? Hes doing it for America! This is the absolute distillation of the Trumpian worldview that he is the state, the state is him, and his supportersand his supporters aloneare the people. Dershowitz went so far at one point as to compare Trump to Abraham Lincoln in his effort to win reelection while simultaneously seeking to preserve the union during the Civil War. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He believed that his own election was essential to victory in the Civil War, Dershowitz said of Lincoln. Every president believes that. Thats why its so dangerous to try to psychoanalyze a president, to try to get into the intricacies of the human mind. He continued: It would be a much harder case if a hypothetical president of the United States said to a hypothetical leader of a foreign country, Unless you build a hotel with my name on it and unless you give me a million-dollar kickback, I will withhold the funds. Thats an easy case, thats purely corrupt and in the purely private interests. But a complex middle case is I want to be elected! I think Im a great president! I think Im the greatest president there ever was, and if Im not elected, the national interest will suffer greatly. That cannot be an impeachable offense. Advertisement Advertisement Again, Dershowitzs arguments amount to saying Trump can use national security money to extort a foreign ally into smearing his political rivals because Trump thinks defeating his political rivals is good for America. It is insane. It is also quickly becoming the position of the Republican Party. Advertisement As Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming said on Wednesday: I would go one step further to say that even if everything in Boltons book happens to be true, and everything he testifies to happens to be true, if he happens to be called, I still do not believe that that rises to the level of the impeachable offenses that the House has charged the president with. The so what defense was the logical endpoint of Republicans in the House and Senate refusing to hear evidence and witnesses and standing by a president who has so obviously violated his oath of office and sought to corrupt American elections. Sure, he is trying to do a quid pro quo, but it happens. Maybe he thought it was good for the country to have a foreign power investigate his opponent? Advertisement The evidentiary record and common sense in this case have consistently demonstrated the opposite. As the House managers repeatedly noted on Wednesday, Trump only sought for the Bidens to be investigated once the former vice president became an electoral threat to him personally. If the president believed it was proper to use military aid to pressure Ukraine to investigate Biden, why did he deny that there was a quid pro quo dozens of times? And why did he go to such lengths to keep his efforts secret? Why did he try to keep his administrations fingerprints off of what would appear to the public to be an independent investigation by Ukraine of Biden and his son Hunter, which the Trump campaign could then point to as independent proof that his opponent was corrupt? Why also did he not publicly make the case for his own Justice Department to investigate the Bidens, and why didnt the foreign policy officials who pushed for the investigation announcement issue an official request on behalf of the Department of Justice using the two countries mutual legal assistance treaty, as Ukraine officials themselves requested? Finally, and decisively, why did Trumps underlings seek merely an announcement of an investigation, as Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland testified, if Trump was driven by his concern about learning the truth about a natural gas company in Ukraine? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The whole premise that Trumps motives were innocent is absurd, but as House manager Adam Schiff pointed out, there is an easy way to establish even more definitively that Trumps motives were corrupt. All quid pros are not the same. Some are legitimate, and some are corrupt, and you dont need to be a mind reader to figure out which is which, Schiff argued. For one thing, you can ask John Bolton. Schiff has claimed repeatedly throughout this trialand he did again during the senators questions on Wednesdaythat the full truth of Trumps actions would eventually come out even if Republican senators refuse to call witnesses. There are going to continue to be revelations, and members of this body on both sides of the aisle are going to have to answer questions each time: Why didnt you want to know that when it would have helped inform your decision? Schiff argued. In every other trial in the land, you call witnesses to find out what you can. Advertisement The White House, though, is doing everything it canwith the support of McConnell and the Republican-controlled Senateto prevent that truth from coming out. On Wednesday, it was also revealed that National Security Council lawyers sent a letter to Boltons attorney last week telling him that the manuscript of his book that he submitted for review appears to contain significant amounts of classified information and that the manuscript may not be published or otherwise disclosed without the deletion of this classified information. Boltons attorney, Charles J. Cooper, further revealed on Wednesday that he had sent a response letter saying that there was no plausible basis to claim classified status over the Ukraine portions of the book. We do not believe that any of that information could reasonably be considered classified, Cooper wrote to the NSC lawyers. He said on Wednesday that he had not yet received a response. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cooper also noted that if Bolton testified publicly, that he will be asked questions that will elicit much of the information contained in the chapter of his manuscript dealing with his involvement in matters relating to Ukraine. At this point, public testimony may be the only way for Bolton to get around the White Houses efforts to block his story from coming outand to successfully cash in on his book. If the vote in the Senate denies him that opportunity, the only way for that to happen will be for the House of Representatives to subpoena his testimony and for him to appear. This was in fact the suggestion of Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina on Wednesday. If you want to hear from Mr. Bolton, you can do it in the House, he said. If they want to make [the case] better, they can do that by calling Mr. Bolton in the House, where they have an opportunity. When I asked Schiffs office on Wednesday if he might call Bolton before the House Intelligence Committee, which he chairs, if senators vote down testimony, the office referred me to the answer he gave on Tuesday. Im not going to discuss what backup, fallback position there is, Schiff said at the time. At the end of the day, nothing is sufficient if the Senate doesnt decide to have a fair trial. And you simply cant have a fair trial without witnesses. MBABANE Ace pupil Mandiso Likhwa Dlamini, who is among pupils who scooped the first position in the country, wants to become an engineer. This he said was driven by his passion for maths and drawing. The former KaBoyce High School pupil scored aggregate six and is currently pursuing Form VI at St Marks High School. Mandiso believes enrolling in Form VI was a gateway to studying abroad, something which he desired. difficult He confessed that the examinations were difficult and he was not expecting to be among the top pupils. However, he said pressure from his parents and teachers pushed him to work hard as they wanted him to take up position one. He added that his teachers were always reminding him that they were expecting him to be among the top pupils. studied Mandiso said getting anything less than position one would have been a disappointment to him. I studied from the beginning of the year which is something I do all-year round, Mandiso said. However, he said he did not sacrifice watching television and using his phone, which was always with him. According to Mandiso, he was able to balance schoolwork and leisure. When it was time for books, I gave my all. Navia Life Care has recently joined hands with Aptar Pharma to launch the digital ecosystem of MyAdhero App. ADHERO is Indias first connected device for metered-dose inhalers (MDI) whereas MyAdhero App which is its technology platform, including a Patient App, Care Provider App and the Doctor Portal. Aptar Pharma along with Lupin Limited has launched ADHERO which helps patients with chronic respiratory diseases. It tracks their MDI usage and facilitate improved adherence to their prescribed therapy. With the help of this initiative, Navia Life Care is helping Aptar Pharma to offer Indias first e-connected inhaler for Lupin Pharmaceuticals. The inhaler is connected to their technology platform through a patient-facing mobile app, a dashboard for doctors and an advanced analytics tool that will provide Aptar and Lupin greater understanding and insights into patient behavior. Also, it is benefitting patients through improved adherence and compliance. Speaking about the collaboration, Kunal Kishore Dhawan, CEO & Co-Founder, Navia Life Care, said, We at Navia Life Care are privileged to have had the opportunity to partner with Aptar to develop the technology platform for their connected device initiative in India. The partnership seamlessly integrates into our vision of building digital tools that provide for improved patient care, experience and outcomes. By connecting ADHERO device to their MyAdhero App, patients can access the information on their smartphones. The app sends reminders, provide contextual health alerts based on factors like the Air Quality Index at the patients current location and enable visual analytics. Patients can also grant their physician access to their information and medical tracking data through the dashboard portal as well as the app. EAST LANSING, Mich. - While political polarization in the United States is the worst it has been in years, new research from Michigan State University and the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research suggests that having a partisan - and sometimes divisive - Congress might be more productive than if bipartisan groups were the norm. The research, published in Scientific Reports, used new mathematical programming models to uncover how U.S. Senators and Representatives work together in groups, or coalitions. Looking at these coalitions allows a deeper understanding of Congress than analyzing congresspeople solely based on their parties. "We usually think of the Congress as organized around political parties, but we found that it makes more sense to think about coalitions," said Zachary Neal, associate professor of psychology and co-author of the study. "Coalitions are often partisan, with their members all coming from the same political party. But, coalitions can be bipartisan too. There are cases of left-leaning coalitions composed mostly of Democrats but that include some Republicans, and some cases of right-leaning coalitions composed mostly of Republicans but that include some Democrats." Samin Aref, research area chair in the Laboratory for Digital and Computational Demography at the Max Planck Institute, explained that coalitions aren't quite as simple as political parties because members can be from either political party. These new models help find these coalitions of legislators that consistently work together by co-sponsoring bills, even if the legislators come from different parties. "Most people think of all Republican legislators working together and all Democratic legislators working together," Aref said. "We used our new optimization models to identify coalitions and then asked, 'Does thinking about coalitions tell us more about how Congress works than thinking about parties?' And for the House of Representatives, it does." The researchers applied their new models to U.S. Congresses between 1979 and 2015 to show levels of polarization and partisanship. They then compared those findings against the effectiveness of getting bills passed. "Congress passes fewer bills each year - you might say they're getting worse at their most basic task - and some may argue that this is due to polarization," Neal said. "However, partisan coalitions have actually helped the work get done in the U.S. House of Representatives. In fact, the House would be even more ineffective at passing bills if it weren't for the high levels of partisanship." Aref explained that their new models are important for political researchers because up until now, identifying political coalitions with such accuracy was cumbersome and nearly impossible. Now, they can identify groups much more efficiently and faster than what was theoretically expected. Looking ahead - to the 2020 election and beyond - the researchers weigh the pros and cons of partisan polarization and its long-term effect. "Partisanship may help Congress pass bills into law, but that doesn't mean future Congresses with different views won't overturn them," Aref said. "So, partisan polarization may only have short-term benefits; still, the trends in our data suggest the current trend toward a divide along party lines is likely to continue." ### Note for media: Please include a link to the original paper in online coverage: http://www.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-58471-z PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rubrik , the Multi-Cloud Data Control Company, today announced the appointment of Calvin Hoon as Regional Sales Vice President. Hoon is responsible for leading Rubriks ASEAN and India sales teams reporting directly to Kamal Brar, VP of Asia Pacific and Japan. In his role, Hoon will be responsible for Rubriks go-to-market strategy and execution in ASEAN and India, specifically building upon the companys strong alliance and channel momentum. With over 25 years of sales experience across enterprise security, cloud and big data solutions in the Asia Pacific market, Hoon brings veteran expertise in building teams and customer relationships in the enterprise market, said Brar. He has the vision to continue building Rubriks strong partner program in ASEAN and India to drive business results for the region. I am excited to continue to partner with enterprises on their digital transformation journey with Rubriks industry leading multi-cloud data control solution, said Hoon. I look forward to supporting customers leverage their data with Rubrik to manage, govern and orchestrate data across on-premise and cloud environments. Hoon joins Rubrik after four years with Talend, where he was a founding member of Talend Asia in Singapore and contributed to the companys hyper growth. He also held numerous sales leadership roles including Head of Alliance and Channels sales for Cloudera in Asia Pacific, and formerly served as General Manager for Hewlett Packard enterprise security products division in Asia, where he oversaw business expansion in the enterprise market. About Rubrik Rubrik, the Multi-Cloud Data Control Company, enables enterprises to maximize value from data that is increasingly fragmented across data centers and clouds. Rubrik delivers a single, policy-driven platform for data recovery, governance, compliance, and cloud mobility. For more information, visit www.rubrik.com and follow @rubrikInc on Twitter. Rubrik is a registered trademark of Rubrik, Inc. Other marks may be trademarks of their respective owners. Contact Information Rubrik Rubrik@highwirepr.com Two men who survived after their light plane crashed into the ocean have been flown to hospital with minor injuries. Veteran pilot Gerry Geltch was one of two men on board the plane when it plunged into the sea off Fraser Island in Queensland at about 1.30pm on Wednesday. Paramedics swam 100 metres out to the wreckage of the plane which landed near the Happy Valley Ambulance base. Mr Geltch said the pair kicked out the door to the plane to escape aircraft while it was still in the air. 'With an exit out of the water, it's very difficult to exit out of the aircraft. We just kicked the doors open as the aeroplane was going down,' Mr Geltch said, told 7 News. Scroll down for video Veteran pilot Gerry Geltch was one of two men on board the plane when it plunged into the sea off Fraser Island in Queensland at about 1.30pm on Wednesday Paramedics swam 100 metres out to the wreckage of the plane which landed near the Happy Valley Ambulance base Mr Geltch said the pair kicked out the door to the plane to escape aircraft He explained they had been doing training for beach operations and were practicing emergency procedures when he lost rudder control. 'So then we just went into what we're trained for in emergency procedures and we kept the aircraft under control, to a point where unfortunately we couldn't get to the shore and we had to land in the water.' An ambulance spokesperson said the emergency crew heard the radio message about the plane and looked up to see it in the water in front of them. The other man on board the plane suffered a laceration to his forehead. Both men were treated at the scene before being transferred to Hervey Bay hospital. A spokesperson from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said a stress beacon was released from the aircraft before it hit the water. The moment a light plane crashed into the ocean off the coast of Fraser Island in Queensland has been caught on camera Video footage obtained by Queensland Police shows the aircraft flying over the water. The plane then slowly descends over the beach before it hits the water. Both the pilot and a passenger miraculously managed to get themselves out of the aircraft and swim to shore. Witnesses on the scene reported that both men were seen swimming next to the plane in the water before making it to shore. A plane has crashed into the ocean off the coast of Fraser Island (pictured) in Queensland Gerry Geltch is a veteran pilot who was conducting training drills over the beach near Fraser Island Dramatic footage also shows the moment the men arrived on the beach, both wearing white pilots uniforms. The plane occupants were assisted from the water by other swimmers, before paramedics met them on the beach. Bystanders in the video can be heard saying: 'I hope there's nobody else on that plane, and if there is, they're dead.' A Queensland police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia the aircraft was a training plane, and no serious injuries were reported. Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia: The European exchange-traded fund (ETF) market reached a "record" high last year as overall inflows surpassed 100bn ($110bn) for the first time. European ETFs gathered a record 100.8bn in 2019, bringing total assets to 870bn (up 40 percent on 2018), according to Lyxor ETF Research's Money Monitor 2019 report. ETFs now represent 7% of total European funds' assets (vs. 6% in 2018), with Equity ETFs accounting for 69% of the market, Fixed Income for 27% and Commodities for 3%, the remaining being in the other asset classes. European investors turned to higher-yielding opportunities (Corporate Bonds, US Government Bonds, Emerging Markets Bonds, High Yield) and geographical diversification was key, mostly outside ope. Whilst it's taken several years for the Fixed Income ETF segment to take off, the trend observed over the past 5 years looks solid and resilient with an average 26bn of annual inflows. With regards to Equities, 2019 was a year of contrasts. European equity markets bore the brunt of rising macro-economic uncertainties. There was the threat of 'no deal' Brexit in the first half, but the second half saw a sharp rebound on the back of easing trade tensions. ETFs benefitted from the rebound, gathering 46bn while active equity funds saw outflows of 43bn. UK equities represented an interesting example of open-ended funds-to-ETF rotation. In the context of Brexit, we observed very strong flows into UK equity ETFs ...................... To view our full article Click here Brussels: European Parliament has given final approval to Britains divorce from the European Union, paving the way for the country to quit the bloc on Friday after nearly half a century and delivering a major setback for European integration. Nigel Farage, Member of the European Parliament and leader of the Brexit Party, waves a Union Jack flag ahead of a vote on the Brexit withdrawal agreement in Brussels on Wednesday. Credit:Bloomberg After an emotional debate during which several speakers shed tears, EU lawmakers voted 621 for and 49 against the Brexit agreement sealed between Britain and the 27 other member states last October, more than three years since Britons voted out. Loading Thirteen lawmakers abstained and the chamber then broke into a rendition of Auld Lang Syne. Britains 73 departing EU lawmakers headed for an Au Revoir party in the EU chamber after the vote. Salman Khan and his entire family showed their support to nephew Ayaan Agnihotri and his Picture Pathshala programme, an organisation that produces content made by children and supports childrens cinema for change. Katrina Kaif, Salim Khan, Helen, Arbaaz Khan, Sohail Khan, and Atul and Alvira Agnihotri were also in attendance, along with comedian Sunil Grover. Speaking about the initiative, Picture Pathshala co-founder and Salmans nephew Ayaan said, We had gone on a road trip all over India and got a chance to interact with the children belonging to remote villages. We then wanted to know more about their feelings and what they actually wanted to say, during which time I found that children dont even know or get mineral water. We wanted them to express their anxieties and thought process, which could give them more power. By making a short film, these kids can bring about change. Katrina also took to the microphone to speak. Its really very special to do something like this, where you allow the kids to interact and be creative in a fun way. Its like allowing them to interact and participate and be able to express, what they literally want to talk about, she said in her speech. Meanwhile, Sunil gushed: You children have done a wonderful job and have spoken all in such a mature manner. You guys are lucky enough to get a chance at such a young age to be able to do all this. I note all of you to be very talented. The programme organisers reached out to Cherivali village in Raigadh, Pinguli village in Sindhudurg, Raisar village in Bikaner, Dandi village in Navsari Tiurtuk in Ladhak. Their workshops will now extend to Jaisalmer, Assam, West Bengal and Kanyakumari as well. In One Good Meal, we ask cooking-inclined creative people to share the story behind a favorite dish they actually make and eat at home on a regular basis and not just when theyre trying to impress. Many mothers teach their children to cook. Shiza Shahids mom taught her not to. The idea was that Shahid, who grew up in Islamabad, Pakistan, was destined for greatness and would be too busy to spend her life huddling over a hot stove. And to some extent, this prophecy came true. Four years before Malala Yousafzai was shot by the Taliban in 2012, a teenage Shahid brought the 11-year-old future Nobel laureate and two dozen of her classmates to a summer camp shed organized for girls education. Later, after graduating from Stanford University, Shahid spent her early 20s heading the Malala Fund, an organization she co-founded with Yousafzai. Once shed established that and launched an investment fund for mission-driven start-ups, Shahid, now 30, steered her career into an unlikely place: the kitchen. Late last year, she and two other co-founders launched Our Place, a line of cookware designed to fit the needs of the modern, multiethnic American kitchen. Its modern in that we are living in small spaces we dont want 16 pieces of cookware, she says, and multiethnic because thats just how we eat, right? Its sushi on Mondays, tacos on Tuesdays. The brand has done a series of collaborations to celebrate international culinary traditions (a Nochebuena capsule included mezcal glasses and tortilla warmers for Christmas, and a Lunar New Year set, with a Chinese cleaver and bamboo chopsticks, arrives this month), but its bedrock is an Essentials line of practical pieces made with thoughtful design treatments. The best-selling 10-inch Always Pan, for instance, comes with a built-in spatula rest, a pouring lip and ridges that catch condensation so water wont shower your food when you remove the lid. Three states attorneys on Thursday sued the U.S. Archivist in an attempt to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution. On January 15 Virginia became the thirty-eighth state to approve the ERA, which was initially passed by the U.S. Congress in 1972 and sent to the states for ratification. The amendment sought to make discrimination based on sex unconstitutional. Equality of rights under the law shall not be abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex, the amendment reads in part. Almost 50 years after the amendment was sent to the states, the approval of Virginia technically gives the ERA the minimum 38 state approval necessary to amend the Constitution. However, citing the length of time that has passed until Virginias approval, the Justice Department wrote in a legal opinion that the ratification process would have to be restarted in order for the amendment to be put into effect. U.S. Archivist David S. Ferriero, who oversees parts of the ratification process, indicated he would abide by the Justice Departments opinion. The state attorneys general of Virginia, Nevada and Illinois have sued the Archivist in an attempt to force the issue. Under Article V, there is no time limit for how long Congress may deliberate before proposing an amendment to the States, the suit argues. The same is true of a States decision about whether or when to ratify a proposed amendment. The ERA was ratified in Virginia after Democrats took both chambers of the state legislature. However, some Republicans also voted in favor of ratification. Equality is a message I think we should leave to our daughters, Republican State Senator Jennifer Higgins said after the vote. Im always ready to support an effort to allow every American to achieve their potential. More from National Review Photos of kangaroos and koalas fleeing the massive wildfires in Australia are heartbreaking, and many people want to help. But as is the case with past disasters, the catastrophe has proved irresistible to fraudsters. The Australia Competition and Consumer Commission has warned that scammers are using social media and fake websites to raise funds. Some have impersonated people who have been affected by the wildfires. The wildfires have also generated thousands of pages on crowdfunding sites. Some are scams, while others are ill-conceived funding efforts, according to the Better Business Bureaus Wise Giving Alliance. Some postings use pictures of victims without their permission. Appeals to help Australian firefighters should also be viewed with caution, the BBB says. Even if the crowdfunding appeal is legitimate, you generally cant claim a tax deduction for a contribution that goes to an individual or family. Contributions to non-U.S. charities are usually not deductible, either. There are several U.S. charities that are accepting donations to help wildfire victims. Charities accredited by the BBB include the American Red Cross, Direct Relief, and the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss the U.S. peace plan for the Middle East. Netanyahu made a stopover in the Russian capital on January 30 after visiting Washington where U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his long-awaited proposals the previous day. The plan met with wild praise by the Israeli leader but was greeted coolly at the United Nations and European Union and with anger by Palestinians and others. Meeting Putin in the Kremlin, Netanyahu described his Moscow visit as symbolizing "further strengthening relations" and said he wanted to hear the Russian leader's "insights" about the U.S. peace plan. "You are the first leader I am speaking with after my visit in Washington for Trump's deal of the century," he said. "I think there is a new opportunity here, maybe even unique opportunity." The prime minister also thanked Putin for what he said was a "swift" decision to grant pardon to a U.S.-Israeli national jailed in Russia on drug charges. "We will have a chance to say a few words about our bilateral relations," said Putin, who did not mention the peace plan in his public remarks. Trump's plan would give Israel control over Jewish settlements on the West Bank and the strategic Jordan Valley and it declared Jerusalem as Israel's "undivided capital." It also spoke of the possibility of an independent Palestine with its capital in parts of eastern Jerusalem, but set a series of conditions that must be first met by the Palestinians. Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas immediately rejected the plan as too pro-Israel and said the Palestinians would prefer to continue peace talks with neutral brokers. Palestinians have said they do not consider Washington to be an impartial player in the decades-long conflict after Trump made what they consider to be pro-Israeli policy decisions. Russia, meanwhile, has been seeking a larger role in the region and as a mediator between the Israelis and Palestinians in recent years. Putin met last week with Netanyahu in Jerusalem and Abbas in Bethlehem. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on January 29 said Russia was "ready to continue to undertake all efforts, do everything it can, to reach a viable peace in the Middle East." On his flight back to Israel, Netanyahu was accompanied by dual Israeli-U.S. citizen Naama Issachar, who had been released earlier in the day from a penal colony in the Moscow region. Putin on January 29 pardoned Naama Issachar, who was serving a 7 1/2-year prison sentence for smuggling drugs, on "humanitarian principles." Issacher was arrested at a Moscow airport in April and sentenced to prison in October for possession of 9 grams of marijuana. Issachar's fate had sparked a wave of sympathy in Israel, and bringing the 26-year-old home after 10 months in prison was a publicity coup for Netanyahu ahead of March 2 elections. Israeli TV stations screened live coverage of Issachar's arrival at Ben Gurion airport, near Tel Aviv. With reporting by dpa, AP, AFP, TASS, and Interfax Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has reportedly been deputed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to go on an extensive tour of Delhi ahead of voting on February 8. He is expected to address at least 12 rallies at different locations across the national capital, including protest hotspots Shaheen Bagh and Jamia Nagar, News18 reported. The UP CM will be in Delhi to campaign for the saffron party from February 1 to 4 for the hotly contested Delhi Assembly election. Though this move is being viewed as a desperate attempt to polarise the electorate, party sources have junked all claims. They have stated that Yogi Adityanath has done a lot of work for the people of Delhi and adjacent areas, which is why he has been asked to hold rallies there. Moreover, they said, a lot of people staying in the minority-dominated colonies are natives of Uttar Pradesh. Shaheen Bagh has become synonymous with agitations against the contentious new Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Women cutting across different strata have been gathering at South Delhis Shaheen Bagh over the past month to stage sit-in protests, claiming the new law dampens the secular fabric of the Indian Constitution. Meanwhile, Jamia Nagar is a Muslim-majority area located close to Jamia Milia Islamia University, where first reports of CAA protests turning violent emanated from. Yogi Adityanath holding a rally at Jamia Nagar gains added importance since the law passed by the BJP government at the Centre is believed to be a nefarious design to disenfranchise Indian Muslims. The ruling party has been vehemently opposing all voices of dissent against the CAA and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). Britain's famed Royal Ballet Company has suspended its star choreographer over allegations of sexual misconduct against students, the Times reported Thursday. Artist in residence Liam Scarlett, 33, is accused of encouraging students to send him naked photographs, making inappropriate comments, touching them inappropriately and walking into dressing rooms while they were changing, according to the newspaper. The internal investigation is ongoing, and no conclusions have yet been drawn. "We were made aware of allegations relating to Liam Scarlett in August 2019," the ballet company said in a statement. "The individual was immediately suspended and an independent disciplinary investigation opened. "The Royal Ballet Company has a code of conduct in place to ensure staff and visiting artists are always supported." The allegations against Scarlett, regarded as British ballet's "next big thing", have reverberated globally, with Australia's Queensland Ballet cancelling a forthcoming run of his adaptation of "Dangerous Liaisons". Scarlett joined the Royal Ballet Company as a dancer in 2006, retiring to focus on choreography in 2012. One former student told the paper that Scarlett had shared sexual messages with male students on Facebook. "Because it's so competitive you can't lose an opportunity, so when someone with a lot of power asks you to do something you are pre-programmed to do it," he said. The Royal Ballet's sold-out revival of Scarlett's Swan Lake is due to open in March. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As soon as notification is published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin, anglers will no longer be required to display their fishing licenses while fishing. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Board of Commissioners earlier this week approved the removal of a long-standing regulation that required anglers to display their fishing license on an outer garment while fishing. Pennsylvania was one of only three states to still require the display of a fishing license, along with Delaware and New Jersey. The Pennsylvania Game Commission in 2012 removed a similar display requirement for hunting licenses, which caused confusion among some anglers, who also are hunters, and led to complaints by anglers. They claim that the requirement to display fishing licenses on an outer garment is antiquated and often inconvenient, particularly when an angler is purchasing a license online on relatively short notice and does not have a license holder, and that they often lose their license after it becomes unattached somewhere along a stream or on a boat. Commissioners voted to replace the display requirement with a possession requirement, which will require only that an angler carry the license on his person while fishing and present the license to a commission law enforcement officer upon request. The change should make things more convenient for our anglers, said Tim Schaeffer, commission executive director. By allowing people to simply carry their license in a pocket or in their wallet, rather than pinning it to an outer garment, we hope to hear about fewer licenses being lost and the cost associated with replacing them. It also provides greater consistency with the Pennsylvania Game Commissions hunting license display requirement, so it should prevent any further confusion among hunters and anglers. Anglers who still wish to display their fishing license, or a voluntary supplemental metal license button, on an outer garment may continue to do that, in addition to carrying their fishing license. Commissioners gave preliminary approval to a similar rule change in July 2017 but then tabled in response to concerns from the Office of the Attorney that it also would have allowed anglers to display their licenses on mobile devices, something that would require the state legislature to first remove a requirement that licenses be signed in ink. According to the commission, staff is working with legislators to develop the needed legislation. 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. Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com. Kobe Bryant's tragic death and Billie Eilish's Grammys victory are not the only news that blew up social media platforms on Sunday. Twitter users are also bombarded with a clip of Bradley Cooper allegedly peeing his pants while on stage. In the video, the 45-year-old actor could be seen wearing a matching khaki suit standing beside Lady Gaga, who is delivering her acceptance speech while holding a trophy. "So blessed to be in the company of such wonderful musicians. This is a dream come true, and all I can say is believe in yourself and don't give up because there's a spot on the stage for you. Good night," Lady Gaga said. Bradley Cooper is acting strangely on the side, and before Lady Gaga could even finish her sentence, Bradley could be heard moaning as his pants start to get wet in the front part. "Oh, sh*t!" Oh f*ck!" Bradley could be heard saying after realizing he actually peed on his pants. Lady Gaga, who is wearing an off-shoulder yellow-gold gown, uses her dress' train to cover Bradley's mess as they walk out of the stage. The said video Tweet is posted with a caption: "BREAKING: Bradley Cooper just PEED himself at the #GRAMMYS." Twitter user Kev, with a handler @kubr1cks, uploaded the said video which now has over two million views and 20,600 retweets or shares. The now-viral video left people wondering if the Hollywood actor indeed peed himself during the most prestigious awards night in the music industry. First, Is It Possible? Well, according to Mayo Clinic, urinary incontinence or the loss of bladder control can be caused by different factors such as the strong urge to urinate but no available toilet, aging, food, drinks and medication, which can be stimulating the bladder. It also often happens to people experiencing pregnancy, recent childbirth, menopausal stage, enlarged prostate, prostate cancer, and neurological disorders. The Truth So did Bradley Cooper really peed himself while receiving an award with Lady Gaga? Well, it could be recalled that Cooper and Gaga co-starred in the film "A Star Is Born" back in October 2018. Although the said movie gained multiple nominations in the 2020 Annual Grammy Awards, the lead actors are missing in action during the ceremony at Staples Center on Sunday. According to TMZ, Lady Gaga missed the Grammys due to prior Super Bowl commitments, while Cooper's reason is unknown. So to answer the speculation, no, Cooper did not pee on his pants during the Grammys, and the viral video was just an excerpt from their award-winning movie "A Star Is Born." im being held accountable of bradley coopers hypothetical suicide because of my tweet i hate this app kev. (@kubr1cks) January 27, 2020 the amount of youre dumb! and watch more movies comments i woke up to is so funny to me kev. (@kubr1cks) January 27, 2020 The Twitter user received numerous backlash after posting such a controversial video and even being held accountable for the actor's "hypothetical suicide" because of the video. Kev, whose Twitter profile reads" "low budget Patrick Bateman" (lead character from the novel turned movie, "American Psycho"), is taking the backlash lightly and even said: "the amount of 'you're dumb!' and 'watch more movies' comments I woke up to is so funny to me," READ MORE: Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston No Regrets Over' Reconciliation Photo' -- 'They Love Each Other!' Prince Harry has lost an Ipso complaint over a Mail on Sunday story that revealed he had photos taken with a 'drugged and tethered' elephant. The Duke of Sussex complained to the Independent Press Standards Organisation saying the paper had breached Clause 1 of its Editors' Code of Practice, 'Accuracy', regarding the article published on April 28 last year. Harry had posted wildlife pictures on the Sussex Royal Instagram page for Earth Day - images used by The Mail on Sunday for a story with the headline: 'Drugged and tethered what Harry didn't tell you about those awe-inspiring wildlife photos'. It was reported that the images 'don't quite tell the full story' as they did not show the rope around the back legs of one of the pictured elephants, adding that the complainant 'notably avoided explaining the circumstances in which the images were taken'. The article reported that a spokesperson for the complainant had declined to discuss the photos, though 'sources denied the rope was deliberately edited out of the elephant picture, claiming instead that ''it was due to Instagram's format''.' All three of the animals involved - a rhino, elephant and lion - had been tranquilised and the elephant had also been tethered as they were being relocated as part of conservation projects, it was reported. This is the edited photograph of the elephant taken in Malawi that appeared to mark Earth Day on Prince Harry's official Instagram page The same photograph from another angle, which shows that the elephant had been tethered Harry said the article was inaccurate because it implied he had deliberately misled the public through cropping. Ipso ruled that the code had not been breached, finding that there had been 'no failure to take care not to publish inaccurate information'. The duke had argued that the full uncropped photograph was published on the Royal Family website in 2016 and has been publicly available ever since, adding that it was also published on the conservation group website - which he provided a link to - with a description and video of the tranquilising and tethering. Harry claimed the article gave the misleading impression that he had cropped out the tether to create the false impression that he was a 'superior wildlife photographer', Ipso's ruling states. He said that the image was cropped due to the formatting requirements of the social media site, explaining that his Instagram was subject to bespoke settings such that the photographs he posts have a border around them and the picture of the elephant had to be cropped to fit this template -with the only alternative editing out the elephant handler. The press regulator published their findings online, stating: 'The Committee considered that it was not clear from the images themselves that the animals had been tranquilised and tethered. 'The photograph of the elephant had been cropped to edit out the animal's tethered leg; the publication had demonstrated that the photograph could have been edited differently and the complainant accepted that the album could have been uploaded in a different format which would have made editing the photograph unnecessary. 'The accompanying caption did not make the position clear or that the images had previously been published, unedited, in 2016. 'The position was not made clear simply as a result of the inclusion of the link to the website. 'In these circumstances, the Committee did not consider that it was significantly misleading to report that the photographs posted on the complainant's Instagram account did not quite tell the full story and that the complainant had not explained the circumstances in which the photographs had been taken. 'There was no breach of Clause 1.' Harry, pictured with Meghan, said the article was inaccurate because it implied he had deliberately misled the public through cropping The ruling continues: 'Where the article focused on the complainant's publicly available Instagram posts and the information they displayed, the Committee did not consider that it was necessary for the newspaper to contact the complainant for comment on the published claims. Harry's wife, the Duchess of Sussex, is suing The Mail on Sunday after it published a private letter to her father, Thomas Markle, accusing the paper of misusing her private information, breaching copyright and selective editing. The paper opposes the claims, pointing out the 'huge and legitimate' public interest in publishing the note. After confirming Meghan's legal case, Harry revealed he would be taking legal action against owners of the defunct News of the World, the Sun, and the Daily Mirror, over allegations of phone-hacking. A man convicted of raping a vulnerable and frail elderly woman after breaking into her Perth home has been sentenced to more than 17 years in prison. Mugahed Adam Eldouma, 40, got into the 76-year-old victim's Armadale house in June 2018 through a window and sexually assaulted her before being apprehended and claiming to police that he was the woman's carer. The case was heard in the District Court of WA. Credit:Emma Young In the District Court of WA on Thursday, Eldouma was jailed for 17 years and six months for the daytime attack which Judge Bruce Goetze described as "appalling". "The state of the house probably indicates that she was unable to really look after herself in the home," the judge said. RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP), a top 10 largest Medicaid health plan in the country, is aiming to inform more than 100,000 Inland Empire residents who are uninsured and eligible for Medicaid (called Medi-Cal in California) of their coverage options. This population includes those newly eligible, as a result of California's recent Medi-Cal Expansion to young adults under 26, regardless of immigration status. To ensure the greatest number of eligible residents are informed of their Medi-Cal coverage option, IEHP has launched an extensive integrated campaign covering vast geographical locations throughout the Inland Empire. This comprehensive campaign includes community partnerships, television commercials, outdoor signage, radio ads, text messaging, social media, print advertisements and Medi-Cal application support. "In order to increase positive health outcomes in our communities, we have to increase awareness of Medi-Cal to the uninsured and eligible, especially to those who are newly eligible. By launching a campaign that reaches a vast geography, we will bring health care coverage information to residents in hard-to-reach areas," said IEHP Senior Marketing Director Thomas Pham. "Application support is also a critical component to this campaign. Our Enrollment Assistance Team is ready and eager to help residents apply and ultimately set them on the right path to get the care they need." When contacted, IEHP's certified Enrollment Assistance Team will answer questions about the Medi-Cal process and if requested, can help complete and submit their full Medi-Cal application. "Our team is really excited to be able to make the Medi-Cal application process as easy as possible for our community. Navigating health care can be difficult and even scary at times. We want to do all we can to make the Medi-Cal application process a positive one, so our communities can receive the health services they need," said an IEHP Enrollment Assistance Advisor. To learn more about IEHP visit iehp.org. About IEHP IEHP, Inland Empire Health Plan, is a top 10 largest Medicaid health plan and the largest not-for-profit Medicare-Medicaid plan in the country. With a network of more than 6,400 providers and more than 2,000 employees, IEHP serves more than 1.2 million residents in Riverside and San Bernardino counties who are enrolled in Medicaid or Cal MediConnect Plan (Medicare-Medicaid Plan). Through a dynamic partnership with Providers and community, award-winning service and innovative products, IEHP is fully committed to advocating for our Members and providing them with quality, accessible and wellness-based health care services. For more information, visit www.iehp.org. SOURCE Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) Related Links https://iehp.org/ After Prime Minister Narendra Modi and superstar Rajinikanth, Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar is set to become the third Indian to feature on the famous survivalist Bear Grylls' show 'Into the Wild'. Akshay Kumar arrived in Mysore on Thursday to shoot for the special episode of Into The Wild With Bear Grylls. While PM Modi shot a special episode with the British adventure survivalist in the Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, Rajinikanth travelled the wild terrain of the Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka. Speculations are that Akshay Kumar could also shoot his special episode in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve. Reports suggest that Grylls and his team had spent a day in the tiger reserve to pick a suitable spot for shooting the episode. Karnataka: Actor Akshay Kumar arrived at Mysore, earlier today, to shoot for an episode of 'Man vs Wild' with British adventurer Bear Grylls. pic.twitter.com/P3tNrJAfqx a ANI (@ANI) January 29, 2020 Rajinikanth, however, had ran into trouble with activists for shooting in Bandipur Tiger Reserve. Several activists had protested and demanded Thalaiva's arrest after his shoot. Activists alleged that the crew's presence in the tiger reserve could endanger the animals and even lead to forest fires. An environmental activist named Joseph Hoover said that the team could have shot the episode in the monsoon season. Meanwhile, Grylls is back with the latest edition of his National Geographic show Running Wild With Bear Grylls. The show will see celebrities such as Channing Tatum, Brie Larson and many more channeling their inner strength to take up challenges in the wild. Also read: After PM Modi, superstar Rajinikanth to feature in Man vs Wild with Bear Grylls Also read: After IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet bans comedian Kunal Kamra for heckling TV anchor on flight The Union Budget for financial year 2020-21 will be announced in Parliament on February 1. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will be presenting her second budget in Parliament. The Union Budget contains the Government of India's estimated revenue and expenditure for the current and next fiscal, which runs from April 1 to March 31. The Union Budget is the most extensive account of the government's finances, in which revenues from all sources and expenses of all activities undertaken are aggregated. It comprises the revenue and capital budget. It also contains estimates for the next fiscal. Catch Budget 2020 Live updates here A day before the Budget (January 31), the Chief Economic Advisor will present the Economic Survey for 2020. The Economic Survey will be presented by Chief Economic Advisor Krishnamurthy Subramanian. Budget 2020-21 will be the first full-fledged budget of the Narendra Modi-led government after getting re-elected in May 2019. The budget is scheduled to begin at 11 am in the Lok Sabha. Where to watch Union Budget 2020 live? Union Budget 2020 live-stream can be watched online on the Lok Sabha's website. Doordarshan will also webcast the Union Budget Live on it's YouTube channel. Besides, viewers can also tune into CNN News18's broadcast live on YouTube, link to which is added below. Moneycontrol will bring you live updates of Budget 2020. Users can visit our website (moneycontrol.com) and even check our Budget 2020 section for the latest updates. On our social media handle, you can get the latest updates on Budget 2020 by searching for #BudgetWithMC. Moneycontrol Twitter: https://twitter.com/moneycontrolcom Moneycontrol Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moneycontrol/ Moneycontrol LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/moneycontrol/ Moneycontrol Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moneycontrolcom/ For our Hindi viewers, Moneycontrol Hindi would bring you live updates of Budget 2020 on https://hindi.moneycontrol.com Moneycontrol Pro users will also get updates and in-depth analysis first on our Moneycontrol website/app. The street style scene never fails to inspire us in the outfit department, particularly during Copenhagen Fashion Week. From Scandinavian influencers to fashion editors and stylists traveling to Denmark, the streets are currently rife with fresh outfit ideas for a range of aesthetics! If you're a minimalist, tons of creative outfits made up of wardrobe basics and neutral tones abound. Think chic ways to style suits, denim looks with a twist, and polished ways to rock the leather trend. More of a maximalist? Cool! Show attendees are pulling out all the stops with the latest color trends, prints, and clever layering hacks. Live for a designer accessory moment? The street style certainly has you covered there. Many an editor, stylist, and fashion influencer donned the freshest handbags and shoes from buzzy brands like Bottega Veneta, Christian Dior, and, of course, Chanel. And if you're all about a cozy look that's rooted in athleisure staples like sneakers or sweats, you'll be delighted by all of the cozy-chic fashion we're spotting on the streets. Without further ado, ahead, witness all the inspiring outfits from Copenhagen Fashion Week so far. We'll be highlighting our favorites each day, so keep checking back for even more styling ideas to carry you through 2020. Related: Sheesh! The Outfits at Men's Fashion Week in Paris Are Seriously Inspiring Pak Army warns India of proper response in case of any attack India pti-PTI Islamabad, Jan 30: The Pakistan Army on Thursday warned India of proper response in case of any attack against the country. Outgoing military spokesman Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor in his interaction with defence correspondents talked about the statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and possible reaction by Pakistan. Addressing the National Cadet Corps in New Delhi, Modi on Tuesday said the Indian armed forces won't take more than a week-10 days to make Pakistan bite dust. "India will start the war, but we will end it," said Ghafoor, who has been posted as the General Officer Commanding Okara in Punjab province, bordering India. "It not about 7-10 days but also about before and after this period," he said, referring to Prime Minister Modi's remarks. Ghafoor said that the Pakistan Army had been fighting for two decades against terrorists and was fully prepared to deal with any situation. He said the two countries came close to a war in 2019 but the Pakistan Army ensured peace through its preparedness and proper response. "Superior military strategy of (Pakistan Army chief) General Qamar Javed Bajwa saved South Asia from a big catastrophe," he claimed. Pakistan's civil and military leadership wanted peace in the region and the Indian civil and military leaders should realise the importance of peace, he added. When asked whether India was happy that he was transferred, Ghafoor said: "If India is happy then it is my honour." He thanked the Pakistani people and the media for cooperating during his stay as spokesman of the army. Ghafoor said whatever he said as the army spokesman was not his views but those of the institution he represented. His successor Maj Gen Babur Iftikhar would assume charge from Saturday. As she walked into the New Jersey State Prison in 2017, Jennifer Weiss had two questions for the notorious serial murderer known as the Torso Killer. Did you know my mother? And where did you hide her head? She had no inkling at the time that the day she met eye-to-eye with the man who killed and dismembered her mother decades ago would lead her on a bizarre journey with Richard Cottingham. Through reinforced glass dividers in cold and sterile visitation rooms, Weiss has sought answers from the hulking, bearded 73-year-old Cottingham, who has boasted he killed as many as 85 to 100 people. Cottingham is currently serving a life sentence with no hope of parole after admitting to six killings in New York and New Jersey. Earlier this month, Bergen County authorities announced Cottingham had been linked to three previously unsolved cold cases involving teen girls killed decades ago, renewing interest in his more than decade of violence that ended with his arrest in 1980. The actual death toll may never be fully known or verified. But one thing is clear. Cottinghams notoriety as the Torso Killer evolved from the night Deedeh Goodarzi was found dead in a Times Square motel room on Dec. 2, 1979. Goodarzi had been beheaded, her hands were cut off and she was set on fire along with another unidentified woman. Goodarzi was Weisss birth mother - something she wouldnt learn until 2002 when Weiss decided to try to find the woman who put her up for adoption. The details that stark revelation uncovered were gruesome and disturbing. Through newspaper clippings, Weiss learned of Goodarzis violent death, but the questions still lingered and there was only one person who could answer them. More than a decade would pass before Weiss sent Cottingham the first letter, setting the stage for the day she could face him to ask her questions. Did you know my mother? And where did you hide her head? Weiss eventually got her answers. But something else happened from that meeting and some 30 subsequent visits to Cottingham in prison over the past few years. As strange as it sounds, Weiss developed a friendship with the Torso Killer. Jennifer Weiss reacts during an interview Jan. 21 as she discusses her visits with Richard Cottingham, known as the Torso Killer. Weiss is holding a photo of her birth mother, Deedeh Goodarzi who was one of Cottingham's victims. Mel Ibarra | NJ Advance Media The serial killer across the street The day Weiss finally learned the identity and tragic fate of her birth mother, she was standing across the street from her killer. At age 24, Weiss began an extensive search to find the mother she never met. After calling seemingly every adoption agency in New Jersey and chasing countless dead ends, Weiss finally got a response from the Childrens Home Society in Trenton in 2002. They said Please come in. Weve got some stuff to show you, said Weiss. She sifted through a bundle of birth documents and reports. At last she had a name - Deedeh Goodarzi. But there would be no meeting, no chance at a reunion. Goodarzi had died a horrific death. I felt so defeated, said Weiss. "I wanted to find her so bad. In yellowing newspaper articles from the late 70s, Weiss discovered that Goodarzi had been murdered and dismembered along with a still-unidentified woman in a Times Square motel. Goodarzi was a high-priced call girl whose family had fled Iran when she was a child. Weiss learned that her mother had long, thick dark hair and almond-shaped eyes. She learned that her mother gave her the name Ghaniya, but put her up for adoption less than two weeks after she was born. The identity of Weisss father remains unknown. Weiss also learned about Cottingham. The brutality of Goodarzis death led to nicknames for the then-unidentified killer. Some called him the "Times Square Ripper. But it was the nickname Torso Killer that stuck with Cottingham. Cottingham, a Lodi man who moonlighted as one of New Jerseys most savage serial killers, had been convicted of murdering five women in New York and New Jersey. He was imprisoned. And at that moment, as Weiss read the horrifying details, Cottingham was just across the street from the Childrens Home Society at New Jersey State Prison in Trenton. I lived in fear of Trenton, said Weiss, who also lives in Mercer County. Because thats where her killer was incarcerated for life. Times of Trenton newspaper clipping about victim Deedeh Goodarzi who was killed by Richard Cottingham, also known as the Torso Killer. Mel Ibarra | NJ Advance Media The Torso Killer stalked the night In one of his two lives, Cottingham was a family man. He was a husband, a father to three children and a computer console operator working the night shift at Blue Cross-Blue Shield in midtown Manhattan, said Peter Vronsky, a serial killer historian whos been studying Cottingham and has interviewed him several times in prison. Cottingham was known as a quiet, but polite man, often seen walking his children around the familys Bergen County neighborhood. But Cottinghams true nature revealed itself at night, when hed roam the streets of New York City and northern New Jersey, prowling for victims, said Vronsky. Weiss said Cottingham told her about his double life during the many conversations theyve had in the past few years. She said he tried to explain his warped sense of reality that led him to kill. He had a sex drive that couldnt be satiated and he wasnt getting sleep, Weiss said. "[He thought]that he could do whatever he wanted to. He could have prostitutes. He could go home to his family. He could take a shower, wake up in the morning and act like nothing happened yesterday. On the night of Dec. 2, 1979, New York firefighters responded to a blaze at a motel in Times Square. When they arrived, one firefighter pulled a woman from a bed in the room and was about to attempt mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, according to an account in the New York Daily News. He soon realized the woman had no head. Goodarzi was later identified as one of the women who had been tortured and killed. Her head and hands were cut off by Cottingham. After dismembering Goodarzi, Cottingham lit her torso on fire, along with a second unidentified woman, who was found next to Goodarzi on the same bed. Cottingham fled with the heads and hands of both women. Six months later, Cottinghams decade-long killing spree would come to an end when he was arrested for the attempted murder and rape of an 18-year-old sex worker at the Quality Inn motel in Hasbrouck Heights. A maid heard screams coming from a room, where police found the woman with handcuffs on her ankles, bite marks on one breast and a knife wound below it. A page of Richard Cottingham's first letter to Jennifer Weiss, the daughter of one of his victims.Courtesy of Jennifer Weiss First contact with Cottingham It took Weiss a decade to muster the courage to write a letter to her mothers killer. Weiss saw the letter as an entry into Cottinghams life and a way to find out where he had hidden her mothers head, a gruesome trophy that was still lost decades later. The unanswered questions that still lingered, and her recovery from breast cancer provided the courage. I felt fearless, said Weiss. I felt invincible. I started to write Richard and ask him to put me on his guest list. I made it light-hearted and funny and made it really comfortable for him to say Yes. That he would accept my friendship in return for information about my mom. Weiss penned that first letter in March 2017. It had emoji stickers plastered all over it, she said. She knew that the only way to get answers from Cottingham would be to approach him with kindness. A month later, Cottingham responded with a three-page letter scrawled on legal paper. More than 37 years after Cottingham had killed Goodarzi, he sent her daughter a message of apology. I just dont know what to say to you, or how to say it, said Cottingham, in the handwritten letter. I can only tell you whats in my heart and pray that you believe me. I am truly and deeply sorry, so very sorry, for all the pain I have brought into your life. Two months later, Cottingham added Weiss to his visitation list. The exterior walls and towers of New Jersey State Prison in Trenton.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Med Friendship for information New Jersey State Prison, formerly known as Trenton State Prison, is the oldest correctional institution in New Jersey. Its also the states only fully maximum-security state prison and is home to the former death row, before the state officially ended the death penalty in 2007. The looming facility with high concrete walls topped with rows of razor wire and watch towers sits within plain sight on Route 129 in Trenton, one of the primary highways for commuters to the states capital. The prison houses New Jerseys most hardened criminals. When Weiss arrived at the prison visitation room, Cottingham was waiting for her. He was seated on the other side of a sheet of glass. By then, Cottingham had spent 37 years incarcerated. At 70, Cottingham remained an imposing figure - heavy-set with a scraggly white beard, said Weiss. The Department of Corrections lists him at 300 pounds on a 5-foot, 11-inch frame. But Weiss wasnt scared. She was looking for answers. I usually forget about everything else when it comes to finding out about my mom," she said. "So if Im even a little scared or apprehensive, once the questions start rolling that have to do with my mother, I become stronger. The Torso Killer smiled at Weiss as she entered. Cottingham told her it was nice to finally meet her in person. The first face-to-face, albeit through glass, was half small-talk and half business. They exchanged the usual pleasantries, before Weiss began to press him for the details she so desperately wanted about Goodarzi. I knew what I wanted and I made it abundantly clear, said Weiss. Im giving you my friendship for details of the crimes. Copy photo of Jennifer Weiss, left, and Richard Cottingham, known as the Torso Killer. Weiss's biological mother, Deedeh Goodarzi was one of Cottingham's victims. (Photo courtesy Jennifer Weiss)Photo courtesy Jennifer Weiss Three years, more than 30 visits That first visit has led to dozens of conversations, including a visit as recent as this month. Some visits have been in rooms where Cottingham can shake Weisss hand or give her a hug. With each visit, Weiss said a familiarity continues to grow and more answers have come. Cottingham told Weiss that he buried Goodarzis head at the base of the George Washington Bridge, though investigators have yet to find the skull, she said. She learned that Cottingham and Goodarzi were not strangers. Cottingham had been a client of Goodarzi for two years before that violent December night in the motel room. He has also revealed to Weiss what led him to the dark decade of brutality across two states, in motel rooms and on suburban streets. It was, he told her, because he didnt care about people or the society that surrounds him. He cared about himself and his needs," said Weiss. He wanted to get over on people, he wanted to win. He wanted to cheat. He wanted to steal. He just wanted to thrash through every day and think he was in charge of his own life. Earlier this month, the Bergen County Prosecutors Office told NJ Advance Media that Cottingham had confessed to three Bergen county cold cases that had been unsolved for more than 50 years. Weiss said her conversations with Cottingham and the work she did with Vronsky helped close those cases. The Bergen County Prosecutors Office, which has also had detectives continue to meet with Cottingham, declined to comment beyond the announcement. Over the years, Weiss has had to explain her continued contact with Cottingham time and time again. She knows that calling the serial killer a friend sounds bizarre. But its a relationship she maintains to learn more. The magnitude of what he did is unfathomable, said Weiss. But I became friends with Richard for my mothers sake and for my quest. Weiss said she has no plans to stop meeting with Cottingham. Theres more work to be done, she said. More victims - possibly dozens more - to be identified. More questions to be answered, like those she asked the day she first visited Cottingham at New Jersey State Prison. She feels compelled to keep the Torso Killer talking until every question is answered. Im doing this for the mothers who lost their daughters and my own mother. And for these girls that their lives were ended one night or day by Richard playing God, said Weiss. Im not going to rest easy until we figure out who they were. So thats why I do what I do. 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. Its a childhood-ruining meme come to life. The Safdie brothers are reportedly considering making a dark Pee-Wee Herman movie written by the comedian himself, Paul Reubens. Per The Hollywood Reporter, 67-year-old Reubens has been pitching The Pee-Wee Herman Story, a gritty reboot that takes the childrens entertainer and throws him in a mental hospital to receive shock treatment for alcoholism. Delightful! Judd Apatow and Ted Sarandos, Netflixs content chief, both said no to the script, but the Safdie brothers, ever intent on making comedy icons work hard, are apparently pondering it. The directing duo most recently got Adam Sandler to star in Uncut Gems, a movie famously not set on Sandlers favorite kind of location, a tropical island. Reubens is actually looking to another 2019 film for The Pee-Wee Herman Story inspiration. He plans on using de-aging CGI technology, a la The Irishman, to bring himself back to Pee-Wees prime. I was so buoyed by that, I realized, I could do [Pee-wee] for 10 more years if I wanted to, he told THR. I think I could do it for a while longer, and just fix my face. The CGI de-aging does up the cost of the reboot, which Reubens has agreed to make for $15 million, half the price of his 2016 movie Pee-Wees Big Holiday. Not trying to step on the Safdies toes or anything, but if The Pee-Wee Herman Story is meant to be a dark look at a clownish comedian, inspired by a Martin Scorsese film has he considered calling Todd Phillips? Related Satellite operators, and everyone else who wants a safe and sustainable space environment, dodged a bullet Wednesday evening (Jan. 29). Two defunct satellites the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) and the Gravity Gradient Stabilization Experiment (GGSE-4) cruised safely past each other high in the skies above Pittsburgh. The near miss of space junk, which occurred at 6:39 p.m. EST (2339 GMT), was expected; various analyses over the past few days by California-based tracking company LeoLabs had pegged the chance of a collision at just 0.1% to 5%. NASA officials told Space.com that the U.S. military's 18th Space Control Squadron, which tracks space debris and satellites, estimated just a 0.07% chance of a collision. (LeoLabs' final pre-conjunction calculation estimated a close-approach distance of 154 feet, or 47 meters). "We are pleased to report that in the first several radar passes of the two objects after the close approach, we see no evidence of new debris. This event has served to highlight the collision risks caused by derelict satellites in LEO [low Earth orbit]," LeoLabs representatives said via Twitter on Wednesday night. Video: Watch how close IRAS and GGSE-4 satellites will get Related: Space junk clean up: 7 wild ways to destroy orbital debris We are pleased to report that in the first several radar passes of the two objects after the close approach, we see no evidence of new debris. This event has served to highlight the collision risks caused by derelict satellites in LEO.January 30, 2020 See more An artist's illustration of the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) in Earth orbit. (Image credit: NASA) But a smashup was possible, and it could have been very bad indeed. The nearly 2,400-lb. (1,090 kilograms) IRAS and the 190-lb. (85 kg) GGSE-4 are both traveling very fast, and a collision would likely have generated hundreds of pieces of debris , said Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics who keeps tabs on many of the objects circling Earth using publicly available U.S. tracking data. Most of that debris would have stayed in IRAS' orbit, a sun-synchronous path favored by many weather and spy satellites. And IRAS' neck of the cosmic woods is similar to that once inhabited by a weather satellite that China destroyed during a notorious, oft-criticized 2007 test . "So, there's already a lot of debris in that orbit," McDowell told Space.com before Wednesday night's close approach. "Adding more would not be good." There will doubtless be many more close calls in the coming years; space is getting more and more crowded, after all. There are multiple reasons for this, including the decline in the cost of constructing and launching satellites and the building out of internet megaconstellations, such as SpaceX's Starlink network . So, space junk trackers such as LeoLabs and the U.S. Air Force will be increasingly busy for the foreseeable future. "There's a whole lot of good economic development, new satellites going into space, but they're faced with a debris problem that already exists," LeoLabs CEO and co-founder Dan Ceperley told Space.com on Wednesday morning. "This is a problem that we really need to prevent its growth. We can't really clean it up afterwards." IRAS, a collaboration among NASA, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, launched in January 1983 and studied the cosmos in infrared light for 10 months. GGSE-4 operated from 1967 through 1972. It was a U.S. National Reconnaissance Office satellite designed to collect signals intelligence, McDowell said. And GGSE-4 was a cover name; the craft's real moniker was POPPY 5B, according to McDowell . 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 . Portland will see a slight break in the steady rain Thursday morning, with fog, low clouds and some possible sprinkles. Fog was seen on traffic cameras along Interstates 5 and 205 near Tualatin before 5 a.m. Low clouds and fog could linger through most of the morning commute. Forecasters with the National Weather Service expect showers beginning by the afternoon. The high will be 53 degrees. The low Thursday night will also be 53 degrees. Moderate temperatures have been a feature of the systems moving into the Pacific Northwest this week. A strong wet front moving into western Washington looks to stay north of the metro area Friday. Portland will start out rainy then taper to scattered showers by the afternoon. The high temp will be 60. Some areas south of Salem could see even warmer high temps and more clearing. The jet stream sags back into northwest Oregon bringing a cold front early Saturday. The heaviest rain will start in the morning on the coast and move inland by the afternoon. Rain is expected throughout the day. The high will be 54. Under strong showers, some low-lying areas and small streams could see localized flooding. Sundays temperatures dive more than 15 degrees down from Fridays high of 60 to only 44. Rain and snow showers are likely early, then will become all rain after about 10 a.m. The snow level will start at 600 feet then rise to 1,300 feet in the afternoon. No accumulation is expected on the valley floor. At this point, forecasters are looking at Monday as Portlands next fully dry day. January offered up only one dry day. There were two days with traces of rain at the airport, according to the weather service. Rainfall at the Portland Airport for winter, so far, is nearly normal with 28.31 inches recorded between Nov. 1, 2019 - Jan. 27, 2020. Average rainfall for that time period is 30 inches. Colombian Co-Op CoProCannabis to Receive First Shipment in March of 2020 Las Vegas, Nevada--(Newsfile Corp. - January 30, 2020) - One World Pharma Inc. (OTCQB: OWPC), "OWP," a fully licensed pure-play cannabis and hemp ingredient producer in Colombia, is pleased to announce the completion of a purchase order for the sale of 1.7 million characterized hemp seeds to CoProCannabis in Colombia. "We are most pleased to enter into this agreement with the farmers of CoProCannabis," stated Brian Moore, President, One World Pharma. "This is not just an order on a massive scale, it is an affirmation of our standing in Colombia, that One World Pharma is seen as a partner and catalyst to growing hemp in the nation." "It is important to also note that once the local farmers have harvested the crops produced from our seeds that we will purchase and sell their biomass," added Moore. "We are their partners from seed-to-sale, and while the value of this purchase order is large and impactful, what is perhaps more important is that we are trusted and well-established in Colombia. We hope that this is the first of many similar agreements," said Moore. The first seeds are expected to be sold and planted near the end of the first quarter of 2020. Information about Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" that include information relating to future events. Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which that performance or those results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time they are made and/or management's good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in, or suggested by, the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause these differences include, but are not limited to: the Company's need for additional funding, the demand for the Company's products, governmental regulation of the cannabis industry, the Company's ability to maintain customer and strategic business relationships, the impact of competitive products and pricing, risks related to operating in Colombia, growth in targeted markets, the adequacy of the Company's liquidity and financial strength to support its growth, and other risks that may be detailed from time-to-time in the Company's filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. For a more detailed description of the risk factors and uncertainties affecting One World Pharma, please refer to the Company's Current Report on 8-K/A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 12, 2019, which is available at www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. One World Pharma Company Contact: Mimi Tekabe One World Pharma Inc. 1.800.605.3210 www.oneworldpharma.com One World Pharma Investor Relations & Financial Media Integrity Media team@integritymedia.com Toll Free: (888) 216-3595 www.IntegrityMedia.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/51958 - Oyo state governor, Makinde, met with the police IG on Wednesday, January 29 - The governor said the issues of Operation Amotekun and the security challenges in his state were top of the meeting's agenda - On Amotekun, Makinde said the police chief has agreed to meet with the southwest governor for a review of the security outfit Governor Seyi Makinde has met with the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Adamu Mohammed, over the security issues in the southwest. Channels TV reports that Makinde, speaking after the meeting on Wednesday, January 29, said he discussed the issues of Operation Amotekun and the local government crisis in Oyo state with the police boss. Legit.ng gathers that the meeting was fruitful as IGP Adamu has agreed to meet with the southwest governors for a review of the security outfit. Makinde meets IGP Adamu over Operation Amotekun, unrest in Oyo Source: UGC PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Legit.ng earlier reported that the federal government and the southwest governors had finally reached an agreement on Operation Amotekun after weeks of accusation and counter accusation. The parties on Thursday, January 23, agreed that legal framework should be put in place on the establishment of the regional security outfit. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo met with the southwest governors and Malami as well as the IGP at the Presidential Villa, Abuja after the expanded National Economic Council (NEC), meeting. In her reaction, presidential aide on social media, Lauretta Onochie, lauded the vice president, the southwest governors, the AGF and the police boss for resolving the controversy around the security outfit. Her tweet: See further reactions from Nigerians on Twitter regarding the regional security outfit: Temitope Oyetomi wrote: "This is a better approach, whatever strategy government employs, the most important thing is to achieve positive results. The southwest had been relatively peaceful until recently, we want to enjoy our peace and security again." Oyedele Oyeleye tweeted: "Good. Next will be an initiative to provide uninterrupted power supply to the entire south west and stop relying on the epileptic national grid." "Finally FG has succumbed. Way to go. We can still salvage something after all. Let's keep pushing my fellow Nigerians," Skido also reacted on Twitter. Badi said: "This should have been done in the first place before the Governors launched Amotekun. Putting the cart before the horse if I may say." "This is a great opportunity to put in place a novel model for policing which can be the template for that modern professional and people oriented police we all want. Proper training and the use of tech is key for the challenges of the new age. Major rethink required," wrote Peter Lawson. Olamide Oladapo wrote: "Perfect and reasonable dialogue. Always good to engaging the government in a meaningful discussion to avert constitutional crisis at all times. None one should be above the law including the President courtesy of ongoing #USimpeachment trial. We must learn to listening all d time." NAIJ.com (naija.ng) - Legit.ng We have upgraded to serve you better. Operation Amotekun: Should it be replicated in other regions? Nigerians react | - on Legit TV Source: Legit.ng President Donald Trump had plenty to talk about during his latest big campaign rally, regaling a friendly crowd in New Jersey with his thoughts about impeachment, the economy, the border wall, local and much more. But the president was conspicuously quiet about one big issue that has much of the globe on pins and needles: the spread of a deadly new type of coronavirus. A self-described germaphobe, Trump has had little to say in public about the new virus that so far has killed more than 170 people in China, sickened thousands more there and led to a handful of confirmed cases in the U.S. And he speaks in broad terms when he does talk about it. We're very much involved with them, right now, on the virus that's going around, Trump said of China before signing a trade deal at the White House on Wednesday. He said he had discussed the situation with Chinese President Xi Jinping and added, We're working very closely with China. Aides and confidants say Trump's careful approach is part of a political strategy crafted to avoid upsetting the stock market or angering China by calling too much attention to the virus or blaming Beijing for not managing the situation better, according to a White House official and a Republican close to the White House. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss private conversations. Later Wednesday, Trump tweeted out photos from a briefing on the virus he attended with administration officials in the Situation Room, writing that we have the best experts anywhere in the world and they are on top of it 24/7! In keeping with the low-profile approach, the White House announced by email Wednesday night that the meeting included members of a task force that will lead the US response to the new virus. The 12-person team is chaired by Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar and coordinated through the National Security Council. The president's comments contrast sharply with the fierce criticism he lobbed at his predecessor, President Barack Obama, during the 2014-15 Ebola crisis, which left more than 11,000 dead in three West African nations. At the time, Trump ripped into Obama as a dope and incompetent" and called for a travel ban on visitors from Ebola-infected countries. Trump also advocated preventing infected American health care workers from coming home for treatment. Obama faced some criticism from public health officials for being slow to address the Ebola crisis initially, but also received plaudits for eventually attacking it with vigor. He nudged Congress to make a USD 5.4 billion emergency appropriation to aid the fight and sent 3,000 US troops to West Africa to help with the international response. Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University, said he's taken a measure of comfort in the fact that Trump, so far, hasn't overreacted and has resisted fanning the flames as he did with his rhetoric during the Ebola crisis. That leaves room, Gostin said, for public health professionals to take the lead. "As long as that continues and as long as there isn't political interference or mass quarantines in the U.S. or outright travel bans, I will feel comfortable with how the White House is handling it, Gostin said. He added that he'd like to see Trump ask Congress for a $1 billion emergency appropriation to help agencies battling to contain the virus. Trump is well aware the virus outbreak in China could create a wild card for the US economy during an election year. And he has long prioritized the US economic relationship with China, especially during trade negotiations, and similarly largely held his tongue during widespread protests in Hong Kong. He also takes enormous pride in the personal relationship he's developed with Xi and has commended him for demonstrating transparency" as he deals with the crisis. Trump said we have it totally under control when he was asked about the new type of coronavirus while in Switzerland last week to attend an economic conference. And in a separate Twitter posting, he offered reassurance but scant detail for his confidence. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid controversy surrounding one of its newest releases, publishers at Macmillans Flatiron Books have made the difficult decision to cancel the book tout for Jeanine Cummins American Dirt. On Wednesday, the publishers announced that the planned promotional appearances for Cummins novel would not be moving forward due to backlash and threats of physical violence. Events were slated for stops in Washington, Mississippi and other locations through February. The book, which hit shelves on Jan. 21, follows Lydia Quixano Perez, a Mexican bookstore owner who flees to the U.S. border with her 8-year-old son to escape drug cartel violence. Despite the initial buzz and praise for the book, American Dirt quickly gained criticism for what some believed was a stereotypical depiction of Mexican immigrants. Jeanine Cummins spent five years of her life writing this book with the intent to shine a spotlight on tragedies facing immigrants. For that reason, its unfortunate that she is the recipient of hatred from within the very communities she sought to honor, said Bob Miller, president and publisher of Flatiron Books, in a statement. We are saddened that a work of fiction that was well-intentioned has led to such vitriolic rancor. He added: Unfortunately, our concerns about safety have led us to the difficult decision to cancel the book tour. Based on specific threats to booksellers and the author, we believe there exists real peril to their safety. RELATED: Stephen King Admits He Stepped Over a Line with Controversial Tweet About Diversity at Oscars American Dirt | Flatiron Books In lieu of the previously planned author tour, Miller said a townhall series will be organized, during which Cummins will sit down with people on all sides of the issue to engage in an open discussion. We believe that this provide an opportunity to come together and unearth difficult truths to help us move forward as a community, Miller said. Story continues In the statement, Miller also explained that he and the team behind the book were surprised by the negative reception, admitting that they made serious mistakes in rolling out the book. We should never have claimed that it was a novel that defined the migrant experience; we should not have said that Jeanines husband was an undocumented immigrant while not specifying that he was from Ireland, he said. We can now see how insensitive those and other decisions were, and we regret them. Ahead of the books debut, several high-profile literary figures praised American Dirt. Stephen King called it extraordinary, while Don Winslow deemed it a Grapes of Wrath for our times. RELATED: Americans Are Visiting Libraries More Than Movie Theaters, New Poll Finds From left: [ent-hotlink id= RELATED: Megyn Kelly Claims Double Standard over Robert Downey Jr.s Tropic Thunder Blackface Oprah Winfrey chose the book for her popular book club, as well. Per the publishers website, Winfrey, 66, said reading the novel gutted her I didnt just read this book I inhabited it, she wrote in her review. Everything about this book was so extraordinary. Its suspenseful, the language is beautiful, and the story really opened my heart. I highly recommend it, and you will not want to put it down. It is just a magnificent novel. Winfrey soon addressed the backlash by sharing a video on Instagram, encouraging fans and readers to share their perspectives on the books themes. Weve read and continue to read your comments. Its clear that we need to have a different kind of conversation about American Dirt and we welcome everyones thoughts and opinions in our community. #ReadWithUs, read the posts caption. In the clip, Winfrey also announced plans to stream a discussion about American Dirt on Apple TV+ in March, exploring topics of diversity and representation in the literary world. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLEs free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories In response to concerns over the stars endorsement of the book, more than 100 authors signed a letter urging Winfrey to rethink her selection of American Dirt in her famed book club. In the piece, published on LitHub, the writers express concerns over representation of Latinx stories and who gets to tell them. Many of us have firsthand experience with migration and its difficulties and traumas; some of us are Mexican immigrants, and have even more direct experience with the migrations Cummins purports to represent in American Dirt, the open letter states. Cumminss book is, yes, a work of fiction. Many of us are also fiction writers, and we believe in the right to write outside of our own experiences: writing fiction is essentially impossible to do without imagining people who are not ourselves. The letter continues: However, when writing about experiences that are not our own, especially when writing about the experiences of marginalized people, still more especially when these lived experiences are heavily politicized, oppressed, threatened, and disbelieved when this is the case, the writers duty to imagine well, responsibly, and with complexity becomes even more critical. Among the projects Burke tried to capitalize on was the massive, $800 million renovation of the old main Chicago post office in the West Loop, according to the charges. A key part of the evidence against Burke on that project comes from secret recordings made by then-Ald. Daniel Solis, a longtime Burke ally who began working with federal investigators in 2016 after he was himself secretly recorded by a developer. The FCT High Court in Gwagwalada on Thursday granted a N50 million bail to a former justice minister, Mohammed Adoke. Mr Adoke is accused of fraud by the EFCC. He denies the charge. Justice Idris Kutigi who gave the ruling also ordered Mr Adoke to provide one surety who must be resident in Abuja and who must have a landed property in the capital territory. The second defendant, Abubakar Aliyu, also got bail on the same condition, while the third defendant, Rasky Gbinigie, was granted N10 million bail. Mr Gbinigie was asked to sign an undertaking not to interfere with the trial or further investigation by the EFCC. The charges against Mr Adoke include those related to money laundering, denying Nigeria taxes and an alleged N300 million bribe. The EFCC accuses the former attorney general of accepting gratification to facilitate the OPL 245 oil agreement with Shell, Eni, and their Nigerian subsidiaries. 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. In the 1870s, the people of North Alabama knew the name Tom Clark, and they feared it. Mountain Tom Clark, as he was known, had committed numerous robberies and bragged of killing 18 people. But theres another reason Tom Clark is the subject of a historical marker in Florence, Ala.: He is buried beneath a busy street, according to legend. Clark was a member of a gang of post-Civil War bandits who wandered the South, terrorizing the citizenry. The gang called Clifton Shebang or the Buggers was made up of deserters and soldiers from Union and Confederate armies. Clark and two other gang members reached the end of the line when they were arrested in Lauderdale County, Ala., in September of 1872, accused of robbing numerous homes in Florence the previous night and robbing nine homes in nearby Athens, Ala., earlier that week. Florence marshal William E. Blair captured the men with the help of William Barks, William Joiner and W. E. Warson when the bandits stopped for dinner at a restaurant near Waterloo, dressed in their finest clothes. The Lauderdale Times reported on September 10, 1872, that the captors searched the mens lodging and discovered eight watches, a number of mens breast pins, as well as a case filled with burglars tools. The men were escorted to jail, and the outlaws and captors were joined by the marshal from Athens, as well as curious citizens. The newspaper stated: Florence turned-out en masse, as the party rode in town much excitement prevailed. The sheriff assigned eight men to guard the devious bandits but they were ineffective. The newspaper account continued: "About midnight a great crowd came to the jail and demanded the keys. The guard refused to give them up, and fired on the mob ... the three men taken out and carried immediately to an adjoining square, and hanged by the neck until they were dead. The three were suspended from a tree, which stands in the rear of the site of the old Masonic Lodge." The newspaper printed an Extra edition about the incident. Headlines read: Three Men Hung on One Tree! Thos. Clark, the Notorious Outlaw, Executed! The names of his cohorts were unknown but the newspaper reported: One was a short, stalwart man, with the initials F. R. and a star, in Indian Ink, on his right arm, and two hearts pierced by an arrow on his left hand; and one is supposed to be Gibson. We understand that one of the robbers directed his portion of the $365, in money, which was found on their persons, to be sent to his sister, Miss Kate Schilee, of Indianapolis, Indiana. The same man attempted to escape, was shot by some person, unknown, recaptured, and hung with the others. It is the opinion of Dr. Hannum, who examined his wound, that death would have resulted from the pistol shot. The younger robber marched up boldly to the tree and requested the executioners to hold him up and drop him, instead of drawing him up." The Lauderdale Times reporter, concerned that the actions of the group would hurt the citys reputation, wrote this defense: "Tom Clark, who boasted that he had murdered, in cold blood, sixteen men, deserved hanging sixteen times over. The others, no doubt, would have slain their scores if they had found it necessary to cover their villiany [sic]... (this was) the legitimate effect of an indignant and outraged public feeling...We are opposed to mob law, but these men met a death richly deserved, and over their fate we shed no tears. From here news accounts end and legend takes over. According to a historical marker located adjacent to Florence Cemetery on East Tennessee Street in Florence, someone remembered Clark boasting Nobody will ever run over Tom Clark and townspeople decided they would bury him beneath a road. The marker states: Near the center of Tennessee Street lies the remains of Tom Clark, a notorious leader of one of the number of outlaw gangs who terrorized helpless citizens during the Civil War...they buried him here so that all who passed by would run over Tom Clark. WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As American communities confront low housing inventory and a prevailing lack of affordable housing options, the National Association of Realtors will host an all-day event next Thursday, February 6, evaluating potential solutions to a problem plaguing markets across the country. NAR's second annual Policy Forum will bring together hundreds of industry stakeholders, policymakers and academic experts to offer their unique insight on the U.S. housing market at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. NAR and its 1.4 million members have made housing affordability one of the association's top advocacy priorities in 2020. Panel sessions at the forum will discuss access to credit, racial homeownership gaps and tax policy affecting affordable housing and home ownership. NAR will also unveil new research papers regarding accessory dwelling units, zoning issues and the importance of tax incentives for homeownership. In addition, Department of Housing and Urban Development Deputy Secretary Brian Montgomery will address the group during a lunchtime keynote address. Visit nar.realtor/events/nar-policy-forum for a full agenda and to learn more about the event. WHAT: NAR Policy Forum on Housing Affordability WHEN: February 6, 2020; 9AM 4PM WHERE: National Press Club, 529 14th St NW, Washington, D.C. Live at facebook.com/NARdotRealtor and on NAR's YouTube Channel REGISTER: Contact Wes Shaw, [email protected], or register online. COST: Free The National Association of Realtors is America's largest trade association, representing more than 1.4 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries. SOURCE National Association of Realtors The latest confirmed diagnosis came on Thursday night in Queensland, where a 42-year-old Chinese national travelling from Wuhan was being treated. The woman was a member of the same tour group as a 44-year-old man confirmed on Wednesday as Queensland's first coronavirus patient. Authorities are tracking down the 171 passengers who shared the Tigerair flight TT566 from Melbourne to the Gold Coast with the two infected patients on Monday evening. Those sitting in rows nine to three are at the most serious risk of contracting the virus, according to chief medical officer Dr Jeanette Young. Authorities are also trying to contact guests who stayed in the same hotel as the infected pair. The Dental Council of NSW sent a memo to all dentists around the state on Thursday, asking them to enquire about whether a patient had travelled to China in the last 14 days. Loading Evacuees say they will have to pay $1000 and sign a waiver allowing them to be quarantined at the Christmas Island detention centre for up to 14 days. Qantas flights from Shanghai to Sydney next week all cost around $1000. After their stay on Christmas Island, they will be dropped off in Perth and have to pay their own way back to their home cities. The design of the Christmas Island runway means the biggest Qantas plane available - the Boeing 747 - cannot land on the island with a full passenger load. Qantas does not want to make multiple trips to Wuhan. The government is considering transporting the evacuees to mainland Australia - possibly Darwin - on the Qantas plane before transferring them to a military aircraft and then shuttling them to Christmas Island. "That's all been rehearsed the army and Border Force have gone through all of that detail," Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said. Mr Dutton defended the plan to send the Australian citizens to the detention centre and said it was standard practice to charge them for their flights. "I can't clear out a hospital in Sydney or Melbourne to isolate people," he said. The United States has evacuated consular staff to a military base in California for a three-day quarantine. It is also charging $US1000 ($1486) per assisted departure. Health Minister Greg Hunt said Australian medical assistance teams were readying for the evacuees to arrive. The facilities where the evacuees will be housed at Christmas Island detention centre. Credit:Home Affairs "Theyve secured medical personnel and they are prepared to deploy to Christmas Island," he said. Foreign Minister Marise Payne and China's Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, discussed the operation on Wednesday. Mr Wang said from a professional perspective, the World Health Organisation "does not approve of the rushed movement of personnel currently," Chinese state media reported. "China will make every effort to protect the health and safety of all Chinese and foreign personnel in Wuhan and is willing to maintain communication and co-ordination with Australia to jointly safeguard global public health security." Senator Payne said she had advised Mr Wang of Australia's request to assist in the departure of Australians from Wuhan. The negotiations have been complicated by the fact that China does not recognise dual nationality, which could prohibit the children of Australian expatriates born in China from travelling with their Australian parent. Dual citizens who entered the country on their Chinese passport were also likely to face difficulties. Loading Britain's Foreign Office has been lobbying the Chinese government to relax its assisted departure laws prohibiting the evacuation of British-Chinese dual citizens. DFAT's advice to people stuck in the Hubei province warned they might have to stay behind if the Chinese government refused to let them leave. "We are seeking authorisation to permit permanent residents of Australia that hold Chinese passports to depart on these flights if they are accompanying Australian minor children," the DFAT message said. "There are no guarantees that Chinese authorities will permit the Australian Government to uplift non-Australian citizen passengers." Melbourne resident Moko Yong has been trapped in the Wuchang district of Wuhan since January 21. Australian citizen Moko Yong has been travelling around Wuhan on a shared bike, the only public transportation available in the city. Credit:Moko Yong Mr Yong said half the members of his growing WeChat group for Australians trapped in Wuhan were permanent Australian residents who had entered China on their Chinese passports. He said initial hopes of an evacuation had been dashed by the decision to send those trapped to the Christmas Island detention centre in the middle of the Indian Ocean. "Many people expressed that they cannot accept the destination of evacuation accounted for by Australia, he said. After all, Christmas Island, to many Chinese-Australians, we know what kind of place it is." The US is working on delivering Patriot missile systems to Iraq in the wake of Iran's ballistic missile attack, but needs "permission" from the Iraqi government to do so, Secretary of Defence Mark Esper said Thursday, Trend reports citing Sputnik. Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley confirmed that the US was "working with the Iraqi government" on the issue, but said that "the mechanics of it all" still need to be worked out. That process is "ongoing," Milley said. ALBANY What can New York counties do to control Medicaid costs? That was the billion-dollar question lawmakers had for state health officials at the third hearing of the year to delve into the 2021 state budget. The session, however, did not yield many answers. Roughly one week after Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo revealed a deficit-closing plan that involves holding counties to task for Medicaid spending growth, state Medicaid director Donna Frescatore argued before a panel of lawmakers in Albany on Wednesday that local districts have more control over program growth than some might think. About 47 percent of all Medicaid eligibility cases are decided by local counties, she said. Counties also manage the care plans for roughly 907,000 New Yorkers enrolled in Medicaid "fee-for-service" programs, she said. Local districts play some important roles in the day-to-day administration of the program, Frescatore said. I believe that they are closest on the ground. They see what happens in their local districts and they can partner with us in finding ways to reduce and rein in growth in costs. Under repeated questioning, however, she and state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker were unable to say exactly what kind of actions counties might take to control costs. Their comments were a response to Cuomos executive budget address last week, in which he proposed a cost-shifting scheme he argued would end the blank-check syndrome counties allegedly developed after the state in 2012 agreed to pick up a partial share of their Medicaid costs. The state that year froze the share localities pay for Medicaid in order to help them stay within the state's 2 percent property tax cap. The states share of the program increased as a result, and this past fall budget officials revealed the Medicaid program was experiencing a structural deficit to the tune of $4 billion. Cuomo last week proposed reviving the Medicaid Redesign Team initially created just after he took office in 2011 with a mandate to identify $2.5 billion worth of savings by April 1, when the new state fiscal year begins. The governor also proposed that counties whose Medicaid spending exceeds 3 percent annual growth pick up the extra cost effectively unfreezing the 2012 cap on local spending. Counties responded by pointing out they have little control over Medicaid costs. They determine who qualifies based on rules the state and federal governments set, and have no power to adjust reimbursement rates paid to providers, they said. But Frescatore suggested otherwise at Wednesdays hearing, noting that some local districts have found better ways to identify an applicants financial resources when determining whos eligible for benefits. In other words, local officials are better at weeding out from the program people who don't truly qualify. Some districts have found, for example, that they can use databases, data sources when somebodys applying that they review or look at to be able to test to see if there are other resources that are available that would factor into the initial eligibility determination, she said. State Sen. Diane Savino, D-Staten Island, wondered whether it would make sense to extend the asset look-back period when it comes to determining eligibility based on financial resources. The current look-back for home care is 30 days, she noted, as opposed to the five-year look-back for nursing home care. I hear from many of my constituents who have invested in a long-term care policy so that they dont have to spend down their assets or give away everything they have (to qualify for Medicaid), Savino said. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Stephen Acquario, executive director of the New York State Association of Counties, said the idea should be considered, along with any others to rein in spending. All ideas should be explored, he said, before the state decides to unfreeze the local Medicaid cap. This is the most dramatic reexamination of the Medicaid program in the state in a decade, he said, referring to the proposed redesign team. And its a very serious program. (Medicaid) consumes about half the state budget and its a massive program. So everything should be on the table. A handful of lawmakers seemed to reject the suggestion that New York should rein in Medicaid spending at all, and said the program has only overspent an arbitrary spending cap that was enshrined into state law by Cuomo. I resent that every year when the state has a deficit we look at Medicaid. Human beings deserve to have a right to affordable quality health care, said Assemblyman Charles Barron, D-Brooklyn, a frequent Cuomo critic. Other lawmakers were dismayed to learn that Frescatore and Zucker had come to Wednesdays hearing without details on the redesign team. Neither official could say who would serve on the body, what powers they would be given, or whether they would be able to furnish a list of recommendations to the Legislature ahead of the April 1 deadline. Senate Health Chair Gustavo Rivera requested those recommendations by March 1, and called out a provision in the governors budget language that would trigger $2.5 billion in across-the-board cuts if the Legislature doesnt agree to the teams savings proposals. It is a little bit concerning scratch that a lot concerning that you are coming to a public hearing on Jan. 29 and youre telling us that by April 1 we have to just accept something thats going to be put together by a magical crew of folks, Rivera said. We dont know who they are; we dont know the power they will have; and the time limit is either we accept it or theres just an across-the-board cut. That is not acceptable. This weeks episode of This Is Us featured Kevin (Justin Hartley), and fans were here for it. When the series first aired, viewers thought he was spoiled and arrogant. However, as time wears on, fans come to love him more and more. The actor is ready to settle down, get married, and have a baby. The great debate is who his future mystery fiance is. Lets take a look at how we know the woman in his future is not Kates (Chrissy Metz) friend, Madison (Caitlin Thompson). [Warning: This Is Us Season 4 spoilers ahead] Justin Hartley, Caitlin Thompson and Sterling K. Brown | Ron Batzdorff/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images Madison is nothing but a rebound for Kevin, according to Justin Hartley Kevin spent most of this weeks episode with his ex-wife, Sophie (Alexandra Breckenridge), but in the end, she goes back to her fiance. The poor guy was trying to give it one more go with his high-school sweetheart, who he still has very strong feelings for. However, it didnt work out the way he planned. Hes emotional and needs comforting. I guess its kind of a rebound, Hartley tells TV Guide. He had a pretty rough day. He had a rough week, rough weekend. Hes had a rough couple of months, rough year. Then he goes over there to spend time with the baby, and you know, Madison is there. Good times with good people. Were back this week and every week until finale! #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/zfDv7N2zFU Justin Hartley (@justinhartley) March 5, 2019 It sounds like Hartley is indicating that it was a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Or is it the wrong place at the wrong time? Either way, we like how he claims she is a rebound. That makes it sound a lot like there is no future with Madison. Kevin immediately regrets sleeping with Madison Fans point out that Kevins initial reaction to sleeping with Madison is not the best. Hes not going to end up with Madison, one Redditor wrote. Look at his face when he wakes up next to her and when he keeps looking at her while hes on the phone with Randall. Hes acting like he regrets it. Uh oh. That is not a happy face. Almost time to tune in! #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/xTLgT0qtOm Caitlin Thompson (@CaitwithaC) October 2, 2019 Other fans agree that Kevin does not seem happy about his decision to jump in bed with his sisters best friend. Its not Madison, Kev didnt even want to be there after he slept with her, another fan agreed. There is not enough backstory on Madison to warrant her as a serious love choice for Kevin Many fans like to point out that we know so much about Sophie and Kevins past, but nothing about Madison. There are no flashbacks about how she got to this point in her life, but there are endless flashbacks about Sophie. It doesnt seem like Kates best friend is an important enough character to take on the role of Kevins fiance. If it were going to be Madison, I feel like the writers could have provided her with a little more depth/give us a bit of an emotional connection with her, one fan wrote on Reddit. She seems so one note, and this is just a letdown. I just cant be here for this. Other fans add that the reason he sleeps with Madison is to help him realize that his heart is with Sophie. He is quick to hop on a plane back to Pennsylvania to be closer to where she is. The reason he probably really wants to fly back to PA again is because he realized after sleeping with Madison that Sophie really is the right choice, another fan added. When he goes back, hell see her, and Sophie is going to propose to HIM with the ring. To recap, Hartley claims Madison is a rebound, Kevins face tells it all, and we have zero background on the girl. She cant be his endgame. Although nothing is guaranteed with This Is Us, most fans are hoping that Madison is not Kevins future fiance. Find out more when the series returns to NBC on Feb. 11, 2020, at 9 p.m. ET. Read more: This Is Us: This Subtle Sign Has Fans Convinced They Know Where Kevins Future Home Isand Consequently Who His Fiance Might Be Kang Kyung Joon, and Son Seung Yeon showed up as guests on the January 29 episode of MBC's talk show "Radio Star". Radio Star is a South Korean talk show that airs on MBC every Wednesdays at 23:10 (KST). It is hosted by Kim Gook-jin, Kim Gura and Ahn Young-mi. The very first episode of this show was aired last May 30, 2007. On this episode of the show actors Lee Dong Gun and Kang Kyung Joon were asked some questions about their images as the "romantic husbands". And they also shared their true to life stories about the highs and lows of marriage. Lee Dong-gun is married to actress Jo Yoon-hee, which was his co-star in "The Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop". The sweet couple tied the knot last September 29,2017 and welcomed a baby girl on December 2017. Lee Dong Gun shared a story on the talk show on how he did not remember his wedding anniversary. He further explained how it happened. He said that he was happy that he had a day off and did not want to go out. So, he just ordered pigs' feet. While Jo Yoon Hee his wife only picked her own food. Then when they went to bed that night, his wife just turned her back on him and just went to sleep, so he decided to leave her alone. But then, he heard her crying and he then realized what had happened. He continuously added that he gets nervous whenever his wife sends him a message that only says the word 'Oppa.' That's the signal that there are things that you know you did wrong. So if ever he gets that kind of text message before filming, he gets really nervous. He said that he really hates receiving that text because he'll never know what will come next. On the other hand, actor Kang Kyung Joon also shared his experience of how he and his wife (Jang Shin Young) fought when he lied to his wife that his filming had run long but in reality, he went out for dinner with his colleagues. He then explained how his wife ghosted him in response to what he had done. He added that he thinks that his wife was angry because she was taking good care of their child alone and the actor came home late. Usually, there are times that he feels nervous when his wife does not take his call and he doesn't know where his wife is. He also shared that there will be times that they have disagreements about how to raise their child. They both have different approach when it comes to parenting. He said that his wife is the type to scold the child and he is the type to try and meet the child halfway by listening to what they have to say. He has taken the role of the nice parent while the wife has the opposite role. Anyhow we all know that they only want what's best for their child. As of now Lee Dong Gun and Kang Kyung Joon are appearing in the musical "Bodyguard." Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi on Thursday stated that she is 'deeply saddened' by the shooting at Jamia earlier in the day. According to her, 'violence has become the new normal'. She further stated that the constant violence and provoking is not what the country is about. In a shocking incident, an assailant wielding a pistol opened fire and shot a protesting student near the Jamia Millia Islamia University. The assailant, identified as Gopal, was then taken into custody, but the Delhi Police has come under fire for being seen not reacting fast enough despite the man clearly posing a massive threat. The incident took place during the demonstrations against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) near the varsity. Just catching up with the timeline, deeply saddening to see how violence is the new normal, using a gun in an attempt to silence protesters. Really hope this politics of provoking, instigating & normalising such behaviour stops at once, this isnt what India is about. Priyanka Chaturvedi (@priyankac19) January 30, 2020 The shooting at Jamia According to reports, the students who witnessed the incident informed that the injured student- identified as Shadab Alam was shot in his arm, with the assailant shouting 'Who wants Azadi, come I will shoot you", before opening fire. Read: Swara Bhasker, Richa Chadha attack 'idle' Delhi Police over Jamia shooting; echo Congress Nationwide protests Protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which fast-tracks Indian citizenship for non-Muslim minorities from three neighbouring countries, have flared since December last year. The mood in the national capital has been tense since violence erupted in the Jamia Millia Islamia University on an earlier occasion. The protests spread nationwide following that. Read: RJD attacks BJP's 'crazy leaders' over Jamia shooting; says EC has been sent on long leave Prime Minister Narendra Modis government has said that the law is required to help persecuted minorities who came to India before December 31, 2014, from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. But protesters insist the law discriminates against the countrys Muslim minority and violates Indias Constitution. Read: Jamia shooting: Owaisi slams 'helpless' Delhi police, says 'It's easy to pick a side' Read: Shiv Sena's Priyanka Chaturvedi takes a dig at Vijayvargiya on 'Poha' remark UK newspaper Guardian will not accept advertising money from the fossil fuel industry, even if this means a financial hit for the media, making it the worlds first large news organization to ban oil and gas adds. The Guardian has been active in recent years in covering climate change and reporting on the climate crisis. Last year, the Guardian changed its style guide to use stronger language to describe the climate emergency, using words such as climate crisis and climate emergency instead of climate change. Now the Guardian is outright banning advertising money from oil and gas companies, with immediate effect, the newspaper said on Wednesday. Our decision is based on the decades-long efforts by many in that industry to prevent meaningful climate action by governments around the world, the companys acting chief executive, Anna Bateson, and the chief revenue officer, Hamish Nicklin, said in a joint statement. The Guardian has also recently pledged to become a carbon neutral organization at a corporate level by 2030, and to almost entirely divest its Scott Trust endowment fund from fossil fuels. Guardian Media Group (GMG) generates 40 percent of its revenue from advertising, so rejecting ads from oil and gas companies would be a financial hit to the organization, the managers said. The funding model for the Guardian like most high-quality media companies is going to remain precarious over the next few years. Its true that rejecting some adverts might make our lives a tiny bit tougher in the very short term. Nonetheless, we believe building a more purposeful organisation and remaining financially sustainable have to go hand in hand, Bateson and Nicklin said. Greenpeace UK welcomed Guardians move, saying that This is a huge moment in the battle against oil and gas for all of us! Guardian have just announced they wont let dirty oil and gas companies advertise with them anymore because were in a climate emergency. The environmental organization called on other media to follow suit because Dirty oil and gas companies are making the climate emergency worse. They belong in the history books. Not in our news outlets. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Read From Oilprice.com: DETROIT - A Louisville, Kentucky, man will spend six months in federal prison for his role in recruiting dozens of foreign-born students to attend a phoney school in suburban Detroit so they could remain in the U.S. Phanideep Karnati, 36, was sentenced Wednesday in federal court, according to The Detroit News. Seven other people have pleaded guilty and sentenced in the immigration fraud scheme. Karnati recruited 74 people to enrol in The University of Farmington, authorities said. The school was created by the Department of Homeland Security. Its offices were in Farmington Hills, just northwest of Detroit, but there were no classes or teachers. Recruiters were paid to help foreigners maintain their status as students and get work permits. Karnati is a native of India. He is in the U.S. on a work visa. Authorities said he was paid at least $25,000. About 250 students have been forced to leave the country, the newspaper reported. These werent students. They were fraudsters, U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider said. They knew they were cheating. They knew they were lying to the government. Meghan McCain from The View knows what its like to fight the good fight. She spends her mornings sparring with her co-hosts on The View and always seems to speak her mind. Meghan McCain |Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images McCain was a guest on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen and addressed a number of questions about her favorite Bravo shows. During a round of Candid with McCain, she offered her take on some recent Bravo drama. She first admitted that since she was always a daddys girl she can see how Joe Giudices daughters from The Real Housewives of New Jersey always side with their dad. She also said the water fight between Margaret Josephs and Danielle Staub was the craziest thing shes ever witnessed on television. The fact that her ponytail stayed and her weave stayed, I was so impressed, McCain said. Shes also in Rhylee Gerbers corner McCain also weighed in on Below Deck drama. Host Andy Cohen asked, Reaction to the guys versus girls dynamic. McCain seemed fascinated with what occurred this season. I thought it was a very interesting take with where we are at culturally, McCain observed. And I am totally Team Rhylee in all of it. They were not respectful to her and they ganged up on her. Its not appropriate. Cohen then wonders if McCain considers herself to be the Rhylee Gerber of The View. Maybe, she says. You know what, definitely, its like, shes doing her job, shes from Alaska. Its like I was watching it with my husband and was like, They are not being nice to her!' McCain also commented on the now-infamous penis cake. So this one looked a lot like a real penis, she said. So maybe make it look less like a sex toy. Gerber has had a rough season Gerber returned to the show midseason when deckhand Abbi Murphy quit. She went to work immediately, almost simultaneously putting on her uniform, while scrubbing the deck. However, she didnt receive a warm greeting from bosun Ashton Pienaar. When Pienaar learned Gerber would return he looked pained. Pienaar and Gerber worked together the previous season and he insisted she had a bad attitude. However, Gerber seemed to be willing to make it work on her end. But she knew Pienaar had it out for her the minute she returned. Ashton has the biggest ego out of anybody Ive ever met, she told Showbiz Cheat Sheet in November. With that, theres pros and cons because I know hes going to try to make himself look good as bosun, which means he was going to try to make it appear like he was being fair. She added that Pienaar held a grudge against her since season 6. Wed agree about Chandler [Brooks] but then hed be a f**king d**k when Id say anything, she added. But I also had this dreaded feeling, you know, hes probably going to be gunning for me. When she finally saw him this season, I think his heart literally stopped, she said. Todays Headlines The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. Email address By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Photo: Twitter Photos show tranquilized deer entangled in Christmas lights. Oh deer! Christmas might be over, but it appears not all the decorations have been put away. That's the beginning of a tweet posted by the B.C. Conservation Officer Service after officers had to tranquilize a deer tangled in Christmas lights this week. The mule deer buck found in Kimberley, B.C., was safely freed from the lights. The Conservation Service reminds residents to be careful where lights, hammocks and netting are hung, to avoid similar incidents from occurring. If you see an entangled deer, call the RAPP line toll-free at 1-877-952-7277. PIERRE | Some people are tired of springing forward and falling back. The House State Affairs Committee endorsed a bill Wednesday that would put South Dakota on Daylight Savings Time all the time. HB1085 originally asked that the state opt out of Daylight Savings Time and always use Central Standard Time. We probably should be picking a time and sticking with it, said the bills sponsor, Rep. Lana Greenfield, R-Doland. Greenfield noted that Daylight Savings Time was originally offered as a way to enhance nighttime activities, give farmers more time in the fields, and save energy. We now have air conditioners that run 24 hours a day, Greenfield said. Were really, as a people, not interested in saving energy anymore. Greenfield said that farmers have equipment to light up their work in the fields and one hour less wouldnt affect most outdoor activities. Speaking in favor of the bill, Rep. Scyller Borglum, R-Rapid City, warned that changing the time twice a year leads to poor work and driving habits and increased heart attacks. Opposing the bill was Mike Shaw, representing the Motion Picture Association of America. Shaw explained that the association includes all the major motion picture studios which own the major television networks. Doing this would put our residents in South Dakota out of step, Shaw said. Television programs would likely air one hour later than our residents have come to expect. Changing viewers habits would have an effect on advertising revenues for South Dakota television stations, Shaw said. Greenfield countered by saying that the outdoor theater in Redfield would probably get more customers if the sun went down an hour earlier in the summer. Rep. Michael Diedrich, R-Rapid City, said the unheard voice in the discussion about the bill was the hospitality industry in West River where the change to full-time Central Standard Time would have an economic impact. People who take part in mountain biking, hiking and fishing enjoy that extra hour of daylight, Diedrich said. Rep. Kevin Jensen, R-Canton, said Daylight Savings Time gives children more time to be outdoors. I really want kids to be outside and enjoying life, Jensen said. Rep. Drew Dennert, R-Aberdeen, offered an amendment that changed the bill to offer full-time Daylight Savings Time in South Dakota. The amended bill passed through the committee on an 8-5 vote and now goes to the full House. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 5 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 2 (Alliance News) - PME African Infrastructure Opportunities PLC said Thursday it has adjourned its general meeting for the vote to delist its shares, on a request by shareholder Qatar Investment Authority. Qatar Investment holds a large stake in the investment firm. In December, PME African proposed the cancellation of its AIM listing. The delisting requires approval from at least 75% of shareholders, with votes scheduled to be cast on February 4 at an extraordinary general meeting. However, Qatar has requested more time to consider the resolution. If the resolution was passed at the now-cancelled extraordinary general meeting, the de-listing would have become effective on February 12. However, as the vote has now been adjourned until further notice, the shares will no longer be cancelled on that date. The stock closed untraded at USD0.030 on Thursday in London. By Ife Taiwo; ifetaiwo@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Three Oakland sisters have been charged with running a retail theft ring that involved selling more than $300,000 worth of merchandise that had been stolen from stores at the Southland Mall in Hayward and elsewhere, police and prosecutors said. More than $300,000 worth of suspected stolen items from 18 different stores was recovered when officers served search warrants at the sisters' Oakland homes last month, according to Hayward police. Sisters Jessenia Rodriguez, 24, Jessica Rodriguez, 27, and Norma Rodriguez, 33, were arrested on Dec. 18, the same day the search warrants were served. When the sisters were interviewed, they admitted operating the illegal business, according to police. The sisters were charged on Jan. 14 with felony counts of organized retail theft in concert with two more people, directing organized retail theft and receiving stolen property. The Rodriguez sisters, who are free on $50,000 bail, pleaded not guilty when they were arraigned last Friday and are scheduled to return to court on March 24 for a pretrial hearing. Hayward police said that early last summer, retail stores at the Southland Mall asked for their help in curtailing a growing number of grab-and-run thefts that were causing them to lose money. In some cases, the suspects also assaulted employees during the thefts, according to authorities. Hayward police said after they stepped up their presence at the mall, the number of grab-and-run thefts decreased and one store even said it hasn't had a grab-and-run since the increase in police presence. The Rodriguez sisters acted in concert with several theft crews and knowingly purchased large quantities of stolen property that was sold to hundreds of customers for profit, Hayward police Detective Matthew McMahon wrote in a probable cause statement. The sisters requested specific items through text messages, in person or through Facebook messages, McMahon wrote. The sisters even sold items in the back and side yards at their Oakland homes, which were converted into store areas complete with weather protection, clothing racks, shelving, lighting, heating, glass display cases, shopping bags and pay ledgers, according to McMahon. Jessenia and Jessica Rodriguez operated a store at their home in the 1900 block of 90th Avenue and Norma Rodriguez operated a store at her home in the 1500 block of 78th Avenue, McMahon wrote. Hayward police said surveillance footage revealed that entire families purchased the stolen merchandise, which was sold with a huge discount. Among the stores in different cities that were targeted were Macy's, Target, JCPenney, Home Depot, Victoria's Secret, Ulta Beauty and American Eagle. Hayward police said Oakland and San Jose police helped them in their investigation. In an unusual legal move, the three sisters are all represented by the same attorney, Oakland criminal defense lawyer Robert Byers. The sisters all waived their right to conflict-free lawyers, acknowledging they understand there's a risk that the might wind up testifying against each other. 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 agency found that the loans were diverted between 2011 and 2016 and the 79 companies were allegedly associated with the promoters of DHFL New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has found diversion of Rs 12,773 crore from Dewan Housing Finance Ltd (DHFL) to the accounts of 79 companies routed through one lakh fictitious retail customers as loans, sources said. The agency found that the loans were diverted between 2011 and 2016 and the 79 companies were allegedly associated with the promoters of DHFL. The corrupt practice came to ED's notice when the agency inspected the book of accounts of DHFL pertaining to Rs 2,186 crore loan given to five companiesFaith Realtors Pvt Ltd, Marvel Township Pvt Ltd, Able Realty Pvt Ltd, Poseidon Realty Pvt Ltd and Random Realtors Pvt Ltd, which were later amalgamated with Sunblink Real Estate Pvt Ltd. Later, the ED stumbled upon one lakh allegedly fictitious retail customers and got inputs regarding 79 beneficiary companies, said sources. The ED found out that Sunblink Real Estate bought three Worli-based properties allegedly belonging to late gangster Iqbal Memon alias Iqbal Mirchi for Rs 225 crore. The revelation came days after the ED arrested Kapil Wadhawan, the promoter of DHFL, for alleged money laundering linked to properties belonging Mirchi. Wadhawan, who is the fifth arrest in the case filed last year, is claimed to have played a 'crucial role' in diverting funds from DHFL to shell companies, which later got amalgamated with Sunblink Real. As per the ED, three properties in WorliRabiya Mansion, Sea View and Marium Lodge, belonging to Mirchi who was declared an absconder accused of multiple crimesare proceeds of the crime. The agency claimed that Dheeraj Wadhawan, also a promoter of DHFL, expressed interest in buying the properties and after negotiations and meetings between him and Mirchi, it was decided that the properties would be bought through one of his companies, Sunblink. An amount of Rs 111 crore paid towards the deal was arranged as a loan from DHFL to Sunblink, which was later shown to be repaid through a loan from RKW Developers. The ED alleged irregularities in these loans to five companies, claiming that none of the prescribed policy to grant loans by DHFL, a non-banking financial company, were followed. As per the ED, these persons have deposed that the beneficial owners of these companies were Kapil Wadhawan and Dheeraj Wadhawan. "Thus, it appears that these five companies were dummy entities without any asset, created with the sole purpose of siphoning off public money as no business seems to have been conducted in those companies," the sources said. DHFL became the first non-banking finance company (NBFC) to be referred to the bankruptcy court for resolution by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in November 2019. It owes Rs 83,873 crore to banks, mutual funds and investors. The central bank has superseded the board of DHFL and has appointed a three-member advisory body to advise the RBI appointed administrator of the company. A 52-year-old man was charged with the 1996 murder and rape of a California college student after police used DNA from genealogical websites to track him down. DNA identified as belonging to Nickey Duane Stane was linked to the murder and rape of 22-year-old Debbie Dorian, authorities in Fresno and Tulare counties announced on Wednesday. Stane, who lives in Visalia, in Tulare County, faces charges including murder, kidnapping, rape and sodomy. If convicted of all, he could face the death penalty. 'Now I will see justice for Deb before I die,' Dorian's mother, Sara Loven, said at a news conference held to announce Stane's arrest on Wednesday. DNA identified as belonging to Nickey Duane Stane was linked to the murder and rape of 22-year-old Debbie Dorian, authorities in Fresno and Tulare counties announced on Wednesday Fresno State University student Debbie Dorian had been found dead in her apartment in north Fresno on Aug. 22, 1996. No suspects emerged at the time and her case went cold for decades 'Now I will see justice for Deb before I die,' Dorian's mother, Sara Loven, said at a news conference held to announce Stane's arrest on Wednesday Dorian's cold case had gripped the victim's community for decades. The economics studies student at Fresno State University had been found dead in her apartment in north Fresno on Aug. 22, 1996. She was bound at the hands and feet with duct tape, which also was used to wrap her head, mouth, nose and eyes. No suspect emerged from the investigation of the case, which went cold for years. Meanwhile, DNA had been identified in the Visalia sexual assaults by 2002. But investigators wouldn't be able to put a name to the genetic material retrieved in their investigations until last year. That's when they arrested Stane and accused him of preying on women by stalking them while armed with gun and forcing himself on them. Stane's arrest in the Dorian case came after detectives compared his DNA to genealogical website databases, the same technique authorities used to identify Joseph James DeAngelo Jr, 72, also known as the Golden State Killer. Joseph James DeAngelo Jr, 72, also known as the Golden State Killer, was identified when investigators matched DNA with genealogical records. About 100 suspects in other cases have been identified through the same approach Joseph James DeAngelo Jr, 72, also known as the Golden State Killer, appears at his 2018 arraignment. About 100 suspects in other cases have been identified through the same approach that was used to identify him, through DNA and genealogical records DeAngelo, an alleged serial rapist and murderer awaiting trial, was suspected of 12 homicides and nearly 50 rapes in Sacramento County in the 1970s and 80s. About 100 suspects have been identified through the technology, according to Parabon NanoLabs Chief Genetic Genealogist CeCe Moore, ABC News reports. 'During the 23 years of waiting and searching, there have been so many people waiting and praying to solve Deb's case', said Loven, Dorian's mother. 'Expressing how thankful I am doesn't touch the depth of my gratitude'. The mother says she's still battling for closure. 'We will get some answers now and probably hear things we don't want to hear,' she said. 'But we will honor our precious, beautiful, daughter and see this through'. Stane is scheduled to be arraigned on Feb. 6, prosecutors said. The allegations made against him Tulare County will be heard as part of one trial in Fresno County, prosecutors said. Janata Dal (United)s expulsion of Pavan Varma, a diplomat-turned-politician, has brought back the spotlight on officers that have given in to the call of politics. However, the fate of these politicians have been varied. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar: An IFS officer of the 1977 cadre, with diplomatic experience in United States and China, Jaishankar is currently the external affairs minister, taking over from Sushma Swaraj. Nine months after he was sworn in, he has his task cut out, with managing the international fallout of the implementation of the governments domestic ideological agenda. Hardeep Singh Puri: Another current Union minister, Puri was a 1974-batch IFS officer, sworn-in along with Jaishankar. He is currently in the eye of a storm after he advised airlines as the countrys aviation minister to ban comic Kunal Kamra for heckling journalist Arnab Goswami on a flight. Meira Kumar: An 1977-batch IFS officer, Kumar was the Speaker of the 15th Lok Sabha, and a Union minister prior to that in the UPA government as the social justice and empowerment and water resources minister. After her tenure as Speaker ended, Kumar was the presidential candidate of the Opposition parties in the 2017 presidential campaign, in which President Ram Nah Kovind emerged as the winner. Natwar Singh: An IFS officer of the 1953 batch, Natwar Singh was the external affairs minister in 1986 and then in 2004. In his first stint, he had to resign from office in 18 months after he was named, along with the Congress, in the Oil for Food scam by the Paul Volcker committee. After his second stint, also marred with controversies and allegations of scams, he quit the Congress party in a BJP rally, but choose to join the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in 2008. He was expelled from BSP four months later, and then retired from public life. Brajesh Mishra: An IFS officer of the 1951 batch, Mishra left the government when he had a disagreement with prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1981 and joined the UN. He then joined the BJP in 1991, and later quit the party to assume the position of the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1998, and later the first National Security Advisor. In the Vajpayee cabinet, he held an influential role, considered more powerful than cabinet ministers. He had a fallout with the BJP later. The legislature, where Democrats hold three-fifths majorities in both chambers, has reversed the vast majority of policy vetoes Hogan has issued since taking office six years ago. But on Thursday they let stand two of his decisions that were up for consideration a veto of a bill supported by unions that would have required freight trains to have at least two operators at all times and another that would have imposed reporting requirements on gubernatorial appointments. A butcher has created the ultimate Australian cheeseburger by sandwiching stacks of beef and slices of cheese between two Vegemite pies. Raymond Caldwell, who owns gourmet butcher shop Warnbro Quality Meats, south of Perth in Western Australia, invented the mouthwatering meal in honour of Australia Day on January 26. A tower of four patties dripping in melted cheese, lashings of pickles and tomato sauce is wedged between thick pies stuffed with more cheese and Vegemite - the nation's favourite spread. Mr Caldwell knew he had found the perfect combination of iconic Australian and American cuisine when he stumbled across the Vegemite and cheese pies in a bakery near his home. A butcher in Western Australia created this meat pie cheeseburger in celebration of Australia Day on January 26, stacking beef patties, melted cheese and lashings of tomato sauce inside two Vegemite and cheese pies He loaded the dish with four patties to set it apart from other creations on the market, taking the sandwich to a weight of almost one kilogram - the same as a large pineapple. But when he sat down to sample his own recipe, the burger was so enormous he had to forego cutlery. 'Believe me, eating it wasn't pretty! It weighed nearly a kilo and I didn't have to eat for the whole day afterwards!' Mr Caldwell told Taste.com.au. Meat lovers have been drooling over the decadent dish since photos were shared on the butcher's Instagram account earlier this week. 'I'm impressed - looks so good!' one woman said. The mouthwatering fusion comes days after an American-style diner in South Australia launched a double beef and cheese burger sandwiched between iconic lamington cakes in celebration of Australia Day. North Adelaide restaurant Chuck Wagon 175 created a very unusual sweet and savoury burger, made from beef, bacon, melted cheese and lamington cakes North Adelaide restaurant Chuck Wagon 175 is offering diners the chance to feast on the epic creation until Sunday, February 2. The unusual sweet and savoury fusion comes with double beef patties, crispy bacon and lashings of melted cheese, with the nation's favourite coconut sponge cake used in place of bread. But while many were eager to taste it, others asked why the restaurant had left out popular ingredients like pickles, egg and sliced pineapple. 'Good way to destroy two Aussie food icons. It's not April Fool's Day yet,' one man said. 'Who on earth thinks up these things? Would never have thought to put these things together. Leave the lamington alone,' said another. The Pakistan Army on Thursday warned India of proper response in case of any attack against the country. Outgoing military spokesman Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor in his interaction with defence correspondents talked about the statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and possible reaction by Pakistan. Addressing the National Cadet Corps in New Delhi, Modi on Tuesday said the Indian armed forces won't take more than a week-10 days to make Pakistan bite dust. "India will start the war, but we will end it," said Ghafoor, who has been posted as the General Officer Commanding Okara in Punjab province, bordering India. "It not about 7-10 days but also about before and after this period," he said, referring to Prime Minister Modi's remarks. Ghafoor said that the Pakistan Army had been fighting for two decades against terrorists and was fully prepared to deal with any situation. He said the two countries came close to a war in 2019 but the Pakistan Army ensured peace through its preparedness and proper response. "Superior military strategy of (Pakistan Army chief) General Qamar Javed Bajwa saved South Asia from a big catastrophe," he claimed. Pakistan's civil and military leadership wanted peace in the region and the Indian civil and military leaders should realise the importance of peace, he added. When asked whether India was happy that he was transferred, Ghafoor said: "If India is happy then it is my honour." He thanked the Pakistani people and the media for cooperating during his stay as spokesman of the army. Ghafoor said whatever he said as the army spokesman was not his views but those of the institution he represented. His successor Maj Gen Babur Iftikhar would assume charge from Saturday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US have recovered remains of two personnel from a military aircraft that crashed in Ghazni province. The United States has recovered the remains of two personnel from a US military aircraft that crashed in Afghanistan, US and Afghan officials told Reuters News Agency. On Monday, the US military said an E-11A aircraft had crashed in the province of Ghazni, but disputed claims by the Taliban that they had brought it down. US forces recovered the remains of two personnel from the site where a US Bombardier E-11A aircraft crashed in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan, a US military statement said. The statement said the remains were treated with dignity and respect by the local Afghan community. The forces recovered what is believed to be the flight data recorder and the destroyed remnants of the jet built by Bombardier Inc, and is used to provide communication capabilities in remote locations. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, however, there are no indications the crash was caused by enemy fire, the statement added. The official said the aircraft had been carrying no other individuals apart from the two service members. Ghazni provincial police chief, Khalid Wardak, also confirmed to Reuters that the bodies of two airmen were airlifted by the US forces. On Tuesday, Afghan forces and Taliban fighters clashed in a central region where the US military plane crashed as the government tried to reach the wreckage site in a Taliban stronghold. Peace talks The incident came as the Taliban and the US have been in talks to end the 18-year war in Afghanistan. Trump has long called for an end to US involvement in Afghanistan, which began with an American invasion in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks blamed on al-Qaeda. Negotiations between the two sides began last year in Doha but have been interrupted at least twice after Taliban attacks on US military personnel in September and December. Last week, another round of talks kicked off with US Special Representative on Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad meeting repeatedly with the Talibans chief negotiator, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. Nigerias debt to the World Bank soared from $8.51 billion (about N3.085 trillion) as of September 2018 to $9.81 billion (over N3.556 trillion) as at September 2019, the Debt Management Office (DMO) has said. This represents a growth of $1.3 billion (N471.250 billion) or 15.3% in twelve months according to the latest data published by the DMO on Wednesday. The loan facilities were granted to Nigeria over the years by two arms of the World Bank Group namely the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). The IDA had availed credit totalling $9.41 billion to Nigeria as of the end of September 2019 relative to the sum of $8.39 billion loan it had granted to the country in the corresponding period of 2018. ALSO READ: DMO justifies Nigerias rising debt, exonerates Buhari On its part, the IBRDs total exposure to Nigeria as of 30th September 2018 stood at $124 million compared to the $409.51 it had granted to the country as of 30th September 2019. Headquartered in Washington D.C., the IBRD is an international financial institution that grants loans to middle-income developing economies. The IDA, also headquartered in Washington, is responsible for providing loans and grants to the worlds poores countries. The DMO had about two weeks ago said through its Director General, Patience Oniha, that Nigerias public debt as ot third quarter 2019 stood at N26.215 trillion, up from the N25.70 trillion posted in the corresponding periof of 2018. According to the DMO, Nigerias debt to GDP ratio as of 30th September 2019 was 18.47%. Meanwhile, it said about N1.59 trillion would be sourced by government this year as new domestic borrowings. Dhaka/IBNS: The World Bank reiterated its commitment to help Bangladesh sustain high economic growth, as the World Bank Vice President for South Asia, Hartwig Schafer concluded a three-day visit to the country. Bangladesh has proved that with commitment and determination of the government and the people, a country can come out of poverty and emerge as a low middle-income country within only a span of four decades, said Schafer. "To accelerate growth and reach the next level of development, the country will need to create more and better jobs for its youth. A robust private sector, conducive business climate, skilled labor force, efficient infrastructure along with the right policies and quick actions will be critical." He met with the Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and commended Bangladeshs remarkable progress in economic development and poverty reduction. They discussed the countrys development priorities, and how the World Bank can support to sustain the impressive results it has achieved in the past few decades. "The World Bank is committed to join Bangladesh on its journey to upper middle-income status, in close cooperation with the government, stakeholders, and development partners, and for the benefit of all people, said Schafer. The World Banks portfolio in Bangladesh has nearly doubled in the last six years and currently stands at $11.6 billion. Bangladesh is one of the largest beneficiaries of the World Banks International Development Association (IDA) that provides concessional credit to poor countries. Earlier today, Schafer spoke at the Bangladesh Development Forum and praised the countrys development innovations, including its success in empowering women, which has been instrumental in boosting the countrys economic growth and development. He also met with the Honorable Finance Minister and other senior government officials, civil society representatives and development partners. The World Bank was among the first development partners to support Bangladesh following its independence. Since then, the World Bank has committed over $30 billion, mostly in grants, interest-free and concessional credits to Bangladesh. By Ann Saphir SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - While the overall U.S. response to climate change is up to elected officials, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on Wednesday, the Fed can play a part in keeping global warming from destabilising U.S. banks and financial markets By Ann Saphir SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - While the overall U.S. response to climate change is up to elected officials, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on Wednesday, the Fed can play a part in keeping global warming from destabilising U.S. banks and financial markets. "The public has every right to expect and will expect that we will ensure that the financial system is resilient and robust against the risks of climate change," Powell said at a news conference following the Fed's January meeting. Asked why the Fed has not joined dozens of other global central banks in the Network for Greening the Financial System, an international effort to better understand risks from rising temperatures, Powell signalled it is just a matter of time. "We've been looking at joining in one form or another ... we probably will do that at some point," Powell said, adding that Fed representatives have been participating in the group's meetings. Scientists say human-generated carbon dioxide is a key cause of global warming that has exacerbated wildfire seasons, helped spawn increasingly destructive hurricanes, and initiated a rise in sea level that threatens coastlines around the world. While regulators in Europe, led by outgoing Bank of England chief Mark Carney, have begun to take such risks into account in their supervision of markets and banks, U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month dismissed those worried by climate change as "perennial prophets of doom." U.S. regulators including the Fed, wary of wading into a subject that is politically divisive, have taken few steps to bring public attention to the threats that a warming planet can pose to the financial system. That has begun to change, with the San Francisco Fed last year hosting the central bank's first-ever conference on climate change and economics. A panel convened late last year by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission is currently examining climate threats to the financial system and expects to issue a report midyear. "Society's overall response to climate change needs to be decided by elected officials, and not by the Fed," Powell said. But the Fed does have a role in ensuring financial stability even as the climate changes, he said. "We are in the very early stages, as are other central banks, in understanding just what that means, he said. "There is quite a lot of work going on around the world, at other central banks, and at the Fed too, to think that through." (Reporting by Ann Saphir; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. * European shares' rebound continues after Monday's plunge * Strong bank earnings provide support, Santander rallies * Caution remains over spreading China virus * Apple suppliers in demand as iPhone back to growth Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets brought to you by Reuters stocks reporters and anchored today by Julien Ponthus. Reach him on Messenger to share your thoughts on market moves: julien.ponthus.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net CORONAVIRUS: "AT THIS STAGE WE DO NOT ADJUST FORECASTS" (1135 GMT) Interesting to note that the travel and leisure index has been rising in sync with the STOXX 600 this morning, as the market continues its recovery (or gets complacent -- you choose) after Monday's big coronavirus scare. Those getting back into the sector just as BA suspends all its flights to China might take comfort in this HSBC sectoral research note in which the bank's analysts take the view that while the virus outbreak potentially threatens the sector, some of the risk is often already priced in. "At this stage we do not adjust forecasts for the Coronavirus impact", they write. They notably take comfort in how markets reacted during the SARS precedent. "As we highlight earlier in this report, the impact from the Novel Coronavirus may impact travel demand, but historically air volumes were resilient in the UK and Europe during the SARS epidemic". Here's their chart: (Julien Ponthus) ***** EUROPE'S CORPORATE RECOVERY IS TURNING ELUSIVE (1054 GMT) With Santander's Q4 shining all over the banking sector, today's batch of earnings doesn't look particularly grim, even if KPN's have clearly dampened the mood for telcos . What's really more concerning is the constant pace at which earnings expectations are sliding down to a point where the awaited end of Europe's corporate recession is becoming somewhat elusive. This was supposed to be the quarter during which profits would finally rise again for the STOXX 600 after three sets of decline. Story continues But looking at the chart below, things don't look that good, particularly at a moment when strategists are struggling to justify current valuations. (Julien Ponthus) ***** WHY A BIG CORRECTION LOOKS UNLIKELY (1023 GMT) Two days of gains have almost erased Monday's nervy coronavirus drop and even though many remain sceptical about the market's apparent resilience, the fact that investor positioning is still cautious would suggest that a big correction is unlikely. "We acknowledge that the macro implications of the coronavirus outbreak are unknown at this stage and that the situation could get worse before it gets better", strategists at the UK bank led by Emmanuel Cau say. "That said, while equities could be vulnerable to further profit-taking in the near term, we believe that the risks of a more material correction such as the ones of Q1 or Q4 2018 are low... even accounting for the recent inflows, LO equity positioning doesnt look particularly stretched," they add. Check out this Barclays chart below: (Danilo Masoni) ***** WAITING TO BUY THE BIGGER DIP (0925 GMT) Crises like coronavirus often provide good entry points and crucial to this is timing. For now the prevailing idea is that things will get worse before they get better and it looks that stock pickers are waiting for a bigger sell-off before chasing any opportunity. "History tells us that these crises resolve quickly (SARS, bird flu, swine, etc.) But we have not yet reached the peak of negativity: it usually happens when the WHO issues a global alert and for now we are only at the local level," says Angelo Meda, head of equities at Banor SIM in Milan. "We are monitoring the daily evolution of the cases and we think there could be more bad news. In the sectors, luxury is at a strong premium on the market compared to the past, which reduces is upside; better (to look at) airlines, mining and oil!," he adds. For more on the topic: LIVE MARKETS-History lessons: crises can be buying opportunities LIVE MARKETS-Buying the dip in mining? LIVE MARKETS-Luxury upgrades in the time of Coronavirus (Danilo Masoni) ***** HANGING ON IN THERE WITH A LITTLE HELP OF SANTANDER (0856 GMT) Seems the market finally chose its side and tilted towards 'risk-on' as Q4 headlines piled in with Santander giving a much needed boost to Spain's IBEX and more critically the banking sector as a whole. The Spanish bank is up over 4%, lifting the sector to a 1% rise, which is in turn helping the STOXX 600 cling on yesterday's rebound with a 0.4% rise. Signs that the mood is upbeat, cyclicals are back in favours with miners and autos for instance in the leading pack. Airlines are recovering despite BA suspending its flight to China. Clearly Wizz Air's results are helping and so is a positive Berenberg note on Lufthansa. KPN is close to single-handedly bring the telecom sector in negative territory with an impressive 6.8% fall after disappointing Q4 results. The Tech sector is also brought down by Avast which is down close to 10% on negative reports about an anti virus software. Meanwhile, Temenos is enjoying a 2.5% boost after the announcement of a partnership with Google. Another big loser is SES, sliding 6% on a senate bill that limits payout to companies that vacate C-band airwaves. The SMARTER Act proposes satellite operators receive an incentive payment of just $1 billion, Exane says, adding that it's well below market expectations (Exane est. $9.4 billion) Here's your opening snapshot: (Julien Ponthus) ***** ON THE RADAR: AIRLINES, LVMH, TELCOS AND THE APPLE READ-ACROSS Among news which could spook the market and travel/leisure stocks is British Airways suspending all direct flights to and from mainland China. On the upside, Wizz Air is expected to rise 2-3% after it upgraded its annual profit forecast. Also the fact that sales growth at LVMH were impacted by protests in Hong Kong could send jitters through the luxury sector even though Italys Salvatore Ferragamo met its guidance with a slight increase in 2019 revenues. The French luxury group is expected to lose 2-3% at the open. Apples results is likely to cheer up European suppliers such as Dialog Semiconductor, STMicro, ASML or AMS but investors could view it as a glass half empty due to possible supply disruptions from fast-spreading coronavirus. In other tech news, Software is likely to be a big faller during the session after a poor set of results. Europes Q4 season has begun in earnest and telecoms look in a good spot with Finlands Elisa, The Netherlands Dutch Royal KPN, Norway's Telenor and Swedens Telia all reporting upbeat earnings. Theres also some M&A with Vodafone agreeing to sell its 55% stake in its Egyptian unit for $2.4 billion Good news for banks also with Swedens SEB and Spains Santander unveiling with better than expected profits. UK house prices rising at their fastest pace since Nov 2018 will no doubt continue to fuel speculation on the BoE's possible rate cut but could help house builders. Novartis is also thought to be a winner after fourth-quarter core net income rose 13%. From pre-mkt indications, Airbus billions of provision for corruption isnt seen moving the stock and same seems to go for Renault and its new CEO. (Julien Ponthus) ***** MORNING CALL: CLINGING TO THE REBOUND (0645 GMT) European stocks are expected to cling to the wagon of yesterday's market rebound with a little help from positive Q4 results from Europe Inc but also from Apple, which helped lift Wall Street higher and later reported better than expected sales and profits. Things were left rosy in Asia where shares fell as a spike in new cases of the new Coronavirus added to worries about the economic impact of the outbreak. At the time of writing, futures point to a limited rise in shares of 0.1% to 0.2% and financial spreadbetters expect London's FTSE to open 23 points higher, Frankfurt's DAX 27 points up and Paris' CAC to gain 5 points. So far, the figures reported by Novartis, Telenor, Santander, KPN, SEB and Telia in this busy earnings season session seem encouraging. That said, some investors might decide to stay cautious before the Fed meets later today. (Julien Ponthus) ***** (Reporting by Danilo Masoni, Joice Alves, Julien Ponthus and Thyagaraju Adinarayan) Flash Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stressed on Wednesday that the announced U.S. Middle East peace plan, also known as the "Deal of the Century," must be confronted and won't be allowed to pass. Abbas' remarks were made during a telephone conversation with his Lebanese counterpart Michel Aoun earlier on Wednesday afternoon, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. The news agency's report said that Abbas informed Aoun that he rejected the U.S. peace plan and is sticking to the international legitimacy as the only way to solve the Palestinian question. The report said that Aoun explained to Abbas that Lebanon is fully supporting the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. "We back any position you take to protect your rights," Aoun was quoted as saying. Aoun expressed to Abbas his hope that all Arab countries would make a decisive and unified position that supports the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump officially declared his 80-page plan for peace in the Middle East with the presence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The new U.S. plan outraged the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, who demonstrated and clashed with Israeli soldiers against the plan. At least 40 demonstrators were injured all over the West Bank, according to medics. Demonstrators and political leaders have largely opposed the U.S. plan, saying that it ruined their dream of establishing a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. In a column today, my colleague Carl Hulse organized Senate Republicans defenses this way: 1. Gathering evidence was the Houses job. 2. Calling more witnesses would lead to prolonged court fights over executive privilege. 3. They had heard more than enough evidence to reach a verdict. 4. There was not enough evidence to show they needed more information. 5. Allowing the House to force the Senate into a drawn-out trial would set a dangerous institutional precedent. I called Carl and asked him to elaborate. Carl, how did we so suddenly get to the point where even Democrats think this could all wrap up in the next several days? CARL: Theres a lot of internal pressure on the wavering Republicans to vote against witnesses. Their colleagues are telling them that if you open that door, were going to be stuck here for weeks. We already know the outcome. Why would you go through that? How did Mr. McConnell wield his power this week? Hes using their frustration with being stuck in the Senate chamber to get to his desired end. They want to be able to come and go as they please and look at their phones when they want. He was also serious about a plan. He got everybody in a room and told them they didnt have the votes, and that he needed them. At the same time, he knew they had time. He told everyone take a deep breath and not get carried away. He had Lisa Murkowski in his office today. He gave Susan Collins the first question today to show everyone they had her interests in mind. There are a lot of little strategic moves. The rank-and-file members also talk amongst themselves and come up with talking points. Its coordinated but still a little organic. NEWTOWN Two dozen managers of New England community centers and YMCAs made formal commitments Thursday to host childrens triathlon camps in the memory of a slain Sandy Hook first-grader. The free Race4Chase camps, created by Rebecca and Stephen Kowalski to honor their sons passion for participating in triathlons, train children in swimming, biking and running. David Platt says he needed to 'repent' for not preaching on abortion as younger pastor Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment WASHINGTON Popular megachurch pastor and author David Platt, who at one point was the youngest megachurch pastor in the United States, says that there was a time in his life when he needed to repent for not preaching enough on abortion as a younger pastor. There was a point as a pastor when I just kind of stayed away from abortion [because Id think] thats a political issue, Platt, the lead pastor of McLean Bible Church in Vienna, Virginia, and author of Radical, told CP. But I got really convicted. Far before it is any kind of political issue, it is a biblical issue that God speaks really clear about the value of life. The former leader of the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board was on stage last Friday at the 2020 National March for Life rally on the National Mall. He delivered the closing prayer and didn't shy away from calling out sin. Everyone marching today is a sinner, Platt prayed, adding that sin affects everyone from the White House to every house and how everyone needs Gods mercy. We have all turned aside from your ways to our ways in our lives and as a country. How we have settled for racial injustice, ignored the immigrant, marginalized the poor and neglected the needy. How we have confused sexuality, abused authority, objectified beauty and how we have taken the lives of children, he said in his prayer. He further prayed for an end to laws that make it legal to murder a child. Platt, 41, and his family began attending the annual national march against abortion a few years back when they moved to Northern Virginia. He joined the staff at McLean in 2017 after longtime pastor Lon Solomon resigned following 36 years of ministry. Since we have moved up here, my family and I have tried to come [to the march] consistently, he explained. Whereas before he was too timid to speak on abortion, today he believes that as a pastor who preaches Gods Word, he must speak clearly about the value of life for babies, for women, for men. I have an obligation to do that, especially in a culture where so many childrens lives are taken in the womb, he said as hundreds of thousands of abortions occur each year in the U.S. If we are going to be faithful to shepherd Gods people in this culture, we have to address this issue. Platt said he doesnt remember exactly what year the Lord convicted him on the abortion issue, but said that he had already been a pastor for a few years at that time. I just kind of dodged abortion altogether, he explained. I had to repent before the Lord for sitting idly by and not doing anything personally or pastorally to mobilize people to see the value of life according to Gods Word. After the conviction, he not only began preaching on abortion and the value of life but he also helped mobilize his congregation to take action. We did a lot then in the church I was pastoring (Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama) and we are doing a lot now, he said. Its not just saying, Here is what God says about life. But it is showing with our lives how we are caring for mothers with unwanted pregnancies. So [its about] stepping up our efforts to do that in church. How do we care for kids in the foster care system and caring for kids in need of adoption? We should be leading the way in not just saying give birth to a child but we will be there to help you in the process and if you come to the conclusion you cant care for this child, well be there to care of this child. Platt said McLean is in the early stages of foster care and adoption ministry. We are trying to create a culture of foster care and adoption, he said. I have preached on it each year. More and more families are getting involved in the foster care system here in Virginia-Maryland-D.C. More and more families are starting the adoption process. One of those families is Platts. My family and I are about to adopt our fifth child next week, he revealed on Friday. Two of our kids are adopted and this will be our third child that we have adopted. His family is doing an international adoption but he couldnt yet publicly disclose what country the child is from. Platt stressed that there is still a need to show the dark realities of whats happening to children and shine a light on the effects of that on women. He urged churches to come alongside women who have abortions in their healing process. We have many women in our church who have had abortions, he explained. We have outlets where we are doing ministry with them as they walk through a healing process from having an abortion. We have got to make sure we are addressing this issue holistically and not just saying, OK, let me make this political statement and move on. There is so much more. VEPS10 is the latest edition of the Vendavo Enterprise Profitability Solution and is part of the broader set of solutions that make up the Commercial Excellence solution suite. Many B2B enterprises sell tens of thousands or even millions of products and updating all those prices with ever-changing market conditions and growing customer expectations with an eye toward profitability seems insurmountable. To enable the effective operationalization of more advanced pricing strategies and maximize every margin moment, Vendavo, the market leader in commercial excellence solutions, today launched the latest update for Vendavo Enterprise Profitability Solutions (VEPS). For very large organizations who need a highly configurable pricing solution for their unique enterprise environments, VEPS is the perfect fit, said Alex Hoff, VP Product Management and Marketing, Vendavo. Vendavo remains committed to offering enterprises the choice of highly configurable solutions that are easy to use, more secure, and higher performing while also delivering additional cloud-based solutions that are quick to scale and dynamic. VEPS10 is the latest edition of the Vendavo Enterprise Profitability Solution and is part of the broader set of solutions that make up the Commercial Excellence solution suite. It includes: Profit Analyzer, Deal Manager, Deal Guide, Price Manager, Segmentation Manager, Price Optimization Manager, and Business Risk Alerts. Other complimentary solutions include CPQ Cloud for quoting and sales effectiveness, PricePoint for dynamic price management and Deal Price Guidance for intelligent pricing guidance delivered to quoting systems. As part of the continued innovation and investment in VEPS, Vendavo is reducing common barriers in implementation and adoption. As an example, Deal Manager and Deal Guide - the sales-role focused VEPS solutions that deliver pricing insights to the field - are easily deployed for customers using Salesforce as their CRM by utilizing the Vendavo Deal Manager Extension for Salesforce listed on the Salesforce AppExchange. Additionally, Vendavo PricePoint, Vendavo Pricing Guidance and Vendavo Profit Insights all also a part of the Vendavo Commercial Excellence Platform are now available for digital and online purchase on the SAP App Center for ERP and SAP S/4HANA. They are specifically designed to increase sales velocity and expedite business-value generation. This added ease of integration with SAP applications allows organizations to accelerate the capture of greater profit opportunity across their deal-making processes. A SaaS solution, VEPS is hosted and managed in the Vendavo cloud and has been upgraded for modern browser support including Chrome and Safari. It contains important security and performance improvements, and a more modern architecture for an even lower total cost of ownership. Supporting Resources: About Vendavo Vendavo powers the shift to digital business for the worlds most demanding B2B companies, unlocking value, growing margin and accelerating revenue. With the Vendavo Commercial Excellence platform, companies develop dynamic customer insights and optimal pricing strategies that maximize margin, boost sales effectiveness and improve customer experience. With an annual margin improvement totaling more than $2.5 billion across companies in chemicals, distribution, high-tech and manufacturing, Vendavo delivers cutting-edge analytics and deep industry expertise that help companies stay one step ahead. Vendavo is headquartered in Denver, CO and has offices around the globe. Learn more at Vendavo.com. Police in Northern Ireland have been warned to check those they have restrained are not having breathing difficulties. The Ombudsman said a man appeared to "pass out" while being taken into custody. He had been struggling and aggressive after he was arrested in Derry in September 2018. His hands had been cuffed behind his back and leg restraints fitted before he was placed into the police car to be taken from Derry to a police custody suite in Coleraine. The officers involved had requested the use of a cell van, but none had been available. The Police Ombudsman investigator who dealt with the case, said: "The man continued to struggle but quickly became less active and could be heard telling police that he could not breathe. "He then began to make gurgling noises, and police body worn video footage shows him becoming quiet and motionless. "Thankfully police stopped the car and checked on his condition. "When he came round he almost immediately became aggressive again. "Officers restrained him, then placed him into a more appropriate upright position between two officers and continued their journey to the custody suite. "Once there, he was examined by a police doctor." Ombudsman Marie Anderson said officers should be aware that certain restraint techniques could interfere with people's ability to breathe, with potentially fatal consequences. She said: "A face-down position is recognised as a risk factor, as are alcohol or drugs. "It can happen to people who are being restrained, and is also known to be a risk for infants if the positioning of their head and body obstructs their breathing. "I know that police have provided training on this issue, and guidance for officers is available on the PSNI website. I would urge police officers to refresh their knowledge of the guidance so that they remain mindful of the risks of certain restraint techniques and alert to the danger signs of positional asphyxia. The police officer who had been in the rear of the police car said he could not recall the man having been lying face down for a long period of time. He acknowledged that he had received training and was aware of police guidance on positional asphyxia, and said he had tried to ensure that the man had enough air and room to breathe. The Ombudsman found that the officer should have been more alert to the risks of a person being restrained while face down, and to danger signs such as the person making gurgling noises. She recommended that he be disciplined. The PSNI accepted that there had been failings and the officer was given advice and feedback by his line management. Superintendent Jon Burrows said: "PSNI acknowledge the findings of the Police Ombudsman, and the officer in question has been given advice and feedback by his line management. "I want to reassure the public, PSNI officers receive training and guidance on restraint-related risks as part of mandatory training. "PSNI will further reflect upon the findings of the Ombudsman's investigation to identify if there are any other learning opportunities." Photo: BC Gov't Premier John Horgan has linked the battles over two major pipeline projects through British Columbia, saying once the legal fight is over, court decisions should be respected. Horgan said Wednesday he accepts that the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion has been approved by the courts after the province's recent defeat at the Supreme Court of Canada. Earlier this month, the court denied British Columbia the right to regulate the contents of the pipeline. The expansion project would increase the amount of heavy oil shipped to B.C. from Alberta and mean more tanker traffic off the coast of B.C. "Personally, I am not enamoured with the prospect of a sevenfold increase in tanker traffic in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Salish Sea, but the courts have determined that the project is legitimate and should proceed. That's the Trans Mountain pipeline in the south, and I acknowledge that and I respect that," he told a news conference. In the case of Coastal GasLink's plans for a natural gas pipeline through northern B.C., the premier said he thinks hereditary chiefs of the Wet'suwet'en nation will come to the same realization. Through dialogue over time, Horgan said he believes the chiefs will see that the courts, the federal government and provincial government have determined that the pipeline is a legitimate project with massive benefits to B.C., especially Indigenous communities. "I don't expect the leadership to say tomorrow that they love the pipeline. That's not my expectation. But there needs to be a legitimate understating that the majority of the people in the region are going to benefit for this, and that's what dialogue will produce." After days of dancing around the question, Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) on Wednesday said he will vote against calling witnesses in President Trump's impeachment trial. "I do not believe we need to hear from an 18th witness," he said. "I have approached every aspect of this grave constitutional duty with the respect and attention required by law, and have reached this decision after carefully weighing the House managers and defense arguments and closely reviewing the evidence from the House, which included well over 100 hours of testimony from 17 witnesses." Democrats want to hear from firsthand witnesses like former National Security Adviser John Bolton, who was blocked by the White House from testifying during the House impeachment inquiry. The New York Times reports that in his forthcoming book, Bolton writes that Trump told him about a quid pro quo with Ukraine. Gardner is up for re-election this fall, and is considered vulnerable. More stories from theweek.com Mitch McConnell's rare blunder John Bolton just vindicated Nancy Pelosi 7 witheringly funny cartoons about the GOP's John Bolton problem A man is facing drug charges after a search warrant was executed at a North residence, Orangeburg County Sheriff Leroy Ravenell announced Wednesday. This isnt the first time weve been to this location. And I can tell you now, it may not be the last time either, Ravenell said in a release. Londell Sackel, 42, of 105 Gulf Road, North, was charged with possession with intent to distribute hydrocodone, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of cocaine and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. Ravenell said that narcotics investigators executed a search warrant on Tuesday after developing information on illegal narcotics being present at a Livingston Avenue residence. Upon arrival, investigators searched several vehicles in the yard in various states of repair. The sheriffs office says it found marijuana worth an estimated $5,600, oxycodone/acetaminophen worth $2,000, cocaine worth $250 and just under $100 in ecstasy. A loaded 9mm Taurus handgun was also located. Sackel allegedly claimed ownership of all of the narcotics as well as the weapon, according to the incident report. During Wednesdays court hearing, sheriffs office Inv. Rob Boyne cited a 2017 statistic that indicated there were 749 opioid overdose deaths in South Carolina. Boyne asked for the court to deny bond based on the threat he believes Sackel to poses to the community. Bond was set on Sackel at $37,500 cash or surety. Love 0 Funny 5 Wow 0 Sad 6 Angry 4 An official ceremony took place in the Republic of Dagestan to hand over the first Bal coastal defense missile system to the Caspian Flotilla, the press office of Russias Southern Military District reported. The Bal is designated for the coastal defense of the permanent bases of ships that provide security in the Caspian Sea and Caspian Flotilla land troops. The systems teams can fire missiles in salvoes or make sole launches at the designated time. Most of its flight time, a missile flies over the sea surface, which makes it possible to save munitions and complicates its interception and destruction by anti-missile defense capabilities. One Bal launcher is capable of firing a salvo of over 50 missiles in no time," the press office said. The system is armed with cruise anti-ship missiles with a flight range of several hundred kilometers. NHLANGANO A 39-year-old woman who had a sexual relationship with a young boy has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. She was aged 37 and the boy was 13 at the time when they first had sexual intercourse. According to the countrys laws, getting intimate with a person under the age of 16 is a serious criminal offence. The woman was convicted at the Nhlangano Magistrates Court yesterday, where Principal Magistrate Florence Msibi handed down the 15-year custodial sentence. The presiding officer described the incident as shocking. You took advantage of this boys age. Disturbingly, it was also brought to the courts attention that you also tried to gag the boy with the threat of death, in the event he told anyone about what was happening between the two of you watsi utamenta silo sengubo, in vernacular, recalled the magistrate. Msibi condemned the woman for the psychological effect her conduct would have on the survivor. Establishment The act happened at the womans house on multiple occasions while her nightwatchman live-in-lover was at work. It all began around August 2018, when the teenagers grandmother had left him, together with his three other siblings, at the neighbours homestead for her to look after them, while she was away for medical check-ups in South Africa. During the first encounter, the woman reportedly asked the unsuspecting boy to share the same bed with her while she prepared another place for the other children to sleep. While the pair was in bed, the woman is said to have communicated in slang to express her feelings: she openly asked the boy to engage in sexual intercourse with her, saying awungitsi shi-shi. Information According to information that was availed in court, at first the young lad simply laughed off the gesture and turned the other direction, but the woman persisted with her unusual request. This came to a point when she started to fondle the teenagers private parts until he gave in. Information gathered by this publication was that after the encounter, the young boy asked the woman about what would happen when her man eventually returned home from his night shift, but the woman boldly told the boy that she was sexually starved since her partner would be away for the whole night and further failed to satisfy her when he came back. That conversation apparently set in motion an illegal sexual relationship between the woman and the teenager, which thrived mostly when the boys sickly grandmother embarked on her frequent trips to South Africa for medical check-ups. This reportedly went on until the youngster eventually fell ill. It was the boys grandmother who was the first person to realise that the teenager was not well. So, she asked what was wrong and the boy eventually opened up about what was troubling him. Taken aback, she started to dig deep but the boy would not divulge any further information. It was then that the elderly woman roped in the teenagers sister and asked her to take him to hospital. At the health facility, the boy is said to have admitted that he had been sexually active but refused to give the doctor the name of the person he was sleeping with. When the grandmother heard that he could not identify his sexual partner at the hospital, she started interrogating him further about the subject. This carried on until he finally he mentioned the name of the same neighbour his grandmother would ask to take care of them whenever she travelled to South Africa for her regular medical check-ups. It also transpired that the boy had already confided in a few friends and relatives about what used to happen between him and the 39-year-old woman. Consequence This prompted the teenagers grandmother to intensify her probe until some of the people she talked to revealed that the boy had told them about his ordeal. The matter was immediately reported to the police, who launched an investigation afterwards. The woman was eventually taken to a police station, where she was subsequently charged with the offence of rape, under Section 3(1) of the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Act 15 of 2018. The woman was later taken to court, where she was convicted of the offence. As a consequence, she is expected to spend the next 15 years under the watchful eye of Correctional officers. Investigation This is not an isolated incident, as the same court had previously dealt with a similar matter. Recently, police from Gege received a tip-off about an inappropriate sexual relationship between a 24-year-old woman and a 16-yearold pupil and started investigating. This was apparently after the relationship between the pair started to interfere with the teenagers learning. It is understood that the boy had begun to absent himself from school whenever he gallivanted with the woman. Information gathered was that the boys parents already knew about the possible sexual relationship between him and the woman. After they were made aware of the boys behaviour at school, the parents approached the police. Investigators discovered that indeed the woman had sought romance with the minor after things didnt work out between her and the father of her child. She was arrested and further convicted of the offence, which attracted a custodial eight-year sentence. Texas universities are clamping down on travel to China, concerned about the mysterious new coronavirus thats now infected more people in that country than SARS did. The University of Houston System, Rice, Baylor College of Medicine, UTHealth, the University of Texas and Texas A&M have instituted temporary policies to stop all but the most essential travel to China. The institutions cite advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the UH System places great value in our work and on our many partnerships in China, including exchange programs, and intends to continue these initiatives, our highest priority is the health and well-being of our UH System community, Paula Myrick Short, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs, wrote faculty, students and staff in an email Tuesday. At this time, the health risks associated with the uncertainty about where in China and how rapidly the virus is spreading outweigh our institutions academic and research endeavors and necessitate travel restrictions. The UH policy prohibits all travel to Wuhan, the Hubei province where the outbreak originated, and non-essential travel to China outside Hubei. The strongest policy was adopted Wednesday by Rice University, a suspension of all school-sponsored travel to China by faculty, students and staff. The suspension marked a stricter stance than Tuesday, when the school only advised against non-essential travel to China, following the State Departments lead. Both UT and Texas A&M have suspended all university-sponsored travel to China for undergraduate students but are allowing essential travel by faculty, staff and graduate researchers. Requests must be approved after review. Texas A&Ms policy urges people to give serious evaluation before requesting travel to China. Baylor and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston instituted similar policies. On HoustonChronicle.com: Why Houston is uniquely situated to be better prepared for the coronavirus threat Five coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the U.S. none in Texas; all were infected in Wuhan but didnt develop symptoms until they returned to the U.S. A student at Texas A&M and a student at Baylor University in Waco were suspected to have the virus but turned out not to have it. The number of confirmed cases in China is now 5,974, more than the 5,327 diagnosed there with Severe Acute Respiratory System in 2002-2003. Chinas death toll, 132, is still lower than that from SARS. Nearly 350 died in that outbreak. The virus has been confirmed in 18 countries besides China. In most, there have been only a handful of cases. The CDC earlier this week added George Bush Intercontinental Airport and 14 other U.S. airports to the five previously selected to screen travelers from China. A spokesman said Wednesday that airport officials are waiting for CDC guidance before beginning such screenings. Five flights from China arrive in Houston weekly, none from Wuhan, said the spokesman. In all, those flights carry about 2,000 passengers. todd.ackerman@chron.com The Associated Press contributed to this story. Prince Andrew wants to prove his innocence to the royal family by cooperating with the FBI investigations of Jeffrey Epstein. Which is why, according to reports, he was furious when news about him snubbing authorities came out. An "angry and bewildered" Prince Andrew came out after he got publicly accused by the U.S. authorities of not offering any help and not responding to their requests for an interview over his friendship with the convicted sex offender and phedopile. "Nothing could be further from the truth," one source told The Telegraph. "The Duke is more than happy to talk to the FBI, but he hasn't been approached by them yet." The source added that the Duke of York has been preparing for the investigations and such by calling weekly meetings with his lawyers at Royal Lodge, Windsor, and Buckingham Palace. With this claim alone, the insider stood firm and defended Prince Andrew from the allegations made by U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman. The reaction came after Berman appeared at a news conference outside Epstein's Manhattan mansion, where he told the people that they deserved to know that Prince Andrew has not been fulfilling his public commitment. What Berman Declared? During the same conference, Berman revealed that the FBI and prosecutors, with the help of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, tried to contact the Duke of York's lawyer numerous times but got no answer in return. The group wanted to set another interview with the prince about Epstein's crimes, but they still did not receive a word from Prince Andrew who "provided zero cooperation." In Nov. 2019, the Duke said that he was "willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations if required." The promised cooperation with authorities came after Prince Andrew appeared in an ill-judged BBC interview, during which he received plenty of criticisms. In the said interview, he spoke to Emily Maitlis about his friendship with the pedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein and the allegations of sexual impropriety with a then-underage Virginia Roberts. Unhelpful Duke? The same source of The Telegraph blamed the authorities and revealed that the press conference was made so that the U.S. office and the FBI can contact Prince Andrew and his legal team directly. They branded the U.S. attorney and his office's move as a publicity stunt to concomitantly put public pressure to the Duke. "The Duke accepts he made a big mistake by continuing to see Epstein after he was convicted, and for not showing sufficient empathy for the girls involved," the insider went on. "He is desperate to make up for it and is committed to the legal process." Moreover, the Duke of York also wanted everything to end as soon as possible so he can continue to support Queen Elizabeth II, most especially when Her Royal Highness just had a bad year. To recall, the Queen faced several issues recently, from Prince Philip's health issues to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's decision to step back as senior royal members of the monarchy. Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa will be on a state visit to India from February 8 -11, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Thursday. "Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa will be on a state visit to India from February 8 to 11. He will arrive on February 7. February 8 will be main engagement day where he will hold delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said while addressing a press conference here. He informed that after his official engagement in Delhi, the Sri Lankan Prime Minister will travel to Varanasi, Sarnath, Bodhgaya, and Tirupati. The MEA spokesperson pointed out that there has been a series of high-level visits between the two countries with Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksha choosing India as the first destination to visit after he assumed his position as the president immediately after his election victory. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India Ratings (Ind-Ra) has maintained RWN on the Basel III tier-2 bonds of Rs 11,000 crore, additional Basel tier-1 bonds of Rs 11,100 crore and infrastructure bonds of Rs 3,580 crore New Delhi: Maintaining 'Rating Watch Negative (RWN)' on Yes Bank, India Ratings on Wednesday said the lender continues to remain in discussions with potential investors but raising sizeable capital in the near-term could be challenging. RWN indicates that the rating will be either affirmed or downgraded. India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) said it continues to await developments on Yes Bank's equity raising, which in the rating agency's opinion is critical for providing sufficient cushion to the possible credit cost impact from the stressed asset pool on regulatory capital requirement in the short- and medium-term. It has maintained RWN on the Basel III tier-2 bonds of Rs 11,000 crore, additional Basel tier-1 bonds of Rs 11,100 crore and infrastructure bonds of Rs 3,580 crore. The agency has withdrawn the bank's short-term rating since there is no outstanding against the same. "Although the liquidity position of the bank seemed adequate at end-September 2019 (liquidity coverage ratio of 114 percent), Ind-Ra believes that in the absence of any swift capital raise, the bank's ability to manage its asset and liability maturities could get tested further. "The bank continues to remain in discussions with various potential investors. However, Ind-Ra believes raising sizeable capital in the near term could be challenging and could require various regulatory and other approvals," it added. Ind-Ra would be reviewing the rating on the bank again in February. The key rating drivers included delays in capital raising and rapid credit migration over the last few quarters in some of the bank's corporate exposure spread over multiple sectors. The bank's liquidity coverage ratio was 114 percent at end-September as against the regulatory requirement of 100 percent. It also said that bank's business model could evolve and may settle at lower non-interest income levels. Yes Bank had initially planned to raise capital of over USD 1.2 billion in the current fiscal, but its board has rejected the binding term sheets of USD 1.2 billion offered by Canadian investor SPGP Group/Erwin Singh Braich. Also, the decision to consider the binding term sheet of USD 500 million by Citax Investment Group is yet to be finalised by the board. "Furthermore, the various approvals that the bank and/or the investors may require could extend the timeline of the proposed equity infusion," Ind-Ra said. Mumbai-headquartered Yes Bank is a new generation private bank incorporated in 2004. The bank's asset size stood at Rs 3,71,160 crore at end-June 2019, with a net profit of Rs 1,720 crore in FY19. [January 29, 2020] Insightful Training Asia Limited to present their first eLearning platform HONG KONG, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Insightful Training Asia Limited, an innovation company in eLearning software and services, today announced a new platform for selling courses online. The new platform is designed to help companies provide their own training courses to their employees. With Insightful Training's platform, companies can create a single source of e-courses and training materials. This will become a unique source of knowledge in the company area to help their employees acquire knowledge and help their growth. Features of the platform: Integrated authoring tool The patented authoring tool easily develops training courses, video and quizzs, optimizes existing content and uploads the company's training materials on the platform. Quizzes and assessments With interactive quizzes, assessments and surveys, employers can know their employees' knowledge and the understanding of the courses. Powerful reporting tools With over 20 reports to help employers to easily analyse average quiz scores for more insight into each question. White labelling Apply the company's corporate logo, colours and style to create their own eLearning platform. To schedule a demo, please contact Insightful Training Asia via email [email protected] About Insightful Training Asia Insightful Training Asia Limited is a software-as-a-service (SAAS) learning management system that provides a learning system for companies, their employees, and clients. We have over 10 years' experience solving our clients' training problems and provide solutions to them. SOURCE Insightful Training Asia Limited She sparked up a romance with Married At First Sight's Ryan Gallagher during her stint on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! Australia. And on The Project on Thursday, Charlotte Crosby revealed they haven't yet 'done the deed' for medical reasons - but promised there 'will be fireworks' this weekend. The ex-Geordie Shore star, 29, told host Lisa Wilkinson: 'Obviously we spent last night together - nothing like you think! I've got some infections down there... you can't really go there at the moment.' Too much information? I'm a Celebrity's Charlotte Crosby (pictured) revealed on The Project on Thursday that she hadn't slept with Ryan Gallagher yet for medical reasons Amid a sea of laughter from the show's panel, Charlotte continued: 'So at the weekend there's going to be some fireworks, I tell you now! Give us two more days with the cream!' She later confirmed to radio show Hughesy & Ed that she was suffering from thrush. During her appearance on The Project, Charlotte also revealed she was considering a move to Australia in order to be closer to Ryan, 31. Candid: 'I've got some infections down there... you can't really go there at the moment,' said Charlotte. Pictured left: The Project host Lisa Wilkinson 'Listen, I want to live in Australia, so I'd prefer me to go there than him to come to England,' she added. 'It's very drab in England, there's always rain, and there's nothing to do!' After leaving the jungle earlier this week, Ryan insisted that his relationship with Charlotte was genuine, and that they'd made plans to keep things going in the outside world. Falling for each other: After leaving the jungle earlier this week, Ryan (pictured) insisted that his relationship with Charlotte was genuine, and that they'd made plans to keep things going in the outside world 'I'm happy to keep going. Obviously I'd love it to keep going outside the show,' he said. 'That's for us to see what happens on the outside. I really do like her. Ryan added: 'I don't do things for cameras. It's not a put on. It is what it is. I do genuinely like her.' The couple had instant chemistry on I'm a Celebrity, and fortunately haven't had to spend much time apart. Ryan was eliminated on Tuesday, with Charlotte getting the boot the following day. I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! continues Sunday at 7:30pm on Channel 10 V ictims and survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire have accused companies who refurbished the doomed building of sabotaging the inquiry by threatening to stay silent on their role in the disaster. The Grenfell Tower Inquiry is now probing how the tower block was coated in combustible cladding and left dangerously exposed to fire after refurbishment work prior to the 2017 inferno. But yesterday private firms involved in the refurbishment dropped the bombshell that they want an Attorney General guarantee that evidence to the inquiry will not be used against them in future criminal cases. Without that assurance, they said, key figures in the controversial works may refuse to answer questions, asserting their right to silence to avoid self-incrimination. Stephanie Barwise QC, representing Grenfell residents, survivors of the fire, and families of those who died, said today this stance revealed just days before evidence was set to begin risked sabotaging this inquiry. The behaviour of arrogance and complacency which cause the disaster at Grenfell still rages unchecked among the many core participants, she said. Ms Barwise said that while the firms are entitled to seek an assurance from the Attorney General it contradicts their public declarations of wanting to help the inquiry, and she suggested the move had been deliberately timed to come at the last minute. In her opening address to the second stage of the inquiry, Ms Barwise said there were epidemic levels of incompetence over fire safety at Grenfell and accused architects, building contractors, suppliers of cladding and insulation material, and the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (TMO) of indulging in a blame game to avoid criminal or civil responsibility. They are too firmly fixed on ways to avoid legal liability at the expense of examining what in fact happened, said Ms Barwise. It is misleading for a party to express sympathy, remorse, and sorrow for the horrifying and tragic events which took place on the night of the fire, and then conclude - as the TMO does - that it is undeniable that the design and construction of the refurbishment compromised the safety of the building and led to a tragic loss of lives without acknowledging any aspects of the TMOs own performance which contributed to the compromised state and that loss of life. She added: This overlooks some very serious failing for which no one but TMO is to blame, and which contributed to loss of life. Private firms involved in the Grenfell refurbishment between 2012 and 2016, including architects Studio E, contractor Rydon, Harley Facades, and cladding supplier Arconic, have been accused by counsel to the inquiry of a merry-go-round of buck-passing by refusing to accept responsibility for failings in the building. Ms Barwise said the dangers of using the combustible cladding had been known, but there was an emphasis in the project on cost-cutting and aesthetics. A hallmark of the Grenfell disaster is epidemic levels of incompetence from a fire safety perspective, she said. It appears the designers and contractors fell broadly into two camps at Grenfell - they either didnt think about compliance at all or they seem to have understood what was required and ignored it. This is one of the more troubling emerging themes, that many of the professionals and contractors wilfully failed to comply with the regulations and statutory guidance. She suggested the refurbishment of Grenfell came after years of mismanagement by the TMO, and was sparked by Kensington and Chelsea Council seeking government funding for a new school nearby. She said architect Studio E, which ultimately worked on Grenfell, regarded the block as a eyesore next to the new school, while she said the TMO had sought an 800,000 reduction in costs from building contractor Rydon. The TMO seems to have given no thought or asked any questions of whether performance including safety was in any way compromised by this reduction, she said. Ms Barwise concluded her statement by calling on inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick to make recommendations in his final report that have far-reaching consequences for the whole UK construction sector. If the buck-passing of responsibility of the corporates in this inquiry is anything to go by, its naive to think that any but the rarest of companies will change of their own volition in this current regulatory environment. Sir Martin is due to hear argument this afternoon on the AG assurances being sought, with evidence on this phase of the inquiry due to start on Monday. Imran Khan QC, representing another group of victims and survivors, called decisions to cut costs at Grenfell a death sentence for residents of the block. He said in a statement to the inquiry that emails between firms involved in the refurbishment show that the reducing the budget for work on Grenfell was an over-riding priority. He said it was beyond doubt that cost-cutting rather than value-adding was the driving principle, and suggested the attitude of those involved in the work was that Grenfell residents lives were not worth extra costs of safer materials. With $4 million in matching funds from the National Institutes of Health, the University of Washington has created a new integrated center to match biomedical discoveries with the resources needed to bring innovative products to the public and improve health. "The University of Washington and regional partner institutions produce some of the most exciting biomedical discoveries and technologies in the world, but we always find it challenging to support their product development as they move into the early commercialization phases," said the new center's executive director Rodney Ho, a professor in the UW School of Pharmacy. With well over a billion dollars in research funding annually, the University of Washington is an engine of discovery and generates more than $15 billion in the state's economy. UW's newly funded Washington Entrepreneurial Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub (WE-REACH), with an annual budget boosted to $1.4 million by contributions from other partners, is organized to mentor and support biomedical entrepreneurs as well as provide project funding to fuel four to six biomedical startups a year with up to $200,000 each. Those projects will include innovative disease treatments, new drugs, diagnostics, genetic testing and health technologies. Ho said the center will support innovation steps not typically supported by research grants, such as human clinical trials or the development of and access to products. In addition to the NIH, WE-REACH partners include the UW Institute of Translational Health Sciences, UW CoMotion, the Institute for Protein Design and the School of Pharmacy. Innovators will receive guidance from multiple academic departments and regional institutions. Those institutions include the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Institute, Seattle Children's and other universities in the five states that make up the WWAMI region. "We are delighted to welcome WE-REACH as a partner," said Tong Sun, executive director of the Institute of Translational Health Sciences. "At ITHS we are committed to accelerating the translation of discoveries to the clinic. WE-REACH investigators will be able to leverage ITHS programs and resources, so they can help us in our mission to improve health in our communities. This is a very exciting area of translation that we are happy to support." WE-REACH is one of five national commercialization hubs selected for funding by the NIH in 2019. "The journey of biomedical discoveries to products that improve people's health is expensive and risky. The process requires strategic investment of know-how as well as financial support from public-private partnerships," said Ho. "Spinning life science innovations out of research institutions requires expertise and funding that is hard to source in the academic environment," adds Fiona Wills, assistant vice president, innovation development at CoMotion, UW's collaborative innovation hub. "WE-REACH builds on the infrastructure CoMotion has developed, including our gap fund and training, to provide critical resources needed to de-risk promising technologies into preclinical and clinical development." The new center will be located in the South Campus Center on the University of Washington's Seattle campus and at the Institute of Translational Health Sciences in UW Medicine South Lake Union. It will be staffed by Professor Rodney Ho, Executive Director; Terri Butler, Associate Director of Outreach and Partnerships; Matthew Hartman, Coordinator; Christine Jonsson, Administrator; and new hires in project management and technology management roles. ### For information on the new center and how to submit a grant proposal, please contact Matthew Hartman at WEREACH@uw.edu or 561-339-0676. The next round of grant funding requires a declaration of intent by Feb. 7 and complete submission by May 1. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Thursday announced a new initiative, 'Direct CTO', to enable companies operating under 'green category industries' receive faster clearances from government to commence operations. The move would largely benefit micro, small and medium enterprises planning to set up operations in the state, he said at a function held to mark 125 years of trade body Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). "I am happy to announce a new initiative Direct CTO (Consent to Operate) Scheme to relax the process for pre-establishment clearances for Green category industries," Palaniswami said, kicking off CII@125 years celebrations. Noting that companies falling under the 'white' category do not require consent from the pollution control board, he said, industries under the 'green' category would benefit from the new initiative. According to Ministry of Environment, companies are classified in red, orange, green and white categories based on the pollution index generated from them. The pollution index of any industrial sector is a number from 0 to 100 and the increasing value of PI refers to the degree of pollution load from the industries. 'Red' category industries are those which have a pollution index score of 60 and above, 'orange' category are with 41 to 59, 'green' category industrial sectors are of 21 to 40 and 'white' category industries are from 0 to 20. Palaniswami said under the new initiative, the companies falling under the 'green' category need to pay the application fees for receiving the Direct CTO to set up office in industrial parks. "They need not wait to receive the clearances. These companies can commence construction activities through self-declaration," he said. The chief minister on the occasion also announced an initiative for land-use re-classification in non-plan areas. "Land-use re-classification for non-plan areas will be given deemed approval, if the applications in full shape, cross the timeline", he said. Palaniswami said compared to the earlier practice of waiting to receive clearances for a period of six months to two years, companies planning to set up office would get clearances within 50 days under this new scheme. He said after the conduct of the second Global Investors Meet in 2019, 63 new memoranda of understanding worth Rs 19,000 crore were signed by the government. "Through this initiative, 83,000 new jobs will be created in the state," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) MEDIA COURTHOUSE Two men separately arrested last year in a coordinated Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force sting for attempting to have sex with children were sentenced Tuesday. Kenneth Albert Ruzat, 54, of the 900 block of Lincoln Avenue in Prospect Park, entered an open guilty plea in September to attempted indecent deviate sexual intercourse with a person less than 16 years old, a felony of the first degree. Assistant District Attorney Chris Boggs told Delaware County Court of Common Pleas Judge James Bradley Tuesday that a sentence had been negotiated with defense counsel Mary Brooks, however, for one year less a day to two years less a day at the county prison in Concord. Ruzat will additionally serve three years of consecutive sex offender probation, comply with recommendations of a psychosexual evaluation, provide a DNA sample to state police and register as a sex offender for life under Megans Law. Ruzat was arrested April 6 at a meeting location he had set with what he believed to be a 14-year-old male using the Grindr social media app, according to an affidavit of probable cause. The 14-year-old was actually Pennsylvania State Police Cpl. Chris Hill. Ruzat made contact with Hill April 4 and informed him he was running errands but kinda in the mood to suck d. After communicating with the undercover trooper via online chat, Hill revealed he would be 15 next month, to which Ruzat replied, No worries, according to the affidavit. I just want to meet suck you off and leave you feeling good (is) that ok, Ruzat told what he believed to be a 14-year-old boy, the affidavit says. Ruzat arrived at an agreed upon meeting place about 4:30 p.m. and was taken into custody by ICAC Task Force members, according to the affidavit. Once in custody, he denied that he planned to perform oral sex on a 14-year-old and stated that he wanted to meet to ensure the other person wasnt lying about his age. Ruzat admitted to sending the text messages, but told officers that everyone lies, so he was going there to check the boys age, according to the affidavit. Ruzat has no credit for time served and was given a Feb. 10 report date. The second defendant, Michael Dean Norman, 38, of Las Vegas, Nevada, was arrested April 5 when he also arrived at an agreed upon meeting location with what he believed was a 15-year-old boy. Norman, a flight attendant, spoke with Pennsylvania State Police Cpl. John Sours on the Grindr app, where Sours was posing as an underage boy, according to an affidavit of probable cause. Norman initiated the interaction by sending a photo of himself to Sours and saying, Hey whats up? according to the affidavit. When Sours informed Norman he was 15, Norman responded he was ok with that, As long as you got a c that c, the affidavit says. During the ongoing chat, Norman indicated he was going to perform fellatio on the boy and the two set a meeting place, according to the affidavit. Norman was taken into custody upon his arrival there and later admitted to law enforcement that he was meeting the 15-year-old for oral sex. Norman, who has been in custody since his arrest, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted indecent deviate sexual intercourse with a person more than 11 years older, an ungraded felony. Boggs and defense counsel Steven OMeara reached a negotiated sentence of 111/2 to 23 months in prison in that case, followed by three years of consecutive sex offender probation. Norman was also ordered to register for life as a sex offender, provide a DNA sample and comply with a psychosexual evaluation. Judge Bradley permitted supervision to be transferred to Nevada at OMearas request. YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will travel to Kazakhstan on January 31 on a working visit, the Prime Ministers Office said. In Almaty, the Armenian PM will participate in the Eurasian Inter-Governmental Council session. Bilateral meetings are also scheduled. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan Mali jihadists return to village where raid killed 20 Nouakchott, Jan 30 (AFP) Jan 30, 2020 Jihadists on Wednesday regained control of a village in central Mali, locals said, returning to the site of a recent attack that killed 20 members of the security forces. The Malian army, which had retaken control of Soloko, had "fallen back" to the neighbouring area of Diabaly and jihadists had returned to the village, a local teacher told AFP on condition of anonymity. The Sunday attack on the Soloko camp claimed by the Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) -- an umbrella group of Al-Qaeda affiliates -- killed 20 Malian security forces and wounded five, according to authorities. "The jihadists... have raised their flag in the gendarmes' camp," said Hamed Drame, president of the Soloko youth association. "There is a threat over the whole town. We have alerted the authorities but until now there has been no reaction from them." Sokolo is the last town before the Mauritanian border, near a forest considered a base for groups linked to Al-Qaeda. Despite aid from French and UN forces, Mali is struggling to quell unrest that began in 2012 in the north of the country before spreading to its centre, as well as neighbouring Sahel states Burkina Faso and Niger. Two of four men charged with robbery with violence were granted bail and placed under a curf WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- For 11 years, the National Association of Realtors has given Realtors who have demonstrated a commitment to public service an opportunity to enhance their charitable work through the Volunteering Works Grant and Mentoring Program. The program, which matches mentors with Realtors who want to expand their community service outreach, is now seeking entries for 2020. "I am incredibly proud of the cumulative impact that Realtors have on their communities in the U.S. and across the globe," says NAR President Vince Malta, broker at Malta & Co., Inc., in San Francisco. "It's wonderful to be able to support volunteers with expert mentoring resources so they can do even more to help their neighbors live better, more fulfilling lives." Realtors involved in charitable efforts with demonstratable growth potential are encouraged to apply. Five Volunteering Works recipients will earn a year of one-on-one mentoring from a member of NAR's Good Neighbor Society and a $1,000 grant to put toward improvements in their community program. The society is comprised of past recipients of NAR's Good Neighbor Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement in community service. Volunteering Works recipients are considered based on their dedication to their charitable project and its opportunity for growth when paired with an expert mentor. Ideal candidates should identify specific challenges they would like to address with the help of a mentor while outlining specific goals for the future of their community service project. "Having access to Good Neighbor mentoring has allowed me to set new goals and begin broadening this program's reach in our community," said 2019 Volunteering Works mentoring recipient, Michael Hunstad of Toys for Joy in Anoka, Minnesota. His mentor was 2017 Good Neighbor Award Winner Louise Lorenz McLean of RE/MAX Solutions in Merritt Island, Florida, cofounder of Space Coast Realtors Charitable Foundation. "My mentorship with Louise has allowed my vision of expanding Toys for Joy into a year-round charity to become a reality." This year's entry deadline is February 28, 2020. For a Volunteering Works entry form, visit nar.realtor/gna and click on "Nominate." Applicants must be NAR members. Wells Fargo Home Mortgage sponsors Volunteering Works. Wells Fargo Home Lending is one of the nation's leading originators and the leading servicer of residential mortgages, offering home loans to consumers through the country's largest network of mortgage locations and bank branches, online, and via phone. With more than 4,500 Home Mortgage Consultants across the country, expanded digital capabilities, and products and programs for today's market, Wells Fargo is committed to meeting Realtor expectations and homebuyer needs. Focused on paving a path to stability and financial success for underserved communities, Wells Fargo is a proud sponsor of both the Good Neighbor Awards program and Volunteering Works, both of which recognize the extraordinary contributions made by Realtors in the communities where we, together, live and serve. The National Association of Realtors is America's largest trade association, representing more than 1.4 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries. SOURCE National Association of Realtors Related Links http://www.realtor.org Steve Barclay: Tomorrow we will get Brexit done, and start building a better future for every corner of our United Kingdom Steve Barclay is Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, and MP for North East Cambridgeshire. It will not have escaped ConservativeHome readers that tomorrow we will finally be getting Brexit done. Friday marks the return of the UK as a sovereign, independent nation. Nearly four years on from the vote to Leave, and after countless hours of debate we have now ratified the Withdrawal Agreement and can finally deliver on that historic referendum. This will allow us to move forward as one country and focus on issues that for too long have perhaps not received the attention they deserved. The Government can now fully focus on delivering better public services whether that is by boosting the NHS with the biggest cash injection in its history, building better infrastructure or controlling immigration. And crucially we will do so in a way which strengthens every corner of our Union. We will leave as one United Kingdom, free to determine our own future and form partnerships with allies and old and new across the globe. Whilst we do this we will of course build a strong new relationship with the EU. They are our friends and our sovereign equals. And we are not pulling up the drawbridge, but allowing ourselves the ability to do things differently. We are regaining the ability to choose our own destiny. ConservativeHome readers know that we are taking back control of our borders, laws, money, trade, farming and fisheries. But what does that mean in practice? Our manifesto was explicit that we will now control our own laws. We will no longer have the European Court of Justice telling British courts how regulations must be interpreted. We will mobilise the full breadth of our new freedoms making sure we are at the forefront in encouraging technology and innovation. By leaving the EUs slow and cumbersome rulebook we will be able to seize the opportunities afforded by new technologies, and to shape our own regulation in an innovative, pro-business way. For example, EU directives take a minimum of five years from conception to implementation, something which makes it difficult to keep pace with emerging technologies whether thats in telecoms or things like driverless cars. When it comes to farming, leaving the outdated, unfair and regressive Common Agricultural Policy will mean we can restructure our subsidy system in a way which rewards productivity and safeguards our environment, rather than the mere ownership of land. And after Brexit, we will be able to end cruel practices such as the export of live animals for slaughter something current EU Single Market rules do not allow and we will be able to introduce smarter and more bespoke rules for our leading financial services sector. And on certain totemic issues such as fishing we will be able to fully control our waters, making sure our new system works in the interests of British fishermen. We will be able to ensure that they regain control of a fair share of British fish stocks, and we will be able to allocate fish quotas in a more environmentally sustainable way. From this weekend we will finally start a new chapter which allows us to make decisions in a bespoke way, that works in our interests. Our election promise was get to Brexit done and unleash Britains potential. This government is doing just that. At the start of this new decade, we can look ahead with confidence to the opportunities Brexit will give us. Axios Democratic leaders have found a mechanism to enable them to bypass an initial Republican filibuster and debate the party's sweeping elections reform bills, according to a new leadership memo obtained by Axios.Why it matters: The strategy is the latest example of how Democrats are seeking new ways to try to bypass Senate procedures that are blocking their agenda. But the ultimate outcome will likely be the same: insufficient support to change the 60-vote threshold needed to pass sweeping voting r Theres so much going on in US politics right now that its hard to know what to write about. With all the shouting about the election, impeachment, Trumps bogus Palestine deal and so many other important political issues competing for airtime with Kobe Bryants death and coronavirus fear porn , it feels like were already at white noise information saturation, and its not even February yet. Things are going to get a whole lot noisier next month when the Democratic presidential primaries (and all the establishment manipulations that will necessarily accompany them) get underway, and Julian Assanges extradition trial begins One of the many interesting developments that I can pluck out of this cacophony to earn my keep here has been the hysterical response to Bernie Sanders polling bump from the Bush-era neoconservatives whove been rehabilitated by a weird new alliance with the Democratic Party in the age of Trump. In just the last few days weve seen a deluge of smear pieces against Sanders published in mainstream news outlets by virulent never-Trump neocons Bret Bedbug Stephens, David Axis of Evil Frum, Jennifer John McCain is too dovish Rubin, and Max The Case for American Empire Boot. Which has turned out to be a good thing so far, for two reasons. Firstly it has ripped off the mask of woke progressivism that these neoconservative war whores slapped on their faces three years ago to promote mass murder within the Democratic establishments astroturf Resistance to Trump. Secondly it has educated an entire new generation of young voters about the evils of the Iraq invasion, and who helped facilitate it. It is always a good sign when a bunch of pundits who push for increased military aggression at every opportunity are upset about the same thing, but Im going to single out Max Boot here because his Bernie tantrum has been especially hilarious to watch. In an article for The Washington Post titled Bernie Sanders is insanely consistent. Thats nothing to brag about., Boot bizarrely decided to attack Sanders on the fact that he hasnt often had to admit that hes been wrong about things. But it is true that Ive rethought my views on some important matters, such as the Iraq War, and started speaking out on issues such global warming, gun control and white privilege where reality conflicts with conservative dogma, Boot writes, adding that he can be trusted now precisely because I have changed my mind. Dont trust anyone who hasnt. It is fascinating that Boot should choose consistency as a line of attack against Sanders, because he himself has been remarkably consistent throughout his entire career. Hes just been consistent in the other direction. Promoting fiendishly aggressive interventionist agendas everywhere from Iraq to Afghanistan to Libya to Syria to Iran to Russia, the former PNAC member Boot has been a leading narrative manager for some of the most catastrophically disastrous military interventions in living memory. He has not just promoted imperialist agendas which destroyed the lives of untold millions of human beings, but has also consistently promoted the pernicious underpinning philosophy of that imperialism as in his 2001 masterpiece The Case for American Empire. And that is the one and only reason Boot remains gainfully employed as a famous and widely circulated mainstream foreign policy analyst. He has no redeeming characteristics. He is not smart. He is not charming. He is never, ever right about anything. He simply advocates for the deployment of expensive military equipment consistently and reliably. The oligarchic media love that in a guy. Boot, who has been giddy with excitement that his fellow traveller John Bolton has entered his side of the impeachment debate, wrapped up his unintentional self-parody by cheerleading Trumps regime change interventionism in Venezuela and the right-wing military coup in Bolivia. After its publication he quickly found himself under fire on Twitter by the Sanders campaigns David Sirota, who rightly criticized his forceful promotion of the Iraq invasion. Boot responded by whining that the Bernie Bro should accept his admission that Iraq was a mistake and forget about the whole thing. Me: I was wrong and I admit it, but I learned from it. Bernie should too. Hes been wrong about some stuff. Bernie Bro: You were wrong. Why should we listen to you?, Boot tweeted. LOL. Exactly, Jennifer Rubin responded. And that just says so much about the coddled, insulated, completely unchallenged life that these mass media pundits are accustomed to, right there. To believe that you can help pave the way for a war that kills a million people based on lies and then years later say Oh yeah I made an oopsie with that one, I need a do-over requires an unbelievable amount of entitlement and privilege, let alone to be able to self-righteously hold that admission up as some kind of superior virtue that is worthy of praise and deference. You dont get to help murder a million human beings and then act indignant when people bring it up. That is not a thing. Your admission of wrongdoing does not undo the wrong that you did, and only someone who has been raised in a consequence-free environment their entire life could possibly believe that it would. Hey Max? If you ever get tired of being completely wrong about everything, heres a hot tip for you: maybe start with crossing off the idea that murdering a bunch of people is an ideal solution to every problem. Normal people dont think that way. Thats why youre wrong more often than any normal person. It really is that simple. Nobody who promoted the unforgivable Iraq invasion should ever be listened to about anything for as long as they live. They certainly should not be elevated in prominent slots on mainstream news outlets. They should not even be able to find employment anywhere more glamorous than a McDonalds. It is good that these people are exposing themselves, and it is good that more people are learning about the Iraq invasion. Nothing has ever been done to make right the unfathomable evils which were inflicted upon our species by that one horrific act, let alone the many other disastrous interventions which have been endorsed by Max Boot. Lets all hope for a sane world where mass military slaughter is seen for what it is, and where war whores like Max Boot are seen for what they are, and where both of these things fade into obsolescence forever. _____________________________ Thanks for reading! The best way to get around the internet censors and make sure you see the stuff I publish is to subscribe to the mailing list for my website, which will get you an email notification for everything I publish. My work is entirely reader-supported, so if you enjoyed this piece please consider sharing it around, liking me on Facebook, following my antics on Twitter, checking out my podcast on either Youtube, soundcloud, Apple podcasts or Spotify, following me on Steemit, throwing some money into my hat on Patreon or Paypal, purchasing some of my sweet merchandise, buying my new book Rogue Nation: Psychonautical Adventures With Caitlin Johnstone, or my previous book Woke: A Field Guide for Utopia Preppers. For more info on who I am, where I stand, and what Im trying to do with this platform, click here. Everyone, racist platforms excluded, has my permission to republish or use any part of this work (or anything else Ive written) in any way they like free of charge. Bitcoin donations:1Ac7PCQXoQoLA9Sh8fhAgiU3PHA2EX5Zm2 "Ten years ago, when I began helping Time Share owners rid themselves of lifetime maintenance fees and other ridiculous obligations, a lawyer-friend of mine asked if I wasn't afraid of waking up one morning to find a bomb in my car," Sussman said. Over the years, Sussman has obtained thousands of releases for Time Share owners nation-wide, in many cases, by successfully suing the Time Share corporations for unlawful practices and unenforceable, onerous contracts. He has upended a trillion-dollar industry known for high-pressure sales tactics and fine print contracts seeking to absolve the timeshare for any "untruthful statements" made by a salesperson during the timeshare 'presentation'. Recently, one timeshare decided to fight dirty when the Playa Grande Resort, in an effort to keep their owner in the fold, sent a defamatory letter to William and Ursula White, clients of Sussman who had previously purchased a timeshare membership from Playa Grande. The letter contained false and outrageous accusations. "Anyone can look it up and see that I have been a member of the California bar in good standing for over 42 years am beloved by my clients and have an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau," Sussman said regarding what he describes as a coward's approach to his efforts to free his clients from unwanted timeshares. The case filed by the law office of Mitchell Reed Sussman & Associates by lead attorney Leslie Benjamin is Sussman v. Playa Grande, Superior Court of California, County of Riverside Superior Court, case no. PSC 1903477 The lawsuit seeks damages in excess of one million dollars along with an injunction. About Attorney Sussman Mitchell Reed Sussman has been practicing Real Estate and Bankruptcy Law for over 40 years. More information about timeshares can be found by visiting the website www.timesharelegalaction.com SOURCE Law Offices of Mitchell Reed Sussman Related Links https://www.timesharelegalaction.com New Delhi: In his mercy plea filed before President Ram Nath Kovind, Nirbhaya rape and murder case convict Vinay Sharma has written that he did not want to live but after meeting his parents he gave up thinking about death as they said, "they are alive because of me". In his plea, the convict has written to the President that he wants to convey his feelings to him through his lawyer AP Singh, adding that he wants to tell the President how much mental harassment he has suffered while remaining in jail. He requested the President to spare time so that his lawyer AP Singh should submit his side before him verbally. On Wednesday, a three-judge Supreme Court bench dismissed the plea of Mukesh Kumar Singh challenging the rejection of his mercy petition by the President. With this decision by the top court, Mukesh has exhausted the last legal remedy available to him against the death sentence. The top court, however, will today hear the curative petition of Akshay Thakur, one of the four convicts, seeking commutation of his death sentence to life imprisonment. The plea states that the top court should set aside the May 5, 2017 order, which upheld the death sentence of the convicts. Akshay's plea said that lack of criminal antecedents, erroneous reliance on deterrence, and the probability of reformation, socio-economic circumstances, non-consideration of constitution bench judgment, were not considered by the courts while awarding his client to death. Live TV In December 2019, the apex court had dismissed Akshay`s review petition. Earlier this month, a Delhi court had issued the death warrant for Akshay, Mukesh, Pawan Gupta, and Vinay Kumar Sharma, and ordered their hanging on February 1. For the last 15 days, accused are visiting courts to use their legal rights, but they have not got any favourable response from any court so far. The case pertains to the gang-rape of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012, by six people including a juvenile in Delhi. On Monday evening, Leo Kelly went to bed as a normal 6-year-old boy who loves a good Shirley Temple. But on Tuesday morning he woke up an Instagram celebrity for his now-viral reviews of his favorite cherry-flavored soft drink. The Connecticut first-grader has been the self-proclaimed Shirley Temple King since he started ordering the drink when he was just 3 years old. He would order them all the time on vacations or ... we've taken him out to dinner with us, especially when he was an only child, all the time, Leos mom, Lisa Kelly, tells Yahoo Lifestyle of her eldest of three children. So he'd be at really nice restaurants and kid-friendly restaurants and all that, and he would just always order a Shirley Temple. This August, however, when Leo tried a particularly delicious version of the mocktail, he decided to take his love of the ginger ale, grenadine and maraschino cherries mix to a new level. The 'Shirley Temple King' is taking the internet by storm for his hilarious mocktail reviews. (Photo: Instagram) We were at Gurney's Newport [a resort in Rhode Island], and they had really good Shirley Temples. So then I was like, Dad, can I have a Shirley Temple? Then obviously ordered the Shirley Temple and then we tried it, Leo explains. And then as we were swimming, I was like, Maybe I could get an Instagram account. I told my dad and then planned it out. The little boy goes onto explain that his handle, @theshirleytempleking, seemed like the perfect name for the page. And since hed seen his mom and dad using Instagram before, he knew that they could help to execute it. As for the actual reviews and his presence in front of the camera, Lisa says its all Leo. He'd watch commercials and be like, Mom, I want that toy. But I could promote that way better, Lisa explains, adding that Leo has filmed fake YouTube videos on her phone since he was 3 or 4 years old. It's pretty funny. So he's just been a celebrity in his own right for quite a while. Story continues Still, Lisa says that she cant believe people outside of their family have gotten such a kick out of her kid. It's so funny to me because, you know, I've been living with this for the past six years and when it's your child, you always think it's cute and it's funny, she says. But to see that other people do too, it's like wow. Despite having 106,000 followers as of Wednesday morning exponential growth from his 22,000 follower count at the time that Yahoo Lifestyle spoke with him on Tuesday evening Leo is still most excited about his friends at school knowing about his account. Even my teacher does! he exclaims. Im gonna tell her that like a few nights ago I had 300 followers and now I got 4,000 something. After clarifying that he had 22,000 at the time, Leo adds, I can't even count 22,000! Leo now dreams of being a guest on The Ellen Degeneres Show and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. His mom says that regardless of what happens with this account and all of the attention, Leos education and happiness remain the familys priorities. Hes got big plans for himself, Lisa says. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Houston pipeline operator Kinder Morgan says it has obtained rights to the final pieces of land needed to route a controversial natural gas project through the picturesque and environmentally sensitive Texas Hill Country. With the land under its control, Kinder Morgan can build the 430-mile Permian Highway Pipeline, a project to move 2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day from the Permian Basin of West Texas to the Katy Hub near Houston, the companys president of natural gas Tom Martin told investors during a Tuesday morning meeting in downtown Houston. Last week, we announced during our earnings call that we had 99 percent of the right-of-way but now, were at 100 percent, Martin told investors. We have all the permits, except for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit. But we expect that to come in the very near future. Legal Showdown: Barton Springs group to join lawsuit against Kinder Morgan pipeline Plans to build the $2 billion pipeline through Hill Country face stiff opposition from a coalition of landowners, environmentalists, cities, counties and groundwater conservation districts. Opponents plan to file two endangered species lawsuits to stop the project. One of the lawsuits focuses on destruction of habitat of the golden-cheeked warbler, an endangered songbird that makes its home in the forests of the Hill Country. The other focuses on concerns about pollution to the Edwards Aquifer, an underground freshwater reservoir that is home to endangered and threatened species such as the Texas blind salamander, Barton Springs salamander, Austin Blind salamander, San Marcos salamander, fountain darter, Comal Springs dryopid beetle and the Comal Springs riffle beetle. Those lawsuits could be filed as early as Friday, said Jessica Karlsruher, executive director for the Texas Real Estate Advocacy and Defense Coalition, or TREAD Coalition, a landowner group opposing the project. Municipalities and landowners want to make a point, Karlsruher said. The lawsuits are the only course of action they have in the absence of due process for pipeline routes. Neither the TREAD Coalition nor its members oppose the oil and natural gas industry, but they want to reform state eminent domain laws that favor pipeline companies over landowners, Karlsruher said. The coalition and its allies lost a lawsuit opposing the project on state constitutional grounds in June 2019 but Karlsruher said organization and its members will be lobbying for reforms when the Legislature meets again in 2021. How Kinder Morgan conducts business in Texas is very un-Texan, Karlsruher said. Fuel Fix: Get energy news sent directly to your inbox Kinder Morgan asserts that the company has followed the law, held public meetings and conducted fair negotiations to acquire 1,000 tracts of land over the pipeline route. Some property owners in the Hill Country took the company to court and county-level commission hearings to get higher prices for their land. Allen Fore, the companys public affairs director, said the final piece of land acquired for the pipeline route was in Kimble County, near the Hill Country town of Junction. Construction, he said, has begun in West Texas along the first 100 miles of the pipeline route in an area that doesnt require a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers. The remainder of the route has been divided into four additional sections, with construction expected to begin by end of the first quarter, Fore said. Weve made 160 to 170 adjustments to the route but they were all specific to a parcel of property, Fore said. If you were to look at a map from a high level, theres not a discernible difference. Endangered Species: Hill Country pipeline opponents threaten lawsuit over golden-cheeked warbler With U.S. natural gas production expected to grow by 28 billion cubic feet per day by 2030, the Permian Highway Pipeline isnt going to be the companys last. The company, Kean said, is in discussions to build the Permian Pass Pipeline from West Texas to the Gulf Coast, and could add two more lines in the future. The pipelines, he said, unlock billions of dollars in royalties for landowners, counties and school districts, and provide an outlet for excess natural gas that is being burned off at wells in an industry practice known as flaring. As much as 750 million cubic feet of natural gas is being burned off per day in the Permian Basin instead of being moved to market, according to a recent report from the Norwegian energy research firm Rystad Energy. While we had some opposition on the ground in Hill Country, we continued to engage with everyone, Kean said. We worked through issues with our landowners but its apparent in this debate that we need to reduce flaring in West Texas. No matter where you stand on these various issues, its a good from an environmental standpoint. Its a good thing economically. sergio.chapa@chron.com @SergioChapa on Twitter Though you can eat and drink perfectly well in the bar, the real journey lies on the fine dining side. The experience begins with a beer unavailable on the bar side: Pressed Asian Pear Saison, presented in place of what would be Champagne for most pairing menus. Its earthy and fruity and without much sweetness, tuning the taste buds to the evening ahead. It also happens to be a faultless food beer when the first course of snacks arrives. (Theyre quite likely the most decadent snacks youve ever had, especially the lamb samosa.) Uttar Pradesh police on Thursday obtained transit remand for Dr Kafeel Khan, arrested here for allegedly inflammatory remarks made by him at an anti-CAA protest in Aligarh last month. A police official said the doctor, who was earlier arrested after a row over the death of several children at a hospital in UP's Gorakhpur in 2017, was being taken to Uttar Pradesh. The child specialist was arrested in a joint operation by police from Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai on Wednesday, when he came to the city to attend a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The non-oil GDP in Ajman achieved a 3.6 per cent growth in 2018, reported Emirates news agency Wam, citing the emirate's annual economic report 2019 issued by the Department of Economic Development. The report showed that the average annual growth for the 2014-2018 period was some 3.8 per cent, a clear indication of the strength of the local economy and its ability to grow across various economic sectors. The manufacturing sector contributed 39.1 per cent of the GDP growth, while the construction sector contributed 14.3 per cent, the wholesale and retail trade sector 7.2 per cent and the tourism sector 4.6 per cent. The growth rates stressed the flexibility of the economy of Ajman in light of the global economic challenges, as government efforts contributed to the sustainability and the reinforcement of the investment movement and the establishment of businesses across various activities. The report revealed that the annual growth rate of the total fixed capital formation accounted for 2.9 per cent in 2018, with an annual growth rate of 4.9 per cent for the 2014-2018 period. In terms of direct foreign trade, Ajman achieved growth of 6.7 per cent by the end of the year 2018, diversifying its trade partners, the most important of which was the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with 15.5 per cent of the total exports of the emirate, followed by the Republic of Egypt with 12.2 per cent, Kuwait and India with 6.7 per cent for both, and the Russian Federation with 4.1 per cent. Industrial establishments witnessed remarkable activity during the previous period, while licences of industrial establishments were also distributed by the end of 2018, with 14.2 per cent for the production of rubber and plastic products, and 13.6 per cent for the manufacture of metal products and other industrial activities. Investments in the manufacturing industries achieved a growth of 3.1 per cent in 2018. The output of the manufacturing sector in Ajman also grew by 4.2 per cent during the same period, reflecting the importance of the sector and the feasibility of the available investment opportunities. The coronavirus outbreak that originated in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China is reducing demand for flights to and from the country, causing airlines to suspend and issue refunds for previously scheduled service. On Wednesday British Airways said it had temporarily suspended all flights to and from mainland China, revising a prior decision to reduce yet maintain reduced scheduled service. Flights to and from Hong King will continue. We apologise to customers for the inconvenience, but the safety of our customers and crew is always our priority, the company said, adding that the decision was based on advice from UK government and health organisations that recommend only essential travel to China. Customers due to travel to or from China in the coming days can find more information on ba.com. United Airlines (UAL) and Finnair have suspended some flights to China, while other airlines will issue refunds to those with booked flights who no longer wish to travel to the country. Due to a significant decline in demand for travel to China, we are suspending some flights between our hub cities and Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai beginning Feb. 1 through Feb. 8, a United Airlines spokesman said in a statement on Tuesday. We will continue to monitor the situation as it develops and will adjust our schedule as needed. A woman wearing a face mask passes a Public Health England sign, warning passengers arriving on flights into the UK, that a virus, Coronavirus, has been detected in Wuhan in China, at Terminal 4 of London Heathrow Airport in west London on January 28, 2020. (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty Images) United will begin paring westbound flights starting on Feb. 1, and eastbound flights beginning Feb. 2. In total, the airline has cancelled 24 flights between the three Chinese cities and San Francisco, Newark, Washington Dulles, and OHare airports. Finnish airline Finnair became the first airline to suspend service to China, Reuters reported on Tuesday. According to the report, the airline planned to suspend flights to Nanjing and Beijings Daxing airport, through the end of March. The news comes as the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on Tuesday followed an advisory issued Monday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) to avoid all nonessential travel to China. Story continues We are cancelling flights to better match capacity with demand A spokesman for Canadian airline, Air Canada, which operates 33 flights to China, per week, said the company is cancelling select flights "to better match capacity with expected demand." As it continues to monitor the situation, customers who are affected will be notified and provided with alternate travel options. American Airlines (AAL) said it had not adjusted its flight schedule. We are continuing to monitor the situation very closely, a company spokesman said. Delta Air Lines (DAL) also said it had not made any changes to its operating schedule and would continue to monitor the situation. U.S. carriers, Hawaiian Airlines (HA), and Southwest Airlines (LUV), which do not operate flights to or from China, said they had not modified their schedules due to the virus. Hawaiian Airlines said it will permit customers holding tickets with its airline partners that include travel to, from, or through, China through Feb. 16 to cancel for a refund, or reschedule without incurring change fees. Rebooked flights must be scheduled for travel no later than April 19, the company said. In an email, Southwest said the company works closely with the CDC to respond to any outbreaks and follows all CDC recommendations regarding illness response and notification to Customers and Crews. According to the CDC, at the time this story published, cases of coronavirus had been confirmed in four U.S. states Illinois, Washington state, California, and Arizona and internationally in China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Australia, Cambodia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand, The Republic of Korea, and Vietnam. This story was revised to update British Airways decision to temporarily cancel all flights to and from mainland China. Alexis Keenan is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @alexiskweed. READ MORE: Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Reddit. When a patient is diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis or spondyloarthritis, prescribing the correct type of medicine is a case of trial and error. It is simply not possible to predict which medication will work for the individual patient, and it is therefore a matter of trying the different treatment options: glucocorticoids, low dose chemotherapeutic drugs or newer biological drugs. Until now! A new research project from Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark suggest that it is the composition of cells in the joint of the individual patient which determines whether the medicine is effective or not. The researcher behind the study, published in the journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR Open), is medical doctor and PhD Tue Wenzel Kragstrup from the Department of Biomedicine at Aarhus University and the Department of Rheumatology at Aarhus University Hospital. So far, we've examined the effect of nine drugs in three different in vitro models. We can see that the effect of a given drug depends on the cell compositions. This leads us to hope that the immunological cells and inflammatory signaling molecules in the joint of each individual patient will be able to predict the most effective treatment." Tue Wenzel Kragstrup, Department of Biomedicine at Aarhus University The study's in vitro models consist of cell cultures isolated from joint fluids aspirated from the joints of patients with severe arthritis as part of the treatment at Aarhus University Hospital. The researchers then used the diseased cells from the joint fluid to examine the effects of different types of medicine, explains Tue Wenzel Kragstrup's colleague, Ph.D. student Morten Aagaard Nielsen from the Department og Biomedicine, who is first author of the article. "As far as we know, this is the first description of a direct association between the composition of the immune system cells and the effect of medication," Morten Aagaard Nielsen says. Tue Wenzel Kragstrup adds: "The findings are based on the assumption that the cells in the test tube behaving like they would behave in the patient. So of course, the research result must be validated in humans in a larger number of patients," says Tue Wenzel Kragstrup, who concurrent with his biomedical research is in rheumatology specialist training. It was at the hospital while meeting patients racked with pain, that Tue Wenzel Kragstrup got the idea and invented the project. "Today, the first-choice drug has no effect in around one in three patients. So, doctors often have to try several different types of medicine before they find the right one. This is a process that may take years, because a drug typically takes three to four months to be effective," explains Tue Wenzel Kragstrup. "And while we wait, the patients continue to experience swelling and pain - not to mention the permanent damage that can occur in the joints as a result of persistent inflammation," he says. Tue Wenzel Kragstrup hopes that the research results in time can be translated into a simple test - such as a blood test - which can determine the correct medicine for the individual patient. According to Tue Wenzel Kragstrup, this type of individualized treatment could be realized within a decade. Rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and lumbar arthritis - more information: Rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and spondyloarthritis affects approx. two per cent of Denmark's population, often young people, with no known cure. The diseases can be very painful and disabling and may therefore have a major impact on families and working life. Rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and spondyloarthritis are characterized by an over-reaction in the immune system with inflammation of the affected joints. The nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court constituted to hear legal questions relating to entry of women into the Sabarimala temple and other gender-related questions in other religions will sit on February 3 to finalise these after the lawyers tasked with doing this couldnt arrive at a consensus. . Chief Justice of India SA Bobde said this on Thursday after senior advocates Indira Jaising, V Giri, Arvind Datar and Gopal Sankaranarayanan mentioned the matter to his court at 2 pm and said the lawyers could not reach a consensus on the issues to be argued. On November 14, 2019, a five judge bench which heard the Sabarimala review petitions framed seven questions to be answered by the larger bench. This included questions on interplay between the freedom of religion under Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution and other fundamental rights, particularly right to equality under Article 14, the scope of expression morality or constitutional morality and the extent to which the court can enquire into whether a particular practice is an integral part of the religion or religious denomination. However, when the 9-judge constitution bench assembled for hearing on January 13, Chief Justice Bobde asked the parties to reframe the questions that it should consider. A meeting was convened by the Registrar General of the top court on January 17 pursuant to the order of the court but it remained inconclusive. The governments second senior-most law officer, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court on January 28 that the lawyers who attended the January 17 meeting could not arrive at a consensus on the issues and requested the court to finalise the same. Other senior advocates involved in the matter also informed the court on Thursday about their failure to arrive at a common ground. Senior advocate V Giri handed over a document to Chief Justice Bobde containing the issues framed by lawyers. He asked the CJI to take the same into account. CJI Bobde said that the bench will work on it over the weekend and hold a hearing on February 3. The nine judges, the CJI said, would then meet and finalise the issues after taking into account the inputs that they receive in the February 3 hearing. Senior counsel Indira Jaising strongly pitched for delineating issues between lawyers stating that the points of law which each lawyer proposes to argue should be indicated beforehand. It should be clearly indicated which lawyer is arguing which proposition and for which party, Jaising submitted. CJI Bobde concurred with Jaising and said that lawyers would not be permitted to duplicate arguments. One point should be argued only by one counsel. Every counsel will have to inform the court in advance which proposition he/ she is arguing so that there is no duplication, the CJI said. The 9-judge bench of the Supreme Court is expected to reconsider a 65-year-old judgment delivered by it in the Commissioner, Hindu Religious Endowments, Madras v. Shri Lakshmindar Thirtha Swamiyar of Shri Shirur Mutt case. This judgment, delivered in 1954, laid down a test called essential religious practices test which has since served as the basis for courts pronouncing upon issues touching upon religion and religious practices. As per this test, whether a practice is integral to a religion or not should be decided with reference to the doctrines of that religion. A religious denomination or organization, that judgement held, enjoys complete autonomy in the matter of deciding what rites and ceremonies are essential according to the tenets of the religion and no outside authority has any jurisdiction to interfere. The top court in its 2018 judgment struck down Rule 3(b) of the the Kerala Hindu Places of Public Worship (Authorisation of Entry) Rules, 1965,which was the legal basis for barring entry of women between the ages of 10 and 50 into Sabarimala. Subsequently, at least 60 review petitions were filed in Supreme Court challenging the September 2018 verdict. This was heard by a five-judge bench in open court. The verdict, delivered on November 14 last year, framed seven questions to be considered by a larger bench. The review petitions will be decided after the nine-judge bench answers the legal questions referred to it. Thursday, January 30th, 2020 (2:30 pm) - Score 10,097 In a somewhat unsurprising development the Government has again warned UK people that the current guarantee of free mobile phone roaming throughout the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway will end on 1st January 2021, which marks the conclusion of the imminent 11 month Brexit transition period. At present citizens of the European Union benefit from free mobile roaming via the Roam Like At Home regulation. As such anybody choosing to use their Mobile (SIM) to make calls, text or use data (mobile broadband) while roaming around the EU should be able to do so for the same price as they pay their UK operator (i.e. no extra roaming charges); although there are some caveats for data usage above a certain level. One obvious casualty of Brexit was thus always predicted to be free roaming, which could result in UK consumers once again having to face higher charges for using their mobile while travelling around the EU. So far weve seen nothing that would protect this agreement in the current Brexit deal, although its entirely possible that the issue may yet come up as part of the future trade negotiations. Nevertheless for now the UK Governments official guidance seems to serve as more of a warning and the only protection is a legislated cap of 45 on roaming charges (first proposed in 2018), which fails to address the underlying issue. Government Position on Mobile Roaming From 1 January 2021, the guarantee of free mobile phone roaming throughout the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway will end. Check with your phone operator to find out about any roaming charges you might get from 1 January 2021. A new law means that youre protected from getting mobile data charges above 45 without you knowing. Once you reach 45, you need to opt in to spend more so that you can continue using the internet while youre abroad. Your phone operator will tell how you can do this. On the other hand both Vodafone and Three UK have previously committed to retain free EU mobile roaming after Brexit (example), while EE (BT) has previously indicated that they too have no plans to change how they do things (one caveat when an operator says no plans is that such positions can change). Meanwhile its unclear where O2 stands on all this but theyd probably have to follow what their rivals are doing or risk losing customers. Admittedly the issue here is that there would be nothing to stop some EU operators from raising their charges against UK providers. However EU operators would still have to be mindful that EU citizens visiting the UK might also face higher charges, unless existing agreements between operators are retained. Meanwhile some operators, such as Vodafone, are extremely large pan-European companies and so will find it much easier to support free roaming than others, at least in the countries where they already have a presence. A positive case of Novel coronavirus has been detected in Kerala's Thrissur district and the patient kept in an isolation ward while the number of people under observation in the state rose to 1,053 on Thursday as the Left government scrambled to tackle the emergency. The condition of the woman patient, a medical student from Wuhan university, was "stable", state Health minister K K Shailaja told reporters here. The woman, now in an isolation ward at the general hospital in Thrissur, is likely to be shifted to the Medical College Hospital there soon. Health officials were awaiting a result of one more test -- Gene sequencing -- only after which it can be conclusively stated that the patient was affected with the virus, the minister said. Three others, who had returned from China, are also in isolation wards in Thrissur, she said without giving any further details on them. The union Health Ministry earlier in the day said a positive case of Novel coronavirus has been reported from Kerala and confirmed that the patient is a student of Wuhan University. "Of the four students who returned from China, one of them has tested positive. We have taken all precautionary measures and there was no need to panic", Shylaja said. Of the total 1,053 people under observation after travelling to China, as many as 247 arrived in the state on Thursday. While 15 people, including seven who got admitted on Thursday, are under observation in isolation wards at various hospitals across the state, the remaining are under home quarantine, a medical bulletin said. So far, a total of 24 samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for testing and 15 of them turned out to be negative while that of the woman tested positive. Officials are yet to receive the rest of the results, the bulletin said. Asserting that the state health network was capable of handling any emergency, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said: "We have initiated a series of measures to tackle the emergency; contact tracing, case isolation, quality care and community engagement are being done diligently. Care must be taken to not spread rumours over social media," he tweeted. It was unfortunate that there was a confirmation of coronavirus in the state, but the state had earlier faced similar situations and has the experience to deal with it, he told reporters. "We have that experience and well equipped to face this issue. Now one case has been confirmed. We are taking further steps. Its seems like one more test needs to be done.There is no need to panic but we need to stay vigilant," Vijayan added. Shailaja said even though the state has been vigilant since the past two weeks and has made necessary arrangements to deal with the situation, there is need to exercise utmost caution. "We need to be very cautious as our neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka, Nepal have confirmed cases of corornavirus," the minister said. She urged those who have returned from China to approach the health ministry or hospitals and get themselves checked. The Health minister and officials have rushed to Thrissur, where a high-level meeting is being convened to upgrade facilities at the medical college there to handle the situation. Shailaja later tweeted:"We have survived the Floods and Nipah. We will survive Corona too. #we_shall_overcome". Kerala was devastated by two consecutive floods in 2018 when over 480 people had lost their lives and last year over 100 people had died of landslides triggered by torrential rains. Nipah virus had claimed 17 lives in 2018. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Saudi Arabia's futuristic $500-billion new city Neom has signed an agreement with the UK-based Solar Water Limited for the construction of the first desalination plant with 'Solar Dome' technology in the city. The pilot project promises to revolutionise the water desalination process, helping solve one of the worlds most pressing problems access to fresh water, said a statement from Neom. This comes as part of Neom's plans to deploy pioneering solar technology to produce clean, low-cost, environmentally friendly fresh water. Work on the first solar dome will begin in February and is expected to be completed by the end of 2020, said the statement. At an estimated $0.34/cu m, the cost of producing water via solar dome technology will be significantly lower than desalination plants using reverse osmosis methods, it stated. The technology will also significantly reduce the impact on the environment by producing more concentrated brine, a potentially harmful byproduct of the water extraction process, it added. Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al Fadli said: "Neoms adoption of this pilot supports Saudi Arabias sustainability goals, as outlined in the countrys National Water Strategy 2030, and is fully aligned with the sustainable development goals set out by the United Nations." Commenting on the project, CEO Nadhmi Al Nasr said easy access to abundant seawater and fully renewable energy resources means Neom is perfectly placed to produce low cost, sustainable fresh water through solar desalination. "This type of technology is a powerful reminder of our commitment to supporting innovation, championing environmental conservation and delivering exceptional livability. Working together with the Ministry of Environment we can expand the implementation of this technology beyond Neom," he added. Solar Waters ground-breaking approach, developed at the UKs Cranfield University, represents the first use, on a large scale, of concentrating solar power (CSP) technology in seawater desalination. The process sees seawater pumped into a hydrological solar dome made from glass and steel, before it is superheated, evaporated and eventually precipitated as fresh water, explained Al Nasr. The solar dome desalination process, which can also operate at night due to the stored solar energy generated throughout the day, will reduce the total amount of brine that is created during the water extraction process. Typically, the high salt concentration in brine makes it more difficult and expensive to process. The solar dome process helps prevent any damage to marine life as no brine is discharged into the sea, said the top official. With over one billion people around the world lacking access to clean water every day, Neoms solar desalination project will serve as a test case for other water scarce countries that are struggling to generate environmentally safe and sustainable sources of fresh water, he added. Gavin van Tonder, head of water at Neom, said: "We are really excited by the prospect of bringing cutting edge water technology and fresh industry thinking to Neom. By using solar dome desalination techniques, we can build a highly effective, efficient water utility that is both future oriented and environmentally responsible." Solar Water CEO David Reavley said: "Currently, thousands of desalination plants around the world are heavily reliant on burning fossil fuels to extract water, poisoning our oceans in the process with excess brine." "Our game changing desalination technology is 100 per cent carbon neutral and entirely sustainable. In Neom, we have found a partner who has a strong vision of what a New Future looks like in harmony with nature," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Lithium and cobalt: the two components of a rechargeable battery that have spurred a research and development rush may eventually meet their match in the future, in a simple element available in abundance in seawater. Sodium, unlike lithium is widely available everywhere there is saltwater. And since saltwater makes up the bulk of the Earths surface, its safe to say that it is quite abundant and easy to access. It also has properties that make it an excellent substitute for the lithium in batteries. The challenge, however, is the electrodes. For this type of battery, better electrodes would be necessary. A research team from the University of Southern Denmark is currently working on new electrodes that are made of iron, phosphorus, and manganese. According to the lead researcher, USD associate professor Dorthe Bomholdt Ravnsbk, manganese is the key element. Thanks to it, the sodium ion battery that her team is developing has higher voltage and a greater energy storage capacity. The Danish team is working in partnership with the University of Technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to address two of the problems associated with the now dominant lithium ion technology. One of these, of course, is the relative scarcity of lithium supply and, more than that, the fact that the worlds reserves of the metal are concentrated in just a handful of places. There used to be talk of a lithium shortage a couple of years ago that caused prices to shoot up, but the rally ended when it became clear that EV sales had not yet lived up to the hype. But now, lithium prices are on the rise again not least because of ambitious EU plans for cutting emissions by encouraging EV manufacturing. Related: Could Oil Prices Fall Below $50? The other problem is cobalt. Here, the problem is more moral: the bulk of the worlds supply of cobalt is located in the Democratic Republic of Congo where human rights violations are rife. In addition to the ethical concerns, this concentration of cobalt makes it more expensive. The sodium ion battery that Bomholdt Ravnsbk and her colleagues are working on does not use cobalt at all, so this will be one problem that is instantly solved. Another fact that makes sodium-ion batteries a serious contender is that they can be produced at any factory that also produces lithium ion batteries. It wont make much difference for troubled European carmakers that are now trying to tackle a battery shortage because they rely entirely on imported batteries, but it could make a transition from lithium ion to sodium ion batteries easier and cheaper. There are, of course, drawbacks as there are with every technology. For now, it is difficult to fit the sodium ion battery into a small space, so it will be a while before sodium ion batteries replace the lithium ion batteries of smartphones. Yet they can be made into large batteries and used for energy storage: a growing field of interest for battery researchers. Some sodium batteries are also prone to breaking because their cathode swells and shrinks during charging and recharging, and, more importantly, they have lower energy density than lithium ion equivalents because of the larger size of the sodium atoms. Yet size does not always matter; more and more solar and wind energy tenders require the bidders to include energy storage in their offers. A cheaper but comparably efficient battery than lithium ion ones could be instrumental in bringing down the costs of solar and wind installations with storage. Bomholdt Ravnsbk and her team are currently working on shortening the charging times of their sodium ion battery and extending its life. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Attention Pennsylvania Game Commission: I could say I told you so, well I guess I just did. I have been a licensed Pennsylvania hunter for 38 years. I feel that makes me a stockholder in your organization it definitely makes me a CUSTOMER. I have been a small business owner for 17 years, a member of a Pennsylvania hunting camp for 30 years. I have to tell you that you gutted so much deer season tradition, and waylaid oh so many small town businesses last year, that it makes me sick. Documented numbers, FACTS: like 65 percent of hunters surveyed, and 81 percent of those commenting, jump off the page at me!! The lost days of sales at my small business hurt, and I cant make them up anywhere. But if I IGNORED 65-81 percent of my customers and what they wanted, I would not have a business at all. BACK TO MONDAY! Put the Sunday in the middle or at the end if you must, and please dont further foul up Bear Camp with a Sunday. Give a long weekend to spring gobbler hunters or kids, perhaps? Thank you for listening. I sincerely hope that you actually are. Rob Storch, Troy, Bradford County [January 30, 2020] Molex Highlights Future-Ready Infrastructure and CoreSync IoT Network Platform at 2020 BICSI Winter Show Molex will showcase its Future-Ready Infrastructure and CoreSync Integrated Building Platform at the 2020 BICSI (News - Alert) Winter Conference & Exhibition in booth 120. Held from February 9-13 at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida, the annual show is for cabling design and installation professionals in the information and communications technology (ICT) community. "Molex (News - Alert) and our global network of certified installers are uniquely able to respond to business demands for digital transformation in 2020. Molex's future-ready infrastructure is a foundation for delivering smart buildings, high performance data centers, 5G and Industry 4.0. We are pleased to show BICSI attendees the Molex end-to-end solution, including our globally-recognized shuttered work area jacks, premise copper and fiber solutions, enterprise jetted fiber and CoreSync platform." said Jon Norton, Molex CES (News - Alert) President and General Manager. A pioneer of structured cabling and high-speed data technologies, Molex manufactures a comprehensive portfolio of copper and fiber structured cabling solutions. Molex has more than three decades of experience providing enterprise network solutions and supporting IP convergence for some of the largest organizations in the world. In booth 120, Molex industry experts will showcase structured cabling designed to enable networking infrastructure with maximum performance, efficiency and reliability. Molex network infrastructure delivers power-saving IP connectivity to native digital devices and legacy systems, optimized for high-speed data transmission and premise edge networking. Molex will also highlight resilient PoE distributed networks offering high availability for power, uninterrupted service and lower operating expenses. Molex solutions for Power over Ethernet (PoE) distributed networks deliver electrical power and signals over low-voltage category cabling to various edpoints, including LED lighting, HVAC controls, cameras and other local networked devices. High-speed structured cabling solutions support all leading equipment vendors and networking protocols, and are backed by a 25-year warranty when installed as a certified system by a certified Molex installer. Integrating field-proven cabling and wireless technologies, the Molex CoreSync platform delivers a unique, cost-effective infrastructure incorporating distributed sensors to drive real-time energy usage reporting, room occupancy, light status and environmental monitoring. The ability to migrate lighting and other disparate building systems, like meeting room management, audio-visual, powered shades, and emergency notifications to an orchestrated IP-based infrastructure creates business value and an asset for building developers and enterprises. Molex offers a 10-year warranty on CoreSync systems, when designed and installed by a Molex CoreSync certified company. For more information please visit Molex booth 120 during BICSI exhibition hours or visit: https://experience.molex.com/electronic-solutions/bicsi/. About Molex: Molex brings together innovation and technology to deliver electronic solutions to customers worldwide. With a presence in more than 40 countries, Molex offers a full suite of solutions and services for many markets, including data communications, consumer electronics, medical, industrial, automotive. For more information, please visit www.molex.com. Molex Resources: Learn more about Molex at www.molex.com Follow us at www.twitter.com/molexconnectors Watch our videos at www.youtube.com/molexconnectors Connect with us at www.facebook.com/molexconnectors Read our blog at www.connector.com Molex is a registered trademark of Molex, LLC in the United States of America and may be registered in other countries; all other trademarks listed herein belong to their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005123/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] One wonders if the airline (IndiGo) would have shown the same level of alacrity in slapping a three-month flying ban on stand-up comic Kunal Kamra (pictured) had he targeted the likes of Ravish Kumar of NDTV or Rajdeep Sardesai of India Today instead of heckling TV anchor Arnab Goswami. This is not to defend or condone the uncivilised behaviour of this comedian on board the flight. However, imposition of a ban for three months is in flagrant violations of the rules framed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation under which a person can be placed on a no-fly list by an ... A Briton who lives in coronavirus-hit Wuhan with his young family has said he will not use a repatriation flight because officials could not confirmed whether his four-year-old daughter would be allowed to board. Chris Hill, a 38-year-old British citizen who lives in the Chinese city, slammed the "bad planning" by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office over its evacuation flight to the UK. In an email letter to those boarding the flight, the Foreign Office said it could not guarantee dual nationals would be allowed to travel as this "was in the hands of the Chinese authorities." Mr Hills young daughter Renee is a Chinese national and the FCO could not say if she would be allowed on the flight. Chris Hill has said he will not board a repatriation flight from Wuhan / PA He said: I told them immediately, I said Oh OK so you cannot confirm in any way that they could travel with me, and they said Were trying our best but we cant guarantee anything, so I said No, Im not going. With the current situation and the way the FCO is handling the diplomatic side of things, Im just losing faith. Mr Hill, originally from Washington, Sunderland, added that he could not consider leaving his daughter or wife. He said: Family is family. Would you be willing to give up your leg for it to save you, or would you give up your leg to just get out of an area? If they allowed my daughter to go with me, it would mean that I would have to take my daughter to England but leave her mother in Wuhan. Coronavirus: The confirmed cases around the world He added that his daughter had some understanding of the situation and did not want her father to leave. Mr Hill also criticised the planning of the repatriation flight as he was told to be at the airport just minutes before the deadline imposed by the FCO. He said: I actually got an email from the FCO about the flight as well, they said that you have to be at the meeting point by 11pm (3pm GMT) but I received the email at seven minutes to 11. I live about 45 minutes away from the airport and Wuhan has a complete traffic ban. 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 Theres no cars, theres no taxis, anything, and the FCO say, Oh well pick you up from Wuhan Tianhe airport but you have to make your own way there. That gives me a very bad taste in my mouth. Its just bad planning. The Foreign Office said in an email to those who would be boarding the flight that they should go to Tianhe Airport Expressway Toll Gate by no later than 1am local time on Friday. You must report to the assembly point for an initial health screening by the Chinese authorities and an initial registration check, the email says. Before boarding, you will be required by the UK health authorities to sign a form consenting to 14 days supported isolation in the UK on your return here. Buses will be provided to take passengers from the muster point to the Emergency Handling Centre (EHC), in the airport, where UK passport checks and medical screening will take place. We cannot guarantee that dual nationals will be allowed to travel: this is in the hands of the Chinese authorities. They have also been clear that we cannot add additional passengers to the flight manifest at this point. Flights had been due to leave at 5am (9pm GMT) local time on Friday but was now due to depart at 7am (11pm GMT) instead. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told Sky News Chinese authorities had confirmed the flight would land at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on Friday at around 10.45am. Around 150 Britons expected to be on the flight will be quarantined for two weeks in a facility on the Wirral. The Election Commission on Thursday barred Union Minister Anurag Thakur from campaigning in the Delhi Assembly polls for three days and BJP MP Parvesh Verma for four days for their controversial remarks. An EC official said the decision was taken as the poll panel was not satisfied with their reply to the show-cause notices. West Delhi MP Verma on Tuesday said what happened in Kashmir with Kashmiri Pandits could happen in Delhi, warning that lakhs of anti-CAA protesters in Shaheen Bagh could enter homes to rape and kill women. During an election rally here, Thakur egged on the crowd to raise an incendiary slogan -- "shoot the traitors" -- after he lashed out at anti-CAA protesters. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 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. By Jun Ji-hye Korean Air said Thursday that its new loyalty program reflects global standards and claims it will offer more benefits to customers compared to foreign carriers amid growing complaints from customers over the firm's plans to revise its SKYPASS membership reward program. The national flag carrier recently created "The New SKYPASS Fact Check" section on its homepage to deliver more accurate information to customers and resolve their complaints. Customer complaints have been flooding in since the air carrier announced plans to revise its loyalty program, Dec. 13, saying it will change how mileage points are accrued and utilized. Customers have claimed most of the changes will disadvantage economy passengers and only benefit first-class and business-class passengers. They also said the changes will charge more mileage points for bonus seats on long-haul flights. The air carrier said, however, that it has reflected international standards in drawing up plans to revise the loyalty program. "We have reviewed various factors such as airfare and situations of other air carriers to create a better loyalty program compared to those of foreign carriers," a Korean Air official said, claiming that the complaints seemed to only highlight negative aspects of the revised plans. The company provided details of mileage programs run by foreign carriers on its homepage in a bid to help its customers better understand its new loyalty program. The firm stressed that its mileage program offers reasonable benefits for customers, citing an example that it offers higher mileage accrual rates for economy-class passengers compared to foreign carriers. Korean Air noted it marks the first time for the company to change its loyalty program in nearly two decades, adding that there have been considerable changes in the industry's environment and trends. Hyderabad: The citys green brigade has urged Telangana High Court to intervene and stop systemic destruction of the Musi River. In a prayer to the court, they have pointed out that there has been dereliction of duty on part of officials and public representatives in this regard. There are wilful omissions in maps of the land along the Musi banks, which are being encroached upon by vested interests. In a letter, authored by members of a civic group called Save Our Urban Lakes (SOUL), the greens said: We urge your august office to take urgent cognisance of our representation and direct Government of Telangana to immediately stop the ongoing landfill @ 1722'57.38"N 7829'55.08"E. Please proceed against officials and public representatives of the area for dereliction of duty and wilful omissions and commissions against their bounden duty of protecting the Musi River. The letter cited a Supreme Court order of 2001 that said: The government, including revenue authorities (i.e. Respondents 11 to 13), having noticed that a pond is falling in disuse, should have bestowed their attention to developing the same. This would on one hand have prevented ecological disaster and, on the other, provided a better environment for the benefit of public at large. Such vigil is the best protection against knavish attempts to seek allotment in non-abadi sites. Further, it will also help in maintaining ecological balance and protecting the environment in regard to which this court has repeatedly expressed its concern. Such measures must begin at the grass-root level if they are to become the nations pride. Mitsubishi Motors Corp said on Thursday there was no reason to believe it had committed fraud as suspected in a German investigation into the Japanese automaker over illegal emissions defeating devices used in its diesel vehicles. In a statement, Mitsubishi, said that the 1.6 litre diesel engines subject to the investigation, including its control system, were manufactured by France's PSA Group . The Japanese carmaker is the latest manufacturer to be investigated on suspicion of hiding illegal levels of pollution following a regulatory clampdown on toxic fumes triggered by Volkswagen's 2015 admission that it had cheated emissions tests. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 22:46:41|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Palestinian protesters run to take cover from tear gas canisters fired by Israeli soldiers after a protest against the U.S. Middle East peace plan, at Beit El checkpoint in northern of the West Bank city of Ramallah, Jan. 30, 2020. (Photo by Ayman Nobani/Xinhua) RAMALLAH, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Scores of Palestinians on Thursday protested in the West Bank against the newly unveiled U.S. Middle East peace plan known as the Deal of the Century. In the city of Ramallah, dozens joined a march toward the city's northern entrance, where they clashed with the Israeli soldiers manning a checkpoint for a Jewish settlement. Similar protests took place in al-Arroub refugee camp and the town of Sa'ir north of Hebron city. Medical sources said at least 18 were injured by rubber bullets and tear gas fired by Israeli soldiers to disperse the protesters. The protests and rallies came in response to a call by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party. Under the plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, Washington would recognize Israeli settlements on the occupied West Bank, while Israel would agree to a four-year freeze on new settlement activities during the negotiations over the parameters of the Palestinian statehood. The U.S. plan envisages Abu Dis, a neighborhood on the outskirts of Jerusalem, as the proposed Palestinian capital, and offers Palestinians "conditional, limited sovereignty." 2.2k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Joe Biden is rolling through Iowa and lighting up Trump as a Putin Puppet before the presidents rally in the Hawkeye State. Joe Biden Takes On Trump In Iowa Biden said: Health care. Climate. Guns. National Security. All these issues and more are on the ballot. But something else is on the ballot. Something even more important. Character is on the ballot. Americas character. I dont believe were the dark, angry nation we see in Donald Trumps tweets. I dont believe were a nation that rips babies out of their mothers arms. I dont believe were a nation that builds walls and whips up hysteria over immigrant invasions. I dont believe were a nation that embraces white supremacists and hate groups. I dont believe were a nation that defers to Vladimir Putin. Video: .@JoeBiden in Waukee ahead of @realDonaldTrumps Des Moines visit: The character of the nation is on the ballot. I do not believe were the dark, angry nation that Donald Trump sees in his tweets in the middle of the night. pic.twitter.com/77NvN2vJ7b Iowa Starting Line (@IAStartingLine) January 30, 2020 Anyone who tells you that they know who is going to win Iowa is lying. Biden, Sanders, Warren, or Buttigieg all of have a chance to win on Monday night. Iowa is built for Bernie Sanders and the experience of running in 2016 should help him on Monday, but the Democratic primary is so much more than Iowa and New Hampshire. Biden is the only candidate who is making a consistent argument on the issue that voters care most about, and that is beating Donald Trump. Trump is coming to Iowa in an effort to upstage the Iowa caucus, but Biden met him at the door with a stinging attack on a president who appeals to the worst in the American nature and acts like he is owned by Putin. The Boeing Company has reported a 2019 fourth-quarter revenue of $17.9 billion as against $28.3 billion revenue during the corresponding period of 2018, a decline of 37 per cent, primarily reflecting the impacts of the 737 MAX grounding. "We recognize we have a lot of work to do," said Boeing President and Chief Executive Officer David Calhoun. "We are focused on returning the 737 MAX to service safely and restoring the long-standing trust that the Boeing brand represents with the flying public. We are committed to transparency and excellence in everything we do. Safety will underwrite every decision, every action and every step we take as we move forward. Fortunately, the strength of our overall Boeing portfolio of businesses provides the financial liquidity to follow a thorough and disciplined recovery process, he added. Commercial Airplanes fourth-quarter revenue was $7.5 billion and fourth-quarter operating margin decreased to (38.1) percent reflecting lower 737 deliveries and an additional pre-tax charge of $2.6 billion related to estimated potential concessions and other considerations to customers related to the 737 MAX grounding, Boeing said in a statement on its website. The estimated costs to produce 737 aircraft included in the accounting quantity increased by $2.6 billion during the quarter, primarily to reflect updated production and delivery assumptions. In addition, the suspension of 737 MAX production and a gradual resumption of production at low production rates will result in approximately $4 billion of abnormal production costs that will be expensed as incurred, primarily in 2020, the statement said. Commercial Airplanes delivered 79 airplanes during the quarter, including 45 787's, and captured orders for 30 737 MAX aircraft at the Dubai Air Show and 2 777 freighters for Lufthansa. The 787 program also booked 36 net orders in the quarter. The 787 production rate will be reduced from the current rate of 14 airplanes per month to 12 airplanes per month in late 2020. Based on the current environment and near-term market outlook, the production rate is expected to be further adjusted to 10 airplanes per month in early 2021, and return to 12 airplanes per month in 2023. The first flight of the 777X was completed on January 25, and first delivery is targeted for 2021. Commercial Airplanes backlog included over 5,400 airplanes valued at $377 billion. TradeArabia News Service A joint motion, combining five different resolutions tabled by Members of the European Parliament against India's Citizenship Amendment Act, was debated at the Plenary session in Brussels, with an expected vote on the motion on Thursday postponed until March. The debate opened with a statement by Helena Dalli, the Vice-President of the European Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who spoke strongly in favour of the "rich, frank and open" relationship the European Union (EU) shares with India. She highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Brussels in March for the 15th India-EU Summit. "We believe that it is the role of the Supreme Court of India to assess the compliance of the law with the Constitution and we are confident that the ongoing judicial process will contribute to appeasing the tensions and violence witnessed over the past weeks in the country," said Dalli, who concluded the debate with a message to "pursue and intensify" dialogue with India as a "respected democracy" and valued EU partner. Two Indian-origin MEPs, Dinesh Dhamija and Neena Gill, were among a host of members who spoke up in India's favour to point out elements of "disinformation" around the CAA and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) within the parliamentary motion. Thierry Mariani, a French MEP, alluded to the "hand of Pakistan" in the motion being tabled, while others condemned it as meddling in another country's internal affairs. Pakistan-origin MEP Shaffaq Mohammed and others such as S&D's John Howarth and VERTS/ALE's Scott Ainslie described the CAA as a "highly discriminatory" legislation and alleged that the EU had crumbled in the face of India's diplomatic lobby and prioritised trade and business interests over human rights concerns by postponing a vote on the motion. "The only lobby that has won today is that of common sense and respect," countered ECR's Polish MEP Ryszard Czarnecki. Earlier, the European Parliament had announced that the vote on the motion would be postponed to the Plenary session in March. "Following a decision by MEPs at the opening of Wednesday Plenary session in Brussels, the vote on the resolution on India's Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) 2019 has been postponed to the March session," said a statement from the European Parliament. One of the groups behind the motion, the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament (S&D), said the reason for the postponement was because the CAA was undergoing a legal process in India. "As the Supreme Court in India will rule in the coming days linked to this issue and, as such, the law may be adapted, it was considered better to vote on the resolution in the European Parliament when there is full clarity on the situation," a spokesperson said. However, another group GUE/NGL, objected to the postponement, saying they "disagreed" with the delay. Meanwhile, the government sources in Delhi claimed a diplomatic victory over the vote delay and said friends of India prevailed over those of Pakistan in the European Parliament. "Strenuous efforts of outgoing British MEP Shaffaq Mohammad to have a resolution passed by the European Parliament against India on the penultimate day before Brexit were defeated," a source said. The motion takes note of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) statement last month, which described the CAA as "fundamentally discriminatory in nature", and also of other UN as well as the European Union (EU) guidelines on human rights as it calls on the Indian government to "repeal the discriminatory amendments". The debate on CAA on Wednesday followed the European Parliament's historic ratification of the Brexit bill, under which the UK is set to formally leave the economic bloc on Friday. "While the CAA's stated goal of protecting persecuted groups is welcome, an effective national asylum and refugee policy should be just and holistic in nature and apply to all those in need," notes the motion, which describes the CAA as "discriminatory in nature and dangerously divisive". The Indian government has maintained that the CAA, which was passed by the Indian Parliament last month, is an internal matter of the country and stressed that the goal is to protect the oppressed minorities of neighbouring countries. It has been extremely critical of the move in Brussels, which the European Commission the executive arm of the economic bloc has sought to distance itself from. "As members of Inter Parliamentary Union, we should respect sovereign processes of fellow legislatures, especially in democracies," Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday wrote to European Parliament President David Maria Sassoli. The European Parliament motion is critical of any protection being denied to Muslims and that even though India also shares a border with Bhutan, Burma, Nepal and Sri Lanka, the CAA does not bring Sri Lankan Tamils under its purview, who form the largest refugee group in India and who have been resident in the country for over 30 years. "Amnesty International India has pointed out that the CAA does not bring under its purview other persecuted minorities, including Muslim populations such as the Rohingya in Burma, Ahmadis in Pakistan, Hazaras in Afghanistan and Bihari Muslims in Bangladesh," it notes. REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Teachers are at the heart of Summit Learning classrooms, and mentoring is an essential part of the Summit Learning experience. To date this school year, teachers, school staff, and students have held more than 3.8 million minutes of in-person mentoring within the Summit Learning programthe equivalent of watching more than 31,600 two-hour movies. More than 80,000 students are enrolled in the Summit Learning program, which is designed so that each student meets regularly with a teacher or other adult in the school who serves as a resource for that student's academic, mental, social, and overall development. This mentoring model provides individualized support to students and creates a deeper connection to the school communityinspiring students to achieve their own success. To celebrate National Mentoring Month, we're looking back at how Summit Learning assists great teachers in developing strong mentoring relationships with students and helps foster student collaboration. Traci McCullough, a teacher at Chicago International Charter Schools (CICS) Bucktown, Managed by Distinctive Schools , which is participating in Summit Learning, says that the opportunity to mentor her students is invaluable. "I genuinely believe that as educators, you are to teach the whole child. I had a student who was excelling in all of her classes, but was not happy. Making friends and communicating with peers and teachers was a struggle. This student is quiet, well behaved, and very bright; she is a student who would fall between the cracks. I was aware of her struggle, because I had the opportunity to be her mentor," said McCullough. More stories and teacher-student mentoring experiences are available on the Summit Learning website. The Summit Learning program fosters richer, more meaningful relationships between teachers and students and students and their peers. The technology which supports the program, the Summit Learning Platform, helps empower teachers to enhance the quality of student-teacher interactions by helping teachers develop a more holistic perspective of how students are doing across classes, support student learning, as well as receive input from students on what they want to talk about in advance of one-on-one mentoring sessions. "Teachers say that mentoring is often the most powerful part of Summit Learning because it gives them the opportunity to develop strong, trusting relationships with students. Mentoring also helps students develop the habits of effective learners, including goal-setting, help-seeking, and reflection," said Andrew Goldin, Executive Director of T.L.P. Education, which runs the Summit Learning program. "Over the past five years, we have worked with hundreds of schools to implement high-quality mentoring, demonstrating that this strategy can be effective in a wide variety of education settings." CZI Head of Education Sandra Liu Huang says that the Summit Learning Platform was designed and developed with supporting deeper relationships between teachers and students in mind, "Our work in education provides teachers with the tools and resources so they can ensure every student can get an education that's tailored to their unique academic and developmental needs. As part of this work, we are proud to have partnered with educators to build tools into the Summit Learning Platform to help them to more deeply engage students in mentoring sessions." Teachers are at the heart of Summit Learning classroom, leading collaborative projects, developing deep relationships with students, and inspiring students to achieve their own success. Since the launch of the mentoring check-in feature during the 2018-19 school year, Summit Learning students have received over 8.9 million minutes of mentoring. The value of students being mentored by trusted adults is clear, and Summit Learning also encourages student collaboration and informal mentoring. A student collaboration feature on the Summit Learning platform uses technology to encourage students to connect in person with peers who can offer help on challenging assignments. Since implementing this feature on the Summit Learning platform, more than 88,000 students have provided help to their peers. Read about other ways that Summit Learning fosters strong relationships between teachers and students by visiting the Summit Learning website . About Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Founded by Dr. Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg in 2015, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) is a new kind of philanthropy that's leveraging technology to help solve some of the world's toughest challengesfrom eradicating disease, to improving education, to reforming the criminal justice system. Across three core Initiative focus areas of Science, Education, and Justice & Opportunity, we're pairing engineering with grant-making, impact investing, and policy and advocacy work to help build an inclusive, just and healthy future for everyone. For more information, please visit www.chanzuckerberg.com . About Summit Learning Summit Learning is managed by T.L.P. Education, a nonprofit organization guided by the vision that all educators should be empowered to meet the needs of all of their students. Working with Teachers, Learners, and education Partners, T.L.P. Education provides knowledge, tools, and training to schools across the country through the Summit Learning Program. Together, we are helping educators achieve their goals, students realize their full potential, and schools serve their diverse communities. Learn more at https://www.summitlearning.org/about-us. SOURCE Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Related Links https://www.chanzuckerberg.com [January 30, 2020] Philanthropy Takes Center Stage at Red River's Achieve 2020 Conference Red River, a technology transformation company, announced today the philanthropic highlights from Achieve 2020, the company's annual meeting held this year in San Antonio, Texas. They included naming the recipient of the PTC Hero Award, the establishment of the Jeff Sessions Memorial Scholarship and the completion of Red River's day-long Community Service Project. PTC Hero Award: Highlighting philanthropy as a core Red River value, the Red River Charitable Foundation (RRCF) established the PTC Hero Award to honor those who go above and beyond to significantly impact the lives of others on a day-to-day basis. At Achieve 2020, RRCF awarded its latest PTC Hero Award to Theresa Hart, founder of Newby-ginnings (www.newbyginnings.org), which provides basic necessities and essential household items to veterans, active military and families, at no cost. Theresa Hart is the third winner of the annual Award. Past winners include Bethie Coverdale and Grace Choi. Jeff Sessions Memorial Scholarship: At Achieve 2020, Red River also formally launched the Jeff Sessions Memorial Scholarship. The Scholarship will benefit veterans pursuing technology careers. It was established to honor the life and contributions of Jeff Sessions, Red Rver's late CEO. The Jeff Sessions Memorial Scholarship is managed by RRCF, which will begin accepting Scholarship applications in early March 2020. You can learn more about the Jeff Sessions Memorial scholarship at www.redrivercharitablefoundation.com. Community Service Project: Achieve 2020 also witnessed Red River's day-long community service project at SJRC (www.sjrctexas.org). SJRC is an organization that helps Texas children who have been affected by trauma, abuse and neglect. More than 500 Red River employees and partners improved SJRC facilities at two locations, including laying new flooring, building new beds, and creating therapeutic outdoor spaces. "Through programs and events such as our annual Community Service Project, the PTC Hero Award, and the Jeff Sessions Memorial Scholarship, Red River continues to make a lasting impact on communities all across the country," said Dan McGee (News - Alert), COO for Red River. "These efforts clearly demonstrate that Red River's company culture reaches far beyond our bottom line. It was nothing short of inspiring to see the compassion and caring that Red River employees and partners were able to express to SJRC in San Antonio, and it was heart-warming to see how much of that was reflected back to us by those we helped." 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/20200130005603/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has announced the debut of its La Quinta by Wyndham flag in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Eurasia and Africa) market with the opening of the 404-room La Quinta by Wyndham Istanbul Gunesli, bringing the brand to travellers outside of the Americas for the first time. La Quinta by Wyndham is a leading upper-midscale brand at over 900 hotels across North and Latin America, offering contemporary design, thoughtful amenities and friendly service. Wyndham acquired La Quintas hotel franchise and hotel management businesses in 2018, further building upon the Companys diverse family of hotel brands and offerings around the world. Upon acquiring the brand, Wyndham outlined strategic plans to introduce La Quinta to key markets around the world, offering a trusted upper-midscale option to both hotel developers and travellers. Its EMEA debut in Istanbul demonstrates that commitment, and is the latest development in the brands international growth trajectory. In 2019, Wyndham announced plans to enter the Caribbean market by opening eight hotels across the Dominican Republic within five years, and it grew La Quintas footprint in Mexico and Chile in 2018 with newly constructed hotels in Leon and Santiago. La Quinta by Wyndham Istanbul Gunesli is one of the latest additions to Wyndham Hotels & Resorts presence in Turkey, where the company is the largest international hotel group with over 80 hotels all across the country. As the country aims to attract 58 million visitors in 2020 alone, the addition of La Quinta further complements Wyndhams brand offering in the market and marks another step in the companys quest to suit the need of any type of traveller. Dimitris Manikis, president and managing director for EMEA, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, said: We are thrilled to welcome La Quinta and its long-standing reputation for delivering quality, reliability and a great guest experience to the EMEA region, further expanding our offering of brands in such an important market like Turkey. When La Quinta joined the Wyndham family we saw tremendous opportunity to grow the brand internationally. With a record of over 13 million international visitors in 2018 alone and an incredible variety of historical, cultural and business sites, Istanbul is one of the worlds most attractive cities for travel, making it the perfect fit for La Quintas European debut. With easy access to Istanbul International Airport and the citys Expo Centre, La Quinta by Wyndham Istanbul Gunesli offers 404 guest rooms and a wide range of facilities including three restaurants, a fitness centre with sauna, Turkish bath, Jacuzzi, steam room and indoor heated pool. The hotel also includes over 1,500-sq-m of meeting space, comprised of eight meeting rooms and one ballroom, catering to both leisure and business travel. The opening of La Quinta by Wyndham Istanbul Gunesli further widens Wyndham Hotels & Resorts brand offering in Turkey, including Ramada and Ramada Encore by Wyndham, Wyndham, Wyndham Grand, as well as TRYP and Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham. Other Wyndham Hotels & Resorts recent openings in Turkey include Tryp by Wyndham Istanbul Topkapi, Ramada Encore by Wyndham Istanbul Basin Express, Wyndham Grand Kayseri, Wyndham Cerkezkoy, as well as Ramada by Wyndham hotels in Van and Mardin. La Quinta hotels around the world participate in Wyndham Rewards, the companys award-winning loyalty programme giving more than 79 million members globally a generous points-earning and redemption structure. - TradeArabia News Service NEW HAVEN A Hamden man was sentenced to more than three years in prison Wednesday for supplying heroin and cocaine to an alleged drug trafficking operation run by the Island Brothers street gang. Jeffrey Brazier, 50, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess and distribute crack cocaine, cocaine and heroin in November, according to judicial records. He was arrested in connection with Operation Fantasy Island in July. The total sentence imposed was 46 months in prison. According to a sentencing memorandum from prosecutors, Brazier was recorded speaking with Samuel Galberth, the alleged head of the Island Brothers drug trafficking operation, and Tommy Julius, an alleged close associate of Galberths, to set up drug transactions on multiple occasions. Police had tapped Galberth and Julius phones, as well as those of others associated with the groups, after investigators arranged for controlled purchases of narcotics from both men in early 2019, according to the prosecutors memo. Federal prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed Brazier proffered between 28 grams and 112 grams of crack cocaine, between one and three kilograms of cocaine and an unspecified quantity of heroin to the Island Brothers group, according to their respective sentencing memorandums. Both parties also agreed that sentencing guidelines that recommended that Brazier serve a sentence of 46 to 57 months in prison as a result. Prosecutors advocated that Judge Robert N. Chatigny impose a sentence of 57 months. As rationale, they noted that Brazier was previously arrested on multiple occasions, which demonstrated his respect for the law would not change dramatically, and said that, while he was not suspected of violence, he trafficked a significant quantity of drugs, which in itself destroys communities and perpetuates violence, even if not directly. More News Massive New Haven drug bust results in 25 arrests In light of these factors, the Government submits that a sentence at the top of the applicable Guideline range would be sufficient, but not greater than necessary to reflect the seriousness of the offense, promote respect for the law and provide just punishment for the offense, as well as, importantly, to deter future criminal conduct and to protect the community from future crimes by the defendant, prosecutors said in their memo. Defense attorney Andrew Marchant-Shapiro argued in his memo that Brazier should receive a sentence at the low end of the range, as he had readily accepted responsibility for a small, non-violent role in the conspiracy. He noted that Braziers phone calls with Galberth and Julius were infrequent, and that those with Frank Carr, another alleged supplier of cocaine, often were made to discuss other concerns, such as family members, cookouts, cars and car problems, funerals, and so forth. Marchant-Shapiro also said that Brazier is, at his core, a good person a loving father and son, a caretaker for his grandmother, a man of even temper who had made bad choices, spurred along, in part, by the winnowing of possibilities for his life after each of his arrests. Jeffrey Brazier was not a bad man freely making bad choices; rather, beginning with one bad choice, it became increasingly difficult for him to make good choices. How many 28-year-olds with five arrests have the opportunity to become computer programmers or attorneys? How many 37-year-olds with eight arrests become doctors? Marchant-Shapiro said. To be clear: This is by no means an I blame society argument. Jeffrey Brazier has accepted responsibility for his actionsfor his choices. The point is that as time went on, his choices were progressively circumscribed, and that Mr. Braziers presence here should not be read as the result of a bad person independently and freely choosing to do wrong. Marchant-Shapiro said in his memo that Braziers time in prison should be sufficiently long to allow him to identify a way past the patterns of behavior that had led him to prison, but not inappropriately lengthy, as it could end the story of his life before a final act is allowed to take place. Jeffrey Brazier is not a bad person, but rather a man who has over time found his choices constrained by his previous actions. He is an essentially good man, who is loved by and who in turn loves his family; who has accepted responsibility; and who accepts that in consequence, he has time to serve, said Marchant-Shapiro, in the memo. In the interests of that family, and of the future, Jeffrey Brazier requests that after considering inputs from all sources, the Court impose a sentence that is no greater than necessary. Brazier is the second person arrested in connection with Operation Fantasy Island to be sentenced. Eric Burress was sentenced to five years in prison earlier this month after also supplying cocaine for distribution by the Island Brothers. The cases against Julius and Carr remain in progress, according to federal judicial records. Galberth was killed in a shootout with FBI agents in a motel in Westchester, New York in June. He allegedly fled there after being determined to be the prime suspect in the killing of Tamika Jones, a New Haven woman found strangled in Fitchburg, Mass, prosecutors said in their memorandum on Brazier. During the course of the investigation, Galberththe leader of the Island Brothers DTO became the prime suspect in the May 2019 murder of his long-time girlfriend and DTO confederate Tamika Jones, who was found strangled to death in Fitchburg, Massachusetts in a car used by Galberth. Galberth and an associate disappeared and remained on the run for approximately three weeks, prosecutors said in the Brazier memo. Investigators obtained state and federal arrest warrants as well as cell phone location warrants, which enabled them to track Galberth to a motel in Westchester, New York. When law enforcement attempted to execute the warrants, Galberth engaged the officers in a shootout, which ended in Galberths death and the wounding of two officers. william.lambert@hearstmediact.com A Central Michigan University student with Midland ties could face up to 15 years in prison after being arraigned on charges stemming from the death of her 14-month-old daughter. Grace Hunt, 22, appeared this week before Judge Sandra Straus of the Isabella County Trial Court. Hunt was arraigned on two felony charges, including second-degree child abuse and involuntary manslaughter, for her potential involvement in the death of Temperance Hunt, who drowned in the bathtub of Hunt's apartment in Mount Pleasant on the night of Sept. 13, 2019. A WICKERSLEY man accused of subjecting two girls to years of sexual abuse in the 1970s and 80s has gone on trial alongside his friend who is jointly charged with abusing one of the girls. Mark Andrews (58), of Pinchfield Lane, is accused of 28 sexual offences against two girls between August, 1976 and June, 1984. He is accused of raping one of the girls - who we will refer to as Girl A - when she was eight or nine-years-old. His friend Mark Ainsworth (55), of Fir Walk, Maltby, is accused of eight joint offences against Girl B between July and August, 1978. Andrews and Ainsworth are said to have involved a dog while they abused Girl B. Neither Girl A, who is now 51, nor Girl B, who is now 55, can be identified for legal reasons. Andrews would have been aged between 15 and 23 at the time of the abuse while Ainsworth would have been 14. Ms Victoria Rose, prosecuting, told Sheffield Crown Court today (Thursday) that Andrews would buy Girl A sweets and magazines and this led to him abusing her. Andrews told the girl that he loved her and that this was what people did to show their love for one another, she said. When the incidents first started, when the sexual acts took place, Mr Andrews informed [Girl A] that was what people did and it was how it was shown that a person loved another, said Ms Rose. When the abuse first started, [Girl A] questioned this. Its from that point that she began to realise that what was taking place was wrong. Andrews kept Girl A quiet by telling her that if she ever told anyone of the abuse they would not believe her, said Ms Rose. He told her that she would be taken away and taken into care, said Ms Rose. Andrews said the same thing to Girl B and would use his abuse as a bargaining tool telling her that if she did something for him he would not abuse her, Ms Rose said. Andrews is accused of 25 counts of indecent assault, two counts of gross indecency with a child and one count of rape. Ainsworth is jointly charged with eight counts of indecent assault. Both men deny all of the charges. The trial continues. You may not have noticed it but the price of subsidised cooking gas rose by an average of Rs 10 per cylinder in the July-January period of current fiscal taking the price paid by common man for fuel closer to market rates. The good news is that with the developments in past few months, government is looking to completely eliminate oil subsidy by early FY22. But for consumers, the move would mean that their cooking gas price would shoot up by another Rs 100-150 per cylinder over the next one year. Sources said that taking advantage of low oil prices, government may give nod to state-run oil marketing companies to increase price of subsidised LPG cylinder gradually so that entire subsidy paid under direct benefit transfer scheme (DBT) to eligible consumers is eliminated in one years time. Already during July 2019-January 2020, the OMCs increased the price of subsidized LPG by Rs 63 per cylinder. At current global oil prices, if oil companies raise the rate of subsidized LPG cylinder (14.2 kg) by just about Rs 10 per cylinder per month, in 15 months time there would not be any need to extend Central support. The price of a subsidised LPG cylinder (14.2 kg) currently works to around Rs 557 with government providing Rs 157 as subsidy directly into the account of eligible consumers. The subsidy level may fall if oil prices slides further and remains below $60 a barrel in most parts of FY21. Raising prices of subsidized LPG cylinder augurs well for the OMCs, especially keeping in mind the intended privatization of BPCL. However, the resolve of the government would be tested if oil prices spike, said Motilal Oswal in its latest report on oil and gas sector. At end of FY19, the OMCs had total government receivables of Rs 34,900 crore on account of compensation for LPG/kerosene under-recovery. Deregulating LPG would boost the working capital of the OMCs. The oil marketing companies (OMCs) incurred gross under-recoveries of Rs 43,300 crore in FY19, of which LPG accounted for Rs 31,500 crore (73 per cent). in case of kerosene, the subsidy support has already fallen and with states targeting the flow of fuel through the PDS system, this subsidy could also be taken off. The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz Announces Investigation on Behalf of Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc., Investors (SPR) The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz announces an investigation on behalf of Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc., ("Spirit AeroSystems" or the "Company") (NYSE: SPR) investors concerning the Company and its officers' possible violations of federal securities laws. If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate. In December 2019, Spirit AeroSystems commenced a review of its accounting process compliance and determined that it did not comply with established accounting processes related to certain potential contingent liabilities. On January 30, 2019, Spirit AeroSystems announced resignations of both its Chief Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer for failure to comply with accounting rules on contingencies. On this news, the company's share price dropped more than 5% in early morning trading. Follow us for updates on Twitter (News - Alert): twitter.com/FRC_LAW. If you purchased Spirit AeroSystems securities, have information or would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Frank R. Cruz, of The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz, 1999 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 1100, Los Angeles, California 90067 at 310-914-5007, by email to [email protected], or visit our website at www.frankcruzlaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number, and number of shares purchased. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005740/en/ The self-confessed frontman for a massive VAT carousel fraud has been hit with the longest ever directorship disqualification in the history of the State. Mr Justice Brian OMoore disqualified businessman Kevin Rabbitte from acting as a company director for 14 years and three months after finding he had engaged in a conscious, calculated and continuous fraud. It is understood the case will now be examined by the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement to consider a potential criminal prosecution. Mr Rabbitte (48), of Clonberne, Ballinasloe, Co Galway, admitted using the VAT number of his company, Westman Plant and Civils Ltd, to purchase millions of euro worth of plant machinery at auctions in the UK. The equipment was subsequently imported into Ireland but no VAT was paid. He claimed he did this behalf of another person, received small commissions totaling 10,000, and that his company never benefited. But he refused to identify this third party as he claims he and his wife have been threatened with serious consequences if he does so. An investigation by liquidator Myles Kirby, of Kirby Healy Chartered Accountants, found that between July 2014 and June 2015, the firms VAT number was used to import nearly 8m worth of plant and machinery into Ireland, but some 3.2m in VAT payments were evaded. Initially, Mr Rabbitte robustly denied fraud. But he made a number of admissions earlier this week just before an application by the liquidator was due to be heard in the High Court. The businessman admitted to attending 18 auctions where the value of machinery purchased was just over 4m and the loss due to the Revenue in unpaid VAT and penalties amounted to 1.2m. He also consented to being disqualified as a director and to being held personally liable for the companys debts up to 1.5m. In a judgment delivered on Thursday, Mr Justice OMoore disqualified Mr Rabbitte from being a company director for 14 years and three months. This exceeds by three months the previous longest period of disqualification, handed down to Custom House Capital's former chief executive Harry Cassidy in 2016. The judge said the only business Mr Rabbittes company had engaged in was the business of fraud and that when the jig was up after Revenue began asking questions about unpaid VAT in 2015, he had allowed the firm to be struck off the Companies Register. Mr Justice OMoore said Mr Rabbitte then tried to persuade Revenue not to restore the company or to appoint a liquidator. When Mr Kirby was appointed, Mr Rabbitte failed to cooperate with him to an utterly egregious extent, the judge said. He said Mr Rabbitte failed to comply with court orders to provide documentation and other information and gave evidence, now known to be dishonest, in which he denied any knowledge of or participation in the fraud. Even if it was true that Mr Rabbitte was now being intimidated by a fearsome anonymous person, the businessman had shown himself to be the sort of person who would facilitate the use of their company for the purpose of defrauding the taxpayer. The judge said Mr Rabbitte had not reported the alleged intimidation to the gardai, which would be the appropriate thing for a citizen to do. He also noted that although Mr Rabbitte had consented to being liable for up to 1.5m, it did not appear he had the funds to meet such a laibility. Mr Rabbitte was not in court for the judgment. In an affidavit, Mr Rabbitte said he became acquainted with the third party behind the scheme when this person bought machinery from an old company he owned. Kevin Rabbitte Sand and Gravel Ltd, which has ceased trading due to the economic downturn in 2009. He said this person also purchased a car from him and kept in touch with me intermittently. According to Mr Rabbitte, the third party made contact with him in late 2014 or early 2015 while he was working in the UK and asked him to attend an auction in Leeds. He told me to bid on machinery on his behalf and as an incentive he would look after me in the event he was successful in purchasing any machinery, Mr Rabbitte said. Mr Justice OMoore noted the approach was made some time before the auction and Mr Rabbitte had the opportunity to reconsider. In the affidavit, Mr Rabbitte claimed he attended around ten auctions for the third party. Machinery was purchased and arrangement made for it to be imported, but he had never seen it again and did not know what became of it. He claimed that, completely unknown to himself, the third party continued to use the companys VAT number for numerous further transactions at auctions in the UK. In the affidavit, Mr Rabbitte also claimed that a letter he received from the Revenue in 2015 took him completely by surprise and he stopped attending auctions. The judge said it was striking that Mr Rabbitte was not intimidated into attending the auctions he did go to and was not intimidated when he refused to continue attending. It was a separate issue that Mr Rabbitte now claimed to be too petrified to identify this individual. The judge said it was likely Mr Rabbitte knew the sort of person he was dealing with but agreed to attend the auctions when he was told he would be looked after. Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloombergs Super Bowl TV ad will focus on gun control, featuring a Houston woman who joined Moms Demand Action after her son was fatally shot several years ago in Richmond. The 60-second spot, which Bloombergs campaign spent roughly $10 million to air during Sundays game, will also spotlight the former New York City mayors record of backing stricter gun laws. It coincides with National Gun Violence Survivors Week, which begins Saturday. The ad, first shared with the Houston Chronicle and MSNBCs Morning Joe, tells the story of Calandrian Simpson Kemp, whose 20-year-old son, George Kemp Jr., was shot and killed in a 2013 altercation. A man was later convicted of murdering Kemp Jr. and sentenced to 34 years in prison. Kemp Jr. had ambitions of playing in the NFL, his mother says in the ad, going on to label gun violence a national crisis. I know Mike is not afraid of the gun lobby, Kemp says. Theyre scared of him, and they should be. In a statement, Bloomberg said he chose to devote the entire sixty-second ad to gun safety because it matters to communities across the country and it will be a top priority for me as president. Kemps story, he said, is a powerful reminder of the urgency of this issue and the failure of Washington to address it. People will be rooting for different teams in the Super Bowl, but virtually all Americans including people in both parties and a majority of gun owners support universal background checks and other common-sense gun laws, Bloomberg said. In a statement, Trump Victory Committee spokesperson Samantha Cotten called Bloomberg a failed mayor and said his candidacy is just an expensive pipe dream. Bloombergs extreme views against the Second Amendment are out of touch with Texas, Cotton said. Come November, Texans will reject these socialist policies and reelect President Trump. Candidates typically opt against the massive expense of running national Super Bowl ads, choosing instead to target local markets or states with early primaries. Bloomberg, however, has focused his campaign more broadly on the states with contests on March 3, or Super Tuesday including Texas. A billionaire businessman who is self-funding his entire campaign, Bloomberg last week surpassed a quarter-billion dollars in campaign ad spending, decisively more than his rival candidates. That includes $7.4 million worth of TV ad buys in Houston through Sunday, according to data compiled by Rice University political scientist Mark Jones. Bloomberg also visited Houston Wednesday, attending a symposium on the future of black America before heading to El Paso in the evening. A poll of potential Texas Democratic primary voters released Wednesday placed Bloomberg fourth in the field with 9 percent. Former Vice President Joe Biden led with 28 percent, while Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders polled at 26 percent and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren was at 13 percent. Bloombergs campaign said it would complement the Super Bowl ad by sharing additional videos featuring survivors of gun violence from twelve states to highlight the impact gun violence has had on communities across the country. And the campaign is launching a bus tour Monday through Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. Bloomberg has made gun violence a core policy item in his campaign, releasing an ambitious gun control plan early in his candidacy. Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit gun control group co-founded by Bloomberg, earlier this week announced that it plans to spend $60 million this year against politicians who have opposed new gun regulations, including Trump. The group formed in 2013 when Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a group Bloomberg founded in 2006, merged with Moms Demand Action. In an interview, Kemp said she views the ad as a chance to turn George Kemp Jr.s death into something positive by raising awareness for one of the leading causes of death for young African Americans. The ad means his death wont be in vain, she said. Before she decided to back Bloomberg, Kemp said she supported Beto ORourke, who made a vigorous gun control push before dropping out of the Democratic primary about three weeks before Bloomberg joined the race. Kemp said she wants to see the other Democratic candidates place more emphasis on gun control. We give a lot of attention to mass shootings but arent talking about everyday gun violence, she said. A lot of lives are being lost, and I believe every candidate should have a plan. ORourke attended Bloombergs El Paso rally Wednesday but has not yet endorsed in the primary. Bloombergs gun plan drew criticism earlier this week from Jack Wilson, the firearms instructor who shot and killed a gunman who had opened fire on a church in White Settlement, Texas last month, killing two parishioners. Wilson told the Dallas Morning News that Bloombergs plan would have left him unable to respond to the shooting. A spokesperson for Bloombergs campaign said the gunman would not have obtained a gun under Bloombergs plan. Monday is the last day to register to vote in the March 3 primaries. Early voting starts Feb. 18. jasper.scherer@chron.com Daniel Shurz, a senior vice president with Frontier Airlines, at a press conference at Philadelphia International Airport on Jan. 29, 2020. Read more Frontier Airlines is launching flights from Philadelphia to three major markets, ahead of the summer travel season, the company announced on Wednesday. Starting in late April, the low-cost carrier will offer a daily direct flight to Los Angeles. In May, Frontier will begin daily flights from PHL to Boston, and it will fly three times a week from PHL to Chicago. "We have got to a point where we serve so many of the top markets from Philadelphia, were becoming a natural choice for customers to look at when they want a good deal, Daniel Shurz, Frontiers senior vice president of commercial, said during a media event at PHL. The Denver-based airline flies direct from Philadelphia to more than 20 cities, and Philly is the fourth-largest city in terms of departures within Frontiers network. Frontier is known for its ultra low fares, and Shurz touted the $29 introductory fare, one-way, to Boston. The airline entered the Boston market a year ago. Its an airport where fares are high, Shurz said, and there really is an opportunity for an ultra-low-cost carrier. The route makes for "a natural summer market, he added. Earlier this week, Frontier announced that it would resume flights out of New Castle Airport (Wilmington) after suspending service there in 2015. The announcement at PHL on Wednesday also highlighted Frontiers fuel savings through its use of the A320neo aircraft. Shurz said that the engines are about 15% more fuel-efficient than previous models, and that half of Frontiers fleet is comprised of the planes, a bigger proportion than any other U.S. airline. Were significantly further along using the most fuel-efficient aircraft on the market, Shurz said. Given that fuel is such a huge cost, when the company saves money, he said, customers also see those savings. Putin tight-lipped on plan criticised by Palestinians as he becomes first leader to meet Netanyahu after deal announced. The Israeli prime minister visited Moscow on Thursday to discuss United States President Donald Trumps Middle East plan and take an Israeli woman, who had been jailed in Russia, back home. Benjamin Netanyahu made a stopover in Moscow after visiting Washington, where Trump unveiled his long-awaited Middle East plan on Tuesday. Trumps plan envisions a disjointed Palestinian state that turns over key parts of the West Bank to Israel. It sides with Israel on key contentious issues that have bedevilled past peace efforts, including borders and the status of Jerusalem and Jewish settlements, and attaches nearly impossible conditions for granting the Palestinians their hoped-for state. Netanyahu told Russian President Vladimir Putin as they sat down for talks in the Kremlin that he wants to discuss the plan and hear his opinion on it. You are the first leader I am speaking with after my visit in Washington for Trumps Deal of the Century, he said. I think there is a new opportunity here, maybe even unique opportunity, and Id like to discuss it with you and hear your insights. Trump called his plan a win-win for both Israel and Palestine and urged the Palestinians not to miss their opportunity for independence. But Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed the plan as nonsense and promised to resist it. Putin did not talk about Trumps plan in his opening remarks, and Russian officials so far have refrained from comment a careful stance reflecting the Kremlins desire to maintain warm ties with Israel and its hopes for a rapprochement with Trumps administration. The Israeli leaders visit comes a day after Putin pardoned 26-year-old Naama Issachar, who was arrested in April at a Moscow airport, where she was transferring en route from India to Israel. Russian authorities said more than nine grams of hashish were found in her luggage. She was convicted and sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. Putin asked Netanyahu to give his regards to Issachar and her mother. I would like to thank you on behalf of all the people of Israel for granting a pardon to Naama Issachar, Netanyahu said. This moves all of us and our gratitude is on behalf of all Israeli citizens, from the heart. He added that Russia-Israel relations are now the best they have ever been. Issachar got on the plane with Netanyahu and sat with him and his wife on the way home. Supermarket favorite Trader Joes could be opening another store in New Jersey. A Trader Joes spokeswoman told NJ Advance Media the company wants to expand into Freehold, and it is working to make that a reality. We are interested in bringing a Trader Joes store to Freehold, however, at this time were so early in the process that theres not much information to share, including a timeline, the spokeswoman said. I can tell you we would love to bring a store to Freehold and are taking the necessary steps to make it happen." An Asbury Park Press report said a proposal was filed with the township planning board to turn a space at Pond Road Plaza on Route 9 into a 12,588-square-foot grocery store. The proposal, according to the report, referred to the store as ABC Grocers but included a drawing in the same style and font as the Trader Joes signage. A Walgreens previously occupied the space. There are currently 16 Trader Joes locations in New Jersey. A Bridgewater spot recently opened in November. The first Trader Joes opened in 1967 in Pasadena, California. The company was established by Joe Coulombe. 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: Burger franchise Diesel and Duke to reopen in Jersey City following renovations Here are some of the best deals from Mondays online flash sales Amazon joins the wireless earbud craze with Echo Buds Susmik Lama works in the Bernie Sanders campaign field office in Manchester, N.H. She moved from Philadelphia in 2018 to work for the Sanders campaign, doing outreach to the Nepalese community in New Hampshire. Read more MANCHESTER, N.H. Susmik Lama moved to South Philadelphia from Nepal in 2007. She was the only Nepali student at Furness High School and, later, in college. But she quickly felt at home, even as her family struggled to pay for housing, college tuition, and unexpected medical bills. It was an American Dream realized gradually. And looking back, she says it shaped her politically. Now Lama, 28, has moved to New Hampshire to work as a field organizer for Bernie Sanders presidential campaign. Part of her job is to reach out to immigrant and refugee communities in the state, which has a particularly high number of Bhutanese refugees from Nepal. Her parents also relocated to the state after her dad got a job opportunity here, and the couple volunteer for Sanders. I have friends whove come here for education. I know someone who is a domestic worker and I know how people have struggled with visa situations here," Lama said last week. "For him to have such an inclusive plan that incorporates every single person, for me in that plan I see faces, not just policies. There doesnt appear to be public polling on immigrants and refugees specifically, but Sanders seems to have strong support among them in New Hampshire and elsewhere. A slate of leaders in the Bhutanese, Rohingya, and Congolese communities endorsed Sanders in August, and there are several nationwide Bhutanese for Bernie Sanders and Nepal for Sanders Facebook groups. No similar groups exist for other Democratic candidates. Sanders was an outspoken critic of how the United States handled the Syrian refugee crisis and has staked out arguably one of the most liberal approaches to immigration. He often talks about how his father emigrated from central Europe, broke, and sold paint to support his family. Lama, who is based in the campaigns Manchester office, thinks Sanders policies on refugee and immigrant inclusion have attracted the eye of communities that hadnt otherwise been engaged politically. President Donald Trumps election activated her interest in politics as did working in medicine as a biochemist and seeing problems with access to the health-care system. Lamas parents also became more engaged since she joined the campaign. Her father has voted Democratic since becoming a U.S. citizen but never volunteered with a candidate until Sanders. Her moms momo (a type of dumplings) have become a favorite campaign office snack. He tries to lift up the poor people, and thats very important to me, Kalyan Lama, Lamas father, said of Sanders. Looking out for poor people, for health insurance, minimum wage this is my second language. I dont know how to say all of it, but whenever hes talking, I feel it so strong in my heart. More than 200,000 Nepalese live in the United States, with the largest populations in Texas, followed by New York and California. There are an estimated 96,000 Bhutanese in the United States, many of whom immigrated to this country from U.N. refugee camps in Nepal after Bhutan expelled more than 100,000 people in the early 1990s. Some settled in New Hampshire, along with larger populations in Ohio and Pennsylvania, near Harrisburg. Nepal and Bhutan have different politics and cultures, but both border India and share the same language, and certain festivals and traditions. The United States received 7,100 refugees from Bhutan in 2018 and about 8,500 from Nepal. Bhutan was the fourth most common country of origin for immigrants in Pennsylvania from 2002 to 2015, before being surpassed by Syria in 2016 and Congo in 2017. Suraj Budathoki is a Bhutanese refugee who also works for Sanders campaign in Manchester. He became a refugee at age 9, a victim of ethnic cleansing in Bhutan, and lived for 19 years in refugee camps with his family in Nepal. When he moved to the United States, he had a notion of what to expect: The land of abundance, land of opportunity," he said. "No poverty, no homelessness, no discrimination. His first job stocking grocery shelves paid $7 an hour. He immediately had to find a second job. The reality I found was very different, Budathoki said. Eventually Budathoki enrolled in English classes and earned a degree from Southern New Hampshire University. He founded an organization for Bhutanese refugees, which has expanded to serve all immigrant and refugee populations. The barriers to political engagement are huge for many refugees and immigrants, Budathoki said, from language to lack of knowledge and even disbelief that elections could be open to all citizens. Many Bhutanese refugees living in the United States, Budathoki said, spent their lives under a monarchy or in a refugee camp, uninvolved in any democratic process. Lamas support for Sanders has as much to do with his policies regarding refugees and immigrants as his Medicare for All plan. Lama spent two years taking classes at Drexel University at Hahnemann University Hospital. As part of that postbaccalaureate program, she also worked with low-income patients at clinics around Philadelphia, encountering many people with no health insurance or inadequate coverage. At the same time, she was dealing with her own medical issues anemia and a jaw disorder that caused migraines. Therapies came with pricey co-pays and insurance didnt cover all of her medications. Last summer, she saw Hahnemann closed and watched her new boss, Sanders, head down to Philadelphia to protest. READ MORE: From July: Bernie Sanders rallies against Hahnemann closure and for Medicare for All That was a Philadelphia story, and Im pretty sure people here in [New Hampshire] and all over can relate to that story people putting profit before people and a hospital shutting down, she said. In Manchester last week, Lama trained volunteers on how to make calls in the critical days leading up to the New Hampshire primary. Sanders is leading by about four percentage points in New Hampshire, according to the latest Real Clear Politics polling average. Lama led the office in a virtual video conference call with the other field offices. It started with a quote from Sanders: Are you willing to fight for that person who you dont even know as much as youre willing to fight for yourself? She asked people on the call to share whom they are fighting for. For Lama, its some of the people she met working in clinics in Philadelphia. She hopes to return to the city for medical school and to become a cardiologist. Her family still owns their home near the Italian Market, close to the pho restaurant and taco stand she often craves. And shes still a registered Pennsylvania voter who will be casting her vote in the state. Philadelphia is my home," Lama said. "I was born in Kathmandu and raised in Kathmandu and I was that Kathmandu girl. When I moved to Philly, Philly was my home away from home. Philly has become my Kathmandu. Michael Mears Actor Michael Mears performs a dramatisised reading from The Great War of Civilisation by war correspondent Robert Fisk at the Kempe Studio at The Muses, Stratford, this Sunday, (2nd February) at 7.30pm. Michael is well-known in Stratford, where he has regularly performed at the RSC, in addition he has worked with the Peter Hall Theatre Company and at the National Theatre. The actor has made an international name for himself with several one-man shows, in which he tackles topical subjects that are of social and political relevance. In 2017 he brought his one-man play about conscientious objectors in the First World War This Evil Thing to the Muses which the Herald hailed as amazing praising Michaels exemplary acting and superbly crafted play. The performance on Sunday is called Now Thrive the Armourers a phrase from Shakespeare's Henry V. Explaining what to expect, Michael says: This evening, with the help of Shakespeare, Shaw and Shostakovich, will look at aspects of war, and particularly the instruments of war weapons. And the people who make and sell those weapons, and the consequences of their trade for innocent civilians. He continues: The centrepiece of the evening will be a reading of a powerful chapter from war correspondent Robert Fisks book, The Great War for Civilisation, called indeed Now Thrive The Armourers about the modern arms trade and its consequences. Fisk is a wonderful writer (long-time writer for the Independent newspaper) and the chapter reads beautifully. This is only the second performance Now Thrive The Armourers, and the first outside London so be sure to snap up a ticket before they all go. Buy tickets from www.rudolfkempesociety.org New Delhi, Jan 30 : The Crime Branch of Delhi Police has been handed over the probe into Thursday's Jamia firing in which a journalism student sustained injury after a youth opened fire at a march around 2 p.m., organised to protest against new citizenship law (CAA). According to sources, the decision was taken after Union Home Minister Amit Shah intervened and spoke with Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik. "I talked to Delhi Police Commissioner over Delhi firing incident and directed him to take strict action," Shah tweeted. An FIR under the Arms Act and a case of attempt to murder have been registered against the youth. The case, lodged at the New Friends Colony police station, will now be probed under the supervision of Special Commissioner Praveer Ranjan. "The investigation into the firing that took place today (Thursday) in Delhi has been handed over to Delhi Police Special Commissioner (Crime Branch) Praveer Ranjan," tweeted Shah. In an earlier tweet Shah had said Centre would not tolerate such incidents and the guilty would not be spared. During the day, a youth opened fire with a country-made .315 bore pistol when the Jamia students were to start their march from Jamia Millia Islamia to Rajghat. It left a journalism student, Shadab, with injuries on arm. The police, which was watching the march passively, overpowered the assailant. Before opening fire, the assailant had shouted, "If you people want to stay in India then you will have to say 'Vande Mataram'," He also shouted 'Deta hu tumhe azadi' (Let me give you freedom). He then shouted 'Jai Shri Ram' and opened fire, said a protestor March participants called the youth a "follower of Nathuram Godse". "We are following the ideology of Gandhi, but the same ideology that killed Mahatma wanted to kill us," said a participant. "The weapon used to fire has been seized," Delhi Police spokesperson Anil Mittal told IANS. The accused would be questioned by the Crime Branch, the Delhi Police said in a statement. Latest updates on Gandhi Jayanti 2019 YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. Aram Tananyan has been appointed Armenias customs attache at Upper Lars checkpoint on Russia-Georgia border. The respective decision was adopted today at the Armenian governments regular session. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said the customs attache will work near the Upper Lars border checkpoint, not in Moscow. State Revenue Committee Chairman Davit Ananyan said Aram Tananyan has been serving as adviser to the SRC Chairman since 2018, has worked in the public administration system for many years, in particular holding positions in the National Security Council, the Rescue Service and the Ministry of Emergency Situations. After the Cabinet meeting Aram Tananyan told reporters that his powers are not defined yet, but added that the SRC has adopted a 5-year development strategy. You have seen what changes have taken place in our system within the past 1.5 year. Our system aims at ensuring the whole turnover of the country. And on this background we are currently moving to the north because one of our main transportation routes passes through Lars which connects us with the EAEU territory, he said. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan The United Kingdom will remain the most important European partner of India, said British High Commissioner Dominic Asquith here on Thursday, a day ahead of Britain's scheduled exit from the European Union that followed long political drama. "The United Kingdom will remain the most important European partner of India. You will see the expansion of diplomatic and trade activities. The UK will adopt a distinctive approach," said the envoy. The diplomat, regarding the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), noted that the Indian government will address the concerns of its citizens. "We have noted what the (Indian) government has said. Protests happen in every democracy. I'm sure the government will address the concerns of its citizens regarding the CAA," Asquith said. The envoy also extended support to India's permanent bid at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). "India should be a permanent member of UNSC," he said. On Wednesday, the European Parliament overwhelmingly approved Britain's divorce conditions from the EU in a 621-49 vote with 13 abstentions. In a historic moment, the Parliament stood in unison -- after the result of the voting was announced -- to bid farewell to the United Kingdom, and sang 'Auld Lang Syne,' a Scottish song traditionally used to mark farewells. The withdrawal agreement will now be voted on by the European Council on Thursday. If approved, Britain will officially leave the European Union on Friday midnight. . (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BENI, Congo - Rebels have killed at least 36 people in attacks on villages in eastern Congo, a local official and civil society group said Thursday. The Allied Democratic Forces rebels attacked overnight Tuesday into Wednesday in four villages, including Manzingi and Maleki, in Beni territory, said Beni administrator Donat Kibwana. I ask the people to calm down and denounce any suspicious person, he said. We would like the army to strengthen its presence here. Residents have expressed growing frustration with the inability of Congolese soldiers and U.N. peacekeepers to protect civilians from the attacks. The ADF originated in Uganda and has long been a threat in eastern Congo. The Islamic State group recently claimed some attacks carried out by ADF rebels but the exact relationship between the two groups is not entirely clear. At least 292 civilians have been killed in such attacks since Oct. 30, according to Omar Kavota with the local human rights group CEPADHO. The attackers reportedly went door to door, killing people in their homes. They also looted goats, chickens and other valuables, according to the rights group. The army heard of the attacks only after the attackers withdrew from the villages, the group said. Bodies were being gathered and prepared for burial, Kavota said. A church leader was killed in another attack Wednesday morning in the village of Bunake before soldiers repelled the attackers, the statement said. The attacks were likely in retaliation for the recent killing of many suspected extremists in the region, the rights group said. It is unfortunate that the word special, like bad, and wicked, has in popular culture come to mean close to the opposite of its original meaning. But never has a turnaround been more aptly demonstrated than at a cosy chat-style panel event to discuss The Future of the Special Relationship between the UK and the United States with the countries equally special foreign ministers, Dominic Raab and Mike Pompeo. It will come as a shock to absolutely no one that now, just 24 hours before Britains final departure from the European Union, the most recent metamorphosis of Brexit has already started to fall apart. As Raab and Pompeo ambled on to the stage in London, the government formally published guidelines telling people what to expect from Brexit. For years decades, even the conventional narrative (which is to say, lie) around the European Union was all about regulation, the red tape that was strangling British business. And here, of course, just 24 hours before we leave, came the latest advice, from the governments official spokesperson. We have always been very clear that we are leaving the EUs customs union and single market and that means that businesses will have to prepare for life outside of these, he said. We are leaving the customs union, that means businesses will have to prepare outside of the customs union. It will inevitably mean extra processes are required on EU-UK trade. Of course, that phrase always very clear it is subject to multiple interpretations. As chance would have it, another thing that is also very clear is how EU-UK trade after Brexit would work, as explained by Michael Gove, in his set speech while campaigning for Leave in April 2016, which unfortunately I have to quote here in full: There is a free trade zone stretching from Iceland to Turkey that all European nations have access to, regardless of whether they are in or out of the euro or EU. After we vote to leave we will stay in this zone. The suggestion that Bosnia, Serbia, Albania and the Ukraine would stay part of this free trade area and Britain would be on the outside with just Belarus is as credible as Jean-Claude Juncker joining Ukip. Agreeing to maintain this continental free trade zone is the simple course and emphatically in everyones interests. So whether the humble voter, who has power only to express his or her preference via the blunt method of a cross in a box every so often, will feel like, potentially, the thing thats always been very clear has in fact shifted in its meaning absolutely entirely, we have little power to accurately measure. 'What are those pigs I see flying in front of my very eyes?' John Bercow questions Dominic Raab over US trade deal Whether, in fact, what Mr Gove meant what he spoke about agreeing to maintain this continental free trade zone was everything changing overnight, and British lorries queueing up at Dover and Calais to fill in forms they have not had to fill in for forty-odd years well, there is wriggle room there. And a tiny bit of wiggle room is all Mr Gove has ever needed to satisfy himself (if no one else) that he is not just a straightforward liar. Anyway, we digress. The special relationship is a curious thing. Tony Blair, almost by his own admission (and certainly by Sir John Chilcots), took Britain to war in Iraq in order to preserve it, somehow not noticing that its specialness nevertheless survived Harold Wilson declining to do the same in Vietnam. Currently, the special relationship is under threat because Boris Johnson has given the 5G contract to Huawei. Except that here was Mike Pompeo, doing as Trump has done in recent days, and gently clarifying that actually its, erm, not really a problem. The special relationship is apparently going to usher in the big beautiful trade deal, even though Brexit has suddenly compelled roughly half the population to think that American chicken and beef are unfit for human consumption. (In the latter case, a very large number of Londons very best steakhouses import US beef, because it is an outstanding product. It seems reasonable to speculate that some Remainers may have eaten in one.) And now, as Raab and Pompeo had their little chin-wag, we learn that, actually, the trade deal isnt that big a deal. If it doesnt happen, its not the end of the world. This is a sentiment Brexit-loving Tories are whispering to sympathetic journalists under the condition of anonymity, rolling the pitch for the likely climbdown to come. A trade deal with the US will take years; longer than Donald Trumps presidency, regardless of the outcome of the upcoming election. But nevertheless, here were the two big guys, the alpha males, stating again that a trade deal could be done by 3 November. It cant and it wont. Here was Mike Pompeo saying that the UK is at the front of the line for a trade deal with the US. We want to lower every barrier towards the free flow of information, talent, capital all the things that promote wealth and prosperity, he said. The watching world, of course, has an overwhelmingly clear idea of what the current administration wants from trade deals throughout the world. Britain is at the front of the line for a rollercoaster that frankly doesnt look very safe. Except that its not actually going to be getting on, but it must pretend its trying, at least for the time being. All very special indeed. He wanted to avoid the extradition to the Netherlands, supposedly due to the violations of the terms of detention and arrest The European Court of Human Rights has rejected the complaint of Volodymyr Tsemakh, the suspect in MH17 case, and refused in the ban of his extradition to the Netherlands as Interfax-Ukraine reported citing lawyer of detainee Anatoly Kucherena. We are disappointed with the ECHR decision to reject our request for the approval of interim measure, which would allow to ban the extradition of Tsemakh to the Netherlands, Kucherena said. Besides, he added that despite such a decision of the Strasbourg court, he will continue to look for other ways to prevent the extradition. The statement of the ECHR that the replies to all requests were filed to my address is weird. I did not get anything from the ECHR; it is unknown where they filed them, the lawyer reported. Earlier, Militant Volodymyr Tsemakh, the suspect in the case of MH17 downing, filed the complaint to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) against Ukraine and the Netherlands. Earlier, Tsemakhs daughter published a photo with her father writing that they were returning to occupied Donbas. As was reported, Australia and the Netherlands expressed disappointed with Ukraines decision to extradite the MH17 case witness Tsemakh to Russia. Volodymyr Tsemakh, the key witness in the MH17 crash case in Donbas was transferred to Russia within the prisoners exchange on September 7. Previously, Ukrainian and Dutch authorities confirmed that Tsemakh was interviewed by investigators from the State Prosecutor's Office of the Netherlands before he left Ukraine and went to Russia; this is due to the exchange of prisoners that took place on September 7. Ukraine and Russia conducted the "35 for 35" exchange. On July 17, 2019, the Security Service of Ukraine stated that it detained Volodymyr Tsemakh, the ex-militant of Donetsk Peoples Republic (DPR), involved in the transportation of Buk missile system, which downed MH17. He was detained during the crossing of the border with Russian controlled by Ukraine. Boeing 777 of Malaysian Airlines, flight number MH17 was destroyed while performing a regular flight from the Netherlands to Malaysia in July 2014. The tragedy took place in the sky over the militant-held section of the Donetsk region. All 298 people aboard deceased; most of the victims, 196, were Dutch, but there were citizens of another nine countries as well. The governments of Australia and the Netherlands officially accused Russia of being behind the disaster. Whatever the crisis political? or economic? environmental? that led to the citys demise seems to have affected that entire region. And it was preceded by an almost convulsive surge of artistic creativity that generated some of the moving sculptures ever made, including those seen here. In one, a figure of ambiguous gender presses its head to the earth as if in grief or prayer. In another, a woman folds her arms across her bare chest in a gesture of devotion or self-protection. In a third, a tall, curving wood-carved figure with hermaphroditic features has the en pointe grace of a Chartres saint. Some forms are nearly abstract; worshipers with tuning-fork bodies reach up beseechingly toward the sky. And some exhibit a kind of pathological realism, as in the case of a terra-cotta figure whose body sprouts tumor-like knobs. (Like most ritual clay figures of the time, this one was probably made by a woman.) The exhibition concludes with still more Sahel sculpture, a magnificent ensemble of large-scale figures carved from wood by the Bamana people of Mali in the 18th through 20th centuries. Together they represent a type of African art weve been accustomed thinking of as typical, or classical. Yet by the time youve arrived at this end point in the show youve learned that, in the culture of the Sahel, there is no typical, no one style, no one Africa, and thats an invaluable lesson. And, these days, the Mets gorgeous show is the place to learn it. Vast areas of the Sahel, specifically Mali, are politically turbulent, and difficult, if not impossible, to access. (Recent United States government travel advisories have declared northern and central part of the country, which includes Djenne, a no-go zone for tourists. Do not travel to Mali due to crime, terrorism, and kidnapping, is how they put it.) It wont be that way forever. I cant wait to go back. Its still on my must-see list. Ill never take it off. Sahel: Art and Empires on the Shores of the Sahara Through May 10 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Manhattan; 212-535-7710, metmuseum.org. But many of the people who cause problems are likely the ones who could benefit from a long-term city partnership with a mental health service provider. Long Beach, CA, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Emerald Bioscience, Inc. (OTCQB: EMBI), focused on the development of cannabinoid-based therapeutics to address global medical indications, especially those of unmet medical need, today announced that Dr. Brian Murphy, Chief Executive Officer, Emerald Bioscience will present at the upcoming 9th Annual Glaucoma 360 New Horizons Forum and BIO CEO & Investor Conference. 9th Annual Glaucoma 360 New Horizons Forum Dr. Brian Murphy will present an overview of Emerald Biosciences cannabinoid pipeline for ocular diseases, including its lead candidate NB1111 for the management of glaucoma, at the 9th Annual Glaucoma 360 New Horizons Forum being held on Friday, February 7, 2020 at the Grand Hyatt Union Square in San Francisco, CA. This meeting, held by the Glaucoma Research Foundation, brings together key clinical and industry leaders in a unique exchange on research innovation and advances in glaucoma treatment. Details of the presentation are as follows: Session: New Horizons in Pharmaceuticals Date and Time: Friday, February 7, 2020 at 2:25-3:05 PM PT Location: Grand Hyatt Union Square, Grand Ballroom, San Francisco, CA The 2020 meeting will feature more than 60 speakers from companies developing innovative glaucoma therapies and diagnostics. This full-day meeting co-founded and co-chaired by Adrienne L. Graves, PhD and Andrew G. Iwach, MD, spotlights new and promising developments to diagnose and treat glaucoma, a leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide. Since its inception in 2012, this meeting has grown substantially, attracting key clinical, scientific, industry, financial, and regulatory leaders from across the United States and around the world. BIO CEO & Investor Conference Dr. Murphy will present a corporate overview at the BIO CEO & Investor Conference to be held on February 10-11, 2020 at the Marriott Marquis in New York, NY with follow-up investor meetings held throughout the conference. Details of the presentation are as follows: Date and Time: Tuesday, February 11, 2020 at 2:15 PM ET Location: Marriott Marquis, Brecht Room, New York, NY About Emerald Bioscience, Inc. Emerald Bioscience is a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Long Beach, California, focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of bioengineered cannabinoid-based therapeutics for significant unmet medical needs in global markets. With proprietary technology licensed from the University of Mississippi, Emerald is developing novel ways to deliver cannabinoid-based drugs for specific indications with the aim of optimizing the clinical effects of such drugs while limiting potential adverse events. Emerald's strategy is to clinically develop a number of proprietary biosynthetic compounds, alone or in combination with corporate partners. For more information, visit www.emeraldbio.life CONTACT Douglas Cesario Chief Financial Officer Email: doug@emeraldbio.life Phone: 949-336-3437 FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding our product development, business strategy, product branding, timing of clinical trials and commercialization of cannabinoid-based therapeutics. Such statements and other statements in this press release that are not descriptions of historical facts are forward-looking statements that are based on managements current expectations and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, our business, operating results, financial condition and stock price could be materially negatively affected. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology including anticipated, contemplates, goal, focus, aims, intends, believes, can, could, challenge, predictable, will, would, may or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. We operate in a rapidly changing environment and new risks emerge from time to time. As a result, it is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements the Emerald may make. Risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially include, among others, our capital resources, uncertainty regarding the results of future testing and development efforts and other risks that are described in the Risk Factors section of Emerald most recent annual or quarterly report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as expressly required by law, Emerald disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements. Whatever the details of the agreement between Egypt and Ethiopia on the filling of the GERD, its operation cannot be allowed to reduce Egypts historical right to the Niles water by a single cubic metre Regardless of any agreement on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) between Ethiopia and Egypt, given that the current impasse is mainly between these two countries since Sudan long ago put a spin on the so-called benefits of the dam for the Sudanese people, recent statements made by Ethiopia give a dim view of the future of Nile water uses. Arrogantly, Ethiopian Minister of Water Sileshi Bekele, to whose stiff and rigid positions much of the countrys intransigence in the talks can be attributed, has said that any agreement on the dam would not block Ethiopia from building other dams on the Blue Nile. The minister was obviously referring to the sequence of dams Ethiopia intends to construct on the Blue Nile: the Beko-Abo, Karadobi and Mandaya Dams. Earlier, Bekele had boggled minds by rushing to make statements that were mainly false. On one occasion during the course of the negotiations he said that Egypt had accepted the release of 30 billion cubic metres of water during the filling of the dam. This was a lie, to say the least, because Egypt officially refuted the claims, saying it had not changed its position on the release of 40 billion cubic metres of water during the filling process. The minister lied again by saying that Egypt had requested the filling of the dam over a timeframe ranging from 12 to 21 years, a pathetic deception which Egypt once again officially refuted. Egypt said it had submitted a proposal that under given flooding conditions would allow Ethiopia to fill the GERD reservoir within a range of four to seven years. In the worst-case scenario, namely drought, the power generation capacity of the Ethiopian Dam would stand at 80 per cent, a reasonable level for both the upstream and the downstream nations. The three dams referred to by the Ethiopian minister along with the GERD have been reported to hold as much as 200 billion cubic metres of Nile water. The height of the three dams will far exceed that of the GERD itself (Beko-Abo: 285 m, Karadobi: 260 m and Mandaya: 200 m), with an installed capacity of hydropower generation of 2,000 Megawatts (MW) each for Beko-Abo and Mandaya and 1,600 MW for Karadobi. It is true that these three dams are still in the pipeline, and they may not be constructed at all given the huge regional implications, on the one hand, and the expected high costs, on the other. But it is still a high probability, albeit in the long-run, that Ethiopia will work on implementing them, as the Ethiopian minister said. Should those projects be carried out, Ethiopia will have the upper hand in controlling, for eternity, the flow of the River Nile, a dreadful scenario that should be heeded now. Ethiopian officials are committing a strategic error if they hold the view that any agreement pertaining solely to the filling and operation of the GERD can wash away existing and effective previous water agreements. In other words, Egypts right to 55.5 billion cubic metres of the Niles waters per annum remains inalienable. Joyful remarks in some Ethiopian circles that the current Ethiopian administration has made history by reaffirming Ethiopias right to the utilisation of its own resources are alarming and further testimony that Egypts fears over Ethiopias claim to a monopoly over the Nile are justified. Above all, the Nile is not Ethiopias own resource. It is a trans-boundary shared resource, and this cannot change by any agreement. The Niles use will continue to be governed by historical agreements and existing uses by Egypt of the Nile. The Nile will never turn into an Ethiopian river. Following leaks on the would-be agreement between the three nations that imply the filling of the GERDs reservoir over four years by virtue of 17 billion cubic metres a year, some in Ethiopian circles have received this news as if it were a game-changer for the Nile Basin. Officially speaking, Ethiopia does not recognise Egypts right to 55.5 billion cubic metres of the Niles waters per annum. Ethiopian officials, academics and media professionals have even branded the historical agreements, particularly the 1929 and 1959 Agreements on the Nile, as colonial! Some are now speaking of the would-be provisions on the GERD, which everyone understands are of a temporary nature until the dams reservoir is filled, as a new de facto termination of the existing and historical water agreements. This is not only a premature conclusion; it is also a dangerous approach. Egypt will swallow the bitter pill and handle a temporary reduction in its water quota only during the filling process, and beyond this it does not mean that this reduced quota will continue forever. Though now a fact on the ground, the Ethiopian Dam and other future dams on the Nile, should Ethiopia proceed with them, can never be allowed to decrease Egypts water quota by a single cubic metre. Most importantly, the historical agreements on the Nile will remain valid and effective, and Egypts historical (though the word infuriates Ethiopian officials) share of the Nile, the 55.5 billion cubic metres, can never be infringed upon. These are facts that can never be tampered with, and any tampering in any case cannot be tolerated. Some commentators in Ethiopia have revealed this landlocked nations intention to change Egypts quota of the Niles waters once the GERD goes online. They also say that Egypt will now be dependent not on the Nile, but on a country it had fought for centuries, meaning Ethiopia. In reality, Egypt will never be dependent on another country, since it will be dependent only on its peoples resolve and mighty military to safeguard its national security and continue to protect the uninterrupted flow of the Nile. The ancient Egyptians believed that the god Hapi was the deity of the Nile in a reaffirmation of their attachment to this mighty River, which they used for millennia to ensure their countrys well-being and on whose banks they founded a breathtaking civilisation. The modern Egyptians have the same attachment to the Nile, making it a source of inspiration for their national songs and poems in another manifestation of how the river has been instrumental in shaping their lives and future. Ethiopia repetitively argues that Egypt does not have exclusive rights to the Nile, a charge Egypt has denied. But Ethiopia will never be allowed to have the upper hand over the hydro-politics of the region either. The writer is a former press and information officer in Ethiopia and an expert on African affairs. *A version of this article appears in print in the 30 January, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 30, 2020) - Spirit Banner Capital Corp. (TSXV: SBCC.P) ("Spirit Banner" or the "Corporation") provides an update on its proposed business combination transaction (the "Proposed Transaction") with Ion Energy Ltd. ("Ion Energy"), and Ion Energy's non-brokered private placement to be completed in connection with the Proposed Transaction. As previously announced on August 20, 2019 it is expected the Proposed Transaction will qualify as the Corporation's "Qualifying Transaction" under the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV"). Ion Energy Financing Further to the announcements on November 18, 2019, and December 19, 2019, Ion Energy is conducting a non-brokered private placement consisting of the issuance of a minimum of 6,666,666 subscription receipts (the "Subscription Receipts") offered at $0.30 per Subscription Receipt, for minimum aggregate gross proceeds of $2,000,000 (the "Ion Energy Financing"). The Subscription Receipts will be automatically converted into units ( the "Units") of Ion Energy upon the satisfaction of all conditions precedent to the Proposed Transaction having occurred, including the common shares of the resulting issuer (the "Resulting Issuer") being conditionally approved for listing by the TSXV. Each Unit will be comprised of one post-consolidation Ion Energy common share ( the "Ion Energy Private Placement Shares") and one warrant to purchase one post-consolidation Ion Energy common share ( the "Ion Energy Private Placement Warrants") at an exercise price of $0.40 for a period of twenty-four months from the date of issuance. Ion Energy has amended the exercise price of the Ion Energy Private Placement Warrants comprising the Units from $0.50 (as announced on December 19, 2019) to the amended exercise price of $0.40 per one-post consolidation Ion Energy Private Placement Share. The Ion Energy Private Placement Shares and Ion Energy Private Placement Warrants will be exchanged for equivalent Resulting Issuer securities on a one-to-one basis on completion of the Proposed Transaction. If at any time after four months and one day from the completion of the Proposed Transaction, the common shares of the Resulting Issuer trade at $0.60 per common share or higher (on a volume weighted adjusted basis) for a period of twenty days, the Resulting Issuer will have the right to accelerate the expiry date of the warrants exchanged for the Ion Energy Private Placement Warrants to the date that is thirty days after the Resulting Issuer issues a news release announcing that it has elected to exercise this acceleration right. Assuming completion of the Proposed Transaction, proceeds raised from the Ion Energy Financing will be used for exploration purposes on Ion Energy's Mongolian property and for general corporate purposes. The Ion Energy Financing is ongoing and is intended to close on or about February 14, 2020. Amendment Agreements The Corporation and Ion Energy have entered into an amendment agreement (the "Amendment Agreement") to the definitive agreement dated August 20, 2019, for the Proposed Transaction. The Amendment Agreement extends the deadline for completion of the Proposed Transaction to February 28, 2020. If the Proposed Transaction is not completed prior to February 28, 2020, then it will be terminated unless otherwise extended by the Corporation and Spirit Banner. Additionally, the Corporation and Ion Energy have agreed to extend the due date for repayment of the loan provided to Ion Energy by the Corporation, for an advance of up to $225,000, to the date of February 28, 2020. Trading Halt Spirit Banner's shares are currently halted from trading and are not expected to resume trading until the TSXV completes its review of the Proposed Transaction. Completion of the Proposed Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, TSXV acceptance and the completion of the Ion Energy Financing. There can be no assurance that the Proposed Transaction or Ion Energy Financing will be completed as proposed or at all. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the filing statement being prepared in connection with the Proposed Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Proposed Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Currently the Corporation is in the process of addressing comments received from the TSXV regarding conditional approval for the Proposed Transaction. For further information, contact: Spirit Banner Capital Corp. Aneel Waraich, CEO +1.647.998.4149 Awaraich@atmacapitalmarkets.com Ion Energy Ltd. Ali Haji, CEO +1.647.951.6508 Ali@IonEnergy.ca Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations; they are not guarantees of future performance. Spirit Banner cautions that all forward looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond Spirit Banner's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to Spirit Banner's ability to complete the proposed Qualifying Transaction, including those described in Spirit Banner's Prospectus dated December 12, 2017, available on the Corporation's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, Spirit Banner undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information. Completion of the transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, Exchange acceptance and if applicable pursuant to Exchange Requirements, majority of the minority shareholder approval. Where applicable, the transaction cannot close until the required shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the transaction will be completed as proposed or at all. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular or filing statement to be prepared in connection with the transaction, any information released or received with respect to the transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of a capital pool company should be considered highly speculative. Trading in the securities of the Corporation should be considered highly speculative. The TSX Venture Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. A halt in trading shall remain in place until after the Qualifying Transaction is completed or such time that acceptable documentation is filed with the TSX Venture Exchange. 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. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/51980 President Donald Trump during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Jan. 29, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Trump Administration Forms Coronavirus Task Force President Donald Trump announced on Jan. 29 the creation of a task force to monitor and combat the new coronavirus that originated in China. The group will lead the Trump administrations efforts to monitor, contain, and mitigate the spread of the virus and give Americans accurate and up-to-date health and travel information related to the 2019 novel coronavirus, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, who held a press conference giving an update on the virus earlier this week, is leading the task force. Other members include national security adviser Robert C. OBrien, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Robert Redfield, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. Just received a briefing on the Coronavirus in China from all of our GREAT agencies, who are also working closely with China. We will continue to monitor the ongoing developments. We have the best experts anywhere in the world, and they are on top of it 24/7! pic.twitter.com/rrtF1Stk78 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 30, 2020 The task force is being coordinated through the National Security Council and has been meeting daily. Trump, who chaired a Jan. 26 meeting, said in a social media post that he received a briefing on the Wuhan coronavirus from all of our GREAT agencies, who are also working closely with China. We will continue to monitor the ongoing developments. We have the best experts anywhere in the world, and they are on top of it 24/7! he added. Out of 165 people being monitored across 36 U.S. states, 68 have tested negative and five have tested positive. The confirmed cases are in Washington state, California, Arizona, and Illinois. The virus originated in Wuhan, China, a city of about 11 million people. A worker wearing a protective suit sprays disinfectant in a neighborhood in Qingdao in eastern Chinas Shandong Province on Jan. 28, 2020. (Chinatopix via AP) Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases, some of which cause illness in people and others that circulate among animals. In rare cases, animal coronaviruses can evolve and infect people before spreading between people. In two previous cases, the Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (MERS) spread to humans from camels, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) spread to humans from civet cats. Experts arent yet sure of the origin of the new coronavirus, although it bears similarities to a bat coronavirus. Human-to-human transmission of the new coronavirus has been confirmed in multiple countries, including Germany, Japan, Taiwan, and the United States. When person-to-person spread has occurred with MERS and SARS, it is thought to have happened mainly via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how influenza and other respiratory pathogens spread, the CDC said on its website. Worldwide, the virus has spread to 22 countries and territories, including France, Finland, Australia, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Philippines, and Thailand. SARASOTA, Fla., Jan. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Data Masons, a Microsoft One Commercial Partner and EDI innovator, has positioned itself to remain an industry leader in cloud-based EDI solutions while developing new features for its industry-leading Data Masons EDI technology. Data Masons is coming off one of the most successful years in its history, aided by the 2019 promotion of two key executives: Vice President of Operations Molly Kelly and Vice President of Development Steve Massey. Under the leadership of Ms. Kelly, Mr. Massey and CEO Glenn McPeak, the Company streamlined operations, tightened development cycles, doubled the company's workforce, increased revenue by more than 130 percent, and produced double-digit YOY profitability all while increasing customer satisfaction and maintaining a 98-percent client retention rate. "We are expecting 2020 to be the year large organizations move away from embedded EDI solutions and embrace tightly integrated and loosely coupled cloud EDI solutions," says Data Masons CEO Glenn McPeak. "Cloud EDI adoption enables customers to digitally transform their entire value chain and yield significant improvements." Data Masons is ready to move enterprises from challenged embedded EDI solutions to Data Masons EDI (formerly known as Vantage Point) a 100 percent cloud - browser based platform. Data Masons EDI has advanced security features such as multi-factor authentication, and supports multi-tenant deployment, which significantly lowers operating costs. Data Masons EDI delivers tighter ERP integration, with one-click access to EDI data without invasive ERP customizations. Customers running Vantage Point will still be able to benefit from Data Masons cloud technology thanks to a new cloud-connection solution that will support on-premise ERP solutions with Data Masons EDI running in the Data Masons Cloud. The new Data Masons EDI cloud solution also offers a new pricing model that greatly simplifies the purchase and deployment of the system. Existing Data Masons customers moving to the pricing model in 2020 will have all upfront costs waived. About Data Masons Since 1996 Data Masons has specialized in EDI Made Simple, offering cloud-based and on-premise EDI solutions that can integrate with any partner or platform in a secure environment with no customizations. It is a leading EDI solution provider for companies using ERP platforms including Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations, Dynamics 365 Business Central, Dynamics AX, Dynamics GP and Dynamics NAV. Data Masons' product flexibility and expert service options have made it the ideal partner to deliver high-performance business-document integration, with more than 1,500 global customers, including FILA, The Hershey Company, Brevell, Shopbop (a subsidiary of Amazon), Citizen Watch, Zippo, and more. Data Masons is a privately held company headquartered in Sarasota, FL, with international offices in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Sydney, Australia. Datamasons.com. PR Contact: Jan Jahosky [email protected] (866) 575 - 1631 Related Images molly-kelly.jpeg Molly Kelly Molly Kelly, Data Masons Vice President of Operations steve-massey.jpg Steve Massey Steve Massey, Data Masons Vice President of Development data-masons-logo.jpg Data Masons Logo Data Masons Related Links Data Masons SOURCE Data Masons Early education is undervalued, underfunded and has been ignored by successive governments, according to childcare workers protesting outside the Tainaistes constituency office. On Thursday, creche owners, professionals and parents gathered outside Simon Coveneys office on the main street of Carrigaline to highlight what they describe as a sector in crisis. The first of many planned demonstrations in the days ahead of the general election on Saturday week, the group is to take its protest to Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martins office in Turners Cross tomorrow. What we are looking for is for somebody to take responsibility for the sector, said John Bowman, who together with his wife Lorna Leahy owns Bilingual Early Learning Childcare (BEL Childcare). Up to 200 children attended early childcare services at their centre in Douglas. Mr Bowman said: In a lot of ways we are delivering Government schemes and we are inspected by the Government but they are not prepared to take any responsibility for it or fund it. "There are many diverse voices within childcare but what bonds us all together is the feeling of neglect that we have been underfunded and ignored for years. Many childcare services across the country are expected to close on February 5 as early childhood providers take part in a national day of protest. BEL Childcare will remain open but a number of staff will head to Dublin to take part in demonstrations. Childcare providers who close without finding an alternative day for parents to avail of their services will see their payment docked for the time spent closed, according to the Department of Children. This Government and its approach has been so full of contradictions," Mr Bowman said. "It's time to stop the crap and go at this properly and talk to the stakeholders, talk to the providers. "Dont go talking to the civil servants - there are a lot of jobs for the boys in this, weve people sitting in Dublin pushing paper from one side of the desk to the other, deciding whats good for people. Lorna Leahy said: "We believe the sector is underfunded and undervalued. We need the Government to recognise that now we are running schemes for them, they need to step up and take responsibility for the sector. "As the first rung on the early educational ladder, we should be recognised as professionals and paid accordingly. Parents need support, we need this to be sorted. Without funding the sector, providers are going to close. One parent Ciara O'Neill told the Irish Examiner that she believes the new national childcare scheme is not viable. "It's just of no assistance to parents at all and its adding to providers' administrative work at already stretched facilities. "It's no assistance to the girls who are there with degrees, with more education than probably most of the working mothers, and they get paid a very poor wage to mind our future. FAIRFIELD The Board of Selectman has approved $604,000 in spending on the transfer station. The spending was approved as two separate items and will still need to be approved by the Board of Finance and the Representative Town Meeting. According to Acting Director of the Department of Public Works Brian Carey, the transfer station will need funding for structural improvements and two new trash compactors, costing $250,000 and $354,000, respectively. Fairfield purchased new compactors for the transfer station in 2018 during the tenure of former Director of Public Works Joseph Michelangelo. Carey said they are undersized and cannot handle the amount of waste that is brought to the building every day. (The undersized compactors are) requiring there to be some work done on overtime, Carey said. Its just not functional for the long term. The acting director said the department designed specifications for new trash compactors and put them out to bid. He said the new ones will meet the requirements of the facility and have a three-year warranty. First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick expressed frustration that the wrong compactors were ordered while acknowledging that Carey was not responsible for the error. Its not a good thing. We want to be very careful when ordering expensive things that cost a lot of taxpayer money, Kupchick said. I am not particularly pleased about this, at all. Carey said any person who has been to the transfer station recently would understand the need for improvements. The town took control of the property about 10 years ago from the Connecticut Resource Recovery Authority. The state agency once controlled a number of landfills throughout Connecticut but is no longer operational. There have been improvements made that were much needed to the building when we took it over, Carey said. (But) there are a couple critical things that need to be addressed right away including the outside overhead doors (and) some issues with the roofing. Carey said the plan is to hire an architect to look at the facility and made recommendations on bringing it up to code. He said that would cost about $50,000, adding that the department had already put out a request for qualifications. The idea would be to take the other $200,000 that we are asking for and move quickly to fix some of those critical issues down at the transfer station, Carey said. Most of the other departments in town do have a capital plan ... to do this and put together an outlook for the facilities is something that we feel is prudent. According to Carey, the department will assess immediate, intermediate and long-terms goals for capital projects to keep the transfer station in good repair. Kupchik said during her time in her current role she has learned the town has been putting off work and maintenance projects. She said she is working with department heads and looking to start improving Fairfields municipal buildings, infrastructure and technology. We will probably be judged not by the monuments we build but by those we have destroyed. The New York Times To be an American is to forge an uneasy truce with the fact that most of your neighbors are philistines, too obsessed with the latest sporting event or caterwauling pop star to savor the deeper pleasures that come from reckoning with Art and History, those two lodestones of the well-tempered life. It is already obvious that intellectuals will find even less nourishment in the mass culture of the 21st century than we did in that of the 20th, so the best strategy for surviving this forced intellectual and spiritual exile in our own homeland will probably remain the same: affecting a benign indifference to bread and circuses so as not to draw the publics ire, while zealously guarding and protecting those last remaining refuges where the life of the mind can still be lived freely. It is that second duty, that thankless work of preserving our culture and history, not for the loathsome, vicious masses of the present but for the hypothetical intellectuals of the future, that compels me to speak out now, on behalf of geniuses yet to be born. The plan to tear down the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station is an unacceptable blow against the history of the cinema, and it is incumbent upon everyone who values our culture to prevent it from happening. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its hardly traditional for an American intellectual to lie down in front of a bulldozer when its headed toward a nuclear power plant, and indeed, for its first few decades, opposing the construction and expansion of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station was as much a marker of education and class as an NPR tote bag. But that all changed on Dec. 2, 1988, when Paramount Pictures released The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad. Like all great art, director David Zuckers chilling vision of life at the end of American empire was lost on most people, but it immediately struck a chord with the intelligentsia, who experience life and loss so much more deeply than others. Zuckers California, like Didions, was defined not so much by what his unwavering camera observes, but by what his memory cannot let go. And no location is harder for Zucker or his characters to let go of than the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, the physical embodiment of the loss and pain that immiserates Lt. Frank Drebin even as the rage it engenders fuels his relentless quest for justice. Heres how Zucker introduces the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, in a sequence that remains one of the most moving portraits of pain and loss in American cinema: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We dont talk much about grief, here in America. We dont talk about sadness or failure or doubt. Capitalism demands never-ending progress, never-ending growth, never-ending optimism, that long ride up the escalator to more and more money and more and more happiness. But Frank Drebins grief cannot be appeased by the false gods of commerce or the hungry smile of Weird Al Yankovic. He stands in mute rebuttal to every lie the market ever told, to every product that promised to replace the love of other people with something that could be purchased, something that could be managed. And for years, the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, too, stood as a reminder to all who drove from Los Angeles to San Diego that not even a dedicated police officer like Drebin could solve the mysteries of the human heart. Thats the kind of idea that could overthrow empires. We cant let them tear it down. UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen is likely to travel to Riyadh soon after his recent talks with the Syrian leadership in Damascus, to also meet with the opposition in an effort to determine agenda for the next session of the constitutional committee in Geneva, an informed source told Sputnik on Thursday MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th January, 2020) UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen is likely to travel to Riyadh soon after his recent talks with the Syrian leadership in Damascus, to also meet with the opposition in an effort to determine agenda for the next session of the constitutional committee in Geneva, an informed source told Sputnik on Thursday. Pedersen met with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem on Wednesday. Before that, he met with the Russian foreign and defense ministers in Moscow. "Pedersen is likely to go to Riyadh soon after the trip to Damascus," the source said. The special envoy is trying to make all sides agree on the agenda for the next meeting of the Syrian constitutional committee (CC) and its 45-member "small body. " After the latest CC round, which was a failure since the sides did not even come together, he is determined that there will be no next meeting before the agenda is set. Pedersen told Sputnik in Davos that he hopes to be able to hold the next CC round in February. So far, the Syrian sides have agreed only on the rules of conduct of the CC. However, when it comes to the agenda, they have many differences - in particular, on whether to discuss the fight against terrorism within the framework of the body. Asserting that anyone can make mistakes, advocate AP Singh, who is the lawyer of the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder convicts, on Thursday said that Supreme Court judges and President of India are not gods. The statement came after a five-judge bench of the apex court dismissed the curative petition of Nirbhaya convict Akshay Thakur in the matter and rejected an application seeking a stay on the convicts' execution, which is scheduled for February 1. "Be it five senior judges of the Supreme Court or the President of India, they are not gods. It is not like they cannot make a mistake," Singh told reporters here. He said that the apex court did not agree with the grounds for the curative petition. Informing that he has also filed a petition in the Patiala House Court seeking a stay on the execution of the convicts, Singh said that he "will also file a review petition pertaining to the juvenility of Pawan Kumar Gupta," who is also a convict in the matter. Nirbhaya's lawyer Seema Kushwaha said that the only legal remedy the convicts' are left with is the mercy petition. "We have come very close to the date of the execution. Now, they will not get any relief from anyone. The only legal remedy they have now is the mercy petition, which I don't think they should be allowed. I hope that the convicts are hanged on February 1," Kushwaha told ANI. "They have contended that the mercy petition is pending and therefore the convicts can not be executed. However, they have merely filed the mercy petition and it is not pending before the President," she added. Yesterday, the apex court had also dismissed the plea of another Nirbhaya convict -- Mukesh Kumar Singh -- challenging the rejection of his mercy petition by the President. Earlier this month, a Delhi court had issued the death warrant for convicts -- Akshay, Mukesh, Pawan Gupta, and Vinay Kumar Sharma -- and ordered their hanging on February 1. The case pertains to the gang-rape of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012, by six people including a juvenile in Delhi. The woman died at a Singapore hospital a few days later. One of the five adults accused, Ram Singh had allegedly committed suicide in the Tihar Jail during the trial of the case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ALBANY An Iranian businesswoman who tried to bypass U.S. sanctions by using distributors in Saratoga County to illegally ship $3 million in turbine machinery to her country through Canada and Germany was sentenced Thursday to 14 months time served in jail. Mahin Mojtahedzadeh, 74, also referred to as Mahin Toussi, apologized for her crime before being sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mae DAgostino. The defendant said thoughts of her two daughters and her writing were the few things that saved me from insanity while in the Rensselaer County jail since her arrest on Nov. 14, 2018. I have lost everything," Mojtahedzadeh told the judge. My freedom. My dignity ... my reputation and my savings for retirement." "I cant describe how sorry I am. No words can describe my sorrow. Her Washington-based attorney, David Benowitz, said his client will likely not make it home for several months due to her detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She just wants to return home, Benowitz, told the judge. DAgostino credited Mojtahedzadeh for accepting responsibility with her guilty plea last summer, but noted the defendants actions were inexcusable. She told Mojtahedzadeh that she was a intelligent woman who could have found other ways to make money which the judge said was the defendants motive. "You knew exactly what you were doing, the judge told Mojtahedzadeh. "What you did was wrong, wrong and wrong and you knew it and continued to do it for a considerable amount of time. The judge dipped below federal sentencing guidelines, which called for a sentence of between 46 and 57 months in prison . DAgostino noted Mojtahedzadeh's age, health, lack of criminal history and that the turbines were for Irans electrical and energy needs, rather than for further its military or terrorism or nuclear capability. The judge also imposed a $5,000 fine. In a pre-sentencing memo to the judge, Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Belliss said defendants who evade national security controls or who regularly engage in transactions with countries that support international terrorism should be punished harshly regardless of whether the conduct at issue directly furthers Irans nuclear program or military. The prosecutor said Mojtahedzadehs crime was serious, both because it flouted the U.S. embargo against Iran and also because the turbine parts she was sending, and planning to send, are important to Irans ability to generate power. Authorities said Mojtahedzadeh was the president and managing director of ETCO-FZC, an export company in Dubai that supplies spare and replacement turbine parts for power companies in the Middle East, including Iran. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Mojtahedzadeh pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations. In her plea agreement, she admitted that she worked between 2013 and 2017 to evade U.S. sanctions against Iran by using two distributors in Saratoga County to supply companies in Germany and Canada with $3 million worth of turbine parts which, in turn, were then re-sent to customers in Iran. Olaf Tepper and Mojtaba Biria, both of Germany, pleaded guilty as well last year to the same conspiracy. Tepper, 52 at the time of his plea, was and managing director of Energy Republic GmbH or Energy Republic in Cologne, Germany, which re-shipped the turbine parts to Iran. He was previously sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine. Biria, 68 at the time of the plea, was the companys technical managing director, received 21 months time served and a $5,000 fine. The case involved a joint investigation by the Albany FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and Department of Commerces Bureau of Industry and Security. In June, federal agents using a search warrant at Turbine Services Ltd. in Wilton, owned by brothers Ronald and Vincent Riggi, hauled out several boxes of materials, including electronics, as part of an ongoing investigation. It has not been made clear if the search had anything to do with the conspiracy case, as court documents and press releases did not identify the Saratoga County-based business. Prosecutors Thursday declined to comment on the status of the case. Start-up delivery software firm Coll-8 has clinched an agreement with the owner of Spar, Mace, and Londis for shoppers to pick up parcels at 1,100 shops, a move it says will shake up delivery-and-returns for all online purchases made in the Republic. Coll-8 and its drop2shop brand is the first major venture of Dave Field, who was a co-founder of delivery firm Nightline which was sold to UPS three years ago. The software firm and retail group BWG, run by group chief executive Leo Crawford, plan to roll out the service in the next few months at the first 400 of BWGs around 1,100 stores which include the Spar, Mace, XL, and Londis names. It claims the system will be uniquely favourable for online shoppers because the parcels will be sent from across the world to one location in Ireland, BWGs national distribution centre in Clondalkin in west Dublin, for distribution to the stores by the regular BWG delivery fleet. Shoppers, it says, will have the convenience of picking up and returning their parcels during opening hours at their local stores. The system will depend on Coll-8 striking agreements with international fashion and electronics online retailers, and it appears that it is extending its list of agreements. Coll-8 will also be led by general manager Eamonn Cunningham, commercial director Dean Lycett, national sales manager Tim Quinn, and Gerry Bowers, who helped set up the IT system at Nightline, as well as financial director Glenn Bradley. Coll-8 may be a start-up but its run by individuals who arguably understand the Irish e-commerce delivery sector better than anyone else, said BWGs logistics director Joanne Mellon. Mr Field, who is chief operations officer at Coll-8, said drop2shop will provide Irelands consumers with fast, safe, and environmentally friendly deliveries. Im not exaggerating when I say that the services which we will be able to offer to shoppers will be a significant improvement on whats currently available, said Mr Field. After another tie vote Tuesday night, the Boyertown Area School Board abandoned its plan to narrow its seven applicants for a board vacancy down to two finalists, and instead picked from the entire list, thereby choosing Marianne Scott as the newest member. Delta Air Lines plans to launch a new uniform program for its flight attendants and some airport customer service agents amid complaints that the previous uniforms have caused serious medical problems. Hundreds of Delta employees have sued the uniform maker, Dodgeville, Wisconsin-based Lands End, claiming the garb was 'toxic', causing skin rashes, breathing difficulties and other medical problems. The lawsuits claim that the chemicals and finishes used to create high-stretch, wrinkle- and stain-resistant, waterproof, anti-static and deodorizing garments for the uniforms led to employees health problems. Delta employees posing in the airline's current uniform. The air carrier plans to launch a new uniform program for its flight attendants and some airport customer service agents amid complaints that the previous uniforms have caused serious medical problems A Delta flight attendant is pictured dressed in the airline's current uniform. Hundreds of the airline's employees have sued the uniform maker, Lands End, claiming the garb was 'toxic' causing skin rashes, breathing difficulties and other medical problems Land's End's corporate offices in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, a small town about 120 miles west of Milwaukee. The company is facing hundreds of lawsuits filed by Delta employees over its uniforms made for the air carrier 'We value our partnership with Delta and are pleased to continue to work with them to supply safe, innovative uniforms that meet their program needs,' Lands' End said in a statement Thursday. The company said each uniform it supplies 'undergoes rigorous testing at independent labs to ensure that the garments meet or exceed the strictest global standards.' Delta introduced the uniforms in 2018, replacing ones that were dated going back a dozen years. The replacements, created by fashion designer Zac Posen, in an attempt by the carrier at being stylish, but drew concerns of long-term health effects after from employees who had been wearing them for about 18 months. The Atlanta-based carrier now says it 'plans on using this opportunity to identify more sustainable textile practices, taking greater control of the production process and offering employee a greater choice of standards.' Delta Air Lines showcased its current uniforms during a fashion show in 2018, when the garb created by fashion designer Zac Posen was introduced A delta employee shows an alleged skin reaction to the uniforms made by Land's End New uniforms going forward, Delta says, will carry the 'OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100' label, the highest standard in the textile industry for chemical testing. Delta plans to launch new uniforms in late 2021 and said in the interim, employees will be offered new uniform choices in addition to alternate options already permitted. Delta said it plans to provide updates to its existing uniform in the interim. New uniforms going forward, Delta says, will carry the 'OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100' label, the highest standard in the textile industry for chemical testing 'At Delta, our people are the foundation for our success. In response to our employees, weve taken steps over the past few months to address feedback received about the uniform, including offering alternative garments, hiring fabric experts, and conducting comprehensive chemical testing,' Ekrem Dimbiloglu, director of Delta's New Uniform Program, said in a statement. 'This is a big decision, but we side with our people, and we are making a change.' Delta has more than 60,000 uniformed workers worldwide. With talks about the impacts of climate change escalating on a global level, sustainability has become a buzzword in the property industry. While the cost of making a home sustainable remains a significant concern for many investors and homeowners, a construction expert said this should not be the case. Andrew Payton, director at AJP Constructions, said it is "ludicrous" for builders to charge a premium for making homes more sustainable. Payton said homeowners and investors can maximise the planning stage of house construction to ensure that the finished dwelling is built to require less energy and incur lower costs. "The facts are by applying clever planning early, you can construct a high-end property that's faster to build and costs less to operate," he said. "Homeowners are keen to reduce their running expenses in times of high costs of living. For investors, saving money means they can get a far better yield on their investment property. Also read: Sustainable Properties Sell Faster One of the very first things investors should look at is the design of the house. Understanding orientation and exposure could potentially reduce heating and cooling costs at a substantial level, Payton said. Smart design elements such as eave overhangs and patio roof lengths should be considered to achieve maximum energy savings. "Open plan is great, but if the orientation and exposure to sunlight is wrong, then you can end up paying a lot extra in running costs. Many small changes can have a big impact in costs, from window placement to avoiding 'dead space' in underutilised rooms," Payton said. Blurring the line between indoors and outdoors can also do the trick. One way to create extra space is to open up to a patio or deck, which could also lower running costs, Payton said. "By using the right materials for your openings solar tinted glass stacker doors or more solid bi-folds you can simply reduce the space when it's not needed and insulate the area you're either heating and cooling," he said. Another crucial strategy is choosing the right materials for the home. For instance, there is a growing trend of using cross-laminated timber for the house's framing. "Because it's cheaper to produce and easier to work with than steel or concrete, it's a saving in your construction budget. We've also found CLT frames are faster to erect than traditional frames, because it comes in panels," Payton said. Property owners should also invest in quality fitting and fixtures to avoid skyrocketing costs in the long run. "This may sound counter-intuitive to the idea of reducing costs, but it's often worth the extra money to choose recognised brand-name appliances with excellent durability. The same goes for finishes good quality, durable carpet, tile, timber and paint all pay for themselves pretty quickly," Payton said. Late last year, the Property Council of Australia and Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) unveiled a policy toolkit aimed at transforming Australian homes, workplaces, and other buildings into low-carbon, high-performance structures while cost-effectively reducing emissions. According to the Property Council, buildings account for over 50% of Australia's electricity use and 25% of carbon emissions, spurring the need for a comprehensive policy plan. "Energy efficiency has been the forgotten part of energy policy for the past decade as governments have debated energy supply. With the right policy frameworks in place, we can minimise the costs of a transition to net-zero emissions and create economic opportunities across all parts of the industry, from sole traders and homeowners to large businesses," Property Council chief executive Ken Morrison said. Every year 'round this time, we start thinking about what Google's got in store for Android in the months ahead. And broad trends aside, the biggest questions tend to revolve around the year's upcoming Android release. Some Android versions are mostly about under-the-hood improvements, while others focus on bits of subtle but significant polish. And sometimes, we see massive foundational changes to what the operating system represents the switch to on-screen navigation buttons in 2011's Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich; the introduction of the modern, card-centric Material Design interface in 2014's Lollipop; and then the advent of gesture-driven navigation in 2018's Pie (and, uh, again in last year's Android 10 update). It's still too soon to know for sure what themes we'll see come up with this year's Android 11 offering, but I have a sneaking suspicion the most interesting and potentially transformative advancements for Android this year won't actually be connected to that software at all or to any of Google's own efforts, for that matter. Stay with me here, 'cause I swear I haven't lost my mind: The most consequential changes to the way we use and think about Android in 2020 might come from...Microsoft. Yes, Microsoft. What a weird, upside-down world we live in, I know. But when you stop and think about it, it actually makes an awful lot of sense. [Get fresh tips and insight in your inbox every Friday with JR's Android Intelligence newsletter. Exclusive extras await!] After failing to serve the Android faithful for ages first ignoring the platform entirely and then wildly misunderstanding its nature for a while Microsoft started getting serious about our virtual stomping ground a few years back. It made almost shockingly good versions of its office apps for Android, created its own Android launcher to turn Microsoft into a focal point of the phone-using experience, and then little by little built out an entire Microsoft sub-platform that existed within Google's virtual walls. The company essentially created a Windows Phone 2.0, in other words, only this time doing it in a way that piggybacked off the world's most widely used operating system instead of trying to go up against it. Just like Google, amusingly enough, Microsoft is now taking a post-OS era approach and focusing on ecosystem over operating system. So when we heard last year that Microsoft was building its first self-made Android device, the dual-screened Microsoft Surface Duo, it was clear this wasn't gonna be Yet Another Unremarkable Android Phone. Microsoft was up to something grander here something intriguingly unusual and decidedly different. To be sure, there's still plenty we don't know about the Duo and ample cause for skepticism. But with the release of a Duo-specific software development kit and loads of associated documentation this month, we're getting some fresh clues about Microsoft's true ambitions for the device and its ultimate plan for pushing Android into some wild new territory Google itself has yet to explore. And if you ask me, this has the potential to be one of the most significant advancements Android's seen in a good long while the sort of thing that could have huge implications not only for the future of the platform but also for mobile technology in general. Specifically, there are two main reasons I'm cautiously optimistic about what Microsoft's about to do with Android my two key takeaways from the company's mountains of Duo-related materials. First: While lots of companies are coming out with foldables, Microsoft is coming out with a smarter twist on the concept and coming up with a genuine reason for it to exist. When we talk about foldable phones right now, two common themes come up: First, by and large, they're innovation for the sake of innovation a solution in search of a problem that doesn't quite exist. Cool as they may seem, they just don't add much of meaningful value into the day-to-day phone-using experience. And even in the rare situations where they may have some practical benefit in terms of portability, they're laden with compromises that make them inadvisable for practically everyone. Instead of following mindlessly onto that foldable bandwagon, as most manufacturers seem eager to do these days, Microsoft came up with a smarter setup: a phone that folds in half, with two separate screens that sit side by side. And sure, there's a thin hinge between 'em but when you see how the Duo's designed to work, you realize that doesn't really matter all that much. (And also, call me crazy, but that thin hinge seems way less distracting than the clunky seam on the screen of a foldable phone and the host of durability issues that come with it.) The most interesting advantage the Duo provides, y'see, isn't being able to treat its dual displays as a single large screen (though you certainly can do that, in certain scenarios). It's being able to treat them as separate but complementary parts of a phone-using experience something that really seems like it could change the very nature of how we think about Android and mobile computing. To wit: Microsoft's software development kit details five core ways apps can tap into the Duo's dual screens and take advantage of their potential. There's technically a sixth the basic "extended canvas," where an app stretches across the two displays but it's the more advanced patterns that show off how Microsoft's managing to evolve Android in a way that Google has not. Take, for instance, the "master-detail" arrangement. There, apps split their content between a master pane, which contains some sort of list-like view, and a details pane, where extra information resides. Think of it like Outlook's preview pane, transformed into a standard operating system element and think of all the ways apps ranging from email clients to calendars, photo galleries, and even music players could take advantage of it. Then there's the "two page" view, in which apps can provide an open-book-like experience, complete with page turning. It'd evolve the way we experience reading-related apps, for sure, and it could also create some interesting possibilities for document- or note-oriented scenarios. The "dual view" setup lets an app show similar sorts of content side by side two documents, two lists, two images, or even two products on shopping sites so you can easily compare and work across the two items without having to do any cramped screen splits or awkward back-and-forth switching. And finally, the "companion pane" view is designed to show complementary interface elements tools, menus, or control panels that'd typically be hidden behind a button in a standard single-screen environment right alongside your main work area. Beyond those possibilities, there's also the plain and simple option of having two different apps exist on their own screens, side by side. And in that arrangement, if the apps support it, you can drag and drop content between the two programs text, links, images, or even "rich objects" instead of cutting and pasting. See what's happening here? Microsoft actually took a thoughtful approach to how an extended-screen setup should work and precisely what sort of real-world, instantly relatable value it should provide. Instead of taking a cool-looking new kind of technology and then trying to find a reason for it to exist, Microsoft came up with the reason and then came up with the device to support it. With all the wild phone forms flying around right now, that's something no other company has yet managed to do. There's another side to this story, though one that's critical to a phone like the Duo, or any other device with an unusual approach, to succeed. And based on this early look at Microsoft's strategy, it sure looks like the company is setting itself up to nail it. Microsoft is building in a smart fail-safe and making sure that apps without specific dual-screen support will still work well in its setup. Regardless of how intriguing the Duo's advanced use-cases are, this part is key. I mean, think about it: The Achilles' heel of Microsoft's entire strategy here is the fact that it requires Android app developers to actively optimize their apps in order for them to function in any of those aforementioned arrangements. You aren't just gonna open up the Duo, pop open any ol' app, and have it be magically ready to handle those sorts of next-level screen-spanning arrangements. And we all know how poky some Android developers can be at adopting new standards. But here's the saving grace: According to Microsoft's development documentation, Android apps on the Duo will always default to opening on a single one of the device's displays thereby looking and acting just like they would on any regular Android device. There is no compatibility question, in other words, because the default setup is exactly the same as what you'd get on any other Android phone. So at the worst, you have a device that lets you focus on one app on a standalone 5.6" screen while then having the ability to pull up any other app or process on a second 5.6" screen. That could still be interesting, particularly if the hardware is compelling. And at the best, well, you'd have apps that can do all those other advanced possibilities we were just mulling over. Now, let's not get ahead of ourselves: This is still just a concept. There are still tons of unanswered questions about the Duo, including its cost, the limitations surrounding its single-camera (only on the inside!) setup, and how exactly Microsoft will handle software updates. But based on the concept, at least, it sure looks like this device has all the practical productivity benefits foldable phones are lacking and without all the hardware-driven drawbacks those devices possess. With Android 10, Google created the basic framework for how apps could exist across multiple panels. Microsoft, meanwhile, seems to be the one taking that ball and running with it coming up with a clever new concept and one-upping Google on its own terrain. This is the sort of stuff that makes you sit up and say: "Oh! Right. Now I see why this could be useful instead of just novel" and maybe, just maybe, the sort of stuff that ushers in a new era for the types of experiences Android can enable. Sign up for my weekly newsletter to get more practical tips, personal recommendations, and plain-English perspective on the news that matters. [Android Intelligence videos at Computerworld] The Constitutions press freedom guarantor forbids gag laws NEAR V. MINNESOTA, 283 U.S. 697 (1931) Prior restrain of publication is unconstitutional In American courts, litigation, even if it tests important issues of governmental powers or political philosophies, cannot trade in hypotheticals, but must present real controversies between real people. Hence, legal strategists efforts to find the most attractive litigants they can. It didnt work out that way in a 1931 U.S. Supreme Court case on the freedom of the press that legal scholar Eberhard P. Deutsch called the most important decision rendered since the adoption of the First Amendment. Near v. Minnesota established two legal points that are still bulwarks of journalistic liberty in the United States: that the First Amendment guarantee of press freedom applies not just to the federal government but to states as well, and that courts may not issue orders stopping publication of questionable material. This outcome was a nail-biter, because the newspaper under attack was a scandal sheet adrip with repulsive material. Saturday Press, a Minneapolis weekly, was one of hundreds of its ilk nationwide that in the 1920s traded in sensationalism, filling columns with a mishmash of pioneering exposes of public corruption and totally unsubstantiated calumny. Saturday Press owners Jay M. Near and Howard A. Guilford spiced their papers version of that stew with their own dislike of Catholics and a virulent strain of anti-Semitism. They were scumbag editors, says Donald M. Gillmor, professor of media ethics at the University of Minnesota, morally wrong in their hateful prejudices. In 1925, two years before Near and Guilford launched their venture, the Minnesota legislature had passed the Public Nuisance Law, or Gag Act. The Gag Act authorized anyone offended by a publication to go to a judge and show that the material in question was obscene, lewd, and lascivious or malicious, scandalous, and defamatory. If the judge agreed, he could put a permanent stop to further editions. There were no provisions for a jury to participate in the proceeding. The statute, unlike anything else on the books anywhere in the United States, had been pushed by a state senator who felt a local scandal sheet, the Rip-Saw, had wronged him. Enough colleagues had felt gossipmongers sting that the measure unanimously passed the state Senate and the lower house 88-to-22. Duluth Mayor George Leach immediately invoked the law, seeking a permanent injunction against the Rip-Saw, but before that case could go to trial the papers owner died and the Rip-Saw ceased publication. The Gag Law languished for two years until it was dusted off to whack at the Saturday Press. Hennepin County District Attorney Floyd B. Olsonlater a three-term Minnesota governorinvoked the Gag Law to try to throttle the paper on the basis of its relentless condemnation of him and the Minneapolis mayor and police chief. Without giving Near or Guilford a chance to appear in court, Judge Matthias Baldwin ordered they immediately cease publication. At a hearing 10 weeks later to determine whether to make Baldwins temporary order permanent, the newspaper owners lawyer did not question the disputed articles loathsomeness, but instead called the Gag Law itself unconstitutional. Baldwin found no merit in that argument. Neither did the Minnesota Supreme Court when Near and Guilford appealed the ruling against them. Government has authority to stamp out public nuisances such as whorehouses, the justices reasoned, lumping into that category a scandal sheet that annoys, injures and endangers the comfort and repose of a considerable number of persons. A section of the Minnesota state constitution guarantees freedom of the press, but the justices found that guarantee to be a shield for the honest, careful and conscientious press, not a defamer and scandalmonger. The case went back to the trial court, where Baldwin extended his original order by banning Near and Guilford from ever publishing a similar periodical. After the state Supreme Court endorsed his ruling, the case was ripe to go to the U.S. Supreme Court. Guilford had dropped out and the state of Minnesota had assumed control of the defense of the Gag Law. But Near had picked up an important ally. Much of the mainstream press saw scandal sheets as sullying the reputation of all journalism and had no problem with the Gag Lawofficials at major Minnesota dailies actually helped draft the measurebut Chicago Tribune publisher Robert R. McCormick realized any publication stood at risk of being pilloried under it. McCormick threw his considerable resources into Nears defense at the high court. When the case was argued in January 1930, the justices were struggling to parse the relationship between the Bill of Rights and the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, ratified 62 years earlier. The Bill of Rights itself applied only to the federal government, not individual state actions. But the 14th Amendment bars states from taking anyones life, liberty, or property without due process of law. To what extent was a Bill of Rights violation also denial of due process? Five years earlier, the court had upheld New York States prosecution of a socialist for publishing a manifesto interpreted as calling for violent overthrow of the U.S. government. The ruling said that the court assumes that the 14th Amendment protects freedom of the press from state action but did not discuss that matter or actually rule on the question. And the decision did not stand as a strong curb against government interference with the press since the court reasoned that whether or not the 14th Amendment provided a means of measuring the constitutionality of New Yorks action, prosecution was justified because the publication in the case posed a clear, immediate danger to society. Near gave the justices a clear opportunity to consider the relationship between the First Amendment and the power granted individual states. Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes drafted a ringing endorsement of the importance of freedom of the press in a democracy to ensure that the people know what is going on in their governmenteven when writers go too far. Hughes quoted the First Amendments principal author, James Madison: [I]t is better to leave a few of its noxious branches to their luxuriant growth than, by pruning them away, to injure the vigour of those yielding the proper fruits. The Near stance that courts cannot impose prior restraintcannot prohibit publicationhas remained, as Chief Justice Warren E. Burger once noted of the decision, a reinforcement of one of the basic liberties upon which our constitutional democracy was founded. The court wasnt giving the press a blank check. Parties injured by falsehoods could bring defamation suits, Hughes noted. And he acknowledged exceptions to the ban on pre-publication censorshiptroop movements during wartime, for instancebut made clear that these are few and far between. What matters is the decisions general prohibition against government stopping anyone with a press from getting out their news and views. But the ruling was a close thing. The 5-4 vote hinged on how unattractive Jay Near and his rag were as avatars of press freedom. To the four justices who would have OKd the Minnesota Gag Law, the case wasnt about the role of a free press in a democracy, but about what Justice Pierce Butler, writing for the dissenters, derided as malicious, scandalous and defamatory periodicals. The dissenters did not see the case in terms of applying the Gag Law to more righteous publications. Butler, however, did see the long shadow, fuming that it gives freedom of the press a meaning and a scope not heretofore recognized. MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Berger Montague, working together with Dave Maxfield and Stone Law Firm, LLC, has filed a class action lawsuit against South Carolina's Lexington Medical Center ("LMC") on behalf of anyone from whom LMC has unlawfully collected debt. The case is Jones, et al. v. Lexington Health Services District, Inc. d/b/a Lexington Medical Center. Lexington Medical Center uses South Carolina's Setoff Debt Collection Program ("SDCP") to intercept patients' state tax refunds. LMC then uses the money to pay patients' medical debts. In 2017 alone, LMC intercepted $19.2 million in consumer tax refunds using the SDCP program. Plaintiffs allege that LMC engaged in these collection efforts despite receiving bankruptcy discharge and/or stay notices, meaning LMC knew that the debt it was collecting was uncollectable or void but seized Plaintiffs' tax refunds regardless. Berger Montague Attorney Joe Hashmall, who is working on the case, stated: "It is very important that individuals who go through the bankruptcy process get the fresh start that they are entitled to. These tax return seizes deprive people of this important opportunity." Berger Montague is a national class action and complex litigation law firm headquartered in Philadelphia with offices in Minneapolis, San Diego, and Washington, DC. The Firm litigates complex civil cases and class actions in federal and state courts throughout the United States. Berger Montague serves both public and private sector clients within the antitrust, securities, consumer, employment, environmental, civil and human rights, whistleblower, and insurance domains. In over 50 years of operation, the Firm has pioneered the use of class actions in America and recovered well over $35 billion for its clients and the class members it has represented. Please Contact: Joe Hashmall Berger Montague Associate 612.594.5996 [email protected] SOURCE Berger Montague Related Links https://bergermontague.com The first evacuations of foreign nationals from China took place Wednesday as the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak soared to 132 people. A chartered jet flew 206 Japanese nationals from Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus, to Tokyo's Haneda airport Wednesday. Four passengers were taken to a hospital after complaining of feeling ill. Medical personnel were on board the flight to screen the passengers before take-off and again when the plane landed. The Associated Press says a chartered jet evacuated an unknown number of Americans out of Wuhan on a flight to Anchorage, Alaska, where they will be re-screened for the virus. Australia, New Zealand, France, Russia and other nations also have announced plans to evacuate their citizens out of Wuhan this week. In addition to the increased death toll, Chinese health authorities say the total number of confirmed cases has soared above 5,900, far exceeding the number of people infected during the outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus that killed 800 people worldwide between 2002-2003. Authorities have imposed a virtual quarantine on Wuhan, banning people from traveling in and out of the city. Several other cities in Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, are facing heavy restrictions on movement. Wuhan is racing to complete two new field hospitals to treat the growing number of patients. The virus is believed to have emerged late last year at a Wuhan seafood market illegally selling wildlife. Idleb has witnessed numerous ceasefires, but none of them have been able to stop the bloodshed writes Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. Though the deadly violence levelled against Idlib governate and its surrounds in northern Syria has been consistent, it has been treated and understood inconsistently. Since the fall of rebel areas in southern Syria in 2018, Idlib and the Aleppo countryside have faced siege and assault as the Assad regime and its backers marshalled their forces for a new advance. Villages and towns which have held out for almost a decade of Syrias civil war have seen new attacks from the air. Before that, bombings in Kafr Nabl and Maarat al-Naman had scarcely ceased. Hundreds were killed, a dozen or so per week. Often, single attacks on marketplaces and public squares would kill enough to be considered a massacre on their own. But after 2018, the frequency of these attacks redoubled. Kafr Nabl a bastion of protest and peaceful resistance has been bombed relentlessly. These attacks succeeded in reducing the town to a state of near depopulation. Maarat al-Naman, for so long a target of aerial bombardment and probing attacks from the regime, is now cut off by a new regime offensive. Saraqeb, a town from which thousands are presently fleeing, was the site of a regime chemical attack in 2013, and another this even better documented in 2018. No observer can be surprised by the fact that so many do not wish to be around when the people who can do these things to them without second thought arrive in force. The United Nations estimates that 350,000 people have fled since the beginning of the most recent regime push into Idlib and Aleppo provinces, totalling more than 730,000 when taken with those who travelled north away from the fighting in the months before. Idlib was already a province of refugees many deported from other parts of Syria as the result of surrender deals, or from towns and villages which were sieged and starved into submission. Now these people are in flight for a second time. Amid the ongoing offensive, life has become expensive and, for the aggressors, expendable. Amid a general collapse in the Syrian economy, necessities have risen to unaffordable prices. Petrol has to be imported. Food is dear. And lives are lost. Some 1,506 civilians have been killed in the violence [between] 29 April 2019 until 15 January, the UN notes, 95 percent of them in areas not held and therefore targeted by the regime. The missing few words omitted above are as important as those details. All this has occurred since the renewal of hostilities in the de-escalation zone in [Idlib] and surrounding areas. That use of de-escalation zone could not be more bitter. But another term deserving of as much scorn is ceasefire. It suffers less from the mangling of language which diplomats sometimes achieve. But in Syria its intent has been hollowed out and its meaning defeated just as efficiently. So much of the fighting in Idlib has been done under the auspices of ceasefire. The regime has moved and built up its forces. Its bombers have hardly ceased their sorties. The regimes Russian ally, in spite of its recent preoccupations, including deal-making with Turkey, has not halted its forces patrolling, let alone its aircraft bombing. So many have died in those times where fire was nominally being held. The story of ceasefires not worth the name is the story of Syrias war. And as a last redoubt of opposition to the regime faces collapse and many thousands face massacre, it is being renewed and eagerly enacted once again. Here the inconsistent international reaction to consistent violence is at its clearest. The UN takes ceasefires as an opportunity for useful hypocrisy. But inconsistency goes beyond the international assemblies. Worldwide, in newspapers and among those unwilling to face it, lulls in fighting are acknowledged and held to mean that the latest ceasefire is likely taking effect. Around the world, the constant bombing of Idlib and rural Aleppo is forgotten. The results of individual attacks are sometimes reported as violations of ceasefires. But that is accurate to the letter and not the true spirit of things. This form of warfare is less a violation than a tactic an integral part of the regimes way of making war. As for ceasefires, all of these agreements are made in the full knowledge they will soon enough be cast aside. Whether this is accepted among those who discuss ceasefires as though they matter is uncertain. It is certainly not acknowledged. Amid general pessimism and a complexity which is broadly lamented, what benefit is there to be direct about this? Given the sense among many in acronymic organisations that the war is over but for the business of fighting, all this violence and death feels to them like a formality. Certain battlefields will inevitably fall to the regime, this manner of thinking goes. A deserted Maarat al-Naman is falling to the regime as I write, but many wrote off Kafr Nabl, before its depopulation, too. It seems as though international commentary is caught between noting these significant moments and uniting behind an acknowledgement of the regimes momentum, and openly declaring a winner and underwriting a victory won through slaughter. Both complacent silence and favouring regime victory forget the daily suffering of those under fire, or those who flee the fighting unsure of whether they will be allowed to escape its toll. Assuming the conflict is over, but for its final actions, allows international observers and policymakers to feel justified in getting on with business as usual. They wonder about Turkeys treatment of refugees, and examine with the care their jobs demand other countries borders and the movement of people. But the war is not over, nor is it ever halted. And as the bombs fall and the regimes offensive continues its slow advance, many under fire and under bombardment will justifiably feel forgotten as well as abandoned. Abandoned by those who talk of ceasefires without sounding or feeling a bitter note, who talk about de-escalation in any context without understanding its absurdity in Syria, and who have given up even observing the war being fought before their eyes. 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. Liberty Korea Party Chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn shakes hands with a resident in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, while supporting a candidate from the party for a by-election in this March 24, 2019 photo. Although a handshake is the traditional way for politicians to express friendliness to voters, candidates for the April 15 general election are now avoiding it due to public concerns over the spread of the virus. / Yonhap By Kang Seung-woo The recent coronavirus outbreak is affecting candidates' campaigning for the April 15 general election, as voters are reluctant to visit congested places and are avoiding physical contact with others, both of which are common practices on the campaign trail. The coronavirus, originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has killed more than 170 people and infected nearly 8,000 solely in China so far. The virus is transmissible via airborne particles or physical contact. Korea has reported six confirmed cases. In that respect, candidates are refraining from launching campaigns and postponing the opening of campaign offices until as late as possible. Former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon, who plans to run in central Seoul's Jongno District and co-heads the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) election preparation committee, is reviewing whether to attend the opening ceremony of the campaign office for Lee Yong-sun, a former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs who plans to run for a National Assembly seat representing Yangcheon District in western Seoul. The former prime minister planned to attend the ceremony to show the party's support for Lee, but concerns have risen that his attendance could draw a lot more people and raise the chance of the virus spreading. Many candidates across the country have postponed ceremonies to launch their campaign offices. By PTI NEW DELHI: Exporters on Thursday urged the government to review the possible impact of deadly Coronavirus on trade as China is one of the top trading partners for India. The Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) said that if the problem persists for long, it may impact domestic mobile manufacturers as they import certain components from China. "Mobile exporters may face issues if the problem will continue for long as they import lot of components from the neighbouring country," FIEO Director General Ajaya Sahai said. He added that certain Indian exporters have received inquiries from Hong Kong and China for import of N72 masks. "We have provided details of those suppliers to them," he said. Engineering exporters said that China is among the top ten destinations for engineering shipments. "We urged the government to review the possible impact of deadly Coronavirus on trade as well," the Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) of India said in a statement. Indian engineering exports to China increased by a significant 27.60 per cent to USD 1.77 billion (about Rs 12,600 crore) during April-December 2019-20 from USD 1.33 billion (about Rs 9,500 crore) a year ago, according to EEPC India analysis. "In fact, China has emerged as our 10th largest export destination for engineering goods, dominated by iron and steel as also industrial machinery,'' EEPC Chairman Ravi Sehgal said. With disruptions reported in China due to transport and travel restrictions in several cities, the council is trying to ascertain the exact impact on trade, Sehgal said. "Exports to China showed significant increase against the backdrop of overall negative trend of 1.95 per cent in total engineering exports of USD 57.9 billion for the April-December 2019-20 period," he said. The deadly Coronavirus continues to wreak havoc in China with 25 new fatalities reported from central Hubei province, taking the death toll to 132 and confirmed infection cases to nearly 6,000, as health experts warned that the epidemic may reach its peak in the next 10 days resulting in large-scale casualties. In an effort to preserve the legacy of some of the worlds most famous landmarks, Google has announced a new project transform five of the most endangered by climate change into interactive 3D models. Called Heritage on the Edge, the project includes interactive digital models for the Moai head carvings on Rapa Nui; Edinburgh Castle in Scotland; the Mosque City of Bagherat, India; the Great Mosque and Portuguese Fort in Kilwa Kisiwani, Tanzania; and the ancient city of Chan Chan in Trujillo, Peru. The project was made with the support of The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and CyArk, a non-profit in Oakland dedicated to creating digital archives of the worlds major cultural sites. Google has partnered with ICOMOS and CyArk to create detailed 3D models of five UNESCO World Heritage Sites at risk of being destroyed by climate change Each of the locations will have five separate 3D models made to capture a full sense of scale and function for each, just in case one or all is irreparably damaged by the effects of climate change in the coming decades. The models wee been made using a technique called photogrammetry. Photogrammetry uses multiple cameras to record the same object from different angles. The differences in the way the object appears from different angles are then used to infer precise spacial and textural details about the object to create a 3D composite. Users can interact with the full collection of 3D models in their web browsers by going to the projects main page at Googles Arts & Culture site. There are also plans to release two augmented reality experiences for Googles mobile phone platform, called Pocket Gallery. The 3D models were created using a process called photogrammetry, which uses multiple cameras to take photos of an object from different angles, then compiles the images into a single file The team created five different 3D models for each site to capture not just the site itself, but the surrounding area as well, such as with the area around Edinburgh Castle (pictured above) The remains of Chan Chan (pictured above), an ancient city in Peru, who's earthen walls have been gradually eroded by regional rain storms driven by climate change The interactive models can be interacted with via a web browser, and two of the five location's models will be available as augmented reality experiences on Android phones Those experiences will show the interior of two of the five locations, the Nine Dome Mosque in Bagherat, and the Gereza Fort in Kilwa Kisiwani. In addition to preserving 3D models of the sites, Google also describes how each is uniquely threatened by climate change. On Rapa Nui, for instance, rising sea levels and more frequent storms have battered the islands rocky coast line and begun to erode the ground the famed Moai heads were built on, leaving them vulnerable to one day falling into the ocean. In Peru, the earthen remains of Chan Chan have similarly been threatened by the growing frequency and intensity of rains, which erode the structural integrity of many of the buildings. The City of Mosques in Bagherat, India is threatened by ground that's grown in salinity as sealevels have risen, leaving the mosques and other structures to absorb the corrosive salt as its filtered upward out of the ground The models, including the Singara Mosque of Bagherat (pictured above), captures the sites as they were at the time the models were made, not as they would have been when they were first created In both Edinburgh and Tanzania, rising sea levels and rains have also contributed to the erosion of the rocky foundations upon which both Edinburgh Castle and the Great Mosque were built, threatening them with eventual collapse. In Bagherat, the main threat comes from increasing salinity of the soil. As the sea level rises around the coastal town, the ground waters fill with salty ocean water, which is pushed upward toward the surface, where the mosque walls absorb the extra salt and begin eroding as a consequence. A student from Jamia Millia Islamia was injured when a man opened fire at a group of protesters on Thursday afternoon and shouted "Yeh lo azaadi", triggering panic in the city's Jamia area, eye-witnesses said. The man, who is yet to be identified, was detained after he fired at students demonstrating against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, police said. The man was overpowered by protesters. "We were moving towards the Holy Family Hospital where the police had raised barricades. Suddenly, a gun-wielding man came out and opened fire. One bullet hit my friend's hand," Aamna Asif, a student of economics at the university, told PTI. She said her friend, Shadab Farooq, a mass communication student, was injured in his left hand and taken to the AIIMS Trauma Centre. Al-Ameen, another student, said the man was brandishing his pistol and shouted "Yeh lo azaadi (Here, take your freedom)". There was heavy police and media presence when the incident took place. The students were heading from Jamia to Mahatma Gandhi's memorial Rajghat. The march was stopped at the Holy Family Hospital near the university. Students squatted in the area, asking the police to go back. As they raised slogans of "Go back, go back", police officials asked them to maintain peace and conduct their protest peacefully. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Indiana man is accused of exposing his penis to an underage girl living in Alabama during FaceTime video chats, court records allege. James Johnson, 45, first ended up on law enforcement's radar last year in Centre, Alabama where officers were investigating allegations he was using the social video platform to send inappropriate images to females and minors. When questioned by police, Johnson allegedly admitted to making "several phone calls" like this in the past, court documents state. Johnson was first charged Oct. 1 in Lake Superior Court with dissemination of matters harmful to minors and possession of child pornography, level 6 felonies. Hobart detective Zachary Crawford said Centre, Alabama police contacted the local department, saying they received information that an unidentified white male called an underage girl several times and displaying his genitals to her, records show. The victim told police she received a phone call from a man, later identified as Johnson, on July 23, according to Centre, Alabama detectives. "The first time he called, Victim 1 told the caller that she was 11 years and he hung up," the report states. "Victim 1 is actually 15 years old but told the male caller that she was only 11." "He then called back and displayed his penis to her and asked her to send him photographs of her breasts," the report continues. The victim's mother learned of the incident and contacted Centre, Alabama police, records state. A reverse telephone lookup found three associated individuals all living in Lake County, including Johnson living on Ian Drive in Hobart, records show. Once detectives determined Johnson was the owner of the cellphone, Hobart police were asked to conduct surveillance of his home, eventually making an arrest. Once in custody, Johnson initially denied making the calls but later allegedly admitted he found the girl's number from an Instagram or Snapchat account. He admitted displaying his genitals to the girl using FaceTime and requesting a photo of her breasts, records state. Johnson "tried to claim that he misheard the girl when she said she was 11 years old and thought she said 18 years old," records state. On Wednesday, Johnson was granted a request in court for a continuance in the case. His next court date is 8:45 a.m. Feb. 14 before Judge Aleksandra Dimitrijevic. Written by The Times (Munster, Ind.) www.nwitimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Kuros reports publication of MagnetOs preclinical data demonstrating superiority to market-leading synthetic bone grafts in spinal fusion Head-head study of spinal fusion versus the 'best-in-class' alternatives within category Accepted for publication in Clinical Spine Surgery - a surgeon focused journal Presented by leading academic expert at largest annual meeting of spine surgeons Schlieren (Zurich), Switzerland, January 30, 2020 - Kuros Biosciences (SIX: KURN) today announced the publication of data from a clinically-relevant preclinical model comparing MagnetOs with autologous bone, Vitoss BA2X (Stryker Corp.) and Novabone Putty (Novabone Products, LLC) in instrumented posterolateral spinal fusion in sheep. Utilizing multiple assessments for fusion, the study concluded that MagnetOs is an appropriate alternative to autograft when used as a standalone graft and was significantly better at achieving uniform, solid and stable fusions than the comparator products. The publication, which is entitled "MagnetOs, Vitoss & Novabone in a multi-endpoint study of posterolateral fusion: A true fusion or not?", has been accepted for publication by Clinical Spine Surgery and is available online as an open access paper via the following link: https://journals.lww.com/jspinaldisorders/Abstract/publishahead/MagnetOs,_Vitoss,_and_Novabone_in_a_Multi_endpoint.99250.aspx Joost de Bruijn, Chief Executive Officer of Kuros, said: "This robust and clinically-relevant large animal study confirms that MagnetOs really is different from other synthetic grafts on the market. Our early clinical feedback from leading spine surgeons is consistent with this dataset. Kuros has further committed to conducting at least ten post-market clinical studies to validate these encouraging outcomes." Professor Bill Walsh, University of New South Wales, Australia, who was principal investigator of the study and presented the data at this year's North American Spine Society annual meeting in Chicago last September said: "I've investigated many of the leading synthetic bone grafts in this model and, in my experience, MagnetOs leads to the most compelling fusion outcomes of all the grafts I've tested." About the study MagnetOs Putty was implanted stand-alone and compared to autograft bone, Vitoss BA2X and Novabone Putty. Female Merino sheep underwent posterolateral fusion at L2-3 and L4-5 levels with instrumentation. After 12 weeks, outcomes were evaluated by manual palpation, range of motion testing, micro-computed tomography, histology and histomorphometry. Fusion assessment by manual palpation 12 weeks after implantation revealed 100% fusion rates for MagnetOs Putty and autograft treated levels, whilst the fusion rate for the comparator materials was 33% for each group. No significant differences in range of motion were observed between MagnetOs Putty and autograft. Treated segments were significantly less rigid in Vitoss BA2X treated segments (Lateral bending & flexion-extension) and Novabone Putty treated segments (Lateral bending). The fusion rate, when measured through histology, was 83%, 75%, 0% and 0% respectively for MagnetOs Putty, autograft, Vitoss BA2X and Novabone Putty. There was significantly more bone (Histomorphometry) and significantly greater fusion mass (MicroCT) for MagnetOs Putty compared to Vitoss BA2X and Novabone Putty. For further information, please contact: Kuros Biosciences AG Media & Investors Michael Grau Hans Herklots Chief Financial Officer LifeSci Advisors Tel +41 44 733 47 47 +41 79 598 7149 michael.grau@kurosbio.com hherklots@lifesciadvisors.com About Kuros Biosciences AG Kuros Biosciences (SIX:KURN) is focused on the development of innovative products for tissue repair and regeneration and is located in Schlieren (Zurich), Switzerland, Bilthoven, The Netherlands and Burlington, MA, U.S. The Company is listed according to the International Financial Reporting Standard on the SIX Swiss Exchange under the symbol KURN. Visitwww.kurosbio.comfor additional information on Kuros, its people, science and product pipeline. About MagnetOs MagnetOs bone graft has an advanced submicron surface topography that leads to the formation of bone, rather than scar tissue, following implantation. In preclinical models, MagnetOs preferentially directs early wound healing toward the bone-forming pathway, meaning that bone can be formed even in soft tissues without the need for added cells or growth factors, resulting in an osteoinductive claim in Europe. MagnetOs promotes local bone formation equivalent to current gold standard, autograft. A substantial number of clinically relevant and predictive studies have demonstrated its equivalence to the current gold standard (patient's own bone, which may not be available in sufficient quantities and/or involves morbidity, costs and pain associated with its harvesting from another healthy site of the patient's body). MagnetOs is now supported by over two years' clinical experience since its launch in the United Kingdom in May 2017. For more information, see:www.magnetosbonegraft.com Forward Looking Statements This media release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to be materially different from historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. You are urged to consider statements that include the words "will" or "expect" or the negative of those words or other similar words to be uncertain and forward-looking. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements include scientific, business, economic and financial factors, Against the background of these uncertainties, readers should not rely on forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no responsibility for updating forward-looking statements or adapting them to future events or developments. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Hector Retamal (Agence France-Presse) Wuhan Thu, January 30, 2020 13:44 713 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2061bb079 2 World #Wuhan,Wuhan-coronavirus,wuhan,#coronavirus Free Pregnant, newly wed and now trapped at the Chinese epicenter of a global health crisis, Thai national Aphinya is among thousands of foreigners desperate to escape -- and watching helplessly as the US and Japan fly their citizens home. Hundreds were flown to safety this week to Tokyo, Singapore and California on government-chartered flights, but those from countries with less diplomatic clout fear they are being left behind. "I feel hurt that they don't care about us," Aphinya Thasripech, 32, told AFP. "Either I could starve or I'll get infected and die," said the factory worker, who is two months pregnant. So far 170 people have been killed by the virus since it emerged from a market in Wuhan, and more than 7,700 people have been sickened. The illness has also spread around the world, with cases being recorded as far away as the United Arab Emirates, Finland and the United States, but all of the deaths have been in China. China has imposed transport bans in and around Wuhan -- effectively trapping tens of millions of people -- including thousands of foreigners -- in a bid to contain the virus. Aphinya arrived in China on two weeks ago to marry her Chinese husband in Xiantao -- about 200 kilometers from Wuhan. Now the city is a virtual ghost town, with restaurants and shops shuttered. Aphinya said she is worried for the health of her unborn baby, and desperate for the Thai government to get her out. For days, the government in Bangkok has said they are awaiting "permission" from China to evacuate 65 citizens known to be at ground zero. But the wait is taking its toll. "Sooner or later, it will get to us," said Aphinya, adding she had heard that a man had collapsed in a restaurant near her. Thai medical student Badeephak Kaosala has barricaded himself in his dorm room with a dwindling supply of food and water. He has watched with disbelief as wealthy nations have mounted mercy flights for their stricken citizens, with no word from home on when -- or if -- he might get out. "China has given permission to so many other countries [...] so we feel really down," , 23, told AFP. South Korea, France and Britain have all announced preparations to evacuate their citizens. Japan has already brought out two plane-loads. But "fear, frustration and panic" is mounting among those still trapped, said Pakistani Ruqia Shaikh, 33, who was visiting friends when the city was locked down. There are around 500 Pakistani students in Wuhan. Currently four have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, an official in Islamabad has said. Those with families are eager to leave, said Ruqia, though some students prefer to remain where they are -- happier to take their chances against the disease than run the gauntlet of Pakistan's poor health facilities. "Our country is not capable of treating the coronavirus," she told AFP. But Fadil, an Indonesian doctoral student in Wuhan who goes by one name, said he and his friends are desperate to leave -- even if only to another Chinese city. There are about 100 Indonesians in Wuhan, and another 143 elsewhere in Hubei province. "The key thing is that we want to get out of here," he said. "Only fools would want to stay in Wuhan." A few Myanmar nationals living in Wuhan have taken to Facebook, issuing public pleas to be brought home. "Other countries are calling back their citizens [...] when are we going back?" said Khin Thiri Thant Zin, a hospital intern in Wuhan. "I have a headache from crying so much -- I cannot sleep at night." The task of France is to be next to Armenia, the French President Emmanuel Macron said at the event organized by the Coordination Council of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF) on Wednesday. According to Nouvelles dArmenie, speaking about Artsakh issue, Macron noted that France is committed to its role of mediator, and no one is interested in maintaining the status quo. Having explained that he had talked with both Azerbaijan president Ilham Aliyev and Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan, he assured that everything could advance in the spring. Finally, he touched on the painful topic of creating an atmosphere of friendship. As he noted, he wants to be clear and honest and wants to identify more effective ways. It is necessary to find the legal framework for humanitarian and cultural support of the population, Macron said. Frances task is to be close to Armenia, Macron said, adding that France will continue investing in New Armenia. Tehran will continue to develop its nuclear program despite US sanctions against the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesperson for the AEOI, said, Trend reports citing Sputnik. "Putting individuals on the so-called sanctions list, including the head of the OAEI Ali Akbar Salehi, is a kind of a political game on the part of the United States, it reflects their powerlessness and does not make any sense," Kamalvandi told Iran's Fars news agency, describing the new US sanctions as "child's play." "The nuclear program will continue," he stressed. Earlier in the day, the US Treasury announced sanctions against the AEOI and its president, Ali Akbar Salehi. By ANI PATNA: Expelled JDU leader Prashant Kishor on Thursday said that he will formally announce his future plans next month. "I will formally speak about my plans for the future on 11th February in Patna (Bihar). Until then I am not speaking to anyone," Kishor told ANI. JDU sacked Kishor along with Pavan Varma for allegedly indulging in anti-party activities. The expulsion came after the two leaders repeatedly questioned Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led party's stand on the newly enacted citizenship law. ALSO READ: Good luck staying CM, say Kishor, Varma as JD(U) expels them for anti-party activities Varma had also questioned the JDU's alliance with the BJP in Delhi Assembly polls while Kishor had more than once made his differences with the party known on the issue of CAA and NRC. Earlier, JDU supremo Kumar had said that the two leaders could leave the party and go wherever they wanted. Kishor's Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) is overseeing the political campaign of Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Delhi Party (AAP) in Delhi Assembly polls. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 13:45:41|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close VIENTIANE, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- A new project to improve food safety and plant health through better governance was announced here on Wednesday by the European Union, the Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) and the International Trade Centre (ITC). The Systematic Mechanism for Safer Trade (SYMST) project, aimed at improving food safety through better governance in Laos, will focus on developing a model of export value chains for selected products and provinces. The target markets will be implemented by ITC in partnership with MAF's Department of Agriculture and its provincial offices, a press release from the UN Resident Coordinator's Office reads. The goal for the project is to provide skills and knowledge needed for participating companies to improve their market-access opportunities. It will also help facilitate business linkages between farmers and exporters, and attract international buyers. The project is to strengthen the regulatory framework for control of plant health and pesticides in the fruit and vegetable sector and other products like rice by applying norms and standards and improving regional and EU market access. The Lao side of the project will support the development of a systematic approach to assist the government and private sector stakeholders to identify, prioritize and address the regulatory problems on plant health, pesticides and agro products that have significant potential for export to EU, ASEAN and China markets. Announcing the launch of the SYMST project, MAF's Vice Minister Bounkhouang Khambounhueng said this project will improve food safety and strengthen the regulatory frame work in fruits and vegetables. Leo Faber, the EU Ambassador to Laos, said the SYMST project will complement its Trade-Related Assistance program in Laos, ARISE Plus, as the EU do consider that a solid regularly framework is deemed as a prerequisite for the integration of the Lao economy into global production chains. "ITC has been expanding its collaboration in Laos and SYMST project is uniquely positioned to foster a pilot model for safe trade in one of the major employment sectors in the country," said Jiang Xuejun, chief of ITC's Office for Asia and the Pacific. Following the launch, a series of activities will be carried out. Technical support will be provided to watermelon farmers in Luang Namtha in northern Laos, rice producers in Vientiane of central Laos, and chilli and basil producers from Pakxe (Champak region) in the south, according to the press release. During the course of the project, which will run over the next two years, a particular focus will be placed on strengthening the regulatory framework for plant health control and the reduction of pesticide use in the target sectors. Support will also be provided to improve the technical capabilities of regulatory and control institutions across Laos. Detransitioner joins legal challenge against UK gender clinic, says trans medicalization 'torturous and unnecessary' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A British woman, who was given hormone blockers and opposite sex hormones as part of a gender transition, is suing the clinic that gave her the drugs, arguing she was medically harmed. As reported by the U.K. Times, Keira Bell, 23, a female who is among the increasingly visible chorus of what are known as "detransitioners" persons who once lived and identified as transgender and underwent experimental medical regimens to alter their bodies and now regret it is mounting a legal challenge against the lone gender clinic in the U.K., the Tavistock and Portman National Health Service Trust in London. Bell, who was given the puberty-suppressing drugs and cross-sex hormones during her mid-teens, now says she found the experience of gender-transitioning traumatic and that the clinic's approach to treating children is not lawful because the risks are not adequately explained and minors are incapable of giving consent to such interventions. She now very seriously regrets the process and feels that the way it was handled and her involvement in it was not appropriate, Bell's lawyer, Jeremy Hyam, told the U.K.'s highest court last week during the hearing. Bell said in a statement after the proceedings concluded that she does not believe "that children and young people can consent to the use of powerful and experimental hormone drugs like I did. "The treatment needs to change so that it does not put young people, like me, on a torturous and unnecessary path that is permanent and life-changing. Bell, who is currently an unemployed IT engineer from Cambridge, has become the most prominent claimant in a case now being adjudicated as to whether young people can give consent to such life and body-altering medical practices amid ongoing and intensifying debate over transgender ideology, particularly as it relates to medical care and the Gender Recognition Act. The case was brought about by a former Tavistock employee, psychiatric nurse Sue Evans, who blew the whistle on the clinic's internal practices. Evans and others, such as former Gender Identity Development Service-Leeds psychologist Kirsty Entwistle, have publicly expressed alarm about the troubling practices within the clinic, namely, the speed with which young people were being referred for hormone blockers and telling families that the treatments were "fully reversible" when, in fact, long-term side effects of the drugs remain unknown. Another claimant to the case is an unnamed mother of a child whose identities will continue to remain anonymous per court order presently awaiting assessment at Tavistock but is opposed to its clinical approach. In the past decade, the number of referrals of boys and girls for the treatment of gender dysphoria has grown exponentially, which led to a formal inquiry in 2018. Data at the time showed that from the years 2009-2010 to 2017-2018, referrals rose more than 4000 percent, a figure that disproportionately impacted young girls. Those numbers continue to rise. According to the U.K. trans-critical website TransgenderTrend, the number of girls referred to gender clinics increased by 6 percent in 2019. While the rise may seem small, each years percentage rise is based on a much larger base number each consecutive year. "In 2009/10 there were 32 girls and 40 boys referred to Tavistock GIDS. In 2011/12 the sex ratio reversed and the gap between boys and girls has continued to widen year on year ever since. The total number of referrals for 2018/19 in England alone is 624 boys and 1,740 girls. In less than a decade there has been a 1,460% increase in referrals of boys and a staggering 5,337% increase in girls," the site noted in a June 2019 post. Across the Atlantic Ocean, bills are now being introduced and considered in several U.S. state legislatures, most notably in South Dakota, to make the medicalized gender transitioning of minors a criminal offense. Meanwhile, teen detransitioners have been taking to YouTube to share how trans-affirmative therapies and drugs harmed their bodies and altered their psyches. My puberty was medicalized, recounted Elle Palmer, a detransitioner in an interview last week with transgender YouTube personality Blaire White. From a young age, I dealt with mental health problems that ultimately put me on a path of trying to fix myself to figure out what was wrong with me. Among her most significant of regrets Palmer said she had was the permanent deepening of her voice and the growth of facial hair due to taking testosterone. In October, Sky News reported on the growing number of such detransitioners who are seeking to desist and return to their biological sex. Charlie Evans, a female detransitioner and founder of the Detransition Advocacy Network, told the network that she has heard from "hundreds" of people who regret their transition, mostly females who are same-sex attracted, many in their twenties, and many are often autistic. G20 funds fossil fuels $30 bn a year under the radar: analysis Paris, Jan 30 (AFP) Jan 30, 2020 Rich nations are funnelling cash through government-backed financial institutions to provide $30 billion to fossil fuel projects each year that "run counter to the Paris Agreement", a new analysis showed Thursday. The export credit agencies (ECAs) of G20 countries currently provide more than 10 times more state-backed finance to oil, gas and coal projects abroad than they do to renewable energy schemes, the analysis said. Under the Paris Agreement, emissions from these projects do not count as part of donor nations' carbon footprint. ECAs are public entities that provide government-backed loans and insurance to overseas businesses. Market monitor Oil Change International and Friends of the Earth America showed that G20 financing for coal delivered via ECAs under the Paris radar had increased as a percentage of energy project financing since the 2015 Paris treaty. That translates to $7.1 billion annually in the years since the signing of the landmark accord that enjoins nations to slash carbon emissions. "It's reckless and reprehensible for any government to still be providing billions in public finance for oil, gas and coal," said Bronwen Tucker, an analyst at Oil Change. "It's even more offensive when these fossil fuel handouts come from the governments who are most historically responsible for the climate crisis." The analysis singled out China, Japan, South Korea and Canada as among the worst offenders, accounting for 78 percent of G20 fossil fuel support from 2016-2018. "Despite the climate emergency, ECAs are doubling down on fossil fuels," it said. "Japan's ECAs continue to support new coal projects; Canada's ECA is pouring money into tar sands, and many ECAs are jumping at the chance to support LNG in northern Mozambique and elsewhere." The United Nations says carbon emissions must decline 7.6 percent annually by 2030 in order to put the world on track to meet the 1.5C temperature rise cap called for under Paris. Instead, fossil fuel emissions are rising annually as energy demand surges. "ECAs are something almost no one has heard of but, as public finance institutions, they help governments pursue trade strategies and individual countries are able to shroud their investments around them," Tucker told AFP. - Guarantors - She said that most ECA funding comes from public coffers. "But they play a different role to private enterprise in terms of their creditworthiness." They are "backed by a government and their credit rating is much higher so the value of that guarantee is higher," Tucker added. AFP asked all export credit agencies named in the analysis for comment. The watchdogs highlighted the announcement last week from Britain that it was ending funding for overseas coal. Its ECA, UK Export Finance, has not funded a coal-fired power plant since 2002, but a separate analysis showed it is financing millions of tonnes worth of overseas emissions through continued oil and gas funding. Britain's prime minister Boris Johnson told lawmakers on Wednesday that its decision over coal was "a massive step forward by this country." pg/mh/spm South Jersey police arrested two Delaware residents this week on charges that they robbed a Game Stop store while armed with a hatchet. They are also accused of robbing a Game Stop in their home state while wielding a machete. Deptford Township police responded to the business Sunday for a report of a robbery and learned that the suspects fled with a bag of cash and a customers wallet after threatening a store employee and the customer, according to criminal complaints. The weapon was described as a black hatchet with green rope around the handle. Several police agencies tracked the suspects and they were caught on 4th Avenue in Haddon Heights, police said. They had the stolen money with them, according to police, and the hatchet was spotted in plain view in a Honda Civic the pair allegedly ditched behind a nearby business. Byron Savage, 38, of Millsboro, and Victoria L. Titus, 39, of Georgetown, were each charged with robbery and weapons offenses, along with possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia. Police found several empty wax folds containing suspected heroin residue and baggies used to package narcotics in their possession. They are also charged with robbing a Game Stop in Seaford, Delaware, on Jan. 23, according to Seaford Police. Working with Deptford authorities, they were able to identify the suspects. In the Delaware case, Savage and Titus are charged with robbery, possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony, aggravated menacing, wearing a disguise during the commission of a felony and conspiracy. They were jailed in Salem County Correctional Facility following their arrests in the Sunday robbery. Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. 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. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Italys populist Five Star Movement joined forces with the center-left Democratic Party five months ago to push its former coalition partner Matteo Salvini out of power. A regional election this week in the leftist heart of the country will show just how much that experiment is failing. The Emilia-Romagna region has supported the left since World War Two even as the rest of Italy backed a succession of Christian Democrat leaders or Silvio Berlusconi. Red Emilia, Italys sixth-largest region by population and one of its wealthiest, has also been one of the lefts most reliable financial coffers. Traditionally, it would have been less of a surprise for Boston in the U.S. to vote Republican than for Emilia to pick a conservative regional governor. Yet Salvinis League and its right-wing partners are neck-and-neck with the Democratic Party ahead of a crucial regional vote on Sunday. A win would be Salvinis most symbolically important electoral triumph to date, and cement his role as Italys prime-minister-in-waiting. It would also make it much harder for his opponents to keep him out of office. The governing coalition will try desperately to stick together to prevent new national elections, but the pieces are already falling. Luigi Di Maio is quitting as Five Stars leader after a string of electoral disappointments, and ahead of the Emilia-Romagna result. The rise and rise of Salvini since last summer was, in many ways, predictable. Five Star and the Democrats had been trading insults for years. It was clear that they only chose to form a government together because they feared a new election would propel a right-wing coalition into power. The League lost support in the polls for a few weeks, but has bounced back. Together with its allies in the Brothers of Italy and Forza Italia parties, it commands about 50% of the nations votes, according to the latest polls. The failings of the Five Star-Democrat government have been more remarkable. Its 2020 budget was built on a succession of policy U-turns, which created little fiscal space to pass meaningful tax cuts or spending increases but gave the impression of a wavering administration. In foreign policy Italy has lost any influence in Libya, where it traditionally played a significant role, as has been seen in the talks aimed at halting hostilities in the country. Giuseppe Conte, Italys prime minister, and Di Maio, the coalitions foreign minister, have been lightweights just as players of the size of Russia and Turkey decided to step in. Story continues On immigration, the government is too afraid to repeal the harsh decrees that Salvini passed when he was minister of home affairs. The government also cannot make up its mind on a long list of industrial cases from the future of the bankrupt airline Alitalia, to the troubled steelmaker ILVA, to the destiny of Italys motorway concessions. The coalition can take credit for helping push down borrowing costs, which rocketed during the early stages of the former League-Five Star government. But this is proving hard to sell as a lone achievement to an increasingly frustrated and disenchanted electorate. Salvini is still a long way from offering a coherent response to Italys problems, which range from dismal productivity growth to widespread generational and regional inequality. He says now that the League doesnt want to quit the euro, but parts of his economic program appear incompatible with the euro areas fiscal and state aid rules. While the prospect of a new Italian government would no doubt spook investors, it would at least force Salvini to be clearer about the direction he wants to take. The Democratic Party and Five Star are pushing Italy into Salvinis arms. Regardless of what happens this weekend in Emilia-Romagna, it seems it will be only a matter of time before the right takes over. (This column was updated with details on Luigi Di Maio. ) To contact the author of this story: Ferdinando Giugliano at fgiugliano@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Boxell at jboxell@bloomberg.net This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners. Ferdinando Giugliano writes columns on European economics for Bloomberg Opinion. He is also an economics columnist for La Repubblica and was a member of the editorial board of the Financial Times. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Israel-suspended flights to China and Israeli citizens returning from the East Asian country had been urged to undergo a 14-day quarantine, Eyal Bason, the Israeli Health Ministry's spokesman, told Sputnik on Thursday. "Israel banned planes flying from China from landing in Israel. Citizens returning from China are asked to remain in quarantine for two weeks," Bason said. Earlier in the day, Israeli airline EL AI announced the cancellation of all flights to and fro China for a period of two months due to the threat of coronavirus. The new deadly strain of coronavirus was first detected last December in China's Wuhan and has since spread to 18 countries. The epidemic has already left 171 people dead in China as well as over 8,000 more infected. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Smartphone vendors and consumer electronics do not expect any immediate business impact in India on account of the outbreak in China, but warned that production could be hit if the situation continues beyond February. Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association President Kamal Nandi said brands usually stock for components for about a month. "We generally plan for a month for the imported items. We had planned for holidays in China (Lunar New Year) but if the situation continues (on account of outbreak), it would be challenging for us in manufacturing," Nandi said. He cited the example of ACs and refrigerators that see a scale up in production ahead of summers to cater to increased demand. "...a lot of components come from China, particularly electronics, because we do not have the complete ecosystem in the country. Therefore, it could get challenging if the holidays get extended beyond February," he said. China's State Council had announced that the Lunar New Year/Spring Festival holiday will be extended to February 2 across the country, which was earlier slated to end on January 30. President Eric Briganza said there is bound to be an impact on production. "If it (production) gets delayed by a week or so, then there is no problem. But if factories do not open in February and the situation extends to March, then it would be (a problem) -- not only for my company but for a lot of brands that get their raw material and components from China," he said. According to him, there could be an impact in the coming days and it could get severe if the holidays get extended, affecting production capability and supply of products in India. India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) Chairman Pankaj Mohindroo said there has been no impact as of now. "However, there is a concern. There will be an impact on the (mobile phone) industry if the situation continue as it is," he added. A Xiaomi spokesperson said its operations are not affected since it had planned ahead for the Chinese new year. The spokesperson said the company -- which has the largest share of India's smartphone shipment -- has issued an advisory to employees on the virus epidemic in China. "We are curbing any outbound and inbound travel to/from China till February end unless absolutely crucial for business," the spokesperson added. realme and vivo declined to comment on the impact on operations. China accounts for the lion's share of components used in making smartphones, televisions and other electrical appliances. These include components like printed circuit boards (PCBs), mobile displays, TV panels, compressors and motors. Wuhan in China has been the epicentre of the outbreak that has so far killed 170 people. The virus has spread to various other countries, including India. India reported the first case of novel coronavirus from Kerala on Thursday. A female student of a university in Wuhan has tested positive for the virus and has been kept in isolation in a hospital. Panasonic India and South Asia President and CEO Manish Sharma said it is early to predict any impact. "The impact, if any, will be known after February 3 when China opens post holidays," Sharma said. The following excerpt is from Debbie Allens book Success Is Easy. Buy it now from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books | IndieBound or click here to buy it directly from us and SAVE 60% on this book when you use code LEAD2021 through 4/10/21. Customers expect good service, but what if you wow them with exceptional service, going above and beyond what they expect? This white-glove service will keep customers coming back and make them shameless fans for life wholl recommend you to more clients. To create "Wow" moments, you need to make customers feel like the most important people in your world. Let them know youll bend over backward to make their day better. Its all about the overall customer experience and the details in between. Think about the last time you experienced a "Wow" moment at a business, one where you were really impressed. You probably did a lot more business there and told your friends and business associates about it, too. The following are five ways you can "Wow" every customer by going beyond expectations and providing the additional value they dont expect, at no additional cost. Related: 5 Ways to Master the Influence of Sales 1. Do what you say youll do, without exception Doing what you say youll do becomes easy when youre dedicated enough to build systems around "Wow" moments. When your goal is to impress customers, you look for ways to go the extra mile every time. The key is to get your entire team onboard to ensure that they all follow up and meet their deadlines so details dont fall between the cracks. Giving customers more than they expect can also come in the form of a free gift or more help and support. Everyone loves to get exceptional value. Even little things can create special WOW moments. Everyone loves to feel appreciated! 2. Admit mistakes and fix problems when things go wrong Face it, mistakes and problems happen. However, if you dont know how to handle them, theyll hit your customer satisfaction, retention and business success hard. Nightmare customer service is rampant in the marketplace. Weve all experienced it. In fact, weve encountered so much poor service, we tend to take it for granted at times. Thats crazy! Why give money to a company that doesnt care? Some of the biggest customer-service mistakes include over-promising and under-delivering, hiring the wrong people, not empowering and training your team, giving customer policy more importance than customers, and not asking customers for feedback. Dont make these mistakes at your business! Related: How Becoming a Lifelong Learner Is a Must If You Want to Achieve and Maintain Success 3. Gain respect from customers with feedback To gain respect from your customers, you need to earn it. Everyone within your organization must be on top of their game at all times to improve the customer experience. That includes accepting responsibility for your mistakes. Customers prefer businesses that own up to their mistakes and take the necessary steps to correct them. In fact, customer relationships often get even stronger when a problem is handled well. To continually improve, look for feedback. Survey your customers on a regular basis, and reward them for taking the survey. After all, the feedback supports you and the decisions you make. Customers want to help you improve if you respect their time and value their opinions. Getting customer feedback helps you gain a better understanding of your market and the competition. Customers are a great source of information, and they can help you, even more, when you ask the right questions. For example, ask What can we do to serve you better? Or ask the same question in more detail: Tell us about the favorite experience youve had with us. Instead of How is our team doing? ask Who on our team made your customer experience special? or How did our team create an exceptional experience for you? 4. If customers arent a good fit, let them go You can get customers who are a nightmare to deal with because they lack respect for your value. When this happens, you need to know when to let them walk away. You may even have to fire a client, which is a difficult decision since your business depends on the income from that client. Most business owners find it difficult to let bad customers or clients go. They fear the loss of income or suffer from feelings of failure. A business owner might try to stick it out with a bad client, hoping things will get better. But they rarely do. You need to know when to walk away from these types of people. Dont let your business be held hostage by bad customers or clients. Many self-employed people have trouble saying no to opportunities that dont serve them well. But turning down opportunities allows you to walk away from people who dont treat you and your work with the respect and dignity you deserve. Its hard to say no when you need the money, but it will cost you much more in the long run when you agree to work with a customer whos the wrong fit or who takes advantage of your goodwill. You dont have to be everything to everyone. Focus on the top 20 percent of your ideal market to gain the best and most valued customers. Related: How to Make Business Decisions Faster and Better 5. Always follow up and follow through Many businesses spend a lot of time, money and effort chasing down new customers, only to lose them after the first or second transaction because they dont follow up or follow through after the sale. If customers dont feel appreciated, theyre likely to go to your competitors instead of making you their choice for repeat business. Following up with existing customers is where the money is! When customers have had a good experience doing business with you, its a heck of a lot easier to get repeat business from them than to chase after new leads. Always give customers more than they expect, especially after the purchase, to show your appreciation for their business. Following up makes customers feel special and gives them a chance to be heard and engage effectively. Existing customers who receive a follow-up are more likely to purchase more products or services. So make follow-up and follow-through a consistent mission for everyone on your team. Did you enjoy your book preview? Click here to grab a copy todaynow 60% off when you use code LEAD2021 through 4/10/21. Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 Trend: An extraordinary meeting of the foreign ministers of the member-states of the Turkic Council will be held in Baku on February 6, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. The meeting of foreign ministers of the member-states of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council) was held in Baku on October 13-14, 2019. The 7th Summit of the Turkic Council was held on October 15-16. The Turkic Council was established by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan on October 3, 2009, in Azerbaijans Nakhchivan city. Its goal is to develop comprehensive cooperation among the member-states. Soi Dog urges against Krabi mass stray roundup after American boy, 7, attacked PHUKET: Soi Dog Foundation and Lanta Animal Welfare are urging Krabi Provincial Governor Pol Lt Col (Rtd) ML Kitibodee Pravitra to revoke his order to round up and impound stray dogs at tourist hotspots in the province after a 7-year-old American boy was attacked by a pack of stray dogs at Ao Siao beach, west of Ao Nang. animalstourismSafety By The Phuket News Thursday 30 January 2020, 03:47PM Krabi Governor Pol Lt Col (Rtd) ML Kitibodee Pravitra ordered the mass roundup after American boy Nolan Anderson, 7, was attacked by a pack of dogs on Ao Siao Beach. Photo: PR Dept Krabi Governor Pol Lt Col (Rtd) ML Kitibodee Pravitra ordered the mass roundup after American boy Nolan Anderson, 7, was attacked by a pack of dogs on Ao Siao Beach. Photo: PR Dept Krabi Governor Pol Lt Col (Rtd) ML Kitibodee Pravitra ordered the mass roundup after American boy Nolan Anderson, 7, was attacked by a pack of dogs on Ao Siao Beach. Photo: PR Dept Krabi Governor Pol Lt Col (Rtd) ML Kitibodee Pravitra ordered the mass roundup after American boy Nolan Anderson, 7, was attacked by a pack of dogs on Ao Siao Beach. Photo: PR Dept The boy, Nolan Jess Anderson, 7, was playing on the beach while his father was exercising nearby on Jan 18 when he was set upon by a pack of about eight dogs. The father heard Nolans screams and rushed to rescue him from the attack, but by that time the boy had suffered multiple bites, with deep puncture lacerations under his left arm from when he held his hands up to cover his face. The father rushed Nolan to a naval unit nearby. Personnel there helped take his son to Wattanapat Hospital Aonang. At the hospital, where Nolan was under close observation for five days, Nolan received stitches for multiple bite wounds and given tetanus and anti-rabies shots. Nolan was discharged from hospital last weekend, and he and his parents travelled to the north of Thailand, officials confirmed. Echoes The dog attack on young Nolan echoed another attack in February last year, when 5-year-old Finnish boy Eemi Nikula who was savaged by a pack of dogs on Ao Nang Beach, just a handful of kilometres from Ao Siao. Eemi Nikula suffered scratches and bites to his torso, back and buttocks, requiring him to spend a week in hospital. News of the attack made international headlines, prompted a personal visit by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and saw His Majesty The King of Thailand dispatch a representative from the Royal Palace to personally present a gift basket and a bouquet of flowers, and his best wishes for a speedy recovery. The dog attack on Eemi also sparked a mass roundup of stray dogs in the area as the nation at that time was gripped by fears of a rabies outbreak. (See stories here, here and here.) Mass roundup Governor ML Kitibodee on Jan 18 ordered all government offices involved to respond to the incident and give their full assistance. He later also ordered officials remove all stray dogs from popular beach areas for tourists safety. Junelachat Junelaphet, a veterinarian with Krabi Provincial Livestock Office, confirmed to The Phuket News that the dogs involved in the attack had been removed from Ao Siao Beach. A team of livestock officials along with staff from the Nong Thale Tambon Administration Organisation [OrBorTor] removed eight stray dogs from Ao Siao Beach that day (Jan 18), Mr Junelachat explained. This beach is a small one so that officials caught all dogs on there quickly, he added. All eight dogs are now with Lanta Animal Welfare on Koh Lanta. They are observing the dogs condition for 30 days to make sure they do not have rabies, Mr Junelachat said. After we have have confirmed that these dogs are safe, we will ask for people to contact the foundation to take the dogs in and give them a new home, he said. Asked if the mass roundup of dogs as ordered by Governor ML Kitibodee was underway, Mr Junelachat today (Jan 30) said, Not yet. We are working on it. A better way Non-profit animal welfare organisations Soi Dog Foundation (Soi Dog) and Lanta Animal Welfare (LAW), based on the islands of Phuket and Koh Lanta respectively, recently met with Governor ML Kitibodee. Also present at the meeting were representatives from local tambon administration organisations, the Krabi Municipality Office, the Department of Livestock Development and the Krabi Hotel Association. In ordering the mass roundup, Governor ML Kitibodee has already ordered every local municipality and tambon administration organisation (OrBorTor) to create their own dog shelters in each of their respective areas, Mr Junelachat told The Phuket News today. However, Soi Dogs Community Relations Manager Sakdapol Thongjan explained that temporary shelters are not an effective, long-term solution. Operation of such shelters is costly, requiring veterinary and duty staff as well as food and medicine, all of which must be provided for the lifetime of the dogs housed there, he explained. Mr Sakdapol suggested that provincial budgets would be better spent on a long-term sterilisation and vaccination programme, which is proven to be the most effective way to humanely and sustainably reduce stray dog populations. Soi Dogs Catch, Neuter, Vaccinate, Return (CNVR) programme has reduced the stray dog population in Phuket by over 90% and has been a significant contributing factor in the island reporting just one confirmed case of rabies in 24 years, said a release by Soi Dog issued today (Jan 30). Similarly, there have been no reported cases of rabies in Koh Lanta in the past 15 years thanks to LAWs neuter and vaccinate programme, the release added. Soi Dog and LAW said they acknowledged Governor ML Kitibodees position that incidents like that at Ao Siao Beach negatively impact the tourist image of Krabi. However, impounding the dogs addresses the symptoms of the issue and not the root cause. It has been shown that when dogs are cleared from an area, packs from neighbouring areas soon move in. With reduced competition and a good supply of food (from garbage), they breed fast, and within a year or two, the dog population in the area climbs back to where it was before, said the release. Mr Sakdapol stressed that the best solution is to catch, neuter, vaccinate and then return the dogs to their territory. Managing the population and keeping the dogs healthy in this way will enhance the provinces image, he said. Naturally, there will be dogs with health issues or behavioural problems who cannot live within communities and should instead be cared for in a shelter. However, the shelter is a secondary solution and should run in conjunction with a CNVR programme, the release added. LAWs Dr Helen (family name not supplied) added that pet registration should also be encouraged so that owners can be traced when a pet is dumped on the streets. Soi Dog agrees but maintains that the governments plan to make such registration mandatory under the Animal Cruelty Prevention Act requires careful scrutiny, Soi Dog said in its release. The dogs involved in the incident at Ao Siao Beach are now at the LAW shelter where they have been neutered, vaccinated and will be made available for adoption following behavioural and rehoming suitability assessments. The dogs, two of which are puppies, are reportedly friendly and non-threatening, indicating that they were acting on pack-mentality aggression while on the streets, it added. As for the remainder of Krabis stray dog population, Soi Dog and LAW hope that Governor Kitibodee will heed their advice and opt for a comprehensive programme of CNVR, a solution that not only benefits animal communities but human communities too, the release said. Digital IDs that civil rights groups say bar minorities are lawful in this country originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Kenya's high court ruled on Thursday that the government may forge ahead with its controversial plan to assign all citizens a unique identification number, but the process must be done under a comprehensive regulatory framework that addresses concerns over exclusion and privacy. Three Nairobi-based civil rights groups -- the Nubian Rights Forum, the Kenya Human Rights Commission and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights -- sued the Kenyan government last year over its introduction and implementation of the National Integrated Identity Management System (NIIMS), which would register each citizen under a biometric ID that will be required to access public services essential to everyday life, such as going to school, getting health care, registering to vote, obtaining a driver's license, opening a bank account and even getting married. The Kenyan government had already begun collecting biometric data for the NIIMS. During voluntary registration drives last year, nearly 40 million people had their fingerprints and faces scanned, according to local media reports. The NIIMS would then integrate and consolidate the biometrics into one digital database to produce a unique ID number, known locally as Huduma Namba. Adults must provide a national identity card in order to be issued the new ID, while children must have their birth certificates. PHOTO: People queue to register for the Huduma Namba, May, 17, 2019, in Nairobi. (Simon Maina/AFP/Getty Images) Yasah Musa, program manager of the Nubian Rights Forum, told ABC News that Thursday's ruling handed down by the High Court of Kenya recognizes "the genuine risk of exclusion." "The court has ordered for the government to move forward, they must put in place comprehensive regulations to address exclusion before they can continue implementation," Musa said. "This portion of the judgment is essential to protect the rights of millions of Kenyans from ethnic or religious minority groups who face discrimination in their applications for national identity cards, leading to severe delays or denials." Story continues MORE: Protests turn violent in India over controversial citizenship law ABC News has reached out to the Kenyan government for comment on the lawsuit and court ruling. PHOTO: A Kenyan woman looks at a biometric camera prior to register for the Huduma Namba, May, 17, 2019, in Nairobi. (Simon Maina/AFP/Getty Images) The legislation introducing the NIIMS states that the program aims to "create an efficient identity system that will present opportunities for fiscal savings, development of the digital economy and enhanced public and private sector service delivery." However, the civil rights groups claim in the lawsuit that implementing NIIMS would disenfranchise members of Kenya's minority groups, such as the Nubians, who already face difficulties and discrimination when applying for the documents required to get the new ID. Many minorities have failed to register under the current system because they don't have national identity cards or birth certificates, "hence are disadvantaged by the uneven playing field as far as implementation of the NIIMS system is concerned," the petition states. "Without an ID card, a Kenyan can't register for Huduma Namba," Musa told ABC News, "so [they] would be locked out of the system and access to related rights and services completely." MORE: Inside the legal lion bone trade Kenya is home to nearly 50 million people, an incredibly diverse population that encompasses dozens of different ethnic groups. The Nubians were first brought to Kenya from modern-day Sudan and southern Egypt by British colonial authorities more than a century ago. Still today, decades after the East African nation gained its independence from Britain, the Nubians' descendants in Kenya are considered outsiders and struggle to be recognized as full citizens. Other minorities have faced similar treatment, according to civil rights groups. PHOTO: An Officer from the National Integrated Identity Management system (NIIMS) is seen helping a man process his biometric data, May 20, 2019, in Kipcherere, Kenya. (Sopa Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) The lawsuit also contends that the legislation was introduced and passed without consulting the public, and that there are no adequate or proper safeguards for protection of the biometric data collected under the NIIMS, which infringes on the constitutional right to privacy. The court ruled Thursday that there was public participation before the NIIMS was rolled out because there were advertisements making Kenyans aware of the program. However, the court agreed with the civil rights groups that the collection of DNA and GPS data for the purposes of identification is "intrusive and unnecessary," thus deeming it unconstitutional. The court ruled that all the other information collected from citizens by the government was in fact necessary. A team of Aligarh police on Thursday left for Mumbai to take Dr Kafeel Khan into custody. Khan is accused of making instigating remarks at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) during protests against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Abhishek Kumar, SP (City), Aligarh said, "A team has left from here, and it will carry out the further proceedings after taking him into remand." Khan's transit remand was granted to Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) by Mumbai's Bandra Court on Thursday. Earlier today, Dr Kafeel Khan requested the Maharashtra government to let him stay in the state as he did not trust the Uttar Pradesh police. He told this to reporters while being taken from Sahar police station to a court in Mumbai. "I was given a clean chit in Gorakhpur children's death case, now they are trying to frame me again. I request the Maharashtra government to let me stay here. I do not trust the Uttar Pradesh Police," Khan told reporters here before being taken away by the policemen. Khan was arrested by the UP STF in Mumbai on Wednesday. He is accused of making provocative remarks at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) on December 12 last year.An FIR was registered against Khan on December 13 under Section 153-A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Civil Lines police station, Aligarh. According to the FIR, Khan addressed around 600 students of the AMU and made provocative comments. Kafeel Khan was scheduled to be present at the Mumbai Bagh protests at 11 am today. The indefinite stir by women protestors at Mumbai Bagh against the citizenship Act has entered the fourth day today. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A British window cleaner's naked dead body has been found on a yacht off Jamaica after the 'inexperienced' sailor set off for a solo adventure around the world. Mark Brennan, 42, from South Shields, had been reported missing nearly two months ago, before his 30ft Avrio sailing boat was seen drifting 71 miles off the Caribbean island on Monday. Coastguards found a decomposing body in the hull and towed it into the Errol Flynn Marina in Port Antonio, where police confirmed it was Mr Brennan and started an investigation. Mark Brennan, 42, from South Shields, (left) had been reported missing nearly two months ago, before his 30ft Avrio sailing boat was seen drifting 71 miles off Jamaica A map showing Mr Brennan's route across the Atlantic to the Caribbean. It is not clear what British port he left from, so this is shown as an approximate on this map Mr Brennan, who was self-employed, left the UK on December 6 for the 'trip of a lifetime', according to local police, before sailing across the Atlantic to Barbados and then heading 162 miles to Grenada. He was reported missing 10 days later, when he was struggling for fuel and without a radio, phone or dinghy, according to The Sun. Mr Brennan's mother, Marjorie, 69, said: 'He's been found and that's very upsetting. We're waiting for the results of an autopsy.' Jamaican coastguard tracked down the sailing boat after being alerted to the presence of a British-flagged vessel by colleagues in the US. 'The coast guard contacted us about the vessel and after members of our force entered the boat we found a lifeless male body in there,' a Jamaican defence force official said. 'We transported the body on to land and the matter is now being investigated by the local police. A post mortem will be carried to establish the cause of death.' Jamaican police will now determine whether any foul play was involved. A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman said: 'We are supporting the family of a British man reported as missing in the Caribbean, and are in contact with the Jamaican authorities.' Coastguards found a decomposing body in the hull of Mr Brennan's sailing boat and towed it into the Errol Flynn Marina in Port Antonio, where police have started an investigation Mr Brennan's local force, Northumbria Police, have been supporting his family. A spokesman said: 'We can confirm a 42-year-old from South Shields was reported missing on December 21 after he had set sail to the Caribbean. 'Enquiries have been ongoing to trace him, and we have since been made aware that authorities in Jamaica have recovered a body on a boat. 'A formal identification process is ongoing but it is suspected that the body is that of the South Shields man. 'The relevant authorities in Jamaica are carrying out enquiries to establish the cause of death and we will continue to support their investigation in conjunction with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. 'The man's family are being offered support by officers and they have requested that their privacy is respected at this time.' Shania Twain called the strange origin of her relationship with husband Frederic Thiebaud 'beautifully twisted' in a new interview for AARP The Magazine. Frederic and Shania's romance was spurred on by heartbreak. They first fell in love after they found out that their spouses had been cheating on them with one another. 'It's twisted. But so beautifully twisted,' the country queen admitted to the publication. Strange beginnings: Shania Twain admitted there was something 'beautifully twisted' about her relationship with husband Frederic Thiebaud, who she fell in love with after her ex husband left her for his ex wife. The pair are seen in 2014 above Back in 2008 Shania discovered that her husband and longtime musical collaborator Robert John 'Mutt' Lange had been cheating on her with close friend and personal assistant Marie-Anne Thiebaud - Frederic's wife. It was a tough blow for the songstress, who said the break-up from her husband of eight-years sent her into a deep depression. 'There were days I didnt really care if tomorrow came, ' she said. But she was able to rely on Frederic, who was actually first to tell Shania about the affair. Winding road: 'It's twisted. But so beautifully twisted,' the country queen admitted to AARP The Magazine Tough: Shania's break-up from her husband of eight-years sent her into a deep depression. She and Mutt are seen in 2003 above Over time their friendship blossomed into a romance and the pair became engaged in 2010. They were wed the next year. She credits her relationship with Nestle business executive with helping her survive. 'Survival is everything. I was in quicksand. I panicked, like everybody does, but I didnt surrender. I found a way out,' she told the magazine. Going strong: The duo are seen during the 2019 American Music Awards last November Thriving: The star has the Let's Go residency at the Zappos Theater at Las Vegas' Planet Hollywood, above Shania is not only surviving, she is thriving. The star has a Las Vegas residency at the Zappos Theater part of Planet Hollywood, in addition to several films on the way. Twain has a role in the upcoming biopic I Still Believe. The movie, which follows the story of Christian artist Jeremy Camp, is due out in March. Last year she played opposite John Travolta in the high octane racing film Trading Paint. A strange UFO-like object has been spotted flying mysteriously in unusual footage featuring Popocatepetl volcano in Mexico. The volcano that can be seen erupting lava in the government-run webcams on Monday captured a strange sound of an explosion on camera that has sparked various conspiracy theories on the internet. The footage which was shared on social media has stirred a debate amongst the users that the source of the explosion sound was from a mysterious object that can be seen disappearing behind the volcano in a matter of seconds. Alien or Airliner? The users online have termed the mystery white mild as a UFO and have argued on Twitter whether the light trail was caused by the aliens flying saucer or was a result of an airliner taking off across the skyline. A user commented that it was perhaps a UFO that is observed between 11th and the 12th second in the video that moved quickly at medium height. UFO zooms across volcano, seconds after it erupts in Mexico https://t.co/Hertjj6EtO Paul Chapman (@Chappyonthemove) January 29, 2020 Read Man Claims To Capture 3 UFOs Flying Past The Moon, UFOlogist Labels Them 'alien Ships' Read US Navy Has 'Top Secret' Video Of Infamous UFO Encounter From 2004 Another individual commented that it was likely the International Space Station, which is passing over that latitude, the video is time-lapsed making it seem to be flying quickly overhead . Another user argued that the object was a flying ship captured in the video. A user opined that a quick look at the current trajectory of the ISS shows it passing over Mexico for this day. This film is time-lapsed making it the object appear to be quickly passing over the area, but you can also see the stars moving in the video. Some users pointed out that it was the preliminary eruption of the volcano that is spewing lava and a cloud of ash in the atmosphere that looks like a haze of light behind the volcano. No joke, I actually saw one of those 10 years ago, it was a like a 2 second glimpse and vanished so quick, at night too SamWarrior (@SamWarrior4) January 30, 2020 UFO zooms across volcano, seconds after it erupts in Mexico https://t.co/Hertjj6EtO Paul Chapman (@Chappyonthemove) January 29, 2020 I think Avianca Airlines planes were often mistaken for UFOs. pic.twitter.com/qu2EtzvqXJ ufoofinterest.org (@ufoofinterest) March 27, 2019 Read China Unveils UFO-like Helicopter Prototype 'Super Great White Shark' Read US Navy Confirms Unidentified Objects In Blink-182 Singer's UFO Videos A newly built section of Donald Trumps prized border wall has fallen into Mexico after succumbing to gusts of less than 40mph. The 30-foot tall steel panels landed on trees in Mexicali on Wednesday, across the border from the Californian town of Calexico. Luckily, Mexican authorities responded quickly and were able to divert traffic from the nearby street, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent Carlos Pitones told the LA Times. Nobody is believed to have been injured. The construction of a US-Mexico border wall was one of Mr Trumps key election promises, yet in November his administration was forced to admit that only 78 miles had been built, and that all of it was merely replacing existing or broken barriers. The area of the collapse is reportedly part of this effort to improve existing sections of the wall, and Mr Pitones said the collapsed section had been newly set in concrete, which had not yet cured. Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California Show all 20 1 /20 Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California The prototypes for President Trumps border wall are being demolished. AP Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California The US Customs and Border protection had built the eight 30-foot tall steel and concrete models near San Diego on the US-Mexico border. Reuters Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California A 2018 report from the Government Accountability Office found that the construction challenges presented by the four concrete models would be extensive and those presented by two of the other models would be substantial. Reuters Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California It was intended that Mr Trump would choose his favourite of the designs after testing had been completed. AFP/Getty Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California The President is yet to comment. AFP/Getty Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California Each prototype cost $300,000 to $500,000 to build and they are being knocked down in order to make way for the San Diego Secondary Wall project which will see up to 14 miles of barrier being built to support the existing steel border fence. AP Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California The new barrier will not employ the design of any of the prototypes, instead being built of the favoured steel bollards which make up the current section of the wall at San Diego. Reuters Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California The new secondary barrier being built near San Diego. Reuters Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California The rubble of one of the demolished prototypes. Reuters Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California A steel wall prototype AFP/Getty Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California A wall prototype made from a mix of steel and concrete AFP/Getty Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California A wall prototype made from a mix of steel and concrete AFP/Getty Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California A concrete wall prototype AFP/Getty Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California A steel wall prototype AFP/Getty Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California A concrete wall prototype AFP/Getty Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California A concrete wall prototype AFP/Getty Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California A concrete wall prototype AFP/Getty Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California A digger approaches the prototype wall AFP/Getty Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California Aerial view of the wall prototypes at the US-Mexico border after they were torn down AFP/Getty Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California An aerial view showing Tijuana, Mexico on the left and the demolished wall prototypes on the right AFP/Getty We are grateful there was no property damage or injuries, Mr Pitones said, adding that US border agents were working to retrieve the panels from Mexico and re-erect them. CBP will work with the construction contractor to mitigate the impact of high winds as construction continues. Wind speed in the area at the time of the collapse reached a high of 33mph, with gusts of 39mph, according to the US National Weather Service. Despite three years of slow progress, Mr Trump has pledged to build 450 miles by 2021, likely in an attempt to boost his electoral chances later this year. As well as facing political and legal challenges, the Trump administration has been forced to overcome physical obstacles, filing three lawsuits towards the close of 2019 as part of efforts to seize US citizens' property. The Department of Justice has indicated it is preparing to file more lawsuits to this effect, Associated Press reported in November. Mr Trump has also sought to seize funds from multiple governmental departments, which recently included $7.2bn (5.5bn) from the Pentagon, according to The Washington Post, which the paper calculates brings the total devoted to the project so far to $18.4bn (14.2bn). While Mr Trump has often claimed the wall cant be climbed, viral footage has shown multiple people climbing existing portions of the costly barriers, and to-scale replicas, with relative ease. The US president in November claimed he wasnt familiar with a Washington Post report suggesting smugglers had succeeded in cutting through sections of his wall using everyday household power tools. I havent heard that. We have a very powerful wall, Mr Trump said. But no matter how powerful, you can cut through anything, in all fairness. But we have a lot of people watching. An $11,000-a-year girls' school in Melbourne is threatening to ban students from class pictures if they are lathered in fake tan or sporting spider-like false eyelashes. Girls wearing 'excessive tan' at Presentation College Windsor, an elite Catholic girls' school in Melbourne's inner east, will be stopped from joining other students on photo day. In a letter to parents, the exclusive school said students should come to school 'ready to focus on their learning', not on their make-up. 'Expectations around uniform and appearance are made clear below and in separate written communications,' the school said in a newsletter, seen by the Herald Sun. Presentation College Windsor in Melbourne has told students not to wear excessive fake tan or false eyelashes and doing so may leave them excluded from school photographs (stock image) 'We ask that all students are both aware of, and abide by, these regulations. 'Failure to do so will have consequences, with the distinct possibility that some students do not get their photos taken.' The strict school dictates that its uniform rules apply even when children are 'travelling to and from school'. 'In public, the College is judged by the behaviour and appearance of our students, and, as such the uniform should be worn correctly and with dignity,' its own website said. It comes amid a crackdown on uniform standards, particularly at girls' schools, which have seen a rise in fake tan and excessive make-up. The $11,000-a-year Presentation College Windsor (pictured) is one of Melbourne's oldest schools At Presentation College, girls must have hair of 'a natural colour appearance' with no 'extreme colouring or styles' allowed. They are also banned from having coloured nail varnish or excessively long fake nails. Make-up has to be 'natural in appearance', and the same goes for fake eyelashes. What it calls 'excessive' fake tan is now allowed, and tattoos are also banned. Last year, a school in the Melbourne suburb of Belgrave was at the centre of its own scandal involving fake eyelashes. Students at Mater Christi College claimed they were forced to rip out their own false eyelashes for school pictures, which the college later denied. In October 2018, the headmaster at an exclusive $17,000-a-year Christian school banned girls from wearing skirts or dresses - replacing them with shorts and trousers. It comes as school across Australia try to crack down on school uniforms amid increasing pressure on children to conform to trends (stock image) Teachers at the exclusive school, which is also in Melbourne, claimed the change would lead girls to participate more in school life. The move by Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School came after they conducted an 18-month audit and found the uniform its female pupils were asked to wear was not 'fit for purpose'. Principal Elisabeth Rhodes said: 'We know research that points to the fact young girls are not as active as their male counterparts and we looked at things that might inhibit them.' Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez said the two ministers also discussed developments in the Libyan crisis and the outcomes of the Berlin conference over the country. Egypt's foreign minister Sameh Shoukry discussed in a phone call with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian US President Donald Trumps Deal of the Century for peace in the Middle East, reviewing close coordination between the two countries to push with peace efforts in the region. Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez said the two ministers also discussed developments in the Libyan crisis, and the outcomes of the Berlin conference over the country. They reaffirmed their rejection of any foreign interference into the Libyan affairs, with Le Drian presenting recent remarks made by the French president in this regard. The ministers agreed on holding a meeting in the near future to boost cooperation and consultations. The phone call comes nearly a week after global leaders, including Egypt, UAE, and Russia- all backers of eastern LNA's Khalifa Haftar, and Turkey, which supports the internationally recognized government in Tripoli agreed with other leaders to push towards a lasting ceasefire and an arms embargo. On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron accused Turkey's president of breaking promises made at Berlin on Libya after Turkish warships and Syrian fighters arrived in the country. Search Keywords: Short link: Popeyes' infamous chicken sandwich rollout came to a screeching halt over the summer last year because there was a shortage of the smaller birds used to supply the breast meat for them. Last summer, the restaurant chain only had the sandwiches in stock for 14 days before they went out of stock. It would take the popular food chain until November to get them back in stores. It did pay off, however, as U.S. Popeyes sales rose 10 per cent in the third quarter of 2019 - one of the highest levels for the company in two decades. Last summer, Popeyes only had the sandwiches in stock for 14 days before they went out of stock. They would be back in stock by November While chickens purchased have gotten larger - around six lbs in some cases - the demand calls for smaller birds, or chickens weighing less than 4.25lbs Americans consume a lot of chicken. The average person consumed roughly 93.5lbs of chicken just in 2019, according to the National Chicken Council. And while the bird has gotten progressively larger - around six lbs in some cases - the demand calls for smaller birds, or chickens weighing less than 4.25lbs. 'Consumers don't want tough and tasteless big chickens,' Scott Sechler, owner of poultry producer Bell & Evans, explained to the Los Angeles Times. 'There's 'increasing consumer demand for smaller, premium-quality birds.' Small chicken is ideal for sandwiches as bigger portions require more labor Small chicken is ideal for sandwiches as bigger portions require more labor. And according to David Maloni, executive vice president of ArrowStream, restaurants are keen for products that come with the right specifications. 'It's getting harder and harder to get that smaller bird, so they're paying a premium,' Maloni said. From the beginning of last year through mid-November, the poultry industry raised 10 per cent more birds in the jumbo category than it did in 2018. Small chickens saw a drop of two per cent, according to Russell Whitman of commodity researcher Urner Barry. Whitman added that competitors in the space caused the breast from the smaller birds to nearly triple the cost of breasts from 'jumbo' nine-pounder chickens. From the beginning of last year through mid-November, the poultry industry raised 10 per cent more birds in the jumbo category than it did in 2018. Small chickens saw a drop of two per cent On Tuesday, jumbo boneless breasts came in at 87 cents a pound while small bird breast skyrocketed to $2.53 per pound. That was the highest in the year, according to Whitman. 'Whatever demand growth we might have on smaller breasts, theres no new supply to meet that demand,' said Will Sawyer, an animal-protein economist at CoBank ACB. 'Everyone wants a bite out of that market.' The market is only going to get more saturated as McDonald's and Wendy's prepare to greater increase the visibility of sandwiches they have been working on that use smaller chickens. Flash U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed the revised United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) into law in an outdoor ceremony on the White House South Lawn. Hundreds of guests were invited to attend the ceremony, including U.S. workers, farmers, CEOs, lawmakers, and officials from Mexico and Canada. Democratic leaders who negotiated with the administration for months over the revision and helped secure the House passage, however, were absent. "We have replaced a disastrous trade deal," the U.S. president said in the ceremony, referring to the 26-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). "The USMCA is the largest, fairest, most balanced, and modern trade agreement ever achieved," Trump said, calling it a "colossal victory" for U.S. farmers, ranchers, energy workers and factory workers. The agreement is estimated to add another 1.2 percent to U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and create countless new American jobs, said the president. While the Trump administration has touted the USMCA as pro-growth, a recent analysis published by the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE) showed that the deal is "a net negative" for all three economies. The USMCA modernizes trading rules and strengthens the enforcement of labor and environmental rights, but its restrictions on auto trade and investment and on auto production "will hurt U.S. industry," said PIIE trade economists Mary Lovely and Jeffrey Schott, authors of the analysis. "The Trump administration's stated goal was to ensure that more of the vehicles will be produced in North America. But the outcome will be just the opposite," the economists said. Leaders of the three countries signed the USMCA in Argentina on the sidelines of the G20 summit in late 2018, and the agreement needs to be ratified by lawmakers in each country before it could be implemented. U.S. House Democrats and the administration had negotiated for months over issues including labor and environmental enforcement, as well as pharmaceutical provisions before finally reaching an agreement in December 2019. The House approved a bill to implement the revised USMCA with a 385-41 vote. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who wasn't invited to the ceremony, said earlier that the revised agreement was "light years" ahead of what the Trump administration negotiated with Canada and Mexico. AFL-CIO, the largest labor federation in the United States, said that "we are thankful" to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her allies on the USMCA working group, who pushed to "remedy numerous shortcomings" contained in the original USMCA text. Despite the landslide bipartisan vote, some Democratic lawmakers still argued that the USMCA doesn't go far enough to protect U.S. jobs, while some Republicans have expressed concern over concessions the Trump administration made to get Democrats' support for the trade deal. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, had also said that the revised USMCA is "not as good as I had hoped." Regardless, the measure passed the Senate in an 89-10 vote two weeks ago, before being sent to President Trump for signing into law. Mexican Congress has already approved the deal, but it still needs to be ratified by Canada's parliament before it can take effect. Since December 2019, Isaya Yoon, 34, has been collecting signatures to get her name on the ballot to run for governor as a Republican. Working outside in the cold has taken a toll on her voice, which now has a rasp and breaks in and out on occasion. But a sore throat isnt the only thing bothering Yoon about the campaign process. The lack of resources for outsiders looking to run for public office, as well as requiring independent candidates to get 45,000 signatures to get their name on the ballot as compared to 4,500 for party-affiliated candidates, is another roadblock for Yoon, who plans to run as an independent if she doesnt get the necessary signatures by the Feb. 5 deadline. Another roadblock was created by the 2019 failure of Senate Bill 571, which sought to make it easier for independent hopefuls to get on the ballot by removing the distinctions between third-party and major party candidates. Im all in, she said, regardless of how this ends. Yoon, a business owner in Jeffersonville, said when she began looking into a run for office, she reached out to several prominent Republicans in the state, including Rep. Susan Brooks, to no avail. Yoon alleges that emails and calls for guidance went unanswered. The Brooks camp said Yoon never reached out to them. The signature requirement for independent candidates is a huge disparity meant to keep Democrats and Republicans in control in state government, she said. Indiana has some of the most restrictive [campaign] laws in the country, Yoon said. We have to make the changes necessary to make it easier for independents to get on the ballot. The laws arent fair to candidates or voters. These disparities toward third-party candidates are what pushed Yoon to run as a Republican. A lifelong independent with self-described conservative leanings, Yoon believes in voting for your values, not for your party. And her values are what she hopes resonate with voters. An opponent of abortion and an advocate for the Second Amendment, Yoon takes issue with the democratic socialist movement, and hopes to appeal to both Republicans and moderate Democrats and bridge the divide she sees in our state and country. Yoon also takes issue with Gov. Eric Holcombs administration, arguing he is dismissive of minority voters and is bought out by pharmaceutical companies, which influenced his opposition to legalized medicinal marijuana, which Yoon supports. Gov. Holcombs team did not respond to a request for comment. As a Black woman who supports President Donald Trump, Yoon was worried about how she would be perceived. I wrote down the pros and cons of me running, Yoon said. Obviously, knowing that I voted for Trump and knowing that I support our president one negative was the possibility of Black Americans not liking me or disown[ing] me. Most people, though, have been so open and sweet to me. Among Yoons supporters is lifelong friend Rachel Jerrell. When Yoon reached out to tell her about wanting to run for governor, Jerrell agreed to help her collect signatures but didnt agree to vote for her until they had conversations about her policy positions. I like that she wont waiver on her pro-life stance, Jerrell said. She is in touch with being a mom and having a family, and shes passionate. Shes relatable, and she really wants to help people, its what drives her. Contact staff writer Breanna Cooper at 317-762-7848. Follow her on Twitter @BreannaNCooper. Learn more! To learn more about Isaya Yoons campaign and policies, visit her website. Isaya Yoon MADISON Mary Uhler, editor of the Catholic Herald-Diocese of Madison, announces that Kevin Wondrash has been promoted to assistant editor of the paper. He replaces Pam Payne, who retired in January after over 45 years on the newspapers staff. While serving as our reporter, Kevin has trained with Pam to do work on the production and outputting of pages we send to the printer along with other jobs such as posting articles and photos to our website, said Uhler. He is definitely ready to step into this new position seamlessly. Wondrash graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2006 double majoring in journalism and communication arts. During his time at the UW, he served as the news director at WSUM 91.7 FM, Madison Student Radio, among other on-air roles. He started working as a reporter at the Catholic Herald in 2013 after working in television news for more than six years as a producer, photographer, and reporter at TV stations in Eau Claire, Wis., and Madison. Since joining the Catholic Herald staff, he has won Catholic Press Awards for his writing, including Best Personality Profile for Fighting for the Forgotten about the efforts of Hoseas Heart in Swaziland; and Best Newswriting, Local or Regional Event, for his coverage on the 2018 Chicago March for Life. He commented, Im blessed to be able to continue my time at the Catholic Herald in a new role with increased responsibilities. Im looking forward to whats next and pray I can serve the people of this diocese behind the scenes.' He added, In my almost seven years at the Herald, Ive met a lot of amazing people in the Diocese of Madison. Im thankful that I have been able to work with them to share their stories with everyone and Im happy to be continuing that important work. Wondrash is a member of St. Maria Goretti Parish in Madison where he serves as the coordinator for the parishs young adult group on a volunteer basis. Authorities in France and Belgium, with the support of Eurojust and Europol, have taken action against a criminal network which committed large-scale international fraud with the sale of bitcoins and other crypto-currencies. Approximately 85 victims in France and Belgium were defrauded of EUR 6 million by an Organised Criminal Group (OCG) operating from Israel. In total, 10 suspects were arrested. The investigations unveiled further plans to commit fraud, which were not realised. The criminal group approached victims by phone, offering them huge profits on investments in bitcoins of up to 35 percent. To gain their trust, victims initially made small gains on these investments, thereby encouraging them to further invest. Victims were then defrauded on subsequent payments. These were transferred to fake companies, which had been set up for this purpose by the OCG. The profits were then quickly transferred via bank accounts in other EU Member States to bank accounts in various Asian countries and Turkey. European Investigation Orders (EIOs) were issued to the authorities of Bulgaria, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Czech Republic and Portugal to help with the investigations. Four persons had been arrested in France in January 2019, and in cooperation with the authorities in Luxembourg, EUR 1 million were seized. Eurojust assisted the French and Belgian authorities by setting up and financing a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) and organizing a coordination meeting. Europol participated in an international rogatory mission of French and Belgian magistrates to Israel. In close collaboration with the Israeli police, seven searches took place and five persons were interrogated. The investigations were led by the specialized interregional jurisdiction (JIRS) of Nancy and the Belgian Federal Parquet, in close collaboration with the judicial police in Israel, the national police of France and federal police of Belgium. Manama is a city built on the foundations of religious and cultural tolerance, Capital Governor Shaikh Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa declared as the city prepares to host the upcoming Bahrain For All festival. The annual event brings together more than 50,000 people from over 40 local and expatriate communities, including the differently-abled community, to showcase their respective abilities and engagement in Bahrain society. Held under the theme Leaving Nobody Behind, this years festival will take place at Bahrain Bay on Thursday and Friday (February 6 and 7). Speaking at a press conference, Shaikh Hisham said: What we see in Bahrain today is a testament to its long history of tolerating and respecting different religions, sects and beliefs, where people are able to live in harmony and dignity. This is evident by the many mosques and maatams that exit in Bahrain side by side with churches, some more than 100 years old, as well as synagogues and other places of worship belonging to different religions and denominations. He added: Bahrain For All is a celebration of the Kingdom of Bahrains many economic, social and political accomplishments, and its desire to create a society in which all people live in peace and dignity, no matter their religions, sects or backgrounds. Bahrain has shown the world that it values these elements which indicate the advanced level of development it has achieved. Bahrain For Alls strategic partners are: Capital Governorate, Ministry of Interior, Manama Healthy City, and Tamkeen. The event will feature more than 250 market stalls by local entrepreneurs and productive families, and a 128 sqm stage showcasing performances by the Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Filipino, Jordanian, Thai, Bangladeshi, and Egyptian communities, among others. The line-up also features live performances by several local DJs and emcees, who will be announced soon. There are over 20 differently abled centres and inclusive schools showcasing Bahrains focus on inclusivity. The Ministry of Interior, currently celebrating 100 years of Bahrain Police, has offered its popular Police Band, as well as a horse parade. We congratulate the Bahraini police force on its security achievements under the leadership of General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, the Minister of Interior. The Kingdoms stability owes a lot to the guidance of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, His Royal Highness the Prime Minister, Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, and the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander of the BDF, and First Deputy Prime Minister, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. Organiser Nivedita Dhadphale said: I would like to thank His Excellency Shaikh Hisham and the Capital Governorate team, without whose support this event would not have been possible. For the first time, the festival will be held in Bahrain Bay, a location which presents the modern face of Bahrain. Steps Rehabilitation Centre will provide training for Bahrain For All volunteers about sensory sensitivities, gross and fine motor difficulties, and emotional/ behavioural issues. "Were excited to offer Share911 technology because we know it will help better protect Georgia-based businesses and schools." Share911, the leading security technology company that offers critical communication solutions that keep employees and students safe, today announced a national partner program where qualified solution providers could work with the business in selected markets nationwide. ACG Solutions, a Habersham County firm that delivers custom solutions for clients in education, medical, manufacturing, construction and retail areas. As a single-source supplier of solutions that protect, connect and manage business infrastructures and operations, ACG Solutions offers a wide range of products and consulting services, including a turnkey architectural blueprint for the Intelligent Building that incorporates the very latest technology to meet each clients desired function and vision. Share911s platform allows us to extend our threat detection and rapid response capabilities to our clients , said Don Ansley, ACGs CEO. Were excited to offer Share911 technology because we know it will help better protect Georgia-based businesses and schools. Share911s CEO Erik Endress agrees. Working with established companies like ACG Solutions helps us to bring our life-saving platform to more businesses and schools nationwide. Companies that are interested in hearing more about working with Share911 should visit https://getshare911.com/contact-sales to setup a meeting. About Share911 Founded in 2013, Share911 is a leading critical communications company. The Companys platform keeps people and organizations safe by empowering employees to efficiently share information with co-workers, 911, and emergency services. Based in Ramsey NJ, the company currently protects over 750,000 students and employees in over 4,000 workplaces nationwide with its critical communications and notification platform. The companys SaaS platform is easy to implement in any type of business or school; making it the perfect solution for businesses and schools looking to disseminate safety concerns, weather conditions, and operational disruptions to their workforce in real-time. For further information on Share911 click here or visit https://getshare911.com/ . About ACG Solutions ACG Solutions is a Cornelia, GA based company founded in 1999. The Companys mission is to provide technology solutions and services that protect, connect, and manage organizations physical and digital assets. ACG architects and delivers state of the art technologies for IT, Security, and Telecommunications. The Companys flexible technology solutions meet the needs of any organization and are continually improved to take advantage of technological advancements. For further information about ACG Solutions visit https://acg-solutions.com/ . Company Contacts: Brian Harniman, General Manager, Share911 Phone: 917-833-8719 brian@share911.com Don Ansley, CEO, ACG Solutions Phone: 770-869-9703 dansley@acg-solutions.com All summer long this cliffside lock on the Champlain Canal is bustling with boaters heading to Lake Champlain, which starts right here, or the Hudson River a few miles to the south. For the state Canal Corporations maintenance workers, though, winter is when they really get to work. This is our busy season, said Aaron Mattoon, regional engineer for this portion of the 64-mile Champlain Canal which is part of the larger state canal system that feeds into the Erie Canal at Waterford. Mattoon and a crew of hard-hatted Canal workers, officials and local town leaders hosted a group of visitors Wednesday for a peak at a sight most summertime visitors rarely see: a fully-drained 35-foot deep lock. Its like a giant bathtub, said Mattoon. Emptying, closing and refurbishing is a once-in-a-decade ritual for each of the canal systems 57 locks between here and Waterford to the south and Buffalo to the west. Each winter between October and May when the canal is closed for boaters, up to a half-dozen locks are overhauled. That means replacing worn concrete and wood on the massive gates akin to giant doors as well as clearing debris from the 8-foot tunnels that let the water flow into the locks. It also means pulling out and even rebuilding items like gears and motors that move the 50-ton doors. At over 100 years old, there are no spare parts distributors, so canal workers fabricate needed parts in their own Fort Edward machine shop. Its like an extreme canal makeover, said canal system spokesman Steve Gosset. They had their work cut out for them here at Lock 12. Aging concrete had been allowing a leak in one of the gates. While not a safety concern it would eventually slow the process of filling and emptying the locks. And because the gates are so close to the ground and there is so little room for equipment overhead, workers on Wednesday were placing construction-grade air bags which would be pumped up. That would the giant doors high enough to be reached by a crane. Once freed, the timbers and worn concrete would be replaced. And the doors would be power-washed, not because they are dirty but to get the zebra mussel shells off them. The doors were actually covered like barnacles on a boat that had been too long at sea. They dont hinder the locks operation, however. This lock dates from 1905 and the onslaught of invasive zebra mussels over the last two decades is one of several changes that have come over the years. When first built, the canal was a major commercial thoroughfare, filled with barges hauling bulk goods and materials such as grain, timber or fertilizer between the Canadian border and points south. Trains eventually replaced the canal for moving most goods. But during the Cold War, barges hauled jet fuel to the Plattsburgh Air Force Base. By 1995, the base had closed and nowadays almost all of the canal traffic here, save for some barges hauling gravel and stone from nearby mines, are pleasure craft. Like many riverside towns in upstate New York and New England, the lock is redolent of an earlier, perhaps busier time when waterpower was harnessed to run factories and textile mills. Inside the maintenance shop, workers pointed to a 1905 schematic of the lock. Perched above it was the old Champlain Silk Mills complex, which closed in the 1950s and burned in the '60s. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The silk mills and shirt factories that were here are long gone, and theres not a lot of commercial activity left. The nearest major supermarket is eight miles across the border in Fairhaven, Vt. As the canal system deindustrialized, policy makers have looked to tourism to fill some of the gap. This week, the New York Power Authority, which has the canal system under its purview, gave final approval to a multi-year $300 million Reimagining the Canals initiative to boost tourism and even development. Technically, that program is focused on the Erie Canal system, which starts south of Whitehall, said Canal Corp. Director Brian Stratton. But there are efforts to bring more tourists to the Champlain canal too, including a bike/jogging/walking path that will eventually crisscross the state. Whitehall Supervisor John Rozell noted that theres a marina just north of the lock. Hed like to see a touristy motel or hotel come to town. One thing that wont change is the need to keep the canal locks in good working order. There is, Stratton said, a constant need to really focus on it. rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU Eir's CEO, Carolan Lennon, has a new tattoo. It's a permanent stencil of a horse's head, visible just above her wrist. "I started learning how to ride horses last May and I'm absolutely loving it," she says. "So I got a little horse's head tattoo right here." Lennon's freshly inked art is unveiled in a significant week for Eir. Although its corporate results aren't due until next month, the former state monopoly has some figures which suggest the company is now unrecognisable from the administrative entity that used to stagger from corporate flip to corporate flip. It raced to 100,000 new GoMo mobile customers in a matter of weeks after promising a lifetime tariff of 10 per month for a high-data, high-calls package. It is approaching half a million 'passed' fibre-to-the-home premises and is promising another million, mostly in the previously untouchable cable broadband hinterland of Virgin Media. And it is positioning itself for the collapse of traditional TV distribution with an alternate, Netflix-friendly system based on apps. It is also taking a bullish, uncompromising position on Huawei as an equipment supplier in a week when the UK defied US pressure by allowing the Chinese company into its carriers' 5G rollout, albeit with potential restrictions. Adrian Weckler sat down with Lennon to take the temperature on Eir's current fortunes and future plans. Adrian Weckler (AW): You had big launches for GoMo and Eir TV last October, but no public launch for 5G. Why was that? Carolan Lennon (CL): We had a big internal launch with all of our suppliers in [Dublin's] Citywest. AW: Was the rotating chairman of Huawei, Guo Ping, there? CL: Yes. He was invited and met Xavier [Niel, CEO of Eir's French parent company NJJ]. AW: Was the fact that Guo Ping was there related to you not having a public launch, given controversy over 5G network security? CL: No. He was here because he wanted to meet Xavier, who was going to be here for our 5G launch. So that worked out well. He was planning to visit anyway, so we managed to get that timing right. AW: What do you make of the Huawei controversy? CL: I find that hard to accept that it's not to do with the China-US trade issue. We're not concerned, we're very happy with them. They're in our access network, not our core network [which is Ericsson]. But we find them good to work with. Our guys say their kit is fantastic. Most of the telcos in Europe are using them. The UK has now said that they're not going to block Huawei from their 5G networks. Our position hasn't changed at all. AW: What do you make of the American argument that networks like yours that use Huawei equipment are less secure? CL: I disagree with that, Adrian. It's very hard to take the smoke away from everything that's going on around this. But obviously, security is really important to us. We've just recently won the garda mobile business tender. So it's not stopping us winning business. Do American multinationals mention it? Yes. But has it stopped us winning business? No. It hasn't. So we're going to push on, we're committed to them, they've been a good supplier and we're very happy with the kit and the quality of the network. AW: Your 9.99 GoMo mobile sign-up promotion ended and the current 12.99 'for life' sign-up campaign will end in a few weeks. What price will you set for GoMo then? CL: We haven't made a decision about that yet. We wanted to see what the elasticity was between 9.99 and 12.99 in terms of volume. Then we'll make a call. AW: How many Eir Mobile customers has the GoMo service cannibalised? CL: Some customers have come from Eir Mobile. But it's well within our business case tolerance. It's delivering for Eir; not just volume, but also revenue. AW: Where do you think you took most of the customers from? CL: It's certainly impacting on the Three prepay base. That Three prepay base grew, over the last number of years, on the back of their big data allowances which were more generous than anybody else's. There's also Tesco Mobile, which was very good at playing the value card. But we've picked customers up from everybody. AW: On the 'for life' promise, the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland says it is looking at your terms and conditions, which appear to say that you can change the 9.99 cost whenever you want. CL: There's absolutely no issue there. If you signed up at 9.99, or now at 12.99, it's guaranteed for life. In terms of the terms and conditions, if something were to happen to international conditions, outside the core [9.99] proposition, we reserve the right to change those. But the core proposition of 9.99 or 12.99 is guaranteed for life. AW: Does this mean your overall mobile customer base has risen? CL: Yes. We're doing results in February so you'll see those mobile volumes coming through. When we launched in October, we thought 100,000 customers was an ambitious target. Even with the 9.99 'for life' message, we thought it would take us until June of this year. But we had 100,000 done before Christmas. We've been blown away. To persuade 100,000 people to do something is not easy. It was only launched two days and we got feedback that scores of school WhatsApp groups were talking about it. It seemed to gather a life of its own. AW: How can you make money from a 10-per-month, high-data service? CL: The margin there is better than you might think. The majority of customers have come from other networks on to our network so that's completely new revenue to Eir. It's a much cheaper proposition to serve because we don't have the big care or store infrastructure. This makes the margin better than you would think. Add to this that we've seen a chunk of GoMo customers come from prepaid, where the average revenue per user is lower than on GoMo and the churn is higher, and we're very happy with the contribution that GoMo has made from a financial point of view. AW: Will you add 5G to GoMo? CL: No, we have no plans to. AW: If one of the main differences between GoMo and Eir Mobile is 5G [on Eir Mobile], does GoMo's strong performance suggest weak demand for 5G in Ireland? CL: Demand for 5G will come. There was a decent number of 5G handset sales at Christmas. But they're what you'd expect them to be, in the hands of early adopters who always want the new thing. It will take a while for the rest of the population of the mobile users to catch up. There's no Apple 5G device yet, but that will all come. AW: Do you know yet what people will use 5G for? CL: We all talk about the obvious uses like e-health and autonomous cars. But we broadcast a Munster versus Saracens rugby game over 5G on Eir Sport, rather than via satellite. It worked pretty well. I think it could be a good broadcasting application and much cheaper than current systems. It might give companies an opportunity to cover more games. AW: How many 5G sites do you have? CL: About 170 across 20 towns and cities. It's now above 25pc population coverage. We're by far the biggest 5G network in the country. AW: You had promised 300 5G sites by now. Have you looked at tepid demand and decided to refocus resources on filling out 4G sites first? CL: No. We're just managing what we can do with what sites are available. AW: You recently switched your TV service to an Apple TV platform. A few years ago, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the future of TV would be apps. Is that what you're doing? CL: I think that's certainly the direction it's going. We see the future of TV moving away from linear [viewing]. If you look at the statistics, with most people, it's linear today, but a lot of people are moving to different apps. We wanted to get on the front foot of that. With Disney Plus launching in March, that will be another app that will come up when you switch on. AW: Eir's Apple platform is easy to use but you can't record much, especially channels like the BBC. Isn't that a drawback? CL: Yes, that's currently the biggest challenge. My parents were over at the weekend. They're on our old TV platform and I told them to stay there for the moment because they like to record from the BBC. But those rights will come. They've never had to think about those rights in the past but everyone sees the way this is going. So over time, this is not going to be an issue. AW: If TV is just moving to apps, why will anyone need a TV service, given that new tellies now come with the most popular on-demand video streaming apps like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video? CL: Well, we'd say that you're getting linear TV and your sport or whatever, so it's the combination of all that which makes us attractive. AW: On broadband, where are you with your fibre-to-the-home rollout? CL: On our rural build, we finished up with 340,000 homes passed last summer. We immediately turned that network team to look at our national fibre network. So we have 28 towns across the country available now, including in some urban and suburban areas. We'll add another 20 towns by the end of April. So the machine that was hitting 30,000 fibre-to-the-home households is now targeting urban and suburban areas, where we can hit 65,000 to 70,000 homes per quarter. Our ambition is to bring fibre-to-the-home to 1.4 million homes, which is 84pc of the country. If you then add the National Broadband Plan, that puts Ireland right at the top in terms of broadband connectivity. Our opportunity now is to take on [Virgin Media] cable. Eir has never had the network to take on cable. But the fibre network is better than the cable network because it's not contended. In the big towns and the cities, we're under-represented today. So this is our opportunity to grow that share. AW: The National Broadband Plan has been signed and work is under way. It's possible that if Eir had been doing what it is doing today five years ago, there may not have been a need for this NBP. It's also possible that Eir might even have scooped the extra network contract that you claimed it could do for 1bn in the Oireachtas last year when you arguably put a spanner in the NBP works. Did you miss your chance back then? Was it just the wrong time for Eir in those years? CL: There are a couple of things there. First of all, Eir is different today. We have a long-term telco investor who absolutely believes in decisions for the long term. They [parent NJJ] fundamentally believe that the company with the best infrastructure of fixed and mobile will win the day. So making decisions is quicker and easier. Everything we said we were going to do last year, we have done. At the same time, when Eir started building fibre to the cabinet, it was post-examinership. It had a certain amount of money and the question at the time was whether we go deep and narrow with fibre to the home, or broad with fibre to the cabinet. I don't know whether that was a wrong decision, but if you look at our recovery post-examinership, you'll see that the recovery was on the back of both wholesale and retail customers coming on to that fibre-to-the-cabinet network. As for the National Broadband Plan, we weren't trying to put a spanner in the works. But if you were to ask me the same question again, then I'd tell you the truth and I'd be confident about that answer. If I had a billion euro tomorrow and I hadn't taken my team and put them on building an urban and suburban network, I could do the rest of that [NBP] network. That's still absolutely the case. I know how much it costs. We were asked the question and we gave an honest answer. That said, we've moved on. All of our resources are focused now on the cities and the big towns. That's a five-year programme. AW: So then you won't agree with Michael Ring's recent comments in the 'Sunday Independent' that Eir was "acting like a spoiled child" and that "when the sweets are taken away from them, they start crying"? That "these are the ones who want to roll out rural broadband", even when he "can't get [Eir] out to elderly people with their senior alert alarms when their phones are out"? CL: Well, when I finish picking my toys up and putting them back in the pram, I'll answer that. In all seriousness though, while he's entitled to his own opinion, the stuff on the repairs is just not factually true. We are regulated and we have a repair service level agreement with the regulator [ComReg]. We have to get the vast majority of the repairs done within two days. And we're well within that. But occasionally, we need a county council to close a road to do a repair. Or lightning might hit the copper network and it's difficult to repair. But it's certainly not in our interest to be slower on repairs than we need to be. To hear Carolan Lennon's full interview, stream The Big Tech Show podcast tomorrow at independent.ie/podcasts or on Soundcloud, iTunes or Spotify. Renowned historian Ramchandra Guha on Thursday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi misused Mahatma Gandhi's name to "promote himself", and asked if he was "fond of" Gandhi before becoming prime minister. Guha, here to deliver a lecture on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi's death anniversary, also slammed the BJP-led Union government over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), saying Gandhi would have opposed it if he were alive. In a piece of advise for Kartikeya Sarabhai, a trustee of the Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust, Guha said the Ashram should have maintained a distance from Modi after he became prime minister. He also criticised Sabarmati Ashram and other Gandhian institutions such as Gujarat Vidyapith (which was founded by Gandhi himself) for not speaking up against the CAA. "After May 2014, you (Sarabhai and other trustees) should have kept the PM at arm's length. Was he fond of Gandhi before he became PM? He misused Gandhi's name to promote himself," Guha, who has penned a two-volume biography of the Mahatma, said. "If Gandhi was alive, he would have opposed CAA. It is deceitful for the PM to misquote Gandhi," said Guha during a question-hour session after his lecture. The CAA -- which grants citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh -- is "illogical, immoral and ill-timed", he said. Any morally upright person who believes in the Constitution and non-violence would oppose it, he added. "Even if the Supreme Court upholds it, CAA must be resisted, but non-violently," the historian said, before slamming Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his comments about the ongoing protest at Shaheen Bagh in Delhi. "It's the obligation of political class to try and contain, manage, tame and overcome violence. But here, record of our political leadership has been unfortunate," Guha said. "Just look at the violence in the language of the two of the most important people in India," he said. "For the Home Minister of India, the remarks he made about the women in Shaheen Bagh are unconstitutional. In any decent democracy, he should have been dismissed overnight. It is because of what the Home Minister said, the junior minister said even worse things," said Guha. He did not specify exactly which remarks he was referring to. Guha also accused the PM of using "abusive and demeaning" language for his political opponents. To a question about why he declined to accept Ahmedabad University's offer of a teaching post in 2018, Guha blamed the BJP, saying "the ruling party did not allow me". The Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the RSS, had submitted a memorandum to the private university, seeking cancellation of Guha's appointment. "Remember, there was Gujarat before Modi and Shah, and there will be Gujarat after Modi and Shah," said Guha, addressing the audience which included prominent intellectuals, lawyers, university students and civil rights activists. After the lecture, Guha visited Rakhial area of the city where Muslim women have been staging a Shaheen Bagh-like sit-in protest for the last one week against the CAA. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Wiers Fleet Partners announced the acquisition of Georges Truck Center at 9000 Connector Drive in Florence, KY, 15 miles south of downtown Cincinnati. Florence is the eighth Wiers location offering 24/7 Priority Fleet Service to national and local companies requiring commercial truck maintenance and repair. Fleets want to consolidate the number of service providers they rely on. Cincinnati is a natural fit for our customers located in Indianapolis, Louisville, and Columbus, stated John Sexauer, Wiers Sales Manager. Georges has a 30 year history of taking care of its customers and employees. We share those same values and look forward to helping our Northern Kentucky customers deliver more products and services in a safe, reliable, and cost effective manner, said Drew Hettich, President of Wiers. Ken Stambaugh, former co-owner, will join the Wiers Team as the Service Center Manager. Wiers Service Centers are run by experienced teams who bring dealer capabilities to a customer-friendly and accommodating environment. Mobile Maintenance and Emergency Road Service allows Wiers to support customers where and when they needed it. As always, we must remain true to our core values Will Do Attitudes, Trustworthy Actions, Master Workmanship, Growing Together, and Proactive Communication. Lets take care of each other and our customers! said Tom Wiers, Owner & CEO of Wiers. About Wiers Headquartered in Indianapolis, IN, Wiers Fleet Partners helps commercial truck users lower total cost and improve fleet performance. Wiers takes great pride in developing team members and being active in local communities. Join us in welcoming Wiers Feet Partner, Florence, KY! To find the Wiers location nearest you, visit: http://www.wiers.com. The upcoming Kannada film Godhra starring Sathish Ninasam and Shraddha Srinath has been in the making for quite some time now. And now, according to the latest reports, the movie is swiftly headed towards the finish line. The team is said to film the intro song next month, which would officially mark the culmination of the shoot. Directed by debutant Nandish, the highly anticipated Sandalwood biggie comprises of a large ensemble cast of talented actors. The latest one to join the ever-growing list is none other than Sonu Gowda. The young actress is said to play an important role in the film. However, the details of her role are yet to be shared by the makers. The music for Godhra has been composed by Judah Sandy and Karthik whilst the cinematography has been rendered by Sashi Kumar. An official release date is yet to be announced by the producers. The gritty drama has been canned at various locations in Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Malaysia. On the work front, Sonu Gowda was last seen on screen in Sathish Ninasams Chambal. The actress will soon be seen alongside Puneeth Rajkumar in Santosh Anandrams YuvaRathnaa thats scheduled to hit the silver screens on April 3. On the other hand, Satish Ninasams last film release was Brahmachari opposite Aditi Prabhu Deva. The talented actor is currently busy with a slew of projects including My Name Is Siddegowda, Vaitarani, and Parimala Lodge needing his attention. ALSO READ: Aishwarya Prasad To Be Seen In A Pivotal Role In Darshan Starrer Roberrt ALSO READ: Tanya Hope Opens Up About Her New Releases Khaki And Disco Raja President Trumps plan for Mideast peace has no chance of resolving the conflict because it sides entirely with Israel on every point. It is a vision of a Mideast where Israel rules over Palestinians by relying on brute military superiority, not by making any accommodation. What could go wrong? It would leave Palestinians with scraps of the worst land, carved up by Israeli settlements and roads. Israel would annex all Jewish settlements and bite off vast new stretches of Palestinian land by annexing the Jordan River Valley, which makes up about one-quarter of the land in the West Bank. That would leave this rump entity broken into pieces, surrounded by Israeli troops, with no control over its air space or borders. A tunnel would connect the West Bank and Gaza. Front-loading the annexation seems to destroy the plan on the very day its released, said David Makovsky, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. It reaffirms the worst fear that this is more an annexation plan than a peace plan. Beyond the land grab, the plan offers no answer to other core Palestinian demands. Jerusalem would be the undivided capital of Israel. Palestinian refugees who want to return to their ancestral homes or win some kind of compensation for the loss would get nothing. In return for annexing the Jordan Valley, the plan offers Palestinians pockets of land in the Sinai near Gaza. That is not among the demands made by Palestinians, who took no part in negotiating this plan. Right, more territory in the desert, while (Israel) annexes territory that has the only aquifer in the West Bank, Nour Odeh, former spokeswoman for the Palestinian Authority, told PBS Newshour. What we have here is not an arrangement for peace. Its an arrangement that allow the Israeli right wing to stay in power, that allows Israel to get rid of Palestinian communities. For Trump, its a distraction from the impeachment trial, and a move to shore up support from his base, especially the fervent Israel supporters in the evangelical movement. For Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces a fresh election challenge while under indictment on corruption charges, the plan changes the subject and underscores the fruits of his friendship with Trump. Over the long run, though, this is a prescription for continuing violence and conflict. Palestinians are promised a state only if they accept these humiliations, one stacked on top of another, and agree to submit. Militant Palestinians can point to this as proof that negotiations with Israel are pointless, and that the United States under Trump has abandoned any scrap of remaining credibility as an honest broker. Jared Kushner, who negotiated this deal, was a real estate developer three years ago, and can boast no special knowledge or experience in the region or in diplomacy. This was a nepotism hire, straight ahead. He was aided by U.S. Ambassador David Friedman, who served as Trumps bankruptcy lawyer and is equally unqualified. For these two novices to present such a radically unrealistic plan is embarrassing. For Trump to suggest the Arab World will eventually go along with it is delusional. The consolation is that this plan has no prayer of becoming a reality. It is pure theater, for Trump and Netanyahu. Peace in the Mideast is a long shot at any time, and an impossibility while either of these two bullies remain in power. More: Tom Moran columns Tom Moran may be reached at tmoran@starledger.com or call (973) 836-4909. Follow him on Twitter @tomamoran. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. Reporters from the World Socialist Web Site recently visited the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, in the wake of a series of powerful earthquakes that rocked the island starting December 28. The firsthand descriptions are an account of daily life in the southern region of the island as well as commentary from Puerto Rican workers and youth on the ecological, political and social crises unfolding on the island. Further interviews and other material from their trip will be published in the coming days. The working class in Puerto Rico has been living in a state of extreme anxiety since December 28, when a string of massive earthquakes began to rock the island, including a 6.4 magnitude quake on Tuesday, January 7the largest quake to hit Puerto Rico in over 100 years and a 5.9 on Sunday, January 12, among other continuing seismic activity and powerful aftershocks. The sismos [earthquakes] have just kept going and going. We are not sure when they will stop, commented one resident of Yauco. A historic building in the town of Yauco, destroyed by Hurricane Maria and the earthquakes The earthquakes have been concentrated in the southern part of the island near the islands second-largest city of Ponce. The towns which have been directly impacted include Yauco, Guyanilla, Guanica, Laja and many of the surrounding areas. For the affected region, the aftershocks from major earthquakes have been nearly constant, occurring once every couple hours. Humans can sense an earthquake at a magnitude of 3.0. They become unnerving at 4.0, frightening at 5.0 and terrifying at 6.0 and above. Nearly everyone in the southern region has a nightmare story from the night the first quake hit the island. People reported being woken up in the late hours to a violent shaking of their beds, floors and wallsso much so that they could hardly take a step forward without being knocked down. A destroyed home near Guyanilla I was woken up in the middle of the night with everything shaking, said Marisa, a public-sector worker who lives with her two children. Every time I tried getting out of bed, I would fall over. It was so scary because I didnt know where my children were, or if I could reach them and protect them. I didnt know if I could make it out in time if anything crashed. We heard dozens of other stories of family members frantically attempting to grab elderly relatives and children in the middle of the quakes, attempting to move everyone safely outside, where they waited in fear to see if more tremors were to come. Those located in the impacted area live in a constant state of fear. Residents reported feelings of immense anxiety, repeatedly asking themselves: Will another earthquake hit? Where will I and my family be? How can I get to safety from the grocery store or the park? What if my house collapses? Will the children be all right? Blankets on the couch near the front door, where older relatives have been sleeping for a quick escape if necessary Fear and uncertainty were laced through every persons story. In the capital city San Juan, an Uber driver shared how the major earthquake on January 6 had shaken her house early in the morning. She explained that she now worries every night if another one will hit and worries even more for the lives of those in the south. A young man from Guanica said the earthquakes caused his neighborhood to be evacuated. Due the damage caused by the earthquake, his employers at an agricultural farm laid everyone off. With his neighborhood gone and his job indefinitely suspended, he had no idea what his future would hold. My son and daughter, along with my grandchildren, have come to stay here until late into the night for us to be together during the past few weeks, said Berta Gonzalez, the grandmother of a family living in a small house just outside of Yauco. She told us that her thoughts were dominated by fear: fear of further earthquakes; fear that the house could collapse; fear that they could lose access to water, food, and other essentials; and fear that her family would struggle and suffer. The family has not showered for days at a time since the quakes began because they fear having to run out of the house naked, possibly slipping or being injured if an earthquake hit at that moment. The familys grandmother and father slept on sofas near the front door for a quick escape route. The smaller earthquakes are no problem now, explained Berta, but when a larger one hits in the evening, it is so hard to sleep. I have to take my sleeping pills and count on my family to wake me up if needed. Tents set up in an empty parking lot in Yauco Families have almost universally taken to keeping emergency bags packed close to the door. Many family members who usually live in their own homes have packed into whichever relatives home was most likely to survive the tremors. Often this is a precautionary move, but many were forced to move due to being evacuated from unsafe structures or having their homes destroyed. Bertas son Ronaldo told us, An older woman just moved in with her son next door. Her house was destroyed by the earthquakes in southern Yauco. While the situation is quite severe in Yauco, it is even worse in Guanica. The small town has been hit the hardest by the seismic shakes, being located much closer to the epicenter of the highest-magnitude quakes. Residents of Yauco who recently visited the area or knew people who lived there described terrible scenes of building after building damaged, collapsed and evacuated. Approximately 8,000 people were forced to seek refuge in large stadiums, coliseums, churches, open grassy fields and parking lots, many of them makeshift. The roads everywhere are decrepit, and the walls on buildingssuch as schools, government offices, homes and restaurantshave large cracks from the quakes. Many older buildings, constructed before the seismic codes of the 1980s, were built from brick and later plastered in cement. These buildings are the most at risk of damage and collapse. One of the most revealing aspects of the damage, however, is that one has a difficult time differentiating between the destruction caused by Hurricane Maria, which that hit in 2017, and the recent earthquakes. In the rubble of the collapsed homes, it is common to see a blue tarp that was previously serving as a roof for those homes severely damaged during the 2017 hurricane. It is universally understood by workers throughout the island that neither the local government nor the federal government has any intention of providing the necessary resources for recovery. As is so common nowadays, almost all of the aid and support has come from other workers in the north of the island who knew nothing would be done for those stuck in the south. Hundreds of workers came in droves, bringing water, food, diapers, soap and other necessities. Truck after truck drove every day, despite the dangers involved. Families told us that they had received multiple donations a day from these spontaneous aid missions, which included things like bags of sandwiches, beans, rice, water, soap, toothbrushes, diapers, baby food and feminine hygiene products. Not a single family we spoke with had received aid from official government programs or aid organizations. The only mention of FEMA came from a 31-year-old man, who explained that FEMA representatives came to his house to tell him to evacuate, never to be seen again. Three weeks after the first quake hit, a video went viral on social media of a warehouse in Ponce full of unused emergency aid from Hurricane Maria, confirming what was already well known to the residents. Despite the response of current Governor Wanda Vazquez to shift the blame from herself to other officials, workers who have been following eventsand most haveunderstand that it is all political officials who are incriminated by the evidence. Now, a month since the first quake hit the island, political officials on the island have yet to launch even the pretense of a full-scale recovery program. The New Progressive Party (PNP) of ousted governor Ricky Rossello and Vazquez, the Popular Democratic Party (PPD) and the so-called opposition of the Puerto Rican Independence Party have no base of popular support in any significant section of the population. They have proved incapable of handling the disaster, in no small part because they bear responsibility for the crisis that has unfolded. The class tensions are coming to a breaking point on the island. The mass protests in July that overthrew Governor Rossello and his first successor, and now the renewed calls for Governor Vazquez to resign, are an expression of the immense opposition among workers that exists on the island. The Media Coalition Against Galamsey and OccupyGhana have expressed disappointment over the alleged disappearance of excavators used for illegal mining activities popularly known as galamsey. Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Frimpong Boateng, recently announced that hundreds of seized galamsey excavators have disappeared from District Assemblies around the country. According to the Coalition and OccupyGhana in a statement dated January 29, 2020, Our deep concern at this revelation stems from the fact that the authorities have simply once again failed to follow and enforce the law. The statement noted that the inability of the government to enforce the law, from the facts as we know them, is only matched by the brazenness of the illegal miners. It added that We have a number of questions for the government that require answers; and we respectfully demand those answers. First, under the 2006 Minerals and Mining Act, it is illegal for anyone to erect equipment for the purpose of mining without being the holder of either a mining lease or a small-scale mining licence. Everyone who does this commits an offence. The government has to explain to Ghanaians whether the persons from whom the equipment was allegedly seized were also arrested. If that did not happen, the government should explain why it did not happen. Or, were the illegal miners also allowed to disappear just like the equipment? Second, the law then provides that upon the arrest of illegal miners, the equipment they were using shall, regardless of the ownership, be seized and kept in the custody of the police. It is for very good reason that the law demands that the equipment should be kept by the police, and no other institution. The government therefore has to explain to Ghanaians why the equipment allegedly seized was kept with District Assemblies and not the police. Was this deliberate? Was this to make it very easy for the equipment to simply 'disappear'? Did anyone take an inventory of the seized equipment and if so where is that inventory? Which public officers were responsible for flouting the law? Third, the Act demands that the arrested persons should be tried in court and then upon conviction, the court is empowered to order the forfeiture of any equipment seized. The government has to explain to Ghanaians whether the persons from whom the equipment was seized were duly prosecuted, and if not, why not? ,it quizzed. Without prosecution, the seized equipment cannot be forfeited in the manner the law demands. Are any prosecutions still taking place? If so, have there been any convictions? And if so, did the courts order forfeiture? Is the government able to publish a report on these matters?, it asked. we also need to know from the government whether all existing mining leases and small-scale licences have now been submitted to Parliament for ratification as is required under both the Constitution and the Minerals and Mining Act, according to the statement. ---Daily Guide Eamonn Holmes has been accused of 'snatching' This Morning's NTA gong out Phillip Schofield's hand at the awards bash on Tuesday evening. In a new video Phillip, 57, who is said to be at the centre of a civil war behind-the-scenes at ITV, is clutching the statuette for the Live Magazine Show prize before Eamonn grapples with the gong in comedy fashion. It comes amid claims Eamonn, 60, and his wife Ruth's 'strained' relationship with Phillip was evident in the winner's room, following what was considered to be an 'awkward' exchange during their acceptance speech. Tense: Eamonn Holmes has been accused of 'snatching' This Morning's NTA gong out Phillip Schofield's hand at the awards bash on Tuesday evening In the video, the cast convene to pose for cameras before the resident medic Doctor Ranj slides across the floor to lie in front of his co-stars. As Phillip passes the award over to Ruth, Eamonn appears to grab the gong and pretend to let it drop on the doctor's head in hilarious fashion. His grab of the award was deemed a 'snatch' and seemed to add to the fervour surrounding the alleged row between the colleagues. Despite the accusations, a representative for Phil told MailOnline: 'The story is completely untrue and Eamon's PR will also confirm that. Absolute nonsense'. Feud? Last month, Phillip (pictured with co-host Holly Willoughby) was accused of creating a 'toxic atmosphere' for his This Morning co-stars An ITV spokeswoman said: 'This is completely untrue. All of the This Morning presenting team were in good spirits, visibly chatting together in their seats before and during the awards, and all celebrating afterwards.' Ruth's frosty relationship with Phil became the talk of Twitter on Tuesday, as the stars shared the stage after stars of This Morning scooped their award. TV insiders said they felt Phil's actions of putting on a united display were 'disingenuous' after they watched him turn his back on Ruth, 59, backstage in the winner's room. A source told the publication: 'Phil's relationship with Ruth and Eamonn is hugely strained and at ITV they give each other a wide berth... Give me that! Eamonn appeared to snatch the gong from Phillip as he passed the award to Ruth Happy family? TV insiders said they felt Phil's actions of putting on a united display were 'disingenuous' after they watched him turn his back on Ruth, 59, backstage 'So when Phil reached out to try and put Ruth in the spotlight when they collected the award, it felt humiliating and it was awkward for everyone around them. Ruth looked like she couldn't wait to get away from Phil, there's obviously no love lost.' The insider added the TV duo's body language echoed their alleged strained relationship, with Phil standing with his back to Ruth as they posed for photos. It comes after viewers couldn't help but point out the 'frosty' and 'awkward' interaction between the TV personalities when they took to the stage to accept their award. An honour: Ruth was handed the award on-stage yet the exchange was deemed awkward Rivals: A source said: 'Ruth looked like she couldn't wait to get away from Phil, there's obviously no love lost' Where it all began... The row is said to have started when Ruth appeared via video link from the Loose Women studio to update viewers on what was coming up on her show before Phillip appeared to cut her off Doing his best to quash reports of a feud Phillip gestured for Ruth to make a speech after his, as he thanked her and Eamonn for doing a 'great job' hosting the show every Friday. It comes after Ruth and Phillip shared their first onscreen conversation last week following reports that Ruth filed a formal complaint with ITV bosses in December about Phil. Ruth appeared via video link from the Loose Women studio to update viewers on what was coming up on her show, which airs after Phil's slot on This Morning. While the new ITV daytime schedule usually sees the Loose Women cast go to the This Morning studio in person to chat with Phil and his co-presenter Holly, Ruth remained in the separate studio for the segment. Shocker: In the video, the cast convene to pose for cameras before the resident medic Doctor Ranj slides across the floor to lie in front of his co-stars My turn now! Phillip and Holly handed the gong to Ruth to give her a chance to pose yet Eamonn was accused of grabbing the award Happy days: Ruth and Phil appeared tense during Holly's turn of the speech Speaking to the camera, Ruth said: 'Hello, it's just me, it's just me on my own,' prompting an 'Oh no' from Phil. The ITV favourite then continued to tell viewers about the upcoming instalment of Loose Women before handing back to Phil and Holly. Last month, Phillip was accused of creating a 'toxic atmosphere' for his This Morning co-stars, with allegations of ongoing spats with Holly and stand-in hosts Ruth and her husband Eamonn. It is claimed eight different ITV presenters have broken their silence regarding Phillip's attitude, while Ruth is thought to have made a formal complaint to ITV's new head of daytime TV Emma Gormley. Fall-out: It is claimed eight different ITV presenters have broken their silence regarding Phillip's attitude, while Ruth is thought to have made a formal complaint It followed an incident in April which saw Phillip interrupt Ruth while she was presenting a preview of Loose Women during This Morning. A report stated the situation behind the scenes at This Morning had become 'toxic' in recent months, with employees too scared to speak out publicly for fear of backlash. An ITV source told The Sun: 'For so long people have been silenced because they are scared for their job. If they speak out publicly about the atmosphere they fear there could be repercussions.' The Mail On Sunday revealed relations between Phillip, Ruth and Eamonn are said to be so bad that the couple snubbed the show's Christmas party to avoid him. Painfully awkward: It comes after viewers couldn't help but point out the 'frosty' and 'awkward' interaction between the TV personalities when they took to the stage to accept their award Hurrah! Ruth got her turn of holding the gong yet fans deemed the exchange uncomfortable The Friday presenters were surprisingly absent from the no-expense-spared dinner at a West London restaurant where 23 of their colleagues enjoyed a four-course meal and champagne. Hitting back at the reports, a spokesperson for ITV said: 'It's deeply disappointing and unfair for Phillip to be the target of this sort of malicious gossip. 'Phillip is a much respected broadcaster and colleague and this is absolutely not a description of This Morning that we recognise. 'Holly and Phil are great friends both on and off screen and are popular among viewers and colleagues alike.' Quarterly Update and Appendix 4C Sydney, Jan 30, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Genex Power Limited ( ASX:GNX ) is pleased to provide the following update on the Company's activities and performance for the second quarter of the 2020 financial year (Q2 2020), a period in which the Company continued to explore offtake arrangements for the 250MW Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro Project (K2-Hydro) and reached financial close for the 50MW Jemalong Solar Project (JSP).Highlights:Kidston 50MW Solar Project (KS1)- Net revenue of $2.048m for the quarter.- 24,109MWh of power generated during the period for the National Energy Market (NEM) which was 25% lower than the September quarter.- The lower revenue and power generation in the December quarter was due to plant outage in October caused by a software issue which has since been rectified and the plant is now operating at full capacity.Corporate- The Company announced the financial close of the Jemalong Solar Project and the associated refinancing of the 50MW Kidston Solar Project.- Net cash position at quarter's end of $21.8m.- The total debt funding package of $192m included a senior loan facility and a structurally subordinated HoldCo facility. The senior facility was independently verified as a Green Loan and is the first of its kind to be certified under the internationally recognised Climate Bonds Standard v3.0. The 100MWAC Portfolio Financing includes the largest Certified Green Loan by an Australian renewable energy group.250MW Pumped Storage Hydro Project (K2-Hydro)- The Queensland Government announced their intention to provide funding of up to $132m towards the construction of a 186km single-circuit transmission line from Kidston to Mount Fox.- During the period, EnergyAustralia (EA) announced that they would not be in a position to reach a positive investment decision on the basis of the long term energy agreement which had previously been progressing through the due diligence and finalisation stages.- Subsequent to the announcement from EA, Genex received support from key stakeholders in the project:o The Northern Australian Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) approved the extension of their funding offer of up to $610m through a long term concessional NAIF debt facility to 30 June 2020; ando Electric Power Development Co Ltd trading as J-POWER (J-POWER) signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU replaced the original document signed on 6 June 2019. The MOU, under the same terms and conditions, has been extended to 31 December 2020.- The commitment and deadline extension from both NAIF and J-POWER recognises the quality of K2-Hydro and their continued commitment to its development which importantly allows Genex time to re-negotiate and finalise the energy offtake arrangements for the project.Jemalong 50MW Solar Project (JSP)- The Company announced that it had reached financial close for the 50MW Jemalong Solar Project in New South Wales.- The Company successfully executed an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) Contract and Operation & Maintenance (O&M) Contract with Beon Energy Solutions for JSP.- Construction activities are underway.- Operational commencement and first revenues are on track for late Q4 CY2020.- When fully operational JSP will produce up to 129,450MWh per year, providing enough energy to power more than 23,000 Australian homes with renewable energy.Commenting on Q2 FY20, Genex CEO, James Harding stated:"Whilst the K2-Hydro project advanced on many fronts during calendar year 2019, it was unfortunate that our potential offtake partner, EnergyAustralia, informed Genex during the quarter that they would not be in a position to reach a positive investment decision on the basis of the long term energy agreement outlined in the original term sheet. Despite the setback, all the key stakeholders in the project, including NAIF, Queensland Government, J-POWER and EnergyAustralia have confirmed their continuing support through the restructuring of their commitments to the project.We would like to thank all the project stakeholders for their ongoing support of the project.I would like to state that the delay in securing offtake for the project is not a reflection on the importance or economic viability of the project. The project remains an outstanding opportunity for energy storage, has an operating life in excess of 80 years and consequently provides an energy storage solution for multiple generations. We continue to be actively engaged with EnergyAustralia to secure a revised offtake arrangement that recognises the long term renewable energy benefits of the K2-Hydro project for Queensland.The Company's refinance of the Kidston Solar One project and financing for the construction of the Jemalong Solar Project through a combined $192m senior loan facility was a significant achievement in the quarter. The 100MW portfolio financing is the largest Certified Green Loan by an Australian renewable energy group, highlighting the quality of the underlying projects as well as the Company's clean energy credentials.The financial close and commencement of construction at the Jemalong Solar Project represents the next step in the Company's growth and our aim of becoming a diversified clean energy company".OutlookGenex is in a strong position to deliver on our growth ambitions. Our projects are positioned to deliver clean, renewable power that will help Australia meet its renewable energy targets. The increasing impact of intermittent power on energy prices highlights the need for large scale storage options such as K2-Hydro. Over the coming quarter, the Company will continue to focus on the development of its projects. Key outlook areas are:- KS1: focus on steady state operation and improve overall plant performance.- K2-Hydro: continue to explore offtake options and progress the project towards financial close; and- JSP: mobilise the workforce and continue construction efforts.To view the quarterly cash flow, please visit:About Genex Power Ltd Genex Power Limited (ASX:GNX) is focused on developing a portfolio of renewable energy generation and storage projects across Australia. The Company's flagship Kidston Clean Energy Hub, located in north Queensland, will integrate large-scale solar generation with pumped storage hydro. The Kidston Clean Energy Hub is comprised of the operating 50MW stage 1 Solar Project (KS1) and the 250MW Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro Project (K2-Hydro) with potential for further multi-stage wind and solar projects. The 50MW Jemalong Solar Project (JSP) is located in NSW and provides geographical diversification to the Genex Power Limited portfolio. JSP was energised in early December 2020 and commissioning is now underway. Genex is further developing its energy storage portfolio via the early stage development of a 50MW/75MWh standalone battery energy storage system at Bouldercombe in Queensland. With over 400MW of renewable energy and storage projects in development, Genex is well placed as Australia's leading renewable energy and storage company. In a first in India, a person on Thursday was confirmed suffering from the Coronavirus in Kerala. The case is of a student studying at Wuhan University. The patient is stable, in isolation admitted in the hospital. Taking to the micro-blogging site, Twitter, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, "A patient has been tested positive for Novel Coronavirus infection and is kept in isolation. The infected patient is a student at Wuhan University. We are closely monitoring the situation. The Minister for Health has briefed me about the situation. We are closely monitoring the situation. While we need to be cautious, it is no cause for panic. Our health network is capable of handling any emergencies." Live TV "We have initiated a series of measures to tackle the emergency; contact tracing, case isolation, quality care & community engagement are being done diligently. Care must be taken to not spread rumours over social media," he added. Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja said, "20 samples had been sent for tests out of which one was found to be positive. The patient had returned from Wuhan (China) and is now kept in isolation at General Hospital in Thrissur. She is stable." The Special Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Sanjeeva Kumar reviewed the preparations at the airports and hospitals in efforts to curb the spread of the virus in the country. The meeting was held with Health Secretaries of states along with the Airport Health Organization Officers (APHOs) via a video conference. Kumar said that States need to take pro-active preventive measures by creating awareness among the people through local media. For planes, he said there is a need for adequate in-flight announcements to make passengers aware of the symptoms. He specified the need to popularise the call centre/helpline numbers through TV, Radio, press releases, social media and other channels. He was informed that at the airports, thermal and symptomatic screening has been initiated, immigration officers and other staff members have been sensitised and dedicated ambulances are placed at the airports. Self-declaration forms are available and signages have been kept at prominent places across the airport. As many as seven central teams have visited the respective states and helped to strengthen the preparedness too. While in hospitals, isolation wards have been readied to face any contingency. Personal protection equipment and masks are available in adequate quantity in all the States/UTs. Tertiary hospitals have been identified for airports and protocols for contact tracing are followed and timely collection and transportation of samples from suspected cases to NIV, Pune is being undertaken. The Indian embassy in China has begun the process for the evacuation of Indian citizens stranded in Hubei Province which is said to be most affected by the coronavirus outbreak. ''The embassy is working hard to ensure smooth evacuation of our citizens from Hubei Province. We are already in touch with many sections of the Indian Community in Hubei, including our students,'' the Indian embassy in Beijing said. The embassy has reportedly compiled a list of Indians to be flown out. According to reports, there are over 250 Indian nationals, mostly students and professionals, who need to be evacuated from the Hubei province. Meanwhile, the death toll in China due to Coronavirus has jumped sharply to 170 with as many as 6000 confirmed cases. Major airlines, including British Airways, have suspended all direct flights to and from mainland China. Melbourne, Jan 30 : Unseeded Garbine Muguruza stunned fourth seed Simona Halep on Thursday to set up an Australian Open final clash with Sofia Kenin. Spaniard Muguruza fought back from behind in both sets to defeat favourite Halep and reach her maiden Australian Open final with a 7-6 (10/8), 7-5 verdict at the Rod Laver Arena. The 26-year-old is the first unseeded player to reach the women's final since Belgium's Justine Henin in 2010. In the other semifinal, American Sofia Kenin pulled off a shock win over local favourite and top-seeded Ashleigh Barty 7-6 (6), 7-5. At just 21, Kenin had never gone past the fourth round at a Grand Slam in her 11 main-draw appearances before this tournament. "I wasn't thinking I was down, at some point you'll have your opportunities. I knew facing Simona it was going to be a hard match. I was hanging in there and fighting with all the energy I had," Muguruza was quoted as saying by Australian Open's official website after the match. "You don't think like that. That's almost two weeks ago. You go day by day and that's what I was doing each match at a time. I'm very excited to be in the final, it's a long way to go and I have one more match on Saturday," said the two-time Grand Slam champion. Meanwhile, Kenin said it is a dream come true for her. "It's a dream come true for me," said Kenin as quoted by Australian Open's official website. "It's surreal. I always believed I can. I didn't know exactly when. I feel like at this young age, I think it's incredible. Not everyone gets to live this moment, live this dream. I'm just really grateful for it. I believed I could win even though I had two set points down in the first. "I was telling myself, 'I believe in myself. If I lose the set, I'm still going to come out and believe'. Of course, some things didn't go my way with the challenges and some great shots she came up with. But I didn't let that stop me. I knew I needed to serve well. I feel like I had a clear mindset on how I want to play her." On her opponent, she said: "She's such a tough player," said Kenin. "Of course, I'd like to first apologise to all of the Australian fans. I know they wanted her to win. It's not easy for them. There was some interesting cheers. I liked it. But it wasn't for me. I just try to lock it out and focus on each point." Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 05:13:57|Editor: yan Video Player Close SANTIAGO, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Chilean President Sebastian Pinera on Wednesday said his government will promote citizen participation in an upcoming plebiscite on whether or not to draft a new Constitution. "I want to assure all of my compatriots that the government will provide total safeguards for all sides. It will promote the participation of our citizens and it will watch to ensure that they can all vote freely and peacefully," Pinera said at a public event. The plebiscite has been set for April 26 as part of a series of measures taken by Pinera's administration following months of sometimes violent anti-government protests against inequality and lack of adequate public services. Chile's existing Constitution, which dates from the military regime of Augusto Pinochet, has been blamed for the country's current woes. In other countries, the Constitution serves as "the great framework for unity, stability and projection that allows those countries to process their differences, and provides certainty and stability ... In our country, the Constitution has for a long time not been that great framework of unity, but a point of controversy," said Pinera. HOUSTON - (Jan. 30, 2020) - In your cells, it's almost always spring. Or at least springy. Bioscientists have known for some time that chromosomes tend to express their protein products in bursts, rather than in a steady manner. A new theoretical study by Rice University scientists, detailed in the Biophysical Journal, aims to better explain the process that combines chemical reactions and mechanical forces. Rice chemist Anatoly Kolomeisky and applied physics graduate student and lead author Alena Klindziuk built the first simplified analytical model of "bursting" to show how pressure from a RNA polymerase enzyme triggers the rush of RNA production, but only to the degree that it can push a coil of DNA. As it compresses like a spring, that DNA "supercoil" continues to express RNA -- which goes on to make the proteins themselves -- until the enzyme can push no more. It isn't until another enzyme, a gyrase, comes along to release the tension that production can start anew. "With advances in experimental techniques, people are able to measure how much RNA you are producing, and so it was a naive expectation that the speed of production was more or less constant," said Kolomeisky, a chemist by title whose group has long been interested in how biochemical reactions work to power biological mechanisms, and vice versa. "It was surprising when we found it actually doesn't work this way," he said. "A lot of RNA is produced and then there's a period of silence. RNA is produced in a very bursty behavior, but the molecular details have been lacking." He said the way RNA polymerase aligns with the double-helical DNA coils it in the process. "It rotates, putting mechanical constraints on DNA," Kolomeisky said. "A spring is an excellent example. The more you push a spring, the harder it becomes to push. "We think the RNA polymerase coils DNA to start RNA production," he said. "At the beginning of the process, you get a burst, but the process slows down as it squeezes the spring. Then gyrases come in; they untangle this supercoil so that normal production can begin again." At the same time, he said gyrases also relieve negative stress created on the other side of the polymerase. "Essentially, we created the first quantitative energetic model that explains this burstiness," Kolomeisky said. "We are able to interpret the experimental data (gathered in experiments on bacteria) and found this supercoil exists." He said the calculations show the DNA "spring" is relatively weak. "That has biological significance because it means we can more easily regulate the process by regulating gyrases," he said. Klindziuk noted there are many other players in the process that ultimately need to be accounted for. "We could have added many effects, like transcriptional and other epigenetic factors," she said. "We want to make a model where there are multiple polymerases on DNA. In this model, we only had one, but in reality, there are many polymerases. There might be effects from polymerase traffic, like they're bumping into each other and stopping and resuming their activity." "This is an example of advanced experimentation that led us to seek a significant theoretical solution," Kolomeisky said. "It usually happens in the opposite direction, but this time experiments were able to visualize the process, and that led us to think about and start to explain it." ### Visiting undergraduate student Billie Meadowcroft is a co-author of the paper. Kolomeisky is a professor of chemistry and of chemical and biomolecular engineering and chair of Rice's Department of Chemistry. The Welch Foundation, the National Science Foundation and Rice's Center for Theoretical Biological Physics supported the research. -30- Read the abstract at https://www.cell.com/biophysj/fulltext/S0006-3495(20)30063-1. This news release can be found online at https://news.rice.edu/2020/01/30/cells-springy-coils-pump-bursts-of-rna/ Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews. Related materials: Kolomeisky Research Group: http://python.rice.edu/~kolomeisky/ Department of Chemistry: https://chemistry.rice.edu Wiess School of Natural Sciences: https://naturalsciences.rice.edu Images for download: https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2020/01/0203_BURSTING-1-WEB.jpg Models by Rice University chemists calculate the chemical and mechanical energies involved in "bursty" RNA production in cells. Their models show how RNA polymerases create supercoils of DNA that allow production of RNA that goes on to produce proteins. (Credit: Alena Klindziuk/Rice University) https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2020/01/0203_BURSTING-2-WEB.jpg CAPTION: Alena Klindziuk. (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University) https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2020/01/0203_BURSTING-3-WEB.jpg CAPTION: Anatoly Kolomeisky. (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University) Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,962 undergraduates and 3,027 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 4 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. BYRON, Minn. Underneath the rolling farmland in southeast Minnesota, there's a lot to be learned about soil conservation. If you're not afraid of getting stuck. Living and working in Fillmore County, Shona Snater, soil health organizer for the Land Stewardship Project, said she'd heard stories of "cavers risking their lives and sanity to discover caverns and underground streams" to research the unusual karst geology. The karst geography of southeastern Minnesota has features like caves, hollows and rolling hills that are formed mostly of limestone. This kind of topography makes water in the area more difficult to protect from contaminants, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. "The rumors were verified," said Snater after meeting farmer and caver Martin Larsen, and learning about his caving experience during a LSP soil health learning session. For the past year, Martin allowed Snater to tag along as they descended into caves that had not been cleaned or shaped for commercial tours. She said that her "fascinating initiation to caving" was at Holy Grail Cave near the Iowa border, which was discovered in 2008 after a storm collapsed the roof of a tall dome. ADVERTISEMENT Snater documented some of her experiences with Larsen is a recent issue of the LSP newsletter. Exploring a cave requires both physical and emotional strength, said Snater, and "experienced cavers develop a certain walk to navigate the muck-filled tunnels, cutting an edge into the mud with the side of the boot and balancing on the edge of the foot." "We do not often encounter situations of complete darkness and quiet above ground, and it is unnatural for the body to be under 60 feet of limestone," said Snater. "A subconscious panic starts to creep into the body and eventually the mind, the longer you are literally encased in the crust of the earth." Snater said her experiences caving were not as extreme as some of Larsen's -- "crawling through pitch-black passages that can be so tight a person has to strip off extra gear and shove it through a pinch point first, before wriggling through themselves." "I've been stuck for over an hour," said Larsen. Crawling, he said, makes it unlikely that a spelunker would get stuck so badly they could not get out. Getting badly stuck is more likely while moving vertically through a fissure, which is what he was doing when he got trapped. "The deeper you go into the fissure, the tighter it gets, and gravity works against you," said Larsen. "It was very painful and physically demanding to move an inch, and I had about 20 feet to get out." Larsen wears a few hats as a fifth-generation farmer near Byron, staff member with Olmsted County Soil and Water Conservation District and president of the Minnesota Caving Club. His passion in geology has led to him facilitate numerous karst studies, including groundwater dye tracing, spring monitoring and nitrate reduction analysis. ADVERTISEMENT A farmer his whole life, Larson got into caving a little more than five years ago, when he said he was "looking for a new adventure." He eventually connected with John Ackerman, who he calls "the most active caver in Minnesota." Ackerman is credited with discovering more than 50 caves in southeast Minnesota and for establishing the Minnesota Caving Club and Minnesota Cave Preserve. Soil health connection It didn't take long for Larsen to see the impact of activity on top of the ground to what's happening below. As a conservationist and farmer, he was familiar with surface-level conservation and what it looked like. "But I was surprised and intrigued at the way these sinkholes function underground and interact with the cave system," said Larsen. Particularly, Larsen was surprised to see how quickly events on the surface can reach the caves. "What we see in the water at the surface comes into the caves in a matter of seconds," said Larsen. ADVERTISEMENT With soil health efforts gaining traction, including on his own farmland, Larsen said it has aligned for him to become the caving spokesperson for LSP. "Soil health and better farming practices on the surface can help our aquifers, drinking water supply and our cave systems," said Larsen. Narrowing nitrates Farmers are able to watch soil move, said Larsen, but they can't watch nitrates move. An examination below the surface is required. "Caving gives the unique opportunity to stand 60 to 120 feet below a crop and collect the water coming from the ceiling into the cave," said Larsen. "What happens on the land surface only takes time to move deeper and deeper." Larsen said that plants grown in row formations are "inherently leaky crops," and they lack the capability to hold nitrates in the rooting zone. Time and time again, said Larsen, corn and soybeans leach nearly twice the standard for nitrate in drinking water set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Cover crops can reduce that by at least 30 percent and up to 60 percent, he said. "So cover crops are one of the only lights at the nitrate tunnel, because they are proven to reduce nitrates below the rooting zone," said Larsen. DuckDuckGo Lite can shave a lot of time off of a Google search according to Lifehacker. In fact, the lesser-known companion to the standard DuckDuckGo can save seconds over either of the other services. For those who are already using DuckDuckGo, the difference in speed is arguably negligible. Thats thanks to the Google alternatives focus on privacy, which drops the number of requests made on a search and the amount of data used. In a test of the two apps, DuckDuckGo loaded up search results in 2.40 seconds. Google took 7.56 seconds. By comparison, DuckDuckGo Lite took just 264 milliseconds. Thats just 0.264 seconds. While the difference is still fairly negligible, for those who do a lot of web searching, that time and the data savings could really add up. Advertisement How is DuckDuckGo Lite accomplishing its feat? DuckDuckGo is achieving its goal of reducing load times and data use in a fairly straightforward way here. Not only is the company not loading any trackers or related cookies. Thats an approach thats helped DuckDuckGo build its reputation and face down Google on growth. Its also gone entirely spartan with how the pages work. Summarily, the pages look and operate like in an old-school, hard-coded HTML kind of way. The impact of that is immediately obvious. Both Google and the standard DuckDuckGo page as compared to the Lite variant take up around 2MB of data. With DuckDuckGo Lite, the company has taken out all of the extra bulk. So the pages only weigh in at around the same amount of space as a standard text document. Advertisement More concisely, the source noted a page size of around 33KBs. That is, conservatively, only around 1.65-percent the size of either Googles home page or the DuckDuckGo home page. As it follows, the speed of the pages matches up with the reduction in data that each page needs to load. Whats the difference and who should use DuckDuckGo Lite? The UI for DuckDuckGo Lite and consequently, the experience simply isnt as fleshed out as Google or the standard version. DuckDuckGo Lite is reminiscent of a 90s version of Google. Users arent presented rich imagery, videos, related links, and added touches such as an on-hover box around search results. Theres no link at the bottom to load up more results on the same page either. Advertisement Instead, users are presented with a basic page filled with text and numbered results. Links are only directly clickable in a standard HTML format. To load up more results, users need to click the next page button at the bottom to retrieve an entirely new page of results. The final difference there actually increases as more pages are loaded since Google or DuckDuckGo will simply load even more results on the same page making it a cumulative effect. That means that the chief audience for DuckDuckGo Lite, found at the URL duckduckgo.com/lite, is going to be fairly slim compared to those who can just use Google or DuckDuckGo. For the most part, the user base will consist of users on strict data usage limits or slow connections. The greatest Indian ever, Mahatma Gandhi, was killed exactly 72 years ago today. The contours of his remarkable life are well known. From his early years in Gujarat and England to the initiation into law to activism in South Africa where he pioneered the idea of non-violent resistance; from his return to India to his leadership in converting the Indian National Congress into a mass-based political formation; from the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation struggle to the Dandi March, Civil Disobedience and the Quit India movements which gave a new character to the Indian freedom struggle; from his engagement with the question of caste and battling untouchability to cementing Hindu-Muslim unity; and from his unequivocal, firm commitment to truth to his political pragmatism, Gandhis contribution truly makes him the father of the nation. As Albert Einstein said, Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth. It was both in life, and death, that Gandhi offered lessons for contemporary India. Two stand out. The first was his commitment to peaceful modes of struggle. Politics involves conflicts. Society has contradictions. Ideologies differ. And citizens feel strongly about issues. But there is one and only one way to express it, which is non-violent political mobilisation. Gandhi took on the worlds biggest imperial power with sheer moral authority and political skills. And he defeated this mighty military machine with no arms. At a time when sections of citizens feel aggrieved, for real or perceived reasons, at the governments steps, they must abide by this Gandhian dictum. The lesson extends to the State too, which must exercise restraint in how it deals with dissent. The second lesson was the importance of religious harmony and battling extremism. All his life, Gandhi worked for Hindu-Muslim unity. He was devastated at Partition and opposed it till the very end. One of his finest moments was stopping violence and mayhem in the wake of the countrys division in Bengal and, at the end, in Delhi. But it was precisely this commitment to unity that led to his assassination. Nathuram Godse was a Hindu fanatic, inspired by a world view which saw the countrys minorities as enemies and traitors. At a time when India stares at a growing divide between religious communities, and extremism and fundamentalism appear to be on the rise, it must recall what Gandhi stood for and believed and emulate it. The "deal of the century" unveiled by President Donald Trump as a road map toward Israeli-Palestinian peace was met with furious criticism in Tehran. Irans Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called the plan a dream project by a bankruptcy-ridden real estate developer and a nightmare for the Middle East and the world. At the international level, Trumps vision for peace is seen as biased toward Israel. And, given the Palestinian rejection of the plan, it's believed it will have little chance of success. Given the Islamic Republics historic refusal to recognize Israel, and its unwavering support for the Palestinian cause, a unanimous condemnation from Tehran was no surprise. Iran has been dismissive of Trump's plan, even when it was still in the pipeline. To signal that Iran's stance remains unchanged, the office of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reposted remarks he made in July 2018, when he called the plan a devilish policy that Muslim nations will never allow to materialize. Khamenei has, on different occasions, called the Middle East conflict the Islamic worlds top challenge. He has outlined his own version of peace, proposing a referendum that invites all Muslims, Jews and Christians living in occupied Palestine to decide their fate. Other Muslim states, however, have not yet welcomed the plan. In the wake of Trumps announcement, Iran hoped to bring other Islamic countries closer to its approach. In a tweet in Arabic, Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi expressed Tehrans readiness to put aside its differences with some regional countries to work toward uniting the Muslim world to counter the big conspiracy. Echoing Khameneis position, Mousavi said that Trumps treason of the century is doomed to failure. Parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani, in a letter to his Muslim counterparts, called for unified work against the fake plan. President Hassan Rouhanis top adviser, Hesameddin Ashena, suggested that the plan could trigger a new intifada," or armed Palestinian uprising against Israel. Since its founding in 1979, the Islamic Republic has considered support for the Palestinian resistance an unquestionable fundamental foreign policy tenet, vigorously pursued and translated in the form of funding and arming such movements as Hamas and Islamic Jihad. While the policy is backed by government loyalists, it is also contentious. Some Iranians argue that overseas spending is pointless for a country grappling with domestic economic grievances. Neither Gaza nor Lebanon. I shall sacrifice my life for Iran, Iranians chanted during anti-government protests in 2009. A new version of the slogan resonated in the streets last November, when an unpopular fuel price hike prompted Iranians to protest. Iran's lower and middle classes saw the hike as yet another blow to their already dwindling purchasing power. The oil income is gone," they shouted. "It has been spent on Palestine. Containers sit at the Yangshan Port in Shanghai, China, Aug. 6, 2019. Aly Song | Reuters The U.S. has lost 3.7 million jobs since 2001 due to its trade imbalance with China, with most of the damage done to manufacturing, according to a report released Thursday. As the deficit has continued to swell, American workers have suffered, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington, D.C., generally considered to be left leaning. Among the study's findings: Some 1.7 million jobs have disappeared since the beginning of the financial crisis in 2008; of the total losses, 2.8 million, or about three-quarters, have come from manufacturing; and the deficit continues to grow, with employment taking a hit across all 50 states even as nonfarm payrolls have continued to grow. President Donald Trump has made closing the gap a priority of his administration. Along those lines, he has instituted billions of dollars in tariffs, though tensions between the sides have eased somewhat following an agreement on a "phase one" deal. The report cites a variety of factors used to calculate the job losses. One of the big issues it cites is the admission of China into the World Trade Organization, a move that was supposed to boost U.S. exports to China but instead resulted in a flood of dumped goods and a wave of outsourcing that has hit manufacturing and technology particularly hard. The authors also were critical of China's previous moves to devalue its currency, which benefits exports. UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay will be on a two-day visit to India next week and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal and Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel, officials said on Thursday. "What India can offer to the world through UNESCO" will be the agenda of discussions during her visit from February 4-6, they said. "The Indian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO held a meeting on Thursday. We discussed what can we can offer to the world through UNESCO be it science, culture, communication or education. This will be the agenda of discussions. India has progressed and new work has happened," said HRD Secretary Amit Khare, who was also part of the meeting. "Considerable work has been done in our culture which is international heritage and also intangible heritage. UNESCO Director General is coming on a visit from February 4-6. She will meet PM Modi, HRD Minister and the Culture Minister," he added. Khare said the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development here will also hold a seminar and the foundation stone of their new building will also be laid during the visit. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Transfer of shares to Compartment B of Euronext Paris market Regulatory News: Verimatrix (Paris:VMX) (Euronext Paris: VMX), today announced the calendar for the publication of financial information for 2020 and the transfer of the shares to the Compartment B of Paris Euronext market. Event Date1 2019 full-year results March 4, 2020 (after market close), Analyst conference call the same day at 6pm (Paris) First quarter 2020 revenue April 21, 2020 (after market close) First-half 2020 results July 29, 2020 (after market close) Third quarter 2020 revenue October 22, 2020 (after market close) Transfer of shares to compartment B of the Euronext market As of January 29, 2020, Verimatrix shares are listed on compartment B of the Euronext market in Paris2, against compartment C previously, following the decision of Euronext taking into consideration the market capitalization of the company above EUR 174 million during the last 60 days of 2019. Compartment B groups together listed companies with a market capitalization between EUR 150 million and EUR 1 billion. On this occasion, Amedeo D'Angelo, Chairman and CEO of Verimatrix commented: "We are delighted with the transfer of Verimatrix shares to compartment B of Euronext market which illustrates the new dimension of the company. By being now pure player of security software protecting content and applications, we have even more assets to benefit from increased visibility among investors About Verimatrix Verimatrix (Euronext Paris: VMX), formerly Inside Secure, is a trusted business partner providing software security and business intelligence solutions that protect content, applications, and connected devices across multiple markets. Many of the world's largest service providers and leading innovators trust Verimatrix to protect systems that people depend on every day. With more than 20 years of experience and the top minds in the industry, the company is uniquely positioned to understand and proactively anticipate security and business challenges for customers. Verimatrix provide innovative, customer-friendly solutions that are cost-effective, easy to deploy and supported with responsive customer service teams based worldwide. To learn more, visit www.verimatrix.com. 1 Sous reserve d'une eventuelle modification ulterieure. 2 Euronext notice number PAR_20200120_00834_EUR dated January 20, 2020 and in accordance with Article 6902/1 of book I Euronext rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005606/en/ Contacts: Investor and media Investor Relations Richard Vacher Detourniere General Manager CFO +33 (0)4 42 905 905 finance@verimatrix.com Contact Media Kelly Foster +1 619 224 1261 kfoster@verimatrix.com LOS ANGELES, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --- The Cardiovascular Drugs Market value is poised to garner over US$ 92.3 Bn by 2026 with rising CAGR of around 2.3%. Acumen Research & Consulting, a global provider of market research studies, in a recently published report titled "Cardiovascular Drugs Market Size, Share and Forecast, 2019 - 2026". Get Free Download Sample Pages for Better [email protected] https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/request-sample/1702 North America dominated the global cardiovascular drugs market in the year 2018. The region has experienced the potential growth owing to the presence of cardiovascular drugs companies such as Novartis AG, Bayer AG, Pfizer Inc., Merck and Co. Inc., and Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly and Company among others. The presence of a large customer base and increase in development of cardiovascular drugs is additionally accelerating the regional market growth. Moreover, favorable medicare policies, increase in awareness about health, and growing number of hospitals and clinic centers are expected to enhance the market growth in the global cardiovascular drugs market in future growing prevalence of such diseases further expected to raise the demand for cardiovascular drugsin North America. The Europe region is expected to exhibit a second-largest share in the cardiovascular drugsmarket. Stringent government regulations regarding hospital drugs and rapid industrialization, technological advancement in cardiovascular drugs, growing number of medical pharmaciesin countries, such as Germany, the UK, France, Spain, and Italy, are expected to enhance the market growth in the global cardiovascular drugs market during the forecast. Asia-Pacific region is expected to exhibit highest CAGR in the cardiovascular drugs market. The rapid growth in the urbanization, growing healthcare industry in developing countries, and liberalization of foreign direct investment in the medical sector are the major driving factor for the region in the global market. Moreover, the rising geriatric population and growing awareness regarding treatment options increases its dominance in the global cardiovascular drugs market in future. View Detail Information with Complete [email protected] https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/cardiovascular-drugs-market Growing demand for cardiovascular drugsin various end user applications, growing awareness about cancer treatment across the globe and multi-functionality of cardiovascular drugs are the main drivers for the market growth of the global cardiovascular drugs market over the forecast period. Furthermore, rising investment in research and development of cardiovascular drugs and supportive government initiatives further grows the demand for cardiovascular drugs over the forecast the period. Moreover, technological advancement and increase in the number of applications, and availability of advanced healthcare facilities in developing countries are expected to enhance the market size. This also expected to open investment opportunities in the global market for the manufacturers in the coming years. However, stringent government regulations and side effects of drugs are expected to hamper the growth of the global cardiovascular drugs market during the forecast period. Anti-Coagulants segment have dominated the product segment in the year 2018 and the segment is projected to maintain its dominance over the forecast period from 2019 to 2026. Growing prevalence of blood cancer, epiretinal membrane and diabetic retinopathy and escalating demand for drug treatment further expected to drive the demand for the segment. The manufacturers Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd, Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd, and Novartis AG, are the mainly investing in the development ofanti-coagulants vectors, which expected the lead the market in the coming years. Related Reports Anticoagulants Market - The global market is expected to garner USD 39 billion by 2026 and the market is expected to register CAGR growth over 7.9% during the next eight years. - The global market is expected to garner by 2026 and the market is expected to register CAGR growth over 7.9% during the next eight years. Cardiovascular & Soft Tissue Repair Patches Market - The global market is expected to grow at noteworthy CAGR around 8 % throughout the forecast period and reach around US$ 6 billion by 2026. - The global market is expected to grow at noteworthy CAGR around 8 % throughout the forecast period and reach around by 2026. Artificial Intelligence for Drug Discovery Market - The global market size is expected to reach around US$ 8,149 Mn by 2026 and is expected to register a CAGR of above 42% over the forecast period 2019 to 2026. Hospital pharmacies segment dominated the cardiovascular drugs market on the basis of distribution channelin the year 2018. The major factors that are driving the growth of this segment are availability of pharmacies in hospitals and growing number of hospitals across the globe. This expected to enhance the dominance of the hospital segment in the global market over the forecast period. Some of the leading competitors are Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd., Gilead Sciences Inc., Sun Pharma Industries, Abbott Laboratories, Novartis AG, Bayer AG, Pfizer Inc., Merck and Co. Inc., and Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly and Company, and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd. Some of the key observations regarding cardiovascular drugs industry include: In July 2019 , Abbott Medical Optics Inc. announced partnership agreement with Johnson & Johnson, a provider of advanced software solutions for life science R&D. The partnership increases the development of cardiovascular drugsproducts and increases the efficiency of strain development processes. , Abbott Medical Optics Inc. announced partnership agreement with Johnson & Johnson, a provider of advanced software solutions for life science R&D. The partnership increases the development of cardiovascular drugsproducts and increases the efficiency of strain development processes. In February 2019 , Novartis AG signed partnership agreement with Blackstones life science. The partnership focuses on development of cardiovascular drugs and other medical products. , Novartis AG signed partnership agreement with Blackstones life science. The partnership focuses on development of cardiovascular drugs and other medical products. In November 2018 , Novartis AG received approval from European commission for luxturna, a gene therapy to treat patients with a vision loss. The approval enhances the brand identity of the company and enhances its customer base. , Novartis AG received approval from European commission for luxturna, a gene therapy to treat patients with a vision loss. The approval enhances the brand identity of the company and enhances its customer base. In January 2017 , Novartis AG signed partnership agreement with Caribou. The partnership focuses on innovation and development of drugs and therapy treatment. , Novartis AG signed partnership agreement with Caribou. The partnership focuses on innovation and development of drugs and therapy treatment. In August 2017 , Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd signed partnership agreement with Cardurion Pharmaceuticals. The partnership focuses on development of cardiovascular drugs and next generation medical products. Request for [email protected] https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/request-customization/1702 The report is readily available and can be dispatched immediately after payment confirmation. Buy this premium research report - https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/buy-now/0/1702 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 BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 Trend: A meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers was held in Geneva with the participation of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and personal representative of the OSCE chairman-in-office on January 28-30, 2020, Trend reports on Jan. 30 referring to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. The most intensive discussions have been recently held between the parties within the Geneva meeting. The parties thoroughly discussed the agenda presented by the co-chairs. In particular, the proposals put forward in 2019 and the reached agreements, in particular, humanitarian exchanges focusing on preparation of the population of both countries for peace, were discussed. Then, the settlement of the conflict in accordance with the principles and elements that form the basis of the settlement, in particular, the principles and paragraphs of the Helsinki Final Act, and finally, the issue of intensification of the conflict settlement process were also discussed. In this regard, the ministers agreed to meet again. 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. Shares of ITI fell 2.34% to Rs 85.65 as the stock resumed decline after a day's pause. ITI launched its follow-on public offer (FPO) on 24 January 2020. The FPO was earlier slated to close on 28 January 2020, but the company later extended FPO closing date and readjusted its price band. The issue will now close on 31 January 2020. Price band has been revised from Rs 72-77 to Rs 71-77 per share. As on 30 January 2020 (10:45 IST), the FPO received bids for 8.86 crore shares, as against 18.18 crore shares on offer, as per the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) website data. The issue was subscribed 0.49 times. The FPO comprises a fresh issue of 18 crore equity shares and additional issue of 18 lakh equity shares. Of the net proceeds from the issue about Rs 642.48 crore will be utilized for funding its working capital requirements and Rs 607.291 crore to repay loans in full or partially taken by the company. The balance is for general corporate purpose. The FPO will also help the company meet Sebi's requirement of minimum 25% public shareholding. Since the launch of the FPO, the stock has tumbled 14.17% in five sessions to its current market price of Rs 85.65 from its recent closing high of Rs 99.80 registered on 22 January 2020. ITI's consolidated net profit surged 1139% to Rs 168.25 crore on 47% jump in net sales to Rs 827.95 crore in Q3 December 2019 over Q3 December 2018. The bump in the net profit was aided by 107.9% rise in other income to Rs 150.87 crore in Q3 December 2019 as against Rs 72.57 crore in Q3 December 2018. The Dept of Telecommunications (DoT), GOI allocated a grant of Rs 85.40 crore to the company towards meeting the liability of PF of the employees. It has also written back liablities to the tune of Rs 49.30 crore, which in the opinion of the company is no longer required. ITI manufactures telecommunications products, including electronic switching equipment, telephones and related devices, digital radio, open wire bags, optical fiber equipment and digital exchanges. The company's customers include defense, railways and oil 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.) GARDAI investigating the murder of Churchfield native Frankie Dunne are understood to have travelled to Romania to question a man in relation to the investigation. Mr Dunnes dismembered body was found in the grounds of Castlegreina House on Boreenmanna Rd on December 28. The 64-year-old had been living nearby in Cork Simon accommodation. The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam suspended all flights to and from coronavirus-hit areas in China starting on Wednesday. Outbreaks of a new coronavirus (nCoV) have so far affected 30 out of 31 direct jurisdictions in China, including the epidemic epicenter, Wuhan, and major cities Beijing, Shanghai. Besides, the aviation industry has been tasked with screening all arriving passengers and quarantining anyone found with symptoms like fever, cough and shortness of breath. Regional airports and Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), a state-owned company that runs 21 airports, have been ordered to allocate personnel and coordinate with local health agencies to deploy body temperature scanning equipment. On January 23, Vietnam cancelled all flights to and from Wuhan, where the disease first broke out last December. The virus has spread from mainland China to Hong Kong, Macao, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan, Australia, the U.S., South Korea, France, Germany, Canada, Vietnam, UAE, Nepal, Cambodia and Sri Lanka. Chinese authorities said 170 people had died of the disease as of Thursday morning. The number of confirmed cases of infection has topped 7,700. No Vietnamese has contracted the virus yet, with the two confirmed victims being Chinese nationals. The government has been deploying various measures to keep out the epidemic like keeping out tourists from Chinas epidemic-hit areas and quarantining Chinese workers returning to Vietnam to work after Tet. Vietnam will temporarily stop granting tourist visas to Chinese nationals from epidemic-hit areas except in case of emergencies. New coronavirus fears have prompted Vietnam's top destinations Da Nang, Khanh Hoa and Lao Cai to turn their backs on Chinese tourists, a mainstay for all of them. As of Wednesday Vietnam had 64 suspected cases with signs of fever and cough, all of whom came from affected areas. Of them, 39 are in quarantine pending test results. Li Zichao, 28, one of the two Chinese nationals infected by the virus in Vietnam, recovered by Tuesday morning. But his father remains on a ventilator, doctors at Cho Ray Hospital in HCMC said Wednesday. The United States on Thursday confirmed the first case of the person-to-person spread of deadly coronavirus. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the second person is a Chicago resident and the spouse of the first confirmed travel-associated case in Illinois, CNN reported. The second patient did not travel to China from where the virus first originated. As many as 170 people have died of the virus, while around 7,700 cases have been registered in China alone. Health authorities around the are taking action to prevent a global pandemic as the virus continues to spread, with cases reported in Australia, France, the US and several Asian countries besides China. Meanwhile, India also confirmed its first case of coronavirus on Thursday. The patient is a student studying at Wuhan's University in China. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Maple Gold commences Induced Polarization work to test for potential higher-grade gold lenses Posted by Publisher Internet Maple Gold Mines Ltd. ?Maple Gold? or the ?Company?) (TSX-V: MGM, OTCQB: MGMLF; Frankfurt: M3G -? https://www.commodity-tv.com/play/maple-gold-mines-drilling-new-high-grade-extension-531-zone/ ) is pleased to announce that induced polarization (?IP?) work recently commenced at Douay, with the aim of establishing new high-grade discovery targets during the first quarter. One area prospective for new higher grade discoveries is located approximately 6km NE of the Douay deposit?s 531 Zone. Several chargeability anomalies were defined during a 2019 IP survey, including a broad northern anomaly (the ?North IP Target?) about 3km long within the same package of rocks as the recently closed Vezza Mine (located only 12km east of the Douay property limit). Discovering new high-grade lenses of mineralisation within the Company?s greater property package has the potential to contribute significantly to conceptual mining scenarios and the Company has therefore earmarked funds for initial scout drilling in the event favourable results are obtained from the infill IP work (7 lines) at the North IP Target. Three test lines will also be undertaken in the 531 Zone area (See figure 1 below). Maple Gold?s President and CEO, Matthew Hornor, commented: ?In addition to our drilling plans within the known resource area, we are very excited to firm up new discovery targets across our greater property package and believe the potential to discover new higher-grade gold lenses remains excellent. The broad North IP Target we defined last year sits within an area prospective for higher grade gold mineralisation similar to other nearby mines along the same break (Casa Berardi 40km to the west and Vezza 12km to the east of Douay).? Both Casa Berardi and Vezza deposits are structurally-controlled and hosted within the Taibi Group sedimentary rocks (Vezza), and/or the volcanic rocks immediately to the south (Casa Berardi). At Casa Berardi, past production plus resources equal approximately 6.2Moz Au, mainly in gold-bearing quartz-(carbonate) veins. Current reserve grades are 5.3 g/t Au underground and 2.3 g/t Au in-pit. The Vezza deposit, located in a similar geological (sediment-hosted) and structural context, but with broader auriferous silica-carbonate alteration rather than veins, has past production plus current resources of about 0.4Moz at an average? grade of about 6 g/t Au. This geological context also occurs over the northern portion of the current Douay property (Figs. 1, 2), with the North IP Target being largely undrilled. Note: Mineralisation hosted on adjacent and/or nearby properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralisation hosted on the Company?s Douay Property. In addition to the ?Orogenic Gold? (Casa Berardi and Vezza) and Intrusive-Related Gold (Douay) deposit types, the mafic-volcanic dominant Cartwright Hills Group to the south also contains several sedimentary and/or felsic interflow horizons that are favorable for gold-rich VMS deposits, similar? to those that occur at Estrades some 12km West of the Douay property boundary. Limited mining (0.34Mt) there in 1990-1991 yielded average grades of 13.0% Zn, 1.2% Cu, 6.2 g/t Au, and 170.8 g/t Ag. Maple Gold remains excited about, and committed to continue systematically testing these discovery targets (Fig.2 above). Qualified Person The scientific and technical data contained in this press release was reviewed and prepared under the supervision of Fred Speidel, M. Sc, P. Geo., Vice-President Exploration, of Maple Gold.?Mr. Speidel is a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.?Mr. Speidel has verified the data related to the exploration information disclosed in this news release through his direct participation in the work. Click the following link to review the Company?s QA-QC standards and protocols: http://maplegoldmines.com/index.php/en/projects/qa-qc-qp-statement. About Maple Gold Maple Gold is an advanced gold exploration and development company focused on defining a district-scale gold project in one of the world?s premier mining jurisdictions. The Company?s ~355 km? Douay Gold Project is located along the Casa Berardi Deformation Zone (55 km of strike) within the prolific Abitibi Greenstone Belt in northern Quebec, Canada. The Project benefits from excellent infrastructure and has an established gold resource that remains open in multiple directions. For more information please visit www.maplegoldmines.com. ON BEHALF OF MAPLE GOLD MINES LTD. ?Matthew Hornor? B. Matthew Hornor, President & CEO ? In Europe: Swiss Resource Capital AG www.resource-capital.ch 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 PRESS RELEASE. Forward Looking Statements: This news release contains ?forward-looking information\ and ?forward-looking statements? (collectively referred to as ?forward-looking statements?) within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation in Canada, including statements about the prospective? mineral potential of the Porphyry Zone, the potential for significant mineralisation from other drilling in the referenced drill program and the completion of the drill program. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, uncertainties and management?s best estimate of future events. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company?s expectations and projections. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding timing and completion of the private placement. When used herein, words such as ?anticipate?, ?will?, ?intend? and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on certain estimates, expectations, analysis and opinions that management believed reasonable at the time they were made or in certain cases, on third party expert opinions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, and uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual events, results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future events, results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, refer to Maple Gold Mines Ltd.?s filings with Canadian securities regulators available on www.sedar.com or the Company?s website at www.maplegoldmines.com. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. CHICAGO, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- To celebrate Black History Month, American Writers Museum is proud to present guided tours spotlighting the work of the many great Black writers throughout U.S. history, weekly Little Squirrels Storytime dedicated to Black writers, and welcome some of the leading contemporary Black writers for special one-on-one presentations. Guided tour of Frederick Douglass's works during Black History Month at American Writers Museum. Frederick Douglass Tours - Modeled after 2019's popular special exhibit, Frederick Douglass: Agitator, guided tours spotlighting his work will be offered twice daily with special attention paid to the memoirs and speeches of the author and orator who became one of the most eloquent voices of abolitionism. Frederick Douglass's pens and inkwell are on display in the Tools of the Trade exhibit. Black History Month Storytimes - Every Saturday in February the weekly Little Squirrels Storytimes will feature three of this country's most beloved writers: Maya Angelou , Gwendolyn Brooks and Langston Hughes . Families are invited to join our dedicated and engaging storytellers in our Children's Literature Gallery to learn more about these writers, listen to their work read aloud, and appreciate their contributions to American writing and our culture. Layla Saad presents her new book Me and White Supremacy on February 5 at 6:30 pm as part of the My America: Immigrant & Refugee Writers of Today program series. In her book, Saad challenges readers to recognize the ways in which they benefit from and contribute to white privilege, while offering ways to dismantle white supremacy. Filmmaker Frederick Lewis presents and discusses his feature documentary Paul Laurence Dunbar: Beyond The Mask , about the life and legacy of the first Black writer to gain international fame on February 5 at 6:30 pm. Renowned poet and performer Danez Smith presents their latest poetry collection Homie , a magnificent anthem about the saving grace of friendship, on February 11 at 6:30 pm. Smith is joined by friend and fellow poet and performer Britteney Black Rose Kapri . Writer Nicholas Buccola presents his new book, The Fire Is Upon Us , on February 13 at 6:30 pm. The book shows how the iconic debate between civil rights firebrand James Baldwin and the father of modern conservatism William F. Buckley, Jr. continues to illuminate America's racial divide. Buccola is joined by photographer Steve Schapiro , who with his camera captured the changing socio-cultural landscape of America during the Sixties. Media Contact: Ryan Arnold 312-600-7380 [email protected] SOURCE American Writers Museum The fiancee of murdered Co Armagh dad Nathan Gibson received a round of applause at his funeral yesterday after reciting a poem she wrote. Those in attendance at St Anthony's Church in Craigavon - two weeks after the 25-year-old's death - were dressed in Liverpool FC jerseys in tribute to his love of the club and its manager Jurgen Klopp. Many jerseys had the words 'dad', 'Nathan', 'brother' and 'YNWA' (You'll never walk alone) printed on them as a mark of respect. The funeral cortege was led by his immediate family and close friends carrying Liverpool flags. Red and white floral tributes were also put on display beside Nathan's coffin. A Liverpool-themed order of service included a number of tributes from Nathan's loved ones. Nathan's fiancee Joanna Black (25) wrote: "One in a million with a heart of gold, I really thought I would have you my whole life. So many aspirations and dreams we had not yet achieved. "I vow to make you proud each and every day as you watch over me. Never again will I walk alone." Part of Joanna's poem, which she read to the gathered congregation, said: "The kindness you all have been showing has helped to keep me going. Do not suffer the empty pain that we've been torn apart. Find warmth and joy there's someone so special in our heart, leaving fond cherished memories that will never depart." In his homily, Fr John Byrnes said Nathan's life was "savagely stolen in the depths of the night" and that his "early and tragic" death has left the question, "why did it have to happen?" "Nathan grew up in Craigavon," Fr Byrnes told the congregation. "He went to school initially at St Brendan's Primary School and then Lismore, and throughout his childhood he was known for his great sense of humour. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Funeral of Nathan Gibson, leaving Westacre, Craigavon, today. Nathan's body was discovered on a towpath near Lake Road in Craigavon by police on Thursday, January 16. Mourners were asked to wear red in tribute to Nathan's love for the Liverpool. Photo Laura Davison/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER PRESS BELFAST 30/1/2020 Funeral of Nathan Gibson, leaving Westacre, Craigavon, today. Nathan's body was discovered on a towpath near Lake Road in Craigavon by police on Thursday, January 16. Mourners were asked to wear red in tribute to Nathan's love for the Liverpool. Photo Laura Davison/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER PRESS BELFAST 30/1/2020 Funeral of Nathan Gibson, leaving Westacre, Craigavon, today. Nathan's body was discovered on a towpath near Lake Road in Craigavon by police on Thursday, January 16. Mourners were asked to wear red in tribute to Nathan's love for the Liverpool. Photo Laura Davison/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER PRESS BELFAST 30/1/2020 Funeral of Nathan Gibson, leaving Westacre, Craigavon, today. Nathan's body was discovered on a towpath near Lake Road in Craigavon by police on Thursday, January 16. Mourners were asked to wear red in tribute to Nathan's love for the Liverpool. Photo Laura Davison/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER PRESS BELFAST 30/1/2020 Funeral of Nathan Gibson, leaving Westacre, Craigavon, today. Nathan's body was discovered on a towpath near Lake Road in Craigavon by police on Thursday, January 16. Mourners were asked to wear red in tribute to Nathan's love for the Liverpool. Photo Laura Davison/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER PRESS BELFAST 30/1/2020 Funeral of Nathan Gibson, leaving Westacre, Craigavon, today. Nathan's body was discovered on a towpath near Lake Road in Craigavon by police on Thursday, January 16. Mourners were asked to wear red in tribute to Nathan's love for the Liverpool. Photo Laura Davison/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER PRESS BELFAST 30/1/2020 Funeral of Nathan Gibson, leaving Westacre, Craigavon, today. Nathan's body was discovered on a towpath near Lake Road in Craigavon by police on Thursday, January 16. Mourners were asked to wear red in tribute to Nathan's love for the Liverpool. Photo Laura Davison/Pacemaker Press / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Funeral of Nathan Gibson, leaving Westacre, Craigavon, today. Nathan's body was discovered on a towpath near Lake Road in Craigavon by police on Thursday, January 16. Mourners were asked to wear red in tribute to Nathan's love for the Liverpool. Photo Laura Davison/Pacemaker Press "He was always telling jokes and always having fun. Some would say that he was still a big child. That stayed with him right up to the end. "He was, in his mother's eyes, the golden boy. He met Joanna nearly 10 years ago at the red bridge, which was very special for them, not too far from here. "The arrival of John six years ago was very, very special." Fr Byrnes also highlighted Nathan's passion for travelling after holidaying in Portugal, Holland, Paris and London, as well as his numerous trips to watch his beloved Liverpool at Anfield. "In case you hadn't noticed or forgot, Nathan loved Liverpool Football Club and it's wonderful to see so many dressed in the red jersey of Liverpool with his name written on the back of the jerseys," he added. "Nathan had a great love of Liverpool and many times he travelled to Anfield. "There's no doubt that Nathan took joy that Liverpool had done so well this season to lead the Premiership. "The jerseys and the Liverpool anthem You'll Never Walk Alone is so poignant to so many people here today. "To lose someone when they have so much to live for is a hard cross to bear." Liverpool anthem You'll Never Walk Alone was sang at the end the service, while an acoustic version of Luke Kelly's On Raglan Road was also performed. Nathan is survived by Joanna, son John, his father Anthony, brothers Craig and Tariq, sisters Cathy and Shantelle. He was laid to rest at Lylo cemetery in Craigavon next to his mother Gail Gibson, who died from cancer in 2015. Last night, a number of Chinese lanterns were released by his loved ones in his memory. Nathan's body was discovered on a towpath near Lake Road in Craigavon by police on Thursday, January 16. Paul John Joseph Whitla (40), of no fixed address, appeared before Lisburn Magistrates Court last week accused of his killing and remains in custody. Houston School Bus Bursts Into Flames with Student in Wheelchair On Board A school bus in Houston carrying a special needs student in a wheelchair burst into flames on Wednesday, though no one was injured thanks to the bus drivers quick thinking. The bus was carrying the student, the driver and two staff members when the driver smelled something amiss around 4 p.m., NBC affiliate KPRC reported. He was reportedly able to successfully get all occupants, including the 9-year-old student in his wheelchair, off the bus before it burst into flames. Southwest officers are at Post Oak and Bellfort on a school bus fire. The single student on board was evacuated with no injuries, the Houston Police Department wrote on Twitter. Frightening video obtained by ABC affiliate KTRK shows large plumes of black smoke emerging from the bus as large flames overtake its entire front end. Southwest officers are at Post Oak and Bellfort on a school bus fire. The single student on board was evacuated with no injuries. 202 pic.twitter.com/cVh8g22KVK Houston Police (@houstonpolice) January 29, 2020 An additional photo shared by police shows the bus entirely scorched, with all of its windows appearing to have been destroyed. RELATED: Officials Warn Parents About TikTok Trend Sparking House Fires: Look for Signs of Fire Play The Houston Independent School District confirmed the incident in a statement to PEOPLE. RELATED VIDEO: Bus Carrying University of Alabama Fraternity Members Bursts Into Flames An HISD school bus traveling on S. Post Oak Rd caught fire this afternoon. One student and three adults were on board and safely exited the bus. No injuries were reported, the statement read. RELATED: 3-Month-Old Baby Among 8 Injured After Fire Breaks Out in 25-Story Apartment Building in LA The district continued: Another bus was immediately dispatched to pick up the student and staff members. The Houston Fire Department responded to the scene and HISD transportation safety personnel are investigating the cause of the fire. We continually strive to deliver safe, professional and reliable transportation for our students as their safety and well-being are always our top priority. India on Thursday reported its first case of novel coronavirus infection, with the Union health ministry confirming that a student who came back from to Kerala from Chinas Wuhan tested positive for the infection. One positive case of novel coronavirus patient, of a student studying in Wuhan University, has been reported in Kerala. The patient has tested positive for novel coronavirus and is in isolation in the hospital, the health ministry said. The female student is stable and is being closely monitored, Kerala health officials said. State health minister KK Shailaja has called an emergency meeting at 3 pm. Watch | India confirms 1st coronavirus case from Kerala, patient under isolation ward Health officials said that isolation wards ready in all hospitals and medical college in the state. The state is on high alert after detection of first case in the country. In all, 806 people are under observation in Kerala. Meanwhile, three patients, who were admitted to Delhis Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, were discharged on Thursday after being tested negative of coronavirus. Since Monday, these three men were kept under tight health monitoring and isolation for the medical treatment after they complained of respiratory illnesses. The three patients are of age 24, 34 and 48, respectively. One patient is a student while the other two have gone for the business work trip to China and returned, Dr Meenakshi Bhardwaj, medical superintendent of the hospital, said. In the wake of rising cases of the virus, the central government on Wednesday issued an important travel advisory asking people to refrain from travelling to China. India has tested 28 samples so far for the deadly infection that broke out in the Wuhan city of China in December last year. Coronavirus originated in Wuhan, a Chinese city of more than 11 million people, and has since then spread to various countries around the world. As many as 170 people have died of the virus, while over 1700 cases have been registered in China alone. Health authorities around the world are taking action to prevent a global pandemic as the virus continues to spread, with cases reported in Australia, France, the United States and several Asian countries besides China. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus is a new strain that had not been previously identified in humans. (ANI) More than two years after the main opposition party was dissolved and independent media were shuttered, rights group Amnesty International said civil and political rights, and press freedom in Cambodia remain severely constrained. In a report released January 30, Amnesty International said activists and critics of Cambodias long-time Prime Minister Hun Sen continued to face harassment and intimidation through misuse of the justice system. The group, which works to promote human rights and democratic values, also pointed to the harassment of journalists, which they said has led to self-censorship in the media. Severe restrictions on the right to freedom of expression perpetuated a culture of fear and self-censorship among Cambodias few remaining independent journalists and media outlets, the report said. A 2017 government crackdown saw the arrest of opposition leader Kem Sokha, the closure of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) and the shuttering of independent newspaper The Cambodia Daily and radio broadcaster Radio Free Asia. Kem Sokha is currently on trial for treason, a case condemned widely by human rights groups. Hun Sen, whose party won all parliamentary seats in what observers have called a sham election in 2018, last November deployed the military and pressured countries in ASEAN to prevent the return of opposition leader Sam Rainsy, who is in self-exile in France. Dozens of grassroots opposition supporters have been arrested, the report noted, especially in the weeks leading up to the Sam Rainsys attempted return to Cambodia last November. At least 80 activists and opposition members were arrested, only to be released on bail later. The harassment, intimidation and arbitrary arrest of supporters of the CNRP intensified throughout the year, culminating in a major crackdown related to the potential return to Cambodia of acting CNRP president Sam Rainsy on 9 November, it stated. Government spokesperson Phay Siphan called the report baseless and said its authors were outside Cambodia and therefore unable to witness firsthand the improvement of human rights and peace in Cambodia. The report is based on their ideas; it does not follow the professional reporting methods, Siphan said. The report came just two weeks after a similar report from Human Rights Watch, which stated similar concerns. Reacting to that report a government spokesperson Chin Malin said the human rights group wanted to take revenge against Cambodia, though failing to elaborate on his accusation. Am Sam Ath, monitoring manager at rights group Licadho, said that the report was projecting an accurate assessment of Cambodias human rights situation. If we look at reality, what they have raised since 2017 until now, there is a lot of truth to that, he said. The reports findings also showed that there was heightened surveillance of people and groups, considered to be pro-opposition, as was evident at the grassroots level. Outspoken NGOs were subjected to unlawful surveillance, threats and intimidation by police and local authorities, the report said. Routine NGO events, such as workshops, continued to be shut down despite the revocation of a ministerial regulation that required prior permission for such events. The European Commission has been investigating Cambodias human right situation and can potentially suspend critical trade preferences next month if it finds no improvements in the countrys rights record. TORONTO - The wife of a notorious Palestinian terrorist who attacked an Israeli airliner has lost out on her bid to collect on her late husband's life insurance because he failed to mention his unsavoury past when he took out the policy in 1987. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/1/2020 (713 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. TORONTO - The wife of a notorious Palestinian terrorist who attacked an Israeli airliner has lost out on her bid to collect on her late husband's life insurance because he failed to mention his unsavoury past when he took out the policy in 1987. In overturning a lower court decision, the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled against Fadia Khalil Mohammad given the important omission on his original application. "It is a principle of long standing that an applicant for insurance has an obligation to reveal to the insurer any information that is material to the application," the Appeal Court ruled. "The deceased knew that his past activities were relevant." Mahmoud Mohammad Issa Mohammad, a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, made international headlines in 1968 when he and an accomplice attacked an El Al commercial aircraft at the airport in Athens. They threw grenades and fired live rounds, killing one person and destroying the plane. Mohammad was convicted in Greece of manslaughter and other offences but released after a hostage negotiation when other front members stormed another plane. He moved to Lebanon and then, under an alias, to Canada in 1987 and settled in Brantford, Ont. After a publicized battle with immigration authorities, he was deported to Lebanon in 2013 and died from cancer in 2015. His wife, as sole beneficiary, sought to collect on the $75,000 policy issued decades earlier by the Manufacturers Life Insurance Company. When he applied for the policy, Mohammad said he had just moved to Canada from Spain and provided a social insurance number, court records show. The application, however, did not ask about his citizenship or residency status, or any convictions. He made no mention of his nefarious past. Khalil argued successfully before Superior Court last May that she should get the money. Justice Shaun O'Brien ruled that her late husband had not misrepresented his immigration status or failed to provide significant information about himself, because the insurance company had simply not asked those questions on the application form. Manufacturers appealed, arguing O'Brien was wrong. The company maintained that Mohammad's failure to disclose material facts had voided the policy. It relied on a clause that stated the company required "complete and accurate answers" and that it could deny a claim if any answers were wrong. The Appeal Court agreed with Manufacturers, pointing out that insurance legislation requires applicants to disclose all facts material to the insurance. "The past actions of the deceased were material to the risk that he posed for the purpose of having his life insured," the Appeal Court found. "There is no suggestion that (Manufacturers) ought to have known that the information related to the deceased's past existed, and therefore cannot be faulted for not having inquired into it." The higher court noted that shortly after applying for the insurance, Mohammad himself argued his life would be in danger if deported to Israel. The upshot, the court said, was that he had intentionally hidden his past activities from Manufacturers, just as he had done with the federal government when came to Canada. "Our conclusion that the deceased intentionally withheld this information is sufficient to establish fraud," the Appeal Court said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Jan. 30, 2020. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 By Leman Zeynalova - Trend: Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers discussed the possible next steps to resolve the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Trend reports referring to a joint statement made by Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers and co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the US) met separately and jointly with Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov in Geneva on January 28-30, the message said. They were joined in their meetings by Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Andrzej Kasprzyk. Over three days of intensive discussions, the co-chairs and the ministers discussed the following agenda items: implementation of agreements and proposals discussed in 2019 and possible next steps to prepare the populations for peace; principles and elements forming the basis of a future settlement; and timing and agenda for advancing the settlement process, the message said. The co-chairs reiterated their full commitment to helping the sides find a peaceful solution to the conflict and the principle of confidentiality in the settlement process, as well as the need for creativity and a spirit of compromise to achieve a fair and lasting peace, the message said. The ministers agreed to meet again in the near future under co-chair auspices. 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. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn PHILADELPHIA - Some cancer cells refuse to die, even in the face of powerful cellular immunotherapies like CAR T cell therapy, and new research from the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania is shedding light on why. In a new study, researchers describe how a death receptor pathway in the cancer cell itself plays a central role in determining its response to CAR T cells. It's the first study to show that natural cancer features can influence response to CAR T cells, and that cancer cells can drive the development of CAR T cell dysfunction. The findings may provide guidance for future immunotherapies in patients whose blood cancers are resistant to CAR T therapy. The findings published today in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. CAR T cell therapy modifies patients' own immune T cells, which are collected and reprogrammed to potentially seek and destroy cancer cells. After being infused back into patients' bodies, these cells both multiply and attack, targeting cells that express a protein called CD19. In acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), between 10 and 20 percent of patients have disease that is resistant to CAR T cells, but until now, researchers did not understand why. "Most theories have centered around a defect in the T cells, but what we've shown here is that the problem originates in an important death signaling pathway in the cancer cell itself, which prevents the T cell from doing its job," said the study's co-senior author Marco Ruella, MD, an assistant professor of Hematology-Oncology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and a member of the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies in Penn's Abramson Cancer Center. Ruella's co-senior author is Saar Gill, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of Hematology-Oncology at Penn. Researchers first performed a genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9-based screen of an ALL cell line known as Nalm6 to isolate pathways associated with resistance. CRISPR is a gene-editing tool that can effectively target specific stretches of genetic code, as well as modify DNA at precise locations for experiments and in some instances treatment. Cells were edited for loss of function of single genes and combined with CAR T cells for 24 hours to identify the pathway driving the primary resistance. The team discovered that in ALL cells resisting CAR T attack, there was depletion of genes involved in activating the cell death pathway (FADD, BID, CASP8 and TNFRSF10B) and enrichment of genes required for resisting the cell death pathway (CFLAR, TRAF2 and BIRC2). When they tested this in animal models, the effect was even greater than what they had observed in vitro. The researchers were initially mystified by this discrepancy, prompting them to study the effect of the cancer on the T cells trying to kill it. This led them to the discovery that prolonged survival of cancer cells led to T cell dysfunction. The team then explored the clinical relevance of these findings using pediatric patient samples from previous CAR T trials by analyzing the genes in leukemia cells and in T cells - pre- and post- infusion - from responders and non-responders. They found that the previously identified signaling pathways in cancer cells were directly associated with responses to CAR therapy in the patients from two clinical trials, further suggesting that death receptor signaling is a key regulator of primary resistance to CAR T cell therapy in ALL. "We now know that resistance occurs in two phases: the cancer cells' initial resistance to death, followed by the cancer's ability to impair T cell function," said co-first author Nathan Singh, MD, MS, who led the work while he was a post-doctoral researcher with Carl June, MD, the Richard W. Vague Professor in Immunotherapy and director of the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies. Singh is now an assistant professor of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and a research member of Siteman Cancer Center. "Together, this leads to CAR T cell failure that allows the disease to progress." Researchers say these findings suggest the use of heathy donor T cells for CAR T manufacturing may face the same barriers as cells used from the patient. "This will also inform future research investigating new and improved CAR T cells that have the ability to overcome this resistance, along with therapies that target the defective signaling pathway in cancer cells," Gill said. ### Singh's co-first author is Yong Gu Lee, PhD, a post-doctoral researcher at Penn. Additional authors from Penn and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia include Olga Shestova, Pranali Ravikumar, Katharina Hayer, Seok Jae Hong, Xueqing Maggie Lu, Raymone Pajarillo, Sangya Agarwal, Shunichiro Kuramitsu, Charly Good, Shelley Berger, Ophir Shalem, Matthew Weiztman, Noelle Frey, Shannon Maude, and Stephan Grupp. The research was supported by the Society of Immunotherapy for Cancer Holbrook Kohrt Immunotherapy Translational Fellowship, Breakthrough Bike Challenge Buz Cooper Scholarship, National Cancer Institute grants (K08CA194256, 1K99CA212302, R00CA212302, 1P01CA214278, and R01CA226983), an American Society of Hematology Scholar Award, and the University of Pennsylvania-Novartis Alliance. Editor's Note: The University of Pennsylvania has licensed some technologies involved in these studies to Novartis. Some of the scientists involved in these trials are inventors of these technologies. As a result of the licensing relationship with Novartis, the University of Pennsylvania receives significant financial benefit, and some of these inventors have benefitted financially and/or may benefit financially in the future. Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $7.8 billion enterprise. The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top medical schools in the United States for more than 20 years, according to U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $425 million awarded in the 2018 fiscal year. The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center--which are recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report--Chester County Hospital; Lancaster General Health; Penn Medicine Princeton Health; and Pennsylvania Hospital, the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Home Care and Hospice Services, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others. Penn Medicine is powered by a talented and dedicated workforce of more than 40,000 people. The organization also has alliances with top community health systems across both Southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey, creating more options for patients no matter where they live. Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2018, Penn Medicine provided more than $525 million to benefit our community. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 30, 2020 Top diplomats from member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) are to convene in an emergency meeting next week, as the announcement of United States President Donald Trumps divisive Middle East peace deal revealed divisions within the Muslim world. Meanwhile, Indonesia, as the country with the worlds largest Muslim population has asserted that the issue of Palestine should be resolved based on the principles of the two-state solution that respects international law and internationally agreed parameters, according to a Foreign Ministry statement obtained by The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. On Tuesday, Trump released his long-delayed Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, which lays out a vision for future Palestinian statehood if a series of strict conditions are met. These include requiring the future Palestinian state to be "demilitarized," while formalizing Israeli sovereignty over settlements built in occupied territory, AFP reported. 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 STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- New York Citys Community Schools initiative, which works to change the way schools across the five boroughs serve students by delivering social services within the school environment, is showing improved results in attendance, graduation rates and test scores, according to a new study. Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza announced Tuesday the results of the New York City Community Schools Impact Report -- an independent analysis conducted by the non-partisan, non-profit RAND Corporation. The evaluation tracked 113 community schools over three years and found significantly improved outcomes across several metrics when compared to non-community schools. The jury is in -- community schools work, said de Blasio. Since day one, we have been on a mission to no longer let zip code determine academic success, and community schools are one way we are delivering on that promise. From supporting students with in-school mental health services to homework help and dental check-ups, these schools improve academic outcomes and cater to the unique needs of every student. The Community Schools initiative was launched in 2015 by de Blasio to integrate academics, health and social services inside of schools and better connect students and families to support they need through partnerships with community-based organizations (CBOs). With an initial goal to open 100 community schools by 2017, there are currently 267 community schools serving 135,000 students and families citywide. There are six community schools on Staten Island: Curtis High School, St. George; Port Richmond High School, Port Richmond; PS 57, Clifton; PS 46, South Beach; PS 78, Stapleton; and Dreyfus Intermediate School (I.S. 49), Stapleton. RANDs impact report, Illustrating the Promise of Community Schools: An Assessment of the Impact of the New York City Community Schools Initiative, covered the 2015-2016 through 2017-2018 school years. It found significant results in increased graduation rates, increased math achievement in the third year of study, reductions in chronic absenteeism and reductions in school-based incidents in elementary and middle schools. When we work together to meet the needs of the whole child our children succeed, our schools succeed, and our city succeed, said Carranza. This means not only challenging our students academically, but also providing them eyeglasses, mental health support, coats and shoes. Our community schools are going above and beyond, improving students lives each year, and serving as an example of how we advance equity and excellence for all. During the 2017-2018 school year, the graduation rate for community schools was 7.2 percentage points higher than non-community schools. High school students at community schools also accumulated an average 1.3 more credits per student, per year compared to students in non-community schools. Students in third and eighth grades at community schools received test scores 0.13 standard deviations higher than students in non-community schools. This means that while the average student citywide is in the 50th percentile (a student did better than 50% of students), an average student at a community school would be in the 54th percentile (a student did better than 54% of students). Chronic absenteeism -- which is when a student misses 10 or more days of school in a year -- was 7.3 percentage points lower in elementary and middle community schools compared to non-community schools. In high schools, chronic absenteeism was 8.3 percentage points lower. The study found decreases in school-based disciplinary incidents in elementary and middle community schools. These schools saw an average of 0.10 fewer disciplinary incidents per student per year at the elementary and middle school level, compared to non-community schools. Community schools are designed to tackle poverty and eliminate barriers to learning, said Michael Muglrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers. By bringing services and resources inside schools, we give our students the support they need to thrive and we do it in such a way that parents and the larger community are part of the solution. When selecting schools, the Office of Community Schools works with district superintendents to look at both the needs and capacities of schools. They identify gaps in expanded learning programs and social and emotional supports at schools and look at who has the capacity to implement the community school strategy. The city then submits proposals of selected schools to the state education department to receive funding through the states community school grant. FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. Education is not enough to certify one as a professional. The government of Ghana has put different bodies in place to act as a professional certifier. In regards to fiscal policy, the Chartered Institute of Taxation Ghana is the body that has been mandated with this role. CIT Ghana offers examinations to fiscal policy practitioner, after which they are certified as professionals in the taxation field. Image: instagram.com @citg Source: UGC The Charted Institute of Taxation, Ghana (CITG), is a Ghanaian body mandated by the government to regulate the practice of fiscal policy in the country. CIT Ghana is the solemn body that has the right to certify professionals in the taxation sector. CITG examinations are conducted twice a year. Therefore, if you are a fiscal policy practitioner who is looking forward to becoming a professional, here is everything you need to know about the Chartered Institute of Taxation, Ghana. CIT Ghana: history CIT Ghana started its operation in the year 1978. On 2nd May 1980, the institute was incorporated to become a limited company. On the 8th February 2001, the institute officially became the Chartered Institute of Taxation. In 2011, a bill was drafted to incorporate the Chartered Institute of Taxation Ghana through the parliaments act. Later on, in May 2011, the West African Union of Tax Institutes (WAUTI) was launched by two founding institutes, namely the Chartered Institute of Taxation Ghana (CITG) and the Chartered Institute of Taxation Nigeria (CITN). WAUTI was put in place with its primary objective being the development and promotion of the fiscal policy profession in West African countries. In 2011, the CITG signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Zenith University College, stating that the university would offer tuition in fiscal policy to all learners who want to join the fiscal policy. It was during this year that the CIT Ghana undertook a significant review of the institute's syllabus. READ ALSO: Tertiary institutions in Ghana: List (2019/2020) President of CIT Ghana In April 2010, the president of CITG Yaw Asante-Boadi realized that a tax education and training bill had been drafted before the cabinet. He, therefore, took it upon himself to streamline the process of training tax practitioners in Ghana. The president of CIT Ghana observed the necessity of fiscal policy training, thus recommending that it would be vital for all tax practitioners in Ghana to undertake a full course in fiscal policy. At the moment the president of CICT is none other than Felix Ahima-Adonteng. CIT Ghana professional syllabus To ensure that taxation in Ghana is done professionally and efficiently, the CIT incorporated various reforms in the institute which included a new curriculum. After the 2011 review of the new curriculum, here are the courses offered to certify one as a professional: Professional level Public Sector Economics and Finance Income Taxation Accounting and Finance Indirect Taxation Revenue and Business Law Strategy and Governance Final level 1 Tax Audit and Investigations Oil, Gas and Mineral Taxation International Taxation Final level 2 Strategic Tax Planning Advanced Taxation Practice Tax Practice Administration and Ethics Image: taxghana.org Source: UGC CIT Ghana past questions Interested persons can find the CIT Ghana past questions and answers on the schools library and official website. The list containing all the questions and suggested answers are a reflection of the tax laws put in place during the period the examinations were undertaken. Here are the examination papers: December 2019 examination papers ADIT Module 1- Principles of International Taxation ADIT Module 2.03 - Cyprus option ADIT Module 2.09 - United Kingdom option ADIT Module 3.01 - EU Direct Tax Option ADIT Module 3.02 - EU VAT option ADIT Module 3.03 - Transfer Pricing option November 2019 exam papers Advanced Technical TOMC Advanced Technical IHT Advanced Technical Individuals Advanced Technical OMB Advanced Technical VAT UK Advanced Technical VAT CB Advanced Technical HCT APS Owner- Managed Businesses APS Inheritance Tax, Trust and Estates APS Taxation of Larger Companies and Groups APS Human Capital Taxes APS Taxation of Individuals APS VAT and Other Indirect Taxes Awareness Module A VAT Awareness Module B IHT Awareness Module C CT Awareness Module D Individuals Awareness Module E Taxation of Unincorporated Businesses Since the establishment of CIT Ghana, the tax strategy policy in the country has improved greatly. With the enactment of the CIT Act 2016 (Act 916) article 2 and 3, the main goal of the institute will be fully realized. READ ALSO: College of education Ghana: List Source: YEN.com.gh (Newser) The body of a renowned butterfly expert in Mexico was found in a rainwater tank Wednesdayand few people think he got in there by himself. Homero Gomez, 50, was the manager of a butterfly sanctuary in Michoacan state, which has been wracked by cartel violence, the New York Times reports. He was reported missing on Jan. 14 and relatives say he had been receiving death threats from a gang, reports the BBC. His body was found in the town of Ocampo not far from where he was last seen. Prosecutors said last week that 53 police officersthe entire police forces of Ocampo and the nearby town of Angangueohad been detained for questioning regarding the disappearance. story continues below The mountain forests of Michoacan are a key overwintering site for monarch butterflies, which travel to Mexico from the US and Canada every year in a round-trip that can involve several generations of butterflies traveling up to 6,000 miles. Gomez was a devoted campaigner for the protection of monarch butterflies and their habitat, which is threatened by illegal logging. The El Rosario sanctuary he managed opened in November. Mayte Cardona at the Human Rights State Commission of Michoacan tells Reuters that Gomez "was probably hurting the interests of people illegally logging in the area." Authorities have not determined a cause of death. (Read more Mexico stories.) A call made by Nasir El-rufai, while pushing for the resignation of former President, Goodluck Jonathan in 2012 has resurfaced on soci... A call made by Nasir El-rufai, while pushing for the resignation of former President, Goodluck Jonathan in 2012 has resurfaced on social media. El-Rufai, now the Kaduna State Governor, had on July 23, 2012, supported the call for Jonathans resignation, suggesting that the then President was useless to the people of Nigeria. The tweet resurfacing may not be unconnected to a similar call made by Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who yesterday, demanded that President Muhammadu Buhari resigned his position if he can no longer protect Nigerians. El-Rufai had said, Nothing wrong with asking a president to resign, even presidents that are useful to their people get asked to. The tweet, which has stirred diverse reactions is coming amidst backlash, Abaribes outburst on the floor of the Senate. The Abia-born politician also noted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration has failed Nigerians. Abaribe made the call during his contribution to a motion sponsored by the Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi, on national security, said the nations leader and his government have been lying to Nigerians that Boko Haram has been defeated. He said: Those who live on propaganda shall die by propaganda. Defeat is staring us in the face. Nigerians did not elect the Chief of Staff, Nigerians did not elect heads of Security, Nigerians elected President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 and in 2019. As it is, we are facing the head of the Nigerian government and this is President Buhari. He should resign with immediate effect. Reacting, Buhari, through his spokesman, Garba Shehu, declared that he wont throw in the towel just because some characters think that he should resign. He said, That call does not represent the opinion of the country. This is the opinion of an armchair critic, known for making stray comments. If a leader like President Buhari needs to resign, there are millions of other Nigerians who need to resign, including Senator Abaribe who unlocked the door to enable the escape of traitorous and treasonable suspects. He signed the bond for the court to release Nnamdi Kanu on bail, from which moment the suspect disappeared into the thin air. Senator Abaribe has failed repeated deadlines to return Kanu to the court for trial, yet he has the effrontery with which to accuse someone of failing to the bidding of the law. This is a man who should have replaced the suspects he failed to produce in the correctional facility. Abaribes party raped the nation and left it collapsing in 2015 and President Buhari is fixing things up all the years he is in office. President Buhari is working hard to keep Nigeria and Nigerians out of the harm terrorists have unleashed in the entire Sahel and Sub-Saharan Africa with the support of Nigerians and our foreign friends, he is going to finish off these terrorists. He alone can do it. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 22:13:09|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Wu Wei (1st L, front), a member of the medical team, says goodbye to her colleagues before she leaves for Wuhan at Hubei Province, in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Jan. 30, 2020. Seven medical workers from two private hospitals in Qingdao, formed a medical team and left for Wuhan to aid the coronavirus control efforts there on Thursday. (Xinhua/Wang Kai) (Alliance News) - Boris Johnson will meet with the US secretary of state as transatlantic tensions simmer over the decision to allow a Chinese tech giant to take part in Britain's 5G roll-out. Mike Pompeo will meet the UK prime minister in Downing Street after insisting Huawei presents a "real risk" to security. The pointed comments came after Johnson claimed allowing the Chinese company to be involved in the UK's 5G network would not damage transatlantic security co-operation. As he travelled to the UK, Pompeo called the communications firm "an extension of the Chinese Communist Party" and said Washington would "evaluate" the UK's decision. The Chinese tech giant has always rejected claims it represents a security risk. But speaking to reporters en route to the UK, Pompeo said: "Our view of Huawei has been that putting it in your system creates real risk. "This is an extension of the Chinese Communist Party with a legal requirement to hand over information to the Chinese Communist Party." He added that "American information only should pass through trusted networks, and we'll make sure we do that", while also suggesting the UK could "re-look" at the decision in the future. After Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab met Pompeo on Wednesday evening, a brief Foreign Office statement did not reference the Huawei controversy. A spokesman said: "The Foreign Secretary's discussions with Secretary Pompeo this evening focused on future opportunities for economic and security co-operation between the UK and US. "The pair discussed the US' proposal for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, and the situation in Iran and Yemen, and the Foreign Secretary underlined the need to de-escalate regional tensions." The prime minister said allowing Huawei to play a limited role in the UK's 5G infrastructure would not "imperil our relationship" with Donald Trump's administration as he faced a backlash from both Tory MPs and US Republicans. The prime minister defied the US president by giving the green light to the Chinese firm despite US warnings that it could hamper intelligence-sharing with Washington and the other members of the Five Eyes alliance. Johnson, who spoke to Trump on Tuesday, said the government's decision would not damage the "extremely valuable" security co-operation with the Five Eyes alliance which includes the US. Answering questions from the public on Facebook he said he had "interrogated" the security and intelligence agencies about the issue and whether Huawei could be allowed to play a role while preventing "any kind of risk of leaks or interference with our security". "There is no doubt in their mind that we can do it and we can allow Huawei into some aspects of 5G but not compromise our intelligence-sharing ability with America, Australia, Canada or New Zealand a the so-called Five Eyes. "I'm very confident we can do that." The decision has caused deep unease on the Tory benches, with discussion of a possible rebellion when the matter comes to the Commons, although the prime minister can normally rely on a comfortable majority. Government assurances about the decision have done little to quell what Damian Green, former de facto deputy prime minister under Theresa May, called "widespread (and) strong unease" on the Tory benches. Senior Tory MPs including former leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith and ex-Brexit secretary David Davis are among those to express displeasure. The EU also unveiled security guidelines for the next generation high-speed wireless networks that stop short of banning Huawei, in a further blow to the US campaign against the firm. Pompeo's two-day visit is likely to offer the first real indication of the extent of any damage to the so-called special relationship. The US administration has consistently argued that giving Huawei a role in 5G could allow the Chinese a "back door" into the telecoms network through which they could carry out espionage or cyber attacks. The government has acknowledged Huawei is not a "trusted" supplier but argues that by banning it from the most sensitive elements of the network and restricting its involvement to 35%, it can manage the risks. The clash comes at a sensitive moment in US-UK relations, just as Johnson is hoping to make rapid progress on a trade deal. Raab will attend a discussion with Pompeo before the US secretary of state meets the PM on Thursday. By Shaun Connolly and David Hughes, PA Political Staff source: PA Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Raipur: The Cabinet in Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh on Thursday approved a resolution that will be passed during the state assemblys budget session in March against the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act, or CAA, which has triggered protests across the country, according to a press release issued by the state government. Four states have so far passed assembly resolutions against the CAA, which was cleared last month to fast-track the citizenship process for non-Muslims, who have entered India from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh before 2015. Opponents of the law insist it is discriminatory and unconstitutional as it leaves out the Muslims and links faith to citizenship in a secular country. They say it could result in the expulsion or detentions of the Muslims unable to provide the documentation if the law is seen in the context of the proposed pan-India National Register of Citizens. A process to identify undocumented immigrants in Assam led to the exclusion of around 2 million people from the NRC last year. The government has since clarified there are no immediate plans for a pan-India NRC. The Chhattisgarh resolution asks the Centre to repeal the CAA while insisting it is against the spirit of the Constitution. After the Cabinets approval of the resolution, Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel also wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and pointed out the CAA violates the Constitutions basic tenets. ...the current amendment to this Act is illegal... migrants seem to be differentiated [on the basis of religion]... it also strongly goes against the spirit of Article 14 [equality before the law] enshrined in the Indian Constitution. ...no provision has been made in this Act in relation with migrants coming from Indias neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan..., Baghel wrote in his letter to Modi. HT has seen as a copy of the letter. Baghel cited peaceful protests in Chhattisgarh against the CAA and added people from different sections of the society have participated in them. He underlined all religions are equal before the Constitution and added the CAA seems to violate the basic essence of the secular Constitution. Baghel cited the Constitutions Article 14 and underlined it guarantees equal rights to people from all sections of the society. To protect the guarantee of rights and equality under the law, it is necessary to ensure that no law is made contrary to this basic spirit enshrined in our Constitution, he said in his letter. He asked the Centre to protect the spirit of the Constitution. Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Gauri Shankar Srivas, said Baghel would be wasting time of the by following other Congress ruled states and passing the resolution. Secondly, Congress should answer whether they are in favour of welcoming the Hindus to Chhattisgarh or not ? said Srivas. Trinamool Congress-ruled West Bengal on Monday became the fourth state to pass an assembly resolution against the CAA. The resolution called the CAA anti-constitutional while seeking its immediate revocation. Earlier on Saturday, Congress-ruled Rajasthan passed an assembly resolution saying the CAA should be scrapped. Left-ruled Kerala and Congress-ruled Punjab passed similar resolutions on December 31 and January 17. Kerala became the first state to challenge the CAA in January after it moved the Supreme Court under Article 131 of the Constitution, which empowers the top court to hear disputes between the Centre and states. The Centre has maintained the CAA does not come under the purview of state governments and there was no question of a repealing it no matter how many people opposed or protested against the law. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Twenty-six of the Emirates Groups top employees received the organisations most prestigious recognition at the Najm Chairmans Awards. The awards recognise employees whose work and actions are characterised by a strong work ethic, a spirit of innovation, extraordinary acts of bravery and selfless teamwork. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline and Group, presented the coveted Najm Chairmans Award to six individual and team achievements at a ceremony that took place at Emirates Group Headquarters on January 30. The ceremony was attended by hundreds of colleagues, as well as friends and families of the honourees, and streamed live to thousands of employees around the world. The winners also received a monetary award for their contributions. Applauding the exceptional employees on their wins, HH Sheikh Ahmed said: Our people are our greatest asset, and the Najm Chairmans Awards honourees are a perfect example of how Emirates Group employees live the values of our organisation, and with their powerful passion and initiative help drive our business and reputational momentum forward. We are grateful for the example they set everyday in helping to make a difference for customers, for their fellow colleagues and for our businesses around the world through their dedication and commitment to excellence. Today, we celebrate their achievements and contributions which truly embody the Emirates Groups can-do spirit. Najm, which means star in Arabic, has been the Groups employee recognition and reward programme since 2007. The Najm programme has different award tiers which recognises employees all year round for their excellence, commitment and innovation, and going above and beyond their roles to make a difference. This year, the Emirates Group recognised over 14,000 employee achievements through the programme. The Najm Chairmans Award is the highest accolade at the Emirates Group, and nominated employees and teams undergo a rigorous process which is vetted and screened by department heads and senior management. Since 2008, 73 Najm Chairmans awards have been given out to employees across different departments at the Emirates Group. Phenomenal acts and exceptional initiatives The Najm Chairmans Award 2019/2020 winners were honoured across a range of extraordinary achievements - saving lives, dedicating their time to create innovative solutions for the business and operation, overcoming overwhelming challenges through teamwork, and delivering service excellence. Selfless teamwork results in aircraft recovery in harsh conditions Omar Al-Samarrai, Mook Park, Giovanni Scalsi Riquelme and Andre Weidlich were recognised for the recovery work they led after an emergency diversion to Goose Bay Airport Newfoundland, Canada. Challenges mounted as the airport lacked the resources and facilities to cope with the large aircraft and volume of customers onboard. However, this did not deter the team who effectively managed the situation, and took care of customers. Buses were arranged to transport groups of passengers to the terminal and updates communicated on an ongoing basis until the replacement aircraft arrived. Despite several obstacles along the way, the flight deck and cabin crews teamwork was instrumental in delivering outstanding airmanship and decision making to ensure the comfort and safety of passengers. Developing the hub monitor To improve on-time aircraft turnarounds at the Dubai hub, a group of team members from Emirates Engineering, IT, Operations Research & Effectiveness, dnata Airport Operations, Flight Operations and Operations Control collaborated and worked with agility and tenacity to deliver an application that tracked turnaround activities in real-time, proactively identifying causes for potential delays, which provided significant benefits to the airlines operation and saved the company millions of dirhams. Heroic actions rescue a choking child Alanah Mercer, Emirates senior airport services agent at Brisbane Airport was queueing at a food outlet when a child, who was in front of Mercer with her mother, started to choke violently. Straight away, Mercer took the child, reached into her mouth to dislodge the foreign object, helping the child breathe normally again. Mercer saved the child from a potentially life-threatening situation, going above and beyond her call of duty. Swift action saves a childs life While boarding passengers for a flight from Dubai to Kochi, customer services supervisor Morteza Monfared saw a panic-stricken family rush towards the gate, crying that their child had become unresponsive. Morteza sprang into action and positioned the infant on the floor, and immediately started performing CPR, focusing intently on saving the infant. A collective cry of relief was heard when the infant was revived. By this time, the medical team had arrived on the scene and took over. Morteza's quick thinking and prompt action resulted in saving the life of a child. Going beyond the call of duty for a sick customer Mohammed Imamuddin was doing his mailing rounds when he heard a colleague from Emergency Response Planning call out to him urgently. An elderly passenger, who was in transit to Dhaka, had just collapsed from a heart attack, and the colleague was attending to him. The passenger and his wife could only speak their own native Bangla. Imamuddin immediately rushed to assist as a translator for the passenger and emergency services. However, his assistance to the sick passenger did not end there. Mohammed also used his personal time to visit the passenger over the next 10 days of his recovery in Dubai. He helped to translate and communicate the passengers requests to the travel agency in Dhaka as well as other government agencies. He contacted the passengers family, and kept them updated on the passengers condition. Imamuddin even took the time to prepare homemade Bangla dishes for the passenger. Imamuddins generosity and care for this passenger went above and beyond his work responsibilities. Ground breaking revenue optimisation platform Emirates Revenue Optimisation department wanted a solution that would bring consistency to the demand, price and flight management function as well as provide speed to market and competitive fares. A project team was assembled to develop a new data sourcing platform, which involved sifting through a billion data records, developing new processes, system testing and training many users. What resulted was an application that reduced data analysis times, quickly identified revenue optimization opportunities, tracked the competition, and helped teams take critical commercial decisions quickly, helping grow the airlines incremental revenue in the last financial year. - TradeArabia News Service Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 23:52:50|Editor: yan Video Player Close MOSCOW, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- A passenger plane with some 200 people on board made an emergency landing here after a passenger, who appeared to be intoxicated, threatened to blow herself up, Russian news agencies reported. RIA Novosti news agency quoted a spokesperson of the S7 airline as saying that during its Simferopol-Moscow flight, one of the passengers stood up in the aisle of the aircraft and announced that she had an explosive device. According to the instructions, the aircraft commander reported the incident to Domodedovo airport and made an emergency landing there, the spokesperson said. A spokesperson for Domodedovo airport told RIA Novosti that the airport's security services were carrying out the procedures necessary in such incidents, without giving other details. TASS quoted an unnamed source as saying that the woman has been detained and no explosive devices were found on her, adding that 195 people who were on board left the aircraft. According to the source, an inquiry has been launched into the incident. President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday met with former President Goodluck Jonathan at the presidential villa, Abuja. Jonathan was ... President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday met with former President Goodluck Jonathan at the presidential villa, Abuja. Jonathan was ushered into the presidents office around 1:45pm. At the end of their meeting, which lasted about 10 minutes, Buhari saw him off to his offices forecourt where the former presidents car was waiting. This is the second time both leaders would meet within three months. Jonathan visited his successor on October 10, 2019. Below are photos of the recent visit: 4.9k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Sen. Cory Gardner is already trailing his Democratic challenger John Hickenlooper, and he may have lost his seat when he came out against impeachment trial witnesses. Colorado Politics reported on a statement that Gardner provided to them: I do not believe we need to hear from an 18th witness, the Colorado Republican told Colorado Politics in a statement. I have approached every aspect of this grave constitutional duty with the respect and attention required by law, and have reached this decision after carefully weighing the House managers and defense arguments and closely reviewing the evidence from the House, which included well over 100 hours of testimony from 17 witnesses. Gardner was already facing an uphill battle to keep his seat, as he is being challenged by popular former Democratic Governor John Hickenlooper. Polling is scant in Colorado at this time, but an August poll showed Hickenlooper leading Gardner by 13 points. Colorado is getting more Democratic by the year, so it is likely that the odds were already against Gardner keeping his seat, but any chance that he had of winning likely vanished when he decided to go all-in on Mitch McConnells Ukraine cover-up for Trump. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook Japan's former emperor Akihito, who abdicated last year, temporarily lost consciousness and collapsed at his residence this week, but medical checkups found "no abnormalities", the government said Thursday. The 86-year-old was examined by court doctors after Wednesday's incident, an official at the Imperial Household Agency told AFP. Akihito "had an MRI examination Thursday morning but doctors found no abnormalities", the official said, adding doctors would continue to monitor his condition. In July, Akihito suffered temporary cerebral anaemia, a condition involving insufficient blood supply to the brain. The former monarch has previously had surgery for prostate cancer and heart problems. He shocked the country in 2016 when he signalled his desire to step down after nearly three decades in the job, citing his age and health problems. His son Emperor Naruhito ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 30, 2020) - Southern Silver Exploration Corp. (TSXV: SSV) (the "Company") reports that it has retained Red Cloud Financial Services Inc. ("Red Cloud") to provide the Company with capital markets advisory services for a monthly fee and a transaction fee. Red Cloud is a "new concept" capital markets advisory firm dedicated to the mining sector. It uses its global network of capital markets specialists and extensive experience in the many facets of the business to help companies identify alternative sources of capital and quality actionable growth/divestiture opportunities, and to generate and maintain important relationships with key investors. Red Cloud Financial Services Inc. is registered as an Exempt Market Dealer in all provinces of Canada, as well as the Yukon, and is subject to applicable securities regulation. As part of Red Cloud's engagement, it will be arranging a series of meetings in cities throughout North America for Company officials to present the Company to investors and analysts with initial meetings scheduled in February 2020 in Kelowna and Calgary followed by additional presentations internationally. As well, Southern Silver will be coordinating with Red Cloud to provide on a timely basis, programs encompassing Social Media, Research and utilizing the Red Cloud TV and sales desk to bring further awareness and exposure to Southern Silver's Cerro Las Minitas, Ag-Pb-Zn project in Durango, Mexico. About Southern Silver Exploration Corp. Southern Silver Exploration Corp. is a precious metal exploration and development company with a focus on the discovery of world-class mineral deposits in north-central Mexico and the southern USA. Our specific emphasis is the Cerro Las Minitas silver-lead-zinc project located in the heart of Mexico's Faja de Plata, which hosts multiple world-class mineral deposits such as Penasquito, San Martin, Naica and Pitarrilla. We have assembled a team of highly experienced technical, operational and transactional professionals to support our exploration efforts in developing, along with our partner, Electrum Global Holdings LP, the Cerro Las Minitas project into a premier, high-grade, silver-lead-zinc mine. The Company engages in the acquisition, exploration and development either directly or through joint-venture relationships in mineral properties in major jurisdictions. Our property portfolio also includes the Oro porphyry copper-gold project located in southern New Mexico, USA. On behalf of the Board of Directors "Lawrence Page" Lawrence Page, Q.C. President & Director, Southern Silver Exploration Corp. For further information, please visit Southern Silver's website at southernsilverexploration.com or contact us at 604.641.2759 or by email at ir@mnxltd.com. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include the timing and receipt of government and regulatory approvals, and continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. Southern Silver Exploration Corp. 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 to the extent required by applicable law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/51939 (Bloomberg) -- Tesla Inc. delivered a second straight quarter of blowout earnings and speedy execution, extending an unprecedented surge for its heavily shorted stock. The record revenue Tesla reported Wednesday beat estimates and carried the company to its fourth profit in the last six quarters. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk again accelerated the introduction of the new Model Y crossover, saying deliveries will start by March, months earlier than initially planned. Tesla soared as much as 12% to $648 on Thursday in New York, another intraday record. The shares, which reclaimed the title of most bet-against American stock earlier this month, had already more than doubled since Musk reported a surprise profit in October and divulged that the opening of a new plant in China was imminent. The short story is eroding, said Gene Munster, managing partner of the venture capital firm Loup Ventures. He credited Musk for becoming a quiet assassin and sees Tesla having a clearer path to profitability. Musk has turned a corner from years of over-promising and under-delivering, vaulting Tesla past Volkswagen AG to become the second-most valuable automaker in the world, behind only Toyota Motor Corp. Investors have rewarded him for building a commanding lead over manufacturers that have been slow to embrace an electric future and abandon the more than century-old internal-combustion engine. The comeback story that weve seen over the last nine months, its unlike anything Ive seen covering tech on Wall Street for 20 years, Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities who rates Tesla the equivalent of a hold, said on Bloomberg Television. Theres always going to be speed bumps, but at least right now, there was a lot of hype and they met the hype and more. Tesla has thus far disproved predictions that it will struggle to compete with the impending arrival of electric vehicles from established automakers. The Model 3 was the only EV consumers bought in significant volumes last year in the U.S., and in Europe it was the third-best seller among all models in December. Story continues The Model Y, which Musk predicts will outsell all other Teslas combined, was initially scheduled to launch this fall. The company has moved up that date in each of its last two quarterly reports. Free cash flow exceeded $1 billion for the first time, bolstering Musks view that Tesla can sustain itself after years of making frequent return trips to Wall Street. He and Chief Financial Officer Zach Kirkhorn said they dont plan to raise capital and will continue paying down debt over time. The company projected it will deliver at least 500,000 vehicles this year, a more than 35% jump from 2019. What really matters is the outlook, said Joe Osha, a JMP Securities analyst with the equivalent of a hold rating. The stock is moving up because the unit outlook for 2020 is higher than consensus. What Bloomberg Intelligence Says Strong 4Q cash flow leaves Tesla with record levels of cash and tangible signs of improved operating performance, supporting our favorable valuation views, despite strong returns in 2020. We think its possible raters may act on their positive outlook. -- Joel Levington, BI credit analyst Click here for the research Still, the expectations baked into its stock price are lofty. For Tesla to justify its current market value over the long haul, earnings would have to soar 86-fold over the next 10 years, according to Bloomberg Opinions Liam Denning. By comparison, per-share profit at Apple Inc. jumped about 26-fold between 2006 and 2016. There are other challenges as well. Musk has significantly curtailed capital expenditures the last two years, and skeptics continue to question how the company will be able to deliver on his promises without spending significantly more on future products and a new plant planned for near Berlin. Chief Financial Officer Zach Kirkhorn declined to discuss Teslas budget for 2020 during its earnings call. The company spent just $1.3 billion last year after initially forecasting as much as $2.5 billion. Tesla also is expecting at least a week-long delay ramping up Model 3 output at its factory near Shanghai as a result of Chinas coronavirus, according to Kirkhorn. He said its still unclear how much of an impact the spread of the disease will have. At the end of it all, theres a big sentiment shift, said Ben Kallo, a Baird analyst with the equivalent of a hold rating on Teslas stock. Eighteen months ago, this was a company going out of business, everyone said. Now, its a business people want to invest in. Institutional growth investors are starting to look at it as a real company that can make money. (Updates shares in third paragraph, adds analyst quote to sixth paragraph) --With assistance from Gabrielle Coppola, Sophie Caronello, Nancy Moran and Jonathan Ferro. To contact the reporters on this story: Dana Hull in San Francisco at dhull12@bloomberg.net;Ed Ludlow in San Francisco at eludlow2@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Craig Trudell at ctrudell1@bloomberg.net, Melinda Grenier 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. MTN has launched its Mobile Money (MoMo) services in South Africa in partnership with Ubank. This follows a Memorandum of Understanding being signed in November 2019 between the two parties. The agreement enables customers and general consumers to transact and make payments using their cellphone rather than traditional banking services. MTN South Africa chief officer for mobile financial services Felix Kamenga said MTN envisions these services helping to bridge the gap for those who do not currently use banking services. We believe that MoMo will truly help close the gaps between banked and unbanked consumers in South Africa and furthermore help the consumers have other channels to receive and send money safely and securely, Kamenga said. In todays highly digital world driven by evolving Fintech, we are proud to partner with MTN SA in providing mobile money services, said Ubank CEO Luthando Vutula. It is a great privilege for us as a bank to partner with a renowned brand such as MTN in working on a product which will create value for consumers in the under-serviced and under-banked segments of the market. USSD, features and apps Mobile Money is available to customers via USSD on *120*151#. Customers can alternatively dial *151# for free to use the service. There is also an MTN Mobile Money Android app available on the Google Play Store, but MTN is waiting for final approval before registering Mobile Money on Apples App Store. Mobile Money is available to South Africans across all networks and offers a selection of basic services. The initial version of Mobile Money includes: Send and receive money to/from local cellphone numbers. Buy prepaid services like electricity and airtime. Pay for municipal bills and DStv subscriptions Perform Cash In and Cash Out transactions at MTN stores or mobile money agents. However, MTN has promised innovation in the next few months that aims to bring even more South Africans into the digital economy. This includes the ability to pay using Mobile Money at popular retail stores from May 2020 onwards. Additional information provided regarding Mobile Money includes the following: Users do not need to have a bank account. Users must be South African residents and 18 years or older. Users need to be active MTN customers to qualify for selected promotional offers. There are no minimum balances required, no monthly charges, and no automated debits. User security is implemented in the form of voice and facial recognition, as well as a PIN code. There are two types of accounts a Yello account, and a Yello Plus account. On the former account, daily cash transactions are limited to R3,500, total transactions are limited to R10,000 per day, and the monthly limit is capped at R20,000. Yello Plus allows for daily cash transactions of up to R10,000, total transactions limited to R20,000, and a monthly limit of R40,000. Users can cash in or cash out funds at MTN-branded stores, UBank branches, or via EFT. African success The launch of Mobile Money in South Africa follows the services successes in other African countries. We have learnt what to do as well as what not to do, and we believe that MTN has a significant footprint in South Africa to reach underbanked and underserved communities still heavily reliant on cash to transact, said MTN. We see MoMo playing a significant role to both the man on the street as well as the South African economy by enabling enterprise development at the formal and informal level. Mayank Singh By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Indian Navy on Tuesday launched Operation Vanilla in a bid to support the people of island nation Madagascar in the face of a natural disaster. Indian Navy said, 'As the first respondent, Indian Navy Ship Airavat, which was en-route to Seychelles has been diverted to Madagascar for rendering assistance.' The ship is carrying victualing, clothing and stores along with medicines. The ship is scheduled to reach Madagascar by 30 January 2020. As per the Navy 'The ship will be able to provide clothing, emergency food, medical assistance, diving and communication assistance and undertake transportation and evacuation of personnel using its four large and two medium-sized boats.' INS Airavat is an amphibious assault ship and its missions also include humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR). Madagascar has been hit by a Cyclone and there has been heavy flooding and landslides since last week causing loss of lives and displacement of a number of people. Indias assistance to Madagascar is in consonance with Indian Navys Foreign Cooperation initiatives in line with Prime Minister's vision of 'Security and Growth for all in the Region (SAGAR)'. In March 2018, President Ram Nath Kovind became the first Indian President to visit Madagascar. India and Madagascar signed a defence cooperation agreement during the visit of the Indian President. Madagascar is also a member of inter-governmental organisation Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). There are about 15,000 persons of India origin in Madagascar, including approximately 2500 Indian passport holders. At 11pm this evening, we will leave the European Union after 47 years and 30 days of membership. Harry Mount recalls the greatest quotes in our EU history... 'We must build a kind of United States of Europe. In this way only will hundreds of millions of toilers be able to regain the simple joys and hopes which make life worth living.' Winston Churchill, September 19, 1946, at the University of Zurich 'Messieurs, I have to tell you that the future Treaty [of Rome, establishing the European Economic Community] which you are discussing a) has no chance of being agreed; b) if it were agreed, it would have no chance of being ratified; c) if it were ratified, it would have no chance of being applied. And please note that, if it were applied, it would be totally unacceptable to Britain... monsieur le president, messieurs, au revoir et bonne chance.' British civil servant Russell Bretherton at the Messina conference of 1955. The EEC was born three years later 'We must build a kind of United States of Europe. In this way only will hundreds of millions of toilers be able to regain the simple joys and hopes which make life worth living,' said Sir Winston Churchill in September 1946 'There are some in this country who fear that in going into Europe we shall in some way sacrifice independence and sovereignty, even that we shall begin to lose our national identity. These fears, I need hardly say, are completely unjustified and exaggerated.' PM Edward Heath, 1971. Britain joined the EEC on January 1, 1973 'We have not successfully rolled back the frontiers of the state in Britain, only to see them re-imposed at a European level with a European super-state exercising a new dominance from Brussels.' Margaret Thatcher at the College of Europe in Bruges, 1988 'We have not successfully rolled back the frontiers of the state in Britain, only to see them re-imposed at a European level with a European super-state exercising a new dominance from Brussels' - Margaret Thatcher at the College of Europe in Bruges, 1988 'The verdict has been given by a vote with a bigger majority than has been received by any government in any general election. Nobody... should have any doubt about its meaning.' PM Harold Wilson after Britain voted to remain in the EEC in 1975 'Look, I'm rather pro-European, actually. I certainly want a European community where one can go off and scoff croissants, drink delicious coffee, learn foreign languages and generally make love to foreign women.' Boris Johnson on the EU, during his failed first bid for Parliament, 1997 'So long as this country remains a member of the European Union, then the laws of this country are subject to the doctrine of the primacy of community law... this country has joined this European club and by so doing has agreed to be bound by the rules and regulations of the club.' 'Look, I'm rather pro-European, actually. I certainly want a European community where one can go off and scoff croissants, drink delicious coffee, learn foreign languages and generally make love to foreign women' - Boris Johnson on the EU, during his failed first bid for Parliament, 1997 The 2001 magistrate verdict on greengrocer Steve Thoburn, convicted under EU law for not selling fruit in metric measures 'I am in favour of a referendum. I believe in confronting this issue shaping it, leading the debate. Not simply hoping a difficult situation will go away.' Mr Cameron, now PM, on January 23, 2013. He promised a referendum if the Tories won a majority at the next election, which they did in 2015 'Brexit is stupidity for a country with 53 percent of its exports going to the Continent and to the rest of Europe. It's even so stupid that Britain's best friends, the US, don't understand it.' Guy Verhofstadt, January 2013 'A bunch of fruitcakes and loonies and closet racists' - what David Cameron called Ukip in April 2006 Brexit will be 'crushed like the toad beneath the harrow'. Mr Johnson's text to Mr Cameron, February 2016, just before Mr Johnson came out for... Brexit 'A bunch of fruitcakes and loonies and closet racists.' What David Cameron called Ukip in April 2006 'A vote to leave is the gamble of the century. It would be our children's futures on the table if we were to roll the dice.' Mr Cameron, February 2016 'Knickers to the pessimists!' Mr Johnson at the David Nieper womenswear factory in Alfreton, Derbyshire, May 2016 'It's absolutely crazy that the EU is telling us how powerful our vacuum cleaners have got to be, what shape our bananas have got to be, and all that kind of thing.' 'It's fair to say that maybe some point down the line there might be a UK-US trade agreement, but it's not going to happen any time soon because our focus is in negotiating with a big bloc, the European Union, to get a trade agreement done... the UK is going to be in the back of the queue' - President Obama in Downing Street, April 2016 Mr Johnson campaigning to Leave in May 2016 'Let June 23 go down in our history as our independence day.' Nigel Farage, 4am on June 24, 2016 'Brexit means Brexit and we're going to make a success of it.' Theresa May while candidate for Conservative leader, July 11, 2016 'It's fair to say that maybe some point down the line there might be a UK-US trade agreement, but it's not going to happen any time soon because our focus is in negotiating with a big bloc, the European Union, to get a trade agreement done... the UK is going to be in the back of the queue.' President Obama in Downing Street, April 2016. 'I think Brexit is going to be a great thing. I thought the UK was so smart in getting out.' President Trump, January 2017 'Get Brexit done.' Mr Johnson's mantra before the 2019 election which he won by a landslide By Park Si-soo Pengsoo has set a new milestone in its "EBS trainee" career by reaching 2 million subscribers on YouTube. The genderless giant penguin character achieved the feat on Wednesday only nine months after its channel " " debuted on the video-streaming website and two months after having 1 million subscribers. "I'm sincerely grateful to have such a huge love from you," Pengsoo wrote on the community section of its channel. "I will keep myself consistent like the consistent love and support you have shown me." The channel's producer Lee Seulyena also expressed appreciation. "We will repay the love and support Pengsoo's fans have shown with content that can move them all." With 2 million subscribers being a done deal, Pengsoo's fans are wondering whether "it" will hold a press conference with foreign journalists. In December, EBS chief said he would "formally invite foreign journalists to a press conference-style promotional event for Pengsoo." An EBS spokesman said "an internal discussion is under way." Pengsoo is a mega-popular character created by the Korea Educational Broadcasting System (EBS). The character's popularity exploded last year, becoming a household name among Korean YouTube users. Pengsoo recently attended numerous year-end award ceremonies and events, including the famous New Year bell-ringing ceremony in Seoul. The family of an inmate who died after video surveillance showed him pleading for medical help is suing jail staff for his wrongful death. Terral Ellis, 26, died of sepsis shock caused by pneumonia in 2015 after 12 days in an Oklahoma county jail. Video surveillance shows jail and medical staff repeatedly telling Ellis he was making up symptoms and refusing to provide medical assistance. His family is suing Ottawa County jail, its sheriff, former sheriff, jailers, nurse and others for federal negligence and allowing him to die. Terral Ellis died of sepsis shock from pneumonia in an Oklahoma jail in October 2015 Video surveillance footage of the death was submitted into the public record last week Ellis, who has a young son, can be seen handing himself into the Ottawa County jail on October 10, 2015, for failing to appear in court over warrant for a DUI charge. Accompanied by his grandfather, who had encouraged Ellis to present at the prison, his medical form when he was booked said that he was healthy but had asthma and was prescribed albuterol. By October 22, 2015, an unresponsive Ellis was being taken from his solitary cell by medical staff after days of him and other inmates putting pressure on the jail nurse and staff to give him medical attention. After his death, other inmates wrote about how they are 'scared for their life' and 'mentally messed up in the head', even claiming that jail staff removed hard drives with surveillance footage in an attempt to cover it up. How Terral Ellis died in an Oklahoma jail October 15, 2015: Terral Ellis presents himself at an Ottawa County jail after failing to appear in court over a DUI warrant October 19, 2015: Jail nurse Theresa Horn diagnoses Ellis with a displaced rib. It is not known exactly how he contracted pneumonia but Ellis was in bed ill for several days before this diagnoses Other inmates continue to ask for medical treatment on his behalf October 21, 2015: Ellis appears to have a seizure and inmates call on staff EMS are called but fail to take all his vital signs Ellis is moved to an isolated cell Overnight, Ellis continues to ask for help. October 22, 2015, 8.30 am: Assistant Jail Administrator Charles Shoemaker is called to check on Ellis and refuses further treatment. October 22, 2015, 10 am: Ellis calls out to say he is dying. October 22, 2015, 10.30 am: Nurse Horn returns and threatens to chain up Ellis is he continues complaining October 22, 2015, 1.38 pm: Shoemaker finds Ellis unresponsive in his cell October 22, 2015, 1.40 pm: Nurse Horn arrives and the EMS are called October 22, 2015, 2.30 pm: Paramedics fail pt get a response from Ellis October 22, 2015, 2.51 pm: Ellis is declared dead Advertisement Video and audio footage of Ellis' conversations with the jail staff were entered into the public record at a Tulsa court last week by the family attorney Dan Smolen, who claimed they show an 'utter indifference and complete disregard for human life'. He was healthy,' suffering only asthma. 'He had no complicated medical history,' according to Smolen. 'This was a situation that Mr. Ellis became ill at the jail,' although it is not known where or when he developed pneumonia according to Smolen. The federal civil rights lawsuit was first brought by Ellis' Estate in 2017 and other inmates immediately spoke out about his death. Nobody has yet been criminally charged or disciplined. All defendants have filed to dismiss the case. The video footage was compiled by the Estate using hundreds of hours of footage provided to them by the sheriff's office and was cut down to 18 clips taken from 16 cameras around the prison during Ellis' 12 days there. 'I can't imagine being in their shoes having to see what is on the video - his having to beg for help, and then to have people laugh at him,' said Smolen, who specializes in jail death cases across the country. 'His pneumonia progresses, and they threaten him that if he complains they're going to chain him to a metal buckle on the floor. 'You don't fully understand what's happening until you hear the audio, and then it really comes to light. 'I want people to understand this is happening, every day, all day long, in jails across the United States. I think it has just been captured [here] in a really awful way.' After presenting himself to the jail on October 15, Ellis was placed in general population where he quickly made friends with other inmates. Among the inmates was Michael Harrington, who said in a letter that the pair had an exercise routine and that Ellis spoke of cleaning up his act to be closer to his toddler son, Tristan. He added that Ellis' health appeared normal. Harrington was removed form general population for six days and on his return claims he was shocked to find Ellis seriously ill with a pain in his back and no appetite. As he seemed to worsen, Harrington and other inmates asked jail staff to treat him but he says they refused. He added that Ellis was so ill he was forced to bring him a cup to urinate in and then throw out. Terrel Ellis shown being taken from a Oklahoma jail were staff refused him medical treatmemt Ottawa County jail is being sued by the inmate's family for his wrongful death and negligence Ellis entered the jail as healthy but with asthma. He died of sepsis shock from pneumonia On October 19, the jail nurse Theresa Horn diagnosed Ellis with a displaced rib and told him to stay in bed. 'They're not going to help me, are they? I think I'm going to die,' Harrington claims Ellis said as his condition appeared to worsen and detention officers such as Johnny Bray refused further help. The video footage shows that on October 21, Ellis showed signs of a seizure and other inmates shouted until jail staff would come to check on him. Ellis had already been lying in bed for eight days. Staff contacted Nurse Horn, who was off-site, and she advised to call emergency medical services. While waiting for the EMS, Officer Bray and another officer are seen in the video mocking Ellis. 'It's awesome how a guy with no history of seizures suddenly has a seizure,' Bray said. 'Yeah, I feel like one coming along too, Bray,' the second officer replies. 'I hear the medical around here is excellent.' The can both then be heard laughing as Ellis still lies on the bed. Bray said in a video deposition given to Smolen that his comments were 'regrettable' and 'inappropriate'. EMS arrived at the prison at 4.42 pm where they examined Ellis in the general population area. They did not take all of his vital signs and they did not take him to hospital. Immediately after this incident, Ellis was moved to an isolate cell without a toilet or sink. It included a D -ring, a metal chain fixed to the floor used to chain up an inmate. Jail staff were expected by protocol to check in on Ellis every 15 minute but the video footage shows he spent 20 hours isolated in the cell with staff only checking on him a handful of times. He repeatedly cried out for help and said he felt he was dying. On October 22, Assistant Jail Administrator Charles Shoemaker is called in to see Ellis at 8.30 am. 'We did this other day,' Shoemaker can be heard saying. Ellis asked him 'don't leave me here. I just fell.' Ellis told other inmates that he believed he was going to die in jail as he was refused treatment Earlier footage shows Ellis entering the jail with his grandfather and shaking his hand After being told that the EMS would not be called again, Ellis ads, 'Please Dude. I can't believe y'all are doing this.' As he is left alone again, Ellis can be heard crying, 'Help, help, help, help! Somebody help!' Two hours later, nurse Horn returns to check on Ellis. He spent this time calling out saying 'I think I'm dying' and that it felt like his back was broken. 'Listen to me and shut up!' We had EMS over to check you out and there aint a damn thing nothing wrong with you,' she tells him. 'Your legs are fine, they are not black. They are pink they are red.' Ellis calls to another officer as they walk past that he can't feel his legs to which Horn interjects: 'I just seen you more your legs. You moved your feet. 'I'm tried of dealing with your dumbass, you hear me? 'You're going to that D-Ring and that's where you're going to stay the whole time you are here because I'm sick and tired of fucking dealing with your ass there aints a damn thing wrong with you,' she adds and walks away. The next time Shoemaker arrives to check on Ellis at 1.38 pm later that day, he finds the inmate unresponsive. Shoemaker has claimed in his deposition that he was not aware that Ellis was ill. Shoemaker and Horn return to his cell at 1.40 pm and call EMS. While they wait, they ask other inmates to remove the urine-soaked mattress from the cell and to clean. Ellis does not respond when a paramedic slaps him on the face when they arrive at 2.03 pm. He also shows no detectable blood pressure. The inmate was declared dead from septic shock from pneumonia at 2.51 pm at the hospital. A letter from a fellow inmate in which he claims, 'I think I'm going to die' The lawsuit seeks punitive and compensatory damages in excess of $75,000 for each Former Ottawa County Sheriff Terry Durborow, who was dismissed as a defendant in the case on January 13, blames Nurse Horn for Ellis' death. 'She refused to even go back in there and check on the guy,' Durborow said during the November 18 deposition.' 'She refused to do her job. That's my take on it.' The county has also blamed the staff who they claim did not follow the protocol. 'Plaintiff cannot show that any delay or denial of medical care to Ellis was caused by any policy, practice or custom of the (Ottawa County jail),' the county claimed in a court filing. 'Nor can plaintiff show that any such delay or denial was caused by inadequate training of OCJ staff. 'If they had been followed in this case, Ellis would not have been denied medical attention.' Horn has claimed that her actions did not amount to a constitutional violation in her own defense. 'But an inadvertent failure to provide adequate medical care even if it rises to the level of medical malpractice does not in itself amount to a constitutional violation,' she said in a court filing. The lawsuit seeks punitive and compensatory damages in excess of $75,000 for each, in addition to attorney fees. Durborow and one jailer have been dismissed from the lawsuit. Smolen said he agreed to the dismissal so as not to delay the lawsuit. Attorneys for Horn and Shoemaker are not commenting on the case pending litigation. In a letter to the Smolen, inmate Justin Barret claimed that the jail staff had removed a DVR and hard drives and installed new ones in an attempt to cover up their actions. He wrote that he was 'scared for my life' and 'mentally messed up in the head' after the death. U.S. President Donald Trump's legal team has argued that even if he did attempt to trade military aid to Ukraine in exchange for political favors, it was not grounds for his impeachment and removal from office. Retired professor Alan Dershowitz, a member of the Trump defense team, asserted that every politician equates his or her own interests with the public good and, therefore, "it cannot be impeachable." The argument came during the first day of the question-and-answer segment of the historic impeachment trial of the president in the Senate, only the third such trial in U.S. history. The previous two cases ended with acquittals, and this one appears set for the same result, given that the Republicans control the chamber and that a two-thirds majority is required for conviction. Democrats in the House of Representatives charged on January 18 that Trump "used his official powers to pressure" Ukraine's government to "interfere in a United States election for his personal political gain and then attempted to cover up his scheme by obstructing Congress's investigation into his misconduct." They accuse him of pressuring Kyiv to investigate his political rivals by withholding aid approved by Congress and a desired White House visit until the Ukrainian government made a public announcement of a probe. His team's argument that there is nothing wrong with withholding aid for political favors appears to be a major shift from the previous defense. Until now, Trump and his defenders denied he pressured Kyiv, said there was no "quid pro quo," and called his dealings with Ukraine "perfect." In the Q&A session, Texas Republican Ted Cruz asked if it mattered if there was a quid pro quo -- an exchange of military aid and a White House visit for a political favor. Dershowitz answered that it did not matter because many politicians equate their own reelection with the public good. "That's why it's so dangerous to try to psychoanalyze a president [over his intentions]," he said. Adam Schiff, the Democrat leading the House prosecutors, appeared shocked by Dershowitz's remarks. "All quid pro quos are not the same," he said, adding that some might be acceptable but others not. "And you don't need to be a mind reader to figure out which is which. For one thing, you can ask John Bolton," Schiff said, referring to the former U.S. national-security adviser whose explosive allegations in an upcoming book have shaken up the proceedings. In the book, Bolton quoted Trump as telling him in August that he wanted to withhold $391 million in military aid to Ukraine until Kyiv helped by launching investigations into Democrats, including his potential election opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, and son Hunter Biden, according to The New York Times, which cited the unpublished manuscript. Democrats want to call Bolton to testify, but the White House has opposed the move. A vote is likely over the matter in the Senate, but Republicans have said they are also against calling witnesses to testify. Chuck Schumer, the senior Democrat in the Senate, asked whether the chamber could really deliver a fair verdict without hearing from Bolton or other White House aides. The publication date of the book is now in question, after the White House on January 29 released a letter to Bolton's lawyer objecting to "significant amounts of classified information" in the manuscript, including at the top-secret level. Bolton and the lawyer have insisted that the book does not contain any classified information. Meanwhile, Republicans expressed hope that the trial could end on January 31, without calling witnesses. John Barrasso, the No. 3 Republican senator in seniority, said that "the momentum is clearly in the direction of moving to final judgment on Friday." "We still have a couple members who said they want to listen to the answers to questions, but that's where the momentum is," Barrasso said. With reporting by AP and Reuters STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Hanging out on a bench with a loaded gun on an autumn afternoon proved to be a bad move for a New Brighton man. Lawrence Williams, 43, faces two years in prison after pleading guilty to a weapon charge stemming from his arrest on Oct. 2, 2018. The events unfolded around 3:45 p.m. when police responded to a 911 call of a man with a firearm sitting on a bench in front of 1075 Castleton Ave., according to an NYPD spokesman. The building is part of the West Brighton Houses. Members of the 120th Precinct Anti-Crime Unit saw and stopped Williams, who fit the description. Cops found a loaded InterArms Star .380 semiautomatic pistol in Williams possession, police said. Williams was taken into custody without incident, said the spokesman. He was indicted on charges of criminal weapon possession and criminal firearm possession. The defendant pleaded guilty Tuesday in state Supreme Court, St. George, to attempted second-degree criminal weapon possession to resolve his case. In exchange, hell be sentenced on March 26 to two years in prison and 18 months post-release supervision. Defense lawyer Craig Newman declined comment on the case. Assistant District Attorney Travis Atkinson is prosecuting the case. Reuters Samsung Electronics Co is counting on a gradual recovery in memory chip demand from data centers and 5G smartphone makers to help it bounce back in 2020 after sliding to its worst operating profit in four years. But in a guarded outlook, the worlds biggest memory chip and smartphone maker said on Thursday it couldnt rule out the possibility that demand growth may be curbed amid lingering tensions on US-China trade and looming fears of the economic impact of the new coronavirus outbreak in China and beyond. The conservative forecast failed to satisfy investors hoping for a brighter outlook, and the companys shares ended down 3.2 percent, having fallen as much as 3.9 percent at one point, while the Seoul market benchmark was off 1.7 percent. Samsung, which counts smartphone rivals Apple Inc and Huawei Technologies Co as customers for its chips and displays, said fourth-quarter operating profit slumped to 7.16 trillion won ($6.13 billion) on weaker chip demand, down 34 percent from the same period a year earlier. That was in line with its own estimate, though net profit for the quarter skidded 38 percent to 5.2 trillion won, meaning Samsung missed analysts estimate of 5.6 trillion won. The October-December quarter marks the end of a year marred by bloated stockpiles of chips that squeezed prices, and the US-China trade war that roiled global supply chains and prospects for consumer demand. For the year, the South Korean conglomerate posted operating profit of 27.8 trillion won, its lowest since 2015. Samsung said it also expected January-March earnings to fall from the preceding quarter, reflecting low seasonal demand for chips and displays. Speaking during a conference call, a Samsung chip executive flagged uncertainties in chip demand. The macroeconomic and geopolitical concerns are showing signs of easing recently, but we cant rule out the possibility that the situation would deteriorate, said Han Jin-man, senior vice president at Samsungs semiconductor business unit. He didnt identify specific issues that could affect the company. Virus outbreak In contrast with Samsungs modest forecast, chip peers like Intel Corp and TSMC earlier offered positive outlooks, fuelling hopes of a rebound in chip prices after a slide that started in late 2018. Samsung offered a conservative outlook for the memory market, and there is a disconnect between market views and the company views when it comes to strength of the recovery, said Park Sung-soon, an analyst at Cape Investment & Securities. Meanwhile, after posting strong results, Apple earlier this week flagged uncertainty created by the coronavirus outbreak in China which economists fear could hurt the global economy. (Also read: Everything there is to know about the new coronavirus, the mystery virus from Wuhan, China) On Thursday Samsung Electronics, which has chip, display and home appliance plants in China, declined to comment on the impact of the outbreak on demand. In a statement to Reuters, it said it had extended a holiday closure for some factories in line with Chinese government guidance. But supplier Samsung SDI, which makes phone batteries and materials for chips and displays, said it expects current-quarter earnings to be adversely affected by the virus outbreak. Fourth-quarter operating profit more than halved to 3.45 trillion won in Samsungs mainstay chip division, while its mobile division profit surged by two-thirds to 2.52 trillion won, thanks to strong sales of flagship models and a revamp of its mid- and lower-end A series line-up. Samsung said the actual pace of 5G network expansion and its effects on memory demand remains to be seen, although the company sees demand picking up around mass-market 5G models. It said it aims to expand its presence in the 5G network equipment market in the United States, while continuing to look at the possibility of entering the European market. This week Britain granted Huawei a limited role in developing the countrys 5G mobile network, frustrating a global attempt by the United States to exclude the Chinese telecoms giant from the Wests next-generation communications. Thirty-years ago, while everyone would enjoy the conviviality of much awaited recess, a kid from Raipur used to sit alone. He did not have the luxury of bringing food due to his familys penurious condition. One day, an empathetic lady teacher sensed the loneliness of the child and since then always handed over her tiffin-box to that kid. That boy, Aijaz Dhebar, now 39, is Raipur Mayor, the first Muslim in Chhattisgarh to hold this post. His teacher, Iccha Madam, now in her seventies, recalls Dhebars days of penury and says that in the last 30 years he has never missed teachers day. He is among the first to ring door bell of my house and wish me teachers day, she said. Those were difficult days for us...My father was just a worker in a shop and he had 10 children and therefore, we could not afford lunch in school. Every day, I used to pray to God before recess..I felt humiliated, Dhebar recalls, sitting in Mayors Chamber in the White House -- the municipal corporation building in Raipur. Later, my father opened a scarp shop in Muadhapara and then our familys financial condition started improving, he says. Dhebar got interested in politics when he was 16. One day, my elder brother instructed me to help a candidate who was fighting for municipal election and it was my first foray in politics. My brother, Haneef Dhebar, was close to Ajit Jogi and later I came close to some of senior leaders of Congress... I was made Baijnathpara ward president of Congress in 1995-96, Dhebar said. Dhebar became close to Jogi, who appointed him state president of National Students Union of India in 2001. In 2006-07, I moved away from Jogi family due to personal reasons, he says. Then I got in touch with Charandas Mahant, who gave me a post in Congress. I worked across the state and organized protests and events against the BJP government, Dhebar claims. But, Dhebar earned an image of rowdy in Chhattisgarh politics, which he vehemently denies. There is was only case against me, in which I have been exonerated, he says. But, his rivals in the Congress say he has an image of nuisance creator in the party. I am sure by next assembly election the party will realize its mistake of making Dhebar mayor. He will have a negative impact on all the four assembly seats of the city, a says a senior Congress leader, preferring anonymity. But, those close to Dhebar said his image of an aggressor is result of his political fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the saffron partys rule in the state for 15 years. He fought on the streets when BJP was in power and therefore he is often described as an aggressive person. Each and every protest organised by Congress was either led by Vikas Upadhyay (now an MLA) or DhebarI have seen him since he was ward president of Congress party in the city...He is always devoted towards for the party and its objective, said Sandeep Sahu, a coordinator of Other Backward Classes wing of All Indian Congress Committee (AICC). Dhebar claims that his image was distorted by some people for vested interest. If my image was so bad, I would not have won by the highest margin in municipal election in the state, he says in his defence. BJP leaders alleged that Dhebar became Mayor because he was close to those in power in Chhattisgarh. During legislative elections, he threatened Congress leader PL Punia and was denied a party ticket after which he ransacked the Congress office. This shows that who has promoted him. He handles all the big mining projects for some important persons in Congress. His image is of a trader not a politician, Gauri Shankar Srivas, BJP spokesperson, claiming that Dhebar got Mayors post because of CM Bhupesh Baghel. Dhebar had no qualms in agreeing with Srivas on this. In the era when there is big debate on Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register for Citizens (NRC) across the country, Bhupesh ji trusted me, he said. In his own words, Dhebar has seen meteoric financial rise. From a family, which was not able to provide him lunch in school, he now owns a lush hotel in Raipur and has invested in at least 10 construction projects in the city. Ye sab apni mehnat se kiya hai (All this I have got through my hard work)... Not a single paisa is illegally earned, he says, claiming that he delves in real estate and hospitability business. Political commentator, Nand Kashyap, said he has earned his position. He has been very active since the state was formed and held many dharnas and protests against the previous BJP government. I will not call his appointment as Muslim appeasement. I think, he deserved the post, Kashyap said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Despite various challenges and headwinds facing the nations energy industry, 2019 proved to be a record-setting year. Those records were detailed in the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Associations annual State of Energy report, issued Wednesday and offering an analysis of the US and Texas energy industries. According to the US Energy Information Administration, the annual average US crude oil production reached a record-setting 12.2 million barrels per day. Texas also set records for crude production, producing 1.8 billion barrels in 2019 and breaking the record set in 2018. The states natural gas production broke a 47-year-old record, totaling 10.1 trillion cubic feet, surpassing the 9.6 trillion cubic feet record set in 1972. Texas also far surpassed other producing states in terms of employment and wages. The state accounted for 40 percent of all oil and gas employment in the US in 2019, supporting 361,271 direct jobs, a net increase of 5,550 jobs over 2018. In Oklahoma, 398 jobs were added for a total of 68,468 jobs, and New Mexico added 758 jobs for a total of 24,720 jobs. The report noted that 2020 and 2021 may not see production records as production growth is expected to slow as cash flow constraints prompt operators to reduce activities in the coming years. The report cites Enverus forecast that US production growth will be 650,000 barrels a day in 2020 and a similar amount in 2021, down from the additional 1 million barrels of production seen in 2019 and 1.9 million barrels a day in 2018. As the industry adjusts to a cash flow yield model, the significant growth in domestic production experienced over the past few years will slow in 2020 and 2021, but we will continue to see an increase in output, along with growing global demand, for many years to come, Ed Longanecker, TIPRO president, told the Reporter-Telegram by email. Asked if slowing production growth could help address concerns about the environment and climate, he pointed to the nations success in reducing emissions while reaching record-setting levels of crude production. Methane emissions from onshore U.S. oil and natural gas production dropped 24 percent, while oil and natural gas production rose 65 percent and 19 percent, respectively, from 2011 to 2017, according to data from the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Energy Information Administration, he wrote. These positive energy emission trends are primarily attributable to voluntary actions from operators, including investment of over $300 billion in greenhouse gas mitigating technologies by US oil and natural gas companies over the past 20 years. Cleaner operations, facilities and products all are part of this sectors commitment to responsibly develop our nations energy resources. International trade the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement and the Phase 1 trade deal with China - and government policies such as recent changes to the Waters of the US definition were also part of the report. Longanecker wrote in his email that the accord with China will outweigh the current impact of the coronavirus in China. Fear and panic are natural reactions to the coronavirus, but its true impact on energy demand is a difficult issue to forecast. China is the worlds largest importer of oil and second largest importer of liquefied natural gas. The virus could certainly reduce demand in the short term, but the overall impact for 2020 should be minimal. Also, if the SARS outbreak in 2003 is any indication, demand concerns are likely overblown. Once the outbreak is under control, supply and demand fundamentals will naturally correct market conditions. In the long-term, the signing of the first phase of the China trade deal will have a positive impact on US oil and natural gas exports. The energy trade section of the deal commits China to increasing its purchases of US crude oil, refined products, liquefied natural gas and coal from levels seen in 2017, a high point for U.S. exporters before the trade war began to strain bilateral relationships. The countries agreed that shipments should increase from the 2017 level by no less than $18.5 billion in 2020 and will be at least $33.9 billion above the same baseline in 2021, he wrote. Asked what he expects to be in TIPROs report this time next year, Longanecker replied, While we can expect growth in production, capital constraints will continue to have a negative impact on many operators, leading to a reduction in employment, and potentially additional bankruptcies and further consolidation in the industry. Eventually the oil and gas sector will emerge stronger, more efficient and resilient, but it may look very different in the years to come. What does Oil & Gas mean for Texas? Advertisement Google has become the latest tech firm to ramp up measures to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus among its employees in China. The company confirmed Wednesday that it is temporarily shutting down all of its China offices due to the outbreak, The Verge reported. The shutdown includes all offices in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Google is also restricting employees from traveling to the countries and urged any employees currently in China and Hong Kong to return home and spend two weeks working from home before returning to the office. Google has become the latest tech firm to ramp up measures to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus in China. The company confirmed Wednesday that it is temporarily shutting down all of its China offices due to the outbreak, including the Beijing office (above) Passengers wear face masks to protect against the spread of the coronavirus as they arrive on a flight from Asia at Los Angeles International Airport, California, on Wednesday. The death toll for coronavirus reached at least 132 by Wednesday morning, all of them in China This comes as the death toll for coronavirus stood at at least 132 by Wednesday morning, all of them in China. Almost 6,000 others have been infected worldwide. The tech giant's China offices are already closed for the Lunar New Year holiday, which the Chinese government announced on Monday it was extending to February 2 in the hope that this will encourage people to stay in their homes, reducing the spread of the disease. The holidays had been due to end on January 30. Google's decision to close down its offices indefinitely comes as several other tech firms have also taken steps to protect their workers in the region. Electronics firm LG issued a blanket ban on employees traveling to China and instructed all employees currently in China to return home Wednesday. This followed Apple CEO Tim Cook's announcement on Tuesday live on an earnings call with investors that it was suspending travel to China, is measuring employees temperatures regularly, and that at least one Apple store in China had been closed. Almost all of the big players have offices in China, given the country's rapid growth in the tech industry over the last two decades and its large manufacturing hub. According to Google, it has four offices in China based in Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai, and one office in Hong Kong and Taiwan. According to Google, it has four offices in China based in Guangzhou, Beijing (above) and Shanghai, and one office in Hong Kong and Taiwan. The shutdown includes all offices in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Google is also restricting employees from traveling to the countries and urged any employees currently in China and Hong Kong to return home and spend two weeks working from home before returning to the office A couple wears a face mask to prevent infections at a street market in Hong Kong. Several other tech firms have started taking steps to protect their workers in China and Hong Kong, with electronics firm LG and Apple both suspending travel this week The offices in mainland China focus on sales and engineering for its advertising business, CNBC reported. Google has had something of a tumultuous relationship with China over the years. In 2010 the tech firm ended its search product in China and was effectively blocked from the country. It then emerged in 2018 that the company was planning to launch a censored version of its search engine for China, to comply with the countries laws. Google employees protested against the plans and demanded more transparency from their employer to understand the ethical consequences of their work. The company then announced it was axing the plans. Google's decision to take steps to protect its employees from contracting coronavirus was announced the same day as an evacuation flight bringing 201 Americans home from the Chinese city at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak landed at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, California. More than 6,000 people have been infected globally with the virus traced to a seafood market in the central city of Wuhan that was illegally selling wildlife and 133 people have died Passengers are seen deplaning after arriving at March Air Force Base in Riverside, California, on an evacuation flight from the coronavirus outbreak epicenter in Wuhan on Wednesday morning The plane chartered by the US government to fly diplomats and private citizens back from Wuhan touched down at the air base just after 8am PST Wednesday. Officials in hazmat suits were seen approaching the plane on the tarmac before passengers - including a number of small children - began filing out and stepping into awaiting buses. The passengers will now undergo health screenings and be quarantined at the base for 72 hours as they complete the repatriation process. They've already undergone four screenings over the course of the journey - two before departure in Wuhan and another two during a refueling stop in Anchorage, Alaska, late Tuesday night. The plane was originally scheduled to fly to Ontario International Airport in Ontario, California, but was diverted to the air base 25 miles away without explanation late on Tuesday night. Meanwhile in China, the death toll continues to rise and several countries - including the US and UK - have advised against non-essential travel to the nation. More than 6,000 people have been sickened by the deadly strain in at least 18 countries amid an international effort to stop the spread. China has cut off access to Wuhan and 16 other cities in Hubei province to prevent people from leaving and spreading the virus further. In addition to the United States, countries including Japan and South Korea have also planned evacuations. There are said to be 1,000 Americans living in Wuhan - but only 201 ended up on the flight which could hold up to 240. Officials have not said why the plane was not full. The CDC and Department of Health and Human Service says screening will take place at 20 airports, for the deadly coronavirus that has sickened five patients in the US and three in Canada The State Department announced (pictured) that it is evacuating US citizens from Wuhan on Tuesday Sources earlier said the US could suspend flights from China to the States amid the outbreak. CNBC reported that the White House has told airline executives that it's considering suspending flights. Government officials reportedly made phone calls to executives at major US carriers Tuesday and said a temporary ban is possible. United Airlines, which has around a dozen daily flights, on Tuesday said it would cancel more flights to China and Hong Kong as the outbreak worsens. British Columbia's first victim is a man in his 40s, who 'travels regularly to China for work and was in Wuhan city on his most recent trip,' and developed symptoms after returning to Vancouver earlier this month. The North American cases include five diagnosed in the US, where screening has been expanded to 20 airports, authorities from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a press conference on Tuesday. 'Right now, there is no spread of this virus in our communities at home,' Dr Robert Redfield, director of the CDC told reporters on Tuesday. 'The coming days and weeks are likely to bring more cases including the possibility of person-to-person spread. Our goal is to contain this virus and prevent sustained spread of the virus in our country.' Since the outbreak began in December 2019 in the city of Wuhan, more than 6,000 cases have been confirmed in at least 18 countries and territories and 132 people, all in China, have died - up from the previously reported 106. Five people in the US have fallen ill already and officials say there is evidence of human-to-human transmission, although new concerns have been raised that the virus can spread even when patients don't have symptoms. Encouragingly, Dr Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health said the agency is studying a 'candidate vaccine,' modeled after an experimental one developed amid the 2003 outbreak of SARS, a coronavirus cousin of the current infection. But the first stage of human testing isn't expected to begin for several months. He added that several drugs are being used in China to try treat coronavirus patients under 'compassionate use,' but there is no proof of the efficacy that the medications will work. The US Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday that they will begin trying to identify sick passengers from China at 15 other 'quarantine stations.' Pictured, left to right: CDC director Robert Redfield, HHS Secretary Alex Azar, Nancy Messonnier from the CDC and Anthony Fauci from the National Institutes of Health at a press conference on Tuesday Several drugs are being tried to treat people with coronavirus but there is no evidence of their efficacy Pictured: Medical staff wearing protective clothing to protect against a previously unknown coronavirus arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital The National Institutes of Health is working on a vaccine, but warn it will be months before one will be tested on humans. Pictured: Paramilitary officers wearing face masks at Tiananmen Gate in Beijing on Monday During the press conference, HHS Secretary Alex Azar said the US was urging more cooperation from China with international health organizations. 'We are urging China - more cooperation and transparency are the most important steps you can take toward a more effective response,' he told reporters. Azar said that the US had tried three times to send assistance to China, but that the government declined. 'On January the sixth, we offered to send a CDC team to China that could assist with these public health efforts,' said Azar. 'I reiterated that offer when I spoke to China's minister of health on Monday, and it was reiterated again via the World Health Organization's leadership today in Beijing.' As Azar made these statements, the WHO revealed that China has agreed to allow the agency to send international experts there 'as soon as possible.' In a tweet, the WHO said its director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and the two men discussed 'collaboration on containment measure, public health measures in other cities and provinces, and conducting further studies on the severity and transmissibility' of the virus. First reported in China in December 2019, the strain, known as 2019-nCov, is believed to have emerged from illegally traded wildlife at a seafood market in Wuhan, a city 700 miles south of the capital of Beijing. Aside from China and the US, cases have been confirmed in Australia, Cambodia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, the UAE and Vietnam. Cases are also suspected in Mexico, Colombia, the Philippines and the UK. China has urged its own citizens to delay trips abroad, with at least 15 countries having confirmed cases of the disease. The United Arab Emirates reported the first known case in the Middle East on Wednesday. British Airways was the first major airline to announce a total suspension of flights to and from China, citing the travel advice of the UK foreign office. 'We apologise to customers for the inconvenience, but the safety of our customers and crew is always our priority,' the airline said in a statement. Indonesia's Lion Air Group, Southeast Asia's biggest carrier by fleet size, then said it would halt services to and from China from Saturday 'until further notice'. Meanwhile Kazakhstan, an important China trade partner, announced it would halt cross-border passenger train traffic, suspend regular flights between the neighbours, and stop issuing visas to Chinese citizens over the coming days. HHS Secretary Alex Azar said the US has offered to send medical experts to China three times, but the government has declined. Pictured: Medical staff in Wuhan wear protective clothing and escort a patient (second from left) to a hospital Travelers are screened on a thermographic monitor at the Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport in Aceh Besar Regency in Indonesia for coronavirus on Monday On Tuesday, the WHO said China was finally allowing international experts to visit 'as soon as possible.' Pictured: Patients undergo treatment at Wuhan Central Hospital on Saturday Members of the medical team communicate with a coronavirus patient at Hankou Hospital in Wuhan on Monday 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 HEALTH OFFICIALS INVESTIGATE 110 CASES IN THE US It appears that all of the US patients currently awaiting test results showed symptoms consistent with the virus - such as fever, cough and runny nose - had either visited Wuhan recently or were in contact with someone who visited the city. CONFIRMED US CORONAVIRUS CASES 1. Man in Washington state The first US coronavirus case was confirmed on Tuesday, January 21. The patient - a Washington man in his 30s who lives in Snohomish County - has been quarantined at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, outside of Seattle. The man had traveled by himself from Wuhan but did not visit any of the markets at the epicenter of the outbreak. He reportedly had no symptoms upon arrival in the US on January 15, but after reading about the outbreak online and developing symptoms, he contacted his doctor. The patient allegedly sought treatment on January 16 and was tested the following day. He is said to be in stable condition. He is being treated in a bio-containment room by a few staff members and a robot to limit the spread of the virus. The robot has a stethoscope attached to take the man's vitals and a large screen so doctors can communicate with him, Dr George Diaz, chief of the infectious disease division at the Providence Regional Medical Center, told CNN. 'The nursing staff in the room move the robot around so we can see the patient in the screen, talk to him,' Dr Diaz told the network. Officials have also been monitoring more than a dozen people the man reportedly came into contact with in the five days between when he arrived back in the US and when he was diagnosed. 2. Woman in Chicago The CDC confirmed the second US case on Friday - a 60-year-old woman in Chicago, Illinois, who had traveled to Wuhan in late December. The woman, who has not been named, arrived at O'Hare International Airport on January 13 but did not begin experiencing symptoms until several days later. Health officials say the woman appears to be 'well' and in stable condition. The unidentified patient is currently in isolation at St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. 3. Patient in California Orange County Health Care Agency announced that a patient in California had tested positive for novel coronavirus. The agency said the patient had traveled from Wuhan and reached out to the health care agency prior to being diagnosed. They were given guidance to avoiding exposing the public to the virus while waiting for test results. 'The individual has now been transported to a local hospital and is in isolation in good condition,' added the agency who did not identify the patient. 'In consultation with the CDC and the California Department of Public Health, the HCA is following up directly with all individuals who have had close contact with the case and are at risk of infection.' 4. Los Angeles County Case Health officials say that the Los Angeles County patient, had recently returned from the epicenter of the outbreak in Wuhan, China. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said that the infected person presented themselves for testing after feeling unwell, and are 'currently receiving medical treatment'. 5. Arizona Case Officials confirmed a fifth case in Maricopa County, Arizona. No other information was immediately reported about the patient. Advertisement Those patients are believed to have all been isolated either in hospitals or in their homes to reduce the risk of exposing others. US health officials warned on Friday that the flu or other respiratory illnesses could complicate efforts to identify additional cases. 'We're really working to understand the full spectrum of the illness with this coronavirus,' Dr Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Messonnier, said at a briefing. 'The problem with this time of year is it's cold and flu season and there are lots of cold and respiratory infections circulating.' The CDC recommended that anyone with symptoms contact a health-care provider before seeking treatment so the appropriate precautionary measures can be put in place. The agency is trying to expedite screenings by providing up tests to state health officials. It currently takes the CDC about four to six hours to make a diagnosis once a sample arrives at its lab. Two people from Minnesota and three people from Michigan are currently being tested. The patients from Michigan have reportedly agreed to remain in isolation until their tests results return, the Detroit Free Press reported. Also being monitored are two college students, one from Texas A&M University and another from Tennessee Tech University. The Tennessee Department of Health said it decided to test the TTU student because he or she had 'very mild symptoms' and had a recent concerning travel history that met the criteria for testing. No results have been confirmed and the student is being kept in isolation. For the Texas student, Brazos County Health District officials said the male had 'mild' symptoms that resembled the coronavirus and had traveled to Wuhan recently. Results of tests will be announced to the public if the patient tests positive for coronavirus. Officials said the patient is currently being kept isolated at home and that it is safe for student to attend classes. 'This patient did travel to the area of concern in China within the last 14 days and thankfully had mild upper respiratory symptoms, and he was improving,' said Dr Eric Wilke with the Brazos County Health Department. 'I believe the time the patient presented at the emergency department, it was more out of concern,' said Dr Eric Wilke with the Brazos County Health Department. Medical supply stores around the Brazos Valley, where Texas A&M is located, are reportedly experiencing a medical mask shortage after the possible case was reported. Genese Smith, who works at MediCare Equipment in Bryan, just a few miles off campus, told KBTX that an influx of customers came to the store looking for masks on Thursday. 'Within about 30 minutes of word getting out, we started getting phone calls asking if we have the masks, what kind of masks did we have, and how many we had available,' Smith said. 'Quite a few people started coming in, asking, and purchasing.' Smith said the store typically stocks about 50 masks but has already ordered more. Other stores in the area, including Texas A&M's Health Services Department, are also awaiting new shipments of masks after their current stocks ran out, per KBTX. In California, Los Angeles International Airport has been on high alert after a passenger who arrived on Wednesday was sent to hospital after he or she appeared to be ill. The unnamed passenger arrived on an American Airlines flight from Mexico City around 7pm, CBS Los Angeles reported. However, it remains unclear if the passenger is from Mexico City, or if they originated from another city. Several people in the state, particularly in Alameda County and the Bay Area, are also being examined to see if they have the virus that resembles SARS. On Friday, North Carolina's Department of Health and Human Services also reported that it is investigating a case. The suspected patient arrived at Raleigh-Durham International Airport on January 23 after having traveled to Wuhan but not to the seafood market to which many early cases have been linked, according to a news release. Four other potential cases are also under investigation in New York state. In Colorado, a patient with respiratory symptoms was placed in isolation at Lakewood's Centura - St Anthony Hospital after they were found to have recently traveled to Wuhan. In Washington state, where the first US case was confirmed, the Northwest Chinese school in Bellevue called off weekend classes for preschoolers through adults amid concerns about the virus. 'We take the health of our students and families very seriously and think that this is the best course of action,' officials wrote in an email announcing the cancelled classes. On the University of Washington's Seattle campus, a Chinese student association has been distributing face masks and asking students to contribute to efforts to send supplies such as face masks and protective suits to China. Public health entry screenings are currently taking place Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, John F Kennedy International Airport in New York and San Francisco International Airport. So far, 2,400 people have been screened from Hubei province and the CDC is continuing to track airline passengers who took connecting flights now that direct flights are no longer available. The screening begins with a survey to determine whether a traveler shows possible coronavirus symptoms and 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, travelers are taken to on-site triage for further examination and a temperature check. On Monday, San Francisco Mayor London Breed said the city will be activating its emergency operations center in case any coronavirus patients are confirmed to be in the Bay Area, reported the San Francisco Chronicle. Preliminary research suggests the virus was passed to humans from snakes or bats. But Chinese health officials report that cases have been caused by human-to-human transmission. Pictured, left and right: The coronavirus strain Other criminal cases have engulfed the agency in the past year. About 140 miles south of Clarksburg in Beckley, W.Va., a former VA doctor is under investigation on allegations of sexually assaulting as many as 20 of his male patients, another case in which prosecutors have not brought charges. Last summer, a former VA pathologist in Fayetteville, Ark., was indicted on three charges of manslaughter after officials say he misdiagnosed thousands of patients while using drugs or alcohol. He has pleaded not guilty. Delhi to ease restrictions, if Covid cases come down in next 2-3 days: Health Minister Lata Mangeshkar health update: Doctor says,'She in ICU with Covid-19 and pneumonia, will be under observation' Coronavirus confirmed in India: Student who returned from virus-hit Wuhan tests positive in Kerala India oi-Madhuri Adnal Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 30: India on Thursday reported its first positive case of the novel coronavirus in Kerala. The infected person has been tested positive of 2019-nCoV. The patient has been identified as a student who was studying at Wuhan University in China. The patient is stable and is being closely monitored. However, several airports have still not reportedly installed thermal screening. Explained: How thermal screening is used to diagnose disease? At least 806 people who returned from China over the past few days are under observation in Kerala for possible exposure to the novel coronavirus, Health officials said here on Wednesday. Out of the total of 806 people, 173 had arrived in the state on Wednesday. While 10 of them are under observation in isolation wards at various hospitals across the state, the remaining are under home quarantine. Health Minister K K Shylaja has asked those who have returned from China to avoid travelling to other places and keep themselves under self-quarantine for 28 days. The health department also gave the phone number, 0471- 255-2056, to make available the details of the hospitals arranged for treatment with isolation wards. The medical bulletin said that at least 19 people had been admitted in various hospitals since the past one week, of whom nine were discharged after a medical checkup. EU Parliament postpones voting on resolution against CAA, India hails it as diplomatic win|Oneindia A three-member central team had visited Kerala on January 27 and 28 and held a meeting with Kerala Health authorities, including Principal Health Secretary Dr Rajan N Khobragade, and discussed the preventive measures taken against the backdrop of the Coronavirus outbreak in China's Wuhan province. A thermal screening facility was opened at the Thiruvananthapuram airport on Tuesday to scan passengers coming from the neighbouring country, they told reporters. Meanwhile, all the three men kept under observation at an isolation ward of the RML Hospital here for possible exposure to novel coronavirus have tested negative, a Health Ministry official said on Thursday. "Their samples were sent for testing to NIV Pune and they have tested negative," the official said. Coronavirus: 3 men kept in isolation ward of RML test negative With China struggling to contain the fast-spreading novel coronavirus, the Union Health Ministry had on Wednesday urged Indians to refrain from travelling to China. The advisory further urged all travellers to China to monitor their health closely. A 24x7 helpline number (011-23978046) to redress any queries related the respiratory infection has been set up. India is planning to evacuate its nationals, mostly students, stuck in Wuhan, the epicentre of the viral outbreak. As part of the preparedness, India has also increased the number of airports for the thermal screening of passengers to 21 from seven. The new airports include those at Gaya, Guwahati, Vizag, Varanasi, Goa, Bhubaneshwar and Lucknow. The Health Ministry has also made four more laboratories functional other than the NIV-Pune for testing samples. The four lab facilities for testing samples have been made functional at Alleppey, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai. Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Tuesday reviewed the preparedness to deal with the deadly virus after which the government said India has made a formal request to China for facilitating the evacuation of Indians from Wuhan. Explained: The new SARS-like virus and Chinas biological warfare India has been making all efforts to detect and check the spread of the virus even as more than a dozen countries around the world have confirmed cases of the deadly virus. Several states including Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan have kept some people, with travel history to China, under observation after they showed novel coronavirus-like symptoms. India, the US, the UK and Germany have already issued travel advisories against travelling to China. Beijing too has been asking Chinese not to travel at home and abroad in view of the virus. Besides India, several other countries including the US, France, Japan, South Korea, are making arrangements to airlift their nationals from central Hubei province and its capital city Wuhan. Over 23,000 Indian students of which 21,000 are medical students are studying in China. Symptoms of Coronavirus: It is similar to any other upper-respiratory infection, that includes: Runny nose, sneezing, coughing, exacerbated asthma, sore throat and sometimes a fever. In most cases, you won't know whether you have a coronavirus or a common cold. In advanced cases, the patient can have very serious complications, which can lead to death, such as: Severe pneumonia, Renal (Kidney) failure. The defendant was stabbed in the stomach, a witness said. A 23-year-old construction site worker has appeared in court accused of attempting to murder a man in Londonderry. Andrew Carlin from the Shantallow area is charged in connection with the incident at a house in Cornshell Fields in December, 2019.. Carlin, from Amelia Court, is accused of attempting to murder the 40-year-old man. He is also charged with wounding the man with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm, possessing a knife with intent to commit attempted murder, and the aggravated burglary of a house at Cornshell Fields with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm on the man while in possession of a knife. He is further charged with the aggravated burglary of the same house and stealing a mobile phone valued at 230. All of the offences are alleged to have occurred on December 2. At Derry Magistrates Court, a police officer told Deputy District Judge Liam McStay that in the early hours of December 2, police received a 999 call from a woman in Cornshell Fields who said the defendant had stabbed a man. Police and paramedics found the victim in an upstairs bedroom applying pressure to a wound in his stomach. The police officer said a female witness described how two men, with their faces partially covered, had forced their way into the victims house. She told the police she had recognised the defendant by his eyes and that his accomplice had shouted shoot him. The witness said the defendant was armed with either a sword or machete and that he struck the victim in the stomach. Both men then ran out of the house and left the estate in a car driven by a third man. The police witness said since the reported incident the police had been trying to locate the defendant until he attended Strand Road Police Station on Wednesday. Applying for bail a defence solicitor said there was neither forensic nor reliable identification evidence against him. He said that since the alleged offences occurred, police had only called twice at the defendants home and that the defendant had voluntarily attended Strand Road Police Station on Wednesday night. He said the defendant had been interviewed three times and denied the allegations. Granting bail the Deputy District Judge said he was not satisfied that the police had been actively seeking the defendant nor was he satisfied that the defendant had been evading the police. He described the identification of the defendants eyes by the female witness as vulnerable. The defendant was then released on his own bail of 500 together with a surety of 750 to appear in court again on March 12. PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - Cambodias leader urged people Thursday to remain calm about the new virus from China while threatening to kick out reporters or officials seen wearing a face mask. Prime Minister Hun Sen said in a live televised address that people should not be scared because the real illness they faced was fear, based on inaccurate information on social media. The prime minister does not wear a mask, so why should you be wearing a mask here, he said. Hun Sen, who very actively posts on Facebook, was critical about misinformation about the virus on the social media site. He said the scarier illness was the irresponsible sharing of stories online that caused people without understanding of the virus to panic. Hun Sen appeared to be referring to unverified social media reports about sicknesses and deaths from the virus in Cambodia. The Southeast Asian country has reported one confirmed case, a Chinese man who travelled from the city hardest-hit by the outbreak. Hun Sen also announced he would not ban direct flights between Cambodia and China, saying that would disturb relations between them and hurt the economy of the country, which hosts many Chinese investors and tourists. People should not discriminate against the Chinese, he said. Chinas own efforts to curb travel were an effective measure against the disease, Hun Sen said. Several foreign airlines have cut or stopped flights to China on their own initiative. Beijing is the main foreign supporter of Hun Sens authoritarian government, supplying major amounts of aid and investment. Cambodia in turn supports Chinas position on issues such as the South China Sea, where Beijings territorial claims overlap with other governments. Hun Sen turned to a traditional saying to make the point that none of his countrymen have been reported to have caught the illness. Why would we need to be afraid of tigers dung since we are not scared of the tiger? he said. There is no one who died, and not a single Cambodian contracting the virus, it happened only to a Chinese man. The man, who had travelled to Cambodia from Wuhan, was now almost recovered, Hun Sen said. The proposal granting state lawmakers the authority to expand to 55 senators could be debated by the full Legislature as early as next week. Speaker Jim Scheer's proposed constitutional amendment (LR279CA) advanced from the Legislature's Executive Board to general file Thursday morning on a 6-1 vote. Two senators, Ernie Chambers and Tony Vargas, both of Omaha, abstained. Lincoln Sen. Kate Bolz cast the lone dissenting vote during a brief executive session. If the proposal wins approval in three rounds of debate, including 30 votes during the third and final round, it would be placed on the general election ballot in November. If a majority of Nebraskans approve of the measure, future Legislatures could adopt legislation to create as many as six additional districts. Scheer said the proposal would improve representation, both by reducing the number of constituents per state senator and shrinking the size of legislative districts. Sen. John Stinner of Gering said before Thursday's vote he believes the proposed amendment has merit, particularly if it means more senators to represent western Nebraska. But Chambers said any future additional senators would represent areas where the population demonstrates a need not to alone split up the western districts which can stretch hundreds of miles end-to-end. Lincoln Sen. Mike Hilgers said the constitutional amendment will get a priority designation from the Executive Board, meaning it could be scheduled for debate early next week. Reach the writer at 402-473-7120 or cdunker@journalstar.com. On Twitter @ChrisDunkerLJS Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 - Tactful studies have proven that Africa is the true origin of mathematics, which is one of the most relevant subjects in the world - Evidence gathered from Egypt, Mali, Congo, Swaziland and more show that many ancient mathematical devices had been used in Africa more than 25,000 years ago - Great monuments such as the pyramids of Egypt also buttress the point, as the building of such great structures requires deep application of mathematics Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in Careful studies in recent years have revealed that one of the world's most relevant subjects, mathematics, was invented in Africa and not from the foreign world as many Eurocentric myths have suggested in the past. According to Libertywritersafrica.com historical facts, archaeological evidence, and artifacts, lend credence to the origination of mathematics from ancient Africa, more than 25,000 years ago. A good mass of the historic evidence comes from the mountains of Swaziland and the headwaters of the Nile River in the north-eastern part of Congo. READ ALSO: Top gym instructor dies hours after jokingly posting about death on Facebook It is indicated that numbering, counting, measuring and other basic numerical forms were applied by ancient Africans in these areas over 25 millenniums ago. There were also discoveries that suggest early attempts to quantify time in those ages. Specifically, some of the discoveries that have sent strong signals about Africa being the origin of Mathematics include the Lebombo bone, the Ishango bone, series of tally marks carved in columns, the Tellem weavers of Mali, and others. The Lebombo bone, for instance, is regarded as the worlds oldest recorded and proven measuring and mathematical device. On the other hand, the Ishango bone is reported to represent either the earliest known representation of prime numbers or a six-month lunar calendar. READ ALSO: Jobless new convert boldly challenges pastor in middle of sermon in latest video To prove the discovery, even more, the systems of measurement used in the African forest kingdoms, and the mathematics used in building the great stone complexes of Zimbabwe as well as the great accuracy of the dimensions of the pyramids still gives rise to wonder and strengthens the evidential value of the African origin of mathematics. The accuracy of the Egyptian value for (the constant ratio of circumference to diameter of any circle) was probably a result of theoretical analysis of squaring a circle and confirmation of experiment and accurate measurement. The Egyptian value for pi was 3.16, much closer to the modern 3.14, gives credence to the African roots of mathematics. READ ALSO: Kenyan woman emotionally narrates struggle of living with a beard In other historic news, Isaac R. Johnson, a Black man who was born in New York around 1812 was the person who invented and patented the bicycle. A report by Urbanintellectuals.com indicates that it was a great challenge to patent an invention, especially in the late 1800s as a Black man. It was against all odds that Isaac R. Johnson succeeded in this challenge and successfully patented the bicycle frame on October 10, 1899. Enjoy reading our stories? Download YEN's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news! This is what makes 4-year-old Nii Omanye aka Kwame Nkrumah the smartest child in Ghana| #Yencomgh Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-31 00:29:53|Editor: yan Video Player Close DAR ES SALAAM, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said on Thursday the east African nation has taken several measures to fight off invasion of desert locusts from neighboring countries. "Authorities have already contacted their counterparts in Kenya to see how the country can fight off the invasion of the locusts that feed on food crops and vegetation," Majaliwa told the National Assembly in the capital Dodoma. He made the statement in reaction to swarms of locusts that have invaded several parts of neighboring Kenya and Uganda, destroying several hectares of vegetation and food crops. On January 22, the Minister for Agriculture, Japhet Hasunga, said Tanzania was on high alert to fight off swarms of the locusts that were wreaking havoc to food crops in neighboring Kenya. Hasunga said a team of experts from the ministry were already on high alert to drive away the locusts in case they crossed over from Kenya. "We are monitoring the situation for 24 hours. Experts have put in place measures to drive away the locusts that feed on food crops and vegetation," said Hasunga. He said priority in fighting off the destructive locusts has been given to regions on border areas but the experts were also vigilant in other regions that were not situated on border areas. Media reports from Kenya said the invasion of the locusts in the country posed a threat of acute hunger in the country that has experienced recurrent droughts. "The current Desert Locust situation remains extremely alarming and represents an unprecedented threat to food security and livelihoods in the Horn of Africa," said the Food and Agriculture Organization in its latest statement. Good morning. (Heres the sign-up, if you dont already get California Today by email.) The name Boalt Hall is set to be removed today from the University of California Berkeleys law school after a yearslong process that determined, in essence, that the school should no longer honor a man whose most notable work was rooted in racist views. We have to remember the racism that John Boalt expressed, Erwin Chemerinsky, the law schools dean, told me recently. But that doesnt mean we honor him by putting his name on the building. The move to drop a name that has been used for decades by students and alumni of one of the countrys most prestigious law schools comes as institutions around the country are grappling with what to do with schools, buildings and chair positions that are named for people whose legacies dont stand up to modern scrutiny. [Read more about campus controversies over historical figures.] Mr. Chemerinsky said he became aware of Mr. Boalts history in mid-2017, after The San Francisco Chronicle published an opinion piece by the lawyer and Berkeley law lecturer Charles Reichmann, detailing how the law school building came to be named after Mr. Boalt. The pair appeared before Belfast Magistrates' Court on Thursday (Niall Carson/PA) Two men were remanded into custody on Thursday charged in connection with a 1 million cannabis seizure in Belfast. Luis Miguel leong, 61, and Ming Liang He, 29, were arrested after police stopped a car on the Ravenhill Road in the city on Tuesday, January 28. Follow-up searches at a property in the city led to the discovery of suspected drugs. According to police, the haul has an estimated street value of up to 1 million. Ieong, a Portuguese with an address in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, and He, a Chinese national of no listed address, appeared together at Belfast Magistrates' Court. Both men face charges of possessing and conspiracy to supply Class B drugs. They are also jointly accused of having criminal property, with the allegation against He specifying 70,000 in cash. He faces a further count of possessing a false identity document. During the brief hearing the allegations were put to them through a Mandarin interpreter. Defence solicitors Pearse MacDermott, representing He, and Matt Higgins, for Ieong, confirmed their clients were not seeking bail at this stage. Deputy District Judge Gerry Trainor remanded both accused in custody to appear again by video-link in four weeks time. The Treasury Department has announced sanctions on the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and its head Ali Akbar Salehi as the US continues its pressure campaign on Tehran after ditching the international Iran nuclear deal. Though the Trump administration has accused Salehi and his organization of striving to produce a nuclear weapon, the AEOI also oversees the civilian nuclear sector in Iran. The sanctions are the latest in a string of economic penalties applied to Iran since the US unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA, or Iran nuclear deal) in 2018, after accusing Tehran of noncompliance. Iran has responded by gradually rolling back its own commitments, but it has continued working with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Iran scrapped all of the limitations imposed by the agreement this month, following the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani by the US. Salehi first led the AEOI between 2009 and 2010, and he has been in charge ever since his second stint began in 2013. Before his appointment to Irans nuclear agency, he represented Iran in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Under Salehis leadership, Iran was deemed by the IAEA to be complying with all of the JCPOAs requirements as recently as last year, even as the US argued otherwise. Moreover, multiple US and IAEA assessments have failed to link Salehis organization with Irans alleged nuclear weapons program. North Korea is believed to have built a large tunnel in Ryanggang Province near the border with China that appears to be an underground missile base. The U.S. and South Korea are monitoring the facility, which experts believe could be part of a cluster of North Korean missile bases being built underground to avoid aerial attacks. According to a government source on Wednesday, the 10 m-wide tunnel was spotted just 6 km from the Chinese border by reconnaissance satellites. It has only one entrance. Military authorities here believe it is a missile storage facility. Islamic religious leaders at a local Texas mosque allege that former leaders stole key files and security camera footage. According to an announcement posted on December 31, 2019, the current leaders alleged former Shura council members deleted key files and transferred files from security camera footage. On December 31, 2019, the Islamic Center of Irving (ICI) announced on its website that two members of ICIs outgoing Shura Council had engaged in mass data deletions, downloading, copying of thousands of documents and emails. The announcement notes that information about lawsuits and audio/video files of Congregants were transferred from ICIs camera and security systems. According to the announcement, the mosques attempts to have the information returned have gone unanswered. Later the announcement was deleted from the ICI website. While information regarding the two councils is not available on ICIs website, ICI announced the results of the 2019 election and the current Shura Council on October 22, 2019. The announcement lists Hassan A. Hye as the current ICI president. In another announcement from October 21, 2016, Bayinnah Institute and superstar preacher Nouman Ali Khan presents himself as the former president of the Islamic Center of Irving. This information is corroborated by a photo on ICIs Facebook page of Nouman Ali Khan at a fundraiser in his capacity as ICI President in 2017. Khan first faced scrutiny in 2017 after screenshots went pubic showing him bribing, threatening and sexting with different women online. Khan defended his actions by stating in a Facebook post that he had been divorced for two years and that both his and the womens actions were based on mutual consent. Muslim American writer and lawyer Rabia Chaudry then reported on Facebook that multiple people have had Facebook posts removed and a number of people have had their Twitter accounts suspended for criticizing Bayinnah and also speculated that possibly Khan had threatened to bury them in legal fees. There have been two criminal incidents that brought media coverage to ICI in the last year. In May 2019, a security guard at ICI, Syed Humzah Hashmi, was arrested for aggravated sexual assault of a child. According to the arrest warrant, the male victim was in third grade and attended the Islamic School of Irving. The alleged assaults allegedly included attempted sodomy and took place at the Islamic Center of Irving from August 2016 through June 2017. A few months later, the former imam of Islamic Center of Irving, Zia ul-Haq Sheikh. Imam Sheikh was ordered to pay $2.55 million to a woman identified as Jane Doe in the lawsuit alleging sexual exploitation. The lawsuit states: Janes emotional dependency as a result of being counseled by the defendant from age 13 to age 19 led Jane to be fearful of losing the defendants support in her life, and therefore created a situation where Jane was unable to refuse the defendants requests. Sheikh allegedly requested sexually explicit photos and videos and ultimately intercourse from Doe in exchange for his support. According to the lawsuit, when the woman was nineteen, shortly after Sheikh and Doe had sex at a Motel 6, Sheikh gave Doe a pregnancy test to make sure he wouldnt lose his job and then cut off contact with her. The lawsuit was filed in July 2018 and was later amended to include an allegation of sexual assault. Zia Sheikh was for a time a darling of the local news media. In 2015, after former mayor of Irving Beth Van Duyne objected to the opening of an Islamic Tribunal in Irving, of which Sheikh was a member, the Dallas Observer wrote a piece called Imam Zia Sheikh opens minds to the real Islam. D magazine wrote another glowing piece about the imam called Anti-Muslim Sentiment in Irving (and the Imam who has to tolerate it). ICIs Shura Council, according to an archived page from Islamic Center of Irvings website, as late as February 2012, included a representative for the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). ISNA was founded as an organization of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood in the early 1970s. According to Brotherhood archival documents submitted during the Holy Land Foundation Trial, it was named in a May 1991 Muslim Brotherhood document, called An Explanatory Memorandum on the General Strategic Goal for the Group in North America, as an ally of the Muslim Brotherhood. That document was entered into evidence during the Holy Land Foundation Trial as Elbarasse Search-3. The face behind the lawsuits against Sheikh is an unlikely one. Alia Salem is the former head of CAIR DFW as well as the founder and executive director of FACE (Facing Abuse in Community Environments). According to their website, that organization is designed to counter abuses of power within leadership in the Islamic community. Before founding FACE, she created a stir when she advised local Muslims not to cooperate with the FBI investigating ISIS. ICIs current religious leaders seem as eager as the previous council to keep these events out of the public eye. On January 13th, an announcement on the ICI homepage stated that after a meeting on Sunday, January 12, attended by two former ICI presidents, the current ICI Shura Council, members of the ICI Shura Body, and a group of brothers, the various parties completed the transition from the previous Shura Council and came to an agreement. Current ICI president Hassan A. Hye asked that members of the masjid refrain from posting or commenting in public forums regarding ICI or matters related to it. Given the legal and ethical cloud hovering over ICIs recent leaders and staff, theres serious questions to be asked about the management of Irving Masjid. The Islamist penchant for covering up scandal is sure to only exacerbate community dissension. Irving Masjid congregants should think seriously about following the maxim that sunlight is the best disinfectant and bucking leadership which seeks to silence and protect rather than expose wrongdoing. Anne-Christine Hoff is the Dallas associate of the Counter Islamist Grid. You can connect with her on LinkedIn. HAVANA (Reuters) - A day after Bolivia suspended diplomatic relations with Cuba, Havana accused its interim government of having sought to sabotage bilateral ties ever since it took power last year, partly under pressure from the Trump administration. Communist-run Cuba was a key ally of Bolivia's former leftist President Evo Morales - who resigned amid a political crisis and protests in November - and has supported his assertion that he was toppled in a foreign-backed "coup". Bolivia's conservative interim President Jeanine Anez, meanwhile, has tried to align the country more closely with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, which is cranking up sanctions on Cuba. "The acting authorities unfurled a ferocious campaign of lies against Cuba ... in particular against the Cuban medical cooperation, inciting violence against our staff," the Cuban foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday. "It is not casual that the facts described here coincide with a brutal, politically-motivated U.S. campaign against the international medical cooperation Cuba provides to dozens of countries." Cuba's foreign ministry also said U.S. officials had, since the departure of Morales, "applied pressure on Bolivia to impose a deterioration in relations with Cuba". The U.S. State Department was not immediately available for comment. Cuba's health service is the country's most important hard currency earner, sending more than 50,000 health workers to more than 60 countries. That program, though, has come under increased fire over the past two years, with critics accusing Cuba of treating doctors as "slave labor" or using them to fuel unrest abroad. Cuba denies the accusations. Thousands of Cuban doctors have returned home after agreements with Brazil and Ecuador were ended over the past year and a half. Bolivia's foreign ministry said in November: "There have been a number of accusations that Cuban citizens have been involved in these aggressive acts that have tormented our country in recent days." Story continues Cuba responded by terminating its medical mission, saying Bolivian officials were fostering violence against the around 700 doctors by claiming they were instigating rebellion. The spat was revived on Wednesday, when Anez said the Cuban government kept 80% of the payments that Bolivia made for the work of Cuban doctors in the country. Cuba's foreign ministry denied this, saying on Saturday that from 2006 to 2012, the Caribbean island nation had actually covered all the costs of medical cooperation with Bolivia, at more than $200 million per year. It was from then that Bolivia started paying for the medical services due to its improved economic situation. "But it never transferred one dollar to Cuba, nor did Cuba receive any revenue," the ministry said. (Reporting by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Tom Hogue) Migrants use wood to make a fire outside the perimeter of the overcrowded Moria refugee camp in Lesbos (Aggelos Barai/AP) Amnesty International has criticised Greeces plans to deploy a floating barrier as a way to prevent migrants from reaching its islands from nearby Turkey. The international rights groups research director for Europe, Massimo Moratti, described the plans as an alarming escalation in the Greek Governments ongoing efforts to make it as difficult as possible for asylum seekers and refugees to arrive on its shores. Greeces Defence Ministry has invited private contractors to bid on supplying a 1.7-mile floating fence within three months. The plan raises serious issues about rescuers ability to continue providing life-saving assistance to people attempting the dangerous sea crossing to LesbosMassimo Moratti, Amnesty International A Government official said the contract process would be executed by the Defence Ministry but was for civilian use, similar to the militarys supply of equipment for housing in refugee camps. The plan raises serious issues about rescuers ability to continue providing life-saving assistance to people attempting the dangerous sea crossing to Lesbos, Mr Moratti said in a statement. The Government must urgently clarify the operational details and necessary safeguards to ensure that this system does not cost further lives. Greeces six-month old centre-right Government has promised to take a tougher line on the migration crisis and plans to set up detention facilities for migrants denied asylum and to speed up deportations back to Turkey. Government spokesman Stelios Petsas said there would be returns every Friday, with an aim to have 10,000 returns in 2020. Speaking on a local television news show, Mr Petsas said the floating barrier system will have to be tested to see whether it will safely bring the results we want. Expand Close Migrants walk between makeshift tents outside the perimeter of the Moria refugee camp in Lesbos (Aggelos Barai/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Migrants walk between makeshift tents outside the perimeter of the Moria refugee camp in Lesbos (Aggelos Barai/AP) Under a 2016 migration agreement between the EU and Turkey, people arriving on Greek islands from Turkey remain on the islands pending deportation unless they successfully apply for asylum in Greece. Only those deemed to be vulnerable cases can be transferred to the mainland. A massive backlog in the asylum application system combined with an increase in arrivals has dramatically overcrowded island camps. The largest such camp was built at Moria, on the island of Lesbos, to house 2,840 people but more than 19,400 currently live in and around the camp. Rights groups have repeatedly warned of dire conditions there. Hundreds, mainly women and children at Moria, held a protest march in the islands main town of Mytilene on Thursday, complaining about the conditions and demanding to be transferred to the mainland. The protesters, mostly from Afghanistan, held up slogans scrawled on cardboard and sheets. One read we are not prisoners, we are refugees, while another said we escaped war and insecurity but here they kill us from the cold. Riot police were deployed but no violence was reported and the protest ended peacefully. Monika Monalisa By Express News Service BENGALURU: Its never a light work day for Isha Pant. But no matter what her schedule looks like, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (South-East) makes sure that none of her appointments goes amiss. But life is not always all work and no play. A recent social media video of her singing in Kannada went viral, leaving everyone pleasantly surprised. "Sometimes we have a stern personality but thats the nature of the job, which also has us dealing with criminal issues," says Pant, whose playlist consists of a collection of old Hindi movie tunes, classical music and popular South Indian songs. "Since I am married to a Telugite, who also speaks excellent Kannada, I get exposed to Telugu, Tamil and Kannada songs too." One cant tell when a typical day in her life ends but it always begins the same way: With dropping her daughter to school. "I make sure I spend some time with my two-and-a-half-year-old as soon as the day begins or else it is difficult to see her, explains Pant, who is almost always spotted in her khaki uniform. Full of surprises, she quickly adds that she loves denims and T-shirts but hardly gets time to don those. "I prefer sarees for parties but funnily, people just walk past me without recognising me," says the 35-year-old who is married to an IAS officer. She admits that she is a "homebound girl" when it comes to food and prefers healthy home cooked meals over anything oily. Shes also particular about not skipping meals. It may be hard to believe but Pant was actually a naughty kid. The youngest of three sisters, she was often pampered. "The only person who was strict with me was my eldest sister," says Pant who eventually left the safety net of her family during her training for the Indian Police Service. She recalls an incident her friend narrated when she took her civil services exams. "There was incident in Bhopal, where my friend witnessed a minor girl being molested in front of everyone in the balcony. Nobody did anything," says Pant, while speaking of the story that helped convince her to join the IPS. Though known to be a tough cop, Pant makes sure she is approachable. People should be afraid of the law, not cops, says Pant whose biggest achievement has been helping women from small villages directly come to her because of abuse they face at home. PR-Inside.com: 2020-01-30 15:20:14 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 568 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 ELKO, NV / ACCESSWIRE / January 30, 2020 / Lithium Corporation (OTCQB:LTUM) ("LTUM" or "the Company"), a North American company focused on energy metals for the growing energy storage sector and high tech industries, is pleased to announce that work has been continuing on the Company's 25% owned subsidiary Summa, LLC (Summa's) Tonopah Tailings project. Preliminary sampling in the Fall of 2019 indicated that the work done previously by Summa and Tenneco adequately portrays the tenor and the extent of the mineralized tailings, however it does appear there is an opportunity to prove up a higher grade core zone that could be critical to start-up economics.In the course of the recent analytical work done, geochemical characterization of the tailings was undertaken to determine the general nature of the tailings. Sampling indicates that while anomalous or somewhat elevated levels of base metals occur here, there are no significant deleterious or hazardous elements contained in the historic Belmont tailings.Further analytical work has determined that the tailings are amenable to a dilute static cyanide leach, with significant amounts of precious metals reporting after short duration leaches. However due to the very fine particle size of the tailings it is envisioned that processing will necessarily entail agitated leaching. More work has yet to be done on this account to determine what the optimum leach duration would be. Summa is also exploring other avenues with respect to tailings processing that could possibly be considerably more environmentally benign.About Lithium CorporationLithium Corporation is an exploration company based in Nevada devoted to the exploration for energy storage related resources throughout North America, and looking to capitalize on opportunities within the ever-expanding next generation energy storage markets. The Company maintains a strategic alliance with Altura Mining, an ASX listed Lithium mining company that is currently producing at near nameplate capacity at its 100% owned world-class Pilgangoora lithium pegmatite mine in Western Australia. Website: www.lithiumcorporation.com Contact InfoTom Lewis, CEOLithium Corporation775-410-5287info@ lithiumcorporation.com Notice Regarding Forward-Looking StatementsThis current report contains "forward-looking statements," as that term is defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future.Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with mineral exploration and difficulties associated with obtaining financing on acceptable terms. We are not in control of minerals prices and these could vary to make development uneconomic. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our most recent annual report for our last fiscal year, our quarterly reports, and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.SOURCE: Lithium Corporation Park Young-sun, minister of SMEs and Startups, speaks during a roundtable talk meeting with overseas entrepreneurs running their businesses here at Tips Town, a startup incubator office, in Seoul, Thursday. / Courtesy of Ministry of SMEs and Startups By Baek Byung-yeul Korea has been endeavoring to nurture startups as part of its effort to find a breakthrough in a low-growth economy. The government is also working on luring more overseas-based startups to do business here in an attempt to help the country become a business hub and improve the global competitiveness of local industries. To advance such efforts and discuss ways to better support global startups, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups held a roundtable talk event in Seoul, Thursday, inviting companies which won the K-Startup Grand Challenge, a state-run startup accelerator program. In the meeting, Startup Ministry Park Young-sun vowed to come up with more policies that can better support global startups running their businesses here. "We are living in times where setting up a new business is more about where you start, rather than who runs the business. Korea was the first in the world to commercialize 5G telecommunication, and has already surpassed 4.35 million subscribers. Against this backdrop, Korea is well matched to be a new land of opportunity for global startups as Asia's tech hub, equipped with advanced infrastructure and technology," the minister said. "Recently, the passing of the three data-related acts at the National Assembly has enabled our ministry to fully support the industry. This recent development will help those pursuing new business models in big data, AI and related new industries, providing a breath of fresh air to companies who faced certain barriers in respective fields in the past," she added. The startup ministry, which supervises the business growth of small enterprises here, has been running the K-Startup Grand Challenge program since 2016, modeled after prominent overseas startup accelerator programs such as the MassChallenge of the United States and the French Tech Ticket of France. In the 2019 event, 1,677 teams from 95 countries applied and 35 teams won places in the four-month acceleration program with financial and consulting supports at Pangyo Startup Campus in Gyeonggi Province. Participants in the roundtable talk stressed they decided to launch their business in Korea taking the East Asian country as a bridgehead to other Asian markets. They also added Korea is a tech-savvy nation, which makes it easy for them to develop and test innovative technologies. Park Ji-hyun, director of German-based startup "Is It Fresh" said they decided to run their overseas branch in Korea because the country has outstanding comprehension of digital technology. The company is making sensor chips that can be attached to single units of instant noodles or milk, helping distributors easily manage their inventory. "We are frequently asked questions about why we, a German-based company, chose Korea to do our business. I always tell them Korea has the fastest mobile download speeds in the world, which means government and company officials here have high level of comprehension in emerging technology such as big data and IoT," he said. Chris Georgiev, co-founder of AI image recognition software development company Imagga, said "Korea is a great test bed for innovative technology." "Korea is a doorway to Asia, which means the country has a geographical advantage. In terms of cultural openness and startup ecosystem, Korea has a better business climate compared to Japan and China," he said. Park Young-sun, minister of SMEs and Startups, gives her welcome speech, during a roundtable talk meeting with overseas entrepreneurs running their businesses here at Tips Town, a startup incubator office, in Seoul, Thursday. / Courtesy of Ministry of SMEs and Startups Ireland doesn't have nearly enough construction workers to deliver politicians' election promises on housing, according to a new report. Construction consultancy firm Mitchell McDermott found the sector was already feeling "Celtic Tiger levels of pressure and is in danger of overheating". It said construction output grew by 12pc to 23bn last year - but the number of construction workers driving that growth grew by only 4pc to 150,000 nationwide. It calculated that 30,000 more construction workers would be needed to meet many politicians' campaign promises to double current housing output. Report author Paul Mitchell said construction firms were struggling to source skilled workers amid a 13-year low in unemployment. Mr Mitchell noted that housing unit completions had grown from 6,000 in 2014 to 21,500 last year amid "a huge surge" in planning applications for 19,000 apartments. Those proposed units, if approved, would take 18 to 24 months to build. "If they all do go ahead, it will amount to a doubling of our current residential output in two years to just under 40,000 units. Indeed, several political parties in the run-up to the election are promising that this will be the State's housing output for the next five years. That's 200,000 new units in total," he said. "Given the constraints in the sector, who will build these units?" The rising price for skilled labour was a key driver in increasing completion costs by 26pc since 2015. The effect, he said, was that an office building costing 20m to deliver five years ago would cost 25.2m today. "That level of increase is just not sustainable," he said. The Construction Industry Federation, in its election manifesto published yesterday, said the industry will need 100,000 more workers in the coming decade. It called on the next government to fund apprenticeships in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) because, it argued: "SMEs in construction are unable to invest in apprentices after a decade of recession. "Government should divert funding from the unused National Training Fund as it has for the technology, agri-food and hospitality sectors." Switch the Market flag Open the menu and switch the Market flag for targeted data from your country of choice. for targeted data from your country of choice. File Image Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Thursday said there are "99 per cent chances" of BJP high command giving clearance to the much-awaited expansion of his Ministry by January 31. He said he got appointments from Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda late Thursday evening to discuss about the expansion and added that he was also looking at the availability of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to meet him as well. "After meeting them in Delhi, I will come back (to Bengaluru) tomorrow morning. I'm going there to discuss about the cabinet expansion," Yediyurappa told reporters here before leaving for the capital. Responding to a question whether the Ministry expansion would take place on Friday, he said, "99 per cent, it will get clearance and I'll come from there (Delhi) tomorrow." According to party and official sources, on getting clearance from the central leadership, the Chief Minister has plans to carry out the Ministry expansion with the swearing-in of new Ministers, most probably on Friday itself. Yediyurappa on Wednesday indicated about the possibility of a cabinet rejig, noting that the call would be taken by the party leadership. Ahead of the Chief Minister's trip to Delhi, several Ministerial aspirants like MLAs Murugesh Nirani and K Sudhakar paid a visit to his residence. Yediyurappa has been anxiously waiting for the nod of the high command to expand his ministry amid intense lobbying by the aspirants. Opposition parties also have been critical of BJP and Yediyurappa over the "delay" in cabinet expansion, alleging that he was "weak and that the administration has collapsed". As the Chief Minister has already made it clear that 11 of the disqualified JD(S)-Congress MLAs who got re-elected in the bypolls on BJP tickets would be made ministers, lobbying has been on in the party for the remaining ministerial berths. However, with party sources indicating that the high command may not be keen on inducting all the 11 of them, with an intention of giving chance for party loyals also, it remains to be seen how things works out. There are also reports that Yediyurappa may keep some Ministerial berths vacant for now. Currently there are 18 Ministers, including the Chief Minister in the cabinet that has a sanctioned strength of 34. The cabinet expansion would not be an easy task for Yediyurappa as he has to strike a balance by accommodating the victorious disqualified legislators as promised and also make place for the old guard. The legislators were "upset" at being "neglected" in the first round of the induction exercise. He also has to give adequate representation to various castes and regions in his cabinet and deal with allocation of key portfolios. Despite Yediyurappa categorically ruling out induction of defected candidates who were defeated in the bypoll, the demand for A H Vishwanath (Hunsur) and MTB Nagaraj (Hoskote) to be made Ministers, and disqualified legislator R Shankar who was not given a ticket to contest bypolls, but promised a ministerial post openly expressing ministerial aspirations have added to the Chief Minister's worries. North Carolina State University engineers have demonstrated a flexible device that harvests the heat energy from the human body to monitor health. The device surpasses all other flexible harvesters that use body heat as the sole energy source. In a paper published in Applied Energy, the NC State researchers report significant enhancements to the flexible body heat harvester they first reported in 2017. The harvesters use heat energy from the human body to power wearable technologies - think of smart watches that measure your heart rate, blood oxygen, glucose and other health parameters - that never need to have their batteries recharged. The technology relies on the same principles governing rigid thermoelectric harvesters that convert heat to electrical energy. Flexible harvesters that conform to the human body are highly desired for use with wearable technologies. Mehmet Ozturk, an NC State professor of electrical and computer engineering and corresponding author of the paper, mentioned superior skin contact with flexible devices, as well as the ergonomic and comfort considerations to the device wearer, as the core reasons behind building flexible thermoelectric generators, or TEGs. The performance and efficiency of flexible harvesters, however, currently trail well behind rigid devices, which have been superior in their ability to convert body heat into usable energy. "The flexible device reported in this paper is significantly better than other flexible devices reported to date and is approaching the efficiency of rigid devices, which is very encouraging," Ozturk said. The proof-of-concept TEG originally reported in 2017 employed semiconductor elements that were connected electrically in series using liquid-metal interconnects made of EGaIn - a non-toxic alloy of gallium and indium. EGaIn provided both metal-like electrical conductivity and stretchability. The entire device was embedded in a stretchable silicone elastomer. The upgraded device employs the same architecture but it significantly improves the thermal engineering of the previous version, while increasing the density of the semiconductor elements responsible for converting heat into electricity. One of the improvements is an improved silicone elastomer - essentially a type of rubber - that encapsulates the EGaIn interconnects. "The key here is using a high thermal conductivity silicone elastomer doped with graphene flakes and EGaIn," Ozturk said. The elastomer provides mechanical robustness against punctures while improving the device's performance. "Using this elastomer allowed us to boost the thermal conductivity - the rate of heat transfer - by six times, allowing improved lateral heat spreading," he said. Ozturk added that one of the strengths of the technology is that it eliminates the need for device manufacturers to develop new flexible, thermoelectric materials because it incorporates the very same semiconductor elements used in rigid devices. Ozturk said future work will focus on further improving the efficiencies of these flexible devices. Yasaman Sargolzaeiaval, Viswanath P. Ramesh, Taylor V. Neumann, Veena Misra, Michael Dickey and Daryoosh Vashaee co-authored the paper. The group also has a recent patent on the technology. ### Funding for the work comes from the NC State's National Science Foundation-funded Advanced Self-Powered Systems of Integrated Sensors and Technologies (ASSIST) Center under grant EEC1160483. The mission of the ASSIST Center is to create self-powered wearables capable of long-term multi-modal sensing without having to replace or charge the batteries. Note to editors: An abstract of the paper follows. "Flexible Thermoelectric Generators for Body Heat Harvesting - Enhanced Device Performance Using High Thermal Conductivity Elastomer Encapsulation on Liquid Metal Interconnects" Authors: Yasaman Sargolzaeiaval, Viswanath P. Ramesh, Taylor V. Neumann, Veena Misra, Daryoosh Vashaee, Michael D. Dickey and Mehmet C. Ozturk, North Carolina State University Published: Jan. 30, 2020, online in Applied Energy DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.114370 Abstract: This paper reports flexible thermoelectric generators (TEGs) employing eutectic gallium indium (EGaIn) liquid metal interconnects encased in a novel, high thermal conductivity (HTC) elastomer. These TEGs are part of a broader effort to harvest thermal energy from the body and convert it into electrical energy to power wearable electronics. The flexible TEGs reported in this paper employ the same thermoelectric 'legs' used in rigid TEGs, thus eliminating the need to develop new materials specifically for flexible TEGs that often sacrifice the so-called 'figure of merit' for flexibility. Flexible TEGs reported here embed rigid thermoelectric 'legs' in soft and flexible packaging, using stretchable EGaIn interconnects. The use of liquid metal interconnects provides ultimate stretchability and low electrical resistance between the thermoelectric legs. The liquid metal lines are encased in a new stretchable silicone elastomer doped with both graphene nano-platelets and EGaIn to increase its thermal conductivity. This high thermal conductivity elastomer not only reduces the parasitic thermal resistance of the encapsulation layer but it also serves as a heat spreader, leading to 1.7X improvement in the output power density of TEGs compared to devices fabricated with a conventional elastomer. The device performance is further improved by a thin Cu layer acting as a heat spreader providing an additional 1.3X enhancement in the output power at 1.2 m/s air velocity (typical walking speed). Worn on the wrist, our best devices achieve power levels in excess of 30 ?W/cm2 at an air velocity of 1.2 m/s outperforming previously reported flexible TEGs. Roughly two dozen people lived on Dock B at Jackson County Park Marina, and none was rich or famous. They were middle-class adults and children, not yachters, folks who liked having a Tennessee River bywater for their backyard. A fire that engulfed the wooden dock and destroyed about 35 boats, killing eight people who lived at the marina, transformed a comfortable, scenic spot into a place of mourning. Tommy Jones, who lived on a 35-foot (11-meter) boat on the dock, helped others flee and swam to safety but lost his brother, who drowned trying to escape. He struggled to stay composed while talking about the awful scene. An Alabama coroner said Tuesday that four of the eight victims were children. Jackson County Coroner John Jordan hasnt released the identities of any of the victims but said the children were ages 7, 9, 10 and 16 years old, WHNT-TV reported. A cause of death has not been released. Julie Jackson, who lives in a boat on another dock, cant shake the sounds of people crying for help as the sky glowed orange from the flames. I dont ever want to see anything like that again in my life, she said. David Kennamer has run a store at the marina for about two years, selling fishing gear and shaved ice treats to kids. The deaths were incredibly saddening, he said. The rich folks would be in a bigger, nicer houseboat somewhere. These were just average people like me and you that love boating, staying on the water, he said. They love the boating life. Investigators on Tuesday were focusing on one boat in particular as a possible cause of the blaze and using floating barriers to contain environmental damage that officials said seemed minimal. The marina is on a wide creek that feeds into the Tennessee River, but it did not appear pollution from oil, propane gas and other materials had reached the main water, said Fire Chief Gene Necklaus. Burned propane tanks were visible in water near the marina, along with an oily sheen, and the smell of gasoline was still strong in spots more than 24 hours after the blaze was extinguished. Thousands of feet (meters) of floating barriers were being used to contain the pollution and a crane was put in place in deeper waters on Tuesday to lift sunken boats, some longer than 40 feet (12 meters). At least five of the watercraft had been removed but as many as 30 more remained at the bottom of the creek. Crews will raise each sunken craft and check inside each to determine whether additional people may have died, Necklaus said, but officials were optimistic that the death toll would not rise. Investigators hadnt determined the cause of the blaze, which erupted early Monday, but Necklaus said they were narrowing their focus to a vessel that was docked in an area where witnesses said the flames began. Its fair to say they are at least looking at one boat in particular, not to say that they wont rule that out and move on to the next area, he told a news conference. Already removed from the water, the boat was taken to a secure area for examination, he said. Witnesses said wind quickly swept flames down a wooden dock where an undetermined number of people were sleeping on boats. Residents described a desperate fight for life, with some piling into boats to get away and others diving into water that was in the mid-50s to swim for their lives. A Red Cross representative said about 25 people were believed to have lived in boats at the dock full time, but it was unclear whether they were all there at the time of the fire or whether other visitors were present. Kennamer said the only blessing was that the fire happened during a slow time when relatively few people were sleeping in boats at the dock. A blaze during the summer boating months could have been even worse. If this had happened in July it would have been so much more tragic, he said. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Alabama Pollution MEXICO CITY The body of a Mexican conservationist devoted to the protection of the monarch butterfly in Mexico was found on Wednesday, two weeks after he went missing, the authorities said. The conservationist, Homero Gomez Gonzalez, managed a butterfly sanctuary in the state of Michoacan, a violence-ravaged region that is also the location of mountain forests where the butterflies settle every winter after a long and extraordinary migration from Canada and the United States. Mr. Gomezs disappearance was reported on Jan. 14, spurring a robust search involving several government agencies. The circumstances of his disappearance and death remain unclear, though an official with Michoacans human rights commission told Reuters in the days after he vanished that he might have run afoul of illegal loggers working in the area. Criminal groups in Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America have often threatened or attacked environmentalists whose work impedes their interests. MBABANE - A total of 2 594 pupils currently qualify for entry at the University of Eswatini. According to the results which were released yesterday, the pupils passed with an A* - C in five or more subjects including English Language. Despite the Ministry of Education and Training announcing that English was no longer a passing subject, some tertiary institutions, particularly UNESWA (Kwaluseni), still require the pupils to pass English Language. The ministry said the 2 594 pupils who aced the subjects including English, equated to a percentage of 16.97 per cent. The 2019 candidates with the score of A*- C in five or more subjects, including English Language, showed an increase of 1.96 per cent when compared to 2018. It was further reported that candidates who passed and scored A* - G in four or more subjects including English Language were 91.66 per cent and among these were some who will qualify for tertiary education in some of the institutions of higher learning in and outside the country. SUMMARY OF EGCSE RESULTS The EGCSE subjects examined in 2019 were 17. The overall pass rate was 92.77 per cent which is an increase of 0.96 per cent when compared to the overall 2018 pass rate. A total of 20 002 sat for the 2019 examinations. The number of private candidates in 2019 was 4 719. A total of 10 781 females sat for the exams with males being 9 221. In 2019, 2 594 (16.97 per cent) candidates passed with (A*- C) in five or more subjects including English Language. The number of candidates who passed and scored A* - G in four or more subjects including English was 91.66 per cent. Jared Kushner, Donald Trumps son-in-law and architect of his new peace deal, has said that the US will not support Israel annexing settlements in the occupied West Bank until after its elections in March. In an interview published on Thursday, Mr Kushner appeared to row back on Washingtons enthusiastic backing of Israels plan to immediately declare sovereignty over sensitive areas such as the Jordan Valley. He said the Trump administration did not support the position and would rather wait until a joint US-Israel committee is formed to determine the details. His comments came as Andrew Murrison, a British Foreign Office minister, cautioned that annexations are unlawful because they fuel conflict. Mr Kushner, when asked whether Washington would support Israel if it immediately went ahead with annexation, told global affairs website Gzero that the hope is theyll wait until after the election. Weve agreed with them on forming a technical team to start studying, taking the conceptual map, he said, adding that it could take several months. Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Show all 18 1 /18 Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Palestinian protesters burn pictures of US President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a demonstration in the West Bank against the expected peace plan proposal AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan US President and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announce Trump's Middle East peace plan in the White House AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Reuters Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Reuters Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AP I want to make sure we have all the parameters defined ... Well start working on the technical stuff now, but I think wed need an Israeli government in place in order to move forward. Mr Trump announced his Peace to Prosperity plan on Tuesday flanked by the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. The US president said it was the best way to solve the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Shortly afterwards, Mr Netanyahu said he would bring a proposal to annex the settlements to his weekly cabinet meeting, sparking uproar from the Palestinians. Mr Netanyahu is campaigning for re-election in a vote due on 2 March, the third election in less than a year after he twice failed to form a ruling coalition. He was formally indicted on corruption charges on Tuesday, just hours before joining Mr Trump for their press conference. Israels attorney general still has to weigh in on whether Mr Netanyahus present caretaker government has the legal authority to carry out annexation moves. In Mr Trumps so-called deal of the century, Israel would be permitted to declare sovereignty over large swathes of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including the strategic Jordan Valley along the Jordanian border. It would also hand Israel complete control of the contested city of Jerusalem, which the Palestinians hoped would house their capital. In addition, the agreement would allow Israel to deploy troops to the new state of Palestine, which would be demilitarised and given no control over its airspace, international borders or sea. The Palestinians have roundly rejected the deal, calling it a conspiracy and the end of hope for a viable Palestinian state. Settlements are one of the most heated issues in efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, which have stalled since 2014. After decades of settlement building, more than 400,000 Israelis now live in the West Bank among about 2.9 million Palestinians, according to statistics from the Israeli government and the Palestinian Statistics Bureau. A further 212,000 Israeli settlers live in east Jerusalem, the United Nations estimates. The UK welcomed the publication of the peace plan and encouraged Palestinian leaders to get back around the negotiating table, but balked at the calls for immediate annexation that followed. Mr Murrison insisted that these are not our plans when pressed on Thursday over details of the agreement. Annexation would be illegal under international law, he told parliament. Some of the rhetoric we saw in the aftermath of the release of this document, Peace to Prosperity, I think perhaps was overdone and overblown and has been reined back on overnight by a number of those who have made those claims. The city police have registered a suo motu case against the youths who raised threatening slogans against former minister and Mangaluru MLA U T Khader during the pro-Citizenship Amendment Act rally here on January 27. A video of the incident that went viral on social media showed the youths raising slogans that they will "cut off his limbs and chop off his head if necessary" during the rally organised by the BJP in support of the Citizenship Amendment Act on Monday. Though Khader did not file a complaint, the Congress party had urged the police to register a suo motu case. The case has been registered at the Kavoor police station under IPC sections 504, 506 and 507, police sources said. The rally, held at the Goldfinch city here, was addressed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ancient carvings of an Assyrian king honouring the gods while surrounded by mythical beasts have been safely unearthed in Iraq after being threatened by ISIS. ISIS seized the city of Mosul in 2014 and researchers were forced to abandon the archaeological site of Faida as the ruthless force was just 15 miles away. The ten rock reliefs were found in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and are believed to be the first of their kind discovered in 150 years. Archaeologists surveyed the site in 2012 and it was only late last year, with the self-proclaimed caliphate overthrown, that archaeologists were able to return and excavate the treasures left behind. Ancient carvings menaced by the advance of ISIS have finally been revealed after the terror group's defeat, in the first discovery of its kind for more than 150 years The ten rock reliefs depict Assyrian gods riding mythical creatures in procession with the king (pictured) Italian and Iraqi archaeologists uncovered the reliefs 12 miles (20km) south of the Kurdistani city of Duhok. Expedition leader, Daniele Morandi Bonacossi of the University of Udine in Italy, said nothing like the carvings had been found since 1845. 'Assyrian rock reliefs are extremely rare,' he said. 'There is no other Assyrian rock art complex that can be compared with this one, with the only exception being Khinis, in the north-eastern part of the region.' ISIS, or Islamic State, was remorseless in destroying antiquities it felt were idolatrous, though it also looted artifacts to sell. At the height of its powers, its fighters were only 15 miles from the dig site. But even now, with ISIS defeated, the rock carvings face fresh threats. 'The most serious threats are vandalism, illegal excavations and the activities of the nearby village that are literally besieging the site,' said Professor Bonacossi. 'One of the reliefs was illegally excavated and thereby damaged in May 2019, and the owner of one farmstead has partly destroyed one of the reliefs in order to expand his cow stable. 'The only way to protect the site is to fence it off and guarantee a constant security service controlling the area. 'The Duhok Governorate is committed to guarantee the protection of the reliefs.' Italian and Iraqi archaeologists uncovered the reliefs 12 miles (20km) south of the Kurdistani city of Duhok Archaeologists surveyed the site in 2012 and it was only late last year, with the self-proclaimed caliphate overthrown, that archaeologists were able to return and excavate the treasures left behind The reliefs (pictured) once decorated the banks of the Faida irrigation canal, which was part of a vast network that brought water to the Assyrian capital, Nineveh. The canal was likely built during the reign of Sargon II Among the deities depicted is Ashur, the main Assyrian god, his wife Mullissu, the moon god Sin and the sun god Shamash. They are shown astride mythical beasts including dragons and horned lions (pictured) The reliefs once decorated the banks of the Faida irrigation canal, which was part of a vast network that brought water to the Assyrian capital, Nineveh. The canal was likely built during the reign of Sargon II, whose successor, Sennacherib, is believed to have incorporated it into the wider network. Both kings are named in the Bible for their military exploits, with the former conquering the Kingdom of Israel. The figures on the panels are shown in profile, facing left, in the direction the water would have flowed. Among the deities depicted is Ashur, the main Assyrian god, his wife Mullissu, the moon god Sin and the sun god Shamash. They are shown astride mythical beasts including dragons and horned lions. 'The reliefs tell us that the construction of this local irrigation system was celebrated by royal power through the carving of rock reliefs,' said Professor Bonacossi. The excavation of impressive irrigation systems across the core region of the Assyrian empire changed the economic foundation of the regions involved. 'It transformed them from extensive dry-farming regions into highly-productive irrigation agriculture areas. 'But it also profoundly modified the space and settlement patterns in the core of the Assyrian empire.' Professor Bonacossi believes the site could hold more secrets still. 'During the excavation of one relief, we found another which was not visible at the surface,' he said. 'This means that probably many other reliefs are still to be found and that this rock art complex is larger than we expected. 'This explains why the Faida archaeological site is so important.' Archaeologists surveyed the site in 2012 (pictured), following up on an earlier British excavation in 1973, but the project ground to a halt when ISIS captured the nearby city of Mosul in 2014 ABC(WASHINGTON) -- A group of federal officials met for the first time on Wednesday to discuss a strategy to combat the epidemic of missing and murdered individuals in Indian Country, but some advocates are wary it will make a meaningful difference. "This initiative's important to Indian Country and Alaska Native communities," Tara Sweeney, the assistant secretary for Indian Affairs, told ABC News in an exclusive interview before the meeting. "And if the current practice had been effective, we wouldn't be here today." Men and women from American Indian and Alaska Native communities face higher rates of domestic and sexual violence than other populations, according to data reviewed by the Department of Justice. In November, President Donald Trump authorized a task force between the Department of Interior, which includes the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Department of Justice and other offices like the Department of Health and Human Services. In the group's first meeting, they discussed where to focus their work around the country and potentially send resources to meet with communities on the ground to evaluate cold cases. The initiative, nicknamed "Operation Lady Justice," will work with tribal leaders to develop new protocols on how to handle new and unsolved cases of missing and murdered persons in Indian Country, including Alaska Native villages, re-examine how law enforcement agencies conduct data on these cases and create a team to revisit cold cases. Advocates say there are problems with a lack of information about unsolved cases of missing and murdered women and girls, specifically. Of almost 6,000 indigenous women reported missing in 2016, only 116 were logged into the Justice Department's missing persons database, according to a report by the Urban Indian Health Institute. Some of those cases have garnered national attention from the media and lawmakers, mostly driven through activism from victims' families and communities calling for more action on the problem. Experts on the issue say the task force doesn't include those voices, as it's made up of Sweeney, and representatives from DOJ and other federal agencies. Annita Lucchesi, executive director of the Sovereign Bodies Institute, said the task forces goals are too vague to make a meaningful difference and that it feels like a matter of convenience in an election year. She said her group has raised concerns about the lack of tribal leaders, families and survivors on the task force. "It's insensitive to Indian Country to expect us to line up and share our stories in these consultations and not have any decisionmaking power at the table," she said, adding that as an expert and advocate in this space she hasnt been asked to consult on the initiative. Sweeney grew up in rural Alaska and is a member of the Native Village of Barrow Traditional Inupiat Government and the Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope tribes. She said one story during a listening session in Nome, Alaska, really stood out as an example of the challenges in responding to cases of violence against women. ProPublica and the Anchorage Daily News have reported that more than a third of villages in Alaska, most of which are native communities, have no regular law enforcement presence. Sweeney said that a women told the group that after being sexually assaulted when she was 18, she was told not to shower to preserve evidence until state troopers arrived to investigate. "Five days later they showed up," Sweeney told ABC News. "She was traumatized once she was traumatized for the waiting period to to get processed. How is that justice?" The Senate Indian Affairs Committee has tried to pass bipartisan legislation to change how the Justice Department handles these cases and collect more data, called Savanna's Act, but it was blocked in 2018. Katie Sullivan, principal deputy assistant attorney general for DOJ's Office of Justice Programs, said data collection on missing persons is always a challenge but that the task force aims to get to the root of the challenges in these cases and put together teams to address them. "It is about really making sure that there is tight coordination between Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Department of Justice, both the FBI and our U.S. Attorney's offices, and we have just," Sullivan told ABC News. "I think we have a terrific collaboration." The first listening session for the task force will be at the National Congress of American Indians executive council session in Washington, D.C. next month and they will announce other locations for consultation meetings in the coming weeks. Lucchesi said the federal task force may have to cherry-pick cold cases or parts of the country to focus on, which she says will make it difficult to see a meaningful difference on the ground. The Sovereign Bodies Institute conducts research and collects data on missing and murdered indigenous women, girls and "two spirit people," maintaining one of the only databases cases since 1900. MORE: Trump's emergency immigration task force disbands She said the group has learned the most from the services it offers families in southeastern Montana and northern California. When asked about concerns that voices from Indian Country aren't included in the meetings, Sweeney said they would still have opportunities to be involved. "Let your voice be heard, participate in the process, submit comments, participate in a round table, engage with the task force," she said. "As assistant secretary for Indian Affairs -- my office is always open." The task force is set to submit a report to the president next November. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Four persons, who were in contact with the infected student, have also been kept in isolation ward. With a student studying in Chinas Wuhan University being tested positive in Kerala for novel coronavirus, the Kerala government has sounded high alert in all districts and stepped up surveillance and prevention activities. THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With a student studying in Chinas Wuhan University being tested positive in Kerala for novel coronavirus, the Kerala government has sounded high alert in all districts and stepped up surveillance and prevention activities. This is the first case of novel coronavirus in the country. Health minister K.K. Shailaja told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram that the medical student from China Wuhan University has been kept in an isolation ward in Thrissur general hospital. She will be shifted to Thrissur medical college hospital soon where a special ward has been set up. She does not have severe symptoms. Her condition is stable, the minister added. Four persons, who were in contact with the infected student, have also been kept in isolation ward. Of the 20 samples sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, 15 were negative, one positive and results of four are awaited. Health Minister, health secretary and senior officials have left for Thirssur for a high level meeting to review the situation. Health authorities said the number of persons who are under observation for Coronavirus has risen to 1053 persons with 247 suspected cases being reported on Thursday. Of these only 15 are under treatment in isolation wards in different hospitals. On Thursday seven persons were admitted to hospitals and 1038 are under observation in homes. The preliminary result on the medical student had confirmed coronavirus. The second result is awaited. However, without waiting for that the health department has put in place all precautionary measures. Earlier union health ministry had conveyed the confirmation of coronovirus during a video conference with Kerala chief secretary and principal secretary health. Since coronavirus has affected more than 20 countries and the virus has been transmitted by people who arrived from China, the health authorities called for stepping up surveillance. There is a need to check the spread of virus in the society. In case of any suspected symptoms, the person should seek medical assistance to rule out the virus. They should not mingle with the family members or other people. by Karlene Lukovitz @KLmarketdaily, January 30, 2020 The Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) has announced a new TV attribution best practices study. The research, currently in early stages, is part of an ongoing partnership with the 4As Media Measurement Task Force. It will investigate how attribution providers use of different modeling techniques and data sources, including both STB versus smart-TV ACR data, affect attribution results. Specifically, the research will investigate the drivers behind differences in attribution results from six national, linear television campaigns that aired in 2019, to compare TV ad occurrence data sources, TV exposure data sources and delivery across multiple syndicated data providers. Factors studied will include what contributes to differences in the data that detect TV ad occurrences, how ad occurrences are currently missed or overcounted, how viewership estimates vary between the different footprints and technical limitations of ACR and STB data, and how the differences impact model lift estimates and marketers decisions. advertisement advertisement CIMM and the 4As will work with Alphonso, Ampersand, Comscore, Hive, iSpot, Kantar, Nielsen, Samba, TVSquared, 605 and other companies. Following the study, Janus Strategy and Insights and Sequent Partners will analyze the data. CIMM will release a report based on their resulting best practices recommendations for attribution model TV data inputs. As more granular TV data is becoming available for attribution, we have entirely new methods and practices that need to be both vetted by the television industry and better understood by end users, said CIMM Managing Director and CEO Jane Clarke (shown). This study will be a great first step for the industry to gain insight into the impact of the data on attribution results and begin to create best practices and greater industry confidence. No completion date has been set for the study. CIMM will present initial results to members during its annual Summit on February 6. Speedcast International Ltd, a provider of remote communications and IT services, has announced that is has been awarded a 12-month contract with a mobile operator in Mexico. Identifying the customer only as the second largest operator in Mexico, Speedcast says its fully managed, end-to-end cellular backhaul solution will help the mobile operator expand its network and provide connectivity to sites where other types of communication are unavailable. Using Speedcasts cellular backhaul service, the operator will have access to an extensive network of networks that includes terrestrial MPLS, LTE, 5G and the largest portfolio of satellite capacity in the world. Offering a flexible pay-as-you-grow business model, Speedcast says its backhaul service will help the operator cost-effectively expand its mobile coverage into new markets and grow its revenue. Speedcast will back up the deployment with 24/7 design, installation and engineering support. Speedcast, which describes itself as the worlds largest remote communications and IT services provider, has a network well suited for the challenges of communications provision. The company delivers critical communications solutions through its multi-access technology, multi-band and multi-orbit network of more than 80 satellites and an interconnecting global terrestrial network, bolstered by extensive local support from more than 40 countries. Sectors covered include maritime, energy, mining, enterprise, media, cruise, humanitarian and government. The boycott of examinations at Aligarh Muslim University's Zakir Husain College of Engineering and Technology continued for the fourth successive day on Thursday even as protesting students were assured that the demands raised by them will be considered favourably. AMU spokesman Omar Peerzada, however, said a small step to resolve the impasse took place when some classes were held for the first time after Professor Sufiyan Beg, principal of the engineering college, assured the students that their demands raised during Wednesday's meeting between AMU Vice Chancellor Tariq Mansoor and the protesting students would be considered favourably. "After discussing the matter with senior university officials on Thursday, I am optimistic," Beg told PTI. The main demands of the protesting students pertain to an assurance from the vice chancellor that all "false cases" registered against protesting students during the past six weeks would be withdrawn, Beg said. The other demand is regarding a similar assurance from the vice chancellor that there will be "no further police action or harassment against those who carry out peaceful protests," Beg said. Earlier on Wednesday night, the deadlock at AMU appeared to have worsened when the talks between VC Mansoor and the protesting students held at the college ended in bedlam with students raising slogans against the vice chancellor. No examinations could be held for the fourth successive day on Thursday despite the vice chancellor's appeal on Wednesday to end the boycott even while continuing with their peaceful anti-CAA protests. At the Women's College, protesting girls of the Senior Secondary School blocked the entry of the teachers inside the college complex while chanting slogans. In a related development, AMU Students Coordination Committee on Thursday announced that even if the university authorities declare the closure of the varsity, they will not vacate the campus till their demands are not addressed. In a bid to break the continuing deadlock, the AMU Alumni Association in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has in a letter to the vice chancellor expressed serious concern over the possibility of a sine die closure of the varsity. While pointing out that such a closure would have serious ramifications for the overall interest of the institution, the alumni body offered their good offices to serve as interlocutors between the protesting students and the vice chancellor. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Photo: Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for Glamour Lawyers for E. Jean Carroll, who says that Donald Trump sexually assaulted her in 1996, demanded a DNA sample from the president on Thursday. As first reported by the Associated Press, the request follows forensic testing of the dress worn by Carroll during Trumps alleged attack. The results revealed four significant DNA contributions, including one male, on the sleeves. According to a copy of the report, viewed by New York Magazine, testing identified all but the male source of the genetic material on Carrolls dress. Carrolls legal team now hope to determine whether that male DNA belongs to Trump. If Trumps DNA is present on Carrolls dress, it would not definitively prove that an assault occurred. But a positive result would be evidence that he had physical contact with Carrolls clothing, and in the process would help disprove a Trump claim central to Carrolls ongoing defamation suit. Trump insists that he has never met Carroll, a story already undermined by a photo that depicts the two of them in the same small group at an event in the 1980s. In an excerpt from her latest book, first published in New York, Carroll said that Trump assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodmans dressing room. The future president jams his hand under my coat dress and pulls down my tights, she recounted, and then thrust his penis halfway or completely, Im not certain inside me. In the same excerpt, Carroll said that she had not worn the dress since her assault. She reiterated that claim on Thursday. After Trump sexually assaulted me, I took the black dress I had been wearing and hung it in my closet. I only wore it once since then and that was at the photoshoot for the New York Magazine article about my book, she said in a statement released to the press. Unidentified male DNA on the dress could prove that Donald Trump not only knows who I am, but also that he violently assaulted me in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman and then defamed me by lying about it and impugning my character. Trump denied the claims, on the basis that Carroll is not my type. An official White House statement accused the writer of creating a completely false and unrealistic story out of political animus. Carroll later sued Trump for defamation. In January, a Manhattan judge declined a request from Trumps attorneys to dismiss the suit. Reached by phone on Thursday, Roberta Kaplan, the co-founder of the Times Up Legal Defense Fund and an attorney for Carroll, said the request for Trumps DNA is standard. As the technology for DNA has become more and more advanced, its more and more commonly used, and not just in criminal cases, she explained. Its now also more common, is the way I think I would describe it, in civil cases, and certainly in civil cases where theres an allegation of sexual assault, where it would be highly relevant. Kaplan said that attorneys for Trump had not yet responded to the demand. Sign Up for the Intelligencer Newsletter Daily news about the politics, business, and technology shaping our world. 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 presidency has denied claims that President Muhammadu Buhari is unaware of the insecurity challenge in the country A statement ... The presidency has denied claims that President Muhammadu Buhari is unaware of the insecurity challenge in the country A statement by Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity said it was compelled to react to a mischievous slant being given by both the traditional and social media to the comments of President Muhammadu Buhari on the security challenges in some parts of the country. Adesina said, Buhari On Monday, while hosting Eminent and Respected Citizens of Niger State at State House, Abuja was quoted as saying I was taken aback by what is happening in the North West and other parts of the country. During our campaigns, we knew about the Boko Haram. What is coming now is surprising. It is not ethnicity or religion, rather it is one evil plan against the country. We have to be harder on them. One of the responsibilities of government is to provide security. If we dont secure the country, we will not be able to manage the economy properly. However, Adesina stated that the reportage of the statement was slanted to mean that Buhari said he was unaware of the security challenges in some parts of the country. Far from it, except to the mischievous mind. The President is fully aware and fully in charge of all that is going on. In 2015, we knew there was Boko Haram insurgency, particularly in the North-east, and we mentioned it in our campaigns. There are clear economic and cultural factors behind the clashes that sadly rocked many of our communities, be they the Fulani-Tiv or Fulani-Berom conflict, the Tiv versus Jukun and so on. By now, these conflicts are fairly under control. By 2019, banditry had surfaced in the North-West. It was surprising, as the area is almost homogeneous, made up of Hausa-Fulanis. The combatants are largely Muslim. This is what the President said he was surprised about. The point he made was that what is happening in the country is not about ethnicity or religion, it is plainly an evil plan against the nation. It is disingenuous that the earlier and latter parts of the statement were downplayed, and the middle part misinterpreted to mean that President Buhari was unaware or surprised by the security situation in the country. The traditional media, and commentators on social media, are encouraged to keep fidelity to the truth, and not concoct narratives to suit some sinister motives. It is all about our country, and deliberately misrepresenting the President hurts not just the country, but the mischief makers themselves, ultimately, he added. Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa will visit India from February 7-11, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said on Thursday. After arriving in India on February 7, he will hold delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 8, which will be the main engagement day. After his official engagement in Delhi, the Sri Lankan PM will travel to Varanasi and Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh, Bodhgaya in Bihar and Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. Speaking on its relationship with the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries, Kumar said that India enjoys an excellent bilateral relationship with all the nations except for one. Hinting at Pakistan, he said, "Regional corporation is adversely affected when you have cross border terrorism." The SAARC countries are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Live TV On the Indians stuck in Coronavirus-hit China, Kumar said, "We are constantly monitoring the situation arising due to the outbreak of Coronavirus. We have requested to operate two aircraft to China to back Indian nationals from Hubei province and are awaiting formal approval from China. In our knowledge, there are about 1200 students and we have contacted more than 600, asking them if they want to come to India from the first flight in China." "We have noted the decision of the European Union Parliament not to put the CAA resolution to vote today. We have noted that the European Commission's clarification that the opinions expressed by the European Parliament and its members don't represent the official position of EU," added Kumar. Mike Pompeo has refused to explain why the wife of a spy whose car killed British teenager Harry Dunn is being allowed to evade justice by escaping extradition. The US secretary of state faced tough questions about the case on his visit to London, after the extradition request was rejected because Anne Sacoolas had enjoyed diplomatic immunity. Mr Pompeo was asked why he was allowing a US citizen to run over and kill an English boy and evade justice, but declined to set out the rationale for the decision. Instead, he claimed the two governments were doing everything we can to make it right and seeking a resolution that reflects the tragedy that took place. However, after the extradition rejection and Ms Sacoolass refusal to return voluntarily to the UK Harrys family has suggested they are resigned to having to await a more reasonable administration in Washington. Mr Pompeo was even asked if the spys wife could be bartered for Prince Andrew, who has failed to talk to the FBI about links with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein but said the cases would be considered separately. The comments came as he and Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, staged a show of unity after recent conflicts over the go-ahead for Huawei to help build the UKs 5G network and the Iran nuclear deal. Mr Pompeo insisted the so-called special relationship was not at risk, despite the UK ignoring Donald Trumps plea not to use the Chinese firm over security fears. On Iran, Mr Raab insisted the UK shared the US objective of trying to force Iran to abandon attempts to build a nuclear weapon despite it siding with the EU to try to rescue the deal the US withdrew from. Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Show all 18 1 /18 Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Palestinian protesters burn pictures of US President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a demonstration in the West Bank against the expected peace plan proposal AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan US President and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announce Trump's Middle East peace plan in the White House AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Reuters Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Reuters Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AP During the event, hosted by the Policy Exchange think tank, Mr Pompeo: * Revealed he had wanted to visit on Brexit Day to help celebrate the fantastic moment but Boris Johnson had said it was going to be a little hectic. * Reiterated that the UK would be at the front of the line, despite deep disagreements over allowing in US agricultural products and opening up the NHS to US drug giants. * Branded the Chinese communist party the central threat of our times and Iran the largest state sponsor of terrorism. * Rejected claims that Iran is closer to a weapon now after the US pulled out of the deal claiming responsibility lay with the Obama administration which signed it. On Huawei, Mr Pompeo appeared to accept the UKs decision, but vowed: We will never permit American international security information to go across a network that we dont have trust and confidence in. On the horrible case of Ms Sacoolas, he claimed: We will continue to work our way through it to try to get a good resolution, a resolution that reflects the tragedy that took place that day. Mr Raab who was said to be incandescent with rage about the extradition refusal denied it meant the existing arrangements between the two countries were not working. The UKs penultimate night in the EU has been marked by music and celebrations across Brussels, hosted by Remain-supporting MEPs. The Mayor of Brussels arranged for the citys Grand-Place to be lit up in the Union Flags red, white and blue while a band played English rock and folk songs in the square. Philippe Close set up the event to promote the ongoing ties between Brussels and the UK, and attendees had the chance to get their picture taken with a red phone box while Molly Malone blared in the background. Expand Close Grand-Place in Brussels, Belgium (Yui Mok/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Grand-Place in Brussels, Belgium (Yui Mok/PA) A band of bagpipers also marched through the square sporting kilts and flying the flag of St Andrew. Elsewhere, the Green Partys Magid Magid hosted a Brexits shit but lets party anyway event at the Place Luxembourg just outside the European Parliament. The party featured a performance by Magic Magid and the F*** Brexit Orchestra, a wedding arch to stage fake weddings for Brexit victims complete with a veil and a ring. BRUSSELS // TODAY // PLACE LUX 18:30 - Magic Magid & the F*ck Brexit Orchestra performance Followed by some fun, games and brit-rock. More info https://t.co/OD2BxwlrpK See you all there! pic.twitter.com/4dTpKFSrhF MG!D (@MagicMagid) January 30, 2020 In the centre of the square, the statues had been gagged to represent the silencing of Britains voice in Europe. Three yellow Minis branded with the slogan The Brexit Job: The Self Devastation Society were parked nearby. Those who did not fancy a night in the cold had the option of heading to a ceilidh at La Maison des Ailes close the the European Commission. Despite the show of good cheer, many Green MEPs could not hide their anger at being shut out of their main sphere of influence. Ellie Chown, an MEP for the West Midlands, said: Weve got a fundamental democratic deficit in the UK and its really galling when people criticise the EU when our democratic deficit is far worse. We have unelected members sitting in the House of Lords, we even have unelected Cabinet members. Here in the European Parliament, its proportional and you get a different type of politics youre looking for common ground and engaging in proper dialogue rather than a dialogue of the deaf we have in Westminster. Ms Chown vowed to return to the UK with a real determination to champion political reform, adding that she could see the energy around the unsuccessful campaign for a second referendum bringing new momentum to the same cause. I think when the current generation of 16 to 30-year-olds are in the leadership positions, then they will take us back inCatherine Rowett, MEP Catherine Rowett, who represents the Greens in the East of England, thought the UK would be back in the EU within a generation. Obviously it will happen, she told the PA news agency. People are aware of what they are losing, as long as the right wing forces dont manage to raise a generation who are afraid of foreigners. I think when the current generation of 16 to 30-year-olds are in the leadership positions, then they will take us back in. Expand Close Members of the Celtic Passion Pipe Band playing in Grand-Place, Brussels (Yui Mok/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Members of the Celtic Passion Pipe Band playing in Grand-Place, Brussels (Yui Mok/PA) London MEP Scott Ainslie could not hide his anger at the Brexit Party: I feel part of my identity has been ripped out of me by a malignant force. Its been a complete con. He added: Its easy to be destructive, but what do you build? Wheres your manifesto what do you actually believe in we know what your against but what do you replace it with? On Friday morning, the Brexit Party is due to make a final march led by Anne Widdecombe from the EU Parliament towards the Eurostar so its MEPs can join in the planned celebrations in Parliament Square in London. A Chinese woman wears a protective mask as she leaves a Beijing railway station in China on Jan. 23, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) Coronavirus Updates Jan. 30: US Upgrades Warning For China to Do Not Travel The following updates are from Jan. 30. Click here for updates from Jan. 31. US Upgrades Travel Warning For China to Do Not Travel The U.S. State Department has upgraded its travel advisory for China from level 3, reconsider travel, to the highest level, Level 4: Do not travel. Travelers should be prepared for travel restrictions to be put into effect with little or no advance notice, it said. Commercial carriers have reduced or suspended routes to and from China. The department urged U.S. citizens currently in China to consider leaving the country through commercial means. Virgin Atlantic Suspends Flights to Shanghai British airline Virgin Atlantic announced that it had suspended flights from Heathrow to Shanghai for two weeks from Feb. 1, according to a travel alert issued by the airliner. After careful consideration of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak within China, Virgin Atlantic has decided to suspend daily Shanghai operations from Saturday 1st Feb for 14 days. The latest customer travel advice can be found here: https://t.co/AtrWyMFTWb pic.twitter.com/dVaRr1h8NF Virgin Atlantic (@VirginAtlantic) January 30, 2020 Our service to Hong Kong is operating as scheduled, the airline stated. Currently, Hong Kong has 12 confirmed cases of coronavirus. The airline joins American Airlines, British Airways, Air Canada, and others to halt flights into China. China Insider Claims Top Communist Officials Looking to Protect 11 Cities from Virus Outbreak Stephen Shiu Yeuk-yuen, a senior political commentator and media professional in Hong Kong, told the Hong Kong edition of The Epoch Times on Jan. 28 that he had obtained insider information about how top Chinese Communist Party officials plan to respond to the coronavirus outbreak. According to Shiu, an insider in the CCPs top leadership had told him that top officials were concerned that the outbreak would bring an end to CCP rule, and discussed saving 11 cities from the coronavirus outbreak during a Jan. 25 emergency Politburo meeting. The 11 cities on the CCPs priority list are said to be Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Hangzhou, Xian, Shenyang, Harbin, and Urumqi. Read more here. France Reports 6th Case of Coronavirus Jerome Salomon, Frances director general of health, announced a new case of known coronavirus infection in Paris in a press conference on Jan. 30, according to local newspaper Ouest-France. In a case of human-to-human transmission, a doctor was infected when treating a patient from China, Salomon said. The doctor is now in isolation in a Paris hospital while the patient has returned to China. Hong Kong Reports 2 New Cases of Coronavirus, Bringing Total to 12 Hong Kong has reported 2 new cases of 2019-nCoV, bringing the citys total number of known virus carriers to 12. One of the new cases involved a human-to-human transmission, the first such case in Hong Kong, according to Hong Kong media. The patient, a 37-year-old woman, is the daughter of a couple from Wuhan who had already tested positive for the virus. The second new case involved a 75-year-old man living in Tsing Yi, an island to the northwest of Hong Kong Island. He visited Shunde District in southern Chinas Guangdong Province from Dec. 30 to Jan. 7. Later, he visited Macao from Jan. 10 to Jan. 14. A girl wearing ski goggles and protective mask exits the arrival hall at Hong Kong High Speed Rail Station on Jan. 29, 2020. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images) Trinidad and Tobago Imposes Travel Restriction on Travelers from China Terrence Deyalsingh, Trinidad and Tobagos health minister, announced that travelers from China will not be allowed entry into the Caribbean country for 14 days after leaving China, according to local daily Trinidad Express. Deyalsingh made the announcement on Jan. 30 and the restriction was to take effect immediately. Currently, Trinidad and Tobago does not have any confirmed cases of coronavirus. Italy Blocks All China Flights After First Cases of Coronavirus Confirmed Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has confirmed the first two known cases of novel coronavirus in the country in a press conference late Thursday night. A Chinese couple, 66 and 67, tested positive for the virus in Rome, Italy, according to the local daily La Reppublica. The couple were part of a tour group that arrived at Malpensa Airport in Varese on Jan. 23, and subsequently stayed at Hotel Palatino. They had been to multiple tourist sites in Italy. A woman wearing a mask checks her smartphone in via Paolo Sarpi, the commercial street of the chinese district of Milan on Jan. 30, 2020. (MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images) The situation is serious but totally under control. Theres no need to scaremonger, health minister Roberto Speranza told reporters. Conte added that Italy is now blocking all air traffic with China. We are the first country to take such a precautionary measure, he said. Read more here. WHO Declares Global Emergency The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern over the new coronavirus outbreak. The organization held discussions for two days last week on the virus but did not declare a global health emergency at the time. Since then, new patients have been diagnosed in a slew of countries, including some who did not travel to China themselves. Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems, and which are ill-prepared to deal with it, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference on Thursday. The declaration has only happened five times in the past ten years. WHO describes the move as an extraordinary event which 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. Read more here. Funeral workers disinfect themselves after handling a virus victim in Wuhan in central Chinas Hubei Province on Jan. 30, 2020. (Chinatopix via AP) US to Offer More Flights Out of Wuhan Additional flights are planned to evacuate American citizens from Wuhan, the epicenter of the new coronavirus, officials said. In a Thursday statement to Americans in the Wuhan and Hankou areas, the agency said it will be staging additional evacuation flights with capacity for private U.S. citizens, leaving Wuhans international airport on Monday, Feb. 3. American citizens with valid passports should contact CoronaVirusEmergencyUSC@state.gov to leave. Those who are seeking transport have to be subjected to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) screening, health observation, and monitoring requirements, the agency wrote. The announcement came after the State Department chartered a plane to fly Americans, primarily department personnel, from Wuhan. The 195 people touched down at March Air Reserve Base on Wednesday and are expected to stay in isolation for at least three days as theyre intensely monitored for signs of the virus. Read more here. The entrance to March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, Calif. on Jan. 29, 2020. (Matt Hartman/AFP via Getty Images) New Patient in US Didnt Travel to China The first case of a person contracting the Novel Coronavirus from another person in the United States was confirmed on Jan. 30. Officials said the man, in his 60s, did not travel to China. The other five confirmed patients in the United States traveled to China before returning to America. The new patient contracted the new virus from his wife, a woman in her 60s who returned from Wuhan on Jan. 13. She did not show symptoms during her travel but later developed symptoms and was isolated at a hospital. Her husband developed symptoms in recent days and tests showed he had the virus. Read more here. St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, on Jan. 24, 2020. The first coronavirus patient in Illinois was isolated at the hospital; officials announced on Jan. 30, 2020, that her husband contracted the illness from her. (Derek Henkle/AFP via Getty Images) US Not Restricting Travel, but Number of Flights Dropping The United States isnt yet restricting travel to or from China, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said on Thursday. Were not going to take any public health options off the table to protect the American public but what were seeing already is a diminution in flights going back and forth between China and the United States, Azar said on CNBC when asked if officials might announce a travel ban. The declining number of people arriving in the United States from China is a natural consequence of heightened State Department travel advisories, Azar said, referring to a level four advisory warning people not to travel to Hubei Province and a level three advisory advising people to consider any travel to other parts of China. Read more here. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar speaks during a press conference on the coronavirus outbreak on Jan. 28, 2020. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images) 6,000 Passengers Held on Cruise Ship in Italy A spokesperson for Costa Cruises said a 54-year-old Chinese woman was showing symptoms of coronavirus on the cruise ship, which has prompted quarantines and lockdowns in several Chinese cities and fears of a global health epidemic. A Costa Cruises spokesperson told Epoch Times that a sanitary protocol has been activated for a guest on the Costa Smeralda, docked off the coast of Civitavecchia, adding that the person is of Chinese origin. She was placed isolation on the onboard hospital since last night together with her travel mate. As soon as the suspected case was detected, the medical team on board immediately activated all the relevant health procedures to promptly isolate and manage the case, according to the cruise liner. Read more here. The Costa Smeralda cruise ship is docked in the Civitavecchia port 70km north of Rome on January 30, 2020. (Filippo Monteforte/AFP via Getty Images) Trump Forms Task Force President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday a new task force to monitor and combat the new coronavirus that started in China. The Presidents Coronavirus Task Force will lead the U.S. governments response to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus and keep Trump apprised of developments. The task force will lead the Trump administrations efforts to monitor, contain, and mitigate the spread of the virus and give Americans accurate and up-to-date health and travel information, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement. Read more here. Taiwan Reports 9th Case of Coronavirus Chen Shih-chung, Taiwans health and welfare minister, announced Taiwans ninth confirmed case of coronavirus on Jan. 30. The patient, a woman, began to have respiratory symptoms on Jan. 27, and went to a hospital the following day. She tested positive for coronavirus on Jan. 30. Her husband worked in Wuhan and recently returned to Taiwan. He was experiencing mild symptoms when he arrived on Jan. 12. He was discharged without being tested, Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung said, reported the China Post. Officials werent aware of any asymptomatic cases at the time, he added. Test results for the man are now pending. Japanese Minister Calls on Taiwans Participation in WHO Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in a parliamentary session on Jan. 30, said Taiwans participation in the World Health Organization (WHO) was important to fight the coronavirus. It will be difficult to maintain health and prevent further infections in this region if [Taiwan] is excluded for political reasons, said Abe, according to local newspaper Mainichi Shimbun. He added, We will continue to make our countrys stance clear at the WHO. Beijing views Taiwan as a renegade province and has tried to diminish the islands international presence by blocking it from becoming a member of international organizations such as the WHO. Taiwan was not allowed to take part in an emergency meeting held by the WHO in Geneva on Jan. 22. A man wears a protective mask and goggles as he lines up to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport on Jan. 30, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) US Territory Bans Travelers from China Ralph Torres, governor of the Northern Mariana Islands, issued an executive order on Jan. 29 declaring a state of significant emergency and banning travelers from China, according to local newspaper Saipan Tribune. The nCoV poses a significant and imminent threat of harm to the community, environment, and people of the CNMI and this emergency declaration issues in order to respond, quarantine, and ensure the prevention of or containment of nCoV in the CNMI, Torres stated. CNMI is short for the U.S. territorys official namethe Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 2019-nCoV is the name for the virus behind the current outbreak. The ban, which will be in effect for 30 days, ordered airlines to suspend direct and indirect travelers from China. The U.S. territory has not reported any cases of coronavirus. Some countries in the Pacific, including Palau and the Marshall Islands, have already banned travel from China, according to the Saipan Tribune. Phillipines, India Report First Cases Indias Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced on Jan. 30 that a student studying at Chinas Wuhan University had contracted the virus in Kerala, a state in southwestern India. The ministry stated that the patient was stable and being closely monitored in isolation in a hospital. On Jan. 28, local outlet The Economic Times reported that 633 people in Kerala, who had all returned from China recently, were under observation, citing comments by Keralas health minister K. K. Shailaja. Among them, seven were in isolation wards at different hospitals. Francisco Duque III, the Philippines health minister, said that a 38-year-old Chinese woman originally from Wuhan was infected with the virus, according to local outlet ABS-CBN. The woman arrived in Manila via Hong Kong on Jan. 21, and went to a local hospital for a check-up on Jan. 25 due to a mild cough. Nurses are seen inside an isolation ward as patients coming from Hong Kong requested medical checks as a preventative measure following a coronavirus outbreak which began in the Chinese city of Wuhan, at a government run Fever Hospital in Hyderabad, on Jan. 27, 2020. (Noah Seelam/AFP via Getty Images) Australia Defends Decision to Quarantine People on Island The Australian government on Jan. 30 defended its plans to quarantine its citizens for 14 days in a detention center on Christmas Island as they return from Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in China. Australia announced on Wednesday it would help evacuate some citizens from Hubei province as part of a joint operation with New Zealand, promising to prioritize the isolated and vulnerable, including the elderly, children, and short-term travelers who have no support base in the region. Speaking to reporters in Canberra on Thursday, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said Australia has no other choice, and the decision was made to keep the broader population safe. The reality is people need to be accommodated for somewhere for up to 14 days. I cant clear out a hospital in Sydney, Melbourne, or Brisbane, he said. Read more here. In this March 6, 2019, photo, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison walks into a high care accommodation room as he tours the North West Point Detention Centre on Christmas Island. (Lukas Coch/AAP Image via AP) Malaysia Reports 8th Confirmed Case Malaysias Director-General of Health, Datuk Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah, said that a Chinese national aged 49 had contracted coronavirus, according to local newspaper Malay Mail. Currently, Malaysia has eight confirmed cases, all of them Chinese nationals. South Korea to Send Aid to China South Koreas Yonhap News Agency reported on Jan. 30 that the South Korean government will send $5 million in aid to China to combat the coronavirus outbreak, citing the countrys foreign ministry. Currently, South Korea has four confirmed cases but no new confirmed case has been reported since Jan. 27. Personnel in protective clothing approach an aircraft, chartered by the U.S. State Department to evacuate government employees and other Americans from the novel coronavirus threat in the Chinese city of Wuhan, after it arrived at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County, California on Jan. 29, 2020. (Mike Blake/Reuters) American Evacuees Voluntarily Stay in Isolation at Military Base The Americans evacuated from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have voluntarily stayed in isolation at a Californian air force base for medical evaluations, federal health officials said on Jan. 29. The 195 evacuees, who came back on a chartered plane, will be staying in the March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County for about three days, Nancy Messonnier from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told reporters. She said the people on board cheered loudly as the plane landed in the United States. So far, no passengers have exhibited symptoms of the infectious disease, said Messonnier. Messonnier is the director for the CDCs National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Medical personnel will continue to actively monitor the evacuees for up to 14 daysthe upper bound of the viruss incubation period before symptoms become apparent. Read more here. Human Rights Watch Says China Censoring Citizens, Press New York-based non-profit Human Rights Watch (HRW) in an article published on Jan. 30 pointed out that Beijing has tried to control the flow of information regarding the epidemic. It said that Chinese authorities have censored many articles and social media posts about the outbreak. Additionally, Chinese authorities have also ordered medical personnel not to speak to the media, while journalists have been escorted away from reporting. Chinese authorities have also failed to provide basic necessities for citizens in cordoned areas. For example, a man with cancer living near Wuhan has not been able to restock his medication. The article urged Chinese authorities to prohibit discrimination and harassment against Hubei residents in other provinces. Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive, said Wang Yaqiu, a China researcher with HRW. South Korean Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Kim Gang-lip, second from left, tries to avoid residents as they protest the governments decision to quarantine South Koreans returning from Wuhan in their home town in Jincheon, South Korea on Jan. 29, 2020. (Jin Sung-hyun/Newsis via AP) South and North Korea Close Joint Liaison Office The two Koreas have suspended their joint inter-Korean liaison office in Gaeseong, a border town in North Korea, due to to the coronavirus outbreak, South Koreas Unification Ministry announced in a Jan. 30 press release. The ministry said that 58 staff members in the office will return to South Korea soon. Additionally, the ministry said the two sides had agreed to maintain contact through telecommunication lines. North Korea has suspended its trade with China, according to Radio Free Asia. Chinas Anti-Corruption Watchdog Issues Warnings to Chinese Officials Chinese leader Xi Jinping is outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on July 31, 2019. (Wang Zhao/AFP/Getty Images) Chinas anti-corruption watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), published a warning on its official website on Jan. 30. The warning said that those who fail to carry out Chinese leader Xi Jinpings instructions in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak are to be resolutely investigated and punished. The CCDI also stated that it would resolutely investigate in accordance with the law and party discipline acts such as derelict of duty and misappropriating rescue funds. In recent years, the CCDI has been responsible for taking down many corrupted Chinese officials. Read more here. Google Closes Offices in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan The brand logo of Alphabet Incs Google is seen outside its office in Beijing, China, Aug. 8, 2018. (Reuters/Thomas Peter) Google announced the temporary closure of its offices in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan on Jan. 29. The current coronial outbreak, which originated from Wuhan, has spread to more than a dozen countries and regions. In Hong Kong, there are 10 confirmed cases and Taiwan eight. Tibet Reports First Confirmed Case of Coronavirus Two monks standing next to the Buddhist Sera monastery in the regional capital Lhasa, Tibet, on Sept. 11, 2016. (Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images) A patient surnamed Zhang arrived at Lhasa by train from Wuhan on Jan. 24 and was hospitalized on the following day after experiencing coronavirus symptoms, according to Chinas state-run news outlet Xinhua. Xinhua confirmed that Zhang had contracted the virus in an update on Jan. 30. All regions in China now have patients testing positive for the novel coronavirus. Experts believe that China is underreporting the scale of the outbreak. Read more here. Russia Closes Border With China, Blocks Chinese Tour Groups Three Russian regions in the Far EastThe Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Khabarovsk, and Amur regionshave closed their crossings with China until Feb. 7, local English-language daily The Moscow Times reported. Meanwhile, Russian travel agencies since Jan. 28 have stopped accepting new tour groups from China. Currently, Russia has not reported any confirmed case of coronavirus. It shares a 2,600-mile border with China. 92 Singaporeans Return Home From Wuhan A plane with Singaporean budget airline Scoot arrived in Singapore in the morning on Jan. 30 carrying 92 passengers, local media The Strait Times has reported. Scoot had been scheduled to fly another plane to Wuhan this evening, but that flight has since been canceled. A number of other countries have evacuated citizens from Wuhan, including the United States and Japan, with others planning to in the coming days. Rubio Criticizes China for Refusing to Work with Taiwan Senator Marco Rubio on Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 29, 2019. (Joshua Roberts/Reuters) While many governments have successfully evacuated some of their citizens from Wuhan, including Japan and the United States, China has refused Taiwans requests to charter planes to Wuhan, according to local Taiwanese media. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), in a tweet on Jan. 29, wrote: #China refusing to allow #Taiwan to evacuate its citizens due to growing #coronavirus pandemic is outrageous. #China refusing to allow #Taiwan to evacuate its citizens due to growing #coronavirus pandemic is outrageous. https://t.co/hdIAJPlhEZ Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 29, 2020 While Taiwan is a full-fledged democracy with its own military, constitution, currency, and elected officials, Beijing considers the island a renegade province that must be united with the mainland one day, with military force if necessary. Two Australian Citizens in China Infected Two Australian citizens have been infected with the virus, reported Australian broadcaster ABC, citing comments made by Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt. According to Hunt, the two are not in Wuhanthe epicenter of the coronavirusbut in Guangdong province. My advice before coming to this event from the national incident centre in our morning briefing is that two Australians did contract the virus in Guangdong province, Hunt said at a press conference. They have been treated and the advice that I haveand I would want to be cautious on thisis that they have been released and are not seeking consular assistance at this stage. Ikea Closes All Stores in China Flags and the companys logo are seen outside of an IKEA Group store in Spreitenbach, Switzerland, on April 27, 2016. (Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters) Swedish furniture maker IKEA announced on Jan. 30 that it has closed all of its 30 stores in China, in response to the coronavirus outbreak, according to Reuters. Several American companies have already shut down some of their stores, including Starbucks and McDonalds. Multiple Airlines Cancel Flights to China Lion Air and Garuda Indonesia planes at the Sukarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia, on Nov. 27, 2018. (Adek Berry/AFP/Getty Images) Indonesia airline Lion Air, in an announcement on Jan. 29, stated that it will suspend all flights to China for February, according to Reuters. Russian Ural Airlines also announced on Jan. 29 that it had suspended some flights to several European destinations, including Paris and Rome, according to AFP. The airline said these European routes are popular with Chinese tourist groups. Prior to the latest cancellation, Ural has already suspended its flights to Chinas Hainan from Russian cities of Tyumen and Yekaterinburg, Anadolu Agency reported. Finlands flag carrier Finnair suspended flights to Nanjiang and Daxing District in Beijing until the end of March, according to local media. Flights to other Chinese destinations, including the capital Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong will continue. Earlier on Jan. 28, South Korean budget carrier Air Seoul suspended all flights to China. Other Korean airliners, including Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air, Eastar Jet, and Tway Air, have also suspended some services to China, according to local media. On Jan. 26, Hong Kongs Cathy Dragon suspended flights to Wuhan until March 31. Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon announced on Jan. 28 that they will be progressively reducing the capacity of our flights to and from mainland China by 50 percent or more from Jan. 30 until the end of March. WHO: Whole World Needs to Be On Alert Dr. Michael Ryan, the head of the World Health Organizations (WHO) Health Emergencies Programme told reporters on Wednesday, the whole world needs to be on alert now as the number of coronavirus cases reported by China continue to increase. The whole world needs to take action and be ready for any cases that come, either from the original epicenter or from other epicenters that become established, he said. Live from Geneva on the new #coronavirus outbreak https://t.co/f2fNWxSQHu World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) January 29, 2020 Also at the press conference, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that an emergency committee would decide on Thursday whether the outbreak is an international public health emergency after stopping short last week. He added that the WHO deeply regrets mistakenly describing the worldwide virus risk as moderate in three reports last week instead of high. The situation report has since revised the risks to very high in China, high at the regional level and high at the global level. Following a visiting to China this week, Ghebreyesus said that most of those who had contracted the coronavirus suffered milder symptoms, while around 20 percent of patients suffered severe effects such as pneumonia or respiratory failure. New Zealand Charters Plane to Evacuate Citizens from Wuhan File photo of an airport taking off from an airport in New Zealand on Sept 20, 2017. (Reuters/Nigel Marple/File Photo) Winston Peters, New Zealands foreign minister, announced that the government has agreed with national carrier Air New Zealand to arrange a chartered flight to Wuhan to evacuate citizens, according to local media. Peters urged New Zealand citizens in Hubei to register on Safetravel if they would like to board the plane. Air Canada Announces It Is Suspending China Flights An Air Canada plane arriving at the international airport in Munich, Germany, on Aug. 3, 2009. (Joerg Koch/AFP/Getty Images) Effective Jan. 30, Air Canada is suspending all direct flights to Beijing and Shanghai until Feb. 29, the airlines said in a statement. The decision came after the Canadian government released advice for Canadians to avoid non-essential travel to mainland China. The airline said that impacted customers will be notified and offered other options, including travel on other carriers where available, or a full refund. Air Canada regrets this situation and apologizes for the serious disruption to our customers travel plans, it said, adding that adjustments to the cancellations may be announced as the situation continues to evolve. The airline joins American Airlines, British Airways, and others to halt flights into China, with some offering only limited services to Hong Kong. Melanie Sun, Eva Fu, Zachary Stieber, Jack Phillips, and Isabel Van Brugen contributed to this report. By Express News Service Its that time of the year again when the entire Mandi House area in Delhi will abuzz with spectacular theatre performances. Launching the 21st edition of its acclaimed theatre festival titled, Bharat Rang Mahotsav (BRM) on February 1, the National School of Drama (NSD) is hosting 73 plays in the vicinity of the area. Starting with Kusoor, directed by Amol Palekar to be featured at Kamani auditorium, other centres for this 21-day long festival include Shri Ram Centre, Abhimanch and NSDs own Open Lawn, Bahummukh. With 18 plays in Hindi, 11 in Bengali, six in Assamese, four in English, three in Manipuri , two each in Hindustani, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannad, Marathi, Odiya and one each in Bhojpuri, Maithili, Malwi, Chhattisgarhi, Bundeli, Awadhi, Tamil, Konkani, multilingual and non-verbal, regional theatre gets a front seat at this event. Addressing media at the press conference, Suresh Sharma, Director, In-charge, (NSD), said, The 21st Bharat Rang Mahotsav focuses on providing an engaging audience experience. There are shows that will leave a far larger imprint on the audience than just making them simply watch something. Hence the audience will also experience the importance of space, design and environments. He further talked about the highlights of the festival which included top world theatre productions to be brought to the capital city. BRM will also feature interesting platforms for theatre lovers in the city. There are director meet events, masterclasses by living legends and Advitiya, a youth forum showing performances by dramatic societies of nearly 50 colleges in Delhi. The World Theatre Forum and the National Seminar on theatre will also be held as part of the BRM. The audience will additionally enjoy 10 foreign plays from six countries such as Czech Republic, USA, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Russia. SOCi, Inc., a San Diego, CA-based social and reputation management platform for multi-location businesses, closed a $15m Series C funding round. The round was co-led by Vertical Venture Partners, Grayhawk Capital, and Ankona Capital with participation from Blossom Street Ventures. The company, which has raised roughly $35m since its founding in 2012, intends to use the funds to continue to build out its platform to allow enterprise partners to manage all of their local digital channels and assets that are core to their localized marketing presence in a single platform. Led by Afif Khoury, CEO, SOCi is a social media and reputation management platform built to address the complex workflow needs of visible multi-location businesses. The company has launched more than a dozen marketing tools to help multi-location brands oversee, maintain, and protect their brand at the national level, while simultaneously scaling presence across hundreds, sometimes thousands, of local pages. SOCi dedicated much of the last year to introducing a number of solutions to its product suiteSOCi Ads PLUS, Reputation insights, Listings Management, and Google Posts integrationto allow clients like Ace Hardware, Sport Clips, and others manage their brands on a local level. FinSMEs 30/01/2020 France has pledged to outlaw the practice of culling unwanted male chicks by the end of 2021, as part of animal welfare reforms. About seven billion male chicks not wanted for meat or eggs are killed around the world each year, usually in shredding machines or by gas. The government said new methods were emerging that would make it possible to test the sex of embryos inside the egg. But some campaigners said the reforms did not go far enough. French Agriculture Minister Didier Guillaume announced the reforms at a press conference in Paris on Tuesday. From the end of 2021, nothing will be like it was before, he said. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Miscreants opened fired in Bengals Murshidabad district. The incident occurred over a bandh called by an outfit against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) at Jalangi in Murshidabad on Wednesday morning. (Photo: File | Representational) Berhampore/Kolkata: A Muslim cleric and a teenager were shot dead while three others were injured after a gang of miscreants allegedly backed by the Trinamul Congress opened fire on them during a clash. The incident occurred over a bandh called by an outfit against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) at Jalangi in Murshidabad on Wednesday morning. The victims were identified as Anwarul Biswas (65), a Maulavi of at a local mosque and Salauddin Sheikh alias Maqbool (18), a mason. The incident has left chief minister Mamata Banerjees party in a tight spot as the Trinamul supremo has been spearheading a massive movement against the CAA and NRC across the state. The outfit, Nobojagoron Nagarik Mancha, claiming itself to be apolitical, called the bandh at Sahebnagar in Jalangi demanding the withdrawal of the CAA and NRC. It also added the recent arrest of Jawaharlal Nehru University PhD student Sharjeel Imam by the Delhi Police, among the issues. At around 7 am, the bandh supporters launched their protests blocking the road near Sahebnagar Market, a local Nurul Islam Sheikh said. A local teacher Abdul Jabbar was leading the agitation. Soon after three vehicles carrying Trinamul workers rushed to the spot. Jabbar claimed that the agitation was peaceful. The group, led by Trinamul Jalangi (North) block president Tahiruddin Mondal and a Trinamul-ruled gram panchayat head, allegedly attacked bandh supporters with sticks and rods to lift their road blockade forcibly. They even hurled bombs, torched a motorcycle and ransacked many houses. Subsequently, bandh supporters retaliated leading to a clash between the two groups. The group, which attacked the bandh supporters first, allegedly opened fire killing Anwarul at the spot. Salauddin, who was also shot at, succumbed to his injuries at Domkal Sub Division Hospital later. Local TMC MP Abu Taher denied the party's involvement in the clash and alleged that the violence was by Congress and CPI(M) supporters. I have requested the police to look into the incident. The culprits should be immediately arrested, he said. Senior Congress leader Manoj Chakraborty said that the party was not involved in the incident and demanded a judicial inquiry into it. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-31 03:51:10|Editor: yan Video Player Close AMMAN, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Jordan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday reached an agreement on 1.3 billion U.S. dollars' support to economic growth and job creation in the kingdom. The announcement was made during a press conference where Jordanian Minister of Finance Mohammad Al Ississ said the programme seeks to strengthen fiscal stability, increase transparency and improve social spending. It also seeks to improve the investment environment and reduce the costs of businesses, which will help create jobs. "This is a programme that was designed by Jordan and with Jordanian expertise," said the minister. Chief of IMF mission to Jordan Chris Jarvis said financing support from Jordan's international partners will be critical for the government's reform efforts. "The agreed economic programme will reinforce Jordan's ambitious macroeconomic and structural reform agenda for the next four years," he said. According to the chief, economic growth in Jordan is projected to reach 2.1 percent in 2020 and will increase gradually in the coming years. He added that the first tranche of the programme, which needs the IMF board approval, is expected to be extended in late March. [January 30, 2020] FogHorn, Stanley Black & Decker, Saudi Aramco and Linde Highlight the Value of Edge Intelligence at the ARC Industry Forum SUNNYVALE, Calif., Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FogHorn, a leading developer of intelligent edge computing software for industrial and commercial Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, today announced its workshop at the 24th Annual ARC Industry Forum in Orlando, Florida, on Feb. 3-6, 2020. David King, CEO, and Sastry Malladi, CTO at FogHorn, join Sudhi Bangalore, Global Vice President, Industry 4.0 at Stanley Black & Decker, Jesus Flores-Cerrillo, Associate Director, Digital Smart Operations at Linde and Hamad AlShehab, Facilities Planning Engineer at Saudi Aramco for the event at 12:15 p.m. ET on Feb. 5. During the workshop, titled The State of the Edge - The Impact Edge-based Analytics, ML and AI Is Having on the Industry , FogHorn, Stanley Black & Decker , a Fortune 500 American manufacturer of industrial tools and household hardware and provider of security products, Saudi Aramco , the worlds largest integrated oil and gas company, and Linde , a leading industrial gases and engineering company, will share how edge computing is impacting commercial and industrial businesses. The session will demonstrate how edge-native and edge-to-cloud AI strategies are helping OT and IT professionals solve their most challenging problems. Additionally, Bangalore, Flores-Cerrillo, and AlShehab will each share how edge computing is being applied in their organizations. By enhancing traditional Industrial IoT deployments with edge AI capabilities, our customers scale more quickly, accelerate time-to-value, and enable exciting new use cases, such as vibration-based anomaly detection for predictive maintenance and vision-based defect detection, said David King. Every year, the ARC Industry Forum showcases new ways for industrial organizations to tap into the power of their data and unlock its true potential for significant business results, and we are excited to have a strong presence this year. To learn more about FogHorns activities at the ARC Industry Forum, visit https://www.foghorn.io/events . About FogHorn FogHorn is a leading developer of edge computing software for industrial and commercial IoT application solutions. FogHorns software platform brings the power of advanced analytics and machine learning to the on-premises edge environment enabling a new class of applications for advanced monitoring and diagnostics, machine performance optimization, proactive maintenance and operational intelligence use cases. FogHorns technology is ideally suited for OEMs, systems integrators and end customers in manufacturing, power and water, oil and gas, renewable energy, mining, transportation, healthcare, retail, as well as smart grid, smart city, smart building and connected vehicle applications. FogHorn and Lightning are trademarks of FogHorn Systems. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Media Contact Kyra Tillmans [email protected] +1 925-271-8214 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The NYPD on Wednesday announced a strategy to address and prevent youth crime that builds on its highly-successful neighborhood policing initiative in an effort to proactively intervene with children before they engage in criminal activity. The departments plan, Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said at the State of the NYPD address, focuses on the establishment of youth coordination officers reminiscent of the NYPDs neighborhood coordination officers; utilizing already-established school safety officers to enhance information sharing; the launch of YouthStat meetings; and the activation of underutilized spaces in the city for the use of youth throughout the five boroughs. The first step is to redefine what our NYPD youth officers do," Shea said at the address. Were establishing a new role in all of our precincts and Housing Bureau police service areas on the model of our neighborhood coordination officers called the youth coordination officer, or YCO, Shea said. As the title implies, YCOs will play a critical coordinating role, maintaining awareness of troubled youth and connecting better and sooner with them. They also will coordinate with the other cops in the precinct, and with city agencies and local community-service groups that have a stake in improved youth outcomes, which, I would say, is everyone. The NYPDs neighborhood policing program, which began in 2015, has been lauded as a positive measure by the department and has been considered integral in its effort to reduce crime citywide. Under neighborhood policing, each precinct is divided into four or five sectors, patrolled by the same officers who work the same shifts each week, in an effort to familiarize themselves with residents to prevent crimes from occurring. A similarly-modeled approach will be utilized for the youth coordination officer program, as these officers will be considered experts for all youth-related matters in each precinct, partnering with city agencies and local community-service groups in an effort to improve youth outcomes. The advancement of the neighborhood policing program is an expected move by the department, after Shea said last year that he planned to take it to the next level," adding that he believed it will be intrinsic to continuing to drive down crime statistics with far-less intrusive policing. APPROACH IS TO BE APPLAUDED Defense attorney Mark Fonte called the measures proactive, adding that the approach is to be applauded and embraced by all concerned. Commissioner Shea recognizes that the prevention of crime is preferable to the prosecution of crime, Fonte said. This is certainly a breath of fresh air. Fonte said that the commissioner should be commended for his foresight and for thinking outside of the box, adding that interacting with youth in the manner the department proposes will restore a respect for law enforcement. Seeing law enforcement disrespected by our youth is both disturbing and sad, Fonte said. I stand with Commissioner Shea and fully support the implementation of these policies. The departments plans also aim to further use its school safety division, which consists of about 5,500 school safety officers, by incorporating these units into strategy meetings to improve information sharing and connect children to resources. This will be done in conjunction with monthly YouthStat meetings, which will be held to methodically address opportunities to better protect and serve young people across the city, according to the NYPD. The NYPD, as you know, already tracks crime and detects crime patterns in ways that are second-to-none among the other police departments on Earth, Shea said. And we know that our new youth strategy is a real step forward that will allow us to measure in some manner crime prevention. To measure assists, if you will, Shea added. Crimes that did not happen, lives that did not end, families that were kept intact because young people were helped every step of the way. The last tenet of the new approach to preventing youth crime is the activation of underutilized fields, gyms, and classrooms that will be used to create activities geared toward children. An NYPD spokeswoman said that the youth coordination officer program is slated to begin in the spring, with training for the officers completed in advance. Susan Birnbaum president and CEO of the New York City Police Foundation, said: Public safety is more than reducing and preventing crime, it is fundamental to building strong, cohesive, and vibrant communities." Through innovative neighborhood policing programs, we have made tremendous strides in the past year, Birnbaum said. "We look forward to building on these gains in the coming year with new programs that further engage youths and local communities. Michael Mcmahon attends an edit board meeting at the Staten Island Advance on Sept 24, 2019. (Staten Island Advance/ Alexandra Salmieri )Alexandra Salmieri YOUTH CRIME ON STATEN ISLAND Youth crime was a focus of law enforcement officials on Staten Island in recent months. A series of alleged assaults and other frightening encounters with minors at the Staten Island Mall, which prompted police to ramp up their presence last summer, left shoppers concerned for their safety at the location. Multiple minors were arrested and charged in connection with separate attacks at the location last year. A pair of brutal beatings, where a 14-year-old and 15-year-old student from the Nicotra Charter School were badly battered, also left parents frustrated at the NYPDs juvenile policy. In the wake of the attacks, District Attorney Michael E. McMahon and Borough President James Oddo penned a letter to the NYPD concerning the departments policy of issuing juvenile reports in cases where a minor allegedly acted violently and intentionally. In each case, there appears to have been little to no investigation or discussion with victims before the assailants were charged with a non-qualifying offense, or issued a Juvenile Report in lieu of normal processing through the Department of Probation and ultimately Family Court, and released to their parent or guardian, the letter says. In our view, this is a policy that should be changed, as it is not in the best interests of victims, public safety, nor the future of the assailants," the letter continues. When a juvenile report is issued, according to the letter, a youth officer at an NYPD precinct is responsible for speaking to the child and addressing the consequences of his or her actions. After the report is completed, it is filed internally within the NYPD before a parent or guardian comes to retrieve the child from the precinct. While the letter mentions that "some effort is made to visit the child at their home after the case concludes, it adds, that effort is not always successful. Following the NYPDs announcement concerning its plan to address and prevent youth crime, McMahon said that he was pleased" to see that a Jan. 16 meeting attended by the citys district attorneys and other city agencies has led the department to show its first steps in its new youth crime prevention strategy. However, he also made clear that further efforts are required. While I support these initiatives, McMahon said, I also made clear as stated in the letter Borough President Oddo and I sent in November to the police commissioner that they must reform the policy of deciding how to handle youth crime cases, especially when violent assaults occur. At that meeting, Police Commissioner Shea acknowledged receipt of the letter and assured us that he shares our concerns regarding this troubling trend, and that he will continue to work with us to change this policy to better serve victims of crime, protect all Staten Islanders, and create more meaningful outcomes for juvenile defendants, McMahon said. "Everyone deserves to feel safe in their neighborhoods, on our trains and buses, and in our shopping centers, and those who violently hurt victims must be held accountable. Like a lot of big cities in the developed world, Amsterdam lost population in the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s as its inhabitants opted for newer dwellings and more space outside the city. During those same decades, newcomers arrived in large numbers from former and current Dutch territories as well as Turkey and Morocco. But there werenat enough of them to make up for the domestic exodus, and their presence led some longtime Amsterdammers to decide the city was no longer for them. After 1985 a again like a lot of big cities in the developed world a Amsterdam stopped shrinking. New arrivals from overseas were still coming, and more and more of them were having kids (one of whom, just to keep American readers engaged here, is the new shortstop for the Philadelphia Phillies). Educated young people from elsewhere in the Netherlands began to stream in, too, attracted rather than repelled by the cityas increasingly diverse, cosmopolitan feel, and drawn in by a growing assortment of good jobs. Starting in 2005, the city began to experience sustained net inflows of domestic migrants for the first time since at least 1950. In 2015, that domestic inflow reversed. By 2018, the net outflows were of a scale not seen since the early 1980s. The inflow from abroad has actually spiked back up recently a albeit from very different places, with U.K. citizens now the biggest group of foreigners in the city and Italians leading the list of new arrivals in 2018. Together with a big birth-death differential (because of earlier migration patterns, and probably also the insanely steep stairs in older apartment buildings, there arenat a lot of old people in Amsterdam), this has kept the city growing. Last November its population hit an estimated 873,200, finally surpassing the previous record of 872,428 set in 1959. But the accelerating exodus to elsewhere in the country seems significant, in part because similar things have been happening in Berlin, London, New York, Paris, Sydney and Toronto. The one exception I found in my admittedly less-than-exhaustive search of what are frequently called asuperstar citiesa was Tokyo, which is still experiencing big domestic inflows. Berlin, London, Sydney and Toronto have, like Amsterdam, continued to grow despite domestic emigration. New York and Paris have resumed shrinking, though, and my sense is that some of the other superstars may follow in their wake before too long. The great rich-world revival of the big city seems to be fading, or at least entering a new phase. I was not surprised the city, with its long history of patriotism and the current mayor who himself served in the Gulf War, wanted to honor Miguel soon after he was buried in Brownsville, Texas, where much of his family lives. The memorial, held at East Aurora High School, where the young man was a student and stand-out leader with the Navy Junior ROTC, was in large part for his mother Olivia Guzman Villalon, who lives in Aurora, as well as her sons friends, some of whom came from out of state for this chance to say goodbye. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has, by an order dated January 29, 2020, imposed a monetary penalty of 1 crore on HDFC Bank Limited for non-compliance with Master Direction on Know Your Customer dated February 25, 2016. The penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers vested in RBI under the provisions of section 47 A (1) (c) read with section 46 (4) (i) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, taking into account the failure of the bank to adhere to the aforesaid direction issued by RBI. Based on the observations made during the on-site Inspection for Supervisory Evaluation of HDFC Bank Ltd undertaken by RBI for the financial year ended March 31, 2017, a scrutiny of 39 current accounts opened by its customers for bidding in Initial Public Offer was conducted by RBI which revealed, that the bank had failed to exercise ongoing due diligence in those accounts. It was observed that the transactions effected in these current accounts were disproportionate to the declared income and profile of the customers. On the above basis, a notice was issued to the bank to show cause as to why penalty should not be imposed for non-compliance with the direction. After considering the reply received from the bank and oral submissions made in the personal hearing, RBI came to the conclusion that the aforesaid charge of non-compliance with the direction was sustained and warranted imposition of monetary penalty. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US request for permission to put Patriot missile systems at Iraqi bases hosting US troops comes after Iran attacks. The United States has asked Iraq for permission to put Patriot missile systems at bases hosting US troops to improve defences against attacks like the January 8 Iranian missile attack that caused brain injuries to more than 50 US troops, Pentagon officials said Thursday. That is one of the matters we have to work on and work through with the Baghdad government, Defense Secretary Mark Esper told a Pentagon news conference. He and Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made clear that they want Patriots in Iraq as part of an effort to improve the protection of US forces there. The Iran attacks came after the US killed top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in Iraq less than a week earlier. The commander responsible for US forces in Iraq feels he needs the Patriot defences, Esper said, and we support the commander. He did not say what reasons the Iraqi government may have given for not approving the US request thus far. Iraqi officials did not immediately comment. The US has about 5,000 troops in Iraq to train and advise Iraqi security forces in their fight against armed groups like ISIL (ISIS). The relationship is especially rocky in the aftermath of the US killing of Soleimani. The Iraqi government has indicated it could expel all foreign forces, although it has not yet taken action against the US presence. There were no Patriots or other air defences in Iraq capable of shooting down ballistic missiles at the time of the Iranian attack that hit Ain al-Assad airbase in western Iraq. Milley said the missiles were armed with 1,000-pound and 2,000-pound high-explosive warheads. US soldiers and journalists inspect the rubble at a site of Iranian bombing, in Ain al-Assad airbase, Anbar, Iraq [Qassim Abdul-Zahra/AP Photo] Milley said that in addition to securing Iraqi government permission, the US military needs to work through mechanical and logistical issues to move a Patriot battalion to Iraq. There was not already one there because US commanders judged that Iraq was a less-likely target for an Iranian ballistic missile attack than other Gulf countries. Asked whether the Iranian missiles could have been shot down before reaching their target if Patriots had been deployed at Ain al-Assad, Milley said, Thats what theyre designed to do. Cant say for certain, obviously that they would have succeeded. Esper defence Trump over brain injury comments During Thursdays news conference, Esper also sought to defend US President Donald Trumps response to US troops being diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries. Last week, Trump appeared to play down the injuries, saying he heard that they had headaches and a couple of other things, prompting criticism from legislators and a US veterans group. Ive had the chance to speak with the president; he is very concerned about the health and welfare of all of our service members, particularly those who were involved in the operations in Iraq, and he understands the nature of these injuries, Esper said. Milley said that the service members suffering from traumatic brain injuries had been diagnosed with mild cases. He added that the diagnosis could change as time went on. US soldiers stand at a site of Iranian bombing at Ain al-Assad airbase in Anbar, Iraq [Qassim Abdul-Zahra/AP Photo] Pentagon officials have said there had been no effort to minimise or delay information on concussive injuries, but its handling of the injuries following Tehrans attack has renewed questions over the US militarys policy regarding how it deals with suspected brain injuries. Since 2000, about 408,000 service members have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, according to Pentagon data. Advertisement Boris Johnson will deliver a plea for the country to move on from Brexit as the UK finally leaves the EU tonight. In an address to be broadcast shortly before Britain's departure at 11pm, the Prime Minister will insist that Brexit marks 'not an end but a beginning'. And in a sign of the new Government's changed approach, he will convene a symbolic Cabinet meeting this afternoon in Sunderland, the first city to declare for Brexit when the 2016 referendum results came out. Boris Johnson will deliver a plea for the country to move on from Brexit tonight as the UK finally leaves the EU London unfurls the flags for Brexit as the Mall in London towards Buckingham Palace is transformed into a sea of patriotic Red White & Blue Big Ben's clockface is pictured at 11pm on Thursday - 24 hours before the UK officially withdraws from the European Union Buildings on the Grand Place pulsate with lights in the red, white and blue of the British flag during a British-themed evening titled 'Brussels Calling' sponsored by the city the day after the European Parliament ratified the Brexit agreement on January 30, 2020 in Brussels, Belgium Tonight he will stress his belief that the referendum was a vote not just to leave the EU, but also for lasting change in neglected areas of the country. Mr Johnson will describe Brexit as 'the moment when the dawn breaks and the curtain goes up on a new act'. He will go on: 'It is a moment of real national renewal and change. This is the dawn of a new era in which we no longer accept that your life chances your family's life chances should depend on which part of the country you grow up in.' At 11pm midnight on the Continent Britain will legally leave the EU and enter a 'transition period' which runs until December 31. During this time the UK will remain subject to EU laws and free movement of people will continue. On Monday Mr Johnson will deliver a major speech setting out his approach to both Brexit and national renewal. Sources said he would be 'very frank' about his aims for the negotiations with Brussels and his determination to allow Britain to 'diverge' from the EU, even if this means the introduction of some trade barriers. He will also spell out his determination to ensure that the Brexit transition period will not be extended beyond the end of this year, despite warnings from Brussels that there is not enough time to complete a comprehensive free trade agreement. Mr Johnson will warn that failure to strike a trade deal by the end of the year would lead to the introduction of tariffs on goods entering from the EU, such as German cars, French cheese and Italian wines. One Government source said: 'Theresa May made two crucial mistakes she wasn't clear about what she wanted, and she wasn't clear that she was prepared to leave with or without a deal. 'We are not going to make those mistakes. We want a good free trade deal, without alignment, but we are prepared to leave without one if we have to.' Mr Johnson will also reject calls for the EU to be given automatic rights to UK fishing grounds and for the European Court of Justice to be the arbiter of disputes arising from a new trade deal. Sajid Javid, the Chancellor, was one of a handful of ministers spotted at Kings Cross station in London this morning as the Cabinet headed to Sunderland Esther McVey, the Minister of State for Housing, was also spotted at the station. The Cabinet is expected to meet this afternoon Mr Johnson has ordered only low key events to mark Britain's departure tonight. Union flags will fly in the Mall and Parliament Square and a light show will be displayed on the front of No10. A Downing Street spokesman said the Prime Minister would 'celebrate Brexit' with a small party for staff. Leading Eurosceptic Steve Baker called for Brexiteers to avoid triumphalism, saying: 'I will celebrate in a way which is respectful of the genuine sorrow that others are feeling at the same time.' Fellow Brexiteer Peter Bone called for the introduction of a bank holiday named United Kingdom Day so 'people will have the day off and say thank goodness for that Brexit vote'. Light shows and parties for Brexit Day countdown A SPECIAL CABINET MEETING Boris Johnson will this morning hold a Cabinet meeting in Sunderland, the first city to declare support for leaving the EU in the referendum. Ministers are expected to discuss the Prime Minister's 'levelling up' agenda and how to use Brexit to spread prosperity and opportunity across the four nations of the UK. PM ADDRESSES THE NATION At 10pm, an address by Mr Johnson will be broadcast, calling for the country to come together and move forward. NO 10 LIGHT SHOW The UK's final hour in the EU will be marked with a light display in Downing Street, including a clock counting down to 11pm projected on to the black bricks of the famous building. Ministries around Whitehall will be lit up in red, white and blue. The Government revealed plans for the light show after Mr Johnson failed in his bid to get Big Ben to bong at 11pm, the moment the UK leaves the EU which will be midnight in Brussels. The Prime Minister is understood to be hosting his own private party in Downing Street. PARLIAMENT SQUARE PARTY Nigel Farage is organising a celebration rally from 9pm in Parliament Square. Speakers will include Brexit Party MEP Ann Widdecombe and Tim Martin, the boss of Wetherspoon pubs. Participants are invited to wave flags and sing patriotic songs. Union Jacks have been hung around the square and down The Mall. BRUSSELS WAVES GOODBYE About three million 50p coins, minted to mark Brexit, will start showing up today European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen will say a final farewell in the European Parliament just before midday. At 7.30pm, a ceremony will see Union flags taken down inside the European Council. After 11pm our time, the UK flag that hangs outside the European Parliament alongside those of other EU member states will be removed. It will go to the House Of European History museum. 50P COIN About three million 50p coins, minted to mark Brexit, will start showing up today. Pictured left is the Royal Mint's commemorative gold version, costing 945. Their inscription reads: 'Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations.' Chancellor Sajid Javid originally ordered production in advance of the previous departure date of October 31, but the Brexit delay meant about a million had to be melted down. EVENTS AROUND THE COUNTRY Pubs and social clubs will be marking the occasion. One such event in Morley, West Yorkshire billed The Big Brexit Bash will be attended by Tory MP Andrea Jenkyns and MEP Lucy Harris, and feature fireworks, music, dancing and speeches. Advertisement Britain is finally set to leave the EU, but what happens next? The UK and Brussels are braced for 11 months of crunch trade talks before a 'cliff-edge' in December (and Boris Johnson wants deals with Japan AND the US in 2020 as well) By Jack Maidment, Deputy Political Editor for MailOnline Britain is finally set to leave the European Union but its dealings with the bloc are far from over. The last three years have almost entirely been about hammering out the terms of the UK's divorce from Brussels. Now the two sides must try to agree all of the details of their future relationship before a standstill transition period ends in December. The EU is adamant that 11 months is not enough time to get the job done, but Boris Johnson is refusing to agree to an extension, setting up a fresh Brexit 'cliff-edge' at the end of the year. Here is a breakdown of all the key dates in the next chapter of the Brexit saga. Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, pictured in Downing Street on January 8, will spend 2020 trying to hammer out a post-Brexit trade deal between Britain and Brussels Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator pictured in Strasbourg on January 14, will lead talks for the EU January 31, 2020: The UK formally leaves the European Union at 11pm after more than three years of tortuous wrangling. The two sides enter into a standstill transition period during which they will try to agree the terms of their post-Brexit relationship. EU rules will continue to apply to the UK for the duration of the transition. The Department for Exiting the European Union ceases to exist. February 2020: The UK will be free to pursue trade deals with whoever it wants. Japan and the US are expected to be Britain's top targets with initial talks likely to start immediately after Brexit. The UK will also want to kickstart talks with the EU - but the bloc will make Britain wait. End of February/early March 2020: Before trade talks can start between the UK and the EU, the bloc must agree a negotiating mandate. This mandate will set out the broad terms of what the EU will be striving for during negotiations and will also spell out Brussels' red lines. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has suggested the mandate may not be finalised until the end of February or early March. March 2020: Formal trade talks between the UK and the EU are expected to begin. A group of 40 officials called 'Taskforce Europe' and based out of the Cabinet Office will lead negotiations for the UK. The taskforce will be headed up by David Frost, a diplomat and one-time business lobbyist who was appointed Mr Johnson's Europe adviser last year. Mr Frost is expected to negotiate directly with the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier. Brexit plagued Theresa May's time as prime minister as she failed to persuade MPs to support her EU divorce deal. She is pictured at a summit in Brussels in March last year April/May 2020: Trade talks between the UK and EU - as well as talks with other nations - will intensify. If major progress has not been made with Brussels then there is likely to be increasing pressure on Mr Johnson to agree to extend the transition period. The terms of Britain's divorce from the bloc state that the standstill will finish on December 31 and the PM has been adamant he will not agree to an extension. But the Withdrawal Agreement does include a pressure valve mechanism which states that the transition can be prolonged by one or two years if both sides agree. The EU has already said it does not believe the transition period is long enough to finalise a comprehensive agreement so if talks stall in the first half of the year then Brussels could step up demands for a delay. June/July 2020: The Withdrawal Agreement states that a decision to extend the transition period must be agreed by both sides before July 1, 2020 if it is to go ahead. The PM is expected to stick to his guns and refuse to agree to a delay, setting the stage for transition to end in December, with or without a full deal in place. July to November 2020: Assuming no transition extension has been agreed, the second half of the year will be fraught with activity as the UK and EU rush to get everything decided. The UK will also be hoping that by this time agreements with Japan and the US will be taking shape, putting pressure on Brussels to work quickly. September/October 2020: Downing Street is thought to want to have a trade deal with Japan in the books by the autumn to show the EU and the rest of the world it means business. It would be the UK's first post-Brexit trade deal. November 3, 2020: The date of the US presidential election. The White House has said it wants a trade agreement with the UK in place before the end of the year and will not want talks to clash with Donald Trump's bid for re-election. That means a US-UK trade deal could be done and dusted before November. December 2020: The UK and EU will either be on course to end the transition period with a full agreement in place or just a partial agreement. EU bosses have suggested that a lack of time will mean having to prioritise certain issues during talks, potentially leaving others to be resolved at a later date. The UK believes it is possible to get everything done. If no extension has been agreed then the two sides will be going their separate ways regardless. December 31, 2020: The point at which the Brexit transition period will come to an end and when EU rules and regulations will cease to apply to the UK. January 1, 2021: EU freedom of movement will be brought to an end and the UK's new post-Brexit immigration system will be rolled out. The Australian-style points-based system is expected to treat migrants from across the world the same, ending preferential treatment for those from Europe. This is the REAL Brexit party! Nigel Farage promises to celebrate Britain's long-awaited EU exit in style tonight - despite no Big Ben's bongs and no BOOZE By Jack Maidment, Deputy Political Editor for MailOnline A defiant Nigel Farage today insisted Brexiteers will have a good time at his Brexit party despite a ban on booze, live music and fireworks. The Brexit Party leader claimed the 'Establishment' had done everything it possibly could to make the event in Parliament Square tonight a 'damp squib'. But he said 'none of that matters' and the restrictions would not stop him and his fellow Leave voters from marking a 'remarkable piece of history'. He told MailOnline: 'Everything that could be done to make the event a damp squib has been done by the Establishment. 'From Big Ben which was able to bong on Remembrance Sunday and for New Year, to no fireworks and no alcohol. 'But do you know what? None of that matters. We are there to mark and celebrate two things. 'One, a remarkable piece of history. And two, the victory of ordinary people against the political establishment. It can rain if it wants to. It does not matter.' A taxi unfurls the flags for Brexit as The Mall is transformed into a sea of patriotic red, white and blue ahead of the EU exit tonight Parliament Square was also today being readied for the Brexit night celebrations as workers put up dozens of Union flags Remainers have accused Brexiteers of gloating over their victory but some Eurosceptics are expected to stay away from public celebrations Nigel Farage, pictured in London today, claimed the 'Establishment' had attempted to sabotage his plans for a Brexit party in Westminster on Friday night Stop Brexit Man with a placard outside Parliament ahead of Brexit happening tonight, with the preparations going on all around him Ain't no party like a Brexit party: How the UK will celebrating its EU exit Official celebrations: Will be limited. The UK government celebrations will start with Boris Johnson addressing the nation this evening at 10pm. Downing Street will be illuminated with a 'countdown clock' intended to symbolise the strength and unity of England, Scotland, Wales Northern Ireland, and a light show in Downing Street at 11pm will mark the actual moment when Britain will split from the EU. Earlier this month week, the House of Commons Commission killed off the idea of Big Ben bonging for Brexit, claiming it would cost more than 500,000 to interrupt huge repair works now under way on the clock and the historic Elizabeth Tower that houses it. Buildings around Whitehall will also be illuminated and the Union Jack flag will fly on every flag pole in Parliament Square. Meanwhile, round the corner: Just a matter of yards away at Parliament Square outside the Palace of Westminster, Brexiteers led by Nigel Farage will hold their own party. The Leave Means Leave event promised to feature numerous speakers - but it seems live music, alcohol and fireworks have been banned. Scheduled to speak are JD Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin, broadcasters Julia Hartley-Brewer and Michelle Dewberry, MEP Ann Widdecombe, Brexit Party chairman Richard Tice and of course, Mr Brexit himself, Nigel Farage. The festivities start at 9pm and end at 11pm with a recommended minimum donation of 10 to join. The organisers say: 'We would also like to ask everyone come in good voice to sing some patriotic songs and bring along as many Union flags as they can, to wave in a patriotic display of pride.... we want to make you aware that Westminster is a 'Controlled Drinking Zone' so it is advisable that you do not bring alcohol along.' And in Brussels: There will also be events in Brussels to mark the occasion. City authorities organised a so-called 'Brussels Calling' event this evening to underline the Belgian capital's long friendship with the UK. Meanwhile, Green MEP Magid Magid is hosting an unofficial 'Brexit's s***, but let's party anyway' gathering tonight night in Place du Luxembourg. Advertisement There will also be events to mark Brexit in Brussels with Green MEP Magid Magid hosting a 'Brexit's s***, but let's party anyway' gathering in Place du Luxembourg. But that event tonight is likely to be different in tone to Mr Farage's which was given the go ahead by the Greater London Authority earlier this month. Workers were busy yesterday afternoon putting up Union flags around the square and along The Mall, ready for the celebrations. But the event could be quieter than originally expected because the area outside Parliament does not have a licence for live music. That means any music played must only be incidental to proceedings - for example if it is played in between speeches. The organisers - the Leave Means Leave campaign group - have also been barred from setting off fireworks while Parliament Square is part of a controlled drinking zone which means revelers will be unable to consume alcohol. Despite the restrictions, the Brexit Party has labelled the event a 'once-in-a-lifetime' party. Proceedings will start at 9pm and end shortly after the UK leaves the EU at 11pm. A handful of speakers have been confirmed for the party, including Mr Farage, Brexit Party chairman Richard Tice and Brexit Party MEP Ann Widdecombe. An email sent to Brexit Party supporters said: 'We would also like to ask everyone to come in good voice to sing some patriotic songs and bring along as many Union flags as they can, to wave in a patriotic display of pride. 'Finally, we want to make you aware that Westminster is a 'Controlled Drinking Zone' so it is advisable that you do not bring alcohol along. 'We look forward to seeing you all there. Let's make it a night to remember.' The organisers had fought for Big Ben - currently undergoing massive renovations - to bong for Brexit at 11pm but their efforts were rejected by parliamentary authorities. Remainers have accused Brexiteers of gloating over their victory and a number of prominent Eurosceptics have said they will not be celebrating in public due to the need to unite the country. Mr Farage's gathering outside the Palace of Westminster will coincide with official government celebrations to mark the moment. Boris Johnson will start today by hosting a meeting of his Cabinet at a location outside of London as he tries to hammer home his desire to 'level up' the rest of the UK. He is then expected to address the nation this evening before the clock strikes 11pm. There will also be a countdown clock to the moment of departure with a Downing Street light show also planned. But in a sign that the government wants to move on from the UK's departure from the bloc as quickly as possible, it is understood there will be no Brexit-related ministerial activity over the weekend. In fact, the government is expected to keep quiet on Brexit until the PM delivers a major speech at some point next week when he will set out his plans for trade negotiations with the EU. Summing up the PM's desire to move on from Brexit and focus on other things, one government source today said flatly: 'Brexit will be done on Saturday.' Winston Churchill's statue in Parliament Square in central London kept a close eye on preparations for the Brexit party yesterday afternoon Events to mark Brexit have also been planned in European cities. The city of Brussels organised a 'Brussels Calling' event to highlight its friendship with the UK. An activist is pictured waving flags in Grand Place, Brussels, today Numerous anti-Brexit campaigners attended the event in the Belgian capital just one day after MEPs rubber-stamped the Brexit divorce deal Boris Johnson, pictured in Downing Street today during a meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, is expected to address the nation tonight before the moment of Brexit at 11pm 'I can't believe it's here!' Nigel Farage launches a final glorious blast as he clears out his Brussels bunker after thirty-year fight to leave the EU By Jane Fryer for The Daily Mail Nigel Farage is at his desk in his Brexit Party office in London, surrounded by broken blinds, empty fag packets, cans of sugar-free tonic water ('only 15 calories a go!'), scattered memos, a china bulldog sporting a Union Jack vest and a couple of badly framed pictures of him beaming next to his great pal President Donald Trump. Everything he has been yearning for, campaigning for, obsessing over ('it wasn't a bit of an obsession it's been a total obsession!') and working towards for nearly three decades is about to come to fruition. 'This is a huge, huge week for me,' he says. 'It's amazing, isn't it? I was thinking this morning about that Newbury by-election in June 1992, when the Anti-Federalist League [a cross-party alliance to campaign against the Maastricht Treaty] put up their first ever candidate and I spent seven days of my life campaigning for it.' He still can't fathom why he did it. 'It wasn't as if I'd ever been particularly driven before. I was actually quite normal then I was a commodities broker, I played golf, I went to the pub. But that was the real beginning and I still can't believe it's happened.' On the stroke of 11pm tonight, Britain will leave the European Union. Nigel is the man who made it happen and who has changed the political landscape of Britain for ever. He also did himself out of his 21-year tenure as an MEP and a place in Boris Johnson's Government which, after decades of 4.45am starts and relentless campaigning, leaves him facing a bit of a blank. Nigel Farage at his desk in his Brexit Party office in London, surrounded by broken blinds, empty fag packets, cans of sugar-free tonic water ('only 15 calories a go!'), scattered memos, a china bulldog sporting a Union Jack vest and a couple of badly framed pictures of him beaming next to his great pal President Donald Trump 'To be honest, I don't know what I'm going to do next,' he says. 'I'd love to be on Strictly [Come Dancing]! It's got everything going for it, but it's difficult for me.' As he speaks, he rolls up his left trouser leg, pulls down a stripy sock, places a shiny shoe on his messy desk and waggles a white, surprisingly muscular calf at me. 'Look, look, look. I've got a great lump of bone sticking out of my leg, from a car crash years ago. I'm not sure I could do it. Though my daughters would love it!' One last flash and he puts it away. He's less keen on appearing on I'm A Celebrity . 'They'd pay me a fortune, but it's not top of my bucket list.' To more serious matters: he insists he hasn't decided about his memoirs yet, but is planning a 120-page book about 2019, as well as a longer tome 'on the whole populist wave'. Of the persistent rumour that his next role will be Trump's warm-up man in the 2020 presidential campaign, he is dismissive: 'That is unrealistic. Totally unrealistic.' But he likes the U.S., says he and Trump message each other and confirms he'll be at the State of the Union speech next week. 'I'm a foreigner, but I'm very well known there,' he explains. He's well known everywhere. Over the past 27 years, Farage has gone from a national joke and one of Ukip's 'fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists' (as infamously described by David Cameron in 2006), to become arguably one of the most significant British politicians in living memory and a populist hero to Britons who felt ignored by the Westminster elite. Some say he overplayed his hand in the general election last year, assuming he could bargain with Boris Johnson for shared power. In the event, he stepped his Brexit Party candidates down from 317 seats which had been won by the Tories in the 2017 election to avoid splitting the vote. He also did himself out of his 21-year tenure as an MEP and a place in Boris Johnson's Government which, after decades of 4.45am starts and relentless campaigning, leaves him facing a bit of a blank But if he'd expected reciprocity the Tories standing down in traditional Labour seats in the North and North-East he was to be disappointed. Boris did not oblige, a Tory landslide in those areas followed and the rest is history. 'They didn't give much back! But I've come to realise that, unlike business, in politics everyone behaves badly,' he says. 'We gave them the election on a plate, but I couldn't be responsible for a second referendum.' So Nigel's Brexit became Boris's Brexit. 'But what else could it be?' he cries. 'If I'd wanted it to be my Brexit, I'd have had to rejoin the Conservatives and I think they're ghastly. 'I mean . . . Matt Hancock! What a weasel. Christ. Are these people really running our country? I wouldn't let him wash my cars.' And the deal? 'The deal's dreadful! And I would not have sold out for it,' he says, but insists he was provided with two assurances to ease the pain: that we leave properly by the end of 2020 and that we commit to not having regulatory alignment. Right now, though, he's more animated about how Boris aped his 'man of the people' style on the stump. 'He carbon-copied everything!' he cries. 'I got into the boxing ring with the No 6 heavyweight in the world (who, incidentally, could have killed me!). Within a fortnight, Boris was in the boxing ring!' He warms to his theme. 'I went to Grimsby market and picked up a haddock. Three weeks later, Boris went to Grimsby and picked up a haddock!' He insists the Tories copied both the Brexit Party's rallies 'with pyrotechnics and music and glow sticks and me entering from the back' and their website, too. 'They even copied the font! Cummings is not stupid. He copied it because it worked.' Does it annoy him? 'Look, their motives are different from mine. They'd sell their own granny. But I want Boris to succeed. We are where we are, and I feel satisfied.' In person, Nigel is good company, breaking off from Brexit to extol the benefits of filling your freezer with plates of quartered limes to be eternally gin-ready. He'll answer pretty much anything other than questions about his romantic life, which he describes as 'mostly with someone', but refuses to clarify what that means or who it involves. When we meet, he's about to head off to Brussels to clear his desk. I ask if, maybe, he'll pocket a sentimental keepsake. Perhaps a nice EU ashtray? 'They're far too PC for ashtrays!' he roars. While he loathes Brussels 'it's a dump. It's full of litter, broken paving stones and crime' he likes Strasbourg, the formal home of the European Parliament, and adored being the pantomime villain 'with them all booing'. 'To be honest, I don't know what I'm going to do next,' he says. 'I'd love to be on Strictly [Come Dancing]! It's got everything going for it, but it's difficult for me' He certainly couldn't have looked happier as he made his triumphant farewell speech at the EU Parliament on Wednesday, waving his Union Jacks in a final act of defiance and having his microphone cut off as punishment. Today, he can't conceal his joy at having had the last laugh over David Cameron. 'He's a pro-China globaliser who never had any conviction or panache. Or anything, really,' he says. 'There are people who disappear from history and Cameron is one of them. In 100 years, kids at school will know about as much about Cameron as kids today know about Andrew Bonar Law he was our PM in 1922. No one's ever heard of him!' There's certainly no danger of that happening to Farage. While rumours of a knighthood are gathering pace, he doesn't fancy the House of Lords. 'Look, in 2016 it was made clear that if I wanted to go into the Lords, then I could. I said, no. It would take me out of the front line.' And since then? Was he offered a sweetener for the 317 seats? 'No, no, no! I'm not for sale and anyway, I'd hate the House of Lords 600 of Blair and Cameron's mates? No thank you. Though the food is subsidised.' And there is a bar . . . For all his clattery lifestyle, Nigel Farage looks good. His rubbery skin is smooth (though he insists he's had no work done), his hands soft and delicate, and he is trim (he does exercises on his bedroom floor every morning). He bounces about like a mad thing, fuelled by fags ('we don't count how many') and booze 'I've cut down massively, but if you start work by half past five, you deserve a couple of glasses of wine by lunch time.' In a Channel 4 documentary this week, he said: 'Of course politics is about sales. It's about selling ideas, it's about selling hope, sometimes it's about selling fear.' Well, it certainly worked for him. Somehow, where others failed, he managed to unite Ukip and put them on the map. He connected with the public. When he stepped down in 2016, the party imploded with allegations of racism. His total inability to feel self-conscious or embarrassed 'I nearly died in a plane crash on election day in 2010; why am I going to care what the world's elite think of me?' has protected him from the insults, pints, eggs and excrement that have been hurled at him over the years. 'I've been on the front page of every sodding newspaper, and in some it was like Oswald Mosley had come back from the dead,' he says. 'The worst is being in London and people constantly throwing drinks over me in the pub. Some of it has been very hard.' But he never once wavered, always ready with a pithy quote and a gurning grin. 'I nearly became the patron saint of lost causes, but I kept on going,' he says. Today his work is done. 'We're moving on. The war is over,' he says. 'The healing process is happening it's really happening.' Not that he will accept any responsibility for the bitterness that has prevailed in Britain over Brexit. 'What caused people to fall out was not the Referendum, but the refusal of the Establishment to accept the result, which caused a tribal split, and I blame them for that.' He accepts, though, that he is fully responsible for the price paid by his own family. There are two failed marriages first to Grainne Hayes, with whom he has two grown-up sons. His second marriage, to the German-born Kirsten (they have two daughters, aged 19 and 14) never really recovered after reports of Nigel's seven times-a-night tryst with a Latvian lady in 2006. He has previously described himself as 'an appalling husband and bad father'. Is that still fair? 'Well, I could have been better!' he says. 'But if you really dedicate yourself to something and it becomes such a part of your being, that you have to make a success of it, come what may, then everyone has to pay a price for it.' So it was worth it? 'Yes. Yes it was,' he says firmly. But what of his teenage daughters? 'It's been very tough for them. And the surname it's a very rare surname.' Were they tempted to change it? 'Well . . . they haven't, but it's been difficult. And as we all know, the internet's a horrible place. It's been pretty brutal.' Seriously, though, what is he going to do? 'I don't know, but I need to be busy. If I have too much time, I'd be in the pub, wouldn't I? And that would not be good. The pub should be a reward, not a way of life.' He says he is ready to help any other country that wants to leave the EU and has no plans to give up his four-times-a-week LBC radio show. 'I'm good at making people feel differently about things,' he says. 'Smart motorways! Don't even get me started!' My bet is that, very soon, 'Sir Nigel' will be spending far more time in America with his pal Donald than here. But, right now, he's counting down to tonight's Brexit bonanza in Trafalgar Square. 'They've told me no fireworks. And there's no Big Ben, which is crazy. It rang for Remembrance Sunday and New Year. You do feel the Civil Service are embarrassed about Brexit, rather than celebrating,' he says. 'We've said there'll be no triumphalism, but we'll see . . .' And the 'after party', he promises, will 'crack on' until well after dawn. 'I've got to see the sun rise over an independent United Kingdom! This is the biggest constitutional change for us since Henry VIII left the Church of Rome. It's the biggest shift in 500 years. It's the point of no return!' And it's all down to Nigel. The event attracts between 2,000 and 5,000 people annually, said Henson. Weather can play a factor in the attendance, she said. Last years festival came just as record-breaking cold caused pipes to burst in the librarys KidSpace area. Henson said the 2019 festival almost didnt happen but library officials and their facilities employees worked to make it possible. The Guardian will no longer accept advertising from oil and gas companies and, in doing so, becomes the first major news organization to divest from industries that extract fossil fuels, company executives announced Wednesday. Anna Bateson, the Guardian's acting CEO, and Hamish Nicklin, chief revenue officer, shared the news in a joint statement and said the move was driven in part by their own newspaper's reporting on the urgency of climate change and a need to be true to the company's values - particularly, they said, as fossil fuel companies continue to use their power to influence policies that harm the planet. "Our decision is based on the decades-long efforts by many in that industry to prevent meaningful climate action by governments around the world," Bateson and Nicklin said. The policy takes effect immediately and applies to the Guardian's flagship paper in Britain; its American and Australian digital imprints, the Observer and Guardian Weekly print publications and all Guardian digital applications. Company leaders admitted that the ban on fossil fuel advertising will test the company financially, although it wasn't immediately clear how much of a hit to revenue the new policy will account for; last year, 40% of the company's revenue came from advertising. The Guardian's leaders also said they hope their decision will attract new, like-minded advertising partners and reader support and potentially balance the loss of revenue from the fossil fuel industry ban. The new policy will not apply to what are considered high carbon-emitting industries, such as car manufacturing and travel. The Guardian said the decision to keep advertising with such industries may disappoint some readers, but ending those partnerships would be a "severe financial blow" that could force major cuts to the news product. Environmental groups praised the news. Greenpeace called Wednesday's announcement "a huge moment in the battle against oil and gas for all of us!" The Guardian's move is unique among traditional news organizations, where revenue models remain heavily reliant on advertising dollars, but the movement to divest from fossil fuel industries has gained traction in all corners of academic, religious, corporate and philanthropic spheres. Heirs to the Rockefeller oil fortune in 2014 announced that the Rockefeller Brothers Fund would divest from fossil fuel industries. The University of California system last year cut fossil fuel companies from its $70 billion pension fund and $13.4 billion endowment. Earlier this month, BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, said it would divest $500 million in coal interests. Rating: 3.0 /5 Star Cast: Director: Language: English Duration: 113 minutes Story: The Gentlemen follows the story of drug lord Mickey Pearson, an American who starts from nothing and builds a marijuana empire in London. As soon as word gets out, he is cashing the business, others start scheming to win his fortune. Review: Directed by Guy Ritchie, The Gentlemen, marks his return to classic crime dramas after releases like Aladdin, Sherlock Homes and King Arthur. In the world of drugs, lush green lands and flat caps, you will find yourself lost among men who know nothing about forgiving and are definitely not emotional about the money. Matthew McConaughey, playing Mickey Pearson, gets out of his car and walks into a bar for a 10-minute meeting. After ordering a pint, Mickey calls his loving wife to make plans for the night. As someone walks into the bar, someone else walks in his wife's office, while Mickey is yelling 'Who is it?' a gunshot sprays blood on his pint. Within five minutes of the film, Guy has you asking questions, waiting to see what happens next. Cut to title, where we are introduced to the entire cast and crew the old school style. As we dive back into the film, we meet Fletcher, a private investigator and a journalist waiting for Mikey's right-hand man, Raymond to return home. Fletcher plans on blackmailing the drug lord Mickey, for crucial information that will help him sell his business at the right price. Offering the information for only 20 million, Fletcher begins pitching the script he wrote, which is also the crucial information, he claims to have. Mickey, the protagonist, is ready to sell his marijuana empire at $400 million so that he retire and spend more time with his wife. But the news that he is gone soft, sets other drug lords to start a war about who gets to take over the biggest and safest business empire. We also get a look at some of the serious aspects of the cannabis business, the involvement of Britain's Lords and Ladies, their spoilt kids and more. The film takes a dive into another film, while we are watching a film. There are several jokes that suggest a bit of smug attitude, but it does not harm the story or the characters, instead adds a quaint charm and a comic feel. The approach isn't for everyone, and neither is the story filled with cliches like drug dealers double-crossing each other several times. What works best for the film is the few laughs it manages to get in, the classy look and feel of The Gentlemen and one badass lady Michelle Dockery as Rosalind Pearson, Mickey's wife. Matthew McConaughey has a similar persona to some of his other roles but Charlie Hunnam as Raymond, and Hugh Grant as Fletcher keep you glued to the screen. The film makes for a fun watch thanks to its foul English language and the accents. There is a certain charm in watching these dressed-up men, running around spilling blood and playing games with each other. Even the most vulgar dialogue seems classy enough to just let it slide by. And any question you have will be answered by the end, except one, left out on purpose for the sequel. The Gentlemen will introduce you to so many people through the run time, that you eventually give up on keeping track of them. You also give up on the pieces Fletcher has been leaving in the story and decide to just go with the flow. There might be moments when you wish to stop and think the story through, but Ritchie has other plans for you. The filmmaker plays several jokes on you as the audience, and you will fall for it, guaranteed. It is more about living the scenes as they come and go, instead of trying to figure out who is going to get killed next. The quirks in the film, including the incredible cast and occasional humour, easily overpower the lack of originality in the script. Overall The Gentlemen may not be nominated or remembered as one of the best movies of the year but that's what works best of it! You will be able to watch it anytime again in future and will still enjoy it. ALSO READ: Bad Boys For Life Movie Review: Will Smith And Martin Lawrence Get It Right This Time ALSO READ: Jojo Rabbit Movie Review: Taika Waititi Brings Hope With Laughs And Tears Abidjan, Cote dIvoire (PANA) - The Ivorian government announced on Wednesday, after a cabinet meeting, the establishment of a System for Observing and Monitoring Child Labour As part of the Assam NRC, individuals had to prove that either they or their ancestors lived in Assam before 24 March 1971. As the nationwide protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) rage on in India, the streets are abounding with speculations about what the countrys future is going to look like. While the divisive ramifications of the CAA are more or less evident, there is little clarity on what a potential all-India NRC would look like or result in. But one only has to look to the northeastern state of Assam to grasp the full horror of a headcount project like the NRC. It was only last year November when former Chief Justice of India and one of the two Supreme Court judges that passed the NRC updation order in 2014, Ranjan Gogoi, said that the Assam NRC was a base document for the future. The repeated exhortations for a nationwide NRC by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supremo and Union home minister Amit Shah show that Gogoi wasnt wrong. Indeed, the NRC updation process in Assam offers the rest of the country a ready prototype or pilot of what an all-India NRC could look or feel like. Not just that, Assam also foretells the devious consequences of using specialised, and rather arbitrary, citizenship determination frameworks and custodial measures to enforce citizenship norms. In Assam, the NRC updation exercise was designed to filter out a specific set of non-citizens, or illegal immigrants, from the total resident pool. In line with the Assam Accord (1985) and Section 6A of the Citizenship Act 1955, the process was aimed at effectively denationalising everyone who came to Assam from Bangladesh after the midnight of 24 March 1971 -- the day East Pakistan became Bangladesh. This was done through a rigorous yet torturous document-based application process. The violence of paperwork The all-India NRC will differ from the Assam NRC in some ways if we are to go by available media reports and informal admissions by the government. First, unlike in Assam, individuals wont have to line up to submit documents at authorised Seva Kendras (service centres) to prove their antecedents in the all-India version. It will flow out of the metadata collected as part of the door-to-door NPR drive. Second, while the Assam NRC had a specific cut-off date, it is not yet clear what the parameters of doubtful citizenship or non-citizenship would be in the all-India iteration. Having said that, the Assam NRC gives us a pointed glimpse into the perils of a document-based enumeration process in a country like India where documentation is often few and far between, especially among the economically, socially and territorially marginalised. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), only 62 percent of the children below five have birth certificates as of 2015-16. The previous decade, as recorded in 2005-06, had a smaller share of certificate-holders, that is 41 percent. Data from the 2011-12 India Human Development Survey (IHDS) also shows that the chance of formalising ones birth is directly linked to the wealth levels and degree of economic access to parents. Most importantly, Assam shows us the regressive logical conclusion of the NRC process -- mass denationalisation through arbitrary quasi-judicial processes, followed by statelessness and detention. As part of the Assam NRC, individuals had to prove that either they or their ancestors lived in Assam before 24 March 1971. To do this, they had to furnish official documents birth certificates, land records, voting records or proof of mention in the 1951 NRC issued before midnight of the said date. Those who did not have these documents because they were born after the cut-off date furnished legacy documents for their ancestors along with link documents to establish a direct familial relationship with them. Naturally, pulling up such documents from decades past isnt a cakewalk, even for the relatively well-off sections of the population. For those with meagre resources, generational poverty, and scant knowledge of administrative processes, it was a nightmare. It was all so precarious that one tiny spelling discrepancy in the documents could mean delisting from NRC. For many, the document submission process was simply a throw of the dice. Furnishing the requisite evidentiary proof does not seem to have guaranteed a place in the NRC. Take the example of Delbar Hussain, a former sepoy in the Indian Army, who was left out of the final list despite furnishing all the correct documents and being previously declared an Indian citizen by a Foreigner Tribunal (FT). One Mukul Bose from Guwahati failed to feature in the NRC despite submitting the exact same documents as her sister, Shefali Baidya, who found her name in the list. Mohammad Sanaullah, a retired Kargil war veteran in the Indian Army who was previously declared a foreigner and sent to a detention camp, was also dropped from the final list despite attending a last-minute document verification. Two Members of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), Ananta Kumar Malo and Ataur Rahman Majharbhuyan, too failed to find their names on the final list. Nine-year-old Kulsuna Khatun from Assams Baksa district was dropped from the list because the authorities were not convinced with her link documents. Thus, while her father found his name in the final NRC, she did not. Strangely, her younger sister who submitted the same set of documents found her name in the list. Hers is one of the many cases of children being dropped from the NRC despite their parents featuring in it. Thanks to a timely intervention by the Supreme Court on 6 January, such disenfranchised minors wont have to see the four walls of a detention camp. But their formal identities hang in limbo. The NRC process was also fraught with institutional arbitrariness that ended up causing extreme misery, anxiety and confusion to the poorest. During the week prior to the final lists release, hundreds of Bengal-origin Muslim families in Lower Assam districts received summons for a second round of re-verification hearings hundreds of kilometres away in Upper Assam, that too at a days notice. Not only did this drive the financially distressed families to sell their belongings to pay for the transport to the hearing venues, but three of the vehicles also met with road accidents on their way, injuring many. The whole last-minute re-verification drive and the time-pressed manner in which it was carried out was in express violation of the NRCs own Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and an earlier Supreme Court order that barred such re-verifications. Yet, the authorities went ahead with it without any reprimand by the apex court. One can hardly fathom the chaos and confusion that such undertakings at an all-India level would cause, particularly if the Supreme Court turns its gaze away. Beyond the NRC More than the NRC, the Assam story is about a peculiar citizenship determination regime that has been operational in the state since the 1960s and could now be extended to the rest of the country. Three key components make up this framework -- Foreigner Tribunals (FT), Doubtful-Voter (D-Voter) system and detention camps. Fair to say that in combination, they have triggered an unprecedented situation of mass statelessness and disenfranchisement in Assam, stripping hundreds of thousands from their Indian citizenship and throwing them into detention. There really is no equivalent of this anywhere else in the country or even the subcontinent. Would a potential all-India NRC actually include these components? It is hard to say at the moment, given the limited information made public by the government. But some recent developments indicate that the Assam citizenship determination model at least the tribunals and camps would be expanded to the rest of India. Last year June, the Ministry of Home Affairs, not long after Amit Shah took charge as the home minister, amended the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order 1964 to bring the entire country under its ambit. According to a recent report in The Hindu, two new detention centres are being constructed in Karnataka and Punjab, while sites for three others have been identified in Maharashtra and West Bengal. Four camps are already operational in Delhi, Goa, Rajasthan and Punjab. One standalone mega-size camp is being constructed in western Assams Goalpara district. While nothing has been said of the D-Voter system yet, it is possible that once doubtful citizens are sieved out of the NPR across the country, the Election Commission starts disenfranchising these suspects pending final verdicts by FTs. Kangaroo tribunals The FT regime can by itself unleash hell on the population. Once again, Assam shows the way. Last year July, the Assam government submitted in the state Assembly that the tribunals had identified 1,17,164 foreigners since 1985. But these pseudo-courts are broken from the middle. Constituted as quasi-judicial institutions that have the final say on the citizenship of a suspected foreigner, the FTs do not seem to have any legislative basis. According to Article 323 of the Constitution, governments can form tribunals only by an Act of Parliament, that is by legislative action. However, the FTs were created in 1964 through executive action, that is the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order. Further, Article 323(b) lists out nine specific categories for which tribunals can be constituted. Citizenship isnt one of them. These FTs have come under fire for their arbitrary and opaque character. One commentator labelled them as kangaroo tribunals. Noted social activist, Harsh Mander, has called them nothing more than a hoax. Though technically quasi-judicial bodies, these tribunals, lately, have divorced all the canons of fair trial, almost becoming another arm of the BJP government in Assam. Strangely, the working of these tribunals has been approved by the Supreme Court, writes Faizan Mustafa, Vice-Chancellor of NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad. The FTs have particularly gained notoriety for passing ex-parte verdicts, without hearing the accused. In July 2019, The Wire reported that the tribunals had declared 63,959 persons as foreigners in Assam from 1985 to February 2019 through ex-parte judgments. Basudev Biswas from Nagaon was declared a foreigner by the local FT in 1995 through an ex-parte order. The police arrested him 20 years later in 2015. Biswas died in detention in May 2019. One Puna Munda of Goalpara, belonging to Assams Adivasi tea tribe community, was declared a foreigner by FT in 2013 in his absence. He was interned in 2014 and died in detention in 2019. Naresh Koch of Goalpara district was declared a foreigner in an ex-parte order in June 2017 and put in detention soon after. He died due to health complications this January. As if ex-parte orders werent bad enough, one tribunal in Morigaon was reportedly found to have been delivering verdicts and disposing of cases for money. It is no less comforting that many of these FTs are manned by personnel with little or no judicial experience. A recent Right to Information (RTI) filing showed that they dont even have Public Information Officers (PIOs). The situation is so dire that last year October, the Gauhati High Court pulled up the Morigaon FT for grave anomalies in its judgments, setting aside 57 verdicts and ordering a retrial. However, for the people, fresh trials mean another round of paperwork verification, and many of them had already incurred great financial costs to complete the first round. 85-year old Amjad Ali from Morigaon district is one such person who was first cleared by the local FT but now has to go through the arduous and costly trial once again. Anxiety-causing caves Mohammad Sanaullah, a decorated war veteran in the Indian Army who was declared a foreigner and thrown into a detention camp last year, gave an unenviable description of his time at the camp once released on bail. I have served in difficult places such as Imphal in Manipur and Kupwara in Kashmir. But nothing prepared me for life in a detention camp. They call it a centre but it is a prison. Even years of serving in dangerous places and living under difficult circumstances could not prepare me for these 10-odd days at the camp, he told ThePrint.in. After a visit to one of the detention camps in Assam in January 2018 as the National Human Rights Commissions (NHRC) Special Monitor for Minorities, social activist Harsh Mander described them as an enormous and unending human tragedy with extensive flouting of national and international laws. He described how the detainees were kept in inhumane conditions and deprived of the regular rights and privileges that prisoners must be accorded. He later resigned from the position, complaining of inaction over his report on the Assam camps. Last November, the Central government told the Parliament that 988 foreigners were lodged in Assams detention camps. It also submitted that from 2016 to 13 October 2019, as many as 28 detainees had died in the detention centres or in hospitals. Official records say that all of them perished due to health complications. But clearly, theres much more to these stories of human degradation that the State wishes not to reveal. In fact, at the very heart of the detention process is the opacity and arbitrariness with which custodial frameworks on citizenship enforcement usually operate. The detention system in the US, managed by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is another case-in-point. If these camps become an all-India phenomenon, which they very well seem to be, then we can anticipate many more horror stories. Needless to say, the poorest would be the most affected. Add to this the structural, communal discrimination that Muslims and Hindu lower castes would face from the authorities. Given the character of the ruling regime, the detention infrastructure could soon become the face of a new socio-psychological order in India where religious minorities remain in a constant threat of arbitrary internment. Without robust legal safeguards and timely interventions by higher courts, this could tear apart Indias delicate social fabric. In fact, the only institution that can prevent a repeat of the Assam NRC horror across India is the judiciary. Through sustained interventions both procedural and humanitarian Indias courts can hold back the ruling party from implementing its divisive agenda. In a situation otherwise, Indias democracy will continue to regress into a dark place. When the first Neanderthal genome was sequenced, using DNA collected from ancient bones, it was accompanied by the discovery that modern humans in Asia, Europe and America inherited approximately 2% of their DNA from Neanderthals -- proving humans and Neanderthals had interbred after humans left Africa. Since that study, new methods have continued to catalogue Neanderthal ancestry in non-African populations, seeking to better understand human history and the effects of Neanderthal DNA on human health and disease. A comparable catalogue of Neanderthal ancestry in African populations, however, has remained an acknowledged blind spot for the field due to technical constraints and the assumption that Neanderthals and ancestral African populations were geographically isolated from each other. In a paper published today in the journal Cell, a team of Princeton researchers detailed a new computational method for detecting Neanderthal ancestry in the human genome. Their method, called IBDmix, enabled them for the first time to search for Neanderthal ancestry in African populations as well as non-African ones. The project was led by Joshua Akey, a professor in Princeton's Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics (LSI). "This is the first time we can detect the actual signal of Neanderthal ancestry in Africans," said co-first author Lu Chen, a postdoctoral research associate in LSI. "And it surprisingly showed a higher level than we previously thought," she said. The method the Princeton researchers developed, IBDmix, draws its name from the genetic principle "identity by descent" (IBD), in which a section of DNA in two individuals is identical because those individuals once shared a common ancestor. The length of the IBD segment depends on how long ago those individuals shared a common ancestor. For example, siblings share long IBD segments because their shared ancestor (a parent) is only one generation removed. Alternatively, fourth cousins share shorter IBD segments because their shared ancestor (a third-great grandparent) is several generations removed. The Princeton team leveraged the principle of IBD to identify Neanderthal DNA in the human genome by distinguishing sequences that look similar to Neanderthals because we once shared a common ancestor in the very distant past (~500,000 years ago), from those that look similar because we interbred in the more recent present (~50,000 years ago). Previous methods relied on "reference populations" to aid the distinction of shared ancestry from recent interbreeding, usually African populations believed to carry little or no Neanderthal DNA. However, this reliance could bias estimates of Neanderthal ancestry depending on which reference population was used. The Princeton researchers termed IBDmix a "reference free method" because it does not use an African reference population. Instead, IBDmix uses characteristics of the Neanderthal sequence itself, like the frequency of mutations or the length of the IBD segments, to distinguish shared ancestry from recent interbreeding. The researchers were therefore able to identify Neanderthal ancestry in Africans for the first time and make new estimates of Neanderthal ancestry in non-Africans, which showed Europeans and Asians to have more equal levels than previously described. Kelley Harris, a population geneticist at the University of Washington who was not involved in the study, noted that the new estimates of Neanderthal ancestry using IBDmix highlight the technical problem in methods reliant on reference panels. "We might have to go back and revisit a bunch of results from the published literature and evaluate whether the same technical issue has been throwing off our understanding of gene flow in other species," she said. In addition to identifying Neanderthal ancestry in African populations, the researchers described two revelations about the origin of the Neanderthal sequences. First, they determined that the Neanderthal ancestry in Africans was not due to an independent interbreeding event between Neanderthals and African populations. Based on features of the data, the research team concluded that migrations from ancient Europeans back into Africa introduced Neanderthal ancestry into African populations. Second, by comparing data from simulations of human history to data from real people, the researchers determined that some of the detected Neanderthal ancestry in Africans was actually due to human DNA introduced into the Neanderthal genome. The authors emphasized that this human-to-Neanderthal gene flow involved an early dispersing group of humans out of Africa, occurring at least 100,000 years ago -- before the Out-of-Africa migration responsible for modern human colonization of Europe and Asia and before the interbreeding event that introduced Neanderthal DNA into modern humans. The finding reaffirmed that hybridization between humans and closely related species was a recurrent part of our evolutionary history. While the Princeton researchers acknowledged the limited number of African populations they were able to analyze, they hope their new method and their findings will encourage more study of Neanderthal ancestry across Africa and other populations. Regarding the overall significance of the research, Chen said: "This demonstrates the remnants of Neanderthal genomes survive in every modern human population studied to date." ### "Identifying and Interpreting Apparent Neanderthal Ancestry in African Individuals," by Lu Chen, Aaron B. Wolf, Wenqing Fu, Liming Li and Joshua M. Akey, appears in the Feb. 20 issue of Cell, with an advance online publication on Jan. 30 (Chen et al., 2020, Cell 180, 1-11, DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.01.012). The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R01 GM110068). STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A Midland Beach man was convicted of smuggling almost $40 million worth of tobacco from Pennsylvania to New York, the U.S. Attorneys Office Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced Wednesday. Ramzi Al Najar, 43, who public records indicate is from Slater Boulevard, smuggled the merchandise with his associates while operating Capital Trade, Inc., located in Bristol, Pennsylvania, and failed to pay New York state taxes, authorities said. Here, the defendant attempted to skirt the system and cheat everyone who pays taxes on tobacco products, said U.S. Attorney William McSwain. The defendant has to play by the rules, just like everyone else, or suffer the consequences. As part of the scheme, Al Najar and his associates created false invoices and filed false documents in Pennsylvania and New York states while underreporting the amount of tobacco they sold, according to authorities. Al Najar also failed to register and report as an interstate seller of smokeless tobacco as required by the Prevent All Cigarette Smuggling Act (PACT Act), authorities said. The conviction comes after a week-long jury trial before United States District Court Judge Petrese B. Tucker. This jury verdict sends a clear message that the illegal interstate diversion of tobacco products will not be tolerated, said William S. Walker, acting special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Philadelphia. "Our special agents will continue tracking down criminals like Mr. Al Najar and his co-conspirators along with our law enforcement partners so they can be held accountable for their crimes. Pakistan releases 42 Christians convicted of 'terrorism' for participating in 2015 riots Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment An anti-terrorism court in Lahore has acquitted and ordered the release of 42 Christians previously imprisoned for rioting after two churches in Pakistans largest Christian neighborhood were bombed in 2015. Persecution watchdog group International Christian Concern reports that the verdict was reached this week after settlements were agreed upon with the families of two Muslim men who were wrongfully killed by the rioters. The riots stemmed from a terrorist bombing of two churches in the Christian neighborhood of Youhanabad, located in Lahore. Fifteen people were killed in the bombings, including 11 Christians and four Muslims. In response, local Christians staged a riot in which two Muslim men suspected of participating in the bombings were lynched. In the following days, police made several raids in the district, arresting about 500 people. The ATC sentenced 42 Christians for terrorism, while the church attackers reportedly went unpunished. Two of the Christian prisoners died while waiting for a trial. The others filed an application under Section 345 of the Code of Criminal Procedure which argued that they should be released because they had reached a settlement with the families of the two deceased Muslims. The ATC accepted this application and acquitted all suspects, including the two who died in custody, after evidence of the settlement with the two families was presented to the court. The families of the 40 remaining prisoners have welcomed the settlement and the ATCs verdict, notes ICC, and have reported being pleased to see the return of their loved ones after almost five years of imprisonment. ICCs Regional Manager, William Stark, said, International Christian Concern is happy to see the peaceful settlement of the Youhanabad riots and arrests after almost five years. The bombings of the two churches and the deadly riots that followed truly marked a dark day in Pakistans history. We hope that important lessons can be learned from this tragedy. Lessons that will bring greater protection for Christian places of worship and open dialogue between Pakistans religious communities to settle religious disputes. The guilty verdict sparked controversy in 2015, with the National Commission for Justice and Peace of the Catholic Bishops expressing disappointment that the police and the authorities focused only on the deplorable act of lynching, to be condemned strongly, while the authors of the criminal attack on churches, on innocent worshipers, are still unpunished. Additionally, the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement, a nongovernmental organization, said most of the Christians were unjustly accused" and the pressures from Muslim extremists influenced the verdict. It was previously reported that the 42 Christians were told that if they renounced their faith and embraced Islam, their acquittal would be guaranteed. According to reports, one of the imprisoned men, Ifran Masih, responded by saying that he would rather be hanged than embrace Islam. Persecution watchdog Open Doors USA ranks Pakistan as the 5th worst on its 2020 World Watch List of 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. Around 300 writers, translators, musicians, dancers, and other California creatives gathered on the steps of the California State Capitol in Sacramento Tuesday morning calling for the state legislature to repeal the California Assembly Bill 5 (AB5) that took effect January 1, 2020. The new law requires many employers to reclassify many gig workers as employees. Once an independent contractor gets labeled an employee, the employer must meet minimum wage standards, pay overtime, and provide sick days. The rally had been organized by two Republican members of the California State Assemby, Assemblyman Kevin Kiley and Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez. All the days speeches are archived at the livestream link on Facebook. You will have to realize what a failure of leadership AB5 was, said Kiley, speaking to the lawmakers who supported AB5s passage last year. You should also realize what a display of statesmanship it would be to now accept responsibility and correct course. Melendez argued that the repeal movement should transcend political boundaries. It doesnt matter if you are a Democrat or a Republican, because politics doesnt matter today. This bill affects everyone across all political lines, she said. The rally counted eight speakers, including novelist and journalist Walter Kirn. During his speech, Kirn said the law has already had a chilling effect on smaller publications. You only hear the voices of the big organizations that can afford to comply with any law, he said. Our culture has already started drying up and turning brown like a leaf. The freelance world, whether its a court reporter, translator, interpreter, freelance writer or musician, has poured water on the culture to keep it alive. Without AB5's repeal, it is going to dry up and blow away. Speakers also took issue with some of AB5s many exceptions. According to the new law, for services provided by a freelance writer, editor, or newspaper cartoonist, an employer must consider the number of content submissions an independent contractor makes each year. As long as the freelance writer or editor makes less than 35 content submissions a year, they can still be labeled an independent contractor. That threshold is so bizarre and ruinous, it doesn't make sense to anybody, said consumer finance journalist and author Erica Sandberg during the rally. The fallout so far is that clients are frightened to work with California based-professionals because the law is so murky. While she did not attend the rally, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) CEO Angela Bole urged publishers to take a measured response to the new law. You can and you should sign contracts with California independent contractors, said Bole in a phone conversation the day of the rally. But its important to understand the new law when doing so. The IBPA leader said her organization has been helping publishers cope with the new requirements and urged concerned publishers and authors to read an essay by Jonathan Kirsch in the Jan/Feb 2020 IBPA Independent magazine, California's New Labor Law, AB-5, and What It Means for Publishers. Earlier this week, Kiley delivered copies of AB5 Stories to California lawmakers in Sacramento. The bound PDF contains testimonials from nearly 200 workers affected by the new law, including around 20 freelance writers, editors, and authors, each only identified by first name. Working freelance has allowed me to raise my daughter from the day she came home from the hospital to the present (shes 10), wrote Paul, who has worked as a freelance writer and editor for 25 years. AB5 will force me to leave jobs that Ive held for over a decade and join a growing pool of other freelancers who are grabbing at the few freelance jobs that will be left for us. Whats giving me hope is how so many people throughout the state have stepped up to share their stories, said Kiley. If thats not enough to compel political change, I dont know what is. DUBLIN, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Quantum Networks: A Ten-Year Forecast and Opportunity Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Already there are sophisticated roadmaps showing how the Quantum Internet will come to be. At the present time, however, quantum networking in the real world consists of three research programs and commercialization efforts: Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) adds unbreakable coding of key distribution to public-key encryption. Cloud/network access to quantum computers is core to the business strategies of leading quantum computer companies. Quantum sensor networks promise enhanced navigation and positioning; more sensitive medical imaging modalities, etc. In this report, the analyst provides a detailed quantitative analysis of where the emerging opportunities can be found today and how they will emerge in the future: Much of this report is made up of highly granular ten-year forecasts of the three key aspects of the current version of quantum networking: QKD, Quantum Clouds, and Quantum Sensor Networks. The report includes an assessment of how the analyst will reach the Quantum Internet including a forecast of Quantum Repeaters. The ten-year forecasts are in volume and market value and include projections of nodes shipped, end-user demand, equipment, and services. This report will be essential reading for equipment companies, service providers, telephone companies, data center managers, cybersecurity firms, IT companies and investors of various kinds. Key Topics Covered Executive Summary E.1 Goals, Scope, and Methodology of this Report E.1.1 A Definition of Quantum Networking E.1 Quantum Networks Today: QKD, Quantum Clouds, and Quantum Networked Sensors E.2 Towards the Quantum Internet: Possible Business Opportunities E.2.1 The need for Quantum Repeaters to Realize Quantum Networking's Potential E.3 Summary of 10-Year Forecasts for Quantum Networks E.3.1 Quantum Key Distribution E.3.2 Quantum Computer Networks E.3.3 Quantum Sensor Networks E.4 Plan of this Report Chapter One: Ten-year Forecasts of Quantum Key Distribution 1.1 Opportunities and Drivers for Quantum Key Distribution Networks 1.1.1 QKD Equipment 1.1.2 QKD Services 1.2 QKD and the Mobile Network 1.3 Ten-year Forecasts of QKD Markets 1.3.1 Primary Markets for QKD Equipment and Services 1.3.2 Timetable for Evolution of QKD 1.3.3 Ten-year Forecast of QKD Equipment by End User Type 1.3.4 Ten-year Forecast of QKD Services by End-User Type: A Qualitative Approach 1.4 Key Takeaways from this Chapter Chapter Two: Ten-year Forecasts of Quantum Clouds and Quantum Networks 2.1 Current Status of Quantum Clouds and Networks 2.1.1 Who are the Customers for Quantum Clouds 2.2 Ten-year Forecast of Penetration of Quantum Computer Shipments by Network Access 2.3 Ten-year Forecast of Hardware for Quantum Computing by End-User Industry 2.4 Ten-year Forecast of Software for Quantum Computing by End-User Industry 2.5 Key Takeaways from this Chapter Chapter Three: Ten-year Forecasts of Quantum Sensor Networks 3.1 Forecast of Potential for Networked Quantum Sensors: Likely Networked Quantum Sensor Users 3.1.1 Quantum Clock Networks 3.2 Ten-Year Forecast by Cost/Node 3.3 Ten-Year Forecast of Shipments of Networked Sensor Nodes Shipped 3.4 Ten-Year Forecast for Quantum Sensor Node Revenue by Sensor Node Technology 1.4 Key Takeaways from this Chapter Chapter Four: Towards the Quantum Internet 4.1 A Roadmap for the Quantum Internet 4.2 Evolution of Repeater Technology 4.2.1 Ten-year Forecast of Repeater Technology For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ngw237 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 Brisbane lord mayor Adrian Schrinner says the offensiveness of two anti-LGBTQ petitions on the council's website is "subjective" and they will not be taken down. The petitions were uploaded to the Brisbane City Council website following a recent incident at Brisbane Square Library where two drag queens reading books to children faced a protest by university students. Lord mayor Adrian Schrinner speaks in council chambers. Credit:Tammy Law One of the petitions claims drag is "highly offensive to females" and that "medical experts warn of the danger of confusing children about their biological gender". Another petition links the Safe Schools program to paedophilia, among other claims, and demands an apology from the council for allowing drag queens to read books to children. Scores of people gathered outside the Delhi Police Headquarters at ITO on Thursday night condemning the attack on a student near the Jamia Millia Islamia. The protestors also included student groups who raised anti-CAA slogans. A man fired a pistol at a group of anti-CAA protesters in the city's Jamia Millia Islamia University on Thursday, injuring a student, before calmly walking away while waving the firearm above his head and shouting "Yeh lo aazadi" amid heavy police presence in the area. The man was subsequently overpowered by police and taken into custody. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi, Jan 30 : In more trouble for BJP leaders, the Election Commission has issued a show cause notice to the party's National General Secretary Arun Singh for making "unverified allegations through advertisements" against rival parties and candidates. The poll panel has asked the BJP leader to respond to its notice before noon of January 31. The notice was issued on Wednesday. The EC action came in the wake of a complaint lodged by the Congress, which alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party issued advertisements in the print media making false, baseless and unsubstantiated allegations against it. "The commission is prima facie of the view that by the said advertisement the Bharatiya Janata Party has violated provisions of the model code of conduct," the EC notice said. The EC also cautioned the BJP against publishing the advertisement till the time a decision is taken on the issue. "The Commission, considering the gravity of the case, hereby directs that the advertisement in question shall not be repeated till such time a decision is taken," it said. The notice has quoted the advertisement as saying that "15 saal Congress ki loot" (15 years of Congress' loot). WASHINGTON President Trump signed the revised North American Free Trade Agreement into law Wednesday at the White House, fulfilling a key campaign promise and ending more than two years of tumultuous negotiations over the continents trade rules. The trade deal, now called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, updates the quarter-century-old NAFTA, with stronger protections for workers and the digital economy and new rules to encourage auto manufacturing in North America. Today we are finally ending the NAFTA nightmare and signing into law the brand-new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, Trump said during a signing ceremony at the White House. For the first time in American history, we have replaced a disastrous trade deal that rewarded outsourcing with a truly fair and reciprocal trade deal that will keep jobs, wealth and growth right here in America, he said. The deal will restore certainty about the direction of the North American economy for the multitude of companies that depend on the rules to carry out their businesses. While the Trump administration reached an agreement with Canada and Mexico more than a year ago, it came only after months of tense negotiations that included a threat by the president to leave Canada out of the deal completely. And the agreements fate remained in question for months afterward given concerns among congressional Democrats, whose support was needed to approve the pact, that the new deal did not include strong enough provisions related to labor, the environment and pharmaceuticals. Through months of tough negotiations last year, Trumps trade advisers hammered out major concessions that ultimately won over congressional Democrats, as well as the AFL-CIO. What the president will be signing is quite different from what the president sent us, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, said Wednesday morning. The deal constitutes an important political victory for Trump and his second trade win of the month. The president signed an initial trade pact with China at the White House just two weeks ago, giving him crucial talking points as he heads into his reelection campaign. While his deals with China and other countries are smaller than traditional trade agreements, Trump will be able to claim that he has renegotiated trade terms with Americas biggest trading partners. The president wasted little time in touting the new North American trade deal, calling it a colossal victory for farmers and factory workers and the largest, fairest, most balanced and modern trade agreement ever achieved. Trump has long derided the original NAFTA, and he frequently threatened to rip it up entirely if Canada, Mexico or Congressional Democrats would not agree to his new rules. He came into office with an executive order drafted to begin the process of withdrawing from NAFTA and nearly signed it on several occasions. But certain advisers and business contacts talked the president back, saying that an abrupt departure from the deal would tank the stock market and hurt farmers and businesses. The 26-year-old agreement, which was negotiated by the George Bush administration and signed into law by President Bill Clinton, has since become a political target, derided for encouraging American companies to move factories and jobs to Mexico. But many economists have a more sanguine view of NAFTAs legacy, saying the deal provided a positive, if small, benefit to U.S. wages and employment. It allowed industries to reorganize their supply chains around North America and take advantage of the differing resources and strengths of the three countries. The deal helped to more than triple Americas trade with Canada and Mexico since its inception. But the opening of borders has come at a cost. Some Americans, particularly those with less education, lost out as U.S. factories moved to Mexico, leaving unemployed workers and crumbling communities. Gordon Hanson, an economist at the Harvard Kennedy School, said that studies have found that average incomes rose in all three countries as a result of the trade deal, though by a small magnitude. But the deals benefits were very unevenly distributed around the United States, he said. We can certainly find places where jobs are lost as a result of increased trade with Mexico, as well as places where jobs were gained as a result of increased trade with Mexico, Hanson said. The government programs that were designed to help workers adjust to these changes proved to be merely a Band-Aid for a deep wound that never healed. And NAFTA became a target of labor unions, many Democrats and ultimately the president. The Trump administration began its renegotiation of NAFTA in August 2017 with harsh words for Canada and Mexico, saying that the pact had fundamentally failed many, many Americans and needs major improvement. On Capitol Hill, Democrats sought to remind their colleagues and the media that the pact would not have seen overwhelming bipartisan support without their changes, particularly the updates to labor enforcement. The only reason that the president is having a signing today is because of what we did as Democrats, Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Mass., chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said at an infrastructure news conference. The new trade deal faces one final hurdle before it can go into effect: It still needs to be approved by the Canadian Parliament. Ana Swanson and Emily Cochrane are New York Times writers. 15:00 | Iquitos (Loreto region), Jan. 30. The recognition was given by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur). Mincetur head Edgar Vasquez presented the recognition to Loreto Region Governor Elisban Ochoa, during a ceremony aboard Rivers & Forest Expeditions cruise ship in the presence of local tourism authorities and entrepreneurs. Vasquez affirmed that hierarchy 4 status turns Amazon River into a tourism resource of national importance and of great significance in the international travel market, capable of elevating the flow of visitors. "With this designation, Mincetur will define strategies and prioritize actions to develop the tourism potential of Amazon River and its surroundings. This will be done as part of the implementation of the Strategic Regional Tourism Plan (Pertur) Loreto," he noted. According to a classification designed by the World Tourism Organization (WTO), in order to be granted hierarchy 4 status, tourism resources have to possess particular features of a country, and be capable of attracting a (actual or potential) number of visitors from domestic and international markets, both by itself or along with other adjacent attractions. Tourism projects in Loreto In this sense, Vasquez reported that tourist signposting projects would be carried out in the Iquitos Monumental Zone throughout this year. In addition, the minister expects the validation of the project "Improvement of Tourism Services at Pacaya Samiria National Reserve," one of the most representative tourist attractions in the jungle region. "Mincetur will invest more than S/12 million (around US$3.587 million) to improve the tourist infrastructure in the basin of Yanayacu-Pucate River, the most visited area by tourists in Pacaya Samiria . The work will kick off in 2021 as part of the National Copesco Plan," he said. (END) NDP/MAO/RMB/MVB Amazon River has been granted hierarchy 4 status, the top distinction that a tourism resource can receive worldwide, which in Peru only Machu Picchu and Nazca Lines have attained.Published: 1/30/2020 By Trend At Azerbaijan's request, Azerbaijanis living in China will be evacuated along with Turkish citizens, Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Erkan Ozoral told reporters, Trend reports. The ambassador noted that 35 Turkish citizens will be evacuated from China because of the coronavirus outbreak in this country. "The [Turkish] state plans to send a plane for them. According to our information, 6 or 7 Azerbaijani citizens living there will be evacuated along with Turkish citizens. After that, all necessary measures will be taken," Ozoral said. Coronavirus 2019-nCoV was detected last December in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Infection has already been reported in South Korea, Japan, the US, Thailand, the UAE and other countries. Similar facts have also been recorded in Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz New Delhi, Jan 30 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) here on Thursday urged the Election Commission to add to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) poll account the expenses incurred in organising protests against new citizenship law at Shaheen Bagh in the national capital. Referring to the Election Commission rules that state that if any organisation or party helps any third party in an election, in such a situation the poll panel has the right to add the expenses of the third party to that party, a BJP delegation, led by party General Secretary Bhupendra Yadav, met the Election Commission and raised the issue. "We have submitted a CD (compact disc) of statements of Manish Sisodia, Amanatullah Khan and other AAP leaders to the poll panel. In the CD, the AAP leaders can be seen speaking about lending support to the Shaheen Bagh protests. "When the AAP leaders are accepting this, it means the party is sponsoring this dharna," Yadav said. Thus, under the third party publicity spending rules, the expenses of protests should be added to the account of AAP candidates, he said. German police are investigating the sales of a controversial beer that has a Nazi-style label and is reportedly linked with a far-right activist. The scandal over the beer, produced by the 'German Reich Brewery' ('Deutsches Reichsbrau' in German) broke this week as the world remembers victims of the Holocaust. The beer was on sale in one town in Saxony-Anhalt state where far-right extremist groups are especially active. The front of the beer bottle. As well as the fact that the labels were brown, possibly linked to the fact that the Nazis had brown uniforms, it also relied heavily on symbols such as the Eagle which was popular with the Nazis, and there is an iron Cross as well Photos of the beer were posted on social media by Ulrich Goetz , a district chief in eastern Germany, who added the message: 'I feel so ashamed.' As well as the fact that the labels were brown, possibly linked to the fact that the Nazis had brown uniforms, it also relied heavily on symbols such as the Eagle which was popular with the Nazis, and there is an iron Cross as well. The price of a crate of beer at 18.88 EUR also meant they apparently used neo-Nazi numbers, where 18 is meant to simplify Adolf Hitler ('A' and 'H' being the first and eighth letter of the alphabet respectively), and 88 is meant to signify 'Heil Hitler'. The price of a crate of beer at 18.88 EUR also meant they apparently used neo-Nazi numbers, where 18 is meant to simplify Adolf Hitler ('A' and 'H' being the first and eighth letter of the alphabet respectively), and 88 is meant to signify 'Heil Hitler' The Gothic lettering is also reminiscent of the Nazi style of producing its powerful propaganda literature. Goetz added that he was especially disappointed that the beer had been selling quickly, so quickly that in some places it had sold out, such as in his home town of Bad Bibra, in the German province of Saxony-Anhalt which has a strong far-right presence. He said he believed that the neo-Nazis had deliberately done it to be provocative on the anniversary week 75 years after the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. The back side of the beer bottle with Nazi symbols. The Gothic lettering is also reminiscent of the Nazi style of producing its powerful propaganda literature Germany has strict laws banning the use of neo-Nazi symbols and promoting neo-Nazi ideology, and police officers have confirmed they are investigating whether the beer breached these guidelines after receiving complaints. The retail chain Getranke-Quelle where the beer was on sale claimed that it was only on sale in an independent franchise and that it had been their decision to sell it, and that they had informed the seller to remove it. The beer was reportedly put on sale earlier in the month by far-right activist and pub owner Tommy Frenck, who also stages a regular neo-Nazi festival. T he Roaring Twenties are here again, and with them comes a timely revival of interest in Art Deco, that gloriously optimistic design movement that came to define the Jazz Age. Over the past few decades many Art Deco buildings of the Twenties and Thirties have been restored in time for their centenaries, and we can expect to see them shine in anniversary exhibitions, as well as in a burgeoning market for properties sporting the movements most recognisable features. Kicking off the celebrations is Art Deco by the Sea, a major exhibition at the Sainsbury Centre in Norwich which sets out to explore how the movement revolutionised British holiday resorts. The coast was a great place for experimentation in the 1920s, says Ghislaine Wood, the curator of the exhibition. The culture of healthy bodies, sun and pleasure lent itself to the new style and it flourished in all our resorts. Among the buildings to feature in the show are the curvy De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill, completed in 1935, and the Midland Hotel in Morecambe, which Wood describes as the most important Art Deco building in Britain. Designed by Oliver Hill and opened in 1933, the Midland displays all the most alluring features of the movement, with its streamlined white facade, sun terraces, spiral staircase and jaunty seahorse decorations above the entrance. As Wood points out, Art Decos reach spread to all types of buildings, objects and art forms. The circular reception room at Eltham Palace, a former royal residence in Greenwich, restored by English Heritage / English Heritage Photo Library Among the 130 exhibits in the show are photographs of houses, cinemas, piers and lidos, as well as examples of fashion, furniture, paintings, posters and textiles. Highlights include a complete hoopla stand from an Art Deco fairground, and a Bakelite radio made by Ekco, one of the first British companies to pioneer the use of plastics. Of course the Art Deco movement didnt just arrive fully formed. Some of its imagery, including exotic animals, plants and abstract shapes, can be traced back to the Art Nouveau designs of the late-Victorian and Edwardian periods. But it was the boom in consumer culture after the First World War that saw the emergence of cleaner lines and brighter colours and their application to mass-produced goods. The discovery of Tutankhamuns tomb in 1922 provided a new range of imagery, from geometric patterns and sunburst symbols to the stylised human figures which influenced the flapper silhouette. But the defining moment for Art Deco was the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris in 1925. At this huge outdoor expo, the style was on display in all its glory for the first time. Among the pavilions were outlets for the major department stores, filled with Art Deco furniture and jewellery, as well as Le Corbusiers ground-breaking Pavilion of the New Spirit, furnished with tubular steel chairs and Cubist paintings. Following this pivotal event, the style began to expand across the world, finding expression in everything from the stepped pinnacles of New York skyscrapers to the marble bathrooms of Indian maharajas. In London the most exuberant manifestations of Art Deco can be seen in landmark buildings such as the Daily Express offices on Fleet Street, the Hoover Building in Perivale now converted into apartments and in cinemas such as the Egyptian-themed Carlton on Essex Road, Islington. The Midland Hotel, a stunning Art Deco icon in Morecambe, Lancashire (English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues) / English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues Art Decos key elements of curving walls, sunburst designs and large, metal-framed windows then spread to the thousands of flats and houses built in the expanding suburbs. It was the Second World War which killed off Art Deco, explains Wood. After the conflict, it was the influence of more austere Modernist architects such as Le Corbusier and Erno Goldfinger that came to dominate rebuilding programmes. Not until the mid-Sixties was there a revival of interest in the fun-fuelled designs of the inter-war years, with the publication in 1968 of art historian Bevis Hilliers book, Art Deco of the 20s and 30s, which gave the movement its name. By this date many of its greatest buildings were already under threat, with cheap holidays abroad leading to the decline of British seaside resorts. Only after campaigns to save these buildings did they survive, with some of the most splendid Art Deco restoration projects being of Britains lidos, including the Jubilee Pool in Penzance. Im really optimistic, says Wood of the regeneration projects. The Midland Hotel in Morecambe was derelict and has been restored. Its a testimony to the quality of so much design of the period. Photo: Kael Bloom/Unsplash Looking to mix things up this week? From a drum group to a dancing soiree, here are a few top options to help you get off the couch and out into the world. 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. GuGu Drum Group From the event description: Chinese fables and fairytales will come to life onstage in a thrilling performance when Hammer Theatre Center presents GuGu Drum Group, the high energy drumming ensemble from Shanghai. The group, which captured international attention for its appearance in the 2008 Beijing Olympic opening ceremonies, uses percussion to weave together ancient Chinese stories. In this performance, old proverbs and fables such as "King Quin & His Troops," "Bull & Tiger" and "Women Generals of Yang Family" are presented through colorful costumes and epic drum performances. When: Friday, Jan. 31, 7:30 p.m. Where: 101 Paseo De San Antonio, San Jose, CA 95192 Price: $25 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Total Request (A 2000s TRL Dance Party) From the event description: Total Request, the new party dedicated to the golden era of televised music consumption. If you ever bought a CD for just one song, rushed home from school to swoon over Carson, or discovered your sexuality watching Usher and J.Lo videos, this is your new favorite party. Total Request is a celebration of 2000s TRL music unlike any other. When: Friday, Jan. 31, 9 p.m.- Saturday, Feb. 1, 2 a.m. Where: The Ritz, 400 S. First St. Admission: $0-$10 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Saint Nicholas Preview Glendi Dinner Dance From the event description: Join us for an evening of cocktails, dinner, prizes, live music, dancing and performances from our award winning Greek Folk Dance Groups. When: Saturday, Feb. 1, 5 p.m.- Sunday, Feb. 2, 12 a.m. Where: St Nicholas Church, 1260 Davis St. Admission: $35 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Story continues Rites of Passage From the event description: Please join Cambrian Symphony, named "Best Discovery" of 2016-17 by San Francisco Classical Voice, for the second concert of our 5th season. This concert includes "Cuban Overture" by George Gershwin, "The Love for Three Oranges Suite" by Sergei Prokofiev and "The Rite of Spring" by Igor Stravinsky. When: Saturday, Feb. 1, 7:30-9:30 p.m. Where: Hammer Theatre, 101 Paseo De San Antonio Admission: $25 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. France has been admonished by the European Court of Human Rights for overcrowding in its prisons, after the court heard complaints from 32 inmates held in prisons in Nice, Nimes and Fresnes as well as the overseas territories of Martinique and French Polynesia. In a statement released Thursday, the court advised France to consider adopting general measures aimed at eliminating overcrowding and improving material conditions of detention. The move comes after the detainees complained about the conditions of their detention, including filth and incessant noise as well as the country's inability to address the problem. Since 2011, the number of French prisoners has been steadily rising, with Ministry of Justice figures on 1 April, 2019 showing 71,828 people were being held in French prisons a record for the country. Francois Bes, head of an investigation by the International Observatory of Prisons, told France Info radio last May: "Today there are more than 1,600 people in French prisons who sleep on the floor on mattresses. There are not enough beds." According to the latest quarterly figures made public by the prison administration, prison density stands at 116 percent, down 2 percent in one year. The number of mattresses on the floor was 1,497. A Council of Europe report published last year found that more inmates commit suicide in France than in anywhere else in Europe. More than 20 Australians were among thousands locked on a cruise ship in the Italian city of Civitavecchia during a coronavirus scare. The Costa Smeralda ship - carrying 7,000 people - kept passengers in lockdown since Thursday morning after a 54-year-old Chinese woman from Macau came down with flu-like symptoms the previous night. The woman, who boarded the ship on January 25 in the port of Savona, was placed in an isolation unit on the ship with her partner. Cruise ship Costa Smeralda has been quarantined in port city of Civitavecchia, near Rome, after woman fell ill The Costa Smeralda had visited Marseilles in France and the Spanish ports of Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca this week before docking on Thursday at Civitavecchia. A spokesman confirmed there were 27 Australians on board at the time. However, Italy's health ministry has now confirmed that two Chinese cruise ship passengers tested negative for the virus that has killed 170 people so far in the city of Wuhan. Costa Cruises was offering to pay for food and hotels for some 1,140 people who had been due to disembark at the Civitavecchia port near Rome early Thursday, and the Costa Smeralda was to set sail again Friday, Italian media said. The Costa Smeralda ship - carrying 7,000 people - were kept on the ship since Thursday morning after a 54-year-old Chinese woman from Macau came down with flu-like symptoms the previous night The couple are thought to have flown from Hong Kong to Milan, joined the cruise at Savona the same day, and then visited several locations around the Mediterranean before being quarantined at Civitavecchia The only people who have been allowed on or off the boat since it docked in Civitavecchia were three doctors and a nurse, who were taken to the medical bay to test the woman and her husband for coronavirus. The woman was suffering 'mild flu-like symptoms' and her husband had no symptoms, but was isolated in a separate room to her and tested as a precaution. Samples were sent to a specialist hospital in Rome. The virus scare comes as the World Health Organisation declares a global health emergency. A 54-year-old woman from Macau is thought to have alerted medics on the ship (pictured today) to symptoms including fever and respiratory problems on Wednesday night 7,000 people have been quarantined aboard cruise ship Costa Smeralda in the Italian port city of Civitavecchia, 35 miles north of Rome, amid a suspected case of coronavirus (pictured, social media images believed to show passengers on board the ship) China's coronavirus death toll has reached 170 but there have been a number of cases While the vast majority of cases have been in China, more than 100 have appeared in about 20 other countries and territories, including the US, Canada, France and Australia. Four people in Sydney, three in Melbourne, and two on the Gold Coast have been struck down with the deadly virus in recent weeks. Symptoms of the virus include fever, cough, sore throat and shortness of breath People wearing facemasks to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city, wait for medical attention at Wuhan Red Cross Hospital in Wuhan on January 25 Each one flew in from Wuhan, the Chinese city where the outbreak began, on planes packed with hundreds of potential victims. At least a day passed after they arrived before they developed flu-like symptoms and eventually went to hospital. The virus is believed to have originated late last year in a food market in the Chinese city of Wuhan that was illegally selling wildlife. Health experts think it may have originated in bats and then passed to humans, possibly via another animal species. Australia and New Zealand are planning a joint evacuation of citizens from Wuhan while Singapore is setting up a quarantine facility on an island to the city's north-east. Meanwhile, the United States and South Korea confirmed their first cases of person-to-person spread of the virus. An Australian man has embarked on a costly mission to buy a sausage sandwich from every Bunnings store in one state. Melbourne vlogger Josh Eastwell set out on the challenge to buy the iconic sausage and bread combo from each of the hardware giant's 20 stores in South Australia. With a cameraman by his side, Mr Eastwell spent four days driving between each store and sampling the different snag offerings. Melbourne vlogger Josh Eastwell (pictured) embarked on a mission costing him more than $700 to buy a sausage sandwich from every Bunnings store in one state He said the mission was meant to be a test run ahead of attempting states with more Bunnings branches in a video shared to his YouTube channel. 'The great Australian sausage crawl is just to get sausage and bread - or a snag - from every Bunnings in Australia,' he said. 'We're going to South Australia to test the waters and then hopefully move onto some bigger ones.' Including fuel, accommodation and sizzle costs, he said the entire trip cost him and his companion $715. The duo were able to conquer all but two of the South Australian stores, with the one in Mt Barker to the east of Adelaide closing for the day as they arrived. The 20th and final store at Port Lincoln was inaccessible due to a bushfire. Mr Eastwell told Daily Mail Australia the best sausage sizzle was found in Seaford, south of Adelaide, where the store sold sausage, pork and beef snags. 'It's definitely not a journey for the weak-hearted seeing as you're pumping your body with that much cholesterol,' the vlogger (left) said 'The best sausage sizzle in South Australia would have to be Seaford due to the variety,' he said. 'It's definitely not a journey for the weak-hearted seeing as you're pumping your body with that much cholesterol.' The YouTube vlogger added he was next trying out Tasmania this weekend - the most Bunnings-light state with just seven stores. Mr Eastwell is pictured returning from one of the South Australian Bunnings stores with a sizzle in his hand. He now plans to take on Tasmania's seven branches this weekend 'My brother and I are headed there this weekend to bang out the few that are there. We're flying over and hiring a car,' he said. 'I want to be listed among the greats as a pioneer of exploration in the modern era - the 2020 Robert O'Hara Burke and William Wills, the modern-day Sir Charles Kingsford Smith.' Victoria boasts 75 stores and New South Wales has a massive 90, which would turn the challenge into a matter of weeks not days. By Stephen Nellis (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp on Wednesday reported quarterly sales and profit that beat Wall Street expectations, driven by the first acceleration of Azure cloud computing revenue growth in eight quarters amid a pitched battle with Amazon.com Incs cloud unit. Shares of the world's largest software company hit an all-time high in after-hours trading. The results reflected the approach of Chief Executive Satya Nadella, who for five years has re-centred Microsoft around the cloud, renting out its computing power and technology to large businesses By Stephen Nellis (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp on Wednesday reported quarterly sales and profit that beat Wall Street expectations, driven by the first acceleration of Azure cloud computing revenue growth in eight quarters amid a pitched battle with Amazon.com Incs cloud unit. Shares of the world's largest software company hit an all-time high in after-hours trading. The results reflected the approach of Chief Executive Satya Nadella, who for five years has re-centred Microsoft around the cloud, renting out its computing power and technology to large businesses. Microsoft said Azure, its primary competitor to Amazon's cloud, grew 62% in the fiscal second quarter ended Dec. 31, down from a 76% revenue growth rate the year before but up from 59% in the fiscal first quarter. Microsoft's chief financial officer, Amy Hood, said increased consumption of Azure services, which include offerings such as computing power to run applications and data storage services, drove the revenue growth. "We did have good usage, which matters a ton to that number," Hood told Reuters. "The core thing that we focused on - which is consumption growth - was quite good." Microsoft said revenue for its "commercial cloud" - a combination of Azure and the cloud-based versions of software such as Office - reached $12.5 billion, up from $9 billion the year before. The commercial cloud gross profit margin - a key measure of cloud profitability that Microsoft has told investors it expects to improve - was 67%, versus 62% the year before. Microsoft shares rose as much as 4.58% to $175.74 in after-hours trading. "This quarter was an absolute 'blow out quarter' across the board with no blemishes and in our opinion speaks to an inflection point in deal flow as more enterprises pick Redmond for the cloud," Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said in a note, referring to Microsoft's headquarters location in Redmond, Washington. Hood said the company was working to improve margins on its core Azure services, which rely on data centres that can cost billions of dollars to build. She cited "hardware improvements and taking advantage of those hardware improvements." Microsoft's revenue and profit for the second quarter were $36.9 billion and $1.51 per share, respectively, compared with analyst estimates of $35.7 billion and $1.32 per share, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. Microsoft has focused on hybrid cloud computing in which a business can use a mix of Microsofts data centres and its own as well as on delivering its longstanding productivity programs such as Office via the cloud. The shift to the cloud has driven Microsoft's shares up more than 50% in the past year, as it gains ground against market leader Amazon and also parries the threats to its classic software programs from newer entrants like Alphabet Incs Google. In 2019, Microsoft had 22% share of the cloud computing infrastructure market, compared with 45% at Amazon and 5% from Google, according to data from Forrester Research. "Azures renewed growth doesnt yet pose a threat to AWSs supremacy in the cloud market, but it does present an opportunity to further close the gap on Amazon and increase its lead over other cloud providers," said Andrew MacMillen of Nucleus Research. The companys Intelligent Cloud unit, which includes Azure, reported revenue that rose 27% to $11.9 billion in the quarter, versus expectations of $11.4 billion. For the fiscal third quarter ending in March, Microsoft forecast revenue with a midpoint of $11.9 billion for the unit, compared with analyst expectations of $11.4 billion. Its Productivity and Business Process unit, which contains the LinkedIn social network, reported $11.8 billion in revenue compared with estimates of $11.4 billion. Revenue in the unit that contains Windows was $13.2 billion, compared with estimates of $12.8 billion. Over the past year, Windows sales were hampered by shortages of PC chips from Intel Corp, but the chipmaker said last week it had alleviated most of those supply concerns. Microsoft forecast revenue of between $10.75 billion (8.2 billion pounds) and $11.15 billion for the unit containing Windows in the fiscal third quarter, a wider-than-normal forecast range that the company said was because of uncertainty surrounding the spread of the coronavirus in China. (Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Additional reporting by Ayanti Bera in Bengaluru; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Leslie Adler) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Recently plunging Chinese sales of Ford Motor Company's (NYSE:F) vehicles have slammed the brakes on the iconic carmaker's expansion into this huge overseas market. Far away in Europe, Ford's total 2019 vehicle sales rose above a million, with Germany showing particularly strong sales growth. While these two major international markets might seem to counterbalance each other, a closer look shows all is not quite as it seems in Europe, either. Ford struggles in China With 1.27 million Ford cars and trucks sold in China in 2016, rapid double-digit declines in purchases more recently sends up a signal of potential trouble to those investing in car stocks. The slide began fairly modestly in 2017. However, in 2018 and 2019, Ford's sales in the eastern country turned into something resembling a half-million-car pileup, with 37% and 26% nose-dives respectively. Just 567,854 Fords left Chinese showrooms last year, according to Reuters. Intertwined Chinese economic troubles and ongoing trade wrangles between the USA and China are among the major factors driving this decline. The entire Chinese car market, not just Ford, is suffering the downturn's effects. 2019 witnessed an 8.2% year-over-year fall in total auto sales from 2018. Ford claims to be pursuing a "Ford China 2.0" scheme in response to this drastic sales crisis. This plan includes such steps as adapting vehicle production to Chinese drivers' preferences and partnering with Chinese companies to develop and manufacture autos in the region. Ford states its intention to release 30 new SUV and car models there by 2022, of which approximately a third are slated to be electric vehicles. While Ford is talking big, this blueprint for a complete Chinese makeover clearly hasn't reversed the avalanche-like collapse of sales since its launch early in 2019. Ford claimed in a December report that losses in China were approximately 50% lower in 2019 than in 2018, though the actual figures won't be available until their release of detailed Q4 2019 results on Feb. 4, 2020. The statement also predicted a further 50% reduction in China losses in 2020, though Ford stressed the latter figure did not represent any kind of formal guidance. At this point, however, it's arguable whether the slowing of sales losses from 37% a year to "only" 26% in a year is actually due to Ford's new program. Ford sales are so gutted in China, dropping from 1.3 million to half a million annually, that purchases may simply be reaching a demand floor below which they won't drop significantly as long as any kind of economy at all continues to exist in China. Ford's sunnier, and illusory, prospects in Europe Superficially, in another major international market elsewhere on the planet, Europe, Ford enjoyed a positive 2019. In the "Euro 20" countries, a Ford Q3 sales report claims total vehicle sales grew 3.1% in 2019's third-quarter year over year. While commercial vehicle sales are weakening, passenger vehicle sales grew. In Germany, sales rose 21.1%, outpacing any other country's demand. Overall, Ford reported 1,020,700 vehicles sold in Europe during the first nine months of 2019. With a quarter still to go when the figures were released, total sales likely reached 1.2 to 1.3 million for 2019, equaling Ford's sales in China during the peak year of 2016. However, under this rosy exterior, all is not well in the state of Denmark or anywhere else in Europe. Despite the growing number of physical sales, Ford's Q3 2019 Earnings Review shows Ford Europe continuing to bleed money, as it has done in most quarters for several years now. Revenue fell in every one of the past four quarters, starting with an 8% decline in Q4 2018 and now showing a 14% decline in Q3 2019. Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) has been negative for four of the past six quarters, and even in the two positive quarters, only amounted to around $100 million, a trivial sum by the standards of a huge enterprise like Ford. Ford appears to be suffering a somewhat less dramatic replay of General Motors Company's (NYSE:GM) fate in Europe. GM made a serious effort to establish itself in Europe but could not compete with existing carmakers there. Eventually, it sold off its European brands to PSA Group (OTC:PUGOY) and retreated from Europe after losing approximately $20 billion on the attempt to break into the market there. While Ford hasn't lost nearly as much, its trajectory is similar and a parallel outcome seems likely. What the future holds for Ford While Ford naturally issues optimistic statements about its future prospects in both China and Europe, neither market appears to hold much promise. China sales continue their downward slalom, with no end in sight. Europe's sales are decent but revenues are declining, indicating a high likelihood Ford will ultimately fail to achieve long-term success in the face of European carmakers' competition, just like GM. While some might think Ford's low share price indicates a rebound is coming, the company has experienced a nearly 70% drop in stock value over the past two decades. Nothing happening in China or Europe is likely to trigger an upward surge anytime soon, nor will surprises emerge in the Ford Q4 2019 earnings report. The company may muddle along, or go the way of Studebaker, but a sudden revival seems improbable. I don't recommend buying Ford shares at this time. More than 50 years ago, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. fought for civil rights for all people. Today, the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) is fighting for air equality. On Jan. 15, the organization appealed to city officials, political leaders and organizations to support their air equality initiative during the SCAQMD luncheon at Cal State University Dominguez Hills, in Carson. Led by Danny Bakewell, Jr., L.A. Sentinel executive editor, the meeting was convened by the newspaper and SCAQMD to solicit community support, spawn conversation on the importance of pollution justice, and to expose the community to the deadly health risks and illnesses endured by people of color breathing toxic pollutants in their neighborhoods. ADVERTISEMENT Danny J. Bakewell, Sr., Sentinel executive publisher, announced his unwavering support to SCAQMD and to a cleaner environment overall. Citing campaigns that he spearheads, Bakewell, Sr. said the newspaper partners with Mothers in Action to produce bi-annual community cleanup events, where residents drop-off everything from hazardous contaminants to non-usable electronics, free of charge. I remember what it was like in the 1970s, said Bakewell, alluding to an era when breathing was hazardous and painful. South Coast Air Quality has done a tremendous job in creating cleaner air for all of us. Amir Dejbakhsh, SCAQMD deputy executive officer for Engineering and Permitting, encouraged the attendees to support the organizations outreach to minority communities as well as raise awareness and secure the funds needed to fix the pollution problem. Referencing the organizations success in cleaning up the poor air conditions of the 1970s and 1980s, Dejbakhsh asked, Remember a time when it hurt your lungs to breathe because the smog was so bad? Fabian Wesson, SCAQMD assistant deputy executive officer/public advisor for Legislative, Public Affairs and Media, revealed that a budget close to 1 billion dollars per year will be needed to develop long-term poor air solutions, such as accelerated early deployment of zero and near zero technologies for mobile and stationary services. Currently, SCAQMD produces projects such as, Right to Breathe, a signature documentary film on the burden of air pollution on Southern California residents especially those who live in low-income, minority communities living close to the sources of pollution. While the leaders voiced support for funding for a safer environment, Compton Mayor Aja Brown and Carson Councilmember Jawane Hilton urged that resources include the lower economic districts where Black and Brown people live. Brown said, These areas are typically undeserved, overlooked and lack the resources afforded to wealthier communities. As the meeting adjourned, the group committed to uniting with SCAQMD in its ongoing mission to create a cleaner environment in the future. To learn more about SCAQMD visit aqmd.gov. To view Right to Breathe, visit https://youtu.be/2SE56_U9wdM by Brad Camara | Thu, Jan 30th 6:09am EST Jordan McRae (ankle) is listed as out for Thursday's game against the Hornets. (NBA.com) Fantasy Impact: McRae will miss his second consecutive game due to a sprained right ankle. He is currently day-to-day. His next chance to return will be Saturday's tilt against the Nets. GODFREY Lewis and Clark Community College nursing students may have an easier time earning their bachelors degree thanks to a new agreement with the University of Illinois at Chicago. The board of trustees of the University of Illinois, on behalf of the UIC College of Nursing and UIC Extended Campus, and LCCC, has entered into a memorandum of understanding to create a dual-admissions pathway from the Lewis and Clark associate degree in nursing (ADN) program to UICs online RN to BSN degree completion program. With six campuses throughout northern and central Illinois, the UIC College of Nursing has long been dedicated to educating nurse leaders for the entire state, said Terri Weaver, dean of the UIC College of Nursing. Now, through this partnership, we can make a meaningful and almost immediate difference for southern Illinois communities facing critical nursing shortages. Under the agreement, the dual-admissions pathway allows nursing students to earn an associate degree in nursing at LCCC while at the same time enrolling in identified courses which are part of the fully online UIC RN to BSN degree completion program and working in their home region. Because its fully online, our BSN-completion program is easily accessible, said Kate Tredway, director of the UIC College of Nursing RN to BSN degree completion program. And with this agreement, we can provide a new level of convenience for students at Lewis and Clark. I personally cant wait to welcome them. U.S. News & World Report recently ranked UICs online baccalaureate degrees No. 3 in the nation. Upon successful completion of LCCCs ADN program, students will receive an associate degree and continue their progress in the UIC online RN to BSN program as degree-seeking students. UIC will confer the bachelors degree in nursing after graduation requirements are met. In 2019, LCCC had about 85 nursing graduates. This agreement allows students to seamlessly transfer from high school to associate degree to bachelors and beyond, said LCCC Director of Nursing Education Sheri Banovic. Area lawmakers welcomed the partnership between UIC and LCCC. This collaborative effort by UIC and Lewis and Clark Community College will bring more high-paying nursing jobs to our region, help more of our students achieve their academic goals while remaining in the area, and help increase access to high-quality and compassionate care for all, said state Rep. Monica Bristow, D-Alton. Im very happy that both of these institutions have partnered to provide more career opportunities for our young people and students that will benefit the entire Metro East region, she said. LCCC alum State Sen. Rachelle Crowe, D-Glen Carbon, applauded UIC for recognizing the affordable, quality education offered at Lewis and Clark to people downstate and teaming up to bring more opportunities for its graduates. Rural communities already have trouble finding qualified medical staff to meet their needs, she said. And this partnership will place skilled, capable nurses in areas that will benefit the most. State. Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, said the partnership was an example of higher education working together to fill a critical workforce shortage. He said the partnership was exactly the type of thing we should be doing in Illinois to help better deliver higher quality healthcare to underserved areas. For more details on the dual admission pathway, visit www.uic.edu. Home isnt (necessarily) where the heartland is. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images On Wednesday, the former mayor of Indianas fourth-largest city argued that he is uniquely qualified to be president because he grew up in a state that has no ocean beaches. In the face of unprecedented challenges, we need a president whose vision was shaped by the American heartland rather than the ineffective Washington politics weve come to know and expect, Pete Buttigieg explained to his Twitter followers. Many Democrats found this argument unpersuasive. More specifically, progressives suggested that Buttigiegs reverential invocation of the heartland was a racial dog whistle. After all, the term refers to the portion of the United States that does not touch any ocean, a region that, while vast and heterogenous, is decidedly more white than Americas major coastal cities. Respectfully, where is the American Heartland located exactly in your mind as you write this tweet? Does it include Compton and other places like it? Because us folks from those places would like a president shaped by our vision too. Serious question. Would love an answer. Ava DuVernay (@ava) January 30, 2020 On Thursday, Buttigieg assured voters that he did not intend to suggest that America needed a president whose vision was shaped by the uniquely virtuous culture of midwestern white people. Rather, he was merely saying that America needed a president whose vision was shaped by the uniquely virtuous culture of all people who live in states that lack major seaports. I also asked Buttigieg to respond to the criticism of his use of American heartland in pitching himself to voters in a tweet yesterday. Critics called the term code for white America and dismissive of the values of part of the country not geographically in the middle: pic.twitter.com/51ofK2dwtM Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) January 30, 2020 Regardless of whether one considers paeans to the heartland to be inherently racist, it seems indisputable that they are inherently stupid. As the Atlantics Ben Zimmer notes, the concept was initially a geostrategic one: The British geographer Halford Mackinder used The Heartland to refer to the interior of the interlocking continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa, a landmass he called the World-Island. Eastern Europe held the key to control of the Heartland and in turn the World-Island, Mackinder argued in his 1919 book, Democratic Ideals and Reality. As the European powers clashed in World War II, American commentators seized on Mackinders model, looking inward to find the equivalent North American Heartland. The first mentions of an American heartland in newspaper databases appeared in 1943 the same year a more outward-looking geopolitical expression, globalism, also took hold. Indeed, the early appeals to the nations heartland can be thought of as a cozy, reassuring domestic reaction to the globalist anxieties of the day. In the June 1943 issue of Harpers magazine, Bernard De Voto wrote in his column The Easy Chair about how Middle America was largely indifferent to the wartime preoccupations of the coastal elites. De Voto rejected the label provincialism, writing, It is not that the Middle West is provincial but, first, that it is the American heartland, and second that it has developed an organic local life. The heart of the continental nation, it is so deep in distance and feels so secure that an instinctive disbelief is central in its consciousness. While De Voto fretted about the heartlands lack of engagement with international issues, he praised the regions potential for comfort, kindliness, fellowship, human sympathy, [and] hope. Those would come to be recognized as heartland values[.] Anyhow, the idea that the myriad towns and cities scattered across the American interior all share a distinct set of values let alone hold a monopoly on human sympathy and hope never made much sense. But ever since the advent of the internet (or commercial air flight, or interstate highways), its been patently absurd. America may not have a monoculture in 2020, but on the list of identiarian categories that meaningfully divide us, coastal versus interior dwelling ranks quite low. There are meaningful geographic divides in U.S. politics, but they lie much more along lines of density than region. People living in rural parts of California tend to be more politically simpatico with people in rural Oklahoma than with the median San Franciscan. Meanwhile, people in Buttigiegs hometown of South Bend, Indiana, tend to vote more like Brooklynites than like their fellow Hoosiers in the exurbs of Indianapolis. Nevertheless, the heartland has remained a staple of American political rhetoric, ostensibly because Republicans see it as a useful fiction to invoke when explaining why it is actually good that Americas electoral institutions grossly underrepresent people who live in (left-leaning) coastal states, while Democrats see paeans to the concept a handy means of distancing themselves from their geographic base of support (which is something they are perennially eager to do because Americas electoral institutions grossly underrepresent left-leaning coastal states). Pete Buttigiegs bad tweet about the heartland is illustrative of the latter reality. The 2020 general election is likely going to be won and lost in the heartland state of Wisconsin. And the 2020 Democratic primary is going to be profoundly shaped by the preferences of people who live in the heartland state of Iowa. So, if the heartland is actually a real thing that meaningfully exists, then Petes formative years in the heartland state of Indiana would give him a leg up on the competition. But whatever short-term instrumental value the concept has to Pete Buttigieg or to a Democratic Party looking to expand its appeal in the parts of the country that pack more power per vote its a counterproductive idea for liberals to affirm in the long run. Every in-group identity implicitly defines itself in opposition to an out-group. And progressives do not want people who live in landlocked states defining themselves in opposition to coastal cities (a.k.a., the Democratic base). It would be far better for the party if voters in Rust Belt regions identified politically as members of the 99 percent. In the face of unprecedented challenges, Democrats need a nominee whose vision was shaped by the American working class rather than the ineffective billionaire politics weve come to know and expect. All right, that would also be a bad tweet. But its a bit less bad than Petes. UP assembly polls will be about '80 per cent vs 20 per cent'; BJP will win: Yogi Adityanath UP: Elections not won on exit polls basis, results will be surprising: Kamal Nath UP hostage taker shot dead: 20 children rescued India oi-Deepika S Lucknow, Jan 30: Over 20 children who were held hostage by a man at his house in Uttar Pradesh have been rescued. The hostage-taker Subhash Batham has been shot dead. The killing of Batham was confirmed by Mohit Agarwal, the IG, Kanpur. Batham invited some children from the village to his house on the pretext of celebrating his daughter's birthday. However, once they were inside, he held everybody including his own wife and daughter at gunpoint. During the negotiations, Batham told the police that he has 30 kilograms of explosives. The police said that Batham had sent out a typed complaint addressed to the district magistrate in which he said that he was denied a house and a toilet under the Central Housing scheme for the poor. This indicates that the act was a well planned one, the police also said. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had monitored the situation in Farrukhabad, which is nearly 200 km from state capital Lucknow. Georgia hospitalized a tourist from China right after the plane landed at the airport. This is what Director of the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health of Georgia Amiran Gamkrelidze said, reports Sputnik Gruzia. The plane which the Georgian citizen was aboard, landed at Tbilisi International Airport at midday. The female citizen was traveling from Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak of the coronavirus. The Georgian citizen, who returned from China via a transit flight in the afternoon, had symptoms of a fever and a respiratory disease. She has been transferred to an infection hospital, Gamkrelidze said. Earlier, a 24-year-old citizen of Georgia had been transferred to an infection hospital from Tbilisi International Airport. She had a very high body temperature and a sore throat. The results of the checkup have yet to be announced. Bowser, who will be a national campaign co-chair, is among more than two dozen current and former mayors to endorse Bloomberg, a list that also includes former Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter. Bloomberg praised Bowser last week at the U.S. Conference of Mayors, saying she is doing a terrific job and that he hopes that one day soon we can call her governor a reference to his support for D.C. statehood. Alzheimer's-stricken Prunella Scales has been forced to quit TV show Great Canal Journeys due to her ailing health. The 87-year-old Fawlty Towers star and her husband Timothy West will be replaced by Celebrity Gogglebox stars Gyles Brandreth and Sheila Hancock on the Channel 4 show, it was revealed on Wednesday. Discussing their departure, a source told The Sun: 'Its not a decision Pru and Tim have taken lightly but theyre delighted its Gyles and Sheila.' Farewell: Alzheimer's-stricken Prunella Scales and husband Timothy West (pictured in 2019) quit Channel 4's Great Canal Journeys due to her ailing health, it was revealed on Wednesday Prunella filmed her last show in October 2019, but the couple appeared in more than 30 episodes of the programme. The actress became a household name as Sybil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers, and the award-winning thespian, threw their support behind their successors. The couple said in a statement to publication: 'Good luck Gyles and Sheila. Enjoy the countryside and the pubs.' Successors: BFFs, actress Sheila, 86, and former Conservative MP Gyles, 71, took part in Celebrity Gogglebox last year, and in a statement Prunella and Timothy wished them luck Sheila, 86, is a critically-acclaimed actress who has starred on both West End and Broadway, and even played the role as Mimi Vincent in drama series Delicious last year. Gyles' career, meanwhile, has seen the 71-year-old dabble in TV, radio, writing and politics, and more recently presenting. Despite quitting the series, Tim will briefly join former Conservative MP Gyles and Casualty star Sheila in the first episode of the upcoming series, which is set to start later in the year. Beloved pair: Prunella and Timothy have hosted the series since 2014 (pictured in 2018) The show documented journeys Prunella and Timothy, who have been married for nearly six decades, would take on narrowboats across Europe, Egypt and India, and were involved in campaigning to revive the Kennet & Avon Canal in the Eighties. MailOnline has contacted Prunella and Timothy's representatives for further comment. The hobby has provided the couple with endless delight since their children were small, and their summers spent pootling along Britain's waterways in their narrowboat inspired a gentle TV documentary in 2014. The show was the first in a run of four on the tiny More4 channel, an offshoot of Channel 4. Diverse trips: The show documented journeys the couple would take on narrowboats across Europe, Egypt and India (pictured in 2017) Screen legend Prunella revealed in 2013 that she was struggling with her memory, and could not even recall the year she married her husband which was 1963. In a 2015 interview with The Independent, Tim revealed the heartache at seeing his wife slip away amid her battle, admitting that while he cherishes the time he has with her, the effects of the disease made communication difficult. 'The sad thing is that you just watch the gradual disappearance of the person you knew and loved and were very close to,' he said. 'If you live day to day it is manageable. 'It is when you start thinking of the past and you think, "Oh what a shame she can't do that any more", or you can't talk about this any more. Then it is sad.' Hard battle: Screen legend Prunella revealed in 2013 that she was struggling with her memory, and could not even recall the year she married her husband (pictured in 2017) Tim and Prunella married in 1963, after meeting on the set of a TV costume drama. Tim had been briefly married before and had a daughter, Juliet. The couple went on to have two sons: Sam is an actor and his brother Joseph is a translator. Nowadays, Prunella's short-term memory is severely affected as she frequently can't remember things she did or said just a few minutes earlier. Tim's career is still blooming as viewers might recognise him best from the soap EastEnders, when he was the patriarch of Albert Square, Stan Carter, until five years ago. More recently, he was landowner Jeremy Lister in BBC1's period drama Gentleman Jack this year, and Private Godfrey in a trio of Dad's Army remakes. Couple goals: The pair have been married for nearly six decades (pictured together in 1963) Its tempting to dismiss the Mideast peace plan unveiled at the White House on Wednesday as nothing more than a rescue plan for two men fighting for their political lives an American president in the midst of an impeachment trial and an Israeli prime minister facing charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust. What better distraction for Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu than the deal of the century that would supposedly solve the unsolvable: the intractable, decades-long conflict between Israelis and Palestinians? On the most mundane level, it is indeed a transparent ploy to boost both mens electoral hopes. Trump, as he faces re-election in November, is cementing support among right-wing Jewish voters and evangelicals. And Netanyahu, facing another election in six weeks, has shown he can extract concessions from Washington that no other Israeli government has succeeded in obtaining. And of course, this isnt a peace deal at all. Such a deal would by definition involve an agreement between the contesting parties. But the Palestinians were completely absent from the announcement, and for good reason. What Trump outlined gives Israel virtually everything it has been seeking. The Palestinian state it envisages would be fragmented, with Jewish settlements making up much of the West Bank falling under Israeli control. It would be surrounded by Israeli territory, and lack any true sovereignty. It would not, in short, be a true state at all. The plan goes further. It sets out a long list of conditions for the Palestinians to reach even this kind of highly controlled independence. They must disarm Hamas, recognize Israel as a Jewish state, and set up a fully western-style government and legal system, conditions that cant be met for many years, if ever. This is the death of the two-state solution that has long been supported by most western countries, including Canada and the United States until now. That envisaged a truly sovereign Palestinian state based pretty much on the 1967 borders between Israel and Jordan. Trumps plan runs a bulldozer through that by proposing what amounts to a mock Palestinian state, under the thumb of Israel and independent in name only. There is about zero chance that the Palestinians will accept any of this, even with the promise of billions in potential aid from Washington, and so the political calculations by Trump and Netanyahu loom larger. Even if nothing happens, the plan allows both leaders to pose as statesmen for their domestic audiences. In fact, though, Trumps plan isnt just useless. Its worse than that. Even if fails utterly to win any traction among Palestinians, as it surely will, it paves the way for Israel to further its control over disputed Palestinian territory. With a green light from Trump, Netanyahu has already said he plans to move as early as Sunday to annex large parts of what is still now formally Palestinian territory. If he goes ahead, Israel will claim sovereignty over all Jewish settlements in the West Bank, home to some 80,000 people, and to the entire Jordan Valley. That would give Israel a strategic buffer zone along its eastern border with Jordan, and effectively surround the future Palestinian state with Israel-controlled land. All that may well go ahead even if the deal of the century is still-born. It would be, in the end, a massive land-grab by Israel, endorsed and supported by Washington. A triumph for Netanyahu, in other words, as he faces legal and political challenges at home. And a further demonstration by Trump that he can change the reality on the ground by simply declaring it to be so and ignoring diplomatic niceties. It wont be peace. But neither will it be just a political ploy. Read more about: New Delhi [India], Jan 30 (ANI): The six-member committee constituted by BJP president JP Nadda to look into the gruesome murder of seven villagers in Chaibasa, Jharkhand, has submitted its report. In the report, the members have demanded the case be transferred to the CBI as they have no faith in the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the state government. The BJP has also demanded that Rs 20 lakh compensation and a job should be given to the kin of those who were murdered. Kidnapped from Buru-Gulikera village under Gudri police station of Chaibasa, seven people were killed on January 19. Nadda formed a six-member committee headed by general secretary Arun Singh to look into the matter and submit a report. The committee also included Jasvantsinh Bhabhi, Nilkanth Singh Munda, Bharti Pawar, Samir Oraon, John Barla, and Gomti Sai. According to members of the committee, the state government barred them from reaching the spot as the government has 'much to hide.' "The Congress leaders also went there and they were given protection. We were stopped as Section 144 was imposed. We have submitted our report to Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah. Conspiracy should be exposed," said Sameer Oraon, Rajya Sabha BJP MP. Citing the sequence of events, the BJP MP said the alleged Pathalgadis tried to convince villagers of not accepting the Constitution and government facilities like ration and house but tribals didn't listen to them. "Tribals were murdered. The Chief Minister went there and said that those who killed and those who got killed are his people. I want to tell him criminal has no caste," added Oraon. The BJP has also alleged the JMM government is trying to promote anti-social elements in the state. "When Raghubar Das was the Chief Minister, Pathalgadi members were booked but Hemant Ji has decided to take the cases back giving a boost to those not believing in the Constitution. He is trying to divert the attention by calling it a case of personal enmity. The Congress too did not utter a word for those who lost their family members," added the MP, stating that they have shared these details with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Nilkant Singh Munda, BJP MLA in Jharkhand, said: "We have recommended a CBI inquiry. The incident is painful. That is why Nadda Ji constituted the team," he said. "We went there but the state government imposed Section 144. We were stopped from reaching the spot. It seems the state government wants to hide facts. No one is safe in Jharkhand. We tried to collect facts but the government did not allow," added Munda. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi, Jan 31 : A large number of protesters, mostly students, gathered outside the Delhi Police Headquarters on Thursday night to voice their anguish against the attack on a student near the Jamia Millia Islamia during an anti-CAA protest earlier in the day. The large gathering outside the Delhi Police Headquarters, mostly comprising Jamia students, alleged that the police were hand in glove with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. They also alleged that the police were "mere spectators" when the assailant opened fire on the protesters near Jamia. During the day, a youth opened fire with a country-made .315 bore pistol just when Jamia students were about to start a march protesting the new citizenship law from Jamia Millia Islamia to Rajghat. It left a journalism student, Shadab, with injuries on arm. The policemen, who were watching the march passively, overpowered the assailant. Before opening fire, the assailant had shouted, "If you people want to stay in India then you will have to say 'Vande Mataram'." He also shouted 'Deta hu tumhe azadi' (Let me give you freedom). He then shouted 'Jai Shri Ram' and opened fire, said a protester. The Crime Branch of Delhi Police has been handed over the probe into the incident. According to sources, the decision was taken after Union Home Minister Amit Shah intervened and spoke with Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik. "I talked to Delhi Police Commissioner over Delhi firing incident and directed him to take strict action," Shah tweeted. An FIR under the Arms Act and a case of attempt to murder have been registered against the youth. A US-Israeli woman jailed for drug trafficking in Russia flew home from Moscow today with Benjamin Netanyahu after she was granted a pardon by President Vladimir Putin. Russia freed 26-year-old Naama Issachar from prison shortly before the Israeli prime minister met Putin at the Kremlin where they discussed US President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan. Netanyahu later met Issachar and her mother at Moscow airport and posted a video of the emotional meeting on Twitter as he told her: 'We're excited to see you. Now, we're going home.' The release of Issachar, who was jailed in Russia last year for possession of cannabis, will be seen as a huge publicity coup for Netanyahu ahead of elections in March. It comes in the same week that he stood alongside Trump in the White House when he announced his peace deal. Netanyahu and his wife (second right) met Issachar (left) and her mother at Moscow airport after her release. The Israeli PM told her: 'We're excited to see you. Now, we're going home.' Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Moscow on Thursday to meet with President Putin and to escort Israeli citizen Naama Issachar, 26 (left and right), back home after she was released Issachar was caught with nine grams of the drug in her bag during a stop-over at Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow while flying from India back to Israel. She was initially charged with drug possession, which typically carries a one-month sentence in Russia, but that was later upgraded to drug smuggling and she was jailed for seven and a half years. Israeli officials believe Issachar's charges were upgraded as retaliation after Israel extradited hacker Aleksey Burkov, 29, of St. Petersburg, to America. Putin asked Netanyahu to give his regards to Issachar and her mother. 'I would like to thank you on behalf of all the people of Israel for granting a pardon to Naama Issachar,' Netanyahu said. 'We are all touched by this.' Putin told Netanyahu that it was lucky for Issachar that she did not cross the border, suggesting this would have complicated the pardon procedure. 'She - thank God, it's very good for her - didn't even cross the Russian border,' Putin said, adding that the drugs were found in her luggage while the baggage was being moved from one plane to another. Netanyahu also came to pitch Putin on Trump's Middle East peace plan, saying he would like 'insights' from the Russian leader Russia has never formally linked the two cases. Burkov has since pleaded guilty to running a website linked to $20million of credit card fraud at a court in Virginia. Since the dispute, Israel has been working to repair relations with Russia - siding with Putin's Orthodox allies over who controls Alexander Courtyard in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. Netanyahu came to Moscow after visiting Washington where President Trump unveiled his long-awaited Mideast peace plan on Tuesday. Netanyahu had earlier said he would like to hear Putin's 'insights' on Trump's plan, which has caused outrage among Palestinians, as the pair sat down for talks in Moscow. 'I think there's a new and perhaps unique opportunity here,' the Israeli premier told Putin at the Kremlin. Netanyahu stood alongside Trump at the White House when the peace plan was announced Tuesday and called it a victory for Israel. Issachar was catching a connecting flight in Moscow as she travelled from India to Israel in April last year when police discovered nine grams of cannabis in her bag Issachar was initially charged with drug possession but the charge was later increased to drug smuggling, and she was jailed for seven years Netanyahu thanked Putin for granting Issachar a pardon, while the Russian leader asked for his regards to be given to her family He told Putin: 'You're actually the first leader I'm speaking with after my visit to Washington about President Trump's Deal of the Century.' 'I'd like to speak to you and hear your insights and see how we can combine all our forces for security and peace,' he said. Russia has said it will study Trump's plan and called on Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate directly to find a 'mutually acceptable compromise'. Netanyahu posted on Twitter in Russian that it was an 'important working meeting' and relations between the countries had never been 'so good and durable.' Netanyahu is standing for re-election in toughly contested March 2 polls and it remains to be seen how much Issachar's release and Netanyahu's visit to Washington will boost his chances. Trump's plan envisions a disjointed Palestinian state that turns over key parts of the West Bank to Israel. It sides with Israel on key contentious issues that have bedeviled past peace efforts, including borders and the status of Jerusalem and Jewish settlements, and attaches nearly impossible conditions for granting the Palestinians their hoped-for state. Netanyahu has described Trump's plan for the Middle East as 'the deal of the century', though Palestinians have vowed to fight against it Netanyahu told Russian President Vladimir Putin as they sat down for talks in the Kremlin that he wants to discuss the plan and hear his opinion about it. 'You are the first leader I am speaking with after my visit in Washington for Trump's Deal of the Century,' he said. 'I think there is a new opportunity here, maybe even unique opportunity, and I'd like to discuss it with you and hear your insights.' Trump called his plan a 'win-win' for both Israel and the Palestinians, and urged the Palestinians not to miss their opportunity for independence. But Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed the plan as 'nonsense' and vowed to resist it. The Nigerian Government says it is set to recover a fresh $321 million stolen by a former military head of state, Sani Abacha. It also said it will soon seize other assets linked to a former governor, James Ibori, and an ex-Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke. This was revealed in Wednesday during a Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari. The agreement on the Abacha loot is expected to be signed next week, according to the Attorney-General of the federation, Abubakar Malami. Mr Malami said the agreement is a tripartite understanding between Nigeria, the Island of Jersey, and the United States of America, as part of the countrys efforts to recover more stolen funds stashed abroad. Mr Malami also said the funds will be deployed for the construction on Lagos to Ibadan highway in the South-west, Abuja to Kano in the north and the Second Niger bridge. Other stolen funds The AGF also reportedly disclosed that a separate 6.8 million was looted by former Governor of Delta State, Mr Ibori. As it is, we have concluded on the understanding that the sum of $321 million will be repatriated in due course inclusive of James Ibori assets as well, he said. So, we are hopeful that by next week we will sign the agreement for the looted assets. The assets that are going to be repatriated are located and in the custody of the Island of Jersey. But the United States of America came on board because it has obtained an order for forfeiture against the assets, considering that the medium of exchange used in the looting the assets is the U.S. dollar. So, the amount upon signing the MOU will be remitted from the Island of Jersey within a number of days agreed upon, within 28 days. The money will be repatriated from the Island of Jersey to the United States of America and thereafter within 45 days, it is agreed by the parties that the United States is America will make the necessary arrangements for the eventual repatriation to the Nigerian state. In December 2017, the Federal Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding MOU with Switzerland on the return and monitoring of the $322 milloom Abacha loot. The funds were reportedly used to fund the Social Investment Programme, (SIP) and Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) which began in December 2016, under the Buhari led administration. Vice President Yemi Osinbanjo had announced in 2018 that the looted funds would be used to assist the most vulnerable Nigerians with a monthly stipend of N5,000 each. According to a 2019 report by the NSIP, about 297,973 poor households in 20 states had already started receiving the cash transfers. More recoveries Mr Malami also said the Nigerian government expects at least 6 million (recovery) from Mr James Ibori as well as proceeds of a planned auction of a yacht seized from oil magnate, Kola Aluko. Mr Aluko, who is an ally of Mrs Alison-Madueke, is accused of siphoning over $1.8 billion in crude oil sales, according to the EFCC. The Nigerian and U.S. Government earlier sold a 65-metre Galactica Star superyacht worth $42 million belonging to him. The EFCC, in 2019 also secured an order to seize some landed properties valued at N6.42 billion belonging to him. "Our goal for this collaboration is to provide more opportunities for quality treatment to those impacted by opioid addiction and other substance use disorders," said Shawn Salamida, president of Lakeview Center Behavioral Health Services. "We are excited to work with a trusted organization like Hazelden Betty Ford on exciting initiatives such as expanding access to care in rural areasa need for many families in our region." Pensacola-based Lakeview Center is the first Florida member in the Hazelden Betty Ford Patient Care Network, a growing group of collaborators from across the nation working together to share knowledge and best practices, extend the continuum of care, and improve quality and outcomes for their patients. "One mutual focus for our two organizations is telehealth," Salamida said. "In order to expand treatment to rural Florida, we plan to develop a virtual care model that will allow some patients to access individual and group therapy, as well as other recovery resources, right from their home." The Minnesota-based Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is a national nonprofit that provides comprehensive inpatient and outpatient addiction and co-occurring mental health treatment for adults and youth. It has 17 sites across the countryincluding a treatment facility in Naples, Floridaas well as extensive education, prevention, research, advocacy and publishing resources. Its Patient Care Network is the first of its kind in the addiction treatment industry. "As a center of excellence in our field, we are dedicated to sharing our expertise and learning from other respected, high-quality providers such as Lakeview Center," said Bob Poznanovich, Hazelden Betty Ford's vice president of business development. "By working together with a common focus on quality, comprehensive care that is coordinated and person-centered, we can better meet the complex, growing needs of our patients and communities, and improve outcomes." Lakeview Center, a prominent nonprofit health care leader in Northwest Florida, provides behavioral health, vocational and child protective services in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties. It has several locations in the Pensacola area, including The Friary, a full-services addiction treatment center for adults. "We are thrilled to welcome Lakeview Center as a collaborative member in our Patient Care Network," said Poznanovich. "We know Lakeview Center has played a valuable role in the community since last month's active-shooter tragedy at Naval Air Station, and we have a deep respect for its trauma-informed care and the breadth and quality of all of its services. Lakeview Center will bring a lot to the Hazelden Betty Ford Patient Care Network, and together, we hope to bring even more to the people and communities we serve." About the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is a force of healing and hope for individuals, families and communities affected by addiction to alcohol and other drugs. As the nation's leading nonprofit provider of comprehensive inpatient and outpatient treatment for adults and youth, the Foundation has 17 locations nationwide and collaborates with an expansive network throughout health care. With a legacy that began in 1949 and includes the 1982 founding of the Betty Ford Center, the Foundation today also encompasses a graduate school of addiction studies, a publishing division, an addiction research center, recovery advocacy and thought leadership, professional and medical education programs, school-based prevention resources and a specialized program for children who grow up in families with addiction. Learn more at www.HazeldenBettyFord.org and on Twitter @hazldnbettyford. About Lakeview Center, Inc. Behavioral Health The Mission of Lakeview Behavioral Health is to help people throughout life's journey. We specialize in providing effective, research-based services for children and adults with mental illnesses, drug and alcohol dependencies, and intellectual disabilities. Our services range from inpatient and residential treatment to outpatient counseling, psychiatry, case management, day treatment, and round-the-clock support for those with serious mental illnesses. Additionally, Lakeview Behavioral Health provides specialized trauma services, medication-assisted treatment for opiate dependency, and medically supervised drug and alcohol detoxification. In all, Lakeview Behavioral Health offers more than 60 programs and services for people in the northwest Florida area. To learn more, go online to eLakeviewCenter.org. Lakeview Center Inc. Behavioral Health Vocational Services Child Protective Services SOURCE Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation Related Links http://www.hazeldenbettyford.org ANN ARBOR -- Joseph Rev. Run and Justine Simmons will host a conversation about their book, Old School Love: And Why It Works, at the Michigan Theater on Feb. 2. Run-DMCs Rev. Run said their book is based on old-school principles, and how love was different back in the day. Were always giving tips on long-lasting, respectful love, he said. The biggest point is that it takes two to feel this way if two people dont feel the same way, its not going to work. Presented by Nicolas Books, the event is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. A book-signing will follow. The couple is best known for the MTV series Runs House, which documented the hip hop icons family life. Other reality series would follow. Justine Simmons said shes excited to meet people wholl attend their Ann Arbor talk, answering their questions and offering advice. Being married to Rev. Run for 25 years, she gave two pieces of advice for a long-lasting marriage. You have to communicate, she said. Its very important because as soon as you have a situation that you dont like, youve got to talk about it. Another thing is, youve got to respect your partner. When you respect that person, its going to last. Joseph and Justine Simmons pictured with their family. (Courtesy of Joseph and Justine Simmons) Looking back on 25 years, Rev. Run said one of the couples favorite memories was their honeymoon in Maui. They go back every year. The Simmons children have been involved in their television shows and have tagged along on their appearances. To learn more about their marriage and join the discussion, general admission tickets are $32 which includes one book. A couples price is offered for the purchase of two tickets for $23.50, with one book. Rev Run and Justine will also host a conversation at the Detroit Public Library Main Branch on Woodward Avenue at 2 p.m. on Feb. 2. The Chinese Australian community has urged the public not to blame them for the coronavirus outbreak after a fake health notices fueled racist abuse. Nine Australians have been diagnosed with the deadly coronavirus - seven in NSW, Victoria and Queensland and two in China's Guangdong province. Hoax health notices discouraging people from visiting Australian suburbs with large Chinese populations and eating Asian food have been circulating online this week. Following the false claims, Apple technician Harry Xin said he had a racist encounter watching the Australian Open at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on Wednesday. 'We are Chinese, we are not a virus, we are as part of this world as anybody, so stand against discrimination, of any kind! Fight until we are treated the same as if we were born with coloured eyes,' he wrote on Facebook. Hoax health notices targeting the Chinese people has prompted community leaders to urger the Australian public not to blame them for coronavirus. Pictured: A woman wearing a face mask to protect against coronavirus Following the false health claims, Apple technician Harry Xin said he had a racist encounter watching the Australian Open at Rod Laver Arena (pictured) in Melbourne on Wednesday Mr Xin, who is an Australian of Chinese decent, was queuing up for food when two men pushed in fron of him and began talking about coronavirus. 'They started to talk about the Coronavirus. They were talking quietly but not quiet enough, as if they think I can't understand what they were saying,' he said. 'I heard pieces of "they eat snakeand travel all around the worldthey try to take everything". 'I was p***ed enough to the point where I turned around and said: "everything on you is probably made in China, show some respect" and walked away.' Mr Xin, who is the former president of the Melbourne University Chinese Students Association, said his community is constantly racially vilified in Australia - and the coronavirus outbreak has only made it worse. 'The discrimination HAS TO STOP! We deserve the same rights as everybody else who lives here, even though people judge us by our colour, assume that we don't speak English, get passed on in interviews and promotions, we still keep our head down and never complain,' he wrote. 'We pour our heart and soul, blood and sweat to adjust to this life, to fit in, TO BE AUSTRALIAN, but we shouldn't have to do any of this, endure any of this!' Increased discrimination against Chinese people comes after two false health notices claiming to be from health bodies in NSW and Queensland. The University of Queensland Chinese Association of Postgraduates and Scholars (pictured) spokesperson said: 'We are not the virus. We will protect ourselves from the virus and also protect others.' Earlier this week, a hoax health notice that claimed to be from the Queensland Department of Health circulated, urging people to 'avoid all populated areas with Chinese nationals of ratio of 1 to 3 non-Chinese'. Brisbane suburbs with large Asian populations Sunnybank, Sunnybank Hill, Runcorn and Eight Mile Plane were listed as areas to be avoided, in addition to Wuhan, China, where coronavirus is believed to have originated. State MP Duncan Pegg, who is based in Sunnybank Hills, debased the false health notice on Monday. 'This media release is 100% FAKE!!! FAKE!!! FAKE!!! I don't normally like to give any credence to ppl who seek to malign our community but wanted to make things clear this time,' Mr Pegg wrote on Twitter. On Wednesday, NSW Health stamped out a laughable fake notice from the 'Department of Diseasology Paramatta' that incorrectly termed coronavirus as 'Corna's Disease'. Asian foods and the Sydney suburbs with large Asian populations such as Cabramatta, Burwood, Strathfield were targeted in hoax notice. In a statement, NSW Health said: 'This post has not originated from NSW Health or any related entity. Further, there is no such entity as the "Department of Diseasology Parramatta". 'NSW Health would like to assure the community that the locations mentioned in this post pose no risk to visitors, and there have been no 'positive readings' at train stations.' Earlier this week, a hoax health notice (pictured) that claimed to be from the Queensland Department of Health circulated, urging people to 'avoid all populated areas with Chinese nationals of ratio of 1 to 3 non-Chinese' Other members of the Chinese community have reported increased racial discrimination, both online and in person, since the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China earlier this month. The University of Queensland Chinese Association of Postgraduates and Scholars said the Chinese community is doing their best to combat the disease on Thursday. 'We are not the virus. We will protect ourselves from the virus and also protect others,' a UQCAPS spokesman told the Gold Coast Bulletin. Queensland Chinese Forum Honorary President Dr Kee Cheung OAM told the publication that: 'There are a lot of malicious messages circulating among the community.' Dr Kee said people were being told not to travel to Chinese areas and some Chinese students were being refused entry by their landlords after returning from their home country. Meanwhile, an anonymous University of Queensland Chinese student told the Bulletin that people try to keep their distance from her in public. She also said her friend's child was being bullied in school while another friend was denied entrance into a restaurant because he was Chinese. The NIA on Thursday arrested two women, the wives of banned Naxal outfit PLFI's absconding chief Dinesh Gope, in a terror financing case, an official said. Hira Devi and Shakuntala Kumari, wives of Gope -- the chief of People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI), a proscribed Naxal organisation of Jharkhand -- were arrested in connection with the terror funding of the outlawed organisation in Ranchi, an official of the premier investigation agency said. The NIA also conducted search at the women's houses in Kolkata and seized incriminating documents, the official said, adding that efforts were being made to arrest Gope. The case pertains to the seizure of Rs 25.38 lakh cash which was being deposited in an SBI account in Ranchi on November 10, 2016, according to the official. During investigation, it was established that the money was part of a bigger criminal conspiracy relating to channelizing of the extorted levy amount collected from the contractors/businessmen engaged in the developmental projects in Jharkhand and investing these funds into dubious shell companies formed with the partnership of PLFI associates and family members of Gope, the agency said. Subsequently, Rs 42.79 lakh cash and other movable and immovable properties worth Rs 70 lakh were seized/attached in the case, the official said. Transactions worth Rs 2.5 crore in two dozen bank accounts in the name of shell companies as well as in the name of individual family members of Gope including his both wives also surfaced during the investigation, he said. The NIA has already filed charge-sheet against 10 arrested accused and one absconding accused, the official added. The NIA has slapped charges of criminal conspiracy, extortion, forgery, and stringent provisions of anti-terror law Unlawful Activities Prevention Act against the accused. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WASHINGTON Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn raised nearly three times as much money over the past three months as any of the Democrats hoping to challenge him in November, and has now amassed more than $12 million to fend off that challenge. Cornyns campaign announced it brought in $2.75 million in the final quarter of 2019, dwarfing the $1.1 million raised during that period by former Air Force pilot MJ Hegar, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committees pick to face Cornyn in November and the Democrat who has raised the most cash to challenge him. Cornyn has an $11 million lead over her. Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox While the DC insiders talk themselves in circles on impeachment, Texans are noticing the massive influx of liberal money from the DSCC meddling in the Senate race to hundreds of thousands pouring into state legislative races, Cornyns campaign manager John Jackson said in a statement. Regardless of our opponent, Senator Cornyn will be ready to defend the values that made Texas great versus those of the coastal elites. Its the second bit of bad news for Texas Democrats on Wednesday, following a duo of polls showing most voters still have yet to warm to any of the dozen Democrats vying to take on Cornyn. Hegar led the pack in both polls, but 42 percent of voters were still undecided in one poll, and 59 werent sure who to pick in the other. More Information Texas primary election dates Feb. 3 - Last day to register to vote in time for the Democratic and Republican presidential primary elections Feb. 18 - The first day of early voting Feb. 28 - Early voting ends March 3 - Election day See More Collapse Democrats say they arent surprised by Cornyns haul, accusing him of being beholden to special interests. The party points out hes taken the most of anyone in the Senate this cycle from the oil and gas industry and ranks sixth in contributions from gun rights groups, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Senator Cornyn continues to depend on the special interests he works for big pharmaceutical companies, the private prison industry, and the gun lobby who have already given his campaign millions, said Abhi Rahman, a spokesman for the state party. Unfortunately for Senator Cornyn, Texans are sick and tired of being sold out and are ready for a senator who will fight for them, not wealthy special interests. For subscribers: Gates staves off Markowitz in 'bellwether' Fort Bend runoff Cornyn has a reputation as an effective fundraiser. He led the Senate GOPs campaign arm, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and in 2016 then-Minority Leader Mitch McConnell reportedly declared him the best NRSC Senate chair Republicans have ever had." Cornyns campaign said two-thirds of donations were from Texans and 94 percent were $100 or less. He received contributions from 12,000 donors, the campaign said. ben.wermund@chron.com President Trump signed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) trade deal into law Wednesday, in a ceremony held on the White House lawn. The deal will replace the existing North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), originally enacted in 1994. The deal, which is touted as the signature legislation of Trumps presidency, passed with near-universal bipartisan support from Democrats in both houses of Congress, 8910 in the Senate and 38541 in the House, where Democratic supporters of the deal actually outnumbered Republican supporters by one vote. The vote in favor of the deal was only one episode in the Democrats extraordinary collaboration with Trump even as they are seeking to remove him from office. The vote in the House came just one day after it had passed two articles of impeachment, and the Senate vote came hours before it began the impeachment trial on January 16. Last month, Democrats voted overwhelmingly to pass a $738 billion military budget, one of the largest in American history, and Pelosi has formally invited Trump to deliver the annual State of the Union address to both houses of Congress next week. This demonstrates not only the pathetic character of the Democrats mutiny on their knees, strengthening the hand of the Trump administration even as they denounce him as a danger to America. It also shows that, for all of the vitriol on both sides, both Trump and his Democratic opponents agree on the need to shore up and expand the domination of American imperialism. The impeachment trial itself is driven by Democrats demands for a more consistent policy of aggression against Russia, as well as their attempts to cultivate a base of support among senior military and intelligence officers who balk at what they see as Trumps inconsistent and transactional approach to US imperialisms longstanding geopolitical objectives. Above all, the Democrats fully agree with the overall purpose of USMCA. This has nothing to do with creating American jobsthe International Trade Commission estimates that the deal will add only 50,000 US jobs and contribute a 0.35 percent growth in the US economy after 6 years. Rather, its chief aim is to transform the North American economy into an even more overt US-led trading bloc as a base of operations against Americas economic competitors, especially China. One of the most important passages in the more than 1,700 page agreement is Article 32.10, which effectively prohibits Canada and Mexico from entering into free trade agreements with China, by allowing for the rapid termination of USMCA should one of the signatories enter into such an agreement with a non-market economy, a legal euphemism for China. Steve Bannon, former editor of the right-wing Breitbart News and Trumps 2016 campaign manager, spelled out the basic geostrategic aim of USMCA in a recent interview with CNBC. China have gamed the system to use Mexico to gain materials This is about the realignment of the global supply chain. He added, What you are seeing in the signing today with China and with the USMCA is the beginning of the end of the managed decline of the United States. Bernie Sanders, along with seven other Democratic senators including several ex-candidates for the 2020 presidential nomination, voted against the USMCA bill in the Senate. In a statement, Sanders attacked Trump using Trumps own language, arguing that the bill did not go far enough to rewrite our disastrous trade agreements and create and protect good-paying American jobs. Since shortly after the 2016 election, Sanders has signaled his willingness to work with Trump on his nationalist economic agenda. Sanders is also a longstanding supporter of trade war with Chinahis first piece of sponsored legislation in Congress was a bill which he co-sponsored with Nancy Pelosi opposing the development of trade relations with China. His targeting of a key strategic rival is in keeping with Sanders support for American imperialism. The Vermont Senator has voted for numerous wars and defense budgets throughout his career. A related aim of the pact is to offset the longstanding decline of the American auto industry to foreign-based rivals. It requires that 75 percent of the value of a vehicle be produced in North America for it to be exempted from tariffs, up from NAFTAs 62.5 percent. The Trump administration has pointed repeatedly to the auto industry as an issue of national security, and has threatened punitive tariffs not only against Chinese but also European auto imports. The growth of the Chinese auto market, virtually non-existent three decades ago, into the worlds largest is one of the most striking aspects of the growing maturity of Chinese industry. The threats of trade war by Trump, understood by analysts as not limited to his presidency but an indication of a growing rift between the worlds largest national economies, was a major factor behind the sharp decline in Chinese vehicle sales last year, the first decline in two decades. Approximately 225,000 Chinese autoworkers lost their jobs in 2019. No doubt, references to national security also refer to the importance of heavy industry for war preparations against near-peer competitors such as Russia and China. During the Second World War, much of the US auto-industry was rolled into military production, with the support of the unions who enforced a wartime no strike pledge. Analysts are forecasting USMCA will contribute to a rapid decline in the Canadian and Mexican auto industries. According to the Center for Automotive Research, jobs with the Detroit-based automakersFord, General Motors and Fiat Chryslerwill fall by 27 percent in Canada and 11 percent in Mexico, while there will be a modest rise in employment in the US. This is due to the combination of a massive and continuing decline in the real wages of US Detroit Three auto workers, immense pressure for the companies to onshore production back to the United States, and the global jobs massacre underway in the auto industry. Another provision requires that at least 40 to 45 percent of the value of auto production in North America be produced by workers earning at least $16 per hour. This measure is clearly aimed at shifting production from Mexico, where autoworkers make around $2 per hour, to the United States, where $16 condemns workers to poverty. The United Auto Workers, however, is one of the few US trade unions to officially oppose the USMCA, on the grounds that it does not go far enough to shift production from Mexico. Far from a boon to US workers, this is part of a strategy to boost US industry by driving down wages to levels which are competitive with developing countries. In 2007, the starting wage for most US autoworkers was $28 per hour, which was slashed in half by the Obama administration during its restructuring in 2009. As a result of the auto contracts the UAW rammed through last fall, thousands of younger workers will now be brought into the plants as temps earning slightly above $16 per hour, with substandard pensions and no job security. A particularly significant USMCA provision, passed at the insistence of the Democrats, requires labor reforms in Mexico, where the unions are widely despised for their close integration into the state and role as enforcers for management. New legislation passed by Andres Manuel Lopez Obradors ostensibly left government requires the unions to implement certain reforms, such as secret ballots to win and remain state certified. The aim of these measures is to give the unions a facelift under conditions where mass rebellions in Matamoros, Silao and elsewhere have threatened a break by the working class from these pro-company organizations. The direct appeals made by Mexican workers to American workers for a joint struggle has shown the potential for a united struggle of workers across the continent if workers organize independently from the unions, which have always kept workers divided along national lines and responded to NAFTA and increased North American economic integration by promoting toxic nationalism. The AFL-CIO and the other US unions have systematically suppressed the class struggle for decades, working alongside management to increase the competi ti veness of American business by imposing massive job and wage cuts. Their promotion of independent unions in Mexico does not represent a break from this heritage of nationalism and corporatism, but is rather a continuation of their role as agents of American imperialist foreign policy in Latin America. Throughout the Cold War, the American trade unions collaborated with the CIA through fronts such as the American Institute for Free Labor Development to build anti-communist democratic unions as bulwarks against the popular movements in the region which threatened the position of major US corporations. SANTA FE The city of Santa Fe has granted an east side homeowner a stay of enforcement action regarding pro-Palestinian murals that were installed earlier this month on a stucco wall outside his house. Guthrie Miller, a retired Los Alamos National Laboratory physicist, appealed a ruling by city government that he had to remove the photo-like posters because their material and colors do not conform to historic district standards. In a letter dated Jan. 28, Lisa Gavioli Roach, an historic preservation division manager in the citys Land Use Department, informed Guthrie that a hearing will be set for his appeal about the murals, which appeared outside his house on Jan. 5. Lilia Chacon, a spokeswoman for the city, said in an email that because the appeals basis is in First Amendment issues, the city feels a hearing is necessary for due process. Please bear in mind that the Citys basis for issuing a violation was based on materials and colors used in the mural, not on the content, she wrote. A multi-part mural by indigenous activist and artist Remy, from Arizona, will be the subject of the hearing. In her letter, Roach told Guthrie that the city was aware of a new banner that had gone up on his wall and reminded him that any new mural art, banner or signage is subject to review and permitting and/or enforcement action, if necessary, by the Land Use Department. The new banner has been removed, according to correspondence sent by Guthrie to the city. Miller was originally approached five years ago by a group called Santa Feans for Justice in Palestine and agreed to have his walls plastered with pro-Palestinian posters. The work went up on July 12, 2015, but was taken down within a day. This time, Miller said he was not approached beforehand. I woke on Sunday, Jan. 5, and the art was there, Guthrie said. However, he said was not opposed to having his wall be the venue for artwork showing Palestinian women and children being confronted by Israeli soldiers. Much of the original multipanel mural has been destroyed, but it originally juxtaposed an image of a Native American woman being arrested during a protest against the now-defunct Entrada. Guthrie said Remy and other indigenous activists see parallels in the treatment of Native Americans and Palestinians. Shanghai hastens all-round effort to fight novel coronavirus outbreak Global Times Source:Global Times Published: 2020/1/29 21:59:43 A fifth novel coronavirus patient in Shanghai recovered from infection Wednesday, as 16 new cases were reported in the city on the same day, bringing the total confirmed cases to 96. Wu Jinglei, director of Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, said at a press conference Wednesday Shanghai has expedited efforts across the city to battle the novel coronavirus and expanded the screening scope from medical institutions to roads, ports, airports, and communities, which ultimately led to the detection of 16 confirmed cases. The city has started to report the number of cases of coronavirus infection every 12 hours, instead of the previous 24 hours. Shanghai also launched an extended prescription and delivery service under which local residents can get prescriptions from the family doctors they sign up with and have their medicine delivered at their doorsteps. This will minimize the need for individuals to venture out. Local hospitals in Shanghai such as Huashan Hospital, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Children's Hospital, and Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital have set up their online fever consulting rooms for the benefit of the residents. Wu mentioned traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) will be used for the prevention and control of pneumonia in Shanghai, as per the requirements of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. More than 400 community medical personnel have been dispatched to conduct medical monitoring at various crossings in the city every day. Auxiliary police, toll collectors, and volunteers will join to reinforce medical monitoring at crossings, Wu said at the conference. Moreover, Shanghai has set up fever clinics at 34 communities to enhance triage and early detection. Liu Min, deputy director of the Shanghai Commerce Commission said during the conference Shanghai's food supply is sufficient to meet the daily demand of residents during this challenging time. Over 5,000 tons of vegetables are supplied daily to the city.Pork from other provinces is being sold to Shanghai continuously to meet the demand. Liu also said Shanghai has taken effective measures to ensure related enterprises resume production and increase imports to facilitate the supply of medical protective gear and surgical masks in the market. Doctors in the community health centers, family doctors, residents committee, neighborhoods and police officers are required to cooperate in screening key people. Meanwhile, residents are encouraged to proactively provide information to relevant personnel about people who have been to Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, or the Hubei Province. People kept under observation at home will have to measure temperature twice a day and report their physical conditions in a timely manner. The residents' committee will make phone calls to such individuals twice every day and offer them help to fetch daily necessities if necessary. Shanghai also released information materials about respiratory infectious disease for public awareness on the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus. Besides, more such activities will be carried out among communities to intensify environment improvement and public education. In a bid to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, vehicles entering Shanghai are being inspected at the city's entry points since January 27. Though this has led to massive traffic congestion, authorities said, people have been largely cooperative. Shanghai Health Commission and Shanghai Foreign Affairs Office also held a briefing Wednesday afternoon in Shanghai, which was attended by 66 consulates and 105 consuls. Officials explicated the overall situation of the novel coronavirus epidemic and the response measures in the city, during this briefing. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A veteran who allegedly faked his own death to avoid prosecution in a child rape case was arrested in Oklahoma Thursday morning. Jackson County, Mississippi Sheriff Mike Ezell confirmed to the Sun Herald that Jacob Blair Scott, 43, was taken into custody Wednesday night. A relative of the child rape victim said that he was arrested at a campground he was living at in Antlers, Oklahoma. Authorities had received tips that Scott was still alive and seen in four different states since his disappearance. U.S. Marshals placed him on their 15 Most Wanted Fugitives List Wednesday morning with a reward of up to $25,000 for anyone that could provide information leading to his arrest. Scott was facing a 14-charge indictment in the child rape case of a 14-year-old girl when he disappeared in July 2018. Police found a dinghy, note and a gun left behind in Orange Beach, Alabama. Authorities did not have enough forensic evidence to prove that Scott had killed himself. Additionally, Scott had withdrawn $45,000 from his bank account shortly before going missing, authorities have said. Scott is an Army veteran who received a Purple Heart in 2011 for injuries he sustained while deployed in Iraq. They (authorities) let me know early, early that they caught him, the mother of the child victim told The Sun Herald. They said he was living in a camper. We are happy. We are very happy and my daughter just cried. She feels safe now. The childs mother said she and her daughter suspected Scott faked his own death because he had told them he would never go to prison for his crimes. We knew the whole time that he was alive and everybody tried to say he was dead and we kept telling them he was alive, the mother said. All of this pretty much ruined our whole life. It has caused so much stress and heartache. Chief Justice John Roberts has remained mostly in the background during the Trump impeachment but could be called on to make a momentous decision on allowing witnesses in a possible scenario resulting in a tie. Three Senate Republicans have indicated possible interest in calling former national security advisor John Bolton or other witnesses, in a chamber Republicans control 53-47. If those three Republican senators Mitt Romney, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski join united Democrats in the call, it would result in a tie. Roberts, who is presiding over the trial, could intervene as he could on a variety of procedural matters related to witnesses later in the trial should it come to that. Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts departs at the end of the day in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020. He could intervene if there is a tie on whether to allow witnesses or other key decisions 'That is a great unknown. Theres no way to know procedurally what he would do. Or if hell do,' Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma told Politico. Making such a decisive move would seem to go against Roberts' instincts to allow the Senate to carry out its role as the court of impeachment and avoiding decisive action. The times he has had a visible role occurred when he admonished opposing lawyers to keep the right tone and remember they are in the 'world's greatest deliberative body,' after fiery language from Rep. Jerold Nadler of New York and White House counsel Pat Cipollone during argument. A handout still image taken from a webcast provided by the United States Senate shows Senate Pro Temp, Senator Chuck Grassley, Republican of Iowa (L) shakes hands with Chief Justice John G Roberts (R) following Roberts' swearing in for the impeachment trial against US President Trump in the Senate at the US Capitol in Washington, DC Mitt Romney said he wants to hear what John Bolton has to say Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) also could join a call for witnesses Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell worked to unify his conference around rules that delayed a vote on witnesses He also urged lawyers to continue a Clinton precedent and keep their answers to questions from senators within a five-minute limit. Behind the scenes, he reportedly indicated to Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky that he wouldn't read a question about the whistle-blower. Paul, a Trump impeachment defender, wants to name the person whose complaint started the House Ukraine investigation. Roberts might want to side-step a decisive ruling by breaking a 50-50 tie, senators of both parties have predicted. But if the Senate votes for witnesses with out him say with a vote by Tennessee Republican Lamar Alexander he could still play a key role. Through his little-defined role of presiding over the trial, he could rule on whether certain witnesses or documents were material or germane, or whether matters should be settled in the courts. That could be of particular importance if Republicans call Joe Biden's son Hunter, as they have repeatedly threatened to do. Democrats have hammered on the issue of allowing witnesses and documents throughout the trial, and plan to use it as a campaign talking point even if the trial results in an acquittal for President Trump. The House impeachment articles accuse him of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Ordinarily in the Senate it is the vice president who breaks a tie, but the chamber operates under distinct rules for impeachment, where Pence would be elevated if Trump were to be removed from office. Pennsylvania received some of the worst marks in the country in a national report card on states efforts to combat smoking and nicotine addiction. The report card from the American Lung Association gives Pennsylvania Fs for its spending on programs to prevent tobacco use or help people quit, and its level of taxes on tobacco products, saying some arent taxes at a level that discourages use. The state received Ds for its laws against smoking in public places and for its efforts to help people overcome nicotine addiction. Pennsylvania came close to a good mark resulting from its recently-passed law banning tobacco sales to most people under 21. But the law doesnt take effect until July 1, resulting in a grade of I for incomplete. Discussing Pennsylvanias report card, lung association officials said it results from putting the priorities of the tobacco industry above those of public health and above embracing proven strategies for reducing tobacco and nicotine addiction. According to the report, here are some of the major areas of poor performance for Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania spends only about 13 percent of the federally-recommended amount on tobacco prevention and cessation. While Pennsylvania has bans on smoking in various public places, it has loopholes which allow smoking in some bars and casinos, and no ban on electronic cigarettes. Pennsylvania lacks parity in its level of taxes on tobacco products, with some taxed at a level considered too low to serve as a deterrent. The full report can read here. In a written response, the Pennsylvania Department of Health noted the new, Gov. Tom Wolf-backed law raising the minimum smoking age to 21. It further said it runs assorted programs to educate people about the dangers of smoking and vaping, and to help them quit. The lung association report card also gave a failing mark to the federal government as a result of backing away from a promise of a total ban on flavored electronic cigarettes. However, the federal government received As for its media campaigns against smoking and for passing legislation increasing the federal minimum age for tobacco products to 21. The report further blamed electronic-cigarettes and vaping for undercutting a hard-won decline in tobacco and nicotine use. According to the American Lung Association, e-cigarette use among high school students rose form 11.7 percent in 2017 to 27.1 percent in 2019 a 135 percent increase. Many of those students end up using tobacco products, according to lung association officials, who also said theres no evidence switching to e-cigarettes helps people break free of tobacco addiction. The report card says that, based on federal surveys: 17 percent of Pennsylvania adults smoke and 23 percent use tobacco; 8.7 percent of Pennsylvania high school students smoke and 18.7 use tobacco, and 1.3 percent of Pennsylvania middle school students smoke. The association said no states received straight As, and three states Alabama, Mississippi and North Carolina received all Fs. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. The grandparents of a missing Idaho boy made their final desperate plea for his safe return hours before his mother faces a deadline to physically produce him and his sister to authorities. Lori Vallow has been court-ordered to bring her children - Joshua 'J.J.' Vallow and Tylee Ryan - to the Rexburg Police Department or to the Department of Health and Welfare by 5pm Thursday. Seven-year-old J.J.'s grandparents, Larry and Kay Woodcock, traveled to Rexburg from Arizona ahead of the deadline as they cling to hope that they will receive confirmation that the children are alive. 'I just want those kids back! Please show us where those kids are,' Larry told CBS5 on Wednesday. 'Please tell me. I'll go get them. And I don't care where they're at. I'll go get them.' Lori and her new husband Chad Daybell were found in Kaua'i over the weekend, two months after they fled Idaho when police began asking questions regarding the whereabouts of her children, who were last seen in September. The couple were served with two search warrants and the court order to produce the children after authorities concluded there was no evidence that J.J. and Tylee were ever in Hawaii with their mother. Kay and Larry Woodcock made a final desperate plea for the safe return of their grandson Joshua 'J.J.' Vallow hours before his mother, Lori Vallow, faces a deadline to physically produce the boy and his sister, Tylee Ryan, to authorities in Rexburg, Idaho Seven-year-old J.J. and 17-year-old Tylee were last seen in Rexburg in September Lori and her new husband Chad Daybell have been living in Princeville, Hawaii, since mid-December after fleeing Idaho when police began asking questions about where her children were. The couple were seen for the first time since news of her children's disappearance captured national attention in a video recorded after they were served with search warrants in Kaua'i on Sunday (pictured) Larry and Kay say they don't they are not optimistic that Lori will show in Idaho - even though she faces arrest if she fails to do so. 'She's got all the attention on her - good, bad or indifferent - and it's going to be bad if she doesn't show up,' Kay said. 'Do I believe? Yes, I want to believe that [she will],' Larry said in a different interview with ABC News. 'Do I think that she's going to bring them? Honestly, no.' 'Nothing with Lori right now makes sense,' he said, adding that the Lori he's known for the past 12 years 'is not the same person that is here on Earth today'. Regardless of whether she cooperates, the family will continue their fight to find J.J. and Tylee. 'We're in this for the long haul,' Larry said. 'This is not going to end tomorrow. I'm not going to let it end. Kay is not going to let it end. Our family is not going to let this end.' Timeline of Joshua and Tylee's disappearance July 11: Lori Vallow's husband, Charles Vallow, killed in self-defense by her brother, Alex Cox, in Arizona following an argument between the three people August: The last time Joshua's grandparents, Kay and Larry Woodcock, said they saw the boy via FaceTime August: September: Lori moved children Joshua and Tylee to Rexburg, Idaho September 23: The last time Joshua was seen at his school in Idaho October: Activity found on a Venmo account that may belong to Tylee October 19: Chad Daybell's wife, Tammy Daybell, dies at their home in Rexburg. Officials rule her death to be of natural causes October 22: Tammy is buried in Springville, Utah October 25: A friend of Tylee receives a text from her phone Early November: Lori and Chad get married November 26: Out-of-state relatives ask Idaho police to perform a welfare check on Joshua. Lori and Chad claim he is in Arizona with a family friend. Police also learn Tylee has not been seen since September, either November 27: Police execute a search warrant at Lori and Chad's home, discovering the couple have fled the city December 11: Tammy Daybell's body is exhumed from the Utah cemetery December 12: Lori's brother, Alex Cox, believed to have died in Arizona December 21: Rexburg police issue a press release about J.J. and Tylee, revealing they believe the children's disappearance is linked to the death of Tammy Daybell December 24: Lori and Chad issue a statement through an attorney saying they love their son and daughter and look forward to addressing 'allegations once they have moved beyond speculation and rumor' December 30: Police accuse Lori and Chad of lying to investigators and say they believe the couple know where the children are or what happened to them January 26: Lori and Chad are seen for the first time in months as police serve two search warrants in Kaua'i Advertisement J.J. and Tylee were last seen in Rexburg on September 23 but were never reported missing by their mother. Authorities began searching for the children after performing a welfare check on November 26 ordered by concerned relatives who said they hadn't spoken to J.J., who is autistic, in months. When officers returned the following day, they found that Lori and Chad - who tied the knot early that month - had fled from the home. Authorities say the couple have repeatedly lied about where J.J. and Tylee are and refused to cooperate with the investigation. Lori and Chad were labeled persons of interest as investigators said they believe the mother knows where her children are or what happened to them. 'We strongly believe that Joshua and Tylee's lives are in danger,' Rexburg police said last month. The case captured national attention with the revelations that police were also investigating a string of deaths surrounding Lori and Chad, who family members say are members of a dangerous doomsday cult. The first death is that of Lori's estranged husband and J.J.'s adoptive father Charles Vallow, who was shot dead by her brother Alex Cox in Arizona on July 10. Charles and Lori had gotten into an argument when the father came to pick up J.J. at the mother's home in Chandler. Police initially determined that Cox acted in self defense while intervening in an argument between Charles and Lori. But the case was reopened amid the multi-state search for J.J. and Tylee, who had moved to Idaho with their mother a month after the shooting. The second mysterious death was Tammy Daybell - Chad's previous wife - who was found dead at the couple's home in Salem, Idaho, on October 19. She was originally believed to have died of natural causes, but was later deemed suspicious as police investigating J.J. and Tylee's disappearance learned that Chad had tied the knot with Lori just two weeks after Tammy's death. Tammy's body was exhumed on December 11 and the autopsy results have not yet been released. On December 12, Lori's brother, Alex Cox, was found dead in Gilbert, Arizona. The 51-year-old's death is now under investigation as police wait for an autopsy to determine the cause. Lori's estranged husband Charles Vallow (pictured together) was shot dead by her brother, Alex Cox, in July Chad's then-wife Tammy Daybell (pictured together) was found dead under mysterious circumstances in October, just two weeks before he married Lori As police worked to untangle the troubling mystery, Lori and Chad were sunning themselves in Princeville, Hawaii, where they've reportedly been renting a home since mid-December. Authorities say they had known for some time that the couple were in Hawaii, where Lori lived with Charles a few years back. Their whereabouts became public on Sunday when officers served them with search warrants for their car and the townhome. A reporter for the East Idaho News, who had received a tip about the search warrants the day before, approached the couple in the parking lot after the police confrontation. Lori and Chad stayed silent and kept walking as the reporter, Nate Eaton, repeatedly asked them where the children are and if they are alive. The mother only spoke once after the reporter said that people eastern Idaho and across the country are praying for J.J. and Tylee. 'That's great,' she replied. No charges have been filed against Lori or Chad and no warrants have been issued for the arrests. That could change if Lori fails to comply with the court order to produce her children to authorities in Idaho on Thursday, which could result in her facing a contempt of court charge and possible arrest and extradition from Hawaii. The Rexburg Police Department, which is leading the investigation with assistance from Kaua'i and federal authorities, has refused to elaborate on what will happen if Lori doesn't show in Idaho because the case remains sealed and confidential. An attorney for Lori and Chad issued on their behalf last month, saying they love their son and daughter and look forward to addressing 'allegations once they have moved beyond speculation and rumor'. Police served Lori and Chad with two search warrants on Sunday in Kaua'i Officers are seen confronting the couple next to their SUV in a resort parking lot Lori and Chad stayed silent as an East Idaho News reporter repeatedly asked them where the children are and if they are alive The couple have reportedly been holed up in this three-bedroom condo at the Kaiulani of Princeville Townhomes in Princeville, Hawaii, since mid-December Family members paint a dark portrait of Lori and her new husband While police have been careful not to publicly cast suspicions on Lori and Chad, a troubling portrait of the pair has emerged from accounts from family members who claim they are members of a dangerous cult obsessed with the end of the world. Kay Woodcock - the sister of Charles Vallow who is also J.J.'s grandmother - issued a statement in December in which she described how Lori turned into a 'monster' after she met Chad in 2017. Chad, 51, is a prolific author of 25 books focusing on doomsday scenarios and near-death experiences. He is what's known as a 'prepper' - someone who is getting ready for the End of Times - and was a member of a group called Preparing a People. Last month DailyMail.com exclusively revealed that Chad had been kicked out of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints back in the fall after he declared himself a prophet. Lori reportedly began reading Chad's writing while she was living in Hawaii with Charles, J.J. and Tylee between 2014 and 2017. It's unclear how or when exactly Lori and Chad met, but family members say it was sometime around June 2017. The pair made their first appearance together in December 2017 on a podcast for Preparing a People, a group which, according to its website, organizes conferences and lectures for those who 'look forward to the rapidly coming changes to our current Telestial way of life, and rejoice in the hope of a far better world to soon come!' Chad, 51, is a prolific author of 25 books focusing on doomsday scenarios and near-death experiences. He is seen at a signing for one of his books in May 2019 Lori and Charles' marriage crumbles as she strengthens her alleged cult ties Lori and Charles' marriage deteriorated rapidly as she became more and more involved with Preparing a People, and he filed for divorce and for custody of J.J. in February 2019. In court documents, Charles claimed that Lori - referred to as 'mother' - had recently become 'infatuated, at times obsessive, about near death experiences and spiritual visions'. 'Mother has told Father [Charles] that she is sealed [eternally married] to the ancient Book of Mormon prophet Moroni and that she has lived numerous lives on numerous planets prior to this current life,' the documents state. 'Mother also informed Father that she is a translated being who cannot taste death sent by God to lead the 144,000 into the Millennium. 'Mother believes that she is receiving spiritual revelations and visions to help her gather and prepare those chosen to live in the New Jerusalem after the Great War as prophesied in the book of Revelations.' Charles Vallow (pictured) filed for divorce from Lori in February 2019 Charles also claimed in the petition that Lori had threatened to kill him. During a January 29 phone conversation, Lori allegedly told Charles that she was a 'God assigned to carry out the work of the 144,000 at Christ's second coming in July 2020 and that if Father [Charles] got in her way of her mission she would murder him', the documents state. Charles' sister Kay said she kept in close contact with him during the divorce proceedings, and that he would often call her in hysterics. She said she suspected Lori and Chad were having an affair at the time and expressed concern over the fact that Lori's three previous husbands had died. No information is known about Lori's first two husbands. Her third husband and Tylee's father, Joseph Ryan, died of an apparent heart attack in April 2018. Earlier this month, Kay called Lori a 'black widow'. '[Husband] three and [husband] four are dead. Five? He's next. How he's gonna go? I don't know. But I wouldn't sleep with my eyes closed,' she said. Amid the divorce proceedings Charles was granted an order of protection against Lori - who he claimed had drained $35,000 out of their bank account. When Charles tried to serve the order of protection to Lori, he couldn't find her. The family says she disappeared for nearly two months, leaving her children in relatives' care. Charles revoked his petition for divorce about a month after filing it and moved to Texas. Alex Cox (pictured) shot dead his sister Lori's estranged husband Charles in July 2019 Charles predicts Lori or her brother will kill him Attorneys who represented Charles in the divorce spoke out earlier this month, claiming that their client had predicted either Lori or her brother Alex would kill him. Lawyer Steven Ellsworth told FOX10 that Charles had told him: 'I'm afraid I'm gonna be killed, and I know who's gonna do it. 'I'm telling you, Steve, so that if something happens to me, I wanna make sure you let everyone know that something happens, I'm killed, that it's my wife Lori and her brother, Alex Cox.' Five months later, his prediction came true. Charles went to Lori's home in Chandler, Arizona, to pick up J.J. on July 10. When he arrived, the pair got into an argument that turned physical, according to Lori's brother Alex Cox. Cox, who was visiting for the night, told police that he tried to intervene when Charles hit him in the back of the head with a baseball bat. He told investigators that he shot Charles twice in the chest to 'stop him'. The Chandler Police Department recently released redacted body camera footage of Alex and Lori speaking to officers outside the home directly after the shooting. Body camera footage shows Lori speaking to police after her brother shot dead her estranged husband at her home in Chandler, Arizona, on July 10, 2019 Lori calmly answered questions about her relationship with Charles, while Alex appeared much more frazzled as officers repeatedly had to ask him to repeat parts of the story. He explained how the incident began when he tried to break up a fight between Charles and Lori, saying: '[Charles] told me not to interfere with them anymore or I'd pay.' He claimed that his niece, Tylee, retrieved a baseball bat from her bedroom to protect her mother from Charles but that Charles grabbed it from her and started hitting him instead. As he ran to his room to retrieve his gun, Lori and the children fled out of the home. 'I told him to put the bat down and he wouldn't,' Alex recounted. 'I said, "I want you to put the bat tat down and he wouldn't. He came at me with the bat again so I shot him to stop him. That was it.' Two family members and Charles' attorneys have disputed that account. 'We knew immediately that was wrong,' Charles' sister Kay said at a press conference this month. 'It was a setup.' Charles' oldest son said he doesn't believe his father would have gotten violent with Lori or her brother. 'I knew my dad was the most passive person. He hated arguing with people. He'd never been in a fight, he was not an aggressive person in any way. I don't believe it at all,' the son told FOX10. Lawyer Taylor Lawson told the outlet: 'We knew that this wasn't an accident. This wasn't self-defense.' Lori uproots her family and follows Chad to Idaho Within weeks of Charles' murder, Lori and her children moved to Idaho, where Chad lived. Kay and Larry Woodcock said they were concerned as their contact with their grandson J.J. became much more limited. They last spoke to him over FaceTime in August. Lori enrolled J.J. at Kennedy Elementary School on September 3. The last confirmed sighting of the boy was at the school on September 23. Principal Josh Wilson said Lori unenrolled him the following day, telling administrators she would be homeschooling him. Tylee was also last seen on September 23, but it remains unclear where. Her last known communication, which has not been confirmed by authorities, took place over a month later. A friend of Tylee's said she reached out to the 17-year-old on October 19 to say that she missed her and was thinking about her. Six days later on October 25, the friend received a message from Tylee's phone which read: 'hi. miss you guys too ...luv ya.' Within weeks of Charles' murder, Lori and her children moved to Idaho, where Chad lived Relative accuses Lori's niece of trying to kill him in a drive-by shooting Another alarming event linked to the case took place back in Arizona on October 2, when a relative of Lori's was targeted in a drive-by shooting. Brandon Boudreaux, who was in the middle of a contentious divorce from Lori's niece Melani Boudreaux, was driving home from the gym in Gilbert when a bullet flew into his vehicle, missing his head by inches. An ongoing police investigation revealed that the shooter was driving a Jeep registered to Charles Vallow. Brandon believes his estranged wife and the mother of their four young children was behind the attempted murder. He said his wife asked him for a divorce out of the blue over the summer after she joined Preparing a People with her aunt. 'I just don't know how people can get so wrapped up that they can end up in this space where these people are. It's just so radical, so different,' Brandon told The Arizona Republic last month. Brandon Boudreaux was in the middle of a contentious divorce from Lori's niece Melani Boudreaux (pictured together) when he was targeted in a drive-by shooting in October Chad's first wife Tammy Daybell dies under suspicious circumstances Less than three weeks after the drive-by, Tammy Daybell was found dead at the home she shared with Chad in Salem, Idaho, on October 19. An obituary stated that she passed away peacefully in her sleep. Chad reportedly declined to have an autopsy performed and her cause of death was listed as natural. She was buried at Evergreen Cemetery in her hometown of Springville, Utah. Just two weeks after his wife of 29 years died, Chad tied the knot with Lori on a quick trip to Hawaii. A few weeks later, the Woodcocks contacted Rexburg authorities with concerns about Tylee and J.J., whom they hadn't heard from in months. Police went to Lori and Chad's home on November 26, and the mother told the officers that J.J. was staying with relatives in Arizona, which turned out to be a lie. They returned the following day and found that the couple vanished. Investigators soon learned that no one had seen either of the children since September. It later came to light that Lori had told friends that Tylee was dead and that she didn't have any minor children. Tammy Daybell was found dead at the home she shared with Chad in Salem on October 19 The grave at Evergreen Cemetery in Springville, Utah, where Tammy's body was exhumed The Daybells' home in Salem, Idaho, is pictured. Police searched the property on January 4 Rexburg police issue first statement on Tylee and J.J.'s disappearance On December 21, the Rexburg Police Department issued a statement asking the public for information about the children's whereabouts. They said there was reason to believe that their disappearance was linked to the death of Tammy Daybell, whose body had been exhumed on December 11. Results of Tammy's autopsy results are still pending. Investigators have said they were testing her body for signs of poisoning. A friend of Tammy's told DailyMail.com that the 49-year-old was training for a marathon at the time of her death. 'She was into healthy living, very fit and then all of a sudden we hear she has died,' the friend said. 'It didn't make sense then and it doesn't make sense now.' Chad also allegedly told a friend that he had visions about his wife's death three weeks before she died. 'He was emotionally distraught, he was crying and he said that his angels had told him that he was going to lose Tammy,' the friend, Tammy Rowe, told FOX13 of her concerning conversation with Chad. Preparing a People removed all content from Chad and Lori from its website last month amid mounting speculation over the couple's possible involvement in J.J. and Tylee's disappearance and Tammy's death. 'We considered Chad Daybell a good friend, but have since learned of things we had no idea about,' the group's leaders, Nancy and Michael James, wrote in a post on the website that has since been removed. 'We recently learned of Chad's new marriage to Lori Vallow a couple weeks after Tammy Daybell died... We did not know Lori as well as we thought we knew Chad. 'We pray for the truth of whatever happened to be quickly manifest.' Alex Cox dies under undisclosed circumstances Cox, who had gotten married in early December, turned up dead the day after Tammy's body was exhumed. Few details are known about the circumstances surrounding Cox's death as an autopsy is believed to still be underway. It was later revealed that Cox had served time in prison in Texas for attacking Lori's third husband Joseph Ryan in 2007. A warrant for Cox's arrest in Travis County, Texas, alleges that he had threatened to kill Ryan after the father exchanged custody of Tylee with Lori. The warrant states that Cox followed Ryan into the parking lot to talk and then allegedly shocked him with a taser before the father escaped. The following year, Alex pleaded guilty to a second-degree aggravated assault charge and served three months in jail. Twelve years after the incident with Joseph - who died of an apparent heart attack aged 59 in 2018 - Alex killed Lori's next husband, Charles, in a similar custody exchange. THE PLAYERS: WHO'S WHO IN THE CASE OF THE MISSING IDAHO CHILDREN, TYLEE AND JJ Advertisement Rexburg police slam Lori and Chad for refusing to cooperate Nine days after their initial statement about the missing children, Rexburg police publicly slammed Lori and Chad for refusing to cooperate with the investigation. 'We know that the children are not with Lori and Chad Daybell and we also have information indicating that Lori knows either the location of the children or what has happened to them,' police said on December 30. 'Despite having this knowledge, she has refused to work with law enforcement to help us resolve this matter. 'It is astonishing that rather than work with law enforcement to help us locate her own children, Lori Vallow has chosen instead to leave the state with her new husband. 'We publicly call on Lori Vallow/Daybell and Chad Daybell to do the right thing and come forward with the information they have about the location and welfare of Joshua and Tylee. This entire investigation could have been avoided if Lori and Chad had simply been honest with law enforcement.' The release also notes that in the weeks after Tammy's death, the couple told witnesses that Tylee had died in 2018 and that Lori had no minor children. Police called those statements 'untrue', and said: 'We strongly believe that Joshua and Tylee's lives are in danger.' Idaho sheriff brands the investigation a 'disaster' Fremont County Sheriff Len Humphries, whose department is leading the investigation into Tammy's death, spoke exclusively to DailyMail.com around the time that Rexburg police issued their admonishment of Lori and Chad. 'From an investigation point of view this is a disaster,' Humphries said. 'There are multiple agencies involved us, Rexburg police, the FBI, as well as police departments in Arizona. 'There are people who have died strangely in several places, and two kids that we have absolutely no idea where they are. 'Add to that, the mother is known to have told family members that her daughter died a year ago, which we know is not true. 'And then she claimed that the 17-year-old had run off with the seven-year-old and didn't say anything to authorities. He added: 'What kind of parent doesn't help try to find their own kids when they are missing?' Fremont County Sheriff Len Humphries, whose department is leading the investigation into Tammy's death, spoke exclusively to DailyMail.com around the time that Rexburg police issued their admonishment of Lori and Chad Lori and Chad are located in Hawaii without their children The case went quiet in the weeks following that interview - until it was revealed on Sunday that Lori and Chad had been located in Hawaii. It is unclear what prompted authorities to seek search warrants after having known where the couple were for several weeks. Investigators have not said what evidence they were looking for or whether they found anything substantial. The news that the children were not with their mother was met with disappointment as well as renewed hope that maybe the truth could be nearing the surface as Lori was ordered to physically produce them to authorities. The Woodcocks - who have offered a $20,000 reward for information that leads to J.J. and Tylee's return - are still clinging to hope that they're okay. As for Lori, the grandparents say they are ready to be rid of her. 'I know that once we find those kids or this comes to an end, shell never be in my life again,' Larry said Wednesday. 'She'll never be spoken of again. She'll just be trash going in the trash bin.' By Trend Turkish ambassador to Azerbaijan Erkan Ozoral has commented on Azerbaijans assistance rendered to Turkey in connection with the earthquake. The Azerbaijani side has rendered the necessary assistance in connection with the earthquake to Turkey, Ozoral told reporters, Trend reports. "Beginning from the first hours after the earthquake, the Azerbaijani official state structures, including the Foreign Ministry and Ministry of Emergency Situations, eBy Trendxpressed their readiness to render assistance to Turkey at any time," Ozoral said. Immediately after the earthquake, the Azerbaijani side took the appropriate steps, the ambassador said. "Azerbaijan was close to Turkey, the ambassador said. We were in touch both through the embassies of both countries and the relevant structures. Azerbaijan provided Turkey with everything necessary. That is, Azerbaijan rendered all the necessary assistance in connection with the earthquake in Turkey." An earthquake of magnitude 6.8, which killed 41 people and injured about 1,500 people occurred in Turkeys eastern Elazig province at 20:55 (GMT+3) on January 24. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz The R35 GT-R may be old, but that doesn't mean it has gotten any slower. Instead, it's actually the opposite. The 2020 model year GT-R is a lot faster and more powerful than it was back in 2007. So just how fast the GT-R is now today? Well, to give you an idea, the range topping Nismo version recently set a new production car lap record of 59.3 seconds at the Tsukuba Circuit. Now, some of you may never have heard of the Tsukuba Circuit before, or only saw it as a playable course in Gran Turismo. However, Tsukuba is one of the go-to circuits for hardcore time attack drivers and builders in Japan and even elsewhere in the world. Though some are trying battling to set the lap record, being able to set a lap time of under one minute is already an achievement in itself. Toronto, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In 2019, GTA new home sales rallied from the 22-year low of 2018, the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD) announced today. Overall in 2019, there were 36,471 new homes sold in the GTA, according to Altus Group*, BILDs official source for new home market intelligence. Only 24,855 new homes had been sold the previous year, which had made 2018 the year with the lowest number of new home sales in the GTA since 1996. There were 26,948 condominium apartments, including units in low, medium and high-rise buildings, stacked townhouses and loft units, sold in 2019, up 27 per cent from 2018 and 16 per cent above the 10-year average. Single family homes, including detached, linked, and semi-detached houses and townhouses (excluding stacked townhouses), accounted for 9,523 new home sales, up 157 per cent from 2018, which was the lowest year for new single-family home sales since comprehensive tracking started in 1981, but still 30 per cent below the 10-year average. A busier than normal December contributed to the pick-up in new home sales in 2019. There were 2,371 total new home sales in December 2019. This included 1,871 new condominium apartment sales, up 132 per cent from December 2018 and 63 per cent above the 10-year average. Single-family home sales, with 500 units sold in December, were up 214 per cent from December 2018 and 13 per cent below the 10-year average. The improvement in new single-family home sales in 2019 was aided by the narrowing of the price gap between new single-family homes and new condominium apartments, as well as fewer competing options in the resale home market as inventories were whittled down, said Patricia Arsenault, Altus Groups Executive Vice President, Data Solutions. The 2019 performance in the new single-family home market, however, needs to be put in perspective sales were still very low in historical terms, as available product to purchase remains limited, in particular at price points that are affordable to a broader range of buyers. In December, the benchmark price for new condo apartments was $916,585, which was up 15 per cent over the last 12 months, and the benchmark price for single-family homes was $1,088,317, which was down 4.8 per cent over the last 12 months. With no new projects launching in December, as is common for the time of year, remaining inventory decreased compared to the previous month, to 17,116 units, consisting of 12,280 condominium apartment units and 4,836 single-family homes. Remaining inventory includes units in preconstruction projects, in projects currently under construction, and in completed buildings. In 2019, the Ontario government took important steps to address housing supply and affordability with the introduction of its Housing Supply Action Plan and related legislation, said David Wilkes, BILD President & CEO. This year, all levels of government and our industry must continue to work together to transform our planning system so we can fix the housing supply problem in our region. December New Home Sales by Municipality: ** December 2019 Condominium Apartments Single-family Total Region 2019 2018 2017 2019 2018 2017 2019 2018 2017 Durham 24 41 17 110 42 14 134 83 31 Halton 72 38 163 46 18 46 118 56 209 Peel 176 144 89 116 44 10 292 188 99 Toronto 1,263 446 406 21 6 8 1,284 452 414 York 336 137 195 207 49 54 543 186 249 GTA 1,871 806 870 500 159 132 2,371 965 1,002 Source: Altus Group With 1,500 member companies, BILD is the voice of the home building, land development and professional renovation industry in the Greater Toronto Area. The building and renovation industry provides $33 billion in investment value and employs 271,000 people in the region. BILD is proudly affiliated with the Ontario and Canadian Home Builders' Associations. -30- For additional information or to schedule an interview, contact John Provenzano, BILD Communications and Marketing Manager, at JProvenzano@bildgta.ca, (416) 617-7994. Attachment BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Turkey intends to receive over 50 million tourists, Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said, Trend reports with reference to Turkish media. The minister noted that Ankara intends to increase tourism revenues this year. Turkeys tourism revenues may exceed $40 billion this year, Ersoy added. In November 2019, 2.1 million tourists visited Turkey, which is 11.4 percent more compared to November 2018, according to Turkeys Ministry of Culture and Tourism. From January through November 2019, 42.9 million tourists visited Turkey, which is 14.3 percent more compared to the same period of 2018, the ministry said. Over the first 11 months of 2019, over 14.4 million tourists visited Antalya, and over 13.7 million tourists visited Istanbul, while over 14.6 million tourists visited other Turkish cities. --- Follow the author on twitter: @rhafizoglu Ed Prive cannot vote for Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard in New Hampshire's primary on February 11th. A registered Republican, the 69-year-old may only vote for candidates belonging to the GOP in a contest President Trump is all but certain to win. But that did not stop him from attending one of the Hawaii congresswoman's town halls in December. "Honestly, I disagreed with Trump, but I voted for him," Prive said. "I'm here now because she makes sense. The rest of them don't." Prive, a Marine Corps veteran, voted twice for President Obama before casting his ballot for Mr. Trump in 2016. He's the kind of swing-voter that Democrats are desperate to win back in November. And he says Gabbard is just the kind of candidate who could make that happen. Lingering on the edge of the photo line, Prive exhaled. "She doesn't want to give away the farm, but she wants to help people." "And if she were to be the nominee of the Democratic Party, I would have a very difficult time voting for Trump," Prive added. tulsi-4.jpg Tulsi Gabbard with Ed Prive in Northfield, NH Nicole Sganga Gabbard's long-shot campaign for the presidency is betting big on a strong performance in New Hampshire, where the primary historically rewards outsiders and underdogs, on occasion. Over 42% of the state's voters here are registered as "undeclared," which allows them to vote in either party's primary in February. And while other candidates focus on next week's Iowa caucuses, Gabbard has all but moved to New Hampshire, spending more days in state (a sum total of 34) than any other Democratic candidate across December and January. Gabbard, a 38-year-old Iraqi War veteran who backed Bernie Sanders in the last Democratic primary, fuses progressive policy stances with the kind of patriotic displays sometimes more associated with Republican campaigns. Before she makes her hour-long pitch to voters at rallies throughout New Hampshire, her audiences are often instructed to stand for the pledge of allegiance or bow their heads for a moment of silence. Story continues A recent analysis by the New York Times reveals just one-fifth of Obama-Trump voters returned to the Democratic Party in the 2018 midterm elections, while three-quarters voted Republican. Toby McIntire, a former Army captain, says she first became aware of Gabbard after spotting one of her "huge billboards" off of Interstate 95. Before long, McIntire and her wife Katie Duffey were hosting a house party for Gabbard to introduce the congresswoman to their friends and neighbors. tulsi-2.jpg Tulsi Gabbard speaks at a rally in Merrimack, NH. Nicole Sganga McIntire, however, is a Republican who says she will vote for Mr. Trump if Gabbard isn't the Democratic nominee. "I'm not going to lie. His messaging of 'Make America Great Again' and defense of the country, from a military perspective, resonated with me." That is the double-bind of Gabbard's candidacy. She appeals to some independent voters Democrats are anxious to win in the general election, but not many party stalwarts. In a Boston Globe/Suffolk University poll released earlier this month, Gabbard earned 5% support among likely New Hampshire Democratic primary voters. But among independents, Gabbard is the first choice for a whopping 21%. Roughly half of the New Hampshire towns Gabbard has visited backed Mr. Trump in 2016. Her populist, anti-war message attracts fans from both ends of the political spectrum, including former Trump strategist Steve Bannon and former Democratic Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich. But she has struggled to attract much of any support from mainstream Democratic voters who pick their party's nominee. While her chances of winning the primary are extraordinarily slim, national Democrats are worried that Gabbard could still find a way of spoiling their chances of beating Mr. Trump. Some have even gone so far as to insinuate the combat veteran, who infamously met with Syrian dictator Bashir al-Assad in 2017, might be the agent of a foreign power. tulsi-3.jpg Tulsi Gabbard speaks during a panel with former Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich and Stephen Kinzer, and moderated by Lawrence Lessig in Concord, NH. Nicole Sganga In an apparent reference to Gabbard, 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton suggested late last year that the Russian government is "grooming" a candidate for a third-party run to disrupt the 2020 election. Gabbard is now suing Clinton over the remark for a lump sum of $50 million. For her part, Gabbard, who is not running for re-election to the House, has repeatedly insisted that she will not run as an independent or third-party candidate in the general election. But if Gabbard were to change her mind, Steve Bannon told CBS News, her appeal to Republicans and Republican-leaning voters is so intense it might actually help Democrats reclaim the White House. "[S]he's pulling from Trump voters. It could make it even tougher for Trump to win, particularly in states like Michigan and New Hampshire," Bannon told CBS News. "Clinton doesn't get it she thinks she's a Russian asset or something of a spoiler for the Democrats. As usual, Clinton misses the point. It shows you how out of touch she is. These are Trump voters going to see her. They're not democratic voters. Or they're Democrats who voted for Trump. Or independents who voted for Trump." Bannon, who calls Gabbard "beyond a rock star" and a "real populist-nationalist," invited the congresswoman to meet with Trump officials after the 2016 election. "She's one of the first people we got up there. I was just blown away by her level of sophistication on national security and her understanding of 'America First,'" Bannon said. Dennis Kucinich, who ran for the presidency twice as a stalwart progressive, is one of Gabbard's left-leaning supporters. "Tulsi is one of the few individuals who provides a categorical challenge to U.S. foreign policy...She can appeal to both libertarians and Republicans. That's a winning approach," he told CBS News. First, however, Gabbard needs to find a way to win over Democrats. The Hawaii lawmaker has not qualified for the debate stage in months, and while other candidates' boast hundreds of staffers and dozens of offices in key early states, Gabbard employs a team of just over a dozen paid employees nationwide, according to FEC filings. The campaign opened up their very first field office earlier this month in downtown Manchester, operated by a round of 50 full-time volunteers in New Hampshire. To vote or not to vote for Gabbard is not a question for Republican Brian Lindsay of Hudson, NH. The lifelong Republican committed to casting his ballot for Trump in November, but agreed to tag along with his teenage girls to the candidate's town hall. Lindsay liked what he saw. "Hands down, she should be the democratic nominee. I think the others are a bunch of crackpots," he volunteered. "She's not really one of them. A little less abrasive." He paused. "Much less abrasive." Sneak peek: The Death of Todd Stermer Rudy Giuliani calls John Bolton a "backstabber" in CBS News interview Nevada caucuses less than a month away Irans hard-line establishment is trying to ensure through a state propaganda campaign that the foreign operations branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and its assassinated commander are not forgotten. Major General Qasem Soleimani -- the late commander of the IRGCs Quds Force -- was targeted and killed by a U.S. air strike in Baghdad on January 3. Since then, Tehrans conservative clerics and hard-line media have been paying tribute to the memory of Martyr Soleimani, as hes now referred to in Iran. One apparent part of the campaign is a recent report published by the hard-line, semiofficial Fars News Agency -- which is affiliated with the IRGC. It details some of the origins and operations of the once highly secretive Quds Force that Soleimani had commanded from 1998 until his death. 'Fighters Without Borders' The two-part report focuses on the so-called fighters without borders, a term used by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to refer to the elite Quds Force and its work as the IRGCs foreign-operations branch. Significantly, the report outlines the secret involvement of the Quds Force in a series of foreign conflicts that Tehran previously has been discreet about. Those conflicts include the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, described by Fars as the first serious battlefield of the Quds Force. They also include conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, the Gaza Strip, and Syria. Fars reported that the Quds Force has had an impact upon what it called the axis of resistance against Israel in countries that include Yemen. But it did not specify details about Irans support for Huthi rebels in Yemen. Analysts tell RFE/RL the Fars report was aimed at enhancing the image of the Quds Force and its slain commander -- a military strategist who many have suggested will be hard for Tehran to replace. Analysts also note that the report comes at a time of heightened pressure on Irans conservative establishment -- including crippling U.S. sanctions as well as anger within Iran over the countrys worsening economy, corruption, and the IRGCs recent downing of a Ukrainian passenger jet that killed 176 people. I think what theyre doing is trying to take ownership of the Quds Force and Irans foreign operations as a way of showcasing Soleimanis successes, said Afshon Ostovar, an assistant professor at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. In order to make Soleimanis legacy meaningful, they have to expose some of what he was involved in, Ostovar told RFE/RL. Ostovar concludes that the Fars report marks an interesting turn for Iran and the IRGC because, just five years ago, some of this stuff was not acknowledged at all. Ali Alfoneh, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Arab Gulf States Institute, says the Fars report is significant because a semiofficial Iranian news agency is admitting some of the foreign activities carried out by the Quds Force. I see it as the regimes attempt at getting some attention in Western capitals, Alfoneh said. Under pressure from economic sanctions, they want to remind everyone of their ability to strike back. Fars does not go into details about specific Quds Force operations such as the way it recruits fighters, how it builds alliances with proxy militias in other countries, or how it disperses military and weaponry. But it does highlight what Fars called achievements by the Quds Force in fighting terrorism and in pressuring occupiers in Iraq and Afghanistan to leave the region. Bosnian War The report claims the Quds Force played an effective role in empowering Muslim fighters in Bosnia-Herzegovina during the early 1990s. The Quds Force created infrastructure that provided logistical support for the transfer and organizing of volunteers from different nationalities for the battle in Bosnia, Fars reported. The infrastructure was also used to facilitate the transfer of Bosnian fighters to Iran for training, the report said. The report also claims the Quds Force first became involved in Afghanistan during the 1980s by supporting mujahedin fighters who were battling Soviet forces. It says the Quds Force countered the Taliban in Afghanistan during the 1990s and then worked against U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan after the collapse of the Taliban regime in late 2001. It also claims that in 2008 during a three-week conflict between Israel and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the Quds Force provided militants from groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad with rocket parts that were smuggled through Sudan and Egypt. The report also includes a rare admission that the Quds Force, widely credited in Iran with fighting Islamic State (IS) extremists, helped Syrian President Bashar al-Assad suppress street protests against his government. With the coordination of Quds Force officials, experts from the [Iranian] police became involved in teaching and educating Syrian police in how to deal with street riots, the report said. Some equipment also was given to Syrian police to help control crowds of anti-Assad demonstrators, it says. Fars credited the Quds Force for the defeat of IS extremists in Syria and Iraq -- noting that its military victories there were achieved under the leadership and guidance of Soleimani. An online information campaign that boosted Soleimanis profile during his life and contributed to his image as an Iranian national hero has continued since his death. That campaign has disseminated text articles, videos, and social-media posts -- including an Instagram post by Khamenei's office in which the slain Quds Force commander is being embraced by the Shi'ite saint Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. Another video recently released in the information campaign shows Soleimani playing with his grandson. The Iranian information campaign also has attempted to raise the profile of one of Soleimanis daughters, Zeinab Soleimani. She had given a fiery speech at his January 6 funeral procession in Tehran -- warning that his death "will bring darker days" for the United States and Israel. Its extremely rare in Iran for women to address crowds at state-sponsored events. Iranian media report that Zeinab Soleimani also addressed Friday Prayers in the slain commanders hometown of Kerman on January 10 while holding a weapon. Photos of the event show her holding what appears to be a carbine rifle with a fixed bayonet. On January 28, Iranian state media also reported that Soleimanis daughter met recently in Beirut with the leader of Lebanons Hizballah movement, Hassan Nasrallah. Video of that meeting has been widely shared by Iranian media. Beirut: Russian airstrikes near a hospital and a bakery killed 11 and injured 37 in Syria's final rebel stronghold of Idlib on Thursday, putting one of its largest medical facilities out of service. Syrian rescuers use a bulldozer to remove rubble of a destroyed building that covers a street after airstrikes in the town of Ariha, in Idlib province, Syria. Credit:AP The bombing was close to al-Shami medical centre in the town of Ariha just after midnight, according to White Helmets civil defence rescuers. Witnesses reported seeing dust-covered doctors run out of the clinic screaming following the attack, which partially damaged the facility's walls. The wailing of women and children rang out as rescue workers searched for corpses beneath the rubble. Russian and Syrian regime warplanes have regularly targeted medical facilities in rebel-held areas of Syria, in contravention of international law. When the first Neanderthal genome was sequenced, using DNA collected from ancient bones, it was accompanied by the discovery that modern humans in Asia, Europe and America inherited approximately 2% of their DNA from Neanderthals -- proving humans and Neanderthals had interbred after humans left Africa. Since that study, new methods have continued to catalogue Neanderthal ancestry in non-African populations, seeking to better understand human history and the effects of Neanderthal DNA on human health and disease. A comparable catalogue of Neanderthal ancestry in African populations, however, has remained an acknowledged blind spot for the field due to technical constraints and the assumption that Neanderthals and ancestral African populations were geographically isolated from each other. In a paper published today in the journal Cell, a team of Princeton researchers detailed a new computational method for detecting Neanderthal ancestry in the human genome. Their method, called IBDmix, enabled them for the first time to search for Neanderthal ancestry in African populations as well as non-African ones. The project was led by Joshua Akey, a professor in Princeton's Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics (LSI). "This is the first time we can detect the actual signal of Neanderthal ancestry in Africans," said co-first author Lu Chen, a postdoctoral research associate in LSI. "And it surprisingly showed a higher level than we previously thought," she said. The method the Princeton researchers developed, IBDmix, draws its name from the genetic principle "identity by descent" (IBD), in which a section of DNA in two individuals is identical because those individuals once shared a common ancestor. The length of the IBD segment depends on how long ago those individuals shared a common ancestor. For example, siblings share long IBD segments because their shared ancestor (a parent) is only one generation removed. Alternatively, fourth cousins share shorter IBD segments because their shared ancestor (a third-great grandparent) is several generations removed. The Princeton team leveraged the principle of IBD to identify Neanderthal DNA in the human genome by distinguishing sequences that look similar to Neanderthals because we once shared a common ancestor in the very distant past (~500,000 years ago), from those that look similar because we interbred in the more recent present (~50,000 years ago). Previous methods relied on "reference populations" to aid the distinction of shared ancestry from recent interbreeding, usually African populations believed to carry little or no Neanderthal DNA. However, this reliance could bias estimates of Neanderthal ancestry depending on which reference population was used. The Princeton researchers termed IBDmix a "reference free method" because it does not use an African reference population. Instead, IBDmix uses characteristics of the Neanderthal sequence itself, like the frequency of mutations or the length of the IBD segments, to distinguish shared ancestry from recent interbreeding. The researchers were therefore able to identify Neanderthal ancestry in Africans for the first time and make new estimates of Neanderthal ancestry in non-Africans, which showed Europeans and Asians to have more equal levels than previously described. Kelley Harris, a population geneticist at the University of Washington who was not involved in the study, noted that the new estimates of Neanderthal ancestry using IBDmix highlight the technical problem in methods reliant on reference panels. "We might have to go back and revisit a bunch of results from the published literature and evaluate whether the same technical issue has been throwing off our understanding of gene flow in other species," she said. In addition to identifying Neanderthal ancestry in African populations, the researchers described two revelations about the origin of the Neanderthal sequences. First, they determined that the Neanderthal ancestry in Africans was not due to an independent interbreeding event between Neanderthals and African populations. Based on features of the data, the research team concluded that migrations from ancient Europeans back into Africa introduced Neanderthal ancestry into African populations. Second, by comparing data from simulations of human history to data from real people, the researchers determined that some of the detected Neanderthal ancestry in Africans was actually due to human DNA introduced into the Neanderthal genome. The authors emphasized that this human-to-Neanderthal gene flow involved an early dispersing group of humans out of Africa, occurring at least 100,000 years ago -- before the Out-of-Africa migration responsible for modern human colonization of Europe and Asia and before the interbreeding event that introduced Neanderthal DNA into modern humans. The finding reaffirmed that hybridization between humans and closely related species was a recurrent part of our evolutionary history. While the Princeton researchers acknowledged the limited number of African populations they were able to analyze, they hope their new method and their findings will encourage more study of Neanderthal ancestry across Africa and other populations. Regarding the overall significance of the research, Chen said: "This demonstrates the remnants of Neanderthal genomes survive in every modern human population studied to date." Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 18:53:14|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close BERLIN, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- German stocks were off to a shaky start on Thursday, with the benchmark DAX index decreasing by 158.51 points, or 1.19 percent, to 13,386.49 points. Stocks of Germany's 30 largest listed companies dropped at the start of trading on Thursday. German utility RWE decreased 0.08 percent, while housing company Vonovia and Deutsche Bank fell 0.14 percent and 0.24 percent respectively. On Thursday, Deutsche Bank reported a net loss of 5.7 billion euros (6.3 billion U.S. dollars) in 2019, due to its restructuring process. Shares of logistics company Deutsche Post fell 2.61 percent on Thursday morning, after the German Network Agency Bundesnetzagentur announced an investigation into a recent price hike for its postal packages. The euro was trading slightly higher at 1.1017 U.S. dollars on Thursday morning. A driver was speeding at 165kph when he crashed into the side of a car being driven by an 18-year-old motorist who died instantly, an inquest has heard. Shane Patton suffered catastrophic brain injuries when he was struck by a car being driven by Eamon Lynch in Drumkeen, Donegal, in 2012. A subsequent court case heard how Lynch, of Glentain Manor, Letterkenny, had almost 500 previous criminal convictions before the crash. Mr Patton's parents, Julie and Martin Patton, of Drumkeen, attended the inquest yesterday where they heard about the last moments of their son's life. Expand Close Eamon Lynch. Photo: North West Newspix / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Eamon Lynch. Photo: North West Newspix The court heard how Mr Patton had emerged from a side road on to the N13 just before midnight on July 11, 2012. As he crossed the road in his Volkswagen Bora, he was struck from the side by Lynch in his 1995 Toyota Celica. Mr Patton's car was sent 70 yards down the road following the impact and he was killed instantly. Lynch, who is originally from Derry, was driving from Ballybofey toward Letterkenny and was taken to Letterkenny University Hospital. Alcohol A blood sample taken by gardai in the hospital showed that Lynch had a blood-alcohol level of 44 microgrammes per 100 millilitres of blood. Pathologist Katrina Dillon said she examined Mr Patton's body and he had a number of fractures and abrasions as well as a severe brain injury. She added that Mr Patton, of Cloghroe, Drumkeen, would have lost consciousness and died almost immediately as a result of the crash. Coroner Dr Denis McCauley apologised to the Patton family for the delay in holding the inquest. Barrister Patricia McCallum, on behalf of the Patton family, said she would like the inquest to reflect that the reason for the delay was because of criminal proceedings connected to the case which were finalised in 2017. Dr McCauley added that there were also problems getting a draft deposition from Lynch in the case, which delayed holding the inquest. Garda Sergeant Jim Collins added that there were attempts made to contact Lynch but that he was now across the Border in Northern Ireland and they could not get hold of him. Dr McCauley said his findings were duty-bound by the Circuit Court decision of January 25, 2017 which found Lynch guilty of careless driving causing death, and drink- driving. Antonia Kidman has spoken about her family's difficult decision to return to Australia after almost 10 years of living in Singapore. In an editorial piece for 9Honey on Wednesday, the 49-year-old TV presenter labelled the move back home as 'bittersweet'. 'Relocating to Sydney after almost a decade in Singapore triggers all sorts of emotions,' she admitted. Home sweet home: Antonia Kidman has spoken about her family's difficult decision to return to Australia after almost 10 years of living in Singapore Antonia said while she was used to seeing friends come and go from Singapore, it felt strange to be the one leaving. And she confessed packing up their home had also been challenging, describing it as 'an arduous task'. She said she had implemented a rule that if something hadn't been worn or used in six months, it had to be thrown out. Get packing: She confessed packing up their home had also been challenging, describing it as 'an arduous task' 'I felt sick at the amount of stuff we had accumulated over the years - and I thought we were pretty lean already,' she added. Antonia said she had been 'ruthlessly sifting through and organising our possessions' in the lead up to the move. 'Now, it feels great, the process of simplification. It's motivated by a desire to begin our next chapter unencumbered by junk,' she added. Sad to go: In an editorial for 9Honey on Wednesday, the 49-year-old TV presenter labelled the move back home as 'bittersweet'. Pictured with friends The younger sister of actress Nicole Kidman, 52, Antonia said while preparing to move back home to Australia had been stressful, it was also a welcome distraction. She confessed that she finds change hard, putting it down to her 'sentimental nature'. 'I haven't so much as hardened up, but rather adapted - and my coping strategy is denial,' she admitted. Getting her mind off it: Antonia said while preparing to move back home to Australia had been stressful, it was also a welcome distraction. Pictured with sister Nicole Kidman Outside of family and close friends, Antonia said she hadn't told anyone about her family's move, explaining it was 'too confronting to contemplate'. She said their time in Singapore had brought about a series of life-altering experiences, including the birth of her two youngest children, Nicholas, nine, and Alexander, seven, with her husband of 10 years, Craig Marran. But as 'hard' and 'sad' as their move is, Antonia said she always intended on returning home to Australia at some point, and she felt now was the 'right' time. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold two public meetings in the national capital on February 3 and 4 ahead of the Delhi Assembly polls, Union Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Thursday. The first public meeting will be held at CBD Ground in Karkardooma around 2.30 pm on February 3. Modi's next public meeting will be held at Ramleela Ground in Dwarka on February 4, Vardhan said. Campaigning for the polls will conclude at 5 pm on February 6 and voting for the 70-member assembly will take place on February 8. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Most U.S. readers come to know Evelyn Waugh as the serious writer of the saga Brideshead Revisited (and inspirer of the 1981 miniseries adaptation). This was also the case in 1954, when Charles Rolo wrote in the pages of The Atlantic that the novel sold many more copies in the United States than all of Waughs other books put together. Yet among the literary, Waughs name evokes a singular brand of comic genius a riotously anarchic cosmos, in which only the outrageous can happenand when it does happen is outrageously diverting. The comic Waughs imagination runs to appalling and macabre inventions, incorporating a lunatic logic. The sources of that imagination now reside at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas, Austin, who hold Waughs manuscripts and 3,500-volume library. The novelist, the Ransom Center notes, was an inveterate collector of things Victorian (and well ahead of most of his contemporaries in this regard). Undoubtedly the single most curious object in the entire library is a large oblong folio decoupage book, often referred to as the Victorian Blood Book. Waugh deeply admired Victorian art, and especially those nineteenth-century enemies of technology, the Pre-Raphaelites, writes Rolo. Still, like us, he may have looked upon scrapbooks like these as bizarre and morbidly humorous, if also possessed by an unsettling beauty. (One 2008 catalogue described them as weird and rather elegant but very scary.) More than anything, they resemble the kind of thing a goth teenager raised on Monty Python and Emily Dickinson might put together in her bedroom late at night. Such an artist would be carrying on a long cherished tradition. Victorian scrapbooking, the Ransom Center writes, was almost exclusively the province of women, a way of organizing information, although the esthetic aspect could sometimes be secondary. The Victorian Blood Book, however, is the work of a paterfamilias named John Bingley Garland, a prosperous Victorian businessman who moved to Newfoundland, went on to become speaker of its first Parliament, and returned to Stone Cottage in Dorset to end his days. Inscribed to Bingleys daughter Amy on September 1, 1854, the book seems to have been a wedding present, made with serious devotional intent: How does one read such an enigmatic object? We understandably find elements of the grotesque and surreal. But our eyes view it differently from Victorian ones. As Garlands descendants have written, our family doesnt refer tothe Blood Book; we refer to it as Amys Gift and in no way see it as anything other than a precious reminder of the love of family and Our Lord. The Blood Books actual title appears to have been Durenstein!, which is the Austrian castle where Richard the Lionhearted was imprisoned. Assembled from hundreds of engravings, many by William Blake, it apparently depicts the spiritual battles encountered by Christians along the path of life and the blood to Christian sacrifice. The blood is red India ink. The quotations surrounding each collage, according to the Garland family are encouraging one to turn to God as our Saviour. One can imagine the serious Waugh looking on this strange object with almost reverential affection. He lapsed into a highly affected, reactionary nostalgia in his later period, announcing himself two hundred years behind the times. One contemporary declared, He grows more old-fashioned every day. But the savagely comic Waugh would not have been able to approach such a bizarre piece of folk collage art without an eye toward its use as material for his own appalling and macabre inventions. See a full scanned copy of the Victorian Blood Book, and download high-resolution images, online at the University of Texas, Austins Harry Ransom Center. Related Content: 19th-Century Skeleton Alarm Clock Reminded People Daily of the Shortness of Life: An Introduction to the Memento Mori Browse The Magical Worlds of Harry Houdinis Scrapbooks A Witty Dictionary of Victorian Slang (1909) Josh Jones is a writer and musician based in Durham, NC. Follow him at @jdmagness Besides, the issue of the creation of the international investigation group is not solved yet Ukraines Prosecutor General Ruslan Ryaboshapka Open source Ukrainian side does not see the due reaction from Iran to the investigation of Boeing 737 crash near Teheran as Interfax-Ukraine reported citing Prosecutor General of Ukraine Ruslan Ryaboshapka. We requested information, which is necessary for the investigation, asked for the questioning of the particular number of people, on receiving of particular physical evidence, including the debris of the plane. But we have not received the answers for all these question, we do not see the reaction from the Iranian authorities, which we would like to see, Ryaboshapka said. Besides, it is noted that the issue of the creation of the international investigation group is not solved yet, despite the fact that the Ukrainian side discussed it with the international partners. The draft agreement is prepared and passed to the embassies of a few countries. The prosecutor general expects that the result will be provided within a week or two. In another case, Ukraine will file the requests on the international legal assistance and it will delay the process of the receiving of information. 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. A protest against the federal religious discrimination bill planned for Brisbane's King George Square will be moved because the city council refused to allow amplified audio. The protest, organised by activist Johnny Valkyrie, UQ senator Drew Pavlou and QUT student Liam Blair, was scheduled to host speeches in the square outside City Hall on Saturday evening. Entertainers Diamond Good-Rim and Johnny Valkyrie at the story event that was crashed by protesters. Credit:Diamond Good-Rim/Facebook However, Valkyrie said Brisbane City Council refused to allow the protest to have speakers and audio equipment in the square, which he said was needed for speeches to be heard properly. Valkyrie, who was recently faced with a university student protest against a reading program for children at Brisbane Square Library, said the protest would follow other protests nationally against the religious discrimination bill. A Delhi court on Thursday issued notice to Tihar Jail authorities seeking their response on a plea of death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case, seeking stay on their executions scheduled for February 1. Special Judge A K Jain directed Tihar Jail Superintendent to file reply on their plea by 10 am on Friday. Advocate A P Singh, representing three death row convicts -- Pawan Gupta, Vinay Kumar Sharma and Akshay Kumar -- urged the court to adjourn the executions "sine die" as legal remedies of some of the convicts are yet to be availed. He told the court that while Vinay's mercy petition is pending before the President, the other two convicts -- Akshay and Pawan -- are also currently pursuing legal remedies. During the brief hearing, the prosecution said the application was a "mockery of justice" and that it was only a delaying tactic. The application moved by the defence counsel said, "Previously after the rejection of the mercy petition of another convict Mukesh Kumar Singh this court was pleased to provide him 14-days period to approach the courts against the decision of the the President. "In the case Vinay Sharma also faces rejection of the mercy petition, law allows 14-days period before the date of execution from the date of rejection of the mercy plea," the advocate said, seeking a fresh date for the executions. The advocate added that Akshay and Pawan are also currently pursuing legal remedies. While Akshay's curative petition was dismissed by the apex court on Thursday, he still has an option to file a mercy plea before the President. The other convict, Pawan, has not filed the curative petition. Akshay was the third convict to move the curative plea after Mukesh and Vinay. The trial court on January 17 issued black warrants for the second time for the execution of all the four convicts in the case -- Mukesh (32), Pawan (25), Vinay (26) and Akshay (31) -- in Tihar jail at 6 am on February 1. Earlier, on January 7, the court had fixed January 22 as the hanging date. As of now only Mukesh has exhausted all his legal remedies including the clemency plea which was dismissed by President Ram Nath Kovind on January 17 and the appeal against the rejection was thrown out by the Supreme Court on Wednesday. Their victim, a 23-year-old physiotherapy intern who came to be known as "Nirbhaya" (the fearless), 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. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Security forces on Thursday arrested a militant from Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. Kaiser Ahmad Rather was nabbed from Lalpora in Kupwara district, they said. Rather was arrested during an anti-militancy operation in his native village in the north Kashmir region The militant was being questioned by police. Further details are awaited. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 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. To take the temperature of Portlands pizza scene, lets check in on a place that has yet to fully heat up. When it opened in the former home of Pearl District pioneer Fratelli just over a year ago, San Francisco transplant Montesacro packed an impressive pedigree along with its prosciutto and Parm. Most notably, that included a coveted spot on the San Francisco Chronicles top 100 restaurants list. Not long ago, a top San Francisco restaurant expanding to Portland would have been cause for intrigue, if not celebration. And Montesacro, which technically specializes in pinsa, an ancient Roman flatbread given an update here then used mostly as a base for sauce, cheese and toppings (file under: if it quacks like a duck), looked to have the recipe for a hit, especially when combined with its pantrys worth of good Italian meats, cheeses and tasty antipasti. But over three visits, including two lunches and a very good dinner this month, Ive found the restaurant mostly quiet, if not empty. Why is that? Could the post-Fratelli legacy of the room, including two other, shorter-lived Italian restaurants, be confusing new customers? Does this craggy style of dough work better in a grittier neighborhood, or a space with more natural character, like the original in San Franciscos SoMa? Maybe Roman-inspired flatbread just isnt as catchy for Portlanders as plain old pizza. Whatever the case, one thing is clear: The local scene has risen to a level where newcomers, even lauded newcomers, shouldnt expect instant success. And while no recent opening seems likely to threaten our pizza Mount Rushmore Apizza Scholls, Kens Artisan Pizza, Lovelys Fifty Fifty and Scotties Pizza Parlor the past year has seen a fascinating breadth of new pizzerias, many taking exciting new approaches with their pizza. It was a year for nerding out over sauces and dough and for reinventing what exactly qualifies as a pizza topping. We dropped by more than a dozen pop-ups, food carts and brick-and-mortar restaurants opened in the past year to bring you this guide to the top five (all right, six) new pizzerias in Portland, presented in alphabetical order. With apologies mainly to the Thursday pizza nights at Bellas Italian Bakery and the Detroit-style pan pizzas at Assembly Brewing, less than half of the places we visited made the final cut. And while most of our favorites showed a preference for local ingredients and naturally leavened dough, only one tops their pies with chilaquiles. BABY BLUE PIZZA The best part about Baby Blue's plant-based pizza is the tangy dough.Michael Russell | The Oregonian As with all things plant-based, Portlands vegan pizza scene is in the midst of a mini growth spurt, one that started in 2017, with the arrival of the Canadian pizza and ice cream mini chain Virtuous Pie (1126 S.E. Division St., #200), and was followed last year by the stoner-friendly pizza wraps at Secret Pizza Society (7201 N.E. Glisan St.). Add to that the tomato or nut cheese or sauce-less market veggie pies found at non-vegan pizzerias from Checkerboard (126 S.W. Second Ave) to Sizzle Pie (various locations) to Tastebud (7783 S.W. Capitol Highway) and you already have yourself the makings of a dynamic meat- and dairy-free pizza landscape. Yet even among this glut of options, Baby Blue stands out for the quality of its chewy, blistered dough. The 7-month-old food cart comes from Odie OConnor, who trained at Gracies Apizza (see below). As a carnivore, not all of Baby Blues topping combinations work for me (the vegan mozzarella comes off as unpleasantly glue-y). But order a mozzarella-free pie, the simple marinara, say, or the mushroom and truffle oil-topped truffle shuffle, and pay extra attention to the tangy sourdough base, which can hold its own with any other pizzeria on this list. Noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday-Monday; 3207 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd. (next to Matts BBQ Tacos); babybluepizza.com GRACIES APIZZA Gracie's Apizza located at 8737 N Lombard St., Portland, Jan. 8, 2020. Mark Graves/Staff Mark GravesMark Graves What makes a great calzone? Ask Craig Melillo, owner-operator at Gracies Apizza, and hes more likely to tell you the ways one can go wrong. Too much dough. Too much grease. Too much cheese. The Connecticut native has clearly put plenty of thought into an item thats often an afterthought on most pizzeria menus, especially here on the West Coast. And just as it was at his food truck, calzones are the star here, arriving as a pair of horns, charred and ragged, gently filled with red sauce, sausage, ricotta and the right amount of mozzarella. The regular (open-faced?) pizzas are good as well, with 10-inch pies built on the same noticeably tangy, naturally fermented dough, with Melillos twists on East Coast classics including a tomato pie (served with a dusting of pecorino, or vegan if you choose), a good margherita and a briney pie with capers and olives. Youll need at least one pizza per person, a calzone for the table plus the fun salad, with its market vegetables coated in crunchy seeds. With apologies to another cart, Pizza Creatures, Gracies is already the best pizzeria on the west side of St. Johns famous train track cut, and its probably the second-best pizzeria in North Portland, period, after Lovelys FIfty Fifty. 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday; 8737 N. Lombard St.; 971-512-0007; graciesapizza.com MONTESACRO (AND THE STAR) Just don't call it pizza (or fine, do): Montesacro serves a Roman flatbread called pinsa.Michael Russell | The Oregonian As fate would have it, Montesacro wasnt the only prominent Bay Area-based pizzeria to plant stakes in Portland. The Star (1309 N.W. Hoyt St.), which opened in May less than a calzones throw from Montesacro, is as an offshoot of an offshoot of one of the best Chicago-style pizzerias in the second-best Chicago-style pizza city in America. As such, The Star brought something Portland has long been lacking: deep dish worth changing out of your pajamas. And yet, Montesacro is the more interesting restaurant of the two, with its sandpaper-rough ellipsoids of puffed pinsa dough topped with good mozzarella and the kind of quality Italian ingredients little seen outside of Ava Genes. One pie holds black kale and the spicy spreadable sausage nduja, another crispy guanciale and chestnut honey, a third tuna belly and caper mayonnaise. The ingredients work well together because theyre delicious. But fans of traditional Italian food, particularly those who mourned the departure of Via Tribunali, will find just as much to love on the antipasti, formaggi and salumi menus, which run more than a dozen items deep with roasted veggies, a cuttlefish and tomato stew, braised meatballs, slices of cured beef under a salad of baby arugula and mushroom and the signature Focaccia der Muratore, a plain pinsa stuffed with mortadella. 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4 to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 4 to 9 p.m., Sunday; 1230 N.W. Hoyt St.; 503-208-2992; montesacropdx.com PIZZA DOUGHNAIS 13 Pizza Doughnais serves Sicilian slices in Southeast Portland You could spend a chunk of your 20s in New York City, even marry a Sicilian woman living there, and still not remember off-hand the distinction between two familiar square slices: the Grandma a simple pan pizza made by immigrant Nonnas themselves (Scotties DeFino is the definitive version in town) and the Sicilian. Pizza Doughnais, a stylish new Brooklyn neighborhood pizzeria from Los Angeles emigres Justin and Jessica Donais, specializes in the latter, the thick, slow-risen, focaccia-esque squares found on the island of Sicily itself. Justin, a freelance cinematographer, caught the pizza bug a few years ago, developing an obsession that took him from pizza industry expos to Italy itself and back again. After hosting pizza pop-ups in Los Angeles, their former home, Justin and Jessica moved to Portland to be closer to the exciting pizza scene here. Ive had a lot of pizza in my travels and Portland is world class, Justin Donais says. We wanted to join the party but bring something different. They found a small storefront with no public restroom and just enough room to Tetris in their oven, rolling racks and other equipment. Jessica Donais, who previously ran a graphic design and branding studio, gave the space its modern mom and pop feel, with forest green and rust red accents nodding to the Italian flag and a funky Italian font providing the bubbly, rectangular logo. Meanwhile, Justin Donais perfected his recipe for a very digestible, very Brooklyn take on the aforementioned Sicilian: Handsome squares of artisan bread lightly adorned with aged mozzarella, potato slices and bacon or brushed with tomato sauce and sprinkled with anchovy breadcrumbs to form a classic Sfincione, the Sicilians direct progenitor. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday; 3541 S.E. Milwaukie Ave.; 503-232-3434; pizzadoughnais.com ZAPAPIZZA The taquito slice at Zapapizza on West Burnside Street in Portland. January 6, 2020 Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian The day Zapapizza owner Nick Zukin walked past Pizza del Perro Negro was not the first time he had thought about pairing pizza with Mexican food. Its just that until then, his focus had been on finding a new outlet for the homey stewed guisados served at his Portland taqueria, Mi Mero Mole. But this Perro Negro -- the one in Mexico Citys chic Condesa neighborhood -- was something else entirely, a punk-rock pizza chain with loud music and dim lighting that loaded its simple pies with a cornucopia of famous Mexican dishes, from chilaquiles to chiles rellenos and more. Zukin picked up a couple of pizzas to share with his hotel staff, then brought the concept back with him to Portland. It just opened my eyes to how far you could go with the idea of Mexican pizza, beyond just the guisados Id thought of before, or the taco pizza Id grown up with, Zukin said. At Zapapizza, which sits just around the corner from Mi Mero Mole, Zukin and his team place everything from taquitos to al pastor on their slices. The base, a hybrid of Detroit (a rampart of melted cheese crisped around the edges) and Chicago (its round, for one) styles, is fine. But it doesnt best East Glisan Pizza Lounges (8001 N.E. Glisan St.) Detroit-style nights for pan pizza supremacy. Instead, the standouts are the toppings, the crunchy potato-cheese taquitos with sour cream and avocado sauce that would be delicious on their own, the chile relleno slices on weekends only and the chilaquiles, sold only as a whole pie to allow the salsa verde to soak into the chips. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Thursday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday; noon to 9 p.m. Saturday; 503 W. Burnside St.; 971-373-8287; zapapizzapdx.com -- Michael Russell, mrussell@oregonian.com, @tdmrussell Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. (CNN) Much is still unknown about the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, and health officials are urging vigilance. That means travelers crisscrossing the globe should be aware of the virus, steer clear of heavily impacted areas and exercise some of the same kinds of preventive measures they'd use to avoid influenza and other illnesses. Here's what travelers should know about the virus outbreak: Advisories discourage travel to China The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has raised its travel advisory for China to the highest level. The "Warning - Level 3" status urges travelers to avoid all nonessential travel to the country. The US State Department has also escalated its warnings. The State Department advisory, dated January 29, is at "Level 3: Reconsider travel" for most of China, with Hubei Province rated "Level 4: Do not travel." The United Kingdom's Foreign and Commonwealth Office has advised against all travel to Hubei Province. "If you're in this area and able to leave, you should do so," the FCO said in its advisory. FCO advises against all but essential travel to the rest of mainland China. The Canadian government has also issued a travel advisory urging citizens to avoid all travel to Hubei Province. The advisory specifically names the cities of Wuhan, Huanggang and Ezhou. The Wuhan coronavirus does not yet constitute a public health emergency of international concern, the World Health Organization announced on January 23, but the organization is monitoring the situation very closely. "Make no mistake. This is an emergency in China, but it has not yet become a global health emergency," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. "It may yet become one." Several foreign governments, including the United States, Japan, Germany and Italy are evacuating or planning to evacuate citizens from Wuhan. Airlines are suspending flights to China Airlines based in Asia, Europe and North America are canceling flights to China. British Airways suspended direct flights between Britain and China on Wednesday. US carrier United Airlines announced Tuesday that it has suspended flights from February 1 through February 8 between US hubs and Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Other airlines, including Lufthansa, Air Asia, Cathay Pacific, Air India and Finnair have similarly slashed or suspended service. Many US airlines have offered waivers on change fees or the option to cancel for credit on a future flight. Travelers with upcoming plans should check with their airlines and look for advisories posted on carriers' websites. A number of cruise lines, including MSC, Costa and Royal Caribbean, have canceled scheduled sailings to China and boosted screening procedures for passengers boarding from Chinese ports, according to CruiseCritic.com. Most travel insurance is unlikely to cover this situation Airlines are relaxing their policies and some major hotel chains are waiving cancellation fees, but recouping all the costs associated with trips canceled due to Wuhan coronavirus fears is far from guaranteed. An outbreak of a virus is not covered under most standard trip cancellation insurance policies, according to TravelInsurance.com. "For those who purchased a Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) optional upgrade, however, some measure of trip cancellation protection may be available," according to Stan Sandberg, co-founder of TravelInsurance.com. "For those holding an existing travel insurance policy, they should contact their travel insurance providers to find out if their plans have any coverage," Sandberg advises. Advice for travelers who cannot avoid travel to China Travelers who cannot delay traveling to China should "practice enhanced precautions" by avoiding contact with sick people, animals and animal markets and frequently and thoroughly washing hands, the CDC recommends. The CDC advises washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. An alcohol-based hand sanitizer can be used when soap and water are not available. Discuss travel to China with your healthcare providers, the CDC advises, noting that older adults and travelers with underlying health issues may be at higher risk. Travelers who've visited China within the past two weeks and are feeling sick with fever, have a cough or difficulty breathing should seek treatment right away and call ahead to tell medical providers about recent travel to China and symptoms. The CDC also advises potentially infected travelers to avoid contact with others, to not travel while sick and to be sure to cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing. Universal precautions to avoid illness apply to all travelers Some of the above precautions apply to all travelers, particularly during winter respiratory illness season. Influenza is a bigger threat to global public health than coronavirus right now, says Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of medicine in Vanderbilt University's division of infectious diseases. By the time flu season is over, influenza "will have caused literally thousands of hospitalizations and unfortunately several thousand deaths." "The coronavirus will be a blip on the horizon in comparison, but we have a little outbreak of corona anxiety at the present time because it's new, it's mysterious ... " In the United States alone, the CDC estimates more than 8,000 deaths so far this flu season. Wuhan coronavirus is not a big concern for US travelers traveling domestically, Schaffner says. In this era of global travel, you can never say the risk is zero of being exposed to something, says Dr. Yoko Furuya, associate professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. But most of the cases so far have involved Wuhan and surrounding cities in Hubei Province. "While the risk is not going to be zero, generally speaking there's not going to be a particularly elevated risk" outside that area, she says. Hand washing is a strong defense; masks are less effective Schaffner has received a lot of questions about whether people should be wearing masks to avoid infection. He realizes it's culturally very common in Asia, but he says the CDC doesn't recommend it for the general public because "the scientific basis showing that people in the community wearing masks actually has any benefit is very thin and questionable." More fitted respirator masks may be used in medical settings, but are generally impractical for the general public, Schaffner says. "Good hand hygiene is always a really good idea to protect yourself from any viruses and other pathogens in your environment," says Furuya. Air travel is part of how viruses spread For parts of the world outside of the heavily affected region, air travel is likely where more of the risk will lie, says Furuya, because of the increased likelihood of encountering international travelers from areas with high incidence of the virus. "When it comes to the global spread of outbreaks, air travel is usually how things kind of spread quickly from country to country," she says. Schaffner says the spread of winter respiratory illnesses on airplanes is always a concern. "More than once, I'm quite certain personally that I have acquired a winter virus on the aircraft while traveling or working my way through crowded airports," he says. Frequent and vigorous hand washing is again critical to reducing viral transmissions. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Everything travelers need to know about Wuhan coronavirus." A Canadian teenager has been held in custody for 30 days after writing a fictional story in which a bullied pupil plans to blow up his school. After he read the story out in class, rumours swept the school in Ontario that the boy actually had a hit list and bombs. Three Vietnamese nationals have been infected with the novel coronavirus (nCoV), increasing the number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to five, according to the Ministry of Health. A health ministry representative cited the information from the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology at a meeting held in Hanoi on Thursday afternoon. Two of the three newly confirmed patients, who tested positive for nCoV that caused an ongoing outbreak in China and globally, are residing in Hanoi while the other hails from the north-central province of Thanh Hoa. All three had recently returned to Vietnam on the same flight after attending a vocational training program in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the first nCoV infection was reported in December 2019. Before the three cases in Hanoi and Thanh Hoa, two Chinese nationals had tested positive for nCoV in Vietnam last week, with one of them having been cured. But both of them, who are father and son, are still under treatment at Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. The health ministry representative said on Thursday afternoon that among the three new coronavirus patients, the Thanh Hoa local is quarantined for treatment at a provincial hospital, while the two Hanoians are being treated at the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases 2 located in the Vietnamese capital. The Vietnamese Ministry of Health, however, advised people not to be alarmed by the news. On the same day, Vietnams Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc also signed a decision to establish a steering committee for prevention of acute respiratory infection caused by the new strain of the coronavirus. The committee is headed by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam. Vietnam is among more than a dozen countries and territories with confirmed infected cases, as the pneumonia outbreak has killed 170 people in China and infected 7,819 around the world. There have so far been 97 suspected cases in Vietnam, with 65 having tested negative for nCoV and 32 still in quarantine as of Thursday, according to the health minsitry. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Allied Pilots Association's Dennis Tajer told CNBC on Thursday that Boeing CEO David Calhoun was too optimistic in his assessment of how pilots view the grounded 737 Max. "We like what we're seeing so far but his exuberance over that is a little premature," said Tajer, spokesman for the APA, the labor union for American Airlines pilots. Capt. Tajer is also a pilot for American. Tajer was responding to Calhoun's CNBC interview on Wednesday, when the aircraft maker's new CEO said that pilots, based on many test flights, like the 737 Max updates. Boeing has been under intense scrutiny after two of its 737 Max jets crashed within five months of each other, killing a total of 346 people. Shortly after the second crash, involving an Ethiopian Airlines plane last March, the entire 737 Max fleet was grounded. The first crash was in October 2018, involving a 737 Max jet operated by Indonesia's Lion Air. The automated flight-control system, known as MCAS, has been implicated in both crashes. In their fatal dives, both pilots battled MCAS, which repeatedly pushed the nose of the planes down. It was erroneously activated by faulty sensor data. 'Both Pavan Varma and Prashant Kishor questioned the party president in a public forum.' 'That is why we had to show them the door.' The first sentence of K C Tyagi's press release issued on Wednesday to declare the dismissals of Janata Dal-United vice-president Prashant Kishor and spokesman Pavan Varma from the JD-U read like the bottom line: 'Party's decisions, discipline and loyalty for the leadership is the fundamental requirement.' Clearly, Pavan Varma and Prashant Kishor were, according to the JD-U, found wanting against all the three parameters. Both leaders had called out Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over his support to the discriminatory Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Over the past few days, the acrimony between Nitish Kumar and the duo grew worse, with Prashant Kishor accusing Kumar of lying about how the former was inducted into the JD-U. A day after the drama, K C Tyagi, chief general secretary and national spokesperson, JD-U, tells Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com, "The JD-U cannot become a slave of Sonia Gandhi's party." What is the reason behind the dismissals of Pavan Varma and Prashant Kishor? For the past few days, both Pavan Varmaji and Prashant Kishor have been making objectionable comments against our party president Nitish Kumar. Yesterday, Prashant Kishor wrote, 'Aur kahan tak giro gey? (How low will you fall?)' Any party member using such language against our president is objectionable and unwanted. Therefore, we had to take this decision. That was Prashant Kishor, but what about Pavan Varma? He too was continuously tweeting against Nitish Kumar. He also challenged the position of Nitish Kumar as party president in his tweets. He did not follow party rules. Additionally, it was not good for Pavanji to write such tweets. So, we took disciplinary action against him and therefore, the party president sacked both of them. But issues arose between the three men because of the difference in stance on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens. It is not clear where Nitish Kumar stands on these issues. The Janata Dal-United is against the National Register of Citizens. In Bihar, there is no way this rule will come into effect. As far as the National Population Register is concerned, we do not believe the questions asked are appropriate. There is no point asking people about their parents's and grandparents's birth place. We have also raised this point to the (Modi) government. Our party will raise these questions in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha too, stating that there is no need to ask such questions in the NPR. And what about the CAA? After the President signed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill it has now become the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Now this has been implemented all over the country. Congress leaders like Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi have said it is important for states to implement these laws and unki majboori hai (the states are helpless). Knowing this very well, both Pavan Varma and Prashant Kishor questioned the party president in a public forum. That is why we had to show them the door. But the CAA excludes Muslims. Article 14 of the Constitution clearly says no person will be discriminated on the basis of her or his religion within the boundaries of India. So how come your party agreed to this? We have clearly said if the NRC is not there, then the CAA will not harm anyone. We said in this bill they could have avoided the words 'religious minorities'. We did not agree with them. But the CAA goes against the Constitution. Now this has become an Act, but we do stand by the people who have the right to protest. Your party was known to be secular; your leaders were followers of Ram Manohar Lohia and Jayaprakash Narayan. There are now doubts about the JD-U's secular credentials after your party voted for the CAA in Parliament. We walked out on the issue of triple talaq in Parliament. We walked out on Article 370. During (then prime minister) V P Singh's time we (JD-U leaders like Nitish Kumar were then part of the Janata Dal) lost our government on the issue of secularism. So we do not need any certificate from anyone on secularism. We are secular, Socialist on an international platform against capitalism. Sections of Indian society are very upset with the CAA, NPR, NRC. As an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party, can you not speak to the prime minister on this issue? We are a part of the NDA (National Democratic Alliance). And when we have accepted PM Modi as leader of the NDA, then how can we comment on him? Whatever issues are being raised during the Delhi election campaign, we do not agree. Votes should be asked on good work, and not on the Hindu-Muslim question. In Bihar, we ask for votes only on our good work. In Delhi you were given only two seats by the BJP and that is one of the reasons Pavan Varma was upset. Last time when we contested elections, our party broke up. So we got weak in Delhi (laughs). Many constituents of the NDA have quit the alliance, but the JD-U is still going strong in the NDA. The JD-U cannot go and become a slave of Sonia Gandhi's party. This is a big problem for all Socialist and secular regional parties. We were always a secular party and a part of a grand secular alliance. Be it at the time of V P Singh or Jayaprakash Narayan. If you accept (Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo) Lalu Prasad Yadav as leader of the secular front, then you have to go to jail with him (Lalu Yadav has been sentenced to a prison term for corruption). Could you not pick up the phone, speak to Pavan Varma and sort out the problem? I feel sorry for Pavanji that we have parted ways. Do you feel the exit of these leaders from the JD-U will affect the party in this year's Bihar assembly election? Nitish Kumar is a big winning factor in Bihar. If he goes with the BJP, only then it can form the government. If he goes with the Congress and RJD, then its government will be formed. Nitish Kumar's image is very good in Bihar. NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. (Spirit AeroSystem or the Company) (NYSE: SPR). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 9980. The investigation concerns whether Spirit AeroSystems and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices. [Click here for information about joining the class action] In December 2019, Spirit AeroSystems commenced a review of its accounting process compliance and determined that it did not comply with established accounting processes related to certain potential contingent liabilities. Then, on January 30, 2019, Spirit AeroSystems announced the resignations of both its Chief Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer for failure to comply with accounting rules on contingencies. On this news, Spirits stock price fell $2.62 per share, or 3.87%, to close at $65.02 per share on January 30, 2020. The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com DES MOINES, Iowa, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As Des Moines, Iowa, is thrust into the spotlight in anticipation of the upcoming caucuses, BrokerTech Ventures (BTV) , the industrys first broker-led investor group and accelerator program, is bringing 20 insurtech startups to Iowa and drawing attention to the prominence of the states insurance ecosystem. Iowa is the political epicenter of the U.S. right now, said Joseph DSouza , founder and CEO of Canada-based startup ProNavigator. While politics can be polarizing, whats happening here with BTV is a testament to the possibilities that can come when the insurance industry and technologists come together to drive growth and help brokerages operate more efficiently. We think Des Moines will continue to be a go-to hub of insurance and innovation. BTVs top 20 selected broker-centric, early-stage startups, along with BTVs nine super-regional owners and partners, will take part in the Accelerators Selection Series Days at Holmes Murphys headquarters February 4-6. The startups cover an expansive amount of technology needs that serve the property and casualty (P&C), employee benefits, and clinical solutions spaces, and include: Agentero, Oakland, CA Briza, Inc., Toronto, Ontario, Canada Broker Buddha, New York, NY Careignition, LLC, Chicago, IL ChalkBites, Inc., Davenport, IA CogniSure, Warrenville, IL ConsumerOptix, Dayton, OH Equal Health, Detroit, MI Goldfinch Health, Austin, TX HazardHub, San Diego, CA InsuranceMenu, Canton, MA Kwema, St. Louis, MO, and Mexico City, Mexico Loss Run Pro, LLC, Missoula, MT MakuSafe Corp., West Des Moines, IA OnRisk, Princeton, NJ ProNavigator, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada Serious Social Media, Inc., Des Moines, IA Talage, Inc., Reno, NV TRUSTLAYER, INC., San Francisco, CA Wunderite, Inc, Boston, MA We are excited to bring the innovation and entrepreneurial expertise ABD has garnered in Silicon Valley to our BrokerTech Ventures involvement and to help these startups along, said Brian M. Hetherington , ABD Insurance and Financial Services chairman and BTV co-owner. The ability to draw exceptional expertise for this recasting of the insurance industry is a fantastic opportunity. We have seen many insurtech companies launch without understanding the regulatory and distribution complexities of the insurance business. We believe that our oversight will help go-to-market strategies have higher success rates, which will benefit the whole industry. When the Selection Series is complete, BTV will select the top firms to take part in the first BTV Accelerator cohort. In addition to access to BTV partners and distribution platforms, each of the selected startups will receive $50,000 in the form of a convertible note. The BTV team has assembled a fantastic group of companies to mentor and support insurtech companies like us, said Gabe Glynn , founder and CEO of Iowa-based MakuSafe. As we navigate the challenges of scaling our company in 2020, we know that, should we be selected to participate, BTV would give us a significant advantage through connections and mentorship. Collectively, BTVs owners and partners make up more than $1 billion in annual distribution, with the organization in due process of building out the next layer of agency distribution which will equate to another in $1 billion in collective distribution. Through the co-mingling of like-minded, quality super-regional brokerage firms, this is potentially the first formalized approach of creating a distribution channel involving competitors, said John Jackovin, executive director of the BTV Accelerator . These firms have not only invested in the future of broker-centric startups, but they believe they can be better together than competitive alone. MEDIA INVITE: All media are invited to attend the BTV Selection Series Days Happy Hour on February 4 from 5-7 p.m. CT at Holmes Murphys headquarters in Waukee, Iowa. Debi Durham , Iowa Economic Development Authority director, will speak at 5:30 p.m. CT. Additionally, media are invited to interview BTV owners, partners, or startups at the Selection Series Interviews event on Feb. 5 at Holmes Murphy between 8-4:30 p.m. CT. Please reach out to Jennifer Overhulse at (859) 803.6597 or jen@stnickmedia.com if interested in attending one or both events. The Gold Rush Everything you need to know about this year's awards season race. George MacKay accepts the trophy for Best Sprint at the Runners Guild Awards. Photo: Universal Pictures If theres one habit that distinguishes todays Academy voters from those a generation prior, its that they prefer to spread the wealth. The avalanche of Oscars that fell into the arms of The English Patient, Titanic, and Return of the King does not come around much anymore; in the 2010s, no movie ever won more than Gravitys seven. But this year, thanks to voters concentrating their favor on a small handful of films, four different contenders came away from nomination morning with the chance to score double-digit trophies: 1917, The Irishman, Joker, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Of that quartet, 1917 seems likely to end up the nights biggest winner, as the films victories at the precursors have strengthened its Best Picture case, and its myriad technical accomplishments should bolster its chances in the crafts categories. A sweeping middlebrow epic with a British pedigree, 1917 can feel like a slight throwback to an earlier Oscar era. Will its awards haul also give us flashbacks to those 90s ceremonies? Lets examine the films chances in each category, starting where its strongest. Best Cinematography Roger Deakins had to wait decades before taking home his first Oscar, finally winning two years ago for Blade Runner: 2049. The wait for his second should be shorter. 1917s single-take conceit is its big creative showstopper, and credit for that achievement will duly go to Deakins, which will surely be a happy moment for his many fans. Best Picture 1917 has won at the Golden Globes, which are voted on by international journalists who love Elton John concerts. It has won at the Producers Guild Awards, which are determined by the same kind of preferential ballot as the Oscars. It has won at the Directors Guild Awards, which are chosen by the industrys most discerning artistes. With the exception of its SAG snub, its won everywhere, from everyone. In a season where momentum is paramount, 1917 looks like the one to beat. Best Director Picture-director splits are more common in the era of the preferential ballot, and with Parasite thriving, Bong Joon Ho has become a popular Best Director pick, especially as his films likely win in Best International Feature should put a damper on its Best Picture chances. (Call it the Cuaron Precedent.) Even so, Mendes got a big boost with his win at the DGAs over the weekend, as the two directing prizes have only diverged three times in the past 20 years. Consider 1917 to have the edge in this race, too. Best Visual Effects The Academy likes to reward prestige pictures in the visual-effects category, so while many pundits are pegging Avengers: Endgame for the win, the fact that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has gone zero-for-nine makes me think theres an opening here. The only other Best Picture nominee in the field is The Irishman, whose de-aging effects have proven much more contentious than 1917s single-take trickery. Best Sound Editing The vroom-vroom sounds of Ford v Ferrari are in pole position, but you should never count out a war movie in this category, which has gone to Dunkirk, American Sniper, and Zero Dark Thirty in recent years. If you want more reasons for optimism, the latter famously tied with Skyfall, another Mendes film. Best Sound Mixing Ford v Ferrari is favored in Sound Mixing as well, but despite occasional rumbles that voters cant tell the difference between them, splits in the sound awards do happen. Especially when theres a war film in the race surely you recall Hacksaw Ridge pulling off the surprise win over in this category three years ago? Best Original Score Globe winner Hildur Gunadottirs haunting Joker score is the frontrunner here, but 1917 foregrounds its music nearly as much. Composer Thomas Newman has an appealing narrative on his side: Hes been nominated 14 previous times without a win. Will 1917 be the movie that finally helps him catch up to cousin Randy? Best Production Design 1917 can boast of a unique achievement in production design, as its sets had to be painstakingly constructed to match the exact distance the actors covered in each sequence. But while those battle-scarred landscapes certainly bring the horrors of World War I home, can they match the time-machine transformations of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, or the Parasite house thats full of secrets? If 1917 can pull off the win in whats traditionally one of the first categories of the night, brace yourself for a wave. Best Original Screenplay Like a responsible parent, Oscar voters like to give their Best Picture picks enough love that they feel appreciated, but not so much that they get spoiled. Accordingly, in the modern era a movie that wins the top prize also usually takes home Director or Screenplay, but not both. 1917 feels much more a directing achievement than a writing one, making this space the perfect spot for voters to reward Parasite or Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. In the unlikely event that 1917 wins this one, its probably winning all of the above categories, too. Best Makeup and Hairstyling The makeup category just expanded from three nominees to five, and its hard to see this nomination as anything other than stumped voters just giving up and writing down a movie they liked. 1917 can pry this Oscar out of Kazu Hiro and Bombshells cold, dead hands. 1. Yes. The downtown area needs a good draw. Some quality taverns would be a plus. 2. Yes. Too many storefronts are vacant. Bars could help to bring in needed revenue. 3. No. Putting a number of bars downtown is just asking for trouble. Dont change things. 4.No. Several churches have located downtown. Putting bars close by would be a bad fit. 5. Unsure. It would depend on how the law is written and what standards are enacted. Vote View Results MANILA, Philippines The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday assured it is ready to assist the Department of Health (DOH) in monitoring the countrys major entry points as it confirms the first case of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). In a statement, the PNP said it has placed its Maritime, as well as, Aviation Security Groups on standby to be mobilized upon receipt of advisory or guidance from the DOH. The PNP said it has also established a direct line of communication with the DOH. Likewise, our local police units are now on standby, awaiting notice if needed by DOH to track down other persons that may have been infected by nCoV, it added. The DOH earlier confirmed that a 38-year old Chinese woman is the countrys first confirmed case of 2019-nCoV. She arrived in the Philippines from China on January 21 and sought treatment for her mild cough on January 25. In light of the countrys first confirmed 2019-nCoV case, the PNP echoed Malacanangs call to the public to remain calm as the government is already working to contain the virus. We assure the public that the PNP remains alert and vigilant to ensure public order and safety and prevent criminal elements from taking advantage of the situation, it said. Several lawmakers earlier urged the government to impose a temporary ban on the entry of visitors from China to avert the spread of 2019-nCoV. The post PNP eyes mobilizing units to monitor PH major entry points appeared first on UNTV News. BOISE A bill to boost career-technical education opportunities for K-12 students could surface by the end of the week, says one lawmaker from eastern Idaho. Sen. Dave Lent, R-Idaho Falls, told EdNews Tuesday that he hopes to unveil by Friday a bill to make CTE more accessible for students, especially those in East Idaho. We need to get ahead of the curve to get our youth geared up for these kinds of jobs, said Lent, a former Idaho Falls School Board member and training manager at Idaho National Laboratory. Lent pointed to a forthcoming nuclear reactor testing center at INL, which INL Director Mark Peters has estimated will bring over 1,000 construction jobs and hundreds of permanent jobs afterward. Lent said his bill aims to increase access to industry-aligned CTE programs in at least two ways: Expanding access to CTE through partnerships between East Idaho high schools and the College of Eastern Idaho. Increasing pay for CTE teachers who can compete for more lucrative jobs outside the classroom. Improving access to CTE could also help boost high school graduation rates, Lent said. He pointed to the Idaho Falls School Districts 2019 grad rate of 73.5 percent over 7 percentage points below the state average of 80.7 percent. Connecting more would-be graduates to CTE could underscore the connection between getting a diploma and getting a job in a CTE field, Lent believes. Im really concerned that a large number of kids are slipping through the cracks, he said. Gov. Brad Little recently underscored in his State of the State address his recommendation for an additional $6 million in funding for new CTE facilities at the College of Eastern Idaho, Lewis-Clark State College, and the Department of Juvenile Corrections, in order to strengthen our commitment to CTE in Idaho. Increasing access to industry aligned CTE programs in rural and remote districts was also a recommendation from Littles Our Kids, Idahos Future K-12 task force last year. The recommendation didnt go on to make the groups shortlist, but state officials have said that doesnt mean it would be left for dead. Further Reading: See how one of the nations top-performing high-poverty schools uses CTE to help kids in poverty defy the odds. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A Dublin mechanic who was shot dead in his home in Rathfarnham in 2009 had been subjected to ongoing threats and intimidation in the years before he was killed, an inquest has heard. Fiona Murray told Dublin Coroner's Court yesterday that she had recorded a call from a known individual on March 20, 2006, who threatened to kill her brother a few days before he had received a similar threat himself. Liam Murray (42), a single man with no children and originally from Templeogue, was shot dead in his home at Rockbrook Cottages, Cruagh Road, Rathfarnham, in March 2009. He was last seen alive on St Patrick's Day in 2009 but his body was not found until three days later. Although two men were arrested in 2011 as part of the subsequent garda investigation, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) directed there was insufficient evidence to charge anyone in relation to his death. Ms Murray told the inquest that she and her brother reported the calls to gardai and Mr Murray had been advised to take precautions with his personal security. Over the following seven months, she said her brother was involved in a number of incidents with a particular individual which culminated in an attempt on his life when shots were fired into his bedroom on November 11, 2006, while he was sleeping. Naively She knew the threats against her brother continued at least until May 2007 but she had assumed "naively" that the garda investigation into the matter was progressing. The inquest heard that Mr Murray had been drinking with friends in the Headline bar at Leonard's Corner on St Patrick's Day in 2009 before he drove home in the early evening. Martin Harmon, a close friend of the deceased, told the inquest he had witnessed a row between Mr Murray and another man in the same bar two weeks before his death. Mr Harmon said his friend, whom he called "Blackie", had hit the other man on the nose before leaving the pub. He said the other individual called Mr Murray a "b*****d" and said he would get him killed by either his brother or friends. Questioned by Breffni Gordon BL, for the Murray family, Mr Harmon said he had regarded this individual as a spoofer and not capable of carrying out his threat. Another friend, Gerry Kavanagh, said he believed Mr Murray started experiencing troubles after he had bought a property in Dundrum in 2004. Mr Kavanagh said he believed the shooting at his home was linked to the Dundrum property. The hearing will resume today before a jury of seven men and three women. President Donald Trump hasnt been acquitted in the Senate trial yet, but Democratic leaders are already testing out their post-impeachment spin. "He will not be acquitted," Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared to reporters during her weekly press conference on Thursday. You cannot be acquitted if you dont have a trial. You dont have a trial if you dont have witnesses and documentation and all of that, Pelosi (D-Calif.) added. Does the president know right from wrong? I don't think so." Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) delivered a similar refrain at his press conference across the Capitol on Thursday. A trial without the evidence, without witnesses and documents would render the presidents acquittal meaningless, Schumer said as the Senate prepares to begin what could be its second-to-last day of proceedings. The Senates vote to acquit Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, he argued, would have a giant asterisk next to it, because the trial was so rigged in his favor. Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of N.Y. speaks to the media during a break in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/ Jacquelyn Martin) The argument that Trump cannot be truly exonerated without a fair trial in the Senate is clearly an attempt to undermine the White Houses victory lap after the president is acquitted, possibly as soon as Friday. Schumer has been warning for weeks about the consequences of Republicans voting to acquit Trump through a "sham trial" without additional witnesses. But the closer the Senate gets to that possibility, the more Democrats have adopted that message and the sharper it gets. While Democrats are still fighting to call more witnesses -- an argument a small number of Republicans are open to -- its widely expected by both sides that Trump will be acquitted given that 67 senators would have to vote to convict the president. The forceful comments by Pelosi and Schumer on Thursday represent a clearer, sharper version of what Democrats have been arguing all week. Any conclusion that doesnt allow witnesses and documents is going to make the presidents acquittal if it should happen worth very, very little. Zero, Schumer told a swarm of reporters on Wednesday after the Senates first day of its question-and-answer session. Story continues You cant convince the American people it was an acquittal if you dont have witnesses and documents, he said. Democrats are already seizing on what they see as an attempt by Republicans to speed through a trial that includes the increasing likelihood that a vote for acquittal could happen in the dead of night Friday after senators vote on whether to call additional witnesses. For weeks, Democrats have been demanding Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agree to allow additional witnesses and documents in the trial. The Democrats push gained new life earlier this week after claims surfaced from former national security adviser John Bolton that Trump told him he would continue withholding almost $400 million in aid until Ukraine helped investigate the presidents Democratic rivals. The former national security advisers claims, detailed in an unpublished manuscript reported by the New York Times, rocked the Capitol on Monday as Republicans struggled to respond to questions about why Bolton shouldnt testify. The news also intensified pressure on the handful of moderate Republicans, including Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who are being closely watched as they debate whether to side with Democrats and support a proposal to allow more witnesses to be called. But the likelihood of Bolton or other witnesses being summoned to the Capitol appeared to fade over the next four days. By Thursday, GOP leaders signaled confidence they could defeat Democratic procedural motions on witnesses and other evidence. Asked Thursday morning if he feels confident about the witness vote, McConnell told reporters: I always do. Some of the most closely-watched moderate Republicans Collins and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska appeared Wednesday dissatisfied, at times, by the answers to their questions on the floor. We have people who are very comfortable with their positions, they think they've heard enough and are ready to move forward with a vote, said Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.). But we've still got some folks who are, like I said, assessing it and I think until this process is complete -- the question and answer sessions are through -- are probably going to keep their powder dry and that's fine." Senators began another marathon round of questioning at 1 p.m. on Thursday. Meanwhile, Schumer and other top Democrats have stepped up their attacks on White House lawyers for withholding key facts and refusing to fully answer questions about Trumps conduct and motivations another aspect of the trial they argue has been unfair to Democrats. Schumer pointed to one question, in particular, when the White House counsel was asked to name one witness or one document to which House managers have been allowed access. And Mr. Philbin filibustered because he had no answer, Schumer said, referring to deputy White House counsel Patrick Philbin. Marianne LeVine and John Bresnahan contributed to this story. Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday met Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in New Delhi. BJP MP and Chief Minister's son BY Raghavendra was also present here. Yediyurappa is likely to meet other senior leaders in the capital. The Chief Minister on Wednesday said he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president JP Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Thursday, to discuss the much-awaited cabinet expansion in the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- McCann Worldgroup was named Network of the Year at the inaugural U.S. Agency of the Year Awards by Campaign US. The advertising publication also honored Devika Bulchandani, the President of McCann New York who was recently elevated to President of McCann North America, as Agency Head of the Year. Sean Bryan and Tom Murphy, Co-Chief Creative Officers of McCann New York, were named Creative People of the Year. The honors were awarded by a jury comprised of clients from across the industry. "This recognition would not have been possible without the constant support from our clients in our creative partnerships," said Harris Diamond, Chairman and CEO of McCann Worldgroup. "I'm proud that Devika has been named Agency Head of the Year, as her fearless leadership and dedication to the success of McCann New York, and now McCann North America, has shaped the agency into the success it is today." Devika Bulchandani has led McCann New York through a period of both substantial growth and increasing industry recognition. Bulchandani joined McCann in 1997 as a strategist, rose to become Managing Director, and was named President of McCann New York in 2017. She was elevated to President of North America for McCann in December 2019. In addition, The Campaign US awards honored Sean Bryan and Tom Murphy, who share the role of CCO for McCann New York. The pair joined the agency as a creative team in 2004 and rose to the top of the agency's creative leadership. They were named co-CCOs in 2012. Since then, they have led the office to become one of the most successful agencies in the world. The agency's work is among the most celebrated creative work of the past decade. "Sean and Tom have are some of the most humble, hard-working and talented leaders on the planet," said Rob Reilly, Global Creative Chairman, McCann Worldgroup. "They've led McCann New York through an impressive year of creative success and more importantly, in delivering meaningful growth for our clients' brands." The network of the year recognition follows an unprecedented year of recognition in both creativity and effectiveness awards. McCann Worldgroup was named Network of the Year at the 2019 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Recently, Adweek named McCann Worldgroup as Global Agency of the Year. McCann Worldgroup was named the Most Creatively Effective Agency Network in the global 2019 Effie Effectiveness Index and network of the year at the 2019 Epica Awards, the creative prize awarded by journalists covering the marketing and communications industries. About McCann Worldgroup McCann Worldgroup, part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG), is a leading global marketing solutions network with over 20,000 employees united across 100+ countries by a single vision: To help brands play a meaningful role in people's lives. McCann Worldgroup was recognized by the Cannes Lions as the 2019 Network of the Year and by the Effies as the world's most creatively-effective marketing services company both in 2018 and 2019. The network comprises McCann (advertising), MRM (science/technology/relationship marketing), Momentum Worldwide (total brand experience), McCann Health (professional/dtc communications), CRAFT (production), Weber Shandwick (public relations) and FutureBrand (consulting/design). SOURCE McCann Worldgroup Related Links http://www.mccannworldgroup.com NEW YORK Fotis Dulos clung to life for more than 48 hours after his apparent suicide attempt before he died late Thursday afternoon, according to his attorney. Attorney Norm Pattis said his client died at 5:32 p.m. Thursday at Jacobi Medical Center in New York, where he had been on life support and surrounded by family, friends and his legal team. A source close to him confirmed earlier on Thursday that Dulos left a note proclaiming his innocence in the death and disappearance of his estranged wife, Jennifer Dulos. Pattis said Dulos family decided to donate his organs, and wants to have him cleared of the charges against him. The family is adamant that his name be cleared, Pattis said. Pattis said he plans to file an unusual motion to have Dulos replaced as a defendant by his estate to make the state show its hand in the case. Itll be a difficult challenge, Pattis said of the motion. We intend to proceed on as if he were alive to vindicate him. Pattis claimed the states evidence in the case amounts to nothing more than innuendo. He did not take any questions following his statement. Mr. Dulos was tried and convicted in the court of public opinion, Pattis said in a statement later Thursday. Now he has been executed. We remain committed to demonstrating he did not murder Jennifer. Carrie Luft, a spokeswoman for the family of Jennifer Dulos said in a statement later Thursday, This is a horrific tragedy all around. Please respect the privacy of the families and loved ones involved. The news came after more than two days of media crews crowding Pelham Parkway South in the Bronx, N.Y., near Jacobi Medical Center, where Dulos was flown late Tuesday afternoon. Dulos had been transferred to the New York hospital from UConn Health in Farmington, where he was initially brought after Farmington police responded to his home on a welfare check and found him unresponsive in his garage. Dulos had been on house arrest on $6 million bond after being charged this month with murder, felony murder and first-degree kidnapping charges in the May 24 death and disappearance of his estranged wife. EXCLUSIVE: Source: Note proclaiming his innocence found in Fotis Dulos home SOURCE: Woman who posted Fotis Dulos bond remains by his side at hospital READ MORE: Concerned Fotis Dulos called bondsman before apparent suicide attempt After being notified of an emergency bond hearing where a judge could have sent him back to jail, Dulos attempted an apparent suicide Tuesday in his garage. When he didnt show up for the hearing, Farmington police conducted a welfare check and said they found him inside his running Chevy Suburban. Dulos was initially considered dead after police and medics administered CPR for 30 minutes before a faint pulse was detected. He was taken to the UConn Health center before being flown in critical condition to Jacobi Medical Center. Last week, Judge Gary White ordered Dulos to be on strict home confinement after States Attorney Richard Colangelo said he removed items from a memorial for his estranged wife that was set up near his home. White threatened to double the bond amount if 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. This month, 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 and his former girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, 45, and his close friend and former lawyer, Kent Mawhinney, 54, allegedly conspired to kill Jennifer Dulos and cover 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. 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. [January 30, 2020] Visa Inc. Fiscal First Quarter 2020 Financial Results Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) today announced its fiscal first quarter 2020 financial results through an earnings release that will be furnished with the Securities and Exchange Commission on a Form 8-K and will be available on its Investor Relations website at http://investor.visa.com/sec-filings/default.aspx. Visa will host a live audio webcast at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time) to discuss these financial results. The webcast and all related materials can also be accessed through Visa's Investor Relations website at http://investor.visa.com/financial-information/quarterly-earnings/default.aspx. About Visa Inc. Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world's leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company's relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of digital commerce on any device for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit About Visa, visa.com/blog and?@VisaNews. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005826/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend: Kazakhstan will carry out additional flights to return remaining Kazakhs from Beijing and Urumqi, Trend reports with reference to Kazakhstans Ministry of Industry and Infrastructural Development. Due to the coronavirus outbreak in China, Kazakhstans government is taking measures to prevent the virus from spreading in Kazakhstan. Thus, starting from Jan. 27, 2020, buses operating on the routes: Almaty Nur-Zholy Urumqi, Ust-Kamenogorsk - Maykapchagay - Urumqi, Zharkent Khorgas Ghulja and, Ayagoz - Bakhty - Jeminay were suspended in both directions. The passenger trains operating on the Almaty Urumqi, Nur-Sultan Urumqi routes will now operate only within Kazakhstans territory (till Dostyk station) starting from Feb.1, 2020. Operations of the passenger train from Urumqi to Almaty was suspended. Other trains operating on Dostyk - Alashankou, Altynkol Khorgas routes will also be suspended starting from Feb.1, 2020. Starting from Feb. 3, 2020, regular flights between the countries will be suspended, and visa issuance to Chinese citizens has already been suspended. The regular flights used to be operated between Kazakh Nur-Sultan, Almaty cities and Chinese Beijing, Urumqi, Xi'an, Sanya and Haikou cities. In this regard the passengers are to return their tickets in the place of purchase. No additional taxes will be charged when returning the tickets. An outbreak of previously unknown pneumonia later identified as a new type of coronavirus and denoted as 2019-nCoV was registered in China's Wuhan in late Dec.2019. As of Jan.30, 2020, the number of those infected amounted to 7,711 people, whereas the number of deceased amounted to 170 people. --- Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh BERLIN, Germany Panda brothers Pit and Paule took their first steps outside Wednesday with their mother Meng Meng at Zoo Berlin. The twins, the first pandas ever to be born in Germany, were on view to the public for the first time on Thursday. The pair, who also have Chinese names, were born Aug. 31, 2019. Pit (Meng Xiang) is "laid-back, dreamy and always ready for a nap," according to Zoo Berlin's website. Paule (Meng Yuan) is 48 minutes younger than his more sedate sibling and "known for his mischievous, inquisitive nature." Brother Pit will give Paule a loud yelp when his younger brother gets too rough and tumble, the zoo noted. "On this special day I would particularly like to thank the zoo's committed team of keepers, vets and biologists," said Zoo and Tierpark Director Dr. Andreas Knieriem in a statement. "But I am also grateful to everyone else who contributed to the successful breeding of these wonderful bears here at Zoo Berlin." Foreign visitors to the central city of Da Nang by sea (Source: VNA) This marked the highest figure so far due to high travel demand for the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday. Of the total, those travelling by air increased by 38.9 percent, while arrivals by sea rose by 231.5 percent. In January, tourists from Asia accounted for 77.4 percent of the total, 39.9 percent higher than that of the same period last year. Arrivals from China surged by 72.6 percent, while those from Thailand, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and Malaysia climbed 40.1 percent, 20.4 percent, 19.3 percent, 11.4 percent and 5.5 percent, respectively. The number of European visitors in the reviewed period witnessed a yearly increase of 11.5 percent. Of which, those from Russia saw the highest rise of 16.1 percent, followed by Germany, the UK and France with respective expansions of 9.6 percent, 8.7 percent and 5.3 percent. Meanwhile, the number of tourists from America was up 19 percent year-on-year, mainly from the US, the GSO said. It added that in the last days of January, Vietnamese travel agencies attended the International Tourism Fair (FITUR 2020) in Spain. Vietnams participation at the event is hoped to actively contribute to attracting more Spanish-speaking visitors to the Southeast Asian nation. BANGKOK (AP) Authoritarian governments in Asia are undermining human rights and demonizing their critics, but they face a rising tide of protest from young people who defy grave risks to protest such repression, Amnesty International said in its annual report on the region. The human rights group's annual survey of the Asia-Pacific region, released Wednesday, said India and China, the two most populous nations, are trying to impose their own bleak, domineering vision on the continent, perceiving minorities as a threat to national security.'" The main takeaway" from the report is that in Asia, we saw an escalation of the repression in many countries. But we also saw an increase in the resistance and protest, often led by young people from Hong Kong to India, from Myanmar to Thailand," Nicholas Bequelin, regional director for Amnesty International, told The Associated Press. We saw increased mobilization by young people to defend their rights. Demand accountability, justice, action on climate and rights for all," Bequelin said. The effort to silence criticism and prevent the public from holding public officials and corporations accountable is a worrying trend, it said. But anti-government protests in Hong Kong and elsewhere showed an abiding will to resist repression, it said. Some highlights from the report. ___ RISING REPRESSION: Chinese leader Xi Jinping's push to vanquish dissent and impose the absolute control of the ruling Communist Party has intensified persecution of human rights defenders and others, the report said. In China and across South and Southeast Asia, governments are increasingly forthright in silencing their opponents and the media, reducing the space for even peaceful protests and introducing laws that punish online dissent, it said. It noted that many such governments also attack their critics with sophisticated social media tactics, smearing them as treasonous. Companies are shielded from accountability to the public by leaders who defend them for the sake of economic growth, it said. They also are quick to resort to using lawsuits to penalize whistleblowers and others who speak out. Story continues ___ VIOLENCE AGAINST INDIGENOUS GROUPS AND OTHER MINORITIES: Chinese authorities subjected Uighurs, Kazakhs and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups in the far western Xinjiang region to intense surveillance, arbitrary detentions and forced indoctrination. In Sri Lanka, anti-Muslim violence broke out after Easter Sunday bombings that killed more than 250 people, mainly Christians, in three churches and three hotels. Across the region, all governments need to make more headway in protecting and empowering indigenous populations, the report said. ___ ARMED CONFLICT: In Afghanistan, more than 2,500 people died and 5,676 people were injured from January to September, mainly in attacks using homemade explosive devices that often were carried out by the Taliban against minority ethnic groups. In Myanmar, the military carried out war crimes in Kachin, Rakhine and Shan states, as internal strife continued, the report said. ___ REFUGEES and MIGRANTS SPURNED: The report also noted Australian detentions of refugees and asylum seekers and turning boats of people fleeing their home countries back to sea. In Japan, where refugees rarely are granted asylum, the government has not yet ratified the Migrant's Convention to protect rights of a growing population of foreign workers. ___ DISAPPEARANCES and EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS: In Pakistan, journalists, human rights defenders and members of the Shia Muslim community were among the hundreds of people who were disappeared" by security forces, often detained without charges or trial, the report said. Laws against sedition and defamation were used to curtail media freedoms, while anti-blasphemy laws were used to persecute some people and justify human rights abuses. Governments in the Philippines and other countries combating drug abuse and trafficking were responsible for killings of thousands of people, usually from poor and marginalized communities, it said. ___ PROTESTS PERSIST: Protests have gained momentum in many places, but most prominently in Hong Kong, where months of demonstrations that began peacefully but turned violent have been met with excessive force, including beatings of non-resisters and misuse of tear gas and rubber bullets, the report said. Demonstrations against India's Citizenship (Amendment) Act that excluded Muslim refugees from acquiring Indian citizenship through fast-track naturalization prompted the government to walk back plans to conduct a nationwide citizenship registry to identify illegal foreign nationals, though 25 people died in the violence and thousands were arrested. In India, as well as many other places, journalists often were targeted while trying to cover such protests. ___ SIGNS OF PROGRESS: The report noted many improvements, including the decision by the International Criminal Court to order an investigation into abuses committed by Myanmar's military against Rohingya Muslims, some 700,000 of whom have fled to Bangladesh. But Bangladesh authorities have also targeted Rohingya in smear campaigns that have fomented violence against the refugees, it said. In some countries, such as Japan, efforts to win equal treatment for all genders and crack down on sexual harassment are making headway, it said. Taiwan legalized same-sex marriages, and South Korea's Constitutional Court ruled that criminalization of abortion was unconstitutional. In Malaysia, the coalition government is striving to deliver on campaign promises to improve protection of human rights, though it rejected proposals to better safeguard LGBTI and indigenous people, the report said. There are positive signs across the region," Bequelin said. But generally, they don't come from governments. They come from people, from activists who stand up to defend their rights. ____ Associated Press writer Kiko Rosario contributed. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Gerald Ariff (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 30, 2020 08:59 713 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2061a78a7 3 Science & Tech Education,higher-education,higher-education-in-Indonesia,online-course,internet-of-things Free The internet ruined everything! said my Balinese Grab driver in Denpasar last week. I asked why. He elaborated that his tour-guide diploma program, which he completed in the mid-90s, was now obsolete. Foreign tourists no longer need local guides to visit local tourist sites. Its all on the internet! he complained. Thanks to the disruptive power of the Internet of Things (IoT), a few months ago Budi Djatmiko, the head of the Indonesian Private University Association, shared in a seminar that tourism diploma programs are rapidly facing extinction, along with journalism, travel agent, traditional retail and banking programs, whose industries are being decimated worldwide. This week, United States investment bankers grumbled about a 30 percent cut to their annual bonuses, thanks to the arrival of algorithmic traders (algos) automated machine learning programs that trade better, faster, at all applicable times, in multiple trading platforms simultaneously and do not go on maternity or paternity leaves, strike, ask for bonuses or pay raises. The objective of an algo is to minimize market impact by executing in an efficient and timely manner, Chi Nzelu, head of macro eCommerce at JPMorgan, told Reuters in April 2019. These IoT change agents determine how best to execute a transaction, based on the results of billions of past trades, in 1 millionth of a second. Weve seen the same thing happened in retail; online e-commerce and travel sites have taken over sales from traditional high street retailers, resulting in rapid closures of supermarkets, travel agencies and popular retail chains. Traditional newspapers and magazines are merging, shutting down or even giving away their daily papers for free. Social media is becoming the preferred choice of 70 percent of American adults for their daily news. Facebook is murdering local news, stated the Philadelphia Inquirer in March 2019. Read also: Indonesia's higher education: Staying relevant in Education 4.0 era This disruption has also been quietly occurring in the higher education sector. In times of recession and downturns, whenever sectors experienced mass layoffs, unemployed workers used to flock to business schools and spend two years transforming themselves into high-value MBA holders. Currently, applications to traditional two-year MBA programs at most US business schools are experiencing a straight four-year decline. Shorter, part-time and online courses that fit around work and family life are becoming more popular, reported the Financial Times on Jan. 20. To overcome the decline, some business schools have taken drastic measures, significantly cutting their expensive tuition fees. In 2016, Arizona State University reduced its 2-year, US$100,000, traditional, on-campus MBA fees to zero, costing an estimated $20 million annually. This more than doubled its applications to 1,159, but it was unsustainable. In 2019, the school stopped the offer and promoted a cheaper, fully flexible, $60,000, 100-percent-online MBA. A program called iMBA by the University of Illinois in partnership with Coursera is also fully online and costs $22,000. A colleague recently asked me about the value of the traditional MBA. Having previously run four MBA programs, I recommended that he consider taking a masters degree with significant components in artificial intelligence, data science and big data the bread and butter of todays IoT world. In a recent trip to South Korea, I came across an article about Gachon University, a relatively unknown Korean university, launching Koreas first department in artificial intelligence. Basic skills needed in the 4.0 IoT era, including robotics, natural language processes and basic computer coding, are part of the program. Starting in 2020, the university is requiring all its students to pass new mandatory courses in AI-big data and software education. They are also converting their traditional 16-week semesters of continuous lectures into 12 weeks of lectures, with the four remaining weeks employed for projects or work experience utilizing the knowledge students gained in the lectures. Declining birth rates have led to significant declines in university applications and have forced many South Korean universities to out-innovate the disruptions caused by IoT in the higher education sector. Today, of the 200 or so traditional universities, 21 are cyber universities (fully online), 80 percent of which were set up in the early 2000s with average active student bodies ranging from 3,000 to 12,000. Of the 4,800 universities in Indonesia today, how many are cyber universities? Only one: the Open University (UT). The remarks of the Balinese Grab driver made me reflect on what is happening in Indonesia. I predict that it will just get more disruptive, as the race to go online is rapidly taking place. In March 2019, seven Indonesian universities, led by UT and Bina Nusantara, were found to have fully functioning, fully online degree programs. The number jumped to 22 by November 2019. One can project the growth will only accelerate further in the coming years. So, is the internet ruining your business or higher education institution? Better join the 4.0 bandwagon rather than perish (or is it 5.0 now?). (kes) *** The writer is Chief Partnership Officer at HarukaEDU/Pintaria.com, an EdTech startup. He obtained his doctoral degree in strategic management at the University of Indonesia. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. New Delhi, Jan 30 : Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan here on Thursday said the Centre was making all possible efforts to deal with the coronavirus as a girl student who returned from China's Wuhan was tested positive in Kerala. On the confirmed case in Thrissur of Kerala, the Minister said, "I have been informed about it just now. I will speak to my office, find out details, and will inform officially about it." The Minister said everybody with the Chia travel history was being screened and it was being done on over 20 airports. "Even before the confirmed cases, we are doing our best to tackle it," the Minister said. After the coronavirus case was confirmed on Monday, Kerala Health Minister K.K. Shailaja called an emergency meeting to review the situation. He said there was no need to panic. The girl was being kept in isolation in a hospital, he added. "So far, we have sent 20 samples for testing. Of this, 10 turned negative, results of six are awaited, and one tested positive," the Kerala Minister said and added, a second gene sequence test would also be done. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) ITEXPO sponsor Sprint and Rocket Fiber, announced a carrier agreement to provide Detroit area businesses with access to more flexible and diverse connectivity options. The collaboration is the first in a series of initiatives aimed at making cutting-edge enterprise connectivity more widely available across Southeast Michigan. Available soon, the newly established network relationship will provide end-to-end, high-speed connectivity utilizing Sprints global wireline network and Rocket Fibers fiber dense footprint in the region. You may recall, this past November, we reported on Sprint partnering with ITEXPO exhibitor Ooma to power the formers Office Pro solution. Aimed at driving progress for the city of Detroit and surrounding suburbs, the Sprint and Rocket will provide complementary fiber network architecture and service levels. Sprint customers will be able to access Rocket Fiber infrastructure to ensure their networks are adaptable and optimized as business needs change, without compromising security or performance. Meanwhile, Rocket Fiber customers will enjoy seamless access to Sprints Tier 1 network backbone. The extension of both companys network capabilities delivers value and reliability for Detroit area businesses looking for high-speed internet and connectivity. Mike Fitz, vice president of Sprints Global Wireline business. We are excited to work with Rocket Fiber as another addition to our access agnostic strategy in the Certainty Network Design Model. The complementary nature of our two wireline networks reinforces our commitment to 100% network availability, said Mike Fitz, vice president of Sprints Global Wireline business. Together with Rocket Fiber in Detroit, customers can rely on Sprints wireline network for their mission-critical applications. Since launch in 2014 Rocket Fiber has paved the way on facilitating and implementing advanced fiber technologies in Detroit and surrounding suburbs. Marc Hudson, Co-Founder and CEO of Rocket Fiber Rocket Fiber has always prided itself on being Detroits premium connectivity provider, said Marc Hudson, Co-Founder and CEO of Rocket Fiber. We are excited about what the relationship with Sprint will bring to Detroit, starting with internet access. The hand-in-glove fit between our networks allows us to not only diversify and strengthen the regions network infrastructure, but also bring our services to a wide range of consumers outside of the state leveraging Sprints best in class national fiber backbone. Sprint and Rocket Fiber have already proven the value proposition to Strategic Staffing Solutions (S3). With 28 locations in the U.S. and Europe, S3 places a premium on connectivity for its business systems and more than 3,600 direct consultants. The company utilizes the Sprint Business SD-WAN solution, connected to its Detroit headquarters with dedicated gigabit internet from Rocket Fiber. Nick Kirby, IT Director with S3, applauds the collaboration between Sprint and Rocket Fiber, Detroit is a hotbed for innovation, which requires that workers engage in high bandwidth activities. Kirby continues, Networks that support innovation at this scale need resilience and diversity to bring true, 100% availability within reach. See the only Tech and SD-WAN vendors that matter at the ITEXPO #TECHSUPERSHOW. 36 companies make this the largest number of SD-WAN companies anywhere. Join others with $8.5B+ in IT buying power who plan 2020 budgets! Including 3,000+ resellers! A unique experience with a collocated SD-WAN Expo, AIOps Expo and MSP Expo Come to the Digital Transformation Event! Feb 12-14, 2020, Fort Lauderdale, FL. Register now. See these SD-WAN vendors and more including Exclusive Diamond Sponsor: Frontier Business. Leader of the PSD (Social Democratic Party) group in the Deputies' Chamber, Alfred Simonis, on Thursday stated there are more than 233 MPs who would vote for the motion of censure, with the debates calendar to be established early next week. "We will see at the voting how we really stand. Our calculations show we have more than 233 votes right now and I trust that, by the start of the debates and by the end of the voting on the motion of censure, we will have all the necessary votes and we will exceed this number easily," Simonis told Parliament. The PSD Deputy claimed that, so far, "there are no colleagues" who are not able to participate in the plenary sitting or showed any intention not to vote for the motion of censure. Simonis also added on Thursday that they weren't able to establish a calendar at the joint sitting of the Standing Bureaus because "some of our colleagues who are members of these forums missed the meeting," but also because a new composition of the Bureau is to be chosen on Monday, according to the procedure used in the beginning of every session. "There will not be a serious delay, what is important is to start the activity in Parliament and to find a suitable date to topple this toxic government for Romania," said the Social Democrat. When he was asked if PSD considers proposing a new national union government at the consultations at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace on the topic of making a new government, in case the motion does pass, his answer was: "We haven't abandoned that idea, but we are still to discuss this inside the party. It is probably the best option to work with." He mentioned that, among the criticism included with the motion, there is one about the privatisation of the healthcare system. "The Prime Minister defends Minister Costache, who is operating on patients at the private clinic during the night and gives money from the Ministry to finance the respective private hospitals and others the next day. (...) And I mean now the privatisation of the healthcare system. For when a government tries to give from the budget of the Ministry of Health to the private hospitals important amounts of money - 6.5 billion lei - while the budget remains the same, this means the Romanian citizens won't be able to benefit from the same services in the public healthcare system," said the leader of the PSD Deputies. AGERPRES The House Democratic Caucus has long been dominated by a gaggle of also-rans: men and women who, while good enough for Congress, proved to be underwhelming on the larger stage of national politics. That's changed. Sitting shoulder to shoulder on the Senate floor as they argue for the presidents removal from office, two men Adam Schiff of California and Hakeem Jeffries of New York have been catapulted to the front of the nation's consciousness, to the top of the Democratic Party and have become the fulcrum for speculation about a host of prominent positions both in the House and beyond. Neither man nor their staffs would talk on the record about their next steps in the rapidly shifting caucus, and the larger Democratic Party. But they didn't need to. In a series of conversations, people close to Schiff and Jeffries did nothing to discourage the rampant speculation about the men's ambitions, and described it in unusually rich detail. Schiff is said to be interested in the Senate (California Sen. Dianne Feinstein is 86), a spot in a potential Democratic administration or speaker of the House. Jeffries, meanwhile, has scant interest in running for mayor of New York a job he was rumored to be eyeing. He wants to be House speaker and is taking steps to get there. On-the-record speculation about the future of one's colleagues is seen as uncouth in a Capitol overflowing with ambition, but the hushed whispers about the pair of Democrats who, together, spoke for more than half of their partys time during the trial is pervasive from every corner of the caucus, and illustrative of their stature among their colleagues. We put them in this role we as the Democratic Caucus because we knew they had that skill, said Rep. Juan Vargas of California. They werent there by accident. House Democratic impeachment manager, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., arrives at the Senate as work resumes in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, at the Capitol in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Indeed, this week on the House floor, the pair has been lavished with praise for their role in prosecuting Trump. Schiff and Jeffries were the top two speakers during the trial for House Democrats, speaking for a total of nearly 11 hours, according to statistics compiled by C-SPAN. Both had their viral moments, offering what Democrats celebrated as stem-winding indictments of Trump -- and, on a lighter note, Jeffries invoked the Notorious B.I.G., the late rapper. Story continues Of course, any predictions about Schiff and Jeffries future come with big caveats. Nancy Pelosi has shown no signs of leaving the speakership, and her staying power as a prodigious fundraiser and adept navigator of Capitol Hill politics is unmatched. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 Democrat, has waited years to succeed Pelosi, and is prepared to fight for the job. But Pelosi will be 80 in eight weeks, the same age as Hoyer. And the caucus is always wondering who will take the wheel next. Similarly, Feinstein will be 90 when she is up for re-election 2024, and California voters are sure to have their pick of aspiring replacements. If the seat somehow opens earlier, Gov. Gavin Newsom will have the chance to appoint someone. And Jeffries and Schiff aren't the only two who have gained prominence amid impeachment. The other managers Jason Crow of Colorado, Val Demings of Florida, Sylvia Garcia of Texas, Jerry Nadler of New York and Zoe Lofgren of California have also seen their profiles rise. But Crow and Garcia are freshmen, Demings is in her second term and Nadler and Lofgren have served in Congress for more than 25 years each, and both committee chairs are likely at the zenith of their congressional careers. Schiff, 59, and Jeffries, 49, have the most immediate path to increased power when the trial comes to an end. In many ways, the two are remarkably similar. Schiff represents Los Angeles, and Jeffries hails from Brooklyn safe Democratic power centers. Theyre both known for meticulous attention to detail. Jeffries, in particular, is notorious for personally approving everything from scheduling changes to press statements. Both are relentlessly on-message; both can deliver lengthy, complex speeches with minimal notes. House Democratic impeachment managers, from left, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., arrive for the start of the third day of the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) But in other ways, the two men are cut from completely different cloth. Schiff, who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, is not the elbow-rubbing, back-slapping pol that typically ascends to power on Capitol Hill. Hes more Paul Ryan than John Boehner, more Eric Cantor than Kevin McCarthy. Schiff doesnt fit comfortably in a box: Once a moderate Blue Dog now seen as more progressive, he is white in a caucus thats increasingly diverse and from California the same state thats run the party for 17 years. He could rise by dint of his sheer outside-the-Beltway popularity, and hero-like stature on the left hes earned through the Russia probe and impeachment. Schiff has piles of campaign cash, the ultimate currency of House power. He uses his campaign account filled with nearly $7 million to help his colleagues keep their seats. Schiffs campaign says hes raised or donated more than $3.5 million for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and front-line candidates in 2019. During the 2018 cycle, Schiffs campaign says he raised or donated $3.7 million for House Democrats and candidates. A source close to Schiff this persons self-description, not POLITICOs said: After the trial, [Schiff is] looking forward to focusing on his Intelligence Committee responsibilities as well as working to elect Democrats up and down the ballot. A House Democrat insisting on anonymity to speak candidly about Schiff described the California Democrat thusly: A towering ego, backed up by towering talent. Senators are not typically not quick to praise members of the House, but Schiff has earned plaudits from the upper chamber. He blew peoples socks off, said Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat who was friends with the California Democrat in the House. Its pretty hard to get over-the-top praise from people with egos as big as United States senators. But Schiffs next move could be a Cabinet post that takes advantage of his legal talents. Several lawmakers said Schiff a Harvard law graduate and former federal prosecutor should be on the shortlist for attorney general should Democrats topple Trump in 2020. Jeffries, on the other hand, has relied on his keen political instincts and hard work to scale the ranks of Democratic leadership at a breakneck pace since coming to Congress in 2013. As a leader of House Democrats messaging arm last cycle, Jeffries is credited with helping craft the message that helped Democrats regain House majority. After the 2018 election, Jeffries was promoted to House Democratic Caucus chairman, the No. 5 spot in leadership, and a prime slot for ascending the partys hierarchy. He has spent much of this Congress working feverishly to develop relationships across the caucus the kind of work that needs to be done to ascend to the caucus's top position. Jeffries aides declined to provide fundraising numbers unusual for someone seeking to ascend in the House. But they noted he traveled more than 20 times for lawmakers last year. Hakeem is limited only by his ambition. Whatever spot to which he aspires could be, if he wants it, the last place or it could be a launching pad, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) said. Jeffries has the added benefit of being a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, a Democratic power center that will have an outsize role in picking the next speaker. Time, as much as anything, may be pivotal to their future successes. Before Jeffries and Schiff, there had been a conga line of similarly ambitious, talented lawmakers who saw their rise blunted by the entrenched trio of House Democratic leaders: Pelosi, Hoyer and Jim Clyburn of South Carolina. Those Democrats largely decamped to the Senate, ran for other higher office or retired into obscurity. One oft-mooted future speaker Joe Crowley of the Bronx lost his seat to a young upstart, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. He is now a lobbyist. After nearly two decades with Pelosi as leader, the jockeying when she retires is expected to be a mad scramble, chaos that could lead to a bitter and contentious race for the speakership, with Schiff and Jeffries potentially at the center of the action. Just focus on the job you're supposed to do and do the best you can, counseled Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) Like Schiff and Jeffries, Van Hollen was once seen as Pelosis heir apparent. He decamped for the Senate in 2016 when it was clear his time might never come. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 30, 2020) - Blackrock Gold Corp. (TSXV: BRC) ("Blackrock" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the closing of the first tranche of its non-brokered private placement previously announced on January 10, 2020. The Company issued a total of 2,685,000 units of the Company ("Units") at a price of $0.20 per Unit for gross proceeds of $537,000 (the "Private Placement"). Each Unit consisted of one common share of the Company ("Common Share") and one-half of one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one Common Share at an exercise price of $0.30 until January 30, 2022. Proceeds from the Private Placement will be used by the Company to fund the 2020 drilling program and exploration work on the Company's Silver Cloud property, and general working capital. On closing, the Company paid a cash commission of $1200, representing 6% of the proceeds raised in respect of a portion of the Private Placement. The Common Shares and Warrants issued in connection with the Private Placement and the Common Shares issuable upon exercise of Warrants are subject to a hold period expiring May 31, 2020. The Private Placement is subject to final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. Certain directors, officers and other insiders of the Company purchased or acquired direction and control over a total of 2,100,000 units under the Private Placement. The placement to those persons constitutes a "related party transaction" within the meaning of TSX Venture Exchange Policy 5.9 and Multilateral Instrument 61-101 -Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") adopted in the Policy. The Company has relied on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 contained in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 in respect of related party participation in the Private Placement as neither the fair market value (as determined under MI 61-101) of the subject matter of, nor the fair market value of the consideration for, the transaction, insofar as it involved the related parties, exceeded 25% of the Company's market capitalization (as determined under MI 61-101). Further details will be included in a material change report to be filed by the Company. The material change report will not be filed more than 21 days prior to closing of the Private Placement due to the timing of the announcement of the Private Placement and closing occurring in less than 21 days. The securities described herein have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the securities laws of any state and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent an exemption from registration. About Blackrock Gold Corp. Blackrock is a junior gold-focused exploration company that is on a quest to make an economic discovery. Anchored by a seasoned Board, the Company is focused on its Silver Cloud property, a low-sulphidation epithermal gold & silver project located along on the established Northern Nevada Rift gold trend in north-central Nevada. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Such forward-looking statements concern the net proceeds from the Private Placement and the intended use of proceeds. Such forward-looking statements or information are based on a number of assumptions, which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things: conditions in general economic and financial markets; exploration costs, timing and amount of exploration expenditures; and effects of regulation by governmental agencies. The actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward looking statements as a result of the risk factors including: the availability of funds; the timing and content of work programs; results of exploration activities of mineral properties; the interpretation of drilling results and other geological data; and general market and industry conditions. Forward-looking statements are based on the expectations and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. The assumptions used in the preparation of such statements, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statements were made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this news release if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as otherwise required by applicable law. For further information, please contact: Andrew Pollard, Chief Executive Officer Blackrock Gold Corp. Phone: 604 817-6044 Email: andrew@blackrockgoldcorp.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service 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/51977 Phoenix, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - January 30, 2020) - The Stock Day Podcast welcomed MobiCard, Inc. aka Peer to Peer Network (OTC Pink: PTOP) ("the Company"), the company behind the revolutionary digital business card platform that allows individuals to seamlessly share their contact information virtually from anywhere. CEO of the Company, Josh Sodaitis, joined Stock Day host Everett Jolly. Sodaitis began the interview by providing listeners with an update on the Company's current projects, and thanking his shareholders for their support. "MobiCard was granted a utility patent, which detailed 19 material claims, and I filed a continuation patent to add and enhance material claims, which we just recently paid the allowance fees for that patent to be granted from the United States Trademark and Patent Office," shared Sodaitis. "The core business product is the fundamental building block that will skyrocket the company to success," said Sodaitis, noting that artificial intelligence was added to the product and an additional amendment was added to the original contract. "Now with over 384 features and counting, our new technology platform will include Apple and Google mobile apps, as well as a component for a web application," shared Sodaitis. "The news that shareholders have been dying to hear is upon us today," announced Sodaitis. "Ladies and gentlemen, shareholders of PTOP, the apps have been submitted to their perspective stores and the beta test version should be available in the app stores very soon," shared Sodaitis. Sodaitis then explained that the Google mobile app store has already completed their audit of the app, and the Company is simply waiting for the Apple audit team to finalize their audit. Once the audit is complete, the company can launch their beta test platform. "We need all the apps approved before we can move on to our beta," explained Sodaitis. Jolly then asked about the development of a new website. "All of our apps will be linked to our new website," said Sodaitis, noting that in total the Company has developed three apps. "There are the mobile apps, Google and Apple, but there is a web component app," he explained. "The website will go live as soon as our beta program goes live," he added. Jolly then inquired about the Company's future goals and asked what shareholders have to look forward to. Sodaitis shared that the next step for the Company is the launching of their beta testing program, which will occur as soon as the Apple audit is complete. "This new announcement in development will now allow me to allocate my focus to other strategic objectives like enhancing our proprietary solutions and protecting the brand through our patents," explained Sodaitis. "The resources of the company can now go into completing financials - removing the stop sign and getting everything current," he continued. Jolly asked about the first and second quarter of 2020 and what they represent for the Company's goals. "I really believe this is the year that we finish and complete all three of my strategic goals that I laid out when I became CEO," said Sodaitis. "It's been such a long road and finally the culmination of all of our combined efforts should be realized in 2020," he continued. "I'm looking ahead to a year full of promise." "In our opinion, this is the year the stock will see its real value resulting from the efforts and actions that management has been doing behind the scenes to make the most valuable, profitable, and productive mobile business card platform on the market. Look out for our logo in the Apple and Google Play Store, exciting announcements are soon to come. With our combined efforts we have the opportunity to have the next viral app to change the way business is conducted and become the best brand in an entirely new industry in 2020," closed Sodaitis. To hear Josh Sodaitis' entire interview, follow the link to the podcast here: https://audioboom.com/posts/7491641-mobicard-inc-announces-the-submission-of-their-mobicard-applications-with-the-stock-day-podcast Also, you can check out the video presentation below: https://www.youtube.com/embed/eErZ2juqtsU Investors Hangout is a proud sponsor of "Stock Day," and Stock Day Media encourages listeners to visit the company's message board at https://investorshangout.com/ About MobiCard MobiCard is a digital business card platform that allows individuals to seamlessly share their contact information virtually from anywhere. Be the first to utilize and improve business productivity as well as strengthening relationships between businesses in addition to client and agent business practices. There is no limit to the creativity and ingenuity that this app can provide for business promotion and networking with a new way to set a fast pace business progression and seeing results beyond belief. These were the same ideals behind the creation of this app. Safe Harbor Statement: This release includes 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 Company invokes the protections of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements regarding our expected future financial position, results of operations, cash flows, financing plans, business strategies, products and services, competitive positions, growth opportunities, plans and objectives of management for future operations, as well as statements that include words such as "anticipate," "if," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "could," "should," "will," and other similar expressions are forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control, which may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from anticipated results, performance, or achievements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include those set forth in our prior filings at www.sec.gov. The company is no longer a fully reporting SEC filing company. We are under no obligation to (and expressly disclaim any such obligation to) update or alter our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Joshua Sodaitis, Chairman & CEO MobiCard, Inc. 45 Prospect Street Cambridge, MA 02139 Phone: 1-617-651-2460 Email: info@freemobicard.com About The "Stock Day" Podcast Founded in 2013, Stock Day is the fastest growing media outlet for Nano-Cap and Micro-Cap companies. It educates investors while simultaneously working with penny stock and OTC companies, providing transparency and clarification of under-valued, under-sold Micro-Cap stocks of the market. Stock Day provides companies with customized solutions to their news distribution in both national and international media outlets. The Stock Day Podcast is the number one radio show of its kind in America. Stock Day recently launched its Video Interview Studio located in Phoenix, Arizona. SOURCE: Stock Day Media 602-441-3474 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/51966 Romell Nellis (pictured), 40, was arrested on January 8 for allegedly robbing two banks on separate days in December A suspected two-time bank robber who has been dubbed a 'menace to society' has been freed under New York's controversial new bail reforms. The release of Romell Nellis and others over the last few weeks has frustrated officials in the Big Apple, including Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder. Ryder appeared on Fox & Friends on Thursday and said: 'This guy, Romell Nellis, should have stayed in jail, he should not be out.' The commissioner said 'everybody is frustrated' at New York, which recently joined California and New Jersey in prohibiting cash bails for most misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies. 'You can't make sense of it, it doesn't make sense,' Ryder. 'Bail reform was meant to be fair for all, not to take away discretion from judges looking at criminal history.' Nellis, 40, was arrested on January 8 for allegedly robbing two banks on separate days in December. Scroll down for video When Nellis appeared before Nassau County District Judge David McAndrews (pictured) he was ordered to be held on $10,000 cash. But a higher-level judge reversed McAndrews' order and released Nellis with an ankle monitor He reportedly handed bank tellers notes that said: 'I have a gun!' Another note demanded '$100s, 50s & 20s'. According to the New York Post, Nellis, a homeless ex-con, stole nearly $9,500 from the December 17 West Hempstead incident and the December 30 Valley Stream incident. NEW YORK'S BAIL REFORMS: THE FACTS On January 1 2020, New York State introduced sweeping criminal justice legislation, meaning that cash bail is no longer permitted for most misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies, including robbery. Judges are now required to release individuals charged with such crimes with no cash bail. The controversial new New York 'no-bail law' is expected to curtail the use of cash bail and pretrial detention in an estimated 90 per cent of arrests and strengthen measures intended to ensure a defendant's right to a speedy trial. New York's decision to reform its law saw the state join ranks with California and New Jersey - which already prohibit cash bails for most misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies. The 'no-bail' law has been mired in controversy since it was enshrined into state legislation. Advertisement Nellis, who in the past served a seven-year-prison sentence for a 2012 crack-trafficking case, was due in court on December 16, when he was supposed to be sentenced for violating his supervised release. But his lawyer managed to get the sentencing postponed until March 24 because Nellis was 'scheduled to enter into an in-patient drug-treatment program'. However, Nellis allegedly robbed the two banks and by the time he was arrested on January 8, the new bail reform law had already gone into effect. When Nellis appeared before Nassau County District Judge David McAndrews he was ordered to be held on $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond. But McAndrews' decision was short-lived and a higher-level judge reversed his order and released Nellis with an ankle monitor, according to the Post. Nellis later cut off the ankle monitor. And Nellis isn't the only felon who has been released due to the new bail reforms. Gerod Woodberry, 42, carried out four robberies across New York before being arrested and brought before a judge on January 9 who then had no choice but to release him under the city's no-bail law reform. Hours after his release, the suspect went on to rack up two more bank robberies before turning himself in to police. Woodberry was finally detained by a federal judge. Just two weeks after the bail reforms went into effect, New York police shared a shocking video that showed a Bronx man violently assaulting his girlfriend at their job before he was eventually released. The Harriman Village Police department said that 20-year-old Jay Vasquez-Paulino attacked the woman he had been dating for about a month. The suspect is pictured above entering the Chase Bank at 20 Flatbush Avenue, Downtown Brooklyn on 10 January before he carried out what is believed to be robbery number five The assault took place at the Superior Packing company in Harriman, where the duo had been employed. Vasquez-Paulino was charged with misdemeanors for the assault, but the new bail reforms under Governor Andrew Cuomo required police to release him with an appearance ticket. In another case, a suspected drunk driver who was arrested over a fatal crash that killed a recent graduate was released without bail despite a lengthy criminal history. Jordan Randolph, 40, was charged with Felony DWI after the incident in Long Island, New York. The Harriman Village Police department said that 20-year-old Jay Vasquez-Paulino attacked the woman he had been dating for about a month on Tuesday at the Superior Packing company Jonathan Flores-Maldonado, 27, died after his 2015 Ford was hit by Randolph's 2014 Cadillac on a parkway in Brookhaven, authorities say. Randolph 'attempted to flee the scene on foot', but 'after taking a few steps, (he) fell to the ground where he was placed into custody', court documents show. He has 12 previous criminal convictions, including three DWIs since 2011, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office. Randolph was also said to have been busted for not having a court-ordered breathalyzer in his vehicle and later released. But the judge was forced to release Randolph under the bail reform laws. Days after Amitabh Bachchan attended his make-up mans bash and shared pictures from the same, Kangana Ranaut also took highlighted the achievements of her hairstylist Maria Sharma, who completed 50 years in the industry. Kangana is currently working on late actor-turned-politician J Jayalalithaas biopic, titled Thalaivi. The actors team has shared fresh pictures of her in a new look as a classical dancer to wish hair stylist Maria Sharma on her 50th work anniversary. The pictures show Kangana getting her hairdo done ahead of the film shoot. She has her hair tied in a bun, which has been adorned with flowers. She is also wearing traditional South Indian jewellery and has her makeup suitable for a classic dance performance. The post was captioned, Wishing Maria Sharma a glorious five decades in the Indian film industry. This legendary hair stylist who worked with screen icons like Hema Malini, Sharmila Tagore, Helen and Manisha Koirala completed 50 years on the sets of Thalaivi. #KanganaRanaut started her career with Maria Ji with films like Woh Lamhe and Once Upon A Time in Mumbai. Here shes seen putting final touches on Kanganas stunning Indian look for #Thalaivi. Stay tuned for more. Maria, who had a rough start in life as her husband died when she was just 20 years old. She went on to become one of the top artists in Bollywood while single-handedly raising her 2 daughters. Kanganas fans loved the look and showered the actor with praise and congratulated Maria for her achievements. A fan called the actor Gorgeous while another wrote, Wow !! Interesting. One more user called the look, mesmerising. Also read: Wendell Rodricks on Priyanka Chopras Grammy dress: There is an age to wear some clothes; Twitter hits back Kangana had enrolled herself in Bharatnatyam classes as part of her prep for her role. She was also reported to have spent hours on prosthetic makeup sessions and also learnt some Tamil. Talking to IANS, she had said in an interview, I am finding it difficult to learn Tamil. This film will be released in Hindi and Tamil, so we will do something about it. Obviously, I have to mug up those dialogues because Tamil is not an easy language. Earlier, I was trying to learn the complete Tamil language because I have learned English as well, but now I am learning Tamil as per the demand of films script. Apart from Kangana, the film also stars Arvind Swami as MGR. It is scheduled to release in 2020. Follow @htshowbiz for more The Shiv Sena on Thursday endorsed Union home minister Amit Shah's view that alleged inflammatory statements made by Sharjeel Imam, an anti- Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) activist, were dangerous. No should be done on the issue, and such "pest" afflicting the country should be finished off, it said. Imam was arrested on Tuesday in connection with his speeches at Jamia Millia Islamia University in Delhi and in Aligarh during anti-CAA protests. He has been booked for sedition, among other offences. In an editorial published in its mouthpiece 'Saamana', the Sena, a former ally of the BJP, said, "We agree with union home minister's comments that Sharjeel Imam's alleged words of separation are more dangerous than that of Kanhaiya Kumar." Kumar, former student leader from Jawaharlal Nehru University, had been arrested over alleged separatist slogans shouted during a protest on varsity campus. The Sena, which has formed alliance with the Congress and NCP to come to power in Maharashtra, is often seen walking a tightrope to preserve its credentials as a pro-Hindutva party. "The union home ministry, while initiating action against Imam, should not indulge in and try to finish off this pest that is afflicting our country," the editorial said. "One must find out why such language of breaking up this country into pieces is being used by the educated youth of this country more and more frequently. Who is spewing such venom into the mind of Sharjeel who did his graduation from IIT-B and now pursuing PhD from JNU?" the Sena asked. "Even people involved in Elgar Parishad at Pune are facing sedition charges and these people have been known as intellectuals and are well-known personalities," said the party. "A conspiracy to bring about a conflict between Hindus and Muslims and ensure continuance of anarchy and civil war as in Iraq and Afghanistan exists. The boost for such activities is coming from a 'political laboratory'," the editorial said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Regulatory News: Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE: PM) will host a live audio webcast at www.pmi.com/2019Q4earnings on Thursday, February 6, 2020, at 9:00 a.m. ET to discuss its 2019 Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year results, which will be issued at approximately 7:00 a.m. ET the same day. During the webcast, Andre Calantzopoulos, Chief Executive Officer will discuss the company's results, the outlook for 2020 and with Martin King, Chief Financial Officer, will answer questions from the investment community and news media. The webcast will be in a listen-only mode. The audio webcast may also be accessed on iOS or Android devices by downloading PMI's free Investor Relations Mobile Application at www.pmi.com/irapp. An archived copy of the webcast will be available until 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday, March 6, 2020, at www.pmi.com/2019Q4earnings. Slides and script will also be available at www.pmi.com/2019Q4earnings. Philip Morris International: Delivering a Smoke-Free Future Philip Morris International (PMI) is leading a transformation in the tobacco industry to create a smoke-free future and ultimately replace cigarettes with smoke-free products to the benefit of adults who would otherwise continue to smoke, society, the company and its shareholders. PMI is a leading international tobacco company engaged in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes, as well as smoke-free products and associated electronic devices and accessories, and other nicotine-containing products in markets outside the United States. In addition, PMI ships a version of its IQOS Platform 1 device and its consumables authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to Altria Group, Inc. for sale in the United States under license. PMI is building a future on a new category of smoke-free products that, while not risk-free, are a much better choice than continuing to smoke. Through multidisciplinary capabilities in product development, state-of-the-art facilities and scientific substantiation, PMI aims to ensure that its smoke-free products meet adult consumer preferences and rigorous regulatory requirements. PMI's smoke-free IQOS product portfolio includes heat-not-burn and nicotine-containing vapor products. As of September 30, 2019, PMI estimates that approximately 8.8 million adult smokers around the world have already stopped smoking and switched to PMI's heat-not-burn product available for sale in 51 markets in key cities or nationwide under the IQOS brand. For more information, visit www.pmi.com and www.pmiscience.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005597/en/ Contacts: Investor Relations: New York: +1 (917) 663 2233 Lausanne: +41 (0)58 242 4666 Media: Lausanne: +41 (0)58 242 4500 Email: Iro.Antoniadou@pmi.com The Maharashtra government-appointed judicial commission probing the Bhima-Koregaon violence on Wednesday heard an application filed by social activist Dr. Sanjay Patil demanding that former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis be questioned into the matter as a witness. The commission, while hearing the application filed by the intervener, said that it will "summon each and every person" who can shed any light on the case. Patil, in his application, said that Fadnavis should be called as a witness as he had made a statement in the legislative assembly and council holding Shivprathisthan president Shambhaji Bhide and Samasta Hindu Aghadi president Milind Ekbote responsible for the violence. The application said that the statement made by Fadnavis in legislative assembly and council are relevant as "it is an exact true responsible statement and it is always based on the reliable information obtained by former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis from his senior officers and also all the records of the police and the government and inquiry material obtained by the state from the relevant parties". "Fadnavis has not alleged the members of the Yalgaar Parishad or urban Naxals for Bhima-Koregaon riots," said the application, which was filed before the commission on Monday. It also sought that the commission call all records on phone, mobile records, police control room records, wireless records of the day. The central government has handed over the investigation of the Bhima-Koregaon case to the Investigation Agency (NIA), without the state government's approval. On January 1, 2018, violence had erupted during the 200th-anniversary celebrations of the Bhima-Koregaon battle. One person had lost his life while several others were injured in the incident. Police had filed 58 cases against 162 people in the matter. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ABUJA The consumer protection agency in Nigeria on Wednesday, January 29 closed a Chinese-owned supermarket selling illegally imported seafood and meat in the capital, Abuja, over ongoing fears about the spread of coronavirus, reports BBC. Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. The disease which has claimed over 100 in China causes illness from common cold, severe acute. Nigerias Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) said they made the discovery during a surprise inspection. The agency said that many of the products it found in the supermarket had irregular or expired dates. The goods were reportedly stored in a hidden area of the supermarket. UPDATE: FCCPC inspected Panda Supermarket; Jabi on credible reports that it discriminated & had a concealed area for Asian nationals. Allegation confirmed, seafood & animals imported illegally from China discovered. Store closed in abundance of caution considering Coronavirus. pic.twitter.com/g5WInVcJm2 FCCPC Nigeria (@fccpcnigeria) January 29, 2020 The new coronavirus is believed to have emerged from illegally traded wildlife at a seafood market in Chinas Wuhan city. On January 28, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oulanyah ordered the Minister of Health, Dr. Ruth Aceng to present before Parliament a statement alerting Ugandans of the coronavirus. Oulanyahs directive was in response to a concern raised by Apollo Masika (Bubulo County) who asked the government to take precautions about the prevailing coronavirus in China given the trading relationship the two countries have during the plenary sitting. However, delivering a statement to members of parliament on January 29 during plenary the state minister of health, Hon. Robinah Nabbanja said that the public should remain calm as no cases have been reported in Uganda. Related Washington State is one of the wealthiest states in the US. The state is located in the Pacific Northwest. It is iconic globally, due to its increase in growth and contribution to the US economy. Thanks to the major industries in Washington which bring in income. The annual economic output is estimated to be $500 million. Washington competes with states such as Oregon, Colorado and California which rank top 10 as per the economy of the nation. The biggest industries in Washington are: Food And Agriculture Washington is the largest producer of red raspberries in the US. The state is also top in the farming of other fruits such an as seed peas, apples and grapes. There are more than thirty thousand farms in Washington, with an estimate of one hundred and sixty thousand workers. The farms grow a variety of three hundred crops. These include corn, wheat, and potatoes. The state is ranked top in the production of hay, hops, mint, Kentucky bluegrass, and barley. Nursery and greenhouse products are also part of the crops that Washington produces. Washington is among top ten milk producers in the United States. It has approximately 480 dairy farms. 74% of the counties in Washington have dairy farms. The dairy products from livestock include cow milk, which caters for77% of Washington residents, cheese, cream, and butter. The state gets revenue of up to $5.2 billion from dairy farming. The proximity of Washington to a shoreline makes seafood processing an important part of its food industry. Reports show that Washington's economy is greatly contributed by the agricultural industry, with an income of $9.5 billion. Aerospace And Construction Seattle has the largest aerospace firm, Boeing. There are many other aerospace companies such as Airbus, Blue Origin, and Embraer based in Washington DC. An estimate of jobs in the Boeing company over the past three years has been ranging from eighty-four thousand annually, both direct and indirect. This excludes one hundred and sixty-five employees worldwide. The gross business income from the aerospace industry is reported to be up to $66 billion dollars, whereas its business revenues range from $30 to $54 billion dollars. The aerospace industry correlates with other industries such as airline companies, machine dealers and training organizations to add up on jobs and income in general. Washington has been ranked top in the design and construction of offices. The construction workers are also involved in the delivery of new office projects. The state is also largely involved in the construction of cranes. There are many companies under construction in the state. The GDP for the construction industry is 3.6%. Information And Communication Technology Software development has been on the rise in Washington. The state has a majority of the leading software firms, which have been developed since the 1980s. Technology has been an expansive industry, with a lot of networks and innovation involving software. For a rapidly growing world relying on technology, Seattle serves as a model with an adaptation of cloud-based computing. The headquarters of over five hundred companies are based in Washington including Facebook and Google with up to two thousand employees each. The largest of them all is Amazon, with forty thousand employees in only Washington. Reports show that the technology sector in Washington brings in a revenue of $37 billion. There is a huge boost to job creation. An estimate shows more than 230,000 people from Washington work in the technology industries. There are more than 430 gaming industries in Seattle. Video-gaming is a multibillion-dollar business. Companies like Microsoft and Amazon are embracing them. The wide technology industry deals also with matters of e-commerce and fashion retail. Forestry Washington state is the third-largest producer of timber and biofuel, competing with Oregon, Georgia and California states. The state has vast acres of land dedicated to forestry. The estimate ranges up to 21 million acres, most of which are timberland. Ownership of the forests includes private, public and national. Their demand is on the rise because of their wide use in real estate development and housing. Other uses include serving as a wildlife habitat, biomass for energy and ensuring water availability. 60, 000 miles of streams propagate through some parts of forestland. Washington produces timber that serves not only North America but also the international market. Industries that depend on forestry include pulp and paper, veneer and plywood, sawmills, and log production. Technological advancements in the lumber milling sector have led to an increase in the number of lumber products. Reports show that 76% of Washington timber comes from private land ownership, indicating that a lot of investments are geared towards forestry. The forestry industry in Washington employs more than 42, 000 workers. The tax revenues from wood products total up to $53 million. Trade Trade is one of the biggest industries in Washington, with many employment opportunities. 333,000 jobs in Washington are for trade workers. Statistics show that one out of five jobs in Washington is tied to international trade. With the state's exports, the GDP shoots to 13.8%. The multibillion-dollar exports include electronics, machinery, petroleum and foodstuff. Exports from agricultural products range from wheat, fruits and processed vegetables. There are licenses given to allow trade-ins for the motor industry for example in dealings of motor vehicles, snowmobiles, boats and trailers. Over the years retail trade has had a varying GDP contribution of 7%. Exports bring in a total of $99 billion inclusive of goods and services. The trade industry keeps on growing, creating people globally more than one million jobs. 20% of jobs in Washington are from trade industries. More than 12,000 companies have established businesses in Washington. Also, Washington favors trade links because of its geographical location. It is bordered by Oregon, Canada, and Pacific Ocean which gives international trade access to Asia and Europe continents. United States President Donald Trump will visit the Sabarmati Riverfront in Gujarat during his India trip in February, the state Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said on Wednesday. Rupani said this while addressing an election rally in north Delhi's Shastri Nagar. "In the entire Asia, the Sabarmati river has become the cleanest river which was ensured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Prominent leaders like Japan and Israel prime ministers also visited the riverfront and got surprised to see it. "US President Trump will also come (to India) in February and he will also visit the riverfront," the Gujarat chief minister said. However he did not specify the dates. Earlier this month, government sources said Indian and US officials were engaged in talks to finalise the dates for Trump's visit to India. "Both sides are in discussions to finalise the dates," a source said. Trump's two-day visit to India could take place on February 24-26. India had invited Trump to grace the Republic Day parade as the chief guest last year but the US president could not come due to scheduling issues. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang speaks to medical workers in a hospital where coronavirus patients are being treated in Wuhan, China. / Reuters BEIJING/SHANGHAI Toyota Motor Corp's production plants in China will stay closed through Feb. 9, the Japanese automaker said on Wednesday, in response to the spread of a new coronavirus that now includes a sharp rise in fatalities. Toyota, which runs plants in regions such as the northern city of Tianjin and the southern province of Guangdong, said the closures after the Lunar New Year holidays were in line with transport lockdowns in some places, and as it assesses its parts supply situation. The United States and Japan evacuated their nationals from the quarantined city of Wuhan, while British Airways suspended flights to mainland China. Deaths have leapt to 132, and a Chinese government economist predicted a huge hit to the economy. Beijing's pledge to slay the "devil" coronavirus has won the trust of the World Health Organization (WHO) but confirmation of another 1,459 cases taking the total to 5,974 in China only fueled public alarm worldwide. Geely and our global family are united in support of the fight against the new coronavirus. We have established a 200 million RMB fund to support the prevention and control of the epidemic. @volvocars@lotuscars@LondonEVCompany@GeelyWorldwidehttps://t.co/vLAaQavGNT Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (@GeelyHolding) January 28, 2020 Travelers with the illness were identified around the world, including in the United States, but almost all of the cases of the illness have been in the central province of Hubei, the capital of which is Wuhan, where the virus emerged last month in a live wild animal market. Story continues The situation remained "grim and complex," Chinese President Xi Jinping acknowledged. In many Chinese cities, streets were largely deserted, with the few who ventured out wearing masks. Starbucks stores in Beijing required people to have temperatures taken and posted notices saying it was a state requirement to wear masks inside. "It's my first time here in Asia, I feel very unlucky," said Brazilian tourist Amanda Lee, 23, reluctantly cutting short a trip. "I couldn't even see the places I wanted, like the Great Wall." There was relief, however, among those evacuated from Hubei province, home to about 60 million people and under virtual lockdown. "I was extremely worried that I was stuck there," said Takeo Aoyama, who arrived in Tokyo on a chartered plane carrying 206 Japanese out of Wuhan, with more flights planned. Two of the Japanese evacuated had symptoms of pneumonia, but coronavirus had not been confirmed, medics said. The virus is weighing heavily on the world's second-biggest economy. Companies are curbing travel to China, and airlines are cutting flights, with British Airways one of the biggest names in aviation to do so. But in what could be a major step towards taming the disease, scientists in Australia said they had developed a lab-grown version of the coronavirus, the first to be recreated outside China. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said about 210 Americans had been flown out of Wuhan. Those on board the aircraft would be screened several times and evaluated on arrival in California, it said in a statement released via the U.S. embassy in Beijing. A U.S. government official told Reuters 50 diplomats and contractors were among the passengers. U.S. officials said the White House was weighing whether to suspend flights to China. It was holding daily meetings on the outbreak and monitoring China-U.S. flights as a likely source of infection, sources briefed on the matter said, though it had decided against suspending air traffic for the time being. The number of cases in China now exceeds its tally of 5,327 infected with the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) coronavirus that killed about 800 people globally in 2002 and 2003. While some experts believe the new strain, known as "2019-nCoV", is not as deadly as SARS, alarm has grown over its rapid spread and many unknown attributes, such as how lethal it is. Like other respiratory infections, it is spread by droplets from coughs and sneezes, with an incubation time between one and 14 days. There are signs it may spread before symptoms show. About 60 cases, but no deaths, have been reported in 15 other countries, including the United States, France and Singapore. The gunman, who fired at a protester near Jamia Millia Islamia University after putting out several posts on Facebook, will turn 18 in April, his family has said. The family has produced a copy of his Class X certificate issued by the Central Board of Secondary Education and his Aadhaar card to back up its claim that he is a minor. The shooter, dressed in a black jacket, had fired a shot from a country-made pistol at the protesters in the presence of scores of security personnel. The policemen took him into custody soon after. Witnesses said he had shouted aao aaj aazadi dilaata hoon (come, I will give you freedom) and raised religious slogans before pulling the trigger. Opposition parties and many Jamia students linked the shooting to provocative statements made by leaders of the BJP in the run up to the February 8 elections. Home Minister Amit Shah said he had ordered the police chief to take the strictest action against the culprit. Delhi Police, who has handed the task to probe Thursdays firing to the crime branch, has declined to confirm his age and only confirmed the suspects claims. Back home in his village in Greater Noidas Jewar, his grandfather told reporters that the family hadnt figured out what had transpired. Or how he managed to lay his hands on a firearm. We do not know what made him take such a step and how he gained access to a gun. There is no licensed or any unauthorized firearm at our house, he said. The Madhya Pradesh government has decided to constitute a trust for the development of infrastructure along 'Ram Van Gaman Path', the route believed to be taken by Lord Ram headed for his exile in forest. In a meeting on Thursday, Chief Minister Kamal Nath directed officials to constitute a trust, which will include religious leaders and legislators, an official of the state public relations department said. The state government will also seek financial assistance from devotees of Lord Ram to develop the mythological route, he added. The project will be implemented by the Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation, he said, adding that the construction will begin after completing survey work of the first phase, which includes a 30-km route in Amarkantak and another one in Chitrakoot. A provision of Rs 22 crore has been made for road infrastructure, beautification, plantation and other works along 'Ram Van Gaman Path'. It was also decided in the meeting that a team of officials will also visit Sri Lanka, where the Madhya Pradesh government had earlier announced the construction of a Sita temple, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The second-phoniest thing about President Trumps defense in his Senate impeachment trial is his lawyers persistent claim that, without direct knowledge of the presidents inner thoughts and intentions, it is impossible to conclude that there was anything wrong about his secret effort to unlawfully block foreign aid to Ukraine to extort personal political favors from its government. This line of defense has required the lawyers to ask the senators to imagine ever more improbable hypothetical versions of Donald Trump: a Donald Trump with a deep and long-standing interest in fighting corruption in post-Soviet politics, a Donald Trump gravely concerned about the appearance of conflicts of interest for American officials and their families, a Donald Trump sincerely committed to eradicating any threat of foreign interference in our countrys future elections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All of these imaginary Trumps, and their pretend motives, are impossible to square with either the facts of the Ukraine scheme or the known record of Donald Trump. Yet theres an even more basic problem with this defense, a still more fundamental fact about the impeachment inquiry that everyonethe presidents defenders, the House impeachment managers, the Senate, and the presshas evidently agreed to ignore: Theres a real-life Donald Trump to ask. Would Trump answer questions about his Ukraine motivations? Almost certainly not! But somehow, in the course of the past four and a half years, everyone tacitly agreed to give up and not even try. Presidential candidates were supposed to share their personal financial records, until this one refused to. He was going to do it later, supposedly, after an alleged audit was done, but nobody could even get him to prove the audit existed and later never came. The Department of Justice told Robert Mueller that the president was immune to criminal prosecution, and so Mueller decided not to even try to subpoena the president for information in a criminal investigation. Advertisement Advertisement Now the president has stonewalled the Houses oversight and impeachment inquiries alike, leaving the House trying to convince an unwilling Senate majority to vote to begin considering whether to ask anyone else about anything. John Bolton, maybe? John Bolton says he was in the room with Trump when he cooked up the Ukraine plot. But another person who was in the room is: Donald Trump. Advertisement The presidents defense team has dragged the impeachment trial into endless philosophical circles around the question of the presidents state of mind, which they claim to be fundamentally unknowable. There may be transcripts of his remarks, or people who heard or overheard his orders, or people who heard from his henchmen about what he wanted, but what if all of that is a web of misunderstandings? Who can ever really know the inner purposes of one man? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Did Donald Trump ever raise a complaint about Joe Bidens public efforts to fight corruption in Ukraine before Biden entered the presidential race? Ask him! Did Trump withhold foreign aid because he was sincerely trying to pressure Ukraine to reform its culture of corruption? Seems like something Trump could answer! Why did Trump decide to fire the American ambassador to Ukraine? Trump would know! What did Trump mean when he told the president of Ukraine I would like you to do us a favor, though? No point in senators parsing the text among themselves when the person who uttered it is right there down the Mall! Its not as if the president is reticent on these subjects. He tweets about them or free-associates around them in his rallies and public remarks. Hes just avoided talking about them in any setting where he will be responsible for the answers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is not how things have gone before now. Presidents have been expected to answer questions about their misconduct, and they have done it. Richard Nixon answered investigators questions about Watergate. Ronald Reagan answered investigators questions about Iran-Contra. Bill Clinton answered questions about his extramarital affairand he got impeached because he lied about it. Yet no one seems to believe that Trump can be asked to do the same. He tells lies all day long, but nobody will dare him to make the leap to official perjury. The Senate goes about the business of avoiding its business, with the majority groveling and the minority sunk into learned helplessness. To his loyalists, Trump is the supreme and unitary executive, his word as authoritative as Gods but also as ineffable and unknowable. To his opponents, he is impossible, so dishonest and belligerent and contemptuous of his duties that there is no point in treating him as a normal president, with the obligations that go with the job. Either way, they agree with the ultimate premise of Trumpism, which is that the president functions as a one-way broadcast machine, haranguing everybody and answering to nobody. The expectations of him are so low, theres no limit to what he can do. The Royal Mint will commemorate Britain's departure from the EU on Friday by selling commemorative 50p coins priced up to 945. The Mint will strike gold, silver and brilliant uncirculated versions of the 50p, and they will go on sale on Friday. The design on the coins features the words: 'Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations', and the date of 31 January 2020, after previous designs featuring the dates of 29 March and 31 October were scrapped following delays to Brexit. The Royal Mint will be selling 3 Brexit 50p coins from Friday to mark Brexit day on 31 January. Gold, silver and brilliant uncirculated versions will be available for as much as 945 Just 1,500 gold Brexit 50p coins will be put on sale, and available for the chunky sum of 945. Some 47,000 silver versions will be available for 60, and an unlimited number of brilliant uncirculated 50p coins for 10. While there may be those so enthusiastic about the UK's departure that they will pay 945 to commemorate the date, you may still be able to end up with a coin without spending anything. This is because from Friday standard circulated versions will also start showing up in people's change. The coins will feature the words 'Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations' Around 3million Brexit coins will enter banks, Post Offices and shops nationwide from 31 January, with a further 7million entering circulation later this year. The large circulation figures for the coin may doom collectors looking to make some serious money from selling the coins online, as this may mean they are not especially valuable. As many as 10m 50p coins commemorating the UK's departure from the EU could be put into circulation over the course of 2020. Some 3m will appear in people's change from Friday Clare Maclennan, director of commemorative coin at the Royal Mint, said: 'The Royal Mint has been marking significant events in British history for over 1,000 years, and has a history of commemorating the UK's relationship with the EU through coinage.' The Royal Mint has produced coins in the past to mark milestones in the UK's relationship with the European Union. It made a coin when the UK joined the European Economic Community in 1973, created a design for the single market in 1992, and also marked the UK's 25th anniversary of joining the EU in 1998. The Royal Mint has also created a two-coin set priced at 30, featuring the original 1973 50p coin alongside the commemorative 50p coin marking the UK's withdrawal from the EU. The original prototypes for a Brexit 50p piece last March had to be melted down On Friday, the Royal Mint Experience in South Wales will open for 24 hours, giving more visitors the opportunity to tour the site, and strike their own coin to mark the UK's departure from the EU. Tours for 31 January have already sold out, but visitors will have the opportunity to strike the coin until February 12. On Friday the Royal Mint experience in Llantrisant, South Wales, will allow people to strike their own coin on Brexit day In addition, the Royal Mint will also be producing a limited edition 'strike on the day' sovereign, featuring a portcullis mint mark. More information about the commemorative 50p can be found on royalmint.com. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- A familiar charade is playing out in Tehran. Ahead of the elections to the Iranian parliament next month, those political factions likely to perform poorly are preemptively blaming the U.S. Expectation-management is the recourse of last resort for failing politicians everywhere, and blaming the U.S. is the hoariest political tradition in the Islamic Republic. The most practiced exponents of both skills are the so-called moderates, whose standard-bearer is President Hassan Rouhani. A brief detour on definitions: Rouhani is not really a moderate in any rational understanding of the term. He has always been part of the security-clerical complex that has run Iran since the 1989 death of the Islamic Republics founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. He and his coterie are best characterized as the least hardline of the hardliners. The Iranian political system allows little room for genuine moderates, less still for reformers. The last time that a government came anywhere close to those definitions the 1997-2005 presidency of Mohammad Khatami it was unable to make any meaningful reforms stick. Back to the current election cycle. Rouhani and his fellow least-hardliners are expected to lose ground, and are blaming the Trump administration. The perfidious Americans, Rouhani says, are seeking to create gaps between the establishment and people, and Iranians should use the ballot box to demonstrate their unity.But there are many reasons for Rouhanis faction to fare poorly. Some are purely cyclical: Iranian voters have tended to throw the bums out every eight years. Khatami and his wannabe-reformers were followed by the reactionaries of Mahmoud Ahmedinejad in 2005, who were in turn replaced by Rouhani and his faction in 2013. Ensuring that the cycle keeps turning smoothly is the man with the real power in Tehran, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the hardest of hardliners. When there is any sign of a wobble, he intervenes in one of two ways. Before an election, he weakens the prospects of any inconvenient faction by making sure the Guardian Council, which he controls, disqualifies a disproportionate proportion of its candidates. The Council has been true to form in this cycle, but it has had an assist from Rouhanis administration, which has also disqualified candidates. Story continues If putting his finger on the scale before an election proves insufficient, Khamenei has been willing to put the fix in, as he did in 2009 when Ahmedinejad seemed at risk of missing out on a second term. When Iranians took to the street to protest against this tampering, he ordered a bloody crackdown. The candidates who stood against Ahmedinejad were put under house arrest, and it has suited Rouhani to leave them there. Khamenei will likely not need a post-hoc fix this time. Rouhani and his faction excite little public enthusiasm, and many Iranians will likely sit this one out a prospect that alarms both men, since it will inevitably be interpreted as a repudiation of the political system they have nurtured for decades. Rouhanis rivals wouldnt dream of copying an American election slogan, but their message has echoes of Bill Clintons 1992 campaign catchphrase, Its the economy, stupid. They know that Iranians are hurting from a severe economic contraction, and are hammering the president for failing to deliver the prosperity he promised in previous election campaigns. The presidents faction has tried to blame the economic malaise on Trumps abrogation of the nuclear deal and the subsequent maximum pressure campaign against Iran. Rouhani has himself claimed that American sanctions have cost the Iranian economy $200 billion in investment and foreign-exchange income. But while Iranians are obviously no fans of Trump, and they know the sanctions hurt, they are not buying Rouhanis excuses. In repeated spasms of anti-government protests, they have tended to focus on the venality of the regime in Tehran, and not the hostility of the government in Washington. Rather than address such grievances, the regime has responded with brute force, killing hundreds. If the protests are any guide, the public mantra for the election will be, Its the corruption, stupid. Despite the Rouhani governments cosmetic crackdowns, the country has continued to slide in Transparency Internationals Corruption Index, from 130th of 180 countries in 2017, to 138th in 2018 and 146th in 2019. The venality is widespread: Rouhanis brother was arrested for graft in 2017, only to be released a day later, prompting accusations of favoritism. (He was formally sentenced last fall.) Khamenei oversees a business network worth tens of billions of dollars, and his favorites among the hardliners, such as the powerful Larijani brothers, are obvious beneficiaries of nepotism, and possibly graft. If voters ignore Rouhanis pleas for a big turnout on February 21, he will have only himself to blame. But theres a good chance he will try to pin that, too, on the U.S. To contact the author of this story: Bobby Ghosh at aghosh73@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Gibney at jgibney5@bloomberg.net This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners. Bobby Ghosh is a columnist and member of the Bloomberg Opinion editorial board. He writes on foreign affairs, with a special focus on the Middle East and the wider Islamic world. 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. HOUSTON, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- HollandParker, a global Corporate Performance Management (CPM) consulting firm, has been elevated to OneStream Diamond Partner status. HollandParker is one of only three CPM consulting firms in North America to achieve this designation from OneStream Software, the leader in modern CPM software solutions for global organizations. Diamond Partner status is a new class introduced by OneStream to recognize the highest-performing CPM consulting firms that implement OneStream XF and OneStream MarketPlace solutions. HollandParker "This is the highest level of partnership," says HollandParker Managing Director Philip Parker. "It is truly an honor to receive this distinction and reflects the extraordinary work that we do at HollandParker implementing OneStream for organizations across the globe." For Finance and IT executives in global organizations whose financial consolidation, planning, reporting, analytics, and financial data quality are limited by reliance on legacy software and spreadsheets, OneStream provides a unified, SmartCPMTM platform that allows them to modernize finance and reduce complexity in the cloud or on-premise. OneStream Software simplifies and aligns consolidation, planning, reporting, and data quality processes across the enterprise, and allows customers to extend their investment through a marketplace of pre-built solutions. HollandParker is the only CPM consulting firm based in North America that is 100 percent dedicated to implementing OneStream. This exclusive commitment means that HollandParker dedicates all time, resources, and talent to successful implementation for each customer. HollandParker was also a Platinum sponsor of the 2019 SPLASH conference presented by OneStream that brought together organizational leaders from across the globe to celebrate success migrating from fragmented, legacy CPM applications to the OneStream XF platform as their CPM solution. HollandParker is proud to be a Platinum sponsor and hands-on workshop partner again this May at the 2020 SPLASH conference in Toronto. ABOUT ONESTREAM SOFTWARE: OneStream Software provides a market-leading CPM solution that unifies and simplifies financial consolidation, planning, reporting, analytics and financial data quality for sophisticated organizations. Deployed via the cloud or on-premise, OneStream's unified platform enables organizations to modernize Finance, replace multiple legacy applications and reduce the total cost of ownership of financial systems. OneStream unleashes Finance teams to spend less time on data integration and system maintenance - and more time focusing on driving business performance. The OneStream XF MarketPlace features downloadable solutions that allow customers to easily extend the value of their CPM platform to quickly meet the changing needs of finance and operations. OneStream was named to the 2019 Inc. 5000 and Deloitte 2019 Technology Fast 500 lists of the fastest-growing companies in North America. Learn more at www.onestreamsoftware.com. ABOUT HOLLANDPARKER: HollandParker is a leading software implementation partner for OneStream Software. As a Diamond partner, HollandParker leverages extensive CPM experience, proven methodologies, proprietary toolkits, and industry best-practices to consistently deliver software implementation on-time and on-budget to help customers maximize their investment in the OneStream XF platform. Follow HollandParker on LinkedIn and learn more at https://hollandparker.com. Media Contact: Philip Parker Phone: 713-520-2010 Email: [email protected] Related Images hollandparker-elevated-to.png HollandParker Elevated to OneStream Software Diamond Partner SOURCE HollandParker Related Links http://www.hollandparker.com PORT QASIM, Pakistan, Jan. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Excelerate Energy L.P. (Excelerate) and Engro Elengy Terminal Ltd. (EETL) have signed a Heads of Agreement (HOA) for the expansion of the EETL liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal located in Port Qasim, Pakistan. Under the agreement, Excelerate will exchange its existing floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) Exquisite with a newbuild FSRU, Hull 2477, which is currently under construction at Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) shipyard. Hull 2477 will increase EETL's send-out capability by more than 150 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscf/d) and increase its LNG storage capacity from 150,900 cubic meters to 173,400 cubic meters. Excelerate will take delivery of Hull 2477 in April of this year, and EETL projects beginning expanded operations in Pakistan before winter 2020. "We are proud to partner with Engro and Vopak on this expansion to help meet the growing demand for natural gas in Pakistan. We continuously work with our customers to ensure our terminals adjust to the changing needs of their markets," Excelerate Chief Commercial Officer Daniel Bustos said. "In the nearly five years of essentially non-stop operations in Pakistan, we have a proven track record of safe and reliable operations at peak performance." CEO of EETL Jahangir Piracha said that "Excelerate Energy has been an excellent partner who has made it possible for EETL to cater to such a high level of utilization of our regasification capacity. It is our trust in their operational excellence that we are now jointly undertaking the expansion of our terminal." The EETL terminal, Pakistan's first floating LNG import terminal, began operations in March 2015. The terminal, which utilizes Excelerate's FSRU Exquisite, has been delivering up to 690 MMcf/d of natural gas directly into Sui Southern Gas Company' s natural gas pipeline system. The Exquisite currently fulfills as much as 15 percent of Pakistan's domestic daily natural gas requirements and is recognized as the most utilized FSRU worldwide. EETL has imported over 275 LNG cargoes to date. EETL is a joint venture between Engro Corporation and Royal Vopak of the Netherlands. In September 2019, Excelerate and Maran Gas Maritime Inc. (MGM) signed a five-year bareboat charter agreement for Hull 2477. Excelerate has the option to purchase the FSRU at any time during the duration of the contract. About Excelerate Energy L.P. Excelerate Energy L.P. is a US-based LNG company located in The Woodlands, Texas. Excelerate is owned by George B. Kaiser and is part of his energy group that also includes Kaiser Francis Oil Co, an E&P company with production in the U.S. and Canada along with significant midstream assets, and Cactus Drilling Co, the largest private drilling company in the US. Excelerate is the pioneer and market leader in innovative floating LNG solutions, providing integrated services along the entire LNG value chain with an objective of delivering rapid-to-market and reliable LNG solutions to customers. Excelerate offers a full range of floating regasification services from FSRU to infrastructure development to LNG supply. Excelerate has offices in Abu Dhabi, Buenos Aires, Chittagong, Dhaka, Doha, Dubai, Rio de Janeiro, Salem, Singapore, and Washington, DC. SOURCE Excelerate Energy L.P. OTTAWAThe number of Canadians asking for Ottawas help as they cope with a China-imposed quarantine on Hubei province has grown to 196, mainly centred in the city of Wuhan, where the public health emergency originated, says Canadas global affairs department. However there is no word when any airlift might happen. Health Minister Patty Hajdu told the House of Commons Thursday that there are preliminary indications from the government of China that patients who are ill will not be permitted to leave. Hajdu said officials are working to ensure the safe transfer of Canadians who want to leave, and to ensure the safety of those who remain in China. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau echoed that, telling reporters in Brampton that Canadian officials continue to negotiate with the Chinese government on how it may fly scores of Canadians out of the region. Ottawa has already chartered a plane to do so. Trudeau did not deny that the federal government has already moved to evacuate some family members of Canadian diplomats right away. Trudeau said that Ottawa is working with the World Health Organization and the United States to ensure that necessary protections are taken to protect public health, and offered no detail on whether or how returning Canadian citizens might be assessed or quarantined. The Globe and Mail reported Thursday that the Canadian government has begun to evacuate vulnerable family members of diplomats in mainland China, including those over 65, young school age children, along with people with existing medical conditions. Trudeau was asked why the family of Canadian consular staff are leaving when others have not yet been flown out. He dodged a direct answer, saying only that Canadian consular staff are fully engaged and are responding to the concerns that Canadians have on the ground in China. He pivoted to a public health message to Canadians, saying the risk to Canadians continues to be low and urged people to wash their hands regularly, get the flu shot, cough into your elbow all things he said were good ways to behave to protect against all kinds of seasonal viruses. Trudeau cautioned against believing unreasonable fears expressed on the internet, urging Canadians, including Canadians of Chinese origin, to pull together and lean on each other. Meanwhile, the spread of the novel coronavirus is likely to have an economic impact as well, Canadian officials said, noting Canadian exports of lobster have been hit with a price drop, and other export sectors, like meat and wheat, may still be affected. Speaking to a special Commons committee on Canada-China relations, Global Affairs officials said its not clear if the price drop is due to fewer Chinese consumers headed to food markets for live lobster, or whether other factors are at play, including movements of Chinese consumers across the massive country during the Lunar New Year, or state measures like transit or market shutdowns. Lenore Zann, a Liberal MP from Nova Scotia, said lobster producers in her riding have seen lobster prices drop two dollars a pound. Deputy foreign affairs minister Marta Morgan painted a frank picture of challenges and opportunities for Canada in China, including the deterioration in the relationship since the arbitrary detention and arbitrary arrest of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor in December 2018. The two men were detained days after Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinas telecoms giant Huawei and daughter of its founder. Conservative MPs on the committee grilled foreign affairs officials about whether Canadas government had taken a hard enough line with China, and with the U.S. in the affair, and whether Ottawa had sufficiently pressed for help from the U.S., which recently signed a trade deal with China in a broader trade dispute involving some $450 billion of exports threatened by tariffs. Deputy Conservative leader Leona Alleslev suggested it would have been a prime opportunity for the U.S. to come to Canadas aid, to demand Beijing secure the release of the two Canadian men. Morgan insisted that the U.S. has been a staunch ally for Canada, along with 14 countries, and advocated for their release. Hours later, as Trudeau urged the Opposition to support the ratification of the new North American free trade deal, he made the same point, saying we continue to work with American authorities on the need to have the two Canadians who are unfairly detained returned home. Read more about: Either conditional love or unconditional love is a humanistic psychological term and not actually found in the Bible. Gods love, as revealed in the Bible, is eternal (Psalm 136), perfect (1 John 4:16-18), unfailing (Psalm 33:5, 143:8, Exodus 15:13), and infinite (Ephesians 3:16-19). However, Gods love is often described as unconditional because humans, deep in their hearts, long to be loved and accepted without conditions or reservations. Such love and acceptance can only be given by a self-sufficient being like the deity. There are four Greek words for love: eros (intimate love), storge (family love), philia (friendship love), and agape (unconditional love). The word agape is used to represent divine love; it is the greatest gift from God to all mankind (1 Corinthians 13 and John 3:16). It is interesting to examine further, however, whether Gods love is truly unconditional, especially when looking to other Scriptural references, even some of those said by Jesus Himself, for example: Jesus answered and said to him, If anyone loves Me , he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him (John 14:23). , he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him (John 14:23). He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already , because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (John 3:18). , because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (John 3:18). Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant , then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine (Exodus 19:5). , then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine (Exodus 19:5). Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God , but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known (Deuteronomy 11:26-28). which I command you today; and , but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known (Deuteronomy 11:26-28). The Lord hates these seven things: eyes that show pride, tongues that tell lies, hands that kill innocent people, hearts that plan evil things to do, feet that run to do evil, witnesses in court who tell lies, and anyone who causes family members to fight (Proverbs 6:16-19). Many more examples can be found throughout the Bible (e.g., John 3:36, Matthew 6:14-15, Romans 1:18, Psalm 5:5) showing that Gods love can also be conditional. This means that He does not tolerate sins, wickedness, disobedience, and hostility toward Him. And it is rightly so in light of His holiness and sovereignty. Difference Between Conditional and Unconditional Love A clear distinction is commonly understood: Conditional love is earned on the basis of certain conditions that should be met, while unconditional love is given freely and completely without expecting anything in return. Loving conditionally means to love if the object deserves the love, whereas loving unconditionally means to love despite the object being unworthy of love. As we have seen earlier the conditionality of Gods love, let us now look further to the other soul-reviving aspect of Gods love. God's Unconditional Love Gods love is unconditional, in a sense, that love is His nature (1 John 4:8, Deuteronomy 7:9) hence there is never a moment when God does not love. Everything God does is [done] out of love; even Gods anger is a holy expression of His love (Psalm 30:5, Micah 7:18). God is good and generous to everyone, regardless of their disposition toward Him (Matthew 5:45). The rejection and rebellion of humanity against God can never change the truth that God is love. In other words, God is always a God of love despite our actions and attitudes toward Him. Gods love, as described by Dr. John T. Yates, is unconditional and unselfish concern of God, in emotion, volition, and action for mans highest good. God has given humanity the best gift fully manifested in the person of Jesus Christ, so that we may know His love and have a personal relationship with Him (Romans 8:31-32). Gods plan since the beginning has been to prosper us, to protect us, and to give us purpose in this life (Jeremiah 29:11). And even more, God, in His extraordinary love, grants those who receive and believe Jesus the permanent status as the [beloved] children of God (John 1:12). What a great blessing and privilege to be compassionately loved by the Heavenly Father with the likeness of a father-child relationship (Psalm 103:13), which lasts forever. (No father or parent can ever call his child, my ex-child). God's Unfailing Love Examples in the Bible There are many examples of Gods unfailing love in the Bible. In the Old Testament, God, in His sovereignty, has chosen Israel as His treasured people from [and to bless] all the nations on earth. Instead of responding to Gods love by living in trust and obedience, unfortunately, the Israelites rebelled against Him so many times by worshipping other gods and deliberately disobeying Him. But Gods promise never fails: He repeatedly forgives, restores, and glorifies Israel because of His unfailing love (Jeremiah 31:3). Israels journey [and struggles] with God could actually represent our spiritual walk by faith in Him who has loved us with an everlasting love. King David, despite his sins, acknowledged the immeasurable love of God toward those who fear Him (Psalm 103:10-12). Gods love has also been demonstrated in the life of Paul the Apostle, who formerly hated and persecuted Christians, but was unexpectedly visited by Jesus Himself through a divine encounter that radically transformed his life forever. He ended up becoming the author of nearly half of the New Testament books, upon which most doctrines of the Christian faith are laid. Paul believes that the love of God has been revealed through the work of Christ [what Christ has done] for us (Romans 5:8, 2 Corinthians 8:9, Ephesians 2:4-5). The Bible is very clear on this point: no one or nothing can ever separate us from Gods love in Jesus Christ (Romans 8:38-39). Why Does This Matter for Christians Today? Gods love is unconditional according to His grace and mercy, but also conditional in His holiness and sovereignty. Unconditional love involves total acceptance, while conditional love involves discipline; both are motivated by a sincere desire to bring the greatest good to [and the best out of] the object of love. The Heavenly Father proves his love to us by a divine discipline so that we might share in His holiness (Hebrews 12:6-10). In contrast to Gods unconditional love, human love (apart from God) is conditional: without the love of God in our hearts, we are not able to love unconditionally. The real meaning of love is clearly described in the Bible (1 Corinthians 13:4-7), however, because of fallen human nature, we struggle to grasp what love is all about because the essence of love contradicts our self-centered nature. In fact, we can love [and know what love means] because God first loved us (1 John 4:19). Learning how to love like God has loved us is a lifetime process because Gods love is incomprehensible. Thanks be to God, He has revealed His love to humanity by sending His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him in the journey of loving God and loving one another (1 John 3:16, 4:7-9). Loving unconditionally starts with living unselfishly; it is a life fully dedicated to Christ (Galatians 2:20) who enables us to truly love God and each other (1 Peter 4:8). Sources The Biblical description of Gods love: Psalm 136 NIV Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you. In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lords holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledgethat you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. The conditionality of Gods love: Jesus answered and said to him, If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known. The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity. The Lord hates these seven things: eyes that show pride, tongues that tell lies, hands that kill innocent people, hearts that plan evil things to do, feet that run to do evil, witnesses in court who tell lies, and anyone who causes family members to fight. Gods unconditional love: Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning. Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. So that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. Gods unfailing love examples in the Bible: Long ago the Lord said to Israel: I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself... We sinned against him, but he didnt give us the punishment we deserved. His love for his followers is as high above us as heaven is above the earth. And he has taken our sins as far away from us as the east is from the west. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved). For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Christians Response to Gods Love: For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child. As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? If God doesnt discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldnt we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever? For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But Gods discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. We love, because He first loved us. We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. iStock/Getty Images Plus/Elena Brovko Philip Wijaya, Ph.D. currently lives in Vancouver, Canada with his wife, Sandra, and their daughter, Shalom. His interest in science and faith in God has motivated him to actively write in his personal blog (philipwijaya.com), in addition to his professional research work in the area of clean energy and chemical engineering. In his leisure time, he enjoys sports, football games, music, and traveling with family. GIS - 30 January, 2020: The Country Director, World Bank, Mr. Mark R. Lundell, discussed current areas of cooperation as well as potential avenues of collaboration between the World Bank and Mauritius during a courtesy call, this afternoon, on the Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, Home Affairs and External Communications, Minister of Rodrigues, Outer Islands and Territorial Integrity, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, at the New Treasury Building in Port Louis. Discussions also focused on emerging sectors of the economy such as the Ocean Economy where the World Bank is already providing assistance to Mauritius to boost the sector. In a statement, the World Bank Country Director spoke of the various challenges lurking ahead of Mauritius adding that the World Bank is looking into possibilities for Mauritius to be an emerging investor in the African region with particular emphasis on the types of competitive challenges that the country is facing along with the possible solutions. Mr Mark R. Lundell also dwelt on the Reimbursable Advisory Services Agreement for the sugarcane sector in Mauritius signed, this morning, with the Ministry of Agro-industry and Food Security for a competitiveness analysis of the sugarcane industry and the formulation of concrete actions for the way forward regarding the cane sector. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan.30 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: Trends exclusive interview with Zaur Gahramanov, CEO of SOCAR Turkey Summing up 2019 results for SOCAR Turkey 2019 is of special importance for SOCAR Turkey as a year when the company started to get the results of its investments, said Gahramanov. As you know, in June 2018, we opened the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), which is a great step towards ensuring energy security. Since then the commercial natural gas supplies to Turkey began. The construction of the entire 1,850-kilometers long TANAP was completed in late 2019, thereby bringing natural gas to the European gate with the ceremony held in Ipsala, he added. He noted that after the commissioning of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), Azerbaijani natural gas will be supplied to Europe. Another huge investment is Star Refinery worth $6.3 billion, which was opened in October 2018. Star Refinery that produces diesel, naphtha, jet fuel and LPG, which play an important role in Turkey's current account deficit, started to operate at full capacity in 2019 and began sales to the domestic market, said Gahramanov. The CEO went on to add that another important step was the acquisition of Bursagaz, Kayserigaz, SOCAR Enerji Ticaret, Enervis, and Millenicom in June 2019. Thus, SOCAR Turkey also became involved in natural gas distribution, thereby completing the whole refinery-petrochemical-energy-logistics-distribution-supply chain, he added. We launched an integration process covering all of our group companies and created SOCAR Turkey Refinery and Petrochemical Business Unit, SOCAR Turkey Natural Gas Business Unit, SOCAR Turkey Innovation and Technologies Business Unit and SOCAR Turkey Logistics Business Unit. I believe that Star Refinery was the first concrete proof of what kind of advantages this integration will bring us. We saw the benefits of the integrated operation of Star Refinery and Petkim in the financial results of Petkim in the third quarter of 2019. We will continue to increase synergy and profitability in our business processes with the common infrastructure we have created in our business units and common services, which will be provided, Gahramanov said. Transportation via TANAP The volume of gas transportation to Turkey via the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), which is the most important part of the 3,500 kilometers long Southern Gas Corridor that will supply Azerbaijani natural gas to Turkey and Europe, reached 3.7 billion cubic meters as of late 2019 [since the start of commercial gas supplies on June 30, 2018], Gahramanov said. TANAP, which has a total capacity of 16 billion cubic meters [per year], will supply 6 billion cubic meters of gas to Turkey and will deliver 10 billion cubic meters to the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) on Turkey-Greece border, he added. Gahramanov pointed out that with this project, Azerbaijan will play an effective role in ensuring Europes energy supply security. Petkim petrochemical complex Petkim petrochemical complex, the majority stake of which we acquired in 2008, is still the first and only integrated petrochemical plant in Turkey. Petkim, which is the the most reliable supplier of Turkeys petrochemical market, produces nearly 60 different petrochemical products at 15 major and six auxiliary facilities. We are constantly evaluating investment options to process intermediate products and convert them into different products at Petkim, he said. With Petkim's 55 years of experience and R&D Center, we continue our research and business development activities to expand our petrochemical portfolio with our established facilities or additional investments. In this year's focus, there are alternative evaluation options for our products and synergies as a result of integration between STAR Refinery and Petkim, noted Gahramanov. He pointed out that despite the contraction both in general terms and in the petrochemical field in the world markets in the third quarter of 2019, Petkim's financial results were quite good. Petkim petrochemical complex broke production records with 3.4 million tons of gross production in 2019 and the aim is to continue this success in 2020. He went on to add that exporting to more than 78 countries, Petkim petrochemical complex stands out in the world markets with high quality of its products. Gahramanov noted that within the scope of the Turquality program, a target market study was carried out for each product of Petkim. In this study, countries with GDP of over $50 billion in 2017 were ranked according to geographical location, political instability, difficult-to-enter markets criteria and countries with economic potential were selected as target markets. Malaysia and Pakistan, which are among the countries with high economic potential, are also in the list of our target markets, added Gahramanov. After acquiring the majority stake in Petkim petrochemical complex, SOCAR Turkey has invested in it on average nearly $100 million each year. 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. Star Refinery The volume of refined crude oil at Star Refinery, which started the production at full capacity in September of 2019, reached 7.2 million tons as of late 2019, said Zaur Gahramanov, He reminded that Star refinery, which is the biggest investment project of the real sector in Turkey, started to operate after the opening ceremony held in October 2018 with participation of Azerbaijani and Turkish presidents. Star Refinery, which has a capacity of refining 10 million tons of crude oil per year, produces 4.8 million tons of diesel, 1.6 million tons of naphtha, as well as jet fuel and LPG, which play an important role in Turkeys current account deficit, added Gahramanov. He pointed out that SOCAR Turkey uses the most modern technologies in the world at Star refinery, which was built with $6.3 billion worth investment. While continuing our operations, we do modeling studies and process the products with the best prices and quality according to the market conditions. Naturally, the countries, wherefrom we purchase the products and the quantities of products also change. In addition to Russia and Iraq, we started to import from more sources as of the end of 2019. We plan to add more import sources Joint project with BP on building a petrochemical complex in Aliaga He pointed out that preliminary engineering and design works still continue on the petrochemical complex project that is planned to be implemented in the Private Industrial Zone in Aliaga, Izmir. We will give updates regarding the final investment decision in 2020. As a result of commissioning of this facility, Turkeys imports of pure terephthalic acid (PTA) are expected to come down to zero and at the same time, it will be possible to produce paraxylene (PX) products in Turkey, which are now imported in the amount of 800,000 tons, Gahramanov concluded. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn By PTI BEIJING: India was preparing to evacuate its citizens on Friday from China's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the deadly choronavirus that has killed 170 people, infected 7,711 others and spread to at least 17 countries. India had requested China for permission to operate two flights to bring back its nationals from worst-affected central Hubei province. "We are preparing for air evacuation from Wuhan tomorrow in the evening," Indian Embassy in Beijing said. The first flight will carry those Indian nationals who are in and around Wuhan and have conveyed consent for their evacuation, it said. "There will be another flight subsequently which will carry those who are from other parts of Hubei province," the mission said. The nationwide death toll from novel coronavirus has jumped to 170 with 38 more fatalities reported mainly from Hubei province, the government said on Thursday, while confirming more than 1,700 new infections. China's National Health Commission said on Thursday that 7,711 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus had been reported in 31 provincial-level regions and in the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps by the end of Wednesday. A teenager has been seriously injured in a road traffic accident involving a bus in Arklow this afternoon. The boy was understood to have been returning home from school when he was involved in an accident involving a bus on the Main Street in the Wicklow town. The incident happened at approximately 4.30pm. Eye-witnesses reported that the child was trapped under the bus and that a two-hour operation was required to rescue him before he was airlifted to hospital in Dublin. A teenager was airlifted to Temple Street Children's University Hospital after he was injured in a road traffic accident involving a bus in Arklow this afternoon. The 14-year-old boy was understood to have been returning home from school when he was hit by a bus on Vale Road in the Wicklow town at approximately 4.30pm. His injuries are described as "non life-threatening". Eye-witnesses reported that the child was trapped under the bus and that a two-hour operation was required to rescue him before he was airlifted to hospital in Dublin. A large-scale rescue operation was launched to rescue the teen from underneath the bus. It is understood that the boy was conscious and was able to speak to paramedics at the scene. Emergency services, including the gardai, fire brigade and heavy lifting equipment were used in the operation to free the boy before he was brought to hospital. An air ambulance had been on standby during the operation at the nearby Pearse's Park. Gardai confirmed they attended the scene of a single-vehicle road traffic accident at 4.30pm on Thursday. "A bus collided with a 14-year-old male youth and he has been airlifted to Temple Street Children's University Hospital with non life-threatening injuries," a garda spokesperson said. Investigations into the incident are ongoing, the garda added. BALLSTON When Phil Simpson installed a geothermal heating and cooling system in 2015 the federal and state tax credits were among the selling points, in addition to the low cost of operation once it was up and running. The system cost $33,815 but Simpson would get a 30 percent federal tax credit and a $5,000 state tax credit. Simpson figured that not only was he saving lots of money on heating and cooling, he was also helping to fight climate change. We thought we were doing something good for the environment, he said. Then in 2017, he received a letter from the state Department of Taxation and Finance telling him his state income tax credit shouldnt have applied to his geothermal system since it wasnt solar. He paid back the $5,000 plus interest. I wasnt the only one, Simpson said, adding he knows of others who purchased geothermal systems thinking there would be a state tax credit but learned otherwise. What happened between 2015 and his 2017 notice? There were a number of tax rulings as well as court decisions that cast doubt on the idea that a geothermal system qualifies as solar, at least when it comes to how the law was written. The tax disputes illustrate some of the potential complications that homeowners and businesses must navigate as the state moves toward reducing the use of traditional fossil fuels like natural gas or heating oil in the housing market. Many alternative heat and energy systems rely on a complex set of incentives and tax breaks to help move them forward. Its incredibly frustrating, said John Ciovacco, president of Aztech Geothermal, the Ballston Spa firm that installed Simpsons system. He said some customers have successfully received the credit while others didnt. Most of those who lost it were hit with audits or some level of scrutiny on the credit. In a ground-based geothermal system like Simpsons, installers place water-filled pipes underground. Water is then circulated from below ground to the house. Because the underground temperature is stable year-round, about 52 degrees, the water serves to warm the house in winter and cool it in summer. Once installed, the only real operating costs are for moving the water through the system and heat pumps, which is a fraction of traditional heating or cooling costs. The credits can help offset the initial installation cost, which is higher than, say a new gas boiler or furnace. While Ciovacco initially told customers they may qualify for the state credit, he no longer does. Now I tell them there have been (court) judgments, he said. It is particularly frustrating since there are many credible sources stating that geothermal heat pumps gain access to the solar energy stored in the ground to heat homes, added Ciovacco. Moreover, he writes on receipts that his geothermal system Utilizes solar radiation to provide heating. That had been a problem in the way the law reads, added Bill Nowak, executive director at the NY-GEO, a trade group for the geothermal industry. The courts have ruled it doesn't apply to geothermal systems, said Nowak. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. More for you Using the power of vibration to lower geothermal costs To qualify for the credit, the solar energy system must use solar radiation to produce energy for heating, cooling, hot water, or electricity for residential use, reads the state tax law section that lays out the credit. That doesnt describe geothermal systems, according to state tax tribunals, which are similar to courts that rule on tax disputes. While we recognize that geothermal systems rely on solar energy that has been absorbed by the Earth, we find no indication in the legislative history of Tax Law that the Legislature intended to include such systems within the definition of solar energy system equipment for purposes of the credit, reads one such opinion regarding a western New York homeowner who was protesting her loss of a tax credit. Despite those rulings, some state agencies in fact describe geothermal systems as solar, since they rely on the constant temperatures in the earth which is heated by the sun. The earth absorbs almost 50% of the sun's energy. Geothermal heat pumps utilize the energy absorbing capacity of the earth to heat indoor air during the cold winter months and remove heat from indoor air during the warm summer months, reads an explanation of geothermal on a Department of Environmental Conservation web page. And a NYSERDA video about geothermal notes that the sun heats the earth, which is described as a battery for solar energy. That agency does offer rebates for geothermal systems through a $26.5 million incentive program. Starting in April the utilities will take over those incentives. Despite the loss of his tax credit, Simpson said hes happy with his system. Since getting it he has discarded the room air conditioners he used to use for cooling the home in summer and his heating costs are negligible. Theres very little cost energy-wise, he said. rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images The opposing legal teams in Donald Trumps impeachment trial locked horns directly for the first time on Wednesday, as an interrogation period began in which senators submitted questions in writing to be read aloud by Chief Justice John Roberts, who is presiding. The format set up clashes over Trumps motivations, the power of Congress to call witnesses from the executive branch and, most of all, the need or not for the former national security adviser John Bolton and possibly other witnesses to testify at the trial. In its eighth full day, the trial drew ever nearer to a crossroads, expected on Friday, at which the senators will decide whether to call witnesses or to move on to a vote for Trumps acquittal. If the Senate votes to call witnesses, Trumps legal team warned, that changes the nature and scope of the proceedings and could lead to court challenges that would draw the trial out. Adam Schiff, the lead impeachment manager, argued that Roberts, a perfectly good chief justice, could make fast rulings that would prevent the testimony of Bolton or others from creating a lengthy detour in the trial. They could no longer contest the facts, Schiff said of Trumps defense team. So now they have fallen back on, You shouldnt hear any further evidence on this subject. Think about the precedent you would be setting if you dont allow witnesses in a trial. Related: Republican moderates under pressure to call witnesses as Trump rages at Bolton The relatively fast-paced question period, which allowed five minutes per response to each of 54 questions before the dinner break, came after a week in which the two sides made strictly siloed opening arguments, speaking for multiple days each to lay out their cases to the senators. Apart from the legal clashes, the question-and-answer format requiring Roberts to read the senators queries produced some awkwardness, as when Kamala Harris, a California Democrat, said that Trump appeared to believe that being president gave him unlimited powers, including the ability to stonewall Congress. Story continues Nixon said when the president does it its not illegal, Roberts said, reading Harriss question. President Trump said, When youre a star, they let you do it, you can do anything. The words in the chief justices mouth were from the Access Hollywood tape that surfaced a month before Trump was elected. Trump was impeached for abuse of power for allegedly conditioning military aid for Ukraine on the receipt of personal political favors, and for obstruction of Congress for attempting to cover the scheme up. Trumps defense team has argued that the president withheld aid from Ukraine out of a desire to combat internal corruption in the country, although prosecutors in the case have pointed out that nowhere else in his life or presidency has Trump taken up anti-corruption measures as a priority. Any senators with lingering questions about Trumps motives for suspending aid to Ukraine have an easy solution at hand, Schiff said: call Bolton to testify. In a manuscript to be published in March, Bolton reportedly describes a conversation with Trump in August 2019 in which Trump said he did not want to release aid for Ukraine until the country announced investigations, including one into the former vice-president Joe Biden. The White House deputy counsel Patrick Philbin answers a question during the trial. Photograph: AP Dont wait for the book, Schiff urged the Senate. Dont wait for March 17 when it is in black and white. Find out the answer to your question. Patrick Philbin, a Trump lawyer, warned that as a former national security adviser, Boltons testimony could be protected by an absolute privilege of confidentiality. To suggest that the national security adviser, well just subpoena him, hell come and itll be no problem thats not the way it would work because theres a vital constitutional privilege there, Philbin said. There would be grave issues raised attempting to have a national security adviser to come. But there were few signs that the tug-of-war over Boltons testimony would come to a clash of constitutional principles. Democrats still seemed to lack the firm support of the three Republican senators they would need to advance the witnesses question. On Wednesday, one moderate Republican, Cory Gardner of Colorado, announced he would vote against witnesses. The three Republicans under the most intense scrutiny on both sides of the aisle Susan Collins of Maine, Mitt Romney of Utah and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska posed the first question of the session, asking whether Trumps conduct toward Ukraine would be impeachable if he was acting out of both public and personal motives. If there is something that shows a possible public interest, argued Philbin, that destroys their case. Once youre into mixed motive land, their case fails. Invited by minority leader Chuck Schumer to reply, Schiff pounced, arguing that if any part of the presidents motive was a corrupt motive, that is enough to convict. There is a witness a subpoena away who can answer that question, Schiff said, in one of many calls to subpoena Boltons testimony. Republicans control the Senate with a 53-seat majority. A two-thirds majority of voting senators would be required to remove Trump from office. As the evening wore on, the two sides fell into a pattern of directing questions exclusively to their own sides Democrats to the House managers, Republicans to Trumps legal team. Its highly unlikely that youll see either side asking a question of the other side, the Republican Tim Scott of South Carolina explained during a break. You dont want to see someone just drone on. The U.S. Department of the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added one company and eight individuals to its blacklist of sanctions over Crimeas reunification with Russia. OFAC blacklisted Grand Service Express, a Moscow-based railway company that offers passenger rail service between the mainland and the Crimean Peninsula over the Kerch Strait Bridge, and its CEO Alexander Ganov, TASS reported. Besides, sanctions were imposed on Acting Governor of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozzhayev, Crimean Prime Minister Yuri Gotsanyuk, Chairman of the Sevastopol Legislative Assembly Vladimir Nemtsev, Federation Council (Russian parliaments upper house) member representing Sevastopol Ekaterina Altabaeva, Chairman of the Sevastopol Election Commission Sergei Danilenko, his deputy Lidiya Basova and the commissions secretary Yekaterina Pyrkova. It was once a gathering spot for strikers, fist-shakers, hysterical women, and hecklers who came together for fights, funerals, dances and furious debates. Spadina Avenues Labour Lyceum was a hub of activism from the early 20th century to the late 1960s a space to dream and scheme for fair pay and working conditions when the strip was crowded with garment-making factories that sometimes paid pennies a piece. Its transformation also mirrors that of the city surrounding it: once the labour movements palace, its now a sleek office space. Originally envisioned as an education centre for Jewish working men, the Labour Lyceum was founded in 1913 by machinist Sam Easser and Henry Dworkin. At the time, some 80 per cent of the citys Jewish population lived near the stretch of Spadina, between Queen and King streets. Torontos textile industry was booming. But working conditions were bleak. The work was quite unstable, especially for women, says Anne Dublin, author of the childrens book 44 Hours or Strike! about the 1931 Toronto Dressmakers picket. They call it now precarious work. Well, that was one of the big issues. The International Ladies Garment Workers Union organized many of the workers mostly women toiling in Spadinas sweatshops, often for around $7 a week, below the $10 minimum wage of the time. In 1931, a widespread strike organized from the Lyceum saw 1,500 workers walk off the job to demand better pay and a 44-hour work week. Although few material gains were made, it was a high-profile venture one that, according to a 1931 Globe and Mail article, even attracted the attention of American muscle men who pitched up at the Lyceum to offer their services. The buildings superintendent, a war veteran identified as Caretaker Cohen, informed the men that trade unionists in Canada won without resorting to violence. For a group of workers diverse in background and political belief, the Lyceum was a palace to the labour movement, according to its description at the Textile Museum of Canada. But like most great houses, it was home to its fair share of rivalries. The Lyceums assembly hall played host to jam-packed and by all accounts raucous meetings; its capacity was 900 but the room sometimes overflowed with 1,400 workers. Harder left-leaning attendees were sometimes tossed from the building for their political allegiances; other times, factions simply brawled. At one 1932 meeting a particularly vocal Communist firebrand reportedly had her face smacked by a detractor. Im not going to be distracted in my address by hysterical women sent here to break up the meeting, union leader and former Star journalist John Simpson shouted at the crowd that night. (Unfazed, the woman apparently continued heckling.) Despite its divisions, the Lyceum served as a common ground for dances and social events, with entry fees sometimes going to support striking workers. When its founder Dworkin died in a car accident, his funeral procession drew 15,000 people to the garment worker district. His body was brought to the Lyceum for visitation where he was described as a leader who never forgot in the midst of his success that he had been a working man. But the common experience of poor working conditions in the district continued; a 1935 Royal Commission, for example, heard that female garment workers were badgered and harassed if they did not meet production quotas. Dublin has a personal interest in their story. My parents were Holocaust survivors, my father was a tailor, and we came to Canada in 1948 through what was called the garment workers scheme, or the tailor project. By that time, she says, conditions were still tough: her father made about $1 an hour, but his wages were deducted to pay for the familys passage to the country. We were immigrants. My parents came with nothing, literally nothing except maybe their wedding rings. We lived in one room on the third floor of a house with no running water upstairs. The grind left her father with little time for union activity, although he remained involved with his landsmannschaften, or Jewish mutual aid society. In 1972, the Lyceum moved to a building on Cecil Street, now the United Steelworkers Hall. The old building, once the heart of Red Spadina, was reinvented as a Chinese restaurant remaining equally recognizable for its green roof and sunny yellow front. Last year, following a series of renovations, the former labour palace and current office space unveiled a new shade: grey. I am kind of sad that so much of our garment industry has disappeared. A lot of it is outsourced now, Dublin says. While the living and working conditions associated with the sector offer little to pine for, Dublins book pays tribute to the colour and clamour of masses of people who met and marched at the old Lyceum. In those old days, that was something else. After numerous emails and calls from frightened readers sending links and screen shots of what appears to be a nonstop flight from Wuhan, China to San Francisco International Airport (SFO), it's time to set the record straight: There are currently no nonstop flights from Wuhan, China. The airport there has been closed since last week. What readers are seeing on online flight trackers is China Southern Airlines' flight CZ629. Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, this flight originated in Guangzhou, China (in the south near Hong Kong), then flew to Wuhan (in the center of the country), and continued on to SFO. Mother does not bring 2 missing Idaho children to police by deadline originally appeared on abcnews.go.com The mother of two missing children failed to bring the kids to authorities in Idaho by the court-ordered deadline on Thursday. Lori Vallow, 46, may now be subject to civil or criminal contempt of court, according to the Rexburg Police Department. The penalties that would follow are not immediately clear. Joshua "JJ" Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 17, have not been seen since September 2019, but police have said they believe Vallow knows either where they are or what has happened to them. At a press conference Thursday, after Vallow failed to appear with the kids, JJ's grandmother, Kay Woodcock, said she did not know what punishment Vallow deserved, and did not know what would happen next. "What exactly that is, I don't know. I can't guess on it, I can't say for sure whats going to happen next. ... I'd love to know where those kids are and I think all of America wants to know where they are," Kay Woodcock said. "I think all of this is beyond crazy. ... How do you not know where your child is? How do you not have them for four months?" Vallow, who lived in Rexburg, Idaho, up until November 2019, was found over the weekend in Princeville, Hawaii, on the island of Kauai, with her new husband, Chad Daybell. PHOTO: Lori Vallow is pictured in an undated photo released by the Rexburg Police Department. (Rexburg Police Department) Larry Woodcock, the biological grandfather of JJ, told ABC News' Amy Robach earlier Thursday that he did not think Vallow would show up with the children. "Nothing with Lori right now makes sense," Woodcock added, noting that the Vallow he knew for the last 12 years "is not the same person that is here on Earth today." Kay Woodcock said she was not surprised Lori did not appear with the children. "I am not at all surprised of that. Lori's not gonna make this easy," Kay Woodcock said. "She's got an end game in her head, even though this is not a game." Vallow and Daybell are still in Hawaii, according to Woodcock, "probably sitting on the beach somewhere while we're here wondering where the kids are." Story continues MORE: Inside the mysterious case of 3 deaths, 2 missing children and a terrified husband The couple was served with a search warrant Sunday for a vehicle they were in when officers with the Kauai Police Department pulled them over. The police statement does not say that Daybell would be held in contempt of court. A lawyer for the couple didn't respond to ABC News for comment. The children were not with Vallow or Daybell, and police said there's no evidence they ever were in Hawaii. Authorities have said they think the children's "lives are in danger." PHOTO: Missing children Joshua Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 17, were last seen on Sept. 23, 2019 in Rexburg, Idaho. (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children) Assistant Police Chief Gary Hagen told ABC News that he could not detail exactly what penalties Vallow would face if she's held in contempt of court, citing the child protection act. The Madison County prosecutor in Rexburg similarly said in a statement that child protection cases are "sealed and confidential." MORE: Missing Idaho kids mystery: Older son begs mom to come home "While the Court did allow us to announce the existence of the case and the order that Lori Vallow produce her children, any and all other documents, hearings, and court filings are sealed and confidential by law," according to the statement. The bewildering case made national headlines in December, after police announced the children's disappearance. Yet concerns for the safety of JJ and Tylee arose well before. Lori Vallow's former husband, Charles Vallow, who is the adopted father and biological granduncle of JJ, filed for divorce from Lori Vallow in February 2019, court records from Maricopa County Superior Court in Arizona show. He expressed a "genuine fear for his life" and wanted to ensure that JJ was safe and cared for, according to a statement from his attorney Steven Ellsworth that was sent to ABC News. In July 2019, Charles Vallow was shot and killed by Lori Vallow's brother, Alex Cox, in a case police are looking at as self-defense after an altercation occurred between the two inside Lori Vallow's then-Chandler, Arizona, home. Cox was then found unresponsive in his Gilbert, Arizona, home in December 2019. He was later pronounced dead, and a spokesperson for Gilbert police previously told ABC News the department still was waiting for autopsy results to determine the cause. In between Vallow and Cox's death, Chad Daybell's wife also died under circumstances now believed to be suspicious, authorities said. PHOTO: An undated photo shows Chad Daybell. The Rexburg Police Department is asking for the public's help in locating Chad Daybell who is wanted for questioning in connection with the disappearance of Lori Vallow's children; Joshua Vallow and Tylee Ryan. (Rexburg Police Department) The remains of Tamara "Tammy" Daybell's, who died on Oct. 19, 2019, were exhumed in late December, police said. Authorities are looking into whether or not she was poisoned. In November 2019, extended family requested a welfare check for JJ at Vallow and Daybell's Rexburg home. Vallow falsely told police the children were staying with a relative in Arizona, and the next day when police returned to the home with a warrant, both Vallow and Daybell had "abruptly" left the city. Rexburg police have lambasted Vallow, saying she "has completely refused" to help in the investigation and instead chose "to leave the state with her new husband." MORE: Mom of missing Idaho kids knows where they are or what happened: 'Do the right thing,' police say Rumors that Vallow and Daybell are part of a cult have also stirred since the children's disappearance. The rumors appeared to stem from their involvement in Preparing a People, an organization that preaches about preparing citizens "of this Earth for the second coming of Jesus Christ." Preparing a People issued a stark and lengthy denial. "It is not a 'group' and is not a 'Cult' or something people join, but has educational lecture events that can be attended or watched on video," their statement reads. "We also do not share any of Chad Daybell's or Lori Vallow's beliefs if they are contrary to Christian principles of honesty, integrity and truth." Woodcock told ABC News that while he has ideas about why Vallow isn't helping authorities, he does not have a truthful answer. He thinks that she changed after becoming involved in the so-called cult. "Ever since she's been involved in this doomsday cult, that is not the same Lori that we knew for 13 years," Woodcock said. "And the last year has just been not understandable. We just don't understand how any mother can walk away from her children for months now ..., so I don't know who that person is anymore." ABC News' Mike Repplier and MaryEllen Resendez contributed to this report. Special forces such as the American Green Berets long ago attained a kind of mythical status, and most militaries around the now field proficient special forces. The same is true of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the world's largest military, which boasts special operations units across all four of its services. Actually, the PLA was a relative latecomer to the party as it did not possess any special forces until around 1988 when the first "special-mission rapid reaction unit" was established in the Guangzhou Military Region in southern China. Reconnaissance units typically formed the core of these new SOF units that were being established. It is useful to ask just how special PLA special forces are, since their profile and function are kept relatively low even within China itself. To begin answering that question, it is helpful to understand their organization. Each corps in the PLA ground forces, of which there are 13 after a major restructuring announced in April 2017, has its own special forces brigade. In addition to that, the PLAN Navy (PLAN), Air Force (PLAAF) and Rocket Force (PLARF) all have their own special forces, as does the People's Armed Police (PAP) that is responsible for internal security and counterterrorism within China. The PAP leads counterterrorism efforts at home, but Chinese SOF would be liable to conduct this type of mission overseas. An accurate and up-to-date order of battle of PLA SOF units is difficult to obtain, but the following units are believed to exist according to research by Peter Wood, a defense analyst at TextOre, a US-based open source intelligence company. The locations of each unit given below are approximate. - Eastern Theater Command: 71st Corps ("Sharks" in Jiangsu); 72nd Corps ("Thunderbolts" in Zhejiang); and 73rd Corps ("Dragons of the East Sea" in Fujian); - Southern Theater Command: 74th Corps (an unidentified unit in Guangdong); 75th Corps ("Sword of the South" in Guangdong); a battalion in the Hong Kong Garrison; and the "Lions" company in Macau; - Western Theater Command: 76th Corps ("Sirius" in Ningxia); 77th Corps ("Cheetahs" in Sichuan); Tibet Military District ("Snow Leopards of the Plateau" in Lhasa); and Xinjiang Military District ("Snowy Owls" and "Sharp Blade of the Kunlun"); - Northern Theater Command: 78th Corps ("Tigers of the Northeast" in Jilin); 79th Corps ("Lions" in Liaoning); and 80th Corps ("Falcons" in Shandong); and - Central Theater Command: 81st Corps ("Sacred Sword of the East" in Hebei); 82nd Corps ("Whistling Arrows"in Beijing); and 83rd Corps ("Ferocious Tigers of the Central Plain" in Henan). Turning to the navy, it has a number of smaller SOF units amongst the PLAN Marine Corps, as follows: - North Sea Fleet: the 5th and 6th Marine Brigades have a special forces element; - East Sea Fleet: the 3rd and 4th Marine Brigades possess a special forces element; - South Sea Fleet: the 1st and 2nd Marine Brigades have a special forces element, plus the PLAN itself boasts the "Sea Dragons" unit located on Hainan. Personnel from the "Sea Dragons" have deployed on every PLAN task force to the Gulf of Aden since 2008. The PLAAF features the "Thunder Gods" SOF unit among the Airborne Corps based in Hubei, this unit only being created in 2011. The PLARF also has the "Sharp Blade" special forces unit located in Qinghai to protect Base 64 and to act as an enemy blue force for peacetime training. A special forces brigade is estimated to have a strength of approximately 2,000 personnel, although one well-known American expert on the Chinese military, Dennis J. Blasko, a former defense attache stationed in Beijing, commented: "Nonetheless, despite their growth in recent years, the number of SOF personnel also is relatively small for such a large army and their missions are mostly focused on commando-style operations." In an estimate offered several years ago, Blasko believes Chinese special forces total 20,000-30,000 personnel. It is likely that that number has risen since then, though. Regardless, it will be considerably smaller than the close to 70,000 SOF troops contained within the US military's Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). For its part, the US Department of Defense notes: "China has prioritized development of these forces for the past 20 years and this has resulted in a special-purpose force that is equipped with advanced technology, contains highly trained personnel, and is capable of being mobilized in the early stages of conflict to attack key personnel and infrastructure targets and to secure air facilities for use by follow-on forces." SOF units are increasingly important to the PLA, as they represent the "new type" units that were prioritized for development. Unlike the USSOCOM, the PLA has no equivalent unified national-level command overseeing their training, equipping and employment. Instead, Chinese SOF units are commanded by either operational or tactical headquarters. Certainly, this is one important factor that reduces the effectiveness of PLA SOF usage. US SOF have the following core missions that they perform: civil affairs, counterinsurgency, direct action, counterterrorism, countering weapons of mass destruction, military information support operations, foreign humanitarian assistance, foreign internal defense, hostage rescue and recovery, security forces assistance, special reconnaissance, unconventional warfare and preparation of the environment. However, many of these mandated functions are beyond the mandate of PLA units. China would use its SOF units in quite a different way to the USA, and their closest counterpart is probably US Army Ranger units. Blasko, writing for The Jamestown Foundation, assessed that Chinese troops would be "tasked with a limited number of strategic-level missions deep behind enemy lines", and that "the majority of PLA SOF operations would likely be conducted relatively close to and in support of larger conventional units in what most often resemble commando or reconnaissance missions". Blasko also pointed out: "According to PLA doctrine, special operations are considered one link in system-of-systems operations to be integrated with the other important campaign activities of information warfare, firepower assault, maneuver and psychological warfare. Special operations seek to create favorable conditions for main force units by raiding vital enemy areas, paralyzing enemy operational systems, reducing enemy operational capabilities, as well as interfering, delaying and disrupting enemy operational activities. SOF units are tasked mainly to conduct special reconnaissance, raids, sabotage, harassment, hostage rescue and decapitation missions." Chinese SOF units thus have a focus on battlefield-level operations where they would typically support division-and brigade-level formations, or at best theater commanders. Another major difference is the experience level of troops, especially if one compares Chinese units to American ones. Flush with nonstop combat experience in places like Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, American operators are among the most battle-hardened in the The PLA lacks this kind of combat experience, even if they do train hard and are now regularly dispatched to places like Djibouti and the Gulf of Aden. Oddly, some Chinese SOF personnel are merely two-year recruits or even lieutenants on their first assignments. This is very different to the USA, where significant levels of experience are necessary before being accepted into a USSOCOM unit. For this reason, Blasko concluded: "With so many relatively inexperienced personnel assigned, most units are organized and trained to operate in squads, platoons and companies." Nonetheless, chosen for their stamina, Chinese SOF troops are trained in many skills and can operate a wide range of Chinese and foreign weapons. They have been gaining growing exposure through international deployments such as the PLAN's continuing rotations of warships to the Gulf of Aden on counter-piracy missions. They also enjoy exchanges with foreign units. For example, in 2019 some Chinese forces cross-trained in Singapore. Blasko claimed: "The major focus of much Chinese media coverage about SOF training is on the physical toughness of SOF personnel, insertion methods, weapons qualification and close combat skills." Units tend to do well in international competitions because they drill hard in such technical skills. In addition, an Army Special Forces Academy is located in Guilin, this facility established only as recently as 2012. With this training academy being so young, China cannot have anything close to the institutional collective knowledge that USSOCOM has. The Queshan Combined Arms Training Base located in Zhumadian, Henan Province, is designed specifically to rehearse SOF training. However, with China's SOF capabilities at still a relatively young stage, regular commanders may not always use them to their full potential, so the successful incorporation of SOF capabilities will represent a significant training challenge for the PLA in the near to midterm future. Do PLA special forces have special equipment? Certainly, troops have advanced communications equipment, weapon sights, night vision devices, target designators and unmanned aerial vehicles. Otherwise, they tend to use many of the same weapons that regular infantrymen do. The SOF battalion resident in the Hong Kong Garrison, for example, is armed primarily with 5.8mm QBZ95-1assault rifles. They are also provided Mengshi 4x4 fast attack vehicles, and regularly train with helicopters such as the Z-9ZH and Z-8KH also based in Hong Kong. In public, they do not reveal all their special weapons, however, but it is known they have silenced weapons and round-corner firing devices at their disposal. A notable aspect is an all-female contingent of special forces in Hong Kong. Not only do PLA special forces have no umbrella headquarters, but they lack dedicated platforms such as delivery and support aircraft and helicopters. In contrast, the USA, for instance, boasts the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. The Pentagon thus said in a report: "The PLA's special-purpose forces do not have the kind of air and naval assets available to US special operations forces and, as a result, [they have] limited range and sustainability." Blasko echoed this same weakness, highlighting that Chinese SOF units are limited in how far they can operate behind enemy lines because of a lack of appropriate means of insertion via aircraft or helicopter. Nonetheless, this situation should begin to improve as Y-20 transport aircraft and Z-20 helicopters become more widespread. At this point, it is pertinent to mention those SOF troops that appeared in the PLA's massive parade in Beijing on 1 October 2019. Many troops were seen ensconced in gyrocopters that can carry two soldiers each. These commercial-off-the-shelf aircraft are believed to be hunting Eagle gyrocopters manufactured by Shaanxi BaoJi Special Vehicle Manufacturing. The 290kg Hunting Eagle gyrocopter is powered by a 115hp Rotax 914 engine. Each gyrocopter can carry a payload of 230kg in the form of two people. The manufacturer lists its cruising speed as 100-120km/h, with a top speed of 160km/h. The Hunting Eagle can fly for four hours or 400km at a maximum ceiling of4,500m. China can use these aircraft to unobtrusively land soldiers behind enemy lines, plus their low speeds mean they have a short take-off and landing performance (20-80m). The PLA is known to operate another gyrocopter type that accommodates three soldiers too. As well as gyrocopter, aircraft parachute and helicopter insertions, Chinese troops can also make use of submarines or surface vessels to land on an enemy coast. In the Beijing parade in 2019, SOF troops also appeared aboard small 6x6 all-terrain vehicles manufactured by Norinco. These Lynx amphibious vehicles can be armed with a variety of different weapons (in the parade they fielded a 12.7mm QJZ89 machine gun and carried five soldiers. Units such as PLA marines, special forces and airborne troops are now widely using these types of ATVs. There is no doubt that Chinese special forces are more elite than their regular infantry counterparts. Yet while their training is improving, they still lack real- combat experience and the wherewithal and logistical support to perform long-distance operations. This is in sharp contrast to USSOCOM, which has a larger globally distributed force with manifold dedicated assets at its fingertips. In any Taiwan invasion scenario, these PLA SOF units would doubtlessly be employed to sow confusion and destruction. Therein, Blasko also made another observation: "Such operations have a greater chance of success in Southeast Asia and East Asia where overseas Chinese populations are present. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Winnipegs mobile sign industry is seeing red over what the city is calling a black-and-white issue. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/1/2020 (714 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Winnipegs mobile sign industry is seeing red over what the city is calling a black-and-white issue. New restrictions proposed by the City of Winnipeg limiting the number and types of colours, size, and placement of temporary signage is drawing sharp criticism from those responsible for the eye-catching advertisements. "Some of the changes could devastate our industry and potentially end up bankrupting some of us. And its also going to hurt small business across Winnipeg," said Brad Ingles, spokesman for Association of Mobile Signs Winnipeg. The group was formed last year, when the city began reviewing bylaw enforcement and regulations, Ingles said Wednesday, and represents a handful of professional signage companies. The city is updating its bylaw governing mobile signs and has proposed an array of regulatory changes, which will be considered Monday by the standing policy committee on property and development, heritage and downtown development. Brad Ingles, owner of a mobile sign company, says that new regulations for mobile signs suggested by the city would devastate the industry and could result in bankruptcy. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press) Proposals include: allowing black, white and one other colour lettering on line-letter signs; reducing the maximum size of signs; limiting the number of signs permitted per lot; and adding a 30-day downtime between consecutive permits. Ingles said the proposed regulations also unfairly favour graphic or printed signs. The bylaw from 2006 currently restricts colours on roadside signs to black and white. Ingles said the city has not enforced that part of the bylaw for a decade, and it only recently cracked down to address growing numbers of derelict signs put up by individual business owners. "Theyve done their job and they cleaned the city up, so Im not sure why theyre coming down on us even harder," he said. The mobile sign industry is also a source of revenue for the city, Ingles said, with one company spending $450,000 over 10 years on permits. "In order for our signs to be effective, they need to be noticeable," Ingles said. "Without us being able to use colours and things to attract your attention to the sign, theyre less effective, and were going to have less clients." Theyve done their job and they cleaned the city up, so Im not sure why theyre coming down on us even harder. Brad Ingles, spokesman for Association of Mobile Signs Winnipeg Ingles said the association is also expecting bylaw enforcement to ramp up if the new regulations are adopted. The group has launched a petition to gather support. The city is also proposing new regulations to control dancing inflatable tubes, pole-mounted flags, and signs and banners often spotted at car dealerships. 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. Geoff Sine, executive director of the Manitoba Motor Dealers Association, said the group is pleased to see the city bring its regulations in line with other jurisdictions. "Several of the current regulations around signage are unclear and do not provide enough flexibility for the motor dealer industry," Sine said. "We have not fully studied the proposal in-depth; however, the proposed regulations seem reasonable." Coun. Brian Mayes, chairman of the standing policy committee on property and development, heritage and downtown development, said he sympathizes with industry members. and his ward office hasnt received one complaint about colour variation in signs. "Im very concerned about regulatory overkill here," Mayes said. "My view is: lets get this to the public hearing and get this resolved. "I really dont care if there are coloured letters on mobile signs. We have bigger things to worry about." danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca Private schools in NSW have signed a new agreement with the state government that spells out the rules governing their use of taxpayer money and commits them to move towards outcomes-based budgeting. But critics say the new memorandum of understanding does not go far enough to create a level playing field with public schools The NSW Department of Education, which runs public schools, is already subject to treasury scrutiny over whether it is spending its billions of dollars in funding properly under the new budgeting approach introduced last year. Critics have argued that the same scrutiny was not being applied to private schools, which also receive substantial taxpayer funding, and that the rules governing how they spent public money were not clearly stated. A report by the NSW Auditor-General also called on the department, which passes on the funding to non-government schools, to consolidate the aims and rules for how the private sector spent public money into a single agreement. The complaint letter, which is unsigned but purports to be from Village of Hazel Crest Employees, alleges that building employees at 3000 W. 170th Place were not notified of any abatement, that no safety measures were taken to protect employees during and that the laborers did not take appropriate safety precautions prior to, during and after performing work. Look, your office might be pretty nice. Nespresso machine in the kitchen, foosball table in the break room, coffers full of KIND Bars and Skinny Pop. But it doesnt have the De-Atomizer Double Barrel Standard Issue Gun from Men in Black II, the original costume Christopher Reeve wore in Superman or the massive diamond necklace that old Rose hurls into the ocean at the end of Titanic. The new DC headquarters of the Motion Picture Association, on the other hand, has all those things. Officially reopened as of October, the new location is just steps from the White House and Lafayette Park at 1600 I (Eye) Street NW. The new space includes a state-of-the-art theater with expanded seating capacity, an event venue with floor-to-ceiling windows and a museum-style exhibit featuring props, costumes and memorabilia from iconic films and television shows. This is an incredible moment for the Motion Picture Association, said Motion Picture Association Chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin. Our new home celebrates our historic past, while allowing us to move forward, innovate, and advocate on behalf of the dynamic film, television, and streaming content industry. From premiere screenings to events with elected officials to community events for local artists and students, this building is where Hollywood and Washington will meet. The Archives The MPAs first-floor event space as well as the staff offices on the eighth floor are festooned with iconic memorabilia from films and television shows representing each of the associations member studios: Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros. Each piece is housed in a museum-quality display case, and the MPA says new pieces will be rotated in periodically. A number of props from Titanic are on display at the new MPA office While you cant just waltz in and see the Sorting Hat from Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone at your leisure, according to an MPA spokesperson, the exhibit will be open to the public via a series of open houses, with the first one planned for sometime between this month and March. For those lucky enough to get a tour, some of the items currently on display include the Dundie Trophy from season seven of The Office, the Batman Cowl worn by George Clooney in 1997s Batman & Robin, the iconic green coat worn by Will Ferrell as Buddy The Elf, the Liberty Bell used by Nicholas Cage in National Treasure and a Gucci jacket worn by Taron Egerton in Rocketman. Check out the full list here. The Theater Back in 1969 a small, 70-seat theater was built for the MPA as part of a larger Brutalist-style structure. Back then, with the legendary Jack Valenti at the helm, the theater was described by The New York Times as one of the most exclusive invitations in Washington. Screenings were attended by presidents, first ladies and top politicians, such as Lady Bird Johnson, President Gerald Ford, Walter Mondale, George H.W. Bush and Dick Cheney. Eventually the theater was upstaged by larger, more modern venues, including one at the Newseum which sadly and ironically just shuttered its doors for good. The MPA was also restricted from holding the intimate gatherings with lawmakers that were common during the Valenti era due to lobbying rules passed in 2007. But now the MPA has its own shiny new state-of-the-art theater in which to host guests. The glorious new screening room at MPA Headquarters Film screenings in the new theater, which seats up to 118 people and has impressive 4K capabilities, remain invite-only. The MPA often hosts local film students at screenings and panel discussions with producers, actors, and movie executives. Recently, students from D.C.s Richard Wright Public Charter School for Journalism and Media Arts toured the exhibit and met with MPA leaders. If you are able to snag a coveted invite, make sure to check out the rooftop lounge and terrace, which offer views of the White House and the Washington Monument. In fact, when staff from the MPA first went out on the new rooftop, the building management at the time got a phone call from the White House. Because the corner, ironically, has a view between the back of the Hay-Adams and the adjacent U.S. Chamber building, says Jordan Goldstein to BizJournals, a principal and global design director for Gensler, the designers of the space. Youre literally looking right into the West Wing. The post The Motion Picture Association's New DC Office Is Also a Secret Movie Museum appeared first on InsideHook. By Laman Ismayilova Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum has established business ties with the museums of Morocco. Presently, the Carpet Museum successfully collaborates with leading museums of the world. As result of this cooperation, foreign museums host thematic exhibitions and lectures on Azerbaijani carpet art, organize scientific conferences and implement other projects, Trend Life reported. All this became possible thanks to the decrees of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the preservation and development of Azerbaijani carpet weaving art. During her visit to Morocco, the director of the National Carpet Museum Shirin Melikova held a number of meetings and signed memoranda of cooperation. The visit was organized with the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in Azerbaijan and Morocco's National Foundation of Museums. During her visit, the Morocco's Youth, Sports Hassan Abyaba proposed to organize a program uniting the cultures of the two countries. The program provides for the implementation of projects in the field of promotion of music, museum work and the national cultural heritage of the two countries. Shirin Melikova provided information on successful work in the political, economic and cultural spheres by the state, especially in the field of preserving the national heritage, and discussed the establishment of cultural ties and joint projects. In conclusion, the Minister was presented with a book dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum. The director of National Carpet Museum also met the President of Morocco's National Foundation of Museums Mehdi Qotbi. During the bilateral meeting, joint projects were discussed and a memorandum of cooperation was signed. Note that this is the first cooperation agreement between the two countries in the museum field. Mehdi Qotbi emphasized that Azerbaijani culture will be met with great interest in Morocco. The meeting also discussed the exchange program on Azerbaijani-Moroccan traditional carpet weaving and joint exhibitions. The Moroccan National Museum Fund was presented with the Malibeyli carpet, woven by the employees of the traditional technology department, as well as the museum's publications - "Azerbaijan Carpet Museum - 50", "Art Embroidery from the Collection of the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum" and "Latif Karimov". During her visit to Morocco, Shirin Melikova viewed the Museum of History and Civilizations. She also met with the director of the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Abdelaziz El Idrissi. The parties exchanged views on future joint projects of these museums and the organization of exhibitions to popularize the carpet heritage of the two countries. Moreover, prospects of cooperation were also discussed with the Dar El-Bash Museum and the Museum of Carpet and Textile. The cooperation between the cultural centers of Morocco and the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum will give a powerful impetus to the development of cultural ties between the two countries. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians has shared more than $850,000 in gaming revenues with the community in Michigan. Under a consent decree in federal court, the tribe shares 2 percent of slot machine revenues with non-profits, charities and governmental units, including public schools, in a six-county area. Distributions occur twice a year -- in the winter and the summer. Since the arrangement began in 1994, the tribe has shared more than $41 million with local governments, schools and other organizations, according to a press release posted by WPBN/WGTU. The tribe operates three gaming facilities in Michigan. Read More on the Story Join the Conversation Any reduction in devolution could aggravate the strained relations between the Centre and some opposition-ruled states on a number of issues, including CAA. The Fifteenth Finance Commission (15th FC), in its report for 2020-21, is believed to have reduced the devolution to states from the existing 42 per cent of the divisible tax pool, giving the revenue-strapped Centre some breathing space. However, the Commission has increased the tied funds, such as grants related to revenue deficit and disaster relief, and is bringing back performance-based incentives, Business Standard has learnt. Any reduction in devolution could aggravate the strained relations between the Centre and some opposition-ruled states on a number of issues, including the Citizenship Amendment Act. The 15th FC, headed by NK Singh, submitted its first report to President Ram Nath Kovind in early December. The finance ministry is expected to table the report before the presentation of the Budget. Along with the report, the finance ministry will also table an Action Taken Report, which will list out the 15th FCs recommendations that the Centre has accepted. The Commission, in its first report, has tried to strike a balance. While the devolution has been reduced, grants and tied funds to states have been increased, said a senior government official. The additional funds will be in the form of grants for urban local bodies and panchayats, revenue deficit grants and disaster relief. Some portion of the funds will also be tied to the states performances on various parameters, including how well they have carried out rural, social sector, and infrastructure policies, the official said. The 15th FCs stand can be seen as a reversal of that of the 14th Finance Commission. The 14th FC had increased the devolution to states from 32 to 42 per cent, but pared that burden on the Centre by reducing grants to states, said a second official. The reduction in devolution will certainly be good news for the Centre. A deep and sustained economic slowdown has led to a resource crunch, with some analysts expecting gross revenue shortfall for this year to go as high as Rs 3.5 trillion. The 15th FC will submit another report in October 2020, covering the award period from 2021-22 to 2025-26. The Commissions term was extended to October to give it more time to navigate challenges - like the economic slowdown, unrealistic fiscal and revenue targets by the Centre and the states, and the status of Jammu and Kashmir compared to other Union Territories like Delhi and Puducherry - before the submitting its final report. Singh, the Commission chairman, has made it clear that at least in the first report, J&K has been treated like any other UT and its funds will come from the Centres share of the divisible pool. This is different from what the J&K Reorganization Act had sought. The Centre, through the Act, had wanted the UT of J&K to be given a special treatment of providing it with funds out of the divisible pool like any other state. On the other hand, Ladakh was to be treated like any other UT and given funds out of the Centres share of the divisible pool. She recently enjoyed a romantic getaway with her partner to celebrate his 33rd birthday. And Michelle Keegan kept the good times rolling as she continued to document her trip to Jamaica alongside her husband Mark Wright on Instagram on Thursday. Displaying her naturally clear complexion, the former Corrie star, 32, went make-up free as she posed for a radiant snap, while the daring presenter jumped off a 35ft cliff in the idyllic island. Sun-soaked: Michelle Keegan kept the good times rolling as she continued to document her trip to Jamaica alongside her husband Mark Wright on Instagram on Thursday The media personality looked sensational as she scraped her tresses away from her face and into a bun with the help of a pale pink headscarf. Showcasing her tanned visage, the Our Girl actress ditched her typically neutral-toned make-up look as she let her skin breathe in the sun-soaked country. Michelle - who accessorised her appearance with a selection of gold jewellery - revealed she treated herself to her first set of lash extensions in years. The soap star captioned the image: 'This holiday Ive added extra glamour with @nouveaulashesuk SVS Lashes, instead of my everyday LVL Lash Lift. Fun in the sun: The 32-year-old actress' husband Mark Wright made sure he made the most of his holiday as he daringly jumped off a 35ft cliff 'Its my first time in YEARS of having lash extensions and Im loving them! What do you think? #NouveauLashes #MICHELLEKEEGANxLVL #SVSLashes #ad.' [sic] Earlier in the day, former TOWIE star Mark revealed he was at the iconic Rick's Cafe in the town of Negril and partaking in the venue's cliff diving. Mark shared a video of himself atop of the bar's 35ft cliff as he daringly jumped off it and into the crystal clear water below. And despite looking confident on the clip, the reality star admitted in the caption that he was nervous as he crudely confessed: 'Poo in my pants a bit'. Daring: The former TOWIE star, 33, took to Instagram to reveal he was at the iconic Rick's Cafe in the town of Negril and partaking in the venue's cliff diving Woah! Mark shared a video of himself atop of the bar's 35ft cliff as he daringly jumped off it and into the crystal clear water below Iconic: Rick's Cafe is a famous site where you can watch the skilled locals, as well as tourists, jump off different sized cliffs ranging from 8ft, 27ft and 35ft Rick's Cafe is a famous site where you can watch the skilled locals, as well as tourists, jump off different sized cliffs ranging from 8ft, 27ft and 35ft. Yet Mark was quick to steady his nerves after the dive as he quickly enjoyed a rum punch, revealing it was the last of the holiday as he was heading home later on Thursday, he gushed: 'Ah, what a trip, the taste of that!' It comes after Michelle and her husband Mark shared a glimpse of their romantic Jamaican break, as the Heart Radio DJ celebrated his 33rd birthday. The couple offered a rare insight into their relationship as they uploaded snaps onto Instagram on Sunday, which documented a boat ride and a peek at their five-star hotel. Phew: Yet Mark was quick to steady his nerves after the dive as he quickly enjoyed a rum punch, revealing it was the last of the holiday as he was heading home later on Thursday, he gushed: 'Ah, what a trip, the taste of that!' Sweet: It comes after Michelle and Mark shared a glimpse of their romantic Jamaican break, as the Heart Radio DJ celebrated his 33rd birthday In one snap, the pair were the picture of happiness as they soaked up the sun on a boat while giggling amongst themselves. Uploaded onto the birthday boy's platform, the hunk captioned the beaming image: 'Happiness summed up in 1 pic. Living, Laughing, Loving. 'Jamaica you made my birthday week so special. @sandals_uk #family #laughter #gifted #sandalssouthcoast #birthday.' [sic] Former soap star Michelle also treated fans to a glimpse at her break as she posed in a black bikini and sheer sarong while enjoying the view of the country's clear blue sea. Bikini babe: The actress shared a rare insight into their relationship as they uploaded snaps onto Instagram on Sunday Lucky for some! Former soap star Michelle treated fans to a glimpse at her break as she enjoyed the view of the country's clear blue sea The delighted thespian penned: 'As long as I have sun, sea and views like these im happy... oh and good food... and a cocktail, preferably a pina colada... @sandals_uk #ad.' Earlier this month, Michelle announced she is leaving BBC One drama Our Girl after four years. The actress played British army medic Georgie Lane on the show for three seasons but plans to leave in order to spend more time in her home country. The demanding filming schedule of the show has seen the Stockport-born star travel to South Africa, Nepal and Malaysia for several months of filming a year. The Wright Way: The pair were joined by their loved ones, including Mark's sisters Jess and Natalya, as well as his parents Carol and Mark Sr Nearest and dearest: The birthday boy and the Our Girl star packed on the PDA as they held hands during a family dinner Girls just wanna have fun! TV personality Jess, 34, displayed her sensational figure in a white two-piece as she rang in her sibling's birthday in style What a difference: The host was in his element as he sipped on a refreshing drink on a boat, before sharing another snap of himself back in chilly London Cheeky! In another photo, the shirtless star poked fun at dry January as he held up a selection of alcoholic beverages Moving on: Earlier this month, Michelle announced she is leaving BBC 1 drama Our Girl after four years (pictured) When speaking with The Sun about her decision the ex-Coronation street star said: 'Ive had the most incredible four years on the show and I want to thank the BBC for giving me such an amazing opportunity. 'Playing Georgie has been a life changing role for me. Ive loved every second of the adventure so it was a very hard decision to make not to return. 'I feel it is the right time to explore other exciting opportunities but Im so happy to be part of the new series coming soon so its not the end just yet.' New venture: The photos come as it was announced Mark will go head-to-head with Scottish rugby legend Jim Hamilton in fitness test GUINNESS presents the Calcutta SAS Bootcamp The show producers are currently looking for another female to play the lead in the hit series, which starred former EastEnders actress Lacey Turner, 31, for its first run in 2014. Meanwhile, Michelle's husband star Mark left his dream presenting role in 'lonely' LA to be back with his gorgeous wife in February last year. The stunning couple met on a New Year's break in Dubai back in December 2012, with the pair tying the knot in an idyllic ceremony in May 2015. The photos come as it was announced Mark will go head-to-head with Scottish rugby legend Jim Hamilton in fitness test GUINNESS presents the Calcutta SAS Bootcamp. The SAS inspired bootcamp will see Mark lead a team of English fans against Jim Hamilton and his team of Scots - honouring the rivalry of the Guinness Six Nations. The Wuhan coronavirus has spread throughout the world since the first cases were detected in central China in December. At least 132 people have died and more than 6,000 are fighting symptoms including fever and breathing difficulties. China's National Health Commission has confirmed the virus can be transmitted from person to person through "droplet transmission" -- where a virus is passed on due to an infected person sneezing or coughing -- as well as by direct contact. There are more than 80 confirmed cases of Wuhan coronavirus -- but no deaths so far -- in 18 places outside mainland China. A number of countries, such as the United States and Japan, have evacuated their nationals on flights from Wuhan, capital of Hubei province. This is a full list of places outside mainland China with confirmed cases of the Wuhan coronavirus. Australia (at least 7 cases) At least seven people in Australia have been confirmed to have the Wuhan coronavirus. The latest case is a 44-year-old Chinese man from Wuhan who is in a stable condition in isolation at the Gold Coast University Hospital, according to a statement from Queensland's chief health officer on Wednesday. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the government is negotiating plans to evacuate more than 600 Australian nationals from Hubei province. They would be quarantined for 14 days on Christmas Island, an Australian territory that currently hosts a largely empty immigration detention center. The latest Australian government travel advice for China is to "reconsider your need to travel." Cambodia (at least 1 case) Cambodia reported its first case of Wuhan coronavirus on Monday -- a 60-year-old Chinese man who flew into the country from Wuhan with three family members. They tested negative for the virus, according to a Ministry of Information statement. The man's condition was stable and he only showed mild symptoms, it said. Canada (at least 2 cases) A Canadian couple has tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus in Ontario -- both the man and woman had visited Wuhan before getting ill. The Canadian government has warned its citizens against all travel to Hubei province, including the cities of Wuhan, Huanggang and Ezhou. It said the risk of the new coronavirus spreading within Canada remained low. France (at least 4 cases) France was the first European country to confirm cases of the Wuhan coronavirus, with two patients hospitalized in Paris and the other in Bordeaux, according to the country's health department head Jerome Salomon. A fourth case of coronavirus was confirmed Tuesday, which involved a Chinese tourist from Hubei. His condition was "serious," Salomon said. France will send a first plane to evacuate its citizens back from Wuhan on Thursday, according to French health minister Agnes Buzyn. The flight is expected to take French nationals who do not have symptoms of the virus. A second flight carrying those who may have been infected is also being planned. Germany (at least 4 cases) Germany has confirmed a total of four Wuhan coronavirus cases in Bavaria state -- all the cases were related and occurred at the same workplace, according to the health ministry. The first patient, a 33-year-old German man who lives in Landsberg and works in Starnberg, Bavaria had not been to China, but was in a meeting with a Chinese national who was later diagnosed with the coronavirus, the head of the Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety said Tuesday. Another 40 employees of the company have been identified as close contacts, and will be tested by authorities as a precautionary measure. German health minister Jens Spahn said Tuesday the coronavirus threat for the public in Germany remains low. Hong Kong (at least 8 cases) The semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong, which borders mainland China, has confirmed eight cases -- all infected patients had spent time in Wuhan. Hong Kong has temporarily closed some of its borders with China and has stopped issuing travel permits to mainland tourists. West Kowloon station, where high-speed rail runs between the city and mainland China, is closed until further notice. Half of all incoming flights from China have been canceled. Residents of Hubei province, where the virus was first reported, are also being denied entry to the city. Most government offices, except those involved in emergency and essential services, will be closed for the rest of the week. All primary and secondary schools will also be shut until at least February 17. Long queues are seen outside pharmacies as people look to buy face masks. This comes as Hong Kong recalls painful memories from the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003, a pandemic that killed more than 280 people in the city. Japan (at least 7 cases) There are seven confirmed cases in Japan, including a man with no travel history to Wuhan. The man, in his 60s, is a bus driver who drove tour groups from Wuhan for nine days before getting ill. His is the first case of suspected human-to-human transmission in Japan. The Japanese government is evacuating citizens from Wuhan. On Wednesday, 206 Japanese nationals arrived on a chartered flight operated by ANA, according to Japanese officials. Another 450 will depart Wuhan on later flights that are currently being arranged by the government. Any passengers with pneumonia-like symptoms will be taken to a special medical center for treatment, and those who aren't displaying symptoms will be taken to separate hospitals for further screening. Notably, the Japanese flights also carried medical supplies for the Chinese government. They included thousands of surgical masks, safety goggles and 50 sets of protective suits. Macao (at least 5 cases) Macao, a semi-autonomous city in southern China, has confirmed at least five cases of the Wuhan coronavirus. The outbreak has had a devastating impact on tourism in the gambling enclave, which relies heavily on mainland Chinese visitors. Gambling is illegal on the mainland and Lunar New Year is usually a particularly busy time for Macao's casinos. But not this year -- tourism to the city has dropped 73.6% year-on-year, the Macao government announced Wednesday. All residents of Hubei province and non-residents who traveled to Hubei in the past 14 days will be denied entry to Macao, until they show a doctor's letter certifying they are clear, according to Secretary for Administration and Justice Cheong Weng-chon. Anyone who has been to Hubei in the past two weeks is also banned from entering casinos. All public services will be closed for the rest of January, and civil servants are advised to stay home. All primary and secondary schools will be closed until further notice, and all banks are closed until Monday. Malaysia (at least 7 cases) Malaysia has confirmed seven cases -- all Chinese nationals. The most recent cases include a four-year old child, a woman and a 52-year-old man, according to state news agency Bernama. Malaysia has temporarily suspended all visas for Chinese citizens from Hubei province. It has also established an emergency response team at its Beijing embassy to provide assistance to Malaysian citizens in China. Nepal (at least 1 case) There was one confirmed case in Nepal -- a 31-year-old Nepali PhD student who lives in Wuhan but flew to Nepal earlier this month. He was admitted to hospital in Kathmandu on January 13, but was subsequently released on January 17 after his condition improved. The Health Ministry said people in close contact with the patient have been identified and are being monitored. Singapore (at least 5 cases) Singapore confirmed its fifth case of Wuhan coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases to five, according to the Ministry of Health. The latest case, a 56-year-old woman from Wuhan, is in an isolation room at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases. The Ministry of Health has advised against all travel to Hubei province and non-essential travel to mainland China, adding that all travelers should monitor their health closely for two weeks upon their return to Singapore. It has also urged employers to implement flexible work arrangements, such as working from home or telecommuting, for employees who have been to China in the past 14 days. South Korea (at least 4 cases) South Korea confirmed its fourth case of Wuhan coronavirus Monday, after a 55-year-old South Korean man who visited Wuhan tested positive for the virus. The South Korean government plans to send four chartered planes to Wuhan to evacuate its citizens, according to foreign affairs ministry spokesman Kim In-chul. He said there were about 700 South Koreans in Wuhan who want to return to South Korea. Kim said those wishing to board the flight would have to go through an inspection process by medical staff, and they would be required to stay at a government provided facility to prevent the Wuhan coronavirus from spreading in the community. South Korea is also planning to send medical aid items on the flights to Wuhan, including two million protective masks and 100,000 protective goggles. Sri Lanka (at least 1 case) There's one case of the Wuhan coronavirus in Sri Lanka. A statement from the health ministry assured residents that local hospitals were prepared to handle any further outbreak. The government is contacting people who may have come into contact with the single case to detect potential contagion. Taiwan (at least 8 cases) Eight cases have been confirmed in Taiwan. The latest involves a Taiwanese man in his 50s whose family member was previously confirmed with the coronavirus, according to the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CECC). All residents of Hubei province are banned from entering the self-governing island. Chinese students from other provinces will also be denied entry for two months. The export of face masks is also temporarily suspended to ensure stable supply. Thailand (at least 14 cases) Thailand confirmed a further six cases of Wuhan coronavirus this week, bringing the total number to 14 -- the highest count of confirmed cases outside China. Of the six new cases, five are from the same family traveling together from Hubei province. Thai airports are now screening all Chinese visitors for symptoms. Thai citizens are also being asked to report anyone who seems to have fallen ill after recently traveling from China. United Arab Emirates (at least 4 cases) The UAE confirmed four cases of the coronavirus, the UAE's Ministry of Health and Prevention said in a statement Wednesday. The four reported cases are all within a single Chinese family from Wuhan, the ministry said. "The general health situation is not a cause of concern," the statement added. United States (at least 5 cases) The United States has confirmed five cases, including one in Washington state, two in California, one in Arizona, and one in Illinois. The US has raised its travel advisory level and cautioned travelers to reconsider visiting China. It has also ordered the evacuation of all non-emergency personnel and their families from Hubei province. The first chartered flight, carrying 200 Americans, will land late Tuesday night at Ted Stevens airport in Anchorage, Alaska for a refueling stop, where passengers will get health screenings to ensure they are not experiencing symptoms. Afterward, the plane will land at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County, California. Vietnam (at least 2 cases) Vietnam confirmed two cases of the Wuhan coronavirus in Ho Chi Minh City -- a father and son from Wuhan, according to the state-run Vietnam News Agency (VNA). The country has set up a rapid response team, and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has instructed ministries to strictly enforce the ban on importing wildlife into the country, according to VNA. 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. 30, Trend reports. 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 The US drug regulator classified the inspection of Aurobindo Pharma's Unit 7 facility as Official Action Indicated (OAI). The United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) conducted a cGMP inspection at Aurobindo Pharma's Unit 7 (oral solids formulation manufacturing facility) from 19th to 27th September 2019. The inspection ended with 7 observations. Aurobindo Pharma on Thursday announced that it received a letter from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) classifying the inspection conducted at Unit 7 facility as OAI. OAI means "objectionable conditions were found and regulatory administrative sanctions by FDA are indicated" during inspections. The company clarified that it believes that this OAI classification will not have any material impact on the existing revenues or the supplies to its US business at this juncture. The company said it will work closely with the regulator to comprehensively address the issues. Following the announcement, shares of Aurobindo Pharma dropped 5.10% to Rs 481.45. It hit a high of Rs 509.10 and a low of Rs 466.75 in intraday so far. The stock rose 3.47% in the past one month. On the technical front, the stock's RSI (relative strength index) stood at 50.512. The RSI oscillates between zero and 100. Traditionally the RSI is considered overbought when above 70 and oversold when below 30. The stock was trading between its 50-day moving average (DMA) placed at Rs 462.75 and 100-day moving average (DMA) placed at Rs 491.38. On a consolidated basis, Aurobindo Pharma's net profit rose 2.7% to Rs 649.31 crore on a 18.2% surge in net sales to Rs 5,518.27 crore in Q3 December 2019 over Q3 December 2018. Aurobindo Pharma engages in developing, manufacturing and marketing active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs also referred as bulk actives), intermediates and generic formulations. The company's robust product portfolio is spread over 6 major product areas encompassing with around 65 APIs in the non-antibiotics and over 55 APIs in the antibiotic segment and the World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, has also approved Aurobindo's products. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A study by a London-based research group has revealed that arms used in the farmers/herders conflict in North-west Nigeria come from the same source as those used by the terror group, Al Qaeda, in Mali and other Sahel countries. The report, Nigerias Herder-Farmer Conflict, conducted by Conflict Armament Research (CAR), focuses its primary findings on Zamfara, Katsina and Kaduna States in Nigeria. Mike Lewis, author of the report and head of investigative arms research for CAR, told Radio France International (RFI) on Wednesday that researchers found the weapons amongst herders to be the same as those used in an attack by an Al Qaeda-aligned group in Mopti, central Mali. The report also said sophisticated arms are also being smuggled from Turkey into Nigeria. Mr Lewis said the study tracked weapons such as manufactured shotguns made in 2014 and smuggled by sea through the port of Lagos as well. Attackers in different countries are actually using weapons, not just of the same type, but almost certainly from the same batch and that is passed through the same people. And what that tells you is that there are very specific sources of illicit weapons that are providing the tools of violence for armed groups and also terrorist groups right across the Sahel, Mr Lewis said. There were assault rifles, for example, that had had their markings scraped off in exactly the same way, and probably with the same tool, and yet were finding them literally hundreds or even thousands of kilometres apart, he added. More Sources of Weapons According to the report, CAR researchers traced the origins of the weapons across borders in the Sahel, including from military weapons stockpiles in Cote dIvoire and from Libya. The report also revealed a large number of hand-made firearms in the region, where there was a 35:1 ratio between artisanal weapons and factory-made ones. State governments in northern and central Nigeria are trying to capture the illicit small weapons, but the issue of the region awash in small arms remains. We also need to get serious about securing the regions borders, and targeting these kinds of trafficking networks that are moving weapons into the conflict, Mr Lewis said. Scores and Cause Dry seasons present a harsh spinoff: the scarcity of resources required for farming and cattle husbandry. The impacts of the scarcity are most severe in the countrys semi-arid North. READ ALSO: A situation that pushes Fulani herdsmen towards the Middle Belt and further south, where farmers already confront the challenge of reduction in the land available for cultivation due to housing and industrial expansion. It has also resulted in intense competition between farmers and herdsmen, which is increasingly causing bloody clashes in rural communities. But the rising wave of banditry, amid high-profile farmers herdsmen communal clash, has steadily become a major issue of Nigerias worsening security crisis in the region. The death count is alarming, the report said. According to a 2018 report by the International Crisis Group (ICG), an estimated 300,000 people fled their homes in large-scale displacement and insecurity in parts of Adamawa, Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau and Taraba states, a development the group said may hinder farming as well as herding and drive up food prices. The Inter-communal violence in the region killed more people in 2018 than Boko Haram and Islamic State in West Africa combined, according to the ICG report. PREMIUM TIMES last year reported the United Nations saying over 40,000 refugees who were targeted by armed groups in Sokoto, Zamfara, and Katsina states migrated to the neighbouring Niger Republic to seek safety. While a 2019 report by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) said an estimated 7,000 Nigerians died between 2015 and 2019 in the persistent violence between farmers and pastoralists in the middle belt states of Benue and Nasarawa. To address the violence, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) launched operation Tsaftan Daji (Clean Forest), to flush out the armed bandits in the North-West. The army also has an ongoing operation in the region. Various state governments in the North-west, including those of Zamfara, Sokoto, and Katsina, are also negotiating with the armed bandits and have done prisoner swaps with them. The swaps have involved the release of arrested armed bandits in exchange for tens of persons kidnapped by the bandits. Advertisements A lecturer (R) of the Girls' Protection Program takes part in a training course in Changzhi City, in North China's Shanxi Province, in July 2019. [Women's Federation of Changzhi City] A volunteer lecturer raised a group of questions, such as how girls can identify potential assailants and how to protect themselves from danger, at a recent training course for schoolchildren in Luzhou District of Changzhi City, in North China's Shanxi Province. The students said they knew more about how to better protect themselves after the lecturer's presentation and a discussion session. Li Jing, director of the Yifengcheng Women and Children's Rights Protection Service Center and head of the volunteers' team for the Girls' Protection Program in Changzhi, said that it is far more meaningful to protect children and teach them to stay away from danger and infringement than to punish and blame the culprits afterwards. As a women-oriented social organization incubated by the Women's Federation of Changzhi City, Li's service center has been promoting the program and serving women and children through a local law firm. According to her, volunteers have held about 600 such charity lectures on preventing sexual assault against minors, benefiting more than 20,000 students in the city, since the center's establishment three years ago. The center has developed more than 10 themed training courses, such as "methods of improving female officials' rights protection abilities," "emotional maintenance and crisis management in marriage and families," "protecting our bodies" and "teaching plans on prevention of sexual assault against children." Law popularization education has been carried out on campuses in the city. Li said the education program will progress to meet the urgent need to increase children's knowledge about sexual assault. She still remembers the first lecture at the center, saying that it was well received by more than 100 teachers and the pupils and kindergarten children attending it. One of the parents said that they didn't know how to talk about the problem with their children or how to teach them to better protect themselves; they felt in urgent need of professional guidance. According to the center, more than 300 volunteers in Changzhi have registered with the program. Wang Lin, President of the city's women's federation, said the goal of the program is to give lectures on sexual abuse prevention throughout both urban and rural areas of Changzhi. (Source: China Women's News/ Translated and edited by Women of China) The Phase I clinical study of Octreotide-RP was conducted in Australia with 58 healthy adult volunteers. The test group was comprised of both male and female subjects aged 18 to 55. Of the 58 participants, 52 were treated with Octreotide-RP, while a control group of 6 participants was given an intravenous injection of an identical dose of octreotide. Results of the study demonstrated that the bioavailability of Octreotide-RP was greater than 70%. No serious adverse events were reported for any subject in the study. "This study brings hope for the millions of patients who have long demanded an effective, alternative to painful recurring injections," said Mir Imran, Rani Therapeutics' Chairman and CEO. "We have demonstrated that we can safely and effectively deliver biologic drugs orally using the RaniPill platform, and we are now one step closer to making recurring injections for chronic diseases a thing of the past." "Current octreotide delivery methods compel patients to choose between painful injections and living with debilitating symptoms especially occurring at the end of injection cycles. By providing an oral alternative like Octreotide-RP, Rani Therapeutics is making therapy easier and painless for patients, a welcome change for acromegaly and neuroendocrine tumor patients," said Dr. Shlomo Melmed, Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dean of the Medical Faculty and Professor of Medicine at Cedars Sinai. "The human results with octreotide are compelling and demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the RaniPill, a major milestone for Rani but also a first for the industry," added Dennis Ausiello, M.D., Physician-in-Chief, Emeritus at Massachusetts General Hospital and Jackson Distinguished Professor of Clinical Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and Rani Therapeutics board member. "This human study is the proof-of-concept for the platform, and we are confident that we will see similar results with any biologic drug, from insulin to Humira." In addition to oral octreotide, Rani has a pipeline of drugs for the treatment of diabetes, osteoporosis, and rheumatoid arthritis, among other diseases. Rani's goal is to transform the lives of millions of patients around the globe by replacing painful injections with pills. About Rani Therapeutics Rani Therapeutics has developed the RaniPill, a platform technology for the oral delivery of biologic drugs. The company has demonstrated bioavailability similar to subcutaneous injections in both preclinical and clinical studies. The research and technology behind Rani Therapeutics came out of InCube Labs, a multi-disciplinary life sciences R&D lab focused on breakthrough medical innovations. InCube is led by Mir Imran, a prolific medical inventor, entrepreneur, and investor. Rani has active collaborations with Novartis and Takeda. For more information, please visit www.ranitherapeutics.com . Media Contact: Consort Partners for Rani Therapeutics [email protected] SOURCE Rani Therapeutics Related Links https://www.ranitherapeutics.com ZURICH, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Christian Solidarity International (CSI), an NGO campaigning for religious freedom, issued a Genocide Warning for Nigeria, and called on the Permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council to take appropriate action to prevent genocide in Africa's largest country. CSI issued this Genocide Warning in response to a rising tide of violence directed against Nigerian Christians and others classified as "infidels" by Islamist militants in the country's north and middle belt regions. 1,000 Christians in Nigeria are reported to have been killed by Islamist militias over the past year, with 6,000 murdered since 2015, according to the most conservative estimates from Nigerian Christian sources. In the past five weeks alone: - The Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) released a video showing the murder of Ropvil Daciya Dalep, a Christian student at the University of Maiduguri (Jan 23). - Rev Dennis Bagauri was shot to death at his home in Adamawa state (Jan 20). - Fulani militants attacked 11 Christian villages in southern Kaduna state and Plateau state, killing 50 and kidnapping 58 (Jan. 6-13). - Boko Haram terrorists beheaded Martha Bulus and her two bridesmaids as they were en route to her wedding in Borno State (Dec. 26). - ISWAP released a video showing 11 Christians being beheaded, in what the Islamic State claims was revenge for the killing of their "caliph," Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (Dec 26). "Christians have become an endangered species in their own country," warned CAN's President, Dr. Samson Ayokunle on 23 January. "Nigeria", he continued, "is under a siege orchestrated by the murderous bloodthirsty and criminally-minded Boko Haram terrorists, Fulani terrorist herdsmen, bandits and kidnappers." Ayokunle called the government to account for its inaction in the face of the escalating conflict and the culture of impunity in Nigeria.1 Cause for grave concern has also been raised by the International Criminal Court's Office of the Prosecutor. In a report published at the end of 2019, the Office of the Prosecutor warned that there is "reasonable basis" to believe that war crimes and crimes against humanity have taken place in Nigeria. The ICC report stated that not only Boko Haram and its Islamist offshoots are under investigation, but also the Nigerian Security Forces (NSF). According to the ICC, the investigation of NSF includes acts of violence against persons associated with the Shiite "Islamic Movement of Nigeria" and the predominately-Christian Indigenous People of Biafra.2 "The conditions for genocide exist in Nigeria," said Dr. John Eibner, the Chairman of CSI's International Management, "with Christians, non-violent Muslims, and adherents of tribal religions being particularly vulnerable. The increasingly violent attacks and the failure of the Nigerian government to prevent them and punish the perpetrators are alarming." Eibner continued: "The vast majority of states, as signatories to the Genocide Convention of 1948, have committed to 'undertake to prevent' genocide, a commitment that was reaffirmed in the 2005 declaration of the Responsibility to Protect. CSI therefore calls on the permanent members of the UN Security Council to take swift action to uphold this commitment to genocide prevention in Nigeria." Eibner also called on Christian leaders in Europe, North America, and around the world to promote and uphold CAN's appeal for three days of global fasting and prayer for Nigeria from 31 January to 2 February. CSI has been monitoring the surge in sectarian violence in Nigeria, and last year set up the Nigeria Report website www.nigeria-report.org to provide news and a platform for discussion about ways to end the interwoven sectarian conflicts and tribal rivalries that have so gravely destabilized Africa's most populous county. About CSI Christian Solidarity International (CSI) is a Christian human rights organization promoting religious liberty and human dignity. Contact: Adrian Hartmann, [email protected]. 1 Dr. Samson Ayokunle, President, Christian Association of Nigeria, National Christian Centre, Abuja, January 23, 2020. 2 Office of the Prosecutor, International Criminal Court, Report on Preliminary Investigation Activities 2019, December 5, 2019, pp. 47-52. SOURCE Christian Solidarity International (CSI) Related Links http://www.csi-int.org Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 30, 2020 15:45 713 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2061bff38 1 National BKSDA,central-sulawesi,Palu,wildlife,crocodile Free The Central Sulawesi Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA Central Sulawesi) is holding a contest for anyone who is willing and able to save a wild crocodile in Palu that has been stuck in a motorcycle tire for years. "The contest is to remove the tire from the crocodile's neck," BKSDA Central Sulawesi head Hasmuni Hasmar said as quoted by Antara on Tuesday. "We will give a reward to anyone who is able to save the crocodile from the tire," he said without specifying further details of the reward. Hasmar said the contest was launched because the agency did not have enough resources to find the wild crocodile in question. It is regularly spotted swimming in waters connecting the Palu River and Palu Bay. The 4-meter-long reptile was first spotted swimming with the tire on its neck in 2016. Officials and conservationists previously tried and failed to catch the crocodile. Wild animal tamer Muhammad Panji, better known for his moniker Panji Petualang, also tried to save the reptile in January 2018, but to no avail. "We have also cooperated with a nonprofit organization from Australia but it also failed to save the crocodile," Hasmar said. Central Sulawesi Governor Longki Djanggola said the contest was launched with a target to free the crocodile from the tire in 2020. "The BKSDA has a lot of work to do, part of it being [the search for] the missing crocodile with the tire," Longki said. "This year it must be caught so that it can be released from the tire." (ami) A delivery driver's good deed is being shared with the world, thanks to a doorbell camera. A FedEx driver delivering in Michigan's Upper Peninsula was dropping off a package for Jodi LaFreniere at her Manistique home Thursday morning. LaFreniere, a kindergarten teacher, told CNN she was at school when she got an alert on her phone from her doorbell camera. "I was wondering who was at my house since my fiance was away in Alaska, teaching," she said. When she went to look at the alert, she saw the FedEx delivery driver shoveling the snow on her front porch. In the video, the driver can be seen carrying LaFreniere's package to her front door but stops in his tracks once he takes a look at the snow covering the floor of the porch. Within seconds, he puts the package down and grabbing a shovel near the front door, begins clearing a pathway without any hesitation. LaFreniere hadn't spoken to the delivery driver but said her fiance, Rodney Riesland, has chatted with him a lot because he's usually home when deliveries are made. She said Riesland says the driver -- Melvin J. Marlett -- is a great guy. Marlett has been working for FedEx for 23 years. Through a friend on Facebook, LaFreniere said she was able to thank Marlett for his kindness. FedEx took notice of Marlett's actions and contacted LaFreniere via Facebook to ask if they could share her story. "FedEx is proud of the many contributions our team members make to the communities we serve every day," FedEx spokesperson Heather Wilson told CNN. "We commend our courier, Mel Marlett, who went above and beyond to help shovel snow for our customer while making a delivery." Marlett told CNN this is something he saw as routine. "I would hope it's something that anybody would have done," Marlett said. "If you take care of your customers, they take care of you." LaFreniere said she got the doorbell mostly for security. "Since we live in a remote area, our driveway is a half mile long so for delivery people it's quite the drive to get to our house." LaFreniere said she hopes Marlett gets some special recognition from FedEx for his act of kindness. "Although we see many acts of kindness in the Upper Peninsula, it was still surprising to see that he went the extra step," she said. "I shared it with my coworkers immediately because I couldn't believe it. It made my day." The landslip tumbled onto the A83 in Scotland overnight (Twitter/@NWTrunkRoads) Motorists on the A83 in Scotland are facing a 59-mile diversion after 1,000 tonnes of material tumbled onto the road overnight. The road was closed at the Rest and Be Thankful following the landslip, east of the area covered by debris fences and catchpits. BEAR Scotland said its staff are on site assessing the situation on the A83 and will begin clearing the debris when it is safe to do so. This is the current update from site. Approximately 1000 tonne of debris on the A83 #Rest&BeThankful. The situation shall be reviewed in daylight, and further information will be provided pic.twitter.com/FPNuABY3B6 BEAR NW Trunk Roads (@NWTrunkRoads) January 30, 2020 A diversion has been put in place via Crianlarich, Tyndrum, Dalmally and Inveraray, a distance of 58.8 miles. Experts are assessing the Old Military Road on Thursday morning to decide if it safe to use to use as a diversion. Eddie Ross, BEAR Scotlands north west manager, said: Safety is our top priority and were doing all we can to assess the slope and the extent of the debris from the steep hillside above the carriageway. Read more from Yahoo News UK: Councillors highlight 'one of Britain's biggest potholes' - by fishing in it Hero Battle of Britain fighter pilot dies aged 101 Coronavirus: Brits remain in China after flight delayed The landslide is east of the normal landslide susceptible area but is within the section of the A83 that we could use the Old Military Road. The Old Military Road will be assessed this morning to consider if it is safe to use. In the meantime, traffic will be diverted via the A882/A85/A819. As ever, we thank the local community and road users for their patience, and assure them were doing everything we can to address the landslip at the Rest and Be Thankful as quickly and safely as we can. Story continues The #A83 at #RestandBeThankful is closed in both directions due to a landslip. Over 1000 tonnes of material has reached the carriageway this morning. Our teams are on site assessing the situation. Read more here: https://t.co/SGyApp6wFV pic.twitter.com/fqOTwCMSVk BEAR NW Trunk Roads (@NWTrunkRoads) January 30, 2020 We remind road users that Argyll remains open for business and rest assured were doing everything possible to ensure the A83 opens as soon as it is safe to do so. He advised road users should to check Traffic Scotland for the latest information. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Three Dalit leaders have been arrested here and sent to jail for alleged apprehension of breach of peace, police said. Vikas Median, chief of Dalit outfit Udham Singh Sena, Bhim Army activist Teekam Bodh and one more person were arrested Wednesday evening over apprehensions that they could breach peace in the area, they said. Meanwhile, the Bharat band called on Wednesday passed peacefully here and some organisations wrote memoranda against the Citizenship Amendment Act Wednesday evening. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) LONDON, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Forecasts by System Type (Anti-Personnel and Anti-Vehicle), by Application (Military and Law Enforcement), by Technology (Area-Denial, Ammunition, Explosives, Gases & Sprays, Directed Energy Weapons, and Electroshock) & by Country (Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, United Kingdom, and United States). Plus, Analysis of the Leading Players in the Market Space Four companies receive contracts for non-lethal weapons development Army awards contract for non-lethal weapons in Afghanistan Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. awarded $10m contract for continued non-lethal weapons research and development Naval Surface Warfare Center is exploring non-lethal options These are just some of the business-critical headlines that have surfaced about your industry recently. How are you, and your company, reacting to news such as this? By ordering and reading our new report today, you will be fully informed and ready to act. What does the future hold for the Non-Lethal Weapons market? Visiongain's new study supplies the answer to you and provides it to you NOW. In this new, 155-page report, you will receive 180 tables and charts as well as independent, impartial and objective analysis. To request sample pages from this report please contact Sara Peerun at [email protected] or refer to our website: https://www.visiongain.com/report/non-lethal-weapons-market-report-2020-2030/#download_sampe_div By ordering and reading this report today, you will be given: A concise definition and comprehensive analysis of the Non-Lethal Weapons market from 2020 to 2030. An understanding of not only the financial prospects of the Non-Lethal Weapons industry but also the growth potential of several submarkets including different technology types such as area-denial systems, less-lethal ammunition, non-lethal explosives, gases and sprays, directed energy weapons, and electroshock weapons. An informed forecast of the sales of 15 countries the United States, Israel, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, France, Canada, Germany, India, Brazil, South Africa, South Korea, Australia, and Mexico. A description of the main drivers and restraints that are affecting the development of the Non-Lethal Weapons market. Profiles of the key players in the industry as well as up-to-date information on the latest financial performances and R&D expenses. Governments, agencies & organisations actively working or interested in the Non-Lethal Weapons industry will also find significant value in our research. Predictions for the global market and submarkets what's possible? Along with an evaluation of the current level of international investment in the Non-Lethal Weapons market, this report provides measured forecasts for four submarkets covering the period 2020 to 2030. Non-Lethal Weapons Market by System Type, 2020-2030 Anti-Personnel Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Anti-Vehicle Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Non-Lethal Weapons Market by Application, 2020-2030 Military Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Law Enforcement Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Non-Lethal Weapons Market by Technology, 2020-2030 Area-Denial Non-Lethal Systems Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Non-Lethal Ammunition Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Non-Lethal Explosives Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Gases & Sprays Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Directed Energy Weapons Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Electroshock Weapons Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Non-Lethal Weapons Market by Country, 2020-2030 United States Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Israel Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 China Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Russia Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 United Kingdom Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Saudi Arabia Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 France Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Canada Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Germany Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 India Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Brazil Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 South Africa Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 South Korea Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Australia Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Mexico Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Rest of World Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 To request a report overview of this report please contact Sara Peerun at [email protected] or refer to our website: https://www.visiongain.com/report/non-lethal-weapons-market-report-2020-2030/ Did you know that we also offer a report add-on service? Email [email protected] to discuss any customized research needs you may have. Companies covered in the report include: Aardvark Tactical Inc. Alfalight American Technology Corporation AMTEC Axon Enterprise Inc BAE Systems Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. Ball Corporation Boeing Company Brugger & Thomet AG Bundeswehr Calgary Police Combined Systems, Inc. Condor Non-Lethal Technologies Desert Wolf Drs Technologies, Inc. Fiocchi FN Herstal Fraunhofer Society (Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft) General Atomics General Dynamics Corporation Herstal SA and Combined Systems, Inc. HIATT Handcuffs Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) Jaycor Kratos Defence and Security Solutions, Inc. Lamperd Less Lethal Inc. Lockheed Martin Corporation MACE Security International Inc. MBDA Deutschland MDM Group Metropolitan Police force Mission Less Lethal Technologies Monadnock Moog, Inc. NonLethal Technologies Inc. Northrop Grumman Corporation Panther Stun Guns People's Armed Police PepperBall Technologies QinetiQ Group PLC RAFAEL Raytheon Company Rheinmetall AG Sabre Simunition Inc South African Police Service (SAPS) South Korean National Police Spezialeinsatzkommandos Stinger Systems TASER International Inc. Techno Arms Textron Systems The Safariland Group UK Home Office US Air Force US Armed Services US Army US DoD US military US Navy UZI Victoria Police VLOC Inc. To see a report overview please e-mail Sara Peerun on [email protected] Related reports: Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) Market Report 2019-2029 Target Acquisition Systems Market Report 2019-2029 Soldier Systems Market Report 2020-2030 Military Smart Weapons Market Report 2020-2030 SOURCE Visiongain How January 29 is an important date? By Limin Wang Jan. 29, 2020 In my traumatized brain, I keep sensing that January 29 is an important date to me, but for long I couldn't understand why. Finally, I remember that it's the day two years ago I could first visit a physician due to the January 16, 2018 attempted murder veiled as a work ACCIDENT. It's also on that Jan. 29 the employer/insurance first called me and then outright denied their liability or responsibility with their fraudulent claim that the employer knew my injury disability only on that January 29, instead of the actual January 16. How I suddenly remember why January 29 is an important date to me? I think it's because I just read a news that today Ukraine announces that their government will investigate the former heads of both Ukraine and the USA governments. It's the government corruption that makes the link to my personal memory. Four Arizona Community Colleges have been named finalists in the rigorous Bellwether College Consortium annual awards, representing all three categories: Pima Community College (Instructional Programs & Services) o Developmental Education Restructuring - For several years, Pima Community College worked to comprehensively improve its Developmental Education program. In 2014 the college hired a Dean of Developmental Education who was tasked with creating teams to revise placement processes, improve curriculum and student support, and undertake other initiatives to improve gateway access and completion. Pima Community College (Planning, Governance & Finance) o Earn to Learn - Pima is the first community college in the U.S. to partner with Earn to Learn, a non-profit which offers need-based scholarships designed to reduce student reliance on loans and educational debt. The matching-funds program rewards current and future Pima students who save at least $500 with scholarships up to $4,000 per academic year. Scholarship recipients receive $8 for every $1 they save, as well as training on how to budget, set up a savings account, and make smart financial decisions. The first PCC cohort has 54 students. Beginning Fall Semester 2020, the Earn to Learn program will require future applicants to be Pima Community College students before transferring to a university. Arizona Western College (Planning, Governance & Finance) o Strategic Planning: Creating a College-Going Culture for First Generation Students - Nearly 7 in 10 AWC students are the first in their family to attend college. AWC has collaborated with the community to develop a sweeping Strategic Plan that addresses how First Gen students enter college, persist, and succeed. Emerging objectives that address this need include Open Educational Resources (No and low-cost course materials), Guided Pathways, Centralized Scheduling, and Guiding Principles of Learning. South Mountain Community College (Planning, Governance & Finance) o Creating a Legacy of Educational Success - South Mountain Community College recognized that a comprehensive plan was necessary to address a growing default rate and to provide critical debt management and personal finance skills that would enhance the success of students while in school and after graduation. As a result of implementing the comprehensive plan, the colleges student loan cohort default rate has dropped precipitously. Central Arizona College (Workforce Development) o Education at the Speed of Industry - The partnership between Sundt Construction and Central Arizona College began in the spring of 2016, when Sundt Construction approached CAC to explore apprenticeship opportunities to meet the growing needs of commercial construction. CAC administrators worked with this global construction partner to develop wildly successful apprenticeship programs that drew 104 students in 2017-2018 and 196 in 2018-2019. This fall, the program reported 328 students enrolled. This is the fastest growing program at CAC. Teams from each of the four colleges will be among the 30 presentations the first week in February at a meeting in San Antonio during the 26th annual event. The Bellwether Award recognizes innovation and results-driven, cutting-edge community college programs that are worthy of replication. More information is available at https://bellwethercollegeconsortium.com/. About The Arizona Community Colleges: With 10 college districts and nearly 300,000 students, the Arizona Community Colleges are the backbone of Arizona's higher educational system, driving the economic engine and delivering an educated citizenry to meet the most in-demand jobs of today and the complexities of tomorrow. Connected through shared goals of access and completion, Arizona community colleges deliver a high quality education at a low cost, prepare students of all ages across the state to be career-ready and prepare students for pathways to universities. For the second time in a year, a federal judge rejected a plaintiffs attorneys argument that an insurance carrier acted in bad faith by using the Mitchell Decision Point program when calculating the value of a Colorado policyholders underinsured motorist claim. U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Tafoya in Denver denied a motion that sought summary judgment in favor of plaintiff Austin Benson in a bad faith suit against Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Co. Denver attorney Heather E. Hackett argued that Allstates use of Mitchell Decision Point violated the states collateral source rule. The statute requires insurers to pay the full cost of any covered medical treatment, before any discounts provided by insurance network agreements are granted, and without deducting payments from other insurers. Judge Tafoya said in her decision that just because the Mitchell program may produce data that is inadmissible in court, that doesnt necessarily mean it cannot be used at all. Plaintiff has provided no evidence from which the court could conclude that the use of MDP software as part of the evaluation process engaged in by Allstate adjusters is per se unreasonable, especially given the testimonial evidence that use of MDP was only a part of the overall process, she said in an opinion issued Monday. Benson suffered injuries to his spine, head, neck and left shoulder during an April 2015 single-vehicle car accident. He was driving his friend Jocelyn Thomas car on Highway 15 in Clarke County, Nevada, when Thomas unexpectedly leaned over him and jostled the steering wheel, causing the vehicle to run off the road. Allstate insured both Thomas and Benson separately under a policy issued to his father. The carrier paid $50,000, the maximum limits of Thomas policy, but Benson claimed that did not cover the full extent of his losses. He filed an underinsured motorist claim under his fathers policy with Allstate, which he says has a limit of $100,000. Allstate initially offered to settle the claim for $10,000. After Benson submitted $57,970.21 in medical bills, an Allstate claims adjuster determined that only $25,501 of those charges were reasonable and customary, according to Bensons civil complaint. Whats more, the adjuster deducted $10,000 in Medical Payment Benefits Law payments that Benson had received. An Allstate attorney later agreed to remove that deduction. Benson refused to accept the $20,000 final offer and filed suit, claiming he was entitled to not only the $100,000 policy limits but also an additional $200,000 in punitive damages for the unreasonable delay in paying the claim. During discovery, Bensons attorneys asked Allstate to reveal how the Mitchell Decision Point program works. The insurer refused. In August, Hackett filed a motion for summary judgment. The motion says that Allstates adjuster testified that she did now know how the Decision Point program arrived at different amounts than the medical bills that were submitted. Reliance on other undisclosed information to ignore the billed amount of medical bills in order to devalue an insureds claim is unreasonable on its face as it directly contradicts controlling Colorado law, the motion states. Judge Tafoya found that the case isnt so clear cut. She said the facts are in dispute, as to whether Allstate based its decision to deny the claim was based on the Mitchell software or was reached after a fair review of the entire claim file. Moreover, the question of whether an insurers decisions are reasonable involves both questions of law and fact, Tafoya said. Ultimately, the jury must determine whether Allstates methodology for evaluating plaintiffs injuries and required medical care was reasonable, including its use of the MDP software program, the opinion states. This central factual dispute cannot be resolved on summary judgment. Chief District Judge Marcia S. Krieger heard a similar argument in a case decided last April. In that case, plaintiff Linda Murway argued that Allstate had acted in bad faith by using Mitchell Design Point when calculating its settlement offer. Even though a jury awarded Murway the entire $250,000 limit of her policy, Murway filed a separate bad-faith action after the case was resolved. Judge Krieger ruled that Murways claim had already been decided in the first action and she could not have a second bite of the apple. A Mauston man is under arrest after allegedly stealing $500 from another man after hitting him in the head with an ax. Jeremy Dezotell, 37, of Mauston is charged with felony armed robbery with use of force, repeater; battery causing great bodily harm, repeater; and three counts of felony bail jumping, repeater. If convicted he faces up 40 years in prison or a fine of up to $100,000, or both, for the armed robbery charge, and up to six years in prison or a fine of up to $10,000, or both, for each of the other four charges. As Dezotell has a prior felony conviction for bail jumping within a five-year period prior to this arrest, if convicted he faces up to an additional six years in prison for the repeater modification. According to the criminal complaint: Officer Ryan Meyer was dispatched Jan. 13 to Mile Bluff Medical Centers Emergency Room for a battery complaint. Upon arriving at the hospital, Meyer spoke with the victim, who was in a hospital bed with a bandage over the right side of his forehead. When Meyer tried to question the victim, the victim was slow to answer the questions. The victim stated he was hit in the head with an ax handle, from behind, by Jeremy Dezotell. After Dezotell hit the victim he took $500 from the victims pockets and fled the scene in a blue Dodge Durango with a trailer. Meyer then spoke with a witness to the incident who traveled with the victim to the hospital. She stated she heard the victim yelling in the back yard, and when she went outside she saw the victim attempting to flee from Dezotell, who was pulling money from the victims pocket. The victim had a laceration on his forehead about two inches long by one half inch wide, which Meyer noted appeared deep. Medical staff at the hospital informed Meyer the injury would need stitches to heal, and they planned on running tests to ensure the victim did not have a skull fracture. Later in the day on Jan. 13, an officer was at the Pilot Travel Center assisting with a call when she heard a clunking noise. The officer then observed a SUV on Highway 82, towing a trailer of split firewood, with firewood falling off the trailer and into traffic. The vehicle pulled over onto the shoulder in front of the Pilot Travel Center. The officer watched as a man exited the vehicle, who she recognized as Dezotell, and began throwing firewood into the ditch. She greeted Dezotell by name, and he handed her a paper copy of his drivers license. She instructed Dezotell to go to the back of her squad car, where he was placed under arrest and taken into custody without incident. Dezotell appeared for an initial appearance Jan. 14, where a cash bond of $10,000 was set. He is next scheduled for a plea hearing on April 16 at the Juneau County Justice Center. Reach Christopher Jardine on Twitter @ChrisJJardine or contact him at 608-432-6591. The SUV had false plates and matched the description of a Chevrolet Trailblazer reported stolen out of Billings, according to Linder's original Sunday press release. The sheriff's office began to follow the SUV after trying to stop it for suspicious activity near Church Road. The SUV had been seen in the same area Saturday morning, but a sheriff's deputy thought it was too far away to catch up with, the sheriff said in his original press release. Sunday morning the same deputy was parked off the road working on a report when a vehicle came up behind him with its brights on. When the deputy got out to check out the vehicle, it reversed, turned around and drove away, according to Linder. The deputy chased it, and the SUV drove into a field and then came out of the field toward the deputy. The chase continued onto Shepherd Road, Chicago Road and near Five Corners, where another deputy joined to help. During the chase, various large items were thrown from the SUV, according to the sheriff. Eventually a deputy's car hit the fleeing SUV, which then rolled over and crashed off Mary Street sometime between 5:15 and 6 a.m. Sunday. One person got out of the car and ran away after the crash. By PTI .COLOMBO: A Sri Lankan court on Thursday extended till February 12 the remand of 61 people arrested in connection with the deadly Easter Sunday bombings. All the 61 suspects are members of the local Islamist extremist group, National Thawheed Jamaath (NTJ), police said. The Batticaloa High Court extended their remand till February 12, they said. Nine suicide bombers on April 21 last year carried out a series of blasts that tore through three churches and as many high-end hotels, killing 258 people, including Indians, in Lanka's deadliest violence since the brutal civil war ended in 2009. The Islamic State claimed the attacks, but the government blamed the NTJ for the bombings. Nearly 300 suspects have been arrested so far. A state of emergency was clamped in the country for a period of four months from April to August. Earlier this week, police recorded the statement of former prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on the bombings. The government headed jointly by Wickremesinghe and then president Maithripala Sirisena was blamed for failing to prevent the island's worst terror attack despite prior intelligence. Melbourne diners who ate at a Glen Waverley Chinese restaurant in the citys east have been warned they may have been exposed to coronavirus, and urged to look out for possible symptoms. The warning comes as a sign appeared in the window of The House Of Delight restaurant telling patrons it was closing its doors until February 9. Victorias health department confirmed on Wednesday evening that a man in his 60s had become infected with the deadly new virus while travelling in China's Hubei province. The department said the man started to feel unwell on January 23 and remained isolated until he had dinner with his family on Australia Day. The Victorian resident visited the Glen Waverley restaurant with his five family members between 5.30pm and 7pm on January 26. Victoria Chief Health Officer, Dr Brett Sutton, urged anyone who was at the restaurant during this time to be aware of symptoms. A Victorian man who contracted coronavirus attended the House of Delight restaurant. Source: Google That restaurant is OK to go to now, people don't need to avoid the area or indeed anywhere else, he said. The man's three adult and two child relatives have been isolated with him. One has already tested negative for the virus, while the children are being kept away from school. The restaurant he attended on Australia Day appears to have closed until February 9, according to a sign posted on the door of the restaurant, The Herald Sun reported. Dear customer, In order to minimize the risk of the Novel Coronavirus, our restaurant is closed from 29th Jan, 2020 to 9th Feb, 2020, the sign reads. Sorry for any inconvenience caused. Calls to the restaurant went unanswered on Thursday morning. A sign posted in the restaurant's window. Source: Herald Sun Up to 14 people in Victoria await results after being tested for coronavirus, while another 61 have tested negative. The second case in Victoria, along with Queensland's first case confirmed on Wednesday evening, raised the national count to seven. Story continues Australia's Chief Medical Officer is now recommending anyone who has travelled in the Hubei province to self-isolate for 14 days after leaving the Hubei province. With AAP 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. By ANI MUMBAI: Farhan Azmi, son of Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi, has said that if Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will go to Ayodhya then he along with other members of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government will also go there for constructing Babri Masjid. "I demand and I am warning it, consider it as a threat or whatever; if Uddhav Thackeray being the Chief Minister goes to Ayodhya on March 7 then I will also go along. I will also ask my father to accompany me, I call upon members of MVA and SP members to come along," Azmi said on Monday. "If Uddhav Thackeray confirms his ticket for Ayodhya then we all will hold foot-march to Ayodhya, we will also go along, but the condition is that he will construct Ram Temple and we will construct Babri Masjid," he added. "On the completion of 100 days of your government why don't you go to Siddhi Vinayak instead. Don't you faith left for Siddhi Vinayak?" he taunted Thackeray. Azmi made the remarks at an event organised to oppose the amended citizenship law. On the completion of 100 days of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is slated to visit Ayodhya to pay homage to Lord Ram. Shiv Sena Spokesperson Sanjay Raut on January 22 that alliance partners (Congress, NCP) can also accompany the Chief Minister. U.S. Jet That Crashed In Afghanistan Was No Ordinary 'Spy Plane' By Ron Synovitz January 29, 2020 When a U.S. Air Force jet crashed on January 27 on a remote plain south of Kabul, killing at least two crew members, it was initially described by the governor of Afghanistan's Ghazni Province as a civilian passenger plane. Since then, international media have variously described it as a "modified private business jet," a "spy plane," an "electronic surveillance" aircraft, and a hub for "WiFi in the sky." So what exactly was the role of the Canadian-built Bombardier E-11A aircraft that crashed some 150 kilometers from the Afghan capital? Richard Aboulafia, vice president of analysis at the Virginia-based aviation consultancy Teal Group, tells RFE/RL that the plane was much more significant than an ordinary surveillance or communications aircraft. It was one of just four Bombardier E-11As that were purchased by the U.S. Air Force and "outfitted with a suite of signals intelligence and signals transfer capabilities" known as the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN), Aboulafia says. The BACN is a multimillion-dollar communications system that translates and relays real-time battlefield communications between ground troops and aircraft used by the U.S.-led international coalition forces in Afghanistan. It is able to relay voice communications, video, photographic images, and other data between aircraft and ground troops that are often using different types of communications networks. 'High-Value Asset' Aboulafia says that made the E-11A a "very high-value asset" that would have performed "command-and-control battle management" functions as well as communication, electronic warfare tasks, and surveillance. From an altitude high above the range of any Taliban weaponry, Aboulafia says the E-11A would have carried out "a combination of battle-management functions, communications functions, and a little bit of signals intelligence -- which does involve some surveillance." "Basically, 'WiFi in the sky' is one way of looking at it," he says. "But when you are a signals intelligence plane, there are a whole host of applications for that." Designed to fly at an altitude "way above 40,000 feet," Aboulafia says the E-11A is not a go-to plane for monitoring Taliban radio or cell phone communications. He says that task would usually be carried out by smaller planes that conduct "lower-level signals monitoring," including turbo-propeller aircraft. But, from their position high above the battlefields and mountains of Afghanistan, Aboulafia says the E-11A's crew would have received and relayed intelligence that had been obtained from Taliban communications by lower-flying surveillance aircraft or ground monitors. "The E-11A collects signals intelligence," Aboulafia explains. "There might be people on board analyzing it, disseminating it, transferring it -- everything like that. There is a whole host of work involved with signals on the battlefield." "The idea is to pick up as many signals as possible -- anything from radios to cell phone calls -- and transfer that information," he says. "It also transfers communications between friendly forces. It's a kind of giant signals processor." Technically, calling the E-11A a "modified private-business jet" also is correct -- but leaves out significant details about the plane's mission. The air frame of the E-11A is an adaption of "one of the most expensive private-business jets you can buy -- a very high-altitude aircraft that typically seats eight to 12 people" known as the Bombardier Global Express, Aboulafia says. Some countries have modified the plane for use as a military air-ambulance, a cargo-transport plane, or for specialized military-surveillance missions. Battlefield Disaster GlobalSecurity.org, a U.S. based security think tank, says the U.S. Air Force developed the E-11As BACN payload in response to "communications shortfalls" that led to a 2005 battlefield disaster for U.S. forces in northern Afghanistan. Operation Red Wings -- a joint mission involving U.S. Navy SEALs, U.S. Army Special Operations Forces, and U.S. Marines -- was meant to target Taliban fighters in the Pech district of Kunar Province. But the mountainous terrain prevented a four-man Navy SEAL reconnaissance team from establishing reliable communications with their command center. Within hours of their arrival, the team of U.S. Navy SEALs was attacked by the Taliban. Three were eventually killed. A Taliban rocket-propelled grenade then struck a Chinook helicopter as it attempted to land an extraction team -- killing 16 more U.S. special forces. Marcus Luttrell, the only surviving member of initial Navy SEALs team, described the events in detail in his 2007 book Lone Survivor. A Hollywood film adaptation of Luttrell's book was released under the same title in 2013. "Due to Afghanistan's mountainous terrain and lack of existing communication infrastructure, serious communication challenges prevented the four-man SEAL patrol from effectively establishing contact with their combat operations center, leaving them vulnerable to the attacks that claimed the lives of 19 U.S. special operations service members," GlobalSecurity.org says. The U.S. military has rejected Taliban claims that its fighters shot down the E-11A in Ghazni Province, saying the cause of the crash is still under investigation but there is no sign it was shot down. Aboulafia says video footage of the wreckage posted on a Taliban website shortly after the crash supports that Pentagon statement. Crash Landing? Rather than a widespread field of debris, the footage shows the plane's upright fuselage still connected with the tail section -- suggesting it had made a crash landing rather than being downed by a rocket or antiaircraft fire. The footage does show the top of the plane completely burned away. But there are few signs of fire on the underside of the plane. That reinforces a statement by an Afghan provincial government official who said the plane caught fire only after it hit the ground. Aboulafia says it is unclear whether the plane burned because of the crash or if one of its crew members engaged a self-destruct mechanism after the landing to ensure that the high-tech equipment would not fall into the hands of Taliban fighters, several of whom were near the scene shortly after the crash. But he said it would be a top priority for the Pentagon to prevent the BACN system from being transferred to Iran or Russia, where jamming mechanisms could then be developed to disable its vital battlefield communication links between U.S. ground troops and their command centers. Two burned bodies are seen in the video footage near the wreckage. The Pentagon said on January 28 that helicopter-borne U.S. forces recovered those remains and the plane's flight recorder a few hours after the crash. In a statement, the U.S. Defense Department added that those U.S. forces also destroyed the remnants of the aircraft. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said on January 28 that Taliban fighters on the ground counted six bodies at the site of the crash. Unidentified U.S. officials initially were quoted as saying the plane was carrying fewer than five people when it crashed. Later, U.S. military officials said the entire crew consisted of the two people who were killed and retrieved. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-crashed -us-jet-spy-plane/30405496.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 Time has been wasted on delivering vital infrastructure with the delay of the Tauranga Northern Link, say National MPs. A four-lane Tauranga Northern Link and upgrades on SH2 to Omokoroa are included in a $6.8 billion transport infrastructure package announced by the Government on Wednesday. The roading project was cancelled by the Labour Government in 2018 after being announced by the National Government in 2016. It feels a bit like deja vu this exact announcement, of this exact road was announced by National in 2016, cancelled by Labour in 2018 and now in 2020 being reinstated, says Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller. They're saying that the works will commence at the end of this year, so essentially you've lost two years in terms of works actually going on. Everybody locally will just shake their heads because it's two lost years. After wasting two and a half years, National has embarrassed Labour into making announcements on infrastructure. The reality is, like KiwiBuild and light rail, they will fail to deliver any of it. National will, opposition leader Simon Bridges says in a tweet. Todd says the community owes a huge debt of gratitude to the Fix the Bloody Road Campaign. The community of Te Puna, Pahoia and Omokoroa, they were phenomenal in putting the pressure on the government saying that the road simply had to be fixed. The Fix the Bloody Road people have been huge in community activism and agitation to force the government reluctantly, to admit it was wrong and to restart a road that they'd cancelled. Everyone knows that infrastructure in the country, but particularly Tauranga, is lagging way behind the people, so you just can't play politics with infrastructure that was so needed. The Road Transport Forum says the Government spending is well overdue. We are only sorry a couple of years has been wasted in getting on with building and improving the vital arterial roads of New Zealand, says RTF chief executive Nick Leggett. That the Melling interchange, Tauranga Northern link, Waikato expressway from Cambridge to Piarere, and the Kapiti expressway from Otaki to north of Levin, were put on hold for a couple of years is a setback. Clearly, these are big projects that wont be completed for several years. Its not rocket science to understand that with the base of our economy in tourism and exports, and growth in our major cities, we need roads that are fit for purpose. That is, at least four lanes, and engineered properly for the conditions, speed limit and in consideration of both the commercial and public use of these roads. We are pleased to see the Government finally taking the advice of the Prime Ministers Business Advisory Council to invest in infrastructure, including roads. Labour List MP Jan Tinetti says The New Zealand Upgrade Programme is boosting growth today and into the future by making targeted investments around the country, supporting businesses and local communities. Its awesome to see Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty supported as some of the highest growth areas in New Zealand. The new Tauranga Northern Link, and Te Puna to Omokoroa extension, will help save lives, and are another part of our commitment to take road safety seriously. The New Zealand Upgrade Programme is a $12 billion government investment in infrastructure including upgraded roads, rail, schools and hospitals across the country. More than 6,000 aboard the ship had been held in quarantine over a suspected case of the deadly virus. More than 6,000 tourists will be allowed to disembark from a cruise ship moored in an Italian port after a suspected case of coronavirus was confirmed false on Thursday. Samples taken from a Chinese couple were sent for testing after three doctors and a nurse boarded the Costa Crociere ship in the port of Civitavecchia, near Rome, to tend to a woman running a fever, local health authorities said. The passenger was a 54-year-old woman who had boarded Costa Crociere companys ship Costa Smeralda on January 25 in the port of Savona. She came down with fever and flu-like symptoms. Both she and her partner were placed in an isolation unit on the ship. The ship had earlier been placed in total lockdown. We arrived in [Civitavecchia] with the Costa Smeralda cruise ship and they are not letting us off the boat. They say its due to a health inspection, a passenger named Gaby tweeted. The Costa Smeralda departed from Savona in northern Italy and stopped in Marseille, Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca before reaching Civitavecchia. We did all that we needed to do. The situation is under control and at the moment it does not seem like there are any reasons for concern on board, coastguard commander Vincenzo Leone was quoted as saying by ANSA. In a statement, Costa Crociere said its priority was to guarantee the health and safety of guests and crew and that it would strictly comply with regulations from health authorities. A new broadband internet speed test was conducted which revealed that Australia fell to 68th in the world behind Kazakhstan and Kosovo, as per reports. With Australia ranking 10th in the OECD for GDP, it is shocking to see that they are the fourth last when it comes to the internet. According to Speedtest's Global Index, Australia beats Peru, Belize, and Madagascar. The speed test showed that Australia has an average fixed broadband speed of 41.7 megabits per second, which is below the global average of 73.5. Its 2020 and Australias internet speed rankings have dropped further to 68th in the world, and fourth last in the OECD. The Morrison Government simply has no plan when it comes to climate change, energy policy or world-class broadband. #auspol https://t.co/OyJvCOo3Et Michelle Rowland (@MRowlandMP) January 29, 2020 READ: Mobile Phone And 2G Internet Services In Kashmir Now Restored Average speed of mobile internet. (Mbps) 1. Iceland: 72.5 2. Norway: 67.8 3. Qatar: 60.3 4. Canada: 59.6 6. Australia: 55.7 28. France: 38.7 33. Turkey: 34.7 41. US: 31.2 49. China: 28.9 52. UK: 28.3 54. Saudi: 27.1 70. Brazil: 20.5 77. Russia: 18.4 111. India: 9.9 (SpeedTest) The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) January 26, 2020 Opposition lashes out at government The figures made the opposition leaders demand the government to match speed with the rest of the world. Michelle Rowland, Shadow Communications Minister said in a statement that the Liberal party promised multi-technology mix to faster and cheaper but they have delivered a network that costs more to build, more to run and does less. He added that as a developed global economy, Australia is not anywhere where it should be. READ: Low-speed Mobile Internet Service Restored In Kashmir After Six Months Worst internet download speed experience. 1. Iraq 2. Algeria 3. Nepal 4. Uzbekistan 5. Ghana 6. Senegal 7. El Salvador 8. Nigeria 9. Cambodia 10. Bangladesh (OpenSignal) The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) January 26, 2020 Singapore topped the list On the other hand, Singapore topped the list with speeds five times faster than Australia, followed by Hong Kong, Monaco, Romania, and South Korea. But when it comes to mobile internet speeds, Australia ranks sixth in the world, with around 67.6 Mbps on average. South Korea topped the list and Palestine is on the bottom. In addition, there has been a 25 per cent increase in the amount of internet usage for the company's six million users over the past 12 months. READ: Ookla: Pakistan, China Has Faster Mobile Internet Speeds Than India READ: 5G To Get Showcased Before The Year Ends In The US: Any Guesses On The Practical Internet Speeds? The decision by Boris Johnson to allow Huawei to form part of the United Kingdoms 5G network is regrettable. While arguing that the UK can manage security threats to their network, it sends dangerous mixed signals to countries around the world who do not have the capabilities or capacity of Britain's intelligence apparatus. The argument against Huawei also goes beyond security risks and extends to the ethics of dealing with a Chinese government-subsidised company that has been implicated in human rights abuses within China and abroad. Illustration: Simon Letch Credit: Huawei is a threat to national security and the decision by Britain may well result in blowback for the Johnson government. Analysts and officials have long raised concerns that integrating Huawei into Britain's 5G network would impact on the ability for Five Eyes intelligence partners the US, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to collect and share intelligence. Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull recently told the BBC that the risks extend beyond intercepting sensitive information to denial-of-service attacks on Australia's critical infrastructure. This followed many official and unofficial overtures from Australian MPs to the British government on Huawei. New Delhi, Jan 30 : All three patients who were admitted to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in Delhi on Monday on suspicion of new coronavirus infection, have been discharged from the hospital, sources said. Smriti Tiwari, RML Hospital spokesperson, told IANS that the tests on the three patients have shown negative for the virus. Three persons suspected to be infected with the Novel Coronavirus had been admitted at the hospital on Monday. Tiwari had earlier told IANS that the three had travelled to China. She said they were placed under isolation. Their samples were sent to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for tests which resulted negative on Thursday. The RML has been selected as the nodal centre for isolation and treatment of suspected and confirmed coronavirus cases. On Monday, a team led by Sujeet Singh, Director of NCDC, visited the RML to review the hospital's preparedness. The Union Health Ministry has urged people to avoid non-essential travel to China. It has installed all facilities for thermal screening at 21 airports and has issued advisories to shipping and aviation sectors. Meanwhile, one positive case of Novel Coronavirus has been reported from Kerala. "The patient is stable and is being closely monitored," said a statement. The government has stepped up efforts to monitor such cases and prevent the virus spread. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has said they have isolation centres ready to accommodate suspected or confirmed cases of Novel Coronavirus. Wuhan city of China witnessed an outbreak of the new strain of coronavirus last month. Since then the death toll in China from the new virus has risen to 170 with 7,711 confirmed cases, as repatriation flights for foreign nationals continued. Outside China, Hong Kong and Macau, other countries with confirmed cases include Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, South Korea, Japan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Canada, the United States, United Arab Emirates, Australia (two new cases reported on Thursday), France and Germany. Finland reported its first case on Wednesday. Several cases in Taiwan were also included in the national count.. The symptoms of the new coronavirus, provisionally designated by the WHO as 2019-nCoV, are similar to those of cold but may be accompanied by fever and fatigue, dry cough and shortness of breath. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) As the number of those infected by coronavirus rises--7,700 confirmed cases worldwide--medical supplies, especially surgical masks, are in low supply. While China scrambles to cope with its worst public health crisis since the SARS outbreak in 2003, people are trying out everything to shield themselves from the virus. From using plastic bottles to covering themselves with plastic sheets, people in China are desperate. While the situation is grim, people on social media are trying to make light of the situation by posting some hilarious pictures of Chinese Coronavirus Jugaad. Take a look at the pictures below: #1 Masks in short supply but they're is a time to do some good and reuse plastic. #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/yiG347ey0A steve pheby (@stevepheby) January 28, 2020 #2 Woman covers her head with water plastic bottle to avoid being infected by corona virus at Vancouver Airport pic.twitter.com/LfoDvCbFW0 Crewiser (@Crewiser) January 29, 2020 #3 Coronavirus has hit plastic-bag-over-head levels. pic.twitter.com/pbl6w2IoBc Dan Fieldsend (@danfieldsend) January 27, 2020 #4 Instagram/Shanghai Observed #5 #6 Instagram/Shanghai Observed #7 Instagram/Shanghai Observed #8 Instagram/Shanghai Observed' #9 Local hospitals across China have also said there is an urgent shortage of medical masks, goggles, gloves, and protective suits. According to an Aljazeera report, given the lack of supplies, some medical equipment manufacturing factories have had no option but to call in workers to meet the growing demand. A Guardian report states that five of the 12 main mask-producing companies based in Guangdong province have resumed production after pausing for the lunar new year holiday. While tackling a shortage of medical supplies, authorities in Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, are also rushing to build two emergency hospitals, one of which is planned to contain 1,000 beds and be up and running by Feb. 3. To help China tackle the shortage of medical supplies, the world's largest aerospace company Boeing announced a donation 250,000 medical masks. Boeing said its donation of medical-grade respiratory masks will be given to health officials in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, and Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province. Elderly patients hospitalized with congestive heart failure have a poor prognosis and high risk of death and hospital readmission, so their post-discharge care can strongly influence their outcomes. Yet despite data showing that transitional care interventions, such as home visits by nurses, can reduce death rates and hospital readmissions by more than 30%, many health systems have not implemented such programs. Health policy experts say this is due in part to cost concerns and doubts about the effectiveness of these delivery services. Now, a team of Stanford Medicine and Veterans Affairs researchers has sought to assess whether transitional care interventions provide good value and better outcomes, as there are 5 million people living with congestive heart failure in the United States and 500,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Congestive heart failure is the stage of chronic heart disease in which fluids build up around the heart, causing it to pump inefficiently. The researchers updated a 2017 study on the impact of transitional care intervention with four years of additional data. They then used it to compare standard post-discharge management regimes for patients 75 and older with three transitional post-discharge regimes for elderly patients that were determined to be most effective: disease management clinics, nurse home visits and nurse case management. All three transitional care interventions delivered appreciable health benefits to the patient population, said Jeremy Goldhaber-Fiebert, PhD, associate professor of medicine at the Stanford School of Medicine and core faculty member of Stanford Health Policy. The findings were published Jan. 28 in the Annals of International Medicine. Goldhaber-Fiebert is the senior author. The lead authors are Manuel Blum, MD, MS, a graduate student in epidemiology and clinical research at Stanford in 2019 and now on the faculty of the University Hospital of Bern in Switzerland; Henning ien, PhD, a researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health; and Harris Carmichael, MD, a Stanford/Intermountain fellow in population health, delivery science and primary care. Transitional care interventions for older individuals with congestive heart failure particularly nurse home visits offer a high-value care alternative that could improve the health and longevity of millions of Americans, he said. The researchers said these transitional care services should become the standard of care for post-discharge management of patients who are 75 and older with heart failure. Heart failure causes 1 in 8 deaths nationwide The prevalence of heart failure is estimated to be 26 million people worldwide and growing. In the United states, 5.7 million adults have been diagnosed with heart failure, with an estimated annual medical cost of $39.2 billion to $60 billion. Total heart failure costs in the United States are expected to exceed $70 billion by 2030, the authors wrote. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease costs the United States about $219 billion each year as a result of health care services, medicines and lost productivity. Of the 15 million Americans in their mid-70s and 80s today, about 1 million suffer heart failure. So population gains from more effective post-discharge care would be hundreds of thousands of life years, Goldhaber-Fiebert said. Likewise, tens of thousands of costly rehospitalizations could be prevented each year if these interventions were delivered successfully. PHOENIX and CHICAGO, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- VillageMD, a leading national provider of primary care, and its affiliates, announced today that they have signed an agreement to acquire Summit Medical Group of Arizona. Nearly 50 providers, including primary care physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, will join VillageMD across six Arizona-based clinics in 2020. The clinics will be transitioned to VillageMD's primary care Village Medical brand later this year. "I'm thrilled to welcome Summit Medical Group Arizona to VillageMD, ensuring we will deliver primary care led, value-based care to more patients in the Phoenix area," said Tim Barry, CEO and co-founder of VillageMD. "The incredible physicians and staff who we are partnering with will help us grow our Village Medical brand, and most importantly, provide high-quality care that is coordinated, convenient and accessible to the community." "After two years of building a high-quality multispecialty practice to benefit the residents of the Valley, we believe that VillageMD's high-touch and effective clinical model, coupled with its technology platform, docOS, as well as their human capital resources, will help us provide world-class care to patients. We are pleased to be part of such an innovative organization," said Kent Johnson, M.D., chief physician executive of Summit Medical Group Arizona. Nearly 50 providers as well as 185 staff members will work at the clinics, which will be rebranded as Village Medical. In Phoenix, the first Village Medical clinic opened on Jan. 13 at 10240 W. Indian School Road with an additional 17 providers. VillageMD currently partners with primary care physicians in nine markets with plans for continued expansion. About VillageMD VillageMD is a leading provider of healthcare for organizations moving toward a primary care-led, high-value clinical model. The VillageMD solution provides the tools, technology, operations, and staffing support needed for physicians to drive the highest quality clinical results across a population. VillageMD works with physician groups, independent practice associations, and health systems to improve quality, deliver a first-rate patient experience, and lower costs in the communities they serve. VillageMD will continue to grow its Village Medical brand and scale its Village Medical at Home offering. VillageMD has grown to include more than 2,500 physicians across nine markets and is responsible for approximately 500,000 lives and $3 billion in total medical spend in value-based contracts. To learn more, please visit www.villageMD.com. SOURCE VillageMD Related Links https://www.villagemd.com/ Smoke two of these and call me in the morning? Not quite, study finds People are using cannabis and cannabinoids for everything and anything, and we dont have enough systematic research on whether its effective for these conditions. BUFFALO, N.Y. Researchers quizzed cannabis enthusiasts at a marijuana advocacy event about their beliefs on whether the drug is effective in treating certain medical conditions. The majority of the nearly 500 people surveyed failed the quiz, according to the best science available. There is a big discrepancy between what the empirical evidence is saying and what people believe, said Daniel Kruger, PhD, the lead author of the study, which was published this month in the American Journal of Health Promotion. Weve gone back to the 19th century miracle cure, added Kruger, a research associate professor of community health and health behavior in the University at Buffalos School of Public Health and Health Professions and research investigator with the Population Studies Center at the University of Michigan. People are using cannabis and cannabinoids for everything and anything, and we dont have enough systematic research on whether its effective for these conditions. People are stopping or reducing prescription drugs to use medical cannabis. Its a serious issue, he said. And thats exactly why researchers felt it was important to survey marijuana users. Researchers set up a table during Hash Bash, an annual marijuana advocacy event that has taken place on the campus of the University of Michigan for the past several decades. The research team which included Jessica Kruger, PhD, a clinical assistant professor in UBs School of Public Health and Health Professions has conducted several previous studies with data collected at Hash Bash. Among them was a paper published last spring that showed that the munchies exist, and that theres a need for tailored nutrition education as the population of marijuana users grows. For the current study, nearly 500 Hash Bash participants completed surveys that asked about their cannabis use and where they obtained their information about marijuana. They were also asked to respond to questions such as, Which of the following conditions do you think marijuana is effective in treating (check all that apply)? and Which of the following conditions/events do you think marijuana use increases the risk for (check all that apply)? Participants knowledge was compared with National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) conclusions regarding medical effectiveness and risk related to cannabis use. In addition to revealing a disconnect between mainstream health and medicine and the medicinal use of marijuana, the study results also identified a lack of awareness of the potential risks involved. For example, only 22% of respondents thought that cannabis use during pregnancy could be risky. That was really striking, Daniel Kruger said, adding that there is evidence that marijuana use could lead to lower birth weights. In addition, the majority of survey respondents said cannabis was effective in treating cancer, depressive symptoms and epilepsy. The NASEM assessment, however, concludes there is limited evidence that cannabis or cannabinoids effectively reduce depressive symptoms, and no or insufficient evidence that it works for cancer and epilepsy. Participants also said marijuana can treat irritable bowel syndrome, despite, again, a lack of empirical data supporting that conclusion. Kruger is quick to note the following caveat: Marijuana remains a Schedule I substance, which prohibits scientists from conducting the clinical trials necessary for properly informing NASEM conclusions. The majority of study participants reported using marijuana every day, and 85% said they use it for health or medical reasons. About 78% said their knowledge of cannabis stemmed from personal experience, compared to just 23% from a medical cannabis caregiver or dispensary and 18% from a primary care provider. The knowledge gap identified in the study is significant from a public health perspective, researchers say, adding that as a growing number of states legalize or consider legalizing adult recreational marijuana use, the conversation needs to shift. These results highlight the disconnect between marijuana advocacy and policies and the lack of scientific evidence. We need more scientifically rigorous research to inform health messages that provide guidance about the use and effectiveness of cannabis and cannabinoids for a wide range of medical conditions, said study co-author R. Lorraine Collins, PhD, associate dean for research in UBs School of Public Health and Health Professions and a contributor to the NASEM report. The issue is moving at a rapid pace due to citizen-driven ballot initiatives and pushes from public officials, Daniel Kruger added. For example, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo in his recent State of the State Address again called for legalizing marijuana for adult recreational use. Michigan voters passed a bill in 2018 approving legalizing, regulating and taxing marijuana there. Given these efforts, its time for public health to get up to speed, Daniel Kruger says. Abstinence wont work as the only goal anymore. We need to maximize the benefits and minimize the costs, risks and harms to individuals and society. We hope our study broadens the conversation. Investigators seek to detain ex-policemen accused of abuse of power against Golunov Moskva city news agency, Alexander Avilov 10:51 30/01/2020 MOSCOW, January 30 (RAPSI) Investigators filed a motion with the Basmanny District Court of Moscow seeking to put five ex-police officers, who had been earlier arrested in a case over abuse of power against journalist Ivan Golunov, in detention, the courts press service told RAPSI on Thursday. Defendants are ex-Moscow narcotics control policemen Denis Konovalov, Akbar Sergaliyev, Roman Feofanov, Maxim Umetbayev and ex-chief of their department Igor Lyakhovets. Charges have been already brought against them. Investigators believe that they have planted drugs on Golunovs bag and apartments. Thus, they falsified the results of operative search activity that later became inculpatory evidence against Golunov in a drug dealing case; however, the drugs had been earlier illegally bought and kept by the police officers, according the Investigative Committee. In late December, investigators opened the case over arrest of Golunov. The journalist was recognized as an injured party. There are five defendants in the case; all of them have been dismissed from police. Golunov was arrested in Moscow on June 6. On June 8, the Nikulinsky District Court of Moscow placed him under house arrest for 2 months. According to the Interior Ministrys official statement, police seized nearly 4 grams of methylmethedrone from Golunov. The journalist pleaded not guilty, insisted that the drugs were planted on him during the arrest and claimed that his prosecution is related to his journalistic investigations. According to his defense, an examination showed no drugs in his biomaterial. On June 11, charges against Golunov were dropped because of a lack of evidence that he participated in the crime, and the journalist was released. On June 13, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed two generals of police on the back of the arrest of Golunov. LUCKNOW Manhole-cleaning robots would soon help end the practice of manual scavenging in the state capital. Robotic scavenger Bandicoot was dedicated to the public on Thursday by urban development minister Ashutosh Tandon in the presence of mayor Sanyukta Bhatia and municipal commissioner Indramani Tripathi. The Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) has signed an agreement with Bangalore-based Suez India and Genrobotics for supply of six Bandicoots in the city. Six emergency vehicles, six Bandicoots (robotic scavenger), and two jetting machines would be used for cleaning of sewage networks across all zones in Lucknow, said officials. SUEZ India had approached Lucknow Municipal Corporation with a plan to end the manual scavenging in the city. They proposed to deploy a fully mechanised network cleaning system to end the practice of manual scavenging. Municipal commissioner Indramani Tripathi said, This brings in a fully mechanized network of cleaning . It will phase out manual scavenging and bring in a new era of cleanliness without exploiting human beings. This initiative would be on par with the benchmark set by SUEZ across the world and will be crucial in ending the loss of human lives due to manual scavenging. Mayor Sanyukta Bhatia said, Bandicoot is doing well in other states like Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Delhi etc. This has minimised chances of human deaths while cleaning of manholes. GUJRANWALA, Pakistan Terror attacks in Pakistan plummeted by more than 85% over the past decade. Its a welcome statistic for the country, but one that risks being overshadowed by international concern over its efforts to curb terror funding and lingering militant activity that could test any future peace agreement in neighboring Afghanistan. The tally, put together by Pakistani think tanks, found terror attacks dropped from nearly 2,000 in 2009 to fewer than 250 in 2019, a steady decline that underscores the long-haul nature of fighting terror. But an international watchdog group in Paris said in October that Pakistan was not doing enough to stop terror financing. The group meets next month to decide whether the country should be downgraded from a gray status to black, alongside Iran and North Korea, a step that could pose a challenge to Pakistans economy. Pakistans militant groups are often interlinked with those across the border in Afghanistan, so its progress at reining in terror is critical, particularly as Washington seeks to secure a deal with the Afghan Taliban to bring an end to the 18-year war, Americas longest military engagement. The sharp decrease in terrorist violence, which we began to see in 2014, is nothing short of remarkable, said Michael Kugelman, Asia Program Deputy Director at the Washington-based Wilson Center. But, he cautioned, Pakistan is certainly not out of the woods yet. Last year, the Financial Action Task Force, the watchdog that monitors terror financing, said Pakistan had fully implemented only one item from a list of 40 measures to curb terror financing and money laundering. The 39 other measures were either partially implemented or in some cases overlooked entirely. If Pakistan is blacklisted, every financial transaction would be closely scrutinized, and doing business with the country would become costly and cumbersome. Pakistani officials say they are working to meet the task forces demands. Pakistans military and intelligence have long been accused by Washington, as well as by Pakistans neighbors, of supporting some militants while attacking others. Over the past two decades, successive U.S. administrations have pressed Islamabad to crack down on terror. Pakistan points to its more than 4,000 military casualties since the 2001 start of the war on terror higher than the U.S. and NATO deaths combined as proof of its commitment. Kathy Gannon is an Associated Press writer. WASHINGTON - Move over, 2020 Democrats. President Donald Trump would like to remind voters that he, too, is on the ballot next week. With no serious challenger and money to burn, Trumps reelection team hopes to use voting in early states on the campaign calendar as a test run for its organizing prowess and to boost excitement for the presidents candidacy come November. Trumps team is pouring money into the contests, dispatching dozens of surrogates and staging presidential rallies both to put Democrats on notice and to demonstrate that Republicans are eager to support the president. Even though its a foregone conclusion that the president will win the Republican primary, we still want them to go out and vote, said Chris Ager, one of New Hampshires three representatives on the Republican National Committee. We dont want to cede the ground to the Democrats just because they have more enthusiasm. Trumps campaign views Mondays leadoff caucuses in Iowa and the Feb. 11 New Hampshire primary as presenting both a challenge to meet sky-high expectations and an opportunity to flex political strength. The campaign will launch an all-out surrogate offensive in Iowa following a presidential rally Thursday in Des Moines. In New Hampshire, the campaign is conducting a monthlong test of its voter turnout operation, including 10,000 volunteer phone calls and dozens of volunteer training sessions. It will culminate in a Trump rally in Manchester on the eve of the vote. South Carolina and Nevada cancelled their nominating contests to show their allegiance to the president, but the campaign has nonetheless been in discussions about holding a Trump rally in Nevada ahead of Democratic voting. The Trump campaign views the deployment as a supercharged version of traditional bracketing, bringing the president and other heavy hitters to step on Democrats messages at a pivotal juncture in the campaign. Its an incredible opportunity to contrast Trumps agenda with the Democrats in states that they believe Trump has a chance of carrying in November, said RNC and Trump campaign spokesman Rick Gorka. The nominating contests also represent an opportunity for the GOP to kick the tires on its voter mobilization efforts and turnout models. In New Hampshires Hillsborough County, for instance, party officials have been encouraging town committees to have ballot inspectors monitor polling sites even though we know its going to be an overwhelmingly Democratic presence, Ager said. The Trump campaign is keenly aware that three of the four early states are also general-election battlegrounds. Trump won Iowa by 9 percentage points in 2016 and lost New Hampshire and Nevada by fewer than 3,000 votes and 37,000 votes, respectively. Were focused on the general election in November, so its all about building that ground game and that momentum in November, Gorka said. While Trump is among the least popular presidents in modern history, he has nonetheless maintained wide support among Republicans, with 83% approving of his job performance in a January poll from The AP-NORC Center. A recent New York Times/Siena College poll found 51% of Iowa voters approve of how Trump is handling his job as president, while 46% disapprove. Similarly, 50% of voters in New Hampshire approve of his performance, while 46% disapprove, according to a new CNN/University of New Hampshire poll. The beginning of the primary season marks the end of a critical but low-key phase of the Trump campaign. Since late 2018, it has had a dedicated team in place focused on working with state and local Republican Party operations to tighten Trumps grip on state nominating and delegate selection processes. The efforts served two goals: closing the door on potential Republican challengers and attempting to banish any sense of intraparty turmoil from Augusts Republican National Convention. Trump aides have expressed hope that Milwaukee will be a four-day infomercial for Trump. Its not that Trumps team ever feared a bona fide challenger would seize the nomination. But any serious opposition would have been an embarrassment for Trump who likes to claim a 95% approval rating among Republican voters and could have damaged his prospects in the general election. The only time incumbents have lost in the modern era has been following bitter intraparty nomination fights. Nonetheless, Trumps performance in at least some states will likely be less overwhelming than he hopes, given historical precedent. Its unusual for Iowa where Cabinet secretaries, top Republican officials and even the My Pillow guy will descend next week to help boost Trumps prospects to even be holding a GOP contest with an incumbent in the White House. The Iowa Republican caucuses were cancelled in 1992 and 2004, but state officials were determined to keep the caucuses in place this year to maintain the states status as the first in the nation to cast its ballots, GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufman said. New Hampshire, a state with a fiercely independent streak and an open primary, was a potential landmine. In 1992, Republican Pat Buchanans surprisingly strong 38% showing catapulted him as a serious threat to George H.W. Bushs candidacy and was later blamed by Bush aides for contributing to his eventual defeat by Democrat Bill Clinton. Even without a major rival, George W. Bush won the 2004 contest in New Hampshire with only 80% of the vote, and Ronald Reagan won with 86% in 1984. To boost Trumps prospects in the state both for the primary and in November his campaign has been on the ground since he won in 2016, recruiting and training local activists. It has more than a dozen staffers and has trained nearly 800 people. Still, the campaign has had its hiccups, including firing its state director Eric Mitchell last month. The new director, Sebastian Rougemont, worked for Trumps campaign in Georgia and served as a GOP organizer in Las Vegas, but appears to have no New Hampshire experience. Fergus Cullen, a former New Hampshire Republican Party chairman who is a vocal Trump critic, said he saw little evidence of the campaigns work. I see Democratic canvassers all the time, and I havent seen any organized Trump effort whatsoever, said Cullen. Hell be voting for Republican Bill Weld, the former governor of Massachusetts whose candidacy has gained little traction. ___ Associated Press writers Michelle Price in Las Vegas and Hannah Fingerhut in Washington contributed to this report. ___ This story has been corrected to show the year of Reagans 86% New Hampshire primary win was 1984, not 1994. ___ Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 18:28:10|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close BEIJING, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Transport Thursday required efforts to guarantee the smooth flow of traffic during the Spring Festival travel rush. Local transport authorities are not allowed to close expressways or block main highways at the national and provincial levels for epidemic prevention and control, the ministry said in a circular. They may work with public security and health departments to regulate traffic and check body temperature of passengers at entry and exit points of expressways, provincial borders, expressway service stations, state and provincial trunk highways and rural roads. People found with a fever should be handed over to relevant parties in accordance with regulations. "Hard isolation" methods, such as excavations and erecting road-blocks, aimed at hindering rural road traffic, are also forbidden, said the ministry. Transportation firms offering passenger transport, taxi, and online ride-hailing services are asked to report information of passengers designated as close contacts of suspected patients to health authorities, said the circular. Illegal acts such as setting up roadblocks and cutting off roads without approval shall be reported to local authorities immediately to restore normal traffic order in accordance with the law, the circular said. Pension indexation regularity proposed to be specified in Russian Constitution RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 13:38 30/01/2020 MOSCOW, January 30 (RAPSI) A social issue subgroup of the working group on drafting proposals for the Constitution amendment discusses suggestions to specify the regularity of pension indexation, the Civic Chambers secretary Lydia Mikheyeva told journalists on Thursday. The working group continues discussions on preparation of proposals for the adjustment of the Constitution. As part of the work, five focus area have been drawn up, among them are social issues including science and culture, international law, federal bodies of legislative and executive power, judiciary and prosecution, single public authority and local governance. The work of subgroup consists of discussions and specific proposals generation. Most discussions in the social issue subgroup concern minimum wage and pension indexation, according to Mikheyeva. A bill submitted to the State Duma envisages regular indexation of pensions. However, certain group members propose annual indexation or on a quarterly basis instead of the regular one, the Civic Chambers official said. According to Mikheyeva, all positions will be fixed and then there will be voting. On January 23, the State Duma passed a bill on amendments to the Russian Constitution in the first reading. 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. BOSTON, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Biofourmis, a fast-growing global leader in digital therapeutics that powers personally predictive care, and ImagineMIC announced a partnership agreement today to drive improved outcomes and lower healthcare costs for patients with chronic conditions. ImagineMIC is a revolutionary medical device company that delivers chronic care management through remote monitoring services and HIPAA-compliant technology. The first phase of the collaboration includes integrating Biofourmis' artificial intelligence (AI)-powered, FDA-cleared RhythmAnalytics with ImagineMIC's remote management technology, which is monitored by clinicians located in the ImagineMIC Monitoring Intervention Center (MIC) in New York State. RhythmAnalytics, part of Biofourmis' Biovitals Platform, uses enhanced deep learning architecture to detect dozens of cardiac arrhythmias. RhythmAnalytics will provide clinical decision support for the board-certified emergency physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and specialty-trained registered nurses in the MIC who perform around-the-clock monitoring of thousands of patients with chronic conditions who are in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and subacute care programs. "This is a scalable partnership that is starting with cardiology, which could ultimately be applied to a number of chronic conditions and therapeutic areas in various care settings by leveraging various modules within the Biovitals Platform for those applications," said Kuldeep Singh Rajput, CEO of Biofourmis. By leveraging a collaborative, integrated approach to telemedicine that includes real-time streaming of hemodynamic data from a wearable sensor and two-lead ECG, the technology that ImagineMIC is based on has supported a readmission rate of only 6% for patients with congestive heart failure (CHF), compared to state and national readmission rate averages of about 27% (according to audited results from a pilot program conducted in New York State involving more than 1,000 patients over three years). ImagineMIC's wearables provide real-time data on patients' respiratory rate, oxygen levels and heart rate; and Bluetooth streams report blood pressure, blood glucose and weight. "We expect to continue improving on these already impressive outcomes by combining ImagineMIC's newer version of the device with the power of RhythmAnalytics and the Biovitals Platform," Rajput said. "The result will be powerful clinical decision support that will enable the healthcare professionals who remotely monitor patients in the MIC to better utilize their time and skills to design interventions with on-site clinicians and focus on the highest need patients." RhythmAnalytics will support ImagineMIC's clinicians by alerting them to more than 20 types of cardiac arrhythmias, along with beat-by-beat morphology computation that includes ventricular arrhythmias, ventricular ectopic beats and all non-paced arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation (AFib). Biofourmis' RhythmAnalytics were trained using over 4 million electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings collected from patients using various FDA-cleared ECG monitoring wearables. "Improving cardiac outcomes and reducing care costs for the 'silver tsunami' of seniors in the healthcare system will require a new paradigm of chronic care management that includes 24-hour chronic care management supported with proven, revolutionary technology," said Anthony J. Bacchi, MD, CEO and founder of ImagineMIC. "This collaboration is extremely synergistic, since Biofourmis' RhythmAnalytics and Biovitals Platform also have been demonstrated to deliver extraordinary results that reduce costs and improve patient outcomes." RhythmAnalytics offers an advantage in that traditional approaches to cardiac rhythm classification are prone to large false positives, leading to misdiagnosis, which can significantly increase healthcare utilization costs. Studies also have demonstrated that the computerized arrhythmia interpretation error rates may approach 50%. RhythmAnalytics supports analysis of ECGs captured from any FDA-cleared devices or wearable sensors such as Holter monitors, event recorders, or other similar devices. The technology can be integrated as a cloud-based API into existing cardiac monitoring solutions, or directly integrated into a medical device or wearable sensorsignificantly improving the accuracy and scalability of ECG analysis and reducing rates of misinterpretation and inappropriate patient management. Scalable Partnership In the future, the ImagineMIC and Biofourmis partnership will expand beyond monitoring for cardiac arrhythmias, as ImagineMIC expands its remote patient monitoring scope beyond SNFs and into patients' homes. As such, additional modules from the Biovitals Platform will be integrated into the ImagineMIC platform in the coming months for conditions such as heart failure, COPD and asthma to help clinicians predict adverse events, design effective interventions, collaborate with patients' full care teams, and educate patients through their mobile devices. "Although the Biovitals Platform serves as a leading end-to-end digital therapeutics platform on its own, we are excited to partner with an innovative organization such as ImagineMIC, so we can leverage our combined technologies to lower costs and improve outcomes for patients," Rajput said. "There is a tremendous need in the market for our combined solutions to help reduce the burden on clinicians in managing the multiple chronic conditions of people living in SNFs and other care settings. We look forward to working with ImagineMIC to support high-quality care delivered through around-the-clock monitoring and advanced AI-driven predictive analytics for clinical decision support that will result in earlier interventions that lead to better outcomes." About Biofourmis Biofourmisa fast-growing global leader in digital therapeutics that powers personally predictive carediscovers, develops and delivers clinically validated software-based therapeutics to provide better outcomes for patients, advanced tools for clinicians to deliver personalized care, technology to demonstrate the value of and complement pharmacotherapy, and cost-effective solutions for payers. Biofourmis has built Biovitals, a highly sophisticated personalized AI-powered health analytics platform that predicts clinical exacerbation in advance of a critical event, which is the backbone of their digital therapeutics product pipeline across multiple therapeutic areasincluding heart failure, oncology, acute coronary syndrome, COPD and chronic pain. For more information, visit: www.biofourmis.com About ImagineMIC ImagineMIC was founded by CEO Dr. Anthony J. Bacchi, who also founded both MagnaCare and TeliStat. ImagineMIC is a comprehensive remote monitoring medical device program that offers revolutionary remote medical care via proprietary, HIPAA-compliant technology. To learn more, visit www.imagineMIC.com Media Contacts: Tara Stultz Amendola Communications for Biofourmis +1 440.225.9595 [email protected] Rachel Mcintosh Vice President of Implementation and Support for ImagineMIC +1 845.905.6192 [email protected] SOURCE Biofourmis Related Links http://www.biofourmis.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 15:39:53|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close HERAT, Afghanistan, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Nineteen Taliban insurgents have surrendered to Afghan security forces in western province of Herat, the military said Thursday. The former militants, tired of long conflicts with the security forces in Chishti Sharif district of the province, ultimately gave up arms and surrendered to Afghan National Army (ANA) on Wednesday, army's 207 Zafar Corps said in a statement. The militants pledged not to return to war and violence, and would continue peaceful lives alongside ordinary Afghan citizens after joining the national reconciliation process, said the statement. More than 400 Taliban militants and Islamic State (IS) members have surrendered to the government since early January. Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Thursday accused the Modi government of playing divisive politics, saying "we are not doing tukde tukde" but it is the ruling dispensation which is doing so". The former Union minister hailed the women leading the protests in Shaheen Bagh, saying they have been staging the sit-in braving the cold and fighting for India and the Constitution. The women are being threatened and called anti-national but these women are saying "India is ours, the Constitution is ours and the Tiranga is our flag"," Aiyar said at a press conference organised at the conclusion of former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha's 'Gandhi Shanti Yatra' against government's policies. "We are not doing tukde tukde, it is this government that is doing tukde tukde," he said, accusing the ruling party of playing divisive politics. Aiyar said those standing up against the government, including himself, were being called "pro-Pakistan" by the BJP, when actually they are committed to save the country. Sinha accused the Uttar Pradesh government of "state-sponsored" violence against people protesting the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. "I have been in that party (BJP), they are cowards," the leader of Rashtra Manch claimed. Pawan Varma, who was expelled from the JD (U) on Wednesday, said divisive politics is being played in the country for political gains. "We have to fight as Indians," he asserted. On Tuesday, the Seattle-based coffee company Starbucks said it had closed more than half of its 4,292 stores in its second biggest market and said it would take a quarterly and full year financial hit. The full extent of the hit to the broader business world is not yet clear. Most of China had already been shut down since at least Friday for the annual Lunar New Year holiday, a weeklong nationwide hiatus. But with the outbreak showing no signs of slowing, many companies are already preparing for a longer slowdown. "Our members are dealing with varying degrees of disruption in their businesses, including supply chain issues, temporary closings of some retail outlets and factories, and other challenges," said Jake Parker, the senior vice president of the US-China Business Council, which represents major companies. "If travel restrictions and quarantines are expanded or the holiday extended beyond February 8, that will amplify these problems." China's importance goes beyond what it makes. Its consumers buy more cars and smartphones than anybody else. When they go abroad, Chinese tourists spend $US258 billion ($382 billion) a year, according to the World Tourism Organisation, nearly twice what Americans spend. Global companies were reconsidering their China strategies even before the trade war began. Its growth is slowing, its labour costs are rising, local companies are increasingly competitive and the government has become less accommodating. Still, its skilled worker base, extensive highway and rail systems and vast consumer market make China tough to quit. Many companies are now looking for temporary stopgaps. Pivoting quickly Tim Cook, the chief executive of Apple, said on Tuesday that the iPhone maker was looking for alternative suppliers to "make up for any expected production loss." Foxconn, a Taiwanese company with an extensive network of factories in China that make gadgets on behalf of Apple and others, said its factories would continue to follow the new holiday schedule. Apple is not the only company that has had to pivot quickly. Just last week, executives of US engineering company Honeywell travelled to Wuhan for a ceremony related to its plans to open an innovation headquarters. Two days later, Wuhan was put under lockdown by authorities. Honeywell has since restricted travel to certain parts of China. Wuhan in particular appeals to major companies because it is a major national transport hub. The auto industry, including General Motors, Honda, Nissan and many others have set up shop there, and many of their suppliers have followed. It is the home to more than one third of all French investment in China. Loading On Monday, PSA Group, the French automaker, said it had set up crisis communications between Wuhan and its Paris headquarters to determine the potential impact on production. The company employs about 2,000 people in Wuhan through its joint venture and was evacuating 38 expatriates. Swedish furniture giant Ikea, which employs 14,000 people in China, said on Wednesday it would temporarily close nearly half of its 30 stores in the country. Employees at the stores will be asked to stay home until further notice with paid leave. It is not clear how quickly businesses will bounce back. During the deadly SARS outbreak 17 years ago, which began in China and killed hundreds globally, some factories paid higher wages to bring workers back and get factories humming again. Right now, businesses do not know enough to make those kinds of plans. Ford, which does not have any operations in Wuhan, said several of its major plants would be idled until February 10. A spokesman declined to disclose further details. The factories in four cities churn out nearly half a million vehicles a year, or an average of 9,400 cars a week. Businesses in other countries are also trying to determine the impact. In Japan on Tuesday, Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister of state for economic and fiscal policy, told a group of reporters that "if the situation takes longer to subside, we're concerned it could hurt Japanese exports, output and corporate profits." Chinese visitors account for about 30 per cent of all foreign tourists, and Chinese companies are major buyers of Japanese-made components, like semiconductors and lenses. In Thailand, Chinese sightseers spend nearly $US18 billion annually, totalling about a quarter of tourist spending. We survive the whole year because they come the whole year. Thai tourism operator Anan Buates An award ceremony sponsored by the United Staten Island Veterans Organization, will recognize 14 community spirited Staten Islanders both adults and children on Sunday, Feb. 2 at 11 a.m. in the Society of St. Pauls Chapel (The Alba House) in Meiers Corners. St. Pauls Chapel is located at 2187 Victory Blvd. The event is part of the Chapel of Four Chaplains Legion of Honor Program, an association that seeks to encourage unity which binds together Americans of all faiths and celebrates generosity, devotion to God and county and love of fellow man. Interestingly, the event honors posthumously the Rev. George L. Fox, a Methodist minister; the Rev. Clark V. Poling, a Dutch Reformed minister; the Rev. John P. Washington, a Catholic priest; and Alexander D. Goode, a rabbi. In 1943, the four Army chaplains joined 900 soldiers aboard the USAT Dorchester, an Army transport ship, as they headed for battle in Nazi-occupied Europe. At 12:55 a.m. on Feb. 3, a torpedo from a German submarine ripped through the hull and the Dorchester began to sink. In less than half an hour, water began to flow across the deck of the ship. Working against time, the chaplains passed out life vests from the lockers until they ran out, and those on line realized there was no hope. At that moment, the four chaplains took off their own life jackets and placed them on the men. The chaplains had done all they could; nothing could be done for those who remained, including themselves. The four chaplains were last seen standing arm in arm at the top of the ship singing hymns as the Dorchester sank beneath the waves. Of the 920 men who left New York on the USAT Dorchester on Jan. 23, only 230 were saved from the icy waters by rescue craft. In addition to the four chaplains, 668 men were lost with the ship. Two individuals will receive the Charles W. David Jr. Lifesaver Medallion, an award presented to those who have placed himself or herself in harms way to save the life of another person in the tradition of the heroic action of the person whose name it bears. A total of 10 individuals will receive The Legion of Honor Award presented for service to the local community at the state or regional level and at the national or international level. And two youngsters will be presented with Junior Legion of Honor Award. Names of individuals receiving honors are withheld until the program commences. Decisions are made in Philadelphia, where the federal organization is located, said James A Haynes, chief executive officer of The United Staten Island Veterans Organization Inc., who added the award program was established 20 years ago by the late Bill Reilly, a member of the Marine Corps League, and a community leader who also was a Hibernian. Steve Gross, a board of director for the Four Chaplains Foundation, in Philadelphia notes, I was elected in December of 2019 and attended my first board meeting last month in Philadelphia. And I want to be able to get out into the community on Staten Island to address veterans groups, other organizations and schools to talk about the Four Chaplains. The FBI has released a wanted poster for Yanqing Ye, the lieutenant for Chinas military who is accused lying on her visa application and researching U.S. military websites for her country. Ye, a Chinese national, is one of three people who were charged this week with hiding their ties to China. Ye, who is in China now, studied in the United States from October 2017 to April 2019 while attending Boston University. She is accused of visa fraud, acting as an agent of a foreign government making false statements and conspiracy. Ye, according to investigators, was a lieutenant of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), the armed forces of the Peoples Republic of China and member of the Chinese Communist Party when she to the United States. Authorities said she lied on her visa about her role in the PLA. Ye was charged in federal indictments Tuesday, along Dr. Charles Lieber, chairman of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University, and Chinese national Zaosong Zheng, with aiding China and hiding their connections to the country. Lieber is accused of working with a Chinese program aimed at encouraging scientists and researchers in the U.S. to share their expertise and research with Chinese government officials. Zheng, a Chinese national, is accused of trying to smuggle vials of biological materials out of the country that authorities allege he stole from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Related Content: The capital will be used to fuel Codility's growing footprint in helping expand engineering teams at high-growth companies including Microsoft, Tesla, Slack, Rakuten, American Express, and UnitedHealth Group. In 2019, Codility helped 1,500 customers evaluate over 455,000 developers, with this number growing by 54% year-over-year. "Across all industries, companies need to rapidly scale their engineering teams in order to drive company growth," said Natalia Panowicz, CEO of Codility. "This makes expanding engineering capacity a strategic imperative. The biggest bottleneck to achieving this lies in efficiently hiring great engineers without slowing down engineering delivery. This is where Codility comes in. Teams who implement Codility scale faster by focusing on solving problems and shipping code, rather than wasting time on inefficient hiring processes." The current hiring ecosystem requires companies to curate relevant candidate experiences which mimic a day in the life of an engineer. This can be challenging for companies that rely on contingency recruitment because there's no safeguard to reduce risk and ensure high-quality hires. Codility's assessment engine is on a mission to provide a 360-degree evaluation of technical ability, helping hiring managers predict candidate potential to the scope of the role. This also supports efforts to build more diverse teams by providing customizable workflows which protect processes from subconscious bias. The Codility platform : CodeCheck gives recruiters a powerful way to accurately screen the real-life technical skills of candidates across a broad range of roles and technologies. gives recruiters a powerful way to accurately screen the real-life technical skills of candidates across a broad range of roles and technologies. CodeLive provides a shared editor for live technical interviews. Candidates can demonstrate their skills while the interviewer can see how they work in real-time. provides a shared editor for live technical interviews. Candidates can demonstrate their skills while the interviewer can see how they work in real-time. CodeChallenges are online coding competitions used to ignite and convert passive job hunters into candidates. are online coding competitions used to ignite and convert passive job hunters into candidates. Codility can also improve onboard and upskill developers, closing skills gaps within existing or outsourced development teams. Customer and Investor Quotes: "Okta's trajectory from a funded startup to a publicly traded company with customers around the globe translates to massive growth in our engineering organization," said Brett Coin, Vice President of Talent Acquisition at Okta. "Identifying and hiring top developers is paramount as technical hiring is one of the most competitive recruitment landscapes with a unique set of challenges. Codility provides a solution that enables our engineers to save time in the developer screening process while still increasing the number of strong candidates for each position." "Okta builds software that helps global businesses operate securely and with integrity, so it is crucial that we identify and hire talented developers, with both the right skills and an aptitude to grow," said Vicky Xiong, Senior Director of Engineering at Okta. "Codility is a great solution for hiring teams based on the needs of quality high-volume hiring; such as consistency, standardization, and scalability. Codility also enables Okta to create a great candidate experience, which is core to our values as a company." Richard Anton, General Partner at Oxx said: "Codility and its founders have already built a terrific business independently. It's a testament to their foresight, skill, and determination that Codility is well-known and respected in its area. We are honored that they have chosen Oxx to support them in building the company that will define how world leading organizations can best assess and develop the technical skills which are now mission critical everywhere." Hillel Zidel, a Managing Director at Kennet Partners who will join the board as part of the investment, said: "We have been hugely impressed with Codility. It is clear to see the value that Codility can bring to hiring managers and tech recruiters who are looking to hire top talent more efficiently and at scale. We look forward to working with the Codility team and helping fuel the continued global growth." About Codility: Codility is the industry leader in technical skills assessment for hiring the world's top engineering talent. We leverage data-driven insights and machine-learning to assess and optimize technical skills, expanding our customers' engineering capacity. Since its inception in 2009, Codility has facilitated over ten million recruitment assessments worldwide, in various industries. About Oxx: Oxx is a focused B2B software investor, partnering with the most promising European SaaS scale-ups from series A and beyond. The venture capital fund invests broadly across software applications and infrastructure, with a particular interest in five key themes: data convergence & refinery, future of work, financial services infrastructure, user empowerment, and sustainable business. Headquartered in London and Stockholm, Oxx was founded by Richard Anton and Mikael Johnsson in 2017. Both Anton and Johnsson were formerly partners at Amadeus Capital before founding Oxx. About Kennet Partners: Established in 1997, Kennet is a growth equity investor that invests in bootstrapped, fast-growing companies providing information technology products and business services that leverage technology. Kennet currently has over $700 million under management and has offices in London, Frankfurt, and Silicon Valley. SOURCE Codility Related Links https://www.codility.com A person wearing a face mask stands on Swanston Street after cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in Melbourne, Australia, on Jan. 29, 2020. (Andrew Kelly/Reuters) Australia Defends Decision to Quarantine Locals Evacuated from Wuhan on Christmas Island The Australian government on Jan. 30 defended its plans to quarantine its citizens for 14 days in a detention center on Christmas Island as they return from Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in China. Australia announced on Wednesday it would evacuate help some citizens leave Hubei province as part of a joint operation with New Zealand, promising to prioritize the isolated and vulnerable, including the elderly, children, and short-term travelers who have no support base in the region. We have taken a decision this morning to prepare a plan for an operation to provide some assisted departures for isolated and vulnerable Australians in Wuhan and Hubei province, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said at the time. However, the decision to relocate some of those affected to Christmas Islanda remote speck in the Indian Ocean best known for housing asylum seekershas been criticized by a number of health officials. The Australian Medical Association called on the government to find a humane solution. Speaking to reporters in Canberra on Thursday, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said Australia has no other choice, and the decision was made to keep the broader population safe. The reality is people need to be accommodated for somewhere for up to 14 days. I cant clear out a hospital in Sydney, Melbourne, or Brisbane, he said. I dont have a facility otherwise that we can quickly accommodate for what might be many hundreds of people and Christmas Island is purpose-built for exactly this scenario. I want to make sure that we keep Australians safe. About 600 people have told the government they are in Wuhan, however Morrison said it was not clear how many wanted to leave China. He did not specify how many Australians the government would be able to assist, but said individuals would be evacuated on a last-in, first-out basis. Australia has seven confirmed cases of coronavirus. Experts, meanwhile, have said that the Chinese regime is likely underreporting the true scale of the coronavirus. Australian medical teams were set to be deployed on Thursday to Christmas Island to process the returning residents. Medical personnel were being sent to the island by the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Center. It came after Morrison on Wednesday said that the Australian Medical Assistance Teams will be sent to Christmas Island to provide medical support. I also want to stress that for Christmas Island, we will be ensuring there will be support provided directly to the Christmas Island community completely separate and quarantined from the support that is being provided in the quarantine zone, he said. The quarantine declaration will be made by the government to give effect to those arrangements. The defense forces have been tasked to identify overflow facilities where that may be necessary and also to provide whatever logistical and other support is necessary to support the operations on Christmas Island, Morrison said. Those evacuated will reportedly have to contribute to the cost of the trip, and sign a waiver allowing them to be quarantined on the island, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. Australias defense of its policy came as several countries began isolating hundreds of citizens evacuated from Wuhan. Nearly 200 Americans, mostly U.S. diplomats and their families, airlifted from Wuhan on Wednesday, will remain isolated at a U.S. military base in California for at least 72 hours of medical observation, public health officials said. A second flight with Japanese evacuees from Wuhan landed in Japan on Thursday, with nine people showing symptoms of fever or coughing, broadcaster NHK reported. The first flight landed on Wednesday and at least one more is expected in coming days. New Zealand on Thursday said it would charter an aircraft to assist citizens wanting to leave Wuhan. Reuters contributed to this report. SpendEdge has been monitoring the global recruitment industry and the industry is poised to experience spend growth of more than USD 170 billion between 2019-2024 at a CAGR of more than 5% during the forecast period. Request Free Sample Pages This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005285/en/ Read the 125-page research report with TOC and LOE on "The Global Recruitment Industry 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." Improvement in business opportunities is expected to propel buyer's hiring needs. It has been observed that a majority of buyers prefer to outsource their operational functions such as recruitment functions to third parties to limit their operational costs. This will act as one of the chief spend accelerators in the global recruitment industry during the forecast period. Buyers from the construction, IT, education, and healthcare sectors in the US are exhibiting a huge demand for temporary staffing services to compensate for the lack of a skilled workforce. The emergence of new growth opportunities for the skilled workforce in APAC will make the retention of this workforce a difficult task. This will act as one of the major spend growth drivers in the recruitment industry in APAC. 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 Recruitment Service Providers Enlisted in this Report: The imposition of special taxes, fees, or costs in connection with the use of a temporary or contract workforce by buyers will result in a significant increase in the charges of recruitment service providers. Considering this probability, this report has listed the top recruitment service providers, SLA agreement insights, and the selection and negotiation strategies that buyers must undertake to achieve optimal procurement in this industry. Insights into some of the service providers are given below: Adecco Group- It is one of the global recruitment service providers who are trying to differentiate themselves based on their ability to recruit and retain highly skilled talent. They gain a competitive edge by marketing their brands aggressively and by providing access to a large talent pool using advanced software tools such as CRM and ATS. ManpowerGroup Global- This recruitment service provider is known to invest heavily in training and development programs to upgrade its employee skills to tackle demand. It is also focusing to improve its specialization to cater to specific industries. For instance, ManpowerGroup is specialized in IT, engineering, and finance-related recruitment processes. Kelly Services- Kelly Services deployed a new ATS which will help to reduce hiring costs by 78% at client locations. 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 recruitment industry. Some of the key topics covered in this report are: Recruitment industry spend segmentation by region Recruitment supply market analysis Regional spend opportunity for recruitment service providers Recruitment service providers cost structure Total cost of ownership analysis in the recruitment industry Recruitment pricing models analysis Category management objectives Cost saving opportunities in the recruitment industry Free sample of reports that you may like: Global Resume Screening Services Market Procurement Intelligence Report HR Consulting Industry Procurement Market 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/20200130005285/en/ Contacts: SpendEdge Anirban Choudhury Marketing Manager US: +1 630 984 7340 UK: +44 148 459 9299 https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us Mr Voronkov, the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) concluded a two-day visit to Rabat, Morocco at the invitation of the government. He held consultations with high-level officials of the Kingdom of Morocco as part of efforts to increase engagement with countries in Northern Africa. With H.E. Nasser Bourita, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Mr Voronkov discussed ways to increase capacity-building collaboration in countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism through sharing Moroccos experience, expertise and good practices, including those identified by the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED) in its country visit report. Mr Voronkov invited the government of Morocco to participate in the United Nations Counter Terrorism Week to be held in New York from June 30 to July 2, 2020. During his meetings with senior officials, Mr Voronkov welcomed Moroccos comprehensive approach to preventing and countering terrorism, highlighted its role as a key contributor to the international efforts to address the scourge of counter-terrorism and thanked its strong support to UNOCT. He praised Morocco for its Chairmanship of Group of Friends of Combating Terrorism and its Co-Chairmanship of the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum (GCTF), as well as its role as a valuable member of the New York based Groups of Friends of Victims of Terrorism and the Advisory Board of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT). He also highlighted the contribution of Morocco in number of capacity-building projects on youth empowerment to prevent violent extremism, preventing nuclear terrorism and the role of parliamentarians in preventing and countering terrorism. Welcoming the active participation of Moroccan representatives in the Regional Counter-Terrorism Conference that took place in Abu Dhabi in December 2019, Mr Voronkov underscored the prominent role of Moroccan youth in the workshop dedicated to the collaboration with civil society organizations. The Under-Secretary-General commended Morocco for its efforts in repatriating its nationals with links to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). He reiterated the United Nations commitment to support States in the repatriation and post repatriation processes to effectively address the situation of returning Foreign terrorist fighters and their families while upholding human rights. At the conclusion of the visit Mr Voronkov met with Ms. Amina Bouayach, President of the National Human Rights Council, as well as civil society organisations, including the President of the Moroccan Association of Victims of Terrorism. He paid tribute to the victims of terrorism in Morocco and around the world. He said that the first Global Congress of Victims of Terrorism scheduled to take place during the Counter-Terrorism Week aims to highlight the plight of victims of terrorism and their role in building resilient societies. During the visit, Mr Voronkov also met with Mr Yassine Mansouri, Director General of the external intelligence agency (DGED); Mr Jawhar Nfissi, President of the Moroccan Financial Information Processing Unit (FIU); Dr Ahmed Abbadi, Secretary General of the Rabbita Muhammadia of the Oulema; Mr Mohamed Salah Tamek, Delegate-General of Moroccos Penitentiary and Reintegration Administration; and Mr Abdelhak Khiame, Director of the Central Bureau of Investigations. The Under-Secretary-General also visited the Mohammed VI Institute for the Training of Imams, Morchidines and Morchidates. Major banks Citibank, HSBC and Barclay's in London's Canary Wharf financial district. Photo: Toby Melville/Reuters Banks have paid upwards of $36bn (28bn) in fines since the 2008 financial crisis, with penalties swelling to almost $10bn in 2019 alone. Some 12 of the worlds top 50 banks were penalised last year, according to data compiled by regulatory technology firm Fenergo. Swiss banks were the worst offenders in 2019, thanks to the $5bn (3.8bn) in fines and damages handed to UBS (UBS) for helping French clients evade tax authorities. Italian banks, meanwhile, racked up $1.5bn in total fines for sanctions violations and breaches of the EUs GDPR privacy regulation, Fenergo said on Wednesday. The vast majority of fines issued by US authorities targeted European banks for anti-money laundering breaches and violations of economic sanctions with countries such as Iran, North Korea, and Libya. In late 2018, Frances Societe Generale (GLE.PA) agreed to pay more than $1.3bn in penalties for processing and concealing transactions with countries that were under sanction. Over the 10-year period between 2003 and 2013, the bank engaged in thousands of transactions involving parties in Iran, Cuba, and Sudan, in violation of US sanctions. Fenergo pointed to heightened geopolitical tensions as an explanation for the rise in fines in 2019. Some 86% of fines issued by US authorities since the firms 2018 report were for sanctions violations, it said. The US introduced new sanctions against Iran in November 2018, months after US president Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal. Trump in September 2019 told his treasury department to increase sanctions on the country. Financial institutions are required to be vigilant in identifying sanctioned entities and individuals through robust screening processes, Fenergo said. One of the more notorious fines in the past decade was levied on HSBC, which the US justice department said was used to launder $880m in money between a Mexican and Colombian drug cartel. HSBC (HSBC.L) agreed to pay a record $1.92bn in fines to US authorities following the scandal. Story continues Financial institutions were meanwhile fined a further $82.7m in 2019 for data privacy breaches and violations of the EUs markets in financial instruments directive, which is designed to increase transparency in the investment industry. 2019 was another record year for fines, the second-biggest in history, and 2020 is shaping up to be a very busy year in this space, said Laura Glynn, the global compliance and regulatory director of Fenergo. Rachel Wooley of Fenergo said that many of the institutions penalised in 2019 for money laundering-related activities lacked appropriate systems and compliance infrastructures that are necessary to identify and address areas of high risk. 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. People close to the peace talks said the changes were intended to formalise Mr. Kozak's emergence as Mr. Putin's lead negotiator on Ukraine. Vladimir Putin's promotion of a crucial figure driving peace talks with Ukraine has been welcomed by Kyiv as a signal of renewed willingness in Moscow to resolve the six-year conflict between the two countries. Dmitry Kozak, a former deputy prime minister, was appointed to a newly created position in the presidential administration last week as part of sweeping changes in the Kremlin that analysts said were designed to lengthen Mr. Putin's rule, according to the Financial Times. The announcement was followed by the reported resignation of Vladislav Surkov, Mr. Putin's chief negotiator on Ukraine. Read alsoPolitical scientist assesses Kozak's appointment as new Donbas supervisor People close to the peace talks said the changes were intended to formalise Mr. Kozak's emergence as Mr. Putin's lead negotiator on Ukraine. Mr. Kozak oversaw two landmark prisoner exchanges last year that were widely hailed as progress in efforts to bring an end to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia-backed armed forces. The conflict in eastern Ukraine, which started with Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, has claimed 14,000 lives. Mr. Kozak has also helped resurrect four-party peace talks led by France and Germany. The so-called "Normandy four" negotiations resumed last month after years of stalling under Mr. Surkov. "Surkov was playing interference. If he is really gone this is good," said a person close to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. Read also"Putin to surrender Donbas": Ex-lawmaker explains Surkov's resignation Mr. Kozak will now have to reconcile Ukraine's efforts to reclaim the two Moscow-backed breakaway states on its border with Russia. Mr. Zelensky has refused to grant the regions lasting autonomy a move seen in Ukraine as giving Russia a veto over Kyiv's pro-western foreign policy and instead wants to include them in a planned decentralisation reform. "Surkov was [driving] a policy of weakening Ukraine and preventing the signature of future EU and Nato agreements by politically destabilising the territory," a person familiar with the peace talks said. "Now we are more into managing the process on the ground. [ . . .] It's a more pragmatic approach. Kozak is a stronger administrator and good on the economy." But other people close to the talks cautioned that Mr. Putin, who has shown no sign of easing pressure on Ukraine, will remain the ultimate decision maker. "Zelensky's guys just associate all the problems with Surkov. They don't get who they're dealing with," the former Kremlin colleague said. "Of course they won't give the territories back. It's a fantasy." Industry experts have called for increase in public spending on healthcare in the Union Budget 2020-21, considering India's demographics, growing population and increasing disease burden. The allocation to healthcare should go up as the government had promised to earmark 2.5 per cent of the GDP in the National Health Policy, said Suneeta Reddy, Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group. "The Budget for financial year 2019-20 saw an outlay of Rs 62,398 crore for the healthcare sector, which was just 1 per cent of the GDP. This should be increased to 2.5 per cent, or around Rs 150,000 crore to drive the health sector forward. Along with the private spend of 1.5 per cent, the total GDP percentage shall go to an acceptable 4 per cent. In developed countries it is 10 per cent, and in the USA it is 18 per cent of the GDP. This will help in making healthcare accessible to marginalized populations," said Dr Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman and Managing Director of Aster DM Healthcare. Reddy said another demand of the healthcare sector is that of an infrastructure status, which will open up other sources of low-cost funding. "While Ayushman Bharat has covered 50 crore people (of which 10 crore have been enrolled), India still has very low insurance penetration in other affordable segments. India should have a tiered insurance program in place. For example, employers being mandated to provide meaningful cover for their employees, mandatory health insurance for self-employed professionals, affordable healthcare policies for elders, and then back that all up with an increase in deduction under Section 80D," said Reddy. FULL COVERAGE:Union Budget 2020 Dr Moopen said there is a requirement for a viability gap funding by the government for smaller hospitals in Tier II and III cities to increase the provider base for Ayushman Bharat. There is also a requirement for increasing the package rates of Ayushman Bharat for more hospitals to take this up and make the program a success. Moreover, the healthcare industry needs incentives for the private sector to increase bed capacity and invest in latest medical technologies, said Reddy. A Healthcare Infrastructure Technology Upgradation Fund that provide subsidies for capital investment undertaken in upgradation of healthcare infrastructure is another option, she added. "Incentives for hospitals to invest and develop Medical Value Travel, and to exempt foreign exchange earnings, can create lakhs of jobs and bring in foreign exchange. The Union Budget should introduce a separate deduction of Rs 10,000 for each individual with respect to preventive health checks. Similarly, incentives for investments in R&D and data mining is also required in the Budget as the private healthcare is investing a lot in data infrastructure," said Reddy. Dr Moopen said the Budget should focus on increasing the number of healthcare professionals as the doctor to patient ratio is 1:1,445, against the WHO recommended ratio of 1:1,000. Government should ease the rules and regulations for establishing more medical teaching and training institutions to produce more medical professionals to fill the gap, he added. ALSO READ:Modi govt may fund $28 billion of FY21 expenditure outlay via off-Budget borrowings: report "The recent decision to allow medical colleges by joint venture between trusts and companies is a welcome step with the PPP model attached to government hospitals. The establishment of National Medical Commission (NMC) aims to address the skill gaps but more clarity on increasing UG and PG seats should be brought in," Dr Moopen said. The government should give a boost to digital healthcare to increase accessibility, The National Digital Health Blueprint (NDHB) is a right step in this direction. There needs to be further action and investment for developing infrastructure for electronic health records, for data portability, privacy and security. Telemedicine connectivity between the primary health centers, taluk hospitals, district hospitals and medical colleges must be increased to provide expert opinion in the peripheral centers. "Compulsory rural service for two years after MBBS, and higher pay scales for PG doctors and other para medical graduates should be rolled out to get more doctors to the rural areas," said Dr Moopen. "Increased spending on education is needed to bring in more standardisation as there is a need to have a centralised database, which will benefit the universities and education institutions. Teacher training/up skilling should be mandatorily linked with respective industry for teaching as well as non-teaching staff for two way communication and coordination for need versus deliverables. Like the 2 per cent mandatory spending on CSR, a certain fixed percentage of profits from corporates have to be spent on research in the respective industry/profession," said Nitin Maniar, Chairman, Bombay College of Pharmacy. ALSO READ:Budget 2020: Date, time, expectations from Modi govt, where to watch "Budget will focus on home healthcare services. Other critical aspects to be addressed include good governance, a robust system to procure and supply medicines, devices, as well as a connected health information system," said Dr Alok Roy, Chairman of Medica Group of Hospitals. Dr GSK Velu, Chairman and Managing Director of Neuberg Diagnostics said "Centre should come up with clear guidelines to enable Public Private Partnership in the diagnostics segment to realise the vision of quality advanced diagnostics at affordable cost with accountability and better clinical outcomes. Investment in diagnostics services sector in Tier-II and Tier-III towns should get similar tax breaks and subsidies like hospitals." Any ambiguities in GST levied on healthcare services, including diagnostics services, should be avoided, Dr Velu further said. "Tax free spending limits for annual preventive health check to be enhanced to promote preventive medicine and wellness focused health care initiatives," he said. Written and directed by Kitty Green (whose last film was the 2017 documentary Casting JonBenet), The Assistant is hushed and gray-toned and glacial. More than a few viewers will find it a grim, even taxing watch; but Garner is so wonderfully cast that she makes the slow draining of Janes soul almost visible. On the long pre-dawn drive from her Queens apartment to her Manhattan office, the film captures her huddled sleepily in a company car, a small, pale figure dwarfed by rearing skyscrapers. Her fragility, though, is deceptive, and Janes anxiety over her bosss perceived victims must be tugged back into line with a steely self-interest. When she reads his chillingly manipulative email Im tough on you because Im gonna make you great we can almost see her spine straighten with renewed ambition. Jane isnt one of those victims Youre not his type, the H.R. guy tells her, in a twisted attempt to reassure but she doesnt have to be. The degradations lie in the jewelry and stains she clears from his couch cushions, in the blank checks she types and in the nervously chatting ingenue she transports to a nearby hotel: The spoor of the workplace predator is wearyingly familiar and as ubiquitous as offices themselves. In its muted, minutiae-obsessed way, The Assistant is saying to these men, We see you. We have always seen you. The Assistant Rated R for harsh words and scattered syringes. Running time: 1 hour 25 minutes. The Samsung Galaxy A50 was Samsung's most popular phone in 2019 and sold in droves. That makes the task of replacing it as big as that of replacing any of Samsung's most expensive flagship phones. A quick glance at the Samsung Galaxy A51 tells us Samsung played it safe, but is that a bad thing? No, it's not. Mid-rangers should be competent at what it does and bring good bang for yourbuck. Both are true of the Samsung Galaxy A51. It has moved the notched selfie camera into the display, which itself is a bit larger now and on the back there's a better camera array and an attractive prism-inspired design. The Galaxy A51 is a smidge heavier than its predecessor but generally feels light when it sits in your hand. This is among the lightest 6.5-inchers around. It comes in a variety of colors like Black, White, Blue, Prism and a nicely pastel Pink. Some things haven't changed. The battery remains a 4,000mAh unit with only 18W of fast charging, which is now among the slower charging speeds, even in Samsung's camp. When put side by side with the still-capable Galaxy A50, the Galaxy A51 brings two significant improvements - the new design and the new cameras. The new main camera is a 48MP f/2.0 unit in place of the old 25MP f/1.7, 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide module replaces the 8MP f/2.2 one, and a 5MP dedicated macro camera. On the front there's a new 32MP f/2.2 selfie snapper, upgrading a 25MP f/2.0 unit. The chipset is also a slight improvement. The Exynos 9611 matches the 9610 almost spec for spec but does have support for higher-megapixel cameras (64MP). Samsung Galaxy A51 - front and rear The Galaxy A51 is also already on the mint-fresh Android 10 with One UI 2.0 - something the Galaxy A50 is in line to receive, but hasn't yet. Luckily the price has remained as competitive as that of the Galaxy A50's when it released in March of last year - you can get a 128GB Galaxy A51 with 4GB of RAM for under 350. Our review is way underway so keep an eye on our homepage! SEATTLE, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The global cannabis beverage market was valued at around US$ 205 million in 2018, and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 38.3% over the forecast period (2019-2027). Key Trends and Analysis of the Cannabis Beverage Market: The global cannabis beverage market has witness a rapid growth in terms of value and volume, in the past few years. Increasing penetration of cannabis-based products in the market, owing to the rising awareness among consumers regarding the medical and therapeutic benefits of cannabis is expected to favor the market growth. On account of the rise in consumption of cannabis, market players are developing food products infused with cannabis extracts. These include cannabis infused beverages which are healthier alternatives to common methods of cannabis consumption such as smoking and vaping. Request for Sample PDF copy @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/3390 Key Market Takeaways: The global cannabis beverage market is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 38.3% over the forecast period (2019-2027). Increasing demand for cannabis infused food & beverage products and increasing focus on offering new cannabis beverages which contain organic ingredients are expected to drive the market growth during the forecast period. This is mainly due to increasing health concerns as well as awareness regarding calorie-intake among consumers. On the basis of distribution channel, the global cannabis beverage market is segmented into convenience stores, hypermarkets, supermarkets, and online. Among these, the online segment accounted for a significant market revenue share in the global cannabis beverage market in 2018, owing to enhanced convenience and availability of varied product choices. Legalization of cannabis in different countries such as U.S., Canada and Mexico , for both recreational and medicinal purposes, has created better opportunities for licensed supermarkets and hypermarkets to display their cannabis-based products without restrictions. and , for both recreational and medicinal purposes, has created better opportunities for licensed supermarkets and hypermarkets to display their cannabis-based products without restrictions. Among region, the market in Europe is expected to witness for substantial growth in terms of value in the next few years. Governments in countries such as Germany , France , Italy and others have legalized the use and possession of cannabis based products for medical purposes. Increasing social acceptance for cannabis beverages over alcohol among consumers is expected to fuel growth of the global cannabis beverage market in the region in coming years. is expected to witness for substantial growth in terms of value in the next few years. Governments in countries such as , , and others have legalized the use and possession of cannabis based products for medical purposes. Increasing social acceptance for cannabis beverages over alcohol among consumers is expected to fuel growth of the global cannabis beverage market in the region in coming years. One of the key challenges for manufacturers is to dilute the taste of different cannabis extracts used during infusion. Cannabis possesses a distinct grassy and pungent odor which is required to be weakened by addition of flavorings, food additives and taste enhancers. Companies are focused on research and development of distillates of the cannabis extracts which can dampen the peculiar flavor and odor of cannabis in the beverages. Furthermore, several key players are focused on partnerships, in order to expand their presence. For instance, in Jan 2020 , High Tide Inc., a Canadian based, manufacturer and wholesale distributor of cannabis based products and smoking accessories, acquired Canna Cabana, a supplier of cannabis products in Canada . The acquisition was done with an aim of increasing High Tide Inc.'s market presence in the retail sector. Major players operating in the global cannabis beverage market include MedReleaf Corp., Cronos Group Inc., GW Pharmaceuticals, Plc., CannTrust Holdings Inc., VIVO Cannabis Inc., Tilray Inc., General Cannabis Corporation, Koios Beverage Corporation, New Age Beverages Corporation, Dutch Windmill Spirits, Heineken, The Supreme Cannabis Company, and SK Rodnik. Buy this Report (Single User License) @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/buy-now/3390 Market Segmentations: Global Cannabis Beverage Market, By Product Type: Alcoholic Beer Spirits Wine Non-Alcoholic Marijuana Tea Cannabis Soda Cannabis Coffee & Cold brew Global Cannabis Beverage Market, By End-Use: Household Restaurants & Cafes Global Cannabis Beverage Market, By Distribution Channel: Convenience Stores Hypermarkets Supermarkets Online Global Cannabis Beverage Market, By Region: North America U.S. Canada Latin America Brazil Argentina Mexico Rest of Latin America Europe U.K. Germany Italy France Russia Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China India Japan ASEAN Australia & New Zealand & Rest of Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa & GCC South Africa Middle East & Africa Didn't find what you were looking for? Here are similar topics: Cold Pressed Juice Market Growing awareness regarding the health benefits of cold-pressed juice coupled with rising health-conscious consumers around the globe is primarily fueling the market growth of cold-pressed juice. The cold-pressed juices include hydraulic press and no additional heat or oxygen is used during the production that means it preserves the nutrients of juice that are present in the juice. This factor is expected to propel the market growth of the cold-pressed juice. Read more @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/market-insight/cold-pressed-juice-market-3351 U.S. Bottled Water Market The growing focus of manufacturers in launching the eco-friendly packaging solution of water is expected to augment the market growth over the forecast period. For instance, in July 2019, PepsiCo just announced that it will start rolling out its popular Aquafina water in aluminum cans in 2020 subjected to rising concern about global, non-recyclable waste mounts, the move comes as the brand's biggest attempt to reduce single-use plastic containers as aluminum is easier to recycle than many materials and is already recycled more often than other similar packaging types. Read more @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/market-insight/us-bottled-water-market-3267 India Alcohol Market Rising number of millennial population and changing lifestyle patterns is a major driver in case of the growth of India alcohol market. For instance, as per the India Brand Equity Foundation, in September 2018, millennials constituted 47% of the total Indian working population which will lead to an increasing disposable income. Moreover, the increasing demand for cafes, bars, are thereby expected to lead to an increased demand for alcohol during the forecast period. Read more @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/market-insight/india-alcohol-market-3145 Contact Us: Mr. Raj Shah Coherent Market Insights 1001 4th Ave. #3200 Seattle, WA 98154 Tel: +1-206-701-6702 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Coherent Market Insights By Express News Service CHENNAI: Amid rumours that the Group IV exam conducted by TNPSC last year, would be considered null and void after malpractice was found in the answer sheets of nearly 99 candidates, Minister for Fisheries, Personnel and Administrative Reforms D Jayakumar said that re-examination would be unfair to other candidates who wrote the exam through fair practices. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday after meeting with top officials here, he that no re-examination would be conducted. Malpractice has taken place in only two centres and the TNPSC must not be discredited as the exams were carried out in a fair manner. People must not lose trust in it. He further added that the government is considering the implementation of a law that would regulate the choice of civil service exam centres. We are holding discussions. It will be brought up in Assembly, he said. Commenting on the ongoing inquiry, he said, "Investigation by CB-CID is on the right track and culprits will be brought to book soon. So far, 13 persons have been arrested." Three of them were government staff, with the others being middlemen and candidates. The rank list for Group IV exams was released by the commission late in December. Soon after, allegations of possible malpractices in writing the exams were raised as many candidates whose names were among the top 100 ranks, had written their exams from centres in Rameswaram and Keelakarai in Ramanathapuram district. The commission had launched an inquiry into the allegations, earlier this year. According to the commission, 99 examinees had chosen to write the exams in Rameswaram and Keelakarai centres, based on the advice of certain agents. "Of these, agents allegedly altered Optical Mark Recognition sheets of 52 candidates, and placed answer sheet back with help from other officials," a statement said, adding that 39 of the 52 examinees found their names in top 100 rank holders. DMK urges D Jayakumar be taken off state cabinet CHENNAI: DMK has urged for a CBI investigation into the TNPSC exam scam. CM should initiate the investigation and drop D Jayakumar from cabinet, to enable an honest investigation, urged DMK president MK Stalin in a statement. He added that inquiry should be conducted under a HC judges supervision to ensure transparency and to build trust in TNPSC. He also warned that DMK youth wing would conduct a mass protest if the government failed to do so. Tamil Nadu Congress Committee chief KS Alagiri seeks CBI probe in TNPSC scam CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) has sought a CBI probe into the exam scam. TNCC chief KS Alagiri said in a statement, Hurried statements that there was no scope for malpractice in other centres has created doubts. Brokers cannot carry out such a scam without help from officials. He urged that CBI should carry out an unbiased and honest investigation to bring out the complete truth in the scam as it concerns the future of around 16 lakh aspirants. A member the U.S. forces walks past a drone in the Ain al-Asad airbase in the western Iraqi province of Anbar, Iraq, on Jan. 13, 2020. (Ayman Henna/AFP via Getty Images) House Passes Two Bills Aimed at Limiting Trumps War Powers in Iran The House of Representatives passed two bills on Thursday aimed at curbing President Donald Trumps war powers. One measure would block funding for any use of military force in or against Iran unless Congress declares war while the other would repeal the 2002 Congressional Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) against Iraq. For far too long, Congress has been missing in action on matters of war and peacebut today, we took a historic step to reassert our Constitutional authority and stop our endless wars by voting to repeal the 2002 Iraq AUMF, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), who sponsored the second bill (pdf), said in a statement after the vote. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who introduced the other bill, said that it sent a clear message of no more unconstitutional wars. The American government has spent trillions of taxpayer dollars fighting endless wars across the Middle East. Today, Congress passed two historic pieces of legislation to reassert our authority over matters of war and peace, he said in a statement. Khanna sponsored legislation that passed the House in 2019 but was left out of the final version of the military funding bill that was passed just before Christmas. Lee also introduced an amendment to repeal the 2001 AUMF in 2019. The 2002 AUMF and a similar authorization passed the year prior in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks have long been targeted by some lawmakers. A top Trump administration official said the U.S. airstrike that took out Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad in December 2019 was done legally under the authorization of military force. Khannas bill passed 228-175 and Lees resolution passed 236-166. Both earned support from some Republicans, though several who voted for at least one piece last year flipped to vote against a resolution or two this time around, including Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas). I welcome a debate in the U.S. House in which we consider the formal end of the 2002 AUMF regarding Iraq. That is why I voted today in favor of a formal repeal to the 02 AUMF, Roy said in a statement. I could not, however, vote for the No Wars Against Iran Act. The timing is not right, given that our bases are taking fire from Iran and its proxies. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), flanked by Sen. Bernie Sanders, (I-Vt.), speaks during a news conference on a measure limiting President Donald Trumps ability to take military action against Iran, on Capitol Hill, in Washington on Jan. 9, 2020. (Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo) Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) speaks as other lawmakers listen in a press conference in Iran about a measure limiting President Donald Trumps ability to take military action against Iran, on Capitol Hill, in Washington on Jan. 9, 2020. (Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo) President Donald Trump during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Jan. 29, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Tensions were high with Iran last month after the killing of Soleimani but after Iran fired missiles at Iraqi bases hosting U.S. troops, Trump said he was pushing for peace with the country. Neither measure approved on Thursday is expected to pass the Republican-held Senate, though lawmakers urged senators, who are embroiled in the impeachment trial against Trump, to pass the legislation. Sponsors of the bills added them onto legislation that would create commemorative World War II coins. That legislation was already passed by the Senate. Republicans said the Democratic sponsors used the technique to stem debate on the resolutions. It is unfortunate that democrats rejected an opportunity for a bipartisan Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) bill. Instead, it has been shoved into a bill originally intended to honor veterans (Merchant Mariners of WWII Congressional Gold Medal Act) in order to void debate, eliminate Republican amendment, and hit the House floor during the Senate impeachment trial, Rep. Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho) said in a statement. What a horrible message to send to our enemies! Everyone agrees we need to address this issue, but not like this. The latest resolutions from the House followed a non-binding resolution passed in early January that urged Trump to consult with Congress before using military force against Iran. The resolution earned opposition from eight Democrats and support from three Republicans, including Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.). I support the president, killing Soleimani was the right decision, but engaging in another forever war in the middle east would be the wrong decision, Gaetz said in a statement. The White House said it opposed both House measures but Trump took to Twitter late Wednesday and wrote that he wanted lawmakers on both sides to vote their HEART! US sees record year for private space sector in 2020 Washington, Jan 30 (AFP) Jan 30, 2020 The US plans to step up its space rocket launches in 2020, officials said Wednesday, an increase driven largely by private sector companies like SpaceX. The government is expecting to issue between 40 to 50 licenses in the 2020 budget year which began in October, said Wayne Monteith, the official in charge of space flight at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). By comparison, the FAA gave out 31 licences in 2019. These licenses include rockets that place spacecraft into orbit, but also test flights of space tourism companies like Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, and even the return to Earth of SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsules from the International Space Station. "This industry is pushing the bounds of what's possible," said Monteith, speaking at the Commercial Space Transportation Conference in Washington. At the height of the Cold War, the US and the Soviet Union made dozens of launches a year, but these were mostly for military purposes and state- financed. Monteith hailed SpaceX, which launched the fourth cluster in its high-speed internet satellite constellation Starlink on Wednesday, and is expected to send astronauts to the ISS for the first time this year. But 2019 also saw the rise of a smaller American company, Rocket Lab, which has completed 10 launches since 2018 using small rockets that took off in New Zealand. China has led the world in rocket launches in recent years, though its space industry relies heavily on the public sector and military. There were 34 launches in China in 2019 compared to 21 for the United States and 25 for Russia, according to Gunter's Space Page. ico/ia/dw ISS A/S TESLA MOTORS Examining Cranswick plc's (LSE:CWK) past track record of performance is an insightful exercise for investors. It allows us to reflect on whether or not the company has met or exceed expectations, which is a great indicator for future performance. Today I will assess CWK's latest performance announced on 30 September 2019 and compare these figures to its longer term trend and industry movements. Check out our latest analysis for Cranswick How Did CWK's Recent Performance Stack Up Against Its Past? CWK's trailing twelve-month earnings (from 30 September 2019) of UK74m has increased by 7.5% compared to the previous year. However, this one-year growth rate has been lower than its average earnings growth rate over the past 5 years of 12%, indicating the rate at which CWK is growing has slowed down. To understand what's happening, let's examine what's occurring with margins and whether the rest of the industry is experiencing the hit as well. LSE:CWK Income Statement, January 30th 2020 In terms of returns from investment, Cranswick has fallen short of achieving a 20% return on equity (ROE), recording 13% instead. However, its return on assets (ROA) of 8.3% exceeds the GB Food industry of 5.1%, indicating Cranswick has used its assets more efficiently. Though, its return on capital (ROC), which also accounts for Cranswicks debt level, has declined over the past 3 years from 17% to 13%. This correlates with an increase in debt holding, with debt-to-equity ratio rising from 11% to 16% over the past 5 years. What does this mean? While past data is useful, it doesnt tell the whole story. Companies that have performed well in the past, such as Cranswick gives investors conviction. However, the next step would be to assess whether the future looks as optimistic. I recommend you continue to research Cranswick to get a better picture of the stock by looking at: Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for CWKs future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for CWKs outlook. Financial Health: Are CWKs operations financially sustainable? Balance sheets can be hard to analyze, which is why weve done it for you. Check out our financial health checks here. 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. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the trailing twelve months from 30 September 2019. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures. 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. Students at the University of Houston will no longer have to worry about where their next meal is coming from thanks to the efforts of the university and the Houston Food Bank. While the expense of tuition, fees, textbooks and a place to live, among others, hanging over their heads, some students put food further down the list of where to spend their money. Now, the Cougar Cupboard hopes to help with necessary food for U of H students. Food insecurity is associated with reduced academic performance and lower rates of degree completion. At UH, we believe sharp minds are powered by healthy bodies, said Richard Walker, UH vice president for student affairs & enrollment services, said in a news release. We are committed to supporting not only the academic needs of our students, but even their most basic needs, including proper nutrition for those who are struggling. According to the release, the cupboard is available to all enrolled undergraduate or graduate students who may need access to additional food. The Cougar Cupboard is on the first floor of the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center in UH Wellness, suite 1038 (4500 University Dr.). It is stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen and refrigerated foods, and dry goods. Students can receive up to 30 pounds of free groceries every week from Cougar Cupboard or one of the Houston Food Banks other 14 Food for Change markets in Houston. As our vision for the future of food banking, Food for Change is an innovative strategy that goes beyond emergency food assistance to address the root causes of hunger, the Houston Food Bank reported. The Houston Food Bank is at the forefront of efforts by food banks to use food as a catalyst - in partnership with social service programs - to help individuals achieve their life goals. To use the Cougar Cupboard, students must attend a one-time market orientation hosted by Cougar Cupboard staff and complete a short application for the Houston Food Banks Food Scholarship Program. Market orientation sessions are held Tuesdays at 2 p.m. and Wednesdays at 11 a.m. in the UH Wellness classroom. We get deliveries from the Houston Food Bank every week, so our shelves will be consistently stocked and available to students on a first come, first served basis, said Reuben Parrish, assistant director for health education at UH Wellness. Its our hope that by eliminating the barrier to healthy food options, our students will thrive in the classroom. During the spring 2020 semester, the market will be open Monday and Wednesday from 2-6 p.m., and Tuesday and Friday from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. It is closed on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. The Houston Food Bank strives to create partnerships that have the most impact in the community, says Regi Young, senior director of strategic partnerships, Houston Food Bank. We provide food for better lives, which helps students to stay engaged and focused making the most of the academic excellence that University of Houston provides. Cougar Cupboard is the second free food pantry on campus. PEEPS Pantry is operated by the College of Education in Farish Hall and is supported by direct donations and volunteers. For more information on the Houston Food Bank go to www.houstonfoodbank.org. rkent@hcnonline.com The suspect in the slaying of a Delta Air Lines employee who was found shot multiple times in a company parking lot near Atlanta's airport killed himself when authorities attempted to make contact with him, police said Wednesday. Raeshaun Antonie Jones, also a Delta employee, was the primary suspect in the slaying Sunday of Alexis Reed and the separate killing of another woman, Tyneshia Shelby, in Clayton County, College Park police said. Reed, 30, was found in the parking lot near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport around 10.30pm suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, police said. Raeshaun Antonie Jones, also a Delta employee, (pictured) was the primary suspect in the slaying Sunday of Alexis Reed and the separate killing of another woman, Tyneshia Shelby, in Clayton County, College Park Delta Air Lines employee Alexis Reed, 30 (pictured), was fatally shot near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Sunday night. She died in the ambulance Tyneshia Shelby (pictured), the second victim of Raeshaun Jones, was murdered in a hotel near Atlanta airport on Sunday It's alleged that Jones waited for Reed to get off work before shooting her three times when she tried to run. She was a ramp worker and was leaving her shift, WSB-TV reported. She died after being taken by ambulance to a hospital, police said. It's believed that after the slaying of Reed, Jones made his way to a Stockbridge hotel where he killed Shelby. Investigators found Shelby's body on Monday at a Stockbridge hotel, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Jones killed himself when police stopped him after killing a second woman, Tyneshia Shelby (pictured) The parking lot where the shooting happened is accessible only to Delta Air Lines staff His car was spotted in Clayton County, and he shot himself as authorities tried to pull him over on Tuesday, police said. Police said both women knew Jones but denied the murders were a result of a love triangle situation. 'The connection is Mr. Jones himself,' Clayton County police Capt. David Ricks said. Reed (pictured) was shot three times in the back in the Delta airlines parking lot after Jones waited for her to leave the building on Sunday Reed (left) and Shelby (right), both knew Raeshaun Antonie Jones but neither of the murdered women knew each other. Police have rule out the love triangle motive 'There is no connection between Reed and Ms. Shelby.' Delta released the following statement about Alexis Reed's murder: 'The Delta family is grieving the loss of one of our own this morning. Late last night, an Atlanta colleague passed away after a shooting at the Camp Creek employee parking lot. We share our deepest condolences with both family and friends. Delta is currently conducting an investigation, in partnership with law enforcement.' Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, says it is foolish for anyone to ask President Muhammadu Buhari to resign over the insecurity in ... Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, says it is foolish for anyone to ask President Muhammadu Buhari to resign over the insecurity in the country. Enyinnaya Abaribe, senate minority leader, had earlier asked Buhari to step down over the persistent state of insecurity. Abaribe made the call while contributing to a debate on the countrys insecurity at plenary on Wednesday. When you want to deal with a matter, you go to the head so we will go to government and ask this government to resign because they can no longer do anything, Abaribe had said. But replying in a statement, Shehu said Abaribes stance does not represent the collective wish of Nigerians. He said the president is working hard to see to the end of insurgency in Nigeria and he alone can do it. Shehu asked: President Buhari to resign on what basis? Just because some characters think that President Buhari should resign, then they expect him to quit. That call does not represent the opinion of the country. This is the opinion of an armchair critic, known for making stray comments. President Buhari is working hard to keep Nigeria and Nigerians out of the harm terrorists have unleashed in the entire Sahel and Sub-Saharan Africa with the support of Nigerians and our foreign friends, he is going to finish off these terrorists. He alone can do it. Shehu also tackled Abaribe who stood as one of the sureties for Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), when he was granted bail by a federal high court in Abuja. He also took a swipe at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which he accused of raping Nigeria. If a leader like President Buhari needs to resign, there are millions of other Nigerians who need to resign, including Senator Abaribe who unlocked the door to enable the escape of traitorous and treasonable suspects, he said. He signed the bond for the court to release Nnamdi Kanu on bail, from which moment the suspect disappeared into the thin air. Senator Abaribe has failed repeated deadlines to return Kanu to the court for trial, yet he has the effrontery with which to accuse someone of failing to the bidding of the law. This is a man who should have replaced the suspects he failed to produce in the correctional facility. Abaribes party raped the nation and left it collapsing in 2015 and President Buhari is fixing things up all the years he is in office. God that case was wild af Reply Thread Link I still dont understand why he did it. It makes no sense to me. Like at what point do you sit down and think to yourself this is a good idea? Edited at 2020-01-30 04:29 am (UTC) Reply Thread Link MTE Reply Parent Thread Link EGO is a helluva drug. Reply Parent Thread Link Speculation: I think he was looking for a higher pay or more screen time on Empire with this. Or he was trying to pivot to a better music career with this as like a launching pad. Reply Parent Thread Link Hes a fool. Reply Parent Thread Link He probably thought "I can fix situation 1 by creating situation 2. People will react with just enough sympathy to the hate crime that I can grab their attention and refocus them on situation 1." It's like a blown up version of Grandma calling you about "I think I saw a man lurking. Come check for me...Oh, I guess it was nothing. Stay a while just in case, though!" Reply Parent Thread Link lmaoooo aw Reply Parent Thread Link This is a huge reach but mb something happened in his personal life w/ someone that he was pissed about and wanted to make them feel bad by doing something to gain huge public sympathy so they would be like oh shit, i feel so bad for him, and so does everyone else, i needa be good to him now People do crazy shit like that all the time Reply Parent Thread Expand Link He wanted to gain sympathy but never intended to file a police report, so when his manager did that he knew he fucked it up but it was too late lol Reply Parent Thread Expand Link And it took planning, too. It wasn't just an impulsive idea on the spot. I am also bewildered. Reply Parent Thread Link MTE Reply Parent Thread Link He never planned on telling cops it seemed, just wanted the sympathy and attention that would come from getting attacked by racists. Also he dumb af. Reply Parent Thread Link Yeah. Maybe he's not A-list famous, but he had a nice career for himself. The level of planning and actions- it's hard for me to understand because he has so much that could've gone wrong (and did) and so much risk to his career. Reply Parent Thread Link People do really crazy stuff for attention sometimes Reply Parent Thread Link I think it was intended to be the usual desperate celebrity attention stunt. Where they fucked up was in calling in the cops. Reply Parent Thread Link It's been a year? Fuck. Reply Thread Link did this fiasco tank that entire show, do you think? idk, I'll never trust the Chicago police's word over anyone so who knows what happened Reply Thread Link nah, this seems like a final nail thing. Ratings had stalled already Reply Parent Thread Link yeah i'm at that point too. i consciously choose to disbelieve the CPD because they don't deserve that good faith from me. Reply Parent Thread Link "i consciously choose to disbelieve the CPD because they don't deserve that good faith from me." have you been following mayor lightfoot and her shitty shenanigans? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link nah, the ratings were going down and it's in its 6th season, when most original cast contracts run out on most shows Reply Parent Thread Link I've honestly grappled with this case and incident so much emotionally? All I can guess is that Chicago PD was messy AF and wanted to smear someone him extra because they knew something was funky but they couldn't figure out what? Like everything got dropped and that doesn't just happen for anyone, much less a gay black man on the c list He's maintained his innocence and while I don't think he lied about something happening to him I question what exactly did take place Reply Thread Link That's What I think as well Reply Parent Thread Link I will forever laugh at the people who continued to believe him after a certain point. Reply Thread Link But SIS, the "I don't know her." after the first set of revelations was a g'damn GODSEND. It still sends me like "NNNNN" when I sit in silent reflection! Reply Parent Thread Link they still believe him it appears Reply Parent Thread Link Right? They live in a very special land of delusion. Reply Parent Thread Link They are in this post lmaooo Reply Parent Thread Link literally no one in this post is saying they believe him, just that we don't trust the Chicago police, y'all can't read Reply Parent Thread Link Lol they're in this post. I don't trust cops, but I still use my common sense. 2 days in and I was like "something don't add up." Reply Parent Thread Link God, I remember trying to maintain my position of believing him as who the fuck would stage something of this magnitude?! kept going through my mind. Sure, I may have been a fool, but damn. I really didnt want him faking this shit to be a reality - that was a horrifying conclusion for an already divisive and racist ass country. Reply Parent Thread Link Lol mte. This thing showed how people here are gullible as hell Reply Parent Thread Expand Link People really wanted to believe this happened and the lot of us were like "bro during the polar vortex tho?" Reply Parent Thread Link i am definitely not ashamed that i believed him because the chicago PD is shady AF and has set up false evidence, false witnesses, etc. before in order to gaslight people about racist crimes. while this has turned out to be a hoax, it's not SO insane to think that it wasn't staged from jussie's end at least. even after the press conference, etc. Reply Parent Thread Link I don't believe him, but I also dont care because white people commit egregious crimes daily and get away with them. Edited at 2020-01-30 09:09 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link "He was relieved of his position due to ethical problems such as being found sleeping in his vehicle drunk and being caught in an affair" Cops are parodies of themselves honestly. I give it a couple of years and he'll be on Ellen or something for his ~redemption. Reply Thread Link Honestly for a Chicago pig being a drunk (potentially) driver and cheating on his wife would still mean he's one of the more moral people on the squad. Reply Parent Thread Link yeah that's like a tuesday night for a lot of cops Reply Parent Thread Link Ellens redemption services are for white men sis! Reply Parent Thread Expand Link But some good came from this because after all that information was leaked the Chicago PD did an internal investigation (lol) to find out who was leaking information to the press and apparently the answer was nobody. Chicago PD: All a bunch of straight shooters and not one corrupt cop to be found!! Sleep tight Windy City and pray that if someone kills you you're lucky enough to be part of the 26% of victims who actually have their murders solved while the cops are busy clearing themselves of all accusations against them. Edited at 2020-01-30 04:34 am (UTC) Reply Thread Link that's my sweet home Chicago -_- the C stands for corruption Reply Parent Thread Link The investigation to Johnson's misdeeds caused a lot of things to happen. Top people retired early. There is still an ongoing search as to who will be the next superintendent. CPD is in a weird area right now. Reply Parent Thread Link I'm still confused by this whole episode Although I am cracking up remembering the videos of calling himself "I'm gay tupac" at a concert a few weeks after the alleged attack. Reply Thread Link god, this became exhausting quickly Reply Thread Link Has it been one year already? I'm still confused about what exactly happened, or I guess it's more like, I genuinely don't understand why he did this. Like why??? Reply Thread Link I'm not sure how Chicago Democrats feel about Kim Foxx getting re-elected for the State's Attorney office again. I voted for her. However, I'm not sure how I feel about the people trying to go against her. She has had major endorsements from big Chicago Democratic figures. I'm amazed at the search warrant for Jussie's electronic data passing. But if he searched for this crap on how to pull it off, it's gonna be major. Reply Thread Link It's been a whole year?! Holy fuck Reply Thread Link tbh i completely forgot this happened until the post Reply Parent Thread Link tbh I'm surprised it's only been a year; I feel like I've lived a lifetime since then Reply Parent Thread Link lol same, like I can't believe Old Town Road was within the last year either, it feels like forever ago. Trump has fucked with our sense of time Reply Parent Thread Link We're already 6 months into 2020 and it's only January tbh Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I didnt follow this as it happened. I watched this a while back (cant remember whether I found it on ONTD) as a bit of a primer. Its biased because its about showing how he lies (the whole channel is about criminal psychology and police interrogations) but I cant see how any part of his story makes the least bit of sense. Reply Thread Link I LOVE this channel, the one with the lady cop that killed her ex bfs wife was WILD like she got away with it for sooo long and went full panic when they interrogated her it was fascinating to watch Reply Parent Thread Link I do too, it's so good. I remembered later that I found the channel because of the Chris Watts videos, then I stumbled onto the Jussie Smollett video. The videos are long, but they're perfect for work so I always watch the new ones at my desk. Makes it hard to do my actual job. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link What episode is that? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Rahm Emanuel talking about accountability and opportunism gets my blood boiling Reply Parent Thread Expand Link i think that channel is going to b my new favorite one Reply Parent Thread Expand Link A 36-year-old man is wanted on charges of indecently assaulting a driver who picked him up through a ride-sharing app, Bethlehem police said Thursday afternoon. Police are asking for the publics help in locating Ahmed Mustafa Ibrahim on the charges in the Dec. 13 incident outside his home on Winters Avenue in the city. In addition to indecent assault, Ibrahim faces charges of simple assault, harassment and criminal mischief. Ibrahim used a cellphone ride-share application to get a ride home from a bar in the 1200 block of Main Street in Hellertown, a news release issued by Bethlehem police says. When the ride share delivered Ibrahim to his home on Winters Avenue in Bethlehem, he made forceful, unwanted advances toward the ride-share driver. He also damaged the ride-share vehicle. The release states that police do not know if Ibrahim is still living on Winters Avenue or if he even remains in the area. His passport from the Arab Republic of Egypt lists his occupation as communication engineer, however, he may be working in food service, the release says. Anyone who has information regarding the whereabouts of Ibrahim is asked to call 911 immediately or Detective Moses Miller at 610 865-7674. Information about this suspect or any other criminal activity can also be called into the city polices tip line at 610-691-6660. Callers may remain anonymous. Nick Falsone may be reached at nfalsone@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickfalsone. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Shainu Mohan By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The states financial crisis has hit various projects under the AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) scheme in the capital. With the deadline for the completion of the projects is fast approaching, the implementing agencies have landed in a soup due to the fund crunch. According to sources, the state government is yet to give a go-ahead to the request placed by the city corporation for Rs 50 crore to ensure the completion of various works before March this year. The worst hit is the project to expand the sewer networks in different parts of the city. According to an official of the Kerala Water Authority (KWA), which is entrusted with undertaking the sewerage projects under AMRUT, the corporation owes the authority Rs 20 crore in dues for works already completed. The official said the construction of 75 mld (million litre per day) plant and expansion of water supply network is fast progressing. "Our contractors have slowed down work due to non-payment of dues. Further delay in the release of funds would have an adverse impact on the projects," said the official. According to authorities, 60 per cent of the work on the Rs 70-crore, 75-mld plant at Aruvikkara has been completed. "As much as Rs 30 crore has already been granted for the plant," said a corporation official. Under-utilisation of funds So far, the civic body could utilise only Rs 100 crore of the total Rs 357 crore allocated under AMRUT. As per the scheme, the Centre and the state have to chip in 50 per cent and 30 per cent, respectively, of the total project cost. "We have tendered work costing Rs 75 crore in connection with the expansion of sewer networks recently and the project is expected to be completed by December 2021. The high-level steering committee has given its nod for the project despite the March 2020 deadline," said the official. Close to Rs 160 crore has been allocated for sewerage-related projects. The corporation official said the delay in tendering the project occurred because of lack of participants. "We had to re-tender the project multiple times because there are not many contractors who do sewerage projects," he added. Mayor K Sreekumar said the state government would release the funds soon. "The Thiruvananthapuram corporation has shown better performance in utilisation of funds. The state government would release the funds very soon and the majority of the project would be completed by March 2020," said the mayor. According to an official at KWA, the current deadline of March 2020 can only be met if the government releases Rs 390 crore to settle the dues of contractors. Meerut, Jan 30 : The Uttar Pradesh Police have booked an occultist for abetting the suicide of a constable, posted in the security of state Minister Suresh Rana. Ashish Kumar, 28, a 2011 batch Uttar Pradesh Police constable, was deployed as a gunner in the security of state Minister Suresh Rana and was currently posted at the Police Lines in Shamli district. His body, bearing a bullet wound in the head, was found on the outskirts of his native village in Meerut's Mawana area on Tuesday morning. Superintendent of Police (rural) Meerut, Avinash Pandey, told local reporters that the call detail record (CDR) of the constable's mobile phone revealed that he was in constant touch with a Muzaffarnagar-based occultist, Mohammad Fayyaz. Ashish Kumar's family also confirmed his association with the occultist. Fayyaz, during interrogation, said: "Ashish never told me that he was married. Instead, he was in love with another woman who was being married elsewhere. I gave him some 'tabeez' and some material to burn. This was supposed to draw that woman's attention towards him and also to give him some peace of mind. I had charged Rs 1,000 for my services." According to police, Kumar was on three-day leave from January 26. The deceased constable had got married a year ago, but the marriage soon ran into trouble and his wife had registered a case of domestic violence against her husband and in-laws. According to sources, both the sides agreed for a settlement in the case for Rs 22 lakh, part of which was already paid to the girl's side. With the energy sector going through another of those notorious bust cycles, exchange-traded funds in the Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about energy ETFs. Yet, as Deborah Fuhr, founder of ETFGI, has told CNBCs ETF Edge, these are simply the early innings, with the burgeoning industry set to scale to even higher heights thanks to the SEC recently creating a more level playing field after watering down its arduous exemptive relief rule. The ETF industry is now $2.5 trillion bigger than the mutual fund industry. According to the latest update by independent ETF research firm ETFGI, assets invested in the global ETFs and ETPs (exchange-traded products) space clocked in at $5.78 trillion by the end of September 2019, reflecting new inflows of $350.25 billion over the preceding 12-month period. From just a handful of offerings a couple of decades ago, we're now bombarded with a cornucopia of everything ETF: 136 providers in the United States now offer 2,062 ETFs to investors backed by an impressive $4 trillion in assets under management (AUM). An ETF explosion has taken over the financial market as exchange-traded funds enjoy the lions share of investment dollars globally--even as investors continue flocking to passive funds and shunning actively managed mutual funds. An ETF explosion has taken over the financial market as exchange-traded funds enjoy the lions share of investment dollars globally--even as investors continue flocking to passive funds and shunning actively managed mutual funds. The sheer growth numbers have industry punters licking their chops. From just a handful of offerings a couple of decades ago, we're now bombarded with a cornucopia of everything ETF: 136 providers in the United States now offer 2,062 ETFs to investors backed by an impressive $4 trillion in assets under management (AUM). According to the latest update by independent ETF research firm ETFGI, assets invested in the global ETFs and ETPs (exchange-traded products) space clocked in at $5.78 trillion by the end of September 2019, reflecting new inflows of $350.25 billion over the preceding 12-month period. The ETF industry is now $2.5 trillion bigger than the mutual fund industry. Yet, as Deborah Fuhr, founder of ETFGI, has told CNBCs ETF Edge, these are simply the early innings, with the burgeoning industry set to scale to even higher heights thanks to the SEC recently creating a more level playing field after watering down its arduous exemptive relief rule. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about energy ETFs. Source: ETFGI Investing in Mainstream Energy ETFs With the energy sector going through another of those notorious bust cycles, exchange-traded funds in the space have, predictably, been getting the cold shoulder from the investing universe with the majority of the 82 energy ETFs listed on ETFdb already in the red in the year-to-date. With thematic products such as inverse, bear, and clean energy ETFs outperforming their more mainstream brethren, its tempting to put all your eggs in the niche basket. However, niche ETFs have their limitations, including lower assets under management (AUM), low liquidity, high volatility and higher trading expenses. Related: 5 Niche Energy ETFs Youve (Probably) Never Heard Of For instance, one of the better performing energy ETFs over the past 12 months, GASX, boasts a return of 110.7% vs. -8.3% by XLE, the industrys most popular benchmark. However, GASX has just $23.4M assets under management to its name and an expense ratio of 1.09% compared to $9.87B AUM and an expense ratio of just 0.13% by XLE. Further, niche ETFs are, by definition, non-diversified while bigger funds tend to be heavily diversified, thus providing a measure of downside protection. As one American politician once admonished to never let a good crisis go to waste, some beaten-down ETFs might be screaming bargains that offer nice entry points--especially when energy prices stage a comeback. Here are five of the energy markets most important ETFs to consider for your portfolio. #1 Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) AUM: $9.87B Expense Ratio: 0.13% 12-Month Returns: -8.27% With nearly $10 billion in AUM, Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSEARCA:XLE) is the largest dedicated energy fund. Its also the most liquid, with a trailing three-month volume average of nearly 14 million trades per day. At an expense ratio of just 0.13%, its also one of the cheapest in the space. XLE tracks the price and yield performance of companies in the Energy Select Sector Index. The index offers investors broad exposure to companies in the oil, gas and energy equipment industries. One shortcoming though is that the ETF has less than 30 stocks in its portfolio, with ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) and Chevron Corp.(NYSE:CVX) over-represented--the two hog 21.69% and 19.74% weighting, respectively. As of this writing, XLE is trading at $55.41 a share while the shares are down 7.8% in the year-to-date. #2 Vanguard Energy ETF (VDE) AUM: $2.92B Expense Ratio: 0.10% 12-Month Returns: -11.42% Vanguard funds are popular for undercutting the competition on costs; the Vanguard Energy ETF (NYSEARCA:VDE) has remained true to this ethos by offering the lowest pricing in the sector. With more than 70 stocks--albeit with less AUM-- VDE is a little bit better diversified than XLE, though XOM and CVX still play outsized roles with weightings of 21.68% and 17.38%, respectively. VDE tracks the performance of the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Energy 25/50, an index consisting of stocks of large- and mid-cap US energy companies. VDE shares currently trade at $74.45 with YTD return of -8.64%. #3 SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF(XOP) AUM: $2.31B Expense Ratio: 0.35% 12-Month Returns: -33.22% If you are not content settling for a vanilla fund that targets obvious energy candidates such as XOM and CVX, this SPDR offers a good way to dip your toes into something different. SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (NYSEARCA:XOP) focuses on about 60 energy exploration and production companies. The fund is pretty well diversified: WPX Energy (NYSE:WPX), the top holding in the fund, has a weighting ?3% of the entire portfolio. Related: Traders Increase Short Interest In Big Oil Stocks That said, diversification is not always what its cracked up to be: XOP is highly exposed to smaller energy companies, which can lead to high volatility and poor returns when the energy markets sputter. #4 VanEck Vectors Oil Services ETF(OIH) AUM: $591.9M Expense Ratio: 0.35% 12-Month Returns: -33.25% VanEck Vectors Oil Services ETF (NYSEARCA:OIH) is an energy fund that provides a different take on the oil patch by focusing on service stocks such as Halliburton Co. (NYSE:HAL) and Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB) instead of integrated energy companies. The OIH portfolio consists of nearly 70 oil services company stocks. The ETF also enjoys strong liquidity with trailing three-month volume average of 9,983,104 trades per day. #5 iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF(FILL) AUM: $44.4M Expense Ratio: 0.39% 12-Month Returns: -6.36% The energy universe extends far beyond the borders of the United States. The iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF (FILL) attempts to reflect this reality by investing in leading international E&P players such as BP Plc. (NYSE:BP),Total (NYSE:TOT), Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS.A) and Lukoil (MCX:LKOH). Still, US energy giants are well represented with XOM and CVX boasting a combined weighting of nearly 24%. A major drawback: FILL is a thinly traded ETF with a three-month daily average trading volume of just 23,857. By. Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Unsurprisingly, robocalls are still at epidemic levels. According to a report released by Nomorobo, 36% of all calls made in the US in 2019 were illegal or unwanted robocalls. But that number is actually good news in the fight against robocalls. There was actually a five percent decrease from 2018, when 41% of all calls were illegal or unwanted robocalls. This decline is part of a downward trend that is poised to continue for the foreseeable future. 2019: The Year that Anti-Robocall Measures Started Making an Impact Contrary to the claims of Nomorobo's more alarmist competitors, anti-robocall measures are starting to show success. "Some of our competitors are happy to make the robocall problem seem worse than it actually is," said Aaron Foss, Founder of Nomorobo. "The truth is, the tide is finally turning against scammers and telemarketers." While Americans are still being relentlessly hounded by robocalls, 2019 marked the year when the tide began to turn. What Reduced the Robocalls in 2019? First, many more people chose to protect themselves by using robocall blocking apps and services. Even better, many of the major carriers integrated robocall blocking tools directly into their networks. Combined, these measures provided customers with much needed extra defense against robocall scammers and fraudsters. "Having worked together with the anti-robocalling tools offered by companies like Nomorobo, we helped protect our home phone customers from a significant number of spam and robocalls, at no additional cost," says Aparna Khurjekar, Senior Vice President - Customer Experience & Transformation, Verizon. "We're looking forward to our continued partnership with Nomorobo. Both companies are striving to ensure that our customers receive the calls they want and avoid the calls they don't want." Additionally, the FTC cracked down over 100 illegal robocalling operations and shut down a phone provider that helped send millions, if not billions, of robocalls to unsuspecting victims. Last but not least, this amazing year in robocall prevention was capped off by the signing of an anti-robocall bill into law on December 31. "2019 was a landmark year in the war against robocalls, but our work has just begun," said Foss. "We're ecstatic to be working so closely with the carriers and government officials that truly care about stopping these awful scams. The future of robocall technology is looking bright." Nomorobo analyzed over 1.4 billion calls and stopped more than 512 million robocalls from reaching Americans in 2019. To see Nomorobo's full robocall report, visit https://www.nomorobo.com/2019. About Nomorobo Nomorobo is a cloud-based service that effectively blocks illegal robocalls from reaching consumers' phones. Nomorobo employs a unique, FTC-approved technology that analyzes incoming calls and rapidly detects robocallers, telemarketers, and scammers. Legitimate calls come through normally, but illegal robocalls are stopped before they have a chance to bother the consumer. Nomorobo's service has been integrated into many of the nation's top VoIP phone carriers and mobile apps including Charter Spectrum, Verizon FiOS, Ooma, Sonic, Burner and more. Photo(s): https://www.prlog.org/12808137 Press release distributed by PRLog SOURCE Nomorobo Related Links http://www.nomorobo.com/ Paying tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on Martyrs' Day, the Jammu and Kashmir Congress called on all right-minded citizens to fight and defeat the ideology which killed the Father of the Nation. Staging a silent sit-in in Jammu, the party on Thursday led by state president G A Mir along with hundreds of activists, former ministers and legislators wore black badges and carried placards of Save Constitution, Save India. They hit out at anti-democratic and unconstitutional actions of the BJP led Central government that has disturbed the peace, social and religious harmony aside from weakening the Constitutional and democratic institutions in the country. They observed a two-minute silence as a mark of respect to the Father of the Nation and sung the National Anthem at the start and end of the demonstration. Paying rich tributes to Gandhi, the Congress state president referred to the great contributions of the Father of the Nation for India and asked the people to imbibe his ideology and philosophy. Mir said those glorifying Gandhi's assassin can never be the inheritors of the man's philosophy. The nation can only remain united and strong by following the philosophy of Gandhi, he said. Mir further said that the Father of the Nation preached non-violence, religious brotherhood and truthfulness and to respect the diversity in our pluralistic society to keep the country united, strong, peaceful and maintain harmony. India attained a place in the comity of nations as a messenger of peace with capabilities to maintain unity in diversity, the former minister added. Today, the ideals and philosophy of Gandhi are under threat in the country and it is time to follow and strengthen his philosophy to defeat the communal and divisive forces, Mir further said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Use of pesticides and chemicals to ripen fruits amounts to poisoning the consumer, the Delhi High Court has observed and said invoking penal provisions against the culprits would have a deterrent effect. "Using chemicals like calcium carbide to ripen mangoes is like poisoning somebody. Why should the Indian Penal Code be not invoked against them? "Send such persons to jail, even if for 2 days and it would have a deterrent effect," a bench of Justices G S Sistani and A J Bhambani said while hearing a PIL initiated by the court to monitor use of pesticides on fruits and vegetables. The bench asked the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) whether calcium carbide was still being used to ripen fruits, like mangoes, and sought the presence of its Chief Executive Officer to assist it on the next date of hearing. The court also asked the Ministry of Agriculture as to whether any kit was available for consumers to themselves test for calcium carbide in their homes. The ministry said no such kit was available as the presence of calcium carbide can only be tested in laboratories with the help of proper equipment and additional chemicals. The Delhi government, represented by its additional standing counsel Naushad Ahmed Khan, told the court that it has been picking up samples from the various markets in the national capital for testing purposes and also carrying out awareness drives. It also told the court that some of the samples were tested and no chemicals were found and results regarding other samples were awaited. Apart from the PIL initiated by the court on its own, it is also hearing two other pleas by private individuals seeking directions to the authorities to curb the use of pesticides and other chemicals on food products, especially the agricultural produce, coming into the national capital. According to a report filed by amicus curiae Rajul Jain earlier, due to excessive usage of pesticides in fruits and vegetable, "various countries have banned the import of Indian vegetables and fruits and many more were under scrutiny". The high court had initiated the issue on its own after a NGO had found that vegetables and fruits sold in the Delhi markets contained poisons capable of causing cancer and harming the nervous system and liver. The court has in the past suggested several measures to curb adulteration of eatables, especially fruits and vegetables, like large-scale testing and sending back contaminated food products to manufacturers or farmers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 03:12:47|Editor: yan Video Player Close BEIJING, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Supply of daily necessities remains steady in major Chinese cities while authorities are stepping up efforts to ensure continuous supply and stable prices amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. Inventory of daily necessities including meat, rice and cooking oil is generally sufficient in major cities across the country, according to the Ministry of Commerce (MOC). MOC data showed that current reserves in Wuhan, the central Chinese city at the epicenter of the outbreak, can secure supply of rice and cooking oil for over 15 days, pork and eggs for over 10 days, and vegetables for about five days. Supply of vegetables in 46 wholesale markets and supermarket franchises in Beijing ticked up about 10 percent during the Spring Festival holiday, while the eastern city of Nanjing kept a local government reserve of staple vegetables that can last seven to 10 days. On the production front, output of winter and spring vegetables grew 2.7 percent year on year to 770,000 tonnes, according to data from 1,000 vegetable information sites monitored by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA). In response to the groceries shopping spree in some cities, MOC official Wang Bin said that the government and the private sector are making all-out efforts to expand market supply of daily necessities and advised against panic shopping. Wang said the government is taking measures to tackle logistic barriers and labor crunch caused by the outbreak. MARA analyst Zhang Jing stressed smoothing transportation as the next priority. The government has pledged efforts to sustain continuous supply of necessities to coronavirus-stricken areas, with the National Development and Reform Commission arranging daily transport of vegetables, cooking oil, rice and flour to Wuhan. Other measures include expanding production of winter and spring vegetables, as well as coordinating wholesale markets across the country to replenish supply of vegetables, meat and eggs in infection affected areas. Supermarkets and online retailers including Walmart, Yonghui Superstores and Freshhema have vowed to ensure supply without raising prices during the holidays and despite the virus outbreak, said Wang. The popular 'Inflatable Regatta' planned for Saturday on the Yarra River has been cancelled amid warnings from the weather bureau of rain and thunderstorms. About 1500 people were expecting to hop in inflatable dinghies and float from Hawthorn Rowing Club to waiting food trucks and bands at Scotsburn Street Reserve. The Inflatable Regatta has been cancelled because of forecast thunderstorms. Credit:Meredith O'Shea But organisers on Wednesday night decided to pull the plug in the interests of safety because of forecast bad weather. "Just days out from the event the whole team is pretty flat but knows its the best decision," they said. DNV GL has partnered with Swedish Energy company, Oresundskraft to bring smart cable monitoring technology to the Swedish power grid for the first time. Smart Cable Guard (SCG) can monitor large sections of the electricity grid in real time and pinpoint faults and weak spots in cables to an accuracy of 1%. The information provides early detection of weaknesses in power cables allowing grid operators to proactively act to avoid power outages. For Oresundskraft, Smart Cable Guard continuously monitors a large part of the electricity grid that originates from the distribution station at Stattena in Helsingborg, Sweden. By installing the SCG monitoring system, Oresundskraft aims to decrease downtime that results from faults in medium voltage cables and in secondary substations. By installing partial discharge monitoring at selected cable circuits in the network, the goal is to minimize both duration (SAIDI) and frequency (SAIFI) of downtime in the medium voltage grid. With better monitoring capability, Oresundskraft also gains knowledge about the health in their grid, which is vital when planning maintenance and reinvestments. Following successful trials of SCG with 12 monitoring systems, Oresundskraft expanded its roll-out to a total of 28 installations. The technology consists of sensors, one at each end of a circuit, capable of monitoring up to five kilometres of power cable including intermediate power stations. The system measures faults (short circuits) and partial discharges (PD) are small signals occurring in weak spots in the cable and cable accessories. The measured activity from the sensors is sent via a secured internet connection to the DNV GL SCG server where the measured data is analysed and interpreted in order to evaluate the type, severity and location of the problem. Oresundskraft then receives a warning email indicating a threat level between 1-3. Based on these SCG warnings, Oresundskraft can prevent an outage by repairing the weak spot or rerouting the power connections in the grid to isolate the cable. In the case of a blackout, they can restore power faster to their customers as the location of the fault is known. Using Smart Cable Guard allows system operators to digitalize their operations and manage their power networks proactively rather than reactively. Magnus Sjunnesson, technical manager at Oresundskraft/Distribution commented: "Efficient monitoring of infrastructure such as cables and accessories is vital to ensure power grids are better prepared to deal with the dynamic impact of our changing energy landscape. Getting the information early and in real time is a big step forward in our proactive work both to be a reliable electricity grid supplier and in our ambition to be involved in and drive the development of the future's smart grid." "In the next 10 years we'll need more than $1.5trn of annual investment to expand and reinforce power grids so that they can deal with the growing share of renewable energy. Technology such as a Smart Cable Guard can help grid operators to be better prepared by acting as an early warning system, resulting in significantly fewer failures compared to traditional monitoring solutions, thereby helping the system operators to improve both societal and financial outcomes from their operations," added Prajeev Rasiah, Executive Vice President for DNV GL's Energy business in Northern Europe, Middle East & Africa. About DNV GL DNV GL is a global quality assurance and risk management company. Driven by our purpose of safeguarding life, property and the environment, we enable our customers to advance the safety and sustainability of their business. We provide classification, technical assurance, software and independent expert advisory services to the maritime, oil & gas, power and renewables industries. We also provide certification, supply chain and data management services to customers across a wide range of industries. Operating in more than 100 countries, our experts are dedicated to helping customers make the world safer, smarter and greener. DNV GL delivers world-renowned testing, certification and advisory services to the energy value chain including renewables and energy management. Our expertise spans onshore and offshore wind power, solar, conventional generation, transmission and distribution, smart grids, and sustainable energy use, as well as energy markets and regulations. Our experts support customers around the globe in delivering a safe, reliable, efficient, and sustainable energy supply. Learn more at www.dnvgl.com/power-renewables Last night (Jan. 28, 2020), Alexis Mateo and Coco and Kahanna Montrese, best known for competing on RuPauls Drag Race, were spotted attending the new hit show ATOMIC SALOON SHOW at the Grand Canal Shoppes inside The Venetian Resort (Photo courtesy: Jami Jones/Spiegelworld). Enjoying a night out on the town before the opening of RuPauls Drag Race LIVE! at the Flamingo later this week, the group was seen enjoying the laugh-out-loud saloon show during the 8 p.m. performance. After the show, they went backstage for photos with The Outlaw and to express their enjoyment of the performance. The Swiss Arabian Perfumes Group, the UAE-based perfumery pioneer, has opened its newest and largest flagship store at the Dubai Mall. Strategically located in level one of the mall, the new store signals the commencement of a renewed period of heritage for Swiss Arabian- highlighting the company's continuing commitment to create a diverse portfolio of unique fragrances, perfume oils and Dehn el oud that perfectly fuse the combination of the rich Arabian heritage and the companys technical expertise. Present at the inauguration of the new store were Ali Ibrahim, Deputy Director General, Department of Economic Development (DED); Hussein Adam Ali, Chairman, Swiss Arabian Perfumes Group; Nabeel Adam Ali, Director, Swiss Arabian Perfumes Group; Nader Adam Ali, Director, Swiss Arabian Perfumes Group; Nayla Al Khaja, CEO of Nayla Al Khaja Films. Hussein Adam Ali, Chairman, Swiss Arabian Perfumes Group, said: The opening of this new flagship store at the Dubai Mall reflects a truly exciting time for the Swiss Arabian Perfumes Group as it embodies our vision of creating a brand narrative that is both inspirational and relatable to our continuously growing client base. As an organisation, we are optimistic about Dubai and the UAE as a strong and stable nation, and the Dubai Mall flagship opening is part of our global expansion strategy, as we remain confident on the success of the country. To mark the occasion, we have launched a special collection named WAAW, which means unity and harmony in Arabic. The collection is based on the various stages of love and are under three specially created unisex fragrances--Gharaam, Hayaam and Wajd. Nader Adam Ali, Director, Swiss Arabian Perfumes Group, commented: "The opening of the new store proves to be both timely and strategic as the GCC regions perfume industry is projected to reach $3.87 billion by 2024 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of approximately 8.9 per cent from 2019 to 2024. This new flagship store complements our efforts to mark a stronger presence in the region and is the latest addition to the already two existing kiosks at the Dubai Mall. To date, Swiss Arabian has 105 outlets spread out across the GCC and African region." The new store displays an incredible variety of perfumes along with an exclusive premium collection. Having immense experience in the art of perfume making and having partnered with worlds leading perfume manufacturers, Swiss Arabian aims to awaken ones sense of smell and help every individual find their unique perfect mix of fragrances. Over the last four decades, the company has created various offerings across major product categories. Some of them are, Eau de Parfum (EDP); Eau de Toilette (EDT); Concentrated Perfume Oils (CPO); Dehn El Oud; Bakhoor and Agarood which is a traditional incense widely used in Arab households. -- Tradearabia News Service An eight-year-old autistic boy who died of hypothermia after allegedly being starved, beaten and locked outside overnight by his New York cop father has been laid to rest at his funeral. The funeral service for Thomas Valva was held in the Long Island neighborhood of Melville on Thursday. About 100 mourners, including family, friends and strangers, gathered at St Elizabeth's Church for the service. His mother Justyna Zubko-Valva was seen kissing his casket alongside her two surviving sons - Anthony, 10, and six-year-old Andrew. The funeral service for Thomas Valva was held in the Long Island neighborhood of Melville on Thursday 'Thomas was just a little boy. He just wanted to be loved, wanted to be hugged, wanted to be cherished, he wanted to be wanted. He was a gift,' Bishop Andrzej Zglejszewski said during the funeral service, the New York Post reports. 'Thomas, little boy, thank you for the gift of you. Thank you for the gift of life. I am sorry that it was way too short for you. But I thank you for your beautiful life.' Thomas, who had autism, died on January 17 while in the custody of his father Michael Valva and his fiancee Angela Pollina Thomas, who had autism, died on January 17 while in the custody of his father Michael Valva, 40, and his fiancee Angela Pollina, 42. They have both since been charged with second-degree murder but deny any wrongdoing It is alleged that the boy was forced to sleep in an unheated garage at the couple's home as temperatures dropped to under 20 degrees. The Bishop, who had baptized Thomas and delivered the homily at his funeral, told mourners that his story should inspire societal change. He noted that the legal and social system had failed the little boy. 'Another beautiful life was lost because of our human negligence, and in so many ways, I feel that we failed this little boy,' he said. 'The system failed... We as religious and social leaders, we failed him, because we are the ones supposed to make change. We are the ones supposed to protect life.' His mother Justyna Zubko-Valva was spotted leaving the church with her two surviving sons following Thomas' funeral service Pallbearers carry the casket into the funeral service for 8-year-old Thomas at St. Elizabeth's Church on Thursday, About 100 mourners, including family, friends and strangers, gathered at St Elizabeth's Church for the service The boy's mother has previously said social services ignored her repeated claims that Thomas and his brothers were being abused by their father. The NYPD cop was granted custody of the three boys amid a bitter divorce battle. Thomas' death has since prompted an investigation into the social services department and how it dealt with abuse allegations against the couple and the children who lived with them. A separate task force will examine how the department handles cases of children with developmental disabilities. Authorities were dispatched to the home where Thomas had been living at about 9.40am on January 17 after his father said the boy had fallen in the driveway and lost consciousness while running for the school bus. Responding officers found Valva performing CPR on Thomas in the basement. The little boy was rushed to Long Island Community Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Valva and his fiancee went on to collect donations from a GoFundMe page following the boy's death. Thomas' mother Justyna clutched her youngest son tightly through the funeral on Thursday Officers stand in formation outside the funeral service for 8-year-old Thomas Valva/ His NYPD cop father is charged with his murder Pallbearers carry the casket into the funeral service for 8-year-old Thomas into the church on Thursday They were charged with his murder after an autopsy revealed that Thomas had died of hypothermia. According to police, cameras and microphones that had been set up in Mike Valva's home captured audio of him and Angela taunting Thomas as he froze to death. The audio files allegedly recorded the couple discussing the fact that Thomas was suffering from hypothermia, had been washed with cold water, couldn't walk and was 'face-planting' on the concrete. They laughed as they said 'he's hypothermic' and that he had 'face-planted' the floor. Pollina remarked: 'You know why he's falling?'. Valva replied: 'Because he's cold.... boo f*****g hoo'. Following his death, Thomas' brothers were placed in the custody of their mother. Pollina's daughters were placed in the custody of their biological fathers. Michael Valva (left) and Angela Pollina (right) have been charged with second-degree murder after Thomas' death Bernie Sanders had a cold. The presidential candidate was sitting in the Senate chamber last week listening to Adam Schiff explain why Donald Trump should be removed from office and he retrieved a crumpled tissue from his pocket to wipe his runny nose. It didnt help that its chilly inside the cavernous room. Sanders frequently rubbed his hands together and at one point tucked them under his sweater. (Elizabeth Warren used a hand warmer.) I watched Sanders and his colleagues from the press gallery, the rim of the fishbowl the Senate has been turned into, for hours over the course of several days. And what was most striking was the contrast between presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, the man who is one of perhaps just two or three people most likely to be the next leader of the Democratic Party, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, a famous loner in the upper chamber who rarely interacted with his colleagues during days of trial presentations. On Wednesday, I was back in Iowa for the final days before the caucuses. With four of his rivals presiding at Trumps trial, Joe Biden had the state almost to himself and the contrast with Sanders was telling. While in Washington, I watched Sanders struggle to generate excitement among his Senate colleagues, in Iowa I watched Biden, the candidate with the most Senate endorsements, struggle to generate enthusiasm among a small group of voters in Council Bluffs, on the Nebraska border. Biden is a creature of the Senate. Sanders is a creature of the campaign trail. Observing them back to back in these two settings helped clarify the choice before voters. How voters decide what to make of this contrast a candidate who seems bored by parliamentary tedium and loves the roar of his own crowds, and a candidate who thrives in the back rooms of Washington and in one-on-one settings with voters but struggles to excite the masses could determine who wins the Democratic nomination. Sanders rarely looks happy to be anywhere but he seemed particularly restless seated at his wooden desk in the center of the Democrats half of the room. He rarely took notes. His face was crimson. He fidgeted and seemed not to know what to do with his hands. He rubbed his temples. He removed his glasses and rubbed his entire face. At one point, he simply stared off into the chamber and patted his head. One evening, as the proceedings went late, he flipped through to the end of the packet of slides that the managers handed out, seemingly trying to determine when it would be over. He crossed his arms, leaned back in his chair, and stretched his 6-foot frame out until his legs nearly entered the space between Sens. Robert Menendez and Jack Reed in the row in front of him. Story continues Sanders is 78, which makes him the eighth-oldest senator in a body that is known as a gerontocracy. As can be expected for a man of his age, during the trial Sanders took more breaks than anyone else I observed, testing the patience of Sen. Ben Cardin, who sat to his right and whom Sanders had to navigate around each time he left their aisle. During breaks in the trial, the Senate becomes social. Surprising conversations break out: Norm Eisen, a lawyer working for the House managers, and Pat Cipollone, the White House counsel, warmly chatting; Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) shaking hands for so long that they ended up just holding hands while they talked; Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) sharing a laugh. To put it mildly, thats not Sanders thing. He rarely engaged with his own colleagues, let alone the Republicans on the other side of the room. There are shared intimacies between senators that became clear as you watch them for hours. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), who sit next to each other, frequently made each other giggle. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who share some doubts about the propriety of Trumps behavior, occasionally exchanged knowing glances when bits of damning evidence were reviewed. Sanders did not partake in similar social interactions. This is not exactly news. Sanders has always been a loner in the chamber. But what makes it so jarring to watch up close is that it was occurring just as his campaign has taken off. As the trial started, a trove of polling data told a new story about the presidential race. Sanders was gaining ground in Iowa and New Hampshire, he remained competitive in Nevada, and he was tied with Biden in California, the state with the most Democratic delegates. Warrens steady tick downward had allowed Sanders to partially consolidate the left, while Biden was still fighting off multiple challengers in the center. Washington Democrats, the least pro-Sanders constituency, who had mistakenly believed that Sanders was a spent force last year when the novelty and polling surges of newcomers Warren and Pete Buttigieg seized the medias attention, suddenly had to grapple with the fact that he could win the first three states. But at least from the gallery, there was no sense that Sanders had returned to the Senate a conquering hero. The chamber was filled with rivals who were struggling to catch Sanders or who had already dropped out of the race: Bennet, Amy Klobuchar, Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris. When Sanders turned his head a few degrees to the left he had a line of sight to Warren, who had recently accused him of calling her a liar on national TV. In Des Moines, Sanders is a rock star. In Washington, he sat alone and silent among the people he could soon lead, surely knowing he is not their choice. When he looked around him, a few desks to the left or right, he saw the five senators who have endorsed other candidates in the race. The only Senate colleague to back him is Pat Leahy, who is also from Vermont. Its not uncommon for a legislator who is a loner or a maverick or otherwise does not work within existing structures to be more well liked by the general public, said Sen. Brian Schatz, who sits directly behind Sanders and doesnt plan on endorsing anyone in the primary. The sausage-making process almost always makes longtime effective legislators unpopular. Schatz added some nuance to the view of Sanders as purely a curmudgeon. Hes not a backslapper type, but neither is he anti-social, Schatz said. He can't bring himself to be phony with people and hes got a shyness about him at the interpersonal level. But hes not the natural-born politician from a Robert Caro book. Former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a town hall in Oskaloosa, Iowa, on Nov. 11. This is now the essence of the Democratic fight: A race defined by a maverick socialist who values uncompromising stands across a range of issues versus a party stalwart who seeks a return to a type of Washington consensus policymaking that may no longer exist (if it ever did). On Wednesday night, after watching the Senate trial for a few days, I watched Biden give his familiar stump speech before a modest crowd in Council Bluffs. Sanders was still stuck in Washington and the distance between the two candidates was never starker. Biden was introduced by a firefighter from the union that has endorsed him, and that prompted Biden to begin his remarks by recalling three awful events in his life in which firefighters saved him or members of his family. They extracted two of his children from the wrecked car crash that killed his first wife and baby in late 1972. They helped get him to the hospital for emergency brain surgery when he had an aneurysm in 1988. And in 2004, when lightning struck Bidens Delaware home and started a fire in the kitchen, firefighters quickly contained the blaze. Unlike Sanders, Biden is all human connection and personal storytelling. Though hes adjusted the pitch somewhat to respond to critics, the heart of Bidens speech still includes a paean to the old Senate where relationships matter more than anything else and whats most important is to never, as he puts it, question a colleagues motives, only their judgment. Biden even quoted columnist David Brooks about restoring Americas moral fabric. On Wednesday, he added a specific criticism about the dangers of attacking a fellow legislator as being, for example, in the pocket of an industry. Once you get personal, he insisted, the deals cant get done. This is the flip side of Sanders flaw. Sanders eschews relationships and deal-making to a fault, while Biden fetishizes them to a fault. Sanders, according to Hillary Clintons recent harsh assessment, is someone that nobody likes and nobody wants to work with in the Senate, but in Iowa he has raucous crowds and actual rock stars campaigning for him. Biden is a beloved figure among Democrats in the Senate and has trouble rousing an audience in Iowa. In the midst of an impeachment trial that is about a plot to define Biden as personally corrupt in the pocket of big Ukraine! Bidens argument about relationships sounded hollow. He seems to recognize this. In Council Bluffs, Biden quickly pivoted to a perhaps more effective pitch about how the Republican Party was trying to destroy him because it believes he could beat Trump. Theyre trying to smear me to stop me, he said. This time the crowd applauded. Brittany Ferries is moving its Ireland-Spain sailings from Cork to Rosslare Europort, with the first sailing due to take place on February 28. It said the new Spanish arrival port from Rosslare would be Bilbao. "This was not a decision we took lightly and follows extensive consultation with our freight customers who sought better road connections and reduced driving distances," said Christophe Mathieu, Brittany Ferries CEO. "We opened the route in 2018 with a two-year trial window. While passenger numbers have been encouraging, the reality is that freight numbers, which are key to route viability, were not sufficiently robust. "However, I want to make it clear that we remain committed to Cork, with our flagship Pont-Aven cruise-ferry service to Roscoff. We're also committed to an Ireland-Spain route, now via Rosslare, and we'll look after existing passengers whose future travel will be affected by this change." The company said that all customers already booked on affected sailings from Cork would be given the option to transfer their booking to sailing between Rosslare and Bilbao/Roscoff. An allowance will be given to cover additional transfers. Alternatively, a full refund will be provided to those who choose to cancel. Glenn Carr, general manager of Rosslare Europort, said: "We are delighted to welcome Brittany Ferries to Rosslare Europort. This new Rosslare to Bilbao service will be attractive for trade and tourism alike. We very much welcome that this service is being launched because of demand from freight customers, due to Rosslare's strategic position and access to key markets. Brittany Ferries will also benefit from our 25m investment in port facilities, infrastructure and technology." Fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi, fighting extradition to India on charges over the nearly $2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud and money laundering case, is to be produced for a regular remand hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on Thursday London: Fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi, fighting extradition to India on charges over the nearly $2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud and money laundering case, was produced for a regular remand hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on Thursday and further remanded in custody until 27 February. The 48-year-old, who has been lodged at Wandsworth Prison in south-west London, appeared via videolink from prison before District Judge David Robinson. I am told that your case is proceeding in accordance with the directions for a final hearing on 11 May, the judge told Modi, as he set the next 28-day remand hearing via videolink for 27 February. Modi's extradition trial is scheduled for five days starting 11 May, with the case management hearings in the case set to begin once all the evidence has been handed in to the court for the trial. Fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi further remanded in custody until 27th February, 2020. Five days extradition trial to begin on 11th May. (File pic) pic.twitter.com/jZKjE7VdjI ANI (@ANI) January 30, 2020 He had made a last-ditch bail application in November last year with an unprecedented house arrest guarantee, akin to those imposed on terrorist suspects, as well as citing mental health issues from being behind bars at Wandsworth since his arrest in March 2019. But the bail plea was turned down by Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot over continued fears of witness intimidation and failure to surrender before the court for his extradition trial this year. The UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which represents the Indian government in the extradition proceedings, said there is no further prospect of an appeal for bail in a higher court as the UK High Court had already turned down Modi's plea earlier last year. Modi is meanwhile expected to appear for call-over hearings every 28 days at Westminster Magistrates' Court until the case management hearings for his extradition trial kick in. The diamond merchant denies the charges of fraud and money laundering and his defence team, led by barrister Hugo Keith, has claimed that the Indian government has wrongly blackened Modi's name as a world-class schemer. As part of the change in circumstances required for a fresh bail application, Modi's lawyers had offered to double the bail bond security offered to the court, from the previous GBP 2 million to GBP 4 million. They had also informed the court of attacks on their client from fellow inmates at one of England's most overcrowded prisons. Modi has been behind bars at Wandsworth since his arrest on March 19 on an extradition warrant executed by Scotland Yard on charges brought by the Indian government. During subsequent hearings, the UK court has been told that Modi was the "principal beneficiary" of the fraudulent issuance of letters of undertaking (LoUs) as part of a conspiracy to defraud PNB and then laundering the proceeds of crime. His extradition trial is scheduled between 11 and 15 May this year. European carriers to return to Iranian airspace 01/30/20 Source: Tehran Times The EU Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on Wednesday approved that European airlines can return to parts of Iranian and Iraqi airspace. The decision comes three weeks after the Islamic Republic accidentally downed a Ukrainian jetliner amid an exchange of hostilities with U.S. forces in the Iraqi soil. EASA announced, following an EU aviation security risk group meeting, that it was lifting temporary recommendations against overflying the two countries altogether, Reuters reported on Wednesday. However, the aviation agency repeated earlier advice that airlines escape Iranian airspace below 25,000 feet and stick to two air corridors over Iraq, the report said. Germany's Lufthansa was among airlines that canceled flights over the affected airspace. Two weeks ago, Qatar Airways, Emirates and several other Persian Gulf airlines announced they will continue using Iranian airspace despite propaganda over security issues in the region. "We will continue to fly to Iran because Iran is an important country to us and it is our neighbor and we want to serve the people of Iran," Qatar Airways Chief Executive Akbar al-Baker said. "Iranian airspace is important for all carriers in this region," said Adil al-Ghaith, Emirates' senior vice president, the report said. On January 3, a U.S. drone strike assassinated top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and in an act of retaliation, Iran fired missiles at U.S. targets in Iraq on January 8. The Ukrainian airliner was accidentally shot down by Iran's air defense as it was on high alert in the tense aftermath. Iran's tourism minister on January 12 said that the country's tourism industry has suffered a setback but it will certainly return to "normal", in remarks referring to the tragic crash. Ali-Asghar Mounesan said, "These events are a major blow to tourism, but we will leave it behind by the means of new plans and we will definitely return to normal." BEIJING, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Yang Jiechi, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo by phone on Wednesday at the latter's request, discussing efforts to combat the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) epidemic. Pompeo conveyed sympathy for the casualties caused by the 2019-nCoV-linked pneumonia in China and expressed appreciation for China's timely response to U.S. concerns after the outbreak of the epidemic. Pompeo said that the United States is willing to keep in close communication and coordination with and provide necessary assistance for China, in order to jointly deal with the challenge to international health security. Yang, also director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, said that under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, the Chinese government and people are making every effort to combat the pneumonia epidemic caused by the new virus. China has established a working mechanism for joint prevention and control with multiple departments involved, and taken resolute and effective measures in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, as well as other regions of the country, to contain the spread of the epidemic with all its strength, Yang said. He noted that China has the confidence and capability to win the battle of epidemic prevention and control. Since the outbreak of the epidemic, China, in an open, transparent and responsible manner, has promptly informed the World Health Organization (WHO) and relevant countries and regions, including the United States, of the epidemic situation. In addition to sharing information such as the genetic sequence of the new virus at the first time, China has invited experts from the WHO and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan regions to do field study in Wuhan, Yang said. China attaches great importance to the safety of all foreigners in China, including U.S. nationals, Yang said, adding that China stands ready to continue to maintain close coordination and cooperation with the United States. Bolton, who said he had resigned last September, even as Trump said he was fired, had clashed with the president on a range of issues during his 17-month tenure, including North Korea, Venezuela and Iran. He left office on Sept. 10, the day before frozen aid to Ukraine was released by the White House. To The Editor, Appellate Court Judge Judy Cates cant pay her own traffic tickets? Ok, I suppose big shot judges like her get preferred treatment? But Appellate Court Judge Judy Cates wants to be a supreme court judge. She is unopposed in the Democratic Primary. Everything is on file at the St.Clair County Circuit Clerks office. There are numerous problems with how this ticket was dismissed as far standard procedure. There are signatures missing for one. There is no proof Judge Cates was even present when her ticket went into the burn pile at the request of St. Clair County States Attorney James Gomric Jr. office. But I would like to see the sealed CONFIDENTIAL Alcohol Drug Report before her run for the Illinois Supreme Court continues even one more day. Who ordered it and why? What are the results? What makes it confidential at all? Im calling her out on this one. They crucified Judge Ron Duebbert for far less. Judy Cates currently serves as a 5th District Appellate Court Judge. She is an elected public official. Considering what happened to St. Clair County Judges Christ and Cook not so long ago, the public deserves to know if those who render sometimes life-changing rulings are impaired or acting in a diminished capacity. Judge Cates needs to explain this matter or step down immediately. Brad VanHoose Belleville T he UKs biggest company, Shell, will slow a $25 billion shareholder buyback to a trickle after tumbling oil prices forced it to put more money aside for a rainy day. The oil major is currently undertaking the worlds largest shareholder buyback, returning cash made from a 2014 takeover of gas firm BG Group. So far it has handed back about $15 billion to shareholders, including most UK pension funds and millions of retail investors, at a rate of around $3 billion per quarter. Shell today said the remaining $10 billion will be given back more slowly due to tougher conditions in the oil market. It will start with just $1 billion between now and April, meaning the buyback is unlikely to be finished as promised by the end of the year and may run into 2021. That could be a headache for many fund managers who pencil in scheduled payments, forcing them to rejig their portfolios to manage cash flows. We remain committed to prudent capital discipline supported by world-class project delivery and are looking to further strengthen our balance sheet while we continue with share buybacks, said Shell chief executive Ben van Beurden. Our intention to complete the $25 billion share buyback programme is unchanged, but the pace remains subject to macro conditions and further debt reduction. The cautious tone prompted shares to fall 4% to their lowest since 2017. Shares in rival BP also shed 1.3% on fears of a tougher energy market. Shells profits for the period September to December halved from $5.7 billion to $2.9 billion due to lower prices for oil and gas and fears about the coronaviruss impact on global growth. Could there be another heir to the crown next to Prince Charles aside from his first-born son Prince William? With a quick Google search or viewing of Season 3 Episode 8 and 9 of Netflix series "The Crown," you will know that the late Diana, Princess of Wales is not Prince Charles' one great love. It is no secret that the 71-year-old next in line on the monarch has been in love with then Camilla Shands. However, their love story went through some bumpy ride with the alleged disapproval of the royal family and his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Eventually, Camilla and Prince Charles had their happy ending, got married in 2005, and now the resident royal of Clarence House. And just when things are starting to cool down with the infamous royal crisis dubbed as Megxit (royal exit of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle), another crisis is about to rock the monarchy in the image of Prince Charles and Camilla's alleged love child. Royal Bastard? Simon Charles Dorante-Day is an engineer from Queensland, Australia, who has been claiming that he is the son of Charles and Camilla. Although he has made headlines for his controversial claims in the past, the 53-year-old Simon said he is now ready to take his claims to court. In his attempt to prove that he is the next heir to the throne, Simon already filed a legal proceeding in the High Court of Australia to make it official that he is a legitimate son of the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall. "This is (the) most explosive thing that's ever happened to the palace. It's definitely the most significant step I've taken so far - I've had to force a deadline, hold them to a date, because we need answers," Simon said in an interview with New Idea. According to Simon, he has substantial evidence to prove that he was born out of wedlock in 1966 when Charles and Camilla were both teenagers. Simon said that his parents began seeing each other back in 1965. The following year, Camilla suddenly disappeared for at least nine months while Charles was sent to Australia. Grandma Said So! Simon also remains true to his claims, as it was his very own grandmother who told him the truth about his identity. "My grandmother, who worked for the Queen, told me outright that I was Camilla and Charles' son many times," Simon revealed. "She didn't just hint at it, she told me outright." Roughly 18 months after his birth, Simon was adopted by a couple, Karen and David. His adoptive grandparents said to have served both the Queen and Prince Philip, while his grandfather Ernest Bowlden even received an Imperial Service Award for his work in one of the royal households. Simon also shared that he firmly recalls spending time with Camila while his adoptive parents and security officers wait outside a house in Portsmouth. Meanwhile, per Mirror Online, the House of Clarence said they did not have any comment on Simon's claims. Leila Janah, a social entrepreneur who employed thousands of desperately poor people in Africa and India in the fervent belief that jobs, not handouts, offered the best escape from poverty, died on Jan. 24 in Manhattan. She was 37. Samasource, one of her companies, said the cause was epithelioid sarcoma, a rare soft-tissue cancer. A child of Indian immigrants, Ms. Janah traveled to Mumbai, India, in about 2005 as a management consultant to help take an outsourcing company public. Riding through the city by auto rickshaw, she passed an enormous slum. But after arriving at the outsourcing center, she found a staff of educated middle-class workers. Few, if any, of the nearby poor were employed there. Couldnt the people from the slums do some of this work? she recalled thinking, in an interview with Wired magazine in 2015. Trips to the stratosphere from Andalusia will be on the cards from 2021, thanks to Zero 2 Infinity, a Spanish company that has launched its own space tourism initiative to rival the three other major players in this niche travel market. This kind of travel is made possible by three projected launch bases or stratoports spread across the globe. One will be in Neom in Saudi Arabia, another in Baja California in Mexico and the third in Jaen, Spain, each of which will cost between 10 million and 12 million. Space tourism is now on the verge of becoming a reality. The company SpaceX, owned by the technology entrepreneur Elon Musk, plans to have the first civilan in space this year. Blue Origin, owned by Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, made its twelfth test flight in December and Virgin Galactic, part of the Richard Branson Virgin empire, already has reservations for 600 wannabe-space tourists, including actor Leonardo DiCaprio and pop idol Justin Bieber. All three companies offer 10-20 minute trips in rockets that travel 100 kilometers into the unknown. The trips may be brief but they do require a certain level of physical fitness. A balloon owned by the Spanish company Zero 2 Infinity. By contrast, Zero 2 Infinity makes it clear that it intends to offer a more modest experience that will simultaneously be more environmentally friendly. Rather than a rocket, passengers will travel in a pressurized cabin or pod, propelled by a balloon fuelled by helium gas, and it will remain in Near Space which is higher than planes fly but below the altitude of satellites. The advantage of Zero 2 Infinitys excursions is that there is no carbon footprint. While the trip may be longer than the other space flights on offer, no extensive training is needed. In fact, passengers will feel much the same as they do on a normal flight. The ascent lasts two and a half hours and the descent, an hour and a half, says Kemel Kharbachi, founder of Agora Next Tourism Tech Innovation Hub, an accelerator of technological initiatives related to smart tourism. As there is nothing abrupt about it, its the kind of tourism anyone can enjoy. And while the landing is totally measured by the technicians, the balloon can move from the take-off point by 30 to 50 kilometers, but we are fully prepared to intercept the landings. The edge of the world The actual height reached will be 36 kilometers compared to the 100 kilometers reached by the companys rivals. Two crew members will accompany four space tourists on each expedition, with 40 technicians controlling the proceedings from the ground. You can see the curve of the blue earth melting into the blackness of space, says Kharbachi. No preparation or astronaut gear is necessary. Instead, passengers will wear overalls similar to those of a race car driver. But they do have to accept a certain level of discomfort: on the initial trips, there will be no catering or toilets, although Kharbachi plans to work on this for future flights. The technology for Zero 2 Infinitys tourist space program has been developed by the companys founder and CEO, Jose Mariano Lopez-Urdiales, an aerospace engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). You can see the curve of the blue earth melting into the blackness of space Kemel Kharbachi, Agora Next Tourism Tech Innovation Hub Although the flight will last just four hours, the complete experience lasts two days. When tourists arrive at the nearest international airport, they will be transferred by the company to the stratoport by helicopter where they will receive a short course from specialized instructors. It is an immersive [training] experience that gives them a taste of what they will encounter during the flight, but the trip can be made by everyone, says Kharbachi. While at the base, each passenger can be accompanied by up to four friends of family members who will be provided with accommodation and have access to a wide range of amenities as well as being able to watch the passengers training course. Other companies involved in developing technological solutions also work at the base, adding to the companions own experience. The first balloon flight If everything goes according to plan, Zero 2 Infinitys stratosphere balloon flights will be launched by professional mountaineer Raha Moharrak, the first Saudi woman to reach the top of Everest. She will take off from the futuristic Saudi Arabian mega-city of Neom the name Neom comes from the Greek word neos, which means new, and the Arabic word mustaqbal, meaning future which, when it is finished around 2030, will sprawl across 26,000 square kilometers and be a hub for low-emission technology firms. Zero 2 Infinity will charge 125,000 for the entire package, significantly less than its rivals which are charging upwards of 220,000. The 2021 tourists will have to have plenty of economic clout, but as both the technology and the program evolve, in five or 10 years we want this type of trip to become something like the all-inclusive packages to the Caribbean, says Kharbachi. Currently, trips can only be booked directly with the company, but it will soon be available through travel agencies specializing in adventure tourism. English version by Heather Galloway. Donal Trump Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images President Trumps lawyers have presented a surreal pointillistic defense, picking apart individual pieces of evidence while ignoring the whole. At times this has ventured beyond the surreal into the outright false. One such moment came when Trump counsel Pat Philbin was asked about Trumps demand that Ukraine investigate Joe Biden, and denied that Trump had ever requested any such thing. The question assumes there is a request of a United States person, he said. President Trump didnt ask President Zelensky specifically for an investigation or an investigation into Vice-President Biden or his son Hunter. Philbins response relied on the usual method of seizing on one piece of evidence in this case, the transcript and interpreting it in the most unrealistic possible light. In the case of the transcript, Trump brings up Joe and Hunter Biden, making plain the target of his ire. But (as Trump often does) he stumbles on his wording, stringing together half-formed thoughts, in a way that left his meaning somewhat undefined. That is the ambiguity Philbin exploited to suggest that Trump just wanted Ukraine to look into the firing of Viktor Shokin, rather than pointing the finger directly at his opponent. But the transcript is not the only, or best, evidence of what Trump demanded. There is a massive amount of additional evidence making it absolutely clear that Trump specifically wanted an investigation of Biden. Begin with the repeated public comments by his lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who, starting in the spring, announced in the New York Times and in a series of Fox News appearances that he was specifically seeking investigations of Joe Biden. (The information will be very, very helpful to my client, and may turn out to be helpful to my government, he said, bluntly confessing that the two were not the same.) Giulianis message came through clearly to several officials in the U.S. government. David Holmes testified, On June 27, Ambassador Sondland told Ambassador Taylon in a phone conversation, the gist of which Ambassador Taylon shared with me at the time, that President Zelensky needed to make clear to President Trump that President Zelensky was not standing in the way of, quote, investigations. I understood that this was referring to the Burisma-Biden investigations that Mr. Giuliani and his associates had been speaking about in the media since March. Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman testified that Gordon Sondland told Ukrainian officials that a meeting between the two presidents depended on investigations into the 2016 elections, the Bidens, and Burisma. And of course Trump himself removed all doubt when he was asked on the White House lawn what specifically he wanted Ukraine to do. He said he wanted it to investigate the Bidens: The dissembling of Trumps legal team has gotten tedious. But denying that Trump even wanted an investigation of the Bidens, when Trump literally stood on the White House lawn and announced this exact thing, is a level of dishonesty that is shocking even by their debased standards. The government has decided to quarantine 700 Koreans evacuated from the coronavirus epicenter of Wuhan, China in Asan and Jincheon in the central part of Korea. The move has triggered strong protests from locals. Some even blocked roads with tractors. The mayor of Asan in South Chungcheong Province as well as opposition lawmakers representing the cities also fumed. It is true that the facilities where they will be quarantined are a long way from downtown, and even the closest village is around 500 m away. Since coronavirus is transmitted through direct contact, locals do not have to worry about getting infected through the air. They should think rationally and consider the hardship of the Koreans flying back from Wuhan. But the government is to blame for inciting the protests in the first place. It had originally chosen a temporary facility in Cheonan to house the residents, but that just happens to be a ruling-party stronghold, and protests by locals there prompted the government to shift the location to Asan and Jincheon, which are represented by the opposition. How could the locals not protest? Koreans in Wuhan are faced with extremely adverse conditions. Fortunately, more than enough flight crew apparently volunteered to transport them back to Korea. The country should be very grateful to them. But there are still many problems ahead. Around 100,000 Chinese workers and students are expected to return to Korea after their Lunar New Year trips home. Most of them make a living caring for the sick, elderly and young. The government needs to gain the public's trust if it is to deal with these issues effectively, and on current showing trust will be in short supply. 19/12/2019 - Just two years after the entry into force of its corporate liability legislation, Colombia concluded its first foreign bribery case against a corporation in 2018 and is currently carrying out 20 foreign bribery investigations into companies. These are encouraging steps, and Colombia should now increase the engagement of key government and law enforcement agencies to deliver a comprehensive policy on foreign bribery and enforce the offence against both individuals and companies, according to a new report by the OECD Working Group on Bribery. Since its Phase 2 evaluation by the Working Group in 2015, Colombia has demonstrated limited commitment in terms of training, awareness raising, detection and reporting of foreign bribery. In particular, whistleblower-protection legislation is still desperately lacking. The Working Group also notes that further efforts are necessary to strengthen the capacity of law enforcement agencies to detect, investigate and prosecute proactively foreign bribery. Further steps could also be taken to preserve foreign bribery investigations and prosecutions from political influence. The Working Group has just completed its Phase 3 evaluation of Colombias implementation of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention and related instruments, and further recommends that Colombia: Enhance cooperation and coordination between the Superintendency of Corporations and the Prosecutor Generals Office (Fiscalia) to ensure more effective and proactive exchange of information in foreign bribery cases; Ensure that legal persons committing foreign bribery are subject to effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions, including confiscation of the proceeds of bribery; Urgently adopt whistleblower protection legislation that provides clear and comprehensive protections from retaliation to whistleblowers across the public and private sectors. The Report also highlights positive aspects of Colombias efforts to fight foreign bribery. In particular, Colombias Superintendency of Corporations has been active in investigating allegations of foreign bribery by companies, and in promoting corporate anti-corruption compliance programmes. Investigations by the PGO into individuals are ongoing and are expected to lead to further enforcement. Colombia also appears to have a sound framework for providing and seeking international cooperation in foreign bribery cases. Steps taken by Colombia to introduce reporting obligations of foreign bribery for auditors may also enhance the detection and sanctioning of foreign bribery, although greater efforts may still be necessary to improve the detection of foreign bribery through anti-money laundering mechanisms. The Phase 3 Report of Colombia, adopted by the 44 members of the OECD Working Group on Bribery on 12 December 2019. The Report lists the recommendations the Working Group made to Colombia on pages 62-66, and includes an overview of recent enforcement activity and specific legal, policy, and institutional features of Colombias framework for fighting foreign bribery. Colombia will submit an oral report to the Working Group in December 2020 on progress made to adopt whistleblower protection legislation. In accordance with the standard procedure, Colombia will submit a written report to the Working Group within two years (i.e. by December 2021) on its implementation of all recommendations and its enforcement efforts, which will also be publicly available. For further information, journalists are invited to contact Daisy Pelham of the OECD Anti-Corruption Division (+33 (0)1 45 24 90 81). Working with over 100 countries, the OECD is a global policy forum that promotes policies to improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. Related Documents Shenandoahs Metropark Square is hosting a February event that is likely to warm winter hearts with adoptable dogs from the Montgomery County Animal Shelter. The Hearts and Hounds free adoption event Feb. 8 features shelter dogs and Valentines Day-themed activities. The event is part of the centers Metropark Events on the Lawn series with varying themes held the second Saturday of every month. The first event in January featured Houston Lion Kings to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Foster coordinator at the shelter, Courtney Gawel, says shes excited about the community interaction shell be able to have with residents and attendees. Were most excited about the community involvement aspect, Gawel said. Theyll be talking about fostering, volunteer involvement, general education about the animals meaning spay/neutering, vaccinations and how they can get involved with the shelter. Gawel says theyll bring about 20 dogs in a mobile vehicle to the event but adoption donation fee isnt set yet. She added that there wont be any other animals besides the dogs. Other than the dog adoptions, other events are planned. More Information Want to go? What: Hearts and Hounds When: Noon to 3 p.m. Feb. 8 Where: 8888 Metropark Dr. Shenandoah Online: https://www.metroparksquare.com/ See More Collapse Aqua-Tots Swim School will be coordinating different kid-friendly games, Martinis & Manicures will offer free nail art for kids and Sweet & Sassy is giving free makeover for the younger attendees. There will also be a card station where children can make Valentines Day cards. Marina Stingley, marketing manager at Sam Moon Group, says shes anticipating about 100 attendees. The event wraps up with a dog parade, Stingley added, in which three to five of the most well behaved dogs will be walked around the green area of the lawn and people can vote on their favorite. Each dog will be introduced and over the PA system theyll tell attendees some fun facts to add a little humor. In the end, the winner will be announced and awarded a dog treat. Its really just about having something fun to do on a Saturday afternoon where you dont feel like spending money and you just want to hang out with people you love and care about, Stingley said. laraib.hashmi@chron.com Some people suspected to be political thugs on Wednesday abducted the chairman of Afijio Local Government Area of Oyo State, Samuel Aderemi, for about two hours. PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the chairman, who was one of the chairmen sacked by the state governor, Seyi Makinde, last year, was kidnapped by scores of rampaging thugs, who stormed the council in Jobele. The thugs reportedly stormed the council secretariat in an attempt to prevent the sacked local government chairman and councilors under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from resuming their duties. Mr Aderemi, according to reports, after being beaten to stupor by the hoodlums, was whisked away in a bus to an unknown destination. He was later rescued after two hours by security agents. He is still recuperating at an undisclosed hospital as at the time of filing this report on Thursday. The sacked chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye, confirmed the abduction of the council boss. Apart from the abduction of Mr Aderemi, PREMIUM TIMES learnt that violence was also recorded in some other local government areas where sacked chairmen attempted to resume, on Wednesday. It was gathered that the arrival of security agents, comprising of the police and men of Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) that halted the violence in the council areas. APC, PDP trade blames Mr Makinde, shortly after his inauguration in May last year, sacked the chairmen and asked them to hand over to the most senior career officer in their respective councils, after about eight months of legal battle with the state government. Another injured politician The council chairmen were elected on May 12, 2018 in local government elections conducted by former governor, Abiola Ajimobi. Trouble, however, started on Monday when the sacked chairmen and councillors make good their threat to resume into their various offices within the 68 local government and LCDA secretariats The Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Akeem Olatunji, in his reaction, said it is the sacked chairmen who are going around, fomenting trouble. Mr Olatunji, in a telephone conversation with PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday, said the APC and the sacked chairmen are causing trouble simply because they want a state of emergency to be declared in the state. They are the ones going round, (attacking) people. They are going around with a member of the proscribed NURTW in the state to cause trouble. Oyo State is not the only state where local government chairmen were sacked, why will Oyo State be different? Simply because they want to use the opportunity to declare state of emergency. The Oyo State PDP wishes to alert the members of the public on the nefarious activities of the Oyo State Chapter of All Progressives Congress over their continuous attack on our members across the 33 local governments and 35 LCDAs in the state. Another injured politician It sounds barbaric and shameful that the police are looking the other way as APC miscreants and thugs unleash mayhems on unsuspecting members of the public. This is what has made local governments workers abstain from work, pending when their safety will be guaranteed. There is a Court Order obtained on Tuesday, and we believe that sanity will prevail very soon. Publicly Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Abdulaziz Olatunde, however, said PDP wants to take over of the councils using force. We have been saying that PDP have penchant for violence. The kind of legacy left behind by Ajimobi shows that the shoe is too big for them to wear. It is obvious that they want to take over of the councils with force. Public Relations Officer of the state Police Command, Olugbenga Fadeyi when contacted on the matter, said the police will deploy more officers to curb the excesses of criminal elements in the state. The Police in Oyo State is not relenting (its) efforts to carry out (its) constitutional responsibility (the) protection of lives and property. One of the injured politician Massive deployments will continue to be intensified in all troubled areas, he said, adding that this would prevent criminal elements who are bent on disturbing the peace and tranquillity of Oyo State from doing so. Passengers with face masks at Heathrow Airport in London after the last British Airways flight from China touched down The travel plans of thousands of Irish visitors to China have been thrown into chaos following the spread of the coronavirus, which has infected 6,000 people and caused 130 deaths. Around 14,000 people travel from Ireland to mainland China every year but the Department of Foreign Affairs issued a warning yesterday requesting the avoidance of any non-essential journeys to the country as a safeguard against the spread of the highly infectious pneumonia-like infection. Refunds Several airlines, including British Airways, have also suspended all flights to mainland China with "immediate effect". The airline halted all bookings on its website for direct flights from London to Beijing and Shanghai until the end of February. Many Irish people with holiday bookings are expected to seek refunds, which they are entitled to according to the official advisory on travel. The Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) is recommending that customers avoid travelling to the Hubei province of China, and reconsider travelling to the rest of China unless it is absolutely essential. ITAA president John Spollen said those travelling should be aware that travel restrictions are in place across all major cities, while the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism has suspended all tour group companies' activities to prevent the further spread of the virus, which may cause disruptions to travel plans. "Irish travellers in affected areas should stay indoors where possible and avoid large gatherings," he said. Meanwhile, there continues to be confusion about the airlifting of a number of Irish citizens who are stranded in Wuhan at the centre of the outbreak. Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said yesterday a number of the estimated eight Irish who live there wish to leave and can avail of transport on a European Commission repatriation flight later this week. However, Ireland was not among the countries listed as requesting the transport at a European Commission conference on the transport plan yesterday and the Department of Foreign Affairs said it could not comment. Most of the Irish people in Wuhan are expected to stay. The HSE was unable to say if those who return from Wuhan will have to agree to be quarantined in the same manner as those returning to the UK. It has been reported UK-based returnees will spend around two weeks in supported isolation. People who want to be transported back on one of the EU flights will undergo medical assessment and will not be allowed to travel if they are showing signs of the virus. The Jamia firing incident happened in a matter of seconds and by the time police could react, the man, who has been arrested, had fired his pistol at a group of anti-CAA protesters, the said on Thursday. The statement came after the faced flak from Jamia Millia Islamia students and the AAP alleged that the force's personnel were "mute spectators" "By the time police could react, the person had already fired the shot. Everything happened in seconds. The investigation is on. The case has been transferred to the Crime Branch. We are also probing whether he is a juvenile or not," Special Commissioner of Police (Intelligence) Praveer Ranjan. Tension spiralled in Jamia Nagar on Thursday afternoon after the man, who identified himself as "Rambhakt Gopal", fired at protesters, injuring a Jamia Millia Islamia student, before walking away while waving the firearm above his head and shouting "yeh lo aazadi", amid heavy police presence. Shadab Farooq, a mass communication student, was injured. The case has been transferred to the Crime Branch, police said Joint Commissioner of Police (southern range) Devesh Srivastava said based on the statement of the victim, a case of attempt to murder has been registered. Special Commissioner of Law and Order (North) Satish Golcha met Farooq at the AIIMS trauma centre where he is currently undergoing treatment. "We met him. He is stable now. The bullet has been removed and he also spoke to the doctor," Golcha said. Travel to US From China Naturally Dropping Off in Light of Coronavirus: Health Secretary Travel to the United States from China is dropping because of the coronavirus outbreak, Secretary of Health Alex Azar said on Thursday morning. Were not going to take any public health options off the table to protect the American public but what were seeing already is a diminution in flights going back and forth between China and the United States, Azar said during an appearance on CNBC. The declining number of people arriving in the United States from China is a natural consequence of heightened State Department travel advisories, Azar said, referring to a level four advisory warning people not to travel to Hubei Province and a level three advisory advising people to consider any travel to other parts of China. Pressed on the fact that people from China are still arriving in the United States on a daily basis, Azar said that officials were going to take all necessary public health approaches that are appropriate. Screening has been implemented in 20 major airports and people entering the country are also being told to be on the watch for any symptoms. All five confirmed cases in the United States self-identified as having symptoms, Azar said. Whenever youre dealing with a public health issue like this, notions of shutting ones border downborders are actually porous all around the world, so individuals can come from different places. And you can actually sometimes create hysteria simply by taking various measures, Azar said. Its important not to overreact and to use evidence, he told a CNBC host who said I dont want a person from China next to me. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar speaks during a press conference on the coronavirus outbreak on Jan. 28, 2020. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images) Passengers board buses after arriving on an airplane carrying U.S. citizens being evacuated from Wuhan, China, at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, Calif., on Jan. 29, 2020. (Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP Photo) People from China could travel through other countries even if travel restrictions were put in place, Azar said. Any steps that are taken need to make sense and should be justified, he added. The Chinese government has shut down flights from Hubei Province, which has been largely quarantined, although a number of cases have been confirmed outside the province. White House and health officials were also asked about possibly restricting travel to and from China during a press conference at the White House on Thursday morning. White House counselor Kellyanne Conway didnt answer directly, pointing reporters to interviews Azar did. Conway noted that President Donald Trump formed a new task force and was briefed yesterday and said the administration was relieved and happy and heartened to see the approximately 200 Americans who were evacuated from Wuhan land in California. The Americans will be isolated for about three days at an air reserve base in Riverside County. This is an all hands on deck effort, Assistant Secretary of Public Health Admiral Brett Giroir said at the press conference, which was held to announce U.S. life expectancy rising for the first time in four years. This is no cause for urgent panic in any way in the United States. This is currently under control, he added. Theres been no person-to-person transmission in the United States as of yet, Giroir noted. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention planned a press conference early Thursday afternoon and the World Health Organization meeting was scheduled to announce whether it was declaring a global public health emergency later in the day. West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar reprimanded Barrackpore Commissioner of Police Manoj Verma for his improper, farcical behavior at a function held to observe the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankar on Thursday reprimanded Barrackpore Commissioner of Police Manoj Verma for his improper, farcical behaviour at a function held to observe the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, News18 reported. While Dhankar was on the stage at Gandhi Ghat in Barrackpore on the outskirts of Kolkata for the function, Verma sat in a chair in the first row and read a newspaper. While leaving from the ceremony, Dhankar reprimanded the top cop for the serious lapse and also referred to the gap in security at the Calcutta University convocation and the violence in Murshidabad. Expressing concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in the state, Dhankar called the situation very worrying. There is no rule of law and no one in the state is obeying the law. There are continuous incidents of violence in the state. Why not find the accused involved? the governor asked, pointing out that the polices approach remained lax even in the his presence and on a day being observed to honour a martyr. Dhankhar was on Tuesday forced to leave the Calcutta University's annual convocation after some students showed him black flags and shouted 'go back' for his pro-CAA stance, calling him an "agent" of the BJP. Meanwhile, violence broke out in West Bengals Murshidabad on Wednesday during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens. Two people were killed and one was critically injured in the violence. It is a day dedicated to a martyr, the governor is here. Why isnt the police doing its duty properly? Dhankar asked Verma. Dhankar also ordered Verma to make a list of the accused in the various incidents of violence reported in the state. THE price of an investment property in the village of Blackrock, Co Dublin, has been cut by 400,000, from 2.1m to 1.7m for BidX1's online Irish commercial auction on February 26 next. Located at 27-29 and 31-33 Carysfort Avenue, Blackrock, the mixed use property failed to sell at auction last month. Adjoining each other, the two premises have a combined foot print extending to a site area of about 0.2 acres and include the former Dark Horse pub and the office of Churches' Estate Agents. It currently generates 148,800 in annual rent which would equate to a net initial yield of 7.88pc at the reduced price. The pub and seven other office units are vacant. The two buildings extend to about 10,293 sq ft. The pub extends to about 3,800 sq ft on the ground floor but its licence has lapsed. Overhead are two apartments. The part of the lot at 27-29 Carysfort Avenue accommodates a ground floor commercial unit and nine office suites overhead. Auctioneer Jonathan Fenn said it offers potential for re-development of a medium density infill residential scheme. An extensive warehouse investment and development site in Castlebar, Co Mayo, has a 1m guide price. Located at Unit 5 (B,C,D,E,F), Unit 12F and the site at N5 Business Park, it includes five shell and core warehouse units, a first floor office together with an industrial zoned site to the rear. The total floor area of the buildings extends to 25,200 sq ft while the site area extends to 5.36 acres. Unit 12F, is let to Enable Ireland. Current rents total 20,000 per annum. A retail investment at Marlfield Mall, Tallaght, Dublin 24, has a 900,000 guide price. It generates 131,370 in annual rent from three tenants which would equate to a net initial yield of 12.57pc. The rent from the occupied units averages 12.35 per sq ft. Unit 3-4 measuring 1,130 sq ft is vacant. The total floor area of all units extends to a combined 11,767 sq ft. A public house and retail investment at 126/133 James Street, Dublin 8, are for sale with a combined 600,000 guide price. They generate total annual rental income of about 49,800 which suggests a net initial yield of 7.54pc. Both leases are due to expire next year. The entire lot extends to 730 sq m of which space, JK Stoutman's pub occupies 625.09 sq m over ground, first floor and basement. It generates annual rent of 42,000. The adjoining retail premises generates annual rent of 7,800 and trades as Mah-Tech. Mr Fenn said that commercial properties in its auctions attracted bids totalling 96m in 2019. Dusit International, one of Thailands leading hotel and property development companies, has signed a long-term agreement with Vietnamese real estate developers General Technology Joint Stock Company to develop and operate Dusit Tu Hoa Palace, Hanoi, in the citys affluent Tay Ho District, at the northern end of the citys largest freshwater lake, West Lake. Comprising 207 well-appointed guest rooms, the upscale property will put guests at the heart of a vibrant lakeside community renowned for its international restaurants, trendy cafes, chic nightlife venues, and fascinating lakeside temples. Noi Bai International Airport is only 30 minutes away by car, while Hanois Old Quarter, the citys business hub and main tourist destination, can be reached in just 15 minutes. In line with Dusits mission to uniquely deliver Thai-inspired gracious hospitality to the world, the hotel will feature a distinctive blend of Thai and Vietnamese design elements to offer high levels of comfort and convenience for business and leisure travellers alike. Hotel facilities will include an all-day dining restaurant, a rooftop bar, meeting rooms, and a swimming pool. Many of the guest rooms will offer views of the lake and its surrounds. Guests will also enjoy easy access to local attractions such as Vietnams oldest temple, Tran Quoc Pagoda, which was built in the 6th century; and Quan Thanh Temple, which is renowned for its detailed wood carvings. We are delighted to partner with General Technology Joint Stock Company to bring our unique brand of Thai inspired, gracious hospitality to Vietnams vibrant capital for the first time, said Lim Boon Kwee, chief operating officer, Dusit International. As a destination, Hanoi keeps going from strength to strength. Last year the city welcomed more than 6 million foreign visitors in the first 11 months up 12 per cent year-on-year. The countrys strong GDP growth rate is also driving a rapidly growing segment of high-spending domestic tourists. With this in mind, now is the perfect time to expand our operations in Vietnams capital city and strengthen our brand for further growth in Vietnam. Le Minh Thanh, chairman of the Board of Management, General Technology Joint Stock Company, said: Dusits ability to translate its Thai heritage and industry expertise into impressive localised experiences is fully evident at its international properties, including its first hotel in Vietnam, Dusit Princess Moonrise Beach Resort Phu Quoc, which opened in 2018. We now look forward to working with Dusit to offer a distinctive hotel experience in Hanoi that delights guests and customers, and which delivers long-term, sustainable value for all stakeholders. Dusit Internationals property portfolio now comprises 307 properties operating under six brands across 15 countries. The company has also recently diversified into food business, with strategic investments designed to mitigate risk, expand its customer base, and generate revenue from adjacent lines of commerce. - TradeArabia News Service Ejaz Kaiser By Express News Service RAIPUR: The Bhupesh Baghel cabinet on Thursday passed a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and urged the Centre to withdraw it. The Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh is set to become the fifth state to pass a resolution against the Act during the state Assembly budget session, scheduled to begin next month. Two other Congress-ruled states -- Rajasthan and Punjab -- besides Kerala and West Bengal have already adopted similar resolutions against the controversial Act citing it as discriminatory. The CM has also written a letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him on behalf of the people of the state to withdraw the CAA, calling it discriminatory on the basis of religion even as the Act appears to be against Article 14 of the Indian Constitution. The Chhattisgarh CM cited the lack of provisions in the Act regarding refugees who might come from other neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar. Baghel has been critical of the CAA and was among the first chief ministers to declare that the CAA and NRC would not be implemented in the state. In his letter to the PM, Bhaghel wrote: Chhattisgarh is witnessing massive peaceful protests against the Act by different sections of the society. Chhattisgarh originally has inhabitants belonging to scheduled tribes, scheduled caste, OBCs. And a huge chunk of the states population live below the poverty line, are landless and illiterate. They might surely face difficulties to accomplish the formalities as required by the Act. The CAA apparently erodes the constitutions fundamental structure on secularism". In a briefing following the cabinet meet, senior state minister Ravindra Choubey said, The state cabinet has passed the resolution against CAA and we are going to do it in the Assembly too. This Act is against the sentiments of the people of Chhattisgarh and the CM on behalf of them has urged the PM to take it back. The Archdiocese of Cebu, in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines, is organizing a conference in response to Pope Francis call to action on climate emergency. By Robin Gomes Local Catholics will be taking part in the first Cebu Archdiocesan Convention on Climate Emergency, January 31 February 1. Some 500 members of the clergy and lay leaders from 160 parishes, representatives of private sectors and policy experts will try to develop recommendations and solutions to the most pressing environmental issues. Representatives of the academia, business sector, civil society groups and local government units have also expressed a keen interest in the convention. At a press conference on Wednesday, Archbishop Jose Palma declared that the protection of creation has become a priority for the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). Much of their meetings, he said, have been focussing on what the Church can do to respond to the many forms of degradation and ways our environment had been destroyed. He said that the Cebu conference will look at the ways our environment had been destroyed by natural disasters like volcanic eruptions, typhoons, earthquakes, floods and [at] what we can do from the perspective of faith. Father Murphy Sarsonas, chairman of the Cebu Archdiocesan Commission on Environmental Concerns (CACEC), said the Philippine Church has 13 ecological actions but the Cebu convention will tackle only five which are considered closer to Cebu. Representatives of entities of sectors such as waste management, water sustainability, renewable energy and marine ecosystem conservation, who are partnering with Cebu Archdiocese in the conference, were also present at the press conference. Fr. Sarsonas cited Pope Francis 2015 encyclical Laudato Si which highlighted the care of common home. The Pope advocates the 2030 sustainable development agenda as a means to combat climate change. 500 years of Christianity in the country According to the archbishop, the climate emergency conference will be a key part of the celebration of the fifth centenary of Christianity in the Philippines, which the local Church is preparing to celebrate in 2021. We must act together in the face of climate emergency, he said. This, to me, is a very important aspect of the preparations. The main activities related to the jubilee will take place in Cebu. The province is considered the "cradle of Christianity" in the country. Santo Nino After the arrival of the Spanish missionaries in 1521, the first baptisms were believed to have taken place on Cebu island and the native population received the icon of the Santo Nino (the Baby Jesus). He noted that the preservation of the image of the Santo Nino for almost 500 years is a validation that Cebuanos are great preservers. The archbishop hopes that the devotees of Santo Nino will show much passion for the protection of creation as they do for the icon. 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. Donald Trumps impeachment lawyer has insisted he has nothing to hide concerning allegations he had sex with a purported victim of billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, his former client. Alan Dershowitz appeared on ABCs The View on Wednesday to defend his argument that abuse of power and obstruction of justice the two charges against Mr Trump are not impeachable offences. But co-host Meghan McCain also pressed him on his connection to Epstein, who Mr Dershowitz defended in 2008 against accusations of soliciting sex from minors, securing a plea deal that saw the financier spend 13 months in prison. Ms McCain then referenced allegations made by Virginia Roberts Giuffre Prince Andrews accuser that Mr Dershowitz sexually assaulted her when she was a teenager being trafficked by Epstein. Mr Dershowitz strenuously denies the claim, and both he and Ms Giuffre are suing each other for defamation. The presenter asked whether his connection to Epstein gave the Trump team any pause before recruiting him as the presidents lawyer. 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 The first thing I told President Trump when he asked me to do this is about those matters, Mr Dershowitz said. And I told him there was no truth to it. He claimed to have emails from Ms Giuffre saying they had never met and a tape recording from her lawyer admitting it would have been impossible for us to meet. A [lawyer] should never be held responsible for his clients illegal activities, he added. I did absolutely nothing wrong in connection with the Epstein case. Thats why Im suing. I have nothing to hide. I am awaiting a trial where I will prove that I was framed for money and that I am completely vindicated. Mr Dershowitz claims Ms Giuffre was pressured to falsely accuse him by her lawyers, resulting in the head of one law firm implicated, David Boies, launching his own defamation lawsuit. He accused Mr Dershowitz of a campaign to attack and vilify Ms Giuffres lawyers in an effort to distract attention from his own misconduct. Several of Epsteins alleged victims are reported to harbour cautious hopes Ms Giuffres lawsuit could unearth more details of Epsteins alleged wrongdoing, after his death cut short court proceedings against him in July. A Harvard Law professor emeritus, Mr Dershowitz first major legal victory came after he successfully cleared Harry Reems on charges of distributing obscenity with the pornographic movie Deep Throat. He later acted as a legal adviser to OJ Simpson and defended Epstein in 2008. It came as Mr Trumps strategy under Mr Dershowitz appeared to move away from denials of wrongdoing and claims that his Ukraine call was perfect, to merely insisting the charges against him are not impeachable. Mr Dershowitz defended the argument he made on Wednesday on The View and claimed he was here to defend the Constitution, not any particular president. But it appeared to fly in the face of footage from 1998 during Bill Clintons impeachment row, shared on Tuesday by the House Intelligence Committee. It certainly doesnt have to be a crime, Mr Dershowitz said, discussing the standards he then believed were necessary for impeachment. If you have somebody who completely corrupts the office of president, and who abuses trust, and who poses great danger to our liberty, you dont need a technical crime. Quizzed on this by co-host Whoopi Goldberg, Mr Dershowitz defended his right as an academic to change his mind, and again insisted he had not done so on partisan grounds, arguing he started writing his 2018 book The Case Against Impeaching Trump when Hillary Clinton was in the lead, and that the original title referred to her. In 1998, the issue was not whether you needed a crime, it was whether or not [Bill] Clinton had committed a high crime, he said. I am a scholar. I have written 40 books. I have changed my mind many times. About three years ago when I started looking in to the Hillary Clinton possibility of impeachment, I decided you needed a crime. I wrote a book about it several years ago, I didnt change my mind on it on partisan grounds. BANNU, Pakistan -- Two Pakistani soldiers and five militants have been killed in a shoot-out in the northwestern region of North Waziristan, the military says. The army said on January 30 that the militants holed up inside a compound in the Dattakhel area opened fire when security forces surrounded them. Officials told RFE/RL that the militants killed in the overnight operation were involved in target killings and blasts caused by improvised explosive devices in the area. There have been no immediate comments from the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan or other militant groups. Pakistan launched a massive military operation in North Waziristan in 2014 to cleanse the region of militant groups. But the region bordering Afghanistan has continued to be the scene of violent attacks, targeted killings, and land-mine blasts. The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday dismissed a petition by the family of a former Akali sarpanch that had sought to name state minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa as an accused in the ex-village head's murder case. The court also rejected the petitioner's demand for transferring the case to the CBI, an official release issued by the Punjab Advocate General's office said. The high court, while dismissing the petition Sandeep Singh, son of the deceased, made it clear that it was totally satisfied with the efforts of the Punjab Police and the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to solve the case. On November 18, former Akali sarpanch Dalbir Singh, who was also the vice-president of the Shiromani Akali Dal, was shot dead in his native village Dhilwan in Dera Baba Nanak. Later, his legs were chopped off. The accused shot Dalbir six times. Sandeep Singh, in his petition, had sought direction to protect his life, liberty and property, and that of his family members. He had also sought to transfer the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), claiming that the local police was acting under pressure from cabinet minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa. The petitioner further said that a fair probe would be possible only by an independent agency as he apprehended that Randhawa was behind the murder. Dismissing the plea, Justice Ramendra Jain observed that the petitioner was trying to make the entire case a media trial and said that the court would not allow it, the AG's office stated. The SAD had earlier accused Randhawa of allegedly patronising the killers of the former Akali sarpanch, a charge denied by the minister. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) MBABANE- Its a sweet melody to the ears of artists and music devotees, as MTN Eswatini commits to spend about E10 million in total to further support growth of the music industry. The company has also launched two new platforms; a time based streaming App that uses minutes other than data dubbed MusicTime and an online content portal titled Yello Hub. Both these platforms are intended to help artists and any local content producer to monetise their craft. This set of good news was announced by MTN Eswatini Acting Chief Executive Officer Sibusiso Nhleko, during the companys first MTN and Music event dubbed Sigci Setfu held on Wednesday at the Royal Swazi Spa, Ezulwini. Spotlight The MTN BUSHFIRE Festival got the largest piece of the pie of E4 million, followed by MTN Spotlight at E2.5 million. About E800 000 was allocated to the MTN BUSHFIRE Pulse Firefly and the same amount was allocated to the MTN ESWAMA Awards 2020 and the MTN iPraise Gospel Festival. MTN Rhymes & Laughter got the smaller piece of the pie at E250 000. Nhleko said the company acknowledges that these investments come at a time when the local economic environment was under severe strain. Nonetheless, we believe that, music is a huge asset to this country, its culture and socio-economic development. We are confident that the seeds that we have ploughed in music, will go a long way in motivating all of us, together, to do better going forward, create employment opportunities, and contribute to the countrys socio-economic development, he said. MTNs contribution to the growth of the music industry was commended by three ministers; Acting Minister of Information, Communication and Technology Manqoba Khumalo, Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs Moses Vilakati and Minister of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs Harries Madze Bulunga. All three ministers formed part of the panel discussions led by the MTN Acting Chief Executive Officer. Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs Moses Vilakati thanked MTN for the support in the BUSHFIRE Festival. Look at how it has grown and brought in people from afar and beyond and how it has stimulated emaSwati to become competitive both locally and internationally, he said. The minister said they would continue to explore ways to ensure that Eswatini talent goes to the world. Minister of Sports, Culture and Youth Harries Madze Bulunga said they appreciated the contribution of MTN Eswatini towards the development of music and arts in the Kingdom of Eswatini. We believe that other corporates will come on board to assist our young people. Once we have sufficient resources, the industry will thrive, he said. Conducive Bulunga said the ministry would continue looking at ways to make the environment conducive and put together all the legislation required for the music and arts industry to thrive. Acting Minister of ICT Manqoba Khumalo said the ministry would continue to invest in ICT infrastructure to enable all sectors of the economy to thrive, including music and arts. He also invited both upcoming artists and seasoned artists to make use of the Royal Science and Technology Park (RSTP) state of the art studio. We are also working on the Eswatini Broadcasting Bill 2019 to promote local content on both television and radio. The bill will require television and radio to play 40 per cent local content. About 60 per cent of the 40 per cent content will be expected to come from independent producers. This is meant to promote privately produced content, he said. The minister said they were also amending the Media Bill 2015 to make it relevant. The MTN and Music event dubbed, Sigci Setfu was inspired by the companys brand new campaign, Were Good Together. The purpose of the event is for MTN to come together with its partners and celebrate their joint contribution to the growth of the music industry in the Kingdom of Eswatini. London: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday called China's ruling Communist Party "the central threat of our times" that challenges Western principles. "The Chinese Communist Party presents the central threat of our times," Washington's top diplomat said at a joint appearance with Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. He added that Western allies must "ensure that the next century is governed by these Western democratic principles". Pompeo's remarks came as Washington presses Britain and other European states to exclude China's Huawei tech giant from their next-generation 5G mobile networks. Britain on Tuesday decided to allow Huawei to build "non-core" elements of 5G that do not handle sensitive personal data. It also capped Huawei's market share to 35 percent and promised to lower it in the future. Brussels adopted a similar policy for EU member states on Wednesday. US officials have warned that Washington might have to stop sharing intelligence with London if it included any elements of the Chinese company in its new network because of the security risk. But Pompeo appeared to walk back that threat on Thursday. The US-UK intelligence sharing "relationship is deep, it is strong, it will remain," Pompeo said. He added that he was "confident ... as we move forward together to make sure the next generation of technology is secure". Prasanta Mazumdar By Express News Service GUWAHATI: As many as 1,615 members of four factions of the insurgent group National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) in Assam laid down arms on Thursday, three days after their signing of historic third Bodo Accord with the Centre and Assam government. They deposited 178 assorted weapons, grenades, explosives, mortars etc before Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and senior officials of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Assams civil administration and police and security and intelligence agencies at a programme in Guwahati. As per the accord, the Centre and Assam government will give Rs.750 crore each over a period of three years for the development of Bodoland Territorial Region (earlier Bodoland Territorial Areas District), rehabilitate the rebels among others. Speaking at the programme, Sonowal expressed optimism that the NDFB members would help build the society and play a key role in bringing those still wielding the gun to the talks table. I believe those who have joined the mainstream will help us in bringing those who have not come (overground) as yet. We have to work as a Team Assam. The will power is needed. If we have it, we can achieve anything, Sonowal said pointing out Mahatma Gandhi had united the world population with his message of peace and non-violence. ALSO READ | In Assams BTAD, Bodos welcome accord with Centre but others fume He said he had received plenty of phone calls from people across countries and they congratulated him on the signing of a historic peace accord. He assured that all clauses in the agreement would be implemented by the government. We will bring in schemes by which every member of the NDFB can earn a living and lead a dignified life, he said. The CM congratulated Sarma on his role in solving some complex issues, one being the Bru issue, of the Northeast in recent past. Sarma categorically stated that rehabilitation of the former NDFB rebels would be a priority of the government. He appealed to Paresh Baruah faction of the insurgent group United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) to join the peace talks. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 Trend: Eleven students of Baku Higher Oil School (BHOS) will take two-month advanced training courses in Norway, France and Italy. These students are the winners of the project Masters programme on conveying technological knowledge to students studying in the oil, gas and petrochemical fields, implemented in the framework of the memorandum of cooperation signed between the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Italian oil & gas company TechnipFMC. Six of them - Javid Mammadli, Fidan Guliyeva, Javid Majidov, Nigar Jakhangirova, Faig Hajibalaev, Arzu Abdullaeva - are fifth-year students of the Chemical Engineering Department, and the remaining five - Ali Nuraliev, Aytach Khodayeva, Mirzakhan Aliyev, Halida Ahmedzade, Elgun Yusifov - are fifth-year students of the Petroleum Engineering Department. Rector of Baku Higher Oil School Elmar Gasimov met with these students and their parents. Congratulating the students, Elmar Gasimov said that a diploma is not enough to become a highly qualified specialist in the conditions of fierce competition in the labor market. In addition to specialized knowledge, a true professional should possess practical knowledge, second-language skills, as well as social and managerial skills. He must be responsible, disciplined and able to apply a creative approach. Additionally, a modern specialist must be able to track global trends, apply innovations and adapt to novelties. The rector also added that these courses, which will leave a special mark in the personal development of students, will also help them establish new contacts with their foreign colleagues. Elmar Gasimov urged the students to honorably represent Azerbaijan and Baku Higher Oil School in the countries where they will be studying. Speaking at the meeting, the students and their parents expressed gratitude for the attention and care shown to them. Company's technology and clinical progress detailed across more than 12 lectures/posters MENLO PARK, CA, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - FARAPULSE Inc. ("FARAPULSE" or "the Company") today provided highlights from the 2020 AF Symposium, which took place in Washington D.C., January 23 25, 2020. The Company and its non-thermal, tissue-selective Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA) technology featured centrally during the conference. The data shared during the symposium stemmed from the Company's extensive preclinical and clinical programs supporting a pivotal IDE trial initiation and CE Mark submission this year. Presentations centered around results from three centers and over 140 treated patients, including more than 50 safely beyond one year of follow-up and 90 who underwent reassessments to optimize treatment durability. Acute safety and effectiveness for 25 patients with persistent AF were demonstrated in the session for late breaking clinical trials. The Company's flagship catheter, FARAWAVE, and the first-ever focal PFA catheter (FARAFLEX) successfully achieved an expanded lesion strategy, underscoring the Company's technology platform. In other sessions, three recently published peer-reviewed manuscripts were discussed that document tissue selectivity of FARAPULSE's PFA technology at a cellular level and reinforce the mechanistic basis of its safety advantage over radiofrequency and cryoablation. "Last year, we were excited by the promises of PFA. This year is one of confirmation. Both the efficacy and the safety of sophisticated waveforms are significantly superior to the current standard of RF or cryo," said Dr. Pierre Jais of Bordeaux University Hospital (Bordeaux, France). "I witnessed the advent of pulmonary vein isolation for AF and feel equally privileged to embrace a new era in EP defined by PFA." "Certainly, the data presented at this year's AF Symposium reinforces Dr. Jais's assertion," said Dr. Vivek Reddy of Mount Sinai Hospital (NY). "The library of preclinical evidence supports our clinical experience in over 140 patients treated safely using the company's PFA-specific catheters. This system's optimization through prospective, invasive reassessment procedures is a central requirement to differentiate reversible from irreversible PFA. Our success with strategies beyond PV isolation reinforce this system's position as the ablation platform for the very near future." Posters and presentations about FARAPULSE PFA at the 2020 AF Symposium included: Pulsed Field Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation (Pre-recorded Clinical Case) Vivek Reddy , MD and Petr Neuzil , MD, PhD - Homolka Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic and Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY Current Status of Pulsed Field Ablation/Cardiac Electroporation for Pulmonary Vein Isolation: Safety and Efficacy Pierre Jais , MD Future Directions in Pulsed Field Ablation/Cardiac Electroporation: Linear Lesions and Persistent AF Vivek Reddy , MD Late Breaking Clinical Trials and First Report Clinical Investigations: First-in-human use of pulsed field ablation for persistent AF, including strategies beyond the pulmonary veins using both single-shot and focal PFA tools. Vivek Reddy , MD Best Abstract Award and Presentation: PFA vs. RF: Esophageal Effects in a Novel Preclinical Model Jacob Koruth , MD Product Theatre New Data and Insight into PVI Procedures First-Hand Insights and Case Footage Shared by Experts in Clinical PFA Co-chaired by Vivek Reddy , MD and Pierre Jais , MD Scientific Posters AFS2020-19 - Lesion Durability and Safety Outcomes of PFA in >100 PAF Patients - Reddy et al AFS2020-26 - Acute Experience with PFA for Typical Flutter - Anic et al AFS2020-37 - Lesion Visualization of PFA by MRI in an Expanded Series of PAF Patients - Jais et al AFS2020-39 - Ostial Dimensional Changes After PVI: PFA vs RFA Kuroki at al AFS2020-51 - PFA vs. RF: Esophageal Effects in a Novel Preclinical Model - Koruth et al AFS2020-54 - Do PFA Lesions Regress Over Time? - Kawamura et al About AF SYMPOSIUM This intensive, highly focused three-day symposium brings together the world's leading medical scientists to share in a highly interactive environment the most recent advances in the field of atrial fibrillation. About FARAPULSE Today, all forms of cardiac ablation to treat arrhythmias are thermal. And while both radiofrequency and cryo-ablation have evolved, they nonetheless carry an inherent risk of indiscriminate thermal damage. Tissue-selective FARAPULSE PFA has emerged to be one of the most promising energy sources for cardiac ablation, including pulmonary vein isolation. Combining speed with safety, FARAPULSE PFA makes durable lesions in micro-seconds while sparing non-target tissue. FARAPULSE is pioneering tissue-selective PFA therapy through its dedicated generator (FARASTAR), PVI-focused catheter (FARAWAVE), large-area focal catheter (FARAFLEX), precision focal catheter (FARAPOINT, in development) and a proprietary deflectable sheath (FARADRIVE). CAUTION-Investigational device. Limited by Federal (or United States) law to investigational use. Not Available for Sale. SOURCE FARAPULSE Inc. An Ontario father says he missed his 15-month-old daughter's first steps because she is stuck in the Chinese city at the centre of a new coronavirus outbreak. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/1/2020 (713 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Travelers wearing face masks stand in line at the check-in counters for Cathay Pacific at Shanghai Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020. China counted 170 deaths from a new virus Thursday and more countries reported infections, including some spread locally, as foreign evacuees from China's worst-hit region returned home to medical observation and even isolation. (AP Photo/Erika Kinetz) An Ontario father says he missed his 15-month-old daughter's first steps because she is stuck in the Chinese city at the centre of a new coronavirus outbreak. Richard Fabic is hoping to get the Canadian government's assistance so he can be reunited soon with his daughter, Chloe, he said in an interview Thursday from his home in Mississauga, Ont. 15-month-old Chloe Fabic is seen in this undated handout photo. An Ontario father says he missed his 15-month-old daughter's first steps because she is stuck in the Chinese city at the centre of a new coronavirus outbreak. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Richard Fabic *MANDATORY CREDIT* "We are very worried," he said. "Very concerned." Wuhan has essentially been sealed off from the outside world as China tries to contain the respiratory virus, which has the symptoms of a common cold, but can be deadly in severe cases. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a global emergency Thursday, which the UN health agency defines as an "extraordinary event" that constitutes a risk to other countries and requires a co-ordinated international response. Canada announced this week that it is preparing to send a plane to Wuhan to get Canadians out. The government says 196 Canadians have asked for help to leave, and it is seeking Chinese approval to have a chartered plane collect them. "Our consular staff in China, in Beijing but also right across the country, is fully engaged on this issue, responding to the concerns that Canadians and their families have about loved ones in areas affected by the coronavirus, which are expanding unfortunately rapidly," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at an appearance in Brampton, Ont., Thursday afternoon. "We will continue to do everything we can to support those families and secure their return to Canada and to do so in a way that is safe and doesn't enable or allow for even greater propagation of the virus." He said Canada is looking at World Health Organization guidelines and what other countries are doing as it determines whether and how Canadians returning from China might be quarantined. Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu said Ottawa still has no firm timeline for when the evacuation will take place, noting the situation is complicated. "We are flying a non-commercial flight into a new country that is under quarantine that has very strict protocols about where planes can land and what the protocols might be," Hajdu told reporters in Ottawa on Thursday. "And so that requires negotiations with the Chinese government, which Global Affairs Canada is conducting right now." Fabic is growing impatient. "We're a bit frustrated but also ... we're hopeful again that we will be able to see our daughter," he said. In December, Fabic's wife, Yunfei Li, accepted a job in Victoria and the family decided to move to British Columbia from Ontario, he said. Fabic, Li and Chloe all Canadian citizens and Chloe's grandparents, permanent Canadian residents, were to "be one big happy family" living in Victoria, he said. The couple decided to "divide and conquer." Fabic was going to pack up the Ontario home, while Li would find a place in Victoria. "But during this time period it's tough to take care of a 15-month-old baby as well and so my in-laws were planning to go to China anyway," he said. "We figured it would be a perfect time for Chloe to connect with the family that she had in China, celebrate the Chinese New Year and arrive in Victoria to a well-settled place." Fabic stayed behind while the rest of the family went to China at the beginning of December to settle Chloe in with her cousins. Li returned to Canada in the third week. About a week after that, word of the new virus surfaced, he said. "No one was concerned in the Wuhan area, so I didn't pay too much attention to it. I certainly kick myself now." Fabic said he realized that he needed to get Chloe and her grandparents out as the city was being sealed off. "We had organized a flight by the next day but the flights were already stopped." That's when he started contacting the Canadian government. "We're wanting to get a quick ,decisive plan of action so we at least know what that next step is." He's not the only one who wants to see his loved ones out. British expat Tom Williams and his Canadian wife, Lauren, have been asking for help to leave with their 2 1/2-year-old Canadian son James. Lauren is 35 weeks pregnant. They said Thursday they were at the Wuhan airport ready to fly to Britain on Friday morning. "We're really relieved," Williams said. "We have to get through quite a few security and health screenings first, but the British flight is due to take off at 5 a.m. Beijing time." The family was asked to arrive at the airport at least six hours before departure, he said. Williams and his family expect to be in quarantine in the United Kingdom for two weeks, but he said it could be longer. Chloe and her grandparents are in a condominium in Wuhan and follow the instructions given by the local government, Fabic said. They stay in as much as possible and when they need to go out to get groceries they wear masks and gloves and use sanitizer. He tries to talk to his daughter on the internet at least every other day, he said. He watched a video recording of her first steps. "She's just starting to walk," he said. "She walks around the room slowly." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2020. With files from The Associated Press. Note to readers: This is a corrected story. Earlier versions said the whole family went to China in early December, and gave the number of Canadians seeking help to leave as 156. Portland officials are negotiating with Lyft, the global ride-hailing and mobility company, to operate the citys Biketown rental fleet. But while Portland transportation staffers last year said they wanted to see a new fleet featuring hundreds of electric assist bikes hit city streets this spring or summer, theyre now walking back that timeline. We think completing a contract in 2020 is reasonable, Dylan Rivera, transportation bureau spokesman, said in an email this week, but we have no specific timeframe in mind. Portlands contact with Biketowns current operator, Motivate, ends in April. So why isnt Portland rushing to find a new on-demand bike rental company? Lyft owns Motivate, so city officials say they dont expect riders to notice any service disruption. Right now, were negotiating with our existing operator, so it stands to reason that extending would be relatively easy to do, Rivera said. Rivera said Portland believes its important to get the contract right, and he said that transportation officials are seeking a five-year agreement with a potential for a five-year extension. Taking a number of months to get it right seems like time well spent to get the best long-term deal for Portlanders, he said. The city in October opened the floodgates to companies interested in running the Biketown system, which will still be sponsored by Nike through at least 2021. Portland required at least half of the new fleet to be e-bikes, and it called for an expansion into all neighborhoods, including hilly Southwest Portland and neighborhoods east of 82nd Avenue. Last month, the city procurement division quietly disclosed it chose Lyft, the San Francisco-based company, over the lone other bidder. Social Bicycles, better known as the dockless bike and scooter company Jump, submitted the other bid. Uber, Lyfts chief competitor, owns Social Bicycles. If negotiations fall apart, the city can then begin discussions with Social Bicycles. Lyft declined to provide photos of the companys e-bikes, citing the ongoing contract discussions. We thank PBOT, Nike, and the City of Portland for their many years of partnership and are happy to be in discussions with the City of Portland about possibilities for the future of Biketown, a spokesman said in an email. Rivera said city staffers have test-ridden multiple e-bikes from potential vendors, but he declined to comment. -- Andrew Theen; atheen@oregonian.com; 503-294-4026; @andrewtheen Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. The CDC report said that, in fact, 83 people were evaluated at six area hospitals for effects of the chemical release. Fourteen were admitted, including eight who were placed in an intensive care unit, and all but one required endotracheal intubation, where a tube is placed into the windpipe through the mouth or nose along with mechanical ventilation, according to the CDC report. New Zealand said on Thursday it would charter an aircraft to assist its citizens wanting to leave Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in China, Trend with reference to Reuters reports. The aircraft will have capacity for around 300 passengers and will fly from Wuhan to New Zealand, New Zealands Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said in a statement. We are pleased to be have been able to offer this assistance to New Zealanders in a challenging situation, Peters said. New Zealand will be offering any additional seats to Pacific Island and Australian citizens as a matter of priority, he said, adding that the government was working to have the aircraft depart as soon as possible. Consular teams will work with health officials to ensure the risks of transmission of the coronavirus to New Zealand are carefully managed throughout the evacuation process, the statement said. The total number of confirmed deaths from the coronavirus in China rose on Thursday by 38 to 170, as the number of infected patients globally rose to 7,815. Although most cases identified remain in China, more than a dozen other countries have so far reported cases. Peters said officials are currently developing procedures for pre-departure health screening of passengers, infection control inflight, and isolation of all passengers arriving in New Zealand for up to two weeks. Australia said on Wednesday that it will help some citizens leave Hubei province in China, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, and quarantine them on Christmas Island, and would also be working to help New Zealand and Pacific island citizens in Hubei. CANYON, Texas, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Panhandle Plains Higher Education Authority, Inc. (the "Authority") will enter into negotiations with one or more institutional holders of the Bonds soliciting their consent to an early redemption of the Bonds. Following such negotiations, the Authority may launch a formal solicitation for the majority consent necessary to approve the required amendment to the indenture securing the Bonds. Any formal solicitation will only be made in accordance with the terms and conditions of a Consent Solicitation Statement which will be forwarded to the Bondholders. There can be no assurance that the Authority would reach an understanding with the institutional holders(s) or that the Bonds ultimately would be retired. Re: Panhandle-Plains Higher Education Authority, Inc. Student Loan Revenue Bonds, Series 2010-2 (Taxable LIBOR Floating Rate Bonds) (the "Bonds") Series 2010-2 CUSIP 698475 AM2 Contact: Tom Long [email protected] SOURCE Panhandle Plains Higher Education Authority, Inc. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alianza Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: ANZ OTC: TARSF) (Alianza or the Company) is pleased to report that it has arranged a financing of $250,000 to further advance its projects in BC, Yukon, Nevada and Peru. The financing is comprised of 5 million units at 5 cents per unit. Alianza has three very active projects in Yukon and Nevada, two of which are funded by by partners Coeur Mining and Hochschild Mining. Hochschild will fund drilling at the Horsethief gold project in south-eastern Nevada this spring. Jason Weber, President and CEO of Alianza, noted that this year we are building off of a very successful 2019, where we delivered on our key projects. We made a new silver-bearing vein discovery at Haldane in Yukons famous Keno Hill Silver District. And together with our partner Hochschild Mining, we defined targets for our spring drill program at Horsethief to test this sediment-hosted gold target and its potential to host Long Canyon-style gold mineralization. With Coeur advancing our Tim Project, just 12 km north of their Silvertip Mine and exploration of some of our earlier-stage projects, we anticipate another very busy year for Alianza with plenty of opportunity for positive results to deliver to investors. Financing Terms 5,000,000 Units Each Unit is comprised of one common share and one common share purchase warrant at $0.05 per unit. The warrant is valid for three years from the date of closing of the offering and is exercisable at $0.10 to acquire one common share. Finders fees of 7.5% in cash and 7.5% in finders warrants will be paid to eligible parties. Members of Alianzas board of directors and management team may be participating in this offering. All securities are subject to a four-month hold from the date of closing. About Alianza Minerals Ltd. Alianza employs a hybrid business model of joint venture funding and self-funded exploration to maximize opportunity for exploration success. The Company currently has gold, silver and base metal projects in Yukon Territory, British Columbia, Nevada and Peru. Alianza currently has three projects optioned/leased out in Nevada and Yukon Territory, and is actively exploring on two others. Alianzas current partners include Hochshild Mining PLC (LON: HOC) and Coeur Mining, Inc. (NYSE: CDE). The Company has 82.4 million shares issued and outstanding and is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol ANZ and trades on the OTC market in the US under the symbol TARSF. Mr. Jason Weber, P.Geo., President and CEO of Alianza Minerals Ltd. is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Weber supervised the preparation of the technical information contained in this release. For further information, contact: Jason Weber, President and CEO Sandrine Lam, Shareholder Communications Tel: (604) 687-3520 Fax: (888) 889-4874 Renmark Financial Communications Inc. Melanie Barbeau mbarbeau@renmarkfinancial.com Tel: (416) 644-2020 or (514) 939-3989 www.renmarkfinancial.com To learn more visit: www.alianzaminerals.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. STATEMENTS IN THIS NEWS RELEASE, OTHER THAN PURELY HISTORICAL INFORMATION, INCLUDING STATEMENTS RELATING TO THE COMPANY'S FUTURE PLANS AND OBJECTIVES OR EXPECTED RESULTS, MAY INCLUDE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS ARE BASED ON NUMEROUS ASSUMPTIONS AND ARE SUBJECT TO ALL OF THE RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES INHERENT IN RESOURCE EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT. AS A RESULT, ACTUAL RESULTS MAY VARY MATERIALLY FROM THOSE DESCRIBED IN THE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. BERGEN, Norway , Jan. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION OR RELEASE, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES, OR IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, THE HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, SOUTH AFRICA OR JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE DISTRIBUTION OR RELEASE WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. OTHER RESTRICTIONS ARE APPLICABLE. PLEASE SEE THE IMPORTANT NOTICE AT THE END OF THE PRESS RELEASE Reference is made to the stock exchange announcement by BerGenBio ASA (OSE: BGBIO) ("BerGenBio" or the "Company") on 29 January 2020 regarding a contemplated private placement of new shares in the Company (the "Private Placement"). The Company is pleased to announce that the Private Placement has been successfully placed, raising gross proceeds of NOK 219,875,724 through the allocation of 12,215,318 new shares (the "Offer Shares") at a subscription price of NOK 18.00 per share (the "Subscription Price"). The Private Placement, that was over subscribed, took place through an accelerated book building process after close of market on 29 January 2020. Arctic Securities AS and Carnegie AS acted as Joint Bookrunners and H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC acted as Financial Advisor (together the "Managers") in connection with the Private Placement. The Private Placement attracted strong interest from existing shareholders and new institutional investors. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Private Placement to continue advancing its clinical trial programs with its lead candidate bemcentinib in patients with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) and Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), manufacturing scale-up of bemcentinib, biomarker and companion diagnostic development, and phase 1b development of tilvestamab (formerly BGB149), as well as for general corporate purposes. The completion of the Private Placement by delivery of Offer Shares to the applicants will be divided in two tranches. Applicants have been allocated Offer Shares in Tranche 1 and 2 on a pro-rata basis based on their overall allocation in the Private Placement, with the exception of Meteva AS which has agreed that Offer Shares allocated to it shall be delivered solely in Tranche 2. Tranche 1 consists of 5,475,136 Offer Shares ("Tranche 1") and the issuance of the Offer Shares in Tranche 1 was resolved by the Company's board of directors at a board meeting held on 29 January 2020, based on the authorization granted to the board of directors at the Company's annual general meeting held on 13 March 2019. Tranche 2 consists of 6,740,182 Offer Shares ("Tranche 2") and is subject to approval by the extraordinary general meeting of the Company to be held on 20 February 2020 (the "EGM") and the placement agreement entered into between the Company and the Managers not being terminated by the Managers in accordance with the terms thereof. The board of directors has resolved to summon an extraordinary general meeting to be held on 20 February 2020. If Tranche 2 is not completed (e.g. due to non-approval by the EGM), applicants will not be delivered Offer Shares in Tranche 2 and the Company will hence not receive the proceeds from Tranche 2. Notification of allocation of the Offer Shares and payment instructions is expected to be sent to the applicants through a notification from the Managers on 30 January 2020. The Offer Shares in Tranche 1 will be settled with existing and unencumbered shares in the Company that are already listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange, pursuant to a share lending agreement between Meteva AS as lender, Arctic Securites AS (on behalf of the Managers) and the Company in order to facilitate delivery of listed shares in the Company to investors delivery versus payment on a T+2 basis. The shares in the Company delivered to the subscribers in Tranche 1 will thus be tradable immediately after delivery to the subscribers. Arctic Securities AS will settle the share loan with the Offer Shares in Tranche 1 once such shares are issued. Following registration of the new share capital in the Company and issuance of the Offer Shares in Tranche 1 with the Norwegian Register of Business Enterprises, which is expected to take place on or about 5 February 2020, the Company will have an issued share capital of NOK 6,655,172.60 divided into 66,551,726 shares, each with a par value of NOK 0.10. The Offer Shares in Tranche 2 will be settled after the extraordinary general meeting with existing and unencumbered shares in the Company that are already listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange, pursuant to a share lending agreement between Meteva AS as lender, Arctic Securites AS (on behalf of the Managers) and the Company in order to facilitate delivery of listed shares in the Company to investors on a delivery versus payment T+2 basis. The shares in the Company delivered to the subscribers in Tranche 2 will thus be tradable immediately after delivery to the subscribers. Arctic Securities AS will settle the share loan with the Offer Shares in Tranche 2 once such shares are issued. The Offer Shares re-delivered to Meteva AS in Tranche 2 will be issued on a separate ISIN and will not be tradable on Oslo Brs until a listing prospectus has been approved by the Norwegian Financial Supervisory Authority, expected late February 2020. Following registration of the new share capital in the Company and the issuance of the Offer Shares in Tranche 2 with the Norwegian Register of Business Enterprises, which is expected to take place on or about 27 February 2020, the Company will have an issued share capital of NOK 7,329,190.80 divided into 73,291,908 shares, each with a par value of NOK 0.10. The following primary insiders have been allocated Offer Shares in the Private Placement at a subscription price equal to the Subscription Price (with new holding of shares in the Company in brackets): Meteva AS 3,291,750 (19,750,500) Gnist Holding AS (Richard Godfrey) 5,556 (221,005) Completion of the Private Placement implies a deviation from the existing shareholders' pre-emptive rights to subscribe for and be allocated new shares. The board of directors of the Company has carefully considered such deviation and has resolved that the Private Placement is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders. In reaching this conclusion the board of directors has inter alia considered the implications of an underwritten rights issue given the volatility and negative development in the Company's share price, alternative financing sources, the dilutive effect of the share issue, the Company's need for additional liquidity and Subscription Price. Subject to prevailing market price of the Company's shares being higher than the Subscription Price in a period determined by the board of directors in its sole discretion, the Company will carry out a subsequent offering of up to 1,500,000 new shares towards shareholders in the Company as of 29 January 2020 (as registered in the Norwegian Central Securities Depository ("VPS") on 31 January 2020), who (i) were not allocated shares in the Private Placement, and (ii) are not resident in a jurisdiction where such offering would be unlawful, or would in jurisdictions other than Norway require any prospectus filing, registration or similar action. If carried out, the subscription price in the subsequent offering will be the same as in the Private Placement and be conditional upon approval by the extraordinary general meeting of the Company to be held on 20 February 2020 and the approval of a listing and offering prospectus by the Norwegian Financial Supervisory Authority. Advokatfirmaet Thommessen AS acts as legal advisor to the Company in connection with the Private Placement. White & Case LLP and Advokatfirmaet BAHR AS are acting as legal advisors to the Managers in connection with the Private Placement. For further information, please contact: Richard Godfrey, CEO [email protected] +47 917 86 304 Rune Skeie, CFO [email protected] +47 917 86 513 About BerGenBio ASA BerGenBio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing transformative drugs targeting AXL as a potential cornerstone of therapy for aggressive diseases, including immune-evasive, therapy resistant cancers. The company's proprietary lead candidate, bemcentinib, is a potentially first-in-class selective AXL inhibitor in a broad phase II oncology clinical development programme focused on combination and single agent therapy in lung cancer and leukaemia. A first-in-class functional blocking AXL antibody, tilvestamab (BGB149), and an AXL-ADC (ADCT-601) are undergoing phase I clinical testing. In parallel, BerGenBio is developing a companion diagnostic test to identify those patient populations most likely to benefit from bemcentinib: this is expected to facilitate more efficient registration trials supporting a precision medicine-based commercialisation strategy. BerGenBio is based in Bergen, Norway with a subsidiary in Oxford, UK. The company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (ticker: BGBIO). www.bergenbio.com *** - IMPORTANT INFORMATION - This document is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of offers to purchase or subscribe for shares. Copies of this document may not be sent to jurisdictions, or distributed in or sent from jurisdictions, in which this is barred or prohibited by law. The information contained herein shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation would be unlawful prior to registration, exemption from registration or qualification under the securities laws of any jurisdiction. This communication may not be published, distributed or transmitted in or into the United States, Canada, Australia, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, South Africa or Japan and it does not constitute an offer or invitation to subscribe for or purchase any securities in such countries or in any other jurisdiction. In particular, the document and the information contained herein should not be distributed or otherwise transmitted into the United States of America or to U.S. persons (as defined in the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act")) or to publications with a general circulation in the United States of America. This document is not an offer for sale of securities in the United States. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act, or the laws of any state, and may not be offered or sold in the United States of America absent registration under or an exemption from registration under Securities Act. BerGenBio does not intend to register any part of the offering in the United States. There will be no public offering of the securities in the United States of America. The information contained herein does not constitute an offer of securities to the public in the United Kingdom. No prospectus offering securities to the public will be published in the United Kingdom. This document is only being distributed to and is only directed at (i) persons who are outside the United Kingdom or (ii) to investment professionals falling within article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "Order") or (iii) high net worth entities, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling within article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as "relevant persons"). The securities are only available to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or otherwise acquire such securities will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents. In any EEA Member State, this communication is only addressed to and is only directed at qualified investors in that Member State within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation, i.e., only to investors who can receive the offer without an approved prospectus in such EEA Member State. The expression "Prospectus Regulation" means Regulation 2017/1129 as amended together with any applicable implementing measures in any Member State. Investing in securities involves certain risks. This publication may contain specific forward-looking statements, e.g. statements including terms like "believe", "assume", "expect", "forecast", "project", "may", "could", "might", "will" or similar expressions. Such forward -looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may result in a substantial divergence between the actual results, financial situation, development or performance of BerGenBio and those explicitly or implicitly presumed in these statements. Against the background of these uncertainties, readers should not rely on forward-looking statements. BerGenBio assumes no responsibility to update forward -looking statements or to adapt them to future events or developments. This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5 -12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. FCA/ICMA Stabilisation MiFID II professionals/ECPs-only - Manufacturer target market (MIFID II product governance) is eligible counterparties and professional clients only (all distribution channels). This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/bergenbio-asa/r/bergenbio-asa---private-placement-successfully-placed,c3023187 The following files are available for download: SOURCE BerGenBio ASA SOURCE BerGenBio ASA On This Day The Day Author and Traveler Somerset Maugham Revisited Myanmar British writer William Somerset Maugham Yangon On this day 60 years ago, the famous British writer William Somerset Maugham paid his second visit to Myanmar (then Burma), nearly 30 years after he published a travelogue about his adventures in the country. He stayed at the Strand Hotel Yangon (then Rangoon) and met writers and journalists at the luxury hotel, which opened in 1901. The 86-year-old said he had no particular reason for visiting the country. He recounted his travels in 1923 when he journeyed from Yangon to Haiphong in Vietnam, first by river to Mandalay, then on horseback through mountains and forests in Shan State to Thailand and onwards by sea. The book The Gentleman in the Parlour details his journey. The Burmese translations of his works Of Human Bondage, The Moon and Sixpence and his short stories were reprinted several times in Myanmar. The Moon and Sixpence, based on the life of the celebrated painter Paul Gauguin, was welcomed by painters in Myanmar under the military dictator U Ne Win, who discouraged modernism. The film Rain: The Story of Sadie Thompson by Maugham was also a box-office hit in Myanmar. Five years after his visit to Myanmar, the writer died in France. The Election Commission issued a show cause notice to BJP national general secretary Arun Singh for prima facie violating a provision of the model code relating to making unverified allegations against rival parties and candidates. The commission has asked him to respond to the notice before noon of January 31. The EC responded to a complaint lodged by the Congress which has alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party issued advertisements in the print media making false, baseless and unsubstantiated allegations against it. "...The commission is prima facie of the view that by the said advertisement the Bhartiya Janata Party has violated...provision of the model code of conduct," the notice said. The EC also cautioned the BJP against publishing the advertisement till the time a decision is taken on the issue. "Commission, considering the gravity of the case, hereby directs that the advertisement in question shall not be repeated till such a time a decision is taken," it said. The notice has quoted the advertisement as saying that "15 saal Congress ki loot" (15 years of Congress' loot). New Delhi: No shot would have been fired and no one injured had the police shown some urgency, instead of standing around leisurely, when a 17-year-old boy began brandishing a gun and threatening to shoot protesters outside Jamia Millia Islamia Thursday afternoon, said eyewitnesses. The police inaction has drawn sharp and widespread criticism on social media. A video of the incident showed that nearly a dozen policemen stood just a few metres away from the attacker, but no one made a move for about 10 seconds. By the time one of them did approach the attacker, the suspect had already shot and injured Shadab Farooq, a 22-year-old first year MA student of Jamia Millia Islamia. Videos also showed an injured and bleeding Farooq climbing over the police barricades to reach the hospital. Police did not even care to remove the barricades to let Farooq get medical help. He had to climb the barricades using his bleeding arm for support, Farooqs friend and varsity student, Midhat Samrah, said. Mohammad Anas, a Jamia alumnus and eyewitness, said he saw a group of policemen standing back leisurely while the attacker, pointing his gun at protesters, started yelling. The policemen were just 10-15 metres from him when the shot was fired. Some of them were standing with their arms crossed. Even the policeman walking towards the attacker moved so slowly, Anas said. Praveer Ranjan, special commissioner of police (crime branch), who will be heading the probe, said the police hardly had any time to react since the attack happened quickly. He said the problem was compounded by the fact that the attacker emerged from among the protesters. Initially, the police thought that he was one of the protesters. The policemen were facing the students. Had they fired in the attackers direction and missed, there was a real danger of some student getting hit, Ranjan said. When Ranjan was told about the video that showed policemen standing inert for several seconds, Ranjan said personnel couldnt understand the situation for several seconds as camera-wielding journalists were moving parallel to the attacker. We thought he was one among the protesters. When we realised what was happening, we immediately disarmed him and arrested him. It took fewer than 30 seconds, so there wasnt any delay really, Ranjan said. On Thursday evening, a statement released by the police said barricades couldnt be immediately removed to make way for Farooq since they were tied to each other to block the marchers. Ranjan said, It was a chaotic situation there, but every attempt was made by the police to move him (Farooq) quickly to the hospital. Chinmoy Biswal, deputy commissioner of police (south-east district), told the BBC that the policemen have been maintaining a distance from Jamia protesters since mid-December as they would turn aggressive whenever the police got close to them. We werent standing close to them because of the nature of protesters, Biswal said, while putting the onus of safety on protesters. The large gathering of protesters must also keep a watch on miscreants who can misuse the crowd, Biswal said. A global slump in oil prices and 'challenging' economic conditions have led to a slump in Royal Dutch Shell's profits during the final quarter of last year. The Anglo-Dutch group, which is aiming to halve is carbon emissions by 2050, saw its final quarter profits nearly slashed in half, prompting it to slow down, but not axe, its bumper $25billion share buyback scheme. The oil and gas giant's full-year earnings dropped 23 per cent to just under $16.5billion, or 12.7billion, its latest results show. Worse than expected: A global slump in oil prices and 'challenging' economic conditions have led to a slump in Royal Dutch Shell's profits In the three months to December, Shell's net income fell by 48 per cent to $2.9billion, or 2.3billion, on a current cost of supply basis and adjusted for exceptional items. The results were worse than analysts had been expecting and triggered the group's share price to fall 4 per cent to 20.52, marking the lowest price they have reached in two and half years. Lower oil prices were expected to hit the results and Shell had also already warned last month that annual figures would be hit by an impairment of up to $2.3billion, or 1.8billion, for the year. Analysts had been expecting the figure to be closer to the $3.2billion mark. Shell's boss, Ben van Beurden, said the group faced 'challenging macroeconomic conditions' across its petroleum refining and chemicals arms, 'as well as lower oil and gas prices' last year. The world is awash with crude and natural gas and prices will likely be a headwind for some time - Neil Wilson, Markets.com Last year, the benchmark price for a barrel of cruse oil was around $64.36, down from around $71 a year earlier. The average price of gas fell to $2.59 per million british thermal units last year, down from $3.13/mmbtu a year earlier. Amid dwindling oil and gas prices and 'challenging' macro-economic conditions, the group's vast share buyback scheme will continue, but the pace of payouts to investors will slow down, Shell's boss confirmed today. The timing of payouts will also depend on how the group is faring with its debt levels. The buyback scheme was originally due to come to an end by the end of the year. While acknowledging the company faces challenges, in a video to investors, van Beurden said he was committed to transforming Shell into a 'simple company that can deliver high returns.' Results: Earnings per share fell 30 per cent from $2.82 to $1.97 Shell over time: Key figures in Shell's financial history since 2010 Cash flow across all Shell's operations fell 21 per cent to $42.1billion over the course of the year, dropping 53 per cent in the final quarter. Earnings per share fell 30 per cent from $2.82 to $1.97. The group booked a $1.6billion, or 1.2billion hit for unconventional gas assets in the US, as well as a host of other charges. Other major oil companies, namely Chevron, BP, Repsol and Equinor have all written off billions of dollars due to a slump in US shale prices. Neil Wilson, an analyst at Markets.com, said: 'Following its profit warning last month, Shell has again missed the mark with full-year profits short of expectations.' 'Shell is suffering from persistently weak oil and gas prices. The world is awash with crude and natural gas and prices will likely be a headwind for some time. The demand side has yet to really recover.' 'The coronavirus is not helping and could materially reduce average prices this year. Assuming Brent picks up to $71 looks like a case of hope over expectation. ESG concerns are a structural headwind to the shares that you feel will only get stronger.' Stuart Lamont, investment manager at Brewin Dolphin added: 'Investors in Royal Dutch Shell were braced for bad news today and the company's results are largely worse than expected against a highly challenging macro-economic backdrop. 'The good news, however, is the continuation of the share buyback programme a cautionary note in the last management statement had shareholders worried it would be slowed. This news will likely be met positively by investors and provide some comfort against Royal Dutch Shell's fall in profits.' Meanwhile, Russ Mould, investor director at AJ Bell, said: 'The good news from Shells results is that free cash flow covered the full-year dividend of $15.9 billion by 1.8 times, enough to reassure income-hungry shareholders that the $1.88-a-share dividend (around 145p) looks safe, to give a dividend yield of more than 7%. 'An additional 7.5 billion in share buybacks boosts the total cash return to around 12% of the current market cap. 'The bad news is that cash flow did not cover the fourth-quarter dividend at all. In Q4, free cash flow fell to its lowest level since Q2 2016, as oil and gas prices sagged, and net debt jumped by $28 billion across 2019 as a whole, so the buyback largesse was really funded by borrowing, not internally generated funds.' Former justice minister Dolores Delgado. Kike Para The Spanish governments proposal to appoint Dolores Delgado as the new prosecutor general has been met with concern by several legal associations, which see it as an attempt by the newly confirmed prime minister, Pedro Sanchez of the Socialist Party (PSOE), to keep public prosecutors in check. But the nomination was applauded by progressive associations, which do not see any problem with the fact that Delgado served as justice minister under Sanchez until last Friday, when she was replaced as part of the prime ministers new Cabinet appointments. There is only one precedent in Spains modern democratic history of a former minister transitioning directly to prosecutor general: Javier Moscoso in 1986, under the PSOE administration of Felipe Gonzalez. Political interference The largest of the prosecutors associations, the conservative Asociacion de Fiscales, said that the nomination is proof that the executive wants to subjugate the public prosecution services. Cristina Dexeus, president of the association, said she was astounded by a decision that confuses citizens because it makes it look like there is political interference. The designation destroys all appearances of impartiality Jorge Fernandez Vaquero, AJFV In a release, this group expressed unease and concern at the image of politicization and lack of independence and impartiality that is being conveyed by placing a person who has been the justice minister until just a few hours ago at the top of the prosecution services. And the judges association Asociacion de Jueces Francisco de Vitoria (AJFV) called the decision unprecedented and detrimental. The groups spokesperson, Jorge Fernandez Vaquero, said the designation destroys all appearances of impartiality in any future decisions made by the Spanish prosecution services. Almost any initiative of relevance in the serious matters that lie in the immediate political future will come under question because of the inevitable shadow of partiality, he warned, alluding to pending legal issues in connection with the 2017 failed secession attempt by Catalan separatists. But Delgados ties to the Sanchez administration do not represent an obstacle to the judges association Juezas y Jueces para la Democracia. Its spokesperson, Ignacio Gonzalez Vega, underscored Delgados long career as a prosecutor herself, and said everyone should wait and see how she acts in her new position before reaching any conclusions. And the progressive prosecutors association Union Progresista de Fiscales (UPF) which Delgado has belonged to said its members are convinced that she will act in the best interests of justice and with complete independence. Catalonia and Franco Delgado initially joined Sanchezs team in June 2018, when the latter reached power through a no-confidence vote against Mariano Rajoy of the Popular Party (PP). She was an independent at the time of her appointment, but has held a seat in Congress as a PSOE representative since May of last year. Delgado will act in the best interests of justice and with complete independence, according to the prosecutor association UPF While Delgado was justice minister, the Solicitor Generals Office, which represents the state in the courts and answers to the Justice Ministry, clashed with the prosecutors involved in the Supreme Court case against 12 leaders of the breakaway bid. While the public prosecutors under then-Prosecutor General Maria Jose Segarra charged the defendants with rebellion, the Solicitor General brought lesser charges of sedition. The issue of Catalonia will continue to rank high on the new executives agenda after Sanchez committed to talks between the central and Catalan governments to discuss the political conflict in the northeastern region. This pledge secured endorsement for his investiture bid by the Catalan Republican Left (ERC), a separatist party whose leader Oriol Junqueras was tried and convicted of sedition by the Supreme Court last year. The political fate of Junqueras and two other secessionist leaders, Carles Puigdemont and Toni Comin, have been the subject of a prolonged legal wrangle that has taken on an international dimension after the Court of Justice of the European Union issued a decision that has enabled the latter two to take up seats in the EU Parliament. Besides the Catalan separatists trial, another issue that attracted heavy media attention during Delgados time at the Justice Ministry was the exhumation of the body of Francisco Franco from the Valley of the Fallen, where Delgado acted as a notary for the state to certify the transfer of the late dictators remains. English version by Susana Urra. Coronavirus wont affect lobster industry for long, says Nova Scotias fisheries minister by Bill Spurr January 30,2020 | Source: The Chronicle Herald Canada's Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Keith Colwell said the decreased demand for live lobster in China because of the coronavirus will cause only a minor blip for the industry in Nova Scotia. We have processors in place that can process the lobster, we have adequate freezing capacity, the minister said Wednesday. We have a standard for lobster holding facilities, a very high standard, the only one in the world like it. People that have those can hold a lobster for a long period of time, and the lobster is just the same as when it came out of the water. Surrounded by puns involving the words claw, crawl and shellabration, Colwell was taking part in an event at the House to declare Feb. 28 Nova Scotia Lobster Day. I really feel bad for the people in China, weve made a lot of friends in China and I hope theyre all well. I think its positive the Chinese have taken the course they have to make sure the virus doesnt spread to other parts of the world. I commend them for that, he said. This will be on a temporary basis, because its not about our lobster quality, its not about them not wanting it, its just quarantines that they have in place so we cant ship anything in. And not only us, its everything thats going into the country. Until things get back to normal in China, Colwell said his department is suggesting to the industry a contingency plan of processing more lobster instead of exporting it live. Were working with the industry, as we always do, he said. One of the operations has some mothballed equipment theyre going to put back in use to process lobster. Once its processed, they can hold it for an extended period of time. The markets there for it. We have the market, have it in place, just cant ship it. Processed lobsters are worth more than live ones, the minister said, pointing out that the provinces entire fishing industry was worth $2.3 billion in exports last year, and crediting very aggressive marketing all over the world with the popularity of lobster. SaltWire Network 2020 Theme(s): Others. A Delhi court on Thursday sentenced two men to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for brutally raping a five-year-old girl and abandoning her in a house believing she was dead in Gandhi Nagar in 2013, just four months after the Nirbhaya incident. The court said it took into consideration the young age and economic background of the convicts Manoj Shah, 30, and Pradeep Kumar, 25 but, in the interest of justice, it deemed it appropriate to sentence them to 20 years rigorous imprisonment for the offence punishable under section 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the POCSO Act. On April 15, 2013, the convicts had shoved objects in the victim's private parts and leaving her in a house believing she was dead. The child was rescued 40 hours later on April 17 and had to undergo multiple surgeries at AIIMS hospital in Delhi. Coming after the Nirbhaya case another gruesome gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old paramedic student it had triggered a massive outrage as outraged students and women staged demonstrations at the India Gate, police headquarters and near the residences of then prime minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Additional Sessions Judge Naresh Kumar Malhotra granted a compensation of Rs 11 lakh to the victim, to be paid by the Delhi Legal Services Authority, out of which Rs 2 lakh is to be released to her immediately. "I am of the view that the injuries suffered by the victim cannot be quantified in monetary terms. Taking into consideration the mental pressure or harassment which victim has suffered and her economic status, and that she was raped repeatedly and left to die, I deem it appropriate to grant a final compensation to the tune of Rs 11 lakh," he said in the order. He also imposed a fine of Rs 31,500 on each of the two convicts. But senior advocate HS Phoolka, counsel of Bachpan Bachao Andolan, who represented the girl, said he will appeal against the order in the high court to seek life imprisonment for the convicts. "We will move to high court demanding life imprisonment for the remainder of life and a higher compensation to the survivor," he told PTI. The nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi-led Bachpan Bachao Andolan expressed disappointment over the verdict, saying the convicts deserved to be in jail till death. The BBA said the judge has shown leniency which has not done justice to the victim. "BBA is deeply disappointed by Karkardooma POCSO court's sentence in the gang-rape case which was pivotal in bringing about change in child protection laws and which shook the conscience of the society," it said in a statement. The additional public prosecutor, appearing for police, too had told the court during the hearing that the convicts do not deserve any leniency as the crime was of the most heinous nature. Phoolka said one of the convicts stalled the trial for three years by falsely claiming he was a minor at the time of the incident. "After their conviction, one of the convicts even slapped a journalist. There was no remorse in his conduct. They should not be given any chance for reformation," he said. Advocate R S Juneja, appearing for the convict Shah, however said strict punishment is not a deterrent to the crime against children. "After having stricter punishment, the crime against children has increased. After the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case, this incident happened." To this, the public prosecutor said crimes have not increased, rather registration of crimes have increased due to stricter punishment. On January 18, the court convicted Shah and Kumar under sections 363 (kidnapping), 342 (wrongful confinement), 201 (disappearance of evidence), 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 376 (2) (gang rape), 377 (unnatural offence) and 34 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the POCSO Act. In an over 100-page judgment, the court said: "In our society, minor girls are worshipped as a goddess on certain occasions, but in the present case, the victim child, who was aged about five years at the time of the incident, had experienced exceptional depravity and extreme brutality." "The crime against the victim was committed in a most grotesque and revolting manner and the collective conscience of the community was shaken," it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 16:16:56|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close SEOUL, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- New Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming vowed on Thursday efforts for a greater development of relations between the two countries. Xing made the remarks upon his arrival at the Incheon International Airport, west of the capital Seoul. His predecessor Qiu Guohong left South Korea late last month after about six years of service. The new Chinese ambassador said the current China-South Korea relations have been developing very well and facing a significant opportunity to ensure the further development. Xing pledged efforts for the greater development of the China-South Korea relations together with the Chinese embassy in Seoul and all walks of life in South Korea. Japan stepping in to address boat access at Choiseul Fishing Port by KINGSLEY EMANUEL January 30,2020 | Source: Loop The problems fishers of Choiseul are facing at their fishing port will soon be given some much-needed attention by the Government of Japan, through the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA). Since the construction of the Choiseul Fishing Port close to 20 years ago, through a grant from the Government of Japan, fisheries of the community have been experiencing problems getting their fishing vessels into it due to the build up of silt at its entrance. Over the years, they have been making a clarion call to the government to address the problem. Yesterday, Tuesday, January 29, 2020, a presentation by representatives of JICA on how the problem will be addressed was made to fisheries of the community and the Choiseul Fishermen Co-operative Society. The solution to the problem was devised after the competition of a data collection survey by JICA. In his address to the gathering, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Natural Resources and Co-operatives, Ezechiel Joseph, said he is happy that the Government of Japan has taken the initiative to assist the fishers of Choiseul, adding that it was necessary. He said when the United Workers Party (UWP) assumed office in 2006, it had to find the resources to desilt the facility which was a major challenge. The activity which we undertook to correct the problem could not be sustained because it was very costly. We have tried a number of short- term measures but they were not working, the minister said. Joseph added: Among all the fishing ports which the Government of Japan has built in Saint Lucia, the Choiseul Fishing Port has the most challenges. According to the minister, it will take about a year and a half before we see the construction work at the pond taking place, so in the interim, there will be short term measures in place to deal with the problem. In an interview with Loop News, Minister of Commerce Bradly Felix, who is also the parliamentary representative of the community, thanked the Government of Japan for the assistance it has granted to the fishers of the community. He said the solution to the problem will be tackled on both a short term and long term basis. According to Felix, the fishers will be excited about the initiative, adding that apart from making the pond more accessible to their boats, it will also enhance economic activity in the community. 2017 BY TREND MEDIA | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Theme(s): Others. B ritons stranded in the Chinese city worst hit by the coronavirus face uncertainty over coming home after the Foreign Office confirmed no evacuation will take place today. The coronavirus has infected nearly 8,000 people while the death toll has risen to 170. The US and Japan have evacuated hundreds of their nationals from in and around the city og Wuhan, where the killer virus is thought to have originated and most of the fatalities have occurred. UK diplomats are still negotiating with Chinese authorities over a flight to evacuate British nationals stuck in the area, with millions of residents in China on lockdown, after a flight hoped to have left today postponed. Members of the Thai Airways crew prepare themselves before disinfecting the cabin of an aircraft of the national carrier during a procedure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport / REUTERS Nick Gibb, the School Standards Minister, told Sky News: There are some difficult issues that are being negotiated at very senior levels between the British Government and the Chinese Government. Our priority is to ensure the safety and welfare of British nationals in Wuhan and ensure they do return to the UK as soon as possible. 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 On being asked whether Brits who show symptoms could be left there, Mr Gibb said: "We want those British nationals home as well but we have to make sure that we are cooperating internationally with preventing the spread of this virus and the Chinese authorities are taking this issue very seriously." "My understanding is that if people are infected then they won't be able to leave Wuhan," he added. Ambulances line up ahead of the arrival of an airplane carrying Japanese citizens repatriated from Wuhan amidst the coronavirus outbreak / Getty Images Mr Gibb said he understood that the RAF would crew the plane and the plan was for them to be taken to an NHS facility on their return. Here, they would be kept for 14 days to make sure that they do not have symptoms of the virus, he said. It (the flight) is certainly coming to a military base in the UK and then the British nationals will go to the NHS facility for 14 days of quarantine, he said without specifying exactly where the passengers would be taken. Nick Gibb says Brits with signs of coronavirus infection could be left In Wuhan A Foreign Office spokeswoman said the government was doing all in its power to evacuate Brits wishing to leave. She said: "We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK. "A number of countries flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organise a flight to the UK as soon as possible. "We remain in close contact with the Chinese authorities and conversations are ongoing at all levels." A Downing Street source previously suggested the Britons returning from Wuhan had agreed to be placed in "assisted isolation". They said: "We are expecting about 200 British nationals to be on board, there is capacity on the flight for everybody. "On arrival, passengers will be safely isolated for two weeks with all necessary medical attention." British Airways previously suspended flights to and from mainland China amid the outbreak, which has now spread to every region of the nation. Listen to today's episode of The Leader: A Stratford music teacher determined to spread a message of peace and friendship across the world has recruited the help of South Warwickshire primary school children for a special project. Simon Kemp has been working with children at Ilmington Primary, Dunnington Primary, Newbold and Tredington Primary and Salford Priors Primary to make a recording of John Lennons Give Peace a Chance. At Easter Simon is set to travel 2,000 miles on his Yamaha Warrior 1700 motorcycle to schools in Marrakech, where he will record versions of the same song with children. The event will be filmed and compiled into a video, with the project aiming to encourage communication and friendship across countries. Youngsters from Morocco and Warwickshire will also swap messages of peace to create a Tree of Peace at each school involved. Rebecca Noon, headteacher at Ilmington Primary School, said: This is a super project and we are thrilled to be supporting Mr Kemp on this new adventure. Mumbai, Jan 30 : Two-and three-wheeler manufacturer Bajaj Auto on Thursday reported a 15 per cent rise in its standalone net profit for the quarter ended on December 31, 2019. According to the company, its net profit during the quarter under review increased to Rs 1,262 crore from Rs 1,102 crore earned during the corresponding period of the previous fiscal. Further, the company reported that its revenue from operations rose 3 per cent to Rs 7,640 crore, up from Rs 7,436 crore reported for Q3, 2018-19. The company's total quarterly sales including exports fell by 5 per cent to 1,202,486 units from 1,259,828 units in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal. "As on 31st December 2019, surplus cash and cash equivalents stood at Rs 17,407 crore as against Rs 15,986 crore as on 30th September 2019," the company said in a statement. WASHINGTON Banks could invest heavily in or even sponsor venture capital funds under a proposed change to a post-crisis rule that was intended to limit their risk-taking. The proposal, unveiled Thursday by the Federal Reserve and other banking agencies, would revamp the Volcker Rule, which was created as part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank law. The rule restricts banks like Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan from making risky bets with customer deposits and generally prevents firms from sponsoring or investing in private equity and hedge funds. The proposed changes would loosen some of those restrictions, allowing banks to invest in some credit funds and either sponsor or take ownership stakes in venture capital funds, which pool ultrarich investors money and make high-risk investments in start-ups that can yield enormous returns or huge losses. Restrictions would apply: Banks could not guarantee the funds performance, for instance. Regulators portrayed the changes as common-sense adjustments that will allow banks to better support small businesses by providing capital. Fed Chair Jerome H. Powell said the changes would permit banks to provide limited services to covered funds in ways that do not raise the types of concerns the Volcker rule was intended to address. Thanks to coordinated efforts undertaken by the Economic Promotion Directorate of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Peru's Exports and Tourism Promotion Board (PromPeru), and the National Chamber of Tourism (Canatur), a wide range of Peru's tourist attractions were showcased and detailed descriptions were provided to the attendees arriving at the stand. The participation in the 13th edition of this fair allowed the South American country to achieve the set objectives, such as drawing the attention and identifying Irish tourism agencies, so that they include Peruvian products in their commercial offer. The participation was also intended to establish contact with potential tourists, collect a sampling of perceptions about Peru from those who have not yet visited the Inca country, present the Embassy as a support for companies interested in selling Peruvian destinations, support local businesses that already sell those trips, talk with journalists, and in general make progress on positioning Peru as a tourist destination MARTINSRIED, Germany and MUNICH, Germany and MONTREAL, Jan. 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Medigene AG (Medigene, FSE: MDG1, Prime Standard), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company focusing on the development of T cell immunotherapies, announces today that it has entered into a research collaboration on novel cancer antigens for highly specific immunotherapies with the Universite de Montreal (UdeM) and IRICoR, a pan-Canadian drug discovery research commercialization center. UdeMs research team, led by Drs. Claude Perreault and Pierre Thibault at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), will provide Medigene with tumor-specific antigens (TSAs) which they discovered using their proprietary platform, as novel targets for various cancer indications, particularly for solid tumors. Under the terms of the agreement, Medigene will evaluate a number of proprietary TSA targets provided by UdeM through IRICoR, and will receive an option to exercise an exclusive and worldwide license to develop and commercialize T cell receptors (TCRs) against up to 5 of these novel cancer antigens. Upfront and near-term payments by Medigene to UdeM and IRICoR could potentially reach mid to high single-digit millions over the course of the next five years. Additionally, UdeM and IRICoR are eligible to receive development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments, along with tiered royalties, on a per target basis. Prof. Dolores Schendel, CEO and CSO of Medigene AG: "The goal of immunotherapies is to fight cancer using the immune system. Medigenes TCR-based therapies aim to modify the patient's own T cells so they can specifically recognize and eliminate tumor cells. It is essential that the immune system differentiates precisely between cancer cells and healthy tissue. The research work from UdeM on tumor antigens is fascinating and offers a broad and complementary development opportunity for Medigenes TCR therapies. These TSAs are uniquely found in tumor cells but are not present in healthy tissue, and are therefore particularly interesting as targets for tailor-made immunotherapies. We believe that this cooperation could expand our portfolio with promising, novel targets that are solely expressed in cancer cells. Story continues Dr. Nadine Beauger, Chief Executive Officer of IRICoR: IRICoR is delighted to be a part of this new partnership. The foundational funding provided by IRICoR to develop this unique proteogenomic approach led to the unprecedented discovery of human TSAs coded by potentially all genomic regions using high-throughput mass spectrometry. These newly-discovered targets open countless avenues for more targeted cancer treatments for the benefit of patients worldwide. Dr. Steven Klein, Vice-President, Business Development of IRICoR added: IRICoR has a strong track record of collaborating with international partners such as Medigene and negotiating the necessary agreements to ensure that these relationships are successful in transforming innovative technologies, such as the TSA platform, into new therapies. Michel Bouvier, Chief Executive Officer and Principal Investigator, IRIC; Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Universite de Montreal: UdeM and its researchers at IRIC are at the forefront of developing novel therapies for cancers with high unmet medical need. The exciting research of Drs. Perreault and Thibault is a concrete example of how world-class fundamental research carried out at IRIC can be translated into potential new therapies through the financial and business support of IRICoR. We look forward to a very fruitful collaboration between UdeM, IRICoR, and Medigene and to seeing these new T cell-based therapies reach patients who are in need of new therapeutic options. About UdeM/IRICoR TSAs A key role of T lymphocytes is to act as extrinsic tumor suppressors and thereby mediate cancer immunosurveillance. Tumor-specific Antigens (TSAs) can be targeted for T-cell based cancer immunotherapy. TSAs are truly cancer-specific and immunogenic because their presence is induced by cancer-specific somatic mutations. In two murine cancer cell lines and seven human primary tumors, Drs. Perreault and Thibault identified a total of 40 TSAs, about 90% of which derived from allegedly noncoding regions and would have been missed by standard exome-based approaches. Moreover, most of these TSAs derived from nonmutated yet aberrantly expressed transcripts (such as endogenous retroelements) that could be shared by multiple tumor types. Reference : Laumont et al. "Noncoding regions are the main source of targetable tumor-specific antigens" Science Translational Medicine 05 Dec 2018:Vol. 10, Issue 470, eaau5516 About IRICoR Designated as a Centre of Excellence in Research and Commercialization (CECR) by the Canadian government, IRICoR is a project maturation cluster in the field of drug discovery based at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the Universite de Montreal. IRICoR's mandate is to accelerate the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel therapies in cancer, immunotherapy, and related fields. Since 2008, IRICoR has been successfully investing in and supporting selected cutting-edge projects in order to rapidly translate early-stage innovation into potential new therapies, through either co-development partnerships with the biopharmaceutical industry or the creation of spin-off companies. IRICoR seamlessly integrates its business-related expertise with access to industry-level drug discovery capabilities, providing selected academic and industry projects with access to its network of experts and cutting-edge infrastructure, including one of the largest academia-based medicinal chemistry groups in Canada. For more information about IRICoR: www.iricor.ca About the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the Universite de Montreal An ultra-modern research hub and training centre located in the heart of the Universite de Montreal, the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer of the Universite de Montreal was created in 2003 to shed light on the mechanisms of cancer and discover new, more effective therapies to counter this disease. The IRIC operates according to a model that is unique in Canada. Its innovative approach to research has already led to discoveries that will, over the coming years, have a significant impact on the fight against cancer. For more information: www.iric.ca About Medigene Medigene AG (FSE: MDG1, ISIN DE000A1X3W00, Prime Standard) is a publicly listed, clinical-stage biotechnology company headquartered in Martinsried near Munich, Germany. The Company is developing highly innovative immunotherapies to target various forms and stages of cancer. Medigene concentrates on the development of personalized T cell-based therapies, with associated projects currently in pre-clinical and clinical development. Read more about Medigenes company profile: https://www.medigene.com Other news: 22 May 2019, Medigene announces clinical trial agreement for HA-1 TCR immunotherapy MDG1021 with University of Leiden 9 May 2019, bluebird presents preclinical data of first TCR candidate from Medigene collaboration. Start clinical development 2020 4 April 2019, Roivant and Sinovant Launch Cytovant Sciences in Partnership with Medigene to Develop Cellular Therapies in Asia This press release contains forward-looking statements representing the opinion of Medigene as of the date of this release. The actual results achieved by Medigene may differ significantly from the forward-looking statements made herein. Medigene is not bound to update any of these forward-looking statements. Medigene is a registered trademark of Medigene AG. This trademark may be owned or licensed in select locations only. Contact Medigene Dr Gary Waanders, Claudia Burmester, Dr Anna Niedl +49 89 2000 3333 01 investor@medigene.com Contact IRICoR Sandy Thibert, Communication Advisor, Public Relations 514 343-6111, ext. 43197 sjl.thibert@umontreal.ca Contact IRIC Noemie Desbois Mackenzie, Communication Advisor, Public Relations 514 343-6111, ext. 34730 Noemie.desbois.mackenzie@umontreal.ca In case you no longer wish to receive any information about Medigene, please inform us by e-mail (investor@medigene.com). We will then delete your address from our distribution list. Curaleaf (OTC:CURLF) is a pilgrim in its home state of Massachusetts. On Wednesday, the company opened the first recreational cannabis dispensary in Cape Cod. Curaleaf said that the new dispensary, located at the tip of the Cape in the city of Provincetown, will be open throughout the week, although it will close one hour earlier on Sunday. The opening times will be expanded during the summer months, a time when many tourists descend on the Cape. The store's grand opening celebration is to take place next Thursday, Feb. 6, Curaleaf said. The announcement comes less than three months after Curaleaf opened its first recreational-use dispensary in Oxford, Massachusetts, located in the central part of the state not far from its border with Connecticut. The company is based in Wakefield, in northeastern Massachusetts. Although its latest venture is not far from its home office, the company has ambitions to be a presence throughout the U.S. At the moment, it says it has 52 dispensaries in operation across the country. In spite of this reach, Curaleaf professed that "[p]roviding high quality and reliable products to patients and customers in our home state is a key part of Curaleaf's mission." Massachusetts is one of the few East Coast states that has legalized recreational use and consumption. The state's populace voted this into law in 2016 in a ballot measure, and sales of licensed product began in 2018. The share price of Curaleaf, a popular marijuana stock, rose to close almost 3% higher on Wednesday. The house of representatives now goes on short breaks in the middle of plenary sessions to enable members to eat, rest and pray. ... The house of representatives now goes on short breaks in the middle of plenary sessions to enable members to eat, rest and pray. At Thursdays plenary session, the lawmakers like on Wednesday suspended proceedings for 15 minutes to rest and pray. But the senate does not go on such breaks. Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the house, said they would use the time to relax and to take tea before resuming legislative business which often lasts about five hours. The break was approved in 2019 after the lower legislative chamber passed a motion to include it in its daily schedule. It was the idea of Gbajabiamila, who said such leisure time would allow members to refresh their mind. He had said: There should be 15 minutes break during sitting to allow members who want to go to the mosque to pray rather than us filing in and out; to allow members to refresh their minds and their legs. Hopefully, there will be coffee and tea outside at the lobby for members. A ten to 15 minutes break, going forward from Tuesday. The lower legislative chamber usually starts plenary sessions about 30 minutes later than scheduled. While the house adjourns till 11am the next day, it usually begins daily proceedings shortly before 12 noon like on Thursday when it started sitting about 11:25am. Stephanie OConnor outside the court, where she is one of four people on trial over the death of Patricia OConnor A "trusted member" of Patricia O'Connor's family, who carried out repairs on the bathroom where she was allegedly murdered, told gardai: "I know it looks bad." Handyman Keith Johnston (43), who did the work in the days after Ms O'Connor was first reported missing, said he was "trying to help the family" so she would not "chuck them out" when she returned. Conceal Mr Johnston, who is accused of carrying out refurbishments to conceal or destroy murder evidence, denied he was "up to something" when he was arrested and interviewed. Expand Close Patricia OConnor / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Patricia OConnor The Central Criminal Court has heard Mr Johnston is the ex-partner of Patricia O'Connor's daughter Louise (41). He is one of four people on trial over the death of Patricia O'Connor in 2017. Louise's then-partner Kieran Greene (34), is charged with murder, while Mr Johnston, Louise and her daughter Stephanie O'Connor (22) are accused of impeding the investigation. The charges against Mr Johnston allege that he also assisted Mr Greene in buying implements for use in the concealment of Ms O'Connor's remains. The four have all pleaded not guilty. Ms O'Connor, a grandmother-of-seven, was allegedly murdered on May 29, 2017 at the house at Mountain View Park, Rathfarnham, she shared with family including Louise, Stephanie and Mr Greene. Her remains were found scattered in the Dublin and Wicklow mountains between June 10 and 14 that year. The jury heard Mr Johnston was arrested on September 26, 2017, and taken to Bray Garda Station for interview. He told gardai that when he was at the house on the day Patricia was reported missing - June 1 - he noticed a wooden step in the bathroom had gone soft and he "put down a few tiles". He was not asked to do the work and did it over a few days, he said. He went with Mr Greene to get supplies and got tiles, wood and grout. He took his own hacksaw from home, he said. Mr Johnston told gardai he had done other work in the house and "don't just say I did one thing to make it look like I was up to something because that is not the case". "I know it looks bad but that is just the way it is," he said. "Hand on heart, that was trying to help the family, like, so they wouldn't get chucked out." He told gardai he felt "sickened" after Mr Greene "confessed" that he had killed Patricia. Earlier, Stephanie O'Connor identified herself as a person seen on CCTV coming in the back door of her house with a "suitcase-type bag" on the night her grandmother was allegedly murdered. However, she told gardai she did not kill her "nanny", or assist anyone in her killing. Stephanie, who is accused of disguising herself as her grandmother to pretend she was still alive on May 29, was initially arrested on suspicion of murder, on September 2, 2017. In interview, gardai showed her CCTV footage of the outside of the house on the night of the alleged murder. Stormed She was shown a clip of someone coming in the back door with a bag at 10.05pm and asked what she saw. "Someone going inside, me I guess," she said. "I'm bringing a bag from the shed." She said she went to get the bag after being asked by her mother, Louise. It was just stuff from the shed and she then went to bed, she said. The jury previously heard Stephanie and Louise both told gardai the last time they saw Patricia was when she stormed out of the house after a row that night. Louise is accused of agreeing to Stephanie disguising herself as Patricia O'Connor. The trial continues. In line with a recent Punjab and Haryana high court order, Panjab University has allowed its employees to encash up to 300 days of unutilised leave. So far, the university employees could encash up to 180 days of leave as per the PU Calendar. Leave encashment refers to arrears received in exchange for leave not availed by an employee. The dues can be settled while quitting the job or on retirement. On January 23, the high court had upheld a December 2019 decision of the Union ministry of human resources development (MHRD) that allowed employees to encash 300 days of unused leave as suitable amendment to the PU Calendar had been approved by it. The order came after the universitys audit department had raised an objection to this entitlement, citing need for amendment in the university calendar. Trump's legal team wraps up opening arguments, rejects Bolton allegations Iran Press TV Wednesday, 29 January 2020 8:24 AM US President Donald Trump's legal team has wrapped up three days of arguments in his Senate impeachment trial, calling the charges against the Republican president unfounded and politically motivated. The third day of opening arguments by Trump's lawyers ended on Tuesday amid uncertainty over the question of whether to call witnesses in his impeachment trial. Trump's lawyers sought to minimize the explosive allegations made recently by former national security adviser John Bolton that Trump told him he was withholding military aid to Ukraine until Kiev agreed to investigate former US Vice President Joe Biden and his son. "You cannot impeach a president on an unsourced allegation," Trump's personal lawyer Jay Sekulow told the Senate. Saying "it is time for this to end," Trump's defense team accused Democrats of trying to interfere with the president's November re-election bid. "Overturning past elections and massively interfering with the upcoming one would cause serious and lasting damage to the people of the United States and to our great country. The Senate cannot allow this to happen," White House Counsel Pat Cipollone told the Senate. Bolton's unpublished book manuscript directly contradicts Trump's account of events. Bolton wrote that the president told him he wanted to freeze $391 million in security aid to Ukraine until Kiev pursued investigations into Democrats, including Biden. Meanwhile, Trump's attorney Alan Dershowitz said Monday night that even if the Bolton revelations were true, they still did not mean Trump abused his power as president. "Nothing in the Bolton revelations, even if true, would rise to the level of an abuse of power or an impeachable offense." Dershowitz said. "You cannot turn conduct that is not impeachable into impeachable conduct simply by using words like quid pro quo and personal benefit." The former Harvard Law School professor also argued that a president cannot be impeached for what he described as vague charges of "abuse of power" and "obstruction of Congress," asserting that the Constitution required a specific crime or crime-like behavior. Elaborating on Dershowitz's argument on Tuesday, White House deputy counsel Patrick Philbin described as "malleable" the "abuse of power" charge. Philbin said that the charge is based on finding a "subjective motive," in lieu of "standards, or offenses." "How do we tell under the House managers' standard what an illicit motive is?" Philbin said. "How are we supposed to get the proof inside the president's head?" "They want to make it impeachable if it's just the wrong idea inside the president's head," Philbin added. Meanwhile, Trump, who was speaking at a "Keep America Great" rally at the Wildwoods Convention Center in Wildwood, New Jersey on Tuesday, slammed Democratic lawmakers over his impeachment trial. He said that Democrats "are obsessed with demented hoaxes, crazy witch hunts and deranged partisan crusades." He also called them "crazy," saying they "have never been more extreme than they are right now." Republican senators met privately later on Tuesday to discuss calling witnesses including Bolton, but said as they emerged that there was no resolution on the matter. Four Republicans would need to vote for witnesses, along with all 47 Democrats and independents. The next phase of the trial gets underway on Wednesday when senators will begin two days of questions to the lawyers representing Trump and to the seven House of Representatives Democrats who have served as prosecutors. The Democratic-led House on December 18 impeached Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress arising from his request that Ukraine investigate the Bidens, setting the stage for the Senate trial to determine if he should be removed from office. While the Republican-controlled Senate is highly unlikely to remove Trump from office, it is important for him to try to blunt the Democratic accusations to limit political damage to his bid for a second term. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A mbience: 3/5 Food: 5/5 At first glance, the narrative shaping Mei Mei appears to be that of an acclaimed, high-profile cook pivoting to something drastically smaller in scale and ambition. And, yes, okay; that mostly checks out. Its true that this tiny counter cafe from former Pidgin head chef and Michelin star-winner Elizabeth Haigh a meticulous, loving riff on the thrumming kopitiam coffee shops that are an institution in her native Singapore only has 14 seats, barely 10 items on its menu and precisely one table, parked beneath the gusting maw of an overworked outdoor heater. And its also true that its position, underneath the tooth-loosening clatter of a Borough Market railway bridge, can make you feel like the weary inhabitant of a panic-rented house on a Heathrow flight path. But the important thing to note is that absolutely none of this matters. Because Mei Mei, frankly, might be one of the best new operations of any size currently trading in the capital. Its a vividly expressed, generous and wholly addictive act of cultural celebration that (fittingly perhaps for a place named after a Chinese term for little sister) punches wildly above its culinary weight. I met a pal there on a busy Friday afternoon, and my snap visual judgements were, well, a bit mixed. Perched on the edge of Borough Markets somewhat jumbled new street-food area, its an easy-to-miss, ships prow of a space, piled with decorative tins of produce and softened with splashes of pastel paint. Its tended by a small, smiley team of chefs who, this being winter, are generally so bundled up they bring to mind Joey wearing all of Chandlers clothes. Thankfully, the food (a tickbox menu that encompasses an all-day brunch and a few hawker market-derived specials) made everything else melt away. Fried carrot cake was a racy, bubble and squeak-like heap of flash-fried egg batter and softened, ghostly hunks of mooli (or white carrot), electrified by masses of coriander. Out in the streets: The humble proportions of Mei Mei in Borough Market Fragrance was a key part of the Hainanese chickens sneakily bewitching appeal, too. Ferried to us by Haigh herself, it is one of those dishes where the unpromising look of it a mostly beige, anaemic pile of mounded rice and cold slivers of poached bird only amplifies the life-changing flavour. It was broth-simmered rice tart with accompanying achar pickle and heady, perfumed poultry where sesame, ginger and grassy pandan seemed to have penetrated every succulent atom. And you can see where this is all heading by now, cant you? To the point that I probably barely need to tell you about the nasi lemak, with its lacy fried egg, dome of sweet coconut rice, fiery sambal sauce and crisped anchovies, exploding like shattering strips of pure umami. Or the showstopping fried chicken decisively spiced and packing both the crunch and yielding snag that makes KFC so diabolically effective that may actually be among the best Ive ever had. We finished with kaya toast, an Insta-certified sort of ascetics take on a Japanese sando sandwich, featuring beautifully caramelised, drippy coconut jam and a hefty tile of cold, thick-cut butter. Deep, dark sugar-roasted coffees came, in true kopitiam style, marbled by a knob of butter and/or sweet enough to make you lightly hallucinate. It served as another admirable example of Mei Mei as a concentrated showcase for a specific brand of cheap, fast Singaporean hospitality, presented without awkward fusion flourishes or nervous concessions to Western sensibilities. It may merely be an act of transition; a stop-off as Haigh edges towards a bigger, more polished operation. But as those trains rumble noisily overhead it turns this professional voyage of discovery into something truly breathtaking. Mei Mei 1 Fried carrot cake 3.75 1 Hainanese chicken rice 8.50 1 Nasi lemak with fried chicken 8.50 1 Extra fried chicken 3 1 Extra sambal 1 1 Kaya toast 3 2 Cans of Brewgooder Clean Water lager 9 1 Kopi coffee 3 1 Kopi Gu You coffee 3.50 Total 43.25 Unit 52, Borough Market Kitchen, Jubilee Place, SE1 (meimei.uk) For the first time, global funding for neglected disease R&D grew for three consecutive years, reaching a record high of more than US$4.05 billion in 2018. Increases from both the public and private sectors drove a 7.9% ($290m) rise in total global funding compared to the previous year. Investment over the past several years has translated into a robust innovation pipeline with more than 500 candidates in development, though not all diseases are receiving the investments in R&D they need. This is according to the 12th annual G-FINDER report, which was launched today in Brussels by Policy Cures Research. G-FINDER is the world's most comprehensive survey of R&D funding for neglected infectious diseases, which disproportionately affect people in developing countries. The positive impact of sustained, record-breaking growth in R&D funding for the world's most vulnerable people can't be understated. The upward trend in investment driven by industry and the public sector provides hope for a future where no one lacks access to the vaccines, medicines and products they need to thrive. But at the same time, we can't overlook the fact that progress is uneven and funding gaps remain." Dr. Nick Chapman, lead author, G-FINDER Industry accelerates global investment The private sector made its largest-ever investment in neglected disease R&D to comprise 17% ($694m) of total funding in 2018. This growth represented a 20% ($118m) jump from the previous year and was solely driven by increased investments ($598m, up $132m) from multinational pharmaceutical companies (MNCs). The collective contributions of MNCs have significantly closed the gap between industry and philanthropy in global funding shares. The public sector also contributed record levels of investment ($2.59b) and remained the largest source of neglected disease R&D funding. Though strong growth from industry in 2018 led to a marginal decrease in the public sector's total share of funding, down to its lowest ever level of 64%, investment levels remained high. High-income countries provided the vast majority (93%) of public funding, and the top three funders all increased investment for the second year in a row. The United States provided 71% ($1.77b) of total neglected disease research funding, the United Kingdom provided 9.2% thanks to its largest-ever contribution of $230 million and the European Commission provided 5.4% ($134m). Funding from low- and middle-income country (LMIC) governments fell by 7.6% ($7.9m) to $95 million in 2018. However, this followed a year of record-breaking investment from India in 2017. Across all LMIC funders - including India - investments remain well above pre-2017 levels. In keeping with trends from previous years, India ($66m, 70%), South Africa ($13m, 14%) and Brazil ($12m, 12%) comprised 96% of funding from LMICs. The philanthropic sector saw a modest 6% increase ($43m) from 2017 with funding totaling $760 million. While the philanthropic sector's total share of neglected disease funding remained virtually unchanged, it reached its highest level of funding in more than a decade. The sector's two top funders continued to comprise the bulk of philanthropic funding (93%) with both the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Wellcome Trust increasing investments in 2018, by 6.5% ($36m) and 10% ($11m), respectively. Inconsistent progress, future potential The "big three" neglected diseases - HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis - saw increased investments, even as their global share dropped marginally to 69% ($2.79b) in 2018. Other diseases, such as hepatitis C (up $30m) and bacterial pneumonia and meningitis (up $16m) also saw significant bumps in funding. While funding increased for the majority of diseases, one group remains left behind. Investment in R&D for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) has flatlined, and even regressed, falling by 9.1% ($34m) over the past decade. Six diseases that have historically received the lowest amount of funding - including four NTDs (leprosy, Buruli ulcer, trachoma and leptospirosis) - received their lowest-ever share of global investments in 2018. Although basic and early-stage research continued to receive the largest share at 43% of the global total, investments in clinical development and post-registration studies spiked by 16% ($198m) to a record high of $1.40 billion. More than 70% ($422m) of this funding came from investments made by MNCs. "This year's G-FINDER report shows us how three years of increased research funding has translated into a pipeline of more than 500 promising drug, diagnostic and vaccine candidates," said Jamie Nishi, Director of the Global Health Technologies Coalition. "Even with this good news, it's critical to remember that we still don't have the level of investment needed to turn these breakthroughs into usable products. Stakeholders across all sectors will need to carry this momentum forward if we're going to fully realize innovation's lifesaving potential." The 2019 G-FINDER Report will be launched with a panel discussion on Thursday 30 January 2020 at Parc du Cinquantenaire, Brussels, Belgium. A former ambulance worker accused of murdering his wife almost 40 years ago allegedly had the means to dispose of her body at a pig farm, a NSW judge has been told. John Bowie allegedly told ambulance workers: 'Pigs don't leave any evidence... they will never find her.' Bowie was charged in October with murdering his 31-year-old wife Roxlyn, who vanished from her Walgett home in northern NSW in June 1982. Her body has never been found. John Bowie was arrested on the Queensland Sunshine Coast in October and extradited to New South Wales (he is pictured at Sydney airport under police escort) Justice Robert Allan Hulme on Thursday refused the 69-year-old's bail application in the Supreme Court. His lawyer Sam Karnib said he was making the 'bold submission' that Ms Bowie may not be dead, suggesting if someone didn't want to be found it was possible to disappear. He contended there were 'holes and gaps' in the Crown case, which he described as not being strong and only circumstantial. The Crown's assertions included that his client was a known womaniser who had the means to dispose of his wife's body at a pig farm and who was seen carrying a shovel the day after she disappeared, Mr Karnib said. Roxlyn Bowie (pictured) was 31 when she disappeared from her home at Walgett in the state's north-west more than 37 years ago He also referred to the pig comments Bowie was alleged to have made to ambulance workers. In a letter supporting Bowie's bail application, his sister said her knowledge of him led her to believe he was not responsible for his wife's disappearance, saying it was not in his nature to 'commit such a horrific' crime. But Justice Hulme noted Bowie had previously been jailed for five years for shooting with intent to murder, which he said tended to contradict the sister's beliefs. The judge said it was highly likely a jury would accept Ms Bowie was indeed dead. The prosecution case could not be described as weak, he said, also noting 'some of the strongest cases were circumstantial'. 'There is no credible alternative perpetrator suggested,' he said. Bowie is due back in Central Local Court on February 6. Gangubai Kathiawadi: TV Actor Shantanu Maheshwari To Be A Part Of The Sanjay Leela Bhansali Film Starring Alia Bhatt? NAFCUs Senior Regulatory Compliance Counsel Jennifer Aguilar Tuesday attended a Women in Housing and Finance (WHF) event focused on payment innovations. NAFCU remains committed to ensuring a level playing field for credit unions and continues to monitor the financial services landscape for potential changes that could impact the industry. The association also has also published whitepapers on fintech and data privacy, seeking to empower credit unions with the tools to better serve their communities, while ensuring proper congressional and regulatory oversight. Additionally, Aguilar and members of NAFCUs Regulatory Affairs team previously met with CFPB Office of Innovation Director Paul Watkins and other bureau staff to discuss the bureaus trial disclosure policy and compliance assistance sandbox, which intend to promote innovation and facilitate compliance at financial institutions. During Tuesdays lunch, attendees discussed new survey research from the Pew Charitable Trusts about consumers understanding of and trust in mobile payments and how this influences whether they use new fintech solutions. Other topics of discussion included consumer experience with dispute resolution, the prepaid account rules impact on mobile payments, improving consumer education surrounding mobile payments and the forthcoming FedNow service. South China's Guangdong Province had reported 272 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) by Wednesday noon, including one from Pakistan, two from Australia and two from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Chen Zhusheng, deputy director of the Guangdong Provincial Health Commission, told a press briefing that the five overseas persons, who all had exposure to the central Chinese city of Wuhan, are in stable condition. One Pakistani student from a Wuhan university came to Shenzhen on Jan. 21 and Guangzhou on Jan. 24 and went to hospital after showing symptoms on Jan. 26, said Chen. Two Australians once traveled to Wuhan for sightseeing. One Hong Kong resident, who works in Wuhan, came to Foshan on Jan. 22 and went to see doctor two days later. The other from Hong Kong, who once traveled to Hubei Province for sightseeing, went to hospital after feeling unwell in Zhanjiang on Jan. 26 and were confirmed of the novel coronavirus infection on Wednesday. Chen said all confirmed cases in Guangdong are subject to equal treatment. On Tuesday, the foreign affairs office of the Guangzhou municipal government released a coronavirus prevention guidance in four languages of English, Japanese, Korean and French. The Jammu and Kashmir government has set a deadline of February-end for completion of pending balance sheets of all PSUs, autonomous bodies and societies of the union territory. Eighteen public sector undertakings (PSUs) in Jammu and Kashmir have remained in 'red' over the decades, suffering losses to the tune of over Rs 191 crore over the last two years. All administrative secretaries and heads of PSUs, autonomous bodies and societies are directed to complete all pending statements of accounts and annual audits up to February-end, J&K Financial Commissioner Arun Kumar Mehta said in an order here. The directions have been passed to HoDs (head of departments)and administrative secretaries on the directive of Lieutenant governor G C Murmu. As per the direction, all PSUs, autonomous bodies have been asked to immediately constitute board of directors (BoD), update the list with registrar of companies and hold BoD meeting before February 15. As per official figures, Jammu and Kashmir Cements Limited is leading the table of loss making PSUs with a loss of Rs 46.74 crore -- Rs 31.73 crore in 2016-17 and Rs 15.01 crore in 2017-18. Most of the PSUs are yet to finalise the previous year's annual accounts. However, two PSUs -- JK Minerals Limited and JK Projects Construction Corporation -- joined six other profit making PSUs in 2017-18 after registering losses in the previous financial year. JK State Financial Corporation, on the other hand, posted a loss of 1.02 crore in 2016-17 as against a profit of Rs 45.73 lakh in 2015-16, becoming the 10th loss making PSU in the state, as per the figures collected by the Finance Department. Many of the PSUs are running in losses for a very long time and the state government had to intervene with financial support to ensure regular salaries to the agitated employees. The previous government in 2011 introduced a golden handshake scheme as part of efforts to revive sick PSUs under the administrative control of various departments. Other major PSUs suffering losses include JK State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC). It posted a loss of Rs 13.73 crore in 2015-16 and 31.44 crore in 2016-17. JK Handloom Corporation, State Industrial Development Corporation (SIDCO), Horticultural Produce Marketing and Processing Corporation (HPMC), JK Scheduled Castes, Schedule Tribes, Backward Classes Development Corporation, JK Agro Industries, JK Police Housing Corporation, JK Cable car Corporation and JK Small Scale Industries Development Corporation (JKSICOP), JK Women's Development Corporation are the other PSUs making losses. (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 Mark Heyward (The Jakarta Post) Malinau, North Kalimantan Thu, January 30, 2020 Malinau, North Kalimantan, is only few hours away from the busy, urban centers of Java, but a lifetime away in so many ways. Malinau is a remote area, close to Indonesias border with Malaysia on the east coast of the island of Borneo. If one makes it as far as the small town of Malinau, it is only an hours drive along a bumpy road to the Kenyah Dayak village of Setulang. From here, it is a one-hour ride in a canoe to the primal forest of Tane Olan. Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa will visit India from February 7-11 during which he will hold talks with the top leadership here to strengthen bilateral ties. After his official engagement in Delhi, Rajapaksa will travel to Varanasi, Sarnath, Bodh Gaya and Tirupati, the External Affairs Ministry said on Thursday. Earlier this month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks with his Sri Lankan counterpart Dinesh Gunawardena on a host of topics, including the sensitive fishermen issue. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The head of the opposition delegation to the Constitutional Committee has said that the work must continue, to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people writes Zaman Al Wasl. In his latest statement, the UN Special Envoy to Syria, Geir Pederson, has expressed his hope to resume the dialogue concerning the Constitutional Committee, which has stirred the reaction of many concerning the Syrian issue, opening new speculation about the constitutional process. Hadi al-Bahra, head of the Constitutional Committee for the Syrian opposition, said that the two parties have agreed on an agenda for the proceedings of the committee, with no delay nor repetition of what occurred previously. Every delay aggravates the Syrians suffering and economic deterioration. He stated his hope for a broad regional and international consensus to push for the success of the committees work. Bahra also explained that nothing has changed concerning the readiness of the opposition negotiating team, and that the Negotiation Commission is overseeing the oppositions Constitutional Committee. The head of the Constitutional Committee has rejected the opposition that is considered by some a failure. While we understand the pain of our people, success lies in addressing Syria as a whole and for the first time creating a political and popular position that represents all Syrians, in order to bridge the rift, end the bloodshed, and preserve what is left of our nations structure in the face of a tyrannical regime that has brought the country to the brink of collapse. The committee has succeeded in providing this. We want a system of government that guarantees a free and dignified life and laws that achieve justice and democracy for all, even for those loyal to the regime, under a fair and independent judicial authority guaranteeing the rule of law. What we want is equal citizenship and a separation of powers. 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. Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay $344 million for misrepresenting to California consumers the risks of vaginal mesh products that bolster sagging organs or treat incontinence in women in the first state case over the devices to go to trial. San Diego Superior Court Judge Eddie Sturgeon concluded Thursday that J&J and its Ethicon unit violated California consumer protection laws with a multiyear marketing program that misled patients and doctors about the dangers of the products. The judge decided the case without a jury following a trial last year. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra sought a fine of as much as $800 million after J&J resolved similar claims by 41 other states for $117 million. Shutterstock's editorial team captures, edits and distributes celebrity portraits and candid images leveraging proprietary software optimized for speed to market. As the moments from the red carpet, inside the awards show, and at the after-parties are captured, Shutterstock's team makes lightning-fast crops and edits and transmits them directly to the desks of photo editors, writers and media. This speed-to-market empowers Shutterstock's editorial customers to keep up with today's fast news cycle to quickly deliver their news stories. "We are pleased to continue our long-standing relationship with BAFTA, an arts charity whose purpose of celebrating and supporting the best work and talent in film, games and television is closely aligned with Shutterstock's," said Candice Murray, Vice President of Editorial at Shutterstock. "As a company whose passion is rooted in creativity, it is always an honor to be selected to shoot and share these unique moments recognizing the industry's top creatives from around the world at the BAFTAs." "Shutterstock is best equipped to provide the world's media with high-quality images of our awards ceremonies and year-round program through their advanced creative platform," said Claire Rees, Photography Director for British Academy of Film and Television Arts. "Our partnership has grown over the years and as Shutterstock's technology and service continue to evolve, we continue to see greater results in amplifying the mission of BAFTA around the world." Shutterstock's annual partnership with BAFTA, a world-leading independent arts charity, originated in 2013 and includes editorial photography coverage of the Television Craft Awards, Games Awards, Television Awards, Young Game Designers Competition, Scotland Awards, Cymru Awards and Children's Awards. Images from the 2020 EE British Academy Film Awards on Sunday, February 2nd will be available for license here. About Shutterstock, Inc. Shutterstock, Inc. (NYSE: SSTK), directly and through its group subsidiaries, is a leading global provider of high-quality licensed photographs, vectors, illustrations, videos and music to businesses, marketing agencies and media organizations around the world. Working with its growing community of over 1 million contributors, Shutterstock adds hundreds of thousands of images each week, and currently has more than 300 million images and more than 17 million video clips available. Headquartered in New York City, Shutterstock has offices around the world and customers in more than 150 countries. The company's brands also include Bigstock, a value-oriented stock media offering; Shutterstock Custom, a custom content creation platform; Offset, a high-end image collection; PremiumBeat, a curated royalty-free music library; and Shutterstock Editorial, a premier source of editorial images for the world's media. For more information, please visit www.shutterstock.com and follow Shutterstock on Twitter and on Facebook. About BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is a world-leading independent arts charity that brings the very best work in film, games and television to public attention and supports the growth of creative talent in the UK and internationally. Through its Awards ceremonies and year-round programme of learning events and initiatives which includes workshops, masterclasses, scholarships, lectures and mentoring schemes in the UK, USA and Asia BAFTA identifies and celebrates excellence, discovers, inspires and nurtures new talent, and enables learning and creative collaboration. For advice and inspiration from the best creative minds in working in film, games and television, visit www.bafta.org/guru. For more, visit www.bafta.org. SOURCE Shutterstock, Inc. Related Links http://www.shutterstock.com By Siddharth Cavale (Reuters) - Unilever will conduct a review of its global tea business, including the PG Tips and Lipton brands, in an apparent strategy rethink by Chief Executive Alan Jope in the face of slowing group sales growth. Jope has previously said the company was invested in turning around the tea business over the longer term, but the change of plan could soothe concerns of investors who have lamented a lack of urgency in transforming Unilever's struggling food and refreshment business. "We will look at all options for the (tea) business," Unilever finance chief Graeme Pitkethly said after the company's results on Thursday showed group sales grew at their slowest in a decade over the past quarter. Pitkethly said tea is a good performer in emerging markets and in the premium category but all regions and all parts of the business would be considered for review. Options include a partial or full sale, he said without giving a timeframe. The company said the review was triggered by the sales slowdown of traditional black tea in developed markets as consumers shift towards herbal tea. Black tea is the dominant part of Unilever's tea business, Pitkethly said, selling in 60 countries and generating 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) in annual sales. Unilever has been suffering elsewhere, too, with stuttering growth in India and China, two of its biggest emerging markets, while intense competition in North America and Europe has also hampered efforts to hit full-year growth targets. "The decision to launch a strategic review of its tea business reflects an attempt under CEO Alan Jope to reposition the company towards areas of higher potential after a period in which growth has been harder to come by," said AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould. SHIFTING TASTES The food and refreshment business - which makes Lipton teas and Hellmann's mayonnaise among other products and contributes 40% to group sales - has been hit particularly hard in North America and Europe as consumers reach for healthier options. "We are pleased to see some progress on the disposals strategy," Liberum analyst Anubhav Malhotra said of the review, while Jefferies analysts said it could kickstart further moves to unlock value in the food and refreshment division. Story continues Six months after taking the helm in January last year Jope announced his attention to target sustainability even at the cost of losing some revenue. The CEO said he would streamline Unilever's vast portfolio by focusing on what he described as "brands with purpose", adding that these were its fastest-growing assets. The so-called brands with purpose, including Dove, Knorr and Persil, contributed almost two thirds of revenue and drove 75% of sales growth in the first half of 2019, the company said. Brands thought to be among those that didn't have purpose were Marmite, Magnum Ice Cream and Pot Noodle. There have been no disposals as yet, though rivals Nestle and ABInBev have each sold food operations worth billions of dollars over the past year to refocus on their core businesses. The maker of products as diverse as Dove soap and Ben & Jerry's ice cream reported fourth-quarter underlying sales up by a slightly better than expected 1.5%, though this was still the slowest quarterly growth since at least 2009. Estimated impact on Unilever from F&R disposals https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/editorcharts/UNILEVER-STRATEGY/0H001R87QBM1/eikon.png GROWTH FOCUS "There is no clarity around the two key issues: how will sales growth rise back to the top end of the 3-5% target range, and is this something management are focusing on, or are their 2020 margin targets more of a focus," said Freddie Lait, founder of Unilever shareholder Latitude Investment Management. Jope's focus, however, is on growth, he said on Thursday after the results from his first full year in charge showed annual turnover grew 2% while underlying sales gained 2.9%. "If it does come to a trade-off between margin and growth, we will certainly prioritise growth," he told analysts. On its long-term outlook the company said it would step up execution and improve brand awareness and availability while seeking to accelerate innovation in on-trend areas such as plant-based foods. Shares in Unilever were up 1.5% at 45.06 pounds by 1252 GMT, the second-biggest gainer on the blue-chip FTSE 100 index <.FTSE>. The stock is up 11% over the past year, slightly outperforming the FTSE 100, which has been roiled in recent weeks by growing concerns over the potential economic damage from the coronavirus outbreak in China. Unilever said the impact of the coronavirus outbreak was too early to quantify but it could affect a fifth of its China professional food service business because fewer people will eat out. China contributes 5% to Unilever's total sales. The Anglo-Dutch company said it expects a stronger second half in 2020, helping it to achieve full-year underlying sales growth in the lower half of a 3-5% range. (Reporting by Siddharth Cavale in Bengaluru; Editing by David Goodman) The Election Commission on Wednesday issued a show cause notice to BJP national general secretary Arun Singh for prima facie violating a provision of the model code relating to making unverified allegations against rival parties and candidates. The commission has asked him to respond to the notice before noon of January 31. The EC responded to a complaint lodged by the Congress which has alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party issued advertisements in the print media making false, baseless and unsubstantiated allegations against it. "...The commission is prima facie of the view that by the said advertisement the Bhartiya Janata Party has violated...provision of the model code of conduct," the notice said. The EC also cautioned the BJP against publishing the advertisement till the time a decision is taken on the issue. "Commission, considering the gravity of the case, hereby directs that the advertisement in question shall not be repeated till such a time a decision is taken," it said. The notice has quoted the advertisement as saying that "15 saal Congress ki loot" (15 years of Congress' loot). SHELTON Owners of a proposed speakeasy on Old Bridgeport Avenue which was rejected by the Planning and Zoning Commission, have now submitted plans for a restaurant in that same location. Hush It Up applicant Randi Lee England applied for a certificate of zoning compliance in December for a restaurant and bar that would occupy both the upper and lower levels of the building at 303 Old Bridgeport Ave. Englands request comes as her attorneys have filed an appeal of a judges 2017 ruling upholding the Planning and Zoning Commissions denial of the speakeasy, which would have only occupied the first-floor space. Attorney Jonathan Klein said that the certificate of zoning compliance request is substantially the same as the special exception granted by the commission for the location in 2011. At that time, the commission gave the approval allowing Hunan Pan to occupy the space. Klein said the name of the proposed restaurant is yet to be determined. Neither the zoning administrator nor the Planning and Zoning Commission has taken action on that (new) application, said Klein. The ruling marks the latest turn in a legal saga that has gone on for more than two years surrounding the proposed business, which was to be called Hush. England has said the bar would operate as a speakeasy a trend in the bar business hearkening back to the days of Prohibition in the Roaring 20s complete with waitresses dressed as flapper girls. An initial description including references to burlesque performances riled residents who worried that it would be a gentlemens club by another name. The commission denied the businesss application, citing concerns about traffic and parking while also stating that self-described speakeasies are prohibited in Shelton. Klein filed an appeal saying the commission caved to public pressure about the business and used the concerns they cited as a pretext. After a hearing in March, the judge handed down a 12-page decision reversing the commissions decision and directing the commission to review the formula used in determining the requirements for off-street parking. The commission replied that 35 off-street parking spaces are needed, but that there were fewer than half of those spaces available. On Sept. 23, 2019, Hiller ruled that that determination was supported by substantial evidence in the record and, on that basis, denied Hush's appeal. Klein has stated that the 35 spaces were more than double the amount the commission had previously said would be required at the business and said the property already had 45 spaces anyway. brian.gioiele@hearstmediact.com Fuel Your Pipeline. Close More Deals. Our full-service marketing programs deliver sales-ready leads. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee! Learn more Consumers are on social media constantly, scrolling through posts from both friends and brands. Many have begun clicking on some of those brand posts and making purchases. Social commerce is becoming increasingly popular for brands, noted Darin Archer, chief strategy officer at Elastic Path. Even when the transaction itself may be happening outside the app, theres a much smaller gap between discovery and purchase, he told the E-Commerce Times. It makes it easy for shoppers to transact when theyre already thinking about your ad, Archer said. A social commerce strategy can be more effective than counting on the shopper to remember the ad or the product later when theyre shopping in-store, he added. Youre streamlining the shopping process for consumers by making browsing and transacting more connected in many cases, drastically reducing the time between the peak of purchase intent and the ability to complete a transaction, said Archer. In essence, people live on social media, so its a relatively small step to shop there as well. Social media has always been an important gateway to making purchase decisions, observed Liz Cole, group director for social strategy at Digitas. Research has shown that more than half of consumers have purchased a product after seeing it recommended by someone they follow on social channels, and nearly 75 percent have purchased a product after first seeing it in a brands own social post, she told the E-Commerce Times. As consumers become more comfortable with the idea of social commerce, social media platforms are adapting. Social platforms are building out more and better commerce functionality, from shoppable tags to product catalog-enabled ads to transactional chatbots, said Cole. A D V E R T I S E M E N T As the path from post to purchase shortens, peoples openness to discovering new products and buying them directly through social channels has also expanded to include categories of products like mattresses or prescription medications that previously werent commonly purchased online at all, she noted. Social Commerce Success Successful social commerce relies on creating a sense of continuity across all the various channels consumers use to interact with a brand. To succeed in selling through social media, brands will need to figure out how to effectively integrate the social commerce experience with existing touchpoints, like mobile and Web, said Elastic Paths Archer. They should also ensure that the brand experience within an app is specifically tailored to that touchpoint. The checkout experience for social commerce should be relevant to that context rather than just a desktop experience repurposed for social, he advised. The customer shouldnt notice any change to their experience as they move through the purchase journey. Social commerce also relies on a sense of loyalty thats built up over time and place between brands and their customers, and so its important that the products people buy through social media are competitively priced and of reliable quality, according to Mousumi Behari, digital strategy practice lead at Avionos. Given the visual nature of social media, small format videos are becoming increasingly popular to create a storyline and impact the brand, she the E-Commerce Times. Influencers often play a big role in the success of social media commerce, since they serve as a kind of conduit between the world of shopping and the world of social media connectivity. They already have a likability factor, and customers will trust what they are selling, said Behari. Brands are having success with this approach, such as Nike with Kobe Bryant, or Puma with Selena Gomez. Ultimately, social commerce is all about communication. Creating a two-way conversation on social media is also improving customer retention. We see massive brands like Target servicing their customers in the comment section and meeting the user where they are, explained Behari. A D V E R T I S E M E N T Retailers should allocate money to market in these platforms, she recommended. The interactions on social media feel personalized, and since the customer is able to curate their feed, chances are they are seeing sponsored ads to similar products of people they already follow. The Evolution of Social Commerce Social commerce is evolving continually, as it capitalizes on new platforms and methodologies. Social commerce is going to grow, and its obvious therell become more ways to instantly buy, noted Amelia Neate, senior manager at Influencer Matchmaker. I predict more social feeds will be integrated on websites, she told the E-Commerce Times. For example, DFS has begun introducing integrated Instagram feeds on their website, which helps show their products in situ. Encouraging a purchase, buyers can see how a piece is styled and how it may look and feel in their homes. Brands selling via social media need to find new ways to connect with customers, suggested Rachael Samuels, manager for social media at Sprout Social. As social commerce continues to grow, brands will need to humanize themselves by creating content their audience can relate to and identify with, she told the E-Commerce Times. In the year ahead, I expect to see more e-commerce brands leveraging micro-influencer partnerships, integrating social shopping experiences across multiple platforms, and finding creative ways to empower audiences to sell for them, such as turning honest customer feedback into distributable content. Social commerce gradually might expand beyond simple purchases to include larger ones, as consumers become more comfortable with the idea of buying through their social media feeds. As Gen Z gains purchasing power and the platforms themselves improve commerce capability, we will see growth here, predicted Brian Walker, chief strategy officer at Bloomreach. Certainly we will likely see these platforms continue to grow in influence over shopping and buying, including in high-consideration categories like real estate, he told the E-Commerce Times. For example, in the future, we could see real estate listings on Snapchats Snap Map feature. Another development will be smoother checkouts. We may see mobile payment services like Apple Pay and Venmo integrate directly into social media apps to reduce friction even further, said Walker. More in-app transactions are on the horizon. I see the in-app transaction experience as the next step for social commerce, said Archer. Linking to an external e-commerce site begins to monetize the browsing experience, but its not as seamless as it could be. To create that ease-of-purchase, brands will need to move the actual transaction into the social app. We already see this with Instagrams Checkout function, and this will cause a ripple effect with other brands making the move to support in-app transactions. As social commerce evolves, it will be important for brands to understand that they must offer consumers full shopping experiences, even when the consumers are clicking and buying on the go, Archer said. A brands future social commerce experience will need to communicate with all other commerce touchpoints, like the Web store, to facilitate seamless transactions, he said. Otherwise, youll lose shopper engagement. UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- China's UN envoy on Wednesday called on the international community to work together to combat terrorism in all its forms in Syria and bring terrorists to justice. Speaking at a Security Council meeting, China's Permanent Representative to the UN Zhang Jun said that counter-terrorism in Syria should be carried out under unified standards in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions and international law. Humanitarian issue in Syria is intertwined with security issue, Zhang said, adding that the eradication of terrorist forces is a necessary condition for the restoration of peace in the country. "At present, terrorist forces still occupy most of Idlib's territory, threatening the safety of civilians, destroying infrastructure and deteriorating the humanitarian situation, which should be resolutely combated," Zhang said. He also warned that the problem of foreign terrorist fighters in Syria is prominent and has spillover effects. "It is a common challenge and threat to the countries of origin, the countries concerned and the countries in the region, so it must be dealt with together," Zhang noted. "According to relevant reports, women are used to provide financial support to terrorist organizations in the al-Hol camp, and various forms of 'terrorist support' should be kept vigilant," he said. In this regard, the Chinese ambassador called on the UN secretariat to "pay close attention, collect and integrate information and inform the Security Council in a timely manner." A BUSINESSMAN who carried out a spate of armed robberies over a two-week period was experiencing a manic depressive episode at the time and was unable to control his actions, a jury has heard. John Carroll, 53, of Clonshire, Adare has gone on trial at Limerick Circuit Court in relation to 14 offences which occurred at locations across Munster on dates between September 30, 2015 and October 12, 2015. While it is accepted he committed the physical acts, the jurors have been told he was mentally unwell at the time and that they will be asked to consider a special verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity. They have also heard that following his arrest, Mr Carroll introduced himself as James Bond when his wife arrived at Henry Street garda station. Outlining the sequence of events, Detective Garda Jerry OSullivan said Mr Carroll broke into two houses in Adare before embarking on a spate of late-night robberies at service stations in Limerick, Clare, Tipperary and Cork. Relatives of Mr Carrolls wife live at the houses which were burgled and the jury was told various items including a safe, a rifle and jewellery were taken. The occupants were on holidays at the time. The jury has been shown a compilation of CCTV footage from 11 different service stations which were targeted. At each location, a male wearing dark clothing and a homemade-balaclava can be seen approaching workers and demanding money from the tills. Detective Garda OSullivan said Mr Carroll, who identified himself on the footage, entered a number of the stores and approached the counter while at others he made threats from outside the service hatch. He can be seen on the footage brandishing various implements and during interview following his arrest he told gardai he had used items such as a spud gun, a plastic toy gun and an Airsoft replica handgun. More than 3,400 in cash was taken none of which was ever recovered. CCTV footage from a service station at Larkins Cross, Ardnacrusha shows Mr Carroll being arrested by armed gardai a short time after he entered the store while carrying a rifle. During interview, the father-of-two, told gardai he was broke and under financial pressure after losing his business a number of months earlier. I had to do something, my strategy was to rob food or money, it was easer to rob money, he said adding that his wife believed he was working at a casino in the city. When asked about the burglary at his father-in-laws home he said he took the safe because he wanted to see the Will. He also admitted pawning the jewellery he took for around 1,000. The jury has also heard the defendant felt aggrieved with gardai in Tipperary over their handling of an issue relating to his former business that this was a factor in his behaviour. Two consultant forensic psychiatrists gave evidence in the trial this Wednesday afternoon. Mr Carroll, the jury heard, was diagnosed as suffering from bipolar affective disorder in his mid-20s and Dr Paul OConnell said he believed he relapsed in the months leading up to the crime spree. He said the defendant knew his actions were illegal but is of the view that at the time he did not believe they were morally wrong. He said a number of factors could have contributed to Mr Carrolls manic episode including stresses from her personal and business life and a change in his medication. Prosecution witness Dr Brenda White told the jury she largely agreed with her colleague. However, she told Lily Buckley BL, prosecuting, she believed he knew his actions were morally wrong. The trial continues before Judge Martina Baxter. As earlier promised, Coast-based KTN journalist Tobias Chanji has dropped his highly anticipated love song weeks after he proposed to his girlfriend, Madison. Earlier this month, the journalist said he was shooting the video for the song titled Why Pay Love with Hate when he asked the Newcastle-born for her hand in marriage. He promised to release the song on his birthday which finally came to pass on Tuesday, January 28. It is my birthday. Well, several things happened to me this yearOne of them is the following music video and an upcoming international movie. The only gift I will appreciate from you guys on this special day is like, subscribe and share the video thanks, he wrote on Instagram. Chanji said he composed the song after a nasty breakup with a former lover that nearly pushed him to take his own life. I had a very nasty break up last year that nearly pushed me to commit suicide twice, said Chanji as he explained how Madison warmed his heart after he set his eyes on her at an airport in Dubai. Madison had not had it easy with her previous partner too. I was to shoot the video and she asked if she can tag along. I took advantage of the shoot and proposed. What a nice feeling. Also Read: WEDDING BELLS for KTN Journalist Who Nearly Committed Suicide after a Nasty Breakup Check out Why pay love with Hate below but dont get your hopes high. Singing is just not for everybody. Cool video though. When Britain leaves the European Union at midnight on Friday the bloc loses the second-biggest net contributor to its budget, leaving a 12-billion-euro ($13-billion) hole in its finances. The United Kingdom will continue making budget contributions this year under an agreed post-Brexit transition period. But from 2021 Europe will have to look elsewhere. This further complicates an already fraught debate between the remaining member states over the EU's 2021-2027 long-term budget, called the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). The European Commission has had a proposed MFF on the table since May 2018, and its new president Ursula von der Leyen is keen to get it approved soon. But a so-called "Frugal Five" of wealthy mainly northern countries -- Austria, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden -- are seeking to limit EU expenditure. And a rival "Friends of Cohesion" group of 16 eastern and Mediterranean countries wants to defend the budget rules. Charles Michel, president of the European Council which represents member state governments, has called an MFF summit that will "begin" on February 20 and likely drag on. - Farm subsidies under pressure - According to European Commission estimates, Britain's net contribution -- the amount it pays in less EU spending on UK projects -- would have been 12 billion euros a year. Over the period of the upcoming seven-year MFF that leaves an 84-billion-euro shortfall in the Commission's financial plans. The previous finance commissioner, Gunther Oettinger, wanted to fill the gap by increasing member state contributions and cutting traditional big spends: cohesion and farm subsidies. This would allow Europe to switch funds to more "modern" areas, like investing in green technologies, coping with migration and moving into the defence field. But much of this is very sensitive in EU capitals, and Michel has trekked all over the continent for talks without much sign of a breakthrough. "We might have hoped that Brexit would be a shock to the system, but I think we'll just go on as before," laments Nicolas-Jean Brehon, of the Robert Schuman Foundation. Some of the richest members of the union want to limit contributions to only one percent of each member state's GDP. "It's obviously a symbolic threshold. It's also a political threshold that Germany and the British were insisting on," Brehon told AFP, noting that Brexit cost Berlin an ally. - Big spenders - The European Commission, meanwhile, wants to set the level at 1.114 percent of EU GDP, which would imply a 1.134-trillion-euro budget at 2018 prices, or 1.279 trillion at current levels. The European Parliament would like an even higher 1.3 percent. Taking into account the British departure, the current multiannual budget represents 1.16 percent of European Union GDP. Another Commission idea is phasing out the "rebates" that late British premier Margaret Thatcher famously demanded, taken up by some of the other bigger spenders. After Brexit these reductions in budget contributions will only apply to Austria, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden -- perhaps not un-coincidentally, the Frugal Five. For the Commission and the countries that are net recipients of EU funds, it is wrong that -- thanks to these rebates -- the frugals spend less in percentage terms of their per capita GDP. But Germany, for one, has noted that even if spending is reduced and capped at one percent as it demands, it will still end up paying more after Brexit. The debate will continue and has given new impetus to calls for the European Union to develop its own revenue streams, perhaps by a tax on plastics or on EU carbon trading. Britain's departure from the EU leaves a big gap in the bloc's budget which puts pressure on spending in some areas A staggering 80% of asylum seekers sent to Mexico to await US court hearings report being victims of violence, according a survey by Doctors Without Borders (MSF). In one month October three-quarters of asylum seekers seen by MSF physicians in Nuevo Laredo reported having been kidnapped for ransom, according to the figures released on Wednesday. Some 44% of MSF patients also reported having been victims of violence in the week leading up to their consultations. Wednesday marked the first anniversary of a scheme officially known as Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), under which migrants seeking asylum in the United States are sent to Mexico to wait as their cases wind their way through US courts. Under the scheme, also known as remain in Mexico, more than 57,000 non-Mexican asylum seekers have been sent to wait in cities along the border many of which have been plagued by drug-war violence for years. Migrants who stand out because of their appearance and accents are routinely targeted for abduction outside migration offices and bus terminals, and held until relatives back home wire ransom payments to the kidnappers. The US continues to send asylum seekers back into danger and into the hands of the cartels that control the migration routes in Mexico, said Sergio Martin, MSF general coordinator in Mexico. The Mexican government lacks the ability to provide the most minimum of conditions for thousands of people who are being sent to its territory, he said. Migrants are at risk along the entire border, but mainly in places like Nuevo Laredo, where there is serious violence and migrants are merchandise for organised crime, Martin said. Related: Trump's 'shameful' migrant stance condemns thousands to violent limbo in Mexico Nuevo Laredo is considered so insecure that the US government has issued a Level 4: Do not travel alert to its citizens for the city and surrounding state of Tamaulipas the same as war-torn countries like Syria and Afghanistan. Story continues The Cartel del Noreste an offshoot of the blood thirsty Zetas cartel operates a sophisticated kidnapping business that targets asylum seekers many of whom are women and children who enter the city, said Stephanie Leutert, director of the Mexico Security Initiative at the Strauss Center at the University of Texas. The kidnappers charge several thousand dollars for each kidnapped asylum seeker and operate with almost complete impunity. The Mexican government promised to provide asylum seekers with shelter, work permits and access to health services, but observers say many of the migrants have been left to fend for themselves. On Wednesday, the US department of homeland security announced that the scheme would be expanded to include Brazilians. Brazilian arrivals at the border have tripled in the past year. "This opportunity really excites me! With Killick's presence in commercial and business aircraft on parts and engines, there is great potential to drive significant growth with new and existing customers," said Molloy. "In addition, I am confident that we can develop new business opportunities that will create greater value for the Killick Aerospace Group in the next 2-3 years." Prior to this appointment, Molloy was with Bombardier Aerospace for 30 years, holding various leadership positions in both the commercial and business aircraft divisions. His responsibilities included the development of the customer support infrastructure for the CSeries (now known as the A220) and managing the Parts Services organization supporting over 6500 commercial and business aircraft globally. In his most recent role as Vice President, Aftermarket Sales Business Aircraft, he led an ambitious transformation delivering outstanding results over the past three years. "The addition of someone with the talent and experience of Bill Molloy is a win for our customers," said Russell Starr, CEO and President of the Killick Aerospace Group. "I have no doubt our organization will be able to grow and perform at an even higher level with the addition of Bill, which ultimately benefits our customers and partners in the Commercial Aviation and Business Jet markets." Molloy holds an BSc in Business & Finance from the UUJ, N. Ireland, and an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business in Canada. About Killick Aerospace Group: Founded in 2006, the Killick Aerospace Group is a leading provider of commercial and business aircraft engine solutions, aircraft parts and rotables, and engine sales and leasing. With headquarters in Dallas, Texas, it consists of Killick Aerospace, Turbine Engine Specialists (TES), and Avistox. Killick Aerospace, with headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, provides commercial aircraft engine solutions and trades parts on Airbus, Boeing, and Bombardier programs. It has parts distribution centers in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. TES, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, is authorized by Honeywell and General Electric to provide world-class expertise and service on business aircraft engines and APUs. AviStox, with headquarters in Dallas, Texas, maintains a large inventory of aircraft parts from suppliers such as Honeywell, Hamilton-Sundstrand, and other leading aerospace original equipment manufacturers. To learn more about the Killick Aerospace Group and what makes it "one company with industry leading brands," please visit www.killickaerospacegroup.com. SOURCE Killick Aerospace Group Related Links http://www.killickaerospacegroup.com New Zealand will go it alone on repatriating Kiwis in Wuhan, at the heart of the coronavirus outbreak, chartering a flight to bring citizens home. Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced the government will charter an Air New Zealand plane, with capacity for 300 passengers, to leave China - subject to Chinese approval. Peters said New Zealanders should register on the Safetravel website to help with planning. New Zealand will go it alone on repatriating Kiwis in Wuhan, at the heart of the coronavirus outbreak, chartering a flight to bring citizens home (file picture) 'We are pleased to be have been able to offer this assistance to New Zealanders in a challenging situation,' he said. 'New Zealand will be offering any additional seats to Pacific Island and Australian citizens as a matter of priority.' On Wednesday, Australian prime minister Scott Morrison announced plans to charter a Qantas flight to bring Australians home, saying he was working in tandem with New Zealand to accommodate Kiwis also. 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 However, with 53 New Zealanders in Wuhan and Peters also suggesting accommodations could be made for family members and dependents, the Kiwi Government has taken its own action. Peters didn't offer a timeframe for the emergency flight, other than saying they were 'working to have the aircraft depart as soon as possible'. Kiwis will have to pay 'a nominal fee' for their place, with the New Zealand government to cover 'most of the cost' of the flight. Upon arrival in New Zealand, travellers with symptoms are likely to be quarantined for up to a fortnight. Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said he had no reason to believe the virus had reached Kiwi shores. 'We have a very small number of even possible cases and most of those people that have been tested ... are now no longer in hospital,' he said. 'Our border controls are very appropriate and in step with Australia. 'This is not the sort of virus you get by casually walking past someone on the street. People get infected by prolonged exposure in a close setting.' Bloomfield said a number of quarantine options were being explored, 'ranging from isolating at home, a hotel or other facilities'. Air New Zealand, which flies directly from Auckland to Shanghai, has not yet followed the lead of other airlines to cancel flights to the stricken country. Other China-based airlines offering direct services are also continuing flights. State-owned Energy Efficiency Services Ltd on Thursday said it has signed a pact with Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd to set up a network of public charging infrastructure for electric vehicles at various highways across the country. Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) will jointly explore opportunities in the field of e-mobility and fast-track the adoption of EVs in the country under the National E-Mobility Programme, the company said in a statement. As part of the agreement, BHEL will offer complete engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) solutions from concept to commissioning while EESL will make the entire upfront investment on services, along with the operation and maintenance of the public charging infrastructure. The pact covers collaboration for identifying, planning, development and installation of charging stations at suitable locations, it said. "Mobility is changing rapidly, and India is powering ahead to a sustainability-driven future by adopting electric vehicles. Availability of adequate charging infrastructure is one of the key requirements for further accelerating EV adoption in India," EESL Managing Director Saurabh Kumar said. He further said setting up charging stations at highways will boost the interest of public commuting from one city to another enabling a smooth and sustainable transition to a future-oriented mobility solution. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) NASHUA, N.H., Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dresner Advisory Services today published the 2020 Location Intelligence Market Study, part of its Wisdom of Crowds series of research. The 7th annual report addresses current perceptions and deployment intentions surrounding location intelligence, a form of business intelligence (BI) where the dominant dimension used for analysis is location or geography. Most typically, analyses are conducted by viewing data points overlaid onto an interactive map interface. The report examines end user requirements and features, such as geocoding support, location intelligence visualization and analytics capabilities, and third-party GIS integration. It also considers industry support for location intelligence and how user requirements map to industry capabilities. While location intelligence is not a new topic, its comparative importance is nonetheless in the range of that assigned to newer initiatives, such as embedded BI, said Jim Ericson, vice president and research director at Dresner Advisory Services. We believe this maintained importance demonstrates a level stickiness and that users will continue to include specialists finding distributed use in operational and front-office roles. According to the 2020 report, middle managers and individual contributors are the most named users of location intelligence. Internal, operational use is most popular, especially in larger organizations. By industry, the perceived importance of location intelligence is highest among Government and Healthcare respondents. When we began covering Location Intelligence in 2014, we saw the potential for the topic to gain mainstream interest, said Howard Dresner, founder and chief research officer at Dresner Advisory Services. With the growth in visualization and the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT), incorporating maps and location into business analyses has become increasingly important to many organizations. Wisdom of Crowds research is based on data collected on usage and deployment trends, products, and vendors. Users in all roles and throughout all industries contributed to provide a complete view of realities, plans, and perceptions of the market. To purchase a copy of the 2020 Location Intelligence Market Study, visit www.locationintelligencereport.com . About Dresner Advisory Services Dresner Advisory Services was formed by Howard Dresner, an independent analyst, author, lecturer, and business adviser. Dresner Advisory Services, LLC focuses on creating and sharing thought leadership for Business Intelligence (BI) and related areas. Life expectancy increased for the first time in four years in 2018, the federal government said Thursday, raising hopes that a key measure of the nations health may finally be stabilising after a rare and troubling decline that was driven by a surge in drug overdoses. Life expectancy is the most basic measure of the health of a society, and declines in developed countries are extremely unusual. But the United States experienced one from 2015 to 2017 as the opioid epidemic took its toll, worrying demographers who had not seen an outright decline since 1993, during the AIDS epidemic. An uptick in what have become known as deaths of despair younger people dying from overdoses, suicide and alcoholism has drawn considerable attention from politicians and policymakers. The 2018 data, released in a report on Thursday, confirmed the first decline in drug deaths in 28 years, an important improvement after decades of rises. The increase in life expectancy it helped produce was small just over a month and demographers cautioned that it was too early to tell if the country had turned the corner with opioid overdoses, which have claimed nearly 500,000 lives since the late 1990s. Its good news, but we dont know yet if its the beginning of a new trend, said Elizabeth Arias, a demographer at the National Center for Health Statistics, which released the report. Still, the rise was welcome news in states like Ohio, which in 2018 had the biggest decline in overdose deaths in the country. Its literally like coming out of a fog, said Andrew Wright, 34, who has been drug-free since August 2018, when he entered treatment at the Counseling Center in Portsmouth, Ohio. Medicaid, the government insurance program, covered his care. Its like Im 22 and Ive finally made it out of my parents house, embracing life for the first time. Im learning how to live. The last time life expectancy in the United States flatlined for several years was in the 1960s, when the mass habit of smoking, particularly among men, began showing up in the mortality statistics, said Dr. Samuel Preston, a demographer at the University of Pennsylvania. But from 1968 to 2010, life expectancy went up by an average of about two years a decade, he said, a substantially slower rate than in European countries, but twice as fast as the increase in 2018. Life expectancy at birth rose to 78.7 years in 2018 from 78.6 the previous year. It peaked at 78.9 in 2014, but has fallen or been flat since then. Preston pointed out that the small rise in 2018 merely put the country back where it was in 2010, amounting to nearly a decade of stagnation, rare for a wealthy country. Improvements in cancer mortality rates represented the single largest share of the life expectancy gain in 2018, about 30%. Next came the decline in so-called unintentional injuries, which include deaths from car accidents and drug overdoses. That category accounted for about 25% of the gain, a change that was driven almost entirely by a decline in drug deaths, Arias said. Recent widespread efforts to expand access to opioid addiction medications, clean needles and naloxone the drug used to revive people overdosing on opioids may be having an effect. Good things are happening that hadnt before, like sheriffs, hospitals and others who now use naloxone telling me, We saved a life, said Shane Hudson, president and chief executive of CKF Addiction Treatment in Salina, Kansas. His clinic is treating 117 people with medication for opioid addiction, up from 35 two years ago. Deaths from overdoses dropped by 4.1% in 2018, to 67,367 from 70,237 in 2017. The decrease was largely driven by a dip in deaths from prescription opioid painkillers, which set off the opioid epidemic in the late 1990s before heroin and, later, fentanyl moved in. Provisional data suggests those deaths continued to fall in 2019, likely in part because of restrictions on prescribing. But the death rate from fentanyl rose by 10% in 2018, and early data suggests it kept rising last year, though not as sharply as before. There were more overdose deaths in 2018 than in any year on record except 2017, and nearly 70% involved opioids. A separate federal report, also released Thursday, found that the rate of drug overdose deaths dropped in 14 states in 2018, climbed in five and stayed about the same in the rest. The five states whose rates climbed were California, Delaware, Missouri, New Jersey and South Carolina. Ohio saw the biggest drop, to 3,980 overdose deaths in 2018 from 5,111 in 2017. With the fentanyl death rate still climbing, along with deaths involving cocaine and psychostimulants like methamphetamine, it is not clear whether the overall drop will be sustained. Wright, of Delaware, Ohio, developed an opioid addiction when he was 23, starting with prescription pills and moving to heroin. He said he spent years, on and off, sleeping in his car, under bridges and on his parents screened porch in the winter under a table so his father wouldnt see him. But he has now stayed off drugs for the longest period in his adult life, he said, a fact he attributes to his treatment program together with a change in the attitudes of the people in his town. A small grooming products company, Doc Spartan, hired him to make beard oil and grenade-shaped soap. Someone sold him a cheap car. Others helped him start sorting out his life getting drivers license, dealing with his unpaid bills and getting treatment for hepatitis C. I literally feel like Im a soldier in this war, and I really like it, said Wright, who now works as a trainer at PSKC, a CrossFit gym, and at a halfway house. Another bright spot in Thursdays data was cancer mortality. The overall cancer death rate dropped by 2.2% in 2018, a substantial decline. Rebecca Siegel, the scientific director of surveillance research at the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, said the new data appeared to extend gains from 2017, when the overall cancer mortality rate drop was the largest since record-keeping began around 1930. These improvements were driven largely by a decline in the mortality rate for lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death. Continued drops in the countrys smoking rate and advances in treatment, such as more precise tumor classification, better surgical techniques, and improved drug therapies, contributed to the progress, Siegel said. Despite this good news, the United States lags far behind most European countries in life expectancy. John Haaga, a demographer who retired from the National Institute on Aging in December, said that when he first started his job in 2004, life expectancy in the United States was about equal to that of Portugal, a much poorer country. Over his career, Portugal gained four years while the United States gained only one. He pointed out that life expectancy was longer in Costa Rica, Cuba and Slovenia. The increase in life expectancy might have been greater if not for rising mortality due to influenza and pneumonia the death rate grew by 4.2% as well as suicide and nutritional deficiencies. But while there has been increased concern about suicide as a public health crisis, the growth in reported cases to 48,344 in 2018 from 47,173 in 2017 was relatively small. The suicide rate grew by 1.4% overall, with a larger rise for men than women. Jill Harkavy-Friedman, a vice president at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, said the nation needed to invest far more in research to understand emerging patterns. Ive been a researcher in this area for 30 years and I can tell you the conversation and the funding has definitely changed, she said, but its still nowhere near the level of funding for any other public health problem of this scope. A federal report last fall found that the suicide rate among adolescents was at its highest level in 20 years, although the total number of teenagers who died by suicide in 2017 was fewer than 2,500. Jane Pearson, chairwoman of the Suicide Research Consortium at the National Institute of Mental Health, said there was no definitive explanation as of yet for the climbing suicide rate. We are worried about adolescents in particular showing increases in depression and anxiety, and trying to understand whats driving all of this, she said. We cant measure a lot of things that we would like to. Sabrina Tavernise and Abby Goodnough c.2020 The New York Times Company The first nationalist chairman of Armagh council, Pat Brannigan has died. Mr Brannigan served on the old Armagh City and District Council as an SDLP representative from 1977 to 2011 and was chairman of the council in 1993 and mayor from 1997 to 1998. He died peacefully at home on Thursday. Mr Brannigan attracted national attention when he attempted to save the life of the then UUP chairperson, Charles Armstrong on November, 14 1983. The IRA had placed a bomb under Mr Armstrongs car, which exploded while he was leaving a council meeting. Mr Brannigan pulled Mr Armstrong from the burning wreckage of his vehicle, but the UUP councillor passed away from his injuries, leaving behind a wife and eight children. The SDLP stalwart was noted for helping to end tribalism in the old Armagh council and helping to reach an agreement between the parties to rotate the chairmanship on a yearly basis. SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said Mr Brannigans driving ambition was to deliver civil rights, equality and fairness for people regardless of their background. Pat Brannigan embodied the values of the SDLP and was a loyal friend and colleague to many across the north. In the darkest of times, he was a shining light for civil rights, social justice and peace, the Foyle MP said. As mayor of Armagh and a councillor, Pat was respected across the political divide and his core belief was to serve the people of his community, which he did with distinction for many years. Mr Eastwood noted Mr Brannigans heroic actions in his attempt to save Mr Armstrongs life. Perhaps one of the best examples of the character of Pat Brannigan was in the darkest days of the Troubles, when a bomb intended to kill UUP Councillor Charles Armstrong detonated, Pat did not hesitate in risking his life to try and save his colleague, Mr Eastwood said. He was resolutely opposed to violence and always believed in a safer, shared future for all of us. I want to express my deepest sympathies to Pats wife Molly, his children and the whole Brannigan family. Mr Brannigans funeral will take place on Saturday at St Patricks Cathedral at 10am. He will be buried in St Patricks cemetery. Very deeply regretted by his sorrowing wife, daughter, sons, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, daughters in law Una, Colleen, nephews, nieces, family circle and friends, a family death notice read. LISBON, Portugal - European countries stepped up efforts Thursday to contain the virus sweeping through central China, sending a chartered airliner there to evacuate hundreds of European citizens, scrapping more commercial flights to Chinese destinations and keeping some 7,000 people on a cruise ship while one possibly infected passenger got tested. Signalling intensifying international concern, the World Health Organization in Geneva declared the viral outbreak that has sickened more than 7,800 people and caused 170 deaths in China as a global emergency, while Russia closed its long border with the Asian giant. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin issued a decree ordering the temporary closure of the border, which extends for 4,200 kilometres (2,600 miles). In addition, all train traffic between Russia and China was halted except for one train connecting Moscow and Beijing. A passenger airliner enlisted for the evacuation took off Thursday morning from a former Portuguese military airport southeast of Lisbon carrying only the pilots and crew. Capt. Antonios Efthymiou said the flight would stop in Paris to pick up a team of doctors and extra crew members before heading to Hanoi and then China. Efthymiou told Portuguese media it would bring back about 350 Europeans. He said the crew would take special medical precautions but did not elaborate. Britain said its delayed repatriation flight for 200 U.K. citizens in Wuhan would leave ther Friday, with the returning Britons quarantined for 14 days upon arrival. The U.K.-government chartered plane had been due to return earlier but it was delayed because permissions form the Chinese government had not come through. China so far has reported nearly 200 deaths and about 8,000 confirmed cases of the virus on its mainland. Outside China, there are more than 80 infected people in 19 countries. Those include 13 confirmed cases in Europe so far: five in France, five in Germany, two in Italy and one in Finland. A scare over a 54-year-old woman with flu-like symptoms led Italian authorities to keep 6,000 passengers and 1,000 crew members on the cruise ship docked north of Rome. The Costa Crociere cruise line said the woman and her partner, who had no symptoms, were put into isolation Wednesday. The passengers were allowed to disembark on Thursday after tests for the new virus from China came back negative, Italian coast guard Capt. Stefano Varone said. The ship was sailing from Mallorca, Spain, to Civitavecchia on a weeklong Mediterranean cruise. While those tests came back negative, two Chinese tourists visiting Rome tested positive for the virus, Premier Giuseppe Conte said Thursday, adding that Italy had barred flights coming from and going to China. Germany confirmed a fifth case there, all involving employees at Munich-based auto parts maker Webasto, which has facilities in Wuhan. Officials think the virus was transmitted by a Chinese employee who visited Germany for training earlier this month and tested positive on her return to China. The Czech Republic announced it was stopping issuing visas to Chinese citizens due to the outbreak. More than 600,000 Chinese tourists are estimated to have visited the Czech Republic last year, especially its old-world capital city of Prague. On the retail front, Swedish furniture and home goods retailer IKEA announced all its stores in mainland China would remain closed to protect customers and staff from the outbreak. The stores are a favourite haunt of Chinese city dwellers, both for shopping and for just hanging out. More European airlines announced halts in service to China, all citing efforts to protect the health and security of customers and staff. Air France suspended all its regular passenger flights to and from China until Feb. 9. The French carrier had already suspended flights to Wuhan, the epicenter of the viral outbreak, and reduced traffic to Beijing and Shanghai. Air France said it will run special flights starting Thursday to bring back some customers and employees from Beijing and Shanghai. Scandinavian Airlines announced it was halting all its flights to Beijing and Shanghai beginning Friday and running through Feb. 9th. SAS has 12 regular weekly flights from Scandinavia to China. Spains Iberia national airline halted the three return flights a week it runs between Madrid and Shanghai due to the virus, a move it said would continue through February. Finnish national airline Finnair said it has stopped accepting new bookings on its flights to mainland China. Those announcements followed earlier moves to halt or reduce flights to China by other European airlines, including British Airways, Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Swiss and KLM, which after the weekend is adding Beijing and Shanghai to its list of suspended Chinese destinations. The virus comes from the coronavirus family, which includes the common cold but also more severe illnesses, such as SARS and MERS. European passengers escaping Wuhan by air are expected to reach France on Friday. Then they will be quarantined for 14 days, but as compensation they will be put up at a southern vacation resort with a view of the Mediterranean Sea. In contrast, American evacuees from China are being kept at a military facility. The French resort is in the small town of Carry-le-Rouet. Its mayor protested the move, fearing it could keep people away from a local sea urchin culinary festival this weekend, town hall communications director Peggy Molina said. But the French government simply requisitioned the resort, she said. Underlining EU nations hasty preparations to respond to the virus, Molina said the town hall was told only Thursday that it would be hosting evacuees starting Friday. - Associated Press writers Nicole Winfield in Rome, Ciaran Giles in Madrid, Karel Janicek in Prague, Gianfranco Stara in Civitavecchia, Angela Charlton and Elaine Ganley in Paris and Daria Litvinova in Moscow contributed to this report. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 23:32:47|Editor: yan Video Player Close TOKYO, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo prosecutors obtained a fresh arrest warrant for former Nissan Motor Co. chief Carlos Ghosn for violating Japan's immigration law by fleeing Japan while on bail and secured warrants for three possible accomplices who may have helped his dramatic escape, sources close to the matter said Thursday. Ghosn, who holds Brazilian, French and Lebanese nationality, jumped bail and fled Japan for Lebanon via Turkey on Dec. 29 to escape what he called the "rigged" Japanese judicial system. Ghosn fled Japan to Lebanon in breach of his bail conditions and under dramatic circumstances, possibly hiding in a large case used to carry musical equipment and departing on a private jet from Kansai International Airport, in Osaka Prefecture. Prosecutors and police have been trying to determine exactly how Ghosn managed to fund and carry out the costly escape while under strict bail conditions limiting his access to phones, computers and mandating he stay in a surveilled residence. Justice Minister Masako Mori has said the 65-year-old ex-auto tycoon left the country illegally. Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office on Thursday also secured arrest warrants for three individuals believed to have assisted Ghosn's daring escape from Japan. Sources close to the matter named the three suspects as Michael Taylor, 59, who used to belong to the Green Berets, George Zayek, 60, and Peter Taylor, 26. The team are believed to have smuggled Ghosn to a hotel in Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, before having him loaded onto a private jet inside a large case designed for carrying musical equipment after helping the former auto executive to evade security inspections. The three are believed to have known that Ghosn, under his strict bail terms, was not legally permitted to leave Japan. Ghosn, once in Beirut, said Nissan company executives and politicians had been conspiring against him and he was left with no alternative but to escape Japan's "rigged" justice system, as he did not believe he would receive a fair trial. He said he still was prepared to account for himself legally, just not in Japan. As the saga surrounding Ghosn's escape continues, Tokyo prosecutors on Wednesday searched the office of a lawyer who formerly represented the ex-Nissan chief prior to resigning from the case. Junichiro Hironaka, a high-profile lawyer who had represented Ghosn prior to dropping the case on Jan. 16 after his client jumped bail, had previously refused to allow prosecutors to seize a computer used at the office by Ghosn. On Jan. 8, Hironaka denied access to investigators from the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office who intended to seize the computer from his office, believing Ghosn may have used it in connection with his well-planned and strategically executed escape from Japan while on bail. Hironaka at the time had opted not to hand over the computer of his own volition and did not allow the investigators to enter his office, stating that in terms of lawyers' confidentiality, "we used the right to refuse seizure based on criminal procedure law, and asked the investigators to leave." Hironaka, however, on announcing his resignation as Ghosn's lawyer said he had "nothing to do" with his former client and other lawyers also comprising the former auto bigwig's defense counsel have also left the case. Japan has been seeking cooperation from Lebanon in trying to better understand Ghosn's escape from Japan. Japan and Lebanon have no extradition treaty, meaning Ghosn, first arrested on Nov. 19, 2018, and facing charges of under-reporting his remuneration in Nissan's securities reports and misusing company funds, cannot be handed over to Japan to face trial without Lebanon's consent. Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has announced that government is set to review the whole tax system to ensure efficiency. This follows what the Ghana Revenue Authority believes to be the low tax compliance by citizens. According to him, this will be done to create a more reliable system for the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to collect the necessary taxes for national development. Addressing staff and stakeholders at a thanksgiving ceremony on Wednesday, 29th January, 2020, he commended the Authority for meeting its 2019 revenue target of 43 billion cedis, and called for more stringent measures to be put in place to achieve the 2020 target. Why don't we create a system which ensures that people will pay taxes easily. We can do it and you will see the amount of money we are just leaving and go out to seek for resources whiles we have them right here, he said. So, we saw a glimpse of it in December, from a surplus of -1.8 to 2.8. As the Ghana Revenue Authority has been performing slowly, if we try, we will get there. So, for 2020, we are looking at whether we can review the whole tax system, but this is election year, so we are not going to do anything crazy but at least we are going to be very introspective so that we don't end the year in a deficit, he added. Meanwhile, the Board Chairman of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Professor Stephen Adei, has asked staff and stakeholders of the Authority to eschew corrupt practices in their line of work. He urged the staff to view their position as a position of service and not as an avenue to loot and create wealth for themselves as their actions can negatively affect national development. We know we cannot police everybody but we at the board level will practice zero-tolerance for corruption so that when anyone is caught in the act, you will be indicted at once. When we investigate and you are right, you will have all your rights restored, he said. --citinewsroom MONTREAL, QC / ACCESSWIRE / January 30, 2020 / Quebec Precious Metals Corporation (TSXV:CJC)(FSE:YXEP)(OTC:CJCFF) ("QPM" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that a magnetic heliborne survey is in progress to cover the Elmer East project (the "Project"). The Project consists of 929 claims (488 km2) (see press release of January 28, 2020). It is located along trend from the recent Patwon prospect gold discovery made by Azimut Exploration Inc. on its Elmer project located in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay territory, Quebec. The results will help define the next exploration phase on the Project to be carried out by the Company in 2020. The heliborne survey is being carried out by Geo Data Solutions GDS inc (based in Laval). Processing and interpretation of the geophysical data will be performed by Inter Geophysique Inc. (based in Rosemere). Qualified Persons Normand Champigny, Eng., Chief Executive Officer of the Company, and Jean-Sebastien Lavallee (OGQ #773), geologist, Vice-President Exploration, director and shareholder of the Company, both Qualified Persons under NI 43- 101 on standards of disclosure for mineral projects, have prepared and approved the technical content of this release. About Quebec Precious Metals Corporation QPM is a gold explorer with a large land position in the highly prospective Eeyou Istchee James Bay territory, Quebec, near Newmont Corporation's Eleonore gold mine. QPM's flagship project is the Sakami project with significant grades and well-defined drill-ready targets. QPM's goal is to rapidly explore this project to advance it to the mineral resource estimate stage. For more information please contact: Jean-Francois Meilleur President Tel.: 514 951-2730 jfmeilleur@qpmcorp.ca Normand Champigny Chief Executive Officer Tel.: 514 979-4746 nchampigny@qpmcorp.ca Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Quebec Precious Metals Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/574450/Quebec-Precious-Metals-Covers-the-Elmer-East-Project-with-a-Heliborne-Geophysical-Survey-Along-Trend-with-Azimuts-Gold-Discovery-James-Bay-Quebec Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam Thu, January 30, 2020 Tanjungpinang State Administrative Court (PTUN) in Batam, Riau Islands has started hearings into a lawsuit against the Karimun One-Stop Integrated Service (PTSP) over a building permit granted for the renovation of the 85-year-old Santo Josep Karimun Church. The plaintiff, the Karimun Regency Caring Alliance (APKK), is demanding that the permit be revoked. The first session commenced with the plaintiff explaining why. 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 Police have detained a man in California who forcibly removed a man from his wheelchair inside a Target after the two got into a disagreement over a handicapped parking spot outside of the store. Jimmie Tiger, of San Ramona, was arrested on January 19 and charged with attempted kidnapping and assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury for the assault that took place at a Pleasant Hill Target. According to the Pleasant Hill Police Department, authorities were called to the Target on January 11 where they found the victim receiving medical treatment for injuries he sustained in the assault. Scroll down for video According to the Pleasant Hill Police Department, authorities were called to the Target on January 11 where they learned that the victim and Jimmie Tiger had gotten into a verbal altercation over a handicapped parking spot The department shares that the victim is a member of the functional needs community and requires a wheelchair. The victim explained to authorities that he had confronted the motorist outside of Target after noticing that he was unlawfully parked in the handicapped parking section. After getting into the brief verbal altercation, the victim went inside the store but was followed by Tiger. Tiger, 32, is said to have demanded that the victim go back to the parking lot and apologize to his wife for getting into the parking disagreement. Tiger, 32, is said to have demanded that the victim go back to the parking lot and apologize to his wife for getting into the parking disagreement The man attempted to wheel the victim out of the store against his will, violently throwing the victim out of the chair once he refused to go The man attempted to wheel the victim out of the store against his will, violently throwing the victim out of the chair once he refused to go. Witnesses rushed to help the victim until authorities arrived, getting a partial license plate for the vehicle connected to Tiger. Pleasant Hill authorities were then able to identify Tiger through the vehicle 'This case demonstrates the benefits we all experience when community members and law enforcement work together to find a quick resolution for cases such as this,' Lieutenant Scott Vermillion shared. Tiger appears to be a repeat offender, having been arrested for a $37,000 jewelry heist from an Oregon Costco in 2015. He pleaded not guilty to the theft and conspiracy charges in relation to that incident, the Mail Tribune reports. MANILA President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines has ordered all members of his cabinet not to travel to the United States after Washington blacklisted his former national police chief over the governments drug war, which has left thousands dead, a top aide said Thursday. The order comes as Mr. Duterte has ratcheted up his threats against the United States, the Philippines longtime military ally, including with warnings of reduced cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries. Last night, the president issued a directive for cabinet members not to travel to the U.S., Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano told an annual breakfast forum of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines. We will abide with the instruction of the president. A cabinet meeting has been scheduled for next week to discuss the order, Mr. Ano said. He said that Mr. Duterte had issued the directive after his former national police chief, Senator Ronald dela Rosa, recently learned from the United States State Department that his visa was revoked. Ace Hollywood filmmaker Steven Soderberg's "Contagion", which focussed on the spread of a mysterious virus transmitted by fomites, had released almost a decade ago, but the 2011 film has suddenly back in the spotlight, in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in China. The movie, which bears uncanny parallels with recent real-life headlines, has popped up on iTunes's Top 10 Movie Rental List over the past few days, reports hollywoodreporter.com. "Contagion" stars an ensemble cast comprising Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Bryan Cranston, Laurence Fishburne, and Jennifer Ehle, and narrates the story of an outbreak through multiple plot lines. Later this year, Nigel Hartwell's "The Epidemic", starring Eric Roberts, will begin with a meteor crashing into the Earth's crust, causing extreme devastation, following which an unexplained plague spreads and turns a town's population into zombies. Hollywood has often turned to the subject of virus attack and outbreaks to create box-office winners. IANS takes a look at some of the best films in the genre: * Outbreak German filmmaker Wolfgang Petersen's 1995 medical thriller continues to be one of the most accomplished efforts in the genre. Flaunting a powerhouse cast comprising Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman, Cuba Gooding Jr., Kevin Spacey and Donald Sutherland, the film focuses on an outbreak of a fictional Ebola-like virus called Motaba in the African nation of Zaire and goes on to surface in a small town in the United States. * "World War Z" Brad Pitt not only acted in the 2013 zombie pandemic film but also served as a producer. In September 2013, Pitt was asked whether or not a sequel to "World War Z" was in the works. He had told variety.com: "We're certainly talking about it, yes. We have so many ideas on the table from the time we spent developing this thing and figuring out how the zombie worlds work," Pitt said. "We gotta get the script right first to determine if we go further." * "I Am Legend" Hollywood superstar Will Smith was at the peak of his career when he did this 2007 film, directed by Francis Lawrence. Smith plays a US Army virologist in the post-apocalyptic action thriller. Years after a plague kills most of humanity and transforms the rest into monsters, the sole survivor in New York struggles to find a cure. * "Resident Evil" series The series began with "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" (2004), its story continued with "Resident Evil: Extinction" (2007), and then "Resident Evil: Afterlife" (2010), "Resident Evil: Retribution" (2012), and closed with "Resident Evil: The Final Chapter" (2016). The films told the story of Alice (Milla Jovovich), who is a former security specialist and covert operative who battles the Umbrella Corporation, whose bioweapons have triggered a zombie apocalypse. * "28 Days Later" Danny Boyle's 2002 British post-apocalyptic horror film starred Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris and Christopher Eccleston. The accidental release of a contagious virus threatens to destroy civilisation even as the protagonists cope with the destruction of the life they once knew while evading those infected by the virus. The film redefined the zombie horror genre and was critically and commercially acclaimed. It was followed by a 2007 sequel, "28 Weeks Later". * "Blindness" The 2008 film, an adaptation of the 1995 novel of the same name by Portuguese author Jose Saramago, was about a society suffering an epidemic of blindness. Directed by Fernando Meirelles, the film had Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo fronting its cast. The film was special to Ruffalo, who learned in 2001 that he had a brain tumor called an acoustic neuroma. In "Blindness," he played a character who is made helpless by an illness and whose experiences were "magnified, amplified and retooled" variations of his own, heraldextra.com had reported. Meirelles had said that Ruffalo had told him: " 'There was a time I couldn't button my shirt or buckle my shoes. Sometimes I was going in the street and I was lost. I had to call home and was 100 percent dependent on my wife. And I was irritated for having her help me with anything. And that, said Meirelles, the Brazilian director, "is exactly what happens to" Ruffalo's character in the film. * "Maggie" Action star Arnold Schwarzenegger, known for starring in big budget films like "The Terminator", picked this 2015 independent thriller about a viral pandemic and surprised the audience. Schwarzenegger had earlier said in the film's production notes: "When I read it, I knew I had to do it. It is more vulnerable than any role I have played, more real, more emotional. You're used to seeing me play the ubermensch, the action hero bullets can't seem to hit. * "Doomsday" Rhona Mitra, British actress of Bengali-Indian origin, starred in this 2008 release directed by Neil Marshall. The story takes place in the future in Scotland, which has been quarantined because of a deadly virus. It was reportedly conceived by Marshall based on the idea of futuristic soldiers facing medieval knights. * "Carriers" Starring "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" actress Emily VanCamp and Chris Pine of "Wonder Woman" fame, the 2009 film directed by David Pastor and Alex Pastor was about four friends fleeing a viral pandemic. They soon learn they are more dangerous than any virus. * "Pandemic" The 2016 science fiction thriller film, helmed by John Suits, had Rachel Nichols playing a doctor who leads a group to find survivors of a worldwide pandemic. Southeast Asian stocks fell across the board on Thursday as the death toll from the coronavirus in China rose sharply, with Vietnamese shares losing more than 3%. Vietnam markets opening after the Lunar New Year holidays saw their worst session in over a year, as investors priced in the economic impact of the virus outbreak. Adding to woes, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday expressed concern over the person-to-person spread of the virus in three countries, including Vietnam. Flag carrier Vietnam Airlines was among the biggest losers as it shed 6.9% to close at a record low. Meanwhile, WHO said it would reconvene later on Thursday to deliberate whether the rapid spread of the virus could now be labelled a global emergency. The new virus has claimed 170 lives in China so far, with the number of infected patients growing to 7,711 in the country. Infections have been reported in at least 15 other countries, prompting investors to worry about the fiscal health of the world's second-largest economy which recently started showing signs of recovery. So far, confirmed cases of infection have been reported in Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand. Indonesian shares shed 0.9% after the finance minister on Wednesday said the tourism sector would be hit as Chinese tourists, who make up a bulk of tourist footfalls in the country, cancel travel plans due to the outbreak. Financials and automakers were the biggest drags on the index, with Bank Mandiri and automotive firm Astra International losing 1.9% and 2.9%, respectively. The Singaporean index also slid, as lender DBS Group Holdings dropped 0.5% and transport services provider SATS Ltd fell 1.7%. The Malaysian stock index fell for an eighth straight session, as resources and utility stocks weighed. Philippine shares also fell, closing at their lowest since Dec. 10, 2018. The Abused Adult Resource Center posthumously presented the Sgt. Steven Kenner Lifesaver Award to Paul Leingang, former deputy chief of the Mandan Police Department, who died in 2017 from cancer. The award was presented to Leingangs widow, Kelly, and two children during the AARC annual meeting Wednesday in Bismarck. During his 37-year career at the department, Leingangs work with AARC and victims of abuse served as a model for law enforcement, the group said. AARC presents the award annually to a law enforcement officer who has shown exemplary work with victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Known previously as the Lifesaver Award, it was renamed to honor the Bismarck policeman who was killed in the line of duty in July 2011. AARC is a Bismarck-based nonprofit serving survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and their families in a seven-county area in south and central North Dakota. Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: Export of defense products from Turkey to Azerbaijan increased by 39.85 percent in 2019 compared to the same period of 2018, exceeding $88.6 million, Turkeys ministry of trade told Trend. In December 2019, Turkeys export of defense products to Azerbaijan also increased by 103.03 percent compared to December 2018, and exceeded $52.6 million. Turkeys export of defense products increased by 34.6 percent in 2019 compared to 2018, amounting to $2.7 billion. In December 2019, export of defense products from Turkey increased by 1.9 percent compared to December 2018, amounting to $288.6 million. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier that Turkey will strengthen the defense industry and will be among the world leaders in the production of defense products I instruct all law enforcement agencies to refuse from import of defense products. Turkey is able to provide itself with appropriate products, Erdogan said. The president noted that the country will begin mass production of the ALTAY domestic tank soon. The head of state noted that mass production of the domestic ALTAY tank will begin in the country soon. Turkey has recently invested about $35 billion in the defense industry. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 Trend: Azerbaijan evaluates the recommendations of the Council of Europe and always tries to act in the interests of both parties, said Nagif Hamzayev at the winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on January 28 at a hearing in the PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights on the issue of political prisoners in Azerbaijan, Trend reports. However, there are times when our thoughts do not intersect, Hamzayev said. Nagif Hamzayev noted that the information provided by political prisoners in Azerbaijan is incorrect. He said that I am disappointed with the unjust and unreasonable attitude towards my country. Hamzayev noted that reforms have been carried out in Azerbaijan in all areas, in particular, the electronicization of the justice system and the existence of a legislative framework that reflects the basic principles of the European legal system. By a decree of President Ilham Aliyev, in March 431 people were pardoned, and 399 of them were released from the rest of the prison. Later, Nagif Hamzayev spoke about a terrorist act committed against the people of Azerbaijan under the leadership of Armenia, especially Sargsyan: More than 1 million Azerbaijanis cannot visit their homeland. Not to mention the physical and spiritual damage to the well-being of our state, anti-Azerbaijani forces are still trying to undermine the image of our country and create chaos in our relations with the Council of Europe. For many years, as a result of the joint efforts of anti-Azerbaijani forces, Azerbaijan was subjected to prejudice and discrimination against political prisoners. We believe that a favorable policy will be created to conduct a policy based on the principles of mutual understanding and respect. " For many Britons living in towns and villages across Europe, the arrival of Brexit on Friday night will mean losing the right to vote and stand for office. From being active participants in the communities where they have spread roots and paid taxes, British expatriates in France, Germany and elsewhere in the European Union will suddenly find themselves on the outside with no say. Andrew Nixey must give up his seat on the elected council in Saint-Martial-sur-Isop, the village in west-central France where he has lived and raised cattle for 20 years. He said: The fact that we can't vote is illogical. We pay taxes, why should we not vote? Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Show all 20 1 /20 Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Britain votes to leave the European Union - 23 June 2016 A referendum is held on Britain's membership of the European Union. Fifty-two per cent of the country votes in favour of leaving AFP via Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? David Cameron resigns - 24 June 2016 David Cameron resigns on the morning of the result after leading the campaign for Britain to remain in the EU Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Theresa May takes the reins - 13 July 2016 Theresa May becomes leader of the Conservative party and prime minister, winning the leadership contest unopposed after Andrea Leadsom drops out Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? High Court rules parliament must vote on Brexit - November 2016 - 3 November 2016 The High Court rules that parliament must vote on triggering Article 50, which would begin the Brexit process Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Article 50 triggered - 28 March 2017 The prime minister triggers Article 50 after parliament endorses the result of the referendum Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? May calls snap election - 18 April 2018 Seeking a mandate for her Brexit plan, May goes to the country Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? May loses majority as Labour makes surprise gain - 8 June 2017 After a disastrous campaign, Theresa May loses her majority in the commons and turns to the DUP for support. Jeremy Corbyn's Labour party makes gains after being predicted to lose heavily AFP/Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Negotiations begin - 19 June 2017 David Davis and Michel Barnier, chief negotiators for the UK and EU respectively, hold a press conference on the first day of Brexit negotiations. Soon after the beginning of negotiations, it becomes clear that the issue of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic will prove a major sticking point AFP/Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? MPs vote that withdrawal deal must be ratified by parliament - 13 December 2017 The government suffers a defeat in parliament over the EU withdrawal agreement, guaranteeing that MPs are given a 'meaningful vote' on the deal Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Boris Johnson resigns as foreign secretary - 11 July 2018 Following a summit at Chequers where the prime minister claimed to have gained cabinet support for her deal, Boris Johnson resigns as foreign secretary along with David Davis, the Brexit secretary Reuters Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Draft withdrawal agreement - 15 November 2018 The draft withdrawal agreement settles Britain's divorce bill, secures the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and vice versa and includes a political declaration commiting both parties to frictionless trade in goods and cooperation on security matters. The deal also includes the backstop, which is anathema to many brexiteers and Dominic Raab and Esther McVey resign from the cabinet in protest Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? May resigns - 24 May 2019 After several failed attempts to pass her withdrawal agreement through the commons, Theresa May resigns Reuters Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Johnson takes over - 24 July 2019 Boris Johnson is elected leader of the Conservative party in a landslide victory. He later heads to Buckingham Palace where the Queen invites him to form a government Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Parliament prorogued - 28 August 2019 Boris Johnson prorogues parliament for five weeks in the lead up to the UK's agreed departure date of 31 October. Stephen Morgan MP Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Prorogation ruled unlawful - 24 September 2019 The High Court rules that Johnson's prorogation of parliament is 'unlawful' after a legal challenge brought by businesswoman Gina Miller Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Johnson agrees deal with Varadkar - October Following a summit in Merseyside, Johnson agrees a compromise to the backstop with Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar - making the withdrawal agreement more palatable to Brexiteers Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Final Say march demands second referendum - 19 October 2019 As parliament passes the Letwin amendment requiring the prime minister to request a further delay to Brexit, protesters take to the streets in the final show of force for a Final Say referendum Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Johnson wins 80 seat majority - 12 December 2019 The Conservatives win the December election in a landslide, granting Boris Johnson a large majority to pass through his brexit deal and pursue his domestic agenda Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Withdrawal deal passes parliament - 20 December 2019 The withdrawal agreement passes through the commons with a majority of 124 Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? EU parliament backs UK withdrawal deal - 29 January 2020 Members of the European parliament overwhelmingly back the ratification of Britain's departure, clearing the way for Brexit two days later on 31 January. Following the vote, members join hands and sing Auld Lang Syne AFP/Getty In the German village of Brunsmark, Brexit is forcing Scotsman Iain Macnab to cut short his third term as mayor which was not due to end until 2023. German authorities told him last year that his voting rights and his mayorship of the village of 170 people must end with Britain's EU withdrawal. Mr Macnab said: The guillotine is there. I will have a glass of sparkling wine with the local council on Friday and then thank them for doing an excellent job, and I will disappear into the twilight, ride off into the sunset. Many details of Britain's separation from the EU still must be sorted out, and there will not be many visible changes on Saturday, after the tortuous divorce process finally becomes official. However, the loss will be felt by Britons who left years ago to make new lives on the continent. Already disenfranchised by British electoral law, which prevents expatriates from voting in the United Kingdom after 15 years overseas, Brexit will for many usher in an uncertain future with no ability to vote anywhere. The problem could be fixed by becoming citizens of where they have chosen to live - which can be a drawn-out process. However, some expatriates do not meet the requirements, some have applied but are still awaiting the paperwork, and some simply do not want to change citizenship. Others have not got round to it, waking up late to the fact that they will soon have nowhere to vote at all. Mr Macnab said he does not want to be a German citizen, despite having lived in Germany for 40 years, because he may choose to move back to the UK some day. I have been 70 years a Scot, he said. Andrew Nixey will have to give up his seat on the local council (AP) I don't want to ruin the chance of going back to Britain and being covered by the National Health Service. The right for all EU nationals to vote and stand in municipal elections where they live, even if they are not citizens of that country, was enshrined in the 1992 Maastricht Treaty which established the EU. However, rules in Europe are not uniform for non-EU citizens, which is what Britons will become after Friday night. Some countries allow non-EU citizens to vote in municipal elections. So even after Brexit, Britons should still have a voice at the local level in Denmark, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands and in two cities in Slovakia. In Finland, they will need to have been residents for two years, while the residency requirement is five years in the Netherlands. Britain also has been negotiating directly with other EU nations to extend the ability of British expatriates to vote and run for office after Brexit. The UK Government said it has deals with Spain, Portugal and Luxembourg and is continuing talks with other administrations. It said British expatriates should also still be able to vote locally in Belgium, Estonia, Ireland, Lithuania, Malta and Slovenia. But they will no longer be able to vote or stand locally in France, which has tens of thousands of long-term British residents and many more part-time residents of holiday homes. The French interior ministry said 757 Britons serve on municipal councils, more than any other expatriate group. They will keep their seats until municipal elections in March, but they will not be able to run or vote then if they have not gained French citizenship. For Elaine Bastian, this has come as a blow. She has been proud to serve as an elected councillor since 2014 in the village of Blond, which has 700 residents and boasts a fortified medieval church. She said: I do feel robbed, almost, of my little crown, my hat of responsibility. It makes me angry more than anything. I really don't like other people being able to make my life choices. It was my life choice to be a councillor. Mr Nixey said his application for French citizenship is stuck somewhere in a Brexit-induced backlog. He is not optimistic that he will get it in time to stand again for re-election in Saint-Martial-sur-Isop. Mr Nixey said that serving on the village council, dealing with the minutiae of local services like refuse collection and road repairs, helped integrate him and his wife, Margaret, into the rural community where they raised two children. He also feels it allowed him to play a bridge-building role between newly-arrived Britons and their French neighbours. About one-third of the 140 residents of Saint-Martial and its immediate surroundings are British, many of whom were attracted by cheap housing and land. Mr Nixey worries that communication will suffer if he is not around to translate and help smooth out problems and misunderstandings. Mr Nixey said: It's one more wall being built to prevent the further integration of people. It is a real shame. I know the ropes. My French is good enough. Saint-Martial mayor Pierre Bachellerie said that excluding the British expatriates will be a big loss for his and other villages which have been revived by the arrival of British workers and retirees. He said: What really upsets me is that they repopulated our villages. We are lucky to have them. For me, it's an aberration that they can no longer vote. Press Association Khan told the Judge that he fears that the UP police will kill him in a fake encounter. Dr Kafeel Khan, the Uttar Pradesh doctor who was jailed after the death of over 60 children at a government hospital in 2017, being taken away by the UP police, in Mumbai on Thursday. PTI Khan was arrested on Wednesday from Mumbai airport for allegedly making inflammatory statements at AMU. (Photo: PTI) Mumbai: A city court Thursday sent UP-based Dr Kafeel Khan to transit remand of the UP police in connection with a case registered against him for delivering an inflammatory speech during a protest against the CAA and NRC at Aligarh Muslim University. A Special Task Force (STF) of the Uttar Pradesh police with the help of Mumbai police arrested Dr Khan at the Mumbai International Airport Wednesday evening. The UP police produced him before metropolitan magistrate P.V. Bulbule at Bandra court and requested Judge Bulbule to grant them Dr Khans transit remand so that they could produce him before the concerned court in UP and seek his regular remand. The police had arrested Dr Khan for delivering an inflammatory speech during a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in December last year. Dr Khan told the Judge that he fears that the UP police will kill him in a fake encounter. He also complained to the magistrate that he is not being given a lawyer. He then requested the lawyers present in the courtroom to represent him. But no lawyer came forward to represent him. Only after some time, advocates Alka Sharma and Shaukat Ali agreed to represent him. After speaking to Dr Khan, they said that there is apprehension that he could be killed in an encounter and be implicated in a false and fabricated case. According to the lawyers, Dr Khan fears for his life because he is aware of those responsible for the death of 27 children in a UP hospital. However, the Aligarh police assured the court that Dr Khan would be taken to UP under appropriate protection and he would be safe in their custody. After hearing the arguments, magistrate Bulbule remanded Dr Khan to three days transit remand. The UP police is required to produce him before the concerned court in Aligarh within three days. The paediatrician had come to the limelight in 2017 when a controversy broke out after the death of over 60 children in less than a week at the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, where he was posted. Satellite images of China's central city of Wuhan are almost bereft of cars and people, in a dramatic illustration of how successful its quarantine efforts have been in convincing residents of the epicentre of a new virus outbreak to stay home. Lying on the banks of the Yangtze River and historically prone to devastating floods, Wuhan sprawls over 8,500 square kilometres (3,300 square miles) - five times the size of Greater London - and includes rural areas as well as a large urban zone. Authorities have all but shut down the city of 11 million, which is a major transport hub, at what is normally the busiest time of year - the Lunar New Year holidays - when millions of people travel home to visit their families. Slide me A January 28 picture taken from high above the city's usually crowded train station is devoid of the trains and cars that indicate human activity Slide me A January 28 image of the red arches and suspension cables of a bridge across the key Yangtze waterway shows its roadway deserted of vehicles, glimpsed in a January 12 image as a surge of white rectangles flooding across the artery A January 28 image of the red arches and suspension cables of a bridge across the key Yangtze waterway shows its roadway deserted of vehicles, glimpsed in a January 12 image as a surge of white rectangles flooding across the artery. The later image also reveals the absence of parked vehicles in surrounding streets threading between neighbourhoods of red-roofed homes and towering skyscrapers, and even ships in the brown waters of the river, visible earlier, are now missing. A similar January 28 picture taken from high above the city's usually crowded train station is devoid of the trains and cars that indicate human activity, although significant details in the picture are obscured by white puffs of cloud. Passengers at Wuhan's train station slowed to a trickle, media have said, with millions in surrounding cities virtually stranded, after public transport networks were shut to stop the spread of the virus, believed to have originated at a market illegally selling wildlife. A former child actor who was in '90s children's movie classics The Mighty Ducks and Heavyweights was arrested in northern California in connection with a home break-in, police said Tuesday. Shaun Weiss, 41, of Van Nuys, was taken into custody on Sunday at a Marysville home, police said. Officers arrived at the residence around 7 a.m. Sunday after the homeowner spotted an intruder in his garage. Officers spotted Weiss inside a vehicle parked in the garage. He shattered a passenger-side window to get into the vehicle, police said. Officers asked him to get out of the vehicle and arrested him. Weiss displayed symptoms of being under the influence of methamphetamine and said he did not reside at this residence. Weiss also said the vehicle he was filtering through was not his, police said in a news release. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Weiss was booked into Yuba County Jail on charges of burglary and being under the influence of meth. His bail is set at $52,500. Weiss played goalie Greg Goldberg in the 1992 Disney movie "The Mighty Ducks" and in the two sequels. He also played Josh Burnbalm in the 1995 movie "Heavyweights" with Ben Stiller. Weiss last acting role was in 2008. The Capitol is seen amid reflections in the Russell Senate Office Building as the impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, stretches into the night, in Washington, Wednesday. [January 30, 2020] 2020 Cybersecurity Marketer of the Year Nominees and Judges Announced The Cybersecurity Go To Market Dojo, the industry's premier community for Cybersecurity marketing professionals, today announced the 38 nominees for its 2020 Marketer of the Year awards. The awards, to be presented on February 23rd in San Francisco by premier sponsor Cyentia Institute, will recognize the leading Cybersecurity marketers in five categories including Marketer of the Year in a Public Company, Marketer of the Year in a Private Company, Rising Star Marketer of the Year, Breakout Company of the Year and Best Marketing Campaign of the Year, Thought Leadership or Demand Generation. Over 250 Cybersecurity marketing professionals will gather at the third annual RSA (News - Alert) Conference Marketer's Pre-fresher event on Sunday evening, March 3rd at the Thirsty Bear Brewery in San Francisco to announce the winners. The event, also sponsored by premier sponsor Security Marcom, as well as supporting sponsors Code Red Security PR Network, DWCC, Eskenzi PR, LeanData, and 10Fold Communications, is expected to sell out. "The community and our sponsors are excited to honor the best that the industry has at our 2020 event," said Dojo founder Ken Rutsky. "This year, we've added two new awards and two new judges, and we are amazed by the talent and accomplishments of the nearly 40 nominees, who represent the best and the brightest that the industry has to offer." Returning as judges from last year are Richard Stiennon, chief research analyst at IT-Harvest, renowned cybersecurity author of many books including the soon to be released The 2020 Cybersecurity Handbook, and Dr. Chenxi Wang, founder of Rain Capital, formerly the chief strategy officer at Twistlock and vce president of security research at Forrester. Joining the judging panel this year are last year's winner Varun Kholi, former VP of Strategic Marketing at Symantec (News - Alert) and now co-founder of a stealth AI startup, and Alan Shimel, founder and CEO of event media partner MediaOps and Editor in Chief of Security Boulevard. "Richard's and Chenxi's reputations precede them, and we are thrilled to have them back, as they are two of the leading influencers in the industry today. As a returning winner, Varun knows excellence when he sees it, and Alan is one of the most read experts and writers in the space. Combined this panel brings deep insight into the security market, buyers, products, and marketing. It's quite humbling to have them all on the judging panel," Rutsky added. Required pre-registration for the event is free and open to all cybersecurity vendor marketing, sales and executive teams at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rsa2020-marketers-prefresher-happy-hour-marketer-of-the-year-awards-tickets-77899027087 Nominees for the awards are listed below. Winners and runner-ups will be announced at the February 23rd event. About The Cybersecurity Go To Market Dojo The Cybersecurity Go To Market Dojo is the industry's premier community for Cybersecurity marketing and communications professionals. The Dojo is the leading place for Cybersecurity marketing professionals to share their ideas and stories about go to market strategies and tactics in order to grow their knowledge, skills and influence, accelerate their careers and increase their contributions to not just their organization, but to the industry and society. More information and online membership can be found at gotomarketdojo.com. 2020 Cybersecurity Marketer of the Year Nominees Private Company Marketer of the Year Armen Najarian, CMO, Agari Yoni Heilbronn, CMO, Argus Cyber Security Cameron Ragano, Director of Marketing, Cybrary Thomas Key, Director of Marketing Operations, eLearnSecurity Jane Grafton, VP of Marketing, Gurucul Kim Legelis, CMO, Nozomi networks Natalia Wodecki, Director of Global Communications & PR, OneLogin Youtse Sung, VP of Marketing, Outpost24 Kim DeCarlis, CMO, PerimeterX Dana Tamir, VP of Market Strategy, Silverfort Kris Crawford, VP of Marketing, The Media Trust Marc Solomon, CMO, ThreatQuotient Steve Kahan, CMO, Thycotic Public Company Marketer of the Year Jake Anderson, Head of Marketing, Cloudflare Johanna Flower, CMO , Crowdstrike Ryan Carlson, CMO, Okta Leah MacMillan, CMO, Trend Micro (News - Alert) Inc. Micheline Nijmeh, CMO, Z-Scaler Rising Star Marketer of the Year Meg Berry, Sr. Director of Demand Generation, Axonius Nathan Burke, CMO, Axonius Noam Harel, VP of Marketing, enSilo Corinna Krueger, VP of Marketing, SafeBreach Katy Yuan, Marketing Campaigns Specialist, Symantec Ryan Murphy, Head of Global Communications, VMWare Carbon Black Liarna LaPorta, Senior Manager Marketing, Wandera Breakout Company of the Year Arctic Wolf - Rebecca Selby, VP of Marketing Armis Security - Michael Parker CMO Axonius -Nathan Burke, CMO Blue Hexagon - Danelle Au, CMO IronNet Cybersecurity - Russ Cobb, CMO Security Compass (News - Alert) - Barb Betts, Director of Marketing Snyk - Leigh Moore, VP of Marketing Best Marketing Campaign of the Year, Thought Leadership or Demand Generation Deceptively Simple Threat Detection, Attivo Networks - Carolyn Crandall, CMO Targeting Previous Users, Digital Shadows - Dustin Smith, Field Marketing Manager, Americas Zero2Hero, SentinelOne - Migo Kedem, Senior Director, Products & Marketing Prioritization to Prediction Reports, Kenna Security - Caroline Japic, CMO VPN Vulnerabilities, Turning a Crisis into Thought Leadership, PulseSecure -Scott Gordon, CMO The Art of Cybersecurity, Trend Micro Inc.- Leah MacMillan, CMO View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005268/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A 45-year-old Portland, Ore. woman has filed a lawsuit accusing grocer Fred Meyer of racial discrimination after she said an employee called her racist slurs. Melita Bullitt said in the lawsuit that she was shopping with her daughter at the grocery stores Gateway District location Oct. 20 when she was unhappy with an employees customer service, the Oregonian/OregonLive reported. When Bullitt asked the employee for her name, the worker called Bullitt and her daughter racist slurs, according to the lawsuit filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court. Bullitt is Native American and her daughter is African American, the lawsuit says. Bullitt is asking for a jury trial, a $1 nominal fee and for her legal fees to be reimbursed. She said the employees discriminatory behavior caused her to feel shocked and embarrassed. A Fred Meyer spokesman said the retailer does not tolerate racial discrimination of any kind. We investigate any respective claims swiftly, so that we can take immediate action as necessary, Jefferey Temple said in a statement. He said the store was unable to comment on any ongoing litigation. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Oregon DUBLIN (BCN) A candlelight vigil and walk will be held on Thursday evening to mark the 31st anniversary of the disappearance of Ilene Misheloff, a girl who vanished while walking home from a Dublin middle school in 1989. Misheloff, an ice skater, was 13 years old when she vanished while walking home from Wells Middle School on Jan. 30, 1989. Family and friends of Misheloff will participate in the vigil, which begins at Wells Middle School at 6800 Penn Drive at 7 p.m. They then will go on a walk that follows most of Misheloff's path on the day she disappeared, starting at Wells and proceeding for 2.5 miles to St. Raymond Catholic Church at 11555 Shannon Ave., where an ecumenical prayer service will be held. Misheloff's family said that with the help of Dublin Police Services and the FBI it continues to search for her. The family said in a statement that Thursday "marks 31 years since our precious daughter, Ilene Misheloff, was kidnapped by a stranger from the streets of Dublin." The family said, "Please help us spread the word, as far and wide as possible, that we want our child back." 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. Imagine a neonatal intensive care unit, maybe 10 years in the future. Its a hushed, darkened room with rows of fluid-filled bags, each of them with a tiny baby inside. If it makes you shiver, if it makes you think of the battery farms in The Matrix or the hatcheries in Brave New World, you are not alone. This is a description of artificial wombs, and artificial wombs have baggage. But what this technology could actually do, and what we imagine it could mean, are two very different things. Advertisement The most common problem for premature babies is breathing, because lungs develop late in pregnancy. For fetuses in the womb, the placenta takes care of the oxygencarbon dioxide exchange. Clinicians keep premature babies alive with ventilators, which force air into lungs not ready to breathe, and incubators, which control their environment. This setup is an artificial womb, in a senseits just nothing like a real womb. A proper artificial womb would bypass those immature lungs, reoxygenating the babys blood via an umbilical catheter, in an attempt to replicate the work of the placenta. And the baby would be held in fluid, floating just as they would in a biological womb. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its easy to let those baby-in-a-bag images take us to wild places, an inhumane future without mothers. A recent BBC story on a Dutch scientist working on artificial wombs put it like this: Its a very thin line between a dream come true and a horrific science fiction film. Advertisement Advertisement These anxieties are preventing us from evaluating artificial wombs as they are actually being conceived. A more buttoned-up version of this sentiment was expressed in a recent letter to the editors of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. It was a response to a study on the successful use of an artificial womb with premature lambs. The letter writer, a physician, wrote at length of his concerns, including his fear that it might replace the role of a woman in natural pregnancy. (The authors of the study later replied, It is not possible to use this technology to supplant the role of women in natural pregnancy.) While the line between science fiction and reality is not, in this case, ambiguous, there are ethical and practical questions about the development of artificial wombs, as there are with every groundbreaking medical treatment. Among them: Who would have access to the treatment? How would nursing care change? What would be a childs birthday: the day they were put in the bag or the day they were removed from it? Advertisement Advertisement But the way that artificial wombs are spoken of suggests this technologywhich has so far only been used with lambsis on the cusp of changing everything about human connection and family and gender roles. Its utopia or dystopia and nothing in between. These anxieties are preventing us from evaluating artificial wombs as they are actually being conceived. And they betray a lack of understanding of the urgent problem of premature birth. In theory, it could work like this: In a modified C-section procedure, a premature baby between about 22 and 24 weeks would have three cannulas inserted into the three umbilical vessels (two arteries bringing spent blood out and one vein bringing freshly oxygenated blood back) to run their blood through a placentalike membrane that would provide oxygen and nutrition and remove carbon dioxide. Then they would be placed into a container filled with synthetic amniotic fluid. It would be a life support system modeled on the uterus, which is where premature babies are supposed to be. Basically: a baby in a large, fluid-filled bag with a thick tube where the umbilical cord should be. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is no wonder that people find this disconcerting. Its the uncanny valley of pregnancy, too close for comfort: the most intimate bodily process almost, but not quite, reproduced. Advertisement Advertisement There have been notable recent successes on this path. In 2017, researchers at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia succeeded in keeping premature lambs alive and developing normally for up to 28 days in an artificial womb they call the Biobag. (Lambs are used because their respiratory systems are similar to those of human babies.) After removal from the bag, most were euthanized to study their organs, but at least one was allowed to reach adult sheephood, for continued study. And last summer, a group of Japanese and Australian researchers reported using their own device with extremely premature lambs, younger than those worked with in Philadelphia, closer to the 1-pound mark, the size of many 22- to 24-week babies. Advertisement Even this progress doesnt mean weve recreated the womb. Scientists still dont fully understand gestation: the labyrinthine interactions between the fetuss and gestational parents bodies, the critical role of the placenta. If these new devices succeed, it would be incredible, but not because that labyrinth has been mapped and replicated. Artificial wombs wouldnt be wombs so much as an improved version of the neonatal intensive care that already exists. In NICUs today youll find a population of babies who are already partially gestated by technology: For the smallest babies, the first thing that usually happens in the delivery room is that they are intubated and connected to a ventilator. They are given nutrition intravenously at first, and then, if they do well, with a feeding tube thats run down their esophagus. They live in an incubator, which keeps their bodies warm and their skin moist. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hundreds of thousands of people are alive today because of neonatal intensive care. But it isnt without a bodily cost, especially for those born before 25 weeks. These interventions can save their lives but also cause harm and discomfort: damaging their lungs and interfering with normal brain development. If artificial wombs work for humans, more babies will live, and with less pain and fewer health problems. However, this technology, as currently conceived, would not allow humans to gestate entirely outside of the womb. Researchers say that before about 20 weeks, the blood vessels, heart, and skin of the fetus just arent developed enough to be supported in an artificial womb. Matthew W. Kemp, a senior researcher on the study from Australia and Japan, explained it to me this way: At the crudest level, if you cant catheterize it and dont have a fetal heart thats strong enough to pump, thats a hard limit. Its really a hard stop, we think at 21 weeks, maybe a touch less, but certainly not lower than that. Advertisement Kemp went on to explain in detail the limitations and highly specialized nature of this technology. Its not a replacement for a placenta or a uterus, said Kemp. The practical reality is that this is not a fun discretionary birthing option, like a water bath. Assuming for a moment that we are going to get this to work, it will be eye-wateringly expensive and require an extraordinarily skilled team of people. Advertisement Advertisement Pediatric bioethicist John Lantos compares the development of these devices to the slow change that has made it possible to treat younger premature babies with existing care. I dont think its going to change the nature of humanity, any more than saving 24-weekers changed the nature of humanity, he said. There have been significant shifts in what we thought of as viability. This could be another one. But it will be incremental, not cataclysmic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Today, in the United States, a fetus is considered viable if born somewhere between 22 and 24 weeks, though it depends on individual factors as much as gestational age. In that range, a premature baby has a chance. The researchers who do this work say it would be impossible to use this technology with babies younger than about 21 weeksand that pushing to earlier gestations is not their goal. That would mean these devices could shift the window of viability, but not in a dramatic way. The concern over moving viability is mostly about abortion; the fact that weve defined the right to an abortion by a changeable line is a self-created problem (or rather, a problem foisted upon us by the anti-abortion movement). If we thought of abortion as a medical treatment instead of a subject for political and legislative debate, we would also be freer to evaluate the artificial womb, and other treatments for premature babies, on their own merits. Roe v. Wade established a cruel zero-sum game: Success in treating premature babies erodes access to abortion. What if we didnt have to think of it that way? Canada, for instance, has no laws on abortion, because its a medical procedure, and theres no need to legislate those like crimes. Otherwise, its hard to see why moving viability back, in and of itself, is a bad thingif it means more treatments that help wanted pregnancies result in healthy babies. Advertisement Advertisement This is a difficult climate in which to research pregnancy, and it has cost us. In the early 2000s, Helen Liu grew endometrial cells in her lab and then used that tissue as a scaffolding to grow mouse embryos. She hypothesized that she might be able to help people struggling with infertility as a result of implantation problems. It would be a bit like taking in vitro fertilization one step further and accomplishing implantation before transfer, then transferring the embryo and endometrium into the patients uterus. After quite a lot of press coverage, Liu actually halted her experiments. She told a reporter at the Atlantic that the pressure from the press and from anti-abortion and pro-choice advocates was just too much. Pro-choice advocates worry that if an embryo or fetus is viable at any time, legal abortion would disappear entirely. On the political right, the argument against artificial wombs centers more on religious or traditional ideas about pregnancy and motherhood. Advertisement Advertisement Even outside of the abortion debate, the idea of what is natural seems to matter more when it comes to pregnancy and childbearing than it does in other medical contexts. The natural becomes a way to restrict or police womens bodies and their choices. It can actively restrict progress in medical intervention in pregnancy, from abortion to IVF. Advertisement Advertisement Is the artificial womb upsetting because we feel it is unnatural or because it comes too close to the natural, and complicates it? I think its both. Artificial wombs reveal the close-to-the-bone contradictions inherent in how we think about childbearing and motherhood. When you see a 1-pound baby on a ventilator, in some sense, it feels wrong because it is wrongnot morally wrong, but wrong for their bodies. Premature babies bodies are meant to be in muffled, weightless fluid, not a loud, gravity-bound hospital room. Theyre also not meant to be seen; they are meant to be sequestered in dark softness until they are ready to be among us. In this sense, the artificial womb is much more natural than what we have now. The salient comparison is to current neonatal life support, not to an actual body, a parent. Natural vs. unnatural is an inadequate framework for the reality of trying to have a baby, a baby who lives. A fuller understanding of gestationhow we can or should intervene in it, and how we cantbrings a more specific wonder and humility. If there are babies in bags, they will still just be babies. We will still be their parents. We will all be doing our best for them. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. BEVERLY, Mass., Jan, 30. 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Medicinal Genomics Corp. (MGC), a pioneer in harnessing cannabis genomics to improve the agricultural productivity, safety, and transparency of cannabis, today announced its partnerships with three major distributors in developing cannabis markets in two geographies: Sanitas SAS in Columbia; Analytical Technology SA in Argentina, Panama, Paraguay and Uruguay; and Genomax Technologies in Thailand. Both of these regions are in various stages of legalization, indicative of the great strides cannabis is making around the world. Uruguay was the first country in the world to decriminalize cannabis use, and some have predicted that this small South American nation, with a population of only 3 million, will be the first country whose legal cannabis exports exceed $1 billion. Meanwhile, its neighbors in South America, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, and Peru have all taken the first steps to legalize some form of cannabis use, with more relaxation of regulations being discussed. As more South American countries come on line, they are looking to their considerable agtech expertise to jumpstart their entry in medicinal cannabis and medical cannabis research. Together with abundant land, ideal growing conditions, and relatively inexpensive labor, these countries are responding to their populations who are pushing their respective governments for more and more deregulation governing various aspects of cannabis use, including adult use, home grows, hemp production, and export. This is also a region that has long-standing plant-based healing traditions in which cannabis has long played a major role. These market dynamics have combined to touch off something of a gold rush with many American, Canadian, and European firms pouring in to make investments, buying land and setting up satellite operations. Last December, Thailand took the progressive step to legalize cannabis for medical and research purposes, becoming the first country in Southeast Asia to do so. That development has touched off a bit of a "green rush" that could eventually make cannabis the country's main cash crop. Investment in the new sector has not been limited to private companies, either. Recently, the government completed work on a large-scale medical cannabis growing and processing facility capable of producing as many as 12,000 plants, making it the largest such facility in the region. According to a recent Prohibition Partners report, the Southeast Asian medical cannabis market is estimated to grow to $5.8 billion by 2024. This growth trajectory in this potentially lucrative market is based on the progress of other countries in the region, such as Malaysia and Korea, who are studying entering the industry as a response to shifting demographics and changing attitudes about cannabis' considerable benefits. "Regardless of where cannabis is grown or by whom, legal cannabis businesses the world over all need the same things: clean, productive crops they can grow consistently and profitably. The most effective way to do that reliably is with genomics for testing and breeding," said Brendan McKernan, Medicinal Genomics' CEO. "We are expanding rapidly, and our strategy is straightforwardto support the cannabis industry's growth around the world, and its need to provide a product consumers can trust and buy with confidence. Cannabis has the power to radically and very quickly transform not just the health and well-being of whole populations, but also the economies in which they live. We're proud to be able to play a small part in this revolution." According to a report by Imarc, the global medical cannabis market could rise in value to $44 billion by 2024, from an estimated $13.4 billion in 2018. About Medicinal Genomics Corporation Medicinal Genomics Corporation is a pioneer in advancing the genomics of cannabis to build a stronger scientific foundation for cannabis-based products. The company's unmatched expertise in genetic science helps cultivators, dispensaries and testing laboratories characterize and understand the quality and consistency of cannabis to ensure patients and consumers have access to consistently safe, high-quality cannabis. To support their mission, Medicinal Genomics also produces CannMed, an annual cannabis science conference, dedicated to the scientific advancement of the cannabis industry, and Kannapedia, the world's most complete public cannabis cultivar database. For more information, please visit www.medicinalgenomics.com. MGC media contact: Ben Amirault [email protected] (978) 430-0888 SOURCE Medicinal Genomics Nightingale House looking for intrepid fundraisers for its most daring overseas adventure yet This article is old - Published: Thursday, Jan 30th, 2020 Nightingale House Hospice is looking for intrepid fundraisers to take part in its more daring overseas adventure yet. Mount Kilimanjaro, Africas highest mountain, will be the next destination for hospice fund raisers and those interested in taking part can find out more at a forthcoming information evening. The challenging and popular trek will follow the Machame route, which approaches Kilimanjaro from the south, a tough but spectacularly rewarding route. The Kilimanjaro Challenge will be the hospices fourth overseas fund raiser and follows on from the successful Great Wall of China Trek and Cycle challenge from Vietnam to Cambodia. Fundraisers will set off on their journey in October 2021 with those interested in finding out more about the adventure invited to an information evening at 6pm on Thursday 27th February at the Wrexham Hospices Caffi Cwtch on Chester Road, Wrexham. The trip costs will be outlined at the event and will include all return flights from Manchester, all accommodation, camping equipment (tents are included participants need to bring their own sleeping bag), Kilimanjaro National Park fees, all meals whilst trekking and from arrival to departure together with local porters and cooks for the trek. Bethan Scott, challenge co-ordinator said: This is a great opportunity to see a beautiful part of the world while doing something amazing for others too. For anyone who enjoys walking up mountains, this will be an incredible experience. Hospice in Memory Giving Fundraiser, Delyth Underwood added: The Kilimanjaro trek will be our most daring overseas fundraising adventure yet, and we cant wait to start preparing for it. Lots of people have very personal reasons for doing such a challenge while raising money for a good cause. For more information contact Bethan Scott or Del Underwood in the hospice fundraising office on 01978 314292. The European Unions top diplomat has called on Serbia and Kosovo to resume dialogue, saying it is the only way to normalise their ties and achieve a final agreement. Talks between the Balkan neighbours broke down in November 2018 when Kosovo imposed a 100% tax on Serbian goods over Belgrades refusal to recognise Kosovos independence. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell is on a two-day trip to Kosovo before travelling to Serbia on Friday. My duty, my task my endeavour my objective, is to accompany, facilitate the negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo, Mr Borrell said after meeting Kosovo President Hashim Thaci. Because the problem can only be solved by Serbia and Kosovo, with the negotiations between the two of them, and the result can only come from an agreement between the two of them. There is no other solution. The EU-mediated negotiations started in 2011 but stalled when Kosovo imposed the tariffs on Serbian products about 14 months ago. Serbias intervention against Kosovos independence-seeking ethnic Albanians in 1998-99 prompted Nato to intervene to stop the conflict. Serbia does not accept Kosovos 2008 declaration of independence, although its former province has been recognised by about 100 countries. Mr Borrell said Brussels was not in a race with Washington on Serbia-Kosovo negotiations and they were working together to achieve a result. Last week, senior US officials brokered two deals to resume air and railway links between the two countries, which have been suspended for 21 years. Mr Thaci urged closer co-ordination between Brussels and Washington, and called on EU member states to take a united stance. He was optimistic a deal between Kosovo and Serbia eventually would be achieved though that is not an easy process. English French PRESS RELEASE MAISONS DU MONDE: FULL-YEAR 2019 TRADING UPDATE Full-year 2019 performance expected in line with targets Full-year sales growth: +10.3% year-on-year 41 gross store openings and 14 closures Estimated full-year EBITDA margin in line with guidance NANTES 30 January 2020, 17:45 CET Maisons du Monde (Euronext Paris: MDM; ISIN: FR0013153541) announces that its expected unaudited sales, net store openings and estimated EBITDA margin for the year ended 31 December 2019 are in line with the Groups previously-published targets1. Full-year sales growth was +10.3% year-on-year, of which +3.6% like-for-like, and +8.8% at constant perimeter (excluding Modani); The Group carried out 41 gross openings in 2019 (Maisons du Monde: 35; Modani: 6). Maisons du Monde closed 13 stores for relocation, while Modani closed 1 showroom; Maisons du Monde confirms that its estimated full-year 2019 EBITDA margin is in line with guidance (i.e. circa 12.5% of sales). The Groups strong sales growth was achieved despite the impact of the ongoing national strikes in France (estimated at -5 to -6 million euros in December). The strikes reduced footfall in stores and are still affecting the port of Marseille, which in turn is having knock-on effects on short-term product availability. The impact on December sales was partially offset by advancing the Private Sales promotion in France from early January to late December, in line with the French market practice. The double-digit sales growth and solid EBITDA in 2019, together with strong cash generation during the year, underline the power of the Maisons du Monde brand and business model, as well as the relevance of its omnichannel and international strategy. Maisons du Monde will release its audited full-year 2019 results and 2020 outlook on 11 March 2020 after market close. *** About Maisons du Monde Maisons du Monde is a creator of inspirational lifestyle universes in the homeware industry, offering distinctive and affordable decoration and furniture collections that showcase multiple styles. The Group develops its business through an integrated and complementary omnichannel approach, leveraging its international network of stores, its websites and its catalogues. The Group was founded in France in 1996 and has expanded profitably across Europe since 2003, reporting sales of 1,111 million and EBITDA of 148 million in 2018. At 31 December 2018, the Group operated 336 stores in 9 countries including France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, the United States and the United Kingdom, and derived 40% of its sales outside France. The Group has also built a successful complementary and comprehensive ecommerce platform, whose sales grew by over 30% per year on average between 2010 and 2018. This platform, which accounted for 23% of the Group's sales in 2018, is available in the countries where it operates stores plus Austria, the Netherlands and Portugal. In 2018, the Group acquired a majority stake in Modani, a furniture chain present in the United States through its stores and ecommerce business. Modani, founded in 2007, is an aspirational lifestyle brand, offering high-quality proprietary modern, contemporary and mid-century furniture at affordable price points, with a nationwide presence through a network of 13 showrooms. corporate.maisonsdumonde.com *** Contacts Investor Relations Press Relations Laurent Sfaxi +33 2 51 71 52 07 Clementine Prat +33 2 51 79 54 08 lsfaxi@maisonsdumonde.com cprat@maisonsdumonde.com 1 Sales growth around +10.5%; 38-42 gross store openings and 13-14 store closures for relocation; EBITDA margin of c. 12.5% of sales. Attachment Lengthy pizza delivers funds for embattled Australian firefighters People cut a 100m long margherita pizza made by Pellegrini's Italian restaurant as part of a charity event to race funds for the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, In Sydney, Australia (Reuters) - An Italian restaurant in Australia has made a 103 metre (338 foot) Margherita pizza to raise funds for firefighters battling bushfires. The pizza was rolled out in rectangular, metre-long pieces of dough, pieced together and covered with tomato sauce and mozzarella, before being baked using a conveyor oven. It was then liberally seasoned with basil leaves, oregano and olive oil. The effort took about four hours, according to Pellegrini's restaurant, and yielded 4,000 slices. The proceeds went to the New South Wales Rural Fire service. A video of the pizza being made has gone viral on social media with lots of users marvelling at its size. The restaurant is now holding a contest to guess how many kilograms of flour went into making the pizza. (Writing by Karishma Singh; Editing by Robert Birsel) The Government does not know what the full cost of the M20 will be. 35m has been spent on the proposed Cork to Limerick road to date. 29 Afghan security personnel killed in renewed clashes with Taliban Iran Press TV Wednesday, 29 January 2020 6:54 PM A series of renewed attacks by the Taliban have claimed the lives of at least 29 members of Afghan security forces across the violence-wracked country after the Kabul government killed dozens of the group's militants in the weekend assaults. Reuters news agency, quoting an unnamed security source, reported on Wednesday that at least 15 members of the Afghan army were killed after the Taliban carried out attacks on security checkpoints in the northern province of Kunduz on Tuesday night. Separately, the Taliban also raided a police station on Monday night in Pul-e Khomri, capital of the neighboring Baghlan province. Safdar Muhseni, head of the provincial council, confirmed that at least 14 policemen were killed in that assault. Taliban militants claimed responsibility for both attacks. The group's spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said 35 members of the Afghan security forces had been killed in the attack in Kunduz and 17 in Baghlan. Afghan forces and the Taliban also clashed on Tuesday when security personnel tried to access the site of a crashed US military plane in Ghazni province. The Taliban claimed they repelled the security forces who were trying for the second time to reach the wreckage site in the militants' stronghold. US forces were later able to access the site and recover the remains of two personnel and what is believed to be the flight data recorder. Afghanistan's Defense Ministry said on Sunday that the government forces had killed more than 50 militants in the multiple ground and air assaults against the Taliban at the weekend. The United States invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 and overthrew the Taliban regime that was in power at the time. But US forces have remained bogged down there through the presidencies of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and now Donald Trump. Some 19 years on, Washington is seeking a truce with the militants, who now control or have influence in about half of Afghanistan's territory. The Taliban have rejected calls for a ceasefire and instead stepped up operations across the country over the past few months. The Taliban have been negotiating with the Trump administration for more than a year over the withdrawal of US troops in exchange for security guarantees from the militants. Negotiations began last year in the Qatari capital Doha, but have been interrupted at least twice after Taliban attacks on US military personnel in September and December. Last week, another round of talks kicked off with US Special Representative on Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad meeting repeatedly with the Taliban's chief negotiator Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. In bilateral talks, which had excluded the Afghan government, US forces withdrawal from Afghanistan had been the main Taliban demand. Nearly 20,000 US-led foreign troops, most of them Americans, are currently deployed in Afghanistan as part of a so-called mission to purportedly train, assist, and advise Afghan security forces. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Zimbabwe gained a huge lead of 354 runs over Sri Lanka in the second Test after the completion of day four here on Thursday. Resuming day four from 62/1, Zimbabwe did not witness a good start as Lasith Embuldeniya dismissed Regis Chakabva (14) in his second over of the day. Prince Masvaure was then joined by Brendan Taylor out on the field. The duo played cautiously but kept the scoreboard running. However, in the 39th over, Masvaure was run out due to miscommunication, after scoring 35 runs. Timycen Maruma was the next batsman but failed to leave a mark as Embuldeniya sent the batsman back on a duck. Taylor played brilliantly and completed his half-century. Lahiru Kumara provided Sri Lanka with the much-needed breakthrough as he dismissed Taylor (67), who was given LBW. Sikandar Raza and Sean Williams then took the charge and formed a good partnership before the former gave away his wicket after scoring 34 runs. After Raza's dismissal, Sri Lankan bowlers bowled with an attacking mindset and made difficult for Zimbabwe batsmen to score runs. However, despite the Sri Lankan bowlers' efforts, Zimbabwe have already gained a massive lead and will resume their second innings from 241/7 on day five. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Himadri Speciality Chemical rose 1.93% to Rs 68.50 after expanded capacities at its carbon black producing West Bengal based plant commenced operations. The stock has traded in the range of Rs 68.20 and Rs 68.95 so far during the day. In an exchange filing made after market hours yesterday, the company informed that commercial operations of the proposed expansion of 60,000 MTPA plant for manufacturing carbon black at West Bengal have commenced. The overall capacity of carbon black has increased to 1,80,000 MTPA, it added. Himadri Speciality Chemical manufactures and sells carbon materials and 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.) LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsen is to transition to a new role pursuing further opportunities in humanitarian entrepreneurship, having spent 27 years at Vestergaard and 22 years as CEO. Mikkel will focus on his work as CEO of Sceye, a material science company building stratospheric airships. In a continuation of the humanitarian work that has defined Mikkel's career, Sceye's potential applications include monitoring the effects of climate change, tracking illegal fishing and human trafficking, and providing connectivity to off-grid communities. Mikkel will continue to shape the future of Vestergaard through his role on the board of directors. Alison Hill will step up from managing director to become CEO of LifeStraw, which becomes a separate business concern. The PermaNet and ZeroFly brands will remain under Vestergaard, which welcomes Michael Joos as CEO. Mikkel remains CEO of the parent company Vestergaard Holding. Under Mikkel, Vestergaard's three major brands have collectively contributed to disease prevention for more than one billion of the world's most vulnerable people. PermaNet : When Vestergaard launched and scaled the first long-lasting insecticidal net in early 2000, more than one million people mainly children were dying from the disease every year. The introduction of new drugs and rapid diagnostics have helped reduce this figure to fewer than 500,000 today, and long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLIN) pioneered by Vestergaard have been credited as the main contributor to the 50% reduction in Malaria from 2000-2015 [Nature Microbiology]. Vestergaard is the largest producer of LLINs, having made and distributed nearly one billion nets. : When Vestergaard launched and scaled the first long-lasting insecticidal net in early 2000, more than one million people mainly children were dying from the disease every year. The introduction of new drugs and rapid diagnostics have helped reduce this figure to fewer than 500,000 today, and long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLIN) pioneered by Vestergaard have been credited as the main contributor to the 50% reduction in Malaria from 2000-2015 [Nature Microbiology]. Vestergaard is the largest producer of LLINs, having made and distributed nearly one billion nets. LifeStraw : Two decades ago, Vestergaard partnered with the Carter Center to join the effort to eradicate Guinea worm. More than 38 million LifeStraw drinking water filters have so far been distributed, and from 3.5 million cases of Guinea worm in the mid-1980s [Carter Center] only 28 were reported in 2018 [WHO]. Having been wiped out in Asia and the Middle East [Carter Center], Guinea worm could become only the second disease in history to be wiped out since smallpox was eradicated nearly 50 years ago. It could also become the first disease to be eradicated without the use of a vaccine. : Two decades ago, Vestergaard partnered with the Carter Center to join the effort to eradicate worm. More than 38 million LifeStraw drinking water filters have so far been distributed, and from 3.5 million cases of worm in the mid-1980s [Carter Center] only 28 were reported in 2018 [WHO]. Having been wiped out in and the [Carter Center], worm could become only the second disease in history to be wiped out since smallpox was eradicated nearly 50 years ago. It could also become the first disease to be eradicated without the use of a vaccine. ZeroFly: The innovative insecticide-treated food storage bags have enabled 550,000 tons of grain to be stored safely from pests, improving food security and protecting valuable harvests. Vestergaard's insecticide treated fabric has also been used by farmers as screens to protect their animals from flies and, in combination with the deployment of more than one million tsetse fly traps, has helped reduce African sleeping sickness, which is spread by the tsetse fly. "I am immensely proud of the accomplishments of the team at Vestergaard," says Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsen. "This is a team driven by the desire to make positive changes in the world, and one that has worked hard to achieve this. Our mission, vision and values are embedded throughout the company, which is why each business unit is able to lead the way in creating meaningful humanitarian impact." "I am pleased to welcome the next generation of day-to-day leadership, and Alison Hill and Michael Joos are talented leaders who will bring the intelligence, drive and passion needed to grow our successful brands into the future. I am excited to watch LifeStraw, PermaNet, and ZeroFly continue to move the world towards disease eradication, and better health and nutrition. And I'm also excited to be taking the helm of an innovative tech company that has the potential to add to huge positive humanitarian and environmental impact around the world." When Mikkel began working with the family company in the early 1990s, Vestergaard was a small sewing operation in Denmark. Today, under Mikkel's leadership, the company has grown to be one of the most successful and impactful private humanitarian companies in the world. Vestergaard believes that humanitarian impact is not a cost to the company, but a driver of revenues, and one that can be measured both in the bottom line and in its work setting a gold standard as a positive impact company. SOURCE Vestergaard TORONTO, ON - January 30, 2020 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Patriot One Technologies Inc., (TSX: PAT) (OTCQB: PTOTF) (FRANKFURT: 0PL) ("Patriot One" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce it has been awarded an $780,000 CAD contract by Innovation Solutions Canada (ISC) for the Canadian Department of National Defense (DND). The contract will include the purchase, deployment and evaluation of the PATSCAN Multi-Sensor Covert Threat Detection Platform with the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), who will evaluate and learn how to deploy the Platform for personnel and asset protection at ports of call around the world. The $780,000 CAD contract, initially announced for pre-qualification on December 5, 2018 by Patriot One, among the Company, the Canadian Government and Innovative Solutions Canada (ISC) - formerly the Build In Canada Innovation Program (BCIP) - was initiated under the call for proposals 007 guidelines. Patriot One's PATSCAN Platform was evaluated and pre-qualified under the Military Innovation Component on the merit of innovation, and ISC sourced the Department of National Defense (DND) as the implementation and evaluation partner. The Military Innovation Component consists of six (6) priority areas, which includes (i) Arctic & Maritime Security, (ii) Command & Support, (iii) Cyber-security, (iv) In-Service support, (v) Protecting the Soldiers and (vi) Training Systems. Patriot One's PATSCAN Platform met several of these priority areas but was specifically selected under the Arctic/Maritime Security and Protecting Soldiers. "We've been working with Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada's ISC division and Canadian Department of National Defense (DND) over the past year on this critical program for personnel and asset protection while at port around the world," shared Martin Cronin, CEO and President of Patriot One. "The ability to deploy, evaluate and train the DND personnel on the PATSCAN Platform in a variety of real-life settings is extremely exciting for our team. As I've shared before, and as a Canadian company, we are truly honored to be part of this effort to protect our serving military personnel." Patriot One's business development and engineering teams have already begun work with teams at ISC, and Canadian Department of National Defense on the production of the PATSCAN Platform, which will be delivered beginning in February 2020. Deployment and testing will begin in March 2020. Specific locations where the PATSCAN Platform will be deployed and evaluated will not be disclosed for the safety of personnel and Canadian DND bases. Respectfully "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 generation 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 Innovative Solutions Canada (ISC) Innovative Solutions Canada helps Canadian innovators by funding R&D and testing prototypes in real-life settings. The program operates two streams with a combined funding of over $140 million dedicated to Canadian innovators who want to start, grow, and get to market. For further information, please contact: Patriot One Technologies Inquiries info@patriot1tech.com www.patriot1tech.com Investor Relations John Martin, Investor Relations Manager Patriot One Technologies +1 (888) 728-1332 johnm@patriot1tech.com Media Contacts: Scott Ledingham, Public Relations Patriot One Technologies +1-613-806-7135 scott@prmedianow.com Missy Knight, Public Relations & Community Support Liaison Mt. Healthy City Schools +1-513-619-8433 knight@mthcs.org Innovation Solutions Canada (ISED) Ottawa Headquarters Telephone: 343-291-1777 Business hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m media relations team. 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. News -Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investment involves risk and possible loss of investment. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Contact each company directly regarding content and press release questions. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Disclosure : this news release featuring TSX: PAT is a paid for news release on Investorideas.com ($750) More disclaimer info: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp Learn more about publishing your news release and our other news services on the Investorideas.com newswire https://www.investorideas.com/News-Upload/ and tickertagstocknews.com Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp About Investorideas.com https://www.investorideas.com/About/ Sign up for free stock news alerts at Investorideas.com https://www.investorideas.com/Resources/Newsletter.asp The name Tony Stark and the term warm and fuzzy typically dont appear in the same sentence. Especially in the early Marvel Studios films, Stark was known for being powerfully snarky and egocentric to a fault. Yes, he was brilliant, but he was still often a jerk. Iron Man has become so entwined with Robert Downey Jr. that its easy to overlook Downeys more humanistic qualities. But he showed this in spades this month when he spoke with an autistic boy on Ellen DeGeneres talk show. Robert Downey Jr. | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic What did Downey do on Ellen? DeGeneres herself was on break from her show, so she had Downey come in as her guest host, just as Brie Larson substituted for Jimmy Kimmel on one of his shows. Downey got to interview celebrities like Rami Malek and he participated in the shtick of DeGeneres games, but none of this moved him as much as his visit with Vincent Arambula. Screen Rant reported that Vincent stopped talking at the age of 1 and was diagnosed with autism at 4. The boy confessed it was very painful to lose the ability to communicate at such a young age, but he eventually found a way through Downeys signature character. Vincents parents bought him an Iron Man helmet. Once he put the helmet on, the boy was able to talk through it, as he envisioned himself becoming Iron Man. Vincents father said his son transformed into a different child within 24 hours. Visibly moved, Downey said Arambula was the guest he had most been looking forward to meeting, and he said the best part about getting to play Iron Man was meeting people like Vincent and his family. Downey even marveled at the fact that the familys dog was named Mr. Stark. Tony Stark really did have a heart The moment on the talk show reflected how much Tony Stark had changed from Iron Man in 2008 to Avengers: Endgame last year. Whereas Tony had been a womanizer who thought only about himself, he transformed into a man who truly understood the meaning of the greater good. His touching interactions with his daughter Morgan gave rise to one of Endgames signature lines, I love you 3000. This evolution mirrored what happened to Downey in real life. After breaking out in the late 80s, Downey got hooked on drugs, which set him on a painful downward spiral. While Hollywood viewed Downey as extremely talented, he also gained a reputation for being extremely unreliable, and he landed in jail. When Jon Favreau wanted to cast Downey as Iron Man, Marvel had the jitters, given Downeys troubled past, but Iron Man turned Downey around in more ways than one. Other superhero actors have been super in the real world Christian Bale visits Aurora shooting victim in hospital pic.twitter.com/QvkAAZob SPIN 1038 (@spin1038) July 24, 2012 Downey donated $20,000 to the Arambula family, and Downeys generous gesture was just one example of superhero actors living up to their roles in real life. Distractify compiled a list of instances of Marvel actors generosity, including Scarlett Johansson. She was an Oxfam ambassador for eight years, and a hardcore supporter of Soles4Souls The MCUs two Chris actors, Evans and Pratt, teamed up to brighten childrens days. They made a friendly Super Bowl Bet that supported the losing team had to go visit a childrens hospital in character Pratts Seahawks lost, but Evans came with him, so there were no losers anywhere in that bet. Christian Bale provided what many hailed as one of the most moving gestures of all in 2012. After the horrific shooting at a Dark Knight Rises screening in Aurora Colorado, Bale visited survivors and their families at the hospital According to the Washington Post, the visit was solely Bales idea, was done with no fanfare and no advance announcement and was not prompted by Warner Bros. Tolander will work within several sectors, including tech-enabled manufacturing and distribution companies, consumer & e-commerce companies, communications equipment companies, and the energy E&P supply chain, among others. He'll also assist micro- and small-cap public companies in examining strategic alternatives. Tolander comes to Capital Alliance with over 20 years of institutional sales, research and investment management experience specific to the small capitalization public equity marketplace. He was most recently with Roth Capital Partners in Dallas, where he managed a proprietary fund that invested in undervalued micro-cap special situation companies. In prior roles at Roth Capital, he was managing director of Institutional Sales and Research. Before becoming involved in capital markets, he was a research associate at RJ Rudden Associates, where he provided management consulting services to public utilities. Tolander holds an MBA from the University of Iowa and a bachelor's degree in energy engineering from the University of Arizona. About Capital Alliance Corp. (www.cadallas.com) Capital Alliance Corp. is a global mid-market investment banking firm, providing consulting services for mergers and acquisitions. The company represents client companies in a variety of markets, including energy, human resource management, technology, healthcare, construction & engineering, and manufacturing. Since its founding in 1976, the privately held firm has completed more than 230 transactions with an aggregate transaction value in excess of $3 billion. For three decades, Capital Alliance has been a member of Oaklins, formerly M&A International, a membership organization of investment banking firms operating in the major economies of the world. SOURCE Capital Alliance Corp. Related Links http://www.cadallas.com 2.5k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard This is threatening a potential witness. And nothing new for the gangster mob in the White House. For all of President Trumps wailing about no one listening to his side and ongoing vitriol aimed at Democrats, it is once again a Republican who is causing problems for Trump. This Republican is Trumps former National Security Adviser, John Bolton, who has written a book that was leaked to the press in which he says that Trump specifically withheld aid to Ukraine on the condition that they announce a bogus investigation into Biden. And now the White House is threatening Bolton that he cant publish his book as is. So much for Republicans wanting the truth out there: WH letter to Bolton warning him against publication of his book as it is right now pic.twitter.com/dsICaKQuJe Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) January 29, 2020 Tapper added: 2/ Invoking federal law and the nondisclosure agreements Bolton signed, NSC says his manuscript appears to contain significant amounts of classified information including at the TOP SECRET level 3/ which per Exec Order 13526 reasonably could be expected to cause exceptionally grave harm to the national security of U.S. NSC says without that info deleted the manuscript may not be published Trump is claiming national security is at risk, but the problem with this defense is that he was impeached partly for threatening our national security with his abuse of power. And so national security issues will naturally come into play. Jennifer Ruben pointed out that there is no enforceable NDA for a government employee. BTW, there is no enforceable NDA for a govt employee. If it is classified he can be prosecuted (yay, right!) but there is no civil liability/NDA nor is there an injunction on speech (See Pentagon papers). Bolton is a VERY good lawyer and knows all this. Jennifer Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) January 29, 2020 Republicans dont want to hear from their own party members who served Trump, and that should be the big tell to those who dont follow these proceedings closely that something is rotten in the state of Denmark. Senator Schumer (D-NY) took on the Republican argument against witnesses like Bolton on Wednesday during a press conference, But the Republican argument is wrong. It wont take too long. If my Republican colleagues vote with us to subpoena relevant witnesses and documents, theres no reason for a protracted trial. The four sets of documents weve requested have already been collected. Theyre sitting in boxes at the White House, the State Department, OMB, and the Pentagon. Theyre ours for the asking. Mr. Bolton has already said hed testify. Theres no reason for delays if the Senate summons Bolton, Mulvaney, Blair and Duffey. A legitimate trial would, of course, require witnesses with first-hand knowledge of the issue, as Bolton has, and a legitimate political party would want to protect their own country and the peoples right to free elections. That is not what the Republican Party is doing, as the GOP-led Senate stains its reputation for a generation cheerleading for the most corrupt president this nation has ever had. [January 30, 2020] Explore Personal Style with the Latest Vivo S1 Pro DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Vivo, the leading technology company has once again impressed the world by merging vivo's signature photography technologies with its powerful software to deliver the S1 Pro. The smartphone is more than cutting-edge technology alone, it is a remarkable smartphone concept that raises the bar for trendsetting technology which empowers users to explore their own style. The diamond design for the S1 Pro is a style of its own. It is inspired by images of jewelry and royal palaces which conjure a distinctive look that adds a unique and dynamic feel to this latest smartphone. For instance, the 48 MP AI Quad Camera is cleverly arranged to form a diamond shape which is a unique design that urges fans to explore their style. "S1 Pro combines industry-leading features that highlights our dedication to deliver high quality, yet stunning smartphone designs that enable consumers to explore their own style," said Jet Xu, President of vivo Middle East and Africa. "S1 Pro is a true example of how we design industry-leading smartphone experiences to fit the needs of our consumers in the Middle East and Africa market." Superior Photography Features that Let Users Shoot with Style Vivo understands intricately the consumers' needs in their pursuit of capturing clear and beautiful selfies. The 32 MP Front Camera aims to let users explore and show their style. The front camera is also equipped with AI Face Beauty that allows users customize how they would like to look, just one click away. With the 48MP AI Quad Camera, shooting like a pro has never been this easy. It is a main camera supported by wide-angle, macro and bokeh lenses. With AI algorithms embedded, it brings a new photography experience by capturing even better photo clarity. The S1 Pro expands user's viewing angle to 120 degrees with the 8MP Super Wide-Angle Camera which helps to broaden photography boundaries. To polish the look, S1 Pro also comes with stunning features, such as Pose Master that can adjust user's angle and guide the subject to get the front cover look. Such stunning camera features are aimed at ensuring users are constantly being inspired to explore and capture their style. Unlock a Cinematic Visual Experience with the In-Display Fingerprint Scanning, With just a single touch on the S1 Pro display, the screen can be instantly unlocked thanks to its In-Display Fingerprint Scanning Technology. The icon's refreshed design and trendy unlocking animations add a twist of fun that welcomes users into a cool new world. S1 Pro comes with the 6.38-inch Super AMOLED Display with a screen-to-body ratio of 90%. The magnificent color harmonization indulges users in a cinematic visual experience and a view of magic. Powerful Performance for an Ultra-Smooth Experience S1 Pro comes with its signature Multi-Turbo that increases the smartphone's performing speed level to ensure users can enjoy a levelled-up game performance. The smartphone is also equipped with Game Center which allows users to quickly check phone performance to ensure an ultra-smooth gaming experience. The smartphone also comes with Voice Changer which protects user's privacy with the fun of transforming into the user's desired voice. S1 Pro's powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 octa-core processor is supported by 8GB RAM and 128GB ROM to ensure fast and smooth performance for user's multi-tasking and gaming needs. It also houses a longer lasting 4500mAh battery with Dual-Engine Fast Charging Technology that re-juices at breakneck speeds to further enhance the mobile experience. S1 Pro comes in two trendsetting colour options to match user's unique personal style - Glowing Night and Nebula Blue. Availability S1 Pro in Glowing Night and Nebula Blue are available in UAE now for 1099AED. About vivo vivo is a leading global technology company committed to creating trendsetting smart mobile products and services. vivo is devoted to forming a vibrant mobile internet ecosystem, and currently owns and operates an extensive network of research operations, with R&D centers in San Diego, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Beijing, Hangzhou and Taipei. These centers focus on the development of cutting-edge consumer technologies including 5G, AI, mobile photography and next-generation smartphone design. vivo has also set up 5 production bases around the world across China, South Asia and Southeast Asia. vivo has over two hundred million users enjoying its mobile products and services around the world. vivo features offline retail stores in over 1,000 cities worldwide. For further information, please contact: Chloe Wang- Vivo MEA Lisa Guo- Edelman for Vivo chloe.wang@vivo.com lisa.guo@edelman.com S1 Pro Specifications Basics Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 RAM 8GB RAM Storage 128GB ROM Battery 4500mAh with Dual-Engine Fast Charging Operating System Funtouch OS 9.2 (based on Android 9.0) Body Dimensions 159.25 75.19 8.68 mm Weight 186.7g Display Screen 6.38'' FHD + (1080 2340) Type Super AMOLED Touch Screen Capacitive multi-touch Biometric recognition In-Display Fingerprint Scanning Technology Camera Camera Front: 32MP (f/2.0) Rear: 48MP (f/1.8) AI Quad Camera + 8MP (f/2.2) Super Wide-Angle Camera + 2MP (f/2.4) Macro Camera + 2MP (f/2.4) Bokeh Camera Photography Modes Front: Palm Capture, Voice Control, Selfie Frontlight, HDR, Panorama, Video Face Beauty, Time Watermark, Model Watermark, Gender Detection, Camera Filters, AI Face Beauty, Pose Master, Portrait Light Effects, Selfie Frontlight + Face Beauty + Multi Frame, Filters (upgraded), Portrait Framing Rear: Palm Capture, Voice Control, PRO, SLO-MO, HDR, Bokeh, Panorama, Video Face Beauty, Time Watermark, Model Watermark, Gender Detection, Camera Filters, AI Face Beauty, Super Wide-Angle, Super Macro, Burst, Pose Master, Portrait Framing, Filters (upgraded), PDAF, Portrait Light Effects Connectivity USB (Type-C), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (Bluetooth 5.0), GPS, OTG, FM Sensors Accelerometer, Ambient Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor, E-compass, Items in the box S1 Pro, Earpieces, Documentation, USB Cable, USB Power Adapter, SIM Ejector, Protective Case, Protective Film (applied) SOURCE Vivo [ Back To www.mobilitytechzone.com\LTE's Homepage ] Editor's note: This story has been updated with more information received from Longview police Friday. Longview police are searching for a man suspected of robbing a woman's purse Thursday morning near Victoria Freeman Park. The woman told police she was walking in the 900 bock of Eighth Avenue when a man wearing a dark hoodie yanked her purse off her shoulder and ran away. She suffered minor injuries from the robbery and was taken PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center Thursday, said Mary Chennault, Longview police administrative manager. Officers arrived within 2 minutes and used a K-9 tracking dog to search for the robber. They asked citizens to say clear of the 900 block of Eighth Avenue and surrounding areas. Police did not find the suspect during the search, spokeswoman Mary Chennault said Friday morning. The suspect is described as a 5-foot-8-inch white male with dark hair who was wearing a dark hoodie, dark pants and hiking or construction boots, according to the post. The stolen purse is light blue and is decorated with lipstick and nail polish emblems. Police ask anyone who can help identify the suspect to call 360-442-5800 and refer to case L20-605. Love 0 Funny 2 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 13 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. Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, second from right, inspects the company's smartphone and TV manufacturing lines in Manaus, Brazil, Monday. Lee spent the Lunar New Year holiday there to seek ways to boost the company's sales in South America. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics Owners of a crocodile snapped up by thieves in north Queensland hope they will return the beloved reptile. The little croc named Snappy Tom was 'part of the family' for disappointed staff at a Queensland educational centre. Thieves stole the small crocodile and a 90cm barramundi after breaking into the Holloways Beach facility, near Cairns, during the Australia Day long weekend. Snappy Tom, a beloved crocodile from a north Queensland education centre was stolen by thieves along with a 90cm barramundi Police have described the croc as being about 60cm long, with sharp teeth and a 'quite feisty' personality. 'They're like our pets, they're part of the family,' Holloways Beach Environmental Education Centre principal Louise Carver said. A second barramundi 'survived' the break-in, but Ms Carver suspected the stolen fish might have been served up as part of an Australia Day meal. The thieves got into the complex and broke locks on the croc's cage. Ms Carver said Snappy Tom was used to teach crocodile awareness. One of the cabin doors had also been kicked in during the robbery at the environmental centre The centre had been home to a crocodile for about 13 years, but the reptiles are 'traded in' before they get too big. The centre said on social media they hoped media coverage would help find 'whoever crashed our cabin, burgled our barra and snapped up our croc'. The facility, on 10 hectares, is visited by about 4000 students a year. mind matters logo View Photo San Andreas, CA This years recipient of a Mother Lode hospitals annual community grant will be addressing a growing need for accessible and affordable youth counseling. Dignity Health-Mark Twain Medical Center made the $32,000 funding award at a recent luncheon to the nonprofit Murphys-based Mind Matters Clinic for a collaborative effort called the Calaveras Youth Behavioral Health Project (CYBHP). Targeted to county youth ages 5-17, and the professionals who work with and treat them, the project scope includes providing a series of up to ten free counseling sessions for children who struggle with autism, ADD/ADHD, and conditions such as depression, anxiety and behavioral issues that often accompany these diagnoses. Mind Matters mission is to help individuals and families affected by autism spectrum disorders, ADD/ADHD, and learning disabilities in achieving their maximum potential, and to promote public understanding by serving as a community resource. Within the program, youth will be able to gain knowledge of expected social behavior and social cues; learn how to interact with peers, parents, and teachers in a healthy way; improve overall mental health, relationships, positive interactions with peers and in the community by learning tools for self-regulation and building self-esteem. Covering Availability, Income Gaps The offering is expected to help relieve families who are uninsured, underinsured with high deductibles and those without access to therapists on their insurance plans. The grant award also provides for MTMC ER staff training on how to recognize the symptoms of mental illness, and social skills workshops for mentors/mentees in the Calaveras Youth Mentoring Program. Project goals include increasing the number of local mental health service providers as well as access points and available appointments. Brief intervention counseling and support groups will additionally be offered to improve the quality of life for seniors who receive mental health services or participate in older adult support groups. Dignity Health-MTMC spokesperson Nicki Stevens comments, MTMC is proud to continue to collaborate with local organizations that align with our mission, vision, and values. This partnership will allow greater access to the youth and their families that face challenges that can affect their future for years to come, and with these resources provided together, we can contribute to a supportive and positive outcome for these families. She adds, Working together, for the greater good is how we transform our world and assure our youth that we are here to care for them, often when they are most vulnerable. Caring for our community is a privilege, one that we continue to strive for excellence in we all have the power to unleash Humankindness. Vice President Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has stated that his government's initiatives espoused during the campaign leading to the 2016 elections were not just slogans considering the benefit Ghanaians are enjoying from. He said the programmes, such as the One District One Factory (1D1F), Planting for Food and Jobs and Free Senior High School, were all policies put in place to protect the vulnerable and the poor in the deprived communities. Dr Bawumia was addressing the Ghana-EU Political Dialogue on the theme: Ghana and EU partners for the future, held in Accra on Wednesday. He said government in three years had passed the Right to Information Bill into law, Company's Act, Office of the Special Prosecutor and also increased financial resources and logistics to institutions fighting corruption, including the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice and Economic and Organised Crime Office. He said the Ghana Police Service had also been resourced significantly in terms of logistics to help fight crime and make life better for the citizenry. Dr Bawumia said government had put in place pillars that would grow the Country such as modernizing the system as well as an all-inclusive government that is the key to sustainability. Government's introduction of the digital economy, he said, was yielding results in the fight against corruption, citing that corruption at the port had been curbed because the system had now become paperless. He added that the digital economy had also curbed corruption at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, Passport's office, National Health Insurance Scheme, Hospital and even at the Court whereby the E-Justice system was preventing missing dockets. Dr Bawumia said government would continue its fight against corruption in spite of what had been achieved, adding that government can specifically point at what it had done in the fight. The Vice President noted that what the current government had done concerning corruption had not been done by any government for the past 30 to 40 years. He said the battle against corruption was one that everyone must help to fight. Alhaji Bawumia gave the European Union (EU) the assurance that Ghana would stick to its budget before and during the upcoming general elections. The Vice President said government had already budgeted for various projects, which were on course and would ensure there were no budget overrun. Madam Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration said the meeting would discuss matters of interest and take stock of same. She said Ghana-EU dialogue would make room for expanding their engagement and address challenges that may exist. Madam Botchwey said EU occupied a prime position in Ghana in terms of global trade and continued to be a major trading partner as well as the leading destination for Ghana's exports. The Minister said in a fast-changing world, it was a safe anchor and vital link for a modern forward-looking and a sustainable Ghana. She said the dialogue was timely because government had initiated programmes aimed at consolidating the macroeconomic environment whilst transforming the economy through initiatives, including, One Village One Dam and formalisation of the economy through digitization, all geared towards creating jobs for the youth. She said Ghana was poised to design and implement effective strategies and policies to support rapid and inclusive economic growth, having received the right to host the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area. The Minister solicited for the support of EU for Ghana's candidatures for the post of Director-General of the World Intellectual Property Organisation for Mr Edward Kwakwa and re-election to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women for Madam Hilary Amesika Gbedemeh. Madam Diana Acconcia, Head of the EU delegation to Ghana, said Ghana with the right strategies in place would soon lead the way for the European-Africa cooperation. In attendance were Ministers of State, Chief Directors and Directors of some Ministries, Heads of European member countries among others. ---citinewsroom Foreign investors have long been calling for the lifting of the restriction, saying that this hampers them from injecting capital in order to expand, the report said, adding that local partners often lack the funds to keep their ownership proportional. Indonesian President Joko Widodo signed a decree on January 16, which exempts foreign investors from the ownership cap if they can raise capital through an initial public offering in Indonesia. The new regulation also removes the requirement that the local partner must be a local entity wholly controlled by Indonesian citizens. The change in policy comes as several state-owned insurers, including Asuransi Jiwasraya, undergo financial troubles. The largest state-owned life insurer is in need of IDR32 trillion (US$2.4 billion) in capital to remain afloat. Its former management figures are facing allegations of fraud and corruption. Dody Dalimunthe, executive director of the Indonesian General Insurance Association (AAUI), hailed the new regulation. The governments latest policy seems to accommodate the real needs of the insurance business, [to help it] maintain its stability and sustainability, he was quoted as saying in the report. BERKELEY (BCN) The Berkeley City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday night to change the city's municipal code to allow on-site cannabis consumption in lounges at storefront retailers that install a ventilation system. The vote also legalizes up to seven cannabis delivery services in Berkeley. Before the meeting, city staff members recommend that the council allow cannabis consumption at lounges because such consumption is prohibited in public, in most businesses and in many apartments. In a report to the council, staff members wrote, "Providing a place to consume cannabis legally is important for patients who have no other options." However, the Berkeley Community Health Commission opposed allowing consumption at lounges because of the risk of secondary exposure to cannabis smoke and vapor and the risk of impaired driving. The commission said it believes public consumption of cannabis would undermine city policies that promote smoke-free air and that reduce the social normalization of smoking. But the measure was supported by the Berkeley Patients Group, which was established in 1999 and says it's the nation's oldest cannabis dispensary. After the vote, the group issued a statement thanking its members and supporters, saying, "You are an integral part of history and progress in our city." The BPG said, "We want to thank our city council members for their diligence and thoughtfulness. We'd also like to thank the staff, who spent three years researching and developing their prudent recommendations for a post-legalization world." The group said Berkeley officials "have shaped the most progressive cannabis regulations in the country." The City Council also considered prohibiting the sale of flavored smoking and vaping products but decided to table that possibility until further research is available. 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. English French The signing of an agreement for the commissioning of the first Mini P2R in the port of Agadir, Morocco 17% increase in consolidated turnover in 2019 to 8.7 million Doubling of the teams dedicated to the pipeline of new projects Secured financing for future developments Paris, 30 January 2020 Continuing the strong growth of previous years, 2019 has ended with further growth of 17% in activity, 22% of which relates to the sale of refined products. In 2019, the production of refined products by the Sines plant in Portugal reached its highest level ever at 25,800 tonnes, compared with 19,200 tonnes the previous year. This significant increase in volume (+34%) has to a very large degree offset the drop in the average price of Brent over the period (-12%). Turnover in millions of euros* 2019 2018 Change in million Change in % Refined products 6.69 5.46 1.23 +22% Port and other services 2.01 1.99 0.02 +1% Total 8.70 7.45 1.25 +17% *unaudited data Concerning future developments, the year 2019 was marked by a significant strengthening of the groups human and financial resources. Strengthening of the teams: Five experienced team members have been recruited in R&D, Construction, Operations and Finance. These recruits have doubled the number of employees dedicated to new projects (Mini P2R, Marseille, Antwerp etc.). Strengthening of the financial structure: In 2019, Ecoslops signed a bank financing agreement worth 6.5 million with BNP, HSBC and Banque Populaire Mediterranee for the Marseille unit as well as 18 million in corporate financing from the European Investment Bank, intended for Marseille, Antwerp and R&D. This financing, totalling 24.5 million, was subject to an initial drawdown of 5 million in 2019 and up to 11.5 million will be drawn down in 2020. Project pipeline: Mini P2R: After the conclusive tests carried out in 2019 on the pilot version, construction of the first industrial unit has begun. An agreement was signed with the company Aqua Flore, from the port of Agadir, Morocco, to commission it in the second half of 2020. After a conclusive test phase, this agreement will result in a sale or lease. This world first will serve as a point of reference for the various identified prospects. The unit will also have the ability to treat used oil, which is a significant source of pollution in many countries due to the lack of any economically viable technical solutions. Marseille unit: Construction of this 30,000 tonnes/year unit is being supervised by a dedicated team in collaboration with teams from the Total group, a 25% shareholder in the Ecoslops Provence subsidiary. The assembly of the P2R unit is currently under way and commissioning is anticipated for mid-2020. The duration of the initiation phase will determine marketable volumes in 2020. Antwerp unit: Ecoslops Flanders, a wholly-owned subsidiary, has been set up in Belgium. This subsidiary will operate the unit with a production capacity of 60,000 tonnes/year. The danger and environmental assessments required for the construction permit and operating license have been launched jointly with the VTTI group (Vitol), owner of the ATPC refinery in Antwerp. The provisional schedule is as follows: obtain the permits mid-2021, construction finalised and commissioning mid-2022. Egypt: The feasibility study was submitted to the Suez Canal authorities in November 2019. As a reminder, this project initially provides for the installation of means of collection (barge), reception and water/hydrocarbons separation utilities. The next discussions will focus primarily on financing this collection infrastructure, a prerequisite for the subsequent installation of a P2R. In parallel, the group is in the pre-project phase in areas of very high potential for the P2R, Asia in particular, and is continuing to develop a portfolio of prospects for the Mini P2R. Cash position: As at 31 December 2019, the group had cash of 5.9 million and gross debt was 13 million, which gives us net debt of 7.1 million. Next appointment: Publication of the 2019 annual results on 30 March 2020 after market close. ABOUT ECOSLOPS Ecoslops is listed on Euronext Growth in Paris Code ISIN : FR0011490648 - Ticker : ALESA / PEA-PME eligible Investor Relations : info.esa@ecoslops.com - 01 83 64 47 43 Ecoslops is the cleantech that brings oil into circular economy thanks to an innovative technology allowing the company to upgrade oil residues into new fuels and light bitumen. The solution proposed by Ecoslops is based on a unique micro-refining industrial process that transforms these residues into commercial products that meet international standards. Ecoslops offers an economic and ecological solution to port infrastructure, waste collectors and ship-owners through its processing plants. www.ecoslops.com Attachment LOS ANGELES About 200 Americans evacuated from Wuhan, China, landed at a military base in Southern California on Wednesday, as countries around the world began pulling their citizens from the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak. The whole plane erupted in cheers when the crew said, Welcome home to the United States, said Dr. Anne Zink, the chief medical officer for Alaska, where the plane stopped en route to California. But home was not immediately in the cards for the evacuees. Upon landing at the March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, the passengers were met on the tarmac by personnel in biohazard suits, loaded onto waiting buses and instructed to remain on the base for three days of medical screening. Only when they are cleared will they be allowed to continue on home. The authorities, however, were at pains to to say it was not a quarantine. We are respecting the rights of them as individuals, said Dr. Nancy Knight, a senior official with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We are doing that in a way that protects their health, the health of uniformed service members and the health of the community. US Evacuees From Chinas Virus Zone Isolated at Californian Military Base The Americans evacuated from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have voluntarily stayed in isolation at a Californian air force base for medical evaluations, federal health officials said on Jan. 29. The 195 evacuees, who came back on a chartered plane, will be staying in the March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County for about three days, Nancy Messonnier from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told reporters. She said the people on board cheered loudly as the plane landed in the United States. So far, no passengers have exhibited symptoms of the infectious disease, said Messonnier. Messonnier is the director for the CDCs National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Medical personnel will continue to actively monitor the evacuees for up to 14 daysthe upper bound of the virus incubation period before the symptoms become apparent. At least one person was not allowed to board the flight due to signs of fever, officials said earlier. All passengers were screened and evaluated by medical personnel every step of the way, including before boarding, during the flight, and when the plane refueled in Anchorage, Alaska. Five Americans have tested positive for the disease after traveling to Wuhan, including two in California, one in Washington State, one in Arizona, and one in Illinois. Officials have not detected any new cases so far, although Messonnier said additional cases are likely to emerge in the coming days. Messonnier noted that the 72-hour period of isolation at the base is not based on a specific timeline related to the virus, but rather an estimated period of time necessary for medical officers to examine the health of passengers and give them time to recuperate. The passengers have willingly undergone the medical testing because they want to make sure that they are protecting themselves and their communities, she said. Officials initially said there were 201 passengers on the plane, but Messonnier said that included the pilots, crew members, and government employees. Passengers wear face masks to protect against the spread of the Coronavirus as they arrive on a flight from Asia at Los Angeles International Airport, Calif., on Jan. 29, 2020. (Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images) The CDC has now expanded screenings to 20 major airports across the country. Noting that some patients might not display symptoms of infection immediately, creating challenges for screening detection, Messonnier said they will also be handing out 350,000 health information cards so that travelers know where to look for help if they get sick. At least 19 countries have reported cases of coronavirus infection. The CDC has recommended against traveling to China. The State Department has also upgraded the travel warning to level three, advising all U.S. nationals to reconsider travel to China and to avoiding going to Hubei, the province that has reported the largest number of infections. The World Health Organization has assessed the risk for the coronavirus as very high in China, high at the regional levell and high at the global level. The Geneva-based agency said they will be sending international experts to China to assist disease control efforts as soon as possible. U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar on Tuesday said the Chinese side had rejected at least twice their offer to send U.S. experts to China to study the virus. Messonnier confirmed that CDC experts will be part of the WHO mission team. Besides the United States, a number of other countries, including France, Australia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Japan have taken measures to move their citizens out of Wuhan. Japan repatriated 206 of its nationals from the central Chinese city on Wednesday, with five of them sent to specialized infectious disease hospitals in Tokyo. A dozen of the passengers have coughs and fever, including three who have been diagnosed with the virus. What started as a simple pleasure cruise in the waters around Charleston could end in a $60,000 civil judgment against the French owner of a 40-foot yacht. Federal prosecutors last week filed a complaint against Raoul Santiago, owner of the Furyo, alleging he tried to sell his French-flagged vessel without paying the proper duties first. The case is pending in federal court in Charleston. Santiago whose last known address was in Fort de France, a coastal town in Martinique has not filed a response. U.S. Customs and Border Protection had been trying for years to get him to pay a fine before finally invoking a law that lets the agency assess a civil penalty equal to the assessed value of the vessel. In this case, federal officials say the boat is worth $60,000. The saga began in March 2014, when Santiago obtained a cruising license for the Furyo, according to the complaint. Such licenses exempt pleasure boats of certain countries from having to undergo formal entrance and clearance procedures while sailing in U.S. waters. However, such a license prohibits the boat's owner from selling the vessel in the U.S. without first paying a duty. Federal agents allege Santiago docked the Furyo at a Charleston marina in June 2014 and signed a contract with a local broker to sell it. In early 2015, Customs and Border Protection noticed the Furyo was still at the marina, displaying a "for sale" sign. Since no duty had been paid, CBP officers decided to hit Santiago with the full penalty the assessed value of his boat. Bills for that amount were sent to Santiago's Martinique address throughout the summer of 2015, with no response. In May 2017, a final letter demanding payment was sent. Still nothing. That ultimately led to this month's court filing. "To date, (Santiago) has not paid any part of the penalties for which he is liable and he remains indebted to the United States," the complaint states. Johanna Valenuela, the assistant U.S. attorney in charge of the case, declined to comment. It's not clear exactly where Santiago is or how he can be reached. It's also not clear where the Furyo is a spokesman for Charleston County Marina said the boat has never been there, while a Charleston City Marina spokesman did not return a call seeking comment. No court dates have been scheduled. The gritty, Logan-style Pee-wee Herman movie the world has demanded may be on its way. Paul Reubens has been "aggressively shopping" a script for a new Pee-wee film in which the beloved character "gets sent to a mental hospital for shock treatment for his alcoholism," according to The Hollywood Reporter, which feels the need to clarify that this news is "no joke." Apparently, a draft of this script was first written in the late 1990s, and when Reubens brought Pee-wee back for 2016's Pee-wee's Big Holiday, he and producer Judd Apatow didn't see "eye-to-eye" on it. Reubens, after all, was more interested in making what he calls his "dark Pee-wee movie," which would reportedly rely extensively on de-aging technology like The Irishman. In the script, the Reporter writes, "Pee-wee emerges from prison to become an unlikely yodeling star; then moves to Hollywood and becomes a movie star; then he develops a severe pill and alcohol addiction that turns him into a monster." "I've referred to it as the Valley of the Dolls Pee-wee movie," Reubens said, at which point the Reporter once again chimed in to note that he's being "dead serious" here. Neither Apatow nor Netflix apparently want to make the movie, but there's some interest out there; the Safdie brothers, who directed Uncut Gems, are reportedly considering it. After films like Joker and Logan earned Oscar nominations, could the dark Pee-wee movie be next? With the Safdie brothers eying the project, Reubens may very well have his sights on the Academy Awards while telling himself, "This is how I win." More stories from theweek.com Mitch McConnell's rare blunder John Bolton just vindicated Nancy Pelosi All the president's turncoats Philadelphia Launches Open Data Survey Missouri Launches Centralized State Gov Job Website Pew Creates a State Debt Comparison Tool Beeck Center Publishes Guidebook for Responsible Data Sharing The U.S. House of Representatives held its first-ever hearing on digital equity this week, fielding testimony from a number of experts who work on the issue with local government. The hearing took place Wednesday within the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and it was dubbed Empowering and Connecting Communities through Digital Equity and Internet Adoption. Witnesses in the hearing included a range of stakeholders, spanning state government, local government and a lead advocacy group that works to support digital inclusion efforts at all levels.The list of those involved with government who gave testimony included Detroit Digital Inclusion Officer Joshua Edmonds , the Director of Broadband Infrastructure with the North Carolina Department of IT Jeffrey R. Sural, and the Executive Director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance Angela Siefer . Rounding out the panel were American Enterprise Institute Visiting Scholar Roslyn Layton, and Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law and Policy Gigi Sohn.A livestream is available online now , as are transcripts of the individual testimony heard by members of Congress. What emerges from reading the collected testimony is a picture of an issue that has long existed but due to ongoing acceleration of technology now affects an unprecedented number of Americans in new and evolving ways.Indeed, digital equity as an issue has accelerated within government, with cities and states across the country now employing personnel dedicated to the work where as recently as three or four years ago they did not. Detroit is one such example, but cities from Boston to San Jose, Calif., now have full-time staff members who work on helping to bridge the digital divide in those communities.What Siefers testimony in particular suggested was that more digital equity planning at the state level, complete with financial support, would be a good first step, and that the work would be greatly helped by the passage of the Digital Equity Act , which was introduced to Congress last year.For those in search of a quick digital equity primer, there are three general sections of the work, including access to the Internet, access to technology, and possession of the skills to use Internet technology in ways that give individuals equitable outcomes in an increasingly digital world.Philadelphia wants to know how its doing on its open data efforts, and has launched a new survey to ask about just that.Dubbed the 2020 PHL Open Data Survey, the set of questions seek to determine how individuals use the citys open data, what future data theyd like the city to release, and challenges that residents face with using the data. The survey will remain open until March 6.We want to better understand the value open data brings to Philadelphia residents, and the ways in which we can improve our efforts, city staff wrote in a press release.Philadelphias data work, like data work in many cities, has greatly accelerated in recent years, with what is now the citys Office of Innovation and Technology having released 70 new open data sets since January 2016, while also completing 84 refreshes of data sets that it had previously published. All of this work is available now at OpenDataPhilly.org, and its roots date back even further to 2012. Since then, the city has released a total of 245 data sets.Benchmarking open data, as well as other tech and innovation work, based on the needs and experiences of residents is part of a larger ideological shift in local government, which is in the process of embracing human-centered design concepts across many different tasks and agencies. Human-centered design in government, in the simplest sense, means making an effort to build services and products based on the user experience of residents rather than the needs of government or established legacy practices.As part of the survey announcement, the city also notes that plans call for putting the feedback into practice by reviewing the suggested datasets for the future, highlighting compelling uses of the open data, and tailoring future data efforts based on the results of the survey.Those searching for work with the Missouri government can now find all postings in one place thanks to a new centralized website that lists state employment opportunities.In addition, that same site can also be used to apply for jobs with the state, with officials aiming to make the entire application. The site will also span all of Missouris 16 executive departments, putting job openings for each in the same place.Charmingly dubbed MoCareers , the state launched the site earlier this month, and the first hires have already been made.Pew Charitable Trusts has created a new online interactive tool related to state debt.While rolling this tool out, Pew noted that in the absence of state guidelines as to how much debt state government can afford, lawmakers often turn to comparing their own debt burdens to nearby states or to states with similar credit ratings.When and how states choose to issue debt is based on several factors and this interactive helps states explore and compare those factors, Pew wrote when announcing the creation of the tool.This tool can be used for many things related to state debt, including population growth rates, debt per capita, revenue volatility, and how much debt is held by the state government versus component units such as independent authorities.The central idea of all of it, of course, is to give state government lawmakers and officials an easy-to-use means of comparing debt issues in their state to those in other states.Following a year of research and collaborative discussions with stakeholders in the space, the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University has released a new online guidebook for responsible governmental practices, dubbed Sharing Data for Social Impact: Guidebook to Establishing Responsible Governance Practices. The guidebook, penned by Beeck Center Fellow Natalie Evans Harris, is most closely related to helping government build a framework for data sharing and data governance.A framework can address major points of risk and ambiguity that prevent many actors from engaging in meaningful data sharing, Harris writes, and better data sharing and data governance will in turn lead to improved social service delivery.The guidebook was published Thursday and is available now. Farmers have very little options in terms of where to sell finished organic cattle Organic farming is not a system of farming you can switch to overnight. You must take time and do research as to what changes you must make to become an organic food producer, and complete an organic conversion plan of normally two years. There is a perception that organic farming is difficult, with a lot of regulation involved and low levels of productivity, but the reality is quite different. High stocking rates can be achieved, and organic products are capable of obtaining a premium price. If interested in organic farming, it is important to get as much information as possible. Talk to someone you know who has converted to organic farming, and discuss their situation and how they found the whole conversion process; how market opportunities were explored; and what schemes and grant aids are available. If you attend Teagasc/DAFM organic demonstration farm walks, you will learn first-hand about the practicalities of organic farming and be able to meet staff from organic certification bodies, the organic unit of the DAFM and Teagasc. Organic standards have been developed to provide organic producers with consistent, clear rules as to how organic food should be produced. As I mentioned previously, a two-year conversion period is required before a farm is given organic status. One of the main challenges for a farmer who applies for organic status is the prohibited use of fertilisers and chemicals (herbicides) on the farm and how productivity can be maximised in their absence. Lime and rock phosphate are permitted for use, and clover should be included in swards to supply nitrogen. There are a lot of considerations to be made before a clear picture emerges of your suitability and adaptability to organic farming. Examples include: Is your current stocking rate below two livestock units per hectare? Can your animal housing be modified to incorporate a bedded lying area? Can you see yourself farming without relying on pesticides and chemical fertilisers, or are you in the GLAS Scheme? The organic conversion plan provides a detailed description of management practices on the farm, the changes required for the farm, soil analysis, faecal analysis, livestock housing plan and an animal-health plan. The key is to maintain farm productivity and stocking rate as high as possible. White clover is the engine that drives productivity on organic farms and can fix in excess of 100kg of N/Ha annually. Red clover can fix in the region of 200 kg N/Ha annually and can be a high-yielding, high-protein feed for wintering animals. With regard to animal health, routine treatment of animals with anthelmintics is prohibited, and a rotational grazing system should be in place to minimise worm burden. If an animal is suffering, it must be treated, and the necessary permission must be sought from the VET. It is important to note that an in-conversion farmer must comply with all the standards while in-conversion. There is no lead-in time with regard to housing and feeding. It is also advisable to buy stock before going into conversion, as it may be difficult to source enough breeding stock once in conversion. Once you have investigated and familiarised yourself with organic standards, choose an Organic Certification Body (OCB) and get an application pack. The Organic Certification Body provides an inspection and certification service for all organic production units in Ireland. Submit an application form and conversion plan to the OCB and, in due course, you will obtain an Organic Licence to become a registered Organic Operator. You can then apply to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) to join the Organic Farming Scheme, provided you have completed a relevant 25-hour 'organic farming principles' course. If you think organic farming is not for your farm, investigate first; you might be surprised. One of the primary focuses in calf-rearing at the moment is trying to save on labour. Speaking recently at an event in Ballygarry House Hotel and Spa, organised by Kellihers Feed and Agri Supplies, Christine Cummins and Tom Warren from Bonanza Calf Nutrition explained that the key to successful calf-rearing is to keep things simple and to nail the basics: "This means taking a very careful look at current practices and facilities and seeing how best to take advantage of what is already there," they said. "For some people it means purchasing an automatic feeder, and for some it means converting to once-daily milk feeding", they added. Whatever route you take, managing your feeding system is crucial, and to do that effectively, you need to know your feeding system, as each system has its advantages and disadvantages. Furthermore, it is very important to remember that the system your neighbour is using may not necessarily work for you - it all depends on your overall situation. You need to take into account the size of your farm, the labour available to you, and housing, for instance. If you are feeding once a day to young calves, for example, you need to use a milk-replacer specifically formulated for this purpose. It must have adequate levels of 'slow protein' - low-heat-dried skim milk powder. Regardless of the feeding system you have in place, colostrum management is pertinent, Christine and Tom explained, and transition milk is essential, as is general management surrounding housing and hygiene. Bujumbura, Burundi (PANA) - Four private companies and corporate organizations have been evicted from the coffee sector for "insufficient yield", PANA learned on Thursday from the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Livestock Hyderabad: Congress cadre is caught in a quagmire because of the dismal showing in North Telangana districts in the recent Municipal elections. It is a worrying factor for the party that ever since the Assembly elections, the graph is showing a declining trend in the erstwhile districts of Karimnagar, Warangal, Khammam, and Adilabad. The four districts had 45 segments in the 2018 Assembly elections 2018, of which Congress pocketed 10 constituencies. Interestingly, in Khammam district, of the 10 Assembly seats that were up for grabs, TRS won only one, while Congress took six seats, Telugu Desam two and one independent. However, after the results five Congress MLAs joined the ruling party. Soon after their switchover, the partys lower rung cadre also went along, pushing the Congress to the third position in Karimnagar and Adilabad Lok Sabha seats. Even the Zilla and Mandal Parishad elections saw Congress perform disastrously. For the first time in the history of the Congress party, it did not open its account in Karimnagar Municipal Corporation. The district had 321 wards and divisions in 12 Municipalities but the party won in just 31 wards. In erstwhile Adilabad district, Congress won 51 of the 309 wards. It was almost washed out in Chennur and Bhainsa Municipalities. Similarly, in erstwhile Warangal district, the Congress won 36 seats in the 200 wards and was blanked out in Bhupalapally and Maripeda municipalities. In Khammam district, Congress had to stay content with seven wards out of the 125 wards besides losing its presence in Sathupalli and Yellandu municipalities. Deeply concerned with the partys sorry situation in north Telangana, TPCC chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy has decided to take stock of the situation, retrospect and make plans for scripting a Congress revival in the four districts. "I get fan letters from women. They say they love me, want to marry me, or want me to cook for them." Credit:Nicholas Wilson Best known for co-hosting My Kitchen Rules. Currently appearing on MKR: The Rivals. My mother, Evelyne, had me when she was 18. Two years later my sister, Gaelle, was born. My father, Patrick, left when I was four, so she pretty much raised us as a single mum. My mother always said there were three rules for life: dont steal, dont lie, and work hard. These are still the most important parts of my life. I was an angry little kid because I wanted better things for my family. Mum worked full-time in an electrical goods store and we tried to do the things society asked from us. But we struggled and I didnt understand why. I inherited my work ethic from my mother. Something I wish I didnt get from her is my temper, as she is very good at losing hers. But you cant only get the good things. Mum retired four years ago and lives in the house I bought for her in France. She can relax now and not worry about the electricity bill. Read Sandra Hall's full review here. Seberg Don't expect a biography. I mean, why would anyone assume that a film called Seberg was going to recount the life of one of the most luminous and tragic actresses of the 1960s?, deplores reviewer Paul Byrnes. You will learn next to nothing about who Jean Seberg was before Otto Preminger cast her in Saint Joan in 1956; zero about working with Jean-Luc Godard on Breathless in 1960, the film that restarted her career; and forget also about her idyllic American childhood in Marshalltown, Iowa. As to her marriage to the novelist Romain Gary, her second husband, the film was half over before I realised that's who Yvan Attal was playing. Kristen Stewart stars as troubled actress Jean Seberg. On the big question the cause of the emotional distress that killed her in 1979 the film offers one simple answer: it was J Edgar Hoover and the FBI's harassment of her, for her political views. Never mind that she had shown signs of mental instability well before the FBI took an interest, even as early as 1959, after the breakdown of her first marriage. That mid-western freshness and vulnerability were not fake: she really was vulnerable, long before the G-men stuck a microphone under her bed. Australian director Benedict Andrews, renowned for his theatre work, has every right to limit the film's scope to the troubled FBI years. This gives Kristen Stewart a focus for her performance. She attacks the role with verve, taking us from Seberg's return to the US in 1968 to film Paint Your Wagon, through to her comprehensive breakdown in the early '70s. Stewart plays her without impersonation, hoping that her commitment will carry us through. It does, almost. Stewart is passionately engaged with trying to figure her out, but she seems to be on her own. Andrews' attention is on the film's surfaces the gorgeous modernist house she occupies in a Los Angeles canyon, or the series of skimpy negligees in which she wafts through it, a baby doll ingenue who wants to do something "important". It's true that the biopic is generally a debased form of cinema, but in this case a little more bio might have made all the difference. It's an indulgent picture, a performance in search of a vehicle, a feat of set-dressing rather than the engrossing drama Jean Seberg deserved. Read Paul Byrnes' full review here. A Hidden Life A Hidden Life is a sober historical drama, as linear as anything director Terrence Malick has ever done and probably more morally straightforward, writes reviewer Jake Wilson. Its the story of a real-life hero, Franz Jagerstatter (August Diehl), a peasant farmer who refused to fight for the Nazis during the Second World War. Valerie Pachner and August Diehl as Fani and Franz Jagerstatter. The film begins as a rural idyll, showing the simple but contented life Franz shares with his wife Fani (Valerie Pachner) and their family in the Austrian village of St Radegund (the filming locations were in Northern Italy, with an international cast speaking English almost throughout). Once again, Malick's trademark wide-angle lenses are put to work, making the surrounding valley seem immense yet cosy. Following the outline of the facts, the narrative is a series of stations of the cross. Franz refuses to swear loyalty to Hitler, is increasingly ostracised, and eventually goes to prison while Fani struggles on back home. The running time of nearly three hours makes for a great deal of repetition: time and again Franz is asked by authority figures, religious and secular, what he hopes to gain through his protest and can reply only that he has no choice. Despite the intermittent stylistic thrills, the film feels like an opportunity missed. Though Malicks latter-day earnestness might seem to preclude irony, some of his best work has centred on destructive, deluded characters viewed with mocking fascination: the spree killer (Martin Sheen) in his 1973 debut Badlands, or the bullying father (Brad Pitt) in his 2011 magnum opus The Tree of Life. More than most filmmakers Malick seems capable of imagining what it would mean to be a Nazi a true believer in racial purity, strong leadership, and the defence of a beloved homeland against invaders. However, conveying the charisma of evil isnt on his agenda: the case for Hitler finds no spokesperson more compelling than the towns mayor (Karl Markovics), immediately recognisable as a drunken buffoon. Consequently the drama lacks inner tension. Rather than wrestling with himself, as other Malick heroes do, Franz remains a noble waxwork helplessly true to his own convictions. And much of A Hidden Life is conventional and even techniques meant to undercut convention have hardened, to some extent, into a personal formula. Read Jake Wilson's full review here. Midway Director Roland Emmerich's career has been marked by size rather than quality, writes Paul Byrnes. He gave us the first Independence Day, then stomped on Godzilla; he made the American War of Independence seem dull in The Patriot, then froze the planet in The Day After Tomorrow. More recently, he trashed the big house on Pennsylvania Avenue in White House Down. Emmerich, who's German, makes the most patriotic movies in Hollywood, which tells us he knows something about butter and bread and which colours don't run. Patrick Wilson stars as intelligence officer Edwin Layton in Midway. Midway is not bad, considering his whole career. Indeed, it's one of his better films. It's an enormous spectacle, filled with sound and fury and the best special effects not enough money can buy. Emmerich had to shave his budget by $US25 million ($37 million) to $US100 million to get a green light. For this kind of film, that's almost low-budget. The FX sometimes reflect that: most of the aerials are spectacular, but not all. Which brings us to the big question: why did Emmerich want to remake this battle, 77 years after the fact, if he did not have enough money? There are a number of earlier versions to pick from, including John Ford's original 18-minute Oscar-winning documentary. We didn't need a new one, unless he had something new to say or a new way to say it. To both questions, the answer is no. Midway is solidly, staunchly rooted in the past in terms of its storytelling. If it has any new ideas, they must have whizzed past me, like the low-flying Zeros bombing Pearl Harbour in the opening scenes. The characters are all real, apparently. Woody Harrelson plays Nimitz, with Dennis Quaid as Halsey. Eckhart is Jimmy Doolittle, who led the famous raid on Tokyo, in which the pilots knew they would not have enough fuel to get home. Tadanobu Asano and Etsushi Toyokawa are stiff-backed as admirals Yamamoto and Yamaguchi, sailing into a trap set by the Americans. Patrick Wilson is Edwin Layton, the intelligence officer who convinced Nimitz the Japanese would attack Midway, based on the work done by Joseph Rochefort (Brennan Brown) and his team of code breakers. Front and centre is Dick Best (Ed Skrein), a maverick pilot, with fellow airmen Wade McClusky (Luke Evans) and James Murray (Keean Johnson) trying to curb his bravado. Skrein is English, which might explain his ear-jangling Jersier-than-thou accent. Midway is fun, if you like your war films loud, proud and in the cloud. Midway is just another video game substitute, an action distraction masquerading as history, draped in the flag. Read Paul Byrnes full review here. The Peanut Butter Falcon A title like The Peanut Butter Falcon promises whimsy and thats what we get in this first feature from independent American directors Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz a sentimental tall tale built around the disarming enthusiasm of their star Zack Gottsagen, whom they reportedly met while volunteering at a camp for actors with special needs, writes Jake Wilson. Zack Gottsagen (left) and Shia LaBeouf in The Peanut Butter Falcon. As far as we can judge, Gottsagen is playing a character not altogether unlike himself: Zak, a good-hearted young man with Down syndrome who dreams of becoming a professional wrestler like the legendary Salt Water Redneck (Thomas Haden Church), whose infomercial he watches constantly on VHS. After breaking out of an old folks home, Zak heads down the coast of North Carolina in search of his idol, aided by his new friend Tyler (Shia LaBeouf), a neer-do-well fisherman, and pursued by his well-meaning, college-educated carer Eleanor (Dakota Johnson). Despite their differences, all three are lonely souls and, as you might anticipate, they eventually form a surrogate family. Trump's pro-Israel Mideast deal sparks shock and ire Iran Press TV Wednesday, 29 January 2020 8:34 AM After months of running a vast propaganda machine to drum up support for his self-proclaimed 'Deal of the Century,' US President Donald Trump has finally unveiled what he believes can serve as a final antidote to the bitter and brutal Israeli-Palestinian conflict that has dragged on for seven decades. Within just hours since its launch, Trump's proposed deal has aroused a storm of indignation and opposition among Middle East people and politicians as well as international organizations, earning descriptions such as 'the treason of the century, nightmare, conspiracy, catastrophe, new Balfour Declaration, an annexation plan, a stillborn agreement, a handbook for more suffering, and a deal for the garbage can of history' among others. Contrary to Trump's claim who sought to sell his proposal as a win-win opportunity for both sides, political leaders and activists view it as being hugely skewed in favor of Israel and totally ignoring the rights and demands of up to 15 million Palestinians around the world, leaving them out of a process that is expected to decide their fate and their future. Opponents argue that the highly pro-Israel scheme offers no prescription for peace because it blatantly violates international law and strips Palestinians of their basic rights on a number of sensitive issues, including the state of Jerusalem al-Quds, the future borders of a sovereign Palestinian state, the return of Palestinian refugees driven from their homeland, security responsibility, as well as Israeli settlements built on occupied land. Trump released his proposed deal during an event at the White House alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on Tuesday. The so-called 'Vision for Peace' which all Palestinian groups have unanimously rejected would, among other contentious terms, enshrine Jerusalem al-Quds as "Israel's undivided capital" and allow the regime to annex settlements in the occupied West Bank and the Jordan Valley. Iran's Leader: Trump's satanic deal won't materialize The Twitter account of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei posted his remarks made in July 2018 in connection with Trump's scheme. Speaking at that time, Ayatollah Khamenei said "the satanic and malicious policies of the US towards Palestine, dubbed the deal of the century, will never materialize, with God's grace." The American statesmen say Jerusalem al-Quds should be in the hands of the Jews, but it is "a load of nonsense," the Leader stated. "The issue of Palestine will not be forgotten," he said. "The Palestinian nation and all Muslim nations will definitely stand up against them and prevent the materialization of the deal of the century." Amnesty: Unlawful deal exacerbates Israeli violations Amnesty International has criticized the American proposal as "a handbook for more suffering and abuses" in the occupied territories, urging the global community to reject the measures set out in the deal in contravention of international law. "While the Trump administration has emphasized the principle of land swaps in its deal, we should make no mistake that it is proposing further annexation of Palestinian territory, which would flagrantly violate international humanitarian law. During more than half a century of occupation Israel has imposed a system of institutionalized discrimination against Palestinians under its rule, denying them basic rights and access to effective remedies for violations. The deal amounts to endorsement of these brutal, unlawful policies," said Philip Luther, Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Research and Advocacy Director. He also slammed the deal for putting forward a "compensation mechanism" for Palestinian refugees, instead of granting them their right to return to their homeland. "Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees are trapped in overcrowded camps, more than 70 years after they, their parents or grandparents were first forced out of their homes. This proposal ignores refugees' rights under international law and the decades of suffering they have endured," Luther said. The US scheme, he added, seeks to undermine international justice after the International Criminal Court (ICC)'s decision last month to launch a full investigation into war crimes in the Palestinian territories. "A just and sustainable peace requires a plan that prioritizes the human rights of Palestinians and Israelis, and must include justice and reparation for victims of war crimes and other grave violations. This plan not only fails this fundamental test; it seeks to torpedo efforts towards justice for both Palestinians and Israelis that are currently under way." Turkey: Mideast deal absolutely unacceptable Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lambasted the US-proposed deal as "absolutely unacceptable." "Jerusalem [al-Quds] is sacred for Muslims. The plan to give Jerusalem to Israel is absolutely unacceptable. This plan ignores Palestinians' rights and is aimed at legitimizing Israel's occupation," CNN Turk quoted him as saying. Earlier, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said the American proposal was "stillborn," and that the people and land of Palestine were not for sale. "This is an annexation plan aiming at usurping Palestinian lands and killing the two-state solution," the ministry said in a statement. The ministry noted that Jerusalem al-Quds is a red line in the eyes of Turkey, and that the country would not let Israel justify its occupation and persecution. "We will always stand by the brotherly people of Palestine. We will continue to work for an independent Palestine within Palestinian lands," it said, adding that Ankara would not support any plan that is not accepted by the Palestinian authorities and that peace will not materialize in the Middle East without an end to occupation. Qatar: No peace sans Palestine on 1967 lines The Qatari Foreign Ministry also emphasized that peace cannot be achieved without safeguarding the Palestinians' rights by enabling them to establish their own sovereign state on the 1967 boundaries. The ministry said Doha appreciated what it called American efforts to find solutions to the conflict as long as they are within the framework of international legitimacy. Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds during the Six-Day War in 1967. It later annexed the city in a move not recognized by the international community. Palestinian officials say they want the resolution of the conflict with Israel based on the so-called two-state solution along the 1967 boundaries with East Jerusalem al-Quds as their capital. Jordan supports independent Palestine on 1967 lines Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi affirmed his country's support for an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 boundaries with East Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital. He also warned against "annexation of Palestinian lands" and the "dangerous consequences of unilateral Israeli measures that aim to impose new realities on the ground." Safadi further called for direct negotiations to find a comprehensive solution in accordance with established terms of reference, the Arab peace initiative and international law. "Jordan supports every genuine effort aimed at achieving just and comprehensive peace that people will accept," he said. UN backs two-state bid UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the world body supports two states living in peace and security within recognized borders, on the basis of the pre-1967 borders. "The United Nations remains committed to supporting Palestinians and Israelis to resolve the conflict on the basis of United Nations resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements and realizing the vision of two States - Israel and Palestine - living side by side in peace and security within recognized borders, on the basis of the pre-1967 lines," Guterres' spokesperson Stephane Dujarric quoted the UN chief as saying. Iraq's Ayatollah Sistani: US deal hurt Muslim feelings In a statement released on Wednesday, the office of Iraq's most prominent Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani strongly condemned the US-devised deal, saying it severely hurt the feelings of hundreds of millions of Arabs and Muslims worldwide. Influential Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr also voiced opposition to Trump's plan and said "Quds belongs to all religions and Palestine to all freedom-seekers." Arab League: Deal's first reading shows waste of Palestinian rights Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said on Wednesday that a first reading of Trump's proposal indicated a great waste of legitimate rights of Palestinians. However, he added, the 22-member pan-Arab body was "studying the American vision carefully. We are open to any serious effort made to achieve peace." The Arab League will convene an urgent meeting on Saturday on the so-called Middle East peace plan. Hossam Zaki, the body's deputy secretary, said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would attend the meeting in Cairo to discuss the issue. Abbas had earlier asked the body to convene and discuss ways to oppose the US plan. "The State of Palestine officially asked for an exceptional meeting of the Arab League on the ministerial level, with the attendance of President Mahmoud Abbas, to talk about ways to confront what is known as 'the deal of the century,'" Palestinian Ambassador to Egypt Diab al-Louh said. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE welcome US 'peace efforts' Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have welcomed what they called US efforts to establish peace in the Middle East, but underscored the need for dialog between the Israelis and the Palestinians to settle their decades-long dispute. The Saudi Foreign Ministry said the kingdom supports "all efforts aimed at reaching a just and comprehensive resolution to the Palestinian cause." "The kingdom appreciates the efforts of President Trump's administration to develop a comprehensive peace plan between the Palestinian and the Israeli sides, and encourages the start of direct peace negotiations ... , under the auspices of the United States," it said in a statement. The Saudi Foreign Ministry called on both sides to engage in negotiations and "move forward the peace process to reach an agreement that achieves legitimate rights of the Palestinian people." The Egyptian Foreign Ministry issued a similar statement, calling on both sides to consider the US proposal. The ministry appreciated what it called "continuous efforts exerted by the US administration to achieve a comprehensive and just settlement of the Palestinian issue." "Egypt recognizes the importance of considering the US administration's initiative from the perspective of the importance of achieving the resolution of the Palestinian issue, thus restoring to the Palestinian people their full legitimate rights through the establishment of a sovereign independent state in the Palestinian occupied territories in accordance with international legitimacy and resolutions," it added. It urged both the Israelis and the Palestinians "to undertake a careful and thorough consideration of the US vision to achieve peace and open channels of dialogue, under US auspices, for the resumption of negotiations to present their respective views on reaching an agreement that satisfies the aspirations of both peoples to achieve a comprehensive and just peace and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state." UAE Ambassador to the US, Yousef al-Otaiba, said his country appreciated US efforts to draw up a "peace" agreement. "This plan is a serious initiative that addresses many issues raised over the years," he pointed out, noting that the scheme "offers an important starting point for a return to negotiations within a US-led international framework." EU: Trump plan chance for relaunching talks The European Union has described Trump's proposals as a chance for renewed talks towards "a viable solution" for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The initiative "provides an occasion to re-launch the urgently needed efforts towards a negotiated and viable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," the EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said on behalf of the bloc. He added that the EU would need to study and assess Trump's proposals. However, Borrell cautioned that Israel and the Palestinians needed to show "a genuine commitment to the two-state solution as the only realistic way to end the conflict." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address AMERICAN CANYON While there may not have been fireworks during Tuesdays American Canyon Chamber of Commerce-sponsored forum for District 5 supervisor candidates, there were some civilized sparklers near the end of the event. More than 80 people filled the seats of the citys new Boys & Girls Clubs multi-purpose room to listen to incumbent Supervisor Belia Ramos and challenger Mariam Aboudamous, who serves on the American Canyon City Council. The election is March 3. In answer to a question about what committees the rivals serve on in their respective posts, Ramos was able to tick off a slew, while Aboudamous directed those interested in the answer, to look it up on her website. I feel this question is directed at me because I still have a full-time job, Aboudamous said defensively. I took a leave of absence from my job, and I have made time (for the work required of a city council member). I will scale back my job (if elected) supervisor. Ramos, on the other hand, noted that she is and has been the areas full-time county supervisor for the past four years. This is what I do, she said. Im your supervisor seven days a week. Ive been your supervisor for three years, and on the City Council for six years before that, and I get to touch lives every day. During the fires, I worked 65 days straight. I love it, and I want to continue to be your (representative at the county level). The issue of experience also arose. Ramos appeared to more easily retrieve information about countywide issues and processes a situation Aboudamous conceded. I didnt know how to be a council member when I was elected four years ago, but I learned, she said. I know there will be a learning curve. I know we have to strike a balance between growth and quality of life. Ramos was also able to work in mention of endorsements shes received from American Canyon Mayor Leon Garcia, Napa Mayor Jill Techel, and local Realtors, while Aboudamous mentioned shed gotten endorsements from some folks who had originally backed Ramos. During the bulk of the forum, both women acknowledged that the three main issues facing south Napa County are affordable workforce housing, traffic and economic development. They also said that as elected officials, their job is to safeguard the quality of life for residents, especially the most vulnerable including the homeless and youth. Ramos noted that the Average Daily Attendance model for school funding, which California uses, is too uncertain in times of declining enrollment. Legislative changes are needed. The largest school district in Napa County gets the fewest dollars per child, and thats not acceptable, she said. Aboudamous noted that declining enrollment has already cost American Canyon an anticipated second middle school, which she said is still badly needed to reduce overcrowding. In discussing the areas perennial traffic congestion, Ramos noted the work shes done to help bring projects aimed at mitigation to fruition. Aboudamous suggested one way to bring in the funds needed to create solutions might be to install parking meters at Napa Valley wineries, which, she said, benefit from the traffic created by visitors but which arent presently contributing to traffic mitigation impact fees. Each woman noted personal encounters with the types of issues facing Napa County residents. Aboudamous said that when she returned to her home town after earning her law degree, she found herself among few of her local peers who had done so. She attributed this in part to a lack of affordable housing and office space, and suggested this is bad for the area long term. Ramos said she ran up against the areas tight and expensive housing market when she became a single mom in 2013. Im an educated person and an elected official, and I nearly couldnt find a place to even rent, she said. Most of the areas most pressing issues are interrelated, both candidates said housing is needed to bring workers, which are needed to bring good-paying jobs, which now are mostly outside the city, adding to the heavy traffic through town, at morning and evening rush hour. I am not a polished politician, but Im going to fight for this community, and build relationships with those who can help guide me, Aboudamous said in her closing remarks. I have a heart and passion for my community, and Im going to fight for it, whether Im elected or not. I want to do it as your supervisor. In her closing statement, Ramos called it an incredible honor and privilege to work with you, and represent you, and advocate for you; to stand up for you; to be the person that can stand up and say we are going to build affordable housing. And Im not learning on the job. Its what I do every day, and I want to keep working for you as your supervisor. Meanwhile, Hong Kongers across the political spectrum have pushed for authorities to close the border with mainland China to prevent the spread of infection and to prevent mainlanders from obtaining supplies from Hong Kong. The citys government has enforced a partial closure of about half the border crossings with mainland China, saying that will be enough to dramatically reduce arrivals, and it has said other measures such as school closures will also stem the spread. Visitors to the Hollywood & Highland mall in Hollywood wear face masks on Jan. 27, 2020. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images) Sick Passenger Removed From Beijing-Boston Flight at Logan Airport: Officials A sick passenger was met by emergency and fire crews after a Beijing-to-Boston flight landed at Logan Airport, officials said. Its not clear what symptoms were being exhibited by the person. Its also unclear if the incident is related to the coronavirus outbreak in China that has prompted officials to quarantine the city of Wuhan. The passenger traveled via a Hainan Airlines flight from Beijing airport officials told local news outlets. Massport Fire Rescue and Boston EMS responded to a report of a sick passenger at Terminal E. All safety protocols are being followed. We expect the passenger to be transported to a local hospital, Massport, which runs Boston Logan Airport, said in a statement to the Boston Herald. But a Boston EMS spokeswoman told the Herald that the sick passenger refused transport after an evaluation. The spokesperson said that the person didnt meet the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) criteria used to refuse transport. In nearby New Hampshire, two people who recently traveled to Wuhan developed respiratory symptoms and are currently undergoing testing for the virus, local station Boston25 reported. The CDC said that coronavirus cases have been confirmed in China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Australia, Cambodia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, the United States, and Vietnam. It comes as several major airlines announced the cancelation of flights to and from China on Wednesday. Due to a significant decline in demand for travel to China, we are suspending some flights between our hub cities and Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai beginning Feb. 1 through Feb. 8, United Airlines said in a statement. We will continue to monitor the situation as it develops and will adjust our schedule as needed. American Airlines said in a statement, Given the significant decline in demand for travel to and from China, American Airlines will suspend travel between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Shanghai Pudong Airport (PVG) as well as LAX and Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) from Feb. 9 through March 27, 2020. We will continue to review our flight schedules to ensure we can accommodate the needs of our customers and will make updates as needed. It will continue its service from Los Angeles to Hong Kong and Dallas to China. We apologize to customers for the inconvenience, but the safety of our customers and crew is always our priority, British Airways said in a statement on Wednesday, reported Reuters. Customers due to travel to or from China in the coming days can find more information on BA.com. Germanys Lufthansa also announced it would suspend all flights to China until Feb. 9. The decision also affects subsidiaries Swiss and Austrian Airlines. Lufthansa, SWISS, and Austrian Airlines will be flying to their respective destinations in China for one last time today. This is intended to give our guests the opportunity to take their planned flight and our crews to return to Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, the firm wrote. Austrian Airlines will suspend its flights to and from China (Beijing & Shanghai) until February 9th. For operational reasons, acceptance of bookings for flights to China will be suspended until the end of February. There were questions about quid-pro-quos and whisteblowers, the Constitution and an unpublished book. Senators in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial posed dozens of questions to White House lawyers and to House Democrats prosecuting the case. The questions, written on paper and read about by Chief Justice John Roberts, provided a window into the thinking of senators who until now had been silent inside the chamber. A look at some of the more notable exchanges: SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER, D-N.Y.: Is there any way for the Senate to render a fully informed verdict in this case without hearing the testimony of Bolton, Mulvaney and the other key eyewitnesses, or without seeing the relevant documentary evidence?" This was the first Democratic question of the evening and it encapsulated the principal unresolved issue of the impeachment trial: Will there be enough votes to allow witnesses ? Democrats are clamoring to hear from John Bolton, the former Trump administration national security adviser who writes in a forthcoming book that Trump wanted to withhold military aid from Ukraine until it helped with investigations into Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. They also asked multiple questions about White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, who bluntly acknowledged a quid pro quo with Ukraine at a news conference last year. Rep. Adam Schiff, the chief House prosecutor, said there was no way to have a complete trial without documents or witnesses. Referring back to an earlier question about the president's motives, Schiff told senators they had a chance to hear from a witness who could provide first-hand testimony on motive. He told them they didn't need to wait for the book's March release. Pat Philbin, the deputy White House counsel, said inviting new witnesses into the trial would create a dangerous precedent and leave the Senate effectively paralyzed for months on end" because it would have to do investigative work the House never did. SEN. PATRICK LEAHY, D-VT.: The presidents counsel argues that there was no harm done, that the aid was ultimately released to Ukraine, the president met with Zelenskiy at the UN in September and that this president has treated Ukraine more favorably than his predecessors. What is your response? This question to House managers sought to tee up a rebuttal to a White House defense that Democrats have derisively referred to as the no harm/no foul" argument but that has clearly resonated with Republican senators. Since the aid was released without Ukraine ever announcing an investigation into the Bidens, was there anything really improper about the whole affair? The answer is yes, at least according to Democratic Rep. Val Demings, who pointed out that it that took the work of Congress to ensure that Ukraine didn't miss out on" the aid to which it was entitled. There was harm and there was foul, and let us not forget that Ukraine is not an enemy," Demings said. Theyre not an adversary, they are our friends." _____ SEN. SUSAN COLLINS, R-MAINE and SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI, R-ALASKA: Before Vice President Biden formally entered the 2020 presidential race in April 2019, did President Trump ever mention Joe or Hunter Biden in connection with corruption in Ukraine to former Ukrainian President (Petro) Poroshenko or other Ukrainian officials, President Trump's Cabinet members or top aides, or others. If so, what did the president say, to whom, and when?" This question was important not only for the content but for the questioners. Both Republicans are being closely watched for their views on witnesses and acquittal, though they've been reluctant to publicly telegraph much. But in this question, they're testing one of the Trump legal team's most persistent defenses that Trump's request for Ukraine to conduct investigations wasn't limited to Democratic rival Joe Biden, but reflected his broader concerns about corruption in the former Soviet republic. Philbin said he was limited to what was in the record put forward by the House. I can't point to something in the record that shows President Trump at an earlier time mentioning specifically something related to Joe or Hunter Biden," he added. It is in the record that he spoke to President Poroshenko twice about corruption in the Ukraine, both in June of 2017 and again in September of 2017. Hours later, a Democrat, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, re-upped the question, as if to press the point. _____ SEN. TED CRUZ, R-TEXAS: As a matter of law, does it matter if there was a 'quid pro quo'? Is it true 'quid pro quos' are often used in foreign policy?" This question was important because it appeared to say so what?" to the central allegation of the impeachment case that Trump had made military aid contingent on Ukraine investigating Biden. Cruz's question suggested that people could accept Bolton's reported account that Trump wanted to tie up the money until Ukraine helped with the investigations and nonetheless reject it as irrelevant. It also set off a compelling back-and-forth between Trump attorney Alan Dershowitz and Schiff. Dershowitz said many elected officials equate their election with public good, and so long as they're not motivated solely by personal financial gain, they shouldn't be challenged on their motive. That's why it's so dangerous to try to psychoanalyze a president, Dershowitz said. Schiff appeared stunned, invoking a hypothetical in which Democratic president Barack Obama asked Russia to dig up dirt on 2012 opponent Mitt Romney in exchange for the U.S. withholding aid to Ukraine. All quid pro quos are not the same," Schiff retorted. Some might be acceptable, some not. And you don't need to be a mind reader to figure out which is which. For one thing, you can ask John Bolton." The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will release its Sankalp Patra (vision document/manifesto) on Friday, a week before the last day of campaigning on February 6. In 2015, the BJP had released its manifesto just two days before the last day of campaigning. Union minister Nitin Gadkari will release the BJPs Sankalp Patra for the assembly elections, Ashok Goel Devraha, BJPs media head for the Delhi Assembly elections, said. While the party is targeting the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on freebies and is largely keeping the ongoing protest at Shaheen Bagh against the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, (CAA) at the centre of its election campaign, the partys manifesto is likely to focus on the subsidy on electricity and water, apart from other development plans, especially infrastructure. The BJP has been attacking the AAP for stalling development work in the city. Senior BJP leaders said the party, which has been speaking in different voices on the issue of subsidy, is likely to present its plan regarding the two essential serviceswater and electricity. In its 2013 manifesto, the BJP had promised to cut tariff by 30% if it comes to power. But in 2015, it promised reduction in rate of electricity and rationalisation of water tariff without specifying the percentage. Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari had previously said the party will not discontinue the benefits which people are getting at present. He, in fact, promised five times more benefits. A senior BJP leader said that though freebies are not a good idea we cant withdraw with people are already getting. It (the subsidies) will continue when the BJP comes to power in Delhi. But we will have to find a way to ensure that the government doesnt suffer loses, the leader said. While campaigning in their areas, a large number of BJP candidates are talking about the subsidy given by the AAP government. We are telling people that the subsidy will continue. But we are also telling them that the quality of water has gone down as the samples collected from Delhi failed the quality test conducted by the Bureau of Indian Standards, a candidate said. Recently, water quality had become a flashpoint between the Delhi and the Centre governments after the water samples collected from Delhi failed the BIS quality test. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing a rally at the Ramlila Grounds in last month, had said the supply of drinking water was the biggest problem in Delhi. The partys manifesto committee, headed by Union health minister Harsh Vardhan, has sought suggestions from party members regarding key issues. Union minister Prakash Javadekar, who is in-charge of the Delhi assembly elections, held a meeting with the manifesto committee members and senior leaders to discuss the issues which the party plans to add to its vision document. Teresa Giudice from The Real Housewives of New Jersey recently shared that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conditions were disgusting. Teresas husband Joe was held in an ICE detention center after he was released from federal prison. He served a 41-month sentence for mail, wire, and bankruptcy fraud. Because Joe is not a United States citizen he was transferred to an ICE facility where his family fought to keep him in the country. Joe is originally from Italy and came to the U.S. when he was a child. He never sought citizenship. Teresa Giudice |Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images People connected with a source close to the couple who report that conditions inside the ICE facility were terrible. These past few months in ICE [custody] have been harder for Joe than prison was. The conditions there are terrible, according to Peoples source. Hes so close to freedom, yet so far away. Not being able to see his family, and knowing that he wont be able to be back home with them, has really broken him. Teresa Giudice shares that her husband went through a lot A producer asked Teresa what it was like to visit her husband in the ICE facility. He was going through a lot in there which I know now since we watched the Andy special, we know, Teresa says in the RHONJ After Show. Bravo producer Andy Cohen chatted with the couple after Joe landed in Italy. Joe said the place was terrible and should be shut down because the conditions were so bad. There were a lot of things he didnt even tell Andy that people were like cutting themselves, cutting their wrists, cutting their throats, Teresa says. And he was witnessing all of this. And yeah, he wasnt telling us all of this. Even the living conditions, like he was like confined in a room. And it sucks. Like its really f**ked up, but with this whole ICE thing. She admits that the detention centers are hurting many families. Its not only just screwed up for our family, its screwed up for all the families that are going through this. So if I could be a voice, because its sad for any family thats going through this. She said it was also expensive Teresa recounts that calling her husband was expensive. And its so expensive for him even being there, she says. Like the phone calls? Out of control. Like the money you have to spend. I was saying to him its like $600 a week for the phone calls. So Im saying it was a lot of money, she continues. Its such a rip-off. Here theyre in this ICE facility, they shouldnt make it how disgusting it is, like confined and everything. And some of these people want to go back to their country and they cant even go back to their country. Like theyre held there. Its all about money. The Trump administration is behind the expansion of ICE facilities and implementing a platform to make a profit, Mother Jones reports. Trump has also lowered the standards in facilities which allows for guards to use aggressive techniques and has eliminated many basic requirements for detainees. The BBC looks back on 20 years of its successful New Generation Artists (NGA) scheme, which has helped around 130 young musicians build an international career. Radio 3 is celebrating with a week of live and recorded concerts, culminating on 1 Feb. with 14 hours of live programming, available in MUS (SM/2020/01/25/01-04). In an EBU web interview, Radio 3 Producer Emma Bloxham talks about the joys and challenges of being responsible for the NGA. Q: Janine Jansen, Alice Coote, Benjamin Appl: the list of New Generation Artists who have gone on to stellar careers over the past 20 years is already quite impressive. Emma, please give us some history of the NGA. How did this all start back in 1999? Emma Bloxham: It was the idea of my predecessor, Adam Gatehouse, who wanted to do something to support young artists at that crucial moment right at the start of their international careers through studio recordings, dates with our fabulous BBC orchestras, new commissions, and performances at some of the UKs most prestigious venues and festivals. Q: Has the basic format of the NGA ever varied since the start? EB: Not significantly, no. The heart of the scheme remains the opportunity to work in the studio, which, as we know, is pretty rare these days! Its a fantastic thing for a young musician to be able to record something that isnt necessarily for posterity, like a CD. Were not aiming for perfection: these recordings are simply a snapshot of that artists view of that particular work at that particular moment in time and thats a really precious thing. Everyone who comes through our scheme finds it incredibly helpful to work with our fantastic team of producers and sound engineers, and its amazing how much they learn just from just listening back to themselves in the course of a three-hour session! Then every NGA gets to perform in our prestigious Monday Lunchtime Concert series from Wigmore Hall (all of which are broadcast live on Radio 3); theres also the opportunity to commission new work, thanks to a long-standing partnership with the Royal Philharmonic Society. One thing Ive been really keen to develop since taking over the scheme is the range of opportunities to perform and festivals and venues its great for the NGAs to get out and about all four corners of the UK, and of course fantastic for Radio 3 listeners to actually see them as well as hear them! Weve been broadcasting from the wonderful new concert hall at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire every day this week, for example, and in February were taking four NGAs two current ones, and two alumni to Snape Maltings, which is a lovely place for young musicians to hang out, work on some repertoire together and then perform in that beautiful space. I think the thing Im most proud of is that no two NGAs have exactly the same experience of the scheme. As we all know, every artist or group is different, and were able to tailor the offer to suit the individual. Pianist Pavel Kolesnikov, for example (2014-16), took full advantage of the opportunity to make studio recordings of repertoire that a record company might not have wanted to take a punt on at that moment in time so Radio 3 listeners were treated to some wonderful recordings of CPE Bach and Louis Couperin. The Ukrainian violinist Aleksey Semenenko hadnt done very much chamber music at all before he joined the scheme in 2017; during his two years with us we introduced him to the Amatis Trio and violist Eivind Ringstad (which resulted in all of them performing together at the Edinburgh International Festival last year, to great acclaim), and hell be getting together with Eivind again, and Elisabeth Brauss (piano), and Anastasia Kobekina (cello) at Snape next month. So he leaves us with a raft of great musical experiences under his belt, but some lifelong friends too! Q: Tell us a bit about the crop of new talent for 2019-2021.They overlap with the 2018-2020 group, dont they? EB: Yes, membership of the scheme is for a period of just over two years. Obviously, the last thing I want is for people to feel like its all over at the end of that time though, so I like to think of us as an ever-growing family, with membership of the scheme just the beginning of a lifelong relationship with Radio 3. Theres Alexander Gadjiev, a wonderful young pianist from Slovenia/Italy, with some very interesting programme ideas. The Consone Quartet from the UK are our first ever period instrument quartet theyre very classy! Ema Nikoslovska is a very exciting young mezzo-soprano from Macedonia/Canada. Eric Lu (US) will probably be a familiar name to some because he won the Leeds Competition another wonderful pianist. Johan Dalene is a very young hes only 19 Swedish violinist whos already made a great impression. He made his solo debut with the BBC Symphony Orchestra just before Christmas doing the Bruch [Violin Concerto No. 1], and that was sensational. Weve also got the wonderful jazz guitarist Rob Luft, another British musician, very classy. Then finally, another British artist, the violist Timothy Ridout. He also made his debut with the BBC Symphony Orchestra before Christmas in the Bartok [Viola Concerto], and hes very up for collaborating like all viola players I guess! So now the BBC Symphony Orchestra is thinking: How can we get Timothy and Johan together? What about the Mozart Sinfonia concertante, what about the Britten Double Concerto? Watch this space! Q: Tell us about the all-day 20th anniversary celebration coming up from Wigmore Hall on Saturday, 1 February. It features a nice mixture of up-and-coming artists along with some of the most famous NGA alumni. EB: Well, since we did the 10th anniversary celebration, weve got twice as many artists to feature! I believe we have around 130 alumni now, so if we featured them all in a day, theyd get something like six minutes each. So weve expanded it to a week, which will culminate in a whole day of special programming on 1 February. During the week, well be featuring several alumni each day in our morning programmes, Breakfast and Essential Classics. Our daily Lunchtime Concert features alumni and current NGAs, with four concerts recorded in Birmingham. Afternoon Concert is a celebration of our relationship with the EBU, spotlighting some of those artists who are heard very regularly in Europe. Weve got some fantastic people lined up: Paul Lewis, Lisa Batiashvili, Alban Gerhardt, Simon Trpceski a real feast of great music-making! Radio 3 in Concert will feature distinguished alumni Alice Coote, Benjamin Grosvenor and Igor Levit; we also have a lovely concert recorded before Christmas at Bath Mozartfest featuring the Aris Quartet, Eivind Ringstad, and the only horn player weve had on the scheme (so far!) Alec Frank Gemmill. Then on the day on Saturday, were on air from from 9 AM to 1.00 in the morning, playing recordings (on disc, from our own archive, or from the EBU!); well also go live to Wigmore Hall for no fewer than four concerts, featuring alumni from all the different generations in new chamber music combinations. It promises to be an unforgettable day, and itll be offered by the BBC to EBU Members. Enjoy! Trustmark Mutual Holding Co., a national employee benefits provider headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois, has selected Britt Lindley as its new chief information security officer (CISO). Lindley has more than three decades of experience in Information Security and IT. For the last nine years, he served as a VP and CISO for Thrivent Financial, a Fortune 500 not-for-profit financial services organization. Prior to Thrivent, he held IT leadership positions with Schneider National, Marconi Communications, PNC Bank and ANSYS Inc. Lindley served in the U.S. Army National Guard from 1988-2004. He was awarded the Bronze Star in 2003 during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1982 to 1986. Lindley is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and also a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM). Source: Trustmark Topics Illinois CBC Quebecers who have recently contracted COVID-19 will be able to get their third dose as soon as they are symptom-free, the government announced Wednesday. Following a recommendation from Quebec Public Health, the province said anyone who wishes to get a booster shot, including those who recently had COVID-19, should be able to get one "as soon as possible" to have better protection against the Omicron variant. A three-month interval between the second dose and the booster shot must still be main The percentage of Indigenous inmates in federal prisons continues to rise across Canada. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/1/2020 (714 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The percentage of Indigenous inmates in federal prisons continues to rise across Canada. At 30 per cent, its now the highest its ever been up from 20 per cent in 2010. Indigenous people make up about five per cent of Canadas population. The number of Indigenous inmates in federal prisons has increased 43 per cent since 2010. By contrast, the non-Indigenous inmate population has declined 13.7 per cent during that period. Shockingly, 42 per cent of female inmates are Indigenous. Watchdog decries prison 'Indigenization' Click to Expand Ivan Zinger, Correctional Investigator of Canada, takes part in a press conference at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019. Canada's prison ombudsman says disturbing and entrenched imbalances mean the proportion of Indigenous people in federal custody has hit a record high of more than 30 per cent. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick Posted: 4:32 PM Jan. 21, 2020 OTTAWA - The proportion of Indigenous people in federal custody has hit a record high of more than 30 per cent due to disturbing and entrenched imbalances, Canada's prison ombudsman warned Tuesday. The numbers are even more troubling for Indigenous women, who account for 42 per cent of the female prison population, correctional investigator Ivan Zinger said. Read Full Story This is not a new problem. Indigenous people in Canada have been disproportionately imprisoned for decades. The introduction of restorative justice programs and the use of Gladue reports at sentencing (designed to help judges better understand the backgrounds of Indigenous offenders, including the effects of colonialism) appear to have done little to stem the tide. Rates are even higher in provinces such as Manitoba and Saskatchewan, which have larger Indigenous populations. Despite the many inquiries, royal commissions and other probes into the causes of overrepresentation of Aboriginal people in prison, the problem not only persists, it continues to get worse. Canadas Correctional Investigator, Ivan Zinger, who released the updated incarceration figures last week, calls it the "Indigenization" of the countrys correctional system. He lamented that it is "nothing short of a national travesty." Mr. Zinger acknowledges that many of the social and economic factors driving these numbers are outside the control of the justice system. But he said Correctional Services Canada should not be let off the hook, since many of its policies and practices contribute to the problem. For example, Indigenous inmates are disproportionately classified and placed in maximum-security institutions, Mr. Zinger explained. They are more likely to be subject to use-of-force measures and placed in solitary confinement, compared with non-Indigenous inmates. They also serve a higher proportion of their sentences in prison than non-Indigenous inmates, and experience higher rates of recidivism, according to Mr. Zinger. There have been recommendations made over the years, through various studies, to address these inequities. However, the federal corrections service has largely ignored them, choosing instead to make small "tweaks" to the system. 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. Indigenous inmates are disproportionately classified and placed in maximum-security institutions, Ivan Zinger explained. (Sean Kilpatrick / Canadian Press files) "For too long, CSC has recused itself from any responsibility for Indigenous over-representation, preferring instead to simply reiterate that corrections, being situated at the back (or receiving) end of the criminal justice system, exerts no control or jurisdiction over upstream factors that decide who is sent to prison, for what reasons or for how long," wrote Mr. Zinger. What is needed is federal leadership to move forward on recommendations made in such reports as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, he said. Those recommendations include CSC working more closely with Indigenous communities to improve reintegration services for Aboriginal offenders. Enhanced screening, diagnosis and treatment for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder has been proposed. Other recommendations have included a greater role for Indigenous elders in federal prisons, as well as better access to culturally relevant correctional programming. There are no simple or immediate solutions to reduce the overrepresentation of aboriginal inmates in Canadian prisons. But Mr. Zinger makes a compelling case that CSC has a far greater role to play in reversing this trend than it cares to acknowledge. The policies and practices employed in federal prisons, especially as they relate to Indigenous offenders, have an impact on recidivism rates. Ultimately, the success or failure of those programs will affect Indigenous inmate populations. CSC can do better. It must do better. France's government said Tuesday it would ban a controversial but widespread practice of culling male chicks by the end of 2021, but it was not clear if a more ethical practice would be developed in time for the egg and poultry industry to adapt. In current factory farming practices, some male chicks are retained for breeding, but an estimated seven billion worldwide are culled each year: shredded alive in specially designed machines, gassed, electrocuted or asphyxiated. The males from the laying flock are considered a by-product, says Leopoldine Charbonneaux, director of the French office of international animal welfare group Compassion in World Farming. The solution we had until now was to cull them at birth, because they are not needed. They cannot lay eggs, and they are not considered economically viable to fatten for meat. Some culling practices are legal in the European Union, under a 2009 directive that authorises shredding of chicks less than 72 hours old on the condition it causes immediate death. But France and Germany, which cull some 90 million chicks between them each year, pledged earlier in January to put an end the practice, and French Agriculture Minister Didier Guillaume outlined Paris's plans in greater detail on Tuesday. The goal is to force companies and researchers to do it by the end of 2021, Guillaume said, adding this would mean finding the technique that works on a large scale. Detecting sex of embryos Guillaume announced plans to boost funding for research and development of in-ovo sexing, a method of determining the sex of an embryo in the egg before it hatches. It has to be done as early as possible so that the animal is not sentient and will not feel pain, Charbonneaux says, adding that so far, the techniques have not been perfected for widespread use. The science has to improve, to be developed on a large scale, and to be adopted by the hatcheries, which is not the case yet, she says. I think the industry in France didn't feel the pressure very much, but now the pressure is on. Still, a similar context has held up efforts to end shredding in Germany, which was ahead of France in proceeding with a ban until last June, when a court effectively ruled the slaughter would continue until an economically viable solution was found. Reflecting debates over factory farming and ethics that have fuelled growing tensions between France's meat and dairy industries and animal rights activists in recent years, Guillaume said improving conditions for farm animals would balance ambition and rationality. Animals are sentient beings, they have the right to respect and proper treatment, the minister said. But improving animal well-being must take into account the economic realities of the industry. French people 'shocked' by factory farming The French government announced the ban of chick shredding among 15 measures mainly aimed at addressing conditions on farms, the transportation of animals and the abandonment of pets. One would require anaesthesia be given to piglets being castrated, a practice aiming to make animals grow fatter and prevent potent smells in their meat. The announcements drew mitigated responses from animal welfare advocates such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and French group L214, which welcomed the announced measures but regretted inaction on slaughterhouse conditions, unnatural confinement and other realities of intensive farming. CIWF hoped for more on cage-raised chickens and an outright ban on castration of piglets, but the group still noted the significance of what was announced. Finally, it's acknowledged that France is asking for more animal welfare, that French people are shocked by a lot of the practices that come from factory farming, Charbonneaux says, adding CIWF would watch how the government implements its promises. These announcements have been made, they're good, but they need to be followed through. Having a date in mind is good, but you also need to have it in law to ensure that it does happen. The government on Thursday extended by two years the tenure of Kundan Kumar, the private secretary to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, according to a Personnel Ministry order. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved extension in central deputation tenure of Kumar, a 2004 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre, for a period of two years beyond February 3, 2020, it said. He was in June last year appointed as the private secretary to the defence minister. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jennifer Aniston looked in fine fettle when she was glimpsed stepping out in Beverly Hills this Wednesday. The 50-year-old Friends icon had a smile on her face as she warded off the wintertime chill with a bubblegum pink scarf. Accessorizing with a pair of butterfly shades, she let her signature blonde hair down as she headed out on her way. Feeling fab: Jennifer Aniston looked in fine fettle when she was glimpsed stepping out in Beverly Hills this Wednesday Her latest outing comes a week and a half after she was photographed having a backstage chat at the SAG Awards with her first ex-husband Brad Pitt. As she walked away from him after their talk, she placed a hand on his chest and he could be seen holding her wrist. Jennifer and Brad were married from 2000 until 2005, when he infamously left her for his eventual second wife Angelina Jolie. Stylish: The 50-year-old Friends icon had a smile on her face as she warded off the wintertime chill with a bubblegum pink scarf Both Brad and Jennifer won SAG Awards this year, he for the movie Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and she for the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show. During his acceptance speech that night he quipped that his Once Upon A Time In Hollywood character was 'a stretch' as he 'doesn't get on with his wife.' The camera then cut to the audience where Jennifer clapped at the joke and wore an expression of wry recognition. Thanks for the memory: Her latest outing comes a week and a half after she was photographed having a backstage chat at the SAG Awards with her first ex-husband Brad Pitt This week DailyMail.com revealed that Brad and Jennifer employ the same stylist sister-act, Nina and Clare Hallworth. Nina and Clare were behind the ultra-glamorous 1999 John Galliano gown Jennifer wore to the SAG Awards where she and Brad chatted. The Hallworths also worked with Brad recently, dressing him for an ad-campaign for the Italian menswear brand Brioni. Charm offensive: As she walked away from him after their talk, she placed a hand on his chest and he could be seen holding her wrist Recently, during her SAG Awards acceptance speech Jennifer gave a shoutout to famous show, Happy Days. Well, after word got around to the star Ron Howard, he was flattered. 'That's very flattering! Very flattering. And she's great,' he said during an interview with Us Weekly. He added: 'I thought that Jennifer was really, really good [at directing]. So I'm always prodding her whenever I see her, 'Do a little more directing!' But the business keeps her busy in front of the cameras.' The government is hopeful of ULFA-Independent and many of the other insurgent groups in Manipur and Nagaland coming for talks to settle their issues, following the Bodo peace accord, an official from the Union Home Ministry said on Thursday. Talking to reporters here on the sidelines of the arms-laying ceremony by all factions of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), Union Home Joint Secretary (northeast) Satyendra Garg said the government does not discuss till things materialise and signed, but it is always hopeful and positive about the various militant groups coming for discussions. "We are hopeful about ULFA and many of the groups in Manipur and Nagaland coming for talks. When talks will happen we can't give a time frame. But we try to do things fast. Slowly things emerge. We are working on it and the entire peace process will be over in a few months' time. Who thought the Bodo Accord will come so soon," he said. On media reports about pro-talk ULFA signing peace accord with the government by April, Garg said, "You can have a speculation but we are working on them. We want to do it fast. But when it will actually happen you will come to know." Asked if it will be before Bohag Bihu in April as claimed by a state minister, the Union joint secretary said, "There is possibility of things coming before April. Let's be hopeful and positive. Lot of things have happened in the northeast in the last six months. And lot of things will be happening. As the processes materialise and are signed we keep informing you... we will tell you about the outcomes." To queries if response has come from ULFA-Independent led by Paresh Baruah for holding parleys with the government, he said, "We don't discuss many of the things like what is in the pipeline till final things happen. Only when they fructify, we talk. We don't discuss things publicly."A total of 1,615 caders from all factions of the NDFB laid down their arms before Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, depositing assorted 4,981 arms and ammunition. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) MOSCOW -- McDonalds in Russia is canceling its 30th anniversary promotional plan to offer its iconic Big Mac sandwiches at the Soviet-era price of 3 rubles ($0.05) on January 31 over public health concerns. It said it would put the health of diners above other interests due to fears of a new respiratory virus from China spreading, the fast-food chain said on January 30. "Theres nothing more important for us than the health of our guests and employees," Marc Carena, general director of McDonalds in Russia, said in a statement. Russia has no confirmed cases of the coronavirus but on January 30 it closed its eastern land border with China and it has formed a task force to guard against infections. Carena noted measures taken by local officials to avoid mass gatherings that could trigger the spread of the virus. More than 7,900 people have been infected with the dangerous new illness and at least 170 have died. Also on January 30, Russia said it would stop issuing electronic visas to nationals of China, where the virus originated. When the fast-food chain first opened in Russia on January 31, 1990, it was hailed as a sign of thawing Cold War relations and crowds in Moscow flocked to taste their first Big Mac at the centrally-located eatery on Pushkin Square. The two all-beef patties sandwich with special sauce was pricey by Soviet standards costing 3.50 rubles, the equivalent of a monthly bus pass at the time. Lately, the Chicago-based company has come under repeated pressure in Russia and had to temporarily close its flagship store -- one of the busiest in the world -- over alleged hygiene violations following Western sanctions over aggression toward Ukraine. McDonald's employs more than 50,000 people in Russia. Based on reporting by Daily Mail and AFP Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 18:28:10|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close SEOUL, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- South Korea has decided to offer 5 million U.S. dollars worth of medical supplies to China to help fight a novel coronavirus outbreak, the country's foreign ministry said Thursday. Part of the medical supplies will be delivered to the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, on Thursday night, the ministry said in a statement. The assistance reconfirmed the deep bond between South Korean and Chinese people, and the friendly relations between the two countries, it added. According to the statement, South Korea was consulting with China on necessary assistance to China's anti-virus fight. Ten months after the U.S. Department of Justice said overcrowding in Alabamas prisons helped create conditions so violent that they violate the Constitution, the problem is getting worse. Wednesday, the Alabama Department of Corrections announced the partial closure of Holman Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison in Atmore, because of an inability to safely provide water, electricity, and sewage service due to the hazards in a tunnel that houses the utilities. U.S. Attorney Jay Town of the Northern District of Alabama, part of the DOJ team negotiating with Alabama officials on how to fix the prison problems, said he didnt find out about the decision until shortly before a press release went out today. I think its important that in any sort of negotiations that information come to the Department of Justice real time, Town said. And if it is the case that this decision was made prior to today then its disappointing that we didnt learn about that decision when it was made. The DOJ notified Gov. Kay Ivey in April that it could file a lawsuit against the state under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA) because of prison conditions. Since then, Justice Department and state officials have negotiated on ways to fix the prisons outside of court. Town said today the closing of Holman does not make a lawsuit more likely. This doesnt make us closer to a CRIPA lawsuit, but it is disappointing for our team to learn of this today, Town said. Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn said plans to eventually close Holman have been in the works since 2018, but worsening conditions with the facility accelerated that plan in recent weeks. He said the decision to close Holman was an operational matter that, as a general rule, would not involve notifying lawyers involved in negotiations with the state. The ADOC adheres to strict security protocols regarding any inmate movement which are based on national standards and followed by every correctional department in the United States," Dunn said in a statement. These protocols are designed and in place to ensure inmate, correctional staff, and public safety above all else. Given the sensitive nature and security risks associated with this operational decision, third parties and outside agencies were not provided advance notification. We will continue to make strategic short- and long-term decisions based solely on the well-being and best interests of our inmates and staff. We also will continue to work in good faith with all relevant parties. Town said he didnt think Dunn had intentionally kept information from DOJ. I do think that Jeff Dunn is an honest man, Town said. I dont think he was intentionally avoiding telling me or our team. I just think if theres a situation like this in the future, Im hopeful we will learn about it real time rather than just prior to a press release. Dunn announced this morning that about 617 inmates would move from Holman to other ADOC prisons. Death row and the execution chamber will stay at Holman, although death row will move to a different part of the prison. A dorm for inmates who work in the prisons license plate and clothing plants will also stay operational. Related: Former Holman guards worry Alabama prison violence will rise in wake of surprise closure Prisoners in the main unit at Holman -- about 422 general population inmates and 195 inmates in restrictive housing -- will move to the states other prisons. Alabama has 11 other mens prisons. Four of those -- Kilby, St. Clair, Donaldson, and Limestone -- are maximum security prisons like Holman. The other seven are medium security. Dunn said assessments are under way to determine where to move the Holman inmates are under way. Its a little bit more complex than just dividing the number of inmates by the number of facilities and placing that number there because certain facilities, based on their population, may have more capacity, others may have less, Dunn said. "And its also based on their classification level." The ADOC will provide weekly updates about the transfers on its website. According to ADOCs statistical report from October, the most recent one available, the prisons held 21,081 in facilities designed for 12,412, an occupancy rate of 170%. The population grew by 886 inmates compared to October 2018. The growth in the number of inmates comes after several years of decline. A slowdown in the number of inmates being granted parole is one factor. Town was asked how concerned the DOJ is that prisons are holding more inmates than they were in April, when DOJs report said overcrowding and serious deficiencies in staffing and supervision exacerbated the unconstitutional conditions. Overcrowding is very often a cause of the violations that we detailed in our letter of findings, Town said. So, to the extent any prison system becomes more crowded just makes that system more vulnerable to Eighth Amendment violations, and those issues we identified in our letter of findings. Most of the DOJ report last April concerned the high levels of violence, sexual abuse, weapons, drugs, and other problems creating dangerous conditions. The report also noted the deteriorating conditions of the states prisons and said the facilities "do not provide adequate humane conditions of confinement. Town said the partial closing of Holman further bolsters that point. Dunn has sounded the alarm about deteriorating prisons during the almost five years he has been prison commissioner. He was commissioner under former Gov. Robert Bentley, who proposed building new prisons with a bond issue. The Legislature rejected those plans. Under the Ivey administration, the ADOC is seeking proposals from companies to finance and build three mens prisons that the state would lease and operate. The companies building the prisons would bear the upfront costs. Dunn said proposals are expected by the end of April. Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, who has been a leader in prison reform efforts in the Legislature, said he had been to Holman multiple times and was struck by the poor conditions. It was literally falling apart when I was there last as far as wiring, plumbing, Ward said. Its an old building. Thats what happens. It wasnt designed to hold that many people. Ward said he is concerned that packing more prisoners into fewer prisons will raise the likelihood that a federal court will eventually order the state to release inmates. This is nothing new, Ward said. This has been coming. We keep kicking the can and every time we kick the can it gets a little more expensive. Town, asked whether ADOC has made improvements since the DOJ report in April, said it will take more time to see if things are getting better. I do think that ADOC is doing their level best to improve the prisons in Alabama even before we have any sort of settlement agreement in place, Town said. They are being proactive. I do believe ADOC is being proactive in their efforts to improve the facilities. Despite the new problems presented by the partial closing of Holman, Dunn said he sees progress toward addressing some of the decades-old problems with Alabama prisons. In the sense of the discussions were having with DOJ and the progress were making in those discussions, I think its very positive, Dunn said. "Every indication that I get is were making progress, that the two teams are working well together and we anticipate a positive outcome of negotiations with DOJ. As we mentioned when the DOJ letter came out, weve been highlighting these issues for a long time and until we really put some significant resources behind solving these problems were going to continue to struggle. That said, I think the state has made several significant down payments on solving these problems. Dunn mentioned ongoing efforts to bolster the ADOC staff. He said the agency has had a net gain of 255 correctional officers in the last year and is in the process of hiring more than 400 more. The Legislature approved funding to increase pay and incentive bonuses for officers. Thats a start toward meeting the requirements of a federal court order to add 2,200 correctional officers by 2022, an order resulting from a lawsuit over mental health care for inmates. Dunn said ADOC has increased its mental health staff and is adding new career training programs for inmates in commercial truck driving at Staton Correctional Facility and carpentry and HVAC at Bibb Correctional Facility. I think there are some very positive signs and Im optimistic that in 2020 well begin to see the impact of those efforts that have been made in this last year and will continue to be made as we go forward, Dunn said. I do feel like that were making progress. I think more so than ever before and certainly within my tenure, which is coming up on five years, all sectors of the state are focused on helping to address this problem. More than 50,000 homes have been left without electricity after wild weather sparked fires on top of power poles. Dramatic images have shown power poles sparking into flames after an aggressive storm lashed through Western Australia on Wednesday night. Parts of Perth were affected by a blackout overnight, with around 50,000 homes and businesses affected, and around 25,000 households were still without electricity on Thursday morning. A Western Power spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia unique weather from humid and dusty conditions caused the poles to catch alight. 'The misty light drizzling rain, combined with dust and pollution create a paths or tracks on the insulators which lets electricity jump across causing damage to poles,' the spokesperson said. Flame sparking at the top of a power pole after a storm tore through Perth on Wednesday night Sparks were caused after a combination of high humidity, dusty conditions and rain caused the poles to catch alight 'We encourage people affected to check our outages map on our website, and locations will be updated with estimated restoration times as soon as possible. 'We appreciate that power outages are never convenient, and please be assured all available teams on the ground and in our network control centre are working to restore power safely to affected communities.' The top of 60 power poles were confirmed to have caught fire following the storm, with around 100 poles damaged. Traffic lights were affected in some areas, and motorists have been urged to drive carefully in adverse conditions. Western Power have cancelled all planned work for the day and implemented more staff to fast track power to residents in blackout areas. 'Crews in the metropolitan area and north to Kalbarri who were scheduled to complete other planned work have been directed where possible to repair the damage.' They are hopeful to restore all power to homes and businesses on Thursday, with around 18,000 homes still without power at the time of writing. More rain has been forecast for Perth on Thursday before a hot and sunny conditions take over into the middle of next week. A graph from Western Power showcasing the distance between affected areas after Wednesday nights storm Follow all the action from Australian Open 2020 semi-finals on our live blog here from Day 11 at Melbourne Park. Auto refresh feeds Both players on court. Sofia Kenin is followed by Ashleigh Barty. The Aussie has won the toss and chosen to serve first. Nice bit of touch from the World No. 1: telling the little girl with the coin toss for a job well done. Gotta love players who are nice and polite to the ball kids! Ashleigh Barty starts to serve after a moment's display as the crowd roars in support of the Queenslander who is hoping to end their wait for a home winner (52 years) or at least a home finalist (15 years). Sofia Kenin is one set away from her maiden grand slam final after saving three break points earlier in the set and then two set points in the tiebreak. A 59 minute set and Barty would rue the opportunities lost including the 21 unforced errors. Barty with a forehand winner to bring the game to 30-30 and an opportunity to open the door. And she has opened the door even more with a sublime backhand slider that rushes on to Kenin and the American is unable to react in time. Break point chance and Kenin with a backhand error. BREAK! Ashleigh Barty serving for the second set. Kenin with two forehand errors at the start of the service game. Has one point back with a smash. Barty with a big forehand and Kenin is unable to get the ball back. That gives the Aussie two set points. The 21-year-old American with another drop shot with Barty in the back and closes the point with a comfortable volley winner. Another chance for Ash and this one is saved as well with Barty sending her forehand long after a 10 shot rally. Suddenly, Kenin has a break point with a forehand missed from Ash. The break point, first for Kenin, opportunity is quickly shut with a missed backhand. She brings up one more with a forehand cross court passing shot past Barty. A hapless lob from Kenin to just the keep the ball in play and Barty has missed the simple drive volley. She would make it nine times out of 10! BREAK BACK! American 21-year-old Sofia Kenin is into the Australian Open final having beaten Ashleigh Barty 7-6, 7-5 in an hour and 45 minutes. Unbelievable! Two set points saved in first set and again in the second to win. We shift our focus to Simona Halep vs Garbine Muguruza in the second semi-final. Both former World No. 1s and both two-time grand slam winners. Both have a French Open and Wimbledon titles in the bag. The Romanian has a best showing of final at the Australian Open in 2018. She then lost to Caroline Wozniacki who was also seeking her first major title at the time. The Spaniard hasn't progressed beyond the quarters in Melbourne. She lost in 2017 to CoCo Vandeweghe in the last-eight Muguruza holds a 3-2 career head-to-head record against Halep. Their last meeting was at the French Open in 2018, when the Romanian won en route to the title. The Spaniard holds a perfect 3-0 record over Halep on hard courts. At the coin toss, Garbine Muguruza got the right prediction and chose to receive serve while staying on what looks to be a shadier side of the court. Muguruza looks to be out of the point but she not only stays in it but she turns the low ball into a winning opportunity. A slice forehand down the line to see Halep scramble but be unable to do much with the backhand. It brings up break point and Muguruza gets the first break with a backhand drive volley winner. BREAK! The first set goes Garbine Muguruza's way 7-6 (8) in an hour and seven minutes. The Spaniard served for the set at 5-4 and squandered two set point opportunities while saving four before closing it out in the end BREAK! The elusive break comes to Simona Halep finally. Muguruza saved one of the two with a forehand winner but sends the backhand on the next into the net. Halep now a miserable 2/9 on break points. Couple of missed forehands from Muguruza and Halep has two break points to once again take the advantage. One is saved with a 153 kmph ace and the second by a 161 kmph serve. It is followed by a double fault on deuce to give Halep a third break point chance. And another saved with another ace. This one even bigger: 167 kmph. Muguruza with little wrong on the rally but Halep is incredible on the run and sends a winner even with the intervention of the net. Muguruza had a chance to prolong the game but the backhand sails long and that's break for Halep. Again. Garbine Muguruza beats Simona Halep 7-6 (8), 7-5 in two hours and five minutes to set up final with Sofia Kenin. Whoever wins, we'd get a first time Australian Open winner. Two first-time finalists as well at Melbourne Park. Half an hour to go before the 50th installment of Roger Federer vs Novak Djokovic and fifth at Australian Open. Novak leads 26-23 on overall head-to-head and 3-1 at Melbourne Park with all three wins coming in the semi-finals. Another poor serving game for Djokovic. He raced to 40-15 lead but Federer gets to deuce, finds the break point. Djokovic survives but could not resist for long as Federer makes it 3-1 in his favour. Djokovic breaks! He has found his rhythm, making Federer run across the court with wide range of shots. The Serbian races to three break points and then wins the game. A beautiful backhand shot which hugged the line from Federer for 15-15 but the next cross court shot is long as Djokovic goes 30-15 up. Federer pulls one point back but two back-to-back aces from Djokovic means we will have tie-break. Djokovic takes the first set 7-6(1). Can you believe it? Federer was up 4-1, 4-0 and yet has lost the first set in 62 minutes. Federer's was serving to stay in the set but Djokovic had the last laugh as he broke the service and took the set 6-4. 30-all, deuce, Federer kept fighting but Djokovic produced a brilliant return winner for set point. Two sets to love now. Djokovic breaks! This is a big game win for the Serbian. And he won the game with a beautiful looping forehand that was kept wide from Federer as the veteran gasped. GAME, SET, MATCH. The defending champion beats Federer 7-6(1), 6-4, 6-3 in the first men's singles final. Federer made incredible comebacks in the last two matches but this was always going to be a big ask. Federer was hurting already still fought hard but Djokovic was too good on the night. He has always been good at Melbourne. The Serbian holds again. Both the players have been very good on their serve, Djokovic lost the first point on his serve but then accumulated four straight ones to hold. Djokovic breaks! This is a big game win for the Serbian. And he won the game with a beautiful looping forehand that was kept wide from Federer as the veteran gasped. Federer fought hard. The veteran used the surprise trick of sneaking to the net to attack and won two points but that was it as Djokovic kept his composure to hold to 30. The serbian is now just one game away from win. Federer comes out aggressively in the game, attacking by coming forward to the net and holds to 30. Still, Djokovic is just one game away from the win. GAME, SET, MATCH. The defending champion beats Federer 7-6(1), 6-4, 6-3 in the first men's singles final. Federer made incredible comebacks in the last two matches but this was always going to be a big ask. Federer was hurting already still fought hard but Djokovic was too good on the night. He has always been good at Melbourne. Djokovic: Roger was obviously hurt and credit to him for coming out and playing so well. At the start I was looking more at what he was doing than what I was doing but I managed to dig myself back into it. It was very important to do that. I knew he'd try to mix it up and come to the net but I tried to stay with him in the rallies and move him around instead. Novak Djokovic at #AusOpen remains a constant in this crazy world. Into his EIGHTH final here with a 7-6(1), 6-4, 6-3 win over Federer. ND's 7-0 in those previous seven finals. Awaits the winner of the kindergarten match between Dominic Thiem and Sascha Zverev tomorrow night. That's all from our side for today! The day began with Sofia Kenin shocking Ash Barty. The young America defied her age to blossom under pressure, break Australian hearts, and reach women's final. She will face Garbine Muguruza, who defeated Simona Halep. In the biggest match of the day, Novak Djokovic registered a straight-set win over legendary Roger Federer. He will find out his next opponent, for the final, tomorrow. Dominic Thiem will take on Alexander Zverev in the second men's final. We will bring that game live to you. So join us tomorrow. Good bye. Australia Open Thursday action preview: Defending champion Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer will be playing each other for the 50th time when they meet in the semifinals at Melbourne Park. It's a blockbuster matchup between two men with a combined 36 Grand Slam trophies (Federer has a record 20, Djokovic 16), 13 Australian Open championships (Federer has six, Djokovic a record seven) 180 singles titles overall (Federer has 103, Djokovic 77) and 10 year-end No. 1 finishes in the ATP rankings (five apiece). Djokovic leads the head-to-head series 26-23, with five in a row in matches at the majors, including their most recent meeting in last year's Wimbledon final, where he saved two match points to beat Federer in a fifth-set tiebreaker. So why hasn't Federer managed to win a Grand Slam match against Djokovic in eight years? Djokovic himself said he wasn't sure. "I know that whenever we get a chance to play each other, we understand it takes a big effort and it's required from us to come up with the best game in order to win against each other," Djokovic said. "Roger is Roger. You know that he's always going to play on such a high level, regardless of the surface. He loves to play these kind of matches, big rivalries, semis, finals of Grand Slams." One key this time could be how Federer feels after dealing with a painful groin muscle while saving seven match points during a five-set quarterfinal win. While the other men's semifinal is not until Friday, both women's semis are Thursday: No. 1 Ash Barty vs. No. 14 Sofia Kenin, and No. 4 Simona Halep vs. unseeded Garbine Muguruza. With AP inputs New Delhi: In the episode, Rishabh warns Sherlyn to stay away from Preeta's life. When Preeta, Karan and her family are busy celebrating her release from the prison, the cops land up at their residence to arrest Preeta again. Mahira calls Karan and gets to know that he is at Preeta's place. Sherlyn, meanwhile, tells Mahira that she should not worry about it, rather it's a good thing that Preeta will be held in Karan's presence. Watch the latest episode here: In tonights episode, the Luthras are preparing for Ramonas birthday party. Mahira is going around being nice to everyone. She even helps Kareena and Rakhi become friends and end their differences. Rishabh is confused because Mahira seems mature and responsible, but then she accused Preeta of a crime she didnt commit. Sherlyn realises Rishabhs confusion and is happy about it. Karan asks the police to show him the evidence. When the police refuse Karan asks them who gave the evidence. The inspector says Sherlyn gave them a video proving that Preeta tried to kill Mahira. Karan demands to meet Preeta, but Sarla tells him to meet her only if he trusts her. Karan refuses to answer Sarla and goes to meet Preeta. He tells Preeta to not bother whether he believes her or not. He promises to release Preeta from jail not just on bail but with a clean chit. Karan says he is doing this only because Preeta saved his Daadi and he is returning the favour. When he leaves the police station, Karan tries to call Rishabh but the latter is on a business call. He calls Sherlyn and she asks him to come home if he wants to speak to her. Sherlyn is hoping that Karan will come home and create a scene. Daadi also tells Sherlyn to not get angry at Rishabh because everyone at home thinks she is right. Sarla goes to an expensive lawyer and he promises to get Preeta out of jail taking only half his usual fees. Karan reaches the Luthra house to find the video Sherlyn gave the police. Will Karan be able to save Preeta? Find out tomorrow. Hackers posing as a veteran London art dealer tricked a Dutch museum buying a John Constable painting into paying 2.4 million pounds ($3.1 million) into a fraudulent bank account. Scamming their way into the middle of months of negotiating emails between Simon C. Dickinson Ltd. and Rijksmuseum Twenthe, the imposters persuaded the museum to transfer the funds to a Hong Kong account. The Enschede, Netherlands-based museum suffered a setback in its lawsuit Thursday, when a judge ruled against its claim for damages. During correspondence between the real dealers and the museum, cybercriminals gained access to one of the partys systems, monitored the negotiations and at a suitable point sent a number of spoof emails appearing to originate from Dickinson. The art dealers negotiators were looped in to some of the emails between the museum and the hackers but they said and did nothing to correct the impression that the emails came from Dickinson, the museums lawyer Gideon Shirazi told a London High Court. Silence would give rise to an implied representation, he said. By saying nothing, they said everything. Constable was a 19th century English landscape artist, most famous for his paintings of Dedham Vale on the border between Essex and Sussex counties. The museums director became interested in buying one of his works while at the European Fine Art Fair in the Netherlands in March 2018. The museum should have taken the basic step of independently confirming that the bank details received in an email were genuine, Dickinsons lawyer Bobby Friedman told the court. The art dealer didnt know a fraud was being perpetrated and would have been horrified if it had realized this, he said. Instead of accepting the reality of the situation, the museum has reacted by pursuing a series of hopeless claims against SCD, in the hope of pinning the blame for the museums mistake on SCD, he said in written submissions. Judge Mark Pelling dismissed the museums application to include eight claims, including that the dealer owed it a duty of care to maintain reasonable email cybersecurity, but said if it considers an alternative way to claim for damages, it can serve another application to amend the claims against Dickinson. Rijksmuseum Twenthe didnt respond to a request for comment. Dickinson declined to comment. The museum is currently holding the painting and wont return it, despite Dickinson having not been paid, Friedman told the court. Its preventing the dealer from selling the piece elsewhere and paying the undisclosed owner, he said. It is still unknown who was behind the hack and whether the fraudsters infiltrated the museum or the dealers email accounts. Both sides claim it was the other who got hacked. Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. The company expects the second half of the year to show improvement in domestic market and while there are concerns about the comparitively higher price for the BS-VI models, there might also excitement among the customers on the new technology, said Tarun Garg, director, sales and marketing division, HMIL. With some of the diesel vehicle manufacturers planning to stop diesel vehicle models in the wake of BS-VI implementation, the company is expecting a growth in the ... 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 The campaign for the consumption of local rice spearheaded by Chief Executive Officer of Citi FM and Citi TV, Sam Attah-Mensah has paid off. Some of the local rice dealers have told Citi Business News that they made a lot of sales during the just-ended festive season. Rice accounts for 58 percent of the country's cereal imports. With its consumption in 2017 and 2018 estimated at 1 million megatonnes, the government expects that the annual per capita consumption will reach 40 kilogrammes this year. Critics have complained about the countrys dependence on foreign rice. This phenomenon started increasing steadily in the 1980s, but now accounts for more than 70% of local consumption. Government has over the years put in place measures to change the trend but all efforts have proved futile. Although substantial investments in local rice production have been made, it is still not able to keep up with the growing demand. Samuel Attah-Mensahs campaign in November 2019 was considered timely, as local rice consumption reportedly increased in December 2019. This was evident in Citi FM/Citi TVs maiden Christmas Made in Ghana Fair held at the Aviation Social Centre. Efforts put in place to sustain drive for local rice consumption Beyond the Christmas season boom and the media campaign, questions have been asked as to how local rice companies could sustain the gains so far. Wienco Ghana, producers of Aduanehene rice, said they sold over 40,000 bags within the festive season; the highest they have ever sold in any given period; thanks to the campaign. They want stakeholders to help them to sustain the campaign, while they also take steps to equip their farmers to produce to meet demand. This year, we plan to expand the farmer base because these farmers sometimes don't get the benefit of working together as a group. So, we are engaging more with them and hope to expand the farmer base whilst we expand our production, Communications Officer, Sylvester Kwame Osei said. Communications Officer, Wienco Ghana, Sylvester Kwame Osei He further called on government to subsidize the cost of utility to help them increase production. The mills we have use electricity to add value to the rice. The bills we get are mostly high, so as private sector contributing to national development, it will really be good if the government in all of its considerations can give some form of subsidy on utility to help us produce more, he added. Their call was echoed by Yaa Baby Rice which wants the government to fulfil its promise of investing in the sector. The campaign really helped boost our sales from about 50 100% of what we normally sell. We run out of stock. We couldn't even supply to all our customers. We sold about 10,000 bags which exceeded our previous sales. We are equipping ourselves with warehousing systems to meet demand, Manager of Yaa Baby Rice, Irene Kumi Adams said. Manager of Yaa Baby Rice, Irene Kumi Adams. We want the government to help the farmers with fertilizer and farming equipment. When the rice is grown, even where to get harvesters for harvesting is a big problem. We are pleading with government to provide more equipment and milling machines to enable them produce more, she added. Convener for the Rice Millers Association, Yaw Adu-Poku, told Citi Business News efforts are underway to assist farmers to sustain the demand and supply as the campaign has simmered down. Convener for the Rice Millers Association, Yaw Adu-Poku He noted that talks are already far advanced in securing funds with the GCB bank, the National Investment Bank, Barclays Bank and the Agricultural Development Bank, to provide funds for the rice millers at an affordable rate. This is an ongoing process. We have been talking to the banks, even today, we had our first preliminary meeting where banks were represented. We are still working on it; but we are saying that, there should be a holistic approach from government's end. The banks are commercial entities, so they need to do their homework well before they go into lending. We are still engaging with them, though we have not received any facilities from them as at now. I am talking to ADB and in the next few days something concrete will come out, he said. ---citinewsroom Australians trapped at the heart of the coronavirus outbreak will have to pay up to $1000 to be evacuated from the Chinese city of Wuhan to be quarantined on Christmas Island. The Morrison government is in high-level negotiations with Beijing to dispatch a Qantas jet to rescue hundreds of Australian nationals from Wuhan. Wuhan residents wear masks to buy vegetables. Credit:Getty The death toll from the virus surged by 28 per cent on Thursday, up to 170 victims from 132. There are now 7000 confirmed cases, mostly in China. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has begun contacting Australians stuck in Hubei province to inform them what they will need to do to get on the emergency flight, expected to arrive in Wuhan within days. [January 30, 2020] DeVry University Students Create Digital Games for Travelers at O'Hare Airport Traveling through Chicago O'Hare International Airport during spring break? Travelers can stop by the Fly with Butch O'Hare family lounge, located near Gate F3 in Terminal 2. In addition to a play area for children, the lounge has custom-designed video games for young and adult travelers alike that were created and developed by DeVry University students in partnership with the Chicago Department of Aviation. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005601/en/ Eight digital games were developed by more than 30 DeVry University students in partnership with the Chicago Department of Aviation. (Photo: Business Wire) Eight digital games were developed by more than 30 DeVry students as part of the university's senior class projects since 2017, with three games recently added in August 2019. DeVry students complete a senior class project as part of their graduation requirements, and students in the Chicagoland area who are majoring in computer information systems have the unique opportunity to develop or update games for the Fly with Butch O'Hre lounge as their senior class project. "I am a disabled veteran who decided to go back to school because I could no longer perform my duties in my previous job," said Angel Gomez, who worked on the Fly with Butch O'Hare project his senior year and is expected to graduate this month with a degree in computer information systems. "When I was selected to be on the Fly with Butch O'Hare project, I was as proud as when I served my country in the Panama War. Our senior project taught me how it is to actually work with a real client, and to me the experience was invaluable and a great honor." All eight video games available in the Butch O'Hare family lounge were created by DeVry students, including: Luggage Hopper (like Frogger) Shop Drop (like Angry Birds) Hungry Traveler (like Pac Man) Airport Trivia Flying Game Memory Game Sliding Puzzle Stacking Game "Our senior class projects are designed for students to gain real-world experiences, and the O'Hare project has been an excellent collaboration for our students and university alike," said Nana Liu, Ph.D., senior professor of the College of Engineering and Information Sciences. "Students have the opportunity to collaborate on innovative ideas and creative solutions for building and creating games that will be played by thousands of travelers for years to come." DeVry University offers associate, bachelor and master degree programs, online or at one of its 45+ locations nationwide. For more information on DeVry University, or any of its undergraduate or graduate degree programs, please visit www.devry.edu. News media may contact Anne Unger at 630/353-7009 for interviews, quotes, photos or additional information. About DeVry University DeVry University's mission is to foster student learning through high-quality, career-oriented education integrating technology, business, science and the arts. Founded in 1931, the university offers undergraduate and graduate programs onsite and online within its six areas of study: Accounting, Business, Healthcare, Technology, Liberal Arts, and Media Arts & Technology. The university is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (HLC, www.hlcommission.org). To learn more about DeVry University, visit devry.edu. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005601/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Yet another elected official has been indicted for corruption in Philadelphia. Less than a week after former State Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell pleaded guilty to state corruption charges, on Wednesday, Kenyatta Johnson joined his colleague Bobby Henon as the second sitting member of Council to be indicted. That means 12% of Council is under federal indictment. According to federal prosecutors, Johnson was a part of a corrupt scheme to benefit himself, his wife Dawn Chavous, and two former Universal Companies executives, Abdur Rahim Islam and Shahied Dawan. Specifically, the indictment alleges that Johnson used the tradition of councilmember prerogative to benefit Islam and Dawan and their real estate holdings in his district through zoning and other support. In exchange for these considerations, prosecutors allege, Dawan and Islam paid Chavous more than $66,000 in a bogus contract with her consulting company for which she did very little work. The indictment wasnt a complete surprise. In October, The Inquirer reported that Johnson was under investigation by the FBI. Voters in Johnsons district gave him the benefit of the doubt. So did this editorial board when it endorsed him, with reservations, for reelection. (Calling him a serial abuser of Councilmanic prerogative, we said he represented the good and bad of Council.) Like Henon, who was indicted a year ago almost to the day, Johnson maintains his innocence and vows to fight the charges in court. That is his right but he shouldnt do that from his seat at City Council. We called for Henons resignation following his indictment; we do the same for Johnson. Meanwhile, Council should censure Johnson and Council President Darrell L. Clarke should strip Johnson of all committee responsibilities including the two committees he chairs. We called for these actions to be taken against Henon when he was indicted. A year later, Henon now has more clout; Clarke appointed him to chair two Council committees. Clarke and the rest of Council seem unconcerned about the damage that these indictments inflict on the whole of Council to say nothing of city government. The mayors placid response to Wednesdays news, in which he hopes Johnson considers the impact these proceedings have on his ability to serve the residents in his district, is also troubling. READ MORE: Johnny Doc, Bobby Henon indictment damages all of Philly City Council | Editorial READ MORE: After Johnny Doc, Local 98 indictment, Bobby Henon should step down and Philly Democrats should step up | Editorial City Council could take active measures to reform itself as a body to ensure that members cannot use their seat to do anything but honestly serve their constituents. These reforms include a ban on outside employment which would have closed the avenue for Henons alleged corruption and ending councilmember prerogative which would have closed the avenue for the corruption Johnson is charged with. READ MORE: Its time to end Phillys archaic Councilmanic prerogative land deals for good | Editorial In addition, Council should make the inspector generals office permanent currently, its authorized by executive order and clearly give the office jurisdiction over Council. Councils own so-called Ethics Committee should also be revamped and maybe even meet more than once in a while. We called for these changes a year ago when one Council member was indicted. One indicted official apparently isnt enough. What will it take for Council to take this seriously? Two? Seventeen? For many of us, the path to marijuana legalization has stretched out over a lifetime. An introduction to cannabis at the age of 14 led to the immediate realization that the smoke made by burning the leaves and flower tops of Cannabis sativaCannabis indica if you were lucky and Cannabis ruderalis if you were easily dupedin a pipe and inhaling that resulting sweet smoke into the lungs led to feelings of relaxation, acceptance, wonder and sometimes even transcendence. But it didnt help that one had to hide such proclivities from the general public. In the 1960s, 1970s and 80s, being in possession of even a very small amount of the planta joint, a seed, even a resin-coated pipecould spell disaster for the casual user. If you were a person of color coming up during those halcyon days, then the price one might pay for getting busted for holding could be much worse; its a well-known fact that Nixon ordered his stooge J. Edgar Hoover at the Justice Department to concentrate on arresting and convicting small-time urban users as a means of manipulating and thwarting the Civil Rights Movement. Lets take a look at how a drug once considered a societal scourge by dark forces has come to be accepted by a whopping 75 percent of the nations adult population. Smoke em if you got em during this interesting and informative read. Zoot Suit Riot By the middle of the 1960s, the cultural revolution that would shape the rest of the 20th century was well underway. Marijuanaa legitimate cultural accouterment in Chicano, African-American and the growing, post-war underground music sceneshad already suffered in reputation due to the plants portrayal as a corrupter of youth by California businessman publisher Randolph Hearst. Hearsts grip on the media extended deep into the growing group of middle-class consumers settling in sunny Cali after the the end of World War II. They widely assumed that the pictures Hearst painted with sensationalist stories in his newspapers were the god-awful truth. Marijuana was dangerous, it caused licentiousness, violence, unrelenting apathy and besides those youth-strangling characteristics, cannabis was also a gateway drug whose indulgence generally and inevitably led to drugs of abuse like heroin and cocaine. Then came the assassination of a young heroic president and a protracted, for-real youth-killing war in the faraway and cannabis-soaked jungles of southeast Asia. Flower Power By the middle of the 1960s, youth culture had eclipsed the old guard and Hearsts beliefs, once entrenched in cities like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, began to come apart under the watchful eyes of Americas youth. That didnt stop the establishment for continuing to push outdated ideas about cannabis. During the summer of love, July 1967 to be exact, Life Magazinethen the dominant depiction of culture in the United Statespublished an article and photo essay on the issues surrounding cannabis. Titled Marijuana: Millions of Turned On Users, the article aimed to show both the rising tide of youth movements entrenched in the sweet smoke and a combative federal government hellbent on forbidding the use of what they believed was a dangerous drug. The authors of this sea-changing article wrote that, Pot is not physically addicting, nor need it lead to crime, immorality or stronger drugs. They also got hardcore, far-right former federal Narcotics Commissioner Harry Ansliger to admit that current penalties are unrealistically severe for youthful offenders. For the editors at Life, and a million or more hippie kids, too, it came down to this: They turn the whole pot scene into a protest tool which they use to mock a middle-class culture they disdain, an effect that the magazine ultimately described as disturbing, and as a cultural insurrection. Mellow Vibes Attitudesand ostensibly some lawsbegan to change in the 70s. Nixon resigned under pressure, the mission in Vietman failed and thousands of American soldiers returned home to a world changed as much by flower power as it had been by Altamont and the Manson murders. Between 1973 and 1978, several states began the slow move toward decriminalization, some of them making possession of less than an ounce a misdemeanor or even decriminalizing small amounts altogether. As cannabis became more accessible and less of a legal burden to users, those who indulged came to be viewed as consumers. The result was the introduction of High Times Magazine as well as a growing network of head shops scattered across the US. During this same period of time, the University of Michigans Institute of Social Research published a study that said that cannabis use among high school students in America was on the rise. But despite economic validation and a growing number of youth who were hip to the plant, a backlash followed. By the end of the 1970sespecially here in Albuquerquelaws had been passed that prevented newly minted cannabis consumers from mentioning what the implements they were purchasing were to be used for while they shopped for T-shirts with strange and unmentionable leaves printed on them. Bright Future As the 80s came into view, all those kids who had to quietly sneak around head shopsfully aware yet flummoxed by laws that still brought stigmatization to cannabis usehad grown into pro-legalization adults. New Mexico began an experimental medical cannabis programthat Democratic operative Jeff Apodaca participated in as a teenin 1978. Activist groups like the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) gained popularity mostly due to the maturation of Baby Boomers whose personal experience with marijuana was positive. By decades end, they had enlisted the support of subsequent generations of cannabis users who had also mostly positive experiences with the plant. As Gen Xers and Millennials jumped on the bandwagon, marijuana legalization really did become a function of time and age. As members of the virulently anti-hippieyet ironically also anti-fascist and pro- democracy Greatest Generation passed on to their final boozy, Dean Martin-esque rewards, the tide finally began to turn. In the Year 2020 The end of the millennium saw the rise of medical marijuana. In the aughts and throughout the teens, cannabis became known as a commonly used recreational intoxicant as well as a potent medicine for a variety of physical and psychological ailments. As of this writing, 33 states provide legal medical marijuana for patient-citizens while 11 states have taken the road all the way home, legalizing cannabis for recreational use. In New Mexico, the state legislature is currently meeting about a measure to legalize recreational marijuana and over 80,000 citizens of The Land of Enchantment are enrolled in the states medical cannabis program. That sure beats hiding your bag of brown, seed-filled, gasoline-smelling, flattened-by-a-trash compactor nugs in your sock so you dont have to spend the next 30 years in stir for a half-gram of dirt weed. The next step toward freedom is up to you, though. Stay active no matter the outcome of this years legislative session, and vote, vote, vote if you smoke, smoke, smoke. Led by the Students Union, a large number of students came out to protest on Wednesday, that is, January 29, at the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) in Tarnaka, Hyderabad. They boycotted classes and even took out a protest rally in the campus. Thus, EFLU issued a circular holding in abeyance various decisions that were taken by the Standing Committee of Academic Council of the varsity regarding PhD admissions, registration for MA courses and evaluation of subjects in various courses. The protest was in response to a circular released by the univAfter student protests, EFLU puts bell curve grading system and other rules on standbyersity on Tuesday, regarding the decisions taken by Standing Committee of the Academic Council, which were to come into effect from the ongoing academic term. The various decisions taken by Standing Committee of Academic Council included exemption from the written exam for PhD for candidates holding UGC JRF, limiting the intake of all MA courses to 30, starting the Bell curve grading system for all courses, making sit-in examination the major mode of evaluation for all courses among others. In a statement issued by the EFLU Students Union, they put forward various arguments against these new regulations brought in by the Standing Committee. They argue that the new rules will result in highly uneven competition between JRF and non-JRF candidates, defeats the cafeteria system of choosing courses and that the sit-in exam and bell curve grading will affect research-orientation of students. EFLU issued circular on Wednesday saying that the circular released on Tuesday is being held in abeyance until further orders. However, the Students Union has said that they will continue with their protest until the decisions are completely rolled back. Today we'll take a closer look at China Overseas Land & Investment Limited (HKG:688) 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. Yet sometimes, investors buy a popular dividend stock because of its yield, and then lose money if the company's dividend doesn't live up to expectations. In this case, China Overseas Land & Investment likely looks attractive to investors, given its 3.5% dividend yield and a payment history of over ten years. We'd guess that plenty of investors have purchased it for the income. Some simple research can reduce the risk of buying China Overseas Land & Investment for its dividend - read on to learn more. Explore this interactive chart for our latest analysis on China Overseas Land & Investment! SEHK:688 Historical Dividend Yield, January 30th 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. As a result, we should always investigate whether a company can afford its dividend, measured as a percentage of a company's net income after tax. In the last year, China Overseas Land & Investment paid out 22% of its profit as dividends. We like this low payout ratio, because it implies the dividend is well covered and leaves ample opportunity for reinvestment. We also measure dividends paid against a company's levered free cash flow, to see if enough cash was generated to cover the dividend. Last year, China Overseas Land & Investment paid a dividend while reporting negative free cash flow. While there may be an explanation, we think this behaviour is generally not sustainable. Remember, you can always get a snapshot of China Overseas Land & Investment'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. China Overseas Land & Investment has been paying dividends for a long time, but for the purpose of this analysis, we only examine the past 10 years of payments. During this period the dividend has been stable, which could imply the business could have relatively consistent earnings power. During the past ten-year period, the first annual payment was HK$0.13 in 2010, compared to HK$0.90 last year. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 21% a year over that time. Story continues With rapid dividend growth and no notable cuts to the dividend over a lengthy period of time, we think this company has a lot going for it. Dividend Growth Potential While dividend payments have been relatively reliable, it would also be nice if earnings per share (EPS) were growing, as this is essential to maintaining the dividend's purchasing power over the long term. Earnings have grown at around 8.6% a year for the past five years, which is better than seeing them shrink! A low payout ratio and strong historical earnings growth suggests China Overseas Land & Investment has been effectively reinvesting in its business. We think this generally bodes well for its dividend prospects. Conclusion To summarise, shareholders should always check that China Overseas Land & Investment's dividends are affordable, that its dividend payments are relatively stable, and that it has decent prospects for growing its earnings and dividend. First, we like China Overseas Land & Investment's low dividend payout ratio, although we're a bit concerned that it paid out a substantially higher percentage of its free cash flow. Next, growing earnings per share and steady dividend payments is a great combination. China Overseas Land & Investment has a number of positive attributes, but it falls slightly short of our (admittedly high) standards. Were there evidence of a strong moat or an attractive valuation, it could still be well worth a look. Earnings growth generally bodes well for the future value of company dividend payments. See if the 22 China Overseas Land & Investment 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. Natural gas is trading lower shortly before the regular session opening and the release of the latest government storage report. The market is also within striking distance of its recently reached multi-year low at $1.862. Sellers continue to control the trade with the forecasts offering little to inspire the bulls. At 12:10 GMT, March natural gas is trading $1.845, down $0.020 or -1.07%. Short-Term Weather Forecast According to NatGasWeather for January 29 to February 4, Several weather systems will impact the US this week, although none cold enough to impress. One mild system will track across the Southeast the next few days, while cooler ones impact portions of the West. Additional mild to cool systems will track across the country this weekend and early next week. Overall, highs will be in the 30s to 50s across the northern US, locally 20s, with 50s to 70s across the southern US. With frigid air remaining in Canada the next 7-days, national demand will be lighter than normal. Mid-Term Weather Forecast Natural Gas Intelligence wrote, as for the latest weather picture Wednesday, the midday Global Forecast System (GFS) data added heating degree days (HDD) to the outlook starting around the second week of February, according to NatGasWeather. The colder midday trends followed a warmer overnight shift going into Wednesdays trading. The biggest milder trends the past few days occurred February 5-8, as only a glancing shot of cold air is expected into the Midwest and Northeast instead of cold that would push more aggressively across the Canadian border, the forecaster said.The GFS still remains much milder for February 5-8 compared to what it had shown to open the week, but the February 9-13 pattern continues to show a more impressive push of subfreezing air into the northern U.S. However, over the past several months, in most instances, when the pattern looked quite cold at days 12-15, the weather trended notably milder as these days rolled into the day five to 11 period, which could occur again here. Story continues U.S. Energy Information Administration Weekly Storage Report Todays EIA Weekly Storage report, due to be released at 15:30 GMT, is expected to show a draw of about 197 Bcf. Last year the EIA recorded a 171 Bcf withdrawal for the similar week, while the five-year average is a pull of 143 Bcf. Last week, the EIA reported a net 92 Bcf withdrawal for the week-ended January 17, which left stocks at 2,947 Bcf, 23.2% above year-ago levels and 9.3% higher than the five-year average. Bloomberg analysts are predicting a 197 Bcf withdrawal. A Wall Street Journal surveyed forecasts a 195 Bcf withdrawal. Reuters analysts are looking for a 195 Bcf pull. Finally, Natural Gas Intelligence experts are calling for a withdrawal of 210 Bcf. Daily Forecast A bearish EIA report could drive the natural gas market through the recent multi-year low at $1.862. The long-term bottom at $1.650 is still a potential near-term target. If the bottom at $1.862 continues to hold then look for prices to strengthen over $1.910. A trade through $1.957 will change the minor trend to up. This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: The family of a man executed in Arkansas three years ago have filed a lawsuit to force police to release DNA evidence used in his case because they say it will prove he was innocent. Ledell Lee, 51, was executed in Jacksonville back in April 2017 after being convicted of the 1993 murder of his neighbor Debra Reese. He had always maintained his innocence and denied brutally beating Reese to death in her home. His family, with the help of the Innocence Project and American Civil Liberties Union, are now suing the Jacksonville Police Department - the agency that invested Reese's death and arrested Lee. Ledell Lee, 51, was executed in Jacksonville back in April 2017 after being convicted of the 1993 murder of his neighbor Debra Reese Lee's family and legal teams want access to the DNA and fingerprint evidence found at the scene of the crime. They want to test the DNA evidence with modern technology and run it through national databases because they say it will likely prove Lee was executed for a crime he didn't commit. 'My family has been unable to rest for the last two and a half years, knowing that my brother was murdered by the state of Arkansas for a crime we believe he did not commit,' Lee's sister Patricia Young said. 'What happened to Debra Reese is horrible and we keep her family in our prayers. But I was with Ledell the day this murder happened and I do not see how he could have done this. 'If Ledell is innocent, then the person who did this has never been caught. All we want is to finally learn the truth.' The lawsuit accuses police of violating the Freedom of Information Act by denying their initial request for the evidence used to convict Lee. The Innocence Project and ACLU, who took on Lee's case just two weeks before his execution, say they immediately identified serious flaws in the evidence used in his conviction. Lee, pictured left in an undated photo and right in a recent mugshot, always maintained his innocence and denied brutally beating Reese to death in her home back in 1993 Lee's sisters Patricia Young and Shantel Tidwell are among his family members suing for the DNA evidence that they say will clear his name They have been examining the evidence ever since Lee's execution. They say the evidence they want to test likely belonged to the killer but it has never been tested with modern technology, including hairs found in the bedroom, scrapings under the victim's fingernails and five fingerprints from various areas at the murder scene. Lee's legal team say the courts refused to hear arguments of new evidence or allow DNA testing before he was executed. 'Since Ledell's execution, we have discovered a wealth of new evidence supporting his claim of innocence,' Nina Morrison, senior litigation counsel at the Innocence Project, said. 'All of this evidence should have been presented to the courts while Ledell was still alive but it wasn't because he couldn't afford a quality defense.' Included in the lawsuit is an affidavit from Lee's appellate attorney, Craig Lambert, who admitted to struggling with substance abuse and lack of resources during the trial. 'I recognize the investigation into Ledell's innocence was not adequate and he deserved far better than the representation I was able to provide him back then,' Lambert said in the affidavit. The legal teams say that more than 360 people have been exonerated to date through post-conviction DNA testing, which is similar to what they are requesting in Lee's case. Brussels, Jan 30 : European Parliament has voted to approve the United Kingdoms departure from the European Union. MEPs held a debate on the Brexit withdrawal agreement in Brussels before voting 621 in favour, 49 against and 13 abstentions, Efe news reported. The vote was the final hurdle in the process of the UK leaving the EU, which will take place on January 31, after British MPs previously approved the withdrawal agreement. The UK's 73 lawmakers in Brussels were serenaded by their colleagues singing Auld Lang Syne in the ceremony, with many wearing scarfs saying 'always united' on their final day. European Parliament's Brexit spokesman Guy Verhofstadt said the vote was not in favour of Brexit but against the UK leaving without a deal. He lamented the fact that the UK was leaving and added: "It's sad to see a country leaving that has twice given its blood to liberate Europe." But he said he was confident the country will rejoin the bloc. EC President Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen paid tribute to the UK's contribution to the EU and said she wants them to remain friends and partners. "We will always love you," she added. The UK's Brexit party leader Nigel Farage said his supporters "love Europe" and added: "We just hate the European Union." Molly Scott Cato, of the UK Green party, was emotional and teary as she addressed the chamber. "Now is not the time to campaign to rejoin but we must keep the dream alive, especially for young people who are overwhelmingly pro-European," she said, as several of her colleagues wiped away tears. "I hold in my heart the knowledge that one day I will be back in this chamber celebrating our return to the heart of Europe." She received a standing ovation after her speech and was hugged and consoled by a number of her peers. A number of the UK's MEPs announced they would be opposing the motion, including Marin Horwood who ended his address by saying in various European languages: "We will be back." The EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier concluded the debate, wishing the UK well and thanking MEPs for their contributions. In Edinburgh on Wednesday Scottish lawmakers voted 64-54 in favour of holding a second independence referendum, despite UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson rejecting the idea. After the UK leaves the EU on Friday there will be an 11-month transition period during which time both sides will negotiate a trade agreement. The UK voted in favour of Brexit in a referendum on June 23, 2016 and since then parliament has been deadlocked over negotiations on the withdrawal deal. The ballot split the nation with 51.9 per cent of voters backing an EU divorce and 48.1 per cent opting to remain within the bloc. The referendum was triggered by the UK's then-prime minister David Cameron who made calling a public consultation on the UK's relationship with the bloc a key element of his manifesto during the 2015 general elections. Cameron supported the remain side and stepped down as leader the day after the vote. He was replaced as prime minister by Theresa May, the former home secretary who also campaigned for the UK to remain in the EU. In July 2016 she assumed the position of prime minister and during her inaugural speech in Downing Street, coined one of her best-known phrases, "Brexit means Brexit". But she lost her majority after calling a snap election in 2017 and tried and failed to push her withdrawal agreement through the House of Commons three times. May eventually threw in the towel as prime minister in May 2019. The leadership role was taken up by Brexiteer Johnson, who secured a huge majority in general elections in December, which allowed him to secure support for his renegotiated withdrawal deal in parliament. A mother-of-two who had an itchy birthmark on the palm of her hand was shocked to find out it was cancerous. Kristina Findalen, 37, from Copenhagen in Denmark, noticed her birthmark began to itch, grow in size and lose its colour in 2018. Ms Findalen was referred to a dermatologist by her doctor, who was not initially concerned about the birthmark. But three months later, she was sent for a biopsy which revealed she had developed stage one melanoma, a common type of skin cancer. The diagnosis was made harder for Ms Findalen because it came just 18 months after she had split from her husband of 17 years, who killed himself five months later, leaving her as a single mother. The saleswoman needed an operation to remove the birthmark followed by two skin grafts from her thigh, leaving her with a gruesome scar. The first sign of melanoma is typically a new spot or a change in shape or colour of an existing mole or mark, often unrecognisable. Mother-of-two Kristina Findalen, from Copenhagen, Denmark, who had an itchy birthmark on the palm of her hand which turned out to be cancerous needed an operation to remove it, followed by two skin grafts from her thigh Ms Findalen had to have a biopsy on her hand which revealed the birthmark had become stage one melanoma, a type of skin cancer. Pictured: Ms Findalen's hand after her biopsy She then needed a skin graft from her thigh to replace the skin she lost during the removal operation. Pictured: The mother's hand after her procedure Speaking of the moment after she was diagnosed with skin cancer, Ms Findalen said: 'Normally when you hear "cancer" you associate it with death. 'I was in shock and thought it was nothing, it was just a birthmark, and I didn't see that it could be cancer really. 'They [the doctors] said that they had to remove it surgically, that was the best outcome with melanoma. 'I went into survival mode. My kids only have me after their dad died in May 2017, so I refused to think that I wouldn't beat this sickness. 'We had just kind of got back to normal, well as normal as possible, and then I got this diagnosis and it came crashing down all over again.' Ms Findalen's birthmark was just a small brown dot until she noticed it changing while on holiday in Italy with her father and children in August 2018. She sprang into action on her return home to make sure she got it checked. Ms Findalen was sent for a biopsy on her birthmark by a dermatologist who she was referred to by her doctor Ms Findalen had the cancerous tissue removed, leaving a gaping circular patch on her hand. Doctors then used skin from her thigh to cover the area, but accidentally damaged a nerve in her finger, meaning she needed a second operation. Pictured: Before and after the skin graft The diagnosis was made harder for Ms Findalen because it came just 18 months after she had split from her husband of 17 years, who killed himself five months later Doctors took a patch of skin from Ms Findalen's thigh to cover the area on her palm left exposed. Pictured: The area of skin on Ms Findalen's thigh which doctors took to repair her palm 'Summer 2018 I noticed it had changed colour and gotten bigger and started to itch,' she said. 'It was just a little brown dot and then around the summer time we were in Italy for three weeks and it's because my dad has some spots on his back and I said to him, "I would go to the doctor with these ones" and he didn't want to. 'I looked at my hand and it was starting to itch also and then it [the birthmark] lost its colour and it got twice the size so I thought I better get it checked out. 'I can't say go to the doctor to my dad and not do it myself.' The mother was sent to a specialist dermatologist by her doctor, but she then had to wait three months until November before seeing the expert. 'As soon as I could I went to the doctors and she sent me to a specialist dermatologist,' she said. The operation to remove the skin cancer left a huge circular wound on Ms Findalen's palm Ms Findalen's birthmark was just a small brown dot until she noticed it changing while on her family holiday in August 2018. Pictured: Her right palm after the skin graft Fortunately, Ms Findalen's skin cancer was caught early and was in its earliest stage, making it easier to treat. Pictured: The patch of skin on Ms Findalen's thigh which doctors used to replace the skin on her palm DO BIRTHMARKS RAISE SKIN CANCER RISK? Birthmarks are coloured marks on the skin and there are many different types. Most birthmarks, such as the common port wine stains and strawberry marks, carry no risk of developing into a cancer. But a very rare type, called a giant congenital melanocytic naevus, can develop into a melanoma if it is larger than 20cm. Doctors recommend that you check all birthmarks regularly for any signs of change. Advertisement 'There was about three months of waiting and when I got to her she was like, "I will send you to the cancer unit immediately". 'Two days after I was at the dermatologists I had to go to the hospital. 'They took the biopsy and then ran tests and I got an answer ten days later- I was going to the hospital to have the stitches taken out [of the biopsy] so I got the results then.' Fortunately, Ms Findalen's skin cancer was caught early and was in its earliest stage, making it easier to treat. Melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in the UK with around 13,500 new cases diagnosed each year. More than 2,000 people die every year in the UK from melanoma, but survival rates are increasing. Ms Findalen was told that surgery to remove the cancer and replace the lost tissue with a skin graft from her thigh was the best way to deal with it. She said: 'On December 3, I had my first surgery where they removed my cancer and skin graft from my thigh. Melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in the UK with around 13,500 new cases diagnosed each year. Pictured: Ms Findalen The mother-of-two is hoping that by sharing her story she can spread awareness about melanoma 'They unfortunately damaged a nerve to my little finger- it is a risk with the surgery because in the hand you have no fat layer, it's all muscle and bone and nerves its very compact.' After the operation, she was given the all-clear by medics, but then needed another operation in May 2019 to replace her damaged nerve with a donor nerve and to re-cover the area with another graft. Unfortunately, Ms Findalen still has problems with the damage caused in the surgery, but said she hopes that sharing her story will help others going through a similar diagnosis. She said: 'I've never heard of anyone having it in the hand. I couldn't find any references online because there weren't any, so I think the more people share, the more enlightened other people can get.' The Ford Mustang Mach-E goes on sale late in 2020. Ford will work with Rivian to build Lincoln's first fully electric vehicle, the Dearborn automaker announced Wednesday. The news puts some meat on the bones of the $500 million investment Ford is making in the EV startup based in Plymouth Township, west of Detroit. Rivian, which has plans to produce its own electric truck and SUV at its plant in Normal, Illinois, also has the backing of online retail and delivery giant Amazon. The Lincoln electric luxury vehicle will use Rivian's flexible skateboard platform, the company said. Ford had previously noted that it would work with Rivian on an electric vehicle but had not said it would be a Lincoln. Working with Rivian marks a pivotal point for Lincoln as we move toward a future that includes fully electric vehicles, Lincoln President Joy Falotico said in a news release. This vehicle will take Quiet Flight (the brand's design theme) to a new place zero emissions, effortless performance and connected and intuitive technology. Its going to be stunning. Ford noted that the news is part of the company's previously announced $11.5 billion electrification investments, which include the Mustang Mach-E and an electric F-150. Retirement planning: Millennials are stashing money away earlier than Gen Xers and Baby Boomers Tesla posts a profit: Automaker says Model Y electric SUV is coming sooner than expected Interestingly, Rivian revealed to the Free Press last year that it was was testing its skateboards, which carry the electric vehicle batteries and components, underneath the bodies of used Ford F-150s on metro Detroit roads. We need something to keep the weather out while we put a lot of miles on our skateboard, so they're driving around in Detroit right now, too. Theyre all over the place, but nobody knows. Were very quiet about that, Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe said at the time. He said then that Ford had no corporate connection to the company, but the vehicle wheelbase was the right size for testing. Story continues Also on Wednesday, the UAW issued a statement from Region 4 Director Ron McInroy about the Lincoln announcement, highlighting the union's expectations regarding the Rivian workforce: There are a lot of skilled and talented workers around Normal, Illinois, who will make for an excellent Rivian workforce and build a world class quality product. Given the UAWs history in Normal and our history with Ford Motor Company, we look forward to these jobs returning and UAW members having the opportunity once again to organize and form their local union which has meant so much to that community. Its a great day for our UAW members, UAW retirees and for the surrounding community. Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com or (313) 223-4272. Follow him on Twitter: @_ericdlawrence. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Rivian and Ford collaborate on Lincoln's first fully electric vehicle B ritish Airways has extended the cancellation of all its flights to and from mainland China for another month due to the coronavirus. It originally cancelled flights yesterday and has since said this will continue until February 29. More than 7,000 have been infected by the virus in China and it has been found in every region of the nation. It comes as a flight with 200 British citizens has been delayed from returning to the UK from Wuhan, China. A man wears a face covering in China Town, Manchester / PA Wuhan, the city in which the first case of coronavirus was recorded, is at the centre of the outbreak. The flight was supposed to return tonight, but has been delayed. British Airways said said: "We are contacting customers on cancelled flights so we can discuss their travel options, including re-booking onto other carriers where possible, full refunds or booking with BA for a later date of travel. "Customers can also find the latest information and options on BA.com. "Safety is at the heart of everything we do and we will keep the situation under review." The government is working to ensure UK citizens can return home / PA It came as Downing Street announced that the UK is working urgently with Chinese authorities to ensure citizens in Wuhan can return on a flight as soon as possible. The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK. A number of countries flights have been unable to take off as planned including the British repatriation from Wuhan. We are working urgently with the Chinese authorities to ensure that the flight can take off as soon as possible. The flight is planned to touch down at a military base in the UK before passengers are taken to an NHS facility to be quarantined. Interim Results for the six months ended 31 October 2019 SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF CLINICAL AND ANALYTICAL STUDIES IN SUPPORT OF FDA CLEARANCE OF PARSORTIX SYSTEM OVARIAN CANCER CLINICAL VERIFICATION STUDY IN PROGRESS GUILDFORD, SURREY / ACCESSSWIRE / January 30, 2020 / ANGLE plc (AIM:AGL)(OTCQX:ANPCY), a world leading liquid biopsy company, today announces its unaudited interim financial results for the six months ended 31 October 2019. Operational Highlights Multi-year comprehensive clinical and analytical studies successfully completed in support of FDA clearance of the Parsortix system for capturing and harvesting circulating tumour cells from metastatic breast cancer patients - Q-Submission process completed and full De Novo FDA submission in preparation, targeting Q1 CY20 submission Ovarian cancer clinical verification study established with leading US cancer centre. Pre-study phase completed successfully and 200 subject study initiated patient enrolment Over 16,000 samples processed during the period (H1 2019: 13,000) and a further six peer reviewed publications from internationally recognised cancer centres (H1 2019: two) with key developments in breast, lung, prostate, melanoma and head and neck cancers Financial Highlights Revenue 0.4 million (H1 2019: 0.3 million) Loss for the half-year 5.3 million (H1 2019: loss 4.2 million) reflecting planned investment Successful fundraising from institutional investors, including significant new US institutional investors, raising gross proceeds of 18.0 million (16.9 million net of expenses) Cash balance at 31 October 2019 of 20.4 million (30 April 2019: 11.0 million) As also announced today, ANGLE's accounting reference date to be changed to 31 December Garth Selvey, Non-Executive Chairman of ANGLE plc, commented: "Major progress was made during the period in the completion of the clinical and analytical studies to support FDA clearance of the Company's Parsortix system in metastatic breast cancer. Following the Q-Submission meeting earlier this month with FDA, we are now progressing a full De Novo FDA Submission in Q1 CY20 with the prospect of FDA clearance in Q3 CY20, albeit the outcome and timing of the FDA regulatory decision is entirely dependent on the FDA's review and response to the Company's submission. We continue to make progress in other indications with the Company's ovarian cancer clinical verification study in progress and patient enrolment expected to be completed by the end of Q1 CY20. The aim is to have a clinically verified assay to detect ovarian cancer available for deployment as a laboratory developed test (LDT) in a clinical laboratory in CY20. During the period, we successfully raised further growth capital, expanding our existing UK shareholder base and adding key new US investors. We have a strong platform of support to drive value and grow the business substantially in the future." Details of webcast Please see https://angleplc.com/investor-relations/regulatory-news/ for details. For further information: ANGLE plc +44 (0) 1483 343434 Andrew Newland, Chief Executive Ian Griffiths, Finance Director finnCap Ltd (NOMAD and Joint Broker) Corporate Finance - Carl Holmes, Simon Hicks, Max Bullen-Smith ECM - Alice Lane, Sunila de Silva +44 (0)20 7220 0500 WG Partners (Joint Broker) Nigel Barnes, Nigel Birks, Andrew Craig, Chris Lee +44 (0) 203 705 9330 FTI Consulting Simon Conway, Ciara Martin Matthew Ventimiglia (US) +44 (0) 203 727 1000 +1 212 850 5624 For Frequently Used Terms, please see the Company's website on http://www.angleplc.com/the-parsortix-system/glossary/ The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information as stipulated under the EU Market Abuse Regulation (596/2014). Upon the publication of this announcement via a regulatory information service, this information is considered to be in the public domain. These Interim Results may contain forward-looking statements. These statements reflect the Board's current view, are subject to a number of material risks and uncertainties and could change in the future. Factors that could cause or contribute to such changes include, but are not limited to, the general economic climate and market conditions, as well as specific factors including the success of the Group's research and development and commercialisation strategies, the uncertainties related to regulatory clearance and the acceptance of the Group's products by customers. CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT Introduction During the period ANGLE completed clinical and analytical studies to support a De Novo FDA submission for its Parsortix system for capturing and harvesting circulating tumour cells from metastatic breast cancer patients. Strong progress was also made with the Company's ovarian cancer assay and a clinical verification study initiated patient enrolment during the period. Meanwhile ANGLE's collaborators and customers continued to demonstrate Parsortix's versatility in cancer translational research developing important new applications. This work generated six new publications during the period increasing the body of peer-reviewed evidence supporting the platform. Overview of Financial Results Revenue of 0.4 million (H1 2019: 0.3 million) came mainly from research use of the Parsortix system. Planned investment in studies to develop and validate the clinical application and commercial use of the Parsortix system increased, resulting in operating costs of 6.7 million (H1 2019: 5.3 million). Thus, the loss for the period increased, in line with expectations, to 5.3 million (H1 2019: 4.2 million). The cash balance was 20.4 million at 31 October 2019 (30 April 2019: 11.0 million) and there was an R&D Tax Credit due to the Company at 31 October 2019 of 3.0 million (30 April 2019: 1.9 million). The cash position was strengthened during the period with a successful placing of new shares with institutional investors including significant new US investors in July 2019, which raised gross proceeds of 18.0 million. Proceeds net of expenses were 16.9 million. Strategy ANGLE has continued with its sustained focus on its four-pronged strategy for achieving widespread adoption of its Parsortix system in the emerging multi-billion dollar liquid biopsy market: 1) Completion of rigorous large-scale clinical studies run by leading cancer centres, demonstrating the effectiveness of different applications of the system in cancer patient care 2) Securing regulatory approval of the system with the emphasis on FDA clearance as the de facto global gold standard. ANGLE is seeking to be the first company ever to gain FDA clearance for a system which harvests circulating tumour cells (CTCs) from the blood of patients (initially metastatic breast cancer patients) for subsequent analysis 3) Establishing a body of published evidence from leading cancer centres showing the utility of the system through peer reviewed publications, scientific data and clinical research evidence, highlighting a wide range of potential applications 4) Establishing partnerships with large healthcare companies for market deployment and development of multiple other clinical applications incorporating the Parsortix system. Following the successful fundraise during the period, ANGLE intends to establish an independent accredited clinical laboratory that will have the capability of offering validated clinical tests. This clinical laboratory will be used as an accelerator and demonstrator in support of the Company's established plan for product sales of Parsortix instruments and cassettes. Progress towards FDA clearance ANGLE is seeking to become the first ever company to receive FDA clearance for a medical device that harvests intact circulating tumour cells from the blood of metastatic breast cancer patients for subsequent analysis. During the period, clinical and analytical studies demonstrating the performance of the Parsortix system for the capture and harvesting of circulating tumour cells in metastatic breast cancer were completed. These studies have been technically and logistically extremely challenging, requiring over 10,000 samples to be processed with Parsortix. The FDA clinical studies were undertaken by four of the leading US cancer centres (University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Rochester Wilmot Cancer Center, University of Southern California Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Robert H Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center Northwestern University). The analytical studies demonstrated the performance of the Parsortix system in key aspects including precision and reproducibility, limits of quantification and detection, accuracy and linearity, and interferents and carryover. These studies have required resolution of numerous technical challenges to meet FDA requirements, giving ANGLE a thoroughly characterised platform and consequent competitive advantage. On 29 October 2019, ANGLE made a substantial Q-Submission (a "pre-submission" used to request formal comment from FDA on key questions) to FDA. The Q-Submission responded to a number of questions and suggestions previously made by FDA on ANGLE's study plans and set out headline data from both the clinical and analytical studies. ANGLE also requested FDA formally respond to a series of questions, including whether our responses to specific questions which FDA had previously raised, were acceptable. ANGLE's intention in making this Q-Submission was to reduce the risk that the full FDA De Novo Submission might be rejected. FDA provided a written response to the Q-Submission and held a formal face-to-face meeting with ANGLE in January to discuss their response, as announced on 22 January 2020. As a result of this meeting, ANGLE will prepare and submit a full De Novo Submission to FDA requesting clearance for the Parsortix PC1 system for capturing and harvesting circulating tumour cells from metastatic breast cancer patients. The intention is to file with FDA in Q1 CY20 with the prospect of FDA clearance in Q3 CY20 (unchanged). The outcome and timing of the FDA regulatory decision is entirely dependent on the FDA's review and response to the Company's submission. US regulatory clearance by FDA is considered the global standard for approval of medical devices and diagnostics. Large scale clinical studies Ovarian cancer clinical application: triaging abnormal pelvic mass During the period, following further successful optimisation of the combination of ANGLE's Parsortix CTC system with its proprietary HyCEADTM Ziplex downstream molecular analysis process, an ovarian cancer clinical verification study was established with University of Rochester Wilmot Cancer Center. Following the successful completion of the initial testing phase, the blinded, independently controlled 200 subject verification study of the targeted population of pelvic mass patients prior to surgery initiated patient enrolment on 29 August 2019. The study has been designed to evaluate performance of the predictive ovarian cancer detection assay developed using the results from the previous 200 subject study in a new patient cohort and is expected to complete patient enrolment in Q1 CY20 with reporting mid-year CY20. Once the new performance data is available and, assuming comparable results to the previous study, ANGLE intends to establish this test as a laboratory developed test (LDT) in an accredited clinical laboratory setting. The test has the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes whilst at the same time reducing overall healthcare costs. Establishing a body of published evidence The Company's strategy to secure research use adoption of the Parsortix system by leading cancer research centres, in order to get independent third parties driving development of new clinical applications, is working very well. Over 90,000 samples have now been processed using the Parsortix system, with over 16,000 samples in the period (H1 2019: 13,000). There are now 26 peer-reviewed publications with six new publications announced during the period (see https://angleplc.com/library/publications/) including: the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), demonstrating the use of Parsortix as a liquid biopsy to investigate a key immunotherapy target in lung cancer the Disseminated Cancer Cell Network (DCCNet), Duesseldorf, developing a single cell analysis workflow for breast cancer the Medical University of Vienna demonstrating the use of Parsortix for neuroendocrine analysis (corresponding to poor overall survival) in small cell lung cancer Queen Mary University of London's Barts Cancer Institute demonstrating the potential for Parsortix to be used to avoid unnecessary biopsies in prostate cancer without missing clinically significant prostate cancer the University of Birmingham publishing a review showing key benefits of Parsortix in head and neck cancer the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), demonstrating Parsortix use in prediction and monitoring of therapy responses for melanoma patients To date, 23 separate cancer centres from around the world have published uniformly positive reports on their use of the Parsortix system. Leading independent cancer centres throughout Europe and North America using ANGLE's Parsortix system are working on developments in 23 different cancer types. Progressing partnerships with large healthcare companies Large scale deployment of the Parsortix system across numerous cancer types and application areas requires ANGLE to partner with large, global healthcare companies to take advantage of their distribution and sales channels and economic resources. Discussions are ongoing with companies in relevant fields: medtech companies, pharma companies, contract research organisations and reference laboratories (laboratories offering clinical tests). We expect to see our partnership programme accelerate once FDA clearance for the system has been achieved. During the period, ANGLE has progressed its three key partnerships with the large healthcare companies Abbott, QIAGEN and Philips, and is continuing to seek a corporate partner to progress the use of Parsortix in non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT). Outlook Major progress was made during the period in the completion of the clinical and analytical studies to support FDA clearance of the Company's Parsortix system in metastatic breast cancer. Following the Q-Submission meeting earlier this month with FDA, we are now progressing a full De Novo FDA Submission with the prospect of FDA clearance in Q3 CY20, albeit the outcome and timing of the FDA regulatory decision is entirely dependent on the FDA's review and response to the Company's submission. We continue to make progress in other indications with the Company's ovarian cancer clinical verification study in progress and patient enrolment expected to be completed by the end of Q1 CY20. The aim is to have a clinically verified assay to detect ovarian cancer available for deployment as a laboratory developed test (LDT) in a clinical laboratory in CY20. During the period, we successfully raised further growth capital, expanding our existing UK shareholder base and adding new US investors. We have a strong platform of support to drive value and grow the business substantially in the future. Garth Selvey Chairman 29 January 2020 ANGLE plc CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2019 Note Six months ended Six months ended Year ended 31 October 31 October 30 April 2019 2018 2019 (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Audited) '000 '000 '000 Revenue 401 273 678 Cost of sales (101) (69) (155) Gross profit 300 204 523 Other operating income 37 97 175 Operating costs (6,727) (5,340) (11,597) __ ______ ________ ________ Operating profit/(loss) (6,390) (5,039) (10,899) Net finance income/(costs) 14 10 28 Profit/(loss) before tax (6,376) (5,029) (10,871) Tax (charge)/credit 3 1,033 781 1,939 Profit/(loss) for the period (5,343) (4,248) (8,932) Other comprehensive income/(loss) Items that may be subsequently reclassified to profit or loss Exchange differences on translating foreign operations - 104 72 Other comprehensive income/(loss) - 104 72 Total comprehensive income/(loss) for the period (5,343) (4,144) (8,860) ======== ======== ======== Profit/(loss) for the period attributable to: Owners of the parent (5,343) (4,258) (8,942) Non-controlling interests - 10 10 ________ ________ ________ Profit/(loss) for the period (5,343) (4,248) (8,932) ======== ======== ======== Total comprehensive income/(loss) for the period attributable to: Owners of the parent (5,343) (4,068) (8,822) Non-controlling interests - (76) (38) ________ ________ ________ Total comprehensive income/(loss) for the period (5,343) (4,144) (8,860) ======== ======== ======== Earnings/(loss) per share attributable to owners of the parent Basic and Diluted (pence per share) 4 (3.33) (3.29) (6.56) All activity arose from continuing operations ANGLE plc CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION AS AT 31 OCTOBER 2019 Note 31 October 31 October 30 April 2019 2018 2019 (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Audited) '000 '000 '000 Assets Intangible assets 5 6,765 5,797 6,833 Property, plant and equipment 3,101 1,403 1,347 Inventories 847 880 988 Trade and other receivables 657 673 942 Taxation 2,961 1,918 1,900 Cash and cash equivalents 20,408 14,874 11,010 _________ _________ _________ Total assets 34,739 25,545 23,020 _________ _________ _________ Liabilities Lease liabilities 1 (1,497) - - Trade and other payables (2,088) (1,684) (3,684) _________ _________ _________ Total liabilities (3,585) (1,684) (3,684) _________ _________ _________ Net assets 31,154 23,861 19,336 ============ ============ ============ Equity Share capital 6 17,276 14,249 14,349 Share premium 67,267 52,905 53,273 Share-based payments reserve 1,495 1,182 1,266 Other reserve 2,553 2,553 2,553 Translation reserve 106 176 106 Retained earnings (57,441) (46,372) (52,109) ESOT shares (102) (102) (102) _________ _________ _________ Equity attributable to owners of the parent 31,154 24,591 19,336 Non-controlling interests - (730) - _________ _________ _________ Total equity 31,154 23,861 19,336 ============ ============ ============ ANGLE plc CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2019 Six months ended Six months ended Year ended 31 October 31 October 30 April 2019 2018 2019 (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Audited) '000 '000 '000 Operating activities Profit/(loss) before tax from continuing operations (6,376) (5,029) (10,871) Adjustments for: Depreciation of property, plant and equipment 492 295 622 (Profit)/loss on disposal of property, plant and equipment 13 8 8 Amortisation and impairment of intangible assets 1,028 318 452 Share-based payments 240 125 332 Exchange differences (7) (2) (14) Net finance (income)/costs (24) (10) (28 ) Operating cash flows before movements in working capital: (4,634) (4,295) (9,499) (Increase)/decrease in inventories 31 (254) (583) (Increase)/decrease in trade and other receivables 269 160 (91) Increase/(decrease) in trade and other payables (1,285) (835) 608 Operating cash flows (5,619) (5,224) (9,565) Research and development tax credits received - 1,070 2,251 Overseas corporation tax payments (60) - - Net cash from/(used in) operating activities (5,679) (4,154) (7,314) Investing activities Purchase of property, plant and equipment (410) (185) (219) Purchase of intangible assets (1,293) (454) (1,133) Interest received 24 10 28 Net cash from/(used in) investing activities (1,679) (629) (1,324) Financing activities Net proceeds from issue of share capital 16,921 11,996 11,996 Principal elements of lease payments (180) - - Interest elements of lease payments 10 - - Net cash from/(used in) financing activities 16,751 11,996 11,996 Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 9,393 7,213 3,358 Cash and cash equivalents at start of period 11,010 7,645 7,645 Effect of exchange rate fluctuations 5 16 7 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period 20,408 14,874 11,010 ======= ======= ======= ANGLE plc CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2019 --------------------------------------- Equity attributable to owners of the parent ------------------------------------- Share-based Share Share payments Other Translation capital premium reserve reserve reserve (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Unaudited) '000 '000 '000 '000 '000 At 1 May 2018 (Audited) 11,709 43,449 1,072 2,553 (14) For the period to 31 October 2018 Consolidated profit/(loss) Other comprehensive income/(loss): Exchange differences in translating foreign operations 190 Total comprehensive income/(loss) 190 Issue of shares (net of costs) 2,540 9,456 Share-based payments 125 Released on forfeiture (15) ___ ______ ___ _______ ___ ______ ___ ______ ___ ______ At 31 October 2018 (Unaudited) 14,249 52,905 1,182 2,553 176 For the period to 30 April 2019 Consolidated profit/(loss) Other comprehensive income/(loss): Exchange differences in translating foreign operations (70) Total comprehensive income/(loss) (70) Share-based payments 207 Released on forfeiture (123) Acquisition of non-controlling interest 100 368 ___ _______ ___ _______ ___ _______ ___ _______ ___ _______ At 30 April 2019 (Audited) 14,349 53,273 1,266 2,553 106 For the period to 31 October 2019 Consolidated profit/(loss) Other comprehensive income/(loss): Exchange differences in translating foreign operations - Total comprehensive income/(loss) - Issue of shares (net of costs) 2,927 13,994 Share-based payments 240 Released on forfeiture (11) ___ ______ ___ _______ ___ ______ ___ ______ ___ ______ At 31 October 2019 (Unaudited) 17,276 67,267 1,495 2,553 106 ========== ========== ========== ========== ========= --------------Equity attributable to owners of the parent ------------- Total Non- Retained ESOT Shareholders' controlling Total earnings shares equity interests equity (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Unaudited) '000 '000 '000 '000 '000 At 1 May 2018 (Audited) (42,129) (102) 16,538 (654) 15,884 For the period to 31 October 2018 Consolidated profit/(loss) (4,258) (4,258) 10 (4,248) Other comprehensive income/(loss): Exchange differences in translating foreign operations 190 (86) 104 Total comprehensive income/(loss) (4,258) (4,068) (76) (4,144) Issue of shares (net of costs) 11,996 11,996 Share-based payments 125 125 Released on forfeiture 15 - - ___ ________ ___ ______ ___ _______ ___ _______ ___ _______ At 31 October 2018 (Unaudited) (46,372) (102) 24,591 (730) 23,861 For the period to 30 April 2019 Consolidated profit/(loss) (4,684) (4,684) - (4,684) Other comprehensive income/(loss): Exchange differences in translating foreign operations (70) 38 (32) Total comprehensive income/(loss) (4,684) (4,754) 38 (4,716) Share-based payments 207 207 Released on forfeiture 123 - - Acquisition of non-controlling interest (1,176) (708) 692 (16) ___ _______ ___ _______ ___ _______ ___ _______ ___ _______ At 30 April 2019 (Audited) (52,109) (102) 19,336 - 19,336 For the period to 31 October 2019 Consolidated profit/(loss) (5,343) (5,343) - (5,343) Other comprehensive income/(loss): Exchange differences in translating foreign operations - - - Total comprehensive income/(loss) (5,343) (5,343) - (5,343) Issue of shares (net of costs) 16,921 16,921 Share-based payments 240 240 Released on forfeiture 11 - - ___ ________ ___ ______ ___ _______ ___ _______ ___ _______ At 31 October 2019 (Unaudited) (57,441) (102) 31,154 - 31,154 =========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ANGLE plc NOTES TO THE INTERIM FINANCIAL INFORMATION FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2019 1 Basis of preparation and accounting policies This Condensed Interim Financial Information is the unaudited interim consolidated financial information (the "Condensed Interim Financial Information") of ANGLE plc, a company incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales, and its subsidiaries (together referred to as the "Group") for the six month period ended 31 October 2019 (the "interim period"). The Condensed Interim Financial Information should be read in conjunction with the Financial Statements of the Group for the year ended 30 April 2019, which have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as adopted by the European Union (EU). New and revised IFRS and interpretations recently adopted by the EU and that became effective in the period did not have or are not expected to have a significant impact on the Group, with the exception of IFRS 16 Leases, the impact of which is described below. Where necessary, comparative information has been reclassified or expanded from the previously reported Condensed Interim Financial Information to take into account any presentational changes which were made in the Annual Report and Accounts to 30 April 2019 and which may be made in the Annual Report and Accounts to 31 December 2019. The accounting policies used in the preparation of the Condensed Interim Financial Information for the six months ended 31 October 2019 are in accordance with the recognition and measurement criteria of IFRS, as adopted by the EU, and are consistent with those which will be adopted in the Financial Statements for the period ended 31 December 2019. While the Condensed Interim Financial Information has been prepared in accordance with the recognition and measurement criteria of IFRS, as adopted by the EU, these Financial Statements do not contain sufficient information to comply with IFRS. This Condensed Interim Financial Information does not constitute statutory financial statements as defined in section 434 of the Companies Act 2006 and is unaudited and has not been reviewed. The comparative information for the six months ended 31 October 2018 is also unaudited. The comparative figures for the year ended 30 April 2019 have been extracted from the Group Financial Statements as filed with the Registrar of Companies. The report of the auditors on those accounts was unqualified and did not contain statements under sections 498(2) or (3) of the Companies Act 2006. The Condensed Interim Financial Information was approved by the Board and authorised for issue on 30 January 2020. Adoption of new and revised standards IFRS 16 Leases came into effect for accounting periods commencing on or after 1 January 2019. The Group has adopted the standard and included relevant transactions in these Interim Financial Statements. The Group has not restated comparatives for the previous reporting period, as permitted under the specific transitional provisions in the standard. The Group has recognised right-of-use assets representing its occupation rights under various property leases, and the corresponding lease liabilities representing its obligations to make lease payments over the remaining lease terms. The effect of IFRS 16 was to recognise right-of-use assets and corresponding lease liabilities of 1.7 million at 1 May 2019 (the date of initial application). The right-of-use assets are included in Property, plant and equipment and the corresponding Lease liabilities are shown separately on the Statement of Financial Position. There is no impact on reserves as at 1 May 2019. The impact on the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income in the reporting period has been to increase the depreciation charge and reduce the leasing cost by 0.2 million, both presented within 'Operating costs'. Going concern The Financial Information has been prepared on a going concern basis which assumes that the Group will be able to continue its operations for the foreseeable future. The Directors have prepared and reviewed financial projections for the 12 month period from the date of approval of this Condensed Interim Financial Information. Based on the level of existing cash and the projected income and expenditure (the timing of some of which is at the Group's discretion), the Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Company and Group have adequate resources to continue in business for the foreseeable future. Accordingly the going concern basis has been used in preparing the Condensed Interim Financial Information. Critical accounting estimates and judgements The preparation of the Condensed Interim Financial Information requires the use of estimates, assumptions and judgements that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the Financial Information and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Although these estimates, assumptions and judgements are based on the Directors' best knowledge of the amounts, events or actions, and are believed to be reasonable, actual results ultimately may differ from those estimates. The estimates, assumptions and judgements that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities relate to 1) the valuation and amortisation of internally generated intangible assets 2) impairment of intangible assets 3) share-based payments 4) research and development tax credit and 5) IFRS 16 recognition of right-of-use asset and lease liabilities. 2 Operating segment and revenue analysis The Group's principal trading activity is undertaken in relation to the commercialisation of its Parsortix cell separation system and its HyCEAD Ziplex multiplex analysis system. There are separate work streams on the Parsortix and HyCEAD Ziplex systems however the HyCEAD Ziplex system is used primarily in combination with Parsortix in the Ovarian cancer clinical application. There is significant overlap of work between the teams involved in R&D and commercial activities and as a result the Directors believe that these activities are best shown as one operating segment. All significant decisions are made by the Board of Directors with implementation of those decisions on a Group-wide basis. The Group manages all overseas R&D and commercial activities from the UK. 3 Tax The Group undertakes research and development activities. In the UK these activities qualify for tax relief resulting in research and development tax credits. 4 Earnings/(loss) per share The basic and diluted earnings/(loss) per share is calculated by dividing the after tax loss for the period attributable to the owners of the parent of 5.3 million (six months to 31 October 2018: loss 4.3 million, year to 30 April 2019: loss 8.9 million) by the weighted average number of shares in the period. In accordance with IAS 33 Earnings per share 1) the "basic" weighted average number of Ordinary shares calculation excludes shares held by the Employee Share Ownership Trust (ESOT) as these are treated as treasury shares and 2) the "diluted" weighted average number of Ordinary shares calculation considers potentially dilutive Ordinary shares from instruments that could be converted. Share options are potentially dilutive where the exercise price is less than the average market price during the period. Due to the losses in the periods, share options are non-dilutive for the respective periods as adding them would have the effect of reducing the loss per share and therefore the diluted loss per share is equal to the basic loss per share. The basic and diluted earnings/(loss) per share are based on 160,552,479 weighted average Ordinary 0.10 shares (six months to 31 October 2018: 129,580,872; year to 30 April 2019: 136,398,468). 5 Intangible assets Goodwill Acquired intangible assets Intellectual property Product development Total (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Unaudited) '000 '000 '000 '000 '000 Cost At 1 May 2018 (Audited) 2,207 1,213 809 2,385 6,614 Additions - - 43 428 471 Exchange movements - 6 17 111 134 _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ At 31 October 2018 (Unaudited) 2,207 1,219 869 2,924 7,219 Additions - - 52 1,130 1,182 Disposals - - - (3) (3) Exchange movements - (5) (5) (32) (42) _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ At 30 April 2019 (Audited) 2,207 1,214 916 4,019 8,356 Additions - - 34 917 951 Exchange movements - 3 2 9 14 _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ At 31 October 2019 (Unaudited) 2,207 1,217 952 4,945 9,321 ======= ======= ======= ======= ======= Amortisation and impairment At 1 May 2018 (Audited) - 87 181 758 1,026 Charge for the period - 71 13 234 318 Exchange movements - 2 10 66 78 _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ At 31 October 2018 (Unaudited) - 160 204 1,058 1,422 Charge for the period - 72 29 (14) 87 Disposals - - - (3) (3) Impairment - - 47 - 47 Exchange movements - (2) (4) (24) (30) _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ At 30 April 2019 (Audited) - 230 276 1,017 1,523 Charge for the period - 72 19 101 192 Impairment - - - 836 836 Exchange movements - 1 1 3 5 _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ At 31 October 2019 (Unaudited) - 303 296 1,957 2,556 ======= ======= ======= ======= ======= Net book value At 31 October 2019 (Unaudited) 2,207 914 656 2,988 6,765 At 30 April 2019 (Audited) 2,207 984 640 3,002 6,833 At 31 October 2018 (Unaudited) 2,207 1,059 665 1,866 5,797 "Goodwill" relates to the acquisition of the assets of Axela Inc. on 1 November 2017. Goodwill is deemed to have an indefinite useful life, is carried at fair value and is reviewed for impairment annually or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate a potential impairment. 6 Share capital The Company has one class of Ordinary shares which carry no right to fixed income and at 31 October 2019 had 172,754,816 Ordinary shares of 0.10 each allotted, called up and fully paid. During the period the Company issued 29,268,294 new Ordinary shares with a nominal value of 0.10 at an issue price of 0.615 per share in a subscription of shares realising gross proceeds of 18.0 million. Shares were admitted to trading on AIM in July 2019. 7 Post reporting date events As explained in the Chairman's Statement, subsequent to the reporting date the Company has made continued strong progress with Parsortix and made further announcements in relation to FDA clearance studies progress. Shareholder communications The announcement is being sent to all shareholders on the register at 30 January 2020. Copies of this announcement are posted on the Company's website www.ANGLEplc.com and are available from the Company's registered office: 10 Nugent Road, Surrey Research Park, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7AF. This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com. SOURCE: Angle PLC View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/574609/Angle-PLC-Announces-Interim-Results Artist's rendering of apartment complex planned at 700 N. Delaware Ave., as seen looking northeast at corner of Front Street and Fairmount Avenue. Read more Developer Sean McGovern is under contract to acquire a mostly vacant lot near the Delaware River waterfront at Fairmount Avenue, where he plans to build a 482-unit apartment complex, while preserving a strip of rowhouses at the site. McGoverns plan for 700 N. Delaware Ave., which was presented to the Northern Liberties Neighbors Association this week, calls for two horseshoe-shaped buildings that would nearly fill the block bounded by Delaware Avenue and Front Street, between Brown Street and Fairmount Avenue. Hercules Grigos, a lawyer for McGovern, said the developer has not yet formally applied for permits for the project at a property now mostly used by long-haul bus operators for vehicle storage. The proposed buildings, rising seven stories at their highest points, would be separated by a walkway lined with ground-floor retail and office space that approximates the position of what was once Beach Street, according to renderings. READ MORE: Part of Jewelers Row has been demolished for a Toll Brothers tower. What will happen to the rest? The project involves the preservation of a strip of historically protected Federal-style rowhouses from the early 1820s that line the Fairmount Avenue-facing edge of the 1.2 acre property. It also includes 147 parking spots, partly in enclosed garage space on the buildings first floors, partly in open-air surface lots surrounded on three sides by the U-shaped structures. The parking lot surrounded by the easternmost building would face Delaware Avenue, where it would be visible to passersby, though the western buildings lot would be largely blocked by the historic rowhouses. McGovern has in the past been involved in projects in the Brewerytown and Fishtown areas and in Center City, according to his website. The project is the latest to be proposed along the fast-developing northern half of central Philadelphias Delaware River waterfront. The Durst Organization, based in New York, said earlier this month that it has completed its acquisition of a 1.6 acre city-owned lot just north of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, where it plans an apartment tower. The company aims to break ground on the 25-story tower with 10,000 square feet of retail space during the first three months of 2021, it said. The property, between Vine and Callowhill Streets on North Christopher Columbus Boulevard, is separate from an assemblage of piers directly across the street that Durst acquired in 2017, which it has yet to begin developing. Those piers house waterfront restaurants including Dave & Busters and Morgans Pier. McGoverns site is also about a block north of the property owned by the city and known as Festival Pier, where Jefferson Apartment Group and Haverford Properties have been working for years on a plan for a complex of apartment buildings surrounded by open public space. costco cart shopping Shutterstock A man in Washington said a sample-stand worker at Costco asked his family to move away because the worker feared that they were from China and had the Wuhan coronavirus. The man told Insider that his 8-year-old son had on a face mask that he had asked to wear. Costco said the worker is employed by a separate company that is taking "appropriate measures" in response. The man spoke with Insider about the event and his concern about people's perceptions of Asian Americans. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. A man in Washington state said his wife and his 8-year-old son who were browsing a food sample stand at Costco were told to "get away" over fears of the coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China. Devin Cabanilla told Insider that he and his family were out for lunch and decided to stop by for some groceries. His son was wearing a face mask when he and Cabanilla's wife went to the sample stand. Cabanilla said that the worker at the sample station, who was not a Costco employee, asked whether they were from China before telling them to go away because she was afraid of getting the virus. Cabanilla said he reported the incident to a nearby supervisor and reached out to Costco's CEO. He also posted about the experience on Twitter on Sunday. "Ugh @costco food sample lady told kid to get away because he may be 'from China' and was worrying about getting infected," he tweeted. "Sad my boy has to receive racial stereotyping," he continued. "Ironically mask makes him safer to be around Told a store supe, he was cool to hear us." Cabanilla told Insider that his son had asked to wear the mask after learning about the virus and seeing other kids at school wear them. Washington State Incident Photo Courtesy of Devin Cabanilla Cabanilla said that while he wasn't particularly concerned about the virus, he was worried that an outbreak like this would cause people to be suspicious of Asian Americans. Story continues "One thing that is in the back of my mind is that someone Asian is being judged in public right now," he said. "In general, people are going to have assumptions or be casually careful around Asian people." He said this was the first incident his son experienced where he was judged for his perceived race. "What was interesting was his response was just so focused on how he looked," Cabanilla said, adding that he now has to "undo" the idea that the way his son looks may make other people uncomfortable. "His two responses that I remember him saying were: Did they really think I'm from China? Is it because of the way Mom looks?" Cabanilla said. Cabanilla said that his wife is Korean American and that he is a mix of several ethnic backgrounds, including Filipino, Mexican, Chinese, Native, and white. Patrick Callans, Costco's executive vice president of administration, told Insider that company executives spoke with Cabanilla's family and that they had been very understanding. "We are very sorry this incident occurred in our location," Callans said. "The comments to the boy were made not by a Costco employee but by an employee of an independent demo company. The demo company is taking appropriate measures with its employees." KING 5 News reported that the worker was employed by Club Demonstration Services, which apologized on Wednesday. The company told the news outlet that it would provide employees with additional training "to ensure that we treat everyone with the sensitivity and respect they deserve, and will further educate our staff on the coronavirus to alleviate any fears or misperceptions." Cabanilla, who lives in Bellevue, where about a third of the population is Asian American, said that his son's school district had sent him alerts about the virus every day but that friends in other districts had not gotten those alerts. Washington had the first confirmed case of the virus in the US, in Snohomish County, last week: a man in his 30s who had recently traveled to Wuhan. The novel coronavirus, officially called 2019-nCoV, has spread to at least 17 countries, killed at least 170 people, and infected at least 7,700 other people. Read the original article on Insider Canada continues to condemn Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and is ready to impose a cost for ignoring international law. Todays sanctions demonstrate that Canada and its allies stand united in their condemnation of Russias illegal annexation of Crimea and the illegitimate elections held there last fall and that Canada and the international community are ready to impose a cost for ignoring international law and the rules-based international order, Francois-Phillippe Champagne, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada stated on January 29. He added that Canadas support for Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity is unwavering. On January 29, Canada imposed sanctions under the Special Economic Measures Act on six individuals involved in the illegitimate elections held in Russian-occupied Crimea on September 8, 2019, in concert with the United States and the European Union. Since Russias illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, Canada has sanctioned more than 430 individuals and entities, imposing asset freezes and dealings prohibitions. ol Shimadzu's new FTIR spectrometer series IRSpirit combines high performance level with flexibilty and ease of use. Associated with a large panel of accessories, the two portable and compact models IRSpirit-T and IRSpirit-L are thus able to solve all the different requirements. With a footprint smaller than a DIN A3 sheet, the IRSpirit offers a generous sample space to insure maximum easy of use. If this sample chamber is well designed for Shimadzu's accessories, accessories from other suppliers can also be used. With a weight of just 8.5 kg, the IRSpirit is one of the world's smallest and lightest FTIR systems. The high-performance IRSpirit is prepared for regulation requirements in the pharmaceutical, chemical and scientific sectors as well as in the food industry. Temperature-controlled DLATGS detector of the IRSpirit-T model guarantees outstanding sensitivity and stability for the highest demands. At the same time, the IRSpirit-L variant allows a low-priced entry into personal FTIR analysis. A status monitor as well as a self-diagnostic function ensure the operational capability of the IRSpirit at all times. In addition, necessary parameters for specific accessories are automatically set by integrated accessory detection. LabSolutions IR software also supports completely inexperienced users: 23 specific application programs guide you easily through your personal analysis. Its new interface, IR Pilot, safely guides you through the entire FTIR measurement and data analysis without the need for complicated settings. User's personal analysis can be added and saved in IR Pilot interface. They can be then, directly and quickly launch from IR Pilot window. At the same time, the intuitive LabSolutions IR software allows various additional measurement and evaluation options for demanding tasks. In addition, our database and client server options of the LabSolutions DB/CS interface ensure maximum data security even in regulated environments. Interesting ? Ask your Shimadzu representative for more informations. Though a majority of Americans say the USA is ready to elect a female president, that number has dropped over the past six months, a national USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll shows a sobering finding for Democratic presidential hopefuls Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar as the nominating season officially kicks off Monday in Iowa. Seventy-one percent say they personally would be comfortable with a female president, but just 33% say their neighbors would be a telling and perhaps more candid measure, and one that had dipped by 4 points since the poll in August. Warren has tackled head-on suggestions that she's not electable. "This can't be a hidden question," the Massachusetts senator said during a campaign swing in Iowa Sunday, noting that she is the only contender in the race who has defeated an incumbent Republican in the past 30 years. "I'm glad to talk about it right up front. Because, you know, women win." In all, 56% of Americans and 68% of likely Democratic primary voters say the nation is ready to elect a woman as president, 7 percentage points lower for each than six months ago. Since then, the Democratic race has been roiled by a debate over which candidate would have the best chance of defeating President Donald Trump in November. Candidates on the issues: Voter's guide to where they stand on health care, gun control and more Democratic presidential hopefuls Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are among the top contenders in the Iowa caucuses on Monday. In 2016, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made history when the Democratic Party nominated her to be its candidate for president, the first woman to be the standard bearer for a major party. Though Trump won the Electoral College and the election by 74 electoral votes, Clinton won the popular vote by 2.8 million. Iowa opens presidential season The Iowa caucuses open a rapid-fire presidential season Monday, followed by the New Hampshire primary eight days later and early contests in Nevada and South Carolina. Former Vice President Joe Biden's campaign pitch has emphasized his strength in a general election, and Warren and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders skirmished over electability in the last Democratic debate. Story continues Warren counts on a strong showing from her muscular grassroots organization in Iowa to stay in the top tier of candidates. Minnesota Sen. Klobuchar hopes to do well enough in her neighboring state to give her traction to stay in the race. "I like Amy Klobuchar; I like Elizabeth Warren. I'm just not sure if they can beat (Trump)," says Sharon O'Donnell, 69, a Democrat and retired math professor in Chicago who participated in the survey. She worries that voters have trouble conceptualizing a female president because it's unfamiliar. "It's this idea, 'Oh, who would be the first lady if it was a woman?' That's part of it." The survey found some qualms about the electoral appeal of candidates over 75 (including Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders), for those who are gay (Pete Buttigieg) and for those who are democratic socialists (Sanders). Even so, gender looms as a hurdle. Suffolk University/USA TODAY Poll: A week before the caucuses, Biden leads an unsettled Iowa race Fifty percent of likely Democratic primary voters in the new poll predict that a woman would have a harder time than a man running against Trump. In a Suffolk University/USA TODAY Poll this month, likely Democratic caucusgoers overwhelmingly chose "defeating Donald Trump" as the most important issue affecting their vote, more than health care, climate change or any other concerns. A 'perfect candidate' against Trump? Our latest USA TODAY/Ipsos poll shows that Americans are more pessimistic about the country being ready for a woman president compared to six months ago, says Cliff Young, president of research company Ipsos. However, Democrats appear to be concerned about some facet of virtually all of the contenders as they search for a perfect candidate to take on President Trump. The online poll of 2,011 adults, taken Friday through Tuesday, has a credibility interval, akin to a margin of error, of plus or minus 2.5 points. The sample of 822 likely Democratic primary voters has a credibility interval of 3.9 points. Likely Democratic voters express concerns that the personal characteristics of some candidates might make them less favorable to the electorate. By an overwhelming 14-1, both Americans in general and likely Democratic primary voters in particular say being older than 75 makes a candidate less appealing rather than more appealing. (About a third in each category say it doesn't make a difference.) Biden is 77, and Sanders is 78. By nearly 5-1, Americans say being gay makes a candidate less appealing. Likely Democratic primary voters agree by 3-1. Being a gay man makes a candidate less appealing, according to 32% of Americans and 23% of Democratic voters. (Half of Americans and two-thirds of the Democratic voters say it doesn't make a difference.) Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is openly gay. By 3-1, Americans say being a democratic socialist makes a candidate less appealing, although likely Democratic primary voters split about evenly; by 28%-24%, they call it less appealing. (Twenty-nine percent of Americans and 39% of the Democratic voters say it doesn't make a difference.) Sanders identifies himself as a democratic socialist. For a candidate who is a democratic socialist, "it depends on how far you want to go in spending other people's money," says Logan Hutchison, 65, a retiree in Fort Madison, Iowa, who is an independent. "They don't want somebody to take 90% of their money and give it to somebody who isn't really trying. These freebies aren't free. The taxpayer is paying for it." More than 6 in 10 of those surveyed say that being a woman doesn't affect the appeal of a candidate. For those who say it makes a difference, Americans split about evenly over whether it makes a contender more or less appealing. Likely Democratic primary voters say by 2-1 that it makes a candidate more appealing. Who can make hard decisions? That said, likely Democratic primary voters rate Biden and Sanders more highly than Warren on some characteristics that many see as important in a president. Both men are seen as better able to stand up to Trump, better able to make hard decisions and more approachable. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders at the presidential debate on Jan. 14, 2020, in Des Moines, Iowa. Asked which contender has the best chance to beat Trump, 29% say Biden, a drop of 8 points since the survey in August; 21% say Sanders, a rise of 1 point; and 16% say former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who wasn't a candidate when the previous poll was taken. Twelve percent say Warren, down 4 points in six months. "I'm sure at some point there'll be a female that gets elected president," says Mark Morrison, 37, public safety dispatcher in Stafford, Connecticut. A registered Democrat, he voted for Trump in 2016 and absolutely plans to vote for him in 2020. "We just haven't had any who have run that would be capable of running the country." Contributing: Brianne Pfannenstiel in Iowa On the ballot: Who is running for president in 2020? An interactive guide Why is Iowa first?A brief history of the state's caucuses This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2020 election: Majority say yes to woman president, want to beat Trump A person was seriously injured Wednesday night in Leominster after a car crash with a Massachusetts State Police trooper who was responding to help officers in their pursuit of a suspected criminal, authorities said. The crash occurred on Route 12 shortly before midnight. A female occupant of a Ford Focus was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester with serious injuries. The trooper involved in the collision was treated at Leominster Hospital for minor injuries, state police said in a statement The trooper was driving a gray, low-profile cruiser with emergency lights and siren activated at the time of the crash, the statement said. The trooper was not actively pursuing any vehicle but was responding to the area of the pursuit to be in a position if needed, according to state police. The pursuit started in the westbound lanes of Interstate 290 in Worcester shortly after 11:45 p.m. and continued onto Interstate 190 northbound and then Route 12 southbound. The suspects vehicle stopped around 12:14 a.m., and the person was arrested on multiple charges, state police said. GUILTY: MICHAEL FLYNN Pleaded guilty to making false statements in December 2017. Awaiting sentence Flynn was President Trump's former National Security Advisor and Robert Mueller's most senior scalp to date. He previously served when he was a three star general as President Obama's director of the Defense Intelligence Agency but was fired. He admitted to lying to special counsel investigators about his conversations with a Russian ambassador in December 2016. He has agreed to cooperate with the special counsel investigation. GUILTY AND JAILED: MICHAEL COHEN Pleaded guilty to eight counts including fraud and two campaign finance violations in August 2018. Pleaded guilty to further count of lying to Congress in November 2018. Sentenced to three years in prison and $2 million in fines and forfeitures in December 2018 Cohen was investigated by Mueller but the case was handed off to the Southern District of New York,leaving Manhattan's ferocious and fiercely independent federal prosecutors to run his case. Cohen was Trump's longtime personal attorney, starting working for him and the Trump Organization in 2007. He is the longest-serving member of Trump's inner circle to be implicated by Mueller. Cohen professed unswerving devotion to Trump - and organized payments to silence two women who alleged they had sex with the-then candidate: porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal. He admitted that payments to both women were felony campaign finance violations - and admitted that he acted at the 'direction' of 'Candidate-1': Donald Trump. He also admitted tax fraud by lying about his income from loans he made, money from taxi medallions he owned, and other sources of income, at a cost to the Treasury of $1.3 million. And he admitted lying to Congress in a rare use of the offense. The judge in his case let him report for prison on March 6 and recommended he serve it in a medium-security facility close to New York City. GUILTY AND JAILED: PAUL MANAFORT Found guilty of eight charges of bank and tax fraud in August 2018. Sentenced to 47 months in March 2019. Pleaded guilty to two further charges - witness tampering and conspiracy against the United States. Jailed for total of seven and a half years in two separate sentences. Additionally indicted for mortgage fraud by Manhattan District Attorney, using evidence previously presented by Mueller Manafort worked for Trump's campaign from March 2016 and chaired it from June to August 2016, overseeing Trump being adopted as Republican candidate at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. He is the most senior campaign official to be implicated by Mueller. Manafort was one of Washington D.C.'s longest-term and most influential lobbyists but in 2015, his money dried up and the next year he turned to Trump for help, offering to be his campaign chairman for free - in the hope of making more money afterwards. But Mueller unwound his previous finances and discovered years of tax and bank fraud as he coined in cash from pro-Russia political parties and oligarchs in Ukraine. Manafort pleaded not guilty to 18 charges of tax and bank fraud but was convicted of eight counts in August 2018. The jury was deadlocked on the other 10 charges. A second trial on charges of failing to register as a foreign agent due in September did not happen when he pleaded guilty to conspiracy against the United States and witness tampering in a plea bargain. He was supposed to co-operate with Mueller but failed to. Minutes after his second sentencing hearing in March 2019, he was indicted on 16 counts of fraud and conspiracy by the Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., using evidence which included documents previously presented at his first federal trial. The president has no pardon power over charges by district and state attorneys. GUILTY AND GOING TO WEEKEND JAIL: RICK GATES Pleaded guilty to conspiracy against the United States and making false statements in February 2018. Sentenced to 45 days weekend jail and three years probation, December 17, 2018 Gates was Manafort's former deputy at political consulting firm DMP International. He admitted to conspiring to defraud the U.S. government on financial activity, and to lying to investigators about a meeting Manafort had with a member of congress in 2013. As a result of his guilty plea and promise of cooperation, prosecutors vacated charges against Gates on bank fraud, bank fraud conspiracy, failure to disclose foreign bank accounts, filing false tax returns, helping prepare false tax filings, and falsely amending tax returns. GUILTY AND JAILED: GEORGE PAPADOPOLOUS Pleaded guilty to making false statements in October 2017. Sentenced to 14 days in September 2018, and reported to prison in November. Served 12 days and released on December 7, 2018 Papadopoulos was a member of Donald Trump's campaign foreign policy advisory committee. He admitted to lying to special counsel investigators about his contacts with London professor Josef Mifsud and Ivan Timofeev, the director of a Russian government-funded think tank. GUILTY AND JAILED: RICHARD PINEDO Pleaded guilty to identity fraud in February 2018. Sentenced to a year in prison Pinedo is a 28-year-old computer specialist from Santa Paula, California. He admitted to selling bank account numbers to Russian nationals over the internet that he had obtained using stolen identities. GUILTY AND JAILED: ALEX VAN DER ZWAAN Pleaded guilty to making false statements in February 2018. He served a 30-day prison sentence and was deported to the Netherlands on his release Van der Zwaan was a Dutch attorney for Skadden Arps who worked on a Ukrainian political analysis report for Paul Manafort in 2012. He admitted to lying to special counsel investigators about when he last spoke with Rick Gates and Konstantin Kilimnik. His law firm say he was fired. GUILTY: W. SAMUEL PATTEN Pleaded guilty in August 2018 to failing to register as a lobbyist while doing work for a Ukrainian political party. Sentenced to three years probation April 2019 Patten, a long-time D.C. lobbyist was a business partner of Paul Manafort. He pleaded guilty to admitting to arranging an illegal $50,000 donation to Trump's inauguration. He arranged for an American 'straw donor' to pay $50,000 to the inaugural committee, knowing that it was actually for a Ukrainian businessman. Neither the American or the Ukrainian have been named. CHARGED: KONSTANTIN KILIMNIK Indicted for obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice. At large, probably in Russia Kilimnik is a former employee of Manafort's political consulting firm and helped him with lobbying work in Ukraine. He is accused of witness tampering, after he allegedly contacted individuals who had worked with Manafort to remind them that Manafort only performed lobbying work for them outside of the U.S. He has been linked to Russian intelligence and is currently thought to be in Russia - effectively beyond the reach of extradition by Mueller's team. INDICTED: THE RUSSIANS Twenty-five Russian nationals and three Russian entities have been indicted for conspiracy to defraud the United States. They remain at large in Russia Two of these Russian nationals were also indicted for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 11 were indicted for conspiracy to launder money. Fifteen of them were also indicted for identity fraud. Vladimir Putin has ridiculed the charges. Russia effectively bars extradition of its nationals. The only prospect Mueller has of bringing any in front of a U.S. jury is if Interpol has their names on an international stop list - which is not made public - and they set foot in a territory which extradites to the U.S. INDICTED: MICHAEL FLYNN'S BUSINESS PARTNERS Bijan Kian (left), number two in now disgraced former national security adviser Mike Flynn's lobbying company, and the two's business partner Ekim Alptekin (right) were indicted for conspiracy to lobby illegally. Kian, an Iranian-American was arrested and appeared in court charged with a conspiracy to illegally lobby the U.S government without registering as a foreign agent. Their co-conspirator was Flynn, who is called 'Person A' in the indictment and is not charged, offering some insight into what charges he escaped with his plea deal. Kian, vice-president of Flynn's former lobbying firm, is alleged to have plotted with Alptekin to try to change U.S. policy on an exiled Turkish cleric, Fethullah Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania and who is accused by Turkey's strongman president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, of trying to depose him. Erdogan's government wanted him extradited from the U.S. and paid Flynn's firm through Alptekin for lobbying, including an op-ed in The Hill calling for Gulen to be ejected. Flynn and Kian both lied that the op-ed was not paid for by the Turkish government. The indictment is a sign of how Mueller is taking an interest in more than just Russian involvement in the 2016 election. GUILTY AND AWAITING SENTENCE: ROGER STONE Roger Stone, a former Trump campaign official and longtime informal advisor to Trump, was indited on seven counts including obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and lying to Congress about his communications with WikiLeaks in January 2019. Convicted on all counts November 15, 2019, awaiting sentence Stone was a person of interest to Mueller's investigators long before his January indictment, thanks in part due to his public pronouncements as well as internal emails about his contacts with WikiLeks. In campaign texts and emails, many of which had already been publicly revealed before showing up in Mueller's indictment, Stone communicated with associates about WikiLeaks following reports the organization had obtained a cache of Clinton-related emails. Stone, a former Nixon campaign adviser who has the disgraced former president's face permanently tattooed on his back, has long been portrayed as a central figure in the election interference scandal. 'They got nothing,' he said of the special counsel's investigation. Stone gave 'false and misleading' testimony about his requests for information from WikiLeaks. He then pressured a witness, comedian Randy Credico, to take the Fifth Amendment rather than testify, and pressured him in a series of emails. Following a prolonged dispute over testimony, he called him a 'rat' and threatened to 'take that dog away from you', in reference to Credico's pet, Bianca. Stone warned him: 'Let's get it on. Prepare to die.' CLEARED: GREG CRAIG Greg Craig, President Barack Obama's White House counsel, was indicted for failing to register as a foreign agent. Mueller's investigators uncovered Craig's work on behalf the government of Ukraine while probing Manafort, who did business with Craig. Prosecutors released a grand jury indictment of Craig in April 2019, after Craig's law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP agreed to pay more than $4.6 million as part of a settlement. The prominent firm also acknowledged it had failed to register, and placed much of the blame on Craig, a senior partner there. Craig's lawyer blasted the decision as an abuse of prosecutorial discretion, and prepared to argue that omission of information during an interview is not tantamount to making false statements. The charges stem from a 2012 report Craig and the firm produced on behalf of the Ukrainian government on opposition figure and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko. She was an opponent of Manafort's client , former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Craig was cleared on September 9 2019. A release noted that by rebranding its operations, ClaimsPro will offer clients with broader geographic coverage and streamlined claims services on either side of the border. This is a great opportunity for our clients, and we are proud to operate under this new brand identity, commented ClaimsPro vice-president of filed adjusting Mark Nixon. We are pleased to offer services in the United States to complement operations in Canada. Were operating throughout North America as ClaimsPro because our clients have asked for it, added SCM Insurance Services SVP of US operations Dustin Volk. Volk also noted that by offering services under the trusted ClaimsPro brand, the company can truly provide an integrated North American solution. Although the two US teams will rebrand as ClaimsPro, their operations, reporting structure, client relationships, and all other business will remain the same as it did prior to the name change, a release said. Creative Discovery Museum kicks off its 25th year with its first ever capital campaign Ignite Discovery: Creating the new CDM. The Museum and its investors are undertaking a $10 million dollar campaign to fund comprehensive renovations of its 43,000 square foot facility. The initiative is centered on three goals to ensure CDM "remains a leader in experiential learning, a gathering place for all children and a gateway to a vibrant downtown Chattanooga. To date, nearly $5.6 million has been raised from business and community leaders."Ignite Discovery addresses community challenges that were identified in a 2018 Feasibility Study conducted by POWER 10, an Atlanta-based fundraising firm assisting with the campaign, which includes strengthening early childhood education and science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) learning, increasing access for all children regardless of background and ability and helping revitalize the Riverfront District.In addition to facility renovations, this campaign addresses each of the needs by updating and installing new exhibits, expanding outreach programs and creating a new, vibrant urban space on the CDM Plaza.The Museum has served our community well for the last 25 years, said Henry Schulson, executive director. To advance our vision and mission, we must invest in our building, exhibits and outreach programs so that the next generation has high quality, hands-on learning experiences in the arts and sciences that are imperative to the development of every child."CDM plays a critical role in school readiness and educational attainment," officials said. "Emerging research clearly demonstrates that out-of-school STEM experiences, like CDM offers, increase interest in STEM topics and careers and contribute to student success."In addition, CDM contributes to the quality of life throughout the region and is a key differentiator in helping Chattanooga deliver on its 'family-friendly' promise. CDMs outreach and free admission programs make it one of the most accessible cultural organizations in the city. An economic study conducted by Dr. Bento Lobo, distinguished professor of finance at UTCs Gary W. Rollins College of Business, estimates that as a result of this expansion CDMs impact will exceed $26.8 million annually during the renovation."As a unique part of Chattanoogas culture and a dynamic education asset, the Museum reinforces our commitment to children and families, said Mayor Andy Berke. It is important that we continue to invest in our Riverfront so that it remains a fresh and vital part of our community.Since opening its doors in 1995, CDM has welcomed over 5 million visitors. It has been nationally-ranked by Trekaroo and Child magazines. CDM received the CICL Pinnacle Award for its work in biofuels distance learning lessons. Locally, CDM was named Best Museum in the Best of the Best competition and was a 2019 Nonprofit of the Year finalist. In addition, CDM was the first organization in Tennessee to participate in Museums for All, a national initiative that encourages cultural organizations to provide significantly reduced admissions to families that receive food assistance. Photo: Jeffrey Beall/Flickr Read on for the most recent top news you may have missed in Denver. Most Wanted fugitive accused of faking own death to avoid child rape charges may be in Colorado, US Marshals say Authorities say that Jacob Blair Scott, a fugitive on the U.S Marshals Top 15 Most Wanted list, may be in Colorado. Read the full story on WNCN. This Denver metro neighborhood is among the top 5 'hottest' in the US for 2020 In West Arvada, the median 2019 sales price was $376,500. Read the full story on 9NEWS. Amid camping ban controversy, metro Denver counts its homeless population Denver just wrapped up the Point in Time count, the best method most cities have to determine the number of individuals experiencing homelessness. Read the full story on DenverWestword. A 22-year-old Denver storm-chasing tradition is coming to an end A storm-chasing conference known as ChaserCon will have its final meeting after 22 years. Read the full story on 9NEWS. Citizen-led initiative seeks to ban fracking in Denver A grassroots environmental advocacy group has taken the first step toward putting a fracking ban on the Denver ballot in November. Read the full story on Denver Post. This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. This article is written for those who want to get better at using price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). We'll show how you can use China Aoyuan Group Limited's (HKG:3883) P/E ratio to inform your assessment of the investment opportunity. Looking at earnings over the last twelve months, China Aoyuan Group has a P/E ratio of 7.38. That means that at current prices, buyers pay HK$7.38 for every HK$1 in trailing yearly profits. View our latest analysis for China Aoyuan Group How Do You Calculate China Aoyuan Group's P/E Ratio? The formula for price to earnings is: Price to Earnings Ratio = Price per Share (in the reporting currency) Earnings per Share (EPS) Or for China Aoyuan Group: P/E of 7.38 = CNY9.55 (Note: this is the share price in the reporting currency, namely, CNY ) CNY1.29 (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2019.) Is A High Price-to-Earnings Ratio Good? A higher P/E ratio means that investors are paying a higher price for each CNY1 of company earnings. That isn't a good or a bad thing on its own, but a high P/E means that buyers have a higher opinion of the business's prospects, relative to stocks with a lower P/E. How Does China Aoyuan Group's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers? One good way to get a quick read on what market participants expect of a company is to look at its P/E ratio. You can see in the image below that the average P/E (6.5) for companies in the real estate industry is lower than China Aoyuan Group's P/E. SEHK:3883 Price Estimation Relative to Market, January 30th 2020 That means that the market expects China Aoyuan Group will outperform other companies in its industry. Shareholders are clearly optimistic, but the future is always uncertain. So investors should delve deeper. I like to check if company insiders have been buying or selling. How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios Probably the most important factor in determining what P/E a company trades on is the earnings growth. When earnings grow, the 'E' increases, over time. That means unless the share price increases, the P/E will reduce in a few years. Then, a lower P/E should attract more buyers, pushing the share price up. Story continues In the last year, China Aoyuan Group grew EPS like Taylor Swift grew her fan base back in 2010; the 64% gain was both fast and well deserved. The sweetener is that the annual five year growth rate of 39% is also impressive. With that kind of growth rate we would generally expect a high P/E ratio. Remember: P/E Ratios Don't Consider The Balance Sheet It's important to note that the P/E ratio considers the market capitalization, not the enterprise value. Thus, the metric does not reflect cash or debt held by the company. The exact same company would hypothetically deserve a higher P/E ratio if it had a strong balance sheet, than if it had a weak one with lots of debt, because a cashed up company can spend on growth. Such spending might be good or bad, overall, but the key point here is that you need to look at debt to understand the P/E ratio in context. So What Does China Aoyuan Group's Balance Sheet Tell Us? China Aoyuan Group has net debt worth a very significant 105% of its market capitalization. If you want to compare its P/E ratio to other companies, you must keep in mind that these debt levels would usually warrant a relatively low P/E. The Verdict On China Aoyuan Group's P/E Ratio China Aoyuan Group has a P/E of 7.4. That's below the average in the HK market, which is 10.0. While the EPS growth last year was strong, the significant debt levels reduce the number of options available to management. If it continues to grow, then the current low P/E may prove to be unjustified. Investors should be looking to buy stocks that the market is wrong about. If it is underestimating a company, investors can make money by buying and holding the shares until the market corrects itself. So this free visualization of the analyst consensus on future earnings could help you make the right decision about whether to buy, sell, or hold. You might be able to find a better buy than China Aoyuan Group. If you want a selection of possible winners, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20 (but have proven they can grow earnings). 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. Another World Hijab Day (WHD) is fast upon us the eighth since Bronx resident Nazma Khan founded the event in 2013. The protest-cum-demonstration every February 1st seeks to foster religious tolerance and understanding by inviting women (non-Hijabi Muslims/non-Muslims) to experience the hijab for one day. The goal of diminishing bullying and prejudice is admirable, but the bitter irony and mountainous hypocrisy accompanying this event turn it into a farce. Theres no need to dwell on the irony of an American Muslim woman protesting to win the freedom to wear a hijab in the freest country on earth, or of encouraging Western women to give the hijab a try when women in Iran and Saudi Arabia are openly defying their male custodians by taking off their hijabs. But the date that Ms. Khan chose for her demonstration is worth mentioning since February 1, 1979, is the day that Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned to Iran from his French exile to inaugurate the Islamic Revolution. Khomeinis solution to the westoxification of Iranian society was purdah, the enforced separation, seclusion, and covering of women. Citing scientific research, his president, Abolhassan Bani-Sadr, announced that womens hair emitted invisible rays that drove men insane. Khans choice of February 1st for WHD was likely coincidental, and her knowledge of Khomeinis significance questionable, but Western politicians should understand the significance of their support for WHD. And they are among its most enthusiastic supporters, especially in Scotland, where quite a few lined up to be photographed for the official website holding placards with I support #World Hijab Day because which they have dutifully filled out and then signed. Its womens right to choose, wrote Scottish MP Stuart McMillan. People should have the right to choose, concurred MP Gordon MacDonald. Of course under U.K. law, women already have the right to choose. Unfortunately, that right has not saved the lives of Scottish and British women who refused to choose what the men in their lives had already chosen for them. The leading authority on honor killings, Phyllis Chesler, reports a very high percentage of these femicides occur when the victims families deemed them too Westernized, which often means refusing to wear varieties of Islamic clothing (including forms of the veil). Story continues Another irony-impaired politician is British MP Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, who is also featured on the WHD website and quoted: We must stand up and clearly say that women have a right to choose what they want to wear whenever, wherever, and however. Unfortunately this undeniable right is denied to millions of women living in the Muslim world, and the mandatory covering (hijab, burqa, niqab, etc.) is the symbol of that denial. In his promotion of WHD, John Mason, yet another Scottish MP, says, Its aim is to encourage modesty and self-control: good values! The event coordinators fail to see the irony and hypocrisy of opposing fashion enforcement from one group of men while embracing it from another. There is both irony and hypocrisy in the way the WHD organizers changed the hijab from a symbol of Muslim womens oppression by Muslim men into a symbol of protest against Islamophobic non-Muslims. Linda Sarsour, the hijab-wearing Palestinian American and founder of the Womens March, has become a celebrity largely through her claims of suffering at the hands of anti-Muslim bigots. In a January 2017 video on Vox she claimed that before she wore a hijab she was just some ordinary white girl from New York City. Wearing hijab made you know that I was Muslim. Sarsour has turned the hijab into a symbol of the anti-Trump resistance just like the pussy hat which made its debut at her march. Claims of Islamophobic victimization, especially at the hands of Trump supporters, began almost immediately after the 2016 election, with many high-profile cases quickly proven hoaxes. Several involved Muslim women lying about their hijabs being forcefully removed by strangers. Khan claims that WHD was designed to foster religious tolerance, and she promotes the hijab as empowerment through the social-media slogan #EmpoweredinHijab. The implication here is that non-Muslim women will stop discriminating against Muslim women if they only try it on for a day, but Muslim women suffer the greatest discrimination from the Muslim men who dominate their lives. A January 17, 2020, post on the WHD Facebook page reads In my faith, it offers a level of needed protection, but fails to name the tormentor from whom hijabed women need protection. Its not non-Muslim women. Like everything else, WHD became more political after Donald Trump became president. On the day before Trumps inauguration, the New York state senate issued Resolution J370 proclaiming February 1 Hijab Day in the State of New York. Ironically, Trumps Executive Order 13769 issued January 27, 2017 (the first so-called Muslim ban), twice mentions prohibiting those who engage in acts of bigotry . . . including honor killings, [and] other forms of violence against women. Even more irony and hypocrisy can be seen in the newest symbol of anti-Trumpism: the outfit worn by women in the television version of Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale, which bears some interesting parallels to the hijab. Atwoods 1985 novel depicts a fictional theocracy called Gilead where men so control women that their names indicate their owners the heroines name Offred signifies that she is of Fred. The women in the novel are covered with figure-obscuring red cloaks and their heads covered with a bonnet hiding their hair and partially blocking their vision. Those outfits have become the go-to attire for protests against Republicans. When Vice President Mike Pence was in Philadelphia on July 23, 2018, for a fund-raising event, women showed up in them, insinuating that Pences heterosexual, conservative, white, Republican, Christian Evangelicalism (no intersectionality points here) was tantamount to the oppression in Atwoods dystopian world. So heres the hypocrisy: Leftists believe that Pences conservatism merits the handmaids protest but that the hijab merits celebration. You cant have it both ways. Kathy Zhu understands this. Shes the college student who two years ago objected to a Try on a Hijab booth at her University of Central Florida campus. She had the temerity to object to the feel-good diversity event: So youre telling me that its now just a fashion accessory and not a religious thing? Or are you just trying to get women used to being oppressed under Islam? So too does Faranza Hassan, a Canadian teenager originally from Iran, who wrote that the hijab is not a symbol of Islam but of its more belligerent cousin Islamism. It might be easier to support WHD if it had a reciprocal component encouraging women throughout the Muslim world to really wear what they choose, whenever, wherever, and however (as Ahmed-Sheikh puts it), and encouraging men to mind their own business. Until that happens, we should heed Hassans wise advice to politely ignore World Hijab Day. More from National Review The Fort Bend County Narcotics Task Force, has seized $100,000 in illegal fentanyl, according to the Fort Bend County Sheriffs Office. The task force, a multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional drug enforcement group, intercepted the fentanyl on the northbound side of Highway 59 in Kendleton. A statement from the sheriffs office reported that while conducting a traffic stop on Jan. 26, task force teams discovered the drugs. A task force officer located 10 bundles containing approximately 10,000 tablets of illicit fentanyl concealed in an aftermarket compartment. Jose Alejandro Olivares, age 37, of Nuevo Leon, Mexico, was arrested and charged with first degree felony Manufacturing/Delivery of a Controlled Substance and third degree felony Unlawful use of a Criminal instrument. According to statistics from the National Institute of Drug Abuse, fentanyl is an opioid similar to morphine but 50 to 100 times more potent. Fentanyl is now responsible for more deaths than any other controlled substance, accounting for 59 percent of all drug related deaths. Fentanyl is killing thousands of people across this country. It's a very dangerous drug, said Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls. Even the way law enforcement has to handle the drug- they have to be careful because it is so dangerous. Fort Bend County is a major drug thoroughfare, Nehls said, because the multitude of major freeways and highways enable traffickers to transport drugs and other illegal cargo from Mexico. We have an enormous amount of drugs being brought through our southern border into this country, Nehls said. Nehls praised the task force for its diligence in keeping the county safe. We continue to take a stance against narcotics and we continue to try to keep the drugs from coming into Fort Bend county and from harming our kids, he said. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has authorized the countrys government to sign the agreement for import of Kazakh oil to Belarus, Trend reports with reference to the presidents press office. Belarus continues work for diversification of oil import, the report said. By a decree 27, Lukashenko authorized the countrys government to carry out negotiations with Kazakhstan on the topic of trade and economic cooperation in area of oil and petroleum goods import to Belarus, as well as on the agreement draft and its signing when it is approved. According to Kazakhstans then Minister of Energy Kanat Bozumbayev, during Lukashenkos visit to Kazakhstan in April 2019, parties signed a preliminary agreement on export of Kazakhstans oil and petroleum products to Belarus and on overall cooperation in the area. As noted earlier by Asset Magauov, Kazakhstans Vice Minister of Energy, Kazakhstan is counting on signing the agreement on oil export to Belarus in the beginning of 2020. Kazakhstan is planning on exporting from 1 to 3.5 million tons of oil and petroleum products a year to Belarus. --- Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh ATLANTA, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- . . . Gray Television, Inc. (Gray) (NYSE: GTN) announced today its promotion of Ronna Corrente to General Manager of WVUE Fox8, the top-rated television station in the New Orleans, Louisiana, market. In addition, Joe Sciortino, currently the General Manager of KSLA News12 in Shreveport, will succeed Ronna as General Manager of WAFB, the powerhouse CBS affiliate in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Ronna Corrente started her career in television at Fox affiliate WDKY-TV in her home state of Kentucky in 1995. Over the next several years, she rose through the ranks to General Sales Manager and later General Manager. In February 2018, she moved to Baton Rouge to become WAFBs General Manager. Under Ronnas leadership, WAFB earned numerous EMMY and Associated Press Awards for news content as well as its first-ever National Edward R. Murrow Award. In 2019, the Louisiana Association of Broadcasters named WAFB its Station of the Year. WAFBs incoming General Manager, Joe Sciortino, began his broadcast career over 30 years ago when he graduated Loyola University in New Orleans and started at WWL-TV, the markets CBS affiliate. After 19 years at WWL-TV in a variety of positions, Joe moved to Baton Rouge and joined WAFBs sales force. In January 2011, he became the Sales Manager of Grays KAIT-TV (ABC) in Jonesboro, Arkansas. In August 2013, Joe was promoted to General Manager of Grays WDAM (ABC/NBC) in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. In April 2016, Joe moved to Shreveport to become KSLAs General Manager. He and his wife are excited to return to WAFB and Baton Rouge. Ronna and Joe begin their new roles on February 1st. About Gray Television: Gray currently owns and/or operates television stations and leading digital properties in 93 television markets that collectively reach approximately 24 percent of US television households. Over calendar year 2019, Grays stations were ranked first in 68 markets, and first or second in 86 markets, as calculated by Comscores audience measurement service. Gray also owns video program production, marketing, and digital businesses including Raycom Sports, Tupelo-Raycom, and RTM Studios, the producer of PowerNation programs and content. For further information, please visit www.gray.tv . # # # Attachments WA Premier Mark McGowan has indicated he would oppose Prime Minister Scott Morrisons proposal to hand the Commonwealth powers to declare a national state of emergency. Responding to the bushfire crisis which has led to the deaths of 33 people in the eastern states, Mr Morrison used a major speech in Canberra this week to announce he would examine Australias constitutional and legal framework for ways to allow the federal government to deploy troops to deal with disasters and emergencies. Mr McGowan said coordination between the tiers of government was the key in responding to national disasters and emergencies Credit:Wolter Peeters This would come with clear authorities and appropriate safeguards for Commonwealth action on its own initiative. Any change would likely be achieved by the states passing legislation to cede powers to the Commonwealth rather than through a referendum to change the constitution. The Volta Regional Minister's decision to recommission the already distributed ambulances meant for the volta region has angered executives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Ho Central Constituency. According to the NDC the action taken by Hon. Archibald Letsa is highly needless. President Nana Akufo-Addo on Tuesday, January 28, 2020, commissioned some 307 ambulances for distribution to the 275 constituencies in the country. There were reports that the various Regional Coordinating Councils, as well as local authorities, are also re-commissioning the ambulances. Unhappy with the development, the leadership of the Ho Central branch of the opposition NDC described the recommissioning ceremony held in the Volta Region as an exercise in mediocrity. Though these ambulances will play critical roles in our health care delivery system, it is not the end in itself to the myriad of problems that confront the health sector hence much money should not be wasted on this pomp and pageantry before these items are handed over, a statement from the Ho Central NDC stated. The statement signed by Sefadzi Agama, NDC Ho Central Constituency Communication officer, chastised government over the issue insisting that: the intention of the Regional Minister is a loud testament to the fact that the Nana Akufo-Addo-led government has achieved very little despite the huge resource at its disposal hence making a festival out of this ambulance distribution. Below is the full statement from the NDC: Recommissioning of ambulances by the Volta Regional Minister an act of mediocrity We wish to express our utmost condemnation and the lack of respect for the taxpayer by Dr. [Archibald] Letsa [Volta Regional Minister] in his bid to organize another ceremony at the forecourt of the regional coordinating council before the ambulances meant for Volta Region are handed over to the various constituencies. Though these ambulances will play critical roles in our health care delivery system, it is not the end in itself to the myriad of problems that confront the health sector hence much money should not be wasted on this pomp and pageantry before these items are handed over. We see the invitation sent out by Dr. Letsa to the general public as losing touch with the reality on the ground and also very adamant to listen to the voice of reasoning despite the wide condemnation the president received in commissioning the ambulances. This act by the President and the intention of the regional minister is a loud testament to the fact that the Nana Akufo-Addo-led government has achieved very little despite the huge resource at its disposal hence making a festival out of this ambulance distribution. Signed Sefadzi Agama Ho Central Constituency Communication officer HAMMOND Bringing a blast of energy to a full Bishop Noll Institute fieldhouse, BNI Principal Lorenza Jara Pastrick walked hand in hand with St. John the Baptist first-grader Camila Jara to the front of the room of more than 1,500 students. "Raise your hand if you've ever seen the movie 'The Lion King,'" Pastrick asked the students. "Something really powerful happens in the movie that I think is really relevant." Then, lifting the braided first-grader toward the room, Pastrick let out the signature opening call from the movie's "Circle of Life." Closing out the school's annual Mass in celebration of National Catholic Schools Week, Pastrick delivered a message Wednesday morning of self-confidence, along with a charge to lift others up just like the character Rafiki does with Simba in the beginning of "The Lion King." "You should feel like Simba every day," Pastrick said, telling the students of all ages. "You as people should feel precious and special every day." The Hong Kong gold market rose on the first trading day of the Year of the Rat on Wednesday, rising to its best lunar year debut since 2016, as investors flocked to the safe haven asset amid concerns over the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak. The gold market closed at HK$14,535 (US$1,871) a tael, or 37.9 grams, an increase of HK$125 or 0.9 per cent over its close on Friday, the last trading day of the Year of the Pig. It opened at HK$14,438 a tael on Wednesday before rising to HK$14,525 at one point. "It is always the case " whenever the stock market is volatile, it is a good time to buy gold, as investors like to bet on gold as a safe haven," said veteran gold trader Jasper Lo. The benchmark Hang Seng Index closed at 27160.63 on Wednesday, down 2.8 per cent, or 789.01 points, for its worst lunar year trading start since 2016, the Year of the Monkey, when it plunged 3.8 per cent on debut. The Wuhan outbreak has contributed to a sell-off in retail, airline and financial stocks. The Hong Kong gold market started the last lunar year, the Year of the Pig, 0.7 per cent down before rising by 17 per cent for the whole year. Not surprisingly, its recent best performance coincided with the Hang Seng's worst " it started the Year of the Monkey in 2016 5.9 per cent up, before rising another 8 per cent for the whole year. "The Year of the Rat will continue to be a strong year for gold, as there are a lot of political uncertainties worldwide," Haywood Cheung, president of the Chinese Gold and Silver Exchange Society, said in an interview. "The US will have presidential elections this year, while Britain will leave the European Union. The Middle East also has some tensions. These factors will all help to boost the gold price. I believe the local gold could go up to HK$17,000 a tael, rising another 18 per cent this year," he said. Story continues The gold exchange held an opening ceremony on Wednesday to mark the start of the lunar new year, which was not open to the public or media because of the Wuhan outbreak. "The gold exchange has held the opening ceremony since its set up in 1910. The only time we suspended this tradition was during 1941 to 1945, during the Second world war. It is important for the local gold market to keep on trading, as a leading gold exchange in Asia," Cheung said. The local gold exchange is the only market in Hong Kong to still use a traditional method where traders gather to yell out prices and use hand gestures to make trades. The Year of Rat comes first among the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. The 12 animals " rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig " represent a cycle of 12 years. 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. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Anwar El Khouri, 74, has lived in a mobile home in Florida for 11 years. Tuesday, a 50-foot sinkhole opened up in his front yard. El Khouri says he's worried about losing his home as loose dirt continues to fall from the walls of the sinkhole in Tallahassee. His mobile home and another hang off the edge of the crater, which also swallowed a pine tree. Yellow tape with the words, "Fire Line Do Not Cross," creates a perimeter around the the crater. El Khouri described how, a couple of days ago, he felt his trailer shake and he asked himself at the time: "Did the Earth change?" He doesn't know why the hole opened. "They tell me in Florida, it's like this," said El Khouri, adding he never saw one while living in Miami. Victory Crosby, 61, a neighbor living roughly 200 yards away in the same Capital Circle Pines mobile home park, said a smaller, "pool-sized" sinkhole opened a few years ago near his own house. It has since been filled in. He said his biggest question, seeing the new hole, is how they happen. "It's unbelievable to me," he said. Video: Pittsburgh Bus Nearly Swallowed by Sinkhole Sinkholes are most often natural occurrences, especially in places such as Florida with limestone or ground easily dissolved by water, according to the U.S. Geological Survey . They can be dramatic, such as with El Khouri's front yard, or happen over time. They can also be "human-induced" through construction and groundwater pumping, the USGS says. The Tallahassee Police Department responded to reports of the sinkhole Tuesday, and evacuated "several" homes. "We are really glad no one was injured and our thoughts are with the families," the department wrote on Twitter. A spokesman added that fixing the sinkhole is not in the departments jurisdiction. Deputy Chief Richard Jones of the Tallahassee Fire Department said authorities would continue to "monitor" the sinkhole until the Environmental Protection Agency can evaluate it. Then it's up to the property owner and the EPA working together to figure out next steps. Follow CD Davidson-Hiers on Twitter: @DavidsonHiers This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Sinkhole opens at Florida mobile home park, threatens to swallow homes India could not start airlifting its citizens from the epicenter of a novel coronavirus outbreak in China even on Wednesday, as the government of the communist country did not give its nod to New Delhi's proposal to send special aircraft to evacuate them. The Embassy of India in Beijing however sought to reassure nearly 250 Indian citizens stranded at Hubei province of China with a post on Twitter, stating that it was working hard to evacuate them. India also upgraded its travel advisory on China, asking citizens to refrain from travelling to the neighbouring communist country in view of the spurt in cases of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infection. Beijing is apparently trying to dissuade not only India, but also the US, France and other foreign nations from airlifting their citizens from China, as such large-scale evacuation of foreign nationals from its territory may portray it in poor light and undermine the credibility of its claim that it was capable of containing the outbreak. New Delhi had on Monday requested Beijing to allow it to send special aircraft to airlift the citizens of India from the epicenter of the outbreak in China. Beijing, however, did not give its nod till the latest report came in on Wednesday. Chinese Government (was) requested for permission to operate two flights to bring back our nationals from Hubei Province of China, Raveesh Kumar, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, tweeted on Wednesday. @EOIBeijing (Embassy of India in Beijing) (is) in touch with Chinese authorities on the ground to work out necessary logistics. We will share regular updates. #CoronaVirusOutbreak Update Chinese Government requested for permission to operate two flights to bring back our nationals from Hubei Province of China. @EOIBeijing in touch with Chinese authorities on the ground to work out necessary logistics. We will share regular updates. Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) January 29, 2020 Sun Weidong, China's ambassador to India, on Tuesday quoted Dr Tedros Adhanom, Director General of the World Health Organization, saying in Beijing that the apex global health body had not recommended evacuation of foreign nationals from China. Sun also tweeted, quoting Dr Adhanom saying that the WHO had in fact called on the international community to remain calm and not to overreact. Beijing, however, on Wednesday promised to provide all necessary assistance if if the government of any foreign nation insisted on evacuating its citizens from China. If a country insists on evacuating its citizens in Wuhan, China will make appropriate arrangements and provide necessary assistance and convenience in accordance with international practice and China's relevant provisions on epidemic prevention, the PTI quoted a spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chinese Government saying in Beijing. The WHO stated in its latest situation report that the outbreak so far resulted in the death of 107 people in China, while 4537 had been confirmed as infected by the new coronavirus. The international health organization confirmed 56 more cases in 14 countries outside China till Tuesday. The Embassy of India in Beijing sent out forms to the country's citizens stranded at the epicenter of the outbreak in China to be filled up by them to give consent to be quarantined and remain under watch for 14 days after being brought back home. A Twitter thread that became a phenomenon on its own has been made into a movie. Now, fans who followed the thread will have a chance to watch it soon. "Y'all wanna hear a story about why I & this bitch here fell out???? It's kind of long but full of suspense," Aziah King wrote back in 2015 in the very first tweet that started it all. King was an ordinary "Twitter author" back then, but unknown to her, the very first 148 characters he tweeted would turn into a massive hit that is now known as #TheStory. "Zola" premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. And as The Verge described it, it is a compelling movie that will pique the interest of moviegoers -- much like how the five-year-old Twitter thread became viral. Here's what else to expect in the movie, via The Verge. Overall Feel And Genre Directed by Janicza Bravo, this adaptation of King's Twitter narrative is a stylish dramatization of the unfolding of the dangerous life of a stripper. The film isn't heavily political. The element which would have made the film a bit political has significantly been cut in the movie. When King was asked why she started the thread on Twitter, she admitted that she did it to draw more attention to human trafficking. However, as mentioned, that is not the case this time. The story revolves around a stripper who was on a road trip to Florida. It involved human trafficking, murder, and an attempted suicide. It is a fast-moving caper about a woman who has dragged herself in a frightening situation with untrustworthy companions. The film is a mixture of dark comedy and road-trip thriller. In the review from The Verge, Zola was compared to "Spring Breakers" and "Hustlers." The former is a sexed-up movie where young women were drawn out of their depth in the world of underworld crimes, while the latter is about sex workers running their own hustle as the world completely underestimated them. However, compared to the two films, Zola is not as heavily political as "Hustlers" or as meandering as "Spring Breakers. The character is characterized heavily by her idiocy, which puts herself in more danger than she could handle. Too Wild to be True Moreover, it is worth noting that the narrative of "Zola" is reportedly too wild to even be even true. Rolling Stone confirmed that the narrative actually happened, albeit the facts. Several major changes and exaggerations were added to the storytelling that makes it sometimes not believable. The writers have polished the social media narrative into something more conventionally dramatic and easy. Despite the overdramatization, per The Verge, the cast of characters are said to have given a vivid look to the thread. The excellent acting skills have also brought the story to life. "Zola" is described as engaging, large and elaborate. Additionally, the best part of the film is watching the characters translate the tweets as stage directions. The film is set to be released in the U.S. this summer. Sony has acquired its international distribution rights for future releases in other parts of the world. Telangana Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Neelam Sawhney on Thursday discussed resolution of pending issues concerning division of institutions as mentioned in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. The meeting was held as per the decision taken when Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy held talks here last month. The two Chief Secretaries took up institution-wise discussion and the meeting was held a in a very positive manner, an official press release said. It was decided to continue the dialogue further and brief the Chief Ministers, it said. The institutions listed under Schedule 9 and 10 include government corporations, companies and institutes. Their division has been pending as both states hold divergent views on the matter. Telangana and Andhra Pradesh became separate states on June 2, 2014. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [January 30, 2020] PayU's International Payments Business Volume Doubles in 2019 NEW DELHI, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- PayU currently enables over 100k merchants with its international payments offering; SME merchant base for international payments has grown 4x in the last one year merchants with its international payments offering; SME merchant base for international payments has grown 4x in the last one year The company is targeting a 5X growth in international payments business over the next one year; with SME's continuing to be the major focus area driving this growth PayU, India's leading online payments solution provider, today announced that it has doubled the volume of its international payments business in 2019. This growth has been witnessed across domains in both large enterprise businesses and SME businesses. Segments which showed the highest growth for large enterprise businesses on the PayU platform include travel (flights and hotels), e-commerce, food and subscriptions (primarily video streaming). In the SME segment, the company has also witnessed 4X growth in the merchant base for its international payments business. It has helped SMEs across different categories including travel, education, e-commerce and technology realise their global aspirations by enabling local businesses to cater to international demand through seamless transactions. This remarkable feat has been achieved through infrastructural changes as well as offering personalized solutions to merchants. PayU has enhanced risk engine capabilities which lead to a higher success rate, boosting merchant and customer confidence. It has invested time in creating personalized solutions for merchants, including meeting with them to educate and sensitize them on fraud and risk scenarios. It provided a dedicated dashboard on which merchants were able to onitor all transactions and history on one centralised platform, making it a seamless experience. The company offers real time currency conversion and settlement in INR at competitive rates. All these measures made international payments seamless for PayU's top transacting merchants. The end customers were also given facilities such as the option to pay in local currencies (in all major currencies) and automating payments for recurring transactions. Commenting on the growth, Gurjodhpal Singh -Senior Vice President, Growth Initiatives - PayU India, said "We are very pleased with such aggressive growth in our international payments business despite the overall global economic slowdown. PayU leverages state-of-the-art 'API first' design and a single integration to address challenges in international payments, providing merchants access to more than 2.3 billion potential new customers in major high growth markets. Building on the existing success, we are targeting a 5X growth in international payments business over the next one year, with SME's continuing to be our major focus area in driving this growth. Various innovations including the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning based risk monitoring for fraud detection and security will power our growth." Nitin Mehra, e-commerce manager, Ethos Watches said, "It's been a pleasure working with PayU for collecting international payments on our website with effective risk management on international payments offering. PayU has advanced fraud monitoring tools and a dedicated team that caters to the fraud-related queries with real-time updates. Also, we receive timely assistance on our queries around decline in transaction through the dashboard." Smriti Sain, proprietor of Chiaroscuro from New Delhi said, "PayU has made it seamless for our international customers to buy beautiful Made in India leather bags directly from our webstore. The transaction speed and success rates are encouraging and have helped us feel confident of servicing customers worldwide. We've seen a doubling of our overseas conversions since we started working with PayU. Their customer services are ever available, fast and very helpful and as a merchant, this is all the support we need." About PayU India PayU, India's leading online payment solutions provider, is regulated under the Reserve Bank of India and has advanced solutions to meet the digital payment needs of the Indian market. PayU provides payment gateway solutions to online businesses through its cutting-edge and award-winning technology. In India, PayU serves more than 3,50,000 merchants with 70+ local payment methods and is the preferred payments partner for nearly 60% of the e-commerce merchants, including all leading e-commerce companies and a majority of airline businesses. PayU also developed LazyPay in 2017, an alternate lending platform to offer credit solutions such as Small Ticket Credit (Buy Now Pay Later), App-based loans (Instant personal loans) and Point of Sale Credit (Merchant EMI). LazyPay Buy Now Pay Later is currently live on 100+ merchants such as Byju's, Swiggy, Flipkart, Makemytrip, Dunzo, Vodafone, Zomato, Bookmyshow, Oyo, Tata Sky and many more. Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/943045/PayU_Logo.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Ken Magidson has appeared before U.S. District Judge David Hittner more than 100 times in his long career in the Bayou City. But Wednesdays proceeding before his fellow Brooklynite was arguably the most momentous. The former U.S. Attorney, who lost his wife to cancer in 2013, was in court to seal the deal with a high school English teacher who lost her husband. The brief wedding was scheduled to take place before the man who gave him his first legal gig in 1975, in the downtown courthouse where Magidson prosecuted cartel bosses in the 1980s another landmark in the ex-prosecutors public life. It was Magidsons second time as groom in courtroom nuptials. Meanwhile, Hittner has presided over a couple hundred since his lifetime appointment in 1986. He dismissed a civil jury in an overtime lawsuit to clear the room for the occasion. Magidson, 71, who is retired and deeply involved in grandfatherly duties, met Laura Kohlmaier through mutual friends in April, two years after he was ousted along with 45 other Obama-era U.S. attorneys in the early days of the Trump administration. Kohlmaier, 52, teaches AP English and dual enrollment classes at her alma mater, Memorial High School. The youngest of five siblings who relocated to Houston from Illinois, she has taught literature for decades. Her late husband Joseph Kohlmaier was a campus administrator at Spring Branch ISD. Lingering in the marble hallway before the ceremony, the poetry enthusiast admitted shed never been on jury duty. Shed never been in trouble with the law. The wedding would be her first time in court. Theyd chosen a court ceremony because he is Jewish and she is Christian. The match works, she said, because were both pretty cerebral, were game players and readers and we like taking time and making connections. The veteran prosecutor said they click because Kohlmaier is selfless, kind and, She laughs at all my jokes. When the doors opened, Magidsons older granddaughters buzzed around in matching mint chiffon dresses and tiaras, making giddy stops at the judges bench, the jury box and witness stand, testing microphones, swiveling in chairs. Wheres the mallet? asked 10-year-old Macy. Its called a gavel, her grandfather corrected, laughing. Dont be a meshuggeneh. Selah, 8, found a spot at defense table to organize her basket of flower petals, while her baby sister Haven, in her mother Amys arms, gripped a petal and stared at it. Hittner, who can be gruff on the record, was cordial, but warned the adults over the chatter: If they press the alarm button all the marshals will be coming through all the doors. The formal portion of the day lasted five minutes. Magidson, completely in his element, blurted out I will before the judge could finish his question. Then came the judges blessing: Cause them to prosper in their life together, teach them to share lifes joys and lifes trials and to grow in understanding and devotion Hittner broke off in a chuckle, then stumbled on. He later explained he was taken aback at the goofy, open-mouthed stare from 5-year-old Kate, at his feet. Decades working in the courts The longtime prosecutor from Brooklyn, the grandson of a cantor, was raised in Washington, D.C., where his parents had jobs in the federal government. Magidson met Hittner, another avid Brooklyn Dodgers fan, when he clerked at Hittners firm during his final year at South Texas College of Law. Both had grandfathers in the clothing trade Magidsons a tailor, Hittners a furrier. Related: A tale of two home runs, and lessons for a lifetime Four years later, as a rookie prosecutor at the Harris County District Attorneys Office, Magidson married Anita Myers, an administrative assistant and gatekeeper to two DAs, who later worked as a court coordinator for Judge Richard Trevathan in the 182nd district court. Myers was a Baptist. So they held their wedding in the 262nd district court before Judge Sam Robertson, with former DA Carol Vance and then-district attorney Johnny Holmes speaking at the ceremony. Magidson then worked for decades in the ranks as a federal prosecutor at 515 Rusk, when the U.S. Attorneys Office had its offices on the 12th floor. Hittner meanwhile presided over the high-profile cases of disgraced financier R. Allen Stanford, Enron assistant treasurer Lea Fastow and the Sandra Bland wrongful death suit. Magidson served a short stint as Harris County District Attorney, when Gov. Rick Perry appointed him to fill a gap caused by the tumultuous resignation of Chuck Rosenthal. An independent, he takes great pride in the fact that he was tapped by Barack Obama as the top federal law enforcement official the Southern District of Texas. After the ceremony, Magdisons daughter Amy George and her girls tackled the petal-strewn courtroom floor, cleaning it up for the jury expected back in the morning for the resumption of the trial. gabrielle.banks@chron.com When global payments giant-Mastercard released its 'Priceless' advertising campaign in 1997 it became one of the most enduring and memorable slogans to hit our TV screens. Over time, the brand has only taken that thought forward in different ways. It has now launched its flagship Priceless Cities program in South Asia. Starting first in Sri Lanka, the program will allow global travellers to gain exclusive access to several unique experiences when they visit the island destination. Priceless Cities is a program available exclusively to Mastercard cardholders and provides access to unforgettable experiences in the cities where one lives and travels. Currently, the program covers over 40 cities and destinations. Exchage4media spoke with Manasi Narasimhan, Vice President, Marketing and Communications, South Asia, Mastercard, on how the global campaign is rooted in the brand strategy. According to Narasimhan, Priceless Cities- the crux of the brand itself is priceless; something that one can't buy. Within that, we have a platform globally called Priceless Cities because we want to celebrate the best of what cities around the world have to offer which are truly phenomenal, local experiences that money cant buy. This program of Mastercard started in 2011 in New York and today we have it in 40 cities worldwide. Priceless experiences are based on passion points that could be an exclusive- for example, photography, a tour of a monument after it is shut for the public, a private dinner with a Michelin star chef at a great restaurant, and so on. What is to be remembered is that these are based on consumer passion points that we kept researching all the time. Secondly, it has to reflect the local flavour. Thirdly, it has to be accepted worldwide and accessible only to Mastercard holders. For the first time, we are opening up Priceless Cities in South Asia with the launch of Priceless Sri Lanka. While the global experience was obviously available to Indian Mastercard cardholders anywhere in the world, for the first time we have a local Priceless Cities city destination, which is Priceless Sri Lanka and that is the launch that we are talking about, she shared. She revealed that a couple of digital campaigns on the proposition are underway and will be rolled out soon. We will take it to our partner banks because being a B2B organisation, a lot of our consumer communication is done through banks, who have been very excited to partner with us especially where cross-border travel is concerned. Indians are travelling abroad more than ever before, throughout the year, not just during summer or winter vacations, Narasimhan continued. According to her, the company will not be exploring traditional advertising for the same. We may cover it in a couple of high-end magazines. Being a global network, we will not just advertise it in India, but globally also. We will advertise across Asia Pacific and partner with banks, she remarked. Narasimhan asserted that the focus will be on moving people to digital from cash payments, driving cross-border and contactless will be a priority. Priceless Cities is an initiative for building the brand image especially among affluent audiences and equally it is very important as we strengthen our attribution of exclusivity worldwide. It will share a major role in driving cross-border experiences. Those are the things that we will centrally review, she said. Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India) [January 30, 2020] Gift from Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Helps Establish New Building for Computer Science at USC The thriving field of computer science will soon have a new state-of-the-art home at USC thanks to a lead gift from dedicated USC supporters Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200129005878/en/ Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg's generous gift to USC supports construction of a new building for the USC Viterbi School of Engineering's Department of Computer Science. Credit: Steve Cohn, USC. The 98,000-square-foot structure will house the USC Viterbi School of Engineering's Department of Computer Science. Research and teaching in the building will focus on advancing computer science's critical role in improving and benefiting society through areas including artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics. In recognition of their lead donation, the structure will be named the Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Human-Centered Computation Building. "Computing power is transforming many fields by helping scientists analyze big data sets and find innovative new solutions to the most complex challenges facing society today," said USC President Carol L. Folt. "This new building will provide a cutting-edge home for our computer science students, researchers and other experts from numerous disciplines across the university as they collaborate on pressing issues like Alzheimer's disease, cancer, human trafficking and homelessness. We are deeply grateful to Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg for this wonderful gift." The new building's planned location on the University Park Campus next to Michelson Hall, which houses the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience, and Irani Hall, home to the university's life sciences programs, reflects the increasing connections among computing and medicine, health technology and biology. USC Viterbi Dean Yannis C. Yortsos said computer science transcends all disciplines. "Computer science, information technology and engineering at large empower pretty much every other discipline in the world today," Yortsos said. "This building will be the center of advances in human-centered computing that will enable us to create a better world for all humanity." He said USC's endeavors in computer science, including the Department of Computer Science, Information Sciences Institute and Institute of Creative Technologies, make USC one of the leading academic enterprises in computer science in U.S. higher education and research. USC's multidisciplinary landscape, with dozens of academic and professional schools, holds the promise of exciting partnerships built around computing, Yortsos said. That includes successful initiatives like the Center for Artificial Intelligence in Society, the Machine Learning Center, the Robotics and Autonomous Systems Center and the Center for Quantum Information Science and Technology. The new facility will provide much-needed room for the computer science department to continue its rapid growth, with modern laboratories, discussion areas and many new spaces for collaboration. "One of the most exciting aspects of computer science is its power to accelerate breakthroughs in nearly every field," Allen Ginsburg said. "Charlotte and I believe our support of computer science at USC will lead to bold new ideas and advances that will benefit humankind and our planet." Computer science's multidisciplinary applications help it grow at USC Since its creation in 1968, USC's Department of Computer Science has made invaluable contributions to fundamental areas of computing, including artificial intelligence, cryptography, internet technology, health computing, robotics, software development and computer graphics. Thanks to the growing reliance on computing power to seek solutions to important societal issues, the department has experienced unprecedented growth in recent years. Since 2011, its student population has tripled, and the department now boasts more than 90 faculty members, 360 doctoral students, 2,000 master's students and 1,200 undergraduates. Its investment in research and education has paid off with recognition as one of the leading computer science programs in the nation. The program earned the top spot in the 2020 U.S. News & World Report rankings for best online master's programs in information technology (reflecting USC Viterbi's degrees in computer science and data sciences). It was the eighth consecutive year the program ranked No. 1. That growth has also translated into increasing demand for space to conduct research and collaborate with scientists from other disciplines. The new computer science building's innovative design will emphasize open areas that will encourage discussions and interactions among researchers, students and scientists from across USC and other institutions. "This unique facility will become the beating heart of computing," Yortsos said. "Even though we live in a world where physical space is supposed to be less important, it is in fact becoming more critical than ever to create 'human collisions,' which will help generate new ideas and incubate new breakthroughs. In fact, the physical proximity with the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience is expected to further accelerate computational advances for the solution of challenging biomedical problems." New computer science building will help USC attract skilled researchers and students Yortsos expects the building to boost USC Viterbi's ability to draw and retain top faculty members, researchers and students across the engineering discipline. In addition to supporting the construction of the new facility, the Ginsburgs' gift will also establish the Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Early Career Chair in Computer Science. This endowed chair will be held by a junior faculty member with the promise of an outstanding career trajectory. "Attracting and retaining talent in computer science, particularly at the junior level, is one of the most important challenges we face," Yortsos said. "Recruiting new talent in computer science is very competitive in today's world. The recognition and added resources of an early career chair can make an important difference." He credited the Ginsburgs and many other supporters of the school for recognizing the value of investing in computer science as a way to improve society and spur innovation in fields like neuroscience, social work, medicine and the arts. "We are very grateful to the Ginsburgs," he said. "They could have invested generously elsewhere, but they chose to invest in us. Their generosity is a great vote of confidence in what we do. It supports our vision of computer science as a force for good and our goal of engineering a better world for all humanity." A previous gift from the couple in 2018 named the USC Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Institute for Biomedical Therapeutics, where scientists collaborate on new approaches to diagnosing and treating diseases that cause blindness, as well as other neurosensory disorders. Researchers from the institute, including ophthalmology and biomedical engineering expert Mark Humayun, will also have space in the new computer science building and the adjacent Michelson Hall. "What inspired Charlotte and me to provide the lead gift for this new computer science building was USC's reputation for embracing convergent research," Allen Ginsburg said. "We envision that this building will bring together researchers from many different areas to develop innovative approaches to complex problems focusing on the most vital societal needs." Allen Ginsburg is a retired ophthalmologist with a focus on entrepreneurship, real estate and philanthropy. He is a self-described futurist who is deeply concerned with issues concerning the planet and universe. Charlotte Ginsburg's interests including performing arts, dance, theater, and costume and fashion design. The couple also supports programs that promote environmental sustainability. The longtime Southern California residents live in Palos Verdes. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200129005878/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Former President Jonathan pays surprise visit to Aso Rock. Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday paid an unscheduled visit to the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where he briefly met with President Muhammadu Buhari. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting between Mr Buhari and Mr Jonathan, which was held behind closed door, lasted for about 10 minutes. Mr Jonathans mission to the villa was unknown as he did not speak to journalists. It was, however, gathered that the former president was on a thank you visit to the president, who recently consoled him over an attack on his country home, Otuoke, Bayelsa State, by unknown gunmen last December. Mr Buhari immediately put a call through to his predecessor to sympathise with him over the attack. READ ALSO: Mr Buhari reassured Mr Jonathan of his safety and security. During the attack, three of the gunmen were killed, while a soldier also died. The former president last visited the presidential villa on October 10, 2019. (NAN) Paul Farnes, left, and in 1940 (left to right): Fighter pilots Stefan Witorzenc, George Stoney, Antoni Gowacki and sitting Bob Dafforn, Paul Farnes, Kenneth Hawkeye Lee, John Gibson and Hugh Adams of No 501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force (Getty) One of the last surviving members of The Few pilots who fought against the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain during the Second World War has died at the age of 101. Wing Commander Paul Farnes was among the 3,000 airmen who defended the skies against the Nazis above southern England for three-and-a-half months in 1940. He died peacefully at his home in Hampshire on Tuesday morning, the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust said. The trust said W/Cdr Farnes was a big fan of the Battle of Britain Memorial, near Folkestone, and was the last member of The Few who was fit enough to be able to attend the aerial conflict's memorial day last year. The group are remembered as The Few, after a speech by prime minister Winston Churchill, who said of their sacrifices: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." The trust said W/Cdr Farnes had "proudly" represented his RAF colleagues at the service of commemoration just a week before his 101st birthday in July. The Prince of Wales talking to Battle of Britain veteran Wing Commander Paul Farnes (PA) The Queen meets Mrs K Foster, Wing Commander Paul Farnes and Squadron Leader Tom Pickering as she visits the National Memorial to the Few (Getty) In a tribute, the trust said: A tall, distinguished man with striking silver grey hair that he retained throughout his life, Paul Farnes was known for plain speaking but was generous with his time in support of trust activities. In an article on its website, the trust said W/Cdr Farnes was "very proud" of his Distinguished Flying Medal which he received for his exploits in the Battle of Britain. His tally was six enemy aircraft destroyed, one probably destroyed and six damaged, the trust added - making him an ace, and the last surviving member of The Few to hold the title. Read more from Yahoo News UK: Coronavirus: Brits remain in China after flight delayed Ford Fiesta spotted on road with greenhouse strapped to roof BBC to axe 450 jobs as part of plans to 'modernise' newsroom In 2015, W/Cdr Farnes described the "moving" moment he and his comrades were spontaneously applauded during a service at Westminster Abbey to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. Story continues Mr Farnes, who flew a Hurricane during the war, said: "It was very emotional today because, when we walked out of the Abbey, the audience applauded and it's never happened before at the annual service and I was very moved by it. "It is amazing that the Battle of Britain has caught on with the public and I am very proud to have been a part of it. Battle of Britain veterans Wing Commander Tom Neil, Squadron Leader Geoffrey Wellum, Wing Commander Tim Elkington and Wing Commander Paul Farnes watch a Battle of Britain flypast (Getty) Two RAF Hawker Hurricane MK1 fighters from RAF 79 Squadron taking off from RAF Hawkinge, Kent during the Battle of Britain (PA) "I didn't at the time, but latterly and gradually I came to realise the importance of the Battle of Britain. The Battle of Britain claimed the lives of 544 RAF pilots and air crew. Mr Farnes joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) Volunteer Reserve in 1938, later joining RAF No 501 Squadron and fighting in the Battle of France in 1940. After the Battle of Britain, he was commissioned as an officer and served as an instructor and fought in Malta with No 229 Squadron as well as serving in North Africa and Iraq. Mr Farnes (bottom row, third from right) poses in a group photo during a pre-lunch reception at the RAF Club to commemorate the 75th Anniversary Of The Battle Of Britain (Getty) As the Second World War ended, he was in command of two squadrons in the UK. Remaining in the RAF until 1958, he retired as a Squadron Leader, retaining the rank of Wing Commander. He is survived by a daughter, Linda, and son, Jonathan. Another son, Nicholas, died in 1954. Watch more from Yahoo UK Savers who have held the same bank account for more than 20 years could find themselves locked out of top savings deals, because their bank refuses to allow applicants to verify their details. SmartSave, a Wrexham-based challenger bank, previously offered a 1.66 per cent one-year fixed-rate savings deal, the best buy in This is Money's tables and crucially comes with Financial Services Compensation Scheme protection. It cut the rate on Monday to 1.55 per cent, but this still places it joint-sixth in our tables, with a rate just 0.05 percentage points lower than the top provider. But at the time it offered the best one-year tie-up on the market, one customer who had been with a major high street bank for more than two decades was left unable to access its fixed-rate deals, as the bank couldn't verify his account. Locked out: Customers who have bank accounts opened before 1998 could be prevented from applying for top savings deals with one new bank They wrote on social media platform Twitter: 'I tried to open a fixed savings account with SmartSave but was refused because my bank account was opened before 1998. 'Interesting to have a financial history that goes back too far.' Some bank accounts opened before 1998 are not governed by rules which require banks to report customer details to credit reference agencies, which allows other banks to verify applicants for savings accounts online. Most newer savings banks, which tend to offer the best rates for customers, will verify customers online but if they can't they often ask prospective applicants to send a signed bank statement to confirm their ID. This is also the case when you want to change a 'nominated' account linked to your savings account, which is the bank account you withdraw money to. However, SmartSave - owned by Chetwood Financial - offers no alternative way for those who have stuck with their current account provider to verify themselves, meaning they cannot apply. It meant the customer, who tweeted their frustration on 23 January, was effectively locked out of applying for the highest-paying one-year deal on the market. They said in a reply to SmartSave: 'I don't think I suggested details shouldn't be verified. 'My problem is that your process seemingly doesn't include a bank ubiquitous on every high street.' While SmartSave on the Frequently Asked Questions section of its website addresses the question of 'why can't you verify my bank account' by explaining you may be unable to apply if you hold a bank account opened before 1998, the issue is not mentioned on its account summary page. Instead, it simply says: 'You can open and manage the account online at www.smartsavebank.co.uk'. James Blower, industry expert and founder of the website The Savings Guru, said this was the only example he'd seen of a bank which provided no alternative way of verification for those locked out, and described it as a 'punishment for loyalty'. It is ironic given that savers who hold bank accounts with the biggest UK banks have long been encouraged to shop around and take advantage of smaller providers offering better rates. Julia McColl, commercial director at Chetwood Financial, said: 'As a digital bank, we use digital methods to validate that our customers are who they say they are. 'This is a conscious choice to keep costs low so that we can offer the best rates for customers who want to take products out and service them online. 'Unfortunately that does mean some customers won't be able to open a SmartSave account, depending on who they bank with. 'It's a common problem in the industry and we'd welcome more support from the established banks to increase the number of consented accounts. 'At Chetwood, we value all feedback from customers and are working hard to welcome even more customers to SmartSave.' ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, Jan. 30 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: Over 105,000 cubic meters of liquefied gas and more than 47,600 tons of gas condensate were produced at the Nayip gas-processing complex of Turkmenistans Lebap region in 2019, Trend reports referring to the countrys Turkmengas State Concern on Jan. 30. Currently, an automated installation at this complex, as well as storage facilities in the Gazochak village are being modernized. The installation is implemented by the Italian Gea Technofrigo SpA company in 1998. The bulk of the complexs products are shipped to foreign consumers. It was earlier reported that the main countries among the buyers of liquefied gas are Afghanistan, Georgia, Iran, Tajikistan and Pakistan. Inside the country, liquefied gas is sent to a refinery in the Saydi city, which produces high-quality light petroleum products that are in demand on the world market. Automated process units at the nearby fields of Bagadja, Gazlydepe, Kerven, Izmail and others also process natural gas around the clock. New Delhi, Jan 30 : The commander of the IndiGo flight, onboard which Kunal Kamra allegedly heckled a senior TV journalist recently, has voiced his disapproval on the airline's decision to bar the stand-up comic for six months. According to the flight's captain, he was not consulted before the airline took the decision. "While Mr. Kamra's behaviour was unacceptable and verbally abusive, at no point did he not comply with crew instructions," the Captain said in his letter to IndiGo's management. "Mr. Kamra's behaviour, while unsavoury, was not qualifying of a level 1 unruly passenger. Indeed, we pilots can all attest to incidents similar or worse in nature that were not deemed unruly," he said. The letter further read: "I was disheartened to learn that my airline has taken action in this case solely on the basis of social media posts, with no consultation whatsoever with the Pilot-in-Command." IndiGo in a statement said: "We have received the relevant statements and the internal committee has initiated the investigation regarding this incident." Meanwhile, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday tweeted: "I had expressed my views with regard to the unruly behaviour of a passenger onboard @IndiGo6E flight. "I reiterate that airlines must ensure 'Zero Tolerance' for any activity which has the potential to jeopardise safety of Passengers in an Aircraft." Passenger carriers IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet and GoAir have barred the stand-up comedian for allegedly portraying "unacceptable behaviour". On Tuesday, IndiGo had barred the stand-up comedian for six months from using its services for allegedly portraying "unacceptable behaviour" onboard one of its flights. It has been alleged that Kamra, while travelling on a Mumbai-Lucknow IndiGo flight, provoked a TV news anchor by asking questions over his news presentation style. On his part, Kamra had posted a statement on his Twitter handle on Tuesday which read: "Today I met Arnab Goswami in a flight to Lucknow, and politely asked him to have a conversation. At first, he pretended to be on a phone call. I waited for his so-called phone call to get over. Seatbelt signs were off at this time. I gave him a monologue about what I felt about his 'Journalism'. He refused to answer any questions, he called me 'mentally unstable'." In another tweet, Kamra said: "Thank you Indigo a six month suspension is honestly very kind of you... Modiji might be suspending Air India forever." Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday termed the Bodo agreement as a historic chapter for peace and development in Assam, which sends a clear message that solution to issues is possible by leaving the path of violence and reposing faith in democracy and Constitution. In a series of tweets, Prime Minister Modi said that the agreement is inspired by the mantra of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, and Sabka Vishwas' and the spirit of 'Ek Bharat, Shresth Bharat'. "As India remembers pujya Bapu on his punya tithi, Assam is witnessing a historic chapter for peace and development. After a wait of 50 years, agreement with our Bodo friends heralds a new beginning. It will strengthen Assam's unity, bring development and usher in a bright future," Modi said. He said that after signing the historic agreement with Bodo organisations, the foremost priority of the government is the development of Bodo areas and work has begun on a comprehensive Rs 1,500 crore package. "Our special focus will be on ease of living and ensuring that Bodos benefit fully from government schemes," he said. "Bodo friends joining us on the path of peace sends a clear message that solution to issues is possible when we leave the path of violence and repose faith in democracy and Constitution. I welcome my Bodo friends to the mainstream. We are committed to ensuring the development of Bodo areas," he said. The Prime Minister said that the accord with Bodo friends "is a message to Assam and other violence-affected parts of the country." "Nation's development can be given momentum only in an environment free of violence and fear. Happy that entire energy of our Bodo friends will further strengthen Assam's development," he said. The Prime Minister said that the accord was made while protecting the interest of other communities of Assam. He said the five-decade-old Bodo issue has found a resolution on the death anniversary of Mahatama Gandhi. "The accord between the Bodo groups and government will strengthen the unity and integrity of Assam. I welcome the decision of my Bodo friends for leaving violence and reposing faith in democracy and Constitution," he said. "This is a victory for all. It's a victory for humanity. It is inspired by the mantra of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas & Sabka Vishwas', & by the spirit of 'Ek Bharat-Shresth Bharat'," he said in a tweet. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Trump desperately wants to impact the outcome of the Democratic primary, dropping into Iowa a few days before the caucus to spread a message of division, discord, and hate, Bidens campaign said in a statement previewing Thursdays speech. Trump has been trying to prevent Biden from getting the nomination since the moment the VP got into the race, getting himself impeached by the House and tried in the Senate in the process. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in a Twitter message described U.S. President Donald Trump's so-called 'Deal of Century' on the Israeli-Palestinian settlement as the most despicable plan. "Enough of these foolish attempts," Rouhani wrote on his Twitter account. He described the 'Deal of Century' as "the most despicable plan of the century". Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said that Tehran is ready to cooperate at any level to "thwart the big plot that has endangered Muslim nations." The diplomat stressed that it is "doomed to failure." HAYWARD (BCN) Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley joined with the NAACP on Wednesday to announce a program aimed at helping people convicted of certain crimes go through a process for getting their convictions dismissed from the record. Speaking at a news conference at Hayward City Hall, O'Malley said her office will staff Saturday drop-in workshops at the Hayward Public Library to help people fill out and complete petitions for dismissal. O'Malley said the only pieces of information that people will need at the workshops are a full name, date of birth and personal file number, or PFN. She said District Attorney staff members will be able to look up prior cases and conviction information. Blank petitions will also be available at the Hayward South Alameda County NAACP office. The NAACP will be able to help people fill out and complete the petitions, which will then be delivered to the District Attorney's Office. Once the District Attorney's Office reviews the petitions, staff will contact people who are seeking dismissal, will allow eligible individuals to waive their appearances in court and submit the petitions to the court for review and dismissal. In a statement, O'Malley said, "We know that a prior conviction on a person's record can have a huge impact on his or her ability to move forward in life." She said, "The District Attorney's Office is proud to partner with the NAACP to help pave a path towards a life free from the roadblocks resulting from a criminal history." The workshops will be held at the Hayward Public Library at 888 C St. in Hayward from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Feb. 8 and Feb. 15. 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. Reuters The European Union has scrapped the possibility of a ban on facial recognition technology in public spaces, according to the latest proposals seen by Reuters. An earlier draft by the European Commission had broached the idea of a moratorium of up to five years to give the bloc time to work out how to prevent abuses. Facial recognition artificial intelligence has sparked a global debate about the pros and cons of a technology widely used by law enforcement agencies but abused by authoritarian regimes for mass and discriminatory surveillance. Critics say the technology can infringe people's fundamental rights and breach data privacy rules. The revised proposal, part of a package of measures to address the challenges of AI, could still be tweaked as the commission is currently seeking feedback before it presents its plan on 19 February. The proposed AI rules would cover so-called high-risk sectors such as healthcare and transport. The US government earlier this month unveiled its own AI regulatory guidelines aimed at limiting authorities' overreach and urged Europe to avoid aggressive approaches. Microsoft President Brad Smith has said that a facial recognition AI ban is akin to using a cleaver instead of a scalpel to solve potential problems while Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai has voiced support. The third forum on homelessness in San Antonio attracted differing solutions from the public Wednesday night, but everyone agreed on two things: something more has to be done to address the situation in the city and the only way to fix the problem is together. I think San Antonio has to pull together as a city, said one resident who wished to remain anonymous. We have a legitimate problem. We need to work together. HomeBase, a California company that the City Council hired in October to create a Homeless Strategic Plan, along with the South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless (SARAH) and San Antonios Department of Human Services have been holding forums throughout the week to discuss homelessness. Patrick Wigmore, the deputy managing director of HomeBase, said the firm seeks the publics concerns, complaints, experiences and suggestions when it comes to homelessness. During the forums, Wigmore also addressed questions people had on the topic, including statistics on the homeless population, challenges, prevention measures and solutions happening in other cities. Wednesdays forum at the Great Northwest Branch Library,was the third of five. About 150 community members have attended the meetings. Wigmore said the main points made at the meetings thus far is that residents are appreciative to hear the current work occurring by programs across San Antonio. He said that officials were also able to share the complexity of ending homelessness. One of the main concerns brought forth by the public is unsheltered homeless and how to report encampments. Multiple residents at Wednesdays meeting talked about encampments in their neighborhoods which can be found throughout the city, not just downtown. The number of complaints about homeless encampments also has increased. Since 2017, nearly 500 encampments have been cleared by the city at a cost of more than $1.7 million. At Wednesdays meeting, city officials discussed the encampment clean-up process and urged anyone who knows of an encampment to reach out to the citys DHS or call 311, San Antonios non-emergency line. One of the major points made at Wednesdays forum is gaining a better understanding of how people became homeless and programs that arent working. If we dont know whats not working then how are we going to address it? said Morjoriee White, the homeless administrator for the citys DHS. Some residents suggested that during Point-in-Time Counts, conducted on a single night every January by SARAH, volunteers should pose these questions to the homeless to get to the crux of the issue. I dont think we solve the problem until we find out why they are homeless, resident Betty Eckert said. The homeless epidemic has remained a prominent issue in the city for years. During the 2019 Point-in-Time Count, the homeless population was at 2,872 people. The count this year took place on Jan. 23. Although the overall homeless population decreased slightly, by 6 percent, it also revealed the number of homeless families increased by 18 percent. Wigmore said since the forums, he has received, multiple requests to conduct regular updates on homelessness with neighborhood groups in the future. There are two forums remaining: 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday at Claude Black Community Center, 2805 E. Commerce St. 6-7:30 p.m. Feb. 10 at Palo Alto College/Ozuna Librarys Legacy Ballroom, 1400 W. Villaret. SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sigma Computing , an innovator in cloud analytics and business intelligence (A&BI), today announced the company's flagship software has won the 2020 DEVIES Award for Best Innovation in Enterprise Solutions. These awards recognize technical innovation, adoption, and reception in the developer technology industry. Sigma was selected based on three criteria: 1) attracted attention, awareness, and adoption; 2) general well-regard by the developer, engineering, and IT community; and 3) being a leader in the company's sector for innovation. "Everyone at Sigma, especially the engineering team, is incredibly honored to be recognized by the prestigious developer community," said Sigma Computing Vice President of Engineering Latha Colby. "We all strive for excellence every day in pursuit of our mission to make data exploration possible for anyone that is curious about the insights they may discover if given the freedom to analyze data themselves. This award reassures us that we are on the right path, helping organizations to finally become data-driven from top to bottom." Sigma empowers anybody to join the data conversation through its no code, spreadsheet-like interface. Customers like Zumper , Volta Charging , and Olivela all use Sigma for data exploration and real-time insights. Zumper decreased average query time from 38 minutes to 38 seconds, Volta reduced engineering time required for business data reporting by over 90 percent, and Olivela cut dashboard creation time from three weeks to just two hours with Sigma. "Developer tools and solutions are continuing to grow in their importance to a global technology business' operations. Sigma Computing is a great example of the new era of products and services allowing developers and engineers to have a greater impact on a company's bottom line," said DevNetwork CEO and DeveloperWeek Producer Geoff Domoracki. ABOUT SIGMA Sigma is analytics built for the cloud. Trusted by data-driven companies, Sigma provides live access to cloud data warehouses using an intuitive, spreadsheet-like interface empowering business experts to ask more of their data without writing a single line of code. With the full power of SQL, the cloud, and a familiar interface, business users have the freedom to analyze data in real time without limits. Sigma puts everyone on the same data-driven team. To learn more about Sigma, visit www.sigmacomputing.com or join the conversation on Twitter @SigmaComputing . Media Contact Rebecca Garcia (206) 422-8502 [email protected] SOURCE Sigma Related Links https://www.sigmacomputing.com/ YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. France has ratified the protocol on implementing the agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Armenia on the readmission of persons residing without authorization, the French migration service said. France has ratified the protocol signed between the French and Armenian governments in Paris on October 27, 2016 on implementing the Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Armenia on the readmission of persons residing without authorization signed in Brussels on April 19, 2013, the statement says. Armenias Migration Service said the protocol defines the technical details, timeframes of the readmission process and the cooperation format. Armenia has ratified that protocol on September 14, 2017. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan GENEVA - The World Health Organization declared the outbreak sparked by a new virus in China that has spread to more than a dozen countries as a global emergency Thursday after the number of cases spiked more than tenfold in a week. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/1/2020 (713 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A woman wearing mask, walks across a bank in Hong Kong, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020. Hong Kong cut off rail service to mainland China at midnight on Wednesday to Thursday to try to stop the spread of a new virus to the city. The death toll rose to 170 in the new virus outbreak in China on Thursday as foreign evacuees from the worst-hit region begin returning home under close observation and world health officials expressed "great concern" that the disease is starting to spread between people outside of China. The bank advertising reads AuGreat Bay Area service scheme,Au and the graffiti by protesters, right, read AuHong Kong people resist.Au (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) GENEVA - The World Health Organization declared the outbreak sparked by a new virus in China that has spread to more than a dozen countries as a global emergency Thursday after the number of cases spiked more than tenfold in a week. The U.N. health agency defines an international emergency as an extraordinary event that constitutes a risk to other countries and requires a co-ordinated international response. China first informed WHO about cases of the new virus in late December. To date, China has reported more than 7,800 cases including 170 deaths. Eighteen other countries have since reported cases, as scientists race to understand how exactly the virus is spreading and how severe it is. Experts say there is significant evidence the virus is spreading among people in China and have noted with concern instances in other countries including the United States, France, Japan, Germany, Canada, South Korea and Vietnam where there have also been isolated cases of human-to-human transmission. Speaking to reporters in Geneva, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted the worrisome spread of the virus between people outside China. Doctors look at a CT scan of a patient at a hospital in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020. China counted 170 deaths from a new virus Thursday and more countries reported infections, including some spread locally, as foreign evacuees from China's worst-hit region returned home to medical observation and even isolation. (Chinatopix via AP) The main reason for this declaration is not because of what is happening in China but because of what is happening in other countries," he said. Our greatest concern is the potential for this virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems which are ill-prepared to deal with it." This declaration is not a vote of non-confidence in China," he said. On the contrary, WHO continues to have the confidence in Chinas capacity to control the outbreak." A declaration of a global emergency typically brings greater money and resources, but may also prompt nervous governments to restrict travel and trade to affected countries. The announcement also imposes more disease reporting requirements on countries. A man wearing a surgical mask makes a child wear one outside the government general hospital where a student who had been in Wuhan is kept in isolation in Thrissur, Kerala state, India, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020. India on Thursday reported its first case of the new type of coronavirus in a student who had been in Wuhan as China counted 170 deaths from the new virus. (AP Photo) In the wake of numerous airlines cancelling flights to China and businesses including Starbucks and McDonald's temporarily closing hundreds of shops, Tedros said WHO was not recommending limiting travel or trade to China. There is no reason for measures that unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade, he said. He added that Chinese President Xi Jinping had committed to help stop the spread of the virus beyond its borders. During my discussion with the president and other officials, they're willing to support countries with weaker health systems with whatever is possible, Tedros said. Construction workers labor at the site of the Huoshenshan temporary field hospital being built in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020. China counted 170 deaths from a new virus Thursday and more countries reported infections, including some spread locally, as foreign evacuees from China's worst-hit region returned home to medical observation and even isolation. (AP Photo/Arek Rataj) On Thursday, France confirmed that a doctor who was in contact with a patient with the new virus later became infected himself. The doctor is now being treated in an isolated room at a Paris hospital. Outbreak specialists worry that the spread of new viruses from patients to health workers can signal the virus is becoming adapted to human transmission. China raised the death toll to 170 on Thursday and more countries reported infections, including some spread locally, as foreign evacuees from China's worst-hit region returned home to medical tests and even isolation. Russia announced it was closing its 2,600-mile border with China, joining Mongolia and North Korea in barring crossings to guard against a new viral outbreak. It had been de facto closed because of the Lunar New Year holiday, but Russian authorities said the closure would be extended until March 1. Travelers wearing face masks walk through the international arrivals area at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020. China counted 170 deaths from a new virus Thursday and more countries reported infections, including some spread locally, as foreign evacuees from China's worst-hit region returned home to medical observation and even isolation. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Meanwhile, the United States and South Korea confirmed their first cases of person-to-person spread of the virus. The man in the U.S. is married to a 60-year-old Chicago woman who got sick from the virus after she returned from a trip to Wuhan, the Chinese city that is the epicenter of the outbreak. The case in South Korea was a 56-year-old man who had contact with a patient who was diagnosed with the new virus earlier. Although scientists expect to see limited transmission of the virus between people with close contact, like within families, the instances of spread to people who may have had less exposure to the virus in Japan and Germany is worrying. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), talks to the media at the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak of a new deadly virus which originated from China a "global health emergency." China, where the coronavirus emerged, has reported 170 deaths and at least 7,800 infections from the infection. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP) In Japan, a man in his 60s caught the virus after working as a bus driver for two tour groups from Wuhan. In Germany, a man in his 30s was sickened after a Chinese colleague from Shanghai, whose parents had recently visited from Wuhan, came to his office for a business meeting. Four other workers later became infected. The woman had shown no symptoms of the virus until her flight back to China. Thats the kind of transmission chain that we dont want to see, said Marion Koopmans, an infectious diseases specialist at Erasmus University Medical Center in the Netherlands and a member of WHOs emergency committee. Koopmans said more information was needed about how the virus was spread in these instances and whether it meant the virus was more infectious than previously thought or if there was something unusual in those circumstances. From left, Michael Ryan, Executive Director of World Health Organization (WHO) Health Emergencies Programme, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of WHO, Professor Didier Houssin, Chair of Emergency Committee, Maria van Kerkhove, Head AI Emerging Dieseases and Zoonoses Unit WHO, talk to the media at the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak of a new deadly virus which originated from China a "global health emergency." China, where the coronavirus emerged, has reported 170 deaths and at least 7,800 infections from the infection. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP) Mark Harris, a professor of virology at Leeds University, said it appears that the spread of the virus among people is probably easier than initially presumed. If transmission between humans was difficult, then the numbers would have plateaued, he said. Harris said the limited amount of virus spread beyond China suggested the outbreak could still be contained, but that if people are spreading the disease before they show symptoms as some Chinese politicians and researchers have suggested that could compromise control efforts. The new virus has now infected more people in China than were sickened there during the 2002-2003 outbreak of SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, a cousin of the new virus. Both are from the coronavirus family, which also includes those that can cause the common cold. The latest figures for mainland China show an increase of 38 deaths and 1,737 cases for a total of 7,736 confirmed cases. Of the new deaths, 37 were in Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, and one was in the southwestern province of Sichuan. Outside China, there are 82 infections in 18 countries, according to WHO. China extended its Lunar New Year holiday to Sunday to try to keep people home, but the wave of returning travellers could potentially cause the virus to spread further. 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. China has been largely praised for a swift and effective response to the outbreak, although questions have been raised about the police suppression of what were early on considered mere rumours a reflection of the one-party Communist state's determination to maintain a monopoly on information in spite of smart phones and social media. That stands in stark contrast to the initial response to SARS, when medical reports were hidden as state secrets. The delayed response was blamed for allowing the disease to spread worldwide, killing around 800 people. Dr. Jeremy Farrar, director of Britain's Wellcome Trust, welcomed WHO's emergency declaration. This virus has spread at unprecedented scale and speed, with cases passing between people in multiple countries across the world, he said in a statement. It is also a stark reminder of how vulnerable we are to epidemics of infectious diseases known and unknown. ___ Cheng reported from London. Associated Press writers Ken Moritsugu in Beijing, Elaine Ganley in Paris, Frank Jordans in Berlin, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Julia Murdocca nearly went blind, and she wants others to learn from her mistake. Murdocca, 49, of Tottenville, said she wont put off her routine eye exam ever again -- not after an undetected rare form of glaucoma nearly took her vision permanently a few weeks ago. A busy mother of four whose youngest, 18-year-old Rocco Jr., is battling a rare kidney disease, Murdocca was saved from a lifetime of blindness by a nick-of-time eye exam and an emergency laser procedure that quickly dispelled her doom. I thought I was seeing fine; I had no reason to have my eyes checked, she said, explaining why she hadnt ever visited an ophthalmologist, and hadnt been to an optometrist in years to update her eyeglass prescription. I thought I was suffering from migraines, but the past six or seven months itd gotten worse. When her husband, Rocco, suggested she join him on a visit to Specs for Less in Richmond Valley on Jan. 4, she went along. There, optometrist Brian Nye was alarmed when he tested her eye pressure with a routine non-contact tonometry (air puff test). He told me to see an ophthalmologist right away, Murdocca recalled. When Dr. Paul Sidoti, chairman of ophthalmology at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, checked her eye pressure readings a few days later, he detected acute angle-closure glaucoma and urged her to have a laser treatment, called an iridotomy, on both eyes -- immediately. It was, literally, an emergency, Murdocca said, recalling that she was hesitant because she knew the procedure would prevent her from driving her son to Delaware for treatment the following day. Dr. Sidoti was concerned that I was going to go blind while driving to Delaware, she said, so she had the procedure, which took only a few minutes for each eye. It was pretty lucky, Sidoti said. Glaucoma in most forms is asymptomatic. The visual loss is irreversible. (Courtesy of the New York Eye and Ear Informary of Mount Sinai) Sidoti said its rare to see pressure so high in patients when he performs the air puff test, because most often a problem is found much earlier, during routine exams. That level of pressure is a sure sign that a patient is precariously close to blindness, he said. It was pretty lucky, the doctor said. Glaucoma in most forms is asymptomatic. The visual loss is irreversible. Murdoccas experience highlights the importance of routine eye exams, Sidoti said. Its fairly uncommon to find patients who have gotten to this point without being detected, Sidoti said. However, this narrow angle closure glaucoma can be detected, and as a result be treated in a preventative way, before pressure becomes elevated. Murdocca had been suffering debilitating headaches, but attributed them to the stress of her sons illness. The pain was just unbelievable in my right eye, she said. After the procedure, everything changed, she said. I feel like Im 10 years younger, she explained, noting that the pain and strange rainbows shed been seeing were completely gone. I forgot what its like to feel good. Though today she still has occasional headaches during stressful times, they are much less painful, she said, and shes following up to see if they are even related to her eyes. Ironically, this all occurred during January, which is National Glaucoma Awareness Month. Eye exams, she said, will forever be a priority, like mammograms, or other routine preventative care. Im my sons primary caregiver, she said. He passed out the other day. If I wasnt there to see that, he wouldnt be here today. Just take care of yourself. Your health should be a priority. (Newser) A Georgia man convicted of killing his ex-wife and her boyfriend more than two decades ago was put to death Wednesday evening, becoming the state's first inmate to be executed this year. Donnie Cleveland Lance, 66, received a lethal injection at the state prison in Jackson. His time of death was 9:05pm, Warden Benjamin Ford told witnesses. Lance said nothing when he was given a chance to make a final statement and declined to have a chaplain say a prayer. Strapped to a gurney, he lay mostly still but wiggled his feet. Lance was sentenced to death for the Nov. 8, 1997, killings of Sabrina "Joy" Lance and Dwight "Butch" Wood Jr., reports the AP. story continues below Lance went to Wood's home in Jackson County, kicked in the front door, shot Wood in the front and back with a shotgun, and then beat Joy Lance to death with the butt of the weapon, according to a Georgia Supreme Court summary of the case. Lance had maintained he did not kill the pair, and his now-adult son and daughter begged for clemency. There were no witnesses, and no murder weapon was ever found. Lance's lawyers argued that no blood or other physical evidence linked him to the killings but that investigators focused only on him from the start. Lawyers for the state argued that the evidence against Lance, "although circumstantial, was overwhelming." Prosecutors said Lance had long abused his ex-wife, both during their marriage and after their divorce, and had threatened multiple times to kill her. (Read more execution stories.) As the Novel Coronavirus continues spreading to new countries, some governments are evacuating their citizens from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus. German health authorities confirmed Germanys first case of coronavirus on Monday. The male patient from the district of Starnberg is clinically in good condition and is being monitored while in isolation. German news magazine Der Spiegel reported that the German government is considering sending military aircraft to Wuhan. The planes will help evacuate about 90 German citizens in the region. However, the Chinese regime didnt allow Germany to evacuate their citizens over concerns that the presence of foreign military aircraft would cause panic among people. Japanese authorities said on Tuesday that a man who had not been to China recently also contracted the virus. The health ministry said the man was a driver for two groups of Wuhan tourists earlier in January. He was hospitalized on Saturday for flu-like symptoms. Japans government sent a chartered flight to Wuhan on Jan. 28 to evacuate its nationals who wished to return home. We got a call [from our Chinese counterpart] saying they are prepared to accommodate one charter plane. We also secured transportation [for Japanese people in Wuhan] to the airport. So we will send the first charter plane to Wuhan Airport tonight, Minister of Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi said. Since the return of the Japanese evacuees, three have tested positive for the coronavirus. Pune court likely to hear probe agencys application on Monday. According to the defence lawyer, the central probe agencys application indicated that a fresh FIR has been registered by the NIA on January 27. Mumbai: A week after the Elgar Parishad case was transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the agency has moved an application before a special court in Pune seeking transfer of the case to the special NIA court in Mumbai. The probe agency submitted the application on Wednesday. According to a defence lawyer, the special judge S.R. Navandar has posted this application for hearing on Monday. The National Investigation Agency, in its plea, has requested the court to transfer all the records and the case proceedings to the special NIA court in Mumbai. According to the defence lawyer, the central probe agencys application indicated that a fresh FIR has been registered by the NIA on January 27. Earlier this week, an attempt by NIA officials to get documents pertaining to the case failed as the local police refused to hand them over documents until they get orders from Director General of Police (DGP), Maharashtra. According to sources, a team of NIA officials, comprising a Superintendent of Police-rank officer, had met Pune police officials and informed them that the investigation into the Elgar Parishad case has been handed over to the agency. The city police, however, had told them that the case-related documents would be handed over to them only after they received orders from the Maharashtra DGP office to that effect. The Pune police has claimed that the speeches delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave, held at Shaniwarwada in Pune city on December 31, 2017, led to the violence at Koregaon Bhima in the district the next day. They have also claimed that the conclave was organised by the people having Maoist links. During the probe into the violence, police had arrested human rights activists Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Shoma Sen, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Sudha Bharadwaj and Varavara Rao for alleged Maoist links. They were booked under the relevant sections of the IPC and also the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government of Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and Congress has slammed the Centre for handing over the probe to the National Investigation Agency. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had condemned the Centres decision to transfer the case to the NIA without the consent of the state government and termed the move as unconstitutional. The opposition BJP had, however, welcomed the move. Portions of President Donald Trump's border wall got blown over by high winds on Wednesday, and fell onto the Mexican side of the border. Video obtained by KYMA shows parts of the wall falling over into Mexicali, Mexico. Carlos Pitones, an agent with the Customs and Border Protection sector in El Centro, California, shared that the section that fell had been set in a new concrete foundation in Calexico, California. The concrete had not been cured, and the panels were unable to withstand the harsh winds, Pitones explained to CNN. Scroll down for video Portion of the wall that fell in Mexicali, Mexico, ran roughly 130ft in length The particular area where the wall fell is part of an ongoing project to improve existing sections of the wall The portion of the wall that fell ran roughly 130ft in length. 'We are grateful there was no property damage or injuries,' he added. The particular area where the wall fell is part of an ongoing project to improve existing sections of the wall. Carlos Pitones, an agent with the Customs and Border Protection sector in El Centro, California, shared that the section that fell had been set in a new concrete foundation in Calexico, California. The concrete had not been cured According to the National Weather Service, winds reached high speeds of 37mph on Wednesday. Local Mexicali officials did divert traffic, CBP officials state. The agency plans to work with the Mexican government to figure out the best next steps for the section. Pitones said it is currently unknown how long the construction work in the area will be suspended to allow for cleanup. Agitating Political parties raising red flags over the compilation of the new voter's register for the 2020 elections are scheduled to hold a dialogue today with the Electoral Commission (EC) Eminent Advisory Committee. The meeting with members of the Commission and representatives of political parties under Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) is over the contentious plan to compile a new voters' register. EC insists fresh registration of voters will go ahead because it is very cost-effective compared to the cost of refurbishing the existing system which has got to its end-use. According to the commission, the current register is not fit for purpose and its embarking on acquisition of new election management system that is robust but cheaper. However, a coalition of minority parties under the control of NDC known as the Inter-Party Resistance Against New Voter Register is kicking against the new register citing cost and time. The group has been staging demonstrations to register its protest against the compilation of a new register. Run To Rawlings With the EC's insistence that the new register is a done deal, the group has abandoned the demonstrations and now eunning to influential persons in the society, including former President Jerry John Rawlings. The Inter-Party Resistance Against New Voter Register (IPRAN), has petitioned former President Jerry John Rawlings to seek his counsel in its quest to stop the Electoral Commission from compiling a new register ahead of the 2020 elections, a statement from the Office of the former President said. The group's led by PNC National Chairman, Bernard Mornah, met the former President at his office on Tuesday, and said the EC's refusal to listen to wise counsel particularly from persons who have participated in the electoral process for a very long time has led to very painful but wrong decisions. The coalition said while the Electoral Commission may have a mandate to compile a new register, The mandate must be within reasonable limits. The mandate of leadership is vested in the people and the Ghanaian people are saying that apply some economic reasoning. We are telling the Electoral Commission that if it's not broken, don't fix it! Former President Rawlings called for patience on both sides and urged the coalition and the Electoral Commission not to take entrenched positions. He urged the coalition to ensure that eminent personalities and institutions such as the former Presidents, the Electoral Commission's Eminent Advisory Committee and the Council of State are all informed. There is so much mistrust that if we do not find a way of dealing with some of these issues, they will remain and sour the atmosphere during the election period. It will keep us very close to an ignition point which will be very unnecessary. This coming election is going to be a truly serious thing and nobody must take the process for granted or think they can get away with making the wrong moves. The steps being taken must be transparent so no one has any doubts about the integrity of the process. Whoever wants to win will necessarily have to win by free and fair means, former President Rawlings, stated. Tells airline it should have consulted him, says Kamra was not unruly. New Delhi: The pilot of the IndiGo Mumbai-Lucknow flight in which standup comedian Kunal Kamra allegedly heckled journalist Arnab Goswami on Tuesday has written to his airline objecting to the ban on Kamra, saying that at no point was he unruly and had obeyed the instructions of the pilot. The aircraft captain added that Kamra had never endangered safety or disobeyed any instructions, leading to questions about the way IndiGo had banned him, without any formal inquiry. Under the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR), only a temporary 30-day ban can be imposed on passengers pending an inquiry by a committee. For offensive behaviour designed to provoke and create a disturbance, also seen as disruptive behaviour, a passenger can be banned for a maximum of three months, while physically abusive behaviour and endangering the aircraft and passengers carry bans of six months and two years respectively. IndiGo announced a ban of six months while other airlines Air India, SpiceJet and GoAir did not give any timeframe for the ban. Vistara has said that its internal committee is examining matters. Capt. Rohit Mateti is learnt to have written to IndiGos management, saying: I was disheartened to learn that my airline has taken action in this case solely on the basis of social media posts with no consultation whatsoever with pilot-in-command. This is somewhat unprecedented in my nine years of airline flying. Moving forward, am I to understand that the bar for interpretation of a disruptive passenger is lower/different when it comes to a high-profile case? I would like a clarification from the airline as it leaves a lot of room for ambiguity. Capt. Mateti has in his letter also given out details of the flight and the incident, saying that while Kamras behaviour was unacceptable and verbally abusive, at no point of time he did not comply with crew instructions. He added Kamra went back to his seat every time an announcement was made and he had later apologised to him about his conduct. He added that Arnab Goswami had been asked if he wanted to lodge any complaint. After the flight, when most of the passengers had deplaned, Mr Kamra requested permission to enter the flight deck to speak with me to personally apologise again... I asked him if this issue was political in nature, which he confirmed. I advised him that while we are all entitled to our opinions there is a time and place to voice them, and that mid-flight was no place for it. He agreed, thanked us and left the aircraft, the pilot added. While IndiGo had promptly imposed the ban on Mr Kamra, all other airlines acted after minister of state for civil aviation Hardeep Singh Puri advised them to take action, saying: Offensive behaviour designed to provoke and create disturbance inside an aircraft is absolutely unacceptable and endangers the safety of air travellers. We are left with no option but to advise other airlines to impose similar restrictions on the person concerned. Mr Kamra had in a statement said he had apologised to the crew and the pilots of the plane, but he had no regrets as he did it for his hero Rohit Vemula. Photo Illustration by Kristen Hazzard/The Daily Beast/Getty If you love The Daily Beasts royal coverage, then we hope youll enjoy The Royalist, a members-only series for Beast Inside. Become a member to get The Royalist in your inbox every Sunday. Prince Andrew and the FBI were involved in a furious war of words Tuesday, after he denied claims made by the U.S. attorney for Manhattan, Geoffrey Berman, that he has refused to cooperate with American authorities investigating Jeffrey Epsteins alleged sexual abuse. Andrew said no request had been received, and he was ready to talk. However a spokesperson for Bermans office told The Daily Beast they stood by the prosecutors comments, specifically the claim that they had made several attempts to contact Andrews representatives. Andrew, 59, however, was said to be angry and bewildered, according to The Daily Telegraph, at allegations made by Berman. On Monday, Berman called out Andrew for giving zero co-operation to the investigation into Epstein at a press conference held outside Epstein's infamous front door. Nothing could be further from the truth, a source described as close to Andrew told The Telegraph, The Duke is more than happy to talk to the FBI but he hasnt been approached by them yet. He is angry about the way this is being portrayed and bewildered as to why this was said in New York. It seems certain people are jumping the gun. However law-enforcement sources were adamant that they stood by Bermans remarks. Berman said he was taking the rare step of calling Andrew out by name because Andrew himself, in his disastrous Newsnight interview, had said: I am willing to help any appropriate law-enforcement agency with their investigations, if required. While many observers saw Bermans remarks as a desperate (and likely unsuccessful) attempt to shame Prince Andrew into living up to his earlier vow, Duncan Levin, a former federal and New York state prosecutor in the Manhattan DAs office, saw something else: evidence of the authorities determination to leave no stone unturned as they go after the rich and powerful global network which Epstein cultivated. Story continues Levin, who is now a managing partner at Tucker Levin, PLLC, told The Daily Beast that while it was highly unusual for a prosecutor to make a public statement about a witnesss reluctance to cooperate with law enforcement there is nothing usual about this case, in any way. Prince Andrew is not your typical witness, by any stretch of the imagination. Levin says that while U.S. law enforcement have no way of forcing Prince Andrew to testify, or to co-operate in their probe to read Bermans actions as only an expression of frustration would be a mistake. It is that, to be sure, but he also saw it as evidence of a steely determination to collar some of Epsteins powerful pals. They are doggedly pursuing every angle in this case. Now, why is that unusual? Because the defendant is dead. Usually that is the end of a case. But they clearly are digging in to this case and not letting go. This is a case that is going to be investigated until there is no investigation left to be done. They are turning over every single rock. They are trying to do everything they can to bring some measure of justice to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein. I think this signals how serious U.S. law enforcement is. They will pursue every single angle and put as much pressure on witnesses as possibleincluding members of the Royal Family. But what can this pressure really achieve? A lot of hinges on what Prince Andrew knows. He may know just enough to land himself in some trouble. I think the clear hunch of U.S. law enforcement, is that he knows more than he is letting on. Maybe he was involved. But I dont expect to see a Rolls Royce turning up [at the prosecutors office] any time soon. In the U.K., Bermans shocking statement was initially greeted with a stony silence from official Palace channels. Even Andreas wife and stalwart defender, Sarah Ferguson, fell silent on Twitter, and sources at the Palace would only tell The Daily Beast two thingsthat Prince Andrews legal team were looking at the claims and that they wouldnt be saying anything more about the issue, ever. Mark Stephens, an international law expert at law firm Howard Kennedy, said that Andrew has little to fear other than public opprobrium if he keeps his mouth shut and chooses his vacation spots with care. As a simple matter of legal fact, Andrew is not legally compelled to do anything, Stephens says. If he is a suspect, then he is entitled to the right to silence. If they want to talk to him as a witness, thats voluntary. If you witness a crime you dont have to report it to the police and you dont have to give evidence. Stephens says that while the Americans could try, through a procedure called mutual legal assistance, to remotely subpoena him, he could simply ignore the request. Layer on top of that, that he also has the benefit of immunity, which applies to all princes, potentates and prime ministers, adds Stephens. As a consequence of that, both the civil lawyers and the DA know they cant get him other than voluntarily. So, what we saw yesterday, was a piece of high drama, one might even say high theatre. If you were his lawyer, you would say You have done one car crash interview with Emily Maitlisit would be even more ill-advised to do another car crash interview with the Feds under oath. So is this a legal problem or a PR problem for the beleaguered prince? Oh, it is clearly both, says Stephens. There are two swords of Damocles hanging above his head, but the question is which sword of Damocles is more dangerous, and I suspect it is the legal one. Andrews fightback on Tuesday suggests that maybe he feels the opposite to be the case. 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. The fast-spreading coronavirus has infected thousands of people in China and raised fears about a global pandemic and that could have a positive impact on the U.S. economy, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said Thursday. Ross said in a Fox Business Network interview that the disease, which Chinese officials say has more than 7,700 confirmed cases and has caused 170 deaths, will lead businesses to reconsider their supply chains. That could help quicken the pace at which jobs and manufacturing are returning to the U.S. from overseas, he said. "I don't want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease," Ross told Fox on Thursday morning. "But the fact is, it does give businesses another thing to consider when they go through their review of their supply chain." The coronavirus is "another risk factor that people need to take into account," Ross said. "I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America," he said. "Some to the U.S., some to Mexico as well." Ross made the comments weeks after Trump signed a "phase one" trade deal with China, which defused some tensions between the nations. "As Secretary Ross made clear the first step is to bring the virus under control and help the victims of this disease. It is also important to consider the ramifications of doing business with a country that has a long history of covering up real risks to its own people and the rest of the world," a Commerce Department official told CNBC, when asked for further comment on Ross' remarks. "Fortunately, the Department of Commerce is equipped to support the American people and our businesses to do both." ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- At the International Builders' Show in Las Vegas last week, Enginuity Power Systems' micro-Combined Heat and Power product was on-display for attendees of the show to learn about and also for a panel of judges to assess and evaluate against other exhibitors since Enginuity was an 'IBS Awards Finalist'. The efficient, smart home product was decorated by the judges with three (3) awards: 'Best In Show', 'Best Home Technology Product' and 'Best Energy Efficient Product'. "We brought our m-CHP to the International Builders' Show with the goal of speaking to industry professionals about the system and its potential," says Jim Warren, Co-Inventor / Co-Founder. "When you design a completely new home appliance you do it in an intellectual vacuum since there is nothing like it for comparison. Honestly, the first real feedback we got was from the building industry people at the show and we've been blown away by their response." Enginuity's product has the capability to produce all the hot water, heat, and electricity for one's home, with back-up power stored in a lithium ion battery as a secondary power back up. It can support residential and commercial applications. The m-CHP also has innovative applications for the government and the military. Lara Reyes, Director of Government Markets for Enginuity Power Systems' says "In terms of military and government, we provide for a multitude of power solutions; such as our P3 micro-generator at 2KW and weighing only 30lbs, hybrid load following genset from 2-5kW, range extenders, engines for Lightweight Tactical Vehicles," Reyes goes on to say, "the product can function as an auxiliary power unit for various military systems, and the m-CHP meets and exceeds the requirements for expeditionary, secure, reliable, sustainable power and energy both domestically, internationally and in austere locations." Enginuity Power Systems is introducing the next generation of ultra high-efficiency engines to manufacturers and consumers for broad home & light industrial appliance, portable generation and transportation applications. The Enginuity platform is built on the technological foundation provided by the world's first production-ready 4-stroke inwardly opposed piston engine. About the NAHB / International Builders' Show: The 2020 Builders' Show will bring together more than 1,400 top manufacturers and suppliers from around the globe in 600,000 net square feet of exhibit space, showcasing the latest and most in-demand products and services. IBS 2020 offers the most up-to-date and innovative education the industry has to offer. It features sessions in seven tracks, taught by renowned building industry experts from across the country. With topics ranging from sales and marketing to construction and codes, there is literally something for everyone. About Enginuity Power Systems: Formed in 2015, Enginuity has developed, patented, and prototyped the next generation of high- efficiency engine technology. Functional prototypes named the P3-portable, V4-back-up generation; and V5-micro-Combined Heat and Power (m-CHP) product address initial target applications, and more refined versions are currently under development, a step toward meeting the specifications required for commercial orders. In December, Enginuity entered into a Cooperative Research & Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Department of Energy / Oak Ridge National Laboratory to optimize, validate and demonstrate the engine and mCHP system. Learn more about the vertical applications by visiting the website: www.enginuitypowersystems.com and following Enginuity on social media: Facebook: @EnginuityPowerSystems, Twitter: @EnginuityPower, and Instagram: @enginuitypowersystems. Contact: Brian Hoek 301.787.3743 [email protected] SOURCE Enginuity Power Systems Related Links http://www.enginuitypowersystems.com A New York elementary school teacher who abused several young students at his desk has had his jail sentence dramatically reduced after an appeals court ruled that an initial trial 'erroneously permitted the introduction of highly prejudicial alleged uncharged complaints'. Simon Watts, 48, will now serve eight years behind bars, down from the 35-year sentence he initially received at his first trial. Watts, who was known to his family as 'Mr Perfect', looked downcast as a judge handed down the sentence Thursday inside the Queens County Criminal Court. Watts worked at the Jackie Robinson Elementary School in Queens before he was charged with an array of child sex offences back in 2010, before being convicted in 2013. During that trial, jurors were told he used five of his elementary school students as his 'personal sex toys', The New York Post reported at the time. Simon Watts, 48, will now serve eight years behind bars, down from the 35 year sentence he initially received at his first trial. He is pictured at sentencing inside the Queens Criminal Court on Thursday Watts worked at the Jackie Robinson Elementary School in Queens before he was charged with an array of child sex offences back in 2010, before being convicted in 2013. He is pictured on Thursday According to Gothamist investigators claimed 'he molested [several of] the children at his desk while fellow students sat in the classroom'. The students were alleged to have been eight and nine years old at the time the abuse took place. One student claimed that they were abused almost 'every day' between from December 2007 until June 2009. The told jurors that Watts 'ejaculated onto the floor and used hand sanitizer and a tissue to clean it up'. Watts was sentenced to 35 years in prison after jurors found him guilty on all 11 counts on which he was charged. The abuse took place against five students at the Jackie Robinson Elementary School in Queens In 2018, one of Watts victims successfully sued Department of Education and the city of New York for $16 million - a sum that was later reduced to $4 million. The woman was just eight years old when she was molested by the teacher between 2007 and 2009. Meanwhile, last October the Queens Eagle reported that a state appellate court sent Watt's case back to Queens Supreme Court after finding 'the judge presiding at the [initial] jury trial allowed prosecutors to question witnesses about complaints that were not part of the original indictment' which prejudiced the jury. According to the publication a second court ruled that 'the jury verdict was not against the weight of evidence' as 'there was sufficient evidence to prove Watts guilt'. That decision to send the case back to the Queens Supreme Court resulted in the handing down of the new eight year sentence on Thursday. At the time of his arrest, Watts was married and had a child. His current marital status is unclear. An election held in the U.S. in 2020 could do a lot to shape global climate outcomes in the immediate future. It wont feature Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, or Elizabeth Warren, and the winner wont live in the White House. Its a race for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission, which holds immense power over the states vast oil and gas industry. Booming oil and gas production across the Permian Basin of West Texas has made this little-known regulator, with three voting members, a pivotal decision-maker for the American contribution to climate change. The reason for this comes down to natural-gas flaring. Drillers in Texas, as in other places, are allowed to burn off vast amounts of natural gas that is a by-product of oil production. This is done, in part, because of the expense involved in capturing the gas, putting it into pipelines, and moving it to processing facilities. And it happens with permission from the Texas Railroad Commission. Burning off the gas prevents the unchecked release of methane, an extremely potent greenhouse gas that causes as much as 36 times more warming than carbon dioxide in the 100-year period after its release, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. But allowing Texas drillers to burn their unwanted gassomething the Railroad Commission almost always doesis a harmful solution: Tons of carbon dioxide and other pollutants enter the atmosphere, without yielding any useful energy. Global gas flaring emits more than 350 million tons of CO2-equivalent each year, according to the World Bank. Thats equal to all the natural gas consumed in Central America and South America each year. This is the most important environmental race in the country, says Chrysta Castaneda, 56, one of four Democratic candidates vying to become the first non-Republican commissioner in more than 25 years and the first Democrat to win statewide office since the 1990s. The commission is not enforcing the laws on flaring. Whats going on in Texas is one of the biggest contributors to the issue worldwide. Texas Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton said its patently false that the agency is not enforcing the rules on flaring. The state flares just 2% of its gas production, much less than most other major producing countries, according to a statement released by his office. The Railroad Commission was set up by the state in the late 1800s to regulate private railroads. Over the years, that mandate grew to include everything from oil and gas in 1919 to buses and trucks in 1931. A few regulatory changes left the agency no longer overseeing transportation, but the name has stuck and it remains the chief regulator of the state's oil and gas industry. The commission has never denied a flaring permit for other than administrative reasons. In one recent case, a company won permission to burn unwanted gas by arguing that connecting to a nearby pipeline would be too expensive. If the Permian Basin were a country, it would have ranked ninth for total volume of flared gas in 2018, ahead of Mexico and Angola and just behind Libya. Its not an easy, black-and-white, Well-why-dont-you-just-tell-them-to-stop? kind of problem, says Bobby Tudor, co-founder of Houston-based investment bank Tudor Pickering Holt & Co., which advises oil and gas companies. But I think in general, a much firmer stand from the Railroad Commission and leadership from the most active companies can make a difference. Flaring is central to the campaign to unseat Sitton, and the issue is gaining more attention than ever. The race now includes Castaneda and three additional Democratic challengers: Dallas lawyers Roberto Alonzo and Mark Watson and San Marcos educator Kelly Stone. Watson and Stone both say they, too, want to crack down on flaring. Alonzo didnt respond to requests for comment and does not appear to have a website. The prices paid for shale oil do not accurately reflect the true cost of production, Watson says. Flaring natural gas must be reduced very quickly, in a responsible manner. Stone takes it a step farther, siding with Democratic presidential candidates such as Warren and Sanders, who have come out in support of a ban on fracking. Im a gal that wants to ban fracking, says Stone, who taught at Texas State University until her class, Sexuality Across the Life Span, was canceled last year amid a spat with national conservative group Turning Point USA. I realize that Im saying that in the state of Texas, where people clutch their pearls when you say something like that. (A spokesman for the university said it doesnt comment on personnel matters, and Turning Point USA didnt respond to a request for comment.) Castaneda says such a move would risk huge disruption to our current economy and current lifestyle. She accuses the Republican-dominated commission of failing to enforce the commissions existing rules by putting limits on waste. If we are going to extract fossil fuels from the ground, we ought to use them productively and not wastefully, says Castaneda. Sitton frames the issue around preventing the economic waste of leaving oil in the ground. Halting flaring would cost billions in terms of economic impacts and taxes to the state and Federal government as well as raising energy costs, his office said in its statement. The energy produced in Texas provides affordable energy for people all around the world and it is produced more cleanly and responsibly than anywhere else in the world. Last December, Sitton told Bloomberg Television that hes very confident about his chances for reelection. In Texas, producers are allowed to flare without limits in the first 10 days a well is operational; after that, flaring requires a permit from the Railroad Commission. In 2019, the commission granted 6,972 permits allowing companies to flare or vent natural gas, a 40-fold increase from the start of the shale boom a decade ago. Texas crude output, meanwhile, increased fivefold over that period. LEGAL HEAT: Pipeline operator sues Railroad Commission in flaring dispute Not surprisingly, flaring in the Permian Basin, which stretches across West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, has climbed to an all-time high. The basin flared 700 million cubic feet of gas each day in the third quarter of 2019, according to Oslo-based Rystad Energy. That would be more than enough to meet residential demand across the entire state of Texas. Producers say they need to flare because natural gas pipelines havent kept pace with supplies. Local gas prices are so depressed that at times theyve gone negative, meaning drillers have to pay to get someone to haul away unwanted fuel. Thats been enough to convince current Railroad Commissioners that flaring is warranted. The industry and the Railroad Commission has been saying, We need more pipeline capacity, says Colin Leyden, senior manager of regulatory and legislative affairs at the Environmental Defense Fund in Texas. Theyve been saying that for six years. I think that pipeline capacity is going to end up helping, but its not going to solve the issue. Castaneda believes there are other options. She points to on-site power generation, in which producers run natural gas through a generator, turning it into electricity that can power their own operations. Oil companies could also connect to the grid, using gas to power homes and businesses across the state. They could put excess power into the grid so that in hot summer days, we are not pulling coal-fired power plants back online to make up that gap, she says. Like Sitton, who worked as an engineer for several oil companies, Castaneda touts her experience in the industry, including a high-profile case in which she represented T. Boone Pickenss Mesa Petroleum in a lawsuit against J. Cleo Thompson, another legendary Texas wildcatter, over assets in one of the hottest parts of the Permian Basin. Castaneda and her Democratic challengers are trying to ride a blue wave in a state thats still mostly red. Plus, theres the challenge of getting voters to understand what exactly the Texas Railroad Commission does in time for the November election. And not all oil producers are likely to be excited about the idea of greater regulation of their activities. Castaneda has been making the rounds across the state, including the unofficial capital of the Permian Basin: Midland. She turned up for a recent event at the Midland Petroleum Club and got into a conversation with a small-scale local operator. I just introduced myself as a Democrat running for the Railroad Commission, she says, and one of the first questions I got was, What are you going to do about this flaring problem? There were moments last year when it seemed that the Texas Railroad Commission was changing its permissive posture on flaring permits. In a rare split, Chairman Wayne Christian, whose seat is up for reelection in 2022, dissented from the decision to grant Exco Resources a permit, despite the fact that it could connect to a Williams Cos. pipeline nearby. Williams is now suing the commission. In my business, I have to pay for the local sewage, the local garbage, Christian said at a second meeting, in which he raised concern over issuing a permit to Exco. Its a cost of doing business. Still, that was just one case in almost 7,000 from 2019. Christian and the other two Republican commissioners have otherwise voted staunchly in favor to allow producers to flare. Castaneda or any other flaring opponent successful in taking the seat would likely be outvoted. When asked how she would deal with that, Castaneda responds: Theres always the bully pulpit. Mike Pompeo and Donald Trump Getty Brexit will be "fantastic" for the United States because it will allow the UK to abandon European trade standards, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday. Speaking at an event in London, Pompeo said Brexit would reduce costs for US businesses. He said Britain would be at the 'front of the line' for a trade deal after Brexit. The United Kingdom is due to leave the EU on Friday, after which it will be free to begin trade talks with the US. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Brexit will be "fantastic" for the United States because it will allow the United Kingdom to abandon European trade regulations and standards, the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested on Thursday. Speaking at an event in London, Pompeo said that Britain's exit from the EU on January 31 would reduce barriers to trade between the two countries. "What I'm optimistic about is that there were things that the United Kingdom was required to do as part of being a member of the EU and they will be able to do them differently now," Pompeo told an event alongside UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. "I think that's fantastic. I think that's fantastic for the United States. I think that's fantastic for the United Kingdom. "We will be able to reduce transaction costs and share [goods and services] in ways we could not do when the United Kingdom was part of that and I look forward to working through that." Pompeo said that the UK would be at "the front of a line" for a new trade deal after Brexit. "The last [US] administration had a policy of putting the UK at the back of the line [after Brexit]," he said. "We have a policy of putting the UK at the front of the line." The planned US-UK trade deal is highly controversial in the UK. During the recent election campaign, opposition Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn accused Prime Minister Boris Johnson of planning to sign away UK food and trade standards as part of a Brexit trade deal with Trump. Story continues Leaked UK government documents also revealed that officials had met with US pharmaceutical companies and discussed drug-pricing in the UK. Johnson repeatedly denied during the campaign that either food standards or the National Health Service would be under threat in any deal with the US. Read the original article on Business Insider BENTONVILLE, Ark., Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smithfield Foods, Inc. and Gallo Family Vineyards partnered to donate more than 30,000 pounds of protein and $33,334 to Northwest Arkansas Food Bank as a result of their Pairings with a Purpose campaign . As part of the program, Smithfield and Gallo committed to donating 5 pounds of protein and $5 to the food bank for each dual purchase of a Gallo Family Vineyards wine product and a Smithfield marinated fresh pork product. At Smithfield Foods, we value our connection to the communities in which we operate and are dedicated to the wellbeing of those in need, said Jonathan Toms, associate manager of charitable initiatives for Smithfield Foods. Pairings with a Purpose provided the opportunity for our customers and consumers alike to get involved in a great cause. We are proud to support the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank as we work together. This donation caps off the first month of Smithfields 2020 Helping Hungry Homes program as part of the companys ongoing focus on alleviating hunger and helping Americans become more food secure. The donation follows an event in Miami, Fla. earlier this week and arrives just in time for the Big Game. This month alone, Smithfield has donated more than 70,000 pounds of protein to its neighbors in need and will continue their efforts to fight hunger by providing donations to dozens of communities across America throughout the year. Were grateful for partners like Smithfield Foods and Gallo Family Vineyards who are committed to combatting food insecurity and providing the necessary resources like protein to our food bank, said Kent Eikenberry, President and CEO of Northwest Arkansas Food Bank. This donation will help support the more than 65,000 men, women, senior citizens and children that face hunger in Northwest Arkansas every day. The donation, equivalent to 120,000 servings of protein, was presented to the food bank this morning during an event that discussed the issue of food insecurity and the significance of the contribution, which will provide meals for thousands facing hunger across Arkansas. Smithfield Foods and Gallo Family Vineyards share the common goal of providing purpose to communities across the country, said Micah Davis of Gallo Family Vineyards. We are thrilled to make this donation and look forward to providing additional resources to those in need in the future. For more information about Helping Hungry Homes and a list of upcoming donation events, visit smithfieldfoods.com/helpinghungryhomes . About Smithfield Foods, Inc. Headquartered in Smithfield, Va. since 1936, Smithfield Foods, Inc. is an American food company with agricultural roots and a global reach. Our 40,000 U.S. employees are dedicated to producing Good food. Responsibly. and have made us one of the worlds leading vertically integrated protein companies. We have pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including many industry firsts, such as our ambitious commitment to cut our carbon impact by 25 percent by 2025. We believe in the power of protein to end food insecurity and have donated hundreds of millions of food servings to our neighbors in need. Smithfield boasts a portfolio of high-quality iconic brands, such as Smithfield, Eckrich, and Nathans Famous, among many others. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com , and connect with us on Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn , and Instagram . About Smithfield A leading provider of high-quality pork products, Smithfield was founded in 1936 in Smithfield, Virginia, establishing the town as the Ham Capital of the World. From hand-trimmed bacon and slow-smoked holiday hams to marinated tenderloins, Smithfield brings artistry, authenticity and a commitment to heritage, flavor, and handcrafted excellence to everything it produces. With a vast product portfolio including smoked meats, hams, bacon, sausage, ribs, and a wide variety of fresh pork cuts, the company services retail, foodservice, and deli channels across the United States and 30 countries abroad. All of Smithfield's products meet the highest quality and safety standards in the industry. To learn more about how Flavor Hails from Smithfield, please visit www.Smithfield.com , www.Twitter.com/SmithfieldBrand , and www.Facebook.com/CookingWithSmithfield . Smithfield is a brand of Smithfield Foods. About E&J Gallo Winery Founded by brothers Ernest and Julio Gallo in 1933 in Modesto, California, E. & J. Gallo Winery is the worlds largest family-owned winery with more than 6,500 global employees and is the acclaimed producer of award-winning wines and spirits featured in more than 110 countries around the globe. A pioneer in the art of grape growing, winemaking, sustainable practices, marketing and worldwide distribution, Gallo crafts and imports wines and spirits to suit a diverse range of tastes and occasions, from everyday offerings to boutique, luxury bottlings. The Gallo portfolio is comprised of more than 130 unique brands across premium wines, highly-acclaimed imports, spirits, and popular domestic wine brands. About Northwest Arkansas Food Bank Northwest Arkansas Food Bank (a 501c3 organization) was established in 1988 by a group of concerned citizens who saw the need for hunger assistance in Benton, Washington, Madison and Carroll counties. In 2019 the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank distributed more than 10.3 million meals. Together with more than 160 partner agencies, we are able to reach out to those in need; providing nutritious food to children, the working poor and senior citizens. The Northwest Arkansas Food Bank is an affiliate of Feeding America and a founding member of the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance. Media Contacts: MWWPR for Smithfield Foods Greg Nyhan 646.215.6884 gnyhan@mww.com Northwest Arkansas Food Bank Julie Damer 479.361.8167 Julie.damer@nwafoodbank.org A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f35f5783-6060-4152-9190-36e803131ff7 Appointment 30 January 2020 Airbnb today announced the appointment of Catherine Powell as Head of Airbnb Experiences. In this role, Powell will serve on Airbnb's Executive Team and lead Airbnb's Experiences business, managing a team spanning five continents that works to grow the number of high-quality offerings available to travelers and support Airbnb Experience Hosts. A veteran of the Walt Disney Company, Powell has lived and worked around the world over the last two decades to deliver immersive experiences to guests. Her appointment comes as consumers, particularly Millennials and Generation Z, are increasingly choosing to spend their time and money on local, authentic things to do rather than on consumer goods. Euromonitor estimated that "consumer's expenses with experiences should increase from $5.8 trillion in 2016 to $8 trillion in 2030." As part of the Walt Disney Company, Powell has worked around the world over the last two decades to deliver amazing events and experiences to travelers. One of her favorite Airbnb Experiences is hiking in the Santa Monica mountains. Click here to read Powell's biography. Powell will work in Los Angeles and San Francisco and start at Airbnb on January 29. One reason for the early cover-up is that Xis China has systematically gutted institutions like journalism, social media, nongovernmental organizations, the legal profession and others that might provide accountability. These institutions were never very robust in China, but on and off they were tolerated until Xi came along. I conducted a series of experiments on Chinese blogs over the years beginning in 2003 and was sometimes surprised by what I could get away with but no longer. Xi has dragged China backward in terms of civil society, crushing almost every wisp of freedom and oversight. For the same reason that Xis increasingly authoritarian China bungled the coronavirus outbreak, it also mishandled a swine fever virus that since 2018 has devastated Chinas hog industry and killed almost one-quarter of the worlds pigs. Dictators often make poor decisions because they dont get accurate information: When you squelch independent voices you end up getting just flattery and optimism from those around you. Senior Chinese officials have told me that they are routinely lied to on trips to meet local officials and must dispatch their drivers and secretaries to assess the truth and gauge the real mood. For this or other reasons, Xi has made a series of mistakes. He mishandled and inflamed the political crisis in Hong Kong, he inadvertently assured the re-election of his nemesis as president of Taiwan, and he has presided over worsening relations with the United States and many other countries. The coronavirus has already reached the Xinjiang region in the Far West of China, and one risk is that it will spread in the internment camps where China is confining about one million Muslims with poor sanitation and limited health care. Viruses are challenges for any country, and its only fair to note that China does a better job protecting its people from measles than the U.S. does. Its a credit to Chinas system that a baby born in Beijing today has a longer life expectancy than a baby born in Washington, D.C. More broadly, the United States, which has several impoverished counties with lower life expectancy than Cambodia or Bangladesh, is in no position to lecture anyone about health. Uncertainty surrounding the impact of Chinas coronavirus outbreak on the global economy dragged the local sharemarket slightly lower on Thursday, with mining, industrial, healthcare and tech stocks all weighing on the bourse. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 fell 23.1 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 7008.4, closing near its lows for the session. An airline crew member at Brisbane International Airport on Wednesday. Credit:AAP Despite the lacklustre performance, it could have been worse, with many major markets across Asia tumbling more than 1 per cent. Taiwanese stocks, resuming trade after Lunar New Year Holidays, plunged over 5 per cent. Its a classic risk-off day. The fact that we outperformed Asian markets is a story in itself, said Chris Weston, head of Research at Pepperstone Group. Hyderabad: Hyderabad MP and AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday reacted to the firing by a lone gunman, identified by the Delhi police as a juvenile, at an anti-CAA protest in Jamia Millia area of Delhi, and challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to identify him by his clothes. He held minister of state for finance, Anurag Thakur, directly responsible for the shooting. Nationalists creating hatred: Owaisi In a series of tweets he wrote Thanks to @ianuragthakur & all 9 pm nationalists who have created so much hatred in this country that a terrorist shoots a student while cops watch. Hi @PMOindia identify him by his clothes. (sic) He also hit out at the Delhi Police, who came in for sharp criticism after reacting violently against Jamia students last month. He tweeted @DelhiPolice what happened to the bravado that you showed in #Jamia last month? If there is a prize for being helpless, bystanders youd win it every time. Can you explain why a gunshot victim had to CLIMB over a barricade? Do your service rules stop you from being HUMANE? (sic) Mr Owaisi said that this incident took place on a day, when we are remembering terrorist Godses murder of Gandhi, when students were going to march to mark the event. Such cowardice does not scare us. The protest will go on. This is now Godse versus India of Gandhi, Ambedkar and Nehru. It is easy to pick one side. He said in another tweet that this is the problem of a specific ideology, its supporters and bhakts. The lineage of this attack can be easily drawn from a Modi minister garlanding lynching convicts, his successor calling for gaddars to be shot, badla, clothes, etc. Americas special operations forces, like the Armys Green Berets and the Navy SEALs, have developed a problematic culture that overemphasizes combat to the detriment of leadership, discipline and accountability, according to a sweeping review conducted by the militarys Special Operations Command. Time on the battlefield is seen as the ultimate expression of competence, the review said, and those with combat experience are held as almost an infallible standard bearer for the rest of the organization to emulate seemingly regardless if it is a positive or negative standard. The review was ordered in response to a series of troubling episodes of misconduct involving special operations troops, including allegations of sexual assault and unlawful killings. It was begun in August, a month after the court-martial of a Navy SEAL platoon chief, Edward Gallagher, on charges of murdering a captive and other war crimes, a case that attracted national attention and ended in acquittal on all but a minor charge. Mr. Gallagher, a decorated combat veteran, was reported to Navy investigators by members of his platoon, who described him as appearing obsessed with killing during a 2017 deployment in Iraq. He denied any wrongdoing. Now retired from the Navy, Mr. Gallagher lashed out at his accusers this week in a video posted on social media. Days after the U.S. had begun blaming a wayward Iranian missile for the Ukrainian plane crash that killed 176 people in Tehran, I remember sitting in traffic, listening to a radio reporter interviewing regular Iranians about the situation. How blindly they seemed to trust their governments denials at any involvement. It was just America up to its old tricks, the people said, making up lies to smear Iranian leadership and stoke more unrest. How unflinchingly Iranian officials perpetuated that narrative, accusing the U.S. of adding insult to the injury of the bereaved families by blaming Iran, as a government spokesman claimed. No one will assume responsibility for such a big lie once it is known that the claim is fraudulent, he was quoted saying in an NBC News story. He was right. Only the lie belonged to Iran, not America. Iran eventually acknowledged that a missile launched by mistake struck the jetliner, which set off protests where some enraged Iranians shouted to their leaders: You have no shame! Weeks later, we should be exclaiming the same thing at President Donald Trump for misleading the American people about the toll Iranian air strikes had on our troops. Yet another 16 American troops were announced to have suffered concussions or traumatic brain injuries during the ballistic missile attack, the Pentagon said Tuesday. Thats the fourth time the government has adjusted its tally of injured in Irans retaliatory air strike for the U.S. killing its top general, Qassim Suleimani. The total now stands at 50. Fifty. Thats a far cry from zero the initial tally from our president. Im pleased to inform you the American people should be extremely grateful and happy, Trump said in a Jan. 9 speech. No Americans were harmed in last nights attack by the Iranian regime. A lie? It would seem so. Trump hasnt tried yet to claim he was somehow misinformed by subordinates. That excuse didnt even work for the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. And actually, The New York Times has since reported that one of the reasons Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard came clean about the accidental missile launch theyd been covering up is that President Hassan Rouhani threatened to resign if they didnt. The ayatollah finally got involved and ordered the government to fess up. Now, the deaths of a jetliner full of innocents and the serious injury of troops are two different things. But Irans belated admission, even a pathetic pleading of ignorance, is more palatable than the response Trump has chosen: utter disregard. He downplayed the symptoms of our wounded soldiers as not very serious. At a news conference in Davos, Switzerland, he rebuffed: I heard they had headaches. Headaches. I wonder what the wounded troops and their families think of that assessment. We know what one prominent veterans group thinks. The Veterans of Foreign Wars is demanding an apology from Trump for minimizing traumatic brain injury. TBI is a serious injury and one that cannot be taken lightly, VFW Commander William Doc Schmitz said in a statement, noting the condition can cause depression, memory loss, severe headaches, dizziness and fatigue. It is associated with both short- and long-term effects. The VFW expects an apology from the president to our service men and women for his misguided remarks, Schmitz said. And, we ask that he and the White House join with us in our efforts to educate Americans of the dangers TBI has on these heroes as they protect our great nation in these trying times. Our warriors require our full support more than ever in this challenging environment. Youd expect an American president to know that without being told. Youd expect an American president to conduct himself with more transparency than a pariah state known for censorship and the brutal oppression of its people. But then, when it comes to Donald Trump, maybe thats expecting too much. For him, shame appears to be an acceptable loss. First Word pieces are short commentaries by the Houston Chronicle Editorial Board or one of its members. Pieces written by an individual reflect board values but exhibit the authors unique perspective. Falkenberg is vice president and opinion editor for the Chronicle. A Georgia man convicted more than two decades ago of shooting and killing his ex-wifes boyfriend and then bludgeoning her to death with the shotgun he had used is scheduled to be executed in Georgia today. Donnie Cleveland Lance, 66, is set to be executed by lethal injection at 7pm at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson, 21 years after he was convicted of killing his former wife, Sabrina Joy Lance, and her boyfriend, Dwight Butch Wood, in Jackson County. Mr Lance will become the first inmate in Georgia and the second in the United States to be executed in 2020. The state executed three men in 2019. Shortly before midnight on 8 November 1997, Mr Lance called his ex-wifes father, who told him she was not home. Mr Lance then went to Mr Woods house, kicked in the front door and shot him with a shotgun. He then beat Sabrina Lance with the butt of the gun, which broke into pieces during the attack, prosecutors said. Later that morning, Mr Lance told a friend that his ex-wife would not be coming to clean his house that day, that Mr Woods father could not buy him out of hell, and that the couple were dead, according to court documents. Activists protest the death penalty in Texas Show all 6 1 /6 Activists protest the death penalty in Texas Activists protest the death penalty in Texas Family and friends of Jeff Wood and anti-death penalty activists march from the Texas State Capitol to the Office of Governor Greg Abbott to deliver a petition with over 10,000 signatures asking the governor and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to commute Wood's sentence on August 18, 2016 in Austin, Texas. Jeff Wood is scheduled to be executed by the state of Texas on August 24, 2016 under what is referred to as the "law of parties" for a criminal act he committed on January 2, 1996. The Texas law says that if a person, " acting with intent to promote or assist the commission of the offense, he solicits, encourages, directs, aids, or attempts to aid the other person to commit the offense;" then they are criminally responsible for the conduct of another, as well. Tamir Kalifa/AFP/Getty Images Activists protest the death penalty in Texas Carla Harvey adds her name to a petition with over 10,000 signatures asking Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to commute Jeff Wood's sentence, during a demonstration outside of the Texas State Capitol on August 18, 2016 in Austin, Texas. Family and friends of Jeff Wood and anti-death penalty activists delivered the petition to the Office of the Governor after the demonstration. Jeff Wood is scheduled to be executed by the state of Texas on August 24, 2016 under what is referred to as the "law of parties" for a criminal act he committed on January 2, 1996. The Texas law says that if a person, " acting with intent to promote or assist the commission of the offense, he solicits, encourages, directs, aids, or attempts to aid the other person to commit the offense;" then they are criminally responsible for the conduct of another, as well. Tamir Kalifa/AFP/Getty Images Activists protest the death penalty in Texas A massive explosion guts Mexico's biggest fireworks market in Mexico City, on December 20, 2016. The explosion killed at least 31 people and injured 72, authorities said. The conflagration in the Mexico City suburb of Tultepec set off a quick-fire series of multicolored blasts that sent a vast cloud of smoke billowing over the capital. Tamir Kalifa/AFP/Getty Images Activists protest the death penalty in Texas Darius Broussard adds his name to a petition with over 10,000 signatures asking Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to commute Jeff Wood's sentence, during a demonstration outside of the Texas State Capitol on August 18, 2016 in Austin, Texas. Family and friends of Jeff Wood and anti-death penalty activists delivered the petition to the Office of the Governor after the demonstration. Jeff Wood is scheduled to be executed by the state of Texas on August 24, 2016 under what is referred to as the "law of parties" for a criminal act he committed on January 2, 1996. The Texas law says that if a person, " acting with intent to promote or assist the commission of the offense, he solicits, encourages, directs, aids, or attempts to aid the other person to commit the offense;" then they are criminally responsible for the conduct of another, as well. Tamir Kalifa/AFP/Getty Images Activists protest the death penalty in Texas Family and friends of Jeff Wood and anti-death penalty activists march from the Texas State Capitol to the Office of Governor Greg Abbott to deliver a petition with over 10,000 signatures asking the governor and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to commute Wood's sentence on August 18, 2016 in Austin, Texas. Jeff Wood is scheduled to be executed by the state of Texas on August 24, 2016 under what is referred to as the "law of parties" for a criminal act he committed on January 2, 1996. The Texas law says that if a person, " acting with intent to promote or assist the commission of the offense, he solicits, encourages, directs, aids, or attempts to aid the other person to commit the offense;" then they are criminally responsible for the conduct of another, as well. Tamir Kalifa/AFP/Getty Images Activists protest the death penalty in Texas Mark Clements (L), who was imprisoned for 28 years before being released and exonerated, encourages passersby to sign a petition with over 10,000 signatures asking Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to commute Jeff Wood's sentence, during a demonstration outside of the Texas State Capitol on August 18, 2016 in Austin, Texas. Clements joined family and friends of Jeff Wood and anti-death penalty activists to deliver the petition to the Office of the Governor after the demonstration. Jeff Wood is scheduled to be executed by the state of Texas on August 24, 2016 under what is referred to as the "law of parties" for a criminal act he committed on January 2, 1996. The Texas law says that if a person, " acting with intent to promote or assist the commission of the offense, he solicits, encourages, directs, aids, or attempts to aid the other person to commit the offense;" then they are criminally responsible for the conduct of another, as well. Tamir Kalifa/AFP/Getty Images Mr Lance had a history of abusing his ex-spouse when they were married. He kidnapped her, beat her, tried to strangle her and on one occasion, tried electrocuting her with a car battery. He had also repeatedly threatened to kill her and once asked a relative what it would cost to hire someone to kill her and Mr Wood, court documents said. But he has denied the killings in court proceedings. Recommended Trump losing support for death penalty despite vows to revive it A jury found Mr Lance guilty of murder and sentenced him to die in 1999. In 2009, a state judge overturned the death sentence, ruling that Mr Lance received inadequate representation during his trial. The state Supreme Court overturned the ruling a year later. The Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles denied a clemency request for Mr Lance on Tuesday. Mr Lances request to the US Supreme Court to halt the execution in order for an appeal to be considered was still pending. 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(0x7f0482c56c68)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0482b948d0)', '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(0x7f0482c56c68)') 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(0x7f0482b948d0)') 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(0x7f0482b33498)') 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(0x7f0482b948d0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0482b948d0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0482272bd0)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f0482b99a70)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f0482b99a70)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 A Johnson City man was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for secretly taking lewd videos and photographs of a minor. Michael Rushmer, 48, previously admitted to sexually exploiting a child and distributing child pornography, the U.S. Attorneys Office said in a press release. Rushmer shared the photos and videos of the minor with people over the internet, prosecutors said. Investigators found hundreds of images and videos of child pornography in Rushmers possession, prosecutors said. Some of the files found in Rushmers possession depicted children under the age of 12, according to the press release. Senior U.S. District Court Judge Thomas McAvoy sentenced Rushmer to 25 years in prison. He also ordered Rushmer to pay $9,000 in restitution to the victims. Rushmer will be placed on the sex offender registry and supervised for 10 years after his prison term, officials said. The audience listens to presentaton by the representatives on Wednesday. All involved city agencies gave updates and discussed future plans and approximate timelines of recovery on the South Philadelphia explosion. Read more For the first time since a gas-fed explosion killed two people in South Philadelphia, city officials gathered with residents of the block to provide information and updates on the construction and replacement of street infrastructure. Nearly 20 officials from City Council, the Philadelphia Gas Works, the Streets and Water Departments, and related agencies tried to explain a months-long timeline for filling sinkholes and replacing gas and water mains. But they were hammered with questions from a skeptical crowd of more than 100 residents at the Older Adults Center on East Passyunk Avenue, who have criticized what they see as the citys lack of transparency. Im sorry, but I would say bull..., resident Francis Hoeber said to representatives from the Streets Department. You are not informed about what is going on in your department and on your street. You have a public safety problem here and youre not making your due diligence, added another resident. I am concerned that all of you up there working for the city cannot get your act together to work together. The meeting was a follow-up a Jan. 16 announcement in which officials said a crack in a 92-year-old gas main led to the explosion and fire on Dec. 19, 2019, then offered little other information about the blast on the 1400 block of South Eighth Street that collapsed five rowhouses and killed two people. Officials then only had an approximate schedule for when the block and the surrounding streets that were affected would be repaired. READ MORE: He wore a Phillies cap and V-necks. The South Philly explosion destroyed all physical mementos of him. Since then, residents say, they have been putting up with frequent interruptions in water service, gas leaks and the smell of gas in their homes, and closed streets. On Wednesday, the schedule for repairs was still loose. After officials from eight departments gave reports, the conclusion was that PGW would begin replacing the gas main on Eighth in February, with a goal of finishing by March. After that, the Water Department would replace the main, and once that work is done, streets would be repaired. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is still investigating the underlying cause of the gas mains failure. At the earlier announcement, officials including Councilmember Mark Squilla, who also attended Wednesdays meeting, apologized to residents, vowed to be more transparent, and assigned a point person for residents to contact. On Wednesday, pamphlets for services for people struggling with post-traumatic stress and depression lined the entryway table, and Spanish and Chinese translators were available. I want you to know personally that what is happening on your street is a top priority to Philadelphia Water and to me, said Water Commissioner Randy Hayman. Residents said they appreciated the meeting, but many still believed that their questions about issues leading up to the explosion and ongoing street problems werent answered. These people that were here are not the people doing the work, said Manny Rivera of Wilder Street. They were just here to paint a pretty picture. Rivera asked the Streets Department why cracks continue to grow in the streets, a question also posed at the Jan. 16 meeting. Deputy Streets Commissioner Richard Montanez said he wasnt sure. Montanez said he would bring a crew to the site on Friday to evaluate. When the questions came, they didnt have answers, Rivera said. Armenian Constitutional Court head Hrayr Tovmasyan's attorney Amram Makinyan said they will still think about bringing the public TV company to legal liability. A crime is already happening, the attorney told Armenian News - NEWS.am. "The head of the executive branch is already making an obvious attempt to usurp power," he said adding that there are signs of a crime. According to media reports, coverage on 1 was directed by Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan, Makinyan added. The attorney noted these issues are more serious than it seems at first glance. The attorneys of Hrayr Tovmasyan made a statement around midnight, in which they accused the two leading TV channels of distributing investigation materials and flagrantly violating the presumption of innocence. Tesco has been slammed by social media users after a photograph of a photograph of a shoplifting warning placed next to sanitary products went viral. Twitter user Oonagh Ryder, from London, shared snaps of the sign placed by boxes of sanitary towels and tampons which read: 'Help us build safer communities - report shoplifting to a member of staff.' It quickly provoked a reaction, with commenters saying they would likely 'turn a blind eye' if they saw people stealing the feminine hygiene products, while others called the sign's placement 'nasty.' One agitated user wrote: 'If you see someone shoplifting tampons, they obviously really need them - just give them a pack. Jeez.' Statistics revealed by Plan International UK last year show that one in 10 young women aged 14 to 21 cannot afford sanitary towels in Britain Social media users were left in uproar after Twitter user Oonagh Ryder, from London, shared a photograph of a 'report shoplifting' sing in the sanitary products section of a Tesco supermarket Tampons, pads and menstrual cups are available free to primary and secondary pupils at schools that have opted into a government scheme. But research has suggested that as many as a quarter of women have been forced to miss work or school because they cannot afford period products. Sanitary products, which are classed as a 'luxury, non-essential item', are subject to a 5 per cent tax, although some retailers have absorbed the cost to make them cheaper for customers. A Tesco spokesperson told MailOnline: 'We want everyone to feel welcome in our stores and are very sorry for any offence caused by the placing of the signs in this store. 'We know that the cost of buying essential sanitary products can be a real struggle for some, which is why we were the first retailer to cover the cost of the 'tampon tax' to make these items more affordable.' Twitter user Oonagh started the conversation after tweeting a snap of the sign yesterday, which had been placed between sanitary towels and tampons on a shelf in Tesco. Ooonagh's original tweet went viral after she said there needed to be more genuine conversation about what 'safety' in society means She wrote: 'We really need a genuine conversation as a society about what 'safety' means.' The tweet quickly went viral, with thousands of social media users weighing in with their opinion on her post. One commented: 'Sanitary products should be free for anybody who menstruates.' Another wrote: 'Women, trans men, or anyone who menstruates should not have to worry about being reported for taking a necessity that I personally believe should be free.' 'For me, a 'safer' society is one where people wouldn't need to steal things like sanitary products,' another person added. One wrote: 'To be honest, if I saw someone robbing tampons, I'd assume they were hard up and turn a blind eye.' Another added: 'Placing on sanitary products is particularly nasty.' Social media users outraged by the sign, with many commenting that if they saw somebody shoplifting tampons they would 'turn a blind eye' 'Wow,' another person wrote, 'I'll be turning a blind eye, as should any decent person.' But others suggested the sign had perhaps fallen from a shelf with more expensive products, and replaced in the incorrect section. One wrote: 'To be honest, I'm 50 per cent sure somebody took that from a different shelf and put it there purposely...mostly because they're not on that aisle, and secondly, it's not on the shelf properly.' Another wrote: 'We all know tampons and pads are taxed too much, and are too expensive and it's absolutely wrong. But [so is] taking a sign from another shelf and taking a photo of it here. Put pressure on your MPs to get the tax eradicated.' Naxals killed a villager in Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon district on suspicion of being an informer, the police said on Thursday. The incident took place at Navagaon village under Baghnadi police station's jurisdiction on Wednesday night. Seven naxals stormed into the house of Lalsingh Yadav, took him to jungle and shot him, a police official said. A police team reached the spot on Thursday morning and recovered the body, he said. Yadav was apparently under the rebels' lens after an encounter in Sherpaar village where police gunned down seven of their cadres. Naxals suspected that Yadav had tipped off the police about their location, the official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) San Franciscos only all-boys Catholic high school will begin accepting female students next school year as enrollment in Catholic schools falls, the administration announced this week. Archbishop Riordan High School President Andrew Currier announced the decision after the schools Board of Trustees voted 14-4 on Tuesday in favor of becoming coeducational. While admitting young women represents a new direction after 70 years of exclusively educating young men, school leadership has looked at this change from many angles and believes this decision is in the best interest for the long-term vitality of the school and to build an even stronger school community, Currier wrote. Deliberation began weeks ago after Mercy High School, an all-girls Catholic institution, announced it will close at the end of this school year due to financial woes and declining enrollment. Riordan said its goal is to maintain single-gender core classes for freshmen and sophomores. The schools administrators have not determined how much the transition will cost, but said expenses will include immediate construction, personnel, financial aid and professional development. The school, which adheres to Marianist tradition, is located at 175 Frida Kahlo Way in the Ingleside neighborhood, across from the main San Francisco City College campus. Riordan opened in 1949. 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. Catholic education has declined nationwide in the past decade. The number of schools decreased 13.2% and the number of students decreased 18.4%, according to the National Catholic Educational Association. Enrollment in San Franciscos Catholic primary schools was down 30% from 2015 to 2020, according to Riordan. Star of the Sea, a K-8 Catholic school in the citys Inner Richmond, closed last year. Anna Bauman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: anna.bauman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @abauman2 Britain postponed the planned evacuation on Thursday of around 200 of its citizens from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the epicentre of a deadly virus outbreak. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he hoped the charter flight would leave on Thursday evening subject to getting the necessary clearance from Beijing. "We are hopeful now that we will be able to do that this evening but of course, this depends on the decisions taken by the Chinese government," Raab told a press event in London. He added: "We are doing everything we can, around the clock, to make that happen." London had hoped the flight could leave the central city of Wuhan on Thursday morning UK time but on Wednesday evening was forced to tell those waiting to board that it would be delayed. "We haven't got the necessary clearances and we are working with the Chinese authorities on securing those," a spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Thursday. He said a number of countries had similar issues. The flight is due to return to a UK military base, and those on board will be isolated for 14 days at a medical facility. The Wuhan metropolis is at the heart of the coronavirus epidemic that has so far killed 170 people and spread to at least 15 countries around the world. China reported its biggest single-day jump in new coronavirus deaths on Thursday, deepening global fears about the extent of the outbreak. Thousands of foreigners have been trapped in Wuhan since it was sealed off last week. Japan and the United States became the first countries to organise airlifts out of Wuhan for their citizens on Wednesday. Britain is joined by Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, among others, in planning similar operations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A driver from Tennessee has been charged in connection to a hit-and-run that left a man dead on Chamberlayne Avenue in North Richmond. Lawrence C. Smith, 65, of Chattanooga, Tenn., was arrested Wednesday night and charged with felony hit-and-run, as well as having an expired registration and failure to yield the right of way. On Jan. 17, at about 10 p.m., Smiths car collided with another vehicle, which hit several parked cars and Grayland A. Brooks, who was walking along the 2300 block of Chamberlayne Avenue, according to Richmond police. Brooks, 62, of the 1400 block of North 30th Street, was taken to a local hospital, where he later died, police said. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call investigator J. Deboard at (804) 646-1709. The White House yesterday raised objections to the publication of a book written by Donald Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton that depicts the US president as playing a central role in a pressure campaign on Ukraine. A letter from the White House's National Security Council to Mr Bolton's lawyer said the manuscript appeared to contain "significant amounts of classified information" and could not be published in its current form. Some material was considered top secret, according to the letter, seen by Reuters. "Under federal law and the non-disclosure agreements your client signed as a condition for gaining access to classified information, the manuscript may not be published or otherwise disclosed without the deletion of this classified information," the letter said. Reports about the contents of Mr Bolton's book appear to boost the Democrats' case against Mr Trump at his impeachment trial. They want to call Mr Bolton, a foreign policy hawk in several Republican administrations, as a witness but many Republican senators have so far resisted any new witnesses. A spokeswoman for Mr Bolton mare no comment. Neither his publisher nor lawyer immediately responded to requests for comment. Senators began the first of two planned days questioning both Mr Trump's legal team and Democratic politicians in the House of Representatives who have served as prosecutors in the trial on charges of abusing power and obstructing Congress arising from his request that Ukraine investigate political rival Joe Biden. The questioning precedes a vote later in the week on whether to call witnesses including Mr Bolton. Senate Republican leaders are hoping to vote as quickly as possible to acquit Mr Trump, leaving him in office. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told senators on Tuesday he did not have the votes to block Democrats from calling witnesses because some Republicans remained uncommitted, several media outlets reported. Democrats need four Republican senators to join them in voting for witnesses in order to get a majority in the 100-seat Senate. The Senate is expected to acquit the president but allowing witnesses such as Mr Bolton could inflict political damage on the Republican president as he seeks re-election on November 3. Removing Mr Trump from office would take a two-thirds majority. There are 53 Republican senators and none of them has publicly advocated removal. Mr Trump lashed out at Bolton on Twitter. He said Bolton "couldn't get approved for the Ambassador to the UN years ago, couldn't get approved for anything since, 'begged' me for a non Senate approved job" and added "if I listened to him, we would be in World War Six by now." He added that Mr Bolton, who left his White House post in September, "goes out and IMMEDIATELY writes a nasty & untrue book. All Classified National Security. Who would do this?" Contradicting Mr Trump's version of events, Mr Bolton wrote in an unpublished book manuscript the president told him he wanted to freeze $391m in security aid to Ukraine until Kiev pursued investigations into Democrats, including Mr Biden and the his son Hunter, the 'New York Times' reported. Mr Bolton's allegations go to the heart of the impeachment charges. Democrats have said Mr Trump abused his power by using the security aid - passed by Congress to help Ukraine battle Russian-backed separatists - to persuade a foreign power to smear a rival. The president has denied telling Mr Bolton he sought to use the aid as leverage to get Ukraine to investigate the Bidens. Mr Trump has said he fired Bolton. Mr Bolton, a foreign policy hawk who served as a temporary "recess appointee" as American ambassador to the UN under Republican former President George W Bush, has said he quit. Democrat Eliot Engel, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, took issue with Mr Trump's contention that Mr Bolton never said anything about the Ukraine matter when he left his post. Mr Engel said Mr Bolton suggested to him in a September 23 phone call the panel should look into Mr Trump's removal last May of Marie Yovanovitch as American ambassador to Ukraine, a pivotal event in the Ukraine matter. The president sacked her after his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and others mounted a negative campaign against her at a time when Mr Giuliani was pressing Ukraine to pursue the politically-motivated investigations at the centre of the impeachment drama. Ukrainian-born US businessman Lev Parnas, who worked with Mr Giuliani to pressure Ukraine, arrived in Washington from New York and stopped at Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer's office to pick up tickets to the trial. Mr Parnas will not be able to enter the Senate gallery because he is wearing a court-ordered ankle-monitoring device but said: "The president knew everything that was going on with Ukraine.. Mr Schumer said he provided the tickets, though he is not seeking for Mr Parnas to appear as a witness. PITTSBURGH, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Kennametal Inc. (NYSE: KMT) today announced two changes to its executive leadership team. These leadership moves are designed to drive profitable growth and continue to advance the Company's strategy and transformation: Ron Port, currently Vice President and President of the Infrastructure segment, will become Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, metal cutting business segments, effective immediately. In this newly created position, Port will drive commercial excellence and business development strategies across the Industrial and Widia metal cutting segments. Franklin Cardenas will succeed Port as Vice President and President of the Infrastructure segment as of February 10th. Cardenas joins the company from Donaldson Company, Inc., a global leader in the filtration industry, where he was most recently Vice President, Asia Pacific. In his role at Kennametal, Cardenas will have global responsibility for the Infrastructure segment. "Ron's deep commercial expertise and proven leadership will help us drive improvements in sales and marketing effectiveness across our metal cutting segments and accelerate growth with target customers by leveraging the company's full metal cutting portfolio," said Christopher Rossi, President and CEO. "Franklin has a strong track record for delivering business results and building high performance teams, and we are pleased that he has joined the company to lead Infrastructure and drive profitable growth. Together, these leadership changes will help us continue to execute on our strategic initiatives and accelerate our transformation." Pete Dragich and Alexander Broetz will continue in their roles as Presidents of Industrial and Widia, respectively, and maintain responsibility for the corresponding financials of those segments. Port will also continue with his Infrastructure responsibilities until Cardenas joins the company in February. About Port Before being appointed to his current role, Port led the Infrastructure segment for the last two years and joined Kennametal in 2015 to lead the global engineered components business within the Infrastructure segment. Prior to Kennametal, Port served as Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at SPX Corporation. He also held various management positions at Xylem, Inc. and ITT Corporation. Combined, he has nearly 25 years of experience across general management, strategy, sales and marketing, and corporate business development. Port holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master's in chemical engineering from the Florida Institute of Technology. About Cardenas As President of the Infrastructure segment, Cardenas is accountable for advancing the business strategy, driving operational excellence and delivering profitable growth in the segment. Cardenas spent nearly 25 years with Donaldson Company, Inc., starting with the company in Mexico in 1995. He has deep global experience having held various business and general management positions, with responsibility for commercial and operations, during his time with the company. Cardenas held management positions covering Mexican and Latin American markets prior to being named Managing Director, Latin America in 2005 and Vice President, Global Engine Aftermarket, in 2010. In his most recent role, he was the Vice President of Asia Pacific, and was responsible for accelerating profitable growth, driving market share and improving productivity. Cardenas earned a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial and systems engineering and a Master of Business Administration from Tec de Monterrey in Mexico City. About Kennametal With over 80 years as an industrial technology leader, Kennametal Inc. delivers productivity to customers through materials science, tooling and wear-resistant solutions. Customers across aerospace, earthworks, energy, general engineering and transportation turn to Kennametal to help them manufacture with precision and efficiency. Every day approximately 10,000 employees are helping customers in more than 60 countries stay competitive. Kennametal generated nearly $2.4 billion in revenues in fiscal 2019. Learn more at www.kennametal.com. Follow @Kennametal: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube. SOURCE Kennametal Inc. Related Links http://www.kennametal.com Actor Saoirse Ronan has been named the inaugural ambassador for the Irish Film Institute (IFI). According to the institute's official website, the multiple award-winning Irish actor will be involve in a three-year commitment to act as an advocate for the IFI's vital work in exhibition, preservation and education. Ronan, 25, said she is honoured to play a small part in IFI's effort to share the brilliant work that is out there with as many people as possible. "I am delighted to have been asked to be the inaugural IFI Ambassador. Film in Ireland is always something I will support. "Our industry is going from strength to strength through the incredible projects being produced at home and abroad by Irish filmmakers, and by producers from across the pond also," the actor, known for her performance in films such as "Brooklyn" and "Lady Bird", said in a statement. IFI director Ross Keane expressed gratitude towards Ronan for her "unwavering support" of their vision and mission to promote film culture. "Saoirse has achieved excellence in her craft, which is a value we strive for across our remit of film exhibition, preservation and education. Having previously collaborated with Saoirse on our fundraising campaign in 2011, we are thrilled to be working with her once again as she supports the Irish Film Institute into a new decade. This is a huge endorsement of the IFI," Keane added. In 2011, Ronan's recognition of the transformative power of film led her to feature in the IFI's preservation fundraising campaign, lending her talent to help raise awareness of vital funds needed to build a new preservation facility for materials preserved in the IFI Irish Film Archive. The actor came to international prominence in 2007 with her starring role in "Atonement", for which she received Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Academy Award nominations for best supporting actress, making her one of the youngest actresses to receive an Oscar nomination in the category. Ronan is currently nominated for a best actress BAFTA and an Academy Award for "Little Women", which reunites her with "Lady Bird" director Greta Gerwig. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dangers Of Exposed Data Public Records, Private Data (TNS) Hundreds of Social Security numbers could be contained in unredacted documents housed on the Allegheny County Civil Courts public website.located federal tax lien documents filed each year from 1997 to 2010 that display unredacted tax identification numbers. In many cases, they are an individuals Social Security number. Others are Employer Identification Numbers, used for businesses.An average of 1,700 federal tax lien records connected to individuals and businesses are accessible on the civil courts website for each year. Tax lien records indicate unpaid taxes on property.Allegheny County Director of Court Records Michael McGeever said the county did not retroactively redact these documents after it purchased redaction software in 2012.That software was capable of redacting Social Security numbers and other sensitive financial information that filers may have inadvertently added to court pleadings, but is certainly not infallible, McGeever said in an emailed statement. All filings presented to our office from October 2012 forward have been redacted using the newly purchased software. Documents filed before that date were not impacted as the practice was not applied retroactively.The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania enacted a statewide public records policy in 2018 that outlines how filings should be redacted.Under that policy, it is the responsibility of the individual filing documents or that persons attorney to ensure personal information is redacted, attorneys for the Pennsylvania Attorney Generals Office said in a statement.The court or custodian of the documents is not responsible for fixing errors made by filers, the statement said.Court pleadings filed at the Allegheny County Department of Court Records have been subject to that policy since, McGeever said.Its not surprising that there are some documents available throughout the state, including here in the county, that have identifying information still contained in them, he said. The practice of redacting personal information is fairly new in relation to the amount of documents held by the courts. And just for clarification, our department does not nor has it ever required that type of information for any pleadings presented for filing.The documents containing Social Security numbers on the Allegheny County Civil Courts website are included in filings related to federal tax liens.The Notice of Federal Tax Lien documents are filed by the IRS to the court records office to indicate that unpaid taxes have been assessed against a property.Buyers looking to purchase a property will typically check for tax liens before going through with a deal, said Daniel Stoner, a Pittsburgh attorney who works in real estate law.The notice includes the full name of the taxpayer responsible for the property, the taxpayers address and a tax identification number.In the case of most individuals, that tax identification number is their Social Security number, Stoner said.They are supposed to be redacted, theyre considered personal information, Stoner said, noting that attorneys are now responsible for making sure redacted versions of public documents are filed.The IRS uses an Employer Identification Number, or EIN, to identify a business entity.While an EIN is not as sensitive as a Social Security number, its still not something that would be shown in the public record, Stoner said.Prior to the 2018 public records policy, it was common to see personal information pop up in other types of legal filings, like custody cases that included the full names and birthdays of minors, or mortgage foreclosures that contained Social Security numbers, Stoner said.Exposed Social Security numbers could open several doors for thieves interested in stealing personal information, said Eva Velasquez, CEO of the San Diego-based nonprofit Identity Theft Resource Center.Social Security numbers are used as both a form of identification and as a security mechanism, she said. Obtaining a Social Security number could allow thieves to access current and legitimate accounts, as well as to apply for new financial accounts, government benefits and other services.If documents contain additional personal information, like previous addresses, thieves could have access to information to bypass knowledge-based security questions, Velasquez pointed out.Social Security number exposure really puts individuals at a high risk, and they do need to understand that they should take some type of action, she said.Anyone concerned about their Social Security number or other personal information that appears in court filings must petition the court to have the information removed.Individuals who are concerned about their Social Security numbers, or other personally identifying information, appearing in pleadings on the electronic filing and retrieval website have been instructed to petition the Court for removal of the information, McGeever of the Allegheny County Court Records department said. The department has no power to alter a court filing.The former Allegheny County Prothonotarys Office began scanning and making all court filings available online in 2002, McGeever said. The elected office of prothonotary was dissolved in 2008, its functions folded into the Department of Court Records.Prior to 2002, these filings were only available by requesting the case file in person.This type of data exposure is becoming more common as municipalities around the country fail to secure new digital systems and struggle to reconcile open records laws with protecting personal information, said Velasquez.We have not figured that out yet on a national level, so were going to see more and more of these, Velasquez said.Of the 1,244 data breaches tracked nationwide by the Identity Theft Resource Center in 2018, 99 were related to government or military entities, according to a 2019 report.Most of the total data breaches, 39%, were the result of hacking, and 30% of breaches were related to other unauthorized access.Accidental exposure accounted for 9% of data breaches, while employee error, negligence, improper disposal or lost records made up 12% of data breaches.I think the challenge for these municipalities and government is exactly the tension between making data public and at the same time not compromising the individuals privacy, said Rahul Telang, a professor of information systems at the Heinz College of Carnegie Mellon University. And that requires a more careful effort.Public entities may not be able to devote the resources time, money or energy to make that extra effort, he said.Unlike the private sector, where somebodys job is on the line, Telang said. The stock price might go down. All the way from the top, theres a lot more attention being paid to the user data that needs to be protected. In the public sector, Im sure theres attention, but theres no particular chain of command where you can catch a particular user or a particular worker and say, you didnt do the job.Mistakes could still happen, even if someone is paying attention, he said.I think many times, especially when the documents are digitized, its hard to notice that maybe some document, some information, is not completely concealed, Telang said. Animal rights activists invaded Brighton supermarkets, including Sainsbury's and Aldi to protest against their selling of free-range eggs. Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) protesters also stormed Hisbe, a supermarket in the seaside town that prides itself on the ethical treatment of animals, and livestreamed their demonstrations last night. They can be seen urging people not to buy or sell eggs in videos on the DxE Brighton Facebook page that shows them shouting 'there's never an excuse for animal use' and 'free range eggs are a lie, animals do not want to die'. Activists read speeches accusing the egg industry of torturing animals even when their product carries a free range sticker. The group said that chickens often die while laying or are slaughtered when they reach 18 months. And they pointed to male chicks being gassed or ground alive in hatcheries. It comes after footage from an investigation of free range Hoads Farm revealed mounds of corpses left to infect living hens as they rotted alongside them. DxE protesters (pictured) pleaded with shoppers not to buy eggs of any kind as they swept through shops in the seaside town Pictured: A sign held up by the protesters during their demonstrations across Brighton shops last night A video also showed emaciated birds crammed into filthy aisles and and rotten egg fluids flowing in a packaging area. The DxE activists occupied the shops for 20 minutes then left of their own accord, with a spokeswoman saying animal cruelty stretches beyond Hoads Farm, which prides itself on ethical practices. 'These disruptions are not just about Hoads Farm, they are about all eggs,' she said. 'There is no such thing as humane eggs. Direct Action Everywhere protesters took their demonstration to three supermarkets in one night as they urged shoppers not to buy eggs 'Hisbe has a sign in their shop that says their eggs are from "genuinely liberated hens" but they are not liberated if their bodies are being used for human gain. The 50 hens that were taken from Hoads Farm are geuinely liberated. 'We are exposing a free range farm because we are demanding that animals be recognised as individuals with the right to bodily autonomy. Other animals are not on this earth for us to use. 'We are not here to argue that farms need higher welfare standards, because we believe exploiting animals is wrong and it needs to stop. However, showing people the reality behind their free range label is a start to raising awareness.' A Sainsburys spokesperson said: 'A group visited our Brighton superstore for a brief time and left peacefully. 'The welfare of our animals is extremely important and Hoads Farm free range eggs have been withdrawn from sale while we investigate these allegations.' A woman was raped and killed allegedly by a stalker, in Sagar district, 186 kilometers east of Bhopal, police said on Thursday. According to officials, the 18-year-old woman, a resident of a village in Sagar district, had gone to relieve herself in the fields on Wednesday evening when the accused raped her and later strangulated her to death. Additional superintendent of police, Sagar Rajesh Vyas said, The post-mortem report has confirmed rape. Investigation is on to nab the accused. The 20-year-old accused, belonged to the same village as the victim and was allegedly angry after the victims family fixed her marriage. According to police, the family members complained to the police that the accused used to stalk the woman. Meanwhile, three police personnel sustained minor injuries when family members, relatives and other residents of the village refused to cremate the body, blocked the road and pelted stones at the police, demanding action against the accused. Jose lives with his face perpetually buried in his phone typical teenage behavior, though this isnt a typical coming-of-age film. Wedged between adolescence and adulthood, Jose (the excellent Enrique Salanic, in one of his first films) lives with his mother in a home always dimly lit, usually by the yellowish glow of streetlights. His mother (Ana Cecilia Mota, in her first feature) leaves before sunrise to sell sandwiches near a bus station; Jose works at a restaurant, stealing away at break time to check his phone, and sneaking looks during dinner at home. He barely speaks, living a secret second life, hooking up with male strangers and lying about coming home late. South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said it has extended the holiday closure for "some of its production facilities" in China in line with guidance from Beijing aimed at containing the outbreak of a virulent virus, the company said in a statement on Thursday. The tech giant, which operates chip, display and home appliance in China, declined to comment on the impact of the outbreak on demand. China's National Health Commission said the total number of confirmed deaths from the coronavirus in the country climbed to 170 as of late Wednesday and the number of infected patients rose to 7,711. [January 30, 2020] Washington State Municipality Puts a Cork in Non-Revenue Water with Sensus From its roots as one of the oldest towns in Washington, the City of Walla Walla has aged like a fine wine. Surrounded by vast vineyards from 120 different wineries, the area is well-known for its rich history. Unlike wine, however, the aging process has hurt some of its infrastructure-including 200 miles of water pipelines. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005289/en/ The City of Walla Walla detected more than 2,000 leaks in the first year of deploying the Sensus smart utility network and promptly alerted homeowners for better customer service. (Photo: Business Wire) "As our pipes failed and water meters aged, we began to see a 30 percent annual water loss-which is significant given that we distribute about three billion gallons of water each year," said City of Walla Walla Water Distribution Supervisor Adrian Sutor. "We needed a solution to help us better track and maintain our water resources." The city decided a major upgrade was needed to enhance its metering system and curb unintended water loss. They chose to deploy a smart utility network from Sensus, a Xylem brand, to improve accuracy and leak detection while unlocking capabilities to advance their distribution system. Walla Walla deployed Sensus iPERL residential water meters and OMNI commercial meters to service the city's 11,000 water accounts. Paired with the two-way FlexNet communication network for near real-time remote monitoring, the city gained better control over its system and made tangible improvements to customer service. "We detected more than 2,000 leaks in the first year of deployment and promptly alerted each customer of any issues which greatly improved our customer service," said Sutor. The city also deployed Sensus ally water meters with the Sensus Smart Gateway Sensor Interface for advanced pressure monitoring and management across residential accounts. Providing timely data insights on pressure, temperature, levels and switches, the system gave technicians confidence in a full-system profile. "By reducing water loss and cutting down the carbon footprint associated with truck rolls, we were well on our way to becoming more sustainable as a utility," said Sutor. "The City of Walla Walla exemplifies the power of technology and data to address the water infrastructure challenges our country is facing," said Colin Sabol, President, Measurement and Control Solutions at Xylem. "As much of Washington faces drought conditions, Walla Walla is taking a proactive stance to ensure a more water secure future for us all." Read the full case study to learn how Walla Walla continues to build a smart utility network to better serve residents and businesses. About Sensus Sensus helps a wide range of public service providers-from utilities to cities to industrial complexes and campuses-do more with their infrastructure to improve quality of life in their communities. We enable our customers to reach farther through the application of technology and data-driven insights that deliver efficiency and responsiveness. We partner with them to anticipate and respond to evolving business needs with innovation in sensing and communications technologies, data analytics and services. Learn more at sensus.com and follow @SensusGlobal on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. About Xylem Xylem (XYL) is a leading global water technology company committed to developing innovative technology solutions to the world's water challenges. The Company's products and services move, treat, analyze, monitor and return water to the environment in public utility, industrial, residential and commercial building services settings. Xylem also provides a leading portfolio of smart metering, network technologies and advanced infrastructure analytics solutions for water, electric and gas utilities. The Company's approximately 17,000 employees bring broad applications expertise with a strong focus on identifying comprehensive, sustainable solutions. Headquartered in Rye Brook, New York, with 2018 revenue of $5.2 billion, Xylem does business in more than 150 countries through a number of market-leading product brands. For more information, please visit us at www.xylem.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005289/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The woman, who asked not to be named to protect her Chinese relatives, said she contacted the embassy and consulate when Wuhan was placed under a travel lockdown, then followed up with emails and calls when she learned the first evacuation flight had been organized for consular staff. The embassy, she said, at first denied that a flight was being organized, then told her there would be limited capacity for private citizens. It is no longer news that rice produced locally by Nigerian farmers is full of stone pebbles and residents of the country have been left with few choices following the closure of land borders. According to the Nigeria Farmers Group and Cooperative Society (NFGCS), this is so because of the unavailability of a proper de-stoning machine. This was made known by the national coordinator of the group, Mr. Tedheke Retson who spoke with journalists at the NFGCS farm, Gaate, Nasawara State. Read Also: Few Days To Christmas, Nigerians Are Having Sleepless Nights Over High Cost Of Rice He then called on the government and Nigerians to invest in the local fabrication of de-stoning machines so as to tackle the problem. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-31 02:14:03|Editor: yan Video Player Close TEHRAN, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- The spokesman for Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) on Thursday dismissed the U.S. sanctions on the AEOI chief Ali Akbar Salehi as a "desperate" attempt, semi-official Fars news agency reported. Earlier in the day, U.S. Treasury announced that it has slapped sanctions on the AEOI and its head amid tensions. "Sanctions on Salehi is a political game, it is a desperate attempt by America, and it is worthless," AEOI spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi told Fars. "Iran's nuclear programs will continue with full force," Kamalvandi said. "After leaving the JCPOA (2015 nuclear deal), the United States is not in a position to talk about Iran's nuclear obligations," he added. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 06:50:06|Editor: yan Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy said Wednesday that China is ready to play a constructive role in the early restoration of peace in Syria. "China stands ready to play a constructive role towards the early restoration of peace, stability and development in Syria," Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told a Security Council meeting on the political process in Syria. "China applauds the good offices of the special envoy (Geir Pedersen) and the constructive participation of the Syrian parties. We support the special envoy in stepping up the communication with the Syrian Government to listen to the government's legitimate requests," Wu said. The attempts to find a solution to the Syrian conflict and bring stability to the Middle East began in late 2011, when the Arab League launched two initiatives, but without much success. The latest major effort to bring about an end to the war started in October 2019 in Geneva with the convening of the Syrian Constitutional Committee to draft a new constitution for Syria under the auspices of the United Nations. An appeals court on Thursday cleared Catholic French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin of covering up the sexual abuse of minors by a paedophile priest offences that dated back to the 1970s. The court, in the south-eastern city of Lyon, did not explain its move to acquit Barbarin, a decision that was in line with the demands of the prosecutor's office. The Archbishop of Lyon, Barbarin was accused of having failing to report the paedophile assaults of the since-defrocked priest Bernard Preynat, who has himself faced trial in Lyon, in a criminal court. Barbarin, now 69, was found guilty in March of covering up the assaults and was handed a six-month suspended sentence. When Thursday's appeal ruling was announced, Barbarin's lawyer Jean-Felix Luciani said: This injustice is repaired today ... Cardinal Barbarin is innocent. Addressing the appeals court in November, Barbarin said he was challenging his conviction because he could not see clearly what I am guilty of. He is the highest-profile Catholic official to be caught up in a child sexual abuse scandal in France. Barbarin tried to resign his post but Pope Francis refused to accept the resignation until the appeals process was complete. Meanwhile the prosecution in Preynat's case has requested a sentence of not less than 8 years in prison. The decision will be released on March 16. A savvy homeowner has revealed how she pulled off a stunning bathroom transformation for less than 95. Charlotte Greedy, 27, from Pontyclun, was fed up of her uninspiring bathroom so set out to renovate it - but wanted to stick to a tiny budget. 'The bathroom was completely run down, dingy and grubby, so it needed a makeover, but I needed to do it on a budget as I had just moved in,' the social media influencer, who shares her interior style on Instagram at @missgreedyshome, told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk. 'I bought a roll of funky vinyl from B&M for 39.99, some spray glue and a pen knife and fitted the new flooring over the existing floor. Charlotte Greedy, 27, from Pontyclun, has revealed how she pulled off a stunning bathroom transformation for less than 95. Pictured, before the renovation The mother-of-two told how she bought a roll of funky vinyl from B&M for 39.99, bought some spray glue and a pen knife and fitted the new flooring over the existing floor. Pictured, after the transformation Charlotte (pictured) says she got the initial idea to transform the bathroom from browsing in her local DIY store 'I then bought an under-sink storage unit from eBay to hide all the pipework you could see, painted the walls with a tub of cheap 10 white paint from B&Q and it was completely transformed. The total cost was just under 95.' The mum-of-two says she got the initial idea to transform the bathroom from browsing in her local DIY store. 'I had the idea when I went into my local home DIY store and saw some amazing funky Moroccan-style floor tiles,' she explained. 'I thought there must be a cheaper way to get that look.' 'I noticed online that B&M sold a Moroccan-style vinyl in-store so I headed straight to my local one down Cardiff Bay, and there was one roll left - result!' 'I bought spray glue and a pen knife, went home and painted the walls white, then laid the floor. Charlotte told how the bathroom was 'completely run down, dingy and grubby', so was in need of a makeover. Pictured, after the transformation The thrifty homeowner (pictured with her children) bought an under-sink storage unit from eBay, and painted the walls with a tub of cheap 10 white paint from B&Q 'The next thing was to hide the pipes - I'd seen some under-sink cabinets in B&M but none fitted with the theme I was going for. 'I looked on eBay and found my grey one with a wooden top, ordered that, and it was complete! 'Vinyl is super easy to lay yourself and if anyone is looking to update their bathroom on a budget I'd highly recommend getting some "out there" flooring, as it creates a fabulous effect.' Charlotte is over the moon with how strikingly different her bathroom now looks. 'I didn't think it would turn out as nice as it has,' she added. 'I now don't feel the need to renovate my bathroom for a long time. I get so many compliments about the floor - people think they are real tiles!' Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, commented: 'If you showed me the before and after photos of Charlotte's bathroom, I would have thought this transformation cost at least 1,000.' 'This just shows how incredible vinyl can be when it comes to money-saving home improvement ideas. Like Charlotte, look at bargain brands such as B&M and ebay to find all the cheap materials you need to create an expensive look.' The US has imposed sanctions on the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation Ali Akbar Salehi, the US Treasury Department said, Trend reports citing Sputnik. "The following individual has been added to OFAC's SDN [Office of Foreign Assets Control Specially Designated Nationals] List: SALEHI, Ali Akbar, Iran," the notice said. It means that Mr Salehi's assets in the US, and those of the IAEO, have been frozen. Moreover, any third party involved in dealings with the IAEO would be subject to secondary sanctions. This comes amid continuing tensions between Iran and the US following the death of Iranian top military commander Qasem Soleimani in a US drone strike at the Baghdad international airport on 3 January and subsequent Iranian attacks on US military bases in Iraq. Two of America's largest banks will stop donating millions of dollars to Florida's private school scholarship program after discovering that some of the beneficiaries discriminate against LGBTQ students. Wells Fargo confirmed its decision to stop supporting the Step Up for Students program last night. Fifth Third Bank, based in Cincinnati, also said it had told the program that it will stop contributing. Wells Fargo confirmed their decision to stop supporting the Step Up for Students program last night Fifth Third Bank tweeted Florida lawmaker Carlos Guillermo Smith (center), the state's first LGBTQ legislator In a statement to CNBC, Wells Fargo said: 'We have reviewed this matter carefully and have decided to no longer support Step Up for Students. 'All of us at Wells Fargo highly value diversity and inclusion, and we oppose discrimination of any kind.' Fifth Third Bank tweeted Florida lawmaker Carlos Guillermo Smith, the state's first LGBTQ legislator, to say: 'Thanks Rep Smith for your feedback. 'We definitely stand with LGBTQ students and parents. 'We have communicated with program officials that we will not be contributing again...' The decisions come less than a week after an investigation conducted by the Orlando Sentinel which found that 156 private Christian schools have anti-gay views and teach more than 20,000 students across the state. Fifth Third Bank tweeted to say: 'We have communicated with program officials that we will not be contributing again' Of the 156 schools with anti-gay views, 83 of them don't allow LGBTQ students to attend and some also don't let students attend if their parents are gay The paper reported: 'Florida's scholarship programs sent more than $129million to these religious institutions. That means at least 14 per cent of Florida's nearly 147,000 scholarship students last year attended private schools where homosexuality was condemned or, at a minimum, unwelcome.' Of the 156 schools with anti-gay views, 83 of them don't allow LGBTQ students to attend and some also don't let students attend if their parents are gay. In July last year, a columnist for the Sentinel wrote a piece about Step Up for Children and at least one company, Rosen hotels and Resorts, stopped donating to it. State senator Darryl Rousen also pre-filed a bill last year that would stop private schools from benefiting from the program if they were rejecting students based on 'race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, disability, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity.' His bill hasn't yet been considered by Legislature. Israeli security forces and Palestinian protesters clashed Thursday in the West Bank city of Hebron as protests continue against a Mideast plan announced by US President Donald Trump, which strongly favours Israel. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas rejected the plan on Tuesday. The protesters burned photos of the leaders of Qatar, Oman and Bahrain whose ambassadors in the US took part in the unveiling ceremony of Trump's Mideast plan. The plan would create a Palestinian state in parts of the West Bank, but would allow Israel to annex nearly all of its settlements in the occupied territory. It would allow the Palestinians to establish a capital on the outskirts of east Jerusalem but would leave most of the city under Israeli control. The annexation would be widely seen as a violation of international law, but there would be no way to hold Israel accountable outside of the United Nations Security Council, where the US wields a veto. FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cardiff Lexington Corporation (OTC:CDIXBB) has announced today that Steven Healy, CPA has agreed to join the senior management team as the Companys Chief Financial Officer. As Cardiff Lexingtons first in-house Chief Financial Officer Steven Healy brings to Cardiff Lexington over 25 years progressive public and private company experience in finance and operations management. He is familiar with and has been instrumental in numerous levels of consolidations in manufacturing, distribution, retail, and service industries with start-ups, multi-location and multi-state companies. Mr. Healy founded Dania Solutions a financial and accounting consulting company working closely with the Board of Directors of public companies providing SEC reporting including 10Qs, 10Ks, and 8Ks services, month end closings and reconciliations, financial statements and reports, budgets and variance analysis. He developed and rolled out performance metrics and has designed cash forecasting and debt covenants sensitivity models. Mr. Healy served as CFO of NetTalk.COM, Inc., a public telecommunications company and app developer which provides low cost phone service and business wireless service via devices and mobile apps using VoIP and other technologies. He was CFO of National Molding, LLC, a private injection molding and tooling manufacturing company which makes small plastic parts using custom molds primarily for the automotive industry and military with plants in South Florida, Pennsylvania, and Shanghai, China. Mr. Healy was CFO of Imperial Industries, Inc., a public manufacturer and distributer of building materials from 15 distribution centers and 2 manufacturing plants throughout Florida and the Southeast United States. He managed rapid growth from both organic and acquisitions. Mr. Healy began his career with Deloitte (f/k/a Touche Ross & Co.) as an auditor and subsequently Audit Manager. He holds a Bachelors in Accounting Degree from the University of Florida graduating with honors and a Masters in Accounting from the University of Central Florida. Alex H. Cunningham, Cardiff Lexington CEO, stated, This is a major milestone for Cardiff Lexington. It is significant leap forward for our organization as we transition from outsourced accounting consolidation. Steven has extensive hands-on experience with both Private and Public SEC Reporting Companies and a tract record of developing and implementing uniform accounting policies, procedures and systems. He will bring a standardized automated reporting process to Cardiff Lexington while managing the quarterly audit process consolidating including subsidiary financial statements and reporting. He will be working closely with our subsidiaries and future acquisitions to ensure seamless, timeless, financial integration." ABOUT CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION: Cardiff Lexington is a public holding company, much like a cooperative, leveraging proven management in private companies that become wholly owned become subsidiaries. Subsidiary sustained growth in market share is a key underlying component of our holding company philosophy which when combined with our core acquisition driven growth model component will continue to create shareholder value over the long term. Cardiff Lexingtons business model targets acquisition of middle market private niche companies both mature, and, second stage with high growth potential as well as commercial income producing real estate. Our focus is not industry or geographic-specific, but rather proven management, market, and margin. Cardiff Lexington targets acquisitions of mature, high growth, niche companies. Cardiff Lexington's strategy identifies and empowers select income-producing middle market private businesses and commercial real estate properties. Cardiff Lexington provides these companies both 1) the enhanced ability to raise money for operations or expansion, and 2) an equity exit and liquidity strategy for the owner, heirs, and/or Investors. The Cardiff Lexington umbrella enables those business owners to exit personal equity and to take advantage of the capitalization power of a public company without losing independent management control. Fundamental to the Cardiff Lexington strategy, acquisitions become standalone autonomous subsidiaries gaining advantage of the power of a public company. Owners gain liquidity, diversification, pooled resources, leverage value, and mitigated risk. As a Cardiff Lexington subsidiary these companies gain both the enhanced ability to raise money for operations or expansion while also establishing a longer-term equity exit strategy. For Investors Cardiff Lexington seeks to aggressively grow and hold assets that create a diversified lower risk environment that over the long term protects and safely enhances investment by continually adding assets and holdings through acquisitions to a diversified continually growing niche holding company. Cardiff Lexington is led by strong and talented team of executives and advisors providing expert acquisition, market guidance and added value for subsidiaries and investors. FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENT: This news release contains forward looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act. The statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events that involve risks and uncertainties. These risks include the failure to meet schedule or performance requirements of the Company's contracts, the Company's liquidity position, the Company's ability to obtain new contracts, the emergence of competitors with greater financial resources, and the impact of competitive pricing. In the light of these uncertainties the forward-looking events referred to in this release might not occur. Investors Relations 800-628-2100 ext. 705 investorsrelations@cardifflexington.com Source: Cardiff Lexington Corporation Increasing use of flight simulators for virtual training to ensure aviation safety is driving market growth The flight simulator market size is projected to grow from USD 5. 7 billion in 2019 to USD 7. New York, Jan. 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Flight Simulator Market by Platform, Type, Training, Solution And Region - Global Forecast to 2025" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p04141105/?utm_source=GNW 7 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 5.2% during the forecast period. The market is driven by various factors, such as the rising demand for commercial pilots to meet growing fleet sizes, adoption of virtual training to ensure aviation safety, and the need for cost-cutting on pilot training. However, the longer product lifecycle and lack of interoperability is limiting the overall growth of the market. Based on type, the Full Flight Simulators (FFS) market is estimated to account for the largest share of the flight simulator market in 2019 Based on type, the Full Flight Simulators (FFS) market is estimated to account for the largest share of the flight simulator market in 2019. The FFS segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period, because these simulators have navigation and flight control systems on a motion platform and can also be used for both, primary and regular training. Based on solution, the products segment estimated to account for the major market share in 2019 Flight simulator hardware is designed to integrate with fixed or mobile platforms. This enables flight simulators to be more user-friendly. Also, rise in the demand for sophisticated and modern flight simulator hardware components is expected to drive the demand for the products segment, which is, in turn, is driving the demand in the flight simulator market. Continual upgrade of hardware components from different pilot training institutes is another factor driving the growth of the products segment. North America estimated to account for the largest share of the flight simulator market in 2019 North America has the highest simulator utilization rate. High demand for air travel, which is the major reason behind the increased need for pilot training, is expected to boost the flight simulator market. Also, presence of OEMs in the region is also supporting the growth of the market in North America. OEMs in the region are partnering with airlines to secure their market positions within the North America region, thereby leading the North America region. Break-up of profiles of primary participants in the flight simulator market By Company Type: Tier 1 35%, Tier 2 45%, and Tier 3 20% By Designation: C-Level Executives 35%, Directors 25%, and Others 40% By Region: North America 45%, Europe 20%, Asia Pacific 30%, Rest of the World 5% Key players in the flight simulator market from CAE (Canada), L-3 Communications (US), FlightSafety International (US), Airbus Group (Netherlands), Avion Group (Netherlands), Boeing Company (US), Collins Aerospace (US), Frasca International (US), Indra Sistemas (Spain), Precision Flight Controls (US), Raytheon Company (US), SIMCOM Aviation Training (US), Thales Group (France), and TRU Simulation + Training (US).These are some of the key players providing flight simulator solutions in various countries across the world. Research Coverage: The market study covers the flight simulator market across segments.It aims at estimating the market size and the growth potential of this market across different segments, such as platform, solution, type, and region. The study also includes an in-depth competitive analysis of the key players in the market, along with their company profiles, key observations related to product and business offerings, recent developments, and key market strategies.Reasons to buy this report: This report will help the market leaders/new entrants in this market with information on the closest approximations of the revenue numbers for the overall flight simulator market and its subsegments. The report covers the entire ecosystem of the flight simulator industry and will help stakeholders understand the competitive landscape and gain more insights to better position their businesses and plan suitable go-to-market strategies. The report will also help stakeholders understand the pulse of the market and provide them with information on key market drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p04141105/?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. __________________________ Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 (Photo: LWF/Marie Renaux)Olive tree in the Mount of Olives, East Jerusalem. The World Council of Churches and The Lutheran World Federation, both with churches in the Holy Land, have criticized a proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for regional peace for the lack of consultation in their pitch. World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit on Jan. 29 urged the international community not to support the Trump-Netanyahu proposal for dividing up Palestine and Israel. He said it is a "a plan developed with no meaningful participation from the Palestinian people." The Lutheran World Federation which has around 74 million members, expressed grave concern on the same day over the "Peace to Prosperity" plan for Israel and Palestine presented by the U.S. administration. "Peace can never be unilaterally imposed," write LWF president Archbishop Panti Filibus Musa, and LWF General Secretary Rev. Martin Junge said in a Jan. 29 statement In his statement Tveit said, "WCC urges members of the international community not to support this proposal or to recognize its implementation unless and until a better plan has been negotiated and agreed with representatives of the Palestinian people." This he said must be "in compliance with the principles of international law regarding belligerent occupation and human rights," "This proposal was developed without meaningful participation by representatives of the Palestinian people, and primarily in line with long-stated Israeli objectives." 'PEACE TO PROSPERITY' The proposal, called "Peace to Prosperity: A Vision to Improve the Lives of Palestinian and Israeli People," was presented on Jan. 28. "It constitutes an ultimatum, rather than a real, sustainable or just solution," said Tveit. "Ultimately, any 'solution' that is not based on justice and negotiated agreement will be an imposition and an instrument of oppression." The WCC said it continues to study the document and to receive analysis and reactions from member churches and partners in the region. "This proposal recognizes might as right, and considers principles of international law, justice and accountability," said Tveit. "The territories 'allocated' to Palestinians under this plan are small isolated enclaves with no territorial contiguity, separated by Israeli settlements and connected only by bypasses under Israeli control." The WCC said that it holds the "two-state solution" to be the best path forward towards peaceful co-existence for both Palestinians and Israelis. "But it must be a real two-state solution, entailing the establishment of a viable, independent, self-governed Palestinian state, as foreseen in relevant UN resolutions, not simply renaming the current system of occupation and control as a Palestinian 'state,'" said Tveit. "We call upon the government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority the recommit to a process of dialogue and negotiations on these foundations." For its part the LWF asserted that the plan ignores fundamental principles of international law and human rights conventions, as well as numerous UN General Assembly and UN Security Council resolutions, "setting a dangerous precedent for the future." The LWF called upon the international community to take immediate actions to reduce human suffering of the Palestinian population, and LWF member churches to support the ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, and the LWF World Service program in Jerusalem. Involve's patented Akoustos Y4 and Surround Master represent the first direct challenge to Dolby's Atmos surround sound system released in 2012. When asked which technology is better, Charlie van Dongen, Involve Audio's President and Chief Technical Officer states, "We have been asking listeners to simply experience the difference and judge for themselves. Some of the most highly respected Hi-Fi forums in the world are rating us as the company that is finally ready to take on the old guard in the surround sound game." To see and hear the difference, go to http://www.involveaudio.com/products/ Kevin Corson serves as President of Involve Audio USA, Inc. and is in charge of introducing Involve's flagship products, the Surround Master and the Surround Master Y4 systems, into the North American consumer marketplace. Kevin is the inventor of VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) and was also instrumental in creating and bringing to market the world's first digital sound card and voice recognition products including Covox/Creative Labs' Sound Master, Sound Blaster and Voice Blaster, as well as Sonic Foundry/Sony's Sound Forge. "I have been around a lot of sound based technologies over the last 30 years and when I see something like Involve come along, I was excited to play a part," says Kevin. "It is kind of like the movie "The Clash of the Titans" when it comes to the type of technology we are up against. I believe that Involve's Akoustos versus Dolby's Atmos will be the surround sound battle of the modern era." Involve Audio USA, Inc. will work with Sound Art USA, LLC and their nationwide family of preferred resellers to showcase the Akoustos Y4 systems. "Sound Art USA is the perfect partner to help us introduce our technology to the North America market," continues Van Dongen. "Sound Art USA will help us reach US consumers and spread the news about the science behind Involve's product line." Customers can learn more about Involve Audio at www.involveaudio.com and www.involveaudiousa.com To locate an Involve/Sound Art Preferred Reseller near you visit www.SoundArtUSA.com Media Contact: [email protected] Kevin Corson Project Vision Director North American Operations Involve Audio, Inc. 655 A Street, Suite B Springfield, Oregon Direct: 541.461.9755 http://www.involveaudiousa.com email: [email protected] SOURCE Involve Audio Related Links http://www.involveaudio.com Opening my newspaper last Friday, I was quite surprised by J. Gilberto Quezadas op-ed, Heed the truth in Atlas Shrugged. Although I respect differing opinions, I felt duty-bound to express my resentment against the content not the messenger. Ayn Rands works, such as Atlas Shrugged and Fountainhead, are philosophical tracts disguised as novels. And I am sure that former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan who was one of her devoted acolytes listened to her every word while she lectured about the virtues of an unregulated free-market, rugged individualism and the elimination of social programs. To Rand, anyone who relied on social programs (that pernicious Social Security system, Medicare, farm subsidies, public education, government pension programs, food stamps, WIC program, etc.) were, to use her term correctly, parasites. The real heroes to Rand were those smart enough to use the capitalist system to amass great wealth, whom she considered to be paragons of virtue and superheroes of capitalism. They did not depend on handouts and were arguably prosperous because they used their reason to achieve greatness as espoused in her philosophy of objectivism. Rands philosophy of objectivism has no redeeming purpose other than promoting the economic interests of people bankrolling it because the sole function of her philosophy is to justify wealth, explain away poverty as the result of ignorant parasites, and normalize the cruel attitude of the powerful and wealthy. Here is what Jesus told a rich man, according to Matthew 19:21: If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. What did Ayn Rand think of this? On The Phil Donahue Show in 1979, Rand argued that believing in God is an insult to reason and her objectivism principles. In fact, Rand herself taught that there was no such thing as the public interests, and Social Security and Medicare only steal from creators and illegitimately redistribute the wealth. Probably unknown to supporters of Rand is that when she reached her twilight years, she benefited from Social Security and Medicare because of mounting medical bills after surgery in 1974 for lung cancer caused by her heavy smoking. Cosmic irony has a way slapping you in the face. If you benefit from Medicare, Social Security or even get a government pension check with free medical expenses like our U.S. senators, please dont be a hypocrite and bash Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Im sure Rand would never have said God bless America! since she was an avowed atheist. Julian S. Garcia is a retired schoolteacher and former associate editor of ViAztlan: An International Journal of Arts and Ideas. The 2100 block of North Lambert Street, where a 4-year-old boy was shot and killed early Thursday. Read more A 4-year-old boy found a handgun in a bedroom closet and apparently shot and killed himself accidentally early Thursday in his familys North Philadelphia home, police said. Police who responded to the house on the 2100 block of North Lambert Street about 1 a.m. were told by the boys father that the shooting had occurred during a home-invasion robbery. But after examining the scene and questioning the 28-year-old father, Edward Williams, detectives believe the boy found the 9mm handgun in a closet and it somehow discharged, Homicide Capt. Jason Smith said. Detectives do not think the father was with his son, Edward Williams Jr., at the time, but a 3-year-old sibling was, Smith said. It was not immediately clear whether the father might face charges. Smith said Thursday that Williams had a criminal record that would have barred him from possessing a firearm. Authorities said he was beginning to cooperate with the investigation into the death of his son. UPDATE: Father of Philly 4-year-old who killed himself after finding handgun is charged with manslaughter Earlier, acting Police Commissioner Christine Coulter told reporters at the scene that the arriving officers found the father with the 3-year-old on the ground floor. In an upstairs bedroom, they found the boy who had been shot, unresponsive, she said. Police took the boy to a hospital, where he later was pronounced dead. The boys mother was at work at the time, police said. Investigators later obtained a warrant to look for clues inside the house. There was little activity outside the home with a red awning Thursday morning, save for a lone police car in front and parents in the area shuffling their children to school. A prayer candle flickered on the sidewalk. Bakir Hill, who lives about a block away, was walking after dropping her son off at school. She said her first thought upon hearing of a child fatally shot was: Another one? Another one gone to gun violence, she said. Youve got to be kidding me. And for what? Hill, a 38-year-old home health aide, said her youngest son, who is 10, wants to walk the couple of blocks to school alone but she wont let him. I pray for my kids to just come back from the store safely, she said. Elsie Rodriguez said she was shaken awake in the middle of the night by her 11-year-old grandson saying he heard a popping noise. She assumed someone was shot but never expected a bullet would have found a child. I couldnt go back to sleep after that, said Rodriguez, 60, who lives next door to the home where the boy was killed. She said she has lived on the block for about three years and doesnt know the family well, but had played with the young boys outside. The 4-year-old, she said, loved playing with balls and Matchbox cars. Its horrible, she said. A little boy, 4 years old, dead. Coulter noted that the boys death comes after a year in which police confronted an uptick in shootings involving children under 18. There were 115 such victims in 2019. READ MORE: Philadelphia had more shootings in 2019 and homicides stayed high The incident marked the second shooting this year of a child under age 13, according to police statistics. Two weeks ago, an 18-month toddler was shot in East Germantown when a gunman opened fire on the 100 block of East Pastorius Street. Last year, 17 preteens were shot, twice as many as the year before and the highest total since at least 2015, the statistics show. Unfortunately, officers throughout the city over the last year have been in that situation, you know, and we are very conscious of the help they may also need, too, Coulter said, according to 6ABC. A lot of them themselves are parents of young children. To just put a kid, who was shot, in the car, try to save their life, and not have those results. Bobbi Jones, who lives nearby, shivered on the sidewalk and looked at the house where she said shes played with the young children who live inside. This has got to be some kind of accident, she said, shaking her head. Jones, 48, said she had a couple of nicknames for the 4-year-old boy. Sometimes she called him little man. Other times, it was Bubba, on account of his chubby cheeks. As of 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, Philadelphia had recorded 36 homicides so far this year, compared with 27 through the same date last year. Staff writers John Duchneskie and Joseph A. Gambardello contributed to this article. The injured student being taken to the hospital. (Twitter image) A student of the Jamia Milia Islamia University was injured after an unidentified man opened fire at anti-CAA protesters nea the campus in Delhi on Thursday afternoon. Fear gripped the place after the incident with panic-stricken protesters running for cover. In a video that has gone viral, a man sporting a jacket is seen walking on the high-security road. He then opens fire shouting 'Yeh lo aazadi (here's your freedom) addressing the people protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act. The police arrested him later. The injured student has been identified as Shadaab and being treated at the AIIMS. This is the the first such incident in the capital city during more than a month of demonstrations. Witnesses said the man holding a gun shouted slogans against the protesters near Jamia Millia Islamia University, before firing at them. The police stood nearby, Ahmed Zahir, a witness said. Following the incident, the area was cordoned off and traffic diverted. Elizabeth Warren has demanded criminal punishment for social media users who spread false information about how to vote in elections. The Democratic presidential candidate has pledged to push for 'tough civil and criminal penalties' in a bid to tackle Russian-linked deception efforts. She also took aim at Facebook and Twitter for their 'meager' efforts to tackle the spread of fake news, urging them to block accounts who post false information. Online tricksters were found to have spread a series of falsehoods during the 2016 and 2018 elections, including incorrect election dates and claims that voters could cast their ballot by text. Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren (pictured) has demanded criminal punishment for social media users who spread false information about how to vote in elections In a statement on the Warren campaign website, the Massachusetts senator vowed that her staff would not 'knowingly spread false or manipulated information'. 'I will not tolerate the use of false information or false accounts to attack my opponents, promote my campaign, or undermine our elections,' she said. Unveiling a package of policy pledges, Warren promised criminal sanctions on people who deliberately seek to mislead voters. 'In both the 2016 and 2018 elections, online disinformation sought to depress voter turnout by telling people they could vote via text, giving people the wrong date for election day, and more,' she said. 'I will push for new laws that impose tough civil and criminal penalties for knowingly disseminating this kind of information, which has the explicit purpose of undermining the basic right to vote.' Warren also suggested she could impose additional sanctions on Russia for its alleged interference in the 2016 race. Russian accounts were blamed for a wave of misinformation during the 2016 campaign, in particular targeting Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. One Russian troll farm even tried to encourage U.S. 'secessionist movements' in California and Texas, a report said. Hundreds of fake Facebook accounts, probably run from Russia, spent about $100,000 on ads aimed at stirring up divisive issues, Facebook admitted. Facebook (file photo) has admitted that hundreds of fake accounts believed to be run from Russia had spent $100,000 on divisive adverts during the 2016 election Intelligence chiefs are braced for further Russian attempts to disrupt the 2020 election. 'Even when social media companies like Facebook identify efforts at promoting disinformation, the steps they take to stem its corrosive effects are meager at best,' Warren said. 'Social media platforms should ban accounts that knowingly disseminate false information about the time, place, and manner of voting.' Research by the Brennan Center, a think-tank, found that some of the deception efforts in 2016 were particularly targeted at black voters. Russian-linked adverts appeared on Facebook the night before election day telling African-American voters to 'boycott the election', experts say. Ahead of the 2018 midterms, some social media posts claimed falsely that voters could cast their ballot by text. Other messages claimed that the election was on November 7, rather than the actual date of November 6 - potentially causing people to miss election day. The institute said the false messages were 'similar to Russian tactics' which had been observed in 2016. There were also menacing messages about bringing guns to polling stations and claims that ICE officers would be there to deport immigrants. When Branden Pelots wife found him in a bathroom in their Luling home early on Jan. 22, 2018, he was lying unresponsive near a needle and an empty baggie. She made a frantic call to 911, but it was too late for paramedics to save Pelots life. A pathologist would later conclude that he died of a drug overdose. On Wednesday, New Orleans jurors deliberated whether an admitted New Orleans East drug dealer should go to prison for life on the accusation that he supplied Pelot a fatal dose of heroin mixed with fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid. Michael Willis, 47, is charged with second-degree murder under a once-rarely used Louisiana law that allows drug-induced deaths to be treated as homicides. That law has been invoked more often in the wake of the recent opioid epidemic, and Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaros office received a grant last year that could pave the way for more such prosecutions. +3 New Orleans DA announces initiatives to map opioid overdoses and beef up prosecutions Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro has launched a pair of initiatives aimed at tackling the opioid epidemic in New Orleans, wher The case before Criminal District Court Judge Laurie White this week involved another twist: both Willis and his alleged victim were federal informants. Willis had been cooperating with the Drug Enforcement Administration for months, according to testimony at the two-day trial. Meanwhile, Pelot started cooperating with the FBI after he was caught in a drug bust. His handler testified that he helped federal agents make 17 different cases. Assistant District Attorney Andre Gaudin Jr. described the prosecution as a tale of two investigations during his opening statement. Starting in mid-2017, DEA agents began making recorded purchases of drugs from Willis. They watched him as he sold drugs from his white Mercedes-Benz and noted that his only other sources of income were federal disability benefits and casino gambling. When confronted with the evidence, Willis agreed to help the DEA with other investigations. But according to Gaudin, agents were unaware that Willis continued to sell drugs on the sly. He allegedly switched his tactics by outsourcing the actual physical sale of drugs to several addicted women, who were paid in heroin. Willis' defense attorney, Jay Daniels, cast doubt on the idea that Willis could have continued to sell drugs without the agency knowing. At roughly the same time, Pelot was working as a confidential informant for the FBI, which gave him the code name Cherokee. Gaudin said Pelot helped investigators take down a school bus driver who was dealing heroin and a group of men who were caught on a wiretap plotting a murder. 2 indicted on murder charges in Luling man's overdose death Two alleged members of a local heroin-distribution ring were indicted Thursday (June 7) for second-degree murder in the death of a man who ove Pelot had suggested Willis as a target for his next case, according to his FBI handler, special agent Sheila McMillan. But she testified that she couldnt pursue Willis because he was already a DEA asset. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up The two mens fates collided on Jan. 21, prosecutors said. Pelots wife, Jeanne "Nikki" Glenn, testified that they drove to meet Julie Raffray at her house in New Orleans East. Raffray sold drugs for Willis, who supplied her own habit, she said. Pelots wife overdosed on the drugs inside Raffrays house, but Raffray was able to revive her with Naloxone, which reverses the effect of opioid overdoses. Despite the sign that the drugs were unusually dangerous, Pelot and his wife returned to their house in Luling with the rest of the drugs, she said. Later that night he sent her off to bed and then overdosed in the bathroom. Raffray, who was also charged with murder under the same theory of a drug-induced homicide, pleaded guilty last year to a reduced count of manslaughter. She is set to be sentenced after the trial. After the overdose death, Pelots family members reached out to McMillan and she began her homicide probe. She said she attempted to bring Willis in with a sting operation, pretending to be Pelot by using his phone, but he grew suspicious and went on the run for months. When Willis was finally caught, he was also charged with federal drug counts. He pleaded guilty to those and received an 87-month sentence earlier this month. However, he decided to fight the murder count and other state charges. His attorney, Daniels, described the state prosecution as unnecessary in his closing statement Wednesday. Daniels theorized that the fatal drugs could have come from Raffray alone, or that the methadone found in Pelots system might have caused his death. He also questioned why New Orleans was the only jurisdiction to charge the death as a murder. St. Charles Parish didnt touch this case. But because Andre Gaudin wants to make this a referendum on the heroin epidemic, we're here, Daniels said. If (Willis) is going to be in jail, let him be in jail for what he's pleaded guilty to in (federal court), what he's accepted responsibility for, not these charges that Andre Gaudin cooked up. A forensic pathologist concluded that Pelot died of acute heroin and fentanyl toxicity, and that methadone played no role in his death, Gaudin said. Pelot was father to a son and daughter. His mother watched with tears in her eyes as Gaudin delivered his closing words. This is not a referendum on how we treat drug dealers, he said. This is also not a referendum on how we treat addicts. It's a question of do we care about the effects of addiction, and the people who take advantage of it to put money in their pockets. I ask you to deliver some small amount of justice to this family. Treating drug dealers as killers has critics who argue for less punitive approaches. Gaudin said that if jurors couldn't stomach the idea of a life term for Willis, despite the state law, they could convict him of manslaughter and let the judge decide his sentence. In addition to murder, Willis faces three heroin distribution counts, two counts of possession with intent to distribute heroin, one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin and one count of money laundering. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer admitted Wednesday that Democrats will struggle to force witness testimony and additional evidence during the Senate impeachment trial as Republicans who were previously on the fence began to announce they will vote with their party. Weve always known it will be an uphill fight on witnesses and on documents because the president and Mitch McConnell put huge pressure on these folks, the New York Democrat said. Schumer insisted that the public is overwhelmingly on our side for witnesses as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell attempts to garner enough votes to bring the trial to a swift conclusion. Republican senators Cory Gardner of Colorado and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania had hedged on whether they would vote to call more witnesses to testify during the trial, but both said Wednesday they would vote not to do so. McConnell reportedly warned on Tuesday during a caucus meeting that he lacked the 51 votes to shut down Democratss requests for witnesses. The question of whether to call witnesses was complicated earlier this week after a bombshell report from the New York Times, which revealed that John Bolton states in his upcoming memoir that in August he personally witnessed President Trump tie the provision of military aid to politically beneficial investigations. The White House National Security Council afterwards claimed that Boltons book, The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir, scheduled for release March 17, contained classified information at the TOP SECRET level and could cause exceptionally grave harm to the national security. Boltons lawyer disputed that claim in a Wednesday statement. Democrats have called for testimony from Bolton, who has said he is willing to appear before the Senate for testimony if subpoenaed. Trumps legal team has also called for witness testimony from House impeachment manager Adam Schiff, Joe and Hunter Biden and the intelligence community whistleblower who first brought attention to the allegations of a quid pro quo by Trump. Story continues The Senate votes on witnesses and whether to introduce new evidence are set for Friday. More from National Review The first Sukumar Sen Memorial Lecture, instituted by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in memory of the first chief election commissioner of the country was delivered on January 23 by former President Pranab Mukherjee. Sen was a remarkable son of India who transformed the dream of a democracy into an enduring model electoral system that few could have dreamt of at the dawn of freedom. It is a strange coincidence that the first Sukumar Sen Memorial Lecture was delivered on the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. After the lecture, one of his relatives told me that during a voyage to England, Sen tried to impress one of his co-passengers with his knowledge of mathematics. The co-passenger, who wasnt too impressed, was none other than Bose, who also qualified for the India Civil Services like Sen himself. Sen, the mathematician civil servant, was also the first vice-chancellor of Burdwan University in 1960 and later administrator of the Dandakaranya Project ( to rehabilitate displaced refugees after Partition) in West Bengal. He was born on January 2, 1899 and passed away on May 13, 1963 even before he attained the current age of retirement of election commissioners. Today, we marvel at the vision of the framers of our Constitution who reposed faith in We, the people of India, a vast and disparate multitude of millions who were knitted together into a Republic by their wisdom and foresight. While India dared to dream, the world looked at it with anxiety and nervous apprehension. But then there were dedicated men who with their commitment, courage and capability went about the task of institution building that has stood the test of time and become the envy of the world. Sen, who took over as the first CEC on March 21, 1950 was one such institution builder. He was given the herculean task of conducting the first election in a country that was born after almost a century long struggle for independence. He was chosen to play midwife to deliver Indian democracys first crop of nearly 3,000 elected representatives. In his own words, the elections were like re-joining of a historic thread that had been snapped by alien rule. For his labour, Sen was paid a salary of Rs.4,000 per month in which he volunteered a cut of Rs.500. His contribution in successfully delivering the first election earned him a Padma Bhushan in 1954 and by the time his tenure ended on December 19, 1958, he had earned the eternal gratitude of a nation that was on its way to becoming the most vibrant democracy of modern times. With the adoption of the principle of Universal Adult Suffrage, India launched a great and fateful experiment unique in the world in its stupendousness and complexities, as Sen put it in an extensive report on the first general elections. Under the Government of India (GoI) Act, 1919, which provided for direct election to 100 out of 140 seats in the central legislature assembly, the all-India average of population enfranchised was a mere 2.8% of the adult population. This went up to about 20% under the GoI Act of 1935. Enrolling Indians as voters before the adoption of the Constitution on January 26, 1950 meant that Indians were voters before they became citizens as Ornit Shani observes in her book How India Became Democratic and that according to her, required an immense power of imagination. The total population of India (excluding Jammu & Kashmir) as per Census 1951 was 356,691,760 (356.6 million) and the total voters as per the electoral roll was 173,213,635 (173.2 million), out of which women voters were 45%. Sen personally visited every state in order to check its preparedness for holding the elections. During these tours, he made it a point to meet representatives of political parties and the press and to take them into the fullest confidence. He attended at least one polling rehearsal almost in every state. One of the most progressive decisions taken by him was not to enrol women voters till they disclosed their own identities. Out of 80 million women voters, nearly 2.8 million failed to disclose their names and were deleted. So effective was the effort put that out of the adult population (+ 21 years) of 180,307,684, only 7,034,839 (seven-odd million) adults were left out. Interestingly, 732 intending or contesting candidates gave applications for including their names in the electoral roll by paying a fee of Rs.50/- along with their nominations. Out of these, 46 applications were rejected and 87 won the elections (70 in legislatives and 17 in Parliament) The first general election commenced on September 10, 1951 when the first notification was issued U/S 15 & 17 of RPA 1951 for Himachal Pradesh. Notification U/S 73 containing names of person elected/nominated to the House of People was finally issued on April 2, 1952. The process was eventually concluded on June 4, 1952 when the West Bengal Legislative Council election was completed. Sen dealt with inexperienced citizens and contended with the lackadaisical approach of political parties in the preparation of electoral rolls. However, they were enthusiastic about contesting elections as a total of 26,120 candidates filed their nomination papers (2,833 for the House of People and 23,287 for state assemblies). After rejections and withdrawals, 17,235 (1,874 for the House of People and 15,631 for state assemblies) were left in the fray. Interestingly, 88.4% candidates were their own election agents and 4,194 did not appoint any polling agent. Out of 3,187 candidates who appointed persons other than themselves as their election agents, 855 incurred disqualification for membership of legislatures and for voting, on account of their failure to lodge their returns of election expenses within the time and manner required by law. The disqualification of 221 was later removed by ECI as per the Report of ECI on the First Elections published in 1955. As Shankars weekly said on February 17, 1957, Sen had much more than steel in his frame. While doing the task that was assigned to him, Sen was acutely conscious that setting up a robust and credible system was as much a part of his responsibility as delivering the election itself. He understood that the integrity of the system and the fairness of procedure was an intrinsic requirement of democracy. It was perhaps more important for him to earn the trust of the people than merely fulfil the immediate expectations of his enthusiastic political masters. As we pay tribute to the legendary figure, we also acknowledge the contribution of B N Rau, the adviser of the Constituent Assembly Secretariat under whose guidance the preparation of electoral roll was initially managed, the 16,523 clerks who spent over six months in comparing the rolls with delimited constituencies, the two Regional Commissioners MR Meher and TGN Iyer, about 700,000 polling duty personnel and nearly 340,000 policemen who were detailed for polling duties all over the country. However, the man who played an unassuming and memorable part was Sen, who was described by his daughter Purabi Ward as a doer, not a talker. Today, the world talks about him. (Ashok Lavasa, a 1980-batch retired Indian Administrative Service officer assumed the charge of election commissioner in 2018) [January 30, 2020] Global Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) Market and Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Platforms Market 2020 By Latest Technologies, Advancements, Various Services, Key Players, Growth & Opportunities Dallas, Texas, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) Market 2020-2024: Massive open online courses are changing the world of education by providing free online courses for higher education, executive education, and employee development. These courses are provided by well-qualified lecturers from some of the most renowned institutes in the world. These courses provide virtual education to people from any corner of the world where there is accessibility to the internet. Massive open online courses are expected to complement the future of higher education in the world. Request a sample of this report @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/4196451 Global Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) Market Segment by Companies, this report covers Coursera EdX Udacity Udemy Academic Apple Codecademy Crypt4you FutureLearn Iversity Khan Academy NovoEd Peer 2 Peer University PIER - International Education Services StraighterLine Veduca Edtech The global massive open online courses (MOOC) market is segmented into course, component, user type, and geographical regions. In terms of component, the market is segregated into services and platforms. On considering the user type, the global market is fragmented into undergraduate, high school, corporate, postgraduate, and others. Out of these, the corporate segment is anticipated to dominate the massive open online courses market during the prediction period, due to the high adoption of MOOC as a part of employee engagement activities and development programs by corporate. On considering the geography, the global massive open online courses (MOOC) market is fragmented into South America, North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. In between these, North American market for massive open online courses held the highest share in the year 2018 and it is anticipated to dominate during the prediction period. The global massive open online courses (MOOC) market is extremely competitive as number of players operating across the globe. Browse the complete report @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/reports/index/global-massive-open-online-courses-mooc-market-2019-by-company-regions-type-and-application-forecast-to-2024 Global Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers North America (United States, Canada and Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia) South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia) Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa) Globa Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) Market Segment by Type, covers XMOOC Global Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) Market Segment by Applications, can be divided into In-Service Staff Non-In-Service Personnel Make an enquiry of this report @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/enquiry-before-buying/4196451 Likewise, the corporate education providers including Udemy, SkillSoft, BigThink, Lynda, and Grovo, focus on providing technical education by using excellent content. On the other hand, the lower completion rate of massive open online courses may hinder the growth of the global massive open online courses (MOOC) market over the forecast period. In addition, the rising demand number of subjects covered by MOOC is anticipated to offer several new opportunities For the global massive open online courses (MOOC) market. Table of Contents: 1 Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) Market Overview 2 Manufacturers Profiles 3 Global Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) Market Competition, by Players 4 Global Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) Market Size by Regions 5 North America Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) Revenue by CountriesContinued Part 2: Global Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Platforms Market 2020-2025 Market Overview The global Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Platforms market size is expected to gain market growth in the forecast period of 2020 to 2025, with a CAGR of 36.7% in the forecast period of 2020 to 2025 and will expected to reach USD 19970 million by 2025, from USD 5709.4 million in 2019. Request a sample of this report @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/4196452 The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Platforms market report provides a detailed analysis of global market size, regional and country-level market size, segmentation market growth, market share, competitive Landscape, sales analysis, impact of domestic and global market players, value chain optimization, trade regulations, recent developments, opportunities analysis, strategic market growth analysis, product launches, area marketplace expanding, and technological innovations. The major players covered in Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Platforms are: LinkedIn Learning, Xuetangx, Udemy, Pluralsight, EDX, Coursera, WizIQ, Alison, Udacity, Edmodo, NovoEd, Edureka, Simplilearn, Jigsaw Academy, Iversity, Futurelearn, Federica EU, Linkstreet Learning, Intellipaat, Skillshare, Kadenze, etc. Among other players domestic and global, Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Platforms market share data is available for global, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa and South America separately. Global Info Research analysts understand competitive strengths and provide competitive analysis for each competitor separately. The growing demand for economical and scalable educational platforms to offer to the requirements of learners globally is contributing to the growth of the global open online course platforms market at a huge advances in IT and communication technologies are prompting the learners and educators to adopt the massive open online course platforms across the globe. The global massive open online course platforms market is moderately competitive and consist of the huge number of leading providers. In terms of market share, the number of leading providers currently dominate the market around the world. On the other hand, with the expansion in the innovative educational platform, new entrants are gaining their market existence thereby spreading their business footprint in the developing regions. Market segmentation Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Platforms market is split by Type and by Application. For the period 2015-2025, the growth among segments provide accurate calculations and forecasts for sales by Type and by Application in terms of volume and value. This analysis can help you expand your business by targeting qualified niche markets. By Type, Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Platforms market has been segmented into XMOOC Platforms, CMOOC Platforms, etc. By Application, Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Platforms has been segmented into K-12 Education, University Education, Adult and Elderly Education, Corporate, etc. Make an enquiry of this report @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/enquiry-before-buying/4196452 Competitive Landscape and Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Platforms Market Share Analysis Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Platforms competitive landscape provides details by vendors, including company overview, company total revenue (financials), market potential, global presence, Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Platforms sales and revenue generated, market share, price, production sites and facilities, SWOT analysis, product launch. For the period 2015-2020, this study provides the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Platforms sales, revenue and market share for each player covered in this report. Table of Contents: 1 Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Platforms Market Overview 2 Company Profiles 3 Market Competitions, by Players 4 Market Size by Regions...Continued About Us: Orbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customized reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialization. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients. Contact Us: Hector Costello Senior Manager Client Engagements 4144N Central Expressway, Suite 600, Dallas, Texas - 75204, U.S.A. Phone No.: +1 (972)-362-8199 ; +91 895 659 5155 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Thousands of terrorists might have been airlifted out of Kabul: Trump slams Biden Never in history has withdrawal from war been handled so badly: Trump Donald Trump to visit Sabarmati Riverfront during India trip in February: Gujarat CM India oi-PTI New Delhi, Jan 30: US President Donald Trump will visit the Sabarmati Riverfront in Gujarat during his India trip in February, the state Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said on Wednesday. Rupani said this while addressing an election rally in north Delhi's Shastri Nagar. "In the entire Asia, the Sabarmati river has become the cleanest river which was ensured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Prominent leaders like Japan and Israel prime ministers also visited the riverfront and got surprised to see it. "US President Trump will also come (to India) in February and he will also visit the riverfront," the Gujarat chief minister said. EU Parliament postpones voting on resolution against CAA, India hails it as diplomatic win|Oneindia Howdy Trump: US President to visit India on Feb 21 However he did not specify the dates. Earlier this month, government sources said Indian and US officials were engaged in talks to finalise the dates for Trump's visit to India. "Both sides are in discussions to finalise the dates," a source said. Trump's two-day visit to India could take place on February 24-26. India had invited Trump to grace the Republic Day parade as the chief guest last year but the US president could not come due to scheduling issues. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, January 30, 2020, 8:50 [IST] Is South Africa Abandoning the Polisario? The question was raised just few hours after the South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, delivered a speech Tuesday in Pretoria to present his program at the head of the African Union that he will be chairing for a year as of this February. Analysts did not give a clear cut answer to the question, but said they could sense that the wind was changing. Cyril Ramaphosa, usually a vocal supporter of the polisario front and its separatist theses, did not say a word about the Algeria-backed movement nor made the slightest hint to the Sahara issue. Instead, he told the attending African ambassadors accredited to Pretoria and the members of his cabinet of the special attention he would grant to the conflicts in Libya and South Sudan, as Chairman of the pan-African organization. He said his government is already actively working to reach solutions to these two issues. Actually, Pretoria dispatched to South Sudan on January 17 a peace mission, led by vice president David Mabuza, to mediate between the protagonists, and South Africa is member of the AU High Level Committee, chaired by the Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso. The South African president also brought up the continents economic issues, the need to give substance to the African Free Trade Area, the necessity to integrate women in the African economic fabricbut not a word about the Polisario and its whims. Cyril Ramaphosas exclusion of the Polisario from his agenda as AU Chairman will certainly anger the separatists and their Algerian mentors. However, this exclusion may also herald that the wind has shifted direction Dublin, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Developing High Performance HR Business Partner and Consulting Skills" conference has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This programme has been specifically designed to improve your skillset and ability to develop the influence HR has on leadership and the broader organisation. It will enable you to implement new initiatives and approaches that leverage people capability and support the business in its overall strategy. These new skills will make you an invaluable asset to the business and allow you to reach your full potential as a high performer. Why you should attend In the current climate, the role of the HR business partner has become essential in supporting the organisation through complex and changing business landscapes. It is no longer enough to just deliver good transactional services, a much deeper and broader understanding of business is needed. It's also crucial to have the ability to work alongside all levels of management, with greater self-awareness and the right skill set, to positively influence the organisation at both a strategic and tactical level. This leap demands that you have the right expertise and knowledge to add value to commercial decisions and link HR to the overall business strategy. During this process, HR needs to demonstrate that it can support the business in taking robust decisions and drive change by helping consider the options and optimal solutions. During this highly experiential two-day programme you will: Explore the role of the HR business partner in the context of the organisation and the challenges presented by Brexit Practise the application of the principles of good internal consulting skills Understand how to support and influence the organisational change agenda Identify how the role of a business partner adds value to the organisation Adopt a useful framework to help support line managers resolve and implement good people decisions Identify what needs to be done differently to bring the HR business partner role to life Map the profile of the HR business partner and identify your personal development actions During the two days you will: Learn from case study scenarios that highlight classic organisational challenges Practise using new consulting tools and techniques in a low-risk environment Develop a strategy and set of actions to enhance your role within the HR function to that of a fully immersed business partner Enhance your skills to influence senior colleagues and fellow managers concerning the people challenges around the strategic business agenda Increase your understanding of how HR can add value at a commercial level in today's organisation Understand how to drive and support change within your business Discuss the challenges faced by HR today, especially in relation to Brexit Agenda Module 1 - The HR business partner as a strategic partner During this module, participants will consider their business partner brand and develop the compelling case for their contribution. Understand the difference the HR business partner role makes to commercial success. Module 2 - Applying a consulting framework In this module, participants will examine a proven consultancy framework. They will become familiar with the key skills and a variety of tools and techniques to support implementation of the framework. There will be an opportunity to practise using and applying these skills through case studies. Module 3 - Driving and supporting change within your organisation This module has been designed to focus on how the HR business partner drives and supports change within the organisation. Using practical discussion and exercises it will examine the role of HR as the catalyst and facilitator of change to illustrate how you can apply this to any change project within your organisation. Module 4 - Practical application for the workplace: case studies and exercises The final module is dedicated to bringing all the models, tools and techniques together in case study activities to help embed learning. Discussions and facilitated debate will provide participants with the opportunity to practise using the skills they have learnt. There will be plenty of opportunities to ask the trainer questions and receive feedback on the use and application of the tools. For more information about this conference visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/bec66v Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. COLOGNE, Germany The German government has canceled plans to buy Northrop Grumman-made Triton drones to the tune of $2.5 billion, opting instead for manned planes carrying eavesdropping sensors. The decision to buy Bombardier Global 6000 aircraft comes after officials became convinced that the Global Hawk derivatives would be unable to meet the safety standards needed for flying through European airspace by 2025, a target date for Berlins NATO obligations. A defense ministry spokeswoman told Defense News the Triton option had grown significantly more expensive compared with earlier planning assumptions. The U.S. State Department in April 2018 cleared Germanys request to purchase four MQ-4C Triton drones for signals intelligence missions under the countrys PEGASUS program, short for Persistent German Airborne Surveillance System. The program includes a sensor, dubbed ISIS-ZB and made by Hensoldt, for intercepting communications and locating targets by their electromagnetic signature. The German Defence Ministry for years had been banking on the Triton purchase to come with a pre-installed safety-technology package that would be easily approved by European air traffic authorities. But officials saw their hopes dashed as Italy recently issued a military-type certificate for a sister drone NATOs Alliance Ground Surveillance fleet of Global Hawks, stationed in Sigonella, Sicily that prescribes tight restrictions on flights over the continent. Manned aircraft like the envisioned Global 6000 are allowed to routinely fly alongside civilian traffic, a prospect that the Germans see as more palatable than dealing with drone-specific airspace corridors. New NATO surveillance drones bet on Italian safety ruling Berlin hopes to catch the tail end of Bombardiers Global 6000 manufacturing run, as the model is being phased out in favor of an upgrade. While that strategy could yield a better price, Berlin needs to move soon before the production line goes cold, according to officials. Letting drones fly in the same airspace as civilian traffic remains an unresolved problem, as the requisite sensing technology and the regulatory framework are still emerging. Germany previously tried filling its signals-intelligence gap with the Euro Hawk, but the project tanked in 2013 after spending $700 million because officials underestimated the trickiness of attaining airworthiness qualification. With the Triton gone, Germanys next ambition for a fully approved unmanned aircraft lies with the so-called Eurodrone, a cooperation with France. Officials have said that the program is designed from the start with manned-unmanned airspace integration in mind. Q: What is immunotherapy, and what kinds of cancer can it treat? A: Immunotherapy is a cancer treatment that activates a patients immune system to identify and destroy diseases such as cancer. Immunotherapy is the future of cancer care, said Dr. Theodoros Teknos, president and scientific director of the University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and deputy director of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. This type of treatment is being used to fight a number of cancers of the blood and solid organs such as the liver, spleen, kidneys, adrenals, pancreas, ovaries and uterus. It has been shown most effective in lymphomas, leukemias, melanoma and lung cancer, Teknos said. The Cleveland Clinic annually treats a few dozen patients with immunotherapy vaccines, the health system said. Some patients who undergo immunotherapy treatments see their cancerous tumors disappear, said Dr. Dale Shepard, medical oncologist at the Cleveland Clinics Taussig Cancer Center. A 2019 clinical trial suggested that immunotherapy could give some men with advanced prostate cancer who have exhausted all other treatment options two years or more of life. UH and the Cleveland Clinic are using these therapies to treat cancer and conducting clinical trials of new immunotherapies. MetroHealth System is holding clinical trials of a new form of immunotherapy for women with recurrent cervical cancer. UH is the only Midwest site taking part in a new clinical trial investigating the use of immunotherapy on glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer. The trial uses a modified polio virus to target tumor cells and kill them directly, and create an anti-tumor immune response to kill additional tumors. This is the hottest area of research, Teknos said. A patients age has no bearing on how well immunotherapy will work, Shepard said. He gave the example of former President Jimmy Carter, who at age 95 is being treated with immunotherapy. Immunotherapy holds great promise, but it has limitations. The treatments can be used for only some types of cancer, and can come with severe side effects. Costs also can spiral north of $100,000. Here are some often-used types of immunotherapy: Immune checkpoint inhibitors Cancer cells secrete a protein that turns off the immune system. Checkpoint drugs allow the bodys immune system to identify cancer cells and fight them, Teknos said. Checkpoint inhibitors take the tumors Invisibility Cloak off, UHs Teknos said, using a Harry Potter reference. Checkpoint inhibitors currently on the market include the brands Keytruda (Pembrolizumab) and Opdivo (Nivolumab). Checkpoint inhibitors hold the potential for very, very good and long-lasting responses, Shepard said. Chemotherapy typically will not do that. CAR-T cell therapy Bodies fight infection using a type of immune cell called T cells. CAR-T-cell therapy works by removing T-cells from a patients blood and modifying them in a laboratory to chimeric antigen receptors (CAR). These altered T-cells are returned to the patients body, where they recognize and destroy cancer cells. They go out and seek tumors, Shepard said. Cancer vaccines Some types of anti-cancer vaccines target specific proteins found on cancer tumors. This type of anti-cancer vaccine has to be specially tailored for a specific patient. FDA-approved vaccines include Provenge (sipuleucel-T), which is infused through an IV, for prostate cancer, the Clinic said. Another anti-cancer vaccine is talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) for melanoma; it is injected into the tumor. Other anti-cancer vaccines utilize viruses that grow inside tumors and cause the cancerous cells to break apart. This allows the bodys immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells. There are serious risks Immunotherapy isnt always successful. Some patients see their tumors shrink, but others see no response, or their tumor increases in size, Shepard said. We dont know how to tell whos who, Shepard said. Theres evidence that in some cases, ramped-up immune systems created by these therapies attack healthy organs, according to a 2016 New York Times article. Studies suggest that severe reactions occur nearly 20% of the time with certain drugs, and in more than half of patients when some drugs are used in combination. Patient deaths led Seattle-based Juno Theraputics to permanently shut down its clinical trial of an immunotherapy to treat acute lymphoblasic leukemia in adults, according to a 2017 Seattle Times article. Five patients in the trials died, but the fifth death could not be tied to the trial. Juno Theraputics did not respond to requests for comment. Expensive care Because immunotherapy treatments are time-consuming to make, and sometimes must be personalized for individual patients, they often cost more than $100,000 per patient. When the therapies are used in combination, costs can double or triple, according to the online publication Vox. For example, CAR-T is $350,000 to $500,000 per treatment, Teknos said. Private health insurance companies sometimes wont cover immunotherapy costs, even if a physician recommends the treatment, according to Vox. Copays are so high that they put the treatment out of reach for most people, the article said. Medicare doesnt cover the costs of Keytruda or Optivo, according to GoodRx. When immunotherapy is given to a hospital inpatient, it is included under the diagnosis-related group payment system used to determine hospital payments, a Medicare spokesman said. Local Medicare administrators determine Medicare coverage for outpatient immunotherapy treatments. Further reading More detail about Medicare coverage of immunotherapy The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) This professional society for the advancement of immunotherapy offers a 40-page booklet free to download. Cancer.Net Additional information on immunotherapy in each cancer-specific section. GoodRx lists patient assistance programs for Opdivo. ResearchMatch This is an NIH-funded free registry for people trying to find research studies to join. Recent Health Matters columns by Julie Washington: Hospitals say leave meds at home; readers say otherwise Where to get help paying your medical bill Tips for a smooth transition to a skilled nursing facility Local celebrities share their healthy 2020 resolutions: Health Matters Creating healthy habits for 2020: Health Matters Shingles vaccine and virus: What you need to know: Health Matters In her column, patient advocacy writer Julie Washington will answer readers questions about navigating health-care systems. (She will not address individual treatments.) Your comments may be published in a future story or column. Send questions and comments for publication including your name, city and daytime phone number to jwashington@plaind.com. You can also find Julie on Twitter @JulieEWash. 'Will no longer take in Myanmar refugees': Bangladesh tells UN PoJK refugees urge J&K administration for identification cards, rehabilitation India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Jan 30: The refugees from Pakistan occupied Kashmir have urged the Union Territory Administration to grant them identification cards. They have further urged the administration to address the issues of the displaced population that is living in Jammu and Kashmir. A rally was held to this effect under the banner of the PoJK Displaced People Front. President of the Front, Captain Yudhvir Singh said the refugees who got uprooted from Deva Watala, Bhimber, Kotli, Mirpur, Muzaffarabad, Nowshera, Poonch and Bagh should not be forgotten. He also demanded that the landless families of PoK should be allotted land. We had lost all hopes in the erstwhile J&K state, which had been discriminating against the refugees. EU Parliament postpones voting on resolution against CAA, India hails it as diplomatic win|Oneindia After NIA raids, Davinder Singh shifted to Jammu However today we are hopeful that these issues would be resolved, Singh also said whale demanding the constitution of a development board. He further added that for the past 70 years, thousands of people who survived the carnage in the areas of Jammu and Kashmir occupied by Pakistan in 1947 have been denied of relief by the NC, PDP and Congress which had ruled the erstwhile state. Calling the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) discriminatory in nature, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel on Thursday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to repeal the Act. The Chief Minister in his letter to the Prime Minister said, "The Act is appearing to be discriminatory towards illegal immigrants based on their religious beliefs, contradictory to Article-14 of Indian Constitution. It also has no provision for people of neighboring countries such as Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Nepal, and Bhutan living in India." The Minister also said that the poor and illiterate people will find it difficult to fulfill the formalities of the act. He also emphasised that the protests in the state against CAA have all been peaceful. "Number of demonstrations have taken place in Chhattisgarh in protest of this Act and all those demonstrations were peaceful. People from various sections participated in these peaceful demonstrations. People to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes (SC, ST and OBC), reside in the state, and most of these people are poor, illiterate and unequipped, which will make it extremely difficult for them to complete the formalities under this Act," the Chief Minister stated in his letter. Baghel requested Prime Minister to repeal the Act so 'peace in the country' can be maintained. "Keeping in view the protests staged by people, to save poor and illiterate people from trouble, to maintain peace in the country and to protect the core values of the Constitution. I request you on behalf of the people of Chhattisgarh to repeal Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA)," said Baghel in his letter. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A new study, lead by researchers at Stockholm university and published in Science Advances, now demonstrate that the amount of methane presently leaking to the atmosphere from the Arctic Ocean is much lower than previously claimed in recent studies. Methane is well known as a major contributor to global warming. Understanding the natural sources of this gas, especially in the fast-warming Arctic, is critical for understanding the future climate. Compared with the amount of methane produced by human activities the amount from the ocean was long thought to be negligible. Nevertheless, over the past decade, there have been reports claiming large amounts of methane emitted from the Arctic Ocean to the atmosphere. The amounts released were sometimes claimed to be catastrophically large and, even though the emissions had not be observed by atmospheric monitoring stations, it raised the question that perhaps scientists had missed something important about the Arctic Ocean's methane cycle. However, measuring small amounts of gas escaping from the sea and properly scaling the emissions over millions of square kilometers of the remote Arctic Ocean is not an easy task. A unique application of an established measurement technique In their study, the researchers used direct measurements of the methane sea-to-air flux to determine how much methane is leaking from the eastern Arctic Ocean to the atmosphere. They used data from the 2014 SWERUS-C3 project, during which the Swedish icebreaker Oden crossed the eastern Arctic Ocean from Troms, Norway. Although other researchers have calculated the sea-to-air flux before, this study used a unique measurement technique to measure the fluxes directly, and the authors believe their paper is the first to successfully apply this method from a ship. The reason the method has not been used before is that it requires measuring the gas concentration in the atmosphere very rapidly--10 times per second--in addition to even faster measurements of the wind flow in three dimensions around the ship, and the precise location, acceleration and motion of the ship relative to the sea surface. Faster, smaller, accelerometers and inertial navigation units, similar to the chips which let smartphones know when you turn them sideways or upside down, as well as faster spectrometers for the methane measurement, and a detailed model of airflow around Oden, made this measurement possible. "By understanding the airflow over the sea surface, and simultaneously measuring methane concentrations, we can determine how much methane is coming out of the ocean", explains researcher Brett Thornton at the Department of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University. "This is actually our second paper on the topic of methane emissions from the sea during the SWERUS-C3 expedition. The method used then relied on slower measurements of methane in the surface water, and so we could not detect the largest 'hotspots' of emission as precisely", says Brett Thornton. This new study shows that "hotspots" of methane emission from the sea can be up to 25 times higher than emissions from on-shore wetlands. These emissions are driven by bubbles coming from the seafloor and reaching the sea surface. This study directly observed very high peak emissions and, for the first time, was able to map their spatial extent. "The peak emissions are indeed large but at the same time they are also extremely limited in area", says Brett Thornton. Across the Laptev, East Siberian, and Chukchi seas the authors saw no evidence of widespread emissions at the magnitude of the "hotspots". In fact, their estimates for total methane emission from the eastern Arctic Ocean did not substantially increase even when they included these "hotspots" in the budget calculations. "What this means is that--at least at the time of our measurements--the shallow eastern Arctic Ocean was not a huge source of methane to the atmosphere, and our understanding of Arctic sea emissions in the methane cycle is still reasonably correct. So this is, I would say, a bit of good news in the global warming story. Yes, there is methane leaking from the Arctic Ocean to the atmosphere. But, at least for now, it is not globally important to atmospheric methane and global warming", Brett Thornton explains. It's important to realize that this work doesn't give insight into what might happen to these methane emissions in the future Arctic Ocean, with warmer waters and less ice cover. Will they increase or decrease? Will they become important globally? That remains to be determined by future research. ### Contact information Brett Thornton, Department of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University Tel: +468-16 4740 E-mail: brett.thornton@geo.su.se Shipborn eddy covariance observations of methane fluxes constrain Arctic sea emissions, Brett Thornton, John Prytherch, Kristian Andersson, Ian Brooks, Dominic Salisbury, Michael Tjernstrom and Patrick Crill, from Stockholm University and the University of Leeds. Published in Science Advances. DOI link: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aay7934 President Mahmoud Abbas to address UNSC on Palestinian rejection of the US Middle East proposal within two weeks. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will visit the United Nations within two weeks to address the Security Council on his rejection of the new US Middle East plan, his ambassador to the body has said. At that time, a draft resolution will be submitted to the council, Riyad Mansour told reporters on Wednesday, without specifying a date for the visit. US President Donald Trump unveiled his long-delayed plan referred to as the deal of the century to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Tuesday, but Palestinians called the proposal dead on arrival and Abbas reacted with a thousand nos to the announcement. We will try our best with our friends to have the strongest possible draft resolution and to receive the strongest and largest possible voting in favour of that resolution, Mansour said. He did not give details of what might be in the text. 200128093919231 Of course we would like to see a strong, large opposition to this Trump plan, he said, with Tunisian Ambassador to the UN Moncef Baati, currently serving a two-year term on the 15-member Security Council, standing beside him. However, the US is likely to veto any such resolution, diplomats said, allowing the Palestinians to take the draft text to the 193-member UN General Assembly, where a vote would show how Trumps plan has been received internationally. Mansour said Abbas would use his visit to the UN to put before the entire international community the reaction of the Palestinian people and the Palestinian leadership against this onslaught against the national rights of the Palestinian people by the Trump administration. Netanyahu in Russia Israels UN mission signalled on Tuesday that it was preparing for UN action to be launched by the Palestinian delegation, saying in a statement that it was working to thwart these efforts, and will lead a concerted diplomatic campaign with the US. Trumps plan, which he announced alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, DC, describes Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel and promises a new capital on the outskirts of eastern Jerusalem for a proposed State of Palestine. It would also give Israel control over the illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and the strategic Jordan Valley. On Thursday, Netanyahu arrived in Moscow, where he is expected to present the Middle East proposal to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Id like to speak to you and hear your insights and see how we can combine all our forces for security and peace, Netanyahu told Putin at the start of their meeting. Youre actually the first leader Im speaking with after my visit to Washington about President Trumps deal of the century, he added. The Russian leader did not mention the plan in his public remarks. Russia has been pursuing a greater role as a mediator between Israelis and Palestinians in recent years. Putin met with both Netanyahu and Abbas last week in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, respectively. Reporting from Moscow, Al Jazeeras Step Vassen said the Russian government has so far taken a very soft tone since the US-Israeli plan was announced. Russia has always supported the Arab peace initiative, which included Israels withdrawal of territories that it occupied since 1967, and had always promoted a role in mediating in the conflict together with the UN, European Union and the US and definitely wants to include the Palestinians, but its very careful tone shows that Putin doesnt seem to want to go on a collision course with Netanyahu right now, she said. Separately, ahead of Netanyahus visit, Putin pardoned an Israeli woman, Naama Issachar, whose sentencing to more than seven years in prison for possession of a few grams of marijuana at a Moscow airport last year rattled relations between their countries. Two dozen students have arrived in Melbourne from the Chinese province at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak in the last week, with major student accommodation buildings in "crisis" mode to counter the health threat. About 20 students had recently been in some part of the Chinese province of Hubei, while five had been in the capital of Hubei, Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak. Those five have been asked to remain isolated. Scape moved quickly a week ago to respond to the threat of the coronavirus. Credit: Only one of the 24 students had been in Wuhan in the past two weeks. He was in the Chinese city in the past 10 days, and tested negative on Wednesday evening. All other students had been tested and found to display no symptoms of the illness. All of the students left China in the days and weeks before travel out of Wuhan was restricted on January 23. Many travelled to other locations before coming to Melbourne. 2.3k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said that Trumps lawyers are threatening Republican Senators on the witness vote. Trumps Lawyers Threaten Republican Senators Ahead of Witness Vote Leader Schumer said: I believe Senate Republicans and the presidents team are worried about the vote. Yesterday Mr. Sekulow said that if the senate elects to subpoena witnesses and documents, the presidents team will force all sorts of manner of delay, to take the managers to court, assert privilege, drag it on forever. It was a shocking admission from Mr. Sekulow, revealing how concerned the presidents team are, how afraid they are. Of course, his argument isnt true. Theres no reason for endless delays. The documents are compiled. One key witness has already said hed testify. Wed expect the others to comply if subpoenaed and questions of privilege can be sorted out right here in the senate. Mr. Sekulows argument was nothing more than a threat, a shakedown. He told Senators to their faces that the presidents team will do whatever it possibly can to prevent them from seeing the truth. It reminds you of something the president would do or say, and it should offend my Republican colleagues just as much as it offends us Democrats. Video: Schumer says Republicans and Trump are worried about the witness vote and accuses Trump's lawyers of threatening Republican Senators. #impeachmentTrial pic.twitter.com/wSyVv7G7Ia Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) January 30, 2020 The Threat To Delay The Trial Is A Bluff Sekulows threat was a sign of a legal team with no defense strategy. Trumps lawyers have been threatening Senators with the prospect of a long impeachment trial, but the threat is a bluff because it is Trump who is being harmed by this trial. Trumps reelection has been derailed by impeachment. Its Trump who is worried about a long trial. The vulnerable Republican Senators who buy into this threat cant kiss their seats goodbye in the fall. The best chance that endangered Republican incumbents have is to allow witnesses, and then vote for acquittal. Republicans in tight reelection races who vote to block witnesses are potentially voting themselves out of the Senate in November. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook Dublin, Jan. 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "An Introduction to Pharmaceutical Packaging" conference has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This course provides an essential overview and will be valuable for newcomers to this field. It will also act as a good refresher for those with more experience. Pharmaceutical packaging is a very specialised area with its own unique issues and challenges. This introductory course will provide delegates with a good basic grounding and appreciation of what is required for the packaging of pharmaceutical and healthcare products. A regulatory overview will be given by an expert in the field to ensure that all participants are fully aware of the requirements. The programme will then address the choice of packaging and discuss compatibility, ICH testing, extractables, and leachables. There will be detailed coverage of the role of packaging in new product development, together with the main pharmaceutical packaging formats and materials available. Sessions on trade and transit requirements, environment, artwork, and more specific areas such as child-resistant closures and tamper-evident packaging will complete the course and ensure that all delegates leave with a comprehensive understanding of all key aspects of this topic. Benefits of attending: Gain a useful insight into packaging component and material selection Learn key properties of various packaging materials/systems Appreciate pack testing and evaluation Better understand packaging component specifications Hear about printing processes and controls Acquire knowledge on artwork generation and control Ensure that you comply with the regulatory requirements Learn about transit packaging Consider trade/supply chain requirements Agenda Programme Day One The role of packaging Special aspects of pharmaceutical packaging Regulatory overview Agencies, guidelines, and legislation Dossier requirements International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) Common Technical Document (CTD) Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) Story continues Regulatory overview (continued) Differences between submissions in the EU and USA Barcoding (briefly) - EAN, 2D - datamatrix, QR Counterfeiting and product security Drug Quality and Security Act Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) Choice of pharmaceutical packaging Compatibility and ICH testing Testing and evaluation Extractables and leachables Programme Day Two New product development (NPD) process and the role of packaging Main pharmaceutical packaging formats and materials Primary - key properties - glass, plastics, metals, blisters, laminates, tubes, aerosols, closures Secondary - pharmaceutical labelling - labels, leaflets (PILs), cartons Manufacture, benefits, potential Issues, testing Trade/transit requirements Specifications Environment Artwork requirements Some special requirements for packaging Medical devices - (briefly) - Categories, CE marking requirements Child-resistant closures Tamper evidence Readability Braille Patient compliance For more information about this conference visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/n8chko Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com 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 New Delhi, Jan 30 : The Swadeshi Jagran Manch, the economic wing of the RSS, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi arguing against the merger of three public sector general insurance companies. SJM co-convenor Ashwani Mahajan said on Thursday that if the government followed its plan, it would unsettle four key government insurance schemes. Blaming the poor performance of the loss-making units on disinterest of private companies in social schemes, Mahajan said, "In case of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, more than 50% of the drought-prone area is being serviced by four PSGICs, making combined losses worth 115%, whereas private players are servicing the better parts of country which have much less risk of loss." Hitting out at private players, Mahajan wrote: "It is estimated that Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, which is a personal accident policy for unorganised workers, 90% of the business is done by PSGICs at a loss ratio of 221% whereas PSUs are mandated to offer these policies and private players are choosing not to service this huge loss-making scheme." The three public companies are Oriental Insurance Co Ltd and United Insurance Co Ltd and National Insurance Co Ltd. Advising against the merger, the Sangh affiliate suggested reviewing the efficiency of staff, eliminating vested interest in payment of commissions for generating business, prudent premium charging policy keeping in view the claims settled and examining some government support in payment of claims in social sector schemes on the lines of payment of insurance premium as solutions. Calling PM Modi's leadership "visionary", Mahajan urged the government to not go ahead with the said merger. Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Thursday accused the Modi government of playing divisive politics, saying "we are not the ones doing tukde tukde, it is this government that is doing so". He made the remarks at a press conference organised at the conclusion of the 'Gandhi Shanti Yatra' led by former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, who is now a critic of the Modi government. Hailing the women leading the protests in Shaheen Bagh, Aiyar said they have been staging the sit-in, braving the cold and fighting for India and the Constitution. These women are being threatened and called anti-national but they are saying "India is ours, the Constitution is ours and the Tiranga is our flag", Aiyar said at a press conference also attended by Sinha, former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, former Gujarat chief minister Suresh Mehta, Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav and Pavan Varma, who was expelled from the JD(U) on Wednesday. NCP leader Sharad Pawar and Samajwadi Leader Akhilesh Yadav were also expected to be present at the conference but could not make it. Organisers of the yatra said they had expressed their solidarity with Sinha's initiative to take on the government over issues such as the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, National Register of Citizens and violence at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Formal political forces had become a little weak following the May 2019 elections, but "these women, who people used to say never used to come out...in this cold, are out there since 44 days", Aiyar said in reference to the Shaheen Bagh protest. "Tukde, tukde karne wale hum nahin hain, yeh sarkar hai (We are not the ones doing tukde tukde, it is this government that is doing so)," he said, accusing the ruling party of playing divisive Aiyar said those standing up against the government, including himself, were being called "pro-Pakistan" by the BJP, when actually they are committed to saving the country. "His (Sinha) yatra has shown that we do not fear the government," Aiyar said, adding that "we have to fight them, the people are with us". Sinha accused the Uttar Pradesh government of indulging in "state terrorism" targeting people protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. He also hit out at the BJP leaders for their language in the Delhi polls campaign and alleged that the divisive agenda of the government has become clear in the elections in the national capital. "I have been in that party (BJP), they are cowards," said Sinha, who has floated the platform of Rashtra Manch. Varma said divisive is being played in the country for political gains. "We have to fight as Indians," he asserted. NCP chief Pawar had flagged off the yatra from the Gateway of India in south Mumbai. The yatra culminated at Raj Ghat and passed through several states, including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rep. Waters Hosted Emergency Town Hall to Discuss The Delta Airlines Fuel Dump Friday, January 24, 2020, Congresswoman Maxine Waters held an important and emergent meeting to discuss a fuel dump over a Los Angeles County school and communities on January 14, 2020. Delta Airlines flight 89, traveling from Los Angeles to Shanghai, China, is currently being investigated to discover the exact nature of the problem and reasoning for the crews response. According to current reports, flight staff notified the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of an issue regarding the planes engine, resulting in the staff deciding to return to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The crew then decided to dump fuel at about 8,000 feet altitude until reaching 2,500 feet altitude, dropping approximately 100,000 pounds of fuel onto populated areas across the city. As the Member of Congress who represents the district that includes Los Angeles International Airport, I am deeply concerned about the reported dumping of jet fuel by Delta flight 89 while flying over local schools and communities, prior to an emergency landing at LAX, Congresswoman Waters said in her opening statement. ADVERTISEMENT She continued, It is my understanding that dozens of children and school personnel at several schools were impacted. Jet fuel reportedly made physical contact with some students, raining down on them and touching their skin, while other students and school personnel were exposed to noxious fumes. Since the incident, the congresswoman has been in contact with officials representing Delta Airlines, LAX, the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board. Also making contact with first responders such as the Los Angeles County and City Fire Departments, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). This is an ongoing investigation, she shared, I will continue to investigate the other schools and parts of the community that may have been impacted. At this particular time, I would like to make it known that Im deeply concerned about the effects of the jet fuel exposure on students, school personnel and residents who live in surrounding areas. I am investigating to determine why the jet fuel was dumped over a populated area and whether efforts were sufficient to address the potential harm. Congresswoman Waters empathized with residents who live along the path of LAX air traffic, we learned to complain and organize around issues of noise, etc. But we never anticipated a thought that there would be a time where jet fuel would be released in the community. One thing we do know, the community must be strong enough to be able to ask the questions. To be able to make some demands. To be able to do what is necessary to determine who has liability. As we must be able to have access to the healthcare that may be needed to determine whether or not we have been at risk or whether or not we have been wrong. While the investigation is still ongoing, therefore, many facts arent able to be fully answered, Congresswoman Waters promised to continue to fight for answers both in L.A. and upon her return to the capitol. ADVERTISEMENT The meeting included a panel to discuss efforts from various organizations. Panelists included Los Angeles County Fire Departments Captain Tony Imbrenda, Los Angeles Fire Department Deputy Chief Armando Hogan, Los Angeles County Health Department Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis, Delta Airlines Vice President of Los Angeles and Sales Scott Santoro and Los Angeles Unified School District Director of the Office of Environmental Health and Safety Carlos Torres. Each panelist had five minutes to explain their action the day of the incident and what they are doing as follow up measures for everyone involved. Los Angeles County Health Department is looking into the chemicals that were in the fuel to determine if produce from trees and local farms as safe, as well as offering free health exams to those affected by the dump. Santaro also promised to show up to every town hall and hear out the community and offer answers and solutions. Understand that this is an ongoing investigation, as more information becomes availing well be better able to provide some additional information and if there are any prolonged health impacts from this particular incident, Dr. Davis confirmed. He continued, It is a partnership between all the responsibilities, and we do need to have some different information from the investigation to make the proper determination. As of now, the groups are continuously working together under the leadership of Congresswoman Waters. I will always do everything I can to protect the health and safety of the people who live, work and go to school near LAX, she stated. The list of medical centers offering free examinations are as followed: St. Johns Well Child and Family Center, UMMA Community Clinic, Watts Health Center, South Bay Family Health Care, Alta Med Medical & Dental Group, BHS Family Health Center, South Central Family Health Center. Jet fuel or fume exposure can cause respiratory irritation, nausea, headaches, dizziness, and skin and eye irritation. Also noting, many students and school personnel were assessed at school, but turned down further examination. If experiencing these symptoms, health professionals and Congresswoman Waters urges all to get checked by a medical professional. I encourage all local residents who may have been impacted to come forward and receive medical evaluations without delay. Please register or log in to keep reading. No credit card required! Stay logged in to skip the surveys. Paytm, Indias largest payments platform owned by One97 Communications Limited, today rolled out a brand new digital advertisement targeting its 10 million-plus merchant base. Taking a different approach to promote its All-In-One QR code and getting the messaging across to merchant partners, Abhinav Kumar, Paytms Vice President Product Marketing, features in the advertisement bringing a different zing and a touch of humour to the campaign. Paytm which has the largest base of online and offline merchants in the country and is the biggest fintech firm in India, has over the last several months working hard on brand new products for its merchant ecosystem. Kumar who is not new to being in front of cameras, in his own way puts across the message that a merchant just needs the brand new &All-In-One QR code to accept unlimited payments. The communication is targeted at merchants across the country who have had to grapple with setting up multiple displays and QR codes at their shops to accept payments via Paytm wallet, RuPay cards or through United Payments Interface-enabled apps. Paytm's Abhinav Kumar (Vice President - Product Marketing) said, "Modelling or appearing in ads has always been a fun gig for me. It is good that I have a recall value from my older ads which can be used for a better explanation of the new products and launches. I have always believed that employees are the best brand ambassadors for a company and a brand. They know more about the products and services offered by their company and are passionate about explaining and helping in delivering the right yet a simple message without too many distractions. The All-In-One QR; code enables merchants to accept unlimited payments directly into their bank accounts at 0% fee." This campaign aims at highlighting the benefits of theAll-in-One QR proposition for our valued merchant partners across the country. We wanted to tell our Merchant partners that the Paytm ecosystem will always keep innovating & bringing out new products to bring in ease of doing day to day business. And all this at zero cost for them. The ad reinforces the fact that the All-in-One QR is a must-have business tool as it is only payment QR that allows merchants to accept payments from a slew of payment instruments & offers a world of unparalleled convenience to make their lives easier i.e single point of reconciliation, Digital Khatabook etc. We are confident that his clutter-cutting execution with a tongue-in-cheek & humorous take will resonate well amongst our Merchant partners For any further information, feel free to connect. A flight to evacuate British citizens from the city at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak in China has been delayed until Friday morning, the foreign secretary has said. The flight will leave Wuhan at 5am local time on Friday morning, which is 9pm on Thursday in the UK. We are pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities that the evacuation flight from Wuhan airport to the UK can depart at 0500 local time on Friday, Dominic Raab said. The safety and security of British nationals is our top priority. Our Embassy in Beijing and consular teams remain in close contact with British nationals in the region to ensure they have the latest information they need. The flight was originally intended to take off on Thursday morning, but failed to get clearance from Chinese authorities. 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 government is preparing to fly out around 200 UK citizens who have been in Wuhan and the surrounding area. The plane could land at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, the Press Association reported. The agency said passengers would then be taken to an NHS facility in the North West for a 14-day quarantine period. Speaking at a Policy Exchange event in Westminster earlier on Thursday, Mr Raab said officials in the Foreign Office had been working tirelessly to get citizens out of Wuhan. He added: Weve been working with the Department of Health flat out, 24/7, to try and make sure we can identify British nationals in Wuhan, get them to a muster point and get them to a flight, a chartered flight in and out. It comes after 201 US citizens were airlifted to southern California, where they are currently under observation by medical professionals. The World Health Organisation (WHO) emergency committee was expected to declare an international public health emergency during its meeting on Thursday. The organisation has said the whole world needs to be on alert over the outbreak, which has killed 170 people so far. The number of cases has risen to 7,711, surpassing the 5,327 diagnosed with Sars during the 2002-2003 outbreak. A professor with the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said in a new study that the data they had so far was consistent with coronavirus being initially hosted by bats. The WHO has said around one in five cases of coronavirus are leading to severe disease. British Airways has extended its suspension of all flights to and from mainland China until Monday. Virgin Atlantic flights between Heathrow and Shanghai are continuing to operate as scheduled. Additional reporting by agencies Back in April 2019, Canopy Growth (NASDAQ:CGC) reached an agreement to acquire Acreage Holdings (OTC:ACRGF) for $3.4 billion. However, this deal came with a major caveat: The transaction will take place only if marijuana becomes legal at the federal level in the U.S. The acquisition price represents a significant premium on Acreage Holdings' market value, which is currently $542 million. In other words, those who decide to purchase shares of the New York-based cannabis company now will be handsomely rewarded if this deal goes through. That being said, there is, at this point, little reason to think the U.S. will legalize marijuana anytime soon. So before rushing to purchase shares of Acreage Holdings because of its pending merger with Canopy, investors should consider the company on its own merits. With that in mind, let's see whether Acreage Holdings -- whose shares slid by 68.9% last year -- is a buy. Acreage Holdings' footprint in the U.S. market Marijuana is classified as a Schedule I substance by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), which means it has no officially recognized medical benefits and has a high potential for abuse. However, about a dozen states have legalized recreational uses of marijuana, and more than 30 have legalized medical uses. This presents an exciting opportunity for cannabis companies looking to profit from the U.S. market, and few companies have as deep a presence in this market as Acreage Holdings. The company has operations in about 20 states (including pending acquisitions), and a market totaling some 180 million Americans. Acreage Holdings was able to expand its footprints thanks to a slew of acquisitions. For instance, back in March of last year, Acreage Holdings acquired a California-based dispensary operator called Kanna, Inc., in an all-stock transaction valued at $11.5 million. This acquisition helped the company enter the California cannabis market, which is one of the largest in the U.S. Further, in April of 2019, Acreage Holdings made its way into the state of Nevada with its acquisition of Deep Roots Medical LLC, in a cash-and-stock transaction valued at $120 million. With its broad and growing presence across almost two dozen U.S. states, Acreage Holdings looks well-positioned to profit from the rapidly evolving U.S. cannabis market. With that said, however, the company has yet to impress investors with its financial results. While Acreage Holdings' revenue for the third quarter was $22.4 million, a whopping 307% year-over-year increase, the company reported an operating loss of $46.5 million, compared to an operating loss of $12.3 million recorded during the prior-year quarter. Lastly, Acreage Holdings recorded a net loss per share of $0.45, significantly worse than the $0.06 net loss reported during the year-ago period. Red ink on the bottom line has been the norm -- rather than the exception -- within the cannabis industry, and Acreage Holdings has yet to differentiate itself from most of its peers in this department. An intriguing play Acreage Holdings' far-reaching presence in the U.S. cannabis market could allow the company to significantly improve its financial results as sales of marijuana continue to grow. But the federal laws currently in place present significant obstacles to the company and its peers. These obstacles include the relative lack of financing options and abnormally high tax rates in such states as California. The best-case scenario for Acreage Holdings would be that the federal government legalizes marijuana, which would allow its pending acquisition by Canopy to be completed and reward its shareholders in the process. Whether it is worth buying shares of Acreage Holdings now depends on your timeline and risk tolerance. It might be a while before the company can fully profit from the U.S. cannabis market, finally merge with Canopy, or both. In the meantime, Acreage Holdings will struggle to be consistently profitable, and its stock, like so many other cannabis stocks, will likely experience a lot of volatility. An investment in Acreage Holdings may end up paying rich dividends down the road, but for investors who decide to pull the trigger now, lots of patience will be required. China Singyes New Materials Holdings Limited (HKG:8073) shareholders might be concerned after seeing the share price drop 14% in the last month. While that might be a setback, it doesn't negate the nice returns received over the last twelve months. In that time we've seen the stock easily surpass the market return, with a gain of 36%. See our latest analysis for China Singyes New Materials Holdings While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. One way to examine how market sentiment has changed over time is to look at the interaction between a company's share price and its earnings per share (EPS). During the last year, China Singyes New Materials Holdings actually saw its earnings per share drop 26%. This means it's unlikely the market is judging the company based on earnings growth. Therefore, it seems likely that investors are putting more weight on metrics other than EPS, at the moment. Unfortunately China Singyes New Materials Holdings's fell 5.2% over twelve months. So the fundamental metrics don't provide an obvious explanation for the share price gain. You can see how earnings and revenue have changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values). SEHK:8073 Income Statement, January 30th 2020 We're pleased to report that the CEO is remunerated more modestly than most CEOs at similarly capitalized companies. It's always worth keeping an eye on CEO pay, but a more important question is whether the company will grow earnings throughout the years. Before buying or selling a stock, we always recommend a close examination of historic growth trends, available here.. What About Dividends? When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. We note that for China Singyes New Materials Holdings the TSR over the last year was 38%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. This is largely a result of its dividend payments! Story continues A Different Perspective China Singyes New Materials Holdings shareholders should be happy with the total gain of 38% over the last twelve months , including dividends . We regret to report that the share price is down 13% over ninety days. Shorter term share price moves often don't signify much about the business itself. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand China Singyes New Materials Holdings better, we need to consider many other factors. Take risks, for example - China Singyes New Materials Holdings has 3 warning signs we think you should be aware of. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on HK 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. Shen Yiren, Vice President of OPPO recently made a statement on his Weibo account stating that the upcoming OPPO Find X2 smartphone will support their 65W Super VOOC technology. Not only that, but the aforementioned smartphone is also expected to come equipped with a 2K 120Hz display as well. While not much is officially known in regards to the aforementioned smartphone, gizmochina hinted that the device is expected to come with Sonys IMX689 and 5G capabilities. As of now, there is no official information in regards to the Malaysia release date, complete tech specs and local pricing of the OPPO Find X2 for now. Would you be interested in purchasing the phone as soon as it is available in Malaysia? Let us know on our Facebook page and for more updates like this stay tuned to TechNave.com. 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. Ukraine will be sending more sailors for training. Representatives of the Ukrainian Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard are negotiating in Odesa the transfer to Ukraine of more U.S.-made Island-class patrol boats, Navy press center reports. The Ukrainian side is represented by the head of the shipbuilding department of the command of the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Captain 1st Rank Vasyl Radchuk, while the U.S. delegation is led by Tony Correale, Military Sales Case ManagerUnited States Coast Guard. "The issue of supplying three more boats during this and next years is currently under discussion. The acceptance of boats is a long process that requires both updating and modernizing the equipment onboard those boats and crew training," said the Ukraine Navy official. Read alsoTwo Island-class patrol boats delivered to Odesa (Photo) Radchuk expressed hope that by the end of 2020 the boats will be fully ready to receive crew Ukraine will send for training in early 2021. "Previously, the first two boats will be part of the Naval forces of the Armed forces of Ukraine in May 2021, the next with a small interval," he added. In addition, during the meeting in Odesa, the possibility is being discussed of preparing boats for transferring, as well as crew training, at the expense of the U.S., as well as the possibility of additional training of Ukrainian instructors at the U.S. Coast Guard base in Baltimore. In the future, the instructors will be ensuring a full training cycle for future crews based on the already received Island boats in Ukraine. As UNIAN reported earlier, the official transfer of two Island class patrol boats from the U.S. Coast Guard to the Ukrainian Navy took place on September 27, 2018 at a naval base in Baltimore (Maryland, USA). On October 21, 2019, said Island class boats were delivered to Odesa, which in 2018 the United States transferred to Ukraine as part of military aid. Two Island class patrol boats were delivered to the Odesa seaport, brought by the Ocean Freedom general cargo vessel. The two boats, P190 Sloviansk and P191 Starobielsk, built in 1988, were offered to Ukraine as part of the Excess Defense Articles (EDA) program. As reported earlier, Ukraine planned to replenish its Navy fleet with four U.S.-made Island-class boats. The vessels will be based in Odesa, which is now home to the country's main naval base. Island-type boats have a full displacement of 165 tonnes and are able to reach speeds of up to 30 knots, with a cruising range exceeding 5,300 km. They are able to operate autonomously for up to five days. You couldn't go a week last year without seeing a ransomware headline in the news. And it wasn't because the media paid more attention to this relative newcomer in the area of cybercrime. Ransomware attacks on businesses skyrocketed 365 percent in 2019, and all signs point to more of the same in 2020. As bad as the ransomware scourge was for businesses, local governments arguably had it worse. Baltimore, Atlanta, and Akron, Ohio, were among the bigger cities hit, followed shortly thereafter by Lake City and Riviera Beach in Florida, and then a coordinated campaign against 22 Texas municipalities. New Orleans was hit later on in the year, and still hasn't completely restored its data and services. While the number of ransomware attacks is enough to make even the calmest among us want to hide in a panic room, the likelihood of such attacks slowing down is right up there with the chance that President Trump will be asking U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman to prepare his tax return this year. We can't hide from the threat. Cybersecurity experts are aligned on this point: Ransomware is a serious issue. The situation is not going to be magically resolved. But while it's worked on, there's something all of us can do. Businesses, individuals, governments, and organizations alike can become savvier about the threat, understand the scope of the problem, and prepare for it. What Is Ransomware? While the sophistication and methods of attack may vary, the short answer is that ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts critical data on a computer or computer network so that users can't regain access without paying a "ransom." The payment is typically demanded in bitcoin, because it's difficult to trace and easily transferable. Upon payment the hacker, if "honest," will provide a digital key to decrypt the information. It doesn't always go down that way. In fact, the criminal may leave the data encrypted after stealing it and put it up for sale on the dark web or simply use it in the commission of a crime. Sometimes, these clowns don't even know how to decrypt the data. Hackers aren't generally focused on providing competent customer service. It's all about the payday. What makes ransomware such a difficult vector to recover from is the encryption, which ironically continues to be one of the best methods of securing data from hackers. In effect, ransomware is the weaponization of a cyber-protection protocol. The threats used to get payment are serious, starting with the possibility that the data will be encrypted permanently. Few organizations can survive the loss of all (or even a significant portion of) their data. Hackers often threaten to delete the data by a certain deadline, or as is becoming more common, they may opt to release the data to the general public, which is a variant attack known as extortionware. While there have been some success stories when it comes to ransomware remediation, the odds are not in your favor. The safest bet is to prevent these attacks in the first place. But there have been informative examples of companies that mitigated the damage from a ransomware attack. Your Cliffs Notes version: Put yourself in a position where you can't be affected by such a hack. Back Up Everything: Data recovery is an expensive and time-consuming process even when it isn't being done in the wake of a ransomware attack. If the loss of your data is potentially catastrophic, the most straightforward solution is to back up your systems and data and do it often. Bear in mind that your data backups will be of no use if they are also encrypted by a ransomware attack, so keep them stored separately and offline. Call for Help: The odds are very good that your IT staff is already overworked as a result of their day-to-day operations. Part of this can be blamed on the lack of cybersecurity skills available in the workforce. A recent study found that the cyber gap impacts 74 percent of organizations, with 63 percent of cybersecurity professionals reporting that the talent gap increased their workload, 68 percent reporting negative effects on their personal lives, and 38 percent reporting higher burnout rates. The types of threats are ever changing, adding to the challenge cybersecurity professionals face. Phishing attacks, unpatched software vulnerabilities, and ransomware attacks all amount to an exercise of futility. If you expect your existing staff to be able to resolve a ransomware attack with the resources at their disposal, think again. They can't do it. Find a contractor that specializes in ransomware recovery before you're hit. Silo Your Data: While the New Orleans ransomware attack was an unmitigated disaster for the city, one thing that helped was that it didn't take their emergency services offline: police, paramedics, and fire departments were still able to respond to calls, because they were on a separate system from the compromised city services. Consider taking the same approach: Run and maintain separate servers and storage for your data. While it may require more resources in the short term, doing this will greatly aid in the containment of the damage from a ransomware attack. Get Covered: I've said it before and I'll say it again: Cyberattacks and data breaches have become the third certainty in life after death and taxes. With the constant threat of cyberattacks, foreign threat actors, ransomware-as-a-service operators, disgruntled former employees, and just plain misconfigured servers, insuring your company against cyber-risk is and should be viewed as a basic requirement of doing business. Case in point: The Heritage Company went out of business following an October 2019 ransomware incident, leaving 300 employees out of work shortly before Christmas. Don't be the next Heritage Company. If your company already has cyber insurance coverage, consider increasing it. Both New Orleans and Baltimore opted to increase their limits after discovering that the recovery process cost significantly more than was covered. Patna: Criminals in the state capital on Wednesday shot and killed a Patna professor in broad daylight on Chandmari Road under Kankarbagh police station. The victim was identified as 55-year old Shiv Narayan Ram, a political science professor at the TPS College in Patna. The incident occurred around 10:00 am when the victim was going to the college on foot. Suddenly two criminals on a motorcycle stopped close to Ram and fired several bullets on him. The criminal escaped before they could be caught or identified. The victim was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Though the family members of Ram maintained that he had no known animosity, the police are investigating the case from different angles including an ongoing dispute over a piece of property. An angry mob in the area then blocked the road for hours burning woods and tires in the middle of the road. The protestors were demanding immediate arrest of the criminals and compensation for the family of the professor. The police had to use light force to disperse the crowd though no one was said to be hurt in the incident. Authorities are combing surveillance footage from the area to identify and catch the killers. SSP Upendra Kumar Sharma said that given the number of security cameras in the area, there was a good likelihood the killers were captured in one or more of them. Ram, a native of Rohtas district, leaves behind his wife Anita Devi, 11-year old son Ankit, two younger brothers and other family members. MUSKEGON, MI Muskegon kayak-maker Hemisphere Design Works is closing a third plant in Muskegon. The manufacturer of Sun Dolphin and other kayaks informed the state on Monday, Jan. 27, of the closure of a third and reportedly remaining -- manufacturing facility and the elimination of 42 jobs. The WARN notice states that the plant at 2420 Remembrance in Muskegon would close between mid-March and mid-April. Last October, Hemisphere Design Works told the state it was closing two other manufacturing facilities in the city, located at 1790 and 1880 Sun Dolphin Dr. The closures resulted in the elimination of 68 jobs, according to that WARN notice. Phone and email messages left with Hemisphere Design Works have not been returned. Muskegon City Manager Frank Peterson said he has pretty much lost contact with everybody in the company and has had no communication from them recently. The three plants mentioned in the WARN notices are the only ones Hemisphere Design Works has been operating in the city, he said. Its hard to tell what their plan is, Peterson said. All weve seen are attempts to sell the assets. He explained that the city has received calls from potential buyers of those assets doing due diligence. The WARN notice from last October stated that the two Sun Dolphin Drive plants would close by the end of last year. The notice issued on Monday mentions those two plants with a revised closure date of mid-April. The company was formed in 2017 from a merger of Muskegon-based KL Outdoor and Montreal, Canada-based GSC Technologies and touted itself as the worlds largest kayak maker. KL Outdoor was founded in 1982 by Kenneth Harris and has been based in Muskegon since 1989. His sons eventually took over the company, and then sold it to New Water Capital at the end of 2016. New Water Capital focuses on companies in transition, including those that are underperformers, in need of a turnaround or are under invested and under managed, according to its website. KL Industries was an important part of our local economy for many years, Peterson said. Our initial excitement following their acquisition by New Water Capital was somewhat short-lived. But he said the companys multi-million dollar investment in the Remembrance Road plant will continue to positively impact our local economy as new ventures find new uses for the space. Hemisphere Design Works also opened impressive new headquarters at the former SPX Corp. pyramid building on Muskegon Lake in early 2018. At that time, the company employed about 500 full- and part-time workers during peak production months. The building at 700 Terrace Point Road where Hemisphere Design Works has its offices is owned by Hinman Company. When asked whether the manufacturer intends to continue business at that location, Hinman Regional Director of Leasing Kirk Driesenga declined to comment. No comment at this point because there are a lot of moving parts, Driesenga said. The company had been trying to find capital to avoid or postpone the closures and continue operations, states the October 2019 WARN notice from Hemisphere Design Works Human Resources Manager Kiley Sluis. Unfortunately, the Companys efforts have not been successful and the Company has unexpectedly learned the term lender will not provide additional funding, the notice states. As a result of this unforeseen business circumstance, the Company will now be forced to permanently close the facilities and is providing as much notice as practicable of this closing. Most of the workers who lost their jobs have found new ones in Muskegons strong and diverse economy, Peterson said. We remain excited for the future of Muskegons economy, he said. Read more: Kayak-maker confirms layoffs, plant closings in Muskegon Kayak maker Hemisphere Design Works announces layoffs, employees say KL Outdoor reveals stunning headquarters, plans for expansion in Muskegon Leading global railway experts discussed key issues linked to the sector's safety and security, the future of digital railways and the role of artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G technology in the sector at a two-day seminar held in Riyadh. The 2020 Railway Forum was organised by the Saudi Railway Company (SAR) under the patronage of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The event concluded its sessions yesterday (January 29). It drew the participation of an elite group of transport ministers and executives from around the world, as well as experts from international and regional bodies and representatives of local and international companies. Talal AlAnazi, Director Corporate HSE & Industrial security at Maaden, spoke about security and safety in transportation, explaining that Maaden adopts the concept of improving industrial safety and security, given its importance in the work environment. "We aspire to move from a culture of research and fix, in industrial safety and security, to a culture of expectation and prevention of risks before they occur," he stated. He referred to the application of Maadens "safety steps" initiative, which aims to reduce risks by replacing the culture of "reaction" with a culture of "proactivity" throughout all of the company's business. Engineer Abdullah Al Yousef, Engineering Support Services Director at SAR, put spotlight on the most important challenges facing the railway sector in the kingdom. He pointed out that the immaturity and lack of culture in dealing with trains was among the most important of such challenges, drawing attention on the need to work in order to raise awareness about safety, whether for employees and workers in the sector, or the general public. Al Yousef also highlighted the need to possess engineering and technical solutions, but at the same time deal intelligently with such technology, and employ it in the correct framework. Kai Taylor, an expert at French multinational technology company Thales, in her address, highlighted the need to invest in youths creative energies in transferring technology and making great use of it. "We will have bright days, if we predict the future, and develop the right technologies, and use them in various sectors, especially transport and communications," she noted. Taylor also emphasised on the need to have trains reach remote areas, and the use of 5G technology. Matthias Schubert, Executive VP (Mobility) at TUV Rheinland Group, said the innovation sector was one of the most important sectors that had made progress in the field of automation. He pointed at the need to implement the important standards of security and safety in transportation, since it was impossible to sacrifice passenger safety. Engineer Abdul Jabbar bin Salem, Regional Operations Director Mena Infrastructure at SNC Lavalin, underlined the importance of cyber security in the transport sector and railways, which has become more sophisticated and smarter according to him. Javier de la Cruz Garcia Dihinx, CAF Rail Digital Services Managing Director, said that digital transformation was an urgent and important issue in the transport and railway sector, through which systems can be integrated with each other. HyperLoopTT CEO Andres De Leon, spoke about hyperloop trains, explaining that they are fast, human-focused, sustainable, profitable, and have returns, indicating that through them Europe can be interlinked in a few hours. The 2020 Railway Forum was the first of its kind for the kingdoms flourishing railway sector. It constituted a unique platform for exploring modern technologies, engaging with experts in the field, and meeting influential figures who are shaping its future, said the organiser SAR. Participants also discussed the concept of the integration of security and safety elements, it added.-TradeArabia News Service La Poste Maroc, Moroccos largest mail and parcels company, has partnered with Geopost, a subsidiary of French group La Poste, to set up a joint venture specializing in e-commerce parcels delivery throughout the Kingdom. The creation of the new operator Chrono Diali has received approval of the Moroccan authorities. La Poste Maroc holds 51 pc of the joint ventures capital. The new platform will benefit from Geoposts experience in e-commerce parcel distribution and gain an important share in the rapidly growing e-commerce market. Morocco has Africas second highest internet penetration rate, which contributed to the expansion of e-commerce industry. The shopping habits of Moroccans are changing thanks to the proliferation of attractive offers with express deliveries. E-commerce offers shoppers a wide variety of products, better prices, discounts With its global access to markets, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, this sector allowed retailers to increase their turnover and reduce their costs. Morocco-based Hmizate website is one of the key players in the market. It has launched many special sales events (Black Friday, Mobile Week, Ramadan special) to compete against international retailers. Internet payment systems such as PayPal are available. Google and Bain & Company predict that online sales in the MENA region are to grow by 28% every year through 2022, which would result in an increase in revenues from $8.3 billion in 2017 to $28.5 billion. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Rangga Widigda (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, January 31 2020 One of the most debated items in the omnibus bill on job creation that is currently being drafted by the government is the hourly wage scheme in which wages are paid to employees on an hourly calculation. The hourly wage scheme is welcomed by employers, but has met massive protests from workers. The Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) supports the implementation of an hourly wage scheme in Indonesia. Apindo chairman Hariyadi Sukamdani said the implementation of the hourly wage scheme would not reduce the number of workers. On the contrary, he said he believed this scheme would have a positive impact, such as expanding job opportunities for workers. 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 Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 16:47:00|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Nick Kolyohin JERUSALEM, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- In view of the challenges in space such as the increase of orbital debris, militarization of space will be "very bad," Charles Frank Bolden, former administrator of NASA, told Xinhua at the sideline of an international space conference in Israel. The 15th Ilan Ramon international conference was hosted on Tuesday by the Israel Space Agency, a governmental body affiliated with the country's Ministry of Science and Technology, as part of the 2020 Israeli space week events. Ilan Ramon is the first Israeli astronaut who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003. "It would be very unfortunate for people like me who want to be able to explore space freely," Bolden said, referring to militarization or weaponization of space. "You can wipe that out in a heartbeat if you actually get engaged in full-blown militarization of space when people can start firing kinetic weapons at each other," he added. One of the effects of those possible attacks, according to Bolden, is the increased amount of orbital debris which is already critically dense after decades of satellite launch and human missions to space. To clean up the low Earth orbit of the satellite debris would be "a big challenge," Bolden told Xinhua, warning that it would become a significant problem "if we're not careful." Other keynote speakers at the conference also pointed to the threat of the massively growing amount of satellites and the resulting debris in space. However, Pascale Ehrenfreund, president of the International Astronautical Federation, also mentioned a business opportunity for launching services despite the concern of increasing debris. Besides, the participants in the conference highlighted the role of the private sector in the space industry in recent years when the governmental agencies have started to see themselves as aggregators and regulators. On the future manned space missions to the moon, keynote speakers said they would be much more sustainable and prolonged with the ultimate goal of setting up permanent bases there. Landing humans on Mars would be the next biggest challenge in the coming decade, they added. Meanwhile, the space economy, which has hit about 350 billion U.S. dollars, will top a trillion dollars by 2040, according to Ehrenfreund. Space activities in the next decade will include commercial space tourism, cheaper satellites for communication, navigation and monitoring, and more services for broader users, she said. To coordinate global response, WHO says spread of coronavirus is public health emergency of international concern. This blog has now closed. Read the latest updates here. The death toll in China from the new coronavirus has risen to 170, as more countries announced plans to evacuate their citizens from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak. More than 8,100 people are now confirmed globally to have the infection, which has spread from Wuhans Hubei Province to every one of Chinas 31 provinces. The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday urged governments around the world to take action over the new virus, which resembles severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The WHO held an urgent meeting on Thursday after the coronavirus had spead to at least 18 countries and declared the new virus a global health emergency. Thursday, January 30 Trinidad imposes restrictions on travellers from China to prevent coronavirus Trinidad and Tobago has imposed 14-day restrictions on travellers from China to prevent the spread of a new strain of coronavirus on the Caribbean island nation, its health minister Terrence Deyalsingh said on Thursday. Italy suspends all China flights after coronavirus cases confirmed: PM Italy has blocked all flights to and from China after two new coronavirus cases were confirmed in the country for the first time, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said. Trump says coronavirus outbreak is very well under control United States President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the US was working very closely with China on the coronavirus outbreak and he believed it was under control. Were working very closely with [China] and with a lot of other people and a lot of other countries on combating the outbreak, Trump said in a speech at an auto parts manufacturer in Warren, Michigan. We think we have it very well under control. We have very little problem in this country at this moment, he said. US coronavirus evacuee placed under quarantine order after trying to flee base One of 195 Americans evacuated from Wuhan, China, to a US air base in California to begin 72 hours of voluntary observation for signs of coronavirus infection was placed under mandatory quarantine after trying to leave the facility, public health officials said on Thursday. The individual, whose identity was not disclosed, was presented the quarantine order on Wednesday night, hours after arriving at March Air Reserve Base near Los Angeles on a government-chartered flight from Wuhan, officials from the Riverside County Department of Public Health said. A health agency spokeswoman told Reuters news agency the individual has complied with the order, which requires remaining on the base for the entire 14-day incubation period of the virus, and that no base personnel were exposed to the evacuee in question. US authorises departure of some employees from diplomatic facilities The US Department of State has authorised the departure of family members and all non-emergency US government employees at the US embassy in Beijing and consulates in the cities Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenyang, a department representative said. The Department of State made the decision to put the US Embassy and Consulates General on authorized departure status out of an abundance of caution related to logistical disruptions stemming from restricted transportation and availability of appropriate health care related to the novel coronavirus, the representative said in a statement. UK lifts risk level from coronavirus to medium from low The United Kingdom has increased the perceived risk level to the country from an outbreak of coronavirus in China to moderate from low, indicating the government should plan for all eventualities. The UK Chief Medical Officers said in a statement they had changed the risk level in light of the increasing number of cases in China, and because they consider it prudent for the government to escalate its planning in case of a more widespread outbreak. WHO says coronavirus outbreak global emergency The World Health Organization (WHO) declared on Thursday that the new coronavirus outbreak in China is a public health emergency of international concern. The decision to sound the top-level alarm was made after the first confirmed cases of transmission between people outside China. The international health alert is a call on countries around the world to coordinate their response under the guidance of the United Nations health agency. WHO praises China for virus outbreak response The Chinese government is to be congratulated for the extraordinary measures it has taken to contain the outbreak despite the severe social and economic impact those measures are having on the Chinese people, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHOs director general. We would have seen many more cases outside China by now if it were not for the governments efforts and the progress they have made to protect their own people and people of the world, he said. The speed with which China detected the outbreak, isolated the virus, sequenced the genome and shared [it] with the WHO and the world are very impressive and beyond words, he added. So is Chinas commitment to transparency and to supporting other countries. In many ways, China is actually setting a new standard for outbreak response and its not an exaggeration. Virgin Atlantic suspends Shanghai flights Virgin Atlantic has suspended its daily operations to Shanghai for two weeks from February 2, it said. Flights to Hong Kong continue to operate as scheduled, the airline said. Italy to let passengers off cruise ship after virus scare: Media Italys health ministry said two Chinese cruise ship passengers had tested negative for the coronavirus, meaning thousands of stranded passengers could disembark. Costa Cruises was offering to pay for food and hotels for about 1,140 people who had been due to disembark at the Civitavecchia port near Rome early on Thursday, and the Costa Smeralda was to set sail again on Friday, Italian media said. More here. Moroccos RAM airline temporarily suspends flights to China Moroccan airline Royal Air Maroc (RAM) temporarily suspended its direct flights to China due to the coronavirus outbreak, state news agency MAP said. On January 16, RAM had launched a direct link to China with three flights weekly between its Casablanca hub to Beijing. Coronavirus spread from wife to husband in Chicago: official US health officials said they identified the first case of a person who had caught the 2019 Novel Coronavirus from another person on American soil, a man who contracted the illness from his wife. The second person in Illinois testing positive for the Novel Coronavirus is a Chicago resident and is the spouse of the first confirmed travel-associated case in Illinois, saidRobert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The first confirmed case concerned a woman in her sixties who had recently travelled to Wuhan. Her husband did not travel to China. More here. Israel not accepting flights from China, El Al suspends route Israels Health Ministry said it will not allow flights from China to land at its airports and the countrys flag carrier El Al Israel Airlines suspended flights to Beijing until March 25. The ministry had scaled back the number of arrivals from China and issued health warnings to those arriving. It has now banned flights from China landing in the country, a ministry spokesman said. British evacuation flight cleared to leave Chinas Wuhan Britain will fly about 150 British citizens and 50 non-British nationals out of Wuhan, the government said, after an earlier departure was blocked by Chinese authorities. We are pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities that the evacuation flight from Wuhan airport to the UK can depart at 05:00 local time on Friday (21:00 GMT on Thursday), British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Dominic Raab said. Virus delaying Chinas Olympic sliding track certification Plans to have bobsled, skeleton and luge athletes from around the world visit China in March to help certify the track that will be used for the 2022 Beijing Olympics have been delayed. The certifying process, called homologation, is standard for any newly built track. It must be complete before the International Luge Federation and the International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation officially approve the track as safe for racing. Athletes were scheduled to be on the track in Yanqing, China, over the first two weeks of March. It is now likely that the homologation slides will not take place before October, though no rescheduled date has been formally determined. Boston Symphony cancels Asia tour amid China virus outbreak The Boston Symphony Orchestra has cancelled its coming tour of Asia, according to Andris Nelsons, the orchestras music director. The esteemed orchestra had been scheduled to go on a four-city tour that included Seoul in South Korea, Taipei in Taiwan and Shanghai and Hong Kong in China from February 6 to 16. Mark Volpe, the orchestras CEO and president, said the orchestra decided to scrap the entire tour after organisers in China cancelled the Shanghai performance. Jeweller Pandora closes 53 shops in China Jeweller Pandora said it has closed 53 of is 237 shops in China, most of them in the Hubei province. The Danish company followed recommendations from Chinese authorities, a spokesman said. Cruise companies MSC and Costa cancel departures from China Cruise operator MSC Cruises cancelled three scheduled cruises on its Splendida ship which has a capacity of 6,880 people and was due to sail on February 1, 5 and 9 for Japan. The ship is now to depart again only on February 14, when it will leave from Singapore, instead of Shanghai, for the Middle East and Europe, MSC said. MSC said in a statement that no case of infection among passengers or crew had been reported on any Asian winter cruises. Costa Cruises, meanwhile suspended nine trips from China that had been scheduled between now and February 4, saying the measure was temporary. Volvo extends holidays at Chinese plants China-owned Volvo Cars has extended the production break for Chinese New Year at its Chinese plants until February 9. The carmaker was following recommendations from authorities in China and Sweden, a Volvo Cars spokesman said in Gothenburg, Sweden. The carmaker did not expect the decision to affect overall production volumes, the spokesman added. Indonesia to evacuate about 250 people from China Indonesias government said it is preparing to evacuate nearly 250 Indonesians from Chinas Hubei province. An official statement from his office said President Joko Widodo issued the instructions for the evacuation after a Cabinet meeting. The government said it was making domestic preparations and that an Indonesian Embassy team in China was helping facilitate travel and documents. Indonesia was going to send two Boeing 737s and a military C130 Hercules aircraft for the evacuation, which Minister of Health Terawan Agus Putranto said was expected to be done on Saturday. Preliminary coronavirus tests on Italy cruise ship passengers negative Italys health ministry said two Chinese passengers held in isolation on a crowded cruise ship appeared not to have the deadly coronavirus. More than 6,000 tourists were under lockdown aboard the Costa Smeralda at a port near Rome after one of the passengers began running a fever. It was not immediately clear whether the negative test result meant they would be allowed to disembark. More here. Egypt preparing special flight to evacuate citizens from Wuhan Egypt said it was preparing a special flight to evacuate its citizens from Wuhan and would quarantine them for 14 days on their return home to avoid contagion, the cabinet said. South Korea officials face anger over quarantine centres Angry South Koreans volleyed eggs and expletives at a minister and officials trying to defuse their ire over plans to quarantine hundreds of citizens set to be flown home from the epicentre of the new coronavirus epidemic in China. More here. Paris calls off Lunar New Year parade Paris has postponed the popular annual Lunar New Year parade scheduled for this weekend in the capitals Asian quarter, organisers said. Sundays event, a highlight for Pariss 13th arrondissement or district, will be postponed for a few months, Mayor Jerome Coumet told AFP news agency. The Chinese community is not in the mood for partying, the situation is too complicated with what is happening in China, he said. Sacha Lin-Jung of the Association of Chinese People Living in France, which organises the festival, said it was being deferred for health reasons and to allay public concern. Pakistan: No immediate plans to evacuate citizens from China A top Pakistani health official said Islamabad had no immediate plan to evacuate any of about 30,000 nationals living in China to study and work. Zafar Mirza, who advises Prime Minister Imran Khan on health issues, told a news conference that so far only four Pakistani students in China have been diagnosed with the new virus and their conditions are listed as stable. He said about 500 Pakistani students were in Wuhan the site of the outbreak when it surfaced. He said although the virus has killed 170 people in China, authorities in Beijing have done a good job of containing it by taking swift measures. Spain to repatriate nationals from Wuhan with UKs help A group of Spanish citizens will fly back from the Chinese city of Wuhan in the coming hours as part of a joint repatriation operation with the United Kingdom, Spains foreign ministry said. Spains Minister of Health Salvador Illa said earlier that the group of about 20 Spaniards will spend 14 days in quarantine when they return to the country. Health chief in Chinese city near virus epicentre sacked The health chief of Chinas Huanggang city, near the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak in the country, has been dismissed, the citys health department said in a statement. The brief statement said that Tang Zhihong had been dismissed, but gave no other details. Egyptair to suspend all flights to and from China Egyptair has suspended all flights to and from China starting on Saturday, the civil aviation ministry said in a statement. UK delayed evacuation flight from China will leave on Friday Britains Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Dominic Raab said he had confirmation that a delayed evacuation of UK citizens from the Chinese city of Wuhan will be able to leave on Friday morning. We are pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities that the evacuation flight from Wuhan airport to the UK can depart at 05:00 local time on Friday, Raab said. Thailand arrests two for fake news posts Thai authorities have arrested two people for posting fake news about the coronavirus as a senior official warned internet users to think twice before sharing incorrect information on the pathogen. 200130120822687 Thailands digital economy minister, Buddinpongse Punnakanta, told AFP news agency that a man and woman were charged with violating the computer crimes act which can carry up to five years in prison for separate social media posts about the virus. Iran seeking approval to evacuate citizens from Wuhan Irans Ministry of Foreign Affairs is seeking approval from the Chinese government to evacuate its nationals from Wuhan, ISNA reported, citing a ministry spokesman. Earlier on Thursday, State Department spokesman Abbas Mousavi told reporters that Irans embassy in China has sent food and health packages to all students living in Wuhan. Kazakhstan detains two for spreading coronavirus rumours Two ambulance drivers were arrested for spreading rumours about a coronavirus infection in Kazakhstan, Kazakh police said. The two men were arrested on suspicion of spreading false information about an illness from the coronavirus, said Sergei Neznayev, a spokesman for police in the region surrounding the countrys largest city, Almaty. They heard something somewhere and began to spread the information via WhatsApp services, Neznayev told AFP news agency. Kazakhstan has not announced any cases of coronavirus. Europe sends evacuation flight to China to bring 350 home An A380 passenger plane has left southern Portugal en route to China where it will pick up hundreds of Europeans who want to escape the virus. Captain Antonios Efthymiou said the flight would first go to Paris where it would pick up a team of doctors and extra crew before heading to Hanoi and then China. He told Portuguese media it would bring back about 350 Europeans. Efthymiou described the flight as a humanitarian mission. UK pressing China to allow relatives of its citizens to leave The UK has asked the Chinese authorities to allow family members of its citizens who are trapped in Wuhan to leave, Prime Minister Boris Johnsons spokesman said. The UK hopes a flight evacuating its nationals from Wuhan will be allowed to take off as soon as possible, the spokesman added. It was due to leave earlier on Thursday but has not yet been given clearance. There is also the issue of seeking for people who are the partners or married to UK nationals to be able to leave as well. We have pressed that point with the Chinese authorities, the spokesman said. BA cancels all flights to mainland China British Airways (BA) said it has suspended all flights to and from mainland China. The airline flies daily from Londons Heathrow airport to Shanghai and Beijing. BA said it had taken the move following UK government advice against all but essential travel to China. Nigeria tells travellers to avoid China Nigeria has told its citizens to avoid travel to China for at least two weeks and instructed those returning from China to self-quarantine for the same length of time. Minister of State for Health Osagie Ehanire also said those showing symptoms of the virus would be taken into mandatory quarantine in hospital. "All Nigerians and all persons from Nigeria intending to travel to China should delay their travel plans until further notice except it's extremely essential for them to do the trip". Minister of @Fmohnigeria, Dr. @OsagieEhanire. pic.twitter.com/XdZbxtO2n5 Government of Nigeria (@NigeriaGov) January 30, 2020 Czech Republic halts issuance of visas to Chinese citizens The Czech Republic has halted the issuance of visas to Chinese citizens due to the spread of the new coronavirus, news agency CTK said, citing Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek. Thousands kept on board Italian cruise ship Some 6,000 people are being kept on board an Italian cruise ship as tests are carried out on two Chinese passengers suspected of having caught the coronavirus, a spokesman for the Costa Crociere cruise company said. The couple arrived in Italy on January 25 and boarded the ship, the Costa Smeralda, in the port of Savona that same day. They subsequently came down with a fever and have been suffering from breathing difficulties. No one was being allowed off the ship while medical checks were carried out, the spokesman said. The liner has visited Marseilles in France, Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca in Spain before docking on Thursday at Civitavecchia, north of Rome. Read the full story here. DRC bans citizens from travelling to China Congolese citizens have been prohibited from travelling to China in an attempt to protect the country from exposure to the coronavirus, the government said. Citizens have to postpone their trip until further notice, while those returning from China should report to the border health and quarantine service, deputy minister Albert Mpeti said. China is one of the Democratic Republic of the Congos key economic partners with important investments in the copper and cobalt mining sectors. South Korea confirms two new cases, first human-to-human transmission South Korea has confirmed two new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total in the country to six. Of the two, one patient recently returned from Wuhan but the other was confirmed to be the countrys first human-to-human transmission, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said. The two patients were immediately quarantined. Read more about which countries have confirmed cases of the virus here. Vietnam confirms three new cases Three new cases of coronavirus have emerged in Vietnam, the official health ministry said, bringing the number of active cases in the country to four. Two people are being treated for the virus in the capital, Hanoi, while another is receiving treatment in the northern province of Thanh Hoa, a report in the Suc Khoe & Doi Song newspaper said. All three had recently returned from Wuhan. Read more about which countries have confirmed cases of the virus here. Russia to shut border with China: PM Russia will close its border with China to prevent the spread of the virus. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin told a government meeting that the order had been signed to take measures to close the border [with China] in the Far East, Russian news agencies reported. Russia to pause issuing electronic visas to Chinese nationals Russia will temporarily stop issuing electronic visas to Chinese nationals from Thursday, the foreign ministry said. On Wednesday, Russia said it would limit its railway links with China from January 31, leaving only direct trains between Moscow and Beijing. Vaccines likely will not be ready in time for Tokyo 2020: Professor Vaccines against the coronavirus probably will not be ready by the start of the Tokyo Summer Olympics, a professor who looked at health risks ahead of the Games said, adding that he hopes there was enough time to build defences. Koji Wada, a professor of public health at the International University of Health and Welfare in Tokyo, co-authored a paper in 2018 that looked at health risks from the influx of visitors to the 2020 Games in July. We may have more information about the risk of infection and the risk of severity of getting the virus, so we can [be] prepared, Wada told Reuters news agency. So we can have some precautions for infection control but I hope we can conduct the Tokyo Olympics as scheduled. US to arrange more evacuation flights from Wuhan The US government will lay on extra evacuation flights from Wuhan with capacity for private US citizens on or about February 3, the State Department said in a statement. Individuals on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring requirements. It did not say how many planes it would deploy for how many US citizens. .@StateDept staff and some private citizens evacuated from #Wuhan today, thanks to our great team and @HHSGov, @CDCGov, @DeptofDefense, and state and local officials. Were closely watching outbreak, focused on welfare of American citizens still in Wuhan. pic.twitter.com/IAiHux0ZOH Morgan Ortagus (@statedeptspox) January 30, 2020 Cambodia leader blasts online misinformation Cambodias leaders urged citizens to remain calm about the new virus while threatening to kick out reporters or officials seen wearing a face mask. Prime Minister Hun Sen said in a live televised address that people should not be scared because the real illness they face is fear, based on inaccurate information on social media. The prime minister does not wear a mask, so why should you be wearing a mask here, he said. One case of the virus has been reported in Cambodia, which has not cancelled flights to China and said there are no plans to repatriate Cambodians in China. Virus fears push Asian stocks to seven-week low, but gold gains Asian stocks and currencies fell as the number of deaths from the coronavirus rose and more cases were reported around the world. Read the full story here. India confirms first case of coronavirus India has reported its first case of the coronavirus in the southern state of Kerala, the government said in a statement. The patient a student at Wuhan University has tested positive for the virus and is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the statement added. Read more about which countries have confirmed cases of the virus here. Philippines confirms first case of coronavirus: Health minister Philippine health officials have confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus in the country. A 38-year-old Chinese woman, who arrived in the country from Wuhan on January 21 tested positive for the novel coronavirus, Health Secretary Francisco Duque told a news conference. Duque said the patient, confined in a government hospital, is currently asymptomatic. Read more about which countries have confirmed cases of the virus here. China confident of minimising transmission risk on planes China is confident it can minimise the risks of the virus being transmitted on planes and that the small number of cases reported abroad show it is having success in controlling its spread, an official at the civil aviation authority said. Zhu Tao, a director at the Civil Aviation Administration of China, also told reporters during a briefing on the outbreak that foreign airlines that have cancelled flights to China are responding to a change in market conditions. UK delays evacuation flight The UK has delayed a planned evacuation of its citizens from Wuhan because it has not yet got the correct permissions from Chinese authorities for a flight to leave. The UK has planned to fly back its citizens to a Royal Air Force base but the flight is now unlikely to take off on Thursday. We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, a Foreign Office spokeswoman said. A number of countries flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organise a flight to the UK as soon as possible. Israels El Al suspends flights to Beijing El Al Israel Airlines has said it was suspending flights o Beijing until March 25. Israels flag carrier said its Thursday flight from Beijing to Tel Aviv would return as scheduled. China urges food producers to resume production Chinas agriculture ministry urged feed producers and slaughterhouses to speed up the resumption of production, in a bid to increase supplies amid the outbreak. Factories typically close during the Lunar New Year holidays. The outbreak has led to a jump in prices and insufficient supply of food in some Chinese cities due to panic buying and disruptions to transportation. Australia defends choice of remote detention centre to house Wuhan evacuees Australias conservative government has defended its decision to use a detention centre thousands of kilometres from the mainland to quarantine locals evacuated from Wuhan. Some health officials have criticised the decision to move the people to Christmas Island about 2,600 kilometres (1,616 miles) from Australia that had been used to hold thousands of refugees between 2002 and 2018. Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton said there was no other way to safely accommodate the returnees. South Koreas Moon urges calm amid protests South Korean President Moon Jae-in has urged his citizens not to give in to fear as the government prepared to evacuate nationals from Wuhan. The weapons that will protect us from the new coronavirus are not fear and aversion but trust and cooperation, Moon said in a speech, decrying fake news for having stirred excessive anxiety. On Wednesday, protesters used tractors to block the roads to facilities earmarked for quarantine centres, calling for them to be located further away from homes and schools. China says will punish officials who slack off in fighting virus Chinas anti-corruption watchdog said it would severely punish officials who slacked off in fighting the coronavirus. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) said on its website that anyone who did not effectively carry out President Xi Jinpings instructions in the fight against the virus would be punished. CCDI also said it would punish those who were found derelict in their duty and misappropriated rescue funds and materials. China regulator approves charter flights to bring home Wuhan tourists Chinas aviation authority has approved chartered flights to bring home from overseas trips some residents of the central city of Wuhan, state television said. Domestic and international airlines cancelled flights between Wuhan and overseas cities since January 23, in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus. Malaysia reports eighth case of coronavirus Malaysias Ministry of Health said it had confirmed an eighth case of the virus. The infected woman is a Chinese national and the wife of one of the other patients in Malaysia. The 49-year-old is being treated in an isolation ward at a hospital in the southern city of Johor Bahru. Read more about which countries have confirmed cases of the virus here. Singapore to provide four masks to every household to curb virus spread Singapore will provide every one of the countrys 1.3 million households with four surgical masks to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the government said. Residents will be able to collect the masks from February 1, the local Straits Times newspaper reported. The city-state has confirmed 10 cases of coronavirus. Read more about which countries have confirmed cases of the virus here. Residents of Singapore have been stocking up on face masks amid the outbreak [Feline Lim/Reuters] More countries announce evacuations from Wuhan New Zealand, Singapore and Indonesia have said they making efforts to evacuate their nationals from Wuhan. New Zealand plans to charter a 300-seat aircraft to bring home New Zealanders and would offer any additional seats to nationals from the Pacific islands and Australia Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the flight was still subject to Chinas approval. This is a complex operation as we work through all the necessary requirements but we are working to have the aircraft depart as soon as possible, Peters said. Meanwhile, Singapores Foreign Ministry said it planned to bring home 92 citizens from Wuhan on a special flight and Indonesias foreign minister said it was working to evacuate its nationals as soon as possible. IKEA closes all China stores Swedens IKEA said it has temporarily closed all its stores in China because of the coronavirus outbreak. The decision to close all of 30 stores follows an announcement from the worlds biggest furniture retailer on Wednesday that it was closing around half of its stores and shortening the opening hours. Swedish furniture retailer IKEA will temporarily close all 30 of its stores in China as a result of the coronavirus [File: Michael Reynolds/EPA] China football season postponed over virus fears The Chinese Football Association (CFA) has said it would postpone all domestic games in 2020 because of the coronavirus. Matches at all levels will be postponed, the association said in a statement on its website. Two Koreas close liaison office in North Korea South Koreas Unification Ministry has said it plans to bring back 58 South Korean officials and workers from the office in the North Korean border town of Kaesong as soon as possible. The ministry said the two countries Koreas have agreed to establish new telephone and fax lines between Seoul and Pyongyang to perform liaison duties. South Korea has reported four cases of the illness. North Korea has not officially reported a case, but its state media have called for intensive national efforts to prevent the virus from spreading to the country. Three Japanese evacuated from Wuhan have new coronavirus Three people among more than 200 Japanese evacuated from Wuhan have tested positive for the coronavirus, Japans health minister said. The three people two of whom did not have symptoms arrived in Japan on Wednesday, on the first evacuation flight from the city. The Japanese evacuated from Wuhan were taken out of Tokyos Haneda airport by bus. Three of them have now been confirmed to have the coronavirus two showed no symptoms [Jiji Press via EPA] Japan now has 11 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, including two people who appear to have contracted the infection without travelling to China. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told lawmakers that the three returnees would be treated in a special medical facility. US citizens evacuated from Chinese outbreak symptom-free: officials Nearly 200 US citizens evacuated from Wuhan landed at a military base in California on Wednesday, where officials declared them free of symptoms. They have been asked to submit samples to test for the presence of the coronavirus and will remain isolated in their quarters for a period of up to 72 hours while they are monitored, Nancy Messonnier of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. The chartered plane was met on the tarmac by emergency vehicles and three buses as personnel in biological hazard suits stood by. Alyssa Farah, a spokeswoman for the Department of Defense, said the group included State Department employees and their dependents. She added that the evacuees would not have access to any base location other than their assigned housing. Read updates from Wednesday, January 29 here. PR-Inside.com: 2020-01-29 23:01:15 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 895 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 29, 2020 / Mawson Resources Limited ("Mawson" or the "Company") (TSX:MAW)(Frankfurt:MXR)(OTCPINK:MWSNF) is pleased to announce its entry into the Tier 1 goldfields of central Victoria, Australia, via a multifaceted agreement with major landholder Nagambie Resources Limited (NAG:ASX) ("Nagambie"). Mawson's technical team are consistently reviewing opportunities with a view to generate value for Mawson shareholders through project acquisition, exploration and divestment. The Company believes its Finnish assets and newly acquired Australian assets are a natural fit, bringing together a high-quality gold exploration portfolio in two safe and mining friendly jurisdictions."Today's acquisition of gold assets in Victoria, Australia, represents an exciting new opportunity for Mawson. It provides for the outright purchase and joint venture of three high-grade, Fosterville-style (shallow-orogenic or epizonal) exploration projects with numerous historic mines, that lack drill testing to depth, together with a right of first refusal on one of the largest land packages (2000 square kilometres) of high priority exploration ground in the State," commented Mr. Michael Hudson, Chairman and CEO. "Victoria is one of the world's largest orogenic gold provinces, with more than 80 million ounces of gold mined since the 1850s. Following the recent high-grade discovery success at Kirkland Lake Gold's Fosterville mine, the significant potential of shallow orogenic deposits is now better understood." Webcast Conference CallThe Company will host a webcast conference call to review the acquisition on Thursday, January 30, 2020at 8:00am ET. Those wishing to join the call can do so using the telephone numbers listed below. The callwill also be webcast and available on the Company's website at www.mawsonresources.com Date: Thursday, January 30, 2020 at 8:00am Eastern TimeParticipant numbersToll Free: 844-602-0380International: +1 862-298-0970Replay NumberToll Free: 877-481-4010International: +1 919-882-2331Replay Passcode: 58280Event LinkTransaction Highlights:Acquisition of three Fosterville-style high-grade gold assets in Victoria, Australia:A. Clonbinane (100% Acquisition)Mawson will acquire 100% of the shares of Clonbinane Goldfield Pty Ltd ("CGPL"), a 100% subsidiary of Nagambie and the holder of the Clonbinane mineral tenements ("Clonbinane"), for consideration of A$500,000 cash and 1.0 million Mawson Shares. Mawson will also pay Nagambie A$28,000 to replace environmental bonds.Clonbinane is a shallow orogenic (or epizonal) Fosterville-style project. Gold mineralization is hosted within, or proximal to diorite dykes with mineralization continuing along structures that extend into the sedimentary country rock.Mining commenced in 1880s with total production being reported as 41,000 oz gold at a grade of 33g/t gold.Two small reverse circulation ("RC") and diamond drill campaigns in 1993 and 2008 tested the system between 40 to 100 metres vertical depth over an 800 metre strike (Figures 2-5). Select historic drill results at 0.5g/t gold lower cut included 17 metres at 7.0g/t gold and 0.8% antimony from 66 metres (VCRC022), 38 metres at 2.8g/t gold from 15 metres (VCRC011), 27 metres at 3.7g/t gold and 0.46% antimony from 3 metres (CRC013), 2 metres at 42.5g/t gold and 1.0% antimony from 70 metres (VCRC022). These historical data have not been verified by Mawson and are quoted for information purposes only.The dyke and historic mine trend continues for 11 kilometres and remains undrilled.B. Redcastle (Option and Joint Venture)Mawson will have the right to earn an up to 70% joint venture interest in Nagambie's Redcastle exploration licence ("Redcastle") by incurring A$1,000,000 in expenditures on Redcastle over a 5 year period.Redcastle is a shallow orogenic (or epizonal) Fosterville-style historic high-grade project located 7 kilometres along strike from Mandalay Resource's Costerfield mine and on a parallel structure, 24 kilometres east of Kirkland Lake Gold's Fosterville mine (Figure 1).There are few reliable production records of the early mining at Redcastle; however, high grades of gold and associated stibnite were recorded from nearly all mines, which were only worked to an average of 55 metres depth within a 5 kilometre by 4 kilometre area. The Redcastle Gold Mining Company is reported to have produced 35,000 ounces of gold from Clarke's Reef at a grade of 33g/t gold.Previous exploration has exclusively focussed on heap leachable near-surface gold and the project remains untested at depth.C. Doctor's Gully (Option and Joint Venture)Mawson will have the right to earn an up to 70% joint venture interest in Nagambie's Doctor's Gully retention licence ("Doctor's Gully") by incurring A$1,000,000 in expenditures on Doctor's Gully over a 5 year period.Doctor's Gully is a shallow orogenic (or epizonal) Fosterville-style gold mineralized district located 13 kilometres northeast of Redcastle (Figure 1). The Doctor's Gully retention licence covers a smaller area of 4 square kilometres with 21 historic gold showings and mines. Modern mining has focused on extracting oxide gold.RC drilling in 1988, which has never been followed-up, intersected 7 metres @ 4.1g/t gold from 40 metres (WHP7), 8 metres @ 3.2g/t gold from 40 metres (WHP26) and 1 metre @ 14.6g/t gold from 62 metres (WHP26). These historical data have not been verified by Mawson and are quoted for information purposes only.Like Redcastle, previous explorers at Doctor's Gully have focussed exclusively on heap leachable near-surface gold and the project remains untested to depth.Strategic 10% equity investment into Nagambie:Mawson will subscribe for 50.0 million ordinary shares of Nagambie ("Nagambie Shares"), which will represent a 10.0% shareholding in Nagambie. As consideration, Nagambie will receive 8.5 million common shares of Mawson ("Mawson Shares"), which will represent approximately 4.7% of the total issued Mawson Shares (after including the 1.0 million Mawson Shares from the Clonbinane a Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: Dr Kafeel Khan, the paediatrician held at Mumbai international airport by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) on Wednesday evening, was handed over to the UP police after being produced before a metropolitan magistrate court in Bandra on Thursday afternoon. Before being handed over to the UP police, Dr Khan reportedly expressed fear for his life in the court by saying that the UP police might kill him in a fake encounter. Dr Khan was arrested for allegedly delivering an inflammatory speech during a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at the Bab-e-Sayyad gate of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) on December 12. As per sources, Dr Khan claimed in court that the UP government was trying to implicate him in a false case. The court can watch the entire video. I have not said anything provocative. But, still, if the case against me has to be pursued, please keep me in Mumbai, he reportedly said in court. Dr Khan had earlier grabbed the headlines after 60 children had died in the BRD hospital in August 2017 allegedly due to disruption in oxygen supply. He was then suspended and jailed before being granted bail in April 2018 by the Allahabad High Court. The case is still going on in court. Dr Khans lawyer said in court that sedition charges were not applicable to him. He only gave his opinion on how the CAA will impact Muslims, Kafeels lawyer reportedly told the court. I-G, UP STF, Amitabh Yash said the STF would hand over the doctor to Aligarh police who had lodged the case against Kafeel for delivering an inflammatory speech. Interrogation would be done by the Aligarh police only, said I-G Amitabh Yash. He was trying to evade his arrest by hiding in Bihar. We were tracking his location through electronic surveillance, said the I-G. However, rejecting the apprehensions of an encounter, UP DGP OP Singh said the UP police believed in the rule of law and in arresting those who breached it in any manner instead of killing them. His apprehensions are unfounded, said the DGP. He will be prosecuted before the court as per the law. We have arrested him over the hate speech that he delivered at AMU on December 12. We have nothing to do with his past. We are charging him and going ahead just in the present case, Singh added while talking to the media. Dr Khan was booked under Section 153 (A) and arrested at the airport when he arrived in Mumbai to attend anti-CAA protests. For many, the main point of investing is to generate higher returns than the overall market. But every investor is virtually certain to have both over-performing and under-performing stocks. At this point some shareholders may be questioning their investment in Vienna Insurance Group AG (VIE:VIG), since the last five years saw the share price fall 36%. It's down 2.9% in the last seven days. View our latest analysis for Vienna Insurance Group To quote Buffett, 'Ships will sail around the world but the Flat Earth Society will flourish. There will continue to be wide discrepancies between price and value in the marketplace...' One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement. Looking back five years, both Vienna Insurance Group's share price and EPS declined; the latter at a rate of 1.7% per year. This reduction in EPS is less than the 8.6% annual reduction in the share price. This implies that the market was previously too optimistic about the stock. The low P/E ratio of 11.28 further reflects this reticence. You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values). WBAG:VIG Past and Future Earnings, January 30th 2020 It is of course excellent to see how Vienna Insurance Group has grown profits over the years, but the future is more important for shareholders. You can see how its balance sheet has strengthened (or weakened) over time in this free interactive graphic. What About Dividends? As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). The TSR incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. In the case of Vienna Insurance Group, it has a TSR of -23% for the last 5 years. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. This is largely a result of its dividend payments! Story continues A Different Perspective It's nice to see that Vienna Insurance Group shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 21% over the last year. Of course, that includes the dividend. That certainly beats the loss of about 5.2% per year over the last half decade. This makes us a little wary, but the business might have turned around its fortunes. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Vienna Insurance Group better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Vienna Insurance Group you should know about. We will like Vienna Insurance Group better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on AT 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. The group called Parliamentarians for Malaria Elimination includes eleven (11) Members of Parliament (MPs) belonging to different states, including many with a high malaria burden Parliamentarians from across party lines have joined hands and formed a coalition to support Indias efforts to eliminate malaria by 2030. The group called Parliamentarians for Malaria Elimination includes eleven (11) Members of Parliament (MPs) belonging to different states, including many with a high malaria burden. More MPs are expected to join in the near future. Hon K.J. Alphons (MP, Rajya Sabha, Bharatiya Janta Party, Rajasthan), Hon Gaurav Gogoi (MP, Lok Sabha, Indian National Congress, Assam), Dr. Prabhakar Kore (MP, Rajya Sabha, Bharatiya Janta Party, Karnataka), Hon Vijila Sathyananth (MP, Rajya Sabha, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Tamil Nadu), Dr. Amar Patnaik (MP, Rajya Sabha, Biju Janata Dal, Odisha), Dr. Vikas Mahatme (MP, Rajya Sabha, Bharatiya Janta Party, Maharashtra), Hon Harshvardhan Singh Dungarpur (MP, Rajya Sabha, Bharatiya Janta Party, Rajasthan), Hon Prabhat Jha (MP, Rajya Sabha, Madhya Pradesh), and Hon Prasanna Acharya (MP, Rajya Sabha, Biju Janata Dal, Odisha) Hon Prof. M.V. Rajeev Gowda (MP, Rajya Sabha, Indian National Congress, Karnataka) Hon Dr. Sanjay Jaiswal (MP, Lok Sabha, Bharatiya Janata Party, Bihar) Hon K. J. Alphons, coordinator of the group, said India is well placed to eliminate malaria by 2030 and we, as Parliamentarians, must play an active role in helping the country achieve that goal. We will work with key stakeholders at the central, state, and district levels to accelerate malaria elimination not just in the states we represent but across the country. The MPs are committed in their resolve to raise the profile of the disease and act as the bridge between the government and other stakeholders in this fight. Successive Indian governments have prioritised malaria control. There was a sustained reduction in malaria mortality during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime. Subsequently in 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modis government demonstrated exemplary leadership when it made a commitment at the East Asia Summit that India would eliminate malaria by 2030. Following the high-level commitment, the National Framework for Malaria Elimination 2016-2030 and National Strategic Plan 2017-22 for Malaria Elimination were launched. Recently, the Hon Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan reaffirmed that malaria elimination is a top priority for the government. WHOs World Malaria Report 2019 acknowledged Indias extraordinary progress in recent years. From more than 800k confirmed cases in 2017, India managed to reduce cases down to just over 400k in 2018, thanks to the extraordinary resolve and leadership at both the central and state levels. It is however premature to declare victory. India remains one of the countries with the most number of malaria cases globally and real challenges remain. Malaria is fast retreating to hard- to-reach areas in India. People living in tribal belts, forests, mountainous regions, and border districts who often have the least access to healthcare are the most vulnerable. Malaria is and will continue to be a disease of poverty. We want to build on the commitment made by the National Government and ensure this is being translated locally and leaving no one behind. said Hon Dr. Prabhakar Kore. Speaking on the importance of collective action, Hon Gaurav Gogoi said this group believes that collective action, beyond political parties and ideologies, will push the needle towards ending malaria for good. The group will advocate for increased investments in malaria elimination, development of specific strategies to reduce malaria burden among vulnerable populations, and increased multisectoral collaboration to end malaria for good. critic's rating: 2.0/5 Nobel prize winner Malala Yousafzai -- at 14 she was she was the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize -- survived an attack on her life and emerged as a stronger voice of dissent against the forces of Taliban. The Swat Valley in North-Western Pakistan where she lived was totally under the yoke of the Taliban who were dead against a secular education for girls. Malala blogged for the BBC Urdu service under the pseudonym Gul Makai, the name of a heroine from a Pashtun folk tale. In 2012 a militant boarded her school bus and opened fire, wounding her as well as two of her friends. She was taken to a military hospital and was later flown to Birmingham for further treatment. The timely action saved her life. Hers is an inspiring life indeed and kudos to director H.E. Amjad Khan for attempting to showcase it. His heart certainly was in the right place when he started the project. It went through a severe development hell and took many years in the making and as a result the end product is a disjointed piece of work. Attention to detail was sorely missing. For instance, in a scene where textbooks were being burnt by the militants one could see that they were of Navneet Publications. How hard was it to acquire some genuine Pakistani textbooks? Some characters speak with a distinct Marathi accent and even look like they belong to Maharashtra police rather than being members of the Pakistani army. Instead of making a film about a sensitive girl the director has chosen to give it a masala potboiler treatment. The terrorists lurk around carrying huge guns like B movie villains killing anyone they dislike on a whim. And the whole counter strike by the Pakistani army gets so much glorification that you feel like you're watching a war film. It's Uri part two but with Pak army as the hero. We're sure that wasn't the director's intention. After you get over the shock of inadvertently watching a war film under the guise of watching a Nobel Laureate's biopic, you spare a thought towards Atul Kulkarni and Divya Dutta, two eternally professional actors having the ability to rise above insipid scripts. They play Malala's father and mother and have given the film everything they have got and more. The scene where they break down hearing news of an attack on her gets to you. Newcomer Reem Shaikh tries hard to become Malala but the effort shows. There is a clip from a speech by the real Malala at the end credits which offers more impact about education of girls worldwide than this two hour film because it showed a person's burning desire to bring about a change. Sadly that intensity was absent in this popcorn version of events. Trailer : Gul Makai The mayor of Mahwah admitted Wednesday that he drank so much during a party at a township employees house that he took off his pants and passed out in her bed, according to a report from NorthJersey.com Mayor John Roth said in an interview with the news organization that he apologized to the unidentified employee, who did not wish to comment in the report. The mayors actions were detailed in an anonymous letter signed by the concerned employees of the township of Mahwah that was circulated last week, according to the report. Roth was elected Nov. 6, 2018 on the same ballot where former Mayor Bill Laforet was recalled from office. The recall of Laforet was launched in January 2018 by a group of citizens who were upset about Laforet accusing former Department of Public Works Director Ed Sinclair in 2015 of having pornography on his work computer, based on an anonymous letter he received. Sinclair died a few months later and his family filed suit against Mahwah for wrongful death, saying the stress of the ordeal contributed to his demise. 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. A Bexar County jury found a 20-year-old San Antonio man whom authorities believe to be a serial rapist, guilty of aggravated sexual assault and aggravated robbery. The jury deliberated for a little more than five hours before returnign the guilty verdict against Anton Jamail Harris. The jury will decide his sentence tomorrow morning. Harris was 18 when he was arrested a few days after he graduated from John Marshall High School in 2017. He was charged with five counts of aggravated sexual assault and one charge of aggravated robbery. Authorities said five women were attacked either at knifepoint or gunpoint. Harris, now 20, has been on trial on accusations he raped a traveling nurse on May 28, 2017, at her apartment complex in the 5600 block of Babcock Road. The 26-year-old woman identified as Jane was the last witness called Tuesday by prosecutors before the state rested its case. Using crime scene photos, the 911 call and body camera video from responding officers the night of Janes alleged attack, prosecutor Daryl Harris reminded the panel of the testimony from neighbors, officers and Jane. He said the most crucial evidence linking the defendant to the alleged crime came from the victim. Bexar County forensic scientist Jamie Pomykar calculated the genetic profile off of the evidence collected from inside Janes body, Daryl Harris said. Based on those results, he argued that the chances of it being anyone other than Harris were astronomical. She told you the profile collected was 417 (octillion) with 27 zeroes, and she expected to see this profile one time in a population of that many people, he said, noting that the earths population is about 8 billion. Twenty-seven zeroes. One time, he said. Those numbers put that man inside Janes room. Its him. He did it. On ExpressNews.com: Nurse details how attacker forced his way into apartment, raped her at gunpoint Jurors began deliberating at 11:45 a.m., after the state and defense rested their cases. Attorneys for Harris did not call any witnesses. In her closing arguments, prosecutor Alaina Altis told the jury that what happened to Jane is every womans nightmare. Anton came inside, holding a gun to her head, inside her home, Altis said. She thought she was gong to die. She reminded the panel what Jane told them in her testimony Tuesday afternoon she was led into her bedroom at gunpoint by a thin African American man who demanded cash, and raped her when she said she didnt have any. As she was there, covers over her head, she could feel the gun against her head as he raped her, Altis told the jury. He threatened her with his words, too: Shut up or Ill kill you. Defense attorney Monica E. Guerrero told the jury in her closing arguments that it was the burden of the state to prove that Harris was the attacker, and she said, the state had failed to do that. We dont have to prove anything to you, she told the panel. No one in this case identified Anton, not the complainant, Jane. She was the victim. It was a minute and seconds. Guerrero reminded the jury that the only potential suspects that San Antonio police presented to Jane the night of the alleged attack were two African-American men. She added that no one identified Harris, his prints were not found in Janes apartment, and challenged a sketch and a photograph taken from video at a Valero near Janes apartment as proof of his innocence. She stressed that although Harris DNA was found in Janes rape kit, the forensic scientist who testified stated that human error is a possibility, and its possible that it could have been someone else. Its Janes worst nightmare, but its also the worst nightmare of a young black kid, Guerrero said, mentioning that wrongful convictions have been occurring all over the United States. Referring to the state as the government, defense attorney Jonathan Watkins told the jury in his closing arguments that he was afraid, scared justice will not happen for Anton, because this is a rush to judgment. Watkins attempted to discredit each of the witnesses who testified some saying they heard the screams but didnt pay attention and the descriptions of a black man in a hoodie. It was a black kid in a gray hoodie, it must be him, he told the panel. This is the government, yall. Watkins pointed out that Jane testified that she could not definitively tell them that his client was the one. She said she could see his eyes and the bridge of his nose, Watkins told the panel. The case is being heard in the 399th state District Court, Judge Frank J. Castro presiding. If convicted, Harris faces up to life in prison. This is a developing story. 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 Two of the four NSW residents who had returned positive results for symptoms of the coronavirus have improved and have since been discharged. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant confirmed that no new cases had been confirmed in the state. "We've had no new cases reported in NSW.": NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer "There remain four confirmed cases, so we've had no new cases reported in NSW," Dr Chant said. "Two patients are now well and were discharged on 29 January and the other two remain clinically stable." (Natural News) All the experts are missing a fatal truth about the coronavirus pandemic: It spreads from people who show no symptoms. Because they show no symptoms, they evade all existing screening efforts such as thermal scanning for fevers and self-reporting of symptoms to health authorities. In other words, many people who are infected with the coronavirus and are spreading it have no idea they are infected. This means existing screening efforts cannot contain this pandemic. Blocking all travel from China is the only way to stop this from quickly spreading to other countries, and those steps are not being taken because world governments have convinced themselves they know how to spot coronavirus carriers as they move through airports. But they are delusional. How do we know this? First, we have the Japanese nationals who were recently evacuated back to Japan on a government-chartered flight. Out of the 206 people who were returned to Japan on the first flight, three were found to be infected with coronavirus. Out of the three, two showed no symptoms. As reported by JapanToday.com: The three, who have been hospitalized one in stable condition and two without symptoms were among 206 people brought back Wednesday from the city at the center of the deadly outbreak of the pneumonia-causing virus. Japan also carried out a second flight of 210 Japanese citizens, and there are hundreds more awaiting additional flights. Japan is, of course, screening everyone for coronavirus infections, but what the media fails to report is that coronavirus lab tests cannot detect the virus in its early staged of incubation in a human being. Why? Because theres not enough virus replication yet taking place in the persons body to give a strong enough signal on gene sequencing instruments. So on the first flight where three people had coronavirus, the other 203 passengers could have been infected during the flight, yet passed all the screening with a clean bill of health. They may even start shedding coronavirus over the next 10 days while showing no symptoms themselves. So even when health authorities tell people to self-report any symptoms such as fever or coughing, many people show no symptoms and therefore have nothing to report. Yet they are still shedding the coronavirus and infecting everyone around them. 10-year-old boy shedding virus without symptoms The Lancet Adding to the confirmation of asymptomatic carriers of coronavirus, a study just published in The Lancet documents the case of a 10-year-old boy who showed no symptoms of coronavirus infection yet was shedding viruses and infecting people around him. As covered by Bloomberg.com: The case of a 10-year-old boy who was diagnosed with the Wuhan coronavirus even though he showed no symptoms is raising concern that people may be spreading the virus undetected by the front-line screening methods implemented to contain the epidemic. Bloomberg, in other words, is reporting exactly what Natural News has been warning about for days: Screening methods cant contain this virus because it operates in stealth mode, shedding infectious viruses from people who show no symptoms and dont even know theyre infected themselves. As Bloomberg reports: the 10-year-old appeared healthy and was only diagnosed with the virus after his parents insisted he too was tested, his doctors said, adding that he was shedding virus without symptoms. You may have mild disease spreaders that would be feeding sort of a community outbreak and they dont go to hospital because they dont feel that bad, said Ralph Baric, professor of microbiology and immunology at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who has studied coronaviruses for decades and warned about their threat before the 2003 SARS outbreak. Details of this symptomless carrier were published in The Lancet in a paper entitled, A familial cluster of pneumonia associated with the 2019 novel coronavirus indicating person-to-person transmission: a study of a family cluster. That paper describes the infected family as people who, had no history of contact with animals, visits to markets including the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, or eating game meat in restaurants. The paper documents the symptomless patient as having a high viral load, shedding the virus and exposing others: A rather unexpected finding from the lung CT scan of patient 5, which was done on the insistence by the nervous parents, also showed ground-glass pneumonic changes. Patient 5 was later confirmed virologically to have an asymptomatic infection Two complete genome sequences of this novel coronavirus were recovered from the nasopharyngeal swab of patient 2 and the sputum sample of patient 5 with an earlier cycle threshold value indicating a higher viral load. The conclusion of the paper states, as shown in this study, it is still crucial to isolate patients and trace and quarantine contacts as early as possible because asymptomatic infection appears possible. In other words, people with no symptoms can infect others. This stunning, pivotal fact is being ignored by nearly everyone. We are facing a dire situation rooted in global ignorance on virology, epidemiology and mathematics The upshot of the findings detailed above is that the coronavirus cannot be contained through normal screening procedures. Even when members of the public are told to self-report if they experience symptoms, some carriers show no symptoms at all and therefore have nothing to report. The long incubation period of the virus (up to 14 days) combined with the viral shedding that takes place during all stages of incubation which is unusual for most viral infections makes the coronavirus the perfect stealth virus that defies traditional screening and containment efforts. The upshot is that even if Chinas infections level off, the coronavirus will show a second wave of pandemic outbreaks in other countries that are too late to enact the draconian isolation mandates now witnessed in China, where over 56 million people are currently living under military-enforced quarantine orders. Chinas efforts may actually succeed locally, since isolation really is the only cure for this pandemic. But other nations such as Thailand and the United States are taking no such steps. The USA isnt even blocking travel from China, continuing to allow symptomless carriers to enter the United States and potentially infect others. Stay informed. Read NaturalNews.com to stay informed. BOOK OF THE WEEK RAISING AN EYEBROW: MY LIFE WITH SIR ROGER MOORE by Gareth Owen (History Press 20, 224 pp) Sir Roger Moore, the sleekest and most humorous of 007s, was similarly pampered and jokey off-screen, his dulcet tones never wavering. Grinning broadly, he thoroughly enjoyed the film-star trappings and never forgot the wonderful good luck, happiness and fun that life had afforded him. A tax exile, he split the year between Switzerland and Monaco, where he mingled with Leslie Bricusse, David Niven and Joan Collins. He spent a month every summer at the luxurious Colombe dOr Hotel, in the South of France, where it was fine dining all the way. Sir Roger was perfectly at home behind the wheel of Aston Martin and Lotus motor cars. He had a secret, however, as divulged by Gareth Owen in this tribute. Sir Rogers preferred vehicle was a Smart car, the size of a Lego brick, which he could park easily. Gareth Owen reflects on his time spent alongside Roger Moore (pictured in Moonraker) in a fascinating book In the kitchen cabinets of his homes in the Swiss Alps and on the shores of the Mediterranean were hoarded tins of Heinz baked beans, boxes of Paxo stuffing and canisters of Bisto gravy. Sir Rogers favourite foods were beans on toast with fried eggs and bacon. Cottage pie from the microwave was a huge treat. Simple fare and the man himself was unpretentious and uncomplicated. His philosophy was, Why be negative when you can be positive? Unlike others who played 007, Sir Roger never regretted his association with the franchise (he starred in seven). It was Owens job to organise Sir Rogers book signings, talks at film festivals, appearances at red carpet receptions and black-tie dinners, and to field requests for newspaper and magazine interviews. The star was generally amenable and tractable and Owen saw him get cross only once, when staff at the BBC were rude, demanding to see ID. Driver, said Sir Roger, in his famous voice, would you kindly take us back to our hotel. Owen accompanied Sir Roger to Norwich, where a thousand copies of his Bond memoir were autographed (a signed book is a sold book), and he also facilitated Sir Rogers one-man show, which toured to Malvern, Bournemouth and Basingstoke. The star only had to cock an eyebrow and say The name is Bond, James Bond and audiences gave him a standing ovation. Everyone loved Roger. Owen first met Sir Roger at Desmond (Q) Llewellyns memorial service in December 1999. He was well qualified for the task of chief cook and bottle washer or Personal Assistant. He knew the business, having worked as a producer, sending out scripts, assessing budgets and sales forecasts, and had an expert knowledge of the British film industry, particularly Pinewood Studios, about which hed published a book. Sir Roger retained an office at Pinewood, where he materialised daily to Owen on Skype. Owen ensured the stars existence ran as smoothly as that of the Royal Family. He arranged the hotels and the flights, checked which chauffeurs were on duty, and alerted the lady who always met him at the airport. He also had to handle work offers. A request for Sir Roger to appear in an Italian documentary came with a fee twice my annual salary. Sir Roger declined it. The actor stared in seven 007 films, but one his few regrets is that he never appeared with Morecambe and Wise (pictured) Nevertheless, what Owen realised was that his boss did actually need filthy lucre, as he liked to be able to suffer in comfort. The Bond merchandise, indeed, was big business, the signed photographs and memorabilia, the fans conventions and charity raffles. When Sir Roger wrote a book (Owen did the actual writing the star burbled into a tape recorder), hed keep asking, Whats the print run? How much advance have they paid? If photographers came to Monaco or to the chalet in Switzerland, their magazines had to pay hugely for the privilege. There were accountants and lawyers to negotiate and invest the considerable income. Owen admits he knew nothing about the financial side. If he said he needed to go to Geneva for a couple of days, Id never ask what for. His hours were full, in any event, trying to break into Sir Rogers computer, as the star always forgot his passwords and needing to reset them. Owen also had the task of fending off the mad women who kept coming forward, believing they were Sir Rogers long-lost daughters, with Britt Ekland the long-lost mother. Lawyers were needed to make them go away. RAISING AN EYEBROW: MY LIFE WITH SIR ROGER MOORE by Gareth Owen (History Press 20, 224 pp) It was one of Sir Rogers few regrets that hed never appeared with Morecambe and Wise. He eagerly joined the cast of the stage homage, with Toby Jones, called The Play What I Wrote. Unfortunately, in 2003 Sir Roger collapsed on Broadway and needed an emergency pacemaker fitted. This marked the beginning of the end. Raising An Eyebrow is poignant about the stars decline, his endurance and stoicism. Owen grew close to him, like a son, as Sir Roger started having funny turns and blacking out. He was in agony from a kidney stone blockage, which led to a liver and lung cancer diagnosis, then double pneumonia. There were leg injuries, diabetes. It was hard to remember that Sir Roger, born in 1927, was actually so old nearly 90 when he died in May 2017. Hed long seemed ageless. As this book is a jovial, personal account, Owen is discreet with show- business gossip. What we do learn, however, is that Sean Connery, ever the careful Scot, required a SAE if he was to reply to any mail, that Sir Roger was really saddened when Dirk Bogarde never returned his calls, and that Christopher Lee would claim hed fallen in the bath if he couldnt be bothered to turn up at an awards ceremony. Sir Roger would never allow people to think he was on schedule to attend if he had no intention of doing so. Though hed wanted to be buried near Pinewood Studios, Sir Rogers ashes are interred in Monaco, because if it is proven that the intended resting place of an expat is on UK soil, then their estate is subject to UK tax. Sir Roger had avoided contributing to our exchequer since the Seventies. Im not sure what I think about tax exiles being awarded knighthoods. The John Bolton book bombshell represents the intersection of mendacity and greed. The mendacity has been the dissembling and the lying by Donald Trump and his Republican enablers that the withholding of assistance to Ukraine was anything other than an old-fashioned mob shakedown: You have a nice $400 million military aid package here. It would be a shame if anything should happen to it. The greed, of course, stems from Boltons eager participation in that bipartisan 21st-century ritual of public servants racing to cash in the moment they leave the White House with a seven-digit book deal. Long gone are the days when Franklin Roosevelt longed for top aides with a passion for anonymity. Boltons book title, The Room Where It Happened, was presumably lifted from Hamilton by a clever book editor. Dating back to Plutarch and continuing through the Ron Chernow biography on which the Broadway musical is based, studying the lives of public figures has been a way to learn moral conduct. Republican senators like the politically imperiled Susan Collins and the retiring Lamar Alexander will soon cast one of the most historic votes of their long careers on Capitol Hill. The decision whether to hear impeachment testimony from Bolton and perhaps other witnesses will pit kiss-the-ring fealty to Trump against the demands of a fair trial. As they wrestle with their decisions leading up to the eventual vote on whether to remove Trump from office, wavering senators might draw moral guidance from the lives of two Watergate figures who died recently. When their obituaries appeared, they were primarily familiar to those of us who once wallowed in Watergate. A NIXON PLUMBER As a young White House lawyer, Egil Krogh arranged the odd-couple Oval Office meeting between Richard Nixon and Elvis Presley as part of the presidents ineffectual war on drugs. But everything changed for Krogh in 1971 after Daniel Ellsberg leaked to the press the internal history of the Vietnam War known as the Pentagon Papers. Krogh became one of the leaders of the internal White House group known as the Plumbers designed to discredit Ellsberg and thwart future leaks. Krogh was in the room where it happened when former CIA operative E. Howard Hunt suggested that the Plumbers authorize an operation to break into the offices of Ellsbergs psychiatrist and steal his files. Krogh uncritically accepted Hunts proposal _ and that moral lapse changed his life. As Krogh later wrote, The premise of our action was the strongly held view within certain precincts of the White House that the president and those functioning on his behalf could carry out illegal acts with impunity if they were convinced that the nations security demanded it. Those words have an eerie resonance this week as the Trump lawyers mount their defense. In 1973, Krogh became the first Nixon aide to go to prison _ based on his role in the Ellsberg burglary, which proved to be a prelude to Hunt helping orchestrate the 1972 Watergate break-in. What gives Kroghs story further relevance today is what this onetime leader of the Plumbers did later in life. By the late 1990s, Krogh, who had regained his law license, began giving ethics seminars and speaking to high school students on the topic. Kroghs conclusion was expressed in the title of a 2007 memoir that he wrote with his son Matthew _ Integrity: Good People, Bad Choices, and Life Lessons From the White House. A NIXON REPUBLICAN Illinois Republican Tom Railsback was one of six GOP members of the House Judiciary Committee to vote for Nixons impeachment in 1974. Railsback was not a liberal Republican in the John Lindsey or Lowell Weicker mold. He was more than anything a Nixon Republican. As Railsback put it in an emotional speech as the Judiciary Committee readied the articles of impeachment, In my opinion Richard Nixon has done many wonderful things for his country. ... I wish the president could do something to absolve himself. A few weeks after Nixon resigned from office, Railsback was asked to give a luncheon talk to the Peoria Chamber of Commerce in his congressional district. Railsback reminisced to NPRs Scott Simon that he worried that the Nixon loyalists in the audience (many of them his friends and supporters) would attack him for his impeachment vote. When Railsback arrived at the luncheon, a brief hush fell over the room. A lone man began applauding, then a few more joined in and finally an ovation morphed into a standing ovation. Railsback recalled being repeatedly told, Tom, I disagree with that vote. But you did what you thought was right, and Im glad you represent me. After his impeachment vote, Railsback served five more terms in the House. The 1970s may have been a different era when partisanship was not as vicious and Americans retained a grudging respect for legislators who voted their conscience. But I wonder whether patriotic values have really changed that much or whether cowardice has just become accepted as the road of political convenience. Everyone in the Senate should ask themselves this week: What will life be like when Donald Trump is no longer in the White House? Barring a dramatic turnabout that seems unlikely no matter what Bolton says in his book or if he testifies in the trial, that moment will come, via election, next January or in five years. But, make no mistake, there will be a post-Trump period of reckoning. And Republicans who currently cower in fear of Trump tweets, brood about their political futures and worry about being booed at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon should think for a moment about the life lessons from the late Egil Krogh and Tom Railsback. Walter Shapiro has covered the last 10 presidential campaigns. He is also a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU and a lecturer in political science at Yale. Follow him on Twitter @MrWalterShapiro. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Dividend paying stocks like Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) 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. 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. A high yield and a long history of paying dividends is an appealing combination for Prudential Financial. It would not be a surprise to discover that many investors buy it for the dividends. The company also bought back stock equivalent to around 5.9% of market capitalisation this year. 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 Prudential Financial! NYSE:PRU Historical Dividend Yield, January 30th 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. In the last year, Prudential Financial paid out 41% of its profit as dividends. A medium payout ratio strikes a good balance between paying dividends, and keeping enough back to invest in the business. Besides, if reinvestment opportunities dry up, the company has room to increase the dividend. Remember, you can always get a snapshot of Prudential Financial's latest financial position, by checking our visualisation of its financial health. Dividend Volatility One of the major risks of relying on dividend income, is the potential for a company to struggle financially and cut its dividend. Not only is your income cut, but the value of your investment declines as well - nasty. Prudential Financial has been paying dividends for a long time, but for the purpose of this analysis, we only examine the past 10 years of 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 US$0.70 in 2010, compared to US$4.00 last year. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 19% a year over that time. Story continues It's rare to find a company that has grown its dividends rapidly over ten years and not had any notable cuts, but Prudential Financial has done it, which we really like. Dividend Growth Potential While dividend payments have been relatively reliable, it would also be nice if earnings per share (EPS) were growing, as this is essential to maintaining the dividend's purchasing power over the long term. It's good to see Prudential Financial has been growing its earnings per share at 15% a year over the past five years. A company paying out less than a quarter of its earnings as dividends, and growing earnings at more than 10% per annum, looks to be right in the cusp of its growth phase. At the right price, we might be interested. Conclusion To summarise, shareholders should always check that Prudential Financial's dividends are affordable, that its dividend payments are relatively stable, and that it has decent prospects for growing its earnings and dividend. We're glad to see Prudential Financial has a low payout ratio, as this suggests earnings are being reinvested in the business. That said, we were glad to see it growing earnings and paying a fairly consistent dividend. Prudential Financial fits all of our criteria, and we think there are a lot of positives to it from a dividend perspective. Companies that are growing earnings tend to be the best dividend stocks over the long term. See what the 9 analysts we track are forecasting for Prudential Financial for free with public analyst estimates for the company. 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 City of Brussels has laid on a festival of Britishness to say goodbye to the UK, ahead of Brexit. The Belgian capitals beautiful central square, the Grand Place, was lit up in Union Jack colours while bands played British music. City authorities rented a real-life black London taxi, and also dressed two city employees up as Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson to pose for selfies with visitors. Busby-hatted redcoats were posted by the entrance of the city hall, while revellers posed for photographs with a replica red telephone box. Banners around the square proclaimed: Brussels Calling: Come together, right now. People queued while others took photos with a genuine red telephone box (Jon Stone for The Independent) When The Independent approached the Sherlock Holmes lookalike and asked what he was doing in the city, the fictional detective said: Were doing a really important investigation... looking for the best French fries in Brussels. The question of which friterie serves the best chips in the city is a running joke in Brussels. Just around the corner from the Grand Place, which the city reasonably describes as the most beautiful square in the world, an unusual tourist attraction was also getting into the spirit of things. The square featured several versions of the British red phone box (Jon Stone for The Independent) The Manneken Pis, a small statue of a young boy urinating into a fountain which serves as an emblem of the citys old centre, was dressed up in a costume of John Bull. The costume is of historic significance as it was gifted to the city in 1972, ahead of the UKs entry into the common market. John Bull is an old personification of Britain wearing a top hat and a waistcoat. At this historic moment for the United Kingdom, the City of Brussels recalls the long friendship between the people of Brussels and the British, the city government said in a statement. Mock redcoats stood guard outside the city hall (Jon Stone for The Independent) Brussels mayor Philippe Close jauntily urged Brits to keep calm and stay welcome in his city. "Whatever happens, the thousands of Britons who live in Bruxelles remain Brussels residents!" he said. Britains ambassador to Belgium, Martin Shearman, who met with the mayor at the city hall, said: After many conversations with Brits in Belgium, I know how much they feel at home here. In their name, I would like to thank you Phillipe Close, and thank the City of Brussels for the warm welcome, not just tonight but every day. The city's public transport authority also got in on the action. STIB/MIVB posted a video to social media lighting the stations and stops on the city's metro and tram network named after British places and people. Places celebrated included a tram interchange named after Winston Churchill, the metro station named after General Montgomery, and a tram stop named for Charles Darwin. Other stops on the network with British links incude Liverpool, Lancaster, and Engeland which is Dutch for England. "Mind the gap when leaving," the authority said. After the end of the Brexit transition period British people will lose the automatic right to live in Belgium and will have to apply for work visas, because Britain has chosen to end the free movement system. British people already living in Belgium at the point of exit will be able to continue working there, while holidaymakers may have to fill in extra paperwork from 2021 onwards. Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani spoke to Smriti Kak Ramachandran about key schemes during his term, challenges such as malnutrition, and the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests in Delhi and other states. Edited excerpts: You have been in office since 2017. What are your governments accomplishments? Unemployment in Gujarat is the lowest compared to other states while our unemployment rate is about 4.1%, in other states it is as high as 18-20%. Gujarat has the most number of start-ups; FDI has doubled as compared to last year. Our water management techniques have been appreciated. ~1,275 crore has been allotted to students of non-reserved category under Mukhyamantri Yuva Swavlamban Yojana, which has benefitted over a lakh people. A zero-tolerance policy for corruption has been adopted, and Gujarat is the least corrupt state in India, according to the India Corruption Survey 2019. Investment projects over ~1.09 lakh crore have been set-up in Gujarat out of the total projects worth ~5.47 lakh crore across the country in the last 3 years; 66% of total MoUs signed during last three Vibrant Gujarat summits have been implemented. There is an environment here that gives confidence to the investors that if you invest in Gujarat, the money will grow. What did Gujarat do to bring down unemployment? In the last three years, we created more than 1.5 lakh government jobs. Every year, about 12 lakh private-sector jobs were created... Our employment department has conducted over 700 melas (job fairs) ... it is not only people from Gujarat who have benefited, people from other states are also coming to Gujarat to find employment. There are still concerns about the roll-out of GST. States such as Punjab and West Bengal have said pending GST compensation has created a financial crisis. Now it has all been settled. When VAT was implemented, there were practical difficulties, but with time these issues are resolved. The Union government had for five years fixed a composite amount, it said if collection is below a certain amount, the Centre will pay, which is what they are doing, but there is some issue with timely payments. During 2017 assembly polls, two groups seemed visibly upset- farmers and manufacturers. Have you been able to address their concerns? Our policies for MSMEs have made it easy for them to set up businesses. We have 32 lakh manufacturing units in the MSME sector, and we realised that if one unit employs 20 people, it leads to many jobs. So we drafted a policy so they will not need multiple permissions to set up businesses. They can now first start their enterprise and then get the requisite permissions within three years. We follow a policy of pehle production, phir permission (production first, permission later). We made it easy for them to get loans. For farmers, irrigation was a main concern; we have addressed that issue. We started the process of desalination and eight new such projects will be up and running in two years. We have also been providing MSP for crops. The work to double their income is underway, Narmada water has been taken to over 600km; there is power also. Doesnt malnutrition in children remain an outstanding issue? There are one lakh severely malnourished kids in the state, and we need to reverse that in a year. So weve started a campaign, where one lakh individuals, including me, will take on the responsibility of looking after these kids for a year. We have also formed a trinity of AAA: Asha worker, Aanganwadi worker and ANM workers who will be incentivised for reversing the malnutrition trend. The Patidar movement peaked ahead of the elections. There are local body elections by year-end, will we see a repeat of that mobilisation? That has now ended. Most of those leaders are exposed, Hardik Patel joined the Congress and the partys designs became known. Now, there is a better environment, and we will win with good numbers. You were in Delhi to campaign for the party, which has been accused of using anti-CAA protests to polarise the electorate. In Gujarat, there is no response; people have been supporting CAA. Concerns about NPR are unfounded... We are not asking for records of parents date or place of birth; whatever the Centre decides and states support, will be done. But the tukde-tukde gang is spreading misinformation and stoking fears among Muslims. In Delhi, the BJP has been accused of polarising; but it is the Congress and the AAP who are supporting whats happening in Shaheen Bagh. Anti-CAA protests are actually opposition to Prime Minister Modi; this is a front against him. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Moscow's growing influence in Africa is worrying many in the West, the report says. Russian officials are eyeing a port of Berbera as a location for their base on the coast of Somaliland, a self-declared state within Somalia on the Gulf of Aden, according to U.S. Defense Department officials. Both China and the United States, with military bases in Djibouti, share the same coastline as the potential Russian port. Russia has also expressed interest in building a naval logistics center in Eritrea, but it is unclear how far along those negotiations are, American officials said, according to NYT. About 1,500 miles south, down the eastern coast of Africa, Russian military transport planes landed last summer in Cabo Delgado Province in northern Mozambique and, according to American officials, deployed about 160 personnel belonging to the Wagner Group, a Russian private military contractor. The Mozambique government hired the Russian mercenaries to help beleaguered local security forces combat an insurgency that claimed to be affiliated with the Islamic State. At least seven Russian personnel have been killed in operations, American officials say, underscoring the risks facing troops for hire. Read alsoErgodan says 2,000 Russian mercenaries deployed in Libya American officials, analyzing what they call great power competition, say they are alarmed by Russia's growing influence, as well as China's, as Washington struggles to exert its economic and security goals on the continent. This campaign for influence is playing out as U.S. Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper is weighing the potential withdrawal of hundreds of forces from West Africa to better counter threats from Russia and China closer to their borders. But Mr. Esper's review has drawn sharp criticism from influential congressional Republicans and Democrats who argue that cutting American forces in Africa would help only its rivals. Unless youre a political junkie, its hard to get excited about the current Ontario Liberal leadership race. The six candidates running to succeed Kathleen Wynne have been dismissed as the B-Team, their regional policy debates decried as boring, their platforms written off as lacking in boldness, their personalities labelled as uninspiring and devoid of charisma. But it would be wrong to ignore whats happening within the Ontario Liberal Party because, despite what skeptics want you to believe, this race really does matter. There are two reasons why Ontarians should pay attention. First, the winner stands a decent chance of becoming the next premier after the 2022 election; Second, the winner will be responsible for the partys future policy direction in the aftermath of the Liberals disastrous 2018 campaign in which the party was reduced to the point where it now holds just six seats. Premier Doug Ford has called byelections for Feb. 27 in two Ottawa-area ridings to fill seats vacated last year by former Liberal MPPs Nathalie Des Rosiers and Marie-France Lalonde. The lengthy leadership contest will enter its most critical stage next weekend when delegates are chosen to represent candidates at further local meetings to elect 1,984 delegates, who will get to vote at the leadership convention on March 7. Its an excruciatingly complicated system that turns off many loyalists, but party officials insist it will be fair to all contenders. Steven Del Duca, a former cabinet minister, is considered the front-runner. He has signed up the most new members, raised the most money and has the most supporters running to be his delegates. MPP Michael Coteau is acknowledged to be in second place. Also running are Kate Graham, Mitzie Hunter, Alvin Tedjo and Brenda Hollingsworth. Given how badly Ford is faring, one of these people could well replace Ford as premier some 26 months from now. Recent polls put the Liberals ahead of the scandal-ridden Tories and the personally unpopular Ford, with whom many voters seem to be suffering from buyers remorse. Despite the pretty definitive loss they received in 2018, the Liberal brand is strong, says Pollara Strategic Insights pollster Craig Worden. Helping the Liberals cause is the NDP, which has fallen back to its more historic levels of support and seems to have no strategy on how to fight off the Liberals resurgence. Regardless of who wins, the party still has a huge hill to climb. The biggest challenge will be to develop a credible program promising to address kitchen-table issues and avoid being seen as representing the loony left wing of the party. To win in 2022, the party must win back support of Liberal voters who abandoned it in 2018 over their sense that Wynne had moved the party too far to the left in her last months as premier. Individual policies, such as child care, pharmacare and more money for health and education, were popular individually, but put together made the partys platform seem as promising everything for free, or on the cheap. But the middle- and working-class people said Wynne must be crazy, you dont get something for nothing. This led to the collapse of support in the suburbs of Toronto, Ottawa and Hamilton. Still, among some Liberals theres a continuing cry for big promises, bold visions big-ticket programs with big price tags. In that vein, Coteau is promising free public transit, Del Duca the planting of 800 million trees and Hunter lots more money for education. Del Duca, who has been described as Conservative-lite, agrees the party needs to move back to the electable middle or it might never return to power. In an earlier debate, he said voters believed the Liberals under Wynne swung at every pitch. Theres an old saying in our business: if everythings a priority, nothings a priority. Setting just one or two priorities and watching the financial books will go a long way to restoring voters faith in the Liberals ability to be a force for good. Its a formula that worked for former leader Dalton McGuinty, who against all odds won three consecutive elections two majority and a near majority by playing in the middle. The same approach might just work for the next Liberal leader. Correction Jan. 29, 2020: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said former Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty won three consecutive majority elections. He won two majorities and the third was a minority. Read more about: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday took a 'holy-dip' here at Sangam -- the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati -- on the occasion of Basant Panchami. Minister Siddharth Nath Singh, BJP state president Swatantra Dev Singh, and other leaders also joined Chief Minister Adityanath, who also greeted the people on the auspicious occasion. "The weather is very pleasant. Millions of people come here to take a holy dip and offer their prayers. On the occasion of Besant Panchami, I congratulate and greet the people of Uttar Pradesh and the nation," Adityanath told ANI. "The festival brings positiveness. I wish people to do the best for the society and the nation. It is always wonderful to take a dip on this occasion," he added. Basant Panchami is a Hindu festival, which is celebrated traditionally by offering special prayers to Goddess Saraswati. It is celebrated every year on the fifth day of the bright half of the 'Magha' lunar month. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Air India has urged passengers to be cautious against fake social media accounts and websites using airline's registered trademark and offering jobs and discounts on its flights. "It has come to our notice that some miscreants are using our brand name & identity to extract confidential bank & personal details from passengers. Claiming to represent Air India, they are also demanding money in exchange for job.We request all to exercise caution," the state-owned airline said in a tweet. Air India requested people to use its authentic website, mobile app or urged people to visit city booking offices or authorised agents for booking related issues. "Job aspirants should visit our website to check any notified vacancies," it added. Warning operators of fake social media handles, the airline said if they didn't discontinued the illegal practice immediately, it would take legal actions against such accounts. The national carrier also urged people to refrain from indulging in conversations that insisted on sharing bank account details. "Air India shall not accept any liability towards the representation made in any fraudulent communication or its consequence," the airline said. Recently, government has decided to sell 100 per cent stake in state-owned carrier. Centre has set March 17 as the final deadline for submission of expression of interest (EOI). The selected bidder will have to absorb Rs 23,286.5 crore of the total Rs 58,282 crore debt of the airline, along with other liabilities. Also read: Air India sale: These are the lock-in conditions for final bidder Also read: Air India sale: Deal terms look 'sweet' but is govt misleading buyers? The U.S. Forces Korea has told its 9,000-odd Korean staff that they may be sent on unpaid leave if Seoul and Washington are unable to reach a new defense cost-sharing deal. In a press release Wednesday, the USFK said since last year's cost-sharing agreement has lapsed, it "began providing Korean national employees today with a 60-day notice of a potential administrative furlough that could occur on April 1, 2020 absent an agreed-upon" fresh deal. The move is the latest U.S. gambit in its attempts to squeeze billions more out of Korea for the upkeep of 28,500 American soldiers stationed here. The USFK added it is holding townhall meetings across the country for Korean workers from Tuesday until Thursday. The two countries are poised to hold another round of cost-sharing negotiations around Feb. 6-10. The Korean negotiators are expected to put forward a compromise proposal to meet Washington's demand for a bigger contribution to the alliance by promising to buy more U.S. weapons in return for minimizing the increase in Seoul's share. Washington originally demanded an exorbitant $5 billion a year after persistent complaints from U.S. President Donald Trump that Korea is paying less than its fair share. Decades after they were displaced, Nubians are receiving compensation for the loss of their homeland In a ceremony this week 11,500 Egyptian Nubians who had not previously been compensated for losses incurred due to the construction of the High Dam were awarded reparations. Tens of thousands of Nubians were displaced as the result of the construction of the Aswan Low Dam in 1902, the heightening of this dam in 1912 and 1933, and the construction of the Aswan High Dam between 1959 and 1971. The ceremony was the culmination of a process set in motion in 2017 when President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi issued instructions to the government. The first compensation committee, established in the 1960s, determined that the filling of the High Dam had affected 55,000 people living in 38 villages and a town in a 320km area extending between the dam and the Sudanese border. Most Egyptian Nubians were resettled between Daraw and Kom Ombo. The area was later named the Nasr Al-Nuba District. In the 80 years since the heightening of the Low Dam and the half century since the inauguration of the High Dam 11,500 people were added to the list of those eligible for compensation. Most were heirs of the original beneficiaries. People who lost their homes as a consequence of the displacement were given a choice between ownership of a government housing unit or LE250,000 in cash. Those who lost agricultural land were eligible for an equivalent amount of land in Khor Qandi or Wadi Al-Amal,or LE 25,000 in cash per feddan. Even though the compensation is late it is better than before when large numbers of Nubians were deprived of reparation for their losses, said Nubian activist Mosad Abdel-Hamid. He noted that only 20 per cent of those eligible for agricultural land chose to take up the option even though agriculture is the Nubians original occupation. He attributed this to the transformation of Egyptian society over the past century, not least the massive rural to urban migration. Today 54 per cent of Egyptians live in cities. The majority of the new generations of Nubians have never engaged in agriculture because they never owned land. If theyd remained in villages things might have been different. Nubians are no longer part of a rural agricultural society, as was the case before the High Dam. Government housing units also proved to be a far from popular mode of compensation. The majority of Nubians already have homes and own what they need to own, explained Abdel-Hamid. The preference for monetary compensation, he added, reflects the mounting costs of living and a desire to have the cash to either meet these costs or start up a small enterprise. According to the reparations committee established in accordance with the presidential decree, half of the 11,500 eligible for compensation have already applied. According to the commissions report, published in the official gazette, 2,000 beneficiaries received material compensation in the form of title to the property on which they reside and a further 200 were granted usufructuary rights to the land on which they live. Deeds to social housing units were awarded to almost 200 individuals and 2,000 were awarded ownership of agricultural land totalling 2,909 acres in Khor Qandi and almost 500 got land in Wadi Al-Amal. Monetary compensation totalling LE302 million was between 1,600 beneficiaries. Applicants who did not designate a specific form of compensation will receive cash payments. According to the Ministry of Justice, 2,500 of those eligible for compensation have completed the necessary documents and submitted powers of attorney or certificates of inheritance and will receive their entitlements immediately. The remainder have been asked to complete the necessary paperwork. *A version of this article appears in print in the 30 January, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Russian air strikes have killed at least 10 civilians in Syria's Idlib Province, the opposition's last stronghold, activists say, an allegation quickly rejected by Moscow. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Syrian Civil Defense said on January 30 that a hospital and a bakery were struck in the overnight attack in the town of Ariha, amid Syrian government advances on the enclave that had been controlled by rebel forces for nearly eight years. They said women and children were among those killed and wounded. Russia's Defense Ministry denied the reports, saying Russian aircraft did not carry out any combat tasks in the area. Russia-backed Syrian government forces have pressed ahead with its offensive in Idlib in recent weeks. The U.S. special envoy for Syria, James Jeffrey, said 200 air strikes by Syrian and Russian warplanes had hit the region in the last three days alone. UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock said on January 29 that at least 20,000 people were displaced in the previous two days and 115,000 left their homes in the past week, bringing total of those uprooted by the violence since December to 390,000. Earlier, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey was losing patience with the military assault in Idlib and accuse of Russia of "not honoring" agreements aimed at stemming the violence there. Turkey and Russia, which support opposing sides in Syria's conflict, have agreed to work toward de-escalating the fighting in Idlib and creating a demilitarized zone. Based on reporting by AP and AFP The family of the 21st victim of the Whakaari / White Island eruption have urged tour operators to have proper safety equipment, saying such items would saved their relatives' lives. Indian-American entrepreneur Pratap 'Paul' Singh suffered 55 percent burns in the volcano eruption on 9 December last year. He transferred from Whakatane Hospital on 10 December to the Critical Care Unit in Middlemore Hospital and died on Tuesday. His wife Mayuari 'Mary' Singh was also admitted into the Middlemore ICU with 72 percent body burns and she died after 13 days on 22 December 2019. The couple leave behind an 11-year-old son and 6-year-old twin daughters. In a statement released through New Zealand Police, the dead man's nephew, Bhupender 'Vick' Singh, says having the proper safety equipment on the island would have avoided his aunt and uncle's tragic and painful deaths. "I visited Paul and Mary every day since December 10 while they were at the Middlemore Hospital, the last 50 days of my life were distressing, slow and agonising painful," he says. "I seriously request and encourage volcano tourism in NZ and around the world to charter proper safety equipment, including appropriate heat resistant gear/clothing, safety glasses, helmets and face masks." The family paid a moving tribute to the man they said doctors called a "fighter" after he put up the 50-day battle to survive throughout surgeries and treatment. Vick Singh says the family's thoughts are with the remaining White Island survivors. "Our family continues to pray for a healthy and fast recovery of the remaining survivors. We offer our sincere condolences and do share the pain and sorrow of the families who have lost their loved ones in this tragic incident," he said. They commended medical staff at Middlemore Hospital for their efforts, as well as the emergencies services and authorities. Vick Singh describes his uncle as a spiritual, kind-hearted figure well known in the Indian-American community, who had been passionately involved in philanthropic and social service activities in his city of Atlanta, Georgia. The family would be opening a Givealittle page to continue his efforts helping children in need. "As the President of SEVA International Atlanta USA chapter, he led the Sponsor-A-Child initiative - a project that funds hundreds of under-privileged children for education and health care," he says. "He also served as an organisational member/sponsor to many local temples including ISCKON, Hindu Temple, Shakti Mandir. "For his volunteer work, he was honoured with the prestigious Bharat Gaurav (India's Pride) Award in 2012 for his outstanding contributions and numerous leadership roles. Additionally, as an Atlanta patron, he was an active contributor to the advisory boards and neighbourhood planning units." He says Mary Singh would be remembered as a "supermum" who showed culinary expertise, kindness and who had been an ambitious professional. "I'm sure that anyone who enjoyed any of her meticulously prepared handmade meals can certainly vouch for her. She was one of a kind - we love her, we miss her so much." RNZ. After generations of effort, the women of this country are entitled to their rightful place in the Constitution. This Court should compel the Archivist to carry out his statutory duty of recognizing the complete and final adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment, the lawsuit says, according to a copy provided to The Associated Press. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has described the comments by President Muhammodu Buhari expressing surprise at the heightened insecurity across the country as defeatist, demoralizing and traumatizing. In a statement signed by the Partys spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP states that by this comment, President Buhari has displayed a disheartening dereliction of duty, directly admitted that he is overwhelmed and lacks the required capacity to articulate and implement any solutions to the escalated insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, bloodletting and increased wave of violence under his administration. Our party holds that such a statement from a Commander-in-Chief, who promised to lead from the front, is distressing as it further exposes an abdication of duty and shows that Mr. President is not even abreast of his major task in governance which is the security of lives and property. The PDP is particularly worried over this apparent display of leadership failure as Mr. President ought to be receiving a daily brief from his service Chiefs on the actual situation on ground. His comment therefore speaks volumes on the manner with which the security of our nation is being handled at the highest levels despite the huge resources reportedly committed to security issues by the Buhari administration. The PDP notes that such development has further eroded the confidence Nigerians repose on the Buhari Presidency for solutions, especially given his failures to rejig his security high command in the face of failures and demands by well-meaning Nigerians. The party therefore backs the call by the Senate Minoriry Leader, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, asking President Buhari to resign. Dewan Housing Finance Limited (DHFL) CMD Kapil Wadhawan, who is in the custody of Enforcement Directorate, was admitted to state-run J J hospital in central Mumbai after he complained of lower respiratory tract infection and hypertension, an official said on Thursday. Wadhawan, 46, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday in a money laundering case involving deceased gangster Iqbal Mirchi. While in custody, Wadhawan complained of lower respiratory tract infection and hypertension following which he was rushed to the hospital by the ED officials, the official said. He has been admitted at medical intensive care unit and his condition is stable, he said. During investigation, the ED found that Wadhawan allegedly created shell companies and diverted money, he said. The money was used to buy properties in Worli belonging to Iqbal Mirchi, late aide of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, the official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) For the profligacy, cronyism, and downright nastiness with which she has since managed the affairs of this noble organisation can only be described as a bad joke Baroness Scotlands reign as Secretary General of Her Majestys Commonwealth began on April Fools Day 2016, a date that seems grimly appropriate. For the profligacy, cronyism, and downright nastiness with which she has since managed the affairs of this noble organisation can only be described as a bad joke. I have been writing about this murky affair since 2016, when a diplomatic source passed me an explosive dossier of internal emails, memos and other documents detailing huge sums of public money she had spent (some might say wasted) hiring chums and political allies, and doing up her grace-and-favour home. Baroness Scotland reacted with an Olympian display of denial and obfuscation. First, she hired expensive lawyers who attempted to block publication of leaked documents, claiming that reporting their contents would breach the Data Protection Act. Then she complained to the Press Standards watchdog about my entirely accurate reporting (after a six-month investigation, it ruled squarely against her). Elsewhere, she hounded a wholly innocent member of her staff out of his job after wrongly accusing him of acting as the Mails source (he was later awarded 300,000 in compensation). Even yesterday, after being strongly criticised by the Commonwealths own audit committee over one of the many financial scandals which the Mail and various other news organisations helped bring to light, she refused to utter a single word of apology. Instead, Baroness Shameless referred all inquiries to the offices of a law firm, Carter Ruck. Its a depressing state of affairs, for an organisation whose hallowed charter, signed by the Queen, supposedly revolves around upholding democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Indeed, a cynic might argue that, under her stewardship, the Commonwealth spending practices have instead often resembled those of a banana republic. Beyond the field of healthcare, he had little obvious experience of international affairs, or the complex world of diplomacy. What we do know, however, is that Lord Patel, above, was a close personal chum of Baroness Scotland. Both were Labour peers who had travelled the world together on various junkets One of the Labour peers first acts was to hire not one but two well-connected spin doctors to act as her personal fixers. They were Matthew Doyle, a former Downing Street aide who had worked for Scotlands friend and mentor Tony Blair, and Joe Phelan, a former employee of PR outfit Weber Shandwick. At a time when the Commonwealth was under severe financial pressure, she decided to pay them each the extortionate sum of 16,000... per month. Neither job was put out to tender and it remains unclear what exactly they did to justify their big salaries, although we do know that Phelans duties included advising on what, in emails leaked to the Mail, he described as the extremely expensive refurbishment of her grace-and-favour Mayfair home. We obtained detailed spreadsheets which set out her wish-list for the Edwardian mansion. They included 33,000 of luxury paint, 100-a-roll wallpaper, a 5,000 vanity unit, 11,000 on a ladies powder room and a 1,200 bill for relocating a chandelier. It later emerged that 307 had even been spent on a lavatory seat. A former ambulanceman, social worker, and academic, his professional experience had largely involved serving on public health quangos. He is pictured above with Baroness Scotland at an event In all, spending on renovations at the six-storey mansion rose by 73,000 on Scotlands watch. Baroness Scotlands next highly contentious act was to add Lord Patel of Bradford to the payroll of the organisation, which is funded by British taxpayers to the tune of 5.5million per year. Again, the job was not put out to tender. Kamlesh Patel was a curious candidate to provide strategic advice to the Commonwealth. A former ambulanceman, social worker, and academic, his professional experience had largely involved serving on public health quangos. Beyond the field of healthcare, he had little obvious experience of international affairs, or the complex world of diplomacy. What we do know, however, is that Patel was a close personal chum of Baroness Scotland. Both were Labour peers who had travelled the world together on various junkets. She even introduced Patel to the Queen, inviting him to join a party that accompanied the monarch on a visit to the secretariat headquarters, Marlborough House (a highly irregular move since he was an external contractor, rather than an employee). Importantly, the Commonwealths code of ethics states that purchasing decisions such as hiring consultants will never be made on the basis of personal friendships. Yet as the damning leaked report states, the lucrative publicly-funded contract that Patels firm received from the Commonwealth was given on the personal recommendation of Baroness Scotland, who then instructed a subordinate to sign a document waiving normal spending rules. Its also unclear what exactly Lord Patel, who hired two employees to work on the project, actually did for all that loot, which totalled 252,000 (including VAT). Its a depressing state of affairs, for an organisation whose hallowed charter, signed by the Queen, supposedly revolves around upholding democracy, human rights and the rule of law. She is pictured above with Prince Harry last June His company KYA Global (which is registered to a small office in Bradford, has Patels wife Yasmin as its only other director, and before being hired had debts of nearly 50,000) was officially contracted to produce a report. However, the auditors say that Baroness Scotlands office has failed to provide them with a copy despite requests. The years since have have seen several other intriguing hires on her watch. They include Barnie Choudhury, who was employed to handle PR for Scotlands office. He turned out to be a chum of Lord Patel, with whom he shared a senior role at a charity called AWAAZ. This summer, Commonwealth heads of state will meet in Rwanda. Items on the agenda are expected to include whether Baroness Scotland ought to get the customary second term in office. There is believed to be severe disquiet about her stewardship at the highest levels of the British government. But unless a majority of delegates vote for her removal, this ongoing scandal will surely continue. Baroness Shameless hit by 2.5million cash snub By Simon Walters for the Daily Mail Embattled Commonwealth chief Baroness Scotlands hopes of keeping her job suffered a blow yesterday after a snub by a member country. New Zealand has pulled the plug on its funding for the Commonwealth Secretariat because it has no confidence in the way the organisation is being run, according to diplomatic sources. The rebuff emerged after 160,000-a-year Commonwealth Secretary General Baroness Scotland was strongly criticised by internal auditors for granting a lucrative consultancy contract to a firm run by a Labour Party friend. Baroness Scotland, who was born in the Dominica, retains the backing of Commonwealth countries in the Caribbean, but faces the risk of being dumped before the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Rwanda in June, which will be attended by Prince Charles The organisations audit committee accused her of circumventing usual competitive tendering rules by awarding a 250,000 commission to KYA Global. The firm is owned by fellow Labour peer Lord Patel of Bradford, who served alongside Baroness Scotland as a minister in Gordon Browns government. Lord Patels company was contracted to carry out a review of the secretariat. But the audit committee said the firm was apparently insolvent at the time with debts of nearly 50,000. The Daily Mail has been told that the decision by the New Zealand government to axe most of its 2.5 million-a-year contribution to the secretariat is linked to the row over Baroness Scotland. A diplomatic source said: New Zealand indicated that it had no confidence in the way the secretariat is run. Baroness Scotland, 64, has been branded Baroness Brazen and Baroness Shameless for her lavish spending. She has been under fire since it was disclosed in 2016 that she spent 338,000 refurbishing her grace-and-favour apartment in Mayfair, central London. It later emerged that 590,000 of the UKs foreign aid budget had been spent on Marlborough House, the secretariat headquarters, in two years. She was also attacked for appointing political allies to key posts. It came as a senior official forced to quit his secretariat job while working under Baroness Scotland won nearly 300,000 compensation. Baroness Scotland, who was born in the Dominica, retains the backing of Commonwealth countries in the Caribbean, but faces the risk of being dumped before the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Rwanda in June, which will be attended by Prince Charles. The disclosures have left her hopes of winning a second four-year term in her post hanging by a thread. Her first term ends on March 31. Britain occupies the rotating chairmanship of the Commonwealth, giving Boris Johnson a major say over who is secretary general. Tory Party co-chairman James Cleverly, a close ally of the Prime Minister, and whose mother is from Sierra Leone, is said to be among Baroness Scotlands powerful enemies in the Government. Mr Cleverly is said to have been highly critical of her at meetings of Parliaments all-party Commonwealth group. The investigation into Lord Patels KYA Global contract was carried out by accountancy giant KPMG at the request of the Commonwealth High Commissioners, the secretariats board of governors. KPMG found that the consultancy contract was given to Lord Patel in April 2016 days after Baroness Scotland was appointed on her personal recommendation because he had a high level of proven trust with the secretary general. She asked one of her deputies to fill out a form waiving the usual competitive tendering rules, which she then approved. According to KYA Globals accounts, it had assets of 971 and debts of 48,762 at the time. The audit committee said: Awarding an apparently insolvent company two contracts totalling 252,000 is unusual. Baroness Scotland declined to comment. Her lawyers said the decision to award the contract was fully justified and complied with procurement procedures at the time. The secretariat is the central administrative hub for the Commonwealth, made up of 53 countries. The secretariat and the New Zealand government declined to comment last night. In the coming short legislative session, it is crucial that municipal leaders and state legislators continue to address the immediate 2020 concerns of Connecticut towns and cities. The state legislative program from the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, or CCM, makes sure that towns and cities will continue to have a seat at the table, ensuring adequate levels of state aid for towns, fighting against unfunded state mandates and encouraging regional service sharing. CCMs member town and city leaders developed, vetted and approved the short-term state legislative program at the end of 2019. With the full support of Connecticuts 169 municipalities, this program takes seriously the success of not only our towns and cities, but also our regions and the state as a whole. Our members know that healthy municipalities are the key to a thriving Connecticut, and they carry with them the knowledge of what their residents want and what works best for them. As an example, towns and cities should be able to continue to enter into service sharing agreements and allocate resources in an efficient manner. While all types of regionalism might not be right for all cities and towns, there should not be any roadblocks for communities that want to pursue increased service sharing in their municipalities. There is still room for revenue diversification in the face of inadequate funding. One source could be allowing municipalities the option to negotiate user fees, or establish additional voluntary PILOT programs for public services provided to properties qualifying for a tax exemption under CGS 12-81 and not reimbursed by existing state PILOT programs. Another would be to allow any town or city to establish a Stormwater Authority to offset the costs of implementing the current MS4 General Permit. Right now we need to be looking at any and all options to end the opioid epidemic, and its an area where municipalities need to work more closely with the state in an effort to determine more precisely the help we need. One example to help enhance our efforts to combat this harmful epidemic would be to designate a state ombudsman for drug abuse and control policy tasked with coordinating efforts to enhance and examine sustainable funding streams to support substance abuse prevention, education and recovery efforts. We are looking forward to working with the governor and General Assembly on the future of transportation and infrastructure in our state. Its clear that the residents of Connecticut want a bipartisan plan to repair and enhance our current network. CCM members want to make sure that we maintain the funding for key municipal transportation and infrastructure grants, such as TAR, LoCIP and LOTSIP. Towns and cities must maintain their roads and bridges at the same time that the state does. This is not an either/or situation because delays as we have seen in the last two years have stalled many projects. As the session and year unfolds, CCM will be working on more extensive policy development through a comprehensive, grass-roots based property tax relief initiative. Our commission on property tax reform is built with the fact that our per-capita property tax burden in Connecticut was almost twice the national average in 2016. It is income-blind and profit-blind, and is the single largest tax on residents and businesses in our state. CCM created the 2020 legislative program with one specific goal in mind: to improve the everyday life for every resident of Connecticut. Our local leaders are invested in the health and growth of our great state and we are totally aligned with those members of the House and Senate in sharing this vision. We will continue to work closely with our state legislators working toward the same goals. The road to a stronger, more viable Connecticut is through its towns and cities. Strong communities create places where want to live and where businesses want to grow. Michael Freda is first selectman of North Haven and president of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities. Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, who reached the national capital on Thursday, said he will discuss the much awaited Ministry expansion with the BJP high command. "It's been long that I visited Delhi. I will meet the party national president J P Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah and take their suggestions on the cabinet expansion," Yediyurappa told reporters. The chief minister said he will also call on Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and discuss about development issues related to Karnataka. Yediyurappa has been anxiously waiting for the high command's nod to expand his ministry amid intense lobbying by the aspirants. Opposition parties have been critical of the BJP and Yediyurappa over the delay in cabinet expansion, alleging that he was weak and that the administration had collapsed. As the chief minister has already made it clear that 11 of the disqualified JDS-Congress MLAs who got re-elected in the bypolls on BJP tickets will be made ministers, lobbying has been on in the party for the remaining ministerial berths. Currently there are 18 Ministers, including the chief minister in the cabinet that has a sanctioned strength of 34. Sixteen berths are vacant. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Faced with a backlash, the Democratic National Committee defended the secretive manner in which dozens of lobbyists, corporate consultants, party insiders, think tank board members, and pro-Israel Democrats were nominated by DNC Chair Tom Perez to committees for the 2020 national convention. Seventy-five individuals were appointed to the platform, rules, and credentials committees on January 25 during a DNC executive committee meeting. The current membership of this executive committee is unclear. Two chairs and four vice-chairs were appointed to oversee each of the committees. Thirty-one spots on each committee were filled. Nearly all of the appointees endorsed Hillary Clinton during her 2016 campaign. Many endorsed Clinton early in 2015, but the DNC said it does not consider past endorsements when filling committees. The DNC claimed high-profile supporters of Senator Bernie Sanders were appointed to the committees, but that is false. Only one high-profile supporter was appointed to the Platform, Rules, and Credentials Committees. Larry Cohen, the former union president of the Communications Workers of America, was appointed. He founded the pro-Sanders political action organization, Our Revolution. According to The Hill, DNC officials said they look for policy experts to help shape the platform or for experienced Democratic hands who know their way around party bylaws to assist in the rules and credentialing process. But positions were not merely filled with people capable of grasping Roberts Rules of Order, and these so-called policy experts have exhibited open hostility toward a leading presidential candidate, who may potentially become the Democratic Partys nominee. Several presently work for or with corporations, like Blue Cross Blue Shield. They are likely to dilute progressive policies and ideas that will presumably be championed at the partys national convention. Some DNC members complained that they were only alerted to the appointments late on Friday ahead of the executive committees Saturday vote, even derisively referring to the appointments as the midnight convention committee picks, according to The Hill. Terry Tucker, a DNC member and Sanders supporter from Colorado, told The Hill, The subject of transparency and notice has been broached in the past with Chairman Perez in open meetings of the full DNC, and, Lack of transparency and input from the members continues to be a source of irritation. But the DNC maintained it was completely normal to give members less than a day to consider nominees before they were ratified. At least 26 of the people appointed are superdelegates, who will be able to vote for the presidential nominee if no candidate wins on the first ballot. Seventy-five percent of the appointments were at-large, meaning they are not elected officials. Their status in the Democratic Party is not dependent on voters in any particular state or state party. Most of the members will be allotted in proportion to the number of delegates the candidates win over the course of the primaries and caucuses, The Hill noted. There will be 187 people on each committee, and the winners supporters should make up a majority. If Sanders is the nominee, his supporters may make up the majority, but they would potentially have to deal with chairs and vice-chairs that are opposed to their agenda. Back in 2017, Perez purged prominent progressives, who backed former Representative Keith Ellison in the race for DNC chair. Barbra Casbar Siperstein, the first transgender DNC member, lost her position as an at-large member. James Zogby, a prominent Sanders supporter, was removed from the executive committee. A previous report from this author published at The Grayzone described some of the more repugnant people selected by Perez, including Barney Frank, Maria Cardona, Heidi Heitkamp, John Podesta, Bakari Sellers, Wendy Sherman, Daniel B. Shapiro, and Jake Sullivan. One individual omitted was Elaine Kamarck. She is deeply emblematic of the corruption within the Democratic Party that the Sanders campaign is struggling to overcome. Kamarck was part of the Hunt Commission that established the superdelegate system in the early 1980s. She joined the DNC in 1997. She was one of the founders of the New Democrats, the neoliberal movement that helped elect President Bill Clinton. She worked for the Clinton White House from 1993-1997, according to In These Times. In May 2019, for the Brookings Institution, Kamarck wrote about five issue minefields that could blow up Democratic candidates campaign. One of them was allowing prisoners to vote, and citing Sanders, she suggested in a reactionary way that Democrats should not be rope-a-doped into giving rights to terrorists. She also pushed her opposition to Medicare for All, claiming that [Telling] suburban moms who voted in Democratic members of Congress in 2018 that they will lose their private health insurance is a high-risk strategy. This is a health insurance industry talking point that Vice President Joe Biden has repeated. Wildly, Kamarck argued against embracing socialism by invoking decades-old fears of a Soviet nuclear attack that existed during the Cold War. There are still millions of baby boomers in the electorate who hid under their desks in elementary school out of fear that the Soviets would drop an atom bomb on them. Democrats would be wise to lay off the term and talk about what has always been a plus for the party: an expanded and sturdy social safety net, Kamarck declared. This is but one example of who will be influencing the political direction of the Democratic Party, whether it embraces a neoliberal status quo or accepts the transformative change that is happening at the grassroots level. DNC national press secretary Brandon Gassaway celebrated the process. These appointments reflect the rich diversity of our party. In fact, this is true. The appointees are one of the most diverse groups of corporate Democrats ever handpicked by a DNC chair for the convention committees. One of them is Meghan Stabler. She is a Democratic strategist, who is a wealthy white transgender woman. She was part of President Barack Obamas National LGBT Policy Committee. But shes also a vice president of global product marketing for one of the worlds leading eCommerce companies. Stabler is a board member for the Democratic Majority For Israel (DMFI). This lobbying group was founded in 2019, and its reason for existing is to prevent Palestinian rights advocacy from gaining traction in the Democratic Party. DMIs source of funding for the ad campaign is unknown. With Sanders surging in the polls in Iowa, the lobbying group spent $681,000 on a right-wing ad campaign intended to convince voters that the country will never elect an old democratic socialist over President Donald Trump. In one version of the ad, an Iowa resident brings up the 78-year-olds heart attack as a concern about his candidacy, according to a person familiar with the ad, POLITICO reported. Remember when Democrats were in an uproar in 2016 after opponents weaponized Hillary Clintons health scare against her? That is what a group of lobbyists for Israel are doing to the Sanders campaign days before the Iowa caucuses. The post DNC Defends Diverse Group Of Corporate Democrats Appointed To Convention Committees appeared first on Shadowproof. A hand-painted sign by a local artist at Miss Worcester Diner in Worcester, Massachusetts, is meant to show respect and honor to Harley-Davidson Co., but the motorcycle company doesnt see it that way. Harley-Davidson sent a cease-and-desist letter to Miss Worcester Diner asking for the sign to be removed, Worcester Magazine reported. The sign has been up for three years but, recently, a picture of the sign was emailed to the corporate office, the magazine reported. Im more pissed at the person who took the picture and emailed it to the corporate office. I mean, who does that? Miss Worcester Diner owner Kim Kniskern told the magazine. As of Thursday afternoon over 1,000 people have signed a petition started by the Worcester Heritage Society to keep the sign exactly where it is. What Harley-Davidson fails to understand wholly is that the Miss Worcester Diner ... is showing support for Harley-Davidson, the petition reads. Her customers come from all over to enjoy the heritage that IS the Miss Worcester Diner and their fondness and love for the motorcycles, made by Harley-Davidson. A number of signers have voiced their love for the mural, the diner and the owner. Kim is known for her help in the community and has a heart of gold, one signer that goes by Maryn L wrote. She certainly does not deserve this. This is a well-known landmark restaurant in Worcester, and I cannot for the life of me understand why Harley-Davidson would not accept this form of free advertising and reverence for their business, Deana Bandilla wrote. Murals are a large part of Worcester. POW! WOW! came to Worcester in 2016 and has since added more than 100 murals. Related Content: Nearly 200 orders have been issued to seize guns from people in New Jersey under a red flag law that went effect last year, according to data obtained by NJ Advance Media. The Extreme Risk Protective Order Act, which went into effect Sept. 1, allows a law enforcement officer, family or household member to submit a petition to state Superior Court showing why a judge should issue an order to keep guns away from someone who potentially poses a danger of causing bodily injury to themselves or to others. If the judge determines there is good cause to remove the guns, the judge will initially issue a temporary extreme risk protection order and a search warrant is executed to recover the guns, ammunition and firearms identification card from the person. So far, 186 temporary extreme risk protective orders have been granted as of Jan. 22, according to the New Jersey Administrative Office of the Courts, meaning an order has been issued more than once a day to take guns taken away at least temporarily from a person in New Jersey since the law went into effect. In 25 cases, a petition was made but the temporary order was denied by a judge, according to court data. After a temporary order is granted and the firearms are seized, the individual is entitled to a hearing within 10 days in front of the judge before a final order is issued. If a final order is granted by a judge, it lasts indefinitely, but the person can also seek to have the order terminated at any time after the order goes into effect. There have been a total of 88 final orders granted since the law went into effect, according to the Administrative Office of the Courts. Judges have denied 29 final orders, according to the courts. It is unclear how many total firearms have been seized from individuals under the law. There are an estimated 1 million gun owners across the state. Gun rights advocates cite the Extreme Risk Protective Order Act as another invasive gun control measure enacted in New Jersey. Red flag is travesty for anyone who values Constitutional rights," said Scott Bach, the executive director of the Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs. "Its abuse of process. It is being used to harass gun owners. Bach said the rate at which people are having their guns seized under the law is about what the organization expected. Petitions can be made based off online threats or erratic behavior by a person, among other reasons. State Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald, D-Camden a main sponsor of the law told NJ Advance Media when the law went into effect that it was "really based around a mental health concern. In a lot of cases, youll hear that a family member will say their child was struggling with depression or suicidal tendencies, Greenwald said at the time. They can now ask a judge to intercede and remove the gun until that individual can be tested and be determined to be safe to themselves and others. Similar measures, often described as red flag flags, have been enacted in more than a dozen states. The law has been used to to disarm people who threatened mass shootings in more than 20 incidences, according to Giffords Law Center, a gun control policy organization. The law is at the center of a proposed class action federal lawsuit filed by a South Jersey man who had his firearm seized by authorities after he had threatened, advocated and celebrated the killing of Jewish people on an online forum. David Greco filed the lawsuit in October, alleging his due process rights, along with other gun owners in New Jersey, had been violated, as they are not given a chance to be heard in court before a temporary order is issued and police confiscate the firearms. Why cant you give people the opportunity to know what is going on? To give them the opportunity to be heard?" Grecos attorney, Albert Rescinio, said in November. "You are being deprived of your constitutional rights without a hearing, without being given the opportunity to know what is going on. The lawsuit also challenges whether there is legal authority to execute a search warrant after a temporary extreme risk protection order is issued. After it is issued, the law says the court shall issue a search warrant. But the lawsuit alleges that because the order is contingent on good cause and not the legal standard of probable cause," executing a search warrant is unconstitutional. Rescinio said the number of individuals who could join the proposed class action lawsuit is growing. I cannot very well sit by silently while the State of New Jersey knowingly continues to violate the clearly established Federal rights of citizens and potential Class Members, Rescinio wrote in a recent court filing. Rescinio has filed a motion for a preliminary injunction throughout the state stopping the implementation of the law as it currently written. The motion is pending a federal judges ruling. Bach said when the time is right, his organization plans to file a lawsuit challenging the law as well. The New Jersey Attorney Generals office, who is tasked with implementing and enforcing the law, declined to comment on the pending lawsuit or the effectiveness of the law since it went into effect. This story has been updated. Staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this story. Joe Atmonavage may be reached at jatmonavage@njadvancemedia.com. Follow on Twitter @monavage. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. A threat scrawled on the stall of a bathroom at Vidor High School was the third reported in Southeast Texas this week underscoring a problem that increasingly impacts school districts everywhere. After making the decision to close Evadale schools Monday due to a threat, Superintendent Gary Fairchild said in a statement that national tragedies in recent years highlight the importance of school security. We are well aware of the impact from violence that takes place on school grounds due to the numerous school tragedies across our country, Fairchild said. We must take this time to review our own school safety procedures and plans to ensure the safety of our students and staff. The decision by Evadale and Hardin-Jefferson ISD, which received a separate threat Sunday night, to close in order to investigate two unrelated threats on social media is rare, a Texas Education Agency official told The Enterprise, adding that while the agency maintains communications with the district during threats, how the district responds is decided locally. While there is no national database tracking incidents of school threats, nonprofits like the Educators School Safety Network have done research on the subject. Schools are in a really, really difficult position, Amanda Klinger, director of operations for the nonprofit said. You can't just close school automatically every time there is a threat, because we could in theory never have school. But on the other hand you cant not respond, so schools are in a really tough position to determine what course of action to take. The TEA official also noted that while the state doesnt currently track threat data, the recently passed SB 11 requires it, with data expected by 2021. Vidor ISD Superintendent Jay Killgo, who decided not to close his campus after a threat was discovered Tuesday morning, said investigators believe the most recent event was a copycat, after seeing the closure of the other two districts. This is something that a student did for attention, something to disrupt and that is why we are having school, he told The Enterprise. But at the same time we respect the parents. If they make the decision to keep their child at home, we certainly respect that and will excuse that absence. That copycat effect, also known as contagion, has been a serious problem nationally amid the growing threat of actual school shooting and violence. You have to keep in mind that if you have a school that is forced to respond, other people notice that, Klinger said. And kids with their not-fully-formed-brains think oh that causes chaos, fear, anxiety, disruption, and they are not able to really think through all the consequences of something like that. The message found on the wall of a girls bathroom at Vidor High School read: Im shooting up the school 1-30-20! Hope you die. Killgo said investigators do not believe the threat is credible, putting them in a tricky spot. We want to share as much info as possible, but we also think this is not a credible threat, Killgo said. This is something that a student did for attention, something to disrupt and that is why we are having school. In addition, research by the nonprofit has found that most training resources only focus on responding to real live events, instead of responding to vague threats. School administrators and law enforcement officials continue to find themselves in the untenable position of having to make critical decisions about the validity of threats with little to no threat assessment protocols, few established best practices, outdated procedures, and typically, a complete lack of education-based school safety training, an excerpt of their 2018-19 Violence in Schools report reads. While the decision of whether to keep schools open or closed is difficult, schools and law enforcement agencies also are faced with how to punish those making the threats. On the one hand there has to be consequences for students actions, even when they dont have fully former brains yet, Klinger said. On the other hand, we have to find a middle ground, where we are not ruining the lives of kids who scrawl the word bomb on the bathroom stall, but there has to be a consequence. The Sour Lake Police Department, who was investigating the threats to Hardin-Jefferson ISD that caused Mondays closure, arrested four juveniles, they announced Wednesday afternoon. Four teens ages 13, 14 and two 15-year-olds were charged with terroristic threat, a third-degree felony. School has returned to normal in Hardin-Jefferson and Evadale, which is still investigating in conjunction with the Jasper County Sherriffs Department, while Vidor will have increased security presence Thursday. We will take extra precautions on Thursday, January 30 to ensure everyone feels secure, a statement by the district said. Any absences will be excused and will not affect school exemptions because we respect the individual wishes of every parent in Vidor ISD. For those who feel secure with the measures taken, the doors of all campuses will be open for students. isaac.windes@hearstnp.com twitter.com/isaacdwindes Chennai, Jan 30 : Strict vigil is being maintained at seaports in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry against suspected coronavirus-infected ship crew, said a senior official of Chennai Port Trust. "We collect the pre-arrival health data of the crew from all the ships even before they berth. The details include the body temperature of the crew," S. Senthilnathan, Port Health Officer, told IANS. Data about crew joining the ship midway will also be collected. According to him, special focus is on ships coming from Chinese ports with or without Chinese crew; ship though it has not called on a Chinese port but has one or more Chinese crew and one or more crew who are not Chinese, but boarded the ship at a Chinese port. Senthilnathan said once a ship with the above 'China connection' is berthed, the health condition of the crew will be monitored continuously, Senthilnathan said. He said the coronavirus has an incubation period of 14 days. If a crew has to be isolated then he/she will be sent to the Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital here. Senthilnathan said at an average 20 cargo ships from China call on Chennai and Kamarajar port here. Each ship will have about 25 crew members, a total of 400 crew per month. The average number of crew who would join the ships in a China port will be only about 10-20, he said. He said ships calling on Chennai, Kamarajar and Nagapattinam ports in Tamil Nadu and the Karaikal port in Puducherry are monitored from here. As of now no coronavirus affected ship crew was found at these ports. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 29) A 29-year-old man from Yunnan, China, who was under observation in San Lazaro Hospital in Manila for a possible novel coronavirus infection and tested positive for HIV died Wednesday morning due to pneumonia, health officials have confirmed. Health officials, however, clarified that the man had not yet tested positive for infection of novel coronavirus, officially known as 2019-nCoV. There is nothing in the preliminary test results that would show that this death is caused by novel coronavirus, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said during Question Hour at the House of Representatives Wednesday afternoon. Duque said samples from the man have been sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) to be tested for 2019-nCoV. He said samples from the man had twice tested positive for HIV and for infection of Staphylococcus aureus a bacteria that causes numerous kinds of illnesses. In an earlier briefing, San Lazaro Hospital director Edmundo Lopez said the man, who was admitted Monday, was thin, had several lesions and lung findings. HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, attacks CD4 cells in the body which helps it fight off infections. If left untreated, HIV can advance to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or AIDS and leave the body extremely vulnerable to infections. READ: HIV 101: The basics, how to prevent it, and where to get tested Samples from the man had been taken to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine for testing for the novel coronavirus, officially known as 2019-nCoV. San Lazaro Hospital officials also confirmed earlier in the week that three Chinese nationals who have exhibited symptoms similar to 2019-nCoV infection have been admitted and are under investigation. Two of them, a couple from Wuhan the Chinese city at the center of the coronavirus outbreak had been admitted since Friday. Only the man exhibited flu-like symptoms, but his partner was also admitted. Another Chinese man from Hubei province, where Wuhan is located, was also admitted to the San Lazaro Hospital. San Lazaro Hospital spokesperson Dr. Ferdinand de Guzman told CNN Philippines Newsroom Ngayon on Tuesday that the three are stable and recovering. Duque said that 23 people are now under investigation in local health facilities for 2019-nCoV, with four other people having been released earlier. He said the four are still being monitored. Seventeen of them are in Metro Manila, two are in Central Visayas, and there is one person under investigation each in Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas and Davao. The DOH previously reported that there is one person under investigation in Northern Mindanao, but this is no longer included in its latest report on 2019-nCoV. The number of people infected with 2019-nCoV has exceeded the number of cases during the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome outbreak, with at least 5,974 confirmed cases in mainland China, including 132 deaths, CNN reported. The number of cases grew by almost 1,500 from Tuesday, an increase of over 30%. The figures do not include Hong Kong, Macau, and the self-governing island of Taiwan that China considers as its province. The three areas have reported a small number of cases. The virus has also spread outside of China, with cases being reported in South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Sri Lanka and Australia. 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(0x7f0482c7ba58)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0482b42ad0)', '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(0x7f0482c7ba58)') 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(0x7f0482b42ad0)') 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(0x7f0482b3e028)') 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(0x7f0482b42ad0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0482b42ad0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f04822551b0)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f0482a5bcb0)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f0482a5bcb0)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 Chancellor Sajid Javid is expected to back HS2. Photo: PA The UK government looks set to press ahead with the controversial high-speed two (HS2) rail line, with the chancellor said to have thrown his weight behind the project. Prime minister Boris Johnson is set to hold a meeting with chancellor Sajid Javid and transport secretary Grant Shapps this week to thrash out a final decision on HS2. Javid is supportive of the plans despite the spiralling costs and construction delays to the north-south line, according to briefings by officials to several news outlets overnight. It marks the strongest sign yet that the Johnsons administration will give the green light for building work to continue, though no announcement is expected imminently. The prime minister left the project in limbo by ordering a review, but has previously signalled his instinct is to back the line. In the past week two other cabinet members have hinted the line will get the go-ahead. The government has already spent at least 7.4bn on Europes biggest infrastructure project, with preparatory work already underway at more than 250 locations. READ MORE: Government underestimated HS2 risks as 106bn line on the brink The line would run from London Euston to Birmingham before forking into two separate routes, one to Leeds and the other to Crewe and Manchester. Backers say it will improve journey times and the frequency of services, as well as freeing up capacity on shorter commuter lines in the Midlands and the north. But the management of the project has repeatedly come under fire, including from many Conservative MPs in parliament this week. Some critics argue cash would be far better spent on improving existing rail or bus links. Protesters against HS2. Photo: PA Campaign groups also warn of vast damage to natural habitats, while as many as 10,000 people could receive compensation as tens of thousands of sites along the route are compulsorily purchased by government. The project was initially priced at 56bn in 2015, but costs have ballooned and a recent leaked review for the government suggested they could reach 106bn. Story continues READ MORE: War of words as expert claims costs out of control A report by the National Audit Office last week said it was not even possible to calculate the final cost of the project, managed by government-owned HS2 Ltd. The first phase of the route was due to open in 2026, but services from Euston are now only expected from 2031 and the full line may only be running from 2040. The NAO said the department for transport based timescales on other infrastructure projects, but did not take into account sufficiently how much larger and more complex HS2 was. Officials also failed to put aside high enough contingency budgets in a bid to keep costs down, according to the NAO. This left inadequate spare cash and pushed up costs when the design became more detailed and issues like poor ground conditions later emerged. READ MORE: Crossrail delayed again as costs soar on new London line Costco has apologized after a a customer in Washington state said a food demo worker shooed his child away because she thought he was from China and could give her coronavirus. Devin Cabanilla said his eight-year-old boy was wearing a surgical mask while walking around the store with his mother, but when approached to see what was on display, they received offensive remarks. 'Ugh, food sample lady told kid to get away because he may be "from China" and was worrying about getting infected #Wuhan #CoronaVirus,' Cabanilla tweeted Sunday. 'Sad my boy has to receive racial stereotyping Ironically mask makes him safer to be around' the father added, explaining that he told a supervisor. Washington man Devin Cabanilla claims his son was not welcome at a Costco store Sunday as a food sample lady told him to 'get away because he may be 'from China'' Cabanilla said about the Costco experience: 'The lady there got kind of alarmed. She started by asking if they came from China. Then after that, she told them to step away because she was concerned about getting infected' The dad has said his son asked to wear the mask to protect himself amid the outbreak that had infected 7,800 by Thursday - including five in the US - and killed 170. His child had seen others wearing the masks at school. Cabanilla explained to King 5: 'The lady there got kind of alarmed. She started by asking if they came from China. Then after that, she told them to step away because she was concerned about getting infected.' Public Health - Seattle and King County Dr. Jeff Duchin said six people had been tested for coronavirus in the area since January 21. Two results have been returned negative while the others are pending. The family is not from China but the incident made then concern about prejudice. 'We have these very bad incidents and people start stereotyping in ways they normally wouldn't,' said Cabanilla. 'I don't blame Costco at all. I know it is very incidental.' The boy had asked to wear the mask because other children at school did. He tweeted: 'Sad my boy has to receive racial stereotyping Ironically mask makes him safer to be around' Cabanella has said he doesn't blame Costco and appreciated the way they handled the situation But now the incident has brought up issues from his son who is now asking questions about heritage and the negative viewpoints of others He got an apology from the manager of the store and after writing to the CEO of Costco, the company expressed their regret too. CONFIRMED US CORONAVIRUS CASES 1. Man in Washington state The first US coronavirus case was confirmed on Tuesday, January 21. The patient - a Washington man in his 30s who lives in Snohomish County - has been quarantined at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, outside of Seattle. The man had traveled by himself from Wuhan but did not visit any of the markets at the epicenter of the outbreak. He reportedly had no symptoms upon arrival in the US on January 15, but after reading about the outbreak online and developing symptoms, he contacted his doctor. The patient allegedly sought treatment on January 16 and was tested the following day. He is said to be in stable condition. He is being treated in a bio-containment room by a few staff members and a robot to limit the spread of the virus. The robot has a stethoscope attached to take the man's vitals and a large screen so doctors can communicate with him, Dr George Diaz, chief of the infectious disease division at the Providence Regional Medical Center, told CNN. 'The nursing staff in the room move the robot around so we can see the patient in the screen, talk to him,' Dr Diaz told the network. Officials have also been monitoring more than a dozen people the man reportedly came into contact with in the five days between when he arrived back in the US and when he was diagnosed. 2. Woman in Chicago The CDC confirmed the second US case on Friday - a 60-year-old woman in Chicago, Illinois, who had traveled to Wuhan in late December. The woman, who has not been named, arrived at O'Hare International Airport on January 13 but did not begin experiencing symptoms until several days later. Health officials say the woman appears to be 'well' and in stable condition. The unidentified patient is currently in isolation at St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. 3. Patient in California Orange County Health Care Agency announced that a patient in California had tested positive for novel coronavirus. The agency said the patient had traveled from Wuhan and reached out to the health care agency prior to being diagnosed. They were given guidance to avoiding exposing the public to the virus while waiting for test results. 'The individual has now been transported to a local hospital and is in isolation in good condition,' added the agency who did not identify the patient. 'In consultation with the CDC and the California Department of Public Health, the HCA is following up directly with all individuals who have had close contact with the case and are at risk of infection.' 4. Los Angeles County Case Health officials say that the Los Angeles County patient, had recently returned from the epicenter of the outbreak in Wuhan, China. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said that the infected person presented themselves for testing after feeling unwell, and are 'currently receiving medical treatment'. 5. Arizona Case Officials confirmed a fifth case in Maricopa County, Arizona. No other information was immediately reported about the patient. Advertisement 'We are very sorry this incident occurred in our location,' Executive Vice President of Administration Patrick Callans told Business Insider. 'The comments to the boy were made not by a Costco employee but by an employee of an independent demo company. The demo company is taking appropriate measures with its employees.' Cabanilla said because the store 'took it seriously' so he feels comfortable it was an isolated incident. Praising the way Costco handed the situation, Cabanilla tweeted that the 'only reason I felt cool the store supervisor would do something was cuz he understood quickly, w/out defensiveness, and agreed to act without hesitation'. But he added the incident was difficult for his family and he hopes the encounter helps people know fear of Asian American people is irrational because 'a virus infects any1 regardless nation ethnicity'. The woman who offended the family works for third party Club Demonstration Services (CDS). The company said it was rolling out sensitivity training for their workers as a result of the shocking statement from the woman. 'We extend our sincerest apology to the family that was treated inappropriately. We have the greatest respect and appreciation for Costco members and strive to make their shopping experience enjoyable through positive interactions with our team members,' CDS said in a statement on Wednesday. 'We will be providing additional training and information to ensure that we treat everyone with the sensitivity and respect they deserve, and will further educate our staff on the coronavirus to alleviate any fears or misperceptions. 'People are at the center of what we do, and engaging with customers respectfully as neighbors in our own community is our top priority.' Cabanilla said that in Bellevue where he lives, and a third of the population is Asian-American, the school district has sent him regular emails about the coronavirus threat. However, his friends in other districts have not received communication about it. Now he's worried others could be treated unfairly purely based on their appearance. 'One thing that is in the back of my mind is that someone Asian is being judged in public right now,' Cabanilla told Business Insider. 'In general, people are going to have assumptions or be casually careful around Asian people. 'What was interesting was his response was just so focused on how he looked.' Cabanilla describes his heritage as Filipino, Mexican, Chinese, Native and white. His wife is Korean-American. The unwelcome reaction from the sampler has raised a whole new set of issues at home. He added about how the encounter has changed his son: 'His two responses that I remember him saying were: did they really think I'm from China? Is it because of the way mom looks?' 'The painful part was hearing my 8yr old question for the 1st time looking different and wondering if his moms Asian featured face was at fault for being the way it was,' the dad tweeted. 'Then having to explain they are normal no matter what and that is racial prejudice. A virus doesnt see race.' Cabanilla added, as social media users showed support: 'Its hard when someones prejudice replaces the image of who you know your kids are as people.' The U.S. State Department evacuate government employees and other Americans from the novel coronavirus threat in the Chinese city of Wuhan Wednesday. More of 1,000 Americans living there will be flown back next week. 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 Figures released today by the Department of Health Northern Ireland shows that Emergency Department performance continues to deteriorate. Ministerial targets state that 95% of patients attending A&E departments should be admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours. No patient should wait more than 12-hours. Data for December 2019 shows that on average of 54.8% of patients attending Type 1 (major) Emergency Departments were seen, treated and discharged or admitted to hospital within 4 hours of their arrival. This represents a decrease of 7.4 percentage points compared to December 2018. In the third quarter of 2019/20, 14,216 patients spent more than 12 hours in Emergency Departments. This is an increase of 132% compared to the third quarter of 2018/19. In 2019 a staggering 42,562 patients spent more than 12 hours in Emergency Departments. At Altnagelvin there were 5,290 attendees in December, 46.4% were seen within 4-hours, which was down 20% on last year. In terms of the 12-hour target, that was breached 637 times, an increase of 505 compared to the same period last year. Dr Ian Crawford, Vice President (Northern Ireland) of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: These figures should come as no surprise. We have reached breaking point. Our Emergency Department services are hanging by a thread. The number of patients spending long times in Emergency Departments in Northern Ireland is substantially worse than elsewhere in the UK. Over the past few years weve seen the situation deteriorate rapidly, which is detrimental to quality of care and patient safety as well as being associated with increased mortality. Our Emergency Department teams across Northern Ireland are at breaking point. They are forced to manage unacceptable clinical risks on a daily basis as they endeavour to provide patients with the best care that they can despite the inadequate capacity to meet demand. To recover from this, immediate action is required. Now that power has been restored to Stormont, it is critical that our Government focuses on building capacity across our health and social care system by increasing staffing, the number of acute hospital beds and the social care that are fundamentally required to support those leading the review of urgent and emergency care in 'turning the tide' and delivering tangible improvement at the coal face for our patients and staff. Kejriwal gets EC notice for promising mohalla clinics on court premises. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal during a roadshow at Model Town in New Delhi on Thursday ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: Union minister of state for finance Anurag Thakur and BJPs West Delhi MP Parvesh Verma were banned by the Election Commission from campaigning in the Delhi Assembly polls for 72 hours and 96 hours respectively for making controversial speeches. The ban came into force from 5 pm on Thursday. The EC has also decided to convene a special meeting on Friday to discuss all important aspects for the conduct of free and fair elections. It has also granted permission to the Union home ministry to extend by one month the services of Delhi police commissioner Amulya Patnaik, who was due to retire on Friday. The EC said the BJP leaders had made undesirable and objectionable statements which had the potential to aggravate existing differences. The EC orders barred Mr Thakur and Mr Verma from holding any public meetings, processions, rallies, roadshows and interviews, public utterances in the media (electronic, print, social media) in connection with the ongoing Delhi polls. Both BJP leaders will also remain off their partys star campaigners list. At a recent public meeting in Rithala, Mr Thakur had shouted desh ke gaddaron ko, to which the crowd responded goli maaro saalo ko (sic) (shoot down the traitors). Mr Verma had claimed that those who mounted over a month-long sit-in protest at Shaheen Bagh against the controversial citizenship law will enter your houses, rape your sisters and daughters. In his defence to the showcause notice, Mr Thakur told the EC he had only said desh ke gaddaron ko (traitors to the country), and it was the crowd which responded. The minister maintained he had no intention to create or promote enmity between people. He sought a personal appearance before the commission, which was rejected. Reacting to the ban, Mr Verma said he respected the EC decision. I respect the Election Commissions decision to ban me from campaigning for the Delhi elections for 96 hours. I assure you I will not campaign for 96 hours. However, afterwards I will resume campaigning with full strength, he said in a video message posted on his Facebook page. In another message, however, Mr Verma urged the EC to reconsider the ban on him, saying the poll panel should instead ban Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia who supported the Shaheen Bagh protests. On January 31, the commission will hold two meetings to review poll preparedness in Delhi, and discuss all important aspects for the conduct of free and fair polls. One meeting will be with the chief electoral officer and the other with the Delhi chief secretary. India was preparing to evacuate its citizens on Friday from China's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the deadly choronavirus that has killed 170 people, infected 7,711 others and spread to at least 17 countries. India had requested China for permission to operate two flights to bring back its nationals from worst-affected central Hubei province. "We are preparing for air evacuation from Wuhan tomorrow in the evening," Indian Embassy in Beijing said. The first flight will carry those Indian nationals who are in and around Wuhan and have conveyed consent for their evacuation, it said. "There will be another flight subsequently which will carry those who are from other parts of Hubei province," the mission said. The nationwide death toll from novel coronavirus has jumped to 170 with 38 more fatalities reported mainly from Hubei province, the government said on Thursday, while confirming more than 1,700 new infections. China's National Health Commission said on Thursday that 7,711 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus had been reported in 31 provincial-level regions and in the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps by the end of Wednesday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The majority of members of the Council of Europes Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) voted in favor of restoring full rights of the Russian delegation yesterday. A total of 96 lawmakers voted in favor, 44 were against, seven abstained, TASS reported. According to the resolution, adopted by the Assembly, the PACE Monitoring Committee is to compile a report assessing Russias implementation of its obligations within the Council of Europe framework by the end of April. "The Monitoring Committee has resumed its work with regard to the Russian Federation and organised a number of hearings, which will be taken into account by the co-rapporteurs in their ongoing preparation of the report. The Russian delegation has co-operated fully with the Monitoring Committee," the resolution reads. The Parliamentary Assembly also invites the Monitoring Committee to follow closely the ongoing legislative process with regard to the constitutional amendments currently underway in Russia. It also calls upon Moscow to abide by judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. Melissa Phillip, Staff / Houston Chronicle A lawsuit between rival liquefied natural gas companies Cheniere Energy and Tellurian has been dismissed just days before jury selection was set to begin. State district court Judge Fredericka Phillips in Houston signed an order Thursday dismissing Cheniere's claims against its former CEO Charif Souki and Souki's new company Tellurian. The suit and a related $400 million claim were dismissed based on an "agreement of parties," according to court records. SpendEdge has been monitoring the global market research services industry and the industry is poised to experience spend growth of over USD 7 billion between 2019-2024 at a CAGR of more than 2% during the forecast period. Request Free Sample Pages This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005300/en/ Read the 119-page research report with TOC and LOE on "The Global Market Research Services Industry 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." The intensifying competition across all the business sectors is compelling buyers to explore the functionality of analytical tools that can select and analyze data sets and prioritize business requirements based on inputs. This is driving spend growth in the market research industry to a significant extent. Subscribe to our procurement platform to get instant access to over 1000 industry-ready procurement intelligence reports without any additional costs or commitment. Insights into the supply market The majority of market research service providers are investing in proprietary data collection and analysis programs that are perfectly aligned to buyers' business needs. This is helping them in meeting client requirements more effectively. The industry is experiencing consolidation, with large firms acquiring small firms, to enhance their service portfolios and increase their geographic presence. This is leading to the consolidation of the supply base. Insights into category management strategies that will help buyers to achieve a beneficial partnership with service providers Ensure that service providers maintain the confidentiality of data sources Service providers should keep clients informed if the work being carried out on their behalf is to be combined or syndicated with work that is being carried out for other clients. They must also ensure that they do not disclose the identities of such clients without their permission. As per Esomar guidelines, researchers must not disclose the identities of clients or any confidential information about their businesses to third parties without the consent of the clients unless there is a legal obligation to do so. Clearly specifying terms for subcontracting Buyers must clearly define clauses related to ownership of subcontracting services that are not part of their preferred partners' portfolios to ensure service consistency and control of sensitive data that are shared with subcontracted firms. For instance, sharing of business development or marketing plan with third-parties must be regulated by buyers, and this should be included in subcontracting terms. 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 market research services industry. Some of the key topics covered in this report are: Market research services industry spend segmentation by region Total cost of ownership analysis in the market research services industry Regional spend opportunity for market research service providers Market research service providers cost structure Market research services pricing models analysis Market research services procurement best practices Category management objectives Cost saving opportunities in the market research services industry Free sample of reports that you may like: Global Creative Agency Industry Procurement Market Intelligence Report Global Opinion Polling Services Market Procurement Intelligence Report About SpendEdge: SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement industry intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement industry 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/20200130005300/en/ Contacts: SpendEdge Anirban Choudhury Marketing Manager US: +1 630 984 7340 UK: +44 148 459 9299 https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us SIOUX CITY, Iowa With five days until the Iowa caucuses, Joe Biden is fending off a new onslaught of GOP attacks over his sons business overseas and facing piling pressure to show Democratic voters he can handle the incoming. As Republicans amplified their allegations against the former vice president, accusing him of nepotism and worse in a series of charges stemming from the impeachment trial of President Trump, Biden mounted an aggressive counterattack ahead of Mondays first nominating contest. Character is on the ballot. Americas character, Biden says in remarks prepared for an event Thursday in Waukee. I dont believe were the dark, angry nation we see in Donald Trumps tweets. Trump himself plans a nighttime rally in Des Moines, offering something of a preview of the election ahead should Biden be the Democratic nominee. Biden made his case Wednesday by openly mocking Florida Sen. Rick Scott, a Republican, for running a digital ad in Iowa that repeats Trumps discredited theories about Bidens work in Ukraine as vice president and his sons private business dealings there. The ad came a day after Trumps impeachment defense team repeatedly framed Hunter Bidens tenure on an energy firms governing board as the real corruption in need of investigation. A senator from Florida, sitting in Washington, has decided to start running negative ads against Joe Biden just days before the Iowa caucus, the elder Biden told several hundred Iowa voters in Sioux City. What do you think thats about? Look, its simple, he said, returning to an oft-used line: Theyre smearing me because they know if Im the nominee, Im going to beat Donald Trump like a drum. Biden adviser Anita Dunn was even more pointed, saying of the Scott ad: Well pay him to keep it up. Biden campaign manager Greg Schultz said, This is all a help to us because it validates Trumps fear. Thats quite a turn from October, when the Biden campaign sent letters to Facebook, Google and Twitter pressuring the online platforms to block ads from Trumps reelection campaign that contained similar debunked allegations against the Bidens. But Dunn and Schultz suggest that their new posture could turn a potentially damaging story line into an electoral asset. We are going to call out the lies. We are going to confront him, Dunn said of how Biden will handle Trump going forward. If Joe Biden has proven one thing in this race, its that hes the person to stand up to Donald Trump. Republicans appear eager to have the fight. Besides Scott, GOP senators including Sen. Lindsey Graham have argued that Hunter Biden or the former vice president himself should be called as an impeachment trial witness. Bill Barrow is an Associated Press writer. Sam Packer is the Media Campaign Manager at the TaxPayers Alliance The new Conservative government cannot hope to deliver on radical reforms if the state is dominated by left-wingers. Quangos have become a part of the political realm. While some of us argue that they remove responsibility and accountability from the politicians who taxpayers elect, they are an established part of public life and a truly seismic cull seems improbable. Their importance means that any government that wants to deliver major changes will need quangos that are not either directly oppositional or pursuing their own independent agenda. This does not mean lick-spittles that nod along with whatever the government calls for, which is surely the worst of all worlds, but it probably does mean fewer left-wing activists serving on government committees. Yet todays release from the TaxPayers Alliance reveals that despite ten years of Conservative-led government and Boris Johnsons recent landslide victory, left-wingers continue to dominate quangos. In 2018-19, just 31.6 per cent of quangocrats declaring political activity were Conservative supporters. The significance of appointments is reflected in a statistical comparison of the Major, Blair and recent Conservative governments. As ConHomes Calling All Conservatives feature notes, in the final year of the Major government, 57 per cent of appointees were Tories, a reasonable proportion given their status as a majority government. Blair, one of the most constitutionally transformative prime ministers, managed to completely change the ideological make-up of appointees. Within a year of his arrival at Number 10, Labour supporters made up 75 per cent of appointees and Conservatives just 13 per cent. This trend continued throughout Labours time in office, with the final year featuring 70 per cent Labour and 16 per cent Conservative appointees. By contrast, the Conservatives of the 2010s have been dealing with consistent opposition from public bodies. In all bar two years, declared Labour appointees have outnumbered Conservatives, often by large margins. In 2018-19, less than a third of quangocrats appointed or reappointed were Tories. The significance of electoral victory is doubtless reduced when government-funded public health bodies, policy advisors, arts groups, national parks committees and many more still have socialists predominating. When the head of the Lake District National Park is complaining about a lack of diversity or Corbynite socialist campaigners like Toynbee Halls Sian Williams are sitting on the Financial Inclusion Policy Forum, it is apparent that the political leanings of quangocrats matter. This is not to say that the Blair method of installing ideological bedfellows at every level is the way forward. But given that quango roles are government roles, it would be reasonable if their make-up came closer to reflecting public attitudes. The constant refrain from commentators, ranging from journalists to Dominic Cummings to Labour leadership candidates, is that the Brexit referendum and General Election results reflect a general frustration with the SW1-bubble consensus that predominates among senior people in nearly every aspect of public life. Our polling last year, conducted by this sites own James Frayne, showed strong support, (especially among working-class voters) for policies on international aid, the BBC licence fee, and tax cuts, that would be anathema to the typical luvvie. Altering the make-up of quangos to ensure more voices are challenging the liberal-left consensus would be a simple but significant way to address the problem of ordinary people being underrepresented. At present, far too many quangos are controlled and almost wholly staffed by the sort of people who look at election results, scoff, and get back to telling taxpayers what is good for them. This isnt to say that there hasnt been a drive to make appointees more representative. Things like the 2019 Public Appointments Diversity Action Plan have championed diversity of identity, whether it be race, gender or class. But they have meant that the actual reason for diversity a variety of perspectives has been ignored. Diversity of opinion and thought have been consistently undervalued, despite actually being the most important of all. Those sitting on quangos would be both a more accurate reflection of the country, and probably substantially less left-wing, if these plans focused on peoples beliefs and views rather than who they are. The elite bubble would be far more likely to have a few holes in it. Sir Roger Scruton stood out as a rare example of a thoughtful Conservative appointment, before he was shamefully forced out of a role which actually hugely benefited from the different perspective he offered. The views of the quango-bubble are reinforced by the fact they all come from the same place. Our research shows a strong bias in favour of the south, over the north, on English and Welsh quangos, with over 40 percent of quangocrats declaring the south as the location of their primary residence. For all the talk of empowering the north, having seven times more quangocrats from the south-east than north-east is hardly a positive sign. This lack of geographic variety is another way in which potentially varying opinions get no seat at the committee tables. If politics really is going to become less London-centric, as the government has promised in its early days, then it would make sense for quangos to more accurately reflect Britains remarkable regional diversity. It is worth noting too, that the official figures make no reference to metropolitan versus suburban or rural areas, but this is arguably just as important given the remarkable political divide between big cities and the rest of the country. Conservative Home readers will know this issue isnt new. The TaxPayers Alliance first analysed these stats seven years ago. Fraser Nelson was noting how the right, unlike the left, had failed to understand staff is policy when decrying the fact under David Cameron in 2011-12 that an extraordinary 77 per cent of appointees were Labour supporters. But with a new government that has recently received a massive endorsement from the electorate, now seems to be the perfect opportunity to take action. So what can be done to make quangos more reflective of public attitudes? An important first step would be to require almost all appointees to register a political preference. At present this number is just 8.6 per cent. The lack of declarations probably increases groupthink because appointees who do not declare a preference feel a sense of political neutrality even if their attitudes are anything but. This would not be a means of weeding out every non Conservative, or for that matter, allow Labour to do the same in the other direction when they next take power. Rather, it would allow for quantifiable proof of genuine diversity of opinion. If there must be diversity guidelines, then this is the form of diversity that should be prioritised, and government ministers marked against. Ending the entrenched attitudes in government will be a long, complex and at times painful job. But no government has been better placed to do so than this one. Nor has it ever been so vital for the achievement of its agenda. If Johnson is to preside over a transformation anything like as significant as Blair, then cleaning up the state is a must. Cleaning up public appointments would be a good first step. A woman who says she dated Mark Salling is speaking out for the first time about the Glee actors death, two years after he died by suicide at the age of 35. Speaking on her Georgie and Friends podcast, Georgie Leahy recounted finding out that Salling had been arrested for possession of child pornography and then years later learning of his death. Leahy said she tried to support Salling after his arrest because she knew people would avoid him after he was charged with and later pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography I was there for him as much as I could, Leahy said. I want him to know that he has me. While theirs was not a very public relationship, Leahy said that she believed Salling kept her in the shadows in order to protect her. Theres a few pictures of us online, but theres really not much evidence [of our relationship], she said, adding that she thought he was trying to get well through me. Georgie Leahy, Mark Salling | Brian Ach/Getty Images; Angela Weiss/Getty Images RELATED: Mark Sallings Autopsy Reveals He Had Alcohol, But No Drugs in His System at Time of Suicide Its an addiction, its a sickness, she said of his child pornography possession. None of us can comprehend it, understand it. While Leahy didnt attend Sallings funeral, she said that she hopes to one day tell his mother what an amazing person her son was. Salling died in January 2018 of asphyxia by hanging, PEOPLE previously reported, when he was found hanging from a tree in the area of the Los Angeles River in Sunland, California. The actors death came just weeks before he was set to be sentenced to prison for possession of child pornography. Mark Salling | Jason Kempin/Getty RELATED: Mark Sallings Ex-Girlfriend Sues His Estate for $2.7 Million Over Settlement Shes Allegedly Owed Salling pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor in October 2017, two years after he was arrested in December 2015. LAPDs Internet Crimes Against Children unit obtained a search warrant for his home in Sunland that year, and federal investigators said they found more than 25,000 images and 600 videos depicting child pornography on computers and thumb drives that belonged to the Glee star. Story continues The content depicted children as young as 3 years old being abused, according to court documents, PEOPLE previously reported. Salling struck a plea deal in December 2017 and was expected to be sentenced to four to seven years in prison. The case was dismissed after his death. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text STRENGTH to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org. If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text STRENGTH to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor. The coronavirus, which causes flu-like symptoms as well as pneumonia, is spreading fast. So fast, in fact, that scientists at Johns Hopkins University felt that it was important to track just where the virus exists with a real-time map thats now available to the public. "We built this dashboard because we think it is important for the public to have an understanding of the outbreak situation as it unfolds with transparent data sources," Lauren Gardner, a civil engineering professor and co-director for Center for Systems Science and Engineering, said of the map in a statement. "For the research community, this data will become more valuable as we continue to collect it over time." Screenshot via Coronavirus 2019 nCoV John Hopkins CSSE According to the university, the statistics used in the map are collected from several organizations, including the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, and Dingxiangyuan, a social networking site for health care professionals. All of these resources, Gardner said, "can provide more timely assessments of the outbreak, compared to the national level reporting organizations, which take longer to filter up." %image1 Gardner and the team also made a link available on the website where interested parties can download a Google Sheet containing all the confirmed and suspected cases of the coronavirus, which now appears in more than 30 Chinese locations and multiple nations, including the United States, Mexico, Colombia, Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Brazil, and Australia. As of Wednesday morning, the map showed a total of 6,057 confirmed cases around the world, with 5,970 of those in mainland China. It noted that the virus has caused 132 deaths, but also that 110 people have reportedly recovered as well. Although the map certainly puts the number of confirmed cases around the world into perspective (for reference, the CDC estimates that 15 million people have already suffered from the flu this year, which caused some 8,200 deaths), it appears that governments and travel companies are taking little chances. Earlier this week, the CDC and State Department issued a level three travel warning, which urges folks to reconsider any travel to China. Both organizations have also issued level four warnings for parts of China. Several cruise lines have also canceled sailings to China and airlines are slowly canceling flights to the mainland. If your travel plans include China in the near future, it may be prudent to contact your airline, cruise line, or hotel, and speak to your medical provider about the risks involved in your trip. If you must travel, make sure to take precautions, including washing your hands frequently, investing in a mask, and getting the generic flu shot before you go. Former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn declared his innocence and said he never lied to federal investigators in a new legal filing, the latest step after the retired three-star general moved to withdraw his 2017 guilty plea earlier this month. Flynn, who pleaded guilty for lying to the FBI regarding his contacts with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, directly contradicted his initial plea in the new filing. When FBI agents came to the White House on January 24, 2017, I did not lie to them. I believed I was honest with them to the best of my recollection at the time, Flynn said. I still dont remember if I discussed sanctions on a phone call with Ambassador Kislyak nor do I remember if we discussed the details of a UN vote on Israel. Flynn centered much of the rationale for the dramatic reversal around the actions of his previous defense team. Led by attorney Sidney Powell, an outspoken defender of President Trump, Flynns new defense team has been aggressive in pursuing the governments case after Flynns December 2018 sentencing hearing was delayed. In an October bombshell, Powell alleged that the FBI manipulated Flynns interview notes to imply guilt, a claim Flynn referenced in his Wednesday filing. Flynn stated that he never would have pled guilty had he been aware of reports that the original FBI notes stated that Flynn had a sure demeanor and did not give any indication of deception. Flynn added that former special counsel Robert Muellers probe had engaged in a sudden and intense pressure campaign to get him to plead guilty, including threatening to go after his son. I tried to accept responsibility by admitting to offenses I understood the government I love and trusted said I committed, Flynn said. Federal prosecutors filed a response to Flynn Wednesday that recommitted to their previous sentencing recommendation of between zero and six months in jail, which Flynn had cited as a breach of the plea deal in his initial motion to withdraw his plea on January 14. Prosecutors also included a slight revision that they would not oppose the imposition of a sentence of probation. More from National Review Pompeo Heads To Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan --Trailed By U.S. Turmoil By Mike Eckel January 29, 2020 In Belarus, there are growing questions about how drastic a shift Alyaksandr Lukashenka is making away from Russia and toward the West. In Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoev is struggling to persuade the outside world that his reforms are a genuine turn away from the corrupt authoritarian system that his country has long been shackled to. In Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy is trying to shed his country's reputation for corruption and mismanagement, while struggling with a six-year war against separatist fighters backed by Russia. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo heads to the region on January 30, visiting those three countries, plus Kazakhstan, on a trip aimed at cultivating political and economic ties with the former Soviet republics. Many of them are looking to the United States for support: financial, moral, and military. But the United States is gripped by the political turmoil surrounding the impeachment of President Donald Trump, raising questions about how stalwart its support for the countries is. And Pompeo himself is traveling under a cloud, due to an angry interview with a U.S. reporter, and what was widely seen as retaliation against the reporter's employer. Here is what's at stake on Pompeo's trip. Ukraine Kyiv is Pompeo's second scheduled stop. His first was London, arriving on January 29 for meetings with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other officials. Washington's relationship with Britain has been buffeted by the debates leading up to Britain's departure from the European Union on January 31, but on the whole, the relationship remains solid. Less so with Ukraine. Ukraine is at the heart of the impeachment proceedings in Washington, something that has befuddled many Ukrainians and left President Zelenskiy's administration struggling to manage. Zelenskiy continues to have high opinion-poll ratings nine months after winning last year's presidential election by a landslide, but there's growing impatience within Ukraine over whether he'll be able to root out endemic corruption or bring the country's oligarchs to heel. He has made notable steps toward trying to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine, which has killed more than 13,000 people and displaced more than 1 million. There have been two big prisoner swaps. But a major meeting in December, which included his first face-to-face encounter with Russian President Vladimir Putin, yielded no breakthroughs. Though European nations have provided more overall financial aid, Washington has been the largest provider of military aid, sending Ukraine night-vision goggles, flak jackets, counterbattery radars, and, more recently, sophisticated anti-tank missiles known as Javelins. Last year, Trump's White House held up a congressionally authorized military aid package to Ukraine for months. The aid was released only after lawmakers complained. House lawmakers impeached Trump in December, accusing him of trying force Zelenskiy to investigate one of Trump's challengers for the presidency. The Senate is deciding whether to remove him from office. Trump also forced out the U.S. ambassador, Marie Yovanovitch. Democrats, and many U.S. diplomats, have criticized Pompeo for not doing more to defend her. That issue came up during an interview with National Public Radio reporter Mary Louise Kelly last week, prompting Pompeo to abruptly end the interview and then berate the reporter in a private session, according to the broadcaster. The State Department then barred another NPR reporter from traveling with Pompeo on his trip. Pompeo's visit to Kyiv, where he arrives on January 30, will "highlight U.S. support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the State Department said. He is the most senior U.S. official to visit since his predecessor, Rex Tillerson, did so in July 2017. Belarus Following Kyiv, Pompeo travels to Minsk on February 1 to meet President Lukashenka, a wily politician who for 25 years has tried to thread the needle between the demands from his massive neighbor to the east and those from the European Union, NATO, and Washington to the west. Russia's seizure of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 spooked Lukashenka and other regional leaders. He's made several gestures seen as conciliatory toward the West, where he had been considered a pariah for cracking down on Belarusian civil society and opposition groups. The result? Washington and Minsk announced the restoration of full diplomatic ties last year, 11 years after Belarus expelled the U.S. ambassador, and most of the U.S. mission as well. In September, John Bolton, then the White House national-security adviser, visited Minsk, the highest-level U.S. official to visit in more than a decade. The Kremlin ratcheted up its pressure on Belarus. In December, Lukashenka and Putin were expected to sign an agreement, a potentially big step to flesh out a Union State that for years has existed mainly on paper. In the end, Lukashenka balked. Moscow responded by suspending oil exports to Belarus -- something that has kept the Belarusian economy afloat for years. That made Lukashenka even more defiant. "We have our own country, we're sovereign and independent," he said on January 24. "With our brains and hands, we earn what we can, we're building our own country. And we can't be a part of some other country." Pompeo's visit is seen widely as a further effort by the U.S. administration to encourage Lukashenka and nudge Belarus further out of Russia's orbit. However, days prior to his departure, a list of a new countries that would be added to an existing U.S. travel ban leaked to reporters. Belarus was among the countries on the list. The White House has neither confirmed nor denied the new list, but the issue of whether Washington was seeking to penalize Minsk, even as it tried to encourage Lukashenka, was expected to loom over the visit. Pompeo will seek "to underscore the U.S. commitment to a sovereign, independent, stable, and prosperous Belarus, and affirm our desire to normalize our bilateral relations," according to the State Department. Kazakhstan After Minsk, Pompeo will travel to Kazakhstan, where he will meet with President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev. He'll also meet with Nursultan Nazarbaev, who stepped down in March 2019 after more than 27 years as president but still holds several powerful titles and positions, including head of a strengthened Security Council, and still commands wide authority throughout the government. His eldest daughter, Darigha, has amassed both wealth and clout in the latter part of her father's rule. On the day that Nazarbaev's transition to what some have dubbed president emeritus was announced, Darigha assumed the position of head of the country's upper chamber of parliament. That was seen as a sign that she may ultimately succeed her father. The official State Department announcement does not mention if Pompeo will meet with Darigha. Washington has in the past looked to Kazakhstan as a natural counterweight to Russia in Central Asia. Major U.S. oil companies have made billions in investments in joint ventures to develop Caspian Sea fields, and the country has the region's largest proven reserves of oil and gas. Like Lukashenka in Belarus, Nazarbaev was rattled by the Russian annexation of Crimea. Much of the population of northern Kazakhstan, along the border with Russia, is ethnic Russian, and there were worries that Moscow could make claims on some border territories. To this date, it has not. But, as with Belarus and Ukraine, that has afforded Washington a small opportunity to nurture ties. Pompeo's meetings are intended to "reaffirm our shared commitment to peace, prosperity, and security in Central Asia," the State Department said. Uzbekistan Pompeo is scheduled to land in Tashkent on February 2 and to meet with President Mirziyoev, Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov, and other officials before departing the next day. Uzbekistan is Central Asia's most populous country, and has sizable oil and gas reserves as well. In the past, it's been seen as a partial counterweight to Russian influence in the region. It's also allied with Washington in the war in Afghanistan and the fight against radical Islamist fighters. Under the autocratic rule of Mirziyoev's predecessor, Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan was isolated from the West, particularly after the 2005 massacre of civilians in the city of Andijon. The country also gained a reputation for unyielding corruption that put it at the bottom of many rankings. Since taking office after Karimov's death in 2016, Mirziyoev has sought to cultivate new economic and political relationships -- not just with Washington but with European nations, among others, and even financial centers like Wall Street and London. He has also pushed to change the country's cotton harvest, a key source of revenue and a perennial source of concern over the use of forced labor, including child labor. His administration has also fired scores of officials -- some senior-- held over from Karimov's era. It's unclear how deep or sustainable the reform agenda is. Some of his government ministers are holdovers, and some have been suspected of involvement in past corrupt deals. His government is also locked in a very public legal fight with Gulnara Karimova, the elder daughter of the late president. She is being held in a Tashkent prison, accused of bribery inside and outside the country, as the government seeks to recover hundreds of millions of dollars of Karimova's that they say belongs to the state. The changes have yielded positive press, but some rights activists say they are merely window dressing. After years of being elbowed out of the region, the State Department launched the C5+1 initiative in 2015, in part to try and counterbalance Russia's dominance. Pompeo's visit to Tashkent will include meetings with the foreign ministers of all five Central Asian nations -- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan -- to "stress U.S. support for a better connected, more prosperous, and more secure Central Asia, consistent with the U.S.'s new Central Asia Strategy," the State Department said. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/pompeo- ukraine-belarus-kazakhstan-uzbekistan- u-s-turmoil/30404641.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 23:32 GST collections have crossed the Rs 1 lakh crore mark for the third month in a row in January with improved compliance and plugging of evasion, sources said on Friday. According to provisional numbers, total GST revenue was Rs 1.1 lakh crore in January, they said. The GST collection is in line with the target set by Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey after a high-level meeting with senior tax officials earlier this month. Domestic GST collection during the month so far is around Rs 86,453 crore while Rs 23,597 crore has been collected through IGST and cess collection. The total collection of GST revenue in December has come at Rs 1.03 lakh crore. Going by the provisional numbers, growth in the domestic GST collection comes about to 11.5 per cent while the IGST on import of goods contracted by 6 per cent, sources said. The number of GSTR 3B returns filed till Thursday was 82.8 lakh. The government this month set an ambitious target of Rs 1.1 lakh crore monthly GST revenue for the remaining part of the current fiscal and asked taxmen to step up efforts to achieve the goal. To augment revenue collection, the Revenue Secretary revised GST collection target to Rs 1.25 lakh crore for the last month of this financial year with specific focus on fraudulent input tax credit (ITC) claims as found in data analytics review. It was empahsised GST authorities would look into the mismatch of supply and purchase invoices, data analytics of mismatch in GSTR-1, GSTR-2A and GSTR-3B, failure of filing returns, over invoicing, recuperation of fake or excess refunds availed beyond the permissible limits etc. Around 40,000 companies have been red-flagged for excess or fraudulent ITC availment and other tax related wrongful issues through data analytics, out of 1.2 crore GST registrants and focus would be on these identified taxpayers, sources said. -- PTI Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 30, 2020 13:50 713 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2061bba37 1 World #coronavirus,#Wuhan,Wuhan-coronavirus,wuhan,Wuhan-coronavirus-in-Indonesia,evacuation,coronavirus Free Indonesia will soon evacuate its citizens from the virus-hit Hubei province in China as the Chinese government has said it is ready to facilitate the evacuations, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said on Thursday. Retno said Indonesia was carrying out intense and detailed coordination with Chinese authorities so that the evacuees could be repatriated soon amid lockdown in Wuhan and surrounding Hubei province -- the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, which has killed 170. We have coordinated [with China] and they are willing to facilitate us in the evacuations, Retno told journalists in Jakarta. Approximately 243 Indonesians are trapped in Hubei. Retno said she was in close contact with her counterpart from neighboring Australia, which also planned to evacuate its citizens. The Indonesian mission in China also continues to communicate with the United States and Japan -- the first two countries to fly their citizens out of the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak. "We need to learn from each other on how to evacuate our citizens as soon as possible," Retno said, adding that evacuations were not simple and that the government needed to look into the distribution of Indonesians in Hubei and how to transport them amid lockdown. The Air Force is keeping three aircraft and health personnel on standby to evacuate Indonesian citizens from Hubei at any time, awaiting instructions from the government. The government has also prepared Sulianto Saroso Hospital in North Jakarta to be used as a quarantine facility to observe the inbound citizens once they arrive in Indonesia. Retno said any measures to handle evacuees upon their return to Indonesia or whether to quarantine them are in the hands of the Health Ministry and relevant authorities. She said the government would discuss the details of the evacuation plan this afternoon. Foreign Ministry acting spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said earlier that Indonesia had two options evacuating its citizens from Hubei and moving them to safer quarantine areas inside China or sending them back and quarantining them at home. Retno said Jakarta was also coordinating with the Indonesian Students Association in Hubei to ensure Indonesians were able to access basic necessities amid price increases. At least the supply will be enough for the next seven days. China reported its biggest single-day jump in novel coronavirus deaths on Thursday, as confirmation that three Japanese evacuated from the outbreak's epicenter were infected deepened fears about a global contagion, AFP reported. The number of confirmed new cases in China also grew steadily to 7,711, the National Health Commission said. Another 81,000 people were under observation for possible infection. The World Health Organization (WHO) warned all governments to be "on alert" as it weighed whether to declare a global health emergency. WHO's Emergency Committee will meet Thursday to decide whether to declare an emergency -- which could lead to travel or trade barriers. (asp/eyc) PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Wednesday afternoon, the U.S. Attorneys Office announced that Jacob Scott Blair of Moss Point, wanted for the rape of his 14-year-old stepdaughter, had been added to the U.S. Marshals 15 Most Wanted Fugitives list and would be featured on an episode of In Pursuit with John Walsh that night. It appears the increased exposure worked. Officials announced Thursday that Scott had been taken into custody about midnight Wednesday in Antlers, Okla., ending an 18-month search which began after Scott vanished, leaving behind a dinghy boat and suicide note in Orange Beach, Ala. Investigators also found a gun, but little in the way of forensic evidence indicating a suicide and his body was never recovered despite an extensive search. In addition, Scott had withdrawn $45,000 from a bank account -- money that was also never recovered, so investigators believed early on that Scott had faked his own death to avoid prosecution. Inspector Jeremy Stilwell, flanked by Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell and district attorney Angel Myers McIlrath, announced Scotts arrest. Stilwel said Marshals received a tip that someone resembling Scott and with the same tattoos was residing in an RV in the Antlers area. Within hours of our announcement and our plea to the public for information, a tipster called the Pushamataha Sheriffs Office in Oklahoma and said a man fitting the description of Jacob Scott was staying in an RV park, Stilwell said. "After sheriffs deputies looked up Scotts information, they saw he was wanted by the Marshals and immediately related the tip to us. We then worked with local authorities to develop a plan for his arrest. Law enforcement arrived at the scene and initially attempted a call out multiple times to get whoever was inside the RV to come out. After a few minutes, a man emerged, but initially refused to provide any information to law enforcement. Marshals, however, checked his tattoos and confirmed they were an identical match and the man ultimately admitted to being Jacob Blair Scott. Scott was taken into custody and is being held in the Pittsburg (Okla.) County Jail awaiting an initial appearance in U.S. District Court. He will ultimately be extradited back to Mississippi, where he will face a 14-count indictment, including charges of sexual battery, touching a child for lustful purposes and exploitation of a child -- all involving his stepdaughter. According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, Scott initially came under suspicion after his stepdaughter became pregnant. Scott also faces a charge from the U.S. Marshals office for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. This all-out media blitz led to a critical citizen tip that ultimately resulted in the fastest apprehension of a fugitive in the 37-year history of the 15 Most Wanted program, said Jeff Tyler, U.S. Marshals Assistant Director for Investigative Operations. McIlrath thanked the various law enforcement agencies which had assisted in Scotts apprehension. This was certainly a collective effort, she said, and if it wasnt for the dogged determination of the investigators and the expertise of the Marshals, we might never have known the truth about Mr. Scotts disappearance. n this Friday, Aug. 17, 2018, photo, passengers alight from a flight at the airport near portraits of late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il in Samjiyon in North Korea. North Korean authorities arrested seven out of a group of 15 government officials from Pyongyang who were allegedly attempting to defect by crossing the border into China, RFA has learned. Local sources told RFAs Korean Service that North Korea security agents flew to Samjiyon Airport in an emergency operation as the 15 had split into smaller groups to evade capture. The seven were arrested in a village near the border, while it is believed that the other eight were able to escape. Members of the group may have been carrying secret information in the form of official government documents. On January 2nd, the State Security Department launched an emergency operation to arrest a group of 15 people who fled Pyongyang and were heading to the border, an official from Ryanggang province told RFA on Jan. 25. Agents were dispatched from Pyongyang to Samjiyon, the source said. The fact that they used a plane to prevent them from defecting proves that the would-be defectors are not ordinary people, said the source. The source said that the group of 15 had left Pyongyang during the New Year holiday. [They] arrived in Pakcheol-li village, situated on the border with China in Kimhyongjik County, Ryanggang Province, on January 2nd said the source. Among them were a typist from the Central Party who was handling key documents for the state, so it is extremely likely he or she had some kind of secret document, the source added. Most of them are senior officials. They are believed to have lived in the Ryomyong Street and Mirae Scientists Street area in the central area of Pyongyang, the source said, referring to a newly developed area of the capital with expensive high-rise apartments. The source said that the agents were not able to arrest the entire group of 15. Seven of them were arrested just before crossing the border. the source said, adding, State Security used a plane to track them down, but eight of them had already crossed. It was found that some of the defector officials in the group worked on the states major telecommunications systems, the source said. Another source, a law enforcement official in Ryanggan told RFA on the 26th that the operation was belatedly reported. The State Security Department and the Provincial Security Department launched a desperate arrest operation to prevent them from defecting, said the second source. The second source said that the use of an airplane in the sting was not normal. Ive been working for the judicial authorities all my life, but Ive never heard of flying an airplane to catch North Korean defectors, the second source said. The group of 15 defectors apparently moved separately in 3 to 4 groups. The security agents were desperately trying to catch them, but since [the defectors] moved in separate groups, only seven were arrested and eight others were able to cross the border, said the second source. Considering that the security authorities pulled out all the stops, even using an airplane, one can imagine how embarrassed they must have been that 15 senior officials from Pyongyang were trying to defect, said the second source. Several high-profile North Koreans have defected from the repressive country in recent years. RFA reported in Jan. 2019 that North Koreas ambassador to Italy, Jo Song Gil, went into hiding in a possible defection. South Koreas National Intelligence Service said in August that he had left Italy and is under protection somewhere, without clearly saying who was protecting him. In 2016, Thae Yong Ho, North Koreas deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom, defected to South Korea. Reported by Jieun Kim for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong. PR-Inside.com: 2020-01-30 14:00:16 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 418 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 HIFU - High Intensity Focused Ultrasound Represents A Breakthrough, Non-Invasive, Radiation-Free Outpatient Treatment For Prostate CancerCHEYENNE, WY, DENVER, CO, and CHARLOTTE, NC / ACCESSWIRE / January 30, 2020 / HIFU Prostate Services, LLC, the leading provider of HIFU technology to physician practices in the United States, has partnered with noted urologist Tim Gajewski, MD to offer the breakthrough non-invasive HIFU procedure to patients in both Wyoming and Colorado.A recognized urologist in practice for nearly two decades, Dr. Gajewski has been successfully treating patients with HIFU in North Carolina and internationally since 2010. Prior to HIFU being cleared by the FDA in 2015, Dr. Gajewski traveled outside the U.S. and treated his patients in markets where HIFU was already approved. HIFU has been used in Europe and Canada for nearly 20 years and is approved in over 50 countries.Tim Gajewski, MD"HIFU, or High Intensity Focused Ultrasound, is a gamechanger in the treatment of prostate cancer. For over ten years I have had the privilege of treating patients with this revolutionary procedure that allows for the precise targeting of cancer within the prostate as opposed to ionizing radiation or removing the prostate gland through radical surgery," said Dr. Gajewski.Cleared by the FDA for prostate tissue ablation in October 2015, HIFU is a non-invasion treatment that uses sound waves to heat and destroy tissue in the prostate, including cancerous tissue. The one-time outpatient procedure allows men to return to their normal lifestyle within a few days. Key to the HIFU procedure is the Sonablate, the most precise HIFU device for prostate cancer available and the only device that can deliver a completely customized treatment for each patient. The Sonablate HIFU system helps physicians precisely locate the nerves that preserve potency in order to help avoid them and maintain sexual function, while also keeping rates of incontinence below 2%."We are excited to partner with Dr. Gajewski to bring HIFU to the greater Denver, Ft. Collins and Cheyenne areas. This market is one where many men are active and want to maintain their quality of life while effectively treating their cancer. Dr. Gajewski is extremely knowledgeable regarding how to select the best candidates for HIFU and to successfully treat them with the HIFU procedure. He is an excellent partner for HIFU Prostate Services," said Jenny Robeson, chief sales officer, HIFU Prostate Services.Those interested in scheduling a consultation with Dr. Gajewski can call 877-884-4438.CONTACT:SSA Public Relations (For HIFU Prostate Services)Steve Syattsteve@ ssapr.com (818) 222-4000SOURCE: SSA Public Relations In order to truly relish this historic day, the police should advise that the moment we leave the EU, all citizens should stay at least seven miles from Mark Francois and Iain Duncan Smith, as they are likely to ejaculate in such quantities that a tsunami warning will be put into operation, destroying low areas such as Norfolk, that ironically voted Leave more than anywhere else. Even then, the Lowestoft Brexit Party chair will announce this was a price well worth paying, from a dinghy in the North Sea. If youre lucky, you might be going to the main party in Parliament Square, where you can hear Tim Martin, founder of Wetherspoons, along with Julia Hartley-Brewer, Ann Widdecombe and Nigel Farage, symbols of a young creative nation bursting forwards with agility and imagination. At last, the Instagram and Stormzy generation has been swept aside by an avalanche of youthful energy led by Neil Hamilton and Bernie Ecclestone. Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Show all 20 1 /20 Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Britain votes to leave the European Union - 23 June 2016 A referendum is held on Britain's membership of the European Union. Fifty-two per cent of the country votes in favour of leaving AFP via Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? David Cameron resigns - 24 June 2016 David Cameron resigns on the morning of the result after leading the campaign for Britain to remain in the EU Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Theresa May takes the reins - 13 July 2016 Theresa May becomes leader of the Conservative party and prime minister, winning the leadership contest unopposed after Andrea Leadsom drops out Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? High Court rules parliament must vote on Brexit - November 2016 - 3 November 2016 The High Court rules that parliament must vote on triggering Article 50, which would begin the Brexit process Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Article 50 triggered - 28 March 2017 The prime minister triggers Article 50 after parliament endorses the result of the referendum Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? May calls snap election - 18 April 2018 Seeking a mandate for her Brexit plan, May goes to the country Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? May loses majority as Labour makes surprise gain - 8 June 2017 After a disastrous campaign, Theresa May loses her majority in the commons and turns to the DUP for support. Jeremy Corbyn's Labour party makes gains after being predicted to lose heavily AFP/Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Negotiations begin - 19 June 2017 David Davis and Michel Barnier, chief negotiators for the UK and EU respectively, hold a press conference on the first day of Brexit negotiations. Soon after the beginning of negotiations, it becomes clear that the issue of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic will prove a major sticking point AFP/Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? MPs vote that withdrawal deal must be ratified by parliament - 13 December 2017 The government suffers a defeat in parliament over the EU withdrawal agreement, guaranteeing that MPs are given a 'meaningful vote' on the deal Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Boris Johnson resigns as foreign secretary - 11 July 2018 Following a summit at Chequers where the prime minister claimed to have gained cabinet support for her deal, Boris Johnson resigns as foreign secretary along with David Davis, the Brexit secretary Reuters Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Draft withdrawal agreement - 15 November 2018 The draft withdrawal agreement settles Britain's divorce bill, secures the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and vice versa and includes a political declaration commiting both parties to frictionless trade in goods and cooperation on security matters. The deal also includes the backstop, which is anathema to many brexiteers and Dominic Raab and Esther McVey resign from the cabinet in protest Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? May resigns - 24 May 2019 After several failed attempts to pass her withdrawal agreement through the commons, Theresa May resigns Reuters Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Johnson takes over - 24 July 2019 Boris Johnson is elected leader of the Conservative party in a landslide victory. He later heads to Buckingham Palace where the Queen invites him to form a government Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Parliament prorogued - 28 August 2019 Boris Johnson prorogues parliament for five weeks in the lead up to the UK's agreed departure date of 31 October. Stephen Morgan MP Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Prorogation ruled unlawful - 24 September 2019 The High Court rules that Johnson's prorogation of parliament is 'unlawful' after a legal challenge brought by businesswoman Gina Miller Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Johnson agrees deal with Varadkar - October Following a summit in Merseyside, Johnson agrees a compromise to the backstop with Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar - making the withdrawal agreement more palatable to Brexiteers Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Final Say march demands second referendum - 19 October 2019 As parliament passes the Letwin amendment requiring the prime minister to request a further delay to Brexit, protesters take to the streets in the final show of force for a Final Say referendum Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Johnson wins 80 seat majority - 12 December 2019 The Conservatives win the December election in a landslide, granting Boris Johnson a large majority to pass through his brexit deal and pursue his domestic agenda Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Withdrawal deal passes parliament - 20 December 2019 The withdrawal agreement passes through the commons with a majority of 124 Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? EU parliament backs UK withdrawal deal - 29 January 2020 Members of the European parliament overwhelmingly back the ratification of Britain's departure, clearing the way for Brexit two days later on 31 January. Following the vote, members join hands and sing Auld Lang Syne AFP/Getty Francois has promised to stay up all night [to see] the sun rise over a free country. Its a measure of how dedicated he is, that hell stay up all night to watch the sun rise, where others might just get up a bit before the sun rises. But he wont take chances, because its not beyond sneaky Remoaners to make the sun rise two hours early just to ruin the great day. Many Brexit supporters refer to 31 January as Liberation Day, the way Indian people describe the day the British left the country. And it is a similarly historic moment. One marked the end of a 200-year-period in which an entire nation was ruled in every way by the East India Company, then the British Queen, with a constant army of occupation and frequent massacres, whereas our fishermen have had to abide by EU mackerel quotas, so its exactly the same. And where they had Gandhi, weve got Ann Widdecombe. The similarities are uncanny. This is why some festivities will be even more raucous than the one in Parliament Square. Tory MP Andrew Rosindell explained his party in Romford will involve British singing and British food and English sparkling wine nothing French or German. Thats the spirit of friendship weve been promised, in which our independence creates a new spirit of harmony with our European neighbours, which we can celebrate like PROPER British people, not these Metropolitan traitors who eat European shite like pizza and have wine from places that know nothing about wine, like France. This is PROPER wine made from baked beans and Tizer. He also displayed his optimistic youthful outlook when he demanded the BBC mark the event by playing God Save the Queen before it shuts down each night. This might not have the impact he hopes for, as the BBC hasnt shut down at night since 1997, but that shows how out of touch the liberal whining BBC has become, deliberately showing programmes all night so it doesnt have to play the national anthem before shutting down. Other public figures have added to the national jollity, by making speeches that start with: We are now in a position to heal the wounds of a divided nation, by coming together to tell the 16 million posh, traitorous, elite, sneering arse-wipes, HAAA HAAAAA GET OVER IT, how DARE you express the slightest tinge of unease, you collaborator. The most prominent Brexit supporters also explain that whatever it is they do, this is what the British public voted for. And theyre right, because it said clearly on the ballot paper in the referendum do you wish Britain to remain in the EU? Or do you wish to wave plastic flags in European parliament and hold parties where we dont allow foreign food and describe Europe as a steaming cesspit of lizard-droppings? This is how harmony will be restored, by calmly assuring those who voted to Remain that they should never say anything again because theyre a tiny minority of 48 per cent made up entirely of posh celebrities, so is it any wonder so many people are annoyed when 16 million people are either Hugh Grant or Lily Allen? Its true the under-30s voted overwhelmingly to stay in the EU, but theyre not people, as no one becomes a person until theyre 50, and before that were mostly made of wool. Recommended Children are a lot more clued up on Brexit than you realise The age group that voted in the greatest numbers for Brexit were those between 65 and 75, so now the greatest generation this country ever produced can get on with the job of insisting they didnt fight in the war to be told what to do by Europe, even though they were born 10 years after the war ended. And this goes to show how patriotic they are; they were willing to fight Hitler even after he was already dead. So we should join David Davis and Boris Johnson, to celebrate the passing of a deal they acknowledge is worse than the one they voted to reject. And yet, somehow there arent street parties, there isnt bunting or firework displays, and hardly anyone sent money for Big Ben to chime. It suggests most Leave-supporters arent as spectacularly nationalist as the people driving Brexit would like. Few people were bothered about the EU until the referendum, so maybe there wont be a sense of mass euphoria, as much as a national sense of relief that its all over. So the most suitable celebration would be one in which, at exactly 11pm on Friday and sat in armchairs across the country, the nation sighs, oh well thats out of the way then, in unison, and makes a hot water bottle and goes to bed. GREENWICH, Conn., Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fieldpoint Private, the fast-growing wealth advisory and private banking boutique serving ultra-high-net-worth families and institutions, announced its expansion into the Orlando, Florida area, with the addition of a former Bank of America Private Bank team that managed $1.2 billion in investment assets at its former firm. While at Bank of America Private Bank (formerly U.S. Trust), Marc Angle, Stacey Cole, Johnny Gibson and Tara Pioli worked with approximately 75 wealthy families and their related business and philanthropic enterprises, across the eastern United States. Now at Fieldpoint Private, the team will advise on all aspects of wealth planning, investment policy and asset management, banking, credit, and governance. The group will be based in Winter Park, an Orlando suburb. The teams decision to join Fieldpoint Private followed an extensive due diligence process exploring other firms. We met with a dozen firms before we found Fieldpoint. We had a lot of boxes to check, Mr. Angle said. We wanted client-focused delivery with a common sense, unconflicted approach, and we wanted a firm that would be nimble and give us ready access to senior-level decision making, Ms. Cole added. We also looked for great technology where it touches the client, and a fully integrated bank. Mr. Gibson described the two-year process of seeking a new home for the team. After talking to the big traditional firms, the regionals, and several independents, there were always gaps between what we were looking for and what they had to offer, he said. We concluded the firm we were looking for didnt exist, and for a while it looked like we would have to build it ourselves. And then we found Fieldpoint. Christopher DeLaura, who leads the firms wealth management efforts as CEO and President of the Fieldpoint Private Securities, said the team reflects a trend he has been seeing among advisors looking to break away from the industrys traditional giants. A lot of advisors are actively considering independence, but the closer they get the more clearly they see the burdens, like managing compliance, technology and real estate instead of focusing 100% on clients, Mr. DeLaura said. And if banking and lending are important, the idea of starting a bank in order to do that in an integrated fashion is simply a non-starter. The team has worked together for the past six years. Marc Angle joined U.S. Trust in 2013, following several years as a financial advisor with Alliance Bernstein. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, he served eight years as an Army Captain and Blackhawk helicopter pilot, with deployments including Kosovo, Iraq and South Korea. Stacey Cole spent 13 years with Bank of America, as a senior vice president and senior trust officer. Prior to that she was an attorney and partner with Akerman LLP, and an associate with Bender, Bender, Chandler & Adair. She earned her bachelors and law degrees at the University of Florida. Johnny Gibson was a managing director and portfolio manager with U.S. Trust, spending 15 years there. He began his career as an investment consultant with Charles Schwab. The Indiana native is a graduate of Ball State University. He is a past president and director of CFA Society Orlando. Tara Pioli, the teams associate, was with Bank of America for 13 years, serving in a series of roles including lead operations representative, personal banker, and business development analyst. She is a graduate of the University of Central Florida. About Fieldpoint Private Headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut, Fieldpoint Private ( www.fieldpointprivate.com ) is a boutique financial firm providing the highest degree of personalized, confidential wealth planning and private banking services. Catering to highly successful individuals, families, businesses and institutions, Fieldpoint Private offers a powerful combination of wealth management and strategy, family office, private banking and business banking services addressing every financial need for each of our clients including: wealth transfer advice, tax planning, aggregation and performance reporting, risk management, goals-based investing strategies, sophisticated investment selection, discreet and personalized banking, highly customized credit solutions, custom custody and trust solutions, highly attentive/responsive service and concierge services. Fieldpoint Private was established in 2008 by 31 Founders with a specific vision and purpose. These extraordinary leaders of industry and community recognized the opportunity to create a financial firm totally attuned to peoples individual circumstances. Our firm is built on a philosophy of exclusive membership and client-centricity. Working with a limited number of relationships gives every person the experience of belonging to an extremely selective group. The result is a new breed of institution established on the basis of personalization, responsiveness, and exclusivity, and an ensured commitment to impeccable service and consistently flawless execution. Our service approach offers a unique client experience custom crafted to each clients financial needs. Banking Services: Fieldpoint Private Bank & Trust Registered Investment Advisors: Fieldpoint Private Securities, LLC, is a SEC Registered Investment Advisor and Broker Dealer. Member FINRA, SIPC. Community and health professionals were in high demand in 2019. (Source: Getty) Australias jobs market is moving along sluggishly, with no real improvement in unemployment figures but some sectors are still continuing to hire prolifically. According to new figures from Seek, job ads in the community services and development sector grew the most out of any other sector in 2019, rising 8.7 per cent year-on-year. This was followed by the healthcare and medical sector, with the volume of job ads rising 7.8 per cent last year, and the mining, resources and energy industry also showing solid growth at 4.5 per cent. Community services and development sector Growth in this sector has primarily been driven by the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), according to NAB economist Kaixin Owyong. There is significant spending across the industry due to the NDIS, and this is creating demand for talent, she said. The fastest-growing roles: Aged & Disability Support (17%) Community Development (16.9%) Indigenous & Multicultural Services (12.5%) Healthcare and medical sector Job ads in this sector also saw a direct boost from the NDIS, but there are other factors too. The increase is largely due to greater demands of the growing and aging population, said Owyong. Notably, demand for speech therapists in the healthcare and medical sector grew a stunning 53.8 per cent, followed by residents and registrars. Nurses working in aged care were also in high demand, with job ad growth at 21.9 per cent. The fastest-growing roles: Speech Therapy (53.8%) Residents & Registrars (37.2%) Nursing - Aged Care (21.9%) Mining, resources and energy A renewed mining boom has seen this sector come back to life, according to Owyong. Last year, positions in natural resources and water rose by nearly a quarter from 2018, while health, safety and environment job ads jumped 20.9 per cent. Story continues The fastest-growing roles: Natural Resources & Water (24.8%) Health, Safety & Environment (20.9%) Oil & Gas - Operations (15.8%) The biggest drops in job ads The design and architecture industry saw a 23.2 per cent reduction in job ads, followed by the construction sector at a 17.5 per cent decline year-on-year. The slowdown in the housing market last year had an impact on both architecture and construction, said Owyong. The good news for these industries is that the market is almost back to its peak. Last year was bad for the advertising, arts and media industry, which recorded a 17.2 per cent dip in job ads. Make your money work with Yahoo Finances daily newsletter. Sign up here and stay on top of the latest money, news and tech news. [January 30, 2020] DigiCert Modernizes PKI with the Release of IoT Device Manager and Enterprise PKI Manager, New Offerings in DigiCert ONE LEHI, Utah, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- DigiCert, Inc., the world's leading provider of TLS/SSL, IoT and PKI solutions, today announced two new PKI tools: IoT Device Manager and Enterprise PKI Manager. Unlike PKI applications of the past, both PKI managers use a container-based, cloud-agnostic implementation that ensures fast and flexible on-premises, cloud and hybrid PKI deployments. These new offerings are built on the DigiCert ONE platform. DigiCert ONE is a holistic approach to modernizing PKI management and sets a new standard for fast and flexible PKI deployments. Based on modern software design and engineering, DigiCert ONE delivers end-to-end centralized user and device certificate management for a variety of deployment models and PKI use cases. "As early adopters of IoT Device Manager and Enterprise PKI Manager, we are looking forward to their ease of use and flexibility for our many initiatives, including our IoT and connected city solutions," said Mark Stevens, technical lead, British Telecom PKI and Cryptography. "PKI applications that we've used in the past have required weeks of long hours to deploy on-premises, but with DigiCert ONE, after configuring our Docker and network environment, we were up and running the PKI Managers in about 20 minutes. British Telecom is excited and looking forward to the benefit of DigiCert ONE's multiple functionalities and the scalability it will bring for our customers." IoT Device Manager allows device manufacturers to: provision and embed device identity at any stage of the device ifecycle, from the factory to device deployment on-premises, in the cloud or hybrid environments; simplify device identity, authentication, encryption and integrity with a single click; marry device data visualization with cryptographic, manufacturing and factory process data; and support standards-based interoperability with many third-party manufacturing and provisioning systems. seamlessly and transparently deploy identity, authentication and access to large user populations quickly and with little to no end-user interaction; have flexibility in deployment models, supporting customer deployments in private or public cloud, air-gapped environments, or completely managed by DigiCert; customize certificates and tailor deployments to their infrastructure and needs; and manage out-of-the-box and create custom CA hierarchies. "Today's release of the IoT Device Manager and Enterprise PKI Manager in DigiCert ONE meets customers where they want to be with fast, flexible and automated PKI deployment across global networks and within geographies of differing regulatory standards," said DigiCert CEO John Merrill. "Whether deploying to their own private or public clouds, or within air-gapped or on-premises networks to meet in-country compliance requirements, IoT Device Manager and Enterprise PKI Manager give customers the tools they need to integrate PKI services that secure their device connection points." Developed based on feedback from leading enterprises and IoT device manufacturers, DigiCert ONE meets practical organizational needs, enabling them to: integrate PKI services with established business processes and third-party vendors via a feature-rich REST API; facilitate a rapid rollout of PKI services in minutes instead of days, leveraging environment parity and container portability to set up private or public clouds or on-premises quickly; and reduce total cost of ownership and complexity with a modern scalable architecture and containerization strategies to provide a high availability PKI platform for their company. With a continuous deployment model, DigiCert will introduce additional PKI managers to DigiCert ONE, such as secure email, document signing, object signing, individual signing. From OS to application, DigiCert ONE users will benefit from regular updates that ensure they are always running the most up-to-date software with the latest functionality. For more information, visit www.digicert.com. About DigiCert, Inc. DigiCert is the world's leading provider of scalable TLS/SSL, IoT and PKI solutions for identity and encryption. The most innovative companies, including 89% of the Fortune 500 and 97 of the 100 top global banks, choose DigiCert for its expertise in identity and encryption for web servers and Internet of Things devices. DigiCert supports TLS and other digital certificates for PKI deployments at any scale through its certificate lifecycle management platform, CertCentral. The company is recognized for its enterprise-grade certificate management platform, fast and knowledgeable customer support, and market-leading security solutions. For the latest DigiCert news and updates, visit digicert.com ?or follow? @digicert . View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/digicert-modernizes-pki-with-the-release-of-iot-device-manager-and-enterprise-pki-manager-new-offerings-in-digicert-one-300996255.html SOURCE DigiCert, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] WARSAW, Poland - Polands president has signed into law legislation that is intended to contain the spread of African swine fever and allows three-year prison sentences for anyone convicted of interrupting organized hunts. Critics of the bill signed by President Andrzej Duda on Tuesday say the law gives special rights to hunters while restricting the activities of animal rights activists, mushroom pickers and nature walkers. The prison terms and other criminal penalties apply to people who disrupt both organized sport hunting involving wild animals that are legal to kill and large-scale hunting of wild boar recommended by Polands Agriculture Ministry to curb an outbreak of swine fever. The law provides for up to one year in prison and fines for anyone who disturbs a sport hunt, and up to three years in prison for disturbing a special sanitation hunt. Animal rights activists have spoken out against the mass killing of wild boar. Dozens of wild boar in eastern and western Poland have died from swine fever since December, according to the Agriculture Ministry. T he Royal College of Music is fighting a 125,000 court battle with an actor who says he was badly injured during an opera rehearsal at the conservatoires Kensington concert hall. Arthur Cahill, 40, says he was practising a stage fight during a dress rehearsal of Armenian opera David Bek when he fell backwards from a 4ft platform, crashing through a projection screen on to the hard floor. He claims the accident at the Britten Theatre left him with spinal injuries, chronic pain, and numbness in his hands, and needing therapy for the psychological trauma of the incident. Mr Cahill, an amateur actor and charity worker, is suing the music college, as well as a trustee of the London Armenian Opera which put on the show and Ellen Dawson, the stage manager on the day of his fall. Amateur actor Arthur Cahill is suing the Royal College of Music Central London county court heard he is claiming 25,500 in damages in a legal fight that is expected to cost up to 100,000. The defendants deny liability for the fall and are also disputing the extent of the injuries suffered. Mr Cahill, from St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, was injured while rehearsing a prison escape scene on December 17, 2015, the day before the first public performance of the opera composed by Armen Tigranian which tells the story of Armenian military leader David Bek and the countrys 18th-century liberation movement. At the Britten Theatre, which is next to the Royal Albert Hall, Mr Cahill was on a raised platform between 1.25m and 1.5m high when he and another actor tumbled off the back. Royal College of Music's Britten Theatre The other man landed on his feet, but Mr Cahill says he fell backwards and landed awkwardly on his back onto the hard floor, hitting his spine on stage lighting. He claims health and safety at work regulations were breached because no rails or safety barrier had been installed along the back edge of the platform. Mr Cahill has accused the RCM of failing to warn him that the platform did not have a safety barrier and could be dangerous, and he suggests the organisation failed to carry out a risk assessment for a stage fight on the platform. Lawyers for the RCM say that the London Armenian Opera were responsible for health and safety during the rehearsals and performances as part of the terms and conditions under which they hired the theatre. One of the December 2017 performances of David Bek Opera company trustee David Stephan insists it had no effective control of the premises and was relying on the skill and expertise of the RCM and upon the skill and expertise of Ellen Dawson. The opera company also denies that a fight scene was staged upon the platform. Ms Dawson, who is an independent contractor, says she was not involved with the design of the platform, and was not asked by any party to risk-assess the platform until after the accident. Lawyers for Mr Stephan told a pre-trial hearing that Mr Cahill has had problems with his back since childhood. Mike Konrad wrote an informative article saying that even if the Coronavirus is as serious as the media say, we Americans have good medical care, including antibiotics for secondary infections and steroids to control some of the worst symptoms. Now Michael Fumento, debunker extraordinaire, says that, on the available evidence, the newest virus is (a) just another virus and (b) not likely to ravage American shores. The media are flogging the Coronavirus as if it were the new Ebola. That's fertile soil, because we have locked in our memories horrific images out of Africa, showing people lying dead in the streets and, in one particularly disturbing scene on some news show, a three-year-old boy shunned by everyone in his village, including his parents, until he lay down and died, alone, in the dirt. But this isn't Ebola. China isn't Africa. And we, thank goodness, are neither China nor Africa. One of the blessings of life in 21st -entury America is that we have ways of dealing with diseases that were once deadly. Michael Fumento blames the media for the hype and proceeds to debunk the scare on the facts. After describing a masked CNN reporter standing in total isolation, something that makes the mask pointless, Fumento explains why someone would do something so silly: It's called "drama," which is badly needed, because there appears to be nothing very special about this outbreak of the 2019-nCoV or Wuhan virus. It should actually be called the DvV, or Deja vu Virus, because we have been through these hysterias before. Over and over. Heterosexual AIDS, Ebola repeatedly, the H1N1 swine flu that was actually vastly milder than the regular flu and, especially, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003. [snip] Wuhan is repeatedly labeled "deadly" but so is every other virus most people know about. China, he concedes, may have a problem. While the medical situation there is not as bad as it was in Africa during the peak of the Ebola crisis, China still does not have first-world medical care for most of its citizens: It appears that, like flu, Wuhan usually kills through often treatable secondary infections. Well, treatable in the West. You'd be surprised at how many potentially deadly diseases (malaria, TB) Americans get that wreak havoc in much of the world but kill essentially none of us. It also appears those most likely to die of Wuhan virus fit the same profile as flu fatalities: people over 65, those with compromised immune systems and those with serious pre-existing conditions. Two of the 17 Wuhan dead were 89-year-olds with pre-existing conditions; the youngest was 48 and suffering from diabetes and a stroke. Another problem is that the risk of contagion is going to be greater in China. If you've traveled there, the sheer number of people means multiple disease vectors no matter where one looks. In addition, as Michael Yon wrote, not all Chinese are sensitive to germ transmission. In a word, their concept of germs is premodern: There always are cultural aspects, too, such as the habit of mainlander Chinese sneezing everywhere with no attempt cover their faces. They will sneeze in elevators yes, they do restaurants, airplanes, more. They ain't Japanese who will self-quarantine. To be clear, I am not talking about "Chinese" (difficult to define), but some cultures in Mainland China. Many in Taiwan or Hong Kong and other places are super-civilized, but many of the mainlanders are like something from another time and planet. The Thai and China governments jointly published a book years ago showing traveling mainlanders how to behave civilized, such as not spitting on restaurant floors, or defecating in department store changing rooms. This drives Thais crazy. Not to mention everyone else. Meanwhile, in America, we sneeze nicely into our elbows, wash our hands, and use the little disinfectant cloths that stores provide every time we grab a shopping cart. With another flu out there, be careful. Cases of flu are nasty, and for those who are vulnerable the very old, the very young, and the very immune-compromised they can be fatal. This one will be no better and no worse. Or, as Fumento says: A jury has been unable to reach a verdict in the case of a woman accused of killing her de facto partner in their Perth home after he attacked her and her parents. Tracey Bridgewater, 41, stabbed Nicholas Josephs, 44, once in the chest with a kitchen knife at their Hamilton Hill house in September 2018, penetrating his vital organs. She argued self defence at her WA Supreme Court manslaughter trial, saying she feared Mr Josephs would kill her and her parents when he exploded into a violent rage after she threatened to call police because he refused to stop blaring music. Tracey Bridgewater, 41, stabbed Nicholas Josephs, 44, once in the chest with a kitchen knife at their Hamilton Hill house in September 2018, penetrating his vital organs. She argued self-defence Bridgewater told the court Mr Josephs had been violent towards her during their 17-month relationship, trying to strangle her while pinning her down twice. Prosecutor James Mactaggart rubbished her claims, including her testimony Mr Josephs once picked up a knife in front of police she had called to the property following an argument. Mr Mactaggart told the court that never occurred because Bridgewater didn't mention it in a statement for a 72-hour violence restraining order she immediately obtained, only to reconcile with Mr Josephs the next day. When Mr Mactaggart asked her if she had taken any action after his alleged attempts to strangle her, she conceded she had not. 'I loved the man - I wanted the relationship to work,' she said. Bridgewater told the court Mr Josephs had been violent towards her during their 17-month relationship, trying to strangle her while pinning her down twice Bridgewater testified that on the night she stabbed Mr Josephs, he suddenly attacked her looking like 'a crazed man'. She said he pinned her against a wall and put his hand around her neck, threw her across the room and bit her finger so hard she thought he would sever it. Bridgewater and her parents John and Diane, who were visiting from England, were also attacked as they tried to intervene, with the father throttled and repeatedly punched, leaving him with a fractured eye socket. Mr Bridgewater said Mr Josephs pulled his wife to the ground by her hair, 'kicked her across the floor' and shouted 'I'm going to kill the f***ing lot of you and your f***ing dogs'. Prosecutors accepted Mr Josephs had been violent but argued Bridgewater should have sought help. Prosecutors accepted Mr Josephs (left) had been violent but argued Bridgewater (right) should have sought help She claimed she unsuccessfully sought assistance from neighbours then returned to the house, fearing her father would be dead if she took any longer, and found Mr Josephs continuing his attack. Bridgewater said she picked up a knife that lay on the countertop - worried her partner would take it - and may have stepped forward as he lunged at her. 'Next thing I know, there's blood on his shirt. 'I had no other way of protecting myself or my family - I'd exhausted my other options.' The jury was discharged on Thursday following almost 10 hours of deliberations. They were asked to reached a majority verdict - 10 out of 12 jurors - after determining a unanimous verdict was unachievable, but later told the judge they had reached an impasse. Bridgewater wept in the dock. She has been released on bail and will return to court for a status conference next month. The government on Thursday hit out at the UK for allowing an anti-India protest outside the Indian High Commission in London on January 26, saying such incidents create difficulties in the functioning of the mission. Hundreds of people held a protest outside the Indian High Commission, slamming India for withdrawing the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and demanding an end to the ongoing "crackdown" in the region. "We have taken up the issue with the British government. These incidents create difficulties in functioning of our High Commission," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. He hoped that anti-India protests in London are not repeated in the future. India's High Commissioner to the UK Ruchi Ghanshyam met Home Secretary Priti Patel last week and conveyed the security and safety concerns flowing from the planned protests outside the Indian mission. There have been similar protests in London in the past and India has taken up the matter very strongly with the UK Foreign Office. India had conveyed its concerns to the UK over incidents of violence during a protest by Pakistani supporters outside the Indian High Commission on the Independence Day last year. Violent clashes took place outside the mission when thousands of people converged there for pre-planned protests and counter-demonstrations. India had taken up the matter strongly with the British High Commission here and asked it to not allow such activities in future. The anti-India protests have been organised by Pakistani groups as well as Sikh and Kashmiri separatist outfits over the government's decision on Jammu and Kashmir. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Special Task Force (STF) has arrested Dr from Mumbai airport for allegedly making inflammatory statements at AMU during protests against the Citizenship Amendments Act (CAA) last month, officials said. Khan was arrested on Wednesday night with assistance from Mumbai Police at the airport when he arrived in the city to attend anti-CAA protests, an official said. "Officials of the UP STF arrested Dr in a case which was registered at Civil Lines Police Station under section 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups) of IPC. Our police team helped our UP counterparts on their request," said an official from Mumbai Police. He claimed that Khan had made inflammatory statements on December 12 last year during the protest near Bab e Syed Gate outside the Aligarh Muslim University in front of more than 600 students. The official also alleged that the Gorakhpur doctor had made objectionable comments against Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The FIR against Khan mentions that Swaraj India's president Yogendra Yadav was also present during the speech at AMU. Following the arrest in the case, Khan was taken to the Sahar Police Station and after completing formalities he will be taken to UP on transit remand, the official said. Khan, a paediatrician, had come to the limelight in 2017 when a controversy broke out after the death of over 60 children in less than a week at the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur, UP. Overseas students are increasingly selecting London as their study destination of choice; this is especially true for Indian students, with 2018-19 representing a record year for international students in the UK capital in the past decade. According to new data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), the total number of international students grew 5.8 per cent, representing uplift in overseas students for the sixth consecutive year, reinforcing London's reputation as a top higher education destination on the global stage. The total number of international students at London's universities in 2018-19 was 125,035, up 5.8 per cent from 2017-18 and rise on last year's growth rate of 5.3 per cent, demonstrating the UK capital's growing appeal for prospective students. It marks an impressive period of growth for India, which returned to being London's third-largest international student market after falling to the fourth position three years earlier. Indian student numbers grew by 34.7 per cent in 2018-19, seeing the largest numbers since 2011-12. However, China remains London's largest international student market, with 25,650 students enrolled at universities in the UK capital. Applications may have been encouraged by the recent reintroduction of the two-year post-study visa for international students by the UK government, allowing overseas graduates a longer period of time to look for employment after their studies. In September, four London universities were listed in the top 40 in the Times Higher Education (THE) rankings, more than any other city in the world. Universities included were Imperial College (10), University College London (15), London School of Economics and Political Science (27) and King's College London (36). Best student city London holds the crown as the world's best city for students, according to the QS Best Student Cities Ranking, by global education consultancy QS Quacquarelli Symonds. London beat international cities Tokyo (second) and Melbourne (third) to first place for the second consecutive year in July 2019. "I'm delighted to see so many young people from across the world choosing London to pursue their higher education. In doing so, they're becoming part of a global community that has produced some of the world's most exciting and innovative companies. With its world-leading universities, thriving business ecosystem and unrivalled cultural landscape, studying in London offer the opportunity to be part of a city at the forefront of creativity and innovation", said Rajesh Agrawal, Deputy Mayor of London for Business. "These new figures are a resounding endorsement of our world-leading universities and our great city. Whether it's fashion or financial economics, accountancy or art history, prospective international students know when they choose London; they are choosing a first-class education and a cultural experience like no other. We look forward to welcoming more international students to the capital this year!" said Lalage Clay, Director of Education and Talent at London & Partners which runs Study London. Senior BJP leader and Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday claimed that he felt 'foreign forces' were trying to 'weaken' India by 'misleading' people against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) New Delhi: Senior BJP leader and Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday claimed that he felt "foreign forces" were trying to "weaken" India by "misleading" people against the amended citizenship law. Addressing an election meeting in Jangpura Assembly constituency, Singh reiterated that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was not going to take away any Indian Muslim's citizenship but still misunderstanding was being created among them. "No Indian citizen including Muslims will lose their citizenship due to the Citizenship Amendment Act. Still, if the citizenship of a Muslim is questioned by anyone, the BJP will stand with him," he said. "Misunderstanding is being spread to mislead the people. I feel there certainly is the hand of foreign forces behind this, who want to weaken India. The decision is to be made by you, where do you want the country to head," Singh said. He said India is not a Hindu nation and its history is written with love. "India is not a Hindu nation, it's a secular state. Some people are trying to write history of the country through the ink of hatred. But we have scripted our history through the ink of love and affection," the Union minister said. He said around 600 Pakistani Muslims were given Indian citizenship in the last five-six years, asserting that the CAA was not against the minority community in India. "We have not committed any crime by giving citizenship to minorities including Hindus and Sikhs persecuted in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. We are not the people who practice Hindu-Muslim politics," he said. Singh also said political parties were free to discharge their duties as the Opposition but they also needed to keep in mind "their duty towards the nation in terms of the CAA". Seeking vote for the BJP, he slammed the Kejriwal government alleging that it not only failed to fulfil its promises with the people of Delhi but also did not implement the Modi government's schemes for them including the Ayushman Bharat health scheme. "No leader in a democracy has the right to cause loss of people for his own benefit. But he (Kejriwal) did this by obstructing the Ayushman Bharat and other schemes of the Centre, thinking Prime Minister Narendra Modi will become popular among the people," Singh said. He cited the Modi government's achievements, including abrogation of Article 370 provisions, and said Kashmir will witness "such a development" in coming years that even people of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) will demand to merge with India. New Delhi, Jan 30 : After differences among members of the K.K. Modi Family Trust on the sale of assets came out in the open earlier this week, there seems to be some truce among the family members as Lalit Modi, in his latest statement has said that the family is in talks for a solution in the matter to safeguard the interest of the shareholders. The statement gains significance as it comes as a toned-down version from the UK-based businessman, who publicly opposed the Godfrey Phillips India's official stand that there are no talks of stake sale and called the denial a lie. He, rather said on Monday that all the assets of the K.K. Modi Family Trust are up for sale. "While the family does not want to enter into a discussion in the public domain, what needs to be clearly understood is that all family members are working on a solution to safeguard the interest of all shareholders," a statement from Lalit Modi said. Modi further said that Godfrey Phillips India is "not fully conversant" with the efforts of the Modi family to find an amicable solution to some issues that are in the process of discussion. Modi also emphasised the need for new investments into the group for its growth. "I believe that the best possible solution is, if we as a family group, and majority shareholders allow new strategic investments into the group. This is the only way to tap the growth potential of this market comprehensively," he said. "Attention to this issue is crucially important to all concerned and the future of the company." The proposed sale of cigarette-to-retail major Godfrey Phillips India laid bare the differences in the Modi family over both the sale of assets and the management control. Asserting that all the assets of the group would be up for sale, Lalit Modi had also questioned the credentials of his mother Bina Modi as the President and Managing Director of Godfrey Phillips India. "I did not approve #Binamodi to run the #empire as she is not qualified to run such a large corporation and will dilute our value. Thus the sale of all companies, properties etc has been approved at the first trust meeting on 30/ 11/2019. The full sale must be completed by 29/11/2020," he said on Monday in one of his several tweets. The difference regarding the sale of assets comes in the backdrop of the death of K.K. Modi in November last year. Post his death, his wife Bina Modi was appointed as the President and Managing Director of the company. In 2014, she joined the company as an independent director. K.K. Modi, the patriarch of one of the country's oldest and significant business houses, left behind a trust deed, a few clauses of which have triggered the likelihood of asset sale by the family. Letters written by Lalit Modi to the board of directors of Godfrey Phillips of India says that the trust deed states that the entire assets of the family will be sold if there is no unanimous decision among all the trustees on whether to partially or fully sell the family business. London, January 30, 2020 - Born in Brooklyn, New York, the rap artist Maino (Jermaine John Colman) takes his experiences not only from growing up in the famous borough, but also the 10 long years he spent behind bars at Riker's Island Penitentiary. A new dialogue paper, by two academics and co-founders of HIP HOP PSYCH (HHP) in Forensic Science International: Mind and Law, published by Elsevier, review Maino's time behind bars using his lyrics, and exploring the connections between hip-hop, mental health and resilience. "Hip-hop has opened up new conversations around mental health with hard-to-reach groups around the world," noted the HHP co-founders, Akeem Sule, MD and Becky Inkster, DPhil, both of whom hold affiliations with Wolfson College at the University of Cambridge, UK. "Which is being driven in part by influential hip-hop artists, like Maino, speaking openly about their own struggles." The global influence hip-hop has and its particular relevance to youth culture means it must continually find new ways to reach its audience by creating innovative solutions. Hip-hop dominates music streaming services and connects with listeners around the world; the lessons of past mistakes some hip-hop artists tell through their music is often a hardship that listeners can find some commonality with. Several mental health disorders can also be tied back to such adverse social and environmental experiences (including incarceration, financial difficulties or loss of a loved one). Depression may often result and is projected to be the second-leading cause of disability in 2020, according to the World Health Organization. The dialogue paper specifically focused on the resilience factors exhibited in Maino's most well-known track, 2009's 'All the Above', and others including his latest release, 2019's 'Motivation'. As a public figure with well-documented life experiences such as interviews circulated through social channels like Instagram and Twitter, the researchers were able to gain further insights as to what resilience factors shaped Maino's journey and what might inspire others to discover their own resilience. "Our views of Maino's lyrics do not necessarily imply a permanent level of success for his life's trajectory. Sometimes his lyrics reference positive outcomes, but it does not limit the possibility that Maino could still be exposed to critical life events in the future," said the co-founders. They also want to emphasize the intention of their paper is to not present a forensic psychiatric opinion of Maino, nor a diagnosis of a mental disorder or providing a prognosis of his reoffending chances. The co-founders make connections between his lyrics and various concepts relevant to mental health such as stress inoculation, locus of control, cognitive reframing, positive visual imagery, turning points and psychometric tools for measuring resilience. While Drs. Inkster and Sule cannot say for certain that Maino may, or may not reoffend, they highlight the critical need to examine opportunities to use hip-hop as part of already established restorative justice programs, both inside prison and out in the community, to help limit reoffending and improve the chances of successful rehabilitation. ### Notes for editors The article is "Hip-hop's Survival Anthems: Incarceration Narratives and Identifying Resilience Factors in Maino's Lyrics," by Akeem Sule, MD and Becky Inkster, DPhil (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsiml.2020.100008). It appears in Forensic Science International: Mind and Law, published by Elsevier. This study was published open access is available by clicking the above DOI link. Copies of this paper are also available to credentialed journalists upon request; please contact the Elsevier Newsroom at newsroom@elsevier.com. Journalists wishing to interview the authors should contact Drs. Becky Inkster and Akeem Sule at hiphopsych@gmail.com, or Dr. Sule at +44 77 9003 03 64 and Dr. Inkster at +44 77 3847 80 45. About HIP HOP PSYCH HIP HOP PSYCH is an initiative co-founded by Dr. Akeem Sule and Dr. Becky Inkster. It explores how hip-hop can be used to refine psychotherapies and psychoeducation, to enhance recruitment in psychiatry and expand neuroscience research, and to help with public health education and anti-stigma campaigns. This initiative translates mental health information in an accessible manner, while incorporating cutting-edge medical, psychological and neuroscientific research to promote the positive messages that hip-hop music has to offer. hiphopsych@gmail.com. About Forensic Science International: Mind and Law Forensic Science International: Mind and Law is a gold open access journal which promotes the interdisciplinary exchange of ideas between psychiatric, psychological, legal, and other related fields within the forensic spectrum and beyond. To that end, FSI: Mind and Law will publish papers illustrating the intersection of 'mind' and 'law', across the fields of psychiatry, psychology, criminology, neuroscience, sociology, ethics, criminal law, civil and social law, criminal policy, and health service research including delivery of care, with a special significance given to human rights law. About Elsevier Elsevier is a global information analytics business that helps scientists and clinicians to find new answers, reshape human knowledge, and tackle the most urgent human crises. For 140 years, we have partnered with the research world to curate and verify scientific knowledge. Today, we're committed to bringing that rigor to a new generation of platforms. Elsevier provides digital solutions and tools in the areas of strategic research management, R&D performance, clinical decision support, and professional education; including ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciVal, ClinicalKey and Sherpath. Elsevier publishes over 2,500 digitized journals, including The Lancet and Cell, 39,000 e-book titles and many iconic reference works, including Gray's Anatomy. Elsevier is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. http://www.elsevier.com Media contact Jonathan Davis, Global Communications Elsevier +31 20 485 2719 j.davis.1@elsevier.com newsroom@elsevier.com By Express News Service KOCHI: Even as one case of Novel coronavirus has been confirmed in the state, the surgical stores in Kerala have run out of n95 masks. However, the All-Kerala Scientific and Surgical Dealers Association (AKSSDA) said that steps have been initiated to source masks if things turn into a panic-like situation. "The n95 masks dont have regular sales. These masks are usually bought by medical practitioners who want to protect themselves from infections while treating fever patients," said R Devadas, state president, AKSSDA. According to him, at present only three companies manufacture masks in the state. "But only 20 per cent of their product is sold in the domestic market. Around 80% of their product is exported," he said. He said the association will come to an understanding with manufacturers outside Kerala to source the masks if the situation demands. "We have talked to a company in Chennai and some in North India. However, we have to be careful, since we dont want to compromise on the quality of the masks," he said. According to him, people have bought out the stocks. "We think the demand might go up in the coming days since one case has been confirmed. But that is just an assumption," he said. Keralites have great resilience, he added. "This was visible during nipah outbreak," said Devadas. "Even as we try to find good manufacturers to source masks, surgical store owners are forced to deal with fraudsters who try to dupe them," he said. According to him, calls are being received from people placing orders for 50,000 or more units of n95. "However, further enquiries reveal that the packages are meant for China, Singapore and Malaysia. A bulk order of 50,000 units cost around Rs 20 crore. What actually makes the orders reek of fraud is that these are meant for the very countries which are leaders in n95 mask manufacturing," said Devadas. Devadas claims are backed by Johnson Joseph, proprietor of Cochin Surgical Supplies. "We have been receiving enquiries for over 30,000 units. According to those placing the orders, the units are meant for foreign countries. We are not able to meet domestic needs, so dont know how we will get these many units for people wanting to send it outside,' he said. New Delhi, Jan 30 : The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed disappointment over the lack of consensus on framing of legal questions vis-a-vis discrimination faced by women over entry to religious places, including Kerala's Sabarimala Temple. Chief Justice SA Bobde's observations came after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that as per court directions at an earlier hearing, a meeting of lawyers connected with the case could not finalise the common legal questions for further examination by a nine-judge Constitution bench. Mehta told the apex court: "We could not finalise the common questions for consideration. The top court may consider framing questions (under these circumstances)." The court then asked Mehta to place before it the issues discussed in the lawyers' meeting. A bench headed by Justice Bobde had this week said that a nine-judge bench would wrap up all arguments within 10 days and deal with legal questions essential to the case. The court has expressed its unwillingness to grant extension beyond 10 days. On Thursday, many senior lawyers involved in the case had urged the court to frame the issues. The Chief Justice said that the judges concerned will finalise and crystallise the issues over the weekend, which will then be heard by the nine-judge bench. "There is no other way; we will work on the weekend and sit on Monday, and after that we should start," said the Chief Justice while emphasising the importance of beginning the hearing on the Sabarimala order review plea. The apex court also cited the Kashmir matters pending before it. "They first decided the Internet issue (restoration of Internet in Kashmir) while the main matter (abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution) is still pending," the court said when a probable clash of hearings on the Sabarimala issue and other cases in progress before other Constitution benches was pointed out. "We want to decide it (Sabarimala) for the purpose of laying down the correct law. It was given priority, but something happened. We have enough problems of our own; we decide the best course," said the Chief Justice. The court also proposed a conference of all nine judges on the bench. One of the senior counsels said that a majority of lawyers would argue on certain propositions and that suggestions could not intervene in matters of religion. The lawyers cited the case of a Parsi woman who was not allowed to attend her father's funeral since she had married a Hindu and as per Parsi religion she cannot enter the Tower of Silence. There was also the issue of genital mutilation of a seven-year-old girl from the Dawoodi Bohra community. The next hearing has been scheduled for Monday. In November, a five-judge bench headed by then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, instead of deciding the review plea of the Sabarimala judgment allowing entry for women of all ages into the temple, framed seven questions and referred the same to a seven-judge bench. The questions included whether "essential religious practices" would come under the ambit of constitutional protection under Article 26 (freedom to manage religious affairs) of the Constitution. Chief Justice Bobde had explained that the court would only examine the propositions of law raised about religious practices believed to be essential to various religions, and it will not go into the individual facts of the petitions. Caspers City Council reaffirmed its commitment Tuesday night to creating an LGBTQ advisory board. They came to the decision after a lengthy discussion about representation in government and the avenues that exist for minority groups to reach their elected leaders. The advisory board will be just that: an unfunded advisory body with no decision-making authority. But it will be able to bring ideas and recommendations before City Council. The group has already met once, according to Mayor Steve Freel, though the meeting was primarily for planning purposes. The board will be similar to the Mayors Council for People with Disabilities, which was created last year and exists to give an underrepresented population a voice in city government. When council first agreed to form an LGBTQ advisory board in November, Gage Williams, a Casperite and founder of the LGBTQ advocacy group Out in Wyoming, said he was supportive of the idea. His main hopes for the board would be establishing an anti-discrimination ordinance and bringing more education to the city. Council tentatively approved creating the board during the last few minutes of a November work session. Tuesday nights discussion was a continuation of the conversation from that meeting. Councils next step will be to pass a resolution affirming its support for the body. That vote has not yet been scheduled. Tuesday nights agenda item drew quite a crowd for a work session. The discussion had to be moved from a back meeting room to council chambers to accommodate. Excluding city staffers and media, about 16 people were in the room to observe the discussion. There was no public comment period because it was a work session. Early in the discussion, Councilman Bob Hopkins raised a concern with limiting the boards membership just to LGBTQ community members. He said there were many other groups who did not have representation on a special board. He suggested instead changing the group to be a more general human rights advisory committee that would include a variety of different groups. However, the city has already created an advisory board for a specific community group with the Mayors Council for People with Disabilities, which has been active for almost a year now. I do not think we can sit here and pick which groups can be separate, Councilwoman Khrystyn Lutz said. Council debated whether it should disband the disability council in favor of combining it with Hopkins suggested human rights group, but ultimately decided against doing so in favor of sticking with the LGBTQ-specific board. Ultimately six council members supported keeping the LGBTQ-specific board. Other arguments against creating the board came from Councilmen Steve Cathey and Ken Bates. Both Cathey and Bates argued that establishing the board would create a slippery slope. Its a similar argument to those made when council passed an anti-discrimination resolution in 2018. If we start down this road of a particular special interest group getting somebody on City Council, then where is the liaison to the Native Americans, where is the liaison to the Hispanic community, where is the liaison to the African American community? Cathey said. And this just starts to be a slippery slope well never get to win. Bates asked whether this would open the door for advisory boards for pet owners and bicyclists. But the slippery slope argument didnt convince the rest of council. If this prompts the formation of an African American or Hispanic or Jewish or Islamic or Christian advisory committee, then Im OK with that, Johnson said. The citizens in this country have a right to petition their government. Councilman Mike Huber made similar comments, saying he disagreed with the special interest group language being used to characterize the advisory board. What were really talking about is were talking about our citizens, were talking about our people, he said. Im in general in favor of having this kind of liaison so our citizens have another way of bringing things to us. Im not scared of having those kinds of avenues. But who should be given special avenues was also a sticking point. Bates said that the disability council made sense because many people with disabilities may have trouble attending public meetings and so may not have a venue to address council. Other groups, however, are able to come to public meetings like everyone else, he said. Both Huber and Councilman Ray Pacheco countered this point. Unfortunately, as a minority its really tough because your voice isnt always heard, Pacheco said. And unfortunately, as a minority, I can speak from the understanding that your voice isnt heard and that discrimination does exist. And if youve never experienced that, then you dont know. *** The idea to create the advisory board began with the November publication of a national scorecard that ranked Casper poorly for LGBTQ equality. The report, called the Municipal Equality Index, is compiled by the Washington-based Human Rights Campaign. The organization has issued the report every year since 2012. The scorecard ranks cities on a list of criteria and derives an overall score based on those criteria. A perfect score is 100 points. The rubric grades cities in five categories, with multiple points possible in each: nondiscrimination laws, municipality as employer, municipal services, law enforcement and leadership on LGBTQ equality. A city-level Human Rights Commission, which is what the advisory board would essentially be, is among the rubrics criteria. In 2019, Casper only scored points in the municipality as employer and leadership on LGBTQ Equality categories. The city earned a total of 11 out of 100 points, the second-lowest score in the state and the same score as last year. The city has taken some steps to boost the figure. In 2018, the Casper City Council passed a nondiscrimination resolution that promised the city would reject discrimination of any kind against any person. It was a controversial effort, brought to the council by members of Caspers chapter of PFLAG, an LGBTQ rights organization. It passed on a 6-3 vote but not without a contentious debate. The scorecard doesnt award points for resolutions, however, only ordinances, because only ordinances have the full force of law. The city has also appointed Jeremy Yates, the community relations coordinator, as an LGBTQ liaison to work with various advocacy groups in the city. A gender-neutral bathroom has also been proposed in plans for the upcoming City Hall renovation. Nationally, things are improving since the first year the group published the scores. The average city score of 60 is higher than its ever been, and more and more cities are earning perfect marks each year. As of 2019, 88 of 504 cities scored a perfect 100. But Wyoming hasnt seen the same progress. Laramie, the states highest-scoring city with a 63, is only a few points above the national average. Five other Wyoming communities were also scored. After Laramie, Jackson had the next highest score with 52 points. Gillette earned 22 points, Cheyenne had 16, Sheridan had 12, and Rock Springs earned zero points. *** When the report came out in November, a few council members asked to set aside time at a later meeting to discuss the score, the body that levies it and what it all means for Casper. Councilman Charlie Powell has been a vocal proponent of increasing Caspers score, having said the low score could deter people from moving to the city. He is skeptical of the Human Rights Campaigns methodology, though. This is an eastern advocacy group, he said. I suspect they have their own discriminatory beliefs about red states and places like Casper. That said, it hurts us when we are mischaracterized in this manner, he continued. Whether we like it or not, a report like this is viewed by people. He said the report confirmed incorrect stereotypes about how welcoming Casper is but from a practical standpoint, we would do well to try to increase this score for our own economic benefit. The Human Rights Campaign has donated money to Democratic political candidates, as well as other social advocacy groups, according to campaign finance data and the organizations nonprofit filings. Still, many towns in majority-Republican states scored above the national average on the scorecard. For example, Brookings, South Dakota, scored 100 points, despite being a roughly 23,000-population city with a Republican mayor in a majority-Republican state. Councilman Shawn Johnson said he didnt think the city had much law-making control to change the score and that some elements of the scorecard werent the citys purview. Items graded in the report indeed are specific to municipalities, however. For example, one scorable item deals with city contractor nondiscrimination ordinances; another asks whether a city has an LGBTQ liaison in the city executives office. The organization that creates these indexes also scores states more broadly with a State Equality Index, but the municipal report cards are specific to municipal actions. In November, the reports author, Xavier Persad, said via email that local governments are actually one of the more effective mechanisms for these types of policy changes. As the most direct representatives of the people, local officials are uniquely situated to engage the relatively quick-turning gears of local government to enact vital protections for everyone in their community, including their LGBTQ neighbors, friends, and families, he said. Ultimately, most members of council disregarded elements of the Human Rights Campaigns scorecard. That said, the creation of the advisory board may lead to a higher score for the city next year. The full Municipal Equality Index report is available at www.hrc.org/mei. Follow local government reporter Morgan Hughes on Twitter @morganhwrites Love 1 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. Greetings Friends of the 144th! I am not a fan of cold weather and even less of fan of snow, freezing rain and sleet! This past week we have seen a variety of it all throughout the district as schools closed and roads impassable. As I write today, huge snowflakes are falling. I like the beauty of it but not the mess or road hazards it presents. I for one am already ready for spring! Area Residents Converge on the Capitol City Despite the weather, several area residents from all the surrounding communities upset that their voice is not being heard rallied at the Capitol this week. Holding signs that stated No Ban On Public Land they peacefully protested outside the Capitol before heading inside to meet with legislators and attend hearings. This was partly in response to thousands disappearing comments from concerned citizens about the closure of hog hunting in the Mark Twain National Forest. A rally was held in the Capitol Rotunda where I, along with other representatives, spoke about the issues and concerns with the feral hog problem that is plaguing our area. I have filed a bill to help address the concern with hunting hogs on private property with night vision and thermal optics. We need to be providing landowners and farmers with all the tools necessary to protect their property from these invasive species. The bill will be heard this week in committee. Residents from Wayne and Iron county will be traveling to Jeff City to testify in support of this legislation. The Cattlemans Association and Farm Bureau have also indicated that they will be testifying in support of the bill. I have 3 other bills that I am currently working on that I hope will also help us with the issue. Lawmakers Receive Annual Update on the States Court System The General Assembly again convened for a joint session in the House Chamber as lawmakers gathered to receive the 2020 State of the Judiciary address. Members of the House and Senate listened to Missouri Chief Justice George W. Draper outline the successes of the court system and the areas where the court and the legislature have worked well together to improve the justice system. Draper pointed out that Missouri has been at the national forefront in the fight against drug addiction. He noted that the legislature passed the first treatment court legislation in 1998 and in recent years lawmakers have passed bills to expand the full spectrum of treatment court services. Draper said Missouri has more than 100 counties served by more than 120 treatment courts. He also highlighted the 15 treatment courts serving the special needs of veterans in 40 counties. House Gives Initial Approval to Legislation to Create Stiff Penalties for Fentanyl Trafficking (HB 1450) House members took action this week to address the growing problem of fentanyl abuse in the state. Lawmakers approved legislation to create stiff penalties for trafficking the synthetic opioid pain reliever the sponsor of the bill called an incredibly deadly drug. The legislation that received first-round approval in the House would make it a class B felony, which carries a sentence of five to 15 years in prison, for knowingly distributing, manufacturing, or attempting to distribute or manufacture more than 10 milligrams of fentanyl or carfentanil. The distribution or manufacture of more than 20 milligrams of the drug would be a class A felony, which carries a sentence of 10 to 30 years. Fentanyl trafficking numbers have increased by 4,711 percent in the last few years according to the United States Sentencing Commission. Many in the criminal justice industry have indicated that fentanyl and carfentanil are the deadliest drugs in America. Currently, law enforcement and prosecutors only have the ability to charge drug traffickers with possession or possession with intent. There is a trend across the United States that has seen attorney generals, prosecutors and law enforcement work with the federal government to add fentanyl to their criminal trafficking statutes to give them a new tool in their toolbox. The legislation given first-round approval in the House would also create stiff penalties for the trafficking of the date-rape drugs known as GHB and Rohypnol. The bill now awaits another vote in the House before moving to the Senate for debate. House Members Act to Protect Property Owners from Eminent Domain Abuse (HB 2033) The members of the Missouri House of Representatives have once again stood in defense of the rights of property owners. Just as they did during the 2019 session, lawmakers approved a bill specifying that a private entity cannot use the power of eminent domain for the purposes of constructing above-ground power lines. The bill comes in response to the proposed Grain Belt Express transmission line that would carry power generated by wind turbines in Kansas across Missouri to other states in the Midwest and neighboring states. The 780-mile line would run across eight northern Missouri counties - Buchanan, Clinton, Caldwell, Carroll, Chariton, Randolph, Monroe and Ralls and would deliver a portion of the power it transmits to utilities and customers in Missouri. Last year the Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) approved a request made by Grain Belt Express to construct the high-voltage transmission line. The PSCs decision was appealed but the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District ruled in favor of the project in December of 2019. As a result, developers would have the authority to utilize the power of eminent domain to obtain easement rights from landowners who are unwilling to sell. The legislation approved by the House would prevent the use of eminent domain for the purpose of constructing the Grain Belt Express transmission line. It is important to prohibit private companies from using eminent domain to maximize their profits for a project that will provide little benefit for Missouri consumers. Less than 12 percent of the electricity carried by the transmission line would be sold to Missouri consumers. The sponsor of the bill said, The line is designed to deliver electricity to the east coast and doesnt benefit all citizens of Missouri. The point is that this entity is going to benefit from eminent domain more than the general public. The bill now requires another vote in the House before moving to the Senate for consideration. Similar legislation received House approval during the 2019 session but did not secure Senate approval before the legislative session ended. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions, concerns, or suggestions you might have. As your Representative I am here to assist you however I can. I can be reached by email at Chris.Dinkins@house.mo.gov or by phone at 573-751-2112. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The Saudi Development Fund (SDF) and the Arabian Gulf University (AGU) have signed a major agreement on financing the construction of the BD100-million ($264 million) King Abdulla Medical City in Bahrain, said a report. The construction contract for the project had earlier been awarded to Al Fouzan Construction Company, reported Bahrain News Agency. With the signing of the deal, construction work is set to begin soon on the state-of-the-art King Abdulla Medical City Hospital which is expected to be operational by the beginning of 2022. The medical city will be a multiple-phased mixed-use development comprising new academic and medical facilities, research centre on-site accommodation to create a self-sustained campus. In Phase One, the project will see the development of a 264-bed hospital supported by on-site staff housing in addition to 15 operating rooms and quality support medical services such as advanced laboratories and a pharmacy. The Phase Two includes a medical school, research centres, physiotherapy centre, mosque, conference centre and a shopping centre. SDF vice chairman and managing director Dr Khalid Bin Sulaiman Al Khudairi signed the deal with AGU president Dr Khalid bin Abdulrahman Al Ohali in the presence of Saudi ambassador to Bahrain Prince Sultan bin Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Supreme Council for Health (SCH) president Lieutenant General Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Education Minister Dr Majid bin Ali Al Nuaimi and Health Minister Faeqa bint Said Al Saleh, it added. For three years, Valeriya Pashko has been trying to get pregnant. Now her last hope is IVF, provided free by Russia's health service as authorities try to avert a new drop in the birthrate. "My husband and I are really relieved to be getting reimbursed. This costs a lot of money," said the 23-year-old social worker. Pashko is having fertility treatment at a perinatal centre in the town of Balashikha just outside Moscow that the authorities describe as a model for the rest of the country. Boosting the national birth rate is a top priority for President Vladimir Putin, who made this one of the key topics in his state of the nation address this month. "Russia's fate and its historic prospects depend on how many of us there are," he said, announcing enhanced child benefits and payouts to families for every new baby to help the country "escape from the demographic trap." Russia saw its population fall to 142.9 million in 2010 after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, when it was 148.3 million. It is now back up to 146 million, but projected to fall again. In a private clinic, the price of a cycle of in-vitro fertilisation starts at around 100,000 rubles ($1,600), not including the costs of donor sperm and eggs. This is more than three times the median monthly wage. - 'Reassuring' - But since 2013, the IVF procedure, which is the most effective fertility treatment with a success rate of around 30 percent, has largely been state-funded under a compulsory health insurance scheme. Pashko is set to have her second round of IVF after the first failed. Both will be reimbursed by the state. "It's so reassuring to have this last chance because I know a lot of couples in their 50s who don't have children because they weren't able to," she said. At the Balashikha clinic "the number (of IVF procedures) has almost tripled" thanks to state funding, said the head doctor Olga Serova. Her office is decorated with Orthodox icons and a portrait of Putin, who has made the battle against falling population a national priority. "This policy of supporting IVF boosts the birthrate and comes as part of the government's project on demographics," Serova said. The centre's fertility clinic is gleaming and has modern equipment, in contrast to many crumbling provincial hospitals. As one of the best in the country, it welcomes journalists' visits. - New population drop - Russia's current population of 146 million is predicted to fall by 4 to 12 million by 2035. Those in their 20s now were born during a massive slump in the birthrate amid economic uncertainties, so there are fewer people to become new parents. In the first 10 months of last year, the population fell by almost 260,000 people, the steepest drop over the past 11 years. Putin has rolled out a number of policies aimed at encouraging people to have babies since coming to power in 2000. This month, he called for the birthrate to go up to 1.7 children per woman by 2024, from the current figure of 1.5. Fertility treatment is part of this strategy. "IFV isn't going to be the main factor for boosting the population figures but it is part of our work on better pregnancy planning," said Yelena Fyodorova, a gynaecologist at the Balashikha centre. "And what it does simply is to give couples the chance to have children," she said, a joy that "you can see on their faces." Nationwide, the number of state-financed IVF procedures per year rose from 46,000 to 78,000 between 2016 and 2018, according to the health ministry. The goal is to reach 90,000 per year in 2024, which would make Russia a leader in the field, according to the figures of the Russian Association for Human Reproduction. - Liberal legislation - These procedures are often physically gruelling and lead to 25,000 to 30,000 births per year, making up nearly two percent of total births. Since last year it has become possible to undergo IVF at private clinics and then get reimbursed, in order to cut down on waiting times. Russia has very liberal laws on reproductive rights. There are no age limits on assisted reproduction and it is open to single women and unmarried couples. Even the usually conservative Russian Orthodox Church has found little to object to. "Russia still has one of the highest abortion rates in Europe. That's the main problem for the Church," said Roman Lunkin, an expert on church relations. This has led the authorities to mount an active campaign against abortions, long used as a method of contraception. Annual numbers of abortions fell from 1.5 million to 567,000 between 2010 and 2018, according to the health ministry. Despite the massive drop, abortion numbers still loom large in comparison to the annual birth rate of some 1.6 million babies. Valeriya Pashko is one of many Russians having IVF treatment on the state as authorities try to avert a new drop in the birthrate Russia's current population of 146 million is predicted to fall by 4 to 12 million by 2035 Nationwide, the number of state-financed IVF procedures per year rose from 46,000 to 78,000 between 2016 and 2018, according to the health ministry The White House and Senate Republicans worked aggressively on Wednesday to discount damaging revelations from John R Bolton and line up the votes to block new witnesses from testifying in President Donald Trumps impeachment trial, in a push to bring the proceeding to a swift close Washington: The White House and Senate Republicans worked aggressively on Wednesday to discount damaging revelations from John R Bolton and line up the votes to block new witnesses from testifying in President Donald Trumps impeachment trial, in a push to bring the proceeding to a swift close. As the Senate opened a two-day, 16-hour period of questioning from senators, Trump laced into Bolton, his former national security adviser, whose unpublished manuscript contains an account that contradicts his impeachment defense. The president described Bolton on Twitter as a warmonger who had begged for his job, was fired, and then wrote a nasty & untrue book. On Capitol Hill, Trumps aides circulated a letter informing Bolton that the White House was moving to block publication of his forthcoming book, in which he wrote that the president refused to release military aid to Ukraine until its leaders committed to investigating his political rivals. That is a core element of the Democrats case, which charges Trump with seeking to enlist a foreign government to help him win reelection this year. Before the trial convened, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, and other Republicans signalled that they were regaining confidence that they would be able to cobble together the 51 votes needed to block new witnesses and documents and bring the trial to an acquittal verdict as soon as Friday, after the revelations from Bolton, reported Sunday by The New York Times, had threatened to knock their plans off course. Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming, the No 3 Senate Republican, declared that he had heard enough and predicted that the Senate would vote to acquit the president by weeks end. Im ready to vote on final judgment, Barrasso told reporters. Asked if Republicans planned to move directly to a vote on the two articles of impeachment on Friday, Barrasso said, Yes, thats the plan. By Wednesday afternoon, Democrats were sounding a note of pessimism about the prospect of witnesses and securing new evidence in the trial, even as they used their questions to make the case that an impeachment trial without additional witnesses and documents amounted to a cover-up. Weve always known it will be an uphill fight on witnesses and documents because the president and Mitch McConnell put huge pressure on these folks, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, said during a break in the trial. Is it more likely than not? Probably no, Schumer said. But is it a decent, good chance? Yes. For Republicans, it appeared as if they were on the verge of giving Trump what he has wanted all along: an acquittal that he could boast about on the campaign trail delivered before he goes to the Capitol next Tuesday for his State of the Union address. Inside the Senate chamber, senators spent more than six hours grilling House managers and White House lawyers about the definition of obstruction; the meaning of executive privilege; the history of security aid to Ukraine; the role of Hunter Biden, the son of former vice-president Joe Biden, on the board of a Ukrainian energy company; and the whistleblower who first raised concerns about Trumps call with the president of Ukraine. In accordance with impeachment protocol, senators wrote their queries on small cards, which were read aloud by Chief Justice John Roberts, who presided over the trial. In their responses, Trumps lawyers offered their most expansive defence of the president to date, effectively arguing that a president cannot be removed from office for demanding political favors if he believes his reelection is in the national interest. Every public official I know believes that his election is in the public interest, said Alan M Dershowitz, the celebrity defence lawyer and constitutional scholar who is part of the Trumps legal team. Mostly, youre right. If the president does something which he believes will help him get elected, in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment, he said. Many of the arguments and much the day was tailored to convincing a few Republicans who remained holdouts on the question of whether to call witnesses. McConnell gave his partys first question on Wednesday to Senators Mitt Romney of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska in an effort to allay the concerns of the three lawmakers, Republican moderates who are swing votes on the issue. The trio teamed up to ask Trumps lawyers how they should judge the president if they conclude he acted in the Ukraine matter with both political and policy motives. The selection of Collins, who is facing the toughest reelection campaign in her long Senate career, was revealing: It suggested that McConnell was keenly focused on giving her every opportunity to have her voice heard before moving forward. When she rose to announce herself, she became the first senator other than the two leaders to have a speaking role in the trial. Notably absent from the group was the fourth Republican who had expressed interest in witnesses: Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, a close friend of McConnells who has said he will not decide whether to support witnesses until after the question period has closed. On Tuesday, McConnell had privately warned his rank-and-file members that he did not currently have the votes to stop Democrats from summoning witnesses. One after the other on Wednesday, in statements and interviews in the Capitol, they made clear they would side with their leader. Senator Patrick Toomey of Pennsylvania, who had previously floated the idea of a witness deal, said Wednesday that he was very, very skeptical of new witnesses. Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado, facing a tough reelection in a swing state, issued a statement saying that he had heard enough and would vote against hearing from anyone else. McConnell summoned Murkowski to his office on Wednesday morning for a private meeting before the trial began, and she emerged refusing to answer questions about whether she would ultimately support the call for witnesses. We still got some folks who are, like I said, assessing, said Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the second-ranking Senate Republican. But the leaders were planning as if the defeat of a bid for witnesses was a certainty; Thune said it was likely that if it did fail, Republicans would move swiftly for an acquittal. Democrats would need the votes of four Republicans to compel the Senate to subpoena witnesses and new documents. But it seems increasingly likely that Alexander, who is retiring from the Senate and is thus free to do as he chooses, would break from his party. Trump is charged with abusing his power and obstructing Congress by pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political rivals, including Biden and his son Hunter Biden, and concealing evidence of it from lawmakers who were investigating. In the first hint of a possible crack in Democratic unity, Senator Doug Jones of Alabama suggested Wednesday that he might vote to acquit Trump on the charge of obstruction of Congress, though he said that the presidents own behaviour was strengthening the case against him. And Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia said he thought that Hunter Biden might be a relevant witness. Im still looking at that very closely; there are some things that trouble me about it, Jones said, without elaborating. But I will tell you this about the obstruction charge: The more I see the President of the United States attacking witnesses, the stronger that case gets. Fielding friendly questions from Democratic senators, House managers reiterated the heart of their case and accused Trumps lawyers of falsely stating that there was no evidence that Trump linked security assistance to investigations. Representative Adam Schiff of California, the lead House impeachment manager, responded to Dershowitzs argument that a president who believed his reelection was in the national interest could demand a quid pro quo to help himself politically without consequence was very odd. If you say you cant hold a president accountable in an election year where theyre trying to cheat in that election, then you are giving them carte blanche, Schiff said. All quid pro quos are not the same. Some are legitimate and some are corrupt. Democrats have argued that Trumps pressure campaign on Ukraine was precisely the kind of corrupt scheme that the nations founders had in mind when they created impeachment, fearing that an out-of-control president would abuse his power for personal gain. But throughout the day, lawyers for Trump argued that all elected officials make policy decisions to help themselves get reelected. Answering the question from the three Republican moderates, Patrick Philbin, a deputy White House counsel, said a president could not be removed for a mixed-motive situation in which he is acting out of both personal and policy concerns. Theres always some personal interest in the electoral outcome of policy decisions and theres nothing wrong with that, Philbin told senators. Thats part of representative democracy. In one case, White House lawyers struggled to answer a question from Collins and Murkowski, admitting that they had no evidence to counter Democratic arguments that Trump became interested in investigations of Joe Biden in 2019 only after Biden became a candidate for president. Trumps legal team also argued that the House needed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt a standard of proof that legal experts say has no basis in either the Constitution or the rules of the Senate. And the legal team said that the case was merely based on a policy difference between the president and the career diplomats who sounded the alarm on his pressure campaign in Ukraine. Senator Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, sought unsuccessfully to ask a question about the origins of the impeachment inquiry that named the CIA whistleblower who filed the complaint that spurred it, according to a person familiar with the debate. But the query was rejected repeatedly. White House lawyers had help making sure their speakers stayed within a five-minute time limit that Roberts strictly enforced, and he occasionally cut off speakers midsentence. Staff for the lawyers held up small white cue cards showing when the clock was about to run out; the Democratic House managers did not appear to have such a system. Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Michael D Shear c.2020 The New York Times Company WASHINGTON The Trump administration on Thursday moved to drop the threat of punishment to oil and gas companies, construction crews and other organizations that kill birds incidentally, arguing that businesses that accidentally kill birds ought to be able to operate without fear of prosecution. Conservation groups said the proposed new regulation from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, which operates under the Department of Interior, would substantially weaken the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 and put millions of birds in danger. The threat of fines and prosecution has, for decades, helped prod industries to take steps to protect birds, like affixing red lights on communication towers, they say. But industry leaders and administration officials said they expected businesses to continue to voluntarily protect bird habitats. Removing the threat of punishment, they said, would bring regulatory certainty and eliminate legal disputes over whether the law covers birds killed unintentionally, whether from an oil spill or the blade of a wind turbine. Aurelia Skipwith, director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, called bird conservation an integral part of the agencys mission. By specifying that entities should be held liable only if they can be proven to have set out to kill birds, she said, we are taking action today to make sure our rules and regulations are clear. New Delhi, Jan 30 : Ace Hollywood filmmaker Steven Soderberg's "Contagion", which focussed on the spread of a mysterious virus transmitted by fomites, had released almost a decade ago, but the 2011 film has suddenly back in the spotlight, in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in China. The movie, which bears uncanny parallels with recent real-life headlines, has popped up on iTunes's Top 10 Movie Rental List over the past few days, reports hollywoodreporter.com. "Contagion" stars an ensemble cast comprising Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Bryan Cranston, Laurence Fishburne, and Jennifer Ehle, and narrates the story of an outbreak through multiple plot lines. Later this year, Nigel Hartwell's "The Epidemic", starring Eric Roberts, will begin with a meteor crashing into the Earth's crust, causing extreme devastation, following which an unexplained plague spreads and turns a town's population into zombies. Hollywood has often turned to the subject of virus attack and outbreaks to create box-office winners. IANS takes a look at some of the best films in the genre: Outbreak: German filmmaker Wolfgang Petersen's 1995 medical thriller continues to be one of the most accomplished efforts in the genre. Flaunting a powerhouse cast comprising Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman, Cuba Gooding Jr., Kevin Spacey and Donald Sutherland, the film focuses on an outbreak of a fictional Ebola-like virus called Motaba in the African nation of Zaire and goes on to surface in a small town in the United States. German filmmaker Wolfgang Petersen's 1995 medical thriller continues to be one of the most accomplished efforts in the genre. Flaunting a powerhouse cast comprising Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman, Cuba Gooding Jr., Kevin Spacey and Donald Sutherland, the film focuses on an outbreak of a fictional Ebola-like virus called Motaba in the African nation of Zaire and goes on to surface in a small town in the United States. World War Z: Brad Pitt not only acted in the 2013 zombie pandemic film but also served as a producer. In September 2013, Pitt was asked whether or not a sequel to "World War Z" was in the works. He had told variety.com: "We're certainly talking about it, yes. We have so many ideas on the table from the time we spent developing this thing and figuring out how the zombie worlds work," Pitt said. "We gotta get the script right first to determine if we go further." Brad Pitt not only acted in the 2013 zombie pandemic film but also served as a producer. In September 2013, Pitt was asked whether or not a sequel to "World War Z" was in the works. He had told variety.com: "We're certainly talking about it, yes. We have so many ideas on the table from the time we spent developing this thing and figuring out how the zombie worlds work," Pitt said. "We gotta get the script right first to determine if we go further." I Am Legend: Hollywood superstar Will Smith was at the peak of his career when he did this 2007 film, directed by Francis Lawrence. Smith plays a US Army virologist in the post-apocalyptic action thriller. Years after a plague kills most of humanity and transforms the rest into monsters, the sole survivor in New York struggles to find a cure. Hollywood superstar Will Smith was at the peak of his career when he did this 2007 film, directed by Francis Lawrence. Smith plays a US Army virologist in the post-apocalyptic action thriller. Years after a plague kills most of humanity and transforms the rest into monsters, the sole survivor in New York struggles to find a cure. Resident Evil seriesThe series began with "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" (2004), its story continued with "Resident Evil: Extinction" (2007), and then "Resident Evil: Afterlife" (2010), "Resident Evil: Retribution" (2012), and closed with "Resident Evil: The Final Chapter" (2016). The films told the story of Alice (Milla Jovovich), who is a former security specialist and covert operative who battles the Umbrella Corporation, whose bioweapons have triggered a zombie apocalypse. seriesThe series began with "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" (2004), its story continued with "Resident Evil: Extinction" (2007), and then "Resident Evil: Afterlife" (2010), "Resident Evil: Retribution" (2012), and closed with "Resident Evil: The Final Chapter" (2016). The films told the story of Alice (Milla Jovovich), who is a former security specialist and covert operative who battles the Umbrella Corporation, whose bioweapons have triggered a zombie apocalypse. 28 Days Later: Danny Boyle's 2002 British post-apocalyptic horror film starred Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris and Christopher Eccleston. The accidental release of a contagious virus threatens to destroy civilisation even as the protagonists cope with the destruction of the life they once knew while evading those infected by the virus. The film redefined the zombie horror genre and was critically and commercially acclaimed. It was followed by a 2007 sequel, "28 Weeks Later". Danny Boyle's 2002 British post-apocalyptic horror film starred Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris and Christopher Eccleston. The accidental release of a contagious virus threatens to destroy civilisation even as the protagonists cope with the destruction of the life they once knew while evading those infected by the virus. The film redefined the zombie horror genre and was critically and commercially acclaimed. It was followed by a 2007 sequel, "28 Weeks Later". Blindness: The 2008 film, an adaptation of the 1995 novel of the same name by Portuguese author Jose Saramago, was about a society suffering an epidemic of blindness. Directed by Fernando Meirelles, the film had Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo fronting its cast. The film was special to Ruffalo, who learned in 2001 that he had a brain tumor called an acoustic neuroma. In "Blindness," he played a character who is made helpless by an illness and whose experiences were "magnified, amplified and retooled" variations of his own, heraldextra.com had reported. Meirelles had said that Ruffalo had told him: " 'There was a time I couldn't button my shirt or buckle my shoes. Sometimes I was going in the street and I was lost. I had to call home and was 100 percent dependent on my wife. And I was irritated for having her help me with anything. And that, said Meirelles, the Brazilian director, "is exactly what happens to" Ruffalo's character in the film. Maggie: Action star Arnold Schwarzenegger, known for starring in big budget films like "The Terminator", picked this 2015 independent thriller about a viral pandemic and surprised the audience. Schwarzenegger had earlier said in the film's production notes: "When I read it, I knew I had to do it. It is more vulnerable than any role I have played, more real, more emotional. You're used to seeing me play the ubermensch, the action hero bullets can't seem to hit. Action star Arnold Schwarzenegger, known for starring in big budget films like "The Terminator", picked this 2015 independent thriller about a viral pandemic and surprised the audience. Schwarzenegger had earlier said in the film's production notes: "When I read it, I knew I had to do it. It is more vulnerable than any role I have played, more real, more emotional. You're used to seeing me play the ubermensch, the action hero bullets can't seem to hit. Doomsday: Rhona Mitra, British actress of Bengali-Indian origin, starred in this 2008 release directed by Neil Marshall. The story takes place in the future in Scotland, which has been quarantined because of a deadly virus. It was reportedly conceived by Marshall based on the idea of futuristic soldiers facing medieval knights. Rhona Mitra, British actress of Bengali-Indian origin, starred in this 2008 release directed by Neil Marshall. The story takes place in the future in Scotland, which has been quarantined because of a deadly virus. It was reportedly conceived by Marshall based on the idea of futuristic soldiers facing medieval knights. Carriers: Starring "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" actress Emily VanCamp and Chris Pine of "Wonder Woman" fame, the 2009 film directed by David Pastor and Alex Pastor was about four friends fleeing a viral pandemic. They soon learn they are more dangerous than any virus. Starring "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" actress Emily VanCamp and Chris Pine of "Wonder Woman" fame, the 2009 film directed by David Pastor and Alex Pastor was about four friends fleeing a viral pandemic. They soon learn they are more dangerous than any virus. Pandemic: The 2016 science fiction thriller film, helmed by John Suits, had Rachel Nichols playing a doctor who leads a group to find survivors of a worldwide pandemic. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- Syndicated from IANS Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts speaks during impeachment proceedings in the Senate chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 30, 2020. (Senate Television via Getty Images) John Roberts Blocks Rand Pauls Question During Impeachment Trial Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts blocked a question from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) submitted during the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump on Jan. 30. Paul submitted a written question, as senators are doing today and yesterday. Roberts, the presiding officer of the trial, read the question silently before saying he would not read it out loud, effectively blocking the query. The presiding officer declines to read the question as submitted, Roberts told the chamber. He gave no reason for declining to read the question. Reports started emerging Wednesday that Roberts planned to block the question from Paul. A member of Pauls team said Thursday morning that the senator would still ask the question. Senator @RandPaul sends question to the desk during Impeachment Trial. Chief Justice Roberts: The presiding officer declines to read the question as submitted. pic.twitter.com/CCeB33HnRP CSPAN (@cspan) January 30, 2020 Paul took to Twitter shortly after the question was blocked and alleged that his question is not about a whistleblower.' He then stated the question that was blocked, which included naming a person reported to be the alleged whistleblower. Are you aware that House intelligence committee staffer [Sean] Misko had a close relationship with [Eric] Ciaramella while at the National Security Council together? the question stated, according to Paul. Are you aware, and how do you respond to reports that [the two people] may have worked together to plot impeaching the president before there were formal House impeachment proceedings? the question read. My question today is about whether or not individuals who were holdovers from the Obama National Security Council and Democrat partisans conspired with Schiff staffers to plot impeaching the president before there were formal House impeachment proceedings, Paul stated. My question is not about a whistleblower as I have no independent information on his identity. My question is about the actions of known Obama partisans within the NSC and House staff and how they are reported to have conspired before impeachment proceedings had even begun. Paul seemed to be referring to the person who filed a complaint against Trump over the presidents July 2019 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. That person met with at least one staffer of House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the lawmaker admitted after initially saying, we have not spoken directly with the whistleblower. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) reads the question that was blocked by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts during the impeachment trial proceedings against President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 30, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) Schiff has repeatedly said he doesnt know who the whistleblower is. Several GOP senators on Wednesday tried eliciting information about the person who filed the complaint. Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) asked about who the person might have worked with, naming Misko and another person who allegedly worked on the council during the same period. Do you have any reason to believe that the alleged whistleblower and Misko coordinated to fulfill their reported commitment to do everything we can to take out the President?' they asked. Cruz, Hawley, and Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) asked the House impeachment managers if the person worked for or with Joe Biden, the former vice president whos vying for the Democratic presidential nomination. Michael Atkinson, the inspector general of the intelligence community, said in a letter on Aug. 26, 2019, that the person who filed the complaint against Trump had some indicia of an arguable political bias in favor of a rival political candidate. Multiple media outlets reported that this likely referred to the whistleblowers work with Joe Biden. Did the so-called whistleblower work at any point for or with Joe Biden? the senators asked. If so, did he work for or with Joe Biden on issues involving Ukraine, and did he assist in any material way with the quid pro quo in which then-Vice President Biden has admitted to conditioning loan guarantees to Ukraine on the firing of the prosecutor investigating Burisma? Kate Middleton could not happier as a mother of three adorable children, but there has been a lot of talk about the Duchess of Cambridge expanding the family by one more. Kate and her husband, Prince William, are proud parents to Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, but they have never ruled out having a fourth child. Nothing official has been confirmed, but royal watchers are convinced that Kate is pregnant with her fourth child following this one subtle change. Kate Middleton | Toby Melville WPA Pool/Getty Images The odds of Kate Middleton having a baby go up Kate has faced a lot of pregnancy rumors over the past few months, and betting agencies in the UK seem convinced that the couple is preparing for another child. In fact, most oddsmakers believe the Cambridges will make a pregnancy announcement at some point in 2020. All eyes might be on Harry and Meghan right now but the Duchess of Cambridge could soon bring attention back to her with another royal baby announcement seemingly imminent, Alex Apati, a spokesperson for Ladbrokes, shared. Kate Middleton and Prince William tied the knot in 2011. Their gorgeous wedding was held inside Westminster Abbey and was watched by millions of people around the world. The pair had their first child, Prince George, in the summer of 2013. George is currently third in the line of succession following his father and Prince Charles. Kate welcomed Charlotte in the spring of 2015 and Louis in April of 2018. Although she has not confirmed the pregnancy rumors, enough time has passed for another one to be on the way. The Duchess of Cambridge makes a royal appearance Royal watchers, of course, have been speculating about a fourth pregnancy for months. Fans examine every photo of Kate in public and try to tease out details that could point towards a pregnancy. According to Express, Kates latest outing was at the Evelina childrens hospital, where she mingled with health care workers, children, and parents. When talking with Sarah Ibendahl, whose son is in the hospital for an auto-immune disease, the topic of conversation steered towards the fact that William waited so long to propose to Kate. We also bonded over the fact it took our husbands like nine years before they asked us to marry them, Sarah recalled. When I mentioned it she laughed politely and gave a knowing smile. As royal watchers will recall, Kate Middleton was given the nickname, waity-Katie, after dating William for eight years without a proposal. While Kate was happy to discuss her engagement, fans noticed something about her appearance that could indicate another royal birth is in the cards. Why are fans convinced Kate Middleton is expecting? During her appearance at the childrens hospital, royal watchers noted that Kate was not wearing her famous engagement ring. The decision to leave the sapphire and diamond ring at home led some fans to believe that Kate might be pregnant after all. Fans speculated that Kate Middleton might be dealing with a case of swollen fingers, a common symptom among pregnant women. This would explain why Kate was not wearing the engagement ring. The Duchess of Cambridge steps out without her famous engagement ring | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images Because of this condition, some women will temporarily replace their wedding ring with a simpler band. In light of the rumors, Buckingham Palace officials reveled that Kate ditched her ring because she was visiting a hospital. The last thing she wanted to do was get the ring caught somewhere or created a bad hygiene situation with the patients. Is Prince William done having children? While royal watchers would love to see Kate have a fourth child, expanding the family might not be in her immediate future. During a recent trip to the Khidmat Centre in Yorkshire, Kate allegedly told the audience that William is not interested in having any more children. I dont think William wants any more, she allegedly stated. That said, Kate has seemed more open about having a fourth child in previous interviews. During her tour of Northern Ireland last year, for example, Kate revealed that she felt broody while holding a 5-month-old baby. She also joked that William would probably be worried if she said that she was ready to have another child. That does not mean Kate is seriously thinking about having a fourth child, but it certainly does not sound out of the question. Hopefully, Prince William and Kate Middleton will reveal more about their family plans in subsequent interviews. Until then, fans probably wont stop speculating about Kates pregnancy. There is no telling if the pregnancy rumors are right or not, but we have to admit that the royals could use a distraction at the moment. David Iben put it well when he said, 'Volatility is not a risk we care about. What we care about is avoiding the permanent loss of capital. So it seems the smart money knows that debt - which is usually involved in bankruptcies - is a very important factor, when you assess how risky a company is. We can see that Chengdu Expressway Co., Ltd. (HKG:1785) does use debt in its business. But is this debt a concern to shareholders? When Is Debt A Problem? Debt assists a business until the business has trouble paying it off, either with new capital or with free cash flow. In the worst case scenario, a company can go bankrupt if it cannot pay its creditors. However, a more usual (but still expensive) situation is where a company must dilute shareholders at a cheap share price simply to get debt under control. By replacing dilution, though, debt can be an extremely good tool for businesses that need capital to invest in growth at high rates of return. The first thing to do when considering how much debt a business uses is to look at its cash and debt together. See our latest analysis for Chengdu Expressway What Is Chengdu Expressway's Debt? You can click the graphic below for the historical numbers, but it shows that as of June 2019 Chengdu Expressway had CN1.40b of debt, an increase on CN1.6k, over one year. However, its balance sheet shows it holds CN2.08b in cash, so it actually has CN684.5m net cash. SEHK:1785 Historical Debt, January 30th 2020 How Strong Is Chengdu Expressway's Balance Sheet? According to the last reported balance sheet, Chengdu Expressway had liabilities of CN1.43b due within 12 months, and liabilities of CN1.29b due beyond 12 months. Offsetting this, it had CN2.08b in cash and CN256.0m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So its liabilities outweigh the sum of its cash and (near-term) receivables by CN385.6m. Given Chengdu Expressway has a market capitalization of CN3.16b, it's hard to believe these liabilities pose much threat. Having said that, it's clear that we should continue to monitor its balance sheet, lest it change for the worse. Despite its noteworthy liabilities, Chengdu Expressway boasts net cash, so it's fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load! Story continues Another good sign is that Chengdu Expressway has been able to increase its EBIT by 24% in twelve months, making it easier to pay down debt. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But you can't view debt in total isolation; since Chengdu Expressway will need earnings to service that debt. So when considering debt, it's definitely worth looking at the earnings trend. Click here for an interactive snapshot. Finally, a business needs free cash flow to pay off debt; accounting profits just don't cut it. While Chengdu Expressway has net cash on its balance sheet, it's still worth taking a look at its ability to convert earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to free cash flow, to help us understand how quickly it is building (or eroding) that cash balance. During the last three years, Chengdu Expressway produced sturdy free cash flow equating to 76% of its EBIT, about what we'd expect. This free cash flow puts the company in a good position to pay down debt, when appropriate. Summing up While Chengdu Expressway does have more liabilities than liquid assets, it also has net cash of CN684.5m. The cherry on top was that in converted 76% of that EBIT to free cash flow, bringing in CN607m. So is Chengdu Expressway's debt a risk? It doesn't seem so to us. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. For example, we've discovered 3 warning signs for Chengdu Expressway that you should be aware of before investing here. When all is said and done, sometimes its easier to focus on companies that don't even need debt. Readers can access a list of growth stocks with zero net debt 100% free, right now. 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. For much of the week since, Parker, whose academic work focuses on issues of racial and mental-health bias, has been pressing school officials about the seriousness of what happened just after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in Hamden, Conn., about five miles from the Yale campus. She has voiced outrage and is calling for greater accountability in how racial incidents are handled. A court here on Thursday extended till February 3 the police custody of a West Bengal resident arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in the 2018 Nallasopara arms haul. Pratap Hajra was arrested from Nainapur in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal on January 23. He was produced before the special judge for Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act court, D E Kothalikar, at the end of his ATS remand on Thursday. The ATS sought his further custody, which the court granted. The ATS told the court that it needed to analyse the data recovered from Hajra's mobile phone and also his bank account details to probe his source of funding. It was suspected that he was paid for imparting training in making of crude bombs to other accused, the ATS said. Hajra's lawyer claimed that his client was beaten up in custody, and argued that the reasons given by the ATS for further remand were not convincing. However, the court rejected his arguments and extended Hajra's ATS custody. Hajra was absconding after the ATS seized crude bombs, country-made pistols and weapons such as choppers from alleged members of a Hindu rightwing group from Nallasopara near Mumbai and some other cities in Maharashtra in 2018. He was also allegedly involved in a conspiracy to carry out a terror attack during the Sunburn music festival in Pune in December 2017. The attack did not materialise. According to the ATS, the conspirators were opposed to the festival because they thought it promoted 'western music and culture'. Those arrested after the Nallasopara arms haul 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.) MANILA President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered all members of his Cabinet not to travel to the United States after Washington blacklisted his former national police chief over the governments drug war, which has left thousands dead, a top aide said Thursday. The order comes as Duterte has ratcheted up his threats against the U.S., the Philippines longtime military ally, including with warnings of reduced cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries. Last night, the president issued a directive for Cabinet members not to travel to the U.S., Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano told an annual breakfast forum of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines. We will abide with the instruction of the president. He said that Duterte had issued the directive after his former national police chief, Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, recently learned from the U.S. State Department that his visa was revoked. Dela Rosa said he had not been told the reason for the denial, although he suspected that it was because of his part in carrying out the drug war under Dutertes direction. That campaign has resulted in the deaths of nearly 6,000 suspected addicts and drug dealers, and, rights groups say, some innocent civilians. Dela Rosa subsequently retired but was among several Duterte allies who won a seat in the Philippine Senate last year. The brutality and brazenness of the killings has shocked many in this largely Catholic country, with Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch leading a campaign to help families of the victims take their case to the International Criminal Court. But Duterte last year moved to undo a treaty that recognized that courts jurisdiction and insisted that he would not be tried by a foreign court. Washington has for decades been one of the Philippines most reliable partners. The two are bound by a 1951 mutual defense treaty that calls on each to come to the others defense in the face of foreign aggression. But Duterte has recently warned the United States that he would abrogate a defense agreement, the Visiting Forces Agreement, which allows for large-scale U.S. military exercises in the Philippines, unless Washington corrected its visa denial of dela Rosa. Jason Gutierrez is a New York Times writer. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 18:05:08|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close by Nick Kolyohin JERUSALEM, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- "The highest-rated man-made threat in the world is the cyber threat," said Yigal Unna, director general of the Israel National Cyber Directorate. The strongest and most qualitative defense against cyberattacks, according to Unna, is based on sharing information, innovation, supportive work environment, and an "industry-academia-government-military eco-system." Unna spoke at the Cybertech Global 2020 Tel Aviv, which was held in Israel from Tuesday to Thursday. The event, consisting of a conference and exhibition, was attended by about 20,000 people from more than 90 countries and regions, according to the organizers. Amir Rapaport, founder of Cybertech, told Xinhua that many countries and organizations are looking for partnerships rather than competition in the field of cyber, which is the key to success in this area. "We are all different people, companies and cultures from all over the world, but face the same challenge and need to secure the digital world," said Rapaport. Hundreds of companies, tech giants, entrepreneurs, startups, state agencies, and governmental representatives from around the world came to seek innovation and cooperation during the event. Israeli Minister of Energy Yuval Steinitz shared concerns about the growing global cyber threat such as attacks on nuclear facilities. Cyber attacks have the potential to create havoc on all fronts, "but the most sensitive by far is the energy sector, from gas rigs to water supply chains," Steinitz said. Yiftah Ron-Tal, chairman of Israel Electric Corporation (IEC), said it is no secret the number of state-sponsored cyber-attacks has grown and this is likely to continue. IEC considers itself one of the most attacked and protected organizations in the world. In 2019, it suffered an average of 11,000 suspected cyber attacks per second. Essential energy infrastructure is a preferred target of cyber terrorism. In the next decades, it is expected to evolve to a much more vulnerable system, according to Ron-Tal. However, the cyber threat, according to Unna, is also the easiest in the world to deal with. "If all of us pay more attention to security in the digital world as in the real world, it will be much easier to mitigate such global threat," Unna noted. Beijing: Foreign airlines have announced the suspension of flights coming from China in view of the rapid spread of coronavirus infection. The above announcements by foreign airlines have come to light after preparations by the mainland countries to airlift their civilians stranded in Wuhan. According to the information, Wuhan is isolated from the whole world and 10 million people are living here under the threat of coronavirus. At the same time, it has also been learned that the health emergency continues in Wuhan due to the threat of this virus. The United States, Britain and Germany have recently advised to refrain from traveling to China by issuing advisories to their citizens, asking China not to travel abroad for its citizens. At the same time, despite all these exercises, this deadly virus has registered its presence in 15 countries of the world. These countries have continued to treat patients infected with this virus by isolating them. In China, 132 people have died due to infection with this virus while around 6000 people are infected. It is being noted that globally, British Airways is the first major airline in the world to suspend its flights to China. British Airways said on Wednesday that it had suspended all flights to and from China in view of the threat of the coronavirus. The statement said that this step has been taken following the advice of the UK Foreign Ministry. It is known that British Airways aircraft fly regularly from London's Heathrow Airport to Shanghai and Beijing. Three Myanmar airlines have suspended their flights to China since Saturday. Papua New Guinea has also closed its airports and ports as a precaution for all foreign travellers coming from Asia. In a message sent to airlines and ferry operators, the government has said that all those coming from Asian airports and ports will not be allowed to enter the country from Wednesday. Not only this, Cathay Pacific has also stopped operations of flights to China. At the same time, IndiGo and Air India of India have also suspended some of their flights. Also Read: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces difficulty, declared accused in corruption case Iran missile attack revealed the terrible injury in American soldiers Source of spreading corona virus revealed, strange animals created chaos These 30 countries including India join the list of Corona virus Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 16:26:57|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen speaks during a press conference in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Jan. 30, 2020. The first novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) patient in Cambodia is healthy, Hun Sen said on Thursday. (Photo by Li Lay/Xinhua) PHNOM PENH, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- The first novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) patient in Cambodia is healthy, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said on Thursday. The patient, a Chinese man from Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in China, was tested positive for the virus by the Pasteur Institute in Cambodia Monday. The 60-year-old patient has been placed in an isolation room at the Preah Sihanouk Provincial Hospital in southwest Cambodia's Preah Sihanouk Province. In a live televised speech on the state-run National Television of Cambodia, the prime minister said that the patient was in stable condition and could walk and speak normally with doctors. "He is fit, almost ready to let him go back to his hometown," Hun Sen said, adding that doctors continued to keep the patient isolated until he completely recovers from the virus. So far, there is no new confirmed case of the virus in Cambodia, Hun Sen said, calling on the public not to spread fake news about the virus. He urged people not to panic, and told all state institutions, schools, private companies, markets and pagodas to function as usual. The prime minister praised China for its high responsibility to combat and contain the spread of the virus, and advised Cambodian diplomats, expats and students in China to cooperate well with the Chinese authorities to fight the virus. Hun Sen added that Cambodia would not suspend any direct flights with China, saying that such a move would hurt Cambodia's economy and bilateral relations. Chinese health authorities announced Thursday that 7,711 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus had been reported in 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps by the end of Wednesday. A total of 170 people have died of the disease. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Wednesday said that US President Donald Trump will visit the Sabarmati Riverfront during his visit to India in February. "The President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, will visit the Sabarmati Riverfront in Gujarat during his visit to India in February," Rupani said at an election rally here. On January 16, the Ministry of External Affairs stated that India and the United States are in contact through diplomatic channels over the proposed visit of President Trump. "Speculations have been made on this for months... When PM Modi met US President Trump, he had invited him to India... Both the countries are in contact over this. We will share with you as and when we get concrete information," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said during a weekly briefing in New Delhi. Kumar's remarks came amid reports that Trump is likely to make a state visit to India towards the end of February. During the 'Howdy Modi' event in Houston last September, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who shared the dais with Trump, invited the latter and his family to India, saying it will give a new height to the shared dreams of the two countries. The Indian invitation to the US President was reiterated last month by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar when they called on Trump at the White House after meeting with their American counterparts Mark Esper and Mike Pompeo during the 2+2 ministerial dialogue. By Trend Being Jews from Azerbaijan, the processes taking place in Azerbaijan are important for us as well, Head of the Azerbaijani Mountain-Jewish community and Azerbaijani House in Israel Shirin Nehamia Michaeli told Election-2020 Independent Media Center, organized by the Azerbaijani Central Election Commission. "Azerbaijan is a country that is constantly growing and developing. We hope that after the parliamentary elections, Azerbaijan would further strengthen", Nehamia Michaeli said. Nehamia Michaeli hailed the importance of further strengthening of Azerbaijan's position and continuing mutually beneficial cooperation with all partner and friendly states, including Israel. The head of the Azerbaijani Mountain-Jewish community expressed confidence that the newly formed parliament would contribute to further development of Azerbaijan. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz It found the one whose work was most unlike his predecessors was Rachmaninov Beethoven may be the greatest name in classical music but computer analysis suggests he may not have been the most original. A study of more than 19 composers has found the one whose work was most unlike his predecessors was Rachmaninov. Ludwig van Beethoven was among the least original composers, according to computer comparison of his works with others. However, the analysis does show that between 1820 and 1910 he was the most influential. A computer analysis looking at more than 19 composers has found the one whose work was most unlike his predecessors was Rachmaninov (pictured) Researchers analysed 900 classical piano works written by 19 composers between 1700 and 1900, divided into three periods: Baroque, classical and romantic. The team from South Korea created a computer model which was able to calculate scores based on how the works differed from earlier pieces. They also looked at how they differed from previous works by the same composer to assess how novel the composition was. On this basis the composer with the highest combined novelty score was Sergei Rachmaninov. The researchers found Ludwig van Beethoven was among the least original composers according to computer comparison of his works with others Study author Juyong Park of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, said: 'Our model allows us to calculate the degree of shared melodies and harmonies between past and future works and to observe the evolution of western musical styles by demonstrating how prominent composers may have influenced each other.' The authors found that compositions from the classical period (1750 to 1820) tended to have the lowest novelty scores. During this period Haydn and Mozart were highly influential but later overtaken by Beethoven. The authors cautioned the results might have been different if works other than just piano compositions had been considered. ALBANY New York's capital city is "truly on the rise," Mayor Kathy Sheehan said during her yearly State of the City address Wednesday night, but she warned that concerns about a plummeting immigrant population and a potential undercount in the 2020 census may stymie that ascent. During her seventh annual address before the Albany Common Council, Sheehan touted progress in reducing deaths from gun violence, hiring more police officers and 911 dispatchers after worries of a hiring gap and rejuvenating the city's parks, roads, streetlights and neighborhoods. The city set a goal to reduce certain types of violent and non-violent crimes, including murder, robbery, burglary and larceny, by 5 percent from 2018 to 2019, Sheehan said. The city exceeded its own expectations, reducing the rates of those crimes by eight percent. Murder cases saw the largest reduction; there were 14 in Albany in 2018 but four last year, amounting to a 71 percent decrease. But rapes and car thefts both saw spikes, at 18 and 23 percent, respectively. "As our police chief knows, statistics dont tell the whole story," Sheehan said. "Behind these statistics there are still many challenges, and this department worked relentlessly to address challenges around gun violence in our city, to address some of the challenges that drove some of these numbers up, and they had some tremendous successes." Sheehan also highlighted the once-dismal 911 dispatcher staffing rates. After a recruitment drive, the Albany dispatch center is at 95 percent staffing and plans to be at 100 percent within the next few weeks, Sheehan said. Completion of the Albany Police Department's new training center is also helping that department lackluster recruiting rates, with 50 new police officers expected to hit Albany streets soon. The mayor said Albany's push to invest in brighter and more environmentally friendly streetlights is also ahead of progress nearly 100 percent complete. But threats to the city's economy are also on the horizon, Sheehan warned. "Right now, the biggest threat to our economy is an aging, shrinking workforce," Sheehan said. "If employers can't find people to fill jobs they either close or they move to a place where they can find people that have the skill set to fill the jobs they need filled." The unemployment rate throughout the Capital Region began trending upward toward the end of last year rising to 3.6 percent in December from 3.2 percent the previous month an increase that's been attributed to more residents being unemployed and fewer residents working as they age into retirement. Sheehan said the creep upward could also be blamed on the "complete plummet of immigrants coming toward our city." Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The rate of immigrants coming to Albany began crashing around 2017, Sheehan said. "We need to be tireless advocates for sensible immigration policies, and I know that change is hard, but it is our responsibility to lead," Sheehan said. The city and its workers have a lot on their plate during the new year, Sheehan said, "but the most important thing for the future of this city is having a 2020 census," she said. The U.S. Census Bureau warned last year that Albany is lagging behind in the number of enumerators, or census takers, who have been hired for the upcoming decennial count that determines everything from how congressional districts are shaped to how billions of dollars in federal funds are allocated to individual communities every year for roads, schools and other government functions. Sheehan encouraged council members to bring up census-taking opportunities to their constituents at neighborhood meetings, and hinted that she may even sign up. "We have to have all hands on deck," she said. Michael.Williams@timesunion.com or 518-454-5018. [January 30, 2020] Aquant Raises $30 Million in Series B Led by Insight Partners, To Close the Skills Gap in Service with AI Aquant, the leading service intelligence platform, announced today the close of a $30 million Series B funding round. This latest round of funding was led by Insight Partners with participation from existing investors including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Angular Ventures, and Silvertech Ventures. This investment brings the company's total funding to $40 million in the last 14 months. Peter Sobiloff, Managing Director at Insight Partners, will join the company's board of directors. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005082/en/ (Photo: Business Wire) Aquant will use this capital to support its rapid growth, drive the continuous innovation of its AI platform, accelerate global expansion, and grow its engineering, client services, and go-to-market teams. "The expectations from customers of manufacturing companies are growing, just as skilled service workers are retiring. This makes exceptional service delivery more critical, and more challenging, than ever," said Shahar Chen, CEO and co-founder of Aquant. "With this investment, Aquant will be able to meet the market demand for technology that preserves and disseminates the institutional knowledge of service experts. We will continue to help our clients elevate the performance of every service professional, driving higher customer satisfaction and revenue." Aquant is working with some of the largest companies in the world to solve the skills gap crisis in customer service. According to the The Service Council, 70% of service organizations will become burdened by a retiring workforce in the next 5 to 10 years. Aquant's artificial intelligence technology captures the knowledge of subject matter experts before they leave, by unlocking insights from clients' data silos (e.g., CRMs and ERP systems), analyzing the free-text of customer comments and field technician notes, and validating findings with top performers. The platform then delivers prescriptive insights to every member of the service team, helping technicians and agents resolve customer challenges like experts, and service leaders make informed management decisions. "Our mission is to invest in high-growth software companies that are disrupting industries to create more efficiency and maximize productivity," said Peter Sobiloff, Managing Director at Insight Partners. "It was clear to us that Shahar and Assaf have a deep understanding of the field service software landscape and, with this, have a unique opportunity to build something disruptive in the space. Aquant's centralized SaaS (News - Alert) platform and AI technology has the ability to help manufacturers make smarter and faster decisions, which leads to real ROI with both revenue growth and cost savings. We are excited to work with Aquant to expand its customer base and help scale their respective teams." "We appreciate the support and operational expertise of Insight Partners and all our investors as we enter the next phase of Aquant's journey," said Assaf Melochna, COO and co-founder of Aquant. "This funding - alongside the operational resources that come from Insight Onsite, Insight's business strategy and ScaleUp division - will enable us to accelerate the pace of growth and expand our product offering to address service challenges across industries and around the world." This announcement follows a momentous 2019 for Aquant. The company tripled employee headcount, expanded its offices in New York and Tel Aviv, and grew its client list and expanded partnerships with brand names like Becton Dickinson, Comfort Systems, 3D Systems and Sysmex. About Aquant Aquant's service intelligence platform transforms how organizations deliver service through artificial intelligence. The platform unlocks prescriptive and actionable insights from scattered data and free text and combines them with the collective experience and tribal knowledge of your most trusted experts. It empowers teams to use that intelligence to predict outcomes, optimize service team performance and solve problems to deliver exceptional customer experiences. Visit www.aquant.io to learn more. About Insight Partners Insight Partners is a leading global venture capital and private equity firm investing in high-growth technology and software companies that are driving transformative change in their industries. Founded in 1995, Insight currently has over $20 billion of assets under management and has cumulatively invested in more than 300 companies worldwide. Our mission is to find, fund, and work successfully with visionary executives, providing them with practical, hands-on growth expertise to foster long-term success. Across our people and our portfolio, we encourage a culture around a core belief: growth equals opportunity. For more information on Insight and all its investments, visit www.insightpartners.com or follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) @insightpartners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005082/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The family of a handcuffed man shot and killed by a Maryland police officer expressed outrage and sorrow as the officer appeared in court Wednesday facing criminal charges. Cpl. Michael Owen Jr., a 10-year veteran of the Prince George's County Police Department, was charged with second-degree murder Tuesday in the death of William Green, 43, of Washington, D.C. Owen allegedly shot Green seven times as the man sat handcuffed behind his back in the front seat of a police cruiser Monday night. Police Chief Hank Stawinski announced the murder and related charges a day later. "They shot my son and it's not right," Green's mother, Brenda Green, told WJLA-TV. "Please tell me what could he have done to cause someone to draw a gun and fire, not once, multiple times?" the man's fiancee, Sandra Mathis, told WRC-TV. More on case: Maryland cop charged with murder after shooting handcuffed man in police car, chief says Mathis told the TV station she was relieved after charges against Owen were announced. "I feel like justice will be served even though I'm hurting," she said. "I don't want this to happen to nobody. It's a nightmare." Owen, 31, was denied bond Wednesday after Judge Robert Heffron Jr. said he found convincing evidence Owen posed a danger to the community, The Associated Press reported. Cpl. Michael Owen Jr. was charged with second-degree murder. "I have concluded that what happened last night is a crime," Stawinski told reporters Tuesday. The police chief said he could not provide a "reasonable explanation" for the events. Stawinski said it was "unprecedented" for the department to bring such charges against an officer so quickly. In his news conference, Stawinski also corrected information police provided earlier. Owen and another officer were responding to a traffic accident Monday in Temple Hills, a suburb of Washington, when they approached Green, who police say struck another vehicle. Christina Cotterman, a spokeswoman for the police department, told reporters immediately after the shooting that officers had smelled PCP and suspected Green was under the influence. Story continues Stawinski later said PCP does not appear to be involved in the case. Cotterman also said the officers called for a drug recognition expert and placed Green, handcuffed behind his back, in the front seat of the cruiser. Stawinski said police were not certain whether Green had on a seat belt. Citing a police report, The Associated Press reported that investigators did not find evidence of a struggle between Owen and Green. Green died at an area hospital after the officers attempted life-saving measures, police said in a statement. Green was placed in the front seat of the cruiser in accordance with department policy because Owen's vehicle did not have a partition separating the front and back seats, police said. Owen was not wearing a body camera because he had not been issued one, police said. Authorities were looking for video from the area. Deborah Jeon, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland, criticized the department for not having all officers wear body cameras as "completely unacceptable." "Once again, a Black man William Green has been killed needlessly by officers with the Prince Georges County Police Department," Jeon said in a statement. Green's killing was not the first shooting in which Owen was involved. In 2011, Owen fatally shot a man who pointed a gun at him, WRC-TV reported. Owen, in uniform and coming home from a department event, had stopped to help the man, who was on the ground, when the man pulled the gun, the TV station reported. In 2009, Owen shot at a person who allegedly tried to rob him at his home, The Washington Post reported. Owen was also shot at but not wounded, and he fired back at the person who fled. Prince Georges County States Attorney Aisha Braveboy said at the news conference that there would be a "thorough investigation" into the case and that a grand jury would be convened. County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said she directed the chief to conduct an independent review of his department's training practices and methods. Contributing: Joel Shannon Follow USA TODAY's Ryan Miller on Twitter @RyanW_Miller This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: William Green family reacts after Maryland cop Michael Owen charged Twenty children are being held hostage at a house in a village here by a man, who is facing murder charges, police said on Thursday. Subhash Batham, who had invited the children for a birthday party, fired from inside the house on those who tried to speak to him, they said. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is monitoring the situation in Farrukhabad's Kasaria village, which is nearly 200 km from Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow. The children are in the age group of five to seven years and they are in the house for the past seven to eight hours, a distraught mother said around 11 pm. "They must be thirsty and hungry by now," she said, claiming that one of the children is barely two-and a half years old. Television channels have appealed to Batham to contact them in case he wanted to share his demands with the government or authorities. "We are ensuring the safe rescue of the children and if needed, the NSG (National Security Guard) will also be called for the operation," Director General of Police (DGP) O P Singh. He said that commando units have been directed to reach the village. A top home department official has asked the electronic media not to show rescue operation live. Police said Batham is a murder accused and he seems to be mentally unstable. "Twenty children are being held hostage at Kasaria village," Additional Director General of Police P V Rama Shastri said. Inspector General of Police, Kanpur Range, Mohit Agarwal, said, "The man called the children for a birthday party and held them hostage in the basement of the house. He fired six shots from inside the building." He said Batham, who appears to be mentally unstable, fired on those who attempted to speak to him. Batham wanted to talk to the local MLA, but he refused to speak to the leader when he arrived, Agarwal said. The chief minister is personally monitoring the situation and has directed top officials to ensure the immediate release of the children without any physical harm, officials said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A mother has appeared in court charged with the murder of her three children. Deirdre Morley, of Parsons Court, Newcastle, Dublin, appeared before Dublin District Court yesterday evening. Ms Morley (43) is charged with three counts of murder at an address in Parsons Court on Friday, January 24. Her three children, Conor (9), Darragh (7) and Carla (3) McGinley were found dead at the property that evening. Det-Sgt Dara Kenny, of Clondalkin garda station, gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution. He said Ms Morley was arrested at 2.06pm yesterday for the purpose of charge at Clondalkin garda station. She made no reply to each of the charges when they were put to her. Det-Sgt Kenny also applied for the accused to be remanded in custody until next Wednesday, February 5. Defence solicitor Jonathan Dunphy asked for his client to be afforded appropriate medical treatment while in custody. He asked that specifically she would receive continuing psychiatric assessment and assistance. Judge Paula Murphy acceded to that request. She also acceded to a request to direct disclosure to the defence of copies of video interviews. It was unusual to make that request at this stage, he said, however, he explained it would be required in terms of her psychiatric assessment. Judge Murphy also granted legal aid after noting from Mr Dunphy that Ms Morley was not working and she was in receipt of no income. There was no garda objection. The accused, wearing a cardigan, black top and blue jeans, did not speak during the brief hearing. Remanded She was remanded to appear before the court next week. She will be held at the Dochas Centre, the women's unit in Mountjoy Prison. Ms Morley was found by a taxi driver near her house shortly before the children's bodies were discovered. She was treated for days at Tallaght University Hospital. The children's father, Andrew McGinley, arrived home at the same time gardai and paramedics reached the house and when they went inside they found the three children dead. Ms Morley was arrested on Tuesday evening and detained at Clondalkin garda station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984. Earlier this week, Mr McGinley released a statement saying: "There are no words. There is only devastation, grief and anguish. Every breath is a struggle. "Conor, Darragh and Carla are adored. They all had beautiful, bright futures ahead of them with family, friends and a community who love them. "To all parents, cuddle your children whenever you get a chance, tell them how much you love them as often as you can, spend every spare minute with them reading, playing and enjoying their wonderfulness." Cannabis special power to send patients off to slumberland isn't news to anyone. It's so good at it that we connoisseurs have to come up with a lot of special terms like couchlock, heady and body high just to avoid repeating ourselves when we describe its sedative effects. There's a reason they call it dope. But a recent study found that patients are actually using their favorite bedtime buds in place of more traditional sleep aids. According to Using Recreational Cannabis to Treat Insomnia: Evidence from Over-The-Counter Sleep Aid Sales in Colorado, published in the journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine, there's a correlation between the amount of over-the-counter sleep aids sold in an area and the distance to the nearest marijuana dispensary. Researchers from the University of New Mexico and California State Polytechnic University analyzed UPC retail scanner data from Colorado stores and found that the market share of OTC sleep aids decreases when a recreational cannabis dispensary is nearby. The study's authors measured how store-level OTC sleep aid market shares decreased when a recreational cannabis dispensary opened in the same county. The effect was enhanced as more dispensaries opened in the area. Our results show that the market share growth for sleep aids shrank with the entry of recreational cannabis dispensaries by more than 200 percent relative to the mean market share growth in our sample, and the strength of the association increased with each subsequent dispensary, the researchers concluded. One cannabinoid that should get some credit here is the under-acknowledged cannabinol (CBN). When weed is exposed to the open air, its THCA converts to CBNA. According to Potbotics, 5mg of CBN is more effective as a sleep aid than 10mg of Valium, a claim repeated all over the internet that weve yet to corroborate. Nevertheless, CBN is recognized by a number of cannabis cultivators as one of the cannabinoids that contributes to the dopey feeling in many indica strains. There still isn't much in the way of research to verify whether cannabis is a viable sleep aid, but at this point, it's hard to ignore the incredibly strong anecdotal evidence. It might actually be the one indisputable health benefit associated with the drugif it's ever substantiated. It's almost a guarantee that anyone holding this magazine will have been hit by the sleepies while experimenting with marijuana at some point already. If you haven't, do yourself a favor and buy the dopiest indica you can get your hands on and give it a whirlmaybe leave a bowl out overnight so it gets real dry and crispy and CBN-laden. Just make sure to put your jammies on ahead of time. Minister of Canadian Heritage Steven Guilbeault speaks during a discussion at the Prime Time 2020 conference in Ottawa on Jan. 30, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld) Heritage Minister Wants Reform of Broadcast and Telecom Rules to Level Playing Field Foreign players may need to invest in Canadian programming OTTAWAHeritage Minister Steven Guilbeault is hinting that changes to Canadas broadcasting and telecom rules could include making online streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon pay sales taxes and requiring them to invest in Canadian programming. On Jan. 29, an expert panel delivered a report to the federal government recommending sweeping new powers and responsibilities be given to the Canadian Radiotelevision and Telecommunications Commission, including oversight of foreign streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, and Apple. Speaking at a broadcasting industry conference in Ottawa on Jan. 30, Guilbeault promised legislation to reform Canadas broadcasting and telecom rules within a matter of months, but offered few details on what the proposed changes will be. Later, when pressed by reporters, he suggested there were a few of the panels particular recommendations that he agreed with, including one saying Ottawa should immediately require streaming companies to start collecting and remitting GST/HST. I think thats about fairness. Everybody is paying the GST in Canada, I dont see why some of the richest companies in the world shouldnt pay GST in Canada, Guilbeault said. He also noted that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a recent interview that a measure to tax online streaming services could be coming in the federal budget. The federally appointed review panel headed by former Telus executive Janet Yale delivered its 235page report on Jan. 29, which includes 97 recommendations for changes. Some of those are relatively simple, such as renaming the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Acts as well as the CRTC. Others would require major shifts in policy, including one that would require online streaming companies to invest in Canadian content, as domestic broadcasters are already required to do. The panel suggests the CRTC should be responsible for a new registration process for internet companies such as Netflix that distribute media content in Canada, whether the provider is domestic or foreign. The new registration regime would require online streaming services that benefit from operating in Canada to invest in Canadian programming. On Jan. 30, Guilbeault suggested the government favours a move in this direction. They are already spending money in Canada, all we will be asking them to do is to do it in a more organized way and to ensure that we have Canadian cultural content that is available for Canadians and for audiences around the world, Guilbeault said. Were not asking them to do more, were just putting in place a system to ensure that its done well. He said the government will take time to study the panels report indepth before making any concrete commitments for possible reforms. Some changes will come through legislation, Guilbeault said, adding that this could be tricky, as it will require support from opposition parties to pass in the minority Parliament. Thats why government is also looking at possible regulatory changes that could be decided and implemented more quickly, as such changes would only require the approval of cabinet. HIGHLAND PARK, N.J., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The grant-funded project, entitled LGBT Census T.E.A.M. (Targeted Education and Awareness to Multidimensional-populations), is a coordinated, county-wide effort which strives to increase Census participation rates for the LGBT community. There is a critical need that every person who resides in the state be counted as more than $23 billion is at stake in federal funds. An under-count will result in less funding for the state and fewer representatives in Congress. New Jersey has lost three congressional seats since 1980. As mandated by the Constitution, the U.S. Census counts the residents of the United States every ten years. Participating in the Census is everyone's civic duty, but not everyone responds to it. In 2010, for example, fewer than 60% of New Brunswick residents were counted. LGBT individuals are considered part of a Hard to Count (HTC) population. Other HTCs include, but are not limited to, African Americans, Latinos/Latinx, Asians, Non-Native English speakers, college students, young children, men 18-49, the incarcerated, and the elderly. Members of HTC communities may be wary of responding to the Census for fear of their immigration status, concern about legal reprisal, or a fear of government in general. However, "By law, your census responses cannot be used against you by any government agency or court in any waynot by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), not by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), not by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and not by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)." (Census.gov) Mark McSpirit, president of The Pride Center stated, "The project will launch a targeted outreach campaign that capitalizes on the trusted name The Pride Center has built within the LGBTQ+ community since its founding 25 years ago. It will educate the public about the importance of being counted." The Center, which has a long history of working with local community partners, will collaborate alongside other local LGBT and ally nonprofits in targeting HTC individuals. It will engage in a campaign to educate the public, encourage participation, as well as establish a Community Census Support Center at the Pride Center where visitors can log in and file with the Census electronically. The mission of The Pride Center of New Jersey is to provide a safe and welcoming space for all individuals who identify as LGBTQ to find support, educational tools, health and education resources, and social opportunities within a community of acceptance. Comprehensive programming in support of this mission includes lesbian, gay, trans and family resources, social groups and free HIV testing. https://www.pridecenter.org/ SOURCE The Pride Center of New Jersey Related Links www.pridecenter.org This year marks the beginning of a new decade and importantly, a new census the nationwide survey that will influence the political and socioeconomic agenda for the next 10 years. When I moved to Baltimore in 2011, the census data from the previous year had been released and with it came a debate on redistricting and the loss of representation in the General Assembly. Nine years later, I have witnessed the growth of immigrant communities in Baltimore. You can see the demographic shift throughout the city from inclusive murals to the growing number of minority-owned businesses. The recent Year in Review report from the Mayors Office of Immigrant and Multicultural Affairs highlighted the tremendous contributions by immigrants who account for one in five businesses in Baltimore. The Latino population alone represents approximately 8% of the citys population, a 134% increase since the last census. Nonetheless, it is common to hear people say, there is only a small percentage of immigrants, or, we dont have more interpreters because there arent very many non-English speakers. The 2020 census is an opportunity for immigrants and all marginalized groups to be counted. An accurate count can further justify demands for political, health care, public health, education and systemic changes. A low count could perpetuate further budget cuts to social programs and clinics, redistricting and the loss of political representation needed for communities to thrive. The U.S. Census Bureau acknowledges its inability to reach certain communities, which it calls hard to count. This refers to (communities) for whom a real or perceived barrier exists to full and representative inclusion in the data collection process. In addition to immigrants, households with single parents, young children, low income and limited access to the internet are overrepresented in hard-to-count communities. Why? Consider the following. You have neither internet access nor a computer in your home. You receive a letter from an agency you dont know, in a language you cant read, asking you to submit personal information online. I have worked at Centro SOL, the Center for Salud/Health and Opportunities for Latinos at Johns Hopkins, where we have advocated for quality health and health care access for the Latinx community in Baltimore, for more than five years. We work with Latinx, low-income, limited internet-access and limited English-proficient families who comprise hard-to-count communities. It is very common for my team and me to assist families to respond to letters they receive written in English regarding health insurance, utility bills and scholarships notifications for their children. The language in which the Census Bureau notifies households about the submission form is based on the previous census. In cities like Baltimore, where there has been significant, rapid demographic change, families with limited English proficiency are not part of the 2010 data, therefore may not be reached in their preferred language and consequently may not submit the form. The census has historically undercounted marginalized groups, and a language barrier to the census participation risks increasing disparities through selective undercounting. This not only affects individual communities, but also entire cities. Starting this month, along with many other organizations around Baltimore, Centro SOL will launch a census campaign to reach out to households in hard-to-count neighborhoods. Everyone on my team will receive information about the census to be prepared to answer questions and encourage families with limited English proficiency to submit the census form. There is no makeup when communities are undercounted for the next 10 years, and statistics from the census influence policy. Results from the census shapes Congress and its legislative framework and impact federal funding allocation. Baltimore could lose about $1,800 per person who is not counted. Marginalized groups are the populations that might benefit the most from better political representation, more federal funds and by the potential policies that might be instituted if there is an accurate representation of the population. For example, programs like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, school meals programs and funding to the Health Resources and Services Administration could all be negatively impacted by inaccurate census counts. The Health Resources and Services Administration funds federal health clinics in Maryland based on an assessment of the need of services in a given area and the merit of the application submitted based on census data of underserved populations. We all have a role in ensuring that everyone is counted as accurately as possible in order to reflect the needs, assets and qualities of the community. Talk with your neighbor about the census and join organizations, like The Mayors Office of Immigrant Affairs and the advocacy group CASA, that are driving campaigns like #BmoreCounts to make sure everyone is counted in this years census. Monica Guerrero Vazquez (mguerre3@jhmi.edu) is executive director of Centro SOL, an affiliate of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A man looks at a screen displaying news of markets update inside the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) building in Mumbai BENGALURU (Reuters) - Indian shares ended lower on Thursday, led by losses in metal and state-owned banking stocks, as worries over the economic impact of the coronavirus weighed on sentiment and as markets waited for the release of the country's federal budget on Saturday. The NSE Nifty 50 index closed down 0.77% at 12,035.80, while the S&P BSE Sensex ended 0.69% lower at 40,913.82. India reported its first case of the new coronavirus on Thursday, saying a student in Kerala had tested positive for the virus that originated in China and has killed 170 people so far. Investor fears of the impact of the fast-spreading virus have led them to offload riskier equities and turn to safe-haven assets such as gold and bonds. The Nifty state-owned banking index closed down 1.32%, while the metals index was down 1.39%. Yes Bank led losses among the blue-chip stocks, falling 5.22%, while Bajaj Auto, the top gainer, rose 1.74%. (Reporting by Derek Francis in Bengaluru; Editing by Amy Caren Daniel) A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. The Supreme Court will on Thursday hear the curative petition of Akshay Thakur, one of the four death row convicts in the 2012 Delhi gang-rape case. Thakur (31) is seeking commutation of his death sentence to life imprisonment. A five-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Justice NV Ramana will hear the petition at 1 pm, according to news agency ANI. The curative petition, filed by advocate AP Singh on behalf of Akshay, states that the present curative petition should be allowed by the apex court and it should set aside the May 5, 2017 order, which upheld the death sentence of the convicts. Akshay in his plea said, The hollow claim that the death penalty creates a special kind of deterrence which is not caused by life imprisonment and that life imprisonment amounts to forgiving the criminal is backed by nothing more than a barely masked need to justify vengeance and retribution. He also contended that in 17 cases involving rape and murder, the top court has commuted the death sentence. Akshay also questioned why the alternative of life imprisonment without parole until the end of natural life was foreclosed in his case. The top court had dismissed Thakurs review petition in December last year. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition filed by Mukesh Singh against the presidential order rejecting his mercy plea. A three-judge bench led by Justice R Banumathi ruled that Mukesh Singhs argument that the government did not produce all relevant records before the President did not hold water. The four men were convicted and sentenced to death by the trial court in 2013. The conviction and sentence were confirmed by the Delhi high court in 2014 and the Supreme Court in May 2017. The executions were initially scheduled for January 22, but a Delhi judge set a new date for February 1 after Mukesh filed his mercy petition before the President. A prominent Russian military historian who killed and dismembered his student lover was sane when he shot her, psychiatric experts have said. Napoleonic academic Oleg Sokolov, 63, is accused of shooting 24-year-old PhD student Anastasia Yeschenko with a bolt-action TOZ-17 rifle styled to look like a 19th century cavalry gun at his home in St Petersburg last year. The historian, who often dressed up as his French hero, is then accused of dismembering Miss Yeschenko, placing her body parts in plastic bags, and dumping them in the Moika River. Following his arrest in November last year - when Sokolov was found in the river holding a backpack containing some of the remains - psychiatrists were asked to assess his mental state. Psychiatrists asked to examine the mental health of Napoleonic historian Oleg Sokolov, 63 (pictured), after he allegedly murdered and dismembered his PhD student lover during a row have found that he is sane Police believe Anastasia Yeschenko, 24, was shot in the head with a bolt-action rifle styled to look like a 19th century cavalry gun after an attempt to strangle her failed They have now ruled that he was sane at the time. The analysis showed he was not in a 'strong emotional state' or a 'psychologically traumatic situation' when he killed her, said the report. His lawyer Alexander Pochuev claimed Sokolov faced 'bullying' by the leaking of psychiatric findings ahead of his trial. He blamed prosecutors seeking to 'discredit' Sokolov, he told Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper. Police initially believed that Sokolov stabbed Yeschenko to death before dismembering her, but now believe he shot her. Detectives say he loaded his rifle with 5.6-mm Sniper rifle bullets and shot the woman in her head several times. A total of eight bullets were missing from his ammunition box. Sokolov, who often dressed up as the French dictator (pictured with Miss Yeschenko),was arrested in November last year after he was allegedly found in the Moika River in St Petersburg clutching a backpack containing some of her remains Police say Yeschenko's severed head was found at Sokolov's apartment, and it was not until last month that her legs were found in the river (pictured, a bag containing the body parts) Earlier it was reported her body also had stab wounds. Sokolov earlier claimed Yeschenko had strongly objected to him seeing his children from a previous marriage, and this led to a row. But in a confession written to a newspaper he said: 'I understand that I committed an horrific thing and deserve the strictest penalty possible.' His academic career and achievements including the French Legion of Honour were 'crossed out in a few seconds' when he shot his student lover, he admitted. 'I don't care what is said about me. It doesn't matter,' he said. Police say Sokolov has admitted to killing Miss Yeschenko in a row over his children from a previous marriage 'I killed her and myself too. I do not exist. My cherished memory of Anastasia is the most important thing for me now. 'We were supposed to get married and were planning the wedding. 'In over five years (dating) I had not raised my hand to her. Even scandals between us were rare.' The academic has been transferred from Serbsky to Moscow's notorious high-security Butyrka detention facility. He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison if convicted at his upcoming trial. A version of this story about David Heyman and Emma Tillinger Koskoff first appeared in the Down to the Wire issue of TheWraps Oscar magazine. For producers, landing two Best Picture nominations in a single year is one of the rarest Academy Award accomplishments. Since the Oscars began crediting individual producers in 1951, only seven have managed the feat and two of those came this year, when David Heyman (who produced Quentin Tarantinos Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Noah Baumbachs Marriage Story) and Emma Tillinger Koskoff (Martin Scorseses The Irishman and Todd Phillips Joker) each turned the trick, the first time two producers have ever done it in a single year for different films. A few minutes before they were due at the Producers Guild Awards on Jan. 18, Heyman and Koskoff sat down with TheWrap to talk about their rare accomplishment. At events like tonights, do you guys have a problem figuring out where to sit? EMMA TILLINGER KOSKOFF Im with Joker tonight but yeah, its a little challenging, to say the least. DAVID HEYMAN Im lucky, and Im sure that you are, too, in the sense that both directors really like each other and admire each other. At the Governors Awards, the first awards of the year, I made sure they put Quentin and Noah close together, and it was clear that they get along. So it makes it a little bit easier. But still, you want to give time to each, and its Sophies choice sometimes. KOSKOFF Right. You want to be able to share the love for both of them. HEYMAN But how fantastic to be in this position. And actually, I find that sometimes its not the directors themselves, its the people around them who get anxious. KOSKOFF Exactly. Also Read: Jennifer Lopez, Quentin Tarantino and More Portraits From Palm Springs Film Festival (Photos) The first reaction to seeing a producer with two Best Picture nominees in the same year is, How did you find the time? KOSKOFF It worked out really well for me. I wrapped Irishman, 108 days of shooting, and I think I had a long weekend and then I was in a scout van with Todd. Postproduction on Irishman was going to be longer than usual given the visual effects, and we were shooting Joker in New York, so it worked out perfectly for me in terms of timing and location. I was able to check in on the cutting room when I needed to. Story continues HEYMAN Same for me. One after the other. Once Upon a Time was obviously shot in Los Angeles, but Marriage Story was HEYMAN Marriage Story was shot in L.A., all but a week. KOSKOFF Wow. Are you based here, or in London? HEYMANN Im mostly London. So my family moved out here for the three months of the Once Upon a Time shoot, which is a nice way to visit L.A. And Quentins really inclusive. Every Friday night he has dailies and he invites the P.A.s and the movie stars. Everybody comes, theres pizza and margaritas and wine and beer, and its celebratory, hes sitting in the center enjoying the work with all of them. My wife came to some of those, and it really does create a family with the people hes working with. Also Read: Quentin Tarantino on What Happened to Leonardo DiCaprio's Character After 'Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood' Emma Tillinger Koskoff From an outsiders perspective, it looks as if each of you is nominated for one movie that was probably an enormous undertaking, and the other that was of a more manageable scale. But I dont know if it feels like that when youre making them. KOSKOFF It doesnt. I will say that I like a 58-day schedule versus a 108-day schedule. (Laughs) But other than that, both of my films were shot in New York, which is an incredibly challenging city to shoot in. With The Irishman, we had a massive footprint, and sometimes two or three moves a day. But Joker, Todd moves so quickly its shocking. We were always running. HEYMAN I agree. Ive worked on films that cost $60,000, films that cost $3 million and films that cost over $200 million. And they all have their own challenges. If youve got a $200 million film, you still dont have enough money. I assume you find yourself adjusting to the director, each of whom requires a different approach. HEYMAN Yes. As a producer, youre supporting the director and their vision, and you adapt to their needs and their idiosyncrasies. For me, it was the first time that Id worked with either one of these directors, and it took a moment for me to know them. It was a learning process every day. For Noah, the important thing was creating the space for him to do his work. His actors go to such brave, open, exposed places, and its about creating the space for them to do that. With Quentin, hes a much more flamboyant character, hes a vivid personality. But it was about marshaling that and being there to talk to him when those conversations needed to be had. KOSKOFF For me, I know Marty so well and I know very well how to produce for him and anticipate needs or issues that are going to come up. And again, its my priority to create a space for him and his actors and creative team to do their thing with the least amount of production interference. With Todd, I really didnt know what I was getting into. And what I realized with him, oddly enough, is that he is almost a producer first. He has a major producer hat on at all times. And I finally had to say to him, after week one, Youre going to have your hands full. You have to take that producer hat off and let me take it on. Todd hadnt really worked with a producer in the way that he and I worked together, and I tried to encourage him to let all of that go so that he could have that intimacy with his actor. Also Read: Director Todd Phillips: 'Joker' Sprang From Concern Over World Without Empathy For both of you, one of the films was for a major traditional Hollywood studio and the other was for Netflix. How different was that? KOSKOFF We were going to have the best theatrical release we could with Irishman so we had that component, which was great. I think the Netflix model is great. Theres so many people who cant necessarily afford a night out to the movies or have movie theaters near them anymore, cause theyre evaporating. I commend Marty for being such an advocate for cinema, and yet hes always willing to stay current and hes not afraid of new things. And I say it at every opportunity: Ted (Sarandos) and Scott (Stuber) are the greatest partners ever at Netflix. The freedom and support we were given I would make every movie with them if I could. HEYMAN I echo what Emma just said. Youre making a film to be seen on the big screen as much as possible. But the thing is, in a time where its harder and harder to get original films made, Netflix is making them. The Irishman wouldnt have gotten made without Netflix. KOSKOFF Definitely not. HEYMAN Noahs movie, they came in when we needed them with not even a moments hesitation, and they were tireless in their support. The issue at the moment is the relationship between the streamers and the theater owners. And not just them the studios, too, are having those conversations. I believe the model has to change. KOSKOFF It has to. It has to. HEYMAN And were going to move to a shorter window. When the studios are putting all that money to a theatrical release, to not then be able to use those assets to feed into the next stage is crazy. So I have nothing negative to say about Netflix. I would make a film with them in a heartbeat. David Heyman When youre shooting films like these, do you have a clear sense as youre making them of what theyre going to be like in feel, scale, length? KOSKOFF I knew going in that we were going to be three-plus hours. Ive made enough movies with Marty theyre long, and I knew the scope and scale of what we were shooting. With Joker, I knew that Todd likes a two-hour movie and he was going to keep it in that zone. And you know what youre getting on the day, but you never really know whats going to happen when you see it from start to finish. I could anticipate some things: After week one, I said, Joaquins going to win every acting award you can win when this movie comes out. Because Id never seen anything like it. So you know what you have, but you dont really know what you have. HEYMAN I think thats right. And I think length is a strange thing. A 90-minute film can feel a lot longer than a three-and-a-half-hour film. I think with both films, I had a sense of what they would be. Noah and Quentin are great writers and because theyre also directors, they conjure a world that is so vivid and clear. But there are still discoveries with each viewing. I would think that however it reads when, say, Adam Drivers character sings Sondheim in Marriage Story, it cant have the impact of when he actually does it. HEYMAN Thats absolutely right. That moment was just devastating. And also, the end of Quentins movie. When you see Leo say to Brad, Youre a good friend, Cliff, and Brad says, I try you feel this friendship, you see Rick coming to terms with his life and reaching a place of gratitude and acceptance. I loved it when I read it, but when I saw it, it resonated with me in a way that I could not imagine. Obviously, each of you had two films that were in the conversation during all of awards season. Did you know how few producers before you had received two Best Picture nominations in the same year? HEYMAN I did look it up, actually. I noticed the first people to have done it and I thought, Oh, my God. It was Francis Coppola and Fred Roos for Godfather Part II and The Conversation. And they did it in a year with only five nominees. Its so humbling. KOSKOFF Totally. I didnt even know about it, and somebody said to me, I think youre going to make history. Youre going to be the first woman to get two. But then I found out that Megan Ellison did it. (Laughs) Megan Ellison beat me! (Editors note: Ellison received nominations for American Hustle and Her in 2014.) I dont make movies for awards, and I truly mean that. But its so lovely and so wonderful. Im humbled, and I love being tied with this one. (Points to Heyman) I mean, Davids a producer Ive looked up to through my career, and Im, sort of like, What am I doing here? Ive got a bit of a HEYMAN Imposter syndrome? I have that. KOSKOFF Imposter syndrome! I for sure have it. Its not lost on me what an achievement and an accomplishment this is. HEYMAN I feel the same, you know. And also, how lucky are we? Were here because we have the good fortune to work with incredibly talented artists who never settle but are always pushing the boundaries of what is possible. And they make everybody they work with better. And also, I love making movies. Im actually really excited for this to be over, so I can get back to making a movie. KOSKOFF Yes! Ive got to get back to Oklahoma Im prepping! Read more of the Down to the Wire issue here. Oscar Wrap Renee Zellweger cover Read original story How Producers David Heyman and Emma Tillinger Koskoff Each Landed 2 Best Picture Oscar Noms At TheWrap Attorney General William Barr sits down with Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Father Dave Dwyer, CSP at The Catholic Channel's 'Conversation With Cardinal Dolan' in New York City on Jan. 28, 2020. (Noam Galai/Getty Images for SiriusXM) Barr Compares Trumps Style to George HW Bush: He Listens Attorney General William Barr has discussed the different styles of former President George H.W. Bush and President Donald Trump in a candid interview with SiriusXMs The Catholic Channel. Barr served as attorney general from 1991 to 1993 during the Bush administration and has been serving in the same role in the Trump administration since February 2019. During an interview with Archbishop of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan and co-host Father Dave Dwyer, CSP, on their show Conversation with Cardinal Dolan, Barr noted that both presidents are very different. Attorney General William Barr (C) sits down with Cardinal Timothy Dolan (L) and Father Dave Dwyer, CSP (R) at The Catholic Channels Conversation With Cardinal Dolan on January 28, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for SiriusXM) I love both men. H.W. (George Herbert Walker Bush) was more low-key. He had a very strong interest in foreign policy in which he really focused his attention on. The interesting thing about Trump is that hes very hands-on, Barr continued. Hell bring people in to explain things to them, hell reach down and bring the experts in and he listens. When pressed for more details about working with Trump, Barr explained: I see him on a regular basis, several times a week, hes very easy to work with, he has a good sense of humour, hes very direct. One of the things I like about him is that what you see in public is what you see in private. He doesnt have two different acts that he puts on and hes much more engaged than people give him credit for. Hes a strong leader, getting things done, and I sometimes say if he wasnt facing the resistance he is and the dogged opposition that he faces, you just wonder how much more he could accomplish because hes accomplished a lot in the face of great resistance. Elsewhere in the interview, Barr, a devout Catholic, discussed religious freedom in the United States and warned that religion is being driven out of the marketplace of ideas, and that theres an organized, militant secular effort to drive religion out of our lives. To me, the problem today is not that religious people are trying to impose their views on nonreligious people, he said. Its the oppositeits that militant secularists are trying to impose their values on religious people, and theyre not accommodating the freedom of religion of people of faith. Barr noted that the Founding Fathers viewed religion as essential to maintaining a free country. The reason they felt they could grant so much freedom in the Constitution and only provide for limited government was because they felt that religion was there and the people were religious people who could largely govern themselves, he said. All the founders, and as you pointed out earlier to me, Your Eminence, Alexis de Tocqueville observed the centrality of religion, to the health of American democracy. Barr added that he was not talking about mixing church and state. We believe in the separation of church and state. But what permits a limited government and minimal command and control of the population and allows people to have freedom of choice in their lives, and trust in the people is the fact that they are a people that are capable of disciplining themselves according to moral values, he added. This is not the first time that Barr has criticized militant secularism. In October last year, the Attorney General gave an impassioned speech at Notre Dame University, in which he argued that militant secularists were behind a campaign to destroy the traditional moral order. Barr added that those who hold religious beliefs face social, educational, and professional ostracism and exclusion waged through lawsuits and savage social media campaigns. All four factions of insurgent group National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) said on Thursday that they were promised amnesty under the agreement signed with the government on Monday, a move vehemently opposed by a forum of 5,000-odd terror victim families. The groups were held guilty of carrying out some of the deadliest terror attacks in Assam including 2008 serial bomb blasts in Guwahati and a few other places that killed nearly 88 people and the massacre of 84 Adivasis in 2014. "Actually in every accord general amnesty is given and home minister Amit Shah already spoke about giving amnesty to us too. So we believe and want that the cases filed against our members are withdrawn as a whole," president of NDFB (S), B. Saoraigwra told DH, minutes before laying down weapons before Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal here. In May last year, some cadres of the NDFB (S), which came overground recently, were convicted by an NIA court on charges of murder and criminal conspiracy in the Adivasi killing cases in Kokrajhar, Chirang and Sonitpur districts. The massacre even prompted the Centre to launch an all-out operation. Similarly, founder of NDFB, who heads NDFB (R), Ranjan Daimary and 14 others were convicted by a CBI court here on January 30 last year for the serial blasts. Daimary and nine others were sentenced to life imprisonment. He was, however, granted interim bail by Gauhati high court on January 25 and released a day after for signing the accord in New Delhi. They were convicted under section120B (criminal conspiracy punishable with death, 302 (murder), 324, 326 (hurting with dangerous weapon), 435,436 (mischief by fire or explosives) of IPC, besides sections of Explosive Substances Act, 1908 and Unlawful Activities (P) Act, 1967. "This is a historic day for us. The government has assured us that the agreement will be implemented in letter and spirit," Daimary told DH on Thursday when 1,615 NDFB cadres laid down their arms. The accord said the government would support the NDFB members in proper rehabilitation and those not having heinous cases could be considered for recruitment in army, paramilitary forces and in police. The publicity secretary of Terror Victim Family Forum, Assam, Indranil Kalita said they were dismayed the way the accord neglected the pleas for justice by the victim families. "This sends a wrong message to the society that nothing happens to those who kills the innocent people. We are not against the accord but the serious cases should not be withdrawn--be it against NDFB, Ulfa or any other militant group," he said. Hagrama Mohilary, chief of Bodoland Territorial Council also asked the government to withdraw the cases. Mohilary had surrendered similarly as chief of Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT), another rebel group and signed an accord in 2003. Cases against BLT were withdrawn. The head cheese, with the bits of shiny gelatin like green emeralds and rubies floating in the pink fat, the blood tongue and the jellied tongue. You could see the beef tongue suspended in the jelly, which may be why I hate Jell-O. And the delicious, garlicky prasky. When stand up comic Kunal Kamra posted a 114 second video of his heckling Republic TV editor Arnab Goswami on an Indigo Mumbai-Lucknow flight, he would have known that he would pay the price for taking on one of the current regime's staunchest defenders. Hours after the video appeared on the Internet, Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted a firman that all Indian airlines needed to ban Kamra from further flights. Indigo, Air India, SpiceJet, GoAir meekly complied with the minister's edict and have suspended Kamra from flying until further notice. In December, Pragya Thakur, the BJP MP from Bhopal, had reportedly thrown a tantrum on a Spice Jet flight after the cabin crew told her a wheelchair passenger could not occupy 1A-1B-1C seats and delayed takeoff, but Minister Puri initiated no such penalty against the woman who defends Nathuram Godse. Given the alacrity with which private airlines jostled to obey Puri, Uttam Ghosh wonders if the comic will also be banned from the concrete aeroplane that generations of Mumbai kids have played in for decades in the city, the price to pay for freedom of speech -- a strict no fly zone under the Modi Sarkar. The commander of U.S. forces in Africa said Thursday that a suspected coronavirus case has turned up in the tiny East African state of Djibouti, where the U.S. and China maintain bases about seven miles apart. Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, head of U.S. Africa Command, said he is not aware of any confirmed cases of coronavirus spreading from China to the continent, but "there are some suspected cases." "The first reported suspected case I've heard of is in Djibouti, which you would imagine [has a] significant Chinese presence" with the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s first overseas base, he said. The Doraleh port facility is also operated by the Chinese. During testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Townsend did not elaborate on whether the suspected case was at China's naval base or at the port facility. Related: California Base to House US Evacuees from China for Coronavirus Quarantine He also was not questioned on whether precautions are being taken at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, the primary base of operations for AFRICOM on the Horn of Africa. The potential for the spread of coronavirus to Africa is a grave concern, Townsend said. Suspected cases have also been reported in Ivory Coast and Kenya, and "the capacity of African nations to deal with this problem varies widely," he said. At the same hearing, Adm. Craig Faller, head of U.S. Southern Command, said he "would be extremely concerned" about the potential spread of coronavirus to Latin America. More than five million refugees have fled the dictatorship in Venezuela to neighboring countries and have already strained local health and social services beyond their capacities, Faller said. Both Faller and Townsend were responding to questions from Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, who said the coronavirus is on the verge of becoming a global pandemic. He said that China has been "lying" about the extent of the threat "and they've been lying about it from the beginning." Defense Secretary Mark Esper said a directive would be going out to troops worldwide "advising forces about precautions they should take -- how to recognize the signs and symptoms" of coronavirus. "We want to make sure we stay in front of this." At a Pentagon news conference Thursday, Esper also said that the Defense Department is working with interagency partners "as we monitor the situation and protect our service members and their families, which is my highest priority." He noted that the DoD is providing housing support for about 210 U.S. citizens evacuated from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, who arrived on a charter flight Wednesday at March Air Reserve Base in southern California. The evacuees are expected to stay voluntarily for at least three days in base housing while they are monitored, but health officials stressed that they are not under quarantine. Military personnel will not be in contact with the evacuees, who will be under the supervision of the Department of Health & Human Services, according to Pentagon officials. Reports Thursday from China's official media said that 38 more deaths from coronavirus had been recorded, bringing the total in that country to 170. The World Health Organization in Geneva said Thursday that another 1,844 cases of infection had been reported worldwide over the last 24 hours, bringing the global total to 7,818. The vast majority are in China, with 82 cases reported in 18 other countries. In announcing the new numbers, the WHO for the first time declared the coronavirus outbreak a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern," signaling to all members of the United Nations the need to take precautions. In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control gave a troubling announcement on the first person-to-person spread of coronavirus in the U.S., in which a woman being treated for the illness passed it to her husband. "We understand that this may be concerning, but based on what we know now, our assessment remains that the immediate risk to the American public is low," Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the CDC, said in a conference call with reporters. Six people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus in the U.S. -- two each in Illinois and California, and one each in Arizona and Washington state. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Read more: These Next-Gen Woobies Can Hide a Soldiers Heat Signature from the Enemy The Islamic State (IS) affiliate in Afghanistan has established contacts with Pakistan-based groups such as the Taliban, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Lashkar-e-Islam and its approach could increase the threat to neighbouring countries, according to a United Nations report. The report by the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, which tracks the terror threat from IS and al-Qaeda, also states that an unspecified number of Indians were among the more than 1,400 people linked to Islamic State-Khorasan, which recently surrendered to Afghan authorities in Nangarhar province. The report, submitted last December but made public this week, said the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan (ISIL-K) has established informal contact with other terrorist groups, including Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and Lashkar-e-Islam. It added, The approach of ISIL-K could increase the security threat to neighbouring States. Another report from the same team last June said the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) played a key role in providing recruits and funding to the Taliban and other terror groups in Afghanistan. That report quoted Afghan officials as saying some 500 LeT fighters were active in the Kunar and Nangarhar provinces. People familiar with developments said the report supported intelligence that more Pakistan-based terror groups were diverting their fighters to Afghanistan following pressure on Islamabad from Western powers and the Financial Action Task Force to crack down on terrorists. The UN report further said that Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters had inflicted severe damage on ISIL-K, displacing it from large areas of Nangarhar. It added that more than 1,400 people surrendered to Afghan authorities, including dependants of ISIL-K fighters and most males were Afghans, but there were also foreign nationals from Azerbaijan, Canada, France, India, Maldives, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The man sought in connection with the disappearance of a Trussville woman is now in custody. Fredrick Hampton, a 50-year-old man charged with abuse of corpse after Paighton Houstons body was found in a shallow Hueytown grave, was taken into custody Wednesday night in Cleveland, Ohio. The U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force has been searching for the Brighton man since shortly after the warrant against him was issued earlier this month. The U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force captured Hampton. He was taken into custody at 7:30 p.m., said Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Cliff LaBarge. Hampton was arrested at a residence on Eastwood Boulevard in Garfield Heights. Authorities had to breach the door at which point they held their position and called for Hampton to exit. A short time later, Hampton gave up and was taken into custody. He is being held in the Cuyahoga County Jail awaiting extradition to Alabama. Authorities said he is also under investigation for possible federal violations, but did not elaborate. Hampton, a convicted sex offender, is not charged in Houstons death, only with actions authorities say he took following her death, which in this case would be burying her. The Jefferson County Sheriffs Office on Jan. 16 announced the felony warrant against Hampton and, along with U.S. Marshals, have been searching for him since the warrant was obtained. Early Thursday morning, the Jefferson County Coroners Office released the cause and manner of Houstons death as an accidental drug overdose of morphine and methamphetamine toxicity. Authorities previously said there was no physical trauma to Houstons body that would have led to her death. Houston vanished Dec. 20. She was last seen at Tin Roof in the 2700 block of Seventh Avenue South in Birminghams Lakeview District.. According to Birmingham police, she left the bar about 10:45 p.m. with two heavy-set black males. Sgt. Johnny Williams said it was reported that Houston left the location willingly with the two men. She had reportedly gone to the Birmingham bar with co-workers. Friends on Facebook said Houston didnt know the men and that the last text message from her to a coworker about two hours after she left Tin Roof - stated she didnt know where she was, and she felt she might be in trouble. She had sent multiple messages to her co-worker, the last one reading, Idk who im with so if I call please answer. I feel in trouble. That text was sent at 12:15 a.m. Dec. 21 but not seen by her coworker until nearly two hours later. We have evidence the victim and the offender were together the night of Dec. 20, 2019,'' said Sheriffs Office Deputy Chief David Agee in an earlier press conference. We have evidence the victim died the next day at a house on McClain Street in Brighton. We have evidence that after the victim died, her body was disposed of in a criminal manner by Fredrick Hampton. The body of the 29-year-old Houston was found Friday, Jan. 3, wrapped in sheets and buried in a shallow grave behind the house at 215 Chapel Drive. That house belongs to relatives of Hampton. According to Alabama law, a person commits the crime of abuse of a corpse if he or she knowingly treats a human corpse in a way that would outrage ordinary family sensibilities. It is a Class C felony. Hampton was initially held in the Birmingham City Jail on a 48-hour extension on suspicion of kidnapping beginning Saturday, Dec. 28, but was released two days later because investigators did not have enough to charge him with any crime. Agee said investigators have determined Houston was with Hampton on Dec. 20, 2019 and Dec. 21, 2019. She died on Dec. 21 at a house on McClain Street in Brighton, he said. Asked if Houston was with Hampton willingly and voluntarily, Agee said, We are saying they were together. There is no evidence there was any force. Hampton was previously convicted in 1992 on first-degree rape and first-degree sodomy charges out of Jefferson County. He served 20 years, five months and 26 days in prison before his release on March 22, 2012. He was also charged with kidnapping, but that charge was dismissed. Details about those March 5, 1991 crimes werent immediately available but a sex offender notification states the offender, along with seven other men, committed rape Rape 1st and Sodomy 1st on an adult female. Shortly after the completion of his prison sentence, Hampton was arrested again for failure to provide authorities with his new address, which is required by law for convicted sex offenders. He pleaded guilty to that charge in September 2012 and received a two-year suspended sentence. This story will be updated as more information becomes available. Press Trust of India The information technology (IT) ministry has proposed that social media companies should maintain a database of active mobile numbers of all their users for verification purpose under a revised set of rules, according to a source. The proposal aimed at tackling issues related to the anonymity of users in the fast-growing social media space has been mooted for the first time as part of the amendments likely to be made to the existing IT intermediary rules, the source told news agency Press Trust of India. Social media companies with more than 50 lakh users in India will be categorised as significant social media intermediaries. These companies will also have to comply with stricter obligations, including traceability of users, under the revised rules, the source told PTI. The ministry has sent a draft of the revised rules to the law ministry for vetting. According to news agency PTI, the source said that the revised rules also seek to draw a distinction between obligations and requirements of ''significant social media companies'' as well as all other intermediaries and platforms. Significant social media intermediaries should do verification and maintain a database of active mobile numbers of all their users, the source told PTI. By putting in such a requirement, the IT intermediary rules would also be in sync with provisions in the Personal Data Protection Bill. The latter has a provision for verification of social media users, although on a voluntary basis. "If you look at issues like traceability or anonymity on social media platforms, the problem is that it is largely confined to significant social media players and not all kinds of intermediaries," the source said, adding, "So, it has been proposed that there will be some rules that will apply to all platforms and some extra obligations only for significant social media intermediaries." Original draft of the IT rules did not mention about any requirement for maintaining active mobile numbers of all users by significant social media companies. The original draft said that intermediaries would be required to deploy technology-based automated tools for pro-actively identifying and removing or disabling public access to unlawful information or content while the proposed changes may now restrict the need for automated tools for detecting child sexual abuse material. The changes proposed by the government in the IT Intermediary Guidelines (Amendment) Rules, are also expected to help increase the accountability of big social media companies in the backdrop of spread of fake news through such platforms. The original draft of proposed amendments to the rules was put in the public domain in December 2018 for comments from stakeholders. Later, there were multiple rounds of discussions within the IT ministry on revising the rules. New Delhi: A Delhi court on Thursday sentenced two men to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for abducting and raping a five-year-old girl in east Delhi in 2013, an incident that came close on the heels of the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman in December 2012. The judge on Thursday said the 2013 crime was committed in an extremely demoniac and barbaric manner so as to arouse intentions and extreme indignation of society. The judge also said the accused left the victim to die in the room and also held them guilty of attempt to murder. The court also directed the Delhi Legal State Authority (DLSA) (east) to pay a compensation of 11 lakh to the rape survivor for her rehabilitation. Additional sessions judge Naresh Kumar Malhotra also imposed a fine of 31, 500 each on the convicts Manoj Shah and Pradeep Kumar, who were found guilty by the court on January 18 of raping the minor girl, who later came to be known as Gudiya, at their rented house in Gandhi Nagar in April 2013. According to investigators, Shah lived in a rented accommodation in the same building as the girls family and, along with his friend Kumar, kidnapped her. After raping her, the two locked their house and fled. The girl was found nearly 40 hours later, on April 17, by a neighbour who alerted her parents, who had already filed a missing persons report. When rescued, the girl was found with three candles and a hair oil bottle inside her body. However, the girls uncle expressed his disappointment about the sentence and said he would appeal against it before a higher court. Legal experts said that had the amendment in the rape laws been brought prior to the date of this crime [April 15, 2013], the convicts would have handed a death penalty. Even if the bill was passed earlier, the amendment in the rape laws came only in August 2019. So it cannot be used for cases which have happened prior to the amendment. The maximum imprisonment for rape read with Pocso [Protection of Children from Sexual Offences] is life imprisonment for the remainder of ones life, said advocate Prabhsahay Kaur, who works with Bachpan Bachao Andolan, an NGO. The two convicts were in court on Thursday, along with their respective defence counsels, and did not seek mercy despite the judge giving them an opportunity to do so. Shah even dared media persons present to take photos or videos of him while being taken out of the courtroom. On January 18, Shah had allegedly slapped a female journalist for making a video of his while he was being escorted out of the courtroom following the conviction. Shah was brought to the courtroom around 2.15pm, in handcuffs. His legs were also chained following the orders of the judge who had taken a cognisance of Shahs behaviour against the journalist on January 18. On Thursday, while passing the order, the judge noted that the aggravating factors have overweighed the mitigating circumstances of the convicts being from poor backgrounds and intoxicated while committing the crime. The judge said there was a demonstration of exceptional depravity and extreme brutality. Noting that extreme misery was inflicted upon the victim, the court said that the pain which the victim had undergone is beyond imagination. Both the convicts had committed ghastly and horrendous act with the victim, the court said while adding the manner in which the offence has been committed shows the perversion on the part of both the convicts. ..the cumulative effect of the above mentioned facts taken together is conclusive in establishing the guilt of both the accused persons. The chain of circumstances is complete and does not leave any reasonable ground for conclusion consistent with the innocence of both the accused persons. The chain of circumstances is able to show that both the accused persons committed rape and sexually assaulted the victim.. and they had also cause disappearance of evidence, the judge said in his 92 page judgment. Advocate RS Juneja, counsel for Shah, said, We will go through the judgment and decide on the future course of action. The court said that due to the penetrative sexual assault the victims internal organs were damaged as well. It also said blood stains were present the shirts the accused persons were wearing. Shah and Kumar were found guilty of abduction (Section 363 of the Indian Penal Code), wrongful confinement (342) destruction of evidence (201), 307 (attempt to murder), gang rape with common intention (376D), and under relevant sections of the Pocso Act. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan doesnt fit in the long-term plans of certain pro-Western non-governmental organizations, and so, it is definitely likely that when the rating of the head of government starts dropping after a while, those NGOs will want to try to replace Pashinyan with someone who will complete their assignments with more pleasure. This is what analyst of the Voice of People Club and leader of the For Social Justice Party Arman Ghukasyan told reporters today. According to him, the activities of those organizations are aimed at undermining the foundations of society and serve the interests of foreign countries and organizations. What is troubling is the fact that the Fifth Column is carrying out activities within state bodies, particularly through deputies and deputy ministers. For instance, one of the deputies of the ruling My Step Alliance has received a $210,000 grant from a pro-Western organization. There are also others who have received large amounts of funding, including Styopa Safaryan, who recently became the president of the Public Council, and they are advancing different agendas, including propaganda for the Istanbul Convention and discrediting of security forces. It is safe to anticipate more aggressive and synchronized statements and actions from people who pose a threat to our countrys national security, Ghukasyan stated. The other analyst of the Club, deputy leader of the For Social Justice Party Tsovinar Kostanyan stated that in addition to the Soros funds and organizations, there are also other organizations that are only the visible part of the iceberg. There are many other organizations that are leading an anti-state policy to deepen Armenias cooperation with Russia, she said. ROSEBURG, Ore. -- A teen was detained after Roseburg Police say he reported a false school shooting threat on social media. Police said they learned of a potential threat made over social media targeting Joseph Lane Middle School on Tuesday. A police investigation found the threat not to be viable. On Wednesday Roseburg Police along with the Roseburg School District continued the investigation and that is when they say they learned the false threat was reported by a 13-year-old male student at Joseph Lane Middle School. Roseburg Police said the false threat was reported on the 13-year-olds snapchat account and it indicted that a student was going to shoot up the school on Jan. 29. The teen told police the report was false, and that he tried to delete it, but it had already been sent and copied by students and other people. Roseburg Police charged the 13-year-old with disorderly conduct in the first degree and lodged him at the Douglas County Juvenile Detention Center. Roseburg Public Schools Superintendent Jared Cordon provided a statement on the report of the false threat: "The safety of our students and staff is the top priority of the Roseburg School District, and any potential or reported threat will be promptly and thoroughly investigated. We are grateful for our strong relationship with the Roseburg Police Department and for their assistance with this incident. It is vital that anyone with knowledge of a threat to student safety immediately report the information to school officials and law enforcement. It is also important to remember that false information can spread quickly on social media, and that spreading false reports can lead to criminal prosecution. We are grateful for our communitys support in helping keep our children safe and ensuring that our schools are safe and welcoming places of learning. A handful of familiar faces have been tapped to lead former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomergs presidential campaign in Connecticut. Political veteran Brett Broesder, a newly elected member of the Milford Planning and Zoning board and a consultant for the 2018 campaigns of Ned Lamont, Susan Bysiewicz, and Shawn Wooden, has joined Bloombergs campaign as state director. Broesder is a former top aide to Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin and former Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch. Other Bloomberg 2020 Connecticut hires include another former Finch aide, Ruben Felipe, as political director. Felipe, a former state Democratic State Central Committee member who worked as the statewide Hispanic outreach director for Joe Liebermans 2006 U.S. Senate run, is the father of current state representative Antonio Felipe, D-Bridgeport. Michelle Parente, who won a seat in November on the Milford Board of Aldermen, is operations director. Parente is a behind-the-scenes figure in Bridgeport politics, including campaign work for Mayor Joe Ganim. Jordan Grice, a reporter with Hearst Connecticut Media who covered Bridgeport-area business news for the Connecticut Post and other publications until last week, has joined the Bloomberg 2020 campaign as the communications director for Connecticut. In Connecticut, were building an organization that will not only help us win the primary on April 28, but also in November, so that we can start rebuilding America, Broesder said. Heres the bottom line: Mike Bloomberg has taken on and won on some of our countrys toughest fights be it on guns, climate, or public health and our effort to defeat Donald Trump in Connecticut, and nationwide, will be no different. The challenge for the billionaire New York businessman, who built a financial news and information empire, will be to pull a successful end run around the Democratic front-runners. Bloomberg is generally polling in fourth place among Democrats, behind former Vice President Joe Biden and Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, ahead of South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Broesder has an outstanding history of building and running teams on some of the most important and high-profile campaigns across the country and in Connecticut, and were excited to have him lead our efforts in the Constitution State to defeat Donald Trump and to elect a proven leader to the White House, said Rob Diamond, East Coast States Director for Mike Bloomberg 2020, in a written statement. Mike Bloomberg for President is building the infrastructure necessary to ensure that Democrats have the very best chance to beat Donald Trump in November, which is a win for all of us. Im excited to be a part of this historic campaign, Parente said. kkrasselt@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasselt An IndiGo pilot-in-command has conveyed his anguish to the airline's management for not consulting him before announcing a six-month ban on comedian Kunal Kamra for heckling Republic TV chief Arnab Goswami on his flight, insisting that the incident was not "reportable in any way". In a letter to the IndiGo management, Rohit Mateti said he was "disheartened" to learn that Kamra was banned from flying purely on the basis of social media posts and that though his behaviour was "unsavoury", it was not qualifying of a level 1 unruly passenger". Kamra was banned by IndiGo for six months on Tuesday for harassing Goswami on the Mumbai-Lucknow flight. SpiceJet, GoAir and Air India too have imposed a similar ban on Kamra without specifying any period. "As captain of 6E5317 Mumbai-Lucknow flight on January 28, I do not find...events reportable in any way. Mr Kamra's behaviour, while unsavoury, was not qualifying of a level 1 unruly passenger. Indeed, we pilots can all attest to incidents similar and/or worse in nature that were not deemed unruly," he said in the letter. The pilot also called the action by the airline against Kamra as "unprecedented". "This is somewhat unprecedented in my nine years of airline flying. Moving forward, am I to understand that the bar for interpretation of a disruptive passenger is lower/different when it comes to high profile cases? Perhaps the SEP (safety and emergency procedures) manual is to be amended to reflect this?" Mateti added. "I would like a clarification from the airline as this leaves a lot of room for ambiguity," he said. As per the 2017 rules of aviation regulator DGCA, if a passenger engages in any unruly behaviour, the pilot-in-command has to file a complaint and only then an internal committee of the airline can probe the matter and take punitive action based on findings of the investigation. The rules also stated that a passenger who is deemed as "level 1" unruly passenger can be banned up to maximum of three months by the internal committee. DGCA had on Wednesday said that the action by the four carriers is in "complete consonance" with its regulations. When asked about the pilot-in-command's email, IndiGo told PTI: "We have received the relevant statements and the internal committee has initiated the investigation regarding this incident." In an approximately 2-minute video clip posted by Kamra on his Twitter handle on Wednesday, he is seen asking Goswami if he is a "coward or a journalist" but the Republic TV editor was not seen responding to it. After IndiGo announced its punitive action against the comedian, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said he took note of the incident and "advised" other airlines to impose similar restrictions on Kamra, insisting that offensive behaviour aimed at creating disturbance inside an aircraft is absolutely unacceptable. In his email, Mateti told the IndiGo management,"While Mr Kamra's behaviour was unacceptable and verbally abusive, at no point did he not comply with crew instructions. While he did briefly display 'level 1' traits for disruptive behaviour...he was also immediately compliant of crew instruction, was never issued a red warning card and hence cannot be classified as such." "Furthermore, in-line with the IndiGo SEP manual guidelines for disruptive behaviour, the situation was diffused, the passenger in question kept under observation and the cabin kept in lockdown for the duration of the flight," he added. After Mateti's letter became public, Puri said on Thursday that airlines must ensure 'zero tolerance' for any activity that has the potential to jeopardise passengers' safety. "I had expressed my views with regard to the unruly behaviour of a passenger on board IndiGo flight. I reiterate that airlines must ensure 'Zero Tolerance' for any activity which has the potential to jeopardize safety of passengers in an aircraft," Puri said on Twitter. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mr. Francesco La Camera, Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) welcomed the President of Burkina Faso His Excellency Roch Marc Christian Kabore to the IRENA headquarters in Abu Dhabi. The two discussed opportunities for accelerated renewable energy deployment in Burkina Faso and identified concrete steps to strengthen bilateral cooperation. They exchanged views on the role renewable energy can play in increasing energy access in Burkina Faso, and its potential to bring stable, reliable power to healthcare facilities in the country. Furthermore, renewable energy's centrality to sustainable economic growth was also emphasized, with renewable energy positioned as a catalyst for the country's development strategy. IRENA's new project facilitation focus and the recently launched Climate Investment Platform - a joint initiative designed to mobilise renewable energy investment and accelerate its deployment - also featured. The President was accompanied by a high-level delegation from Burkina Faso including H.E. Alpha Barry, Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Bachir Ismael Ouedraogo, Minister of Energy and H.E. Salifou Ouedraogo, Minister of Agriculture. At the Tenth Session of the IRENA Assembly earlier this year, Burkina Faso was selected to receive a loan of US$5.5 million as a part of the seventh cycle of the IRENA/ADFD Project Facility. The loan will contribute to the construction of a 3 MW solar PV power plant in the country extending electricity to approximately 40,000 people in rural areas. Burkina Faso has ambitious plans to source 50 per cent of its electricity from renewables by 2030 (excluding biomass). The meeting took place in the presence of the Ambassador of Burkina Faso in Saudi Arabia H.E. Ountana Mansa, the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria (and non-resident Ambassador to Burkina Faso) H.E. Fahad Al Taffaq, and the Permanent Representative of the UAE to IRENA Dr Nawal Al-Hosany. Photo: The Canadian Press Doctors look at a CT scan of a patient at a hospital in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020. UPDATE 1:14 p.m. European countries stepped up efforts Thursday to contain the coronavirus virus sweeping through central China, sending a chartered airliner there to evacuate hundreds of European citizens, scrapping more commercial flights to Chinese destinations and keeping some 7,000 people on a cruise ship while one possibly infected passenger got tested. Signalling intensifying international concern, the World Health Organization in Geneva declared the viral outbreak that has sickened more than 7,800 people and caused 170 deaths in China as a global emergency, while Russia closed its long border with the Asian giant. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin issued a decree ordering the temporary closure of the border, which extends for 4,200 kilometres (2,600 miles). In addition, all train traffic between Russia and China was halted except for one train connecting Moscow and Beijing. ORIGINAL 11:55 a.m. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak sparked by a new virus in China that has been exported to more than a dozen countries as a global emergency Thursday after the number of cases spiked tenfold in a week. The U.N. health agency defines an international emergency as an extraordinary event that constitutes a risk to other countries and requires a co-ordinated international response. Experts say there is significant evidence the virus is transmitting among people in China and have noted with concern several instances in other countries including Japan, Germany, Canada and Vietnam where there have also been isolated cases of human-to-human spread. China first informed WHO about cases of the new virus in late December. To date, China has reported more than 7,800 cases including 170 deaths. Eighteen other countries have since reported cases, as scientists race to understand how exactly the virus is spreading and how severe it is. A declaration of a global emergency typically brings greater money and resources, but may also prompt nervous governments to restrict travel and trade to affected countries. The announcement also imposes more disease reporting requirements on countries. There seems to be a silent outrage that is gradually manifesting in all aspects of politics in the Dome-Kwabenya Constituency branch of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Accra. This situation, according to signals picked up is likely to have dire consequences on the impending NPP primaries. Constituency Executives including some NPP members are kicking against the re-election bid of the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency, Sarah Adwoa Sarfo. According to them, it is time for change in the leadership of the party in the constituency, adding that eight years are enough for the MP who doubles as Minister of State in charge of Public Procurement as well as Deputy Majority Leader in Parliament. They made this known as they registered their grievances over misgivings in the constituency and the Ga East Municipal Assembly where they believe there is some deliberate and calculated effort to reject some government appointees to the Assembly. One of such government appointees that have been rejected by the Assembly, they claimed, is the NPPs Constituency Organizer, Mahmoud Kwadwo Asamoah. According to the aggrieved members and officials of the party who are calling themselves Friends of Mahmoud, some persons at the Assembly have adopted the we cant work with them mentality. Addressing the media from the Constituency office in Dome on Wednesday, January 29, 2020, Francis Odei Ansah, Zonal Coordinator for Atomic Hill Estate, described the rejection of Mahmoud and other party members as unfair. This press conference is intended to address the pending unfair treatment of the constituency executives by the region particularly in the case of Mahmoud Kwadwo Asamoah whose appointment to serve in the Ga East Municipal Assembly has been manipulated and cancelled in the name of so-called order from above which most of our support base describes as I cannot work with you syndrome existing in the Constituency, he said. Internal Happenings DGN Online gathered from some sources at the press conference that there is friction between some of the executives in the Constituency and Adwoa Sarfo. This portal is informed that in the last constituency election held in 2019, Madam Sarfo presented about 10 persons all of whom lost. However, sources say, she managed to get the current Nasara Coordinator and Youth Organizer of the Constituency back to her fold. Mr. Kwadwo Asamoah who used to be in her camp reportedly left, and the two are said not to be on good terms. Mike Oquaye Jnr Another factor said to be dividing the constituency is the intention of Mike Oquaye Jnr, current Ghanas High Commissioner to India intention to contest for the NPPs parliamentary ticket. Some Constituency members who spoke to DGN Online on condition of anonymity say Mr. Ocquaye is being backed by his father, Speaker of Parliament, to unseat Madam Adwoa Sarfo. ---Daily Guide PACEMAKER PRESS BELFAST 30/1/2020 Police are at the scene of a security alert on Mulderg Drive, North Belfast. Parts of Mulderg Drive have been sealed off and residents evacuated. Photo Laura Davison/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER PRESS BELFAST 30/1/2020 Police are at the scene of a security alert on Mulderg Drive, North Belfast. Parts of Mulderg Drive have been sealed off and residents evacuated. Photo Laura Davison/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER PRESS BELFAST 30/1/2020 Police are at the scene of a security alert on Mulderg Drive, North Belfast. Parts of Mulderg Drive have been sealed off and residents evacuated. Photo Laura Davison/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER PRESS BELFAST 30/1/2020 Police are at the scene of a security alert on Mulderg Drive, North Belfast. Parts of Mulderg Drive have been sealed off and residents evacuated. Photo Laura Davison/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER PRESS BELFAST 30/1/2020 Police are at the scene of a security alert on Mulderg Drive, North Belfast. Parts of Mulderg Drive have been sealed off and residents evacuated. Photo Laura Davison/Pacemaker Press Police are at the scene of a security alert on Mulderg Drive, North Belfast. Parts of Mulderg Drive have been sealed off and residents evacuated. Photo Laura Davison/Pacemaker Press A viable pipe bomb has been discovered in a garden in north Belfast. The device was found in the Mulderg Drive area on Thursday afternoon. Detective Sergeant Will Arnott said: Police and ATO attended the scene following the report of a suspicious object in the garden of a house in the area. A number of residents were evacuated and roads were closed as we worked to make the area safe. The device, which has now been declared as a viable pipe bomb type device, was made safe and taken away for examination. All roads have reopened and residents have been allowed to return back to their homes. "I would appeal to anyone who noticed any suspicious activity in Mulderg Drive recently or who has any information which could help us with our enquiries to contact detectives at Musgrave on 101 quoting reference number 684 30/01/20. 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. Beijing/New York, Jan 30 : As millions around the world speculate about the real culprit behind the outbreak of deadly Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), researchers in a significant Lancet study have once again pointed fingers towards the infamous bats, and not snakes as was reported earlier. In the study, Professor Guizhen Wu of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said that the data they had so far was consistent with the virus being initially hosted by bats. "A new genetic analysis of 10 genome sequences of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) from nine patients in Wuhan, China finds that the virus is most closely related to two bat-derived SARS-like coronaviruses," the authors wrote. The 2019-nCoV is sufficiently divergent from SARS-CoV to be considered a new human-infecting carrier. "Although our analysis suggests that bats might be the original host of this virus, an animal sold at the seafood market in Wuhan might represent an intermediate host facilitating the emergence of the virus in humans," said the authors from National Key Research and Development Program of China, National Major Project for Control and Prevention of Infectious Disease in China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shandong First Medical University. Importantly, structural analysis suggests that 2019-nCoV might be able to bind to the enzyme 2 receptor in humans and spread of this virus warrant urgent investigation, they reported. The death toll in China from the new coronavirus rose to 170 on Thursday, with 7,711 confirmed cases, as repatriation flights for foreign nationals continued. India also reported its first confirmed case - a student in Kerala who returned from Wuhan. According to the Lancet study, 2019-nCoV is sufficiently divergent from SARS-CoV to be considered a new human-infecting betacoronavirus. "Eight of the nine patients in our study had a history of exposure to the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan, suggesting that they might have been in close contact with the infection source at the market," the authors wrote. However, one patient had never visited the market, although he had stayed in a hotel near the market before the onset of their illness. This finding suggests either possible droplet transmission or that the patient was infected by a currently unknown source. Evidence of clusters of infected family members and medical workers has now confirmed the presence of human-to-human transmission. "The finding also suggests that 2019-nCoV originated from one source within a very short period and was detected relatively rapidly. However, as the virus transmits to more individuals, constant surveillance of mutations arising is needed," said the researchers. More generally, the disease outbreak linked to 2019-nCoV again highlights the hidden virus reservoir in wild animals and their potential to occasionally spill over into human populations. The researchers have also reported a new, seventh human coronavirus that can cause severe pneumonia and have shed light on its origin. China is facing accusations from the world community of suppressing and playing down the coronavirus outbreak and the scale of infections. According to a recent study by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases that conducts and supports research at the US National Institute of Health (NIH), six coronaviruses are known to cause disease in people, but so far only two of them - SARS-CoV and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus - have caused large outbreaks of fatal illness in people - before the Novel Coronavirus appeared on the scene. To monitor how viruses like this one spread and evolve in animal populations, researchers have been using next-generation sequencing (NGS). In a separate study in mSphere, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology, an international group of researchers has described how to use monitor coronaviruses, especially those that originate in bats. In test sets of clinical samples, the probes successfully identified coronaviruses, and the researchers reported that their approach both increased sensitivity and reduced sequencing costs. "We don't want to declare that enrichment is the panacea for all NGS challenges, but in this case, I do think it's a step in the right direction," said Lin-Fa Wang from Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore. Coronaviruses in bats, said Wang, are particularly important to monitor. The coronavirus that caused 2003's deadly outbreak of SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, is closely related to those found in bats and likely originated with the animals. "Coronaviruses, especially those that are bat-borne, remain an important source of emerging infectious diseases," Wang said. During times that are free of outbreaks, or what Wang calls "peace time," researchers can build up-to-date banks of probes associated with known forms of coronaviruses. During outbreaks, or "war time," they can use that information to track the evolution of viruses and spread of infections, in animal and even human populations. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Moscow on Thursday to discuss the US' Mideast peace plan with President Vladimir Putin, and to take an Israeli woman who had been jailed in Russia back home. Netanyahu made the stopover after visiting Washington where US President Donald Trump unveiled his long-awaited Mideast peace plan Tuesday. Trump's plan envisions a disjointed Palestinian state that turns over key parts of the West Bank to Israel. It sides with Israel on key contentious issues that have bedevilled past peace efforts, including borders and the status of Jerusalem and Jewish settlements, and attaches nearly impossible conditions for granting the Palestinians their hoped-for state. Netanyahu told Putin as they sat down for talks in the Kremlin that he wants to discuss the plan and hear his opinions on it. The Israeli leader's visit comes a day after Putin pardoned 26-year-old Naama Issachar, who was arrested in April at a Moscow airport, where she was transferring en route from India to Israel. Russian authorities said more than nine grams of hashish were found in her luggage. She was convicted and sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison. Putin asked Netanyahu to give his regards to Issachar and her mother. "I would like to thank you on behalf of all the people of Israel for granting a pardon to Naama Issachar," Netanyahu said. "We are all touched by this." Scott Dudelson/Getty ImagesOffset was detained Wednesday night by police in Los Angeles, and then released when it was determined he wasn't the man police were searching for. The Migos rapper and three others were held by police following report of a person with a firearm in a parking garage at The Grove shopping center, according to TMZ. Police searched the SUV Offset was riding in with the three other people. Two loaded handguns were found. All four people were taken into custody. Offset is seen in a video protesting why he was handcuffed as an officer pushes him against a wall You gotta tell me now! Thats your job as an officer! Offset says. You gotta tell me now! You aint told me sh**! Why are you locking me up? Eventually, two of the others who were detained admitted the weapons belonged to them, and Offset was released. One man was arrested for carrying a concealed firearm. The other was arrested for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Its good, we fixed it up. It aint nothing, it wasnt me, it was the wrong man, Offset said as he was being released. "I was treated fairly. They had to do that. Something happened, I don't know. It wasnt me, though. Im good. Im just mad, you know what I'm saying, it touched the media like that, you know what I'm saying? I was upset because I aint do nothing. I didnt know what was going on but were good. I was just the wrong guy, Offset added. They did a good job. They found the right person. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer doesnt need legislative approval to seek up to $3.5 billion in bonds for fixing Michigan roads, but Republican lawmakers werent happy with the plan she unveiled during her second State of the State address. In her roughly 40-minute speech, Whitmer said she planned to go it alone to fulfill her campaign promise to fix the damn roads, and slammed the legislature for not coming up with a comprehensive road funding solution last year. That didnt sit well with House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, who said following the address the governors characterization of how road negotiations broke down was revisionist history. "She refused to work with us and it was 45 cents or bust. And at the end of the year she vetoed hundreds of millions of dollars in road funding because it wasn't her 45-cent gas tax," Chatfield said. He said the governors focus was on a financing tool, not a funding solution, and reiterated his call that every penny of taxes paid at the pump should go toward roads. "This is not a long-term solution for our roads, simply taking out a loan and passing it on to our children. I can't take that seriously as a long-term proposal," he said. According to a brief from the House Fiscal Agency released Wednesday, the state has not issued new road bonds since 2011. As of October, the state still owed $1.1 billion on outstanding bonds issued prior to that. Thats significantly lower than the states peak outstanding balance of $2.3 billion in Fiscal Year 2009. The State Transportation Commission, which is made up of members appointed by the governor, can issue bonds without legislative approval but does have a limit on how much it can bond for -- under its own standards, its currently limited to taking on bonds that would result in debt payments of roughly $300 million per year out of the State Transportation Fund. The commission is expected to take up her proposal Thursday morning. Whitmers plan represents what the governor can accomplish unilaterally and would change the trajectory of state roads, said Sen. Curtis Hertel, Jr., D-East Lansing. But the legislature isnt off the hook when it comes to solving local road funding, he said. I think its fiscally responsible. It will help the safety of Michigan," Hertel said of Whitmers proposal. In the long run, the legislature needs to act. Thats been true now for well past her term. Any money generated from bonds would only be applicable for state-funded roads - not local roads, which make up a majority of roadways in the state and are in a similar state of disrepair. Thats a problem for Rep. Jack OMalley, R-Lake Ann, who chairs the House Transportation Committee and is backing several bills aimed at tackling local road funding needs. 75% of the roads in Michigan are local, and thats where our biggest problem is. So thats what frustrates me," he said. I just think its foolish when theres other ways to do it. Whitmers plan is a significantly different course from what she referred to Wednesday as Plan A" - raising the fuel tax 45 cents to generate $2.5 billion per year for roads. She and Michigan Department of Transportation Director Paul Ajegba toured the state pitching the plan, but the idea was rejected outright by the legislature. Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel - who was in Michigan to speak at Michigan State University Wednesday night - said in a statement Whitmers road funding ideas would bankrupt Michigans future. Its time to stop trying to raise taxes on Michiganders with 45 cent gas taxes, stop increasing our states debt by bonding billions of dollars to fix the roads, stop wasting everyones time with useless executive task forces, and actually get to work for Michigan families for a change," she said. House Democratic Leader Christine Greig, D-Farmington Hills, said bonding is a useful tool for the governor to use in the absence of a more comprehensive roads plan. It is time for action," Greig said. "Shes got to do it. But its still on the legislature to get the rest of the job done. Most experts estimate the state needs billions of dollars more per year to improve road conditions enough to stop the deterioration. The more damaged a road gets, the more expensive it is to fix, meaning the estimated need will increase as roads become more damaged by continued use and freeze-thaw conditions. Former Gov. Rick Snyders 21st Century Infrastructure Commission in 2016 found it would take an additional $2.2 billion per year in funding to get 95 percent of interstates, 85 percent of state highways and 85 percent of local roads in good or fair condition. That estimate is aging, and experts warn a lack of action means roads deteriorate further and become more expensive to fix. Related: Gov. Whitmer unveils Plan B for roads: Shell fix them without lawmakers Gov. Whitmer hits back at those who criticized her dress at last State of the State Whitmers new road plan: Borrow $3.5B to fix them now Nearly $3 billion will be pumped into NSW to increase gas supplies, bolster the energy network and reduce carbon emissions in a major deal between the Morrison and Berejiklian governments. Prime Minister Scott Morrison says gas supply is "critical" to Australia's energy supply and NSW has committed to inject an additional 70 petajoules into the east coast market - potentially increasing gas use in the state by about 60 per cent. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian are promising $2 billion to cut emissions and increase gas supply in the state. Credit:AAP In return, NSW will get $960 million in federal funding to upgrade its energy grid and invest in emissions reductions initiatives, such as methane capture from landfill and land-based carbon farming projects like agriculture or forestry. For this work the federal government will provide a minimum $450 million in grants, with another $510 million coming in a mix of grants and loans. It has not yet been specified how much carbon emissions will reduce under the plan. The Italian Building in Bermondsey Furnished bedroom suites in The Italian Building in Bermondsey, which have a bathroom and kitchenette, are 170sq ft and monthly rent starts from 1,650 per room. Visit mason-fifth.com for details. The Collective (pictured) in North Acton is cheaper at just over 1,000. Visit thecollective.com for more. LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's press watchdog has rejected a complaint by Prince Harry over a tabloid newspaper article which said wild animals pictured in photos he posted on Instagram had been drugged and tied up. Harry, Queen Elizabeth's grandson, posted the pictures he had taken of African wildlife on his Instagram account, which then had 5.6 million followers, to mark Earth Day and highlight conservation efforts. But the Mail on Sunday newspaper reported last April that the photos had not revealed the full story. It said the animals involved had been tranquilised and that a picture of an elephant in Malawi had been edited so that it was not possible to see there was a rope around its hind legs. "Drugged and tethered ... what Harry didnt tell you about those awe-inspiring wildlife photos," read the headline. The prince argued the report was inaccurate because it indicated he had intentionally misled the public to think that he was a superior wildlife photographer who had captured the pictures under dangerous circumstances, the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) watchdog said. Harry said his caption had made clear the animals were being relocated as part of conservation efforts and that the photo had only been edited to meet Instagram's formatting requirements. However, the paper said Harry had not explained the circumstances of the photo to his followers and that he had not needed to crop the pictures in the way he had. IPSO's complaints committee supported the paper's argument and rejected Harry's claim that the article was inaccurate. "The committee did not consider that it was significantly misleading to report that the photographs posted on the complainants Instagram account did not quite tell the full story and that the complainant had not explained the circumstances in which the photographs had been taken," it said. Harry and his American wife Meghan have increasingly become embroiled in conflict with Britain's tabloid newspapers. Story continues Meghan is suing the Mail on Sunday over its publication of a private letter she sent to her father, Thomas Markle, and Harry has accused some newspapers of bullying his wife in the same way they treated his mother, Princess Diana, who was killed in a car crash in 1997 as her limousine sped away from chasing paparazzi. Earlier this month the couple, who are currently in Canada with their baby son Archie, announced they would no longer use their royal titles and were seeking an independent new life based mainly in North America. Last week, lawyers for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as they are formally known, issued a warning to media not to use paparazzi pictures of the couple. (Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Stephen Addison) T he financial cost of Londons violence epidemic is laid bare in a report which reveals more than 3 billion was spent dealing with crimes last year. The Violence Reduction Unit has also compiled a map showing which areas of the capital are worst affected. City Hall says the study will allow early and targeted intervention to reduce the bloodshed, after 2019 recorded an 11-year high of 149 homicides. The VRU put the financial impact of those killings at 420.5 million. This included emergency service response, police investigations, criminal justice and lost economic output caused by a death. Using the same analysis, the 160,000 stabbings, assaults and violent crimes cost 1.7 billion. More than 32,000 robberies led to losses of 391 million, 8,300 rapes 335 million, and 12,200 other sexual offences 86 million, according to figures compiled by the Met, City of London Police and Office for National Statistics data. Violence has become more serious, more frequent and is driven by use of knives, the reports says. There has been a 47 per cent increase in knife-related homicides since 2016, while hospital admissions for blade injuries are up by 32 per cent. Londons poorest neighbourhoods are most vulnerable to gang-related criminality, which is now deep-seated. The VRU suggests a highly localised approach, down to specific roads and estates, is essential to understanding and responding to violence, with community and social cohesion considered key tools in keeping neighbourhoods safe. Schools are urged to do more to protect young people from exposure to gangs by reducing exclusions. The authors highlighted a reduction in police numbers which is impacting on the ability to disrupt and deter violence, together with a near halving of youth services. Drug-dealing has become more lucrative, fuelling postcode wars between criminal gangs, the report found, while the current high purity of cocaine means it is more addictive, in higher demand and can therefore be sold at a higher price. The VRU, set up by Mayor Sadiq Khan in 2018, will be directing 12 million of new funding over two years in targeted programmes and initiatives. Lib Peck, director of Londons VRU, said: These reports, the first of their kind in London, are a stark reminder of the impact violence has on families and communities, but also on the wider city economy and on how emergency and public services respond to horrific incidents. 2.7k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard The Economist crunched data from various studies and found that a moderate would be the partys best chance to defeat Donald Trump in November. Via The Economist: This research suggests, then, that Mr Biden could perform better than his competitors against Mr Trump. He is more moderate than Mr Sanders, so both more likely to attract swing voters and less likely to motivate Republicans to vote against him. His strength with both black and racially conservative white voters could make a big difference in swing states. Recent polling from the New York Times and Siena College suggests that 6% of the electorate would vote for Mr Bidenbut not for Elizabeth Warrenagainst Mr Trump. His advantage is evident in polls. According to The Economists analysis of publicly released polling data, Mr Biden performs better against Mr Trump than his competitors, nationwide and in swing states. Although polls of the general election conducted this early before a contest are not perfect, they are still helpful. Mr Biden is not faultless. He is uninspiring on the stump and in debates. His Washington ties may inspire resentment from voters skeptical of elites. His candidacy would also represent a safety-first strategy for the Democrats at a time when many in the party desperately want to push a much more progressive economic, racial and social agenda. Yet for all that he still appears to be the Democrats best option in a contest against Mr Trump. Trump is attacking Biden because he is the Democrat who poses the biggest threat Joe Biden is the example used in the article, but the same principle applies to all of the moderate Democrat. Trump is extreme. The formula for beating a political extremist isnt to navigate to the opposite extreme. Trump has abandoned the political middle, and it would be a foolish mistake for Democrats to believe that they could nominate any of their candidates and beat Trump. If Trump runs against someone on the far left, he will wrap himself in patriotism, and paint his opponent as the extremist. Election Day turnout will be smaller because people in the middle will stay home instead of choosing between a candidate on the right, and a candidate on the left. A base election helps Trump and the Republican Party. A moderate can beat Trump with a promise to end the crazy and bring the presidency and the nation back to normal. Beating an incumbent president is difficult, but according to the research, a moderate gives Democrats their best chance to win in 2020. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook She's the model and Myer ambassador who spends most of her free time at the beach in Byron Bay. But Elyse Knowles was back in her home city of Melbourne on Thursday for the Australian Open Inspirational Lunch at The Glasshouse. She swapped her usual glamorous style for a safari-inspired, collared dress in beige, which buttoned all the way up. Safari chic! Elyse Knowles (left) was back in her home city of Melbourne on Thursday for the Australian Open Inspirational Lunch, which she attended with her father, Stuart (right) The boxy knee-length frock was cinched at the waist with a matching material belt, highlighting Elyse's slender figure. She allowed her blonde locks to fall past her shoulders, and her makeup consisted of a dark nude lip and natural-toned eyeshadow. Elyse, 27, accessorised her look with a black Chanel purse, which she carried over her shoulder. Irwin vibes: The model and Myer ambassador, 27, swapped her usual glamorous style for a safari-inspired, collared dress in beige, which buttoned all the way up She was joined at the event by her father, Stuart, who dressed casually in a grey button-up shirt and brown pants. Back in August, Stuart spoke about the early days of his daughter's modelling career. He told Stellar that things hadn't always been smooth sailing for Elyse, who encountered many obstacles in her path to fame and fortune. Stunner: She allowed her blonde locks to fall past her shoulders, and her makeup consisted of a dark nude lip and natural-toned eyeshadow 'She started out very young and, like anyone in the industry, had her fair share of knock-backs along the way,' he said. 'At times she came home in tears, and she's persevered and worked very hard for a long time.' Reflecting on Elyse's upbringing, Stuart said that he would always try to instill in her good values from an early age. Chic: Elyse accessorised her look with a Chanel purse, which she carried over her shoulder He explained: 'I think one of the traits I tried to teach her - without directly saying it - was to treat others as you would like to be treated.' In addition to her modelling career, Elyse is a property developer who won the 2017 season of The Block with her boyfriend, Josh Barker. She is also an ambassador for Aveda Haircare, Seafolly, and Davidoff Cool Water. The captain on the flight that saw the Kunal Kamra-Arnab Goswami episode playing out, has observed in his communication to IndiGo that the stand-up comedian never endangered safety or disobeyed any instructions. Moneycontrol has seen a copy of the email sent by the captain to the airline and is not naming the captain to protect his identity. "I do not find the aforementioned events reportable in any way. Mr Kamra's behaviour, while unsavoury, was not qualifying of a level 1 unruly passenger. Indeed we pilots can all attest to incidents similar and/or worse in nature that were not deemed unruly." He adds: "Furthermore, I was disheartened to learn that my airline has taken action in this case solely on the basis of social media posts, with no consultation whatsoever with the pilot in command. This is somewhat unprecedented in my nine years of airline flying." "Moving forward, am I to understand that the bar for interpretation of a disruptive passenger is lower/different when it comes to high profile cases?... I would like a clarification from the airline as this leaves a lot of room for ambiguity," he signs off. Moneycontrol has reached out to IndiGo. The company said, "We have received the relevant statements and the internal committee has initiated the investigation regarding this incident." When contacted, the captain declined to comment. The episode took place on January 28, when stand-up comedian Kamra approached Republic TV Editor Arnab Goswami during the flight and made a video of the encounter. The comedian uploaded the video later on Twitter, soon after which IndiGo banned him from flying with the airline for six months. Later, Air India, SpiceJet and GoAir also followed suit, banning the standup comic but for an unspecified period. The communication Following is the verbatim of what the captain said in his communication to Capt. XXXX , VP- Flight Ops, IndiGo: Good evening Captain, This email is to address the events that occurred on 6E5317, BOM-LKO on 28.01.2020. After pushback I was informed by the LCA that 2 gentlemen were involved in a verbal altercation and that it had been noticed prior to commencement of the flight. One was seated on 13A (Mr. Kunal Kamra) and the other on 1B (Mr. Arnab Goswami). I was informed that Mr. Kamra had tried to engage with Mr. Goswami, who did not respond. Mr. Kamra was asked by the LCA to return to his seat as the safety demonstrations were underway and the seat belt signs were on. Upon receiving this instruction, Mr. Kamra apologised to the LCA and returned to his seat. After passing 10,000 ft, the cabin crew commenced their preparations for service, but the seat belt signs remained on the entire flight. After the start of cabin service, the flight deck was contacted by the LCA to inform us that Mr. Kamra was back in the passenger aisle by Row 1 speaking in a raised voice to Mr. Goswami. She mentioned that she was informed by a passenger that Mr. Kamra had briefly used abusive language. Upon hearing this I turned the surveillance on from the cockpit to observe the events at Row 1. I noticed Mr. Kamra gesticulating to Mr. Goswami who was unresponsive. I did not observe any physical contact between the two gentlemen at any point. At this time I made a Passenger Address to the cabin asking the gentleman standing in the passenger aisle near Row 1 to return to his seat, and that any disagreements they may have could be sorted out on the ground after the conclusion of the flight. Mr. Kamra upon hearing this immediately apologised again to the LCA, relayed an apology to me via the LCA and subsequently returned to his seat. A few minutes after this, I turned on the surveillance again to check the status of the forward cabin area. I noticed a number of passengers crowding around the forward area waiting to use the lavatory and - in my opinion - to get a better look at Mr. Goswami. I noticed a passenger try to talk to Mr. Goswami. Not wanting to exacerbate this developing pattern, I made another Passenger Address reminding passengers that the seatbelt signs were still on and that we were expecting turbulence. I asked them to return to their seats, fasten their seatbelts and request the cabin crew for assistance if they needed to use the lavatories. Upon making the announcement, the passengers vacated the forward galley, returned to their seats and a return to normalcy was observed. I then asked the LCA to speak with Mr. Goswami and inform him that the Flight Deck send their regards, and that if he wished to lodge a complaint, we would be happy to assist him after landing in Lucknow. He was also offered extra F&B. He thanked the LCA and acknowledged the offer. After the flight when most passengers had deplaned, Mr. Kamra requested permission to enter the flight deck to speak with me to personally apologise again. He did so. I asked him if his issue was political in nature, which he confirmed. I advised him that while we are all entitled to our opinions, there was a time and place to voice them, and that mid-flight was no place for it. He agreed, thanked us and left the aircraft. The flight deck crew briefly encountered Mr. Kamra again outside the LKO terminal where we were waiting for Hotel Transport. He apologised again and left. While Mr. Kamras behaviour was unacceptable and verbally abusive, at no point did he not comply with Crew instructions. While he did briefly display Level 1 traits for Disruptive behaviour (ICAO Doc 9811), he was also immediately compliant of crew instruction, was never issued a red warning card and hence cannot be classified as such. Furthermore, in-line with the IndiGo SEP Manual guidelines for Disruptive Behaviour, the situation was diffused, the passenger in question kept under observation and the cabin kept in lockdown for the duration of the flight. Hence, no further action on the part of the Cockpit Crew was required. The LCA advised me she would be filing a report on her end in-line with Cabin Crew guidelines. As Captain of 6E5317 BOM-LKO on 28.01.2020, I do not find the aforementioned events reportable in any way. Mr. Kamras behaviour while unsavoury, was NOT qualifying of a Level 1 Unruly passenger. Indeed we pilots can all attest to incidents similar and/or worse in nature that were not deemed Unruly. Furthermore, I was disheartened to learn that my Airline has taken action in this case solely on the basis of Social Media posts, with no consultation whatsoever with the Pilot-in-Command. This is somewhat unprecedented in my 9 years of Airline flying. Moving forward, am I to understand that the bar for interpretation of a Disruptive passenger is lower/different when it comes to high profile cases? Perhaps the SEP Manual is to be amended to reflect this? I would like a clarification from the Airline as this leaves a lot of room for ambiguity. Thank you. Yours Sincerely, Capt. XXXX Meanwhile, Union Minister for Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri said he had expressed his "views" with regard to "the unruly behavior of a passenger on board". I had expressed my views with regard to the unruly behavior of a passenger on board @IndiGo6E flight. I reiterate that Airlines must ensure"Zero Tolerance" for any activity which has the potential to jeopardize safety of Passengers in an Aircraft. Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) January 30, 2020 "I reiterate that Airlines must ensure"Zero Tolerance" for any activity which has the potential to jeopardize safety of Passengers in an Aircraft," Puri said in a tweet. Earlier on January 28, after IndiGo had said that it was suspending Kamra from flying with the airlines for six months, Puri had tweeted, "offensive behaviour designed to provoke and create disturbance" inside an aircraft "is absolutely unacceptable & endangers safety of air travellers". "We are left with no option but to advise other airlines to impose similar restrictions on the person concerned," Puri had said. (This story has been updated with latest developments) (Bloomberg) -- Airbnb Inc. asked hosts in parts of China affected by the coronavirus to help guests rearrange accommodation, while stopping short of warning customers about the disease. The advice comes as hundreds of properties remain available via the room-booking platform in the city of Wuhan in central Chinas Hubei province, where the deadly virus thats killed more than 200 is believed to have originated. In one message, Airbnb advised hosts in the region to pay close attention to the development of the epidemic, and be supportive if a guests itinerary or plans changed suddenly. Airbnb has launched a special cancellation policy for housing bookings in Wuhan, said the Chinese-language message, adding that hosts keep in touch with tenants. Ultimately, Airbnb has left it up to each host whether or not to accept bookings. We have activated our extenuating circumstances policy to offer impacted hosts and guests the option of a cancellation of their reservations without charges, an Airbnb spokesman said in a statement. We will be continuously evaluating and updating this policy. Like other online service companies, Airbnb is grappling with the spread of a sometimes deadly pathogen that shows no signs of abating. The World Health Organization has declared the coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, a step that will let public health authorities aid countries with less-robust health systems to stop the spread of the virus. Airlines are curtailing flights to China, and several countries have begun evacuating citizens from the most stricken zone around the city of Wuhan, which remains quarantined. China Deaths Rise to 213; WHO Declares Emergency: Virus Update Hundreds of properties in Wuhan were shown as available on Airbnb for as soon as the night of Jan. 30, with discounts of as much as 15% offered as a Lunar New Year promotion. A Bloomberg News reporter was able to successfully complete a booking, with payment taken from a U.K. credit card, without being advised on Airbnbs app or in confirmation emails of current health and travel guidance. Story continues In a follow-up message, the host said they had kept reservations open to help people unable to return to their hometown find a place to stay. The process is similar for hotels and their relationships with sites like Booking.com. A search for a place to stay in Wuhan on Booking.com using a U.K.-based computer produces a wide range of hotel options. However, there was confusion over whether hotels were open for business. Sold Out Booking.com shows the Hilton Wuhan Riverside as sold out for the night of Jan. 31. On the hotels own website, more detail is provided: As a precautionary measure in line with prevention efforts across China and local government requirements, Hilton Wuhan Riverside will temporarily stop taking bookings from now until 15 February 2020. An identical message is given to shoppers attempting to book at another of Hiltons Wuhan hotels, the Hilton Wuhan Optics Valley. However, on Thursday afternoon in London, Booking.coms website said the Hilton Wuhan Riverside had been booked twice in the previous six hours. There was no health warning visible to potential visitors. A spokeswoman for Hilton WorldWide Holdings Inc. said we do not control third party sites or how they display their listings, but added that warnings and health advice are displayed on Hiltons own websites. Booking.com did not respond to a request for comment. Airbnb is one of many technology companies having to tackle the economic impact of the deadly virus. On Tuesday, Apple Inc. issued a wider-than-usual sales forecast to reflect what Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook called uncertainty caused by the outbreak. Nvidia Corp., the biggest maker of computer graphics chips, told its workers in China to stay home and any others returning from the country to work from home for two weeks, people with knowledge of the matter said. Travel to China should be postponed, Nvidia told employees. Facebook Inc. has also implemented similar policies. (Updates with WHOs decision in the sixth paragraph) To contact the reporter on this story: Nate Lanxon in London at nlanxon@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Giles Turner at gturner35@bloomberg.net, Molly Schuetz For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. The alleged killer of a 61-year old mum inside her home portrayed himself as strange loner and cat lover. Xochil O'Neill, 28, remains in hospital under police guard in a serious condition after he allegedly killed Maud Steenbeek, 61, in her Heidelberg West, Melbourne, home about 8pm on Tuesday. O'Neill was reportedly critically injured while being apprehended while still inside the beloved yoga teacher's home. Xochil O'Neill portrays himself as a cat lover who appears to have great affection for himself Maud Steenbeek, 61, was allegedly murdered in her own home while on a video call to a relative Xochil O'Neill, 28, was reportedly bashed after he was allegedly found inside a murdered woman's home Smiling and holding what appears to be a pizza topped with vegan cheese, Ms Steenbeek was a perfect picture of healthy living. Mystery surrounds why O'Neill allegedly entered Ms Steenbeek's home on Liberty Parade. His multiple Facebook profiles paint a picture of a desperately lonely man who outwardly made fun at his own expense. Just five years ago, when O'Neill would have been about 23, he posted an event highlighting his 'First Kiss'. The image shows O'Neill kissing a mirror image of himself under the banner 'Best kiss ever'. He further claimed he was in a relationship with himself. Another image shows a crying Ralph Wiggum, from an early episode of The Simpsons, wishing everyone a happy Valentine's Day. Wiggum was famously rejected by Lisa Simpson in a classic episode where the comical loser's heart is left broken. Another image shows him with the word 'BABE' scribbled on the back of his neck. Much of the content contains drug references, with one link suggesting he graduated from 'Princes Hill Get High School'. In one post, O'Neill paid tribute to windows. One of many bizarre images posted on Facebook by Xochil O'Neill First Kiss: Xochil O'Neill posted a picture of himself kissing a mirror image Xochil O'Neill labels himself a babe in one of many strange Facebook posts 'I think that windows are the best invention ever and I am so glad that I can see out of mine and not feel the chilly breeze. Thank you Tomas jefferson for inventing windows,' he wrote. As the investigation into Ms Steenbeek's alleged murder continues, it has been revealed she was on a video call with an overseas relative when the relative noticed a stranger moving behind her. The call suddenly cut out and the relative reportedly raised the alarm with the woman's son. Police confirmed a man known to the woman rushed to the home where he restrained O'Neill before police arrived. That same man is also being investigated for destroying a television cameraman's equipment. Xochil O'Neill posted this image on Valentines Day. It shows a sad Ralph Wiggum from The Simpsons after he failed to receive a Valentine card A fresh-faced Xochil O'Neill in an image posted on one of his Facebook profiles Detectives spent a full night and most of Wednesday at Ms Steenbeek's property as forensics experts analysed the property. On Thursday, mourners began arriving at her home with flowers and tributes. One tribute read: 'RIP Aunty Maude. 'Always lives and never forgotten. The boys are safe with us and never forgotten.' Another friend posted on Facebook described Ms Steenbeek as a caring and devoted mother. "An enlightened spirit, a beautiful natured person, a talented yoga teacher who gave her time and energy to many people and she will be sadly missed by all who knew her,' she wrote. It is understood Ms Steenbeek lived at the property with her two adult sons, whom were unfortunately absent when the attack on their mother occurred. A former student of the yoga trainer told Daily Mail Australia she was in shock on hearing about Ms Steenbeek's bloody demise. 'Maud was my yoga teacher many years ago, she was a lovely compassionate woman (who) lived a quiet life,' she said. Ms Steenbeek was a welcome face at the Fawkner Leisure Centre where she conducted her classes for many years. Before police arrived neighbours heard loud screams coming from the property. A witness said an 'erratic' man covered in blood left the house a short time later with what appeared to be cuts to his arms. Police spent Tuesday night at the scene of the alleged aggravated burglary in Liberty Parade, Heidelberg West Detectives talk to neighbours across the road from where the alleged murder took place The house in Heidelberg West where a 61-year old woman was allegedly murdered on Tuesday She said the man had been running up and down the street earlier that night with a frantic look in his face. 'He seemed to be completely off his face,' the witness told The Herald Sun. 'We thought he was having an episode you know. Then he was running and we thought ''what the hell?''. 'He was trying to jump into trees. Then he was hiding under a car.' As the investigation continues, people have flocked to O'Neill's Facebook page seeking answers to the tragedy. 'Dude. Why didnt you get help?' one person posted. 'Why didnt any of your friends do something when they saw the red flags and warning signs.' Cat Lover: The alleged killer's Facebook page is littered with tributes to his feline friends TROY The suspect in a 1975 New Year's Eve slaying of a Navy dental technician in California was arrested late last week in Troy, according to the San Diego Police Department. Dennis LePage, 62, was arrested Friday in connection with the 44-year-old slaying of Alvardo Espeleta, a 28-year-old man who worked at the Marine Corps Recruiting Depot in San Diego, police in that city said. Espeleta was found dead in his home by two co-workers who had gone to check on him after he failed to show for work, the police statement said. India has reported its first case of novel coronavirus in Kerala, where a woman studying in Chinas Wuhan University has tested positive for the deadly virus. The patient has been kept in an isolation ward at the general hospital in Thrissur and her condition is stable, according to an official release. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the state government was closely monitoring the situation. While we need to be cautious, it is no cause for panic. Our health network is capable of handling any emergencies. People should avoid spreading the news that is ... The rewards paid out were double what Google has ever paid in a single year. Bug bounty hunters made a lot of money last year when Google paid out over a whopping USD 6.5 million in rewards. In an official blog, the company notes that as part of the Vulnerability Reward Programs, the rewards paid out were double what Google has ever paid in a single year. Meanwhile, the researchers also decided to donate an all-time high of USD 500,000 to charity in 2019. Google will offer higher rewards through the Android Security Rewards program. The top prize is now USD 1 million for a full chain remote code execution exploit. If the exploit is achieved on specific developer preview versions of Android, the prize money goes up to USD 1.5 million. ATLANTA, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- HiddenLevers, a premier technology provider in the wealth management space, is meeting new diversity milestones in 2020. HiddenLevers' Atlanta HQ now runs majority female (53%) and majority minority (54%), while maintaining a 100% USA-based developer team. A rising fintech player, HiddenLevers proves that diversity as a cornerstone in hiring can lead to next-level product and team culture. HiddenLevers shifted headquarters from Manhattan to metro-Atlanta and adopted a diversity-forward hiring methodology, to attract talent who wouldn't usually consider fintech. Diversity Statistics (All HiddenLevers Employees) 38% women compared to 23% in tech-sector compared to 23% in tech-sector 58% minority compared to 35% industry-wide compared to 35% industry-wide 25% underrepresented minority compared to 12% in tech-sector "We don't want to compare ourselves too much to averages because HiddenLevers is not about being average," said Raj Udeshi, Founder. "We have higher standards on everything from client experience to data privacy, so why not on diversity?" While the arrival of several industry heavyweights rezoned Atlanta as a fintech hub, it remains uncertain whether their headcounts will reflect the city's diversity. Avoiding the hypocritical wokeness of big tech companies, HiddenLevers put effort into actual changes. "Instead of the usual corporate platitudes on race and rainbow-soaked advertising, I find the HiddenLevers founders give real opportunity to smart people of all backgrounds," said Carlos Rodriguez, a full-stack developer. "We embrace differences to harness creative friction and divergent skill sets. This rockets HiddenLevers forward." Diversity = Winning A 2018 study by McKinsey and LeanIn.org found companies in the top quartile for cultural diversity are 33% more likely to have industry-leading profitability. Top-quartile companies for gender diversity on exec teams are 21% more likely to outperform on profitability and 27% more likely to demonstrate superior value creation. "The ROI on diversity is obvious at HiddenLevers," said Yesenia Malone, another full-stack developer. "This is a happy tribe, welcoming of women and people of color, who love heterogeneity and are allergic to office politics. Our culture delivers unexpected wealth tech advancements quicker and better than the usual fintech man-show." "Women now control 42% of American wealth. That number will cross 50% by 2030," said Praveen Ghanta, HiddenLevers Founder and CEO, citing a Credit Suisse study. "It makes sense that companies serving them should embrace having more women on their team." HiddenLevers is leading by example, by adjusting hiring practices, and by launching a women's financial empowerment initiative. Tickets to the inaugural seminar, entitled Girl, Get Your Money, sold out in 2019, and will return as a regular series in 2020. "I missed the culture at HiddenLevers and was pleasantly surprised to see progress on both the platform and the female headcount," said Ashleigh Nails, who rejoined the team after working in education. "I'm contributing more to dropping knowledge here than I ever did in the higher-ed system." You'll find HiddenLevers in the Veo Village at this week's TD-Ameritrade LINC conference in Orlando. Several team members will be available to discuss diversity and demonstrate HiddenLevers client experience and business intelligence capabilities for wealth management. For more information, visit www.hiddenlevers.com. About HiddenLevers HiddenLevers is a technology platform, providing next-level applications, business intelligence, risk analytics and economic research for the wealth management space. With platform assets nearing $520 billion, HiddenLevers offers client experience, business intelligence, and home-office solutions aimed at financial advisors, asset managers, and wealth management executive teams. The cloud-based platform includes a macro-scenario library, proposal generation, portfolio stress testing, model construction, and enterprise monitoring of risk, revenue, and KPI. HiddenLevers was founded in 2009 and remains a self-funded company, with headquarters in Atlanta. Media Contact: Hilary Murdock 678-612-4086 [email protected] SOURCE HiddenLevers Security personnel help Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan as he is being blocked by protesting opposition legislators on his arrival into the house for Governors address in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday. (PTI) THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amid a high voltage protest and boycott by the opposition Congress-led UDF, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Wednesday presented his policy address in the assembly and read out references to anti-Citizenship Amendment Act resolution passed by the house, despite disagreeing with it. Governor Arif Mohammad Khan said that he was not affected by the opposition Congress-led UDF protest against him in Assembly. The Governor told reporters that he had seen even bigger protests while he was a member of Legislative Assembly. The next big political attack against him is coming up in the form of opposition Congress resolution to seek Khans recall. The notice given to Speaker for moving the resolution will come up before Assembly Business Advisory Committee meeting on Friday. Though the Speaker had pointed out on Tuesday that the notice was admissible, the final decision on resolution will depend on the stand to be taken by the Chief Minister who is also the leader of the House. Meanwhile, parliamentary affairs minister A K Balan criticised the opposition legislators for attempting to block Governor in House. Such actions were being done by the opposition out of desperation. The UDF will lose its mass support if it continues with such antics, he said. The Governor expressing his disagreement before reading out the paragraph on CAA issue was just a formality. It will not go on record of the House, he added. Reading out the anti-CAA stand of the state government, the Governor said, Our citizenship can never be on the basis of religion as this goes against the grain of secularism which is part of the basic structure of our constitution. Referring to the unanimous anti-CAA resolution passed by the assembly, Khan, who has been at loggerheads with the state government for moving the Supreme court against the law and the resolution against it, said the government believes the Act goes against the cardinal principles underlying the Constitution. Strong states and strong centre are pillars of our federalism. The voices of genuine apprehension of the states need to be considered by the central government in the right spirit keeping broad national interest in mind, particularly when constitutional values are involved and there are widespread anxieties and apprehensions among a large number of our citizenry, he said. We can provide a security process that not only offers a clear solution to HOAs, but is the beginning of an evolving partnership designed to meet future needs. -Oscar Weinberg, Owner and Founder AT&I Systems, a trusted partner in commercial security and surveillance solutions, will be exhibiting at the Palm Beach Condo & HOA Expo on February 4 and April 30. Held at the Palm Beach County Convention Center, 650 Okeechobee Blvd., the annual event welcomes industry experts and showcases the latest products and services. The Expo includes nearly 100 exhibitors providing legal insights, financial advice, communication tips and proactive management solutions, as well as the latest design trends, innovations in building and remodeling, and the newest energy efficiency options. AT&I Systems, with offices in Cooper City & Boynton Beach, as well as offices opening up in Orlando and West Palm Beach, Fla., looks forward to the opportunity to show property managers commercial security solutions for communities, including visitor management, gate entry systems and access control. Participation in the Palm Beach Condo & HOA Expo is an incredible opportunity to reach thousands of visitors, said Oscar Weinberg, AT&I owner. We are excited to show all of the customer-centric solutions offered at AT&I. Serving Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties for the past 25 years, AT&I Systems is known for its experience and expertise in the gate servicing, access control and video surveillance positions and prides itself on customer service and communications with its clients. In fact, its internal processes were designed to meet the needs of clients and provide constant communication, from a service call to a complicated installation. Serving commercial businesses such as financial institutions, homeowners associations and multi-family residential housing facilities in South Florida for the past three decades means that customer satisfaction is a guarantee. In addition to the companys gate servicing, access control and video surveillance offerings, AT&I also specializes in burglar alarms, cloud managed solutions, virtual and remote guards, and license plate recognition. Whatever a customers need when it comes to security, we can provide a process that not only offers a clear solution for now, but is the beginning of an evolving partnership that is designed to meet future needs, as well, Weinberg said. We look forward to demonstrating how our business can make this possible. About AT&I Systems For the past 25 years, Access Technology & Integration has been providing protection for valuable assets at businesses across Florida with its gate servicing, access control and video surveillance positions. The companys internal processes meet the needs of clients, while providing constant communication to ensure the safety of employees, customers and assets. Protesters breached a portion of the barricading near Jamia Millia Islamia University on Thursday as the protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and Register of Citizens (NRC) continued near the campus. Police put up barricades to stop protestors from moving ahead on a march. Some protestors, including girls, had earlier climbed the barricades and shouted slogans. Earlier in the day, a Jamia Millia Islamia student was injured after a person opened fire in Jamia area where anti-CAA protests were going on. The injured- Shadab Farooq, a student of the second semester of MA Mass Communication sustained injuries in his left hand. He has been referred to the AIIMS trauma centre. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) DES MOINES Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., after coming under assault at the impeachment trial, plans on Thursday to offer a forceful rebuke of President Trump that will double as a closing message ahead of the Iowa caucuses on Monday. Mr. Biden, who faces a close and fluid race in the leadoff caucus state, will deliver a speech in Waukee, a suburb of Des Moines, in an urgent late-stage effort to focus Democrats on the question of which candidate can defeat Mr. Trump. The speech will also serve as a pre-emptive rebuttal to a rally that Mr. Trump is holding in Des Moines later on Thursday, capping a week in which the presidents legal team tried to train attention on Mr. Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, at the impeachment trial. The Biden campaign will also start airing a new 60-second television ad in Iowa that begins with images of the White House and the Oval Office. Its said, a narrator declares, in here your character is revealed. We saw it with President Obama, the narrator says. Were seeing it with President Trump. The ad and Mr. Bidens speech which is not expected to discuss details of the impeachment trial, but will contrast the candidate with the president come against a backdrop of mounting tensions between Mr. Biden and Mr. Trumps allies in Congress. On Monday, Senator Joni Ernst, Republican of Iowa, suggested that the scrutiny of Mr. Biden and his son at the impeachment trial would hurt Mr. Biden at the caucuses. Thank you for reading! To read this article and more, subscribe now for as little as $1.99. Welcome Witsies! Sanibonani. Good morning new Wits students. Welcome to Wits and welcome to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management. The Dean of our Faculty is Professor Imraan Valodia. I am not him. He could not be here today as he is overseas and coming back next week from Edinburgh University in Scotland. iGama lami u Professor Jason Cohen. I am the Deputy Dean for the Faculty and it is my pleasure and privilege to welcome you all here today. As Deans we get to stand up in this Wits Great Hall and step to the microphone on the podium here on two occasions. The first is during orientation to welcome you to Wits. The second is when we call your name at graduation and you walk across this stage to receive your degree. It would be my honour to call all your names at graduation a few years from now. This year we are welcoming around 1000 new first year students to the commerce, law and management faculty at wits. This is 1000 students against 30,000 applications to study in our faculty. You have done well to get here. Sitting here is a result of the hours you spent away from family and friends in order to study for matric. It is a result of the countless number of times you had to say no to other choices in your life in order to say yes to your studies and to your future. Every morning that you fought through the traffic or stood in line to catch public transport or walked to school to get to class on time. You are here because of that diligence and focus, your ability to manage your time, to be prepared and to do what was necessary to excel. These are qualities that will serve you well in the years ahead. When people think of Wits they often think of the great alumni like Nelson Mandela, Robert Sobukwe, Ruth First, William Kentridge and our very own Chancellor, Dr Judy Dlamini. Or you may have heard of other CLM alumni like Brian Joffe (of Bidvest) or the late Donald Gordon (Liberty Life). But there is something magical about the setting of Wits University, in the heart of the countrys economic hub that inspires so many of our graduates to do great things. Like Nhlanhla Dlamini, a student I taught a little over 15 years ago in our BCom programme. He went on to a masters at Oxford then an MBA from Harvard, worked for companies such as McKinsey and Morgan Stanley investment bank, and is now one of South Africas top industrialists. Miles Kubheka, who did his Bachelor of Commerce Honours with us 20 years ago. I remember talking to him about his reservations of taking up an internship at a software company. He is now a restauranteer and author. You may have heard of his restaurant Vuyos in Vilakazi Street Soweto. If we look a little further back, Wanda Orlikowski got her BCom in 1977 and her MCom in 1982. She is considered a leading global scholar at MIT writing about the 4th Industrial Revolution and effects of technology on organisations. Felicia Kentridge established the Wits Law Clinic in 1973, one of the first public interest law clinics in the country. In 1979, with Arthur Chaskalson, she set up the Legal Resources Centre which went on to do groundbreaking work including compelling the Mbeki government to provide Nevirapine to HIV positive mothers which marked a turning point in the governments AIDS policy; and just last year the Law Clinic took up the case of a number of women who had been trapped into fraudulent marriages. A case that many law students were involved in under Professor Phillipa Kruger. Bonita Myersfeld, did her LLB at Wits, went on to a PhD at Yale. And is back as a professor at Wits and just recently given a National Order of Merit by the President of France in recognition of her work on gender-based violence. Our economics students consistently excel in the Nedbank & Old Mutual Budget Speech competition, and last year the postgraduate section of the competition was won by our Masters student, Baneng Naape, for his essay on Disciplined Fiscal Policy in South Africa. Vuyo Jack studied Accountancy here, a CA, and is now the executive chairman of Empowerdex, South Africas best known black economic empowerment rating agency. Our school of accountancy is indeed transforming the accounting profession of this country, producing among the highest pass rates in the SAICA CA exams with numbers of successful African candidate far in excess of universities such as UCT, Stellenbosch and Pretoria. I guess I could go on and on, and there are many more wonderful examples of successful people in commerce, accountancy and law who sat in the very lecture halls you will find yourselves next week. I cannot guess how your lives will turn out, but if there is one thing I am quite sure of, looking at the examples that I have just cited, it is very unlikely that your careers will follow the path you are imagining right now. The next few years of your life will be interesting and challenging and sometimes confusing and sometimes difficult. Some of you may realise quite early that the programme you have registered for is not what you expected, and you will change courses; some of you will fail a course or two and pick up new areas of interest, and many of you will change direction significantly once you complete your degree. You have the advantage of being in the economic, the political and the technological hub of the country; and at the same time having the best academic minds to guide you through the next few years. You will learn facts, but you will also learn skills and concepts and engage robustly in ideas. Being able to study here - at Wits - at the top University on the African continent, means that you have risen above thousands, thousands of others. And I want you to also think about what the opportunity means. We have great expectations of you. Your leadership role does not just begin when you graduate from Wits. We expect you to be leaders now. And we want you to use that leadership to effect positive change in our society, our city, our campus, in your classrooms and in your residences. You must be the leaders who tackle inequality. This is without a doubt the biggest crisis facing us as a country, and as citizens of the world. You will see students who are much poorer than you, students who cannot afford 3 meals a day, who cannot afford sanitary pads or stationary. Be generous with material things and in spirit. Take notice of these inequalities because you are the generation of leaders that can find innovative and interesting ways to address these. Those of you from more privileged backgrounds have a moral obligation to share your resources and your confidence with students who have had to overcome so much more to get here. You must be the leaders that reject sexual harassment and all forms of gender violence. You must turn around the rape crisis in this country. You must be the beacons of hope for vulnerable women, for children in abusive households, for marginalized people. You must be the leaders on campus and in society that speak out and show that you are better. You must be the generation that ends xenophobia. We expect you to embrace the different cultures, races, backgrounds, languages and countries you will find in your peers at Wits, and to make people feel welcomed and included no matter what their backgrounds. Indeed, the diversity of the Wits campus is part of the rich educational experience that make our graduates leaders. You need to practice safe sex. The HIV infection rates in South Africa should be massively lower than they are now, but too many people continue to behave irresponsibly. You KNOW the dangers of unsafe sex be the leaders that change that behavior. There is an environmental, climate and water crisis in the world and many parts of our country. This crisis could be much better managed if people change their behaviours. You are the generation that understands the political importance of the environmental struggle; and how connected people are when it comes to issues of natural resources. We expect you to drive a campaign of responsible consumption on our campus. Despite years of expensive advertising and different messaging, our road accident deaths continue to be among the highest in the world. You are the leaders who need to practice safe driving habits, who need to show that it is cool to be safe and that reckless driving (and driving after drinking) is stupid and unattractive and unnecessary. It was your generation that developed technologies like Uber so that you have more options to be safe now. We expect you to be the leaders who insist on being ethical in every single decision you make. The scourge of corruption has crept into all areas of life in our country it has almost destroyed the dream we had with Nelson Mandela in 1994 to build a better life for all. You are the leaders who will claim back that dream. The generation who will insist that business, government and civil society all act morally to better the lives of all South Africans. You are the generation that will reject bribes, that will not pull strings to help friends or family, that will rely on your work ethic and your strength of character to advance in this world. And that starts with your academic integrity, in the honest manner in which you will tackle and prepare your assignments. Copying from your friends, cutting and pasting solutions from the internet and passing them off as your own. These are not ethical decisions. Those are not the actions of leaders, or Witsies. Of course, I should also mention that you must prepare for tough times. University is very different from school. You might feel overwhelmed. You might question whether youve registered for the right thing. You might feel depressed and lonely. And while it is our job to give you the best guidance, teaching and mentorship possible, it is also our responsibility to give you as much support as possible. Wits has excellent support structure to help you with all of this. We have counseling, we have study support, we have tutors and psychologists and medical people. We have people dedicated to help you navigate the personal and academic challenges that come with studying at university. These resources are all at your disposal to make your journey through Wits as smooth and enjoyable as possible. We want you to be healthy and have balance; to be enriched by your studies; to make new friends and meet interesting new people; to try new activities and stretch your minds. I wish you well. You will learn wonderful things whether it is in your Bachelor of Accounting Science or your BCom, in your Bachelor of Economic Science or your LLB. I hope your journey here with us will feel enriching and valuable. Congratulations on choosing to study at Africas top university and may you be inspired to make your mark in this world and continue the proud tradition of our heroic alumni. Welcome to Wits and to CLM. Black Indianapolis has been engaged in a discussion on the future of our community. Weve been talking about a Black agenda, but the effort hasnt been just talk. Work is being done. The African American Coalition of Indianapolis (AACI) has taken the lead on the development of a policy agenda while others are leading economic and social policy efforts. There are additional conversations about community economic development led by Kephrw Institute. Grassroots organizations like the Economic Freedom Fighters have been hosting forums as well. I personally continue to appreciate the role of Black pastors groups and their leadership on a Black agenda. They keep us strong and unbossed. Collaboration remains key to the effort. The beauty of our current situation is that no one group controls the Black agenda, but we do have a level of collaboration that is ostensibly unprecedented. This isnt the first time the community has worked to develop a Black agenda, and it should be noted that this collective effort builds on the success and failures of many numerous efforts large and small. We continue to stand on the shoulders of giants. While theres plenty of folks who have not yet participated in the dialogue, a concerted effort has been made to engage the Black community. Certainly, more work is left to be done. One of the lessons learned has been to share progress with the community. As we continue the outreach effort, the elders in the community deemed it is appropriate to provide an update on where we are in this still-unfolding and evolving process. The AACI identified nearly 30 recommendations as part of a policy agenda. Some of the actions require community effort and others call for action from city leaders. In just a couple of months there has been movement on several items: Education The city is moving forward with enhanced community input in the charter school development process. Input would occur earlier in the process and applicants are being asked to justify their application using data about the community. The AACI wants to make charter schools responsive to community needs. The process outlined is a first step in that direction. The city is beefing up its cultural competency evaluation efforts, including evaluating how charter schools are leveraging cultural competency as part of their operations. Cultural competency can be linked to trauma informed care, but we will need to continue to push for trauma informed care for students in mayor-sponsored charter schools. Affordable Housing The city included several Black professionals knowledgeable about finance and the government funding programs on the Community Development Block Grant committee, a group that determines where federal community development block grant dollars will go. The city-county council will likely vote on the committee recommendations in February. The mayor is moving forward with an ordinance that will make it harder for landlords to evict tenants seeking fixes to properties. The ordinance will be introduced to the city-county council this month and includes $250,000 to support tenants and their legal fights with landlords. We will want to study the proposed language and consider support but at a minimum it looks like a step in the right direction. Food Insecurity The city made a 25-year commitment to a food innovation fund, which would receive approximately $500,000 annually. Theres also been some pleasant surprises. We got a Black police chief. And the chief recently appointed a Black woman, as Major Ida Williams will provide leadership at the IMPD training academy. The city also got a significant grant to improve its reentry efforts. City-county council President Vop Osili managed to get all three branches of government in a room to discuss equity issues in city government. The Republicans announced a commission to look at violence specifically the disparate violence occurring in the Black community. Democrats called for an inquiry into violence as well as broader criminal justice issues, including who is getting arrested. Notably, the Democrats missed the opportunity to say Black and inaccurately used people of color. The data doesnt support that term. Nevertheless, when both parties fight on our terms, we win. Conversations with Chief Taylor and Camille Blunt, director of the Office of Minority and Women Business Development, which just released a 600-plus-page disparity study on the citys dismal spend with Black businesses, have been promising, but we remain mindful that promising isnt the same as progress. More formal and constructive engagement is planned. For an agenda that was formally presented to the community in October, weve seen solid progress, and the elders wanted this known. A Black agenda must be broader than a policy agenda. The Exchange at the Indianapolis Urban League continues its work with young professionals. The African American Legacy Fund of Indianapolis will begin its inaugural programming year soon. A summit has already been planned to look at community economic development issues in March by Kephrw Institute. I should also note that the principles of endorsement, reconciliation and restoration have worked to resolve some conflict amongst community leaders. The AACI will announce future policy sessions soon. Weve got a lot of work ahead but despise not humble beginnings. Marshawn Wolley is a lecturer, commentator, business owner and civic entrepreneur. Contact him at marshawnwolley@gmail.com. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo predicted Thursday that Brexit would bring "enormous benefits" to the United States and the UK, during a visit to Britain on the eve of its historic departure from the European Union. Ahead of talks with Prime Minister Boris Johnson about a post-Brexit trade deal and other key issues, Pompeo said he was optimistic about Britain's nearly half a century of EU membership ending late Friday. "There were things that the United Kingdom was required to do as part of being a member of the EU, and they'll be able to do them differently now," Washington's top diplomat told a think-tank audience in London. "Some of this will be worked out through the free trade agreement, some of it will be worked out by entrepreneurs just kicking it," he said, alongside British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. "You will see the enormous benefits that accrued to both of our nations as a result of this." Britain will enter a new chapter when it becomes the first country to quit the EU's institutions at midnight Brussels time (2300 GMT) on Friday. "It is a great moment for our country... a moment of hope and opportunity," Johnson said Wednesday, as he prepared to address the nation at 2200 GMT Friday -- an hour before Brexit. Although Britain will remain under most EU rules during an 11-month transition period, it is then likely to lose privileged access to the single European market -- the world's largest and most important for UK trade. Johnson has argued he can negotiate ambitious free trade agreements with both his 27 former partners and the US, but has seen recent strains in the so-called "special relationship" with Washington. Britain has been angered by American refusal to extradite the wife of a US diplomat who is using the cover of diplomatic immunity to avoid prosecution over the death of a teenager in a road accident in England. Johnson's hopes for a US trade deal are also complicated by Trump's unpopularity in Britain and domestic pressure to stand up to Washington. The British premier has defied expectations since taking power last July by failing to side with the United States on everything from the Iran nuclear deal, which President Donald Trump has abandoned, to working with Chinese tech giant Huawei. Trump -- a long-time fan of Brexit and Johnson's ability to deliver it successfully -- has publicly urged Britain to rethink, yet has so far been restrained in his criticism. But others, including Republican senators who will have to sign off on a future US-UK trade deal, have cautioned that sharing intelligence and striking an agreement could be imperilled by the Huawei decision in particular. Pompeo, in London on the first leg of a five-nation tour that also takes in Ukraine, sounded a more positive note on Thursday. He said the US-UK intelligence sharing relationship would remain "deep" and "strong" and that he was "confident" the next generation of technology would be secure. However, he warned strongly about Beijing's growing global influence, calling China's ruling Communist Party "the central threat of our times" that challenges Western principles. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Chhattisgarh government has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to repeal the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) on Thursday. The Chief Minister, Bhupesh Baghel has written a letter asking the PM to repel the Act. In the letter, it is mentioned that the Act is "against the sentiments of the people of Chhattisgarh". READ: PM Modi Says Govt Ready To Discuss All Issues; Oppn Talks Of Anti-CAA Protests, 'worsening' Economy Another state to pass anti-CAA resolution "Chhattisgarh is witnessing massive protests against the act. The state originally has inhabitants belonging to Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, OBCs..A huge chunk of the state's population lives below poverty line, are landless and illiterate. They will surely face difficulties in fulfilling the formalities required by the Act. The CAA erodes the Constitution's fundamental structure on secularism," Baghel wrote in the letter. The state is also expected to pass a resolution to block the CAA and will be the fifth state to do so after Kerala, Rajasthan, West Bengal, and Punjab. The CAA was passed in the Parliament in December and ever since there have been countrywide protests against the Act, with many calling it to be discriminatory against the certain religions and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee claiming it to be against the poor. READ: Congress To Raise CAA During Goa Assembly Session Home Minister Amit Shah, who led the debates and discussions in the Parliament, has clarified that the Act will not be repeated and that it is not discriminatory at all. Recently, at a rally, he said, "The Opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati are misleading people against the CAA. They are spreading false information that the CAA will snatch the citizenship of the Muslims. However, I would like to reiterate that this act will provide citizenship to the minorities who have faced persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. They have been exploited and it is our duty to protect them. The opposition is behind these protests in different parts of the country to create a divide in the society for vote bank politics." WATCH: Delhi: CPI Leaders Protest Against CAA & NRC On Mahatma Gandhi's Martyrdom Day READ: Feel Foreign Forces Behind Creating Misunderstanding Over CAA To Weaken India: Rajnath Singh (Photo: PTI) Paula White says she was 'praying Eph 6:12' when she called for 'all satanic pregnancies to miscarry' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Pastor Paula White, who serves as an adviser to the Trump administrations Office of Public Liaison with the Faith and Opportunity Initiative, clarified Sunday that she was praying Eph 6:12 when she called for all satanic pregnancies to miscarry in a clip from one of her sermons that went viral over the weekend. I don't normally respond but clearly this has been taken out of context. I was praying Eph 6:12 that we wrestle not against flesh and blood. Anything that has been conceived by demonic plans, for it to be cancelled and not prevail in your life, White tweeted in response to the clip from her sermon. That is- any plans to hurt people. Let's be clear what is really going on... this is a disingenuous attempt to use words out of context for political gain. I will just keep praying! she added. The clip was first posted by liberal advocacy group Right Wing Watch and then further shared online by author and expert on the religious left Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons as well as others, resulting in more than 8 million views as of Monday afternoon. "We declare any strange winds any strange winds that have been sent to hurt the church, sent to hurt this nation, sent against the president, sent against myself, sent against others we break it by the superior blood of Jesus right now," White said in the clip. I don't normally respond but clearly this has been taken out of context. I was praying Eph 6:12 that we wrestle not against flesh and blood. Anything that has been conceived by demonic plans, for it to be cancelled and not prevail in your life... https://t.co/tKEUs4muwZ Paula White-Cain (@Paula_White) January 26, 2020 "In the name of Jesus, we command all satanic pregnancies to miscarry right now. We declare that anything that has been conceived in satanic wombs will miscarry, it will not be able to carry forth any plan of destruction, any plan of harm, she added. Reactions to the clip of White preaching were quickly attacked by other liberal Christians like unapologetic Trump critic Pastor John Pavlovitz. The Christianity of Jesus left people with more dignity and greater care; with healed wounds and fuller bellies, with calmed fears and quieted worries. It left a wake of generosity and compassion. No, this isn't Christianity. To hell with what this is, he wrote in one of many responses to Fitzsimmons tweet. Asking your imaginary friend to terminate someone elses pregnancy against their will is pretty messed up, added The Church of Satan in a tweet of its own. Many of Whites more conservative fans, however, noted that they did not interpret her message to mean hoping for a physical miscarriage but rather for Satan's plans to be stopped. By The Associated Press By The Associated Press Jan. 29, 2020 | 06:18 PM | FRANKFORT House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jason Petrie said Wednesday that bills to be considered will likely deal with the bail system, persistent felony offender status, felony thresholds for theft offenses, and probation. The upcoming discussions come amid surging incarceration rates within the state. Gov. Andy Beshear points to rising prison costs as a growing burden on the state budget, sapping money for education and health care. He has urged lawmakers to take up criminal-justice reform. A House committee chairman says state lawmakers will grapple with a criminal justice system he says is out of kilter." Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-29 20:52:06|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close A staff member holds a koala in Adelaide Koala Rescue in Adelaide, Australia, Jan. 28, 2020. (Photo by Lyu Wei/Xinhua) ADELAIDE, Australia, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- In a hot summer day, Alice was sitting in a shed enjoying the mist that could cool her down. Although injuries left by bushfire could still be seen, she is much healthier now. The fire victim is not a person. She is a koala. Bushfires raging in Australia over the past several months have killed at least 33 people. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Australia estimated that around 1.25 billion animals have been killed across the country. But there were lucky ones like Alice, who were rescued and treated. Like some other koalas, she was found in the Cudlee Creek where a fire started. "We found her three or four weeks ago," said Jane Brister, founder of the Adelaide Koala Rescue, to Xinhua. "She was black all over, covered in ash. Even a tip of her ear was burned." The Adelaide Koala Rescue in South Australia, with more than 200 volunteers, provides 24-hour koala rescue services covering the Adelaide Hills, all Adelaide metro areas and some regional areas. Usually with about 40 koalas in their care, volunteers there suddenly found after the bushfires they have over 120 koalas to attend to. Therefore they need more space. They moved to a school, before settling down in another venue on the outskirts of Adelaide in the past weekend. "We are waiting to move into a new building," Brister said. Busy as they were with the relocation, volunteers tried to make the koalas comfortable. They give the koalas trunks and fresh eucalypt leaves in order to create an environment similar to their habitats. "They need to be sitting on the branches. And it makes them feel like staying in a tree," said the founder. Brister said that in the bushfires the most common injury was burn to their paws. "They (koalas) may have survived the fire by climbing really high up a tree, but when they come down, the tree is still hot, the ground is hot, so they burn their paws when they come down," she said. Koalas differ in terms of the severity of their burns. "Some have very serious burns which would take longer to heal. Others have a shorter stay," she added. Teddy was rescued a couple of weeks ago with burned fur and paws. "Now new fur is growing through and his paws have healed," she said. "It just needs a little more time before he can start climbing up trees again." The healthier koalas were put into bigger enclosures, while the seriously wounded ones were in the ICU, where they were checked every day. "Because they are taking medication, they sleep for longer periods," Brister said. So they let them sleep on soft pads. Each one has a medical record, with the results of their blood tests and other examinations, daily observations and treatments they received. Volunteers not only received koalas injured in bushfires, but also those hit by vehicles or orphaned at a very young age. Hannah was a 12-month old baby koala found before the bushfire. "She was found during very hot weather all by herself," Brister recalled. "She was too small to be without her mom. She still needed milk. A fox would probably have gotten her if we hadn't rescued her." They searched for four days without finding the whereabouts of her mom, before deciding to bring her back. Now clutching a plush toy mouse, the baby koala was in good shape. Like Teddy, Alice and Hannah, each koala was unique to volunteers with their names. Some names were given by those who found them and called for rescue services so as to get local communities involved, while others were named by volunteers. "Sometimes they got names with something to do with where they came from," she said. For example, Hannah was from Balhannah. Another koala baby, who was energetic, was named Jackie Chan. "At first, he was called Jack," Brister grinned. But when the boy showed his talent in Kongfu, they changed his name. Ultimate goal of the volunteers is to help all those koalas find their home in nature, with the orphans paired with their adoptive moms. "Koalas generally are territorial," Brister said. "Legally they should be released within two km of where they were found. However, for some of the koalas there is nothing left within two km. So we need to get permission from the government while looking at other habitats which are similar." But not all the koalas were lucky enough to go back home. She noted that some koalas were dead when they found them, while some others were too seriously injured to be saved. So they had to euthanize them. Damage to the koala species is another tragedy. At the end of last year, Australia's Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley said up to 30 percent of the koalas in the New South Wales (NSW) mid-north coast fires may have been killed. Brister said it was hard to give an exact number of the deceased, but large areas of their habitats were destroyed. "In an interstate area between Queensland and NSW all the koalas were gone," she said. "In the Adelaide Hills massive areas were lost." "The koala species in some areas will never recover," she said. Although they would be emotional when telling the sad stories, people at the rescue center believed their work is meaningful. It was Brister's hope that with their help koala species in some areas could recover. A volunteer said to Xinhua, "we are glad that we have helped many koalas go back home." Hilary Duff is out enjoying the wonderful weather in Los Angeles. On Wednesday afternoon, the 32-year-old Disney Channel alum stepped out for a morning workout in Studio City before heading off to Trader Joe's to do some grocery shopping. Recently, Duff opened up about the mom guilt that took over her while raising her son Luca, aged seven, while she was pregnant with her daughter Banks. On the go: Hilary Duff stepped out for a morning workout in Studio City before heading off to Trader Joe's to do some grocery shopping For her look of the day, she wore a simple black tank top with a longsleeve denim shirt that she had tied around her waist. She wore a pair of slimming black leggings and black sneakers that had a hint of yellow on them. Her long blonde hair was down and she wore her favorite pair of gold hoops that she has been rocking lately. Opening up: Recently, Duff opened up about the mom guilt that took over her while raising her son Luca, aged seven, while she was pregnant with her daughter Banks 'The guilt that I felt for bringing her into the world was so big,' she said during an interview with PureWow. 'It was just he [her son Luca] and I for so long that he was like, 'Why? Why, Mom? Why would you do this? I really just love the way it is.' And it wasn't bratty, it was just so sad.' She added: 'I was like, 'How do I reverse this?! It's too late now.' It's such big feelings. When you're pregnant, everything just feels more magnified.' Lunch time: After her sweat session, she headed about her day with some Sweetgreen to-go Stylish: She had her long blonde hair down and wore a chic pair of brown sunglasses as she headed back to her her G-wagon All black: For her afternoon out, she wore a black tank top and and black leggings with a denim shirt tied around her waist But she also went on to say that once her new addition came into the world, her first born became the most perfect big brother. 'He came in after I had her. I was just holding her, and the look on his face was an absolute shock. He just said, 'That's my sister!' the former Lizzie McGuire star revealed. 'It's a chemical reaction between siblings sometimes where he knows he has to protect her.' Shopping! As she left the grocery store, she hopping on a quick call while hauling her groceries Happy! Back in December, Duff got married for the second time to her husband Matthew Koma Back in December, Duff got married for the second time to her husband Matthew Koma. The ceremony was lowkey and held with friends and family at their Los Angeles home in their backyard. The two were first linked back in 2017 and just a year later, they announced that they were expecting their first child together. Duff was previously married to her ex husband Mike Comrie whom she shares Luca with. Style switch-up: Hilary layered a leather jacket over her gym ensemble Keeping careful: The fit actress carried something fragile in her hands Wow: The star's hair looked glamorous as it was teased in the back Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers discussed the possible next steps to resolve the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Trend reports referring to a joint statement made by Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers and co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the US) met separately and jointly with Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov in Geneva on January 28-30, the message said. They were joined in their meetings by Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Andrzej Kasprzyk. Over three days of intensive discussions, the co-chairs and the ministers discussed the following agenda items: implementation of agreements and proposals discussed in 2019 and possible next steps to prepare the populations for peace; principles and elements forming the basis of a future settlement; and timing and agenda for advancing the settlement process, the message said. The co-chairs reiterated their full commitment to helping the sides find a peaceful solution to the conflict and the principle of confidentiality in the settlement process, as well as the need for creativity and a spirit of compromise to achieve a fair and lasting peace, the message said. The ministers agreed to meet again in the near future under co-chair auspices. Published on 2020/01/29 | Source We have two films by actor Kim Kang-woo to look forward to this year. Advertisement He recently took on the role of a former detective searching for the truth of his sibling's death in the KBS 2TV drama "Woman of 9.9 Billion". Kim Kang-woo returns to the big screen with "Recalled", the story of a woman who loses her memory following an accident and, as her illusions become a reality, has to face the secret of her husband. He plays the husband, Seon-woo. "New Year Blues" is another one of his films this year. "New Year Blues" is a film based on the romantic one week of four couples who overcome different fears before the New Year. Kim Kang-woo tackles the role of a bad-tempered, but somewhat considerate detective named Ji-ho, and pairs up with Yoo In-na. Kim Kang-woo is able to bring his own charm to any piece. With his seasoned performances regardless of genre, he has continued his activities without any boundaries between movies and dramas. ___________ "Recalled" is directed by Seo Yoo-min, and features Kim Kang-woo, Seo Ye-ji, Bae Je-ki, Park Sang-wook, Sung Hyuk. Release date in Korea: 2020. ___________ "New Year Blues" is directed by Hong Ji-young, and features Kim Kang-woo, Yoo In-na, Yoo Yeon-seok, Lee Yeon-hee, Lee Dong-hwi, Chen Duling. Release date in Korea: 2020. The brother of child specialist Kafeel Khan on Thursday alleged that the doctor was arrested to give the ruling BJP an advantage in the Delhi Assembly polls. Dr Khan was arrested in Mumbai on Wednesday for his allegedly inflammatory remarks during the protests last month in Aligarh over the amended citizenship law. He was earlier suspended and arrested after 60 children died at a government hospital during a week in 2017. But a state government probe cleared him of most of the charges. His brother Adil Khan has questioned the motive behind Wednesday's arrest, under section 153-A of the Indian Penal Code. Adil Khan claimed that Kafeel Khan's arrested was not required for those charged under this section, which deals with fomenting enmity between communities. He said the doctor had been arrested over a month after his remarks in Aligarh. "It is clear that the motive behind the arrest was political gain during the Delhi Assembly election, Adil Khan claimed, referring to the February 8 polls. It is alleged that my brother has no faith in the Constitution, which is wrong as his speech is available on social media and nowhere has he said this. He is falsely accused and wrongly arrested, Adil Khan told PTI. Kafeel Khan was arrested by UP Police in a joint operation with Mumbai Police when he arrived in that city on Wednesday night to attend a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Uttar Pradesh police plan to bring him to Aligarh on a transit remand obtained from a Mumbai court. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A multi-state heatwave is set to strain the east-coast energy grid on Friday, with authorities primed to call on emergency power reserves in order to avoid blackouts. With Melbourne bracing for temperatures of more than 40 degrees and Sydney and Brisbane forecast to swelter, energy demand across the entire national electricity market is expected to spike as multiple coal-fired power plant units remain out of service. Four coal power units are offline just as a heatwave engulfs the eastern states. Credit: The Australian Energy Market Operator has issued warnings of a potential shortfall in generation supply, with the threat level particularly high for Victoria in the afternoon. AEMO on Thursday issued a level-two "lack of reserve" warning covering the 4.30pm to 6pm period on Friday, when hundreds of thousands of households are expected to switch on their air conditioners at once. The lab aims to provide practical training in Chemistry to undergraduates and researchers Cipla Foundation, the social responsibility arm of Cipla Ltd, has funded the set-up of a chemistry research laboratory at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune. The lab aims to provide practical training in Chemistry to undergraduates and researchers in the varsity campus along with support to the national outreach programme for school children. The centre and the labs will help strengthen science education in India by engaging with various stakeholders, including students, academicians, scientists, teachers of schools and undergraduate level science and mathematics. Dr. Y. K. Hamied, Chairman, Cipla; Rumana Hamied, Managing Trustee, Cipla Foundation and Prof. Jayant B Udgaonkar, Director, IISER Pune were present at the campus for the unveiling of the facility along with senior leaders from Cipla and IISER Pune. The expansive 27,000 square feet, ground plus two floor facility has been constructed in an eco-friendly zone in adherence with the green building GRIHA standards. In line with the international standards of chemistry practicals, four state-of-the-art four laboratories have been set up, each appointed with best-in-class equipment including virtual reality functionalities, interactive gadgets, demonstration facilities and more. In addition to academic learning, the facilities will also be utilized for real-life industry driven research projects and contribute to the latest scientific innovation taking place in the country. Given the absence of adequate infrastructure for chemistry laboratories in surrounding Pune Municipal Corporation schools and other colleges, lesser privileged students and teachers from these institutions will also be granted access to this facility. At the event, Dr. Y K Hamied said, India has the potential to be at the frontier of research and innovation, particularly in the areas of chemistry, healthcare and life-sciences. IISER, Pune will certainly contribute to this achievement with the help of of state-of-the-art facilities and this means increased responsibility for both the staff and the students to excel Prof Jayant, Director of IISER Pune shared, This is the first industry and academic interaction with IISER and Cipla and I am sure that this is just the beginning. This collaboration will be more fruitful in the areas of pharma research in the years to come. He also mentioned about the expansion of the outreach programme especially in training of secondary school students and most importantly, the teachers. The outreach programme will help impart pedagogy training to teachers as well as hands on science education to teachers and students from schools, colleges and universities and ignite passion for science. Over 1000 teachers and 5000 students will be reached out to each year. Over a year after it was first opened, judgment was reserved in the trial of a man accused of murdering prison officer Adrian Ismay on Thursday. Mr Ismay died 11 days after a device exploded underneath his van. The 52-year old father-of-three had just left his east Belfast home and was driving along Hillsborough Drive at around 7am on March 4 2016 when the device detonated after he went over a speed ramp. Christopher Alphonsos Robinson, from Aspen Walk in Twinbrook, was arrested after the explosion and was subsequently charged with murdering Mr Ismay. During the non-jury trial - which was adjourned on several occasions after it was opened in October 2018 - it emerged that the men worked together as volunteers for St John's Ambulance. As well as denying murdering Mr Ismay, Robinson (49) also denied possessing explosives and providing a car for terrorism. The car in question is a Citroen C3 which belonged to the accused's brother. It's the Crown's case that the evening before the explosion, Robinson picked up the Citroen from his brother's west Belfast workplace, and that this vehicle was used to transport the bomb left under Mr Ismay's van. The Crown's claims have been denied by Robinson, with his defence team making the case that the only evidence against him is circumstantial. Arthur Harvey QC said the Crown had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt, and had failed to provide any evidence to establish a connect between the Citroen and Robinson "on the evening of the 3rd of March 2016 or the morning of the 4th of March, 2016." Mr Justice McAlinden has presided over the non-jury trial, and after today's final sitting at Belfast Crown Court, he reserved judgment and said he would give his ruling on a later date. BOSTON, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BOSTON, January 30, 2020 HighQuest Group, a global strategic advisory, conference and media firm serving the ag sector today announced its line-up of agricultural events for 2020. They include those about investing in agriculture (Global AgInvesting), about supply chain trends (Women in Agribusiness Summit series) and about specialty ag markets (Organic & Non-GMO Forum). Additionally, the company hosts Meet Ups in over 15 U.S. cities for its Women in Agribusiness community, and Ag Club luncheons nationwide for the entire agriculture community. Learn more at www.highquestgroup.com. 2020 Agricultural Events Women in Agribusiness Summit Europe , Paris, March 9-10 , Paris, March 9-10 Global AgInvesting , New York, April 22-24 Women in Agribusiness Professional Development Seminar , RTP, North Carolina, June 18 , New York, April 22-24 , RTP, North Carolina, June 18 Women in Agribusiness Summit, U.S., Nashville, September 16-18 U.S., Nashville, September 16-18 Global AgInvesting Asia , Tokyo, October 29-30 , Tokyo, October 29-30 Organic & Non-GMO Forum , Minneapolis, November 9-10 , Minneapolis, November 9-10 Global AgInvesting Europe, London, December 7-8 2020 Women in Agribusiness (WIA) Meet Ups The Women in Agribusiness (WIA) Meet Ups are intimate gatherings of WIA community members and others for an evening (5:30 to 7 p.m.) of casual discussion and networking at local pubs and restaurants. Admission is free to all WIA Members and $20 for non-members. To become a member, visit womeninag.com/membership, and learn more and register to attend at www.womeninag.com/events, as well as view new Meet Up dates as they are confirmed. Tuesday, February 4, Research Triangle Park Tuesday, February 18, Denver Tuesday, February 25, Des Moines Thursday, February 27, San Francisco 2020 Ag Club Luncheons HighQuests Ag Clubs seek to bring together agribusiness and ag investing market participants to network, discuss important trends, and promote business success among regional stakeholders in cities from coast-to-coast. These luncheon events run from noon to 2 p.m., with networking until 12:30 p.m., followed by lunch and a speaker presentation. Costs run from $55 to $75 depending on the venue and location. The 2020 schedule thus far, including speaker topics, is below, but check out the Ag Club website to register and view additional meetings, which will be added throughout the year. Tuesday, February 25, Des Moines, Building Supply Chains for Organic and Regenerative Systems Wednesday, February 26, Chicago, Scaling Up Organic Grains in the U.S. Thursday, February 27, San Francisco, topic to be announced but the speaker is Jake Joraanstad co-founder and CEO of Bushel co-founder and CEO of Bushel Friday, March 13, London, topic to be announced. To keep up with the latest agricultural news, sign up for Global AgInvestings weekly newsletters GAI News Ag Investing Weekly or GAI News AgTech Intel and the Oilseed & Grain News, which includes updates on the organic sector. # # # About HighQuest Group HighQuest Group, headquartered in north of Boston, Mass., is a strategic advisory, conference, and media firm serving corporations, financial investors, and governments across the global food and agribusiness value chains. Founded in 2000, HighQuest has successfully completed over 400 strategic advisory engagements and hosts preeminent industry events. www.highquestgroup.com Attachment GUEST OBSERVER Bushfires have killed 33 people and destroyed nearly 3,000 houses across Australia so far this fire season. Canberra is under threat right now. It isnt only houses. Significant commercial buildings have been destroyed, among them Kangaroo Islands iconic Southern Ocean Lodge. In New South Wales alone, 140 schools have been hit. Many require extensive work. The National Construction Code provides false, and dangerous, hope. It requires new homes (Class 1 buildings) built in declared bushfire-prone areas to be built to either Australian Standard 3959, the National Association of Steelframed Housing standard Steel Framed Construction in Bushfire Areas, or a performance solution, which could be anything that in the opinion of a qualified person complies with the performance requirements of the code. It also applies to Class 2 buildings (apartments) and Class 3 buildings (hotels and guesthouses) in bushfire-prone areas. Disturbingly, the code does not apply to community buildings, such as schools. The standard does not fireproof buildings The definition of bushfire-prone varies from state to state, as do the procedures for enforcing it. Confused? So are many construction professionals. The sad truth is that any practical building that is exposed to an intense bushfire will probably burn down, whether it complies with Australian Standard 3959 or not. Worse still, the available evidence suggests there is a significant risk that the people sheltering in it will not survive without an effective refuge, which Australian Standard 3959 does not mandate or consider. The standard speaks for itself: Although this Standard is designed to improve the performance of buildings when subjected to bushfire attack in designated bushfire-prone areas, there can be no guarantee that a building will survive a bushfire event on every occasion. This is substantially due to the unpredictable nature and behaviour of fire and extreme weather conditions. More importantly, while a building constructed to Australian Standard 3959 might be less likely to burn down, Standard 3959 in its current form might not protect the people within the building. Worse, it might not protect people The highest aim of any system of building regulation ought to be life and safety, followed by the protection of adjoining properties and then, a long way back, by the protection of the property itself. In the case of bushfire, the Australian Building Codes Board and its political masters appear to have put the protection of buildings first, when it should be last. If a house is under threat by bushfire, the best advice is to evacuate early, whether it complies with Australian Standard 3959 or not. By encouraging people to believe they can defend a structure compliant with Australian Standard 3959 we could be putting more people at risk than if we simply told them to evacuate. Residents and firefighters defending houses have accounted for a large percentage of the deaths this fire season. Itd be better to rethink where we build We may need to have difficult conversations about whether our subdivision practices are appropriate. Allowing people to build in areas that are bushfire-prone, particularly where buildings are effectively built into the bush, might be creating unmanageable problems for the future. If there is no such thing as a bushfire-proof house, as Australian Standard 3959 seems to concede, we might need to focus on evacuation and shelters. In the United States, rather than requiring houses to resist tornadoes or wildfires, the Federal Emergency Management Agency encourages the provision of shelters. State and local authorities often make these mandatory. People are more important than structures Having attended one funeral for a person killed defending their home this fire season, I have had enough. We should not be worrying about protecting buildings until we have worked out how to protect human life. The Building Ministers Forum and the Australian Building Codes Board should either embrace a policy of early evacuation or mandate fire shelters in bushfire-prone areas for both new and existing houses. The board and the states should also make every effort to regulate to ensure all buildings and places designated as refuges of last resort can properly fulfil their intended function, whether they are new or not. If we are going to have another fire season similar to this year, and so far the CSIRO predictions on this have been totally accurate, we will need to sort this out quickly, preferably before next summer. Geoff Hanmer, Adjunct Lecturer in Architecture, UNSW This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. At a time when theres no shortage of self-important, grim TV dramas that could stand to lighten up a little, the arrival of Briarpatch is a sun-drenched, pulp-loving tonic. From executive producer Sam Esmail, who showed his flair for visual storytelling in USAs Mr. Robot, and writer Andy Greenwald, TV critic-turned-showrunner, Briarpatch brings high style to a down-and-dirty story. According to the USA Network, Briarpatch is an anthology, that suddenly hot TV format. This first season, then, is a close-ended 10-episode tale. (How to watch Briarpatch online: Briarpatch will stream on fuboTV) Rosario Dawson stars as Allegra Dill, who left her small Texas town of San Bonifacio to pursue a career as an investigator for a senate subcommittee. What does that mean? a San Bonifacio local asks. Whatever they want it to, she says. Allegra has come back to town to solve the murder of her sister, a local police officer who was killed when a bomb left in her car exploded. It doesnt take long for suspects to turn up, especially since Allegras hometown, nicknamed Saint Disgrace by some, has more than its share, apparently, of shifty operators, shady cops and sleazy citizens. Based on a novel by Ross Thomas, Briarpatch was developed for TV by Greenwald, who has talked about making the series on The Watch, the podcast featuring Greenwald and Chris Ryan thats part of Bill Simmons The Ringer network (Greenwald also wrote for Grantland, which Simmons ran before founding The Ringer). Rosario Dawson as Allegra Dill in "Briarpatch." (Photo: Scott McDermott/USA Network)Scott McDermott/USA Network An engaging and thoughtful fan of TV, Greenwald brings an obvious love of influences ranging from Twin Peaks to the Coen brothers to Briarpatch. The show has visual swagger, and moments of welcome dark humor, which help compensate for a few ideas that are probably a bit too precious (escaped zoo animals wandering around town, for example). To its credit, Briarpatch draws us in quickly, with swift, sure sketches of the town, the colorful types who populate it, and a general air that things just arent right. Dawson is a confident lead, striding around with a thoughtful expression and wearing a series of professional-looking pantsuits (thank the fashion gods shes not sporting that TV cliche wardrobe for capable women, ie., leather jacket, jeans, and tight top the camera just loves to zoom in on). Shes joined by a beautifully cast group of eccentrics, including Jay R. Ferguson as an old friend of Allegras whose illegal deeds let him retire awfully early; Edi Gethegi as a lawyer who may know more than he lets on; Brian Geraghty and Kim Dickens as possibly not upstanding members of law enforcement; Alan Cumming as a corrupt character whos of interest to Allegra for all sorts of reasons; and Ed Asner as the crusty owner of the town newspaper. Briarpatch isnt weighty, and thank heavens for that. Theres something to be said for a show that doesnt take itself too seriously, and that goes down as easy as a frosty drink on a hot afternoon. Briarpatch premieres at 10 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 6, on the USA Network. -- Kristi Turnquist kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mahatma Gandhis assassin Nathuram Godse believed in the same ideology of hatred. Mr Gandhi said there was no difference between the two except that Mr Modi does not have the guts to say he believed in Godses ideology. I dont know if you know that when Godse shot Maha-tma Gandhi he did not look at his eyes. Because a liar and coward cannot look at the eyes, he said. The former Congress president was addressing a meeting in connection with Save the Constit-ution march in protest against Citizenship Amen-dment Act (CAA) in Kalpetta in his Wayanad constituency. Attacking the CAA and the NRC, Mr Gandhi said Indians were forced to prove they are Indians. Our duty is to fight hatred, says Rahul Who is Narendra Modi to ask if I am an Indian? Who has given him the licence to decide who is Indian and who is not an Indian? I am an Indian and I dont need to prove it to anybody and there are 1.3 billion people who need not prove to these people that they are Indians, he said. He accused Mr Modi of protecting his friends. Mr Gautam Adani has been given all the ports in the country, and airports and now they are thinking of giving him the Indian Railways. Hindustan Petroleum, Bharat Petroleum, Indian Oil Corporation all are being privatised. The idea is very simple divide India, spread hatred and steal from India, Mr Gandhi added. Our duty is to fight their hatred. Our duty is to confront them peacefully. We dont believe in violence. We believe in love and affection. We will defeat them with love and affection, he said. Mr Gandhi said when Mr Modi is asked what he has done about the economy and unemployment, the Prime Minister suddenly distracts the country. No matter how much he talks about Pakistan it is not going to give jobs to our youngsters, NRC, CAA, Kashmir, burning Assam are not going to give jobs. The Congress leader said today if one goes to the US or Western Europe and ask people there what they think about India, they would say India has lost its way. India used to show the world how a great country behaves. There are many languages and different religions but all working towards one goal. Today when they look at India they find it is at war within itself. People are locked up for saying what they believe. Thinkers like M.M. Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh were shot, women are being raped every single day. The unemployment rate is the highest in 45 years and growth rate has plummeted to 4.5 from 9.5. There is no future for youngsters, Mr Gandhi said. Earlier, Mr Gandhi led a 2-km march as part of the Save Constitution campaign. Thousands of Congress workers formed human maps across all districts to protest against the CAA and the NRC. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will meet the family of the teenage motorcyclist ahead of the US Secretary of States visit to the UK (Family handout/PA) The US secretary of state has said the death of Harry Dunn and the investigation into allegations about the conduct of the Duke of York will be resolved on their merits. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab also said theres no haggle in terms of the extradition of Mr Dunns alleged killer, and told reporters nobody had raised the issue of Andrew with him. Mike Pompeo was criticised by Mr Dunns family after he rejected an extradition request for the US suspect in the case, 42-year-old Anne Sacoolas. Expand Close US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (Aaron Chown/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (Aaron Chown/PA) Mrs Sacoolas was charged with causing the 19-year-olds death by dangerous driving after he was killed when his motorbike crashed into a car outside a US military base in Northamptonshire on August 27 last year. The suspect, the wife of an intelligence official based at RAF Croughton, claimed diplomatic immunity after the crash and was able to return to the US, sparking an international controversy. Mr Dunns family have said they are treating the words of Dominic Raab and Mr Pompeo with caution, but said it had been noted that the secretary of state is no longer saying she will not return. The teenagers parents, Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn, had inquired about the possibility of an exchange with Prince Andrew after US lawyer Geoffrey Berman said the duke had not co-operated, despite his lawyers being contacted by prosecutors and the FBI as part of the probe. At a Policy Exchange event in London alongside Mr Raab on Thursday, the US secretary of state was asked if there could be a deal in which Anne Sacoolas could be returned to the UK. Mr Pompeo was asked: We want Anne Sacoolas, you want Prince Andrew is there a deal to be done? The secretary of state said: Yeah, I can answer that. I am confident each of these cases will be resolved on their relative merits. Adding his thoughts on the case, the UK Foreign Secretary said: There is no barter, its a rules-based approach. Thats what the treaty does. We both see that the extradition treaty serves both sides. And we want to make it work. So, thats the approach. Expand Close Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab (Aaron Chown/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab (Aaron Chown/PA) There is no haggle and no-ones raised Prince Andrew. Frankly, no-one has ever raised that with me. Mr Pompeo stated: Yes, now they have. Commenting on the words of the Foreign Secretary and the secretary of state, a spokesman for Harry Dunns family, Radd Seiger, told the PA news agency: The family and I have seen the public comments made by the Foreign Secretary and the secretary of state. We treat these words with caution but it is clear that Mr Raab has followed through on his promise to the family that he would make it clear to the secretary of state that he will not accept anything less than Anne Sacoolas return. I note that the secretary of state is no longer saying she will not return. Our campaign for justice for Harry will not stop until she is back and going through the legal system. I urge all parties concerned to ensure that that happens sooner rather than later for the benefit of everyone. Expand Close Harry Dunns mother Charlotte Charles (Aaron Chown/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Harry Dunns mother Charlotte Charles (Aaron Chown/PA) Reacting to the comments from Mr Pompeo and Mr Raab, Mrs Charles told PA: We continue to suffer unbearable hardship every day as a family. We have said right from the outset that Anne Sacoolas must face the legal system here. There is no other way and no-one is above the law, diplomat or not, as the Vienna Convention makes clear. I urge Anne Sacoolas to do the right thing and come back to the UK now. Zainab, 46 is one of thousands who could benefit from Tajikistan's new amnesty law, an important step towards ending statelessness UNHCR UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes a new law in Tajikistan that allows foreign nationals and stateless people irregularly residing in the country to regularise their stay, by obtaining residence permits which will also enable them after three years to apply for Tajik citizenship. The measure is an important step towards ending statelessness in the country. The Amnesty Law was endorsed by the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, on 18 December 2019 and came into effect on 7 January 2020. Authorities estimate the new law will benefit some 20,000 people, former citizens of the Soviet Union, who came to Tajikistan before the end of 2016. They include foreigners and stateless people without legal status who are now able to regularize their situation, and are being exempted from administrative penalties for irregular stay. UNHCR commends the efforts of the Government of Tajikistan in fulfilling its commitment to end statelessness, said Roza Minasyan, acting head of UNHCRs operations in Tajikistan. Through the Amnesty Law, individuals with complex cases will be able to acquire legal status, thereby gaining access to rights and services. Tajikistan has been working to end statelessness since 2014 and some 40,000 people have already had their nationality confirmed through existing legal frameworks. The new law also fulfils a pledge made by Tajikistan during UNHCRs High-Level Segment on Statelessness meeting convened in October 2019. India's Biggest Airlines Suspend Operation to China Amid Coronavirus Sputnik News 14:51 GMT 29.01.2020 New Delhi (Sputnik): Soon after reports of deaths in China from the Novel Coronavirus emerged, the Indian Civil Aviation Ministry called for immediate implementation of an action plan which includes the screening of passengers arriving from China and Hong Kong at major airports across the country. Hours after India's biggest airline IndiGo announced the suspension of its services to China, the country's national carrier Air India on Wednesday, also announced the suspension of service to the Coronavirus-hit country for the next 15 days. Air India will not be operating flights to China from 31 January to 14 February and IndiGo flights will also remain suspended from February 1 to February 20. Air India said it would waive cancellation charges for travel to/from Shanghai and Hong Kong with immediate effect until further notice. In a statement, the private carrier IndiGo said it is temporarily suspending flights to China's city of Chengdu from Delhi as well as the Bengaluru-Hong Kong flight. "After carefully assessing the current coronavirus situation in China, IndiGo is taking some safety measures for its customers, crew and the staff. Due to China travel restrictions, we have seen a high number of cancellations from China on our Delhi-Chengdu route and vice-versa," the statement read. In the wake of an outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus in Wuhan, India's Health Ministry has also issued a travel advisory requiring the screening of international travellers from China and those who have visited the country. It has also asked designated airports to monitor passengers. The Indian government has organised all logistics support and made arrangements to screen air passengers in cities including Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Cochin, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Global AI in Fashion Market by Component (Services and Solutions) PR-Inside.com: 2020-01-30 21:55:21 Press Information GMI Research Level 1, The Chase Carmanhall Road, Sandyford Industrial Estate, Dublin D18 Y3X2, Ireland Mohd Tahir Khan Marketing Communication Manager +353 1 442 8820 email https://www.gmiresearch.com/ # 738 Words Level 1, The Chase Carmanhall Road, Sandyford Industrial Estate, Dublin D18 Y3X2, IrelandMarketing Communication Manager+353 1 442 8820 Artificial Intelligence has been at the forefront in disruption of every industry as it has been the cause of dramatically shift in the way business is done. The advancement in artificial intelligence (computer system which has the ability to learn for itself and perform those tasks which were once the preserve of humans) has been partly enabled by the enhanced processing power and innovation in the development of algorithms. The potential of artificial intelligence for fashion retailers, which can implement digital innovation with creativity, has a powerful competitive edge.Artificial Intelligence has diverse capabilities to drive enhancements in certain areas, including capacity planning, forecasting, and merchandising, along with delivery & production automation, which drives the fashion sectors further propelling the growth of AI in fashion market. Rising effects of social media in the industry of fashion is leading to an increase in the adoption of AI in fashion industry. In addition, fashion brands are using AI for maximizing the users shopping experience and enhance the sales systems efficiency by the use of intelligent automation is propelling the growth of global AI in fashion market during the forecast period. Moreover, inventory management being a huge pain point for apparel brands, the AI-powered tools help solve the pain point of industry and help retailers to save money on customer service staff while building customer loyalty leading to increased adoption of artificial intelligence in the fashion industry bolstering the growth of market around the world. Artificial intelligence encourages creativity as it opens out a hugely innovative idea, and its computing power improves the speed, which will be an advantage for fashion supply chain. The high cost of creating artificial intelligence is a factor hampering the growth of global AI in fashion market.Request for Sample Report https://www.gmiresearch.com/report/global-ai-in-fashion-market/sample-request Various notable players operating in the global AI in Fashion market include Microsoft Corporation, IBM Corporation, Google, AWS, SAP, Facebook, Adobe, Oracle, Catchoom, Huawei, Vue.AI , Heuritech, Wide Eyes and Findmine among others.The global AI in Fashion market has been segmented on the basis of component, deployment mode, application, category, end user, and key geographies. The component segment market is segmented into Services and Solutions. Based on deployment mode, the market is segmented into On-Premises and Cloud. The application segment market is categorized into Product Search & Discovery, Creative Designing & Trend Forecasting, Product Recommendation, Supply Chain Management & Demand Planning, Virtual Assistant, Customer Relationship Management, and Others. The category segment market is categorized into Beauty & Cosmetics, Apparel, Jewellery & Watches, Footwear, Accessories and Others. The end user, the market is segmented into Fashion Stores and Fashion Designers.Request for Customization https://www.gmiresearch.com/report/global-ai-in-fashion-market/request-for-customization Key questions answered in this research report: At what pace is global AI in fashion market growing? What will be the growth trend in the future? What are the key drivers and restraints in the current market? What will be the impact of drivers and restraints in the future? What is the regional revenue and forecast breakdowns? Which are the major regional revenue pockets for growth in the global AI in fashion market? What are the various application areas and how they are poised to grow?For Additional Insights, Click to Access Complete Report - https://www.gmiresearch.com/report/global-ai-in-fashion-market/ About GMI ResearchGMI Research is a market research and consulting firm which provides research-based solutions to business executives and investment professionals so that they can make right business & investment decisions faster based on real facts. We help business leaders through independent fact-based insight, ensuring their business achieve success by beating the competition. GMI Researchs leadership team with extensive experience in research and consulting together with our research and domain expertise creates a strong value proposition to create solutions that addresses our clients business problems and add significant value to long lasting relationship.The company provides syndicated research report, customized research, sales enablement research, data analytics and KPO (knowledge process outsourcing) service for Electronics & Semiconductors, Information Communication and Technology, Energy & Power, Healthcare, Automotive, Transportation & Logistics and Chemical industries. Our analysts and consultants who are passionate about research and consulting are recruited from renowned local and global universities and have worked with the leading local and international organizations.Contact UsCompany Name: GMI RESEARCHContact Person: Sarah NashEmail: enquiry@ gmiresearch.com Phone: +353 1 442 8820Address:Level 1, The Chase Carmanhall Road, Sandyford Industrial EstateCity: DublinState: DublinCountry: IrelandWebsite: www.gmiresearch.com A New York man who spent 25 years in prison on a rape conviction that has been vacated repeatedly refused to admit his guilt despite the chance for parole. Rafael Ruiz, now 60, had been eligible for release on parole since August 28, 1992, but on eight occasions when he was presented to the state's parole board he refused to admit his guilt. Acknowledging guilt and expressing remorse is typically required for release on parole. The state's Parole Board confirmed that Ruiz appeared nine times throughout his prison sentence. In desperation, Ruiz implicated himself with the gang rape to the parole board 'once and only once' in order to get released and see his mother who was dying from cancer, Ruiz's attorney, Seema Saifee, with the Innocence Project, told ABC News on Wednesday. Ruiz had his 1985 rape conviction officially thrown out in the State Supreme Court in Manhattan on Tuesday. Rafael Ruiz, now 60, had his 1985 rape conviction officially thrown out in the State Supreme Court in Manhattan on Tuesday Ruiz, who was joined in court by his family and supporters from the Innocence Project, broke down in tears when the judge threw out his conviction. 'I have my freedom and now I can go on with my life,' Ruiz said. His supporters, who were wearing shirts with 'exonerated' written on them, screamed out 'free at last' in court. The Bronx man, who was 25 at the time, was sentenced in 1985 to between eight to 25 years for gang raping a woman on a Harlem rooftop. Ruiz was released on parole back in 2009 after serving the full 25-year prison sentence. Prior to being wrongfully convicted, Ruiz had rejected four deals from New York prosecutors that would have seen him serve a three year sentence if he had pleaded guilty to the rape. The ordeal began back in 1984 when Ruiz was accused of gang raping an 18-year-old woman on the roof of an East Harlem public housing complex. The victim had told police a black man named 'Ronnie' had driven her to the building the night she was attacked. She said the man took her to an apartment before leading her to the roof where she was raped by at least three men. When police started investigating, the victim led detectives to the apartment she thought she had been prior to the attack. They found Ruiz at the apartment where he was staying with his brother and questioned him. Ruiz, who was joined in court by his family and supporters from the Innocence Project , broke down in tears when the judge threw out his conviction His supporters, who were wearing shirts with 'exonerated' written on them, screamed out 'free at last' in court Ruiz, who is Hispanic, willingly went to the police station where the victim identified him as one of her attackers despite him not matching her initial description. During his trial, Ruiz argued that he couldn't be the attacker because he wasn't black like the victim had initially described, he had never been called 'Ronnie' and he couldn't drive. 'I was a man who went to court and went to trial to prove his innocence, but I was treated like I was already guilty when I stepped in there,' Ruiz said. After being sentenced and losing an appeal, Ruiz hired a new lawyer - William M. Tendy, Jr. - to re-investigate the case as he tried to clear his name. That attorney discovered that a woman living across the hall from Ruiz and his brother at the time had a boyfriend named Ronnie who neighbors described has having a history of violence against women. His attorney believed the victim accidentally led police to Ruiz's apartment, which led to him being investigated. The attorney, with the help of the Innocence Project, spent a decade trying to track down the rape victim. She was interviewed by prosecutors in September 2018 and admitted feeling pressured at the time to identify a suspect. The victim's rape kit was discovered in late 2019 and DNA testing found that samples did not match that of Ruiz. The ordeal began back in 1984 when Ruiz was accused of gang raping an 18-year-old woman on the roof of an East Harlem public housing complex (pictured above) Ruiz admitted that he had almost given up hope of clearing his name until the Innocence Project contacted him to say they were taking up his case. 'I guess now I might be one of the cases or life stories in those law books that someone can use and hopefully it can help them out with their cases. 'That makes me feel good because I would like to see (innocent) people who got accused of doing a crime not go back into the system or lose their families or loved ones.' Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance issued a statement following Ruiz's exoneration, saying: 'A prosecutor's job is not just to seek convictions, but to seek justice. 'Today, attorneys from my Office's Conviction Integrity Program moved to vacate the 1985 conviction of Rafael Ruiz and to dismiss the indictment against him on the grounds of newly discovered DNA evidence. 'We were pleased to be joined in today's motion by the Innocence Project and I'm grateful for their continued partnership. I'd also like to thank the prosecutors in our Conviction Integrity Program the first on the East Coast who work every day to review claims of innocence, and just as importantly, to improve prosecutorial practices on the front end and prevent wrongful convictions from happening in the first place.' The World Health Organisation's emergency committee will convene on Thursday to reconsider its decision not to declare a global public health emergency over the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus after "deeply concerning" new cases emerged, agency officials announced Wednesday. The United Nations body said last week that it was "too early" to announce a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) over the outbreak, citing lack of evidence of human-to-human transmission outside China. But since then, at least six cases where the infected individual had not travelled to China had emerged, said Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO's health emergencies programme. Over 6,000 people in mainland China are confirmed to have contracted the pneumonia-like illness, known as 2019-nCoV or the novel coronavirus, most of them coming from the contagion's epicentre of Wuhan, capital of Hubei province. Dozens of international cases have been confirmed, mostly across Asia. All 132 deaths caused by the disease have occurred in China. One of the recent cases of human-to-human transmission outside of China occurred in Germany, when a 33-year-old German man contracted the illness from a visiting Chinese colleague, who was asymptomatic during her time in Germany and only began to feel unwell just before she returned to China. Such evidence of human-to-human transmission outside of China was "deeply concerning", said WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, adding that cases abroad held "the potential for a much larger outbreak." A WHO decision on whether the outbreak now constitutes a global public health emergency is expected to be announced on Thursday evening in Geneva, following the emergency committee's meetings. Tedros apologised on Wednesday for a WHO situational report published over the weekend that said the global risk from the Wuhan coronavirus was "moderate". The wording, later amended to "high", was due to "human error in preparing the report", he said in a thread on Twitter. Story continues The WHO has also come under fire for its officials' full-throated praise of the Chinese government's transparency in its response to the outbreak, contrasting with rising criticism that the government and its official media organs have downplayed the severity of the virus. The mayor of Wuhan offered to resign this week over failures to disclose information about the disease in a timely way, while health workers fighting the epidemic on the front line have complained of being stretched beyond capacity. Even as both domestic and global cases continue to rise, with no vaccine yet created and the precise source of the contagion still unknown, China's foreign minster Wang Yi recently told British foreign secretary Dominic Raab that the epidemic was "generally controllable and curable". WHO executives, from left, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) with Michael Ryan, Executive Director, WHO Health Emergencies Programme, and Maria van Kerkhove, Head of the Outbreak Investigation Task Force, during a press conference about the new Coronavirus, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva on Wednesday. Photo: AP alt=WHO executives, from left, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) with Michael Ryan, Executive Director, WHO Health Emergencies Programme, and Maria van Kerkhove, Head of the Outbreak Investigation Task Force, during a press conference about the new Coronavirus, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva on Wednesday. Photo: AP In the face of criticism for his organisation's lauding of Beijing's response to the outbreak, Tedros said he would "praise China again and again." "Its actions actually helped in reducing the spread of coronavirus to other countries," he said, pointing to the fact that Chinese authorities had proactively raised the alarm with their German counterparts after the woman who returned from Germany was positively diagnosed. Ryan, who had also recently travelled to China, said he had "never seen the scale [or] commitment of an epidemic response at this level in terms of all-of government involvement ... with tremendous support being poured into Wuhan and Hubei from the central government with a highly organised emergency management structure." "The challenge is great but the response has been massive," he said, adding that Beijing had agreed to a WHO-led mission to travel to China and work with experts there to carry out investigations into the transmission of the disease and its "clinical severity". A number of "critical unknowns" about the illness remain, said Maria Van Kerkhove, a member of the WHO's emergency committee and head of the outbreak investigation task force at the Pasteur Institute's Centre for Global Health in Paris. "There are specific epidemiological-type studies [and] clinical studies that need to take place so that we can better understand and characterise the transmission characteristics of this virus," Van Kerkhove said. As surveillance and detection mechanisms improved, there could be an increase in the proportion of cases "on the more mild end of the spectrum", she said. Current WHO estimates put the rate of severe cases at around 20 per cent. The fatality rate currently stands at just over 2 per cent, significantly lower than those of Sars and Mers, two other respiratory illnesses with which the Wuhan coronavirus is closely related. Additional reporting by Bhavan Jaipragas Sign up now for our 50% early bird offer from SCMP Research: China AI Report. The all new SCMP China AI Report gives you exclusive first-hand insights and analysis into the latest industry developments, and actionable and objective intelligence about China AI that you should be equipped with. 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. After the intense political battles of 2019 with the general election followed by assembly elections in multiple states, the countrys capital is now gearing up for crucial vote in 2020. As the Delhi electorate prepares to elect its next government, CNN-News18 has lined-up comprehensive programming to give viewers up-to-minute update and unmatched access from ground zero during New Delhi assembly election. Speaking about the coverage, Basant Dhawan, CEO, English & Business News Cluster, Network18 said, CNN-News18 has been a leader in setting standards in credible journalism and comprehensive coverage on issues that matter to the nation. We always strive to give our viewers information that they can absolutely rely on. CNN-News18 has always been upfront in covering elections. With our special programming, we intend to bring to our viewers the most precise and comprehensive coverage of the elections. Titled Battle for Delhi, CNN-News18 will cover grueling campaigns of political parties and high-decibel debates. In line with the channels commitment to bring most incisive reportage of the elections, the programming will capture ground-level realities and highlight issues that affect the common man. With diverse formats and data driven approach, the channel will present extensive reportage throughout the elections till the polling day. The programming comprises election focused daily shows such as Viewpoint Delhi and Reporters Project, which will bring forth peoples voices into the discourse. Augmenting the ground-level programming, The Right Stand and New Epicentre will host intense debates on election issues with the biggest newsmakers from the major political parties. With 70 on-ground reporters reporting in 70 Assembly Constituencies of Delhi, the channel will comprehensively cover Delhi elections along with polling and counting day and keep the viewers abreast of all the major developments right up to government formation. Follow most extensive election programming on CNN-News18 starting this January. Stay updated with #BattleforDelhi. DURHAM For nearly 20 years, Heath Andranovich has been creating his New Haven-style gourmet pies with locally sourced ingredients using his 100-year-old family recipe. Since he moved to Durham from West Haven in 2002, the 51-year-old owner of Carmines Pizza & Italian Takeout in Durham Village, at 16 Main St., has perfected his signature combination: an airy, crispy and chewy pizza, light on the olive oil. Andranovichs more creative pizzas include mashed potato and bacon; arugula with asiago cheese, garlic, and balsamic vinegar glaze; breakfast pizza with scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage; and seafood, topped with calamari, clams and shrimp. He also has traditional white and red pies. Andranovichs uncle Frank (Butch) Buonocore runs the very popular Mikes Pizza on Campbell Avenue, which has been in business for 78 years. His uncles father Mike founded the business in 1942. At 15, Andranovich became a busboy at his uncles shop. Thats where his lifelong love of cooking was sparked. I would fool around in the kitchen and make pizzas in the back. Food was it. I loved it, said the businessman, who worked in the construction and bartending fields before opening his own place. The pizza purveyor insists on offering home-cooked food from scratch using fresh, all-natural ingredients whenever possible. As such, Andranovich buys the best cheese he can afford, and insists on grinding his own tomatoes. His recipe is bare bones flour, water, cheese, tomatoes, very few spices, and a light sprinkling of salt. Andranovich always has an eye out for making his pies as healthful as possible. The mozzarella and ricotta come from Napoli Foods in Cheshire. In spring and summer, Andranovich visits JC Farm and Greenhouses in Durham, buying cases and cases of vegetables there. He insists on fresh eggplant, basil, tomato and other ingredients. Thats why its the best, he said. His daughter, 20, who works part-time at Carmines, and son, 18, for whom the restaurant is named, grew up in the restaurant, he said. Since they were 4 or 5, customers would find them in the kitchen stirring the sauce. Andranovichs signature phrase, Its a beautiful thing, speaks to both the quality of his food and philosophy of life. He never settles for good and always insists on great. Whenever Andranovich gets bored, his mind begins churning with ideas, coming up with new menu items or recipe variations. His penchant for dogged work between 10 and 15 hours a day, often seven days a week and hiring of dedicated staff led to the restaurants success. Now the frozen version has prompted national food companies to take notice. When Andranovich first began making frozen pizzas, he stocked about two-dozen a day in the cooler: quick, little simple things, putting them in the freezer, and selling them and selling them and selling them, he explained. There are no extra additives. Its not going to last six years in your freezer. One day, he got lucky when the sister-in-law of a friend who works for Stop & Shop realized a business opportunity. She contacted corporate. About seven months later, while Andranovich was driving, he got a call from Stop & Shop headquarters in Pennsylvania. The national supermarket chain wanted to carry his pies in its stores. I almost panicked. I probably could have crashed my car I was so excited, said Andranovich, who couldnt believe he got his big break. So I went 100 percent. He didnt even have a delivery vehicle at the time. I walked into every single grocery store, found the manager, brought product in there, cooked it for some of them in their ovens, and let them sample it, Andranovich said. It took him about a year-and-a-half to complete the Stop & Shop deal. Soon, Carmines Frozen Pizzas began to stock grocery store freezer cases throughout the area. Now, hes in 30 stores, such as Stew Leonards, Adams Hometown Market, IGA, Geisslers and, soon, Big Y. The pies are available throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and even Yonkers, New York. Stop & Shop sells his frozen pizzas at the companys Middletown, Hartford, Wallingford, Newington, Branford, East Haven, Hamden and North Haven locations. Andranovich also delivers them to the Wesleyan University campus grocery store WeShop in Middletown and Country Market in Killingworth. When he began selling his frozen pies at IGA, the government stepped in. Part of the issue was the packaging labels didnt include weights, measures and calorie counts. The USDA came in and paid me a visit, and said, You cant do it like this anymore. Andranovich was forced to stop production, hire a lawyer and undergo the lengthy process of being FDA- and USDA-approved. The first step was building a production and packaging facility. It took him a couple of months to construct an 800-square-foot plant in the rear of the plaza. There, his staff put out between 400 and 500 pizzas a week. Other business owners have told Andranovich they dread working with government agencies, but he welcomes regulations. My operation is spotless. Its beautiful in there. You could eat off the floor. Now, whenever he makes his frozen pies with meat about three times a week a USDA inspector comes in to make sure the operation goes smoothly. Everything has to be perfect. They make us a better company. I want to keep us open. They dont want to shut us down. They want to keep us in business, Andranovich explained. Im not bringing in big paychecks, Im not driving a Mercedes, but, for some reason, its wonderful. The kids are involved, everybody helps. If I didnt have the family and crew that I have, theres no way this would be going on, the owner said. It feels pretty good. For information, call 860-349-5411 or visit carminespizzadurham.com and Carmines Frozen Pizzas on Facebook. Israel's national carrier El Al announced Thursday it was suspending flights to Beijing over China's new coronavirus epidemic, a spokesman said, as fears of a global contagion grew. El Al said its flights to Beijing would be halted until March 25, with a spokesman confirming to AFP it was over the virus, which according to the World Health Organisation has already killed 170 people. El Al flights to other destinations in China would continue as usual, the spokesman said, adding that a flight scheduled to arrive in Israel from Beijing on Thursday will go ahead as planned. There have been no recorded incidents of the new coronavirus in Israel yet, but the health ministry said Wednesday it was "a matter of time". The ministry said it was considering urging passengers arriving in Israel from China to refrain from being in public for a number of days, "even if they are healthy". Major airlines that have suspended or pared back services to China include British Airways, German flag carrier Lufthansa, American Airlines, KLM and United. A growing number of governments -- including Britain, Germany and the United States -- have advised their citizens to avoid non-essential travel to China. Chinese authorities have taken extraordinary steps to arrest the virus's spread, including effectively locking down more than 50 million people in Wuhan and surrounding Hubei province. The contagion has spread to nearly every corner of China, with remote Tibet reporting its first case on Thursday. It has triggered fears in part due to its striking similarity to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak of 2002-03, which also began in China and eventually killed nearly 800 people worldwide. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) There were emotional scenes in the European Parliament on Wednesday as MEPs voted by 621 to 49 in favour of the Withdrawal Agreement and linked hands to sing a final chorus of Auld Lang Syne. For most MEPs, who have long wanted Britain to stay, it was a moment of deep regret. Addressing the parliament, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she was determined the EU and the UK should remain "good friends and good partners". "We will always love you and we will never be far. Long live Europe," she said. The parliament's Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt said the departure of a country which had "twice given its blood to liberate Europe" was a "sad" moment. He predicted, however, that the UK would eventually rejoin, with many British people deeply unhappy at the prospect of leaving. "So this vote is not an adieu, this vote, in my opinion, is only an au revoir." Mr Verhofstadt poured scorn on claims by supporters of Brexit that it would mean Britain recovering its sovereignty. IT was just really inhumane. We have really struggled since. Martina Shanahan, whose son Martin has quadriplegic cerebral palsy, said the respite house for children with life-limiting disabilities could offer much-needed assistance to families. The facility, adjacent to Mungret Park, which was built a year ago, cost 2.9 million. These were the words of a mother who struggled to hold back the tears as she spoke to a number of general election candidates, calling for funding for the St Gabriels Childrens Respite House, which remains unopened since it was completed a year ago. Without the facility, children in need of overnight respite care have nowhere to stay outside of Dublin. This can be especially difficult in emergency situations, as the Shanahan family discovered first hand when their other son Neil fell from a city centre hotel balcony in 2016. He fell 20 metres, six floors, and broke every bone in his body, had significant injuries and we nearly lost him. He spent six weeks in Temple Street Children's Hospital. During that time, in Temple Street, in intensive care and in a high dependency unit, I had to have Martin with me. I had to have him in the hospital. They said he was at risk of pneumonia and we needed to find an alternative. There was nothing. Nowhere for him to go. Martina says that if St Gabriels was open, it would provide much-needed help in situations like this. I am very grateful to Temple Street, they have done so much for our family. But it was just really inhumane. We have really struggled since. I didnt get a day of respite. We have had no break. We have had absolutely nothing. It hurts me that this is still closed. The facility, which comprises six beds, would add 2,184 new respite bed nights to the Mid-West. General election candidates, James Collins, Jan OSullivan, Maria Byrne, Frankie Daly and Brian Leddin attended the event. Cllr Collins called on government candidates to come clean on the impact of the chronic Childrens Hospital overspend after it emerged there is no funds to open St Gabriels. There is now irrefutable evidence that, despite all the government denial and spin, that the now estimated 2bn overrun on the National Childrens Hospital is impacting on every corner of the country. Its utterly indiscriminate as its clearly impacting on the most vulnerable as well, said Cllr Collins Maria Byrne also gave her support to the centre. I want to see this respite home open. I will be putting the pressure on. I will do everything in my power to see it open, she added, The HSE locally has granted one-off funding in 2019 to appoint a manager and to buy essential equipment at a total of 195,000 but this is just 15% of the overall 1.3m cost of operating the centre for a full year. Australian homes are filled with toxic dust particles containing lead, mercury and even faeces, according to a leading researcher. Professor Mark Taylor from the School of Earth and Environmental Science at Macquarie University said Australians suffer a variety of health problems due to the dust in their homes. He told the ABC most dust is made up of organic materials such as skin particles or animal fur - but faeces is also a main component. Professor Taylor said 96 per cent of shoes have faeces on them and that is how the waste gets into your home. Australian homes are filled with dust particles with led, mercury and faeces inside of it, according to a researcher, and was worsened by the bushfires (stock) 'So walking shoes into your house not only tramps in all the other contaminants from outside, it also is likely to tramp in faeces from various animals possums and kangaroos and goodness knows what else,' Professor Taylor said. Other potentially toxic trace elements in dust include manganese, arsenic, copper, nickel, chromium, zinc concentrations and lead. 'It really depends on where you live. In Sydney in particular, or in places with industrial history, you will find lead or arsenic or mercury can get in your dust,' Professor Taylor said. Homes next to main roads will also have issues due to heavy flows of city traffic. Dry weather such as summer in Sydney or winter in the Northern Territory also has a significant impact on dust levels. Another contributing factor is how homes in Australia are built. 'Australian houses arent like European houses because they arent as well sealed,' Professor Taylor told Daily Mail Australia. 'And they dont need to be because of the weather conditions here.' TIPS TO STOP DUST INSIDE YOUR HOME Last year Professor Taylor detailed in a media release for the university detailed ways to avoid dust in your home. He had analysed 224 homes in Sydney and revealed his advice to keep dust out of the homes of people with young children as smaller body size means less contamination can do damage. Professor Taylor said it is important to keep doors and windows closed on rainy days and have indoor and outdoor doormats. He said having a no shoes policy, combined with the doormats, is important as the first five steps into a home bring in 85 per cent of the outside dust. 'Use a wet rag to dust, wash your hands and face regularly, (and your children's too), get washable rugs and wet mop instead of dry sweeping,' he explained in the release. He also advised to get a vacuum with a HEPA filter. Advertisement These toxic elements can cause respiratory issues such as asthma or wheezing - with lead having the potential to give people neurological damage and cardiovascular disease. Higher levels can cause seizures, comas and even death. Professor Taylor told Daily Mail Australia the impact on children can be life-changing. 'Children are the most vulnerable because they are still growing and the impact of dust particle elements such as lead don't remit with age,' he said. These toxic elements can cause respiratory issues such as asthma or wheezing - with lead having the potential to give people neurological damage and cardio-vascular disease (stock image) He added there is no safe lower limit of exposure, and elevated levels in early childhood lead to social and economic issues later in life. 'What we were able to show with dust that certain cases in certain parts of inner Sydney the dust presented significant issues in young children under five,' Professor Taylor said. 'He said some would have blood leads that would exceed current acceptable levels.' Acceptable blood levels in children is one microgram per decilitre of blood. The particle size of the dust is a major factor in determining how serious health impacts can be. Particles less than 2.5 micrometres in aerodynamic diameter pose the greatest issue as they can get into the bloodstream, according to the South Australian Government. Another concern posed by dust, according to Professor Taylor, is anti-microbial resistance. Every house tested by Professor Taylor had a positive readings of this which meant 'homes are reservoirs of DNA that will increase our resistance to antibiotics'. These toxic elements can cause respiratory issues such as asthma or wheezing - with lead having the potential to create neurological damage and cardio-vascular disease (stock) Last year Professor Taylor detailed in a media release for the university ways to avoid dust in your home. He had analysed 224 homes in Sydney and revealed his advice to keep dust out of the homes of people with young children as smaller body size means less contamination can do damage. Professor Taylor said it is important to keep doors and windows closed on rainy days and have indoor and outdoor doormats. He said having a no shoes policy, combined with the doormats, is important as the first five steps into a home bring in 85 per cent of the outside dust. 'Use a wet rag to dust, wash your hands and face regularly, (and your children's too), get washable rugs and wet mop instead of dry sweeping,' he explained in the release. He also advised to get a vacuum with a HEPA filter. Kim Nimsgern didnt set out to be an inventor. She couldnt find a product she was looking for, so she decided to make it. The Menomonie inventor is the owner of Casual Panache Inc. and creator of the Click n Curl hair styling brush. Realizing there was a hole in the market, she decided to let her creative energy take over. After all, she had family members who achieved success with their own businesses. I was surrounded by people I saw being successful, so it was never something that I didnt think I could do, Nimsgern said about starting her own business. I think its almost contagious. When you see people working so hard for themselves and being able to implement their own ideas, its like, Wow, thats really cool. The accident that started it all Using a round brush in her hair, the barrel would become detached from the handle as the hot air from her hair dryer melted glue on the product. By the time she set the hair dryer down and worked to get the brush out of her hair, Nimsgern said her hair had great volume. Shorty after Nimsgern, set out to find a product on the shelves that could create the same results intentionally. Her search turned up empty, but she did find the use of round barrel brushes wasnt new. She discovered online hair stylist promoting photos of clients with multiple round hair brushes, handle and all, wrapped in their hair. That is when Nimsgern realized the product she set out to find didnt exist. After all, well-known stylists would be using it if it did, Nimsgern reasoned. The process of creating Click n Curl didnt just happen overnight. It took years before Nimsgern was ready to take the plunge into its development. For about eight years, Nimsgern continued in her work as a counselor. Counseling is what brought Nimsgern to Menomonie. After earning a psychology degree from the University of Iowa, she enrolled at UW-Stouts clinical mental health counseling graduate program. As Nimsgern enjoyed an episode of Kelly Ripas Homemade Millionaire entrepreneurial show in 2010, a product similar to her concept was presented. The product, like hers, used a barrel but it still didnt have a handle. Nimsgern said the judges were quite interested in the product, and it was then when Nimsgern decided now was the time to explore her idea. It had been nearly a decade and no round brush with detachable handle had yet to hit the market. The Click n Curl detachable handle round hair brush finally hit the market in 2012, but it wouldnt have done so without help from so many others. Support in the community Nimsgern had no experience marketing, manufacturing, sourcing or selling, but she was ready to bring her idea to life. Luckily, she had support in the community. Locally, Nimsgern found assistance with technical drawings, design and prototyping. She received small business administration and services educational support from UW-Stout and UW-Eau Claire, along with help from Western Dairyland Economic Opportunity Council. Nimsgern said although there were days she questioned whether she could get the Click n Curl into the market and onto the store shelves. At times I say its been way easier than it should, Nimsgern said. Things just kind of kept falling into place, and other times I wake up in the morning and Im like, What the heck am I thinking? Why do I think I can do this, am I ever going to? When Nimsgerns Click n Curl was a featured product on the Today show, she said she couldnt reach out to enough people to thank them for their help. It was like having an acceptance speech for winning an Academy Award, Nimsgern said. Through the process of development of the product and learning all that goes into bringing it to the market, Nimsgern received so much advice and assistance from locals that she learned she wasnt on the journey alone. The support of the entrepreneurial community in the area was eye-opening, she said. Once you get into it, its like you just start to see all these other people in our area doing such amazing things, Nimsgern said. I think in particular the entrepreneurial community, which again has been so amazing, is that spirit I know I certainly have it of wanting to pay it forward. I wouldnt be here today if people hadnt answered my questions, if people hadnt offered resources and suggestions along the way and so it really has been very embracing. The all-in moment The Click n Curl was beginning to make waves with magazine features in The Oprah Magazine, Allure and Rachel Ray Every Day. Nimsgern realized her product may have a shelf life but she hadnt considered what was to follow. At a meeting with buyers for Target, Nimsgern presented her pitch for Click n Curl to be placed on the shelves in the store but it was the response from group that left her with more questions than answers. Getting in front of someone willing to buy her supply of products was Nimsgerns goal. That moment was supposed to be the be-all and end-all of making it as an entrepreneur, she said. But instead, they asked: Whats next? At that time she hadnt thought about products beyond the Click n Curl, she was too focused on making it successful. Her only objective for the meeting was reaching a purchase order agreement with Target and nothing further. I guess at the time youre so caught up with trying to figure out how to get to the next step (with one product), I wasnt really thinking about what was next, Nimsgern said. Nimsgern then realized she came to a fork in the road. It was either commit to her new business or return to a profession in counseling that she still misses from time to time. Nimsgern decided she needed to go all in. Developing unique products When Nimsgern decided she was all in she knew she had to commit to the business and not the Click n Curl. She began hiring consultants to help her take the next step in her journey. Their advice was that now she needed to provide complementary products to the Click n Curl. Nimsgern understood why producing Click n Curl branded hair dryers or shampoos made sense, but it just didnt match the strategy that allowed the Click n Curl to flourish. Her product found success because it was a unique product without direct competitors. There was no reason trying to compete with well established brands to get a hair dryer on the market, she said. I wasnt trying to prove that I was better than somebody else because there was nobody else, Nimsgern said. Nimsgern develop a checklist of characteristics a new product would need to meet before she would continue. When you start asking whats next, everything becomes an answer, she said. She stuck to her list of criteria and lessened the risk by being more intentional with new product designs. In late 2018 the 1571F beer caramelizer was introduced and shortly after in early 2019 Gifts of Gab hit the market. The beer caramelizer idea was brought to Nimsgern by a friend who attended a beer festival and saw the process of caramelizing beer and set out to create his own homemade campfire accessory. Together they created the alcohol version of roasting marshmallows. It works by flash heating the sugars found in craft beers and other alcoholic beverages. This is done by heating up the stainless steel tip in a campfire and then sticking it into your drink. There is some risk in new concept as educating consumers on what a product is and why they might like it is can be more challenging. But new, unique products is what Nimsgern believed could work for her again. Nimsgerns creative side made birthday parties for her children an extravagant process. When they reached ages where they simply wanted money or gift cards, Nimsgern set out to compromise. While there is gift box, bags and other party accessories, theres no gift bag embellishments or gift cans, Nimsgern said. When the gift inside isnt exciting at least the way its presented can be. Think ribbons, bows and cards, but not ribbons, bows or cards, she said. For now, Casual Panache is focused on its two new products as each has potential to grow and expand, Nimsgern said. Casual Panache also includes the Styl Styk, a two-pronged hair styling comb that creates a zigzag pattern. The product was developed by a women in Ohio and together they are working to promote and product the comb. Giving back Once Nimsgern had a business was established, she knew exactly the type of workplace culture she wanted to create. She could give back to the community that has supported her along the way by providing a workplace that has all the characteristics she would want in a company she worked for a place that offers employees flexibility and work they can be proud of. I wanted to create a company that had the values and the atmosphere that I would want to work for, Nimsgern said. I wanted to be able to create jobs for other people that offered flexibility, that gave them great experiences and opportunities to be involved in something that they were proud of. With all the assistance Nimsgern received from the community, she knew that she needed to find more ways to give back. Casual Panache hosted a young entrepreneurs contest in 2017 and awarded a scholarship. This was a one-time event but Nimsgern said there have been talks of bringing the program back in a new way, in which the small staff can run the event by itself. I really wanted to try to draw that (great idea) out and encourage them and get my message out to them that its possible, Nimsgern said of the young entrepreneur program. Nimsgern has also spoken with students in an entrepreneurship course at UW-Stout about her journey. Entrepreneur and international business professor Dr. Mary Shepard Spaeth said its important to bring individuals who have gotten real experience into her classroom. Nimsgern has a concrete message and she can speak about the lessons shes learned along the way, Spaeth said. Its essential, its real, Spaeth said of Nimsgerns story. Spaeth said its essential students here the real story. Nimsgern hasnt forgotten how she got started and the work put into finding success, Spaeth said. A lot of (other speakers) they get into their third year and its almost, Ive always been successful. They project a different kind of aurora. Spaeth said. Through the Gifts of Gab product Casual Panache has found other ways to give back by creating the Giving Cans and Random Cans of Kindness programs. Giving cans is a food drive program that for every single set of Can-o-Grams sold, one canned good will be donated to food pantries and food drives across the nation. Random Acts of Kindness is a program that put cans out into the public filled with small trinkets, gift cards and other surprises. Based off the concept of paying it forward, those that find the cans are asked to go online and request their own custom can that they are able to fill and put back into the public for others to receive. Through her entire journey of becoming an entrepreneur, Nimsgern said although you have to be smart and calculated, ultimately you cant let the fear of failure stand in your way. If youre not afraid to jump in with both feet, youll soon realized there are many others willing to help you along that journey. When you start putting it (your work) out there, Nimsgern said, the resources, the help, the community people want you to succeed. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The values of some offices and shopping centres suffered falls in the last quarter of 2019 as a result of Paschal Donohoe's decision to increase stamp duty to 7.5pc on commercial property in the October Budget. This in turn dragged down by 0.6pc the total return for the Irish commercial property sector during last quarter, as measured by the authoritative IPD/SCSI Index compiled by MSCI. Income returns remained static at 1.2pc in Q4. Colm Lauder of Goodbody stockbrokers says that this was the seventh consecutive quarter of income returns at this level as income became the focus of investors in the Irish market. Overall, capital values also turned negative, down by 0.6pc, mainly due to weakness in some retail sectors. Prime Dublin office values increased by 2.8pc and secondary by 0.1pc. However, tertiary Dublin offices fell by 1.4pc. Similarly, prime Dublin offices saw rental growth at 2.9pc. "While headline rents were broadly flat, it is notable that net operating income has continued to grow due to diminishing and expiring tenant incentives. This supports our view on the attractiveness of core Dublin offices for investors seeking stable, long-term income returns," he added. Although provincial office values fell by 0.8pc in Q4 and suburban Dublin offices fell by 0.5pc, their rents grew more strongly than those in Dublin city centre. Provincial rents grew 0.6pc and suburban Dublin up 0.7pc, outpacing the 0.4pc growth recorded for central Dublin offices. Indeed for all of 2019, suburban offices saw faster rental growth than the core Dublin office segments, up 4.3pc, outpacing provincial (1.4pc) and central Dublin (1.3pc). Values for shopping centres fell for the fifth consecutive quarter in quarter four, down 1.8pc for the quarter and 4.8pc for the year. Henry Street retail suffered some of the sharpest falls with returns down 1.9pc in the quarter and 0.2pc for the year. Overall, retail rents were more resilient as they held onto the 2.9pc growth for the year. Johanna Gill, president of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland, said: "The subdued returns for retail are not surprising in the context of the current retail environment and the pressures on the high street. The expectation is that the outlook for this sector will continue to be challenging." Mr Lauder said negative investor sentiment towards retail accelerated in 2019 with yield impact falling 4.6pc as the tough UK conditions hit confidence across the Irish Sea. "Quarterly market rental growth has reduced to nil and we expect rental values to turn negative in 2020," he added. Industrial saw capital growth, at 0.1pc in the quarter and 1.9pc in the 12 months. Growth was primarily yield driven as rents grew by 0.8pc in 2019. Days after signing the Bodo peace accord, 1,615 cadres of different factions of Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) on Thursday laid down their arms at a ceremony in Guwahati. The NDFB groups and the Assam Government on January 27 had signed a tripartite agreement with the central government in the capital. The peace accord was signed in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, which intends to fulfill key political and economic demands of the NDFB. Home Minister Shah, while addressing media, had said the new development will ensure "a golden future for Assam and for the Bodo people." "Around 1550 cadres along with 130 weapons will surrender on January 30. As the Home Minister, I want to assure all representatives that all promises will be fulfilled in a time-bound manner," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The National Assembly of Armenia will convene an extraordinary session, as reported on the official website of the National Assembly, according to Armenpress. Upon the decision of Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan, pursuant to Article 100 of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia and Article 41 of the Constitutional Law of the Republic of Armenia Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly, at the initiative of the deputies of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, on February 6 at 11:00 the National Assembly will convene an extraordinary session with the following agenda: Package of bills on making amendments and supplements to the Constitutional Law of the Republic of Armenia Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly, on making amendments and supplements to the Constitutional Law of the Republic of Armenia On referendum and on making supplements and amendments to the Constitutional Law of the Republic of Armenia On the Constitutional Court (in the first and second readings), as the statement reads. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 11:03:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the severe flooding in southeast Brazil's Minas Gerais state has reached 54, the authorities said on Wednesday. Almost half of those deaths occurred in the metro area of state capital Belo Horizonte, which is facing the rainiest month of January in 110 years, according to the authorities. On Tuesday night, it rained almost 180 mm in three hours in Belo Horizonte, causing severe damage to dozens of streets even in neighborhoods that had never flooded before. A total of 101 towns in Minas Gerais state declared a state of emergency over the past days, and at least 28,000 people had to leave their homes. The situation is expected to get worse in the region, as the civil defense service issued a storm warning for the next hours. Weather forecast indicates even more rain and the possibility of hail in Minas Gerais. Minas Gerais has suffered the most in recent storms, while other states in Brazil's southeastern region also registered deaths and severe damage. Brazils fascistic president, Jair Bolsonaro, was Prime Minister Narendra Modis guest of honor at Indias annual January 26 Republic Day parade, providing another vivid demonstration to the world of the extreme right-wing character of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. Bolsonaro arrived in India on Friday with a delegation of ministers and businessmen, among them the CEOs of 10 Brazilian arms manufacturers. The governments of Brazil and India promoted Bolsonaros visit as an opportunity to greatly expand economic and geo-political ties and forge a bilateral strategic partnership. On the eve of the Republic Day celebrations, Modi and Bolsonaro signed 15 bilateral agreements covering trade, defense and other areas. Modi (left) and Bolsonaro in New Delhi [Credit: Alan Santos/PR] In a joint statement, the governments affirmed their intention to double trade between the two countries over a period of three years, from the current US$7 billion to US$15 billion annually. One of the areas of cooperation mentioned is the energy sector, with proposed partnerships in ethanol production and a hike in Indian imports of Brazilian oil. According to economic analysts, this would help India meet Washingtons demand that it find a replacement for the oil it currently imports from Venezuela. In regards to military ties, the Brazilian government wants to consolidate its position as an arms exporter to India, the worlds second-largest foreign purchaser of weapons and weapon-systems. From practically non-existent exports today, Brazil has the goal of reaching US$1 billion in arms sales to India in five years. The trip saw New Delhi and Brasilia agree to set up a Joint Working Commission on Defence Industrial Cooperation. It also provided a forum for negotiations between executives of the Brazilian arms manufacturer Taurus and the steelmaker Jindal and its armaments subsidiary, Jindal Defence. On Monday, those companies announced a joint venture to build a small-arms manufacturing facility in India. The venture fits in with the Make in India policy of Modi, which encourages both the replacement of imported products with ones manufactured domestically, and Indias emergence as an alternative global production-chain hub to China. Bolsonaros military welcome in India The government of India is expected to acquire 500 million Taurus engineered rifles over the next five years. As a result of Mondays announcement, Taurus shares shot up on the Brazilian Stock Exchange. Several other deals are reportedly in the works, including a possible sale to the Indian Air Force of an advanced military transport plane developed by the Brazil-based aerospace giant Embraer. Eduardo Bolsonaro, the Brazilian presidents son and a federal legislator, was part of the delegation to India, and reportedly very active in promoting Brazil as a global center for weapons production. Toward this end, he is pressing for the elimination of bureaucratic impediments to foreign arms manufacturers setting up shop in Brazil, calculating that they will be enticed by a workforce subjected to ever-increasing exploitation. Despite the fanfare over the multiple agreements signed by Modi and Bolsonaro, the two governments proved unable to resolve a protracted trade dispute over Indias sugar exports, which Brazil along with Australia and Guatemala have charged are glutting the world market thanks to a government subsidy regime. The World Trade Organization launched a formal investigation into the complaints last year. Bolsonaros visit to India sparked protests by Indian sugar farmers, who charged that any deal with Brazil would be at their expense. India and Brazil constitute the worlds two largest so-called emerging economies after China, and Washington is seeking to cultivate relations with both countries right-wing governments in an attempt to develop a counterweight to Beijings growing influence. Under Modi, India has opened its bases and ports to routine use by US warplanes and warships, parroted Washingtons provocative line on the South China Sea, and formed an incipient NATO-style military-strategic alliance with the US and its principal Asia-Pacific allies, Japan and Australiathe Quad. Bolsonaro himself campaigned on an anti-Chinese platform and has expressed the aim of lessening the dependence of Brazils economy on China. The reality, however, is that Brazilian-Indian bilateral trade would amount to barely one-tenth of that between Brazil and China even if the goals announced between the two leaders over the weekend were to be achieved. The meeting between Modi and Bolsonaro highlighted their common support for the most reactionary policies on the global stage. They dedicated a long passage of their joint declaration to what they called combating international terrorism. They announced their commitment to forging a stronger international partnership to contain terrorism and violent extremism, including through greater sharing of intelligence, and to cooperate against specific terrorist threats identified by each country. This signaled, on the one hand, their alignment with the foreign policy of US imperialism, which justifies its wars of aggression and war crimes like this months assassination of Iranian General Qassem Suleimani in the name of the fight against terrorism. On the other hand, both governments claim the right to violently repress any form of social opposition, which can be freely identified by each country as a terrorist threat. This is not speculation. While Bolsonaro calls social protests terrorist acts and the Brazilian Congress advances laws to frame demonstrators under the Terrorism Act, the Indian government has imposed a stage of siege on Kashmir and its 13 million people under the pretext of combating terrorism, and has framed up activists on terrorism charges under Indias Unlawful Activities Prevention. In the current campaign for the assembly election in the Delhi National Capital Territory, the site of the Jan. 26 Republic Day parade, prominent BJP politicians have repeatedly led chants of Shoot the traitors, a reference to those protesting the Modi governments recently introduced anti-Muslim Citizenship Amendment Act. During their summit meeting, Modi spared no praise for Bolsonaro, whom he called a dear friend. The government decorated the streets of New Delhi with posters bearing the face of Brazils president. Modi insisted that the two countries are realizing a strategic partnership based on a similar ideology and similar values. This ideology and these values consist of the extreme right-wing nationalist and fascistic policies pursued by both presidents. Modia lifelong member of the Hindu fascist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)certainly identifies with Bolsonaros avid defense of the bloody military dictatorship that ruled Brazil for over 20 years. Underscoring their political affinity, Bolsonaro, when asked if he was aware of Modis reputation as a threat to Indian democracy, cynically replied, They say I am also a threat to democracy. Bolsonaro was forced to cancel a visit to the US last year in the face of threatened protests, and is considered toxic in much of Europe. But India was a country where he could count on the government and the corporate media not raising questions about his governments assault on freedom of the press and other core democratic rights. The political similarities between the heads of government of countries with such different historical backgrounds reflect the common concerns of the Indian and Brazilian ruling classes, both of which wallow in unprecedented wealth amid mass poverty and societal dysfunction, and fear, above all, mounting social opposition from the working class. In both countries, workers are subjected to the same fundamental problems: mass unemployment, worsening living and working conditions, government cuts and the betrayals carried out by trade unions and phony workers (in India, Stalinist Communist) parties that posture as left while imposing the dictates of big business. The common conditions of exploitation of workers are deeply rooted in the process of globalization of capitalist production. At the same time, they pose immense revolutionary possibilities for unifying political demands and globally coordinating workers struggles around the world. BERLIN (Reuters) - Swedish fashion giant H&M appointed company veteran Helena Helmersson as chief executive on Thursday, as it reported its first rise in annual profit since 2015 and pleased the market with strong fourth-quarter profit growth. Here are some facts and figures about Helmersson, 46, H&M's first female boss, who replaces the founder's grandson Karl-Johan Persson as he moves to the chairman role: - Helmersson graduated with a master's degree in international business administration from the Umea School of Business and Economics in 1997. - She joined H&M straight after graduating as a business controller in the buying office, and later became a section manager working with assortment planning and purchasing. - Helmersson moved to Bangladesh, H&M's most important sourcing country, in 2006 as the human resources manager at H&M's production office in Dhaka. She then worked in Hong Kong as the supply chain manager for lingerie. - She moved back to Stockholm in 2010 and became head of sustainability, a role she was in at the time of the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh in 2013 that killed 1,135 garment workers. H&M subsequently played a leading role in industry initiatives to improve factory safety in Bangladesh and work towards fairer wages in other Asian supplier countries. "There is a misconception that lower prices in the stores mean bad working conditions or less pay," she told Reuters in 2014. - That year she was named the most powerful business woman in Sweden by the Veckans Affaerer, the nation's leading business magazine. In 2015, she moved back to Hong Kong to take the position of head of the group's global sourcing and buying. She took over as chief operating officer in 2018. (Reporting by Emma Thomasson, Sonya Dowsett in Madrid and Anna Ringstrom in Stockholm; Editing by Jan Harvey) Erdogan: Trump's plan for Mideast unacceptable IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Ankara, Jan 29, IRNA -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rejected his US counterpart Donald Trump's plan for the Middle East, saying that the plan is absolutely unacceptable. In a statement late on Tuesday, he reiterated that Palestine people and land are not for sale, declaring that the plan is stillborn. Beit ul-Moqaddas is among the sanctities of Muslims and the plan to cede Quds to Israel is in no way acceptable. Describing Israel's sovereignty over Quds as totally unacceptable, he said that the plan will do nothing for solving the issue of Palestine, as it is an attempt to make Palestinians accept new stances. The plan is to disregard Palestinian rights and legitimize Israeli occupation, he said. 8072**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address FORT MYERS, Fla. Jan. 29, 2020 Alan Gruning Florida noon to 9 p.m. noon to 5 p.m. One in five adults suffer pain that interferes with their ability to work or perform daily functions. Twenty percent of adults in Florida cannot afford health insurance. cannot afford health insurance. In Florida , 17 people die of an opioid overdose every day (over 48,000 annually nationwide). , 17 people die of an opioid overdose every day (over 48,000 annually nationwide). Eighty percent of people who abuse opioids were initially prescribed for legitimate pain. The number of children entering foster care due to their parents' drug abuse (incarceration, rehab, death) has doubled since 2000. /PRNewswire/ -- Nominations for the ICON Business Awards were just announced, and the Southwest Florida Free Pain Clinic is honored to be one of only six nominees for the Greatest Community/Charitable Impact Award. This is a tremendous distinction, as businesses and not-for-profit organizations from across the country were nominated. (https://unstoppablegc.com/icon-awards)Said Dr., Executive and Medical Director, "We are thrilled to be recognized for the life-changing work we are doing for our friends and neighbors who have nowhere else to turn!"The Southwest Florida Free Pain Clinic is working to rewrite the paradigm for low-income, uninsured pain patients. It is the only free pain clinic of its kind in, the only one identified in the country. The mission of the not-for-profit organization is to provide free holistic medical care to people suffering from painful conditions or injuries who are unable to afford treatment, all without the use of opioids or other drugs. The clinic treats this under-served demographic using a Functional Medicine model, addressing physical, spiritual, emotional and social needs.There are currently no other options for these patients, as the emergency departments and urgent care facilities they frequent are not equipped to effectively treat the source of pain. These patients often leave with a large bill they are unable to pay and a prescription for pain medication that may leave them dependent, but with no improvement in their condition. This creates an unnecessary burden on the healthcare system and on the community as a whole.The Southwest Florida Free Pain Clinic utilizes physician and chiropractic care, physical therapy, acupuncture, massage therapy, nutrition and lifestyle education, essential oil therapy, and modalities such as electrical stimulation, cold laser and ultrasound to alleviate pain at the source and begin an effective healing process. No drugs are used in treatment. In fact, through the course of treatment, patients are helped to wean from opioids and other substances they have become dependent upon.At this time, the Southwest Florida Free Pain Clinic offers services by appointment only on Tuesdays fromand Thursdays fromFundraising for further expansion is underway, with the goal of being a permanent full-time staffed clinic. The ultimate goal is to utilize this model to replicate numerous free pain clinics across the state.The clinic utilizes a small part-time staff and more than 50 loyal volunteers, including medical professionals who donate time and resources for the benefit of the patients. The Southwest Florida Free Pain Clinic has been successful in helping patients return to work, resume care of their families, free themselves from walkers, canes and other assistive devices, and most importantly, restore hope.To learn more about the Southwest Florida Free Pain Clinic, visit www.freepainclinic.org. Some eye-opening facts:The Southwest Florida Free Pain Clinic is a 501(c)3 organization, founded in 2010 by Alan Gruning, DO, to provide high quality holistic medical care at no charge to those without the ability to pay, with attention to the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of health and healing. The clinic is funded solely through grants, contributions, and corporate sponsorships. Services are rendered by appointment at 6831 Palisades Park Court, Unit 3 in Fort Myers. For more information, visit www.freepainclinic.org. For eligibility, appointments and volunteer opportunities, please call 239.308.7107. For more information about our mission, sponsorship opportunities, speaking engagements or to make a tax-deductible donation, please call Michelle at 239.201.7877. We are proud to be a United Way Partner Agency. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/southwest-florida-free-pain-clinic-honored-by-icon-impact-award-nomination-300995638.html SOURCE Southwest Florida Free Pain Clinic Issues related to implementation of police reforms were considered during the meeting with acting Chief of Police of Armenia Arman Sargsyan. This is what Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Alen Simonyan told reporters today. We discussed all the issues and all the concerns, the police reforms and the events that took place two days ago and received all the answers, he stated. Simonyan stressed that political figures need to be distinguished. Lets differentiate between political figures and people who are trying to become famous by cursing on the Internet. A person who makes offensive remarks is not a political figure, and so to talk about political repressions and give political evaluations means to disrespect political figures, he said. Two days ago, leader of the VETO initiative Narek Malyan, members of the Adekvad initiative Konstantin Ter-Nakalyan and Artur Danielyan and president of the Civil Consciousness NGO Narek Samsonyan were apprehended, but released later. In response to second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyans claim that there is a possibility of snap elections, Alen Simonyan said there is no need for snap elections in Armenia, and even if there is, it will only be necessary to recover the damage caused to Armenia and solve the situation that we are in because of that damage. The attorneys general for the last three states to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment filed a lawsuit in federal court on Thursday arguing that the Trump administration must add the amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Virginia's General Assembly, newly controlled by Democrats in both chambers, on Monday became the 38th state to ratify the amendment, meeting the requirement of approval by three-quarters of the states. Opponents say the vote was meaningless, because the congressionally imposed deadline for ratification expired decades ago. The lawsuit will likely become the vehicle for deciding that question, said Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring, who brought the suit along with Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford. Two other federal lawsuits on the matter are also pending. The latest suit, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras, contradicts a Justice Department memo earlier this month that said the national archivist, who certifies the ratification of amendments, should not do so for the ERA, citing the 1982 deadline. The archivist has said he will follow the DOJ advice unless a final federal court decision overrides it. "This could be a historical case for future amendments, not that they come along that often," said Carl Tobias, a constitutional scholar at the University of Richmond Law School. "I can't imagine it wouldn't go to the Supreme Court." Nevada ratified the ERA in 2017 and Illinois followed in 2018. The amendment guarantees legal protections on the basis of sex and was first approved by Congress in 1972. Proponents of the amendment have dismissed the ratification deadline as irrelevant because it's not a constitutional requirement, even though opponents argue the Supreme Court has upheld ratification deadlines in the case of Coleman v. Miller in 1939 and Dillon v. Gloss in 1921. "The work is done, every constitutional requirement has been fulfilled, and the ERA is now the 28th amendment to the Constitution," Herring, a Democrat, said at a news conference announcing the lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., He said "the Trump adminstration has conconcted a scheme to try to nullify the will of millions of Americans," noting that the passage of the 27th Amendment - which addresses the pay for members of Congress - took more than 200 years (that amendment did not have a deadline). Douglas Johnson, the senior policy advisor for National Right to Life, which opposes the ERA, accused Herring of "political preening," and ignoring the Supreme Court rulings on the 1939 and 1921 cases. "When this [lawsuit] gets before a panel on the Court of Appeals, this is going to pop like a soap bubble," Johnson said. Opponents of the ERA also say its ratification is invalid because over the years, five states - Idaho, Kentucky, Nebraska, Tennessee and South Dakota - have rescinded their ratifications. But Herring called those actions"purported recissions," saying that the Constititution does not give governments the power to rescind such votes. During ratification of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees "equal protection of the laws," Ohio and New Jersey attempted to "pull back" their ratifications but they not were allowed to do so. The archivist's decision to follow the DOJ advice, unless a final federal court decision is issued, "underscores the need for the courts to put this to rest," Herring said. Raoul called the archivist's role "ministerial and clerical," and said the archivist does not have the discretion to fail to certify the amendment. "We now have this historic opportunity to ensure that equal rights, regardless of sex, are properly recognized as part of the Constitution," said Herring, a Democrat who has said he is interested in running for governor. "Virginians have made it clear that it is their will that the ERA be ratified, and I now have the great honor of continuing that fight." Carol Jenkins, chief executive of the ERA Coalition, said that despite decades of laws that improve women's legal status, 80 percent of the poor are women, pay equity and workplace promotions still favor men, and women assaulted at home or in the workplace have no recourse to the federal courts. Her organization's polling says 90 percent of Americans and 94 percent of millennials support the ERA. "Its cultural impact is being seen in this country already," she said, pointing to corporate statements of equal pay and promotion policies. A lawsuit opposing ratification was filed in Alabama last year by the attorneys general of Alabama, Louisiana, and South Dakota. Another lawsuit supports ratification and was filed in Massachusetts by Equal Means Equal, the Yellow Roses and Katherine Weitbrecht. Several bills are also pending in Congress to address the earlier deadlines. The Alabama lawsuit seeks to bar the National Archives and Records Administration from certifying the vote, and led to the DOJ letter. The Massachusetts lawsuit argues that neither Congress nor the executive branch have power to set a deadline for passage of a constitutional amendment and seeks the court to order the national archivist to properly record the ratification and bar the archivist from accepting the five state rescissions and other remedies. Tobias, the University of Richmond professor, said there are multiple ways the lawsuit could go forward. "A federal judge may combine the cases," he mused. "The D.C. Circuit might be more favorably inclined, given their general jurisprudence, but the Supreme Court is fairly conservative - but who knows what conservative means in this case? "And win or not, it could go back to Congress and start all over." Katie Hopkins' Twitter account has been suspended (PA via Getty) Katie Hopkins has been suspended from Twitter for violating the social networks anti-hate policy. The outspoken media personality, whose follower count has been growing since US president Donald Trump started sharing of her tweets recently, has been temporarily locked out of her account for using the public platform to spew harmful comments based on race, religion, nationality and gender identity. Twitter is expected to carry out a full review of her usage in the near future. Read more: Donald Trump shares Katie Hopkins tweets defending 'go back' comments Not only is she banned from posting anything new, but most of her existing tweets have been hidden. The only one that is still visible is a retweet from producer Nitin Sawhney calling out Hopkins racial hatred against grime artist Stormzy. Countdowns Rachel Riley and other campaigners on Wednesday met Twitter officials to urge the company to delete Hopkins account. The meeting was organised by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) campaign group. Rachel Riley and other campaigners accused the media personality of inciting hate when they met with site representatives earlier this week (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) We are pleased that Twitter has recognised that the identity hate-based actor, Katie Hopkins violated their hateful conduct policy and have taken preliminary action following productive discussions with Twitter's UK office, Imran Ahmed, CEO of the CCDH, said in a statement. They should now remove her from their platform. "There is a long road ahead before social media is made safe for dialogue, information exchange and the formation and maintenance of relationships. The fact parents are so hesitant and fearful of allowing children onto social media platforms shows how toxic many of these environments have become. "We believe social media can empower the world to be even better, but handing megaphones to hate actors is irresponsible and dangerous. Read more: Tory activist told to 'go to a white country' rejects Katie Hopkins' support Taking to Twitter herself, Riley wrote that shes pleased to see that action appears to have been taken, while noting that she had called for George Galloways account which is currently still active to be reviewed, too. This is what happens when they have the #WillToAct, she added. Hire a Security Company in Thailand to Protect Your Company; A business owner or senior manager of a company has a responsibility to provide for the safety and security of all its employees and assets. The most logical way to provide for this safety and security is to hire a professional security company in Thailand. Many people feel that having insurance is the way to provide security to a companys assets. But insurance money will not replace the theft of product prototypes or unique technologies that represent the main assets of a company. Having insurance also does nothing to protect the health and safety of your employees. By hiring a skilled and experienced security company in Thailand, you get the benefits of the years of training and development of security systems they possess. Security is a Technological Business The leading security companies of today employ a variety of technologies that they have adapted into providing the utmost security for a companys property as well as the less tangible, but just as important, assets of a business. From employee RFID badge systems to video surveillance systems, to motion and heat sensor systems, the tools that a modern security uses takes skilled technicians to operate effectively. In contacting a security company to ask for a quotation of their services, an experienced security company will first visit your companys property to do a complete check of the security pluses and minuses for your particular business. They will then prepare a detailed report on the security services they recommend that your company implements, as well as a quotation for their services. Reading this report will give you a greater understanding of just how important hiring a reputable security company in Thailand can be to preserve your businesses assets. From providing for the health and safety of your employees to protecting your computer data from theft by hacking or industrial espionage, the modern security company can cover all the areas where your company remains vulnerable. Security is an Ongoing Partnership in Prevention Every wise company establishes a close relationship with the company that provides their security. As your company grows and adopts new systems, it also incurs new vulnerabilities. A company that has a high turnover of employees, or enjoys a greater expansion of its ranks, needs to stay on top of their employee security to issue new passes and continuously improve the safety of its increasing numbers of staff. New technologies may represent new vulnerabilities, as well. Your security company in Thailand should be made aware of any new system or technology adopted by your company so it can be thoroughly vetted for any innate vulnerabilities that could lead to theft. Hiring a Security Company in Thailand If youre considering hiring an experienced security company to entrust with your companys safety and security, there is a wrong way and a right way to go about it. The wrong way is to omit any assets or liabilities in your companys property or processes. The right way is to be upfront about any crime or security issues youve experienced and to spell out all the concerns you have about the security of the company. This will give the security company an excellent place to start in providing their services. Photos and Web Content by Primal Co., Ltd. The two-part Welcome to HMP Belmarsh, which first aired on ITV on January 13 and 20, marks the first-time television cameras have been allowed inside the high security prison. At a time when Belmarsh is under renewed scrutiny as Britains Guantanamo, holding the worlds highest profile political prisoner, Julian Assange, the ITV programme was intended to serve as a public relations piece. Even so, it managed to say more than it intended about appalling conditions inside the prison. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as he is transported in a police vehicle to a hearing [Credit: AP Photo/Matt Dunham] The programme was presented by actor Ross Kemp, who has produced several documentaries on gangs, armed police, and British military deployed in Afghanistan trading on his hardman image. He is a prominent Labour supporter but was formerly married to media oligarch Rupert Murdochs trusted deputy, Rebekah Brooks. After the two-part series broadcast, Kemp was asked repeatedly on social media about Julian Assange. It seems that he did ask to interview Assange, but the WikiLeaks foundersubjected to a relentless campaign of public mobbing by the worlds pressrefused to take part, no doubt fearing a stitch-up. Nonetheless, Assange was the subtext to everything shown and discussed. Belmarsh was built in 1991 as Britains first supermax jail. It was particularly intended for prisoners regarded as a threat to national security. Londons first new mens prison for a century was designed with specific provisions for holding terrorists, including a bomb-proof tunnel to nearby Woolwich Crown Court. The programme mentioned several times the high number of Category A prisoners held there, and the frequent violent confrontations between inmates. Category A, the highest security category, is for prisoners whose escape would be highly dangerous to the public or national security. Within its general design, Belmarsh includes a dedicated High Security Unit (HSU), described as a prison within a prison. This has housed prisoners regarded as the greatest risk, including KGB operatives, al Qaeda members and leaders, and international drug lords involved in organised crime and money-laundering (one of whom is interviewed). It has also been used to house violently anti-Islamic and fascist thugs, including Finsbury Park mosque killer Darren Osborne. Aiden James, charged with joining an anti-ISIS Kurdish militia, is also held in Belmarsh, alongside men convicted of fighting for ISIS. Such proximity, like the large concentration of rival gang members in the prisons confined space, makes Belmarsh an intensely violent and dangerous place. Warders showed Kemp the daily conflict lists, showing the assessed threat of violence between prisoners. One prisoner explained the risks inmates face in stepping from their cell each day. Because of its high security status, he said, Youd think Belmarsh would be one of the jails youd be safe in ... Far from that. In the past 12 months, three prisoners have died inside Belmarsh. On January 2, remand prisoner Liridon Saliuka was found dead in his cell, with relatives challenging official claims that he died from self-inflicted injuries (a fact not referred to by Kemp). In 2009, the Chief Inspector of British Prisons noted an extremely high amount of force used against prisoners, with detainees reporting intimidation, threats and assault by staff. The inspectors 2018 report noted that many of its recommended improvements had not been implemented, and some outcomes to have been poorer than last time. HSU has its own dedicated segregation unit, described by the HSU governor as the end of the world. Kemp noted that this cell contained no bed and had no access to water. The jails capabilities and planned purposes raises the obvious question of why it is being used to detain Assange, a journalist who has not been convicted of any crime and who is remanded in custody solely in relation to an extradition request from the US government aimed at silencing his award-winning journalism exposing war crimes and other illegal activities by governments in the US, Britain and Australia. Perhaps to deflect this question, the programme repeatedly portrayed Belmarsh as being equipped to take any and every kind of prisoner. Along with high security prisoners, Belmarsh also houses a general prison population. Charlie Pope and his brothers, for example, are all repeat offenders from nearby Woolwich who have been in Belmarsh on several occasions. They describe the prison as our local. This focus on the general population may have been aimed at normalising Belmarsh for the viewer, but it served to expose a wider social crisis. The Popes grew up in a family environment of drugs and petty crime. Charlie is shown signing up to a business start-up programme in the hope of breaking the cycle of reoffending. It will only take one of the brothers to change their life for them all to do it, they say. The programme Charlie Pope signs up to is crushingly cynical, its founder declaring that People in prison are naturally entrepreneurial. Pope is removed from the course following his involvement in a fight. The programme also follows a gang school, which brings together members of rival gangs in an effort to get them to share their common problems. This was not shown in any detail, perhaps because the gang members were so blunt about seeing crime as an alternative to poverty: I dont want to be broke. Nearly one third of those leaving prison have nowhere to go and end up homeless, with some reoffending so they will have a place to sleep. It is commented in passing that housing and employment are the best options for getting people out of jails and keeping them out, but the programme showed only a firefighting exercise. Mental health issues are worsening in UK prisons, while a drug crisis is escalating around the synthetic cannabinoid Spice. Underscoring the appalling conditions, one Pope brother describes Spice, which renders users catatonic, as the worst drug, but the best in prison. Kemps documentary was concerned to show Belmarsh with a human face, with warders expressing their concern for some prisoners. Focus was placed in particular on staff interacting sympathetically with Claire Darbyshire, the prisons only transgender inmate who was sent to a male prison because she was pre-operative. Darbyshire suffocated her father, who suffered from multiple-sclerosis, in what she claimed was both a mercy killing and a suicide pact that she failed to follow up on. Similarly, warders were shown being sensitive towards 20-year-old Liam Waters. Transferred to Belmarsh following a riot in his local prison, Waters is made to wear distinctive escape-list garb. He looks fearful and small in his oversized prison issue and undersized flipflops, telling Kemp he knew that Belmarsh was one of the most dangerous places. Notably, Kemps programme heavily promoted the prisons healthcare wing. Belmarsh has the largest healthcare service of any UK prison, with Kemp describing prison doctor Rachel Daly as his hero. Daly spoke of the prisons healthcare as duplicating the NHSa claim belied by the documentarys footage. With mental health issues spiralling, Daly and her staff were shown fighting a rear-guard action for prisoner health. When Aiden James, who suffers PTSD following his experiences in Syria, began self-harming again, Daly was shown struggling to find him a bed in the health unit. Despite going unmentioned, Assanges deteriorating health and the concerns of independent medical professionals about his effective solitary confinement in the healthcare unit hung silently over the programme. Assange has now been moved to another part of the prison following protests from his legal team, campaign groups and, most strikingly, fellow prisoners. While silent on these matters, Kemps programme featured several interviews with fascist poster-boy Tommy Robinson, detained in Belmarsh for contempt of court after attempting to collapse a serious rape trial. Much of the programme smacked of free publicity for Robinsons self-promoting claims of political martyrdom. His transfer to Belmarsh was depicted as presenting a challenge for prison governor Rob Davis, forcing him into a delicate balancing act of maintaining peace among inmates while ensuring Robinsons safety. The programme shows the friendly relations between governor Davis and Robinson, who spends his short time in Belmarsh in a relatively luxurious solitary suite and is released nine weeks early. In one of the only mentions of Assange in the entire programme, sacks of mail for Robinson are shown alongside a smaller batch destined for Assange. The clear aim is to suggest that Assange, unlike Robinson, has little public support. Kemp tells his viewers, apparently without irony, that Belmarsh has so far kept Robinson free from publicity. Davis is shown visiting a smirking Robinson in his cell after press reports he had been attacked in prison showers by an old age pensioner. In fact, Kemps interviews with Robinson mirror the saturation media promotion for Robinsons every move. Robinson is presented as a pathetic figure, crying about his desperate plight in solitaryprompting Kemp to say, Its not solitary confinement, as in terms of the cooler. Its not a box with nothing in it. Youve got a TV. Youve got a kettle. Nevertheless, despite his stated reluctance to give a platform to the fascist thug, Kemp felt he had to ask Robinson about the protest called by his supporters outside the prison. Robinson made clear this was another anti-Muslim provocation, saying he might call on them to broadcast videos of the prophet Muhammad. Inside a control room, prison officers view footage of the protest outside via multiple CCTV screens, zooming in to identify individuals of interest. Davis tells Kemp, Any demonstration outside the prison puts my staff at risk. Doubtless this particular scene will have been watched with interest by thoseincluding yellow vest protesters from Francewho have attended recent rallies for Assange outside the prison. The downtown art and fashion crowd came out in full force for The Whitney Art Party on Wednesday evening. Museum parties always have an air of restrained decadence - the idea that youre drinking bubbly while glancing at multi-million dollar pieces of art in a glamorous dress is a cosmopolitan idea of a night out that will likely never die...especially in New York City, where many of the biggest parties of the year are hosted at museums, whether it's the Guggenheim or the Whitney Museum of American Art. Olivia Palermo / Vikram Valluri/BFA.com And thank goodness the Whitney does it oh so well. Socialites, artists and fashionistas mingled while sipping cocktails and queueing for the Instagram-ready video photobooth that's all the rage these days, no matter what party you attend. The theme of the evening was "festive," so there were plenty of sequins spotted in the crowd. Leyna Bloom and Kristin Joy Watts / Tiffany Sage/BFA.com Attendees included Art Party Co-Chairs Michael Carl, Micaela Erlanger, Jamian Juliano-Villani and Olivia Palermo, as well as new Hollywood It-girl Julia Fox (in stunning blue Max Mara), Katie Holmes, Kate Walsh, Victor Cruz, Wes Gordon and Paul Arnhold, Arielle Charnas, artist Shantell Martin, and a rather alarming Trump impersonator (but remember, this is the art world, so its totally on point). asu bridge Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press Asian students at Arizona State University told Business Insider that they've been treated differently since a case of the coronavirus, which spread from China, was confirmed at the university. ASU's large population of international students from China have been especially impacted, one student said. From jokes to sitting away from Asian students in class, students said that the case has changed dynamics on campus. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Since a case of the coronavirus which spread from Wuhan, China was confirmed at Arizona State University, Asian students there have faced jokes, stares, and isolation on campus, students told Business Insider "It's hysteria," said one freshman, who studies life sciences and lives in a dorm on campus, whose name is not being published to protect her privacy. She said there'es been a noticeable shift in dynamics on campus between Asian and non-Asian students. "I cough in class and everybody looks at me," she said. "I'm paranoid of coughing." The case was confirmed in an email sent to students by ASU officials on Sunday, who told students, faculty, and staff that the person with the virus does not live on campus and is being isolated to keep the virus from spreading. University officials declined to specify if the impacted individual was a student. Students were critical of the university's response and some asked for classes to be cancelled, for fear that they could catch the virus in class. A petition to university officials asking for more safety measures and more information gained over 20,000 signatures. The freshman who spoke to Business Insider said there was already a social and cultural divide between the large population of international students from China at ASU and the rest of the student body, but that the virus "just made it more obvious." Read more: 'We do not want to risk our lives by attending class': Students at Arizona State University are demanding the school to do more after a case of the Wuhan coronavirus was confirmed on campus Story continues She said that she feels bad for the way Chinese students are being treated and that "most people are ignoring it but when I do hear stuff it does bother me." In one of her classes, she said students avoided a Chinese teaching assistant, even though that assistant was the most qualified. "In my own classes, nobody wants to sit next to me until there are no seats left," said the freshman, who is Vietnamese. An ASU spokesperson said in a statement that "we greatly value our student population from China and want them to feel at home in the ASU community as [we] do for students from any other country." A senior at ASU who is Chinese and from Arizona said that even though it bothers her when people "racially profile" anyone who looks Asian, it's still "kinda funny" when people react differently. Related Video: How Far a Sneeze Can Travel "There is humor in the way that some of these people react to a sniffle or cough," she said in a Facebook message. She said if she's on campus and coughs or sneezes, "people (but mostly caucasians) kinda look at me a second longer, I guess kind of questioning if I'm infected." Eric, a freshman who lives on campus, said that people have asked about his wellbeing because he traveled to Beijing over winter break, though he didn't go near Wuhan, which is over 700 miles away from Beijing. Eric said in a Facebook message that he hasn't noticed people giving him "weird looks" but that he wouldn't blame them if they did. "Even I'm more paranoid and high-key more cautious around people," he said, adding that he avoids hugging or shaking hands with people and uses hand sanitizer often. "I guess I'll find out if more people will end up giving me looks or actively avoiding me just because of my East Asian appearance, despite having been born in the US and grown up here," he said. Read the original article on Business Insider A delusional man who shot dead his parliamentarian father on Norfolk Island 15 years ago has admitted to brutally bashing a hospital patient with a chair in Sydney. Leith Maclean Buffett was 25 when he killed his father Ivens 'Toon' Buffett, who he believed was 'The Evil Prophet' as the 60-year-old sat in his government chair. Mr Buffett was Norfolk Island's Minister for Land and the Environment and his son was the first person to be charged with murder in the external Australian territory in 150 years. Leith Buffett, who shot his father in the head with a Lee-Enfield .303 rifle, was deemed unfit to stand trial due to serious mental illness. Now 40, he has admitted to a vicious unprovoked attack on a patient he bashed in the mental health care unit of a Sydney hospital because voices told him to. A man who shot dead his parliamentarian father on Norfolk Island 15 years ago has admitted to severely bashing a hospital patient in Sydney. Leith Maclean Buffett (above) was 25 when he killed his father Ivens 'Toon' Buffett as the 60-year-old sat in his government office Leith Buffett killed his father in an office next to the island's parliament. Pictured are the government buildings which survive from the penal colony era in Norfolk's capital Kingston Norfolk Island is about 1,400km east of the Australian mainland and relies heavily on tourism Buffett appeared in custody at Waverley Local Court on Thursday when he pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm. His matter was delayed when the prosecution learnt he had a criminal record on Norfolk Island and further inquiries had to be made. Buffet's lawyer Cassandra Giudice said her client had no community ties in Australia and she was 'trying to deal with the complexities of that matter.' Norfolk Island, which had a population of about 1,750 at the 2016 Census, covers just 35 square kilometres and sits 1,412km east of Evans Head on the New South Wales northern rivers. About 20 per cent of the territory's residents are descended from Pitcairn Islanders who resettled the abandoned penal colony in 1856. The Pitcairners were descended from British sailors who mutinied on the Bounty in 1789 and their Tahitian wives, as well as later arrivals including John Buffett. Norfolk was a penal colony from 1788 to 1814 and was later reoccupied as a place of secondary punishment to send 'the worst description of convicts.' The second white settlement (1825-1855) was an island prison with a disciplinary regime considered the worst in the British Empire. The killing of 'Toon' Buffett in 2004 shocked Norfolk, coming just two years after the then unsolved murder of 29-year-old Sydney woman Janelle Patton. New Zealand chef Glenn McNeill, 28, was charged with Ms Patton's murder in 2006 and jailed for 24 years in 2007. Leith Buffett, pictured leaving Waverley Local Court on Thursday, had until recently being living a peaceful life on Norfolk Island where he was born into a prominent family Onlookers try to catch a glimpse of Glenn McNeill as he appears at the Kingston courthouse on Norfolk Island in February 2006 after being charged with the 2002 murder of Janelle Patton Leith Buffett had confronted his parents in their bedroom on the morning of July 19 with one of his father's firearms. He was then seen walking through the main gates of the island's Legislative Assembly carrying a .303 rifle shortly before midday. 'Toon' Buffett had missed a Monday morning meeting of the island's nine MPs in the parliament's main building where they had been discussing the island's firearm laws. He was instead at his desk in a cottage next to that building, where he raised his hands in self defense just before his son shot him in the head. A heavy squall had been lashing the island and no one in the main building heard the shot through its thick stone walls. Leith was was first held in Norfolk's two-cell police station before an amendment to NSW legislation allowed his transfer to Sydney's Long Bay jail. He underwent psychiatric assessment which revealed he believed his well-respected father was 'The Evil Prophet'. Leith Buffett (above) pleaded guilty to bashing another patient in the Kiloh Centre at Randwick's Prince of Wales Hospital. The 40-year-old was convicted of assaulting occasioning actual bodily harm and put on a two-year community corrections order One of the two modern cells in Norfolk Island's police station where Leith Buffett was first held after being arrested for his father's murder in 2004 Buffett did not stand trial and the criminal charge against him was dismissed. Ms Giudice told the court her client had until recently been living on Norfolk Island in 'relative peace' until he stopped taking his medicine. When his mental health deteriorated to a point he could not be treated there he was medically evacuated to Sydney. Buffett was held in a secure ward at the Kiloh Centre in Randwick's Prince of Wales Hospital, where he assaulted a long-term male patient. The patient was leaving his room to go to the toilet about 2.15am on December 22 when he noticed Buffett running towards him with a chair in his hands. 'Before the victim could even react the accused struck him across the face with the chair,' a police statement of facts said. 'The initial impact caused the victim to not only feel immense pain, it caused him to sustain deep cuts and lacerations to his face causing his wounds to bleed out profusely.' The remains of the gaol on Norfolk Island which was once considered the worst penal institution in the British Empire. Some prisoners preferred death over its cruel daily regime Hospital staff initially assumed the man had simply fallen over until he told them he had been assaulted by a 'big patient who was wearing a flannelette shirt.' When police arrived a doctor told them Buffett had multiple mental health issues including suffering from 'command hallucinations' whereby voices in his head told him to hurt people. 'The accused told [the doctor] that prior to the assault he was in his room hearing voices telling him to pick up a chair and kill someone with it,' the statement of facts said. 'The first person he saw was the victim.' Buffett did not know his victim's name or have any issues with him - 'he just happened to be the only person in the corridor at the time he was still hearing the voices.' Magistrate Allison Hawkins said Buffett had clearly been mentally unwell at the time of what was an unprovoked attack on a vulnerable person. 'Obviously this is a difficult matter for the court,' Ms Hawkins said. An aerial view of Norfolk Island showing Kingston and the lush surrounding farming land 'He was not a man who at that stage was in his right mind. [However] he is no longer posing the danger he did.' Ms Hawkins said if the assault had occurred on the street and Buffett had no mental illness he would likely be going to prison. He did need to be punished but 'he is not a person who is a good vehicle for general deference'. Ms Hawkins recorded a conviction and released Buffet on a community corrections order for two years. 'I hope you live a peaceful life not being a problem to anybody,' she said. Buffett, who intends to return as soon as possible to Norfolk Island and the care of his brother, thanked the magistrate. 'I hope I don't see you back here,' Ms Hawkins told him. 'No, I don't think you will after that,' Buffett said. In 2015 the Australian Government assumed responsibility for delivering national and state-level services to Norfolk Island and for the establishment of an elected Norfolk Island Regional Council. Bengaluru, Jan 30 : Clarity on Karnataka government's cabinet expansion will only emerge after Chief Minister B.S. Yeddiyurappa returns from Delhi, a party spokesperson said on Thursday. "I don't know what happened in Delhi. He (Yeddiyurappa) was supposed to meet BJP chief J.P. Nadda, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah," BJP spokesperson G. Madhusudhana told IANS. Madhusudhana said he did not know if Yeddiyurappa could meet all of them and discuss and finalise the cabinet expansion plan. Yeddiyurappa flew to Delhi on Wednesday to meet the BJP president Nadda to discuss and finalise the cabinet expansion. He said Yeddiyurappa may not reveal anything about the expansion in Delhi. The BJP spokesperson said the Chief Minister is expected to start his return journey to Bengaluru by 8 a.m. on Friday and reach the city by afternoon and address the media. The much-delayed cabinet expansion has already been postponed several times. The BJP won 12 of the 15 Assembly seats in the by-elections while the opposition Congress could win only two while an Independent won one. Brazils Petrobras has suspended all employee travel to China because of the coronavirus outbreak that has reportedly already entered Brazil itself. Reuters reports that the countrys health ministry said there were nine suspected cases, and advised locals to refrain from traveling to China. Petrobras, for its part, said that while employee travel will be suspended, shipments of oil to China will continue. The coronavirus, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December, has spread across more than a dozen countries and has infected more that 6,000 people. The death toll is rising, too, with the latest figure at 160. The outbreak has shaken commodity markets with a particularly hard impact on oil prices. Investment banks warned of a sizeable downside risk for benchmarks from the outbreak, which couldand most probably wouldaffect Chinas economic growth and hence its oil demand. The impact is already being felt after the institution of quarantines at a time of the year that normally sees increased passenger traffic during the Lunar New Year holidays. With people now obliged to stay at home, this travel is simply not happening. If oil demand does weaken for an extended period of time, Brazil will be among the most affected suppliers of crude to China. The bulk of Petrobras oil exports during the first nine months of 2019 were bound for China, Argus Media writes, citing company data. That was 72 percent of the almost half a million bpd Petrobras shipped abroad. Purchases for January and February stand at over 500,000 bpd as the light and medium oil pumped from the Lula field in the presalt zone has become a favored feedstock among independent Chinese refiners. For the export of oil to this country, there are no changes in the schedule and possible logistical adjustments are being studied, Petrobras told Argus. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Police said the victims family collected milk packets from nearby dairy farms and sold them to different households during the morning hours for their livelihood. Hyderabad: Panjagutta police arrested a 36-year-old person on Wednesday for allegedly raping a minor girl multiple times at his residence over a period of 10 days. The accused was reportedly luring the 13-year-old victim under the pretext of paying money for milk packets that he was buying the minor girls family. Police said the victims family collected milk packets from nearby dairy farms and sold them to different households during the morning hours for their livelihood. They also supplied milk packets to accused Shaik Jahangir, a puncture shop owner, who used to live in the same locality. When the victims mother sought payment for milk, the accused asked her to come in the afternoon. As she works as maid during the day time and her husband works as a watchman, she was forced to send her daughter to the residence of the accused for collecting money. Speaking to media, west zone additional DCP Iqbal Siddiqui said, Taking advantage, the accused sexually abused her and gave her additional Rs 100 to Rs 200 for not revealing anything to anyone. From the last 10 days, the accused was raping the victim. On Tuesday at 10pm, when the victims mother returned home after completing her work, she found her daughter depressed. When questioned, the victim told her parents about what Uncle Jahangir was doing. Following this, the victims mother lodged a complaint against the accused. Police have booked a case under relevant sections of POCSO Act 2012 and IPC. They have sent the victim for medical examination. We formed special teams and nabbed Jahangir on Wedn-esday evening within 24 hours of the registration of FIR, said Panjagutta inspector M. Niranjan Reddy. Advertisement Firefighter colleagues paid a poignant funeral tribute to Anthony Knott, 33, as his fiancee said her last goodbye after the discovery of his body in the River Ouse three weeks after he went missing on a night out. The service took place at St Giles the Abbot on Church Road, Orpington, with a procession leaving from the funeral directors, Valentine and Turner. Fellow London firefighters lined up in a row to pay their respects to the father-of-four as the coffin arrived on an old London Fire Brigade rescue ladder vehicle. Mr Knott, 33, disappeared on December 20 after going to a pub in Lewes with colleagues. The coffin arriving at St Giles the Abbott church on an old London Fire Brigade rescue ladder vehicle. Anthony Knott, 33, disappeared on December 20 after going to a pub in Lewes with 12 other firefighter colleagues Firefighter colleagues paid a poignant funeral tribute to Mr Knott, lining up in a row as the coffin arrived at the church, following the discovery of his body in the River Ouse three weeks after he went missing on a night out Mr Knott's fiancee, Lucy Otto (right), leaving from funeral directors Valentine and Turner in Orpington High Street, Kent. In an emotional statement the family previously said Mr Knott's story had 'touched the hearts of thousands of people' Anthony Knott was laid to rest today by firefighter colleagues, pictured carrying his coffin after it arrived on an old London Fire Brigade vehicle. The service took place at St Giles the Abbot on Church Road, Orpington, London In an emotional statement his family previously said his story had 'touched the hearts of thousands of people' and thanked everyone who had helped in the search. Mr Knott left The Lamb in Fisher Street at around 7.16pm and was captured on CCTV approximately half an hour later walking nearby. Large-scale searches were carried out in an effort to find Mr Knott in the weeks that followed, with Sussex Police deploying boats, dogs, drones and helicopters. But earlier this month police announced that a body believed to be Mr Knott had been recovered after a member of the public called Sussex Police. In a statement posted on Facebook, Mr Knott's family said: 'We are utterly devastated and completely heartbroken. 'Anthony's story has reached out and touched the hearts of thousands of people. One fellow London firefighter can be seen weeping as colleagues pay their respects to the father-of-four. Earlier this month police announced that a body believed to be Mr Knott had been recovered after a member of the public called Sussex Police Family and firefighters in a funeral procession which left from funeral directors Valentine and Turner. Police carried out extensive searches for Mr Knott on foot and in the River Ouse for 12 days, but called them off on January 1 Part of the funeral procession leaving the funeral directors. Large-scale searches were carried out in an effort to find Mr Knott in the weeks that followed his disappearance, with Sussex Police deploying boats, dogs, drones and helicopters 'We would like to thank everyone for your incredible support, shares, posters, volunteers and donations. 'The people of Lewes, we will be forever grateful for your support & understanding during our searches. These three weeks have been so very hard for us all. 'We now want to take some time as a family to grieve and as I am sure everyone will understand, to respect our privacy for this time.' Detective Inspector Mark Rosser said: 'Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Anthony at this difficult time. Mr Knott's fiancee (centre) outside the funeral directors. The firefighter's family thanked the people of Lewes for their 'incredible support, shares, posters and donations' and 'understanding' during the searches A firefighter helmet being carried at the funeral procession. Mr Knott had been on a work night out with 12 fellow London firefighters, and police said there was nothing to suggest he had left the town Ms Otto pictured left with her fiance Mr Knott, right, a 33-year-old father-of-four from Orpington in Kent. In a statement posted on Facebook, Mr Knott's family said they are 'completely devastated' 'We too are saddened by this update and would ask the public and media to respect the family's privacy at this time. 'We would like to thank the public for their tremendous support with our investigation into the disappearance of Anthony, along with our partner agencies and volunteers who assisted with the search.' Police carried out extensive searches on foot and in the River Ouse for 12 days, but called them off on January 1. Mr Knott had been on a work night out with 12 fellow London firefighters, and police said there was nothing to suggest he had left the town. Appointment 30 January 2020 Mausam Bhattacharjee has been promoted as Area Director of Sales - South India. He has been with the Hyatt since 2013 and was the Director of Sales & Marketing of the Park Hyatt Hyderabad and later the Director of Sales & Marketing at Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty and Lulu Bolgatty International Convention Centre. He was a part of the team which launched the largest luxury convention space in South India in April 2018 and the same is already a big driver for international conventions, incentives and wedding business to Ker ala.He has a formal hospitality management background with experience of over two decades in upscale and luxury hotel chains with hands on experience in account management, digital marketing, distribution, pre-opening and ramp-ups in companies like Sarovar hotels, The Leela, Shangri-La and now Hyatt. Ahead of Delhi Assembly elections, BJP national secretary Tarun Chug on Thursday alleged that the Shaheen Bagh protesters are trying to create fear in the minds of the people of Delhi by blocking roads. Taking to Twitter, Chug said that the national capital will not be allowed to become "Syria". This statement of Chug comes amid the agitation against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) at Shaheen Bagh began in mid-December. We will not let Delhi become Syria and allow them to run an ISIS-like module here,where women and kids are used. They are trying to create fear in the minds of people of Delhi by blocking the main route. We will not let this happen.(We will not let Delhi burn).#ShaheenBaghKaSach Tarun Chugh (@tarunchughbjp) January 29, 2020 READ | SHOCKER: BJP MP Alleges 'rape' Threat From Shaheen Bagh Protesters, Warns Delhi Voters Earlier on Tuesday, BJP Lok Sabha MP Parvesh Verma contended that the people gathering at the Shaheen Bagh protests had the potential to rape and kill women. Maintaining that both Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, as well as his deputy Manish Sisodia, had extended their support to Shaheen Bagh, he warned the voters in the national capital to make a conscious choice in the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections. Moreover, he stated that neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor Union Home Minister Amit Shah would be able to save the people in the scenario that Kejriwal was voted back to power. #WATCH: BJP MP Parvesh Verma says, "...Lakhs of people gather there (Shaheen Bagh). People of Delhi will have to think & take a decision. They'll enter your houses, rape your sisters&daughters, kill them. There's time today, Modi ji & Amit Shah won't come to save you tomorrow..." pic.twitter.com/1G801z5ZbM ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2020 READ | BJPs Rahul Sinha Claims Delhis Shaheen Bagh Protesters Are From Bangladesh, Pakistan Shaheen Bagh protests The Parliament on December 11 passed the contentious citizenship amendment act. The act seeks to grant citizenship to Sikhs, Parsis, Hindus, Jains, Christians, Buddhists from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The exclusion of Muslims from the act prompted a nationwide protest. After the violence in Jamia Millia Islamia University, Shaheen Bagh protest started spearheaded mostly by women. The 24x7 movement on Road No. 13A the 2.5km-long stretch connecting Delhi and Noida, has been closed since December 15 as the protestors demand a full withdrawal of the amended act. While the Shaheen Bagh Coordination Committee Chief Sharjeel Imam, who is now arrested by Delhi police had called off the protests claiming that it had been hijacked by political parties, the protests continued with several inflammatory slogans being raised like 'Jinnah Wali Azadi', as the entire matter became more and more political. READ | Shaheen Bagh Protests Continue Against CAA & NRC READ | Big Twist: Akali Dal-BJP Patch Up, Hope For 'support Of All Sikh Brethren' In Delhi Polls Waves splash from a pool during an earthquake in George Town, Grand Cayman. Photo: Realvision.com A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck in the Caribbean Sea between Jamaica and eastern Cuba on Tuesday, shaking a vast area from Mexico to Florida and beyond, but there were no reports of casualties or heavy damage. The quake was centred 139km north-west of Montego Bay, Jamaica, and 140km west-south-west of Niquero, Cuba, according to the US Geological Survey. It hit at 2.10pm and the epicentre was a relatively shallow 10km beneath the surface. Dr Enrique Arango Arias, head of Cuba's National Seismological Service, told state media that there had been no serious damage or injuries reported on the island. The Cayman Islands were rocked by several of the strong aftershocks that followed in the area, including one measuring at magnitude 6.1. Water was cut off to much of Grand Cayman Island, and public schools were cancelled yesterday. Governor Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez of Mexico's Quintana Roo state, which is home to Cancun, Tulum and other popular beach resorts, said the earthquake was felt in multiple parts of the low-lying Caribbean state but there were no reports of damage or injuries. Several South Florida buildings were evacuated as a precaution, but no injuries or road closures were reported. The study is the latest release in AARP's Longevity Economy(R) outlook series, a group of reports that illustrate the sizable contributions older Americans make to the nation's overall health. For this latest report, researchers surveyed 5,000 people age 50 and older last summer to determine how age discrimination affected employment opportunities. The survey asked respondents whether they had experienced: involuntary retirement due to age bias; part-time employment because they couldn't get full-time jobs; missed opportunities for raises; lost earnings following layoffs or terminations; or longer periods of unemployment compared to younger workers. Researchers then ran the data about these experiences through a formula that calculated how much older workers might have contributed to the economy were it not for the discrimination they experienced. The study found that 57 percent of the $850 billion lost can be attributed to involuntary retirement. In fact, one-third of that total lost GDP is from women being forced to retire sooner than they would prefer due to age discrimination, the research found. The study underscores the need to find ways to prevent age-related bias from halting the careers of older workers. The U.S. House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation this month to combat age discrimination the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act (POWADA). AARP has urged Congress to pass the law for 10 years. Companion legislation has not yet moved forward in the Senate. "The House vote sends a strong bipartisan message that age bias has to be treated as seriously as other forms of workplace discrimination, said Nancy LeaMond, AARP executive vice president and chief advocacy and engagement officer. Age discrimination is widespread, but it frequently goes unreported and unaddressed." The report on the potential GDP growth lost to age discrimination suggests some steps employers can take to help older adults continue to work. These measures include increasing flexible work options and creating more opportunities for these employees to continue to develop their skills. The research found that adding options for flexible and part-time work would have encouraged 75 percent of people age 50 and older to stay in the workforce longer. Offering more pathways to get additional training would have helped 55 percent of older adults to continue working, the study found. The researchers also recommend that employers build workplaces in which employees of different ages can learn from each other, which is known as a multigenerational workforce. "Studies have shown that older workers are highly engaged, with low turnover, and often serve an important role as mentors, Whitman said. Their expertise helps businesses and pays big dividends for the economy as a whole. Employers who embrace age diversity will be at an advantage." Badnavar: Union Minister of State and Mahamandaleshwar Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti said that the objective of the CAA is to provide security and provide citizenship to minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Not to snatch citizenship from anyone. It is also being said that it has been mentioned in the legislation also. In Pakistan and Bangladesh, where we were earlier 30 percent, there is now two to two and a half percent, whereas, in India, the minority was earlier 14 percent, which has now reached 32 percent. Police arrested this man in Mumbai for making an inflammatory speech According to the information, Niranjan Jyoti was discussing with reporters in Badnawar, Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh. He said that a conspiracy is being done to defame the country. There is a conspiracy in this as well. During the partition of the country, there was an agreement that if the minorities remain there then it will be the responsibility of the government to protect them and if they remain in India, then it will be their responsibility. India has done its duty well, but where has Pakistan and Bangladesh stopped the atrocities on minorities? Prashant Kishore gets expulsion from JDU, likely to join this party He said that Shaheen Bagh, where it is being said that those who are sitting on dharna in Delhi, they do not know about the reality of this law. Confuse them or that. The children have also been seated there. After the removal of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the situation is completely normal and India is moving towards becoming world guru once again. Congress gives a reply to BJP over 60 years of failure Micheal Martin has strongly disagreed with his MEP's call to cut RTE's licence fee and instead praised the broadcaster's coverage of Brexit. Facing questions about MEP Billy Kelleher's calls and tweets to cut RTE's funds because of its EU coverage and whether he agreed, Mr Martin said: Absolutely not. I don't. I think he is very clear there was no implications in terms of Tony Connelly, he has apologised to Tony Connelly [RTE's EU correspondent]. I just want to make the point, I want to affirm all the role that RTE has played in distilling Brexit for the Irish population. They've performed superbly and Tony Connolly, in particular, has earned the admiration of the Irish public in terms of his consistent and very hard work on an ongoing basis, in terms of presenting Brexit in a very simple manner to the Irish public. Of course, the licence fee should not be cut. My position on that has been consistent for many many years, and the party position on that whole area around broadcasting has been very straight and upfront." Asked if Billy Kelleher was doing "solo runs" in recent weeks, given his tweet and also following the Fianna Fail MEP's threat to vote against the Brexit withdrawal agreement in the EU parliament, Mr Martin responded: A politician not getting coverage is not a shocker. [or] Complaining about it. Bala Chauhan By Express News Service BENGALURU: Manual scavenging is banned in the country, but shockingly, there are roughly around 30,000 to 50,000 manual scavengers in Bengaluru city alone, according to the Safai Karmachari Kavalu Samithi (SKVS), a watchdog committee on sanitation workers in the state. "Our estimate is based on the 2011 census data for the BBMP area. As per the census, in Bengaluru, 79.3% households are connected to underground drainage (UGD) system. The rest are single-pit or septic tank latrines, which are manually cleaned. This translates to over four lakh toilets, which are cleaned manually," Siddharth KJ, member of SKVS told The New Indian Express. Sanitation workers also double as manual scavengers, he added. He said that manual scavenging is a "caste-based occupation and around 93% of manual scavengers are Dalits. Of them, 74% belong to the Madiga community. There are some newcomers, but most of them are second- and third-generation manual scavengers who have migrated from the undivided Andhra Pradesh in search of livelihood," said Siddharth. The manual scavengers live in small low-income settlements in different pockets in the city such as Nagawara, Tanisandra, Saraipalya, Hegdenagar and Kacharakanahalli among others. "There are three categories of manual scavengers, who are involved in cleaning septic tanks, manholes and single-pit latrines. The first are those involved full time in the job. Some of them also have machines to clean the tanks and charge more than those who clean manually. The second category make a living by doing other jobs like plumbing and working as pourkarmikas. The third are involved in construction activities and other menial labour and also do manual scavenging. "Siddanna (18), who died in a septic tank on January 25, was a construction worker and had no previous experience of cleaning septic tanks. He was told to clean the tank by his mason Muniyanna, who owed him Rs 30,000. Siddanna died of asphyxiation and the latter, who went after him into the tank died on Tuesday with sewage in his lungs," said Siddhartha. He said that no government agency is involved in cleaning private septic tanks. "The government should prevent and rehabilitate manual scavengers," he stressed. The Safai Karamchari Development Corporation had identified 2,058 manual scavengers in Karnataka in 2018-19, said Corporation Secretary P Nagesh. "Out of these, 1,969 cases were approved and Rs 93 crore was sanctioned. We have already disbursed Rs 20 crore and the remaining Rs 73 crore will be released to the other beneficiaries soon. They are from Kolar," he added. The Social Justice Department of the Centre has a scholarship scheme for pre-matric students whose parents are involved in unclean occupations. Manual scavenging has been identified as an unclean occupation. Principal Secretary, Department of the Social Welfare Department, Kumar Naik told TNIE that "All SC, ST primary school students are covered under the government scholarship schemes. The pre-matric scholarship for students whose parents are involved in unclean occupations will definitely be covered under the scheme," he said. Todays topic is a curiosity. With politics dominating the news and an electorate that seems especially primed to participate in Election 2020, were seeing a continuing exodus of incumbents at state and national levels. CPM leader and former JNU student Union leader Kanhaiya Kumar was detained on Thursday morning after he reached a Mahatma Gandhi ashram in Bihars West Champaran. Kumar was in the Bhitiharwa Ashram for his Hamara desh hamara samvidhan, Bapu dham se Gandhi maidan rally, from where he was detained by the district administration amid high drama in the presence of hundreds of villagers. Confirming his detention, Narkatiyaganj Sub divisional police officer (SDPO) Suryakant Choubey said an action to this effected was necessitated considering the law and order situation. It being Saraswati puja today, trouble may well erupt if they were allowed to move further. So, we have detained Kanhaiya Kumar, said the SDPO. Earlier at around 10 am, former JNU student Union leader Kanhaiya Kumar reached the Mahatma Gandhi Asharam after his night stay in Chanpatiya, a rural town in West Champaran district of Bihar. About half an hour later when the CPM leader was about to leave the ashram for the march, after paying obeisance to Gandhi, officials namely SDM Narkatiyaganj and SDPO stopped them from moving further. As news spread, his party workers grew restless and took to sloganeering. Later, an open court outside the asharam turned into a meeting ground. Addressing the gathering the CPM leader Kanhaiya Kumar said that the state and the central government were hell bent on gagging the voice of the common people. They have used the official machinery as a part of a deep rooted conspiracy to gag the voice of common people and curb the scheduled programme which were aimed at spreading awareness about the misdeed of the government. he said. Kanhaiya Kumar is also schedule to address a public meeting at Motihari, East Champaran district headquaerters as the part of the yatra which is scheduled culminate into a mass rally at Gandhi Maintain on February 29. Earlier, on Wednesday evening, the local administration had cancelled Kanhaiyas proposed public meeting at Bettiah on Thursday. Ambassador of Belarus A.Grinkevich meets the Minister of the Environment, Waters and Forests of Romania 30-01-2020 On January 29, 2020 the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to Romania, Andrei Grinkevich, met with the Minister of the Environment, Waters and Forests of Romania, Costel l. During the meeting the sides discussed the implementing the agreements reached after the mutual visits of the Minister of Waters and Forests of Romania and the Minister of Forestry of Belarus in 2019. There were covered issues of development of Belarusian-Romanian cooperation in the field of protection and use of natural resources, including exchange of experience in fire protection and forests restoration, fur farming, seed farming as well as issues of organisation of advanced training courses for the Romanian specialists at the Republican Centre for Ecological Expertise under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of Belarus. The interlocutors paid a special attention to the possibilities of expanding the export to Romania of products of the Belarusian forestry and woodworking industries, as well as entering the Romanian market of Amkodor forestry machines. The expediency of numbr of events aimed at implementation of joint projects in the field of hunting was noted. print version Thyroid Test Market Highlights The global thyroid test market is expected to exhibit a strong 5.6% CAGR over the forecast period from 2019 to 2025, according to the latest research report from Market Research Future (MRFR). The report provides a comprehensive coverage of all the salient facts about the global thyroid test market, including a detailed analysis of the markets leading drivers and restraints. Larger economic factors enabling and restraining the growth of the market are also profiled in the report. The major players operating in the global thyroid test market are also profiled in the report, including a detailed analysis of the major strategies used by players operating in the market, giving readers a clear idea about the competitive landscape of the thyroid test market. Get Latest Free Sample PDF @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/8548 Thyroid testing has become an important part of the healthcare sector in recent years due to the increasing prevalence of thyroid conditions. The increasing prevalence of lifestyle conditions conducive to the formation of thyroid disorders, such as obesity, has been a major driver for the prevalence of thyroid disorders around the world in the last few years. This has driven the demand for effective testing that can pre-emptively diagnose thyroid conditions and enable thyroid health in the long term. Increasing development in the medical devices industry has led to the development of effective thyroid testing that can identify thyroid conditions in their primacy. This is likely to be a major driver for the thyroid test market over the forecast period. Thyroid tests include tests for checking the T4 and T3, the two hormones released by the thyroid gland. The volume and function of these two hormones is assessed in these tests, giving patients a clear picture of the function of the thyroid gland. The function of the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is also assessed in the test, which provides an accurate depiction of pituitary health. Thyroid Test Market Competitive Analysis: Leading players in the global Thyroid Test Market include Abbott, Kronus, Danaher, Qualigen, Roche, Autobio Diagnostics, Merck, Diasorin, Thermo Fisher, Biomerieux, and Diagnostic Automation/Cortez Diagnostics. Thyroid Test Market- Segmentation: The global thyroid test market is segmented on the basis of type, end use, and region. By type, the global thyroid test market is segmented into TSH tests, T4 tests, T3 tests, and others. TSH tests hold the largest share in the global thyroid test market and are likely to remain in the position over the forecast period due to the important role played by TSH in the regulation of the thyroid gland. TSH tests often clearly show whats wrong with thyroid function and have thus become popular as a diagnostic tool against thyroid disorders. By end use, the global thyroid test market is segmented into hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, and research laboratories and institutes. The hospitals segment holds the largest share in the global thyroid test market due to the high volume of thyroid tests carried out in hospitals. Thyroid Test Market Regional Analysis: The Americas is the largest regional market for thyroid tests due to the growing prevalence of thyroid conditions and growing awareness about the same. Lifestyle conditions such as obesity have become widely prevalent in North America, creating conditions that are conducive to the formation of thyroid disorders. This is likely to result in an increasing prevalence of thyroid disorders in North America in the coming years, leading to an increasing demand from the thyroid tests market. This is likely to drive the thyroid test market in North America in the coming years. Europe is also likely to be an important regional market for the global thyroid test market over the forecast period, as leading players in the global thyroid test market are present in Europe and are likely to make significant moves in the coming years. Asia Pacific is likely to rapidly become an important region for the global thyroid test market due to the growing patient population in Asia Pacific and increasing awareness about thyroid diseases. OBTAIN RESEARCH REPORT DETAILS WITH TOC @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/thyroid-test-market-8548 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 UPSC Recruitment 2022: One day left to apply for several vacancies at upsc.gov.in, here's direct link Coronavirus: 3 men kept in isolation ward of RML test negative India oi-PTI New Delhi, Jan 30: All the three men kept under observation at an isolation ward of the RML Hospital here for possible exposure to novel coronavirus have tested negative, a Health ministry official said on Thursday. "Their samples were sent for testing to NIV Pune and they have tested negative," the official said. So far 38 samples from all over India have been tested at the Pune laboratory and all have tested negative, the official said, adding there is no confirmed case of novel coronavirus in the country. Have any symptoms of coronavirus? Now, 24X7 helpline number set up for your aid The three men had self reported at the Centre-run hospital, designated to deal with such cases, on Monday with complaints of respiratory trouble and fever. With China struggling to contain the fast-spreading novel coronavirus, the Union Health Ministry had on Wednesday urged Indians to refrain from travelling to China. EU Parliament postpones voting on resolution against CAA, India hails it as diplomatic win|Oneindia The advisory further urged all travellers to China to monitor their health closely. A 24x7 helpline number (011-23978046) to redress any queries related the respiratory infection has been set up. India is planning to evacuate its nationals, mostly students, stuck in Wuhan, the epicentre of the viral outbreak. As part of the preparedness, India has also increased the number of airports for thermal screening of passengers to 21 from seven. The new airports include those at Gaya, Guwahati, Vizag, Varanasi, Goa, Bhubaneshwar and Lucknow. The Health ministry has also made four more laboratories functional other than the NIV-Pune for testing samples. The four lab facilities for testing samples have been made functional at Alleppey, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai. Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Tuesday reviewed the preparedness to deal with the deadly virus after which the government said India has made a formal request to China for facilitating evacuation of Indians from Wuhan. Coronavirus: 2 Indian flights set to bring back Indian nationals from Hubei India has been making all efforts to detect and check the spread of the virus even as more than a dozen countries around the world have confirmed cases of the deadly virus. Several states including Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan have kept some people, with travel history to China, under observation after they showed novel coronavirus-like symptoms. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, January 30, 2020, 13:27 [IST] Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment In Andy Stanleys recent sermon on politics, one statement really stood out. He said, I have found it very difficult to stay away from the topic of religion in church, but I have found it very easy to stay away from the topic of politics in church. How can pastor Stanley find it easy to stay away from the topic of politics in church, but I find it extremely difficult? In my opinion, failure to recognize diverse gifts may explain why many people are divided on the issue of religion and politics. For instance, Jack Graham, John MacArthur, James Dobson, James Robison, Franklin Graham, Jack Hibbs, etc. have different ministries, but all fall under the umbrella of Christian service. God creates, within each of us, varying desires, talents, and levels of interests. If God has called a man to preach and teach His Word, that will be his passion. If God has called a Christian to pursue politics, that will be his or her passion, and so on. Problems arise when we become judgmental and fail to respect our differences. Activists should not expect everyone to share their passion for politics, and those who believe Christians should stay out of politics must understand that God clearly calls some Christians to the political arena. God established the concept of government, why would He not desire godly leadership? Granted, there will always be a moral divide in America, but this should not deter us from making a difference. It took years for America to reach this state of moral decay; it may take years to recover. But on the flip-side, I have noticed that many mega-church pastors seem to be more concerned about not upsetting the status quo. The question all pastors need to ask is, Are we pleasing God or men . . . are we watchmen or cowards? As we prepare sermons, are we tip-toeing around difficult topics or hitting them head on? Our job is to love as well as convict. I believe that America is in the state we are in today because of the silent pulpit. Gone are the days when Alex de Tocqueville visited America and saw pulpits aflame with righteousness. Here is a sermon clip that Fox News picked up about this very thing. As I often say: There is a very troubling trend in the evangelical church as a whole. Today, the truth is often neglected, watered-down, or avoided altogether in the hope of not offending members and building a large audience. Judgment is never mentioned; repentance is never sought; and sin is often excused. We want to build a church rather than break a heart; be politically correct rather than biblically correct; coddle and comfort rather than stir and convict. When we fail to proclaim Gods Word faithfully, we run the risk of encouraging sin and perverting the words of the living God (cf. Jeremiah 23). Students of Scripture understand that God uses governmental leaders to accomplish His purposes and plans. We cannot remain silent. The silent pulpit is not Gods pulpit. Here is a recent message I gave on abortion, When the Weak are Destroyed by the Powerful. We are not voting for parties or people but for principles. What direction will those running for office take us? is the question we all should be asking. Our leader is to protect, administer justice, defend the nation, and allow religious freedom. The church is to care for the people, guard the Word of God, and serve as the conscience of the nation. You may want to commit this paragraph to memory before 2020. Granted, activists should not expect everyone to share their passion for politics, and those who believe Christians should stay out of politics must understand that God clearly calls some Christians to make a difference in Washington. God established the concept of government, why would He not desire godly leadership? Although my primary calling is preaching, I thank God for Christians who are involved and who influence Americas political climate. I wish that there were more. As the moral and cultural war rages between our shores, the need to be awakened from our spiritual slumber has never been greater. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is tested (attributed to Martin Luther). This battle is for the very soul of our nation. Its our choice stand or fall. Ive mentioned these points before, but we need to revisit them often: 1. The Moral Majority (1980s) forever linked the church to the Republican Party. We vote for principles, not a particular party. We need to be principle driven rather than party driven. He who rules over men must be just (2 Samuel 23:3). We need more humble, God-fearing leaders. Humility does not mean that leaders become passive pawns, but that they live in total surrender to God; theyre more concerned with Gods opinion than opinion polls. 2. Christians are always against something. Christians are not magnifying certain issues at the expense of others; we are underscoring the enormous importance of them. All issues cannot be equal. If everything is a priority then nothing is. Those who are bold and strongly contend for biblical truths are often seen as always against something. But if were for marriage between a man and a woman, then we must be against gay-marriage. If were for the sanctity of life, then we must be against abortion. If were for equality, then we must be against the slave/sex trade, and so on. Speaking the truth in love often results in being against some controversial things. This cant be prevented, nor should it be. We are called to make the truth popular but to make it clear. 3. Politics is bad, offensive, and divisive. We dont have to abandon our ethics or compromise our principles to be involved in politics what good is salt left in the shaker, or a light that is hidden? Politics is not a bad word. In simple terms, politics refers to governing or leading a group of people. Politics wont save America, but in order to implement change, honor God, and help others, we must take action; hence the political process. 4. The church and the state are to be separate. The Courts have used the infamous separation phrase to ban religious activities, primarily those promoting Christian principles. Sadly, many believe that separation of church and state appears in the Constitution, when, in reality, the phrase does not appear anywhere in the Constitution. Be very clear on this point, especially if you are a student in a public school or university, or even a Christian university. Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, used the phrase in 1802 in a private letter written to the Baptist Association of Danbury, Connecticut. The Baptists feared that the government might someday try to regulate religious expression. Ironically, we are seeing this today. His statement was intended to protect religious expression by building a wall of separation between the church and the state; solidifying the fact that the federal government could not strike down religious freedoms. The government cannot establish a national religion, but it can openly and unapologetically acknowledge the sovereign hand of God. Acknowledgment is not establishment. 5. The Gospel doesnt allow for politics; its not our mission. This is really just an excuse against action. Granted, the No. 1 problem in America is not a political problem, but rather a spiritual problem called sin. The primary goal of the church is not to become a political movement, but a spiritual influence. Politics wont save America anymore than a dumbbell will save someone drowning. Nevertheless, we cannot ignore our God-given civic responsibility and the enormous impact that politics has on our society. Tell the millions of babies who have been slaughter that the gospel prevents you from being involved. Gods Word says to confront, confess, and turn from sin political hot buttons cannot be avoided. Many argue, We shouldnt say or do anything political. All we need to do is preach the gospel. Be careful here, although the gospel is our primary focus, this shouldnt be an excuse against action. God has blessed and sustained America because of our spiritual foundation. Should we now neglect it? Whereas pastor Stanley has found it very easy to stay away from the topic of politics, I have found it to be very difficult. Watch Fox News clips below: Are we a Christian Nation: https://video.foxnews.com/v/6022617741001/ Can you be good enough?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYd23sR_ENo&t=6s Facts about gay-marriage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIsoavE_Dt0&t=1s Subscriber content preview SALEM, Ore. (AP) Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has filed a resolution for the legislative session that starts next week asking voters to amend the state constitution to allow for real estate transfer taxes, which are assessed when property changes ownership. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports that the money raised would go to fund affordable housing. . . . In the January 30 edition of In The News podcast, host Keerthana Tiwari talks to Moneycontrols Atharva Pandit, Siddhesh Raut and Shraddha Sharma to find out the top developments of the day. Pandit talks about BJP leaders Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma being banned from campaigning in Delhi for 72 hour and 96 hours respectively, over controversial remarks made by the duo. Next, Raut discusses the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation blocking nine lakh employee accounts after the government found a fraud related to job incentives. He then gives updates on the hearing of PNB scam accused Nirav Modi in the UK. Lastly, Sharma gives details on the first coronavirus case being confirmed in India. Two men one from Bridgeport and the other from West Haven have been sentenced to 30 months behind bars for their involvement in a New Haven-based drug trafficking organization. U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant handed down the sentence to Marvin Spruill, 27, of West Haven and Carnell Edwards of Bridgeport Wednesday in Hartford federal court. Each also received five years of supervised release. John H. Durham, U.S. attorney for Connecticut, said the FBIs New Haven Safe Streets/Gang Task Force initiated an investigation into a New Haven drug trafficking organization headed by Jermayne Butler. The probe which included physical surveillance, 13 controlled purchases of narcotics and court-authorized wiretaps on multiple phones, revealed that members of the organization were distributing crack cocaine and oxycodone in and around New Haven. Both Spruill and Edwards purchased crack from other members of the conspiracy and sold the drug in smaller quantities to their own customers, Durham said in a statement. Butler, Spruill, Edwards and several other members of the organization were arrested on federal criminal complaints on Feb. 6, 2018. On Feb. 8, 2018, a grand jury in New Haven returned a 30-count indictment charging 19 individuals with various offenses. Spruill and Edwards each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, cocaine base crack. Butler also pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing. This matter has been investigated by the FBIs New Haven Safe Streets/Gang Task Force, which includes members from the New Haven Police Department, Milford Police Department, West Haven Police Department and Connecticut Department of Correction. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick F. Caruso and David C. Nelson. Dear Editor: I am writing to let the community know of an important meeting to be held in Rock Springs Jan. 29 with the Wyoming Public Service Commission. They are investigating PacifiCorps Integrated Resource Plan, the one that has forecast the shutdown of Bridger power. That the shut down will cause all kinds of changes is a given. The PSC is charged with ensuring that utility ratepayers have affordable, reliable, and safe energy. Their investigation ought to be thorough and transparent. All stakeholders workers, communities and ratepayers, local governments and citizens bene... Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan today convened a consultation during which the course of implementation of the activities for introduction of the new property tax system was considered, reports the Staff of the Prime Minister. The relevant government officials reported that all types of real estate in Armenia have already been evaluated and the total amount is AMD 1,279,000. Based on the evaluation, the types of property tax envisaged in various zones under the new system were presented, and the aim is to increase addressability of taxation. As a result, it is expected to introduce in Armenia a unified and effective system of evaluation and taxation of real estate. The Prime Minister attached importance to the implementation of reforms in the property tax sector and gave the relevant officials assignments in regard to the regulations. Pashinyan also assigned to develop the necessary bill for introduction of the new system that will be presented for public deliberation. HOUSTON, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit will argue during a lecture Feb. 3 at the University of Houston Law Center that giving greater weight to state constitutions and court rulings would lead to a better balance of power between state and federal courts. The judge's talk, based on his book, "51 Imperfect Solutions: States and the Making of American Constitutional Law," is the year's first Justice Ruby Kless Sondock Jurist-in-Residence Lectureship in Legal Ethics. Sutton maintains that most discussions of constitutional guarantees center on U.S. Supreme Court decisions, failing to mention that many of the protections originated in state constitutions and how state court rulings greatly influenced the high court's landmark rulings. Law Center Professor David R. Dow, Cullen Professor of Law, and Texas Supreme Court Justice Brett Busby will provide commentary. Sutton was nominated by President George W. Bush and has served on the Sixth Circuit court based in Cincinnati, Ohio, since 1983. He served as a law clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justices Lewis F. Powell, Jr., and Antonin Scalia, as well as Judge Thomas Meskill of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He received a B.A. from Williams College and a J.D. from The Ohio State University College of Law. The Jurist-In-Residence program is named in honor of Justice Ruby Kless Sondock, a trailblazer in the law who graduated as valedictorian and one of only five women in the UH law school class of 1962. After practicing law for many years, Sondock was appointed to the 234th District Court in 1977, making her the first female state district judge in Harris County. She was appointed to the Texas Supreme Court in 1982, making her the first woman to serve in a regular session of the court. She was proclaimed a "Texas Legal Legend" by the litigation section of the State Bar of Texas in 2016. The lecture will be from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 3, in Room 109 of the University of Houston Law Center Bates Law Building, 4604 Calhoun Road. Attendees will receive 1 hour of CLE credit with one hour Ethics. For further information and to register, click here. Media contacts: Carrie Anna Criado, UH Law Center Assistant Dean of Communications and Marketing, 713-743-2184, [email protected] ; Elena Hawthorne, Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing, 713-743-1125, [email protected] ; John T. Kling, Communications Manager, 713-743-8298, [email protected] ; and John Brannen, Senior Writer, 713-743-3055, [email protected] . About the 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 the University of Houston Law Center The University of Houston Law Center (UHLC) is a dynamic, top tier law school located in the nation's 4th largest city. UHLC's Health Law, Intellectual Property Law, and Part-time programs rank in the U.S. News Top 10. It awards Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) and Master of Laws (LL.M.) degrees, through its academic branch, the College of Law. The Law Center is more than just a law school. It is a powerful hub of intellectual activity with more than 11 centers and institutes which fuel its educational mission and national reputation. UHLC is fully accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. SOURCE University of Houston Law Center Spox: Iran ready to cooperate with regional states on fighting 'Deal of Century' IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, Jan 29, IRNA -- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said in a message that Iran is ready for cooperation with regional countries for standing against the big conspiracy "Deal of Century" which posed a threat to the Islamic Ummah. Thanks to the urgent need, the importance of Palestinian issue and the big conspiracy called the 'Deal of Century', Iran announces that regardless of differences with regional countries is ready to cooperate with them in all-levels in line with Islamic World unity to fight against the conspiracy which is threatening Islamic states' nature, Mousavi wrote in his Twitter account. The White House claimed that this Vision is the most serious, realistic, and detailed plan ever presented, one that could make Israelis, Palestinians, and the region safer and more prosperous. "This Vision is just the first step and provides the basis for historic progress toward peace. The United States hopes this Vision will lead to direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians," it added. Palestinians took to streets in Gaza and the West Bank to protest conspiracy of Trump favoring Israel at the expense of the State of Palestine. Many international and Muslim figures have so far denounced US conspiracy against State of Palestine. 9376**1416 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address LISBON, Portugal Italian authorities are keeping some 7,000 people on a cruise ship while they check for a possible coronavirus infection. Italian health authorities were screening 6,000 passengers and 1,000 crew aboard a cruise ship docked north of Rome after a passenger from Macao came down with flu-like symptoms, officials said Thursday. The Costa Crociere cruise line, which is Carnival's Italian unit, said the 54-year-old woman and her partner, who has no symptoms, were immediately put into isolation Wednesday and the case reported to Italian maritime authorities. Passengers of the Costa Smeralda were being kept on board Thursday pending checks to determine the type of virus. Louisiana doctors on lookout for symptoms amid deadly coronavirus outbreak in China Louisiana health officials are warning hospitals and the public to watch for signs of a dangerous new virus following its rapid and deadly out The ship had sailed from Mallorca, Spain, to Civitavecchia, Italy, on a weeklong Mediterranean cruise but no passengers were allowed off for a planned walk in sunny Rome on Thursday. 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 All the planned mechanisms were activated. Health authorities are on board, doing checks, Italian Coast Guard Cmdr. Vincenzo Leone said at the port of Civitavecchia. The situation is under control. Theres a security cordon on the dock. China has reported 170 deaths and at least 7,800 infections from the virus that emerged in the central city of Wuhan. More people have now been infected by this coronavirus in China than were sickened there during the 2002-2003 SARS epidemic. Sports, transport and cultural events have been canceled across the country, and over 50 million people are under a government lockdown in central China. Over the last few days, Carnival's Costa Crociere, MSC, Royal Caribbean and Genting Cruise Lines have suspended all cruise operations in mainland China. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Americans to avoid all nonessential travel to China because of the new coronavirus. The U.S. State Department raised its warning on China to Level 3, which urges people to reconsider travel. The agency also has a Level 4 (do not travel) warning for the Hubei province, where the disease was first identified in Wuhan. Reporting from the The Los Angeles Times via the Tribune Content Agency contributed to this story. WESTPAC SHAREHOLDER ALERT: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of Westpac Banking Corporation - WBK Former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., Esq., a partner at the law firm of Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF"), is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Westpac Banking Corporation (NYSE: WBK). Such investors are advised to contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email ([email protected]), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-wbk/ to learn more. The investigation concerns whether Westpac and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in fraud, negligence or other unlawful business practices. About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients - including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors - in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, California and Louisiana. To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005685/en/ Three leaders of a megachurch based in the Philippines were arrested on Wednesday in California and Virginia on charges that they ran a human trafficking ring, one that the Justice Department said had arranged for dozens of sham marriages in the United States to support a fraudulent charity. The arrests coincided with raids at a Van Nuys, Calif., compound of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ and other church properties in the Los Angeles area and in Hawaii by federal agents, who first started interviewing victims of the alleged human trafficking ring in 2015, the authorities said. The three leaders Guia Cabactulan, 59, Marissa Duenas, 41, and Amanda Estopare, 48 brought church members to the United States under false pretenses, often telling them that they were invited to be special guests at a concert supporting the churchs ministry, federal prosecutors said. But once the church members arrived in the United States, their passports were immediately taken away by the three church administrators, who then forced them to collect donations for the Childrens Joy Foundation, a nonprofit run by the church that claims to help impoverished children in the Philippines, according to a criminal complaint. Uttar Pradesh police on Thursday obtained transit remand for Dr Kafeel Khan, arrested in Mumbai for allegedly making inflammatory remarks at an anti-CAA protest at Aligarh Muslim University last month. A police official said the doctor, who has earlier faced arrest following the deaths of several children at a hospital in UP's Gorakhpur in 2017, was being taken to Uttar Pradesh. A UP special task force arrested him in a joint operation with Mumbai Police on Wednesday, when he reached the city to attend a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act. The STF said he will be brought to Aligarh. Khan was arrested in connection with a case registered at the Civil Lines police station in Aligarh, police said. He was booked under section 153-A of the Indian Penal Code for promoting enmity between groups. Khan is accused of making inflammatory remarks on December 12 during a protest near Bab-e-Syed Gate outside the Aligarh Muslim University in front of over 600 students protesting against the new citizenship law. An official also alleged that the Gorakhpur doctor had made objectionable comments against Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Following the arrest, Khan was taken to Mumbai's Sahar police station. In Gorakhpur, his brother Adil Khan alleged on Thursday that the doctor was arrested to give the ruling BJP an advantage in the Delhi Assembly polls on February 8. The doctor was earlier arrested for his alleged role in the deaths of over 60 children in one week at the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur in August 2017. Short supply of oxygen at the children's ward was blamed at that time for the deaths. About two years later, a state government probe cleared Khan of all major charges, prompting him to seek an apology from the Yogi Adityanath government. Following an outrage over the Gorakhpur deaths, Khan was suspended and arrested with the UP government claiming that he had failed to take prompt action or warn his superiors about the impending crisis. In Gorakhpur, his brother Adil Khan has questioned Wednesday's arrest. "It is clear that the motive behind the arrest was political gain during the Delhi Assembly election, Adil Khan claimed. It is alleged that my brother has no faith in the Constitution, which is wrong as his speech is available on social media and nowhere has he said this. He is falsely accused and wrongly arrested, he told PTI. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) "This is great news for cyclists and hikers, who have waited more than 20 years for the completion of this rails-to-trails project. The matching grant we announced today, combined with Arkansas Parks and Tourism funds, means that the wait is almost over," Gov. Asa Hutchinson said. "The $7 million in tourism that the 85-mile trail will attract, along with the 600 jobs it will create, will infuse renewed energy into southeast Arkansas along the trail. Hikers and bikers will see bottomland hardwood forests and views from the levee that we don't see from our cars. This is a great project for Arkansas." The 50/50 matching grant will allow Arkansas State Parks to complete the construction of the Delta Heritage Trail over the next five years. The State is applying for federal grants to offset the match. This will create a $40 million investment in the Arkansas Delta. "The Delta Heritage Trail will connect the region's expansive natural beauty and create new ways to experience its unique cultural offerings," said Jim Walton, Walton Family Foundation. "This joint effort is a dream nearly 30 years in the making, a bold idea now being realized in a community that, with continued support, can reach its enormous, untapped potential." There are currently 44.4 completed miles in The Delta Heritage Trail State Park. This includes a 20.6-mile compacted crush gravel section between Lexa and Elaine, a 14.4-mile shared-use roadway on the Mississippi River levee between Rohwer and Arkansas City, and another 9.4-mile compacted crush gravel section between Rohwer and Watson. Portions of this project are former railroad lines that are converted to bike/pedestrian routes. The compacted, crushed rock trail leads visitors through a variety of natural settings. From the shaded canopy of native hardwoods to the vast open skies alongside agricultural fields, guests can enjoy the diverse robust beauty of the Arkansas Delta. Ultimately, this trail will be 84.5 miles when completed and will be one of the longest dedicated pedestrian and bicycle routes in Arkansas. "The original Delta Heritage Trail Master Plan was approved in 1997 and in 2020, it's still not complete," said Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism Secretary Stacy Hurst. "Because of this generous matching gift, we'll be able to complete the Delta Heritage Trail in five years providing an enhanced recreational opportunity for residents, bringing more visitors to the area, and increased economic growth to local communities. The completed trail will provide users a unique glimpse into the rich history and natural beauty of the Arkansas Delta." The grant includes funding to support a plan for public recognition of the life and professional accomplishments of John Harold Johnson (1918-2005). Mr. Johnson was born in Arkansas City and rose above abject poverty and racial discrimination to build a publishing empire that helped forever change the perception of African Americans in the United States. Johnson Publishing Company became the largest African American owned and operated publishing company in the world and launched Ebony and Jet, two very successful magazines that gave a voice to millions of Americans. Work has already started and will continue until all sections of the trail are connected. "Delta Heritage Trail State Park provides a one-of-a-kind experience for visitors," said Arkansas State Parks Director Grady Spann. "When completed, not only will it cross two major rivers the White and Arkansas it also traverses through the Dale Bumpers National Wildlife Refuge that has enormous old-growth cypress trees that will give the visitor a sense of being in a "Jurassic Park" environment. In this area of the refuge, sections of Delta Heritage Trail State Park are elevated, providing an exceptional view of the scenery. Guests will be able to have extraordinary birding and wildlife watching opportunities and may even catch a glimpse of one of the many black bears, which is considered the best genetic representative of the historic bear population that existed in the Lower Mississippi Valley of Arkansas." About Arkansas State Parks Arkansas State Parks is a division of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism. Arkansas state parks and museums cover 54,400 acres of forest, wetlands, fish and wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation facilities and unique historic and cultural resources. The system includes 1,100 buildings (including 183 historic structures), six National Historic Landmarks, a National Natural Landmark, 16 sites on the National Register of Historic Places, and War Memorial Stadium. The state parks have 1,800 campsites, 1,050 picnic sites, 208 cabins, five lodges, and 415 miles of trails. Eight million visitors annually come from all regions of the country. Park staffs provide over 42,000 education programs, activities and special events to more than 700,000 participants each year. Established in 1923, Arkansas State Parks preserve special places for future generations, provide quality recreation and education opportunities, enhance the state's economy through tourism, and provide leadership in resource conservation. Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and visit ArkansasStateParks.com and ArkansasStateParks.com/media to learn more about everything we have to offer. About the Walton Family Foundation The Walton Family Foundation is, at its core, a family-led foundation. Three generations of the descendants of our founders, Sam and Helen Walton, and their spouses, work together to lead the foundation and create access to opportunity for people and communities. We work in three areas: improving K-12 education, protecting rivers and oceans and the communities they support, and investing in our home region of Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta. In 2018, the foundation awarded more than $595 million in grants in support of these initiatives. To learn more, visit waltonfamilyfoundation.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. SOURCE Arkansas State Parks A good dose of one of Irelands greatest comedians is just what the doctor ordered to banish the January blues. Luckily for you, Conal Gallen returns to the Landmark stage this Friday, January 31, with his latest show, The Joker. And, next month, the joker will be coming to Longford for a Backstage Theatre show on Friday, February 28. With a career spanning over 30 years, Conals shows are renowned for their mighty craic, great songs and rib-tickling jokes. As always audiences can expect the unexpected, because no one knows what hes going to come out with next - not even Conal! He has packed this show with some of his best material to date, so dont miss your chance to see this master of comedy - Irelands number one joker - at work. Tickets are 25 and are available from the Landmark Hotel reception, Carrick-on-Shannon, or by calling 0719622222. Tickets for the Backstage Theatre show can be purchased via backstage.ie or 0433347888. Under US proposal, a small village in East Jerusalem has been earmarked as capital of a future Palestinian state. Abu Dis, occupied West Bank Just outside of Jerusalem lies Abu Dis, a small village which US President Donald Trumps Middle East plan has earmarked as the new capital of a future Palestinian state. Referred to as a suburb by its residents, Abu Dis is part of the Jerusalem governorate, but lies outside the municipal limits of the city. Its population of around 20,000 residents is separated from the Old City by Israels eight-metre high illegal separation wall and cut off from surrounding areas by large Israeli settlements, also illegal. Although a historic town, it lacks cultural and religious significance for Palestinians who regard Jerusalem as the only capital for their future state and a cradle of civilisations for its significance in all three Abrahamic faiths: Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Palestinians will never accept Abu Dis as their capital, said 75-year-old Khaled Muhsin, a resident of the village. Jerusalem is our capital, not theirs (the Israelis), he said pointing across the separation wall and towards Jerusalem. Jerusalem is our capital, not theirs (the Israelis), said Muhsin, at the centre in this photo [Arwa Ibrahim/Al Jazeera] Completely rejected Trump introduced the idea of a new capital as part of the US recognition of Palestinians right to a state of their own. According to the 181-page document unveiled in the White House on Tuesday, the new capital would include areas east and north of the separation wall, including Kafr Aqab, the eastern part of Shuafat and Abu Dis, and could be named Al Quds. But for 70-year-old Ali Mansour, a resident of Abu Dis, the US plan was a joke. Abu Dis is a little village. Who on earth could think of it as the capital of Palestine? he asked. Not even a child would accept this. Mansours family was displaced in 1948 from areas a village that is now part of Israel. Jerusalem is simply a red line for us, he said. Even the towns mayor said he had no aspiration to make Abu Dis into a new Palestinian capital. We completely reject the idea. Abu Dis is just a suburb to the east of Jerusalem. We have no aspiration to be the capital of Palestine, Ahmad Abu Hilal told Al Jazeera from his office in the municipality which sits next to the Abu Dis University, one of the few significant sites in the otherwise featureless town. Farah Hilmy, a 25-year-old student at the university which often uses the separation wall to show films during the summer, told Al Jazeera: Proposals to make Abu Dis the capital will always fail because Jerusalem cannot be replaced. Outside Jerusalem While Trump introduced the idea of a new Palestinian capital as part of an eastern Jerusalem, residents and experts say they were shocked by the confusion it created since Abu Dis lies outside the boundaries of the historic city. Abu Dis is a small historic suburb that lies to the east of Jerusalem, said Jamal Amro, a historian specialising in Jerusalem. It is part of the governorate of Jerusalem, but sits outside the city itself. Even for the Israelis, Abu Dis is outside the municipal city limits drawn out after their occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967. Under the Oslo Accords, signed by the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel in 1993 and 1995, Abu Dis became part of the occupied West Banks Area B, which comprises about 21 percent of the West Bank and falls under the Palestinian Authoritys (PA) control in matters related to education, health and economy. The area remains under full Israeli security control, with the separation around it further isolating the lonely towns residents from the main city. The separation wall has taken over thousands of kilometres of our lands in Abu Dis. It divided our families and separated us from our lands and from reaching Jerusalem, Atef Erekat, 55, told Al Jazeera. Abu Dis is a little prison. The Palestinian Authoritys Parliament building in Abu Dis [Arwa Ibrahim/Al Jazeera] Jerusalem is our only capital Trumps plan to create a new Palestinian capital in Abu Dis has roots that go back to the 1990s when the suburb was proposed as a new base for the Palestinian Parliament. The building was never opened, which according to Amro, highlighted Palestinians strong rejection to the idea. Proposals to move the PAs parliament to Abu Dis all failed because the suburb is insignificant and isolated from Jerusalem by the separation wall and cut off from other areas by settlements on all sides, said Amro, pointing towards Maale Adomim, one of Israels largest illegal settlements near Jerusalem. Standing next to the now derelict and abandoned building, kindergarten manager Karima Hishma, 45, said no matter how hard the US and Israel tried, Abu Dis will remain irrelevant. They tried for many years to give Abu Dis some importance, but none of it worked. Jerusalem is our only capital, said Hishma. Palestinian officials leading negotiations during the Oslo Accords had envisioned East Jerusalem, which comprises the Al-Aqsa compound, as an un-negotiable capital for any future Palestinian state. But according to Trumps plan, the compound built in the eighth century and regarded by Muslims as the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina, would be under Israeli control. Hani Halabi, a 34-year-old activist and resident of Abu Dis summed up what Jerusalem meant for Palestinians. Jerusalem is the historic capital of Palestine. It is where Al-Aqsa and the Church of Holy Sepulchre are, said Halabi. Nothing can change that in our hearts and minds. Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia said that the healthcare system is ready to efficiently respond to the challenge of the coronavirus. Talking about steps taken by the Health Ministry, Gakharia called on various institutions to fully coordinate with the Ministry of Health. "We have already taken the first effective measure by suspending direct flights with China temporarily the healthcare system is ready to respond to the new coronavirus if a case is revealed in Georgia," Agenda.ge cited the PM as saying. Regcleanlite.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 10 May 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. The total number of people who shared the regcleanlite homepage on Delicious. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the regcleanlite homepage on Twitter + the total number of regcleanlite followers (if regcleanlite has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the regcleanlite homepage on StumbleUpon. The total number of people who shared the regcleanlite 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 regcleanlite homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if regcleanlite has a Facebook fan page). Basic Information PAGE TITLE Welcome to RegClean - Scan, Repair & Speed up your PC! DESCRIPTION KEYWORDS OTHER KEYWORDS registry, download, regclean, windows, home download faqs, your pc, reg clean The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. 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 URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. Domain and Server DOCTYPE XHTML 1.0 Transitional CHARSET AND LANGUAGE ISO-8859-1 DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER Apache OPERATIVE SYSTEM Linux Linux Type of server and offered services. Operative System running on the server. Character set and language of the site. The language of regcleanlite.com as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world. Referring domains for regcleanlite.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 like website Facebook page. 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. The type of Facebook page. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. The URL of the found Facebook page. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND Rajesh Kumar Thakur By Express News Service PATNA: In another major arrest, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Hajipur in Bihar's Vaishali district arrested a man named Uttam Kumar allegedly involved in touting railway e-ticket. This comes days after Gulame Mustafa, a resident of Giridih in Jharkhand, was arrested from Bhubaneswar on January 22 by the RPF and was suspected to have terror financing links through the incomes generated from e-ticket touting. The Hajipur RPF made the arrest on Wednesday evening in Vaishali district following a tip-off by Central Intelligence Agency. SHO of Hajipur RPF post-GS Rana told the media that the person arrested at Lalganj was identified as Uttam Kumar, who was involved in touting of e-tickets. Uttam Kumar revealed during interrogation that he was brought into contact of Gulame Mustafa by a youth named Pankaj Kumar of a neighbouring village. Pankaj Kumar, who is absconding, has been touting e-tickets with Gulame Mustafa in Bangalore through a prohibited software. The RPF SHO said that the software, which was developed by software developer Gulame Mustafa, was helping Uttam Kumar in booking 50 per cent of 'tatkal tickets.' The IRCTC site was being hacked with the help of this software which the central agency is reportedly working to de-configuration. 'Gulame Mustafa and Pankaj Kumar have also been named accused in the FIR lodged under Railway acts in addition to Uttam Kumar, who has been sent to jail on Thursday', the SHO said. As per a recent media statement of DG ROF Arun Kumar, the RPF in Bhubaneswar had arrested Mustafa and found 563 personal IRCTC IDs and a list of 2,400 SBI branches and 600 regional rural banks where he was suspected to have opened accounts. He has been interrogated by all central intelligence agencies for suspected money laundering and terror financing. Hamid Ashraf was found to be the mastermind of this e-tickets touting inter state racket, which is roughly estimated to have generated over Rs 10 to 15 crore per month. Intelligence sources suspect that he had escaped to a gulf country after arrest of Gulame Mustafa. By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: As many as eight fishermen from Vizianagaram district, who were languished in jail for many months in neighbouring Bangladesh for allegedly entering their territorial waters, were released from prison on Wednesday following the intervention of the State government. With the continuous efforts of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, we are able to free the fishermen, Minister for Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Department Mopidevi Venkataramana told media persons on Wednesday. The minister stated that major and minor jetties would be made available for the fishermen in a phased manner. Venkataramana assured the fishermen community that 22 places were identified for setting up major and minor jetties across the State. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is keen on ensuring the welfare of fishermen community and as promised earlier, jetties will be provided in Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts so that they need not go to other States like Gujarat for labour. From now on, better facilities for fishermen will be provided in our State itself, he said. In the first phase major and minor harbours and jetties at Vuppada, Machilipatnam, Juvvaladhinne and in phase two, Budagatlapalem, Eddhuvanipalem, Pudimadaka, Kothapatnam are going to be set up. For the construction of each jetty, Rs 350 crore are going to be spent 50 per cent from Union government and 50 per cent from State government. Also with Rs 100 crore, Visakhapatnam harbour will be modernised, he added. India on Wednesday called on Israel and Palestine to consider the US peace plan for the Middle East in possible negotiations in future for a two-state solution. New Delhis position on the Israel-Palestinian issue was outlined by external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar while responding to a question on US President Donald Trumps peace plan. The proposal, which envisages Jerusalem as Israels undivided capital and a potential Palestinian state with restrictions while also recognising Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territory, has already been rejected by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as a conspiracy. Kumar said India has been consistently supportive of the Palestinian cause and called for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue. He added, We reiterate our view that the final status issues should be resolved through direct negotiations between the two parties. We urge the parties to engage with each other, including on the recent proposals put forward by the US, and find an acceptable two-state solution. Authorities are investigating the cause of an accident at a Chesapeake Energy oil well in Burleson County that left one person dead and three more injured. Burleson County Sheriff's Department deputies were called out to a blow out at a Chesapeake Energy well off County Road 127 and FM 60 a couple miles southeast of Deanville just after 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. JERSEYVILLE The trial of a Jerseyville resident accused in a 2010 murder and kidnapping is set to begin with jury selection March 9. Roger Carroll of Jerseyville was charged in April 2018 in Jersey County with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of concealing a homicide. Those charges were amended later that month to include a third first-degree murder charge and aggravated kidnapping charges. He has been in custody in the Jersey County Jail since his arrest. As we move closer to trial, the states ever-confident that the evidence we have to present will result in a conviction, Jersey County States Attorney Ben Goetten said. The charges were the result of new evidence discovered after a March 2018 domestic incident when Carroll was found on his property in what investigators said was a suicide attempt. Bonnie Woodward last was seen June 25, 2010, near her vehicle in the parking lot of the Eunice Smith Nursing Home, where she had worked for 27 years. In April 2018, investigators said multiple witnesses reported seeing Woodward near the car talking to a man and several saw her leave with the man. Part of the initial investigation centered on the disappearance of Woodwards stepdaughter, Heather Woodward, then 17. In 2018, investigators said Carroll had used her as bait. Investigators said Heather Woodward moved out of their home on June 10, 2010. She later walked into the East Alton Public Library and told them police were looking for her. Investigators said Carroll kidnapped Bonnie Woodward with the help of his son, Nathan Carroll, who was 16 at the time. After the woman was killed, the two men tended a fire for more than a week in an attempt to destroy the body, according to records. Nathan Carroll, who testified before a grand jury, had been given full immunity, in part because he was a juvenile and was dragged into the incident, Madison County States Attorney Tom Gibbons said. The case will be prosecuted by Goetten, former Madison County Assistant States Attorney Jennifer Mudge, who now is a special prosecutor with the Illinois Appellate Prosecutors Office, and Madison County Assistant States Attorney Crystal Uhe. Mudge will be the lead prosecutor. Jennifer and Crystal have been working this case since its inception some 12 years ago, Goetten said. Jennifer and Crystal have dedicated their careers to advocate for victims and bring to justice those that harm the public. Were all looking forward to the opportunity to bring justice to Bonnie Woodward and her family. To bolster brand safety and accuracy, DoubleVerify has created a new tool that allows global brands to target or block content in over 100 languages. Through the new capabilities, users can choose the language content they want their advertising to appear next to, monitor and block ads from landing next to specific languages and create multiple language-specific keyword lists. The solution also impacts pre- and post-bid buying environments by extending protection and keyword lists to them. The company began work on the solution after receiving feedback from global clients that wanted to ensure their language-specific ads were reaching the right audiences, while tapping into ways to create global keyword lists to target specific markets. One example involves the word die, which translates to the in German and that in Dutch, but carries a much different meaning in English. According to DoubleVerify, advertisers from the pharmaceutical industry have been using the feature extensively to reach targeted, qualified audiences. advertisement advertisement The solution serves both the publishing and advertising side. Publishers can bring in more ads in the language that matches their sites content, and as a result, drive yield through an increase in volume. Advertisers avoid blocking in non-language keywords, resulting in more relevant scale for their campaigns. The new solution is available for desktop and mobile devices, across post-bid measurement and blocking and pre-bid through DoubleVerifys Authentic Brand Safety targeting solution. More than 350 Amazon employees defied an external communications directive and spoke out publicly on Sunday both against corporate policies and in defense of fellow workers who had previously criticized the companys climate practices. The comments of the Amazon employees have been published on Medium, the social journalism and online publishing platform. As of this writing 363 comments have been posted by Amazon staff from departments across the company. Further comments can also be read at the Twitter hashtag #AMZNSpeakOut. Amazon employees in Turin, Italy participating in the climate strike on September 20 The employee statements criticize a wide range of corporate policies and practices including Amazons collaboration with the fossil fuel industry, discrimination in the workplace, the mistreatment of warehouse workers and the companys complicity with the US Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The organized defiance of Amazons recent threat against speaking publicly about company policy is a response to an appeal by a group of employees organized under the Twitter account Amazon Employees for Climate Justice. Their January 20 statement said, You may have read the news about Amazon threatening to fire a few people for violating the newly updated external communications policy by speaking publicly about Amazons impact on the climate crisis. The groups statement also says, Our strength is in numbers. The idea is to intentionally break the communications policy so prolifically that it is unenforceable. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. The employees encouraged their fellow workers to sign on to Medium and endorse one of the already published statements or to write their own. They said they would not publish any of the quotes until the total number of posts reached at least 100 people. Among the most popular endorsed statements says, I disagree with AWS [Amazon Web Services] enabling Palantir and ICE to surveil and separate children from their parents at the border. Another popular statement reads, Amazons supply chain should not be built at the expense of warehouse workers who work at a pace that causes higher-than-industry-average injury rates. Its not humane to have people scared to go to the bathroom. In a Tweet on January 27, the group published a two-minute video with numerous Amazon employees identified by their first names and holding up handwritten signs that read, We will not be silenced #AMZNSpeakOut. The Tweet reads, Hundreds of us decided to stand up to our employer, Amazon. We are scared. But we decided we couldnt live with ourselves if we let a policy silence us in the face of an issue of such moral gravity like the climate crisis. The present conflict at Amazon is the latest development in a series of escalating events that go back to last fall. On September 20, nearly 5,000 Amazon employees in 25 cities and 14 countries walked off the job to protest the companys inaction on climate change. The strike included 3,000 workers who walked out at the companys Seattle headquarters, and was part of the week-long Global Climate Strike that involved 4 million people worldwide. The day before the protests took place, billionaire Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos made an announcement in Washington DCalongside former UN climate chief Christiana Figueresthat he was the first signatory of the newly created Climate Pledge, a pact that commits Amazon to meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement ten years early. Responding to Bezos preemptive public relations initiative, the group Amazon Employees for Climate Justice demanded that Amazon set more aggressive targets and called for the company to be carbon neutral by 2030. The group also demanded that Amazon end its web services contracts that help energy companies accelerate hydrocarbon extraction and stop funding politicians and lobbyists who are climate deniers. Amazon is a massive consumer of electrical energy at its cloud computing centers and has a significant carbon footprint, delivering an estimated one billion packages to consumers each year in the US alone. Meanwhile, it has been reported by the New York Times that Amazon has contributed financially to the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a Washington DC think-tank that disputes the dangers of climate change on behalf of the fossil fuel industry. In response to both the walkout and the demands of the employee activistsas well as widespread skepticism about Bezos commitment to the environment or issues related employee working conditions or its development of facial recognition software for police surveillancethe company issued a policy manifesto on October 10. In an article in the Bezos-owned Washington Post reporting on the manifesto, the Amazon Employees for Climate Justice was quoted as saying, Amazons position is based on false premises and distracts from the fact that Amazon wants to profit in businesses that are directly contributing to climate catastrophe. The Post article attributed the statement to two employees by name, Jamie Kowalski, an Amazon software development engineer, and Maren Costa, a principal user-experience designer. On January 2, the Post reported that Kowalski and Costa had both received a letter from a company lawyer in the employee relations department that accused them of violating the companys external communications policy. Costa, the Post report said, also received an email that warned that future violations of the company policy could result in formal corrective action, up to and including termination of your employment with Amazon. In an email to the Post, Costa wrote that she spoke up originally because Im terrified by the harm the climate crisis is already causing, and I fear for my childrens future. She also wrote, Its our moral responsibility to speak upregardless of Amazons attempt to censor usespecially when climate poses such an unprecedented threat to humanity. The latest confrontation between Amazon employees and the company is part of a growing wave of opposition among tech workers to the policies and practices of the giant tech monopolies. In June 2018, Google announced it would not seek to extend its contract with the US military on the Project Maven artificial intelligence initiative, after thousands of employees signed an open letter denouncing the companys participation in the business of war. Employees at Google, Amazon and Microsoft have all spoken out against the development at their respective companies of facial recognition software for police and military purposes. The fact that Amazon employees are now drawing together demands on climate change, the companys participation in illegal attacks on immigrants and the use of artificial intelligence by the police and military, and calling for a change in the working conditions of the super-exploited warehouse workers, is an important development. What is needed to move the struggle forward is a recognition that all of these issues are important aspects of the unified struggle of the working class internationally against capitalism. Tech workers need a global strategyin cooperation with workers in other sectors of the economybased on a socialist program that will remove the critical resources of the internet, digital communications and logistics infrastructure for consumer product distribution from private ownership and place them under the democratic control of the working class. John Roberts got to speak for the senators with questions for the lawyers. Photo: AP Day eight of the impeachment trial offered, quite literally, a change of pace. The previous six days (after a day of fights over the rules) featured uninterrupted arguments from the House managers and the presidents attorneys. What may turn out to be the penultimate phase of the trial involved 16 hours of questioning (half today, half on Thursday) of the contending legal teams by senators via written submissions read to the world by presiding officer John Roberts. With answers generally limited to five minutes, it was a much snappier session characterized by more direct conflict between the two sides. Having said that, the vast majority of questions have been proffered by senators to their side in order to reinforce well-established talking points. Democrats stuck to the basic argument that there was sufficient evidence that Trump abused his power by pressuring Ukraine to announce an investigation of the Bidens, then compounded that impeachable offense by covering it up via obstruction of Congress. Republicans dug in with their increasingly adamant claim that even if the House proves its case, it hasnt met the minimum requirements for impeachment, and is trying to force the Senate to come up with evidence it could not secure. The two sides didnt always talk past each other. They clashed early on over the adequacy of White House claims of executive privilege, as the Washington Post reported: Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.), John Cornyn (R-Tex.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) asked both sides why the House did not challenge claims of executive privilege and immunity during the impeachment proceedings. It was the first question requesting an answer from both the House managers and Trumps legal team, and the two sides were required to split the five minutes of time evenly. Speaking for the managers, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Trump never raised the question of executive privilege and instead relied on a notion of blanket defiance or absolute immunity without case law or jurisprudence cited to justify it. White House Deputy Counsel Patrick Philbin said Trump had specific rationales for defying subpoenas and other requests from House investigators. Philbin denied that the president engaged in blanket defiance. Another early moment of drama occurred when Alan Dershowitz burnished his claims of a unique understanding of constitutional law by claiming that Trump or any other president could legitimately use his powers to advance the cause of reelection as inherently in the national interest. As NBC News reported, this did turn heads and cause some heartburn for Team Trump: Dershowitz said there were three possible motives for a quid pro quo in foreign policy: the public interest, personal political interest, and personal financial interest. In the end, he argued, only the latter is corrupt. Every public official I know believes their election is in the public interest, Dershowitz added. Dershowitzs argument was met with swift pushback. NBC News/MSNBC legal analyst Neal Katyal, a former U.S. solicitor general, called Dershowitzs argument inane. That would allow a president to do literally anything and destroy re-elections as a check on presidential behavior, Katyal said. Referring to former President Richard Nixons involvement in the operation at Democratic national headquarters in 1972 that led to the Watergate scandal, he said: Im sure Nixon thought the break-in was okay because it aided his re-election, which was supposedly in the public interest, too. In the Senate and behind the scenes, of course, the focus remained on the possibility that, after this question period, a vote will be held on hearing additional witnesses. Of particular consideration is John Bolton, whose book with disclosures on Trumps motives in dealing with Ukraine the White House is trying to block from publication. Republican senators known to be on the fence on this issue asked one very pointed question, as Talking Points Memo noted: Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME) pitched President Donald Trumps lawyers a curve ball Wednesday, asking a question that underscored the political motive behind Trumps sudden interest in Ukrainian corruption. The senators asked if Trump ever mentioned the Bidens in connection to corruption in Ukraine before the former Vice President announced his candidacy for president in April 2019. Deputy Counsel to the President Patrick Philbin struggled to defuse the loaded question, spending some time explaining that his knowledge of what the President said comes only from the Houses limited inquiry and that some points were not thoroughly pursued in the record. On the other hand, signs from the background maneuvering on the arithmetic of the witness vote indicated increasing self-confidence from Mitch McConnell, as the New York Times reported: The White House and Senate Republicans worked aggressively on Wednesday to discount damaging revelations from John R. Bolton and line up the votes to block new witnesses that would bring President Trumps impeachment trial to a swift close Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming, the No. 3 Senate Republican, declared that he had heard enough and predicted that the Senate would vote to acquit the president by weeks end. Im ready to vote on final judgment, Mr. Barrasso told reporters. Asked if Republicans planned to move directly to a vote on the two articles of impeachment on Friday, Mr. Barrasso said, Yes, thats the plan. By Wednesday afternoon, Democrats were sounding a note of pessimism about the prospect of witnesses and securing new evidence in the trial. Weve always known it will be an uphill fight on witnesses and documents, because the president and Mitch McConnell put huge pressure on these folks, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, said during a break in the trial. To add to the pressure on Senate Republicans to back away from a motion to hear Bolton, Trump attorney Jay Sekulow said on the floor that if witnesses are called at all hed insist on calling Adam Schiff, both Bidens, the whistle-blower, and maybe others in a process that would take months. Looking forward, on Thursday its possible that the Senate will focus on questions related entirely to the admissibility of additional evidence, particularly if there is renewed doubt about McConnell having the votes to bring the trial to a close without witnesses. But for those who hope against hope that the Republican wall of shame protecting Trump will break, a hostile late-Wednesday question from alleged swing-vote-Senator Lisa Murkowski challenging House managers for not having revalidated allegedly improper subpoenas may have been dispiriting. Impeachment manager Sylvia Garcia responded with a fiery and un-apologetic defense of the Houses unconditional right to determine its own rules for impeachment proceedings. That wont go over well in the Republican precincts of the lordly Senate. House lead manager Adam Schiff noted later that the most important thing about the trial was the drift in the presidents defense from denying damning facts to denying theres any problem with them. If the trial ends abruptly, that conclusion will be validated. Burma Myanmar Parliamentary Committee Chairman Says Members Returned Cash Gifts to Mining Company U Thein Swe, chairman of the Governments Guarantees, Pledges and Undertakings Vetting Committee of the Upper House, addresses a press conference on Jan. 29. / Thiha Lwin / The Irrawaddy NAYPYITAWThe chairman of an Upper House committee has denied its members took bribes from a mining company during a recent inspection tour of jade-rich Hpakant Township in Kachin State. At a press conference on Wednesday, U Thein Swe, chairman of the Governments Guarantees, Pledges and Undertakings Vetting Committee, told reporters that committee members received presents from the company but did not realize the gifts included cash, adding that the money had been returned. The committee visited Hpakant from Jan. 5-14 to inspect mining companies there, and committee members attended a dinner on Jan. 7 reportedly hosted by a local gems and jade miners association. As they left the dinner, officials of the association put sealed bagswhich they said contained local productson the committee members cars. The members accepted the presents thinking that they were local foods or Kachin longyi, U Thein Swe said. The National League for Democracy (NLD) lawmaker said dozens of 10,000-kyat (about US$6.80) banknotes that were found in the bags the following day had been returned to U Tin Chant, the owner of Pwint Htoo San Co., a mining company. He added that he had also asked the company owner to sign a letter stating that he had received the money. The company owner said he didnt want to take it back and that it was just a New Years present. I said I couldnt accept it, and gave it back, U Thein Swe told the reporters. Apart from the committee members, commanders of local battalions, police officials and heads of government departments also attended the dinner. U Thein Swe said he did not know if the others had received presents. In 2016, the NLD government announced that it would not renew the licenses of jade mining companies until it had completed an environmental management plan for jade mining areas in Kachin State. Almost all the licenses expired 2018. The Governments Guarantees, Pledges and Undertakings Vetting Committees visit to the mining areas was in part aimed at helping the government prepare the environmental management plan. According to U Thein Swe, there are only seven mining companies operating with valid licenses in partnership with the government in Hpakant, and Pwint Htoo San Co. is not one of them. On Jan. 9, a message was posted to a Facebook account with the name Moe Zay Nyein that read, Upper House lawmakers kept silent after Pwint Htoo San Co., which is illegally mining jade on a large scale in Hpakant, invited them to dinner and put a bunch of money in presents. Pwint Htoo San Co. owner Tin Chant is the one who sent major-generals, including the commander of Division 101 Brigadier-General Maung Maung and the commander of Kachin State into prison. In May 2018, Major General Nyi Nyi Swe, who was then head of the Southwestern Command and former head of the Northern Command; and Brigadier General Maung Maung Zan, the former commander of Division 101 based in Hpakant, were suspended from the Myanmar military after taking bribes from jade mining companies in exchange for allowing them to continue to operate with expired licenses. The account owner removed the post after two days, but not before other netizens copied and shared it, tarnishing the image of the committee and its members, said U Thein Swe. The committee, through the Upper House Speaker, has urged the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Transport and Communications to take action against the account owner. Among the committee members who went to Hpakant were committee chairman U Thein Swe, secretary U Kyaw Ni Naing, who is from the Union Solidarity and Development Party, and military lawmaker Brigadier General Tin Swe. NLD lawmaker U Khin Maung Myint, who previously raised a question in the Upper House about the mines in Hpakant, also accompanied the committee members on their inspection tour. The case demonstrated the need to implement checks and balances on chief ministers and ministers of regions and state governments, U Khin Maung Myint told the reporters. I would say our party needs to act as a check and balance against all the chief ministers and ministers, he said. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko You may also like these stories: Charter Amendment Committee Submits Two Bills to Myanmar Parliament Calling for Reduced Role for Military Myanmar Parliamentary Committee Finalizes Proposed Changes for Undemocratic Constitution Bengaluru, Jan 30 : The Central Crime Branch (CCB) of the city police on Thursday arrested a Tanzanian national with more than 600 ecstasy tablets, an official said. "We have arrested a Tanzanian with ecstasy tablets worth Rs 20 lakh at street value. He received the drugs in Goa from an unidentified foreigner," CCB Deputy Commissioner of Police Kuldeep Jain told IANS. The unidentified foreigner who handed over the drugs, weighing about 250 gm to Ejike Celestine, 39, had already departed India. According to Jain, the street value of a single ecstasy tablet would be Rs 3,000. Hailing from Dar-E-Salaam, Tanzania, Celestine was arrested under the Narcotics, Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS) and also for possessing a fake visa, within the Hennur police station limits, Jain said. The police are checking if Celestine was operating alone or was part of an organised gang. Watertown, NY (13601) Today Some mixed winter precipitation possible early. Intermittent snow showers, especially early. Low around 25F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 60%.. Tonight Some mixed winter precipitation possible early. Intermittent snow showers, especially early. Low around 25F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 60%. Scientists in Asia claim to have made a vaccine that could protect millions against the killer coronavirus that is rapidly sweeping the world. Several countries have joined the global race for a jab, with virologists in Britain and the US working round-the-clock to create one. Experts in Hong Kong have now announced they are hopeful a vaccine they have created will work against the never-before-seen virus. But the team warned it will be at least one year before it could dished out to humans, with safety trials on animals and humans needed first. It comes as world health chiefs have told of their 'great concern' at the fact the virus is now spreading between humans outside of China - with human-to-human transmission confirmed in Germany, as well as three countries in Asia. More than 8,280 people have now caught the SARS-like infection, which has killed at least 170 people in China. No deaths have been recorded elsewhere. The killer coronavirus rapidly sweeping the world has now infected every region of China and 20 other countries. The death toll is 170 and cases have soared past 8,280 The team at the University of Hong Kong are not the only ones to be working to find a vaccine against the deadly coronavirus, still yet to be officially named Taxi drivers in protective suits are seen in front of a residential area in Wuhan, Hubei province Several countries have joined the global race for a jab, with virologists in Britain and the US working round-the-clock to create one Russia has closed its border with China in a desperate bid to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus. Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to health minister Mikhail Murashko during a meeting on preventing the virus' spread in Moscow on Wednesday World Health Organization figures show just 2,014 patients had been struck down with the SARS-like infection by Sunday, January 26. This has now risen dramatically to 8,282, with cases in the US, Australia and Canada As well as a dramatic increase in cases of the never-before-seen virus, figures also show the number of deaths have spiralled. Since yesterday, deaths rose by 38, marking the biggest 24-hour jump since the outbreak began last month WUHAN 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 lung 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 the Wuhan coronavirus kill? Yes 170 people have so far died after testing positive for the virus. What are the symptoms? Some people who catch the Wuhan coronavirus may not have any symptoms at all, or only very mild ones like a sore throat or a headache. Others may suffer from a fever, cough or trouble breathing. And a small proportion of patients will go on to develop severe infection which can damage the lungs or cause pneumonia, a life-threatening condition which causes swelling and fluid build-up in the lungs. How is it detected? The virus's genetic sequencing was released by scientists in China and countries around the world have used this to create lab tests, which must be carried out to confirm an infection. Delays to these tests, to test results and to people getting to hospitals in China, mean the number of confirmed cases is expected to be just a fraction of the true scale of the outbreak. 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 around China and are known to have spread from person to person. 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. CLICK HERE TO SEE MAILONLINE'S FULL Q&A ON THE CORONAVIRUS Advertisement The team at the University of Hong Kong are not the only ones to be working to find a vaccine against the deadly coronavirus, still yet to be officially named. The US National Institutes of Health announced at the weekend that it plans to begin tests of experimental jabs in April. Facing the prospect of a pandemic, UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock is thought to have ordered an acceleration of vaccine trials. Senior Government sources have said Britain is 'determined to lead the world in the response to this'. Scientists at Imperial College London are working on a vaccine which they hope to be ready for human trials in less than two months. Infection specialist Professor Robin Shattock told the Mail on Sunday his academic team had two possible vaccines to test on animals in a fortnight. Like other tests being developed, these are not traditional vaccines which offer the immune system a small part of virus to recognise. Instead, they provide human cells with genetic instructions to fight the virus, which should mean they are safer and quicker to progress through trials. Professor Shattock said: 'We are ready to rapidly move those into human studies if somebody wants us to respond.' The current record is for a Zika vaccine, which took seven months to go from the lab to human trials. Doctors fear if it takes that long this time, coronavirus could already have swept the globe. Another scientist earlier this week claimed a coronavirus vaccine she is developing could be tested on humans in two months' time. Dr Kate Broderick, from Inovio Pharmaceuticals in Pennsylvania, thinks her team is the closest to developing a vaccine to protect against the Wuhan coronavirus. They are testing the jab, named INO-4800, on animals this week and hope to start human trials in eight weeks' time. China has shared the genetics of the virus with the World Health Organization, to allow for the rapid development of a vaccine. And yesterday Australian experts revealed they have grown the coronavirus in a high-security lab, a major step towards finding a vaccine. Experts at Melbourne's Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity took a sample of the virus from the first patient diagnosed in Australia on Friday. They worked around the clock to grow the virus on a bed of cells. The scientists will now share the virus with the World Health Organisation. An ambulance driven by a facemask-wearing medic leaves the airport after picking up suspected coronavirus patients A Boeing 767 plane carrying 210 more Japanese people has landed in Tokyo today after rescuing them from Wuhan. It is the second evacuation plane to be sent for Japanese nationals 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 World health officials expressed 'great concern' yesterday that the virus is starting to spread between people outside of China. The new virus has now infected more people in China than during the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak. In a report published Wednesday, Chinese researchers suggested that person-to-person spread among close contacts occurred as early as mid-December. WHERE HAVE CASES OF THE CORONAVIRUS BEEN RECORDED? CHINA THAILAND JAPAN HONG KONG SINGAPORE TAIWAN MACAU AUSTRALIA MALAYSIA US FRANCE SOUTH KOREA GERMANY UAE CANADA VIETNAM FINLAND NEPAL SRI LANKA CAMBODIA INDIA 8,174 14 11 11 10 8 8 7 7 5 5 4 4 4 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 Advertisement Based on the first 425 confirmed cases, the researchers estimate that each infection led to 2.2 others on average. Thats a bit more than ordinary flu but far less than some other respiratory diseases such as whooping cough and tuberculosis. Meanwhile, the World Health Organizations emergencies chief said the few cases of human-to-human spread of the virus outside China were of 'great concern'. Cases of human-to-human transmission have been confirmed in Japan, Germany, Canada and Vietnam. Dr. Michael Ryan spoke at a news conference in Geneva after returning from a trip to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other government leaders. He said China was taking 'extraordinary measures in the face of an extraordinary challenge' posed by the outbreak. In other developments to the outbreak today, the number of cases has jumped to 8,282 and 170 people have died in China. India declared its first case, making it the 21st country or territory outside of China to do so. Finland and UAE declared cases yesterday. Three Japanese people taken home on the evacuation flight out of Wuhan have been diagnosed with the coronavirus. Russia has closed its border with China in a desperate bid to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus. And the World Health Organization will meet this afternoon to reconsider whether to declare a global emergency. This Vagina Goddess Is The Best Ancient Symbol You've Never Heard Of Ancient vagina goddess Baubo is the perfect symbol of feminine power for our troubled times. Even to modern eyes, the terracotta statuettes are bizarre. Found in 1896 in the remains of a 5th-century BCE temple at the ancient Greek city of Priene, each figurine is different, but all feature a womans face, bedecked with an elaborate hairdo, situated directly atop a pair of chubby, childlike legs. In place of a chin, there is the well-defined cleft of a hairless vulva. But for one of the German archeologists working on the dig, the figures looked familiar. He quickly concluded that they were images of Baubo, a mythological charactersome say goddesswhose main claim to fame was flashing her genitals to cheer up the agricultural goddess Demeter. Surely we are dealing with a creation from the context of the grotesque-obscene aspects of the Demeter cult, he declared. ADVERTISEMENT Today, we turn to resources like The Vagina Bible or Pussypedia.net to answer questions about down there that we are otherwise too shy to ask. Meanwhile, powerful men brag that when it comes to subjugating women, all you need to do is Grab em by the pussy. Obviously, we need a vagina goddess now more than ever. So why isnt Baubo more well known? One reason may be that scholars differ widely in their interpretations of Baubo-related texts and artifacts. Did her name mean belly, cave, or vulva? Was she a goddess of fertility, sexuality, or mirth? Or was she even a goddess at all? And when it comes to those weird statuettes from Priene, theres no agreement about who they are or what they represent, even though they were found in the remains of a temple dedicated to Demeter, the ancient goddess of grain and agriculture, with whom Baubo is so closely associated. Adding to the confusion, there are many versions of Baubos story, which basically goes like this. According to Greek mythology, one day, Demeters daughter, Persephone (also known as Kore), was out picking flowers when she was raped and abducted by Hades, god of the underworld. The furious Demeter gave chase, forgetting her responsibilities in the world above ground. As a result, grain didnt growthe land laid fallowand many died of starvation due to famine. Disguised as an old woman dressed in black, Demeter came to the city of Eleusis, where she rested by a well, mourning the loss of her daughter. There, she was found by Baubo, a nurse or servant in the Eleusinian rulers household. Baubo offered the goddess a cup of wine but Demeter refused it. Baubo offered sympathy but was rebuffed again. Then Baubo did a thing that even today would get you noticedshe lifted up her skirt and showed off her private parts. The gesture made Demeter laugh, and then the goddess ate and drank. In some retellings, Baubo is accompanied by another servant, Iambe, who tells dirty jokes in an effort to make Demeter laugh, but its almost always Baubos flashing that gets the job done. (Sometimes, Baubo and Iambe are the same person. Sometimes she goes by the name of Hecate or Isis. As I said, its confusing.) Like an actor whose tiny role on stage or screen makes such a deep connection with the audience that she is catapulted to fame, Baubos cameo in the story of Demeter and Persephone is small but transformative. In an agrarian culture like ancient Greece, a ruined harvest could lead to starvation, disease, and death. By making Demeter laugh, and giving her renewed strength to find Persephone, Baubo essentially helped end a famine in the human world, saving countless lives. Art historian Winifred Milius Lubell, whose The Metamorphosis of Baubo: Myths of Womens Sexual Energy is the definitive work on the subject, traced the iconography of the vulva across vistas of time, geography, and culture. She thinks Baubo was another aspect of extremely ancientagricultural rituals of fecundity, in which chosen women squatted over the newly plowed fields and allowed their menstrual blood to drip into the earth to increase its fertility. You might say that Baubo spoke truth to power, the servants pussy flash reminding the grain goddess of her responsibility over the harvest and thus as a life-giving force to humanity. Without Baubos timely reminder of the vulvas regenerative power, human civilization would have ended. Votive offerings from the sanctuary of Demeter in Priene, c. 5th century BCE. Photo: Evelyn Aschenbrenner Demeter is eventually reunited with her daughter after Zeus intervenes with Hades to set Persephone free. But before Hades does so, he tricks Persephone into eating some pomegranate seeds. Eating food in the underworld means she has to return below ground for at least part of the year. Demeters grief during Persephones annual travels below the earth thus became an allegory for the changing seasons and cycle of human life, from spring/birth to winter/death, and back again. Baubos singular act was powerful enough that it was reenacted by initiates and pilgrims at a pair of important religious festivals that honored the journey of Demeter and Persephone during the autumn planting season. Thousands of men and women participated in the Eleusinian Mysteries, an annual event that lasted for eight days in late September, the last three of which were open to initiates only. These rituals were held in strictest secrecy, so much so that scholars still argue about what actually went on. However, they mostly agree that initiates imitated what Demeter had done while searching for her daughter, and that included Baubos skirt lifting gesture. Only married women were allowed to attend the fall festival known as Thesmorphoria, which took place in October. At night, they slept in tents. During the day, attendees portrayed events from the story of Demeter and Persephone in rituals thought to increase both human and agricultural fertility. They ate pomegranates and perhaps let the red juice drip into the earth, just as the proto Baubo offered up her menstrual blood. As part of one rite, they manipulated bread-dough models of male and female genitals. No written explanation exists as to why they did this, but scholars think it may have been to awaken desire and stimulate fecundity. Piglets, alive or dead, were thrown into ritual caverns or pits, and their decomposed remains were later retrieved and spread on altars, mixed with seed corn for the coming year. This mimicked the moment when the Earth opened as Hades nabbed Persephone, and some hogs were pulled beneath the ground along with the girl. According to a 2013 article by Sarah Iles Johnston in the journal History of Religions, on the second day of Thesmorphoria, women broke a day of fasting with ritual obscenity, recalling the jokes Baubo/Iambe told to Demeter. And at least one historianEwa Osek, writing in the 2018 essay collection The Many Faces of Mimesisbelieves they also reenacted Baubos pussy flashing. As A.C. Smythe of the site Goddess Gift summarizes it, this was a festival where women were taught the profound lessons of living joyfully, dying without fear, and being an integral part of the great cycles of nature. The story of Demeter and Persephone resonated deeply with the women of ancient Greece, because it reflected traditions in their strongly patriarchal society. Women were kept sequestered inside their father or husbands house. Marriages could be arranged by fathers without input from their wives or daughters, who might not even be aware that such life-altering discussions were taking place. Thus, in classicist Mary E. Naples words, a girl of 16 or so, was often torn from her natal home and forced to marry an unknown man who wason averagetwice or three times her senior. Depending on distance and circumstance, a young woman might see her parents and siblings only rarely after marriage, if at all. Persephones abduction and Demeters sorrow must have felt very familiar. Baubo riding a sow, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC. Photo: EdenPictures / Flickr On the other hand, according to Naples, Demeters success in having her daughter returned to her for at least part of the year was a rare instance in which a goddess defied the rapacious Zeus without punishmenta power play that would have been impossible without Baubos skirt toss to bring the goddess out of her grief. The annual gathering at Thesmophoria likewise provided an uncommon taste of power for mortal women, a time when they could throw off the shackles of patriarchy as they gathered in a wholly female society, sleeping outside and performing secret rituals. "What happened to this fun-loving, bawdy, jesting, sexually liberatedyet very wisegoddess?" Despite Baubos role in the Eleusinian Mysteries and Thesmophoria, few, if any, images of her exist from ancient Greece (the statuettes from Priene may have been a rare exception). This is due at least in part to the ephemeral nature of the art created for womens rituals. Lubell noted that men created images in marble, precious metals, and clay fired in a kilnmedia made to last for centuries. Meanwhile women of the time used what was at hand in a householdbread dough, for example, which quickly disintegrated. While Baubo was clearly revered in ancient Greece, her origins may reach back even further. Many Baubo-like entities have names that begin with a similar root syllable, a bau or ba sound. Over a thousand years before the ancient Greeks, the goddess Bau ruled over the dark waters of the deep or the void in religion practiced at Sumer in what is now modern-day Iraq. Bau was also worshipped in ancient Phoenicia, where one of her guises was Baev, the guardian of the source, an entrance to a cave or hole. Baubo may also be related to a little-known Egyptian goddess named Bebt. The ancient historian Herodotus (c. 484 c. 425 BC), described rites for the Egyptian cat goddess Bast at her main temple at Bubastis. During these ceremonies, men and women rode a barge down the river, yelling mocking jokes and jests at women on the riverbanks. Women on the barge performed dances, then, standing up, they hitch up their skirts. (According to Herodotus, more wine was drunk during this festival than at any other time of the year.) The image of a vulva-flashing goddess was so popular in Egypt that artwork of her in one or another of her guises, but always unashamedly displaying her bits, appears to have been mass produced. In the late 19th century, antiquities hunters in the markets of Cairo or Alexandria in Egypt could buy bronze or terracotta figurines of this sort that had been dug up in farmers fields, writes Lubell. These showed women in flowing gowns and headdresses, lifting their skirts above their naked pudenda. Is it possible these figures were actually of the much older Egyptian goddess Isis? Again, scholars disagree. So, what happened to this fun-loving, bawdy, jesting, sexually liberatedyet very wisegoddess, as Smythe describers her, with such far-reaching and ancient roots? One clue comes to us via the writings of Clement of Alexandria, a Christian writer who penned an essay called the Exhortation to the Greeks (aka Exhortation Against the Pagans and Exhortation Against the Heathens) around 200 AD. The purpose of this essay was to mock and demonize the Greeks pagan belief systems, in order to convert people to Christianity. In his rants he describes a number of Greek rituals in detail, and, as a result, his writing has also been relied on as a source of information about ancient pagan cults and Greek mythology. While his telling of the story of Baubo is invaluable, Clement is clearly disgusted by it, and he believes his readers should be, too. Baubo, having received Demeter as a guest, offers her a draught of wine and meal. She declines to take it, being unwilling to drink on account of her mourning. Baubo is deeply hurt, thinking she has been slighted, and thereupon uncovers her secret parts and exhibits them to the goddess, he explains. And how is Baubo received by the goddess? Demeter is pleased at the sight, and now at least receives the draughtdelighted by the spectacle! These are the secret mysteries of the Athenians! Clement writes with great disdain. Later, he asks how anyone can respect the Athenians, when they, and the rest of GreeceI blush even to speak of itpossess that shameful tale about Demeter? You can almost hear Clements pearl-clutching from across the centuries. Saint Clement of Alexandria. Photo: Wikimedia Commons. Could the rise of patriarchal religions, such as Christianity, be at the root of Baubos downfall? Were men appalled, and maybe even threatened, by Baubos raunchiness? Its quite possible. And the main weapon they could use to kill her off was to bury her under layers of shame. Michael Psellus, for example, was an 11th-century Christian historian who described what he thought took place during the Eleusinian Mysteries, including Baubos big moment. She pulled up her gown revealing her thighs and pudenda, he wrote. Thus they gave her a name which covered her with shame. In this disgraceful manner the initiation ceremonies [at Eleusis] came to an end. It was around this same time that Baubo-like figures, called Sheela na gigs, began appearing all over Europe. They showed up as architectural carvings, posed over doors and entryways. They were meant to be uglyas ugly as the gargoyles and other so-called grotesques that hung alongside them on churches, castles, and other placesand indeed they were. A round-headed creature holding her vulva wide open, with her hands clutching her labia, the Sheela na gigs true meaning is a mystery. But one of the most popular theories is that put forth by researchers Anthony Weir and James Jerman. They argue, in their 1986 book Images of Lust: Sexual Carvings on Medieval Churches, that the Sheela na gigs location on churches, and their grotesque features, by medieval standards, suggest that they represent female lust as hideous and sinfully corrupting. With the rise of the patriarchy, the vulva went from being a place of reverence to a puritanical, unmentionable, and dirty part of a woman, writes Jean Shinoda Bolen in her book, Goddesses In Older Women: Archetypes in Women Over Fifty. It went from a symbol of the goddess to one of the most demeaning and hostile words (cunt) a women can be called. This negative view of female genitalia and sexuality, and by extension, Baubo, pretty much held steady in Christianity and European cultures for the next 800 years or so. Even Jane Ellen Harrison, a pioneering classics scholar and suffragist, relegated almost all discussion of Baubo to a footnote in her 1908 masterwork, Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religion. Baubos gesture, she wrote, was a stumbling block and not in harmony with modern conventions. A Sheela na gig carving on one of the 85 corbels around the Kilpeck Church in England, built circa 1140 She is a goddess who speaks directly from her genitals, and your approval is neither sought nor required. Nevertheless, Baubo does make some appearances in a few modern works. In Johann Wolfgang von Goethes early 19th-century play Faust, she shows up as an occult figure. Old Baubo comes alone, a chorus of witches chants, she rides upon a farrow [a sow]. Then honor to whom honor is due. Mother Baubo to the front, and lead the way! In his 1882 work, The Gay Science, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche muses that, Perhaps truth is a woman who has reasons for not letting us see her reasons? Perhaps her name isto speak GreekBaubo? And Sigmund Freud, who was likely familiar with the findings at Priene, referred to Baubo in his 1916 article, A Mythological Parallel to a Visual Obsession. For those men, Baubo was a historical myth, not a figure worthy of contemporary worship. And to some women, that is to our detriment. Baubo has been degraded into over-sexualized images of women and girls, writes Dr. Kaalii Cargill, a scholar of womens traditions in ancient Greece, on the site LivingNow. The obscenities that were once shouted in sacred play are now directed at women as aggression, hostility, and violence. We have lost Baubo and so many of the myths and rituals that can connect us to ourselves, each other, and the world. But not everyone has relinquished their connection to Baubo. And some believe that her story has relevance for women today. Referring to her as the Greek Goddess of Humor, A.C. Smythe of Goddess Gift explains that Baubo should be celebrated as a positive force of female sexuality and the healing power of laughter. [She] teaches us a lesson in how to turn enmity into friendship. Perhaps her bawdy behavior was a reminder that we should remember that all things will pass and change. To not take things too seriously, for nothing lasts forever. Similarly, Jen Miller, on her blog Quill of the Goddess, describes Baubo as The queen of deep belly laughs, dirty jokes, and unbridled sexuality. I would compare her to Mae West or Amy Schumer. She is a goddess who speaks directly from her genitals, and your approval is neither sought nor required. Maria Wulf, on her blog Full Moon Fiber Art, even makes Baubo relatable by explaining that she is the part of us thats too loud and cackles at dirty jokes. The one who is having too much fun. The public display of the female bodyat least as dictated by womenstill has the power to shock in the 21st century. A society that can lose a good portion of its collective mind at the sight of a mother breast-feeding her baby at a restaurant is probably not ready for Baubo. Yet, as Lubbell points out, Baubos power stemmed not from gleaming armor or beauty bestowed on her by male gods, but from her own body. She was irreverent and sacred, a symbol of womens nurturing and transformative energies combined with their resourcefulness and laughter. In an era when womens rights and bodily autonomy are under siege on what seems like a daily basis, maybe we ought to reclaim Baubo as a life-affirming reminder of female power. By Lynn Peril Top photo credit: BPK Bildagentur / Staatliche Museen / Johannes Laurentius / Art Resource, NY This article originally appeared in the Winter 2020 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today! More from BUST Mother Jones Was A Hell-Raising Trailblazer In The Fight For Workers' Rights 19th Century Journalist Nellie Bly Broke Barriers And Became A Legend In Her Field On The Anniversary Of The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, Here's The History Of The Shirtwaist PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico, Jan. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Fives Beach Hotel & Residences, the beach-front luxury hotel focused on the sensory experience of guests, announced the opening of the new on-site Marley Coffee on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020. With the aroma of Jamaican soil and the rhythm of reggae, Marley Coffee extends its roots with The Fives Hotels & Residences through the opening of the brand's second flagship coffee shop to offer the experience of Bob Marley's One Love movement to guests of the all-inclusive resort, as well as the general public. The Fives Hotels & Residences Located in The Fives Plaza, the new coffee shop enhances the resorts' already robust selection of dining venues with a new experience that tantalizes taste buds and scent with sustainably sourced products from around the world. The partnership with Marley Coffee & The Fives Hotels & Residences began in 2018 when Rohan Marley chose The Fives Downtown as the perfect spot to open the first flagship Marley Coffee in the Americas. "I am pleased to be back in the beautiful Playa Del Carmen where travelers from around the world can experience my family's passion, vision of universal love, respect for nature and connection to the beauty of the land through a cup of coffee," said Rohan Marley, founder of Marley Coffee. Ethically sourced from the best fair-trade farms and estates around the world, Marley Coffee serves some of the finest coffee from Ethiopia, Central and South America and of course, Jamaica. The line includes One Love, a medium roast coffee from Ethiopia, Lively Up, a medium-dark roast that mixes caramel and dark chocolate, and Mystic Morning and Buffalo Soldier, designed to recover energy, especially on difficult days. The coffee shop menu consists of hot and cold brews, teas and smoothies, as well as daily baked goods made on-site, such as banana & walnuts pudding, homemade muffins, churros, apple pie and more. Savory offerings include sandwiches, ciabatta, bagels, cheeses and more. Under the Marley family's direction and the Rastafarian philosophy, Marley Coffee is a natural, pure from the earth, authentic and delicious brand. With every cup of coffee containing hope for a sustainable future, the Marley Coffee story begins with the son of one of the most influential musicians of all time. Rohan Marley, son of music icon Bob Marley, founded Marley Coffee to laud his father's legacy of uplifting people and to honor his father's dream of returning to the farm where his philosophy and values were deeply rooted. Marley Coffee is open Monday through Sunday from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. For more information on The Fives Hotels & Residences or for bookings, visit: https://www.thefiveshotels.com/ Media Contact: Hillary Ovalle, [email protected] Related Images marley-coffee-at-the-fives-beach.jpg Marley Coffee at The Fives Beach Hotel & Residences SOURCE The Fives Hotels & Residences Related Links https://www.thefiveshotels.com CHICO, Calif. Police arrested a man after he attacked a woman with a bottle and threw her out of her car. A woman was sitting in her vehicle waiting to pick up her take-out food when a man opened her drivers side door and threw a bottle at her, police said. It happened in the parking lot of 1600 Mangrove Ave. After the man threw a bottle at her, he pulled her out of her vehicle. The woman was able to escape to a nearby business but suffered injuries from the incident, police said. When officers arrived they were not able to locate the suspect. Through witness statements and surveillance video, they identified the suspect as 34-year-old Tommy Hazelton. On Jan. 28, officers obtained an arrest warrant for Hazelton. Then on Wednesday, Jan. 29, an officer found Hazelton and took him into custody, police said. He was booked into the Butte County Jail for assault with a deadly weapon, assault with a deadly weapon and kidnapping. Houston is among six cities in the U.S. where heroin availability increased in 2018, according to the annual National Drug Threat Assessment of 2019 released Thursday by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Houston joined Atlanta, Dallas, New Orleans, St. Louis and Washington, where DEA offices indicated heroin was more available than in 2017. In Miami and New England, meanwhile, offices reported heroin was less available. The agency also said that of the total of 1,932 kilograms of heroin seized in 2018, the largest amounts were found in Arizona, California and Texas. A spokesman for the Houston Police Departments Narcotics Division said Thursday that while heroin and its derivatives are on the rise in general, methamphetamine is the No. 1 issue when it comes to drugs locally. The report said that methamphetamine continues to be a readily available illegal drug in the country, with a high presence in Texas cities but increasing in Dallas and El Paso. The report also said that the availability of fentanyl, a highly lethal synthetic opioid frequently sold mixed with heroin and other drugs such as cocaine, was high and growing across the country. Houston, Dallas and El Paso agents detected more availability in 2018 compared to the previous year. Fentanyl continued showing a pattern of previous years. Although it is primarily trafficked across the Southwest border, where more of the seizes also occur, it is more available in the northeast, Great Lakes and Midwest. DEAs Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon said in a press release that the drug landscape is shifting. Were pleased that in 2018, drug overdose deaths declined over 4 percent overall, with even greater decreases - over 13 percent - in overdoses from controlled prescription opioids, he said. In the report introductory letter, however, Dhillon wrote that the final statistics of drug overdose deaths, and from prescription opioids in particular, were still pending. DEA does not directly track fatal drug overdoses, but the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quoted in the report indicated that deaths from prescription opioids in the country showed a slight yearly decrease of less than 1 percent in 2017, after peaking in 2016. However, overall in the country, the opioid threat, which includes controlled prescription drugs, synthetic opioids, and heroin, continues at ever-increasing epidemic levels, affecting large portions of the United States. Traffickers continue to find creative ways to conceal drugs, the report said. A unique method discovered in Texas used industrial drill bits, which are indented metallic parts of machinery to cut rock. The pieces were bought in the U.S. and sent to Juarez, Mexico, to be filled with methamphetamine. A tip lead authorities to seize 16.6 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden inside the drill bits compartments when traffickers attempted to smuggle the drug in May through the Presidio point of entry in Texas. The report also noted that marijuana seizures along the Southwest border with Mexico continue to decline as illegal consumption shifts to nationally grown cannabis. olivia.tallet@chron.com Twitter.com/oliviaptallet US Warns Information-Sharing at Risk as Britain Approves Huawei 5G Rollout By Henry Ridgwell January 29, 2020 U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has warned that the United States will only pass information across what he termed "trusted networks" and criticized close ally Britain over its decision to allow the Chinese firm Huawei to build parts of the country's 5G mobile network. Speaking to reporters Wednesday en route to London, where he is due to meet Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Pompeo said putting Huawei into the British system "creates a real risk." The top U.S. diplomat described Huawei as an extension of China's communist party that is obligated to hand over information to the party, adding that the Trump administration will evaluate Britain's decision. "We will make sure that when American information passes across a network, we are confident that that network is a trusted one. We'll work with the United Kingdom. We were urging them to make a decision that was different than the one they made and we'll have a conversation about how to proceed," Pompeo said. Britain had been agonizing over whether to allow Huawei to be part of its 5G rollout, twice postponing the decision since July last year. In the end, the government said it would allow the Chinese firm restricted access to a 35 percent market share of the periphery of the network, rather than the core elements. Johnson told lawmakers Wednesday the decision offered the best of both worlds. "I think it is absolutely vital that people in this country do have access to the best technology available. But that we also do absolutely nothing to imperil our relationship with the United States, to do anything to compromise our critical national security infrastructure," Johnson said at the weekly Prime Minister's Questions in Parliament. The announcement comes just days before Britain is set to formally leave the European Union on Jan. 31. Some lawmakers fear the Huawei decision could compromise the transatlantic relationship just as Britain seeks to build on its links beyond Europe after Brexit, with a group of Conservative MPs threatening to vote against the government's 5G plans. "Certainly, U.S. politicians have made some bold threats over the last couple of weeks, but I think this storm will blow over," said James Sullivan, head of cybersecurity at the London-based Royal United Services Institute. "From the UK's perspective, this has been a risk-management decision based on technical assessments." However, in Washington, Democratic U.S. Senator Mark Warner says there is bipartisan agreement that Britain has made the wrong choice. "Huawei has been and will continue to be a national security threat," Warner said. "The Brits are our strongest allies. We've got to find a way to work through this. I do recognize as well that in Huawei we've got an equipment vendor that while as a national security threat is also a lot cheaper than any of the other Western alternatives." Those Western alternatives are lagging behind, notes cyber industry expert Mark Skilton of Britain's Warwick Business School. "The issue just in a nutshell is whether you want to continue the economic growth 5G can create because of the speed and power of it, versus the national interests of the U.S., particularly over the Chinese dominating the market," Skilton said. "5G networks promise to transform our lives through the so-called 'internet of things.' Everything from domestic refrigerators to critical national infrastructure will be connected through near-instantaneous networks. That presents many more 'attack points.' "There is a threat of potentially embedding 'Trojans' or malware into these devices," he added. "Now, if Huawei is the choice of hardware, then they could embed and I'm not saying they are, but they could embed this kind of surveillance technology or stealth technology." The European Union on Wednesday adopted similar guidelines to Britain, stopping short of banning Huawei but imposing strict security rules. For its part, Huawei welcomed the British decision Wednesday and insisted it does not "take orders" from the Chinese government. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address By Donald Kirk Donald Trump would have been a great leader of a small third-world country. That's the type of job for which he would have been a natural, at least to judge from what we're hearing about removing him from his perch at the helm of a much larger, first-world country. In one of those nations that Trump was born to lead, no one would have questioned his right to withhold aid to a friendly state while demanding a "small favor" from its leader. Surely, as his press secretary did acknowledge, that's how those things work. Without singling out any of those third-world countries by name, let's say they routinely do business that way while their leaders alternate between raking off billions for their overseas accounts or attacking neighboring states or annihilating rivals for a piece of the action. In some countries, the leaders carry off all three of those stunts at once. It would not be realistic to think that Trump had been reading up on how his fellow third-world-type leaders survive sometimes for decades, but he developed his instinct for third-world leadership as a billionaire battling for mercantile success. The landscape of the U.S. is littered with evidence of his business failings, notably in the casino in Atlantic City, but as a tycoon by heredity and right, by fair means or foul, he had to have told some people with whom he was concocting a deal, look, you do this for me, and that loan that I promised is yours. Clearly, since he had never run for political office before losing the vote for presidency to Hillary Clinton by nearly 3 million ballots but winning the election anyway, Trump had not had training in how a statesman should do business with foreign leaders. Sure, he loved those dictators from powerful nations, from poor nations, from nations riven by conflict. As long as they had their credentials as a dictator, they were fine, but he never realized you don't treat dictators as you would the mafia types to whom you owed protection money or a rival whom you want to bring to your side. We all know Trump's favorite dictators, beginning with North Korea's own Kim Jong-un, with whom Trump professed to have "fallen in love" after their heart-warming tryst in Singapore more than a year-and-a-half ago. And there's Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan and, of course, Russia's Vladimir Putin and even China's Xi Jinping, with whom Trump has had a few scrapes over trade but nothing that could not be settled by his idea of a deal. Trump does have a thing for dictators. As a not-always-successful but supremely self-confident tycoon, he believes he can pretty much win over anyone by sitting down and making an offer. For years he's been saying, after all his predecessors in the White House, Democrat and Republican, failed with Kim, only he could get him to give up his nukes in return for an enormous pile of money. We know what's happened to that fantasy. It was the same self-confidence that made him think, "look, Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, has a background in TV, just like me. He's a former TV comedian, he likes to talk, he must be up for anything. Surely, he'll get the message, give me the goods on Hunter Biden, son of the genial but sleepy Joe Biden, Barack Obama's vice president for eight years, and we'll give you the dough." In the Trump World of real estate wheeling and dealing that no one knows about, such a scheme would be a slam dunk. In a lot of countries, from Africa to the Middle East, to Asia and South America, that's how leaders do business. No, Trump is learning, you can't do that in the U.S. and get away with it forever. Sure, the U.S. is plenty corrupt, black and grey money changes hands, shady deals are routine, but every day you read about politicos getting nailed. The other day, the Boston Globe had a picture of a city official reaching inside a vehicle for a bundle of cash. The picture was taken by a camera hidden in the vehicle, his fingers, as the prosecutor said, "inside the cookie jar." Poor guy. He was looking forward to retirement, and now he's retired to jail. Trump isn't going to jail for asking for a payoff, a "quid pro quo," Latin for "this for that," but credit him with the skills, the savvy, the cravings of a third-world dictator. Too bad his current post is a little beyond that skill level. Donald Kirk (www.donaldkirk.com) has been covering the ups and downs of Asian affairs for decades. Takeo Aoyama (L) and Takayuki Kato (R), Japanese businessmen residing in Wuhan, speak to journalists during a press conference following their charter flight on Jan 29, 2020. (Photo: AFP/CHARLY TRIBALLEAU) A total of 206 Japanese citizens landed at Tokyo's Haneda airport on Wednesday morning, with health professionals carrying out checks on board and at the airport, but no mandatory quarantine was planned. Four passengers who said they felt unwell were taken to hospital on arrival, government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said, but there was no confirmation yet of whether they were infected with the virus. The flight arrived as several countries work to extract their nationals from Wuhan, with an American charter flight also leaving the city on Wednesday, bound for an airport in the Los Angeles area. Takeo Aoyama, a Nippon Steel employee who arrived on the evacuation flight, described confusion in Wuhan, with travel restrictions intended to contain the virus making it hard for those in the epicentre to know what was happening. "The number of patients began increasing rapidly at a certain point. That was very worrying," he told reporters at the airport. "We were not able to move freely, so we only had partial information. The restrictions on the flow of goods and transport were extremely strict," he said. 'VERY ALARMED' He said food was available, but supply was uncertain, with shops selling out on some days. "It wasn't a situation where we couldn't get anything at all. But it wasn't a situation where you could get anything freely, either," Aoyama said. Takayuki Kato, who worked in Wuhan for the firm Intec, said the atmosphere inside the city had changed as the scale of the crisis became clear. "Everyone in the city began wearing masks. On the 23rd, when transport was shut down, I became very alarmed," he said. He said he was careful to wash his hands and rinse out his mouth, and hoped that would be sufficient to keep him healthy. The evacuation had gone smoothly, he said. The flight "was quiet. People were cool-headed". The Japan flight arrived in Wuhan overnight, carrying emergency relief supplies including 15,000 masks, 50,000 pairs of gloves and 8,000 protective glasses, the foreign ministry said. Around four medical officials were also on board to monitor returning passengers and administer health questionnaires. 'SELF-QUARANTINE' All passengers will be tested for the new strain of coronavirus, which has killed more than 130 people and infected thousands. And while there were no plans to confine the arrivals, the evacuees would be asked to remain at home in "self-quarantine" at least until the results of their tests were known, officials said. Those with somewhere to stay in and near Tokyo would be allowed to head there, while those wanting to go further afield would be taken to local hotels initially. Japan's health ministry has so far confirmed seven cases of the virus in the country, including one man who had not travelled to China. The man from the western region of Nara had driven a tour bus with tourists from Wuhan twice in January, the health ministry said. Japan's foreign ministry says around 650 Japanese nationals in the Wuhan area have asked to be repatriated, and local media reported Wednesday that Tokyo was preparing to send a second charter flight, possibly later Wednesday, to collect more people. Chinese authorities said Wednesday that the number of confirmed deaths in the outbreak has risen to 132 nationwide, with the confirmed total of infections now nearly 6,000. More than 50 million people have been locked down in and around Wuhan, the central industrial city where the outbreak first began, in a bid by authorities to stop an infection that has since spread to other cities in China and to other countries. Northern Ireland's health trusts have collected over 15m from hospital car parking charges in a three-year period. The revenue raised almost doubled from 2016/17 to 2018/19, figures show. In some cases, people were fined and even clamped because they had not complied with parking regulations. More than 22,000 penalties were issued for parking offences across the three years. It has led to calls for hospital parking charges to be reviewed. In total, 15,673,977 was raised by all five health trusts from parking charges across Northern Ireland in three years. Over 2.8m of that income related to three trusts who charge staff to park their vehicles. One trust the Belfast Trust received over 3m in car parking fees in 2018/19 alone. Aidan Hanna from campaign group Patient Voice NI said no patient or employee should have to pay to park at a hospital to receive or provide care. This would be a good news story if the Northern Ireland health service ended all car parking charges at our hospitals, he added. SDLP health spokesperson Mark H Durkan stated that the figures were indicative of how finances have been handled across the health service as the trusts are being made to look for ways to raise revenue. Alliance health spokesperson Paula Bradshaw said she was not in favour of car parking charges at hospitals. The figures, which were obtained by the Belfast Telegraph through Freedom of Information requests, revealed: The Belfast Trust made the most from car parking charges (6,349,932), followed by the South Eastern Trust (4,863,858), the Southern Trust (1,818,630), the Western Trust (1,652,557) and the Northern Trust (989,000). The Belfast Trust, South Eastern Trust and Southern Trust charged their staff a total of 2,813,889 for parking. 22,388 parking charge notices were issued in total by the South Eastern Trust, Southern Trust and Western Trust the Belfast Trust did not issue any fines and the Northern Trust did not hold that information. Forty-eight people were clamped for car parking offences across the Southern Trust and the South Eastern Trust. Hospital car parking charges are decided individually by the trusts. In 2008 guidance was published to promote greater consistency between the five trusts, setting out key principles including free parking for cancer patients and relatives who are caring for them. At the time Health Minister Michael McGimpsey said charging was a means of discouraging inappropriate parking by commuters and protecting spaces for patients and hospital staff. However, Ms Bradshaw, a South Belfast MLA, believes that relatives visiting a loved one in hospital are providing comfort, care and practical support and they should not have to pay for parking. There are other potential revenue raising avenues but certainly not through those people who are providing that caring service of lifting the spirits of those in hospital, she said. I am not in favour of the charges but when the health trusts are faced with such financial constraints I suppose they are trying to find ways they can bring in extra income. Referring to parking charges for staff, Ms Bradshaw said workers are under enough pressure due to the lack of pay parity in the health service. It's an extra tax on their wages, she added. I am just very anti-car parking charges in a healthcare setting. Mr Durkan called for a review of parking charges and was disappointed to see that healthcare staff paid over 2.8m in parking fees. Trusts have been made to look for ways to raise revenue, continued the Foyle MLA. They should be allowed to be more focused on carrying out operations rather than carrying on these type of operations. This is one area where they can actually generate revenue but I think it's ridiculous that they have to do that. If you look at the money they raised, and while it sounds like a massive amount of money over three years, in the wider scheme of the health budget it's a drop in the ocean. A significant percentage of that money has come from staff who are not particularly well paid, with many being underpaid, and they're having to pay for parking. Last month the government announced that thousands more NHS patients and visitors will be able to access free hospital car parking in England. From April, all 206 hospitals trusts in England will be expected to begin offering the concession in line with the government's manifesto promise. People with disabilities and NHS staff working night shifts will benefit from the scheme. NHS hospital car parking fees were abolished in Scotland and Wales in 2008, although a small number of hospitals in Scotland still charge as they remain tied in to contracts with private companies that manage their parking facilities. Where youll be charged... and what youll have to pay to park Visitor car parking charges and exemptions per Trust. Belfast Trust Royal Victoria Hospital: 1.60 for up to four hours. Belfast City Hospital: 1.10 for first hour. Mater Hospital: 1 for 24 hours Patients can park for free if receiving treatment for radiotherapy or chemotherapy, and renal dialysis. Next of kin, partners or relatives can also avail of free parking if they are transporting a patient receiving treatment for any of the above. Northern Trust Antrim Area Hospital and Causeway Hospital: 1.30 for up to one hour. Car parking charge exemptions apply for patients/relatives attending the hospital for cancer or renal treatment. Next of kin of those in ICU, seriously sick patients, neonatal patients and the parents or carers of sick children can also park for free. South Eastern Trust Ards Community Hospital: 1.20 for up to one hour. Lagan Valley Hospital: 1.20 for up to one hour. Ulster Hospital: 1.20 for up to one hour. Patients can park for free if they are undergoing renal dialysis, cardiac rehabilitation or are attending the McDermott Unit at the Ulster Hospital. Next of kin, partners or relatives can also avail of free parking if they are transporting a patient receiving treatment for any of the above. Southern Trust Craigavon Area Hospital and Daisy Hill Hospital: 1.20 for up to one hour. Free parking is available for patients undergoing renal dialysis and cancer treatment. Next of kin, partners or relatives are also eligible if transporting the patient. Western Trust Altnagelvin Area Hospital, South West Acute Hospital and Omagh Hospital and Primary Care Complex: 1 for up to one hour. Patients with specific acute conditions, who are required to attend the hospital on a regular basis, shall, during their period of treatment, be entitled to free parking on site. Free car parking will be issued to anyone who meets the eligibility criteria. French English MONTREAL, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CN (TSX: CNR) (NYSE: CNI) CN is pleased to be recognized as one of Montreals Top Employers for 2020 by Canadas Top 100 Employers for the fourth consecutive year. We are delighted to have been selected again for this honour, said Dorothea Klein, Senior Vice-President and Chief Human Resources Officer, who joined CN in December 2019. Having recently moved to Montreal, Im particularly proud of the recognition of CNs headquarters city as well as CNs dedication to its employees and the communities in which they work and live. The Montreal Metropolitan region is home to a large portion of the Companys workforce. More than 3,000 of its employees are based in the area, either at its downtown headquarters or in one of its many operating terminals in the region. Montreal's Top Employers honours local employers who provide excellent work conditions and benefits to their employees. This year's winners were announced on January 30, 2020 in a commemorative magazine published in the Montreal Gazette. CNs online profile details some of the reasons it was chosen as a winner, such as free access to an onsite fitness facility at its headquarters office, an employee share purchase plan, the employee and pensioner-run Community Fund, which has raised more than $17.1 million over 10 years for Canadian charities, as well as the CN Railroaders in the Community program, which provides grants to the non-profit organizations its employees volunteer for. CN was also recently honoured as one of Canadas Top 100 Employers for 2020. Now in its 20th year, the Canadas Top 100 Employers competition evaluates employers across the country that offer exceptional workplaces for their employees. CN is a true backbone of the economy whose team of railroaders transports more than C$250 billion worth of goods annually for a wide range of business sectors, ranging from resource products to manufactured products to consumer goods, across a rail network of approximately 20,000 route-miles spanning Canada and mid-America. CN Canadian National Railway Company, along with its operating railway subsidiaries serves the cities and ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the metropolitan areas of Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary, Chicago, Memphis, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America. For more information about CN, visit the companys website at www.cn.ca . Contacts: Media Investors Jonathan Abecassis Paul Butcher Senior Manager Vice-President Media Relations Investor Relations 514-399-7956 514-399-0052 Kelowna, British Columbia, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- KELOWNAAccelerate Okanagan is thrilled to announce that Arlene Dickinson, star of Dragons Den, will headline as the keynote speaker at the second annual OKGN Angel Summit Finale. On March 12 at the Innovation Centre in Kelowna, the final 6 participating companies will pitch to 35 investors for a chance at a $150K investment. Its Dragons Den meets American Idol (sorry, no Seacrest). While the investors deliberate after the pitches, Dickinson will take to the stage and speak candidly about her entrepreneurial journey and reveal her success formula for starting and growing a business. Dickinson, a legend in the Canadian business world, is the General Partner of District Ventures Capital, a fund focused on helping market, fund and grow entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial companies in the food and health space. Accelerate Okanagans Summit Finale is the culmination of a 10-week program that seeks to train entrepreneurs and new angel investors in the Okanagan and improve access to capital for growing businesses. The 35 participating investors have already evaluated and refined the list from 45 participating companies to the top 24. These 24 companies participated in the quarterfinals last week, where they delivered a 3-minute pitch followed by a 3-minute Q & A. Keep an eye on Accelerate Okanagans blog for updates on the investors progress as they narrow down the list of companies to the final 6 that will participate in the Finale and get a chance a $150K investment. About the OKGN Angel Summit The OKGN Angel Summit is an investor-led program facilitated by Accelerate Okanagan. The program is designed to expose accredited investors to the world of angel investing through a guided, hands-on process where a fund is raised, deals are screened, and an actual investment in a company is made. Participating companies will go through a 10-week series of structured investor meetings including company reviews, founder pitches and due diligence. Culminating in a public pitch event where the finalists make their last pitch, and the winner is awarded the investment fund. About Arlene Arlene Dickinson is the General Partner of District Ventures Capital, a venture capital fund focused on helping market, fund and grow entrepreneurs and their companies, in the food and health space. She is a three-time best-selling author and accomplished public speaker. Dickinson is widely recognized for her role as a Dragon/Venture Capitalist for over 12 seasons on the multi-award-winning television series, Dragons Den. Ms. Dickinsons leadership has been recognized many times, including Canadas Most Powerful Women Top 100 Hall of Fame, the Pinnacle Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence, as well as PROFIT and Chatelaines Top 100 Women Business Owners. She is a Marketing Hall of Legends inductee and a proud recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Award. Dickinson has served for many years as an Honourary Captain in the Royal Canadian Navy. About Accelerate Okanagan Accelerate Okanagans (AO) mission is to give entrepreneurs the mentorship, connections, and community they need to build technology-driven ventures. This is accomplished by leading the development and growth of a strong entrepreneurial, creative, vibrant and engaged technology community and by helping companies accelerate the commercialization of their technology products and services. The end goal is to help businesses grow and create high paying knowledge-based jobs and positive economic and social benefit to the region. To find out more, visit: www.accelerateokanagan.com or www.okgntech.com Quotes: Brea Lake, Accelerate Okanagan CEO Accessing growth capital, securing investment, and generating revenue are issues that entrepreneurs face across the board. For this reason, Accelerate Okanagan is committed to supporting the development of an Okanagan-centric investor base. Over the next 5 years we will be strategically collaborating and building a network capable of unlocking the capital needed to support founders & companies of all types and at every stage of growth. Thuy Tran, Accelerate Okanagan Programs Manager There is so much investment potential right here in our own community, says Tran. The OKGN Angel Summit is a chance for us to connect companies, who are innovating and building the future, with investors passionate about making a difference. Thats how we start changing the world. Thuy Tran, Accelerate Okanagan Programs Manager There is so much value for companies in just going through the process. Even if you dont leave with the big cheque, you are still winning. Over the 10 weeks leading up to the finale, you will gain knowledge around the capital raising process, expand your network, received valuable feedback, and build quality relationships with investors. Drew Shaw, Accelerate Okanagan Mentor and OKGN Angel Summit Lead Investor The Angel Summit is a huge economic benefit to the whole community because it connects entrepreneurs to the capital they need to be successful. In addition to the 150K fund that is created, there are many side deals and investments that happen as a result of the 10-week process. Resources: Media kit: https://www.accelerateokanagan.com/media/ Finale tickets: https://okgnangelsummit2020.eventbrite.ca Top 24: https://www.accelerateokanagan.com/community/blog/blog/okgn-angel-summit-2020-meet-top-24/ Program details: https://OKGNangelsummit.com After updating the Duke 390 and the Duke 250, KTM India is all set to upgrade the Duke 200 and the RC 200. Just a few days ago, we brought to you the first ever images of the all-new KTM Duke 200 with significant styling revision and new color themes. Now, we have gotten our hands on first ever official image of the 2020 KTM RC 200 BS6. On a quick first glance, it would appear that the fully faired compact displacement sportsbike has only received a new colour theme but a closer observation reveals that there is a minor change in the bodywork, on the front fairings side-panels to be more specific. It appears that KTM has modified its exhaust system to make the powertrain compliant with the strict BS6 emission standards. The existing models triangular underbelly exhaust tip which is neatly integrated into the side panel has been done way with in favour of a new unit which looks more like an afterthought. It seems the new unit carries an additional catalytic converter just before the exhaust tip. As a consequence, the bodywork around the exhaust tip has been modified. The new panel also reveals the crankcase fully to promote better cooling. There are no other noticeable design changes on the 2020 model but the new colour theme gives it a much sportier appeal. The new black-orange combo continues to retain KTMs spirit but has significant changes. For starters, the RC branding has moved up where KTM 200 decals used to be and has grown much bigger. The later is relocated to the lower half of the panel. While the tailpiece receives a tinge of orange, the balance is restored by black finished trellis frame members. It also appears that the tread pattern on both front and rear tyres are different, suggesting that a new tyre brand could be on offer. The KTM RC 200 in its current avatar employs a 200 cc liquid-cooled fuel-injected motor which produces a healthy 25 hp and 19.2 Nm of torque. We expect the BS6 avatar to have a marginal drop in the output figures but there shouldnt be any noticeable change in real-world performance. The motorcycle will continue to employ a 6-speed gearbox. The 2020 KTM RC 200 is estimated to get around Rs 10,000 more expensive on the account of emission upgrades. The current motorcycle is priced at INR 1.90 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). Expect the official launch to take place in the coming days. Update Just a few minutes ago, KTM India has officially announced the launch of their entire range of BS6 motorcycles. This includes KTM Duke 125, 200, 250, 390 and RC 125, 200 and 390. Total 7 new motorcycles launched. Here are the official photos, specs and details. On Wednesday, China confirmed that almost 6,000 people have been infected with the new coronavirus scientists are calling 2019-nCoV. The progress of 2019-nCoV, as witnessed via media, feels both scary and familiar. As the 21st century moves forward, and we lose all sense of time and space, one pandemic panic seems to merge into another. (As a reminder, a pandemic is when a new disease strain spreads beyond a local epidemic into a large regional or worldwide event.) Heres a brief timeline of the emerging infectious diseases that have made headlines this centurywith updates on what weve learned since they were the focus of global concern. 200203: SARS: severe acute respiratory syndrome, a serious pneumonia caused by a coronavirus called SARS-CoV What happened: The first casualty of SARS died in Guangdong, China, in November 2002. No drugs were effective against this sickness, which presented as serious pneumonia, and health care workers were especially hard-hit. The World Health Organization believes 8,098 people were eventually infected in 29 countries; the death toll ended up being about 774, with the death rate at about 9 percent to 12 percent of those who were diagnosed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement International cooperation helped send the disease into hiding. After researchers published the genetic code of the virus on the internet, epidemiologists determined that isolation, quarantine, and contact tracing would slow the spread of the diseaseand, because the nature of the virus that causes SARS meant that victims were most contagious late in its course, when they tended to be hospitalized, these old-school public health measures worked. A smaller outbreak in 2004 in China seems to have its origins in people who were working with the virus in a medical lab. The WHO declared SARS contained in 2005. How we responded: SARS set the stage for the 21st-century debate over whether the answer to global pandemic should be the defensive sealing of borders or improvements in international coordination that facilitate better tracking and control of a diseases spread. Advertisement Advertisement In some places, SARS triggered xenophobia and Sinophobia. In North America, newspapers like the New York Post ran China-blaming cartoons. The fact that Chinas government initially suppressed information about the virus added to the climate of blame. In an editorial that ran in March 2003, the Wall Street Journal called for the rest of the world to suspend all travel links with China until it has implemented a transparent public health campaigna way for the rest of the world to force China to act responsibly. In Canada, where 43 people died, Asian Canadians reported racist comments and loss of business due to SARS panic. Advertisement What weve learned since then: In 2006, scientists published research arguing that civet cats they had examined carried a virus with the same genetic profile as the one found in human victims. (Civet cats were sold for meat in the area where SARS emerged.) Researchers confirmed in 2017 that a colony of horseshoe bats in Yunnan province may have been the originators of the virus, with civet cats merely acting as the intermediary between bats and humans. Experts hailed the discovery with hopes that a vaccine might emergeas yet, it has not. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SARS also lives on in labsincluding in the Institut Pasteur, in Paris, which famously lost track of more than 2,000 vials containing the virus in 2014. 200307: H5N1, or bird flu What happened: This flu strain, first isolated in Guangdong Province, China, in 1996, was confirmed present in a human patient in 1997 in Hong Kong. Starting in late 2003, Korea, China, Thailand, and Vietnam reported a stream of new H5N1 cases in animalsincluding, most dramatically, in zoo tigers that had been fed on infected chickensand, then, fatalities among humans. Migratory birds brought H5N1 across borders, and birds both domesticated and wild could carry it. This flu could pass from person to person, but did so less frequently than some other strains; mortality rates, on the other hand, were high with 6 out of every 10 people known to have been infected dying from H5N1a total of about 300 global deaths. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But soon, reported infections slowed to a trickle, and the last confirmed human infection was detected in February 2017. How we responded: With terror. Times Feb. 9, 2004, issue featured an egg with a beak breaking through it, and a coverline asking: Is Asia hatching the next human pandemic? This cover must have sold well, because the magazines Oct. 17, 2005, edition featured a humble white chicken topped by a yellow headline: DEATH THREAT. The bird flu also fascinated journalists and science writers. Geographer and journalist Mike Davis published a book in 2005 that warned of a total apocalypse: The Monster at Our Door. What we learned: This outbreak impressed upon us the importance of the anti-viral oseltamivir (Tamiflu), which had been successfully used to treat patients with H5N1. Several governments began stockpiles. On Nov. 1, 2005, George W. Bush asked Congress to fund Americas stash of Tamiflu and Relenza with a budget of $1 billion. The pandemic also prompted additions to research budgets for flu-related projects. Advertisement Advertisement In a 2019 piece about the legacy of H5N1, Stats Helen Branswell wrote that the reasons for the dissipation of this strain arent completely understood. H5N1 may have simply mutated into other bird flu viruses that are highly pathogenic to both wild and domestic avian populations, but less dangerous to humansfor now. In 2015, the American poultry industry suffered through an outbreak of H5N8 and H5N2 in large chicken flocks in the Midwest; this outbreak, which the USDA linked to migration routes, did not cross over to humans. As recently as November 2019, crows that died en masse in India tested positive for H5N1. 2009: Swine flu, caused by the H1N1 virus Advertisement Advertisement What happened: Within one week in mid-April 2009, a 10-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl in Southern California, both of whom came down sick with the flu, tested positive for a new strainH1N1. On April 24 of that year, the WHO announced that in March and April, Mexico had reported about 900 cases suspected to have been caused by the same strain, with 60 suspected deaths. The WHO officially declared a pandemic on June 11. By June of that summer, all 50 American states had reported cases, and more than 30 summer camps reported outbreaks. The flu receded as the summer wore on, then had a second wave in the fall of that year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Finally, in August 2010, the WHO declared the end of the pandemic. Eventually, researchers estimated that at least 300,000 people died (though estimates are necessarily fudgy). Unlike with a more typical seasonal flu, elderly people were less likely to fall sick, because of immunity that derived from a flu strain that circulated in the middle of the 20th century. How we responded: For this outbreak, we were primed to panic, maybe because of the precedent of SARS and bird flu. Egypt ordered 300,000 pigs killed. At the height of the outbreak, in the summer of 2009, the emergency room at St. Lukes, in New York City, saw double the usual number of patientsmost of them didnt have the flu but were just scared they had it. Colleges canceled summer programs in Mexico; scammers sold shampoos and hand sprays supposed to protect against swine flu; members of Congress pressed the administration to seal the border with Mexico, against the CDCs advice. The American government went all-in on vaccination and stockpiled anti-virals, despite growing skepticism among scientists about the effectiveness of those measures. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What we learned: This pandemic has turned out to be much more fortunate than what we feared a little over a year ago, Margaret Chan of the WHO said in a statement on Aug. 10, 2010. We have been aided by pure good luck. The virus did not mutate during the pandemic to a more lethal form, widespread resistance to oseltamivir did not develop, and the vaccine worked well. The relative mildness of swine flu, after so much buildup, triggered some suspicion. European countries, especially, felt deflated, having spent money on vaccine stockpiles. In June 2010, a joint investigation by the British Medical Journal and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism concluded that the WHO had taken advice from scientists in the course of its pandemic planning who were also being paid by pharmaceutical companies that produced vaccines and anti-virals. Responding to this investigation, the WHO convened an external Review Committee, whose proceedings were to be made open to the public. Advertisement Advertisement The committee recommended that in future, the WHO should increase transparency around its decision-making process, but found that there wasnt any improper influence exercised in this instance. But, for those media consumers who heard about the accusation but not the exoneration, this affair certainly cant have boosted their trust in international public health authorities. 2011: Contagion What happened: Steven Soderbergh spun the previous decades pandemic fears into a dark drama with a star-studded ensemble cast, featuring Gwyneth Paltrow as a businesswoman who brings a deadly virus home from a trip to Hong Kong, and Kate Winslet as a scientist who races to figure out what happened. How we responded: Clearly, Paltrows grim hospital-bed scenes struck a nerve. The film grossed more than $136 million worldwide. Advertisement What we learned: Although the movie was sophisticated in its representation of epidemiology, and featured a biting portrait of a fraudulent wellness guru (Jude Law) making bank off fake cures, we seem to have learned little about consuming pandemic-related information critically, since people are currently circulating misinformation about the latest coronavirus. 2012present: MERS: Middle East respiratory syndrome, caused by a coronavirus called Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, or MERS-CoV Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What happened: MERS-CoV was first identified in a patient in Saudi Arabia in 2012. As with SARS, the disease looks like severe pneumonia; with MERS, patients also have gastrointestinal symptoms, and sometimes experience kidney failure. Since 2012, 27 countries have reported cases, with 2,494 people confirmed infected and 858 dead, mostly in Saudi Arabia. All cases of MERS, the CDC stipulates, have been linked back to people who live in or have traveled to the Arabian Peninsula. The WHO reports that about 35 percent of MERS-infected people have died, with health care workers at highest riskthough, since MERS can also result in such mild symptoms that a person may have it without knowing it, that death rate is almost certainly inflated. Advertisement In 2017, the WHO put SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV on its Priority Pathogen list, hoping to spur further research into coronaviruses. How we responded: The WHO called an outbreak at a hospital in Seoul, South Korea, in 2015a patient who had recently returned from the Middle East with what turned out to be MERS was left in an emergency room and a hallway for three daysa wake-up call for hospitals trying to manage emerging infectious diseases. As the outbreak in Seoul was at its height in the spring of 2015, the government quarantined almost 17,000 people, and foreign tourists shunned the city. That outbreak in Korea eventually killed 36. Advertisement What we learned: Dromedaries, researchers believe, play a major role in the spread of MERS-CoV and have likely transmitted the infection to humans. Scientists have tested other animalsgoats, cows, sheep, pigs, birdsfor MERS-CoV and havent found it. Although we dont know the whole story, MERS-CoV seems to have first originated in bats, with camels serving as intermediaries between bats and humans, much as civets did in the case of SARS. MERS-CoV can be transmitted not only by the eating of camel meat, or the drinking of camel milk without proper pasteurization, but also by simple proximity between camels and humans. 201316: Ebola What happened: Over the course of 2 years, this outbreak of the Ebola virus caused 28,600 recognized cases and 11,325 deaths, mostly in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. For the first time, the outbreak spread from small towns to urban centers, and public health officials feared a more widespread epidemic. Advertisement Advertisement How we responded: Compared to the strange new flus and coronaviruses of the previous 10 years, Ebola, which had been on American radars since the mid-1990s thanks to Dustin Hoffman and Richard Preston, seemed almost familiar. And very few Americans were ever infected by, or killed by, this outbreak. But that didnt stop Americans from ranking Ebola the third-most-urgent health problem in the country in November 2014, according to one poll. Donald Trump, as always, proved helpful in soothing the public, tweeting: Ebola is much easier to transmit than the CDC and government officials are admitting. Spreading all over Africaand fast. Advertisement Advertisement What we learned: In 2014, a wildlife epidemiologist working with a team investigating the origins of the outbreak theorized that the first victim, a 2-year-old boy named Emile who lived in Meliandou, Guinea, may have gotten the disease after playing in a hollow tree where bats also roosted. The discovery underlined the fact that consumption of bush meatoften used by racists as a reason to blame Africans for their own sufferingisnt the only way outbreaks begin. Advertisement The high mortality of health care workers, and the strain on the health care system in affected countries particularly, alarmed public health officials. Modeling effects of the outbreak on mortality from other endemic diseases, public health researchers estimated in a 2016 paper that this Ebola outbreak might result in a significant exacerbation of mortality rates from tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and malaria. In August 2018, the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of Congo notified the world of a new outbreak of Ebola. This new outbreak, unconnected to the one that ended in 2016, was to go on to become the second-worst epidemic of Ebola on record. 201516: Zika, transmitted by ZIKV (the Zika virus) What happened: ZIKV, a virus spread by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, was first discovered in 1947, but commanded media attention when a significant series of outbreaks began in 2015 in Brazil. ZIKV barely registers with an adult, but can cause stillbirth, preterm birth, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and something researchers call congenital Zika syndrome in infants whose mothers are infected by mosquito or via sexual transmission. Conditions that make up CZS include microcephalyprobably the most well-known consequence of maternal ZIKV infectionas well as impaired vision and hearing, mental disabilities, and shortened limbs. The 201617 outbreak caused more than half a million suspected cases in the Americas, resulting in 3,720 confirmed cases of CZS in affected children. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The WHO ended the epidemics emergency status in November 2016. The incidence of cases has declined since then, the WHO reports. In 2018 and 2019, according to the CDC, there were zero cases of local mosquito-borne Zika transmission in the continental United States. We may have evolved herd immunity that protects against the Zika that scared us in 2016, but theres always a threat that the virus may reemerge, as children who havent been exposed grow up without immunity. How we responded: In the United States, people delayed vacations and called for the cancellation of the Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Surveyed by the New York Times in early 2017, global health experts critiqued Congress for delaying its funding for Zika response for months at the height of the crisis, slammed cities (besides Miami!) for failing to apply themselves to mosquito control, and argued that officials warnings had the effect of protecting wealthier Northern tourists, while leaving poverty-stricken Southerners unprotected by failing to inform them they might want to delay pregnancy. Touchy politics around reproduction, these experts argued, got in the way of risk communication. Advertisement What we learned: ZIKV, scientists have since found, has two major lineages, Asiana strain of which caused the epidemic in the Americas in 201516and African. Apparently, ZIKV has been present in Africa for decades, but we dont yet know what effect the African strain has on birth outcomes. Another open question has to do with effects of CZV that dont show up as something obvious like microcephaly. Subtler neurological problems may still manifest in babies exposed to Zika, and scientists are conducting long-term studies to assess how this works. As of 2019, 18 vaccine candidates for Zika were in the development pipeline. Read more of Slates coverage of coronavirus 2019-nCoV. France confirms fifth case of coronavirus The virus has killed more than 130 people and sickened more than 6,000, the vast majority of them in China. France has confirmed a fifth case of infection by the new coronavirus from China, the French health minister said on Wednesday, adding the patient was the daughter of an 80-year-old man already hospitalized with the disease. TWO ARE UNDER SURVEILLANCE Agnes Buzyn also said the first flight, which will later repatriate French nationals from the Chinese town of Wuhan - the epicenter of the virus - would depart France for China later on Wednesday, with a second flight to follow on Thursday or Friday. France confirmed its first three cases of the Wuhan coronavirus on Friday, and a fourth case on Tuesday. We now have five cases, out of which two are under surveillance, Buzyn said at a press conference. Former Saratoga mayor Stan Bogosian endorses Rishi Kumar. "Rishi gets things done. While serving on the Saratoga City Council, Rishi successfully led the effort to stop repeated attempts by the San Jose Water Company to impose predatory rate increases. He will apply the same tenacity to rein in the outrageous price increases of Big Pharma. Unlike his opponent Anna Eshoo, Rishi does NOT accept contributions from Big Pharma or any other Special Interest Groups." Here's what people have said about Anna Eshoo : "Rep. Anna Eshoo, House Health Subcommittee Chair, has taken more pharmaceutical money than any other representative. She has sponsored legislation backed by the pharmaceutical interests funding her campaigns...(Eshoo has given) pharmaceutical companies 12-year exclusivity periods for biologic drugs, beyond the length of their patents, to protect them from competition by the generic drug industry."-- Donald Shaw, Money-in-politics reporter, co-founder of Sludge Magazine "Does it make sense (for Eshoo) to support a bill that sustains high drug prices, stifles innovation, and reduces our patients' access to life saving drugs?"-- The Mercury News (op-ed) "A scathing report by the Federal Trade Commission warned that the Eshoo legislation would ensure sky-high drug prices and stifle innovation on the most promising frontier of medical research."-- The San Francisco Chronicle "Anna Eshoo's record on drug prices is terrible, and the reason why is obvious. She's taken enormous sums of money from drug corporations, and she does their bidding in Washington. Eshoo's name has for years been conspicuously absent from important pieces of legislation that could lower drug prices." -- David Mitchell, founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Action Rishi Kumar will never accept PAC money or Special Interest Group money. *Rishi Kumar, a progressive capitalist, is running for U.S Congress from Silicon Valley CA-18, challenging Rep. Anna Eshoo in the March 3rd, 2020 open top-2 primary election. Rishi is a hi-tech executive, councilmember of Saratoga, CA, and executive board member of the California Democratic Party (AD28). SOURCE Rishi Kumar for Congress 2020 Related Links www.rishikumar.com Impose travel ban for visitors from Wuhan, China, Hong Kong: Pangilinan The confirmed case of the deadly novel coronavirus 2019 (2019- nCoV) should prompt the government to suspend all visa issuances to visitors from Wuhan and other areas in China where the disease has spread, Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan said Thursday. "Unahin ang kapakanan at kaligtasan ng mamamayang Pilipino. Magsagawa na ng massive information drive kung paano ito maiiwasan at paano magpapagaling ang nahawahan. Mag setup ng mga hotline at emergency unit na magsasagawa ng mga quarantine at iba pang mga aksyon para maiwasan ang pagkalat ng sakit," he said. Soon after news broke about the possible pandemic from the disease early this week, Pangilinan has repeatedly called on the government to impose a travel ban to visitors from where the disease has started and already spread. He pointed out the unequal treatment for Filipino and Chinese travelers, noting that the Department of Health said it would quarantine Filipinos returning from China. As of 28 January 2020, even Chinese authorities have suspended air and rail travel in the area around Wuhan and have since expanded the travel ban to 16 surrounding cities with a combined population of more than 50 million people. And aside from China, Malaysia has suspended the issuance of visas for Chinese citizens from Wuhan and the areas around Hubei province to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus 2019 (2019-nCoV). The US State Department, for its part, has issued a travel advisory to "reconsider travel to China due to novel coronavirus," while the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued warnings Level 3 (avoid all nonessential travel to China) and Level 4 (do not travel to Hubei province, China). "Kailangan nating pangalagaan ang mga kapwa Pilipino. Hindi biro ang sakit na ito. At hindi rin biro ang magkasakit sa Pilipinas," Pangilinan said. State Auto Property and Casualty Insurance Co. is liable for the cost of replacing a computer server that was damaged and perhaps permanently compromised by a ransomware attack despite the carriers argument that the business owner did not suffer a direct physical loss, a federal judge in Maryland ruled. State Auto denied a claim filed by National Ink & Stitch, a screen printing and embroidery business, for the cost of replacing its computer system after suffering a ransomware attack in December 2016. State Auto argued the business did not suffer a direct physical loss of or damage to the computer system. National Ink filed suit and filed a motion asking the court to issue summary judgment in its favor. U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher granted that motion on Thursday. Gallaghers written opinion notes that National Ink paid the Bitcoin demanded by the hackers who implanted ransomware on its computer system, but the system moved more slowly afterward because of new protective measures that were put in place. Also, the art files that had been stored on the server could not be assessed. Computer experts testified that there were likely dormant remnants of the ransomware virus in the system. National Inks only options were to wipe the entire system and reinstall the software and data or purchase a new server and components, according to the opinion. The State Auto businessowners policy included electronic media and records (including software) as covered items. State Farm argued that it was not liable because the company lost only data, which is an intangible asset; it could still use the computer system to operate its business. National Ink countered that its businessowners policy contemplates computer data and software to be subject to direct physical loss under the terms of the policy. Judge Gallagher said while Maryland courts have not addressed the question of whether data or software can be susceptible to physical loss or damage, other courts have addressed the question. The Texas Court of Appeal, in Lambrecht & Assocs. Inc. v. State Farm Lloyds, ruled in 2003 that the insurer was liable for the cost of replace a computer server that had been infected with a virus. The court reasoned that the server falls within the definition of electronic media and records as defined in the policy, according to Gallaghers opinion. The U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals also addressed the question in 2003, in a case titled NMS Servs. Inc. v. The Hartford. A former employee had erased computer files that were essential for the operation of the companys sales, manufacturing and administrative system. The 4th Circuit found that NMS policy covered resulting losses because the company has suffered a direct physical loss as defined in the policy. Indeed, a computer stores information by the rearrangement of the atoms or molecules of a disc or tape to effect the formation of a particular order of magnetic impulses, and a meaningful sequence of magnetic impulses cannot float in space, the opinion states, citing the 4th Circuits ruling. Gallagher found that National Inks policy did not require a total loss of function of the computer system to merit coverage. Because the plain language of the policy provides coverage for such losses and damage, summary judgment will be granted in favor of plaintiffs interpretation of the policy terms, the judge concluded. Topics Cyber Legislation Profit Loss A.J. Gallagher Elizabeth Warren wants to jail fellow Democrats who spread the Russia collusion hoax and, more recently, the Ukraine impeachment fraud. That, at least, is how I read her latest proposal: Elizabeth Warren proposes criminal penalties for spreading voting disinformation online. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday released a plan to fight disinformation and to hold tech companies accountable for their actions in light of the 2016 election. *** Warren proposed to combat disinformation by holding big tech companies like Facebook, Twitter and Google responsible for spreading misinformation designed to suppress voters from turning out. I will push for new laws that impose tough civil and criminal penalties for knowingly disseminating this kind of information, which has the explicit purpose of undermining the basic right to vote, Warren said in a release. I assume she refers to Democrats who spread the ridiculous Russia collusion hoax, which was implausible on its face, in an effort to discourage Republican voters from turning out and to dissuade other voters from voting for Donald Trump. As to 2020, the most obvious targets of her proposed statute would be the Democrats who smeared President Trump on the basis of the Ukraine fraud. I think that for once, Warren has a point. During his second term, President Trump and Attorney General Barr should look into criminal charges against Adam Schiff, Jerry Nadler, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and many more who spread disinformation online in an effort to influence election results by discouraging Republicans and others from turning out and voting for Donald Trump. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-31 00:22:52|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- In recent days, many leaders of various countries and international organizations have spoken positively of and supported China's efforts to battle the novel coronavirus outbreak through letters and other means. First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba Raul Castro Ruz and Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said that the rapid and vigorous measures taken by China have given them full confidence in the ability and wisdom of their Chinese friends. They expressed their belief that with its rich experience, China will overcome the epidemic, adding that Cuba stands ready to provide all assistance within its capacity to their Chinese brothers. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said that the Vietnamese people are very concerned about the present challenges confronting the Chinese people and share their feelings, adding that the great efforts made by the leaders of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the government as well as the Chinese people to fight against the epidemic, and the spirit of international cooperation have contributed to protecting the health of people in the region and around the world. He believed that under the wise leadership of the CPC and with its experience in fighting Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), China will secure an early victory against the epidemic. Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said that Cambodian students and diplomats studying and working in China should remain calm, and the Cambodian people will work with the Chinese people to overcome the epidemic and weather the hard times together, adding that a friend in need is a friend indeed. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said that the strong measures taken by China have fully demonstrated the determination and confidence of the Chinese government in preventing and controlling the epidemic. Sri Lankan Prime Minster Mahinda Rajapaksa commended China for helping Sri Lankan students in Wuhan during difficult times, adding that Sri Lanka will work with China to deal with the epidemic. South Korean President Moon Jae-in spoke positively of the Chinese government's efforts to deal with the epidemic and expressed his belief that the epidemic will be brought under control at an early date, adding that South Korea stands ready to do its best to support and cooperate with China. U.S. President Donald Trump said that the United States appreciates China's efforts and transparency in preventing and controlling the epidemic, adding that the U.S. side is in close communication with China on the issue and is willing to provide necessary assistance. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison highly commended the measures taken by the Chinese government to combat the epidemic, adding that Australia looks forward to strengthening cooperation with China in this regard to jointly tackle the epidemic. Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno spoke highly of the Chinese government's timely and proactive measures and transparency in controlling the epidemic. He thanked China for helping Ecuadorian citizens in China and said that all Ecuadorian people hope the epidemic will subside soon. Other leaders, including Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Comorian President Azali Assoumani, President of Senegal Macky Sall, President of Central Africa Republic Faustin-Archange Touadera, and Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Keith Christopher Rowley, praised China's efficient and effective measures to prevent and control the epidemic, and believed that the great Chinese people are fully capable of overcoming it. United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the United Nations stands firmly with the Chinese government and people, has full confidence in China's ability to prevent and control the outbreak, and is willing to provide China with all possible support and assistance. World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that China's approach reflects openness, transparency and international cooperation. Noting that the Chinese government is doing its best every day to protect the Chinese people not only for its own sake but also for the world's, he said that China deserves the international community's gratitude and respect. He added that China needs the world's solidarity and support. By IANS MUMBAI: The Shiv Sena expressed concern here on Thursday over the increasing separatist tendencies in the youth that threaten to push the country into a never-ending turmoil like in Iraq or Afghanistan. In a veiled attack on the Centre, it sought to know why in the past five years such talks of 'breaking up' the country have increased, why highly educated persons are speaking in a 'separatist language', including Sharjeel Imam -- an IIT-Bombay graduate pursuing his doctorate from the JNU -- and "who is poisoning their minds?" "It's not a question of one Sharjeel or another Kanhaiya Kumar, but the whole trend of pushing the youth towards separatism. In Maharashtra, well-known intellectuals and activists have been slapped with sedition charges. The country's social and religious unity is practically finished," the party said in twin edits in 'Saamana' and 'Dopahar Ka Saamana'. READ| Sharjeel Imam's words more dangerous than Kanhaiya Kumar's: Amit Shah It warned that efforts were being made to further divide the Hindus and Muslims, and plunge the nation into a never-ending civil turmoil like Afghanistan, Iraq, etc. The Sena said that ideas like 'National Solidarity' were being destroyed in the experiments conducted in 'political laboratories' and it seems that if such dangerous activities continue, the future will be over now itself. Slamming JNU student-activist Sharjeel as a 'separatist snake', the Sena said his statements have served to malign the ongoing countrywide agitations against the CAA-NRC-NPR. "There are anti-CAA agitations around the country, but nowhere has anybody made anti-national statements. This snake called Sharjeel Imam's inflammatory, anti-national and treacherous statements have defamed the entire movement", the Shiv Sena said. Taking umbrage at Sharjeel's alleged statements that "if the Muslims unite, they could cut off the Chicken Neck and separate the entire Northeast and Assam from India, the Sena said: "His (Sharjeel's) hand should be chopped off and hung on the Chicken Neck highway." It added that the Chicken Neck refers to a 22-km wide strip of land that links India and the Northeast states and by his utterances, Sharjeel has shamed all the Muslims in the country. The Sena rued that these statements made before students of the Aligarh Muslim University and the crowds at Shaheen Bagh have given the Bharatiya Janata Party a 'ready-made' issue to exploit in the ongoing Delhi Assembly elections. "His statements amount to separatism and treason. They have been condemned by the anti-CAA activists all over India. The 'bhakts' should stop gloating that they have done something great by arresting Sharjeel since any other government would also have done it," said the edit. Supporting Union Home Minister Amit Shah's response in the matter, the Sena said instead of playing politics in this matter, it should destroy such 'insects'. "Yes 'Urban Naxalites' exist", and if highly educated people are being poisoned politically to spread terror, what else can be expected. One Sharjeel has been arrested, but what's the guarantee that more won't crop up? That's the government's responsibility," the edit concluded. BATON ROUGE, La., Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Its been 51 years since the brown pelican was reintroduced to Louisiana after the species completely disappeared from the state due to pesticide use in the 1960s. Since then, it has thrived on Queen Bess Island, making it the third largest brown pelican rookery in Louisiana. Another battle looms, however. Over the years, Queen Bess Island has sunk and eroded into the Gulf of Mexico, leaving less than five acres of suitable land for the pelicans to nest. Racing against the clock, researchers like LSU Biological Engineering alumna Amanda Phillips are working to restore the islands nesting area to its once-vast size, giving the state bird another chance to prosper. This project is different than others, said Phillips, a coastal engineer for Fenstermaker in New Orleans. In many respects, a lot of the projects that have been constructed over the years have been general sense-type projects. A marsh project will restore habitat but its really just filling in the holes that have developed over the years. But with this project, you had something to identify withpelican and tern habitat. Its tangible. Queen Bess Island, a patch of land about two miles north of Grand Isle in Barataria Bay, is the site for 15%-20% of the states brown pelican nesting activity. The island is also home to 60 other bird species, such as egrets, herons, terns, gulls, roseate spoonbills, ibis, and others. During breeding season, a few thousand pelicans crowd onto five acres of land surrounded by rock barriers that were installed in the 1990s. The goal of the restoration project, which Phillips has been working on since 2017, is to provide a quality habitat for these birds to nest. Working alongside the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and the U.S. Departments of Fish and Wildlife Services, Phillips researched the best way to restore and design the island in a small amount of time. The Queen Bess Island project is one of the fastest moving restoration projects the state has seen. There is only a window of six months to complete the project during the non-nesting season in order for the birds to be able to lay eggs in the spring. Mother Nature doesnt wait and neither do these researchers. One of the nuisances of this project is they did not want any construction occurring when the birds show up to nest, Phillips said. Pelicans tend to nest where they were born. There could be large ramifications if their nesting were affected. Wildlife and Fisheries really wanted the construction to happen after nesting season, which is after Sept. 15 and before nesting season starts on March 15. As soon as the project was approved in March 2019, a contract was awarded by June and on Aug. 1, the contractor was able to take plant samples and start growing them in a greenhouse to later replant on Queen Bess Island. It ended up going very smoothly and worked out well, which is a testament to all the people involved and knowing this project was so critical, Phillips said. When Wildlife and Fisheries gave the go-ahead to get out there as soon as the birds left, they were out there slinging sand as soon as possible. Now in its final stages, the Queen Bess Island project will provide 30 acres of restored brown pelican and wading bird habitat, along with seven acres of nesting tern and black skimmer habitat. In order to increase the island to 37 acres, sediment had to be dredged from the Mississippi River near Belle Chase and then barged to the site. The sand was then poured to help elevate the island. Contractors sloped the island from the highest elevation at the southwest end and the lowest at the northeast end. The project will make marsh habitat accessible for fish and protect it with a breakwater to reduce wave and tidal erosion. A row of breakwaters on the south side of the island will also give young birds a safe, calm area for swimming with easy access to the water. Limestone will cover about one-third of the island to provide habitat for other bird species looking for beachfront property. Its not a very large island but it is isolated, so there arent any predators on it, Phillips said. Its very safe and thats what makes it special. Having scientists in the room who have studied, lived and breathed these birds and what they eat gave me and our team feedback that led to constructive solutions. With the exception of the habitat for terns and skimmers that prefer barren ground, most areas of the island will be planted with native vegetation like marsh elder, matrimony vine, and black mangroves, which pelicans prefer to nest in. The restoration is expected to last at least 20 years, with money set aside for necessary upgrades. The $18.7 million project comes nearly 10 years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and is part of the billion-dollar settlement from British Petroleum. Its also part of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment. There are three big pots of money with three affected statesLouisiana, Texas and Floridahaving access to these pots, Phillips said. The projects that were proposed by each state are being funded by these imposed fines on BP. The construction part of the restoration project was $10 million, the design was $1.5-$2 million and the remaining funding will go toward future maintenance. When all is said and done, Phillips and all of the researchers on the Queen Bess Island project will have had a hand in saving Louisianas state bird. We all recognize this to be an ongoing issue and we were able to bring our various skills to the table and develop a project that we are all proud of, Phillips said. Weve painted this big picture and were about to see what the birds think of it. Not only will the project help the pelicans, but Phillips hopes it will also inspire people in her line of work. It makes me beam every time I talk about this project because it has such a potential positive, she said. It may help people have a better understanding of what coastal restoration and engineering is all about. Like us on Facebook (@lsuengineering) or follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@lsuengineering). Attachments The World Health Organization (WHO) meets today to discuss whether or not the virus represents a "global health crisis". In these hours, the voluntary evacuations of hundreds of foreign citizens residing in the epicenter of the emergency are underway. Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The death toll of the virus identified as "2019-nCoV" in China has risen to 170, while 7,711 people who have contracted pneumonia. The last 38 deaths since yesterday mark the biggest jump in one day. This is what emerges from the latest data of the National Health Commission. With a confirmed case of contagion in Tibet, the virus has now spread to all regions of the country. The outbreak has reached at least 16 other nations. The World Health Organization (WHO) meets today to discuss whether or not the virus represents a "global health crisis". Voluntary evacuations of hundreds of foreign citizens residing in Wuhan - the capital of the Chinese province of Hubei and the epicenter of the emergency - are underway . Two flights to Japan have already landed at Tokyo's Haneda airport and passengers are being screened at medical institutions. So far, three have tested positive for the virus, according to Japanese media reports. About 200 U.S. citizens have been taken away from Wuhan and are now being monitored in the US. A group of Singaporean citizens have already been repatriated, while people from Wuhan stuck in Singapore due to flight cancellations have been brought back to China. Flights to bring British and South Korean citizens out of Wuhan were both delayed after the Chinese authorities failed to issue relevant authorizations. According to the UK government, arriving passengers must be placed in "supported isolation" for 14 days with "all necessary medical assistance". Australia plans to quarantine its citizens on Christmas Island, 2,000 km from the mainland. Two planes are expected to bring European Union (EU) citizens home, with 250 French nationals departing on the first flight. Canada, the Philippines and Malaysia have also announced plans to move their citizens out of Wuhan. A growing number of countries are advising their citizens to avoid all unnecessary travel to China. Nnamdi Kanu Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, has denied striking a deal with the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government. Kanu said he would never collect bribe from the federal government, especially now that his parents are dead. The IPOB leader was accused of striking a deal and collecting money from the Federal Government, ahead of the burial of his parents. Kanus parents, late HRH Eze Israel Okwu Kanu and his wife late Ugoeze Sally Nmeme Okwu-Kanu will be buried on Friday, February 14, 2020. The IPOB leader had in 2017 eloped from Nigeria following soldiers invasion of his home in Afara-Ukwu, Umuahia, Abia State. Following his disappearance and eventual reemergence in Israel, the IPOB leader was accused of taking bribes from the Nigerian government to ensure his release from prison. However, Kanu in his latest broadcast on Radio Biafra denied the allegation, saying he would never collect bribe from Buharis government especially not now that his parents are dead. I never took money from the zoo when I was in prison, is it now that they killed my parents that I will do so? Kanu said. A joint motion, tabled by Members of the European Parliament against India's Citizenship Amendment Act, with an expected vote on the motion on Thursday postponed until March. London: A joint motion, combining five different resolutions tabled by Members of the European Parliament against India's Citizenship Amendment Act, was debated at the Plenary session in Brussels, with an expected vote on the motion on Thursday postponed until March. The debate opened with a statement by Helena Dalli, the Vice-President of the European Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who spoke strongly in favour of the "rich, frank and open" relationship the European Union (EU) shares with India. She highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Brussels in March for the 15th India-EU Summit. "We believe that it is the role of the Supreme Court of India to assess the compliance of the law with the Constitution and we are confident that the ongoing judicial process will contribute to appeasing the tensions and violence witnessed over the past weeks in the country," said Dalli, who concluded the debate with a message to "pursue and intensify" dialogue with India as a "respected democracy" and valued EU partner. Two Indian-origin MEPs, Dinesh Dhamija and Neena Gill, were among a host of members who spoke up in India's favour to point out elements of "disinformation" around the CAA and the NRC within the parliamentary motion. Thierry Mariani, a French MEP, alluded to the "hand of Pakistan" in the motion being tabled, while others condemned it as meddling in another country's internal affairs. Pakistan-origin MEP Shaffaq Mohammed and others such as S&D's John Howarth and VERTS/ALE's Scott Ainslie described the CAA as a "highly discriminatory" legislation and alleged that the EU had crumbled in the face of India's diplomatic lobby and prioritised trade and business interests over human rights concerns by postponing a vote on the motion. "The only lobby that has won today is that of common sense and respect," countered ECR's Polish MEP Ryszard Czarnecki. Earlier, the European Parliament had announced that the vote on the motion would be postponed to the Plenary session in March. "Following a decision by MEPs at the opening of Wednesday Plenary session in Brussels, the vote on the resolution on India's Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) 2019 has been postponed to the March session, said a statement from the European Parliament. One of the groups behind the motion, the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament (S&D), said the reason for the postponement was because the CAA was undergoing a legal process in India. "As the Supreme Court in India will rule in the coming days linked to this issue and, as such, the law may be adapted, it was considered better to vote on the resolution in the European Parliament when there is full clarity on the situation," a spokesperson said. However, another group GUE/NGL, objected to the postponement, saying they "disagreed" with the delay. Meanwhile, the government sources in Delhi claimed a diplomatic victory over the vote delay and said friends of India prevailed over those of Pakistan in the European Parliament. "Strenuous efforts of outgoing British MEP Shaffaq Mohammad to have a resolution passed by the European Parliament against India on the penultimate day before Brexit were defeated," a source said. The motion takes note of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) statement last month, which described the CAA as "fundamentally discriminatory in nature", and also of other UN as well as the European Union (EU) guidelines on human rights as it calls on the Indian government to "repeal the discriminatory amendments". The debate on CAA on Wednesday followed the European Parliament's historic ratification of the Brexit bill, under which the UK is set to formally leave the economic bloc on Friday. "While the CAA's stated goal of protecting persecuted groups is welcome, an effective national asylum and refugee policy should be just and holistic in nature and apply to all those in need," notes the motion, which describes the CAA as "discriminatory in nature and dangerously divisive". The Indian government has maintained that the CAA, which was passed by the Indian Parliament last month, is an internal matter of the country and stressed that the goal is to protect the oppressed minorities of neighbouring countries. It has been extremely critical of the move in Brussels, which the European Commission the executive arm of the economic bloc has sought to distance itself from. "As members of Inter Parliamentary Union, we should respect sovereign processes of fellow legislatures, especially in democracies," Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday wrote to European Parliament President David Maria Sassoli. The European Parliament motion is critical of any protection being denied to Muslims and that even though India also shares a border with Bhutan, Burma, Nepal and Sri Lanka, the CAA does not bring Sri Lankan Tamils under its purview, who form the largest refugee group in India and who have been resident in the country for over 30 years. "Amnesty International India has pointed out that the CAA does not bring under its purview other persecuted minorities, including Muslim populations such as the Rohingya in Burma, Ahmadis in Pakistan, Hazaras in Afghanistan and Bihari Muslims in Bangladesh," it notes. The Way of the Spirit is starting the New Year with a meeting in Poringland to explore the Book of Nehemiah. The Way of the Spirit is starting the New Year with a meeting in Poringland to explore the Book of Nehemiah. House of Genesis needs part-time support worker The House of Genesis is seeking a part-time (20 hours per week) Support Worker to contribute to the day-to-day running of the charity, which provides accommodation to homeless adult men in Norwich. Read more Church marriage open to all? Regular contributor Philip Young shares with us his personal view on whether churches should marry same-sex couples. Read more Christian retreat centre has new Chair of Trustees Paul Dunning has recently been appointed as Chair of Trustees of the Quiet Waters Christian Retreat Centre. He explains how he got involved and how others can do the same. Read more Magdalene Group: Women's Specialist Practitioner The Norwich-based Magdalene Group needs a Womens Specialist Practitioner to provide gender and trauma-informed support to women experiencing multiple disadvantage and provide support to female sex workers and victims of sexual exploitation and coercion. Read more Ringsfield Hall offers residential trips on Norfolk border Ringsfield Hall provides children with outdoor residential opportunities through school trips. Activities relate to nature, care for the planet and very special care and respect for the physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of each child. Read more Ministers outreach at Sheringham model boat lake Local Christian, Graham Pickhaver has been sharing his testimony by giving out tracts at the model boating lake in Sheringham. Read more Chance to meet Norwich Christian leaders at lunch Christian church and ministry leaders are invited to the first Transforming Norwich lunch of 2022 on Wednesday January 26 at St Stephen's Church in Norwich city centre. Read more God of the second chance Jane Walters encourages us to embark on a new start with Jesus as 2022 gets underway. Read more Yarmouth church provides free hot food for needy Kingsgate Community Church in Yarmouth has re-started their Hot Food Hub, providing free hot meals for local people in need. Read more Norwich Christian unity service set for RC Cathedral All Christian churches and groups are invited to an ecumenical service on January 20 at St John's Cathedral in Norwich to pray for Christian unity. Read more Aylsham Christian charity seeks needy recipients The Cressey Henry Page Charitable Trust has been helping the poor of Aylsham for nearly 500 years, and is now seeking more needy people who need help. Read more Centre offers Christian holidays on the Norfolk coast With stunning locations in North Norfolk and North Wales, Christian Endeavour Holiday Centres are places to relax the body, replenish the mind, and rejuvenate the soul. Read more YMCA Norfolk needs two Wellbeing workers YMCA Norfolk is looking for a Wellbeing Engagement Worker and a Business Support Officer - Wellbeing Matters. Read more Two Norfolk churches share in 473k grants boost Two historic Norfolk churches are to share in a 473,700 funding package from the National Churches Trust, the UKs church building support charity. Read more Hundreds fed at free Norfolk Christmas dinners Hundreds of people who would have spent Christmas Day alone were fed and entertained across Norfolk by church and charity groups. Read more Norwich church volunteer inspired by kindness A woman who has volunteered for The Salvation Armys Toys and Tins Appeal since 2016 said she will carry on doing so for as long as possible. Read more Norwich pastor publishes new book Dr Alan Clifford, pastor of Norwich Reformed Church, has published a book on the life and ministry of 18th century church leader Edmund Calamy the Elder. Read more A trader in Maharashtra's Yavatmal threw red chilli powder at protesters who tried to close down her shop. In a viral video, it can be seen that a violent mob is forcefully trying to shut a shop in the city. The woman shopkeeper accompanied by another man threw chilli powder on the protestors to protect themselves from the frenzied mob. Like always, I opened my shop at 9 am. Some people came and asked me to close it. I told them that I support the Citizenship Amendment Act, why should I close my shop. They became violent and tried to damage my property, Poddar was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. #WATCH A shopkeeper in Yavatmal uses Red Chilli powder to stop the agitators protesting against CAA, NRC and NPR from shutting her shop today during Bharat Bandh called by multiple organisations. #Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/32aE3JaReU ANI (@ANI) January 29, 2020 The protesters also tried to close down shops of the traders in Yavatmal. The traders reacted to this and got together at Sardar Chowk to show their disapproval. The trader and wife then take out red chilli powder to keep the protesters at bay and reports state that shopkeepers took out a march later and opened all the shops that were closed by the protesters. The Bharat Bandh was called on January 29 against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Population Register (NPR) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC). According to reports, maximum violence was seen in Yavatmal where protestors vandalised vehicles and attacked shopkeepers. Following heavy stone-pelting, policemen had to resort to lathi-charges thrice during the day. Pune Police: Over 250 protesters have been detained in Pune city till now, over their protest against #CitizenshipAmendmentAct and NRC, in support of the 'Bharat Bandh' called by multiple organisations today, against CAA and NRC. #Maharashtra ANI (@ANI) January 29, 2020 According to Pune Police, over 250 protesters have been detained in Pune city till now. The detention has happened in connection with their protest against #CitizenshipAmendmentAct and NRC which was organised in support of the 'Bharat Bandh'. Eric Williams Photography During the Jan. 22 Albuquerque City Council meeting, one could almost see the spirit of Councilor Ken Sanchez present as the local body politic took care of city business during the first meeting of 2020. Godspeed Councilor Sanchez died on New Years Day at the age of 63. He had been elected as a city councilor in 2005. His district takes in most of the area west of the Rio Grande and between Central and Montano. Several people spoke in kindness about Sanchez commitment to all Burquenos. To honor Sanchez, Councilors named Albuquerque Fire and Rescue Station 7, located at 57th Street and Central Avenue, the Ken Sanchez Fire Station 7. His daughter Jaclyn Sanchez-Zamora said this was a good way to honor Sanchez as he worked to get the funding for this fire station. First responders were so important to him, she said. Councilor Klarissa Pena summed it up with by saying that everybody loved Ken. Welcome Newly elected Councilor Brook Bassan took her seat to represent District 4 in the far Northeast Heights. Bassan took retired Councilor Brad Winters seat after a contentious run-off election. Bassan is a native Burquena who graduated from Sandia Prep. She has a bachelors degree in criminal justice. According to her city website bio, her mothers side of the family are the peeps who own Capos Italian Restaurants and her dads family owns a scaffolding company. She says she is focused on forming coalitions within the city government to reduce crime and promote high-paying jobs. Passing The Gavel Councilor Pat Davis was unanimously elected as Council President, taking the gavel from Councilor Klarissa Pena. Councilor Diane Gibson took on the vice-president position and Councilor Isaac Benton took the reins to be Chair of the Committee of the Whole. Other council committee appointments were approved and can be found on the individual councilors city web pages at cabq.gov. Millions For Nukes City Councilors approved $125 million for California based Kairos Power to build a 32-acre nuclear reactor engineering campus at Mesa del Sol. According to Kairos website, the company was founded to accelerate the development of an innovative nuclear technology that has the potential to transform the global energy landscape. The bucks come from the issuance of Industrial Revenue Bonds and various pots of economic development money. Kairos must repay the bonds and will get about a half-million dollar tax abatement. The company says there will be about 67 people employed, with some of those relocating from California, with an average salary of $100,000. More Business Bucks The council approved a total of $500,000 in economic development funding for Faneuil, Inc., a Virginia-based customer service center. The company operates outsourced business processing programs, customer care, innovative solutions and back office support for government and commercial clients. They plan on hiring 700 local people to pull this off. According to the companys website, customer service employee pay is about $13 per hour while a supervisor earns $16.50 hourly. The city bucks will go towards leasing its location in The 25 Way business area. Quickies Councilors approved: An executive request to fund substance use treatment voucher contractors that exceed $75,000. The money goes to substance abuse treatment centers that provide health services. There is about $1.4 million in this pot of money and a city administrator said they are reaching out to more youth treatment centers to apply for money to help cover costs for those who need assistance to treatment services. An award of $600,000 to Intera Geoscience and Engineering Solutions for City Rail Yards Environmental Cleanup to monitor, remediate and control contamination at the City Rail Yards. The city entered into a voluntary remediation agreement with the State of New Mexico Environment Department for cleanup of contamination present at the City Rail Yards. Hiring Sam Sterling Architecture as the consultant for the new Heritage Farm at the Albuquerque BioPark. Heritage Farm is slated to cost $9.5 million to build with about $700,000 for the planning. It will be an interactive, friendly place for citizens to learn where our food comes from and to showcase sustainable farming practices. Sided with our local land protectors by allowing for a full hearing before the final approval of a zone change for a 16-acre development at Paseo del Norte and Kimmick near the beautiful Petroglyph National Monument. The developer is asking for a zone change to allow a little more intensive development than what is currently in place. The Land Use Hearing Officer recommended approving the zone change. Councilors did not approve withdrawing collection attempts of any fees and costs associated with lawsuits relating to the city police departments investigation of the death of high-profile attorney Mary Han. Han was found dead under mysterious circumstances in her home in 2010. The investigation completed by the Albuquerque Police Department was grossly flawed in our opinion. City administrators said their decision was not about the merits of the case, it was about caretaking of public money. The city was awarded $5,000 in attorney fees when the federal claims were dismissed. Councilor Gibson, who sponsored the measure, said she brought the measure forth out of respect for Mary Hans family. Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Thursday hit out at the Central government saying that it is least bothered about the people protesting on streets against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and NRC. "The government is least bothered about the people protesting on streets over CAA-NRC. This shows their arrogance. They are not bothered about farmers too. The opposition wants that these issues be discussed too and the govt should be sensitive about it," he said while speaking to reporters here after an all-party meeting ahead of the budget session. The Congress leader alleged that the government is only focussed on getting Bills passed. "Government is focussed only on getting Bills passed but we also drew their attention towards the sinking economy, rising unemployment and Kashmir. We told them Farooq Abdullah be released so that he can attend Parliament, others be released too," he said. The all-party meeting called by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi was held on Thursday in Parliament ahead of the Budget Session, which begins on Friday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also attended the meeting along with other Union Ministers, namely, Rajnath Singh, Thawar Chand Gehlot, Arjun Meghwal, V Muraleedharan, and others. The Union Budget will be presented on February 1. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The jump in spending from endowments last year shows once again the value of college and university endowments in supporting students and their access to a high-quality education, said NACUBO President and CEO Susan Whealler Johnston. Data gathered from 774 U.S. colleges, universities, and affiliated foundations for the 2019 NACUBO-TIAA Study of Endowments (NTSE) show that participating institutions endowments returned an average of 5.3 percent (net of fees) for the 2019 fiscal year (July 1, 2018 June 30, 2019). Despite posting a lower return than FY18s one-year average of 8.2 percent, the average 10-year endowment return reached 8.4 percent, surpassing institutions long-term average return objective of 7 percent for the first time in a decade. This reflects the strong stock market recovery since the 2008 financial crisis as well as solid management practices. Due in part to strong 10-year returns, three quarters of institutions increased spending from their endowments to support students and faculty, with an average increase of more than $2 million. Participating institutions put 49 percent of their endowment spending dollars to student financial aid, 17 percent to academic programs, 11 percent to faculty, and 7 percent to campus facilities. The jump in spending from endowments last year shows once again the value of college and university endowments in supporting students and their access to a high-quality education, said NACUBO President and CEO Susan Whealler Johnston. These endowments help make opportunity available to college and university students and ensure the strength of academic programs that prepare them for work and life. Endowments continue to play a significant role in institutions operations and financial strength, making it essential to take advantage of a wide range of investment options and strategies, said Kevin OLeary, Chief Executive Officer of TIAA Endowment and Philanthropic Services. Endowment asset allocations and returns varied across different size endowment cohorts. Considering larger endowments generally have greater access to certain asset classes, such as private equity and venture capital, which were some of the highest performing asset classes in FY19, they again outperformed their smaller cohorts. For FY19, the average performance across the different size cohorts ranged from 4.9 percent to 5.9 percent, with the highest returns posted by the largest cohort. To protect against market pressures and volatility, while still focusing on growth, many institutions are considering broadening their investment options, and making use of more tailored asset allocations to better fit their individual return and spending objectives, OLeary said. The annual study analyzes return data and a broad range of related information gathered from U.S. colleges and universities, both public and private, as well as their supporting foundations. The size and scope of the study make it the most comprehensive annual report on the investment management and governance practices and policies of institutions of higher education across the U.S. The 774 institutions in this years study represented $630 billion in total endowment assets as of June 30, 2019. The median endowment was approximately $144.4 million, and 39 percent of study participants had endowments of $101 million or less. Longer-Term Returns While one-year returns are important indicators, many endowments reference 10-year average annual returns when measuring performance. The increase in the FY19 10-year average return over FY18 in part reflects the removal from the calculation of the FY09 return of -18.7 percent that occurred during the financial crisis. Investment oversight committees are shifting their market expectations and long-term endowment return objectives are trending down, from a high of 7.7 percent in FY10 to 7.0 percent in FY19. Asset Allocation Study participants average asset allocation in FY19 showed little change from FY18. On a dollar-weighted basis, the largest allocations were to marketable alternatives (19.1 percent), non-U.S. equities (14.5 percent), and U.S equities (14.1 percent). FY19 Returns by Asset Class The lower market returns in FY19 accounted for the decline in the average endowment return compared to FY18. Global equity markets, as measured by the Morgan Stanley Capital Index All Country World Index, returned 5.7 percent versus 10.7 percent in FY18. In the U.S., the S&P 500 index rose by 10.4 percent in FY19, down from 14.4 percent the prior year. The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index was up 7.9 percent, compared to -0.4 percent in FY18. Strong FY19 performance by the largest institutions (over $1 billion) was driven by larger exposures to buyout and venture capital investments. The second best-performing cohort were those with assets of $25 million or less. Venture capital (13.4 percent), private equity (10.2 percent), and U.S. equities (8.2 percent) were the three top-performing endowment asset classes in FY19. Portfolios that had meaningfully higher exposures to public or private U.S. equity and fixed income investments outperformed peers. Portfolios with higher exposures to international equities tended to underperform. Spending Institutions participating in the study reported a slightly higher average effective spending rate than in FY18 (4.5 percent v. 4.4 percent). Collectively, these colleges and universities spent about $22 billion from their endowments on student financial aid and other campus operations in FY19. About NACUBO Founded in 1962, the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) is a nonprofit professional organization representing chief administrative and financial officers at more than 1,900 colleges and universities across the country. NACUBOs mission is to advance the economic vitality, business practices, and support of higher education institutions in pursuit of their missions. For more information, visit http://www.nacubo.org. About TIAA With an award-winning track record for consistent investment performance, TIAA (TIAA.org) is the leading provider of financial services in the academic, research, medical, cultural and government fields. TIAA has $1.1 trillion in assets under management (as of 12/31/19 ) and offers a wide range of financial solutions, including investing, banking, advice and education, and retirement services. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC, Member FINRA and SIPC, distributes securities products. 2020 Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America-College Retirement Equities Fund, New York, NY 10017 1. The Lipper Mixed-Assets Large Fund Award is given to the group with the lowest average decile ranking of three years Consistent Return for eligible funds over the three-year period ended 11/30/15 (against 39 fund families), 11/30/16 (36), 11/30/17 (35) and 11/30/18 (35). Note this award pertains to mixed-assets mutual funds within the TIAA-CREF group of mutual funds; other funds distributed by Nuveen Securities were not included. From Thomson Reuters Lipper Awards, 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. Used by permission and protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States. The printing, copying, redistribution, or retransmission of this Content without express written permission is prohibited. Certain funds have fee waivers in effect. Without such waivers ratings could be lower. Past performance does not guarantee future results. For current performance, rankings and prospectuses, please visit the Research and Performance section on TIAA.org. The investment advisory services, strategies and expertise of TIAA Investments, a division of Nuveen, are provided by Teachers Advisors, LLC and TIAA-CREF Investment Management, LLC. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC, Teachers Personal Investors Services, Inc., and Nuveen Securities, LLC, Members FINRA and SIPC, distribute securities products. 2. Based on $1.1 trillion of assets under management across Nuveen Investments affiliates and TIAA investment management teams as of 9/30/19. OTTAWA Bureaucrats ought to impose codes of conduct on journalism outlets, according to a sweeping review of Canadas broadcast and telecommunications laws. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/1/2020 (713 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA Bureaucrats ought to impose codes of conduct on journalism outlets, according to a sweeping review of Canadas broadcast and telecommunications laws. A 235-page report released Wednesday is calling for a larger federal role in regulating foreign streaming services such as Netflix as well as ensuring journalism outlets abide by ethics rules, with 97 recommendations that critics have deemed "regulatory overreach." The report suggests the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission impose quotas of "trusted" Canadian content on news aggregators, such as Apple News or Google News, as well as codes of conduct on such operations, and possibly newsrooms. "Its a pretty radical change in things, if this were to go forward," said Bob Cox, chair of News Media Canada, who is publisher of this newspaper. The federally appointed Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review panel recommends the CRTCs mandate be broadened to include some foreign and local issues. "Under this approach, any media content undertaking with significant Canadian revenues and delivering media content by means of the internet would be required to register," the report says. It also recommends that the federal government immediately require foreign media content suppliers to collect the Goods and Services Tax on subscriptions, in order to eliminate the advantage firms like Netflix and Amazon have over Canadian competitors like Crave and Gem. The panel took 18 months to consider a vast array of issues, such as: future mobile phone service, internet and mobile services in rural and remote areas of Canada, competition and affordability and the future of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. The government is not required to implement any of the recommendations. "The CRTC must be able to monitor and address issues concerning news content made available by means of telecommunications, regardless of format," reads the report. "It is time to broaden the scope of (existing laws) to include alphanumeric news content." Michael Geist, the Canada Research Chair in Internet law at the University of Ottawa, called the report "massive in scope and a huge regulatory overreach" because it would "dictate" how news aggregators pick content. "Im not sure a lot of Canadians are comfortable with having the CRTC decide whats trustworthy and what the front page of a news site ought to look like." The panel suggests the CRTC have the ability to "impose codes of conduct, including provisions with respect to resolution mechanisms, transparency, privacy, and accessibility regarding all media-content undertakings." Panel chair Janet Yale, a former Telus executive, insisted that the recommendations dont amount to policing journalism content, and she stressed the CRTC could pick which outlets it regulates. "We are not proposing to regulate the internet and were certainly not proposing to regulate news online," she told reporters. "Really, its about whether there is a media-content undertaking that, through its advertising or subscription revenues, meets a threshold, above which obligations should apply." Generally, television and radio stations have CRTC rules on what they put over the airwaves, while a voluntary industry group called the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council hears complaints and orders members to apologize on-air for breaches. The print press has similar opt-in systems through press councils and bodies like the National NewsMedia Council. In recent memory, Ottawa has never set a minimum code of conduct for such bodies to follow. "The government has never imposed codes of conduct on newspapers before," Cox said. "I dont know if you want the government to say heres how journalists should operate." Meanwhile, the panel suggested expanding the existing subsidy for newspapers and some online outlets to include podcasts and more digital media. Cox noted that the subsidy introduced last year comes in addition to longstanding programs like magazine subsidies and grants for television stations that report on local news. He was open to the panels suggestion of sorting out those various types of government support into a single, arms-length fund for all platforms to access. But Cox said thats among many of the reports suggestions that would upend many industries. "It would be very hard to achieve what this report sets out," he said. "This is a utopian ideal of how things could work." Other recommendations from the report include: 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. Amend the Broadcasting Act to require the federal government to provide five-year funding commitments to the federal broadcaster, the CBC/Radio-Canada. Remove the specific reference to radio and television in CBC/Radio-Canadas mandate, so a broader range of media content is included. Give the CRTC sole jurisdiction to mandate and establish terms and conditions of access to wholesale wireless services. Assign the CRTC the explicit responsibility for the administration of databases related to the functioning and location of telecommunications networks. with files from The Canadian Press dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca The government has reached out to over 600 Indians living in China's Hubei province, the epicentre of coronavirus, to ascertain their willingness to be brought back to India. India has already approached Chinese authorities to allow it to send two flights to Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, to bring back Indian nationals from the province. "We have established contact with over 600 Indians across the province and are individually ascertaining their willingness to be repatriated. Our Mission in Beijing is working round-the-clock on the ground to work out the necessary logistics," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said at a media briefing. He said the government has been conducting a regular review of the situation arising out of the outbreak of in China. The Indian embassy in Beijing said India was preparing to evacuate its citizens from Wuhan on Friday. According to Chinese authorities, the nationwide death toll from novel has jumped to 170. "We have made a formal request to the government of China for bringing back Indian nationals from the Hubei province in two flights. We are awaiting for the necessary approval from the Chinese side. We hope this will be granted soon," Kumar said. Kumar said arrangements are being put in place for people to travel to the airport in Wuhan. "We remain committed to the safety and well-being of our nationals abroad. We appreciate the support extended by the government of China and other ministries in government of India in putting this process together," Kumar said. The logos of mobile apps Facebook and Google are displayed on a tablet in Lille, France, on Oct. 1, 2019. The two American internet giants represent a quandary for the global tax man. (Denis Charlet/AFP via Getty Images) Enacting Digital Services Tax More Than Just a Waiting Game for Canada Leading expert questions effectiveness of proposed corporate revenue tax News Analysis Trying to impose a new tax is a balancing act. Attempting to appropriately tax large foreign multinationals selling digital products all over the world is even more difficult. The push to tax digital services has been called the largest global economic battle of 2020 and was a hot topic of discussion among the business and political elite who recently gathered in Davos, Switzerland. The key adversaries, the United States and France, have taken a pause over the French imposing a 3 percent revenue tax last year on American internet giants like Facebook, Google, and Amazon. Taxing revenue aims to nab companies like Amazon that show little to no profits due to reinvesting in their operations. At the crux of the matter is the October 2019 proposal by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), calling for a minimum corporate income tax that would ensure that large and highly profitable multinational digital companies pay tax wherever they have significant consumer-facing activities and generate their profits. But imposing a digital services tax on corporate revenue has a poor track record of hitting the mark, says Jack Mintz, Presidents Fellow at the University of Calgarys School of Public Policy. Often, its not the company that ultimately pays the tax. Typically, the cost gets shifted onto consumers, business partners, shareholders, etc. We need a global solution in this year 2020. We want to do it at a global level. We will align our digital taxation system to the digital era, said EU Commissioner for the Economy and former Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni in an interview with Bloomberg in Davos. The 36 OECD countries aim to agree on how to tax digital companies by mid-2020. The debate over the digital services tax centres on which country has the right to tax the income. Companies naturally want to avoid double-taxation and each country wants to capture its full share of taxes. The American standpoint is that the intellectual property and digital products are created in the United States, and the headquarters are also there, so the profits are its to tax. The Europeans say its citizens are giving income to the American internet giants and so the European countries should be entitled to tax them. That is a new concept in corporate taxation, according to Mintz, since taxation usually takes place where production occurs and a corporate tax is not meant to be a tax based on consumption. Another point of contention is taxing revenueinstead of profitswhich the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI) argues can be highly punitive. Canada Waits and Watches In their election campaign, the Liberals promised to tax the revenue of the internet giants and achieve the standard set by the OECD. My view is they [Canada] should wait for the OECD and the Americans and the Europeans to come to an agreement, Mintz said in an interview. Its a dispute. There really is an argument whether its appropriate to put on this tax or not. Various ministers including heritage, trade, small business, and finance have a hand in this file. Ottawa awaits a multilateral approach via the OECD, but not all European countries are doing so. Whats at stake for Canada is to maintain a competitive business environment, not actually lose tax revenue on a net basis, and avoid another tariff war with the United States. A Jan. 22 study from the MEI titled Taxing the Tech GiantsWhy Canada Should Not Follow the French Example says that if the 3 percent revenue tax on digital services had been applied on all the activities of the 60 large companies making up the TSX 60 on the Toronto Stock Exchange over the past 10 years, it would have wiped out the profits for 22 percent of them. If the revenue tax is imposed, MEI argues Canadian consumers and the economy will end up paying it. In France, where a similar tax was imposed in 2019, a study showed that just 5 percent of the total burden related to the new tax will be shouldered by the big digital companies. More than half (55 percent) will be paid by consumers, and 40 percent by the companies using digital platforms, Peter St. Onge, the MEI studys co-author, said in a press release. MEI says the issue for Canada is to maintain the competitiveness of its economy and not try and tax to offset the supposed tax advantages that certain companies may be achieving. The public policy think tank suggests that Ottawa needs to see if additional receipts from taxing revenues of foreign firms in Canada will offset the reduction in receipts from Canadian companies operating abroad. Inseparable from the current situation is the phenomenon that brought about this dynamic where American companies like Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon have developed quasi-monopolistic market domination. They have thus become easy targets for the Europeans and Canadians, who have failed to generate similar market champions. The United States has indicated it would slap tariffs on French goods in response to the digital services tax, and Mintz says it would be very wrong for Canada to forge ahead and invite U.S. retaliation. Two Distinct Taxes The controversial digital services tax on a corporations revenue is different from the value-added tax (GST/HST) on digital subscription services. The latter is not controversial at all and Quebec is already levying it. The idea is to create a level playing field between Canadian and foreign digital content subscription services such as Crave and Netflix. A direct consumption tax like the GST and HST on foreign subscription services, for example, would not impact foreign investment in Canadawhich the tax on revenue might, possibly to the extent it is borne by the companies. I think that would be pretty acceptable even to the Americans; they wouldnt be able to object to that, Mintz said. They wouldnt object to it because it is not taxing revenue, which would be viewed as an invasion of their corporate tax base, he says. When the internet turned 50 last year, there was much to celebrate. It proved to be a powerful platform from which to mobilize millions to fight for racial, economic, and social justice, through movements such as Occupy Wall Street, the Arab Spring, and Black Lives Matter. It has also given us a million different ways to escape, chill out, and give ourselves a much-needed breakfrom cat videos to Cookie Clicker (where I have amassed more than 55 million cookies in just the past week alone). Advertisement But the anniversary also gives us a reason to reflect. Computing and the internet have not been the engine of democracy and economic opportunity we once dreamed of. Rather, they have become a breeding ground for racism, discrimination, and economic inequality. How did we get here? That was one of the questions I set out to answer five years ago when I started researching my new book, Black Software. Thats when I embarked on an unpredictable journey that led me back to the 1960s civil rights movementand blindsided me. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You see, my schooling on civil rightsera history runs fairly deep. Mrs. Crume taught me sixth grade Texas history. She was Black. Thin. Regal. I imagined her to be nearly 100 years old. I dont remember much of my Texas history canon. But her class is where I first learned of Jim Crow. Segregation. Civil rights. Mrs. Crume delivered those lessons through stories about her and her husband, Arthur Crume, the one-time frontman for the legendary gospel/soul group the Soul Stirrers. She narrated his rides throughout the chitlin circuit, a network of performance venues that provided shade for Black performers at a time when their movement throughout the South was suspect, dangerous, even deadly. Advertisement Advertisement My civil rights education continued in graduate school, studying with the first Black professor the University of Oklahoma had ever hired, back in 1967. George Henderson was a civil rights pioneer. He stood alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Received the formers counsel. Respectfully declined the latters recruitment. Then, for 15 years I studied how U.S. political campaigns frequently undermined our ideals of (racially) representative government. That demanded I understand what many scholars had written about the civil rights era. Advertisement But around 2016, I found myself back in the middle of the 1960s, hunting for an answer to a technology question. That is when I confronted the fact that I didnt know as much about the civil rights movement as I had thought. Advertisement The 1960sthat was the explosive decade when the computer revolution and the civil rights revolution collided, catapulting us toward our current moment. But I also discovered that in the 1960s, our civil rights forebears, not the computer wizards, were the ones highlighting the challenges such innovation would bring. Those civil rights figures provided a blueprint for not just their own technology future in the 1960s, but our own future that we must confront now. Advertisement Advertisement Many of the computer scientists and engineers of the day seemed indifferent to the civil rights movement. However, three civil rights figuresthe philosopher, the planner, and the visionarywere keenly aware of, were concerned about, and directly addressed the growing revolution in computing and automation. Advertisement Advertisement A. Philip Randolph was a labor leader. But when it came to the subject of automation and technology, he was our chief ethicist. Randolph never shied away from a good fight, but he thought it foolish to resist technologys progress. You cannot destroy the machine. You cannot stifle the invention of various geniuses in the world, he once said. Still, Randolph outlined key principles that should govern technologys design and use. To Randolph, technology wasnt just the domain of technical experts or privileged classes. Technology, he asserted, was the collective creation of the people. As such, he believed the people should share in the fruits of technology. Advertisement Advertisement As the longtime head of the International Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, Randolph was primarily concerned that automation would displace Black workers. But he was no Luddite. He simply believed that public interest should govern and guide technology. He stressed that the community and the government have a responsibility to see that technology produced public goods. Advertisement Will we focus our attention on ameliorating racism and providing equal opportunity, rather than merely trying to excise bias from technological tools? In that vision, Randolph gave us a model for technology governance. But it was Bayard Rustinarchitect of the famed March on Washingtonwho developed a plan. Rustin knew that automations employment threat was merely a symptom of a more deeply rooted problem: Americas antipathy toward Blackness. Rustin knew that negative consequences caused by automation would hurt Black people first and hardest. But it was precisely this certainty that led Rustin to see a way forwardthrough planning. Rustin was aware of not just automation, but cybernation (a term used in the 1960s to refer to both computerized automation and that eras concept of artificial intelligence). Automation referred to computers carrying out industrial processes. Cybernation emphasized a sense that computers could learnand therefore get smarter. Rustin realized that we needed to educate and prepare people socially, emotionally, and vocationally for the latter rather than the former, such that Black people would keep up with the computer. But Rustin also knew that this was a difficult proposition. He knew that racial discrimination in employment was real and rampant. But he believed we faced a more fundamental problem. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the time, many corporate do-gooders and government bureaucrats alike rushed or were dragged into reforming Americas ghettos. They said job training is what Black folks needed, and needed immediately. But Rustin wasnt concerned about Black peoples present economic condition when he spoke about Humanizing Life in the Megalopolis in 1965. He was concerned about their position in 1995 and 2015. Rustin argued that the narrow focus on short-term job training as a solution to racial and economic inequality bred disillusionment, anger and contempt in Black men and women. We are giving them an aspiration which this society cannot fulfill, and the reason is we reject planning, he said. Rustin believed that we should think, calculate, and plan for and over the long term. That, he argued, would guarantee that Black people were full and equitable stakeholders in a new computational society. Advertisement Randolph was technologys moral compass. Rustin its would-be social engineer. But Roy Wilkins was its civil rights visionary. Wilkins once hoped to become an engineer. He became a journalist instead, then a writer, then an organizer, the latter two during his decades serving the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Wilkins didnt have an MIT degree. He didnt know much about the inner workings of word processing (which was still considered womens work in his day). In fact, the closest Wilkins seems to have come to an actual computer was making requests to IBM: first, to remove one of its outdated 020 Key Punch machines from the NAACP offices; second, to ask for more punch cards to facilitate address labeling for an upcoming NAACP membership drive. The NAACP, like other organizations and businesses of the day, utilized the days computers for what they were: simple tools to make work and work processes more productive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beyond the organizations practical use, however, Wilkins thought deeply and frequently about the consequences that computerization would one day have on Black lives. He, too, was concerned that automation was the latest technology white people would use to keep Black people in their place. He was also concerned about representation. A New York newspaper once showcased what Wilkins called a standard riot photograph (Black people looting). Wilkins connected the problem to a new shoplifting database that Spartan Industriesa retail companyhad developed for New Yorks Alexanders department store. Wilkins feared that computers used to identify thieves in stores would import, and build into their memory, the stereotype that Black people are criminals. He feared that such computers would be turned into racial profiling machines, used to target and jail Black people. Advertisement Wilkins had many other concerns about the computer. But mostly he saw that we were not using it as we should. If the computer was as powerful as we thought it to beif it was a great problem-solving machinethen could we not ask it to help us overcome that problem that lies at the heart of American society? The problem that predated the computer itself? Advertisement Wilkins asked it this way in a 1967 Los Angeles Times opinion piece titled, Computerize the Race Problem? After the computer has defined, on tape, the ideal Holstein, could it then turn its impersonal, unprejudiced magic upon our agonizing race problem? Could it not, after digesting the facts which both whites and blacks have fogged over for so long, give us an outline of our obligations? Instead of being a measure of the Negros lag, cannot the computer become a guidepost to interracial justice and peace? Advertisement Unfortunately, in 1967, no one took this question seriously, and, as Rustin predicted, we rejected the opportunity to plan for Black people to have a stake in the computer revolution that was taking place in (and since) 1965. Similarly, Randolphs technology governance principles were largely ignored from the day he proclaimed them. Had we heeded their words, there would likely be more Black, Latino, and Asian folks in, and in higher levels of, leadership and ownership in todays computing industry. We would likely have fewer of those same folks in the criminal justice system today as well. Advertisement We stand more than 50 years removed from Randolphs, Rustins, and Wilkins sage advice. As we look forward to the next 50 years of technological innovation, will we reconsider? Will we seriously heed the admonition to plan so that people of color will have a share of, and stake in, our technological future? Will we work to determine what it would take to educate technologists of color to work in todays and tomorrows tech industry and governance structures? At every rung of the ladder? In the same proportions in which we exist in the population? Will we plan to make measurable progress toward meeting this goal in the next 10, 20, or 50 years? Will we commit the long-term educational, public, and private sector resources needed to achieve such a goal? Will we focus our attention on ameliorating racism and providing equal opportunity, rather than merely trying to excise bias from technological tools? If we do not, then we can certainly predict that the most marginal and vulnerable among us will continue to get crushed under the weight of our next technology revolution. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. Ely Gold Retains a 2% NSR on the Fenelon Property with No Buy-down; Transformative Year with Royalties Delivering Cash Generation in 2020 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 30, 2020) - Ely Gold Royalties Inc. (TSXV: ELY) (OTCQB: ELYGF) ("Ely Gold") or the ("Company") is pleased to provide an update on its 2% Net Smelter Royalty ("NSR") on the Fenelon Property ("Fenelon" or "Fenelon Royalty") located in Northern Quebec, 100% owned and operated by Wallbridge Mining Company Limited (TSX: WM) (FWB: WC7) ("Wallbridge"). Wallbridge is currently developing its 100%-owned Fenelon Gold Property, located proximal to the Sunday Lake Deformation Zone, an emerging gold belt in northwestern Quebec. Wallbridge reports that six drill rigs are currently active on the Property: five are focused on exploration drilling from surface, doing large-spaced step-outs to define the footprint of the Fenelon gold system, and one underground drill rig is undertaking more closely spaced definition drilling of the Main Gabbro zones near the existing mine workings. A total of 75,000 metres were drilled in 2019 along with a 33,500 tonne bulk sample, and the program is continuing in 2020 with the same drilling rate of approximately 9,000 metres per month for a projected total of 100,000 to 120,000 metres for the year. So far, a total of approximately 6,500 metres have been drilled in 2020. Wallbridge also reports that the permitting process for Fenelon is progressing towards receiving approvals for the start-up of small-scale, 400-500 tpd production from the already-developed areas of the Main Gabbro zones by the second half of 2020. The continued success of the exploration drill program will support a maiden resource estimate for the combined Fenelon gold system in early 2021 (Refer to news release dated September 9, 2019). On January 28, 2020, Wallbridge announced an intersection at the Fenelon Property of 43.47 g/t Au (23.57 g/t Au cut) over 19.00 metres in the Lower Tabasco Zone. This interval is approximately 120 metres below the intersection of 22.73 g/t Au (18.87 g/t Au cut) over 48.01 metres in hole FA-19-086 (see Wallbridge Press Release dated December 03, 2019) and highlights the excellent potential for similar exceptional, high-grade intersections within the Lower Tabasco Zone. Wallbridge further reported that two additional holes from the ongoing 2020 drill program also intersected intervals of visually strong mineralization with abundant visible gold in the Lower Tabasco Zone: hole FA-20-110 returned a 120-metre core length interval with several mineralized zones, six containing visible gold, in the Andromeda-Tabasco-Cayenne corridors, whereas hole FA-20-115 cut a 16-metre core length interval of the Lower Tabasco Zone, approximately 23 metres below the FA-19-086 intersection. On January 27, 2020 Wallbridge reported on assay results from the previously reported VG intersection in FA-19-089 and other mineralized intervals in grassroots drill holes completed in 2019 on the Fenelon Property. FA-19-089, the first hole to test a target 800 m along strike to the northwest of the known footprint of the Area 51 gold system, intersected 83.18 g/t over 0.51 metres, highlighting the excellent potential for Area-51-style gold mineralization along the approximately four kilometre strike length of the Jeremie Pluton. (Refer to news release dated January 27, 2020) Trey Wasser, President and CEO of Ely Gold commented, "We are very pleased by the continuation of the excellent Fenelon drill results being reported on by Wallbridge. Ely's 2% Fenelon NSR will be a cornerstone of our royalty portfolio as we expect Wallbridge to receive its mining permit in late 2020. With current infrastructure reaching six levels, (refer to "NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Feasibility Study for the Fenelon Property" effective date February 2, 2017), we could potentially receive royalty income from Fenelon late this year. This will be a transformative year for Ely, as it is now receiving cash generation from two royalties; the Jerritt Canyon per ton Processed Royalty and the 0.75% gross revenue royalty on the Isabella Pearl Mine operated by GORO Resources. The recently announced Regent Hill net profits interest is also expected to begin cash generation in late 2020 (refer to news release, December 18, 2019)." About Ely Gold Royalties Inc. Ely Gold Royalties Inc. is a Vancouver-based, emerging royalty company with development assets focused in Nevada and Quebec. Its current portfolio includes 36 Deeded Royalties and 22 properties optioned to third parties. Ely Gold's royalty portfolio includes producing royalties, fully permitted mines and development projects that are at or near producing mines. The Company is actively seeking opportunities to purchase existing third-party royalties for its portfolio and all the Company's option properties are expected to produce royalties, if exercised. The royalty and option portfolios are currently generating significant revenue. Ely Gold is well positioned with its current portfolio of over 20 available properties to generate additional operating revenue through option and sale agreements. The Company has a proven track record of maximizing the value of its properties through claim consolidation and advancement using its extensive, proprietary data base. All portfolio properties are sold or optioned on a 100% basis, while the Company retains royalty interests. Management believes that due to the Company's ability to generate third-party royalty agreements, its successful strategy of organically creating royalties, its equity portfolio and its current low valuation, Ely Gold offers shareholders a low-risk leverage to the current price of gold and low-cost access to long-term mineral royalties. Stephen Kenwood, P. Geo, is a director of the Company and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Kenwood has reviewed and approved the technical information in this press release. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Signed "Trey Wasser" Trey Wasser, President & CEO For further information, please contact: Trey Wasser, President & CEO trey@elygoldinc.com 972-803-3087 Joanne Jobin, Investor Relations Officer jjobin@elygoldinc.com 647 964 0292 FORWARD-LOOKING CAUTIONS: This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, including statements regarding its current assets, Company acquisitions of additional royalty interests, and the requirement for TSX Venture Exchange approvals. These matters are subject to certain risks and uncertainties. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "potential," "goal," "objective," "prospective," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the Exchange, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include risks that the Company may not secure the required regulatory approvals, including the acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange, and the Company may not be able to identify suitable new royalty acquisitions, and the risk of political uncertainties and regulatory or legal disputes or changes in the jurisdictions where the Company carries on its business that might interfere with the Company's business and prospects. The reader is urged to refer to the Company's reports, publicly available through the Canadian Securities Administrators' System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effect. 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/51970 Google Translate will soon work to transcribe longer speeches and more accurately with a new feature that could reportedly arrive within the next few months. Currently undergoing testing in Spanish, German and French, the tool will no longer be limited to snippets of text. The company hasnt provided details regarding the length limits but the implications of that are fairly obvious. If this is implemented similarly to how other recent transcription tools from Google work, the text shouldnt remain exclusive to the app either. Instead, if Google goes that route, users could ultimately be able to move or export the text to secondary apps for saving. The applications for the new Google Translate transcribe feature are fairly broad. But the most useful use cases will likely be tied in with speeches or lectures. However, the feature could also find use in other scenarios where context is important since it allows for more in-depth translations of longer runs of speech. Advertisement Google Translate will add contextual awareness to transcriptions Unlike previous iterations and Google Translate features, the latest incoming change is designed to transcribe speech into a second language with contextual awareness. Namely, Google hopes to leverage its AI algorithms centered around speech to automatically correct for translation errors. More concisely, the tool will analyze speech in real-time, gauging other words and phrasing within a given sentence or set of sentences. It will then change the translation, punctuation, and other aspects of the transcription. The result would be a line of text that better matches what has actually been said. That should help alleviate some issues commonly found in translation tools where context is lost. One example of the problem that should address stems from the fact that the structure of a sentence isnt going to be the same in every language. So translators will sometimes translate words directly across in the same structure as the original and lose the initial meaning. Advertisement Secondary to that, the words used in a given language might change based on those used in surrounding sentences. Punctuation might move as well. With the AI more directly examining those factors in a longer format, errors associated with those should be reduced. No solid timeline on the arrival of this new feature While the source indicates that the expected timeline is over the coming months, that wont necessarily be the case here. The first indication of that can be found in the fact that the feature requires access to the internet. Thats so that Google Translate can communicate directly with the search giants own servers associated with AI for processing. That pins the feature as one thats fairly heavy in terms of what is required for it to work properly. And thats setting aside the fact that AI is already a very complex area to work in. Advertisement Google isnt likely to release one of its AI products in a state where it doesnt work. Or a feature that doesnt at least work well enough to be usable. So it isnt unlikely this is a project that will be held off for some time to come. Thats true even if testing does expand over that timeframe. San Antonians don't need national real estate brokerages to tell them the market here is steaming. Rising rents and property taxes are enough of an indicator. But some area neighborhoods are even hotter than others. Redfin, a real estate brokerage company, recently compiled a list of the "Hottest Neighborhoods to Watch" in 2020. The list revealed the top 10 nationwide and broke down the top three in a number of U.S. cities. To develop the ranking, Redfin identified the neighborhoods with the greatest year-over-year growth in listing pageviews on its website and spoke with local agents. "Some of the neighborhoods included may not meet the conventional definition of 'hot,' but are still trending among homebuyers," the company wrote. According to the analysis, three San Antonio-area locales West Canyon Lake, Downtown San Antonio and River Chase are particularly attractive at the moment. READ MORE: Study: Median income in downtown San Antonio increased by 39 percent in 15 years The median sale price in each of the neighborhoods stands well above the median sale price of $231,844 in the Alamo City overall. In West Canyon Lake, located northwest of the lake but firmly within the area known as the "jewel of the Hill Country," the median sale price is $284,000. Redfin notes that 25.2 percent of homes sold above list price, and homes for sale spend about 75 days on the market. The constant construction in downtown San Antonio speaks to its red-hot market. Although homes there spend more time with "For Sale" signs (100 days) and only 2.7 percent sold above list price, the median sale price was $415,000. Meanwhile, the highest median sale price in the batch ($460,327) belonged to River Chase, a neighborhood north of New Braunfels at the "gateway of the Hill Country." Homes spent roughly 51 days on the market and 15.5 percent sold above list price. The top three neighborhoods nationwide are Willowsford, VA outside Washington D.C., Bal Harbour in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and Wildwood in Charlotte, NC. Heres a head-scratcher for those of us who like to keep an eye on state money. Its about taxes, not spending. Very controversial taxes. Heading into next weeks start of the 2020 legislative session, were looking at Democratic proposals for Connecticut to establish highway tolls and to allow retail marijuana sales to all adults. Both have a strong chance of passing. The estimate for tolls under the proposal likely to go to a vote next week, before Wednesdays the start of the regular session: $150 million to $175 million a year, all of it from large trucks. The official guess for the states take on marijuana sales: $166 million a year just for sales to Connecticut residents. Thats wacky. Were really looking at collecting as much from pot as from tolls? How did it come to this? A sober accounting should yield $350 million a year for tolls and pot, as the Democrats proposals suggest. But if were counting correctly and doing things right, it should total at least $300 million from toll-payers and about $50 million from tokers. I favor both reforms and both reforms are long overdue, especially tolls. We need tolls not only to pay for roads and bridges, but for the share of money from interstate trucks and out-of-state motorists. The trucks-only plan adds a hefty per-truck annual total to the industry that moves goods through Connecticut. Were likely to learn that a reasonable fee currently contemplated at $6 to $13 per gantry yields less than the estimate. To get to $300 million, wed toll $240 million from cars and other passenger vehicles, and from delivery trucks. And wed toll a more reasonable $60 million from interstate trucks. That would give us a cool $100 million, maybe more, from outside the state. And it would equitably charge people using Connecticut highways for, well, using Connecticut highways. We could cut our own taxes by $200 million in the form of property tax credits, and still come out $100 million ahead without fighting the trucking industry in court for the next five years. Thats not going to happen, though, because Democrats didnt have the guts to make it happen in a non-election year. Republicans think user fees for highways are economic suicide even though every single state on the East Coast already does it. And Gov. Ned Lamont, well-meaning but new on the job last year, didnt have the political skills to make it happen. As for marijuana revenues, thats a financial debate, not a policy issue. The $166 million figure comes from the Marijuana Policy Project, which advocates and researches state reforms. In fact, said Karen OKeefe, director of state policies for MPP, its a conservative estimate. Consider that Colorado, granddaddy of the dozen or so legalized marijuana states, had about $1.5 billion in sales in 2018. Adjusting for population and for the numbers of people with medical marijuana permits, and for Connecticuts lower usage rate, that translates to taxable annual pot sales of $735 million in Connecticut. At 25 percent, the tax Connecticut is looking at imposing, that would yield $184 million, and with sales tax, it rises to $220 million. Of course, Connecticut cant have even close to the same proportion of stoners as Colorado. If we did, wed be way ahead of where we are in technology development. Plus well never be the marijuana tourism magnet of Boulder and Denver. OKeefe points to Oregon, and calculates Connecticut would harvest $170 million a year if we copped our herb at the same rate as that state. And if thats not convincing enough, she looks at federal data on marijuana consumption and reaches a similar total. I remain skeptical and heres why. If we assume 12 percent of adults consume pot regularly, meaning at least once a month, thats about 250,000 adults in Connecticut. If each one gets high 100 times a year yeah, there are outliers who do it twice a day except on Christmas then that comes out to about $40 million a year for the state, more or less, based on the typical cost of a gram. You cant follow this if youre stoned but trust me, I did all the math. A lot depends on whether we use the western-style free-for-all with hundreds of marijuana sellers, or the carefully regulated Massachusetts model with just a few selected dispensaries, leaving the black market in place. The state Office of Fiscal Analysis in 2017 estimated Connecticut would bring in $45 million in the Massachusetts model, and $105 million under Colorado rules. I dont see how OKeefe can be right, and neither can Rep. Josh Elliott, D-Hamden, arguably the General Assemblys leading advocate for legalized sales. I would be astonished if we were ever to pull in over $30 million, Elliott said. Thats what I would say because I want to be conservative with our estimates. Its fine with me to cite revenue as a reason to legalize. We need the money. Elliott and other advocates insist we shouldnt do it for the money at all. It is equity, it is criminal justice, it is righting a historic legacy of wrongs. And if we can make extra money off it, thats great too, said Rep. Jason Rojas, D-East Hartford, co-chairman of the finance committee. Elliott noted, There are advocates who want to find and use every argument under the sun and one of those arguments is the fiscal argument, and you want to make it as sexy as possible. Is OKeefe one of those people? I dont know. She seems scientific in her approach. As long as supply meets demand and licensing is quick, revenue can be quite substantial, she said. I hope shes right and Elliott and I are wrong. Meanwhile, theres something wrong with this picture when the state is heading toward two large-scale reforms with an eye toward more cash from marijuana than from tolls. dhaar@hearstmediact.com The European Council has approved the agreement on the withdrawal of Great Britain from the EU, officially ending the process of ratification on its side. This is mentioned on the website of the Council. The deal will take effect at midnight of January 31, 2020. "From that time on, the UK will no longer be an EU member state and will be considered as a third country. The withdrawal agreement ensures an orderly withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the Union. It covers citizens' rights, the financial settlement, a transition period, protocols on Ireland/Northern Ireland, Cyprus and Gibraltar, governance and other separation issues", reads the message. Previously, the European Parliament ratified the Brexit agreement offered by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. 631 MP supported the bill, 49 voted against it. Another 13 abstained. The visa-free regime will be implemented for UK citizens in Ukraine. However, it will be temporary; it is supposed to expire on January 30, 2021. "On 23 June 2016, UK citizens voted to leave the EU. On 29 March 2017, the UK formally notified the European Council of its intention to leave the EU. On 17 October 2019, the European Council (Article 50) endorsed the withdrawal agreement as agreed by the negotiators of both sides. It also endorsed the revised political declaration on the framework of the future EU-UK relationship", reads the message on the Council's website. Chemists and pharmacies around the country have empty shelves of face masks and hand sanitisers amid fears of contracting coronavirus. Images from Chemist Warehouse's store in Chatswood have shown several rows of empty shelves, with high demand from customers fearful of the deadly disease leaving the store bare of supplies. A representative from Chemist Warehouse Chatswood told Daily Mail Australia that they had no face masks and hand sanitiser in store on Thursday, and they didn't know when more stock would become available. 'Masks have been in really high demand,' the representative said. 'Since the beginning of January, the masks have been in short supply.' A sign posted outside of Chemist Warehouse's store in Chatswood reading 'no masks available, out of stock' Why medical supplies are selling out Face masks have been in high demand over the bushfire season Now, face masks are seeing increased demand due to corona virus fears However, face masks are not 100% effective as they do not completely seal off the mouth and nose Face masks are more effective at quarantining an infected person Professionals say that washing your hands is the best protection as it can stop virus from spreading This is why hand sanitisers are selling out across Australia Advertisement Face mask sales initially increased amid poor air quality and smokey conditions through Australia's terrible bushfire season, causing wholesalers to run out of supplies. Chatswood Chemist Warehouse received their last delivery of face masks in the beginning of January and have since run out, and have been trying to order more every day to keep up with customers demand. The representative said 'every five minutes' customers are asking when they will get more stock, and that their suppliers had began to run out of product. Chemist Warehouse Chatswood stock ten different brands of hand sanitiser, and all of them are vacant from their shelves. Their last delivery of hand sanitisers lasted less than one day, with the entire shipment of stock being sold out in one mornings trade. Signs have been put up in chemists around the country including Chemist Warehouse in Chatswood to notify customers that there are no supplies of face masks and hand sanitisers Chemist Warehouse stores contacted by Daily Mail Australia in Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane all confirmed having no face masks or hand sanitiser in stock. Daily Mail Australia have reached out to Chemist Warehouse Australia for comment. On Tuesday, Priceline in North Sydney was delivered 300 masks but ran out by 2pm. In addition, Bunnings hardware stores were either sold out of P2 and N95 masks or quickly running out of stock. The deadly coronavirus has killed 133 people and infected more than 6,000 people in more than a dozen countries around the world. There are currently seven confirmed cases in Australia, with four in New South Wales, two in Victoria and one in Queensland, with two Australians in China diagnosed with the virus. A sign posted in a Chemist Warehouse store in Brisbane, where no face masks were available Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Wednesday plans to remove more than 600 Australians trapped in China's Hubai province on a Qantas flight to Christmas Island for quarantine as the virus continues to spread. Pharmaceutical Society of Australia Queensland president Chris Campbell said the best way to stop disease spread is hygiene. 'It's (face masks) not necessarily the mask that's going to be the solution for them there's other things that they can do,' he told the ABC. 'Keep up that hand hygiene, and by that it's just making sure we're always washing our hands if we've been in areas with contact with other people.' Republican leadership in the Senate is working on a plan that will guarantee them a way to defeat a motion to call more witnesses and wrap up Donald Trump's impeachment trial by the weekend. A resolution being discussed that would nullified a tie vote on the issue, a scenario Republicans have been concerned about. A 50-50 vote would hand the decision over to the presiding officer in the Senate, who is Chief Justice John Roberts. 'I think we'll avoid it,' Republican Senator Mike Braun told reporters during a dinner break. Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski (left) and Lamar Alexander (right) could be the deciding vote on calling additional witnesses Democrats want to call former National Security Adviser John Bolton Braun said Republicans were working on a measure on witnesses that interpret a 50-50 vote as a vote for no additional witnesses to be called. That means Roberts would not have to cast a tie-breaking vote. 'I think he'd probably take an out because it gets political at that point,' Braun said. Republican leadership have been talking to their lawmakers about the vote on additional witnesses, using the dinner hour - tacos were served - to take the temperature of their lawmakers on the issue. Senators Lamar Alexander and Lisa Murkowski were spotted meeting together during the dinner break. The two are in the spotlight being the ones who could cast the make-or-break vote on the witness issue. 'Ill have more to announce after' the question and answer session on Thursday night, Alexander told reporters. After the dinner break, when the Senate resumed its question and answer session, Murkowski cut to the chase by asking why shouldnt the Senate call former National Security Adviser John Bolton to testify: This dispute about material facts weighs in favor of calling additional witnesses with direct knowledge. Why should this body not call Ambassador Bolton? was her inquiry. Deputy White House Counsel Patrick Philbin warned senators whatever decision they made would affect future impeachments Deputy White House Counsel Patrick Philbin warned senators whatever decision they made would affect future impeachments and repeated the argument from Trumps team such a move would freeze business in the Senate. He also said Bolton hasnt even confirmed what is reported to be in his forthcoming memoir. JOHN BOLTON'S KEY REVELATIONS John Bolton makes a series of bombshell claims in his book, according to the part of the manuscript seen by the New York Times. They are: Trump told Bolton in August 2019 that he would not release military aid to the Ukraine until they investigated the Bidens and claims of trying to intervene in 2016 in favor of Hillary Clinton Mike Pompeo privately admitted that Rudy Giuliani's claims Marie Yovanovitch were corrupt were baseless - and that he suspected they were being made to help other Giuliani clients Bolton warned White House lawyers that he feared Giuliani was using his work with the president to help his private clients Mick Mulvaney, the acting chief of staff, was present at least once when Trump and Giuliani discussed Yovanovitch. Mulvaney has told 'associates' he stepped away from such conversations Pompeo told Bill Barr that he was mentioned in the July call with Zelensky. The Justice Department claims Barr did not know until mid-August Trump railed about Ukraine trying to 'damage' him in May 2019 when he met Ron Johnson, a Republican senator who was going to Zelensky's inauguration. And Trump also mentioned the conspiracy theory that Ukraine had a hacked Democratic server Bill Barr expressed concerns about Trump doing personal favors for autocrats including China's Xi and Turkey's Erdogan when Bolton raised the issue with him Advertisement Whatever is accepted in this case becomes the new normal for every impeachment proceeding in the future. And it will do grave damage to this body as an institution to say that the proceedings in the House don't have to really be complete. You don't have to subpoena the witnesses that you think are necessary to prove your case, he said. And then this chamber will have to be issuing the subpoenas and dealing with that. He went to warn: It's the entire chamber that is going to have to be sitting as a court of impeachment, and that will affect the business of the chamber. And so I think the idea that something comes out because someone makes an assertion in a book, allegedly. It's only alleged -- it's simply alleged now that the manuscript says that. Ambassador Bolton hasn't come out to verify that, to my knowledge. In his book, according to The New York Times, Bolton claims the president said he was freezing U.S. aid to Ukraine until that country agreed to investigate Joe and Hunter Biden. Trump has denied the charge. Murkowski and Alexander also teamed up with other Republican senator to ask even if Bolton did testify to what was reported to be in his book, would it be an impeachable offense. Philbin said it wouldn't matter what Bolton testified as the charges Democrats have against the president are impeachable offenses. Even if Ambassador Bolton would testify to that, even if you assumed it were true, there is no impeachable offense stated in the articles of impeachment,' he said. Democrats spent their time trying to convince senators to support their cause. 'They make the astounding claim that their case is so good, let them try without witnesses. That wouldn't fly before any judge in America. And it shouldn't fly here either,' Adam Schiff, the lead impeachment for Democrats, told senators. He also appealed to the Senators to follow the legacy the founders of the country laid out. 'They wrote a beautiful constitution. They understood a lot about human nature. They understood as we do that absolute power corrupts absolutely. And they provided a constraint. But it will only be as good and as strong as the men and women of this institution's willingness to uphold it, to not look away from the truth. The truth is staring us in the eyes. We know why they don't want John Bolton to testify. It's not because we don't know what really happened here. They just don't want the American people to hear it in all of its ugly graphic detail,' Schiff said. Republican Senator John Thune, a member of leadership, had fellow GOP lawmakers Mitt Romney and Alexander going in and out of his posh Capitol office Thursday evening to talk about calling additional witnesses. Republicans have said if Democrats want Bolton, then they are going to call Hunter Biden. Thune told reporters there are 'numerous discussions conversations among our members and we're trying to make sure that it gets to a comfortable place.' Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, said there was a feeling of urgency among lawmakers to wrap up the trial. 'We have a high level of interest in just getting this done,' he said. 'Senators have heard enough,' said Republican Senator John Barrasso, who is close both to the president and Senate leadership. Barrasso said he doesn't expect Trump's trial to go into Monday, meaning it would wrapped up by the time the president came to Capitol Hill Tuesday to give his State of the Union Address. Republicans are preparing to wrap up Donald Trump's trial on Friday Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and his party are increasingly confident they can win a vote to not call witnesses Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and his party are still pushing for witnesses There is increasing confidence among Republicans they would prevail Friday when it's time to vote on calling former National Security Adviser John Bolton and others to testify before the chamber. Democrats need four Republicans to side with them on such a vote and the pool of possible candidates is shrinking rapidly. Adam Schiff, the lead impeachment manager for Democrats, offered a deal Thursday afternoon to Trump's legal team to have the same rules for witnesses used in Bill Clinton's 1999 impeachment trial. 'Let's keep the depositions to one week,' he said during the proceedings. 'In the Clinton trial, there was one week of depositions. You know what the Senate did during that week? They did the business of the Senate. The Senate went back to its ordinary business while the depositions were being conducted. You want the Clinton model, let's use the Clinton model. Let's take a week to have a fair trial. You can continue your business. We can get the business of the country done. Is that too much to ask in the name of fairness?' Democratic senators talked up Schiff's deal during the dinner break but Republicans don't seem to be biting on it. But the conversation is shifting to the final plan on voting on Trump's fate. That could happen as early as Friday or perhaps on Saturday, depending on how much time Senators want to debate. Additionally, some senators could be reluctant to vote on the president's fate in the dark, late night hours on Friday, pushing the final decision to Saturday. 'The plan is to finish this up tomorrow or in the wee hours of the morning Saturday. Its a matter of what delaying tactics the Democrats could use,' Barrasso said. The Republicans' tentative plan - which is subject to change - is for there to be four hours of debate on Friday on calling witnesses, with two hours of each side. It's possible that time could double as closing arguments for the prosecution and defense, setting up a vote on Trump's fate for late Friday. 'We're just continuing to just have conversations with people in hopes that we'll get enough folks to a good place and be able to prevail' on witnesses, Republican Senator John Thune, a member of leadership, told Politico in an interview. 'My hope would be that if we do win tomorrow, that we will quickly close it out. I don't think there's any point in hanging around. I would like to go to a conclusion.' McConnell wants a speedy trial with no witnesses. Asked Thursday Morning by ABC News if he feels confident about the witness vote, he replied: 'I always do.' Once the witness question is decided, a final vote on whether or not to convict the president is expected quickly. 'I can tell you there are a lot of our members,' Thune said, 'who, if we can prevail on witnesses, want to just move to the final question as quickly as possible and conclude this.' Democrats would not have a lot of options if the witness vote fails. They could offer multiple motions, each one would have to be voted on. Senators could also want time to debate some of these motions. This could drag out the timing on a final vote on the president. Senator John Thune said there was a 'high level' of interest among Republican senators to get the trial done Republican Senator John Barrasso said senators have heard enough Senator Joni Ernst told reporters a closed-door session could happen There also are discussions about having a closed-door session for either the witness debate or the final debate on whether or not to acquit President Trump or possibly for both. 'I think they could have closed door deliberations,' Senator Joni Ernst told reporters on Thursday morning. The president's legal team made the repeated argument in Wednesday's 10-hour session that calling witnesses will drag the trial out for months and risks turning the Senate into a permanent court of impeachment, preventing the senators from doing an legislative work. Republican Senator Mike Braun said the mood among senators was 'suspenseful.' Senators spent nine and half hours asking their final questions on Thursday for a total of 89 inquires to the defense and prosecution. Republican Senator Mike Braun said Republicans were working on way to keep John Roberts from being the deciding vote on witnesses Adam Schiff proposed a witness deal but no Republicans seemed to be biting Trump's defense bluntly threatened that if the Senate votes for John Bolton, the former national security advisor, to give evidence, they would demand Hunter Biden, the whistleblower, Adam Schiff and potentially many more be called too, tying the Senate up for months. Without witnesses, the trial could end as early as Friday. President Trump is expected to be acquitted in the Republican-controlled chamber. It would take a vote of two-thirds of the senators to convict the president. 'We don't have a timeline. I think it's very dependent upon some of the motions that might come up,' Ernst said. Thursday's hearing got off to a dramatic start when Chief Justice John Roberts declined to read a question from Republican Senator Rand Paul that would have named the alleged whistleblower. Roberts looked at the card containing Paul's question carefully and then set it aside and said: 'The presiding officer declines to read the question as submitted.' Paul immediately left the impeachment hearing to hold a press conference on Roberts' move. 'I can tell you that my question made no reference to the whistleblower or any kind of person,' the senator from Kentucky said. Chief Justice John Roberts declined to read a question from Republican Senator Rand Paul on Thursday that would name the alleged whistleblower Senator Rand Paul immediately left the trial to hold a press conference He read his question to the press but DailyMail.com is not naming the alleged whistleblower, whose public identity has not been disclosed. Here is Senator Paul's question with the names in it redacted: 'Are you aware that House Intelligence Committee staff ... has a close relationship with ... when at the National Security Council together. Are you aware and how do you respond to reports that ... and ... may have worked together to plot impeaching the president before there were formal House impeachment proceedings?' Roberts - who is tasked with reading senators' questions aloud - had told the lawmakers he would not say the name of the whistleblower during the Q&A session. The person has not publicly identified themselves and is protected by federal law from having their identity revealed. Democrats don't want the whistleblower named publicly to protect the person and several Republicans agree with them. Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell appeared to reassure Roberts the lawmakers would support his position amid reports Paul was going to try to name the person in his question. 'We appreciate the judge reading our questions, and I want to continue to assure him that that level of consideration for him will continue,' McConnell said before the Q&A period began. The Senate is considering closed-door deliberations for its final decision on President Trump Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell could put the chamber in private session to debate whether or not to find the president guilty But Paul made his inquiry and then left the trial to talk to the press. 'I don't know who the whistleblower is,' Paul told reporters. 'My question is not about the whistleblower. My question is about two people who are friends who work together the National Security Council, who are having overheard talking about impeaching the president years in advance of a process that then was created,' he said. He said he was 'still contemplating' trying to ask his question or some other form of his question again. He was asked if he shouldn't be in the trial instead of holding a press conference. 'Yeah, I will be there very shortly. Thanks for the question,' he said. Paul's move got the second day of the Senate question and answer period off to a fiery start. Senators have another eight hours to make their inquiries as they prepare for the big question hanging over their heads: will additional witnesses be called. Adam Schiff, the head Democratic impeachment manager, continued Thursday to make the case to call additional witnesses White House deputy counsel Patrick Philbin argued the impeachment was an attempt to overthrow the 2016 election Senators have an additional eight hours to ask questions in Thursday's session. A total of 93 were asked on Thursday. The questions focused on the central arguments both sides have been making. Democratic senators asked questions to help the impeachment managers make their case for calling additional witnesses. They want to call acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and former National Security Adviser John Bolton. 'If you make the decision that a fair trial can be conducted without hearing from witnesses, the American people will not accept that,' Adam Schiff said. 'We would like to call our witnesses. We'd like to rely on more than our argumentation. There are few things about this trial that American agree on but one thing they are squarely in agreement on, well, two, they believe a trial should have witness testimony, and they want to hear from John Bolton.' Republicans asked questions to help Trump's lawyers make their case that the impeachment was being done in an attempt to overturn the 2016 election. 'This is really taking the vote away from the American people,' White House deputy counsel Patrick Philbin said. Attorney Eric Herschmann offered a list of Trump's accomplishments as president, including working on the border wall, the strong economy and low unemployment numbers. 'We the American people are happier. And yet the House managers tell you that the president needs to be removed because he's an immediate threat to our country,' he said. 'Maybe if the House managers stop opposing him and harassing him and harassing everyone associated with him, with the constant letters and the constant investigations, maybe we can even get more done,' he added. Republican Senator Susan Collins asked if there was a reason a president could ask a foreign government to investigate an American citizen if no U.S. agency was investigating that person. Phibin argued president's can do what they want. 'Yes, if there was a conduct by a U.S. person overseas that potentially violated the law of that country but didn't violate the law of this country,' he said, adding there could be 'various circumstances where a person had done something overseas but there was a national interest in understanding what they had done.' But Schiff argued the opposite. 'I cannot conceive of circumstances where that is appropriate. It may be appropriate for the Justice Department acting independently and in good faith to initiate investigations. There's a process for doing that,' Schiff said. 'That didn't happen here.' Meanwhile, Alan Dershowitz, one of Donald Trump's lawyers, took to Twitter Thursday to refute interpretations of a comment he made during Wednesday's session where he argued any action taken by the president to benefit his re-election is in the public interest and therefore not impeachable. 'Every public official that I know believes that his election is in the public interest, and mostly you're right. Your election is in the public interest, and if a president does something which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment,' he said during the senators' question and answer period. It was astonishing argument for sweeping executive power made by the famous law professor. But on Thursday Dershowitz disputed the interpretation of his words. 'They characterized my argument as if I had said that if a president believes that his re-election was in the national interest, he can do anything. I said nothing like that, as anyone who actually heard what I said can attest,' he wrote on Twitter. Several Democrats used the social media platform to snap back at him. 'READ THE TRANSCRIPT,' Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich wrote. 'You said as long as the President doesn't commit a crime, he can abuse his power in any way he likes in service of his re-election. He can trade taxpayer aid for foreign interference. He can sick law enforcement on his political rivals. I was there. That's what you said,' Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy tweeted. The issue Dershowitz raised came up in Thursday's questioning and Adam Schiff, the lead House Democratic manager, warned if the Senate acquitted the president, they would be setting a precedent for other presidents to use such tools in their re-election campaigns. 'If you believe that a president can essentially engage in any corrupt activity as long as he believes that it will assist his re-election campaign, and that campaign is in the public interests, then what's to stop a president from tasking his intelligence agencies to do political investigations?,' Schiff said. Alan Dershowitz, one Donald Trump's lawyers, argued any action taken by the president to benefit his re-election is in the public interest Dershowitz gave an astonishing argument for sweeping executive power for President Trump Adam Schiff called Dershowitz's argument 'very odd' The assertion was interpreted any action taken by a president in pursuit of his re-election campaign would not impeachable and nothing a president did would be an abuse of power, which is one of the articles against Trump. Adam Schiff, the lead Democratic impeachment manager, called Dershowitz's argument 'very odd.' 'If you say you can't hold a president accountable in an election year where they're trying to cheat in that election, then you are giving them carte blanche,' he said. 'All quid pro quos are not the same. Some are legitimate and some are corrupt.' The query about quid pro quos and their legality came after Republican Senator Ted Cruz asked: 'As a matter of law, does it matter if there was a quid pro quo? Is it true that quid pro quos are often used in foreign policy?' Dershowitz answered for the president's team, his first time speaking on the Senate floor Wednesday. 'The only thing that would make a quid pro quo unlawful is if the quo were in some way illegal,' he said. 'It would be a much harder case if a hypothetical president of the United States said to a hypothetical leader of a foreign country, unless you build a hotel with my name on it and unless you give me a million dollar kick back, I will withhold the funds. That's an easy case. That's purely corrupt and in the purely private interests,' he noted. Gas & Beer Why it's easier than ever to buy alcohol. by Jeff Mortimer From the January, 2020 issue Eight years ago, the owner of a gas station on Washtenaw boasted that his was the only one in Ann Arbor selling beer and wine. In December the state liquor license database showed nineteen in the city and nearby townships, including all four Speedways and all three Meijers. Meanwhile, both Plum Markets, which already sold beer and wine, had added hard liquor in the fall of 2018. That's what beer and wine wholesalers and the Michigan Liquor Control Commission and Meijer wanted, and that's what the MLCC and state legislators delivered--both through action and timely inaction. Licenses to sell alcohol come in many flavors, but retailers selling for off-premises consumption need a "Specially Designated Merchant" (SDM ) license for beer and wine and a "Specially Designated Distributor" (SDD) for hard liquor. In the last few years, the state has made both much easier to get. Before 2016, the state made it extremely difficult for a gas station to get a beer-and-wine license. Requirements included maintaining a non-alcohol inventory valued at a minimum of $250,000 and a distance of at least fifty feet between fuel pumps and where the alcohol was sold. Liquor sellers couldn't be located within a half-mile of one another. Then, in 2016, two laws reshaped the beer and wine landscapes. In 2017, a controversial MLCC rule change did the same for liquor. Michigan is one of seventeen states where the government monopolizes the sales of hard liquor. It resells it to to wholesalers, who resell it to retailers, who sell to the public. To limit competition, the state also decrees minimum retail markups. Beer and wine sales follow a slightly simpler "three-tier" system, where producers sell to wholesalers, who are de facto agents of the state. One of the 2016 laws effectively eliminated the restrictions on gas station sales: it cut the distance required between fuel pumps and where alcohol could be sold from fifty feet to five feet, and the minimum value of non-alcohol ...continued below... merchandise from $250,000 to just $10,000.Under certain conditions, gas stations located on or adjacent to premises also licensed by the MLCC could also get permits to sell beer and wine under the primary location's license. Some in the industry have dubbed this the "Meijer law," since it seems to have been tailored to fit the big box chain's gas stations. The three Washtenaw County Meijers hold the only such permits in the county.The other 2016 statute established a cap of one beer and wine license per 1,000 people in a city, village, or township. But at the beginning of 2017, before the cap took effect, there was a sixty-day window when the MLCC accepted applications without regard to that quota. The commission received about 1,200 applications, twenty-six of them from Washtenaw County.---The dust still hadn't settled. Late in 2016, the chair of the MLCC, Andy Deloney, proposed rescinding the half-mile rule for liquor sales. The reaction from retailers and neighborhood associations across the state was swift and fierce. The retailers, like the gas station owners who had put a pile of money into inventory, could see their investment in a liquor sales license (reportedly in the $70,00-$80,000 range in Washtenaw County) being devalued. Residents worried that liquor stores would cluster in poor neighborhoods, breeding crime and underage drinking.But Deloney--who has since taken a job with an alcohol distributor--had an agenda. Shortly after his appointment, Deloney told reporters that he hoped to create a system with "as little government restriction and regulation as possible. We're going to overturn every rock and see why are we doing things this way. Why do we have this law? Why do we have this requirement?"The commission rescinded the half-mile rule. Deloney called it "protectionist and anticompetitive" and "an administrative burden," claiming that the majority of denied applicants from this rule were small, independent businesses."Some of these guys that talk about competition and a free market for spirits purposely forget that the state is the monopoly," says Auday Arabo, president of the Midwest Independent Retailers Association. The trade group sued, arguing that the MLCC had eliminated the half-mile rule without holding a required public hearing.The commission temporarily restored the rule and held a hearing. In September 2017, more than 100 witnesses spoke against rescinding the rule while three--from CVS, Kroger, and 7-Eleven--were in favor. Twenty days later, the MLCC rescinded the rule again, although legal maneuvering kept it from taking effect until the following April."They were never going to change their mind," says Arabo. "They heard testimony, went through their dog-and-pony show, and decided to rescind the rule. In an area where you have four liquor licenses based on population, there could be one on every corner of the busiest intersection in the area. We call it geographic saturation."The retailers sued again, claiming rescission would cause them "irreparable harm," but that was tossed out. Friendly legislators then introduced a bill to reinstitute the half-mile rule.It passed the state senate by a 27-9 vote, and it appeared to have enough votes to pass the state house, too. But Rep. Brandt Iden, the chair of the House Regulatory Reform Committee, refused to let his committee vote on bringing the measure to the floor. Iden, a major recipient of campaign contributions from the Michigan Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association did not respond to the Observer's request for comment.With the bill dead, Plum Market and the Maple Rd. Kroger started selling liquor in the fall of 2018. Both Kroger and the Maple Village Plum are within half a mile of A&L Wine Castle, a longtime package store specializing in high-end liquor and spirits. According to the MLCC, A&L was the county's fourth-biggest seller of liquor in 2017, after the three Meijers and Costco."With my numbers, I can deal with it," says Maher Jaboro, A&L's owner. "I do see some things that we don't sell much anymore, half-gallons, mostly. That's the Kroger people. The high-end market, I still sell what I sell."A Kroger spokesperson says their liquor sales have "far exceeded expectations," and Plum doubled its liquor offerings last June. But the managers at two other nearby liquor stores, the Ann Arbor Party Center at the Jackson-Dexter fork and Wolverine Party Shoppe, around the corner from Plum on Dexter Rd., say their sales have decreased only slightly.The Party Center manager, who identified himself only as Mike, credited "a lot of neighborhood support" for minimizing the damage: "We appreciate their understanding that a small guy's gotta stay in business as well."---Before the law changed, Abraham Ajrouch was one of the few gas station owners who'd managed to jump though the hoops to get a license. To meet the state's requirements, he demolished the car wash at his Ann Arbor Gateway Shell station at Ann Arbor-Saline Rd. and Eisenhower, tripled the size of his store, and added a Tim Hortons drive-thru.After the law changed, the Meijer station across I-94 got a license without doing any of those things. But even though "I got screwed" by the change, Ajrouch says, "I'm glad they changed it. I think it's better for small business people with the new law than the old law."Not better for him, of course, but he's not standing still. Ajrouch plans to break ground this month on another expansion--4,000 square feet of retail space that he'll rent out.As the landlord, he won't have to worry about a competitor going in next door. But there are plenty of other opportunities for businesses catering to adult thirsts. Currently, forty-six beer and wine licenses are available in Ann Arbor. [Originally published in January, 2020.] 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. Finance Ministry has lauded the dedication of one of its employees during the run up to the Budget 2020-21. This employee is the Deputy Manager of Press, Kuldeep Kumar Sharma, who is under lock-in at ministry offices in North Block for Budget duty. Sharma's father passed away on January 26, 2020. Despite being informed about the irreparable loss, he decided not to leave his post for even a minute. Sharma has an important contribution in the printing of the Budget 2020 document. The Ministry of Finance lauded his "exemplary commitment" to service. Informing with regret that Shri Kuldeep Kumar Sharma, Dy Manager (Press), lost his father on 26 Jan,2020. Being on budget duty, he was on job in the lock-in. In spite of his immense loss, Sharma decided not to leave press area even for a minute. @nsitharamanoffc@Anurag_Office - Ministry of Finance (@FinMinIndia) January 30, 2020 The Union Budget for financial year 2020-21 is slated to be released on February 1, 2020. The Budget document is compiled and printed in utmost secrecy, and is kept away from public eye till it is formally tabled before the Parliament. Government employees involved in the process of Budget formation are required to remain under 'quarantine' in the North Block, i.e., completely out of bounds for the public and the media. The premises where the Budget is being drafted are under the watch of the Intelligence Bureau and Delhi Police personnel. FULL COVERAGE:Union Budget 2020 In order to keep details such as the expected growth rate in a particular sector completely private till the D-day, a secret sheet known as the Blue sheet is maintained during the Budget preparation. This sheet comprises of the main economic data that are the basis of the budget calculations and gets upgraded as the new data come in. The secrecy around the blue sheet is such that only the joint secretary for Budget is given the custody of the blue sheet. Not even the Finance Minister is allowed to take the blue sheet outside the Finance Ministry premises. The proceedings for drafting the Budget become even more secretive when the printing of the Union Budget document starts. During the 2-week time period, the officials who oversee the printing of the Budget are not allowed to go home and are quarantined within the basement area of the North Block. In order to avoid the risk of online leak of the Budget documents, all the computers inside the press area are delinked till the Budget day from the National Informatics Centre (NIC) servers. Leaking of the Budget documents is punishable under the Official Secrets Act. Also read: Budget 2020: Date, time, expectations from Modi govt, where to watch The World Health Organizations emergency committee will meet again to assess the global threat from the new coronavirus, the organizations leader said on Jan. 29. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the committee would meet on Thursday to advise him on whether the coronavirus outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. He noted that most confirmed cases are in China but that three countries have recorded person-to-person transmission outside of China. This potential for further global spread is why I called the emergency committee, Ghebreyesus said in a statement. Most cases reported outside are in people with a travel history from China or have been in contact with people who have been there. But there are some signs of person-to-person transmission outside China. German officials said this week that a 33-year-old man got the coronavirus from a female colleague from Shanghai. Three other workers were later isolated. Taiwan and Japan also reported cases of human-to-human transmission among non-relatives. Other transmissions between people included a father infecting his son in Vietnam and the man possibly infecting his relatives, who were in Malaysia. WHOs emergency committee declined last week to recommend that the organization declare a public health emergency of international concern, citing the limited cases outside of China. Make no mistake. This is an emergency in China, but it has not yet become a global health emergency, Ghebreyesus said at a news conference announcing the decision. Since then, cases have popped up in more countries, with over a dozen now having at least one patient that tested positive. Some countries have seen a growing number of cases. Australia reported its sixth and seventh cases on Wednesday, and Singapore reported three new cases, bringing the total to 10. Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that infect animals and, in some cases, pass from animals to humans. In rare cases, they are transmitted from humans to other humans. China has also said it confirmed that asymptomatic transmission is taking place, but American health officials said they couldnt support the finding as of yet. Officials said at a press conference on Tuesday that theyre trying to obtain the underlying data from Chinese officials but also stressed that asymptomatic carriers typically dont drive epidemics. Asymptomatic transmission means transmitting the disease even if the carrier doesnt show symptoms. Even if there is some asymptomatic transmission, in all the history of resp-borne viruses of any type, asymptomatic transmission has never been the driver of outbreaks, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told reporters. The driver of outbreaks is always a symptomatic person. Even if theres a rare asymptomatic person who might transmit, an epidemic is not driven by asymptomatic carriers. From The Epoch Times Interview questions can range from the bizarre to the complex. Photo: Getty The 20 toughest questions and challenges that have been posed in interviews by UK companies has been revealed. Job site Glassdoor analysed hundreds of thousands of interview reviews left on the site to create the list, which ranges from the bizarre to the complex. All the questions come from recent interviews with UK companies, including Asda, Airbnb, Ovo Energy, and Morgan Stanley. Jo Cresswell, careers expert at Glassdoor, offers advice on how to answer some of the toughest interview questions: What one thing would you take to the moon? This bizarre question was asked to a candidate interviewing for a job at supermarket giant Asda. Cresswell says: Depending on the role youre going for, you need to consider what you want to convey in your answer. Do you want to come across as practical, sentimental or something else? For practical answers, consider items such as moon boots, an oxygen mask/tank or first aid kit for survival. For sentimental answers, consider items such as your favourite book, photo of your loved ones or a diary to capture your experience. READ MORE: Why its a bad idea to lie on your CV Youll want to have an item in mind and a reason as to why youd take it to the moon. Make it relevant to the role youre interviewing for, but ensure you remain authentic to yourself. If you had 50,000 to start up a new company where would you put the money and why? This tricky question was asked at a graduate interview at financial services company Admiral Group. Cresswell says: First up, prepare yourself with an idea of what new company you would want to start; what industry and what problem youd be looking to solve or value youd be looking to add. Demonstrate your business acumen by acknowledging the priority areas in which investment needs to be made when starting a business. You might want to consider overheads such as office space, equipment such as computers, costs of any product development or marketing requirements. Story continues READ MORE: Should you ever be truly honest in an exit interview? This doesnt need to be a complete scientific answer, but you will need to demonstrate an adequate level of business awareness and be prepared to respond to any follow-up questions. This could be a good way to demonstrate your values for example, would your companys mission be related to a social or environmental cause that you feel passionate about? Would your new enterprise be designed to help a certain segment of the population? How does it relate to your current career path? How do your friends describe you? This thought-provoking question was posed at an interview with online fashion retailer ASOS. Try to avoid cliched, one word answers such as helpful, trustworthy, reliable, Cresswell says. While these may all be true, you can guarantee that every other candidate will be saying the same thing. Instead, paint a picture of a few different scenarios which demonstrate how your friends see you. For example, the time you were able to support your friend with their business plan due to your strong knowledge of a certain business issue. Or when one of your friends was struggling with a personal problem, and turned to you as she sees you as honest and dependable. These short stories will make you far more memorable to a recruiter and allow your personality to shine. READ MORE: How to stop your body language affecting your chances in a job interview Maybe you could consider actually asking your friends and colleagues what they think of you before commencing an interview process, so you are basing this response on real world examples? The top 20 toughest interview questions: The Bizarre Tell us two truths and a lie. If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why? What one thing would you take to the moon? Should you choose to jump from an aeroplane or climb a mountain? Explain why? If you won 10m, what would you do with it? The Complex If you had 50,000 to start up a new company where would you put the money and why? How many windows do you think there are in London? How many taxis are there in Oxford? Derive your answer mathematically, not anecdotally. Is a Jaffa Cake a cake or a biscuit? Estimate the annual revenue of an outdoor swimming pool. The Thought-Provoking What do you consider a challenge for the world and what do you do to solve it? Name a minimum of 15 qualities that define a great leadership. What makes you happy? If you were inventing a product based on a fruit, what would it be and how would you market it? How do your friends describe you? The Physical Build a bridge on a table using straws and cardboard in a team. Solve a Rubiks cube. Can you make a tower using marshmallows and spaghetti to hold one of these cans? Play a ping-pong game app. Design a car park. READ MORE: Heres the right way to turn someone down after a job interview IFS officer Susanta Nanda recently posted a video on his Twitter account of the rare species of birds, superb bird of paradise dancing in an interesting rhythm flaunting its beautiful wings and swirling its colourful tail in what the officer termed as a mating dance pattern. The video has left the internet praising the might of the glorious bird and its ravishing beauty. The 17 sends video portrays the bird unfurling his black wings showcasing his attractive feathers grooving and strutting in an attempt to charm a female from its community. Passion stimulates.. Love intoxicates Superb bird of Paradise has an unusual low population of females. This explains one of the most elaborate courtship display in the avian world. pic.twitter.com/3WXsS6koXx Susanta Nanda IFS (@susantananda3) January 30, 2020 The Bird is known for its bouncy smiley face dance routine According to the reports, these birds are endemic to New Guinea and are found only in the islands far-western Vogelkop, region. Researchers renamed the bird as the superb bird of paradise owing to its bouncy smiley face dance routine. The male birds raised cape that can be seen in the video creates a completely different appearance from the females. The males crescent-shaped head with pointed tips is unique compared to females oval shape widespread. The way the bird of paradise male dances for the female is also known as distinctive, as his steps being smooth instead of bouncy according to sources. Its the male birds delightful dance that has impressed the audience online and they cant quite get enough of his meticulous dance. Users expressed awe at the dancing skills of the bird and suggested that humans had a lot to learn from him. Some said that they havent seen a chirpy bird dancing in that fashion before and called it the dance of love. Users also thanked the officer for brightening their day with such an eye-soothing video of a happy bird. Read Bird Flu: Odisha To Cull Chickens In And Around Agri Tech University Read 'Birds Of Prey' Review: Margot Robbie Starrer Receives Heaps Of Praise Sir its very wonderful, during intoxication what male bird do? Or its happen only temporary!! Thank u sir for sharing, it's a great example 4 learning n understanding Chiragkumar Patel (@iamyourschirag) January 30, 2020 Wow.... Never seen before. Sarthak Mohanty (@post2sarthak) January 30, 2020 This is really awesome.. thanks for sharing pawan sharma (@pawan0369) January 30, 2020 this male bird need to clean his place afterthat only the this fenale bird gives him chance to atteract her.If i am not wrong this bird belongs from rain forest? Bhumika Rai (@YalkaRai) January 30, 2020 Read Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary Is True Heaven For Bird Lovers | Know More Read Birds Of Prey Official Soundtrack Draws Flock Of Female Artists: See Full List Here Portugal described as serious and credible Moroccos plan to grant autonomy to the Sahara region, saying the proposal offers prospects for the resolution of the Sahara issue. The remarks were made by Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva following talks with his Moroccan peer Nasser Bourita in Rabat Wednesday. The Portuguese position on this regional dispute is well-known. We hope that the process conducted under the aegis of the UN and in accordance with the recommendations and resolutions of the Security Council will lead to concrete results, he said. The Portuguese Foreign Minister also praised the large-scale reforms undertaken by King Mohammed VI over the past few years, and hailed the modernization and development of the Moroccan economy, society and institutions. The Portuguese top diplomat also commended Morocco for the important role it plays in preserving stability in the Mediterranean, the Maghreb and Africa, noting that these regions present strategic and geopolitical challenges for both Portugal and the European Union. Augusto Santos Silva underlined the two countries shared willingness to develop their relations into a multidimensional and diversified strategic partnership. Last April, Morocco and Portugal held the 13th Moroccan-Portuguese High-Level Meeting in Rabat. The Head of the Moroccan government Saad Eddine El Othmani and his Portuguese counterpart Antonio Costa vowed to join efforts in order to explore untapped development as well as investment and business opportunities in Africa through the setting up of a mutually beneficial tripartite partnership. The Portuguese Premier had then recalled the long standing ties between the two countries citing the signature in 1994 of the Treaty of Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, which offers a solid basis for strengthening bilateral ties at all levels. At the end of the high-level meeting, 12 agreements were signed in the fields of economy, energy, culture, civil service and health, as well as triangular cooperation with third countries. Some 300 Portuguese companies operate in Morocco with bilateral trade reaching an annual average of 1 billion euros. Between 2010 and 2014, Moroccos imports from Portugal grew 82% while its exports rose by 131%. Morocco was ranked the tenth destination of Portuguese exports. Participate in the Fresh Start Finance program today and get a new vehicle from Serra Hyundai. Serra Hyundai of the Steve Serra Auto Group is offering its customers financing options through the Fresh Start Financing program. Shoppers that visit the dealership for a new or used vehicle can receive financing options that meet their needs. Serra Hyundai provides credit options to local residents with any type of credit history or budget. The financing process is completely confidential. The financing team uses the non-invasive process of soft-credit checks to determine the best car loan for the persons budget. Serra Hyundai will help any customer including those who have gone through divorce or bankruptcy. Interested parties must fill out the secure and confidential credit application online to apply for financing. After the application has been filled out and received, a finance team member will work with the customer to create a finance plan. Once a credit application goes through and a finance plan has been figured out, applicants can start shopping the Serra Hyundai new and used inventory. Serra Hyundai offers vehicles for families, new drivers or commuters. Shoppers can see the inventory in person at the dealership or online from their phone, tablet or computer. If customers would like to learn more about Fresh Start Financing, they can find more information at serrahyundai.com. They can also contact the dealership at 205-304-0929. Serra Hyundai is open Monday-Friday from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Coronavirus is starting to freak me out not the illness itself but the amped-up, ill-considered way our frightened world might respond to it. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited the city of Wuhan on Monday. Credit:EyePress Yes, the novel virus appears to be spreading quickly at the outbreak's epicentre in the Chinese province of Hubei, but after a late start the Chinese government is now imposing unprecedented measures to contain it. As the World Health Organisation declared last week, it remains too early to call the outbreak a global public health emergency. So far, the Wuhan coronavirus is not much more frightening than the outbreaks of other recent coronaviruses like SARS in 2003 or MERS in 2012, each of which killed fewer than a thousand people around the world. The new virus's death toll has just exceeded 140; for context, the flu kills between 300,000 and 650,000 people around the world annually. What worries me more than the new disease is that fear of a vague and terrifying new illness might spiral into panic and that it might be used to justify unnecessarily severe limits on movement and on civil liberties, especially of racial and religious minorities around the world. Thousands of people could have been exposed to the coronavirus in Australia by the country's nine confirmed patients alone - as up to 49,000 people land on flights from China per week and a global health emergency is declared. Four people in Sydney, three in Melbourne, and two on the Gold Coast have been struck down with the deadly virus in recent weeks. Each one flew in from Wuhan, the Chinese city where the outbreak began, on planes packed with hundreds of potential victims. At least a day passed after they arrived before they developed flu-like symptoms and eventually went to hospital. Thousands of people could have been exposed to coronavirus in Australia by the country's nine confirmed patients alone A passenger wearing a protective mask (pictured) is seen at Sydney Airport on Thursday, getting off the last flight to Australia from Wuhan before they were shut down During this time when they didn't know they were sick, they interacted with hundreds of people each, some of whom could now be infected. One patient was even allowed out of isolation to celebrate Australia Day at a restaurant with his family while he was waiting for test results. People they infected will be going about their lives on crowded trains and buses, having business meetings, and sharing meals - potentially passing the virus on. This is just from the nine confirmed cases - more than a dozen other people are being tested after developing symptoms associated with the virus. It comes as China's coronavirus death toll hits 170 and the World Health Organisation declares a global health emergency. Speaking to reporters, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: 'The main reason for this declaration is not because of what is happening in China, but because of what is happening in other countries. 'Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems, and which are ill-prepared to deal with it.' Russia, which has no cases of the virus, is closing its 2,600-mile border with China, joining Mongolia and North Korea in barring crossings to guard against the outbreak. Train traffic between the countries was halted except for one train connecting Moscow and Beijing, but air traffic between the two countries continued. On Thursday Israel banned all incoming flights from China and 6,000 people in Italy were prevented from leaving a cruise ship while tests were carried out on a passenger from Macau. Australia and New Zealand are planning a joint evacuation of citizens from Wuhan while Singapore is setting up a quarantine facility on an island to the city's north-east. Meanwhile, the United States and South Korea confirmed their first cases of person-to-person spread of the virus. The man in the US is married to a 60-year-old Chicago woman who got sick from the virus after she returned from a trip to Wuhan, the Chinese city that is the epicentre of the outbreak. Shoppers cover their faces with masks at Asian markets in Cabramatta in Sydney's southwest on Thursday out of fear of coronavirus A pamphlet handed out by the Australian Government providing travellers with information on the deadly coronavirus (pictured) In Australia, the first men were confirmed to be infected with coronavirus on January 25 - three in NSW and another in Victoria. Two arrived on direct flights from Wuhan to Sydney on separate China Eastern Airlines flight MU749, one on January 20 and another on an unknown date. Both these flights had up to 250 passengers plus several crew on board who are prime candidates for infection. Another man, diagnosed on the same day, flew in to Sydney via Shenzhen, near Hong Kong, on January 6 on a plane that carries up to 277 people. CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA NEW SOUTH WALES: 4 Four people in NSW have been diagnosed with coronavirus, including three men and one woman. January 25 Three men aged 43, 53, and 35 who had recently travelled to China are confirmed to have contracted the disease. Two flew in from Wuhan while the other arrived in Sydney from Shenzhen, south China. They are being treated in isolation at Westmead Hospital and are in stable condition. January 27 A 21-year-old woman is identified as the fourth person to test positive for the illness in NSW. The woman, a student at UNSW, flew into Sydney International Airport on flight MU749 on January 23 and presented to the emergency department 24 hours later after developing flu-like symptoms. She is being treated in isolation at Westmead Hospital. VICTORIA: 4 January 25 A Chinese national aged in his 50s becomes the first confirmed case of the coronavirus in Australia. The man flew to Melbourne on China Southern flight CZ321 from Wuhan via Guangzhou on January 19. He is now in quarantined isolation at Monash Hospital in Clayton in Melbourne's east. January 29 A Victorian man in his 60s is diagnosed with the coronavirus. He became unwell on January 23 - two days after returning from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak. The man was confirmed as positive on January 29 and was subsequently seen by doctors at the Monash Medical Centre. He was assessed as being well enough to stay at home. January 30 A woman in her 40s falls ill with the coronavirus. She was visiting from China and mostly spent time with her family. She is being treated at Royal Melbourne Hospital. February 1 A Melbourne woman aged in her 20s is at home recovering. She returned from Wuhan on January 25 and fell ill two days later. She was not infectious on the flight, and has remained in isolation since being tested. QUEENSLAND: 2 January 29 Queensland confirms its first case after a 44-year-old Chinese national wass diagnosed with the virus. He is being treated at Gold Coast University Hospital. January 30 A 42-year-old Chinese woman who was travelling in the same Wuhan tour group as the 44-year-old man tests positive. She is in Gold Coast University Hospital in stable condition. SOUTH AUSTRALIA: 2 February 1 A Chinese couple were placed in isolation in a public hospital. The man and a woman both aged 60, were from Wuhan and visiting relatives in South Australia. SA Health said the pair isolated themselves at home when they developed symptoms and awaited the results of the coronavirus test. Australia has raised the travel alert level to 'do not travel' for the city of Wuhan - the epicentre of the outbreak - and for the entire Hubei province. Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy says unless people have contact with someone who is unwell and has come from that part of China, there is no need for current concern. Advertisement The fourth arrived in Melbourne from Wuhan via Guangzhou on January 19 on a an A388 carrying up to 525 passengers. A total of 167 flights that can carry 48,999 people are landing in Australia from mainland China per week as coronavirus spreads around the world. Based on those figures, as many as 342,993 people may have entered Australia from China since the deadly virus was first detected in Wuhan seven weeks ago. On Thursday, major airlines suspended or reduced services to China including British Airways, Lufthansa, American Airlines, KLM, and United. But the airlines that fly from China to Australia - including eight Chinese airlines and Qantas - made no changes to their routes, except for China Eastern cancelling its flight from Wuhan to Sydney last week. The flights include 62 planes from Guangzhou, 42 from Shanghai and 18 from Beijing per week, with direct routes to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Darwin. On Wednesday, Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said the airline was considering scrapping its Sydney to Beijing route due to low demand. The airline had already announced plans to axe that service from March, but Mr Joyce suggested that could happen sooner. NSW Health advice states that people are at risk of catching the virus if they spent 15 minutes in close contact, such as a face-to-face conversation, or two hours in the same confined space. Chinese health authorities have confirmed that, contrary to earlier belief, patients are contagious even before they develop symptoms. On Monday, it was confirmed that a 21-year-old University of NSW student who arrived on a different MU749 flight was infected. The university told students in an email that she became unwell soon after her flight and isolated herself in her on-campus dorm room for 24 hours before going to hospital. UNSW is not in semester but there are still some students and staff on campus she could have interacted with, along with on public transport and at the airport. Many students are terrified they could be infected next, especially with thousands of Chinese classmates due to arrive on campus in coming weeks. The second Melbourne patient landed on January 21, though it is not clear which flight he was on, and wasn't diagnosed until Wednesday. The man in his 60s went to hospital two days later but was allowed out of isolation to celebrate Australia Day with his family. He was with five family members - three adults and two children - at The House of Delight in Glen Waverley between 5.30pm and 7pm. Victoria's chief health officer Dr Brett Sutton urged other diners to contact the health department and watch for coronavirus symptoms. Other businesses in the same building as the restaurant on 52 Montclair Avenue have closed until February 9 and others are thinking about shutting up shop. A cleaner was brought in to disinfect buttons in the building's lift. One of the patient's adult relatives and one of the children have tested negative so far, and all five are in isolation with him. The seventh victim has the most capacity to have infected hundreds of others. The 44-year-old Chinese tourist arrived in Melbourne from Wuhan via Singapore on January 22 and spent several days travelling with a tour group. On Thursday night it was confirmed that one of them, a 42-year-old woman, contracted the virus herself, while three others were sick. All eight of his fellow holidaymakers are now in isolation with him at Gold Coast University Hospital. They all took Tiger Air flight TT566, landing on the Gold Coast about 8pm on Monday on a plane that carries up to 189 passengers. Queensland Health chief officer Dr Jeannette Young on Thursday said she was concerned about everyone on the plane. Students at the University of NSW where a classmate was diagnosed with coronavirus say they are too afraid to go back to class A 21-year-old Chinese student was diagnosed with coronavirus earlier this week after she flew back from Wuhan on January 23 'My concern is that those 150-200 people on that plane when he started getting symptoms and then his 24 hours in the Gold Coast community, I need to track exactly where he went,' she said. Tiger Air said it was in the process of contacting the passengers and crew to notify them so they could visit their GP for testing. The 44-year-old stayed at an apartment in the Oracle building in Broadbeach, which is in the same building as the $900-a-night Peppers hotel frequented by celebrities including Taylor Swift. He became increasingly unwell after first developing symptoms before the flight out of Melbourne and called an ambulance about 3.30pm on Tuesday. A Chinese tourist who arrived in Melbourne early last week was diagnosed on Thursday a week after she got sick. Her exposure to the public is believed to be more limited as she spent the vast majority of her time with family members she was visiting. Coronavirus victims' journey to Australia: What we know Queensland's two confirmed coronavirus cases are a Chinese nationals - a man and a woman - from the same tour group that spent about six days in Melbourne before flying to the Gold Coast. The man, 44, fell ill on Tiger Air flight TT566 from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Monday night. He was travelling with eight other tourists, four of whom have fallen ill and were being tested for the virus. A 42-year-old woman - who was part of the same tour group - was confirmed on Thursday night as Queensland's second coronavirus case. WHAT WE KNOW * The tour group came from Wuhan and stopped in Singapore before flying to Australia. *They left Singapore on either January 21 or 22, and landed in Melbourne on January 22. *The group spent the next five days in the Victorian capital touring the city. *Authorities are now trying to track their movements and alert people who may have been in contact. *The tour group boarded Tiger Air flight TT566 on January 27 at 7.44pm AEDT and landed at the Gold Coast Airport at 8.45pm AEST. *The passenger was travelling on a booking with one other person and they were seated in 11A and 11B. *The 44-year-old developed symptoms on the flight, which was carrying about 150-200 passengers. *The man travelled to his Gold Coast hotel, before calling an ambulance. He spent less than 24 hours in the hotel. * The man and four others from the tour group who developed symptoms have been isolated in the Gold Coast University Hospital. Advertisement An man infected with coronavirus visited The House Of Delight restaurant in Glen Waverley, Melbourne's south-east, with his five family members between 5.30pm and 7pm on January 26 Other businesses in the same building as the restaurant on 52 Montclair Avenue have closed until February 9 and others are thinking about shutting up shop LATEST AUSTRALIAN FIGURES ON THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK Nine people have contracted the virus after travelling to Australia from Hubei province in central China. * The tally is four in NSW, three in Victoria and two in Queensland. Two of the NSW victims are no longer infectious and were discharged from hospital on Thursday. The others are all stable. * The latest case is a 42-year-old Chinese woman who travelled from Wuhan to the Gold Coast via Melbourne. She is now in isolation in a Gold Coast hospital. * China's women's soccer team, which includes 32 players and staff, remains in isolation at a Brisbane hotel after arriving on Wednesday. * The federal government plans to evacuate Australians from the Hubei capital of Wuhan after about 600 citizens and residents registered for help to get out. China must approve the plan. * They will be flown to Christmas Island and put in quarantine for two weeks. * The federal health department has issued new advice amid evidence the virus has been spread by people before they develop any symptoms. * Anyone who has recently been to Hubei or had contact with a confirmed case must isolate themselves at home for 14 days from the date of their departure. THE WORLD: * Some 170 people have died from the virus in mainland China, and the number of confirmed cases is now more than 7000. Most of the deaths have been in Hubei. * Some major airlines have halted all flights to China, but so far Qantas is not among them. * The virus is now affecting most of Australia's regional neighbours including Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam and Cambodia. TRAVEL WARNINGS: * The Australian government is advising people to reconsider travel to China and not go to Hubei province. (Sources: China's National Health Commission, Australian Chief Medical Officer and state chief health officers) Advertisement People the nine patients infected could pass the virus on to others before they even know they are sick or were exposed at all. Scientists are still trying to fully understand this strain of coronavirus and work out how contagious it is and how to stop it. The infection rate of diseases is called its basic reproduction number, known as R0 or r-nought, brought to public attention by 2011 film Contagion about a fictional worldwide pandemic. Imperial College London estimated coronavirus' R0 to be 2.6, meaning that on average each patient would infect 2.6 others before they died, were isolated, or got better. This number changes over time as the virus spreads or is brought under control by health authorities - an R0 of less than 1 means it is under control. Paramedics wearing Hazmat suits arrived at Peppers, on Elizabeth Street, Broadbeach, to reports of a suspected coronavirus case on Tuesday The luxurious 4.5 star hotel is a hot-spot for celebrities, and is understood to have hosted popstar Taylor Swift and, then boyfriend, Tom Hiddleston in 2016 Measles is particularly contagious, with a score as high as 16, while SARS was 2 to 5, as is HIV, while a standard flu is about 1.3. Some particularly deadly diseases, like ebola, have low scores because they kill patients too fast to infect many people, or produce symptoms too fast. Coronavirus has a mortality rate of about 2 per cent, compared to 9.5 per cent for SARS and 34.5 per cent in the 2012 MERS outbreak. Australia is starting at a low base of infection, but this can quickly multiply if the average R0 observed in China is met. Coronavirus has killed 170 so far, all in China, and more than 7,800 are infected worldwide. A British woman who lost her leg when she was hit by a taxi in New York has finally received an apology from the driver, but insisted it's 'meaningless' seven-years-later. Sian Green-Lord, 29, from Leicester, was struck by the yellow cab near the Rockefeller Center shortly after arriving in the city for a holiday in 2013, and later had to have her leg amputated. Appearing today on Lorraine, she told how after the 'life-changing accident' the car's driver showed 'no remorse' and never even attempted to contact her. However when asked by the show to make a statement, said he 'feels bad everyday' and said he 'needs' Sian's forgiveness. But the mother-of-one said that it meant nothing to receive an apology now, because she's had to spend years 'coming to terms' with his apparent lack of remorse. Sian Green-Lord (pictured), 29, from Leicester, had her leg amputated when she was hit by a taxi in New York in 2013 Appearing today on Lorraine, she told how after the 'life-changing accident' the car's driver showed 'no remorse' and never even attempted to contact her Speaking of the driver, she said: 'I'd had this life-changing accident. 'For an adult, in control of the situation,to not help and not show remorse, I don't know how you would sleep at night. 'But I've really had to bury it and come to terms with the fact that I've never had an apology.' Host Lorraine Kelly then revealed that the show had been in contact with the driver, and he had finally offered an apology to Sian. Host Lorraine Kelly then revealed that the show had been in contact with the driver, and he had finally offered an apology to Sian Despite his apology, in which he said that he 'needs' Sian to forgive him, the mother-of-one told how over the years she had 'come to terms' with the lack of apology and felt it was meaningless Reading out the statement, Lorraine said: 'Thank you for contacting me. I feel bad everyday, please forgive me, I need her forgiveness.' Sian responded: 'I think its really hard, because it's been so long. I've had to come to terms with not having an apology - it doesn't mean anything. 'At the time, it wasn't there. When I was going through all the things I was going through, I'm in a different place in my life.' Earlier this year, fashion-forward Sian came up with the idea to have her prosthetic limb transformed by her vintage Louis Vuitton bag, after the idea came to her in a dream. She explained: 'It was a bag that I found on eBay. When I got it, I really didn't want to chop it up! 'Fashion was such a huge part of who I was before, so this leg is like a tribute to myself.' Earlier this year, fashion forward Sian came up with the idea to have her prosthetic limb transformed by her vintage Louis Vuitton bag, after the idea came to her in a dream The mother, who models and is a motivational speaker in schools, says her new look has given her bags of confidence - and she documents her stylish looks on her Instagram page The mother, who models and is a motivational speaker in schools, says her new look has given her bags of confidence - and she documents her stylish looks on her Instagram page. And Sian says she now receives floods of message from fellow amputees who say it's the best prosthetic leg they have seen. Sian, then 24, had just bought a hot dog and was eating at the plaza with her best friend when the taxi mounted the kerb. A plumber used his belt to make a life-saving tourniquet for her leg while a pizza truck owner raced to put her severed foot on ice. Witnesses said the vehicle was on Sixth Avenue and 49th Street when it hit a cyclist before jumping the curb, crashing into Sian and coming to a stop by a fountain. Sian, who studyied to be a fashion buyer a De Montfort University Leicester, was conscious throughout the ordeal and was rushed to Bellevue Hospital where she underwent surgery. One of her legs was severed at the ankle and she suffered injuries to the other. Every president in political trouble looks to foreign policy for a distraction, and Donald Trump is no different. January began with the killing of Iranian major general Qasem Soleimani and ends with the release of a White House peace plan for Israelis and Palestinians. Surely it is no coincidence that all this is happening while the US president is being impeached. Trump is selling himself as both warmaker and peacemaker? But while the president can undoubtedly order the killing of enemy leaders, he cannot snap his fingers and end a long-running conflict. Indeed, he is not seriously trying to do so. What was unveiled on Tuesday was a PR campaign, not a peace plan. Normally when you make peace, you have to do so with your enemies. But the only people present at the White House lectern on Tuesday were Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Not a Palestinian representative in sight - and none was apparently consulted in the creation of this plan. The Palestinians have not been talking to the US since Trump announced in December 2017 that he was moving the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, recognising that contested city as Israel's capital. Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president, was reported recently to have called Trump a "son of a dog" and a "filthy man". Netanyahu, by contrast, just called Trump the "greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House". He is certainly the best friend Netanyahu has ever had. The indicted prime minister and the impeached president stood at the lectern pretending that all they care about is peace. In fact, all they care about is politics. This "peace plan" is so heavily tilted toward Israel that it should help both Netanyahu and Trump with conservative voters in their respective countries as they face re-election. Maybe that's what Trump meant by calling it "win-win". The losers are Palestinians and all those who think that the only way to safeguard Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state is to create a real Palestinian state with sovereignty over most of the Arab population between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. The peace plan was billed as a "vision" for a "realistic two-state solution", but this was mere window-dressing for an Israeli power grab and land grab. You have to read the fine print - specifically page 34 - to see that Trump's commitment to a Palestinian state is contingent on conditions that will never be met. The "criteria" for "the formation of a Palestinian State" include the complete demilitarisation of the entire Palestinian population, which includes the disarmament of Hamas, the terrorist group in control of the Gaza Strip, over which the Palestinian Authority has no control. Hamas must go from advocating Israel's eradication to renouncing the Palestinian "right to return" and recognising Israel as a Jewish state. This isn't even the most far-fetched part of the plan. Another condition for statehood is the creation of "a governing system with a constitution or another system for establishing the rule of law that provides for freedom of press, free and fair elections, respect for human rights for its citizens, protections for religious freedom and for religious minorities to observe their faith, uniform and fair enforcement of law and contractual rights, due process under law, and an independent judiciary". In other words, to become recognised as a sovereign state, the Palestinians will have to achieve levels of governance achieved by no country in the Middle East other than Israel itself. None of America's Arab allies - from Egypt to Saudi Arabia - meet these criteria. But while the promise of Palestinian statehood is contingent on fantastic conditions, the plan sets no conditions for allowing Israel to annexe the Jordan Valley and all Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Netanyahu can do that tomorrow - and very well may. Any serious peace plan would make Israel dismantle outlying settlements now totalling roughly 80,000 people. But the plan specifically eschews such compromise, saying, "Peace should not demand the uprooting of people - Arab or Jew - from their homes." The plan includes a "conceptual map" for a future state of Palestine that looks like a gerrymandered congressional district - not a self-sustaining state. In return for sacrificing statehood, Palestinians are offered promise of riches: "With the potential to facilitate more than $50bn [45bn] in new investment over 10 years", the plan states, "Peace to Prosperity represents the most ambitious and comprehensive international effort for the Palestinian people to date." Fifty billion dollars is the imaginary sum that Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, tried and failed to drum up at a "workshop" in Bahrain last summer. Neither the US nor any of its allies have any intention of giving the Palestinians that money - and they know it. "If Jared Kushner can't do it, it can't be done," Trump said. Turns out - no surprise - that it can't be done, if by "it" he meant resolving the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. If, however, by "it" he meant helping Trump and Netanyahu politically while damaging the long-term prospects for a two-state solution - well, that has been done. ( Washington Post) Gov. Tim Walz stopped by the Post Bulletin offices Wednesday morning. When the governor says, "Mind if I stop by for a chat," (I'm paraphrasing from his press aide) our answer is always, "Please do." The conversation ranged from spending to policy on everything from education to gun control. And if you're a political junkie in the state of Minnesota, I'm sure you wish you were there. Truth be told, over the course of about 18 hours, it was the third-most interesting conversation I had in my position as a reporter for the PB. Sorry, Gov. Walz. But you didn't rate the top spot. Of course, once you read this, I'm guessing you'll agree. (Surely, the governor reads my weekly column, right?) ADVERTISEMENT Filling My Heart I spent 10 minutes circling for parking Tuesday afternoon under the entrance to Saint Marys hospital. Totally worth it. Inside, I had a meeting with Jennie Schwanke and her son, Royce. Royce suffers from a kidney disease I can barely spell (thank you, Google) and cannot pronounce, but he's got the greatest laugh you've ever heard. I think if I spent four days each week hooked up to a dialysis machine, I'd be pretty grumpy. As a 7-year-old, I'd have been even grumpier. Royce doesn't have time for that nonsense. He's living his best life. And, someday, when he gets a new kidney, his best life will be even better. Listening to Jennie, I was amazed at the selflessness of this woman who adopted a child from halfway around the world knowing his medical conditions would eventually upend her life. She didn't care then, and she doesn't care now. She was mesmerized by his laughter and energy. And as she talked about her son, how her family helps out (thanks, Jennie's mom!), how great the nurses and doctors are to them, all I could think was, "I could be a much more giving person." The story (check out page A1 today) is one of my new favorites, mainly because it was so easy to tell. It's the story of a mother's love for her son, and, despite his communication limitations, his obvious love for her. I'll take that over a stuffed conference room with a fast-talking politician. (Not in a bad way, Walz literally talks quickly.) ADVERTISEMENT Psst! Brian, Want A Tip After leaving Saint Marys, I drove to St. Charles (hospital and city, both saintly) for a city council meeting. It was fine. No big surprises. But on the way home, I stopped in Eyota because my car was running on fumes. Before I hit the road again, I noticed a phone message from Wabasha County Commissioner Brian Goihl. Much like when the governor calls, I respond when county commissioners (how did he get my cell phone number?) give me a ring. "Where are you at tonight?" he asked. "Driving back from St. Charles." "You should have been in Plainview." And thus it began. The interim chief of police quit that job. There's been ongoing whispers in the county about the sheriff's office taking over law enforcement in the town. Goihl said that unless and until the city makes a formal request for service, the county needs to just keep out of it. The city has its own police force, and Sheriff Rodney Bartsh can't just take over in Plainvew without approval of that by the county board. ADVERTISEMENT I'm pretty sure Bartsh already knows this. Still, Goihl said, "You picked the wrong town to go to tonight." He's right. Of course, those sneaky "special" city council meetings occasionally slip past me. If they're not on my calendar, sometimes I miss them. Fortunately, a phone call to Mayor Roger Ziebell fixed my scheduling snafu. Hanging With The Gov. So, by the time Gov. Walz popped into the PB offices Wednesday morning, he was bound to be at least second if not third on my list of interesting conversations. There was a lot of, "We need to invest in Minnesota's resources," and a call to get the state Senate to get on board with the Walz plan. I did find interesting his talk about Sen. Amy Klobuchar, whom he's endorsed for president, and how he plans to work on her behalf and work to ensure Republicans don't flip Minnesota red in the next presidential election. One thing I think we can all get behind: When talking about the media in Minnesota he said, "This is one of the most important papers in the state." Good call, Governor. Chlorinated chicken must be part of a post-Brexit trade agreement, the US secretary of state says insisting that will make it a really good deal for British shoppers. Mike Pompeo confirmed that Washington will demand the inclusion of its controversial agricultural products, despite Boris Johnson insisting he will not let them in if they lower standards. Asked if the row over the chlorine-washed chicken would be the biggest barrier to a deal, Mr Pompeo agreed the issue would be real contentious but warned US farmers would demand it. Our ask will be as it has been in the other negotiations, he vowed, speaking to Iain Dales programme on LBC Radio. We need to be open and honest about competitiveness. We need to make sure we dont use food safety as a ruse to try and protect a particular industry. Mr Pompeo then argued the biggest winners would be consumers who are going to be the net beneficiaries of these really good deals. The comments disturb the prime ministers Brexit Day celebrations, coming after Mr Pompeo and Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, were able to put on a show of unity over Huawei and the Iran nuclear deal. Ministers have repeatedly insisted they will not allow the supposed prize of a US-UK trade deal to lower food standards in the search for cheaper food, promised by Brexit supporters. UK farmers also fear it would force them to slash their standards, in order to compete, jeopardising sales in their main market of the EU which outlaws chlorine-washed chicken and hormone-pumped beef. Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Show all 29 1 /29 Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump styles his 'You're fired!' pose in his Trump Tower office in June 2012. At the time he was known as a reality TV star on The Apprentice Diane Bondareff/Invision/AP Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves He was also well known as the patron of the Miss Universe competition Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Early signs of Trump's ambition for the presidency can be found everywhere. Not least in his 2011 book 'Time to get tough: Making America #1 again' Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump with Piers Morgan in November 2010. Piers Morgan has long held that he and Trump are good friends Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump appeared on Fox & Friends, his favourite show, in August 2011 Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump considered running in the 2012 election, where he would have faced Barack Obama. He is speaking here at an event for a Republican women's group Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump was subject to a Comedy Central roast in 2011. He is pictured here being roasted by rapper Snoop Dogg Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Given that this Trump store is in the lobby of Trump Tower, it can be said that Trump sells merchandise of himself out of his own home Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump held meetings with prominent Republicans when considering his 2012 bid. He is pictured here with Alaska governor Sarah Palin Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves He didn't end up running in 2012 afterall, instead endorsing Republican candidate Mitt Romney AFP/Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump's golf course in Aberdeen proved controversial in 2012 when he began lobbying the Scottish government against wind power in order that they wouldn't install turbines off the shore by his new course Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves He even gave evidence to a Scottish parliamentary committee discouraging wind energy AFP/Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves He still found time for a round of course AFP/Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves On 16 June 2015, Trump announced that he would run for the presidency of the United States in the 2016 election as a Republican Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves His campaign was divisive, courting controversy wherever he went. Ultimately he was declared the Republican candidate in June 2016 Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump took part in the TV debate against opponent Hillary Clinton on 9 October Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump and wife Melania vote in the presidential election on 8 November 2016 AFP/Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Hillary Clinton conceded defeat at 2:50am on 9 November and president-elect Trump swiftly delivered his victory speech to a crowd of supporters Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves News coverage around the world focused on the huge political upset that Trump's victory spelled AFP/Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump met with president Obama to discusss transition planning on 10 November. AFP/Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Donald Trump and Nigel Farage pose in the golden elevator at Trump Tower on 12 November 2016. Farage was the first British politician to meet with Trump after the election LeaveEUOffical/Twitter Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves The inauguration of Donald Trump took place on 20 January 2017. Trump's press secretary Sean Spicer boasted that the crowd was the 'largest ever' to witness an inauguration, a claim that was proved not to be true Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves In his first 100 days as leader, Trump signed 24 executve orders, the most of any president AFP/Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves One of Trump's most memorable election pledges was to build a wall between the US and Mexico. He is standing here in front of a prototype for a section of the wall Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump's meetings with other world leaders have provided no short supply of photo opportunities Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump was welcomed to the UK by the Queen and a state banquet was held at Buckingham Palace in his honour Reuters Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Not everyone welcomed the president. Mass protests were held in London throughout his visits in both 2018 and 2019 EPA Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves One of the most significant meetings Trump has held with another leader was with North Korea's Kim Jong Un. In June 2019, Trump became the first sitting president to set foot in North Korea Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves 2020 will see president Trump fight for a second term in office, who knows what the next decade will bring? Getty Scientists fear chlorine-washing does not remove deadly bacteria, merely masking safety concerns, making it an issue of human health as well as food standards. Sue Davies, the head of consumer protection at the consumer group Which?, said: America is sorely underestimating how much of a deal breaker food standards are for consumers in this country. People are united in their opposition to lowering food standards here, with more than nine in 10 believing it is important that our current rules are maintained post-Brexit. In the interview, Mr Pompeo was also asked if the row over the UKs go-ahead for Huawei to help build its 5G network would force the US to withhold intelligence. Well certainly never put American information in a place that we dont deem its safe, he replied. And he defended the so-called Middle East peace plan against an accusation it is so slanted towards Israel that Palestinians could never accept it. This is the best offer the Palestinians have had in all of their history, the secretary of state claimed. The Palestinian people are gonna come to understand that this is an offer of a lifetime, of a generation ... I am confident that theyll find that the lives of the Palestinian people will be far better off. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said it is for the people of Delhi to decide whether they consider him their son, brother, or a terrorist. "Today I'm leaving this decision to the people of Delhi, whether they consider me as a son, consider me their brother, or consider me a terrorist," Kejriwal told reporters. The AAP National Convenor's remarks come in response to a BJP leader allegedly calling him a "terrorist" at an election rally here. "I have put my life on the line for the country," he said. He also said he went on a hunger strike against corruption despite being diabetic. "I'm a diabetic. I take insulin four times a day. If a person with diabetes is on insulin and doesn't eat anything for 3-4 hrs, they collapse and can even die. In such a situation, I have done hunger strike against corruption twice, once for 15 days and then 10 days," he said. Australian miner Fortescue Metals Group says the coronavirus outbreak in China has not yet curtailed any of its iron ore shipments but says it is keeping a close watch on an "evolving situation". Fears that China's efforts to curb the fast-spreading coronavirus could disrupt supply chains and hurt demand for iron ore, a key steelmaking commodity, have driven sharp falls in the share prices of Australia's China-reliant miners. BHP and Rio Tinto have both been hit, with Fortescue shedding more than 10 per cent this week. Fortescue is eyeing record iron ore shipments for the 2020 financial year. Credit:Reuters Fortescue chief executive Elizabeth Gaines said ports in China's biggest steelmaking region, Hubei province, had been closed this week in a bid to contain the virus but Fortescue had not yet received any requests to defer its incoming shipments. "We are still operating as we had anticipated ... we don't have any delivery for customers in the Hubei province until the end of February," Ms Gaines said on Thursday. Advertisement An atmospheric collection of photos capture Margate as a classic British seaside resort before it was gentrified by London's hipsters bringing yoga, trendy coffee shops and artisan bakers to the Kent coast. Taken in the summer of 2013, the images show typical seaside scenes, from schoolchildren chatting on the harbour wall to families taking a dip in the bracing waters of the Main Sands. Elsewhere, the rusting hulk of the closed-down Dreamland amusement park is seen looming over the town centre - indicating the economic struggles experienced by many local businesses. But times were changing, with the Turner Contemporary art gallery opening just two years earlier, building on a local artistic heritage pioneered by JMW Turner. The town's fortunes were on the up, with trendy cafes and restaurants opening along the seafront and Dreamland itself reopening. Danielle Peck, who took the images for her newly-published book, Dreamland, said: 'I had never even been to Margate before 2013, but there was something about the plan to bring back Dreamland that drew me to the town. 'In fact, I hardly ever had a traditional British seaside holiday when I was a child so this wasn't a trip down memory lane for me.' Taken in the summer of 2013, these photographs show Margate before it experienced a wave of regeneration. Pictured is a family enjoying a snack above the waters of the Cliftonville Lido on the seafront. The photos are from a newly-published book called Dreamland, by Danielle Peck Time for tea at the Marina Cafe, which has long graced Margate's seafront. In recent years, the area has seen an explosion in trendy espresso bars and restaurants - partly encouraged by a wave of investment brought in by the Turner Contemporary Gallery A boy climbs down the ladder at Margate Main Sands, where the waters are busy on a warm summer day. Danielle Peck, who took the photographs, said she had never been to Margate before 2013. She added: 'I hardly ever had a traditional British seaside holiday when I was a child so this wasn't a trip down memory lane for me' In 2013, the town's fortunes were on the up, with trendy cafes and restaurants opening along the seafront and the Dreamland amusement park reopening. Pictured are four revellers dressed in shirts and suspenders enjoying Ska Night at the Westcoast Bar A boy dressed as a Viking looks out over the vastness of the North Sea (left) and a penny arcade game which controversially includes a golliwog. The fictional character was popular during the 19th and 20th centuries but is now widely considered racist A group of schoolchildren chatting on the Margate Harbour Arm. In 2016, Margate one the title of Best British Seaside Town, with judges praising its 'buzz'. They also commented favourably on the area's bars, pubs, patisseries, coffee shops, restaurants and attractions Elsewhere, the rusting hulk of the closed-down Dreamland amusement park is seen looming over the town centre - indicating the economic struggles experienced by many local businesses. The site, which dates back to Victorian times, has since reopened and is again welcoming visitors Children at Margate Main Sands tidal pool. In the summer of 2013, when these images were taken, Margate was on the verge of transformation. The Turner Contemporary art gallery had been open for just over two years and a burgeoning creative community profited from Margate's cheap property and the space and light JMW Turner had discovered over two hundred years earlier Burlesque night at the Tom Thumb Theatre, where a performer is wearing a 'no entry sign'. In the late 20th century, many UK seaside resorts fell into disrepair but in the past few years they have been having a resurgence and nowhere is this more evident than in Margate Crowds of revellers mark Jamaican Independence Day with a lively party on the beach, where barely a patch of sand is left unused. In the background are the remains of the shuttered Dreamland amusement park, which lent this book of photographs its name A man takes a rest on a beach towel as a Sierra Leonian Beach Party goes on in the background. Describing her book, photographer Daniele Peck wrote: 'Since that summer in 2013, every time I go back to Margate it's with heart-in-mouth. Will new businesses have opened up? Will any have closed? With the new Dreamland now open, Turner Contemporary attracting lots of attention and plenty of unique shops, cafes and restaurants, there's so much going for the town I truly hope it thrives' Peck continued: 'Dreamland is a portrait of tension. It shows Margate poised in a vulnerable state; weighed down by the burden of nostalgia but drenched with perennial hope and determination'. Pictured are a group of Margate Carnival Queens Backstage at the Get Happy Show. The Dreamland amusement park now regularly hosts DJs and music acts including Radio 1's Annie Mac A four-member committee formed to probe the alleged thrashing of children by policemen at a juvenile home here will file its report by February 3, the Child Protection Commission said on Thursday. On January 17, police were informed about an altercation between security guards and children at the juvenile home in Transport Nagar area, following which policemen reached the home and severely beat up the children, Child Protection Commission Chairman Sangita Beniwal said. She alleged that the policemen had entered the home without marking their presence in the entry register which is not allowed as per the norms. The commission subsequently formed the panel on January 19 to look into the incident. Further action will be recommended to the state government after the committee submits its report, Beniwal said. Transport Nagar SHO Gyasuddin, however, denied the allegations, saying police only spoke to the children at the home. He added that two security guards of the juvenile home were attacked by the children and police found them with injuries. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The general election is being fought around key issues like the need to solve the housing problem, fix the health system and ensure there is balanced growth around the country. But very little is being asked about where the billions of euro needed to tackle these issues will come from. How can we ensure, in such an uncertain and rapidly changing international environment for business, that we maintain the levels of wealth creation and employment needed to tackle these issues? One way is to keep foreign direct investment (FDI) jobs and money coming in. We have become one of the best in the world at this. But it is always a risky business, dependent on many external factors. So, we must also build up our indigenous business sector. The country has improved when it comes to supporting Irish businesses, but there are still big gaps that need to be addressed. An open letter to the next government signed by 50 entrepreneurs blasts a big hole in the idea that we are doing enough to support high-growth, innovative Irish companies. Promoted by an organisation called Scale Ireland, it starts with one basic truth. Not every SME or startup is the same. If I set up a small company making radio programmes or selling coffee, it is a positive thing. But I am unlikely to create original intellectual property, achieve exponential growth and scale my firm around the world. Traditional startups are fundamentally different to an innovation-driven enterprise (IDE), which eats up capital, devours cashflow, racks up losses at the start, and spends money trying to hire very sought-after, talented people. IDEs develop their own new products or services and when successful, can contribute enormously to the economy. Their challenges are quite different. Government policies to support IDEs or help companies to scale up from modest beginnings need to be specific and targeted to their needs. Government agencies like Enterprise Ireland are doing a very solid job supporting indigenous firms and helping them to expand. But if we are going to get serious about competing for international talent to set up businesses here, we need to up our game on the policy front. Some of the most innovative, fast-growth companies in Ireland in recent years could easily have been set up somewhere else. Ireland needs to be able to compete with other countries to convince people to start up these kinds of companies here. Take France, for example. Under president Francois Hollande, it introduced a wealth tax in 2012 of 75pc on income over 1m. This had to be reduced to 50pc after some high-profile businesspeople moved to Belgium and it was eventually scrapped in 2015 by Emmanuel Macron. Now, Macron is taking France in the other direction. He has introduced ambitious measures for startups, including favourable tax treatment for stock options and a fast-track visa system. Portugal has a new political appointment to oversee startups. The UK has moved up the startup charts, with specific measures aimed at attracting investment and talent. Ireland features strongly in international comparisons around our share of FDI. When it comes to ease of doing business, we also do quite well. But ease of business is simply about how quickly you can do things like register a company or find a lawyer or accountant. A global survey by Forbes of the best countries for business features the UK at number one. Ireland came 11th, behind the likes of Denmark, Switzerland, Australia and Singapore, but ahead of Germany. 'Best for business' is about doing business in general, so it includes the infrastructure, policy and supports for big business too. Startups are different. According to Scale Ireland, this country has taken a piecemeal approach to policy for startups when it comes to backing home-grown innovation. Other countries have seen the value of attracting or retaining talent in these organisations. In Ireland, we have seen some great home-grown success stories, in companies like Prepaid Financial Services, recently sold for 264m, or Pointy, another fintech firm sold for 160m. We should bear in mind that Prepaid Financial Services was actually started in London by Navan man Noel Moran. The two entrepreneurs behind Pointy could easily have gone somewhere else to build that business but decided to do it from Ireland. The problem is that we have too few of these kinds of high-growth, innovation-driven companies. Another issue is that Irish entrepreneurs often sell these businesses on relatively quickly. This would have to be taken into account in any new targeted policy framework. Scale Ireland wants to see a workable incentive scheme for stock options, by removing the ceiling on the value of granted options. It also wants to eliminate the restriction limiting the value of allowable option grants to 100pc of salary. Elsewhere, it wants improvements to the EIIS scheme, which provides incentives for investors to put money into these kinds of firms. This would include offsetting losses they incur elsewhere, and it wants a 0pc tax rate for angel investment gains. If you are a politician knocking on doors at election time and during a housing crisis, these kinds of policy incentives may well seem pretty unpalatable. They involve providing tax breaks for people who are not in need of a roof over their heads. Equally, they might ask, why give 0pc tax breaks to angel investors on their investments, when presumably they are not exactly down to their last few euro? As far as the optics go, this doesn't look good. But if we are serious about creating a perpetuating ecosystem for investment in high-potential startups in Ireland, we are going to have to take a look at some of these measures. We are doing OK in this area, with a half-hearted approach, but we could do a lot better. Innovative companies can be located outside Dublin. They can attract very talented people and can become the wealth generators and employers of the future. There is also the simple truth that other countries are doing these things anyway and Ireland could get left behind. A good starting point for developing responsible policies in this area is to throw some political attention its way. Scale Ireland wants to see a Startup Minister and a National Startup Strategy, as well as enhancing and improving many of the schemes that are in place, but are not working well enough. This important sector cannot have it all its own way either. Tax breaks without limits; risk-free investments due to offsets; the creation of a tax system that benefits a small group of skilled workers to the detriment of everybody else. These won't fly. But the proposals put forward by Scale Ireland don't fit into that category. They envisage improving schemes that already exist but just aren't working effectively. There is surely scope to firstly compete with other countries for this kind of business, and secondly have an attractive system that results in a net gain for the economy, without unfairly creating elites. Politicians have to bear in mind that many of these startups will fail, even in a good system. People will be granted share options in high-risk ventures that will end up being worthless. Angel investors will lose their shirts on many ventures. The trick is to find ways of encouraging them all to keep going as often as possible, so Ireland benefits from the ones that do come good. By West Kentucky Star Staff Jan. 30, 2020 | 09:37 AM | FRANKFORT Kentucky transportation officials have presented the 2020 Recommended Highway Plan to state lawmakers.The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says the plan includes $77 million in design, right of way, utilities and construction funding to build a portion of the I-69 Ohio River Crossing in western Kentucky from the Henderson Bypass to U.S. 60, which is expected to begin in 2022. It will also provide funding for 400 guardrail projects in the state's 3,400 mile backlog of guardrail needs throughout the state.The plan also invests $80 million annually in the repair and replacement of bridges across the Commonwealth, and pays for up to $200 million annually in the improvement of pavement conditions statewide."This plan delivers on our commitment to invest in long-awaited regional access projects that can open up economic opportunities in rural regions while providing a responsible approach to improving our highway infrastructure statewide," said Governor Andy Beshear. "The plan also focuses on highway safety programs and projects designed to make our rural roads and school access safer for our children and families who use these roads every day.""Kentucky has one of the nation's highest highway fatality rates and these highway and guardrail investments will go a long way toward make our roads safer across the Commonwealth," said Secretary Jim Gray.Click the link below for more information about the 2020 Recommended Highway Plan. On the Net: 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(0x7f0482b56180)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0482bdaa70)', '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(0x7f0482b56180)') 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(0x7f0482bdaa70)') 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(0x7f0482a8b9b0)') 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(0x7f0482bdaa70)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0482bdaa70)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f04822721c8)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f0482b742d0)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f0482b742d0)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 30, 2020 15:30 713 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2061bf113 4 Science & Tech WhatsApp,operating-system,iOS,Android,iOS-app,Android-app Free Users of popular messaging platform WhatsApp who have been running the application on old smartphones may want to consider upgrading to newer devices as the company will drop support for outdated operating systems within two days. The Facebook subsidiary announced in a recent frequently asked question (FAQ) post on its official website regarding operating system support that it would stop supporting Android versions 2.3.7 and older, as well as iOS 8 and older on Feb. 1. The company noted that since it no longer actively developed for those outdated systems, some features might stop functioning at any time. Read also: WhatsApp adds shopping catalog feature, courting e-commerce WhatsApp previously dropped its support for the Windows Phone on Dec. 31, 2019. The app may no longer be available for download on the Microsoft Store after July 1. WhatsApp currently provides support for and recommends using Android devices running OS 4.0.3 or newer and iPhones running iOS 9 or newer. Additionally, the app also supports select phones running KaiOS 2.5.1 or newer, including JioPhone and JioPhone 2. Those who wish to transfer chat history between platforms may want to keep in mind that the app does not offer such an option at the moment. The app, however, provides the option of exporting chat history as an email attachment. (rfa/wng) Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire (PANA) - The Ivorian government has adopted a decree, creating a specialized judicial body, called "the Economic and Financial Criminal Pole, according to a press release on Thursday Former NASA astronaut Nicole Stott dons a new spacesuit to "make space for women," as seen in this still from Olay's 30-second commercial set to air during the Super Bowl on Feb. 2, 2020. "Operation 'Make Space for Women' is ready for lift off." The above line, from Olay's new space-themed Super Bowl commercial, also describes the 30-second spot itself. The skin care company launched the full ad online on Thursday (Jan. 30). "There is so much space up here," remarks YouTube personality Lilly Singh, who plays an astronaut in the commercial. Related: Astronaut joins Olay's star-studded Super Bowl ad to 'make space for women' YouTube personality Lilly Singh and comedian Busy Philipps joins astronaut Nicole Stott's crew to promote Olay's Super Bowl LIV space mission to donate up to $500,000 to Girls Who Code. (Image credit: Olay) "Well I could have told you that," replies Nicole Stott, a real-life astronaut playing an astronaut in the ad. Stott was a space shuttle mission specialist who logged more than 100 days in Earth orbit, including three months aboard the International Space Station. The commercial, which also stars journalist Katie Couric, actress Taraji P. Henson and comedian Busy Philipps, uses a fictional space mission to promote Olay's pledge to donate up to $500,000 to Girls Who Code, a non-profit that engages young women in computer science and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities. The spot, which includes the call to action to use the hashtag #MakeSpaceForWomen on Twitter to increase Olay's donation, is set to air during the first quarter of Super Bowl LIV (54) on Sunday (Feb. 2). collectSPACE spoke with Stott about the ad, her roles as real-life and made-for-TV astronauts and whether or not she used Olay products in space. collectSPACE (cS): Were you surprised that Olay wanted a real astronaut for a commercial that was going to have actresses and comedians playing astronauts? Nicole Stott: "Whether it was me they hired or another astronaut, I was really impressed. The others who are involved in the commercial are very strong women and are prominent in their fields. We've been using the word trailblazing. "But young girls seeing those women present, and then including a real astronaut, too, in this space-themed advertisement, I think it was genius. I think it allows it to be a very legitimate medium for a campaign that is encouraging young women in STEM." NASA astronaut Nicole Stott floats inside the European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle-2 cargo spacecraft while it is docked to the International Space Station in March 2011. (Image credit: NASA) cS: Beyond featuring you, the commercial also includes visuals that appear to be based on real space hardware. For example, Olay's rocket looks a lot like NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, just with a different color palette. Stott: "With the exception of where they were tweaking it for the Olay brand, the comm caps looked like [NASA] comm caps. The spacesuit felt like a spacesuit. "When Busy and Lily are doing the spacewalk in the ad, the EMU [Extravehicular Mobility Suit] they used looked so good, down to the detail of where the hoses and adapters were. "And oh my gosh, the mockup they had! The spacecraft that we were in for some of the shoot was a space shuttle cockpit. I am not sure what the pedigree of it was, but it certainly looked real. It was as good as any high fidelity simulator that we used [at NASA]. "Of course, Olay modified it with red lighting and then there's a big red Olay button that I got to push at one point. So there were things like that to creativity brand it." cS: Speaking of spacesuits, Olay said the commercial was inspired in part by the recent all-women spacewalks by Christina Koch and Jessica Meir. Olay timed the release of the ad's teaser video to Koch and Meir's second spacewalk together on Jan. 15, and made a $25,000 donation in each of their names to Girls Who Code. Stott: "Indeed, the ad was based on the spacewalks and not just because it was them or because they were the first all-female spacewalks. Those spacewalks happened because they were the crew members who were on the International Space Station, not because NASA contrived it in any way or forced it to happen. "It's just that we are in a place in human spaceflight where astronauts are astronauts, we are all trained the same, and sometimes it just works out that two women are going out the door at the same time. "And I think we've seen in three spacewalks now, they have rocked it every single time." cS: One more question about the spacesuits did you get to keep yours? Stott: "I did ask, but I did not get to keep the suit. "They did very kindly give all three of us our patches and name tags, which was very cool." cS: There is a good chance that more people will see you in Olay's ad on Super Bowl Sunday than saw you during your 90 day stay aboard the real space station. What does that say about the reach of our activities in space? Stott: "While we might not have the same reach through NASA TV or media coverage, what I love is that a company like Olay doing a Super Bowl commercial chose space as their way to reach their audience. By doing that and people seeing me and the rest of the crew in the ad, they will be encouraged to check out what's happening in real spaceflight. "In addition to the young women being inspired by what they see, and I hope they are, I hope that the whole audience who sees this commercial will get the 'spot the space station' app on their phone and want to see the station fly over and know that six people from different countries are on board. I think there is inspiration that way, too." cS: Thinking about life on the space station, did you use Olay products in orbit? Stott: "Skin care is a concern in space. I was very fortunate that I didn't have issues with a rash or my skin feeling irritated, but that does happen to many crew members. But, just coincidentally, I took Olay face wipes with me to wash my face. So it is kind of cool that I am now coming back around and supporting a Super Bowl ad for them. There was nothing planned about that back in 2009." Click through to collectSPACE to watch Nicole Stott in Olay's Super Bowl LIV commercial. Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2020 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved. paul eaton Brent Stirton/Getty Images Retired Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, who commanded the Army's Infantry Center and was later responsible for the training of Iraqi forces, railed against Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. "Disgusting performance by @SecPompeo," Eaton said on Twitter. Pompeo graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1986 a fact that was not lost on Eaton, who graduated from the college in 1972. "What is wrong with West Point class of 86? Who mentored you?" Eaton added. "What happened to the West Point Honor Code in your class? America is very badly served by these men." Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. A retired two-star US Army general rated Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's performance as "disgusting" and described Defense Secretary Mark Esper as a "lightweight coward." Retired Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, who commanded the Army's Infantry Center and was later responsible for the training of Iraqi forces, railed against the two cabinet officials in the Trump administration amid some heavy criticism in recent days. Eaton now works as an adviser to the progressive VoteVets political action committee. "Disgusting performance by @SecPompeo," Eaton said on Twitter. "Lightweight coward @EsperDoD." Both Esper and Pompeo graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1986 a fact that was not lost on Eaton, who graduated from the college in 1972. Some graduates of the class of '86 call themselves the "West Point Mafia" because of their senior positions in the Trump administration, according to Politico. "What is wrong with West Point class of 86? Who mentored you?" Eaton added in his tweet. "What happened to the West Point Honor Code in your class? America is very badly served by these men." West Point graduation Michelle Eberhart/US Army The military academy's honor code, which reads, "A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do," is known as the "bedrock of character development" and drilled into the cadets during their four years of training. Story continues Pompeo has recently come under scrutiny after a contentious interview with a reporter on Friday. In an interview with NPR's "All Things Considered" cohost Mary Louise Kelly, Pompeo evaded a series of questions about former US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch and ended up cutting the conversation short. Pompeo later "shouted at me for about the same amount of time as the [9-minute] interview itself had lasted," Kelly told NPR, adding that "he was not happy to have been questioned about Ukraine." "He asked, 'Do you think Americans care about Ukraine?' He used the F-word in that sentence and many others," Kelly said. In an official statement from the State Department, Pompeo said Kelly had "lied to me, twice ... in setting up our interview and, then again yesterday, in agreeing to have our post-interview conversation off the record." Kelly said she did not agree to an off-the-record stipulation and provided email exchanges setting up the interview to support her claims. Pompeo has been accused of obfuscating his dealings with President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, one of the political figures embroiled in the Senate impeachment trial. Pompeo previously downplayed his association with a damning whistleblower complaint, in which Trump was accused of conditioning US military aid to Ukraine on a state-sponsored investigation into his political rivals. Pompeo later confirmed he was one of the participants of the phone call between the two leaders. "Most politicians can be evasive; it's part of the parlance of politics," NPR host Scott Simon wrote in an opinion column in October. "But Mike Pompeo is a trained soldier who conducts the foreign policy of the United States." "In the weeks ahead, Secretary Pompeo will be asked to comply with subpoenas and requests for records," Simon added. "You may wonder if he will use his skills to dance, slide and misdirect, or be as honest and direct as the West Point honor code he knows by heart." Read the original article on Business Insider Three Japanese people who returned from China have been confirmed as infected with coronavirus, with two not displaying any symptoms before testing positive. The passengers, who will be treated in a special medical facility, were among 206 people aboard the first evacuation flight from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, to Tokyo which arrived on Wednesday. The three new cases include a man in his 50s who complained of symptoms upon his return and two other patients in their 40s and 50s who displayed no symptoms. The lack of symptoms is concerning as it means the number of those infected could be higher and the spread of the virus is not being contained. The World Health Organisation is meeting in Geneva on Thursday to deliberate whether the deadly infection should now be classed as a global 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 Japanese Health Minister Katsunobu Kato told parliament: We are in a truly new situation, as he confirmed the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Japan now stands at 11, including two cases of human-to-human transmission. Those who contracted the deadly virus without visiting China include a driver who worked with Chinese tourists earlier this month and subsequently developed symptoms. Two passengers aboard the first evacuation flight have refused to be tested in a move described by Prime Minister Abe as regrettable and extremely unfortunate. Japan officially recognised the virus as a designated infectious disease on Tuesday, meaning compulsory hospitalisation and public funding of treatment would be available for all those who display symptoms. Mr Abe added he would do everything necessary to protect the health and wellbeing of Japanese citizens. The second flight evacuating citizens landed in the early hours of Thursday morning, with 13 people onboard reporting symptoms and immediately entering hospitalisation, according to NHK. Around 300 Japanese citizens remain in Wuhan, with the Foreign Ministry planning another evacuation flight. The total death toll stands at 170 all in China with the number of confirmed cases reaching 7, 711 on Thursday. Cases of coronavirus have been reported in 15 countries around the world, with human-to-human transmission confirmed in Japan, Germany, and Vietnam. A library fine amnesty scheme has prompted Brisbane residents to donate more than 21 tonnes of food to Foodbank Queensland over the holiday period. About 48,000 cans of food were delivered under the scheme, in which residents who donated a can to the charity had their library fines waived. Lord mayor Adrian Schrinner and Foodbank Queensland chief executive Sara Harrup. More than $213,000 in library fees was waived and about 3400 books were returned to libraries. "For the past 10 years, all of councils 33 libraries have waived overdue library fees during December in exchange for a donation of canned food to help fight hunger," lord mayor Adrian Schrinner said. The name Boalt Hall is set to be removed Thursday from the University of California Berkeleys law school after a yearslong process that determined, in essence, that the school should no longer honor a man whose most notable work was rooted in racist views. We have to remember the racism that John Boalt expressed, Erwin Chemerinsky, the law schools dean, told me recently. But that doesnt mean we honor him by putting his name on the building. The move to drop a name that has been used for decades by students and alumni of one of the countrys most prestigious law schools comes as institutions around the country are grappling with what to do with schools, buildings and chair positions that are named for people whose legacies dont stand up to modern scrutiny. Chemerinsky said he became aware of Boalts history in mid-2017, after The San Francisco Chronicle published an opinion piece by lawyer and Berkeley law lecturer Charles Reichmann, detailing how the law school building came to be named after Boalt. Boalt had come to California from Nevada in 1871, as Chinese immigration was rising in the state. In 1877, he gave a speech as the president of the Bohemian Club called The Chinese Question, in which he argued that non-assimilated races couldnt live together in harmony unless one enslaved the other. But as slavery had recently become unconstitutional, he argued that the next best thing was to keep Chinese people out. His speech and his subsequent advocacy served as major drivers of the Chinese Exclusion Act, the nations first law banning immigration by a specific group based solely on race or nationality. Boalt didnt attend the Berkeley law school nor did he teach there. His advocacy for Chinese exclusion was, according to Reichmann, his most significant legacy. The law school was named for him out of respect for his wife, Elizabeth Josselyn Boalt, who had contributed to the university after he died in 1901. After Chemerinsky became the dean of the law school in July 2017, he appointed a small committee to research the issue. The committee found that the naming of the building wasnt a condition of Elizabeth Boalts gift; if it had been, he said, it would be a very different situation. The committees report was distributed to the school community for feedback. Unsurprisingly, people had thoughts. Id estimate I got about 800 comments, he said, about two-thirds of whom favored the change. I was struck by the almost unanimity of our students, faculty and alumni of color. In November 2018, Chemerinsky said he formally accepted the recommendation to stop using the Boalt name. But the process wasnt over: The campus had started its own Building Name Review Committee, which did a shorter review and solicited more campus feedback. Finally, the change was approved by UC Berkeleys chancellor, Carol Christ, and Janet Napolitano, president of the UC system. All the parties involved agreed that it would be important to tell the Boalt story in some visible way going forward, and plans for that are in the works. Still, I wondered about the future of naming buildings or schools in honor of donors, particularly in a world where more people feel empowered to come forward about misconduct by the powerful. The only similar instance of a name being stripped from a school on a UC campus came after an investigation substantiated sexual harassment claims against Francisco J. Ayala, an acclaimed geneticist and significant donor at UC Irvine. The Ayala name was removed from the School of Biological Sciences, as well as from fellowships, scholar programs and endowed chairs. Chemerinsky said that, while its important to carefully research donors, the idea of not soliciting big donations with names attached is a nonstarter. Higher education public higher education depends very much on philanthropy, he said. It would be naive and unrealistic to say that we arent going to have named gifts. Michael Emerson Dirda, a spokesman for the UC Berkeley chancellors office, said that a faculty committee vets naming gifts, which require approval from the given campus chancellor and the university president. But we dont have a crystal ball, he said. So its important to have processes in place to facilitate removing the name if it comes to that. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. WASHINGTON -- If House Democrats really cared about getting former national security adviser John Bolton's testimony, they would not wait for Senate Republicans to vote on it. There is nothing that bars House Democrats from calling new impeachment witnesses just because the Senate impeachment trial is underway. Bolton dropped his objections to testifying more than three weeks ago. So, why didn't the House issue a subpoena right then and there? Answer: Because the Democrats' goal is not to obtain Bolton's testimony. Rather, it is to tie the Senate in knots, extend the Senate trial as long as possible and inflict maximum political damage on the president and Senate Republicans. If Republicans let them get away with it, they will set a dangerous precedent. Unlike the House, the Senate cannot turn to other business in legislative session while an impeachment trial is underway without unanimous consent of all senators. If the Senate votes to call Bolton to testify, even if Bolton agrees to cooperate, the president would almost certainly seek an injunction to prevent him from doing so. That could tie the Senate in litigation that could last for many months. Even if Bolton ultimately testified, during the trial the president's defense team could object to his answering specific questions on the grounds that his answers would irreparably damage the presidency by divulging privileged information. The Senate might be forced to vote on every individual objection. And even if the Senate voted to allow Bolton to answer, and Bolton agreed to do so, the president's lawyers could go to court to seek an injunction to prevent him from answering. In other words, there is almost no scenario in which the Senate is not dragged into court. How long would the court battle take? During the Nixon impeachment inquiry, it took three months for the Supreme Court to rule on the president's claim of privilege, but that was because the Supreme Court agreed to bypass the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Most executive privilege cases take much longer. It's impossible to predict how the courts would rule, but this much is certain: The president's claims of privilege would not be dismissed quickly or lightly. Courts have accorded the president great deference on such claims when it comes to matters of national security, so they would very likely give similar weight to the president's claims when it concerns conversations with his national security adviser. Moreover, in deciding whether to breach the president's privilege, the courts would take into account the House managers' testimony before the Senate in which they claimed they had proved their case without Bolton's testimony. But the bigger question is: Why should the Senate be stuck with this mess? There has never been a presidential impeachment trial in which the Senate was forced to resolve issues of privilege. That is the House's job. If the House had subpoenaed Bolton months ago, the legal battle would be well underway. If representatives had done it even three weeks ago, when Bolton agreed to testify, we would be three weeks further along in the litigation fight. Instead, the House failed to meet its responsibilities and threw the whole mess into the Senate's lap. If senators agree to go along, they would set a precedent for future impeachment trials. Not only have the House managers refused to do their job, they have also leveled outrageous accusations against senators if they refuse to do it for them. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., accused senators of being "treacherous" if they did not vote for witnesses -- an accusation that prompted Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, to send Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. a note complaining that Nadler had violated Senate rules. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., drew audible gasps from senators when he declared that Trump had threatened to put their heads "on a pike" if they crossed him. If Democrats were really trying to convince moderate Republicans to call witnesses, they would not behave in such an ugly and partisan manner. Why would the Senate agree to set such a precedent, especially when Bolton's testimony will not change the outcome of the trial? A majority of senators agree that, as Alan Dershowitz said on the Senate floor Monday night, "nothing in the Bolton revelations, even if true, would rise to the level of an abuse of power or an impeachable offense." Trump will be acquitted. So, when the House managers demand that the Senate subpoena Bolton, the answer should be simple: Do it yourselves. Marc Thiessen writes a twice-weekly column for The Post on foreign and domestic policy. He is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and the former chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush. Data from over the past decades reveals that Latino consumers spend more on personal care products in the United States. This trend has grown nearly 40 percent, or almost three times faster compared to non-Latino consumers. A Latina lifestyle writer, Sophia Melissa Caraballo Pineiro, used Yahoo to share her experience as a young Latina that attended her first dance recital when she was just 10 years old. Peneiro said that during that time she was required, along with other girls, to use foundation, concealer, blush, eye shadow, lipstick, mascara, and lashes. Peneiro said that the dance school also taught her to properly apply makeup. She also revealed that this was not something new to her as she started using makeup at the age of five years old. This was mainly due to becoming a part of a modeling agency. There is an undeniable obsession with beauty among the Latino community. A recent study called "Hispanic Women: The Foundation for Beauty Sales" found that beauty sales increased among Hispanics by about eight percent and it dropped almost two percent among non-Hispanics. Moreover, skincare and haircare products have also increased in sales among the Hispanic community and its sales dropped in the non-Hispanic market. It was found that Hispanics are spending $44 on a single product while non-Hispanics are spending almost half of the price on the same product. Regina Merson, founder and beauty brand owner, explained why Latinas are obsessed with beauty and why they work so hard to perfect their beauty routine. She said: "The Latina woman has very unique beauty standards that happen in an intergenerational way. We have control over our beauty standards because our mothers and grandmothers taught us to luxuriate over ourselves. And Latinas know they're worth the time it takes them to do their makeup, even if other people see it as indulgent. It's the one thing they have control over." Subsequently, the beauty of Latinas is indeed adored and admired worldwide. There have been three countries from Latin America that have dominated the international beauty pageants such as Miss World, Miss Earth, and Miss Universe. These countries are Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and of course, Brazil. Some international actresses are admired by most people because of their stunning beauty. Actresses like Jennifer Lopez, Sofia Vergara, Eva Mendes, Salma Hayek, Selena Quintanilla, Roselyn Sanchez, Zoe Saldana, Michelle Rodriguez, Rosario Dawson, and many more. Beauty standards in Latin America come in various ways which make them unique and versatile. They have different shapes and colors and they are always ready to wear the newest trends in beauty. As the popular Latino saying goes: "Antes muerta que sencilla." Latina beauty is greatly admired and celebrated throughout the world. The beauty that they have is what most of women want to achieve. Executive Women's Editor at The Huffington Post, Lori Leibovich, wrote for Salon Magazine in 1997 and stated that, "Argentina has a higher incidence of anorexia and bulimia per capita than either the United States or Europe." This means that Argentineans will sacrifice almost anything to be viewed as beautiful. Air strikes by government ally Russia hit near a bakery and a medical clinic in Syria's rebel-held Idlib region early on Thursday, killing 10 civilians, a war monitor said. At least five women were among the dead in the town of Ariha in Idlib province, where Russian-backed government forces are conducting an offensive against the country's last major rebel bastion. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc. (INO) said that it has collaborated with Beijing Advaccine Biotechnology Co. to advance the development of the company's vaccine against new coronavirus in china. The coronavirus has killed numerous people and infected thousands more in China to date. Inovio plans to rapidly develop vaccine INO-4800 against the new coronavirus and has already started preclinical testing and preparations for clinical product manufacturing. Inovio aims to use Advaccine's expertise to run a Phase 1 trial in China in parallel with Inovio's clinical development efforts in the U.S. Inovio and Advaccine will also work together to attract additional grant funding and further collaborations with larger vaccine companies in China to increase the speed of future testing of INO-4800. 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. Panaji, Jan 30 : A senior South Western Railway official who had caused outrage last week when he called Goa BJP MLA Alina Saldanha as a "Portuguese", has been summoned by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant. Sawant told reporters on Thursday that the official, South Western Railway manager Ajay Kumar Singh, had been summoned and he would apologise to Saldanha. "Whether he has said this to an MLA or any Goan, such an insult will not be tolerated. I have taken this matter seriously and I have also spoken to the Railway Minister. He (Singh) will apologise to Alina," Sawant said. On January 20, Singh who was in Goa to oversee railway track doubling works of the South Western Railway, during a meeting with Saldanha, had referred to her as a "Portuguese" national. Goa, a former Portuguese colony, was liberated after 451 years of colonial rule in 1961. Last December, The Boston Globe profiled a youth outreach program that was taking a radical new approach to curbing illicit cannabis use among teenagers. Instead of telling teens to just say no, counselors were encouraging them to smoke less. Funded by Massachusetts General Hospital's Center for Community Health Improvement, the program recognizes a very basic fact of child psychology that experts in the field of drug abuse often seem to look over. Scare tactics don't workwe've figured out a way to do something that works, Charlestown Coalition Director Sarah Coughlin told reporters. The coalition runs a program for high school students who have been caught possessing cannabis or attending school under its influence. They introduce troubled teens to personal stress reduction methods like meditation and exercise before suggesting that they cut back on their cannabis use. There is a narrative currently being spun about a national increase in teens using cannabis. While some of the fears are supported by data, much of it revolves around the use of THC vape cartridges (mistakenly viewed by many teens as safer than flower) or is gathered from places where cannabis is illegal. What many have missed is the counterintuitive correlation between legalizing cannabis and declines in teen use. A study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, Association of Marijuana Laws With Teen Marijuana Use, looked at health surveys of US high school students taken between 1993 and 2017. According to the paper, while overall marijuana use among American teens has been rising, it's a different story in places where recreational cannabis has been legalized. Researchers found that the likelihood of teen use declined by nearly 10 percent in those states. The data was taken from the results of yearly Youth Risk Behavior Surveys taken by about 1.4 million US teenagers overall. The surveys were conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It's very possible that this can all be explained away by the simple phenomenon of so-called reverse psychology. The scientific term for this is reactance. According to Understanding Psychological Reactance, published in the journal Hogrefe, reactance is an unpleasant motivational arousal that emerges when people experience a threat to or loss of their free behaviors. In other words: People don't like being told what to do; kids dislike being told what do even more. When an authority makes a command, the perceived threat to freedom makes responding in opposition more alluring. We can see the phenomenon in action when a child refuses to eat a new food or follow instructions. We can even see it in ourselves when the boss tells us not to bring our phones to work. Which is why the Charlestown program might be a better method for deterring problematic cannabis use among teenagers. Rather than telling them no, the counselors are providing the knowledge and tools that will allow these children to make the right decisions on their own. Lawmakers would probably do well to consider this when it comes to adults, too. Joint military operations with the US-led coalition to counter the Islamic State group have resumed after a nearly three-week pause, an Iraqi military statement said Thursday. The pause came amid heightened tensions after a Washington-led airstrike killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad. The statement said joint operations had resumed in light of the continued threat posed by IS group. Militants belonging to the group are holed up in parts of northern Iraq. The statement also implied that Baghdad was standing by intentions to reorganize Iraq's military relationship with the US. ``In light of continued activities by the terrorist group (IS) in many areas of Iraq and for the purpose of making use of the remaining time of the international coalition before organizing a new relationship ... it was decided to carry out joint actions,'' the statement said. The statement was issued by the office of the armed forces' commander in chief. As prime minister, Adel Abdul Mahdi assumes that role. The coalition paused operations in support of Iraqi forces in the fight against IS militants on Jan. 5 after a US airstrike killed Iran's elite Quds Force leader Gen. Qassem Soleimani and senior Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis on Iraq soil, sparking outrage among Iraqi officials. Lawmakers passed a resolution to oust foreign troops from Iraq after the US strike. The coalition refocused on protecting military personnel amid fears of an Iranian counter-attack. Despite signs of de-escalation after Iran retaliated with a barrage of missiles on two Iraqi military bases hosting US troops that caused no fatalities, outgoing Prime Minister Abdul Mahdi has been vocal that American troops should withdraw and has said steps are being taken to move the process forward. Search Keywords: Short link: An opera actor is suing the Royal College of Music in a 125,000 court battle over claims he suffered crippling injuries in a 'stage fight' because of health and safety breaches. Amateur thespian Arthur Cahill was acting rehearsals for David Beck at the college's Britten Theatre when he fell backwards from a four foot high platform and injured his spine. Mr Cahill, 40, a charity worker of St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex, says he has been left with 'chronic pain' and numb hands by the injuries he suffered during the 'prison escape scene.' He also claims he has had to have therapy because of the psychological 'trauma' of the accident in December 2015. The actor is now suing the Royal College of Music, plus one of the trustees of the opera company which staged the performance and the stage manager on the day, claiming 25,500 damages. The case is also set to run up a 100,000 legal costs bill, which the defendants will have to foot even if Mr Cahill loses, Central London's County Court heard. Amateur thespian Arthur Cahill (pictured outside Central London County Court) was acting rehearsals for David Beck at the college's Britten Theatre when he fell backwards from a four foot high platform and injured his spine In his claim, Mr Cahill says that he was taking part in a dress rehearsal of the opera, which was being staged by the London Armenian Opera, when the accident happened at the theatre, next to the Royal Albert Hall, in Kensington, London. Mr Cahill claims that he was injured when he fell from a 1.25m-1.5m high 'raised platform' and through a 'projection screen' whilst taking part in a stage fight. Another actor involved in the scene also tumbled off the platform, he says. But whilst the other man 'landed on his feet', Mr Cahill says he 'fell backwards and landed awkwardly on his back onto the hard floor surface' and hitting his spine on stage lighting. Mr Cahill claims health and safety at work regulations were breached because 'no rails or safety barrier had been installed' along the back edge of the platform where it abutted the projection screen. Mr Cahill is also suing one of the trustees of the London Armenian Opera - the company which staged the performance of David Bek (pictured, during a December 2017 performance) to critical acclaim on 18 and 19 December 2015 - along with the stage manager on the night of the dress rehearsal There was 'only a wooden kick rail or toe rail a few inches high' and the drop was concealed by the projection screen, he says. He claims the RCM is responsible for his injuries because staff 'failed to warn (Mr Cahill) that the platform did not have a safety barrier, and the hazard was not obvious because the projection screen obscured what was behind the platform.' The RCM also 'failed to carry out a risk assessment for a stage fight on the platform' and 'failed to adhere to its health and safety policy,' Mr Cahill says. Mr Cahill is also suing one of the trustees of the London Armenian Opera - the company which staged the performance of David Bek to critical acclaim on 18 and 19 December 2015 - along with the stage manager on the night of the dress rehearsal. All three defendants deny liability. Mr Cahill says that he was taking part in a dress rehearsal of the opera, which was being staged by the London Armenian Opera, when the accident happened at the Britten theatre (pictured) next to the Royal Albert Hall, in Kensington, London David Bek is an opera composed by Armen Tigranian, which describes events surrounding the historical figure of David Bek in the early 18th Century and the struggle of the Armenian people against Persia. In their defence to the action, lawyers for the RCM say that the London Armenian Opera were responsible for health and safety during the rehearsals and performances as part of the terms and conditions under which they hired the theatre. 'In this case, the London Armenian Opera are required to ensure that the set is suitable and safe for the purposes of the production,' the RCM's defence states. Lawyers for the opera company say in their defence that the London Armenian Opera 'had no effective control of the premises at the relevant time' and 'relied at all relevant times upon the skill and expertise of the RCM through its theatre technicians and other servants and agents and upon the skill and expertise of Ellen Dawson (the stage manager).' They also deny that a 'fight scene' was staged upon the platform. Lawyers for Ellen Dawson, an independent contractor, say in her defence that she was 'never involved in the design of the platform,' was 'never informed what use would be made of the platform' and was 'not asked by any party to risk assess the platform' until after the accident. The actor is suing the Royal College of Music (pictured), one of the trustees of the opera company which staged the performance and the stage manager on the day, claiming 25,500 in damages As well as denying liability, lawyers for the defendants are disputing the impact of the accident on Mr Cahill. Lawyers for the opera company told Judge Wendy Backhouse during a pretrial hearing 'he has had problems with his back since childhood.' Judge Backhouse said: 'There are clearly issues on which expert evidence is required, because he did have a pre-existing history of some back problems..' 'He says he has ongoing symptoms of numbness in his fingers,' the judge said, adding that he has undergone therapy for 'trauma caused by the accident'. 'The task for the court will be to assess what injuries arose as a result of the accident and what of his ongoing symptoms is attributable to it - That is, of course, if he succeeds in establishing liability,' she said. Judge Backhouse also said it would be the defendants who foot the bill for the case, adding: 'There is no hope of the defendants recovering their costs.' Lawyers for the RCM pleaded with the judge to make case management rulings to keep the costs of the trial down. 'It's going to go up to 100,000, it needs to be case managed.' The case is now set for a two to three day trial at a later date. Turkish, Russian military chiefs discuss Idlib Turkey and Russia agreed in September 2018 to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone where acts of aggression are expressly prohibited. The Turkish and Russian military chiefs had a discussion of developments in Syrias Idlib province on the phone, the Turkish army said on Thursday. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS WERE DISCUSSED Turkish Chief of General Staff Yasar Guler and his Russian counterpart Valery Gerasimov discussed the latest developments in Idlib, a de-escalation zone in northwestern Syria, the Turkish Armed Forces said on Twitter. Located in northwestern Syria, Idlib has been a stronghold of opposition and anti-government armed groups since the outbreak of the civil war. It is currently home to some 4 million civilians, including hundreds of thousands displaced in recent years by regime forces from throughout the war-weary country. The international textile industry is one of the few sectors that impact almost everyone on earth. It is a $3 trillion industry that is concerned with refinement, distribution, and production of natural and synthetic fibers that are used in several other industries. Textile is the material that is made using either synthetic or natural fibers. The threads and fiber are worked on to produce yarn and then turned into cloth. The textile industry has employed about 60 million people on the planet. Jobs in the garment sector are crucial in the developing nations like Vietnam, Pakistan, and India. The industry accounts for about 2% of the worlds GDP and an even bigger portion of the GDP of the leading producers of textiles like China. China plays a key role in the global export and production of clothing and textile. There are 2 types of fiber used in the textile industry (synthetic and natural). Synthetic fibers are manufactured by extruding polymers using spinnerets onto another medium where they harden. Natural fibers are either from plants (sisal, flax, and cotton) or from animals (silk-worm, rabbit, goat, and sheep). Vegetable fibers come from the leaf (sisal), the stem (jute, hemp, and flax), and seed (cotton). Cotton is the most crucial natural fiber on the planet. The global yield of 2007 was about 25 million tons from over 50 nations. History Of The Textile Industry There are numerous indications that the textile industry already existed during the Paleolithic era. A unique textile impression was discovered at Pavlov. Several Neolithic textiles were discovered in the pile-dwellings excavation sites in El-Fayum, Egypt, and Switzerland. The excavations site at El-Fayum dated back to around 5000 BC. During the Roman times, leather linen, and wool clothed the community, while silk, was an extravagant luxury. Silk was imported to Rome through the Silk Road. The use of linseed fiber to manufacture clothes in the northern parts of Europe dates back to the Neolithic era. People started importing cotton into Northern Europe during the late Middle Age. Cotton farming in the warmer parts of the Americas and Asia started in the late sixteenth century. The primary steps in cloth production are producing the fiber and then converting it yarn and the cloth. The cloth is then sold to the garment manufacturers. The preparation process of fiber differs, depending on the type of fibers being used. Wool requires washing and carding, while flax requires retting and dressing. The weaving and spinning process is quite similar between wool and flex. The spinning process evolved from twisting of fiber by hands to using a spinning wheel and a drop spindle. Several spindles and parts of spindle have been excavated in various archaeological sites, and they are considered to be the first pieces of technology in this industry. The Spinning wheel was invented in the eleventh century in the Islam World. The Switch From Natural To Synthetic Fibers The wool and cotton producers dominated the textile industry until the twentieth century when other types of fibers were introduced in the market. Several chemical companies started manufacturing synthetic fibers for many uses. Nylon was created in 1935, while rayon was invented in 1910. Nylon and rayon were cheaper substitutes of silk, and they were used to produce a wide range of products, including military parachutes, toothbrushes, and women stockings. Spandex, polyester, and acrylic were invented in the 1950s, while Saran, metal fibers, modacrylic, and acetate were developed during the 1940s. Polyester became quite common in the apparel sector, and by the 1970s, more polyester was purchased in the U.S. than cotton. The apparel sector was replaced as the biggest market in the textile industry by the home and industrial furnishings in the late 1980s. Global manufacturing and industry integration led to several small companies closing down in the U.S. in the 1970s and 1980s. 95% of the looms in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina shut down. Several other textile companies were also closed in Virginia and Alabama. The Top Importers Of Textile European Union According to the WTO, the European Union is the largest importer of textiles and apparel, accounting for over 23% of the global textile and apparel imports. The largest textile markets within the EU (Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom) were responsible for 72% of the European Unions textile imports. The value of the textile imports to the EU has been increasing by 5.8% per annum. The largest product segment in the region is knitwear; however, the most attractive and fastest-growing product categories are active sportswear and fashion. The apparel market in the western parts of Europe is more developed and better than the eastern and central markets. The fastest-growing EU markets for textile imports are Romania, Hungary, Croatia, and Poland. Despite the rapid growth, these 4 nations accounted for only 6.7% of the regions textile and apparel imports. The United States Other than being one of the worlds top exporters of textile products, the United States was the second-biggest textile importer in 2018. The value of the countrys imports increased by 7.2% from 2016 to 2017 ($25.7billion). The textile imports by the U.S. have grown by 77.8% from 2000 to 2017, while the apparel imports have decreased by 0.5% from 2016 to 2017. Since the U.S. is no longer a leading apparel manufacturer, but one of the worlds top consumers. Therefore, apparel accounted for 75.7% of the total American apparel and textile imports in 2017, followed by textile, yarns, and fabrics. The Top Importer Of Textiles In Asia The top textile importing countries in 2018 were China and Vietnam. Other than being the worlds biggest exporters of textiles, China is also the third-highest textile importing nation. China managed to import textiles worth $18billion in 2018 and export textiles worth $119billion in the same year. China was the top supplier of textile to the EU in 2017, with the EUs textile imports from China doubling those of Bangladesh. The other top textile importer in Asia, Vietnam, managed to import textiles worth $18billion. Other top textiles importing Asian nations are Japan ($9billion), Bangladesh ($11billion), Hong Kong ($7billion), and Indonesia ($7billion). BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 By Ilkin Seyfaddini Trend: Uzbek Ambassador to Spain Jahongir Ganiyev met with Abdellatif Ghedira, Executive Director of the International Olive Council (IOC), Trend reported citing Uzbek media. The purpose of the meeting in Madrid was to discuss the upcoming visit of International Olive Council head Giorgi Svanidze to Uzbekistan, during which the possible entry of the country into the IOC will be considered. During the talks, Ghedira noted that climatic conditions in a number of regions of the country allow setting up industrial cultivation of olives, and if there is an appropriate production base, Uzbekistan, in due course, may also set up production of olive oil. International Olive Council was established in 1959 on the basis of international agreement on olive oil from 1956. The founders of the Council were 11 Mediterranean countries of Europe and Africa: Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Great Britain, Israel, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia. The headquarters of the Council are located in Madrid. The main executive body is the plenary session of the Council, which is held annually in autumn. Today, the organization brings together about 80 percent of producers and 98 percent of exporters of olive oil and olives. The International Olive Board also provides assistance in the education and training of specialized agricultural professionals. COLUMBIA Renowned comedian Dave Chappelle told a crowd of South Carolinians at the end of his standup routine Wednesday night he believes 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang has "got some (expletive) fantastic ideas," specifically citing Yang's signature proposal to give every American $1,000 per month. Exactly one month out from South Carolina's Feb. 29 Democratic presidential primary, Chappelle's show in Columbia and two shows slated for North Charleston on Thursday night were intended to benefit Yang, with proceeds going to the serial entrepreneur's presidential campaign. For those planning to go to the North Charleston shows, rest assured: the hour-long performance mostly featured a typically raucous Chappelle set, with a brief discussion of Yang only toward the end. Michelle Wolf and Donnell Rawlings opened. "This is a very important election in a very strange time," Chappelle said, telling the crowd of several thousand at Columbia's Township Auditorium he does not often speak out about electoral politics but felt it would be helpful to bring attention to an outsider candidate like Yang. While many attendees said they were only there to see Chappelle, plenty of audience members wore Yang's campaign apparel, including hats with "MATH" on them which stands for "Make America Think Harder" and cheered loudly when Chappelle mentioned Yang's supporters, known as the "Yang Gang." Chappelle also riffed on President Donald Trump's impeachment trial, using an explicit analogy to argue that Trump's phone call with the Ukrainian president was clearly improper and that Trump now finds himself "in quite the pickle." "This mother-(expletive) speaks fluent extortion, if that's what you mean by 'perfect,'" Chappelle said. "I don't know much about politics, but I've been extorted before and that's exactly what it sounds like. Perfect phone call." An announcement before the show made clear that the views expressed by Chappelle were his alone, seemingly intended to prevent anyone from tying any of the comedian's more provocative jokes to the presidential candidate he's supporting. Sign up for updates! Get the latest political news from The Post and Courier in your inbox. Email Sign Up! Before heading to the show, Chappelle stopped by Yang's South Carolina headquarters to meet a few dozen supporters of the candidate and make a few phone calls to voters all of whom were supportive of both Yang and Chappelle. Heres @DaveChappelle making phone calls for @AndrewYangs campaign. He waits until halfway through the call to reveal that hes a world-famous comedian and ends it with, Wu Tang. #SC2020 pic.twitter.com/E3biO5Fvwv Jamie Lovegrove (@jslovegrove) January 29, 2020 "This guy was incredibly inspiring to be around," Chappelle told the Yang supporters of their chosen candidate. "He had a fighting spirit, and I think we're going to make a lot of noise coming up. And I don't know about you, but I already know what I'm going to do with my $12,000." Chappelle recalled how he had spent the previous night with both Yang's campaign and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders' campaign, which he described as a "weird thing." "But you know, we're all on the same team, man," Chappelle said. "We're all doing the same fight. May the best one win. And I just hope a lot of people are aware of the option that Andrew Yang has presented. So let's get out there and spread the word." State Rep. JA Moore, D-Goose Creek, also gave Chappelle a certificate commending him for his career on behalf of the S.C. Legislature. Chappelle has some ancestral ties to the Palmetto State. His great-grandfather, Bishop William David Chappelle, was president of Allen University, a historically black university in Columbia, from 1897 to 1899 and later served as chairman of its board of trustees. An auditorium on campus is named after Chappelle. Government taking steps to guarantee surgical face mask supply: Premier ROC Central News Agency 01/29/2020 02:52 PM Taipei, Jan. 29 (CNA) Taiwan's Premier Su Tseng-chang () on Wednesday said the government is taking measures to guarantee the domestic supply of surgical face masks, and urged the public not to hoard masks amid fears over the spread of a new form of coronavirus. During a visit to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), Su said the Ministry of Health and Welfare will release 23 million masks onto the market in the coming days, and has prohibited their export as a precautionary measure. Combined with the government's efforts, manufacturers will increase daily production of masks to 4 million following the Lunar New Year holiday, Su said. The premier's remarks follow the CECC's confirmation Tuesday night of Taiwan's first domestic case of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-cCoV). According to the CECC, the man, in his 50s, is believed to have contracted the virus from his wife, who returned from the Chinese city of Wuhan Jan. 20 and was diagnosed with the virus on Monday. The husband, who began to show symptoms on Sunday before testing positive for the virus on Tuesday, is the eighth confirmed case of the virus in Taiwan, and the first one with no recent travel record to China. Regarding the possibility that the CECC could raise its response level, in which case the premier would personally assume control of the command center, Su said conditions did not currently justify such a move. Echoing remarks made by Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung () the day before, Su said the sole domestic case was spread in a family setting, and not through the public sphere, as is required to raise the CECC's response to its maximum level. Separately on Wednesday, contract electronics maker Foxconn said that it had set up an internal epidemic response center to deal with potential impacts of the coronavirus. The company, which operates in dozens of locations across China, said it is undertaking response measures including deploying medical supplies, carrying out employee training, and setting up health observation areas at each of its Chinese factories. The virus is not expected to affect manufacturing timelines, the company said. (By Yeh Su-ping, Chang Ming-hsuan and Matthew Mazzetta) Enditem/AW NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibadan zonal office, on Wednesday prosecuted one Ebenezer Tobiloba Okunlola on a three-count charge bordering on false pretence, impersonation, possession of scam documents and obtaining money by false pretence. Okunlola, who claimed to be a 300 level student of the National Open University of Nigeria, NOUN, was arraigned before Justice Peter Odo Lifu of the Federal High Court 2, sitting in Osogbo, Osun State. One of the charges reads, That you Okunlola Tobiloba Ebenezer, M alias Ryan Antley sometime in 2019, in Osogbo, Osun State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud, obtained lTunes gift cards worth of $750 from one Kimmy Antley, an American citizen when you falsely represented yourself that you are a white man with the name Ryan Dudely the pretext you knew to be false. The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges when read to him. In view of his not-guilty plea, Prosecution Counsel Murtala Usman prayed the court for a trial date and an order to remand the accused in the correctional custody. But the Defense Counsel, M. O Ademola, made an oral bail application, praying the court to admit his client to bail pending the determination of the charges filed against him. The presiding judge granted the prayer as he granted him bail in the sum of N10 million and one surety in like sum. The surety, the judge held, must be a civil servant, a land owner residing within the jurisdiction of the court and must be related by blood to the defendant. He also ordered that the accused be remanded in the Nigeria correctional services custody pending the time he meets his bail condition. The matter has been adjourned to February 6, 2020. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Pompeo was criticised after he rejected extradition request for the US suspect The US secretary of state has said the death of Harry Dunn and the investigation into allegations about the conduct of the Duke of York will be 'resolved on their merits'. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab also said 'there's no haggle' in terms of the extradition of Mr Dunn's alleged killer, and told reporters nobody had raised the issue of Andrew with him. Mike Pompeo was criticised by Mr Dunn's family after he rejected an extradition request for the US suspect in the case, 42-year-old Anne Sacoolas. Pompeo and Raab visit the offices of US company Epic Games in London on January 30 Anne Sacoolas, 42, (right) is the wife of diplomat Jonathan Sacoolas. She allegedly struck and killed 19-year-old Harry Dunn (left) as she drove out of an RAF base in England, and then fled to the United States, claiming diplomatic immunity Raab shakes hands with Pompeo at the Foreign Secretary's Residence on Wednesday evening Mrs Sacoolas was charged with causing the 19-year-old's death by dangerous driving after he was killed when his motorbike crashed into a car outside a US military base in Northamptonshire on August 27 last year. The suspect, the wife of an intelligence official based at RAF Croughton, claimed diplomatic immunity after the crash and was able to return to the US, sparking an international controversy. Mr Dunn's family have said they are treating the words of Dominic Raab and Mr Pompeo 'with caution', but said it had been noted that 'the secretary of state is no longer saying she will not return'. The teenager's parents, Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn, had inquired about the possibility of an exchange with Prince Andrew after US lawyer Geoffrey Berman said the duke had not co-operated, despite his lawyers being contacted by prosecutors and the FBI as part of the probe. The Prime Minister with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in 10 Downing Street ahead of a meeting on Thursday Pompeo meets with Johnson at Downing Street in London, Thursday At a Policy Exchange event in London alongside Mr Raab on Thursday, the US secretary of state was asked if there could be a deal in which Anne Sacoolas could be returned to the UK. Mr Pompeo was asked: 'We want Anne Sacoolas, you want Prince Andrew - is there a deal to be done?' The secretary of state said: 'Yeah, I can answer that. I am confident each of these cases will be resolved on their relative merits.' Adding his thoughts on the case, the UK Foreign Secretary said: 'There is no barter, it's a rules-based approach. That's what the treaty does. 'We both see that the extradition treaty serves both sides. And we want to make it work. So, that's the approach. Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab speaks during a public discussion event with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (right) at the Institute of Mechanical Engineers in London, Britain, January 30 Raab arrives at 10 Downing Street ahead of a meeting between Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo 'There is no haggle and no-one's raised Prince Andrew. Frankly, no-one has ever raised that with me.' Mr Pompeo stated: 'Yes, now they have.' Commenting on the words of the Foreign Secretary and the secretary of state, a spokesman for Harry Dunn's family, Radd Seiger, told the PA news agency: 'The family and I have seen the public comments made by the Foreign Secretary and the secretary of state. 'We treat these words with caution but it is clear that Mr Raab has followed through on his promise to the family that he would make it clear to the secretary of state that he will not accept anything less than Anne Sacoolas' return. 'I note that the secretary of state is no longer saying she will not return. 'Our campaign for justice for Harry will not stop until she is back and going through the legal system. 'I urge all parties concerned to ensure that that happens sooner rather than later for the benefit of everyone.' Pompeo departs 10 Downing Street after a meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson Thursday Reacting to the comments from Mr Pompeo and Mr Raab, Mrs Charles told PA: 'We continue to suffer unbearable hardship every day as a family. 'We have said right from the outset that Anne Sacoolas must face the legal system here. 'There is no other way and no-one is above the law, diplomat or not, as the Vienna Convention makes clear. 'I urge Anne Sacoolas to do the right thing and come back to the UK now.' By Michael Bergmann I am not afraid of people who abuse power and authority. And for over 10 years I had felt that this was a country where such a mindset was welcomed and where I could live my life in both freedom and safety. And still I believe that South Koreans might be, politically, the most fearless people in Asia. Sadly, of course, all countries have dark corners where the light of public attention doesn't shine. But I want to talk here about what I had considered an impossible non-issue for a democratic society until quite recently: People in fear "as citizens." I have to admit that I laughed it off at first when I heard quite wealthy unit owners of a major apartment complex and the adjacent commercial building in western Seoul advising each other "to be careful" and meeting "secretly," trying to coordinate their shared interests. We heard of a small but "powerful" interest group with connections to legal or pseudo-legal circles that "had always won" over the wide majority of owners and their desperate efforts to establish normal representation. A former board member of the apartment complex confessed on condition of anonymity that he "could not afford moral considerations" as he "had to protect his family." "Maybe someone fabulously rich, or with legal teams available for free, or with nothing else to do and ready to sacrifice his or her life, could stand up but don't expect this of me!" My wife and I couldn't help asking: What are all those friendly neighbors afraid of? I cut our personal story short, and just want to bring our lawyer's investigation result here to public attention. Not only did numerous representatives and participants of meetings including ourselves receive warning letters announcing "legal action" in the case of "wrong decisions." But those threats massively materialized: Our most fearless chief representative in the commercial building has been reported to police eight times, her predecessor at least two times. For the apartment complex, our lawyer collected 11 allegations by the same accuser, not only against single individuals, but in one case 51 residents, accused of "defamation," in another case "only" 15! This does not include all the elected representatives suspended for "formal mistakes." And not only did my wife and I finally hear the rumors of us being "listed" by the interest group. But soon we found ourselves criminally accused, together with our most honorable president and her husband, of "conspiratorial business obstruction." I was still not afraid, knowing that the allegation made no sense. But the following encounter with the law enforcement authorities (see my two previous articles) finally taught me what hundreds of people in our neighborhood are scared of. All of us would be grateful for public concern. Please help restore our sense of freedom and safety! The author (bergmann2473@yahoo.de) is a teacher in Seoul. A big milestone for Mobiles Ronald McDonald House started with a once upon a time story from one of its founders on Thursday. The facility, off Spring Hill Avenue near University Health USA Childrens and Womens Hospital, provides a home away from home for families whose children are hospitalized. A gathering Thursday morning celebrated two things: The opening of a brand-new playground and the start of 20th anniversary celebrations. Once upon a time there was a young man from Mobile, said Gray Zimlich, one of the facilitys founders. And he and his mother flew on a plane to Boston, almost 1,500 miles away from the support of family and friends, and they walked into a Ronald McDonald House. There was a young girl with a smile as big as Texas and she ran up to young David and said, Hi, my name is Katie, will you be my new best friend? Oh, I have a brain tumor. And young David looked up at his mother and a smile crept across his face, and he said, Its going to be okay here, Mom, Im not alone anymore. They lived in Boston for almost three months, as the boy underwent an experimental medical treatment. On the way back to Mobile, the 10-year-old asked his mother why there wasnt a Ronald McDonald House in Mobile and challenged his mother to get one built. That was her and her son Day, who now serves as the facilitys director of relief, Zimlich said. The challenge took a few years to be met. Zimlich said organizers had their first meeting with a local McDonalds franchise owner in 1993. Paul Giardina, director of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Mobile, told onlookers that the facility opened in 2000 with 12 bedrooms. In 2011 it added a wing that raised the total to 38 guest rooms. Its for kids and thats what were all about, children, Giardina told onlookers. Thank you so much for letting us be a part of your lives. Giardina thanked numerous people and businesses for their support, including donors as well as companies and business organizations that contributed in-kind support. Day Zimlich cut the ribbon, surrounded by children whose families had benefited from the houses support. Among them was 14-year-old Austin Hickey, whose mother Tara Hickey, said the house had supported them at a critical time. When he was just six months old, Austins lungs were infected by a rare strain of Staph. He went into respiratory arrest while being transported from another area hospital to Childrens and Womens. Hickey spent eight weeks at the House as he clung to life. The family lived across the bay. Being able to stay at the house meant less time lost to commuting, without the strain of a long-term hotel stay. The fact that the house had a playground made it easier to preserve some sense of normalcy for Austins older brother. In the years to follow, Tara Hickey would become a board member of the House and Austin would volunteer there. And the playground would suffer the effects of time. Its such a big deal, Tara Hickey said of the new equipment. The previous playground was just a hazard. We were actually afraid for kids to play on it. Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma has become the latest technology industry figure offering to help fight the coronavirus outbreak. China's richest man will donate 100 million yuan ($21.4 million) through his charitable foundation, joining Bill and Melinda Gates in pledging assistance. That's on top of an offer by his internet juggernaut Alibaba Group to establish a 1 billion yuan ($213.5 million) fund and share its artificial intelligence expertise with researchers. Billionaire Jack Ma. Credit:Dave Marco "We know that the battle between humanity and disease is a long journey," the foundation said in a post on its Twitter-like Weibo account. "This money will help various medical research efforts and help disease prevention." China's tech industry has responded rapidly to an outbreak that's infected thousands and killed more than 150 around the globe. 10,473 active COVID-19 cases in Canada: 145,415 diagnoses, 9,228 deaths and 125,714 recoveries (as of Sept. 21, 6:30 p.m. ET) Alberta - 1,459 active cases (16,739 total cases, including 256 deaths, 15,024 resolved) British Columbia - 1,987 active cases (8,208 total cases, 227 deaths, 5,972 resolved) Manitoba - 363 active cases (1,608 total cases, 18 deaths, 1,227 resolved) New Brunswick - 3 active cases (196 cases, 2 deaths, 191 resolved) Newfoundland and Labrador - 1 active case (272 total cases, 3 deaths, 268 resolved) Northwest Territories - 0 active cases (5 total cases, 5 resolved) Nova Scotia - 0 active cases (1,086 total cases, 65 deaths 1,021 resolved) Ontario - 3,299 active cases (47,274 total cases, 2,829 deaths, 41,146 resolved) Prince Edward Island - 1 active case (57 total cases, 56 resolved) Quebec - 3,193 active cases (68,128 total cases, 5,804 deaths, 59,131 resolved) Saskatchewan - 145 active cases (1,814 total cases, 24 deaths, 1,645 resolved) Yukon - 0 active cases (15 total cases, 15 resolved) Nunavut - 0 active cases (4 false positive cases) CFB Trenton - 0 active cases (13 total cases, 13 resolved) Authorities have been working to contain the spread of COVID-19, with Canadians having contracted the virus from travel to other countries, human-to-human transmission, as well as community spread. Of the over 145,000 cases that been diagnosed nationwide, at least 125,000 of them have been resolved, meaning those people are no longer considered infectious. As daily cases of COVID-19 start to increase across the country, Yahoo News Canada will focus on reporting active cases to put into context our current situation. Timeline of coronavirus cases in Canada September 2020 Sept. 21 Quebec in second wave of COVID-19 as it reports its most new cases since May Dr. Horacio Arruda, Quebecs director of public health, said on Monday that he is very, very, very concerned about the rise in cases in the province, after 586 new patients were identified. Story continues Due to the rise in cases over recent weeks, Arruda believes Quebec is now in the next stage of its COVID-19 pandemic. We are in the second wave, at the beginning said Arruda in French on Monday. The situation is serious. The situation is serious everywhere in Quebec. The 586 cases are the most in a 24-hour stretch since 641 cases were announced May 27. Its also now the 10th straight day that it has reported more than 200. The last time Quebec had a similar stretch was in late-May to early-June; since then it has enjoyed multiple stretches where it consistently reported fewer than 100 daily cases as it contained the spread of COVID-19 within the province. On Monday, Montreal, Quebec City and the Chaudiere-Appalaches region were moved to the provinces orange stage, the second highest on its COVID-19 alert system. Restrictions, such as gathering limits, are affected depending on where a region is on the colour-coded scale. Arruda said its highly probable that regions will move from orange to red (the highest alert level) but there is still time to flatten the curve and move back to yellow and green. If we want to have a Christmas that is a bit normal, people have to cooperate, said Arruda. Its major. Throughout the pandemic, Quebec has been Canadas worst-hit province. Along with owning the biggest death toll (5,804) of any jurisdiction, it has the most active cases per 100,000 residents. Ontario is the only province with more active cases, after it announced 425 new patients on Monday, the most in a 24-hour stretch since June 2. Of the most recent group of 586 cases in Quebec, Montreal reported the most with 219, followed by the Quebec City (92), Monteregie (76), Outaouais (31), Estrie (21) Chaudiere-Appalaches (50), Laurentides (39) and Laval (20) health regions. Quebecs testing numbers are reflective of its output from two days prior. Most recently, it completed 23,484 tests for COVID-19, as it continues to push its capacity. In the provinces latest 24-hour stretch, no one has died, but the province added three fatalities and retracted one from previous dates, setting its death toll at 5,804. Three-hundred and thirty-five patients have also recently recovered, which means there are now 3,193 active cases in the province. Over the weekend, the provinces police investigation into bars and restaurants resulted in them checking 2,206 establishments. Ninety fines were distributed and 1,500 warnings, for matters such as not respecting physical distancing requirements or consuming alcohol after the legal hours. Throughout Quebec schools, there are 392 active cases among students across public and private schools and 93 among staff, as of its most current information from Friday evening. One-hundred and nine students have recovered as well as 38 staff members. So far, at least 235 class bubbles have been sent home and asked to learn remotely, up by 46 since the last report. Of the provinces 3,089 schools, 334 of them have had a case of COVID-19, up by 62. Two more cases of transmission within Alberta schools, six more outbreaks Albertas chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw announced on Monday that health officials have identified two more schools where transmission likely occurred within the learning institution. The first case of transmission within a school setting was announced on Friday by Hinshaw, meaning that one individuals reason for infection is believed to be linked to another member of the school. The two most recent schools where transmission likely occurred are Vimy Ridge School in Edmonton and Springfield Elementary School in Peace River. As I stressed on Friday, this is not unexpected, and is not a cause for alarm, said Hinshaw. As we have seen transmission in other settings, we will see some cases where this happens in classrooms. Six new school outbreaks have also been identified since Hinshaws update on Friday, for a total of 19. An outbreak is declared when there are two or or more confirmed cases in individuals who were at the school within a 14-day time period. That is a very low number to reach and is not an indication of uncontrolled spread, said Hinshaw. Two schools have at least five cases and have been placed on Watch: St. Wilfrid Elementary School and Vimy Ridge School. So far, 81 schools in Alberta have had at least one COVID-19 patient among students and staff, with 126 total cases between them. Whenerver, theres a case, all teachers and classmates of the patient are required to self-isolate at home for 14 days. Hinshaw said that five school alerts have already ended, allowing students and staff to return to school. In each case, there was no sign of transmission that resulted from the potential exposure. Hinshaw said that only three per cent of schools in the province have had a COVID-19 exposure within the first three weeks of the fall semester. Of those schools, in school transmission has only been identified in about three per cent of them. We will continue to monitor closely as always, but this is a positive start, said Hinshaw. The provinces chief medical officer continued to note that its expected that the province will see cases in schools as long as theres transmission in the community. In mid-April, the province saw its general COVID-19 peak, but also the most cases among school aged children, despite everyone being under lockdown. What's really critical for schools is that they don't become a place where transmission happens and spread happens quite broadly, said Hinshaw. Our kids are best served by education in person. And that has an overall benefit to their health much bigger than just the benefit of maintaining protection from COVID-19. On Monday, Hinshaw also announced that the provinces labs identified 119 new cases between Friday and Saturday, 102 between Saturday and Sunday and 137 between Sunday leading to Monday. One more person has also died. The victim was a patient at the Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary, where an outbreak has been declared. So far, 14 patients and four staff members across three different units have now tested positive for the virus in connection to the outbreak. Three-hundred and twenty-two more patients have also recovered throughout Alberta, which now has 1,459 active cases. Of those currently infected individuals, 747 of them are in the Edmonton zone and 462 are in the Calgary zone. Ontario once again reports its most new daily cases since early June Ontario reported 425 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, the most in a 24-hour stretch since June 2. Its now the third time over the past four days that it has reported more than 400 cases. Its also the 11th straight day Ontario has exceeded the 200-case mark; before the recent stretch, the province had not posted over 200 cases since June 29. Of the most recent cases, which were identified after 31,753 completed tests, 175 of them are in Toronto, 84 in Peel, 60 in Ottawa, 20 in York, 14 in Durham, 13 in Waterloo and 12 in Halton. The remaining 27 public health units reported fewer than 10, while 15 of them reported no new cases at all. Eighteen new cases were identified in Ontario schools, for a total of 90. Of the recent group of cases, eight involve students, four involve teachers, while the other six have not yet been identified by the Ministry of Health. In total, there are now 75 schools that have had a case of COVID-19. Two more people have died and 178 have recovered in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch. There are now 3,299 active cases throughout the province, the most in all Canadian jurisdictions, and the most in Ontario since June 10. Toronto leads the way with 1,054 currently infected patients, followed by 709 in Peel, 505 in Ottawa and 288 in York. None of the other 31 public health units have more than 110. Updates from the rest of Canada Nova Scotia reported no new cases on Monday, as it remains the only province with no currently infected patients. Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island continue to have one active case each. New Brunswick reported two new cases on Monday. Both involve individuals between 20-29 years old in the Moncton region. They are both related to travel and linked to previously identified patients. There are now three active cases in New Brunswick. Two more people have died in WInnipeg, increasing Manitobas COVID-19-related death toll to 18. The recent victims include a man in his 80s in the Southern health region and a woman in her 80s in the Prairie Mountain health region. Twenty-two new cases were also identified in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch, in the Winnipeg (16), Southern (three), Prairie Mountain (two), and Interlake-Eastern (one) health regions. On Monday, Manitoba's chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin expressed concern over the rise in cases in Winnipeg. He said that some people have been going to many different locations while symptomatic. Of the provinces 363 active cases, 284 of them are in Winnipeg. Seven new cases were identified in Saskatchewan throughout the Saskatoon (five), Regina (one) and South East (one) zones. Three of the cases in Saskatoon are associated with the Brandt Industries workplace outbreak, which has seen a total of 17 linked cases. Two more people have recovered in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch, which leaves 145 active cases throughout Saskatchewan. Of those currently infected individuals, 27 are in communal living settings, while 76 are in its epicentre of Saskatoon. British Columbia provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry reported that over the weekend labs identified 121 new cases between Friday and Saturday, 117 between Saturday and Sunday and 128 between Sunday leading to Monday, for a total of 366. Over the same stretch, 175 more people have recovered and four have died. It means there are now a record-high 1,987 active cases in the province. There are 3,233 people who are self-isolating and are being actively monitored by B.C. public health, since they were in contact with a known COVID-19 patient. Henry said there have been a number of exposures in the school setting, but they are mostly very low risk. For example, an infected patient was in the learning institution for a short period of time; Henry said these exposure situations have usually been among adults, such as staff members. At the moment, there have been no clusters, outbreaks or transmission events in the school setting that have been identified by health officials. All of British Columbias health regions are expected to provide a full list of exposures, but Vancouver Coastal Health has recently come under fire for not providing their complete info. As a result, its not possible to paint a full picture of the situation in B.C. schools. Sept. 20 First elementary school in Ontario shuts down due to COVID-19 infections An elementary school in Ottawa has closed down after two students and two staff members tested positive for COVID-19, forcing it to temporarily shut down, according to CBC. Monsignor Paul Baxter Catholic School, in Ottawa's Barrhaven neighbourhood, is the first elementary school in Ontario to close due to the virus. On Sept. 16, Fellowes High School in Pembroke, Ont., was the first Ontario learning institution in general to shut down, after three staff members tested positive for the virus. The third case was linked to the first two. "Please know that we take our direction from Ottawa Public Health," Mark Kennedy, principal of Monsignor Paul Baxter, said in a letter to parents and guardians, which was obtained by CBC. "We have been working closely with OPH since we learned of our first confirmed positive test result of COVID-19." Parents with children at Monsignor Paul Baxter Catholic School in Ottawas Barrhaven neighbourhood were notified on Saturday about the closure. (Credit: Patrick Louiseize/Radio-Canada) Monsignor Paul Baxter Catholic School is expected to stay closed for about 14 days, according to the respective school board, while students are being encouraged learn online while at home. As of Ontarios latest update on Friday morning, there have been 60 schools so far that have reported a case of COVID-19 among staff or students. There are 72 total cases, with 25 among students and 22 among staff. The remaining 25 have not yet been identified by the Ministry of Health. Updated statistics are expected on Monday. Quebec once again records its largest increase in daily cases since May Quebec health officials announced 462 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, the most in a 24-hour stretch since 530 cases were announced May 30. It comes a day after Canadas worst-hit province announced 427 new cases, while its now the ninth straight day that it has reported more than 200. The last time Quebec had a similar stretch was in early late-May to early-June; since then it has enjoyed multiple stretches where it consistently reported fewer than 100 daily cases as it contained the spread of COVID-19. Of the most recent group of 462 cases, Montreal reported the most with 160, followed by the Quebec City (92), Monteregie (58), Laval (31), Outaouais (22), Estrie (21) and Chaudiere-Appalaches (19) regions. According to Radio-Canada, the Quebec government on Sunday is expected to reduce the size of private gatherings and impose new restrictions on restaurants and bars in its two biggest cities, due to their concerning case trends. Montreal, Quebec City and the Chaudiere-Appalaches region, which is south of Quebec City, will reportedly be placed on moderate alert. It means theyll be moved to the orange level (the second-highest) on its new colour-coded alert system, which categorizes the danger posed by COVID-19 in a respective region. Quebecs testing numbers are reflective of its output from two days prior. Most recently, it completed a record-high 29,006 tests for COVID-19, as it continues to push its capacity. In the provinces latest 24-hour stretch, one more person has died, while the province also added four fatalities to its death toll (5,802), involving victims who passed away between Sept. 13-18. Three-hundred and six patients have also recently recovered, which means there are now 2,944 active cases in the province. Updates from the rest of Canada Ontario reported 365 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, which breaks its two-day streak of reporting more than 400 cases. However, its now the 10th straight day Ontario has exceeded the 200-case mark; before the recent stretch, the province had not posted over 200 cases since June 29. The most recent cases were identified after officials completed a record-high 40,127 tests for the virus, leading to a 0.9 per cent positivity rate (one of the highest since June). One-hundred and thirty cases were identified in Toronto, 108 in Peel, 38 in York, 24 in Halton, 20 in Waterloo, 19 in Durham and 14 in Ottawa. The remaining 27 public health units reported fewer than 10, while 13 reported no new cases at all. In Ontarios most recent 24-hour stretch, a health-care worker has died, while 191 patients have recovered. There are now 3,054 active cases in the province, the most of any jurisdiction in Canada, and the most in Ontario since June 11. Nova Scotia reported no new cases on Sunday, as it remains the only province with no currently infected patients. One more person has recovered in Newfoundland and Labrador, which now has one active case. There also still remains one currently infected patient in both New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Twenty-nine new cases were identified in Manitoba throughout the Winnipeg (23), Prairie Mountain (three), Interlake-Eastern (two) and and Southern (one) health regions. Five additional patients have recovered, which means there are now 354 active cases in the province. Winnipeg is home to 275 of the provinces currently infected patients, as its worrisome case trend continues. In a press release, Manitoba health officials said that theyve notified parents about a possible exposure to COVID-19 at the Munroe Early Childhood Education Centre Preschool at 505 Chalmers Ave. in Winnipeg on Sept. 14 in the morning and afternoon. All close contacts have been identified, while the centre has closed off areas that were used by the infected patient. Public Health has also released a list of four other recent potential exposure warnings in the public, which are all in Winnipeg. In the latest 24-hour stretch in Saskatchewan, 20 new cases were identified in the Regina (10), Saskatoon (seven) and South East (one) zones, while the location of the final case is pending. The cases in Saskatoon are linked to the outbreak at Brandt Industries, which has had 14 cases so far, according to a press release by officials. Since one more person has recovered since Saturday, there are now 140 active cases in Saskatchewan; 27 of them are in communal living settings and 70 are in its epicentre Saskatoon. Saskatchewan Health Authority is also notifying the public about a list of potential COVID-19 exposures at various Saskatoon, Prince Albert and Waskesiu businesses between Sept. 10-18. Sept. 19 Ontario extends gathering restrictions for the entire province following another 400+ cases Premier Doug Ford announced on Saturday that the entire province of Ontario will now have to abide by new restrictions, which limit informal gatherings. Previously, gathering limits were set at 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors, but have now been brought down to 10 and 25, respectively, for the next 28 days. The restrictions were first put in place for hotspots Toronto, Peel and Ottawa on Friday, but have now been extended after the province recorded 407 new cases on Saturday the most in a 24-hour stretch since June 2. It also comes a day after Ontario recorded 401 cases on Friday, Weve seen alarming growth in the number of COVID cases in Ontario, said Ford on Saturday. Folks, the alarm bells are ringing. Ontario now has the most active cases throughout Canada with 2,881, followed by 2,793 currently infected patients in Quebec, which recorded 427 new cases on Saturday the most in a 24-hour stretch since May 30. Ontarios active case count continues to rise at an alarming rate, considering there were 1,345 infected patients throughout the province two weeks ago (Sept. 5). Saturday marks the ninth straight day that Ontario has exceeded the 200-case mark. Before the recent stretch, the province had not posted over 200 cases since June 29. Too much of it is being tied to people who arent following the rules, people who think it's OK to hold parties, carrying on as if things are back to normal. They aren't. ... We can't have these wild parties right now. It's just way, way too risky. For those who organize a gathering that exceeds the new limit, they can face a minimum fine of $10,000 under the current emergency orders. If you're caught going to one of these parties, you can get slapped with a $750 fine, said Ford. These new restrictions do not apply to events held in facilities such as movie theatres, restaurants, banquet halls, places of worship, gyms, or convention centres. However, Ford cautions against people who are currently joining political protests across the country. Over the past four months, Canadians have joined protests to demand racial equality and to shed light on police brutality against marginalized communities. Others have also protested against COVID-19 restrictions that have been put in place by various levels of government. Everyone has to follow the same rules, there can't be exceptions. You can't be going out there guys, let's use common sense, said Ford. We have to make sure we get our arms around this and everyone else to pitch in, so do not go out there to these massive protests. That would be dangerous for the community. The most recent 407 cases were identified after the provinces labs completed a record-high 38,940 tests for COVID-19. The one per cent positivity rate is still one of the highest Ontario has recorded in months. Of the most recent patients, 218 of them are among those 20-39 years old, the most of any age group. There were also 72 cases among those 40-59, and 72 involving people 19 years old or younger. One-hundred and twenty-nine were identified in Toronto, followed by 94 in Peel, 55 in Ottawa, 28 in York, 18 in Halton, 14 each in Waterloo and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph, 12 in Hamilton, 11 in Simcoe-Muskoka and 10 in Middlesex-London. The other 24 public health units reported fewer than 10 cases, while 15 of them reported no new cases at all. I think the recommendation to go province wide was really precautionary, said associate chief medical officer of health Dr. Barbara Yaffe on Saturday. The increases are happening, particularly in certain dense urban areas, but there have been indications of small increases elsewhere. And we are trying to avert a further increase as much as possible. Ontarios associate chief medical officer of health said that you can get as close youd like to the people who are in your social circle of 10. But if youre with people who are not in that circle, you need to maintain a six-foot distance or wear a mask, such as now at gatherings of 10 indoors and 25 outdoors. Along with the most recent 407 new cases on Saturday, one more person has died in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch, which increases the death toll to 2,826. Quebec records its largest increase in daily cases since May Quebec health officials have identified 427 new cases of COVID-19, the most in a 24-hour stretch since 530 cases were announced May 30. Its now the eighth straight day that it has reported more than 200 cases. The last time Canadas worst-hit province had a similar stretch was in early June, and since then it has also enjoyed stretches where it consistently reported fewer than 100 daily cases. The rapid growth in cases in some areas is worrying, said health minister Christian Dube in a tweet on Saturday. Of the most recent group of 427 cases, Montreal reported the most with 128, followed by Quebec City (60), the Chaudiere-Appalaches region (36), Laval (34) and the Lower Saint Lawrence region (15). According to The Canadian Press, a major COVID-19 testing operation is underway in Quebecs Bas-Saint-Laurent region, following positive cases that were identified at a pork factory. Four-hundred and fifty employees at a slaughterhouse, Aliments Asta, are now being tested. Quebecs testing numbers are reflective of its output from two days prior. Most recently, it completed a record-high 28,442 tests for COVID-19, as it continues to push its capacity. In the provinces latest 24-hour stretch, two more people have died, while the province also added three fatalities to its death toll (5,797), involving victims who passed away between Sept. 11-17. Two-hundred and seventy-two patients have also recovered, which means there are now 2,793 active cases in the province. Exposure alert for popular Toronto nightclub after 4 patrons test positive Toronto Public Health (TPH) is warning of a potential COVID-19 exposure for patrons and staff who visited a popular nightclub venue in the city. Four patrons who were at NOIR inside REBEL Entertainment Complex on Sept. 11, between 10:30 p.m. and 2 a.m., have tested positive. Anyone who was at the venue at the same time may have been exposed to the virus. Based on the information provided in the venues contact tracing logs for staff and patrons, TPH is following up with all known close contacts, who will be instructed to self-isolate for 14 days and to go for testing. Everyone who was at the venue during Sept. 11 between 10:30 p.m. and 2 a.m. is being asked to monitor themselves for symptoms until Sept. 25. These individuals should make a particular effort to keep a six-foot distance from other people, wear a mask in public spaces, and wash their hands frequently, said a press release by TPH. They should also limit contact with others, especially those in health care settings, seniors, and/or other vulnerable populations. Upon inspection on Sept. 18, TPH found REBEL Entertainment Complex to be in compliance with all reopening protocols for nightclubs. Canadas Conservative leader tests positive for COVID-19, prompting Quebec premier to get tested Federal Conservative leader Erin O'Toole, left, and Quebec Premier Francois Legault get set to start their meeting in Montreal on Sept. 14, 2020. (Credit: The Canadian Press/Ryan Remiorz) Conservative leader Erin OToole has been diagnosed with COVID-19, after he and his family were tested for the virus. "He is very relieved that his wife and children have tested negative. O'Toole remains in self-isolation and is feeling well," said a statement from the Conservative party. OToole has been in isolation since Wednesday, after one of his staff members tested positive for the virus. They had travelled together in Quebec. Quebec Premier Francois, who met with OToole on Monday, decided to get tested as a precaution. His result has since come back negative, but he will stay in isolation until Sept. 28, in accordance with public health guidelines. OToole made a public outcry after he and his family waited hours at a Ottawa testing site on Wednesday, before they were turned away due to the capacity limitations. They were eventually tested on Thursday in Gatineau, Que., at a site that offers priority testing for members of parliament and their families. On Friday, Bloc Quebecois announced that leader Yves-Francois Blanchet and his wife Nancy Deziel tested COVID-19 positive. They will remain in isolation until Sept. 26 at his residence in Shawinigan, Que. Updates from the rest of Canada Two cases of COVID-19 were identified in Nunavut at the Hope Bay mine, which is 125 kilometres southwest of Cambridge Bay. Health officials believe that both patients were exposed in their home jurisdictions prior to travelling to Nunavut. Since the cases didnt original in Nunavut, theyll instead be counted in other jurisdictions, but at the moment its not clear where exactly. Nunavut remains the only Canadian jurisdiction to not have a confirmed case as part of its tally, while the Northwest Territories and Yukon currently have no active cases. Nova Scotia continues to be the only province with no active cases, after its remaining patient was marked resolved on Friday. No new cases were identified in Newfoundland and Labrador or New Brunswick, as those provinces continue to have two and one active cases, respectively. As of Prince Edward Islands latest update on Tuesday, it also has one currently infected patient. Eighteen new cases were identified in Manitoba throughout Winnipeg (13), Prairie Mountain (three) and Southern (two) health regions. Twelve additional patients have recovered, which means there are now 331 active cases in the province. Winnipeg is home to 252 of the provinces currently infected patients, as its worrisome case trend continues. In the latest 24-hour stretch in Saskatchewan, labs completed a record-high 2,873 tests. Officials were able to identify 11 new cases in the Regina (five), Saskatoon (two), South Central (two), Central West (one) and Central East (one) zones. The two cases in Saskatoon are linked to the outbreak at Brandt Industries, according to a press release by officials. Since three more people have recovered since Friday, there are now 121 active cases in Saskatchewan; 25 of them are in communal living settings and 63 are in its epicentre Saskatoon. It was also recently reported that the president of the Metis Nation-Saskatchewan, Glen McCallum, has tested positive for COVID-19. A Facebook post by Metis Nation-Saskatchewan advises everyone whos been in close contact with McCallum to monitor for symptoms and to get tested if they experience any signs of the illness. Sept. 18 Alberta sees first likely case of COVID-19 transmission within a school setting Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Albertas chief medical officer of health, announced on Friday that the province has seen its first case of COVID-19 likely transmitted within a school. This is not unexpected, and is not a cause for alarm, said Hinshaw. Even with the cautious approach we have been taking, we expected that we would eventually see some examples of transmission in schools. ... Let me repeat that it was inevitable. The transmission was likely to have occurred at Edmonton's Waverley School, a public elementary school in the Kenilworth neighbourhood. One student is believed to have been the source of infection for another. At this point, there is no evidence to suggest that the school will need to transition to a different learning model, or that other staff and students are at risk, said Hinshaw. According to CBC, who received confirmation from the respective school board, about 12 students from a combined Grade 1/2 class and seven staff members will now isolate for 14 days at home, monitor for symptoms and be tested. Throughout Edmonton, at least 1000 students are in self-isolation because they were in the same class as a patient while they were considered infectious. I ask that Waverley is not targeted w/ accusations of being unsafe, as Ive heard happened at St. Wilfrid #YYC when they were moved to a watch level. Parents, teachers & students are worried & trying to sort through the challenge of having their school IDd in the news. (6/10) Dr. Deena Hinshaw (@CMOH_Alberta) September 18, 2020 As of Friday, there are 78 individuals who attended school while infectious among students and staff. Fifty-seven of the provinces 2,415 schools have reported an infectious case. Of those cases, none of them have been hospitalized, said Hinshaw. A week earlier (Sept. 11), there were 29 schools across the province where an individual attended while infectious, with 32 cases linked to these schools, leading to three outbreaks. There are now 13 school outbreaks across Alberta, which means a school has had at least two cases. One of the schools, St. Wilfrid Elementary School, has had at least five cases. On Friday, Alberta Health Services announced 107 new cases of COVID-19. In that same stretch, one more person has died, while 165 patients have recovered. Of the provinces now 1,424 active cases, 711 of them are in the Edmonton zone and 450 in the Calgary zone. There are 44 people in hospital, which includes seven in intensive care. Nova Scotia is the only province to be COVID-19 free Health officials in Nova Scotia have announced that its final COVID-19 patient has recovered, meaning they are now no active cases in the jurisdiction. Its the only province with no active cases of COVID-19. There are also no currently infected patients in all three of Canadas territories. The latest patient to be identified in Nova Scotia was on Sept. 7. Throughout the pandemic, the province has had 1,086 cases; that includes 65 fatalities and now 1,021 people who have recovered. Nova Scotia was previously declared COVID-19 free on Aug. 10. But since Aug. 14, health officials have discovered 15 new patients, all of whom have since recovered. Despite the positive news on Friday, Nova Scotias provincial government has decided to renew its state of emergency until Oct. 4. Ontario reports its most new cases since June, takes over Quebecs spot for most currently infected patients The province announced 401 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, which marks the largest one-day spike it has seen since June 2. Its now the eighth straight day that Ontario has exceeded the 200-case mark. Before the recent stretch, the province had not posted over 200 cases since June 29. The most recent patients were identified after Ontario labs completed a record-high 35,826 tests for COVID-19. Ontario has now posted a 1.1 per cent positivity rate on three of the last six occasions the highest percentage since June 23. Of the most recent group of cases, 130 were identified in Toronto, 82 in Peel and 61 in Ottawa the three regions that will now face increased gathering restrictions starting Friday. Nineteen cases were also identified in Halton and 12 in Middlesex-London, as the region continues to deal with an outbreak in relation to Western University. All the other 29 public health units reported 10 or fewer cases of COVID-19, with 15 reporting no new cases at all. Since Thursdays report, 176 more people have recovered, but no else has died in relation to the virus. Throughout Ontario, there are now 2,652 active cases of COVID-19, the most since June 14. With Quebec announcing on Friday that they have 2,643 active cases, it means Ontario now has the most currently infected patients of any jurisdiction in Canada, a title Quebec has held for the majority of the pandemic in Canada. Quebec still has the most cases per 100,000 people. Of the currently infected patients in Ontario, Toronto leads the way with 806 active cases, followed by Peel (566), Ottawa (437) and York (247). All of the other 30 public health units have fewer than 85. Eleven new cases were identified in schools for a total of 72, but one was also removed from the tally. The cases are spread throughout 60 of the provinces 4,828 learning institutions, up by nine since Thursday. Of the latest cases, five involve students, while the other six have not yet been identified by the Ministry of Health. Four new cases were also reported in child care centres and private home daycares (one child, three staff) for a total of 76. There are two new cases among residents of long-term care homes and five new cases that involve health-care workers. Two-hundred of the cases are among those 20-39 years old, the most of any age group. There were also 99 cases among those 40-59, and 67 involving people 19 years old or younger. Of the provinces currently infected patients, there are 58 in hospital, which includes 20 in intensive care and 10 who require a ventilator. More than 400 students in Quebec contract COVID-19 since reopening Quebec announced on Friday that 44 more students and 10 staff members tested positive for COVID-19. There are now 272 schools (out of 2,685) that have had a reported case, up by 25 compared to the previous day. Throughout those institutions, there are now 401 students and 106 staff members that have contracted the virus since schools reopened Aug. 27. At least 189 class bubbles so far have been sent home and asked to learn remotely, up by 16 since Thursdays report. Quebec health officials announced 297 new cases of COVID-19, which marks the eighth straight day that it has reported more than 200 cases. The last time it had a similar stretch was in early June. In the same 24-hour stretch, no one has died, but officials added one more death to its death toll (5,792), which occurred on an unknown date, according a press release. Two-hundred and six more cases have been marked resolved, meaning there are now 2,643 active cases in the province. Bloc Quebecois leader tests positive for virus Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-Francois Blanchet's wife, Nancy Deziel, and a staff member tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week. (Credit: AP) Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-Francois Blanchet has been diagnosed with COVID-19. In a statement from his office, Blanchet said that he is doing perfectly well, but he will stay in isolation at his home in Shawinigan, Que., until Sept. 26. in accordance with Quebec public health rules. The leader of the Bloc Quebecois underlines the importance of distancing measures, the wearing of masks and of hand washing and invites Quebeckers to follow the instructions of the Government of Quebec if they show symptoms or if they have been in close contact with an affected person, the statement said. Earlier this week, Blanchet's wife Nancy Deziel was also diagnosed with COVID-19, which led to the Bloc leader deciding to also get tested as a precaution. According to The Canadian Press, Blanchet was already in self-isolation; one of his staff members had tested positive, resulting in multiple members of his caucus and other aides to also isolate. Blanchet is the first federal party leader to test positive for COVID-19. Earlier in the pandemic, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also self-isolated after his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau was diagnosed with the respiratory virus. Updates from the rest of Canada British Columbia announced 139 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday. It ties its output from Sept. 10 for the second largest spike in cases since the start of the pandemic. The province announced a record-high 165 new patients on Sept. 17. Forty more cases have also been added to its total case count (7,842) that were identified between Aug. 11- Sept. 16 by Vancouver Coastal Health. In the most recent 24-hour stretch, 78 more people have recovered and three have died. It means there are now a record-high 1,803 active cases throughout British Columbia. Newfoundland and Labrador has identified its first new case since Sept. 12, this time involving a male in the Central Health region between 20-39 years of age. The individual recently returned from traveling in the United States. According to a press release, he was asymptomatic while travelling back to Newfoundland and Labrador. There are now two active cases throughout the province. One more person has recovered in New Brunswick, meaning there is now only one active case in the province. As of Prince Edward Islands latest update on Tuesday, it also has one currently infected patient. There has been a concerning increase in the number of cases in Winnipeg, read a press release by Manitoba health officials, with the city being home to 29 of the provinces most recent 40 cases. The remaining cases are in the Interlake-Eastern (four), Prairie Mountain (four) and Southern Health (three) health regions. Eight more people have also recently recovered, which means there are now 325 active cases in Manitoba; Winnipeg is home to 239 of them. Prairie Mountain only has 38, after it was the provinces epicentre in August. Recent success in Prairie Mountain Health shows that focusing on the fundamentals can reduce the transmission of COVID-19, read the press release, with the region on Friday moving back to the yellow caution level under Manitoba's colour-coded pandemic response system. Saskatchewan health officials have identified 19 new cases throughout the Saskatoon (12), Regina (four) and Central West (three) zones. Of the latest cases in Saskatoon, six of them have been identified in the workplace at Brandt Industries, according to a press release. Fifteen more people have also recently recovered, which leaves the provinces active case count at 113. Of those currently infected patients, 24 are in communal living settings, while 61 are in its epicentre of Saskatoon. Sept. 17 Super-spreader event leads to 21 infections in Saskatchewan At least 21 cases of COVID-19 have been linked to a gathering at a Saskatoon home, after 47 people attended the event. Saskatchewan's chief medical health officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab, said the party gathering serves as a cautionary tale, since its now being looked at as a super-spreader. Gathering limits are capped at 30-people when physical distancing can be maintained between individuals who are not from the same household. The organizer of the event has since been fined $2,000, but no details on the nature of the gathering have been shared. "Things like this can snowball very quickly, and that's what we need to avoid as we move forward. Because you can start multiple chains of transmission that can cause secondary infections," said Shahab. There have been at least 160 people who have since been identified as close contacts of those who attended, which includes some cases that may be connected to schools. Health officials expect more cases to be identified in the upcoming days, before the chain of transmission is resolved. The best way we can keep COVID-19 away from our schools is to keep it at a low infection in our communities, and events like this dont help, said Premier Scott Moe. On Thursday, health officials said there are currently 14 cases among students in schools across the province. No transmission within the school setting has been reported. Health officials also announced that theyve identified seven new cases throughout Saskatchewans latest 24-hour stretch in the Saskatoon (four), South East (two) and South West (one) zones. Four more people have also recovered, which means there are now 109 active cases in the province. The Saskatoon region is home to 50 of those currently infected individuals; the zones active cases consist of those linked to the large gathering and interprovincial travel, said Shabab. British Columbia reports its largest one-day spike in cases British Columbia health officials have identified 165 new cases of COVID-19, the most in a 24-hour stretch since the start of the pandemic. The most recent group of patients were identified after a record-high 7,674 tests. However, the update is still part of a concerning trend for the province, since there are now also a record-high 1,705 active cases throughout B.C. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said that the rise in cases is linked to an increase in testing, but that health officials continue to see cases linked to exposure events, such as private gatherings. With Ontario imposing new restrictions on gathering limits on Thursday, Henry said B.C. will not do the same. A maximum of 50 people is still the number theyll look to have in place for gathering limits, but Henry reminded people that just because you can fit 50 people into your small back garden does not make it safe. Henry said that the province is now seeing the virus spread to other, more vulnerable sectors. We're now seeing a spillover into hospitals, said Henry. We're seeing our elders, our grandparents, our seniors, the people in our lives who are most susceptible to ending up in hospital or dying from this virus, are getting it. Sometimes they're getting it because we are not being careful enough as young people, and we're bringing it home unintentionally and spreading it to those we love. Exposures due to gatherings have been a key concern for B.C. ever since two hotel parties around Canada Day in Kelowna led to dozens of cases around the province, as well as possible exposure warnings for a variety of businesses. Officials continue to ask B.C. residents to check the growing list of public exposure warnings as part of contact tracing efforts. As of Thursday, there are 2,949 people who are self-isolating and are being actively monitored by B.C. public health, since they were in contact with a known COVID-19 patient. One more person has also died in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch, involving a resident of a long-term care home. It increases the death toll to 220. Seventy-three people have also recently recovered from the respiratory virus. Of the provinces 1,705 active cases, there are 57 people in hospital, which includes 22 in intensive care. Worrisome stretch continues in Ontario, 21 more cases in schools Ontario reported 293 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, which marks the seventh straight day that the province has exceeded the 200-case mark. Before the recent stretch, the province had not posted over 200 cases since June 29. The most recent patients were identified after Ontario labs completed 35,134 tests for COVID-19, the second highest amount in a 24-hour stretch since the start of the pandemic. Of those cases, 85 were identified in Toronto, 63 in Peel, 39 in Ottawa, 37 in York and 12 in Halton. All the other 29 public health units reported 10 of fewer cases, while 14 reported no new patients at all. On Thursday, Doug Fords provincial government announced new gathering restrictions for Toronto, Peel and Ottawa, which have been deemed Ontarios hotspots. Twenty-one new cases were identified in schools for a total of 62, which are spread throughout 51 of the provinces 4,828 learning institutions. Of the latest cases, five involve students, four involve teachers, while the other 12 have not yet been identified by the Ministry of Health. Two new cases were also reported in child care centres and homes (one child, one staff) for a total of 72. There were no new cases among residents of long-term care homes, but there are six new patients that involve health-care workers. One-hundred sixty-nine of the cases are among those 20-39 years old, the most of any age group. There were also 66 cases among those 40-59, and 37 involving people 19 years old or younger. Since Wednesdays report, 179 more people have recovered and three have died in relation to the virus. Throughout Ontario, there are now 2,427 active cases of COVID-19, the most since June 16. Toronto leads the way with 725 currently infected patients, followed by Peel (528), Ottawa (407) and York (216). All of the other 30 public health units have fewer than 80. Of those currently infected patients, there are 53 in hospital, which includes 21 in intensive care and 12 who require a ventilator. Montreal reports significant backlog, creating an even larger daily spike from earlier this week Quebec health officials announced 251 new cases of COVID-19, which marks the seventh straight day that it has reported more than 200 cases. The last time it had a similar stretch was in early June. On Thursday, Montreal health officials announced 248 cases that should have been reported to the public between Sept. 10-15. Due to the update, it means between Sept. 13-15, the province should have announced more than 300 cases each day, a mark it had not passed since June 1. That includes an extra 90 cases for Sept. 15, which brings that days spike to 382 the most cases in 24-hour stretch since June 1. On Thursday, the province announced that 208 more people have recovered. Two more have died in its latest 24-hour stretch, but the province also added one more fatality that occurred between Sept. 10-15, increasing the death toll to 5,791. There are now 2,553 active cases throughout Quebec, the most of any jurisdiction in Canada. The province also announced that 35 more students and eight staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. There are now 247 schools (out of 2,685) that have had a reported case, up by 10 compared to the previous day. Throughout those institutions, there are now 357 students and 96 staff members that have contracted the virus. At least 173 class bubbles so far have been sent home and asked to learn remotely, up by 32 since Wednesdays report. The Quebec government on Thursday decided to ban restaurants and microbreweries from selling alcohol after midnight, a rule that came into effect early this month for bars. The province also decided to provide more info on its colour-coded alert system, which was introduced Sept. 8. One of the factors that determines whether a region will change alert levels is based on its number of daily cases compared to its population size. Different enforcement measures are put in place based on the colours alert, such as for gatherings. Updates from the rest of Canada Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador both continue to have one active case; they have not identified a new patient since Sept. 7 and Sept. 12, respectively. As of Prince Edward Islands last update on Tuesday, there remains one active case in that province as well. One more person has recovered in New Brunswick, which now has two active cases of COVID-19. Eleven new cases were identified in Manitoba throughout the Winnipeg (eight), Southern Health (two) and Prairie Mountain (one) health regions. One more person has also recovered, meaning there are now 293 active cases throughout the province. Of those currently infected patients, 209 of them are in Winnipeg, while all the other four regions have fewer than 40. Alberta health officials have identified 146 new cases of COVID-19, but no new deaths were recorded in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch. Instead, 158 more people have recovered, which drops the provinces active case count to 1,483. Of those currently infected individuals, 751 of them are in the Edmonton zone and 470 in the Calgary zone. One new COVID-19 outbreak has been declared in a school for a total of 10 meaning there are at least two cases among individuals who were considered infectious while at the learning institution. Sept. 15 There are 251 new cases of COVID-19 that have been reported in Ontario on Tuesday, continuing the recent trend of more than 200 new cases each day. Less than half that amount, 117, were reported as newly recovered in the same time period. Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Christine Elliott said that the hotspots for new cases continue to be Toronto, Ottawa and Peel public health regions, with 73, 51, and 42 new cases reported respectively. Four additional deaths related to the virus were also reported. In Quebec, there were 292 new cases of COVID-19 reported in the last 24-hour reporting period, as well as five more deaths related to the virus. One of the deaths was in the last 24 hours, while the others were between September 8-13. The province also published an update to how COVID-19 has impacted schools; 283 infections have been reported in 172 schools, and 144 classrooms have been closed due to the virus, including 130 in the public school system. Students account for 217 of the in-school infections, while a further 66 are staff members. 249 of the cases are in the public school system. Prince Edward Island was the only province to see new cases in Atlantic Canada on Tuesday. There were two cases, one a man in his 50s who is a non-healthcare essential worker, the other a child related to a known case. The child is now considered recovered. There were no new cases in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia or New Brunswick. There were 17 new cases of COVID-19 identified in Manitoba on Tuesday. One of the cases is a healthcare worker, and is related to the outbreak at Bethesda Place. There are now eight staff and six resident who have contracted COVID-19 at that long-term care facility. Public health is also warning of possible exposure at St. Aidans Christian School in Winnipeg of Thursday, Sept. 10 and Friday, Sept. 11. Records show the patient was asymptomatic, and the case was not acquired at school. Sept. 14 Its not surprising: Three new outbreaks declared at Alberta schools There are now six school outbreaks across Alberta, after health officials were notified of three more schools that have reported at least two cases of COVID-19 over the weekend. The most recent schools with outbreaks include Ross Sheppard High School in Edmonton, Lester B. Pearson High School in Calgary and Auburn Bay School, a K-4 school in Calgary. The three schools that first declared outbreaks last week include Henry Wise Wood High School and St. Wilfrid Elementary School in Calgary, as well as Chinook High School in Lethbridge. With community transmission levels higher in the past few weeks, its not surprising to see some cases in staff and students at schools, said Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Albertas chief medical officer of health. There are now 42 cases among 35 Alberta schools that have a case of COVID-19, up from the 32 cases among 29 schools that the province reported on Friday. However, Hinshaw said that Alberta Health Services have yet to see transmission within the school setting, instead transmission is believed to have occured in the community. Hinshaw said theyre using the term outbreak out of an abundance of caution when there are at least two cases among individuals who were in the school setting while considered infectious. When there is a case among students in a classroom, all the others are sent home to self-isolate for two weeks. Hinshaw apologized for the inconvenience this has caused families, and noted that this approach is being used to gather information about who is most at risk of getting COVID-19 from a school exposure. Its expected that the provinces approach will change over time. Even with a cautious approach, it is likely that as the school year continues, we will eventually see some examples of transmission in schools, said Hinshaw. Our goal is to keep transmission as low as possible. Albertas Minister of Education Andre Corbould, said there are 2,380 schools that are open and operating without any cases, which represents approximately 98 per cent of schools in the province. On Monday, Hinshaw also provided an update on the provinces COVID-19 case count. Between Friday and Saturday, 105 new cases were identified, followed by 173 cases identified after a record-high number of testing), and then 140 new cases leading into Monday. One more person has also passed away increasing the provinces death toll to 254 while 323 people have recovered. Of Albertas 1,538 active cases throughout the province, 654 of them are in the Edmonton zone and 557 of them are in the Calgary zone. The North zone has 232, while the Central and South zones have fewer than 50. Today's numbers are a cause for concern for all of us: Ontario records over 300 cases for the first time since early June Ontario Premier Doug Ford pleaded with residents to avoid large gatherings, shortly after the Ministry of Health reported 313 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, the most in a 24-hour stretch since June 6. Of the recent cases, 112 were identified in Toronto, 71 in Peel, and 60 in Ottawa, which are the three regions Ford has described as hot spots. Thirteen cases were also identified in York, which is in consideration as a hotspot, considering all the other 31 public health units reported fewer than 10 new cases, while 15 of them reported no new cases at all on Monday. Today's numbers are a cause for concern for all of us, said Ford. Let me be crystal clear, every option is on the table. We will take every step necessary, including further shutdowns. Mondays update marks the fourth day in a row that Ontario has reported at least 200 cases. Before the recent stretch, the province had not posted over 200 cases since June 29. Throughout Ontario, there are now 2,027 active cases of COVID-19, the most since June 30. Toronto leads the way with 625 currently infected patients, followed by Peel (517), Ottawa (318) and York (159). All of the other 30 public health units have fewer than 70. Ford said that the chief public health officers in Toronto, Peel and Ottawa have all credited large gatherings for the spikes in cases. Theyve been private gatherings, and not ones at bars or restaurants. The premier noted that the majority of the population has been following guidelines and protocols, but the actions of just five per cent of those not in compliance can result in the virus spreading like wildfire. It drives me crazy. I'm up here like a preacher, telling people every single day, Don't let your guard down Don't let your guard down, said Ford. Folks, these [gatherings] have to stop. ... I'll be Premier Dad, Premier Granddad, premier anyone. I just want these folks not to have reckless parties. That's what it comes down to. The most recent patients were identified after 29,540 tests for COVID-19 were completed, the fewest over the past four days. It leads to a positivity rate of 1.1 per cent, the highest since June 23. Of the recent group of patients, 167 of them were among those 20-39 year old, the most of any age group, followed by 71 cases among those 40-59 years old. One of the cases is a long-term care resident, and one is a health-care worker. A community outbreak at Western University was also recently declared by the Middlesex-London Health Unit, which reported six cases on Monday. Starting on Monday, Fords government will return to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, where they will discuss what further steps they can take to slow the spread. Ford said the province is not yet in a full blown second wave, so theres time to curb the case trend like in earlier in the summer. Minister of Health Christine Elliott said the province is hoping to not have to roll any of its regions back to Stage 2 of the provinces reopening plan, considering the amount of work regions have put in to reopen. Instead, Elliott noted how a second wave will be much more difficult on the province compared to the first. Along with flu season, theres a reduced capacity in hospitals, since long-term care homes have had to reduce their capacities to limit the spread of COVID-19 as part of their protocols. Hospitals are also still working on a backlog of surgeries from the first lockdown. In the latest 24-hour stretch, the province also reported one more fatality, which increases the death toll to 2,816. One-hundred and thirty-three more patients have recovered in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch. Of the currently infected individuals, there are 47 in hospital, which includes 17 in intensive care and eight who require a ventilator. The Ministry of Health did note that about 35 hospitals did not provide data over the weekend. Concerning trend continues to gain pace in Quebec Quebec health officials have identified 276 new cases of COVID-19 in their latest 24-hour stretch. Aside from the 279 cases that were announced on Sunday, Mondays announcement marks the largest spike the province has recorded since June 3. Its also the fourth straight day that the province has announced over 200 cases. The last time it had a similar stretch was June 4-7. Officials have now reported over 100 cases in 17 straight reporting periods; before the recent stretch, it had recorded fewer than 100 cases on 14 of its last 18 occasions. In recent weeks, the virus has spread all throughout the province in various settings, such as in schools and bars. Of the most recent 276 cases, 60 were identified in Quebec City, 39 in Montreal, 32 in Chaudiere-Appalaches, 31 in Monteregie, 27 in Lanaudiere, 20 in Outaouais and 18 in Laval. Quebecs testing numbers are reflective of its output from two days prior. Most recently, it completed 20,173 tests for COVID-19. Its the fourth straight time that labs have completed at least 20,000 tests a mark it had never hit before. No one has died in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch, and 160 patients have recently recovered. It means there are now 2,054 active cases in the province, the most of any jurisdiction in Canada. According to Steve Faguy of the Montreal Gazette, its the first time that the province has had more than 2,000 active cases since Aug. 5. Throughout the pandemic, Quebec has been Canadas worst-hit province. It currently has the most total cases (64,262), active cases and deaths (5,780) of all of the nations jurisdictions. Updates from the rest of Canada British Columbia health officials provided their update for their last three reporting periods. In the first, from Friday to Saturday, health officials identified 137 new cases of COVID-19, which marks the second most cases the province has had in a 24-hour stretch throughout the pandemic. The following day, 119 cases were identified, followed by 61 leading into Monday. There are now a record-high 1,594 active cases in British Columbia, as its worrisome COVID-19 trend continues. In the same three-day stretch, 173 people have recovered, but six people also passed away. That includes five people in long-term care homes and the first victim in the Northern Health area. No new cases were identified in Nova Scotia or Newfoundland and Labrador, as those provinces continue to have one and two active cases, respectively. One new patient was identified in New Brunswick, which marks the first since Sept. 10. The latest individual who was diagnosed is in their 20s and resides in the Moncton region. The case is travel related, according to a press release. There are now three active cases throughout New Brunswick. As of Prince Edward Islands latest update on Sept. 11, it has eight currently infected patients. Health officials are expected to provide their weekly scheduled update on Tuesday. Twenty-one new cases of COVID-19 were identified in Manitoba.The Winnipeg health region is home is 17 of them, while the others are in Southern Health (three) and Interlake-Eastern (one). Three more patients have also recovered in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch, which means there are now 257 active cases in the province. Winnipeg has 171 of those currently infected patients, while Prairie Mountain Health has the second most with 43. Saskatchewan health officials have identified eight new cases of COVID-19 in the Saskatoon (six), South West (one) and South Central (one) zones. Three cases have also been removed from the provinces total, since one was a false positive and the other two involved people who were not residents of Saskatchewan. One more person has also recovered in the province, which brings the number of active cases to 103. The Saskatoon zone has the most currently infected patients with 43, followed by Central East. All the other 11 zones have fewer than 10 cases. Sept. 13 Seven cases linked to Toronto strip club prompts COVID-19 exposure alert Toronto Public Health (TPH) is warning of a potential exposure to COVID-19 at a strip club, after seven people who were at the venue tested positive. Six employees and one patron have been diagnosed with the virus after being at Club Paradise, located at 1313 Bloor St. W., between Aug. 29-Sept. 10. Cases started to emerge Sept. 4, according to a press release by TPH. Anyone who was at Club Paradise between those dates is being asked to monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms for 14 days after their last visit. They should also make a particular effort to keep a six-foot distance from other people, wear a mask in public spaces and wash their hands. The risk to patrons is currently considered low, while Club Paradise has taken the voluntary decision to close for a two-week period. Investigations by TPH inspectors on Aug. 20 and Sept. 5 found the establishment to be in compliance with all reopening protocols, via the press release. Toronto Public Health has released a list of guidelines for adult entertainment venues. Among them is that lap dances are prohibited, while establishments must maintain a customer log to help with contact tracing efforts. Based on the information provided in Club Paradises contact tracing logs for staff and patrons, TPH has followed up with all known close contacts Those individuals have been instructed to self-isolate for 14 days and to go for testing. In August, more than 500 people were asked to self-isolate for 14 days after a Toronto strip club employee at the Brass Rail Tavern tested positive for COVID-19. An initial investigation found that the venue was not in compliance with COVID-19 protocols. A patron also later tested positive. Quebec reports its most new cases since early June Some demonstrators in Montreal on Saturday carried signs and wore T-shirts and hats denouncing what they called fear campaigns by the Quebec government, suggesting that the danger of COVID-19 has been overstated. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press) Quebec health officials have identified 279 new cases of COVID-19, the most in a 24-hour stretch since June 3. Its also the third straight day that the province has recorded over 200 cases. The last time it had a similar stretch was June 5-7. Officials have now reported over 100 cases in 16 straight reporting periods; before the recent stretch, it had recorded fewer than 100 cases on 14 of its last 18 occasions. In recent weeks, the virus has spread all throughout the province in various settings. Of the most recent 279 cases, 57 were identified in Montreal, 42 in Quebec City, 38 in Monteregie, 27 in Laval, 26 in the Laurentides, 21 in Bas-Saint-Laurent, 20 in Chaudiere-Appalaches, 17 in Estrie and 15 in Outaouais. Quebecs testing numbers are reflective of its output from two days prior. Most recently, it completed 20,479 tests for COVID-19. Its the third straight time that labs have completed at least 20,000 tests a mark it had never hit before. All Quebecers have a responsibility and that is to prevent a second wave. ... Were not in a second wave but the trend is not good, said Quebec Premier Francois Legault on Friday. "I don't plan and I don't hope to have to go into each house, so I'm asking the population, please look at the number of cases, look at the virus. It's serious, so please don't do big parties without respecting the directives. One more person has died in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch. However, the death toll remains at 5,780, since an investigation has determined that a previously announced fatality was in fact not due to COVID-19. Two-hundred and fourteen patients have also recently recovered. Throughout the province, there are 1,938 active cases, up by 65 since Saturday. Of those currently infected patients, 124 of them are in hospital, which includes 19 in intensive care. On Saturday, several thousands of people gathered in downtown Montreal to protest against the Quebecs governments most recent mask mandate; it allows police to fine anyone who isnt wearing a mask when required to, such as in enclosed public places. Throughout the pandemic, Quebec has been Canadas worst-hit province. It currently has the most total cases (64,986), active cases (1,938) and deaths (5,780) of all of the nations jurisdictions. Worrisome stretch continues in Ontario as it reports over 200 daily cases for third straight day On Sunday, Ontario announced that they recorded 204 new cases of COVID-19 in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch. Its now the third day in a row that it has reported at least 200 cases, with officials announcing 232 on Saturday, and 213 on Friday. Before the recent stretch, the province had not posted over 200 cases since June 29. The last time it had three consecutive days above 200 was during its June 4-6 stretch. Of the most recent 204 new cases, 63 were identified in Toronto, 47 in Ottawa, 35 in Peel, and 13 in Windsor-Essex. Twenty-seven of the 34 public health units reported five or fewer cases, while 16 reported no new patients at all. Its not the City of Toronto or Peel Regions fault, said Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Friday. This is happening, weve got to work together. All Ive been asking is, please try to avoid these big gatherings. Just follow the guidelines and everyone will be OK. Of the recent group of 204, 106 of them were among those 20-39 year old, the most of any age group, followed by 38 cases among those 40-59 years old. Seven are among long-term care residents, and two are health-care workers. The cases were identified after the province completed 31,143 tests for COVID-19, which marks the third straight day that it has completed over 30,000. The positive test rate over the past three days has been 0.7 per cent. Aside from a three-day stretch earlier this month, the 0.7 rate is the highest the province has seen since July. In the latest 24-hour stretch, the province also reported one more fatality, involving a LTC resident, which increases the death toll to 2,815. One-hundred and twenty-four more patients have recovered in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch. Throughout Ontario, there are now 1,848 active cases of COVID-19, the most since July 4. Toronto leads the way with 545 currently infected patients, followed by Peel (486), Ottawa (280) and York (156). All the other 30 public health units have fewer than 60. Of those currently infected individuals, there are 39 in hospital, which includes 14 in intensive care and nine who require a ventilator. The Ministry of Health did note that about 35 hospitals did not provide data over the weekend. Updates from the rest of Canada No new cases were identified in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick, as those provinces continue to have one and two active cases, respectively. As of Prince Edward Islands latest update on Friday, there are eight active cases in the province. No new cases were also identified in Newfoundland and Labrador. In a press release, officials said that a presumptive case identified at the Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) mine in Labrador has turned out to be negative. On Saturday, the province announced its first case since Sept. 5, involving an individual who recently returned from Newfoundland and Labrador. There are now two active cases in N.L. Eighteen new cases were identified in Manitoba, with 11 in Winnipeg, three in Southern Health, two in Interlake-Eastern and one each in the Northern and Prairie Mountain regions. Seventeen more people have also recovered, which means there are now 239 active cases in the province. Of those currently infected patients, 154 of them are in Winnipeg and 44 in Prairie Mountain, which used to be the provinces epicentre. There are 17 new cases in Saskatchewan throughout the Saskatoon (14), Central West (one) and Central East (one) zones. The location of the 17th case is still pending. According to a press release, at least six of the 14 cases in the Saskatoon zone are connected to a private gathering. One more person has recovered in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch, which leaves 99 active cases in the province. Of those currently infected residents, 38 are in the Saskatoon zone, while 26 are in the Central East zone. All the other 11 zones have fewer than 10 active cases. Nunavut remains the only jurisdiction to not have had a confirmed positive case throughout the pandemic. The Northwest Territories have zero active cases, and so does Yukon after its two remaining cases were marked resolved on Aug. 13. Sept. 11 Ontario reports its largest case spike since June Ontario reported 213 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, which is the most in a 24-hour stretch since June 29. Its the first time that the province has eclipsed at least 200 daily cases since July 21, and the 16th straight day that it has recorded over 100 cases of COVID-19. In early August, Ontario was able to stay under triple-digits on seven-straight occasions, as it made a habit of reporting fewer than 100 cases. Of the most recent 213 cases, 71 were identified in Toronto, 38 in Peel, 37 in Ottawa, 15 in Waterloo and 14 in York. Of Ontarios 34 public health units, 26 of them reported five of fewer cases, while 18 reported no new cases at all. Of all the recently identified patients, 143 of them are under the age of 40 (67 per cent of the cases). Its not the City of Toronto or Peel Regions fault, said Ford on Friday. This is happening, weve got to work together. All Ive been asking is, please try to avoid these big gatherings. Just follow the guidelines and everyone will be OK. In the latest 24-hour stretch, 124 more people have recovered, while the province subtracted one fatality from its death toll of 2,813. There are now 1,657 currently infected patients in Ontario, the most since July 9. To end the work-week, the province also launched a public website that will track the number of COVID-19 cases in schools. As of Friday morning, there are 13 cases at schools in Ontario, including nine staff members. All four student cases are at French Catholic schools in Ottawa. Quebec reports its most new cases since June Health officials in Quebec have identified 219 new cases of COVID-19, which is the most they have announced since June 7. Of the most recent cases, 42 are in Quebec City, 40 in Montreal, 20 in Monteregie, 19 in Bas-Saint-Laurent, and 18 each in both the Outaouais and Chaudiere-Appalaches regions, according to the Montreal Gazette. Its now the third time in the past six days the province has recorded at least 200 cases of COVID-19. Officials have also reported over 100 cases in 14 straight reporting periods. Before the recent stretch, it had recorded fewer than 100 cases on 14 of its last 18 occasions. All Quebecers have a responsibility and that is to prevent a second wave. ... Were not in a second wave but the trend is not good, said Premier Francois Legault on Friday. "I don't plan and I don't hope to have to go into each house, so I'm asking the population, please look at the number of cases, look at the virus. It's serious, so please don't do big parties without respecting the directives. In recent weeks, the virus has spread all throughout the province in various settings. On Friday, officials announced that they will ban karaoke, while ordering bars to keep customer logs from now on. It comes after a karaoke night held at a Quebec City bar on Aug. 23 has been linked to more than 80 cases, with secondary cases identified in at least three schools. On Friday, the province withdrew data on its COVID-19 situation within schools. Legault said it was because the information was incomplete and unreliable. Throughout Quebec, there are now 1,846 active cases of COVID-19, since 219 more patients have recovered. No one has died in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch, but officials added three more fatalities to its death toll from previous dates. Two deaths were also removed since investigations have shown that the causes of death are not attributable to COVID-19. The death toll now stands at 5,774. Updates from the rest of Canada One-hundred thirty-two new cases were recorded in British Columbia, which marks the provinces second largest daily increase to its total case count. Its only behind Thursdays increase of 139. Eighty-three more patients have recovered, but the provinces active case count still reached another record-high of 1,461. Officials continue to ask B.C. residents to check the growing list of public exposure warnings as part of contact tracing efforts. As of Thursday, there are 3,198 people who are self-isolating and are being actively monitored by B.C. public health, since they were in contact with a known COVID-19 patient. No new cases were identified in Nova Scotia or Newfoundland and Labrador, as their active case counts remain at two and one, respectively. A patient has recovered in New Brunswick, dropping its active case count to two, while three cases have been resolved in Prince Edward Island, where there are eight currently infected patients. For the second straight day, health officials in Manitoba have identified 15 new cases of COVID-19; eight of them were identified in Winnipeg, four in Prairie Mountain and three in Southern Health. Eighty-eight more people have recovered, which drops its active case to 287. Its the fewest number of active cases the province has had in weeks. Thirteen new cases were identified in Saskatchewans Central East (seven), Saskatoon (four), Far North East (one), and Regina (one) zones. Five more patients have also recovered, which brings the provinces active case count to 66; 20 of those infected patients are in the Saskatoon zone, the most of any zone. Health officials are also warning of a potential COVID-19 exposure at Regina International Airport, involving a trip arriving from Toronto. A resident of Edmontons Good Samaritan Care Centre has passed away, which marks the latest fatality in Alberta. However, the death toll remains at 253, since one previously recorded death has turned out not to be related to the virus. Health officials also identified 111 new cases of COVID-19 in the same stretch that 161 patients have recorded; it drops the active case count to 1,444. Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Albertas chief medical officer of health, said there are 29 schools across the province where an individual attended while infectious, with 32 cases linked to these schools. Three school outbreaks remain active. Sept. 10 Three COVID-19 outbreaks declared among schools in Alberta Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Albertas chief medical officer of health, said there are three schools that have at least two infected individuals, but there is currently no evidence of broader transmission. "While we are calling these outbreaks, this is a very cautious use of the term," said Hinshaw on Thursday. "We are acting out of an abundance of caution by treating two cases who are in a school while infectious within a 14-day span as an outbreak, even when the cases are within one family. Two of the schools are in Calgary: Henry Wise Wood high school and St. Wilfrid elementary school. The third is Chinook High School in Lethbridge. On Thursday, 113 new cases, five fatalities and 199 recoveries were recorded, as Albertas active case count dropped to 1,494. Throughout the province, there are 24 cases at 21 schools, said Hinshaw. For more on how Alberta Health Services is planning on dealing with the three outbreaks, please read here. Manitoba records its first case in a school since reopening Manitobas chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said Thursday that the province has identified its first case in a school setting. The unidentified Grade 7 student at Churchill High School in Winnipeg had been tested for COVID-19 before the first day of school Tuesday, even though they had no symptoms. Classes have continued, and students are being asked to self-monitor for symptoms, but not to self-isolate. "This individual did everything that they were supposed to do and that resulted in no close contacts being identified in this area," said Roussin. The Winnipeg School Division said to The Canadian Press that the student wore a mask while in school and they they also maintained physical distancing the entire time. On Thursday, Roussin announced 15 new cases in Manitobas latest 24-hour stretch, with nine of them in Winnipeg. However, with 57 recently resolved cases, its active case count dropped to 360 the lowest its been in weeks. For more on the situation involving Manitobas first case in a school setting, please read here. British Columbia records its most ever new daily cases On the same day that schools reopened across British Columbia, health officials announced a record-high 139 new daily cases of COVID-19. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said moving forward we can expect cases in schools which has happened in other provinces across the country but a system-wide closure would only happen under severe circumstances. "That would mean that we were in dire straits in many other aspects of our community and that's what we're trying absolutely to avoid," said Henry on Thursday. With the latest update, there are now 1,412 currently infected patients in the province, the most ever throughout the pandemic. Officials continue to ask B.C. residents to check the growing list of public exposure warnings as part of contact tracing efforts. As of Thursday, there are 3,109 people who are self-isolating and are being actively monitored by B.C. public health, since they were in contact with a known COVID-19 patient. For more on how B.C. will balance its school reopening plan and its worrisome COVID-19 trend, please read here. Updates from the rest of Canada In Ontario, there were 170 new cases of COVID-19 reported on Thursday. The province also reported one additional death. The majority of new cases were in the Toronto area with 55, while York Region and Peel Region saw 28 and 22 new cases, respectively. Out of Ontarios 34 public health regions, 28 reported five or fewer new cases, with 14 of them reporting no new cases at all. There are now 1,567 active cases throughout the province, since 142 more patients have recovered. There were 188 new cases reported in Quebec, as well as two additional deaths linked to the virus, one of which occured in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch. With 224 patients having recently recovered, there are now 1,847 active cases in Quebec. In an effort to curb the steadily-rising number of infections in the province, Quebec will be issuing fines starting Saturday for those who refuse to wear masks. On Wednesday, all in-person activities and courses were suspended at two Cegep schools in Quebec's Bas-Saint-Laurent region after several students tested positive for COVID-19. According to health officials, the cases are likely connected to a party held in the region at the end of August, where more than 100 people were in attendance. A resident of New Brunswick tested positive for COVID-19 in Quebec yesterday, bringing the provinces total number of active cases to three. The individual will stay in Quebec until they recover. Elsewhere in Atlantic Canada, Nova Scotias active case count fell to two; Newfoundland and Labrador saw no new cases for the fifth day in a row, as its active case count stands at one. Prince Edward Island announced no new cases on Thursday after several were identified earlier in the week, related to international travel. There are still 11 active cases on the island. Saskatchewan health officials have identified six new cases in the same 24-hour stretch that six more people have recovered. It means there are still 59 active cases throughout the province, with 16 of those in Saskatoon (the most of any of its zones). Sept. 9 Ontario reported 149 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, down from what it had reported earlier in the week. Overall, the province saw a slight increase in the number of cases when compared to recoveries. The latest update comes as Premier Doug Ford meets with Quebec Premier Francois Legault to identify key areas of cooperation in the midst of the virus. Meanwhile in Quebec, 180 new cases of COVID-19 were identified, slightly elevated above the threshold at which authorities hope to keep new cases. Montrealers in particular are being advised not to gather with family and friends in an effort to curb the spread of the virus. Across Atlantic Canada, cases remained largely flat. In Nova Scotia, there was a possible reinfection of an individual in a long-term care facility; authorities are in the process of confirming the case, which was announced on Monday. New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador reported no new cases. Prince Edward Island identified two new cases, bringing the total number of active cases to 11. Manitoba reported 16 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. There are currently 404 cases active in the province. The update comes as the governing Progressive Conservative party says it aims to resume legislature next month with nearly normal operating procedures. In Saskatchewan, there was one new case of COVID-19 identified, bringing the total number of active cases to 59. One person remains in intensive care with the virus in Saskatoon. Alberta saw 98 new cases reported on Wednesday, with the majority of active cases in the Calgary and Edmonton areas. The province has also launched an online map for tracking COVID-19 cases in schools, as the province has confirmed that there are 16 cases at 16 of its schools. All of the cases were contracted from outside the school. In British Columbia, 100 new cases of COVID-19 were identified. With 37 patients currently in hospital with the virus, including 13 in intensive care, the province is currently seeing its highest number of hospitalizations since May 27. More than 3,000 people are currently being monitored due to exposure to known cases. Sept. 8 On Tuesday, Ontario reported 375 new cases of COVID-19 over the last two days, as no reporting was done on Labour Day. There were 180 new cases on Tuesday and 195 new cases on Monday, making these the highest increases the province has seen since July. The regions with the most new cases on Tuesday were Toronto (48), Peel (42) and Ottawa (37) health regions. Toronto Mayor John Tory stressed during a press conference on Tuesday that many of these new cases are young people, with 65 per cent of new cases in Toronto over the last month under the age of 40. Out of Ontarios 32 public health units, 28 reported five or fewer cases, with 18 reporting no new cases at all. In Quebec, 163 new cases were identified on Tuesday. The previous two days saw new cases exceed 200 daily. Some of the people who have been identified as having COVID-19 include the mayor of Longueuil and six possible cases that rode French Catholic school board buses in Ottawa. There are now 1,944 active cases of COVID-19 in Quebec, including 105 in hospital. Across Atlantic Canada, the most dramatic increase in COVID-19 occurred in Prince Edward Island. Two new cases were identified, in addition to four new cases reported on Labour day, brining the total number of active cases in the province to nine. All of the active cases are related to international travel, and all were detected while people were self isolating after arriving in P.E.I., as per government guidelines. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador saw no new cases identified. Sept. 7 Canadas top doctor concerned over Canadas rising case count Dr. Theresa Tam, Canadas Chief Public Health Officer, expressed concern over the countrys rising case trend. Instead of holding a press conference Monday, Tam released a statement to warn Canadians of their COVID-19 situation. Over the last week (Aug. 30- Sept. 6), Canada reported an average of 545 cases a day, up by 25 per cent compared to the week before when 435 cases were reported daily. Two weeks prior, there was an average of 390 daily cases. The average daily case count has been increasing in recent weeks, said Tam in her press release. This is a concern and a reminder that we all need to maintain public health measures to keep COVID-19 on the slow-burn path that we need. With the fall months approaching, Tam is warning Canadians to be more mindful of events they attend, especially as the colder weather shifts activities indoors. While I know we are all eager to gather with our extended family and friends for the holidays, indoor gatherings may not be right for every Canadian or every family, said Tam in a press release that includes a list of questions you should ask yourself before attending an event. In the last week, some of Canadas biggest provinces have seen their concerning case trends continue to grow. Some health officials have linked the rise in cases to an increase in gatherings, primarily among young people. In British Columbias final update of the week, it announced its second largest ever case increase since the start of the pandemic. The 121 new cases on Friday were only behind the 124 cases it had reported a week prior, but the update still led to a record-high active case count of 1,233. Officials continue to ask B.C. residents to check the growing list of public exposure warnings as part of contact tracing efforts. Alberta finished the week with 1,433 active cases. According to Alberta Health Services, it marks the highest number of currently infected patients the province has had since May 10. Ontario recorded a triple-digit case increase each day of the last week. In early August, the province was able to stay under triple-digits on seven-straight occasions, as it made a habit of reporting fewer than 100 cases. On Sept. 5, health officials also announced 169 new cases, which marked the largest spike in daily cases the province has recorded since July 24. In Quebec, health officials recorded over 100 cases on each occasion throughout the past week, as part of a 10-day stretch of recording a triple-digit increase. Before the recent stretch, it had recorded fewer than 100 cases on 14 of its last 18 occasions. On Sept. 6, Quebec reported 205 new cases of COVID-19, which marked its largest single day spike since June 7. On Friday, the province also announced that 46 of its schools had at least one case of COVID-19 within the first week of classes. Saskatchewan and the Atlantic provinces have seen their COVID-19 case trends remain stable. But in the last week, Prince Edward Island did record three cases, after all of its other patients had recovered by Aug. 31. In Manitoba, the provinces active case count is no longer hitting record-highs, which was common throughout the second-half of August. On July 14, the province came very close to having no active cases. That day, after all of its initial patients had recovered, health officials diagnosed five other people. Since then, Manitoba has seen its curb trend upwards. On Aug. 12, for the first time, the province surpassed 200 active cases. On Aug. 26, it hit the 400-mark, which it hasn't been able to fall under since. Montreal, Quebec City lead the provinces largest case spike in 3 months Health officials in Quebec have identified 216 new cases of COVID-19 in their latest 24-hour stretch, the most since June 7. It comes a day after the province recorded 205 cases. Its now the 10th straight reporting period that the province has recorded over 100 cases. Before the recent stretch, it had stayed below that mark on 14 of its last 18 occasions. Of the most recent cases, 63 were identified in the Montreal region, 51 in the Quebec City region, 34 in the Monteregie region, and 18 each in the Laval and Lanaudiere regions. The recent amount of daily cases by Montreal and Quebec City are more than what Saskatchewan (34), Prince Edward Island (three), Nova Scotia (two), Newfoundland and Labrador (one) and New Brunswick (one) combined to report all of last week (41). Quebec health minister Christian Dube said on Aug. 25 that Quebec should not go beyond 160 cases per day, which works out to about 20 cases per one million residents. Its now eclipsed that mark on five straight occasions. The recent update is part of a concerning trend for the province, considering its now navigating the COVID-19 pandemic at the same time as its school reopening plan. On Friday, Quebec health officials released a list of 46 schools that have had a case of COVID-19 among either students or staff members throughout the first week of reopening. However, Dube said there have been no outbreaks, and instead in most instances the school has had an isolated case involving an individual who was infected outside of the school setting. For example, on Wednesday, health officials announced that a karaoke bar outbreak in Quebec City resulted in 40 infected patrons, leading to secondary spread among three students in three different schools. Throughout the pandemic, Quebec has led the way with 63,713 total cases of COVID-19. Eighty-nine more patients have recovered in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch. No one has died, but officials added one more fatality to its death toll of 5,770, which occurred between Aug. 31-Sept. 5. There are now 1,983 active cases of COVID-19 in Quebec, the most of any province in Canada. According to Steve Faguy of the Montreal Gazette, its now the ninth straight day that the provinces active case count has risen most recently by 126. Updates from the rest of Canada Ontario health officials said that they wont provide a statistical update on the provinces COVID-19 situation on Labour Day. The province will have an update on Tuesday for its two latest 24-hour reporting periods. One new case has been identified in Nova Scotia, the first since Aug. 31. The most recent patient is in the Central Zone and is currently under investigation by health officials. There are now four active cases in Nova Scotia. No new cases were identified in Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick or Prince Edward Island, as they continue to have two, three, and three active cases respectively. Fifteen new cases were identified in Manitoba. That includes seven in Winnipeg, six in Prairie Mountain and one each in the Interlake-Eastern and Southern regions. Five of the cases are close contacts of previously identified cases. Twelve more patients have recovered in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch, which leaves Manitoba with 412 currently infected citizens. Eleven more people were diagnosed in Saskatchewan. There were two cases each in the Far North West Saskatoon and Central West zones, and one each in the Central East, South West, South Central and South East zones. The location of the 11th case is still pending. One more person has also recovered, which leaves the province with 58 active cases. Sept. 6 Quebec reports its most new cases in almost 3 months Quebec reported 205 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, which marks its largest single day spike since June 7. The province has now reported over 100 cases in nine straight reporting periods. Before the recent stretch, it had recorded fewer than 100 cases on 14 of its last 18 occasions. On Aug. 25, health minister Christian Dube said that Quebec should not go beyond 160 cases per day, which works out to about 20 cases per one million residents. Its now eclipsed that mark on four straight occasions. Premier Francois Legault on Thursday said Dubes statistics are an objective, but it doesnt mean that the province will make an automatic return to lockdowns if the target is missed. If restrictions do need to be put in place, they will be imposed on sub-regions, and not the entire province. Of the latest 205 cases, 57 were identified in Montreal, 48 in Monteregie, 32 in Quebec City and 14 in Laval. Throughout the pandemic, Quebec has been Canadas worst hit province with a record-high 63,497 total cases. That includes 55,871 recovered patients (up by 61 since Saturday) and 5,769 fatalities, which leaves the province with 1,857 currently infected patients the most of any province. Since reopening schools on Aug. 27, the province has made national headlines. On Friday, Quebec health officials released a list of 46 schools that have had a case of COVID-19 among either students or staff members throughout the first week of reopening. However, Dube said there have been no outbreaks, and instead in most instances the school has had an isolated case involving an individual who was infected outside of the school setting. For example, on Wednesday, health officials announced that a karaoke bar outbreak in Quebec City resulted in 40 infected patrons, leading to secondary spread among three students in three different schools. Updates from the rest of Canada Ontario reported 158 new cases on Sunday, which marks the 11th straight day that the province has recorded over 100 cases of COVID-19. In early August, the province was able to stay under triple-digits on seven-straight occasions, as it made a habit of reporting fewer than 100 cases. Of the most recently identified patients, 49 are in Toronto, 44 in Peel, 21 in Ottawa and 16 in York. Twenty-nine of the 34 public health units reported five or fewer cases, while 20 reported no new cases at all. After going five straight days without a fatality, the province recorded two on Sunday, increasing the death toll to 2,813. There are now 1,390 active cases in the province (the most since July 30), since 111 more patients have recovered in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch. Two more patients have recovered in Nova Scotia, which leaves three active cases in the province. One more case has also been resolved in New Brunswick, leaving three active cases within that jurisdiction as well. No new cases were reported in Newfoundland and Labrador or Prince Edward Island, as they have two and three active cases, respectively. Twenty-nine new cases have been identified in Manitoba, scattered throughout the Winnipeg (17), Southern (seven), Prairie Mountain (three) and Interlake-Eastern (one) regions. Seven of the cases are close contacts of a previously identified case, while one is travel related. There is also one patient that is linked to an assisted living facility located next to the Donwood Manor personal care home. Donwood Manor has initiated outbreak protocols, even though the risk of further spread is considered low. Forty-six more people have also recovered, which drops Manitobas active case count to 409. Saskatchewan health officials have identified eight new cases. The Saskatoon zone has three, the Central East zone has two, and the North West, Regina and South East zones all have one new patient each. No has recovered in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch, meaning there are now 48 active cases in the province. Nunavut remains the only jurisdiction to not have had a confirmed positive case throughout the pandemic. The Northwest Territories have zero active cases, and so does Yukon after its two remaining cases were marked resolved on Aug. 13. Alberta and British Columbia dont provide case updates over the weekend, but as of Friday, those provinces have 1,433 and 1,233 active cases, respectively. Over the weekend, a high school in Calgary has notified parents of a case at its institution, after it opened for the 2020-21 school year on Tuesday. Sept. 5 Ontario reports its largest spike in cases since July Ontario health officials announced 169 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, which marks the largest spike in daily cases the province has recorded since July 24. The latest patients, which were identified after labs completed 28,672 tests, are primarily located in Peel (46), Toronto (42), Ottawa (30), and York (19). Twenty-eight of Ontarios 34 public health units reported five or fewer cases, while 19 reported no new patients at all. Peel, Toronto and Ottawa all individually recorded more new cases on Saturday than Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the four Atlantic provinces combined (27). The update comes a day after Peel recorded 72 cases, which caught Ontario Premier Doug Fords attention. The region consists of Caledon, Mississauga and Brampton, which has been its epicentre. I am really concerned about what is happening in Brampton, said Ford on Friday. Anyone who is thinking of having a big shindig this weeke A Bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud refused to interfere in the High Court order. Rai had won last year's Lok Sabha election from Ghosi parliamentary constituency in Mau, Uttar Pradesh, and has been in jail after an FIR was registered against him in a rape case. The victim had challenged the High Court's January 23, 2020 order which has given two days custody parole to Atul Rai to take oath as MP on January 31. Last year in May, a complaint was filed alleging rape and fraud against Rai at the Lanka police station in Varanasi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A New South Wales pizza shop owner who said he acted in self-defence when he fatally punched another man on the Central Coast has been found guilty of assault causing death. George Joseph Habkouk, 51, had denied being criminally responsible for the death of Haydn Butcher outside a hotel during New Year's celebrations in January 2018. His case was based on self-defence and defence of another. George Joseph Habkouk (left), 51, had denied being criminally responsible for the death of Haydn Butcher (right) outside a hotel during New Year's celebrations in January 2018 But a NSW District Court jury on Thursday found him guilty after another jury failed to reach a verdict at his first trial in March 2019. His bail was continued and he will face a sentence hearing on April 3. The defence claimed Habkouk floored Mr Butcher five seconds after the 30-year-old stranger 'coat-hangered' Habkouk's employee and friend Charlene Easton. But the Crown contended his response wasn't reasonable in the circumstances. Habkouk's pizza shop on the Central Coast is pictured The jury was shown CCTV footage depicting a number of incidents at The Lakes Hotel in the early hours of January 1. Those included Ms Easton being punched in the mouth by a man she didn't know while sitting at a table inside, being 'coat-hangered' by Mr Butcher as she ran to find her first attacker and 'get him into trouble', and Habkouk punching Mr Butcher in the head five seconds later. Mr Butcher suffered a fractured skull and died in hospital from a brain injury on January 2. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Bambang Muryanto (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta Thu, January 30 2020 In line with its inclusive policy and moderate Islam approach, the Yogyakarta branch of Fatayat Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the women's wing of NU, has expressed a willingness to provide female preachers to Al Fatah transgender Islamic boarding school. We dont have a different view of transgenders, the branchs chairwoman, Khotimatul Husna, said on Wednesday. The group signed a memorandum of understanding on the plan with the boarding schools head, Shintar Ratri. 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 Two people were arrested for duping six women by providing visas of Kuwait and Dubai with fake documents. A case was registered under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at police station RGI Airport, Shamshabad, Cyberabad. On Wednesday, the two accused - Syed Kareem and Shaik Abdul Javeed - were arrested and sent to judicial remand. According to RGI Airport police, on January 28, a complaint was received from Kuppala Bhudevi stating that she had approached a travel agent Jabbar Khan, owner of Travels at Kadapa, seeking travel documents and job opportunity abroad. One week back Jabbar contacted her and informed that all documents were ready and that he was going to send her to Kuwait on January 28 from RGI Airport, Shamshabad. On January 27, Jabbar met her at Kadapa bus stand and introduced her to two other women - Kommera Kiramai and Chintakula Yashodamma - stating that they were also going to Kuwait along with her. Bhudevi and the two other victims along with Jabbar's associates Shaik Abdul Javeed and Syed Kareem boarded a bus at Kadapa bus stand and reached Lakdikapool. Later Kareem and Javeed dropped her at RGI Airport and handed over the flight ticket, travel documents, visa copy and left her. Bhudevi later got to know that they had provided her two visas - a visit visa to Dubai and a Kuwait working visa - which is against the norms, and cheated her along with five other women. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China has exchanged blows with Denmark in a diplomatic row over an insulting satirical cartoon about its deadly coronavirus outbreak. Its Danish embassy has blasted a newspaper who published a drawing of the Chinese flag with viruses replacing the five stars, saying it lacked sympathy and empathy. An embassy spokesperson said the cartoon was an insult which hurts the feelings of the Chinese people as China battles a form of viral pneumonia which killed over 100 and infected thousands. The Danish PM has stepped in to defend the newspaper, Jyllands-posten, saying her country had a very, very strong tradition of freedom of expression and satirical drawings. It is a well-known Danish position, and we will not change that, Mette Frederiksen added. 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 Chinese embassy in Denmark said the drawing crossed the bottom line of civilised society and the ethical boundary of free speech. It asked for an apology from both the paper and artist, Niels Bo Bojesen. Jyllands-Postens chief editor, Jacob Nybroe, said his newspaper cannot apologise for something we do not think is wrong, adding: As far as I can see, there are two different types of cultural understanding here. He said the cartoon was not meant to mock or ridicule China, which has confirmed more than 4,500 cases of a new virus. Over 100 people have been killed by the infection, which gives patients flu-like symptoms but can develop into pneumonia. Most cases have been in the central Chinese city of Wuhan which is currently on lockdown where the outbreak began in December. The Danish newspaper who published the coronavirus cartoon faced criticism in 2005 for its drawings of Islams Prophet Muhammad, whose portrayal is generally deemed blasphemous by Muslim communities. Four months later, anti-Danish demonstrations were held in predominantly Muslim countries some of which led to attacks on Danish and other Western embassies while boycotts of Danish products were staged in the Middle East. One of the cartoonists was assaulted in his home and a terror attack against the newspapers Copenhagen office was foiled by the intelligence service. The drawing of the Chinese flag with viruses was published in Jyllands-Posten on Monday. Additional reporting by Associated Press Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion at 5 PM. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times. At all party meeting, Akali Dal changes its stand on citizenship law again A leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal, which has been uncomfortable about the contentious citizenship law, on Thursday asked the BJP government not to pass legislation that divides people. Lawmakers should not pass legislation which will hurt citizens and the minorities, Akali Dal leader Sardar Balwinder Singh Bunder told an all party meeting on Thursday. Read more Chinese doctor warned on Jan 1 about SARS-like virus in Wuhan Its rare for Chinas top court to use strong language against the countrys police force. So, it was surprising when the Supreme Peoples Court hauled up the Wuhan police for detaining and questioning a group of eight persons for sharing posts on social media about a SARS-like fever spreading in the city on January 1. Read more Taapsee Pannu says rejecting a film opposite a big star can be unsafe. This is why Taapsee Pannu said that it can be unsafe to turn down a film with a big star. She made the revelation on the latest episode of Kareena Kapoor Khans radio show What Women Want. During the episode, Kareena decided to have a little fun by presenting Taapsee with a series of scenarios, and she had to respond with safe or unsafe. Read more India vs New Zealand: India predicted XI - Virat Kohli to test bench strength in 4th T20I at Wellington With the series already in their pocket courtesy Mohammed Shamis last over and Rohit Sharmas twin sixes in the Super Over, India are more or less certain to test their bench strength in the remaining two T20Is. Virat Kohli had made it clear after winning the 3rd T20I at Hamilton. Read more Meet the Swiss fashion designer who makes cocktail dresses out of garbage While working for various high luxury brands, Swiss designer Mariel Manuel continued to develop her own ideas by the side, which, although not profitable, helped her in continuously channelling her creativity. So eight years after working for different high-end fashion brands, Manuel decided to quit working full time and instead consult for selected brands. Read more New Range Rover Evoque launched in India at 54.94 lakh Land Rover on Thursday officially launched the 2020 edition of Range Rover Evoque in India with prices starting at 54.94 (ex showroom). The SUV comes in two variants and with two engine options to choose from. Read more GATE 2020: Last minute preparation tips for exam The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is one of the most crucial entrance examinations for engineering and science graduates in the country. Through GATE, students can get admitted in post graduate courses at eminent institutes like Indian Institutes of Technogy (IITs) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc). Students opting for PhD or MTech also need to clear this exam. Read more CHICAGO, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the research report the "Simulators Market by Type (ATC, FMS, Driving, Vessel Traffic Control), Solution, Platform (Airborne, Land, Maritime), Technique (Live, Virtual & Constructive, Synthetic Environment, Gaming), Application, Region - Global Forecast to 2025", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Simulators Market is estimated to be USD 21.5 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach USD 27.9 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 4.4% from 2019 to 2025. The growing demand for pilots in the aviation industry and the acceptance of virtual pilot training to ensure aviation safety are some of the significant factors attributing to the growth of the simulators market during the forecast period. The need for cost-cutting in pilot training and the reduction in military budgets of developed countries are driving the growth of the market Ask for PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=110549963 The military training segment projected to grow a higher CAGR from 2019 to 2025 Based on application, the military segment is anticipated to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. High costs involved in military training, and risks that they pose to human life have led defense forces of different countries across the globe to adopt computer simulation models, computer wargames, and simulators while training their personnel. With continuous advancements in technologies related to simulation, operational costs of military training have reduced, thereby leading to the increased use of simulators in military training. The live, virtual & constructive segment projected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2019 to 2025 Based on technique, the live, virtual & constructive simulation (LVC) segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Several defense organizations worldwide are increasingly adopting LVC training environments in their training programs. This technique saves money and pushes the boundaries of conventional training. With the reduction in military budgets in various developed economies, there is a demand for low-cost LVC military crew training solutions, which is anticipated to fuel the growth of this segment during the forecast period. Browse in-depth TOC on "Simulators Market" 200 - Tables 47 - Figures 244 - Pages The simulators market in North America is projected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2023 to 2030 Based on region, the North America region is expected to witness substantial growth during the forecast period, especially in the US and Canada, due to the presence of major simulator manufacturers, such as CAE Inc. and L3Harris Technologies, Inc. The rising orders to replace the old navy fleet with new ones from countries such as the US and Canada and the rise in export of goods are other significant factors driving the demand for new ship commanders and crew, which, in turn, is increasing the demand for simulators to train them. According to Boeing Pilot Outlook by Region 2019, the North American region is expected to require more than 212,000 commercial airline pilots from 2019 to 2038. This, in turn, is expected to boost the demand for simulators for pilot training in the region during the forecast period. Enquiry before Buying: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_BuyingNew.asp?id=110549963 The simulators market has been gaining traction over the past few years, due to the presence of several established companies as well as startups. Some of the major players in the simulators market include CAE Inc. (US), L3Harris Technologies, Inc. (US), Thales Group (France), Saab AB (Sweden), Indra (Spain), and Flight Safety International (US). Please Explore Relevant Reports: Flight Simulator Market by Platform (Commercial, Military, UAV, Helicopter Simulator), Type (Full Flight, Flight Training Device, Full Mission, Fixed based), Training (Virtual, Line), Solution (Product, Services) and Region - Global Forecast to 2025 Military Simulation and Training Market by Application (Airborne Simulation, Naval Simulation, Ground Simulation), Training Type (Live Training, Virtual Training, Constructive Training, Gaming Simulation Training), and Region - Global Forecast to 2021 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 Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/simulator-market.asp Visit Our Web Site: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/simulator.asp Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts signaled to Republican senators Wednesday that he will not say the name of the alleged Ukraine whistleblower during the question and answer session of the Senate impeachment trial. Roberts refused to read aloud a question submitted by Senator Rand Paul (R., Ky.) that contained the whistleblowers name. The justice is tasked with reading questions submitted by senators, and Pauls question was the first to contain the name of the alleged whistleblower. Weve got members who, as you have already determined I think, have an interest in questions related to the whistleblower, Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R., S.D.) told Politico. But I suspect that wont happen. I dont think that happens. And I guess I would hope it doesnt. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) has also reportedly cautioned against naming the whistleblower during impeachment proceedings. Paul, however, has said the name in several media reports over the course of the impeachment process. I dont want to have to stand up to try and fight for recognition, Paul reportedly said after his question was rejected. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D., Calif.) publicly revealed the existence of the whistleblower complaint in September, a complaint that eventually led to the impeachment of President Trump. Republicans have accused Schiff of improperly coordinating his actions with the whistleblower. More from National Review By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Air India and IndiGo the only Indian carriers that fly to China on Wednesday suspended flights to the country that is reeling under the novel coronavirus (nCoV). Other global airlines like British Airways, Lufthansa, Cathay Pacific were among the first to stop services to China. While AI suspended flights from Delhi to Shanghai from January 31 till February 14, the private carrier put a hold on services on the Bengaluru-Hong Kong route from February 1 and on Delhi-Chengdu from February 1 to 20. IndiGo said these are temporary and precautionary measures, adding it will continue to operate the Kolkata-Guangzhou flight for now, but will monitor it on a daily basis. According to sources, many airlines have advised its crew members working on flights between India and Southeast Asia to wear N95 masks. India, which started preparations to evacuate its citizens stuck in Hubei, said on Wednesday it has sought Chinas permission to operate two fly Indian nationals out. In India, many people are under observation in hospitals in Maharashtra, Goa, Odisha and Delhi. People returning to the country after visiting China are being regularly screened for the deadly virus at airports across the country. Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday ordered the military to do whatever it takes to contain the virus spread. Tjana Barrios-Chandler and her son, Aurelius, at the Walk for Life West Coast in San Francisco, on Jan. 25, 2020. (David Lam/The Epoch Times) Mothers Share Their Stories at SF Walk for Life SAN FRANCISCOPro-life advocates lined up at the Civic Center on Jan. 25 for the annual Walk for Life, where speakers talked about their personal experiences and the choices they made. Kathleen Folan shared her experience of giving up her son for adoption decades ago. Folan was a junior in college when she had a crisis pregnancy. She was sexually assaulted by an acquaintance and discovered that she was pregnant one month later. Everything I planned came to a halt, she said. She said it took her 11 days to tell her parents what had happened, and they were supportive when she told them. Folan felt that adoption would be the best option for her baby at that time. She searched through hundreds of potential families before coming across the Sullivan family. The first year I placed him for adoption, I went back to college. I did cry like every night, wondering, Should I have kept him? Because its still a loss, you know, she said. But then, when I went and spent spring break with their family in their home when he was 10 months old, and I saw that he had everything I couldnt provide at the time I knew that I made the right decision. Nathan Sullivan, the baby she had given up all those years ago, was at the Walk for Life with her. [My mother] chose adoption. She chose life, and every blessing Ive had flows from this choice, said Sullivan. Kathleen Folan and her son, Nathan Sullivan, at the Walk for Life West Coast rally in San Francisco, on Jan. 25, 2020. (David Lam/The Epoch Times) He first lived in Maryland and then moved to San Jose, California, after college. He now lives in Daytona Beach, Florida, and works as a software engineer. Folan said that her other children now look up to Sullivan. Adoption was a blessing for me, Sullivan said. In the family I grew up in, there were a lot of adopted children, so it wasnt unusual at all. It wasnt a taboo thing. There are far more parents looking to adopt than there are babies placed for adoption in this country, said Sullivan. According to the Adoption Network, about 135,000 children are adopted in the United States each year. Though no statistics have been compiled on how many Americans are waiting to adopt, the Networks website states, experts estimate it is somewhere between one and two million couples. Every year there are about 1.3 million abortions. Only 4 percent of women with unwanted pregnancies place their children through adoption. Folan said that while Sullivan was growing up, we always exchanged letters and pictures and phone calls. We didnt have FaceTime then We probably would have talked more, said Folan. In the face of darkness and difficult circumstances, adoption chooses life, Sullivan said. Im living proof of this. The Minute I Heard My Daughters Heartbeat Tjana Barrios-Chandler, another mother at the Walk for Life, considered the option of abortion 10 years ago. I had an unplanned pregnancy in the past, and [abortion] was something that was presented to me at the time as an option, she said. Upholding the dignity of my childs life was always very, very important to me, even though I was an unwed young mother, even though I didnt have an education, even though I lived a long ways from family and didnt have family support at the time. I knew the minute I heard my daughters heartbeat that it was never an option for me, she said. I can honestly say that choosing life for my daughter was the biggest blessing, and it definitely paved the way for me having this wonderful child that we have here now, she said. She was holding her baby, Aurelius Chandler, whose heartbeat she had broadcast to last years Walk for Life while he was in the womb. Barrios-Chandler met her husband five years after her daughter was born. To women who are dealing with unexpected pregnancies, Barrios-Chandler said: Reach out. Theres so many different organizations that want to help. Get the help thats out there, as these lives are so precious. On Jan. 24, President Donald Trump gave a speech at the annual March for Life rally in Washington, D.C. It was the first time a U.S. president has attended the event. He said, We look forward to all of the blessings that will come from the beauty, talent, purpose, nobility, and grace of every American child. The Kaduna state police command says it has arrested James Clement, a pastor, who allegedly kidnapped himself and sought N5 million ra... The Kaduna state police command says it has arrested James Clement, a pastor, who allegedly kidnapped himself and sought N5 million ransom from his family. In a statement on Wednesday, Yakubu Sabo, the command spokesman, said George Otokpa, who conspired with Clement to get the ransom, was also arrested. He said the duo were nabbed by operatives of the police anti-kidnapping unit on Monday. Clement falsely claimed to have been kidnapped while Otokpa engaged his family to negotiate for ransom while in their hideout, he said. On 27th January, 2020 at about 19:17hrs, one Pastor James Clement m 39yrs of Nasarawa Tirkaniya Kaduna and George Otokpa m of No. 23 Aleri Water by Sarki Street Kudandan in Chikun L.G.A, were arrested by the Operatives of the Commands AntiKidnapping Unit for allegedly conspiring, faking the kidnapping of the 1st suspect and demanded the payment of N5 million as ransom from his own family through text messages using the 2nd suspect as the negotiator. Sabo said the arrest followed a report made by two members of Clements family about his purported abduction. Clement was tracked and arrested at his hideout where he hid himself, falsely claimed being kidnapped and conspired with his friend George Otokpa to engage his family in negotiation for ransom, the statement added. The police spokesman said the suspects were being interrogated and would be charged to court upon completion of investigation. Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussexs exit from the royal family has allowed them to escape the brutal media and public scrutiny, but is it the right choice for their son Archie? Prince Harry shared in a recent speech that they have no other option and, given his commitment to protecting his family, its easy to see why they made such a drastic decision. Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and Archie Mountbatten-Windsor | Toby Melville/Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage Prince Harry wants to protect his wife and child Prince Harry gave a glimpse into his strong desire to keep his family safe when he touched on the matter during an interview for the documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey. He stated at the time: My mum clearly taught me a certain set of values of which I always try and uphold, despite the role and the job I think I will always protect my family, and now I have a family to protect. His friend JJ Chalmers confirmed that Prince Harry has made his familys safety his priority, sharing during an appearance on The One Show on Jan. 10: I think the decision that he has made, at the forefront of that is to protect his family, because thats the number one rule is to be a father and to be a husband. He added: Any husband wants to protect their wife and any father wants to protect their children. Prince Harrys personal experience plays into it Prince Harry has a unique perspective of how things can play out in a dangerous way from the experience his mother Princess Diana had with the media. Chalmers noted that When [Harry] looks at the way the media reacts and how social media talks about someone, he has to answer to his son one day, when he begins to understand this, and be able to look him in the face and say, I made the right decision and I did right by you. His mothers tragic death is a constant reminder to Harry and ultimately he grew up in the limelight and he knows how this can end if its not handled correctly, Chalmers explained. The Sussexes are leaving behind the pomp and royalty Primatologist Jane Goodall offered some insight on the Sussexes wish to allow Archie a normal life. Goodall spoke with Prince Harry in an interview for a special edition of Vogue in 2019 and noted that she was not surprised by their decision to exit royal life. Well it doesnt surprise me, having met them both, she told Radio 4s Today, adding, I know that Prince Harry really felt constrained and he desperately wants little Archie to grow up away from all the pomp and royalty, I know that. I havent been in the UK. I havent really followed the news I had no idea that anything like this was going to happen. Prince Harry and Meghan felt they were out of options During a speech he delivered at the dinner for supporters of Sentebale in London, Prince Harry spoke openly about their decision to leave their royal duties. In part, he shared: 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. He discussed how he hoped to continue serving the queen, the commonwealth and my military associations but without public funding, but that wasnt possible, a sacrifice he had to make. Prince Harry shared that he hoped people would 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. An alleged bank robber was caught hiding in a dumpster after cops followed his footprints in the snow. Body cam footage shows the exact moment Ohio police lifted the lid of the garbage bin to find 18-year-old Colione Coker sitting inside. Ten minutes earlier, Coker, along with a 16-year-old accomplice are alleged to have robbed a branch of U.S. Bank in Garfield Heights, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. Garfield Heights Police Chief Bob Byrne said that it was good old fashioned detective work that helped bring the suspects to justice so swiftly. An alleged robber can be seen making a run for it and heading straight into a dumpster Surveillance footage picked up the man tumbling inside in order to get away from police Police simply followed the man's footprints which led right up to the dumpster Video courtesy Fox 8 Cleveland A witness first provided a good description of the vehicle the suspects were riding in. After that, police only had to follow the footprints to see where the suspects went. 'Getting that accurate information so quickly really helped our officers,' Chief Byrne said to Fox 8. 'In seven minutes, we had two suspects in custody, we recovered the gun, we recovered the money and the vehicle used,' the chief Byrne said. Two police officers walked up to the dumpster with their weapons drawn Colione Coker, 18, was arrested after hiding in the dumpster in a parking lot They found Coker hiding in the dumpster and he was arrested on the spot The chief said he is extremely proud with his officers for how things turned out. 'Nobody was hurt, there was no property damage, and in police work, that's a good day.' Police ended followed the car until it stopped when one of the two suspects made a run for it. Surveillance footage also captured the moment the alleged robber was finally apprehended Garfield Heights Police Chief Bob Byrne, pictured, said that it was good old fashioned detective work that helped bring the suspects to justice so swiftly The 16-year-old male passenger was arrested and Coker was caught a few minutes later after police followed the fresh footprints that led cops straight up to the trash bin. His backpack containing the stolen money along with the gun used in the alleged robbery were all found nearby. Coker pleaded not guilty when he appeared in court on Tuesday and is being held on $100,000 bond. Coker faces felony charges, including aggravated robbery while his 16-year-old accomplice is currently at the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Detention Center. In three separate trials of Zetas members later carried out in U.S. federal courts, multiple witnesses described bribery payments of millions of dollars to Humberto Moreira and his brother Ruben, who succeeded him as governor, in exchange for complete control of the state, researchers at the University of Texas law school reported in 2017. The allegations were also included in reports by Mexican human rights groups. Moderate Democrats have lashed out at the 'constantly angry' Bernie Sanders, branding him a 'curmudgeon' and voicing fears about his health as the Vermont senator eyes up victory in the Iowa caucus. Sanders is boasting of his 'excellent' chances in Monday's first-in-the-nation contest, with polls showing a tight race between him and Joe Biden. Biden backer Moe Vela has accused Sanders of 'hubris' and said he 'grates' on many Democrats 'because he's constantly angry'. 'In my opinion, he redefines the word curmudgeon,' said the former Biden adviser. A negative ad which began airing in Iowa yesterday features voters who describe Sanders as too liberal to beat Trump and suggest that the 78-year-old candidate is a health liability. Sanders retorted in an online video that 'our opponents have endless amounts of money, but we have the people'. Bernie Sanders (pictured on the campaign trail in Iowa on Sunday) is boasting of his 'excellent' chances in Monday's first-in-the-nation contest, with polls predicting a tight race Supporters of former vice president Joe Biden (pictured) have lashed out at the 'constantly angry' Bernie Sanders, branding him a 'curmudgeon' 'You can tell how good I feel by how nervous the establishment is getting,' Sanders told cheering supporters in Sioux City on Sunday. 'We're their worst nightmare.' 'If we win here in Iowa - and with your help, we have an excellent chance to,' he said, we're going to win in New Hampshire, and if we win in New Hampshire, we're going to win in Nevada, and we're going to do damn well in South Carolina, and we're going to win California.' Polling shows Biden and Sanders in a close race, with Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg also in contention. Misty Rebik, Sanders' Iowa state director, said the campaign is concentrating on first-time caucusgoers. The strategy is a gamble that means devoting lots of resources to people when 'there's no record of them showing up.' Sanders' campaign has organized on more than 20 university and community college campuses across the state, including by employing paid student interns. The Bernie campaign has also stepped up its outreach to Hispanic Iowans, hoping to increase the fewer than 3,000 who caucused in 2016. High turnout may depend on convincing those people that he's got a better chance of toppling the establishment on his second time seeking the presidency. The candidate's predictions of success could generate excitement that may secure the high turnout Sanders needs. 'It's smarter politics always to moderate expectations, but I think that Sanders is playing a different game because his core support is going to be there for him no matter what,' said Zac Petkanas, a veteran of Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential bid. Bernie Sanders greets New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in Sioux City last Sunday in the final stretch of the Iowa caucus campaign trail Sanders' statements may also be a move to insulate himself if he loses, offering the excuse that last-minute attacks succeeded in blunting his momentum. 'It happened four years ago. It could happen again,' said Jonathan Findlay, a 29-year-old arborist in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who is volunteering for Sanders' campaign. 'You would hope that the 'establishment' would just get behind whatever candidates are popular. 'They're trying to play the long game and trying to figure out who can beat Trump.' Still, many Democrats are irritated by Sanders' brimming confidence and see him as unable to beat Trump should he make it to November's general election. 'For some, it's the hubris. For some, it's just the fact that he grates on them because he's just constantly angry,' said Vela, the former Biden adviser. 'In my opinion, he redefines the word curmudgeon.' Moderate Democrats have long argued that Sanders' liberal views, which include universal state-funded health care and tuition-free public college, are too extreme. On Wednesday, a Democratic-aligned super PAC began airing a negative ad against Sanders in Iowa. Produced by the political arm of Democratic Majority for Israel, it features interviews with voters who describe the Sanders as too liberal and potentially a health liability after his heart attack in October. Polling suggests that Pete Buttigieg (left) and Elizabeth Warren (right) each have a shot at victory in Iowa, but they are behind Sanders and Biden in the polling average The caucus process requires Iowans to pledge their support for their chosen candidate and sometimes stay for hours through multiple rounds of voting. Sanders' campaign says that it will have more than one trained precinct captain at all of the 1,700-plus caucus precincts statewide. The campaign is also training supporters to perform multiple tasks just in case needs change throughout caucus night. That effort is not unique to Sanders. Zach Wahls, an Iowa state senator, has endorsed Elizabeth Warren and said her campaign has enlisted caucus veterans while employing a staff that understands caucus math. Wahls said he sees Warren's edge as the 'strong crossover appeal' - an ability to reach both regular caucusgoers and newcomers. Even as he goads corporate interests and the establishment, Sanders stresses that his agenda is no longer radical and has become a part of the party's mainstream. With Sanders stuck in Washington for Trump's impeachment trial, it has fallen to top supporters including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to make his case in Iowa. 'I don't think he's divisive,' Ocasio-Cortez said of Sanders. 'I think he distinguishes himself and that makes people nervous.' For Stephen Hill, who attended a Sanders rally in Marshalltown, Iowa, a dose of radicalism might be the best way to energize Sanders supporters. 'We need drastic measures,' said Hill, a 52-year-old retired soldier. 'We've got to be mean. We can be intellectual but still be aggressive. I'm there. So is Bernie.' [January 30, 2020] The Spyder Development Community and Quansight Labs Announce the Release of Spyder 4 AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Spyder Project and Quansight Labs today announced the release of Spyder 4, the latest version of the most popular open source Scientific Python development environment. Spyder 4 boasts new features that users have been eagerly awaiting. Download Spyder here: spyder-ide.org Spyder 4 provides users an enhanced coding experience like general purpose editors and IDEs, while strengthening its specialized focus on scientific programming in Python. Upgrades in this release include: Support the Language Server Protocol industry standard for smarter calltips and code suggestions, new linters, code folding, and broader language support in the editor. Support for the Kite free completion engine, providing code completion powered by machine learning. New debugger, with code completion, syntax highlighting, permanent command history and the ability to run multi-line statements and render inline plots. New Plots pane, providing expanded functionality and usability for working with figures and visualizations. "We are excited to deliver these new features to our users," says Carlos Cordoba, Spyder project lead and Solution Architect at Quansight. "This relese was made possible by Quansight, Kite and other open source supporters. The funding allowed us to grow our development team, as well as engage with other companies wanting to support Spyder." "The Spyder project is a great example of Quansight Labs's mission: to sustain and accelerate the development of open source projects in the Python scientific, data science and AI ecosystem," said Ralf Gommers, Director of Quansight Labs. "By connecting companies that benefit from open source technologies with the communities creating them, Quansight seeks to help those communities thrive." "We saw a natural fit to work with the Spyder team to get AI-powered completions in the hands of more developers for free," said Adam Smith, Founder and CEO of Kite. "The Quansight Labs Community Work Order was an ideal way for us to support Spyder development in a mutually beneficial arrangement." About Quansight Labs: Quansight Labs is a public benefit division of Quansight LLC, a leading provider of services for open source data science technologies. Read more at quansight.com. About Kite: Kite is an AI-powered coding assistant that helps developers code smarter and faster by automating the repetitive parts of programming. Developers love and trust Kite because it is secure, easy-to-use, and uses machine learning models trained on data to provide accurate code completions. Learn more at kite.com . CONTACT: Troy Bailey, [email protected] View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-spyder-development-community-and-quansight-labs-announce-the-release-of-spyder-4-300995724.html SOURCE Quansight [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] (Newser) Ellen DeGeneres is "begging" a Texas high school to reconsider its decision to bar a student from graduation over the length of his dreadlocks. "This kid is a good kid. He deserves to graduate, to walk with all the other kids Please. Change your mind," she said Wednesday on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where DeAndre Arnold was her guest. She then welcomed Alicia Keys, who presented the aspiring veterinarian with a $20,000 college scholarship. "I'm super proud of you for standing up for what you know is right. I know the school needs to do the right thing," she said, per People. Arnold had explained that boys can't have hair touching their collar according to the dress code at Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu. He says that if he returns to school, he's to serve an in-school suspension or attend a program for delinquent teens. story continues below Walking in graduation is apparently out of the question, though "I've worked for this all my life," Arnold said. But "if girls can have long hair, why can't I have long hair?" added the 18-year-old, who explained his hair is "part of our culture and our heritage." His dad is from Trinidad. "I really wish the school would kind of be open to other cultures," he said. "I think that's what school's supposed to do, teach you about other cultures," DeGeneres responded. "I just personally think you should be able to wear your hair however you want." Superintendent Greg Pool tells CNN that school officials are simply following the rules. "People want to call us racist, but we're following the rules, the law of the land," he said. "We're certainly not making this up." (More on Arnold's case here.) With a stage that holds 35,000 gallons of water, a massive circus show is bringing its splashing and thrilling performances to a San Antonio mall in February. The Silver Unit from Cirque Italia, a Florida-based circus company, will perform eight live shows in the parking lot at Ingram Park Mall (next to the JCPenney's) from Feb. 27 to March 1. The water from underneath the stage, which is pumped locally, will be used throughout the show, according to Sarah Kessler, the public relations and media representative for Cirque Italia. READ ALSO: Here's what you will find inside the 'horror' tent coming to Ingram Park Mall later this month The story of the show follows the journey of a ringmaster who is searching for treasure while at sea, Kessler said. His adventure will take him through storms, dreams of angelic aerialists, pirate fights and more. Ticket buyers will see swashbucklers balancing upside down on a rum barrel, juggling knives and a run-in with a mermaid. "Your jaws will be dropped, and you will be hanging on the edge of your seats with our suspenseful crossbow act and our dangerous wheel of death performances," Kessler explained. Tickets for the shows may be purchased through the company's website (cirqueitalia.com/tickets) or by phone at 941-704-8572. The company is also responsible for the paranormal circus that begins today and runs through Sunday at Ingram Park Mall. The showtimes for the aquatic show are as follows: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27 and Friday, Feb. 28; 1:30 p.m. 4,:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28 and Sunday, March 1. Priscilla Aguirre 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 | priscilla.aguirre@express-news.net | @CillaAguirre An Egyptian toyboy, 35, whose nights of passion with a 'saddle sore' British gran, 80, made Phil and Holly blush has insisted his love is genuine - but won't reveal whether he is already married. Mohamed Ahmed Ibriham swept Iris Jones, from Somerset, off her feet when they met on Facebook last year and she flew to Egypt to be with him. Speaking to MailOnline from his home in Giza, south of Cairo, Mohamed said people may be skeptical about their relationship but that his love was real. It might seem a bit strange having a wife who is 20 years older than your mother but thats love,' he said. 'It makes you blind. 'When you are a man and you fall in love with a woman, it doesnt matter how old she is or what she looks like. Egyptian toyboy Mohamed Ahmed Ibriham, 35, whose nights of passion with a 'saddle sore' British gran, 80, made Phil and Holly blush has insisted his love is genuine - but won't reveal whether he is already married Mohamed Ahmed Ibriham swept Iris Jones from Somerset off her feet when they met on Facebook last year and she flew to Egypt to be with him (above) Speaking to MailOnline from his home in Giza, south of Cairo, Mohamed said people may be skeptical about their relationship but that his love was real (above, together) The couple's affair hit the spotlight earlier this week when Iris went on ITV's This Morning to discuss the huge age gap and ended up revealing details of their sex life. Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield weren't prepared for how forthcoming she would be and immediately collapsed in giggles as the OAP exclaimed: 'The first night was pretty rough. 'Nobody had been near me for 35 years... I thought I was a virgin again!' As Phil, 57, held his head in his hands, Iris continued: 'Can I tell you what we used? A whole tube of KY jelly'. Collapsing in laughter, a flustered Holly, 38, couldn't control herself as Iris continued: 'The thing is I couldn't walk the next day... I felt like I was riding a horse! Saddle sore wasn't in it. Anyway, we got over it.' When speaking to MailOnline, Mohamed was slightly more coy: It was a beautiful and we had been waiting for that moment for a long time. I dont want to go into too much detail because we dont talk about such things in Egypt. But it was very passionate and felt special holding such a wonderful soul. Its not her appearance that interests me but what is inside. She has great mind and loving heart.' Long distance lovers: Within a fortnight, Mohamed had professed his love and by November, Iris had arranged to fly over to Cairo to meet him in person The couple's affair hit the spotlight earlier this week when Iris went on ITV's This Morning to discuss the huge age gap and ended up revealing details of their sex life. Mohamed was slightly more coy: It was a beautiful and we had been waiting for that moment for a long time' He refused to answer when asked by MailOnline if he is already married or divorced or discuss any previous relationships. Its got nothing to do with my love for Iris, he added. Iris, a grandmother from Weston-super-Mare, first struck up a conversation with Mohamed last summer on a Facebook group exploring atheism. He initially declared love for her through social media and then said his feelings were confirmed when he saw Iris for the first time at Cairo airport last November. I was very nervous but the moment I laid eyes on her I knew that it was true love. Im a very lucky man to have found a woman like this,' he recalled. Within hours, the couple decided to get married and took part in an informal wedding ceremony which does not need to be registered with the authorities but allows them to share a bed. Under the countrys strict Islamic laws, a western woman cannot share a room with an Egyptian unless they are married. He revealed that his mother, 60, who he refuses to name and father, Ahmed Irbriham, 65, attended the ceremony while two of his friends were witnesses. Mohamed worked as welding inspector but gave up his job to spend time with Iris when she came to Cairo. He is now looking for work. Iris from Weston-super-Mare, first struck up a conversation with Mohamed last summer on a Facebook group exploring atheism. Mohamed initially declared love for her through social media and then said his feelings were confirmed when he saw Iris for the first time in Cairo Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield were left incredibly red-faced during Tuesday's show, as they spoke with a very forthcoming pensioner who discussed her sex life He lives in a three-room house with his parents plus two sisters and a brother who are all younger than him but vehemently denied he was with Iris for her money or a passport to Britain. Iris, a former cleaner, lives in a 220,000 bungalow and gets by on a 200-a-week pension and disability benefit. Mohamed said: I dont care where we live or how rich or poor she is, I just want to be with Iris. At the end of the day, which country she wants to make her home is her choice; it can be either Britain or Egypt. People think I am with her for all the wrong reasons. I know Britain is a beautiful country and a lot of people want to go there but Im not bothered. I m prepared to live with her anywhere in the world. Mohamed revealed that during her visit to Egypt he took Iris home for dinner, where she spent time with his mother. My mother really liked Iris and they got on well even though there was a language problem. 'But my mother said to me that if Im happy, then shes happy. Thats all any mother wants; for her son to be with a woman he really loves. Iris is due to return to Egypt next month so that her marriage to Mohamed can be registered with the British embassy, as she did not have the necessary documents last November. Mohamed said: I dont care where we live or how rich or poor she is, I just want to be with Iris. At the end of the day, which country she wants to make her home is her choice; it can be either Britain or Egypt' True love: Iris went on to muse that although she is enjoying their sex life, that isn't the most important part of their relationship She was told that she would have to produce her divorce papers and a certificate of no impediment proving she was free to wed again. Iris divorced her former husband more than 40 years ago. Her sons, Steve, 54 and Darren, 53, have expressed concerns over the relationship but Mohamed said that he is excited about visiting her friends and family in Britain at some point. He added: Shes told me that some of her sons are a bit concerned that Im so young and what my intentions are. 'When they meet me, theyll see how much I love their mother and that Ill take care of her. They'll be happy to have a step-father like me.' He also revealed that he is particularly looking forward to watching his Egyptian hero and Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah in action. Salah is the king of Egypt and it would be an honour to go to Liverpool and watch him play live, he beamed. A dispute between a German film company and two well-known Irish film producers over claims that funds of between 40m and 50m were diverted out of a film production company to either themselves personally or corporate entities controlled by them may go to mediation. The claim by Berlin-based W2 Filmproduktion Vertriebs GmbH is against producers Morgan O'Sullivan and James Flynn who, it is alleged, diverted the funds out of Octagon Films Ltd, a company they are all shareholders in. Both men deny the allegations. The action, which first came before the court in 2016 returned before Ms Justice Teresa Pilkington today. Counsel for the two producers Bernard Dunleavy SC told the court his clients were making an open offer to go to mediation in an attempt to have the entire dispute resolved. In reply, Paul Gardiner SC for W2, said he would take instructions from his client in relation to the offer to go to mediation. However, he said it was his belief that W2 would welcome the opportunity to have the dispute go to mediation. Mr Dunleavy told the court that the airing and "drip-feeding" of matters relating to the producers in a public court was damaging his client's business. His clients were seeking to go to mediation as allegations previously made by W2 that his clients had breached undertakings previously given by the producers to the courts, had damaged their business. The breaches, which counsel said are fully denied, arise out of claims funds generated by a proposed TV series called 'Vikings Valhalla', which W2 alleges should go to Octagon, will be diverted to the defendants and may result in W2 seeking injunction reliefs. Counsel said his clients had said that funds would be "ring-fenced" and placed with companies that are the subject of the undertakings. His side was being fully transparent and was providing all information sought in regards to Vikings Valhalla, a spin-off from the Vikings TV series which was filmed in Ireland, which is being made by MGM Television for Netflix. His clients had also fully complied with discovery requirements previously directed by the court, counsel added. Mr Dunleavy made the offer to mediate the dispute when seeking an adjournment to allow time to put a sworn statement before the court as part of a pretrial motion in the case. The judge, who welcomed the offer to go to mediation, adjourned the matter to a date next month. In its action, W2 is suing the producers on behalf of Octagon by way of a derivative action which is a claim brought by a shareholder on behalf of a corporation against another party. The other parties in this case are Mr Flynn and Mr O'Sullivan who are both directors of Octagon. W2, which invests in international film productions, says it acquired 49% of Octoagon's shares in 2002. W2 seeks damages for alleged breach of duty, alleged fraud, and alleged conspiracy against the producers. The producers deny diverting any fees, income or opportunities that were due to Octagon to themselves or to any corporate entities controlled by them. Mr O'Sullivan of Ardmore Park, Bray, Co. Wicklow, and Mr Flynn of Ballyedmonduff Road, Stepaside, Dublin, who between them own 51% of Octagon's shares deny they traded as Octagon or used the company's name and reputation. They claim Octagon was set up as a company devoted to film development and production activity and is a separate entity to their work for hire film production services they are associated with. Around 20 children are being held hostage by a man at a house in a village in Uttar Pradesh's Farrukhabad, the police said on Thursday. Around 20 children are being held hostage by a convict out on bail in Uttar Pradesh's Farrukhabad, the police said on Thursday. PTI identified the individual as Subhash Batham and said that he fired from inside the house. According to ANI, three policemen and a villager have been injured after he opened fire at them. According to ANI, he also threw a hand grenade at the police. Inspector-General of Police, Kanpur Range, Mohit Agarwal, said that the man fired six shots from inside on those who attempted to speak to him. Batham wanted to talk to the local MLA, but he refused to talk when the leader went there, Agarwal added. ADGP PV Rama Shastri told ANI that rescue operations are underway, that a Quick Response Team (QRT) and Special Operation Group (SOG) team are already at the spot, and that the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) is on its way. "The man had been sentenced to life imprisonment in a murder case and he was out on a bail. He called the children on the pretext of a birthday party and held them hostage. He opened fire on villagers," he added. "Twenty children are being held hostage at Kathariya village," Shastri said, adding, "We are ensuring their safe rescue. If needed NSG will also be called for the operation," A team of commandos have also been rushed to the spot, Uttar Pradesh DGP OP Singh said. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has called a high-level meeting over the incident. Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary (Home), DGP, ADGP Law & Order were present at the meeting, ANI said. With inputs from agencies Hong Kong authorities have urged the public to be cautious amid the frenzied buying of masks in a city gripped by the coronavirus outbreak, as there have been online scam cases and seizures of suspicious products. In the past two weeks, police recorded five complaints in which customers had paid for surgical masks in social media platform transactions but did not get their items. A police source also said the force was alerted by a bank over how 3,000 people had bought surgical masks online, with purchases ranging from several hundred Hong Kong dollars to HK$1,000 (US$129). The sales were not honoured and dismayed customers could not reach the seller. The bank account involved in the case was frozen. Customs seizing cartons thought to contain bogus masks. Photo: Cable News The source showed screen captures of Facebook messages in which a user was offering Hong Kong buyers masks from Thailand, but later claimed his or her bank account was frozen and payments would be refunded. Separately, customs officers seized 68,000 surgical masks from a dispensary on Nelson Street in Mong Kok, and arrested a 27-year-old suspect over a breach of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance. Authorities had yet to examine the masks or determine their effectiveness, but noted they had odd dates of manufacture indicated in March, which is two months away. A box of 50 such masks was priced at HK$280, but it was unclear how many were sold. Authorities display the labelling on the seized batches of masks. Photo: Cable News The news came as thousands thronged dispensaries across the city on Thursday for masks amid a shortfall. Customs officers inspected more than 1,300 retail outlets in a four-day operation from Monday, posing as customers to test if such products were brand new or reused, as reported by local media earlier. Meanwhile, a 56-year-old worker at Princess Margaret Hospital was arrested for allegedly stealing items from a ward, including 14 surgical masks, 22 pieces of N95 respirator masks and some surgical gloves after police were alerted at about 6pm on Thursday. Story continues More from South China Morning Post: This article Public warned of online scams and dubious products amid Hong Kongs mask-buying frenzy as coronavirus fears continue first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. Dubai Science Park (DSP), a science and healthcare-focused business community, hosted the 10th edition of its Advance Health forum to highlight how technology is transforming diabetes treatment and prevention in the UAE. The relentless rise of disruptive technology is transforming healthcare systems around world and the role of health-tech in diabetes diagnosis continues to surge in proportion to this growth. Organised in partnership with Connect Communications and Synapse Medical Services, Advance Health took place on January 29 at Arab Health. It was chaired by Marwan Abdulaziz Janahi, Managing Director of Dubai Science Park and Chairing Member of the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Equipment Taskforce of the Dubai Industrial Strategy 2030. Speaking at the session, Janahi said: Diabetes is on the rise and reducing the number of patients diagnosed each year is a priority not just in the UAE but globally. Dubai Science Park is proud to support innovative business partners who are using new technologies to diagnose and treat the disease. With modern offices, laboratories and warehouses, our ecosystem has advanced infrastructure and a business-friendly environment to help healthcare companies from multinational corporations to SMEs and startups contribute significantly to reducing diabetes prevalence. Janahi was joined at the panel discussion by Fatheya Al Awadi, Head of Endocrinology at Dubai Hospital, Scott Cunningham, Chief Technical Officer at MyWay Digital Health, Dr Nairah Rasul-Syed, Medical Director & Consultant at Virtual Home Healthcare Services, and Ben McGough, Digital Workstream Lead at the NHS Diabetes Programme. According to the latest data from the International Diabetes Federation, more than 460 million people one in 11 adults suffer from diabetes. It is estimated that 19 per cent of the UAE population has diabetes, and if the current trend continues, 32 per cent of adults aged between 20 and 79 may have diabetes or prediabetes by the next decade in the country. The World Health Organisation (WHO) ranked diabetes as the seventh-leading cause of death worldwide in 2016. The problem is particularly severe in the UAE one of the worlds top 10 countries for diabetes prevalence and the wider Middle East. The findings come from a study by three researchers from the College of Medicine and Health Sciences of the United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain, published in the peer-reviewed medical journal BMJ Open. Dubai Science Park hosted Advance Health as part of its ongoing commitment to promoting discussion, encouraging networking, supporting growth in science and technology, and helping its business partners contribute to UAEs ongoing economic diversification. -- Tradearabia News Service The suburban communities strung along the Southwest Freeway on the far edge of town are forever playing Jan Brady to the looming Marcia that is Houston: perpetually feeling passed over, marginalized and just plain ignored, they constantly strive to present some compelling feature, some noteworthy accomplishment, some George Glass, her fictional boyfriend, to show the world that they are just as interesting as their insufferable big sister. Sugar Land did it with a grandiose City Hall, built to look like an old-timey Texas courthouse, right up to the cupola, and fronted by The Father of Texas, an expansive sculpture featuring huge rocks, gushing water and a horse-backed Stephen F. Austin in bronze, bravely pulling a terrified pack horse out of the Brazos River. Its quite dramatic and highly improbable. A bout with malaria in 1812 left Austin frail and sickly. He was a skilled diplomat, an able lawyer and a stirring speechmaker; he wasnt one for yanking frightened livestock out of rivers. But the sculpture is top notch: a heroic installation depicting The Father of Texas preparing a legal brief wouldnt have the same elan. Up the road in Stafford, youll find The Gateway Monuments, four skinny pyramids marking the city boundaries along Highway 90 and Highway 59. Theyre brightly colored and emblazoned with City of Stafford in a friendly sans serif type. They also light up at night, when the lights are working, with dancing blues and reds enchanting the passing motorists. Imagine a Dalek from Doctor Who thats three stories high and was designed by the mighty Pharaoh Cheops, and you have a pretty good mental image of the Gateway Monuments. The newest effort to out-Marcia Houston might be the most audacious, the most gobsmacking, the George Glassiest of them all. From postage stamp-sized City of Meadows Place we have The Kirkwood Project, a bold reimagining of a short segment of one of the main north-south thoroughfares on the southwest side. For decades, the stretch of Kirkwood running through Meadows Place has been punctuated by four consecutive blocks of four-way stops. No more. The street was aging and due for a major renovation, and $3 million in funds from the Fort Bend Mobility Project was already earmarked for Kirkwood renovation. Instead of simply pouring fresh concrete, Meadows Place went for the gusto: forget boring old stop signs, they replaced the intersections with (wait for it) four consecutive roundabouts! The Meadows Place website argues that Kirkwood was at the end of its life expectancy and ready for an overhaul, and that Modern Roundabouts are safer, move cars more effectively, [and] cause less pollution than traditional intersections. What Houstonian (or Meadows Placer, for that matter) would object to safety, efficiency or improved air quality? Its the next part that gives pause. The city promises that the roundabouts will create a beautiful new buffer that will separate us from Alief/SW Houston. This promise was repeated in several city council meetings. In a town hall meeting on June 9, 2018, Meadows Place Mayor Charles Jessup IV promised that the roundabouts would make Meadows Place unique and separate from Alief and Houston. (The transcript also states that the mayor noted that studies have shown that roundabouts are safer for pediatricians, which Im pretty sure is a typo.) Fanciful statuary and strange, skinny pyramids are absurd, but inoffensive. Those pricey Meadows Place roundabouts are something darker. Theyre saying Keep Out. I live in Alief, a couple of blocks north of Meadows Place. Why, I can practically see Meadows Place from my front lawn. The roundabouts-to-keep-them-out argument has me shaken and puzzled. For 35 years, Meadows Place has been part of our lives. We shop in Meadows Place, get our truck repaired in Meadows Place, buy gasoline in Meadows Place. We have friends in Meadows Place, bunches of friends. We go to church with these folks and socialize with them. Our daughters piano teacher lived in Meadows Place. I had no idea Meadows Place was a forbidden zone for us Alief/SW Houston types. As for providing separation, there are a few holes in the braintrusts theory. Kirkwood between West Bellfort and West Airport bisects Meadows Place. The roundabouts arent separating Meadows Place from Houston: if anything, the roundabouts are separating Meadows Place from itself. Its not like the folks in Alief are planning mayhem in the Meadows. We arent crouched in front of campfires, silently polishing our broadswords and casting gimlet-eyed glances in the direction of the West Bellfort CVS, silently waiting for nightfall, muttering to one another, Tonight, we ride. Were just trying to get to the Aldi for groceries. The Meadows Place website is awash in promises of the bright new day that completion of the roundabouts will bring. There are breathtaking drawings, showing a veritable Eden of trees, flowing plants and pleasing shrubbery, all enjoyed by happy joggers and frolicking children and a kindly grandfather type, dispensing wisdom from a shaded park bench. What the drawings dont show is cars, not a one of them. Presumably, the motorists have all opted for Dairy Ashford Road, which also connects Meadows Place to Alief, and never demands you yield to cars already in the circle. The roundabouts opened earlier this month. The landscaping is not quite finished, but so far, the projects aesthetics are wanting. Theres potential, sure. There are also signs, lots and lots of signs. There are yield signs and pedestrians ahead signs and white signs with black arrows forming a circle, which I know means roundabout ahead but makes me think DANGER! BIOHAZARD IMMINENT! and all sorts of placards with yellow and black alternating stripes. On my way to the In-N-Out Burger the other day, I counted 23 traffic signs at just one intersection. I know its early, but so far, its less Xanadu than a Department of Public Works garage sale. I wish Meadows Place nothing but good things with the newest effort to prove to the world that just because youre in metro Houston, you arent of metro Houston. You go, Meadows Place! Be the best Jan Brady you can be! May all of the jinking Jeeps and slaloming Subarus inching their way down the serpentine, sign-studded short and winding road that is The New Kirkwood ever remind you that youre special, unique and not like those Houston people, not at all. Ill be doing my shopping in Stafford. Those crazy pyramids are growing on me. McMurray is a Houston businessman and a frequent contributor to Gray Matters. ITV reporter Ranvir Singh was today criticised for backing her colleague Alastair Stewart after he was forced out of ITN over claims of racism. Mrs Singh, 42, who was raised in a Sikh family in Preston, stood up for the veteran presenter after a black Twitter user complained he called him an 'angry ape'. She told ITV's Good Morning Britain today that Mr Stewart was not racist and also said how she often calls her son Tushaan a 'monkey' but is not being racist to him. But Twitter users criticised Mrs Singh for her views as a 'woman of colour' and suggested she had put her friendship with Mr Stewart over the issue of racism. One said: 'You have chosen to put friendship over what in reality is an existing issue in the media. As a woman of colour you should know the position of the other gentleman and how those may be perceived. The context there.' But Mrs Singh responded: 'This was about a specific person and I spoke about my specific experience of the man. I don't appreciate being told what you think I 'should know' but you're entitled to your view. Thank you.' Mrs Singh, who joined ITV in 2012 and is the political editor of GMB, said she had spoken to Mr Stewart in text messages last night and he told her he was 'OK'. She said today: 'I would never use the word racist and his name in the same sentence. I have sat with him for hours and hours and hours, days and days and days, years, and he has only ever been gracious and encouraging to me. 'We have had talks about how he and his wife have felt proud of what I have achieved and how Alastair Stewart has talked about other black talents in the newsroom and wider and why companies don't give them more work and how he sees black talent in other places and he wants them to have more work and he would know in his position that that might mean that he might get less work.' Mrs Singh posted this photograph of her with friend and colleague Alastair Stewart last night Mrs Singh added: 'I can only tell you from my own experience that he is a gentleman and he has done nothing other than totally encourage me. It saddens me.' Mrs Singh said she she often calls her son Tushaan (pictured together in London last July) a 'monkey' but is not being racist to him Mr Stewart said he was quitting after 'a misjudgement which I regret' on social media. He told friends he was 'very sad it was ending this way' after 40 years in the job. Mr Stewart and Martin Shapland, who is black, were debating the Royal Family's finances online when the news anchor cited a passage from Shakespeare's Measure for Measure that included the phrase 'angry ape'. Mr Stewart wrote: 'But man, proud man, Dress'd in a little brief authority, Most ignorant of what he's most assur'd His glassy essence like an angry ape, Plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven, As makes the angels weep; who, with our spleens, Would all themselves laugh mortal.' Describing Mr Stewart as a disgrace, Mr Shapland shared the tweet and said: 'Just an ITV newsreader referring to me as an ape.' Speaking about what Mr Stewart said, Mrs Singh added: 'Do you go back and unpick the whole of literature? My God, it wasn't a quote from Enoch Powell, there are things that you know 'no, don't do that'. 'I did English literature, I don't know it inside out, I suppose people are Googling Measure for Measure this morning to figure out exactly what this quote means, as far as I understand, was Shakespeare being racist when he wrote 'angry ape' or was he just saying in an Elizabethan era?' Asked if she could see why it was offensive, she added: 'It's hard to stand in someone's shoes. I think that if you are angry with somebody and you're having a spat, I don't know what the thread said, I don't think any of us really know what that thread was actually about, we just have seen that one exchange. Mrs Singh tweeted about Mr Stewart last night, saying she has 'adored' working with him 'Is it OK to see things perhaps in that person's view perhaps he felt that but all I can say that that quote from Shakespeare in an Elizabethan era I think was probably meant about primitive behaviour - it wasn't about the colour.' She added: 'I call my son a monkey all the time, come on you little monkey, get into bed. I'm not being racist to my son when I call him a monkey, right, but of course that's just my experience. 'I find it really unsettling to talk about this because he is my friend, Alastair is, and I feel sorry for him and I wish this hadn't happened but also I don't know who this guy is on Twitter and I don't know what his issue was with that and I feel sorry for Alastair and that's all I can really say and I just feel that, can you go back and unpick the whole of literature?' Twitter users criticised Mrs Singh for her views as a 'woman of colour' and suggested she had put her friendship with Mr Stewart over the issue of racism Asked by Susanna Reid what the response to her posting a picture of her with Mr Stewart last night, she said: 'I don't always read everything on social media if I'm perfectly honest and perhaps the lesson is, or perhaps the learning, is I don't engage with members of the public in a confrontational way ever. 'I don't do it and I really don't tweet about race, I don't tweet about very much, I'm a bit rubbish on social media, and maybe that's a good thing, but I just think Alastair has engaged in taking people on who take him on in that arena and perhaps the learning is, I don't know what Alastair meant when he said it was a 'misjudgement' that he regrets does he regret quoting that bit or does he regret just being drawn into a spat with a member of the public and actually I think perhaps I'll need to speak to him and find out what he meant by that.' Martin Shapland (pictured) was in a debate with Mr Stewart on Twitter when the veteran newsreader quoted a passage from Shakespeare that included the words 'angry ape' She added: 'He loves words, I have sat there when he is trying to write the headlines, he pores over every word, he's very careful, he understands the emphasis, and I think perhaps he might be thinking 'gosh, maybe I should have re-read that quote and thought about it twice'. The Shakespeare quote at the heart of Alastair Stewart's social media rift In a Twitter row Mr Stewart decided to quote a short passage from Measure by Measure by William Shakespeare. The play was written in either 1603 or 1604 and is a dark comedy about a judge, Angelo, who leads the government in Vienna while the Duke is away. The specific part Mr Stewart tweeted is a short speech by a character called Isabella, who has come to plead with Angelo for her brother's life after he is sentenced to die. Angelo refuses her request, and in response to him she says: 'But man, proud man, 'Dress'd in a little brief authority, 'Most ignorant of what he's most assur'd 'His glassy essencelike an angry ape 'Plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven 'As makes the angels weep; who, with our spleens, 'Would all themselves laugh mortal' Experts say Shakespeare's simile 'like an angry ape' used in Isabella's tirade at Angelo is to show his reversion to a human being's basic instincts such as self-preservation rather than a racist trope. Advertisement 'But I absolutely say in my gut I would absolutely tell you that I would put my house on it that not for one second did he write that quote thinking that it was in any way a slur on someone's skin colour.' Other colleagues also leapt to Mr Stewart's defence, saying the broadcasting 'legend' had been 'shunted out'. One insisted last night: 'Alastair is not a racist.' ITN said Mr Stewart was stepping down following 'errors of judgement in Alastair's use of social media which breached ITN's editorial guidelines'. It refused to give more details but several sources said it related to a Twitter spat on January 13. In a statement, the presenter said: 'It was a misjudgement which I regret, but it's been a privilege to bring the news to households throughout the UK for the past 40 years.' In 2018 Mr Stewart used the same quote in an exchange with another Twitter user who was not identifiably black. Supporters said he appeared to have a habit of using the phrase to make a point about those he felt were claiming to be experts in a certain field. An ITN insider said: 'He would have thought he was being clever and it was merely an innocent put-down. He is certainly not a racist in any way. 'Alastair is a hugely popular figure, well liked, kind and something of an institution. Mr Stewart's decision to step down comes after black Twitter user Martin Shapland claimed he 'called him an angry ape' three weeks ago. Mr Shapland later branded Mr Stewart a 'disgrace' 'It is sad if he has had to go because of this. He accepts the error of judgement, but many believe that, if this was the reason he is going, it was wrong, and he will be the first man ever fired for accurately quoting Shakespeare.' Alastair Stewart: News veteran with 40 years in front of the camera Broadcasting giant Alastair Stewart's decision to step down from presenting duties comes after a 40-year career in front of the camera. Mr Stewart, 67, was born on June 22 1952 in Gosport, Hampshire, to parents who both served in the Royal Air Force. He attended the state Madras College in Fife, Scotland, before moving to the independent Salesian College in Hampshire, then St Augustine's Abbey School in Ramsgate, Kent. Mr Stewart studied economics and politics at University of Bristol before going on to work for the National Union Of Students between 1974 and 1976. His first steps into television came when he joined Southern Television in Southampton as a reporter and presenter. Mr Stewart was one of the last to interview Lord Louis Mountbatten before he was murdered by the IRA in 1979. He joined ITN in 1980 as industrial correspondent - and the broadcaster would become his professional home. Soon after he was invited to join the roster of additional newsreaders and, from 1983 to 1986, he was a presenter and reporter with ITN's Channel 4 News. In 1989 he moved to ITV's News At Ten where he became the lead presenter on the flagship show's major news bulletins. Until his departure from the broadcaster Mr Stewart's portfolio of work saw him move between the lunchtime, evening and 10pm shows while presenting special programmes. He married Sally Ann Jung in 1978 and has four children. Mr Stewart famously kept his cool in August 2017 as a toddler took over his live news broadcast. He was conducting a segment about milk allergies on the ITV Lunchtime News with a mother and her young son and daughter, when the little girl got up and ran around the desk. She then climbed up on the desk in front of Mr Stewart, often creeping into his shot, for the remainder of the piece. As the toddler got up to run around, Stewart said that she 'will do whatever she chooses to do for the next couple of minutes', before continuing with the interview. Having stifled laughter while continuing the broadcast, the veteran newscaster joked at the end of the segment: 'Mary Nightingale, I think, will have a more peaceful time at 6.30. 'From all of us, a very good afternoon to you.' A fan of rock music, Mr Stewart won Celebrity Mastermind in December 2009 with The Rolling Stones as his specialist subject. He briefly appeared in the West End in a 2015 production An Evening With Lucian Freud by Laura-Jane Foley. He played a hapless interviewer appearing on video alongside Cressida Bonas, Russell Grant and Maureen Lipman. Mr Stewart presented ITV News' coverage of the European Union referendum in 2016. Advertisement Mr Stewart, who is married with four children, was the nation's longest-serving male newsreader. He started on Southern Television in 1976 and joined ITN in 1980. An OBE came in 2006 for services to broadcasting. Amid an outpouring of support last night, fellow ITV News presenter Mary Nightingale tweeted: 'Very sad about the departure of Alastair Stewart. He was a good friend and mentor.' News anchor Julie Etchingham tweeted: 'So sad to learn this we have worked on many big stories together & Al is a trusted friend and guide to many of us.' Former ITV News boss Richard Frediani called him 'a loyal friend, colleague, mentor, guide and much more to many, many journalists', adding: 'Simply the best on and off screen. A broadcasting legend.' A source at ITN, which produces news programmes for ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, said the newsroom was in shock, but that there was a 'mixed view', with some younger staff agreeing with the decision to remove him. More senior staff shared their theory that it was an excuse to get rid of the veteran, who was on a six-figure salary. One insider said: 'Officially he quit, but it was a fait accompli a case of 'resign, and do the honourable thing'.' Mr Shapland, whose Twitter account includes the description 'tweet in haste, repent at leisure', could not be reached for comment. In later tweets in his spat with Mr Stewart he described the presenter's behaviour as 'ignorant bullying' and suggested he should take lessons in etiquette. According to his LinkedIn page, Mr Shapland obtained a degree in modern history and political sciences from Birmingham University and has been a policy manager at the Institution of Civil Engineers for the past two years. He was previously a House of Commons researcher. Asked about the Twitter row between Mr Stewart and its employee, a spokesman for the ICE said: 'It is a private matter.' Michael Jermey, director of news and current affairs at ITV, said: 'Alastair has been a long-standing, familiar figure to viewers of ITV News, both reporting and presenting with distinction. We wish him the very best for the future.' ITN chief executive Anna Mallett added: 'We would like to recognise Alastair's contribution as one of the UK's foremost journalists and TV presenters and to thank him for his commitment to delivering high-quality broadcast news over many years.' Last night the door to Mr Stewart's home in Hampshire was answered by a young man who said: 'Yeah he is not going to be saying anything tonight.' In his long career, Mr Stewart has fronted everything from election coverage to Police, Camera, Action! a job he lost after crashing his Mercedes into a hedge while three times the drink-drive limit. Support for Mr Stewart also came from broadcaster Danny Baker, who was sacked last year from BBC Radio 5 Live for likening Prince Harry's son Archie to a chimp. Baker retweeted a comment by comedian Rory Bremner who praised Mr Stewart as 'a good friend' and called him 'generous, supportive and kind one of life's enthusiasts. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is considering dozens of executive orders he could unilaterally enact on a wide range of domestic policy issues if elected president, including immigration, the environment and prescription drugs, according to two people familiar with the campaign's planning and an internal document reviewed by The Washington Post. Sanders has risen in national and early-state polling in the final days before Monday's Iowa caucuses, the first contest in the Democratic presidential primary, which has fueled concerns among some party insiders that he could win the nomination. Aides have presented Sanders with a list of possible executive actions, including more than a dozen options for reversing President Donald Trump's immigration policy, such as lifting the cap on the number of refugees accepted into the United States and immediately halting border wall construction. Another option is the reinstatement of an Obama-era program that granted legal status to undocumented immigrants brought to America as children. The document reviewed by The Post shows how the Sanders campaign has already begun extensive planning for how the senator would lead the country in his first days as president if he won the Democratic nomination and defeated Trump in November. Many of the proposals Sanders has floated on the campaign trail do not have support from congressional Republicans and are opposed by some Democrats, so a willingness to move forward without congressional approval could determine whether many of his policies are enacted. The list of potential executive orders includes unilaterally allowing the United States to import prescription drugs from Canada; directing the Justice Department to legalize marijuana; and declaring climate change a national emergency while banning the exportation of crude oil. Other options cited in the document include canceling federal contracts for firms paying less than $15 an hour and reversing federal rules blocking U.S. funding to organizations that provide abortion counseling. The campaign's potential executive orders come amid increased scrutiny about how Sanders, one of the most left-leaning members in Congress, would attempt to advance his agenda. One of Sanders' top rivals on the campaign trail, former vice president Joe Biden, has talked about working with Republicans in some cases to enact his agenda. Sanders' approach appears to be different. The senator is reviewing the list of possible executive orders but has not signed off on when they would be released or their scope, according to the two people with knowledge of the planning, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters. Those officials said the document was prepared by Faiz Shakir, Sanders's campaign manager; Warren Gunnels, a senior adviser; and Josh Orton, the campaign policy director. "As we continue discussing the early work of your presidency and the progress we can make, below for review is a brief overview of executive actions you could take early in your administration," the document states. "We cannot accept delays from Congress on some of the most pressing issues, especially those like immigration where Trump has governed with racism and for his own corrupt benefit." A Sanders campaign spokesman, Mike Casca, did not challenge the veracity of the document but declined to comment on the potential executive orders. "We're focused on organizing a huge voter turnout in Iowa on Monday," Casca said in a statement. The unilateral actions considered by Sanders' campaign are likely to be fiercely opposed by conservatives and even moderate liberals, and Sanders could face criticism for moving to take more power away from the legislative branch amid ever-expanding executive authority. Many Democrats and some Republicans have criticized Trump for the numerous executive orders he signed in the early part of his presidency. "Every time a president leaves office, they leave office with more power the next president in line can take and expand," said Jason Pye, vice president of legislative affairs for FreedomWorks, a conservative group. "You're getting to the point where the legislative branch has lost so much of its power to the point where it almost does not matter. And that should concern every person in this country." Sanders has already released a slew of legislative proposals that would have to be approved by Congress, including a "Medicare-for-all" single-payer health-care system and a Green New Deal to remake the nation's energy system. He has faced questions from voters in recent weeks on the campaign trail about how he would deal with Republican resistance in Congress should he be elected and made to work with a GOP-dominated Senate. "I love your ideas, Bernie," a woman told him at a town hall in Anamosa, Iowa, earlier in January. "But what are you going to do about the partisanship that prevents any good Democrat from getting anywhere in Congress right now?" Sanders replied, "We're going to run a different type of presidency." Sanders also said he was prepared to make his case to voters, even in red states, in a bid to pressure Republican lawmakers to support his agenda. "It's not just sitting down and arguing with Mitch McConnell," he said, referring to the Republican Senate majority leader. "It is getting people to stand up and fight back." On the campaign trail, Sanders talks frequently about implementing sweeping changes in the way the government deals with health care, climate change and the economy, but he often talks about enacting those changes through legislation rather than through executive orders. Other possible executive orders being considered include the immediate release of disaster aid to Puerto Rico and a review of the federal policies toward Native American tribal groups. "Bernie will try to do all he can do with executive orders as quickly as he can, while fully cognizant of the fact much more will have to be done by legislative means," said Robert Hockett, a professor at Cornell University who has advised Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., on economic policy matters. "The idea is to get as much done as you can, as quickly as you can." The death toll from the coronavirus has risen to 170 and there are now 7000 cases of the disease Chinese officials have confirmed, as Australia prepares facilities on Christmas Island for evacuees from Hubei province. The new virus has now infected more people in China than were sickened during the 2002-03 SARS outbreak. China Eastern Airlines cabin crew are seen wearing protective face masks at Brisbane International Airport on Wednesday. Credit:AAP Seven people have been diagnosed in Australia across three states, with many more awaiting test results. However, deputy chief medical officer Professor Paul Kelly said evidence showed the virus seemed to be milder than other coronaviruses like SARS. On Thursday afternoon, NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant said two of the state's four cases no longer had any signs or symptoms of the illness and they were discharged from hospital on Wednesday. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 19:22:16|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, Jan.30 (Xinhua) -- Communal clashes in western Ethiopia's Benishangul-Gumuz regional state has killed eight people, local authorities said on Thursday. A press statement from the regional state communications office said the communal clashes earlier this month in Wembera locality, Metekel zone of the region, killed eight people. The statement said around 385 people have been displaced by the communal clashes which also caused extensive property damage. The statement further said 13 people suspected of involvement in the communal clashes have been arrested pending completion of an investigation into the deadly violence. Regional and federal security forces have been deployed to the scene of the deadly communal clashes to prevent a recurrence of the deadly violence. Ethnic violence between members of various ethnic groups in Benishangul-Gumuz regional state in recent months has left hundreds dead and thousands of others displaced. The Benishangul-Gumuz regional state located in western Ethiopia along the border with Sudan, hosts the country's largest development project, the 5,150 mega watts Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which is under construction on the Blue Nile River. By Lee Kyung-min Korea should join a trade agreement among 11 countries in the trans-Pacific area to reduce its heavy reliance on China and foster the export of goods manufactured by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), a state-run think tank report said Thursday. This will remove tariffs involving trade between the signatories, thereby helping Asia's fourth-largest, export-reliant economy gain a competitive edge with its cheaper, quality products in certain niche markets. The move will also help Korea have a greater say in setting global standards in areas such as intellectual property within key legal frameworks yet to be established between developing economies, leading the international discourse to better reflect the interests of the country. Korea Development Institute (KDI) researcher Song Yeong-kwan said that Korea should join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) to diversify trading partners, a move that could limit the vulnerability caused by uncertainties in China. Partner countries are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. "The most effective way for the country to reduce its heavy reliance on China will be joining the agreement under which intermediate goods produced in designated countries will be recognized as final goods, making them eligible for tariff benefits," Song said. This will help create a new global value chain in Southeast Asia connecting Korea, Japan and Vietnam, a key area of growth where Korea's foreign direct investments are increasingly headed. The current China-centered global value chain's structure makes Korea's semiconductor industry highly vulnerable to external influences; the drawn-out U.S.-China dispute being a case in point. Diversification of trading partners and finding an alternative to the precarious status quo, in his view, will provide an impetus for growth of the chip industry, which accounts for about a fifth of the country's exports. "With the U.S. set to rejoin the agreement after it abruptly left under the Trump administration, Korea's exports will see substantial benefit, not to mention the overall inter-signatories investment and intermediate goods trade to be bolstered as a result," he said. The move will be in line with the government initiative to foster parts, materials and equipment industries, most of which are made by SMEs whose long-term, sustainable growth is premised on going beyond domestic sales. "Korea used to be the exporter of final goods backed by shipbuilding industries, but that once-booming sector has reached a clear limit. Korea should join in the agreement to lay the groundwork for the promising SMEs to expand in untapped overseas markets," he said. Song dismissed concerns that the agreement would become meaningless if Japan threatens further export bans, for example. "The World Trade Organization (WTO) essentially remains defunct in resolving the trade dispute between Korea and Japan, the parties to a dispute. But the multilateral CPRPP has clear stipulations on dispute resolution. Japan or any other country will not be able to resort to such unilateral action," he said. The Sabarmati river water quality, upstream and downstream of Ahmedabad, is analysed to assess the impact of the city on the river water quality using monthly data from April 2011 to March 2017. The quality of river water when it enters the city is in keeping with prescribed norms, but the river is dead downstream. The impacts of water pollution caused by the city are borne by residents in the peri-urban areas. The earliest cities all over the world have developed along the banks of rivers, and Ahmedabad is one such city located along the Sabarmati river. In terms of environmental functions, rivers are the source of water needed for survival of living beings. At the same time, rivers transport polluting elements from cities. Urban areas are reported to have the most consistent and ubiquitous effects on degradation of river water quality (Glinska-Lewczuk et al 2016), industrial effluents and domestic sewage being the two major pollutants. The study of river water quality is assuming importance in the current context in India due to increasing economic growth as well as rising urbanisation. With economic growth, the demand by society to have better living conditions is gaining importance and governments are investing in infrastructure to treat pollution and improve environmental quality. Mani (2014) explores the ecological consequences of economic growth, including the cost to society, ill health, income lost and increased economic vulnerability because of specific forms of environmental abuse (including air pollution, forest and pasture loss, degradation of croplands, and poor sanitation and water supply). The study estimates that in 2009, the cost of environmental degradation in India was about 3.75 trillion, equivalent to 5.7% of the gross domestic product (GDP). T N Ninan, as quoted in an article (Guha 2014), has also arrived at a similar conclusion. The report estimates that India is depleting its stock of natural resources at a rate that equals 4.9% of the GDP. It means that conventional monetary estimates of national income done by neglecting the impact on resources present a misleading picture of growth. There have been a few studies focusing on the river water quality across the country. Tokyo prosecutors have obtained a new arrest warrant for former Nissan Motor chairman Carlos Ghosn for suspected violation of the immigration control law. Prosecutors say Ghosn illegally left Japan on a private jet on the night of December 29 without going through departure screenings. He flew from Kansai International Airport in western Japan to Lebanon via Turkey. The 65-year-old former auto industry titan was out on bail after being indicted on charges of financial misconduct. He was banned from traveling overseas under a bail condition. The prosecutors also obtained arrest warrants for three others, including a man believed to be a former member of the US special forces, on suspicion that they helped Ghosn flee. Sources say Ghosn joined the three at a hotel in Tokyo on December 29 before traveling to Osaka by bullet train. Two of the men reportedly accompanied him. They are believed to have helped Ghosn board the jet by hiding him in a large case for musical equipment. One of the two men is identified as 59-year-old Michael Taylor, who's said to be a former member of the US Army special forces known as the Green Berets. In 2009, he was reportedly involved in a rescue operation for a US newspaper reporter who had been abducted in Afghanistan. Taylor was then a contractor for a private military company. The third suspect allegedly helped Ghosn escape by making hotel reservations and transporting Ghosn's baggage. Donald Trump has consistently charged that his impeachment represents an attempt to "overturn" the results of an election. His argument may have been a useful political talking point, but it is disappointing that his lawyers have elected to employ it in their presentation to the Senate. As a legal or constitutional matter the "overturning an election" argument is outrageous, and lawyers who can use it with a straight face should probably be disbarred. The founders who wrote the Constitution certainly didn't intend for the impeachment clause to be null and void. The Constitution provides both for electing and for impeaching presidents. Except for presidents who inherit the office due to the death, resignation or disability of their predecessor, all presidents gain their office through an election. Impeachment clearly doesn't apply only to presidents like Lyndon Johnson or Gerald Ford who were not elected to their office. In any event, if a president is impeached and convicted, this does not "overturn" the election which placed that president in office any more than the death of that president would. That election still has important continuing consequences. Presidents and vice presidents are elected as a package deal. Unless the vice presidency is vacant, the vice president becomes president if the incumbent president is removed. If Mr. Trump is convicted, Mike Pence will become president, a direct consequence of the previous election. Furthermore, the president would have made decisions with continuing consequences. Cabinet members appointed by the ousted president would remain in line for the presidency in case the next three people in the line of succession (the vice president, the speaker of the House and the president pro tem of the Senate) were not qualified to be president or refused to serve. Executive orders issued by the president would remain in effect. Appointments to the courts would remain as a presidential legacy, for better or for worse. Ambassadors removed by the president would remain removed. Legislation signed by the president would remain on the books. A number of federal judges (but none on the Supreme Court) have been impeached and removed from office. But like a president who has been ousted, these judges had already decided many cases the outcomes of which were not affected. The use of the "overturning an election" argument by President Trump's lawyers weakens their case. Why waste time making a legally idiotic argument when you have good arguments? It rather suggests that you do not have better arguments. Of course it is not just the disingenuous "overturning an election" argument that is disheartening here. We are seeing once again that in politics people often invoke principles in an unprincipled manner. It was sad to see senators swear to do impartial justice when many had already indicated how they would vote before the trial even began. First the verdict, and then the trial? It sounded like Alice in Wonderland. If members of Congress cannot behave honorably, we are in continuing big trouble that will not be fixed just by ousting one president from the White House. The Constitution states the rules for electing and removing presidents. It gives the "voice of the people" expressed at the ballot box great weight. But its provision for an Electoral College produced victory for Donald Trump, who received about 3 million fewer popular votes than Hillary Clinton. Those arguing that impeachment would negate the votes of the nearly 63 million people who supported Trump should be reminded that the Electoral College system prevailed despite the nearly 66 million people who voted against him. Trump won the election fair and square under the constitutional rules, and if he is removed it will be done fairly and squarely under the same rules. Paul F. deLespinasse of Corvallis is Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Computer Science at Adrian College. His most recent book is "Beyond Capitalism: A Classless Society With (Mostly) Free Markets." His columns have appeared in newspapers in Michigan, Oregon, and a number of other states. This column originally appeared in NewsMax. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 UEW, Kumasi campus has called on the president of the republic, Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo to urgently evacuate Ghanaian students from China to avoid them contracting the deadly Coronavirus disease. In a statement copied to the media this morning he indicated that, he has read with great concern the increasing number of infected people and deaths of both Chinese and non-Chinese nationals by the outbreak of the SARS-like virus called Coronavirus. He said ,this outbreak has become a concern for the international community as the number of infected people has risen to 7700 with death tolls at 170 people. It is noteworthy that there are over one thousand Ghanaian students studying various programmes in China. Their lives should be of great importance to us at home. According to him,as other countries set up measures to evacuate their nationals, it is a call on government to put in measures to quickly evacuate all Ghanaian students from China. "I have listened to the public discourse and assurances from the health ministry about its preparedness to contain the virus should it enter the country but it is disheartening as no priority is given to evacuate our brothers and sisters whose lives are at risk in a foreign land. The euphoria of the supply of 307 ambulances must not cloud the fact that the life of many Ghanaian students are under threat. I therefore call on government through the health Ministry to as a matter of urgency bring all our brothers and sisters back home. They are Ghanaians and must not be discriminated against because of their peculiar predicaments. It will be a failure in leadership for the nation to stand aloof as though no Ghanaian's life is threatened in this trying times hence call on all student's Unions to muscle up in order to bring our students back home. We want the people of China to note that we stand with them and are offering prayers on their behalf for a quick intervention. Our Ghanaian students in China are citizens not spectators."He concluded. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-31 02:42:05|Editor: zyl Video Player Close Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Saeb Erekat (R) speaks during a press conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Jan. 30, 2020. Palestine on Thursday stressed that its only goal is to realize peace based on justice, international legality and the two-state solution. "Our aim is a genuine, lasting and comprehensive peace," said Saeb Erekat. (Photo by Ayman Nobani/Xinhua) RAMALLAH, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Palestine on Thursday stressed that its only goal is to realize peace based on justice, international legality and the two-state solution. "Our aim is a genuine, lasting and comprehensive peace," said the Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization Saeb Erekat. Our plan is based on "international law, international legality, security council resolution," Erekat said, calling for "a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital on the 1967 borders." The elements to secure a lasting peace in the region are not present in the U.S. peace plan unveiled by U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday, said Erekat, also the chief Palestinian negotiator since 2009. Erekat unraveled that the U.S. peace plan, known as the "Deal of the Century," is the same as a plan that Israeli prime minister's team of negotiators handed to the Palestinians in 2012. Palestinians, who immediately rejected the plan, said the plan does not respect international law, international legitimacy resolutions or the internationally-recognized terms of reference for the Palestinian-Israeli peace process. In response to Trump's announcement of the plan, Palestinian Present Mahmoud Abbas said that he will launch measures to change the "functional role of the Palestinian Authority." Erekat refused to disclose to reporters any details about concrete steps regarding changing the Palestinian Authority's functional role, but said that Abbas has sent a message to Netanyahu warning the consequences of the plan on both sides. He said that political and diplomatic steps will be taken, starting with the urgent Arab League meeting in Cairo on the issue on Saturday. "What we are trying to do is to achieve international consensus behind us, behind President Mahmoud Abbas, in his determination to achieve peace based on international law," explained Erekat. Maharashtra Housing Minister and NCP leader Jitendra Awhad has issued a clarification for his comment where he had said that "Indira Gandhi strangulated democracy" at a rally in Beed district. He also said that there might be differences between the Congress and other parties over the Emergency era but Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah do not come "even close to Indira Gandhi." "I have huge respect for Indira Gandhi's deeds. There may be some difference of opinion about the Emergency period but there is one truth I do not want to hide, that she cannot be compared to Modi-Shah. These two cannot reach even close to her," Awhad's tweet, roughly translated in English from Marathi, reads. Meanwhile, PWD Minister and Congress leader Ashok Chavan thanked Awhad for his clarification and added that the party will not tolerate any attack on its current or former leaders. "Indira Gandhiji sacrificed her life for the unity of this country. She is known for her solidity and her deeds. It is good that Awhad has timely revealed this. Still, I will say one thing for sure, if anyone defames our leader, we will give a befitting reply," Chavan's tweet reads. Awhad, earlier, had said that history will repeat itself just like former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's attempt to strangulate democracy in the past was defeated by students. Similarly, students will do so in the present day too. "Indira Gandhi had also strangulated democracy. Nobody was ready to speak against her. Then, students from Ahmedabad and Patna protested and the JP movement started leading to her defeat. This history will be repeated in Maharashtra and the country," Awhad had said at a public meeting in Beed on Wednesday. The NCP minister had said this in an apparent reference to the amended Citizenship Act brought by the Centre, which is being opposed by various state governments and protests, by citizens, are also being held across the country against it. Both the NCP and the Congress are a part of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ads on social media and emotive content created by activists are largely ungovernable and designed to influence electoral behaviour, says Joyce Fegan ] In the last week, how many times have you shared screenshots of political jokes or captioned photographs of political candidates in your WhatsApp groups or Facebook feed? In the world of online electioneering, anything goes, because there are no laws. With the general election to be held on February 8, the political parties are doing everything to get your vote, especially online. You have either been the target of paid ads on Facebook, Instagram, and Google (especially if youre a man living in Dublin), or else youve come across viral organic content, manufactured to tap into your emotions, especially your rage. The more you feel, the more you like, comment, and share. The Irish Examiner spoke to Facebook, to tech activists who are tracking activity online, and to academics who are analysing the effect of all of this on our voting choices and on our democracy. Online electioneering can be divided into two camps: there are the paid ads, which appear in transparency libraries on Facebook and Google, and there is the organic or non-paid content, which is created and shared widely by political activists who are gunning for your attention and vote. The paid ads are much easier to track and analyse. In seven days, from January 16 to January 22, parties and candidates ramped up their spending online, especially on Facebook. On Facebook ads, Fine Gael spent 20,771 in those seven days, and the partys leader, Leo Varadkar, has also been spending heavily on social media ads. His Facebook page spent between 4,000 and 4,500 on a single ad that ran from January 14 to January 16. It garnered more than one million impressions on Facebook. It was a video that was shown mostly to men living in Dublin. Fianna Fail spent 3,155 on Facebook ads in those seven days, with the partys leader, Micheal Martins page spending 173. One ad from Mr Martins page also heavily targeted men living in Dublin. Sinn Fein increased its spending, too. The partys page spent 4,152 on Facebook ads. One big concern with online electioneering is the risk of foreign influence. There are two things to note about this from last weeks campaign. Facebook removed an ad from Aontu candidate, James Hope, in Roscommon. The ad spend was recorded in US dollars. After this ad started running, we determined that its related to politics or issues of national importance. We require advertisers to pay for this type of ad in the currency that matches the country where the ad is shown. We took this ad down, because the currency and country targeting didnt match, said Facebook. And its not just candidates and parties who are taking out paid ads. A far-right media outlet operating in Ireland is taking out ads targeting Fine Gael and their candidates. The transparency section of this page says that it has 13 people in Ireland, and one person in Brazil, managing its profile. When it comes to Google ads, or ads on YouTube, parties are spending here, too, but at a much lower rate. 354 Irish political ads have run on Google since March 21, 2019, totalling 15,650. So, who, and what, is behind the ads, the spend, and the content youre inadvertently sharing in WhatsApp and on Facebook? One expert, Sam Jeffers, who has developed a free-to-use piece of software, called Who Targets Me, explained how the social media staff of political parties are trying to influence voters online. Parties will talk about policy and leadership and why opponents are so bad: some is positive, some is negative. Its always this mix, said Jeffers. Theyre trying to find people who will respond to that content. They see whats working and do more of it they get feedback from platforms stats. We see quite a lot of video people like video people taking clips off TV, where an opponent says something terrible. They clip that and put some money behind it and get traction online, Jeffers said. He also explained the two types of content that parties will push out. There are ads and non-paid content. Where parties can control things is in the advertising, whereas, for the non-paid content, youre hitting and hoping. What we saw in the UK election was that everyone expected the Conservatives to spend more on ads, but it seems, in the end, they did some of that, but they decided to run content that got people talking, that was deliberately provocative, in a way that the media talked about it, said Jeffers. Dr Eileen Culloty, from DCU, and who works in disinformation, said the media has a responsibility not to amplify content that was designed to be provocative. If candidates make a racist or sexist remark, that they know will garner media coverage, its important for journalists and editors to be mindful of what they report on, said Ms Culloty. Theyve had no training in this for journalists, and they are under huge pressure to get stories out, but its a matter of covering the news without amplifying it, she said. Ms Culloty emphasised the need for the public to be media literate. For example, if you see something online, be that a link to a story or a joke with a photo and a caption, can you find a source? If you cant, take it with a pinch of salt, she said. The digital campaigns are run by low-paid juniors, who are working long hours to push this content out. People who are monitoring, or working on, social media for political parties are not well-paid. Theyre junior roles, so when an ill-judged tweet goes out, we blame the party, said Ms Culloty. However, Sam Jeffers said that for high-level consultancy for campaigns, Irish political candidates have hired help from abroad, even if they are using junior staff to push out content online. Irish parties do have a history of hiring from abroad, said Mr Jeffers. In a very close election, he said that fine-grained decisions that people are making based on information theyre seeing online makes a difference. This kind of information is designed to make you feel angry or motivated enough to share parties and candidates content for them. Niamh Kirk, a researcher in UCD, has been tracking online political activity for several years now. She said the public can expect to see more paid and non-paid content fighting for their attention in the final days. Its only been a week or so. Judging by previous monitoring projects, the last 10 days is when things ramp up, Ms Kirk said. With political money being spent predominantly on Facebook, what is the platform doing to ensure fair play online, considering there is no legislation to which parties have to adhere? Dualta O Broin is head of public policy for Facebook and said the policing of online electioneering has improved greatly over the last four years. Weve come a very long way since 2016, the last US presidential election. Weve had a vast investment into a range of measures, to increase transparency: theres been a huge investment, O Broin said. US President Donald Trump Can the same online trends of fake news and disinformation that appeared in the US or UK occur here? Its difficult to make a prediction on that. Every election can be different and every candidate can make their own decisions, based on how theyre doing. Its hard to say: we expect X or we expect Y, said Mr O Broin. However, he did admit that the platform is watching whats going on with this Irish election. There is a high focus in the company on the Irish election, at the moment, to make sure nothing untoward happens, he said, but added that the platforms monitoring and transparency measures are running all the time, regardless. In the vacuum of legislation, groups such as the Irish Council for Civil Liberties have come together to ask parties to sign the fair play pledge to behave respectfully online. Several parties have signed up to the pledge, including Fianna Fail and Fine Gael. Jakob Reimer mastered dodging the pastand passing as an ordinary U.S. citizen. ON A FRIGID WINTER DAY in 1994, Jakob Reimer stepped onto the front porch of his rambling frame house along the shoreline of New Yorks Lake Carmel, sized up the stranger who had come to talk about the war, and abruptly declared, I am the most hated person in America. Reimers Eastern European accent had softened over the years and, in bedroom slippers and slacks, with tufts of silver hair combed over his ears, he looked every bit the ordinary American. At 76, he had long ago eased into a quiet retirement in the lakeside hamlet of 8,000, 60 miles north of Manhattan, where slower days waited on a spit of a beach and in the faded blue dinghies that bobbed along the water. But now a visitor was asking pointed questions about Reimers involvement in some of World War IIs darkest momentsa deadly stretch of deployments in German-occupied Poland. Two years earlier, federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., had accused him of helping to train and lead members of a brutal SS killing force behind the most skillful and comprehensive mass murder operation of the Holocaust. Many of those in the SS police forcelike these men at the Belzec extermination camp, one playing a mandolinwere recruited from captured Soviet POWs. (U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Instytut Pamieci Narodowej) The details had been buried for decades in the archives of Communist countries, but in a dusty basement in Prague in 1990, two American historians with a U.S. Department of Justice Nazi-hunting unit, Peter Black and Elizabeth Barry White, had unearthed an SS roster from the war years. It contained the names of more than 700 menReimer among themwho had been sent to an obscure training camp in the Polish village of Trawniki, an SS school for mass murder where some 5,000 recruits in all were armed, empowered, and deployed on deadly missions across occupied Poland. The so-called Trawniki men became a ruthless workforce: a small army of collaborators who helped the Germans murder 1.7 million Jews, along with Roma, Poles, and Soviet POWs, in fewer than 20 months. Black, who would go on to become the worlds foremost expert on the training camp, called the recruits foot soldiers of the Final Solution. Jakob Reimer, federal prosecutors alleged, had been a trusted Trawniki leader, one of the camps most steadfast workers. Reimer had denied the governments allegations, insisting that he had never taken part in the persecution of Jews. But he had gone on to confess under questioning to shooting at a prisoner during a massacre deep in the woods outside the camp. I just say that I had to make one effort at least while the German was looking at me, Reimer had told prosecutors two years earlier. I shot at the direction. I couldnt very well just stand there. I had to make an effort or something. More than 40 years after Reimer had slipped into the United States alongside thousands of war refugees from Europe, the Justice Department was pressing to strip him of his U.S. citizenship and remove him from the country. It was an intolerable thought to Reimer, who had an American wife and American sons, a church, a Social Security card, a respectable end to a career running a potato chip franchise in Brooklyn. Pacing his front porch, he studied New York magazine journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, who was writing a story about the governments pending denaturalization case. All his life, Reimer had survived on his wits and easygoing manner, staying one step ahead of fate even during the most trying times. Under the unflinching glare of the Justice Department and history itself, he was quite certain that his future depended on how he answered for his past. He looked at Goldberg. They have the wrong man. I did not do anything to the Jewish people. IF IT WERENT FOR a sugar refinery and a railway station, there may never have been a thriving Polish settlement in the village of Trawniki. Traders and craftsmen migrated to the area at the end of the 19th century, turning the sprawling countryside about 130 miles southeast of Warsaw into a small village, with thatched-roof houses and farms that in the summer months grew bright-yellow canola flowers. One hundred Jewish families from a nearby congregation had settled on land near the refinery and, even after the plant closed a few decades before the war, the modest village maintained a tiny industrial core, linked to the rest of Poland through rail lines that snaked across the country in every direction. An ideal place to train and deploy a makeshift army. The recruits became known as Trawniki men for the SS camp in the village where they trained. (Bundesarchiv, Bild 101III-Wisniewski-020-11A/Photo: Wisniewski) The recruits became known as Trawniki men for the SS camp in the village where they trained. (Bundesarchiv, Bild 101III-Wisniewski-020-11A/Photo: Wisniewski) In late summer 1941, Jakob Reimer, a then 22-year-old ethnic German born in Ukraine, arrived in Trawniki in a convoy of captured Soviet soldiers, altogether surprised that he was still alive. The Germans had overrun his platoon in Minsk, and Reimera Red Army officer with the 447th Soviet Infantry Regimenthad been taken to Stalag 307 in eastern Poland. If the Germans discovered his rank, Reimer knew there would be no mercy. Hitler had instructed the high command of German armed forces to summarily shoot officers and Communist officials at the time of capture. Word of the order had spread among Red Army soldiers. Reimer had been sure to destroy his papers, but it seemed only a matter of time before the Germans identified him as an artillery lieutenant who had commanded a platoon of Soviet soldiers. But he had been recruited, not killeda startling twist of fate. And now he found himself in what appeared to be an SS training camp, posing for a service photo as a newly dubbed auxiliary police guard. Black hair, gray eyes, the lines of his mouth drawn into something of a grimace. Did he ever belong to the Communist Party? Reimer had said no. Was he racially pure? Did he have Jewish ancestors? Reimer knew quite well that Germans routinely shot Jewish soldiers of the Red Army. No, hed said again. Reimer was fingerprinted and offered a hand-me-down Polish army uniform that had been dyed black. He was also given an identification number that would follow him throughout his career as a Trawniki man: 865. SS chief Heinrich Himmler reviews a Trawniki unit (above); he placed the head of the SS and police in Polands Lublin district, Odilo Globocnik (below, at right), in charge of eradicating Polands Jews. (U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Courtesy of James Blevins) SS chief Heinrich Himmler reviews a Trawniki unit (above); he placed the head of the SS and police in Polands Lublin district, Odilo Globocnik (below, at right), in charge of eradicating Polands Jews. (U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Courtesy of James Blevins) (Bundesarchiv, Bild 137-064563/Photo: O. Ang) (Bundesarchiv, Bild 137-064563/Photo: O. Ang) Jews deported from Polands odz Ghetto board trains destined for a death camppart of an increasingly efficient system of mass murder. (U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum) Jews deported from Polands odz Ghetto board trains destined for a death camppart of an increasingly efficient system of mass murder. (U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum) Reimer followed the other recruits to a barn where they would be housed, in the shadow of a watchtower. Most of the men were like ReimerSoviet POWs who had been recruited to serve the SS. They would undergo rudimentary training: military drills and lessons on how to use the weapons they would soon be issued. They would be taught German marching songs and attend lectures about the superiority of the German race. If they served with honor, they would receive food, beds, and spending money of one half a Reichsmark per day. For that, Reimer was grateful. He had been born in 1918 in a farm village in Soviet Ukraine, the sixth of seven children. His father had come from Holland, but his mothers family was among the Volksdeutsche who had migrated from Germany to the Ukrainian countryside under the rule of Tsarina Catherine the Great in the 18th century. Drawn by the prospect of work in agriculture and of exemptions from German military service, thousands had settled in the region. Reimers village, along a half-mile stretch of dirt road, was filled with families from northwestern Germany that spoke a dialect known as Plattdeutsch. On a plot of land lined with rose bushes and fruit trees, Reimers father had grown wheat and taken it to the windmills to grind into flour. The family attended a small church in the village, and Reimer went to school with other Volksdeutsche children. In the 1930s, famine swept the Soviet Unioninstigated by Joseph Stalin to impose forced collectivizationand Soviet authorities started confiscating Volksdeutsche farms and holdings. Reimers family lost everything: the land, pigs, and horses. Reimers father was sent to a labor camp and his older brother to Siberia. Reimer, his mother, and younger brother fled to a Mennonite settlement in the Caucasus. Reimer, a skilled horse trainer and jockey, found work at a nearby track, learning Russian and quickly impressing his Soviet supervisors. Keenly aware of the repression his family suffered, he enrolled in a Russian school, a sure way to survive under Stalins rule. He planned to become a librarian. But at the start of the war in 1939, he was drafted into the Red Army. Well-schooled and eager to display his loyalties to the Soviet regime, he was made an officer and given his own platoon of soldiers. In the barn at the Trawniki training camphundreds of miles from home and wearing the uniform of his enemyReimer studied the eclectic group of recruits: fellow ethnic Germans, Lithuanians, Latvians, Ukrainians, the occasional Pole. Most were young, like Reimer, still in their early 20s. They were filthy and starving, but Reimer knew they were among the lucky ones. The Germans, busy fighting on the Soviet front, were desperate for manpower. SS chief Heinrich Himmler planned to eventually Germanize the occupied East, a strategic and economic stronghold for the Reich, with lush farmland that Nazi leaders intended to turn over to ethnic German settlers living in Yugoslavia, Hungary, Romania, and the Soviet Union. Under the command of the SS leader for occupied Polands Lublin District, the SS had pulled men from Soviet POW camps: German speakers, skilled workers, and those who looked reasonably healthy. Reimer and the other recruits had been offered food and straw for bedding, a much-welcome gesture after imprisonment behind barbed wire. We lived like animals, Reimer would say later to federal investigators. Now there was a building; you had a bath. To survive at Trawniki, Reimer would have to put his Soviet past behind him and start againthis time as a trusted collaborator of the SS. IN MARCH 1942, seven months after Jakob Reimer arrived at Trawniki, the entire camp prepared to head north. The first major deployment would turn into an assignment spanning several weeks in the nearby city of Lublin and its Jewish ghetto, crowded with tens of thousands of people. By then Reimer had leveraged his German-language skills to great advantage. He had been promoted to platoon leader, tasked with training and leading Trawniki recruits. Reimer and hundreds of Trawniki menalmost all of those recruited since the establishment of the training camparrived in Lublin after nightfall and, in the still-dark early-morning hours, fanned out along the perimeter of the ghetto, rifles cocked and ready. They lighted the streetlamps and summoned surprised families outside. Some Trawniki men panicked, prompting an early round of bloodshed. Gunshots rang out into the night air. Rifle butts cracked against bone. Whips snapped against flesh. Years later, witnesses would recount how the men of Trawniki had tossed children out the windows of apartment buildings and shot the elderly and sick on the spot, how afterward bodies lay on cobblestone streets. SS troops walk past a block of burning buildings in the Warsaw ghetto; the original German caption reads, simply: An assault squad. (U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration, College Park) SS troops walk past a block of burning buildings in the Warsaw ghetto; the original German caption reads, simply: An assault squad. (U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration, College Park) The ghetto was one of the largest in Poland, packed with Jews from Lublin as well as thousands who had been sent on trains from surrounding towns. For weeks, the Trawniki men, assisted by local police forces, took as many as 1,500 people a day to waiting boxcars two miles away. They were deported to Belzec in southeastern Poland, an SS-run center built solely for death, with double-walled gas chambers only a few hundred feet from the train platform. Some SS and Trawniki men went to the Jewish hospital in Lublin, where they loaded 200 patients onto trucks, drove them outside the city, and shot them. They also murdered residents of a nursing home and children from a Jewish orphanage. Early one morning that spring, a company of Trawniki men climbed onto SS trucks and headed north, winding some 10 miles along country roads to the entrance of the Krepiec Forest, hushed and still. Another truck pulled up, this one filled with several dozen Jewish prisoners from what was left of the ghetto, a terrified mass of men, women, and children. The prisoners were told to drop their belongings on the ground by the side of the highway. The Trawniki men drove the prisoners deep into the woods, down a trail with twisted branches and crushed leaves. There was a clearing about 1,000 yards away. Some of the Jewish men had been told they would be put to work in the woods, but they found only a large, jagged hole in the ground. Women started to wail as the Trawniki men used their rifle butts to prod the prisoners closer to the pit. Gunfire erupted. In seconds, the bodies were motionless, a mass of tangled limbs. More transports showed up, each truck filled with 50 people. The shootings lasted well into the night. AS EFFICIENT MASS MURDER increasingly expanded under German rule, Reimer was deployed to the southern Polish city of Czestochowa on the Warta River northwest of Krakow. In September 1942 on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, German police, reinforced by Trawniki men, began ordering the citys 40,000 Jews to gather their hand luggage and assemble on the streets. The elderly and frail were shot on the spot; the rest, made to remove their shoes to deter the possibility of escape, were forced onto 58 train cars bound for the killing center Treblinka. During the mission Reimer had positioned guards in the ghetto and coordinated with the Germans and local authorities; for his success, he was promoted to Zugwachmann, a guard staff sergeant. In April 1943, Reimer arrived in Warsaw for his third deployment. The largest ghetto in German-occupied Poland had once confined more than 400,000 people in less than two square miles of space. By the time Reimer showed up, during the Jewish holiday of Passover, the SS and police had killed or deported to Treblinka most of the ghettos residents. About 60,000 Jews were left. During a previous attempt to remove Jews, the Germans had met resistance. They expected more now. Reimer reported to the German security police just inside the ghetto. Three hundred and fifty Trawniki men were already there, ready to help suppress any Jewish resistance. The Germans had brought in combat engineers, demolition experts, a squad of flamethrower specialists, tanks, armored carriers, machine guns, and explosives. Even the Luftwaffe stood ready. SS troops and police search Jewish department heads at an armaments factory in Warsaw (above); other ghetto residents line up against a wall before a weapons search (below). Many thousands were deported to death or labor camps. (U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration, College Park) SS troops and police search Jewish department heads at an armaments factory in Warsaw (above); other ghetto residents line up against a wall before a weapons search (below). Many thousands were deported to death or labor camps. (U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration, College Park) They expected to round up thousands of people, but many of the ghettos remaining inhabitants had fled to a labyrinth of dugouts, bunkers, cellars, and passageways dug deep beneath the earth, some equipped with cots and food supplies meant to last months. Resistance fighters took aim from sniper holes; several dozen mounted a German truck and drove off. Jewish women fired pistols with both hands and tossed grenades that they had concealed in their undergarments. It was the start of a fierce, bloody operation, and at nightfall, Reimer and the Trawniki men, armed with rifles, bayonets, and ammunition pouches, retreated to a bunker in a schoolhouse a half-mile west of the ghetto. The Germans decided to burn the ghetto, street by street. Soon, flames charred apartment buildings, warehouses, stores, and workshops. German forces threw tear-gas bombs into sewers and poison gas into dugouts and bunkers. Those still in hiding scrambled out into the light, hands on their heads, dirt on their faces. A first glimpse of black leather boots. A final surrender into the eye of a cocked machine gun. The Warsaw ghetto uprising ended three weeks later, with all but eight buildings leveled, more than 7,000 Jews killed, 7,000 deported to the gas chambers of Treblinka, and 42,000 sent to Lublin/Majdanek Concentration Camp outside Lublin or to forced-labor camps in the villages of Trawniki and Poniatowa. The German commander in charge of the Warsaw operation praised his patchwork army, including the Trawniki men, for pluck, courage and devotion. Assured the commander: We will never forget them. Reimer earned a two-week paid vacation. He went to find his sister in the Ukrainian countryside in July 1943 before making his way back to Trawniki. Only months after his return, the Germans would shoot nearly every Jewish prisoner then being held at Trawniki and two nearby camps in a massacre known as Operation Harvest Festival. Shoes taken from Jews at killing centers in Poland were stored at the Lublin/Majdanek camp; their weight collapsed the storehouse. (Everett Collection Inc/Alamy Stock Photo) Shoes taken from Jews at killing centers in Poland were stored at the Lublin/Majdanek camp; their weight collapsed the storehouse. (Everett Collection Inc/Alamy Stock Photo) IN THE SPRING OF 1945, as Soviet forces pushed west, Reimers commanders issued one final order: burn your papers and run. Reimer ditched his Trawniki uniform, donned civilian clothes, and made his way toward Munich. With three successful deployments, Reimers service at Trawniki had earned him service medals and citizenship in Nazi Germany. Now, his life depended on his ability to keep his identity a secret. If he were found out, the Soviets would call him a traitor; the Americans, a Nazi collaborator. To survive, he would have to put his past behind him, find a way to recast himself all over again. He decided to masquerade as a war refugee and again make use of his German-language skills. He got a job with the U.S. Armys 26th Station Hospital, chauffeuring GIs to movies and frequenting dance halls at night. Still, it would be bestsafestif he could start again. Ships with thousands of refugees were leaving Germany, bound for America. In passing the Displaced Persons Act of 1948, the U.S. Congress had offered to provide refuge to hundreds of thousands of Europeans, particularly those fleeing Communism. I was determined to get out of there, Reimer would tell prosecutors years later. Quite frankly, I didnt have my hope up. Reimer filled out an immigration application, careful to say that he had worked only as an interpreter for the German army during the war. He likely would have received quick approval, but U.S. authorities flagged the case after learning that Nazi Germany had granted him citizenship in 1944. The U.S. Army Counterintelligence Corps launched an investigation. What was Trawniki? Reimer had noted his service at the camp on his German citizenship application. He told the Americans that he had been only a guard-soldier and interpreter, and later a paymaster in the Trawniki administration. It had been mundane work for the Germans, he said, bureaucratic in nature. Luckily for Reimer, the U.S. State Department knew little about the camp. In June 1952, the transport ship USS General M. L. Hersey left Bremerhaven, West Germany, and crossed the choppy waters of the Atlantic. It eased into the harbor in New York City, where David Garroway was anchoring the Today show and Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra were on a winning streak that would take the Yankees to their fourth consecutive World Series. Hundreds of European refugees spilled out onto the streets of the city. One of them was Jakob Reimer, Trawniki recruit 865. Reimer, accompanied by attorney Ramsey Clark, arrives at court in New York in August 1998; the 79-year-old retiree insisted he was innocent. (Mitch Jacobson/Associated Press) Reimer, accompanied by attorney Ramsey Clark, arrives at court in New York in August 1998; the 79-year-old retiree insisted he was innocent. (Mitch Jacobson/Associated Press) ON THE FRONT PORCH of his house in Lake Carmel in 1994, Reimer was frustrated. Turning to journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, Reimer insisted that he had done nothing wrong. He had been a supply sergeant at Trawnikinothing moreforced into service by the SS and kept in the dark about the fate of the Jews. From his porch, Reimer started to shout. Did World War II happen? Yes. Did I do what they said I did? No. Im at peace with myself. But federal prosecutors had more than 80 German documents and 132 statements from victims, witnesses, and Nazi perpetrators. The work of Peter Black and other historians, and the prosecutors at the Office of Special Investigations, had laid bare Reimers stretch of deployments and the scope of the Trawniki training camp itself. Four years after Reimers interview in Lake Carmel, the Justice Department presented its case against him in the Southern District Court of New York. Then 79, Reimer insisted he was innocent. In a courtroom packed with lawyers, journalists, and Holocaust survivors, he described himself as a starving prisoner of war and an unwitting Nazi recruit. Have you ever persecuted any Jewish people? Reimers lawyer asked. No, I havent. Have you ever hated any group of peopleAfrican Americans or Gypsies or Jews or anybody? No way, no, Reimer answered. You are supposed to love all the people. Four years after the hearing, in September 2002, the judge found that Reimer had logistically supported the SS during the most violent months of the Holocaust. He was stripped of his U.S. citizenship and given 30 days to turn in his passport. In New York, U.S. Attorney James Comey, who would go on to become the seventh director of the FBI, told the New York Times, Reimers presence in the United States is an affront to all those killed in the Holocaust. Though Reimers past and the history of the Trawniki training camp had officially become part of the public record, pieced together by a small group of American Nazi hunters, Reimer managed to stay a step ahead of fate. Before the federal government could find a country willing to take him, he died in Pennsylvania in 2005. This article was published in the February 2020 issue of World War II. LOS ANGELES, CA, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- World Poker Fund Holdings, Inc. (OTC PINK: WPFH), a leading developer and operator of on-line technology, gaming platforms and brands, announces today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire two casinos in the Philippines. WPFH has secured (Winter, 2019) from HatchAsia, two casinos, located in the Philippines 1) Madison Casino in Mandaluyong and 2) Penny Lane Casino in Davao. The casinos are presently being run by PAGCOR (Phillipino Gaming Commission) and both casinos are attached to hotels. They were acquired for a combination of cash and stock for the agreed upon price of $4,000,000 US Dollars. They are presently valued by HatchAsia around $10,000,000 US Dollars. Due to conflict with other gaming licenses, HatchAsia was looking to liquidate these holdings. Madison Casino The Madison Casino has 2500 square meters of gaming space with 16 gaming tables, 350 gaming machines, and private gaming space, which we anticipate under our ownership will generate Net revenue of approximately $400,000.00 US Dollars a month or $4,800,000.00 US Dollars a year, commencing in Fiscal 2020. Penny Lane Casino The Penny Lane Casino has 1100 square meters of gaming space with 8 gaming tables and 200 gaming machines which we anticipate under our ownership will generate Net revenue of approximately $300,000.00 US Dollars a month or $3,600,000.00 US Dollars a year, commencing in fiscal 2020. We intend to continue operations while we explore other partnerships within the Philippines and utilize these casinos to push further into the Asian gaming world. About World Poker Fund Holdings, Inc. World Poker Fund Holdings, Inc. is a leading developer and operator of on-line technology, gaming platforms and brands. The company does not offer any games or gaming opportunities for cash in the United States and is not licensed as a gaming operator in the United States or any other jurisdiction. To learn more about World Poker Fund Holdings (WPFH) and its upcoming events, please visit www.worldpokerfund.com. Safe Harbor Statement This news release contains forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements that are other than statements of historical facts. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks including, but not limited to, product and service demand and acceptance, changes in technology, economic conditions, the impact of competition pricing, government regulation, and other risks described in statements filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All such forward-looking statements whether written or oral, and whether made by or on behalf of the Company, are expressly qualified by the cautionary statements that may accompany the forward-looking statements. In addition, the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. The University of Sydney Union Alumni and Friends Association (USUAF) is part of the University of Sydneys Alumni Network. USUAF (formerly USU Foundation) has since 1966 supported the Union through networking opportunities, mentoring and celebrating cultural achievements of the Union community. The USUAF is a group of friends and alumni of the Union, past and present, and aims to maintain a sense of continuity between students, alumni and the wider community. At the behest of the Union Board, USUAF provides support and assistance in the areas of stakeholder relations and strategic advice. Those involved in the USUAF enjoy the benefits of staying in contact with the USU alumni and friends community with news, activities and events hosted by the Union and the University. Professor the Reverend Charles Badham, President of the Mens Union said it best in his address to members on 16th April 1875. Every bond which knits the students together every pursuit in which the students of former times have fellowship with the students of today are signs of that natural sympathy and union of spirit which is a guarantee of the strength and permanence of the body which it pervades. As an alumni and friend of the Union, you have a highly valuable role as the Union and Universitys ambassador long after your time on campus. The most important amongst these is to stay in touch keep us up-to-date with your contact details for post and email. As alumni, you can also engage with us by reading the USU e-news, Sydney Alumni Magazine (SAM) and the monthly e-Sydney news; check out the events on our website to see what is going on and join in events you may be interested to attend. You are also welcome to join our regular general meetings that take place throughout the year on Camperdown campus. For details about the meeting schedule, please contact the USUAF Honorary Secretary. We welcome volunteers to help us out with our numerous programs and events, mentor our student leaders, provide tutoring, research assistance, and internship opportunities. So spread the word to encourage other USU alumni and friends to get involved. After the recent firestorm around the long-cold case of Kristin Smart, a Cal Poly student who went missing in 1996, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office has issued a statement regarding the investigation's status. In the statement, law enforcement confirmed they have "two trucks in evidence" that belonged to the family of Paul Flores, the primary suspect in Smart's disappearance and murder. Since 2011, the Sheriff's Office has recovered "140 new items of evidence," conducted 91 in-person interviews and submitted almost 40 pieces of evidence to be reexamined using modern DNA-testing methods. They've also served 18 search warrants during that time, although they did not specify what or who those warrants were directed toward. "Although it is generally not our practice to comment on items of evidence in active investigations, in this specific case we can confirm that the Sheriffs Office currently holds two trucks in evidence that belonged to Flores family members in 1996," the Sheriff's Office said in a statement Wednesday. Around 2 a.m. on Memorial Day weekend 1996, the 19-year-old Cal Poly freshman headed back to her residence hall after attending a frat party. Smart was accompanied by three fellow students. Two peeled off before reaching her dorm, walking back to their own residences. The third, Flores, later told police he dropped her off on campus at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Perimeter Road in San Luis Obispo. Smart was never seen again. Smart's family has long professed their belief that Flores is involved. Some months after Smart's disappearance, San Luis Obispo County sheriff's deputies employed scent dogs trained to alert at the smell of human remains; police said four dogs independently led them to Flores' dorm room, but no evidence was found. For years, the Smart family kept tabs on Flores, even sending news articles about his link to the case to employers. The Smarts said the Navy declined to enlist him after learning of the disappearance. The case catapulted back into the public eye last week when Smart's mother Denise told the Stockton Record she had been contacted by an FBI agent who cautioned her to "be ready" for imminent news. The FBI later said the individual who spoke with Denise Smart was an ex-agent not affiliated with the current investigation. The Smart family issued a statement Wednesday thanking Chris Lambert, the creator of "Your Own Backyard," a podcast about the case, for drawing more attention to Kristin's disappearance. "Thanks to Chris and all the supporters who have made such an amazing difference. Your Own Backyard has been instrumental in renewing interest in Kristins investigation and generating many new leads," the statement read. "... Keep the faith and know that you are all making a difference." Although Smart's body was never found, she was legally declared dead in 2002. Katie Dowd is an SFGATE Senior Digital Editor. Contact: katie.dowd@sfgate.com | Twitter: @katiedowd Squirmed for a bit before going still: The final moments of Nirbhayas killers Explained: What is Section 854, which is leading to the delay in hanging Nirbhayas killers India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Jan 30: The four convicts in the Nirbhaya are using a loophole in the law to tactically delay their hanging. There is a provision in the Delhi Prison Rules that says that in case of multiple death row convicts in the same case, the hanging cannot take place unless each of them has exhausted all legal options. Let us examine that provision: Section 854: Section 854 of the revised Delhi Prison Rules says that in case of multiple death row convicts in the same crime, none of them can be hanged until the last one has exhausted all legal options. Explained: What the Centre's push for timely execution of death row convicts means EU Parliament postpones voting on resolution against CAA, India hails it as diplomatic win|Oneindia These legal options include review petitions, curative petitions and also a mercy plea before the President of India. Even if the President rejects a mercy petition, the same can be challenged before the Supreme Court. Home Ministry recommendations: The Union Home Ministry had recently petitioned the Supreme Court to fix deadlines in cases of death sentences. It had said in its plea that a seven-day deadline should be fixed for executions of the death penalty after the black warrant is issued. However, any decision that the Supreme Court would take on this plea, it would not have a retrospective effect in the Nirbhaya case. The case so far: On Wednesday, the Supreme Court dismissed the curative plea filed by Mukesh Singh. He had challenged the rejection of his mercy petition by the President. With the SC rejecting the curative plea, Singh has run out of all legal options. On Wednesday evening, another convict Vinay filed a mercy petition with the president. The same was filed directly in the President's secretariat. Today the SC would hear the curative plea filed by another co-convict Akshay. If the same is rejected, then he has the option of filing a mercy petition before the President and then challenges the same in the form of a curative plea before the Supreme Court. Explained: The final moments before a hanging The fourth convict Pawan is yet to file a curative plea. Under Section 854 of the revised Delhi Prison Rules, none can be hanged till the last one has exhausted all options in case of multiple death row convicts, held guilty for the same crime. Further, even if the President rejects the mercy plea, two weeks time has to be given to the convict before the execution. Exporters on Thursday urged the government to review the possible impact of deadly on trade as is one of the top trading partners for India. The Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) said that if the problem persists for long, it may impact domestic mobile manufacturers as they import certain components from "Mobile exporters may face issues if the problem will continue for long as they import lot of components from the neighbouring country," FIEO Director General Ajaya Sahai said. He added that certain Indian exporters have received inquiries from Hong Kong and for import of N72 masks. "We have provided details of those suppliers to them," he said. Engineering exporters said that China is among the top ten destinations for engineering shipments. "We urged the government to review the possible impact of deadly on trade as well," the Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) of India said in a statement. Indian engineering exports to China increased by a significant 27.60 per cent to USD 1.77 billion (about Rs 12,600 crore) during April-December 2019-20 from USD 1.33 billion (about Rs 9,500 crore) a year ago, according to EEPC India analysis. "In fact, China has emerged as our 10th largest export destination for engineering goods, dominated by iron and steel as also industrial machinery,'' EEPC Chairman Ravi Sehgal said. With disruptions reported in China due to transport and travel restrictions in several cities, the council is trying to ascertain the exact impact on trade, Sehgal said. "Exports to China showed significant increase against the backdrop of overall negative trend of 1.95 per cent in total engineering exports of USD 57.9 billion for the April-December 2019-20 period," he said. The deadly continues to wreak havoc in China with 25 new fatalities reported from central Hubei province, taking the death toll to 132 and confirmed infection cases to nearly 6,000, as health experts warned that the epidemic may reach its peak in the next 10 days resulting in large-scale casualties. A Sydney bodybuilder who shot at his pregnant ex-girlfriend's house before aiming bullets at police was killed by officers in a hail of bullets, an inquest has heard. gunman Daniel King was fatally shot in the head by police after a terrifying shootout in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. The tattooed gym junkie, 32, had shot up his pregnant ex-girlfriend's house on October 2 last year before driving to Penrith police station and firing at officers with a shotgun. Scroll down for video Daniel King, 32, (pictured) died after spraying shotgun rounds at officers outside a Sydney police station in a dramatic shootout Terrified witnesses were left shaken up after watching police shoot a crazed gunman dead after he sprayed police with shotgun pellets (pictured) HOW THE DEADLY SHOOTING RAMPAGE IN SYDNEY'S WEST UNFOLDED Daniel King, 32, begins his shooting spree about 8:45pm on Wednesday, opening fire on a Marayong house occupied by his pregnant former lover Stacey Taylor. King next drove to St Marys Police Station and fired into that building about 9.15pm. His final stand-off was at Penrith Police Station just after 9.30pm, when he approached a police vehicle and started shooting from a pump-action 12-gauge shotgun. Officers returned fire and King was killed. A male constable suffered pellet wounds to the back of the head and was taken to Westmead Hospital with non life-threatening injuries, police said. Several other officers suffered minor injuries that were not gunshot-related. Ms Taylor on Thursday revealed she was seven months pregnant with King's child, and that he had threatened her in the months leading up to the rampage. She says King denied the baby was his, and threatened to kill himself if she didn't get an abortion. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 Advertisement Police returned fire, with an autopsy showing King died of multiple gunshot wounds to the head, torso and limbs, according to the Daily Telegraph. One constable narrowly escaped death and had to undergo emergency surgery to remove shotgun pellets from his skull. In shocking footage from the incident, King is seen outside Penrith police station with a shotgun slung over his shoulder. As two officers pull up at the station, King is seen firing at them as they sprint away. The officers are seen running for their lives, with one dramatically falling to the ground before quickly jumping back up and finishing their desperate dash inside. As the station went into lockdown, King was seen walking back and forth out the front, his gun over his shoulder. Police then arrive from the back of the station, lights flashing, and the shootout which would ultimately end King's life began. The musclebound thug is seen firing at police, falling as he is hit, and continually getting back up to continue shooting. King opened fire on the home of former flame Stacey Taylor earlier on Wednesday night before driving away and shooting up St Marys and Penrith police stations in western Sydney. He had told friends he wanted his death to be 'big' and that he planned for police to 'take him out'. He got his wish moments after he unloaded his shotgun on a patrol car outside Penrith station at 9.35pm. Timeline: King's attack began 8.45pm when shots were fired into a home in Marayong - but no-one was injured. He then moved on to St Marys, and finally Penrith police stations Daniel King (pictured) shot at police officers in western Sydney after shooting up his ex-lover's home on Wednesday night Ms Taylor, who had a 'one night stand' with King, was inside her home with her three children when he began his rampage by spraying it with bullets. She hid in the bedroom until he drove off. Ms Taylor was 27 weeks pregnant with his child. King had gone to extreme lengths to pressure Ms Taylor into aborting the pregnancy prior to his death. When she refused, he threatened to have her stabbed in the stomach and allegedly hired a hitman to 'stomp' her. Two police officers were injured in the attack (one is pictured being taken to hospital) King (pictured) started a clothing line earlier this year and he promoted the business on Instagram with risque photos of himself It's understood King wanted the unborn child dead to save his relationship with another woman, Natalie, who was also carrying his baby. Bewildered shooting victim Ms Taylor said had not heard from King directly in months. In April, he had texted her threatening to take his own life if she did not abort her baby. He refused to believe it was his and demanded she get a blood test proving his paternity. Another of his lovers, Claire (pictured) said in a Facebook post that he had previously spoken about being killed in a dramatic way In one message, he bizarrely claimed 'if you want to play this game DOCS will be called and you'll be made to get an abortion.' The suspected steroid user added: 'If you recon (sic) I'm on the gear you know that can make me incredibly infertile for duration of the cycle OR it can make the child of whom deformed.' 'On the gear' is a commonly used expression for taking steroids. A third woman, Claire, also said she was pregnant with King's baby earlier last year, but they didn't go ahead with the pregnancy. With his love life in tatters, King decided to give police no option but to slay him in a hail of bullets. 'You had dreams about the way you would go out, you wanted it to be big just like it was,' Claire said in a tribute to her former lover on Facebook. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 30, 2020 08:04 713 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20619eb24 1 Politics house-of-representatives,Yasonna-Laoly,harun-masiku,PDI-P,graft-allegation Free House of Representatives Commission III overseeing legal affairs plans to summon Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly to demand an explanation for the removal of his aides from the ministrys Immigration Directorate General. "We will together hear an explanation from the minister during a meeting next week," Commission III head Herman Hery said on Wednesday. The two top immigration officials, director general Ronny F. Sompie and director of systems and technology Alif Suadi, were removed from their positions amid an investigation into allegations that the ministry had covered up the whereabouts of a graft fugitive, Harun Masiku. Harun, a House member from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), was named a suspect by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for allegedly giving General Elections Commission (KPU) commissioner Wahyu Setiawan a bribe of Rp 900 million (US$65,916) in the hope of securing a seat in the House as a replacement for the late Nazarudin Kiemas. The KPU had previously decided to assign the seat to Riezky Aprilia, who won the second highest number of votes for the seat in the April 17, 2019, legislative elections. Harun finished sixth in the election. Despite the summons, Herman who is also a member of the PDI-P said he supported the removal because it was necessary to avoid a "conflict of interest during the investigation". Yasonna, a senior member of the PDI-P, apparently insisted that Harun had left the country on Jan. 6 and remained overseas as of Jan. 16. An investigative report by Tempo, on the other hand, found that Harun had come back to Jakarta on the following day, on Jan. 7. Immigration officials, who first denied the report, later confirmed that it was accurate. "Harun returned to Jakarta on a Batik Air flight on Jan. 7," Ronny said on Wednesday last week, claiming there had been a "delay in the processing of traffic data at terminal F" of the Soekarno-Hatta International airport. Yasonna, therefore, has since been accused of deliberately covering up Harun's whereabouts, with critics pointing to his apparent conflict of interest. A petition was even launched calling for his dismissal from the Cabinet. He has played down the allegations, maintaining that the inconsistency was merely the result of a technical glitch. The minister had even set up a "fact-finding team", comprising officials from the National Police's cybercrime unit and the Communications and Information Ministry, to investigate the "error". "The director general was suspended to avoid a conflict of interest during the investigation," Yasonna said on Tuesday. However, Hinca Panjaitan, a lawmaker on Commission III from the Democratic Party criticized the removal of the Immigration Office's top officials, saying it would not significantly contribute to the effort of finding Harun. "Removing the immigration officials is not enough. [The ministry] had to explain what's actually happening, whether the 'error' was intended or not," Hinca said, as quoted by kompas.com. (vny) Find all our Student Opinion questions here. How much time do you spend on your phone? Do you think of it as time well spent? Or, do you ever wish you were on it less? Do your parents, or other adults in your life, try to control how much you use your phone? Are they worried that too much screen time is bad for you in some way? Are you worried? In Panicking About Your Kids Phones? New Research Says Dont, Nathaniel Popper writes about new research that challenges the belief that phones and social media lead to depression and anxiety in teenagers: The latest research, published on Friday by two psychology professors, combs through about 40 studies that have examined the link between social media use and both depression and anxiety among adolescents. That link, according to the professors, is small and inconsistent. There doesnt seem to be an evidence base that would explain the level of panic and consternation around these issues, said Candice L. Odgers, a professor at the University of California, Irvine, and the lead author of the paper, which was published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. The debate over the harm we and especially our children are doing to ourselves by staring into phones is generally predicated on the assumption that the machines we carry in our pockets pose a significant risk to our mental health. Worries about smartphones have led Congress to pass legislation to examine the impact of heavy smartphone use and pushed investors to pressure big tech companies to change the way they approach young customers. The article goes on to say: But some researchers question whether those fears are justified. They are not arguing that intensive use of phones does not matter. Children who are on their phones too much can miss out on other valuable activities, like exercise. And research has shown that excessive phone use can exacerbate the problems of certain vulnerable groups, like children with mental health issues. They are, however, challenging the widespread belief that screens are responsible for broad societal problems like the rising rates of anxiety and sleep deprivation among teenagers. In most cases, they say, the phone is just a mirror that reveals the problems a child would have even without the phone. The researchers worry that the focus on keeping children away from screens is making it hard to have more productive conversations about topics like how to make phones more useful for low-income people, who tend to use them more, or how to protect the privacy of teenagers who share their lives online. In 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics published a paper that warned doctors about Facebook depression, but later revised its statement: Megan Moreno, one of the lead authors of the revised statement, said the original statement had been a problem because it created panic without a strong basis of evidence. Dr. Moreno, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin, said that in her own medical practice, she tends to be struck by the number of children with mental health problems who are helped by social media because of the resources and connections it provides. Concern about the connection between smartphones and mental health has also been fed by high-profile works like a 2017 article in The Atlantic and a related book by the psychologist Jean Twenge, who argued that a recent rise in suicide and depression among teenagers was linked to the arrival of smartphones. In her article, Have Smartphones Ruined a Generation?, Ms. Twenge attributed the sudden rise in reports of anxiety, depression and suicide from teens after 2012 to the spread of smartphones and social media. Ms. Twenges critics argue that her work found a correlation between the appearance of smartphones and a real rise in reports of mental health issues, but that it did not establish that phones were the cause. It could, researchers argue, just as easily be that the rise in depression led teenagers to excessive phone use at a time when there were many other potential explanations for depression and anxiety. Whats more, anxiety and suicide rates appear not to have risen in large parts of Europe, where phones have also become more prevalent. Why else might American kids be anxious other than telephones? Mr. Hancock said. How about climate change? How about income inequality? How about more student debt? There are so many big giant structural issues that have a huge impact on us but are invisible and that we arent looking at. Students, read the entire article, then tell us: How much time do you spend on your phone on an average day? And, what do you typically do? Does using your phone have a positive effect on your overall well-being? Does it help you build relationships, connect with resources and make you feel less isolated? What are the other positive benefits? Does the way you use your phone have any negative effects? For example, does using it ever make you feel anxious, lonely, depressed or just sleep-deprived? Are you ever worried that you spend too much time on your phone? Do you worry that it gets in the way of socializing with friends? With studying? With exercising? With spending time with family? Or with sleeping? Have you ever tried to spend less time on your phone? Do your parents, or the adults in your life, worry about how much time you spend on your phone? How have they expressed these concerns? Have they ever tried to limit your screen time? How have you responded? The article presents two sides of an argument: On the one hand, phones increase anxiety, depression and sleep deprivation among teenagers. On the other hand, the phone is just a mirror that reveals the problems a child would have even without the phone. Which argument do you find yourself agreeing with more? Why? There are numerous case studies presented in the article: Is there one that supports your point or best reflects your own experience with phones and mental health? Students 13 and older are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public. New degree and courses offering will be available next fall for students attending the University of Houston Katy and Sugar Land campuses after the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved plans on Jan. 23 to offer three new undergraduate engineering degrees in Katy. Plans were also approved for the UH Bauer College of Business to offer upper division classes at the UH at Sugar Land campus. The UH at Katy and UH at Sugar Land instructional sites offer a University of Houston Tier One education to residents across our region in disciplines that are in great demand, Paula Myrick Short, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost said in a press release. These new undergraduate classes and programs are yet another step in making higher education and a UH degree accessible to the greater Houston metropolitan area. On HoustonChronicle.com: Grand opening celebration for new $54M College of Technology facility at Sugar Land campus draws large crowd Beginning in the fall 2020 semester, the UH Cullen College of Engineering will begin offering undergraduate degrees in computer engineering and analytics, construction engineering and systems engineering at UH at Katy. Students will be able to complete all classes for the four-year degree in Katy through a collaboration with Houston Community College, the UH/Houston Community College (HCC) Engineering Academy in Katy. Engineering courses will be taught by UH faculty with lower division classes and core requirements, such as math and English, to be offered through HCC., according to J.R. Rao, associate dean for UH Engineering in Katy. Enrollment for the new degree programs will start with the freshman class in fall 2020. Rao said enrollment is expected to grow to about 750 students if classes are full, with roughly 180 graduates anticipated each year. Currently, the UH Katy campus offers a masters degree and a certificate in subsea engineering at UH. The new business course offerings will allow Sugar Land UH students the chance to complete the first three years of a bachelors degree in business administration at a campus near home for the first time. For Sugar Land students, college officials say a 2+1+1 arrangement will be available that would allow students the opportunity to complete the first two years of their degree at a community college, such as Wharton Junior College which shares the Sugar Land UH campus. Students will be able to take third-year classes in Sugar Land and attend classes on the UH campus for their senior year. Our mission at the Bauer College is to offer leading-edge, student-centered education that is both accessible and affordable, Bauer Dean Paul A. Pavlou said. Bringing Bauer courses to Sugar Land and giving students the option to earn their degrees closer to home is part of our mission to make our offerings flexible and convenient for students. Jay Neal, associate vice president for academic affairs and chief operating officer at UH at Sugar Land and UH at Katy, said expanding offers at the two campuses has been an intentional process. We want to provide our students with courses and degree plans that have relevance to the industry around us," Neal said in a press release. "As leaders and good neighbors, we want to be part of what strengthens the community." The UH College of Nursing offers both undergraduate degrees and graduate degrees at UH at Sugar Land, as well as a bachelors degree and some graduate classes at UH at Katy. The UH College of Technology also offers a number of classes in Sugar Land, including for its degree programs in biotechnology and digital media. For more information about the University of Houston, visit uh.edu In Japan, the hashtag #ChineseDontComeToJapan has been trending on Twitter. In Singapore, tens of thousands of residents have signed a petition calling for the government to ban Chinese nationals from entering the country. In Hong Kong, South Korea and Vietnam, businesses have posted signs saying that mainland Chinese customers are not welcome. In France, a front-page headline in a regional newspaper warned of a Yellow Alert. And in a suburb of Toronto, parents demanded that a school district keep children of a family that had recently returned from China out of classes for 17 days. The rapid spread of the coronavirus that has sickened about 9,800 people the overwhelming majority in China, with all of the 213 deaths there has unleashed a wave of panic and, in some cases, outright anti-Chinese sentiment across the globe. While officials scramble to contain the crisis the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency and the State Department issued a do not travel to China advisory fears over the dangerous outbreak have fueled xenophobia. And the wave of spreading panic has, at times, far outstripped practical concerns. Caroline Connellan became the CEO of Brooks Macdonald Group plc (LON:BRK) in 2017. First, this article will compare CEO compensation with compensation at similar sized companies. Then we'll look at a snap shot of the business growth. And finally - as a second measure of performance - we will look at the returns shareholders have received over the last few years. The aim of all this is to consider the appropriateness of CEO pay levels. See our latest analysis for Brooks Macdonald Group How Does Caroline Connellan's Compensation Compare With Similar Sized Companies? At the time of writing, our data says that Brooks Macdonald Group plc has a market cap of UK334m, and reported total annual CEO compensation of UK782k for the year to June 2019. While we always look at total compensation first, we note that the salary component is less, at UK369k. We examined companies with market caps from UK154m to UK615m, and discovered that the median CEO total compensation of that group was UK663k. That means Caroline Connellan receives fairly typical remuneration for the CEO of a company that size. This doesn't tell us a whole lot on its own, but looking at the performance of the actual business will give us useful context. You can see a visual representation of the CEO compensation at Brooks Macdonald Group, below. AIM:BRK CEO Compensation, January 30th 2020 Is Brooks Macdonald Group plc Growing? Over the last three years Brooks Macdonald Group plc has shrunk its earnings per share by an average of 45% per year (measured with a line of best fit). It achieved revenue growth of 7.3% over the last year. Unfortunately, earnings per share have trended lower over the last three years. The fairly low revenue growth fails to impress given that the earnings per share is down. These factors suggest that the business performance wouldn't really justify a high pay packet for the CEO. You might want to check this free visual report on analyst forecasts for future earnings. Has Brooks Macdonald Group plc Been A Good Investment? Story continues Brooks Macdonald Group plc has served shareholders reasonably well, with a total return of 15% over three years. But they would probably prefer not to see CEO compensation far in excess of the median. In Summary... Caroline Connellan is paid around what is normal the leaders of comparable size companies. The company isn't growing earnings per share, and nor have the total returns inspired us. We're not saying the CEO pay is too generous, but we'd venture the company should look to improve its business metrics (and share price) before paying any more. Shareholders may want to check for free if Brooks Macdonald Group insiders are buying or selling shares. Important note: Brooks Macdonald Group may not be the best stock to buy. You might find something better in this list of interesting companies with high ROE 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. Mutual funds are one of the most attractive investments. A mutual fund involves the pooling of money in a variety of underlying securities. Units are issued to the mutual fund investors by the mutual fund house. The issue is done in proportion to their investment. Every mutual fund has an investment objective that is set out in the offer document. Profits or losses that arise from mutual funds are proportionately distributed to the unitholders. Only SEBI registered mutual fund houses are eligible to receive funds from the public. There are various types of mutual funds in India. Some of the mutual funds also offer tax benefits. These are popularly known as tax saving mutual funds. Equity Linked Savings Scheme is an example of tax saving mutual funds. ELSS invests the investment money in equity assets only. It is also the only equity investment that offers such an attractive tax benefit. Investments in ELSS can help you to claim a deduction of INR 1.5 lakh under Section 80C of Income Tax Act, 1961. How do tax saving mutual funds work? As stated above, tax saving mutual funds allocates the investment money in a variety of underlying assets. The allocation is done in such a manner that the losses incurred, if any, can be mitigated by the profits. Tax saving mutual funds such as ELSS has a lock-in period of 3 years, during which no redemption or transfer of mutual fund units is permitted. You can invest in an ELSS either on a lump sum basis or through SIP. For those who want to avoid the stress of bulk investments, SIP is a preferred option as a specified amount is deducted from the account every month and invested in the scheme. At the time of redemption of ELSS units, only those units that are presently outside the lock-in period are allowed to be redeemed at the current Net Asset Value. The Net Asset Value (NAV) of a mutual fund can provide some guidance about the performance of the mutual fund. NAV represents the market value of the securities held by the scheme. Given that the market value of securities changes every day, NAV of the same scheme may vary on a day to day basis. Features & Benefits of Tax Saving Mutual Funds Here are the key benefits of tax saving mutual funds: There are no restrictions on the amount that can be invested in ELSS. However, the investments in tax saving mutual funds worth INR 1 lakh are eligible to enjoy the benefits under Section 80C. There is a three-year lock in period in case of ELSS. During this time, withdrawal or redemption is not permitted. Tax saving mutual funds such as ELSS are open-ended funds. An open-ended fund denotes mutual fund schemes that are continuously available for subscription and repurchase. These funds do not have a set duration of maturity. Investors can buy or sell the units regularly on the basis of NAV. These funds are top-rated among investors who are looking for liquidity alone. The total amount of tax benefits offered by tax saving mutual funds is capped at INR 1.5 lakh. Tax saving mutual funds are actively managed by a fund manager. These managers are professionals who ensure that the investment goals of the investor are achieved. Before an investment in any tax saving mutual funds, a thorough assessment and analysis is undertaken by the fund house. The portfolio of tax saving mutual funds is relatively diverse to minimize the risk from losses. FAQs Does ELSS have a minimum investment amount? What is the NAV of tax saving mutual funds? Yes, there is a minimum investment amount. However, the quantum varies depending on the mutual fund house. On average, the amount is pegged at INR 5,000. In order to determine the performance of a mutual fund, it is worthwhile to examine the Net Asset Value (NAV). NAV is the market of the securities that are held by the scheme. As these securities are subject to market fluctuation, the NAV of the scheme changes daily. Thats why mutual fund houses publish the NAV of funds daily. In order to determine the NAV per unit of a mutual fund, you need to divide the market value of the securities by the total number of units issued. If I invest in tax saving mutual funds, do I need to pay long term capital gains tax? What is the average rate of returns offered by tax saving mutual funds? Are tax saving mutual funds recommended for an investor who does not have a huge risk appetite? Are premature withdrawals permitted in case of tax saving mutual funds? What are the various types of ELSS funds that one can invest in? Are NRIs eligible to invest in tax saving mutual funds? What is the recommended mode of investments in tax saving mutual funds? Rajesh has invested in a debt mutual fund. He wants to change it to tax saving mutual funds. Is this permitted? There are various mutual fund options in the market. How can I choose tax saving mutual funds for investment? Are the companies having names like mutual benefit the same as mutual funds schemes? For instance, if the market value of securities of a mutual fund scheme is INR 500 lakh and the mutual fund has issued 10 lakh units of INR 10 each to the investors, then the NAV per unit of the fund is INR 50 (i.e.500 lakh/10 lakh).Investments in ELSS are exempt from the payment of long term capital gains tax.ELSS typically offers a return of 15%-18%, which is more than what is offered by other popular options like a provident fund or fixed deposits.ELSS is a pure equity investment. It is subject to the performance of the market and is a volatile option. If someone does not have a substantial risk appetite, it would be advisable to consider investments in other avenues that are less volatile such as debt mutual funds.No, you cannot liquidate the investment before the expiry of the lock-in period. ELSS has a mandatory lock-in period of three years.There are two major categories of ELSS: dividend and growth. A dividend ELSS will either provide a dividend payout or an option to reinvest the dividend so that you can purchase fresh equity. In contrast, a growth ELSS acts as a wealth creation tool. There are no dividends received, but benefits are received at the end of the tenure.Yes, NRIs can invest in these funds.It can vary on the basis of your financial status and investment goals. Monthly investments through SIPs reduce the risk of incurring losses when compared to lumpsum investments.It is possible for the mutual fund house to change the nature of the scheme. However, one has to comply with the regulations laid down by SEBI in this regard. As per SEBI, any changes in the fundamental attributes of the scheme, such as the structure, investment pattern, etc., can be changed only when written communication is sent to each unitholder and an advertisement is given in one English daily newspaper having nationwide circulation. The information should also be published in a newspaper published in the language of the region where the head office of the mutual fund is situated. In case the unitholders do not want to continue with the scheme, they have the option of exiting the present scheme at prevailing NAV without bearing exit load.You must start by reading the offer document of the mutual fund scheme very carefully. You should check the track record of the performance of the tax-saving mutual fund. Having said that, it is important to remember that the past performances of tax saving mutual funds are not the sole indicator of their performance. As tax saving mutual funds primarily invest in equity, you should also examine the quality of the portfolio.One of the common mistakes made by various mutual fund investors is a lack of due diligence. Investors should consider companies that have the words mutual benefit affixed to their names as genuine mutual funds. These companies do not come under the purview of SEBI. On the other hand, mutual funds can mobilize funds from the investors by launching schemes only after getting registered with SEBI as mutual funds. Therefore, ask for the details of registration with SEBI and scrutinize the offer document. If you are unsure, seek help from professionals. Two women have ended up in hospital after a meet-up to resolve a petty online argument over the coronavirus escalated into a violent brawl. The Sydney women, aged 33 and 36, had entered a heated online debate in a mother's Facebook group on Tuesday about the health effects of the coronavirus. To settle the argument, the women decided to meet in person at Brookvale at 8.10pm, each bringing with them a support person. Two women have ended up in hospital after an online argument over the coronavirus turned violent (stock image) 'The argument quickly escalated from verbal to physical; pushing, slapping, hair pulling and finally both on the ground, briefly unconscious, all despite the efforts of bystanders trying to intervene,' police said. The two women accompanying them, who were also from the group chat, tried to separate the pair. The 36-year-old required a scan for a possible brain injury and was treated for a shoulder injury and a cut to her arm. The younger woman underwent X-rays for a shoulder injury as well as treatment for cuts, bruising and swelling to her arms, upper body and neck. Police have taken out a Personal Violence Order for one of the women as investigations continue. Both women have since been released from hospital. Facebook users were quick to comment, with many suggesting the women weren't setting a good example for their kids. Northern Beaches Police shared the story to their Facebook on Thursday, where it quickly went viral 'Bloody hell! How dumb can people be? Let's hope that both of them knocked some sense into each other because that's appalling behaviour,' one person wrote. 'Now I know why I avoid mother's groups.' There are eight diagnosed cases of the China-born deadly disease in Australia. So far, the death toll for the coronavirus is 170, with more than 7000 cases spread across 16 countries. Jennifer Lawrence, Stephen Fry and BAFTA protestors have all had reasons to be upset. Its the BAFTAs on Sunday, and we couldnt be more excited. Partly because we love award shows, partly because we cant wait to gawp at what everyones wearing, and partly because these things invariably involve at least one completely bonkers moment, and we cant wait to find out what it is this year. Wed attempt to guess what its going to be, but if its anything like the following examples, its going to be impossible to predict. Jennifer Lawrence vs Joanna Lumley Actress Jennifer Lawrence poses for photographers upon arrival at the BAFTA Awards 2018 in London, Sunday, Feb. 18, 2018. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP) For example, who knew that Jennifer Lawrence was going to start a FEUD with Joanna Lumley, OBE? The 2018 ceremony was barely moments old before Lumley stepped up to introduce Lawrence. Right lets start giving out some of those beautiful BAFTAs shall we? Lumley said. And we start with the award for Outstanding British Film and who better to kick the whole evening off than the hottest actress on the planet. Soon to be seen in Red Sparrow, its the ravishing Jennifer Lawrence. Looking uncomfortable, Lawrence replied with a deadpan: Hi, that was a bit much but thank you Joanna. Viewers were NOT happy. Jennifer Lawrence doesn't get to diss the loverly Joanna Lumley. It's just not on. #EEBAFTAs Julie B (@JulieB__) February 18, 2018 You DO NOT be rude to Joanna Lumley. Accept the compliment with grace and dignity Jennifer Lawrence #EEBAFTAs pic.twitter.com/DbtB3BUDZv Neil Armstrong Boast MBE (@NeilBoast) February 18, 2018 Lawrence was forced to explain, telling Magic Radio: Everybody thought that I was being rude. But to be fair, I couldnt have just walked out after she was like, biggest movie star in the world! and gone, thank you, Joanna. Story continues It would have been like, so you agree? You think youre really pretty.' Which is fair enough. BAFTA bubbles 401521 16: Actress Rosamund Pike arrives at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards ceremony February 24, 2002 in London. (Photo by UK Press/Getty Images) When the guests of the 2002 Baftas arrived at the red carpet for the awards show they were greeted by an entirely different sort of bubbles than they expected. Rather than a cool glass of champers, guests at the 55th British Academy Film Awards found the red carpet was drenched in a thick layer of soap suds. Stars including Kate Winslet and Dame Judi Dench had their shoes ruined after torrential rain turned the carpet into foam in London's Leicester Square, where the awards were hosted that year. The stars of the big screen leave their footprints on a very wet red carpet after their arrived for the Orange British Academy Film Awards at the Odeon cinema in London's Leicester Square. (Photo by Yui Mok - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images) Kevin Spacey, who was presenting an award, joked that Dame Judi Dench's shoes had been ruined and she was holding organisers responsible. Host Stephen Fry replied: "I think it's the years of greasy flattery given to actors which is finally bubbling up." Reports at the time laid the finger of blame at the suppliers of the carpet, saying that flame retardant chemicals had reacted with the torrential rain. It was later destroyed. BAFTA vs female directors Lynne Ramsay missed out on a film award nomination for You Were Never Really Here. 2019 was an incredible year for women directors. Whether it was Greta Gerwigs Little Women or Lulu Wangs The Farewell, or many more examples, women directors deserved to be rewarded for their incredible work at every single awards ceremony in 2020. Which probably explains why people were so upset to see yet another all-male line-up at the BAFTAs this year. It wouldnt be so bad, if the BAFTAs hadnt been through the EXACT SAME THING last year, when they snubbed Lynne Ramsays You Were Never Really Here and Debra Graniks Leave No Trace and everyone noticed that they havent nominated a woman for Best Director since 2013. BAFTA chief executive Amanda Berry said it is "disappointing" that there are no female directors recognised. She said: "Being totally honest we are disappointed and that is not to take anything away from the people who have been nominated. "We do have 13 directors nominated who are females across other categories, so everybody from Jennifer Lee who directed Frozen 2, and this is what gives me joy and hope actually, six female directors in the shorts category and that is the category where we are really seeing talent at the start of their career and they are the industry of the future but we are going to do more, we are not going to stop pushing." Which really doesnt explain why things havent changed this year, but okay. #BaftaBlackOut Protesters who are part of a group called Creatives of Colour Network stage a peaceful demonstration at the junction of Russell Street and Bow Street in London, ahead of the EE British Academy Film Awards, at the Royal Opera House, London, against what it describes as a lack of diversity in front of the camera. In 2016, protestors took to the Bafta red carpet to highlight an uncomfortable truth about the awards there were barely any black nominees. Beasts Of No Nation star Idris Elba, who was nominated for best supporting actor, and Star Wars actor John Boyega, who ultimately won Rising Star, were the only black actors on the 2016 shortlist. Creatives of Colour Network demonstrated at Londons Royal Opera House, with placards and banners. Did it make a difference? Lets have a look at 2017 and see, were sure its fine. #BaftasSoWhite Barry Jenkins speaks at the Foreign Language Film Oscar nominees reception sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, California, on March 2, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / ANGELA WEISS (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images) Oh. In 2017, NO BAME actors were nominated for leading-role categories, or for best director. When you consider this was the year that Barry Jenkins was winning awards for Moonlight (packed with stunning performances), and Denzel Washington scorched the screen in Fences (both were nominated for Oscars that year) thats actually really strange. The situation was so weird that a hashtag was created, which turned the story into global news. 2019 saw an improvement Spike Lee was up for Best Director for BlacKkKlanman, Viola Davis was nominated for Best Actress for Widows, and Barry Jenkins got a Best Adapted Screenplay nod for If Beale Street Could Talk, but 2020 saw another huge step backward for Bafta diversity. All of the acting nominees for this year's film awards are white, Margot Robbie even appears twice on the Best Supporting Actress docket. Stephen Fry vs Jenny Beavan Stephen Fry is a national treasure. His Twitter feed was one of the most popular since the very earliest days of the service, thanks to Frys combination of open honesty, twinkly-eyed wisdom and genuinely funny bon mots. So it was a fairly major shock when he quit tweeting, after a massive backlash against his 2016 Bafta hosting skills. People were specifically upset about his perceived insult towards costume designer Jenny Beavan, when he called her a bag lady when he was presenting her with an award for her work on Mad Max: Fury Road. British comedian and actor Stephen Fry poses for photographs with a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) statuette, 2015. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) Only one of the great cinematic costume designers would come to an awards ceremony dressed as a bag lady, Fry quipped. As with Jennifer Lawrence, it was an in-joke that went too far in the opinion of the online audience, with Twitter exploding in annoyance at Fry. Beavan later clarified: Yes we are friends, and I am absolutely not upset. But I dont want to talk any further because if I talk about it it will just create more fuss. Szinpetri, a quaint village of around 300 people located in northern Hungary, is mostly known for being home to the worlds largest handmade book, a 1.4-tonne heavy tome bound in the leather of 13 Argentinian cows. The worlds largest handmade book was completed in 2010, by father-son duo Bela Varga and Gabor Varga, two masters in the art of traditional paper-making. It was crated using traditional book-binding techniques adjusted to a much larger scale than usual, and is currently on display at the Szinpetri paper mill, where Bela and Gabor Varga show off their paper-making skills to visitors. The book measures 4.18m x 3.77m, weighs a total of 1,420 kilograms and features 346 pages printed with information on the local flora and fauna. Photo: 24.hu / Nemenyi Marton It was impossible to make it larger, 71-year-old Bela Varga recently said. Thats why the dimensions of the book are 4.18m x 3.77m. I would rather cut one finger than make it smaller by five centimeters. Its unique not only because of the size but because of the techniques: it was made like ancient codes, with wooden tables from Sweden and with the leather of 13 cows from Argentina, the paper-maker added. Creating the Szinpetri book was a huge undertaking. Its five hinges were cut out by a laser, the paper was imported from an Austrian paper mill, and the printing was done on a large industrial printer used to make billboard ads. An industrial crane was used to lower the giant book into position inside the paper mill. Just turning one of its giant pages requires six people, to avoid accidental tearing. Titled Our Fragile Natural Heritage, Bela Vargas book was the largest book in the world for two years, until a company in Abu Dhabi unveiled a 5-meter-tall behemoth. Still the Szinpetri book remains the worlds largest book made by hand, using traditional techniques. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has thrown its weight behind the call for President Muhammadu Buhari to resign over the countrys worsening security situation. On Wednesday, Enyinnaya Abaribe, senate minority leader and PDP member had called on the president to resign while making reference to the presidents recent comment that the resurgence of Boko Haram attacks is surprising. In a statement on Wednesday, Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP spokesman, also making reference to the comment, said the president displayed a disheartening dereliction of duty. Ologbondiyan said, Our party holds that such a statement from a commander-in-chief, who promised to lead from the front, is distressing as it further exposes an abdication of duty and shows that Mr. President is not even abreast of his major task in governance which is the security of lives and property. Read Also: APC Should Consider Changing Its Name, Not PDP: Ologbondiyan The PDP is particularly worried over this apparent display of leadership failure as Mr. President ought to be receiving a daily brief from his service chiefs on the actual situation on ground. His comment, therefore, speaks volumes on the manner with which the security of our nation is being handled at the highest levels despite the huge resources reportedly committed to security issues by the Buhari administration. The party, therefore, backs the call by the senate minority leader, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, asking President Buhari to resign. View of St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, where a Chicago woman affected by the coronavirus is treated in isolation on Jan. 24, 2020. (Derek Henkle/AFP via Getty Images) First Person-to-Person Transmission of New Coronavirus Confirmed in US The first case of a person contracting the new coronavirus from another person in the United States was confirmed on Jan. 30. The patient, who has not traveled to China, is a Chicago resident and is the spouse of the first confirmed travel-related case in Illinois. That patient was a woman in her 60s who returned from Wuhan on Jan. 13. Both patients are isolated and are in stable condition. The first patient is isolated at St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Officials declined to say where the second patient is being treated. This person-to-person spread was between two very close contacts, a wife and husband, Ngozi Ezike, the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, told reporters on a phone call. The virus is not spreading widely across the community. Authorities are not recommending that people take precautions such as canceling activities or not going out. Its important to note that this spread was among two people who were in close contact for an extended period of time, said Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Messonnier said health officials expect to see more cases in the United States, which will raise the risk of the virus passing among people. This illustration shows the new coronavirus (2019-nCoV). This virus was identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via AP) Passengers wear protective masks as they arrive at Beijing Capital Airport in Beijing, China, on Jan. 30, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said that questions remain about the virus, telling reporters, At this time, its unclear how easily or sustainably this virus is spreading between people. People who recently returned to the United States from China should call their health care provider if they develop symptoms, officials said. On Jan. 30, Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said the Trump administration isnt imposing any travel restrictions. The new Illinois case is the sixth in the United States and the first new case announced in four days. Five patients had tested positive across four states: California, Washington, Arizona, and Illinois. The new virus has spread to about 20 countries, hitting the Americas, the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. Three new countries reported their first confirmed cases in the past 24 hoursFinland, the Philippines, and India. The briefing came a day after President Donald Trump formed a coronavirus task force headed by Azar. Redfield is on the task force. The task force will lead the Trump administrations efforts to monitor, contain, and mitigate the spread of the virus and give Americans accurate and up-to-date health and travel information, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement. The group has been meeting daily since Jan. 27. On Jan. 30, Japans health ministry also confirmed a human-to-human transmission case of the virus. According to Nippon.com, a driver of a bus in Japan that carried 60 tourists from Wuhan and a guide on the same bus were infected with the virus. The virus has not become widespread at the moment, Japans ministry said, adding that the government suggested people wear masks and take other precautions to avoid the virus. Meanwhile, Germany on Jan. 28 confirmed its first human-to-human transmission of the virus, involving a Chinese colleague who had visited the country. It was the first instance of a human-to-human transmission case reported on European soil, according to Al Jazeera. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) questioned on Jan. 29 why there were still so many planes from China landing in the United States. He noted that the person-to-person transmission cases of the virus have spread to a number of countries globally. China, but also Germany, Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan: all countries with person-to-person transmission of coronavirus, Cotton said in a Twitter post. Meanwhile flights from China are landing in the US every hour. This has to stop. H arry Dunns mother has praised Dominic Raab for delivering on his promise not to accept the US authorities rejection of calls to extradite the woman accused of killing him in a crash. The Foreign Secretary met US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in London on Thursday to discuss future co-operation between the US and UK as well as Mr Dunns case. Mr Raab "reiterated his disappointment" at the US's move to block the extradition request for Anne Sacoolas, a government spokesperson said after the talks on Wednesday evening. Speaking after Mr Raabs meeting with Mr Pompeo, the 19-year-olds mother Charlotte Charles expressed her gratitude to the foreign secretary for continuing the fight for justice for her son. Harry Dunn died in a hit-and-run in August 2019 / PA She said: We are grateful to the Foreign Secretary for delivering on his promise to us that he would make it clear to Mr Pompeo that the UK will not accept his disgraceful decision to not extradite Anne Sacoolas and that it must be reversed. Our campaign will not stop until she is back facing our justice system. Dominic Raab met the US secretary of state on Wednesday / Getty Images Mr Dunn, 19, was killed when his motorbike collided with a car outside a US military base in Northamptonshire on August 27 last year. Mrs Sacoolas, 42, the wife of a US intelligence official based at RAF Croughton, claimed diplomatic immunity after the crash and was able to return to her home country, sparking an international controversy. The US rejected a request from the Home Office to extradite her last week, maintaining she had diplomatic immunity at the time of the accident. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives at Stansted Airport / PA Mr Raabs talks with his US counterpart follow an emotional meeting between him, Ms Charles and the teenagers father Tim Dunn on Monday. Speaking to reporters after their meeting, Ms Charles said she expected the foreign secretary not to accept anything less from the US secretary of state than the return of her sons alleged killer. On Monday when we met with Mr Raab, I looked him in the eye and urged him to do everything he can to bring Anne Sacoolas back so that I can keep the promise that I made to Harry on the night that he died that we would get him justice, she said. As any mum or dad would understand, we wont be able to get closure until that happens. Mr Raab assured me that he will not accept anything less than Anne Sacoolas coming back. Harry Dunn's mother: Dominic Raab is 'clearly very, very angry' After the extradition request for Mrs Sacoolas was refused, a spokesman for the US State Department said the request was rejected because it would render the invocation of diplomatic immunity a practical nullity and set an extraordinarily troubling precedent. The Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and the Home Secretary have all labelled the extradition refusal a denial of justice. Asked what he expects from Mr Raab and Boris Johnson in their meetings with Mr Pompeo, Mr Seiger said: Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab have a huge opportunity when they meet with Mike Pompeo to make a stand for right versus wrong. Pompeo has ridden roughshod over the relationship by rejecting the extradition request for Anne Sacoolas and now somewhat disingenuously claims he is coming to reaffirm the special relationship. We fully expect our leaders to make it clear that Anne Sacoolas must be returned to face justice and that that is the only way forward or there will be severe consequences. We are told the UK Government is reviewing all of its options. Thousands of people and police personnel faced off against each other near the Jamia Millia Islamia University on Thursday after a man fired a pistol at a group of anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protesters, injuring a student before walking away while waving the firearm over his head shouting 'Yeh lo Aazadi. IMAGE: An unidentified man brandishes a gun during a protest against a new citizenship law outside the Jamia Millia Islamia university in New Delhi. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters As night fell, massive protests broke out with agitated students and others gathering near the university, breaking barricades and clashing with police personnel. Some demonstrators, including a woman, could be seen being forcibly taken away. Many sang the national anthem. While the man was overpowered by police and arrested, the injured student Shahdab Farooq, who was seen bleeding from his left hand, was taken to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Trauma Centre. Farooq, a mass communications student, belongs to Kashmir. IMAGE: Farooq, the wounded student, is helped after an unidentified man opened fire during a protest against a new citizenship law outside the university in New Delhi. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters The entire drama, which triggered panic in the area, was captured by television cameras that showed the man in light coloured pants and a dark jacket, walking away on an empty road barricaded by police, turning around and shouting at the protesters in Hindi, 'Here, take this freedom'. Behind him, a group of policemen could be seen in the frame. "By the time police could react, the person had already fired. Everything happened in seconds. The investigation is on and the case has been transferred to the Crime Branch," said Special CP Intelligence Praveer Ranjan. "We have apprehended the person. We are investigating whether he is a juvenile or not," he told reporters. SEE: Man brandishes gun in Jamia area of Delhi As tension spiralled in the area, Home Minister Amit Shah said on Twitter that he had spoken to the Delhi police commissioner to take strictest possible action. The home minister also said the Central government will not tolerate such incidents and the guilty will not be spared. The gunman went live on Facebook, where he identifies himself as Rambhakt Gopal, before the brandishing the gun. Police said they were verifying whether it is his real name. Before the attack, the man put out messages on Facebook, referencing the Shaheen Bagh protests nearby. IMAGE: Students try to breach the police barricading during their protest march against the Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens (NRC), near Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi on Thursday. Photograph: Ravi Choudhary/PTI Photo 'Shaheen bhag khel khatam (Run Shaheen, the game is over)', said one post. Another message stated, 'Please wrap me in saffron in my last journey with slogans of Jai Shri Ram'. His Facebook profile was deleted after screenshots of his posts were circulated widely on social media platforms. IMAGE: Farooq had to cross police barricades to head for a nearby hospital after the incident. Photograph: MD Meharban/PTI Photo Elsewhere in New Delhi, Swaraj India president Yogendra Yadav, activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan, Communist Party of India leaders D Raja and Kumar Anjaan were among those who said they were detained in separate demonstrations to show solidarity with the national flag and the Constitution on Mahatma Gandhi's death anniversary on Thursday. Several students recapped how their peaceful march, intended to reach Rajghat, Gandhi's samadhi, slipped into violence. "We were moving towards the Holy Family Hospital where the police had raised barricades. Suddenly, a gun-wielding man came out and opened fire. One bullet hit my friend's hand," Aamna Asif, a student of economics at the university, told PTI. IMAGE: Some TV channels said the gunman was identified as Gopal, but this is not yet confirmed. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters She said Farooq was trying to calm the attacker but he shot at him. Ragibh Naushad, an LLB student at the university, said, "The Jamia Coordination Committee organised a march to pay homage to Gandhi ji on his death anniversary. It started at 12 noon from Gate number 7, but police denied the permission and stopped the march near the Holy Family hospital. "A man came there and started brandishing a weapon and later shot a round. He was also chanting pro-CAA slogans." IMAGE: Police detain an unidentified man after he brandished a gun and injured a student during a protest against a new citizenship law. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters The situation got progressively more volatile as the day progressed. Asif Ahmad, a Jamia student, said the protesters are not ready to leave the area where the firing incident took place in the afternoon. "Police have time and again failed us. They kept looking at the attacker as if they were watching a circus," Ahmad said. With the standoff showed no signs of ending, police officials announced from across the barricades, "Today is Gandhi ji's day. Please do not resort to any violent activity." A police official said they had been requesting the protestors to disperse since 4 pm. IMAGE: The vice chancellor of Jamia said that the university will pay for the treatment of Farooq. Photograph: MD Meharban/PTI Photo The university's proctor and professors had also tried to persuade them to disperse but to no avail. Residents of the area formed a human chain, trying to push the protesters back. "We have been requesting students to go back to their home and hostels. We are urging them not to engage with police," said Jamia Teachers Association secretary Majid Jamil. Thursday's incident echoed the tensions of December 15 when the university virtually turned into a battlefield as police entered the campus and also used force, following protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Several students and others were injured. Besides, four DTC buses, 100 private vehicles and 10 police bikes were damaged. IMAGE: A police officer attempts to pacify students during the protest march. Photograph: Ravi Choudhary/PTI Photo On Tuesday, in Shaheen Bagh, a man armed with a gun entered the protest area but was overpowered. The incident, ahead of the February 8 Delhi elections, led to several political leaders, including from the Congress and the Left, speaking out. The Communist Party of India-Marxist on Thursday said the firing was a fallout of the 'hate speech' by Union Ministers and Bharatiya Janata Party leaders during the campaign. On Thursday, the Election Commission barred Union minister Anurag Thakur from campaigning for three days and BJP MP Parvesh Verma for four for their controversial remarks. Banking services across India, especially in state-owned banks, could be affected for next two days as several bank employees' unions have decided to sit on a two-day bank strike from tomorrow, January 31, 2020. The bank unions have announced that they would sit on strike on January 31 and February 1, which means banks will be closed for 3 days as February 3 is Sunday. Several banks, including State Bank of India and IDBI, have informed Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and National Stock Exchange (NSE) about industry-wide bank trade unions' strike. Banks have also warned their customers that its services will be impacted for two days from January 31, 2020, to February 01, 2020. Demands from the Bank unions are; 20 per cent pay hike on payslip components, 5-day work week, scrapping of the new pension scheme, merger of special allowance with basic pay. The Bank employees have been waiting for a pay hike since November 2017 are likely to join the protest. Bank strike's timing corresponds with the Economic Survey and Union Budget FY20-21. Both, finance ministry and labour department officials had tried to convince the bank unions against going on the strike. However, the matter between the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) and the Indian Banks' Association (IBA) couldn't be resolved due to differences. United Forum of Bank Unions -- comprising of All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), All India Bank Officers Association (AIBOA), Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI), Indian National Bank Employees Federation (INBEF), National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW), National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE), Indian National Bank Officers Congress (INBOC), All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC) & National Organization of Bank Officers (NOBO)-- have given nationwide strike call in support of their various demands. Also Read: Bengaluru people spent 243 hours on average in traffic in 2019, time they could use to watch 215 episodes of GoT Also Read: Budget 2020: Modi govt may announce two mega initiatives to boost agricultural output Also Read: Budget 2020: Zinc deficiency affecting crops, humans; need for a conducive policy in agriculture CHELTENHAM, England, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Click Intelligence, an expert white label digital marketing agency based in London, Cheltenham and the States, is opening their doors this year for the first time to one lucky US based student. With clients across the globe, Click Intelligence takes digital marketing to a whole new level and is looking for a passionate, eager student to join their team on a two-week-long internship. Promising financial help to help them take their career to new heights, the student will gain not only a Digital Marketing Accreditiation but also $1000. The brand-new SEO program, starting in 2020, invites eligible students to apply for a scholarship which offers three exciting awards: a 2-week internship at Click Intelligence, a Digital Marketing Certification and a prize sum of $1000. To be in with a chance to win, participants need to craft an engaging essay on the chosen topic: How Businesses Can Use Digital Marketing To Increase Sales. The deadline for applications is on 31st July and to be eligible to enter, participants need to be a current student or a future student already accepted on a university course. About Click Intelligence: Founded in 2012, this talented company provides a vast range of SEO services, including creating unique and original link building articles and undertaking thorough SEO audits. Today, Click Intelligence offers reseller white label SEO services, as well as managed SEO campaigns. As one of the fastest growing digital marketing agencies, the cyber sky really is the limit for this company and they plan to continue expanding into new markets while offering the same care and attention to detail as always. SOURCE Click Intelligence Ltd Related Links https://www.clickintelligence.co.uk/ Russian President Vladimir Putin pardoned a young Israeli accused of drug charges ahead of his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today. The release of Naama Issachar, who had been sentenced to 7 years in prison, ends a bitter controversy that had plagued relations between the two countries. Why it matters: Relations between Russia and Israel turned frosty following Israels extradition of Russian citizen Alexei Burkov to the United States Nov. 12, 2019, on charges of complicity in cybercrimes. At the time, Moscow expected Burkov to be swapped for Issachar. Last week, Al-Monitor reported that Putin had received a smart reception in Israel, which in theory opened up the opportunity for a renewed round of engagement. Netanyahu is in yet another election cycle. Touring Washington and Moscow has become a key tool in raising his popularity at home as a sign of Israels successful relationship with both powers under the prime ministers guidance. This time he is meeting with Putin to pick the Russian presidents brain on Russias attitudes vis-a-vis US President Donald Trumps peace plan for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Better safe than sorry: Until recently, Russia had been extremely skeptical about the Trump proposal. The information we have shows that this future deal will destroy everything that has been accomplished so far, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in February 2019. At the time, Moscow was hosting 12 Palestinian movements in an attempt to reconcile the divisions between them. Following Trumps release of the peace plan, Russias Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov was less dismissive. The parties to the conflict have to embark on direct negotiations and look for mutually acceptable compromises, said Bogdanov, whose portfolio covers the Middle East. We dont know yet if the American proposal is mutually beneficial. If regional actors at least start negotiations on its basis, that would be a common success, and I think it is not as important who suggested the plan in the first place," Russian Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Konstantin Kosachev said. Whats next: Some policy experts in Moscow interpreted Russias cautious change in tone as a sign that Moscow is willing to jump on board if it finds an opening for itself. Well aware of the complexities of the plan, the divide it has created among Arab elites and its general dismissal by the Arab street, Moscow has adopted a wait-and-see approach. If the plan is rejected and fails, Russia wont look like the one that torpedoed it. If it goes through, which is unlikely without some Russian and, perhaps, European engagement, Moscow will have a stake in the process and wont feel sidelined by the Trump initiative. Know more: See Shahira Amins take on how Trumps plan failed to resonate with Egyptians and Laura Rozens story on the atmosphere surrounding its rollout at the White House. Odisha on Thursday witnessed two parallel agitations, one against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC)and NPR (National Population Register) and another in supporting of them. While a number of social organizations supported by Congress and the Left parties under the banner of "We the People of India" staged an anti-CAA, NRC and NPR agitation in the state capital here, another rally in support of the CAA and others was organized at Puri town. Both the rival groups held the rallies in the name of "Save Democracy and Save Constitution" on the 72nd death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. People from different sections of the society including members of the Muslim community took lead in the rally in Bhubaneswar. Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik, party's senior leader Pradip Majhi, senior CPI(M) leader Janardan Pati addressed the rally seeking complete scraping of the CAA and not to go for NRC and NPR. The speakers at the anti-CAA rally accused the BJP of attempting to divide the nation in the name of the new legislation. The participants read out the Preamble to the Constitution on the Mahatma Gandhi Marg here and pledged to fight against the legislation which according them aims at "dividing" the nation. In a memorandum to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the "We The People of India" said: "We urge you to take a clear and unambiguous stand on opposing CAA and refusing to implement the dangerously linked NRC and the NPR." In the parallel rally held at Puri, BJP state president Samir Mohanty and party's national spokesman Sambit Patra defended the CAA and raised questions on the intention of the Congress and Left party leaders for holding a demonstration in Bhubaneswar. "The prime minister and the Union Home Minister have categorically said that the CAA is meant to give citizenship to people and not to deprive anyone. Therefore, the opposition, mostly Congress and the Left parties have no reason to mislead the people in this regard," Patra said. Mohanty said the Centre has given relief to scores of people who have been harassed in neighbouring countries in the name of religion. "Therefore, the opposition leaders should thank Modi for bringing the CAA," Mohanty said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi: In the Nirbhaya rape and murder case, the Supreme Court on Thursday (January 30) will hear the curative petition of Akshay Thakur, one of the four convicts. Akshay is seeking commutation of his death sentence to life imprisonment. Supreme Court's five-judge bench, headed by Justice NV Ramana, will hear the petition at 1 pm, filed by advocate AP Singh on behalf of Akshay. The plea states that the top court should set aside the May 5, 2017 order, which upheld the death sentence of the convicts. Live TV Akshay's plea said that lack of criminal antecedents, erroneous reliance on deterrence, and the probability of reformation, socio-economic circumstances, non-consideration of constitution bench judgment, were not considered by the courts while awarding his client to death. In December 2019, the apex court had dismissed Akshay`s review petition. On Wednesday, a three-judge bench of the top court also dismissed the plea of another Nirbhaya Mukesh Kumar Singh challenging the rejection of his mercy petition by the President. With this decision by the top court, Mukesh has exhausted the last legal remedy available to him against the death sentence. A bench of Justices R Banumathi, Ashok Bhushan and AS Bopanna said that all the relevant documents connected with the case were placed before the President and then a decision was taken on his mercy petition. Notably, for the last 15 days, some of the accused are visiting courts to use their legal rights, but they have not got any favourable response from any court so far. Earlier this month, a Delhi court had issued the death warrant for Akshay, Mukesh, Pawan Gupta, and Vinay Kumar Sharma, and ordered their hanging on February 1. The case pertains to the gang-rape of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012, by six people including a juvenile in Delhi. The woman died at a Singapore hospital a few days later. Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki has threatened to deal with Adams Oshiomhole, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), if he stubbornly continues to disrupt the partys activities in the state. Governor Obaseki had banned all rallies in the state, an order Oshiomhole was said to have been violating. While addressing APC chairmen in the 18 local government in the state on Wednesday, January 29, 2020, Obaseki said he was going to let Oshiomhole know he is the governor of Edo State and in charge. The governor directed the APC Chairmen in Edo to deal with anyone that comes to their wards to do things outside what the party has agreed upon. Obaseki said: I am the Governor of Edo State and I so authorise it. If anyone comes to your ward or local government to do things outside what the party has agreed I hereby authorise you to deal with that person seriously. We are warning the suspended National Chairman. If he continues his activities in Edo State, I will show him that I am the Governor of Edo State. While he was governor, he did not tolerate a fraction of the misdemeanour and misbehaviour he is undertaking today. I have declared that if Oshiomhole comes here to Edo to say he wants to disrupt the activities of the state and the party, we will deal with him the way we know how best to do it. The governor further said the party would he would expel Oshiomhole from APC in Edo state if he does not behave. Comrade Oshiomhole stands suspended from the party. In due course, we will expel him if he does not behave. The party does not belong to him, it belongs to all of us. We are following the wish of our people. Our next step is to make sure we convince more people to join our party so that all of us can move this state to the next level. I will give you all the support to strengthen the party at the local government. Monthly meetings must hold. Monthly wards meetings must hold. Attendance must be taken. Wherever there are issues, you sit down and discuss it. Obaseki was also said to have regretted that the states APC made the mistake of allowing Oshiomhole climb to his current status without the proper understating of his real personality. He said: He is not a party man. Look at the dump he kept the party as a Secretariat. With all the resources we had he could not support the party until the landlord evicted us. You are Governor or chairman based on the platform that elevated you. That is why I looked for one of the most beautiful building along Airport Road and said this is the secretariat of the party. All these nonsense they are doing. If anybody in the name of our party tries to do anything contrary to what we have agreed as a party, we will deal with that person ruthlessly no matter who he is. If you are elected a chairman, your attitude should show if you believe in the party. Party supremacy means the leadership of the party must respect the membership. It is the members that make the party supreme because the members subscribed to a constitution which governs the conduct of the party. One man cannot be the party. ALSO READ: Oshiomhole Remains Suspended Until He Apologises Remorsefully To APC Governor Obaseki Passengers wear protective masks as they arrive at Beijing Capital Airport in Beijing, China, on Jan. 30, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) Israel, Italy Suspend All Flights From China Both the Italian and Israeli governments announced Thursday that they are suspending all flights from China amid escalating fears of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan. Health Minister Yaakov Litzman said his country would not allow any flights from China, adding that all travelers coming back from China will be placed in isolation at home for two weeks, reported Haaretz. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte made a similar announcement on Thursday evening, saying all flights to and from China will be suspended, Bloomberg News reported. We shall not allow any flight in the near future from China to land in this country, not one, Litzman stated during a press conference. There have not yet been any confirmed cases of the viruswhich prompted quarantines and lockdowns in Wuhan and Hubei Provincein Israel, the health ministry said, adding that it was only a matter of time. Israeli carrier El Al suspended service along its Beijing route, but El Al flights to Hong Kong are still operational, according to Haaretz. Chinas Hainan Airlines announced it would suspend most international flights, including to Tel Aviv, Israel. It will continue operating flights from Jerusalems Ben-Gurion Airport and Shenzen, China. Litzman said in the Thursday news conference that the Israel-China flight ban would remain in effect until further notice and didnt offer a time-table, reported The Times of Israel. The World Health Organization (WHO), meanwhile, declared the coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency on Thursday. Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems, and which are ill-prepared to deal with it, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Thursday. I am declaring a public health emergency of international concern over the global outbreak, he remarked. WHO has described the kind of circumstances requiring the global health emergency declaration as an extraordinary event which 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. Cases of the virus outside of China have been confirmed by U.S. health authorities in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, Australia, Cambodia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, the United States, and Vietnam. Indias health agency on Thursday announced the countrys first case. In the United States, health authorities announced the countrys first person-to-person transmission case, saying that a patient contracted the virus without having been to China. The patient, from Chicago, is the spouse of a woman who had recently traveled to Wuhan in mid-January. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said both patients were isolated and in stable condition. This person-to-person spread was between two very close contacts, a wife and husband, Ngozi Ezike, the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, told reporters on a phone call. The virus is not spreading widely across the community. The Costa Smeralda cruise ship is docked in the Civitavecchia port 70km north of Rome on January 30, 2020. More than 6,000 tourists were under lockdown aboard the cruise ship (Filippo Monteforte/AFP via Getty Images) Highlighting the growing concerns of the viruss spread, Italian officials ordered the hold of a cruise ship off its coast as health authorities attempted to determine whether a Chinese woman on board tested positive for coronavirus. Later on Thursday, Italys Health Ministry confirmed the woman had the H1N2 strain of influenza. As soon as the suspected case was detected, the medical team on board immediately activated all the relevant health procedures to promptly isolate and manage the case, Costa Cruises said in a statement. The local mayors office said that the ship, which had about 6,000 people on board, was placed on lockdown as health authorities investigated the case. Zachary Stieber contributed to this report. The R35 Nissan GT-R has been on the market since 2009, so its getting pretty long in the tooth. Be that as it may, car enthusiasts everywhere paint it as one of the worlds best cars. It is, quite literally, one of the fastest point-to-point cars on the planet, something it can lay claim to thanks to its precisely tuned chassis, sophisticated AWD system, a monstrous twin-turbo V-6, and race-proven roots that cannot be denied. But, being more than a decade old, makes paying six figures a tough pill to swallow, so it begs the question, is the Nissan GT-R actually worth buying? Is it still one of the best-driving cars in the world, and does its performance hold a candle to the new sports cars on the market? We set out to find answers to those questions and more, and Nissan was kind enough to lend us a 2020 Nissan GT-R Nismo for an entire week to do with as we please. Needless to say, its been a very fun week and, despite the GT-Rs age, Nissan has done a fairly decent job of keeping things somewhat fresh and interesting. This is our story with the Nissan GT-R Nismo. Under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the General delegation for Prisons Administration and Reintegration organizes the first African Forum for Prisons Administration and Reintegration, in Rabat, on January 30 and 31, under the slogan Towards a common vision to enhance South-South cooperation to face challenges and constraints the management of penitentiary institutions . The forum aims to enhance efforts made by African countries in the management of penitentiary institutions, support cooperation and, exchange experiences in order to face challenges and adopt multiple and innovative approaches regarding the role of prison institutions, whether at the security level or programs of reinsertion and rehabilitation. The opening session of this conference will be attended by the head of the government of Morocco, the General Delegate of DGAPR, the President of the African Prison Reform Association, the Secretary of State to the Ministery of Justice in charge of Prison Administration of the Republic of Cameroon, and the Dean of the African diplomatic corps in the Kingdom of Morocco. During the forums sessions, a number of topics related to the issues and concerns of prison institutions in Africa will be addressed through the interventions of a number of Moroccan and African officials, administrators, and researchers and legal professionals. the forum is expected to conclude its first edition by adopting Rabat Declaration of 2020 on Prison management and Reintegration of inmates. WASHINGTON Shortly after 5 p.m., U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal rose with a question. His question announced during the Senate impeachment trial pressed the presidents lawyers about former National Security Adviser John Bolton and his book manuscript, which reportedly confirms that Trump withheld military aid to Ukraine to obtain investigations that would help him in the 2020 election. Did anyone in the White House or outside the White House tell anyone in the White House counsels office that publication of the Bolton book would be politically problematic for the president? Blumenthal, D-Conn., asked. Deputy White House Counsel Patrick F. Philbin had a short reply: No one told us anything like that. For hours Wednesday, senators questioned the House impeachment managers and the presidents lawyers on points of their cases, their first chance to actively participate in the Senate trial in days. Senators submitted questions singly and in groups, handwritten on pieces of paper, to Chief Justice John Roberts. The questions were directed at either the prosecution or the defense. Blumenthal, D-Conn., co-signed multiple questions. One was raised by Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich. "Would the House managers care to correct the record on any falsehoods or mischaracterizations in the White House's opening arguments?"she asked. Roberts read the questions aloud one at a time to the Senate. Then, the prosecution or the defense responded for five minutes. This process repeated for hours Wednesday afternoon. The Senate will hear questions for eight hours Wednesday and eight hours Thursday. Blumenthal, with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and other senators, also asked House managers if senators should apply a missing witness rule, common to court proceedings, that directs juries to draw adverse inferences from witnesses who are blocked from testifying. Do the House managers believe senators should apply the missing witnesses rule here and if so what adverse inference should we draw from the missing witnesses and documents? they asked. U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, R-Calif., said indeed senators should conclude the White House holds more information that would support their articles of impeachment. Philbin asserted this adverse inference rule may not apply when Trump asserts executive privilege over information. Murphy described on Facebook Wednesday morning what questions hed like to pose. Id love to hear a response from the House managers about this claim from the presidents team that abuse of power is not an impeachable offense, Murphy said. Id like to hear what they feel are the dangers to the Republic if the only impeachable offense are crimes, are statutory crimes. Second, Im interested to know a little more from the House managers about the danger of allowing outside political advisers like [the presidents personal lawyer] Rudy Giuliani to be intimately involved in foreign policy. I think the House managers can do a little bit more work to explain what real serious ramifications that has for national security if the president can just use his campaign operatives to try to do foreign policy abroad. Murphy also said he wants to explore whether some of the presidents statements prove he was engaged in a quid pro quo. He noted senators may learn more about that if Bolton testifies to the Senate. The Senate will vote on new witnesses on Friday. Blumenthal said in an interview he will also ask about whether President Donald Trumps actions could constitute criminal offenses, specifically bribery. Blumenthal wrote an op-ed saying he thinks Trump has committed bribery in December. emilie.munson@hearstdc.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson The United States is awaiting a green light from the Iraqi government to deploy Patriot missile defense systems to protect US troops from Iranian missile attacks, Pentagon chief Mark Esper said Thursday. Iran launched 11 missiles at a US air base at Ain al-Assad and another at a base in Erbil on January 8 in retaliation for the killing days earlier of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in a US drone strike in Baghdad. No US troops were killed but dozens suffered traumatic brain injuries from the explosions, and Washington wants to deploy Patriot missiles to better protect the bases, which house some of the 5,200 US military personnel deployed in Iraq. The Patriot systems are composed of high performance radars and interceptor missiles capable of destroying incoming ballistic missiles in flight. Questioned Thursday about the delay in deploying the system, Esper told reporters the Iraqi government, which apparently is divided over the US military presence in the country, has yet to give it the go-ahead. "We need the permission of the Iraqis," he said. "That's one issue. There may be others with regard to placement and things like that." General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, noted that a Patriot battalion is a relatively large organization, and the mechanics of deploying one to Iraq "will have to be worked out. And that is, in fact, ongoing." Iraq denounced Soleimani's killing as an assault on its sovereignty, and charged that the international coalition in Iraq had overstepped its mandate. The US-led coalition was formed in 2014 to fight the Islamic State group, which at the time had seized control of a third of Iraq's territory and large swaths of Syria. The coalition includes troops from 76 countries. On January 5, the Iraqi parliament voted in favor of the withdrawal of US forces from the country. Coalition operations have been suspended since then. Search Keywords: Short link: The fast-spreading coronavirus, which has killed 170 people in China and infected six in the United States, should have little impact on the US economy, President Donald Trump's chief economic adviser said on Thursday. "We see no material impact on our economy," Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council Director, told Fox Business Network. Kudlow said the Trump administration had taken a look at the outbreak of SARS, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, in the early-2000s and found the economic impact on the United States had been negligible. SARS was ... ROME, N.Y. -- Oneida County sheriff's deputies arrested a Rome man on Wednesday night. They say he allegedly sent several harassing texts to another person, went to that person's job, then to their home. Trevor Fletcher, 21, of Rome, is being charged with aggravated harassment, criminal mischief and stalking. The alleged incident happened at 10:51 p.m. Wednesday night on South James Street, in Rome. Deputies say Fletcher was attempting to find, and talk with the other person over some of their personal property. While Fletcher was at that person's home, sheriff's deputies say he damaged two doors to the home, and went right inside. Fletcher was taken into custody after he was found in a home on South James Street, in Rome. He now awaits arraignment in the Oneida County Correctional Facility. Fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi, fighting extradition to India on charges over the nearly USD 2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud and money laundering case, is to be produced for a regular remand hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on Thursday. The 48-year-old, who has been lodged at Wandsworth Prison in south-west London, will appear via videolink from prison. His extradition trial is scheduled for five days starting May 11, with the case management hearings in the case set to begin soon. Modi had made a last-ditch bail application in November last year with an "unprecedented" house arrest guarantee, akin to those imposed on terrorist suspects, as well as citing mental health issues from being behind bars at Wandsworth since his arrest in March 2019. But the bail plea was turned down by Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot over continued fears of witness intimidation and failure to surrender before the court for his extradition trial this year. The UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which represents the Indian government in the extradition proceedings, said there is no further prospect of an appeal for bail in a higher court as the UK High Court had already turned down Modi's plea earlier last year. Modi is meanwhile expected to appear for "call-over" hearings every 28 days at Westminster Magistrates' Court until the case management hearings for his extradition trial kick in. The diamond merchant denies the charges of fraud and money laundering and his defence team, led by barrister Hugo Keith, has claimed that the Indian government has wrongly blackened Modi's name as a world-class schemer. As part of the change in circumstances required for a fresh bail application, Modi's lawyers had offered to double the bail bond security offered to the court, from the previous GBP 2 million to GBP 4 million. They had also informed the court of attacks on their client from fellow inmates at one of England's most overcrowded prisons. Modi has been behind bars at Wandsworth since his arrest on March 19 on an extradition warrant executed by Scotland Yard on charges brought by the Indian government. During subsequent hearings, the UK court has been told that Modi was the "principal beneficiary" of the fraudulent issuance of letters of undertaking (LoUs) as part of a conspiracy to defraud PNB and then laundering the proceeds of crime. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 30) The Philippines has confirmed its first case of novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV. The Department of Health announced Thursday that a 38-year-old female Chinese national who travelled to the Philippines from Wuhan the Chinese city where the coronavirus outbreak originated via Hong Kong tested positive for the virus. She arrived in the country on January 21, the DOH said. The DOH further disclosed that she consulted with a doctor after experiencing mild cough. She is no longer exhibiting any symptoms of coronavirus infection. DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III confirmed to CNN Philippines' Newsroom that the woman has been confined at the San Lazaro Hospital in Manila, a special national hospital for infectious diseases. We are working closely with the hospital where the patient is admitted and have activated the incident command system of the said hospital for appropriate management, specifically on infection control, case management and containment. We are also implementing measures to protect the health staff providing care to these patients, Duque said in an earlier press briefing. Further, Duque told Newsroom that the Chinese nationals admitted in San Lazaro Hospital were put in isolation. "They are in isolation room, absoultely sealed off form anybody, except the health care workers taking care of them and they are in their full gear," the Health chief assured. DOH Epidemiology Bureau Director Ferchito Avelino said they are also looking at places where the woman stayed in Cebu and Dumaguete. He added that they are working to identify and quarantine employees at establishments who had close contact with the woman Avelino also said they are also working with the Bureau of Quarantine to determine what flights the Chinese woman took to the Philippines. He said they will track down the four passengers nearest to the front, back and sides of the patient, contact them and advise them accordingly. The Philippine National Police has vowed to assist the DOH in monitoring all major entry points in the country. It said that local police are also on standby to track down other people who may have been infected with 2019-nCoV. The city government of Manila will also distribute around 400,000 face masks to students in public schools in the Philippine capital, Mayor Isko Moreno said. "We ask the public not to panic and to remain calm as the government, especially the DOH, is on top of the situation," Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar said. "We would like to assure them that the relevant health, research, and law enforcement agencies are working together to prevent the disease from spreading." Travel ban sought The DOH said that it is now investigating 29 people suspected of 2019-nCoV infection. Eighteen of them are in Metro Manila, four are in Central Visayas, three in Western Visayas, and one each in Mimaropa, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao and Davao. One person who had been under investigation for the coronavirus has died of pneumonia. Health officials said that the 39-year-old man has not yet tested positive for 2019-nCoV, but has tested positive for HIV, which if untreated can leave the body susceptible to all kinds of infections. Duque said he will recommend to the task force on emerging diseases to ban the entry of all travellers from China's Hubei province, where Wuhan is located. But I believe that will still change. It could expand, increase the number of places depending on the assessment that is going to be done by the WHO (World Health Organization), he said. Some areas in the country have enforced stricter entry rules, with Samal Island in Davao del Norte barring entry of all people who came from countries which have reported cases of 2019-nCoV. Cebu, meanwhile, is seeking to enforce a 14-day quarantine for tourists coming from China. Some lawmakers are also calling for the government to temporarily ban all people who came from China from entering the country. Among them is Senator Risa Hontiveros who wants a 30-day travel ban on all individuals travelling to the Philippines who passed through China in the past two weeks. If Hong Kong has drastically reduced high-speed train and ferry services from China, then why cant we do the same?" said Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, who is also seeking a travel ban. The DOH advised the public to practice good hygiene, drink lots of water, eat food rich in vitamins A, C, E and the mineral zinc, avoid crowded places and to wear a surgical mask if they feel any flu-like symptoms. Some of the common symptoms of a 2019-nCoV infection are headache and weakness, runny nose, cough or sore throat, and muscle pain. It may also cause high fever, trouble breathing, pneumonia, sepsis and even death. Worldwide, the number of people infected with 2019-nCoV has exceeded the count during the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome outbreak, with now more than 7,700 confirmed cases in mainland China, including 170 deaths, CNN reported. This marks an increase of almost 30 percent in the number of cases from the previous day. Cases have also been reported in countries including Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Sri Lanka, India and Australia. CNN Philippines Correspondent Triciah Terada contributed to this report. Death row, family cases to be listed for hearing through video conferencing says SC Story of Lisa Montgomery, the only woman on death row in US Ghaziabad court awards death penalty to 30-yr for rape and murder of 2 year old girl Samatha case: Three men get death penalty for raping, murdering Dalit woman in Telangana India oi-Madhuri Adnal Hyderabad, Jan 30: A special court in Kumram Bheem-Asifabad district of Telangana on Thursday convicted three men of raping and murdering a Dalit woman and sentenced them to death. The court which was designated as the special court for speedy trial in the case pronounced its verdict after finding the three accused guilty under relevant sections of the IPC, Additional Public Prosecutor M Ramana Reddy said. MG Priyadarshini, district Principal Judge and in-charge of the fast court, heard the versions of the public prosecutor and defence. The trial began on December 1 and ended on December 30. It examined 44 witnesses, including the charge-sheet filed by the investigating officials. Man awarded death penalty for repeatedly raping, impregnating, killing mentally unsound daughter EU Parliament postpones voting on resolution against CAA, India hails it as diplomatic win|Oneindia On November 25, 2019, the body of the 30-year old Scheduled Caste woman with throat slit and stab marks was found in Lingapur mandal of the district a day after the offence. Subsequently, three men were arrested on November 27 for allegedly raping and murdering her and were remanded to judicial custody. Shaikh Babu, Shaikh Shaboddin and Shaikh Mukdum, daily wage labourers, were arrested for the crime. Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday paid solidarity visit to President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja. The meeting held briefly behind closed doors, thereafter, President Buhari saw Jonathan off at the forecourt of the State House. The former President visited his predecessor at a time Buhari is facing turbulent times over rising insecurity in the country which precipitated call on Wednesday by a senator for his resignation. President Buhari had earlier in the day held security meeting with the service chiefs and principal officers in the presidency, including the Minister of Defence. PV: 0 The global commercial seaweed market size is likely to reach USD 21.75 billion by 2025. The market was valued at USD 11.48 billion in 2017 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.42% within the forecast period of 2018 to 2025. Fortune Business Insights in their report titled, Commercial Seaweed Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis By Product Type (Red Seaweed, Brown Seaweed, Green Seaweed), By Form (Flakes, Powder, Liquid), By End User (Food and Beverage, Agricultural Fertilizer, Animal Feed Additives, Pharmaceuticals, Cosmetics and Personal Care), and Regional Forecast 2018-2025, studies the market qualitatively and quantitatively. Functional Properties of Edible Seaweed to Increase Demand from Food and Beverage Sectors Commonly known as marine algae, commercial seaweed has been used for centuries in the food and beverage sector, around the world. This is on account of the functional properties of edible seaweed that increases its demand from the food and beverage industry. Besides this, commercial seaweed comes in a variety of colors, namely green, brown, and red. In a few coastal communities, it is considered as a food source. The hydrocolloid properties of commercial seaweed increase its demand in various other industries such as animal feed additives, cosmetics and personal care, pharmaceutical, and agricultural products. Additionally, commercial seaweed has nutritional properties such as antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and can also help in various health issues such as reducing the risk of cardiac diseases, diabetes, and weight loss. This factor is also expected to help promote the commercial seaweed market growth in the coming years. Besides this, lettuce, a part of commercial seaweed aquaculture family, is also used as a smooth laxative and is used for producing stable fibers used in wound dressings in the healthcare industry. The rise in demand from the healthcare industry is also anticipated to help accelerate the commercial seaweed market share in the forecast duration. List of the key players covered in commercial seaweed market includes: Acadian Seaplants Limited Hydrocolloids, Inc. Kerry Group PLC Ocean Harvest Technology Limited CP Kelco DowDuPont Inc. (Danisco) Roullier Group Gelymar S.A. Bunge Limited FMC Corporation Corbion Cargill, Inc. However, the lack of financial support from the government may cause hindrance to the overall commercial seaweed market revenue in the forecast period. This, coupled with the improper marine spatial plans, may restrict commercial seaweed harvesting and thus hamper the overall commercial seaweed market growth. Furthermore, natural calamities may result in a decline in the production of seaweed and thus also may cause the market to face rough waters in the future. Nevertheless, the ongoing research and development on the use of the seaweed as snacks may bring forth lucrative commercial seaweed market growth opportunities in the future. Browse Summary of This Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/commercial-seaweed-market-100077 The report contains the following information: 360-degree overview of the commercial seaweed market including growth drivers, restraints, opportunities and challenges In-depth segmentation of the market based on seaweed type, form, end users, and regions. List of market players and key strategies adopted by them such as product launches, company collaborations, mergers and acquisitions, investments in research and development. Other commercial seaweed market trends and interesting insights Higher Contribution from China to Drive the Market in Asia Pacific Geographically, the global commercial seaweed market is dominated by Asia Pacific on account of the rise in aquacultural activities in nations such as India, South Korea, Japan, China, and the rest of South-east Asian nations. China is leading the market with 50% of the worlds seaweed production. The surge in production in countries such as Indonesia, India, and the Philippines, the market in Asia Pacific is expected to witness continuous growth in the coming years. On the other hand, Europe market is likely to witness significant growth on account of the rising demand for seaweed-flavored food and beverage products. Additionally, the increasing prevalence of organic protein sources is anticipated to help North America market witness considerable growth in the forecast period. CP Kelco and Cargill, Inc. Collectively Lead the Market Fortune Business Insights foresees two major commercial seaweed market manufacturers to emerge as leading players as per 2017. These include CP Kelco and Cargill, Inc. Both the companies are investing huge amounts into research and development of new products such as commercial seaweed fertilizers, bio stimulants, and others using seaweed. Some of the key industry developments recorded in the commercial seaweed market analysis report include: May 2017 A novel type of carrageenan extract called Satiagel Seabird was launched by Cargill Inc. This product is made out of 100% cultivated seaweed and is formulated especially for helping dairy manufacturers to achieve desired creamy texture used in various dairy desserts. June 2018 A leading animal feed ingredients producer Ocean Harvest Technology Limited launched a seaweed-based animal feed ingredient that is all-natural called OceanFeed Swine. This product claims to help improve the health and productivity of animals. Read Press Release: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/press-release/commercial-seaweed-market-9069 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 When audience members settle into their seats this weekend for Live Arts new production of The Humans, moments from family holiday meals wont exactly be distant memories. Gathering with the extended Blake family for a Thanksgiving dinner served on what director Francine Smith calls card tables and folding chairs and Chinet plates dives into the complexity of family dynamics and the concept that theres no place like home, no matter where that may be. I think everybodys going to come away with something different, Smith said. Its a comedy, and it has pathos in it. Brigid Blake is hosting Thanksgiving dinner for three generations of her Irish Catholic family, which isnt crazy about the idea that Brigid is living with her much older boyfriend, Richard. Their sparsely furnished Chinatown apartment offers plastic chairs and a folding table in way of hospitality. The family members embrace their roots and religious heritage with varying degrees of enthusiasm; when mom Deirdre gives daughter Brigid a statuette of the Virgin Mary for her apartment, Brigid tucks it into a drawer. Brigid is the youngest, rebellious one, and I think a lot of daughters can relate to that, Smith said. Meanwhile, Erik, Brigids father, has lost his job and his pension. He and Deirdre have been withholding that news from Brigid and her lawyer sister, Aimee, whose own challenges include ulcerative colitis and a painful recent breakup. Smiths cast includes fellow founding Live Arts member Larry Goldstein as Erik, Meg Hoover as Momo, Geri Schirmer as Deirdre, Lena Malcolm as Aimee, Madeline Walker as Brigid and Johnny Butcher as Richard. The creative team includes producer Karen Pape, assistant director Tim White, production stage manager Liz Howard, scenic designer Gwyn Gilliam, lighting designer Jackson Key, sound designer Kathleen Mueller, costume designer Anna Lien, properties designer and set dresser Jen Lawless, assistant properties designer Deborah Jackson and dramaturg Suzy Cincinnati. Weve got a good cast and a good crew, Smith said. Building the set was challenging, because we have two floors and a big spiral staircase. Set challenges included making sure there was room for a wheelchair on each floor for the familys grandmother. A production about family ties is a meaningful choice for opening Live Arts 29th season. Celebrations for the big 3-0 will begin in the fall. Smith, who has been there since the beginning, said shes glad I get to do this. Whoever thought wed be here 30 years later? This production is Smiths 58th show for Live Arts. It has just been amazing, Smith said. It has been a positive journey, and Live Arts has been my home. 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. Government funding worth 1.15 million has been announced to tackle food waste in households and supply chains. Businesses will benefit from the fund to help come up with new ways to tackle food waste by changing peoples behaviour or transforming it into other materials. Grants will be available for creative solutions, such as educating the public on how to store fresh food, or even turning food waste into new, edible products. With 4.5 million tonnes of food wasted every year, the grants are the latest step to reduce food waste in the UK by 20% by 2025. It forms part of a wider 15 million government scheme to specifically address surplus food from the retail and manufacturing sectors. Environment minister Rebecca Pow said: The UK is a proud world leader in tackling food waste, owing in part to the innovation and creativity of many organisations across the UK. I look forward to supporting UK organisations who are taking up the mantle to tackle food waste and to create a better world for ourselves, as well as generations to come. It makes sense in every way it cuts collection costs, saves the customer money and importantly reduces emissions which benefits the environment. It comes as the governments Environment Bill was introduced to parliament today, which highlights a commitment to reduce the UKs food waste footprint. The government is pledging to reduce food waste by 20% by 2025, as UK households still waste 4.5m tonnes of food that could have been eaten every year, equivalent to ten billion meals. Despite this, data released this week shows a half a million tonne reduction in total UK food waste in just three years enough to fill the Royal Albert Hall ten times. 6,000 passengers confined on cruise ship off Italian coast. A cruise ship off the Italian coast north of Rome has been placed on lockdown due to fears of two suspected cases of the fatal Coronavirus on board. Around 6,000 people are now confined on the ship in the port of Civitavecchia after a 54-year-old female passenger from Macau fell ill with a fever. The woman has been isolated in her cabin, along with her travel companion and several doctors, as health authorities test samples from the couple for the Coronavirus. The vast Costa Smeralda cruise liner arrived in Civitavecchia from Palma on the Spanish island of Mallorca as part of a one-week cruise in the Mediterranean. The news, which follows a suspected case of Coronavirus in Rome, comes as the death toll from the disease rises to 170 in China. The World Health Organization is meeting on 30 January to decide whether to declare a global emergency as the virus spreads around the world. New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/30/2020 -- The study delivers detailed information on the major driving factors, expected to fuel the Sewage Pump market in the near future. Experts have also provided analysis on the key opportunities for the industry players to explore and gain prominent position. Industry players can also improve their brand image by adopting growth strategies, such as innovations and new product development, while considering the environmental factors. This will not only support their goodwill, but also boost the company presence in the Sewage Pump market. Get FREE Sample Report + All Related & Charts @at https://www.marketgrowthinsight.com/sample/71884 Scope of the Report: In-depth research report also focuses on the key impacting factors, such as changing consumer requirements, product preferences in different economies, consumer spending power, and demographic details on gender, age, and income. This information will help the manufacturing companies to produce the required quantity of good, while reducing wastage and managing their resources effectively. The report also includes details on restraining factors and major challenges that will allow the industry players to plan policies and introduce products accordingly. In market segmentation by manufacturers, the report covers the following companies- Zoeller Pump Company Liberty Pumps Superior Pump Flotec HOMA The literature offers deep analysis on geographic segmentation for the business owners to understand the ongoing trends in the regions. Researchers have also highlighted information on consumer demand pattern, their disposable income, and product preference. This will also help the players in the Sewage Pump industry to track potential customers, plan ideal promotional strategies for product awareness and creating product demand in short time. List of key players is also given in the report for helping the competitors understand their current status in the industry and planning policies for growth and expansion. Access PDF Version of this Report at:@ https://www.marketgrowthinsight.com/checkout/71884 The study objectives of the Global Sewage Pump Market research report are: To examine deeply on the existing status, future forecast, growth opportunity, key market and industry players. To display the current development in major economies, across the globe. To strategically profile the market players and comprehensively examine their growth and development plans. To define, describe and predict the Sewage Pump market by product type, application, end user, and key regions. Global Sewage Pump Market Report Highlights: Intact analysis of major driving factors and ongoing trends based on each Sewage Pump market segment and sub-segment. Deep evaluation of emerging technological advancements in the global Sewage Pump market. Extensive estimation of the key manufacturers in the Sewage Pump market with assessment of market size, share, growth rate, and revenue. Detailed study of historical market scenario of the Sewage Pump market including forecast estimations up to 2026. About Market Growth Insight Market Growth Insight is a global leader in market measurement & advisory services, Market Growth Insight is at the forefront of innovation to address the worldwide industry trends and opportunities. We identified the caliber of market dynamics & hence we excel in the areas of innovation and optimization, integrity, curiosity, customer and brand experience, and strategic business intelligence through our research. Contact Us- 2nd Floor, Manikchand Ikon, B- Wing, Dhole Patil Road, Sangamwadi, Pune 411 001 sales@marketindustryreports.com +1 347 767 5477 ( US ) +44 131 463 4161 ( UK ) +91 8956 767 535 ( IN ) BEIJING (AP) The World Health Organization declared the outbreak sparked by a new virus in China that has been exported to more than a dozen countries as a global emergency Thursday after the number of cases spiked tenfold in a week. The U.N. health agency defines an international emergency as an extraordinary event that constitutes a risk to other countries and requires a coordinated international response. China first informed WHO about cases of the new virus in late December. To date, China has reported more than 7,800 cases including 170 deaths. Eighteen other countries have since reported cases, as scientists race to understand how exactly the virus is spreading and how severe it is. Experts say there is significant evidence the virus is transmitting among people in China and have noted with concern several instances in other countries including Japan, Germany, Canada and Vietnam where there have also been isolated cases of human-to-human spread. China first informed WHO about cases of the new virus in late December. To date, China has reported more than 7,800 cases including 170 deaths. Eighteen other countries have since reported cases, as scientists race to understand how exactly the virus is spreading and how severe it is. Experts say there is significant evidence the virus is spreading g among people in China and have noted with concern several instances in other countries - including Japan, Germany, Canada and Vietnam - where there have also been isolated cases of human-to-human transmission. A declaration of a global emergency typically brings greater money and resources, but may also prompt nervous governments to restrict travel and trade to affected countries. The announcement also imposes more disease reporting requirements on countries. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. APs earlier story follows below. BEIJING (AP) China on Thursday raised the death toll to 170 and more countries reported infections from a worrisome new virus, including some spread locally, as foreign evacuees from China's worst-hit region returned home to medical tests and even isolation. Russia announced it was closing its 2,600-mile border with China, joining Mongolia and North Korea in barring crossings to guard against a new viral outbreak. It had been de facto closed because of the Lunar New Year holiday, but Russian authorities said the closure would be extended until March 1. Train traffic between the countries was halted except for one train connecting Moscow and Beijing, but air traffic between the two countries continued, at least for now. Russia has not confirmed any cases of the virus. Meanwhile, the United States and South Korea confirmed their first cases of person-to-person spread of the virus. The man in the U.S. is married to a 60-year-old Chicago woman who got sick from the virus after she returned from a trip to Wuhan, the Chinese city that is the epicenter of the outbreak. There have been cases reported of the infectious virus spreading to others in a household or workplace in China and elsewhere. The case in South Korea was a 56-year-old man who had contact with a patient who was diagnosed with the new virus earlier. Human-to-human spread of the virus outside China has also occurred in Germany, Japan, Canada and Vietnam, and was a major reason the World Health Organization has convened its committee of experts Thursday to assess whether the outbreak warrants being declared a global emergency. The committee last week had advised the U.N. health agency it was too early to make that pronouncement. The new virus has now infected more people in China than were sickened there during the 2002-2003 outbreak of SARS, a cousin of the new virus. The latest figures for mainland China show an increase of 38 deaths and 1,737 cases for a total of 7,736 confirmed cases. Of the new deaths, 37 were in Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, and one was in the southwestern province of Sichuan. Outside China, there are 82 infections in 18 countries, according to WHO. A second Japanese flight carrying 210 evacuees landed in Tokyo. Reports said nine of those aboard the flight showed signs of cough and fever. Three of Japan's confirmed cases were among a group of evacuees who had returned on a government-chartered flight the previous day. A flight was also en route to China to bring back 350 Europeans. The U.S. said additional flights were planned for early next week after it evacuated 195 Americans from Wuhan on Wednesday. They are being tested and monitored at a Southern California military base. South Korea, Britain, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and other countries were also trying to get their citizens out. Taiwan, the self-governing republic China considers its own territory, has also asked to be able to repatriate its passport holders from Wuhan, but it was awaiting approval from Beijing. Israel's El Al , Spain's Iberia, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Korean Air joined the growing list of airlines suspending or reducing service to China. In South Korea, residents in two cities where quarantine facilities were being prepared threw eggs and water bottles at government officials to protest plans to isolate in their neighborhoods 700 South Koreans the government plans to evacuate from China. Amid reports of shortages in food and daily necessities in hot-spot areas, Chinese authorities are stepping up efforts to ensure continuous supply and stable prices," the official Xinhua News Agency reported. It cited Ministry of Commerce data showing current reserves in Wuhan can ensure a secure supply of rice and cooking oil for more than 15 days, pork and eggs for more than 10 days and vegetables for about five days. China's highly developed online shopping and home delivery businesses were important in ensuring those confined to home by choice or by order could get food and other essentials. China extended its Lunar New Year holiday to Sunday to try to keep people home, but the wave of returning travelers could potentially cause the virus to spread further. Transport ministry spokesman Wu Chungeng outlined a series of rigorous temperature checks and other severe measures" to detect possibly infectious passengers. Transport restrictions such as those isolating Wuhan and suspending inter-provincial bus services would remain in place, Wu said. It's definitely very challenging, but we're confident we can exert effective control," Wu told reporters at the briefing. The WHO emergencies chief, Michael Ryan, speaking in Geneva Wednesday after returning from Beijing, said China was taking extraordinary measures in the face of an extraordinary challenge" posed by the outbreak. To date, about 99% of the cases are in China. Ryan estimated the death rate of the new virus at 2%, but said the figure was very preliminary. With fluctuating numbers of cases and deaths, scientists are only able to produce a rough estimate of the fatality rate and its likely many milder cases of the virus are being missed. In comparison, the SARS virus killed about 10% of people who caught it. The new virus is from the coronavirus family, which includes those that can cause the common cold as well as more serious illnesses such as SARS and MERS. Chinese authorities have demanded anyone who traveled from or through Wuhan report to health authorities and self-quarantine themselves for 14 days, the maximum incubation period during which patients can be infectious even if they don't show symptoms. China has been largely praised for a swift and effective response to the outbreak, although questions have been raised about the police suppression of what were early on considered mere rumors a reflection of the one-party Communist state's determination to maintain a monopoly on information in spite of smart phones and social media. That stands in stark contrast to the initial response to SARS, when medical reports were hidden as state secrets. The delayed response was blamed for allowing the disease to spread worldwide, killing around 800 people. ___ Associated Press writers Maria Cheng in London, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report. Senior BJP leader and former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday reiterated the party's stand that nothing can stop the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), comparing Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Lord Ram and Home Minister Amit Shah with Lord Hanuman, calling them fearless. READ | Shivraj Singh Chouhan, HM Shah Hail Sharjeel Imam's Arrest, CPI Says 'Let The Law Decide' "No force in the world can stop the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act. Narendra Modi is a Prime Minister who does not fear threats. He is a lion. If Narendra Modi is Lord Ram, then Amit Shah is Lord Hanuman," Shivraj said while addressing a public meeting at Matiala constituency. READ | Shivraj Singh Chouhan Castigates Congress On ED's PFI Revelations While taking a dig at Congress for misguiding the nation on CAA, the BJP leader asked them if they have ever read the new Citizenship Act: "Sharjeel Imam is arrested now and whoever talks like him will get jailed. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi should tell people if they read the amended citizenship Act and where it is written that Indian Muslims will be thrown out of the country. They are only spreading rumors for votes. Congress is helping those people who want to break this country. We will not entertain this," he added. READ | Shivraj Chouhan Defends Vijayvargiya's Poha Remark, Says 'he Must Have Thought It Through' About CAA and the protests The CAA grants citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist, and Christian refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, who came to India on or before December 31, 2014. But after its passage, the nation witnessed a series of protests against the act. Starting with Northeastern states such as Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura, the protests grew in the universities such as JNU, Jamia Millia University and Aligarh Muslim University and also turned violent with incidents of vandalism, damaging public property and stone pelting on police personnel. After the violent university protests, the Shaheen bagh protest of over a month has blocked the road in Delhi causing inconvenience to Delhi civilians. Several Bollywood celebrities have also extended their support to the protests against the act. Some fear the CAA might lead to detaining the Muslims despite the government's repeated assurances that none of the Indian citizens shall be ousted due to the Act as it is about giving citizenship to refugees from neighboring countries and not about snatching it away from Indian citizens. (With ANI inputs) READ | Madhya Pradesh: Former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan Talks About Pro-CAA Public Rally James Mitchell, an Air Force veteran and psychologist who was a leading architect of the torture methods pervasive at US black sites around the world, testified to his role and to the record of the CIA in their infamous torture program at a pretrial hearing Tuesday at Guantanamo Bay for Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (KSM) and others accused of involvement in the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. In addition to devising the enhanced interrogation techniques that became a staple of US intelligence operations throughout the so-called War on Terror, Mitchell personally carried out a number of waterboarding sessions against prisoners such as Abu Zubaydah, the first and most prominent victim of such torture. It was later determined that Zubaydah had no prior knowledge of the 9/11 attacks and was not a member of Al Qaeda. Despite being held for nearly two decades, he has not been accused of a crime. Regarding his own role, Mitchells testimony bounced between aggressive patriotism and self-pity. He at once proudly proclaimed Id get up today and do it again I thought my moral duty to protect American lives outweighed the feelings of discomfort of terrorists who voluntarily took up arms against us. To me it just seemed like it would be dereliction of my moral responsibilities I actually did it for the victims and families [of 9/11]. Not you. And cruelly lamented Some of the folks who were watching were tearful I was tearful. I cry at dog food commercials, and it was particularly hard for me to do. He rejected the use of the term torture throughout his testimony. According to Mitchells testimony, after several weeks of waterboarding Zubaydah in August of 2002, Mitchell and other CIA contract psychologists wanted to stop the program, citing Zubaydahs cooperation. The CIA responded in a cable, Please continue with the aggressive interrogation strategy for the next 23 weeks. After asking to stop several times, they eventually persuaded a delegation from Langley to come visit the black site. I felt sorry for him [Zubaydah] I thought it was unnecessary. He had agreed to work for us. In response to these appeals, the directors of the program at the CIA called the psychologists pussies. The torture program continued, and Mitchell and his colleagues continued their sadistic work in it. On Monday, Mitchell recounted the torture of KSM, confessing that in March 2003 he threatened to kill the detainees son. He quickly added that he was concerned about the legal ramifications of making such a threat and had only done so after consulting with CIA lawyers. He was advised only to make the threat conditional: I will cut your sons throat if there was another catastrophic attack in the United States, if [KSM withheld] information that could have stopped it or if another American child was killed. This was no idle threat, as two of KSMs sons, Yusuf and Abed, aged 9 and 7 respectively had been captured by Pakistani security forces in a joint raid with the US the previous September. KSM was not informed of their wellbeing until 2006. According to Zeke Johnson, a program director for Amnesty International, Threatening to kill a detainees child would violate the Convention Against Torture and be illegal. In 2017, a case against Mitchell and John Bruce Jessen, another ex-Air Force CIA psychologist involved in the torture program, was settled out of court. The details of the settlement are not public, and it is believed that a cash payout was given to some of the victims in order to keep the program covered up. All that came of it was a joint statement in which the psychologists said they advised the CIA about abuses, but that nothing otherwise had changed. Mitchell said at the time that it was regrettable that one guy died and those other guys were treated badly. We had nothing to do with it. Were not responsible for it. They say we are, but in my view theyre wrong. The CIA has paid their torturers handsomely. Both Mitchell and Jessen received up to $1,800 a day and later formed a company that was paid a total of at least $81 million from its founding. While these psychologists face no charges and receive massive payouts, the figures who oversaw the black sites where torture took place and subsequently destroyed evidence, such as Gina Haspel, not only walk free, but have been promoted. Haspel became the CIA director in 2018, after former director Mike Pompeo became US secretary of state. Haspel was the head of a CIA black site in Thailand which was used to torture prisoners using the very methods devised by Mitchell, and was directly responsible for covering up evidence of those crimes, including by deleting video footage. In his testimony, Mitchell claimed that the first person he waterboarded was Zubaydah, and that he did so in 2002 at the Thailand black site. As key Democrats backed Haspels confirmation as CIA director, Trump himself proclaimed in his 2016 presidential campaign that I would bring back waterboarding, and Id bring back a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding! While dominant sections of the military have come out against waterboarding, questioning its efficacy and fearing its potential to stir up mass opposition to the medieval methods of US imperialism, such concerns are merely tactical. Although the focus of US imperialisms strategy has formally shifted away from the war on terror and towards great power conflict, the legitimization of torture continues to be a significant goal of the ruling class. No section of the ruling class fundamentally objects to these barbaric methods, with President Barack Obama infamously covering up the torture program with his calls to look forward, not backwards. Both the Democrats and Republicans are agreed in pursuing an agenda of war and dictatorship and see the use of extraordinary violence and draconian repression as necessary to that end. The author also recommends: Americas torturers and their co-conspirators must be prosecuted [9 December 2019] Washington buries the CIA torture report [8 January 2015] Manchin, who has sought to maintain a working relationship with Trump even after the president campaigned heavily against him last year, is widely seen as the most likely Democratic vote for Trumps acquittal. That speculation has been based not only on the tilt of his state, which voted for Trump by 42 percentage points in 2016, but his history of backing the president on key votes and the 72-year-olds refusal to rule out a 2024 reelection run or a second stint as governor. Agency Reporter A DRIVER, Michael Ogbar, 51, repeatedly defiled his 10-year-old daughter in their home in Lagos, a medical doctor, Dr Oyedeji Alagbe, told the Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court on Thursday in Lagos. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Alagbe, a consultant at the Mirabel Centre (a sexual assault referral centre) has 14 years working experience at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH). He works at the Department of Family Medicine in the hospital. While being led in evidence by the State Prosecutor, Mrs Arinola Momoh-Ayokanbi, the medical doctor told the court that he was before the court to interprete the childs medical report, which was made by one Dr Olaniyi, who had examined the child but had since left the service of LASUTH. Alagbe said the complainant on the day of the examination, was accompanied to the Mirabel Centre by the mother of the victim and a female pastor. He said the victim had told Dr Olaniyi that she was defiled repeatedly by her father and that her younger brother had witnessed some of the sexual abuses. The victim said that her father had repeatedly had sexual intercourse with her and that her younger brother (name withheld) had repeatedly seen the father perform sexual acts repeatedly on her. She said the father had threatened her not to tell anyone and that the last incident had occurred on April 28, 2016, he said. Giving the findings from the genitalia of the complainant, the medical doctor also revealed that the child was defiled vaginally and anally by her father. She had a foul smelling discharge from the vagina. The hymen was half-moon shaped (crescenteric) with a healed laceration called notch at 6o clock. The lower third of the vaginal canal was easily seen and the posterior fourchette had linear healed lacerations which measured approximately 1.5 centimetres. The genital findings are in tandem with repeated forceful penetration into the clients vagina and anus, Alagbe said. He noted that the statements of the complainants mother and pastor corroborated the accounts of the child that she was repeatedly abused sexually by her father. While being cross-examined by the Defence Counsel, Mr Peter Odoeme, Alagbe said that the injuries on the hymen were consistent with those caused by forceful blunt penetration which could be caused by penis. The skillful methodology used by the doctor made the inference that the pattern of injuries found on the client was in tandem with the clients verbal declaration that a penis was used, he said. Following the cross-examination of the medical doctor, Momoh-Ayokanbi announced to the court that the prosecution was closing its case. Justice Abiola Soladoye adjourned the case until March 24 for defence. NAN reports that on March 25, 2019, two of Ogbars daughters aged 23 and 25 had testified that the defendant had a history of defiling his daughters. The Retail Council of Canada is calling on the Quebec government to ban all plastic bags of any thickness from any and all stores in the province, from grocers to retail outlets. "If they cannot be washed and used 100 times, then they should be banned," said the council's president, Marc Fortin. The Trudeau government promised back in June to ban single-use plastics which could include bags, straws and cutlery as early as 2021. The council has been discussing that proposed ban with the federal government, but it's not clear if the legislation would apply to all plastic bags, everywhere, Fortin said. Until then, it's up to the provinces to act, and the council has been involved in discussions with several provincial governments. Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia have already banned the bags outright. But Quebec "has been a little slow at seeing how important this is and why we should move forward," Fortin said. Montreal's bylaw means thicker bags Montreal's ban on single-use bags (less than 50 microns, or 0.05 millimetres thick) went into effect in 2018, but residents haven't changed their behaviour: some 70 per cent more plastic is going to the landfill because the bags are so much thicker, Fortin said. Ali Akhavan agrees. He owns Akhavan supermarkets with locations in Notre-Dame-de-Grace and Pierrefonds. He charges his customers 10 cents for the thicker plastic bags allowed by the bylaw. "We used to have the plastic which was less weight, now they go more weight, and there is more waste," he said. He said about half of his customers remember to bring reusable bags. For others, he offers empty cardboard boxes, he said, "because it's better for us and for them." Zach Goudie/CBC Meanwhile, retailers across the province are dealing with a patchwork of rules as municipalities follow Montreal's lead. The problem is the bans target plastics of varying thicknesses, he said, and retailers have to keep track of rules in some 1,300 different municipalities. Story continues It's becoming a "nightmare for consumers, for us, for everybody," Fortin said. "If we're going to do something right for the environment, it's not by going with thicker bags so we're actually sending more plastic to the landfill." "We might as well just ban everything." Quebec's minister of the environment is releasing a new strategy on plastic bags in the spring. Until then, a spokesperson for the ministry, Louis-Julien Dufresne, had little to say on the matter. "Unfortunately, we are behind in several areas, including plastics, because of the inaction of previous governments," Dufresne told CBC. Industry can afford to ditch plastic, retailer says Sam Papoutsis, the owner of Mile End Kicks on Montreal's Parc Avenue, says he's in favour of getting rid of plastic. It's the right thing for the retail industry to do, he said, but it's a costly move. He offers his customers paper bags that are made in Canada, and he's not charging them for the service even though it costs him three times what plastic bags would. Mark Baker/The Canadian Press "Paper obviously doesn't always do the job with certain heavier boxes. In our case, boots and shoes," Papoutsis said. He's considering turning bags into a charitable cause by offering fabric totes with his company's name on it at an affordable rate and then donating a portion of that to an organization in need of funding. No matter what, he said, he wants to get rid of plastic altogether and offer "something that people can reuse. Responsibly, that's our part as a retailer." Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte delivers a speech during a ceremony at the Malacanang Palace in Manila, Philippines, on July 17, 2017. (Ted Aljibe/AFP via Getty Images) Philippines Duterte Threatens to End Military Deal With the United States Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte warned the United States on Jan. 30 he would repeal an agreement on deployment of troops and equipment for exercises if Washington did not reinstate the visa of a political ally. Visibly upset, Duterte vented his anger over the U.S. decision to deny entry to Ronaldo dela Rosa, a former police chief who is now a senator. Dela Rosa said the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines did not explain why his visa had been canceled but that he believed it was most likely because of allegations of extrajudicial killings during his more than two-year term as police chief. Dela Rosa was the chief enforcer of Dutertes anti-narcotics crackdown, which has resulted in deaths of more than 5,000 people, mostly small-time drug dealers. Police say victims were shot by officers in self-defense. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump (R) during the 31st ASEAN Summit in Cultural Center of the Philippines in Manila, Philippines, on Nov. 13, 2017. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images) If you do not do the correction, one, I will terminate the bases, the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). I will finish that [expletive], Duterte said in a wide-ranging speech before former communist rebels. I am giving the government and the American government one month from now. The Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), signed in 1998, accorded legal status to thousands of U.S. troops who were rotated in the country for military exercises and humanitarian assistance operations. Delfin Lorezana, Dutertes defense minister, declined to comment when asked if he agreed with the presidents plan. Duterte makes no secret of his disdain for the United States and what he considers its hypocrisy and interference, though he acknowledges that most Filipinos and his military have high regard for their countrys former colonial ruler. The United States is the Philippines biggest defense ally and millions of Filipinos have relatives who are U.S. citizens. Philippine marines disembark from their landing ship as security responders during a simulation of a disaster drill as part of the annual joint Philippines-U.S. military exercise in Casiguran town, Aurora province, Philippines, on May 15, 2017. (Ted Aljibe/AFP via Getty Images) Last month, Duterte banned U.S. senators Richard Durbin and Patrick Leahy from visiting the Philippines after they introduced a provision in the U.S. Congress. The provision calls for a ban on U.S. entry to anyone involved in locking up Philippine senator Leila de Lima, a former justice minister and Dutertes top critic who was jailed in 2017 on drug charges after leading an investigation into thousands of deaths during the anti-narcotics campaign. She has won numerous awards from human rights groups, which consider her a prisoner of conscience. The U.S. Embassy in Manila could not immediately be reached for comment outside office hours. By Neil Jerome Morales and Karen Lema Venturing to any new place in Montanas outdoors can be intimidating, so going on an outing organized by the Montana Wilderness Association is an opportunity to learn from experienced volunteers. Winds gusting more than 40 mph walloped the parking lot on Flesher Pass northwest of Helena last week. Despite the pummeling with blasts of snow on par with fine grit sand, volunteers with the MWA and a few attendees strapped on snowshoes, clutched ski poles and began their ascent across crusty snow. MWA offers numerous summer and winter walks every year free of charge. The day trips include a variety of experiences at varied difficulties led by volunteers interested in sharing knowledge of the area and any special skills needed to access it. Flesher Pass sits along the Continental Divide roughly 13 miles from Rogers Pass and 11 miles from Stemple Pass northwest of Helena. While certainly more popular in the summer, the area sees its share of winter adventurers on snowshoes and cross country skis enjoying views into the Blackfoot and Canyon Creek valleys. Volunteers Katie Kotynski and June Sprout led the five-mile snowshoe trip, traveling south along the ridge and the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. Winter may have only lightly touched the valleys below, but it was very much present on the divide where snow drifts rose high above the knees and only a few elk and snowshoe hare tracks provided evidence of life. Kotynski and Sprout provided more than just directions to the trail. The duo helped novice snowshoers with advice and techniques, identified landmarks and vegetation, and offered insight into winter travel. Pointing to the line of snowshoe tracks filing up with blowing snow, Kotynski recommended never relying on tracks to find safe passage home as they may quickly disappear. The trail south from Flesher provides a mix of open views and forested hideouts where a clear day may reveal the Mission Mountains to the northwest. The terrain rises and drops along the ridge and negotiating snowdrifts is a challenge even with snowshoes. Sprout and attendee Camille Consolvo took turns breaking trail. Soon a final push brought the group to a spot for lunch where a downed log served as a makeshift table. Whether a short snowshoe or all-day trek, volunteers who lead the wilderness walks love to share their favorite wild places and draw attention to their history and management, Kotynski said. For more information on upcoming wilderness walks go to https://wildmontana.org/discover-the-wild/wilderness-walks. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 , We're sorry, this article is not currently available Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion at 1 PM. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times. Govt releases FAQs on coronavirus, says rapidly evolving situation The government on Thursday released frequently asked questions (FAQs) and useful information on coronavirus that has claimed 170 lives so far. The virus has infected more than 7700 people and is spreading rapidly. In a series of tweets on Thursday, the government released information about the virus and how to control its spread. Read more Rahul Gandhi launches sharp attack on PM Modi from Keralas Wayanad Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he and Mahatma Gandhis assassin Nathuram Godse believe in same ideology. He drew the analogy on the Martyrs Day today, which is observed in honour of Mahatma Gandhi who was assassinated by Nathuram Godse on January 30, 1948. Read more Why Bapu remains relevant | HT Editorial The greatest Indian ever, Mahatma Gandhi, was killed exactly 72 years ago today. The contours of his remarkable life are well known. Gandhis contribution truly makes him the father of the nation. As Albert Einstein said, Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth. Read more India vs New Zealand: They deserve to get a game - Virat Kohli hints at making changes for remaining matches Rohit Sharmas stunning assault helped India bag the 3rd T20I and gain an unassailable 3-0 lead in the 5-match T20I series. Virat Kohli went in with the same side for the first three matches, but now with the series in the bag, the Indian team could tweak their combinations in order to give the other players in the squad a go. Read more Deepika Padukone on Chhapaak being downvoted on IMDb after JNU visit: They have changed my rating, not my mind Deepika Padukone is unfazed by trolls targeting her latest release, Chhapaak, after she showed solidarity with students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Soon after her visit to the JNU where she stood with the protesting students, the IMDb rating of Chhapaak took a hit. Read more Martyrs Day 2020: Remembering Mahatma Gandhi on his 72nd death anniversary In India, five days are declared as Martyrs Day in honour of those who laid down their lives for the nation. Of these, the first falls on January 30, the day when Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse in 1948. Mahatma Gandhi led the struggle for Independence that culminated in India getting freedom from British rule on August 15, 1947. Read more Samsung hopes 5G will turn things around in 2020 after a dismal Q4 show Samsung Electronics struggles have continued as the company reported a 38% drop in profit in the fourth quarter. The company blamed a continuous slump in its memory chip business for the slump in profits and overall net income. Samsungs troubles come at a time when rival Apple has succeeded in turning things around. Read more Palestinian Authority says it will go to United Nations, as analysts warn leaders must take action soon. Before US President Donald Trump announced his long-delayed plan for the Middle East, Palestinian leaders had already rejected the proposal, threatening to withdraw from the Oslo Accords. The plan presented on Tuesday, envisions the Israeli annexation of large swaths of the occupied West Bank including illegal settlements and the Jordan Valley, giving Israel a permanent eastern border along the Jordan River. At his announcement at the White House, Trump claimed that it would lay the foundations for a realistic two-state solution in the long-running conflict. But Palestinians have denounced the proposal as utterly biased in favour of Israel, and leaders have promised to take action. On Sunday, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) reserved the right to withdraw from the Oslo Accords. Such a move would sever relations between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel, including its controversial security coordination. Diana Buttu, a Haifa-based analyst and former legal adviser to Palestinian peace negotiators, told Al Jazeera that threats of throwing in the key and dismantling the PA have been made for at least the past decade, but the Palestinian leadership has never followed through on any of their statements as they have never devised a Plan B strategy. A plan B strategy involves holding Israel accountable, it means supporting the BDS movement, it means pushing for Israel to be ostracised from the international community, but theyre not willing to go down that path, Buttu said. Yara Hawari, senior policy fellow at Shabaka told Al Jazeera that PA President Mahmoud Abbas had set up a committee for ending all the agreements with Israel last year, but nothing came out of it. That would spell an existential crisis for the PA to pull out of Oslo. It could very well mean the dismantlement of the PA. So I dont think thats necessarily going to happen immediately, Hawari said. My enemys enemy is my friend An emergency session of the Arab League will take place in Cairo on Saturday after Abbas asked Arab nations to join together against the plan, which Trump had dubbed the deal of the century. Another meeting with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will be held on Monday. The deal has no touch with reality or with international law. We have called on the Arab League and the European Union to support us, Nabil Shaath, senior adviser to the Palestinian president said. But there appears to be little unity within the Arab League bloc as states are divided over the issue, with Oman, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) expressing support for Trumps deal. The Arab League has done little more than provide financial support to the Palestinians for decades, Buttu said. Weve gotten to a place where Arab states believe that My enemys enemy is my friend. Their enemy being Iran. Their enemys enemy, Israel is now their friend. And thats very dangerous. Because today its Palestine, tomorrow its another country, Buttu said. International support Looking to the international community, such as the United Nations, for help may not provide a useful forum either as the United States holds a veto at the UN Security Council and will continue to do so, Buttu said. On Wednesday, Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour told reporters that Abbas will visit the UN within two weeks to address the Security Council, during which time a draft resolution will be submitted to the council. But facing the prospect of a US veto, Palestinians would only be able to take the draft text to the UN General Assembly (UNGA) where a vote would show how Trumps plan has been received internationally. This is something that needs to be done and should have been done for the past several decades since the establishment of the PA, Buttu said. Theyve been reluctant to go down the path of holding Israel accountable for such a long time because they were afraid it would either hinder the peace process, anger the US, or ostracise the US. But now were at a point where the US has shown that its doing Israels bidding, its doing Israels work so theres no need to worry about ostracising the US; the US has ostracised itself, Buttu said. Wait and see approach Trumps term has been marked by moving the US embassy to Jerusalem and formally recognising Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, breaking with long-standing international consensus. With US presidential elections coming up in November, some analysts have suggested that a new president could possibly reverse his decisions. However, Hawari said the reality on the ground is one of apartheid and that urgent action was required. Palestinians do mobilise every day against it. But now I think it would be a mistake to do what much of the international community has done which is a wait and see approach. There is no waiting and seeing. This is an ongoing process in consolidating apartheid and theft of Palestinian land, Hawari said. Abbas has also suggested that Palestinian parliamentary and presidential elections could soon be held for the first time since 2005. But analysts say a vote is unlikely to take place soon since, noting that Abbas has said this repeatedly since 2009 without a vote being held. In any case, if immediate elections were to be held, it would only be used as a tool to boast or legitimise the current authorities, Hawari said. The voice is back to Palestinians Mariam Barghouti, a Palestinian writer in Ramallah, told Al Jazeera that a recognition of basic rights is needed including right of return, right to movement, right to our resources, and the right to simply live with a quality of life that does not require us to hold our breath and pray for the better. The Trump Deal stamped the era of complacency and showcased very blatantly that any deal that comes without the participation and engagement of Palestinian civil society is one that will fail, Barghouti said. Palestinians should now find new spaces to discuss their wants and needs without the illusion and farcical representation of either international brokers or Palestinian representatives. The voice is back to Palestinians, even if it may not seem as such in the moment. Imogen Anthony appeared to take a swipe at her ex Kyle Sandilands on Thursday. Taking to Instagram, the 28-year-old shared a cryptic quote about love, which spoke about 'understanding' and talking 'after a fight.' It comes after KIIS FM star Kyle, 48, went Instagram official with his new girlfriend, Tegan Kynaston, earlier this month. Cryptic: Imogen Anthony, 28, (pictured) appeared to take a veiled swipe at ex Kyle Sandilands with a cryptic quote on Thursday The post read in part: 'Fall in love with someone who wants you, who waits for you.' The quote went on to speak about ensuring people love you in your totality. '[Someone] who understands you even in the madness; someone who helps you, and guides you, someone who is your support, your hope. The post read in part: 'Fall in love with someone who wants you, who waits for you' The quote finished: 'Fall in love with someone who talks with you after a fight.' It comes after Kyle and Tegan confirmed their relationship earlier this month. Tegan, 34, posted a photo to Instagram of herself kissing Kyle on the cheek as they celebrated New Year's Eve together. New love: It comes after Kyle and Tegan, 34, confirmed their relationship earlier this month Imogen appeared to respond to Tegan's post at the time by sharing another quote in which she clarified what is and isn't a 'private relationship'. Her quote read: 'A private relationship means nobody knows y'all business but everybody knows y'all together, don't get it confused.' Kyle and Tegan were romantically linked in November, after he announced his split from Imogen after eight years of dating. Case of the ex: Imogen and Kyle are pictured together in an undated photo The 34-year-old shared a photo to Instagram of herself kissing the radio host on the cheek in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge at midnight. Kyle has a tradition of watching the Sydney fireworks and posed for similar photos with Imogen during their long relationship. Tegan is Director of Communications for Sandilands' company King Kyle Pty Ltd and was previously his personal assistant, according to her LinkedIn account. Two months ago, Tegan categorically denied she was dating her boss. 'We just work together and we're in the Nueva [Sangria] business together with my brother and that's pretty much it,' she told Daily Mail Australia in November. US President Donald Trump speaks about the United States - Mexico - Canada agreement, known as USMCA, during a visit to Dana Incorporated, an auto supplier manufacturer, in Warren, Michigan, January 30, 2020. President Donald Trump said the U.S. government was working closely with China to contain the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least 171 people, predicting "a very good ending" for the United States. "We are working very closely with China and other countries, and we think it's going to have a very good ending for us, that I can assure you," Trump said Thursday while visiting a manufacturing plant for auto supplier Dana in Warren, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. Trump said U.S. officials believe "we have it all under control," adding that it's a "very small problem in this country." Trump's comments come hours after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the first human transmission of the virus in the U.S. The World Health Organization declared the fast-spreading outbreak a global health emergency earlier Thursday. Trump's assurance on containing the coronavirus came toward the end of a roughly 30-minute speech in the battleground state, much of which he used to celebrate the signing on Wednesday of a new North American trade deal. [January 30, 2020] York Region's ventureLAB Welcomes Breakthrough Tech Companies Paving the Way for Innovations Such as Combatting Blindness and Powering Self-Driving Wheelchairs Backed by $8 million in support from York Region-based technology leaders, and $5 million in support from the Government of Canada, ventureLAB's Hardware Catalyst Initiative Canada's first hardware and silicon incubator is putting Canadian talent at the forefront of global innovation by enabling eight breakthrough companies from southern Ontario to access costly equipment, accelerate time to market, and compete globally MARKHAM, ON, Jan. 30, 2020 /CNW/ - Today, ventureLAB , a leading technology hub located in York Region Canada's second largest tech hub announced the first cohort of companies in its Hardware Catalyst Initiative (HCI) and $8 million in resources and mentorship from founding partners, including global tech leaders AMD and Synopsys. First announced in June 2019, with $5 million in funding from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) , the HCI is Canada's first silicon incubator, allowing breakthrough companies from southern Ontario to develop transformative hardware solutions that power the products of tomorrow, including healthcare technology, consumer electronics, telecommunications, smart energy, and connected transportation. The HCI features a state-of-the-art 1,500 square foot lab with specialized equipment and Electronic Design Automation (EDA) toolsets, critical for manufacturing semiconductor, silicon, or advanced hardware-based solutions. The hardware equipment can cost millions of dollars per product, causing a major barrier to entry and making it difficult for startups to commercialize products. The HCI was born out of the need to access expensive tools, lab space, investment, and industry expertise. "The Hardware Catalyst Initiative is our solution for emerging tech companies to become competitors in the global hardware economy, which generates $7 trillion in economic activity," says Melissa Chee, President and CEO, ventureLAB. "Without this opportunity, it's extremely difficult for hardware and silicon startups to afford the barriers to entry. York Region's unmatched tech expertise will ensure that HCI participants have every opportunity to hone their skills, scale their operations, and commercialize their products globally." Founding Partners of the HCI To support the HCI, global tech leaders and emerging industry leaders from within York Region's deep tech ecosystem (home to more than 4,300 tech companies) have committed up to $8 million in resources, expertise, and mentorship for the participating companies. Together, these founding partners will play a critical role in the success of Canada's first silicon incubator: AMD As a global leader in high-performance computing, graphics and visualization technologies, AMD will provide business mentorship to HCI participants. As a global leader in high-performance computing, graphics and visualization technologies, AMD will provide business mentorship to HCI participants. Synopsys As a world leader in electronic design automation (EDA), Synopsys will offer licenses for design software and business mentorship for companies participating in the HCI. As a world leader in electronic design automation (EDA), Synopsys will offer licenses for design software and business mentorship for companies participating in the HCI. Microart Services Inc . As a leading contract electronics manufacturer with expertise in design, turn-key global procurement, assembly, and test engineering services for Printed Circuit Board Assemblies (PCBA) and full Box Build System Assemblies . Microart Services Inc. will contribute business and technical mentorship and workshops. . As a leading contract electronics manufacturer with expertise in design, turn-key global procurement, assembly, and test engineering services for Printed Circuit Board Assemblies (PCBA) and full Box Build System Assemblies Microart Services Inc. will contribute business and technical mentorship and workshops. ReMAP As an integrated shared ecosystem for the acceleration of the commercialization of electronics products, ReMAP will contribute business and technical mentorship and workshops. As an integrated shared ecosystem for the acceleration of the commercialization of electronics products, ReMAP will contribute business and technical mentorship and workshops. Bereskin & Parr As an internationally renowned intellectual property & technology law firm, Bereskin & Parr will contribute business and technical mentorship and workshops. As an internationally renowned intellectual property & technology law firm, Bereskin & Parr will contribute business and technical mentorship and workshops. MNP As one of Canada's largest full-service chartered accountancy and business advisory firms, MNP will contribute business and technical mentorship and workshops. "AMD is an innovation leader in the semiconductor industry, and we are excited to help found ventureLAB's Hardware Catalyst Initiative," says Kevin O'Neil, Corp. VP, Legal & AMD Canada Managing Director. We look forward to building on Canada's existing hardware expertise by working with other innovative companies to push the boundaries of what is possible." "We are proud to be a founding partner of the Hardware Catalyst Initiative," says Mario Dorio, Director, North America Sales, Synopsys. "Synopsys is committed to supporting tech companies building groundbreaking technologies that will continue to build on Canada's microelectronics manufacturing capabilities, accelerate commercialization, and create new jobs." "We've got workers' and Canadian businesses' backs. With FedDev Ontario funding towards the Hardware Catalyst Initiative, promising tech companies will have direct access to the equipment, expertise and support needed to grow and scale locally, and compete globally." says the Honourable Melanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages. "Congratulations to ventureLAB, partners and the innovative companies that will benefit from this new state-of-the-art lab and incubator." The First Cohort of HCI Companies To select the inaugural HCI cohort which kicks off in February 2020 ventureLAB issued a call for southern Ontario companies leveraging hardware and silicon technologies with breakthrough ideas that have the potential to significantly impact society. The eight companies selected will use the access to specialized equipment and industry expertise to realize their ideas, bring their products to market in an accelerated fashion, and help put Canadian talent at the forefront of global innovation. Bionic-i A hardware biotechnology company focused on augmenting vision and combating blindness with a surgically implantable device that can treat and monitor an "orphan" genetic disease, as well as rejuvenate cataract surgical patients by eliminating their need for reading glasses A hardware biotechnology company focused on augmenting vision and combating blindness with a surgically implantable device that can treat and monitor an "orphan" genetic disease, as well as rejuvenate cataract surgical patients by eliminating their need for reading glasses BluMind.AI Analog machine learning inferencing; engines for network Edge devices Analog machine learning inferencing; engines for network Edge devices Cyberworks Robotics AI-based technology for autonomous self-driving wheelchairs AI-based technology for autonomous self-driving wheelchairs Ekidna Sensing Will provide a rapid and critical testing solution for licensed producers in the global cannabis industry Will provide a rapid and critical testing solution for licensed producers in the global cannabis industry Humantec Inc. | Menopod Manufactures the 'Menopod', a handheld electronic cooling device for women suffering from hot flashes during menopause Manufactures the 'Menopod', a handheld electronic cooling device for women suffering from hot flashes during menopause Micromensio A semiconductor company developing a unique biosensing technology to provide transformative solutions for healthcare, the environment, and industry A semiconductor company developing a unique biosensing technology to provide transformative solutions for healthcare, the environment, and industry TARTAN AI A hardware company optimizing machine learning to offer processing elements and transparent memory compression technologies; the result is a reduction in the computation, storage, and communication needed when executing machine learning models on silicon. A hardware company optimizing machine learning to offer processing elements and transparent memory compression technologies; the result is a reduction in the computation, storage, and communication needed when executing machine learning models on silicon. Wind Shape Technology Inc. Design and manufacture proximity sensors for electronic faucets Launch Event Please join us for the launch of the Hardware Catalyst Initiative (HCI) on Thursday, February 6, at ventureLAB from 9:30AM - 12:00PM. Hear from the team that made the HCI a reality, the inaugural cohort, the founding industry partners, and local dignitaries, all followed by a tour of the completed HCI Lab with hors d'oeuvres and refreshments. Date: Thursday, February 6, 2020 Time: 9:30am-12:00pm Location: ventureLAB, 3600 Steeles Ave E., Markham, ON *Attendance is by invite only. Media interviews and lab tours will be made upon request. To learn more about the Hardware Catalyst Initiative, visit www.venturelab.ca/HCI ABOUT THE HARDWARE CATALYST INITIATIVE The Hardware Catalyst Initiative is Canada's first hardware and silicon-focused lab and incubator. Funded in part by the Government of Canada, through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), this competitive program supports companies building foundational technologies that support transformative sectors like AI, quantum computing, 5G, IoT, UAV, virtual reality, and beyond. Over the next five years, the HCI will support up to 40 companies, create over 200 jobs, and commercialize 15 new products and technologies. Based in York Region, Canada's second largest tech cluster, the HCI will help southern Ontario-based tech SMEs accelerate their time to market in a sector that normally incurs lengthy entry and scale times, enabling Canadian hardware and silicon companies to grow and scale locally, and compete globally. ABOUT ventureLAB ventureLAB is a leading technology hub located in Markham in York Region, Canada's second largest tech cluster. Through its programs focused on capital, talent, technology, and customers, ventureLAB has supported over 2,000 tech companies and entrepreneurs, including 100 companies that have raised over $100 million and created 3,500 jobs. ventureLAB's innovation hub is a 50,000 square foot facility that is home to over 45 tech companies and partners that employ more than 300 people. At ventureLAB, we grow globally competitive tech titans that build-to-scale in Canada. www.venturelab.ca About FedDev Ontario For more than 10 years, FedDev Ontario has actively worked to advance and diversify the southern Ontario economy through funding opportunities and business services that support innovation and growth in Canada's most populous region. The Agency has delivered impressive results, which can be seen in southern Ontario businesses that are creating innovative technologies, improving their productivity, growing their revenues, and in the economic advancement of communities across the region. Read more about the impacts the Agency is having in southern Ontario. SOURCE ventureLAB [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Antarctic tourists risk being killed in a Titanic-style tragedy because climate change is creating more icebergs, putting cruise ships in danger, experts have warned. Some 50,000 people visited the inhospitable region last summer and the numbers have been increasing steadily along with the numbers of icebergs. Antarctic tourism began in about 1956, according to Professor Klaus Dodds, a geopolitics expert at Royal Holloway, University of London. He said the number of visitors annually is expected to grow to 75,000 and go on to 100,000. 'I wouldn't want it being one of those [cruise ships with 1,000 passengers] if it strikes an iceberg.' Professor Dodds told Sky News. 'If you have a disaster in Antarctica, it has every, every, potential to become a disaster of unedifying proportions.' Penguins on the island of south Georgia, Antartica, as a cruise ship carrying tourists makes it way through the sea The RMS Titanic begins a day of sea trials. In the early hours of April 15, 1912, the vessel struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. More than 1,500 died in one of the worst peacetime maritime disasters in history Camilla Nichol, a geologist and head of the United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT), said the majority visit the Antarctic on a small cruise ship or a special expedition vessel and tourism is regulated. The Antarctic Peninsula is the fastest warming place on the planet and Ms Nichol said it requires highly skilled captains to navigate through the waters, with many routes often obstructed by hulking icebergs. She told the broadcaster: 'It is they who make the decisions on the safety of landings, and navigation. The visitors safety is in their hands, so their experience and qualifications need to be at the highest level.' Although travel is regulated by treaty there are no specific limits to numbers. UKAHT has launched a cultural and educational program for the Peninsula region, where most tourists travel to. Giant tabular icebergs are surrounded by ice floe drift in Vincennes Bay, Antarctica. The continent is the fastest warming region on the planet which causes hulking icebergs to break off Attractions include the penguins' colony, the British science base, as well as the Ukrainian science station which offers a free shot of vodka for visitors willing to leave their bra behind the bar. There are some 30 countries with 82 research facilities on Antarctica. The 1961 Antarctic Treaty aims to set aside the region for science and has banned military operations there. NewstalkZB reports: Parliaments Speaker Trevor Mallard is being sued following his claim last year that a rapist was working at Parliament. A Parliamentary worker stood down last May after Mallards comments is alleging the Speaker defamed him. The Parliamentary worker has hired Matthew McClelland QC who refused to comment on the defamation proceedings which are seeking $400,000 in general damages, $50,000 in punitive damages and court costs. Mallard is being represented by a Queens Counsel from Kensington Swan. The firms media lawyer Linda Clark, a former TVNZ political editor, is also involved in the case and refused to comment. Since Brexit first became a possibility in 2016, supporters of the United Kingdom's divorce from the European Union have used the phrase Singapore-on-Thames to describe what the U.K.'s trade could be like after its departure on Friday. In essence, they see the U.K. becoming a low-tax, lightly regulated economy, positioned only miles offshore from the more tightly regulated eurozone. Singapore is often portrayed as a deregulated paradise, but would the similarities stop there -- and how do residents of each country feel about their economy and government? Gallup turned its analytical lens on residents of the U.K. and Singapore to find out. Britons Far Less Certain About Their Economy While Singaporeans are firmly in the camp of believing their local economy is getting better rather than getting worse, Britons have been fairly evenly divided on the subject for the past few years. However, Britons are currently about twice as likely to see the situation as getting worse (39%) as their Singaporean counterparts (20%), with many Britons still likely fearing the unknown of a no-deal Brexit and its consequences on the job market. Singaporeans are neither as optimistic nor as pessimistic about their economic forecast as they have been over more than a decade of Gallup surveys there. If anything, Singaporeans have grown slightly less optimistic in recent years, as GDP grew by only 0.7% in 2019 -- its slowest pace since 2009. Singapore relies heavily on exports, and it has acutely felt the pressures of the U.S.-China trade war. Policymakers were forced to lower their forecast for 2020 to a range of 0.5% to 1%. This consequence of an import-export economy will likely be a factor in British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government's decision-making when considering a Singapore-on-Thames-type model. Singaporeans Confident in Their Government; Britons, Not So Much A resounding majority of Singaporeans (93%) express confidence in their national government, while 34% of Britons say they are confident in theirs. In fact, almost twice as many Britons (64%) say they are not confident in their national government. Singapore's government and economy are inextricably linked, somewhat exploding the myth of a deregulated economy. The country's rebound after the 2009 financial crash can be attributed in part to the strong and ever-present bureaucracy that has controlling stakes in most of the country's largest companies. This, coupled with meticulous economic planning by technocratic officials, allows the Singaporean government to manipulate its market to ensure growth remains on track. This would be much more difficult to achieve in the U.K., given the lack of public ownership and considerably more limited powers of Parliament. With about a third of Britons approving of their government, it seems unlikely that the public would ever vote to give this much control back to it. The Labour Party recently suffered its worst defeat in a general election since 1935 -- and its fourth consecutive loss -- standing on a manifesto that called for more government involvement and ownership. What's more, in the U.K., 41% of residents believe that corruption is widespread throughout the government; in Singapore, 4% share the same sentiment. This overwhelming trust may be part of the reason for Singapore's initial success but a limiting factor for a U.K. government seeking to deliver on any Singapore-on-Thames plans it might have. Bottom Line As Johnson hammers out a deal with the EU around exit terms, it is becoming clearer that any significant deviation away from the eurozone regulations would result in harsher terms for the Brexit deal, possibly nullifying any boost that lax regulations might offer to the British economy, and turning the prospect of Britain becoming an offshore gateway to Europe a distant reality. A Delhi court Thursday dismissed a plea of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor seeking to place before it certain tweets of his deceased wife Sunanda Pushkar before her death in 2014. Tharoor, the sole accused in the death case of his wife, had told the court that Delhi Police was trying to selectively place reliance on a some of Pushkar's tweets to claim the differences which allegedly led her to commit suicide, whereas in entirety they showed her positive frame of mind quite optimistic about her relationship with him. The former Union minister who had got pre-arrest bail, later converted to regular bail, was accused by Delhi Police under Sections 498-A (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty) and 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code. Special judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar dismissed the application saying that "at the stage of (framing of) charge such a roving inquiry by the court is not expected". Tharoor will have the liberty to produce the tweets at an appropriate stage, the court said. "When the documents are in the public domain as per the submission of the senior counsel for the accused, the accused will have the liberty to produce them at an appropriate stage. The court will not venture into this exercise of procuring document for the accused which may possibly contain his defence. "It goes without saying that at the stage of charge such a roving inquiry by the Court is not expected and the court has to look into the documents of the Prosecution to ascertain whether a prima facie case is made out or not. In view of the aforesaid, I am of the considered view that the application is liable to be dismissed and it is ordered accordingly," the judge said. Senior advocate Vikas Pahwa, appearing for Tharoor, had told the court that "the documents/tweets are of sterling quality and need perusal by the court as they will assist the court in framing the charge or discharge the accused." "The prosecution is trying to selectively place reliance on a small part of the Twitter Account/ tweets of the deceased and withholding the remaining tweets," the application filed by advocate Gaurav Gupta said, adding that "if the police wanted to access the Twitter account, it could have simply downloaded the same as the account is available online even today and that the probe agency had undertook a half-baked attempt in procuring the Twitter Account." Tharoor had earlier told the court, "This is a case where cause of death is not established yet. The charge sheet took very adventurous route and wanted a psychological autopsy. But nothing has established in the case. There are rather reports which say it was neither homicide nor suicide. A psychological autopsy was conducted. They wanted to know the mental status of victim. But till date they are not clear whether she committed suicide or it was a homicide."The tweets clearly indicate that the deceased was not having any 'suicidal ideation' as is sought to be alleged by the prosecution, he said. "Rather, the deceased was in a positive frame of mind and was quite optimistic about her relationship with the applicant (Tharoor). Despite such overwhelming material, the police has sought to conclude that the deceased allegedly committed suicide due to her differences with the applicant," he had said. He had added that the police already had these documents and it would have been fairly considered, "there would have been no need to conduct of the psychological autopsy of the deceased, since the documents in question are in fact, direct evidence of her mental make up soon before her death". "However, the same has been deliberately sought to be suppressed by the prosecution," he told the court. The police had told the court that Pushkar was suffering from mental agony due to a strained relationship with her husband. She had a scuffle with her husband and had various injury marks few days before her death, they said. Police accused Tharoor of torturing his wife which abetted her to commit suicide. The maximum punishment for the offence listed in the charge sheet is 10 years of imprisonment. However, if convicted for 302 (murder), the maximum punishment is death penalty while the minimum is life imprisonment. Pushkar's death had created a sensation as it came shortly after a bitter spat between the couple on Twitter over his alleged affair with Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar. Pushkar, 51, was found dead in a suite of luxury hotel Leela in Delhi's Chanakyapuri on the night of January 17, 2014. The couple was staying at the hotel as the official bungalow of Tharoor was being renovated at that time. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [January 30, 2020] Compeat Names Bob Looney as Chief Technical Officer AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Compeat, a leading provider of innovative restaurant accounting, back office, workforce and intelligence management software, has named Bob Looney as Chief Technical Officer (CTO). Looney brings over 19 years of experience in leading engineer teams in creating intuitive software that unlocks the value from data. He spent 10 years of his career developing Ctuit's standout platforms including Operations reporting, Inventory, Schedule, and On the Fly mobile app. In addition, Looney contributed significantly to the design and implementation of the combined Ctuit and Compeat platforms following Compeat's acquisition of Ctuit in July of 2017. "Bob has over a decade of experience designing and building restaurant operating systems, which is foundational to Compeat's product strategy," states Craig Foos, acting CEO of Compeat. "With his in-depth experience of restaurant software, business intelligence, and Mobile applications, Bob is the perfect fit as the CTO for Compeat." "I am excited to be able to support the team on the completion as we create and execute on our product and technology strategy," says Looney. "My focus is on building world-class software, innovatig Compeat's best-in-class back office platform, and revolutionizing Compeat's operational analytics and business intelligence to be more action oriented for our customers." Rob D'Ambrosia, founder and former CEO of Ctuit Software who now serves as a strategic advisor to Compeat added, "Bob has such a rich history with our team and our customers. The road ahead is exciting and full of opportunity. I am confident that with Bob as CTO, Compeat will have great success in driving our technology vision forward and delivering the best customer experience in the industry." Most recently, Looney has been focused on leading software development, managing cloud-based projects, and evolving IT systems at Senturus, a business intelligence focused consulting group. Prior to joining Ctuit, he was a project manager and senior developer that worked on web applications for US Air Force Intelligence. Throughout his career, Looney has worked on several cutting-edge technologies of their time across multiple full stacks of development technologies. He holds a BA of Computer Science from The University of Texas at Austin. About Compeat With 20 years of industry experience, Compeat is the leading provider of innovative accounting, back office, workforce and business intelligence solutions designed specifically for restaurants. Compeat's solutions are designed to maximize restaurant profitability and control prime cost through actionable business intelligence. Compeat's product portfolio includes Intelligence, Operations Reporting, Accounting, Inventory, Logbook, Labor, Schedule, Employee and Management Mobile Apps and third-party integrations with over 80 plus Point of Sale and Solution Partners. Compeat serves over 1500 restaurant customers with over 15,000 locations ranging from high volume independents to large chains. For more information, visit www.compeat.com. CONTACT: Melanie Swan, (508) 507-0998, [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/compeat-names-bob-looney-as-chief-technical-officer-300994659.html SOURCE Compeat [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Michael Flynn, President Trump's first national security adviser, is now telling a court he lied about lying. In 2017, Flynn admitted to lying to the FBI about the nature of his conversations with then-Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak. Flynn briefly cooperated with federal prosecutors, but then fired his legal team and hired new attorneys who accused prosecutors of misconduct. His lawyers are now trying to get the charges against Flynn dismissed, and in a new legal filing submitted Wednesday, Flynn said he only pleaded guilty because he was being pressured by his previous legal team and prosecutors. "In truth, I never lied," he said. "My guilty plea has rankled me throughout this process and while I allowed myself to succumb to the threats from the government to save my family, I believe that I was grossly misled about what really happened." Earlier this month, prosecutors recommended he serve up to six months in prison, after originally recommending leniency. On Wednesday, prosecutors wrote in a filing that should the judge reject Flynn's plea withdrawal, the government would accept him being sentenced to probation. Flynn is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 27. More stories from theweek.com Mitch McConnell's rare blunder John Bolton just vindicated Nancy Pelosi 7 witheringly funny cartoons about the GOP's John Bolton problem Rave Reviews! for Will Computers Revolt ? Newly Revised and Updated Artificial Intelligence Book 1/30/2020 Washington, DCFutureAI Press announced today, the new edition of the exceptionally well-reviewed and Kirkus "Notable" book, Will Computers Revolt? Preparing for the Future of Artificial Intelligence, written by Charles J. Simon, BSEE, MSCS. Kirkus Reviews says, "bold and rigorous". Additionally, Publishers Weekly says, "Simon makes a welcome contributionan appealing blend of philosophy and hard science from a thoughtful writer with a knack for bringing the esoteric down to earth". A sampling of other reviews are: Foreword Reviews, "interesting, timely and thoughtful"; Engadget, "interesting, thought-provoking"; and, the Irish Tech News, says "well written, and well reasonedexplains the key issues and questions we need to be asking ourselves." Artificial Intelligence (AI), the ability of computers to think like humans, may seem like a sci-fantasy set far in the future, but in reality, it is right around the corner. Without a degree in Computer Engineering how can one understand what this technology is, how it works, and what it means for our society as a whole? Will Computers Revolt? gives readers an excellent place to start. This well-researched and provocative book offers many real-world examples to interest the computer novice, along with enough technical detail to convince even the most well-versed computer scientist. Written in layman's language, Simon invites readers of all backgrounds to explore the world of computer intelligent technology and how we can best prepare to avoid potential future disaster. "Will AI become smarter than humans?" asks Simon. "The answer is yes, as the march of technology will lead to computers with more processing power than the human brain. The future is inevitable and decisions we make today will impact the future of humankind." --Charles Simon, Author REVIEW COPIES OF WILL COMPUTERS REVOLT? AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST ### Russian strikes kill 10 civilians in Syria's Idlib: monitor Beirut, Jan 30 (AFP) Jan 30, 2020 Air strikes by government ally Russia hit near a bakery and a medical clinic in Syria's rebel-held Idlib region early on Thursday, killing 10 civilians, a war monitor said. At least five women were among the dead in the town of Ariha in Idlib province, where Russian-backed government forces are conducting an offensive against the country's last major rebel bastion, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. A dust-covered doctor ran out of the Al-Shami clinic screaming following the attack, which partially damaged the facility's walls, an AFP correspondent reported. Nearby, three entire buildings had collapsed. The wailing of women and children rang out as rescue workers searched for corpses beneath the rubble, the correspondent added. The latest deaths brings the total number of civilians killed by Russian air strikes in Idlib over the past 24 hours to 21, the Observatory said. Earlier this month, Russia denied launching any combat operations in the Idlib region since a ceasefire it agreed with rebel supporter Turkey went into effect on January 12. But the truce has since become a dead letter and the number of reported Russian raids has risen sharply. Thousands of Russian troops are deployed across Syria in support of the army, while a contingent of Russian private security personnel also operates on the ground. Moscow's military intervention in 2015, four years into the Syrian conflict, helped keep President Bashar al-Assad in power and started a long, bloody reconquest of territory lost to rebels in the early stages of the war. The fierce bombardment coincides with a ground push by government forces in the south of Idlib province, where they captured the strategic highway town of Maaret al-Numan on Wednesday. They are now pushing on towards the town of Saraqib, whose residents have mostly fled in recent days in the face of heavy bombardment. Both towns lie on the key M5 highway connecting the capital Damascus to second city Aleppo. The road has been in the sights of the government for some time as it seeks to revive a moribund economy ravaged by almost nine years of war. President Donald Trump listens to a question while speaking to members of the media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C. Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images Senators in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial peppered House Democrats and defense lawyers with questions Wednesday, ahead of a crucial vote on whether to allow new witnesses and documents into the proceedings. The legal teams took turns fielding a range of pointed queries from the Senate as it weighs the ultimate question of whether to convict and remove Trump from office over his efforts to have Ukraine announce investigations into his political opponents. The partisan climate on Capitol Hill could often be felt in the senators' questions, which sometimes sounded less like earnest inquiries than springboards for one of the teams to launch attacks against the other's case. The House voted to impeach Trump last month on articles of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Democrats accuse Trump of withholding nearly $400 million in congressionally appropriated military aid to Ukraine while pressuring the country to announce probes into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, as well as a debunked conspiracy theory about 2016 election interference. It's highly unlikely that two-thirds of the Senate will vote to throw a Republican president out of office. But a few key swing votes in the GOP could still change the trajectory of the impeachment trial, when the Senate votes on whether to call witnesses or subpoena additional documents. That vote is expected to occur Friday, after the question-and-answer period of the trial ends. House managers have spent much of the trial arguing that the Senate should hear new witnesses especially former national security advisor John Bolton, who reportedly directly heard Trump tie the Ukraine aid to the political probes he sought. The senators submitted their questions in writing to Chief Justice John Roberts, who read them aloud in the chamber. Roberts, who is presiding over the trial, alternated between Republicans and Democrats when posing the questions. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., asked the teams to keep their responses under five minutes each. Here are the day's top moments: Three GOP senators seen as crucial votes in Dems' push for witnesses ask first question Three of the Republican senators seen as the most likely candidates to side with Democrats in favor of additional witnesses and documents posed the first question of the day to Trump's legal team. Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Mitt Romney of Utah and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska jointly asked the defense lawyers how the Senate should assess the abuse of power charge against Trump if he had more than one motive in his dealings with Ukraine. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) speaks to reporters as she arrives for the continuation of the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol on January 29, 2020 in Washington, DC. Mario Tama | Getty Images Attorney Patrick Philbin argued that if Trump had motives that served both a personal and a public interest, then "that cannot possibly be the basis for an impeachable offense" under the terms that the House managers had established. The standard Democrats must meet, Philbin argued, is that there is not a "smidgen" of legitimate public interest in investigating Hunter Biden's membership on the board of a Ukrainian natural gas company while his father Joe Biden was vice president. Trump and his allies have raised suspicions of corruption in then-vice president Biden's efforts to have Ukraine fire a prosecutor there while his son was on the board of the company, Burisma Holdings. The Bidens have not been credibly accused of wrongdoing. Multiple witnesses testified in the House impeachment inquiry that Joe Biden's actions aligned with U.S. policy at the time, and that numerous other countries had also called on Ukraine to fire that prosecutor, who was himself accused of corruption. There are no established standards of proof or concrete rules about the production of evidence in a Senate impeachment trial. But Philbin argued that the House managers failed to live up to the absolutist standard of evidence they had established for themselves. Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, meaning at least four GOP senators will have to break with their party in order to pass votes in the trial for additional witnesses and documents. Romney told reporters Wednesday that "I'm going to be one of those in favor of calling witnesses." Democrats in Q&A keep pressure on Senate to subpoena Bolton Bolton's possible testimony in the trial was a main focus from the start of the proceedings Wednesday. In the first question directed to the House managers, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., asked if senators could possibly render "a fully formed verdict in this case" without first hearing from Bolton and other witnesses, such as acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney. "The short answer to that question is no," leading House manager Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said in response. Bolton, who interacted with the president directly during his time in the White House, is "plainly relevant" as a witness, Schiff said. Then- National Security Advisor of the United States John Bolton holds a news conference during his visit to Ukraine, Kyiv, capital of Ukraine, August 24, 2018. Tarasov | Barcroft Media | Getty Images To vote against hearing from Bolton, who vowed he was willing to testify if subpoenaed, goes against the Senate's obligation to act as an "impartial juror" in the trial, Schiff argued. The House managers say that they have already made a compelling case for removing Trump. But they have also pushed throughout the process for new witnesses and documents to be brought into the Senate, arguing Wednesday that the trial itself would be incomplete without testimony from key witnesses such as Bolton. "If you have any lingering questions about direct evidence there is a way to shed additional light on it," Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., told the Senate on Wednesday. "You can subpoena Ambassador Bolton and ask him that question directly." The White House refused to hand over any documents and pressured potential witnesses not to comply with the House during its impeachment probe. But some of the witnesses who did comply described Bolton as being concerned about the president's Ukraine dealings. Ex-White House official Fiona Hill told the House that Bolton was so disturbed by the efforts to get Ukraine to announce investigations that he called it a "drug deal." And on Sunday, The New York Times reported Bolton's claim in his upcoming memoir that Trump himself told Bolton he was tying a military aid package to Ukraine with the probes he sought. After Schiff answered Schumer's question, another senator simply asked Trump's lawyers for a response, prompting chuckles from the chamber. Philbin took to the podium, arguing that it was the House's role, not the Senate's, to coerce Bolton's testimony. "They didn't even try to get his testimony," Philbin claimed, even though the House did ask Bolton to testify in its inquiry. Bolton refused to voluntarily appear before the House at that time; he was not subpoenaed. Philbin argued that the House's rush-job would set a bad precedent for the Senate should have to deal with future impeachments. Trump lawyer argues that, for Trump, getting reelected is 'in the public interest' One of the most head-turning moments of Wednesday's questioning came from Alan Dershowitz, a member of Trump's legal team. Dershowitz argued that if Trump had agreed to release congressionally appropriated foreign aid to Ukraine in exchange for help in his reelection campaign the central allegation in the impeachment trial then Trump's actions still would not amount to an impeachable offense. Dershowitz's reasoning? If Trump believed his reelection was "in the public interest," then anything he did to help achieve that up to and including using foreign aid to force Ukraine to help his campaign could not be considered corrupt. In this screenshot taken from a Senate Television webcast, Legal Counsel for President Donald Trump, Alan Dershowitz speaks during impeachment proceedings against U.S. President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol on January 27, 2020 in Washington, DC. Senate Television | Getty Images Amid the deadly coronavirus break out in China's Wuhan city, Air India has suspended its Mumbai-Delhi-Shanghai flight from 31 January to 14 February, the airline said. New Delhi: Amid the deadly coronavirus break out in China's Wuhan city, Air India has suspended its Mumbai-Delhi-Shanghai flight from 31 January to 14 February, the airline said on Wednesday. "AI 348/349- Mumbai-Delhi-Shanghai flight has been cancelled from 31 January to 14 February. #coronavirus," Air India tweeted. #FlyAI : The flight operations between Delhi and Hongkong is reduced to three days from 31st January 2020 to 14th February 2020. Now between aforementioned dates maximum 7 flights may operate from Delhi & Hongkong. Air India (@airindiain) January 29, 2020 The airline has waived the cancellation charges for travel to and from Shanghai and Hong Kong. "Cancellation charges for travel to/from Shanghai and Hong Kong on Air India flights are waived off with immediate effect till further notice," read another tweet of Air India. The Union Health Ministry has also issued an advisory to Indian travellers asking them to avoid travelling to China unless very necessary. So far, no Indian has been reported to be infected with the deadly Novel Coronavirus (nCoV) that was detected in China's Wuhan and has spread to other parts of the world too. It has claimed over 100 lives so far. Coronaviruses (nCoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. Common symptoms of nCoV infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death. (Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trumps top aides spent more than a year demanding that key allies ban Huawei Technologies Co. from next-generation wireless networks -- or face consequences including limiting access to U.S. intelligence. Now that the U.K. and European Union have defied U.S. demands to exclude Chinas biggest maker of telecommunications gear from new 5G networks, Trump must decide whether the administration will follow through with its threats. So far, the Trump team is stopping short of retaliating. If theyre going to have Huawei in their system, well go to carrier pigeons or use couriers with locked briefcases or something if we have to, National Security Advisor Robert OBrien said Wednesday. Were going to keep working with the Brits, and hopefully, theyll reconsider. The EU on Wednesday released guidelines on how to mitigate risks stemming from the roll-out of next generation telecom networks using equipment from non-democratic states. The decision followed one by the U.K. on Tuesday to allow Huawei components into non-core networks. The announcements represented a stinging rebuke of the Trump administrations efforts to lock Huawei out of 5G wireless networks, with U.S. officials saying the company has ties to the Chinese government that could pose an espionage risk. Our view of Huawei is putting it in your system creates real risk, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo told reporters aboard his plane on a previously planned trip to London. This is an extension of the Chinese Communist Party with a legal requirement to hand over information to the Chinese Community Party. On Thursday, at a joint event with his U.K. counterpart Dominic Raab, the U.S. top diplomat struck a soft note, saying intelligence collaboration was set to continue: Im confident as we work together to implement that decision, we can get this right. James Lewis, director of the technology policy program at the Center for Strategic & International Studies in Washington, said the U.S. case against Huawei faltered in part because European countries need to maintain trade with China. He doubted it would result in a permanent rupture in relations. Story continues Maybe well pout for awhile. But itll be really hard to give this up, Lewis said. Shenzen-based Huawei has consistently denied it poses a security risk, and says its independent of Chinas ruling Communist Party. It welcomed the EUs announcement, which it said enables Huawei to continue participating in Europes 5G roll-out. Andy Keiser, a former Trump transition official who focused on national security, said he expects the administration to pressure the U.K. to reverse its decision in talks on a free-trade agreement but added that punishment of allies, such as sanctions, are unlikely. I would be surprised if there is something punitive but I would also be surprised if they didnt take the opportunity in next step to gain additional leverage, said Keiser, a principal at the firm Navigators Global. The EU action is advisory and not binding like Britains decision, said Paul Triolo, who focuses on global technology and cybersecurity at Eurasia Group. Still, Triolo said, the EU decision raises the bar for security and represents a win for the U.S. position on the need to raise the level of security scrutiny of 5G supply chains. The issue was not even on the radar in Europe until the U.S. campaign began in earnest in late 2018, Triolo said in an email. The U.S. is unlikely to cutoff or curtail intelligence sharing with London, said Triolo. The decision could complicate negotiations around a trade deal, but the U.S. will be looking for ways to work with the U.K. across the board on security issues, including the security of next generation mobile telecommunications networks. Pompeo said the U.S. will make sure that when American information passes across a network we are confident that that network is a trusted one. Well work with the United Kingdom. Its a little unclear precisely what theyre going to permit and not permit so we need to take a little bit of time to evaluate that, Pompeo said. But our view is we should have western systems with western rules and American information should only pass across a trusted network. Well make sure we do that. (Adds Pompeo comments in London eighth paragraph) --With assistance from Alex Morales. To contact the reporters on this story: Todd Shields in Washington at tshields3@bloomberg.net;Jordan Fabian in Washington at jfabian6@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jon Morgan at jmorgan97@bloomberg.net, Elizabeth Wasserman 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. WASHINGTON Illinois U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth on Thursday released a joint statement after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the second case of novel coronavirus in Illinois, the sixth confirmed case in the United States: Despite the risk to Americans remaining low, the CDC expected that the novel coronavirus could spread from one person to another in this country, as it has in other countries. Federal and state officials have been closely monitoring those who have come in contact with all confirmed cases in the United States, and have now confirmed another case in Illinois. As with the first case, we are thankful to our local medical personnel for identifying this case quickly, swiftly acting to limit exposure, and providing immediate care. We continue to be in the earliest stages of measuring the impact of coronavirus, but weas well as our public health agenciesare taking it very seriously. We will remain in close contact with them as they work to address this situation. Durbin and Duckworth received an update on the novel coronavirus outbreak from CDC Principal Deputy Director Dr. Anne Schuchat. On Tuesday, they joined Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and 28 of their Democratic Senate colleagues in sending a letter to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar requesting updates on the administrations response to the coronavirus outbreak. EARLIER STORY ... First U.S. case of person-to-person spread of coronavirus reported in Chicago CHICAGO The first case of the coronavirus spreading from one person to another in the U.S. was reported in Chicago on Thursday, the spouse of a woman who caught the disease while in China. Its the second case thats been confirmed in Illinois, and the sixth case in the U.S., since the respiratory virus first started to spread in Wuhan, China. A Chicago woman who returned from caring for her sick father in China earlier this month was the first local person diagnosed with the illness, as reported by health officials Friday. The woman, who is in her 60s, traveled to Wuhan, China, in late December and returned to Chicago on Jan. 13. Her spouse, who had not traveled to China, is the second Illinois case and first instance of person-to-person spread in the U.S., the Illinois Department of Public Health said. There have been more than 6,000 cases confirmed worldwide, mostly in China, and 132 deaths from the illness in China, according to the World Health Organization. On Wednesday, the U.S. government evacuated 195 Americans from Wuhan. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also advised Americans to avoid all nonessential travel to China. Chicago Tribune Symptoms of the virus can include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Its believed symptoms appear anywhere from two to 14 days after exposure. The CDC has said its still unclear how easily the virus spreads from person to person. EARLIER STORY ... US reports 1st case of person-to-person spread of new virus NEW YORK Health officials Thursday reported the first U.S. case of person-to-person spread of the new virus from China. The man is married to the Chicago woman who got sick from the virus after she returned from a trip to Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak. There have been cases reported of the infectious virus spreading to others in a household or workplace in China and elsewhere. The new case is the sixth reported in the United States. The other five were travelers who developed the illness after returning to the U.S. from China. The latest patient had not been in China. The Chicago woman returned from central China on Jan. 13, then last week went to a hospital with symptoms and was diagnosed with the viral illness. She and her husband, both in their 60s, are hospitalized. Experts have said they expected additional cases, and that at least some limited spread of the disease in the United States was likely. Health officials think the new virus spreads mainly from droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how the flu spreads. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Illinois health officials said that health workers and people who have been in contact with the latest patient are being monitored for symptoms. We anticipated this, said Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University infectious diseases expert. The kind of contact that you have in a household is very close and very prolonged. Thats the kind of circumstance where we would anticipate a virus such as this could be transmitted." The virus can cause fever, coughing, wheezing and pneumonia. It is a member of the coronavirus family that's a close cousin to the SARS and MERS viruses that have caused outbreaks in the past. The new virus has sickened thousands, mostly in China, and killed about 170. An international outbreak caused by the virus first emerged last month in China. Doctors there began seeing the new virus in people who got sick after spending time at a wholesale food market in Wuhan. Officials said the virus probably initially spread from animals to people, as did SARS and MERS. The other U.S. cases are in Arizona, Southern California and Washington state. Associated Press PTI By PTI LUCKNOW: All twenty-three children aged between six months and 15 years, who had been taken hostage by a murder accused after inviting them to his daughter's birthday party, were rescued late on Thursday night after police killed the captor in a village here. ALSO READ: CM Yogi Adityanath holds high-level meeting over Farrukhabad hostage situation The hostage drama began at Kasaria village in the afternoon. Hours later, the accused released a six-month-old girl by handing her over to his neighbour from a balcony, they said. Accused Subhash Batham fired from inside the house on those who tried to speak to him, police said, adding that a man suffered a bullet injury. The man who had held the children hostage was killed, Additional Chief Secretary Avanish Awasthi told PTI. Earlier, a team of NSG (National Security Guard) commandos had taken a special aircraft to reach Farukhabad, a senior security official in Delhi said. Police said Batham handed over the girl to his neighbour from a balcony. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath monitored the situation in Farrukhabad, which is nearly 200 km from state capital Lucknow. The motive of the accused was not known immediately. ALSO READ| Farrukhabad hostage crisis: Uttar Pradesh administration requests for NSG deployment Television channels appealed to Batham to contact them in case he wanted to share his demands with the government or authorities. "We are ensuring the safe rescue of the children and if needed, the NSG will also be called for the operation," the DGP said earlier. Police said Batham, a murder accused, seemed to be mentally unstable. IG (Kanpur Range) Mohit Agarwal, said, "The man called the children for a birthday party and held them hostage in the basement of the house. He fired six shots from inside the building." He said that Batham fired on those who attempted to speak to him. "Batham wanted to talk to the local MLA, but he refused to speak to the leader when he arrived," Agarwal said. UP Additional Chief Secretary&Principal Secretary Home Awanish K Awasthi: Chief Minister has announced an award of Rs 10 lakhs for UP police&its team that successfully carried out the operation. All personnel who took part in operation will be given certificate of appreciation. https://t.co/QMcp8pD9k0 ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 30, 2020 Meanwhile, the Chief Minister has announced an award of Rs 10 lakhs for the police team that successfully carried out the operation. "All personnel who took part in operation will be given certificate of appreciation," said Principal Secretary (Home), Awanish K Awasthi. (With ANI inputs) On the Indefinite US Travel Ban on Cabinet Members More at: https://pinglacson.net/2020/01/30/on-the-indefinite-us-travel-ban-on-cabinet-members/ An indefinite travel ban to the United States imposed on all members of the Cabinet could have adverse consequences on our country's economy and security, not to mention the many employed Filipino immigrants there, especially if the US retaliates to the recent tirades of President Duterte. The Philippines is exporting at least $10 billion worth of goods annually to the US, and accounts for 52 percent of the total US military support and assistance to the entire Asia-Pacific region. Considering all these, I hope some of the Cabinet members will have the courage and sensibility to speak to the President to reconsider. Its not just that the piece is in the final scene of Billy Elliot. A corps de ballet of muscular men as feral swans, in place of the usual ethereal women in white tutus, shows boys different, powerful images of both strong masculinity and ballet as a genre. That the production has been a success all over the world for 20-odd years helps, too. Roslyn Sulcas talks with four members of Bournes current company about the effect his Swan Lake had on them when they were young. The New York Times by Larissa Faw , January 30, 2020 One year after departing his namesake agency, MeringCarson (since renamed Mering) Greg Carson has joined 62Above in the newly created role of president. Hell work closely with co-founders Jon Bailey and Indra Gardiner Bowers. His arrival coincides with 62Aboves rebranding from I.D.E.A. The new name refers to the creative agencys hometown of San Diego, which sits 62 feet above sea level. A key issue with the old branding: I.D.E.A. was a difficult name as far as researching the agency via Google and other search engines. We found it increasingly hard to bring meaning and ownership to the name, explains Carson. Carson will focus on expanding the agencys client base in hospitality/destination, packaged goods (especially good for you products) and social/cause organizations. advertisement advertisement 62Above recently added several new clients to its agency roster, including Uptime Energy Drink and Love Catalina, Catalina Island Tourism Authority. Bailey recruited Carson after the long-time friends were discussing agency growth. After leaving MeringCarson last February, Carson had served as partner/Chief Creative Officer at Crown & Greyhound, an agency with offices in Las Vegas and San Diego, focused on digital branded storytelling, but felt this new opportunity was too good to pass up. By Azernews By Laman Ismayilova An exhibition "Undiscovered: New motives in Azerbaijan carpetry" opened at UNESCO's Headquarters in Paris on January 29. The exhibition reflects different aspects of Azerbaijan's tapestry history, focusing mainly on the historical and cultural heritage of the carpets produced by the Sheki Carpet School. Speaking at the event, Anar Alakbarov noted that ten years ago the Azerbaijani carpet weaving art was included in UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The 43rd session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Baku was marked by the inclusion of Khan's Palace and the historical center of Sheki in the UNESCO World Heritage List. From this point of view, the exhibition of Sheki carpets at UNESCO headquarters is of great importance. He expressed gratitude to UNESCO Director General Odra Azule, for the support provided in organizing the exhibition. Executive Director of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Anar Alakbarov, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture Ernest Ottone Ramirez, Azerbaijani Ambassador to France Rahman Mustafayev, head of the Permanent Mission at UNESCO, Ambassador Anar Karimov addressed the event. During the speeches, gratitude was expressed to the First Vice-President of Azerbaijan, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva and the Heydar Aliyev Foundation for organizing the exhibition. The exhibition creates an opportunity to learn more about Azerbaijani culture and carpet weaving art. The carpet weaving art reflects the worldview, aesthetic and pluralistic views of the Azerbaijani people. It was brought to attention that this art is an integral part of the life of the Azerbaijani people. The event was attended by two carpet weavers, whose carpets are on display at the exhibition, as well as Philippe Juge, who, inspired by the Cannes exhibition and arrived in Azerbaijan and learned to weave carpets. Philippe Juge expressed satisfaction with the organization of the exhibition in Cannes. Since then, he has been fascinated by the beauty of Azerbaijani carpets. As Philippe Juge says,his love for Azerbaijani carpets made him visit that exhibition every day, after which he came to Azerbaijan, where he practiced in carpet weaving. After the official part of the event, the participants viewed the exhibition. Inspired by the beauty of the Khan's Palace, national carpet weavers created exquisite works. The carpets displayed at the exhibition were woven for two years by 30 carpet weavers on the basis of the sketches of carpet-maker, well-known artist Eldar Mikayilzade. Notably, the exhibition "Undiscovered: New motives in Azerbaijan carpetry" was presented for the first time in 2019 as part of the Days of Azerbaijani Culture in the French city of Cannes. The Azerbaijani carpets will be also showcased in other parts of France. The exhibition at UNESCO's Headquarters will run until February 4. VANCOUVERCanada is getting ready to evacuate some citizens from the coronavirus quarantine zone in the city of Wuhan Sherry Renner just doesnt know yet if her pregnant daughter will be on the flight. Renners daughter Lauren Williams and husband Tom made headlines this week when they publicly called on the Canadian government to help them get out of Wuhan before the birth of their next child. Renner said shes been glued to the news, ever since, waiting for information that could offer a glimmer of hope to her family. We are glad to hear they are sending a plane, said the Langley, B.C., woman of the planned evacuation. Since Tom is British, the couple had reached out to U.K. officials to ask for evacuation assistance as well, and was waiting to hear back about whether they could get on a British flight out of the country. At 35 weeks pregnant, its a matter of urgency for Williams and her family, who have lived in China for about five years. With the number of novel coronavirus cases surpassing 6,000, Renner said the main worry is getting space in a hospital, and not exposing the newborn to a dangerous virus. Theyll go with whoever confirms them first, Renner said. But their preference would be to come home to Canada, where they were planning on returning in June. The federal government has chartered a plane but still needs Chinas permission to fly Canadians out of that countrys coronavirus quarantine zone, Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said Wednesday. The evacuation is being planned as the impact of the deadly virus continues to be felt around the world. Airlines have cancelled scores of flights to China amid tight travel restrictions in the affected region, and Ottawa is urging all Canadians to avoid going to mainland China unless it is necessary. By Wednesday afternoon, 160 Canadians had asked Ottawa to help get them out of Hubei province. One of the people who got in touch with the government was Myriam Larouche, a Quebec student on exchange in Wuhan. I got an email from my university back in Canada with instructions to get my papers together just in case, she said. Everybody wishes to go back home. Wuhan, Larouche said, seems eerily abandoned, with most people staying inside except to go to the supermarket. Larouche has been chatting with her university friends online, studying Chinese and watching movies to pass the time. She said even if she does get to fly back to Canada, she doesnt know how she would get to the airport. On a normal day its an hour away by subway or taxi. But both services and all local transportation have been shut down as the city deals with the public health crisis. After days of fruitless phone calls and appeals to anyone who would listen, Lily Liu said Wednesday she was encouraged to learn that Canada was working to send in a plane to fly Canadians out of Wuhan. Lius daughter, Fiona Dong, who got her masters degree at the University of British Columbia and just started PhD studies at National Taiwan University, flew to Wuhan earlier in the month to visit her father and grandparents and to celebrate Lunar New Year. She had a ticket to fly out on Jan. 27, but the flight was cancelled when the city was locked down. Ive never had this happen in my life, Liu said. This is my only daughter. I raised her as a single mother. I am so stressed and desperate. So desperate, in fact, that Liu and her sister, an American citizen, even reached out to U.S. government officials to see if there was a way they could get Fiona a seat on a U.S. flight out of Wuhan. I sent a request to the American embassy (in China) ... Unfortunately, they didnt take my daughter because were not American citizens. Within the last couple of days, her daughter finally got a call back from the Canadian embassy in Shanghai seeking to verify her information. Liu said the phone call gives her hope that Fiona will have a seat on the plane when the time comes. Until then, Liu said she talks to her daughter daily usually on WhatsApp. With infection numbers soaring each day, she said all she can do for her daughter is send words of encouragement. Only thing I can do is encourage them, she said. They can get through. Fiona has basically hunkered down in her fathers home with little to do to pass the time, but thats fine with her mother. Just stay at home, read Its the safest way, Liu said. Thats what Edward Wang, a Vancouver man in Wuhan to visit family, has been doing. He said hes fortunate that his family has a detached home, with space enough to comfortably stay inside. But hes anxious to hear good news from the Canadian government. I just want to go back to Vancouver, he said. Being stranded in a foreign country with no one to turn to is a very frightening concept. With files from Alex Ballingall Read more about: NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell 2% on Thursday to the lowest in three months on concerns over the potential economic impact of the coronavirus that continues to spread worldwide, while the market also considered the possibility of an early OPEC meeting. Brent crude LCOc1 was down $1.20, or 2%, to $58.61 a barrel by 10:56 a.m. EST (1556 GMT). Earlier in the session it dropped to $58.17 a barrel, lowest since Oct. 15. U.S. crude CLc1 fell $1.21, or 2.3%, to $52.12 a barrel, after earlier falling to $51.92 a barrel, weakest since Oct. 10. Infection from Chinas coronavirus spread to more than 8,100 people globally on Thursday, surpassing the total from the 2002-2003 SARS epidemic in a health crisis forecast to deal a heavy blow to the worlds second-largest economy. Countries have started isolating hundreds of citizens evacuated from the Chinese city of Wuhan on Thursday to stop the spread of an epidemic that has killed 170 people. Prices have steadied in recent days at three-month lows as investors tried to assess what economic damage the virus might inflict and its impact on demand for crude oil and its products. The market wants to look beyond this but it needs to get a real sense as to whether they can get the coronavirus contained, Phil Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago, said in a note. The rising death toll from the virus and its spread have sent stocks around the world tumbling. The virus has left policymakers, still grappling with the impact of the Sino-U.S. trade war, fretting over the widening fallout. On Thursday, Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Masayoshi Amamiya said Chinas huge presence in the world economy must be taken into account in gauging the impact the outbreak could have on global growth. The World Health Organization (WHO), which has so far held off declaring the virus a global emergency, began another meeting in Geneva to reconsider. Such a declaration would trigger tighter containment and information-sharing guidelines, but may disappoint Beijing, which had expressed confidence in defeating it. Major multinationals are closing operations in China and airlines around the world are suspending or reducing direct flights to the country. The only thing that can change the current trend is an emergency OPEC meeting, said Olivier Jakob of consultancy Petromatrix. Saudi Arabia has opened a discussion about moving the upcoming OPEC+ policy meeting to early February from March, four OPEC+ sources said, after the recent slide in oil prices. No final decision over the new date of the meeting has been made, and not all OPEC members are on board yet, with Iran a possible contender to oppose the move, the OPEC+ sources said. (GRAPHIC: U.S. petroleum inventories - here) Indian drug manufacturers are to a large extent dependent on China for sourcing their drug ingredients or the active pharmaceutical ingredients, as the industry words it. This is largely for drugs like antibiotics - crucial among them being penicillin G (and other products based on it such as amoxicillin and ampicillin), tetracycline - and for vitamins such as vitamin C and D. All of these are based on drug ingredients made using the fermentation-based process, an area where China has achieved global dominance. Now, the coronavirus scare has added a new dimension with an air of uncertainty around how the supply situation from China will unfold. Currently, the Chinese government has extended the New Year holidays. They were to be from January 25th till February 3rd but will now be till around mid-February. However, if these get further extended then, Indian drug manufacturers, mostly formulation plants, which use the drug ingredients and make the tablets and capsules that we consume, could get impacted. Sudarshan Jain, the secretary general of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance, that has leading Indian pharmaceutical companies as its members, says, "If the holidays are extended most units in India that are dependent on the imports could find it challenging though larger companies may not be severely impacted as they tend to have enough inventory but smaller units - and there are many some 8,000 odd units of less than Rs 100 crore turnover and of these some 4,000 to 5,000 that would be antibiotics formulators - could find it difficult if the imports are restricted or if the prices rise." Also Read: Why coronavirus outbreak can cause smartphone, TV prices to go up Naresh Gupta, president API Plus and Global TB at Lupin, one of the leading Indian pharma companies, says, "While there could be concerns around the likely immediate impact for smaller units but if the holidays get prolong and there is increased uncertainty then it could start impacting larger units too." However, to him, the big message for India from this development is a crying need to focus on building self-reliance in making penicillin G and in other critical ingredients for which we are totally dependent on China. He feels India needs to create a manufacturing base that has the backing of the government through policy enablers that incentivise Indian companies to invest in these areas. India is today completely dependent on China for Pencillin G and this is not just for meeting the Indian market needs but also for supplies to the US with drugs based on this ingredient. Also Read: First case of coronavirus confirmed in India; student tested positive in Kerala Gupta says, "though China had dominance in fermentation-based ingredient making, we have fortunately retained this in treatment of tuberculosis despite this also being fermentation-based. For instance, take rifampicin that Lupin makes to treat TB." Every year, around this time, pharma units in India, keep an inventory of the raw material since they know it is the new year holiday time in China and units would be shut. Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus is not really a major pharmaceutical manufacturing hub, though it has many units. It is regions like Zhejiang on the East coast of China, we are told by Indian pharma makers, that have more pharmaceutical manufacturing activity in China. However, the issue now is that the scare has gone beyond Wuhan and most are on alert. Many in the Indian industry, like Gupta of Lupin, point out that the developments around coronavirus are a grim reminder for India on not having done enough to ring fence Indian drug manufacturing from dependence on China. Incidentally, while fermentation-based ingredients are an important component of imports, China has also taken a lead in other chemicals -based ingredients too such as those used to make some cardiovascular drugs or medicines to cater to heart conditions and for blood vessels such as some cholesterol medications such as statins. As Brent Saunders likes to tell the tale, the Allergan chief has been CEO of three pharmaceutical companies in barely six years - and never had to change his position. His career moves provide a dizzying primer on the rise and fall of tax inversions. From 2012 to 2016, this practice allowed more than two dozen US and UK companies - mostly pharma firms - to shift their tax residency to Ireland via lopsided mergers with smaller firms already resident here. Saunders, previously the CEO of eye care firm Bausch & Lomb, was recruited to head New York-based Forest Laboratories in 2013, when his inversion odyssey began. While he was still settling in at Forest, rival US firm Actavis snapped up smaller Dublin-based Warner Chilcott and switched its tax base here. Within months, newly inverted Actavis came knocking to acquire Forest too, bringing it under the Irish tax umbrella in 2014. As the new Actavis CEO, Saunders set his sights on acquiring Allergan, the Southern California-based maker of the blockbuster anti-wrinkle treatment Botox. Once that $70bn (64bn) merger deal closed, those firms combined under his leadership into a newly Dublin-headquartered Allergan in 2015. "Despite all the names on the companies - Forest became Actavis, Actavis became Allergan - I didn't change jobs," Saunders says with a hearty laugh. He is speaking by telephone from his office in Madison, New Jersey, the "administrative headquarters" for Allergan, about an hour's drive west of Manhattan. Barely weeks atop the enlarged Allergan, Saunders turned his attention to what would have been the biggest inversion deal in history: a proposed $160bn merger with the much larger New York-based pharma firm Pfizer. That proved a deal too far for the US Treasury. In 2016, it closed the loophole that had permitted US corporations to shift their tax residency to Ireland via mergers. "If that deal had closed, then the combined Pfizer-Allergan would have been, if not the top, then one of the top employers and investors in Ireland," he recalls. "Of course, we were surprised, in that we were very careful and thoughtful about following all the rules and laws for that merger, and the Treasury came in at the last minute and changed the laws retroactively." Now Saunders, 50, finds himself in his final weeks at the helm of Allergan. Its $63bn merger with Chicago-based AbbVie - itself a firm that tried but failed to relocate its tax base to Ireland - has just received European Union regulatory approval and is expected to close this quarter. This time, the tax residency of the merged firms will return to US shores, most likely to the corporate-friendly state of Delaware. But as he prepares to take a seat on the AbbVie board and mull a new full-time role elsewhere, Saunders says the thousands of jobs provided by Allergan and AbbVie here are secure and likely to keep growing - in no small part because of the double-digit annual growth of Botox sales. AbbVie employs more than 700 people at two Dublin offices and three manufacturing facilities in Cork and Sligo. Allergan employs around 2,000 in Dublin, Galway and most crucially in Westport, Co Mayo, the manufacturing site for the world's supply of Botox. Allergan this week officially opened a second biologics facility at Westport for making Botox, and researching potential new products from its biological source, the lethal botulinum toxin. The facility involves a $160m (145m) investment and more than 60 new jobs. "Botox is our most valuable product. It's one of the most important and special products in the biopharmaceutical industry, and it will likely remain one of our most important products even in the combined AbbVie structure," Saunders says. AbbVie announced this month that post-merger, it will create a subsidiary, Allergan Aesthetics, to develop and market Botox and the company's other products aimed at improving appearance. This includes CoolSculpting, the fat-freezing technology gained in 2017 when Allergan acquired Zeltiq Aesthetics in a $2.4bn deal. The European manufacturing site for CoolSculpting opened that year in Galway. The Allergan Aesthetics unit will be headquartered in the firm's historic base of Irvine, California, and be led by the senior vice president for Allergan's aesthetics business, Carrie Strom. "The corporate name will become AbbVie and we will trade under the AbbVie stock symbol. That will be the surviving corporation. But they have announced - and I think it's a brilliant move - that they are going to keep the name Allergan for our medical aesthetics business," Saunders says. "I'm absolutely certain that the name Allergan will stay connected to Westport and the medical aesthetics business around the world for the long term." However, the use of Botox for cosmetic wrinkle-erasing purposes accounts for less than half of its global sales, which exceed $3.5bn annually. Its ability to paralyse nerves for weeks or months is used to ease the debilitating effects of many involuntary-movement disorders, stilling tremors and spasms. Development and marketing of Botox for therapeutic purposes will be folded into AbbVie. Botox's newest FDA-approved use is to treat children suffering from spasticity in their arms and legs, including from cerebral palsy. "When you see a kid with upper or lower limb spasticity and you see the profound impact that Botox can have on them, it really is a great reminder of the power of this medicine," Saunders says. "But also the importance of innovation." The newly opened biologics facility in Westport includes greatly expanded R&D labs for Botox, exploring five potential new uses for the neurotoxin, including for treating heart arrhythmia and depression. "We need to look for additional uses for Botox," he says. "As long as we continue to invest in innovation, Botox will be the crown jewel of Allergan and the combined AbbVie." The deadly potential of botulinum toxin requires secret delivery by private plane to Ireland. The toxin, he says, is "inarguably one of the most highly regulated substances in the world". Saunders says he expects Irvine and Westport to remain the sole two centres for Botox R&D, with Irvine supplying the bulk toxin refined in Westport. "You couldn't do one without the other. They're essential cogs in the system. They don't work in isolation. Different pieces of the research and development are done and work seamlessly between Westport and Irvine. They're linked at the hip essentially," he says. While Botox over the past decade has faced rising competition from rival products - including Nestle's Dysport, Merz Pharma's Xeomin and Evolus's Jeuveau - Saunders says the exceptional difficulty of handling the toxin "makes it more difficult and expensive" and "certainly sets a higher bar for competitors to come in". He says the R&D work intensifying in Westport will keep the Botox brand ahead of competitors by opening new markets, and inventing new treatments for new audiences. While existing Botox is produced from the toxin's strain A, other strains offer different characteristics and potential effects - including what he describes as "a fast-acting, short-duration toxin under clinical development" based on strain E. Others could produce longer-lasting treatments than existing Botox or be of use "for convenience" in pre-filled syringes. "They are novel new toxins, all in the botulinum toxin family," he says. "We have many new neurotoxins under development, and they will all highly likely be - if successful in clinical studies - produced at Westport." He sees no obvious difficulties arising from Brexit. Allergan's exposure chiefly involves its UK office in Marlow, west of London, which handles EU product regulation and R&D involving international research teams. He says the UK centre's staff "come from all across Europe", and "making sure that we, first and foremost, can keep our European colleagues gainfully employed in that spot is important". Saunders says it is too soon to speculate on whether some UK roles might transfer to the eurozone. But when asked whether Brexit makes the UK less attractive, he says: "It will make it harder to be a centre of excellence for Europe. "You need a place where you can recruit and travel and work across common regulatory platforms, and common work and immigration requirements." Saunders says he is feeling "mixed emotions" about Allergan's absorption into AbbVie. "I'm incredibly excited for Allergan and for the people of Allergan. Their new home inside AbbVie will be a bright one. Their ability to invest in R&D is going to go to an incredible new level," he says. "Much like when Actavis bought Allergan, we were able to invest behind our research and development and brands in a way that legacy Allergan couldn't. "This is just the next iteration of taking the Allergan family to a stronger environment, a bigger environment." "I'm excited for them. But I am sad about it. It's been an absolute honour to be the leader of Allergan," he continues, adding that his successor, AbbVie's Rick Gonzalez, is "an amazing CEO to take them to this next level". Saunders says he has not seriously explored what his next full-time job might be: "I want to finish this strong, before I start thinking about what's next." But he is clear about the biggest challenge. "The big frontier ahead for our industry is the brain, neurodegenerative diseases, and diseases of mental health," he says, noting that Allergan's newest FDA-approved drug, Vraylar, treats schizophrenia, bipolar disorders and manic episodes. Alzheimer's disease is "going to become the leading disease in humans over the next several years", he says. "There have been spectacular investments and spectacular failures in Alzheimer's (research). "Our industry is working very hard at (solving) it, but we don't understand the biology of the disease yet. "There's so much more to be understood about diseases of the brain - and that requires deep investment in R&D." An overlooked majority? African cities are growing rapidly, but an estimated two-thirds of African people still live in rural areas. In some African nations, the ratio of rural urban dwellers is even higher. In Burundi, in central Africa, its almost 9:1 which gives some idea of the importance of the countryside. However, numbers alone arent always enough to ensure that politicians based in capital cities focus on their rural populations. Providing necessary infrastructure in rural areas is much harder than it is in cities, which can lead to rural people feeling that their needs are not being considered. Many approaches have been taken to addressing this, but so far, no single proposed solution has proven to be universally successful or appropriate. This presents an opportunity (and a need) for a rethink, and in this article Ill propose social entrepreneurship as a viable alternative. Rural populations are more widely distributed, so it can be more costly to deliver services to them. With less access to education and healthcare, people living in rural areas tend to experience higher unemployment (or to be engaged in less rewarding work), to have more health issues and more children, and hence face an uphill struggle in terms of improving their economic circumstances. Migration to the cities is perhaps the greatest challenge of all. As rural areas are to an extent out of sight, out of mind, they tend to get less attention from leaders and policy makers. They may also be resented by urban dwellers if they feel that their city taxes are being used to subsidise the rural economy. People in rural areas live closer to the edge when it comes to exposure to climate change and natural disasters such as flooding, which can destroy crops and livelihoods. The main occupation for rural citizens is smallholder farming (out of necessity, as they need to sustain their families). However, this means that they generate relatively little disposable income and excludes them from the mainstream economy and makes it harder for them to obtain agricultural inputs such as seeds, fertiliser and farm machinery. Lack of opportunity and limited access to education can lead to poverty cycles that can last for multiple generations. The importance of the countryside By virtue of their sheer weight of numbers, rural people should not be overlooked In democracies as they constitute an important constituency when elections come around. They are also often the guardians of a country or cultures heritage. If attention is not given to rural populations, their problems can spread to urban areas quite literally, as people migrate in search of work. This migration usually involves the very people that the rural economy most needs young workers. Although cities can seem to promise brighter economic prospects, many new arrivals in urban areas find that urban poverty can be just as difficult to escape. Given how many people live in rural areas, if their economic potential is restrained, this can actually impact on the economic growth of entire regions or countries. Rural poverty can also reduce a countrys appeal to outside investors who will be looking for concentrations of skilled workers. Smallholder agriculture generates little if any additional income, which means that rural people engaged in subsistence farming cannot themselves contribute to the economy as consumers. An important first step to addressing rural poverty is persuading people not to leave. To do this, however, they have to be given incentives to stay and that means economic opportunities. With greater diversity of opportunities, a more balanced society can be created which in turn creates additional potential for economic growth. Improved economic circumstances in the countryside can also make it a more pleasant place to live, with fewer disease outbreaks and less crime. Trying to find answers There is a clear need to address the causes and consequences of rural poverty, and many governments and organisations have attempted to impose solutions. That degree of imposition is in itself is part of the problem attempted solutions in the past havent always involved listening to what rural people themselves think. Attempted large-scale solutions that dont consider what individuals need tend to fail, or to actually exacerbate existing problems. The incentive to solve rural poverty is clear it can improve the lives of individuals and families and transform communities and even entire regions. Given that many attempts at finding answers to rural poverty have not been successful, can we find a better approach one with a greater chance of success? Certainly, this is a question that needs investigating. Towards a real and lasting solution Research and past experience continues to prove that empowering people (through training and guidance) to be proactive about poverty alleviation is the best approach. In many countries and settings, social entrepreneurship has been shown to be a sustainable way of reducing rural poverty. Workshops and training programmes can teach people the full range of skills they need to make a success of starting and running their own businesses. Involving mentors who have themselves succeeded makes the training more relatable and relevant to the learners. Social entrepreneurship expands peoples horizons and nurtures greater ambition and self-belief. By helping people to see themselves differently, social entrepreneurship also changes how community members see each other. This can have positive impacts for women in particular. Rural communities are often more conservative than urban areas (again, in part, because of limited communication infrastructure and exposure to new ideas). This means that many women to not get the chance to flex their own entrepreneurial muscles, as it were. Encouraging women to be social entrepreneurs boosts their self-esteem, gives them increased economic independence and helps other people seem them in a new light. Confidence of course is a key requirement for entrepreneurial success. Encouraging social entrepreneurship is entirely aligned with the UNs Sustainable Development Goals especially the SDGs that relate to economic growth and womens rights. Social entrepreneurs create additional employment opportunities and encourage other people to start companies to meet newly created demands. More affluent rural communities, that are able to offer their members real economic opportunities and meaningful ways to improve their circumstances, can make a positive contribution to the lives of people well beyond the countryside. Conclusions Social entrepreneurship can reduce rural unemployment through job creation and can help lift families out of poverty. When social entrepreneurs succeed, they create a virtuous cycle of new opportunities for others. Rural economies are reinforced through upliftment, and help rural people argue more convincingly for increased government investment. Investment means a better quality of life for rural people, including improved infrastructure which in turns makes it easier for social entrepreneurs to succeed. When people see their fellow citizens succeeding theyre more likely to engage in this kind of economic activity themselves. Social entrepreneurship can make rural communities more liveable, which means that people are more likely to stay there. This relieves some of the pressure on city infrastructure, resulting in more cohesive, healthier and happier societies throughout the country. I have seen how the multiplier effect of social entrepreneurship can have far-reaching, positive economic benefits when it comes to revitalising rural communities a goal that is certainly worth investing in, concluded Nisabwe. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires Linda Monique is the founder of ALMO milk, which is a five year old almond milk business that has a huge global presence. After overcoming some huge personal and business obstacles, Linda has persevered in making her premium brand a success. This has included overcoming the logistics nightmare of being an Australian grown company, completely changing her target market after a company swooped in on her idea and managing changing global regulations and labelling. To name just a few! Linda almost abandoned her business idea to move back to a life in London when she was discouraged by the fact no-one wanted to manufacture her product. She had previously had to leave London in just a matter of days to due an autoimmune disease leaving her very sick for a long period of time. However, there is always a silver lining and Linda used this time in hospital to reassess her future goals and a job that would suit her. Enter entrepreneurship! Already fascinated by her story? As were we! So read her full interview below, where we get into the nitty gritty of launching ALMO to where it is now. Follow our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Is your background business at all? What were you doing before ALMO? So I did a double degree at the University of Melbourne, I majored in management and also arts. I did a really broad range of subjects from psychology, through to history. But it was actually in my final year of University that I undertook a summer project which was consulting. And we went through a 3 month intensive of, lets say, McKinsey style grooming which was how to analyse businesses, companies and set them up for success. So I took that knowledge and also combined it with my love of design. Whilst at the University of Melbourne I actually did an exchange programme over to a business school in Milan which had design-centred thinking and design-centred subjects. Everything from industrial design, fashion design aspect of any design you wanted! I thought Is there such a thing as food design? Is that a thing? and I started exploring that area of how we eat, why we eat and what we eat and why cafes are successful. The history, the origins, the designs. Dissecting all of them. That was just because that was your passion? Rather than thinking there is an end goal for me here Yep! You were just doing your own thing something you enjoyed? Absolutely! And I think its important in your twenties to really focus on exploring your passions without any sort of financial agenda. So I funnily enough got invited back to that University and I was guest lecturing in food design Then I was invited to exhibit at Milan design week and London design festival. All this time I was really playing with food and exploring cultural aspects, sustainability etc. Also I have a passion for cooking, so combining both food and cooking and business without just being a chef in a kitchen (I was a private chef for a period of time!). I took off to London eventually and just found myself picking up any job that I could I took anything so long as I could stay! I ended up working for high net worth individuals doing consulting and cooking on the side and setting up my own business in food consultancy. What was the defining moment when you decided you wanted to found ALMO? It was quite interesting because I was leading a really great life in London and had everything set up and it all crumbled really quickly. I have an autoimmune disease so for over 10 years I was in and out of hospital and I sort of ignored that. I did somethings to try and improve my health but it got to the point where I basically had to leave my entire in life in London in a matter of days and I ended up back in hospital in Australia really sick for a long period of time. And it was during that time that I had an opportunity to think about what was going to be sustainable in terms of a career entrepreneurship for me wasnt the first thing to go for, but it was out of necessity for my situation. And at this point where I had hit rock bottom I thought there was not a lot to lose. Combining the passion for food and analysing markets, I saw that almond milk was becoming really popular For me it just seemed like a calling. I had worked with Australian almond growers previously and realised just out of frustration that there was no Australian grown almond milk on the market. We were drinking US almond milk which was shipped over. I thought we just need to make a really premium Australian grown Almond milk, with Australian almonds, supporting Australian almond growers. It really was as simple as that. That was the default answer. It was originally meant to be for the cafe market, so think Bonsoy of Almond milk a really premium almond milk that you could use for coffee. And so began a very long journey in setting up ALMO. For 12 months there was no-one in Australia that could or wanted to manufacture our Almond milk. So halfway through I was about to give up and move back to London for some jobs here and there and in a last-minute attempt to make ALMO work I went to New Zealand to see if there was a manufacturer over there which there was! So I ended up having to ship Australian almond to New Zealand and back. At least that is closer than the US! Yes ,well funnily enough, also New Zealand was closer than Perth. Still it was logistics nightmare! I had to throw myself in the deep end and we launched the product! Because of packaging and manufacturing constraints, we ended up positioning the product in the retail market, not cafes we dabbled in cafes but saw a larger opportunity to go into the retail side of things. So the first year was really about growing our distribution across Australia, so finding the right ones to help us grow. I guess theres many methods of growth for food and beverage businesses whether thats putting own trucks on roads and distributing yourself or tapping into a network or trying to play in the major league of Coles and Woolworths from day one. The second year was all about bringing manufacturing back to Australia. We just continued to doorknock and wait until someone built a facility. And in the January we started developing and launching new products. How did you expand ALMO overseas, as you have said Malaysia is your biggest market? From day one being forced to learn to ship almonds from New Zealand to Australia I think it made logistics seem just like another step in a business process. But the power of social media has really changed the game in how we network connect and build business! Our Korean counterpart actually found us on Instagram its a coffee roastery and after two or three messages we connected on WhatsApp and all of a sudden we had basically sold our first palette to Korea just via a WhatsApp conversation. Wow! Ideal! I know! And to think that thats how you could possibly grow into Korea is crazy! So it really changes my mind on how you can grow business, become international when you are still small and to also use that focus and strategy in exporting to Asia as part of your marketing strategy from day one. Even packaging changes. Almond milk is not allowed to be called vegan in Korea; China doesnt approve camomile blossom extracts so we cant send camomile over. Every country has different things. How do you find out those kind of things then? Through experience! And we were even sending stock to Paris and Amsterdam at one point but the biggest challenge for us to date has been the regulatory changes globally in labelling. So were not allowed to call ALMO milk, ALMO milk or almond milk due to labelling laws in Europe. Here in Australia weve been impacted by the new 10c deposit scheme in NSW and NT so almost every year were having to change our packaging to comply with international regulations. That fast paced change does have an impact to small businesses but it also presents an opportunity for us to look at how we market to Asia for example whether or not we use QR codes on the back of our products to connect, not to our website, but to WeChat. So its really exploring these new opportunities for marketing that is fascinating and where we grow from there. Learn more about marketing compliance and how to manage this correctly with labelling in particular, by listening in to our podcast episode with Tessa Court. Her business is all about this exact problem and she gives amazing advice on how to handle regulations globally. How have things changed for you since inception? So ALMO was founded in 2015 and we launched the product in March 2016 at Melbourne International Coffee Expo And who is we? What does your team look like now, versus the early days? So at the time it was actually myself, and my brother helping me out in the business, to begin with. Then there was a period of time, a year, when I was working full time in a contract role and balancing the business on the side. That second year it ending up organically growing with contractors and getting third parties in quite heavily. Were now a team of 4 in the office and we rely on outsourcing everything. So I definitely dont think its about the people power I think its about the technology power and systems power and process powers if you have the right systems in place that is. And what do those four people do? Sales manager, Operations manager and Dispatch/Admin. Finally me business development, marketing and new products. You can be exporting products with just 2 people these days! How did you know when to divert from your original plan of cafes to retailers? Well definitely upfront we had one player in the market which we originally approached to contract manufacture our product and instead they became our number one competitor in the cafe market. The level of aggression and aggressive marketing and sales tactics, I was just astounded by and I think that took me by surprise. So we could not compete with a company that was putting millions of dollars behind marketing and putting out a team of 30 sales reps on the road to offer free products to get cafes to switch. And knowing how price conscious cafes are and the oversaturated market in Australia, logically it didnt make sense to focus our efforts there, but to know that our competitions weaknesses were that they didnt have a barcode, the fact that we would be the first Australian grown almond milk in retail stores and the really interesting aspect was there was fresh Almond milk around but it had short shelf life, and producing a long life product was all about strategy. What would be your top tips for businesses? Always go back to your company values, and if you dont know those, start with your personal values. Keep them as a pillar to make decisions around packaging, design, marketing everything. DOVER, Del. - Delawares Supreme Court has overturned a judges ruling that an insurance company must extend liability coverage to a teenager who was convicted of criminally negligent homicide after a school bathroom attack that left a 16-year-old girl dead. Wednesdays ruling reverses a judges determination last year that USAA Casualty Insurance Company had to indemnify Trinity Carr under her mothers homeowners policy, which covers claims for bodily injury. Carr was named as a defendant in two lawsuits filed by the family of Amy Joyner-Francis. An autopsy found that Joyner-Francis, who had a rare, undetected, heart condition, died of sudden cardiac death, aggravated by physical and emotional stress from the April 2016 fight captured on cellphone video at Howard High School of Technology in Wilmington. Video of the attack, which gained national attention, shows Joyner-Francis struggling to fight back and escape as she is repeatedly hit and kicked in the head while her assailant holds on to her hair. To label an intentional assault, as the parties agree occurred here, an accident is to disregard the ordinary, everyday meaning of accident, the Supreme Court noted. We thus hold that whether an assault is an accident is determined by the intent of the insured, and not by the viewpoint of the victim. Further, even though Carr may not have intended to cause Franciss death, she certainly intended to cause injury to her, Justice Gary Traynor added in writing for the court. Therefore, the provision that excludes coverage for intended injuries ... would bar coverage in any event. Carr, who is now an adult, was adjudicated delinquent by a Family Court judge and sentenced to six months in a juvenile facility in 2017. Delawares Supreme Court upheld a conspiracy verdict against Carr in 2018 but overturned her homicide conviction, saying no reasonable fact-finder could have found that she acted with criminal negligence. USAA argued that it had no obligation to defend or indemnify Carr under the provisions of her mothers insurance policy, which covers bodily injury and property damage claims caused by an occurrence. The policy, which defines occurrence as an accident, excludes coverage for injury or damage which is reasonably expected or intended by any insured including injury or damage that is of a different kind, quality or degree than initially expected or intended ... In his decision last year, Judge Noel Primos ruled that the bathroom fight qualified as an occurrence under the policy, and that USAA had failed to show that an exclusion regarding intentional conduct applied. Primos also noted that the video of the attack, while disturbing, confirms that the harm resulting from Carrs intentional conduct was not reasonably foreseeable. At the same time, Primos acknowledged the public policy implications of the insurance dispute. On the one hand, there is the well-established Delaware rule that an insured shall not profit by way of indemnity from his own wrongdoing, he wrote. On the other hand, there is an innocent victim, Ms. Francis, whose heirs and family members would be negatively affected by the denial of coverage for Ms. Carr. Prosecutors traced the bathroom assault to an online group chat the day before, when Joyner-Francis had offered advice to a friend about a problem involving a boy, telling her friend to just be careful. Joyner-Francis warned that someone might switch up, or betray another person. A police detective said Carr thought Joyner-Francis was talking about her as the possible traitor. A Snapchat posting that same day by one of three girls charged after the incident shows Joyner-Francis talking to Carr in the bathroom, purportedly to try to defuse the situation. The posting notes that Carr was bouta fight her, followed by several emojis indicating that a person was laughing so hard she was crying. Assam Director General of Police (DGP), Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta on Thursday said that JNU student Sharjeel Imam will be brought to Assam after taking a production warrant. "We will bring him after taking a production warrant, our officer is also a part of the team that is interrogating him," said Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta while talking to ANI here. A Delhi court on Wednesday sent Imam to five-day custody under Delhi Police Crime Branch. Imam was brought to Delhi on transit remand after his arrest from Bihar's Jehanabad on Tuesday. The JNU student, who was booked for sedition for his provocative speeches had stoked controversy with his "cut off Assam from India" remark. He has been slapped with charges of sedition and inciting enmity between communities under Sections 124A, 153A and 505 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Separately, a case has been registered against the JNU student by the Uttar Pradesh Police for his controversial speech delivered during the students' protest at Aligarh Muslim University on January 16 against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and Register of Citizens (NRC). A series of videos have gone viral on social media in which Sharjeel is heard saying: "If we all come together, then we can separate the Northeast from India. If we cannot do it permanently, then at least for one to two months, we can do this." "It is our responsibility to cut Assam from India. When this happens, only then the government will listen to us," he is heard saying further in the video. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) January 30, 2020 POCATELLO As the year 2020 begins, the College of Pharmacy at Idaho State University proudly celebrates 100 years of preparing pharmacists. A look through the decades shows how the College proved, time after time, to be well ahead of other pharmacy schools in the nation in terms of curriculum, accreditation and advocacy. Our story begins in 1918, when Norman Adkinson, president of Idaho Technical Institute, now known as Idaho State University, decided to begin the first pharmacy school in Idaho. Many pharmacists in the state had been pushing for a school. In 1918 World War I had just ended and Pocatello was a lively railroad town, so they thought what better time and place? It was May 1918 when Eugene O Leonard began to outline and plan the pharmacy program. Few knew that Leonard would then serve as the dean of the college for 30 years. On April 17, 1920, it was announced that pharmacy would be offered beginning in September at the Idaho Technical Institute. in 1920, there was no formal or nationally accepted accreditation, but ITIs program was being recognized throughout the nation, appearing on approved program lists published by state boards of pharmacy. In 1920, the first three students were enrolled in the two-year pharmacy graduate program. In 1922, the three-year pharmacy graduate program was implemented as well as the pharmaceutical chemist program. Over the following few years, changes and improvements to the degree were made until 1930, when a bill was passed requiring all candidates for the license to obtain the four-year Bachelor of Science degree. In the 1930s, the Great Depression affected Idaho and the Idaho Technical Institute no differently than the rest of the nation. Though the College struggled for funds, pharmacy program enrollment was growing. During this time, all faculty were registered pharmacists, and students would pay a total of $30 per semester for tuition and $28 per month for room and board. Enrollment had been increasing steadily, jumping from 36 to 133 students enrolled in a matter of a decade. The pharmacy program was housed in a number of establishments on campus. In 1940, the need for more space couldnt be ignored any longer. The College of Pharmacy was granted $175,000 by the state to build what we know as Leonard Hall today, the namesake of Dean Leonard. The building was completed in 1942 and enrollment increased to 185 students. Ahead of national standards, the College implemented a new five-year Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy in 1957, which wasnt established to be mandatory throughout the nation until 1960. That same year, the college was accredited and received an A rating, working continuously to be a leading example among other schools and succeed in being ahead of the times. In 1976, enrollment reached its highest ever at 337 students, likely due to the Federal Health Professions Scholarship program. The 1970s also saw the initiation of clinical pharmacy courses, pharmacy administration and continuing education positions were also funded and filled. The College of Pharmacy saw two significant improvements in the 1980s. The college was reestablished into two separate academic departments, the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Administrative Sciences and the Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences. The Doctor of Pharmacy degree as a single entry-level degree was introduced as well as a Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences. The other notable improvement was the decision to remodel Leonard Hall. In the 1990s, Dean Barbara G. Wells worked to strengthen multiple aspects of the College during her deanship, including teaching, research and service programs, growing scholarship endowments and upgrading the building itself. The building received an 10,000 square-feet addition during this time, that was used for a new classroom, a small-group teaching room, a research lab, more faculty office, and a basement. The beginning of a new century looked promising for the ever-growing and changing College of Pharmacy. The curriculum and learning strategies were again revised to keep up with modern requirements and technology. In 2009, the College saw the addition of the ISU-Meridian site, made possible by a $5 million gift from the ALSAM Foundation. The only pharmacy program offered in Idaho was now being offered in Meridian and Pocatello by ISU. In 2011, the college once again took major strides in expanding their campus and overall footprint, as faculty from the University of Alaska, Anchorage looked to the College for assistance in implementing a new environment for students to learn pharmacy in their state. The two universities were able to form a partnership, and years of planning led to the University of Alaska Anchorage and Idaho State University Doctor of Pharmacy program that began in 2016. Students in Alaska would now be able to attend and receive their pharmacy degrees in their home state. The ISU College of Pharmacy hopes to continue to prepare bright, successful pharmacists and is optimistic about the goals they will accomplish in the next 100 years We are extremely proud to be celebrating 100 years of excellence in pharmacy education. We celebrate all of those individuals who, over that 100-year period, made this a great college of pharmacy, said Walter Fitzgerald, dean for the College of Pharmacy. Sometimes, with a long history, you can become inflexible. Even though we have a 100-year history, we are able to quickly adapt to change in our profession and change in health care. Currently, the College is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. The College of Pharmacy works hand-in-hand with the Idaho legislature, supporting and advocating for progression in pharmacy practice laws. Because of the diligence of ISU faculty and administration, Idaho has adopted some of the most progressive pharmacy practice laws in the country, allowing pharmacists in Idaho to treat patients for a number of conditions, providing patients with more accessible care. As the College celebrates its 100th year, it will also congratulate the first graduating class from the UAA-ISU program in May. While enrollment numbers have fluctuated over the years, ISU has prepared approximately 4,500 pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists throughout its 100 years. The College of Pharmacy will commemorate its 100-year history with a Centennial Celebration on Sept. 11-12, 2020 in Pocatello. There is drama in Benue State as a phone conversation which is alleged to be between Mr Samuel Ortom, the Governor of Benue State and his political godfather Senator George Akume got leaked and its trending online. In the phone call between the two politicians which they reportedly had two weeks ago, the governor was heard telling senator Akume Be ready to refund the two billion you stole from the Benue state governments purse when you were leaving office as governor in 2007 or prepare to face the law Senator Akume, the current minister for Special Duties and Inter-governmental Affairs was the governor of Benue state from 1999 2007 before he handed over to Senator Gabriel Torwua Suswam. In their very heated telephone conversation few days ago, Governor Samuel Ortom advised the minister to be very careful in the manner he speaks to the elders in the state, especially traditional rulers. He reminded Senator Akume how he publicly tongue-lashed the Paramount Ruler of the Tiv land, Tor Tiv James Ayatse, who he recently called King of Politics. The governor who was annoyed with the minister for always insulting his wife begged the minister to stop talking rudely while referencing his wife First Lady Eunice Ortom, anytime he wants to insult him for political reasons. He reminded him that politics is nothing but a game of interest and not a do or die affair. Governor Ortom, according to the recorded audio of their conversation also advised Akume to stop calling him a thief since he hasnt stolen anything from the purse of the Benue government since he became governor in 2015. In his response, senator Akume asked Ortom why shouldnt he call him a thief or insult him whenever he likes? Reacting to that, Ortom said to Akume: You are a big thief. Didnt you steal two billlion belonging to Benue government in 2007. I was the one that stopped the case against you then but now, I will re-open the file so that everyone in Benue will know who is a thief between you and I. I helped you to win your senatorial election in 2015 when I came to join you in APC. It was my help that gave you victory, and that was why you couldnt win again in 2019 because I left you and your party. I will make sure that you appear on the list of anti graft agencies that will investigate the missing two billion which disappeared at the tail end of your regime as governor in 2007 In his reaction, an angry Akume replied Ortom that it was not his influence, help or support that made him win his senatorial election in 2015 but, the governor replied that it is clear that the minister failed to win his election in 2019 because he left the APC. Furthermore, Governor Ortom told senator Akume in the telephone conversation that it was him thats preventing him from performing in his first term in office by collecting Benues monies from him with force, noting that he has been performing by paying salaries promptly, doing capital projects and bringing development to Benue state since he parted ways with the minister. It is not yet clear who among the two men leaked the phone call but Benue indigenes online are alleging it must have been leaked by someone in governor Ortoms team. Three days ago, governor Ortom narrated how he escaped Fulani herdsmen who angrily shot at his convoy. He expressed worry and concern at the level of sophisticated weapons carried by the herdsmen. He said the herdsmen are more equipped than the security operatives who should be fighting them. STAMFORD, Conn., Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Finacity Corporation ("Finacity"), a member of the Greensill family of companies, announces the close of a trade receivables securitization program for Black Box Corporation ("Black Box"), a subsidiary of AGC Networks Singapore Pte Limited ("AGC"). The securitization program finances receivables originated by Black Box's subsidiaries in the United States and United Kingdom, and its proceeds were used to refinance the credit facility provided to Black Box upon its acquisition by AGC in January 2019. The securitization program comprises multiple tranches and allows up to $90 million in senior funding by Fifth Third Bank, National Association. In addition, Greensill has provided a $15 million subordinated facility to further enhance the company's liquidity. The securitization program achieved accounting derecognition per both IFRS and US GAAP. Finacity provided analytic and structuring support, as well as serving as the ongoing transaction administrator and control party. Fifth Third Bank funds the senior tranche and serves as the ongoing agent. Deepak Bansal, Global CFO of AGC and CFO of Black Box, commented: "This transaction is a very important milestone and is testimony to the business transformation done by all team members at Black Box in a one-year period post-acquisition by AGC. We are pleased with the support extended by senior lender Fifth Third Bank, subordinated note holder Greensill and administrator Finacity for concluding this transaction. This securitization facility will further help us to grow our business and make our balance sheet strong." The program is one of many deals closed since Finacity joined Greensill in June 2019, adding Finacity's world leading receivables securitization capabilities to Greensill's market leading financing capabilities for all aspects of working capital finance. About Black Box Corporation Black Box Corporation provides digital solutions that assist its customers to design, build, manage, and secure their IT infrastructure. It offers IT infrastructure, specialty networking, multimedia, and keyboard/video/mouse switching products. The company also provides communications lifecycle, unified communications, structured cabling, video/AV, in-building wireless, and data center services. It distributes its products and services primarily through value-added resellers, direct marketing manufacturers, mass merchandisers, Web retailers, manufacturers, large system integrators, and other technical services companies. It serves government, healthcare, business services, manufacturing, retail, technology, banking, and other industries worldwide. Black Box Corporation was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Lawrence, Pennsylvania. As of January 7, 2019, Black Box Corporation operates as a subsidiary of AGC Networks Pte. Limited. For further information, please visit www.blackbox.com . About Finacity Finacity, a member of the Greensill family of companies, specializes in the structuring and provision of efficient capital markets receivables funding programs, supplier and payables finance, back-up servicing, and program administration. Finacity currently facilitates the financing and administration of an annual receivables volume of approximately $100 billion. With resources in the USA, Europe and Latin America, Finacity conducts business throughout the world with obligors in 175 countries. For further information, please visit www.finacity.com. About Greensill Greensill is a leading provider of finance to businesses and people around the world. Founded in 2011, Greensill offers alternative sources of funding, allowing companies to provide suppliers with the opportunity for faster payment, while at the same time preserving their own capital position. The company is headquartered in London with offices in New York, Frankfurt, Chicago, Miami, Singapore, Sao Paulo, Mexico City, Johannesburg, Sydney, Warrington and Bundaberg. Greensill provides working capital finance facilities to customers across Europe, North America, Latin America, Middle East, Africa, and Asia. The company owns Greensill Bank, which was founded in Bremen, Germany in 1927, has a suite of proprietary Supply Chain Finance Funds run by world leading fund management organisations, acquired Finacity in June 2019 and FreeUp in October 2019. Greensill works with dozens of institutional investors that together provide stable funding. In 2019, Greensill provided more than US$150 billion of financing to more than 8 million customers and suppliers across more than 175 countries. For further information, please visit greensill.com. For more information on this transaction, please contact: Finacity Corporation Daniel Stadnik USA Tel: +1 Dr. Matthew Sean Peach, an assistant professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at ECUs Brody School of Medicine, holds a Gammatile used to treat brain tumors. | Photos: Rhett Butler ECUs Dr. Matthew Sean Peach, left, and Vidant Healths Dr. Stuart Lee discuss North Carolinas first GammaTile procedure taking place at Vidant Medical Center. Doctors at East Carolina University's Brody School of Medicine and Vidant Medical Center were the first in North Carolina to perform a new radiation therapy procedure that is giving hope to patients with recurrent brain tumors.Brain tumors are typically treated with surgical removal and then Gamma Knife radiosurgery or external radiation to eliminate residual tumor cells. However, it can often take weeks for the surgical wounds to heal enough for radiation therapy to commence, giving the tumor an opportunity to start growing back before the first radiation treatment can take place.GammaTile Therapy is a surgically targeted radiation therapy in which a 3D-collagen tile, embedded with radioactive Cesium-131 rods, is placed in the tumor cavity at the time of surgery. The tile immediately begins delivering targeted radiation treatment to the tumor cells - at a higher dose than traditional external beam radiation. This treatment also results in less radiation exposure to surrounding tissue because the radiation from the GammaTile does not have to travel through healthy parts of the brain to reach the tumor cells.The procedure is currently only approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for patients who have undergone previous procedures, but whose tumors returned.said Dr. Matthew Sean Peach, an assistant professorin Brody's Department of Radiation Oncology.The therapy is also ideal for patients who have difficulty making repeated trips to receive radiation treatments because the tile delivers the radiation to the tumor cells over the course of approximately a month. Patients can go about their daily lives without the interference of additional radiation treatments.Peach said.Dr. Stuart Lee, chief of neurosurgery for Vidant Medical Center, said the procedure has shown to be more effective at delaying the regrowth of brain tumors than standard external radiation. This is partly because the tumor can often be treated with a higher dose of radiation at its source, rather than having to limit the dose of radiation in order to avoid damaging other parts of the brain, which is a common concern with external beam radiation.The ECU and Vidant physicians and care providers performed North Carolina's first GammaTile procedure in December. At that time, Vidant Medical Center was one of eight locations in the United States offering the procedure.Lee said. With more than 200 exhibitors from China slated to participate in the biennial auto components show, industry body ACMA on Thursday assured that all necessary precautionary measures are in place for the four-day event in the wake outbreak of corona virus in the neighbouring country. The auto components show christened as ' 2020 Components' would take place at Pragati Maidan from February 6-9 while the motor show would be held at Greater Noida from February 5-12. Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA) President Deepak Jain said that over 1,500 companies, including 400 international exhibitors from 20 countries, would be participating in the event. "This time the number of exhibitors has gone up by 25 per cent as compared with the previous edition in 2018. We expect that over 1 lakh business visitors would be coming to the show," Jain told reporters here. When asked about participation of in the biennial event, he added that there would be around 200 exhibitors from the neighbouring country. "Chinese participation in the components show has always been there. We have a dedicated pavilion for this year. Of the total 1,500 exhibitors 200 of them are Chinese. I would say they will occupy less than 10 per cent of the total space of 56,000 square metres," Jain said. Admitting that there is a concern about corona virus, he added that all the organising entities like ACMA, SIAM and CII have been involved in multiple interactions with the concerned ministries. "We will be taking precautionary, preventive as well as containment actions at the motor show as well as the component show. We will be enhancing the healthcare infrastructure, there would be more awareness, masks, sanitising etc will be also be take care of," Jain said. He said that ACMA has been in touch with the participating and till now there have been no pullouts from the event. "It is a global health concern but we will be taking all necessary precautions to ensure so that we have a safe event," Jain noted. When asked if the situation in China has led to supply issues for auto components manufacturers in the country, he said there has been no adverse impact so far. "It is probably due to the localisation measures adopted by the auto components companies here," Jain said. The corona virus has led to over 170 deaths in China so far. ACMA Director General Vinnie Mehta said the component show will showcase the latest advancements in BSVI and emissions, safety, and electric mobility. "Despite the fact that the industry is facing challenges due to a prolonged slowdown, we are glad that we have 25 per cent more exhibitors than the previous edition. It clearly reflects the resilience and determination of the auto components industry. Our members recognise the importance of this platform as it holds the key to future opportunities and industry's brand equity," he said. While leadership from most OEMs have confirmed to visit the event, ACMA will also host a special forum which will bring together officials of various international OEMs, facilitating exports and forging international relationships, Mehta said. Currently, the turnover of the auto component industry is USD 57 billion, contributing 2.3 per cent to India's GDP. Mexico City officials revealed surveillance footage Thursday showing the escape of the chief financial officer for Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman's old cartel and two other members of the organization, who fled prison earlier this week. A security camera at the Reclusorio Sur prison in the capital city's borough of Xochimilco captured the moment when two guards stepped inside a white getaway van on early on Wednesday. Instead of checking the vehicle, a correction officer opened the exit gate before the van sped off at 5:50am with Victor Manuel 'El Vic' Felix Beltran, 32, who oversaw the finances of Sinaloa Cartel under the direction of El Chapo's sons. Also missing are fellow cartel members Luis Fernando Meza and Yael Osuna. Another video showed the vehicle's escape through the city, making its way through traffic before sunrise. Victor Manuel 'El Vic' Felix Beltran, who was the chief financial officer of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel, escaped from a Mexico City jail with two other cartel members on a van that was transporting a prisoner to a local hospital Wednesday morning Yael Ozuna (left) and Luis Fernando Meza (right) joined fellow Sinaloa Cartel member Victor Manuel 'El Vic' Felix Beltran in Wednesday's daring prison escape. The Mexico City government said authorities have detained eight prison officials, including three who admitted to having a role in the escape Surveillance camera still image shared by the Mexico City government shows the moment a prison van drove off with three inmates who are awaiting extradition to the United States Officials said the van was scheduled to drop off an unidentified sick prisoner at Ruben Lenero Hospital. Once the cartel members were dropped off at an unknown location, the sick inmate was reportedly taken to the hospital as planned. Sources told Mexican newspaper El Universal that three correction officers have admitted to playing a role in helping the prison break. Another news outlet reported that at least eight guards were detained and that a total of 22 had been interviewed. Investigators discovered that a metal bar barrier was broken, allowing the prisoners to climb out through a window The prisoners climbed over a wall in order to get to their getaway van but they needed to cut a barbwire fence Mexico City government officials said the trio of prisoners used pliers to cut open a fence A ladder was used to climb over a jail wall moments before the prisoners escaped It was also reported that an anonymous person contacted the city's 911 emergency line at 3:48pm Thursday and said three suspicious men in black t-shirts had exited a blue car and entered a two-story house in the Mexico City borough of Iztacalco. Rosa Icela Rodriguez, interior minister for the federal district's government, said five prisoners and three guards were seen moving through the penitentiary's first and second zones between 9pm Tuesday and 1am Wednesday. That video was not released due to the ongoing investigation. Government officials asked for the resignations of the prison warden as well as the director of security and several prison guards. Officials (pictured) above inspect an area the prisoners fled through Pictured in the red circle is the van that was used by Sinaloa Cartel members to escape a jail in Mexico City on Wednesday Government officials asked for the resignations of the prison warden and the director of security and several prison guards. 'El Vic', Meza and Osuna are all awaiting extradition to the United States where El Chapo is serving a life sentence. The trio walked out of their unlocked cells and passed through five unlocked doors. They sneaked out through a window where the protective metal bars were broken. Two prison guards (pictured left and middle on the top right) drove off on a van with three men whose extradition has been requested by the United States government. All three are part of the Sinaloa Cartel The three cartel members escaped from the high security Reclusorio Sur prison in Mexico City on Wednesday. The men made their way through five locked doors leading authorities to conclude that they had insider help A major investigation has been launched following the escape from the high security facility in Mexico City The fugitives also had access to pliers that were used to cut through a barbwire fence before they climbed over a wall with a ladder. The escapees then walked over to the getaway van before disappearing. El Vic and Meza are both from Culiacan, Sinaloa, while Osuna is from Nayarit. Guzman's children, collectively known as 'Los Chapitos', enhanced their family's near-mythical outlaw reputation in October when hundreds of heavily-armed Sinaloa Cartel henchmen poured into Culiacan to rescue one of El Chapo's detained son, Ovidio Guzman, briefly taking hostage the city of a million people. Guzman himself escaped from two high-security prisons in Mexico but was eventually captured and extradited to the United States. Last year, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole and moved to a high security facility in Colorado after being convicted in a U.S. court of smuggling tons of drugs to the United States over a colorful, decades-long career. The fugitives were linked to Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman - who managed to escape from jail twice - and is now serving a life prison sentence with no parole for his role leading the Sinaloa cartel [January 30, 2020] DIMONT Promotes Laura MacIntyre to Chief Executive Officer DIMONT, the largest provider of Hazard insurance claims and loan administration services to the residential mortgage industry, announced the promotion of Laura MacIntyre to Chief Executive Officer (CEO). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005568/en/ Laura MacIntyre, CEO, DIMONT (Photo: Business Wire) MacIntyre has a proven record of leading mortgage and business development organizations throughout her career and has been an essential part of DIMONT's success since her hiring over two years ago, as DIMONT's Chief Revenue Officer. MacIntyre, an industry veteran bringing over 25 years of mortgage industry experience to her position as CEO, is poised to lead DIMONT through its next chapter of growth. In her new role, she will lead the company's strategic initiatives, oversee business development and client relations and ensure alignment of the organization to grow it new business segments while maintaining a quality product and a customer-centric focus. MacIntyre will work closely with Renovo Capital, DIMONT's long term private equity partner, in their continued support to drive additional technology enhancements and new business line growth. Prior to her role at DIMONT as Chief Revenue Officer, MacIntyre served as Director of Sales at DocMagic, a leader in compliant loan document production and delivery, where she was instrumental in deploying the company's digital strategy, growing revenue and expanding market share. MacIntyre has also served as Chief Operating Officer for both Fidelity National Financial and Black Knight, Inc. (FKA Lender Processing Services, LPS), where she was instrumental in building the industry's leading default technology solutions. "I have worked with Laura for a number of years, and I know her experience and knowledge make her a great resource for our organization and our industry," said Jocelyn Martin-Leano, President, Rushmore Servicing Division. "Laura has years of demonstrated success within the mortgage industry and a proven track record of driving excellence in organizations through her leadership. This promotion is well-deserved. I congratulate her as she moves into her new role as CEO of DIMONT." "It's been clear to me from day one that DIMONT is a very forward-thinking company that cares deeply about the success of its customers," said MacIntyre. "Having grown up in the mortgage industry and seeing changes that have taken place in our market, it is truly an honor to be in the company of such great leaders and business partners who have supported me throughout my career. I am so very grateful and honored for the opportunity to serve as DIMONT's CEO and am truly excited for the future of our organization." About DIMONT Founded in 1996, Dallas-based DIMONT is the largest provider of specialty insurance and loan administration services to the residential and commercial mortgage industries in the United States. Additional information is available at www.dimont.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005568/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] China to tighten security at medical institutions, crowded places amid virus outbreak Global Times Source:Xinhua Published: 2020/1/29 16:08:58 Political and legal affairs organs across China will ramp up their work to tighten security at designated medical institutions and crowded places and combat crimes as the country fights the novel coronavirus epidemic. The Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of China Central Committee said Wednesday that it had ordered political and legal affairs organs and their personnel at all levels to view epidemic prevention and control work as the most important current task and to perform their duties well. They were also asked to strengthen cooperation with health and transport authorities to improve epidemic-related work including epidemic monitoring, checking and early warnings. Leading officials and Party members at political and legal affairs organs should take the lead in the fight against the novel coronavirus and personnel on front-line duty should be equipped with necessary protective gear, said the commission. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address CSU Dominguez Hills President Thomas A. Parham Honored by the City of Los Angeles with the Hall of Fame Award for Education California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) President Thomas A. Parham will be honored with the City of Los Angeles Hall of Fame Award for Education on Feb. 5, at 11 a.m., at L.A. City Hall during the opening ceremony for the citys annual African American Heritage Month Celebration. Hosted by L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and the Our Authors Study Club, the awards ceremony and reception officially launches the month-long citywide commemoration of the contributions of Southern California African Americans in the areas of education, religion, the arts, culture, and the humanities. The sacrifices and commitment our African American ancestors made demand that we do everything we can to fulfill, rather than betray, their legacy, said Parham, who is a product of Los Angeles, having grown up in South Los Angeles, the Estrada Courts of East L.A., Mid-City L.A., and in the Crenshaw and Fairfax districts. Im honored to be a servant leader helping students and people realize the full measure of their promise and possibility. ADVERTISEMENT Garcetti will also present recording artist Jeffrey Osborne with the citys Living Legend Award, and comedian and actress Tiffany Haddish with the Trailblazer Award. Michael Lawson, president of the Los Angeles Urban League, will receive the Hall of Fame Award for Economics and Civil Rights, and Sandra Evers Manly, president of the Northrop Grumman Foundation, will receive the Hall of Fame Award for Business. Parham became CSUDHs 11th president in March 2018 after serving more than 30 years in academic and administrative roles at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), including vice chancellor for student affairs, and prior to that the University of Pennsylvania. A licensed psychologist with more than 35 years in the field, Parham is a noted scholar and practitioner on psychological nigrescence, identity development, African psychology, and multicultural counseling. He holds a bachelors degree in social ecology from UCI, a masters in counseling psychology from Washington University in St. Louis, and a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Parham is an active member of his community, and has contributed his expertise in the areas of social advocacy, community uplift and youth empowerment in both Los Angeles and Orange counties. In the 1990s, he chartered the Orange County chapter of the 100 Black Men of America and later served as its president for three years. Parham has received numerous awards and accolades, including the 2018 Illustrious Leadership Award from the American Psychological Associations Minority Fellowship Program, the 2011 Orange County Human Relations Award, and two honorary doctorate degrees. In November 2019, an oral history interview with Parham was added to the Library of Congress as part of the HistoryMakers Digital Archives, the largest archival collection of its kind in the world. Earlier that month, he was elected to serve on the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities executive committee, and most recently, he has agreed to serve on the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerces Education Committee. Russians keep on murdering, says Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Honcharenko in PACE - GeorgianJournal The MEA said permission was sought from China, adding that the Indian embassy in Beijing was working on the logistics with the Chinese authorities. New Delhi: The Union health ministry on Wednesday asked Indians to refrain from travelling to China where the novel coronavirus has claimed over 130 lives. A number of airlines are seeing heavy cancellations over the outbreak of coronavirus in China, and on Wednesday Air India and IndiGo announced cancellations of some of their flights to China. While IndiGo said it has decided to suspend its flights on the Bengaluru-Hong Kong route from February 1 and on the Delhi-Chengdu route from February 1 to 20 due to the coronavirus outbreak, Air India said it will suspend flights on the Delhi-Shanghai route from January 31 to February 14. India has also requested China for permission to operate two evacuation flights from Hubei province to fly back Indian nationals from Wuhan city and other parts of the province in view of the coronavirus outbreak. The MEA said permission was sought from China, adding that the Indian embassy in Beijing was working on the logistics with the Chinese authorities. Air India has six flights a week on the Delhi-Shanghai route and IndiGo has three daily flights to China. Both these airlines, along with SpiceJet, have waived ticket cancellation/rebooking charges till February 24. In view of the #CoronavirusOutbreak, SpiceJet is offering waiver of cancellation/change fee (fare difference if any will be applicable) for all flights to/from Hong Kong between 24th January and 24th February 2020, Spicejet tweeted. After carefully assessing the current coronavirus situation in China, IndiGo is taking some safety measures for its customers, crew and staff. Due to China travel restrictions, we have seen a high number of cancellations from China on our Delhi-Chengdu route and vice versa. Therefore, we are suspending our flights between Delhi and Chengdu from February 1 until February 20. We are also suspending our Bengaluru-Hong Kong flight effective February 1, IndiGo said. We understand that these measures will cause inconvenience to our customers and we will be refunding the full amount to the impacted passengers, it added. However, IndiGo clarified that for now, it will continue to operate the Kolkata-Guangzhou flight which it is monitoring on a daily basis. And for our operating crew, we are ensuring that they return to India on the inbound flights without any layover in China, it said. The crew of airlines operating on the China route have been told to take utmost precautions and wear masks while not on duty and to avoid public places. In India, many people are under observation in hospitals for suspected infections, including in Maharashtra, Goa, Odisha and the national capital. People returning to the country after visiting China are being regularly screened for the deadly virus at airports across the country. The virus, which has killed 132 people and affected at least 6,000 others in China, is a novel strain not seen before. The Ayush ministry has issued an advisory and recommended that homeopathic and unani medicine could be effective in the prevention of novel coronavirus infections. It also mentioned some Ayurvedic practices which can help recess the symptoms of respiratory tract in possible coronavirus infected cases. On Tuesday, the scientific advisory board of the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH), under the Ayush ministry, discussed ways to prevent the nCoV infection through homoeopathy. It recommended that homoeopathic medicine Arsenicum album 30 could be taken empty stomach daily for three days as a preventive medicine against the infection. The dose should be repeated after one month in case the nCoV infection prevails in the community, the advisory said, adding that the same was also advised for prevention of influenza-like illnesses. The advisory suggests general hygienic measures for prevention of airborne infections such as washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands, and avoiding close contact with people who are sick. India is among the top 30 countries at high risk from the spread of the deadly coronavirus, according to a study based on the number of air travellers predicted to arrive in countries from the worst-hit cities in China. Researchers from the UKs University of Southampton have compiled a list of cities and countries they believe are at high risk from the novel coronavirus. The most at risk countries or regions worldwide are Thailand (1), Japan (2), and Hong Kong (3). The United States is sixth on the list, Australia 10th, the UK 17th and India 23rd, the researchers said in the study released on Tuesday. A significant number of Indian students study at Wuhan, the central Chinese industrial city which is the epicentre of the outbreak. It is an educational hub with prestigious technical and medical education institutes. WESTLAND, Mich., Jan. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Federation of Ramallah, Palestine (AFRP.org) the largest Palestinian American organization in the U.S., wholeheartedly condemns the so-called "deal of the century" from its inception. We are rendered baffled, at how such a "deal" could exclude the Palestinian people and their voices, focusing exclusively on Israeli interests. This proves the Trump Administration's bias towards Israel and its plans to erase Palestinians from their land. Furthermore, through its prior actions in disregarding international law and world opinion by recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the Trump Administration continues to flagrantly ignore illegal Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories. Palestinians seek a solution centered on current and longstanding UN Resolutions based on international law, justice and human rights. A solution must be negotiated to the satisfaction of both parties, otherwise, it is doomed to fail. As the occupying power, Israel is forbidden by International Humanitarian Law (IHL) to forcefully transferring or deporting Palestinians from the occupied territories, or from transferring its own population into the territories it occupies militarily. Since the creation of Israel, there has been a systematic increase in settlement development a violation of international law, it's a clear statement from the Israeli authorities of their lack of will to find a lasting peace for Palestinians and Israelis. Once again, the Trump Administration has shielded Israel with impunity at the UN and has embolden its elected officials to advance their plans of illegal land-grabbing, house demolition and arbitrary imprisonment of Palestinians. Israel denies refugees in Gaza and in camps throughout the Middle East access to basic rights such as water, shelter and medical attention. We demand that the international community and U.S. elected officials reject this "deal of a century" and demand Israel to comply with International Humanitarian Law. Palestinians demand justice and restoration of their rights. The settler colonial occupation of Palestine has not undermined the determination of Palestinians to a life in peace. However, there is no lasting peace without justice and freedom. A peace plan that doesn't involve Palestinian voices is not a plan at all. About the AFRP: Located in Westland, Michigan, the AFRP was formed in 1952 to perpetuate and enhance the Palestinian traditions and culture to the descendants of the original inhabitants of the West Bank city of Ramallah, Palestine, living in diaspora throughout the United States. SOURCE American Federation of Ramallah, Palestine Related Links https://afrp.org/ Narcotics dog sniffs out box of drugs at Playa del Carmen ferry dock Playa del Carmen, Q.R. Elements of the Ministry of Public Security and Municipal Transit of Solidaridad reported the seizure of a variety of drugs that were discovered inside a metal box at the Playa del Carmen ferry dock. In a statement, police said the drug discovery was made by Kano, one of the citys narcotics dogs who alerted police to the presence of the box. Upon inspection of the metal box, which was sitting at the base of an advertisement, police report finding marijuana, cigars and bags of crystal. The narcotics were insured and turned over to the State Attorney Generals Office. New Delhi, Jan 30 : Just two days before the Union Budget on Saturday, the government has announced a new head for the indirect taxes administration. In a surprise move, the Central government late on Thursday night said that the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has cleared the appointment of M. Ajit Kumar, a 1984 batch IRS officer, as the Chairman of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Custorms (CBIC). An order issued by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions said, "The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of M. Ajit Kumar, IRS (C&CE 84), as Chairman, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC)." Kumar is presently a member of CBIC. The order is signed by Rajeev Lochan, Under Secretary, and a copy is marked to Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey, to whom CBIC reports. The CBIC Chairman has the challenge to boost Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenues, which have refused to show any significant jump. In addition, the Budget to be presented on Saturday is expected to signal significant changes in customs duties. The appointment comes on the heels of the closure of the Sabka Vishwas scheme for amnesty and customs and excise duty disputes which netted Rs 38,000 crore. Goondiwindi could be the next major Queensland town to reach "day zero" when water runs out under a drought that's proving to be one of its worst in history, as almost 30 communities across the state face the prospect of tapping back-up water supplies this year. The latest water supply levels self-reported by councils to the Department of Natural Resources show 29 towns across nine local government areas were at risk of resorting to contingency water supplies this year largely in the form of bores or water carting. A total of 14 towns are already doing so. Goondiwindi could be the next town to join Stanthorpe in reaching day zero of its water supply. Credit:Tony Moore Even with rain falling across some parts of Queensland recently, about two-thirds of the state remained drought-declared. Without significant falls in its region, which straddles a section of the NSW border starting about 130 kilometres west of Toowoomba, the Goondiwindi Regional Council plans to set up new bores and treatment processes before late May. February 11 February 14, 2020 Fort Lauderdale, Florida USA Just 12 Days Until ITEXPO 2020 Opens in Fort Lauderdale Its Floridas #TechSuperShow Use code EXPOFLA to waive the $75 fee when you register for an Expo Plus Pass. Or code EXPOFLA25 to save 25% on any paid conference pass, including the Super Pass. Dont forget to stay until Friday You could Win $10,000!! Since 2001, ITEXPO is Floridas annual telecom and technology event. Large and small businesses come to ITEXPO to find new solutions and to see how improved communications can make your business more effective, more productive, and more profitable. Your Super Pass grants access to everything: Whats Covered This Year? UCaaS (UC As-a-Service) Real-Time Communications Unified Communications Cloud/Hosted Solutions (Of course) CPaaS Team Collaboration AI/AIops Future of Work Managed Services Business Analytics Blockchain Cyber Security Network Security 5G/Mobility Communications Apps APIs/Development NFV Video Conferencing Business Process Automation Check out the BREAKOUTS, GENERAL SESSIONS, KEYNOTES & WORKSHOPS offered at the communications and technology industrys annual gathering in Florida. Visit the ITEXPO site to view all details and to REGISTER. In todays converging technology landscape, researching, creating and executing the IT and communications plan for your business is a daunting task. At the ITEXPO #TechSuperShow in Fort Lauderdale, you and your team can investigate new technologies, research existing solutions, and form the partnerships you need to deploy and manage it all effectively. Come meet with the most intriguing, interesting and energetic participants in communications today. Youll leave the event with new partners, suppliers and maybe even customers. Its time very well spent close to home. To register, visit ITEXPO. Use code EXPOFLA to waive the $75 fee for Expo Plus Passes. To become an exhibitor and sponsor contact Joe Fabiano at 203-852-6800 x132 or Maureen Gambino at 203-852-6800 x109. Just planning to visit exhibits? Use code ExpoFLA to save the $75 fee when you register. A woman testified Thursday that shortly before she was sexually assaulted at gunpoint in 2017, her assailant briefly showed his face, which helped authorities come up with a sketch of a possible serial rapist in the South Texas Medical Center area that led to the arrest and conviction of Anton Jamail Harris. The woman was one of three sexual assault victims to testify in the punishment phase of Harris rape trial. The 20-year-old was convicted Wednesday of aggravated sexual assault and aggravated robbery in the rape of Jane, a traveling nurse, on May 28, 2017, at her apartment in the 5600 block of Babcock. Harris was 18 when he was arrested and charged with five counts of aggravated sexual assault and one count of aggravated robbery in connection with the attacks of five women either at knife point or gunpoint. Authorities believe that he is responsible for the series of attacks in the Medical Center area. Janes case was the first to go to trial. Harris faces five to 99 years or life in prison. In his opening statement, prosecutor Daryl Harris told jurors that he wanted to build on the verdict they rendered Wednesday by allowing the testimony of three other victims and a woman who broke free from her attacker. He said it was their descriptions and information from before Jane was raped that led authorities to believe that they were all linked to one suspect: Anton Harris. Defense attorney Jonathan Watkins told the panel in his opening statement that although the attacks were violent, nobody was stabbed, bruised or killed, and he urged them to keep their eyes and ears open for details about Harris troubled past. This young man had a childhood that wasnt normal, he told the panel. He is a young man, a human being. There is a shine of beauty in everybody. One by one, Jane Phillips, Raven and Alice Smith pseudonyms given the women told of their attacks, which occurred between 2015 and 2017, in what police described as a one-mile radius of the Medical Center area. Their testimonies nearly mirrored that of Janes on Tuesday. Each described a young, thin African-American man wearing a hooded sweatshirt or jacket, pants and tennis shoes. Some of the victims said their assailant brandished a gun or a knife and that he used either his shoulder to force his way inside or a weapon, attacking mostly at night. It was the testimony of Alice Smith, raped and robbed at gunpoint around 9 p.m. Jan. 15, 2017, at her apartment in the 5700 block of North Knoll that helped authorities come up with a sketch of her attacker. She said that when he grabbed the $22 she had, his jacket, which covered his nose and mouth, slipped and revealed his entire face to her. I had a one-second look at his full face, she told the jury. He dropped his hoodie from nose to mouth and took the money from me and put it in his pocket. Alice, accompanied by a golden retriever service dog that she has needed since her attack, trembled and at times cried silently from the witness stand. Her voice quivered when she described how her attacker forced his way in, demanded money, led her upstairs, forced her to disrobe and raped her in her bedroom while holding a gun. She said the weapon at times was held to the back of her neck or the side of her body. I could feel the gun on my ribs, she said. At one point, he placed the gun under my left ear. Fearing for her life, she told the attacker she had more money in her car. She said he would kill her if she moved, so she stayed on her bed while the assailant briefly left the apartment. She said he took $50 from the glove compartment of her car and went back to her bedroom. He said, If you call the police, I know where you live. I will come back and kill you. After she heard the door open and close, she went to the restroom, locked the door and called 911. Police took her to a hospital to see a sexual assault nurse examiner after the attack. She eventually would provide a description to a Texas Rangers sketch artist who, based on her memory, produced a sketch of the suspect. Alice closed her eyes and wept quietly when Harris, the prosecutor, played a recording of her 911 call for the jury. At times, she looked down at her service animal. She periodically looked at Anton Harris, who sat silently with his head bowed at the defense table near his attorneys, Watkins and Monica E. Guerrero. Testimony is expected to continue Friday morning in the 399th state District Court, Judge Frank J. Castro presiding. 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 BERKELEY (BCN) The University of California at Berkeley announced Thursday that it has removed from its law school the name of a man whose 19th century writing helped stoke anti-Chinese racism in the country. Boalt Hall, named after John Henry Boalt, has been the name of the main classroom wing at the UC Berkeley School of Law and has often been used to refer to the law school itself, with many of its graduates having been called "Boalties" over the years. But in 2017, attorney and UC Berkeley law lecturer Charles Reichmann found Boalt's racist writings at a campus library and published his findings. Boalt's 1877 address to the Berkeley Club called "The Chinese Question" helped lead to Congress enacting the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, the nation's first immigration ban on a group solely on the basis of race or nationality, according to the school. In October, UC Berkeley's Building Name Review Committee voted to recommend removing Boalt's name from the building, a decision that was later approved by Chancellor Carol Christ and UC President Janet Napolitano. Boalt Hall is now known as The Law Building, and the law school is in the process of removing more casual uses of the Boalt name, which was used in some student and alumni organization names and the law school's internal online directory RoloBoalt. Christ, in a letter asking Napolitano to approve the removal of the name from the campus building, wrote that doing so "will help Berkeley recognize a troubled part of our history, while better supporting the diverse membership of today's academic community." 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. President Muhammadu Buhari has summoned a meeting of the members of the National Security Council on Thursday. This was made known by the Special Assistant to the President on new media and communications, Tolu Ogunlesi on his twitter handle. Also Read: Buhari Is Fast Losing Fame Among Nigerians: APC Chieftain All the security chiefs are reportedly at Aso Villa for the meeting. The meeting is believed to be in connection with the increasing violence across the nation. Recall that the Senate Minority leader, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe called on the President to resign over the insecurity situation in the country. See the post below: If you plan to leave a hefty part of your IRA to your adult children, you may want to schedule an appointment with your estate-planning attorney and your financial planner. Dont be surprised if theyre booked up for a few weeks. Thats because the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act, signed into law at the end of 2019, contains a worrisome provision for diligent savers and their heirs. Starting in 2020, non-spouse heirs who inherit IRAs or 401(k)s lose the ability to stretch their required minimum distributions (RMDs) from an inherited account over their own lifetime. Rather, they must drain the account within 10 years after the year of the owners death. That means losing what could be decades of tax-free growth, forcing larger withdrawals and potentially jacking up the beneficiarys tax bills in what might be his or her prime earning years. Congress pulled the rug out from under people who saved for years under tax rules they thought were certain, says Ed Slott, founder of IRAHelp.com. If you inherited an account from someone who died in 2019 (or earlier), you can still stretch payments over your lifetime. Plus, the rules for married couples dont change, so a surviving spouse can roll an inherited IRA into his or her own IRA and postpone required distributions until age 72 (boosting the age when you start RMDs is another provision of the SECURE Act). Minor childrenbut not grandchildrencan stretch an inherited IRA until they reach the age of majority, or until age 26 if theyre still in school. Disabled or chronically ill beneficiaries, or beneficiaries who are not more than 10 years younger than the deceased, are also exempt from the new, stricter rules. CPI general secretary D Raja on Thursday said the incident of firing at Jamia Milia Islamia was a "direct result" of provocative comments made by BJP leaders while campaigning for the Delhi Assembly elections. Raja said that it was unfortunate that such an incident happened on the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. 'Anurag Thakur should be arrested for his comments' "Jamia firing incident a direct result of provocative statements made by BJP leaders during campaigning in Delhi. BJP leader Anurag Thakur should be arrested for his comments urging crowds to raise the slogan of shoot the traitors," Raja said. In a shocking incident on Thursday, an armed man identified as Gopal was detained after he brandished a pistol and fired at students of Jamia Millia Islamia University who were protesting against CAA and NRC. The incident took place when protesters were marching towards Rajghat to hold a protest. "Kisko chahiye azadi? Main dunga azadi" According to reports, the man shouted, "Who wants Azadi, I'll give you Azadi" and then fired on the protesters. The student, identified as Shahdab, was sustained an injury on his left wrist. He was taken to a hospital and is undergoing treatment. "We were moving towards the Holy Family Hospital where the police had raised barricades. Suddenly, a gun-wielding man came out and opened fire. One bullet hit my friend's hand," Aamna Asif, a student of economics at the university, was quoted as saying by PTI news agency. READ | Delhi Police issues first reaction as gun-toting man opens fire at Jamia; injures one Protests against the CAA, which fast-tracks Indian citizenship for non-Muslim minorities from three neighbouring countries, have flared up since last December. Prime Minister Narendra Modis government has said that the law is required to help persecuted minorities who came to India before December 31, 2014, from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. But protesters insist the law discriminates against the countrys Muslim minority and violates Indias Constitution. READ | Mehbooba Mufti says Jamia shooting completes 'transition from democracy to mobocracy' BJP "stars" get campaign bans Union Minister Anurag Thakur and BJP MP Parvesh Verma have been banned from campaigning for Delhi elections for 72 and 96 hours, respectively, after making hate speeches, the Election Commission said on Thursday. Both will also remain off their party's "star campaigner" list, the poll body added, reiterating instructions issued to the BJP on Wednesday evening. READ | Guns In Jamia: Here's what we know, as man opens fire amid protest; injures one READ | Yogendra Yadav accuses Delhi Police of 'openly inviting violence' at Jamia Millia (with PTI inputs) Indian pharmaceutical companies who rely heavily on imported active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and key starting materials (KSM) from China have expressed concerns about the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak. Wuhan is one of the largest cities in China and it does have a fairly good sprinkle of intermediates and API manufacturers, said Dinesh Dua, Chairman of Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council (Pharmexcil) the agency under the Department of Commerce for promotion of pharmaceutical exports, and the CEO of Nectar Lifesciences. Some impact is definitely going to be there. Particularly for the units which are located in and around Wuhan, Dua said. India imports about $4.5 billion worth of APIs and KSMs from China. These include antibiotics, hormones, vitamins, anti-hypertension, and anti-diabetes drugs. Indian drug makers import KSMs and API, and formulate them into finished dosages before exporting them to other countries. A large proportion of the drugs are consumed in India as well. China is crucial in the drug supply chain. 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 Dua said there are already issues of logistics due to Chinese Lunar New Year. On January 30, the holiday season for the Hubei Province, where Wuhan is located, was extended to February 13 due to the outbreak of coronavirus. The coronavirus, which causes pneumonia, has so far claimed 170 lives and infected about 7,711 people, most of these cases were in Hubei Province, in Wuhan is located. The world came to know about the outbreak in the last week of December. We'll have to see the intensity of the spread of the outbreak to other provinces. If they are protected, then there is no need to panic, Dua added. But the industry fears that if the containment measures are spread across China, including the regions Guangzhou and Shanghai, where there is huge concentration of pharmaceutical companies, there is a high possibility of disruption in the production and supply chain. In 2018, Indian drug companies faced shortages, and a steep rise in the prices of raw materials, with China cracking down on API and KSM manufacturers who were violating environmental norms. Sudarshan Jain, Secretary General of Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance said that it is too little early to be concerned about. Indian companies maintain 2-3 months of inventory. At the moment it is holiday season, so there no shipments, said Jain. If China is able to contain the outbreak in next two weeks, there wouldnt be any problem, Jain said. The IPA is an industry body that represents large Indian drug makers. BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - New research led by faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York, could aid cleaner energy technologies. The atomic reaction between gases and oxides is a key piece for many technological puzzles. It can lead to benefits such as better catalysts to enable cleaner energy technologies, or to problems like corrosion. Understanding those interactions isn't always easy, though, and often doesn't go beyond the surface -- quite literally. A team from Binghamton University, the Brookhaven National Laboratory and the National Institute of Standards and Technology -- led by Professor Guangwen Zhou from the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science's Department of Mechanical Engineering -- has a new way to look deeper into how gas molecules affect the atoms beneath the surface of a material. The material studied is cupric oxide, a copper oxide that many researchers are interested in because it is more abundant and affordable than noble metals such as silver, gold and platinum, and it is used for numerous processes such as methanol production. For the paper "Surface-reaction induced structural oscillations in the subsurface," published earlier this month in Nature Communications, Zhou and his fellow researchers (including Binghamton PhD students Xianhu Sun, Wenhui Zhu, Dongxiang Wu, Chaoran Li, Jianyu Wang, Yaguang Zhu and Xiaobo Chen) examined the reaction between hydrogen and copper oxide using atomic-scale transmission electron microscopy. The technique allowed them to see the surface and subsurface simultaneously and in real time, showing that structural oscillations are induced in the subsurface by loss of oxygen from the oxide surface. "This study shows how the reaction from the surface propagates to deeper atomic layers. We look at it from a cross-section so we can see atoms both in the top layer and subsurface layers more clearly," said Zhou, who teaches as part of the Materials Science and Engineering Program and also is the associate director of Binghamton's Institute for Materials Research. This new study is funded by the Department of Energy, in the hope that the results can lead to better catalysts, improved batteries, longer-lasting vehicles and other higher-quality products. "If we know these reaction mechanisms, we can design better materials," Zhou said. "We can't care just about the surface but also the deeper layers if we want to understand the process better." ### Labour leader Brendan Howlin says his biggest political regret was how his party handled the water charges while in government. The controversial austerity measure was introduced in 2014, brought in under the Fine Gael-Labour government, when Mr Howlin was the minister for public expenditure, and saw Irish Water the then-new utility company begin to send out the first of 1.5 million bills to households around the country in April 2015. The government said the charges were necessary and introduced as part of the plan to pay back the financial bailout Ireland received in 2010. What followed was months of protests, arrests, and the eventual decimation of the Labour Party, which saw its representation in parliament fall from 37 to seven. Expand Close Protesters during anti-water charges march in Dublin (Caroline Quinn/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Protesters during anti-water charges march in Dublin (Caroline Quinn/PA) Speaking on Thursday in the midst of the 2020 General Election campaign, Mr Howlin, who has served in the Dail since 1987 and held a number of ministries, says his major regret would be his partys handling of the issue. To pick an issue, is we were forced to rush the whole Irish Water issue, Irish Water as single utility was a good idea, but trying to do it in five years was wrong, he said. I wouldve wished it to be a much longer period. Another regret he said was: We had our rows with Fine Gael quietly, we didnt have them openly because we were trying to build confidence in Ireland, so sometimes it looked as though we were aquiescent, but we had flaming rows. On his own manifesto, Mr Howlin states that his party has been seared and burned before by the aftermath of its time in government, and his partys role in forming the recovery from the recession, and on reflection of its past, will not be making promises it cannot keep this time around. He added that other parties promises of tax cuts are a con job, and that people dont want an extra fiver if they have to climb over someone in a doorway to spend it. The party, which is still struggling in the polls at around 4%, says it has attempted to bring back the traditional Labour voters that may have left the party in 2016, but Mr Howlin admits it is a slow process. We went into government in the worst of times, and promises were made that we couldnt keep in government, and people felt let down by that, our core people, because people expect the very best of us, he said. Ive spent the last four years reconnecting with those people, people who had fallen out with us, and thats why this manifesto is so different, and Im scandalised by the promises of the three big parties. We want to end the waste of public money, like with the Childrens Hospital, rural broadband state projects that are sink holes. People dont believe politicians anymore, and is anyone surprised? Enough is enough! Just freeze rents already. Fianna Fail and Fine Gael won't freeze and cap rents but Labour will, and then build 80,000 homes over 5 years and end homelessness. #CBLive #GE2020 pic.twitter.com/oOefgpig2S The Labour Party (@labour) January 27, 2020 Once a major left leaning contender in Irish politics, Mr Howlin says the reason his party is now behind Sinn Fein in the polls is because the republican party has never been in government. The bottom line is, theyve never been in government, and you can see across Europe that making decisions in government is damaging to popularity and populist parties are doing well across Europe, he said. After the last two elections there were more people who wanted to stay out of government than go into government, which is very odd. If youre not willing to roll up your sleeves and do the work, then youre a lobbyist, or a commentator, not a politician. The Labour Party is a party of dooers. Mr Howlin says he optimistic about his partys chances on February 8, with 31 candidates and the best manifesto weve ever produced which he rejects is not comprehensive as some critics described it, but focused with plans to freeze rents and build 80,000 social and affordable homes over the next five years. Robert Ray, an attorney for Donald Trump, speaks during the Senate impeachment trial: AP Members of Donald Trumps impeachment defence team donated money to some of the senators who will ultimately decide the presidents fate. According to a report released by the Center for Responsive Politics on Monday, former independent counsels Ken Starr and Robert Ray both made substantial campaign contributions to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell last year prior to joining Mr Trumps team. Mr Starr gave $2,800 to Mr McConnell in July 2019. In September, shortly after the impeachment inquiry began in the House, Mr Ray gave Mr McConnell the maximum allowable contribution for a primary or general election, $5,600. In addition, in 2017 Mr Starr also gave $2,700 to Senator Lindsey Graham, an unbending ally to Mr Trump throughout his presidency. One of Mr Trumps personal attorneys, Jay Sekulow, has made donations to Republican senators for the past decade, including Senators John Thune and Ted Cruz, and he gave thousands to the 2012 presidential campaign of Mitt Romney. Mr Romney has managed to frustrate fellow Republicans in the Senate by arguing that hed like to call witnesses to testify during the impeachment trial. He has found some common ground with Mr Graham, however, as both have expressed interest in seeing the contents of former National Security Adviser John Boltons book manuscript, which may contain information relevant to the trial. Mr Trump himself is also fundraising to support senators who will ultimately rule on his impeachment. In November, he established a joint fundraising committee to assist Senator David Perdue in his re-election campaign. Not all of Mr Trumps supporters are Republicans, however. Alan Dershowitz, a frequent donor to Democrats who has defended Mike Tyson, Jim Bakker and had ties to Jeffrey Epstein, has been an outspoken supporter of the president. Mr Starr and Mr Ray both investigated President Bill Clinton around the time of his impeachment trial. Despite their roles in that case, both men have been outspoken critics of impeachment in the case of Mr Trump. Story continues In this particular juncture in Americas history, the Senate is being called to sit as the high court of impeachment all too frequently, Mr Starr said. Indeed, we are living in what I think can aptly be described as the age of impeachment. Though Mr Starr has stepped up to defend the president, Mr Trump hasnt always held his newfound ally in high esteem. I think Ken Starr is a lunatic. I really think that Ken Starr is a disaster, Trump said in an interview on NBCs Today show during the time of Mr Clintons impeachment. The president went on to call him a "total wacko". Hrymchak's lawyers have confirmed this information. Former Deputy Minister for Temporary Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons Yuriy Hrymchak suspected of fraud has been released from custody. "Hrymchak's case. Finally, Yuriy Mykolaiovych [Hrymchak] is free," his lawyer Dmytro Melnyk wrote on Facebook on January 30. Hrymchak's wife has also confirmed this information. "Today the court considered our motion to change the preventive measure against Hrymchak. We had the right to file a motion within 30 days. Judge [Kateryna] Shyroka has changed the preventive measure to round-the-clock house arrest," another lawyer Tatyana Matyash told the Ukrainian online newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda. As UNIAN reported earlier, Hrymchak and his assistant, Ihor Ovdienko, were detained on August 14, 2019, on bribery charges. The two officials allegedly demanded US$1.1 million from a representative of a legal entity for "exercising influence on decision-making by persons authorized to perform state functions." Hrymchak and his assistant were caught red-handed amid receiving part of the sum in the amount of US$480,000, the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) said. Read alsoDeputy Minister Hrymchak, his assistant's arrest to be appealed lawyer On August 15, Hrymchak and his assistant were notified of suspicion under Part 4 of Article 190 "Fraud Committed on an Especially Large Scale or by an Organized Group" of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. "The individuals by deception took possession of other people's property money in a particularly large amount," NABU added. The crime under the said article is punishable by imprisonment for a term from five to 12 years with confiscation of property. On August 16, judge of Chernihiv's Desniansky district court Natalia Liamzina ruled to take Hrymchak into custody, setting bail at UAH 6 million (US$241,448). On August 17, Chernihiv's Desniansky district court ruled to take Ihor Ovdienko, Hrymchak's assistant, into custody for two months, setting bail at UAH 4 million (US$160,965). On October 8, Kyiv's Pechersky district court extended Hrymchak's detention until November 14. On November 14, the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) extended Hrymchak's detention for another two months. On December 20, an HACC judge reduced the amount of bail by almost 67%. Jamia firing: Police says incident happened in seconds; personnel did not have time to react India pti-PTI New Delhi, Jan 30: The Jamia firing incident happened in a matter of seconds and by the time police could react, the man, who has been arrested, had fired his pistol at a group of anti-CAA protesters, the Delhi Police said on Thursday. The statement came after the Delhi Police faced flak from Jamia Millia Islamia students and the AAP alleged that the force's personnel were "mute spectators" "By the time police could react, the person had already fired the shot. Everything happened in seconds. The investigation is on. The case has been transferred to the Crime Branch. We are also probing whether he is a juvenile or not," Special Commissioner of Police (Intelligence) Praveer Ranjan. 'Culprit will not be spared': Amit Shah on Jamia firing Tension spiralled in Jamia Nagar on Thursday afternoon after the man, who identified himself as "Rambhakt Gopal", fired at protesters, injuring a Jamia Millia Islamia student, before walking away while waving the firearm above his head and shouting "yeh lo aazadi", amid heavy police presence. Shadab Farooq, a mass communication student, was injured. The case has been transferred to the Crime Branch, police said Joint Commissioner of Police (southern range) Devesh Srivastava said based on the statement of the victim, a case of attempt to murder has been registered. Special Commissioner of Law and Order (North) Satish Golcha met Farooq at the AIIMS trauma centre where he is currently undergoing treatment. "We met him. He is stable now. The bullet has been removed and he also spoke to the doctor," Golcha said. The National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno, has denied that Thursdays meeting of the National Security Council discussed the fate of the countrys service chiefs. President Muhammadu Buhari had on Thursday presided over the 2020 maiden meeting of the National Security Council with Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, and the security chiefs in attendance. The meeting came amidst calls in some quarters for the removal of the service chiefs due to the ongoing security challenges in some parts of the country. The House of Representatives had on Wednesday called on the service chiefs to either resign or be sacked in view of their inability to proffer solutions to the nations security challenges. Mr Monguno, a retired major general, however, told State House correspondents at the end of the security meeting that the council which is the highest security body in the country chaired by the president, did not discuss the issue of the service chiefs. The issue of the National Assembly resolution did not come up at the meeting, he said. The NSA said the quarterly meeting focused on appraisal of the security situation across the country with a view to finding lasting solutions to the problem. He said: The meeting basically made an appraisal of the current security situation in the country and took a look at the possibilities, the opportunities available to government in addressing most of the recent challenges. There were discussions and at the end of the day, the most important thing that we came up with is the need for collaboration, both between governmental agencies and the larger Nigerian society because of the type of insurgencies we are faced with, the complexities, the multiplicity of all kinds of issues. There is a need for both parties, governmental agencies on one hand and the larger society to collaborate more vigorously. There is a need for us to deal with these problems in a comprehensive manner. Therefore, the council has decided to take a closer look at issues that will help us not just at the federal level or at the state level, but right down to the local government level. But this is going to be done after due consultation with the relevant stakeholders, the NSA said. Read the full interview with Mr Monguno: We just concluded the meeting of the National Security Council, the national security council is the highest security body in the country chaired by His Excellency, the President. We normally hold this meeting on a quarterly basis and this is the first of the year, we scheduled the meeting for this morning. The meeting basically made an appraisal of the current security situation in the country and took a look at the possibilities the opportunities available to the government in addressing most of the recent challenges. There were discussions and at the end of the day, the most important thing that we came up with is the need to for collaboration both between governmental agencies and the larger Nigerian society because of the type of the insurgencies we are faced with, the complexities, the multiplicity of all kind of issues. There is a need for both parties- governmental agencies on one hand and the larger society to collaborate more vigorously. There is a need for us to deal with these problems in a comprehensive manner. Therefore, the council has decided to take a closer look at issues that will help us not just at the federal level or at the state level, but right down to the local government level. But this is going to be done after due consultations with the relevant stakeholders. READ ALSO: Can you give us an insight on the collaborative approach? The issue of collaboration, its not something that I can disclose right now. We just concluded the meeting and we have to look at the issues before coming out with whatever decision. For collaboration, I want to think that everybody understands the need for a whole government approach in collaborating with the whole of society approach to achieve a lot. This situation requires everybody in the country to work together to deal with these challenges. So where there are gaps we need to close these gaps. That is what I mean by collaboration. Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed a resolution asking Mr President to relieve the service chiefs of their work, did you discuss it? The issue of the National Assembly resolution does not come up at the meeting. About seven months ago you said you were considering how to restructure the problem of the Almajiri system in the country which you identified as one of the security problems but till today nothing has been done? The Almajiri thing is not a situation that the National Security Adviser on his own may deal with. What I said, I dentifrice it as a challenge, and I said it was one of the fundamentals, the root causes of these overlapping problems and needs to be addressed. Addressing it will require not just a federal and state but right down to the local government. Something is being done about that right now. What are the challenges facing the Nigerian security structure because there are opinions out there that the security system has failed? The major challenges are multidimensional in terms of security, challenges are both internal, external and defence-related as well as diplomatic as well as economic. So you wil, begin to appreciate the extend to which we need to work. These major challenges every ministry, department and agency is aware of the aspect it has to deal with and I am sure yesterday, after the Federal Executive Council meeting, you are aware the minister of works talked about his own area, likewise other ministries, departments and agencies are working. The issue of security in the context of the 21st Century is not an issue of just arms and ammunition or robbers and gangsters, its a multiple situation, the canvass is very very expensive and we are looking at it in a comprehensive manner. The challenges all of us are aware of and that is why in a nutshell, I said, there is a need for this government and the larger society to work together to find a solution to this problem. No one is oblivious of the enormity of the problem at hand. Government is aware and that is why we had this meeting at the highest level. Advertisements What is the general assessment of the council, would you say the situation is stable or critical? The security situation is like a graph, sometimes it goes up, sometimes it comes down and that is why we have to assess it periodically. It will never remain level till we bring the whole situation to an end. Sometimes it could escalate, sometimes, it would down. So there is a perfect answer to that. If I tell you that it has improved and as we walk out of this place and something might happen, there might be an exploit ion somewhere. These are things that are not predictable, these are things that you cannot actually determine, that is the nature of this type of conflict we are facing. Last week the President himself mentioned that bodies behind the insurgency in the country have you then time to identify some of these countries that sponsoring these insurgents and other forms of insecurity? I never alluded to the fact that any country is undermining us directly or indirectly. What I said was that the challenges are multiple, they come in various forms, internal security issues, external security issues, Defence security issues, contemporary issues, diplomatic, economic, food security and so on and so ford. That is what I meant by multiple challenges. What is the response of the national security council on the call by the National Assembly asking the president to declare insecurity a national emergency? No we didnt discuss that, that is not something I want to reveal now. So lets leave that. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. San Francisco, 30 January 2020: The Report White box Server Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Server (Rack & Tower, Blade, Density Optimized), By Business Type (Datacenters, Enterprise), By Processor, And Segment Forecasts, 2018 2025 The global White box Server Market size is estimated to reach USD 25.53 billion by 2025, according to a new study by Grand View Research, Inc., progressing at a CAGR of 22.0% during the forecast period. Increasing adoption of open source platforms such as Open Compute Project and Project Scorpio coupled with surging demand for micro-servers and containerization of data centers is expected to stoke the growth of the market. Spiraling demand for low-cost servers, higher uptime, and high degree of customization and flexibility in hardware design are likely to propel the market over the forecast period. A white box server can be considered as a customized server built either by assembling commercial off-the-shelf components or unbranded products supplied by Original Design Manufacturers (ODM) such as Supermicro; Quanta Computers; Inventec; and Hon Hai Precision Industry Company Inc. These servers are easier to design for custom business requirements and can offer improved functionality at a relatively cheaper cost, meeting an organizations operational needs. Evolving business needs of major cloud service and digital platform providers such as AWS, Google, Microsoft Azure, and Facebook are leading to increased adoption of white box servers. Low cost, varying levels of flexibility in server design, ease of deployment, and increasing need for server virtualization are poised to stir up the adoption of white box servers among enterprises. Data Analytics and cloud adoption with increased server applications for processing workloads aided by cross-platform support in a distributed environment is also projected to augment the market. Open Infrastructure conducive to software-defined operations and housing servers, storage, and networking products will accentuate the market for storage and networking products during the forecast period. Additionally, ODMs are focused on price reduction as well as innovating new energy efficient products and improved storage solutions, which in turn will benefit the market during the forecast period. However, ODMs limited service and support services, unreliable server lifespans, and lack of technical expertise to design and deploy whitebox servers can hinder market growth over the forecast period. Access Research Report of White box Server Market @ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/white-box-server-market Further key findings from the study suggest that: North America held the highest market share in 2017. The growth of the market can be attributed to high saturation of data centers and surging demand for more data centers to support new big data, IoT, and cloud services Asia Pacific is anticipated to witness the highest growth during the forecast period due to burgeoning adoption of mobile and cloud services. Presence of key manufacturers offering low cost products will bolster the growth of the regional market The data center segment is estimated to dominate the white box server market throughout the forecast period owing to rising need for computational power to support mobile, cloud, and data intensive business applications The density optimized server segment is expected to exhibit the highest growth rate owing to increased use of white box servers across hyperscale datacenter environments delivering higher efficiency and scalability for enterprise users Prominent market players include Inventec Corporation; Wistron Corporation; MITAC Holdings Corporation Ltd; Hon Hai Precision Industry Company Ltd.; Compal Electronics; Celestica Inc.; Penguin; Quanta Computers, Inc.; Hyve; Computing; Cisco; Hewlett Packard; and Super Micro Computer, Inc. Browse more reports of this category by Grand View Research at: www.grandviewresearch.com/industry/emerging-and-next-generation-technologies Grand View Research has segmented the global white box server market on the basis of server, business type, processor and region: White box Server Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 - 2025) Rack & Tower Server Blade Servers Density Optimized Servers White box Server Business Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 - 2025) Data centers Enterprise White box Server processor Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 - 2025) x86 Servers non-x86 Servers White box Server Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 - 2025) North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa Access Press Release of White box Server Market @ www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-white-box-server-market About Grand View Research Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare. For More Information: www.grandviewresearch.com Pakistan government has decided not to evacuate its citizens from the coronavirus-hit Wuhan city to show solidarity with its all-weather ally, a senior official announced on Thursday though four Pakistani nationals have contracted the deadly disease in China. There were up to 800 Pakistanis studying in various universities in Wuhan a city of 11 million people which has been quarantined by the Chinese authorities in an effort to stem the spread of the deadly virus that has killed 170 people and infected nearly 8,000 others. Pakistan has decided not to evacuate its nationals from China in accordance with the recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza said. We believe that right now, it is in the interest of our loved ones in China (to stay there). It is in the largest interest of the region, world, country that we dont evacuate them now, he was quoted as saying by Dawn News. This is what the WHO is saying, this is Chinas policy and this is our policy as well. We are standing with China in full solidarity, he said. Right now the government of China has contained this epidemic in Wuhan city. If we act irresponsibly and start evacuating people from there, this epidemic will spread all over the world like wildfire, Mirza said. On Wednesday, Mirza confirmed that up to four Pakistani students in China were diagnosed with the coronavirus. That number remains at four. It has not increased, he said on Thursday. Mirza said that the Pakistan governments decision not to evacuate its people from Wuhan did not mean that it didnt care about them. He said Pakistans embassy in China was in contact with the Pakistani citizens. He said that the government believes that Chinas policies to contain the virus were adequate. Government cares about its citizens just as much as their own families. But we dont want to take an emotional decision and become a reason for the spread of this disease, he said. However, some worried Pakistani students in Wuhan have complained that they are not being taken care of by the Chinese authorities and demanded immediate evacuation in a social media post earlier this week, The Nation newspaper reported. Unlike Pakistan, India has announced that it plans to evacuate its citizens, mostly students, from Wuhan city as well as from the worst-hit Hubei province from Friday. Earlier, Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said that the government had complete data of Pakistani students currently in China and was in touch with Chinese authorities to address any challenges the students may be facing. Farooqui lauded Chinas efforts to deal with the outbreak of the coronavirus and said Pakistan stood by China in this difficult time. A large proportion of the Pakistanis living in China were students of which over 500 students were based in the central city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the new virus. Meanwhile, the FO spokesperson said the opening of the Pakistan-China border has been delayed until April due to the virus outbreak. The border crossing was previously scheduled to begin functioning in February, however, the Gilgit Baltistan government had sought a delay in the opening as a precautionary measure. As Gilgit Baltistan is Pakistans closest region to China, precautionary measures are needed to prevent any possible threat of the spread of the disease to Pakistan, an official statement said. The similarities between President Bolsanoro and his American counterpart are extraordinary. The similarities between President Bolsanoro and his American counterpart are extraordinary. The Brazilian leader revels in the moniker Trump of the Tropics and Trumps National Security Advisor John Bolton has returned the compliment with the quip, Up here, maybe well call President Trump the Bolsanoro of North America, writes Professor Sreeram Chaulia in his recently-published Trumped: Emerging Powers in a Post-American World. Prof. Chaulia, dean of the School of International Affairs at O.P. Jindal Global University, further elaborating upon the parallels between the two North and South American leaders, adds, Like his idol Donald Trump, Bolsanoro overcame the centrist of political mainstream and surged to power by exploiting a crisis of democracy and capitalism that pushed Brazilian voters to embrace his extremism and anti-elitist radicalism. (p148) Brazil, along with India, Turkey and Nigeria, are the countries among the Rest that Prof. Chaulia discusses at length in the book to argue that Trump has provided an opportunity to emerging powers to rise up and fill the geopolitical vacuum amid a US retreat. Interestingly, since the publication of this book, while Bolton, sacked through a tweet, no longer remains the NSA, Bolsanoro attended Indias Republic Day parade as chief guest a year since Trump declined the invitation for the same in 2019 citing domestic scheduling issues. New Delhi is hoping to host Trump some time end of February, for the first time since he moved into White House after the 2016 elections described by strategic experts often as a Black Swan event. The author discusses the confrontational chaos between Trump and Turkeys Recep Tayyip Erdogan stemming among others from the DC approach to Tehran, leading to a new geopolitical axis in the Middle East with Moscow in a key role. He charts the way the far right populist Jair Bolsonaro has managed a 360-degree turn for Brazil from the socialist Lulas wariness of American hegemony to becoming close partners with a temperamental bullying Trump. In Nigerias context, Chaulia presents insights into the opportunity for President Muhammadu Buhari to push for his countrys increased leadership in West Africa. But he cites the 2016 economic recession when oil prices collapsed, continued threat posed by terrorist organisation Boko Haram and US withdrawal from West African security efforts leaving the G5 Sahel Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Chad, and Mauritania to shoulder greater responsibilities as obstacles to Buharis leadership blueprint mired in domestic crises. The countries cited to illustrate the authors argu ments are large economies that should have benefited if the international institutional architecture that evolved post 1945 were equitable in nature. Interestingly, the book debates whether or not the emerging powers can steer clear of bandwagoning either with the US or the elephant in the room, China, to build a new multipolar world order. Or will Trumps frequent insults and threats for allies and partners sharply deteriorate an existing balance of power? It takes a close look at the rise of an aggressive China, its trade and investment expansion through the BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) to its military modernisation. Perhaps a chapter on the Trump-Xi strongmen saga through the lens of Chinas own internal economic sustainability challenges and trepidation around BRI impacting the DC-Beijing narrative would have enriched the read further. I think it is not Indias way to be a disruptionist power internationally, I think we should be a stabilising power. There are already enough forces of disruption in the world. Somebody needs to make up a bit... It is also not the India way to be self-centred, to be mercantilist. Therefore, its important to be global, law abiding, consultative, said external affairs minister S. Jaishankar at the annual global think tank Raisina Dialogue recently. Jaishankar in the last edition of the dialogue organised by his ministry had included the rise of China and choices, posture and behaviour of the US among the biggest global disruptions. It is timely then that the author gives a detailed attention in the book to the India story of strategic neglect to strategic assertion, the transition from India-US being estranged democracies to natural allies, the Modi-Obama to Modi-Trump era and recalibration with China and Russia as New Delhi faced its moment of truth and realised Trumps lack of commitment starting with the Doklam crisis in 2017 to Pakistan sponsored terrorism. But when the US chooses to withdraw from Afghanistan, can India with its No-Boots-On-Ground principled position actually emerge to be the key player on the South and Central Asian chessboard? Will these non-western powers, given their own domestic and resource limitations and tests of democracies, have the wherewithal to rise to the responsibilities amid increasing Chinese heft? Will multilateral arrangements like BRICS, IBSA, ASEAN, SCO pave way for a more equitable, liberal global governance even as Trump trumpets the America First Movement and paints the liberal world order as a villain? The book presents a compelling argument that there is window of opportunity for non-Western nations to take a lead with an isolationist US, but stops short of discussing how or recommending specific ideas. But it is a timely, scholarly and yet easy-to-read work that is an important sequel in many ways to the post-American world where Trump, whether he is scathed by or emerges stronger from his impeachment, has disrupted the world order, offline and online. Smita Sharma is an award-winning journalist Political strategists, news junkies and pundits are practically pacing in anticipation for the Iowa Caucus on 3 February, the US presidential election cycles first real throwing of the bones. As we wait to divine guidance from the shouts of Iowans gathered in gyms, schools and libraries across the state, its worth examining what exactly the caucus is, its unusual operation, and why it weighs so heavily on the results of party primaries. What is it? The Iowa Caucus is the first time Americans will actually cast a vote for who theyd like to see become president of the United States in an election year. While most states hold primary elections to determine their party nominees for president, Iowa, Nevada and Wyoming have continued to hold caucuses. In Iowa, the Democratic precinct caucus is a personal, complicated event in which Iowans gather in gyms and libraries and churches to essentially cast a vote with their bodies indicating their preferred candidates. The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions testimony. She has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord Vice News The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a special meaning for the Latino community in the US Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty At the beginning of the caucus, voters arrange themselves into groups based on their preferred candidate. If their candidate doesnt acquire enough votes to clear the caucus viability threshold usually 15 percent of attending voters then supporters of that candidate have a few options before the next round of voting: they can either attempt to sway supporters from other candidates to their side, join another candidate, or sit out the remainder of the caucus. While it seems like the obvious choice for a supporter of a candidate who failed to clear the threshold would be to attempt to sway support away from their competitors, its actually a gamble. Any supporters who stay with a candidate that doesnt clear the threshold and progress into the second round of voting are effectively eliminated from their vote counting towards the number of delegates that will eventually be counted at the state level to determine which candidate wins the caucus. In the second round of voting called alignments in the caucus participants have the chance to once again support a candidate. After voting is closed, a head count is taken and each precinct determines the number of delegates it will send to the county convention. That number is reported to the state party, which uses those numbers to determine the winner of the over caucus. Recommended Why Democrats should change the rules for Bloomberg Why is it so important? Iowa has a relatively low population only 16 percent of which turned out for the caucus in 2016 and is overwhelmingly white. So why is it such an important indicator of determining a presidential candidate? First, Iowa is important because it is, well, first. Iowa is the first time the primary candidates actually can point to a for-real election and make the case for their viability as a general election candidate. The results can propel relatively unknown candidates to the top of the dog pile and give them the momentum to stay on top heading into the broader primary season. President Barack Obama wasnt viewed as a serious threat to Hillary Clintons 2008 primary run until he won Iowa, and four years earlier John Kerrys lifted him out of the pack to frontrunner status. The winners of the Iowa Caucus or New Hampshire primaries the so-called Granite State state is next to vote after Iowa have gone on to become the party nominee in almost every election dating back more than 30 years. In fact, the only outlier is the 1992 race, as Iowa senator Tom Harkin was running and was favoured to win the state due to name recognition but not carry the rest of the country. Second, Iowa is important for reasons of perception. Once a candidate proves they can win, it makes a big difference in the eyes of voters, donors and volunteers. If a candidate performs poorly in Iowa, donors, volunteers and voters can view it as a sign that the campaign isnt viable and take their time and dollars elsewhere. Recommended Bernie Sanders leads 2020 Democrats with massive fundraising haul That perception is aided and amplified by the media presence surrounding the whole ordeal. In his 2008 book Grassroots Rules: How the Iowa Caucus Helps Elect American Presidents, Christopher Hull reports that the Iowa Caucus 143 times as much media coverage as other presidential primary elections. So the importance of the caucus isnt so much indicative of some Iowan power of precognition or their great representation of the American appetite, but rather its power comes from the importance that we the gawking masses put on the results. The Iowa Caucuses are 3 February 2020. When I left Palito Blanco, Texas, to attend Texas Womans University, I never imagined that someday I would be a member of the United States Congress. After college, I decided to dedicate myself to public service because my own experiences inspired me to make a difference in other peoples lives. As one of 10 children who grew up in a poor Latino household in rural South Texas, I know what its like to pick cotton in the hot Texas sun. I know what its like to eat commodity cheese and peanut butter because my family couldnt afford anything else. And I know what its like to wait in line for hours to get a shot at a community health clinic because my family didnt have health insurance. And yet, on Jan. 15 of this year, I, Sylvia Garcia, a poor Latina girl from a small town, found myself standing on a stage beside Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, selected as one of seven impeachment managers tasked with making the case to the United States Senate and the American people for the conviction and removal of President Donald J. Trump. Throughout this process, I have felt the weight of my solemn responsibility to uphold and defend the greatest democracy in the world a nation that strives to become a more perfect union despite its complicated history. A nation where the Constitution is meant to ensure liberty and justice for all. These are the fundamental principles that have made America, the city upon a hill, a place of optimism and opportunity a beacon of hope for millions around the world who have come to our shores in search of the American dream. However, today, America stands to lose its position as the city upon a hill because of Trumps ongoing scheme to abuse his power for political and personal gain. And when he was caught, he obstructed Congress and our ability to fully investigate his wrongdoing. His behavior is unprecedented, its shaken the very foundations of our democracy, the Constitution, and hurled us into a crisis. The framers of the Constitution included the impeachment clause for a reason. It is the final constitutional tool for the American people to remove a president who would choose himself over democracy by abusing his power, betraying our national interests, corrupting our elections and breaking his oath of office. In America, no one is above the law, not even the president of the United States. If we allowed the president to get away with abusing his power to cheat our elections, then what is the difference between our president and Venezuelas Nicolas Maduro? Or our president and Cubas Fidel Castro? Or our president and any corrupt politician who has abused their power for political and personal gain around the world. As the first Latina to serve as a presidential impeachment manager, I recognize that I carry the added responsibility of being a voice for the millions of Latino immigrants who have escaped corruption and oppression in search of the American dream. As an impeachment manager, I have the responsibility to ensure that our country remains a democracy where our laws are upheld and no ones liberties are stifled. In this moment in our countrys history, we have the responsibility to reject a president who thinks he is above the law and not accountable to the people. Democracy is a gift that each generation gives to the next. In this moment, we choose to pass on democracy to our children and defend their right to achieve the American dream. Garcia represents Texas 29th Congressional district. Charlotte Crosby's blossoming romance with Ryan Gallagher caught plenty of attention on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! Australia. And after being kicked out of the jungle on Wednesday, the British reality star, 29, revealed that her mother, Letitia, will soon be meeting her new boyfriend. Speaking to Fox FM's Fifi, Fev and Byron on Thursday, Charlotte said that her parents had already given Ryan, 31, their seal of approval. 'It's getting very serious!' I'm a Celebrity's latest evictee, Charlotte Crosby, has revealed that her camp boyfriend, Ryan Gallagher, will soon be meeting her mother, Letitia 'She loves [Ryan], and she said my dad's given him the approval,' Charlotte said after speaking to her mother on the phone. 'Everyone's speaking very highly of Ryan and she's coming out [to South Africa] tomorrow, she's going to meet him,' she added. 'I mean it's getting very serious, before the deed's been done as well!' It's a yes from mum! Speaking to Fox FM's Fifi, Fev and Byron on Thursday, Charlotte said that her parents had already given Ryan, 31, their seal of approval. Pictured with mum Letitia (right) When asked by radio host Fifi Box about her travel plans, Charlotte confirmed she had a flight home scheduled and wasn't heading to Australia straight away. 'I've got to go back to England, I've got to go sort out my hair extensions,' she said with a laugh. Ryan was voted off along with Myf Warhurst on Tuesday, and shared a tearful hug with Charlotte before leaving the jungle. Tearful goodbye: Ryan was voted off along with Myf Warhurst on Tuesday, and shared a tearful hug with Charlotte before leaving the jungle. Charlotte was kicked out on Wednesday Charlotte clung to the MAFS star and repeatedly said: 'I don't want you to go.' In his exit interview, Ryan insisted that their relationship was genuine and that they had made plans to keep things going in the outside world. 'I'm happy to keep going. Obviously I'd love it to keep going outside the show. That's for us to see what happens on the outside. I really do like her,' he said. 'I don't do things for cameras. It's not a put on. It is what it is. I do genuinely like her.' by Wayne Friedman , January 29, 2020 Republicans for the Rule of Law is amping up its efforts on Thursday and Friday of this week, the expected final days of President Trump's impeachment trial. For the next two days, the group will run impeachment ads dozens of times in local TV commercial positions across four TV networks: Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC and CNBC in the Washington, D.C. area. This is part of its $1 million campaign pushing for a fair Senate impeachment trial. Three different TV commercials will run. One TV commercial opens with a picture of John Bolton, the former Trump national security adviser, with his mouth taped. Bolton has agreed to testify in the trial. But the Republican-controlled Senate seems unlikely to allow that to happen. A second ad demands the need for various Trump Administration senior officials to testify: Mike Pompeo, Secretary of State; Mick Mulvaney, White House Chief of Staff; Bolton and Rudolph Giuliani, personal lawyer for Donald Trump. Call your senators now, a voiceover says, ending the commercial. advertisement advertisement A third ad focuses on John Bolton's proposed testimony, supported by many Republican House of Representatives, who last year complained there were no first-hand witnesses to address the House charges. The three TV spots will also air on digital platforms in what the Republican group says are key "target states" Alaska, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Maine and Tennessee. Those are states primarily where Senate Republicans could be facing tough re-election campaigns, coming from Democrat contenders. The impeachment trial could end on Friday with an expected vote by the Republican-controlled Senate to acquit Trump of all charges. Americans are too worried about the new coronavirus that's spreading rapidly across China, former White House health advisor Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel told CNBC on Thursday "Everyone in America should take a very big breath, slow down, and stop panicking and being hysterical," said Emanuel, who served during Barack Obama's presidency. "We are having a little too much histrionics on this." Alex Azar, current secretary of Health and Human Services under President Donald Trump, also said later Thursday on CNBC that the risk to Americans remains low. Chinese officials on Thursday increased their confirmed coronavirus cases to more than 8,000, though some experts believe the number to be much larger. The death roll rose to 170. Health officials across the world having been putting efforts in place, such as travel restrictions and isolation, to try and stop the virus from spreading. It was first discovered in the Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei province in December. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed five cases of the coronavirus in the United States, with 92 pending tests, as of Wednesday. Other countries around the world are also reporting isolated cases. "I'm actually pretty confident that we're going to restrict the spread in the United States and people should remember not to panic," said Emanuel, vice provost for global initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania. "We need to be a little sober about it, even in China." The Wuhan virus, which causes flu-like symptoms, is not spreading through human-to-human contact in America, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said Monday. But Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization's health emergencies program, said Wednesday that the coronavirus has spread to a handful of people through human-to-human contact outside of China. On Thursday afternoon, the CDC and Illinois public health officials confirmed the first U.S. person-to-person transmission of the coronavirus. The new patient is the spouse of a Chicago woman who brought the infection back from Wuhan. The WHO is set to reconvene this week to decide whether to declare the coronavirus a global health emergency. The new virus has now infected more people in China than were sickened there during the 2002-2003 SARS epidemic. That severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak, which also originated in China, killed 774 people. "I think we need to put it into context, the death rate is much lower than for SARS," Emanuel said. LIVINGSTON, N.J., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Schweiger Dermatology Group (SDG), the Northeast's fastest growing dermatology practice, announced it has completed the acquisition of Advanced Dermatology & Skin Care, founded by Dr. Deborah Spey, in West Orange, New Jersey and the practice of Dr. Sal LaForgia in Toms River, New Jersey. "We're thrilled to welcome Dr. Spey and Dr. LaForgia to the Schweiger Dermatology Group family," says Dr. Eric Schweiger, founder and C.E.O. of Schweiger Dermatology Group. "With the additions of these outstanding dermatologists and their provider teams we're able to further our vision of offering top level care from the nation's leading healthcare providers in the New Jersey area." Dr. LaForgia says: "Since starting my practice in 2000, I have always focused on providing the highest quality patient care. Over the years, the administrative burdens on small practices has made this increasingly challenging. I am excited to join Schweiger Dermatology Group as this will allow me to devote 100% of my time concentrating on the care of my patients. In addition to this, my patients will also have access to services that I was not able to offer as a solo practitioner." Adds Dr. Spey: "My practice prides itself on providing the highest-level of cosmetic and general dermatologic care in a compassionate, friendly atmosphere. With its commitment to patient care, Schweiger Dermatology Group will allow us to maintain our identity and integrity, giving us the opportunity to offer our patients the most advanced and up to date medical care and cosmetic procedures." Dr. Sal LaForgia is joining the existing Schweiger Dermatology Group office in Toms River, New Jersey. Dr. Deborah Spey along with Dr. Kimberly Ruhl and Paula Ivan, licensed esthetician, are joining the existing Schweiger Dermatology Group office in Livingston, New Jersey. About Schweiger Dermatology Group Schweiger Dermatology Group is the largest group dermatology practice in the Northeast with over 60 offices and 200 healthcare providers. SDG's mission is to deliver The Ultimate Patient Experience. SDG provides both medical and cosmetic dermatology services to over 600,000 patients annually. Schweiger Dermatology Group was named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing private companies in America as well as the Crain's New York Fast 50, honoring the fastest growing companies in New York for 2017, 2018 and 2019. To learn more, visit schweigerderm.com. Media Contact Schweiger Dermatology Group: Melissa Schweiger Kleinman ([email protected]) SOURCE Schweiger Dermatology Group Related Links http://www.schweigerderm.com Under new programme, 10,000 Rohingya boys and girls to be enrolled in grades 6 to 9, a move hailed by rights groups. Rights groups and activists have welcomed Bangladeshs decision to allow Rohingya children living in sprawling refugee camps to receive a formal education, calling it a positive step. To date, only one-third of Rohingya child refugees who fled a brutal 2017 crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar are able to access a primary education through temporary learning centres run by international agencies. Starting in April, a pilot programme led by the UNICEF and Bangladesh government will initially enrol 10,000 Rohingya boys and girls up to the age of 14 in the sixth to ninth grades, where they will be taught the Myanmar school curriculum and receive skills training, officials said on Wednesday. It is a great news for us, Nay San Lwin, co-founder of Free Rohingya Coalition, told Al Jazeera. As of now, at least the children can study up to grade 9 and youth can join skill trainings, he said. Primary education is provided to more than 145,000 children by a network of 1,600 UNICEF-run small learning centres in the refugee camps in southeastern Bangladesh, where more than one million Rohingya, nearly half of whom are children, have been living since they fled persecution in Myanmar. Nearly 750,000 of these refugees crossed the border after Buddhist-majority Myanmar launched a military crackdown on the mostly Muslim ethnic group in 2017. Rahima Akter, a 21-year-old Rohingya refugee, who was expelled from Coxs Bazaar International University because of her Rohingya welcomed the move. I wholeheartedly praise the Bangladesh government for allowing Rohingya children to get education, which is the fundamental human right of every citizen in every country. Refugees have the right to education too, she told Al Jazeera. Akter said it would be better, if the government gradually allows the refugees to have education beyond grade nine. Without proper education, a person doesnt have any bright future. She said after she was expelled from the university, she couldnt go back to university education again. Every day, it bugs me that I couldnt pursue my dream of getting a university degree. I dont want that to happen to anyone else, she told Al Jazeera. Chase their dreams Human rights groups have long campaigned for the effectively stateless Rohingya children to be allowed access to quality education, warning of the costs of a lost generation. This is an important and very positive commitment by the Bangladeshi government, allowing children to access schooling and chase their dreams for the future. They have lost two academic years already and cannot afford to lose any more time outside a classroom, Saad Hammadi, South Asia campaigner at Amnesty International, said in a statement. Mahbub Alam Talukder, Bangladeshs refugee, relief and repatriation commissioner, said the government agreed in principle with a proposal from the UN that the Rohingya children be provided with a Myanmar education. They will be taught in Myanmars language, they will follow Myanmars curriculum, there is no chance to study in formal Bangladeshi schools, he told the Associated Press news agency. Theres no scope for them to stay here in Bangladesh for long, so through this approach, they will be able to adapt to Myanmars society when they go back. Mostafa Mohammad Sazzad Hossain, spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Dhaka, said a teacher-training programme is being developed. Individuals with appropriate academic qualification and experience will be recruited from both Rohingya and Bangladeshi communities and trained as teachers, he told AP. Myanmars government has long considered the Rohingya to be migrants from Bangladesh, even though their families have lived in Myanmar 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, including education. The United Nations has said the military crackdown launched against the group in 2017 UN was executed with genocidal intent. Last week, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Myanmar to take emergency measures to protect the Rohingya population from genocide. Rohingya activist Lwin urged Bangladeshi authorities to create more opportunities for the Rohingya youth, so they can also get a university education. Our youth had been blocked accessing university since 2012 in Myanmar, he said. They have dreams to be professionals. Their dreams can come true if Bangladesh helps. Additional reporting by Saba Aziz in Doha and Faisal Mahmud in Dhaka It's Washington that needs the Ukraine visit of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo more than Kyiv. The "leaked conversation scandal", created as a result of Trump's miscalculations apparently hurt bilateral relations between Ukraine and the United States. After all, the U.S. President's statements about "the most corrupt" country and people have made Ukraine toxic. Zelensky's team initially chose the wrong defense strategy Zelensky, in fact, inherited the system from his predecessors and was drawn into the unpleasant story of U.S. internal showdowns ahead of the presidential election there. However, Zelensky's team initially chose the wrong defense strategy and decided to keep silent and distance themselves, but that was not enough. The essence of the conflict was Trump's desire to pursue inter-state affairs by the "profit for profit" formula, which fits perfectly into the business logic where everyone seeks benefits. The U.S. president was also seeking benefits, and has therefore reportedly held military aid to our state in exchange for restarting a criminal case against Joe Biden's son, which, according to Trump's plan, would hurt his opponent's popular rating. Pompeo has to even out the corners, and his visit to the president of Ukraine is an opportunity to reassure him of U.S. support. However, Pompeo has not come to Kyiv to get new evidence against Biden. However, it should be noted that any words of support should be followed by action. At the very least, Washington could appoint an ambassador to Kyiv, which would indicate U.S. interest in strengthening NATO's "eastern outpost." After all, the temporary void at the ambassador's post gives rise to thoughts of likely bargaining underway. It is also important to find someone who would pursue Kurt Volker's mission. The fact that the White House is in no rush to appoint such a professional may show that Washington is confident: Kyiv and Moscow are able to settle on their own. Moreover, Donald Trump has already noted that Volodymyr Zelensky was able to speak with Vladimir Putin on his own... Pompeo's visit is also a test of how the American interests are being realized in Ukraine Pompeo's visit is also a test of how the American interests are being realized in our country. Meetings with business CEOs and civic activists testify to control and support at the same time. After all, Joe Biden once visited Ukraine by the same scenario. However, he also addressed the Ukrainian parliament. This is definitely not part of Pompeo's agenda. Most likely, that's because the main guarantor of the agreements is President Zelensky. It is his high popular rating that holds together the whole configuration of power. So Pompeo will not waste time in parliament when it would be enough to talk to the president. Taras Semeniuk is a Ukrainian analyst with KyivStratPro Photograph: Artyom Geodakyan/Tass Vladimir Putin has pardoned a US-Israeli woman sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for drug trafficking, hours before Israels prime minister was expected to arrive in the Russian capital. Naama Issachar, 26, was arrested at Moscows Sheremetyevo international airport in April 2019, as she travelled from India to Israel. Russian authorities said they found 9g (0.3oz) of cannabis in her checked luggage. Guided by the principles of humanity, I pardon Naama Issachar, said the decree, which was effective immediately. Issachar, who was born in New Jersey, had been serving her sentence in a prison colony just outside Moscow. Benjamin Netanyahu, who is due to meet Putin on Thursday, welcomed the pardon. I thank my friend President Putin for pardoning Naama Issachar, he said. I look forward to our meeting tomorrow in which we will discuss the deal of the century and the latest developments in the region. The two men are due to discuss Donald Trumps plan to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Israeli foreign ministry had called Issachars sentence harsh and disproportionate and the president, Reuven Rivlin, had appealed to Putins mercy and compassion when asking him to intervene in the case. Related: Russia accused of hostage diplomacy over jailed foreigners Last week, Israeli media linked Issachars possible pardon with the reported decision by Israeli authorities to pass control of the Alexander courtyard in Jerusalems Old City to Russia. Russian officials denied any connection. The Alexander courtyard, which was bought by Russia in 1859, is meters from Jerusalems Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It is one of several Jerusalem properties that Moscow claims, and the dispute over it has been a source of friction between the usually friendly Israel and Russia. Some in Israel also linked Issachars arrest to the fate of Alexei Burkov, a Russian man who was arrested in Israel on a US warrant on charges of involvement in a $20m credit card fraud scheme. Israeli media reports alleged that Russia hoped to use Issachar as a bargaining chip to persuade Israeli authorities to send Burkov home even though Russian officials never linked the issues. Firefighters who have spent months battling devastating bushfires that devastated much of the country said they felt 'demoralised' after finding spray paint on the side of their station. Fire and Rescue NSW Station 384 in Moruya, on the New South Wales South Coast, took to Facebook on Thursday to share images of the vandalism. Messages such as 'climate change the burning issue' and 'save our climate' were sprayed onto the building in black paint. Fire and Rescue NSW Station 384 in Moruya, on the New South Wales South Coast, took to Facebook on Thursday to share images of the vandalism The station's Deputy Captain Rodney Phillips told Daily Mail Australia the firefighters felts a sense of 'disbelief' when they arrived at the station on Thursday. 'For them to do that to a fire brigade at a time like this - it's almost something you'd expect to see on parliament house,' Deputy Captain Phillips. 'We are a government organisation, and maybe that is why they chose us, but it was the wrong time and place.' Mr Phillips explained that the station is assisting with bushfire management as well as handling their normal duties such as Triple Zero calls, car accidents and assisting paramedics. The fire station is a retained station, meaning the people who work there also work other jobs before heading to their shifts or rushing to respond to emergency calls. 'This morning we have found that someone has decided to make a statement by using spray paint to illegally graffiti the side of our station,' a post on the station's social media site read. Messages such as 'climate change the burning issue' and 'save our climate' were painted on the fire station 'With what we are currently experiencing in workload we will now be extended to rectify this - which will most likely incur a cost as well to repaint/remove.' The post explained crews had been working non-stop to balance their day-to-day calls with the bushfire emergency. 'To see this happen is demoralising and frustrating to us all,' the post said. The firefighters urged the person responsible to come forward and make amends for their actions. Firefighters from the station have been assisting the Rural Fire Service battling bushfires as well as handling their everyday duties. Pictured: Firefighters extinguish a fire on a Moruya property on January 23 'If the person who painted this would like to come forward and clean up after themselves and apologise for wasting Fire and Rescue resources it would be appreciated,' the post read. Social media users were appalled by the vandals' actions. 'Obviously those responsible for the graffiti haven't been directly impacted by these terrifying fires or they wouldn't have the time to do this kind of act,' one person said. Another said: 'Foolish person spraypainting this on the fire station is only doing damage to a valid and important cause.' Others offered to help reduce the cost by coming to clean the fire station themselves. The station has reported the incident to police. S hriti Vadera doesnt hang around. Just weeks after missing out in the race to replace Mark Carney at the Bank of England, here she is, scooping another of the top jobs in the City. Chairing the Pru may not have the kudos of Threadneedle Street, but its hardly a wooden spoon. The old Pru did the splits last year, hiving off its UK business (now called M&G) from the fast growing Asia-led overseas unit. Its that latter, sexier, chunk that Vadera will be chairing. The timing could be better a day after a profit collapse at Santander UK, where shes also chairman. But the issues there are primarily PPI and a price war in mortgages hardly her fault. Shes done a steady job for the Spanish bank, as she has at mining giant BHP, another China-heavy blue chip, where she was the senior non-executive director managing the succession of the new chairman. In short, shes a decent hire. The fact shes a woman (a non-white one to boot) is a bonus. So, whats in store for her at the Pru? Thankfully less than her predecessor Paul Manduca had on his plate when he started. Back then, the Pru was in turmoil after chief executive Tidjane Thiams failed AIA bid in Asia. The fix required an overhaul of governance and a new CEO followed by one of the biggest demergers of recent years. But she will have to hire a new CEO at some stage, and fly the Pru flag in Asia, Africa and the US. When Mr. Fernandez, who was sworn in as president in December, meets the pope at the Vatican on Friday, they are expected to discuss a recurrent problem: how to save Argentina from another debt default. The president hopes to kick off his relationship with the pope with the right foot, even despite his pledge to push for the legalization of abortion. In his first six weeks in office, Mr. Fernandez has used the term solidarity to define his governments incipient economic program. This concept, one of the pillars of the Roman Catholic Churchs Social Doctrine, is highlighted by the pope in pastoral speeches and Vatican documents, including those that talk about economics. For Mr. Fernandez, so far, solidarity has meant asking wealthy Argentines to pay more taxes, in part to finance an emergency food program to alleviate extreme poverty. The pope, meanwhile, is increasingly placing the global economy at the top of his agenda. In March he will host young economists and activists in Assisi, Italy, at an event called The Economy of Francesco, named for the 12th-century St. Francis but also, indirectly, for himself. Francis says that the event will seek to promote a different kind of economy: one that brings life not death, one that is inclusive and not exclusive. The Assisi event coincides with the March 31 deadline Mr. Fernandez has imposed on himself to complete the countrys thorny negotiations with its creditors. What he wants from Argentinas debt holders is simple: more time for repayments, to give the economy space to recover after almost two years of recession. In other words, solidarity, a concept mostly unheard-of in financial market circles. A German gay man has explained why he turned to the far-right political party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), after he was brutally attacked by 'Muslim extremists'. Karsten, 55, from Bremen, met former shadow secretary Ed Balls for his new documentary series, 'Travels in Euroland' which airs on BBC2 tonight at 9pm, and explained that despite the populist party's anti-same-sex marriage policies, he chose to vote for them in 2017. The taxi driver had always voted for the country's left wing green political party, Alliance 90/The Greens, however was swayed after he and his partner Sven were brutally attacked, leaving Karsten with six plates and 17 screws in his head. He told how the attack, from two men who soon fled to Syria, left him believing his partner was dead, and said the AfD were the only political group to reply to him after he contacted them about the incident. Driving in his car, Karsten explained to the former Labour MP how while he doesn't take issue with the town's increasing refugee population, he fears a potential increase in crime against him as a gay man. Karsten (pictured right) , 55, from Bremen, Germany met former shadow secretary Ed Balls (pictured left) for his new documentary series, 'Travels in Euroland' and explained why he turned to the far-right political party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), after he was brutally attacked He told: 'People are a lot more careful and more scared, every weekend there are people getting stabbed and people getting beaten up. 'That's what they said at the hospital, they said it's crazy and the people who attacked us, they were extremists. 'They attacked me and my partner. We were at the store and they probably knew we were together because two of them lived across the street from us. 'Then my partner left the store and that's all he remembers and then they started beating him up and kicking him in the head. The AfD is an anti-euro party which has shifted it's focus to immigration and Islam, they are against same-sex marriage 'I found out and tried to help him, but then there was another one and it was dark outside and there was another one and they hit me with something from the side.' Who are Alternative for Germany (AfD) The Alternative for Germany party (AfD) were founded in 2013 by Alexander Gauland, Bernd Lucke, and Konrad Adam. It was originally a centre-right conservative party who were generally Eurosceptic, though supportive of the EU. By May 2015, the party split into two factions, one centred around Lucke and another led by elected speaker Frauke Petry, which favoured an anti-immigration approach. Lucke's faction left to found a new party, Alliance for Progress and Renewal, now the Liberal Conservative Reformers. Over time, AfD's focus has shifted towards on German nationalism, on reclaiming the country's sovereignty and national pride. The party is against same-sex marriage and favours civil unions. The party is also against adoption for same-sex couples. AfD supports the privatization of social programs and state owned enterprises. The party is chaired by Jorg Meuthen and Tino Chrupalla. Since 2017, AfD is the largest opposition party in the Bundestag. Advertisement Ed, 52, quizzed Karsten, asking: 'Was it a robbery?' He quickly replied: 'No, they were trying to beat us up, because we're together. I'm married to a guy. 'They did a pretty good job, I had six plates and 17 screws in my head. So they were serious about it.' He went on to detail the attack on his partner Sven: 'He had a broken jaw, the bone around his eyes was broken. 'He was bleeding like crazy. It was so bad I thought he was dead. He didn't move at all, he was covered in blood.' Later, on a visit to Karsten and Sven's shared home, the driver showed Ed an old newspaper, in which local media had branded the men 'ISIS terrorists' and it was later revealed that they had both fled to Syria following their crime. When asked by Ed whether he knew if the men were known terrorists, he said: 'Yeah you see the ISIS flag there. 'He came here from the war in the Yugoslavia and they got an invite to go to the police and they didn't show up at the station.' Karsten went on to explain: 'I wrote to all the parties, I wrote to our senator. I wrote an email to the AfD and they promised to help us and they invited us to a meeting.' When asked what they were looking for in the party, he went on: 'The AfD said they would take care of the borders, try to get criminals out of here as fast as they can trying to get them arrested. German MP for the AfD, Frank Magnitz (pictured) met Karsten and told him he feels marriage - and financial benefits that come with marriage - should remain between a man and a woman 'What really has me now is they're going more and more to the right, because now they're fighting gay marriage - so if we voted for them they would cancel our marriage.' Karsten is far from a supporter of the party, and his conflicting views over their far right policies was made evident after he met German MP for the AfD, Frank Magnitz. Karsten shortly left the meeting, in the local town centre, after Magnitz declared that while he has nothing against same-sex relationships, he feels marriage - and financial benefits that come with marriage - should remain between a man and a woman. Travels in Euroland with Ed Balls is on BBC2 tonight at 9pm. WASHINGTON Senator Ben Sasse, Republican of Nebraska, first picked up the habit in grade school, scribbling notes in ink on 3-by-5-inch graph paper index cards as a mechanism to keep his handwriting small and his thoughts organized. More than three decades later, seated in the back row of the Senate chamber during the third presidential impeachment trial in history, Mr. Sasse is still scrawling notes this time on the hours of arguments over whether President Trump should be removed from office for committing high crimes and misdemeanors. To the 100 senators who are serving as jurors and judges in Mr. Trumps impeachment proceeding, the trial is both a complex and consequential constitutional case and a chance to witness history. So as they sit silently at their desks for hours on end, they are finding ways to document the trial in modern ways and age-old ones, working to keep track of evidence and arguments, to communicate with their constituents about the process and to preserve their memories for posterity. Because of limitations on electronics during the trial, senators like Mr. Sasse have resorted to their own preferred methods of transcription and note-taking, arming themselves with felt-tip pens, legal pads, notepads purchased at Office Depot and at least one sparkly pink notebook. Those notes, coupled with the occasional constituent feedback, have helped provide the foundation for the questions senators are now asking of the seven House impeachment managers and Mr. Trumps defense team. U S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo today said America will work with Britain and other allies to seek to maintain intelligence-sharing after the row over Huawei. Donald Trumps most senior diplomat said the US will never use a network it does not trust but that it hoped to reduce risks to a tolerable level. He spoke out before heading to No 10 to lobby Boris Johnson in person to reverse Britains decision to allow Chinese tech firm Huawei to help build a superfast 5G data network. Mr Pompeo described the special relationship as deep and strong and hailed the UK as an indispensable ally. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shakes hands with Boris Johnson on Thursday / REUTERS However, he branded Huawei an arm of the Chinese state and said: We will never permit American national security information to go across a network that we dont have trust and confidence in. Thats the standard, whether it is a Microsoft system, an Ericsson system or a Chinese system. In a more emollient tone, he went on: We will work together on this to ensure the systems are sufficiently secure, that they are going to deliver the outcomes we need, and that we have only a level of risk that we find tolerable. Mr Pompeo was speaking alongside Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab at a Policy Exchange event where they discussed the future of UK-US relations. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives at 10 Downing Street / AP On Americas refusal to extradite Anne Sacoolas, who is accused of causing the death of motorcyclist Harry Dunn by dangerous driving, Mr Pompeo said: Im terribly sorry for the tragedy that took place and the loss of a British citizens life. It was horrible. We are doing everything we can to make that right. But he gave no impression there would be a change to the US refusal. Earlier he joined Mr Raab on a visit to the European HQ of Epic Games, creator of Fortnite, in Tottenham Court Road. Mr Raab said: US-UK collaboration in the creative and tech sectors is leading the world and can be a key driver in our future trading partnership. Rotunda Rumblings College try: Ohios universities, which tend to be more international than the rest of the state, are monitoring the coronavirus, after the announcement that two Miami University students could have the infection. Cleveland.coms Laura Hancock has spoken to university officials across the state to learn how theyre working to keep students, faculty and staff safe. Risk management: Should employees work from home if there is concern about coronavirus? The answer to that will depend on a companys size, writes cleveland.coms Mary Kilpatrick, who looked at how various employers are responding to the threat. Not that kind of green: The DeWine administration this week released a new version of the states road map for preventing harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie. The draft Ohio Domestic Action Plan lays out specific ways state agencies will try to reduce phosphorus run-off, and measure whether what theyve done is effective. The plan, an updated version of a multi-state and international agreement developed under former Gov. John Kasich, drew praise from the Ohio Environmental Council, reports cleveland.coms Andrew Tobias. Rejected in the House: With the number of school vouchers about to explode, the Ohio House voted Wednesday morning 93-0 against the Senates proposed fix, which has sent the legislation into negotiations between the two chambers. Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder explained problems he has with the Senates proposal, including that it still allows parents who live near 425 low-performing schools to use vouchers. Householder would like that number to be closer to 188 because he would like the school report card to nix the rule that parents can get vouchers if students in K-3 fail to make the reading standard. Lorain relief? One of the provisions in the Senates version of the bill would release Lorain City Schools from control of an academic distress commission. Sen. Nathan Manning proposed that amendment, saying that the school district has shown improvement in the most recent school report cards, earning a D. Householder said he was talking with lawmakers from East Cleveland and Youngstown, whose school districts are also under control of the distress commissions, to ask them if theyd be comfortable with expanding Mannings proposal to their districts too. Rs in D-country: With discussion in Columbus about placing party affiliations on the ballots in judicial races, we thought it would be interesting to check the party-breakdown for the many nonpartisan local races in Dem-heavy Cuyahoga County. The mayoral scorecard: 36 mayors who are registered Democrats, 17 registered Republicans and four who are not affiliated with a political party, according to records from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, cleveland.coms Rich Exner reports. Drug effects: U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio David DeVillers wants Congress to permanently ban all fentanyl-related drugs, the Dispatchs Jim Woods reports. Drug cartels currently take advantage of a loophole in the law in that makes fentanyl analogues legal, although they are temporarily illegal right now. What do we want? Protest! State troopers were called to clear protesters in the Statehouse, who oppose a bill that would prohibit such demonstrations at critical infrastructure, such as pipelines, coal mines or power plants, writes the Dispatchs Marty Schladen. The idea for the bill comes from the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council, and similar measures have been introduced in other states. Any questions? Republican Ohio U.S. Sen. Rob Portman asked a question during Wednesdays impeachment proceedings about the implications of allowing the House to present an incomplete case to the Senate and request the Senate to seek testimony from additional witnesses. Portman wont say how hell vote on calling witnesses for the trial. Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, meanwhile, told reporters he has a bunch of questions hed like to have answered, and a real trial requires witnesses, cleveland.coms Sabrina Eaton reports. Chemical reaction: Brown also sounded off Wednesday on another matter. He wants the Senate to act on a House bill that would designate PFAS forever chemicals hazardous substances, Eaton reports. Prison and fine: Former Dayton City Commissioner Joey D. Williams was sentenced to a year in federal prison for corruptly soliciting a bribe, a federal felony, after accepting free home improvements in exchange to using his influence to help an unnamed demolition contractor get city contracts, the Dayton Daily News Lynn Hulsey reports. Also on Wednesday former state lawmaker Clayton Luckie surrendered to the U.S. Marshals office and is incarcerated at Ashland Federal Correctional Institution in connection to the same public corruption scandal. A highly specific achievement: Democrat Betsy Rader, the ex-congressional candidate now running for Senate District 18, is touting donations totaling more than $121,000 through Wednesday, more than double the $54,960 raised by her GOP rival, Lake County Commissioner Jerry Cirino, as of Dec. 26, according to state campaign-finance records. In a release, Rader said her fundraising haul was more money than any Democrat [running for legislature] in Ohio has previously reported in an off-year annual report where they were not an incumbent and had no primary. Lobbying Lineup Five groups that lobbied on Senate Bill 5, also known as Aishas Law, which attempts to change the law to better protect domestic violence victims, including adding an 11-point assessment to determine the risk that an abuser would murder a victim, among other changes. State lobbying forms dont require people to disclose what side of the bill theyre on. 1. Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio 2. Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association 3. Ohio Justice and Policy Center 4. She Has a Name 5. Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers On the Move Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley has been named a national co-chair of Pete Buttigiegs presidential campaign. Birthdays Mary Mertz, Ohio Department of Natural Resources director Straight from the Source Why does everyone get shocked that I answer my own phone? Are politicians not supposed to answer their office phone? #AskingForAFriend" -State Sen. Tina Maharath, a Columbus-area Democrat, on Twitter. Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. If you do not already subscribe, you can sign up here to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) A Canadian man has pleaded guilty in federal court in San Francisco to conspiring in a fraud scheme that according to prosecutors netted $3.2 million from several thousand small businesses, churches, cities and other entities between 2009 and 2014. Athanasios Vouloukos, 47, of Ville St. Laurent, Quebec, pleaded guilty Monday before U.S. District Judge Susan Illston to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud. She will sentence him on Oct. 30. Vouloukos admitted during his plea that he and fellow Canadian Nicholaos Menis deceived the victim organizations into paying invoices of about $500 for a phony service to improve their online business profile, according to U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Robin Wall. The service was never ordered and never provided. The two men sent out fraudulent invoices instructing the victims to send payments to various U.S. mailbox addresses and then followed up in telephone calls claiming someone at each organization had ordered the service, according to indictments filed against the two men. Vouloukos has agreed to pay at least $1.4 million in restitution, Wall said. The fraud conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Vouloukos was indicted in 2015 and was arrested last year as he entered the United States. Menis, 47, of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec, was indicted in 2014 and pleaded guilty in December 2014 to a similar count of mail fraud conspiracy and an additional count of committing mail fraud by causing four checks from victims to be delivered to a United Parcel Service mailbox address in San Francisco in 2011. He is awaiting sentencing. 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. Apple has rolled out new maps across the US, changing how they look for everyone in the country. The new maps include much more detailed views of buildings and roads and allow for faster navigation, the company said. They also come with new features, such as "Look Around", which is broadly similar to Google's Street View. They can be found not only in the Apple Maps app which comes pre-installed on iPhones and computers but on a wide variety of third-party apps that use the maps for navigation and tracking. It is also used for Apple's CarPlay tool, which allows vehicle manufacturers to use a version of the iPhone display on the dashboard. Apple has been gradually rolling out the new version of maps in recent months, starting with its home in the Bay Area. They will come to Europe "in the coming months", Apple said. 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 When Apple's Maps app was first revealed, in 2012, it received sustained criticism from users who found that directions pointed the wrong way and areas were charted wrong. The company has been working to improve it ever since, as well as adding new features to the app. Recommended Apple Maps adds indoor airport info to make travelling less stressful We set out to create the best and most private maps app on the planet that is reflective of how people explore the world today, Eddy Cue, Apples senior vice president of internet software and services, said in a statement. It is an effort we are deeply invested in and required that we rebuild the map from the ground up to reimagine how Maps enhances peoples lives from navigating to work or school or planning an important vacation all with privacy at its core. "The completion of the new map in the United States and delivering new features like Look Around and Collections are important steps in bringing that vision to life. We look forward to bringing this new map to the rest of the world starting with Europe later this year. Apple has repeatedly stressed the privacy features of Maps, which include a design that prevents the company from tracking users as they navigate around, unlike competitors such as Google Maps. Lieutenant General CP Mohanty on Thursday assumed command of Southern Army on Thursday. "Lieutenant General CP Mohanty assumed command of Southern Army today with a solemn wreath laying ceremony at the War Memorial, Pune, wherein he paid tribute to the fallen soldiers, followed by traditional Guard of Honour at Headquarters Southern Command," an official statement said. An alumnus of Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) Dehradun and Defence Academy, Lt Gen Mohanty is a June 1982 batch Infantry Officer from the Rajput Regiment and is currently also the Colonel of the Regiment. During his distinguished military career, General Mohanty has had vast operational, logistics and administrative experience in varied command and staff appointments. He commanded his Battalion in Jammu and Kashmir and North East, a Mountain Brigade along the Indo-China border and a Mountain Division in Counter Insurgency Operations in North East. Later he commanded a strategically important Corps in the Eastern Theatre post-Doklam incident and also Uttar Bharat Area at Bareilly. The General Officer has vast overseas experience of commanding a multi- Brigade in the Republic of Congo besides being Military Advisor to the Government of Seychelles. He has held important staff appointments in an Armoured Brigade and Military Secretary Branch besides being the Director General of Operational Logistics and Strategic Movement at Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Army) at New Delhi. An M.Phil and Management Degree holder, he is academically inclined and has researched extensively on China, South Asia and North East India making him a domain expert of these regions. He is a graduate of Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington and also an alumnus of prestigious National Defence College, Delhi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) You are here: World Flash U.S. President Donald Trump's impeachment trial entered into the next phase on Wednesday as senators began posing questions to House impeachment managers and the president's defense team. Senators, who act as the jury and cannot speak in the impeachment trial, have to submit their questions in writing to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell or Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, according to rules. McConnell and Schumer will submit the questions to presiding Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who will announce the name of the questioner and read each question out loud. Roberts will alternate questions from Republicans and Democrats and has requested that answers be limited to five minutes. Both sides will have a total of 16 hours to answer questions over two days, beginning Wednesday afternoon. When the questions-and-answers session is done, the Senate's trial rules dictate there will be four hours of debate and then a vote on whether the Senate should seek witnesses and documents, If the Senate defeats that resolution, the trial is likely to head to a quick acquittal. The questions-and-answers session came after Trump's legal team wrapped up its opening arguments Tuesday. The House managers presented their impeachment case against Trump last week. The Democrat-led House impeached Trump last month for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, charges the White House has refuted. A large Philadelphia Police presence filled the 1700 block of Oxford Street on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, for a ceremony to honor Officer Frederick Cione, who was fatally shot while patrolling the block 50 years ago. Acting Police Commissioner Christine M. Coulter; Managing Director Brian Abernathy; and the officer's brother, Nicholas Cione Sr., spoke during the ceremony. Read more Dozens of Philadelphia police officers gathered Thursday in North Philadelphia to mark the 50th anniversary of the murder of Officer Frederick Cione, the only unsolved killing of a police officer in city history Cione, 25, a first-year officer, was working alone on an overnight shift Jan. 30, 1970, when he was fatally shot in the chest on the 1700 block of West Oxford Street around 1 a.m. Homicide Lt. Norman Davenport said Thursday that many details surrounding Ciones killing remain a mystery to this day, and he encouraged witnesses to come forward. Over the years, dozens of people have been questioned, at least two men claimed responsibility, and billboards promised reward money. But nothing materialized as a solid lead. Davenport acknowledged that it might be difficult to build a criminal case after so many years, but he said: Every family is deserving of the truth. Ciones relatives including two nephews who are on the force attended the ceremony at the site of the killing. Acting Commissioner Christine M. Coulter and Managing Director Brian Abernathy also spoke. Ciones brother Nicholas Cione Sr. said officers have frequently told him where they were the night Frederick Cione was killed. Coulter said: We want to solve every murder, and she encouraged witnesses in Ciones case or any others to come forward. Make a difference if you see something, she said. Make a difference if you know something. FARMERS in Kerry are to hoping to play a part in saving the cash-strapped air ambulance service, which they say is vital to the county. In early January the Rathcoole-based Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS), which serves the Munster region, warned that they would have to ground the service due to a lack of funds. Though they have not done this, they have cut the service from seven days a week to five days a week. The emergency medical service has a 400,000 deficit. The cut-backs come just over six months after the service went live with a target of 500 missions a year a target it was well on course to reach given it has been tasked to help save lives on more than 277 occasions up to last Friday. Although the National Ambulance Service (NAS) provides medical staff and coordinates the missions, the charity needs 2million-a-year to fund the helicopters, pilots, fuel and its airbase, which come through fundraising. Much of the costs are associated with fuel due to the duration of flights. Since its inception it has been tasked to a number of medical emergencies in Kerry, including one recently in the Firies region. The rural nature of Kerry means that this HEMS service is vital. TD Danny Healy-Rae and his son, Cllr Johnny Healy-Rae, have met with farmers on the election campaign who want to help save the service for Kerry. The farmers, who are members of Kerry Co-Op and the IFA, are hoping to use their membership of these organisations to help raise funds for the service. "The farmers want to help get the service over the current hump," said Deputy Healy-Rae. "This is of utmost importance to Kerry given its rural geography. Everyone running in this election must pledge their support to the service. It is not a back-up service, it is vital and we must support [it]," he said. The team behind HEMS met with Health Minister Simon Harris to discuss the funding shortfall. He advised them to contact the National Ambulance Service (NAS) for funding, but they cannot provide the shortfall, leaving the future of the service in jeopardy. Passengers arriving at Los Angeles airport on Wednesday. MARK RALSTON (AFP) The Spanish Health Ministry announced on Friday that two people in the country were under observation for symptoms of coronavirus. Both of them had recently arrived in Spain from the center of the current outbreak, the Chinese city of Wuhan. But later on Friday afternoon there was confirmation that tests on both the people had come back negative. One of them has a very low probability [of having the disease], because the clinical characteristics are on the limit. And there is another which we are considering ruling out, because the incubation period has passed. There is no likelihood that they will test positive, said the director of the Health Ministrys Center for the Coordination of Health Emergencies, Fernando Simon, before the test results were known. We are in flu season: any symptoms, even if you have traveled from the area, are likely to be flu Fernando Simon, Center for the Coordination of Health Emergencies Simon added that the Spanish health authorities have low, but active, concerns about the arrival of the virus in the country. The official went on to explain that a protocol is being prepared to deal with the pathogen. The population should have a very low risk perception, he told reporters. If you are coming from Wuhan and you have symptoms, you should calmly head to your doctor. But we are in flu season: any symptoms, even if you have traveled from the area, are likely to be flu, he said. The Spanish government is not currently planning on taking any special measures at the countrys airports, given that there are no direct flights from Wuhan to Spain, and whats more, in Simons words, this kind of measure has not proven to be effective. For now, only countries that have a direct air connection with the Chinese city are implementing such protocols. The coronavirus has already caused 26 deaths and sickened 900 people in China, and more infections have been discovered in just over a dozen countries among people who recently traveled to the city, where a travel lock-down is in effect. English version by Simon Hunter. Update 24 February 2020: Laurence Bryan has been located safe and well. Gardai have thanked the public for their assistance. 30 January 2020:Gardai in Dublin are seeking assistance from the public in locating a man missing since Tuesday. Laurence Bryan, 39, is been missing from the Tallaght area. He is described as being 5'9" of broad build with dark brown hair and blue eyes. Laurence has a large distinctive scar of the back his neck. It's not known what he was wearing at the time he went missing. Gardai and Laurences family are very concerned for his wellbeing. Anyone who may have seen Laurence or has any information on his whereabouts is asked to contact Tallaght Garda station on 01 666 6000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station. dark.knight Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Beans Town Posts: 1,848 Thanked: 8,289 Times Re: Yokohama tyres re-used as beds for stray dogs Quote: sainyamk95 Originally Posted by Great initiative by Yokohama! This inspires me to collect scrap tyres from the local tyre shop and do this for the strays in my area myself Good initiative, happy to have owned a set from Yoko. There are so many little things that can be done to life around us just by modifying or re-using useless items around our home. Do look around your own home people, summer is round the corner, you can use chipped or unused bowls (preferably clay or fiberglass since it won't absorb heat) as water bowls for birds, used/torn jute mats as a bed of sorts for dogs, a clay pot (well cleaned or new of course @ 50 bucks) as water source for them as well. Also as was typical of life of our ancestors, you can put banana peels, overripe fruits, excess sambar, unused veggies etc as a salad for cows. Swiggy/Zomato bowls and plates can be used as a free storage for water or seeds/dals for birds. You need to be able to cut the sidewall fully to accommodate larger dogs, but that would simply be impossible for you to do so cleanly. With the sidewall a maximum that can be accommodated is a puppy or a cat. Do try though. I might be able to contribute 4 of them soon, I'll keep you posted.Good initiative, happy to have owned a set from Yoko. There are so many little things that can be done to life around us just by modifying or re-using useless items around our home. Do look around your own home people, summer is round the corner, you can use chipped or unused bowls (preferably clay or fiberglass since it won't absorb heat) as water bowls for birds, used/torn jute mats as a bed of sorts for dogs, a clay pot (well cleaned or new of course @ 50 bucks) as water source for them as well.Also as was typical of life of our ancestors, you can put banana peels, overripe fruits, excess sambar, unused veggies etc as a salad for cows. Swiggy/Zomato bowls and plates can be used as a free storage for water or seeds/dals for birds. Last edited by dark.knight : 30th January 2020 at 00:07 . TOKYO, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Exclusively Curated Tours Hotel Gajoen Tokyo's curated tours will bring the guests inside some of the closed doors of Tokyo. Guests can visit the ateliers of the artisans of traditional Japanese crafts, such as Edo Kiriko glass cutting and Edo Furin wind chimes, and participate in the process of their creation. Guests can bring back a small piece of work as a souvenir. For a gourmet experience, do not miss a chauffeured sightseeing tour coupled with a tasting of intricate traditional Japanese confectioneries. Hotel Gajoen Tokyo https://www.hotelgajoen-tokyo.com/stay/pickup Meguro Temples Walking Tour A special guided tour will take you around the neighboring Meguro area. Discover the history, culture and spirits of Japan by visiting temples. https://www.hotelgajoen-tokyo.com/stay/walkingtour The Gajoen Art Tour Hotel Gajoen Tokyo provides guests with various authentic Japanese experiences inside the hotel as well. The guided 1.5-hour art tour will take guests to enjoy the beautiful Japanese artworks adorning Hotel Gajoen Tokyo since the 1920s. https://www.hotelgajoen-tokyo.com/stay/guide Morning Art Yoga A morning yoga class is held every Wednesday and Saturday at 7:30 a.m. in an art-filled, yet quiet, tatami room. After the yoga class, enjoy a well-balanced breakfast at the Executive Lounge to replenish and recharge for the day. https://www.hotelgajoen-tokyo.com/stay/yoga Matcha Experience Experience the service of Japanese Matcha green tea at the Executive Lounge. A cup of rich green tea will create a soothing moment in the afternoon. https://www.hotelgajoen-tokyo.com/stay/tea About Hotel Gajoen Tokyo Hotel Gajoen Tokyo is a one and only Museum Hotel of Japan Beauty, where the guests can enjoy enchanting Japanese traditional artworks. The hotel displays nearly 2,500 pieces of artwork, including 700 Japanese paintings on the entire premises. All 60 rooms are suites and over 80 sqm in size. ADDRESS: 1-8-1 Shimo-Meguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-0064 Japan TEL: +81(0)3 3491 4111 URL: https://www.hotelgajoen-tokyo.com/en/ Hotel Gajoen Tokyo is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World https://www.slh.com/ and a hotel partner of Traveller Madehttp://www.travellermade.com. Media Inquires Atelier LaPaz (Ms) Satoko Nagahara [email protected] Hotel Gajoen Tokyo PR / Mami Adachi TEL+81(0)3 5434 3832 FAX : +81(0)3 5434 3147 [email protected] Related Images image1.jpg SOURCE Hotel Gajoen Tokyo An employee enters sliding doors decorated with the stars of the European Union (EU) flag at the Berlaymont building, headquarters of the European Commission (EC), in Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020. It took 32 months, two prime ministers, and nearly 30 votes in Parliament to extricate Britain from the European Union and the hardest part of the negotiations hasn't even started. The U.K. may be leaving the European Union on Friday, but its relationship with the bloc isn't changing for now. This means that if, next week, you want to fly from London to Milan or you are shipping French products to the U.K., there will be no difference from how things have been done for the last few years. The U.K. stops being a member of the EU at 11 p.m. London time on Friday, and a transition period will begin from that moment onward. Practically speaking, the U.K. will still be subject to European laws and rules, it will not have voting rights around the EU table, but it will be allowed to develop new trade arrangements with other parts of the world. This will be the case until the end of 2020, at least. The transition period is also meant to give EU and U.K. negotiators more time to outline their future relationship. This will include new arrangements on fishing, security, data sharing and the overall trade of goods and services. JANUARY 30, 2020 The craft-distilling industry is booming in Texas. Now, a newly released UTSA study explains how distilleries impact the Texas economy from creating new jobs to the production of agricultural products and their innovative uses. Thomas Tunstall, professor and director of research at the UTSA Institute for Economic Development is leading the study, which will help distillery owners in Texas raise their production limits and receive a tax break on their sales, aiding in increasing the number of craft-distilled spirit companies. Quantifying the fiscal contributions helps to highlight the potential for economic growth that the opportunity represents, said Tunstall. The study, to be released in February, will provide an in-depth analysis on the economic contributions of distilled spirits in 2017, including the number of agricultural products the distilleries use and the economic impact of the average economic sector. Reports show the number of distilleries in Texas increased from 127 in 2017 to 162 in 2019. Learn more about the UTSA Institute for Economic Development. Distilleries in Texas are producing a great variety of spirits made out of a wide range of agricultural products from peaches, cherries, grapefruit and absinthium, which is a bitter herb. Tunstall explained distilleries are a growing industry in Texas and there is a vast array of agricultural growers that benefit from product sales, including corn, rye, barley, wheat, sorghum, jalapeno pepper, prickly pear, wheat, juniper berries, sugar cane, black-eyed peas, lavender, spoon cactus and yeast. Small distilleries in Texas receive a favorable tax treatment, but its a way for small distillers to get a foothold in the market because right now they are limited as to what they can sell, Tunstall added. Findings of the report will be presented during the next legislative session, in May 2021, with a goal of a permanent extension of the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act. The act consists of a temporary extension in a federal budget bill that President Donald Trump signed in December 2019. Mike Cameron, president of the Texas Distilled Spirits Association stated that the entire industry was affected by the taxes that continued to increase. There was no tax relief up until 2017. When the bill passed to reduce the tax, companies were free to invest capital in other important areas, such as expanding operations and creating new jobs, purchase of new equipment as well as investing in marketing and innovations, Cameron said. Tunstall added, An increase on this tax break will provide these companies with more opportunities to sell their product at a significant value, not only nationally but internationally as well. A Fredericton man and his family trapped in China near the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak is pleading with the Canadian government to bring them home. Mike Schellenberg, his wife and their one-year-old son have been hunkered down for the past two weeks at his in-laws' home about 45 kilometres from Wuhan. The area is under "total lockdown," he said Wednesday. Food supplies are low and there are no masks or hand sanitizers available, a troubling prospect for people trying to feed and protect themselves. Schellenberg is especially concerned that he remove his son from a potentially deadly situation. The virus has killed more than 130 people and infected more than 6,000 others nearly all in China. Cases of the respiratory illness have been detected in 18 countries, including three in Canada. The Chinese government suspended plane, train and bus links to Wuhan, a city of 11 million, and closed roads in an effort to contain the outbreak. The lockdown has expanded to 17 cities with more than 50 million people. "I've got a very young son here, so our biggest worry is him getting sick whether it's the coronavirus or not because it's really too risky to take him to a hospital here because it's a high probability of infection at a hospital," Schellenberg told Information Morning Fredericton. Getty Images As tension mounts, he described his frustration at seeing other countries begin repatriating their citizens. He said he's spoken to the Canadian consulate about leaving the country but hasn't received a straight answer about if or when that will happen. "It's more or less been the same thing, 'When we know, you'll know.' A lot of, 'We don't know,'" he said. Canada responds In an announcement after CBC News spoke to Schellenberg, federal Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said Ottawa has secured a charter aircraft to bring home Canadians trapped in the lockdown. Story continues But it could be several days before the transport is arranged as the government works with Chinese officials to extract citizens from the affected region. "We have to work with the Chinese authorities to deal with the logistical side of things," Champagne said. Canada has also cut the number of consular staff in China because of the virus. The minister said 160 Canadians have requested consular services to date. Bad timing Schellenberg said his family was stranded after encountering a bit of misfortune. He, a Canadian citizen, and his wife, a Chinese national with a Canadian visa, had planned on returning to Fredericton so he could begin earning a teaching degree. They planned on arriving before Christmas, but there were complications with their son's visa, which delayed their trip. He said his wife's parents had stocked up on food, so they haven't struggled on that front, but he's not sure how long the stores will last. Asked about the possibility of quarantine upon repatriation, Schellenberg said: "I'd rather be stuck in Canada than stuck here." Update from province's top doc Meanwhile, New Brunswick's chief medical officer of health said Wednesday the Canadian public will only be informed of confirmed cases. Dr. Jennifer Russell told reporters the decision to limit reporting practices the province reported suspected cases during the 2019 measles outbreak was made in concert with public health officials across Canada. Russell said her office will only report cases confirmed by the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg. "Maintaining that consistency of communicating that information is really, really, really important because misinformation and social media is a problem and we want to make sure we stay ahead of that by providing up-to-date, transparent information [from] very reputable sources," she said. Russell said there has not been a confirmed case of this coronavirus in New Brunswick. "The overall risk of disease spread to Canada is low," she said. The province established a website with information on the virus and preventive measures. Pakistan government has decided not to evacuate its citizens from the coronavirus-hit Wuhan city to show 'solidarity' with its all-weather ally, a senior official announced on Thursday. Islamabad: Pakistan government has decided not to evacuate its citizens from the coronavirus-hit Wuhan city to show "solidarity" with its all-weather ally, a senior official announced on Thursday though four Pakistani nationals have contracted the deadly disease in China. There were up to 800 Pakistanis studying in various universities in Wuhan, a city of 11 million people which has been quarantined by the Chinese authorities in an effort to stem the spread of the deadly virus that has killed 170 people and infected nearly 8,000 others. Pakistan has decided not to evacuate its nationals from China in accordance with the recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza said. "We believe that right now, it is in the interest of our loved ones in China (to stay there). It is in the largest interest of the region, world, country that we don't evacuate them now," he was quoted as saying by Dawn News. "This is what the WHO is saying, this is China's policy and this is our policy as well. We are standing with China in full solidarity," he said. "Right now the government of China has contained this epidemic in Wuhan city. If we act irresponsibly and start evacuating people from there, this epidemic will spread all over the world like wildfire," Mirza said. On Wednesday, Mirza confirmed that up to four Pakistani students in China were diagnosed with the coronavirus. "That number remains at four. It has not increased," he said on Thursday. Mirza said that the Pakistan government's decision not to evacuate its people from Wuhan did not mean that it didn't care about them. He said Pakistan's embassy in China was in contact with the Pakistani citizens. He said that the government believes that China's policies to contain the virus were adequate. "Government cares about its citizens just as much as their own families. But we don't want to take an emotional decision and become a reason for the spread of this disease," he said. However, some worried Pakistani students in Wuhan have complained that they are not being taken care of by the Chinese authorities and demanded immediate evacuation in a social media post earlier this week, The Nation newspaper reported. Unlike Pakistan, India has announced that it plans to evacuate its citizens, mostly students, from Wuhan city as well as from the worst-hit Hubei province from Friday. Earlier, Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said that the government had complete data of Pakistani students currently in China and was in touch with Chinese authorities to address any challenges the students may be facing. Farooqui lauded China's efforts to deal with the outbreak of the coronavirus and said Pakistan stood by China in this difficult time. A large proportion of the Pakistanis living in China were students of which over 500 students were based in the central city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the new virus. Meanwhile, the FO spokesperson said the opening of the Pakistan-China border has been delayed until April due to the virus outbreak. The border crossing was previously scheduled to begin functioning in February, however, the Gilgit Baltistan government had sought a delay in the opening as a precautionary measure. As Gilgit Baltistan is Pakistan's closest region to China, precautionary measures are needed to prevent any possible threat of the spread of the disease to Pakistan, an official statement said. A French cardinal has been acquitted of covering up the sexual abuse of minors in his flock. Philippe Barbarin said he will ask the Pope to allow him to resign repeating a request that was refused earlier by Pope Francis, who wanted to await the outcome of the appeals trial. Thursdays court decision allows me to turn a page and for the church of Lyon to open a new chapter, Mr Barbarin said at a brief news conference. He said he would go to Rome to renew my request. Expand Close Cardinal Philippe Barbarin s lawyer Jean Felix Luciani addresses the media after the trial (Laurent Cirpriani/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Cardinal Philippe Barbarin s lawyer Jean Felix Luciani addresses the media after the trial (Laurent Cirpriani/AP) Initially, the appeals court in the south-eastern French city of Lyon gave no explanation while pronouncing its decision to wipe the legal slate clean for Mr Barbarin. The court later released a 38-page document with the reasoning behind its decision and said it found no intentional element showing a cover-up. Mr Barbarin, archbishop of Lyon, had been convicted in March and given a six-month suspended sentence for failing to report a predator priest to police. A lawyer, Yves Sauvayre, representing victims in the cover-up case against the cardinal, said they plan to appeal to Frances highest court. The verdict comes at a time of increasing scrutiny around the world of the Catholic Churchs role in hiding abuse by its clergy. The prosecutors office had sought the acquittal accorded by the court, as it did in Mr Barbarins initial trial in March, in which he was convicted and handed a six-month suspended prison sentence. This decision is logicalLawyer Jean Felix Luciani Prosecutors had recommended already in 2016 that the case be dropped because of a lack of proof of a cover-up. This decision is logical, one of Mr Barbarins lawyers, Jean Felix Luciani, said outside the courtroom. He said the cardinal had faced down public rumour and calumny. Mr Barbarin, 69, said at his appeals trial in November that he filed an appeal because I cannot see clearly what I am guilty of. The court had ruled Mr Barbarin, in wanting to avoid scandal caused by the facts of multiple sexual abuses committed by a priest preferred to take the risk of preventing the discovery of many victims of sexual abuse by the justice system, and to prohibit the expression of their pain. Bernard Preynat, the now-defrocked priest at the centre of the scandal, described to a court at his trial earlier this month how he systematically abused boys over two decades as a French scout chaplain. Preynat said his superiors knew about his abnormal behaviour as far back as the 1970s. Had the church sidelined me earlier, I would have stopped earlier, Preynat said. Preynat, now 74, faces up to 10 years in prison in what is Frances biggest clergy sex abuse trial to date. He is suspected of abusing around 75 boys but his testimony suggests the overall number could be even higher. That verdict is expected in March. The case against Mr Barbarin hinged on a 2014 discussion with victim Alexandre Hezez, who told the cardinal about the sexual abuse he had suffered in the 1980s by Preynat during scout camps. Mr Hezez felt the priest should no longer lead a parish. Mr Barbarin told the appeal hearing that he followed Vatican instructions after that discussion with Mr Hezez. He suggested he could not have done more. At the trial of Preynat, victims testified about how much power the priest had held over them and the lifelong damage that his abuse caused. I saw this community that admired this man, and I was his protege, his pet, said abuse victim Francois Devaux. Devaux had a sober reaction after Thursdays court ruling, saying It is a disappointment. After more than three and a half years of rancorous, perplexing and seemingly endless debate, the United Kingdom will on Friday officially leave the European Union. Brexit is officially underway. In the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday, there were strangely poignant scenes as the conscious de-coupling of the UK and Europe was finally approved. And there was plenty of goodwill as European MPs rose to their feet and sang Auld Lang Syne, the traditional Scottish ode to longstanding friendship and good company. But all that merely represents an end to the politicking. Implementing the severance in practice will take some time and the UK may yet discover that de-linking itself from the complex internal rules of the trans-continental trade alliance does not automatically enhance the strength of its own economy. Trade must continue with Europe, though under rules that are yet to be formulated. And immigration will continue across the Channel, legal and illegal. So what changes? That is hard to say. There are some technical matters to attend to. For example, the UK must now formulate its own trade alliances independent of the EUs tariffs and protectionist policies and therein lies opportunity for Australia, which pursues free trade and the dismantling of tariffs. MIDDLETOWN Several Democratic elected officials, including the mayor, have endorsed U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vermont, for the upcoming 2020 presidential primary. Mayor Ben Florsheim, Deputy Mayor Vinnie Loffredo, common councilors Darnell Ford and Ed McKeon, Board of Education member Lisa Loomis and Planning and Zoning Commissioner Kellin Atherton will host a Middletown for Bernie event Monday, according to a press release. The Iowa caucus results watch party will be held at La Boca Mexican restaurant, 337 Main St., starting at 6:30 p.m. The event will serve as an opportunity for community members to engage with CT for Bernie organizing and sign up to get involved, the release said. In addition, the following Democratic Town Committee members are also backing Sanders for president: Brandon Chafee, treasurer; and Bobbye Knoll Peterson, Stephen Magro, Diana Martinez, Will Arther, Alec Ramsay-Smith and Paul Zakarian. Florsheim said he is proud to endorse Sanders. We are facing some of the most significant challenges in our countrys history. Climate change. A student debt crisis. A president who empowers hate. An economic system where, in the richest country in the world, people are dying because they cant afford things like housing and health care, Florsheim said in a prepared statement. It is critical that we meet this moment not with politics as usual, but with a lasting, organized push for real change. We need to elect a movement not just a president. Bernie is the person who can lead that movement into power, so we can defeat Donald Trump, confront our toughest challenges, and achieve our highest goals, he added. Im not just proud to support Bernie Sanders for president Im inspired, Loffredo said in the statement. We are at a pivotal moment in history where we can succumb to crisis and greed, or where we can build the world our children and childrens children deserve. From Medicare for All, to the Green New Deal, to the Thurgood Marshall Plan for Public Education, Bernie is the only candidate with an agenda that meets the scale of the challenges we face, Lofreddo said. Ford said the senator will fight for the working middle class, protect labor unions, and create policies that support people. Ramsey-Smiths mother was diagnosed with brain cancer. I saw firsthand how our broken health-care system profits off of people at their most vulnerable and leaves them deeply in debt or without access to quality care. The Cleveland Heights-University Heights school board reveals that its proposed levy increase is not needed. Cleveland Heights and University Heights residents recently received in the mail a handsome little book documenting what a great job the Cleveland Heights-University Heights school board is doing. Titled CH-UH City Schools Quality Profile 2019, the book boasts that Cleveland Heights High School students earned more than $12 million in college scholarships and that students get to travel to London, Johannesburg, Belize and Quebec. We are told that three CH-UH elementary schools have been awarded five-star ratings by the Ohio Department of Education. Clearly, the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Schools couldnt be better, and taxpayers need not hesitate to vote no to increased school taxes. Terry Dunford, Cleveland Heights Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 11:17:29|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close CANBERRA, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- A planned gold mine in Australia's Northern Territory (NT) has been stalled by the discovery of a threatened species of bat. A small population of ghost bats have emerged as a major environmental hurdle to the development of the Union Reefs gold mine more than 200 km southeast of Darwin. It is estimated that 35 percent of the 10,000 ghost bats in existence live in the NT. "The number one threat that's been identified for ghost bats is loss of habitat and degradation due to mining activities," Damian Milne, a senior scientist at the NT Department of Environment, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). "Any mining activity that's associated with their key roosting habitats can have an effect... on their survivability." If it goes ahead the mine is expected to create up to 80 full-time jobs for the small nearby town of Pine Creek. Mark Edwards, a project director with Kirkland Lake Gold, said that the bat population at the site was between 20 and 30. "We understand what the issues are, and we're working with both research and the government to try to have the least amount of impact," he said. Edwards said that the firm is working with local researchers to potentially develop new habitats for the ghost bats in historic collapsed mining shafts. The fate of the project will depend on the federal Department of Environment's assessment of Kirkland's Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). "The proposal is being assessed under the bilateral arrangements in place between the Commonwealth and the Northern Territory," a department spokesperson said. New Delhi: Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has declared the results of the Combined Defence Services Examination (I) 2019. The candidates were finally selected on the basis of their performance in the written exams followed by interviews held by the Services Selection Board of the Ministry of Defence. According to the list released by the UPSC, AGNIPRAVA MUKHERJEE (0602026) has grabbed the top position among 176 candidates of the Officers Training Academy (MEN), followed by PARVESH KUMAR (1105712) and SUMEET MAL (0600704). Among women candidates for Officers Training Academy, JISHA CHAHAR (0860441) has grabbed the top position followed by APOORVA KUMARI (0829351), OSHEEN GULERIA (0856908) and CHETANA SHARMA (1111523). Check the complete list of Combined Defence Services Examination (I), 2019 here. The selected candidates can visit UPSC's official website- http://www.upsc.gov.in, to check their results. However, marks of the candidates will be available within 15 days from the date of declaration of final results on the commissions website for 30 days. The selected candidates will get admission to the (i) *Officers Training Academy, Chennai, for 111the Short Service Commission Course (for Men) and (ii) ^Officers Training Academy, Chennai, 25th Short Service Commission Women (Non-Technical) Course, which will be commencing in April 2020. According to UPSC statement, the list of 111th Short Service Commission Course (for Men) also includes the names of the candidates who were recommended earlier on the basis of the result of the same examination for admission to Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, Naval Academy, Ezhimala, Kerala and Air Force Academy, Hyderabad (Pre-Flying) Training Course(s). The number of vacancies as intimated by the government, for (i) 111th Short Service Commission Course (for Men) is 225 and for (ii) 25th Short Service Commission Women (Non-Technical) Course is 15. The results of Medical Examination of candidates have not been taken into account in preparing the merit list, said the UPSC, adding that the candidature of all the candidates is provisional. Army Head Quarter will do verification of date of birth and educational qualification of these candidates. The UPSC has a facilitation counter near Examination Hall building on its campus. Candidates may obtain any information/clarification regarding their examination on working days between 10 am to 5pm in person or over telephone No. 011-23385271, 011-23381125 and 011-23098543. John Roth, who has served as mayor of affluent Mahwah since 2018, has admitted he got so drunk at a party that he removed his pants and passed out on a township employee's bed A New Jersey mayor admitted he got so drunk at a party that he removed his pants and passed out on a township employee's bed. John Roth, who has served as mayor of affluent Mahwah since 2018, conceded to the shocking incident on Wednesday during an an interview with NorthJersey.com, claiming that he has since apologized to the unidentified employee. The party, which took place on January 10, was reportedly attended by around a two dozen township employees. After consuming too much alcohol at the event, Roth stated that he headed upstairs before taking off his pants and laying down on the employee's bed. Party goers later roused Roth from his sleep, before his wife arrived to pick him up and take him back home. While the the incident took place earlier this month, it only became public this week, following the publication of a letter signed by a group of 'concerned' township employees. In the letter, directly addressed to Roth, the employees tell the mayor that he has shown them 'considerable disrespect' and claim that his actions 'threaten our careers and livelihood'. Roth (pictured) is now facing calls to issue a public apology to all Mahwah township staffers or resign from his post as mayor The letter -obtained by Daily Voice, goes on to claim that there have been 'threats of poor treatment of anyone suspected of leaking the story'. 'It has already caused issues in the offices which make it nearly impossible to work collectively, because of your behavior,' it states. The employees are now demanding that Roth 'apologize by email to the entire staff and gather all the employees together to make a public apology.... Short of that you should resign your position'. Roth did not reveal whether he has yet issued an apology to all employees. The employees state that if Roth fails to apologize or resign from his post, they will file a hostile work action. The Republican mayor - who is up for reelection later this year - previously served as a township councilman for 12 years and a school board trustee for five years. Barbie, the classic children's doll that has become a staple of American culture, is kicking off the new decade with a renewed push for more diverse and inclusive offerings. Mattel has now unveiled its Fashionistas 2020 collection to show off "a multidimensional view of beauty and fashion," according to CNN. The new range of dolls includes one with vitiligo, a condition that causes the loss of skin pigment in blotches. (Supermodel Winnie Harlow has helped raise awareness about vitiligo.) Mattel notes in a press release that "offering a doll with vitiligo in our main doll line allows kids to play out even more stories they see in the world around them." And the brand even worked with a dermatologist to make sure vitiligo was properly represented in the design of the doll. You'll also find a Barbie doll with no hair in the new range, a reflection of both the trends we see out in the world and of the realities of hair loss. Back in 2019, Barbie introduced dolls with disabilities one has a prosthetic limb, another uses a wheelchair. For that launch, Mattel collaborated with 12-year-old Jordan Reeves, who "is on a mission to build creative solutions that help kids with disabilities, to create a play experience that is as representative as possible." For 2020 the brand has added a doll with a darker skin tone who uses a (very fabulous) gold prosthetic limb. The brand adds that the steps it's taken to become more diverse and inclusive have resonated with the public. According to Mattel, over half the dolls offered in 2019 were a departure from the original Barbie, and the top-selling doll for almost every week of last year was a curvy black doll from its Fashionista line who wears her hair in an Afro. In the U.K., one in four dolls sold is a Barbie with a wheelchair. We can't wait to see what's next. Let us slide into your DMs. Sign up for the Teen Vogue daily email. Want more from Teen Vogue? Check this out: Barbie Is Now a Robotics Engineer Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue on Thursday posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 1,755.88 crore for the third quarter ended December 31, 2019. The auto major had reported a net loss of Rs 26,960.8 crore during the October -December period of 2018-19. Total revenue from operations stood at Rs 71,676.07 crore as compared with Rs 76,915.94 crore in the year-ago period, said in a regulatory filing. On a standalone basis, the company posted a net loss of Rs 1,039.51 crore as against a profit of Rs 617.62 crore in the year-ago quarter. Standalone total revenue stood at Rs 10,842.91 crore as compared with Rs 16,207.67 crore in the same period a year-ago. During the third quarter, the company's standalone wholesales, including exports, declined 24.6 per cent to 1,29,185 units. Revenues of British arm increased to 6.4 billion pounds, up 2.8 per cent as compared to same period last fiscal. The brand's total retail sales fell 2.3 per cent during the period under review as against the same period of previous fiscal. While has continued its turnaround, market decline and BS-VI stock reduction in domestic market has affected company's performance, said. continued its turnaround and transformation journey with another quarter of strong delivery. China continues to improve gradually while Project Charge is well ahead of plans having already delivered 2.9 billion pounds so far, it said. In India, the auto industry continues to be impacted by the general economic slowdown. The profitability was impacted by adverse mix where despite increasing market shares, M&HCV volumes declined, the company said. "This coupled with proactive system stock reduction of Rs 3,800 crore resulted in loss of operating leverage," it said. It further said, "Though the near-term market situation is fluid, we are optimistic on the medium term as we launch our exciting BS-VI range of products with our system inventory at a multi-year low. We remain focused on driving our turnaround strategy and transitioning seamlessly to BS-VI." Shares of Tata Motors on Thursday ended 0.98 per cent lower at Rs 186.20 apiece on the BSE. Rabat King Mohammed VI offered an exceptional royal pardon in favor of 201 African inmates convicted for various crimes across Morocco, according to a statement from the Ministry of Justice today, January 29. The royal pardon presents a humanitarian consideration of sick and elderly inmates. The pardon also concerns the inmates who have shown good conduct and behavior throughout the period of their imprisonment () and who have fully respected the laws and the rintegration programs. The decision is the first royal pardon of exclusively Sub-Saharan inmates. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine Family and Community Medicine Rural Residency Program on Thursday received a $5.9 million contribution from The Permian Strategic Partnership to expand health care resources to area communities. Health care is core to the vitality of a community and better health outcomes occur in communities with a strong primary care foundation, most often provided by family medicine physicians, Timothy Benton, regional chair for the Department of Family and Community Medicine and associate dean of Clinical Affairs, said in a press release. Working in a predominantly underserved area, TTUHSC trains and encourages medical residents to plant their roots in West Texas. Andrews, Alpine, Fort Stockton and Sweetwater currently host medical residents on the Rural Training Track. Pecos, Carlsbad, New Mexico, and Hobbs, New Mexico, will be added to the program through this expansion. Residents first year will be at either Medical Center Hospital in Odessa or Midland Memorial Hospital; the other two years will be at one of the rural sites. The TTUHSC Family and Community Medicine Residency Program has 48 residents; 10 residents are on the rural track. The program will be expanded to 69 residents, with 16 residents on the rural track. Residents selected for the Rural Training Track at TTUHSC will work one-on-one with a family physician practicing the full spectrum of care, including general and preventative medicine, operative procedures and surgical obstetrics. This residency program expansion creates a regional network of more than 70 family medicine physicians trained in community engagement as well as co-trained with psychologists in family medicine mental health, thereby preparing them beyond traditional office visits to population health management, Benton said. Furthermore, with 23 residents completing training each year, and when retained regionally, we create a pipeline to sustain primary care in the Permian Basin for the future. This innovative program will increase the number of family medicine residents and mental health fellows to provide care in both Midland and Odessa as well as rural communities across West Texas and eastern New Mexico, stated Don Evans, chairman of the Permian Strategic Partnership, in a press release. The federal government designates 80 percent of rural America as medically underserved, and the PSP believes this program has the potential to provide a cutting-edge model that will help the Permian region and our entire country address the growing shortage of doctors in rural communities. The PSPs support is significant in sustaining the health care needs of this region, which is a key producer of our nations energy, stated Texas Tech University System Chancellor Tedd L. Mitchell in a press release. Its community partnerships like this that allow us to utilize out-of-the-box approaches, such as this residency program, to expand access to health care. Expanding access to health care is a critical component of the PSPs mission to improve the quality of life for workers and families across our Permian communities, which have 35 percent fewer primary care providers than the national average, stated Tracee Bentley, PSP president and chief executive officer, in a press release. Since research shows a shortage of primary care providers results in longer waits to access care, less adherence to preventive care and overall worse health outcomes, we believe increasing the number of family medicine residents and mental health fellows in the Permian will mean better, healthier lives for all who live and work here. It must be an election year. Like clockwork, candidates on the stump in Iowa and even at the recent democratic debate at Drake University are making a point to show their support for our ethanol industry. But for voters who care about the renewable fuels industry and the 50,000 jobs it supports in Iowa alone, saying what we want to hear about the Renewable Fuel Standard, trade, and waivers aren't enough, especially when these same candidates back energy and transportation policies that would decimate the domestic biofuel industry. Each of the top candidates in the Democratic Caucus wants to ban cars that run on gasoline. If they think the trade war and refinery exemptions are hurting biofuel producers and farmers, what do they think their vehicle mandates are going to do? Vice President Biden wants fuel economy standards to require 100% of passenger cars to be zero-emission (mostly electric vehicles) and would resurrect EV tax credits that unfairly benefit wealthy Californians at the expense of all other taxpayers. There is no room for ethanol or advanced biofuels within this plan. EVs do not run on ethanol. Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are even more aggressive. In just 10 years, they want all transportation to be electric and would spend trillions providing grants and trade-in incentives for families to switch to EVs. Under either plan, there would be no new gas- or diesel-powered cars for sale in America after 2030. That means no new cars would use biofuels like ethanol or biodiesel, and it means less demand for corn and soybeans. Mayor Pete Buttigieg one of just three candidates from the Midwest brought national attention to the struggles our ethanol industry is facing during Novembers televised debate. But even he plans to phase us out with a 2035 electric car mandate and expand the multi-billion EV subsidy program that has done little to benefit Iowans. Unsurprisingly, each of the candidates relying on that special math known only to politicians promises their plan will create millions of jobs in the wake of plant closures and workforce upheaval. But how many jobs will they kill in Americas heartland by making fuel-powered cars and trucks illegal? And will any of these replacement jobs they want to enlist us for be in rural communities or in the shadow of shuttered ethanol facilities? As we prepare to caucus on February 3, Iowa voters cant lose sight of the big picture. EV mandates are unfair and will hurt Iowas economy and jobs in our state. We also lack the technology and charging infrastructure especially in rural areas to overhaul the way we drive. Cars that lose 40% of their range in cold temperatures when theyre driven with the heater on simply wont work in Iowa winters. And EVs charged on a coal-powered grid are hardly a solve for the environment. Farmers are the original conservationists. We are champions for the environment and a healthy climate, and ethanol plays a key role in supplying clean fuels that power more efficient engines. We are part of the solution to make transportation even cleaner. Were not a barricade to be removed. A strong American liquid fuels sector is in the best interest of every Iowan and every U.S. consumer who wants to continue choosing for themselves the kinds of cars they want to drive. We need to hear our Caucus candidates recognize that a cleaner, more sustainable future for energy and transportation isnt a zero-fuel, zero-sum game. Ed Wiederstein is a livestock and grain farmer from Audubon, and the former president of the Iowa Farm Bureau. With Tesla stock nearly tripling in the past four months and closing at an all time high of $581 on Wednesday... ... as euphoric expectations for unprecedented demand in China triggering a Volkswagen-like short squeeze, and ironically surpassing the world's largest automaker, Volkswagen, in valuation in the process, everyone was looking forward to today's earnings report, and specifically the company's guidance, to see just how much of the massive runup was justified. To be sure, the rally that prompted a scramble amid Wall Street analysts to boost their price targets on the stock, may not have left room for any mistakes and as Credit Suisse analyst Dan Levy said, "expectations are likely highly elevated into the print, and at first glance any miss could lead the stock to some correction from its lofty level." So what Tesla deliver? At first glance the answer is yes with solid beats on the top and bottom line, as well as a surprising early start to the production ramp of the Model Y: Q4 Rev. $7.38B, 4.5% above the Wall Street est. of $7.06B Non-GAAP Q4 EPS $2.14, Est. $1.74, even though basic EPS was just $0.58 Record vehicle deliveries of 112,095 in Q4, which was disclosed previously Model Y production ramp started in January 2020, ahead of schedule Here are the results summarized: And visually: That said, Tesla skeptics were quick to note that compared to Q4 2019, Tesla reported: just 1% automotive revenue growth ($6.368BN vs $6.323BN) a 7% drop in Automotive gross profit ($1.434BN vs $1.536BN Y/Y), and 25% lower GAAP Net Income ($105MM vs $140MM), Meanwhile, Teslas automotive gross margin, closely as the company sells more and more of its lower-priced Model 3 sedan, dropped to 22.5% in Q4, down from 24.3% the previous year. Related: Russia Warns Market That Its Oil Production Could Drop More importantly, Tesla unveiled that in the quarter, Free Cash Flow soared above $1 billion, rising to $1.013BN from $371BN in Q3, more than double the $446MM estimate, and up from $910MM a year ago, as a result of $1.425BN in net cash from operations less $412MM in CapEx, well below the $574.3MM estimate, making one wonder just how long can Tesla continue with such low Capex spending. In its earnings presentation, Tesla for the first time added a chart proudly showing vehicle deliveries juxtaposed against Free Cash Flow: The surge in FCF helped lift the company's cash by $930MM to $6.27BN in Q4, up 18% Q/Q and over $1 billion above the $5.06 billion consensus estimate, certainly further alleviating the company's cash burn concerns. Just as importantly, looking ahead, Tesla said that it now expects full year 2020 vehicle deliveries to "comfortably exceed 500,000 units." It also expects Model Y Production in Shanghai to Begin in 2021 and noted that the production ramp of Model Y in Fremont has begun. As a reminder, on the last earnings call from Q3, Musk predicted Model Y would hit volume production, in other words more than 1,000 units per week, by the middle of 2020. And while Tesla talked about producing the Tesla Semi, Roadster and Cybertruck in North America, it did not disclose where, especially since the Fremont factory will likely be filled with Model 3 and Model Y. Below is a summary of the Company's key projections: Volume: For full year 2020, vehicle deliveries should comfortably exceed 500,000 units. Due to ramp of Model 3 in Shanghai and Model Y in Fremont, production will likely outpace deliveries this year. Both solar and storage deployments should grow at least 50% in 2020. For full year 2020, vehicle deliveries should comfortably exceed 500,000 units. Due to ramp of Model 3 in Shanghai and Model Y in Fremont, production will likely outpace deliveries this year. Both solar and storage deployments should grow at least 50% in 2020. Cash Flow: Tesla expects "positive quarterly free cash flow going forward, with possible temporary exceptions" , particularly around the launch and ramp of new products. Musk adds that he believes the business has grown to the point of being self-funding. Tesla expects , particularly around the launch and ramp of new products. Musk adds that he believes Profitability: Tesla expects positive GAAP net income going forward, with possible temporary exceptions, particularly around the launch and ramp of new products. Continuous volume growth, capacity expansion, and cash generation remain the main focus. Tesla expects positive GAAP net income going forward, with possible temporary exceptions, particularly around the launch and ramp of new products. Continuous volume growth, capacity expansion, and cash generation remain the main focus. Product: Production ramp of Model Y in Fremont has begun, ahead of schedule. Model 3 production in Shanghai is continuing to ramp while Model Y production in Shanghai will begin in 2021. Tesla also plans to produce limited volumes of Tesla Semi this year. Tesla also said its vehicles have driven 3 billion miles in Autopilot mode to date, adding that all Tesla vehicles equipped with a full self driving computers have now also been updated with the latest software: "We are currently validating this functionality before releasing to customers, and we look forward to its gradual deployment." Related: 5 Reasons Why Big Oil Is Here To Stay The company also reported that in Q4, it continued to ramp its Solarglass Roof production and installations, and in addition to Tesla installers, it partnered with several roofing companies to support installations to fulfill demand for Solarglass Roof. In regard to this, Tesla said that "solarglass tiles are made in our Gigafactory New York, and we are hiring hundreds of employees at this facility." In kneejerk response to the earnings, primarily the company's profit and cash flow boost, and the news that production on the Model Y has begun, TSLA stock exploded 7% higher, rising to a new all-time high, and trading at $620 per share last, its market cap now nearing $110 billion, $10 billion more than Volkswagen. And just a few minutes later it is already $40 higher as the furious short squeeze decimates shorts, the stock rising above $660, now up 13% after hours. According to RBC Capital Markets analyst Joseph Spak, the numbers were likely the bare minimum needed to be achieved in order to justify the current valuation. But, the print and outlook will let dreamers dream, he added. By Zerohedge.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stated that not just a debate but a structured debate should take place on every issue during Budget Session of Parliament, said Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi after the all-party meeting held here on Thursday. The all-party meeting called by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Joshi was held in Parliament ahead of the Budget Session, which begins on Friday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also attended the meeting along with other Union Ministers, namely, Rajnath Singh, Thawar Chand Gehlot, Arjun Meghwal, V Muraleedharan, and others. "The government is ready for debate and discussion. The Prime Minister has said that not just a debate but a structured debate should take place on every issue," Joshi told ANI. "Several issues including the economy and Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) were discussed. The Prime Minister has also suggested discussing how India can benefit from the current global economic scenario," he said. Joshi also reacted to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's statement where he drew a comparison between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse. "The party who killed the Sikhs and Rahul Gandhi, the person who ripped the ordinance, he is using such words for the Prime Minister? He is calling him arrogant? We have seen your arrogance. The people have given you the punishment for the same," Joshi told ANI. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ahead of the Budget Session of Parliament, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has convened a meeting of the leaders of various political parties in the evening of 30 January. New Delhi: Ahead of the Budget Session of Parliament, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has convened a meeting of the leaders of various political parties in the evening of 30 January, while Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu has convened a similar meeting at his residence on 31 January. The government has also convened a meeting of the leaders of all political parties in the morning of 30 January. According to sources, the meetings are aimed at ensuring that the upcoming Parliament session goes on smoothly and there are no disruptions. The leaders of various parties in the Upper House have been invited by Naidu to his residence in the evening, as well as by Birla, for separate meetings. It may be recalled that for the first time, the Rajya Sabha witnessed a 100 percent productivity during the last two sessions, which Naidu said was an indication of "the ship of RS passing through stormy waters being steadied". At the upcoming meeting, the Rajya Sabha chairman is likely to appeal to the leaders of various parties to continue with that positive momentum during the important Budget Session. The session will commence on January 31 with President Ram Nath Kovind's address to a joint sitting of both houses of Parliament and continue till 11 February. Alto Pharmacy has raised $250 million from investors, including SoftBank's second Vision Fund, three people familiar with the matter told CNBC. The investment has already been approved by the Vision Fund's investment committee, meaning it's a done deal, the sources said. It also marks one of the first handful of known bets from SoftBank's new fund. The deal values the company at more than $700 million, according to one of the people. The news was previously reported by Reuters. SoftBank's Vision Fund has already done just over half a dozen deals in the health and life sciences sector, including 10x Genomics, which subsequently went public, and employer health-focused Collective Health. It has several venture partners dedicated to the space, with Silicon Valley-based Deep Nishar taking the most active interest in health care. Alto represents its first foray into pharmacy. The market opportunity is massive, given that the U.S. alone spends more than $330 billion on prescription drugs. But it's highly complex, and there are incumbents including the pharmacy benefits managers, which negotiate drug prices on behalf of insurers and employers, that have done battle with upstarts. Alto was founded in 2015 by former Facebook employees. It competes with Capsule Pharmacy in New York and PillPack, which is owned by Amazon but has focused much of its effort in California. It has a physical pharmacy in the Dogpatch area of San Francisco, but the majority of its users request that their meds are delivered the same day to their home or office for free. The company says it will work with doctors to find its users a more affordably priced drug. It also acquired a start-up in 2017 that created a "smart" bottle that reminds people when to take their medications. Alto also offers a team of pharmacists that can provide advice after prescriptions are ordered. SoftBank said in July that it planned to raise $108 billion for its second fund, dubbed Vision Fund 2, with investments from companies including Apple, Foxconn and Microsoft. Not all of these contributors are confirmed to invest, but the company is still focused on raising more than $100 billion. The first fund, which raised $100 billion, is looking to use remaining funds for follow-on investments in existing companies. SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son has told partners that he hopes to focus on companies with a clearer path to profitability. That follows the fund's experiences with Uber and WeWork, which went public without a clear path to profitability and garnered a negative reaction from the public market. SoftBank has recently backed away from investing in several start-ups, including home-care provider Honor, after submitting term sheets worth hundreds of millions of dollars, according to Axios. That's unusual behavior for an investor. Other investors in the Alto round included Greenoaks Capital, Jackson Square Ventures, Olive Tree Capital, and Zola Global, the people said. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: The negotiations between the European Union (EU) and Azerbaijan on the trade chapter of the new partnership agreement are very advanced, EU Commissioner for Trade Phil Hogan told Trend. "EU-Azerbaijan trade relations are based on a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement which has been in force since 1999. The EU and Azerbaijan launched negotiations for a new comprehensive agreement in February 2017. The negotiations include talks to enhance the EU-Azerbaijan trade cooperation. After 7 trade rounds, the negotiations of the trade title of the new Agreement, including also a chapter on trade and sustainable development as well as on energy and raw materials, are now very advanced. The aim is to further expand EU-Azerbaijan trade relations and to support Azerbaijan's future WTO membership," he said. The commissioner noted that in the EU, Member States are responsible for trade promotions in countries outside the EU. "As the Commission we provide tools for importers and exporters to make it easier for them to do trade between the two sides. These are the Trade Helpdesk (for exporters into the EU) and the Market Access Database (for exporters from the EU to third countries)," added Hogan. The European Council adopted a mandate for the European Commission and the high representative for foreign affairs and security policy to negotiate, on behalf of the EU and its member states, a comprehensive agreement with Azerbaijan in November 2016. The new agreement should replace the 1996 partnership and cooperation agreement and should better take account of the shared objectives and challenges the EU and Azerbaijan face today. The agreement will follow the principles endorsed in the 2015 review of the European Neighborhood Policy and offer a renewed basis for political dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan. Currently, bilateral relations between the EU and Azerbaijan are regulated on the basis of an agreement on partnership and cooperation that was signed in 1996 and entered into force in 1999. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn BH Media Group Inc., the media group owned by Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway Inc., has been sold to Lee Enterprises. Since July 1, 2018, Lee had been managing the 30 daily newspapers owned by BH Media Group in 10 states, including the Tulsa World Media Co., Owasso Reporter, Wagoner County American-Tribune, Sand Springs Leader and Skiatook Journal. Kevin Mowbray, president and chief executive officer of Lee, made the announcement to senior leaders early Wednesday morning. Tulsa World Publisher Gloria Fletcher said, Honestly, the merger of these two companies is a match made in heaven. We have enjoyed our affiliation with Lee over the last 18 months, and we look forward to continuing our commitment to provide quality local journalism. Ive been fortunate enough to spend most all of my career with Lee and with BH and I agree 100% with what Mr. Buffett and Mr. Mowbray have said, that this is a perfect match, said Bill Masterson Jr., vice president of audience, development and production with BH Media Inc. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 30, 2020 / NV Gold Corporation (TSXV:NVX)(OTCPINK:NVGLF) ("NV Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to review the Company's portfolio of 15 gold projects in Nevada, and its expansive data library comprised of over 40 years of geological information by U.S. Minerals Exploration (USMX - during 1970s and 1980s) and AngloGold-Ashanti ("AngloGold" during 1990s and 2000s). "In 2020, we will prioritize our exploration and drilling plans on our Slumber and Sandy Gold Projects and continue to evaluate the Silver District Project. In addition, a focused effort is underway to option projects from our strategic portfolio to maximize the potential for a new precious metal discovery in 2020. NV Gold's Team consists of some of Nevada's leading technical consultants in the industry, including Dr. Quinton Hennigh, Dr. Odin Christensen and John Watson, M.Sc., with collectively over 120 years of focused exploration experience directly in Nevada," commented Peter A. Ball, CEO of NV Gold. "There have never been better fundamentals, with gold at $US1575 per ounce, and to be exploring in one of the best locations in the world - Nevada. With a share structure of less than 47 million shares outstanding, strong management ownership of approximately 20%, and low burn rate, our dollars are focused in the ground, and we look forward to an exciting 2020." The Data Library / Database The data library consists of two geological databases, which covers Nevada, and includes extensive proprietary exploration files created by AngloGold and USMX and their predecessors. Multiple significant regional geological, geochemical and geophysical exploration programs generated the data, over nearly 40 years of effort, and at a cost of over US$20 million. Our team continues to filter and locate interesting prospects within the library. The Nevada Gold Projects The 15 projects NV Gold controls in Nevada include both sedimentary rock-hosted and volcanic rock-hosted gold systems on important mineralized trends, including the Carlin Trend, the Cortez Trend and the Walker Lane. Each of projects have yielded significant results to date, and excluding the Slumber and Sandy Gold Projects, are AVAILABLE FOR OPTION. Slumber (55 claims) is located within an intra-mountain valley in the Jackson Mountains approximately 80 kms northwest of Winnemucca, Humboldt County, Nevada, and approximately 35 kms west of Paramount Gold Nevada's ("Paramount") Sleeper bonanza epithermal gold deposit. The exploration target is volcanic-rock-hosted epithermal gold and silver mineralization. Slumber is one of several high-level epithermal gold systems on a north-south trend from the Jackson Mountains, through the Bilk Creek Mountains, and continuing north into Oregon. NV Gold identified significant alternation, silicification, and believes the drill results from 2019 demonstrate a prospective gold system may exist at depth (refer to news releases dated September 25 th and October 28 th , 2019). NV Gold anticipates additional geophysics and drilling in the spring of 2020, upon completion of our updated geological model . (55 claims) is located within an intra-mountain valley in the Jackson Mountains approximately 80 kms northwest of Winnemucca, Humboldt County, Nevada, and approximately 35 kms west of Paramount Gold Nevada's ("Paramount") Sleeper bonanza epithermal gold deposit. The exploration target is volcanic-rock-hosted epithermal gold and silver mineralization. Slumber is one of several high-level epithermal gold systems on a north-south trend from the Jackson Mountains, through the Bilk Creek Mountains, and continuing north into Oregon. NV Gold identified significant alternation, silicification, and believes the drill results from 2019 demonstrate a prospective gold system may exist at depth (refer to news releases dated September 25 and October 28 , 2019). NV Gold . Sandy (20 claims) located in Lyon County, Nevada, USA, and close to the historical Hercules Gold Mine, shows widespread alteration and mineralization hosted by Tertiary volcanic rocks. Sandy exhibits alteration, mineralization, and geochemical signatures consistent with other low-to-intermediate-sulfidation deposits in the vicinity, including Como, Hercules, and the Comstock Lode. Sandy was originally explored in 1993-1994, which included geologic mapping, rock-chip and soil sampling, and drilling. Seventeen (17) holes were drilled, where the strongest values were identified to be found in the altered zones and in vein systems. The Company is currently examining the geological database, and historical drill intercepts found in preliminary reports (refer to NV Gold's website for more information on drill results from Sandy), and reviewing a potential drill program for 2020 . located in Lyon County, Nevada, USA, and close to the historical Hercules Gold Mine, shows widespread alteration and mineralization hosted by Tertiary volcanic rocks. Sandy exhibits alteration, mineralization, and geochemical signatures consistent with other low-to-intermediate-sulfidation deposits in the vicinity, including Como, Hercules, and the Comstock Lode. Sandy was originally explored in 1993-1994, which included geologic mapping, rock-chip and soil sampling, and drilling. Seventeen (17) holes were drilled, where the strongest values were identified to be found in the altered zones and in vein systems. The Company is currently examining the geological database, and historical drill intercepts found in preliminary reports (refer to NV Gold's website for more information on drill results from Sandy), . Baker (16 claims) is approximately 20 kms north of Newmont Goldcorp Corporation's (Newmont") new Long Canyon mine. The project is focused on anomalous mercury and arsenic, along with local hydrothermal barite within fault-controlled jasperoids at a range front. Peripheral stratiform jasperoid is widespread. AVAILABLE FOR OPTION. is approximately 20 kms north of Newmont Goldcorp Corporation's (Newmont") new Long Canyon mine. The project is focused on anomalous mercury and arsenic, along with local hydrothermal barite within fault-controlled jasperoids at a range front. Peripheral stratiform jasperoid is widespread. Cooks Creek (51 claims) is a sedimentary rock-hosted gold system located 12 kms west of the world-class Pipeline deposits being mined by Barrick Gold ("Barrick"). In late 2016, two initial target areas were tested with nine (9) reverse-circulation drill holes totaling 1,475 m and ranged from 67 m to 244 m in length. Drilling tested a portion of the Dinner zone, where previous surface sampling yielded up to 2.45 g/t Au in silicified hydrothermal breccias believed to be localized along a northeast-trending fault with poor surface exposure. In addition, a single hole tested the Lunch fault, which is approximately 1.2 kms north of the Dinner zone, where historic drilling intersected 2.32 g/t Au over 21.3 m. The hole intersected 0.470 g/t Au over 4.6 m above (in the hanging wall of) the fault, similar to previous holes. Cooks Creek is a large property that exhibits widespread gold, and opportunities remain elsewhere on the property. The volcanic-basement unconformity is intriguing, noting that it has yet to be determined if this contact is a more significant control to mineralization than previously recognized. The large alluvial basin adjacent to the mineralized zones conceals this unconformity, and the target should be evaluated further (refer to press release February 6, 2017). A VAILABLE FOR OPTION. is a sedimentary rock-hosted gold system located 12 kms west of the world-class Pipeline deposits being mined by Barrick Gold ("Barrick"). In late 2016, two initial target areas were tested with nine (9) reverse-circulation drill holes totaling 1,475 m and ranged from 67 m to 244 m in length. Drilling tested a portion of the Dinner zone, where previous surface sampling yielded up to 2.45 g/t Au in silicified hydrothermal breccias believed to be localized along a northeast-trending fault with poor surface exposure. In addition, a single hole tested the Lunch fault, which is approximately 1.2 kms north of the Dinner zone, where historic drilling intersected 2.32 g/t Au over 21.3 m. The hole intersected 0.470 g/t Au over 4.6 m above (in the hanging wall of) the fault, similar to previous holes. Cooks Creek is a large property that exhibits widespread gold, and opportunities remain elsewhere on the property. The volcanic-basement unconformity is intriguing, noting that it has yet to be determined if this contact is a more significant control to mineralization than previously recognized. The large alluvial basin adjacent to the mineralized zones conceals this unconformity, and the target should be evaluated further (refer to press release February 6, 2017). Frazier Dome (55 claims) is located 13 kms north of the Tonopah mining district. The project contains a low-sulfidation, volcanic-hosted epithermal gold system with high-grade mineralization in three settings. Gold occurs in silicified breccias and veins adjacent to and likely genetically-related to a Middle Miocene felsic dome (NV Gold sampled up to 6.1 g/t Au, historic samples up to 14.7 g/t Au). High-grade gold also occurs in north-northwest-trending quartz vein stockworks (NV Gold sampled up to 11.2 g/t Au) within the volcanic rocks farther from the dome and along the contact between the Tertiary volcanic rocks and underlying pre-Cenozoic basement (historic drill hole with 7.5 g/t Au over 3 m at 58 m, including 10.39 g/t Au over 1.5 m)(refer to press release October 3, 2018). AVAILABLE FOR OPTION. is located 13 kms north of the Tonopah mining district. The project contains a low-sulfidation, volcanic-hosted epithermal gold system with high-grade mineralization in three settings. Gold occurs in silicified breccias and veins adjacent to and likely genetically-related to a Middle Miocene felsic dome (NV Gold sampled up to 6.1 g/t Au, historic samples up to 14.7 g/t Au). High-grade gold also occurs in north-northwest-trending quartz vein stockworks (NV Gold sampled up to 11.2 g/t Au) within the volcanic rocks farther from the dome and along the contact between the Tertiary volcanic rocks and underlying pre-Cenozoic basement (historic drill hole with 7.5 g/t Au over 3 m at 58 m, including 10.39 g/t Au over 1.5 m)(refer to press release October 3, 2018). Gold Cloud (13 claims) is along the southeastern portion of the Cortez Trend and contains a 2 kms long zone of carbonate veins and silicification (jasperoid) with values at surface up to 2.8 g/t Au. The mineralization occurs along a range-front structure and could represent the upper-most or lateral edges of a larger gold system yet to be explored at depth or under shallow pediment alluvial cover in the adjacent valley. AVAILABLE FOR OPTION. is along the southeastern portion of the Cortez Trend and contains a 2 kms long zone of carbonate veins and silicification (jasperoid) with values at surface up to 2.8 g/t Au. The mineralization occurs along a range-front structure and could represent the upper-most or lateral edges of a larger gold system yet to be explored at depth or under shallow pediment alluvial cover in the adjacent valley. Larus (19 claims) is a Carlin-style gold system along the Cortez Trend, 3 kms NW of the Mt. Hope Molybdenum project. Rock-chip geochemical samples have yielded up to 3.2 g/t Au. Carbonates occur as a block above a low-angle detachment fault, with upper-plate siliciclastic rocks and volcanics lying below the fault. Gold locally occurs in the underlying siliciclastic rocks (to 2 g/t Au), and N-NW trending faults with gold cut (post-date) the detachment, suggesting a rooted gold system. Mineralization is known over a strike length of at least 1,200 m and a vertical range of at least 157 m. AVAILABLE FOR OPTION. is a Carlin-style gold system along the Cortez Trend, 3 kms NW of the Mt. Hope Molybdenum project. Rock-chip geochemical samples have yielded up to 3.2 g/t Au. Carbonates occur as a block above a low-angle detachment fault, with upper-plate siliciclastic rocks and volcanics lying below the fault. Gold locally occurs in the underlying siliciclastic rocks (to 2 g/t Au), and N-NW trending faults with gold cut (post-date) the detachment, suggesting a rooted gold system. Mineralization is known over a strike length of at least 1,200 m and a vertical range of at least 157 m. Oasis (10 claims) is near the Goldfield district in western Nevada and contains a porphyry-style copper-gold system with extensive low-grade gold mineralization (2010-11 drilling yielded 96.1 m grading 0.26 g/t Au, 30.5m grading 0.4 g/t Au and 169m of 0.22 g/t Au). Drilling results also suggested increasing copper at depth with the gold. The gold mineralization is currently exposed over an area of approximately 1,000 m X 1,250 m and is potentially open at depth and to the south. AVAILABLE FOR OPTION. is near the Goldfield district in western Nevada and contains a porphyry-style copper-gold system with extensive low-grade gold mineralization (2010-11 drilling yielded 96.1 m grading 0.26 g/t Au, 30.5m grading 0.4 g/t Au and 169m of 0.22 g/t Au). Drilling results also suggested increasing copper at depth with the gold. The gold mineralization is currently exposed over an area of approximately 1,000 m X 1,250 m and is potentially open at depth and to the south. Painted Hills (14 claims) is a low-sulfidation, mid-Miocene bonanza-style vein target located 85 kms NW of the Paramount's Sleeper Deposit, which is geologically similar. An initial program, conducted in 2007 yielded extensive low-grade gold mineralization beneath a barren opalite cap. Previous drilling results point to a high-grade "boiling-zone" target below the levels tested in the drilling, and potential also exists under the adjacent alluvial cover outboard of a range-front fault. AVAILABLE FOR OPTION. is a low-sulfidation, mid-Miocene bonanza-style vein target located 85 kms NW of the Paramount's Sleeper Deposit, which is geologically similar. An initial program, conducted in 2007 yielded extensive low-grade gold mineralization beneath a barren opalite cap. Previous drilling results point to a high-grade "boiling-zone" target below the levels tested in the drilling, and potential also exists under the adjacent alluvial cover outboard of a range-front fault. Queens (4 claims) and Long Island (27 claims) are 8-11 kms SE of Kinross Gold's ("Kinross") Round Mountain Mine and are volcanic rock-hosted epithermal systems similar in age to Round Mountain. Historic shallow (<150m) drilling at Queens in the early 1990's yielded 0.79 g/t Au over 23 m, 0.46 g/t Au over 17 m and 0.53 g/t Au over 14 m. Rock chip sampling has been encouraging. AVAILABLE FOR OPTION. are 8-11 kms SE of Kinross Gold's ("Kinross") Round Mountain Mine and are volcanic rock-hosted epithermal systems similar in age to Round Mountain. Historic shallow (<150m) drilling at Queens in the early 1990's yielded 0.79 g/t Au over 23 m, 0.46 g/t Au over 17 m and 0.53 g/t Au over 14 m. Rock chip sampling has been encouraging. Richmond Summit (18 claims) is approximately 11 kms NNW of Newmont's Gold Quarry mine. This Carlin-style, sedimentary rock-hosted gold target has yielded surface samples as high as 7.75 g/t Au, with lower plate rocks exposed within 300 m of the property and intersected in drilling. AVAILABLE FOR OPTION. is approximately 11 kms NNW of Newmont's Gold Quarry mine. This Carlin-style, sedimentary rock-hosted gold target has yielded surface samples as high as 7.75 g/t Au, with lower plate rocks exposed within 300 m of the property and intersected in drilling. Root Spring (26 claims) is an epithermal gold-silver vein system in northwestern Nevada, within sight of the world-class Rochester silver-gold mine. The gently-dipping vein system, bounded by Tertiary volcanic rocks and Triassic leucogranite, lies along a range front fault system and can be traced for 1.2 kms with a width of 150 m, although alluvial cover obscures extensions. Rock-chip values in veins reach 9.36 g/t Au and 1500 g/t Ag. Earlier drilling in 2012 intersected vein and disseminated Ag-Au mineralization down-dip of exposed veins (e.g., 12.1 m grading 14 g/t Ag and 0.16 g/t Au), but drilling was very shallow (68 m average length) and the system remains poorly explored. Surface sampling results released in the Fall of 2019 yielded up to 8.02 g/t gold and 1,495 g/t silver (see news release date September 23, 2019). AVAILABLE FOR OPTION. is an epithermal gold-silver vein system in northwestern Nevada, within sight of the world-class Rochester silver-gold mine. The gently-dipping vein system, bounded by Tertiary volcanic rocks and Triassic leucogranite, lies along a range front fault system and can be traced for 1.2 kms with a width of 150 m, although alluvial cover obscures extensions. Rock-chip values in veins reach 9.36 g/t Au and 1500 g/t Ag. Earlier drilling in 2012 intersected vein and disseminated Ag-Au mineralization down-dip of exposed veins (e.g., 12.1 m grading 14 g/t Ag and 0.16 g/t Au), but drilling was very shallow (68 m average length) and the system remains poorly explored. Surface sampling results released in the Fall of 2019 yielded up to 8.02 g/t gold and 1,495 g/t silver (see news release date September 23, 2019). Seven Devils (54 claims) is a volcanic rock-hosted epithermal gold prospect located along the "Western Nevada Rift" trend that includes Kinross' Goldbanks, Newmont's Sandman and Paramount's Sleeper deposits. The identified gold system at Seven Devils is in excess of 1.8 kms long and contains surface rock-chip values up to 3.47 g/t Au. Targets include both high-grade epithermal veins and disseminated gold. AVAILABLE FOR OPTION. (54 claims) is a volcanic rock-hosted epithermal gold prospect located along the "Western Nevada Rift" trend that includes Kinross' Goldbanks, Newmont's Sandman and Paramount's Sleeper deposits. The identified gold system at Seven Devils is in excess of 1.8 kms long and contains surface rock-chip values up to 3.47 g/t Au. Targets include both high-grade epithermal veins and disseminated gold. SW Pipe (84 claims) lies within the Cortez Gold Belt of north-central Nevada and consists of unpatented mining claims staked in 2016 by NV Gold. The project contains a sedimentary rock-hosted (Carlin-type) gold system 6 kms southwest of the Pipeline Gold Mine, owned by Barrick, which contains approximately 21 million ounces of gold (past production plus reserves). Historic vertical drilling at SW Pipe, mostly between 1989 and 1997 and within 150 m of surface, intersected significant shallow gold mineralization, including: 0.44 g/t Au over 17 m containing 2.36 g/t Au over 1.5 m, 0.75 g/t Au over 11 m containing 1.83 g/t Au over 3 m, and 0.60 g/t Au over 18 m containing 1.35 g/t Au over 5 m. First-phase rock-chip sampling by NV Gold returned values up to 1.74 g/t Au with high arsenic and antimony, elements enriched in productive Carlin-type gold deposits. AVAILABLE FOR OPTION. Please refer to NV Gold's website for more information, maps and detailed project information. Damir Cukor, P. Geo is a qualified person, as defined by National Instrument 43-101, and has approved the technical information in this news release. About NV Gold Corporation NV Gold is a junior exploration company based in Vancouver, British Columbia that is focused on delivering value through mineral discoveries and project advancement. Leveraging its highly experienced in-house technical knowledge, NV Gold's geological team intends to utilize its geological databases, which contains a vast treasury of field knowledge spanning decades of research and exploration, combined with a portfolio of mineral properties in Nevada and Arizona, to prioritize key projects for focused exploration programs. The Company currently has under 47 million shares outstanding, with close to 20% owned by NV Gold's management team. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Peter A. Ball President & CEO For further information, visit the Company's website at www.nvgoldcorp.com or contact: Phone: 1-888-363-9883 Email: peter@nvgoldcorp.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward Looking Statements 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, the plans to complete the Definitive Agreement to Acquire the Silver District Project, complete exploration or development of the and other future plans and objectives of the Company, including exploration plans, confirming the historical resource in accordance with the requirements of NI-43-101, 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, market prices, availability of capital and financing, general economic, market or business conditions, 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. SOURCE: NV Gold Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/574612/NV-Gold-Highlights-Portfolio-of-15-Gold-Projects-Geological-Data-Library-in-Nevada-and-Identifies-Properties-for-Option S Raja Reddy By Express News Service ADILABAD: The three accused in the Samatha rape and murder case have been sentenced to death. A special court for trial of cases under SC/ST Act on Thursday imposed the death penalty on the three accused for raping and killing the 30-year-old Dalit woman. Special court judge MG Priyadarshini, delivering the judgment, described the crime as the most heinous. The verdict, however, has to be confirmed by the Telangana High Court, before it becomes actionable. The convicts have been given one months time to go in for an appeal in the High Court against the trial courts judgment. The incident occurred on November 24 on the outskirts of Yellapattar in Lingapoor mandal in Asifabad district when the three convicts -- Sheik Shabuddin, Sheik Babu and Sheik Maqdum -- raped the woman and killed her. Though the complaint was filed in November, the police investigation picked up pace given the public outrage over the incident after Dishas case, where she was raped and murdered near Hyderabad in December. District Superintendent of Police M Malla Reddy said that the entire process was completed in 67 days. The victims husband had lodged a missing complaint with Jainoor police on November 24. The next day, the police had found her body in a farm owned by one Jadhav Ganeshwar on the outskirts of Yellapatar village. The accused had raped the woman, who was a vendor who visited villages to sell small articles, slit her throat and had broken her ribs with a blunt object before fleeing the spot with her mobile phone and `200 cash. The chargesheet filed in the case ran up to 143 pages with 44 articles of evidences. The police had filed cases under Sections 302, 376 D, and 404 of the IPC and Section 3(2)(v) of the SC, ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The High Court appointed a fast track court on December 12 to deal with the case and the Kumrambheem-Asifabad police filed chargesheet on January 14. From December 23 to 31, the statements of the witnesses were recorded, while arguments by the defence and prosecution were heard from January 10 to 20. After the verdict on Thursday, all the three accused were shifted to Cherlapally jail in Hyderabad for security reasons. This is the second death sentence awarded by the court in the erstwhile Adilabad district after a long time. The last one was awarded in 1974-75. Meanwhile, the victims husband and a few others welcomed the judgment, while appealing for swift justice in rape cases. ST. LOUIS United Way of Greater St. Louis on Thursday announced the launch of a new funding request for proposals (RFP) and application to support nonprofits that serve people in its 16-county service area through five impact areas: provide food and shelter, establish financial stability, foster learning, improve health and strengthen communities. In addition, United Way released the findings from a comprehensive, region-wide Community Needs Assessment, which will help guide the organizations investments moving forward. The announcement comes after United Ways volunteer board spent the past three years re-evaluating the organizations funding model. For nearly 100 years, United Way has mobilized people from around the region to come together in the spirit of community and compassion to help one another, said Michael Moehn, chair of United Ways Board of Directors. Approaching this second century milestone gave United Way and the board an opportunity to review and evolve its nearly 100-year-old funding model into a new 21st century world, allowing us to continue fostering a stronger and healthier St. Louis region for all. Michelle Tucker, president and CEO of United Way of Greater St. Louis, noted the organizations important role in supporting the regions safety net. The needs of our region are as varied as the people themselves, Tucker said. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. With this evolved strategy, we will focus on aligning our funding with the communitys needs and desired outcomes. At the end of the day, it comes down to increasing impact to help people across the St. Louis region succeed and live their best possible lives. United Ways funding strategy will invest the majority of its dollars into organizations supporting the safety net those that provide direct services to people in its service area and meet at least one of the 24 needs identified in the Community Needs Assessment. Those needs are crisis intervention, food security, housing security, legal assistance, transportation, debt, financial education, financial safety net, income, jobs, child welfare, early childhood education, K-12 education and out-of-school time, post-secondary education, access to healthcare, behavioral health and substance abuse, physical health, aging and senior support, built environment, community building, disaster preparedness and response, justice system, safety and services for individuals with disabilities. United Ways service area covers Calhoun, Clinton, Greene, Jersey Macoupin, Madison, Monroe, Randolph and St. Clair counties in Illinois and Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, St. Charles, St. Louis and Warren counties and St. Louis City in Missouri. Organizations selected will receive a three-year renewable grant for general operating support. Nonprofits are encouraged to apply to be considered for Safety Net funding by March 10; for more details, visit HelpingPeople.org/Agency-HQ. United Way will continue to use trained community volunteers as part of its funding decision process and is currently recruiting volunteers from across the region to participate in reviewing and scoring applications. To learn more about the volunteer opportunity, visit STLVolunteer.org/CommunityInvestment. The Community Needs Assessment was conducted by the Mutare Network; University of Missouri-St. Louiss Community Innovation and Action Center; USI (formerly Urban Strategies, Inc.) in partnership with the Community Builders Network and WEPOWER; and Brown School Evaluation Center at Washington University. The assessment is designed to provide a deeper understanding of the priority needs in each county, as well as a snapshot of available regional government and philanthropic funding and community partnerships working to address needs throughout the region. To view assessment, visit HelpingPeople.org/CommunityNeeds-Report. The needs outlined in the Community Needs Assessment show the breadth and depth of need in our region and the important role of a funder like United Way, said Regina Greer, senior vice president of community partnerships for United Way of Greater St. Louis. Without a strong safety net of healthy, high-performing organizations, our region cannot thrive. United Way will also allocate funding through a Systems RFP which will support organizations providing backbone, collective impact and advocacy services to the region, and a Targeted RFP, which will provide one-time grants to nonprofits meeting emerging and emergency needs in the region. Details about these RFPs will be released at a later date. As United Way enters our second century, we renew our commitment to helping people in the St. Louis region, Tucker said. Through a powerful mix of community generosity, understanding needs, and making strategic investments, we will create a stronger, healthier and more equitable region. Were excited about the opportunity in front of us and what this means for our region. To learn more, visit HelplingPeople.org. trends Reporter's Take | First coronavirus case confirmed in Kerala Moneycontrols Shraddha Sharma gets in conversation with pharma correspondent Viswanath Pilla to find out the latest on the confirmed case of coronavirus in Kerala. Vijayawada: The YSRC government led by Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy wants to take back with one hand a part of what it gave with another. The AP government on Wednesday issued orders to teachers to take an initiative to collect donations from beneficiaries of the Amma Vodi scheme to clean toilets in schools. The orders were issued by Vadrevu Chinna Veerabhadrudu, commissioner, school education department. This follows a recent appeal by Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy to Amma Vodi beneficiaries, who had received Rs 15,000 from the state, to donate back Rs 1000 from their accounts to school parents committees. If all beneficiaries were to heed the call and pay back Rs 1,000 as donation, the state could hope to collect Rs 400 crore from the over 41 lakh beneficiaries. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Mr Veerabhadrudu said, As the Chief Minister has given a call to mothers who benefitted under Amma Vodi scheme to contribute Rs 1,000 per annum out of Rs 15,000 given to them, we are appealing to all beneficiaries to contribute for maintaining sanitation of toilets in government schools. The sole objective in seeking contribution from mothers is to ensure their involvement in maintenance of sanitation in schools. Mainly mothers were not happy with this move by the government. Despite having benefitted by Rs 15,000 per annum under Amma Vodi scheme, they are expressing their opposition against this give back scheme. The notice stated that beneficiaries have to pay to school parent committees, which will then transfer the collected amount to the DEOs account. The DEO will use these donations pay Rs 4,000 honorarium to each sweeper. Ms Raji, a mother from APT agraharam of Guntur, said that one of her children was studying in elementary school and another in high school. The government deposited only Rs 15,000 despite her having applied for both children. Now both school teachers are asking for a donation of Rs 1,000. She said that she offered both schools Rs 500 each. The teachers too are facing severe troubles with the latest circular issued as parents are not accepting their appeals. S Rama Krishna, president, Municipal Teachers Federation, said that parents are not interested in giving any donations. He said that teachers have been going around asking for donations for past four days and parents doubt them. The government has put teachers in trouble. Student unions too have taken this scheme seriously, coming out with strong condemnations and threatening to go on protest if it was not withdrawn. Nadendla Brahman Chaudhary, state president, TNSF, alleged that CM Jagan Mohan Reddy had promised to help students while in opposition but was behaving irrationally after coming to power. He demanded that the government take back the donation proposal. According to some unconfirmed reports, a few private schools have also started collecting Rs 1,000 as donation. Mohan Reddy, vice president, private school management association, clarified that private school children need not pay any donation. Burma Myanmar On Waiting List to Evacuate Students From Virus-Hit Wuhan Chinese medical officials monitor a thermal scanner as passengers arrive at the airport in Changsha, Hunan Province, as the country is hit by an outbreak of a new coronavirus, on Jan. 27, 2020. / Reuters CHIANG MAI, ThailandMyanmar is awaiting the Chinese governments approval to evacuate 63 citizens studying in the vicinity of Wuhan, Hubei Province, the epicenter of Chinas coronavirus outbreak. The Myanmar Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday that the government had approved the chartering of a plane to fly the students home to Myanmar and is working through the diplomatic channel with China to organize an airlift. Since Wednesday, Japan and the United States have evacuated hundreds of citizens from Wuhan on charter flights. We are still on the waiting list, together with seven or eight other countries who have requested permission for chartered flights to evacuate their citizens, said U Soe Pyae Win, second secretary at the Myanmar Embassy in Beijing. Two days ago, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said it didnt expect to arrange the evacuation of foreigners living in Wuhan and insisted the situation was not yet so grave as to warrant such action. A number of Myanmar students in Wuhan shared information on Facebook about the governments efforts to organize the evacuation, with some describing it as good news. U Soe Pyae Win told The Irrawaddy that 63 students would be airlifted from Wuhan. There is no fixed date yet, but we hope it will be as soon as possible, he said. The embassy announced on Sunday that it planned to evacuate the students by bus to Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, which is 350 kilometers from Wuhan and outside an exclusion zone in which local governments are trying to halt the spread of the contagious disease. It would take about one month to follow the local health department instructions, therefore the Myanmar and Chinese ministries of foreign affairs are coordinating to be able to evacuate them on a chartered flight. It is in progress and the government is waiting for permission from the Chinese government to conduct the evacuation via a chartered flight, the embassy said on Thursday. The embassy is in constant communication with students in Wuhan to share updated information. It has urged them to remain calm and strictly follow the preventive measures against the virus announced by local authorities. The total number of confirmed deaths from the coronavirus in China rose to 170 on Thursday, with 162 in Hubei. The number of infected patients globally rose to 7,815, according to Reuters. Infections have been reported in at least 15 other nations, with 104 confirmed cases outside China, including 14 in Thailand; 11 in Japan; 10 each in Hong Kong and Singapore; eight in Taiwan; seven each in Macau, Australia and Malaysia; five each in the United States and France; four each in South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and Germany; two each in Canada and Vietnam; and one each in Nepal, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Finland. World Health Organization officials will meet on Thursday to decide whether the rapid spread of the disease amounts to a global health emergency, according to its Situation Report update. The embassy said it expected Myanmar students in other parts of China who are worried about the coronavirus outbreak would make their own arrangements to return home. We only encourage them to report to us and to their relevant authorities and get permission from their universities. But we cannot yet provide the total number of citizens making their own arrangement to return to Myanmar, he said. Nearly 450 Myanmar citizens are studying at various universities in China, according to the embassys records, but U Soe Pyae Win said there may be more as some students had made their own arrangements or were on private scholarships. The Myanmar government has made preparations to receive the students in Mandalay, and will conduct the necessary health checks to determine whether they are infected with the coronavirus or need to be quarantined, according to U Ye Lwin, the mayor of Mandalay and acting chair of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Surveillance Response Team. U Ye Lwin told reporters on Wednesday, We are preparing for the students as they will be able to return soon. [We have been told] they are all healthy and that we do not need to worry. We just have to put them under surveillance for 14 days to check for symptoms. No infections have been reported in Myanmar. The Myanmar Consulate General in Kunming, in Chinas Yunnan province, helped 1,185 Myanmar workers return home from different parts of the province through the Ruili-Muse border checkpoint from Jan. 28-30, at the workers request. Residents, in Muse, Shan State, have voiced concern about the spread of the virus in the area, after two infections were reported across the border in Ruili on Jan. 25. In Myanmar, arriving passengers have been undergoing screening at both Yangon and Mandalay international airports since last week, following a public outcry after a flight from Wuhan to Yangon landed early on the morning of Jan. 23. The next day, direct flights from Wuhan to Mandalay were canceled, as China imposed travel bans. In the meantime, the 73 Chinese tourists who arrived in Yangon from Wuhan on Jan. 23 returned to China via a China Eastern Airlines flight from Mandalay airport on Tuesday night, according to U Tin Maung Kyaw, the secretary of the Airport Facilitation Committee of Mandalay International airport. Myat Pyae Phyo contributed to this report from Mandalay. You may also like these stories: China Virus Toll Passes 130; US Weighs Flight Ban Cambodia, Sri Lanka Report 1st Cases of New Coronavirus Infection China Extends Holiday by Three Days in Bid to Battle Virus Washington: The International Monetary Fund is monitoring developments on the coronavirus outbreak in "real time," a spokesman said Thursday, adding that the economic hit depends on the duration of the epidemic. "We at the IMF are monitoring this very closely, we're looking at the economic indicators on a real-time basis," said IMF spokesman Gerry Rice. "If global supply chains were systematically affected or global financial markets were significantly impacted by increasing uncertainty, then obviously the impact would be greater," Rice said, adding that the effects would be more severe if the ailment spreads to other parts of Asia from China. "We're not at this point in a position to put any hard numbers around this," Rice said. "That's something that we would do in due course, but it's just too early to do that." The SARS-like virus has afflicted more than 7,700 people and led to 170 fatalities. Outside China there have been around 100 infections reported. The IMF on January 20 projected the global economy would grow by 3.3 percent in 2020, above the 2.9 percent level last year, due in part to an easing in US-China trade tensions. But the IMF warned that better growth depended on avoiding another flare-up in US-China tensions. An internationally respected artist with ties to Jacksonville will have 45 of his works featured in Februarys exhibit at the Art Association of Jacksonvilles David Strawn Art Gallery. Visual Worlds: Nothing by Chance 60 Years of Printmaking by Richard Black will have an opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the gallery, 331 W. College Ave. A gallery talk by the artist will be at 6:30 p.m. Black was an art instructor at Illinois College and the Strawns gallery and education director from 1958 to 1960 before joining the faculty at his alma mater, Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. In his 34-year tenure at Drake, Black was an art professor and head of the universitys printmaking department. He also served from 1975 to 1991 as founder and director of the National Biennial Printmaking Symposium at Drake. An art professor emeritus at Drake since 1994, Black also is a member of The Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, a status conferred based only on the merit of his work. Over the course of his career, his work has evolved from woodcuts to pencil drawings during a short break from printmaking to etching and intaglio to works that blend intaglio with a French style of collage. As an inventor, I delight in giving visual substance to these ideas that have no physical form, clothing them with the magical language of shape, color and form, he said. I enjoy the process of making a print and view this process as a journey. A journey based upon a conviction that the image sought resides in the materials. The block, plate or stone where it has always been waiting. The exhibit will be displayed through Feb. 23. Regular gallery hours are from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday and from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Gallery and reception admission is free. CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Public charter school and private school students from the Charlotte area will bring their talents to a student showcase in celebration of School Choice Week. WHAT: Student Showcase & Celebration of Education Lunch and photo ops WHO: Students from the Charlotte area area Former Sen. Joel Ford . Zhen Graham . Cornerstone Christian School East Voyager Academy Victory Christian Center School WHEN: 10 a.m. Friday, January 31 WHERE: The Discovery Place is located at 301 N. Tryon St. in Charlotte . The event is organized by Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina. 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 schoolchoiceweek.com/north-carolina. SOURCE National School Choice Week Related Links http://www.schoolchoiceweek.com Jack Ma -- founder of the e-commerce giant Alibaba and the richest man in China -- has donated 14 million dollars towards the development of a vaccine to combat the deadly coronavirus. The donations were made through Jack's charitable foundation, out of which 5.8 million dollars would be handed over to two research organizations of the Chinese government, whereas the rest would go towards "prevention and treatment", New York Post quoted CNN. New York Post cited CNBC which reported that the pharmaceutical manufacturer Johnson & Johnson seemed confident that it could find a vaccine for the disease. "We have dozens of scientists working on this so we're pretty confident we can get something made that will work and stay active for the longer term," told Johnson & Johnson's chief scientific officer to CNBC. However, it might take up to a year for the vaccine to hit the market. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) EAST PALESTINE, Ohio A familys beagle was found beheaded in the backyard of their home, and now two agencies are offering rewards in hopes of finding who is responsible. The female beagle named Trouble was reported missing on Jan. 3, according to a news release from the Columbiana County Humane Society. Two days later, the dog was found beheaded in the familys backyard. East Palestine police are investigating. The Humane Society is offering an $8,000 reward and the Mahoning County Crime Stoppers is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. Anyone with information can contact police at 330-426-4341. East Palestine is about 90 miles southeast of Cleveland, located on the border with Pennsylvania. To comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments page. Other crime-related content on cleveland.com: Suspect in death of Alabama woman arrested in Garfield Heights Woman arrested in Wisconsin in connection with deadly shootings in Cleveland, Georgia Man tries to abduct 7-year-old girl at Cleveland school, police say Man climbs through Cleveland womans window and tries to rape her at knifepoint, police say Cleveland father charged after 3-year-old boy shot himself with illegal gun Man shoots attacker in self-defense in Clevelands Slavic Village neighborhood, police say T he Standard has tasted a 30-a-cup espresso produced from rare Brazilian bird-droppings, which will, from tomorrow, become one of the most expensive cups of coffee served in the country. Jacu coffee is a super-premium brew made from beans collected by hand from the excrement of an endangered South American bird of the same name, which has evolved to pick out the ripest, best-looking coffee cherries in the forest. Their digestive system breaks down the cherries outer layer to reveal the bean inside, creating what enthusiasts describe as a unique soft flavour. It will go on sale at Westminster's Jacu restaurant and coffee shop from Friday which is also promising Lavazza coffee from 3. Since 1962 people have gathered the bird droppings from Brazils Espirito Santo region. They are put through a washing and roasting process which leaves the beans 100 per cent clean, according to Jacu owner, 33-year-old restaurateur and nightclub owner Arif Graca, who insists consumers do not need to worry about the provenance of their beverage. He said: In Brazil you call someone a Jacu if they are shy, after these birds who are so rarely found. We hope coffee lovers who want a great taste and a great experience will come to us. Costly cup: Jacu owner Arif Graca with the Standard's Naomi Ackerman / Nigel Howard Until now, the delicacy was only available to purchase in bean form from Harrods, costing 1,400 per kilo. High-end coffee digested by other animals has proved popular in recent years, such as Civet coffee from the small mammals. Our Verdict Sniffing the beans, I notice they have a less intense smell than a normal roast. When presented with my espresso, produced on a machine with automatic pressure to ensure no barista makes a 30 mistake, I sip with the reverence of a smart wine tasting. There is no acidic aftertaste at all, unlike with most coffees, and the flavour stays on the tip of the tongue for a long time. It has the same caffeine as a normal doubleshot, but does not give any jitters. The winning Powerball ticket for Wednesdays $396.9 million jackpot, the 28th largest in U.S. lottery history, was bought at a convenience store in Florida, officials said. If the winner chose the cash option, the lucky ticket is worth $274.6 million. The ticket was sold at a 7-Eleven store in Bonita Springs, according to ABCActionNews.com in Tampa. In addition, there were three, second-prize $1 million tickets purchased across the country - one apiece in Florida, Ohio and Virginia. In New Jersey, a $50,000 third-prize ticket was sold at Sun Liquor and Grocery on Kearny Avenue in Kearny, New Jersey Lottery officials said. The ticket matched four numbers plus the Powerball. The Powerball winning numbers for Wednesday were: 9, 12, 15, 31 and 60. The Powerball drawn was 2 with a Power Play of 2X. The jackpot for Saturdays drawing rolls back to an estimated $40 million with a cash option of $27.9 million. Before Wednesday, the jackpot was most recently hit on Nov. 2 when a $150 million ticket was sold in California. It was the seventh and final jackpot-winning Powerball ticket sold across the country last year and had a cash option of $104.8 million. The odds of hitting the Powerball jackpot are 292,201,388 to 1. A player who buys a $2 ticket has about a 1 in 11,688,053 chance to match five numbers and win at least $1 million, while theres about a 1 in 913,129 shot of winning the third prize of at least $50,000. Powerball is played on Wednesday and Saturday in 44 states, Washington D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. 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. Mitch McConnell is reportedly furiously trying to whip the votes necessary to avoid calling witnesses in the Senate's impeachment trial of President Trump. This seems like a rare case where McConnell is making a politically substantive error. Calling witnesses, after all, could be used to legitimize the GOP's acquittal vote, in the same way the cursory "investigation" of Brett Kavanaugh was used as a shield to justify his confirmation. Plowing through this farcical trial, on the other hand, gives Democrats a permanent argument against the trial's legitimacy and, more importantly, leaves the president and all elected Republicans vulnerable to damaging, election-eve revelations. None of this has any bearing on how Republicans will vote. Like the film version of Titanic, everyone knows how the impeachment saga will conclude. The ship sinks. The president is acquitted. And as with the film, the real question is how the audience will react. So far, impeachment has had the curious dual effect of inflating the president's approval ratings to the highest of his presidency while also convincing, in many polls, a slim but real majority of the country that he should be removed from office immediately. More significant majorities believe the president abused his power and witnesses should be called and heard from in the Senate. But that sentiment hasn't budged elected Republicans, because they believe, with ample precedent in recent history, that voters will forgive their trespasses by November. Remember that polling showed, in the spring of 2016, two-to-one majorities in favor of giving Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, a hearing in the Senate. Fifty-two percent wanted him confirmed. McConnell, staring down the maw of a massively unpopular position, gambled that voters ultimately wouldn't care enough to cast ballots against Republicans. He held the seat open and was proven right. Emboldened, Republicans abandoned the very idea of taking broader public opinion into consideration when plotting their next act of procedural destruction. Story continues Republicans simply have a much better sense of what they can get away with than Democrats, who remain terrified of engaging even momentarily in escalatory or norm-breaking behavior. Knowing this, Republicans in the House and Senate have refused to take the process seriously. House Republicans conducted a made-for-Fox trial-within-a-trial of Joe and Hunter Biden and used their allotted time to browbeat viewers with ludicrous conspiracy theories about Ukrainian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The House strategy was to completely deny that any wrongdoing had taken place, not by seriously disputing the fact accounts of the witnesses, but by shameless misdirection. Many Senate Republicans announced in advance that they would acquit the president no matter what they heard or saw in the House or in the Senate trial. Despite House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's apparent effort to hold onto the impeachment articles until McConnell cracked and agreed to witnesses, McConnell successfully called the bluff. The trial was always going to be whatever he wanted it to be: brief, with a conclusion so inevitable that the audience tunes out. Until Sunday, it was all going according to plan. The president's other lawyers responded to the House managers' meticulous presentation with an impressive-in-its-scope hodgepodge of preposterous constitutional arguments, Federalist Papers mad libbing, and, remarkably, the same nonsense about the "perfect call" and Biden and Burisma that the House stuck with until the bitter end. It's remarkable because, while there genuinely seem to be dozens of House Republicans who are credulous enough to actually believe the president's absurd spin, there aren't more than a handful of true Trump believers in the Senate, where the off-the-record frustration with the president's non-stop, presidency-warping antics are a badly kept secret. They are voting to acquit not because, in their hearts, they think the president did nothing wrong, but because they share the widespread belief that convicting him would cripple the party heading into the 2020 elections and they don't want to cross a man who has no compunction about knifing wavering Republicans. Party over country, every single time. That, you see, is a difficult logic to convey to the public, and to reporters. And it's awkward, because the president's attorneys are laying down the last layer of icing on a B.S. cake that most Senate Republicans will not be able to bring themselves to eat in public. The president's infamous refusal to ever admit that he has done or said anything wrong or improper is now a burden that every elected member of the party must carry. And some of them, including Susan Collins (Maine), Martha McSally (Ariz.), and Cory Gardner (Colo.) are fighting uphill battles for their political lives in November. They long ago gambled that they'd rather fight the general election than the primary, which explains why they will vote to acquit. But they would almost certainly prefer to be saying something along the lines of "While the president committed an abuse of power, it doesn't rise to the level of removal." Sunday's news about former National Security Advisor John Bolton's forthcoming memoir was therefore disruptive not because the GOP is all that terrified of calling witnesses in this trial, but because it makes it that much harder to square the needs of vulnerable Republican senators with the absurd narrative the rest of the party is rolling with. The president's lawyers are up there saying, in essence, that this whole thing is a hoax, and here comes his most senior foreign policy advisor saying not only that Trump did it, but that Trump explained it to him personally. What's done is done though. That's why McConnell's effort to evade witnesses is not only morally wrong, but also especially politically puzzling in the wake of the Bolton manuscript leak. It's not even clear that Republicans should have any genuine substantive fears about what will happen if witnesses are called. Mick Mulvaney and Rudy Giuliani and Rick Perry would just lie. Bolton would describe his incriminating conversations with President Trump. The right-wing media machine, which has already begun the task of delegitimizing Bolton, would package up a neat little narrative so that Republican voters can sleep well after voting to re-elect the president. Much has been made of the need to acquit the president before the State of the Union on Feb. 4, but has anyone thought through that logic? What will happen if the trial isn't wrapped up by then? Will the president spontaneously vaporize? Will his millions of minions suddenly abandon him? Surely not. Why not just rip the band-aid off today and get all of the damaging information that exists out into the open, rather than closer to the election? Now that Bolton's story is out there, rushing a witness-free trial benefits no one in the Republican Party. It doesn't help the purple state senators who have to explain both Bolton's charges and the decision not to call him as a witness. It certainly doesn't help the president. It gives Democrats a cudgel with which to assail their adversaries from now until November. And it will give the spotlight right back to Democratic primary contenders currently starved of media oxygen. McConnell though, presented with the extremely rare opportunity to do the right thing and also to benefit from it politically, looks dug in. We'll find out on Friday whether he has his votes. Want more essential commentary and analysis like this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for The Week's "Today's best articles" newsletter here. More stories from theweek.com John Bolton just vindicated Nancy Pelosi 7 witheringly funny cartoons about the GOP's John Bolton problem GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Tucked away in an industrial park off of U.S. 131 and Hall Street is a shop with an inviting glass facade that stands out from the other metal-sided tenants. Its at that location, part of the former Benteler Automotive facility, where Grand Rapids first medical marijuana provisioning center is scheduled to open. Doors to the Fluresh provisioning center at 1213 Phillips Ave. SW will open to card-holding medical marijuana patients at 10 a.m. Feb. 7, ushering in the citys first-ever legal sales of marijuana, albeit the medical category. We are really excited about it. We think this is an amazing community, said Lindsay Levin, chief marketing and sales officer for Fluresh. We think that our medical cannabis will be able to serve a number of patients and really provide them the experience theyre looking for. The Grand Rapids Planning Commission began hearing from applicants for medical marijuana facilities in May 2019. So far, the commission has approved plans for 24 of them. According to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Fluresh is the only licensed medical marijuana provisioning center in the city as of Jan. 29. The city is tentatively slated to begin accepting applications for recreational marijuana facilities on April 20. For Flureshs Feb. 7 grand opening, new patients as well as those first-in-line will be able to score some first-day deals. The provisioning center will open with stock including various strains of the bud itself along with extracts, topicals, edibles and more. We are looking to provide as many products as patients are looking for, Levin said. We want to be able to service every patients needs. Regular hours at the Phillips Avenue provisioning center will be 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. Those go into effect after the grand opening. An interior shot of the Fluresh provisioning center at 1213 Phillips Ave. SW. The provisioning center is set to be the first to open in Grand Rapids when it opens Feb. 7. (Courtesy Photo | Fluresh) Fluresh is planning to headquarter its operations at the Phillips Avenue location. Separated but in the same building, the space will also house up to 58,000 square feet of medical marijuana growing operations. The company also hopes to process marijuana there as well. The combined provisioning, headquarter and growing operations translate to more than 100 employees, said Fluresh CEO Leah Bailey. Were very happy to be able to bring economic development to this area as well, Bailey said. We think this is a very important function for us. Flureshs only other medical marijuana facility in Michigan is a growing and processing operation in Adrian. That facility is licensed to grow up to 7,500 plants. None of that product has hit the market yet, as its still undergoing testing for quality that will match what company leaders want their brand to be known for. Products from that facility are slated to launch in spring. We want to be able to bring a product to the market that people will ask for by name, Bailey said. "Not that, I want some cannabis,' but I want some Fluresh. While no plans are currently in the works, Fluresh intends to have only a few provisioning centers around the state. Marijuana growing and wholesale product selling are the companys focus, Bailey said. The company intends to transition its growing, processing and selling operations into recreational marijuana as municipalities allow it. Fluresh was founded by investment firm Thornapple River Capital LLC in Grand Rapids. Bailey said the firm has been investing in marijuana all over the country and wanted to do that in Michigan as well. Read more: Grand Rapids sets 4/20 target date to accept recreational marijuana applications Grand Rapids approves more medical marijuana dispensaries, bringing total to 24 Kent Countys first recreational marijuana shop could open January 2020 Second Muskegon marijuana dispensary announces recreational sales forthcoming War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength. George Orwell: 1984 The world is inching towards that age the age which was predicted about four hundred years ago to mark the end of human civilization. Otherwise, what George Orwell predicted in 'Nineteen-Eighty-Four' will come true. (Of course, when we were reading 1984 in the 1960s and 1970s, we did not think 1984 was so close and we would come to outlive it). And the whole world was sitting on thorns, not being able to determine the result of the cold war: democracy versus communism: The Western world (USA, Great Britain, et cetera) versus the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics including Russia. We got fascinated, nay, haunted, to have a picture of the world controlled by Big Brother, who said, Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past. And the protagonist, Winston Smith, an ordinary innocent man in a world (Oceania) gone wrong, loses his spirit and, of course, his humanity. The lexicologist, Syme, in discussing his editorial work of the latest edition of the Newspeak Dictionary notes: By 2050 earlier, probably all real knowledge of Oldspeak (English Language) will have disappeared. The whole literature of the past will have been destroyed. Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Byron they'll exist only in Newspeak versions, not merely changed into something different, but actually contradictory of what they used to be The whole climate of thought will be different. In fact, there will be no thought, as we understand it now. Orthodoxy means not thinking. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness. Newspeak is the controlled language which limits the intellectual range allowed in Oldspeak. In Newspeak, the Ministry of Truth is Minitrue, the Ministry of Peace is Minipax, the Ministry of Plenty is Miniplenty and Ministry of Love is Miniluv. All the Ministries perform tasks which are contrary to their appellations, so that Ministry of Truth espouses lies, Ministry of Peace is actually Ministry of War, Ministry of Plenty supervises Scarcities, and Ministry of Love supervises hatred. Newspeak has simplified vocabulary; 'warm' is 'uncold'; 'do not proceed' is 'unproceed'. 'Plus' is an intensifier, replacing 'more', so that 'excellent' and 'best' are simply 'doubleplusgood'. '-ful' transforms any word into an adjective, hence 'speedful' replaces 'fast', 'quick', '-ed' forms the past tense of a word by eliminating conjunctions, e.g. 'He ran' becomes 'he runned'; 'she drank' becomes 'she drinked'; '-wise' transforms any word into an adverb. Therefore, 'they ran very quickly' becomes 'They runned plusspeedwise'. Comes in Yaro Mugu or L'enfant Terrible, a very, very, young lawyer (doubleplusyoung lawyer) who had been TEIN NDC KNUST President (2011 2012). Kojo Bonsu (Kumasi Mayor) Public Relations Officer (2012-2016); then the SRC President of the Ghana School of Law. When he beat a close competitor by over 6,000 to 2,000 to become the National Communications Officer of NDC (no longer Propaganda Secretary) he noted: Following our frustrating loss to a government that rode on the back of lies to power, it was critical for those of us who were at the forefront of the party's communication to re-position our communication machinery in a manner that restores hope and belief to our grassroots and Ghanaians at large. After the arrest by the CID on the premises of Despite Group (UTV), he emerged a hero. Because it gave a great opportunity for people to comment, not about his alleged crime, but about the mafia-like arrest. So couldn't the authorities choose a better timing and place for the job it was a crude and unrefined method, an ex-police officer intimated. To say that Asemasi is an adept at braggadocio for foul language is to state the obvious, one critic observes. Another thinks: That fine man has a prurient tongue, and he talks as if he has no parents to guide him. A fierce critic thinks, Well, why should he not use a cacophony of words: after all, luck had smiled on him and he had shot up at a very young age, he thinks he is the Solomon among his peers. While Yaro Mugu was in his elements, the Methodist Bishop of the Wenchi Diocese, Right Reverend Alfred Appiah Andam, was on the podium advising politicians to change their mode of electioneering from personal attacks and insults to that of engagement of the electorate on issues. The preacher-man went on: At times, I listen to political discussion on radio and I hear young people insulting adults and I ask myself why such young people should insult the elderly because of politics. He added: Whatever we do, whether we are politicians, whether we are clergy or laymen, we will give account of it one day before the Lord. This is what politicians should take note of. Some people argue that if you do not want to be smeared with insults, you must avoid politics. That is Ghana for you; this is a developing country. For political reasons, we have done away with 'under-developed' since, independence, but can we claim to be politically mature (NOT: matured)? Some people have written on their trucks: The young shall grow, and the young, indeed, are growing, but are we going to develop Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Monster or Prometheus (a human simulacrum) in democratic Ghana? The 8-foot tall creature of hideous character wreaked great havoc on his own creator Victor Frankenstein, who created him in a laboratory (out of chemistry and alchemy), and was rejected by everyone he met, and he himself was repulsed by his own appearance. Meanwhile, the Ghana Library Authority initiates 'Read Walk' to give credence to the theme: A sound mind for knowledge acquisition. As noted by Hayford Siaw: Promoting literacy and life-long learning is at the heart of the institution and so we embarked on this walk to raise awareness of reading and encourage Ghanaians to make good use of the 71 public libraries across the country because they are functioning affectively. Yes, we want to get our children to read. But as Polonius asks Hamlet: What do you read, my Lord? Hamlet: Words, words, words. Polonius: What is the matter? Hamlet: Between who? Polonius: I mean, the matter that you read Hamlet had regretted his youthful life: And truly in my youth I suffered much for love, very near this. I'll speak to him again And when you go to the good Old Book, you will read the sorry condition of Paul After Paul had tried to explain his 'conversion' to be a follower of Christ, he was brought before King Agrippa (Act Chapter 26), his eloquence prompted Agrippa to say in a loud voice: Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning hath made thee mad. Should much learning make us mad, crazy, schizophrenic? Africanus Owusu Ansah [email protected] New York, Jan 30 : A witness has testified that disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein had offered her three films in exchange for a threesome. Two more women took the witness' stand in New York on Wednesday. They described unwanted sexual encounters with Weinstein in 2004 and 2005, reports ABC News. Dawn Dunning testified that Weinstein took an interest in her after meeting the 26-year-old aspiring actress in 2004 at a Manhattan nightclub where she worked as a waitress. She testified that after other meetings, Weinstein invited her and her fiance to join him at numerous New York events. Dunning did a screen test for Weinstein's company at his office. One day Weinstein invited her to a boutique hotel in Manhattan where he was working. The suite was full of people, but he brought her into a bedroom and without warning slipped his fingers beneath her skirt and into her vagina, she testified. "I just kind of froze for a minute, then stood up," Dunning said. "He told me not to make a big deal about it. He apologised, said it wouldn't happen again. And then we walked back out into the other room." Within a month, one of Weinstein's assistant asked Dunning to meet the producer at a Manhattan hotel to sign contracts for film roles for which she had been auditioning. She accompanied the assistant to a hotel room, where Weinstein laid out three contracts on a table. "He said a 'here are contracts for three films. I'll sign them today if you slept (sic) with me and my assistant.'" Dunning rebuffed the advance, and Weinstein grew angry. "He started screaming at me," she said. "He said, 'you'll never make it in this business! This is how this industry works.'" Weinstein then ticked off a trio of famous actresses he claimed slept with him to get ahead professionally. Terrified, Dunning said, she ran out the door and down the hallway to the elevator. "I stopped acting after that," she said. If developers are too often allowed to close curb lanes for years at a time, Mayor John Tory says its not because he isnt doing anything about it. My Jan. 14 column lauded city Councillor Josh Matlow for his efforts to make it much harder for developers to set up hoarding in traffic lanes, and questioned if Tory is as committed to the same goals. That prompted a note from the mayors office about things hes done to address traffic-snarling lane closures for development, along with a phone call from Tory to set me straight. It may come as a surprise, but Tory says its harder now for developers to occupy traffic lanes for extended periods, because he pushed city staff to hold them to a tighter timeline and make them pay for the privilege. Before he took an interest in city-issued approvals for hoarding in curb lanes, nobody ever questioned them, at city council, he said in a phone interview last week. There was no debate and no discussion. I think the record will show that I pretty well held every one for discussion the first two or three years I was mayor. The developers were not used to anyone holding them, let alone the mayor, and we negotiated a much shorter time for the closure and a better deal for the city. For example, keep lanes open during rush hours and close them during the day. His office sent me a list of what hes done to reduce the time that traffic lanes can be occupied for construction, including: Any road/right of way occupation of more than 30 days requires a report to council and or community council for accountability. Road occupation fees were substantially increased in 2015. Depending on the location, length of closure and road, the fee can now be hundreds of thousands of dollars. But Tory concedes that the higher fees are merely the cost of doing business for developers. Monthly auditing of construction sites to determine if staging can be safely removed before it was planned to be removed, a practice that Tory said was done at his urging. Studies were introduced a few years ago to help identify traffic impacts to the larger neighbourhood due to development, which leads to other strategies like adjusting nearby traffic signals. The city recently announced a new, one-year Construction Hub Pilot that allows staff to manage work zones to improve safety and help keep traffic moving. Its expected to provide a model for other areas of the city where there is a lot of construction and lanes being blocked. Those measures have no doubt improved the situation, even if it doesnt seem so to the public. But if Matlow and Tory whose rivalry was defined and sharpened over the Scarborough subway debate decide to make common cause on development lane closures, it can only make things better. So get on the same team, fellers. Winter Institute wound down in Baltimore last Friday evening, and for approximately 800 booksellers from across the U.S. and elsewhere, it was four (and more) days and nights packed with educational sessions, networking events, offsite excursions, book signings, publisher parties, and presentations by a number of the 140 authors in attendance. There is even a new tradition taking shape: 10 young booksellers attended the Friday morning small and university presses breakfast in their pajamas; they promise to celebrate Pajama Day again next year. In terms of conference programming, organizers seemed intent upon educating general booksellers both on selling childrens books and on accommodating young customers in their stores. Two sessions co-sponsored by the ABC and the ABA neatly bookended the conference schedule: Wednesday mornings panel of four booksellers, Training General Booksellers in Kids Book Sales, and Friday afternoons workshop, Brain Exchange: Creating a Welcoming and Open Space for LGBTQ+ Youth. Adding to all of the excitement, the ABA kicked off Wi15 with its traditional opening night reception on Tuesday evening, which this year was also a celebration of the institutes 15th anniversary and of the ABAs 120th anniversary. Later that evening, Oren Teicher, who retired on November 1 as CEO of the ABA, was feted with a special program that included tributes and skits. Wi15 ended with a special showing of Hairspray and a tribute to John Waters. Books, OOH-LA-LA! Of course, when it comes down to it, despite the educational programming, the networking opportunities, the dinners and parties, and other distractions, its all about the books for Wi15 booksellers, who were looking to discover hidden gems in the galley room, at author receptions, and other places. Hannah Oliver Depp, owner of Loyalty Bookstores in the Washington, D.C. area, said that she was most personally excited about hearing the Indie Next authors discuss their books. I always end up increasing my orders or reaching out to presses I didnt have contacts with before the panel. It makes me proud that booksellers and the ABA can have such an effect on debut writers. Depp isnt the only bookseller who felt this way, judging by the numbers of booksellers who attended the jam-packed Indies Introduce event on Wednesday. Emily Hall Schroen, the owner of Main Street Books in St. Charles, Mo., was most excited to read Silence of Bones by June Hur (Feiwel and Friends, Apr.) after hearing Hur speak about it during the Indies Introduce session featuring debut authors. Its YA historical fiction set in [Joeseon Koreaa 500-year-dynasty that ended in the late 19th century]. Its a murder mystery: a female investigator is the first woman in the world given the powers to arrest people. So good! And Pamela Klinger-Horn of Excelsior Bay Books in Excelsior, Minn., said that after hearing Gabby Noone talk about her YA novel, Layoverland (Razorbill, Jan.), she was saving this one for the plane home, because it sounds like a great recommendation for fans of Gabrielle Zevins YA masterpiece, Elsewhere. For other booksellers, its the tried and true authors who appeal. Kate Rattenborg of Dragonfly Books in Decorah, Iowa, was most excited by the latest middle grade novel by a favorite author: Lauren Wolks Echo Mountain (Dutton, Apr.). Her writing is so beautiful and I love her character development. I absolutely loved her first two novels. This one is set in Depression-era Maine and I know she is going to pull on my heartstrings. On the opposite end of the middle-grade reading spectrum, Anmiryam Budner of Main Point Books in Wayne, Pa., said that she was definitely intrigued by Middle School Bites (Holiday House, Feb.) by Steven Banks and illustrated by Mark Fearing, about a vampire struggling to fit into his new school. I can always use some more funny books that appeal to reluctant readers, she said. Picture books pulled in many booksellers. Luisa Smith of Book Passage in Corte Madera, Calif., was taken with Colin Meloys new book Everyones Awake, illustrated by Shawn Harris(Chronicle, Mar.), saying any picture book that mentions Prince gets my vote! For Nancy Simpson-Brice of the Book Vault in Oskaloosa, Iowa, Dashkas Slaters A Book for Escargot (FSG, Apr.) resonated, giving a reason that any parent and grandparent will appreciate. Ive given my four young grandchildren the nickname Fussy Eaters, she said. Any book that tackles the problem of picky eaters is a hit with me. And Escargot is such a charming little snail! Next years Winter Institute will take place February 710, 2021 in Cincinnati, Ohio. An earlier version of this article misidentified the bookseller at Dragonfly Books in Decorah, Ia. who endorsed Lauren Wolk's latest novel. It has been corrected. CHICAGO, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Diamonds sparkled and champagne flowed in Paris as the interior design firm Pierre-Yves Rochon (PYR) celebrated 40 years of luxury hospitality design. The 40th anniversary celebration also coincided with Founder and Global Design Director Pierre-Yves Rochon's introduction of the Senior Design Directors who bring his creative visions to life. These key design collaborators work with Rochon from offices in Paris and Chicago to produce timeless designs that tell meaningful stories and express beauty, comfort and authenticity. Together, they lead the design and implementation of high-profile architecture and interior design projects across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Stephane Renaud , a modernist architect who brings contemporary forms to the newly opened Hotel Martinez Cannes, Boucheron flagship store in Paris and the ongoing Mandarin Oriental Moscow. , a modernist architect who brings contemporary forms to the newly opened Hotel Martinez Cannes, Boucheron flagship store in and the ongoing Mandarin Oriental Moscow. Claire Mabon , a classical interior designer whose feminine French flair has touched the legendary Four Seasons George V Paris, Shangri-La Paris, Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills and Peninsula Shanghai. a classical interior designer whose feminine French flair has touched the legendary Four Seasons George V Paris, Shangri-La Paris, Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills and Peninsula Shanghai. Jungsoo Kim , a modernist interior designer whose global upbringing has influenced the Jade Signature luxury residential tower in Miami , Four Seasons Tianjin and the iconic Waldorf Astoria New York renovation. a modernist interior designer whose global upbringing has influenced the Jade Signature luxury residential tower in , Four Seasons Tianjin and the iconic Waldorf Astoria New York renovation. Alexandra Parsons , a classical interior designer who bridges international cultures on the soon-to-come Waldorf Astoria Doha and luxury residential villas in Beijing . "Success is not achieved by one man. It is a team. Our Senior Design Directors have worked with me for many years to bring the most iconic projects to life. I trust them," says Rochon. "At PYR, we are not only French and not only American. We are a combination of many cultures, many viewpoints, and that is our strength." Meet Pierre-Yves Rochon and his design collaborators through a short film: www.pyr-design.com/news About Pierre-Yves Rochon (PYR) Founded in Paris in 1979, PYR is the global leader in interior design for luxury hospitality and residential environments. The firm creates comfortable, elegant, and authentic experiences for historic and new properties around the world. Their unique design approach delivers award-winning results for luxury brands such as Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, Waldorf Astoria, Fairmont, St. Regis, Peninsula, Shangri-La, Sofitel, InterContinental, and numerous boutique hotels. PYR has created restaurant environments with the world's most innovative chefs, such as Joel Robuchon, Alain Ducasse, Paul Bocuse, Gerard Boyer, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten. PYR also designs bespoke furniture, fixture, carpet, lighting, and accessories for projects and collaborates with international luxury manufacturers to create commercial product lines sold worldwide. Studios in Paris and Chicago work collaboratively, with designers and technical staff organized into integrated project teams offering a full spectrum of design services from concept through construction. Design leadership is fully engaged in every aspect of the process with the ultimate goal of transforming clients' business and strategic objectives into valuable and enduring design solutions. Visit www.pyr-design.com and follow @pyrdesign on Instagram. For more information, interviews or high-resolution images, please contact: Ellie Kim Marketing Manager Pierre-Yves Rochon (PYR) ellie.kim@pyr-design.com Tel: +1 (312) 596-6817 Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1083167/Pierre_Yves_Rochon.jpg An internet privacy firm says it was able to access private personal information of more than 30,000 medical marijuana patients, recreational pot customers or dispensary employees in several states. The privacy firm was searching for unsecured data online and says the database has now been secured. The privacy firm, vpnMentor, said in a report posted on its website that Seattle, Wash.-based software firm THSuite had failed to encrypt or secure the data, which was stored in the cloud via Amazon Web Services. It discovered the breach Dec. 24, and the database was closed Jan. 14. THSuite did not return an email seeking comment. The company provides point-of-sale software for the cannabis industry that can integrate with state-mandated marijuana tracking systems. Among the dispensaries with unsecured customer and employee information were Amedicanna, a marijuana dispensary in Maryland, and Bloom Medicinals, with several locations in Ohio, the privacy firm said. A recreational pot retailer in Colorado, Colorado Grow Company, was also affected, though it wasnt clear if customer information was involved. Among the unsecured patient information were full names, birth dates, and signatures as well as street and email addresses. There was also information about dispensary inventory, sales and employee names, the privacy firm said. VpnMentor said it only checked a small sample of the records, and its certain that many more dispensaries could have the same problem. Its possible that all THSuite clients and their customers were involved, it said. The privacy firm said the breach could raise issues regarding patient privacy under federal law. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Washington Cannabis (HedgeCo.Net) The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has issued an order filing and simultaneously settling charges against Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC, of Huntington, New York, and its CEO, Jerry Szilagyi, for materially misleading statements made by Catalyst and one of its portfolio managers, and for failing to implement an adequate supervisory system to prevent such misstatements. Separately, the CFTC charged the portfolio manager, Edward Walczak, of Madison, Wisconsin, with fraud in a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin. The order requires Catalyst, a registered commodity pool operator, to pay a $1.3 million civil monetary penalty and $8,908,481 in disgorgement (including pre-judgment interest). The order also requires Szilagyi to pay a $300,000 civil monetary penalty. Catalyst and Szilagyi are ordered to cease and desist from further violations of the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) and CFTC regulations, as charged. We are committed to protecting investorsincluding those who invest in our markets through mutual funds, said CFTC Director of Enforcement James McDonald. As this case shows, when companies or individuals make misleading statements about the risks of investing in their productsstatements that go to the heart of any investment decisionthey will be held accountable. Joshua Sterling, Director of the CFTC Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight, added: The Commissions disclosure requirements are a critical component of ensuring that commodity pool investors have the full protections afforded to them and for promoting the integrity, resilience, and vibrancy of our markets. We will continue to support Enforcements efforts to ensure that commodity pool operators play by the rules. The order finds that Catalyst and its agents made representations regarding risk management of the Catalyst Hedged Futures Strategy Fund (the fund) that were materially misleading. Specifically, Catalyst is found liable for the misstatements of the funds portfolio manager regarding his management of the Funds risk, as well as Catalysts misrepresentations that stop-loss measures were in place to limit losses, when in fact no such measures existed. Additionally, while Catalyst represented that a dedicated risk manager monitored the funds risk metrics daily, the risk manager did not actually do so. The order concludes that Catalyst failed to implement or maintain adequate procedures to ensure that those acting on its behalf did not make misrepresentations to investors or investment advisors. Finally, the order finds Szilagyi liable as a control person for Catalysts violations. In the complaint filed against Walczak, the CFTC alleges that, from at least November 2014 to February 2017, Walczak led investors or investment advisors to believe that the fund was a safer investment than it actually was. Among other things, the complaint alleges that that Walczak falsely told investment advisors that he took specific steps to prevent the fund from losing more than 8 percent of its value. The complaint alleges that Walczak routinely failed to hedge in the manner he said he did, ultimately resulting in at least $500,000,000 of investor losses. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) today also issued an order filing and settling similar charges against Catalyst and Szilagyi, and filed a complaint against Walczak in federal court. Per the terms of the CFTC and SEC orders, each agency will give credit for monetary sanctions paid by Catalyst and/or Szilagyi to the other. Moreover, per the terms of the SEC order, a Fair Fund will be established for the benefit of affected investors. In its continuing civil litigation against Walczak, the CFTC seeks, among other relief, disgorgement of benefits from violations of the CEA and CFTC regulations, restitution, civil monetary penalties, registration bans, and permanent injunctions against future violations of the federal commodities laws, as charged. PR-Inside.com: 2020-01-30 13:00:23 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 312 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 MONTREAL, QC / ACCESSWIRE / January 30, 2020 / Quebec Precious Metals Corporation (TSXV:CJC)(FSE:YXEP)(OTC:CJCFF) ("QPM" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that a magnetic heliborne survey is in progress to cover the Elmer East project (the "Project"). The Project consists of 929 claims (488 km2) (see press release of January 28, 2020). It is located along trend from the recent Patwon prospect gold discovery made by Azimut Exploration Inc. on its Elmer project located in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay territory, Quebec. The results will help define the next exploration phase on the Project to be carried out by the Company in 2020.The heliborne survey is being carried out by Geo Data Solutions GDS inc (based in Laval). Processing and interpretation of the geophysical data will be performed by Inter Geophysique Inc. (based in Rosemere).Qualified PersonsNormand Champigny, Eng., Chief Executive Officer of the Company, and Jean-Sebastien Lavallee (OGQ #773), geologist, Vice-President Exploration, director and shareholder of the Company, both Qualified Persons under NI 43- 101 on standards of disclosure for mineral projects, have prepared and approved the technical content of this release.About Quebec Precious Metals CorporationQPM is a gold explorer with a large land position in the highly prospective Eeyou Istchee James Bay territory, Quebec, near Newmont Corporation's Eleonore gold mine. QPM's flagship project is the Sakami project with significant grades and well-defined drill-ready targets. QPM's goal is to rapidly explore this project to advance it to the mineral resource estimate stage.For more information please contact:Jean-Francois MeilleurPresidentTel.: 514 951-2730jfmeilleur@ qpmcorp.ca Normand ChampignyChief Executive OfficerTel.: 514 979-4746nchampigny@ qpmcorp.ca Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.SOURCE: Quebec Precious Metals Corporation PELLA, Iowa In one of his most direct confrontations yet with his top rival in the Iowa caucuses, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Thursday called out Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont for not being a Democrat even as Mr. Sanders makes a competitive run for that partys presidential nomination, and Mr. Biden also jabbed Mr. Sanderss record on gun control in among his most detailed remarks on the matter to date. Im a Democrat, said Mr. Biden, who moments earlier had told reporters at a Dairy Queen here that the contrasts between himself and his top rivals were self-evident. Asked to elaborate, Mr. Biden swiped at Mr. Sanders, who represents Vermont as an independent in the Senate. Well, he says hes not. He says you know, hes not registered as a Democrat, to the best of my knowledge. And Bernie has a different view. The remarks, in response to reporters questions, capped a day of sparring among the leading Democratic presidential contenders here, four days before the Iowa caucuses. Earlier in the day, Pete Buttigieg escalated his attacks on Mr. Biden as well as Mr. Sanders, taking direct aim at the two leading presidential candidates as he tries to gain ground before the Iowa caucuses. And Mr. Biden, when asked about Mr. Sanderss record on gun control, directly attacked him for opposing one of the most popular Democratic-backed gun measures in the 1990s, something he had resisted doing in detail as recently as last week. I think Bernie has made his verbal amends for his record on guns, he said in a barely veiled jab. Asked whether that was sufficient, he said, Well yeah I do, I think he means it. I think that, you know, the fact that he gave the gun manufacturers an exemption that no other, no other industry in the world in the United States has, I think he regrets having done that. Microsoft on Wednesday gave another solid quarterly report card to Wall Street, as it plows ahead in selling its cloud computing services to big businesses and the government. The company reported fiscal second-quarter profit of $11.6 billion, up 36 per cent from the same period last year. Net income of $1.51 per share beat Wall Street expectations. The software maker posted revenue of $36.9 billion in the October-December period on record sales, up 14 per cent from last year and also beating forecasts. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella addresses a news conference in Berlin, Germany February 27, 2019 Analysts polled by FactSet expected Microsoft to earn $1.32 per share on revenue of $35.7 billion for the October-December quarter. They are predicting a forecast of $1.24 in earnings per share on revenue of $34.1 billion for the January-March quarter. Goldman Sachs analyst Heather Bellini said in a note to investors Wednesday that Microsoft's Azure cloud computing business has been growing faster than the broader cloud market. Azure's quarterly revenue grew 62 per cent from the same time last year. Bellini said the company's subscription-based Office 365 workplace software products also remain 'front and center' as businesses look to transform their digital operations. She said price increases that began in October 2018 are continuing to drive revenue, as are Microsoft's moves to phase out older products such as Windows 7, which came out in 2009. Microsoft stopped providing free security updates for the legacy operating system earlier this month, forcing users to upgrade to Windows 10 if they don't want to be vulnerable to malware and hacking. In this file photo taken on January 05, 2011, the Windows Logo at a Microsoft press conference at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada Microsoft's efforts to catch up to No. 1 cloud provider Amazon got a big boost in October when the US Department of Defense awarded Microsoft a $10 billion contract to supply the US military with cloud services for the next decade. Amazon is protesting Microsoft's award, saying President Donald Trump improperly influenced the bidding process, and asked the US Court of Federal Claims this month to halt any substantive work while its lawsuit proceeds. The Pentagon wants Microsoft to start sooner, arguing that the computing project known as JEDI is urgently needed for national security. The project, formally called the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure plan, would store and process vast amounts of classified data. Mizuho analyst Gregg Moskowitz said in a note that the JEDI cloud contract was a game-changer for Microsoft that goes beyond its likely $10 billion in revenue over the next decade. He said it could also serve as a template leading to broader adoption by other government agencies and business customers. Microsoft's Surface hardware business grew by 6 per cent from the same time last year after the company launched new laptops and tablets in the fall. But another consumer business, the Xbox gaming system, experienced a 11 per cent revenue decline as Microsoft's gaming division prepares to release a new console later this year. Revenue from the company's professional networking service, LinkedIn, grew by 24 per cent. The Logo of business and employment-oriented service LinkedIn is displayed on a smartphone on December 14, 2018 in Berlin, Germany Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella celebrated the strong profit and revenue in a statement Wednesday, while also calling attention to the company's work 'to ensure the technology we build is inclusive, trusted and creates a more sustainable world.' Nadella pledged earlier this month that by 2030 the company will be removing more carbon from the environment than it emits. To get there, the company said it plans to cut emissions from its business and supply chain, while helping to fund the development of new technology to remove carbon from the air. Shares in Microsoft Corp., which is based in Redmond, Washington, rose $5.54, or 3.3 per cent, to $173.58 in after-hours trading following the release of the earnings report. On the Frontline Against China, the US Coast Guard Is Taking on Missions the US Navy Can't Do Competition with China has drawn more Pentagon resources to the Pacific, but the most visible U.S. military presence there... With a new poll showing Mike Bloomberg gaining traction with Texas voters but still trailing the top Democratic contenders for the White House, the former New York City Mayor was back in Houston on Wednesday trying to rally support specifically from black voters. Im running for office to make sure that every student from every neighborhood has the same opportunities that I did, said the wealthy founder and CEO of a media company that bears his name. Because the truth is, if I had been black I wouldnt have had the same opportunities and my life would have turned out very differently. At the same time, I think its mostly true that many black Americans of my generation would have ended up with far more wealth if they had been white. Bloomberg told hundreds of people from around the nation attending a symposium on the future of black America that if he becomes president he will make closing the racial wealth gap a top priority in his administration. He said he knows ending economic inequality is a monumental task, but he says hes standing by his plan to do it. Im not running for president to do small things, Bloomberg said at the event organized in large part by the Womens Missionary Society of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Im running to do things that will make a difference. More Information Texas primary election dates Feb. 3 - Last day to register to vote in time for the Democratic and Republican presidential primary elections Feb. 18 - The first day of early voting Feb. 28 - Early voting ends March 3 - Election day See More Collapse Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox Bloomberg has made Texas a big part of his unorthodox campaign for the White House. He jumped into the presidential race in November, more than six months after the top contenders, and has largely bypassed early voting states Iowa and New Hampshire. Instead, Bloomberg has trained his sights on winning big on Super Tuesday on March 3 when Texas and California will be among 14 states voting. Trumps campaign was quick to cast Bloomberg as an out of touch coastal elite who is a danger to the Texas economy. Voters will reject Bloombergs radical policies and will overwhelmingly re-elect President Trump in November, Trump campaign spokeswoman Samantha Cotten said. Bloomberg took not-so-subtle jabs at Trump during his speech on Wednesday as he emphasized that while he is wealthy now, he did not come from money and did not inherit wealth. Later, he told the crowd that Democrats need a candidate like him who can beat Trump in November. Weve just got to beat him, Bloomberg said. The future of our country depends on it. For subscribers: Bloomberg makes campaign push in Texas Texas has 228 delegates up for grabs on March 3, enough to catapult a candidate into the lead for the Democratic nomination even if he or she were to lose the first four early-voting states in February. Early voting in Texas begins in less than three weeks on Feb. 18. Bloomberg has spent big on Texas television ads, while most of the other candidates have yet to run any ads in the state. And Bloomberg has already made four trips to Texas just since the start of December more than any other contender. A new poll of Texas voters released on Wednesday shows its helping Bloomberg in the polls. The Texas Lyceum poll of 401 potential Democratic primary voters showed former Vice President Joe Biden still leads the field in Texas with 28 percent, just ahead of ahead of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who got 26 percent. Meanwhile, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren polled at 13 percent and Bloomberg was at 9 percent. The margin of error in that poll was plus or minus 4.9 percent. But another national poll shows Bloomberg and all of the contenders struggling to match Bidens appeal to black voters. In a Quinnipiac University poll released this week, 49 percent of black voters were supporting Biden. Bloomberg had just 7 percent. In an interview with Hearst Newspapers, Bloomberg said those numbers are changing. He said his internal polls show he is gaining ground as he addresses the issues important to the black community, such as income inequality. Bloomberg told the crowd at the Hilton North Houston Hotel that his goal is to help black families triple their wealth over the next 10 years, doubling the number of black-owned businesses and helping another 1 million black families buy homes. He said those steps would go a long way to address the systemic inequality in the American economy that has been a barrier to so many. Black Americans have waited long enough, Bloomberg said. After his appearance in Houston, Bloomberg headed to El Paso to campaign on Wednesday night. His Texas campaign stop comes as Warren, Sanders and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., are tied down in Washington, D.C. for the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. Nina Turner, co-chair of the Sanders campaign, was in Houston on Wednesday to address the same group and counter Bloomberg. Turner said Bloomberg may be spending big in Texas, but the new polling shows he still has a long way to catch up with Sanders campaign, who has a dedicated ground game in Texas. Money cant buy you love, Turner said. Hardin County will have a hospital for the first time in more than 20 years after Altus Emergency Centers received certification for its freestanding emergency room in Lumberton to operate as a hospital. The company will celebrate the renaming of the Altus Lumberton Hospital today with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, marking the transition from solely offering emergency care to accepting patients in its four-bed inpatient center. The facility on LHS Drive opened in December 2013 with the intent of one day operating as a hospital. Administration began the process of gaining hospital licensing in summer 2019 and reached final approval just before the new year. President Kevin Herrington said the design and additional space allotted in the building for growth made the transition as painless as could be expected while it handled the proper inspections. It was more about timing than anything else, Herrington said. When we first opened, we didnt want to be viewed as a competitor to the other hospitals in the area and our physicians didnt think it was the right time to transition. It was during (Tropical Storm) Harvey, when we were the only facility open and were seeing all different kinds of patients, that we knew we needed to start with a plan to become a full-service hospital. The hospital wont be able to offer any kind of surgical procedures or specialty treatment, but Herrington said at least 10,000 square feet of additional space on the second floor could be converted into new suites if needed. Additional acreage behind the hospital could be used for future growth. Along with the four inpatient rooms, the facility has a suite of imaging technologies and diagnostic services. Herrington said the company hired at least 10 new employees to help staff the new inpatient services. At least one physician and one nurse practitioner will be on duty at all times. The hospital will have one nurse to four patients, a slightly lower ratio than most Texas hospitals. The next step for the hospital will be gaining certification from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to accept Medicare patients and be reimbursed for care. Herrington said the process has already started, but certification can take some time. Dr. Ikechukwu Ilochonwu, chief of staff for the Altus Lumberton Hospital, said the addition of inpatient services means the caregivers who have gotten to know local patients over the years as emergency care providers now have more time to handle situations before patients go home or are transferred out. Before, in the ER, we could only legally observe them for a couple of hours before transferring them or releasing them, Ilochonwu said. Now, we wont have to do that. They can be taken care of by our providers and we can provide chronic care for two or four days to help them get better and send them home. Ilochonwu said Altus physicians often see patients with chronic illnesses and have become experienced with handling complications with diabetes and other common diseases. As insurance companies and care practices move to reducing recovery time in hospitals, he said Altus can now more easily play a part in helping patients improve recovery rates. A lot of the patients that normally go through the ER dont want to go to the hospital. They see it as taking too much time and dont want to be away from home, Ilochonwu said. We are now bringing them care in Lumberton, so there isnt that inconvenience on their families. In 2017, Altus Lumberton facility and other emergency rooms it owned were listed for sale through a real estate firm. Herrington confirmed at the time that the company was trying to sell the locations to other owners but retain their operations through leasing agreements to cut overhead. The hospital property is still held by Altus Lumberton Realty and had an appraised value of $6.9 million in 2019, according to the Hardin County Appraisal District. Altus currently operates freestanding emergency centers in Lake Jackson, Baytown and Waxahachie. Despite the new addition in Lumberton, the states rural areas have actually been shedding hospitals in the last decade. Since 2010, 113 rural hospitals have closed across the country, almost a quarter of them in Texas. About 20% of the nations rural hospitals, including 12 in Texas, are considered at high risk for closing, according to data from Navigant Consulting. Despite several attempts from county officials and individuals cities to attract medical institutions to Hardin County, it was left without a hospital when Silsbee Doctors Hospital closed its doors in 1999 after more than 30 years in operation. jacob.dick@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/jdickjournalism The journalists work for Iwacu, one of the few remaining private media organisations in the East African nation. A court in Burundi has sentenced four journalists to two and a half years in prison for trying to undermine state security. They were arrested in October in Musigati district in western Bubanza Province while covering an incursion of rebels from the province of South Kivu in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo. The prosecution had called for a 15-year sentence largely based on a WhatsApp exchange of messages between one of the reporters and a colleague based abroad in which the former allegedly wrote: We are heading for Bubanza to help the rebels. The journalists work for Iwacu, one of the few remaining private media organisations in the East African nation. Iwacus founder, Antoine Kaburahe, who lives in exile in Belgium, tweeted that the organisation would appeal the decision of the court in Bubanza Province. They have 30 days to do so. The conviction and sentencing of Agnes Ndirubusa, Christine Kamikazi, Egide Harerimana and Terence Mpozenzi on trumped-up charges marks a sad day for the right to freedom of expression and press freedom in Burundi, said Seif Magango, Amnesty Internationals Deputy Regional Director for East Africa. Magango said the authorities must quash the conviction and sentences and the four journalists must be immediately and unconditionally released. Jean Bigirimana, a journalist with Iwacu, has been missing since July 2016. Crackdown on media The Burundian government has cracked down on the media ahead of this years presidential election in May. Several local radio stations and media houses have been closed and many journalists have fled the country. President Pierre Nkurunzizas government suspended broadcasts in the country by the US-based Voice of America and the BBC. Burundi has been plagued by political violence since 2015, when Nkurunziza announced he would seek a disputed third term. He won re-election despite widespread protests. The United Nations says more than 1,200 people have been killed in the ensuing crackdown. Nkurunziza has said he will not run again and the ruling party recently named an army General Evariste Ndayishimiye as its candidate in the May election. China on Thursday allocated nearly USD four billion funding to support efforts to contain the dreaded coronavirus as the death toll from the epidemic jumped to 170, with the foundations of Jack Ma and Bill & Melinda Gates also opening their wallets to help in the fight against the outbreak. The coronavirus outbreak began in Wuhan, capital of China's Hubei province, in December and has now spread across the globe. The Chinese authorities are trying to contain the epidemic while other countries, including India, are working on plans to evacuate their citizens from Wuhan and other cities in Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak. The death toll in China has increased sharply to 170 with 38 more fatalities while the confirmed cases jumped to 7,711, China's National Health Commission said on Thursday. China has allocated 27.3 billion yuan (about USD 3.94 billion) to support the battle across the country against the novel coronavirus, the Finance Ministry said. The funds have been allocated to guarantee the coronavirus prevention and control work, state-run Xinhua agency reported. More efforts are required to improve fiscal and taxation measures for coronavirus prevention and control in a timely manner, the Finance Ministry said. Financial departments at all levels should reasonably allocate funds and make sure that the prevention and control work will not be affected by funding problems, the meeting noted, Xinhua reported. Also, the government has announced a special daily subsidy of 300 yuan (about USD 42) for medical personnel working in close contact with the coronavirus affected patients, it said. Meanwhile, funds are pouring in to step up research to develop vaccine to counter the coronavirus. Alibaba founder Jack Ma, the second-richest person in China, reportedly pledged USD 14 million (100 million yuan) to efforts to develop a coronavirus vaccine through his Jack Ma Foundation. "We firmly know that while scientists are racing against the clock, it won't be an easy task from the vaccine research to the final large-scale production and use," Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group and the Jack Ma Foundation said. Ma said the foundation will strive to provide more help for the development and accumulation of medical science in the fight against viruses. Alibaba Group said it would provide public research institutions free access to all AI capabilities needed for the development of vaccines and new drugs for the novel coronavirus. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced a USD10 million commitment to help frontline responders in China and Africa contain the spread of novel coronavirus. The foundation pledged USD five million in support of response efforts in China and is working with public- and private-sector partners to accelerate national and international cooperation in the areas of critical need, including efforts to identify and confirm cases, safely isolate and care for infected patients, and develop treatments and vaccines. China is still in emergency mode in dealing with the coronavirus threat and not yet started counting the costs and the impact it would have on its already slowing down economy. The world's 2nd largest economy grew by 6.1 per cent last year, the lowest annual growth rate in 29 years amid the bruising 18-month long trade war with the US. The government is hoping to halt the slowdown this year after reaching the phase one trade deal with Washington. With the coronavirus causing devastating impact by virtually bringing the country to halt, analysts say it may have substantial impact on the economy this year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Farhan Azmi, son of Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi, has said that if Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will go to Ayodhya then he along with other members of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government will also go there for constructing Babri Masjid. "I demand and I am warning it, consider it as a threat or whatever; if Uddhav Thackeray being the Chief Minister goes to Ayodhya on March 7 then I will also go along. I will also ask my father to accompany me, I call upon members of MVA and SP members to come along," Azmi said on Monday. "If Uddhav Thackeray confirms his ticket for Ayodhya then we all will hold foot-march to Ayodhya, we will also go along, but the condition is that he will construct Ram Temple and we will construct Babri Masjid," he added. "On the completion of 100 days of your government why don't you go to Siddhi Vinayak instead. Don't you faith left for Siddhi Vinayak?" he taunted Thackeray. Azmi made the remarks at an event organised to oppose the amended citizenship law. On the completion of 100 days of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is slated to visit Ayodhya to pay homage to Lord Ram. Shiv Sena Spokesperson Sanjay Raut on January 22 that alliance partners (Congress, NCP) can also accompany the Chief Minister. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian government sources had earlier indicated that envoys of the European Union member countries had wanted to travel as a bloc. New Delhi: British high commissioner to India Sir Dominic Asquith on Thursday said his country has put in a standing request to the Indian government for British diplomats visit Jammu and Kashmir, but clarified, in response to a question, that permission had not been given so far in the past few months by New Delhi. In response to a question, he also said Britain had not been invited to be part of the 15-member foreign envoys delegation that visited Jammu and Kashmir earlier this month. On protests in India regarding the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), he referred to the fact that together with all, development for all and trust of all (sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas) has been the stated objective of the Narendra Modi government, adding, I trust that it (the Indian government) will be addressing the concerns that have been expressed on CAA. Sir Asquith, who is returning to Britain after completing his tenure as High Commissioner on Friday, said British diplomats remain very interested in visiting J&K, pointing out that British deputy high commissioner Jan Thompson had visited J&K last February. It may be recalled that Norway was only the European country represented in the 15-member foreign envoys delegation that had visited Jammu and Kashmir on January 9 and 10 in a visit that had been organised by the Indian government. Interestingly, Norway is not a member of the European Union. The Indian government may take another delegation of foreign envoys to J&K in the next few weeks and envoys of EU member countries could be among them this time. Indian government sources had earlier indicated that envoys of the European Union member countries had wanted to travel as a bloc. In response to a question on the resolutions tabled in the European Parliament criticising the CAA, Sir Asquith said that in democracies, members of Parliament are entitled to ask questions. Thats what democracies do, he said. Observers point out that the British approach seems different from that of the French on the European Parliament issue, with France backing New Delhi completely on the stand that the CAA issue is an internal matter of India. On bilateral ties, Sir Dominic also expressed confidence that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson would visit India sometime this year. Sports centres and grounds, swimming pools, beaches, camp sites, musuems and other public sites in Hong Kong have been closed as a precaution Asian nations have sealed borders and clamped down on Chinese visitors as they try to protect themselves from a deadly virus epidemic. The outbreak has killed 170 people in China, infected over 7,700 more and sparked progressively more urgent precautions around the region. Here are some key measures taken outside mainland China: - Hong Kong - Six of the territory's 14 mainland crossings were sealed from Thursday as the city took steps to cut the number of people arriving. Visitors from the ground-zero central Chinese province Hubei, as well as people who have visited the area, are banned from entering Hong Kong. Sports centres and grounds, swimming pools, beaches, camp sites, musuems and other public sites were closed as a precaution. - Japan - If quarantine authorities judge that an arriving visitor has the virus, that person can be barred entry, the Japanese immigration service has said. - Kazakhstan - The Central Asian nation announced Wednesday it has stopped issuing visas to Chinese citizens and will cut all major transport links with China over the outbreak. Cross-border buses were ordered to stop from Wednesday, followed by the suspension of passenger train services from Saturday. Regular flights between the two countries will be suspended from February 3. - Malaysia - Visitors from Wuhan and surrounding Hubei province have been banned since Monday. Authorities have temporarily stopped issuing visas for Chinese citizens from the hard-hit areas. Malaysia's home minister said Thursday that 14 Chinese nationals from Wuhan were barred from entering after they arrived at the Kuala Lumpur airport. - Mongolia - Mongolia has closed its border with China to cars, temporarily shut schools and suspended all public events. The measures announced Monday by the vast, landlocked country were some of the most drastic steps taken by any nation. - Northern Mariana Islands - The Pacific island states on Thursday banned all travellers from China to protect against the growing outbreak. Story continues Chinese tourist traffic is a pillar of the economy in the US Pacific commonwealth. - North Korea - Plans to ban foreign tourists were announced on January 22 as the already isolated nation sought to shield itself against the virus. Pyongyang has taken similar actions in the past -- it closed its borders to foreign tourists for more than four months from October 2014 in a bid to keep out the Ebola virus, even though no cases had been reported in Asia. - Papua New Guinea - The impoverished nation shut air and seaports Wednesday to all foreign travellers coming from Asia. The ministry of immigration also announced that Papua New Guinea's only border -- with Indonesian-controlled West Papua province -- would be shut from Thursday. Papua New Guinea residents returning from Asian countries will be held in quarantine for 14 days. - The Philippines - Visa-on-arrival privileges for Chinese were suspended Tuesday to slow down the entry of tourists from the country, while Filipinos were advised to avoid non-essential travel to China. Charter flights between Wuhan, the Hubei city where the virus is suspected to have originated, and the Philippine island of resort of Boracay are suspended. - Singapore - Singapore announced Tuesday it will ban visitors who have travelled to Hubei as well as those with passports issued in the province. - Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka on Tuesday said Chinese tourists will now have to apply online for a visa in order to visit, instead of being able to get one on arrival. - Taiwan - Taiwan initially banned anyone from Wuhan and Hubei province travelling to the island, but has since widened its restrictions. Earlier this week Taipei issued a near blanket ban on Chinese tourists, though business travel is still permitted. However, the number of mainland tourists travelling to Taiwan has sharply decreased in recent years as part of Beijing's ongoing push to put economic pressure on the self-ruled, democratic island. - Vietnam - Vietnam said it would temporarily bar granting visas for Chinese tourists from virus-hit areas except for emergencies. Authorities also said visitors with high fever or who are suspected of being infected could be stopped from entering. (TNS) California is experimenting with abolishing freedom. This weeks progress toward that progressive goal includes plans for the suffocation of the ride-share industry.Once upon a time, hailing a ride in California was the stuff of comedy monologues and horror movies about hitchhikers. Then technology and business innovation made it possible for someone who needed a ride to pay someone with a car, and to do it all with an app on their phones.This was achieved without the permission of the government, which is more or less the definition of freedom.Its not all that easy to abolish freedom in the United States, which has a written Constitution that bars the states from arbitrarily revoking life and liberty. California is rising to the challenge with new laws and regulations that effectively require the governments advance permission for life and liberty, or at least for everything that makes them possible.The states plan to abolish freedom includes the job-destroying legislation known as Assembly Bill 5, signed last year by Gov. Gavin Newsom. This law makes it illegal for most companies to hire independent contractors as part of their workforce. Companies must put workers on the payroll as employees instead, and control their schedule and earnings.That pretty much terminated the business model of companies such as Uber and Lyft, which enable people to drive their own cars, on their own schedules, using the companies apps to connect with customers and get paid.Much legal and political wrangling is still to come before there is a final resolution on that.But California isnt resting for one instant in its effort to smother the ride-share business. This week, the California Air Resources Board announced in Sacramento that it is preparing per-mile greenhouse gas targets and electric-vehicle targets to limit the emissions from companies such as Uber and Lyft.In December, CARB released its SB 1014 Clean Miles Standard 2018 Base-year Emissions Inventory Report. According to the executive summary, Senate Bill 1014, enacted in 2018, directs CARB and the California Public Utilities Commission to develop and implement measures to reduce GHG emissions from transportation network companies (TNC).The fearsome CARB staff began the process of guessing, in units of grams of CO2 per passenger-mile traveled (gCO2/PMT), inventory for the combined TNC industry by January 1, 2020.There are more than a few uncertainties involved in trying to calculate the gCO2/PMT of the fleet of TNC vehicles, especially if people are free to turn the apps on and off and work whenever they choose. You might think this is an argument for calling off an ill-advised regulatory overreach. Clearly youre not pulling down one of those six-figure staff salaries at CARB.At the present time, GHG emissions from the TNC sector is small compared to the total light duty vehicle sector. Nevertheless, we anticipate growth in VMT attributable to TNCs, which necessitates formulation of immediate policies, the CARB report states.VMT stands for Vehicle Miles Traveled, which California considers an impact on the environment that must be mitigated before projects may be allowed to go forward. Now, apparently, it must be mitigated before people may be allowed to ride-share.So CARB is studying overlapping trips, the practice of drivers running multiple apps simultaneously. Its studying deadheading to see how often ride-share cars drive without a passenger. Its studying occupancy to compare the GHG emissions of pooled vs. non-pooled rides.To do this, CARB demanded trip-level data from transportation network companies for all vehicles using their services. The staff mapped the location of drivers to see where there were too many and where there were too few. They fretted over research suggesting TNCs may cause a net increase in VMT and a reduced use of other travel modes such as mass transit and active transport (i.e., walk, bike, and scooter). They counted the hybrid vehicles, charted the age of the cars and made colorful charts of a stick painting algorithm. Regulations will follow. Compliance will be mandatory.This story is a microcosm of how central planning destroys an economy. All it needs is a pretext and the government can quickly set up a regime that eventually requires everyone to obtain the governments advance permission to do anything. Thats how free countries become the other kind. 30.01.2020 LISTEN Johannesburg, 30 January 2020; Improving energy access for the population of Africa is critical to achieving the regions 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Energy access is a pivotal catalyst for economic development, improving levels of efficiency which is considered a significant factor in promoting growth and structural transformation across the African continent. The landscape and population distribution of the African continent affirms why major power plants lack the capacity to reach and serve all areas. Considering that many of these regions are located so far from other urban centres, extending a countrys main electrical grid remains unaffordable. This then gives rise to the provisional solution of holistically studying energy access and planning, which includes integrating smaller mini-grids that operate independently from the main grid in isolated regions of the continent. Application of such solutions could also prove sustainable in areas where it remains unfeasible to spread the grid, due to issues of topography or low population density. Mini-grids present a viable solution to increasing energy access to Africas population while also tapping into Africas huge potential for renewable energy. This will require authorization from the public sector to allow private sector involvement, in the form of regulations and financing mechanisms. Africas abundant renewable energy sources remain the most economical strategy for powering mini-grids. Nonetheless, the development of mini-grids presents various challenges that require attention. Barriers confronting the development of private sector mini-grids in Africa include gaps in the policy and regulation governing mini-grids along with discrepancies in market data and linkages; capacity of key stakeholders and access to funding. In response to these barriers, leaders have sought to combine the efforts of development partners, who are supporting the expansion of private sector involvement in mini-grids, as well as private investors. This can prove instrumental in providing clean energy mini-grid projects with the necessary sustainability, thereby enabling African nations to achieve their commitments to the Paris Climate Agreement, as well as their Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Development partners have provided governments with grants for the development of business models and the provision of technical training and expertise with the purpose of improving energy access levels across the continent. Africa could be well on its way to achieving universal energy access if sound partnerships between the government, private sector and development partners are established and maintained. This will involve the development of business models to boost sectoral growth, the creation of an enabling climate through the formulation of relevant policy and regulation, and lastly access to innovative funding mechanisms from both the development community and private investors. Mini-grid power projects are set to make a huge impact as Africa plays catch-up in its generation capacity. These revolutionary solutions will form a key component in the discussions at the upcoming Africa Energy Indaba, and anyone vested in the energy sector will reap the benefits of attending this premier conference. Our aim is to unlock the potential on mini-grid power projects and catalyse the business opportunity linked to developing these projects in Africa. The conference programme will feature this aspect as well as link interested parties to the key role-players in Africa, commented Liz Hart, Managing Director, Africa Energy Indaba. ABOUT AFRICA ENERGY INDABA 2020 Theme: African Energy Catalysing Investment and Business Opportunities The Africa Energy Indaba is the continents definitive energy event, providing an agenda that influences energy policy for Africa. Attended by Ministers and decision-makers, the prestigious event serves as the ideal platform for achieving Africa's energy vision for a sustainable energy future and keeping abreast of global energy competitors in this dynamic landscape. The event has proven its success year on year, demonstrating extreme efficaciousness in addressing key issues impacting the African energy sector while devising solutions to best mitigate these pressing concerns. Strategic partnerships with the World Energy Council, the South African National Energy Association and the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency ensure the event is backed by leading energy drivers. The symposium provides invaluable business growth opportunities for the continent's energy realm, subsequently inspiring much-needed transformation within the sector. MADISON, N.J., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Century 21 Real Estate LLC announced that in 2019 the CENTURY 21 System raised more than $3.1 million for Easterseals, an organization that for 100 years has been providing exceptional services, education, outreach and advocacy so people with disabilities can live, learn, work and thrive in their communities. Since the inception of this philanthropic partnership in 1979, CENTURY 21 independent franchisees and affiliated relentless sales professionals have raised more than $126 million for Easterseals. "We are proud to be aligned with Easterseals and its affiliates who are relentless in their efforts to deliver the extraordinary to individuals and families living with disabilities," said Michael Miedler, president and chief executive officer of Century 21 Real Estate. "Knowing that the funds we raise every year is directly impacting millions of people in local communities across North America affirms our work and our 41-year history together." "Easterseals is truly grateful for our 41-year collaboration with Century 21 Real Estate," said Angela F. Williams, Easterseals' President and CEO. "CENTURY 21 affiliated brokers and independent agents have been supporting Easterseals services for decades, helping us make a difference in the lives of children and adults with disabilities across North America. Many thanks to the CENTURY 21 System for helping us ensure that everyone, regardless of age or ability, is 100% included and 100% empowered." In 2019, for the sixth consecutive year, the top three Easterseals fundraisers from the CENTURY 21 System were: 1. CENTURY 21 Town & Country; Utica, Michigan 2. CENTURY 21 Judge Fite Company; Dallas, Texas 3. CENTURY 21 B.J. Roth Realty Ltd.; Barrie, Ontario, Canada. This is the 23rd straight year that CENTURY 21 Town & Country has held the top spot among brokerages for fundraising efforts to benefit Easterseals. In fact, in 2019, CENTURY 21 Town & Country raised a record $1,489,287.60. This year, 14 of the Top 21 leading CENTURY 21 fundraisers are Canadian firms, led by CENTURY 21 B.J. Roth in Ontario. The "Top 21" North American Fundraisers for Easterseals in 2019 are: 1. CENTURY 21 Town & Country; Utica, Michigan 2. CENTURY 21 Judge Fite Company; Dallas, Texas 3. CENTURY 21 B.J. Roth Realty Ltd., Barrie, Ontario, Canada 4. CENTURY 21 Foothills Real Estate, High River, Alberta, Canada 5. CENTURY 21 Bamber Realty Ltd., Calgary, Alberta, Canada 6. CENTURY 21 Dome Realty Inc., Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada 7. CENTURY 21 First Canadian Corp., London, Ontario, Canada 8. CENTURY 21 Scheetz; Carmel, Indiana 9. CENTURY 21 Leading Edge Realty Inc., Markham, Ontario, Canada 10. CENTURY 21 Frontier Realty; McMurray, Pennsylvania 11. CENTURY 21 Green Realty Inc., Mississauga, Ontario, Canada 12. CENTURY 21 Bachman & Associates, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada 13. CENTURY 21 North Homes Realty, Inc.; Everett, Washington 14. CENTURY 21 Assurance Realty Ltd., Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada 15. CENTURY 21 Fusion, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada 16. CENTURY 21 Heritage Group Ltd., Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada 17. CENTURY 21 Heritage House Ltd., Woodstock, Ontario, Canada 18. CENTURY 21 Executives Realty Ltd., Vernon, British Columbia, Canada 19. CENTURY 21 Dreams, Inc., Oakville, Ontario, Canada 20. CENTURY 21 Peak, Woodland Hills, California 21.CENTURY 21 Professional Group, Inc., Ocoee, Florida A reception recognizing the achievements of the "Top 21" companies will be held on February 24, 2020 during the One21 Experience, the global CENTURY 21 event in Los Angeles, California. About Century 21 Real Estate LLC The approximately 131,000 independent sales professionals in approximately 11,500 offices spanning 84 countries and territories in the CENTURY 21 System live their mission every day: to defy mediocrity and deliver extraordinary experiences. By consistently chasing excellence, giving 121% and always elevating, the CENTURY 21 brand is helping its affiliated brokers/agents to be the first choice for real estate consumers and industry professionals worldwide. Century 21 Real Estate has numerous websites to help answer specific consumer needs. They are century21.com, century21.com/global, century21.com/commercial, century21.com/finehomes and century21.com/espanol. Century 21 Real Estate LLC is a subsidiary of Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY), a global leader in real estate franchising and provider of real estate brokerage, relocation and settlement services. 2020 Century 21 Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved. CENTURY 21, C21 and the CENTURY 21 Logo are registered service marks owned by Century 21 Real Estate LLC. Century 21 Real Estate LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each office is independently owned and operated. Contacts: Peter Mosca Century 21 Real Estate LLC Phone: 973.407.5180 Email: [email protected] Cindy Metzger Easterseals Phone: 312.551.7144 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Century 21 Real Estate LLC Related Links http://century21.com This isn't about politics, this is about saving Montana from corruption. Montana is pivotal for the rest of the nation. If you don't believe it, see how many times Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, Vice President Mike Pence, Donald Trump Jr. and Attorney General William Barr have come to Montana to pump their political agenda. They have spent a lot of taxpayer money on their many trips. They are supporting Greg Gianforte, Matt Rosendale and Steve Daines, who all support Trump's agenda no matter how corrupt. We need someone who truly cares about Montana. Once Montana is chopped up and sold off, it will be gone forever. We need to choose someone for governor like Mike Cooney, who really cares and is a native to Montana, and Raph Graybill for attorney general. Both have lots of experience and love Montana and its people and wildlife. Those are my choices, because I know their background. Do your research, stop dark money from destroying our state, whether Republican, Independent or Democrat. If you love our way of life here, vote against corruption coming out of Washington. Joseph Gervais, Corvallis You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 There are important similarities and differences between the Kerala floods in 2018 and 2019 and the Himalayan floods of Uttarakhand and Kashmir in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Most importantly, floods in Kerala are likely to affect the local ecology in some parts of the Western Ghats, whereas floods in the Himalayan regions will affect North India as a whole. However, both the regions have a fragile ecology that is threatened by ecological destruction and industrial development. Thus, the Central Water Commission and other government agencies should take a holistic view towards addressing floods and dam management in these regions. Floods have been a part of the natural system of the earth from the earliest times, along with earthquakes, landslides, avalanches, hurricanes and tsunamis. However, since the introduction of agriculture and urbanisation, human activity has been directly contributing towards floods. Floods can change the geomorphology of a region and change the landscape drastically. Their occurrence and intensity depends on natural hydrological systems and rainfall (monsoons in the context of the Indian subcontinent, and double monsoons with regard to Kerala), its intensity as well as occurrences like cloudbursts, the state of groundwater, the condition of catchment areas, slopes and vegetation, and the seismicity of the region. Man-made structures such as dams and barrages, hydropower projects, unsustainable mining, deforestation, catchment degradation and encroachments in the riverbeds and climate change have also contributed to the cause and nature of floods. Humans have been keen observers of river behaviour, change in their volume or colour. The occurrences of floods cautioned human beings from settling in floodplains or river courses. Small floods can create plain areas by bringing fertile soil from further upstream. Many a time, this has led to the creation of land benches along rivers, which were later found suitable for human settlement and agriculture. In the context of the Himalaya, communities have had an understanding of the behaviour of glaciers or events like landslides, glacial lake bursts or avalanches. However, humans are also great encroachers, with a tendency to disobey the very rules that they had practised for long. At that point, we need appropriate implementing and regulating agencies (social, political and administrative), which can follow the accepted appropriate traditional ways and enforce laws governing land and water resources of the country to reduce the consequences of a calamity. A project to create a database of thousands of overseas students who study at Victorian state schools each year has blown out by almost $1 million and is running almost three years late. The cost of an international student IT program has blown out by almost $1 million and is running three years late. Credit:Tamara Voninski An internal report for the Andrews government has warned that the education departments failure to complete the digital database project on time is putting jobs in the lucrative international student market at risk. The revelations come as many international students move in with their Victorian host families and begin classes this week. The number of international students paying to study for a period of up to one year at Victorian government schools is soaring, with many Chinese nationals' plans already disrupted by restrictions resulting from the coronavirus. Following is the chronology of events in the 2013 case of gang rape of a five-year-old girl in east Delhi's Gandhi Nagar area in which a Delhi court Thursday sentenced two men to 20 years in prison. - Apr 15, 2013: Five-year-old girl gang-raped by Manoj Shah and Pradeep Kumar. - Apr 17: Girl believed dead by convicts rescued after 40 hours. - Apr 20: Manoj arrested from Bihar. - Apr 22: Pradeep arrested from Bihar. - May 24: Charge sheet filed by Delhi Police against accused. - Jul 11: Delhi court frames charges for raping a minor, unnatural offence, kidnapping, attempt to murder, destruction of evidence and wrongful confinement with common intention under the IPC and aggravated sexual assault under the POCSO Act. - Mar 21, 2014: Pradeep moves court claiming to be a juvenile at time of the incident. - Apr 12, 2017: Court declares him to be juvenile; transfer case to Juvenile Justice Board (JJB). - 2018: Delhi HC directs trial court to again do an enquiry into his juvenility claims. - Trial court declares Pradeep to be not a juvenile. - Jan 7, 2020: Court reserve judgement. - Jan 18: Court holds Manoj and Pradeep guilty, says the case had shaken the collective conscience of the society. - Jan 30: Court sentences convicts Manoj and Pradeep to 20 years in prison, grants compensation of Rs 11 lakh to survivor. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Budget 2020-21 comes against the backdrop of the worst slowdown in a decade in the Indian economy. Given this context, it is only natural that the primary priority of the budget be economic revival. Still, that should not take the focus away from the long-term challenges facing India. One of these is providing affordable high-quality education to 632 million Indians aged 25 or less. A previous analysis of National Statistical Office (NSO) data by Ishan Anand in HT showed that access to higher education in India is much lower among socio-economically backward groups. The average annual expenditure on a graduate course was ~10,501 in a government institution, and almost double in an unaided private institution (~19,972). The expenditure for a graduate degree in technical courses in a government college was ~36,180 as compared to ~72,712 in private unaided institutions. Overall, about 67% of Indian workers earned less than ~1.2 lakh in a year in 2017-18, the analysis found. Clearly, education continues to be unaffordable for the majority of Indians. Given the importance of affordable education, government spending on education holds the key to boosting future incomes of those who will be entering the workforce. Unfortunately, there has been little improvement on this front. While total spending on education as a share of GDP has increased in the last two years, this is only a correction from the drop and subsequent stagnation last decade. At 3.1% of GDP, it is also much less than the 6% level targeted in various policy documents including the latest New Education Policy. (See Chart 1) The total spending on education includes amounts spent by both the central and state governments in India. In fact, it is the state governments which contribute an overwhelming share to total government spending on education.(See Chart 2) Since this analysis takes into account both central and state government budgets, the problem cannot be said to be specific to a particular party in power. State governments have had a majority share in the expenditure on education, sports, arts and culture for three decades. To be sure, this share has varied. It declined from a high of 93% in 1992-93 to 78% in 2008-09, and has risen back since to above 90% after 2014-15. To be sure, Prakash Javadekar, the Union human resource development minister, quoted a much higher figure for spending on education last year. It is our priority that 6% of GDP should be allotted to education. While total expenditure by central and state governments on education was 3.8% of GDP in 2014, and has increased to 4.6% now. This indicates that we are progressing towards 6 per cent, the Economic Times of March 3, 2019 quoted Javadekar as saying. These figures are at odds with the Economic Survey brought out by the Union ministry of finance last year that are closely aligned with the numbers presented here (See Chart 1). A failure to increase education spending will hurt India more today than it has in the past. While the share of population aged 25 or below has come down in the population, the absolute numbers remain high. This means that India needs to spend more not less on education in the days to come. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A heavily-pregnant woman has slammed middle-aged Australian men for using the courtesy seats on trains and refusing to move for her. The woman posted to Reddit on Wednesday to express her outrage after she experienced men rush past her on a Sydney train to grab a courtesy seat. 'Very obviously pregnant (could not possibly make a mistake) and hot, but beaten for the courtesy seats on trains by two middle aged males in gym gear,' she wrote. 'This happens daily. So sick of the selfishness.' A heavily pregnant woman has slammed middle-aged Australian men for using the courtesy seats on trains and refusing to stand up for her (stock image) 'I know they could be disabled but the frequency with which this happens is beyond a joke and not every middle aged male can be disabled.' The woman complained that the men never offer their seat up unless they are shamed into moving for pregnant women or people with disabilities. 'Young men, old men and pretty much all women are great at offering their seats but middle aged men get your act together,' she wrote. The post quickly garnered attention and received more than 200 comments, many of which sympathised for the woman. 'So ridiculous because as a middle aged man I grew up in a time when travelling on public transport this was something we were taught,' one user wrote. 'They should be shamed repeatedly for their sh**ty actions.' Another said: 'If you take that seat from someone who needs it, you are uber trash and deserve to have your foot stomped.' Others shared their own experiences with people who refused to move from the courtesy seats on public transport. 'My wife is 8mo preggers and complains every day about people on the bus not giving her seats or not making room for her to get off when its her stop. Unreal,' one user wrote. The woman took to Reddit on Wednesday to express her outrage after she experienced men rush past her on a Sydney train (stock image) to grab a courtesy seat Another user detailed how she experienced the same woman physically push past her every morning as she waited for the train while clearly pregnant. 'I had a woman on my platform every morning who would shoved past me, a few times nearly knocking me over, to get what was usually the last priority seat in the carriage,' she commented. 'More than once I had to get off the train midway to work, to take a break because I couldnt stand the twenty-five minutes to the city.' 'Once I passed out, and after that the doctor told me never to stand on the train. Unfortunately, other Sydney commuters made that difficult.' Delhi riots: Agencies zero in on spread of toxic propaganda by NGOs from Pak, Malaysia, India Invoking federalism, Sena questions move to hand over Elgar Parishad probe to NIA India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Mumbai, Jan 30: Attacking the Centre for handing over the probe into the sensitive Elgar Parishad case to the NIA, the Shiv Sena invoked federalism in the country and accused the Modi government of "interfering" in the affairs of "non-BJP" Maharashtra. Questioning the sudden move, the Sena, which heads the Maha Vikas Aghadi government comprising the NCP and the Congress, asked whether the Centre wanted the "truth" in the case to remain uncovered. "India is a union of states. Every state has its own rights and pride. The Centre forcing its way is inviting instability," the Sena said in an editorial in its Marathi mouthpiece 'Saamana'. The Centre recently ordered the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take over the probe into the Elgar case which has been probed by the Pune Police for suspected naxal links. Muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh should be thrown out of country: Shiv Sena Police are investigating whether provocative speeches were made at the conclave held on December 31, 2017, which allegedly led to caste violence around Koregaon Bhima village in Pune district the next day. EU Parliament postpones voting on resolution against CAA, India hails it as diplomatic win|Oneindia Police had first used the term 'urban naxals' during the investigation after arresting nine activists and lawyers, including Telugu poet Varavara Rao and Sudha Bharadwaj. Questioning timing of the Centre's move, Maharashtra Home Minister and NCP leader Anil Deshmukh had last week alleged that the state government was reviewing the investigation. Accusing the Centre of doing "vengeful politics" in the editorial, the Sena questioned its 'selective' approach towards Maharashtra, a state ruled by Opposition parties. "The NIA has intervened in Maharashtra, but several such incidents are taking place in the states being ruled by the BJP. Why the Centre didn't interfere there? This doesn't augur well....." it stated. The Sena, a former ally of the BJP, termed it as a "shocking and suspicious" move. "Given the way, the Centre handed over the probe to the NIA, did it not want the truth to come out?" it questioned. The Sena said it was told by the previous BJP-led government in the state that the Elgar Parishad--Koregaon Bhima episode was a "political and national conspiracy", and that there was a "secret plot" to bring down the "national power" and harm Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. BJP tapped NCP-Sena leaders phones; Sanjay Raut says whatever I do, I do it openly The Sena was the main constituent in the erstwhile BJP-led government in Maharashtra. "The previous government had cited unnamed letters and e-mails as the evidence to drive home its point (of conspiracy theory in the case). However, people have not yet understood exactly what was the conspiracy to bring down the power of the country," it stated. The Uddhav Thackeray-led party further said the Centre "turned restless" after NCP chief Sharad Pawar called for reviewing the investigation into the case. F ollowing a five-storey expansion, the popular Hoxton hotspot Black Rock has expanded from being a simple bar to a fully fledged whisky hotel, the Black Rock Lodge. The award-winning bar, which also has an outpost in Bristol, first announced plans of its extension last summer. The Christopher Street site is now a sprawling tribute to whisky, which includes a blending room for tasting and mixing, the Black Rock Tavern, an informal space serving beer and highball cocktails as well as a range of drams, and four bedrooms spread across two floors. It is presently Londons only whisky hotel, though in Notting Hill, the Distillery Hotel offers something similar, with a working gin distillery downstairs, a bar and three guest rooms. Inspired by Tokyo's capsule hotels, the Black Rock Lodge is minimalist throughout, which sits in keeping with the original bars aim; it intended to prick the pomposity and pretension often associated with Scotch and the like. Besides the 250 bottles available in the bar, the Blending Room as the name suggests is a spot for guests to blend their own whiskies to take home, though guests whove overindulged might find theyre better off heading upstairs for a lie down. Rooms are available from 120 a night. 30.01.2020 LISTEN Cervical cancer is preventable and can be treated when detected early. Human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection, is the known cause of cervical cancer. Other risk factors include smoking, immune system deficiency, multiple childbirth and having multiple sex partners. Cervical cancer only affects women, but HPV infections are not specific to females. Men who contract HPV can also develop penile, oral and anal cancers. A Pap smear is a simple procedure where a health practitioner uses a long swab to take cells from a womans cervix (the long narrow opening of the womb), and test for the presence of abnormal cells. The Pap smear allows for early cervical cancer detection. The HPV vaccine (e.g., Gardasil) protects individuals from contracting HPV. The vaccine is most effective when administered before sexual debut and exposure to HPV. Cervical cancer is killing Ghanaian women In Ghana, over 8.5 million females, comprising 30% of the overall population, are at risk of developing cervical cancer. In 2019, a report from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) showed that HPV infections more common in Ghana compared to the entire West African region. Cervical cancer is also the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among Ghanaian women. Out of 3,052 Ghanaian women diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, over 2,119 die from the disease. In 2013, the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education received sponsorship from GAVI, an organization that provides access to vaccines in low-income countries, to set up a 2-year, HPV vaccination demonstration program in Ghana. The primary objectives of the program were to help the government: (1) Procure expensive HPV vaccines ($30 to $100 per dose) at affordable rates (less than $5 per dose); and (2) demonstrate capacity to vaccinate 50% of girls between ages 9 to 11 years (approximately 6,212) living in two average sized districts between 2013 and 2015. After 2 years of successful implementation of the demonstration program, Ghana would be eligible to receive further support from GAVI to set up a national HPV vaccination program. 2019 marked exactly 6 years since the programs initiation. Our reviews indicate that there are no published reports available on the current progress of the vaccine program in Ghana. Neither are there available reports on the number of girls who have been vaccinated through the program. Components of the program that are producing desired outcomes, as well as implementation challenges have also not been reported. Cervical Cancer Prevention is a Human Right Women are powerful drivers of economic growth and form the backbone of many thriving families and resilient communities. It is nearly impossible for Ghana to achieve its national goals and aspirations without addressing cervical cancer, a debilitating disease that rids many Ghanaian women of their psychological, physical and emotional wellbeing. Cervical cancer prevention is a basic human right! As we celebrate a new decade, I am calling the government, NGOs and the general public to action. It is time to ensure that every woman has access to adequate cervical cancer screening services, and every girl is protected from HPV infection through vaccination. It is our duty as a nation, to look for innovate ways to harness the tools, expertise and best practices we already have, to address cervical cancer. Some recommendations include: School-based vaccine programs work: Ghana has a primary education program that enrolls a high percentage of girls of school going age, making a school-based program the most efficient HPV vaccine delivery method to implement in the country. A school-based program also has the potential to serve as a critical platform for health education, as well as increase vaccine access for hard-to-reach adolescent populations. Integrate HPV vaccine with routine immunization: The cost of delivering HPV vaccines to adolescent girls is lowered vaccination is integrated into existing immunization programs. Ghana has successfully immunized children against infectious diseases like polio and measles. We can use similar strategies to successfully scale up HPV vaccination to the national level without re-inventing the wheel. Public education and buy-in is important: Raising public awareness through culturally relevant health education is a vital step to cervical cancer prevention. We have been successful in educating the masses about HIV prevention and care; similar strategies can be adapted to cervical cancer prevention. Data is powerful: Although the current morbidity and mortality rates of cervical cancer in Ghana are alarming, it is likely that these numbers are still a gross underestimation. Ghana lacks a national cancer registry. Therefore, studies on cervical cancer often include small sample sizes, which are not representative of the Ghanaian female population. A successfully implemented cervical cancer prevention program will require concerted efforts from healthcare providers, public health researchers, healthcare and academic institutions to tackle important aspects of the program. Such aspects include program planning and logistics, feasibility assessment, data collection and surveillance, program management, as well as program monitoring and evaluation. We have individuals with the skillset, knowledge, and expertise right here in our country. We have the power to eradicate cervical cancer in Ghana. It is time we used our resources, however, limited, to champion this cause for the sake of the girl child, for the sake of women and for the sake of our nation. The time to act is now. We cannot wait until another life is lost to this preventable and treatable disease. Written by Joycelyn Cudjoe, Ph.D., RN Dr. Joycelyn Cudjoe is a graduate of The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. She currently works as a Nurse Research Scientist at Inova Health System in Falls Church, Virginia. Her research interests include cancer prevention and management, health disparities, global health and implementation science. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-31 01:20:58|Editor: yan Video Player Close BELGRADE, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Serbia is interested in building tighter bonds with Tajikistan and other Central Asian countries, leading Serbian officials told visiting Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin on Friday. Muhriddin, the first visiting Tajik foreign minister in the 25-year history of bilateral ties between Tajikistan and Serbia, met with his Serbian counterpart Ivica Dacic, Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and President Aleksandar Vucic. "Muhriddin expressed confidence that a visit to Serbia and meetings with Serbian officials would give new impetus to the two countries' trust-based relations," said a Serbian government's press release. Dacic and Muhriddin signed a memorandum of understanding between the foreign ministries of the two countries and held a press conference, where they identified potential areas for cooperation and announced their agreement to hold annual meetings and to promote economic, cultural and scientific ties. Dacic said that Serbia should be more visible in the Central Asian countries, and said that trade with Tajikistan should be increased. In 2019, bilateral trade was worth around 7 million U.S. dollars. Muhriddin also met Vucic, with whom he "agreed that opportunities for cooperation exist in many areas ... with the prior establishment of a legal basis as a precondition for improving economic cooperation." "Serbia will maintain links with friendly countries, such as Tajikistan, with mutual support in various international forums. We will develop cooperation in areas where there are real opportunities and mutual interest, and that cooperation is becoming increasingly important for us," Vucic said. "In the 25 years that I've been passionate about helping children with colorectal and pelvic conditions, I've learned that collaborative and integrated programs are the best way to care for them," says Dr. Levitt. "With the broad range of expertise at Children's National, including the nation's best NICU, I'm confident that colorectal patients will get better, integrated care faster and more effectively here than anywhere else in the world." The program provides diagnosis and treatment for every type of colorectal disorder occurring in infants, children and adolescents, from the most common to the most complex. Every necessary specialty is integrated into the program in one convenient location to provide seamless care for all colon and rectum conditions, with particular expertise in: Anorectal malformations Cloacal malformations Chronic constipation and fecal incontinence Fecal and urinary incontinence related to spinal conditions such as spina bifida Hirschsprung disease Motility disorders "Every child receives a customized treatment plan to address his or her unique needs," Dr. Levitt says about the program. "Additionally, our surgeons often combine complex procedures across specialties to reduce the number of surgeries a child requires. It isn't unusual for us to include urology, gynecology and gastroenterology teams in the operating room alongside the colorectal surgeons so multiple issues can be addressed in a single procedurewe know that when possible, fewer surgeries is always better for the child." Dr. Levitt has cared for children from all 50 states and 76 countries. He is the founder of Colorectal Team Overseas (CTO), a group of international providers who travel to the developing world to provide care for patients and teaching of their physicians and nurses. He co-founded the Pediatric Colorectal and Pelvic Learning Consortium (PCPLC), an organization of collaborating colorectal centers across the globe. "We're absolutely thrilled to welcome Marc Levitt and launch the comprehensive colorectal program under his expert leadership," adds Anthony Sandler, M.D., surgeon-in-chief and vice president of the Joseph E. Robert, Jr., Center for Surgical Care at Children's National. "There are few in the world who can provide the expertise and leadership in colorectal diagnoses and treatment that Marc brings with him to Children's. Many children and families from the region and from around the world will benefit from his expertise and from the program in general." About Children's National Hospital Children's National Hospital, based in Washington, D.C., celebrates 150 years of pediatric care, research and commitment to community. Volunteers opened the hospital in 1870 with 12 beds to care for Civil War orphans. Today, 150 years stronger, it is the nation's No. 6 children's hospital. It is ranked No. 1 for newborn care for the third straight year and ranked in all specialties evaluated by "U.S. News & World Report." Children's National is transforming pediatric medicine for all children. In 2020, it will open the Children's National Research and Innovation Campus, the first in the nation dedicated to pediatric research. It has been designated twice as a Magnet hospital, demonstrating the highest standards of nursing and patient care delivery. This pediatric academic health system offers expert care through a convenient, community-based primary care network and specialty outpatient centers in the D.C., metropolitan area, including the Maryland and Northern Virginia suburbs. Children's National is home to the Children's National Research Institute and Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation and is the nation's seventh-highest NIH-funded children's hospital. It is recognized for its expertise and innovation in pediatric care and as a strong voice for children through advocacy at the local, regional and national levels. For more information, follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. SOURCE Childrens National Hospital Related Links https://childrensnational.org Ten days before Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman dined with President Donald Trump at his Washington hotel, they were part of a small group of Republican Party donors who met with the president at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate, a new recording shows. The two men - who later assisted Rudy Giuliani's efforts in Ukraine - were part of a gathering in an ornate room of the property also attended by Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, according to the video and people in attendance. While it was known that Fruman and Parnas had attended an event at Mar-a-Lago, the focus of the event, the timing and who else was in attendance had not been made public. The April 2018 meeting came days before the two men took part in a donor dinner with with the president at his Washington hotel, an encounter captured on a video released last week by Parnas's attorney. During that dinner, Parnas told the president that the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine was agitating against him, prompting Trump to abruptly call for her firing. The recordings of the two events undercut Trump's repeated assertions that he does not know Parnas and Fruman, who were arrested in October on campaign finance charges. Last week, the president referred to Parnas as "a con man" and a "groupie." Taken together, the two recordings provide a window into Trump's close interactions with high-dollar donors, despite his pledge to "drain the swamp." The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. "On a given day, the Chairwoman greets hundreds if not thousands of people at events across the country. This is nothing more than that," said Michael Ahrens, an RNC spokesman. He declined to answer additional questions regarding the event, including about the guests in attendance. In an interview, Parnas said the back-to-back events he attended with Trump shows the proximity that he and Fruman had to the president. "When Trump would see us, he would call us, 'my boys,' " he said. "Me and Igor together? It's not something you'd forget. Particularly in that scene." Giuliani - who began working with Fruman and Parnas later that year - was not present at either gathering, people familiar with the meetings said. Parnas had donated $50,000 to a joint fundraising committee for Trump's campaign and the RNC in October 2016, campaign finance records show. Parnas's attorney, Joseph Bondy, provided the recording of the Mar-a-Lago gathering to The Washington Post. He said he has previously given a copy to House impeachment investigators. Parnas and Fruman say little in the recording, but Parnas can be seen acting as a photographer for the group, snapping photos of other attendees on their cellphones before posing for a picture with Trump. McDaniel - whose nameplate can be seen directly across from where Fruman was seated - can be heard giving a presentation on polling and the 2018 midterms. Also in attendance: then-Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas, who has been subpoenaed as part of the ongoing criminal investigation, and Brian Ballard, a Florida lobbyist who is close with Trump. Ballard and Sessions declined to comment. In the recording, which lasts about 37 minutes, Trump talks about his poll numbers and asks Sessions and McDaniel to provide the group with an update on Republican efforts to win the 2018 midterm elections. At the time, Sessions was head of the National Republican Congressional Committee. "Mr. President, thank you very much. We win when we are together. We win when we gather ourselves together around a common theme. That is, a president of the United States that wants to make America great again. It's the common denominator for every single member of Congress," Sessions says. McDaniel also gives the group a pep talk about the upcoming elections, explaining that Democrats were energized but that Republicans were excited with Trump's leadership. "We must win. And we can win," she says of the election, in which a Democratic wave ultimately swept Republicans from power in the House. At one point, the group talks about Syrian policy with the president, with an unidentified attendee criticizing President Barack Obama's actions in the country. A woman who identifies herself as Syrian American from New Jersey lavishes praise on Trump, telling him, "Syrian Americans love you." In response, Trump attacks the Obama administration's policy on Syria. "Obama, he didn't go over the red line," Trump says. "That was a disaster. You know, Obama gave Syria up two or three years ago." At the end of the meeting, a donor from St. Petersburg, Florida, named Bill Edwards tells the president he spent years in the mortgage business giving loans to military veterans and complains about a provision in legislation to revise the Dodd-Frank Act. Edwards appears to be referring to a measure introduced by Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., that Warren said at the time was designed to eliminate a practice known as churning, in which home loans are repeatedly refinanced to generate fees for lenders. In the recording, Edwards tells Trump that part of the legislation would eliminate what he describes as a streamlined program to allow veterans to lower their interest rates on mortgages through refinancing without having to go through appraisals and surveys. "It's the most effective program on the planet," Edwards says. "Where's the problem? In the Senate or the House?" Trump asks. "The Senate," Edwards responds. Trump and Sessions say they are unaware of the provision. "Mr. President, you've learned how this works," Sessions says. "If you get a document from the Senate and it passes, the Democrats got something in there that was bad. So I need to look at that, and I will." Edwards told The Post on Thursday that he raised the legislation with Trump as a retired Marine and an advocate for veterans. He said he is no longer a mortgage lender, so he had nothing to gain by advocating against the provision, which ended up being incorporated into law in late 2018. "I wanted to make sure that everyone was aware that veterans were going to take a beating on this," Edwards said. Edwards had been the owner of Mortgage Investors Corp., which at one point was the largest refinancer of Department of Veterans Affairs loans, according to the Tampa Bay Business Journal. His company closed its doors in 2013, citing an inability to comply with requirements in the Dodd-Frank Act. The same year, his company agreed to a $7.5 million penalty from the Federal Trade Commission, described at the time as the largest fine ever enacted under the "Do Not Call" telemarketing rule. The FTC complaint said Edwards's company called more than 5.4 million numbers on the "Do Not Call" list to offer mortgage refinancing to members of the military and veterans. Lesli Esposito, an attorney representing the company, told the Tampa Tribune at the time that the company was not admitting to any of the allegations but "simply made the business decision to resolve the matter, so they can move forward with business and helping veterans." - - - The Washington Post's Tom Hamburger and Michelle Ye Hee Lee contributed to this report. MIAMI, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK) and the company's Italian brand Costa Cruises have confirmed that Italian health officials diagnosed a passenger on board a ship docked in Civitavecchia, north of Rome, Italy with the common flu. The ship will resume its Mediterranean program on Friday. Guests who should have disembarked today can either disembark or remain on board overnight, at their discretion. All guests scheduled to embark today will be accommodated in hotels near the port and embark on Friday. About Carnival Corporation & plc Carnival Corporation & plc is the world's largest leisure travel company and among the most profitable and financially strong in the cruise and vacation industries, with a portfolio of nine of the world's leading cruise lines. With operations in North America, Australia, Europe and Asia, its portfolio features Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O Cruises (Australia), Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard. Together, the corporation's cruise lines operate 105 ships with 254,000 lower berths visiting over 700 ports around the world, with 16 new ships scheduled to be delivered through 2025. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour company in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices. With a long history of innovation and providing guests with extraordinary vacation experiences, Carnival Corporation has received thousands of industry awards - including recognition by the Consumer Technology Association as a CES 2019 Innovation Awards Honoree for OceanMedallion. A revolutionary wearable device that contains a proprietary blend of communication technologies, OceanMedallion enables the world's first interactive guest experience platform transforming vacation travel on a large scale into a highly personalized level of customized service. The prestigious CES Innovation Awards honor outstanding design and engineering in consumer technology products. Additional information can be found on www.carnival.com, www.princess.com, www.hollandamerica.com, www.seabourn.com, www.pocruises.com.au, www.costacruise.com, www.aida.de, www.pocruises.com and www.cunard.com. The Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) in collaboration with the British Council are working together to draft a National Apprenticeship Policy. Currently at the draft stage, the policy is expected to help synchronize traineeship and provide guidelines for effective coordination and implementation of good practices towards national economic growth and development. Gifty Twum-Ampofo, Deputy Minister of Education in Charge of Technical and Vocational Education and Training, who addressed participants at an I-Work result sharing workshop on the draft Policy in Accra recently, said the policy would minimise abuses in the apprenticeship system. Even if the policy does not end it (errands for master craftsmen), it should be minimized to the barest form, she stated. The policy is also expected to improve the relationship between master craft persons and their trainees. She continued that the Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) was well arranged to stimulate economic development and make government's Ghana beyond Aid agenda real. She added that the Ministry of Education was working hard to provide quality world-class apprentices for employers globally. She additionally averred: If we want to develop our economy and ensure sustained job for the youth, then we must all join hands to make apprenticeship more attractive than it is now, she added. Chikodi Onyemerela, Director of Programme and Partnership at the British Council, commenting on the I-Work Project, said, it was a two-year programme that sought to create enhanced opportunities for young people in the Commonwealth by building the capacity of TVET leaders as well as practitioners. The project connects training providers in India, Malaysia, United Kingdom, Ghana and South Africa. He said the passage of the policy would mark a positive turning point in apprenticeship delivery in the country. Dr Fred Kyei Asamoah, Executive Director of COTVET, said in countries like Germany, USA, Australia, United Kingdom and other European countries, apprenticeship had helped to develop industry. According to him, The development of the nation is based on standardisation and quality of apprenticeship programmes. The draft policy has gone through interviews, validation and consultative meetings before it being prepared for distribution. It will ensure effective review and application of lessons through efficient mobilisation and dissemination of liable and disaggregated information, he said. ---citinewsroom Northrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/29/2020 -- According to the new market research report "Testing, Inspection, and Certification Market by Service (Testing, Inspection, Certification), Sourcing Type (In-House and Outsourced), Application (Consumer Goods and Retail, Construction and Infrastructure), and Geography - Global Forecast to 2024", published by MarketsandMarkets, the overall TIC market is expected to grow from USD 209.4 billion in 2019 to USD 266.2 billion by 2024 growing at a CAGR of 4.91%. Factors such as the increase in disposable income and rapid urbanization in developing economies; high growth in product recalls across the world; high adoption of outsourcing service models by worldwide manufacturers; increased requirement for harmonized standards; surge in illicit trading, counterfeiting, and piracy practices across the world; and enforcement of rigorous government regulations and standards across various sectors are driving the growth of the TIC market. Ask for PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=5352498 Testing services held the largest size of the TIC market, by service type, during the forecast period Testing services are likely to hold the largest size, in terms of value, of the TIC market during the forecast period. Testing is carried out in laboratories and facilitates by manufacturers to improve the marketability of their products and lower manufacturing costs in the pre-production phase. For most applications, testing is required to check whether the products and services comply with the required standards and regulations. Thus, this segment is likely to hold a major size of the market during 20192024. Within the automotive TIC industry, testing services are implemented in automotive lighting and components, connected car solutions, testing for materials, and reliability, thereby ensuring the compliance of products/services with particular standards and regulations. The market for outsourced services is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period The market for outsourced services is expected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2019 to 2024. The market for outsourced services depends on a country's federal structure and administrative rules. Over time, these factors may have a significant impact on the size of the market, irrespective of the underlying macroeconomic conditions. The TIC market for outsourced services comprises a variety of independent service providers whose primary business is to offer TIC services. Browse in-depth TOC on "Testing, Inspection and Certification Market" 79 Tables 46 Figures 248 Pages APAC held the largest size of the TIC market during the forecast period APAC held the largest size of the TIC market in 2019. In India, the consumer goods sector, the textile and footwear industries are witnessing significant growth. The "Make in India" campaigninitiated by the Indian government to encourage domestic manufacturingand the favorable economic policies are encouraging foreign companies to enter and establish their businesses in India. This has resulted in the increased production in the consumer electronics, retail, and textile industries in the country. TIC services play an integral role for businesses in meeting the national and international standards, in terms of quality of products. Moreover, the TIC market in India has witnessed major investments from the global TIC players such as Intertek Group plc (UK) and TUV SUD (Germany). Request Sample pages of the Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=5352498 Key players operating in the TIC market include SGS Group (Switzerland), Bureau Veritas SA (France), Intertek (UK), and TUV SUD Group (Germany), Eurofins Scientific (Luxembourg), DNV GL (Norway), TUV Rheinland Group (Germany), Applus+ (Spain), ALS Limited (Australia), TUV NORD Group (Germany), Lloyd's Register Group Limited (UK), MISTRAS (US), Element Materials Technology (UK), and UL LLC (US). Please Explore Relevant Reports: Automotive TIC Market by Service Type (Testing, Inspection, and Certification), Sourcing Type (In-House and Outsourced), Application (Vehicle Inspection Services, Telematics, and Electrical Systems and Components), and Geography - Global Forecast to 2023 Test and Measurement Equipment Market by Product (General Purpose Test Equipment, Mechanical Test Equipment), Service Type (Calibration Services, Repair Services/After Sales Services), EndUse Sector, and Geography Global Forecast to 2024 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 All 31 provinces and regions within China have now reported cases of the virus, including Tibet, which had instituted strict checks on travelers and shutdown tourist sites in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to stop its spread to the region. The World Health Organization (WHO) will meet again on Thursday to decide whether to declare the virus a global health emergency, something it has so far refrained from doing, despite widespread criticism. Some 60 million people across Hubei, the province of which Wuhan is the capital, are on some level of lockdown, and many travelers from the region have been ordered to self-quarantine, holed up in their apartments or hotel rooms for days on end. In Wuhan itself, 11 million people are marking a week on lockdown with no sign of immediate relief. Nor is there firm evidence that their sacrifice has been worth it, with the virus spreading around the country and scientists warning that other major cities could soon become self-sustaining epidemics. BOISE The State Board of Education has approved additional financial bonuses for dozens of teachers, thanks to an appeals process tied to Idahos master educator premium program. Nearly 200 teachers were denied premiums last fall, after the State Board considered around 1,400 applicants, each hoping to receive a $4,000 bonus. During the appeals process, officials reconsidered 109 applications and approved 83, State Board spokesman Mike Keckler told EdNews. All 83 educators will receive the full $4,000 financial incentive this year. Created by the Legislature, the master educator premium program sought to reward Idahos highest performing veteran teachers. Teachers who meet the criteria can have their premiums renewed for three years, bringing the total to $12,000. Final numbers show the state approved about 94 percent of all applications. The state considered 1,397 applications and approved 1,307, Keckler said. The State Board considered two types of appeals, chief planning and policy officer Tracie Bent said. In most cases, teachers appealed reviewers initial decisions. In the other case, state officials discovered an Idaho System for Educational Excellence database reporting error that incorrectly disqualified about a dozen applications, even though the teachers met the service requirement of eight years of teaching experience. In order to earn a premium, teachers had to meet basic eligibility requirements and submit a detailed portfolio demonstrating teaching mastery. Some 260 state-trained portfolio reviewers, including teachers, evaluated the portfolios. At least two different reviewers evaluated each portfolio, Keckler said. If evaluators disagreed, a third reviewer provided an evaluation. Awarding the premiums was based on two reviewers scoring a portfolio high enough to earn a premium. Its not as simple of a process as dealing with just hard numbers, Bent said. The conclusion of the appeals process appears to close the book on the first year of the premiums. The process was sometimes awkward and delayed. Several educators said the portfolio application requirement was too burdensome and often took 80 to 120 hours to complete. Boise business leader Bill Gilbert, who co-chairs Gov. Brad Littles K-12 education task force, questioned the program during hearings this summer. High-performing organizations would not require their best employees to jump through hoops to earn a bonus, Gilbert said. Several of Idahos most decorated teachers also did not apply for the premiums, including 2019 Teacher of the Year Marc Beitia and Sonia Galaviz, who teaches at Boises Garfield Elementary and won the National Education Associations Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence in 2017. The Legislature approved $7.2 million for the first year of the bonuses. Approving 83 additional premiums adds $322,000 to the cost, bringing the total to about $5.2 million. Additionally, the state will pay evaluators $100 for each portfolio reviewed during the appeals process. Evaluators earned $50 per review during the original review. Keckler said the state doubled the stipend during the appeals window because evaluators faced a much tighter deadline and an additional assignment to provide the reasoning and justification for each rating. State Board officials have apologized for some of the errors and glitches throughout the rollout, and Keckler said they will use lessons from this experience to make a better, smoother process next year. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Syria has rejected Donald Trumps Deal of the Century saying that it seeks to eliminate the Palestinian cause and ignores UN resolutions writes The Syria Times. Syria has affirmed its rejection of the so-called Deal of the Century that represents a surrender to the Israeli occupation forces. It also asserted that it stands by the just fight of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate rights, according to a source at the Ministry of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs. The source made it clear that the deal comes within the persistent attempts of the successive US administrations and the Zionist entity to eliminate the Palestinian cause and to ignore the international legitimacy as well as to end UN resolutions related to the Arab-Israel conflict. This recent plot reveals the alliance between the United States and the Zionist entity against the Arab nation and its causes. The US policy in the region aims to serve Israel and its expansionist plots at the expense of Arab interests, the source said, indicating that the main supporter of Israeli aggression is not qualified to be a peace maker. Syria called on the international community to condemn the USs contempt of international legitimacy and to abide by the UN resolutions related to putting an end to the Israeli occupation of Arab and Palestinian lands and to guarantee the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, mainly the right to return and to establish an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. The source stressed that Syria, which considers the Palestinian cause as the compass of its foreign policy and the Arab nations central cause, reaffirms the importance of reaching an active Arab stance to confront the US-Zionist aggression on Arab rights. This aggression poses a threat to the future of the Arab nation, the source concluded. 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. URBANA Two men who had armed robbery charges against them dropped are suing the city of Urbana and its police officers in federal court, accusing them of fabricating eyewitness identification. In lawsuits filed last week, Quintin Brown, 28, and Wayne Colson, 24, say they were unlawfully jailed for nearly a year in connection with an alleged holdup at a house party two years ago in Urbana that resulted in two women being hit by gunfire. The shootings happened Jan. 21, 2018. Colson was arrested Jan. 26, 2018, and Brown on Feb. 2, 2018. Prosecutors dropped the charges against Brown on Jan. 22, 2019, and in Colsons case on Feb. 11, 2019. Officers fabricated an eyewitness identification to implicate Brown and Colson, Chicago attorney Brendan Shiller alleged. The officers then withheld and concealed exculpatory evidence, the suits say, including allegedly coercing an identification, falsifying police reports, and destroying or altering witness statements. Brown and Colson are suing Urbana police officers Michael Cervantes, Michael Hediger, Anthony Meenely and Dave Roesch, as well as their supervisors, Lt. Richard Surles and Sgt. Matt Bain, and the city of Urbana. Urbana police Chief Bryant Seraphin declined to comment, as did city attorney Jim Simon, as he doesnt discuss pending litigation. Browns attorneys also declined to answer questions about the lawsuits. When prosecutors announced they would be dropping the charges against Brown, Champaign County States Attorney Julia Rietz said a witness who picked him from a photo lineup, leading to the charges against him, wasnt cooperating with her office. There is no physical evidence tying him to the robbery or the shooting, Rietz said at the time.After extensive consultation with Urbana detectives involved in the investigation and efforts to secure the cooperation of the witness who picked him out of the photo lineup, we decided we did not have enough to meet our burden at trial. When Colsons case was dismissed, prosecutors said an alleged robbery victim declined to cooperate when it came time for trial. Prosecutors said that also led to the dismissal of charges against Darrion Brown, 25, a Champaign man who had also been charged with armed robbery outside the house party in the 800 block of West Springfield Avenue, Urbana. Urbana police said five men were upset over being denied admission to the party, then turned their attention to other men who were outside also trying to get in and allegedly robbed them. When members of a fraternity came around the corner of the house, one of the robbery victims yelled out that they were being robbed, then shots rang out. Two women became unintended victims of gunfire as they ran. One was hit in the ankle and the other in the back. FILE PHOTO: HSBC logo is seen on a branch bank in the financial district in New York By Saeed Azhar, Clara Denina and Lawrence White DUBAI/LONDON (Reuters) - HSBC is considering selling its Turkey business amid concerns about the country's volatile currency and economic outlook, sources familiar with the matter said. As part of broader cost-cutting measures under interim Chief Executive Noel Quinn, the bank is also seeking to sell or shrink its business in some other markets, the sources said. These include countries where it has small-scale operations that struggle to compete with local players, including Armenia, Greece and Oman, they said. A spokeswoman for HSBC declined to comment. HSBC will seek to sell its banking business in Turkey if it can find a local buyer, the sources said, adding that no final decision has yet been taken. The bank's retreat from Turkey, where it has operated since 1990, would be one of the biggest exits from a country it has made in recent years as it shrinks its once globe-spanning empire. HSBC has already shrunk its presence from some 315 branches and around 6,000 staff in 2013 to around 80 branches and 2,000 staff as of September last year, according to data from the Banks Association of Turkey. Turkey has been a problem country for HSBC in recent years as volatility in the lira and economic problems have hit its returns, with the bank flagging rising expected loan losses there in its 2018 annual report. A currency crisis in 2018 cut the lira's value by nearly 30%, brought on a brief but sharp recession, and prompted Ankara to clamp down on the financial sector with a series of new rules aimed at stabilizing the currency and kick-starting economic growth. The lender previously attempted to sell its business in Turkey in 2015, Reuters reported at the time, with Dutch lender ING among the interested parties. But the sale never went through, and the lender instead pursued branch closures and job cuts that saw it swing from a loss in 2014 and 2015 to a profit of 456 million lira ($77.02 million) in the first nine months of 2019. Story continues Despite that improved performance, the risks from currency volatility and the economic situation mean HSBC still wants to exit, the sources said. Interim CEO Quinn is expected to announce his cost-cutting measures when the bank reports annual results and its new strategy on Feb. 18. Quinn is auditioning for the full-time CEO role under chairman Mark Tucker. He is tipped by insiders at the bank to get the job, although it could yet go to a surprise external candidate. The bank is also shedding around 100 roles in its equities business as it scales back in continental Europe, Reuters reported earlier this month. ($1 = 5.9208 liras) (Reporting By Saeed Azhar, Clara Denina and Lawrence White; Additional reporting by Ebru Tuncay in Istanbul; Editing by Jan Harvey) KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) _ The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued a permit for a cruise ship dock in southeast Alaska, but the dock's opening date is unclear, agency officials said. The permit was issued Tuesday for the 1,300-foot (400-meter), two-berth cruise ship dock in Ward Cove, about 300 miles (480 kilometers) south of Juneau, Ketchikan Daily News reported Thursday. The permit was approved after two months of public comment and four months of review, officials said. The permit was issued to Power Systems & Supplies, owned by Dave and Andrew Spokely of Ketchikan, and the Ward Cove D... Chinese tech giant Huawei has launched a charm offensive to end its blanket ban on working on the Australian 5G network, despite fears of cyber terrorism and spying. Days after the UK made the surprise decision to use the controversial firm for its own network, the company is now hoping to win over Australian officials. In a fresh push to enter the domestic market, Huawei said it hoped Scott Morrison's government had a 'different approach' than that of former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull. Turnbull's government banned the company from building the National Broadband Network (NBN) in 2012. Huawei wanted to be part of Australia's rollout of the 5G mobile network but was banned by Malcolm Turnbull's government in 2012 (stock image) But Huawei Australia senior executive Jeremy Mitchell told the Australian the company is now hopeful it will 'meet the requirements' to be allowed to operate in the country. He claimed to have already met with Communications Minister Paul Fletcher to discuss the 'boundaries' or 'requirements' that would be needed for Huawei to crack the Australian market. 'We met the minister last year and he made it very clear to us that the governments 5G policy as they see it is not vendor-specific and not country-specific,' Mr Mitchell said. 'And we said to him, thats great to hear. The Chinese tech giant is now launching a fresh appeal to be allowed into the Australian 5G network (stock image) 'Our question is, if [the UK] can do it, why cant Australia? We hope we can have a good, sensible, fact-based talk and discussion about the possibility of using our leadership and innovation in Australia.' WHY ARE PEOPLE WORRIED ABOUT HUAWEI? Intelligence services claim the tech giant has close links to the Chinese government. They fear that as long as there is a pipeline from Huaweis China headquarters to cell towers across the world, there will be a risk of Chinese surveillance agencies using it to sneak malware into the network. This could theoretically be used to pass on information to the Chinese authorities and spy on citizens. Last year, the US imposed trade restrictions on Huawei over concerns about the company's security and ties to the Chinese government. Advertisement Surveillance fears forced the Australian government to block Huawei's plans in the country. There are serious concerns that the company is used by the Chinese government to spy on foreign nations. Its founder, a former member of the People's Liberation Army, Ren Zhengfei has rejected the claims - despite his daughter Meng Wanzhour being held by Canadian authorities. Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's chief financial officer, was detained in Canada last month at the request of U.S. authorities who allege she misled banks about the company's control of a firm operating in Iran. Huawei is one of China's biggest technology companies, but has faced fierce criticism abroad over its link to the government (stock image) But Huawei has claimed the global concerns were unfounded, and even predicted the ban would cost Australia up to $11.9 billion in lost GDP by 2035. On Wednesday, former senator Nick Xenophon accused Australia of basing its decision on 'smear and innuendo'. He insisted the UK had been through 'an extensive, exhaustive and forensic process' before deciding to allow the tech giant to play a limited role in its 5G network. The former politician, who now does legal work for Huawei, told Sky News: 'The UK made a decision based on the facts, not on smear and innuendo which has been the case here in Australia. Former senator Nick Xenophon (pictured), who nows works with Huawei, said the Australian ban on the company was based on 'smear and innuendo' 'We have a situation where there will be incredible safeguards in the UK to ensure that national security isnt compromised.' 'The safeguards in terms of ensuring that there are no backdoor access for others to hack or interfere with the network, they are there. 'There is constant scrutiny and forensic analysis to ensure there isnt a compromise to the network.' It comes as the UK prime minister Boris Johnson defended his controversial decision to allow Huawei to play a limited role in the country's 5G infrastructure. Under the compromise solution, Huawei equipment can be used in 'non-core' parts of the network. But its market share will be capped at 35 per cent Boris Johnson (pictured on Monday) was fighting to contain a ferocious backlash at home and abroad after giving Huawei the green light to take part in the rollout of the 5G network But there are fears it will jeopardise the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance, where secret security information is shared between the UK, Australia, the USA, Canada and New Zealand. The UK prime minister defied warnings from Australia and the USA by giving the green light to the Chinese firm. US secretary of state Mike Pompeo, speaking to reporters on his way to London for talks with the government, warned that the presence of Huawei in a network caused a 'real risk' and suggested the UK could 'relook' at the decision in the future. Huawei's founder Mr Zhengfei was a member of the People's Liberation Army before founding his technology company in 1987. His ties to the Chinese Communist Party have made governments nervous, from Australia to India. Britain's security services classified Huawei as a 'high-risk vendor' because of its close links with the oppressive Chinese state. But GCHQ and other spy agencies advised Mr Johnson that the risk could be contained provided Huawei remains banned from core functions. Republican Senator Tom Cotton called for a review of US intelligence sharing with the UK, and likened the decision to 'allowing the KGB to build its telephone network during the Cold War'. He added: 'I fear London has freed itself from Brussels only to cede sovereign to Beijing.' Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney urged the PM to reverse the 'disconcerting' decision, saying: 'By prioritising costs the UK is sacrificing national security and inviting the Chinese communist party's surveillance state in.' Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category Photo: Contributed With Parliament now actively underway, the new dynamics of having a minority government are beginning to become more defined. Back in late December, despite the Liberal government voting against it, a special parliamentary committee with the mandate to conduct hearings to examine and review all aspects of the Canada-China relationship including but not limited to consular, economic, legal, security and diplomatic relations was created. This new Canada-China committee is now established with meetings being held this week. I was also honoured to be one of the 12 Members of Parliament to be named to sit on this important all-party committee. Much as the Canada-China committee was created by an opposition day motion, this week another opposition motion was tabled from the official Conservative Opposition. This weeks motion is summarized as: That, given the Parliamentary Budget Officer posted on March 15, 2018, that Budget 2018 provides an incomplete account of the changes to the governments $186.7-billion infrastructure spending plan and that the PBO requested the new plan but it does not exist, the House call on the Auditor General of Canada to immediately conduct an audit of the governments Investing in Canada Plan. It is often said that Infrastructure is a not sexy but important part of government spending. I would submit it is critically important for many reasons. As an example, infrastructure costs are historically split three ways with local, provincial and federal governments, usually equally paying one third of the cost of the project. This is an important point because citizens all pay taxes to those three different levels of government. When either federal or provincial, or in some cases both, sources of funding are not made available, it means a local government must pick up either 66% or possibly 100% of the total infrastructure project costs. These costs are then downloaded onto local taxpayers, who continue to pay taxes to Ottawa and Victoria. The absence of federal infrastructure funding can significantly raise costs for local citizens, more so in smaller rural communities with a limited tax base. For whatever reason the Trudeau Liberal government has not been very successful in delivering infrastructure projects, despite having announced $187 billion in infrastructure spending plans. Rather than speculate on the reasons why, the Official Opposition Conservatives have tabled this motion. With such a large amount of money being spent, bringing in the auditor general to fully investigate will ensure there are clear answers. Canadian taxpayers deserve accountability and transparency on how their tax dollars are spent. Thus far, it appears that once again the other opposition parties in this minority government are supportive, despite the Liberal governments opposition. My question this week: Do you support the opposition motion to bring in the auditor general to audit the Liberal governments infrastructure program? I can be reached at [email protected] or call toll free 1-800-665-8711. Facebook recently promised that it would increaseefforts to remove so-called deepfake videos, including content thatincluded misleading manipulated media. In addition to fears that deepfakes altered videos that appear to be authentic could impact the upcoming 2020 general election in the United States,there are growing concerns that they could ruin reputations and impact businesses. A manipulated video that looks real could convince viewers tobelieve that the subjects in the video said things they didnt say,or did things they didnt do. Deepfakes have become more sophisticated and easier to produce, thanks to artificial intelligence and machine learning, which can be applied to existing videos quickly andeasily, achieving results that took professional special effects teams and digital artists hours or days to achieve in the past. Deepfake technology is being weaponized for political misinformationand cybercrime, said Robert Prigge, CEO of Jumio. In one high profile case, criminals last year used AI-basedsoftware to impersonate a chief executives voice and demand afraudulent transfer of US$243,000, Prigge told TechNewsWorld. Unfortunately, deepfakes can also be used to bypass manybiometric-based identity verification systems, which have rapidly grownin popularity in response to impersonation attacks, identity theft andsocial engineering, he added. Facing Off Against Deepfakes Given the potential for damage, both Facebook and Twitter have banned such content. However, its not clear what the bans cover. For its part Facebook will utilize third-party fact-checkers, reportedly including more than 50 partners working worldwide in more than 40 languages. Theyre banning videos created through machine learning that areintended to be deceptive, explained Paul Bischoff, privacy advocateat Comparitech. The videos must have both audio and video that the average personwouldnt reasonably assume is fake, he told TechNewsWorld. A deepfake superimposes existing video footage of aface onto a source head and body using advanced neural network-poweredAI to create increasingly realistic doctored videos, noted Prigge. In other words, adeepfake looks to be a real persons recorded face and voice, but thewords they appear to be speaking were never really uttered by them. A D V E R T I S E M E N T Defining Deepfakes One troubling issue with deepfakes is simply determining what is adeepfake and what is just edited video. In many cases deepfakes arebuilt by utilizing the latest technology to edit or manipulate video. News outlets regularly edit interviews, press conferences and other events when crafting news stories, as way to highlight certain elements and get juicy sound bites. Of course, there have been plenty of criticisms of mainstream newsmedia for manipulating video footage to change thecontext without AI or machine learning, simply using the tools of the editing suite. Deepfakes generally are viewed as far more dangerous because it isnt just context that is altered. At its heart, a deepfake is when someone uses sophisticatedtechnology artificial intelligence to blend multiple images oraudio together in order to change its original meaning and conveysomething that is not true or valid, said Chris Olson, CEO of The Media Trust. From manipulating audio to creating misleading images, deepfakesfoster the spread of disinformation as the end user typically doesntknow that the content or message is not real, he told TechNewsWorld. To varying degrees, social platforms have issued policies prohibitingthe posting of highly manipulated videos that are not clearly labeledor readily apparent to consumers as fake, added Olson. Still, while these policies are a step in the right direction, they do not explicitly ban manipulated video or audio, he pointed out. Having youraccount blocked isnt much of a deterrent. Manipulation Without Malice Facebooks ban and other efforts to ban orotherwise curb deepfakes do not apply to political speech or parodies. Consent may be another issue that needs to be addressed. This is a great point fake videos and images can be definedbroadly for example, anything that is manipulated, said ShumanGhosemajumder, CTO of Shape Security and former fraud czar at Google. A D V E R T I S E M E N T But most media created is, to some extent, manipulated, he told TechNewsWorld. Manipulations include automatic digital enhancements to photos taken using modern cameras those equipped with HDR settings or other AI-based enhancement as well as filters, and aesthetic editing and retouching, noted Ghosemajumder. If most media is thus automatically marked on a platform assynthetic or manipulated, this will reduce the benefit of such atag, he remarked. The next step will be to figure out objective criteria to excludethat type of editing and focus on maliciously manipulatedmedia, which could be an inherently subjective standard. However, it cant be a question of individuals consenting to be invideos, because no such consent is generally required of publicfigures or of videos and images that are taken in public places,observed Ghosemajumder, and public figures are the ones that aremost likely to be targeted by malicious users of these technologies. AI Tools Singled Out Facebooks deepfakes ban singles out videos that use AI technology or machine learning to manipulate the content. This is an incomplete approach, since most fake content, includingmisleading videos posted today, are not created with such technology,said Ghosemajumder. The now famous Nancy Pelosi video could have been created withtechnology from 40-plus years ago, since it was just simple videoediting, he added. More importantly, maliciousness cannot be defined based only on thetechnology used, said Ghosemajumder, since much of the same technology used to create a malicious deepfake is already being used to create legitimate works ofart, such as the de-aging technology used in The Irishman. Viewer Perception As the Facebook policy stands, satire and parody would be exempt, but what falls into those categories isnt always clear. Viewer reactions dont always align with what thecontent maker may have had in mind. A joke video that falls flat might not be viewed as satire. The standards for judging satire or fan films are also subjective it may be possible to determine what is or is not intended as satirein a court of law to societys satisfaction in an individual instance,but it is much more difficult to make such determinationsautomatically for millions of pieces of content in a social mediaplatform, warned Ghosemajumder. In addition, even in cases when a video is created with obviouslysatirical intent, that intent can get lost if the video is shortened, taken out of context, or even just reposted by someone who didnt understand the original intent. There are many examples of satirical content fooling people whodidnt understand the humor, said Ghosemajumder. Its more about how the audience perceives it. Satire doesnt fallinto the ban. Nor does parody, and if the video is clearly labeled asfiction, it should be fine, countered Bischoff. It is our understanding that Facebook and Twitter are not banningsatire or parody intention is the key differentiator, added AlexeyKhitrov, CEO of ID R&D. Satire by definition is the use of humor, exaggeration or irony,whereas the intention of a deepfake is to pass off altered orsynthetic video or speech as authentic, he told TechNewsWorld.Deepfakes are used to trick a viewer and spread misinformation. Whilea deepfake aims to deceive the average user, satire is apparent. Legal Efforts There have been legal efforts to stop the proliferation ofdeepfakes, but the government might not be the best entity to tacklethis high-tech problem. Over the past two years, several U.S. states introduced legislationto govern deepfakes, with the Malicious Deep Fake Prohibition Act andDEEPFAKES Accountability Act introduced to the U.S. Senate and Houseof Representatives respectively, said The Media Trusts Olson. Both bills stalled with lawmakers, and neither proposed muchchange beyond introducing penalties. Even if laws were passed,it is unlikely a legislative approach can keep up with technological advancements. Its very difficult to effectively legislate against a moving targetlike emerging technology, warned Olson. Until there is perfect recognition that content is a deepfake,platforms and media outlets need to disclose to consumers the sourceof the content, he suggested. Deepfake videos cannot be stopped, just like photoshopped photoscannot be stopped, said Josh Bohls, CEO of Inkscreen. Libel laws can be expanded to include altered videos that mightmisrepresent a public figure in a harmful way, providing the subjectsome kind of recourse, he told TechNewsWorld. It would also be prudent to pass laws requiring the labeling of certain categories of videos political ads, for example so that the viewer is aware that the content has been altered. Tech to Fight Tech Instead of the government creating new laws, the tech industry could solve the deepfakes problem, even if defining them remains fuzzy. Providing access to technology to determine if a video has been manipulated could be a good first step. Several social platforms have taken steps to detect and removedeepfake videos with limited success as detection lags behind thespeed at which new technology emerges to create better, more realisticdeepfakes in an ever-diminishing period of time, said Olson. The challenge remains on the difficult process of identifying andremoving deepfakes before they spread to the general public, he said. Social media is where these videos are spreading and where removal iscrucial. These platforms are in a good position to roll out new technology. Overall, Twitter and Facebook announcing plans to take action againstmalicious fake content is an excellent first step, and will increasescrutiny and skepticism of media uploaded to the Internet, especiallyby anonymous or unknown sources, noted Ghosemajumder. However, this is absolutely not a silver bullet solution to thisproblem, for many reasons warned Ghosemajumder. The detection of fake media is a cat-and-mouse game. If manipulatedcontent is immediately flagged, then malicious actors will experimentagainst the system with variations of their content until they canpass undetected, he explained. On the other hand, if manipulated content is not immediately flaggedor removed, it can be spread and will quickly morph causing damagein whatever period exists between creation and uploading and flagging, ina way that may not be possible to easily contain at that point,Ghosemajumder suggested. Finally, the use of fake accounts andautomated fraud and abuse is the primary mechanism that maliciousactors use to spread disinformation, he said. This is one of the key areassocial networks need to address with the most sophisticated technologyavailable, not just home-built solutions. Anti-Deepfake Tools Several companies are exploring methods of combating deepfakes. Facebook, Microsoft and AWS launched the Deepfake Detection Challenge to encourage development of open source detection tools. [*Correction Jan. 22, 2020] Without consistently flagging suspect digital content and labeling thesource of the doctored video or audio, technology will have littleimpact on the issue, said Olson. Providing this context will help the consumer better understand theveracity of the message. Was it sent to me from an unknown thirdparty, or did I find it on a brand website during product research? This attribution information is whats needed to counter deepfakes, he said. However, with a lot of manipulated content, it is often aboutmisdirection and in this case, too much focus on the video itself could be problematic. Its not just the visual stream thats vulnerable to deepfakes, butalso the voice stream. Both can be altered or manipulated as part ofa deepfake, said ID R&Ds Khitrov. There is technology to help detect a deepfakes manipulated audio, he noted. Liveness detection capabilities can identify artifacts that arentaudible to the human ear but are present in synthesized, recorded orcomputer-altered voice, explained Khitrov. We can detect over 99 percent of audio deepfakes, but only where that technology is deployed. The Deep View Those with a pessimistic take believe the technologyto create convincing deepfakes simply will outpace the technology tostop it. Our analogy is that there are viruses and there is antivirustechnology, and staying ahead of the bad guys requires constantiteration, and the same holds true for deepfake detection, saidKhitrov. However, the AI-based technologies that the bad guys are using arevery similar to the technologies the good guys are using. So thebreakthroughs that are available to the bad guys are also being usedby the good guys to stop them, he added. A bigger threat is that deepfake software is already freelyavailable on the Web, although its not that great yet, saidComparitechs Bischoff. We will have to learn to be vigilant andskeptical. *ECT News Network editors note Jan. 22, 2020: Our original published version of this story incorrectly stated that the Deepfake Detection Challenge was a project launched by The Media Trust. In fact, it is a joint effort of Facebook, Microsoft and AWS. We regret the error. President Trump's impeachment defense team seems to be on a different page than lawyers in the Department of Justice. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) noted this disparity while answering questions from senators in Trump's Senate impeachment trial on Thursday. Schiff said that while Trump's legal team argued the House should have gone to court to force witnesses like former National Security Adviser John Bolton to testify via subpoena, Justice Department lawyers were nearly simultaneously arguing in a separate case that it's up to Congress to enforce subpoenas through measures like... impeachment. "You can't make this stuff up... The Justice Department, in resisting House subpoenas, is in court TODAY and was asked: If Congress can't come to the court to enforce subpoenas... what remedy is there? The DOJ lawyers response? Impeachment." - @RepAdamSchiff pic.twitter.com/eUMkaENXHQ House Intelligence Committee (@HouseIntel) January 30, 2020 "You can't make this stuff up," said Schiff. As CNN reports, a DOJ lawyer on Thursday said if the House needs to enforce a subpoena, one of its options is to use its impeachment powers. As a reminder, Trump was impeached on obstruction of Congress after ordering aides to defy subpoenas that would have brought them to the House floor as witnesses. During the court hearing (related to the Trump administration's efforts to change the census, not an impeachment-related hearing), DOJ lawyer James Burnham argued the House can't ask the courts to enforce subpoenas precisely what Trump's impeachment lawyers are suggesting Democrats should have done. Trump's legal team says Democrats should have fought in court for further witnesses, while Trump administration lawyers say courts have no right to enforce congressional subpoenas. There were reportedly "audible gasps and laughs" on the Senate floor after Schiff pointed out the comedic timing of the opposing arguments. More stories from theweek.com Mitch McConnell's rare blunder John Bolton just vindicated Nancy Pelosi All the president's turncoats (Alliance News) - Nordea Bank AB on Thursday said Ian Smith will be joining the lender as chief financial officer, after London-listed Virgin Money UK PLC announced earlier Smith was leaving his role, to take up a position "overseas". Virgin Money has started a process to find a successor, adding Smith will stay until after interim results are released. The lender, previously known as CYBG, is planning to release results for the six months to March on May 6. Nordea was looking for a new finance chief after current CFO Christopher Rees announced his intention to leave the Helsinki-headquartered bank to return to the UK. Nordea said it is "pleased" to lure Smith away from Virgin Money. "He brings leadership, expertise and a strong track record. With his background and experience in the financial services sector focused on finance, treasury, business planning, cost management and M&A he is the ideal CFO for Nordea," Nordea Chief Executive Frank Vang-Jensen said. Smith has previously held senior positions as Banking audit partner and later as Financial Services M&A leader at Deloitte. He has also served as director of group finance at Lloyds Banking Group PLC and at Halifax Bank of Scotland PLC. Viergin Money CEO David Duffy added: "Ian has been our CFO since 2014 and has been a valued member of the board and my leadership team through the separation from National Australia Bank, transformation of CYBG following its initial public offering, and acquisition of Virgin Money." "Ian has played an instrumental role in creating the financial strength and discipline that will enable us to continue delivering our ambitious strategy. I thank Ian for his hard work and dedication during this period, and I wish him all the very best for the future," Duffy added. Smith's departure follows Virgin Money's announcement last week that Chair Jim Pettigrew is to leave in September 2021. The UK challenger bank in November made the "difficult" decision to suspend dividend payments due to increased PPI provision after an "unprecedented surge" in the summer. Shares in Nordea Bank were down 1.1% in Stockholm on Thursday at SEK75.45 each. Virgin Money was trading 1.5% lower in London at 176.30 pence each. By George Collard; georgecollard@alliancenews.com and Paul McGowan; paulmcgowan@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Two ex-police officers accused of abuse of office against journalist Golunov detained RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 16:14 30/01/2020 MOSCOW, January 30 (RAPSI) Denis Konovalov and Roman Feofanov, two ex-police officers, who had been earlier arrested in a case over abuse of power against journalist Ivan Golunov, on Thursday were ordered to be detained until March 29, RAPSI reported from the Basmanny District Court of Moscow. The two men pleaded not guilty. There are five defendants in the case. They are ex-Moscow narcotics control policemen Denis Konovalov, Akbar Sergaliyev, Roman Feofanov, Maxim Umetbayev and ex-chief of their department Igor Lyakhovets. They are charged with abuse of power, evidence tampering and illegal drug trafficking. Investigators believe that they planted drugs on Golunovs bag and apartments. Thus, they falsified the results of operative search activity that later became inculpatory evidence against Golunov in a drug dealing case; however, the drugs had been earlier illegally bought and kept by the police officers, according the Investigative Committee. In late December, investigators opened the case over arrest of Golunov. The journalist was recognized as an injured party. There are five defendants in the case; all of them have been dismissed from police. Golunov was arrested in Moscow on June 6. On June 8, the Nikulinsky District Court of Moscow placed him under house arrest for 2 months. According to the Interior Ministrys official statement, police seized nearly 4 grams of methylmethedrone from Golunov. The journalist pleaded not guilty, insisted that the drugs were planted on him during the arrest and claimed that his prosecution is related to his journalistic investigations. According to his defense, an examination showed no drugs in his biomaterial. On June 11, charges against Golunov were dropped because of a lack of evidence that he participated in the crime, and the journalist was released. On June 13, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed two generals of police on the back of the arrest of Golunov. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West called in professionals for help. It looks like one of Hollywood's power couples is on the rocks. The couple called in a love doctor to help them work on the spark in their relationship. RadarOnline obtained information that Kanye and Kim are virtually living separate lives. Kim, 39, and Kanye, 42, are sparking fears that when they do decide to split up, it would mean $600 million would be in the works. Nobody wishes for their family of six to split up, which is why seeking couple's counseling was a welcome thought. If they can still fix it, then they should. Not The First A few years back, the couple was having problems in their marriage. Back then, they decided to try counseling, and it essentially kept them together. The counseling worked to save their marriage. A source close to the couple said they are hopeful that another round of professional help can save their marriage. "They're hoping lightning can strike twice," the insider added. Sources said that the problems bothering the couple started after the surrogate birth of their fourth child, Psalm. Kanye's spiritual awakening has greatly affected the couple, too. Nonetheless, the counseling still seems to work. "They have a session with the counselor once every week," the insider said. The sessions were to help them vent out their frustrations to an expert. In turn, the counselor gives them tips on how to communicate better as a couple. The insider source added that the couple is now focused on dealing with their problems in the sack. In their desire to reignite the spark in their romance, Kim and Kanye have also turned to a sex doctor for help. The "Jesus is King" rapper and "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" star have looked for guidance from an expert to help them bring the sizzle back to their sex life. Their lack of connection to each other is making it difficult for the couple to be intimate like they used to. Now, the therapist is helping them reconnect. Kanye In Trouble? In a previous report by RadarOnline, Kim was said to be stressed out dealing with Kanye's manic episodes and mood swings. The sources noted that Kim took it to hire a team of therapists to be on call 24/7 whenever her husband was on tour. She wanted to make sure he gets the help he needs when he needs it. "Kanye is watched even if he is not aware of it," the insider source added. Kanye said he does not need help, but his wife wanted to make sure he is under the watchful eyes of experts. She wanted to monitor her husband since he has changed a lot because of his spiritual awakening. The power couple has yet to confirm if they are really into therapy. Recently, the parents of four have been spotted on a date night at the Los Angeles Lakers game against Khloe Kardashian's baby daddy Tristan Thompson and his team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. At the moment, not one of them responded to a request for comments. Dozens of breakfast functions across Wales have helped raise over 15,000 within the space of a week for farming charity the DPJ Foundation. The Farmhouse Breakfast Week hosted thirty breakfasts across the country in an effort to raise mental health awareness. The aim of the Farmers' Union of Wales (FUW) initiative is to raise much-needed funds for farming charities, such as the DPJ Foundation. Emma Picton-Jones founded the charity after she lost her 27-year-old husband Dan, an agricultural contractor, who took his own life in 2017. The DPJ (Daniel Picton-Jones) Foundation provides a 24/7 telephone helpline and texting service, as well as one-to-one counselling from qualified counsellors. Finishing on 25 January, the breakfast initiative raised over 15,000 for the charity while promoting local food produced by Welsh farmers. Glyn Roberts, president of the union, praised farmers and volunteers for their efforts: Farming communities are close-knit and this shows what can be achieved when we all come together, with a common goal. Through these events, where we all sat around the kitchen table to talk and share our thoughts about #FarmingMatters, weve strengthened ongoing and permanent relationships and established new ones. The money we have raised locally will go towards helping others - we must never forget that our communities are the engine room of people-powered change and that amazing things can be achieved and will be achieved. Together we managed to raise a phenomenal amount of money for our charity, all whilst enjoying great, local, sustainable, high-quality food. For more information or support from the DPJ Foundation call 0800 587 4262 or text 07860 048799 - 24 hours a day 7 days a week. WIGTON, England, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CCL Secure has been awarded 75% of the future supply of polymer substrate for the new 20, continuing to supply the majority of substrate for the Bank of England's plastic banknotes. With the very first polymer 20 to be issued on 20 February 2020, the new notes feature Romantic artist JMW Turner as well as complex security features including two windows and a two-colour foil. The polymer substrate produced by CCL Secure, called Guardian, acts like the base of a banknote. A transparent film produced exclusively for banknotes is opacified, becoming substrate, and contains integrated security features, mainly windows. This process all happens at dedicated CCL sites in Wigton, Cumbria, where both the transparent film and opacified substrate are made. The substrate is then sent to a printer where the coloured inks and foils are added on top. Vice President and Managing Director of CCL Secure, Neil Sanders, said the company is honoured to continue supplying Guardian substrate for the Bank of England, which has already provided significant benefit for the bank. "CCL Secure is very proud to continue the majority supply of polymer substrate for the 20 note and we are honoured by the bank showing such confidence in us. We are looking forward to seeing the British public use the notes soon. "Like the 5 and 10 on Guardian polymer, the latest 20 will provide a stronger, safer, cleaner and greener currency. "Polymer notes last longer than the previous paper versions and feature sophisticated windows and other effects making them difficult to counterfeit. They also offer environmental benefits, with the 5 and 10 recognised by the Carbon Trust's Footprint Label for having a lower carbon footprint over the notes' life," Mr Sanders said. The news follows the bank's announcement late last year to award the majority of the first call-off volume for the initial launch stock of the 50 to CCL Secure. "With the 20 and then 50 soon to be released, the Bank of England will complete a full family on Guardian polymer, alongside many other countries around the world including Australia, Brunei, Canada, Costa Rica, Mauritania, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Romania," Mr Sanders said. Guardian is manufactured at the highly secure and state-of-the-art site in Wigton, Cumbria, built specifically to support the Bank of England's new polymer family. CCL Secure has worked closely with the Bank of England over the last ten years, assisting the initial concept design for the new 5, developing the full substrate design of the 5 and 10 notes, and supporting the design and consultation processes for all the bank's future polymer notes. Former Vice President Joe Biden cut into President Trump's character in an Iowa address that was meant to serve as an opening punch before the president headlines a Des Moines rally Thursday night. Biden called out Trump for a laundry list of things: lying, dog-whistling racists, trying to scrap Obamacare - even being mean to climate activist Greta Thunberg. 'Welcome to Donald Trump's world: up is down, lies are the truth, allies are enemies, everything is through the looking glass,' Biden told a crowd gathered in a school gym in a Des Moines suburb. Biden made no mention of impeachment. He previously said his role in the impeachment saga was like 'Alice in Wonderland.' Former Vice President Joe Biden gave an address in the hours before President Trump was set to arrive in Iowa slamming him for his character flaws: including lying, dog-whistling racists and being mean to climate activist Greta Thunberg Former Vice President Joe Biden delivered an address in Iowa Thursday that was supposed to serve as an opening punch before the president heads to the state Thursday night Vice President Joe Biden is spotted clutching his speech backstage before speaking to an audience Thursday in Waukee, Iowa Former Vice President Joe Biden arrives at an event in Iowa Thursday, where he took on President Trump for being a liar The audience consisted of several hundred supporters, far short of the thousands President Trump draws with his campaign rallies Former Vice President Joe Biden cracks a smile during an address he delivered Thursday in Iowa where he took on President Trump's character Former Vice President Joe Biden's address was meant to take away some of the attention from President Trump, who will hold a rally in Des Moines Thursday night 'In Joe Biden's America, the president's tax returns won't be a secret. Political self interest won't be confused with the national interest and no one, not even the president of the United States, will be above the law,' Biden said. Biden began his address by asking a series of questions: 'Does it matter if a president lies? Does it matter if a president has no moral compass. Does it matter if a president believes that he or she is above the law? Does it matter if a president is pretty or mean or spiteful?' 'Does the character of a president matter?' Biden said. Biden's answer was yes. He then turned to a number of policy issues - starting with healthcare. 'He's determined to destroy Obamacare. I'm determined to save it,' Biden said. 'Why does Donald Trump, why does he so badly want to get rid of it? 'Cause it's called Obamacare.' 'He has no plan, he has no better idea, he just can't stand a single achievement from our administration,' Biden added. The ex-veep explained that Obamacare is the reason health insurance companies cover pre-existing conditions. 'He's already lying about it,' Biden continued. 'He just said, he just said he's the reason why pre-existing conditions are covered.' The audience laughed. 'No,' Biden said, fact-checking Trump. 'You can't make this stuff up,' he commented. 'He's trying to take credit for the very thing he's in federal court trying to destroy.' Biden turned to climate change and climate activist Greta Thunberg, the 17-year-old Swedish teen who was named Time magazine's 2019 'Person of the Year.' The former vice president knocked President Trump for bullying climate activist Greta Thunberg and lying to the American public Biden supporters are seen walking into the Vince Meyer Learning Center in Waukee, Iowa Thursday morning Trump has been critical of Thunberg for months, and continued insulting her at the recent World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Switzerland, where they both spoke. 'While the rest of the world applauded Greta Thunberg for her courage and her leadership ... all Donald Trump could ever do is seethe over losing the cover on Time magazine,' Biden said. 'His response, his response: she's an angry teenager she has a problem. She's an angry teenager, she has anger problems,' he repeated, trying to get the insult right. 'Whoa,' Biden commented. 'I'm going to run on climate change and we're going to beat him on the issue flat out,' Biden said. The ex-veep continued to focus on what happened in Charlottesville. 'He tracks in the ugliest, ugliest lies and bigotry and prejudice,' Biden said. 'He's more bully than president. He's more George Wallace than he is George Washington. Hate groups are listening and they've heard the dog whistle,' he said. 'My response is always the same: America is so much better than this. So much better,' Biden said. With four days left before the Iowa caucuses, Biden concluded by asking audience members of their support. Among the four frontrunners, Biden and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg have had the state to themselves for the week, with Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren stuck back in Washington due to Trump's impeachment trial. Warren has a flock of surrogates trying to make up for lost ground - as the Real Clear Politics polling average now has her in fourth place in the state. On Wednesday she dispatched her dog Bailey, a 20-month golden retriever, and her husband Bruce Mann to Iowa events. She cancelled planned appearances Thursday thanks to the trial, and had Mann and the dog add more events. Former HUD Secretary Julian Castro, who endorsed her after he left the race, is also campaigning for Warren. Sanders had one of his most potent advocates, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, on the trail for him last weekend. He's expected back in Iowa Friday night for a combined concert-rally with Bon Iver. And then there's Trump, who's looking toward the general election - and for an opportunity to knock the crop of Democratic hopefuls - who will hold a rally Thursday night. The three Nigerian stowaways who were apprehended at the Tema Harbour on Tuesday are currently undergoing processes to be sent back to Nigeria. The three were hoping to stowaway to Europe but ended up at Tema Port. This was after they sneaked into an MV Unity vessel from Apapa Port in Nigeria. Unfortunately, the vessel was heading towards Ghana to discharge some general goods at the Port of Tema when the suspects were seen hiding in a small space behind the vessel's propeller. One of the arrested stowaways, Isaac Daniels has been identified as a serial stowaway who was arrested in 2019 for similar offences. But Tema Port Security Manager, Colonel Joseph Punamane told Citi News they will be sent back to their country. When we get these people, what we do is that we hand them over to the police and immigration. The stowaways are treated as refugees. They will be repatriated to their country so they are not under arrest. We are however in the process to repatriate them. Officials say one of the three is a serial stowaway. The three Nigerian nationals are Kelvin Popoola, 26, Isaac Daniels, 32 and 28-year-old Nuta. Meanwhile, Col Punamane said the issue of stowaways being disembarked at the port is becoming a major concern. He noted that they have stepped up efforts to deal with such crimes. ---citinewsroom Dogs in schools will be on the agenda soon when the Chief of Police Leon Krolikowski and New Canaan High School Superintendent Dr. Bryan Luizzi meet, according to Board of Education Chairman Katrina Parkhill. Krolikowski shared with the Board of Selectmen that New Canaan Police planned to be more aggressive about pursuing a program of having drug-sniffing dogs in the high school. Parkhill wrote in an email to the Advertiser that the two men will be meeting soon. The topic of police dogs in schools is scheduled for an upcoming BOE meeting in February, Parkhill wrote. The agendas for February have not yet been posted on the school board calendar. Our goals for 2020 are to work closely with our schools to minimize the availability of drugs to our youths, Krowlikowski told selectmen at a meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 21. We do know, as we sit here today, there is a high likelihood that there are some kids in the schools that are in possession of drugs and may be distributing it. Whatever we can do as a town to prevent that from happening, we are frankly going to make our kids safer, Krolikoski said. The department has been hoping that its drug-sniffing dog, Apollo, would be allowed to search the high school for a few years. The process came to a halt when the district and police became locked in a stalemate over a draft of a memoradum of understanding in 2018. I am hopeful we will be able to get some folks in line so that we can finalize the canines in schools MOU and get our dog into the schools, Krolikoski said. Selectman Nick Williams asked, Where is that process? Stalled, Krolikowski replied. It has been tabled, I believe by the superintendent, and the Board of Education and it has been a yearlong effort to try to move that along, he said. We are going to continue to do that and be a little more aggressive in trying to push that along and get something in place that everyone is comfortable with. In September, 2018, Luizzi told the school board that the administration was researching the policies of other school districts as they pertain to using dogs to search for drugs in the schools. At that time, he said he may seek out expert speakers to talk about the topic and find ways to get feedback from the community on the subject Now Krolikowski wants to Get something in place try it out, if every body is comfortable with it we can adjust. There are smart people in this town and I think that we can figure this one out and make our youths a little bit safer with less access to drugs especially in schools, he said. That is a win win. ROME - Emilio Pucci, the Florentine fashion house that has been without a designer since 2017, is bringing in Christelle Kocher of the French brand Koche as a guest designer for the fall-winter 2020 collection. The collaboration announced Thursday includes ready-to-wear and accessories and will be revealed during Milans fashion week next month. Pucci, known for its paisley prints, has been without a full-time designer since Massimo Giorgetti left after his 2017 fall-winter show. Pucci said it wanted to open its archives to creative voices and that Kocher fit the bill. We love her energy and are confident that her take on Pucci will be incredibly interesting and beautiful, the luxury brand said in a statement. A former deputy chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, Muzaffar Hussain Baig is a leading figure of the Peoples Democratic Party. He was elected to the legislative assembly of J&K state in 2002 and 2008. In an interview with Zia Haq, Baig, a lawyer and an alumnus of Harvard University, talks about Kashmiri leaders in detention and how they should be released to begin a political process in the Union territory. Edited excerpts: Where does Jammu and Kashmir stand today? What we used to call Jammu and Kashmir earlier, is now separated into two Union territories. This is one aspect which has an impact on the process of empowerment of elected representatives. Also, there is no upper house. The other is the issue of abrogation of Article 370 and 35A. There was nothing in Article 370 that suggested a cessation from the Union of India. Kashmir leaders talked as if Article 370 was something on which their identity and future depended. I do not underestimate the importance of Article 370 as a symbol. Symbols have a great emotional value in politics and religion. 35A had a substance in terms of protection of domicile and protection of land and also protection of jobs. 35A was more or less like Article 371. J&K will have a legislature but the Lt Governor has the power to consult or not consult the council of ministers. So, in a sense, it is a process of disempowerment. Most of the people in J&K have tribal cultural identities. The government should give them tribal rights under Article 371 or some other mechanism and protect them as ethnic communities. I was heartened to hear the statement of the Union home minister that as soon as circumstances permit, statehood will be restored to J&K. Even the PM was kind enough to make that pledge. How do you see politics in J&K evolving from here on? Most politicians who took an oath of the Constitution and contested elections have been detained. I too was under house detention. They are the ones whose relatives were killed by militants, who braved the onslaught of the Hurriyat Conference, suffered and yet stood by the Constitution of India. However, people who have been asking for secession, have no restrictions. Some people have been released. My plea is that you release them, five to 10 at a time. If any person misuses his liberty, you can take him back. But what is the need to keep everyone in detention? This will discourage good, decent, self-respected people, from participating in political processes in the future. If you want to restart the political process, dont decide who should do what in J&K, by sitting in Delhi. We need fresh blood in politics and people with tested integrity. Now, we have to restart a genuine political process in the UT with a hope that it will soon become a state. When do you see that (statehood to J&K) happening? If things are allowed to come up from the ground from within the state, may be in a year or so. We dont know if the government or its advisers have some strategy in mind. But, the starting point is to release people and allow growth of amalgamation of youth with experience, integrity with commitment, and hope that Pakistan or China do not create any problem. It certainly does bother me that these people who have proved their patriotism are still languishing in jail. How do you see Pandit-Muslim relationship going from here on? In 1989-90, 90-96% Kashmiri Pandits had to leave Kashmir. A hysteria was created in those days. Half a million people would come out and raise slogans.... at that time I used to be in Delhi. However, once when I visited Kashmir for a couple of days, slogans could be heard throughout the night. I being a Muslim in Kashmir was scared. So, I can understand why Kashmiri Pandits left Kashmir. They can return to Kashmir only when there is no threat to their life. In 2016, I had suggested that since Kashmiri Pandits are known for their knowledge in science, philosophy, shashtras etc, university towns should be built where both ancient knowledge of India and modern science and technology are mixed. In these towns, both Muslims and Kashmiri Pandits could settle together. It might be a way to reverse the wheel of history. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A student of Jamia Millia Islamia was injured after a man opened fire at the anti-CAA march conducted by Jamia Coordination Committee. The attacker was apprehended by the police and the victim was admitted to a nearby hospital. According to witnesses, an unidentifed man was seen raising religious slogans before he opened fire with a countrymade pistol at the anti-CAA rally. "He was shouting 'deta hu tumhe azadi' ('I will give you freedom') and opposed our march. He later shouted 'Jai Shri Ram' and opened fire," a protestor said. The incident took place when protesters, which included students of Jamia Millia Islamia, were marching towards Rajghat to hold a protest to oppose the the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC). The accused has been arrested. He has identified himself as Gopal. The police are yet to confirm his claim. The injured student, meanwhile, has been identified as Shadab Najar, a student of Jamia Millias Mass Communication and Research Centre. According to an official, the bullet hit the Journalism student's arm. He has been rushed to Holy Family Hospital which is near the Jamia Millia institution only. The Maharashtra government will soon launch the Student Police Cadet (SPC) programme in 354 government schools, an official from the home department said on Thursday. Under the programme, selected students from Classes 8 and 9 at government schools will be taught about community policing, road safety, safety of women and children, anti- corruption measures and disaster management, he said. Apart from this, they will also get lessons on values and ethics of life, including empathy, sympathy, tolerance, team spirit and discipline, he added. The nationwide SPC programme was launched in July 2018 by then Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. The state government issued a government resolution (GR) on Wednesday to disburse Rs 1.77 crore for the programme, the official said. Each selected government school will get Rs 50,000 from the allotted fund for educational aids, training and contingency, he added. Police commissioners in cities and superintendents of police (SP) at district level will be responsible for disbursal of funds, the official said. While the Centre will provide 60 per cent of the funding under its Modernisation of Police Forces (MPF) scheme, the state will pitch in with the remaining 40 per cent, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry have changed the course of their lives forever. Though the power couple had been a modern force in the uber-traditional British Royal Family the U.K. press and public could not get over the fact that Markle was a mix-raced American woman. Though she seems by all accounts to be a perfectly lovely woman, Markle had been subjected to all kinds of bullying and harassment by the British media. Since the royals have a policy of having, a stiff upper lip they also werent allowed to defend themselves. After two years of enduring this kind of behavior, the Sussexes decided that theyd had enough. In a move that shocked the world, the duo decided to step down as working members of the royal family. However, the remaining members of the royal family arent so sure this will be a permanent decision. Inside Meghan Markle and Prince Harrys new life in Canada Though the Sussexes initially said they would be splitting their time between Canada and the U.K. since they are no longer working royals, it appears they will be living in Canada on a more permanent basis. Though they havent found a home base just yet, we do know that they have been living in a rented mansion on the picturesque Vancouver Island. Apparently, this is the happiest Markle has been in a long time. She doesnt come from millions, an insider told US Weekly. Shes worked hard to get to where she is today. Meghan loves the idea of being the breadwinner. She has no plans to do another show like Suits, but Harrys been encouraging her to do more voice-over work, writing, producing and directing in her free time. They also said that Prince Harry is looking forward to this new life chapter. Prince Harry and Meghan Markles new roles are on a trial basis Though it seems pretty permanent to us, it looks like these new roles for the Sussexes have been subjected to a year-long trial period. When their new roles were announced, Buckingham Palace said in a statement. As agreed in this new arrangement, they understand that they are required to step back from Royal duties, including official military appointments. They will no longer receive public funds for Royal duties. With The Queens blessing, the Sussexes will continue to maintain their private patronages and associations. While they can no longer formally represent The Queen, the Sussexes have made clear that everything they do will continue to uphold the values of Her Majesty. However, a royal insider gave People a bit more context, The new changes which will take effect in Spring 2020 will last for a year, at which point the royal family will revisit the arrangement, they explained. The British royal family is convinced Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may return one day Though the Sussexes appear to be pleased with their new lives the royals are concerned they dont know what theyve gotten themselves into. Becoming financially independent is one thing, but Canada does not have the same privacy laws as the U.K. The palace is very worried about the Sussexes because they are vulnerable outside the embrace of the family, an insider told The Sunday Times. They are making contingency plans in case the Sussexes suddenly turn round and say: Can we come back under your wing? You could bring them back to Frogmore to look after them. They wouldnt return to royal duties, but they could have a period of rehabilitation and recuperation. It would have been nice if the royals were more proactive when Markle was being hounded and bullied. Sri Lanka's former prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will continue to lead the main opposition United National Party (UNP) despite mounting pressure on him to quit. A crucial meeting of the party's apex body, the working committee, decided that Wickremesinghe should continue in his post, party general secretary Akila Kariyawasam told reporters. In October 2018, the 70-year-old UNP leader was removed as Sri Lanka's prime minister by then president Maithripala Sirisena who then appointed former president Mahinda Rajapaksa as the premier, plunging the country into an unprecedented crisis. Sirisena, however, reinstated Wickremesinghe after he refused to accept the sacking and approached a court. The UNP meeting took place despite a boycott staged by members loyal to deputy leader Sajith Premadasa, who is the current official opposition leader. "There are 59 members of the working committee and 37 of them were present at the meeting. It was decided to continue to have Wickremesinghe as the party leader while Sajith Premadasa would lead the new political alliance," Wickremesinghe loyalist Kariyawasam said. Premadasa was defeated in the November 16 presidential election. He had forced Wickremesinghe to make him the candidate against Gotabaya Rajapaksa. After Premadasa's stunning defeat to Rajapaksa, Wickremesinghe named Premadasa the official opposition leader while retaining the party leadership. However, many leaders wanted Wickremesinghe, who has led the party since 1994, to step down to be succeeded by Premadasa. The UNP's political allies have said that they would form an opposition alliance under Premadasa's leadership to fight the parliamentary election due late in April. Kariyawasam said Premadasa will also be the party's prime ministerial candidate. There was no immediate reaction from the Premadasa camp on the working committee decision to retain Wickremesinghe as the party leader. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Moscow (AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday pardoned an Israeli-US woman jailed for drug trafficking, on the eve of a visit to Moscow by Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu, who has pushed hard for her release in his campaign for re-election March 2, is to brief Putin on President Donald Trump's Middle East plan. "I thank my friend President Putin for having pardoned Naama Issahar," Netanyahu said in a statement before leaving Washington. "I am looking forward to our meeting tomorrow (Thursday) in which we will discuss the (Trump) plan and latest events in the region," he added. Naama Issachar, 26, was arrested at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport in April 2019 as she travelled from India to Israel and was sentenced in October to seven and a half years in prison. Russian authorities said they found nine grammes (three ounces) of cannabis in her checked luggage. "Guided by the principles of humanity, I pardon Naama Issachar," Putin said in the decree cited by the Kremlin. The young woman's fate had sparked a wave of sympathy in Israel where Netanyahu had pledged to do everything for her release. The Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot reported that the young woman would return to Israel on Thursday in Netanyahu's plane. "I am moved of course. I'm thinking about Naama. I don't know if she knows, if they told her," Naama's mother Yaffa Issachar said, thanking Netanyahu, the Israeli people and others who worked for her release. In December, Issachar lost an appeal against her sentence which Netanyahu has described as disproportionate. When travelling to Israel last week for commemorations for the liberation of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz 75 years ago, Putin appeared before the cameras with Issachar's mother and Netanyahu. - Prisoner swap? - Putin said he had assured her mother that all would go well while Yaffa Issachar said the Russian leader had promised to send her daughter home. Story continues Issachar's Russian lawyer Vadim Kliouvgant told AFP "the procedure for her release was underway, in line with the decree." Naama Issachar, imprisoned in the Moscow region, had on Sunday signed a request for a pardon addressed to Putin. She had initially refused to do so. Israeli media reported that there were negotiations to exchange Issachar for a Russian imprisoned in Israel. When she was sentenced in October, Russian and Israeli media had raised the possibility that Issachar be traded for Alexei Bourkov, a Russian citizen detained in Israel since 2015 and accused of computer hacking by the United States, who asked for his extradition. However, he was extradited to the United States in November. Issachar's sentence was upheld on appeal in December. During an appeal hearing, Issachar had proclaimed her innocence, denouncing the absurdity of accusations against her. The Israeli foreign ministry had called the verdict "harsh and disproportionate" and President Reuven Rivlin had appealed to Putin's "mercy and compassion" when asking him to intervene in the case. It remains to be seen how much Issachar's release and Netanyahu's visit to Washington boost his re-election chances. Analysts said the details of Trump's plan could offer political benefits to Netanyahu, delighting rightwing voters with calls for the annexation of West Bank settlements and possibly appeasing some on the left with nominal support for a Palestinian state. Russia said it would study Trump's plan and called on Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate directly to find a "mutually acceptable compromise." T he last fighter ace from the Battle of Britain has died, aged 101. Wing Commander Paul Farnes was among the 3,000 airmen who defended the skies above southern England for three-and-a-half months during the Second World War. He died peacefully at his home in Hampshire on Tuesday morning, the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust said. His death means there are now only two surviving members of 'The Few', the group of airmen who repelled Hitler's Luftwaffe during the 1940 battle in the skies over southern England. Mr Farnes, a Hurricane pilot, was the last surviving ace, an accolade referring to those who brought down at least five enemy planes. Fighter pilots Stefan Witorzenc, George Stoney, Antoni Gowacki and, sitting, Bob Dafforn,Paul Farnes, Kenneth Hawkeye Lee, John Gibson and Hugh Adams of No 501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force rest between sorties and listen to an account given by Gibson who had just bailed out of his aircraft after being shot down by an enemy aircraft in August 1940 / Getty Images He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal, the highest honour in the air force for non-officers. A Battle of Britain Memorial Trust spokesman paid tribute to the war hero and said: A tall, distinguished man with striking silver-grey hair that he retained throughout his life, Paul Farnes was known for plain speaking but was generous with his time in support of trust activities." Prince of Wales talking to Battle of Britain veteran Wing Commander Paul Farnes in 2017 / PA Wire/PA Images The announcement comes seven weeks after Flight Lieutenant Maurice Mounsdon, who also flew in World War Two, died, also at the age of 101, in December. Mr Farnes joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in 1938, later joining RAF No 501 Squadron and fighting in the Battle of France in 1940. After the Battle of Britain, he was commissioned as an officer and served as an instructor and fought in Malta with No 229 Squadron as well as serving in North Africa and Iraq. As the Second World War ended, he was in command of two squadrons in the UK. Paul Farnes posing for photos with a guest in front of a Hurricane at RAF Northolt / PA Wire/PA Images Remaining in the RAF until 1958, he retired as a Squadron Leader, retaining the rank of Wing Commander. He is survived by a daughter, Linda, and son, Jonathan. Another son, Nicholas, died in 1954. In 2015 Farnes described the moving moment he and his comrades were spontaneously applauded during a service at Westminster Abbey to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. It was very emotional today because, when we walked out of the Abbey, the audience applauded and its never happened before at the annual service and I was very moved by it," he said. It is amazing that the Battle of Britain has caught on with the public and I am very proud to have been a part of it." KBR, the Houston company currently training NASA astronauts, will start training their private, deep-pocket counterparts at NASA facilities. KBR signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA's Johnson Space Center to train private astronauts in a wide variety of spaceflight tasks, including operating onboard International Space Station systems, integrating into the existing ISS crew, performing routine operational tasks, maintaining health and performance and responding to emergencies. KBR will also provide medical operations and services prior to, during and after spaceflights. At HoustonChronicle.com: Axiom Space gets NASA nod to start developing new space station "KBR has pioneered space travel for more than half a century. We will leverage our domain expertise to assist private astronauts with their human spaceflight activities," Stuart Bradie, KBR President and CEO, said in a news release. KBR has supported every astronaut since 1968. As one of the worlds largest human spaceflight support organizations, it executes International Space Station operations and performs 24/7 real-time human spaceflight command and control from the NASA Johnson Space Center Mission Control Center. Thursday's announcement is the latest in NASA's efforts to welcome more private astronauts and commercial companies aboard. Earlier this week, NASA selected Axiom Space to build a privately funded commercial module that will attach to the International Space Station, a project that could cost $2 billion and ultimately create 1,000 jobs. ALBANY In previous years, the Cuomo Administration has touted funding for an initiative that provides free legal services to immigrants across New York state. However, funding for the program is nowhere to be found on the governor's recently released 2021 draft budget. Since 2017, the state has allocated $10 million to the Liberty Defense Project, which splits up the money among nonprofits across the state that help provide immigrants with legal services including deportation defense and direct representation in court, among other services. Now the legal providers are asking for the state to fund the project at $15.3 million saying they need more resources to accommodate a growing caseload. If the funding isnt renewed immigrants across New York, especially upstate, could see the number of resources plummet. This could have devastating effects on a community, said Shayna Kessler, senior planner of the Vera's Center on Immigration and Justice, which is funded by the Liberty Defense Project. Were talking about people who have strong ties to this country. Regardless of status, we are talking about people in our communities, their parents, caregivers and business owners, Kessler said. So when you take people away and put them in detention, youre really harming the community. In past years, a large share of the money went toward providing public defenders in immigration court for a program called New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP), which began in New York City in 2013. The state then gave $4 million in 2017 so the program could expand upstate, making New York the only place in the country that guarantees public defenders for all detained people in immigration court statewide. New York City will continue to fund attorneys for cases that are heard in the citys courts, but immigrants upstate need state funding for the program to continue to work at full scale, said Kessler of Vera's Center, one of the many organizations that helped bring the program upstate. In immigration court having access to counsel is really a matter of fundamental fairness, Kessler said. The government always has a lawyer when it charges a person with being deportable. For instance, one of NYIFUP's clients was a restaurant worker who stood up to his boss after discovering that he was not being paid for all the hours he worked. In retaliation, his employer reported him to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ICE detained the man at the Buffalo Federal Detention Center, where he met his NYIFUP attorney. He was released from detention and is now working with his attorney to claim his unpaid wages. NYIFUP withheld the client's name to protect his privacy. Now NYIFUP is asking for $6.5 million from the state because it anticipates more clients in the next fiscal year. In fiscal year 2020, upstate NYIFUP served just over 1,000 people, while it projects more than 1,400 people will need services in the coming year. Its because cases are taking a lot longer, Kessler said of the caseload increase. The situation in immigration court is incredibly complicated and has only become more complicated under the current administration. Immigration courts saw a record high of nearly 130,000 pending cases in fiscal year 2020, according to data from nonpartisan TRAC Immigration, based at Syracuse University. This is more than double the amount of backlogged cases in 2014. Typically, funding for the project has come in right before the budget deadline, according to Camille Mackler, director of immigration legal policy at New York Immigration Coalition, one of the organizations that received funding from the Liberty Defense Project. Last year, she said, legal providers found out funding was restored the night before the budget vote. That was more notice than in FY 2019 when they found out they got the funding five hours before the vote. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The delay has created a logistical nightmare for the nonprofits, she explained. That actually makes it really hard for organizations to hire... they cant give (employees) more than a years guarantee, Mackler said. That creates two problems, you have all these lawyers that dont know if theyll have jobs and all these clients who dont know if theyll have lawyers. Even though Cuomo's 2021 budget does not include the money for immigration legal services, Freeman Klopott, a New York State Division of the Budget spokesman, said the administration has been supportive of the initiative in the past and that the final decision will come during budget negotiations. This administration has led the nation in supporting immigrant legal services, Klopott wrote in a statement. He pointed to last year's budget that ultimately continued "the $10 million in FY 2020 funding for the Liberty Defense Project with any additional funding subject to negotiations with the Legislature." Legislators and other interested parties are looking for a more permanent solution to secure funding for immigrant legal services. The New York Immigration Coalition and the state bar worked with legislators to draft a bill that would guarantee immigrants facing deportation the right to an attorney. The Access to Representation Act (ARA) was introduced by Sen. Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan) and Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz (D-Queens) last week. If the bill passes, the state would fund and appoint a lawyer to low-income immigrants in the state who have a case before an immigration judge or who have a basis to file an appeal to reopen an old deportation order. The New York State Bar Association has floated this idea before, but critics say it would be too costly for the state to pay for a public defender system in immigration court. As of now, an analysis for the ARA is being done to see how much it would cost and how many people would be served, Mackler said. She said if the bill were to pass, then those who provide immigrant legal services through the Liberty Defense Project wouldnt have to wait until nearly the end of the legislative session to find out if they received funding. We cant keep going through this every year, Mackler said. On Tuesday ERC president Oriol Junqueras made an appearance in the Catalan parliament, his first since he was jailed on 2 November 2017. He was summoned by a parliamentary committee tasked with probing the suspension of home rule [following the 2017 failed independence bid]. While the session was two hours in length, it could be summarised with one single word (or three): Dialogue, dialogue and dialogue, was the motto which the republican leader repeated many times. Junqueras insisted that, although he remains in prison, he would like to lead this dialogue himself: It is our duty to talk to everyone. Indeed, Im desperate to, he stated. And he warned that, even though he is burdened by a prison sentence and barred from office, he will pursue political action once he is released: Im not going anywhere. On this point he emphasised that he will never allow his prison sentence to have an influence on any talks. We will be delighted to talk to everyone, to sit around a negotiating table or as many as it takes, he remarked. The Esquerra leader called on starting a dialogue with the State and highlighted the importance of his partys agreement with the PSOE to engage in talks [about the Catalan issue]. Nobody can claim to want independence more than us, more than I do. We are the champions of the republican cause and of dialogue. Thats why we practise it and demand it, and thats why were sat at a negotiating table, he said. On the subject of the talks due to begin between the Catalan government and its Spanish counterpart, which ERC and the PSOE have agreed to endorse, Junqueras explained that ERC are feeling both enthusiastic, but also skeptical. Both feelings are compatible, he noted. The enthusiasm stems from the fact that the State will be sitting down for talks, but ERC remain skeptical because previous talks with the PSOE never bore any fruit in the past. The ERC leader also stated that they are even willing to talk to those who cheered on as he was taken to jail and he warned that eventually anyone who celebrated our imprisonment will also get a taste of the dirty war waged by the State because the State simply cannot stop using the instruments it has always resorted to in order to fabricate evidence against those who oppose it. Junqueras also made the most of this opportunity to get even with the Spanish politicians who led political parties when he was jailed and who have since stepped down. He referred to former PM Mariano Rajoy, VP Soraya Saenz de Santamaria and former Ciudadanos leader Albert Rivera. The leaders who were most enthusiastic about suspending Catalonias home rule are gone now, whereas Im still here. A new referendum Without setting any dates nor going into detail about how they would go about it, Junqueras advocated a new referendum on independence, with or without Madrids consent. A self-determination referendum is a normal thing. We want to stage another one and we will, he pledged. The vote on 1 October 2017 landed the Catalan government in jail or exile, but Junqueras does not believe this should be a hurdle to try again. We are not afraid, we never have been, and less so now. A prison cell is just a stepping stone to freedom, he noted. Irony and jabs aimed at Ciudadanos Ciudadanos was the first opposition party to take the floor in what was their first session with this committee, whose set-up they had objected to and, therefore, had ignored it thus far. At the end of her address, during which she asked Junqueras if hed be able to look in the eye all the people you have inconvenienced, Ciudadanos leader Lorena Roldan announced that she and her colleagues were leaving the session then and there. They didnt even stay to listen to Junqueras response. The ERC leader made the most of the situation to make an ironic remark: You wont stay for my reply? Thats a pity, now that wed started to dialogue You keep leaving from places! But Ciudadanos werent merely the target of Junqueras irony. He also slammed them for claiming that the independence bid had torn Catalan society apart, families in particular. Junqueras adopted a serious tone at this point and asked: Do you mean to lecture me about torn families when, once again, today I wont be allowed to go home and be with my children?. Still, he played down the fact that he had to return to the Lledoners prison facility with this final remark: Sure, Im going back to jail. But thats alright. In jail I will meet many people who are much more honest than most of the powerful names that condemn us every day. United temporarily The arrival of the prisoners at the Catalan parliament prompted a certain temporary return to unity between ERC and JxCat. The prisoners of both parties arrived together accompanied by Catalan president Quim Torra, vice president Pere Aragones and Speaker Roger Torrent. Torrent and Torra were at the centre of the dispute between the two coalition partners [which has eventually led to a snap election due to be held in a few months]. Junqueras didnt even mention it. Tuesday was a day for self-vindication, not for rubbing salt in the wound. A UN envoy accused foreign actors Thursday of continuing to meddle in Libya's conflict, in violation of commitments made at an international summit in Berlin this month. Speaking before the UN Security Council, Ghassan Salame warned that "these maneuvers to resupply the two parties threaten to precipitate a new and much more dangerous conflagration." "They violate the spirit and the letter of the Berlin Conference," Salame said in an impassioned briefing in front of the 15-member council. "I urge the parties and their foreign sponsors to desist from reckless actions and instead renew their expressed commitment to work towards a ceasefire," he added. His comments came as a French military source said France's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier this week spotted a Turkish frigate escorting a cargo ship delivering armored vehicles to the Libyan capital Tripoli in defiance of a UN embargo. The cargo ship Bana docked in Tripoli port on Wednesday, said the source, who asked not to be named. World leaders committed to ending all foreign interference and to uphold a weapons embargo to help end Libya's long-running civil war during a summit in the German capital on January 19. Salame said he was "deeply worried" by military reinforcements to both sides in the conflict despite the pledge to halt arms shipments to the belligerents. He said they raised "the specter of a broader conflict engulfing the wider region." Libya has been torn by fighting between rival armed factions since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi. The warring parties are led by strongman Khalifa Haftar and the head of Tripoli's UN-recognized government, Fayez al-Sarraj. "(They) have continued to receive a sizable amount of advanced equipment, fighters and advisors from foreign sponsors," Salame said. He cited in particular the reinforcement of Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) forces in Tripoli, including arms, equipment and soldiers, including foreign fighters. Haftar has the support of Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. Sarraj's Government of National Accord (GNA) is backed by Turkey and Qatar. Salame said foreign fighters supportive of the GNA have been flown to Tripoli "by the thousands and deployed in forward locations, alongside Libyan forces. "As recently as Tuesday, the presence of foreign naval assets including warships, was witnessed off the coast of Tripoli, in addition to cargo ships," he added. Salame said his mission had recorded more than 110 reported violations of a fragile ceasefire backed by both Ankara and Moscow that was put in place on January 12. RAMALLAH, West Bank Why shouldnt Picasso go to Palestine? Khaled Hourani, artist, curator and artistic director of a young gallery in Ramallah, asked himself a decade ago, as he was touring the Van Abbemuseum in the Dutch city of Eindhoven. Why not indeed? The works of Pablo Picasso, the prolific Catalan painter, are displayed all around the world, including Palestines neighbors. But Ramallah, cut off from the rest of the world with checkpoints and sheer poverty, was no ordinary spot. Even if the political and diplomatic difficulties could be put aside, there was no museum in Palestine that would secure the physical conditions security, humidity and funds required for insurance for the painting Hourani had in mind Buste de Femme, an oil painting created in 1943 worth $7.1 million. Yet the determined young man succeeded sooner than most people expected, including the administrators of the Van Abbemuseum. In 2011, Buste de Femme arrived in Ramallah, in an event that put its mark on the 2010s in the Middle East art scene. Today, as we list the top cultural global events of the last decade, Houranis Picasso in Palestine exhibition and a video of its backdrop ranks as #52 in Artnet News in the 100 works of art that define the decade. There are only three other projects from the Middle East, including the films "Cabaret Crusades" (2010-15) by Egyptian artist Wael Shawky, as #16. Artist and curator Khaled Houranis elaborate efforts to get 'Buste de Femme,' a 1943 work by Picasso in the collection of the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, to be seen at Ramallahs International Academy of Art, has become, among other things, a widely seen documentary, said the article. But really the entire project was consciously designed as a kind of critical gesture, a way to use the value of art and the difficulty of transporting it as a way to throw into relief the absurdities of life under occupation. Hourani, artistic director of the International Academy of Art-Palestine, told Al-Monitor that he is not surprised that it is on the list. The project did resonate throughout the world, but I did not expect it to rank this high, he admitted. Artist and curator Khaled Hourani, seen in a picture uploaded April 16, 2016. Credit: Facebook/ RCDFpalestine Speaking to Al-Monitor, he underlined that he felt a personal victory when the work arrived in Palestine in 2011, after what many called a shot in the dark. When I saw the painting being brought in through the Qalandia checkpoint, it felt like divine powers had been at work, he said. The painting had been transported first to Israel's Ben Gurion Airport before it was taken with a special vehicle to the checkpoint. The Van Abbemuseum officials set several preconditions for the loan of the valuable painting, including a humidity- and temperature-controlled space for the exhibition and protection of the masterpiece during its trip to and from Palestine. An official at the Van Abbemuseum told me that he had hardly expected us to meet the conditions, Hourani said. There was no museum in Palestine suitable for displaying the painting. So we created a special space inside the academy an equipped room of 4 by 4 meters with special lighting, humidity and heat. The biggest challenge, however, was the funding that exceeded a quarter of a million dollars, but as the project began to take shape, funds started to pour in. The money raised allowed the masterpiece to be displayed under heavy security, with two guards on permanent duty and a team that would direct the visitors, only two at a time, to the room. A documentary about the exhibition, with the now-famous photo of the two guards standing next to the painting, was released, showing to the art world the great effort behind bringing a single work of Picasso to Ramallah, a city merely 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of Jerusalem. Hourani explained that the particular situation of Palestine, which is not recognized as a state, had made the transport both difficult and interesting. "It demonstrated how art can play a role for an occupied people struggling to find some normality in their daily lives," he said. He noted that the exhibit both encouraged and motivated the stagnant artistic movement in Palestine, and reminded them of the possibilities in art despite impossibilities. Palestinian artist Sliman Mansour agreed that the exhibition stimulated many young Palestinian artists. I think Palestinian art remains more traditional than contemporary. But Houranis work was an incentive for many young artists to start shifting to contemporary art and to innovate [like Picasso did]," Mansour told Al-Monitor. It was a smart project. Most importantly, it was carried out and documented in detail, which created an artistic interaction between Palestine and the world, added Palestinian artist Nabil Anani. Anani told Al-Monitor that he never expected seeing a Picasso on display in Ramallah, and thought, at the beginning, that Houranis idea was far-fetched. Hourani was able to overcome all the obstacles in the way, which was a simulation of the Palestinian daily struggle. This was positively reflected on art in Palestine and provided a model for the bold artist that goes out of his way and rises up to the international challenge, he concluded. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A 27-year-old pregnant woman was reportedly found dead on a Brooklyn street early Wednesday morning. Police said that officers responded to the Red Hook Houses on Lorraine Street in Brooklyn just after 2 a.m. and found the 27-year-old woman unconscious and unresponsive. She was later pronounced dead at the hospital. The woman, according to New York Post sources, was found dead after she was shoved out of a car at the location. Authorities are questioning the womans boyfriend, and are also probing whether he was responsible for dumping the couples 2-year-old son on a street in Queens where the child was found safe according to the New York Post report. Police said that there have been no arrests in the case. Multiple reports indicate that the boyfriend was being questioned at the 76th Precinct stationhouse in Brooklyn; his identity has not been released. The identity of the 27-year-old mother-to-be was not released by authorities; however, the New York Post identified her as Tatiana Walton, a resident of the Red Hook Houses. Police said the official cause of death will be determined by the citys medical examiner. www.arangodb.com Common metadata is an often overlooked aspect when building production grade ML pipelines, but is equally as important as good training data. ArangoDB, the leading open source native multi-model database, today announced the release of ArangoML Pipeline Cloud, a fully-hosted, fully-managed common metadata layer for production-grade data science and Machine Learning (ML) platforms. ArangoML Pipeline Cloud runs on ArangoDB Oasis, ArangoDBs recently released cloud service, and is the latest offering in ArangoDBs ML extension, ArangoML. ArangoML Pipeline Cloud meets the needs of both data scientists, who are concerned with the quality of the data, feature training, and model results, as well as DevOps, who need to manage which datasets and deployments are in use, their performance, and how they are being deployed. ArangoML Pipeline Cloud centralizes the metadata produced across the ML pipeline, providing a common interface to show relationships of the data, features, and model training results, as well as the deployments, management, and serving logistics. ArangoML Pipeline solution is pipeline agnostic, allowing any combination of pipeline components to be connected. Additionally, as a cloud-based service, it can be up & running in just a few clicks. Common metadata is an often overlooked aspect when building production grade ML pipelines, but is equally as important as good training data, said Jorg Schad, Head of Engineering and Machine Learning at ArangoDB. It is not only crucial for DataOps teams when looking for reproducible builds, audit trails, or compliance with privacy regulations, but extremely valuable for data scientists as well -- allowing them to easily grasp the lineage of models, what artifacts are involved, and also enabling performance comparisons across different models and approaches. As a multi-model database, ArangoDB can easily accommodate and unite unstructured, highly-interlinked data, such as inference and model descriptions, and allow relationships between them to be stored as a graph that can be managed by the DevOps engineer and used by the data scientist at the same time. Learn more To explore ArangoML Pipeline Cloud in a free sandbox: Visit the blog To join a webinar for a live demo of how ArangoML Pipeline Cloud works: Register here About ArangoDB One engine. One query language. Multiple data models. With more than 7 million downloads and over 9,000 stargazers on GitHub, ArangoDB is the leading open source native multi-model database. It combines the power of graphs with JSON documents, a key-value store, and a full-text search engine, enabling developers to access and combine all of these data models with a single, elegant, declarative query language. Simplifying complexity and increasing productivity is the mission of ArangoDB Inc., the company behind the project. Founded in 2014, ArangoDB Inc. is a privately-held company backed by Bow Capital and Target Partners. It is headquartered in San Francisco and Cologne, Germany with offices and employees around the world. Learn more at http://www.arangodb.com. Beginning Japanese offered The Butte Public Library will offer a beginning Japanese class at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 4, in the Carle Gallery. All ages and abilities are welcome. This will cover basic conversational language. Details: 406-723-3361 or visit www.buttepubliclibrary.info. Toastmasters announce winners Top O the Mornin Toastmasters weekly winners included Mike Gribben, best speaker; Billie Holmlund, best topic respondent; and Tonnette Hollingsworth, best evaluator. The next meeting will be held at 6:30 a.m. Monday, Feb. 3, at Perkins. Wildlife Society conference set for Feb. Montanas Wildlife Societys annual conference will be held Monday-Friday, Feb. 3-7, at the Copper King Hotel and Convention Center, 4655 Harrison Ave. Topics focus on those issues of particular importance or interest to Montana wildlife professionals. The conference theme this year revolves around the multifaceted approach to habitat conservation on private lands and exploring the successes and failures from the past, what is currently working, and how those will help guide us into the future. The cost is $135 for the full conference, regular member early registration, $165 for full conference for regular membership registration. Butte tax service relocates Carols Tax Service has moved to 2398 Massachusetts Ave., one block east of Harrison Ave. on the corner of Massachusetts and Princeton. Carols Tax Service Inc. was formerly located in the Executive Village. Carol Lester Huftel graduated in business from the University of Montana and has been in the tax preparation business for more than 25 years. Sherry Cargill has over 15 years of experience in the tax preparation business. Both have been business owners in the area for decades. Huftel and Cargill can be reached at 406-299-2253 or submit a message on our website at caroltax.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Head of the My Step faction of the National Assembly of Armenia Lilit Makunts today received Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Lithuania to Armenia Inga Stanyte-Tolockiene, as reported the official website of the National Assembly of Armenia. Greeting the Ambassador, Lilit Makunts presented the democratic reforms agenda in Armenia. The interlocutors discussed issues on further strengthening of the Armenian-Lithuanian relations and attached importance to the close and effective cooperation between the friendship groups of the two countries parliaments. They also touched upon cooperation in the spheres of renewable energy, reprocessing of plastic and several other spheres and the exchange of experience. Ambassador Stanyte-Tolockiene reaffirmed Lithuanias willingness to assist Armenia in the effective implementation of the earmarked reforms. Allegro Romano, San Franciscos colorful Roman restaurant known for hosting political power meals and celebrity guests over the years, has closed after 16 years in Russian Hill. The shut down happened earlier this month with the only quasi-announcement for it coming via Facebook on Jan. 19, when co-owner Lorenzo Logoreci posted a video with Renel Brooks-Moon, the announcer for the San Francisco Giants, discussing his upcoming retirement. The restaurants main number has been disconnected and the windows are papered over. A liquor license transfer is pending between Logoreci and Maurizio Bruschi, the owner of Italian restaurant Ideale in North Beach. Logoreci and Bruschi did not respond to requests for comment. Allegro Romano, which is owned by Logoreci and his wife, Kelly Steckelberg, opened in 2004 at 1701 Jones St. and billed itself as a quintessential neighborhood restaurant. The menu was mostly based around Italian classics such as fettuccine with a white truffle sauce and homemade ravioli. From a clientele standpoint, the restaurant was anything but quaint. John Storey / Special to The Chronicle 2014 During the restaurants heyday of the mid- to late 2000s, Allegro Romano was a regular stop for famous athletes like Barry Bonds and Orlando Cepeda. Movie stars like Brad Pitt, Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher and William Baldwin also had dinners there. But it was within the California political crowd that Allegro Romano found a notably faithful cadre of regulars. (Check out the celebrity photos here.) Willie Brown often dined at the Russian Hill restaurant, as did Gov. Gavin Newsom and former U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Celebrity meals aside, Logoreci made waves in the food world in 2013 after he was cited by San Francisco police for slapping a city health inspector (at the time, Logoreci wouldnt comment on the incident other than acknowledging that an argument took place). Logoreci opened another restaurant, Ala Romana, in 2014 as a spin off to Allegro Romano. It closed in 2015. Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @JustMrPhillips Traders hurled goods down onto the street in an attempt to salvage them from a building on fire at a busy market in Lagos, Nigeria, on January 29. The blaze broke out in a building on Martin Street, site of the Balogun market, and comes just two months after a previous fire there, according to local reports. Credit: NWANERIAKU 1 NA AWKA-ETITTI via Storyful GoDaddy has reached an agreement to acquire Over, the startup behind an app that helps businesses create the photos and videos they need for social media. Justin Tsai, GoDaddy's vice president of growth and product, said this acquisition is about acknowledging "a world of entrepreneurs who may never have a website." He told me, "Overs capabilities really target those set of people, who may have an Instagram profile where they need to post visually engaging content but have never gone to GoDaddy." This follows GoDaddy's relaunch of its website-building tools last fall under the new name Websites+Marketing, with additional features around email marketing, search engine optimization and maintaining a presence beyond your website, whether that's on Facebook or Yelp. Tsai said Websites+Marketing now has 1 million paying customers, but as more business started using it, "We started noticing users really had trouble creating great content as they go to those platforms. They didnt know what to post or how to make that post really sing." That's where Over comes in, offering a variety of customizable templates and layouts that should make it faster and easier to create eye-catching visual content. The goal, according to co-founder and CEO Matt Winn, is to "build guitars, not violins" in the same way that someone can pick up a guitar and "strum a few cords," they should be able to download Over and quickly "start creating really great content." In fact, the startup says it has more than 1 million active users of its own, who are using it to create more than 220,000 projects every day. Tsai said GoDaddy and Over were initially discussing a partnership, but as it became clear that there was an opportunity to integrate the products more deeply, those discussions led to acquisition talks. Story continues Over will continue to operate as a standalone app, and he said the team will continue to develop new features for the app. At the same time, they'll be building integrations with Websites+Marketing, for example by taking Over and connecting it "into our insights tool to understand how different elements of [online] presence layer in together, to look at templates and how those actually help different types of small business owners." The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Winn said Over had previously raised funding from True Ventures and angel investors, and that the entire 76-person team will be joining GoDaddy. Over will continue to operate out of its Cape Town, South Africa headquarters. Schubert Music Launches 10 New Indie Labels Distributed By The Orchard Schubert Music, the holding company for the Schubert Music Publishing group, is launching ten independent record labels distributed by The Orchard. Thomas Thyssen, who joined Schubert from Universal Music in 2018, has been promoted to Managing Director of Schubert Music Agency GmbH, based in Germany, and Head of Recorded Music. He will oversee management of the new label structure and reports directly to Schubert Music CEO Andreas Schubert. The launch includes ten specialty record labels ranging from Alternative to Pop via Dance and Post-Punk to Latin. The label heads include industry veterans Daryl Bamonte (Schubert Music UK, London), Bill Murphy (Schubert Music US, Los Angeles), Michael Pagnotta (Schubert Music US, New York), Eric Burton (General Manager Hardbeat Promotion + Celsius Management, Hamburg), Sebastian Ruiz-Tagle (Schubert Music, A&R Manager Spain + Latin America) and Markus Schmidt (Pump It Suzi, Labelhead, Frankfurt am Main). Also included are established labels Unique Records from Duesseldorf, with a focus on Psychedelic and Garage and run by Ina Schulz (Schubert Music Germany), as well as Pariss Bruit Blanc from Paris, managed by Matthieu Chabaud (Schubert Music France). Andreas Schubert (Schubert Music, CEO): It has always been our aim to offer the artists associated with us as comprehensive a service as possible. Self-releases have sometimes been included, but now we have decided to completely re-organize the label area. With central management under Thomas Thyssen, who has headed our Berlin office since 2018, and decentralized, clearly specialized labels, we want to set new impulses and in combination with our other services, such as publishing, management and booking, be an attractive label alternative for artists from various genres. We found the perfect partner in The Orchard. Manlio not only understood and supported our ideas from the first moment, his team was also able to demonstrate the benefits of working together very clearly. Schubert Music has 13 international offices covering 29 territories. First signings and a detailed overview of the label structure will be announced promptly. Share on: Vietnam received 13 million foreign travelers in 2018 and the figure increased by 10.8 percent in the first 9 months of 2019. The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) reported that Vietnams two biggest international airports, Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat, have plans to increase the number of passengers to 50 million after 2030 and 2025, respectively. T3 terminal at Tan Son Nhat and T2 terminal at Cai Bi, Vinh and Phu Bai Airports have been listed as important projects to be developed in the next years. In late Q3 2019, CBRE Vietnam estimated that Vietnam had 442 operational 4-5-star hotels providing 91,236 rooms. In the period from 2015 to Q3 2019, the number of 5-star hotel rooms increased sharply by 21 percent per annum, and 4-star hotel rooms by 9 percent. Da Nang City and Khanh Hoa province are leading in terms of high-end hotel room supply with 14,000 rooms in each locality, a growth rate of over 19 percent a year in 2015-Q3 2019. In late Q3 2019, CBRE Vietnam estimated that Vietnam had 442 operational 4-5-star hotels providing 91,236 rooms. In the period from 2015 to Q3 2019, the number of 5-star hotel rooms increased sharply by 21 percent per annum, and 4-star hotel rooms by 9 percent. These are two most famous resort markets in Vietnam thanks to the wonderful climate and long and beautiful coastlines. Meanwhile, in HCM City and Hanoi, the hotel room supplies are 10,600 and 7,900, respectively, a 2-4 percent growth rate a year in the last five years. Phu Quoc witnessed the most impressive growth rate, 36 percent per annum. The number of high-end hotel rooms on the island is nearly equal to Hanoi thanks to heavy investments by Vietnams leading real estate groups. Experts all believe that the resort real estate market is very promising since Vietnams tourism industry has been developing strongly. The supply growth rate of tourism real estate products, including tourist villas and condotels in key tourism markets, has decreased since 2018. In Da Nang, Khanh Hoa and Phu Quoc, for example, the supply of tourist villas grew by 2.6 percent, 0.9 percent and 7.3 percent in 2017-Q3 2019, lower than the 5.5 percent, 35 percent and 27 percent growth rates in 2015-2017. As for condotel, the supply growth rate decreased considerably after 2017. In Khanh Hoa, the supply grew by 7 percent only, while it was 239 percent per annum in the two years before. According to Nguyen Trong Thuc, senior manager of CBRE Hotels Vietnam, the decline is a necessity for the market to make reasonable corrections after the hot development period, especially when the legal framework is needed to be perfected. Asked about the trend of the next few years, Robert McIntosh from CBRE Hotels Asia Pacific said investors need to diversify markets, consider markets which have great potential but have not developed that much, including Binh Thuan and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces. Kim Chi Discover the 'World's Leading Beach Villa Resort' on Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam Located on the stunning Ong Doi Cape on the south of Vietnams Pearl Island and boasting superlative services, Premier Village Phu Quoc Resort was named the World's Leading Beach Villa Resort 2019 at the 2019 World Travel Awards. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agencies) Tokyo/Shanghai Thu, January 30, 2020 10:20 713 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2061ada57 2 World #Wuhan,Wuhan-coronavirus,wuhan,coronavirus,#coronavirus,Japan,#Japan,evacuation Free Three Japanese citizens among more than 200 on a first evacuation flight from China have tested positive for a new strain of coronavirus, Japan's health minister said Thursday, AFP reported. The three people arrived in Japan on Wednesday, on the first flight to evacuate Japanese citizens from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of a deadly outbreak that has killed 170 people and injected thousands. The three evacuees raise the number of cases in Japan so far to 11, including two people who appear to have contracted the virus without traveling to China. "In addition to the eight cases, among the people who returned from Wuhan yesterday, infection [with the new coronavirus] has been confirmed in one person with symptoms and two other people who have no symptoms," Health Minister Katsunobu Kato told parliament. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told lawmakers that the three returnees would be treated in a special medical facility. The new cases come after authorities on Wednesday confirmed a second instance in which a person tested positive for the virus without having traveled to Japan. The woman was a tour guide who worked on the same bus as a driver who also contracted the virus without traveling to China. The driver told authorities he had driven two groups of tourists from Wuhan earlier in January and developed symptoms afterwards. "The eighth case is the second suspected incident of human-to-human transmission in Japan," Kato said. "We are in a truly new situation." Meanwhile, Reuters reported a plane of Japanese evacuees from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan arrived in Tokyo on Thursday as the total number of confirmed deaths from the newly identified pathogen in the country rose by 38 to 170 and infections also jumped. Chinese health authorities said there were 7,711 confirmed cases of infection as of the end of Wednesday, mostly in Hubei province where the death toll rose by 37 to 162. Infections have been reported in at least 15 other countries and, with the appearance of the first case in Tibet, in every province and region of mainland China. The World Health Organization's (WHO) Emergency Committee is set to reconvene behind closed doors in Geneva later on Thursday to decide whether the rapid spread of the virus now constitutes a global emergency. "In the last few days the progress of the virus, especially in some countries, especially human-to-human transmission, worries us," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference on Wednesday, naming Germany, Vietnam and Japan. "Although the numbers outside China are still relatively small, they hold the potential for a much larger outbreak." A second chartered flight with Japanese evacuees from Wuhan, which is under virtual lockdown, landed in Japan with nine people showing symptoms of fever or coughing, broadcaster NHK reported. The United States flew about 200 Americans out of Wuhan, capital of Hubei where most of the cases are concentrated. They were being screened on arrival in California. France, Britain and Canada also have organized evacuations. The effects of the virus are already weighing heavily on China's economy, the world's second-biggest, with companies cutting corporate travel and tourists canceling trips. Various airlines are cutting flights, from British Airways and Lufthansa to Air Canada and American Airlines. Master database for real time terror info by end of March India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Jan 30: The Centre would roll out a master data base by the end of March, which will provide real-time information to fight terror. The National Intelligence Grid will have data that would include credit card, debit cards, tax, immigration, passport details among others. During a high level meeting of the Home Ministry held recently, the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) was discussed and Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that he would want this up and running soon. Following a presentation by officials from NATGRID it was decided that it would be functional by the end of this year. One of the primary reasons for having NATGRID is to ensure a centralised command for intelligence. The Intelligence agencies gets thousands of intercepts every day, but the question is whether all of it is actionable or not. There is also the other issue of dealing with cock and bull intelligence, which is deliberately put out by terror groups to confuse the agencies. Major Republic Day terror attack averted in Valley The key to good intelligence is to piece together all the information and then ascertain beyond doubt whether it is actionable or not. Six days before the Pulwama attack, there was intelligence provided which suggested that there would be an IED attack and all areas need to be sensitised. However the intelligence was not considered to be operational in nature. The Intelligence Bureau argues that it is extremely difficult to get pin-pointed intelligence. At least 8 out of 10 intercepts, leads, information that are provided are done with an intention of misguiding the agencies. There have been times when we have chased a lead for months and then hit a dead end. EU Parliament postpones voting on resolution against CAA, India hails it as diplomatic win|Oneindia Piecing together the intelligence and coordinating with various agencies especially when the input is very general in nature is the need of the hour. Only 1 out of every 100 intelligence inputs are specific in nature, while the rest are general. Looking at the manner in which terror groups continue to strike with precision, the need of the hour would be to completely migrate to NATGRID or National Intelligence Grid. The primary job of NATGRID is to connect the inputs and data base of the core security agencies and piece it together and ascertain whether it is actionable in nature or not. The agencies have been arguing for long that India does have a competent policing wing, but they have been handicapped for want of data. Further coordination and ego issues have cropped up in the past as a result of which intelligence has failed. Security experts point out that with NATGRID, a data base is built and it would not remain the property of one state alone, but would be national property. Under this set up, police officials would have to feed information about each person to this data base. This would include credit card details, residential proof, immigration details and all other transactions regarding a person. Terror groups with help of Pak establishment may launch bio-warfare: How prepared are we An official in the IB says that the police will have a big role to play to ensure that this data is in place. The police not only have to feed in the first bit of the data, but there is a need to keep updating the data. NATGRID would also help the police and the Intelligence Bureau keep a tab on persons with suspicious backgrounds. The police would have access to all his data and any movement by this person would also be tracked with the help of this data base. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, January 30, 2020, 7:45 [IST] GREENPORT --Columbia County sheriff's officials on Wednesday said they continued their investigation into the industrial accident death of an ADM (Archer Daniels Midland) Milling worker Tuesday morning. Sheriff David P. Bartlett said deputies were sent by Columbia County 911 at about 10:20 a.m. to assist EMS personnel with a reported cardiac arrest in an elevator chute at the flour mill, located on Route 23B, and determined that an industrial accident had occurred that resulted in the employee's death. The Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday announced a public health emergency of international concern over the coronavirus crisis in China and other countries. "The main reason for this declaration is not because of what is happening in China, but because of what is happening in other countries," Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, was quoted by CNN as saying. "Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems and which are ill-prepared to deal with it," he said. However, the UN health body stressed that it does not recommend limiting trade and travel. It also once again spoke highly of China's prevention and containment measures. As many as 170 people have died of the virus, while around 7,700 cases have been registered in China alone. There are now 98 cases in 18 countries outside of China. Health authorities around the are taking action to prevent a global pandemic as the virus continues to spread, with cases reported in Australia, France, the US and several Asian countries besides China. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) I suspect that just about every reader of this blog who works for government -- and probably many who do not -- has on occasion been frustrated and angry about the unrelieved concentration on the negative in media reporting about government. The press seems to operate on the opposite of the principle our mothers taught us, "If you dont have anything bad to say, dont say anything at all." One of the messages of a wonderful new book, The Power of Bad, is: Dont blame the journalists. The authors -- John Tierney, a science writer, and Roy Baumeister, a professor of social psychology at Australia's University of Queensland -- argue that media outlets are giving people negative news because people react more strongly to it. Not just about government, but about life in general. There is ample evidence for the proposition that people pay more attention to negative events and emotions -- bad news -- than to good news. "Bad health or bad parenting makes much more difference than good health or good parenting" Tierney and Baumeister note. "The pain of criticism is much stronger than the pleasure of praise." Researchers have noted that "there was a word for an unexpected negative event, accident but most people couldnt think of (a word for) the opposite." By the age of five, children are much quicker to spot a fearful or angry face than a happy one. In one experiment, people focused on a face longer when it was described as belonging to a person who had thrown a chair at a classmate than if the identical face was described as belonging to a good Samaritan. Partly, this seems to be baked into our DNA by evolution. "In our ancestral savanna, the hunter-gatherers who survived were the one who paid more attention to shunning poisonous berries than to savoring delicious ones," the authors write. "They were more alert to predatory lions than to tasty gazelles. Recognizing a friends kindness usually wasnt a matter of life or death, but ignoring an enemys animosity could be fatal." The second reason for the greater attention to bad news is what psychologists call the "availability bias," defined as the human tendency to think that examples of things that come readily to mind are more representative than is actually the case." So "the number of people killed worldwide by al-Qaeda and ISIS and their allies in the past two decades is smaller than the number of Americans who died in their bathtubs," Tierney and Baumeister write, but it is much easier to visualize terrorism victims than bathtub fatalities, so we think about such horrors more. They suggest the conclusion from existing studies that it takes four positive events to counteract the influence of a single negative one. However, one of Tierney and Baumeisters key points is that "what worked for hunter-gatherers doesnt always work for us. The urge to load up on fattening calories was useful for lean times in the savanna, but it can lead to obesity and ill-health when junk-food merchants tempt you all day long." Their basic message is that to combat the power of bad, we need to go beyond just accepting reactions implanted in our brains when we were primitive creatures under threat in the forest. We need to be conscious and mindful of the problems these intuitive reactions create. "Compensate by keeping the rule of four in mind, they write. "Every time you feel devastated by an insult or a critique, scroll down and read four compliments. When youre furious at a friend for letting you down, force yourself to recall the times the friend came through for you." In government, force yourself to think about four positive stories to counteract the negative one. Furthermore, a complement to the power of bad is its opposite -- what the authors call the "Pollyanna principle," or seeing the positive side of adversity. One study of the most-commonly used words in 2 million New York Times articles and 800 million tweets showed that the ratio of positive to negative words people used was 3-l for tweets and 4-1 for newspaper articles. In another study, while negative tweets got read more often, positive ones got liked or retweeted more often. "Even though a bad event triggers a stronger immediate reaction than a good one, negative emotions typically fade more quickly than positive ones," Tierney and Baumeister write. When we are reacting to stimuli we dont control, the power of bad dominates. But when we ourselves control the narrative, positivity can shine forth. We certainly should be honest in portraying government problems as well as successes, but this book suggests that talking about the positive is good advice. There is also a fascinating discussion in the book about the value of rewards versus punishments in influencing behavior. The discussion was one of the few times my mind has been changed by something I read. I will blog about this chapter from the book next week. Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi-led Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) on Thursday expressed disappointment over a Delhi court verdict awarding 20-year jail to two men for raping a five-year-old girl, saying the convicts deserved to be in jail till death. In its statement, the BBA said Additional Sessions Judge Naresh Kumar Malhotra has shown leniency in sentencing the two convicts which has not done justice to the survivor. "BBA is deeply disappointed by Karkardooma POCSO court's sentence in the gang-rape case which was pivotal in bringing about change in child protection laws and which shook the conscience of the society. "The five-year-old was brutally raped, left to die and underwent six surgeries. The convicts deserved life imprisonment till remainder of their lives. But special judge (POCSO court) appeared to have shown leniency which has not served justice to her," the statement said. A Delhi court on Thursday sentenced two convicts, Manoj Shah and Pradeep Kumar to 20 years in prison for raping a five-year-old girl in east Delhi in 2013. Advocate HS Phoolka, appearing for the survivor, said he will appeal against the order in the high court and seek life imprisonment for the two convicts. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Advertisement What does the most luxurious hotel in the world need to burnish its glittering reputation? In the case of the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah in Dubai, the answer is two more stars (it already has seven) in the shape of the top-rated Michelin chefs Francky Semblat and Kim Joinie-Maurin. The Dubai landmark, with its instantly recognisable sail-shaped structure, is already synonymous with over-the-top luxury. This hotel doesn't have rooms, only suites so spacious they have two floors connected with striking curved stone staircases. TV's rise at the touch of a button and curtains close at the touch of another. The Burj Al Arab in Dubai, pictured, is instantly recognisable thanks to its sail-shaped structure and is synonymous with over-the-top-luxury The Burj Al Arab has recently appointed two Michelin-starred chefs to bolster its food offering. They are Francky Semblat, left, and Kim Joinie-Maurin, pictured right But in January last year, Chief Executive Officer of Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts, Jose Silva, decided sophisticated tourists should be given the opportunity of visiting a hotel to experience 'exciting dining'. The first step in his mission was to recruit, 18 months ago, Michael Ellis, former Managing Director of the famed Michelin Guides, as Chief Culinary Officer. His little black book of celebrity chefs was key to realising Silva's vision. And now Semblat and Joinie-Maurin have brought their skills to the Jumeirah kitchens. Chef Francky had three Michelin stars and Chef Kim two, from previous establishments, before being snapped up to work at the Burj. The Burj Al Arab's seafood restaurant, Al Mahara, pictured. Kim Joinie-Maurin has been appointed as its head chef Both were proteges of the Joel Robuchon school of excellence. Joinie-Maurin spent 12 years working at Robuchon restaurants before joining the Burj Al Arab as head chef at the Al Mahara seafood restaurant. Meanwhile, Semblat has presided over a stunning 'relaunch' of the 27th floor Al Muntaha restaurant. Manager Xavier Gonet explains much is made of the panoramic views over the Arabian Gulf, but the aim is to create such a superb gastronomic experience that guests 'forget the view and concentrate on the food'. Having spent 24 years working with the famed Robuchon, Semblat says, 'a little of his inspiration is in almost all my dishes'. The tasting menu, a choice of five or seven courses with optional wine pairings, begins with a light-as-air burrata amuse-bouche with tomato and basil 'essence', topped by a tiny jewel of a tomato. Each course is a master-class of culinary technique, but highlights include the Salmon Tartare with Caviar and Shiso a miniature gold toast-rack holds bread 'crisps' and a piece of edible gold leaf decorates the sublime tartare. Also the Wagyu Tenderloin with Virtual Bearnaise and Blow Crispy Potatoes, where the three main elements of bearnaise are separated next to a mouthful of extraordinarily intensely flavoured wagyu, and delicate potato 'puffs'. The Burj Al Arab's 27th floor Al Muntaha restaurant. Its head chef is Francky Semblat. MailOnline's Ian Walker dined here The Wagyu tenderloin, left, which is on offer at the Burj Al Arab's Al Muntaha restaurant. Pictured right is the strawberry dessert, which Ian says includes a 'divine sorbet and strawberry confit' Ian also enjoyed the salmon tartare with caviar, pictured, in the Al Muthana restaurant Strawberry dessert, a divine sorbet and strawberry confit studded with tiny meringue corns, was the finale to an evening of faultless culinary creativity and execution. I could only agree with Monsieur Gonet, the view is good, but the food is better. The Burj has its own helipad, sits on a purpose-built island, has several pools, 24-hour butler service, a staff-to-suite ratio of 8:1 and enough gold leaf to make Midas himself happy on furniture, in drinks, even the coffee machines are gold plated. Sumptuous bathrooms have full-size Hermes his-and-hers toiletries, gold plated scales, walk-in showers and colossal Jacuzzi baths the butler fills on request - none of that pesky turning the taps on yourself. It's no surprise that a hotel that is home to cutting-edge engineering, from a unique man-made beach to the world's tallest atrium, now has equally lofty goals for its dining experience, which has undergone a transformation over the past 12 months. But the Burj is not the only part of the Jumeirah empire where diners can now look forward to a top-of-the-range culinary experience. Walking back over the exclusive Burj bridge, which separates the hotel from the mainland, I was able to see the new food and beverage strategy in action at the five-star beach-fronted Jumeirah Al Naseem Hotel. Part of the huge Madinat Resort and with spacious, light-wood, contemporary interiors it contrasts sharply with the colour and gold of the Burj. But it has undergone an equally thorough Silva/Ellis makeover of its food and beverage outlets. First up for a 'root and branch' revamp was Rockfish, the beach-side Italian seafood restaurant with outstanding views of the Burj Al Arab that's just a stone's throw away. Blonde wood, cool cream marble, aqua toned tableware, and superb staff welcome guests, but it is the skill of yet another Michelin-starred chef, Marco Garfagnini, that tantalises the taste-buds and makes this a stand-out dining experience. Chef Marco received his first Michelin star at the age of 25 and became Executive Chef for Jumeirah Al Naseem in 2019. The revamped beach-side Italian seafood restaurant Rockfish at the five-star Jumeirah Al Naseem Hotel. The menu has a focus on crudo (meaning 'raw' in Italian) food and seafood Jumeirah's first 'pop-up' restaurant, Kayto, pictured, also at Al Naseem, which Ian says has been an unqualified success since its October opening His menu has a focus on crudo (meaning 'raw' in Italian) and seafood, though classic Veal chop Milanese and free-range baby chicken with polenta Florentin, make an appearance. The freshly baked breads - foccacia with dried tomato and olives was perfect came with addictive aubergine caviar (secret ingredient apple and pear vinegar). Standout dishes included the yellowfin tuna with white truffle, sesame seeds, bonito flakes and tosazu dressing and the saffron arancini, a spiced tuna tartare on a crispy saffron rice bed, seared scallops and seabass carpaccio. A taste of line-caught seabass and chicken plin ravioli, with Parmesan cream, veal jus and truffle left me in little doubt that few people could be disappointed with this menu. With Expo 2020 expected to bring an influx of visitors to Dubai, Ellis acknowledges: 'We have made a lot of changes and we are under pressure to deliver.' He praises the group's 'brilliant' chefs, but emphasises there is no room on the team for those that don't buy-in to the new sharper focus on food. Jumeirah's first 'pop-up' restaurant, Kayto, also at Al Naseem, has been part of the new strategy and an unqualified success since its October opening. Japanese-Argentinian chef Cristian Goya specialises in 'Nikkei', a fusion of Peruvian and Japanese cuisine and with live DJ sets six nights a week the atmosphere is lively - like the food. Highlights include sea bass ceviche, leche de tigre and Peruvian corn, Kagoshima wagyu, Kayto sauces and Saikyo miso black cod. Scheduled to end in May I can see Kayto winning an extension. Chinese eatery Zheng He's, pictured, relaunched under Chef Lai Min Wei at the Jumeirah Mina A' Salam hotel. It has views of the Burj Al Arab Ian also enjoyed a meal at Shimmers, a Greek beach restaurant at Jumeirah Mina A' Salam. Pictured are some of the dishes on offer With four hotels and over 50 restaurants at the resort, Ellis's work is never done and mainstream outlets have also come under the microscope. Chinese eatery Zheng He's, relaunched under Chef Lai Min Wei, is a recent hit. His dim-sum and Peking duck are flawless, while other dishes with a contemporary spin - blue lobster dumplings with caviar and lemongrass, wagyu truffle puff and a green matcha tea fondant dessert - are deliciously different. A long walk along the beach to help my waistline took me past Shimmers, a Greek beach restaurant 'revitalised' by Crete-born Chef Nikolas Bragoudakis and the perfect choice for the last meal of my trip. Sea-washed colours, stunning views and fabulous Soutzoukakia, (meatballs, tomato sauce and Greek yoghurt), excellent Greek salad and tzatziki combined to make it a very fond farewell indeed. A worker wearing a protective suit sprays disinfectant in a neighborhood in Qingdao in eastern China's Shandong province on Jan. 28, 2020. (Chinatopix via AP) Members of Congress Call for Shutting Down Flights Between China and US Amid Coronavirus Outbreak Two members of Congress called for shutting down travel between China and the United States amid the recent coronavirus outbreak that reportedly began in Wuhan, China. Flights from China are still being allowed to land in the United States even as federal officials expanded screening for the virus this week to 20 airports. But the situation has grown serious enough to implement a ban on travel from China, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Rep. Mike Gallgher (R-Wis.) said. Russia has closed its ENTIRE 2,600-mile border with China. Time to shut down travel between China and US, Cotton said on Twitter early Thursday. China, but also Germany, Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan: all countries with person-to-person transmission of coronavirus. Meanwhile flights from China are landing in the US every hour. This has to stop, he said the previous day. China, but also Germany, Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan: all countries with person-to-person transmission of coronavirus. Meanwhile flights from China are landing in the US every hour. This has to stop. Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) January 29, 2020 Gallagher shared a post by Cotton and said that the United States needs a targeted travel ban. We are not acting aggressively enough. We need a targeted travel ban immediately or this will get much worse and we will see human-to-human transmission in the US, he said in a statement on Twitter. This is 100% right. We are not acting aggressively enough. We need a targeted travel ban immediately or this will get much worse and we will see human-to-human transmission in the US. https://t.co/kSgb1LqjUm Rep. Mike Gallagher (@RepGallagher) January 30, 2020 Also it is abundantly clear that the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] is not being fully transparent about the origins and scale of the crisis. China has also refused the help of CDC experts for almost a month. We cant let the CCPs insecurity endanger the world. U.S. health officials said this week that travel restrictions are on the table but none have been implemented as of yet. Two other Congressmen, Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.), sent a letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) urging the group to declare a global health emergency over the virus. The senators, both members of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee, asked WHO Chief Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to reverse his groups decision last week not to declare such an emergency. The declaration would grant WHO broad authority to issue legally-binding recommendations on whether countries should impose trade and travel restrictions, facilitating global capacity to coordinate an effective response, they wrote. BREAKING: China has now confirmed > 6,000 cases of coronavirus. As the threat to US safety grows, @SenToddYoung & I are asking @WHO to declare a public health emergency of intl concern & issue legally-binding recommendations to stop the diseases spread. https://t.co/bS0rPg8ZMP pic.twitter.com/vKnnFoTHzJ Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) January 29, 2020 WHO neglected to declare SARS and MERS as global health emergencies, the senators added, writing: We hope that this time the determination will not be overdue. Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday that WHOs emergency committee would reconvene on Thursday to reassess the coronavirus situation. This potential for further global spread is why I called the emergency committee, Ghebreyesus said in a statement. Most cases reported outside are in people with a travel history from China or have been in contact with people who have been there. But there are some signs of person-to-person transmission outside China. During the past decade, the gene editing tool CRISPR has transformed biology and opened up hopeful avenues to correct deadly inherited diseases. Last fall, scientists began the first human clinical trials using CRISPR to combat diseases like cancer. They remove some of a person's cells, CRISPR edit the DNA, and then inject the cells back in, where hopefully, they will cure the disease. But along with this promise of regenerative, personalized medicine, CRISPR can also have significant safety limitations. CRISPR may not edit in the right place (so-called off-target gene effects) or not being terribly efficient (successful editing may only be achieved in about 10% of the time for every available cell target). These limitations have frustrated scientists such as Arizona State University's David Brafman, a cell bioengineer. Brafman initial hopes are to use gene editing to get at the heart of uncovering the causes of studies in his lab of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. "We study neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and use stem cells to study specific mutations or risk factors associated with Alzheimer's disease," said Brafman, a biomedical engineering faculty member in ASU's Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. "We are not necessarily a gene-editing tool development lab, but we were running into difficulty generating stem cell lines by using a traditional CRISPR-based editing approach. For reasons that are still unknown, stem cells are really resistant to that sort of genetic modification." Green light means go Now, Brafman, using a new update to the CRISPR base editing technology originally developed in the lab of David Liu at Harvard, has vastly outperformed previous efforts by making highly accurate, single DNA base editing with an efficiency of up to 90% of human stem cells. The results were published in the journal Stem Cell Reports. "Previously, with CRISPR, it's just been a random guess," said Brafman. "And so, if you are picking at random stem cells and the efficiency is low, you'll likely get only 10% or 5% because you have no idea if the edits have been made --- the cell isn't telling you." Brafman's lab has developed a new TREE method (an acronym short for transient reporter for editing enrichment, or TREE), which allows for bulk enrichment of DNA base-edited cell populations----and for the first time, high efficiency in human stem cell lines. ""Most of the studies are done in immortalized cell lines or cancer cell lines, which are relatively easy to edit," said Brafman. "This is the first example of using base editors in pluripotent stem cells, which is a very valuable cell population to genetically modify. We envision this method will have important implications for the use of human stem cell lines in developmental biology, disease modeling, drug screening and tissue engineering applications," Last year, they had shown that their TREE approach can work in human cell lines, but wanted to further push the technology further to find a way to rapidly and efficiently edit human stem cell lines. Unlike CRISPR, which cuts across both DNA stands, their TREE method only makes a single strand nick in DNA. For example, when a single DNA base is successfully edited from a C to a T, a protein gives off a signal, turning from blue to green. "Now, if a cell is telling you, 'if I'm glowing green I have a 90% chance of being edited you are going to have better luck identifying edited populations," said Brafman. "Then, you can exclude all of the cells that are not edited. We isolate single cells that are glowing green, then grow those up into clonal populations that you are able to expand indefinitely." Targeting Alzheimer's Pluripotent stem cells are valued for regenerative medicine because they have the ability to become or differentiate into any cell type in the human body. Brafman explains that there are two general sources, "embryonic stem cells, which are derived from the inner cell mass of a preimplantation blastocyst, and then there are induced pluripotent stem cells, which are derived from taking somatic cells like skin or blood from patients." Brafman's lab uses the induced pluripotent stem cells for their research. "For this study, we used pluripotent stem cells from both healthy patients and then patients with Alzheimer's disease. Some of the genes that we were interested in modulating are related to Alzheimer's disease. The majority of the patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease suffer from late onset, or sporadic Alzheimer's disease." To provide their proof-of-concept, they targeted the APOE gene, which can come in three flavors. One of the three gene variants, called APOE4, has been associated with a higher risk for late onset Alzheimer's disease. For the study, they introduced single DNA based edits into the APOE gene. "That's why we are interested in having these cells," said Brafman. "They are representative of the neurons and the various cell types in the central nervous system with patients with these various risk factors. Then, we can understand why an APOE variant can increase or decrease risk, and then we can start targeting those pathways that are affected." Not only could TREE make single DNA edits to the APOE4 gene, but unlike CRISPR, make highly accurate corrections to both copies of the APOE4 gene that humans possess. "The traditional CRISPR approach is that you have to edit once to get a heterozygous edit , then isolate that clone, edit again to get another heterozygous edit," said Brafman. "So, it's very inefficient in that way. We are generating homozygous edits at an efficiency approaching 90%. I haven't seen any other technologies that can do that in pluripotent stem cells." In addition, TREE could also be used to engineer critical gene knockout mutations into stem cell lines. "The most fundamental experiment you can do if a gene has important implications in disease, development or physiology is knock it out," said Brafman. That opens up a whole bunch of questions that we can address. Using APOE as a case study, now we can knock out APOE in these cells if you don't have APOE at all. Is it beneficial? Detrimental? Or no difference?" Complex cases While diseases like sickle-cell anemia or cystric fibrosis are caused by single mutations in DNA, for most diseases and leading causes of death, like heart disease or high blood pressure, are complex, and involve multiple genes. Brafman wanted to also address the complex, root causes of Alzheimer's. "Especially as it related to Alzheimer's disease, there can be multiple risk factors that act in concert, so we wanted a way to introduce multiple edits simultaneously in pluripotent stem cells. Because otherwise, you would have to take this sequential iterative approach, where you introduce one edit, isolate a clonal population introduce another edit, and so on. They successfully demonstrated that TREE could be used to make new stem cell lines that had been simultaneously edited at multiple gene locations. Their results showed that more than 80% of stem clones had been targeted at all three different gene sites, and with all clones editing both gene copies. "We found that if you multiplex you still get the same efficiency of editing as you would if you just edited a single allele," said Brafman. "Now, we can use these cells as in vitro models to study the disease and screen drugs." Brafman is hopeful that their new tools will generate excitement in the gene editing community, and spur others on to make new discoveries. "We want to keep expanding on that toolbox," said Brafman. "We've already gotten a high level of interest from other scientists who will be using this to generate their own cell lines. That's a good thing." ### Funding for this work was provided by the National Institutes of Health (R01GM121698 to David Brafman, R21AG056706 to D.A.B, R01GM106081 to X.W.) and the Arizona Biomedical Research Commission (ADHS16-162401 to D.A.B). Wilbur Ross said Thursday that he doesn't want to do a 'victory lap' on economic growth over coronavirus, which originated in China, but proclaims it will help bring more jobs back to America. 'I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America some to U.S., probably some to Mexico, as well' the Secretary of Commerce told Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business Thursday morning. The 82-year-old administration official added that the virus gives businesses 'another thing to consider,' and claims it could accelerate the return of some factories to the U.S. and Mexico. The Fox host was quick to agree with Ross on his take on the deadly virus. 'Ah, that's a good point actually, yeah,' she lauded. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Thursday that coronavirus could help bring businesses back to the U.S. and Mexico. 'I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America,' he said Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo was quick to agree: 'Ah, that's a good point actually, yeah' The 82-year-old Commerce secretary made sure to say he didn't want to take a 'victory lap' as people in China are dying There are now 170 deaths linked to coronavirus and 7,711 cases were confirmed in China as of Wednesday U.S. companies that operate in China have started to close some of their locations due to the coronavirus outbreak Google and Starbucks are among those affected. Those companies have also seen a drop in their stock. Some airlines, including British Airways and American Airlines, have seen a rise in their stock, however, as they have started to ground Los Angeles flights to and from Shanghai and Beijing. So far, there have been 170 deaths linked to the virus and there are 7,711 confirmed cases in China, authorities confirmed Wednesday. Fives cases so far have been reported and confirmed in the U.S. 'You can seriously see the Chinese economy comes to a halt and given the large percentage of global growth that China demands does that threaten [Chinese economy],' Baritromo posed to Ross. 'Well first of all, every American's heart has to go out to the victims of coronavirus,' Ross said. 'So I don't want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease.' 'But the fact is, that it does give businesses yet another thing to consider when they go through their review of their supply chain,' he continued. 'It's another risk factor that people need to take into an account.' In the early morning hours of Thursday, Trump revealed that he has been briefed on the situation. 'Just received a briefing on the Coronavirus in China from all of our GREAT agencies, who are also working closely with China,' Trump tweeted. 'We will continue to monitor the ongoing developments. We have the best experts anywhere in the world, and they are on top of it 24/7!' he continued, adding four images from his briefing in the situation room. There have been five confirmed cases of coronavirus in the U.S. White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway said during a rare briefing room press conference Thursday that a task force has been created to address the growing crisis Admiral Brett Giroir (left), the assistant secretary of the Public Health Administration, said 'This is no cause for urgent panic,' and claimed: 'We know the steps to take right now to contain it' White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway added during a briefing room press conference Thursday morning that a task force has been created to address the growing crisis. 'So there's a new task force that's been created, it's being led by Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar,' Conway said when asked about the U.S. response to Coronavirus. 'As you are probably aware, the president was briefed yesterday in the Situation Room. I've been a part of the staff-level briefings And I won't make an announcement about that right now,' Conway said in the first press briefing in 325 days. She also revealed that Azar could be addressing the issue in the coming days. Former Press Secretary Sarah Sanders gave her final briefing on March 11 before indefinitely ending her daily briefings. The White House ended the daily press briefings about three months before Sanders' departure, claiming that the president could share his message even more effectively than his surrogates and slamming the media for attacking the press secretary. Admiral Brett Giroir, the assistant secretary of the Public Health Administration, said addressing the issue is an 'all-hands-on-deck effort.' 'This is no cause for urgent panic, in any way, in the United State,' he insisted from the briefing room podium. 'This is currently under control. But really, this is a dynamic, rapidly changing event, and the news can change at any given moment.' 'We know the steps to take right now to contain it,' he assured. L isa Nandy today challenged Labours high command to publish in full a secret report on the anti-Semitism scandal that engulfed the party under Jeremy Corbyn. In an Evening Standard interview , the leadership candidate revealed she is pressing general secretary Jennie Formby, a close ally of Mr Corbyn, to end secrecy over Labours evidence to the Equality and Human Rights Commission that is investigating the controversy. In other highlights of the interview with the rising star, she: Called for a peerage recommended by Mr Corbyn for former aide Karie Murphy to be shelved until the EHRC probe is completed. Urged Labour to be brave and bold about making the case for possible tax rises, and would not rule out a rise in the basic rate paid by lower and middle earners. Urged Labour to stand up for immigration, even if free movement had been unpopular in some areas. I dont think theres a single person in this country who would believe me or the Labour Party if we turned around tomorrow and said, We want to be tough on immigrants, she said. Called on Prince Andrew to do the right thing by co-operating fully with a US investigation into sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. On the need to publish the partys findings about the anti-Semitism scandal, Ms Nandy said: There is a huge question of trust at the moment, not just from the Jewish community, but in the Labour Party. She stressed: Theres no reason, as far as I can see, not to publish that submission. And in fact being open and transparent about what the party has done, where we stand, what we believe, is the only way to start rebuilding trust. It ought to be out in the open. Who will replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader? 1 /4 Who will replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader? Rebecca Long-Bailey Getty Images Lisa Nandy REUTERS Keir Starmer PA Ms Nandy said she pressed Ms Formby to disclose the documents yesterday when leadership candidates were invited to a private briefing on what the party is doing to tackle anti-Semitism. Ms Formby refused, citing legal advice, and declined to explain the reason for the confidentiality. I pushed on that, said Ms Nandy, and was told that was the advice of their own legal counsel for reasons that would not be disclosed. Ms Nandy said that if elected leader she would ensure the report was published and also pledged to implement any recommendations made by the EHRC. She added: If there are individuals who are found to have covered up, perpetuated enabled or allowed anti-Semitism in the party, whether theyre elected or not, they ought to find that they have no place in the Labour Party. TODO: define component type apester On the reported peerage nomination for Ms Murphy, she ruled: While the EHRC is investigating Labour for institutional racism, we ought not to be sending any of our officials to the House of Lords. She hinted at a clear-out of officials who were close to Mr Corbyn, saying: Every leader needs to build a team that they feel confident in. The biggest issue for me is to make sure that we are a party fit to win elections, and to deal with some of those very serious incidents like anti-Semitism and sexual harassment. I dont think the Labour machine currently is. Ms Nandy said she would move Labour headquarters out of central London if elected, to connect the party better with other regions. And she said she would be tough about creating a new culture in the party, saying the atmosphere had been toxic among Labour MPs in recent years. On taxes, she criticised a lack of radicalism in Tony Blair and Gordon Browns 1997 pledge not to raise income tax rates. Asked if she was prepared to raise the basic rate to fund public services, she said: I do not believe that you can go to the country and argue for the level of investment in public services that we did at the last election without being honest and clear about where that money comes from. And that does mean raising money through tax revenue. On immigration the MP, whose father is Indian-born, said: My dad is an immigrant, and Ive always stood up for and championed free movement. She said voters disbelieved the party when it painted the slogan Tough on Immigration on an election mug, and urged: We have to be honest about our values. On a report in the election defeat, that critics have dubbed a whitewash because it blames Brexit rather than Mr Corbyns leadership and policies, Ms Nandy said: Brexit was the straw that broke the camels back. It wasnt where it started and it wont be where it ends. She said she would give shadow cabinet posts to rivals Sir Keir Starmer and Rebecca Long-Bailey. Ms Nandy rejected party chairman Ian Laverys call for frontrunner Sir Keir to drop out of the leadership race so that a woman could win for the first time. But she added despairingly: You cannot tell me that in hundreds of years of parliamentary democracy theres never been a woman good enough. The MP called on Prince Andrew to co-operate in full with the FBI investigation into his former friend, sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Asked what she would say to the prince if she was prime minister, she said: Please comply with the investigation. It doesnt bring Britain into a particularly good light and its also morally the right thing to do. Ms Nandy, who has had to deal with child abuse scandals as an MP, pointed out: Openness, transparency, sharing what you know, is really important. When youve got prosecutors saying we really do need to get more information here then its really important that everybody included Prince Andrew step forward and do their bit. Listen to today's episode of The Leader: The 2020 Toyota RAV4 and the 2020 Toyota Highlander are both available at Colonial Toyota. Customers can schedule a test drive with either model today. Toyota has climbed the automotive industry to become a global leader in developing and building crossover SUVs. It is not coincidence that the class is now the popular vehicle segment in the United States. Toyota has not only built one of the original crossover SUV models ever produced, but it also is currently rolling one of the best-selling models off of its assembly lines every day. The 2020 Toyota RAV4 and its larger sibling, the 2020 Toyota Highlander, both benefit from a massive technological upgrade for the new model year that will put them in an even better position to compete in this densely packed industry segment. Colonial Toyota currently has both 2020 models of each crossover SUV in its showroom and the team of product experts has been excited to tell customers what they need to know. The 2020 Toyota RAV4 continues to be one of the most well-regarded crossover SUVs on the market. Its mix of efficient performance and adaptable interior specifications has made it a thorn in the sides of the competition. In fact, when the 2020 RAV4 is compared head-to-head against its top rival, the Toyota crossover SUV is able to make more standard power and offer access to popular technology on more trim grades. Additionally, the 2020 RAV4 makes a high-speed Wi-Fi hotspot available where its chief competitor has yet to introduce that feature. For the new model year, Toyota has completely redesigned the 2020 Toyota Highlander. After several production generations of leading the segment, the 2020 model adds an impressive list of device integration features that will include both the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto suites of applications as well as Amazon Alexa. The vehicle that is most likely to compete for a 2020 Highlander buyers attention makes its customers pick higher trim grades to match this capability. Also, the 2020 Highlander offers a more powerful V-6 engine and features more maximum cargo volume than its top rival. Anyone can view the entire Colonial Toyota inventory by visiting the dealerships website, http://www.colonialtoyotact.com. The showroom is located at 470 Boston Post Road, Milford, CT 06460. Customers can schedule a test drive with the 2020 Toyota RAV4 or 2020 Toyota Highlander today by calling, 203-403-6890. WAUKEE, Iowa With four days until the Iowa caucuses, Joe Biden is looking beyond his Democratic rivals and taking square aim at President Donald Trump as the two men campaign within miles of each other on the same day. In November, America will have the chance to answer the question: Does the character of a president matter? Biden said as he delivered a sweeping address on why Trump must be defeated. I dont believe we are the dark angry nation that Donald Trump sees in his tweets in the middle of the night, Biden later added. America is so much better than this. Biden ticked through reasons he believes Trump is a threat to our core values and added a policy checklist he would use against the president in a hypothetical fall campaign: health care, climate action and gun regulation topping the list. I can hardly wait to debate this man, Biden said. Set against the backdrop of Trumps impeachment trial in Washington, Bidens address represents his latest attempts to fend off an onslaught of GOP attacks over his sons business overseas as the former vice president looks to reassure Democrats that hes the partys best option to oust Trump at the ballot box. The president himself plans a nighttime rally in Des Moines. Biden, since his April campaign launch, has run what looks like a general election campaign against Trump, but its an especially striking approach days before Democrats 2020 voting begins with Mondays caucuses. The former vice president was deep into his speech before tacitly acknowledging that hell have to win the nomination before being able to take on Trump directly. I am asking you to caucus for me. I need your help, he said. Trump and Republicans, meanwhile, have made clear a fall campaign would be a bruising exercise for Biden and his family. The GOP has amplified its allegations against the former vice president in recent days, accusing him of nepotism and worse in a series of charges stemming from the impeachment case against Trump. In his final Iowa tour this week, Biden has opted to embrace the GOP offensive. Hes openly mocked Florida Sen. Rick Scott, a Republican, for running a digital ad in Iowa that repeats Trumps discredited theories about Bidens work in Ukraine as vice president and his sons private business dealings there. The ad came a day after Trumps impeachment defense team repeatedly framed Hunter Bidens tenure on an energy firms governing board as the real corruption in need of investigation. A senator from Florida, sitting in Washington, has decided to start running negative ads against Joe Biden just days before the Iowa caucus, the elder Biden said Wednesday in Sioux City. What do you think thats about? Look, its simple, he said, returning to an oft-used line: Theyre smearing me because they know if Im the nominee, Im going to beat Donald Trump like a drum. Biden has made a guaranteed laugh line out of remarks from Iowas Republican Sen. Joni Ernst. She emerged from the Senate proceedings earlier this week to wonder aloud to reporters how this discussion today informs and influences Iowa caucus voters. Will they be supporting Vice President Biden at this point? In Sioux City, Biden thanked Ernst for screaming the quiet part into the bullhorn. She spilled the beans, didnt she? Biden said, laughing. The whole impeachment trial is about whether or not the president tried to interfere in the choice of a nominee for the Democrats. Biden adviser Anita Dunn was even more pointed, saying of the Scott ad: Well pay him to keep it up. Biden campaign manager Greg Schultz told The Associated Press, This is all a help to us because it valid Trumps fear. Thats quite a turn from October, when the Biden campaign sent letters to Facebook, Google and Twitter pressuring the online platforms to block ads from Trumps reelection campaign that contained similar debunked allegations against the Bidens. We are going to call out the lies. We are going to confront him, Dunn said of how Biden will handle Trump going forward. Yet there are Democrats who see the Biden controversy as a replay of 2016. In that campaign, Trump deflected myriad stories of his own conflicts of interests and business dealings by hammering away at Democrat Hillary Clinton, her use of a private email server as secretary of state and the foreign contributions to the Clinton Foundation created after her husband Bill Clintons presidency. Whether theres anything to it or not, theres going to be a lack of trust and doubt that we could end up like we did four years ago, said Iowa Democrat Emma Thompson, 63, who is considering caucusing for Biden, but is also considering Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg and Andrew Yang. These arent perfect parallels. During the Trump-Clinton campaign, the FBI was actively investigating whether Clinton or her aides subjected classified material to disclosure, and the agency did not close the case without any criminal charges until well after Trump was in office. There has been no evidence of wrongdoing by Biden or his son. The elder Bidens efforts to oust a Ukrainian prosecutor reflected the consensus of the U.S. government and its Western allies. And theres no evidence the U.S. government has ever actively investigated Hunter Bidens dealings at Burisma, even under Trumps Justice Department. Still, Vicky Rossander, an Iowa caucus precinct captain for Sen. Amy Klobuchar, said shes wary: I dont want to spend the whole election hearing about Burisma and Ukraine. ___ Associated Press writers Thomas Beaumont in Mason City, Iowa, and Sara Burnett in Chicago contributed to this report. ___ Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game. The Iowa attorney generals office is releasing a man convicted of multiple sex crimes, rather than committing him to a mental institution indefinitely as recommended by the states expert, because the man has undergone hormone therapy as part of a gender transition process. Former Midwest Christian Services student Joseph Matthew Smith, 23, was convicted of molesting a fellow student in 2014 and is accused of molesting as many as 15 victims from ages one to 13, including the repeated molestation of a 7-year-old. Smith was molested repeatedly as a child around age seven as well. Smith was sentenced to prison in 2015 and expressed a desire to begin the gender transition process in 2017, undergoing hormone therapy over the past two years at Newton Correctional Facility. The attorney generals office on January 9 dismissed the application to commit Smith, who now goes by the name Josie and was transferred this month to the Sioux City Residential Treatment Facility in anticipation of an eventual release. An offenders hormone levels are an important part of substantiating an offenders likelihood of recidivism, a spokesman for the attorney general said. We dont believe we have evidence sufficient to prove Josie Smith has a significant chance of re-offending. Smith will still be registered as a sex offender, which requires that he continue to meet with a probation officer. Josie Smith will be subject to strict sex-offender reporting required of those who commit the crimes she did, the spokesman said. Shell be subject to supervision for the rest of her life. A preliminary report by Iowas expert on the issue, Dr. Jeffrey Davis, put the chance that Smith would offend again sometime over the next five years at over 20 percent. Mr. Smith has not had an intimate relationship, the report stated. His sexual encounters appear to have primarily involved molestation, including his own molestation by multiple perpetrators, or his victimization of others. Story continues The report recommended that Smith be committed indefinitely as a sex offender, but to do so the state is required to prove Smith had an over 50 percent chance of re-offending, a burden of proof that was complicated by Smiths now lower testosterone levels. More from National Review The net profit grew 30.62 per cent YoY to Rs 521.70 crore from Rs 399.40 crore the same quarter last year. Despite reporting nearly Rs 570-crore loss for the December quarter, Dr Reddy's Laboratories (DRL) has shown an im-provement in third quarter (Q3) performance across geographies. Brokerages are now bullish on the second largest pharma stock by market capitalisation. Mumbai: Despite reporting nearly Rs 570-crore loss for the December quarter, Dr Reddy's Laboratories (DRL) has shown an improvement in third quarter (Q3) performance across geographies. Brokerages are now bullish on the second largest pharma stock by market capitalisation. The company, in the Q3 results, included impairment charges of Rs 1,320 crore on some products forming part of Global Generics and Proprietary Products segments, leading to reporting a net loss. Otherwise, the pharma major posted strong revenue growth of 14 per cent year-on-year to Rs 3,044 crore during the October-December quarter, largely driven by steady US business along with strong performance from India, Europe and the emerging markets. The net profit grew 30.62 per cent YoY to Rs 521.70 crore from Rs 399.40 crore the same quarter last year. The Q3 result was better than estimates on all fronts with healthy growth across geographies and strongest operational (adjusted for impairment) margins in the past 20 quarters, said report by ICICI Securities. The companys revenues grew mainly due to strong growth in Europe, Russia, other CIS markets. Domestic revenues grew 13.3 per cent YoY while US revenues grew 7.9 per cent to Rs 1599.9 crore, according to ICICI Securities. Despite challenging years, the US remains a key driver for the company, contributing around 42 per cent to total revenues. The company has a strong pending pipeline of new drugs. We expect US sales to grow at a CAGR of around 9 per cent to Rs 7,780 crore in FY19-22 on the back of new launches, ICICI Securities said. China could be another growth engine from FY22 onwards according to another brokerage firm. China revenues presently stood at $130 million, which includes $100 mn reflected as part of the JV sales. Most of the company's US products meet Chinese new product registration requirement. This would be still majorly an opportunity beyond FY21 as it requires 12-15 months to complete the registration. Product filings have been picking up, the company has seen the entry into direct market via olazipine tender recently. This market has lots of local hospital listing process post the approval of the product based on different states registration, said a report by Centrum Research. Japanese brokerage firm Nomura, in a note, said, The healthy combination of strong revenue growth across markets and cost control led to the earnings beat. The company generated free cash flow of Rs 580 crore in the third quarter and is now net cash positive. We revise our financial estimates to factor in Q3 results and raise FY21/22 earnings per share by 6 per cent to 7 per cent owing to higher revenue projections. We arrive at a March 2021 target price of Rs 3,684. Delay in resolution of facilities, delay in appr-ovals, adverse outcome on drug price fixing lawsuit in US were the key downside risks for the company. Resolution of facilities is a key near-term catalyst Srikakulam facility is under warning letter since Nov. 2015 and is currently undergoing inspection, Duvvada oncology facility received 8 observations in Aug 2019, HDFC Securities said. We estimate Dr Reddys revenues and earnings to post 12 per cent and 21 per cent CAGR in FY19-22, HDFC Securities said. Pakistan on Thursday claimed that India is making "desperate attempts" to divert attention from the domestic and international criticism of the government's policies. Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui also said that nobody should underestimate Pakistan's resolve to effectively thwart any aspiration of aggression against the country. She urged the international community to take cognizance of the situation in Kashmir and said Pakistan is effectively raising the issue at the international level. "Our missions abroad have also prepared a comprehensive plan to fully observe the Kashmir Solidarity Day (February 5) and draw world attention to the dispute," she said. She also said that all measures were being taken for the assistance, safety and welfare of Pakistanis in China after the outbreak of coronavirus that has killed 170 people and infected 7,711 others. "Our embassy and consulates in China have reached out to all the Pakistani students. We are also in touch with the Chinese officials who have assured us about the safety and wellbeing of our nationals," she said. Pakistan on Wednesday said that four of its students have been infected with the coronavirus in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus. Farooqui said that the Prime Minister has setup a high powered committee to constantly monitor the situation emerging from the outbreak of the virus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) GENEVA The World Health Organization declared the outbreak sparked by a new virus in China that has spread to more than a dozen countries as a global emergency Thursday after the number of cases spiked more than tenfold in a week. The U.N. health agency defines an international emergency as an extraordinary event that constitutes a risk to other countries and requires a coordinated international response. China first informed WHO about cases of the new virus in late December. To date, China has reported 9,692cases with a death toll of 213, including 43 new fatalities. Eighteen other countries have since reported cases, as scientists race to understand how exactly the virus is spreading and how severe it is. Experts say there is significant evidence the virus is spreading among people in China and have noted with concern instances in other countries including the United States, France, Japan, Germany, Canada, South Korea and Vietnam where there have also been isolated cases of human-to-human transmission. Speaking to reporters in Geneva, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted the worrisome spread of the virus between people outside China. The main reason for this declaration is not because of what is happening in China but because of what is happening in other countries, he said. Our greatest concern is the potential for this virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems which are ill-prepared to deal with it. This declaration is not a vote of non-confidence in China, he said. On the contrary, WHO continues to have the confidence in Chinas capacity to control the outbreak. A declaration of a global emergency typically brings greater money and resources, but may also prompt nervous governments to restrict travel and trade to affected countries. The announcement also imposes more disease reporting requirements on countries. In the wake of numerous airlines canceling flights to China and businesses including Starbucks and McDonalds temporarily closing hundreds of shops, Tedros said WHO was not recommending limiting travel or trade to China. There is no reason for measures that unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade, he said. He added that Chinese President Xi Jinping had committed to help stop the spread of the virus beyond its borders. Nevertheless, Russia announced it was closing its 2,600-mile border with China, joining Mongolia and North Korea in barring crossings to guard against a new viral outbreak. China extended its Lunar New Year holiday to Sunday to try to keep people home, but the wave of returning travelers could potentially cause the virus to spread further. The new virus has now infected more people in China than were sickened there during the 2002-03 outbreak of SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, a cousin of the new virus. Both are from the coronavirus family, which also includes those that can cause the common cold. Maria Cheng and Jamey Keaten are Associated Press writers. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) The former chief executive officer of a medical device company in San Rafael has been convicted in federal court in San Francisco on wire fraud and money laundering charges in connection with a scheme to defraud his company. Lawrence Gerrans, 49, of San Anselmo, the former president and CEO of Sanovas, was found guilty Wednesday after a two-week jury trial of five counts of wire fraud, three counts of lying to the FBI and one count of money laundering. Gerrans was additionally convicted of contempt of court, witness tampering and obstruction of justice for engaging in prohibited communication with a witness after he was initially indicted in 2018. U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Robin Wall said evidence at the trial showed that in 2015, Gerrans systematically transferred more than $2.6 million from Sanovas to himself and two shell companies he controlled and then used the money to buy a $2.57 million home in San Anselmo. Gerrans will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Edward Chen on May 20. The charges each carry potential maximum prison terms ranging from five to 20 years. Defense attorney Brian Getz said no decision has been made on a possible appeal. "All options are open," Getz said. U.S. Attorney David Anderson said in a statement, "The defendant siphoned millions of dollars from the medical device company he was entrusted to run, and then tried to cover up that crime." 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. Manpreet Bhambhra 'acted on impulse' when stealing the gold chain, according to a judge (SWNS) A robber who snatched a gold chain from a pensioners neck has been spared jail after he told a judge he was struggling to pay off drug debts. Manpreet Bhambhra, 40, pounced on the 72-year-old victim as she made her way to a Sikh temple on Manor Road in Rugby with her friend for a lunchtime service on 9 September last year. He grabbed her necklace and pendant, which was worth more than 2,000, and yanked it off her neck leaving her with deep scratches. Bhambhra was arrested days after the robbery when he was caught on CCTV selling the jewellery at a pawn shop. Bhambhra, of Rugby, Warwickshire, admitted robbery but was spared jail after writing to the judge about how he was struggling to pay off drug debts. The father-of-two was handed a 15-month sentence, suspended for two years, ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid work and pay his victim 600 compensation. Bhambhra was handed a 15-month sentence, suspended for two years at Warwick Crown Court (Flickr) Sentencing Bhambhra at Warwick Crown Court on Wednesday, Judge Peter Cooke admitted his decision to let him off was astonishingly rare. He said: Hes plainly an intelligent family man who has held down responsible jobs. But its clear he has been battling with class A drugs for some time, and he tells me he was facing increasingly unpleasant threats to repay debts. Read more from Yahoo News UK: Motorists on A83 in Scotland face 59-mile diversion Hero Battle of Britain fighter pilot dies aged 101 Councillors highlight 'one of Britain's biggest potholes' - by fishing in it When he saw these two ladies walking down the street, he acted on impulse. Addressing Bhambra, he told him: I hope you understand how astonishingly rare it is for anyone to stand before a crown court and to walk out through the public door after admitting a street robbery, particularly of a lady of advanced years. But it is an important factor that you have got to the age of 40 without behaving in this way before. The attack took place in the middle of the day on Manor Road in Rugby (Google) You acknowledge you have a problem with class A drugs, which have blighted your life, and you have a determination to do something about it. Story continues I accept you are completely contrite about what you have done, and that the last thing you want is ever to put another lady through what you put this lady through. This is an opportunity to address the underlying problems. It is a chance you could very easily blow, but if you come back having let me down, your feet wont touch the ground. In a statement read in court, the victim said the ordeal has left her struggling to sleep and scared to go out. Colin Charvill, defending, said Bhambhra, had been taking steps to address his drug use. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK As China struggles to contain a rapidly spreading disease, cases have been identified in more than a dozen other countries, including the first confirmed patients in Canada and Sri Lanka. (Photo: AFP/MOH EL SASAKY) Here are the places that have confirmed cases of the new coronavirus. CHINA As of Wednesday (Jan 29), nearly 6,000 people have been infected across China, the bulk of them in and around Wuhan. Most of the 132 who have died were in that region, but officials have confirmed multiple deaths elsewhere, including the first in the capital Beijing. Macau, a gambling hub hugely popular with mainland tourists, has confirmed seven cases as of Tuesday. In Hong Kong, eight people have been infected. Of those, six arrived via a newly built high-speed train terminal that connects the city to the mainland. ASIA-PACIFIC REGION Australia Five cases have been confirmed in Australia - all of whom arrived in the country from Wuhan. The patients are being treated in hospitals in Sydney and Melbourne. Cambodia Cambodia's health ministry reported the country's first case of the virus on Monday: A 60-year-old man who arrived from Wuhan and is now stable in an isolation room. Japan Japan health authorities confirmed the country's first locally transmitted case on Tuesday, a bus driver from Nara prefecture who had apparently driven tourists from Wuhan earlier this month. The confirmed imported cases are two men and a woman who were treated after returning to Japan from Wuhan, as well as another man in his 40s who was visiting from Wuhan. Malaysia Malaysia has confirmed seven cases as of Wednesday. These include a four-year-old child, a 52-year-old man, a 40-year-old man and four relatives of the first confirmed case in Singapore who travelled to Malaysia. Nepal Nepal said a 32-year-old man arriving from Wuhan had the disease. The patient, who was initially quarantined, recovered and was discharged. Singapore Singapore has so far confirmed seven cases of the coronavirus - all of them arrived in the city-state from Wuhan. South Korea South Korean media reported the country's fourth case on Monday, citing the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The three men and a woman all travelled from Wuhan. Sri Lanka Sri Lanka confirmed its first case of the virus on Monday - a 43-year-old Chinese woman who entered the country as a tourist last week from Hubei province. She is being treated in hospital, a spokesman at the Infectious Diseases Hospital near Colombo told AFP. Taiwan Taiwan has uncovered seven cases so far, the latest two female Chinese nationals in their seventies, who arrived in the country as part of a tour group on Jan 22. Thailand Thailand announced 14 confirmed infections on Tuesday - the highest outside of China. Health officials said that of the six new cases - all Chinese passengers from Wuhan - five of them were in the same family, ranging in ages six to 70. Vietnam Vietnam has so far confirmed two cases of the virus. An infected man from Wuhan travelled to Ho Chi Minh City earlier this month and passed the virus on to his son. NORTH AMERICA Canada Canada confirmed its first case of the virus on Monday, a man who travelled to Wuhan, and has reported a second suspected case - his wife, who made the trip with him. United States The US has confirmed five cases of the virus in patients who had recently entered the country from Wuhan - two in California and one each in Arizona, Chicago and Washington state. EUROPE France There are three known cases of the coronavirus in France, the first European country to be affected by the outbreak. One person is sick in Bordeaux and another is ill in Paris. A third person, a close relative of one of the other two, has also been confirmed to have the virus. All three had recently travelled to China and have been placed in isolation. Germany The country's first case was confirmed on Tuesday in the southern Bavarian region and was being treated in an isolation ward. The patient was said to be in a "medically good state". Finland Finland reported its first confirmed case on Wednesday, a Chinese traveller from Wuhan. The traveller is in isolation at the central hospital in Lapland, the country's Institute for Health and Welfare said, adding that about 15 others may have been exposed. MIDDLE EAST UAE The United Arab Emirates announced its first case of the virus on Wednesday, in a family from Wuhan. State news agency WAM did not specify how many people were infected, but cited the Ministry of Health and Prevention as saying that they were stable and under monitoring. The Late Late Show will mark the 40th anniversary of Johnny Logan's Eurovision win with 'What's Another Year' tomorrow night. The 'King of Eurovision' will celebrate the milestone with a special performance of the song. NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Itiviti, a leading technology, and service provider to financial institutions worldwide, has signed an exclusive partnership agreement with Imandra Inc., the AI pioneer behind the Imandra automated reasoning engine. Imandra's technology will initially be applied to improving the onboarding process for our clients to Itiviti's Managed FIX global connectivity platform, with further plans to swiftly expand the AI capabilities across a number of our software solutions and services. Imandra is the world-leader in cloud-scale automated reasoning, and has pioneered scalable symbolic AI for financial algorithms. Imandra's technology brings deep advances relied upon in safety-critical industries such as avionics and autonomous vehicles to the financial markets. Imandra is relied upon by top investment banks for the design, testing and governance of highly regulated trading systems. In 2019, the company expanded outside financial services and is currently under contract with the US Department of Defense for applications of Imandra to safety-critical algorithms. "Partnerships are integral to Itiviti's overall strategy, by partnering with cutting edge companies like Imandra we can remain at the forefront of technology innovation and continue to develop quality solutions to support our clients. Generally, client onboarding has been a neglected area within the industry for many years, but we believe working with Imandra we can raise the level of automation for testing and QA, while significantly reducing onboarding bottlenecks for our clients. Other areas we are actively exploring to benefit from AI are within the Compliance and Analytics space. We are very excited to be working with Imandra." said Linda Middleditch, EVP, Head of Product Strategy, Itiviti Group. "This partnership will capture the tremendous opportunities within financial markets for removing manual work and applying much-needed rigorous scientific techniques toward testing of safety critical infrastructure," said Denis Ignatovich, co-founder and co-CEO of Imandra. "We look forward to helping Itiviti empower clients to take full advantage of their solutions, while adding key capabilities." Dr Grant Passmore, co-founder and co-CEO of Imandra, further added, "This partnership is the culmination of many years of deep R&D and we're thrilled to partner with Itiviti to bring our technology to global financial markets on a massive scale." About Itiviti Itiviti enables financial institutions worldwide to transform their trading and capture tomorrow. With innovative technology, deep expertise and a dedication to service, we help customers seize market opportunities and guide them through regulatory change. Top-tier banks, brokers, trading firms and institutional investors rely on Itiviti's solutions to service their clients, connect to markets, trade smarter in all asset classes by consolidating trading platforms and leverage automation to move faster. A global technology and service provider, we offer the most innovative, consistent, and reliable connectivity and trading solutions available. With presence in all major financial centres and serving around 2,000 clients in over 50 countries, Itiviti delivers on a global scale. For more information, please visit www.itiviti.com. Itiviti is owned by Nordic Capital. About Imandra Imandra Inc. (www.imandra.ai) is the world-leader in cloud-scale automated reasoning, democratizing deep advances in algorithm analysis and symbolic AI for making algorithms safe, explainable and fair. Imandra has been deep in R&D and industrial pilots over the past 5 years and has recently closed its $5mm Seed round led by several top deep-tech investors in US and UK. Imandra is headquartered in Austin, TX, and has offices in the UK and continental Europe. For further information, please contact: Itiviti Linda Middleditch, EVP Head of Product Strategy Tel +44 796 82 126 24 Email: linda.middleditch@itiviti.com George Rosenberger Head of Product Strategy Client Connectivity Service Tel: + Email: george.rosenberger@itiviti.com Christine Blinke EVP, Head of Marketing & Communications Tel. +46 739 01 02 01 Email: christine.blinke@itiviti.com Imandra Denis Ignatovich, co-CEO Tel: +44 20 3773 6225 Email: denis@imandra.ai Grant Passmore co-CEO Tel: +1 512 629 4038 Email: grant@imandra.ai This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/itiviti-group-ab/r/itiviti-partners-with-ai-innovator-imandra-to-integrate-machine-learning-into-client-onboarding-and-,c3021540 The following files are available for download: The near-six-month-long internet shutdown following the abrogation of Article 370 hit fresh registrations under PMMVY, a scheme crucial to lowering infant deaths in the region as well as disbursal of monetary aid to pregnant women who had already registered for childbirth at hospitals under the scheme Twenty-six-year-old Meema Jan gave birth to her first child earlier this month in a crowded ward of the Lal Ded (LD) Hospital, an old and shabby maternal health facility in Srinagar, Kashmir. Although she had registered for cash assistance under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) in the month of November, Meema didn't receive any financial aid on time. As a result, her poor husband had to pay for all the expenses at the hospital, right from medicines to food. Under the PMMVY, pregnant women are provided with cash assistance of Rs 5,000 in instalments to pay for some of the expenses incurred during and after childbirth. Delays in payments under the Central Government scheme have, however, been common in Kashmir. Several pregnant women said that they were either not aware of the scheme or had not received any financial assistance even after registering under the scheme. During the near-six-month-long shutdown following the abrogation of Article 370, fresh enrolment of pregnant women under the scheme was drastically hit. Payments took a hit as well. Although 2G mobile internet connectivity has been restored across the state restricted access to 2G internet was initially resumed only in the districts of Kupwara and Bandipora and was extended to all parts of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir on 25 January officials say that work on payments is slow due to erratic connectivity and low speed. In many cases, women are made to visit several government offices to receive the assistance promised under the scheme. Last year in November, Meema's husband, Mohammad Yaseen, had registered for assistance under PMMVY at one of the Anganwadi offices in the outskirts of Kawoosa in Srinagar. He had submitted all her documents including her Aadhaar number but wasn't paid any money at the time of the birth of his first child. Yaseen, who works as a mason, said that the money could have helped him bear the expenses at the hospital. "I had to spend several thousand rupees at the hospital on food and medicines," he said. Why is PMMVY crucial for Jammu and Kashmir? The Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir witnesses high infant deaths ever year. Due to inadequate health infrastructure, a number of poor pregnant women from the Valley also die during childbirth. The number of infant deaths registered per thousand births in 2017 was reported to be 23, while as it was 24 in 2016. Over the years, though infant deaths have witnessed a decline, the infant mortality rate (IMR) is nowhere near the single-digit figures the authorities hope to reach in the next few years. In the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, the IMR had fallen significantly from 52 in 2006 to 26 in 2015. In 2011, the IMR was 41, it was 39 in 2012, 37 in 2013, 34 in 2014 and 26 in 2015. Overall, India's national average in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, respectively, was 44, 42, 40 and 39, 37 and 34. To reduce the infant deaths further, authorities have been looking at ways to ensure that deliveries are carried out in hospitals to lower the risk of deaths. Incentives provided under the PMMVY encourages women to register for births at the hospital, said a senior health department official. Under the PMMVY, direct cash is being transferred to the bank accounts of pregnant women to meet their enhanced nutritional needs and compensate them for any wage losses. The benefits are provided in three instalments after the women had registered for delivery at a government hospital. Internet shutdown cause delays in registrations under PMMVY, payments However, according to officials, due to months of internet shutdown, the newly created UT is lagging behind in the target set by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development to enrol new (55,000) women for the cash assistance programme (PMMVY) in the financial year 2019-20. Only 31.5 thousand women have been registered for the scheme till mid-January. Officials who are overseeing the implementation of the scheme said that the "work of transferring the cash was done only after the online enrolment of the women". "We couldn't do any work in the month of August due to internet blockade. Though the internet was restored in some of the district offices of the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), it remained blocked in most parts of Kashmir hitting our work," said Idress Ahmad Wani, officer-in-charge of the PMMVY for Jammu and Kashmir. "Each month we used to register at least 3,500 to 4,000 beneficiaries and the enrolment has been hit now," he said. The erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir had been particularly looking at expanding the reach of PMMVY as the numbers of infant deaths had remained high in the former state. However, the internet shutdown acted as an additional roadblock and many women who have registered for the scheme are not getting paid. The government had launched a door-to-door campaign to facilitate enrollment of pregnant women under the PMMVY from 6 to 11 January across the UT of Jammu and Kashmir. "Campaign focuses on enrolment of all eligible beneficiaries through a door to door visit. Matru Shakti Rashtra Shakti," a tweet about the scheme read. Lack of infrastructure and awareness also responsible But in both the UTs of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, not all the hospitals are equipped with the facilities to carry out deliveries due to which pregnant women from rural areas are shifted to the LD Hospital in Srinagar city for childbirth. Women from different parts of Kashmir where maternal healthcare facilities do not exist travel to the LD Hospital for childbirth. Mubeena, 25, is one such woman. She had travelled several kilometres from her house at Qazibagh in Budgam to Srinagar for delivery. She said that the doctors referred her from the district hospital in Budgam to LD Hospital saying that they lacked the facilities to handle her delivery nearer home. She too didn't receive any aid under PMMVY on the delivery of her child even though she had registered for the programme in the second month of her pregnancy. Authorities said that the facilities to carry out deliveries have been expanded to the village level in some districts to reduce infant deaths. "We have some 19 designated delivery points including at the sub-district and primary health centre level. In some areas which are hard to reach, we have even designated a sub-centre as a delivery point where the delivery cases could be handled," said Fazil Kochak, Chief Medical Officer of Kulgam district. He said that besides the assistance that is being provided under the PMMVY, " for every institutional delivery we transfer Rs 1,400 into the accounts of rural women and for urban women we give Rs 1,000 under the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY)". A senior official posted with the National Health Mission (NHM) here said that they are looking at "reducing the IMR in the Jammu and Kashmir to single-digit numbers by 2022 and the schemes like the PMMVY would help achieve those numbers". Wani said that under PMMVY rural women are encouraged to go for regular checkups at the hospitals and the money is provided in the three instalments. "For the first single childbirth, we provide Rs 1,000 after the woman had registered at the nearest Anganwadi centre and then we provide her Rs 2,000 after six months of pregnancy and then Rs 2,000 after three months of immunisation of the child. This is apart from the assistance that women get from the health department. The idea is to increase institutional deliveries and to prevent deaths," he said. But lack of awareness remains a problem. Shugufta, 34, said that she was not even aware of PMMVY. A resident of Budoobagh area of Khanayar in Srinagar, she said, "None from the government officials told me about the scheme. None at the hospital at LD told me about it." Farhan Azmi, son of Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi, has said that if Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will go to Ayodhya then he along with other members of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government will also go there for constructing Babri Masjid. Farhan Azmi, son of Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi, has said that if Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will go to Ayodhya, then he along with other members of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government will also go there for constructing Babri Masjid. "I demand and I am warning it, consider it as a threat or whatever; if Uddhav Thackeray being the chief minister goes to Ayodhya on 7 March then I will also go along. I will also ask my father to accompany me, I call upon members of MVA and SP members to come along," Farhan said on Monday. "If Uddhav Thackeray confirms his ticket for Ayodhya then we all will hold foot-march to Ayodhya, we will also go along, but the condition is that he will construct Ram Temple and we will construct Babri Masjid," he added. "On the completion of 100 days of your government why don't you go to Siddhi Vinayak instead. Don't you faith left for Siddhi Vinayak?" Farhan asked Uddhav. Azmi made the remarks at an event organised to oppose the amended citizenship law. Farhan made the controversial remarks addressing a meeting called by Parcham Foundation and Hum Bharat ke Log to oppose the Citizenship Amendment Act, National Register of Citizens and National Population Register, Deccan Herald reported. As per the Deccan Herald report, Azmi senior seemingly distanced himself from his son's remarks, saying, "Farhan is not a member of the Samajwadi Party" India Today reported that Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant, reacting to Farhan's statements said, "Whatever he said are his thoughts." On the completion of 100 days of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, Uddhav is slated to visit Ayodhya to pay homage to Lord Ram. Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut on 22 January that alliance partners (Congress, NCP) can also accompany the chief minister. (Photo : Anonymous Blog The Doe Discusses the 5 Core Principles Of Journalism ) According to anon blog The Doe there are five core principles of journalism that should be adhered to. The core principles of ethical journalism are an excellent platform to build from for anyone who wants to showcase responsibility in how they use information, whether a secure blog or journalistic article. With journalism, there are hundreds of different codes of conduct, statements outlining principles, and charters for journalism. However, these 5 main principles remain central to all of the codes and statements that exist even if a lot of larger news corporations don't tend to follow them to the tee any longer. The Doe sees these five core ideals as central to what good journalism is and upholds them at all times. Here they are: 1. Accuracy and Truth While a journalist cannot always guarantee that they are reporting on the truth, they can guarantee the accuracy of their reporting. Getting the facts right is one of the cardinal rules of journalism. A journalist should strive for accuracy at all times and get all of the facts after thoroughly checking them. When a journalist cannot corroborate the information they are reporting on, they should say so accordingly. 2. Independence A journalist should be an independent voice. They should not have an internal bias or act on behalf of any sort of special interest. They should make both their editors and audience aware of any sort of affiliation they have and disclose any financial arrangements they might have that could create an inherent bias or conflict of interest. 3. Impartial Every story has at least two sides to it. While a journalist isn't tasked with the duty of necessarily presenting both sides with every piece they put out, the stories they do put out should be balanced and add the sort of context that allows the reader to form their own opinion. While it's not always entirely possible to have complete objectivity and it might not even be desirable to have complete objectivity, having impartial reporting can really build the confidence of your audience. 4. Humanity No journalist should do any harm to others. A journalist should fully understand how their publication could hurt others. 5. Accountability Being an ethical and professional journalist requires being willing and able to hold yourself accountable. As a journalist, if you make an error, you need to not only be able to acknowledge them, but also correct them. An ethical journalist will listen to the criticism and concerns of their audience and they will note instances where they may have been unfair and work to correct them. 2015 Latinos Post. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. HONOLULU, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Island Pacific Academy announced a partnership with Carbon Lighthouse , a tech company delivering profitable climate solutions, to analyze and optimize its energy consumption and ultimately reduce its overall carbon emissions. Carbon Lighthouse will use its patented CLUES platform to uncover hidden "Efficiency Reserves" throughout the campus and will work with Island Pacific Academy to ensure recommended efficiency measures are properly implemented to deliver guaranteed energy savings. One of the nation's premier independent schools, Island Pacific Academy was founded with a commitment to equip students with a vision for the future and to foster a culture that inspires respect and empathy across its entire community. Sustainability and energy efficiency efforts enable the school to lead by example and demonstrate its respect to the local and global environmental community. Island Pacific Academy also fosters a multisensory and constructivist learning culture and environment. The academy will take this innovative educational approach and use the Carbon Lighthouse project as an opportunity to teach students about climate change and energy efficiency from the real-world example in their own school. "Carbon Lighthouse's energy efficiency technology and cost savings measures enable Island Pacific Academy to build on our existing sustainability efforts and further reduce our carbon footprint," said Gerald Teramae, head of school, Island Pacific Academy. "Our goal is to achieve 30-40% savings on our electric costs and reallocate those dollars to other educational initiatives for our students." Carbon Lighthouse engineers layer in utility, weather, and other available data to create a highly accurate assessment of the Academy's energy use and model energy scenarios to inform a guaranteed calculation of energy savings and financial results. Carbon Lighthouse continues to stay engaged with the property teams to guarantee the real dollar value of these energy savings over time, all with zero upfront cost. "Carbon Lighthouse is committed to reducing carbon emissions in Hawaii by turning energy waste in buildings into guaranteed financial value to help leaders like Island Pacific Academy achieve their sustainability goals while saving significantly on expenses," said Brenden Millstein, CEO and Co-founder of Carbon Lighthouse. "Further, we applaud Island Pacific Academy for turning the project into a learning opportunity for its students an investment in a more sustainable future." Island Pacific Academy joins a growing number of organizations, including A&B Properties, Hawaiian Airlines, Aloha United Way, The Westin Maui, Royal Lahaina Resort, Elemental Excelerator and Ulupono Initiative that have been working with Carbon Lighthouse since 2016 to build a more sustainable and resilient Hawaii through profit-driven carbon elimination. ABOUT ISLAND PACIFIC ACADEMY Island Pacific Academy (IPA), Kapolei's first independent private college preparatory school, opened in 2004. IPA's mission empowers students to unlock their potential by providing a well-rounded college and career preparatory education that values each child's individuality, builds confidence and character, and inspires future success as engaged citizens and life-long learners in a place where values matter. IPA's vision is to inspire and enable students to "Go Forward with Confidence" (I Mua Me Ka Haaheo) to become caring, contributing citizens who can succeed in an ever-changing world. IPA is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools and the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools. For more information, visit Island Pacific Academy or follow IPA on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. ABOUT CARBON LIGHTHOUSE Carbon Lighthouse is on a mission to stop climate change by making it easy and profitable for building owners to eliminate carbon emissions caused by wasted energy. The company's unique approach to efficiency production goes deep into buildings to uncover and constantly correct hidden inefficiencies that add up to meaningful financial value and carbon elimination that continues over time. Since 2010, commercial real estate, educational, hospitality and industrial customers nationwide have chosen Carbon Lighthouse to enhance building comfort, increase net operating income and achieve their sustainability goals. Carbon Lighthouse is an Elemental Excelerator 2016 Cohort Company, and has received multiple investments from Ulupono Initiative. For more information visit: www.carbonlighthouse.com . SOURCE Carbon Lighthouse Related Links https://www.carbonlighthouse.com Advertisement Viewers and fellow broadcasters have accused ITN bosses of 'forcing out' their longest-serving newsreader Alastair Stewart after he described a black Twitter user of being an 'angry ape' and have launched a bid to get him reinstated. More than 16,000 people have signed a petition demanding Mr Stewart, 67, gets his job of more than 40 years back and that his accuser Martin Shapland, 34, makes a public apology. The Change.org petition describes the race row as 'ridiculous' and comes after veteran BBC broadcaster Andrew Neil declared that 'the only explanation can be the ITN suits wanted him out - and seized their chance.' Mr Neil, 70, said his ITN peer is 'the only person to be fired for quoting Shakespeare accurately' after Mr Stewart posted a tweet that his bosses claim was a 'breach of social media policy and editorial guidelines'. He is one of several prominent journalists who have accused ITN officials of 'hanging him out to dry' in a 'public shaming' that even his colleagues have said was unfair. His accuser Mr Shapland, a lobbyist from east London, also defended him today, saying 'an apology would have been enough' and he 'takes no pleasure' in his decision to stand down. The petition calling for Mr Stewart's reinstatement reads: 'Alastair Stewart has been ridiculously forced to quit his role on ITV after 40 years due to Martin Shapland accused him of calling him 'an angry ape' after quoting Shakespeare. 'Despite no direct conversation on twitter between the two and with Martin using racism as the offense. The quote is reference to how a person can lose their sight with anger and refuse to listen to reason. 'Its not racist either, Martin needs to take account the evolution of apes to humans of all races. Martin needs to publicly apologise and Alastair needs to have his job reinstated!' Ranvir Singh, Good Morning Britain's Political Editor (right today), said Mr Stewart (left this month), the longest-serving UK male newsreader, is not racist and has spent his career encouraging ethnic minority journalists Martin Shapland (pictured) was in a debate with Mr Stewart on Twitter when the veteran newsreader quoted a passage from Shakespeare that included the words 'angry ape'. Mr Shapland described this as a 'disgrace' ITN newsreader Mary Nightingale was close to tears last night after she announced her 'friend and mentor' Alastair Stewart had been forced out by their bosses over a Twitter spat More than 16,000 people have signed a petition demanding Mr Stewart, 67, gets his job of more than 40 years back and that his accuser Martin Shapland, 34, makes a public apology ITV and BBC stars are rallying around the 67-year-old and Mary Nightingale was in tears on live TV last night as she told viewers he would not be seen again after 44 years on the station. Fellow ITN newsreader Julie Etchingham led tributes to 'gentleman' Mr Stewart. Good Morning Britain's political editor Ranvir Singh, one of the UK's most senior British Asian journalists, said today: 'I would never use the word racist and his name in the same sentence' and revealed he has spent his career mentoring reporters from ethnic minorities. One on the UK's best known news broadcasters, who asked not be named, told MailOnline: 'It's an absolute shambles and a disgrace. I don't know if this is cover for something else - if someone wanted him out anyway they should have allowed a more gracious retirement - but it gives our industry a bad name and a bad look. Intolerant, obtuse, disloyal and illiterate'. ITN has refused to give more details on his sudden departure but several sources said it related to a Twitter spat on January 13. His bosses are said to have been nervous about his social media activity after he called someone an 'absolute p***k' last year. Mr Shapland has spoken out almost 24 hours after Mr Stewart left ITN - and said that an apology would have sufficed but did not know how ITV and ITN had made their final decision Revealed: Alastair Stewart used SAME 'angry ape' Shakespeare quote during Twitter row with WHITE environmentalist 18 months ago Alastair Stewart used the 'angry ape' quote from Measure for Measure during a Twitter row with a white environmentalist 18 months ago, it emerged today. The tweet emerged after the veteran presenter was forced out of ITN last night after black Twitter user Martin Shapland complained he used the phrase towards him. But in June 2018, Mr Stewart had used exactly the same Shakespeare quote in an exchange - this time over horsefeed and ragwort - with a white Twitter user. He had been in a discussion with Friends of the Earth supporter Neil Jones, an environmentalist, nature enthusiast and ragwort expert from Swansea, South Wales. Mr Stewart was responding to a tweet by Mr Jones who had said he had spent years studying ragwort and had checked his facts with data and other experts. Advertisement Before his spat about royal funding with Mr Shapland, Mr Stewart also debated followers on controversial issues such as anti-Semitism and the environment - but ITN has refused to say if he was warned about his tweeting before his exit yesterday. His ITN colleagues are said to be signing a 'get Alastair Stewart reinstated' petition launched today and one senior source told Buzzfeed's Alex Wickham: 'Anna Mallett (ITN CEO) and her wingman Chris Shaw (ITN Editorial Director) must come out and explain why they have hung him out for a public shaming. It is a total disgrace'. At 5pm yesterday the 67-year-old newsreader said he was quitting after 'a misjudgement which I regret' on social media and told friends he was 'very sad it was ending this way' after an online row with Mr Shapland about where he quoted lines from William Shakespeare's Measure for Measure. But it has now emerged Mr Stewart, who has been crowned Britain's top news presenter by the Royal Television Society three times in his career and has an OBE for services to broadcasting, used the same passage including 'angry ape' in a Twitter debate on ragwort in June 2018 with Swansea environmentalist Neil Jones, who is white. As Mr Stewart's sudden departure caused a major storm, it has emerged: ITN bosses have been asked to 'explain themselves' to irate staff over decision to force out their longest-serving broadcaster - colleagues said to be signing online petition; Man at centre of the race row says he has had a 'death threat' since Mr Stewart stepped down and believes an apology would have sufficed; Three-times NTS presenter of the year who has an OBE for services to broadcasting is lying low in his 1.7m Hampshire farmhouse; Colleagues at ITN including Mary Nightingale, Julie Etchingham and Ranvir Singh praise 'gentleman' they call 'Al'; Ms Nightingale forced to announce his departure on live TV and struggled to hold back tears after working together for 27 years; BBC powerhouse presenter Andrew Neil declares: 'Alastair Stewart now the only person to be fired for quoting Shakespeare accurately. The only explanation can be the ITN suits wanted him out and seized their chance; Mr Shapland deleted all his tweets today amid scrutiny of his own social media where he was accused of 'anti-white bigotry' because his messages were packed with rants about 'f***ing white privilege'. Today he tweeted: 'Civil and political discourse has become far too vicious in the last five years. I would ask that we try to treat each other with a little more respect, kindness and understanding.' He thanked critic Kate Maltby, saying she 'witnessed the whole incident' and concurred 'that the exchange was out of character'. Miss Maltby had tweeted: 'I've admired Alastair Stewart for years, and really enjoyed getting to know him a bit on here. But I watched the actual exchange in real time, because I also follow and like his interlocutor. And it was much, much nastier than has been reported. It wasn't just the "ape" quote. 'As I recall, AS (Alastair Stewart) went on a rant about Martin's education level, dismissed the possibility he could have a degree, really picked on him by quote-tweeting & encouraging a pile-on'. Ms Nightingale, Julie Etchingham and ex- boss Richard Frediani have paid tribute to a 'broadcasting legend' while over at the BBC, star presenter Andrew Neil said: 'Alastair Stewart - Now the only person to be fired for quoting Shakespeare accurately. The only explanation can be the ITN suits wanted him out and seized their chance'. And as calls for him to be reinstated grew, Good Morning Britain political editor Ranvir Singh, one of the UK's best known British Asian broadcasters, today declared she 'adores' the 'gracious and encouraging' newsreader and revealed his 'pride' at mentoring 'black talent' over the years. She added: 'I call my son a monkey all the time [and say]: 'come on you little monkey get to bed'. I'm not being racist. I find it really unsettling'. Stewart's decision to step down comes after a black Twitter user claimed he 'called him an angry ape' three weeks ago. Martin Shapland later branded Stewart a 'disgrace' Lobbyist who accused Alastair Stewart of racism is a Lib dem supporter who ranted about 'f***ing white privilege' Martin Shapland, 34, is a former Liberal Democrat researcher who lives in Stratford, East London. According to his LinkedIn page, Mr Shapland obtained a degree in modern history and political sciences from Birmingham University. He has been a policy manager at the Institution of Civil Engineers for the past two years and was previously a House of Commons researcher. His LinkedIn page says: 'A professional with a background in campaigns, communications, policy and research working in Parliament and for volunteer organisations over the last eight years.' The block where he lives has flats ranging in value from 220,000 to 560,000, according to Zoopla. It is not clear whether he has a partner. Mr Shapland, whose Twitter account includes the description 'Tweet in haste, repent at leisure', told MailOnline at his home today: 'I have just put something on Twitter and I have said all I have to say.' Asked about the Twitter row between Me Stewart and its employee, an ICE spokesman said: 'It is a private matter.' Advertisement A broadcaster who worked with Alastair Stewart for many years hit out at his departure. 'If they just wanted rid of him, which these days just happens because you're a bit old and a bit expensive, there are other, fairer ways,' the broadcaster told PA. 'He's senior, he's well loved. He's somebody who should have left in a blaze of glory. He's one of the greats ... It's this quite modern idea that you get cancelled for saying just one thing,' the broadcaster said. 'Very, very senior journalists, broadcasters who either worked with him or know him through their jobs, are pretty appalled that this has happened to him.' Good Morning Britain host Ben Shephard said: 'I've been lucky enough to work with Alastair over the years as well, and he's an extraordinarily generous person with experience as a broadcaster to work with.' Broadcaster Katie Derham wrote on Twitter: 'So very sorry to hear the news about Alastair Stewart stepping down from ITN. A very dear friend and colleague; enormous fun and extremely supportive, and unbelievably well informed. He will be missed.' Mr Stewart is believed to be at his 1.7million Hampshire farm today and a man believed to be Alastair's son said his father would not be commenting further today. Yesterday evening his colleague of 27-years Mary Nightingale struggled not to cry as she was forced to tell viewers how Mr Stewart was stepping down following 'errors of judgement in Alastair's use of social media which breached ITN's editorial guidelines'. Viewers pointing out that her eyes appeared to be red from tears with many fans venting their anger about how he was 'badly treated' and 'denied a proper on-screen goodbye' after more than four decades on television. Shortly before going on air Mary tweeted: 'Very sad about the departure of #AlastairStewart. He was a good friend and mentor to me when I started at Carlton TV, and we worked together for more than 27 years. I will miss him'. Speaking on GMB today Ranvir Singh said: 'He is a gentleman and he has done nothing but encourage me, it saddens me. ITV's social media policies prohibiting 'anything that might damage the brand' Like all media companies ITV has guidelines for how employees should conduct themselves on social media. The ITV social media policy says: 'Do not do anything that might damage any ITV brand or ITV relationships (e.g. with talent or commercial clients) as this can lead to issues with the contracts held with those parties which may include provisions requiring us not to damage their reputation' There are also a number of prohibited activities in the guidelines which are: 'Do not make offensive statements and be particularly careful to avoid offensive statements relating to an individual's age, gender, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, sexual orientation, disability, race, religion and culture' Advertisement 'I need to speak to him and find out what he meant. From what I understand is the misjudgement that might be getting drawn into a spat. I would put my house on it that not for one second did he write it in a slur'. Mr Stewart, who is married with four children, was the nation's longest-serving male newsreader. He started on Southern Television in 1976 and joined ITN in 1980. An OBE came in 2006 for services to broadcasting. Along with Mary Nightingale, his colleagues leapt to his defence, saying the broadcasting 'legend' had been 'shunted out'. One insisted last night: 'Alastair is not a racist.' News anchor Julie Etchingham tweeted: 'So sad to learn this we have worked on many big stories together & Al is a trusted friend and guide to many of us.' Former ITV News boss Richard Frediani called him 'a loyal friend, colleague, mentor, guide and much more to many, many journalists', adding: 'Simply the best on and off screen. A broadcasting legend.' Broadcasters have rallied around Mr Stewart who has won a string of awards in his career and received an OBE in 2006 for services to broadcasting More than a year ago Alastair Stewart used the same quote while debating with another Twitter user who is white during a row After she spoke out on GMB one viewer criticised her for defending her friend because she is a 'woman of colour' The Shakespeare quote at the heart of Alastair Stewart's social media rift Alastair, pictured with his wife of 42 years Sally Ann, used Shakespeare in the row that led to his departure In a Twitter row Mr Stewart decided to quote a short passage from Measure by Measure by William Shakespeare. The play was written in either 1603 or 1604 and is a dark comedy about a judge, Angelo, who leads the government in Vienna while the Duke is away. The specific part Mr Stewart tweeted is a short speech by a character called Isabella, who has come to plead with Angelo for her brother's life after he is sentenced to die. Angelo refuses her request, and in response to him she says: 'But man, proud man, 'Dress'd in a little brief authority, 'Most ignorant of what he's most assur'd 'His glassy essencelike an angry ape 'Plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven 'As makes the angels weep; who, with our spleens, 'Would all themselves laugh mortal' Experts say Shakespeare's simile 'like an angry ape' used in Isabella's tirade at Angelo is to show his reversion to a human being's basic instincts such as self-preservation rather than a racist trope. Advertisement Stewart and Martin Shapland, who is black, were debating the Royal Family's finances online when the news anchor cited a passage from Shakespeare's Measure for Measure that included the phrase 'angry ape'. Stewart wrote: 'But man, proud man, Dress'd in a little brief authority, Most ignorant of what he's most assur'd His glassy essence like an angry ape.' Describing Stewart as a disgrace, Mr Shapland shared the tweet and said: 'Just an ITV newsreader referring to me as an ape.' In a statement, the presenter said: 'It was a misjudgement which I regret, but it's been a privilege to bring the news to households throughout the UK for the past 40 years.' In 2018 Stewart used the same quote in an exchange with another Twitter user who was not identifiably black. Supporters said he appeared to have a habit of using the phrase to make a point about those he felt were claiming to be experts in a certain field. An ITN insider said: 'He would have thought he was being clever and it was merely an innocent put-down. He is certainly not a racist in any way. 'Alastair is a hugely popular figure, well liked, kind and something of an institution. 'It is sad if he has had to go because of this. He accepts the error of judgement, but many believe that, if this was the reason he is going, it was wrong, and he will be the first man ever fired for accurately quoting Shakespeare.' A source at ITN, which produces news programmes for ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, said the newsroom was in shock, but that there was a 'mixed view', with some younger staff agreeing with the decision to remove him. More senior staff shared their theory that it was an excuse to get rid of the veteran, who was on a six-figure salary. One insider said: 'Officially he quit, but it was a fait accompli a case of 'resign, and do the honourable thing'.' Mr Shapland, whose Twitter account includes the description 'tweet in haste, repent at leisure'. Mr Stewart, pictured with broadcasters including Emily Maitlis, Katie Derham, Mary Nightingale, and Natasha Kaplinsky has received a great deal of support from his colleagues, many of whom believe he is badly treated Viewers believe his exit could and should have have been handled differently - and not ended with '2 sentences' from a visibly grieving Mary Nightingale Alastair Stewart: News veteran with 40 years in front of the camera Broadcasting giant Alastair Stewart's decision to step down from presenting duties comes after a 40-year career in front of the camera. Mr Stewart, 67, was born on June 22 1952 in Gosport, Hampshire, to parents who both served in the Royal Air Force. He attended the state Madras College in Fife, Scotland, before moving to the independent Salesian College in Hampshire, then St Augustine's Abbey School in Ramsgate, Kent. His first steps into television came when he joined Southern Television in Southampton as a reporter and presenter. Mr Stewart was one of the last to interview Lord Louis Mountbatten before he was murdered by the IRA in 1979. He joined ITN in 1980 as industrial correspondent - and the broadcaster would become his professional home. Soon after he was invited to join the roster of additional newsreaders and, from 1983 to 1986, he was a presenter and reporter with ITN's Channel 4 News. In 1989 he moved to ITV's News At Ten where he became the lead presenter on the flagship show's major news bulletins. Until his departure from the broadcaster Mr Stewart's portfolio of work saw him move between the lunchtime, evening and 10pm shows while presenting special programmes. He married Sally Ann Jung in 1978 and has four children. A fan of rock music, Mr Stewart won Celebrity Mastermind in December 2009 with The Rolling Stones as his specialist subject. Advertisement In later tweets in his spat with Stewart he described the presenter's behaviour as 'ignorant bullying' and suggested he should take lessons in etiquette. According to his LinkedIn page, Mr Shapland obtained a degree in modern history and political sciences from Birmingham University and has been a policy manager at the Institution of Civil Engineers for the past two years. He was previously a House of Commons researcher. Asked about the Twitter row between Stewart and its employee, a spokesman for the ICE said: 'It is a private matter.' Michael Jermey, director of news and current affairs at ITV, said: 'Alastair has been a long-standing, familiar figure to viewers of ITV News, both reporting and presenting with distinction. We wish him the very best for the future.' ITN chief executive Anna Mallett added: 'We would like to recognise Alastair's contribution as one of the UK's foremost journalists and TV presenters and to thank him for his commitment to delivering high-quality broadcast news over many years.' Last night the door to Stewart's home in Hampshire was answered by a young man who said: 'Yeah he is not going to be saying anything tonight.' In his long career, Stewart has fronted everything from election coverage to Police, Camera, Action! a job he lost after crashing his Mercedes into a hedge while three times the drink-drive limit. Support for Stewart also came from broadcaster Danny Baker, who was sacked last year from BBC Radio 5 Live for likening Prince Harry's son Archie to a chimp. Baker retweeted a comment by comedian Rory Bremner who praised Stewart as 'a good friend' and called him 'generous, supportive and quick to correct unfairness or nonsense, authoritative, kind and one of life's enthusiasts'. Alastair Stewart and Martin Shapland: The transcript Here is the exchange on Twitter between Alastair Stewart and Martin Shapland on January 13: Alastair Stewart: 'The Queen's father, George VI, died at Sandringham. It is a place of poignancy for her. Martin Shapland: 'I imagine all of her castles and palaces are poignant in some way. Let's not stop to wonder why one family gets to have so many palatial homes at taxpayers' expense though. Might realise what a scam it is.' AS: 'I'm guessing you haven't read much history.' MS: 'Well I have a degree in it so sure, let's just make stuff up?' AS: 'This is your last chance. As a student of history you should know the basis of the financial relationship between the Crown and the taxpayer. It was sealed with the Civil List which was subsequently replaced by the Sovereign Grant and finessed by the John Major tax deal.' MS: 'The civil list was abolished in 2010. So on the ball.' AS: But man, proud man, / Dressd in a little brief authority, / Most ignorant of what hes most assurd - / His glassy essence - like an angry ape, / Plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven, / As makes the angels weep; who, with our spleens, / Would all themselves laugh mortal' MS: 'Just an ITV newsreader referring to me as an ape with the cover of Shakespeare. Measure for measure, Alistair is a disgrace.' AS: *Halo emoji* MS: 'He's even done his own version of 'innocent face'. Could I ask what ITV, ITV News and Geoff Hill think of this?' The early morning Twitter row between Martin Shapland and Alastair Stewart began on January 13 when Alastair Stewart referred to the importance of Sandingham to the Queen, where she was meeting Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry. Mr Shapland then tweeted about how much the royals cost the taxpayer. The broadcaster was drawn into the row over funding which culminated in the presenter quoting the Shakespeare quote that cost him his job yesterday Advertisement ITV broadcaster Ranvir Singh is attacked on Twitter for 'putting friendship over reality' after defending ex-colleague Alastair Stewart as 'not racist and a gentlemen' after he was forced to quit over race row ITV reporter Ranvir Singh was today criticised for backing her colleague Alastair Stewart after he was forced out of ITN over claims of racism. Mrs Singh, 42, who was raised in a Sikh family in Preston, stood up for the veteran presenter after a black Twitter user complained he called him an 'angry ape'. She told ITV's Good Morning Britain today that Mr Stewart was not racist and also said how she often calls her son Tushaan a 'monkey' but is not being racist to him. But Twitter users criticised Mrs Singh for her views as a 'woman of colour' and suggested she had put her friendship with Mr Stewart over the issue of racism. One said: 'You have chosen to put friendship over what in reality is an existing issue in the media. As a woman of colour you should know the position of the other gentleman and how those may be perceived. The context there.' But Mrs Singh responded: 'This was about a specific person and I spoke about my specific experience of the man. I don't appreciate being told what you think I 'should know' but you're entitled to your view. Thank you.' Mrs Singh, who joined ITV in 2012 and is the political editor of GMB, said she had spoken to Mr Stewart in text messages last night and he told her he was 'OK'. She said today: 'I would never use the word racist and his name in the same sentence. I have sat with him for hours and hours and hours, days and days and days, years, and he has only ever been gracious and encouraging to me. 'We have had talks about how he and his wife have felt proud of what I have achieved and how Alastair Stewart has talked about other black talents in the newsroom and wider and why companies don't give them more work and how he sees black talent in other places and he wants them to have more work and he would know in his position that that might mean that he might get less work.' Mrs Singh posted this photograph of her with friend and colleague Alastair Stewart last night Mrs Singh added: 'I can only tell you from my own experience that he is a gentleman and he has done nothing other than totally encourage me. It saddens me.' Mrs Singh said she she often calls her son Tushaan (pictured together in London last July) a 'monkey' but is not being racist to him Mr Stewart said he was quitting after 'a misjudgement which I regret' on social media. He told friends he was 'very sad it was ending this way' after 40 years in the job. Mr Stewart and Martin Shapland, who is black, were debating the Royal Family's finances online when the news anchor cited a passage from Shakespeare's Measure for Measure that included the phrase 'angry ape'. Mr Stewart wrote: 'But man, proud man, Dress'd in a little brief authority, Most ignorant of what he's most assur'd His glassy essence like an angry ape, Plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven, As makes the angels weep; who, with our spleens, Would all themselves laugh mortal.' Describing Mr Stewart as a disgrace, Mr Shapland shared the tweet and said: 'Just an ITV newsreader referring to me as an ape.' Speaking about what Mr Stewart said, Mrs Singh added: 'Do you go back and unpick the whole of literature? My God, it wasn't a quote from Enoch Powell, there are things that you know 'no, don't do that'. 'I did English literature, I don't know it inside out, I suppose people are Googling Measure for Measure this morning to figure out exactly what this quote means, as far as I understand, was Shakespeare being racist when he wrote 'angry ape' or was he just saying in an Elizabethan era?' Asked if she could see why it was offensive, she added: 'It's hard to stand in someone's shoes. I think that if you are angry with somebody and you're having a spat, I don't know what the thread said, I don't think any of us really know what that thread was actually about, we just have seen that one exchange. Mrs Singh tweeted about Mr Stewart last night, saying she has 'adored' working with him 'Is it OK to see things perhaps in that person's view perhaps he felt that but all I can say that that quote from Shakespeare in an Elizabethan era I think was probably meant about primitive behaviour - it wasn't about the colour.' She added: 'I call my son a monkey all the time, come on you little monkey, get into bed. I'm not being racist to my son when I call him a monkey, right, but of course that's just my experience. 'I find it really unsettling to talk about this because he is my friend, Alastair is, and I feel sorry for him and I wish this hadn't happened but also I don't know who this guy is on Twitter and I don't know what his issue was with that and I feel sorry for Alastair and that's all I can really say and I just feel that, can you go back and unpick the whole of literature?' Twitter users criticised Mrs Singh for her views as a 'woman of colour' and suggested she had put her friendship with Mr Stewart over the issue of racism Asked by Susanna Reid what the response to her posting a picture of her with Mr Stewart last night, she said: 'I don't always read everything on social media if I'm perfectly honest and perhaps the lesson is, or perhaps the learning, is I don't engage with members of the public in a confrontational way ever. 'I don't do it and I really don't tweet about race, I don't tweet about very much, I'm a bit rubbish on social media, and maybe that's a good thing, but I just think Alastair has engaged in taking people on who take him on in that arena and perhaps the learning is, I don't know what Alastair meant when he said it was a 'misjudgement' that he regrets does he regret quoting that bit or does he regret just being drawn into a spat with a member of the public and actually I think perhaps I'll need to speak to him and find out what he meant by that.' She added: 'He loves words, I have sat there when he is trying to write the headlines, he pores over every word, he's very careful, he understands the emphasis, and I think perhaps he might be thinking 'gosh, maybe I should have re-read that quote and thought about it twice'. 'But I absolutely say in my gut I would absolutely tell you that I would put my house on it that not for one second did he write that quote thinking that it was in any way a slur on someone's skin colour.' Lobbyist who accused Alastair Stewart of racism DELETES his old tweets after being called out for 'anti-white bigotry' and asks that 'people treat each other with more RESPECT' on Twitter The black Twitter user whose exchange led to Alastair Stewart being forced out of ITN deleted his old tweets today after being criticised for 'anti-white bigotry'. Martin Shapland, 34, a lobbyist who complained the veteran presenter called him an 'angry ape', removed his previous tweets amid scrutiny of his own social media. The former Liberal Democrat researcher from Stratford, East London was accused of racism himself over his messages featuring rants about 'f***ing white privilege'. Martin Shapland (pictured) was in a debate with Alastair Stewart on Twitter when the veteran newsreader quoted a passage from Shakespeare that included the words 'angry ape' In previous messages, he referred to a discussion on diversity last July (left), saying: 'This panel is so rich and so white it's basically a cheesecake'. Then in reference to a tweet from Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg (right) about him campaigning in the rain last November, Mr Shapland said: 'This is so white and miserable it's like eating a cheesecake that's quite soggy' Mr Shapland previously highlighted 'f***ing white privilege' in a series of social media posts In previous messages online, he referred to a Radio Times discussion on diversity in radio last July, saying: 'This panel is so rich and so white it's basically a cheesecake'. Then in reference to a tweet from Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg about him campaigning in the rain ahead of the General Election last November, Mr Shapland said: 'This is so white and miserable it's like eating a cheesecake that's quite soggy.' According to his LinkedIn page, Mr Shapland obtained a degree in modern history and political sciences from Birmingham University. He has been a policy manager at the Institution of Civil Engineers for the past two years and was previously a House of Commons researcher. Twitter account Socialist Voice, which has 70,000 followers, posted a series of old social media messages from Mr Shapland, saying he has 'issues with white people'. They added: 'Martin Shapland's Twitter feed is full of anti-white bigotry - he also compares white people to 'cheesecake' and refers to white privilege.' Today, Mr Shapland said a 'private apology would have been more than sufficient' from Mr Stewart, adding that it was 'regrettable' that the presenter quit last night. Mr Shapland added that he had received a 'torrent of abuse' from people calling him 'n***er ape', a 'f***ing idiot', a 'c**t', 'f***ing ape' and 'thick as s***'. Another accused him of putting forward a 'baseless accusation of racism' and said he 'should be ready to be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life'. The 67-year-old newsreader said last night he was quitting after 'a misjudgement which I regret' on Twitter and told friends he was 'very sad it was ending this way'. Mr Shapland responded for the first time this afternoon to the reports of Mr Stewart quitting on Twitter. He tweeted: 'Thank you to those who have been in touch in the last few days about Alastair Stewart. I apologise for not getting back to media enquiries more quickly in particular. 'I am not planning to make on or off the record comments beyond the statement below and a few clarifying tweets.' He posted a statement that said: 'In so far as Mr Stewart caused hurt and upset, intentionally or otherwise, in an exchange earlier this month, there is a wider context. 'There was not a single post as has been widely reported, but several posts written by Mr Stewart, which have all now been deleted. 'I understand that Mr Stewart has acknowledged the words he used were misjudged and has expressed regret at what happened. I thank him for that. 'No one is perfect. We are all human and we all need to learn from our experiences and mistakes and try to be better people in the wake of them.] 'An apology and commitment to be more careful about language was all that I would have asked. 'It is regrettable that he has decided to stand down and I take no pleasure in that. He has evidently gone through and ITN and ITV process and I respect his choice. 'Civil and political discourse has become far too vicious in the last five years. I would ask that we try to treat each other with a little more respect, kindness and understanding. 'In that spirit I consider this matter closed and I wish Mr Stewart the best in his future endeavours.' Mr Shapland added: 'Much of the context of the discussion was lost after tweets were deleted and I won't go into detail here. 'I do, however, want to clarify that I don't know how ITN, ITV and Mr Stewart came to a conclusion or what background there was beyond any exchange I had with him.' He continued: 'My personal view is that a private apology would have been more than sufficient to draw a line under this. I am not, in saying that, second guessing the decision arrived at. The Twitter account Socialist Voice, which has 70,000 followers, posted a series of old social media messages from Mr Shapland, saying he has 'issues with white people' Alastair Stewart, pictured in November 2018, has stepped down from his presenting role at ITN 'I have taken the step of removing all of my Twitter posts. I have been on the receiving end of a torrent of abuse, and, by the same token, condemn any similar behaviour toward figures like (ITV presenter) Ranvir Singh, who I understand has faced similar comments.' Speaking at his home in East London today, Mr Shapland told MailOnline: 'I have just put something on Twitter and I have said all I have to say.' Mr Stewart and Mr Shapland, who is black, were debating the Royal Family's finances online when the news anchor cited a passage from Shakespeare's Measure for Measure that included the phrase 'angry ape'. Mr Stewart wrote: 'But man, proud man, Dress'd in a little brief authority, Most ignorant of what he's most assur'd His glassy essence like an angry ape.' Describing Stewart as a disgrace, Mr Shapland shared the tweet and said: 'Just an ITV newsreader referring to me as an ape.' (Newser) World health officials expressed "great concern" Wednesday that a dangerous new virus is starting to spread between people outside of China, a troubling development as China and the world frantically work to contain the outbreak. For a second day, the number of infections grew dramatically, the AP reports. The new virus has now infected more people in China than were sickened there during the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak. On Wednesday, the number of cases jumped to 5,974, surpassing the 5,327 people diagnosed with SARS. The death toll, which stood at 132 Wednesday, is still less than half the number who died in China from SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome. Scientists say many questions remain, including just how easily the virus spreads and how severe it is. story continues below In a report published Wednesday, Chinese researchers suggested that person-to-person spread among close contacts occurred as early as mid-December. Based on the first 425 confirmed cases, the researchers estimate that each infection led to 2.2 others on average. That's a bit more than ordinary flu but far less than some other respiratory diseases such as whooping cough and tuberculosis. The rate for SARS, a cousin to this new virus, was estimated to be 3. "Considerable efforts" will be needed to control the spread if this ratio holds up elsewhere, researchers wrote in the report, published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Over half of the cases that began before Jan. 1 were tied to a seafood market, but only 8% of cases after that have been, researchers found. (Read more coronavirus stories.) By Vanora Bennett The EBRD and the European Union (EU) have agreed a new 50 million programme of financial guarantees aimed at scaling up investment in renewable energy in Ukraine and in the EU's Southern Neighbourhood with a particular focus on Jordan, Lebanon and Tunisia. This is the first EBRD guarantee programme to receive funding through the EU External Investment Plan (EIP), an EU initiative launched in 2017 with the aim to attract more investment, especially from businesses and private investors, into countries neighbouring the EU and in Africa. Under the new programme, the EBRD will provide guarantees to lenders such as local commercial banks, which will allow them to provide financing to projects alongside EBRD loans. The guarantee is expected to help generate total investments of up to 500 million. Through the EIP, to date the EU has allocated 4.5 billion in public funds to leverage 44 billion in public and private investment for development in countries neighbouring the EU and in Africa. The EBRD will implement the largest volume and number of guarantees under the EIP in the EU Neighbourhood. The projects under this programme will help unlock countries' substantial renewable energy potential, promote the development of renewable energy more widely and demonstrate how the private sector can help meet growing demand for energy. The guarantee is expected to provide 340 MW of additional installed renewable energy capacity. This translates into an extra 970 gigawatt hours per year of electricity production from renewable sources, and a cut in annual greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 530 kilotons of CO2. Pierre Heilbronn, EBRD Vice President, Policy and Partnerships, said: "We're delighted to partner with the EU for such an urgent cause as climate action. Our lending combined with the EU's financial instruments encourages more participation of the private sector in investments which are very much needed to face the global challenges of the future, including a more sustainable development model. This first agreement is only the beginning of our cooperation with the EU through the External Investment Plan in the EU neighbourhood regions". Oliver Varhelyi, European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, added: "The guarantee agreement will help finance many more renewable energy projects, with private sector financing. It will cut greenhouse gas emissions, first in Ukraine and then in countries in the EU's Southern Neighbourhood, with a particular focus on Jordan, Lebanon and Tunisia. We're convinced the guarantee provides sufficient risk cover to attract major private sector investment in countries where not enough such financing is available, therefore we are preparing to support even greater volume of private investment in sustainable development post 2020, through the European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus, which will also cover enlargement countries." The programme will have an important demonstration effect, introducing a number of new developers and commercial financiers to these markets. Background About the EBRD The EBRD is a pioneer in financing projects promoting renewable energy and combatting climate change. To date, the EBRD has signed 30 billion in green investments, financed over 1,600 green projects and reduced over 100 million tonnes of carbon emissions. The EBRD's Green Economy Transition Approach is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement, and is delivered through the EBRD's unique business model, and its sector and country strategies. About the EU External Investment Plan The plan has three pillars. The first is finance. Through financial guarantees, the EU mitigates the risk in countries with difficult environments so that private investors and development banks will lend to entrepreneurs or finance development projects. The plan's second part is technical assistance. This funds experts who help develop new projects, to the benefit of will authorities, investors and companies. Technical assistance may include, for example, market intelligence and investment climate analysis, targeted legislative and regulatory advice, support to partner countries in implementing reforms, chains and identification, preparation, and help to carry out necessary investments. The third part is investment climate support. The EU works closely with governments in partner countries to help them improve the conditions which investors consider when making their decisions. These include the business environment and a country's political and economic stability. The EU also brings together governments and business to discuss investment challenges. For more information To find out more about the EU External Investment Plan, see here and here. Signage in favour of resource development is seen along Yellowhead Highway near Telkwa in northern British Columbia on Jan. 10, 2019. (The Canadian Press/Chad Hipolito) UN, Media Accused of Ignoring Indigenous Support for Pipelines First Nations governments disappointed by division over resource development A U.N. committees recent call on the federal government to halt three major resource development projects in British Columbia continues to spark outrage among Indigenous leaders who are in favour of the projects. The First Nations LNG Alliance has now issued an open letter to the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), saying its recommendations should immediately be withdrawn and an apology given to the 20 nations that support the Coastal GasLink pipeline, one of the three projects. The committee should have been aware that that 20 First Nations participated extensively during five years of consultation on the pipeline, and have successfully negotiated agreements with Coastal GasLink, the letter stated, while accusing CERD of failing to do its research before taking a position. Haisla Nation Chief Councillor Crystal Smith, whose community supports the pipeline, called the committees edict condescending. CERD chair Noureddine Amir later admitted he did not know that most First Nations communities support Coastal GasLink. The committee wanted the project halted until the free, prior and informed consent of all affected Indigenous groups was granted. A small group of Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs and their supporters who are against the project are continuing to blockade a portion of the pipelines right-of-way, in violation of a court injunction. Meanwhile, the Wetsuwetens elected band council is behind the $6.6 billion pipeline to deliver natural gas to an LNG Canada export facility in Kitimat, B.C., which will provide jobs and spur a local economy reliant largely on government largesse and boom-bust resource cycles. Disproportionate media coverage of hereditary chiefs opposition to Coastal GasLink and the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs touting of CERDs pronouncement hasnt helped public understanding of matters, says Indigenous affairs expert and Macdonald-Laurier Institute senior fellow Ken Coates. A lot of Indigenous people support resource development if its properly donethey see no economic future for themselves without engaging in the resource economy, says Coates, a University of Saskatchewan professor and frequent commentator on colonization and the intersection between Indigenous rights and resource interests. They want to break away from that economic dependence and then they get a really small number of Indigenous people and a larger but still smaller number of non-Indigenous people interfering with their decisions, and pushing back against it. At a press conference on Jan. 23, Chief Councillor Smith punctuated her frustration with internal and external forces ginning up a tiny minority of opponents. Im disappointed that the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs is choosing to stoke the fire of conflict regarding the Wetsuweten issue rather than stand in support of the 20 Nations which have signed agreements for the natural gas pipeline, she said. Whether its the [Union] or the Assembly of First Nations or the First Nations Summit, these groups seem content to rush to offer their perspective on what is happening within the Wetsuweten, but have remained silent on all of the First Nations which are benefitting in real terms from these projects. Smith ended her speech by referring to the pipeline project as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that wont come again, noting that she was tired of managing poverty, tired of First Nations communities dealing with suicide, low employment, or educational opportunities. Former Haisla Nation chief councillor and current B.C. MLA Ellis Ross had some fighting words of his own for the U.N. For these people to come over at the last minute and claim Aboriginals were not engaged is nonsense, Ross told the Canadian Energy Centre. I want to defend these band councils. Theyre honourable people and theyre trying to fix Aboriginal poverty. Trans Mountain Expansion A little further south of the Coastal GasLink right-of-way is the 1,150 km Trans Mountain pipeline expansion (TMX) between Edmonton, Alberta, and Burnaby, B.C., which the federal government nationalized for $4.5 billion in 2018. At the time, Finance Minister Bill Morneau said the decision to purchase the existing bitumen line and right to build a proposed $7.5 billion twin was to de-risk the project amid the Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish (coastal) First Nations opposition. The First Nations won initially in the Federal Court of Appeal, which agreed that Ottawa failed to meet a constitutional standard of consultation with them over the pipelines expansion. The Tsleil-Wautuths second challenge of the governments decision to permit TMX is still before the Federal Court of Appeal, and construction remains largely in limbo, occurring only in municipalities that dont overlap with First Nations. When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau re-approved TMX in June 2019, he also offered 100 percent ownership of it to Indigenous groups. Since then, Indigenous groups have clamoured for a stake, but Morneau claimed in December last year that we just dont yet have a sense of which [Indigenous groups] impacted would be keenly interested and capable of moving forward. Joe Dion, CEO of the Western Indigenous Pipeline Group, represents dozens of First Nations along the existing pipelines right-of-way that support the project and want to buy a piece of the action. Two other Indigenous groups have also expressed interestIron Coalition and Project Reconciliation, both based in Albertathough Dion says his group should get first dibs. Between making his case to Ottawa, Dion is trying to wrangle opponents like those First Nations in the Squamish litigation camp to come onside. We know these folks, we talk to them on a regular basis, they have their issues and we respect those issues the impact this will have on the marine life, on their water rights, on their livelihoods. Absolutely we respect that, says Dion. But theres also the balance of the First Nations were working very closely with along the line who support the pipeline and want to get it builtthey know its going to bring them benefits, long-term jobs, long-term revenue streams. As the chairman of Frog Lake Energy Resources, the countrys first Indigenous-owned petroleum company, Dion has watched the sea change among non-Indigenous politicos, resource companies, and business leaders toward Indigenous participation in mega-projects like TMX. This is where were going now, and its basically reshaping the country, reshaping Canada, he says. Its good for our people that we finally have this, but its our responsibility as Indigenous leaders to make sure these rights are exercised properly and responsibly to ensure its a win for everybody. Coates says TMX has the chance to make world history, but the government should act sooner rather than later. There are Indigenous people lining up to be part of the process and make big investments, he says. I just wish [the government] would move faster on these things because the First Nations are anxious to have conversations about this, anxious to have negotiations and discussions going forward. By ANI NEW DELHI: Five more patients, including four men and one woman, have been kept under observation at an isolation ward of the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital here for suspected exposure to novel coronavirus, officials said here on Thursday. The patients are residents of Delhi and have recently returned from China, hospital authorities said. On Tuesday, three patients were admitted to the hospital for similar suspicion of exposure to the deadly virus that traces its roots from the seafood market in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province in central China. ALSO READ | 1053 people under surveillance for coronavirus, 15 in isolation wards: Kerala Health Department The patients, since then have been kept under strict health monitoring and isolation for the medical treatment. The hospital preparedness with regard to management and infection prevention control facilities was reviewed during high-level meetings on Monday. Following this, advisories, and IPC guidelines have been shared with the states and adequate stocks of logistics including PPE is available. ALSO READ: India's first case of coronavirus confirmed in Kerala The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has been conducting the thermal health screening of passengers arriving from China including Hong Kong to 13 airports across the county, including Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Cochin, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata respectively. All the airports have virus screening and prevention signage displayed boldly at the strategic locations. This is being done as a preventive measure against the outbreak of deadly novel coronavirus Disease (nCoV) outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei province of China where more than 2000 cases have been reported and the virus has claimed over 80 lives. A Lagos Division of the Federal High Court has struck out a N3 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by telecommunications giant, MTN Nigeria, against the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami. Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke struck out the suit Thursday after the court was informed about the decision of the AGF to withdraw a letter to the company demanding N2 billion alleged unremitted tax. MTN Nigeria had filed a suit challenging the letter, which was served to it in 2018. Habibat Ajana, counsel to the AGF, had drawn the judges attention to a January 8, 2020, letter by the AGF to MTN, in which the former said he had reviewed the issue and had decided to withdraw the demand letter. Responding, Wole Olanipekun, a senior advocate of Nigeria and counsel to MTN Nigeria, said with the withdrawal letter from the AGF, his client would drop its suit. Consequently, the judge struck out the suit. In the suit, MTN Nigeria had prayed the court to award N3bn against the AGF for rights infringement. Mr Olanipekun had argued that in writing the demand letter to MTN, Mr Malami acted beyond his powers and violated the provisions of Section 36 of the constitution on fair hearing with the purported revenue assets investigation he carried out on the firms activities covering 2007 to 2017. The court had, in a May 8 ruling, dismissed the AGFs preliminary objection to the suit. Champaign, IL (61820) Today Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 27F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 27F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A Staten Island man was arrested in Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday, charged with shoplifting multiple items from a boutique store, according to the Palm Beach Police Department. Janos Buda, 49, of the 100 block of Sliver Lake Road in Brighton Heights, allegedly tried to steal merchandise from the Neiman Marcus store in Palm Beach, according to the criminal complaint. Security personnel saw Buda in the surveillance cameras walk around the fragrance department at the store, pick up a mens fragrance tester and put it in a shopping bag he had with him, the complaint indicates. Buda also took a sealed box of Tom Ford perfume and put in the shopping bag, according to the complaint. At that point the store security confronted Buda and found multiple items in the bag that were from the store, including denim jeans, denim slacks, a formal shirt, a Tom Ford bottle of perfume and a Tom Ford tester, the criminal complaint details. The total worth of the items was $2,214, police said in the complaint. I am sorry, Buda allegedly said after officers from the Palm Beach Police Department showed up at the store, according to the complaint. After the officers read Buda his Miranda rights, the Brighton Heights man said he was very sorry for taking the items and asked a Neiman Marcus employee if he could pay for the items, the complaint indicates. Buda said he had the money in his wallet, but then said that he wasnt going to pay for them, according to the complaint. Buda was released the next day after posting a $5,000 bond, according to public records. Public records do not indicate a publicly available lawyer for Buda. By Rasana Gasimova Azerbaijans Cabinet of Ministers has passed a decision to step up preventive measures due to fears over the coronavirus outbreak in China. During a session held in the Cabinet of Ministers in line with President Ilham Aliyevs instructions, it was decided to take relevant measures that include switching to an enhanced regime at border crossings, ensuring mandatory thorough medical examination and monitoring of all people travelling from China, particularly, those from epidemic zones. It was also decided to prepare a list of high-risk food products that could carry the virus, and strengthen control over these products in food markets, create a hotline in medical facilities, and educate the population about the virus and ways of combating it, as well as regularly inform the population about the situation. A working group will be created under the Health Ministry to tackle the issue. The meeting, chaired by the Prime Minister Ali Asadov, was attended by heads of relevant government agencies. It was emphasized during the session that presently there are no coronavirus infection cases in the country. It was also noted that the country has enough medical supplies needed in such cases. It should be noted that Turkey will evacuate 6 to 7 Azerbaijanis students along with its own 35 citizens living in the Chinese city of Wuhan upon Azerbaijans request, Turkish Ambassador Erkan Ozoral told local media today. Evacuated citizens will be quarantined in Turkey for 14 days. Currently, about 500 Azerbaijanis are studying in China. The Ministry of Education maintains regular contacts with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Azerbaijani Embassy in China. So far, 170 people have died and more than 7,000 people have been infected as the coronavirus has spread to every region in China. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz A plane lands at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, California with Americans evacuted from Wuhan, China, on Jan. 29, 2020. (Matt Hartman/AFP via Getty Images) US to Offer More Flights out of Virus-Impacted Chinese City: State Department The U.S. State Department said it would evacuate more Americans from the coronavirus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan, offering several hundred nationals a chance to leave while they still can. This week, the U.S. government flew about 200 people on a chartered flight to a Southern California military base, where the U.S. citizens are currently in medical isolation. But in a Thursday statement to Americans in the Wuhan and Hankou areas, the agency said it will be staging additional evacuation flights with capacity for private U.S. citizens, leaving Wuhans international airport on Monday, Feb. 3. American citizens with valid passports should contact CoronaVirusEmergencyUSC@state.gov to leave. Those who are seeking transport have to be subjected to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) screening, health observation, and monitoring requirements, the agency wrote. The World Health Organizations (WHO) director-general flew to Beijing to speak with Chinese leader Xi Jinping over the virus and will make a decision Thursday on whether to declare it a global health emergency. I have decided to reconvene the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on the new coronavirus (2019-nCoV) tomorrow to advise me on whether the current outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. There have been reports of human-to-human transmission of the disease inside Japan, Vietnam, Germany, and Canada. The CDC on Thursday announced the first U.S. instance of coronavirus transmission in a news release. President Donald Trump on Wednesday night appointed a task force to coordinate the U.S. response and effort to contain the virus, said White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham. The task force will lead the administrations efforts to monitor, contain, and mitigate the spread of the virus, while ensuring that the American people have the most accurate and up-to-date health and travel information, Grisham said. The CDC and State Department have called on Americans to avoid nonessential travel to China and completely avoid traveling to Wuhan or Hubei Province. Nationals in those areas should avoid contact with sick people, avoid living or dead animals, and wash hands with soap and water often. Meanwhile, U.S.-to-China travel has dropped in recent days amid the coronavirus outbreak, said Secretary of Health Alex Azar, adding that the Trump administration is not going to take any public health options off the table to protect the American public. But what were seeing already is a diminution in flights going back and forth between China and the United States, Azar told on CNBC on Thursday morning. Whenever youre dealing with a public health issue like this, notions of shutting ones border downborders are actually porous all around the world, so individuals can come from different places. And you can actually sometimes create hysteria simply by taking various measures, Azar remarked. (Source: Getty) Ikea has temporarily closed half of its 30 stores in mainland China, including its outlet in the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, Wuhan in order to protect its employees. The Swedish furniture giant, which operates as Ikea Retail China or Ingka Group in China, has about 14,000 staff on mainland China. In response to the Chinese government's call for strict and effective disease control, Ikea Retain China will temporarily close around half of the stores in mainland China until further notice, effective from January 29th, the company said in a statement to Yahoo Finance. The decision has been made after careful assessment and consideration of the epidemic situation, and Ikea Retail China is proactively working with local authorities in the cities and regions where we operate. Staff and customers are encouraged to take up preventive hygiene practices such as wearing masks, the statement said. Ikea will continue to pay impacted staff during the enforced shut-down. The impacted Ikea co-workers are asked to stay at home until further notice with paid leave. We continue to closely monitor the situation and stay updated on information from local and global authorities, and act in accordance with their recommendations as this situation is evolving. Starbucks shuts more than half its Chinese stores Ikea is far from only major global chain to shut its doors amid fears of the virus. Starbucks has shut nearly half of its branches in China, which is its second-largest market after the US, according to the BBC. The coffeehouse chain has closed 2,000 of its 4,300 stores across mainland China and has warned that the rapidly expanding infection will likely affect its financial performance. Google, McDonalds, Disney shuts Story continues Google has also temporarily closed its offices in mainland China as well as Hong Kong and Taiwan. The tech giant has offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and five offices in Taiwan. The offices were already closed for Lunar New Year, but a Google spokesperson told The Verge that the offices will extend the closure in accordance with government guidance. Employees currently in China, or have immediate family members returning from the country, have been encouraged to return home as soon as possible or work from home for at least 14 days upon returning. McDonalds has suspended business across five cities in the Hebei province, where Wuhan is located. Several car manufacturers that have production sites around Wuhan have also called for their non-Chinese staff to leave the city, BBC reported. French car maker PSA, which owns Peugeot and Citroen, said it will bring 38 French employees and their family out of Wuhan, while Japans Honda Motors will fly about 30 of its Japanese staff home. Nissan will evacuate Japanese staff and families from the city. Prominent Chinese film studios have shut doors on tourist attractions, and Disney has closed its US$5.5 billion Shanghai Disney Resort, Forbes reported. Make your money work with Yahoo Finances daily newsletter. Sign up here and stay on top of the latest money, news and tech news. DES MOINES, Iowa An Iowa man was found guilty of three counts of child sex trafficking and two counts of distributing methamphetamine to children, among a lengthy list of additional charges, according to a press release from the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Iowa. Following a six-day trial, on Jan. 28, a jury found Kendall Andrew Streb, of Hills, Iowa, guilty of three counts of child sex trafficking, two counts of distributing methamphetamine to children, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine to children, one count of possession of a firearm and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum announced. Human trafficking doesn't require the transportation of individuals across state lines, nor does is require that a person is physically restrained. Human trafficking is defined as a crime involving the exploitation of youth under the age of 18 for commercial sex; the exploitation of adults for commercial sex through the use of force, fraud, or coercion; and the exploitation of any individual for compelled labor. During trial, the government presented evidence Streb trafficked three teenagers in Iowa City, Coralville and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, from November 2018 through February 2019. Streb solicited the three minors, ages 15 through 17, then paid them in cash and methamphetamine in exchange for sex acts. At times, Streb transported the teenagers to hotel rooms, where he engaged in "commercial sex acts" with them. "The evidence proved Streb knew one or more girls was under 18 years old, and otherwise was in reckless disregard of the fact they were under the age of 18," stated the press release. On March 26, 2019, a search warrant was executed at Streb's residence and truck, in which law enforcement discovered methamphetamine and two handguns. They also found evidence of drug trafficking, which included methamphetamine packaged for sale, a digital scale and packaging materials. "Let's be clear: if you pay money or provide drugs in exchange for sex with underage girls, you are a sex trafficker. We will prosecute you and send you to federal prison," said Krickbaum. "The U.S. Attorney's Office is grateful to the law enforcement officers, particularly those from the Iowa City Police Department, who brought Kendall Streb to justice." United States District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose presided over the case. A sentencing hearing will be set at a later date. Sex trafficking of a child is punishable by a minimum of ten years' imprisonment, up to life in prison. Signs that a person is being trafficked can include working excessively long hours, unexplained gifts, physical injury, substance abuse issues, running away from home, isolation from others, or having a person in their life controlling them or monitoring them closely. Anyone who suspects human trafficking is occurring, be it a minor engaging in paid sex acts, or anyone being coerced into prostitution or labor, is urged to call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. The case was investigated by the Iowa City Police Department, with asistance from the Johnson County Sheriff's Office, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Coralville Police Department. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Iowa. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Thursday called on Union Communications, Law and Justice Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad at New Delhi, urging him to provide better communication facilities in far-flung areas of the state, an official spokesperson said. The chief minister urged the Union minister to help the state in attracting investments in the information technology sector as about 300 bighas were available for it at Waknaghat in Solan district. Thakur also urged Prasad to use his office to attract investments in information technology and artificial intelligence in the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New coronavirus, which is on a rampage in China has taken the lives of 170 already. As for January 28, the number of new sickness cases increased to 4515. Many countries are taking measures to prevent the virus from invasion. What about Ukraine? The outbreak of the new coronavirus (World Health Organization defined this virus as 2019-nCoV) in Chinese Wuhan at the end of last year was one of the most discussed issues. The sickness cases were already found in South Korea, Japan, Singapore, the United States, Thailand, France, Australia, Canada, Nepal and Germany. So, many countries not just express condolences about the situation, but also mobilize in taking measures to prevent the appearance and spread of the virus. For example, a number of countries are ready to evacuate their citizens from the problem territory: France, Spain, Britain, Germany, Italy, Japan and some others. Some countries have already suspended the sale of tickets or organization of trips to China because of the risks of spread over untimely detection of disease of tourists (tourist offices of Russia and France). What is the situation with preventive measures in Ukraine? Global Health Security Index 2019 (which assesses the readiness of countries for epidemics and pandemics) Ukraine is on 94th position out of 195 countries near the Dominican Republic, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and Iran. Maybe our country is facing problems and we need to resolve them quickly. GHS Index Map Ukraine GHS Index Theoretical level of readiness for the threat On January 28, a press-briefing took place concerning Situation with coronavirus infection 2019-nCoV, where the officials claimed that Ukraine was ready to meet the virus and take it under control. The Health Ministry is taking enough coordination measures, so the country and all the system is ready to react timely, Director General of Department of Public Health Andriy Skipalsky noted. Health Ministry of Ukraine issued an order on January 24 On measures to prevent invasion and spread on the territory of Ukraine of sickness cases caused by coronavirus detected in Wuhan (Hubei Province, China). The order regulates the creation and establishment of emergency response center on prevention of invasion and spread of 2019-nCoV virus on the territory of the country, and define recommendations on what to do in case of turnout of person sick with 2019-nCoV. According to Andriy Skipalsky, besides this, in order to ensure control over situation and prevent the spread of the virus, the head office made several decisions: Introduction of temperature screening on direct flights from China (UIA from February 3 suspends direct communication with China due to the risk of invasion of coronavirus), and spreading information materials + collecting information on travelers for tracking. It is important to note that temperature screening does not guarantee that the virus will be detected. After all, 2019-nCo can be transmitted during the incubation period, when a person does not even suspect that he/she is ill. The president of the Association of Anesthesiologists of Ukraine, professor-anesthesiologist Serhiy Dubrov confirmed this thesis, noting that the incubation period is up to 12-14 days and there can be no symptoms during monitoring at the airport or plane, but the Ministry of Health recommends it anyway. In addition, it is strange that, given the long incubation period, it was not about quarantine for the newly arrived people. As, for example, in France: according to the French Minister of Health, Agnes Buzyn, returning people will spend 14 days in the quarantine. Former MP and doctor Olha Bohomolets supported such measures, noting on her Facebook page: All tourists who return to Ukraine from areas of epidemic risk must determine the duration of their stay in a house quarantine. Moreover, as today the temperature screening applies only to those who arrived on direct flights from China, there is still a risk of bringing 2019-nCoV to Ukraine. For those traveling on indirect flights, the only check may be a screening questionnaire: Work is underway to introduce screening questionnaires on board of the planes from China on direct flights, and there is a discussion about indirect flights, where screening questionnaires will also be introduced to inform passengers and collect relevant data on suspected coronavirus, says the Director General of the Department of Public health of Ukraine Andriy Skipalsky. Informing the health departments, laboratory centers and other institutions that are a part of the health care system about how to act, how to detect a case and how to act on a suspected case (providing a list and phone numbers of specialists who are ready to advise on an on-going basis). There are doubts about the correctness of the criteria for determining the disease case, because, according to Olha Holubovska, chief freelance infectious disease specialist of the Health Ministry, there should be an explanation for each doctor what a suspected probable and confirmed case is: There should be clear criteria. But the order says that any person with a respiratory syndrome, any pneumonia, regardless of whether he/she was in China or not, is subject to a suspected case. Now we will have more patients than in China, if we will be guided by this definition. Public Health Center also held additional measures such as training or coordination meetings with the heads of laboratory centers regarding the actions, response measures and coordination. Over the past two days, relevant teleconferences have been held to clarify the situation, and checklists have been prepared for general practice doctors, for patients who need advice on certain risks of infection and ingress of infection on a given territory, the acting Director General of the Public Health Center of Ukraine Ihor Kuzin says. The sanitary-quarantine units that operating at the Boryspil International Airport have been reinforced. At the moment, they work in a round-the-clock mode. The emergency ambulance teams and epidemiologists are on duty to help collect certain epidemiological information and assess the risks. Practical level - medicine availability in hospitals Theory is good, but what's there in practice? Are hospitals ready for this challenge? Serhiy Dubrov, professor-anesthetist and the President of the Ukranian Society of Anaesthesiologists, says that the Ministry of Health instructed him to talk with all the heads of the intensive care of the anesthesiology service of our country: 757 departments, which are subordinate to the Department of Health, are 100 percent provided with oxygen (one of the main methods of treatment for the patients with hypoxemia is oxygen therapy)". In addition, the professor-anesthesiologist notes that the level of material and technical support is also satisfactory - the provision of high and middle-class respirators in Ukraine is 0.62 per an intensive care bed, there are 5581 such beds (that means that in case every intensive care bed is occupied, almost every second patient will be able to get these respirators). If we talk about Kyiv, Im positive about the Oleksandrivska hospital and the Hospital No 4. These are the hospitals that have well-equipped intensive care units, and they will be able to save people's lives. But I doubt about the other hospitals in the country, said Yury Zhygarev, an infectious disease doctor. Serhiy Kravchenko, the President of the National Medical Chamber of Ukraine, also has doubts: One of the methods for treating coronavirus is extracorporeal blood saturation with human oxygen, but there is only one device in Ukraine - at the Todurova Heart Institute. According to the expert, renting this medical apparatus will cost $3,000 - $5,000 dollars per day. There is also another problem that makes us worry - today in Ukraine, like in other countries of the world (except the USA), there is no test for 2019-nCo detection. But a diagnostic algorithm has already been developed on the national level. It allows to identify a new coronavirus by the method of elimination: First, the patient will be tested for influenza - for this, express texts will be used to determine type A and type B flu. If it turns out that the symptoms were not caused by the flu, the patient will be checked for other viruses, including the already known coronaviruses that circulate in Ukraine. If no matches are found, one can suspect that the person is sick with a new coronavirus (to confirm the opinion, it is worth checking whether the patient has visited a country where the disease is common). According to the information of the Deputy Minister of Health Viktor Lyashko, an agreement has been reached on providing our country with kits for polymerase chain reaction at the end of this or the beginning of next week, the President of the Association of Anesthesiologists of Ukraine Serhiy Dubrov said. Diagnosis will be carried out at the national level in the reference laboratory, which will be determined by WHO. The directors of health departments were also instructed to develop routes for hospitalization of patients in case of a certain infection, with the specification of treatment measures and hospitals that are better equipped and the staff that is better trained for this therapy. Former MP and doctor Olha Bohomolets advises the government: In airport it is better to hold not a questionnaire, but a temperature checks of all the tourists who come to the country; It it worth creating a quarantine zone for the sick people with suspected coronavirus and define the algorithm of actions in such cases; To define and publish a list of laboratories which can make appropriate tests; To recommend Ukrainians to refrain from work and touristic visits to countries with high risk of getting infected. To update daily the list of countries in which the cases of coronavirus infection were registered. Bohomolets adds that it is important to create a mobile team in case of finding the first symptoms of virus infection for people who came from high risk areas to gather necessary test materials at patients houses. It will decrease the risk of infecting much bigger number of people. While Ukraine is thinking how to keep away the coronavirus, the Chinese government has allocated about $9 billion to contain the coronavirus. A special hospital was built in a few days in Wuhan for those infected with this type of virus. Neighbors of China close the borders with it and suspend transport communication. Other countries also suspend airlines flights to China. Meanwhile, in Ukraine, according to the head of the National Medical Chamber, Serhiy Kravchenko, officially there are only two anti-plague suits (you can see how on many photos Chinese physicians walk around in them) - and these were purchased during the 1980 Olympics. - The student suspected with the case of coronavirus in the Cote dIvoire has tested negative - Tests by research institutes in Cote dIvoire and France have come back negative for the virus - If the results had been positive, this would have been the first confirmed case in Africa Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in Information reaching YEN.com.gh indicates that the student suspected with the case of coronavirus in the Cote dIvoire has tested negative. According to the countrys health authorities, tests by research institutes in Cote dIvoire and France had come back negative for the virus. The 34-year-old student was kept in quarantine when she arrived from Beijing and was showing flu-like symptoms whilst tests were carried out. According to a report by Graphic Online, the Ivorian health ministry said she has been treated for her symptoms and is recovering well. READ ALSO: New Coronavirus: First person in West Africa tested for deadly virus after showing symptoms If the results had been positive, this would have been the first confirmed case in Africa. Another four suspected cases have been isolated in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, including three students travelling from the epicenter of the outbreak in Wuhan in China. Meanwhile, Kenya has isolated another student from Wuhan who arrived in Nairobi on Tuesday. YEN.com.gh earlier reported that Cote d'Ivoire has recorded the first African case of the Wuhan coronavirus which was first identified in China READ ALSO: NPP Primaries: Man who challenged Akufo-Addo in 2014 prevented from picking forms Cote d'Ivoires Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene said in a statement Sunday, January 26, 2019, said an Ivorian student who traveled from Beijing to Abidjan experienced symptoms such as coughing, sneezing and difficulty breathing. The student was moved to a safe location on arrival at the airport and is currently under medical observation, the ministry said. According to Joy News reports, authorities believe it is a case of pneumonia and not coronavirus, but the final diagnosis will be made after the analysis of the results of the test, the ministry said. The ministry, however, urged residents not to panic, to maintain proper hygiene and to visit the closest health center in case of fever, cough or breathing difficulties. READ ALSO: NPP will suffer if someone dares contest my seat - Osei-Kyei Mensah Bonsu How convenient is it to use the new GHC 200 note at the market? | #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 Nonacademic indoor and outdoor gatherings will be limited to 25 persons or fewer. All nonessential events and gatherings should be postponed or moved to a virtual setting. Indoor dining is not permitted for any event or gathering. Masks are still required in all indoor public and common spaces on campus and strongly encouraged outdoors when in groups. Prince Andrew's second cousin has claimed the embattled duke is an 'idiot' but not a paedophile. Christina Oxenberg, 57, said Andrew did not know he was being 'used' by Jeffrey Epstein and she hopes he will help investigators with their probe into the deceased American billionaire. Serbian-American writer Ms Oxenberg added that Epstein had a 'goal' to meet the Duke of York and achieved that through his 'enabler' Ghislaine Maxwell. She said the only thing the FBI needs to know from Andrew is how to track the newspaper baron's daughter down. 'That's all you need from him,' Ms Oxenberg told Fox News. 'What can he say? ''I'm sorry I was an idiot.'' How many times do you want him to say that? We get it.' 'He did idiotic things,' Ms Oxenberg added. 'But he's not a paedophile. He's not a sex ring organizer. I'm sure he's filled with regret and remorse. He loves his family. He's duty-bound. He loves his mother and doesn't want to bring her grief.' Christina Oxenberg (left) pictured with Ghislaine Maxwell and HRH Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia in 2013. Ms Oxenberg is the daughter of Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia - a second cousin to Prince Charles Christina Oxenberg, the daughter of a Yugoslavian Princess, said Ghislaine asked her to write her biography so that Epstein would fall in love with her Ms Oxenberg is the daughter of Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia - a second cousin to Prince Charles. Andrew has faced mounting pressure in recent days after both the FBI and New York state attorney Geoffrey Berman accused him of 'zero co-operation' with a probe into Epstein. The US officials are seeking to interview the royal about his relationship with Epstein - something that Andrew previously said he was happy to discuss with authorities. The royal furiously denied claims he had been dodging an interview, while the Queen and Prince Charles held crisis talks over the situation. Virginia Roberts says this photograph shows her with Prince Andrew at Ghislaine Maxwell's flat (she is pictured in the background) in west London in early 2001 Prince Andrew (left) drives himself from Windsor the day after being criticised by a US prosecutor for giving 'zero co-operation' with their investigation into Epstein Virginia Roberts claims she was Epstein's sex slave and that she had sex with the Duke of York three times, including once in London when she was 17, once in New York and another time at Epstein's private Caribbean island of Little St James. Prince Andrew has 'emphatically' denied any relationship with the mother-of-three, who now lives in Cairns in Australia, 'in any form' and that he does not recall a 2001 picture of him with Ms Roberts and Ghislaine Maxwell being taken. Earlier this week Ms Oxenberg revealed that Maxwell had become so besotted with Epstein that she asked her to write a biography in an attempt to convince the financier to propose. Ms Oxenberg said Maxwell rang her in 1997 with instructions to meet at her Manhattan flat, which she says was 'nicely decorated, if you appreciate conventional chintz and predictable, oversized faux Ming vases'. 'We sat together and were served iced tea by a maid in uniform,' Ms Oxenberg said. 'Maxwell got through the perfunctory politesse of social norms and then she got serious and she started to pace around the room with her hands on her slim hips and eyes staring off into some middle distance, visualising the hopes of her future.' Ghislaine Maxwell pictured with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein in New York in March 2015 Ms Oxenberg, who had been working on her semi-autobiographical novel Royal Blue, says Maxwell told her: What I want from you is my Royal Blue. 'Jeffrey and I cant go on not being married. It doesnt look right. And I love him. Ive done everything for him. Everything hes asked. 'With this autobiography that you are going to write for me about my life he will fall in love with me. He will respect me finally. And then he will marry me. And thats my goal.' Ms Oxenberg, who is publishing her memoirs via the website Patreon, said that this was 'long before anyone of the public including myself knew anything nefarious was going on behind the scenes'. We were never going to be close friends,' she added. 'We were almost polar opposites. She craved a swishy, fancy life something that didnt interest me. Photo: Instagram A tentative contract agreement has been reached between the University of British Columbia and faculty members at its Vancouver and Okanagan campuses. The agreement with the UBC Faculty Association covers almost 4,200 members, representing professors, instructors, lecturers, sessional lecturers, librarians and program directors in extended learning. Further details about the agreement will be available once the ratification processes have been completed, the provincial government said in a press release. Nearly 240,000 public-sector employees are now covered by tentative or ratified agreements reached under the province's sustainable agreement mandate. How robots and bubbles could soon help clean up underwater litter Technologies are now being developed to tackle garbage that ends up in seas, rivers and oceans. Across the vast expanse of this desert air base, hundreds of tents have popped up and a newly arrived squadron of US Air Force F-15E fighters is lined up on the tarmac, flying daily missions over Iraq and Syria. Off in the distance, two American Patriot missile batteries are scanning the skies, prepared to knock down any Iranian attack against the Saudi kingdom. The US troop presence here has grown to roughly 2,500 since last summer, when the US announced it had begun deploying forces to what once was a major US military hub. The return of the US forces to Prince Sultan Air Base is one of the more dramatic signs of America's decision to beef up troops in the Middle East in response to threats from Iran. On Wednesday, the top US commander in the Middle East spent a few hours meeting with his commanders and troops here, assessing what he called a "sweet spot" of the US force projection in the region. Prince Sultan Air Base, said Marine General Frank McKenzie, presents a complicated target for Iran to hit and provides a remote location for US troops, fighter jets and other assets. It also provides greater security for Saudi Arabia, which asked for US help in the wake of an Iranian drone and missile attack on oil facilities in the kingdom last September. Right now, the large white tents that flap in the stiff winds give a temporary feel to the mission. But according to Air Force Colonel Jason King, vice commander of the 378th Air Expeditionary Wing here, there is "prudent planning" underway that could lead to the tents being replaced with trailers and other more permanent structures. Saudi Arabia is a decades-long American ally, a relationship initially built on America's dependence on Middle East oil. The military connection has been strong, even during periods of stress in the broader relationship, including in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks in which most of the hijackers were Saudis. The kingdom also has been harshly criticized in Congress for the 2018 killing of Saudi dissident and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and for its role in errant airstrikes in Yemen that have killed or injured many civilians. McKenzie is careful when asked how long the US will stay. "I think this is an important part of our architecture right now and we will continue to evaluate that as we go forward," he said. "It's a well defended place and we can put a lot of combat power here." The base's future, he told reporters travelling with him, is part of a discussion with Defence Secretary Mark Esper about how many forces are needed in the region. That calculation is being made against the backdrop of President Donald Trump's push to get US forces out of the Middle East and end what he calls America's "endless wars". The base is a vivid representation of the struggle to balance the escalating threats in the Middle East against the Pentagon's insistence that the US military shift more of its focus to Asia and the risks from China and Russia. US tensions with Iran have been roiling for months but spiked after the US carried out a drone strike in Iraq that killed Qassem Soleimani, Iran's top general. In response, Iran on January 8 fired as many as two dozen ballistic missiles at two Iraqi bases where US troops were stationed. The US had no Patriot defences at those bases because it judged other locations, in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Gulf, to be more likely Iranian targets. US officials contend that both sides do not seek war and have moved to de-escalate, but threats from Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria still pose a worrisome threat. Wednesday's stop at Prince Sultan Air Base was the second time in a week that McKenzie has visited a military site in the Middle East where the US recently set up Patriot batteries to protect against missiles fired by Iran and Iranian-backed militias in Syria and Iraq. Reporters accompanied McKenzie to the first site on the condition they not disclose its location for security reasons. Any possible future conflict with Iran, McKenzie said, "is not going to be a ground maneuver war, it's going to be a war of fires, it's going to be a war of ballistic missiles, a war of unmanned aerial systems and cruise missiles. So the ability of nations in the region to provide for their air defense is going to be important". It was a little more than a year ago when then-Defence Secretary Jim Mattis pulled four Patriot batteries out of Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait. It was all part of the Pentagon's new national defense strategy that pointed to China and Russia as key adversaries and the top priorities for the future. But the rapidly escalating threat from Iran which includes attacks against tankers and other commercial ships in the Gulf region as well as the strikes against Saudi facilities and US troops has forced the US to reverse those moves and send even more of the high-tech systems to the region. In addition to the Patriots, the US has also sent a THAAD anti-ballistic missile defense system, which complements the Patriots by providing a defense against ballistic missiles travelling outside the Earth's atmosphere. According to Army Lt Col Tom Noble, there are four Patriot batteries in Saudi Arabia, including the two at Prince Sultan Air Base. Noble, the commander of the Air Defence Artillery Battalion, said each battery has from six to nine truck-based missile launchers that routinely scour the air for threats. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An early October freeze killed a large portion of New Mexicos pecan crop, but the state remained the highest-producer in the U.S. as Georgias growers continue to recover from crop damage left in the wake of Hurricane Michael in 2018. New Mexico produced about 96.6 million pounds for the 2019 crop, which was harvested in fall 2018 and early 2019, per data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That showed a growth of more than 5 million pounds, compared with the 2018 crop of 91.1 million pounds which was slightly less than 2017s 92 million pounds of pecans. Georgia was in second place with 69 million pounds for the 2019 crop, down from 2018s total of 70 million which marked a devastating drop in production from 2017s crop of 107 million pounds following damage from the hurricane. Texas was third in the nation with 42.6 million pounds harvested, ahead of Arizonas 2019 crop of 36.5 million. But the Peach State had highest yielding acreage with 129,000 acres, records show, while New Mexico had just 46,000 acres producing pecans. That was also less than Texas 112,000 yielding acres and Oklahomas 90,000 acres. In Georgia, many trees were still recovering from the effects of last years Hurricane Michael, including broken roots and loss of fruiting limbs, read the report. In addition, hot dry weather in late August through October negatively impacted the Georgia yield. Despite less than half the acreage, New Mexico also topped Georgia in value. The Land of Enchantments 2019 pecan crop was valued at about $170 million compared with Georgias $130 million. No other state had a crop valued above $100 million in 2019. Nationwide, 265 million pounds were produced for the 2019 crop, marking a 14 percent increase while bearing acreage was estimated at 396,000 acres, up 3 percent from the last year. The total value of the U.S. pecan crop rose by 14 percent in the last year to $469 million. Early freeze stymies 2020 crop Woods Houghton, Eddy County agriculture extension agent with New Mexico State University said the 2020 crop would be much less due to an early fall freeze that left many trees producing less nuts and reducing the quality. Weve got that early freeze from 2019. Thats going to hurt our yield a little bit, Houghton said. Last years crop was fantastic. Its one of the best weve ever had. Houghton said New Mexico has always produced a better nut than Georgia, although Georgias yield is traditionally higher. Our out-of-shell yield has always been higher, he said. Weve always outdone Georgia. But Phillip Arnold, president of the New Mexico Pecan Growers association and a pecan grower in the Mesilla Valley worried an early-October freeze, much sooner than normal, could lead the crop harvested at the end of 2019 and early 2020 much smaller than the previous. He said he expected it to be as low at 75 million to 80 million pounds. We havent seen a freeze this early or cold since 1993, he said. Since we didnt have the last few weeks to finish the crops, we had a lot of quality problems. Lower quality equates to less tonnage. Its gonna be off. Long falls are what makes New Mexicos pecans a stronger crop, Arnold said, giving them more time to grow in their shells. The New Mexico pecan can generate about 50 to 55 percent nutmeat, compared to 40 percent from Georgias crop. One of the reasons we make really strong crops is because of the long falls, Arnold said. (The freeze) adversely affected this area this year. Were a little worried. Solution is in the nut Struggles with years freeze, which saw the temperature drop below 28 degrees in early October about four weeks earlier than normal, could be evaded with a new variety gaining popularity among Eddy County growers, Houghton said. The Pawnee variety of pecan is ready to harvest earlier, dropping from the trees well before the fall and the threat of an early freeze Once you go below 28 degrees, it kills it. Youve got what you got, Houghton said. The Pawnee is an earlier variety. It gets us out of the danger of freezes that weve experienced. But the quicker growing cycle means water is even more critical, Houghton said, as it is needed for a tighter time frame as the nut develops. Youve got to make sure you have water at the right time, he said. It becomes more critical. Theyre making that nut formation in two weeks rather than three weeks. The water stage is happening a lot faster. Arnold said water is a chief concern for the New Mexico pecan industry. Pecans are one of the highest-usage crops, he said. The big concern we have with the entire industry is water. Further bolstering New Mexicos future crop, Houghton said pecan farmers are migrating to new locations to grow pecans, as far north as Albuquerque and De Baca County, as warmer temperatures are experienced. About 300 to 500 new acres were planted each year for the past decade, Houghton said, and about that many are becoming viable this year. He said it usually take about five years for a pecan tree to become productive enough to turn a decent profit. Theyre planting in places theyve never planted before, he said. Farmers are adapting and moving in the northern parts of the state. And further north, shorter-season varieties will be needed for production to continue to grow, Arnold said, as such a migration brings more concerns with colder weather. But if all goes well, he said one day New Mexico could produce up to 150 million pounds of the popular nut. We should continue to grow as long as we get adequate supplies of water, Arnold said. But youre at the mercy of Mother Nature and whatever she gives you. Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter. 2020 the Carlsbad Current-Argus (Carlsbad, N.M.) Visit the Carlsbad Current-Argus (Carlsbad, N.M.) at www.currentargus.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 18:26:10|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close TEHRAN, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani described U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan as "despicable," Tasnim news agency reported Thursday. "Enough of these foolish attempts," Rouhani said, referring to the White House's announcement of Trump's peace proposal for the Middle East region. Trump's so-called Deal of the Century is "the most despicable plan of the century," he added. On Tuesday, Trump announced the long-awaited political aspect of his Middle East peace plan, a proposal that has already been repeatedly refused by the Palestinians. The plan proposes a "realistic" two-state solution and recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's "undivided capital," according to Trump. (Photo : Photo by Kai Wenzel on Unsplash) Google Bug Bounty 2019 Became the Highest-Paid Google Hackers Reaching $6.5 Million (Photo : Google ) Google Bug Bounty 2019 Became the Highest Paid Google Hackers Reaching $6.5 Million Google Bug Bounty has reached its highest released prizes for last year, according to the report. In 2019, a total amount of over $6.5 million was given to the security researchers that hacked or identified flaws in any of Google's products. Google pays you to hack them, and it now reaches $6.5 million The Google Bug Bounty program or called as Chrome's Vulnerability Reward Program (VRPs) is created by Google to promote hacking into their system. This means that if you can hack Google or any of its affiliates; or even identify one major flaw to their security, you will receive a money prize from the company. In this way, Google will see whether their security systems were secured or not. This program started in 2010 and has been one of the most sought-after events for security engineers that aim to hack Google and at the same time, earn some money. Google Chrome is not the only website that researchers can infiltrate. Any security researchers can also hack Android, popular third-party apps on Google Play Store and the most recently "Abuse" program-- which was described as the "significant abuse-related methodologies" used in their system. Google bug bounty 2019 has the highest-paid hackers As also announced via Google, 2019 has reached the milestone in the VRP as the company gladly spent over $6.5 million for all the bug hunters that joined their program. This amount is twice larger compared to the bounty prizes that were released from the past years. Not only that, the security researchers that identified flaws to their system also donated over $500,000 to their chosen charities-- making this five times higher compared to their donation within the past years. Sri Lanka will count on Angelo Mathews to steer them out of trouble after Zimbabwe off-spinner Sikandar Raza reduced the tourists to 226 for 5 at lunch on the third day of the second Test in Harare. All-rounder Raza collected the three wickets to fall in an extended morning session, including that of a well-set Dhananjaya de Silva, for 42, in the over before lunch. READ: Rohit Sharma says winning run is 'good sign' ahead of T20 World Cup READ: Amitabh Bachchan lauds Rohit Sharma for taking India to Super Over win Angelo Mathews' innings Mathews, who made his first Test double century in the series opener, reached the interval unbeaten on 53, with wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella new to the crease. Sri Lanka resumed on 122 for two after bad light and rain brought a premature close to the second day, and still, trail hosts Zimbabwe by 180 runs at lunch. Raza made an early breakthrough to dismiss Kusal Mendis (22) but there was a greater concern for Kevin Kasuza, who collapsed after he was struck on the helmet fielding at short leg for the second Test in a row. The ball looped off Kasuza's helmet after a firm pull from Mendis and was caught by Carl Mumba at square leg, although a stricken Kasuza had to be taken off the field on a stretcher. Kasuza was then sent to hospital for scans. He suffered a delayed concussion in the first Test and was eventually substituted out of that match after a similar incident. Raza snaffled a return catch offered by Dinesh Chandimal (six) to leave Sri Lanka on 142 for 4 before an 84-run stand between Mathews and De Silva steadied the reply. But Raza bowled De Silva three balls before lunch with a delivery that stayed low to give Zimbabwe renewed impetus. Sri Lanka lead the two-Test series 1-0 after winning the first match by 10 wickets. (Image Courtesy: @ICC) READ: Anushka Sharma lauds Team India's phenomenal performance as Virat & Co. clinch another win READ: NZ vs IND: Kane Williamson rues series loss, says 'Super Overs haven't been our friend' MEDFORD, Ore. Two teens face Attempted Murder charges after allegedly plotting the stabbing of a family member on Monday, according to the Jackson County District Attorney's Office. Around 1:30 a.m. on January 27, dispatch received a 911 call reporting a stabbing in an apartment on Western Avenue in Medford. Officers from Medford Police responded and saw one "youth" outside of the apartment, taking them into custody without incident. Inside the apartment, the DA's Office said that officers found a woman lying on the floor, suffering from multiple stab wounds. Officers were able to provide first aid until paramedics could arrive and take her to the hospital. She is reportedly in stable condition. Two more juveniles were inside the apartment with the victim. "Investigation revealed one of the youths stabbed a family member and one of the other juveniles inside the apartment was involved in the planning and commission of the stabbing of the family member," the DA's Office said. "The second youth was also taken into custody. It was determined the third juvenile in the residence was not involved." A 13-year-old and 14-year-old have both been charged with have been charged with Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, Assault in the First Degree, Assault in the Second Degree, and two counts of Criminal Conspiracy to commit Murder in the Second Degree. The 13-year-old also faces a charge for Unlawful Use of a Weapon. Both youths were arraigned on Tuesday in the Jackson County Juvenile Court. They both entered initial pleas of not guilty. A pre-trial date is set for February 7, 2020 at 9 a.m. Due to Oregon law, the District Attorney's Office is not releasing further identifying information about the juveniles involved in the case. It comes a week after 300,000 fruit bats swarmed a rescue helicopter in Ingham A further 150,000 bats were seen at nearby Bongaree to escape drought and fire Last week 250,000 bats descended upon Deception Bay, north of the city Brisbane has been swarmed by a quarter million little red flying foxes recently Brisbane has been swarmed by 250,000 bats trying to escape bushfire-ravaged regions - with more expected to plague Queensland's southeast. Hundreds of thousands of red flying foxes are set to take advantage of the recent rain and fly south hunting for food. Last week, 250,000 bats descended upon Deception Bay, north of Brisbane, and a further 150,000 were seen at nearby Bongaree. The Department of Environment and Science have warned residents the bats will soon make their way south and north to escape drought and bushfires. Scroll down for video Hundreds of thousands of little red flying foxes will take advantage of the recent rain and fly south hunting for food (stock image) Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services program manager Warren Christensen said the bats regularly move around from camp to camp. 'They basically follow the flowering of plants; if the plants are flowering, that's where they'll go,' he told the Courier-Mail. 'They travel vast distances, these could be coming from the west, they could be coming from the south.' The bat invasion comes after a helicopter was unable to reach a hospital after it was swarmed by 300,000 fruit bats in Ingham, in the state's northwest. The bat invasion comes after a helicopter was unable to reach a hospital after it was swarmed by 300,000 fruit bats in Ingham, in the state's northwest Footage taken last Thursday showed thousands of bats blanketing the sky as a medical helicopter was unable to land on Ingham hospital. Hinchinbrook Shire Council mayor Ramon Jayo said the town was reaching a 'crisis point' as the number of bats continued to grow. Mr Jayo told the ABC the fruit bat population had destroyed all their traditional roosting spots and were expanding into sensitive areas. 'It's a life or death situation - minutes wasted trying to land and minutes wasted going out to the airport,' Mr Jayo said. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A crash is causing a traffic jam on St. Pauls Avenue in Stapleton during the Thursday morning rush hour. Two people were taken to Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton following the crash called around 6:56 a.m. on St. Pauls Avenue in the vicinity of Cebra Avenue, according to a spokesman for the FDNY/EMS. Buses, including the S52 and S78, are running behind schedule due to the crash, according to the MTA. A damaged red NIssan SUV was at the scene and a video posted on social media showed the car flipped on its roof. A fire hydrant was knocked down onto the ground. Water was flowing from a curb on the street and pooling in a dip in the road. The road already was slick and icy before the crash due to some type of pipe leaking fluid into the roadway from under the ground, according to an area resident. A sign posted on an upside down garbage can asked drivers not to park on the street on Thursday. Work being done on water pipes, the sign said. Families of those killed on Bloody Sunday have marked the 48th anniversary of their loved ones by calling for the trial of soldier F to be held in Derry and vowing to continue their fight for "justice". A crowd assembled in front of the Bloody Sunday monument on Rossville Street at 4pm where the names of those killed and wounded were read out. That was followed by a minutes silence. Floral tributes were then laid in front of the monument. Thirteen innocent civilians were killed outright by British paratroopers while attending a civil rights march on January 30, 1972, while the death of another man four months later was attributed to his injuries. Speaking at today's memorial event, John McKinney, brother of William McKinney who was killed on that day, said that it was a day of mixed emotions when the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) announced on March 14 last year that only one soldier, soldier F would be prosecuted for the massacre on that day. The ex-paratrooper is being prosecuted for the murders of James Wray, 22, and William McKinney, 27. He is also facing four attempted murder charges, plus an additional support count in respect of the attempted murder of a person or persons unknown. While welcoming his prosecution he said they are bitterly disappointed and extremely angry that more soldiers are walking away Scot free. At soldier Fs most recent court hearing families heard that his trial may be moved to Belfast as Bishop Street courthouse is "unsuitable". The families demanded that soldier F face trial in Derry where the killings took place. Older family members will be physically unable to travel to Belfast and others will have work commitments. The security of the families must also be a priority, a trial in Belfast is likely to attract protesters or even more sinister elements. It is imperative that it happens without fear or intimidation for families and witnesses involved. We have been told that the real reason for relocating the trial is to accommodate more people and improve security measures, weve been told by the PSNI that they will be able to maintain security better if its kept in Derry. Time is of the essence, he said, as he urged decision makers to hold the trial in Derry. Mr Mckinney added that they would fight the disgraceful attempts to introduce an amnesty for British soldiers. He also highlighted the findings on Gerald Donaghey saying the PPS and Saville were wrong to conclude that he was probably carrying nail bombs as they were planted on him. On this point we will never, ever give up. The U.S. State Department has placed U.S. diplomatic staff and their families in China on "authorized departure," meaning they are permitted to leave the country amid the coronavirus outbreak. Driving the news: Approximately 210 U.S. citizens were evacuated Wednesday from Wuhan, where the outbreak began and has spread most widely. The virus has killed at least 171 people in China and infected over 8,000, and was declared a Global Health Emergency on Thursday by the World Health Organization. A State Department spokesperson told Axios the "authorized departure" notice applied to "all non-emergency U.S. government employees at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and the consulates general in Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenyang." "As needed, the State Department will review the authorized departure status of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and the consulates general in China," the official said, noting that consulate staff in Wuhan are under "ordered departure." "The Department of State made the decision to put the U.S. Embassy and consulates general on authorized departure status out of an abundance of caution related to logistical disruptions stemming from restricted transportation and availability of appropriate health care related to the novel coronavirus," the official said. "The U.S. Embassy and consulates general across China will continue to provide consular services, as resources allow." Between the lines: The decision is one step down from an order for personnel to leave the country. William & Mary signs solar power agreement with Dominion Energy Solar: With electricity being the largest part of W&Ms carbon footprint, the agreement gets the university one step closer to becoming carbon neutral by 2030. Dominion Energy photo Photo - of - Hide Caption W&M to source highest percentage of renewable energy of any public Virginia university William & Mary has signed a power purchase agreement with Dominion Energy that will source nearly 50% of the universitys electricity from renewable energy. At that rate, W&M will be sourcing a greater percentage of renewable energy than any other public university in the state. With electricity being the largest part of W&Ms carbon footprint, the agreement gets the university one step closer to becoming carbon neutral by 2030 a goal it announced last fall in partnership with the University of Virginia. Management of energy both through our use and by source is an essential step in meeting the universitys 2030 carbon neutral goal, said Sam Jones, senior vice president for finance and administration. Partnering with Dominion Energy makes good environmental as well as business sense as we move toward this goal. The 20 MW AC project was developed by Strata Solar, which will also install the solar facility infrastructure on a farm located in nearby James City County. Initial work on the project is expected to begin within the next few months, according to Farley Hunter, associate director of utilities, who has been working closely with Dominion Energy on the agreement. The production of solar energy at the farm will likely begin in 2021. We are proud to support William & Marys efforts to reduce their carbon footprint by powering their operations with renewable energy, said Emil Avram, vice president of business development for Dominion Energy. Adding cleaner energy to the grid benefits everyone, and partnerships like this help expand the development of clean energy by driving the market for renewables here in Virginia. William & Mary expects the 20-year contract will begin to save the university money after about six years. It is a great benefit to the W&M carbon neutrality goal, but it also makes business sense, said Calandra Waters Lake, director of sustainability at W&M. By knowing how much we will be paying for electricity over the next 20 years, our institution can plan appropriately. As the price of electricity fluctuates, and likely goes up, then there is also a chance for W&M to save money. Two demonstration solar projects are planned on campus for educational purposes. It has been difficult to find real estate to install them on a large scale, said Waters Lake. It's been difficult to put in on-site solar of any substantive size that would reflect the commitment that we really want to make to green power, said Hunter. The decision to explore power purchase agreements was part of the universitys Sustainability Plan, which was announced in November 2018. Facilities Management has done an outstanding job of pursuing that goal and collaborating with Dominion Energy to identify the right project and set appropriate terms, said Waters Lake. We worked hard to get here, said Hunter. But it's a substantial component of our evolving sustainability plan. The university is currently working on a Climate Action Plan, which will include additional steps to bring the university closer to its 2030 carbon neutrality goal. W&M and Dominion Energy are discussing ways in which this effort can be used to benefit educational opportunities. In alignment with the mission of the university, we want this to be a teaching and learning opportunity, said Waters Lake. By connecting the project to curriculum and research, it has a broader impact beyond moving our campus toward carbon neutrality, it provides experiences that influence the decision-makers and problem-solvers of tomorrow. Pouch made from pineapple fibres. (PHOTO: Sheila Chiang/Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore) SINGAPORE Last year, automotive brand Mini introduced the Extraoddinary trail, and Yahoo Lifestyle SEA hopped into their car as we explored the streets of Chinatown through the lens of culture. With a total of 16 exhibits, the trail started in front of Peoples Park Food Centre, continued through New Bridge Road and Temple Street, and ended on Smith Street. The whole expedition lasted a total of three hours as we explored on foot. The first Mini Extraoddinary trail was held in the Katong and Joo Chiat neighbourhoods and focused on community building through the creative use of space. Given the event was so well received last year, we were excited to bring this unique brand event to another community in Singapore, said Mr Kidd Yam, Head of Mini Asia. READ MORE: 7 new Singapore brands to shop for an ethical and sustainable festive season Top 5 tips for a more sustainable Chinese New Year OPINION: Stop eating steak to help save the environment The trail draws attention to issues that arise as a result of urban living, and presents creative takes on environmentally sustainable practices for the future. As cities evolve, we see opportunities for Mini to support meaningful change, challenging the status quo with breakthrough ideas, Mr Yam added. With this years trail, we hope that visitors were inspired by what we can do as citizens of this planet. Here are the highlights of the trail - foods of the future and other eco-conscious innovations that got us really excited about our cities of tomorrow. Fashion made from pineapple fibres Pineapple fibres. (PHOTO: Mini) While working in the leather export industry, Dr Carmen Hijosa witnessed the toxic ecological impact of leather production. She eventually created Pinatex, a leather alternative made from the fibres of pineapple leaves, an agricultural byproduct that would traditionally be buried or discarded. A soft, lightweight and durable material, Pinatex is suitable for use in clothing, footwear, interior furnishing and more. Story continues Dye and print fabrics the all-natural way using plants and leaves Using plants and leaves for natural dyes. (PHOTO: Mini) Dyeing, washing, bleaching and printing are some of the most polluting processes in the textile industry, requiring high volumes of water as well as heavy metals such as cadmium, lead and mercury. This eco-printing technique from Jogjakarta-based Arane uses only natural fabrics and natural dyes from plants and leaves, and prints are created through steaming of the plants and leaves. Steaming the leaves in the rolled-up fabrics to create natural dyes. (PHOTO: Sheila Chiang/Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore) A chess installation created entirely from plastic trash A chess installation fully made from plastic trash. (PHOTO: Sheila Chiang/Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore) In a game of Chinese chess, we are up against one of Earths most formidable foes: our own waste. One company, Robries Gallery, decided to turn waste streams into a source of raw material, creating this chess installation entirely from plastic trash. Discarded coffee grounds can be used to cultivate edible mushrooms Cultivating mushrooms in coffee grounds. (PHOTO: Sheila Chiang/Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore) We consume over two billion cups of coffee every day. Each year, six million tons of used coffee grounds are sent to the landfill. Bewilder uses coffee grounds as part of the growth medium in the cultivation of edible mushrooms. Mushrooms are not only a good source of antioxidants and vitamins, but they are also known for their immunity-boosting properties in Chinese cuisine and medicine. Go animal cruelty free with mushroom leather for fashion An alternative to animal leather, mushroom leather. (PHOTO: Sheila Chiang/Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore) Again, the fashion industry is a non- environmentally friendly business. While many brands have chosen to go fur-free, animal hide (leather) remains widely used in the industry. Mycotech has created a leather alternative made from mushrooms, or to be more precise, from their root structure known as mycelium. The entire production takes only seven days (as compared to three to four years needed for a cow to mature), and uses only plant-based dyes, less water and less energy. Reduce plastic pollution in the ocean with this seaweed-based alternative This alternative type of plastic can be dissolved in water or eaten with your food. (PHOTO: Sheila Chiang/Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore) The Great Pacific Garbage Patch in the sea is now three times the size of France, with plastic waste like single-use packaging contributing to its growth. As it never decomposes, the plastic will remain indefinitely in the water, breaking down into microparticles which eventually make their way into our food chain. Evoware has invented a seaweed-based alternative to plastic that can be dissolved in water or eaten together with the food it wraps. Turn sewage biosolids into ink to pen auspicious greetings PHOTO: Sheila Chiang/Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore Sum Waste has created an ink processed from sewage biosolids that would otherwise end up in the landfill. Masters from Nanyang Calligraphy Centre put the ink to the test in their penning of auspicious wishes for the Earth. An animal cruelty-free alternative to fish, spirulina Fortune cookie made from spirulina, as known as algae. (PHOTO: Sheila Chiang/Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore) The answer to tomorrows protein food source may just share the tank with your seafood. Spirulina, which is essentially algae, provides more than double the protein of fish and is also packed with vitamins, amino acids and fatty acids. How about, fortune cookie made from algae? It tastes just as good. For more information, visit: www.miniextraoddinary.com. Photo illustration by The Daily Beast / Photo Getty It says much about these through-the-looking-glass times that there is a debate about whether there should be witnesses at Donald Trumps impeachment trial. Of course there should. This is a trial. Witnesses tend to feature in trials. On the same basis, Trump should be involved too, at the very least providing evidence and answering questions (as Bill Clinton did in grand jury testimony in 1998). None of this should be up for debate, or controversial, or dependent on any party representatives votes. The impeachment trial is maddening for any number of reasons, but mostly because it is very visibly not being conducted in the manner of any trial we would recognize. It is simply another familiar circus of D.C. grandstanding and grizzling. This is what having power, money, and influence really means, beyond the big houses, servants, cosseted protection, and gilded grandeur of it all. Apparently, it also protects you from having to answer the kinds of questions from those in authority that those without money and privilege are routinely expected to answeras the varied but echoing examples of Prince Andrew, President Trump, and Anne Sacoolas show us. Prince Andrew Does Nothing to Help the Jeffrey Epstein Investigation. Meanwhile, the Royal Family Burns. From all three, we can deduce that money or different kinds of power put you above the mechanics of justice. It means you may not get a uniformed knock at the door. You may not be questioned. You may not be arrested. You may not be hand-cuffed. There may be no perp walk. You may resist arrest and avoid answering an official inquirybecause, quite simply, nobody can get near you to arrest you or ask you anything. Past buying you the best defense, money, power or both can insulate you from having any contact with the pesky law at all, even when there are profound questions over your own conduct and behavior, and knowledge ofand alleged participationin particular events. Money and power mean you can choose the terms of how authorities interact with you. Story continues You can, in effect, loftily ignore the law. Prince Andrew, U.S. authorities have said, has not responded to any requests to answer questions about his alleged sexual encounter with Virginia Roberts Giuffre, and his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. (Prince Andrew denied this Tuesday night.) The prince has offered zero co-operation, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said Mondaythis after Andrew had told BBCs Newsnight that he was willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency. He also said he would consider giving evidence under oath if push came to shove and the legal advice was to do so. Well, if one believes American prosecutors, for the last two months, from Andrew and Buckingham Palace, there has been the ultimate rich persons power play: silence. It is a silence that speaks volumes of Andrews arrogance and disinterested detachmentvisible in that appearance of his on BBC Newsnight interview last yearfrom the experiences of those whom Epstein allegedly abused. Even if his legal team has recommended Andrew keep shtum (given that when he did answer the BBCs questions, it was an unmitigated disaster), what of his own stated commitment to help the authorities? What about the moral imperative of helping authorities investigate Epsteins activities? President Trump is tweeting prodigiously, and giving off-the-cuff quotes at press conferences, but he is notyet anywayanswering any questions at his impeachment trial. However you feel about this trialand whatever your views about Trumpthere is the central bemusing fact that an impeachment trial is taking place, where the person at the center of it and the witnesses to his alleged behavior, aided by their prime political supporters, somehow have used their power to keep him from being held to the most basic of accounts. (That may change if Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell loses a few members' votes, as he warned he might in a private caucus conference Tuesday. Or, of course, when Trump is no longer president.) What is the point of a trial where certain evidence, including the testimony of the accused and witnesses, is not aired, and open to cross-examination? This trial, so far, is an absurdist mockery of justice. Republicans should not be able to vote on whether witnesses should be called. This shouldnt be party-political. Witnesses, and the accused, should simply be duty-bound to answer questions as in any trial. How can we judge the burden of proof without the full breadth of evidence? With so much lacking, we should not call this a trial. This is the very opposite of checks and balances. It is a flagrant abuse of power, and an offensive waste of time, on our dime. Then there is Anne Sacoolas, the wife of a U.S. diplomat charged with causing the death of 19-year-old Harry Dunn through reckless driving in Britain last summer. U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is said to be incandescent with rage that Sacoolas is not being extradited to Britain on the disputed grounds of diplomatic immunity. Raab will meet U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday and we will see if this rage actually translates to actionand whether the person who allegedly caused Dunns death will ever face any questioning or undergo the judicial process in Britain about the incident. In all three cases, the basic workings of law and due process have failed when set against the power and privilege of Andrew, Trump, and Sacoolas. They have made themselves fundamentally unavailable to the relevant authorities. If they were ordinary people, you or me, presumably the investigating authority would not accept us simply declining their presence. They would not accept our, You know what, guys? Not today. Im not in the mood. We would be asked questions, and any resistance and failure to address these questions would have consequences. Why do President Trump, the witnesses to President Trumps alleged behavior, Prince Andrew, and Anne Sacoolas not give themselves over to the people who want to ask them thingswith every legal representation available to them that they choose to have? There are very individual answers to this known only to each of them, but one linking factor may be fearfear of what being questioned, or telling the truth, or being forced to tell the truth, will mean for their personal freedom, their standing, their status, and the effects of the process on the families and institutions they are a part of. Well, sure. But diddums, powerful people. Regular humans do not have this luxury. Regular humans have to face the music. It is why ordinary people try, by and large, to avoid doing illegal or bad things. It is why, perhaps, that the very rich and powerful feel free to behave egregiously. They know how the system will inevitably benefit them, even when the law or authorities seek their arraignment or engagement. Executive privilege, diplomatic immunity: such phrases have meaning but can also become convenient muffling cloths, a rich persons make-nice, a regal wave of the hand in legal-ese to keep the annoying questions of the hoi-polloi, the authorities (sniff) away. Theythe endless legal teams and assistants and advisers and gatekeepers; all paid-up obstructionists to justicekeep the rich cushioned as they evade, stay silent, and maybe worse. It means that the letter of the lawthat we all must live with and live underis perceived by the powerful as just another annoying trifle that they neednt concern themselves with. They are not simply buying themselves out of trouble with fancy lawyers; they are presently able to resist the process of justice itself. The law, and where investigators can reach and what and who they can access, must change to make the powerful as answerable as the rest of us. When questionable justice, lacking justiceif not outright injusticeoccurs in plain sight, where does that leave our own relationship to the law and due process? To be clear: Prince Andrew should talk to the Feds, Donald Trump and witnesses should give evidence to the impeachment inquiry, and Anne Sacoolas should face the correct legal process. These should be givens. There should be no debate. They are the right things, legally and morally, to do. All three people can argue their cases or points of view robustly, but they should not have the freedom to actively avoid participation in the cases themselves. If it is true, as has often been invoked on television in recent days, that no one is above the law, then let us see that. Or it is time to be honest that certain people are indeed above the law, and then insert some very depressing asterisks and opt-out clauses in our most fundamental laws. 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. "People often ask me how they can help prevent suicide. I think advocacy is a great way to make your voice heard. Telling our elected officials how suicide has impacted our lives helps them see why we need to make changes on a policy level. It's an important piece of the puzzle that people don't utilize as often as they should," said Priscilla Brown, AFSP Arizona Chapter Board Member and Advocacy Chair. HB 2072 [Blackman] would provide loan forgiveness for licensed mental health professionals who make a commitment to provide at least five years of consecutive service in the State Department of Corrections or at a correctional facility operated by or under contract with the State Departments of Corrections or Juvenile Corrections. Loan forgiveness programs encourage new graduates to pursue careers in mental health and to provide services to underserved communities and populations. HB 2321 [Friese] would create a legal process for Severe Threat Orders of Protection to temporarily prohibit individuals at risk for harming themselves from possessing firearms. These orders can help keep individuals at risk for suicide safe when safe storage or voluntary removal of firearms is not an option. The AFSP Arizona Capitol Day is a special day for all who have a connection with or a personal story around the topic of suicide. Volunteers will meet with their legislators to share their stories about why they participate in this advocacy effort, giving a human face to this important public health problem. Advocates hope that by sharing their stories, they will help lawmakers understand that investments in mental health and suicide prevention can save lives. AFSP Arizona Chapter advocates are part of a larger national movement of AFSP volunteer advocates who will visit state capitols across the United States in 2020 to bring best practices in suicide prevention to legislators and their staff. To learn more about AFSP's advocacy efforts, visit here: https://afsp.org/our-work/advocacy/. On average, 129 Americans died by suicide each day in 2017, and upwards of 90% of those individuals had a diagnosable mental health condition at the time of their death. AFSP volunteers will urge state lawmakers to be the voice for the thousands of residents across the state affected by mental health conditions and suicide each year. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide. AFSP creates a culture that's smart about mental health through education and community programs, develops suicide prevention through research and advocacy, and provides support for those affected by suicide. Led by CEO Robert Gebbia and headquartered in New York, with a Public Policy Office in Washington, D.C. AFSP has local chapters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia with programs and events nationwide. Learn more about AFSP in its latest Annual Report, and join the conversation on suicide prevention by following AFSP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. SOURCE American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Related Links www.afsp.org The Co-op Bookshop, which has been a mainstay of university campuses for generations, will disappear in the coming months with its name joining a host of other retailers that have gone under. Its more than two million members will no longer be part of a national bookstore, but as part of the chain's sale to online store Booktopia the Co-op's stores will stay open for the first four weeks of term one to ensure students can buy their books. The former Co-op at University of Technology Sydney, which has already closed. Credit:Ryan Stuart Booktopia chief executive Tony Nash said as a regular company, it could not legally retain the Co-op name, which was created by students tired of paying high prices for textbooks at the University of Sydney in 1959. "Its a criminal offence if you call yourself a co-op and youre not one," he said. To nobodys great surprise, Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, has condemned Donald Trumps deal of the century peace plan for the region. He is certainly right to criticise it, and for a variety of sound reasons but he should still engage with it, very badly flawed as it is. Far from being the grand plan it has been marketed as by Washington, one of the supposed parties to the deal, the Palestinians played no part in its negotiation. It is a fait accompli, presented as a take it or leave it deal. Were a Palestinian nation state fully operational and recognised, it might be said to be an unequal treaty between a conquering nation and a vanquished one. However, the deal for the century violates various UN resolutions, and most significantly the historic UN Resolution 242 which defines the status of the occupied territories won by Israel after the 1967 war, and requires their evacuation. Now, Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, boldly declares, with US backing, that the occupied areas are not in fact occupied territories at all but de facto and de jure, under the deal, integral territory of Israel. Last year, in a symbolic break with longstanding US policy, America recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, much to Mr Netanyahus satisfaction. An alternative Palestinian capital in the eastern suburbs of Jerusalem is suggested. Mr Abbas says Jerusalem is not for sale. Iconic British fashion label Paul Smith has announced a ban on exotic skins in all of its future collections. The ban includes "K-leather", which is leather made from kangaroo skin. When it comes to skins, kangaroo is the lightest offered, meaning its often been the go-to for luxury brands' leather goods. The leather is especially common in the manufacturing of trainers in the sportswear industry. Adidas confirmed last year that it still uses K-leather in its designs. Official statistics from the Australian government show that just under 1.5 million kangaroos and wallabies were killed commercially in 2017. Leather in Versace's autumn/ winter 2019/2020 collection / IMAXtree Paul Smith's announcement follows a similar pledge from Versace last week, in which the Italian fashion house confirmed that it will no longer use kangaroo skins in its designs. One billion animals are now estimated to have died in Australia's wildfires, which is thought to have been the inspiration behind the move from the brands. "Behind every accessory made with kangaroo, python, or alligator skin is an animal who did not want to die," said Yvonne Taylor, PETA's Director of Corporate Projects. The fashion industry is slowly pivoting towards more sustainable alternatives, with the doyenne of all things green, Stella McCartney leading the way. She has previously collaborated with companies Mylo, who specialise in mushroom leather, and Pinatex, which has created leather from pineapple leaves. Ms Arndt, 70, is facing an investigation into her media appearances under the title of psychologist, after the health practitioner regulator received a complaint accusing her of falsely representing herself as a member of the profession. Ms Arndt has come under fire for working to dispel what she has called the myth of a sexual assault crisis at Australian universities and residential colleges. She has also been criticised for a number of interviews, including a 2017 exchange with Tasmanian sex offender Nicolaas Bester, who was jailed for raping his 15-year-old student, Grace Tame. During the interview, Ms Arndt accused the teenage victim of "sexually provocative behaviour". "The question that remains for me is whether there's any room in this conversation for talking to young people, particularly young girls about behaving sensibly and not exploiting their seductive power to ruin the lives of men," Ms Arndt said to the camera. Loading In a statement to Nina Funnell, a journalist and co-founder of the Let Her Speak campaign, Ms Tame said: I believe that honouring someone who actively defended a paedophile on a public platform is a blatant example of the protracted, systemic moral corruption that still hampers our society. "[Survivors of sexual abuse] will not let such a clear case of rewarding [such] behaviour deter or enfeeble us. It is precisely this manner of injustice that strengthens our collective courage and motivation as survivors to share our experiences." In a tense exchange with ABC Radio Melbourne host Virginia Trioli on Thursday morning, Ms Arndt described Ms Hennessy's letter as "ludicrous", and said her interviews with abusers had been taken out of context. When asked about her comments in 2005 that "minor abuse rarely has long-lasting consequences", Ms Arndt doubled down and said there was "ample" evidence that sexual abuse did not always have long-lasting consequences. Trioli said abuse victims would be "deeply wounded" by those comments, to which a fired-up Ms Arndt responded: "Well, I don't, listen Virginia, wait, I, I talk about what research says and I will not be cowered by ideologues like you who believe we're not allowed to discuss research. Bettina Arndt has described the Victorian government's reaction to her award as "ludicrous". Credit:Joshua Morris "Sexual abuse can be devastating, absolutely, and I've always acknowledged that we need to care for victims who've suffered with that experience, but as the research shows, there are degrees of experiences," Ms Arndt said. "There's a difference between having someone pat you briefly on a breast or rape you. And the evidence shows there's an enormous difference to how people respond to this that is the sort of research I talk about, that's the sort of research presented at these inquiries, which gets totally ignored because the only narrative people are interested in is pretending that all abuse is equally damaging." Ms Hennessy said the Andrews government was acting on behalf of all domestic violence and sexual abuse victims across the country. Loading "We take our advocacy on behalf of improving gender inequality, which we know is one of the great drivers of family violence, very, very seriously," Ms Hennessy told ABC Radio. "We're not going to look at Victorian women who have suffered tremendously in the context of family violence, and the many, many victims of child sexual abuse at the hands of paedophiles and say 'This is OK, we're not going to put our hand up and not contest it." A spokeswoman for the Australian Honours and Awards Secretariat confirmed the organisation had received correspondence from the public calling for Ms Arndt's award to be annulled. "Speaking generally, rather than in relation to a specific example, appointments can be terminated," the spokeswoman said. AqualisBraemar has appointed Dirk Jol (pictured) to head its adjusting division in the Middle East and India. According to a statement by the offshore, marine, and loss adjusting consultancy, Jol has been with the company since 2015, and has held senior roles at the companys Dubai and Singapore offices. Prior to joining AqualisBraemar, he worked for six years for McDermott International in Singapore, followed by a couple of years at Tidewater Marine. Jol holds a degree in civil engineering from Purdue University, USA. Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. Facebook has agreed to pay $550 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that alleged the companys use of facial recognition technology violated the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act. The case marks one of the largest cash settlements ever reached in a privacy lawsuit. The Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, or BIPA, requires companies to obtain consumers' explicit consent before collecting or sharing biometric information, such as facial recognition or fingerprint scans. Plaintiffs argued that Facebook violated the law because it failed to get consent before generating scans or templates of users' faces it employs to identify the subjects of photos to make tagging suggestions, and for some security features. Facebook also holds a number of patents to use facial recognition for targeted advertising and other purposes, but says it doesnt currently use the technology in those ways. We decided to pursue a settlement as it was in the best interest of our community and our shareholders to move past this matter, Facebook spokesperson Dina El-Kassaby said in an email. Facebook declined to provide additional information, but the company has long maintained that it is clear with consumers about how the facial recognition systems work and how consumers can limit their use. Consumer advocates argue that biometric data is particularly sensitive because if it falls into the wrong hands, theres nothing consumers can do about ityou can change a password, but you cant change your face. Facial recognition is also controversial because it can be used to identify and track people in public spaces without their knowledge or consent. Im hopeful that this case is a turning point for privacy litigation. Technology is advancing at a rapid pace, and corporations need to realize that they better tread carefully when it comes to recognizing, tracking and monitoring us, Paul Geller of Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP, one of the attorneys for the plaintiffs, said in an email. This settlement shows that privacy issues are quite real, and consumers have the right and the will to protect their rights in court. Story continues Facebook did not respond to questions about how its practices may change, but the terms of the settlement require Facebook to obtain full consent from Illinois consumers before collecting biometric information going forward, according to a press release from Edelson PC, another law firm involved in the case. A Model for Other State Laws The case serves as the first major test of the Illinois law, which is one of the country's few privacy regulations that gives consumers the right to sue a company for privacy violations, a legal concept called a private right of action. In jurisdictions where that right doesn't exist, consumers don't automatically have a right to sue a company for breaking the law. They could still try to suebut they'd have to prove that they'd been materially harmed by a company's actions. The plaintiff says I was harmed, and the defendant says, show me the receipt. You often can't point to a dollar and cents consequence, says Matthew Kugler, an associate professor at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. Even in a data breach case where credit card numbers are stolen, it's sometimes hard to prove that it was the data breach that caused the harm. Its been a perpetual issue in privacy litigation. For that reason, enforcement of privacy laws is usually left to state attorneys general and the Federal Trade Commission, which often lack the time and resources, according to consumer advocates and legal experts. The Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act is a prime example of what a strong privacy law should look like, says Maureen Mahoney, a policy council for Consumer Reports. The private right of action lets consumers hold companies accountable for violating their rights. Without it, companies often arent properly incentivized to comply with the law. That problem may be playing out right now in California, Mahoney says. The California Consumer Privacy Act, or CCPA, the country's most stringent privacy law, went into effect on January 1. It includes a private right of action, but only in narrow cases of data breaches that stem from negligent security practices. It doesnt apply to the broad privacy rules the rest of the law addresses, and that may be encouraging some companies to ignore the requirementsat least for now. Will Another Payout Fix Facebook? The $550 million settlement is a historic but relatively small amount in the context of the companys overall finances. Facebook announced the settlement Wednesday as part of its latest earnings report. The company reported about $21 billion in revenue and more than $7 billion in profit just in the last three months of 2019. It remains to be seen how many consumers will join the class in the Illinois case, but attorneys for the plaintiffs suggest each individual class member may get $200 or more from the settlement. However, the numbers could been even higher if the plaintiffs had won their case in a trial. The Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act allows for $1,000 to $5,000 in damages for each violation of the law. Because the law hasnt been tested in court, its unclear how you would count up alleged violations. With millions of Facebook users in Illinois, a judgement could theoretically have landed in the billions of dollars. I'm almost not sure who won in this case, said Northwesterns Matthew Kugler. The Illinois lawsuit isnt the first time Facebooks facial recognition practices have landed the company in hot water. A 2019 Consumer Reports investigation found that some Facebook users never received a setting to turn off facial recognition that was available on most Facebook accounts. Last summer, the Federal Trade Commission cited CR's findings in its announcement of a multifaceted settlement against Facebook that included a $5 billion fine for a number of privacy violations. As part of the FTC settlement, Facebook is required to provide clear and conspicuous notice of its use of facial recognition technology, and obtain affirmative express user consent before it uses facial recognition for any new purposes. The company announced a fix for the problem in September of last year. A Facebook spokeswoman later said that the setting had finally rolled out to the affected accounts, which numbered in the tens of millions, according to the FTC. More from Consumer Reports: Top pick tires for 2016 Best used cars for $25,000 and less 7 best mattresses for couples Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright 2020, Consumer Reports, Inc. KYODO NEWS - Jan 30, 2020 - 23:07 | Japan, All, Coronavirus Three Japanese evacuated from Wuhan in central China have tested positive for the new coronavirus, with two of them showing no symptoms, the health ministry said Thursday, as Japan plans to strengthen its screening of returnees from the epicenter of the outbreak. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe instructed Cabinet ministers to step up efforts to contain the spread of the deadly virus as the World Health Organization held a meeting to discuss whether to declare a global health emergency. The total number of people infected with the virus in Japan, including foreign nationals, rose to 14 on Thursday, including the two people showing no symptoms. A third government-chartered flight left Tokyo on Thursday night to transport Japanese nationals from Wuhan, put under a virtual lockdown since last week, as about 300 citizens are still waiting to return home. The three, who have been hospitalized, were among 206 Japanese nationals evacuated to Japan on the first government-chartered plane from Wuhan on Wednesday, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said. It is the first time outside China that a person without symptoms such as fever has been confirmed as infected with the virus, according to Japan's National Institute of Infectious Diseases. The government has so far brought back over 400 Japanese nationals who wished to leave Wuhan and has urged them to be checked for the new coronavirus when they arrive in Japan. Government officials said the health of evacuees will be monitored for two weeks after they arrive, during which they will be asked to remain indoors, and they are considering a further virus test at the end of the period. On Thursday, a further 210 Japanese were flown back home on Thursday on a second government-chartered flight, with 26 of them hospitalized after displaying symptoms such as coughing, officials of the central and Tokyo metropolitan government said. "We will put top priority on protecting the lives and health of the people, and we will decide on what needs to be done without hesitation," Abe said in a parliamentary session. As a preventive measure, the government plans to ask passengers on all flights from China to Japan if they have visited Wuhan and about their health conditions in questionnaires before they go through Japanese immigration, officials said. Three foreign nationals -- a Chinese student in her 20s in Kyoto, a man in his 50s in Mie Prefecture and a Chinese woman in her 30s visiting Japan -- were found Thursday to have been infected with the new coronavirus. All of them have visited Wuhan. As the number of Japanese returnees on charter flights from Wuhan grows, securing their accommodations in Japan is expected to become an issue. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Thursday the government is considering using public facilities, including the National Police Academy, to house the returnees. Another option is a ferry, the Hakuo, operated by a private company as the Defense Ministry has a contract to use it in emergency situations such as natural disasters, according to a source with knowledge of the matter. Earlier in the week, a tour bus driver and a guide who had been in contact with tourists from Wuhan were confirmed as infected with the virus, and the health ministry acknowledged Thursday they were the first cases of human-to-human transmission in Japan. While Japan is on high alert to prevent the virus from spreading, health minister Katsunobu Kato said the situation has not yet reached the stage when the government needs to call for large-scale events to be canceled. China said confirmed cases of infection have exceeded 7,700 and the death toll has reached 170 on the mainland, including over 120 in Wuhan. Related coverage: Mixed views spread in Beijing on further infection of new coronavirus Guide tests positive for virus in addition to infected bus driver Japan scrambles to contain coronavirus as evacuees return As coronavirus fears spread, depleting nearly all demand for travel to China, United has made a second round of cuts to its scheduled flights from the U.S. In an emailed statement to business customers on Jan. 30, the airline said: "As the significant decline in demand for travel to China continues, we are implementing additional temporary reductions in service between our hub cities and PEK (Beijing), HKG (Hong Kong) and PVG (Shanghai). All three cities will retain daily service from SFO to allow customers to travel between the two regions. "This reduction of service beginning Feb. 9 and running through March 28 includes 332 additional roundtrip cancellations [Note: That's 664 jumbo flights!], reducing our 12 daily departures from the United States to mainland China and Hong Kong to four daily departures. There are no planned reductions to CTU (Chengdu) at this time." See the slideshow above for a visual of United's schedule changes READ MORE: United's first round of cuts to China flights What can customers booked on China flights do? United says: "If a customer's flight has been suspended, our automation system will attempt to rebook him or her on an alternate United flight and reissue the ticket." What does the future hold for United's China service? The airline says, "We will continue to monitor the situation as it develops and will adjust our schedule as needed. We are in communications with our employees in China to share the latest information we have with them and will continue to keep them updated as the situation changes. "We will gradually draw down our flights at these stations. We closed out inventory for affected flights this morning (January 30) for flights between February 9 and March 28. Please note that select cancellations have already been implemented for flights now through February 8." 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! SFGATE participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. The grandparents of a missing Idaho boy pleaded for his safe return on Jan. 29, a day before the childs mother faces a deadline to physically produce him to authorities. Ill get on my knees and beg, Larry Woodcock said. Just give me JJ. Joshua JJ Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 17, have not been seen or heard from since September. Their mother, Lori Vallow, and her husband Chad Daybell fled their home in Rexburg, Idaho, in November when authorities began searching for the missing children. They were found in Hawaii this month. The children were not with them. Vallow has until today to turn them over to authorities, according to a court order served by police on Saturday. JJs grandparents told CNN affiliate KIFI Wednesday that they are not optimistic Vallow will appear. Shes got all the attention on hergood, bad or indifferentand its going to be bad if she doesnt show up, Kay Woodcock told the station. But whether she cooperates or not, the family will continue fighting, Larry Woodcock said. Were in this for the long haul. This is not going to end tomorrow. Im not going to let it end. Kay is not going to let it end. Our family is not going to let this end, he said. Vallow and Daybell have not been charged and no arrest warrants have been issued for them in Hawaii. Couple Flees the Home Police determined the children were missing in late Novemberfour months after Vallows estranged husband was killed in their former home state, Arizona, and shortly after she moved with the children to Idaho and married Daybell. Police conducted a welfare check for JJVallows adopted son with her late husbandon Nov. 26 at their home in Rexburg after relatives raised concern about not hearing from him since September. During the welfare check, both Vallow and Daybell told investigators the boy was staying with a family friend in Arizona, police said. But police determined that he wasnt staying with a family friend. When police returned Nov. 27 to execute a search warrant, investigators determined Daybell and Vallow had fled the home. And according to authorities, they didnt appear to have taken JJ with them. Investigators also learned that Tylee hadnt been seen since September, though shed most recently lived with Vallow and JJ in Rexburg. Investigations Into Death of Daybells Wife The childrens disappearance is part of a complex past 12 months for the family. Police have investigated two deaths in the couples family in that time frame. One of those deaths is that of Vallows estranged husband, who was shot and killed in July during a fight with Vallows brother in their former home state, Arizona. Details about the motive in the killing werent immediately available. Vallows brother was not charged in the case and died in December, according to CNN affiliate KIFI/KIDK. His cause of death has not been released, and an investigation is pending the results of an autopsy, CNN affiliate KNXV reported earlier this month. Shortly after, Vallow moved with the children to Idaho and married Daybell, who had links to a religious content website. Vallows former husband said she had recently become infatuated and at times obsessive about near death experiences and spiritual visions, according to a petition for dissolution of marriage filed last February. The second death authorities are investigating is that of Daybells previous wife, Tammy Daybell, in Idaho in October. Though she was originally believed to have died of natural causes, Rexburg police announced in December that it was suspicious, and her remains were exhumed. A few weeks after she died, Vallow and Daybell were married, police said. The-CNN-Wire & 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. The writer E. Jean Carroll, who has accused Donald J. Trump of raping her in the 1990s and is suing him for defamation, asked on Thursday that he provide a DNA sample to determine whether his genetic material is on a dress she says she had on at the time of the incident. The request for the DNA sample was made in a letter sent to President Trumps lawyers via email, a spokeswoman for Roberta A. Kaplan, Ms. Carrolls lawyer, said. Ms. Kaplan asked that the sample be turned over by March 2. Lawrence S. Rosen, a lawyer representing the president in the defamation suit filed by Ms. Carroll, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Associated Press was the first to report that Ms. Carroll was seeking the DNA sample. The move comes amid a trial in the United States Senate that will determine whether Mr. Trump, who was impeached by the House, will be convicted and removed from office. NEW DELHI: Delhi's Karkardooma court on Thursday awarded 20 years imprisonment to two main convicts - Manoj Shah and Pradeep - in the 2013 kidnapping and rape case of a five-year-old girl Gudiya. The court also directed them to pay Rs 11 lakh as compensation to the victim's family. The court had on Saturday pronounced the verdict in the Gudiya rape case holding the two main accused as guilty. Both Pradeep and Manoj had been charged under the POCSO Act for rape, kidnapping and attempt to murder. The court then said that the quantum of punishment will be announced on January 30. Live TV Seven years ago, on April 15, 2013, the five-year-old girl was kidnapped and gang-raped by her neighbour and his friend in east Delhi's Gandhi Nagar. The accused had also inserted foreign objects in her private parts leading to grievous injuries. The minor was found in a critical condition two days after being taken away, on April 17, at a neighbour's rented accommodation in an unconscious state and was admitted to Delhi's AIIMS. Delhi Police had then registered a case and slapped charges of attempt to murder and rape among other things on Manoj Kumar. He was apprehended from his in-law's village in Bihar while the second accused was arrested later on. Dr. Buckingham Austin Monthly Top Doctor Austin's Top Doctors 2020 is Austin Monthlys most comprehensive list of top doctors yet, celebrating 500 of Austin's best physicians in 57 specialties. Some of the physicians listed in the magazine's "Top Doctors" feature are also included in the Castle Connolly Top Doctors database. Castle Connolly uses a survey process based on extensive research and nominations, patient ratings, board certifications, education, training, hospital affiliations, and more. The highly-respected Top Doctors compilation has been highlighted on CNN "Morning News" and "48 Hours" on CBS, and in New York Magazine, Good Housekeeping, and many other reputable outlets. Elite Austin facial plastic surgeon Dr. Buckingham is listed in Castle Connolly America's Top Doctors in recognition of his excellence in medicine and patient care. Dr. Buckingham is double board-certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (ABOHNS) and the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ABFPRS). Dr. Edward D. Buckingham has extensive training in plastic and reconstructive surgery and has over 20 years of surgical experience. He is a widely-respected surgeon who trains other medical professionals to perform plastic surgery, cosmetic treatments, and reconstructive facial surgery using advanced technology. Dr. Buckingham performs non-surgical procedures, plastic surgery, and complex reconstructive surgery at Buckingham Center in Austin, including non-surgical rhinoplasty (nose job), revision rhinoplasty, and traditional rhinoplasty. Dr. Buckingham offers PIXEL8-RF radiofrequency micro-needling, Halo resurfacing, BBL Photofacial, Juvederm, and Botox. He is a facial specialist, regularly performing eyebrow lifts, facelift surgery, facial fat transfer, chin implants, and limited incision facelifts. As an Austin Top Doctor and expert facial plastic surgeon, Dr. Buckingham takes the time to learn about each patients goals and concerns before creating a treatment plan that will help them reach their ideal aesthetic. Image morphing and advanced technology give each patient a glimpse into the future as they consider the best options. Dr. Buckingham provides private consultations at Buckingham Center in Austin, Texas. Call (512) 4012500 today or contact us online at Buckingham Center. Texas residents and out-of-state patients are welcome. An IndiGo pilot-in-command has conveyed his anguish to the airline's management for not consulting him before announcing a six-month ban on comedian Kunal Kamra for heckling Republic TV chief Arnab Goswami on his flight, insisting that the incident was not 'reportable in any way'. In a letter to the IndiGo management, Rohit Mateti said he was 'disheartened' to learn that Kamra was banned from flying purely on the basis of social media posts and that though his behaviour was 'unsavoury', it was not qualifying of a level 1 unruly passenger. Kamra was banned by IndiGo for six months on Tuesday for harassing Goswami on the Mumbai-Lucknow flight. SpiceJet, GoAir and Air India too have imposed a similar ban on Kamra without specifying any period. 'As captain of 6E5317 Mumbai-Lucknow flight on January 28, I do not find...events reportable in any way. Mr Kamra's behaviour, while unsavoury, was not qualifying of a level 1 unruly passenger. Indeed, we pilots can all attest to incidents similar and/or worse in nature that were not deemed unruly,' he said in the letter. The pilot also called the action by the airline against Kamra as 'unprecedented'. 'This is somewhat unprecedented in my nine years of airline flying. Moving forward, am I to understand that the bar for interpretation of a disruptive passenger is lower/different when it comes to high profile cases? Perhaps the SEP (safety and emergency procedures) manual is to be amended to reflect this?' Mateti added. 'I would like a clarification from the airline as this leaves a lot of room for ambiguity,' he said. As per the 2017 rules of aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation, if a passenger engages in any unruly behaviour, the pilot-in-command has to file a complaint and only then an internal committee of the airline can probe the matter and take punitive action based on findings of the investigation. The rules also stated that a passenger who is deemed as 'level 1' unruly passenger can be banned up to maximum of three months by the internal committee. DGCA had on Wednesday said that the action by the four carriers is in 'complete consonance' with its regulations. When asked about the pilot-in-command's email, IndiGo told PTI: 'We have received the relevant statements and the internal committee has initiated the investigation regarding this incident.' In an approximately 2-minute video clip posted by Kamra on his Twitter handle on Wednesday, he is seen asking Goswami if he is a 'coward or a journalist' but the Republic TV editor was not seen responding to it. After IndiGo announced its punitive action against the comedian, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said he took note of the incident and 'advised' other airlines to impose similar restrictions on Kamra, insisting that offensive behaviour aimed at creating disturbance inside an aircraft is absolutely unacceptable. In his email, Mateti told the IndiGo management, 'While Mr Kamra's behaviour was unacceptable and verbally abusive, at no point did he not comply with crew instructions. 'While he did briefly display 'level 1' traits for disruptive behaviour...he was also immediately compliant of crew instruction, was never issued a red warning card and hence cannot be classified as such.' 'Furthermore, in-line with the IndiGo SEP manual guidelines for disruptive behaviour, the situation was diffused, the passenger in question kept under observation and the cabin kept in lockdown for the duration of the flight,' he added. After Mateti's letter became public, Puri said on Thursday that airlines must ensure 'zero tolerance' for any activity that has the potential to jeopardise passengers' safety. 'I had expressed my views with regard to the unruly behaviour of a passenger on board IndiGo flight. I reiterate that airlines must ensure 'Zero Tolerance' for any activity which has the potential to jeopardize safety of passengers in an aircraft,' Puri said on Twitter. El Al Israel Airlines on Thursday said it was suspending flights to Beijing until March 25, following the lead of other carriers that have suspended or scaled back flights to China due to the coronavirus outbreak, Trend with reference to Reuters reports. The death toll from the spreading flu-like virus, which originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, has risen to 170. El Al, Israels flag carrier, said its Thursday flight from Beijing to Tel Aviv would return as scheduled. Shocking conditions at a big primary school in Laois have been highlighted to Laois Offaly General election candidates at a public meeting organised by national school teachers in Portlaoise this week. The conditions at Scoil Mhuire in Abbeyleix which has more than 300 boys and girls enrolled, were acknowledged by public representatives at the meeting organised by the Irish National Teachers Association on Wednesday night. Blocked toilets, damp, water pouring through ceilings into classrooms were highlighted to candidates which included Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan and the other two outgoing Laois TDs, Brian Stanley and Sean Fleming. The meeting heard that staff have to place plastic containers and buckets under the ceiling in several classrooms to catch the rain coming through the roof. Some ceilings are on the point of collapse. The building has no insulation in the ceilings and roof which has also driven up heating bills. "I can't believe how bad it is," parent Ciara Phelan told the meeting. In an impassioned plea to the politicians, she said the 37-year-old building was leaking constantly, there are a bad damp problem and the sewerage system 'doesn't exist'. She described a situation recently which a toilet overflowed on one of the children. "The school is not safe for pupils or staff," she said. The meeting was also told that the Department of Education knows about the problems as an engineer's reported was submitted. Minister Flanagan admitted that the situation is "utterly unacceptable". He said he had visited the school and had reported the situation to the Minister for Education. He said it would be a top priority after the election. Fianna Fail TD Sean Fleming said he also visited the school recently and was also shocked by what he witnessed. He warned, however, the school is not on the Department of Education's priority list for new schools as the Department is focused on areas of the country where there is rapid population growth. The TD told the Leinster Express that when he visited the school the smell of damp and sewerage was instantly noticeable. Sinn Fein TD Brian Stanley demanded that Scoil Mhuire get a new building. He said he was "absolutely shocked" by the condition of this building, and the environment that pupils and teachers have to function in. "The school needs to be put immediately on the school building programme and it is a scandal that it not already on it. As a matter of urgency, the Dept now needs to engage a contractor to carry out urgent repairs to the roof and the sewerage system," he said. Fianna Fail candidate Pauline Flanagan said TDs should have known about the conditions without having to visit. She pledged to fight for the school if elected. Cllr Noel Tuohy urged parents to get county councillors involved in their campaign. In a statement, the Department of Education said it is aware of the issues at the school and will be putting arrangements in place to have them addressed. The Department will keep the school fully informed as arrangements are made. New extensions were added to the to Scoil Mhuire in recent years to accommodate Autism Spectrum Disorder units. New schools have been built in the Abbeyleix area. One for the South National School which is patroned by the Church of Ireland while the nearby village of Ballyroan also benefited from a new school. Leaders of several opposition parties will meet here on Friday morning ahead of the start of the budget session of parliament to discuss the firing incident in the Jamia area, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the Population Register (NPR). Sources said the leaders of parties opposed to CAA will discuss their strategy to take on the government during the session on various issues. The enactment of CAA has led to protests in some parts of the country. Congress and several other opposition parties have also expressed apprehensions about the questions added in the Population Register (NPR) exercise and accused the government of bringing Register of Citizens (NRC) in disguise. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi, Jan 30 : The firing at the Jamia Millia Islamia student march to Rajghat, here on Thursday, is the story of an assailant brandishing the firearm, opening the fire in public and the police remaining a moot spectator. When Gopal, the assailant, brandished the gun and threatened to shoot at students, barely 10 metres away was standing Jamia SHO Upendra Singh along with dozens of police personnel. But they did nothing to prevent the firing, despite the students shouting hoarse for the police help. When Gopal fired his pistol, it hit Shadab Farooq, a mass communication department student, injuring his hand. And the police got into action -- albeit in a slow motion. Only one cop moved to get his hands on the assailant. They also didn't remove the barricade or attempted to take the injured student to hospital -- Shadab had to climb the barricade and run to seek medical attention. DCP Chinmay Biswal said, "I was at the Holy Family Hospital gate when the firing took place. I don't know what happened there. I just rushed there on hearing the gunshot." The firing took place when the march had just moved 60 metres, from Gate No. 7 towards the main road at the Fortis Hospital crossing. The students were raising slogans and singing. Zaheer, a student, said, "When we saw him brandishing a pistol, we shouted for the police attention. But they didn't intervene until the person opened fire on us." After the firing, the students formed a human chain around protestors and moved towards the police barricades. They didn't even allow baton-wielding cops in plain clothes to come near. "we know certain people want to create violence. But we will not allow that," said a student protestor. Asian News International According to a breakthrough study, scientists using robotic kayaks have discovered that the Tidewater glaciers, the massive rivers of ice that end in the ocean, maybe melting underwater much faster than previously thought. The findings challenge the current frameworks for analysing ocean-glacier interactions. It also has implications for the rest of the world's tidewater glaciers, the rapid retreat of which is contributing to sea-level rise. The study was published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. The scientists at Rutgers surveyed the ocean in front of the 32 km long LeConte Glacier in Alaska. The seaborne robots made it possible for the first time to analyse plumes of meltwater, the water released when snow or ice melts, where glaciers meet the ocean. It is a dangerous area for ships because of ice calving when falling slabs of ice that break from glaciers crash into the water and spawn huge waves. According to lead author Rebecca Jackson, a physical oceanographer and assistant professor in the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, "With the kayaks, we found a surprising signal of melting: Layers of concentrated meltwater intruding into the ocean that reveal the critical importance of a process typically neglected when modelling or estimating melt rates." Jackson led the study when she was at Oregon State University. Two kinds of underwater melting occur near glaciers. Where freshwater discharge drains at the base of a glacier (from upstream melt on the glacier's surface), vigorous plumes result in discharge-driven melting. Away from these discharge outlets, the glacier melts directly into the ocean waters in a regime called ambient melting. The study follows one published last year in the journal Science that measured glacier melt rates by pointing sonar at the LeConte Glacier from a distant ship. The researchers found melt rates far higher than expected but couldn't explain why. The new study found for the first time that ambient melting is a significant part of the underwater mix. Before these studies, scientists had few direct measurements of melt rates for tidewater glaciers and had to rely on untested theory to get estimates and model ocean-glacier interactions. The studies' results challenge those theories, and this work is a step toward a better understanding of submarine melt a process that must be better represented in the next generation of global models that evaluate sea-level rise and its impacts. Protests at AMU's women's college intensified on Thursday with hundreds of students blocking its entry points as the exam boycott at the university's engineering college continued for the fourth successive day. The protesters, including schoolgirls, have locked the gates from inside and have formed a human chain to prevent teaching staff from entering the college campus at Marris Road. A university official said police had been posted at the college gates as a precautionary measure. He added, "While a section of the girls are ready to end the deadlock and resume attending classes, some others are still refusing." Meanwhile, the boycott of examinations at the varsity's Zakir Husain College of Engineering and Technology continued for the fourth successive day on Thursday even as protesting students were assured that the demands raised by them will be considered favourably. AMU spokesman Omar Peerzada, however, said some classes were held for the first time to end the impasse after Professor Sufiyan Beg, principal of the engineering college, assured the students that their demands raised during Wednesday's meeting between AMU Vice Chancellor Tariq Mansoor and the protesting students would be considered favourably. "Talks are underway with the protesters to resolve the situation," the university spokesman said. Beg expressed optimism that the problems would be resolved "after discussing the matter with senior university officials on Thursday." The main demands of the protesting students pertain to an assurance from the vice chancellor that all "false cases" registered against protesting students during the past six weeks would be withdrawn, Beg said. The other demand is regarding a similar assurance from the vice chancellor that there will be "no further police action or harassment against those who carry out peaceful protests," Beg said. Earlier on Wednesday night, the deadlock at AMU appeared to have worsened when the talks between the vice chancellor and the protesting students held at the college ended in bedlam with students raising slogans against the vice chancellor. No examinations could be held for the fourth successive day on Thursday despite the vice chancellor's appeal on Wednesday to end the boycott even while continuing with their peaceful anti-CAA protests. In a related development, AMU Students Coordination Committee on Thursday announced that even if the university authorities declare the closure of the varsity, they will not vacate the campus till their demands are not addressed. Attempting to break the continuing deadlock, the AMU Alumni Association in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has in a letter to the vice chancellor expressed serious concern over the possibility of a sine die closure of the varsity. Pointing out that such a closure would have serious ramifications for the overall interest of the institution, the alumni body offered their good offices to serve as interlocutors between the protesting students and the vice chancellor. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) MANKATO, Minn. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz made an appearance at the MN Ag Expo on Jan. 22 to show his appreciation for farmers and promote the state's environmental programs. The annual expo is hosted by the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association and Minnesota Corn Growers Association, and features about 100 exhibitors on its trade floor. "Everybody eats, and I think tying consumers to producers is a smart thing to do," said Walz of the importance of the expo. Walz, a former social studies teacher at Mankato West High School, said it felt "good to be down here." The visit was more than just a homecoming, though, as he got the chance to address farmers coming off a tough year. "I came down here first of all to deliver a thank you," said Walz. "It's been a challenging year between trade, commodity prices, weather and some really heartbreaking accidents in ag country." ADVERTISEMENT He said like always, Minnesota agriculture is critical for county and state economies right now. There's "unity around this issue," said Walz, which is why recent efforts by the state are the product of concerns his administration heard from farmers. Talking up his support for ethanol and biodiesel fuel, and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Water Quality Certification Program, Walz said the state's farmers are doing more than ever to protect the environment. "I think we're seeing this idea of agriculture versus conservation in the environment -- it's no longer that, it's we're one in the same," said Walz. "It's a coalition." There is a sense of optimism by farmers, said Walz, and hope for the future. "We had a really successful legislative session," said Walz regarding agriculture. Examples he gave were disaster assistance, broadband grants and the $5 million investment in the Soybean Innovation Campus in Crookston, which Legislature awarded last year through the agriculture appropriations bill. "There's a lot of positives happening," said Walz. Jamie Beyer, president of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association, said the MN Ag Expo comes at time when her job "is about to get real busy." ADVERTISEMENT The Minnesota Legislature reconvenes on Feb. 11 for a session lasting less than four months. "The trips to St. Paul start on Monday," said Beyer, a grain farmer in Traverse County. At least for the first day of the expo, Beyer said the highlight was having the governor stop by. "Folks couldn't remember the last time a governor had come," said Beyer of the annual expo. "It's really great for him to take the time to do that." She got the chance to talk Walz, and started with the topic of the soybean crush and biodiesel facility in Crookston. "We're looking for a little bonding help for the city of Crookston to put in some of the infrastructure that the facility might need," said Beyer. The soybean crush and biodiesel facility in northwest Minnesota was tentatively a $150 million facility, said Beyer, but now it's looking to be more like a $230 million construction job. "It's a really big dream, but it'll have a major impact on soybean prices in northwest Minnesota," said Beyer. ADVERTISEMENT "There's a lot of opportunity to process beans there rather than ship them or take them by railroad to other places," she said. Health care is also a priority for soybean growers, said Beyer. It was "something that kind of got dropped last year" by the Legislature. "I heard a lot of about health care again, and drug prices," said Walz during his time at the expo. "And I think that's another issue we'll continue to come back with." Beyer said another top concern is Minnesota's failure to conform with the federal tax code. For farmers, that has meant that the value of some equipment they traded has been counted as income, costing them thousands of dollars. "It wasn't part of his talking points, so you have to read between the lines," said Beyer of the governor regarding a fix to the tax law. "But now as we're all going to our accountants for taxes and planning, it becomes a lot more real, the consequences of some things we've done." Vulindlela students and their proud guardians Rhodes University support staff members involved in the Universitys Vulindlela programme are excited to welcome their children to Rhodes University this year. Seven learners whose guardians were involved in the programme produced exceptional matric results and have been accepted to enrol for their first year of studies at Rhodes University. The Vulindlela programme is designed for Rhodes University support staff in salary grades 1-5 and is facilitated by the Rhodes University Community Engagement Division. The aim of the programme is to equip parents with the necessary skills that will assist them with understanding their childrens educational needs. Their children are then put in academic programmes where they are mentored and tutored by student volunteers. Sweetness Mtshelu, who works at Founders Hall, said that she is delighted with the benefits of the programme. She has been part of the programme since her daughter, Sesethu, started high school. Sesethu will study towards a Bachelor of Commerce degree. The staff from the Vulindlela programme whose children will be at Rhodes University this year are: Sweetness Mtshelu Food Services (Founders Hall) Thozama Kwenxe Housekeeping Services (Founders Hall) Luleka Ndzipo Food Services (Drostdy Hall) Noluthando Kasi Food Services (St Marys Hall) Noluthando Ngantweni Housekeeping Services (CHERTL) Ray Cannon Electricity Department The students are: Sesethu Mtshelu Bachelor of Commerce Liyema Kwenxe Bachelor of Arts (Extended Studies) Liyema Ndzipo Bachelor of Social Sciences Lisakhanya Kasi Bachelor of Arts (Extended Studies) Simamkele Ngantweni Bachelor of Arts Renita Cannon Bachelor of Social Sciences Bulelwa Matiwane Bachelor of Arts Source: Rhodes University Community Engagement Please help us to raise funds so that we can give all our students a chance to access online teaching and learning. Covid-19 has disrupted our students' education. Don't let the digital divide put their future at risk. Visit www.ru.ac.za/rucoronavirusgateway to donate What you see is a president who identifies the state as being himself. Senator Lee asks of counsel for the president: Isnt it the presidents place, certainly more than the place of career civil servants, to conduct foreign policy? If staffers disagree with him, that does not mean that the president is doing something wrong. There is in fact overwhelming evidence that the president withheld the military aid directly to get a personal political benefit to help his individual political campaign. And if you say you cant hold a president accountable in an election year, where theyre trying to cheat in that election, then you are giving them carte blanche. So all quid pros are not the same. Some are legitimate and some are corrupt. And you dont need to be a mind reader to figure out which is which. Every public official that I know believes that his election is in the public interest, and mostly youre right, your election is in the public interest. And if a president does something which he believes will help him get elected, in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment. The president cannot defy the agencies within the executive branch that are subordinate to him. It is only they who can defy the presidents determinations of policy. And the House managers are held to a standard of proving proof beyond a reasonable doubt of every element of what would be a cognizable impeachable offense. Here, they have failed in their burden of proof. Just as the president doesnt trust what these witness have to say, the presidents lawyers dont want to rely on what the chief justices rulings might be. Im not for a moment suggesting they dont think the chief justice is fair quite the contrary: Theyre afraid hell be fair. Theyre afraid hell make a fair ruling. That should tell you something about the weakness of their position. After 31 or 32 times you said you proved every aspect of your case thats what you said, well you didnt, you said he just said he did well then I dont think we need any witnesses. Thank you. Thank you, counsel. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Chris Lefkow (Agence France-Presse) Washington, United States Thu, January 30, 2020 10:11 713 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2061acbb7 2 World US,impeachment,trial,politics,senate,Donald-Trump,John-Bolton Free Donald Trump and White House lawyers pushed back on Wednesday against Democratic efforts to have John Bolton testify at the Senate impeachment trial of the United States president, arguing that the former national security adviser could reveal government secrets. Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said it may be an "uphill" fight to garner enough Republican support to compel the 71-year-old Bolton seen as a potentially damaging witness to the president to testify. Democrats have been pressing for the Senate to subpoena Bolton, who was fired by Trump in September, after reports that his upcoming White House tell-all book corroborates charges that the president withheld military aid to Ukraine in a bid to seek political dirt on his election rival Joe Biden. Republicans hold a 53 to 47 seat edge in the Senate and four Republicans would need to side with the Democrats for Bolton and others to be called as witnesses at Trump's trial for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. "We've always known it will be an uphill fight," Schumer said of getting Bolton to testify. "Is it more likely than not?" the Democratic senator from New York asked. "Probably, no. But is it a decent, good chance? Yes." Trump called on Republicans to reject a push for witnesses when the issue comes up for a vote on Friday and blasted Bolton. "Remember Republicans, the Democrats already had 17 witnesses, we were given NONE!" he wrote on Twitter. "Don't let the Dems play you!" Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming came out firmly against calling witnesses, echoing the views of the vast majority of his Republican colleagues. "America has heard enough," Barasso said. "A majority of Americans are saying this is a waste of time because they know the president is not going to be removed." Opinion polls on whether Trump should be removed are actually pretty evenly divided but a two-thirds majority 67 senators is needed to convict the president and the Republicans' 53-47 majority virtually assures Trump will be acquitted. The fight over Bolton intensified as the senators who hold the president's fate in their hands began directly questioning Democratic prosecutors and White House lawyers. The 100 members of the Senate have 16 hours over the next two days to submit written questions, which are being read aloud by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, presiding over just the third impeachment trial of a president in US history. Asked whether Bolton should appear, chief Democratic prosecutor Adam Schiff said his testimony was "plainly relevant" and essential to conducting a "fair trial." "Don't wait for the book," the California lawmaker told the senators sitting as trial jurors. "This case is overwhelmingly clear without John Bolton but if you have any question about it you can erase all doubt." White House deputy counsel Patrick Philbin countered that the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, which impeached Trump on Dec. 18, had conducted their inquiry in a "half-baked partisan fashion" and had not issued their own subpoena for Bolton's testimony. Having Bolton testify would present "grave security issues," Philbin said. "He has all of the nation's secrets from the time he was national security advisor," he said. The White House would seek to prevent his testimony by citing executive privilege and the matter would end up in the courts. "This institution will be effectively paralyzed for months on end," he said. Schiff pushed back against White House arguments that the Senate should let American voters decide Trump's fate in November's presidential election. "If you say you can't hold a president accountable in an election year where they are trying to cheat in that election then you are giving them carte blanche," he said. In his book, Bolton reportedly writes that the president told him in August that a freeze in military aid to Ukraine was directly linked to his demand that Kiev investigate Biden, the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination. Trump lashed out at Bolton on Twitter, saying he had shown poor judgment in a job he had begged for and that he hired the veteran diplomat and prominent "hawk" against the advice of others. "Frankly, if I listened to him, we would be in World War Six by now," Trump said. "[He] goes out and IMMEDIATELY writes a nasty & untrue book. All Classified National Security. Who would do this?" The National Security Council said meanwhile that a preliminary review of the manuscript of Bolton's book had found that it contained "significant amounts of classified information" and cannot be published in its current form. "Some of this information is at the TOP SECRET level," the NSC said in a letter to Bolton's lawyer, adding that "the manuscript may not be published or otherwise disclosed without the deletion of this classified information." Before the explosive revelations about what Bolton knew, the White House had assumed the trial could be wrapped up with no witnesses and an acquittal by this weekend, just in time for Trump's annual "State of the Union" address before Congress on Tuesday, Feb. 4. Former Ivorian rebel leader Guillaume Soro on Tuesday said he would not drop out of presidential elections set for the end of the year, despite an arrest warrant against him. Ivorian public prosecutor issued a warrant for Soro on Dec. 23 as part of an investigation into an alleged coup plot. Soro denied any wrongdoing and said he was a victim of judicial persecution. A scheduled return of the former rebel chief to Cote dIvoire after a six-month absence has raised tensions in the country whose 2010-2011 election ended in deadly violence between rival supporters. I definitely remain a candidate in the election. Those who tried to stop me from going back to my homeland will not stop me from being a candidate, he told reporters in Paris on Tuesday. Soro added that his lawyers had placed a request with French prosecutors for his rights to be respected, and will do the same with the regional West African Court of Justice, the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights, and the United Nations. Soro is a former ally of incumbent President Ouattara, but the two have since fallen out, reportedly over Soros own presidential ambitions. President Alassane Ouattara won re-election in 2015 but has been unclear about whether he will seek a third term. Political analysts say Soro is popular in particular among young Ivorians, but there are no independent opinion polls to estimate his support nationwide. Private sector lender Kotak Mahindra Bank on Thursday said it will withdraw a case concerning dilution of promoters' shareholding in the bank which it had filed against the RBI in the Bombay High Court New Delhi: Private sector lender Kotak Mahindra Bank on Thursday said it will withdraw a case concerning dilution of promoters' shareholding in the bank which it had filed against the RBI in the Bombay High Court. Kotak Mahindra Bank said the RBI has given its in-principle acceptance for reducing promoters' shareholding to 26 percent of the paid-up voting equity share capital (PUVESC) of the bank within six months from the date of final approval of the regulator. The RBI had asked the bank to cut promoter shareholding to 20 percent of paid-up capital by 31 December, 2018, and 15 percent by 31 March, 2020. #BreakingNews | Kotak Mahindra Bank says withdrawing the writ petition filed by co in Bombay High Court pic.twitter.com/SwEQfi0PRx CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18Live) January 30, 2020 "With respect to our proposal... RBI vide its letter dated January 29, 2020 has conveyed its in-principle acceptance for promoters' voting rights in the bank to be capped to 20 percent of PUVESC until March 31, 2020; and promoters' shareholding in the bank to be reduced to 26 percent of PUVESC of the bank within six months from the date of final approval of the RBI," Kotak Mahindra Bank said in a regulatory filing. Among others, it will also cap the promoters' voting rights to 15 percent of the PUVESC from 1 April, 2020, onwards. Thereafter, the promoters will not purchase any further paid-up voting equity shares of the bank till the percentage of promoters' shareholding reaches 15 percent of PUVESC or such higher percentage as may be permitted by the RBI from time to time, it added. The RBI also gave in-principle approval that the promoters will be entitled to purchase paid-up voting equity shares up to 15 percent of the PUVESC of the bank or such higher percentage as may be permitted in the future, and exercise voting rights on such shares, it said further. "Our board of directors has resolved to abide by the above. The bank is withdrawing writ petition No. 3542 of 2018 filed by it in the High Court of Bombay," Kotak Mahindra Bank said in the filing. As on date, the promoter -- Uday Kotak -- and promoter group shareholding in the bank stands at 29.96 percent. Uday Kotak is the managing director & CEO of Kotak Mahindra Bank. In August 2018, it had proposed the issuance of perpetual non-cumulative preference shares (PNCPS) to cut promoter holding to 19.70 percent, which the RBI rejected. The bank then challenged the RBI's contention in the Bombay High Court. The RBI's bank licensing rules mandate that a private bank's promoter will need to pare holding to 40 percent within three years, 20 percent within 10 years and to 15 percent within 15 years. In 2003, Kotak Mahindra Group's financial arm Kotak Mahindra Finance had received banking licence from the RBI, becoming the first NBFC in India to convert into a bank. Effective April 2015, another private sector lender ING Vysya Bank was merged into Kotak Mahindra Bank. Shares of Kotak Mahindra Bank on Thursday closed 0.80 percent down at Rs 1,628.10 on the BSE. [January 30, 2020] Analysis on the $656+ Million Robotic Catheter Systems Market, 2019-2024 - Reduced Risk of Occupational Hazards for Cardiologists Drives Demand DUBLIN, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Robotic Catheter Systems Market Research Report: By Type, Technology, Application, Component, End User, Geographical Outlook - Global Industry Analysis and Forecast to 2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Witnessing a CAGR of 5.2% during the forecast period (2019-2024), the global robotic catheter systems market is predicted to grow to $656.8 million by 2024, witnessing a significant jump in its revenue from $493.5 million in 2018. The major drivers of the market are the rising prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and reduced occupational hazards for cardiologists. These systems are medical robots that work through a joy stick or a remote to perform various diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, such as the stent implantation, myocardial biopsy, ablation, and coronary angiogram, among others. Based on type, the robotic catheter systems market is bifurcated into single-specialty and multi-specialty. In 2018, the larger revenue share to the market was contributed by the multi-specialty type, and it is further expected to witness the faster growth of 5.3% during the forecast period. This can be attributed to the versatility of these systems as they can be used for interventional procedures or multiple ablation. For instance, a Hansen Medical Inc. product - the Sensei robotic catheter system - can be used to perform both cardiovascular procedures and radiofrequency ablation. The robotic catheter systems market is categorized into Middle East & Africa, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America based on region. In 2018, the highest revenue generator in the market was North America, and in the forecast period as well, it would continue to dominate the market, in terms of revenue. The major driving factors of the regional market are the high adoption of these systems for cardiovascular diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in hospitals and clinics and the large presence of key manufacturers. The robotic catheter systems market is witnessing the trend of digitization of instruments, which has been a key factor in the evolution of integrated and automated cardiovascular interventional labs. The advancements in the robotic technology are taking place rapidly, which, in turn, is helping hospitals cut down on catheterization lab costs, particularly in remote areas. The operational efficiency of cath labs has massively improved due to the commercialization of such systems. Even though these systems are pretty expensive, they are being heavily deployed owing to the advantages they offer over conventional catheterization proedures. One of the major factors driving the growth of the robotic catheter systems market are the reduced risk of occupational hazards for cardiologists. Many surgeons have reported suffering from occupational hazards while performing interventional cardiology procedures. The modem catheterization laboratories extensively use ionizing radiation in the form of X-rays, which put the practitioners at a risk of malignancy, including in the head and neck region. Even though they wear lead aprons, their long-term use may result in orthopedic injuries. To make conducting procedures safer for surgeons, robotic catheter systems are being deployed. With the technological advancements, the robotic catheter systems market would witness remarkable growth due to the extensive testing of these systems in the clinical trials. Catheterized cardiovascular procedures, such as catheter ablation, are popularly used in modern medicine, but robot-assisted catheterized procedures have not become as popular as their conventional counterparts due to the scarcity of skilled professionals. Companies, such as CorPath, Amigo, Sensei, and Niobe are commercializing robot catheterization systems, which may contribute in the demand for training people for operating the technology, thereby making them popular among patients and surgeons. Hence, the market for robotic catheter systems is set to advance in the forecast period as the requirement for safer technologies for carrying out cardiovascular procedures is rising. Key Topics Covered Chapter 1. Research Background 1.1 Research Objectives 1.2 Market Definition 1.3 Research Scope 1.3.1 Market Segmentation by Type 1.3.2 Market Segmentation by Technology 1.3.3 Market Segmentation by Application 1.3.4 Market Segmentation by Component 1.3.5 Market Segmentation by End-user 1.3.6 Market Segmentation by Geography 1.3.7 Analysis Period 1.3.8 Market Data Reporting Unit 1.4 Key Stakeholders Chapter 2. Research Methodology 2.1 Secondary Research 2.2 Primary Research 2.2.1 Breakdown of Primary Research Respondents 2.2.1.1 By region 2.2.1.2 By industry participant 2.2.1.3 By company type 2.3 Market Size Estimation 2.4 Data Triangulation 2.5 Assumptions for the Study Chapter 3. Executive Summary Chapter 4. Introduction 4.1 Definition of Market Segments 4.1.1 By Type 4.1.1.1 Multi-specialty systems 4.1.1.2 Single-specialty systems 4.1.2 By Technology 4.1.2.1 Electromechanical 4.1.2.2 Magnetic 4.1.3 By Application 4.1.3.1 Interventional electrophysiology procedures 4.1.3.2 Peripheral vascular procedures 4.1.3.2.1 Ablation procedures 4.1.3.2.2 Coronary procedures 4.1.4 By Component 4.1.4.1 Systems 4.1.4.2 Accessories 4.1.5 By End-user 4.1.5.1 Hospitals and specialty clinics 4.1.5.2 ASCs 4.2 Market Dynamics 4.2.1 Trends 4.2.1.1 Digitalization in catheterization labs 4.2.2 Drivers 4.2.2.1 Reduced risk of occupational hazards for cardiologists 4.2.2.2 Advantages of robotic catheter systems 4.2.2.3 Increasing prevalence of cardiovascular diseases 4.2.2.4 Impact analysis of drivers on market forecast 4.2.3 Restraints 4.2.3.1 Large initial investment and high system cost 4.2.3.2 Impact analysis of restraints on market forecast 4.2.4 Opportunities 4.2.4.1 Adoption of new technical advancements in the system 4.3 Porter's Five Forces Analysis 4.4 Regulatory Framework Analysis 4.4.1 U.S 4.4.2 Europe 4.4.3 APAC 4.4.4 LATAM 4.4.5 MEA 4.5 Upcoming and Emerging Technologies 4.6 Pricing of Robotic Catheter Systems Chapter 5. Global Market Size and Forecast 5.1 By Type 5.2 By Technology 5.3 By Application 5.3.1 Interventional Electrophysiology Procedures Market, by Type 5.4 By Component 5.5 By End-user 5.6 By Region Chapter 6. North America Market Size and Forecast Chapter 7. Europe Market Size and Forecast Chapter 8. APAC Market Size and Forecast Chapter 9. LATAM Market Size and Forecast Chapter 10. MEA Market Size and Forecast Chapter 11. Strategic Developments of the Key Players 11.1 Product Launches 11.2 Acquisitions 11.3 Agreement, Partnership, and Collaborations Chapter 12. Company Profiles 12.1 Stereotaxis Inc. 12.1.1 Business Overview 12.1.2 Product & Service Offerings 12.1.3 Key Financial Summary 12.2 Corindus Vascular Robotics Inc. 12.3 Catheter Precision Inc. 12.4 Hansen Medical Inc. 12.5 Intuitive Surgical Inc. 12.6 Magnetecs Corporation 12.7 Boston Scientific Corporation 12.8 Abbott Laboratories 12.9 Biosense Webster Inc. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/s8x7rs 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 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/analysis-on-the-656-million-robotic-catheter-systems-market-2019-2024---reduced-risk-of-occupational-hazards-for-cardiologists-drives-demand-300996169.html SOURCE Research and Markets [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] After the windshield cracked on Ted Hines 2017 Subaru Forester, he was shocked when a dealership quoted $1,400 for a replacement. Safelite AutoGlass, a national auto glass repair and replacement chain, was cheaper but still surprisingly high at $910. Hine recalled paying $150 as recently as five years ago for a similar repair on his previous car, and a mobile technician did the job right in his driveway. Im 74 years old and retired, on a limited fixed income, Hine said. I cant afford $900-plus for a windshield every time a truck randomly throws a rock at me. Hines Subaru has EyeSight, a suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that includes forward collision warning (FCW), automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane departure warning (LDW), and adaptive cruise control (ACC). EyeSights components include a pair of cameras mounted inside the windshield that help ACC and other convenience and advanced safety systems, such as AEB, calculate the distance from the car to objects ahead. A windshield replacement for Hines Subaru now requires glass thats more complex to manufacture, so the cameras can see clearly. The cameras must also be recalibrated by technicians using expensive equipment. EyeSight is available on most new Subarus. The manufacturer isnt the only one with this type of system. Most new cars and trucks for sale are now available with various ADAS features. The upside is that motor vehicles are becoming much safer. For example, rear-end collision rates in vehicles with both FCW and AEB were 46 percent lower than those without these systems, according to a recent study by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute in Ann Arbor. The study showed that lane departure crashes fell 21 percent for cars with LDW and lane keeping assistance (LKA), and that having a backup camera and other systems, including reverse AEB with rear cross traffic alert, reduced backup collisions by 81 percent, among other safety findings. Story continues The downside is that repairs cost more when ADAS components are damaged or even jarred slightly in minor collisions. Thats because the sensors integral to ADAS usually live in peripheral, easy-to-damage areasinside bumpers and windshields, and in side mirrors. So a minor collision or a cracked windshield can become a major expense. Consumer Reports believes that all cars should come standard with AEB, pedestrian detection, FCW, and BSW. CR experts say that with fewer crashes over time because of the wider adoption of collision avoidance systems, drivers should save money, even if collision repair bills are higher. Yes, crashes happen, and with ADAS onboard, they could cost more to repair today, says Jake Fisher, CRs senior director of auto testing. But the equation should eventually work out in the drivers favor because as we reduce on-the-road mishaps, well save on repairs in the future. We value proven safety systems because they dramatically reduce minor and more serious crashes. CR and other car experts stress that ADAS features must be repaired correctly or safety systems can become disabled or function improperly and cause dangerous errors. Most forward-facing cameras used for ADAS are mounted to the glass in or around the rearview mirror, and those cameras dont know where they are in relation to the glass, says Jon Cardi, a senior vice president at Safelite AutoGlass. A minute movement at the windshield could translate to a big error several hundred feet ahead at highway speeds. Not all collision repair shops are qualified to fix ADAS-equipped vehicles, and information about how to repair these vehicles isnt always available, creating uncertainty for insurers and repair shops. We should think differently about what constitutes a fender bender, said Joe Schneider, a KPMG adviser to insurance companies. Stuff that people wouldnt have even filed a claim for in years past [now] has a technological component that affects the safety and operability of the vehicle. Repair costs have been going up in recent years as vehicles become more expensive to repair, so that can be expected to put pressure on insurance premiums, says Bob Passmore, assistant vice president of auto claims with the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA). The hope is that the technology will reduce the number of crashes in the longer term, offsetting for the increase in repair costs. Technology has been evolving at a faster rate than some repair shops can keep up with in terms of new equipment and training, says Jeff Evanson, chief operating officer at Smart Express, a company that provides van-based mobile calibration units to collision repair shops. As these systems become more complicated, youre never going to be able to use a shade-tree mechanic to fix them, he says. Safety Tech Goes Mainstream The development of ADAS represents one of the biggest steps forward in safety technology since the introduction of airbags in the 1970s and the requirement in 2012 that all vehicles have electronic stability control. ADAS can flash warnings when a collision seems imminent, stop a car if the driver fails to respond, alert the driver when the vehicle is swerving out of its lane, steer the vehicle back into its lane, alert the driver to vehicles in blind spots, keep a driver from backing into objects, and maintain a safe following distance using adaptive cruise control. The systems operate by using an array of sensors feeding information about speed and distance into the vehicles computer system, which then informs its braking, steering, and engine control modules. Vehicles with ADAS features are less likely to crash, said Matt Moore, senior vice president of the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), a nonprofit that researches vehicle insurance losses and is part of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Not only do they prevent claims for vehicle damage, some are also associated with reducing the frequency of bodily injury liability claims. ADAS technology has trickled down in the past two years from luxury cars into more affordable models. According to AAA, more than 90 percent of new vehicles in 2018 had at least one ADAS feature. But not all high-tech features are safety-critical. And CRs Fisher says that consumers can try to mitigate future repair costs by being more selective about options when buying a new car. Theres equipment that will save you from getting into a collision, he says. But other items, like LED lights and low-profile tires that cost a lot to repair but dont do much for safety, could be avoided. Collisions Get Complicated ADAS repairs can be placed broadly into three categories: body, glass, and maintenance. Windshield chips and cracks can be repaired with resin to prevent spider-webbing. But resin shouldnt be used in areas that house cameras. To work optimally, ADAS requires greater glass clarity for the cameras. Todays windshields also might contain wiper de-icers and rain sensors, potentially adding to the repair cost. As with other ADAS-related collision repairs, windshield replacement now involves sensor recalibration. According to the Auto Care Association, a trade group, shops report that the most common repairs are for bumpers, fenders, and doors. Bumperswhich usually consist of a hard frame with a plastic covercan house a host of sensors that can be damaged or misaligned in a low-speed collision. In the past, minor bumper damage could be repaired by filling scratches and gouges, then spot-painting. But body-filler compound and fresh paint could impair vehicle sensors, so some bumper repairs now require the more costly option of replacing the cover. Years ago, there might be a little nick on it that you would never file a claim for, says Schneider, the insurance company adviser. Now, that same nick could require recalibration of a camera or sensor. Damage to headlight and taillight assemblies and side mirrors can be similarly expensive. Side mirrors often contain cameras and other electronic parts, such as flashing warning lights. Ten years ago, our average repair ticket was about $1,600, said Tim Cook, owner of A Auto Body Shop in the Richmond, Va., area, which is qualified to work on ADAS-equipped cars. Now, its over $4,000. Were seeing more and more cars declared total losses because of the cost of repairing them. Then there are other expensive parts now more common on new vehicles, including large-diameter wheels with low-profile tires that can be more easily damaged by potholes. LED headlights and taillights are becoming more common on cars as consumer demand rises, and repairing them can run into the multiple thousands of dollars for some luxury SUVs. Some vehicles also require sensor calibrations as a part of wheel alignments so that adaptive cruise control sensors can work properly. We asked several automakers about the extra costs related to collision damage in ADAS-equipped vehicles. They all stressed the importance of increasing safety via new technology. Dominick Infante, director of communications for Subaru of America, said it was difficult to estimate how much its EyeSight features add to the cost of otherwise typical collision work, given the multiple variables involved in each crash, including the severity and location of the collision, as well as the specific ADAS features involved. He stressed that Subarus goal was to reduce crashes. Along that line, he said, Consumers should expect and demand any repair facility working on their Subaru to have all necessary ADAS calibrations completed before picking up the vehicle. Any deviation from original equipment Subaru Parts, and the system may not operate as intended, he added. David Friedman, vice president of advocacy at Consumer Reports, who was a senior official at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, says automakers should work harder to make safety sensors more durable in crashes and less expensive to repair. Now that these critical safety systems have gone mainstream, he says, automakers have an extra responsibility to make sure consumers can afford to both buy and repair them especially when theyre in relatively minor crashes. Repair Shops in Transition Finding the right collision repair shop is key for consumers because there are serious safety implications if a sensor isnt recalibrated correctly. Safelite AutoGlass did testing using AEB sensors that were intentionally misaligned and found that vehicles collided with targets they were supposed to avoid. Its in everyones best interest to see that such recalibration is done, and done properly, says Passmore, the assistant vice president at the APCIA. CR experts stress the importance of following manufacturer guidelines with ADAS repairs. But they say some shops arent able to meet this standard yet. The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, an organization that certifies technicians, told CR its developing a credential for repair technicians working on ADAS features so that theyll be competent at diagnosing, repairing, and calibrating equipment. But the first credentialed tests wont be ready until 2021, the group said. The cost of ADAS repair and maintenance could decline over time as more vehicles have them as standard equipment and as more repair shops have the necessary skills and equipment, says Fisher, CRs senior director of auto testing. But he and other auto safety experts say it would be a mistake for consumers to avoid these critical features because of concerns about repair costs. The real savings will come from the crashes you didnt have in the first place, he says. How Does Advanced Safety Tech Affect Car Repairs? Front Bumper Basic bumper repair: $700 to $1,800 Sensor and camera replacement(s): +$500 to $1,900 Recalibration: +$250 to $600 Front bumpers can hold sensors and cameras that help make AEB and other ADAS features work. Experts recommend recalibrating sensors and cameras after minor collisions, even if the ADAS equipment doesnt need to be replaced. Recalibration costs vary by model and the features involved. Vehicles with AEB and FCW had 50 percent fewer rear-end collisions, according to a study from the IIHS. Headlights and Taillights Halogen assemblies: $200 to $500 LED assemblies: $750 to $1,500 Recalibration: +$100 to $250 LED headlights and taillights are available on more mass-market cars these days, adding expense when theyre damaged and need to be replaced. LED headlights provide a brighter and wider beam pattern, but they dont necessarily help you see farther down the road, CRs tests have found. LED headlamp assemblies vary wildly in cost, says Jill Trotta, vice president of RepairPals automotive group. Some European assemblies can cost as much as $3,000 to $5,000. Only headlight assemblies (not taillights) need to be recalibrated. Windshield Replacement Regular windshield: $300 to $500 ADAS-capable windshield: $700 to $1,500 Sensor and camera replacement(s): +$800 to $1,900 Recalibration: +$250 Cameras and radar sensors that help AEB and LDW work are often mounted inside the windshield. Depending on the type of damage, windshield repair or replacement can involve sensor and camera replacement and/or recalibration. Vehicles with LDW had 21 percent fewer single-vehicle, sideswipe, and head-on crashes with injuries, according to the IIHS-HLDI study.* Rear Bumper Basic bumper repair: $700 to $1,800 Sensor and camera replacement(s): +$1,000 to $2,500 Recalibration: +$250 and up Cameras and sensors for rear AEB, cross traffic assist, and parking assist live behind the rear bumper and can be damaged in a collision. Vehicles with rear AEB (when combined with rearview cameras and parking sensors) had 78 percent fewer backup crashes, according to the IIHS-HLDI study.* Any basic body technician can do a bumper repair, Trotta says. Now, theres so much tech built into the bumper it takes advanced technicians and calibration to fix it. Side Mirror Replacement Standard mirrors: $300 to $500 Mirrors with ADAS: $1,000 to $2,500 Recalibration: +$250 and up Side mirrors can house BSW indicator lights, but they can be more complex, with camera and video display capabilities. Vehicles with blind spot detection systems had 23 percent fewer lane-change crashes with injuries, according to the IIHS-HLDI study.* Figures are based on average repair costs for typical cars that consumers might own, plus some higher-end outliers, according to RepairPal, an independent group that tracks repair costs. The figures dont reflect repair costs for some ultra-high-end vehicles or for more serious crashes requiring more extensive body work. The pricing is for car, SUV, and light-duty-truck repair costs, including parts and labor. RepairPal is a CR partner. *Source: IIHS-HLDIs Real-world benefits of crash avoidance technologies, June 2019. 5 Questions to Ask If youre in the market for a car with ADAS, be sure to spend your money on features that can offer real safety benefits. And if you need a repair, it might not be obvious which shops are qualified to fix these complex systems. Here are some key questions to consider. Should you be wary of buying a luxury vehicle just off-lease? Yes. Older model-year luxury vehicles had ADAS features first and might be snapped up off-lease by cost-conscious luxury seekers. But the vehicles could be more than a few years out of warranty, and you could be looking at expensive repairs for ADAS-related equipment that breaks down and for other repairs in general. Should you get an extended warranty to cover high-tech safety gear? Insurers and other companies offer extended bumper-to-bumper warranties that would pay for the breakdown of ADAS equipment and other items in your car, beyond the regular warranty period. In the event of a crash, damaged ADAS equipment would be covered as part of regular collision insurance, minus any deductible. Collision coverage is generally required when leasing or if youre still paying off a vehicle loan. If you own the vehicle outright and opt out of collision coverage, you could be stuck with expensive collision repair bills. How can you tell whether a shop has the equipment to repair these systems? Ask your dealership if it can handle the repair or if it can recommend a qualified repair shop. Not all dealerships have the tools necessary to recalibrate ADAS sensors and cameras, but a factory-backed service department can usually point you in the right direction. You also can look online for manufacturer-recommended collision repair shops. Some manufacturer websites have a list of certified collision centers, although you might have to dig around for it. If you go with an independent repair shop, research online reviews and ask the shop which certifications it has and whether it can make the necessary repairs and calibrations. How do the benefits of advanced driver assistance systems compare with the repair costs? If youre shopping for a car, we strongly recommend a vehicle with AEB with pedestrian detection, FCW, and BSW. These systems have been shown to substantially reduce rear-end crashes. CR gives extra points if AEB and FCW come standard on all trims of a tested model. Seriously consider whether you should pay extra for high-tech convenience features, such as LED headlights, that might add to repair costs but not necessarily improve safety. Should you ask for factory parts? If your car is under warranty, you should ask for manufacturer parts because some manufacturers could void your warranty if certain aftermarket parts are used. If your car is out of warranty, aftermarket or used parts can save you money and should provide the same level of safety. CR believes that to keep repairs more affordable, car manufacturers and their associated dealers shouldnt have a monopoly on parts or repair services. CR Time Traveler Car Repairs 1940 Our experts study the mechanical specifications of more than 60 cars, noting that metal and grillwork has increased in size and cost on many models, making the engine harder for owners and mechanics to access. 1952 CR introduces a Service Accessibility Rating that reflects how easy it is to inspect a cars battery, brake fluid level, and more. Of V8 cars we rate, a Mercury is best. 1954 With the help of 24 mechanics, we test 15 brands of mechanics hand cleaners and soaps. Though all do an acceptable job, our testers find emulsion cleaners to be slightly superior to other types. 1961 As more imported cars roll into the U.S., we test them. A 1961 Volkswagen is the only CR Best Buy for its well-behaved mechanism, excellent finish, and high resale value. 1977 In CRs report on subcompacts, the Toyota Corolla is tops for predicted repair incidence. We also note that the front seat is comfy for short drivers, but the backseat is cramped. 1987 Using CRs Annual Questionnaire, we chart the repair and expense histories of 252 cars. The 81-83 Cadillac Eldorado, for example, costs owners at least 35 percent more than the average car model. 1999 In CRs labs, we use our hydraulic basher to deliver low-mph impacts to bumpers. A Ford original- to-manufacturer bumper has only minor cosmetic damage, while a replacement imitation one shatters. 2018 In a CR member survey of car repair shops, Jiffy Lube performs 91 percent of vehicle repairs correctly the first time. 2020 We investigate high repair prices on vehicles with advanced driver assistance systems. Editors Note: This article also appeared in the March 2020 issue of Consumer Reports magazine. Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. More from Consumer Reports: Top pick tires for 2016 Best used cars for $25,000 and less 7 best mattresses for couples Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright 2020, Consumer Reports, Inc. Tanaiste Simon Coveney has warned that Brexit is "coming at us like a freight train" as cabinet ministers were given an "alarming" update on the state of forthcoming trade talks between the EU and the UK. With the General Election entering its final week and the UK formally leaving the EU tomorrow night, Mr Coveney and EU Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan issued dire warnings about the potential failure of trade negotiations between the EU and the UK. Mr Coveney outlined the consequences of a no-trade deal scenario, including Irish beef being hit with 50pc export tariffs and Irish fishermen being unable to fish in British waters. Complacency Meanwhile, Mr Hogan said the riskiest part of Brexit negotiations has yet to come and said he was "very concerned" by "a lot of complacency" in Ireland about the next phase, with a crash-out Brexit still possible. "If things had gone wrong in the first part of the negotiations, you can consider in the context of a general election what this would have meant for manifestos in terms of income, in terms of wages, in terms of jobs, the possible economic rupture in terms of a crash out Brexit," he told RTE. Fianna Fail last night accused Mr Hogan of trying to "whip up fear" to help Fine Gael's election campaign. Brexit spokesperson Lisa Chambers said: "I think the timing of all of this is co-ordinated to coincide with the general campaign to ramp up a bit of fear to try and get the public to focus on Brexit when they are focused on health and housing. "I don't think he [Mr Hogan] should be doing that, I don't think he should be assisting the Tanaiste to try and whip up fear on this issue." Mr Hogan's spokesman said the Commissioner had nothing to add to his remarks. With British Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisting his government will not seek an extension to Brexit trade talks, Mr Coveney said this will mean "we will have to make difficult choices before the summer". The UK will leave the EU tomorrow and the European Commission will publish its draft negotiation mandate for trade talks on Monday. Mr Coveney briefed cabinet colleagues on the Brexit state of play at a meeting in Dublin with a memo that a Government source described as "alarming". Senior Government officials believe that despite his previous U-turns, Mr Johnson, bolstered by a strong mandate in last month's general election, will not renege on his commitment to leave the EU even if a trade deal is not struck by the end of this year. "The UK are very unlikely to seek an extension of the transition period by mid-summer, which is when they would have to do it," Mr Coveney said yesterday. "Because of that timeline the UK effectively decided to put themselves in a straitjacket. The approach to the negotiations from the European Union will be tailored to that time and that will force choices, but it will also force a very intense negotiation very quickly." Demanding Meanwhile, Irish MEP Mairead McGuinness shut down Nigel Farage's flag-waving during his final speech at the European Parliament. Farage was greeted by cheers and the waving of union jack flags by his party's MEPs as he declared Britain was "never coming back". But McGuinness, a member of Fine Gael and the parliament's vice president, said: "If you disobey the rules, you get cut off. Please sit down, resume your seats, put your flags away - you're leaving - and take them with you." In his final speech, Mr Farage insisted there could be no turning back once Britain was out. "This is it, the final chapter, the end of the road, a 47-year political experiment that the British frankly have never been very happy with," he said. By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Interior Department is grounding its fleet of about 800 Chinese-made drones but will allow their use for emergency situations, the department said on Wednesday. U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt issued an order affirming a temporary cessation of non-emergency operations adopted in October as it ensures "cybersecurity, technology and domestic production concerns are adequately addressed," the department said. The order allows for approved situations for emergency purposes, such as fighting wildfires, search and rescue, and dealing with natural disasters that may threaten life or property." It also allows for training operations. Bernhardt in October also ordered a halt to additional Interior department purchases of Chinese-made drones. China's SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd, the worlds largest maker of consumer drones, said in a statement on Wednesday it is "extremely disappointed" in the Interior order that "inappropriately treats a technology's country of origin as a litmus test for its performance, security and reliability." The company added that the concerns have "little to do with security and are instead part of a politically-motivated agenda to reduce market competition and support domestically produced drone technology, regardless of its merits." In May 2019, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned U.S. firms of the risks to company data from Chinese-made drones. In a notice, DHS said U.S. officials have "strong concerns about any technology product that takes American data into the territory of an authoritarian state that permits its intelligence services to have unfettered access to that data or otherwise abuses that access." Bernhardt's order said the department will issue implementing guidance within 30 days. The order noted that Interior uses drones for "assessing, collecting, and maintaining information that relates to our critical American energy, transportation, and defense infrastructure." Story continues Some information collected during drone operations "has the potential to be valuable to foreign entities, organizations, and governments," it added. In June, U.S. President Donald Trump said that "domestic production capability for small unmanned aerial systems is essential to the national defense." (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Bill Berkrot) A decline in EU nationals living in the UK after Brexit could lead to the loss of nearly 120,000 jobs in London, a new study has found, prompting warnings the restrictive and transactional attitude of the Home Office to European citizens could backfire. Research by academics at the University of Sheffield and the University of Cambridge shows a rise in the number of EU migrants in London has led to an increase in overall employment contradicting concerns migrants take jobs from British workers. It said the increase had come about due to factors such as migrants spending their earnings in the local economy, setting up new businesses, contributing to innovation, filling jobs UK workers are unable or reluctant to accept and helping to build overseas trade links. The study shows if there were a 1 per cent fall in the number of Europeans in each London ward after Brexit, it would lead to around 117,410 job losses across the capital, while a 1 per cent increase in the number of European residents would cause the level of employment in London to rise by 0.28 per cent. Based on this model, which involved creating a unique dataset and applying a new statistical procedure to produce the first reliable local estimates, the experts found EU migrants generate more jobs than they take over the long run. Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Show all 20 1 /20 Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Britain votes to leave the European Union - 23 June 2016 A referendum is held on Britain's membership of the European Union. Fifty-two per cent of the country votes in favour of leaving AFP via Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? David Cameron resigns - 24 June 2016 David Cameron resigns on the morning of the result after leading the campaign for Britain to remain in the EU Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Theresa May takes the reins - 13 July 2016 Theresa May becomes leader of the Conservative party and prime minister, winning the leadership contest unopposed after Andrea Leadsom drops out Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? High Court rules parliament must vote on Brexit - November 2016 - 3 November 2016 The High Court rules that parliament must vote on triggering Article 50, which would begin the Brexit process Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Article 50 triggered - 28 March 2017 The prime minister triggers Article 50 after parliament endorses the result of the referendum Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? May calls snap election - 18 April 2018 Seeking a mandate for her Brexit plan, May goes to the country Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? May loses majority as Labour makes surprise gain - 8 June 2017 After a disastrous campaign, Theresa May loses her majority in the commons and turns to the DUP for support. Jeremy Corbyn's Labour party makes gains after being predicted to lose heavily AFP/Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Negotiations begin - 19 June 2017 David Davis and Michel Barnier, chief negotiators for the UK and EU respectively, hold a press conference on the first day of Brexit negotiations. Soon after the beginning of negotiations, it becomes clear that the issue of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic will prove a major sticking point AFP/Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? MPs vote that withdrawal deal must be ratified by parliament - 13 December 2017 The government suffers a defeat in parliament over the EU withdrawal agreement, guaranteeing that MPs are given a 'meaningful vote' on the deal Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Boris Johnson resigns as foreign secretary - 11 July 2018 Following a summit at Chequers where the prime minister claimed to have gained cabinet support for her deal, Boris Johnson resigns as foreign secretary along with David Davis, the Brexit secretary Reuters Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Draft withdrawal agreement - 15 November 2018 The draft withdrawal agreement settles Britain's divorce bill, secures the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and vice versa and includes a political declaration commiting both parties to frictionless trade in goods and cooperation on security matters. The deal also includes the backstop, which is anathema to many brexiteers and Dominic Raab and Esther McVey resign from the cabinet in protest Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? May resigns - 24 May 2019 After several failed attempts to pass her withdrawal agreement through the commons, Theresa May resigns Reuters Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Johnson takes over - 24 July 2019 Boris Johnson is elected leader of the Conservative party in a landslide victory. He later heads to Buckingham Palace where the Queen invites him to form a government Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Parliament prorogued - 28 August 2019 Boris Johnson prorogues parliament for five weeks in the lead up to the UK's agreed departure date of 31 October. Stephen Morgan MP Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Prorogation ruled unlawful - 24 September 2019 The High Court rules that Johnson's prorogation of parliament is 'unlawful' after a legal challenge brought by businesswoman Gina Miller Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Johnson agrees deal with Varadkar - October Following a summit in Merseyside, Johnson agrees a compromise to the backstop with Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar - making the withdrawal agreement more palatable to Brexiteers Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Final Say march demands second referendum - 19 October 2019 As parliament passes the Letwin amendment requiring the prime minister to request a further delay to Brexit, protesters take to the streets in the final show of force for a Final Say referendum Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Johnson wins 80 seat majority - 12 December 2019 The Conservatives win the December election in a landslide, granting Boris Johnson a large majority to pass through his brexit deal and pursue his domestic agenda Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Withdrawal deal passes parliament - 20 December 2019 The withdrawal agreement passes through the commons with a majority of 124 Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? EU parliament backs UK withdrawal deal - 29 January 2020 Members of the European parliament overwhelmingly back the ratification of Britain's departure, clearing the way for Brexit two days later on 31 January. Following the vote, members join hands and sing Auld Lang Syne AFP/Getty This means there would be significant job losses if EU nationals leave London after Brexit, with around 500 jobs cut in the financial district of Canary Wharf and more than 200 of the citys 760 wards losing at least 130 jobs, according to the research. Maike Bohn, co-founder of the3million, said the findings confirmed that the perception of EU immigrants as a drain on UK resources is a populist lie to appeal to certain voters and urged the government to start treating them as real human beings. She added: The new, restrictive and very transactional attitude of the UK government to EU citizens will backfire. Those already living in the UK resent being seen purely as an economic commodity and EU citizens considering coming to the UK will think twice as it will be much harder for them in future to bring families and to integrate properly. Gwilym Pryce, professor of urban economics and social statistics at the University of Sheffield, who led the study, said it was striking to see the positive impact EU citizens had on employment levels in London, but added that it was possible the local impacts vary considerably around the country. He suggested this may raise the question of whether there was a political imperative for regions that had gained from immigration to compensate areas that have lost out. It comes after the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) rejected Boris Johnsons high-profile pledge to adopt an Australian-style system, calling it a soundbite and saying it risked repeating past mistakes. The report said such a system based on factors such as age, qualifications and previous study in the UK would cut economic growth while delivering very small increases in GDP per head and productivity. Instead, it called for a minimum salary threshold for most workers offered a job a system Mr Johnson sought to scrap but set at 25,600 instead of the 30,000 proposed under Theresa Mays premiership. A spokesperson for the Home Office said: The EU Settlement Scheme is making it free and straightforward for EU citizens to stay. In London, latest published figures up to 30 September 2019 show over 668,000 applications had been received from applicants in London. We will deliver on the peoples priorities by introducing a points-based immigration system from 2021 to attract the brightest and best talent from around the world, while reducing low-skilled migration and bringing overall numbers down. T he UKs penultimate night in the EU has been marked by British-themed music and celebrations across Brussels, hosted by Remain-supporting MEPs The Mayor of Brussels arranged for the citys Grand-Place to be lit up in the Union Flags red, white and blue, while a band played English rock and folk songs in the square. Philippe Close set up the event to celebrate the friendship between Brussels and the UK ahead of Brexit on Friday. As part of the event, attendees had the chance to get their picture taken with a red phone box and black cab while Molly Malone blared in the background. A band of bagpipers also marched through the square sporting kilts and flying the flag of St Andrew. A 'Brussels Calling' party was thrown at Grand Place / Getty Images Elsewhere, the Green Partys Magid Magid hosted a Brexits s*** but lets party anyway event at the Place Luxembourg, just outside the European Parliament. The party featured a performance by Magic Magid and the F*** Brexit Orchestra, a wedding arch to stage fake weddings for Brexit victims complete with a veil and a ring. In the centre of the square, the statues had been gagged to represent the silencing of Britains voice in Europe. Three yellow Minis branded with the slogan The Brexit Job: The Self Devastation Society were parked nearby. Tourists could take photos with red phone boxes and London black cabs / REUTERS Those who did not fancy a night in the cold had the option of heading to a ceilidh at La Maison des Ailes, close the European Commission. The 27 EU member states approved Boris Johnsons Withdrawal Agreement on Wednesday, paving the way for the UKs departure at 11pm on Friday. Despite the show of good cheer on Thursday, many Green MEPs could not hide their anger at being shut out of their main sphere of influence. A woman wearing an EU fan's attends a concert on the Grand Place / Getty Images Ellie Chown, an MEP for the West Midlands, said: Weve got a fundamental democratic deficit in the UK and its really galling when people criticise the EU when our democratic deficit is far worse. We have unelected members sitting in the House of Lords, we even have unelected Cabinet members. Here in the European Parliament, its proportional and you get a different type of politics youre looking for common ground and engaging in proper dialogue rather than a dialogue of the deaf we have in Westminster. Ms Chown vowed to return to the UK with a real determination to champion political reform, adding that she could see the energy around the unsuccessful campaign for a second referendum bringing new momentum to the same cause. Catherine Rowett, who represents the Greens in the East of England, thought the UK would be back in the EU within a generation. Brussels threw the event to celebrate its friendship with the UK / REUTERS Obviously it will happen, she said. People are aware of what they are losing, as long as the right wing forces dont manage to raise a generation who are afraid of foreigners. I think when the current generation of 16- to 30-year-olds are in the leadership positions, then they will take us back in. London MEP Scott Ainslie could not hide his anger at the Brexit Party: I feel part of my identity has been ripped out of me by a malignant force. Its been a complete con. Albatrosses have been fitted with real time GPS data logging systems, in order to catch illegal fisheries and boats that are destroying marine ecosystems (Getty) Scientists revealed they are fitting GPS tracking devices to albatrosses in an attempt to combat illegal fishing in the worlds oceans. In a six-month trial, researchers attached data logging devices to 169 of the sea birds and tracked their movements, with the birds feeding data back in real-time. The study, published on Monday in the US journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), scientists said illegal and undeclared ocean fisheries were damaging ecosystems by overexploiting fish stocks and catching threatened species. The "ocean sentinels" were able to locate and track vessels that purposefully turned off their automatic identification systems (Getty The birds patrolled more than 47 million square kilometres (18 million square miles) of open ocean. Albatrosses were chosen because of their attraction to fishing vessels and their ability to cover vast areas. Samantha Patrick, a senior lecturer in Marine Biology at the University of Liverpool and contributor to the study, explained how the birds, or ocean sentinels, could cover more area than human patrol ships. Read more: Britain 'may be unable to stop illegal EU fishing in no-deal Brexit' Britain to introduce bill to end automatic EU fishing rights in UK waters UK must control access to its waters after Brexit, fishing industry urges Writing in The Conversation, she said: Originally this work began to differentiate between fishing boats and other vessels, to test whether birds were more likely to be attracted to fishing boats. But when we combined the data collected by the loggers with a global map, we could see the location of all boats with an active automatic identification system (AIS). Researchers attached portable data logging devices to 169 birds and then tracked their movements, with the birds feeding data back in real-time (Getty) This radar allows vessels to detect each other, preventing collisions. But our study found that over 20% of boats within French waters didnt have their AIS on, rising to 35% in international waters. Since the AIS is intended to keep vessels safe, its likely that these vessels operating without it in international waters were doing so to avoid detection, and so could be fishing illegally. Its difficult to imagine a human patrol boat being able to cover enough area to efficiently track illegal fisheries. Story continues But each wandering albatross could potentially cover the same area of ocean as a boat, and when its logger detects a fishing boat with its AIS turned off, it can relay that information to the authorities, who can alert nearby vessels to investigate. The study revealed that a third of the boats detected by the trackers had AIS turned off in international waters. The United States government is reviving its push to convince companies to build backdoors into smartphones, which it claims would give law enforcement agencies easy access to the data, and help them to prevent terrorist plots and mass shootings in the country. However, companies like Apple have refused to cooperate. At the same time, critics have also spoken out against the government having easy access to private data as it defeats the purpose of encryption. According to a report by Vice, the government doesnt appear to be waiting around for smartphone manufacturers to provide backdoors. It is using smartphone-cracking tools provided by third-party companies. The report also claimed that Android encryption is getting stronger, making the job to crack them increasing difficult as compared to iPhones. Detective Rex Kiser, who conducted the digital forensic examinations for the Fort Worth Police Department, told Vice, Some of the newer operating systems are harder to get data from than others. I think a lot of these [phone] companies are just trying to make it harder for law enforcement to get data from these phones under the guise of consumer privacy. Right now, were getting into iPhones. A year ago, we couldnt get into iPhones, but we could get into all the Androids. Now we cant get into a lot of the Androids. The investigation revealed that a smartphone cracking tool designed by the Israel-based company Cellebrite could break into iPhones up to the iPhone X. The tool extracts data such as messages, call logs, contacts, GPS records and even specific data from social media platforms. However, Cellebrites phone cracking tool is less effective against Androids encryption on premium handsets. The report the tool could not extract GPS, browsing and social media information from the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Google Pixel 2, while Huaweis P20 Pro couldnt be breached. Thailand's Corrections Department launched a project to provide healthcare training for 50 inmates so they can help doctors and nurses care for ailing inmates should they come down with China's coronavirus. Director-general of the department Naras Savestanan said the inmates recruited from prisons nationwide would undergo the eight-day course at the Bangkok Remand Prison. They would then return to their prisons to help care for ailing prisoners, Bangkok Post reported. Naras stressed that the project was initiated to help deal with a shortage of medical staff in 143 prisons nationwide which are currently housing more than 380,000 prisoners. As a result of overcrowding, when prisoners have to stay in close proximity to each other in crowded places, infections to the upper respiratory tract can spread easily. "There are currently 314 Chinese inmates being detained in prisons nationwide and 14 who have just arrived. As far as we know they do not have the coronavirus but training inmates will help in the event of an outbreak," he noted. The course will carry on until authorities have achieved a ratio of one volunteer carer to 50 inmates. It almost feels like I didnt really have a choice, says Dylan, who has the auburn hair and warm demeanor of a Redford. I was born into it. Ive always felt so supported by my grandfather, my dad, my mom. This is where I want to be. This is the type of work I wanted to be making: fresh, forward-looking. Dylan is just starting out while his famous grandfather is easing into retirement. Redfords last film as an actor (not counting Omniboat) was 2018s The Old Man & the Gun, a poignant finale for an actor who has always considered himself an outlaw. At the time, Redford still had a few potential directing projects afloat but hes instead stepped back to produce. The last of them, he says, is 109 East Palace, about J. Robert Oppenheimer and the creation of the atomic bomb. That will probably be the last, Redford said of the project, which hell produce. Word has gotten out that Redford isnt available. Scripts, he says, dont come to me so much anymore. And hes happy with it that way. CAMBRIDGE, MD (January 30, 2020)-- The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) has been awarded a $500,000 grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to lead a coalition of scientists from around the country to study the impact of storms, sea-level rise, and climate change on estuaries and bays. This national Research Coordination Network (RCN), part of NSF's new initiative on People and Coasts (CoPe), will synthesize insights from existing coastal resiliency projects around the country and propose bold new strategies that integrate ecosystem enhancement and recovery to protect coastal communities and infrastructure. "The increasing severity of storms and flooding due to changing land use and climate change are testing the resilience of coastal communities and ecosystems. Much needs to be done to prepare communities and the environment to adapt," said Peter Goodwin, president of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. "This visionary NSF program reaches across the national scientific and engineering community to identify critical gaps in our current understanding and to pursue innovative technologies and strategies. UMCES is excited to bring together some of the top experts from around the country to tackle the critical environmental challenge of building coastal resilience." Led by UMCES oceanographer Ming Li, the coalition-based initiative called Estuarine CoPe RCN will study the impact of storms, sea-level rise, and climate change on estuaries and bays. Scientists will focus their attention on coastline management strategies such as engineered structures and natural/nature-based systems. They will also explore the human dimensions of coastal resilience. Funding will provide interdisciplinary training to young scientists through workshops and focus-group interactions. "It is a recognition of the expertise of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science that we were granted this prestigious award by the National Science Foundation to study how we can make more resilient coastal communities," said Mike Roman, director of UMCES' Horn Point Laboratory. "The results that this top team of scientists generates will directly benefit the citizens of Maryland and beyond." According to the National Science Foundation, "the goal is to translate research results into specific recommendations for developing coastal resiliency solutions and seek stakeholders' feedback to orient academic research towards addressing pressing concerns faced by urban and rural communities living around the Nation's estuaries and bays." U.S. coasts feature a number of bays and estuaries within which many metropolitan cities are located, including New York City on the Hudson River, Washington, D.C. near the Chesapeake Bay, and San Francisco on San Francisco Bay. The impacts of sea-level rise and storms on estuaries and bays are just beginning to be understood, and many questions remain unanswered. Natural habitats, such as salt marshes, oyster reefs, and sand dunes offer coastal protection with ecosystem benefits, but the effectiveness and environmental impacts of these structures are not well understood. "We are fortunate to have this opportunity to collaborate with scientists from a number of institutions across the country, including University of Maryland, College Park; University of California, Berkeley; University of California, Davis; Stevens Institute of Technology; Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth; and California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo," explained organizing Professor Ming Li. "The Estuarine CoPe RCN allows us to bring together oceanographers, engineers, ecologists, and social scientists to synthesize recent research, explore open questions, and advance the transdisciplinary science of coastal resiliency." The first workshop will be held March 16-18 at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ, located alongside the Hudson River. One full day of the conference will be devoted to dialogues with stakeholders, inviting professionals from the infrastructure management community to provide input and further the discussion. ### UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE A globally eminent research and graduate institution focused on advancing scientific knowledge of the environment, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science provides sound advice to help state and national leaders manage the environment and prepares future scientists to meet the global challenges of the 21st century. http://www.umces.edu Border Patrol apprehends illegal aliens who have just crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico near McAllen, Texas, on April 18, 2019. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Democratic Lawmakers Urge 9th Circuit to Block Trump Admin From Detaining Immigrant Families Past 20 Days Dozens of Democratic lawmakers have urged a federal appeals court to uphold an order from a lower court blocking the Trump administration from enforcing a new rule that would allow families who enter the United States illegally to be held in detention for longer than 20 days. The new rule was announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in August to replace the Flores settlement agreement. The 1997 Clinton-era Flores agreement is a court ruling that says minors who cross the border illegally cannot be detained for more than 20 days. This means the children and their families then must be released into the interior of the United States, with a court date set for possibly years down the road. The DHS and Department of Health and Human Services said the new rule would terminate the Flores agreement, effectively allowing for DHS to keep family units together in detention during fair and expeditious immigration proceedings. The rule was introduced to respond to the influx of family units entering illegally across the southern border in hopes of being released into the interior of the country rather than detained during removal proceedings. Following the rules announcement, many of Trumps opponents expressed concerns, prompting multiple lawsuits. The rule was rejected by a district court judge in Los Angeles in September 2019, who ordered a permanent injunction against the rule. The judge, U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee, said in her decision that the terms of the new regulations fail to implement and are inconsistent with the relevant and substantive terms of the Flores Settlement Agreement. She also rejected the administrations argument that the requirements set out in the 1997 Flores agreement had already been met. The Trump administration subsequently appealed the ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. On Tuesday, 135 congress members from the Senate and House of Representatives including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), filed a friend-of-the-court brief (pdf) calling on the 9th Circuit to block the Trump administration from implementing the rule, arguing that the Flores agreement is key to ensuring there are minimum health and safety requirements for the custody of children. The lawmakers argued that the new rule is inconsistent with the terms and purpose of the Flores agreement because it allegedly effectively allows for the indefinite detention of migrant children. They said this is inconsistent because the Flores agreement core stipulates that the government shall expeditiously process the child after arrest and shall release a minor from its custody without unnecessary delay. The regulations thereby eliminate the assurance that the facilities housing these children satisfy state standards, and they deny the independent oversight of federal immigration detention facilities that is critical to maintaining the health and safety standards for migrant children that the agreement guarantees, they wrote. The administration argues that the rule allows the departments to address the statutory and operational changes that have occurred since the Flores agreement was put in place 23 years ago. The Trump administration has been critical of the Flores agreement, saying that the agreement has been responsible for the influx of family units crossing the southern border into the United States in recent years. Kevin McAleenan, former acting DHS secretary, said in August 2019 that the new rule eliminates a key incentive that encourages traffickers to exploit children. DHS states that the rule would continue to ensure that all alien children (both accompanied minors and unaccompanied alien children) in the governments custody are treated with dignity, respect, and special concern for their particular vulnerability as minors. Along with Congress members, a coalition of state attorneys general also filed a friend-of-the-court brief (pdf) on Tuesday urging the court to uphold the lower courts ruling. Charlotte Cuthbertson contributed to this report. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Reuters) Santiago, Chile Thu, January 30, 2020 09:07 713 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2061a8a8f 2 Environment Chile,frogs,extinction,animals,conservation Free When Chilean scientists last year discovered 14 Loa water frogs struggling to survive in a nearly dry river bed in the country's northern desert, the clock began ticking. They believed these to be among the last of the species. The tiny, dark-spotted amphibians, Telmatobius dankoi, had long persisted against all odds in a tiny creek in Chile's Atacama desert, the world's driest. But pollution and habitat destruction outside Calama, a fast-growing mining city of 180,000, has pushed the frogs to the brink, scientists say. The frog's tragic predicament has now unleashed a new effort in Chile to save them. Scientists rushed the ailing frogs by plane to Santiago, where late last year they sought to recreate their habitat in Santiago's Metropolitan Zoo. "Our principal aim was to save them from extinction," said Felipe Sotomayor, the zoo's deputy director. Zoo researchers were forced to start from scratch, first adding minerals to distilled water until they achieved a chemical composition similar to that of the Loa frog's native habitat. Read also: Unfroggetable: Endangered Bolivian amphibians get long-awaited first date "There wasn't a lot of research around how this animal lived in the wild and so we had to extrapolate much of the information from its relatives," Sotomayor said. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) considers the frog to be "critically endangered", but acknowledges more research is needed to understand their habitat and save them from extinction. The frog's range is restricted to just 10 sq. km, a tiny oasis of water and reeds amid a sprawling Chilean desert of parched sand and rock. "The first stage was to save the lives of these animals," said Osvaldo Cabeza, the zoo's herpetology supervisor. Thirteen of the frogs survived in their newly created home in Santiago. One perished. Now, Cabeza says the scientist's focus has shifted to encouraging the survivor's to feed and reproduce in captivity, the frog's last chance for survival. "We're lucky to have these frogs so that we can send out a warning cry for conservation," Sotomayor says. "Clearly we're doing something wrong and we don't have much room for error." Topics : Chile frogs extinction animals conservation National chairman of the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) Kelemen Hunor told AGERPRES on Thursday that all MPs who disagrees with the form or merits of the government's legislating on two-round mayoral elections by assuming responsibility before Parliament have to vote on the censure motion, and that Parliament has "the moral and political obligation to stop the government." "I say that the vote of motion must be made as soon as possible, we must not prolong this agony and the sooner, the better. We will vote for the motion of censure, as some of us have signed it. We will vote because we do not agree with changing the electoral legislation for the election of the local administrations neither six months, nor a year before the elections proper and especially not by this method, by government assuming responsibility. That is why I believe that any politician, any lawmaker who disagree with either the form or the substance of the matters has to vote on the censure motion," said Kelemen.He added that a novel situation was emerging."Yesterday, the Constitutional Court issued two rulings on two responsibility assumptions performed by the Orban government and ruled that the government should not and should not be allowed to assume responsibility in Parliament, given that there are two laws at an advanced stage in the parliamentary procedure. And if there is such a thing, then the government does not have to intervene in the legislative procedure, because it is not the government's job: there is a constitutional conflict between Parliament and the Government. As far as electoral legislation is concerned, there is a bill that has passed through the Senate and is under parliamentary procedure in the Chamber of Deputies. So given the circumstances, the government was not allowed to come up with assuming responsibility for changing the electoral law. That is why I believe it is a moral and political obligation on the part of the Parliament to stop the Government in this step and to block the assumption of responsibility by dismissing the Government," said Kelemen.He added that he was convinced that this year there will be no local elections in two rounds."If the Government is not dismissed, we will challenge the government's decision with the Constitutional Court and I am convinced that in a case similar to the two previous assumptions, the Constitutional Court has no other verdict than yesterday's verdicts. I am hundred percent sure that in 2020 there will be no two-round local elections," concluded Kelemen.A censure motion called "The Orban/PNL Government - privatisation of Romanian democracy," was tabled in Parliament on Thursday. The motion is signed by 208 MPs of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and UDMR, according to political sources. Eight Wuhan residents praised for "whistle-blowing" virus outbreak Global Times Source:Global Times Published: 2020/1/29 22:41:04 A top epidemiologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDC) on Wednesday commended eight residents of Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, who were detained in early January for spreading "rumors" about the outbreak of the novel coronavirus that has since rattled the entire country. In an exclusive interview with Global Times' Editor-in-chief Hu Xijin, Zeng Guang, chief epidemiologist at the CCDC, said those eight residents should be highly regarded as they turned out to be correct about the viral outbreak, even though the information they spread "lacked scientific evidence". The eight residents were briefly detained by Wuhan police after they circulated online "rumors" that cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the viral respiratory illness that battered China in the spring of 2003, were detected in some of Wuhan's hospitals. The residents were released shortly but news about the arrests angered many in the country as the novel coronavirus continued to spread in the country. Many termed that detaining the eight whistle-blowers as evidence of local authorities' incompetence to tackle a contagious and deadly virus. Hu, who had written a good number of posts on his personal Weibo account about the arrests, asked Zeng in the interview whether medical experts knew about the virus at that time. "In retrospect, we should highly praise them. They were wise before the outbreak," Zeng said, adding though that any judgment needs to be backed by scientific evidence. Zeng's comment followed an article from the Supreme People's Court of China (SPC) on Tuesday, in which the top court said that the eight Wuhan residents should be "tolerated" and their act of spreading the information, if taken seriously, would have done much good to the public. "Facts show that, although the novel coronavirus-infected pneumonia was not SARS, information released by the eight people were not entirely fabricated," the SPC article said. The article further added that the information would have pushed the public to take preventive measures more promptly, which could have been a "fortunate thing" given the current efforts needed to contain the virus. As the number of novel coronavirus cases continues to rise, Chinese officials have intensified their efforts to contain the outbreak and become more active in releasing information about the epidemic. For example, the National Health Commission and the Hubei provincial government now hold daily press conferences to brief the public on the latest progress of the "devil" virus. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address STAINES-UPON-THAMES, United Kingdom, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Mallinckrodt plc (NYSE: MNK), a global biopharmaceutical company, today announced that the company received the distinguished honor of "Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Workplace Equality (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer)" for the fourth year in a row. Mallinckrodt earned a perfect score of 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation's 2020 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ equality in the workplace. "We are honored to receive this recognition from the HRC Foundation for the fourth year in a row and want to recognize our employees who have contributed to our achievement of earning a perfect score again," said Mark Trudeau, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mallinckrodt. "We are proud of our culture that fosters an inclusive and diverse workplace where all employees are respected for their various backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. We know the power of inclusion and diversity in breaking down barriers leads to life-changing solutions for underserved patients with severe and critical conditions. We remain committed to continuing our efforts to respect one another's perspectives and serve as an example of the strength that comes from embracing our uniqueness." The results of this year's CEI showcase how 1,059 U.S.-based companies are not only promoting LGBTQ-friendly workplace policies in the U.S., but helping advance the cause of LGBTQ inclusion in workplaces abroad. Mallinckrodt's achievements satisfied all of the CEI's criteria and resulted in a 100 percent score. The company joins 680 other major U.S. businesses also earning top scores this year. The HRC Foundation is committed to keeping the criteria for the CEI rigorous, fair and transparent by identifying emerging best practices that improve the experiences of LGBTQ employees of participating businesses. The 2020 CEI evaluates companies on LGBTQ-related policies and practices that fall into five categories: non-discrimination policies, employment benefits, demonstrated organizational competency and accountability around LGBTQ diversity and inclusion, public commitment to LGBTQ equality and responsible citizenship. "The impact of the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index over its 18-year history is profound. In this time, the corporate community has worked with us to adopt LGBTQ-inclusive policies, practices and benefits, establishing the Corporate Equality Index as a primary driving force for LGBTQ workplace inclusion in America and across the globe," said HRC President Alphonso David. "These companies know that protecting their LGBTQ employees and customers from discrimination is not just the right thing to do -- it is also the best business decision." The HRC Foundation is the educational arm of America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community. For more information on the 2020 Corporate Equality Index, or to download a free copy of the report, visit www.hrc.org/cei. ABOUT MALLINCKRODT Mallinckrodt is a global business consisting of multiple wholly owned subsidiaries that develop, manufacture, market and distribute specialty pharmaceutical products and therapies. The company's Specialty Brands reportable segment's areas of focus include autoimmune and rare diseases in specialty areas like neurology, rheumatology, nephrology, pulmonology and ophthalmology; immunotherapy and neonatal respiratory critical care therapies; analgesics and gastrointestinal products. Its Specialty Generics reportable segment includes specialty generic drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients. To learn more about Mallinckrodt, visit www.mallinckrodt.com. Mallinckrodt uses its website as a channel of distribution of important company information, such as press releases, investor presentations and other financial information. It also uses its website to expedite public access to time-critical information regarding the company in advance of or in lieu of distributing a press release or a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosing the same information. Therefore, investors should look to the Investor Relations page of the website for important and time-critical information. Visitors to the website can also register to receive automatic e-mail and other notifications alerting them when new information is made available on the Investor Relations page of the website. CONTACTS For Financial/Dailies Media Inquiries Daniel Yunger Kekst CNC 212-521-4879 [email protected] Investor Relations Daniel J. Speciale, CPA Vice President, Investor Relations and IRO 314-654-3638 [email protected] Mallinckrodt, the "M" brand mark and the Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals logo are trademarks of a Mallinckrodt company. Other brands are trademarks of a Mallinckrodt company or their respective owners. 2019 Mallinckrodt. US-1901951 11/19 SOURCE Mallinckrodt plc Related Links http://www.mallinckrodt.com The Samsung Galaxy A51 easily fills up some big shoes while setting the pace for whats to come from the worlds most popular Android brand. Rating: 2019 was a landmark year for Samsung and not only did the South Korean smartphone giant introduce the world to its clean and streamlined One UI but it also doubled-down and revamped the faltering A Series. Unlike previous years, every model from the A-Series that was introduced had a clear distinction. Each handset was targeted at a specific audience and Samsung, in the process, showed the world what it is to understand its audience. Sure, Chinese brands ruled and seldom could brands compete with their aggressive pricing. However, as the latest CounterPoint research shows, Samsung was the only non-Chinese brand to feature in the top 5 when it came to handsets moved in the country and also held the lofty position of being the number 2 brand in India. With the freshly revamped A Series, Samsung has thrown down the gauntlet to every other brand competing in the premium mid-range segment and issued a rallying cry for every forthcoming model from this series. This takes us to the Samsung Galaxy A50, a smartphone that did extremely well not just in India but across the globe. Now, with 2020 already upon us in a big way, Samsung has recently launched the successor to the Galaxy A50 which has been aptly christened as the A51. This model not only builds up where Samsung left off but also features enough of new and relevant tech that should keep it futureproof well into the next year. And for good measure, Samsung has also dropped the price of the handset making it more accessible to the masses. Design, Build The Samsung Galaxy A50 did well last year because Samsung designed it to perfection. Sure, it did not have a glass finish like some of its pricier counterparts; but, the plastic frame and back added a lightweight appeal which was certainly a crowd-pleaser. The Galaxy A51 follows in the same footsteps and it is in a word a stunner. The Samsung Galaxy A51 comes with a beautiful large display that adorns the front and a hard-to-miss prism design on the rear. Elaborating to an extent on the display, Samsung appears to have moved on for good on the Infinity-U notched design and for good measure added an Infinity-O punch-hole cut-out that was first seen on the Galaxy Note 10 line-up. With the addition of this cut-out, Samsung has managed to trim the top bezel down quite significantly allowing for a streamlined look which we absolutely loved on the Note 10. In a bid to keep the price down, Samsung has made use of a polycarbonate rear that features a design that looks like glass. Although made of plastic, the Galaxy A51 does in no way feel inferior to the touch; however, it comes with a gloss finish that retains fingerprint residue. We would have preferred if Samsung made use of a non-gloss finish thats found on recent realme handsets as it helps in preserving the look even without a case. For what its worth, Samsung has also thrown in a case to keep your purchase in pristine condition way past its purchase date. Handling of the phone is made simpler due to the slight curvature on the rear; allowing it to fit comfortably in the hand. The biggest design change here is the new L-shaped camera module on the rear that sits in the upper left corner. The power button and volume rockers sit on the right side of the display and its positioning is perfect and extremely accessible during single-hand usage. However, those with smaller hands may find it a bit difficult to access. Pressing and holding the power button will launch Samsungs voice assistant Bixby; however, it can be mapped in the Advance features option in the Settings app. On the bottom, we find the USB Type-C port that can be used for charging and data transfer and as a nod to audiophiles out there, Samsung has also added a 3.5mm headphone jack. This means that with it, you can use all your third-party wired headphones easily. To sum up this section, the Samsung Galaxy A51 is a beautiful handset thats well built and even though it has an overall plastic build, it doesnt feel anything less than premium. So, big ups to Samsung for finishing it with perfection. A special mention has to be given to the rear design and even though it features a gradient design, it is subtle and not overbearing as some of the models from rival brands in the last year. Display The Galaxy A50 was a forward-thinking handset for Samsung and with the A51, the brand has built upon it. It comes with an Infinity-O Super AMOLED display measuring 6.5-inches which is a minor size difference when compared with the 6.4-inches found on its predecessor. Due to the centrally-aligned camera cut-out, Samsung has managed to significantly reduce the bezels; however, there is no edge-to-edge display like some of the higher-end models. Samsung uses a flat panel display on the Galaxy A51 which is a fresh departure from the curved screens found on some of the more recent models. If you are worried about scratching this Corning Gorilla Glass 3 display, Samsung has also preinstalled a screen protector for good measure. Also, on the A51, Samsung has managed to reduce the width of the chin, which was a major pain point of the A50. The display used here is FHD+ with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels and features a 20:9 ratio. Samsung is one of the best display manufacturers in the world and this is evident with whats used on the Galaxy A51. While it doesnt have the crisp density as seen on the likes of the Note 10+, for example, it is still a really good OLED panel that more than certainly gets the job done. The viewing angles here are superb and along with the brightness, colours are well represented. On the Galaxy A51, Samsung has used an optical in-display fingerprint sensor. While it may not be as fast as a physical fingerprint scanner, it gets the job done. The Galaxy A50s in-display fingerprint scanner struggled a bit and its great to see that Samsung has worked on this feature. However, for it to work at its optimum best, you need to place your finger directly over the indicated area and it should unlock within 1 1.5 seconds. This may not be that fast; however, it works a lot better than the early iterations of this tech. Software This is one area where the Samsung Galaxy A51 comes into its own. Samsung has loaded One UI 2.0 on top of Android 10 and the Galaxy A51 is the first device to come with this operating system preinstalled. Usually, the Galaxy S Series would be the first to feature Samsungs newest OS; but this year we see the companys bullish intent with its A-Series handsets and it will get additional support for two forthcoming major Android updates. To put it simply, Samsungs One UI 2.0 is like an almost non-existent skin on top of Android 10 but also has the intuitiveness and visually appealing design that the brand is striving for since last year. This version of One UI is a lot more comfortable than the previous generation and you can easily make out all the benefits Samsung has baked into it. With Android 10, you receive Googles navigation gestures, heightened parental controls, the detailed privacy and location additions as well as Focus mode. Also, you get the all-new Bixby Routines, Bixby voice, Edge screen and app pairs. Unfortunately, you also miss out on useful features such as the in-built screen-recorder and slow-mo selfie videos. There are also enhancements such as an enhanced Dark Mode, Secure Folder, Game Launcher, Dual Messenger feature and more. Performance The Samsung Galaxy A51 doesnt make a significant leap when it comes to raw processing power over the A50 as it utilizes the very same chipset, the Exynos 9611, thats found on the Galaxy A50s. This is an octa-core processor thats based on a 10nm design which offers slightly better performance over the Exynos 9610 SoC found on the Galaxy A50. For the price on offer, this chipset is quite sufficient and when paired with a 6GB RAM, the handset does well in handling whatever we threw at it. Made up of four 2.3GHz Cortez A73 cores, the handset can pull off any high-end games such as PUBG Mobile, Asphalt 9 or Call of Duty at its highest setting with complete ease. When it comes to benchmarks, in the Geekbench 5 tool, the Galaxy A51 produced a single-core score of 341 points and a multi-core score of 1263 points. In AnTuTu, the handset scored 140756 points while in the PCMark tool, it scored 5613 points. This performance is whats expected from a handset priced in this segment and although we noticed some extremely slight stutter during the testing period, for the most part, it fared very well. As far as media playback goes, the bottom-firing speaker performs averagely. There isnt anything spectacular to write home about; but for what its worth, Samsung has fitted Dolby Atmos here which helps enhance the audio quality a bit for wired or Bluetooth devices. Camera If there was a single reason to make the switch to the Galaxy A51 it would without a doubt be for its cameras. Last year, Samsung upgraded the Galaxy A50s with a 48MP camera which was one of the handsets biggest draws. This year, the Galaxy A51 retains that very trait and builds upon it with some fantastic hardware. The Galaxy A51 is fitted with a 48MP primary sensor with a decent f/2.0 aperture and an ultra-wide 12MP sensor with an f/2.2 aperture and an impressive 123-degree field of view. The handset also plays home to a 5MP f/2.2 depth sensor and it also has the honour of being the first Samsung smartphone with a 5MP f/2.4 macro lens. To start off, the 48MP camera doesnt capture images at 48MP; instead, it works on a technology thats termed as pixel binning to output images at 12MP. What this means is that images appear with an accurate exposure as well as with significant details as it combines four pixels into one. When images are captured using binned pixels, you get some near stellar colour reproduction with a lot of details as opposed to images that are shot at 48MP. Low light images are also better formulated under this process and we see a marked improvement when compared with the previous generation Galaxy A50. Ultra-wide-angle Macro at a distance of 3cm Samsung has worked on the ultra-wide angle camera here as well and after a strong showing in 2019, the Galaxy A51 is a testament to the brands hard work. The higher megapixel count found on the A51 does have some effect on the captured images as there is a bit more crispness to images. The 5MP macro sensor is the handsets biggest selling point and we feel that a lot of you will start capturing a lot of beautiful images with the A51. The resultant images are detailed close-ups of subjects that are nearly impossible to get without a dedicated lens. Once again, Samsung has done well in this department too; however, the only issue we found here was the lack of an optical image stabilizer so to get the best possible images, you would need a tripod or an extremely steady hand. Upfront, Samsung has employed a 32MP selfie camera that does a wonderful job of capturing portrait shots. While taking self-portraits we noticed that there was a lot of detail and sharpness; but colour accuracy appears a bit off due to overexposure. Overall, the cameras are the single most important reason why we recommend upgrading to the Galaxy A51. Battery Samsung has once again used a 4000mAh battery here and also fitted it with 15W fast-charging support. This is the same technology used on the Galaxy A50s and the Galaxy A50 before it. While we would have hoped that Samsung would have introduced some improved fast-charging tech; it doesnt get much complains from us as you can easily fully charge the device from 0 to 100 in about two hours. Also, Samsung promises talk-time up to 32-hours on 3G and up to 87-hours of audio playback which is pretty great. Verdict Priced at Rs 23,999 for the 6GB+128GB option, the Samsung Galaxy A51 is the front-runner for best premium mid-range smartphone of early 2020. With specifications to match and an extremely competitive price tag, the Galaxy A51 is a handset for anyone who wants a smartphone with above-average camera capabilities. Sure, there are handsets with higher camera specifications such as 64MP sensors; but they dont compare to the software performance that Samsung has on offer. Also, with One UI 2.0, you get a healthy taste of an uncluttered operating system thats not just easy on the eyes but also extremely intuitive. Lastly, with a gorgeous display in tow; you get bragging rights which few other vendors can offer. So, all-in-all, the Samsung Galaxy A51 is hands-down the smartphone to beat in the upcoming, over-crowded smartphone premium mid-range race. Tarale Wulff Photo: David Dee Delgado/Getty Images Model Tarale Wulff testified Wednesday in Harvey Weinsteins Manhattan rape and sexual-assault trial, telling jurors that he masturbated in front of her at work and raped her at his apartment, the same Soho apartment where another alleged sexual assault occurred. Wulff took the stand immediately after Weinstein accuser Dawn Dunning testified. This makes Wulff the second Weinstein accuser to testify about alleged prior bad acts that he has not been charged with in New York. One more accuser is expected to testify in this manner. While these three womens testimony cant be used to show a pattern of alleged predatory behavior, prosecutors can use these accusations to try to claim intent and opportunity. Weinstein is charged with five counts for alleged assaults on former production assistant Mimi Haleyi and a woman named Jessica Mann, who was publicly named only last week. They include two predatory sexual-assault counts, one count of criminal sexual act in the first degree, one count of rape in the first degree, and one count of rape in the third degree. Sopranos actress Annabella Sciorras allegation that Weinstein had raped her in late 1993 is part of the predatory sexual-assault counts and is being used by prosecutors to argue that Weinstein had a pattern of nonconsensual sexual activity. Weinstein has denied all allegations of nonconsensual sexual activity. The beginning of Wulffs testimony had striking similarities to Dunnings. Wulff, like Dunning, was waitressing at a chic bar (in this case, Cipriani Sohos upstairs lounge) when she met Weinstein in 2005. And, similar to Dunning, Wulff had acting aspirations. Weinstein was a friend of Ciprianis owner, and could sit at the proprietors table. Did you know anything about him at that time? asked prosecutor Meghan Hast. I knew that he was involved with movies, that he made movies, replied Wulff. Did you personally interact with him? Hast said. I did. She was assigned to the owners section. Weinstein was sitting there and when Wulff brought him his drink, He asked what I did. I said I was an actor, Wulff said. He said that you have a great look, you should come talk to my people. They exchanged contact information at some point. Later that night, Wulff was standing at the bar, and Weinstein grabbed her arms. He walked her through a door, which wasnt that unusual. The bar was so loud that people frequently went into this passage to talk, Wulff said. After leading Wulff upstairs, Weinstein took her down a hallway. Once he had me in front of him, at some point, I said, I have to get back to work, Wulff claimed. And he said, One sec, one sec, one sec. And I noticed that his shirt started moving. He had on a white shirt, she said. And I noticed that his shirt started moving, and I realized he was masturbating under his shirt, and I just froze for a second, then I just threw the towel and ran past him. Hast asked Wulff what made her realize that Weinstein was masturbating. I saw the motion of his shirt, and his hand was in that direction, under his shirt, and I saw the motion of his shirt going up and down, she said. I didnt see an actual hand. I saw the shirt over his hand, moving up and down. A Weinstein Company employee contacted Wulff after that night, asking her to come and read a script. Wulff went to the Weinstein Companys offices about one week later. Wulff was ushered into a room and given an envelope with the script; Wulff said she felt nervous because she had never been on an audition before. A woman came to the door and said that Harvey wants to see you, Wulff recalled. So I got up, and I walked with her and then she said, Theres a car waiting for you downstairs, so I just followed her instructions and went outside. Hast asked Wulff where she thought they were going to meet. I kind of thought a coffee shop, I figured a coffee shop, she said. The driver ultimately took them to an apartment building in downtown Manhattan. It was the same building where Weinstein allegedly forced oral sex on Haleyi in July 2006. The driver instructed her to take an elevator to an apartment. When Wulff arrived, she stepped into a seemingly empty, loft-like space. Nobody was there to greet her, she said, but Weinstein said something that drew me in more. He was kind of bustling around the space, going in and out, moving around a bit, like he was getting ready for something, she said. They engaged in light banter but Weinstein seemed busy and distracted, so Wulff said she went to sit in the living room. I went into that area, and just sat there, and I waited for a bit, and he had called me, she said. I went to where the voice was coming from, which was a room. I dont know what he said that made me come into the room, she said later. When Wulff entered the room, she alleged, Weinstein attacked her. He had taken me by the arms, and turned me around, and put me on the bed, laid me down, and laid on me as he lay me back, she said. When he was in front of me, thats when I felt afraid, she continued, breaking into tears. Thats when my red flags finally went up. I told him I cant, she testified. And he answered, Dont worry I had a vasectomy. Wulff froze and thought it would be easier to just get through it, she said. Hast asked her how she felt. Just numb. Hast asked what happened next. I dont have a vivid memory of exactly, but I remember, after I was laid down and he was on top of me, and I said I cant , and he said, I had a vasectomy, and I just went blank and looked off, she said. He put himself inside me, and he raped me. After the alleged incident, they went to the car. Wulff said she didnt remember the ride back to his office. I just remember him saying, I know the owner of that beauty spa or something if you ever wanted to, just go ahead and get whatever you want, Wulff testified. During cross-examination, Weinstein attorney Donna Rotunno tried to challenge Wulffs credibility by highlighting gaps in her memory and pointing out that she went to therapy. After testimony ended, it was revealed in court that Wulffs former manager at Cipriani might testify that he saw Weinstein leading her upstairs at the restaurant. Update, February 24: Harvey Weinsteins verdict has been announced. UPDATED While federal health officials have said that the coronavirus is potentially a serious public health threat, most Americans, at this point, are not at risk. That, however, is not stopping educators from worrying and wondering how best to prepare for a possible case of coronavirus in their own schools and communities. So far, there have been five confirmed cases in the United States of the new respiratory illness that first broke out in Wuhan, China and has sickened more than 4,500 people there. In total, there are 6,000 reported cases globally and more than 100 people have died, although there have been no deaths in the U.S. Although there are only a handful of confirmed cases here at home, some schools have had to grapple with the possibility that their students were exposed to the coronavirus. In Floridas Palm Beach County, a group of 30 high school students and three teachers have been told to stay home from school after having been potentially exposed to coronavirus while attending a Model United Nations event at Yale University, according to the Palm Beach Post. The event was canceled midway through when a Chinese student was taken to a local hospital with a cough and a fever. Test results to see if the student has coronavirus havent come back yet, but the student did test positive for the flu. A charter school in Philadelphia had a scare when a Chinese exchange student got sick, but tests later showed the student did not have coronavirus. The school, however, told parents it was ending the exchange program , according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. Some Schools Are Taking Precautions on Coronavirus Schools in other parts of the country have been taking preventative measures. The Fairfax County schools in Virginia have canceled visits from Chinese students participating in a foreign exchange program, according to the local CBS affiliate. Other districts, such as Chicago Public Schools and Montgomery County Schools in Maryland have sent out information to their families with guidance on preventing the spread of viruses including: Thoroughly washing hands for at least 20 seconds; Using hand sanitizer when washing hands with soap and water is not available; Disinfecting surfaces; Covering noses and mouths with a tissue or cloth when sneezing; Staying away from sick people, and staying home if you, yourself, are sick. As you know, this is the annual influenza season, so the usual prevention methods are recommended by the CDC, said Linda Mendonca, the president elect of the National Association of School Nurses. Custodial staff also play an important role in slowing the spread of any virus, she said, especially by disinfecting surfaces such as door handles that students and staff frequently touch. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has some guidance for people who may have the coronavirus and the people who must take care of them, but the CDC does not have any specific guidance on coronavirus for schools. However, the CDC remains an important resource for school leaders, said Mendonca, as do local health agencies. They need to go to their local health departments for guidance, because this is evolving each day, she said. Being aware and knowledgeable is important. Finally, a couple of school districts in Arizona are warning families to be on the look out for coronavirus hoaxes, according to azfamily.com . A fake breaking news alert claiming that students who attend Mesa Public Schools had contracted the coronavirus was circulating on social media. UPDATE: This story was updated to include quotes from an official with the National School Nurses Association. Photo: Some revelers wear face masks during a Chinese New Year celebration in Brooklyn, N.Y., last weekend. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) BJP leader and former Union minister Uma Bharti has alleged the Congress is trying to create a situation that prevailed in 1947, when India was partitioned, and said those protesting against the Citizen (Amendment) Act don't know about the new law. She said people are being misled over the CAA, which seeks to fast-track grant of citizenship to persecuted non- Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. CAA's critics say the law is discriminatory and violates the core values of the Constitution. "People are being misled and the Congress is trying to create a situation like in 1947 in the country. But we will not allow it to succeed, Bharti told reporters in Sehore town on Wednesday night. "Even the media has highlighted that those protesting against the CAA are not even aware what it is, the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister said. The CAA has been passed by both houses of Parliament. It is now a constitutional provision and no administrative official of the state can oppose anything which is related to the Constitution," she said. In reply to a query, Bharti disapproved of ex-Madhya Pradesh minister and BJP leader Badrilal Yadav's objectionable remark against Rajgarh collector Nidhi Nivedita during a public meeting. "A former minister made an indecent comment for which he has apologised. I am not supporting his comment, but in the process a major mistake was not adequately highlighted. You cannot slap a person holding the tricolour in his hands while protesting, Bharti said. She was referring to a recent incident in Rajgarh district, where the collector allegedly slapped a BJP leader taking part in a pro-CAA demonstration. "When Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath led an anti-CAA rally it was not stopped by authorities, they how can they try to stop a demonstration in support of the new law?" the BJP leader asked. Bharti said Nath and the chief secretary should issue guidelines for government officials, telling them they are not supposed to speak on certain issues in violation of service rules. But if they (officials) want to work as social activists, then they should resign from service and stage protest in Shaheen Bagh (a Delhi locality witnessing sit-in against CAA for over a month now), she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) When it comes to the 2020 presidential election, Democrats are nervous wrecks and Republican excitement has grown. Thats according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research as Americans look ahead to a high-stakes election that is 10 months away but still very much top of mind. While emotions could change in the coming months, the findings give Democrats one more worry to add to the list: Will anxiety or enthusiasm be a bigger motivator come November? On the verge of the first votes being cast in a primary contest with no clear leader, 66% of Democrats report anxiety about the election, compared with 46% of Republicans. Democrats are also more likely to feel frustration. Republicans, meanwhile, are more likely than Democrats to declare excitement about the race, and the share of enthusiastic Republicans appears to be rising. The findings arent surprising to anyone whos talked to an undecided Democrat about the crowded primary field. Behind an intense desire to oust President Donald Trump, Democrats often describe deep uncertainty about what sort of candidate has the best chance and whether the party will be able to win the votes. Theres also hard division over policy and whispers about a contested convention. It can all feel a bit too much for some. Im anxious and not really in a good way, said James Horinek, 32, a Democrat in Lawton, Oklahoma, who works in marketing. Theres division across the board theres too much on the Democratic side and too little on the Republican one. Republicans, meanwhile, appear to share less of that angst, while their party hangs together on impeachment, the economy and other major issues on Trumps agenda. I am not nervous at all. I think Donald Trump will win it in a landslide, said Clinton Adams, a 39-year-old custodian in the Florida Panhandle. The poll found that 43% of Republicans say theyre excited about the election, up 10 percentage points from October. Meanwhile, 33% of Democrats reported excitement. About three-quarters of both Democrats and Republicans say they are highly motivated to cast ballots this year. But that only raises the question of which emotion will be stronger in turning out the vote around the margins. A party usually wants its voters excited rather than anxious, said George Marcus, a political scientist at Williams College who has studied the role of emotion in politics and polling. Marcus found that voters who report fear and anxiety are more likely to be confused and split their vote. It creates the possibility for persuasion, Marcus said of voter worry. If Im an anxious Democrat, I may stay home, I may vote Republican. You want your base to be either really angry at the other side or really enthusiastic. Still, Marcus noted Democrats have a long way to go before Election Day. The selection of a nominee could calm jitters and stir up excitement for a candidate. Events could also shift GOP voters confidence. Anna Greenberg, a Democratic pollster, said the contrast between GOP excitement and Democratic anxiety and frustration is not a surprise. In general, supporters of the party in power are going to be more optimistic and hopeful, while supporters of the party out of power are going to be frustrated and angry, Greenberg said. She also noted that Democrats have been stressed since Trump won the White House. Since Trump was elected, Democrats have been particularly anxious about both the idea of disinformation and election interference in 2020 and what could happen in a second Trump term, Greenberg said. However, she added, there is no evidence that Democrats are any less enthusiastic about voting in 2020, and the results of the 2018 election would suggest that they are highly motivated to vote. Indeed, the poll suggests that the feeling among Democrats might be a driver: About 9 in 10 anxious Democrats say they feel very motivated to vote this November, compared with about half of those who are not anxious. Tim Farrell is one of those stressed-out Democrats who have been worried since Trump won in 2016. The 58-year-old social worker in Watertown, New York, says hes been ill for the last three years. He has little faith that voters will turn on Trump, but its the ongoing impeachment trial in the Republican-controlled Senate thats raised his anxiety about November. Im dreading the expected outcome. He wont be convicted. Hell feel hes invulnerable, and hes an idiot with his finger on the button, Farrell said of the president. Farrell expects to donate to whomever the party nominates, and indeed, thats one way Democratic anxiety may help their party. Eighteen percent of anxious Democrats say theyve donated, compared with 5% of those who are not anxious. Still, the stress doesnt feel good to Kathy Tuggle, a retired administrative assistant in Richmond, Indiana. She also dreads the implications of a Trump acquittal that the president can recruit other countries to help his reelection and worries about relaxed standards for truth in political ads on Facebook. Im just not sure we can have a fair election right now, the 65-year-old Democrat said. Thats probably my biggest anxiety right now. Domingo Rodriguez thinks these worries are ridiculous. The 75-year-old retired translator lives in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, and, though hes not affiliated with either party, supports Trump. I think Trump will win again. Im not nervous, Rodriguez said, chuckling as he thought about Democrats view of the election. Theyre absolutely anxious. For them its a matter of life and death, said Rodriguez, who emigrated from Uruguay decades ago. Not for him, though. I know Im going to be living and existing and being in the great United States even if the Democrats win. ___ The AP-NORC poll of 1,353 adults was conducted Jan. 16-21 using a sample drawn from NORCs 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. ___ This corrects the spelling of Anna Greenbergs name. Online: AP-NORC Center: http://www.apnorc.org/ ___ Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game. In an act of global unity, 2,000 campaigners and public figures from over 140 countries are backing an open letter issued on Thursday which declares "state of emergency" for people and planet. The letter issued by 20 world-leading activists, including Indian gender activist Trisha Shetty and well known Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, comes one week on from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calling on the international community to make the 2020s the "decade of action" and 2020 the "year of urgency". "We need you to act faster. To find the finance. To track implementation. To unlock radical solutions. We are watching you. And we will fight every day, for people, for planet," reads the letter addressed to "World Leaders" that declares a "state of emergency" for people and planet. The campaigners, including Pakistani Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, reference the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) and demand political leadership at key moments this year, including COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, the Gavi replenishment, Generation Equality Forums in Mexico and France, the UN General Assembly, and a landmark biodiversity conference in China. "When the SDGs were adopted, our leaders made a bold commitment to leave no one behind. But if you have your ear to the ground, if you have proximity to your community, if you listen to those belonging to the most vulnerable and marginalised communities you'll know the truth. The truth that we are leaving too many people behind," said Shetty, Founder of 'She Says India'. "We commit to doing everything in our capacity to leave no one behind. We commit to hold our leaders accountable to do better and mobilise all resources for the decade of delivery. I am proud to stand with these formidable forces for the first time through this letter," she said. The 2,000 backers of the campaign come from different fields, including high-profile celebrities such Hollywood stars Julia Roberts and Emma Thompson as well as filmmakers J J Abrams and Richard Curtis. "These 20 activists and 2,000 supporters represent the universal and indivisible nature of the Goals and the passion from all sides that 2020 must be a transformative, radical year for change and progress and new finance for people and planet," said Curtis, who has directed a campaign film to coincide with the open letter. Tarana Burke, founder of the MeToo Movement, said: The Global Goals are a solutions-focused plan that the world needs. They are as much about what is happening in the USA as in Uganda. "We are ready and we are watching for action." The open letter is accompanied by a public campaign asking citizens to show their support by sharing the letter and to join this effort for people and planet by using the hashtag #GlobalGoals. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Pentagon on Wednesday released the names of two Air Force officers killed in the crash of their Bombardier E-11A electronic surveillance plane in Afghanistan. They were identified as Lt. Col. Paul K. Voss, 46, of Yigo, Guam, and Capt. Ryan S. Phaneuf, 30, of Hudson, New Hampshire. Voss was assigned to Air Combat Command headquarters at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia. Phaneuf was assigned to the 37th Bomb Squadron at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota. Lt. Col. Paul K. Voss, 46, (left) of Yigo, Guam, and Capt. Ryan S. Phaneuf, 30, (right) of Hudson, New Hampshire were killed when their surveillance plane crashed in Afghanistan The cause of Monday's crash is under investigation, but officials have said there is no indication the plane was downed by hostile action. 'I'm pretty confident there was no enemy action involved. Aircraft mishaps happen,' Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, told reporters Wednesday at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. The remains of the two airmen were recovered from the crash site in Ghazni province by American forces on Tuesday. McKenzie said that as far as he knows, the U.S. troops did not meet any resistance going to the site. The cause of Monday's crash is under investigation, but officials have said there is no indication the plane was downed by hostile action 'The main resistance was from the weather, which was really significant back there,' he said, adding that 'appropriate precautions' were taken in moving the recovery team to the site 'because the last thing you want to do is have another mishap or have other people lose their lives in attempt to get up there.' The Taliban and other extremists factions in the Middle East had claimed the plane had been shot down. Among other spurious reports across Farsi channels was that up to 100 had died amid fanatical claims of retribution for the US strike on Soleimani in Baghdad earlier this month. There were also wild claims that Michael D'Andrea, the CIA chief responsible for the attack that killed Soleimani, was on the plane and died in the crash. Iranian propaganda agency, Mehr News, cited the pro-Kremlin website Veterans Today, which quoted Russian intelligence sources claiming D'Andrea had been killed and vital intelligence aboard the jet seized. It claimed that the jet was not a standard US communications plane, but D'Andrea's mobile command centre and was also carrying other high-ranking operatives. D'Andrea's name began to crop up frequently across Farsi news sites in the wake of the US drone strike which killed Soleimani. According to Iran's Tasnim agency - which has strong links to the IRGC - 'D'Andrea is the most prominent figure in the US CIA in the Middle East.' Taliban and other extremists factions in the Middle East had claimed the plane had been shot down. Among other spurious reports across Farsi channels was that up to 100 had died amid fanatical claims of retribution for the US strike on Soleimani in Baghdad earlier this month The largest trucks big rigs and tractor-trailers are defined as Class 8, Weissburg explained. The Roanoke Valley Operation will produce Class 6 and 7 trucks. While Mack has been a strong player in the heavy-duty truck space, the company is typically not a competitor in the medium-duty space at all, said Tim Denoyer, vice president and senior analyst with ACT Research, which is focused on the commercial vehicle industry. Theres been steady growth in the medium-duty sector in recent years. They have many different applications and are supported by the growth in e-commerce, Denoyer said, which could be one of Macks motivations for entering the space. Theres a little bit of a secular tailwind for that market because of more medium-duty box trucks being used these days to deliver things to peoples homes, he said. The commercial vehicle sector as a whole is expected to experience a slowdown in 2020, coming off some of the best years in history, Denoyer said. But heavy-duty trucks are expected to be harder hit than medium-duty trucks. By Trend At Azerbaijan's request, Azerbaijanis living in China will be evacuated along with Turkish citizens, Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Erkan Ozoral told reporters, Trend reports. The ambassador noted that 35 Turkish citizens will be evacuated from China because of the coronavirus outbreak in this country. "The [Turkish] state plans to send a plane for them. According to our information, 6 or 7 Azerbaijani citizens living there will be evacuated along with Turkish citizens. After that, all necessary measures will be taken," Ozoral said. Coronavirus 2019-nCoV was detected last December in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Infection has already been reported in South Korea, Japan, the US, Thailand, the UAE and other countries. Similar facts have also been recorded in Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia. United States senators have sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo requesting that the U.S. Department of the Treasury update the list of sanctioned persons in Zimbabwe. In a statement, U.S. Senators Jim Risch, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Chris Coons, member of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy, said a new sanctions list is expected to have new names and removal of other individuals. While the United States has been the top provider of humanitarian and development aid to meet the needs of Zimbabwes people, the government of Zimbabwe has implemented a misinformation campaign blaming the countrys woes on targeted sanctions programs implemented by the United States, said the senators. Senators Risch and Coons said, Given the developments in Zimbabwe over the last two years, we urge you to consider enhancing the tools at your disposal, including the use of targeted sanctions, to incentivize changes in behavior by the Government of Zimbabwe. An update to the list of the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list should incorporate a balance of new designations with appropriate removals. They further said, it is important that the United States communicate to the people of Zimbabwe that our sanctions programs are aimed at deterring human rights abuses, public corruption, the undermining of democratic processes or institutions, and political repression in Zimbabwe. They are not aimed at the Zimbabwean people. According to the Foreign Relations Committee, in 2003, the United States began to impose sanctions on select individuals in the ZANU-PF regime and entities known to facilitate human rights abuses, undermine the rule of law, and engage in the looting of state resources for personal or political gain. It says while the targeted sanctions have been in place, the U.S. has continued to invest in humanitarian and development aid for Zimbabwe, spending more than $2 billion over the last 10 years. The government of Zimbabwe has used misinformation to blame U.S. sanctions for the countrys political, economic and humanitarian situation. President Emmerson Mnangagwa has roped in the Southern African Development Community in seeking the removal of the targeted sanctions. An American stuck in the locked-down city of Wuhan, China - the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak - has described it as 'something out of a sci-fi movie.' Doug Perez, 28, a native of San Francisco, California, says he was offered a seat on the recent charter flight that transported 195 US citizens back home on Wednesday. But Perez, who teaches English, says he declined the offer because he would have to leave behind his girlfriend, a Chinese citizen, and their dog. This makes him one of the around 1,000 Americans left behind as the infection continues to spread, sickening nearly 8,000 people worldwide. Doug Perez, 28 (pictured), of San Francisco, California, teaches English in Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak Perez (left) was offered a seat on a charter flight that transported 195 Americans back to the US but declined because he'd had to leave behind his Chinese girlfriend. He says he rarely leaves his apartment except to walk his Labrador dog (right) 'A lot of foreigners are stuck here,' Perez told the Associated Press. 'There is no way on Earth many of us, including myself, are going to leave our loved ones.' Perez says he rarely leaves his apartment unless it's to walk his dog, a Labrador named Chubby, after fitting him with a mask. 'Whenever we leave [the home], we bring the dog,' he told Fox News Rundown. 'So we only take him out for walks. That's the extent of us leaving.' Perez said that when they went to the grocery store to buy food, they both had their respective temperatures outside the shop. 'We're lining up to have our temperature tested in one of those temperature guns. It's like something out of a sci-fi movie,' he told host Dave Anthony. Since the outbreak began in December 2019, more than 8,000 people worldwide have been infected with the virus and 170 people - all in China - have died. Five cases have been confirmed in the US: Maricopa County, Arizona; Orange County and Los Angeles County, California; Chicago, Illinois; and Snohomish County, Washington. On January 23, authorities announced that planes, trains and buses leaving Wuhan were canceled. 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. The lockdown has since expanded to 17 cities, affecting 50 million people. The day the lockdown was announced, Perez and his girlfriend got in a fight - 'a plate was destroyed' - over whether to venture to a supermarket to buy food. His girlfriend, who doesn't want to be named, won the argument, and the couple began ordering food online. The streets went quiet. They stay in every night, spending hours a day on social media, checking up on the latest news and fielding calls from worried relatives. On Tuesday, a charter flight transported 195 Americans - mainly diplomats and their families - out of Wuhan. The plane refueled in Anchorage, Alaska, before touching drown at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, California around 8am PST on Wednesday. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the passengers are being monitored and are under a voluntarily 72-hour quarantine. Perez (pictured) and his girlfriend had their temperatures checked outside of a grocery store in what he describes as 'something out of a sci-fi movie' Because no one can enter or exit Wuhan, Perez says the hospitals are overcrowded and many can't get the medical treatment they need. 'Even the government made an official announcement in Chinese saying that...if you're "a little bit sick, do not come to the hospitals, we're overrun,"' he told Fox News Rundown. 'They need supplies. It's a disaster.' Several healthcare workers and hospitals in China have asked for respiratory masks and protective suits to help them treating a rising number of cases. Perez, who is healthy, added that he's worried about supplies running out, especially food. NOVOSIBIRSK, RUSSIA - JANUARY 30, 2020: A Rospotrebnadzor (Russian Federal Service for Consumer Protection and Welfare Supervision) official uses thermal imaging devices to remotely measure temperature of passengers arriving at Novosibirsk International Airport from Sanya, China, in connection with the outbreak of a pneumonia-like coronavirus in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019. The State Department on Thursday authorized a departure of all non-emergency government employees from the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, along with their family members, as the deadly coronavirus continues to spread. The authorization also extends to U.S. consulates general stationed in the Chinese cities of Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Shenyang, according to a State Department official. "The Department of State made the decision to put the U.S. Embassy and Consulates General on authorized departure status out of an abundance of caution related to logistical disruptions stemming from restricted transportation and availability of appropriate health care related to the novel coronavirus," the State Department said in a statement. Both the U.S. Embassy and Consulates General will continue to provide consular services across China, as resources allow, the State Department said. The authorization, which is not an order to leave the country, came just after the World Health Organization declared the spread of the virus a global health emergency. Since first emerging about a month ago, the virus has infected more than 8,200 people, and has killed at least 171 people in China and has spread to at least 18 other countries, including the United States. Earlier Thursday, the United States confirmed its first case of human-to-human transmission of the virus. Almost two dozen other patients are being monitored for possible infections in Illinois. Multiple people have contracted the virus through human-to-human transmission outside of China, according to a WHO official. Earlier this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised Americans to avoid all nonessential travel to China. The State Department on Monday also raised its travel advisory for China from Level 2 to Level 3, asking Americans to "reconsider travel to China due to the novel coronavirus." Follow CNBC's coronavirus live updates here. By Abdul Kerimkhanov The parties to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs advocate for intensifying negotiations, as well as achieving tangible results on all issues of negotiation agenda, Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry spokesperson Leyla Abdullayeva wrote in her Twitter page on January 29. Abdullayevas comments come after the meeting between Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and his Armenian counterpart Zohrab Mnatsakanyan in Geneva, Switzerland on January 29. As Abdullayeva wrote, the meeting lasted seven hours and will continue on January 30. The co-chairs Igor Popov, Stephane Visconti, Andrew Schofer and Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk also participated at the meeting. Mammadyarov also met with OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America separately a day earlier, on February 28. The Minsk Groups Co-Chairs visit Nagorno-Karabakh region on a regular basis to conduct high-level talks with the parties to the conflict, and to hold meetings with the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and the Minsk Group members to brief them on the process. They are mandated to provide an appropriate framework for conflict resolution in the way of assuring the negotiation process; to obtain conclusion by the Parties of an agreement on the cessation of the armed conflict in order to permit the convening of the Minsk Conference, and to promote the peace process by deploying OSCE multinational peacekeeping forces. Unfortunately, for nearly 25 years, the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem have yielded no concrete results. Armenia broke out a lengthy war against Azerbaijan by laying territorial claims on the country. Since the war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied around 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. To this day, Armenia has not implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz We had mentioned in these columns earlier that actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan was going to start another film, directed by Krish. The actor, who has been shooting for the remake of Pink, launched this new film on Wednesday without any fanfare. The puja was held in Hyderabad, attended by a few people, and they wished producer A.M. Ratnam and director Krish, says a source. Regular shooting for this film will begin in the first week of February and the makers have erected a special set at a private studio. Pawan Kalyan is back to films after a two-year break and wants to complete these two films as early as possible. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Elsa Torresiani was attacked by a dog when she was 12 years old. As a result, she had to get 30 stitches in her face. After getting over the terror of the incident, she was left with a permanent scar on her lip where the dog mauled her. For years, she was very self-conscious of the scar. It was horrible...Two reconstructive surgeries later I was left with a crooked lip line and stitch line scarring on my face. Permanent makeup fixed this, which is what inspired me to learn the craft, said Elsa, who heads the Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals (SPCP) Young Professionals Committee. Today, her scar isnt noticeable thanks to permanent makeup. After meeting her wife, Angela Torresiani, a tattoo artist who also had a scar on her face that was fixed with permanent make-up, the pair decided to go into business together. I had a scar on my lip from a childhood accident. I would always wear lipstick to hide it. I had been working as a tattoo artist since 1997, but it never occurred to me that I should try to tattoo it. One day at a barbecue a woman approached me about my scar and offered to tattoo it for me. That was my first introduction to permanent cosmetics. I decided to take training with her and learn permanent makeup, and its all history from there, said Angela, who also is a director of the SPCP. A COMMON BOND The Torresianis met at an industry conference, and immediately found a common bond in their love for permanent makeup. After we got married, it was a natural progression to want to work together. We wanted to bring together other services that help women love the skin theyre in and feel confident and beautiful, she added. The result is Flawless Permanent Cosmetics and Spa in Great Kills. The business offers permanent cosmetic services, including brows, lips, eyeliner, scar camouflage, areola restoration and other scar-related services, said Angela. Other services offered at the spa include facials, scalp micropigmentation, microneedling, plasma fibroblast, Gorgeous Glow Infusions, Dermaplaning, Lash Lift/Tint, teeth whitening, The Flawless Brow (henna), lash extensions, waxing, chemical peels and more. BOOSTING SELF-ESTEEM Since both Angela and Elsa know firsthand how permanent makeup can boost a persons self-esteem, they said they enjoy helping others feel better about their appearance after a procedure. For people like Elsa and I, its easy to see how cosmetic tattooing helped us feel better about our scars. But there are so many reasons people seek out our services, such as men and women who have lost hair due to thyroid disease, cancer treatments, medications, and other illnesses. Even transgendered persons who are transitioning seek out cosmetic tattooing to help enhance male or female features, said Angela. Other reasons for seeking permanent makeup are disfiguring scarring from accidents, bad acne scarring and surgical scarring, she said. And of course, some people dont have any of these issues, they just want to enhance their look in a way that is simpler and more carefree than cosmetic makeup, said Angela. DONATING SERVICES Elsa donates her scar services to people who cant afford procedures offered at the spa. She works with people who have scars from acne, accidents, surgery, stretch marks, violence and suicide attempts, explained Angela. Flawless has also partnered with Sharshare, an organization that helps breast cancer survivors connect with areola tattoo providers for free or low cost. HOW DOES THE PROCESS WORK? The Torersianis start all permanent cosmetic procedures with a consultation to better understand clients concerns and goals, said Angela. After the procedure is performed, the client comes back in four to eight weeks for a perfecting appointment. This is basically a touch up, if needed, or to make any adjustments. We typically like to work conservatively, so the perfecting appointment allows us to go bigger, darker, bolder, etc... After that, clients come back between one and five years for a refresher to keep their procedures looking fresh, she said. FLAWLESS AT A GLANCE Address: 4022 Hylan Blvd., Great Kills. Website: https://flawlesssi.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Flawlessstatenisland/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/flawlessstatenisland New Businesses in Focus is a weekly column that relates the stories of new Staten Island businesses owners. If you have a new business on Staten Island, e-mail porpora@siadvance.com. MORE NEW BUSINESSES IN FOCUS COLUMNS: FOLLOW TRACEY PORPORA ON FACEBOOK and TWITTER WEST CHESTER The Chester County commissioners on Thursday attempted to ease fears and tamp down criticism that the county had decided to become a sanctuary county protecting undocumented immigrants who live within its borders against federal government intrusion. There is so much misunderstanding on this issue, said commissioners Chairwoman Marian Moskowitz in response to questions from an East Goshen resident who said he was concerned the county was heading in a direction it should not go, in supporting an influx of those who have entered the county illegally. Thats not going to be a benefit to the county, said Joe Reed, a recent transplant from New Jersey who said he now lives in Hersheys Mill. Reed was commenting on a letter signed by Democrat Moskowitz on Jan. 10 on county letterhead to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in which she referenced the Trump Administrations call for local and state governments to indicate whether they would be willing to accept the resettlement of new refugees entering the county through a 40-year-old federal government program. Moskowitz, with the support of her fellow commissioners, wrote that the county would, consent to resettlement in any assenting municipalities within its borders. The letter was in response to an executive order, currently on hold pending litigation in federal court in Maryland, giving states and others the ability to opt out of the program and refuse to accept refugees. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, had earlier also announced that the state would continue to support new refugees coming here, and local municipalities such as West Chester have passed resolutions welcoming refugees facing, religious, ethnic, and political persecution into their midst. The letter to Pompeo set off a firestorm of criticism of Moskowitz and her colleagues on social media, with some commenters issuing threats, she said. One writer told her I know where you live, and urged her to allow illegal immigrants to move in with her. The Commissioners Office received about 30 calls and inquiries about the issue, with the individual commissioners apparently getting other messages. In response to the emails, the county issued a statement explaining its position and what the letter addressed. There is a clear distinction between refugees and immigrants, it reads. Refugee resettlement has absolutely nothing to do with criminals and undocumented immigrants. At the meeting Wednesday, Reed said his concerns came because he and his wife had spent several months choosing which community to retire in, and has chosen the county because of its good reputation for sound management. Was he wrong to have thought so he wondered? His questions about the letter were answered primarily by Republican Commissioner Michelle Kichline, who decried the misinformation that had been circulated about the issue. Kichline, of Tredyffrin, has a personal perspective on the issue, she said, because her parents had been accepted as refugees in the county in 1956 from their native Hungary, escaping both political and religious persecution from the then-Communist regime. She said the program which the letter referenced concerned those refugees who had been thoroughly vetted by the federal government for resettlement, and not others coming to the country through their own unauthorized means. That letter addressed a very, very narrow set of incoming residents, Kichline said. Over the past 10 years, about 150 refugees had come to the county through the program all sponsored by local religious or civic organizations, and not funded or approved individually by either the county or any of the countys 73 municipalities. In that very definition, I had no objections to the letter going out, she said. It has absolutely nothing to do with sanctuary cities, which offer protection to undocumented immigrants from being rounded up by federal authorities for deportation. Kichline also dismissed the notion that the county does not cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), noting its cooperation with the agency at the Chester County Prison in identifying those who are in the country without documentation. When Reed commented that her explanation was very different than what I understood, Kichline bemoaned the way that social media created confusion in the political sphere. If someone would just pick up the phone and call, we could give them a very clear explanation about what is going on, she said. The letter was posted to the Facebook page of the Chester County Republican Committee on Jan. 17, saying it had been authorized by the Democratic commissioners, who took office Jan. 6. It did not mention the support of Republican Commissioner Michelle Kichline. Comments on that page include criticism of Moskowitz as a liberal Democrat; one contending that those who favor open refugee borders are mostly Jewish; and one that noted, These people were supposedly elected to work for the citizens of Chester County and now the truth to be known they are TRAITORS to The residents of Chester County. IMPEACH THEM!! Commissioner Josh Maxwell, a Democrat, said at the meeting that the refugee resettlements that occur in the county have been beneficial to the community over the years the program had been in place since the Reagan Administration, while also noting that the county government plays no formal role in those programs. No county taxpayer funds go towards housing refugees, and the letter signed by Moskowitz makes it clear that it is up to local municipalities to cooperate with such efforts if they want. We have no objections (to the refugee program), Maxwell said. I see no reason to change what has been working for several years. It is disappointing to see that in this age of divisiveness that we are getting pulled into an argument that doesnt apply to Chester County. President Donald Trump announced in September that resettlement agencies must get written consent from state and local officials in any jurisdiction where they want to help resettle refugees beyond June 2020. Trump has already slashed the number of refugees allowed into the country for the 2020 fiscal year to a historic low of 18,000. About 30,000 refugees were resettled in the U.S. during the previous fiscal year. This month, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced that his state would no longer admit refugees from the program to resettle there. Governors in 42 other states, including Pennsylvania, have said they will consent to allowing in more refugees, according to the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, which works with local agencies throughout the U.S. to resettle refugees. Fierce debates have occurred in several parts of the country, including North Dakota and Tennessee, over whether to opt into refugee resettlement under the executive order. Many Republican governors have been caught between immigration hardliners and some Christian evangelicals who believe helping refugees is a moral obligation. After the meeting, Reed spoke with Kichline and Moskowitz, both of whom thanked him for bringing his questions to the meeting so they could address his concerns head-on. Asked by a reporter whether he was satisfied with the commissioners responses, Reed said he was. Absolutely. This story contains information from the Associated Press. To reach staff writer Michael P. Rellahan call 610-696-1544. Trump impeachment trial: Question period ends as GOP swing votes emerge originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Senators returned Thursday for a second day of questions to House managers and President Donald Trumps legal team in his impeachment trial as attempts by Democrats to rally votes for new witnesses appeared to have stalled. Multiple Republicans tell ABC News they hope to move quickly to a vote to acquit the president as early as Saturday, ahead of his State of the Union address on Tuesday. PHOTO: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell arrives at the U.S. Capitol for the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump in Washington, Jan. 30, 2020. (Mary F. Calvert/Reuters) ABC News' Trish Turner caught up with McConnell as he arrived at the Capitol Thursday morning. Asked if he has the votes he needs to win the day Friday on witnesses, he responded, Well see what tomorrow brings. Then, when asked if he felt confident about the vote, he turned his head and with a sly grin and said, I always do. The ABC News team of correspondents and reporters is covering every aspect of this story. Here is how the day unfolded. 11:05 p.m. Alexander: 'Let the people decide' Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., has released a statement saying he does not plan to vote in favor of hearing additional witnesses, such as former national security adviser John Bolton. "I worked with other senators to make sure that we have the right to ask for more documents and witnesses, but there is no need for more evidence to prove something that has already been proven and that does not meet the United States Constitutions high bar for an impeachable offense," Alexander said. "I believe that the Constitution provides that the people should make that decision in the presidential election that begins in Iowa on Monday," he added. 10:46 p.m. Senate adjourns -- but announcements coming in The Senate adjourned and its questioning period is over. But news about how some will vote on witnesses Friday is trickling out. Maine GOP Sen. Susan Collins, one of those swing votes, said soon after that she will vote for hearing from additional witnesses and subpoena new documents. Story continues "I believe hearing from certain witnesses would give each side the opportunity to more fully and fairly make their case, resolve any ambiguities, and provide additional clarity," Collins said in a statement. "Therefore, I will vote in support of the motion to allow witnesses and documents to be subpoenaed." Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she will not be making an announcement Thursday night. "I am going to go reflect on what I have heard, re-read my notes and decide whether I need to hear more, she said. Sen. Lamar Alexander -- swarmed by reporters as he left the Capitol after a suspenseful night -- said he has informed McConnell of his vote on witnesses and will release a statement "within the hour." 10:15 p.m. No need for Bolton testimony? A group of GOP senators, including Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Lamar Alexander, submitted to the president's legal team a question that seemed to imply there may be no need for John Bolton's testimony. Though Murkowski and Alexander are designated as senators to watch in the approaching witness vote, fervent Trump supporters Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz were also signed on to the question. The question read: "Assuming for argument's sake that Bolton were to testify in the light most favorable to the allegations contained in the articles of impeachment, isn't it true that the allegations still would not rise to the level of an impeachable offense and that therefore for this and other reasons his testimony would add nothing to this case?" Trump lawyer Pat Philbin responded first by clarifying that there was "no quid pro quo." But then, he continued to say, "Even if that happened, even if he gave that testimony, the articles of impeachment still wouldn't rise to an impeachable offense." Philbin referenced Alan Dershowitz's presentation during opening arguments to support this claim. In response to this question, Sen. Dick Durbin asked the House managers if they would respond. Rep. Adam Schiff was up to the challenge. Schiff argued that there is no question as to what the president's motives were for withholding aid to Ukraine, and that Philbin's arguments would leave the founders "aghast." "They wrote a beautiful Constitution; they understood a lot about human nature. They understood, as we do, that absolute power corrupts absolutely and they provided a constraint, but it will only be as good and as strong as the men and women of this institution's willingness to uphold it," Schiff said. Then, Schiff transitioned to Bolton. "It's not because we don't really know what happened here," Schiff said. "They just don't want the American people to hear it in all of its ugly graphic detail." --ABC News' Allie Pecorin 9:06 p.m. Alexander to announce vote Sen, Lamar Alexander, a key swing vote on calling witnesses, will announce his vote tonight, ABC News confirmed. There is definitely a lot of suspense, as the senator, who is close to Mitch McConnell, has been spotted huddling with other key Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, and was seen passing a note to the GOP leader -- who didnt seem pleased or terribly interested to get it. 8:28 p.m. Murkowski asks point blank: Why not call Bolton? Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a GOP senator who could vote in favor of calling witnesses, has just explicitly asked the president's legal counsel why the senate should not call Bolton as a witness in this trial. "You explain that Ambassador [Gordon] Sondland and Sen. [Ron] Johnson both said the president explicitly denied that he was looking for a quid pro quo with Ukraine," Murkowski's question read. "The reporting on Ambassador [John] Bolton's book suggests the president told Bolton both directly and indirectly that the aid would not be released until Ukraine announced the investigations the president desired. This dispute about material facts weighs in favor of calling additional witnesses with direct knowledge. Why should this body not call Ambassador Bolton?" White House counsel Pat Philbin's response focused largely on the role that he argued the Senate ought to play in in an impeachment. "I think the primary consideration here is understand that the House could have pursued Ambassador Bolton," Philbin said, arguing that the House chose not to subpoena Bolton. He said if the Senate called Bolton where the House failed to, it could change the way impeachment plays out in the future, sending a message to the House that "you don't have to do all of that work before you get to this institution." "That's not the way that this chamber should allow impeachments to be presented to it," Philbin said. --ABC News' Allie Pecorin 6:34 p.m. Key GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander asks first question If you're looking for any indication for which way Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander may be leaning, look no further than the question he just asked, teaming up with GOP Sens. Ted Cruz and Steve Daines -- asking how the impeachment proceedings against President Trump compare to previous bipartisan impeachments. Alexander, who has yet to give us any indication of how he would vote on witnesses, pretty much just did. And he's a key vote. It's his first question so far. Alexander told reporters during the last recess that we won't know where he stands on witnesses until he hears all the questions and answers. PHOTO: House Manager Rep. Zoe Lofgren answers a question during the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump in the Senate in Washington, Jan. 30, 2020. (ABC News) In response to the question House manager Zoe Lofgren said that even though the Judiciary Committee vote in the Nixon impeachment was bipartisan, "The parties were as dug-in as parties are today." "They couldn't turn away from the evidence that their president had committed abuse of power, cheat in the election, and that they had to vote to impeach him," she said. "When it came to the Clinton impeachment, that was again it started out along very partisan lines and it ended along partisan lines. And I believe the reason why, I said a short while earlier, was that we never had a high crime and misdemeanor that was the problem," Lofgren says. "In the Trump case, and I'll say I've been disappointed because I serve with a number of Republicans in the House who I like, who I respect, who I work with on legislation, and I honestly believe that when this evidence came out, as within the Nixon Administration, we would have a coming together but it didn't happen much to my disappointment," Lofgren says. --ABC News' Katherine Faulders 6:30 Inside the Senate chamber: Lots of note-passing From ABC News' Allison Pecorin in the Senate chamber: There is more note passing going on in the chamber than you might see in a middle school classroom. And some of the culprits are worth watching. Most notably, around 5:45 p.m., McConnell tears a piece of paper from his notebook and passes a note onto the desk of Sen. Murkowski. She doesn't read it for about three minutes. When she finally opens it, she keeps a stoic face. Then she slides the note into her desk. Some of the note passing was more light-hearted. Sen. Ben Sasse passed a note to Sen. Jodi Ernst who opened it, snickered and then turned around to give Sasse a thumbs up. Members are also clearly starting to grow tired of not being allowed to speak or express themselves. PHOTO: Personal attorney to President Donald Trump, Jay Sekulow answers a question during the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump in the Senate in Washington, Jan. 30, 2020. (ABC News) 6:21 p.m. Sekulow: Democrats will never agree the trial is fair GOP Sen. James Inhofe asks the presidents defense team: If additional witnesses are called, would you ever envision the House managers agreeing there has been a fair Senate trial if it ends in the president's acquittal? The president's personal lawyer Jay Sekulow takes this question on, declaring the answers no. Now they will not agree that it's fair because what will happen is if there's a discussion of witnesses, and if we go to witnesses, Mr. Schumer's laid out the four he wants and he tells me I can have anybody we can have anybody we want, Sekulow says. But the reality is that also includes documents. And that includes other witnesses that it may lead to. So at some point you'll say, because this cannot go on forever and we will be at the election, this body will say this has to come to an end. And they will say aha, it's been brought to an end as we were about to get the key evidence. --ABC News' John Parkinson 4:44 p.m. Schiff: Cap witness depositions to a week Interestingly, Schiff at one point was essentially negotiating on the Senate floor -- appearing to address the prospect raised repeatedly by Trump's lawyers -- that bringing in witnesses could tie up the Senate for weeks or more and delay senators from addressing other important business. He offered to cap depositions of potential witnesses to a week, similar to the Clinton depositions which happened over a three-day period. "Let's cap the depositions to one week," Schiff said. "In the Clinton trial there was one week of depositions and you know what the Senate did during that week? They did the business of the Senate. The Senate went back to its ordinary legislative business while the deposition were being conducted. You want the Clinton model? Lets use the Clinton model. Let's take a week let's take a week to have a fair trial. You can continue your business we can get the business of the country done is that too much to ask in the name of fairness -- that we follow the Clinton model that we take one week? "I mean are we really driven by the timing of the State of the Union (set for Tuesday) should that be a guiding principle can't we take one week to hear from these witnesses? I think we can I think we should I think we must," he says --ABC News' Katherine Faulders PHOTO: Pat Cipollone, an attorney for President Donald Trump, answers a question during the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump in the Senate in Washington, Jan. 30, 2020. (ABC News) 4:11 p.m. Bipartisan group of senators ask about Giuliani's role In a the first question from a bipartisan group, Democratic Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin and GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins ask about the legality of private citizens engaging in foreign policy. The White House defense counsel Patrick Philbin argues Rudy Giuiliani was not engaging in foreign policy, but simply a conduit of information to President Trump. "There would not be anything improper for a president in some circumstances to rely on a personal confidant to able to convey messages or receive messages back and forth from a foreign government that would are relate to the conduct of foreign affairs," Philbin says. House manager Rep. Adam Schiff later calls it a "stunning admission." Schiff says. "That's a personal, political errand," Schiff says. "They just undermined their entire argument," apparently referring to the contention that if Trump had "mixed motives" -- pursing policy while also pursuing political advantage -- that his conduct was not impeachable, Rep. Adam Schiff says "breathtaking admission by the president's lawyer" that Rudy Giuliani wasn't conducting foreign policy "undermined their entire argument." "They have now acknowledged that the person in charge of this was not conducting policy." https://t.co/nSPWmzfvQC pic.twitter.com/g5mYliXrpy ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) January 30, 2020 Schiff the pivots to the question of witnesses, saying all depositions could be conducted in just one week. "Are we really driven by the timing of the State of the Union," Schiff says. "Can't we take one week to hear from these witnesses? I think we can. I think we should. I think we must." 2:41 p.m. Cipollone: 'Let's leave it to the people' A group of Republican senators asks both sides to respond to the Democrats' argument that impeachment is so important because the president's misconduct is too serious to leave to voters at the ballot box. The senators ask: How would acquitting the president prevent voters from making an informed decision? White House counsel Pat Cipollone takes the ball for the president's defense team and argues the voters should make the ultimate choice if Trump remains president because the impeachment articles are partisan in nature. "Let's leave it to the people of the United States. Let's trust them. They're asking you not to trust them. Maybe they don't trust them. Maybe they won't like the result. We should trust them. That's who should decide who the president of this country should be. It will be a few months from now and they should decide," he says. In response, House manager Schiff says the president should be removed from office because it threatens the integrity of the election if he's willing to use foreign intervention to benefit his campaign. "If it were the intent of the framers to say that a president can't be impeached in an election year, they would have said so. Now, they didn't for a reason. They were concerned about a president who might try to cheat in that very election," he says. 2:35 p.m. Schiff: 'You can'y make this stuff up!' "...let me begin with something in the category of you can't make this stuff up," House manager Adam Schiff says. "Today while we've been debating whether a president can be impeached for essentially bogus claims of privilege for attempting to use the courts to cover up misconduct, the Justice Department in resisting House subpoenas is in court today and was asked, well, if the Congress can't come to the court to enforce the subpoenas was as you we know they're in here arguing Congress must go to court to enforce the subpoenas but they're in the court saying Congress thou shalt not do that, so the judge said if the Congress can't enforce its subpoenas in court, then what remedy is there? And the Justice Department lawyer's response is: impeachment! You can't make this up. I mean what more evidence do we need of the bad faith of this effort to cover up?" ABC News' Alex Mallin reports a Justice Department official responds: The point we made in court is simply that Congress has numerous political tools it can use in battles with the Executive Branchappropriations, legislation, nominations, and potentially in some circumstances even impeachment. For example, it can hold up funding for the Presidents preferred programs, pass legislation he opposes, or refuse to confirm his nominees. But it is absurd for Chairman Schiff to portray our mere description of the Constitution as somehow endorsing his rushed impeachment process, or impeachments in anything remotely resembling the current context, the official says. 2:32 Debate over legality of freezing aid Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono sends a question to the House managers about other examples of withholding foreign aid. In contrast to arguments by the president's counsel, acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney stated that President Trump held up aid to Ukraine to get his politically motivated investigations. He claims, 'We do that all the time with foreign policy, Get over it.' What was different about President Trump's withholding of aid to Ukraine from prior aid freezes? Are you aware of any other presidents who have withheld foreign aid as a bribe to extract personal benefits? Roberts read from her question card. House manager Rep. Adam Schiff responds, saying that this differed from other holds on aid because there was no policy reason for the hold. He also cited the Government Accountability Office report that found the hold unlawful. Without legal authority he secretly placed a hold on the aid. Now, the president's counsel and representation give specific examples of past holds as if we cannot distinguish one for a corrupt reason and one that is for a policy reason, Schiff says. No one has suggested you can't condition aid. Schiff says. But I would hope that they would all agree you can't condition aid for a corrupt purpose, to try to get a foreign power to cheat in your election. Republican senators ask: If there was a national security risk to holding the funds from Ukraine? "The short straightforward answer is there was no jeopardy to the national security interests of the United States from the timing of the release of this money," White House deputy counsel Patrick Philbin responds. Trump's defense lawyer then points to State Department officials who testified that the interruption of aid ultimately did not have significant impact on Ukraine's military capability. "So no damage whatsoever to the national security of the United States," Philbin argues. PHOTO: Deputy Counsel to the President Patrick Philbin answers a question during the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump in the Senate in Washington, Jan. 30, 2020. (ABC News) 2:08 p.m. Trump team: Immigration policy used aid as pressure In response to a question about past legal precedent, White House deputy counsel Patrick Philbin makes a connection between Trump withholding military assistance from Ukraine and the administration's negotiations with Central American countries last year. The Trump administration ordered a stop on aide to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador in spring 2019. It later released the funds after government officials agreed to cooperate in the administration's crackdown on asylum requests at the southern border. The decision was roundly criticized by both immigrant advocates and former military commanders. "That's part of what foreign policy is all about," Philbin says. "And that could arise in the situation of even investigations." 2:04 p.m. Sanders: 'Balls of fun' at Senate trial ABC News' Campaign Reporter Cheyenne Haslett reports: "You again?" Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders booms when he spots reporters covering his campaign waiting for his arrival on Capitol Hill as he heads to the Senate trial. Sanders is asked if he's having fun. "Balls of fun," he replies wryly. Sanders explains his question from Wednesday (Given the media has documented President Trumps thousands of lies while in office more than 16,200 as of Jan. 20 ... why should we be expected to believe that anything President Trump says has credibility?) "So look, the, the point that I was trying to make is that ... when you have a president who lies virtually every day -- and I'm not happy to say that but it's true, he is a pathological liar -- should you really regard as credible something that somebody says who lies all the time? That was the point of my question," Sanders says. He also agrees with the idea that Chief Justice John Roberts should be the tie-breaker vote -- if it comes to that when the Senate decides Friday whether to allow witnesses, despite other Democrats' warning that could bring Roberts a lot of blowback. "Sure," Sanders says. "It's incomprehensible to me that Republicans are not going to allow them to do that so I hope we can have some courageous Republicans today and if it comes to a tie vote I hope the Chief Justice votes in favor of witnesses." YoU again?? @SenSanders says to embeds @GaryGrumbach @AnnieGrayerCNN and @CaraKorte when he sees them waiting to ask him questions before the impeachment trial pic.twitter.com/TVtIc4R3jc Cheyenne Haslett (@cheyennehaslett) January 30, 2020 PHOTO: House Manager Rep. Adam Schiff answers a question during the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump in the Senate in Washington, Jan. 30, 2020. (ABC News) 1:25 p.m. Schiff on Dershowitz: 'A descent into constitutional madness' The House managers were asked to respond to arguments made Wednesday night by former Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz -- that "If a president does something which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment." Schiff calls the argument "astonishing" and said it was evidence of "a descent into constitutional madness." "The only reason you make that argument is because you know your client is guilty and dead to rights," Schiff says. "That is an argument made of desperation." Rep. Adam Schiff responds to Alan Dershowitz's "astonishing" argument yesterday on quid pro quo: "What we have seen over the last couple days is a descent into constitutional madness." https://t.co/nSPWmzfvQC pic.twitter.com/4UVobbmHh3 ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) January 30, 2020 "The only reason you make that argument is because you know your client is guilty and dead to rights," Schiff says. "That is an argument made of desperation." Dershowitz has pushed back on characterizations of that argument on Twitter, saying he did not say that a president seeking re-election can do whatever he wants but that a lawful act such as holding up aid money for policy reasons does not become unlawful because a president is seeking re-election. But a lawful act holding up funds, sending troops to vote, braking a promise about Syriadoes not become unlawful or impeachable if done with a mixed motive of both promoting the public interest and helping his RE-election. Please respond to my argument , not a distortion of it. Alan Dershowitz (@AlanDersh) January 30, 2020 PHOTO: Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts reads a question during the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump in the Senate in Washington, Jan. 30, 2020. (ABC News) 1:14 p.m. Roberts declines to read Paul's question, Paul walks out "The presiding officer declines to read the question as submitted," Chief Justice Roberts says. Paul then walks out of the Senate chamber. McConnell kicked off today's proceedings with a not-so-subtle warning to senators about respecting the chief justice's role. "We have been respectful of the chief justice's unique position in reading our questions," McConnell said. "I want to be able to continue to assure him that that level of consideration for him will continue." --ABC News' Katherine Faulders and Allison Pecorin NEW: "The presiding officer declines to read the question as submitted," Chief Justice John Roberts said after Sen. Rand Paul submitted a question. Paul left the chamber after Roberts declined to read his question. https://t.co/nSPWmzfvQC pic.twitter.com/1ghNr8J10g ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) January 30, 2020 After leaving the chamber, Paul holds a news conference, angrily telling reporters his question should have been read and answered. PHOTO: Sen. Rand Paul speaks to the media about the 'whistleblower' question blocked by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts during the impeachment trial proceedings of President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill, Jan. 30, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) I think this is an important question, one that deserves to be asked. It makes no reference to anybody who may or may not be a whistleblower. The Manager Schiff says he has no knowledge. If he has no knowledge, the rest of us can have no knowledge of who the whistleblower is. The presidents team says they have no knowledge of who the whistleblower is. I think it was an incorrect finding to not allow a question that makes no reference, he says. Asked why he didnt ask for a Senate vote to overrule Roberts, Paul responds, Right. That was a debate I made up until the very last minute, and I decided that were going to have enough voting tomorrow and rather than delay the proceeding I mean were going to have 12 hours of voting tomorrow probably that I would let the proceeding go on. My point is that you shouldnt be able to use statutes to somehow make a whole part of the discussion of this impeachment go away." MORE: Speaker Nancy Pelosi hints House could take further action against Trump if Senate acquits 1:01 p.m. GOP's Rand Paul to insist Roberts read his whistleblower question As the Senate reconvenes, GOP Sen. Rand Paul says that he will insist that his question about the whistleblower be asked at the start of the trial. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who is presiding over the trial, reportedly blocked Paul on Wednesday from offering a question about the whistleblower. Paul has previously named the whistleblower in tweets and had threatened to out him on the Senate floor a couple of months ago. He never followed through with that threat. Several of his Republicans colleagues, including Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Chuck Grassley, had previously warned him from doing so. In a statement, Pauls office said Thursday, While we are uncertain of how things will proceed, Senator Paul believes it is crucial the American people get the full story on what started the Democrats push to impeach President Donald Trump, as reports have indicated Obama appointees at the National Security Council may have discussed organizing an impeachment process in advance of the whistleblower complaint. PHOTO: Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts prepares to start the day's proceedings during the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump in the Senate in Washington, Jan. 30, 2020. (ABC News) Democrats, however, are increasingly concerned about Pauls efforts to out the whistleblower. Sen. Richard Blumenthal told us just moments ago that if Paul - or any senator - attempts to name the whistleblower, they should be faced with serious sanctions. I think that kind of irresponsible and reprehensible action should be sanctioned by the Senate, if any of our members disclose the name of the whistleblower, Blumenthal said. Blumenthal said that Roberts has refused to offer any questions about the whistleblower from Paul thus far. Paul was heard complaining about it on the floor yesterday per our producers in the chamber. We protect whistleblowers, lead House Manager Rep. Adam Schiff told us this afternoon. We need their cooperation we need their support in making the country work, Schiff said. He added: The only point in outing this whistleblower is to satisfy the desire of the president for retribution and that is not something that this Senate should allow. --ABC News' Mariam Khan PHOTO: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks during a press conference with Sen. Dick Durbin and Sen. Mazie Hirono before the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump starts for the day on Jan. 30, 2020, in Washington. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images) 11:49 a.m. Schumer: Dershowitz argument 'would unleash a monster' Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, speaking before Thursday's trial session, begins by saying the first day of questioning showed how flimsy, how specious and how dangerous the Republican arguments were. But he single out Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski for their strong and effective questioning. Some of the best questions actually came from Republicans, Schumer said. Senator Collins and Murkowski asked the president's counsel if they could give an example of the president expressing concern about Hunter and Joe Biden before the former vice president announced his candidacy. The president's counsel could not point to a single example to support the claim. So, he made up a bogus excuse that his answer was limited to what's in the record. MORE: 3 things to know about Wednesday's impeachment trial session Schumer also pointed out that the presidents counsel also could not answer Senator Mitt Romneys question asking for the specific date when President Trump ordered the delay in military assistance and the reason he gave for doing it. These questions, he says, help make the Democrats case for witnesses and documents. You know who could help them answer those questions? Mick Mulvaney, John Bolton and our other two witnesses. So could the documents that we have asked to subpoena, Schumer said. Schumer also called out Alan Dershowitz for his argument that the presidents actions even if aimed at increasing his chances of reelection are not impeachable because the president believed his reelection is in the public interest. By Dershowitz's logic, President Nixon did nothing wrong in Watergate. He was just breaking into the DNC to help his reelection, which, of course, is in the public interest, according to Dershowitzian logic. The Dershowitz argument, frankly, would unleash a monster. More aptly, it would unleash a monarch. --ABC News' Liz Alesse Sen. Chuck Schumer calls Alan Dershowitz's argument that a quid pro quo done in belief it's "in the public interest" is not impeachable "a load of nonsense." "The Dershowitz argument...would unleash a monster. More aptly, it would unleash a monarch." https://t.co/DT1dQqWUK6 pic.twitter.com/M1YMFK6ioL ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) January 30, 2020 In the late hours of debate on Wednesday, Trump's defense team offered two new controversial defenses. In one -- even if Trump intentionally withheld military aid from Ukraine in exchange for an investigation into Joe Biden, White House lawyers argued, those actions are not grounds for impeachment. Mere information is not something that would violate the campaign finance laws its not campaign interference for credible information about wrongdoing to be brought to light, if it's credible information, White House deputy counsel Patrick Philbin argued Wednesday night. PHOTO: Deputy White House Counsel Patrick Philbin answers questions during impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump at the Capitol, Jan. 29, 2020. (ABC News) After the close of Wednesdays session, Democrats forcefully rejected the idea that requesting foreign assistance is ever appropriate and legal. I think the most important thing was that the White House deputy counsel said that it's okay to take dirt on your opponent from a foreign government as long as it's credible. And you know what, that's not true. That's actually against the law, Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow told reporters. MORE: Trump pressures GOP senators on witnesses after McConnell warns he needs votes The argument from the White House counsel reinforces a controversial statement President Trump himself made in a June interview with ABC News. "It's not an interference, they have information -- I think I'd take it," Trump told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopolous. "If I thought there was something wrong, I'd go maybe to the FBI -- if I thought there was something wrong. The response prompted a reaction from the Federal Election Commission at the time. It is illegal for any person to solicit, accept, or receive anything of value from a foreign national in connection with a U.S. election, FEC Chair Ellen Weintraub said in a statement. This is not a novel concept. PHOTO: White House counsel Alan Dershowitz speaks during impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump at the Capitol, Jan. 29, 2020. (ABC News) In addition to that argument, former Harvard Law School Professor Alan Dershowitz is drawing Democratic fire for arguing that President Trump could not be impeached because he was acting in the national interest. "Every public official that I know believes that his election is of the public interest," he said. "If a president does something which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment," Dershowitz maintained. Democrats voiced alarm about that expansive interpretation of executive power. Ahead of the return to senators' questions Thursday, House impeachment manager Jason Crow called Dershowitz's argument "astounding." "That is just a very dangerous hole to go down, Crow told MSNBC. Republican Sen. John Barasso declined to answer in an interview Thursday about whether he thought the argument was valid. I have heard enough. I am ready to make that vote and I know that the momentum in the Republican caucus is to do that as well, told CNN. ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Mary Bruce contributed to this report. By Express News Service PATNA: The Gandhi ashram in Bettiah district of Bihar witnessed a high voltage drama on Thursday when CPI leader and former president of the JNU Students Union Kanhaiya Kumar along with hundreds of his supporters were detained by the administration. The West Champaran district administration later cancelled the detention order and allowed him to carry on with his "Jana Gana Mana" yatra from the Gandhi ashram to the Patna Gandhi maidan. According to official sources, permission was not granted to organise a rally citing Saraswati Puja and other reasons. But despite not being allowed, Kumar reached the Gandhi ashram with his supporters. The local police detained him and the other protesters. "Finally administration bowed down to people protests and cancelled the detention order and allowed us to move on yatra and for holding public meeting against the CAA, NPR and NRC," he tweeted. Kumar said that he had arrived here to embark on a month-long Jana Gana Mana yatra to protest against the 'anti-poor' CAA, NPR and NRC. Kumar is scheduled to address two public meetings in West and East Champaran on Thursday. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskys comments that the USSR was complicit in starting World War II are criminal and amoral, says Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, TASS reports. "The statements made by President Zelensky who effectively equated the role of the Soviet Union with that of the Third Reich in sparking World War II, which enabled the Nazis to launch their machine of death that was the Holocaust in motion, are beyond all boundaries," she insisted. "And after that the Ukrainian authorities ask themselves why their people dont want to live with them in the same country?" "Such statements exceed all boundaries in principle, they are a blatant betrayal of [Zelenskys] own people," the diplomat emphasized. "To conjure up the same responsibility of the killer and the victim is criminal and amoral." Zakharova also pointed to a recent comment by former Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk that Hitler and Stalin had allegedly met in Lvov at the onset of World War II. "What are you taking out there? Are you insane? Is there anybody left in Ukraine, who can provide some basic books on the history of the Great Patriotic War, World War II?" Zakharova quipped with irony. During his visit to Poland, Zelensky accused the USSR of 'causing' World War II along with Nazi Germany. According to Zelensky, Poland and the Polish people were the first to feel what he called a "conspiracy of totalitarian regimes," which led to the beginning of the war. Earlier, speaking on Rossiya 1 TV channel, former President Kravchuk claimed that Hitler and Stalin had met in Lvov, but then backpedaled and admitted that he knew nothing about any documented evidence that this meeting had ever taken place. Seeing people leave a public restroom without flushing or washing their hands seems to be too mainstream in Japan. The cops there are leaving behind their guns in bathrooms. No kidding! Twitter It seems to be a growing trend of sorts in Japan: A number of police officers across the country leave their firearms hanging in toilet stalls. According to Japan Today, the most recent incident took place on January 24 when a 26-year-old officer with the Narita Airport Police left his belt with handcuffs and a loaded handgun in the airports employee restroom. Thankfully, just a few minutes later an airport employee happened to visit the restroom and handed over the gun to the authorities. When the officer was questioned he simply said 'I forgot'. This strange problem has happened several times and most cops say that they have no option but to remove the belt with heavy arms as they drag their pants down to the floor. We all know that cops have a thousand things running through their mind and are constantly thinking about a task at hand and so slip-ups are understandable. However, it's happened more than once, last year a 31-year-old officer left his belt, with loaded pistol attached, in the restroom of a 7-Eleven in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture. A month before that, a 49-year-old lieutenant with the Machida Department of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police left a gun with five rounds inside in a convenience store restroom. It too was discovered by a customer and returned to police custody. Twitter This is what's increasing the fear of something going seriously wrong the next time a cop makes a mistake. Up until now, there have been no reported injuries or cases of people stealing it, but it could soon be an issue if the cops continue to be careless. WATERLOO A former Waterloo teacher has been charged with allegedly taking money from the teachers union. The U.S. Attorneys Office for Northern Iowa on Tuesday filed charges of wire fraud against Anthony Dehl, a former East High instructor who had served as treasurer of the Waterloo Education Association. Dehl retired from Waterloo Community Schools last year after more than 30 years in the profession. School officials said his retirement had nothing to do with the allegations. Court records allege Dehl took $54,254 from the Waterloo Education Associations credit union accounts over about five years, some of which was used for gambling. Dehl made unauthorized wire transfers and cash withdrawals from the accounts, debit card purchases and made out checks to cash, records state. He used the money for his own purposes, making purchases at convenience stores and spending it on gambling, records state. He allegedly covered his tracks by filling out false treasurer reports and reports to the Iowa Public Employment Relations Board, records state. The Waterloo Education Association is the bargaining unit that represents teachers, counselors, nurses and other employees. Dehl earned about $1,000 a year as the organizations treasurer, according to financial records. Love 0 Funny 5 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0 The tourism model includes: resting, and visiting the Na Hang hydroelectric lake and the agricultural production areas of the local people. In 2018, the cooperative started its project with a resort named "Homestay Tai Ngao", more than 100 km from Tuyen Quang City, which has attracted thousands of tourists. Visitors will have an opportunity to enjoy regional dishes. The cooperative was supported by the district on policies, training in tourism operations and access to preferential loans from banks. The model of community-based tourism of Thuong Lam Commune created more jobs for the youth in the commune, contributing to the development of the Na Tong community tourist area with the Tai Ngao folk legends of the Tay people. In addition, the youth union in the cooperative also mobilises many people to collect rubbish from Na Hang Lake every week, contributing to raising awareness on environmental sanitation in the community. Youth union members of the cooperative finishing work on the Tai Ngao Homestay. Member of the youth co-operative serves dishes to tourists. The cooperative attracts many young people in the commune to provide tourism services. The community house serves the cooperative's visitors. Auxiliary area of the resort for visitors. Youth of the cooperatives and youth in the commune participate in collecting rubbish on Na Hang Lake. Community tourism in a corner of a field in Na Tong. [January 30, 2020] Los Angeles Business Journal Names Two Ervin Cohen & Jessup Lawyers as Most Influential Minority Attorneys Ervin Cohen & Jessup today announced that Albert Valencia and Pooja S. Nair have been selected by the Los Angeles Business Journal as Top Minority Attorneys in Los Angeles. The publisher writes that these "particularly stellar minority attorneys in the LA region who happen to be from a broad cultural spectrum" ar recognized as professionals "who are particularly impactful and who maintain the highest professional and ethical standards." "Albert and Pooja are immensely capable lawyers who have repeatedly proven their ability to deliver the firm's clients with the greatest degree of strategy and service," said Co-Managing Partner Randy S. Leff. The Los Angeles Business Journal writes that "clients look to Valencia for his experience in a broad range of real estate asset classes including commercial, office, retail, multi-family, mixed-use and industrial properties." Over the past 18 months, Valencia has represented sponsors, developers, and family offices in closing purchase and sale transactions valued at over $535 million, and over $400 million in financing, including the sale of two properties situated on the former Amgen campus in Thousand Oaks with over 400,000 square feet of office space, and the acquisition of a 371,566 square foot Class "A" office tower located in the heart of Chicago's East Loop. In addition, he also represents clients in the management of its properties including construction, development, and leasing activities. The journal praises Nair for her recent success "second-chairing a four-week financial fraud jury trial in November 2018, which resulted in a $20.3 million verdict for the client; and her work negotiating a nearly seven-figure settlement agreement to resolve contract dispute between a food exporter and a large customer." As a business litigator and problem solver, Nair has a focus on the food and beverage sector. She advises clients, startups and other businesses on a comprehensive range of issues including employment, trade secrets, partnership disputes, contract negotiations, intellectual property, licensing and franchise disputes. Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP is a full-service firm that provides a broad range of business-related legal services including, real estate, litigation, corporate, tax, land use, employment, bankruptcy, estate planning, finance, healthcare, intellectual property and technology law. For more information, visit our new website http://www.ecjlaw.com/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005347/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Bahrain-based Investcorp, a leader in alternative investment products, yesterday (January 29) held its Board of Directors meeting in Oman, which marks the second time the firm has convened its Board in the Sultanate in the last two years. Mohammed Alardhi, executive chairman of Investcorp, said: Oman has always been a key market for Investcorp, and we have maintained many longstanding relationships in the Sultanate that date back to our Firms inception. We believe that Oman has a bright future given the strong foundation and leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said, whom we mourn along with the rest of the world while expressing our deepest condolences to the Omani people. We are committed to supporting Omans continued growth and we are constantly exploring investment opportunities in the Sultanate, particularly for our private equity and infrastructure businesses. The meeting represented Investcorps first Board meeting in the calendar year 2020 and follows the appointment of six new independent directors to the Board in September 2019 who are international professionals with a diverse range of skills and expertise to further assist the development of the Firm. During the meeting, the Board discussed the firms progress executing on its growth and diversification strategy, including its expansion in Asia. The meeting also addressed opportunities and challenges across global markets as well as the promising long-term potential of Omans 2040 Vision. Alardhi concluded: We are confident that Oman will continue to thrive over the long-term with His Majestys Haitham bin Tariq Al Saids leadership and as the Sultanate advances its 2040 Vision. Ahead of the meeting, Investcorp hosted a dinner for Board and a group of distinguished Omani business leaders. During the dinner, Alardhi reinforced Investcorps ongoing commitment to support the next generation of Omani business leaders through the Firms various initiatives to promote executive education amongst Young Omanis. These programmes include but are not limited to Investcorps academic partnership with IESE Business School and the Insights Forum in Bahrain in partnership with Columbia University. TradeArabia News Service It was the year 2013 when Neeraj Narayanan was bit by the wanderlust bug. Overcome by the need to do something more meaningful with his life, he quit his job as Head of Content & Digital Media for a travel website to go backpacking around the world. At that time, he wasnt himself aware that within a year, he would be taking group trips himself, handling travel itineraries and arrangements. Narayanan ended up becoming Captain Nero- the well-travelled founder/CEO of On His Own Trip (OHOT), a travel company. During the year that Neeraj or Captain Nero, as he is fondly called by his team and clients, travelled to 44 countries, including Spain, Bhutan, Croatia, Sikkim, Slovenia and Nepal. He ran with the bulls, got chased by a wild bear, huffed and puffed through the Himalayas, lost his way in a Thai forest and enjoyed delectable menus across the world. Since he began to lead trips (yes! That is what he proudly calls his current job) in June 2014, he has led close to 100 trips around the world. Neeraj is an alumnus from MICA and a TEDX speaker. Talking about his company, he says, It is our constant endeavour to bring new ,beautiful destinations to the Indian travel industry, and to continuously evolve, innovate and raise the bar. After receiving a massive response for their trips to Nagaland, Dzukou Valley, the Balkans, the OHOT is ready to take young Indian adults to Kazakhstan, Peru and Antarctica. Neeraj recently revealed the 2020 travel calendar of OHOT, while sharing that the company aims to complete 100 trips during the year, which may include new and exciting destinations like Annapurna Base Camp, Montenegro, Slovenian countryside and Lakshadweep! OHOT specializes in trips that enhance group bonding and pushing trippers to do new things - be it a midnight walk through the mountains; sliding down a snow slope or dancing in the middle of the road somewhere. Captain Nero and his team of trip leaders focus on making reserved people comfortable and drawing them out of their shells. Doing all this helps people to change their perspectives and find a new version of themselves by the end of the trip. Crazy adventures and deep conversations mark their trips and no wonder the list of their loyal clients just keeps on growing. For instance in 2018 and 2019, their trips were completely sold out. In some cases, the trips were sold out months in advance. Whats more! About 65% of their travelers are women, a good number of those being solo trippers. The level of comfort and sense of satisfaction that they provide to their clients is reflected in Neerajs words, Many hotel managers, agents are nonplussed when they see our groups. They cant believe they are a bunch of strangers who just met two-three days back on the trip. We are used to Bollywoodesque airport scenes with trippers getting emotional, not wanting to go back, tickets being rescheduled and in some cases trips being extended. In fact, Neerajs words are echoed in those of another trip leader, Niyati, who says, Its alright if people look happy about their trip. But a trip is truly successful only if a few trippers teared up at the end of it at the thought of parting. Or if they tore up their tickets and extended the trip for a few more days. In case you just got motivated to take that long-pending trip of yours, visit their website and book yourself Your Own Trip fast! Disclaimer: This is a company press release. No HT journalist is involved in creation of this content. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday termed the Bodo agreement a historic chapter for peace and development in Assam. Hailing the Bodo Agreement, he said it is inspired by the mantra of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas & Sabka Vishwas' and spirit of 'Ek Bharat-Shresth Bharat'. "After signing this historic agreement with Bodo organizations, the foremost priority of our govt is the development of Bodo areas. Work has begun on a comprehensive Rs 1500 crore package. Our special focus will be on ease of living and ensuring that Bodos benefit fully from govt schemes," said PM Modi in a series of tweets. Live TV The Prime Minister's remarks come on a day when 1,615 cadres of eight NDFB factions laid down arms in Guwahati before Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and state Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The laying of arms comes three days after the Centre and the Assam government signed a peace accord with Bodo organisations NDFB and All Bodo Students' Union. PM Modi said, As India remembers Pujya Bapu on his Punya Tithi, Assam is witnessing a historic chapter for peace and development. After a wait of 50 years, agreement with our Bodo friends heralds a new beginning. It will strengthen Assam's unity, bring development and usher in a bright future." "Bodo friends joining us on the path of peace sends a clear message that solution to issues is possible when we leave the path of violence & repose faith in democracy & Constitution. I welcome my Bodo friends to the mainstream. We are committed to ensuring the development of Bodo areas. The five-decade-old Bodo issue finds resolution on the Punyatithi of Pujya Bapu today. The accord between the Bodo groups & Govt will strengthen the unity & integrity of Assam. I welcome the decision of my Bodo friends for leaving violence & reposing faith in democracy & Constitution," added the PM. "The accord with our Bodo friends is a message to Assam & other violence-affected parts of the country. Nation's development can be given momentum only in an environment free of violence &fear. Happy that entire energy of our Bodo friends will further strengthen Assam's development. The accord with our Bodo friends was made while protecting the interest of other communities of Assam. This is a victory for all, it's a victory for humanity. It is inspired by the mantra of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas & Sabka Vishwas', & by the spirit of 'Ek Bharat-Shresth Bharat'." further added the PM. Taking to Twitter, Assam CM said, "I thank PM Narendra Modi and HM Amit Shah for the historic Bodo Agreement. Their love and support for Assam and the North East is taking us towards newer heights each day." Jimmy McGee, center, with United Steelworkers Local 10-1, yells his approval along with his fellow building trades union members at a rally Thursday in front of City Hall to show support for saving the bankrupt Philadelphia Energy Solutions property as a refinery. The refinery is undergoing a court-supervised sale, and labor is concerned that the 1,300-acre site will be demolished and rebuilt for another use. Read more Advocates for restoring the Philadelphia Energy Solutions complex in South Philadelphia as an oil refinery say the 1,300-acre property comes with legal restrictions that inhibit its reuse as anything unrelated to energy or chemical production, complicating the propertys potential bankruptcy sale to an industrial redeveloper. A deed restriction on the properties, included as part of a previous sale, provides that the land can be used only for commercial or industrial activity. The language specifically excludes schools, nursing homes, residential-style facilities, and publicly accessible recreation areas, which some community activists had hoped would replace refining operations. Another deed restriction appears to even more narrowly circumscribe potential uses of the property by limiting disturbances of its soil, which is seriously contaminated after 150 years of oil processing. The deed language provides that disturbance of the subsurface strata and soils of the premises shall be avoided, except as may be necessary when constructing and developing improvements to the refinery, or installing new operations, business or processes at the refinery that are related to the refinery business, the energy industry generally and the chemical industry. The deed restrictions apply to most land parcels occupied by the fuel refining complex. The restrictions, which are filed in the public record, are powerful legal tools that bind subsequent property purchasers and are difficult to modify without a separate court proceeding, according to legal experts who spoke anonymously because their firms have relationships with one of the parties in the bankruptcy. Advocates for resuming refining operations, who conducted a rally at Philadelphia City Hall on Thursday, say the legal restrictions support their campaign to get PES to reject a $240 million bid from Hilco Redevelopment Partners of Chicago for the property. In a Jan. 17 bankruptcy auction, the refinery chose Hilco, which city officials say does not intend to resume refining operations. Hilco beat out a rival developer, Industrial Realty Group (IRG), of Santa Monica, Calif., whose supporters say bid $25 million more than Hilco, but was listed as the runner-up. IRG has since teamed up with Philadelphia Energy Industries, headed by former refinery chief executive Philip Rinaldi, who said he wants to restore refining operations. Hilco and IRG could not be reached Thursday. The refinery shut down and declared bankruptcy for a second time in two years after a devastating June 21 fire. U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Kevin Gross has scheduled a Feb. 6 confirmation hearing in Wilmington to consider the refinerys reorganization plan. Objections to the plan are due Feb. 3. The refinery can change the plan before the confirmation hearing. About 500 labor union members rallied outside City Hall on Thursday afternoon to support saving the refinery, which they say is a major economic engine for the region. The unions including steelworkers, pipefitters, steamfitters, insulators, and electricians represent workers who were among the refinerys 1,100 employees, as well as hundreds of other contracted workers. The rally was organized by the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council. Organizers said they intended the rally to serve as a counterpoint to activists and public officials who have welcomed the closure of the refinery as an improvement to public safety and public health. Before its closure, the refinery was the regions largest stationary source of air pollution. The things these people have been saying its getting to the point where weve had enough, said Jim Snell, business manager of Steamfitters Local 420, who encouraged the crowd to serenade City Hall with boos. Potential complications with the deed restrictions have emerged publicly only in recent days as supporters of restoring the refinery have mounted an effort to resume operations at the site, which was the East Coasts largest refinery before it closed. The restrictions are spelled out in a 22-page special warranty deed filed in 2012 with the Philadelphia commissioner of records when the property was sold by Sunoco Inc. to Philadelphia Energy Solutions. Sunoco, which is now owned by Energy Transfer LP, retains legal responsibility for remediating contamination that occurred before 2012. The deed restrictions apparently were a means to protect its ongoing interests to remediate the property under an agreement with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The deed restrictions were not mentioned in a report issued in November by Mayor Jim Kenneys Refinery Advisory Group, which encourages a reuse of the site that is cleaner, safer, and better for Philadelphians. The restrictions were also not cited in a 2018 report by Penns Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, which closely examined legacy issues with the financially troubled refinery. Peter Navarro, the assistant to the president for trade and manufacturing policy, mentioned the deed restrictions in an interview with The Inquirer on Tuesday, in which he expressed the Trump administrations support for efforts to keep the 335,000-barrel-a-day refinery operating. Navarro said that a thousand jobs and national security interests would be affected by the closure, and would make the Northeast too dependent upon fuel imports. Rinaldi, the retired refinery executive who has teamed up with IRG to restart the plant, also mentioned the deed restrictions in an interview Tuesday, saying the provisions were certainly not inconsistent with what were trying to do. Rinaldis plans, which he outlined in August, include restarting the refining and working in partnership with a company that announced plans in 2018 to build a $120 million digester that can convert food waste into renewable methane gas. Rinaldi also suggested that some solar panels might also be installed on the site. City officials, in the advisory groups report, suggested the property most likely would be reused in an industrial or commercial capacity, including some continued use as either a refinery or as a fuel depot. A city contingent was present at the closed-door auction and afterward welcomed Hilcos bid. A spokesman for Mayor Jim Kenney on Thursday broadly interpreted the deed restrictions. There is a deed restriction for the property underlying the refinery, but it most certainly does not limit the propertys use to refining, or to only industrial uses, Mike Dunn, a city spokesman, said in an email. The current deed, in fact, permits use for most commercial and industrial uses. Use of the property for housing, recreational areas open to the public generally, nursing homes, and other similar sensitive uses are prohibited. Some language in the deed restrictions seems to be open to interpretation the requirement that soil disturbances shall be avoided may not be as strong a commandment as must be avoided. Any disputes over the deed restrictions, and whether they might be modified, could complicate the final resolution of the property with additional litigation. COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) Amy Klobuchar is still fighting to gain ground in Iowa's presidential caucuses that are now just days away. The Minnesota senator took a last-minute, late afternoon flight to western Iowa on Tuesday following arguments in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial in Washington. She made a campaign stop at a bar in Council Bluffs, where she was met by a standing-room-only crowd of more than 100 people. She is among a handful of White House hopefuls making a final push in the Midwestern state before Monday's first-in-the-nation caucuses. While touting her recent endorsements including those by The New York Times, as well as newspapers in Iowa and New Hampshire she is facing new questions about her time as a top Minnesota prosecutor in the mid-2000s. Of particular interest is Klobuchar's prosecution of black teenager Myon Burrell, who was convicted in the 2002 death of an 11-year-old girl struck by a stray bullet and was sentenced to life in prison. Burrell's case is getting new scrutiny after The Associated Press uncovered new evidence and myriad inconsistencies in his prosecution, raising questions about whether he was railroaded by police. Klobuchar is not the only candidate in the Democratic field to face scrutiny for his or her records on racial justice in the 1990s and early 2000s; former Vice President Joe Biden and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg are among the others. Klobuchar hasn't directly addressed the Burrell case since the AP's story on his case was published earlier Tuesday, but a campaign spokeswoman said Burrell was tried twice and convicted of the girl's killing, and the second trial occurred when Klobuchar was no longer the prosecutor. The spokeswoman also said that if there was new evidence, it should be immediately reviewed by the court. Klobuchar didn't address the case in her campaign speech Tuesday night. But she did tell a story about a man mourning the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt who said he felt the president knew me. Story continues That's empathy for the people, Klobuchar said. That is what I will bring to you as president. Klobuchar's speech focused heavily on criticism of Trump, from tariffs hurting Midwestern farmers to an unwillingness of the administration to address the skyrocketing costs of health care and medication. Regarding the impeachment, Klobuchar said she sits across the aisle from Senate Republicans and wonders what they must be thinking, especially in light of new reports that former national security adviser John Bolton wrote in a new book that Trump told him he wanted to withhold military aid from Ukraine until the country helped with investigations into Biden, one of his Democratic rivals in the 2020 election. I think, How can this not disturb you? You have the guy in the room where it happened," she said, echoing the title of Bolton's forthcoming book. ___ Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 30, 2020) -Osino Resources Corp. (TSXV: OSI) (FSE: RSR1) ("Osino" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced overnight marketed offering of units of the Company (the "Units") in all provinces of Canada, other than Quebec (the "Offering") and in the United States to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended. An aggregate of 17,949,150 units were sold pursuant to the Offering, including the full exercise of the over-allotment option of 1,923,150 Units, at a price of $0.78 per Unit (the "Offering Price") for aggregate gross proceeds of $14,000,337. "We are very proud to close this significantly oversubscribed overnight offering of Units and we are grateful for the support of both new and existing key investors," stated Heye Daun, Chief Executive Officer of Osino. "These funds will enable us to accelerate our exploration and development plans especially at the exciting and rapidly evolving Twin Hills gold discovery within the developing Karibib Gold District, where we plan to carry out an intensive, multi-phase drill program in 2020 and continuing into 2021. In addition, Osino will continue to advance the additional gold discoveries, prospects and targets which have been defined on the remainder of our 6,577km2 ground position so far. We expect that 2020 will be a transformational year for Osino, aided significantly by having secured this financial backing to deliver on our plans well into 2021." One of the Company's existing key shareholders, RCF Opportunities Fund L.P. ("RCF"), subscribed for 3,205,000 Units under the Offering which resulted in RCF owning 10.33% of Osino's issued and outstanding Common Shares at closing of the Offering, plus an additional 1,602,500 Common Shares upon exercise of its warrants, which would increase RCF's total aggregate ownership to 12.49% on a partially diluted basis. Each Unit issued pursuant to the Offering consists of one common share in the capital of the Company (each a "Common Share") and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to acquire an additional Common Share at a price of $1.05 for a period of 24 months following the closing of the Offering. In the event that following 9 months from the closing date of the Offering, the Company's Common Share price closes at $1.09 for 5 consecutive trading days, the Company may, within 15 days of the occurrence of such event, deliver a notice to the holders of Warrants accelerating the expiry date of the Warrants to the date that is 30 days following such notice, and any unexercised Warrants after such period shall automatically expire. The Offering was made pursuant to an underwriting agreement dated January 14, 2020, as amended by an amendment agreement dated January 16, 2020 (the "Underwriting Agreement") among the Corporation and a syndicate of underwriters led by lead underwriter Cormark Securities Inc., and including M Partners Inc., Canaccord Genuity Corp., Beacon Securities Limited and Haywood Securities Inc. (collectively, the "Underwriters"). Pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, the Underwriters received a cash commission of $815,739.60 which represents 6% of the aggregate gross proceeds of the sale of the Units, other than proceeds received from subscribers on a president's list comprised of investors introduced by the Company to the Underwriters for which a reduced commission was applied. The Company also issued to the Underwriters non-transferable common share purchase warrants entitling the Underwriters to acquire 1,045,820 Common Shares at an exercise price of $0.78 per Common Share for a period of 24 months from the closing of the Offering. The Units were issued pursuant to a short form prospectus dated January 23, 2020, filed with the securities regulatory authorities in each of the provinces of Canada, other than Quebec (the "Prospectus"). A copy of the Prospectus is available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The net proceeds of the Offering are intended to be used to fund expenditures at the Company's exploration projects in Namibia and for general working capital purposes. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. The securities described herein have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and such securities may not be offered or sold within the United States absent registration under U.S. federal and state securities laws or an applicable exemption from such U.S. registration requirements. About Osino Resources Osino is a Canadian gold exploration company, focused on the acquisition and development of gold projects in Namibia. Our 23 exclusive prospecting licenses are located within Namibia's prospective Damara mineral belt, mostly in proximity to and along strike of the producing Navachab and Otjikoto Gold Mines. Osino is targeting gold mineralization that fits the broad orogenic gold model. We are actively advancing a range of gold discoveries, prospects and targets across our 6,577km2 ground position by utilizing a portfolio approach geared towards discovery. Osino's focus in 2020 is on further advancing the Twin Hills and Goldkuppe discoveries within the developing Karibib Gold District, testing our Otjikoto East and Otjiwarongo targets and generating new ones on our remaining licenses. Our core projects are favorably located north and north-west of Namibia's capital city Windhoek. By virtue of their location, the projects benefit significantly from Namibia's well-established infrastructure with paved highways, railway, power and water in close proximity. Namibia is mining-friendly and lauded as one of the continent's most politically and socially stable jurisdictions. Osino continues to evaluate new ground with a view to expanding its Namibian portfolio. Further details are available on the Company's website at https://osinoresources.com/ CONTACT INFORMATION Osino Resources Corp. Heye Daun: CEO Tel: +27 (21) 418 2525 hdaun@osinoresources.com Julia Becker: Investor Relations Manager Tel: +1 (604) 785 0850 jbecker@osinoresources.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 and Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, without limitation, statements regarding the the use of proceeds from the Offering, and the future plans or prospects of the Company. 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 subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Osino Resources Corp., as the case may be, to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Other factors which could materially affect such forward-looking information are described in the risk factors in the Company's most recent annual management's discussion and analysis and annual information form that are available on the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/51971 Since birth, a Minneapolis 24-year-old Minneapolis woman has been in and out of hospitals, undergoing more than 140 surgeries to manage the fluid the builds up around her brain. And, with each surgery, Olivia Maccoux's parents, Dan and Cathy, have collected another photo of her in the hospital, another jaw-droppingly steep medical bill. Now the family has racked up $300,000 in crippling debt, the effectively non-negotiable price for their youngest daughter's survival and health. Changes brought to the American healthcare system by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) helped ensure that Olivia was covered by insurance despite her pre-existing condition. But on the other hand, it sent her parents premiums sky-rocketing, leaving the Maccoux family in a conundrum familiar to 41 percent of Americans who live in the shadow of towering medical debt. Olivia, Cathy and Dan Maccoux sit around the dining table in the family's Minneapolis home The Maccoux family receive visitors to their beautiful home in a Minneapolis suburb with an infectious warmth that belies the fact their youngest daughter Olivia has had more than 140 brain surgeries, all by the age of 24. Mom Cathy smiles tenderly as she scrolls through photos of Olivia on hospital beds at various ages, from a baby to toddler to a teen. 'That's just a hole in her skull from one of the shunts, isn't that crazy?' she says. And dad, Dan, is close to laughing as he reads from bills sprawled out on a table cataloguing medical costs going back to 1996 - including parking tickets and hospital meals. 'Very surprisingly, very few people have a love of records,' says the 57-year-old independent consultant in the semiconductor industry. Olivia, 24, has had to have more than 140 surgeries, but she's recently graduated college and is managing her condition The family's case is a telling illustration of the flaws of the US health care system, which Democratic candidates for the White House have promised to overhaul or scrap ahead of their first primary contests in February. Despite spending the most on health care in the world, 27.5 million Americans are without any health insurance. And for the 'lucky' insured, sky high costs can lead many to bankruptcy, or as in the case of the Maccoux, indebted for life. Olivia was born three months early, which is at the root of her misfortunes. She has a rare condition called hydrocephalus, meaning fluids build up in the cavities of her brain that require valves and catheters to drain down toward the abdomen. But the devices have needed to be changed dozens of times - not to say anything of the epilepsy she experiences, among several other neurological conditions. Cathy shared photos of Olivia on hospital beds at various ages 'I grew up with no hair,' Olivia says of her childhood. But the Maccoux family are fortunate in one respect: Dan has a six figure income, and has always had health insurance. When he worked for a company, his insurance coverage was 'gold,' he says. The problem is that in the US, coverage rarely covers 100 percent of people's needs. The system is largely privatized, and reimbursements to patients depend on negotiations between a hospital or pharmacy and the insurer. The level of reimbursement varies from case to case. There are different levels of 'deductibles' - the amount paid by the patient before the insurance kicks in, as well as 'copays,' the fixed amount of out-of-pocket costs for doctor visits or drugs once the deductible has been met. 'It was the copays I think that killed us because we had so many appointments,' said Cathy. 'We were drowning for a while because it was just constant, constant.' But the Maccoux family are fortunate in one respect: Dan has a six figure income, and has always had health insurance Dan sat with an AFP team and added up the columns on spreadsheets he has used to calculate costs since 2005, the year he began documenting expenses in detail (before that, he has estimates). Across a total of 15 years, it came to $100,000 for out-of-pocket costs, $22,000 for prescription co-pays, $15,000 for meals during hospitalization...with provider co-pays and parking thrown in, totaling $192,000. From 1996 to 2004, he estimates the costs were around $130,000 - with the two figures combining to around $322,000. 'Considering the catastrophe, we did relatively good,' said Dan. 'We probably had a couple dozen times where a provider turned it over to a debt collector and those situations were probably the hardest to deal with.' The house in which they live has served as a piggy bank for their debts: the family has borrowed money by remortgaging it, a permanent financial juggle. In 2001, their woes multiplied when their second youngest, Traci was diagnosed at the age of 11 with complex regional pain syndrome, a rare affliction that started in her leg and spread to her arms (their eldest, Amanda, is fine). The family has on occasion turned to GoFundMe to raise money for the two; the platform has become indispensable for Americans trapped in medical debt. Olivia Maccoux, 24, was born three months early, which is at the root of her misfortunes 'We've had people tell us you should get a divorce,' said Cathy, as a financial strategy. Under this plan, she would have taken custody of the children and, without being employed, would have benefited from public coverage. The couple never considered it. Obamacare, the insurance reforms enacted by former president Barack Obama in 2010, helped the family by removing lifetime caps previously imposed by insurance companies on their payouts. It also prevented insurers from refusing patients coverage on the basis of having a pre-existing conditions - something that would have made the family pariahs when Dan left his company and went freelance. In the last few years, things have improved markedly, said Dan. Olivia and Traci are still sick, but have successfully moved to state health insurance, a more comprehensive package that reduces the burden of out-of-pocket costs on the family. Olivia finished college last year. 'Neurologically I'm doing a lot better,' she said. But the system isn't finished yet with her parents. While Obamacare helped the family in some ways, it also sent their insurance premiums soaring. For this year, Dan and Cathy are paying $1,261 a month. Any reimbursements won't kick-in until they reach their annual deductible of $6,400 each. 'We all have to laugh,' said Dan. While his friends are discussing their retirement plans, 'I'm like, I'll never be able to retire!' Britain has delayed a planned evacuation of its citizens from the coronavirus hit Chinese city of Wuhan because it has not yet got the correct permissions from Chinese authorities for a flight to leave, Trend with reference to Reuters reports. Britain had planned to fly back its citizens to a Royal Air Force base but the flight is now unlikely to take off on Thursday. We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, a Foreign Office spokeswoman said. A number of countries flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the UK as soon as possible. A delegation of Jammu and Kashmir citizens led by former state minister Syed Altaf Bukhari will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to press for restoration of statehood and domicile rights. On Thursday, a meeting of senior political leaders, academicians, legal luminaries and social activists took place in Jammu, a spokesman of the group said in a statement. It was unanimously decided that the group, led by Bukhari, will call on Modi and Shah and press for issues like restoration of statehood and domicile rights for land and jobs, he said. The meeting also took stock of the present socio-economic and political situation in Jammu and Kashmir and stressed on the need to provide the people with a viable, democratic political alternative, he said. Hectic deliberations were also held to reach out to the people to mobilise a democratic grassroots movement aimed at developing strong local structures on the ground, spokesman said. During the course of the meeting two committees were set up, he said. The meeting also underlined the urgent need for the release of all political prisoners, including former three chief ministers, who are under detention in Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of the country. Taking serious note of the economic situation, they demanded immediate relief for agriculture, horticulture, handicrafts, tourism, hoteliers and others. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Move comes as immigrant advocates document how many Remain in Mexico-affected asylum seekers dont have legal support. Migrants from Brazil who seek US asylum at the southern border will now have to wait in Mexico to learn their fate along with tens of thousands of others turned back under a year-old Trump administration policy. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Wednesday that it has started sending Brazilians back into Mexico amid a surge of people from the South American country seeking refuge in the United States. DHS said in a statement announcing the change that the number of Brazilian migrants arriving at the southern border had tripled over the past year. Many have said they are fleeing persecution, gang violence and economic hardship. They will join about 55,000 migrants waiting in Mexico for rulings on their asylum claims, decisions that can take months or even years. Previously, migrants presenting themselves at the southern border or apprehended while trying to enter the country were, if they met the initial threshold for asylum, often released on parole in the US to await a final determination by an immigration judge. US President Donald Trumps administration began forcing them to stay in Mexico under the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) as part of a broader effort to reduce what DHS calls irregular migration to the United States. Advocates for immigrants have sued the federal government to halt the policy, known informally as remain in Mexico, arguing it deprives people of the right under international law to seek asylum and makes it harder for them to press their legal cases in backlogged immigration courts. The US began returning migrants from Central America to Mexico last year. In December, acting Customs and Border Patrol Chief Mark Morgan pledged to try to shut down asylum for migrants from outside the immediate region, noting migrants from Haiti, Brazil and African countries. Immigrant rights advocates went to immigration courts on Wednesday to document the number of migrants and asylum seekers who are in court without legal support or representation. They also denounced the Remain in Mexico policy, saying it equals rape, violence and rights violations. By having to remain in MX these families have no access to legal support or ability to truly present their case for asylum, tweeted one Twitter user. Moms wiped tears away as they asked the judge to repeat questions they didnt understand. By having to remain in MX these families have no access to legal support or ability to truly present their case for asylum. Moms wiped tears away as they asked the judge to repeat questions they didnt understand. #RestoreAsylumNow Zaira R. Garcia (@ZairaRuthGarcia) January 29, 2020 Next case is a young Guatemalan couple traveling with their toddler. Mom sits at counsel table, where the defense lawyer would normally sit, with the baby on her lap. There is not one lawyer representing anyone on the entire afternoon docket in Judge Simpsons courtroom, tweeted Immigrant Defenders, a social justice law firm. Next case is a young Guatemalan couple traveling with their toddler. Mom sits at counsel table, where the defense lawyer would normally sit, with the baby on her lap. There is not one lawyer representing anyone on the entire afternoon docket in Judge Simpsons courtroom. #EndMPP ImmDef (@ImmDef) January 29, 2020 Walking into #MPP court in San Diego where the due process and human rights of asylum seekers are violated every single damn day. The Remain in Mexico policy is deadly and we must fight like hell to #RestoreAsylumNow, tweeted Lindsay Toczylowski, the founder of Immigrant Defenders. A sudden outbreak of coronavirus in China is weighing on equity markets globally as investors are shifting their wealth from riskier equities to safe-haven assets, fearing that the virus outbreak may derail the pace of economic growth. The outbreak, which started in the central city of Wuhan late last year, has killed nearly 200 people, and has infected nearly 8,000 so far in China alone, media reports suggest. The novel outbreak of coronavirus can hit the trades between the countries and distort the supply chain in the market. Besides, the widespread availability of social media platforms is also amplifying the market anxiety like never before which could trigger even some panic selling in the market, experts pointed out. Market experts are assessing the impact of coronavirus viz-a-viz the 2002-2003 spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and several other such sudden outbreaks. As such sudden shocks restrict economic activities to some extent, their impact on the stock market cannot be negated. However, data from Ace Equity shows that the market shows resilience soon to such pathogen outbreaks and barring few exceptions, the market moved sharply higher after witnessing a correction due to similar disease outbreaks. During the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak, BSE Sensex corrected for about 5 percent within a month, but emerged from the negative territory soon, surging up to 29 percent in the six-month period. Besides, it should be noticed that the outbreak of Swine Flu (H1N1) in 2009 failed to have any impact on the market as the BSE Sensex surged 19 percent in a one-month period and a whopping 79 percent in a six-month period during that time. While the market reacts to such negative developments sharply, but their long-term impact on the market has been dismal. "I firmly believe that after the Budget, within 10 days the market will recover from the impact of coronavirus. So far, the fatality rate is only about 1 percent compared to SARS. So, after Budget it will take 1-2 weeks for the market to come to normal," said G. Chokkalingam, Founder of Equinomics Research. Sameer Kalra, Founder of Target Investing pointed out that the stock-specific impact in the Indian broader market is low even now and the most important thing is to track the acceleration rate of the disease. "Indices, especially MSCI, for all countries will remain impacted until the acceleration of the virus peaks out. As passive funds are seeing extreme outflows. But the stock-specific impact in the Indian broader market is low even now. Its important to track acceleration rate," Kalra said. At this juncture, the most important trigger for the market is the Union Budget 2020 which is scheduled on February 1. Moreover, the quarterly earnings will cause stock-specific volatility while the movement of crude oil and rupee and the inflow of foreign funds will also have their say in the market. The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Crime boss Tony Mokbel has threatened the life of one of the senior police officers responsible for his prosecution and jailing for drug trafficking. Victoria Police sources say the threat against the detective who once worked in the Purana anti-gangland taskforce is considered genuine and credible and is now under investigation by an internal security squad. The veteran officer, who cannot be named for safety reasons, is also now receiving special protection. Tony Mokbel when he was caught by police in Greece. A police spokeswoman said: Victoria Police does not comment on any matters relating to threats against current or former members for safety reasons. Underworld sources say Mokbels behaviour has become increasingly erratic since he was brutally bashed and stabbed in the yard of Barwon Prison last year. He sustained a serious head injury in the attack and spent several days in a coma. WORD WHISPERER Isabel Allende isnt sure how many books shes written: I think I have like 23 or 24. I havent counted them, but I can find out and let you know. Her message is clear, in a gentle and polite way: The statistics are not the point. The stories are. In fact, Allende has published 24 books, including memoirs, stories and fantasy fiction for young adults. Her 20th novel, A Long Petal of the Sea which lands on this weeks hardcover fiction list at No. 8 is inspired by the experiences of the half million refugees who left Spain after the 1930s civil war only to be imprisoned in France. Beaches were closed with barbed wire and people were shoved into these camps with no water, no shelter, no food. Sometimes I struggle with a book but I didnt struggle with this one, Allende says. This was 1939, so theres documentation photography, movies and novels. One character was inspired by a friend she met in Venezuela in 1975, who escaped on the Winnipeg, a cargo ship that transported more than 2,000 people to Chile at the behest of the diplomat and poet Pablo Neruda. Allende always begins new books on Jan. 8, the anniversary of the day in 1981 when she started writing a letter to her grandfather that turned into her first novel, The House of Spirits. She gets up to work at 5:30 a.m., when her husband goes to the gym, and continues for around 10 hours with only occasional breaks to walk her rescue mutts, Dulce and Perla. [January 30, 2020] Moody's Analytics Named Category Leader in Chartis Credit Risk Report Moody's Analytics, a global provider of financial intelligence, is a Category Leader in a new Chartis Research report evaluating leading vendors of credit risk solutions. Technology Solutions for Credit Risk 2.0: Vendor Landscape, 2019 features Chartis RiskTech Quadrants for the banking book and the trading book, with Moody's Analytics earning Category Leader distinction in both. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005282/en/ (Graphic: Business Wire) "We're pleased to earn this recognition from Chartis for our credit risk capabilities," said Jacob Grotta, Managing Director-Head of Risk & Finance Solutions. "We help our clients use data and analytics to gain a better understanding of their individual and portfolio risk exposures, so they can make better decisions for their business. We're also helping them tackle the new challenge of linking non-financial risk types like climate and cyber to their credit analysis frameworks." The banking book quadrant, pictured above, considers the "Completeness of Offering" and "Market Potential" of 24 vendors. The accompanying report highlights three specific capabilities where Moody's Analytics is "industry-leading": analytics, risk data aggregation and allocation, and enterprise stress testing and scenario management. This combination of capabilities enabled us to achieve "Category Leader" status in the banking book quadrant. Our combination of data, analytics, and expertise helped us to also attain "Category Leader" status in the trading book quadrant, which you can view here. Its related "Vendor Capabilities" table highlights three of our capabilities for the trading book (analytics, data management, and risk data aggregation and allocation) as "Best-in-Class." Click here for more on this recognition for Moody's Analytics, which adds to our growing list of awards and accolades. Bureau van Dijk, a Moody's Analytics company, recently earned Category Leader distinction in a separate Chartis Research report assessing leading vendors of Know Your Customer solutions. Click here to learn more about our credit risk solutions. Moody's Analytics, Moody's, and all other names, logos, and icons identifying Moody's Analytics and/or its products and services are trademarks of Moody's Analytics, Inc. or its affiliates. Third-party trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. About Moody's Analytics Moody's Analytics provides financial intelligence and analytical tools to help business leaders make better, faster decisions. Our deep risk expertise, expansive information resources, and innovative application of technology help our clients confidently navigate an evolving marketplace. We are known for our industry-leading and award-winning solutions, made up of research, data, software, and professional services, assembled to deliver a seamless customer experience. We create confidence in thousands of organizations worldwide, with our commitment to excellence, open mindset approach, and focus on meeting customer needs. For more information about Moody's Analytics, visit our website or connect with us on Twitter or LinkedIn. Moody's Analytics, Inc. is a subsidiary of Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO). Moody's Corporation reported revenue of $4.4 billion in 2018, employs approximately 10,900 people worldwide and maintains a presence in 44 countries. About Chartis Research Chartis Research is the leading provider of research and analysis on the global market for risk technology. It is part of Infopro Digital, which owns market-leading brands such as Risk and WatersTechnology. Chartis' goal is to support enterprises as they drive business performance through improved risk management, corporate governance and compliance, and to help clients make informed technology and business decisions by providing in-depth analysis and actionable advice on virtually all aspects of risk technology. Further information is available at chartis-research.com. RiskTech Quadrant, RiskTech100 and FinTech Quadrant are registered trademarks of Infopro Digital Services Limited. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005282/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A PRE-Leaving Cert exam triggered terrible memories for a group of county Limerick students resulting in one girl going home after being unable to continue the test. Two years ago this February, 36 John the Baptist Community School pupils and a male were taken to UHL after a bus ended up on its side in a ditch. Teachers and staff in the Hospital secondary school have put every possible support in place for the 46 teenagers on the bus since the accident occurred. Some of those boys and girls are now in Leaving Cert and on Wednesday, January 23, sat a French aural exam from an outside company during their mocks. Students are asked to listen to a CD and answer questions on a subject. In this case the topic was a school bus crash that was eerily similar to what happened in Caherline on Wednesday, February 7, 2018. A parent contacted the Limerick Leader to say there was silence in the classroom. Everybody was shocked. It triggered those terrible memories. One girl stopped writing and couldnt continue. She had to go home. She was very upset, everybody was, students and teachers. The school and staff have been brilliant since the accident. It was incredibly insensitive by whoever prepared this paper. Of all the things they could have talked about they chose a school bus crash. It beggars belief. It is understood that three teenagers were particularly affected by what they heard. The parent continued: The teachers immediately took action and looked after everyone. The same exam was to take place in the afternoon but they made sure it wasnt played again. They couldnt do enough for the students. Staff were brilliant on the day it happened and have been brilliant every day since. Noreen Rafferty, principal of John the Baptist Community School in Hospital, confirmed that at the end of the aural component of the pre-French Leaving Certificate exam, a scenario was described that caused particular upset to some of our students. In our own house exams, every effort is made that our students are protected and that nothing offensive or hurtful appears. As this exam paper was from an outside company and teachers were trying to preserve the integrity and confidentiality of the exam, the same parameters may not have been applied, said Ms Rafferty. As soon as they became aware of the upset, they replaced the paper. We contacted the company immediately, as we are mindful that this may be an issue for other schools and students, and measures may need to be taken. We regret that the aural component of this exam caused such hurt and distress to our students, as the school has always looked after these students, cognisant of their particular need as a consequence of their experience in a bus crash in February 2018, said Ms Rafferty. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 30, 2020 11:34 713 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2061b1073 1 National coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,wildlife-trade,Indonesia,activists,Dog-Meat-Free-Indonesia,China Free Responding to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, animal rights organizations have called on the Indonesian government to close all markets that slaughter or sell illegal wildlife. The virus, 2019-nCoV, is believed to have first emerged among wild animals in a market in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Read also: Monitor wildlife trade as certain animals 'have potential' as coronavirus carriers, warns LIPI In an open letter sent to President Joko Jokowi Widodo, Dog Meat Free Indonesia, a coalition of several animal rights organizations in the country, says that zoonotic coronaviruses can originate from wild animal markets. We urge the Indonesian government to take strong and immediate action to mitigate the risk posed by Indonesias animal markets, the coalition states in the letter, which was made available to The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. It further says: We have visited a good number of animal markets in Indonesia, where the conditions are the same as those being described by scientists as the perfect breeding grounds for new and deadly zoonotic viruses, such as coronaviruses. The coalition argues that wild animals, many of which are protected, are sold and slaughtered in public and unsanitary conditions alongside domestic animal species, including dogs and cats, potentially exposing thousands of people every day to a variety of zoonotic diseases throughout Indonesia. The organization points out that dog and cat meat markets in Indonesia can be a hotbed for disease transmission, especially rabies. Dog and cat meat are sold for consumption in some Indonesian markets alongside snakes, bats and rats. [] given the current state of emergency in China, we urge you to please take preventative and proactive measures to make sure Indonesia is not the next point of origin of a deadly virus. We urge you to prioritize the health and well-being of the overwhelming majority of the Indonesian population, rather than the preferences and profitability of a few at the expense of national and global interests, the letter states. Read also: Indonesia well prepared to handle coronavirus outbreak: WHO The 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), also known as the Wuhan coronavirus, is a contagious virus that causes respiratory infection. It can be transmitted from human to human. The virus was first identified by authorities in Wuhan, Hubei, China, as the cause of the ongoing outbreak. It has spread to Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, the United States, Canada, France and Germany, among other countries. The World Health Organization, which initially downplayed the severity of a disease that has now killed 170 nationwide, warned all governments to be "on alert" as it weighed whether to declare a global health emergency, AFP reported Chinese health authorities said there were 7,711 confirmed cases of infection as of the end of Wednesday, mostly in Hubei province where the death toll rose by 37 to 162. Read also: China bans wild animal trade until viral outbreak eases As of Thursday, Indonesia had no reported cases of the virus. (gis) [January 30, 2020] Draganfly Offers In-Person Flight Reviews for Transport Canada Advanced Operations Drone Pilot Certificate Vancouver, British Columbia, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Draganfly Inc. (CSE: DFLY) (OTCQB: DFLYF) (FSE: 3U8) (Draganfly or the Company), an award-winning, industry-leading manufacturer within the commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and Unmanned Vehicle Systems (UVS) space, today announced that it provides operations training and flight reviews for the Transport Canada advanced operations drone pilot certificate. To operate a drone in Canada, one must have a pilot certificate issued by Transport Canada which requires successful completion of a written exam and in some cases a practical flight review. For advanced flight operations in Canada, such as flights in controlled airspace or near people, pilots must have successfully passed a practical flight review administered by a Transport Canada approved pilot with a Flight Reviewer endorsement. Draganfly is pleased to offer flight review services to operators seeking an advanced operations pilot certificate. Draganfly has over 21 years of experience providing in-depth flight and system training world-wide and offers in-person flight reviews for the Transport Canada advanced operations drone pilot certificate. This certificate ensures that a drone pilot is able to competently operate within the regulations and safety standards implemented by Transport Canada. All Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) pilots must comply with these rules and regulations. As the RPA industry continues to rapidly evolve and expand, it is important for drone operators to have proper training and certifications to safely and effectively use the national airspace. We always strive to help our customers develop a solid foundation for safe operations. stated Cory Baker, Production Manager, Draganfly Innovations. About Draganfly Draganfly Inc. (CSE: DFLY; OTCQB: DFLYF; FSE: 3U8) is the creator of quality, cutting-edge, UVS and software that revolutionizes the way people do business. Recognized as being at the forefront of technology for over 21 years, Draganfly is an award-winning, industry-leading manufacturer within the commercial UAV and UVS space, serving the public safety, agriculture, industrial inspections and mapping and surveying markets. Draganfly is a company driven by passion, ingenuity and the need to provide efficient solutions and first-class services to its customers around the world with the goal of saving time, money and lives. For more information on Draganfly, please visit us at www.draganfly.com . For additional investor information, visit www.thecse.com searching DFLY or visit https://www.boerse-frankfurt.de/ searching 3U8. Media Contact Arian Hopkins email: [email protected] Company Contact Phone: 1-306-955-9907 Email: [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] In the second week of April 1915, Mohandas Karamchand (not yet Mahatma) Gandhi visited Delhi for the first time. He had just come back to his homeland after two decades in South Africa, where he had made a name as a lawyer and an activist. His mentor, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, told Gandhi that for a full year he should travel across India, getting to know the country, before deciding what sort of public career he chose to have. In Delhi, Gandhi stayed in the home of S.K. Rudra, Principal of St. Stephens College, to whom he had been introduced by his close friend, the Christian priest Charles Freer Andrews. Rudra asked him to speak to the students. So he did. As a report in the St. Stephens College Magazine (number 32, April 1915) has it, when the visitor entered the College Hall, he was greeted with deafening and prolonged cheers. Gandhi, speaking in Hindi, refused to offer the students advice on Indian politics, since Gokhale had told him not to speak on the subject until his year of travel had ended. Gokhale himself had just recently passed away. Now, addressing an audience of Hindu and Muslim students in a Christian college, Gandhi focused on the religious pluralism of his mentor. Thus Gandhi described Gokhale to these students of Delhi as a Hindu, but of the right type. A Hindu Sannyasi once came to him [Gokhale] and made a proposal to push the Hindu political cause in a way which would suppress the Mahommedan and he pressed his proposal with many specious religious reasons. Mr. Gokhale replied to this person in the following words: If to be a Hindu I must do as you wish me to do, please publish it abroad that I am not a Hindu. But Mr. Gokhale was a Hindu, and his religion was fearless. Some three decades after he made these remarks, Gandhi was killed in Delhi. Himself a Hindu, whose religion was (as it were) fearless, Gandhi was murdered because he absolutely refused to push the Hindu political cause in a way which would suppress the Mahommedan. As is well known, shortly before he was assassinated on January 30, 1948, Gandhi had embarked on an epic fast for Hindu-Muslim unity. I will return to that fast, but before I do, I would like to speak of another, if now less known, fast for Hindu-Muslim harmony that Gandhi undertook in Delhi. In the summer of 1924, there were a series of religious riots across Northern India. Daily the gulf was widening, commented one periodical published out of Kolkata: Vernacular papers cropped up like mushrooms simply to indulge into the most unbridled license in ridiculing the religion and social customs of the opposite community, and they sold like hot cakes. The violence in the north deeply worried Gandhi, who had just come out of a long spell in prison. He travelled to Delhi, where, on September 17, he began a 21-day fast, which he described as a prayer both to Hindus and Mussalmans, who have hitherto worked in unison, not to commit suicide. I am striving to become the best cement between the two communities, said Gandhi, adding: My longing is to be able to cement the two with my blood, if necessary. But, before I can do so, I must prove to the Mussalmans that I love them as well as I love the Hindus. My religion teaches me to love all equally. Gandhi broke his fast at 12.30 pm on October 9, 1924, when the great doctor and patriot, Dr. M. A. Ansari, handed him a glass of orange juice. Gandhi now asked his old friend from South Africa, Imam Abdul Kadir Bawazir, to read a prayer from the Koran. This was followed by a Christian hymn from C. F. Andrews, and a Hindu hymn from Anasuya Sarabhai. To return now to Gandhis second and even greater fast for Hindu-Muslim harmony in Delhi conducted in January 1948. Following Independence and Partition, a wave of Hindu and Sikh refugees came to Delhi from West Pakistan. Their persecution at the hands of Pakistani Muslims had made them angry and embittered. They now sought revenge at the expense of the Muslims of Indias capital city. Fishing in these troubled waters were organisations such as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. A Delhi police report dated October 24, 1947 observed: According to the Sangh volunteers, the Muslims would quit India only when another movement for their total extermination similar to the one which was started in Delhi sometime back would take place. They were waiting for the departure of Mahatma Gandhi from Delhi as they believed that so long as the Mahatma was in Delhi, they would not be able to precipitate their designs into action. The Mahatma knew of these designs, and thus absolutely refused to leave Delhi. Thousands of Muslims had already fled the capital; Gandhi was now determined to stop the exodus, and assure those who still remained that they would be safe and secure in a secular India. Through November and December he travelled to different parts of what is now known as the National Capital Region, reassuring Muslims, while at the same time urging Hindus and Sikhs not to take retributive action against Indians who had nothing to do with what was happening in Pakistan. Are you going to annihilate all the three-and-a-half or four crore Muslims? he asked his fellow Hindus: Or would you like to convert them to Hinduism? But even that would be a kind of annihilation. It is senseless to ask Muslims to accept Hinduism like this. Am I going to save Hinduism with the help of such Hindus? The Mahatma was staying in the New Delhi home of his friend G. D. Birla, in the building now known as Gandhi Smriti. At the time, the High Commission of the United Kingdom was located on the same road. From his office window, the British High Commissioner observed who was going in and out of the place where Gandhi was staying. As he wrote in a report to London, day in and day out, Muslims of all classes of society, many of whom had also suffered personal bereavements in the recent disturbances, came to invoke his [Gandhis] help. Normally too fearful even to leave their homes, they came to him because they had learned and believed that he had their interests at heart and was the only real force in the Indian Union capable of preserving them from destruction. On the January 13, 1948, an old and ailing man of 78 began a fast-unto-death to bring about Hindu-Muslim harmony. Speaking at a prayer meeting the next day, Gandhi recalled how, when he was a boy growing up in Kathiawar, he had a dream that if the Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, Christians and Muslims could live in amity not only in Rajkot but in the whole of India, they would all have a very happy life. If the dream could be realized even now when I am an old man on the verge of death, my heart would dance. On January 17, Gandhi entered the fifth day of his fast. The Hindustan Times reported that his moral example was taking effect, slowly but surely. Two lakh people now signed a peace pledge, which read: We the Hindu, Sikh, Christian and other citizens of Delhi declare solemnly our conviction that Muslim citizens of the Indian Union should be as free as the rest of us to live in Delhi in peace and security and with self-respect and to work for the good and well-being of the Indian Union. Presented with this peace pledge, Gandhi ended his fast on the January 18. It took him a week to recover his strength and his health. On the 27th, he visited the tomb of the 13th century saint Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar in Mehrauli. A crowd in excess of ten thousand people had come to greet him. In a brief speech, Gandhi urged the Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims who have come here with cleansed hearts to take a vow at this holy place that you will never allow strife to raise its head, but will live in amity, united as friends and brothers. On January 30,Gandhi was murdered. However, contrary to what Nathuram Godse and his supporters had expected, Gandhis exit did not create an open field for Hindu extremists to operate in. On the other hand, it horrified the majority of the countrys Hindus, who were shamed into atonement by the of their greatest compatriot. Among those most shamed by Gandhis murder were Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabhbhai Patel, Prime Minister and Home Minister respectively. As Nehru wrote to Patel, with Bapus death, everything is changed and we have to face a different and more difficult world. The old controversies have ceased to have much significance and it seems to me that the urgent need of the hour is for all of us to function as closely and co-operatively as possible Patel, in reply, said he fully and heartily reciprocate[d] the sentiments you have so feelingly expressed [Bapus] death changes everything and the crisis that has overtaken us must awaken in us a fresh realisation of how much we have achieved together and the need for further joint efforts in our grief-stricken countrys interests. After Gandhis death, Nehru and Patel buried their personal differences to work together to build a united and secular India, in which Muslims would be as free as Hindus to live in peace, security, and self-respect. It is striking that Gandhi spoke of the dangers of Hindu majoritarianism on his first visit to Delhi in 1915, and that he fasted to oppose Hindu majoritarianism on his last visit to Delhi, in 1947-8. Striking, and strikingly relevant too. For, as we mark the 72nd anniversary of his martyrdom, the strand in Gandhis many-sided life that speaks most urgently to us today is surely his absolute commitment to inter-faith harmony. (Ramachandra Guha is the author of Gandhi: The Years that Changed the World 1914-1948) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON An Oregon State Penitentiary inmate suffering from mental illness was left to die of pneumonia after staff ignored his requests for medical attention, a lawsuit filed against the state Department of Corrections alleges. The lawsuit seeks $15 million and was filed by Stephen Brown, the brother of Michael Barton, who died in 2018 while in custody. The lawsuit, filed Jan. 24 in Marion County Circuit Court, accuses the state of negligence, wrongful death, civil rights violations and disability discrimination. Bryan Dawson, the attorney representing Brown, said that the case could reveal bigger problems in how the Corrections Department handles the spread of influenza. We have some understanding that this is a systematic problem, said Dawson. According to the complaint, Barton was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression, brain injury, hallucinations and other mental health conditions. Because of his conditions, Barton struggled with daily tasks such as turning off the water faucet in his cell or opening his unlocked door, according to the complaint. The complaint said that in January 2018, Barton came down with influenza, which developed into pneumonia. His condition worsened and he became too weak to walk or stand without assistance. Barton repeatedly wept and begged prison personnel to be admitted to and treated in the infirmary but was denied, the complaint said. The complaint said prison officials wouldnt let Barton into the infirmary because he would make others sick. An internal department investigation, cited in the complaint, concluded that admitting Barton would have allowed better monitoring and treatment but the infirmary was extremely ill-constructed for admitted influenza patients. Flu is something that just runs rampant through the prisons, said Dawson. How can you have a facility that cant treat something that leads to a death like this? Bartons condition continued to worsen, yet prison personnel didnt take his vital signs and his despair and lifelessness were treated as defiance by staff, according to the complaint. In February 2018, Barton was taken to Salem Hospital, where he was diagnosed with cardiac arrest, septic shock, acute kidney failure and other conditions. The complaint describes him as barely alive. A day later he was pronounced dead at age 54. Barton, a resident of Medford, was sentenced to prison after entering into a plea agreement for a 2016 bank robbery. He was scheduled to be released in November of 2020, according to the complaint. Dawson said Bartons brother initially wasnt aware of the alleged circumstances that lead to his death last year, when Disability Rights Oregon released its investigative report. The July 2019 report specifically focused on Bartons death. It called on the department to hire an independent prison health expert to review Bartons death and recommend improvements. Department spokewoman Jennifer Black declined to comment, citing the litigation. Located in Salem, the Oregon State Penitentiary is the states only maximum-security facility with a capacity of about 2,000. Federal Bureau of Prisons guidelines recommend that inmates and staff receive flu vaccinations. The lawsuit said that Barton wasnt given a flu vaccination. In 2019, the department settled a lawsuit brought by the family of an inmate at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville who died of complications from the flu contracted during an outbreak. Willamette Week, which reported the settlement, quoted Black saying that all incarcerated individuals who wanted a flu shot would be offered one. On Monday, Jan. 27, the department tweeted that all visiting at the Wilsonville. Prison was canceled until further notice because of a flu outbreak. Contact reporter Jake Thomas at 503-575-1251 or jake@salemreporter.com or @jakethomas2009. by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, January 29, 2020 News Corp launches its Knewz service Wednesday, hoping to steer readers away from search engines and toward its new online platform. Knewz.com, which has yet to launch an advertising model, aggregates headlines from more than 400 publishers, from Politico, Fox News, Daily Mail,Washington Post and Washington Examiner to the Anchorage Daily News and The Sun. The site can be considered an alternative to Google, Bing, Facebook and others that have tried to generate revenue aggregating news content from publisher sties. Links to black-type headlines highlighted in bright yellow are curated by artificial intelligence and human editors that send readers directly to publishers websites, where the media companies can make money from advertising and subscriptions. The sites design is similar to that of aggregators like Google News and Apple News, but lacks the design style. advertisement advertisement The design of the site, however, is being mocked for its cluster design. Alexis Benveniste, editor at CNNBusiness, tweeted: News Corp's new "knewz" website makes me feel like I have 3456789 tabs open in my brain. Knewz is unique in that readers can, at a single glance, see multiple sources, stated Robert Thomson, chief executive of News Corp. The company says it will share "as much data as possible with publishers from Knewz to help them monetize their content. The company also says it will prominently feature the branding of the news sites. Knewz.com is available on desktop, mobile and mobile app. It is being run by a team of editors and technical experts at News Corp, working with the companys Strategy team as well as its Storyful unit, which is helping Knewz.com monitor news developments worldwide. Belle Gibson will still be able to hold onto her house, her clothing, TV, furniture, washing machine and possibly even her car, despite authorities 'seizing her assets'. The cancer faker, 28, showed her face in public on Thursday for the first time since authorities turned up at the front door of her semi in Melbourne's north last week. Despite the Victorian sheriff going from room to room to list up her belongings, sell them off and recoup her $500,000 debt, the con artist won't say goodbye to much. Daily Mail Australia can reveal the warrant executed on Gibson allows her to keep household goods which keep her living at a level of 'basic comfort'. First sight: Belle Gibson was spotted in public for the first time on Thursday ... but there was no sign of a headscarf, despite her apparent Islamic conversion Despite the raid and her role in the Ethiopian community being exposed, po-faced Gibson may have something to smile about - given the raid on her home will allow her to live at a level of 'basic comfort' A Victorian Legal Aid document said such items include 'your fridge, television, washing machine, basic furniture and clothing'. While the sheriff can claim 'unsecured, valuable things you own outright... for example, your car', it's not clear who owns the Skoda sedan she drives. Both Gibson and her 'housemate' Clive Rothwell, have been seen driving the white car - and the sheriff can't seize his goods. But since the sheriff visited, Gibson has been banned from selling off any of her items and have a full year to take what they like. To an outsider, it seems unlikely that the value of the disgraced wellness advocate's possessions would come anywhere near the amount of her $500,000 debt. A Consumer Affairs Victoria spokeswoman could not disclose how the agency will enforce the fine against her if that is the case. 'CAV is committed to recovering the debt Ms Gibson owes the Victorian public and will continue to pursue Ms Gibson until it is repaid in full.' Whether Gibson or her housemate, Clive Rothwell, own their white Skoda Octavia sedan may determine whether she keeps it or not. She will not be leaving her pleasant Melbourne semi Before the warrant... and after: Belle Gibson wore a fashionable black coat and a $200 dress to court last year... but was dressed simply today WHAT BELLE GIBSON CAN KEEP The Victorian Sheriff is will allow Gibson to continue to keep items that keep her in 'basic comfort'. Gibson could keep household goods including her fridge, television, washing machine, basic furniture (presumably including a table and chairs) and clothing. Her car will not be seized if she is not the official owner, or if it is her primary form of transport and is worth less than $7600. Source: Victorian Legal Aid, via Consumer Affairs Victoria Advertisement WHAT BELLE GIBSON WILL LOSE The Victorian Sheriff can seize 'any non-secured, valuable items' to sell them off. A Legal Aid face sheet said, under the terms of Gibsons' warrant, a sheriff can attend a person's home to take their goods, or just make a list. Once the sheriff has listed the goods, they can't be sold off or disposed of. The items are then sold off at auction afterwards, although Gibson could stop the sale by negotiating to pay. Source: Victorian Legal Aid, via Consumer Affairs Victoria Advertisement Gibson has failed to pay the fine since she was found guilty of misleading and deceptive conduct in September 2017. She had fraudulently claimed to have made donations to charity from the profits of her Whole Pantry business. New look: The conwoman recently surfaced at a community meeting of Melbourne's Ethiopian Oromo diaspora, calling herself 'Sobantu' and wearing a headscarf The business was a success in large part because of her extraordinary claims she had cured her brain cancer with healthy eating. Daily Mail Australia last week revealed Gibson has declared herself an adopted member of Ethiopia's Oromo community. She has referred to herself by the name 'Sobantu' on several occasions and has prayed at Melbourne's Preston Mosque. Sources have claimed the mosque may consider banning Gibson from attending in the future. World number one Ashleigh Barty said her 12-week-old niece helped put her Australian Open semi-final defeat into perspective on Thursday as she delivered her post-match press conference holding the baby girl. American 14th seed Sofia Kenin silenced Rod Laver Arena with a surprise 7-6 (8/6), 7-5 win over the home favourite in fierce Melbourne heat. It ended Australian hopes of a first homegrown women's champion since Chris O'Neil in 1978, and Barty's bid to win her home Grand Slam for the first time. And in an unexpected twist, the 23-year-old sat down in front of the world's media with baby Olivia cooing on her lap. "This is what life is all about, it's amazing," said the Australian, gazing fondly down at the baby. "Perspective is a beautiful thing. Life is a beautiful thing. "She brought a smile to my face as soon as I came off the court. I got to give her a hug." Barty, who had been the strong favourite having defeated the 21-year-old Kenin in four of their five previous meetings, said that it was "a match where I didn't feel super-comfortable". "I felt like my first plan wasn't working. I couldn't execute the way that I wanted. I tried to go to B and C," said the down-to-earth Australian, who will remain world number one despite losing. "I think I had to dig and find a way. I mean, I'm two points away from winning that in straight sets, which is disappointing." Barty, who held set points in each set, conceded that she "didn't play the biggest points well enough to be able to win". The French Open champion hopes to rectify that next time. "I've learnt so much over the last month, I've learnt from all of the experiences that I've kind of been thrown into," she said, baby Olivia sitting contentedly in front of the cameras. "I've loved every minute and I won't wait a year to put those into practice. "I'll put those into practice next week, the next time I walk on court, the next time I kind of wake up in the morning." Australia's Ashleigh Barty was a surprise loser in the semi-finals in Melbourne Opinion Article 30 January 2020 According to a recent study by Fuel and Flip.to, your hotel's website is the most influential factor behind whether or not a travel shopper chooses to make a direct booking. And one of the most effective ways to encourage your customers to book directly on your website, according to a recent survey by Software Advice and Google, is by offering incentives. The ripple effect of incentives also leads to long-term benefits to your hotel, including repeat guests, increased direct bookings and brand advocacy. In this article, I highlight how incentives have the power to vastly improve your direct results, and offer some tips on how you can effectively communicate your unique value proposition (UVP) across your website. Your Website is Your Hotel's Storefront Let me start by asking you something: Have you ever looked at your website as your storefront? If you think about it, the primary goal of having a storefront is to attract attention to a specific business. With this in mind, why don't you start looking at your website (once and for all) as the digital storefront of your hotel too? In today's digital landscape, your website is the best opportunity to showcase the valuable and unforgettable experiences your property can offer. But according to Google's Travel Trends Report, travelers visit an average of 18 websites across multiple devices before making a booking. So you need to ask yourself: "How can I make mine stand out from the rest?" There is a widespread misconception amongst many hoteliers that simply acquiring a domain name and going live will be enough to instantly generate website traffic and direct bookings. The reality is that there is actually more work involved than simply featuring your rooms and pictures. You need to optimize your website just like a storefront should be decorated on a weekly basis. Achieving this requires thought, planning, and an element of trial and error. The web is now more social and dynamic than ever, and certainly not static like most hotel websites tend to be. When evaluating your website, the home page is the best place to start because it is where your customers will first visit and experience your brand. Therefore, your message needs to be simple, clear, straightforward and strongly represent your Unique Value Proposition (UVP). Why Incentives Increase Your Hotel's Direct Bookings A recent survey by Software Advice and Google of approximately 2,500 travelers reveals which perks effectively persuade consumers to avoid Online Travel Agencies (OTAs). Photo: GuestCentric Systems Nearly 50% of travelers would be most likely to make a direct reservation if a hotel offered a room upgrade as an incentive to book directly on their website. The second in line is free room service, with 23% of travelers more likely to make a direct reservation due to this incentive. OTAs dominate the travel market for a reason. With the likes of Booking.com and Expedia offering an array of attractive packages and competitive rates which incentivize travelers to book, hoteliers need to communicate a unique value proposition that differentiates their hotel from intermediaries. For example, your property could offer add-ons (such as complimentary breakfast, free parking, complimentary shuttle service, or free nights, etc.) as direct booking incentives. You could also leverage all-inclusive packages where you partner with an airline or car rental service. When working with Expedia for example, hotels simply opt-in to be included in a package and Expedia will hide the rates per partner so the consumer will pay just one price. However, many hoteliers make the mistake of not offering these incentives, and worse still, not keeping their rates competitive in comparison to OTAs. According to a Phocuswright survey across eight different travel markets, (Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK, and the US), 30% of travelers said they preferred OTAs because they felt they had lower rates. In the US alone, 50% of respondents said OTAs had better prices. Why should a customer book a room on your website if it costs as much or, worst-case scenario, more than Booking or Expedia? Furthermore, why should a customer book a room with you when they can get an all-inclusive package at a better price on an OTA? These are very important questions to ask yourself when shaping your unique value proposition. The main objective will be to leave no doubt about why booking on your website is better than booking through an OTA. There are many ways to leverage your direct channel: exclusive occupancy, meal plan, more flexible cancellation policies, added values and special offers for direct bookers. Your unique value proposition should appear prominently and in every sales/marketing campaign. Here are some sample evaluation questions and answers when creating your direct incentives hand-in-hand with your UVP: Does your property have the most famous restaurant in town? Offer a discount on dining, only for direct bookers; Offer a discount on dining, only for direct bookers; Are guests looking forward to staying at your hotel because your Spa is top-notch? Communicate that guests will receive a complimentary wellness perk for booking directly on your website. Communicate that guests will receive a complimentary wellness perk for booking directly on your website. Is your hotel located in a picturesque neighborhood, with narrow streets? Provide a freebie to your parking service, limited to those who reserve directly with you. 5 Ways to Instantly Capture Attention and Track Engagement Hotel guests tend to seek the authentic feel and experiences boutique hotels can provide, and this is especially true amongst millennials. Therefore, you need to ensure your website is compelling enough to inspire a direct booking. Here is 5 ways you can capture the attention of your prospective guests and keep track of how they engage with the incentives you offer on your website: Capture your visitors' attention by using captivating calls-to-action or pop-ups where you promote your direct incentives on the hotel website. Our research shows that having a pop-up with incentives can lift up direct bookings by 40%. A direct incentives pop-up message on Essque Zalu Zanzibar website Photo: GuestCentric Systems Always add a UTM code to linked pop-up messages and calls-to-action with incentives. A UTM code is a snippet of code that you can add to the end of a URL to monitor the performance of specific campaigns and pieces of content. Using the GuestCentric Dashboards, these UTM codes will help you track any bookings made through clicks on these links. A direct incentives Call-To-Action on The Wood Norton website Photo: GuestCentric Systems Highlight the exclusive perks you offer all over the website: Home page scroll, special offers teasers, and descriptions, and booking engine loading area. Direct incentives on the AlmaLusa Baixa/Chiado website Photo: GuestCentric Systems Grow the number of valuable guests over time by mentioning the direct booking bonus continuously and even, after the booking is made. This can be done via the pre-stay email, check-in, or post-stay email, etc. Promote this incentive-driven messaging throughout every social channel, including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The Incentive for Incentivizing Your Guests Incentives are essential to keep website visitors returning to your hotel. But remember, don't offer a specific perk just because you heard it worked with one of your competitors. You need to evaluate your own property and create a unique value proposition that is relevant to what your hotel has to offer specifically. There are numerous hotels now broadcasting incentives across their websites and generating results. For example, the 'Stop Clicking Around' campaign by the Hilton which used education to incentivize customers to book direct, generated a 90% increase in signups to the brand's reward program. Although it takes planning, trial-and-error, and resilience to get your incentive game aligned with what your customers are looking for, the rewards will be worth it. In the long run, you will benefit from repeat customers, stronger profit margins and, the icing on the cake reduced dependence on intermediaries. Although I dont often make movie recommendations except to a handful of friends and relatives I have a real jewel, or gem, for you: Richard Jewell. Paul Walter Hauser why actors need all three names is beyond me plays the role of Jewell and seems perfect for it. For those of you unfamiliar with this movie, Jewell was the security guard working at Centennial Park in July 1996, when the Summer Olympics were to be held in Atlanta. He saw what he believed could be a bomb in a backpack under a bench. He began clearing the area before the bomb detonated, and probably saved hundreds of lives. Two people were killed, and a hundred injured. Eastwoods 2019 movie was based on American Nightmare: The Ballad of Richard Jewell, which appeared in Vanity Fair. Who planted the bomb? Law enforcement, including the FBI, starts with suspecting the guy they think called in the threat: Theres a bomb in Centennial Park. You have 30 minutes. Its a similar theory that law enforcement uses when a spouse is killed: Start with the surviving spouse. Poor Richard, who lives with his mother wonderfully portrayed by Kathy Bates, whos no longer whacking James Caans limbs becomes scrutinized after front-page headlines in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. As it turns out, thinking that Jewell could be responsible was a good first step, but leaking that to the media was totally wrong. The female reporter who breaks the story and the resultant media surge at Jewells residence and anywhere he goes are probably what youd expect. Being part of the media for four decades, though, I am offended and think of those men and women more like sharks smelling blood in the water. Did you do it? they ask. Whenever I hear that in a movie, on Dateline or 48 Hours I want to make the persons reply: Yup, you got me. The cops never asked, but Ill tell you. Fortunately for Jewell, who passed away at age 44 in 2007, he enlists the services of an attorney who battles with him every step of the way, even sitting with him in his home when the FBI loads up almost everything in the house, including his mothers Tupperware, to be gone over with a fine-tooth comb. Eventually three months later Jewell is exonerated. Of course, legendary Clint Eastwood produced and directed Richard Jewell, and anything old Dirty Harry has his hands on has got to be gold. In a trailer for the movie, Eastwood says what happened to Jewell was a great American screw-over. Youll feel sorry for him as the movies plot develops, but I wont spoil it for you, only urging you to spend a few bucks and enjoy it. Digging deeper, I saw that some in the media called for a boycott over allegations about the female who broke the story. She, like Jewell, wasnt around to defend her character, having passed away at age 42 in 2001. She was heavily defended by former co-workers at the AJC when the movie was released. A Manhattan federal court indicted two Mexican men for conspiring to transport a multi-million dollar cocaine shipment to the United States that was confiscated during a deadly shootout south of Cancun this week. The Drug Enforcement Agency and the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York also charged German Gomez Castruita and Benjamin Contreras Rangel with 'murdering a Mexican military officer in the course of the cocaine importation conspiracy, and related weapons offenses involving the use and possession of machine guns.' Gomez Castruita and Contreras Rangel could face anywhere between 10 years to life in prison in the US. They could also face a death sentence if extradited. A DEA spokesperson told DailyMail.com on Thursday that the Southern District of New York in working on the suspects' extradition. The DEA said it detected a twin-engine jet carrying 750 kilos of cocaine worth $20 million off the coast of Venezuela on Monday. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said Gomez Castruita and Contreras Rangel were part of a group of traffickers who opened fire on a unit of Mexican military servicemen moments after the two-seater aircraft landed on a highway in Bacalar, a municipality in the state of Quintana Roo. The Mexican National Defense Secretary [SEDENA] said Monday night that the Beechcraft King Air aircraft used in ferrying the drugs was registered in the United States. Scroll down for video The DEA said it started tracking the jet Monday off the Caribbean coast of Venezuela A New York federal court levied charges on Mexican nationals German Gomez Castruita and Benjamin Contreras Rangel on Wednesday. The have been accused conspiring to transport a multi-million dollar cocaine shipment to the United States and murdering a Mexican military officer A Ford Lobo pickup truck, a Ford Transit van and three military rifles and ammunition were also seized. Pictured is one of the three machine guns that were confiscated Corporal Emiliano Medina Ramirez, who was assigned to the 34th Military Zone, was killed in the confrontation. Commander Jose Luis Vazquez Araiza and Corporals Celestino Balam Hernandez and Librado Gabriel Salgado also suffered gun shot wounds. 'The murder of SEDENA Corporal Emiliano Medina-Ramirez is devastating to law enforcement worldwide and is symbolic of the risks law enforcement encounter in the line of duty,' said Raymond P. Donovan, Special Agent in charge of the DEA's New York field office. 'Violence follows drug trafficking to every country, city, and state. The defendants' desperate attempts to shoot their way out of arrest failed and the fallout has led them to face the U.S. rule of law,' he added. 'I commend our law enforcement partners in Mexico on this significant seizure and their pursuit to dismantle drug trafficking organizations responsible for fueling countless overdose deaths. And, DEA sends our deepest condolences to Corporal Medina-Ramirez' family and colleagues at SEDENA' The Mexican National Defense Secretary said that the twin-engine aircraft (pictured) that was landed by drug smugglers on a highway in the Caribbean coast state of Quintana Roo on Monday was registered in the United States. At least $20 million worth of cocaine was seized Security forces arrested two men and confiscated almost $20 million worth of cocaine that was flown in to Mexico from Venezuela on Monday. The jet was detected in Mexican airspace approximately at 3:30am. The traffickers sped down the highway aboard at least eight vehicles. Their plan was to remove all of the cocaine and set the plane on fire with fuel canisters before the encounter with the military. Mexican authorities are still looking for several other suspects who escaped via a nearby jungle with some of the drug shipment. Authorities also confiscated 26 bags containing between 30 to 40 kilos apiece. A Ford Lobo pickup truck, a Ford Transit van and three military rifles and ammunition were also seized. The cocaine was split into 26 bags, each containing between 30 to 40 kilos The National Defense Secretary also found that the aircraft recently made stops at four airports in Monterrey, Tampico, Toluca y Chetumal without its illegal use being detected by authorities. 'The General and the other two troop members are in military facilities out of danger with a stable health,' the National Defense Secretary said. Located on Mexico's Caribbean coast, Quintana Roo is home to some of the country's top tourist destinations, including Playa del Carmen, Cancun, Tulum and Isla Mujeres. Jose Luis Vazquez Araiza, commander of the 34th Military Zone, was injured during a shootout Monday with drug traffickers after they landed a modified Cessna on a two-lane road in Quintana Roo, a state on Mexico's Caribbean coast that is a favorite destination for tourists However, the state's tourism image has taken a hit in recent years due to the ongoing violence with local gangs and cartels competing for the lucrative control of drug turf. On Sunday, authorities came across six dead bodies that around Cancun. Responding to a call at a home in the northern part of the resort city, police discovered three dead people. In separate incidents, two other bodies were later located found several streets from each other on a dirt road. Law enforcement encountered the sixth body on the side of a highway that connects Cancun and Punta Sam, not too far from where a new resort is being built. How the MYD factor in Uttar Pradesh is likely to hurt the BJP BSP,SP allegation of Dalits being prevented from voting is baseless: Poll officers Were Dalits barred from voting in Uttar Pradesh? Modi is trying to play dirty politics over Alwar gangrape case, says Mayawati Why make even murder of a Dalit girl into a national Tamasha UP BJP chief to workers: Have tea with Dalits, make them understand votes are cast on nationalism, not caste 3 Dalit leaders arrested for apprehension of breach of peace in UP India oi-PTI Muzaffarnagar, Jan 30: Three Dalit leaders have been arrested here and sent to jail for alleged apprehension of breach of peace, police said. Vikas Median, chief of Dalit outfit Udham Singh Sena, Bhim Army activist Teekam Bodh and one more person were arrested Wednesday evening over apprehensions that they could breach peace in the area, they said. EU Parliament postpones voting on resolution against CAA, India hails it as diplomatic win|Oneindia Detained Bhim Army Chief forcibly being sent back to Delhi Meanwhile, the Bharat band called on Wednesday passed peacefully here and some organisations wrote memoranda against the Citizenship Amendment Act Wednesday evening. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, January 30, 2020, 10:43 [IST] Extra compensation was wrongly awarded to the last man killed by British soldiers on Bloody Sunday because he died instantly, the Court of Appeal heard on Thursday. The Ministry of Defence is challenging a ruling that relatives of Bernard "Barney" McGuigan should receive an additional 15,000 in aggravated damages for injury to his feelings. But counsel for his family claimed the pay-out was justified by the terror he experienced during the shootings in Londonderry in January 1972. Brian Fee QC argued that the father-of-six knew he was exposing himself to danger when he ventured out from shelter to go to the aid of another victim. "How else would he feel, other than to be absolutely terrified," he said. Thirteen unarmed people were killed when members of the Parachute Regiment opened fire during a civil rights demonstration in the city. Another of those wounded on the day, which became known as Bloody Sunday, died later. In 2010 the Saville Inquiry into the shootings established the innocence of all of the victims. Those findings led to David Cameron, the British Prime Minister at the time, issuing a public apology for the soldiers' actions. He described the killings as "unjustified and unjustifiable". Liability has been accepted in legal actions taken against the Ministry of Defence (MoD) by those bereaved or injured. Court proceedings have centred on the level of damages in each case, with more than 3 million in total paid out to date. Mr McGuigan, a painter and decorator, was shot at the Rossville Flats area as he went to the aid of 31-year-old Patrick Doherty, another of those shot dead on the day. The 41-year-old had been waving a handkerchief or towel when hit by a bullet to the head, killing him instantly. A claim by his estate was settled for 258,000. A High Court judge then awarded a further 15,000 in aggravated damages. He found that the soldiers actions would have "filled the deceased with fear and dread, coupled with a strong sense of indignation and hurt at being the innocent victim of a blatant, unprovoked and unjust attack by members of the army". The MoD is appealing that additional award, claiming it was wrong in law because Mr McGuigan's death was instantaneous. David Ringland QC argued that the facts of the case did not fall within the necessary legal definition for aggravated damages. However, Mr Fee countered that the extra 15,000 compensation was for "emotional harm". The barrister told the three appeal judges that Mr McGuigan had been sheltering behind a wall when he went out to try to offer help. "He was on a mission, clearly being aware there was shooting going on and he was going to put himself in a position of danger," he added. "That's why he was waving the piece of towel as he went out." Following submissions Lord Justice McCloskey confirmed judgment in the appeal will be given at a later date. A Burundi court Thursday sentenced four reporters covering an incursion of rebels from neighbouring DR Congo to 18 months in jail, sparking immediate criticism from rights watchdog Amnesty International. The journalists were working for Iwacu, one of Burundi's few independent media outlets when they were arrested on October 22 and charged with endangering state security. "We are in shock. The court has just sentenced the four Iwacu journalists to two-and-a-half years in prison and fined them one million Burundi francs (485 euros, $535)," a witness who was in court told AFP. "It's a shame because they were simply doing their job." The prosecution had called for a 15-year prison sentence largely based on a WhatsApp exchange of messages between one of the reporters and a colleague based abroad in which the former wrote: "We are heading for Bubanza ... to help the rebels." A further demand was for the four to be denied their civic rights for 20 years. Iwacu's founder, Antoine Kaburahe, who lives in exile in Belgium, tweeted that the organisation would appeal the sentence. Police say at least 14 rebels from the Burundian RED-Tabara group, based across the border in eastern DR Congo, were killed in an attack the day the journalists were arrested. The rebels say they killed a dozen security personnel. "The conviction and sentencing of Agnes Ndirubusa, Christine Kamikazi, Egide Harerimana and Terence Mpozenzi on trumped-up charges marks a sad day for the right to freedom of expression and press freedom in Burundi," Seif Magango, Amnesty International's Deputy Regional Director for East Africa said. "The authorities must quash the conviction and sentences, and the four journalists must be immediately and unconditionally released," he said. Magango underscored that journalists should be allowed to work freely "particularly ahead of upcoming elections" in May. The Reporters Without Borders NGO, which places Burundi a lowly 159th on its global list of press freedom, says those detained were simply doing their job. An American Airlines Boeing 787 (front) and Delta Airlines Airbus A350 aircraft (background, obscured) wait to take off at Beijing airport on July 25, 2018. - Beijing hailed 'positive steps' as major US airlines and Hong Kong's flag carrier moved to comply on July 25 with its demand to list Taiwan as part of China, sparking anger on the island. The union that represents American Airlines pilots said Thursday that it's suing the carrier to halt service to China amid the coronavirus outbreak, which has killed more than 170 people in China and infected more than 8,000 around the world. The Allied Pilots Association, which represents about 15,000 pilots for the Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier said its suit seeks a temporary restraining order to halt all American Airlines service between the U.S. and China. American on Wednesday announced it would suspend its Beijing and Shanghai flights from Los Angeles between Feb. 9 and March 27, citing reduced demand because of the coronavirus outbreak, following similar moves by dozens of airlines around the world. APA's lawsuit says American still operates approximately 56 monthly flights between Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and destinations in China. APA President Capt. Eric Ferguson is calling for American Airlines pilots to refuse to fly to and from China. [To see the latest updates on the coronavirus, visit CNBC's live blog here.] "The safety and well-being of our crews and passengers must always be our highest priority first, last, and always," Ferguson said. "Due to the known and unknown risks associated with traveling to China right now, concurrent with the filing of our lawsuit, we are directing all American Airlines pilots assigned to flights between the United States and China, other than those on return trips to the United States, to decline the assignment." In a statement, American said the airline was aware of the filing and referred to the flight suspensions announced Wednesday. "We are in close contact with the CDC and global public health officials to make sure we are taking all necessary precautions for our customers and team members," the statement said. "We will continue to monitor the situation and make any updates as needed." Federal regulations require crew members flying to China to remain on the ground for approximately 32 hours to rest between flights, the APA said. American and the pilots union are in the middle of contentious contract negotiations, but the union said the suit was a separate safety matter and neither a part of the talks nor would it affect them. Airlines' China service cuts have increased as the coronavirus spreads, hurting demand for service to the country. Delta Air Lines said Wednesday it is cutting flights to China in half starting Feb. 6 through April 30 as the coronavirus spreads, driving down demand for flights to the country. United Airlines on Tuesday announced it is canceling dozens of China flights next month because of a "significant decline in demand" for service, and announced more cuts on Thursday. British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa have also slashed or reduced service. "While the additional cancellations are based on passenger demand, it will also mitigate the health risk to passengers and crews," the Association of Flight Attendants, which represents United's cabin crew, said in a statement Thursday. "We encourage all airlines to follow United's lead. Together, we can keep people safe, eliminate this public health threat, and more quickly return the industry to full operation." The union that represents Delta pilots said Thursday they have reached out to flight operations management with a request to allow pilots the option "to remove themselves from flying to China during this ongoing situation." "Delta has agreed to follow past-practice from similar situations," the union said. "Specifically, if a pilot has concerns about flying to China, the pilot should contact the chief pilot office to share those concerns. If a regular line holder cannot swap or drop a trip to China and does not want to fly there, the chief pilot office will drop the trip without pay. If a reserve line holder is assigned a trip to China, the reserve pilot may bypass the China assignment and return to reserve on-call status with no pay hit." VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 30, 2020 / ZoomAway Travel Inc. (TSXV:ZMA) (OTCPINK:ZMWYF) (the "Company" or "ZMA") www.zoomaway.com, is pleased to provide a corporate update on the successful progress we have made in the last two quarters of 2019 and the excitement we have about the upcoming year. Among several milestones that the company has accomplished, one of the most profound was the continued production on its flagship product ZoomedOUT. Our goal has been to bolster the portfolio of the company with a range of products, raise a modest amount of money, and begin generating revenue and user interaction, by way of the following: Tripsee- We acquired Tripsee for its ability to integrate users with specific properties and events. Tripsee's unique communication platform for hotels is comparably as detailed as some of the industries major players currently in the market. We've begun the process of building Tripsee its own B2B website to showcase and retail products. We have also succeeded in building a relationship with our Registration Management System, which we are optimistic will be signing an annual contract in the next quarter. We have also been interviewing candidates to lead this entire program rollout. The Company looks forward to announcing this vital individual over the course of the upcoming weeks. This appointee shall have personal and professional relationships, which we anticipate will lead to growth on the revenue side. DTC ELIGIBILITY - In 2020, the company plans to introduce a new audience to our company as we begin our exposure to US investors. Our application to become a listed security on the OTC market is in the final stages of approval. The Company is excited to introduce the products to an investor base, located in the Silicon Valley, that understands the products that we are launching and expanding. We are actively seeking some US firms to represent our company to our potential new investors. ZoomedOUT Production Update- "We have been creating multiple game scenarios for the product and testing them internally to find the right mix. From RPG's to clickers and more, we have gone through several scenarios and believe that we have finally hit on the right one. We are working on some website updates that we should have completed shortly. This new concept allows anyone standing anywhere in the world to virtually engage in ZoomedOUT gameplay in their own hometown, and in turn, every user becomes our salesperson promoting our product and engaging businesses in their locality and ultimately into revenue generating sources. In essence, it has become one powerful concept to engage the whole world with our initial launch. Even while we are continuing to build future cities. "Our team has been working diligently to bring this idea to fruition and we are very close to reaching several important milestones in the design process. We look forward to sharing our progress with our shareholders in the coming months. I've never been so excited about our game concept. ZoomedOUT is better than I could have imagined." Stated Sean Schaeffer, CEO of Zoomaway Travel Inc. Management's goals over the next few quarters are to increase shareholder value, continue to add value to our product portfolio and generally continue to improve the Company in just about every way. For additional information contact: Sean Schaeffer, President, ZoomAway Inc., at 775-691-8860 | sean@zoomaway.com or stay up-to-date and sign up for our newsletter. About Us Zoomaway Travel Inc. is a technology company that is revolutionizing the Hospitality and Travel Industries. We have developed a variety of software solutions that enhance the planning and engagement of everyday tourists. Our flagship project, ZoomedOUT, is a complete modernization and re-imagination of mobile travel apps. In a full 3D environment, we are able to integrate planning, booking, social media, and camaraderie into a tangibly rewarding experience. We are combining Travel, Hospitality, Mobile Gaming and Augmented Reality to change the way users travel into 2020 and beyond. Additional information about ZoomAway Inc. can be found at www.zoomaway.com. About Zero8 Studios, Inc. Zero8 Studios, based in Reno, Nevada, specializes in new and innovative games and technology platforms. With a focus on social gaming and almost two decades of experience building countless game titles, gaming platforms, and various technologies. The Zero8 Studios' team has assisted dozens of AAA publishers, large clientele, manufacturers, and casinos in the design, production, and delivery of their products to players around the world. Additional information can be found at www.zero8studios.com. Forward-Looking Statements This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include regulatory actions, market prices, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates, and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor it's Regulation Service 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 Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed Offering and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. SOURCE: ZoomAway Travel Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/574619/ZoomAway-Corporate-Update John Bolton is no hero. He has just been playing the part lately, given that hes all but unique among top Republicans in his willingness to tell the truth about President Donald Trump. Thats admirable. None of that means his critics are wrong when they call his offer to testify score-settling and self-serving. And it certainly needs cross-examination. Never mind for a minute that thats precisely why the Senate should vote Friday to subpoena his testimony. He and other witnesses have information relevant to senators decision to acquit Trump or remove him from office. Refusing to hear that testimony would be extraordinarily cynical. Such a refusal would tarnish the verdict and stain the Senate when trust in our institutions is already threadbare. How could Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell not to mention Texas own two senators, John Cornyn and Ted Cruz allow that to happen? But back to Bolton. Valuable testimony aside, he remains a tremendously misguided foreign policy hawk whose exit from the White House last March made everyone on the planet safer. Democrats lionizing of him in order to magnify the impact of his testimony is a mistake. For one thing, the testimony could be less damning for Trump than it seems. For another, its as-yet uncorroborated and entirely untested. Bolton himself has not been cross-examined or even put under oath. Boltons influence in the administration was destructive. And its worth remembering that Trumps stated views on war are closer to where contemporary Democrats are than are Boltons and by a long shot. When Trump named Bolton to the post almost two years ago, I winced. The last thing Trump needed, I wrote at the time, was war-whisperer Bolton in his ear. Steadier hands had left the administration in droves and Trump was increasingly isolated from experienced, sober-minded advisers. Would he have the guts or even just the basic knowledge necessary to keep us out of wars we should avoid, when his top security adviser was such a demonstrated hawk on Iran, North Korea and other major hot spots? It seemed doubtful. Former Ambassador to NATO Nicholas Burns told me at the time that Trumps mercurial and sometimes uninformed decisions on foreign policy mixed poorly with Boltons extraordinary hawkishness. Trump is still very inexperienced in foreign relations, said Burns, also a retired career foreign service officer. He needs someone around him who can speak truth to power and provide objective advice. Burns was the guy to ask. He was ambassador to NATO and then undersecretary of state for political affairs under former President George W. Bush, who himself was initially inexperienced on the world stage. Bolton lasted a year and a half, and now hes back with information about Trumps foreign policy machine. Senators should listen to his account and prosecute it, too. If cross-examination supports his testimony, it may well turn out that Bolton is that rarest of Washington creatures: an honest man. Thatll be worth cheering. But honest or not, hes still the last person America needs in a position of trust or influence on foreign affairs. That was true when Trump unwisely hired him, and it was true when he smartly sent him packing. Its still true, no matter what happens in the Senate. Lindenberger is an editorial writer, columnist and deputy opinion editor. Bucharest, Jan 30 /Agerpres/ - Those who have tabled the censure motion are politicians who "have proved their worthlessness" by the way they governed for the last three years, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said on Thursday, adding that he is prepared for any outcome. Asked if he is prepared for the censure motion, Orban said: "We are waiting for the vote on the censure motion. We are prepared for any outcome. Those who have filed the motion are politicians who have proved their worthlessness in the way they governed for the past three years. As far as I am concerned, regardless of the outcome of the censure motion, we are continuing our activity and, above all, we are heading towards our goal, namely to win the elections, so as to secure a stable and solid government enjoying strong parliamentary support, so that we can put into practice all the projects that Romania needs today," said Orban, who attended a meeting of the management of the National Council of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Romania. He added that PNL MPs would categorically vote against the motion. A motion of censure called "The Orban/PNL Government - privatization of Romanian democracy" was tabled with Parliament on Thursday. It is signed by Social Democratic Party (PSD) and Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) MPs. AGERPRES Wayanad : , Jan 30 (IANS) Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday morning undertook the 'Save the Constitution March' against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act here. Accompanied by senior party leaders and workers from the state, Gandhi began his march from the SKMJ High School road to the new bus stand at Kalpetta -- a distance of two km. Gandhi waved to a huge crowd which had rallied along the route to have a glimpse of their MP. The Congress leader had arrived here on Wednesday night. The march will be followed by a public meeting, after which Gandhi will board a flight to Delhi from the Kannur airport in the evening. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Since WikiLeaks began a decade ago to publish secret US cables exposing many of the war crimes and imperialist intrigues perpetrated by Washington and its allies around the world, Canadas corporate-controlled media outlets have made the whistleblowing website and its founder, Julian Assange, the target of a smear campaign. Newspapersranging from the liberal Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail, the Canadian elites supposed newspaper of record, to the neoconservative National Post have vilified Assange as a manipulative, self-obsessed monster who supports dictators, while bemoaning the adverse impact of WikiLeaks exposures on the global interests of American and Canadian imperialism. The Canadian medias witch-hunting of Assange reached a high point last April following his illegal arrest in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. In a video comment, National Post star columnist Christie Blatchford declared, Assange is no journalist. She sought to justify her view by citing Assanges alleged responsibility for endangering the lives of Afghans and Iraqis who had cooperated with the US military in its neocolonial occupations of those countries. This charge was repeated verbatim by Terry Glavin in a long, tendentious piece published in Macleans magazine around the same time. A virulent right-winger and anti-Russia and anti-China war-hawk who argued that Canada should have officially joined Washington in its illegal 2003 invasion of Iraq, Glavin took Assange to task for disregarding the innocent victims of his vanity. The cynicism of such criticisms is hard to overstate. Journalists who have spent large parts of their careers propagandizing for Canadian imperialist participation in the US-led wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya, which collectively have led to the deaths of millions, and Canadas involvement in NATOs military encirclement of Russia, which has increased the likelihood of a catastrophic conflict fought with nuclear weapons, assert the right to pass moral judgment on Assange and WikiLeaks. In his Macleans piece Glavin also trotted out the Democratic Partys self-serving anti-Russia narrative to account for Hillary Clintons defeat at the hands of Donald Trump in the 2016 US presidential election. Principal responsibility for Clintons electoral debacle, Glavin ranted, lay with Assange and WikiLeaks, who published a steady, debilitating drip of the Clinton campaigns emails, now conclusively shown to have been hacked by the Russians. Leaving aside the fact that no such thing has been proven, conclusively or otherwise, but only ever asserted by the US intelligence agencies and their Democratic Party mouthpieces, Glavin neglected to inform his readers why the WikiLeaks releases in 2016 had had significant impact. The leaked emails uncovered the newsworthy story, which any genuine journalist would have been obligated to report, that the Democratic Party National Committee effectively rigged the Democratic nomination process to ensure Hillary Clintons victory over democratic socialist Bernie Sanders. Further leaks revealed how Clinton was in the pocket of Wall Street and the corporate elite. But that is not all. Glavin and his fellow right-wing commentators sought to discredit Assanges personal character, culminating in the repulsive spectacle of their gloating over his illegal seizure. Assange had simply worn out his welcome at the Ecuadorian embassy, proclaimed Glavin, who reveled in the pictures showing how the bedraggled 47-year-old WikiLeaks headman was dragged kicking and shouting from the Ecuadorian embassy. Tabatha Southey, a longstanding Globe and Mail columnist who now writes for Macleans, authored a scurrilous piece entitled How to be a better house guest than Julian Assange. The article contained cynical statements such as, Generally keep your visit to three nights. Seven years is right out, and, help out, especially in the kitchen and not in the internal affairs of the most powerful nation on earth. These statements testify to the indifference, indeed hostility, to democratic rights in the editorial offices of the countrys leading corporate media outlets. Far from being a guest, Assange resided in the Ecuadorian embassy after being granted political asyluma status that is supposed to be protected by international lawso as to shield him from the combined efforts of the US, British, Australian and Swedish governments to persecute him for having exposed imperialist crimes. Due to US and British pressure, Assange was subjected to ever more onerous restrictions in the tiny embassy premises, especially after 2016. He was denied access to the internet and prevented from meeting supporters, and the CIA spied on his interactions with those he did meet, including, in a further travesty, his lawyers. The determination on the part of Canadas media to denigrate and smear Assange reflects their unflinching support for the powers-that-be and visceral hatred of what he represents. The very idea that the population has a right to know about the criminal conspiracies and activities of the worlds governments is anathema to these scribblers, who make a profession out of filtering official propaganda to justify the pro-corporate, pro-imperialist policies of Canadas ruling elite and its state. They viewed with horror how WikiLeaks disclosures about the corrupt practices of former Tunisian dictator Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali helped fuel the popular revolutionary movement that toppled his pro-Western regime in early 2011. The fear and outrage this privileged layer feels at the damage WikiLeaks has caused to imperialist interests was summed up in a 2010 Globe column authored by Scott Gilmore, a journalist and former diplomat who, not incidentally, is the husband of Catherine McKenna, the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities in the Liberal government of Justin Trudeau. Under the headline WikiLeaks just made the world more oppressive, Gilmore raged against the publication of further secret US diplomatic cables, then, referencing his own time working for the Canadian government in Jakarta, declared, American diplomats [were] doing the same thing we were trying to do in Indonesia: Make the world a little better. Gilmores arrogance and mendacity is hard to stomach. After all, it was in Indonesia that the US, with Canadas support, backstopped the bloody Suharto dictatorship for three decades from 1965 to 1998a regime that came to power following a CIA-abetted massacre of over 1 million workers and Communist Party members. The contempt for Assange and WikiLeaks extends to the nominally liberal Star, which published an attack on his publishing activities in 2011 under the headline,WikiLeaks, Canadian media and democracy: Media with a face. The piece denounced Assanges insistence on anonymity for WikiLeaks sources as antithetical to journalism, and proceeded to describe the whistleblowing platform, which by that time had already won a series of international awards for its journalistic activities, as an odd blend of information leaker, newsmaker, editorializer, self-styled journalist, and unclassified news media. Underscoring where its true loyalties lie, the Star proceeded to declare its support for responsible journalism and argued that freedom of speech does not mean that all expression is accepted in a democratic society. In other words, points of view deemed intolerable to, or inconsistent with, the interests of the political and corporate elite can simply be dismissed as the products of anonymous cranks who operate unethically and have no democratic rights. Or, to put it another way, the main threat to democracy currently is not the global criminal operations of US imperialism and its allies, but WikiLeaks and Julian Assange! Predictably enough, the would-be crusaders for democracy at the Star and Canadas other major media outlets have published next to nothing about Assange and the legal vendetta being mounted against him since his illegal seizure by British police last April, let alone sought to alert the public to the critical democratic issuesincluding freedom of the press, free speech, and the right to due processinvolved in his prosecution and persecution. The Australian citizen is being held in the maximum security Belmarsh Prison alongside convicted murderers and terrorists, and denied regular access to his lawyers or to the documents he needs to review to prepare his legal defence. UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer has stated that Assange shows symptoms of prolonged exposure to psychological torture, and dozens of doctors from around the world have warned that if he continues to be denied proper medical care he could die in prison. But the Canadian media excises, or to be more precise, self-censors all this from the News. This silence is all the more damning given that Assange is being prosecuted under the US Espionage Actalthough he is neither a US citizen nor a US residentfor publishing leaked documents, an activity constitutionally protected under US law. His conviction would open the door for other critical journalists whether working in Canada or any other part of the world to be swept up in the dragnet of US imperialist justice. With Assange facing an extradition hearing next month and the threat of being transferred to the US to face bogus charges and a possible 175-year prison sentence, it is high time for workers and young people across Canada to break through the medias silence and mobilize to defend Assange and democratic rights. As a first step in this process, the Socialist Equality Party is organizing a public meeting in Montreal this Sunday, February 2. We encourage all our readers to make plans to attend. For details see below: No to war and the assault on democratic rights: Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning must be defended! Montreal Sunday, February 2, at 1:30 PM Centre St-Pierre, Room 201 1212 Rue Panet (near the Beaudry Metro station, on the Green Line) Congress leader on Thursday fired a fresh salvo at alleging that the prime minister believed in the same ideology as Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse. Gandhi's attack on Modi on a day coinciding with the 72nd death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi drew a sharp response from BJP leader and union minister Pralhad Joshi who said there cannot be a more "arrogant" person than the Gandhi scion who once tore down the ordinance brought by his own government and slammed the then prime minister Manmohan Singh. Addressing thousands of party workers after leading the "Save the Constitution" march at Kalpetta in Kerala, the Wayanad MP also said Modi was making Indians to prove that they are citizens of the country. Referring to Godse, Gandhi said Modi shared the same ideology with him (Godse). "Today, an ignorant man is trying to challenge Gandhi's ideology. He is so full of hatred and anger that he cannot even understand what India's strength is," he added. "The ideology is same. Nathuram Godse and Narendra Modi, they believe in the same ideology. There is no difference except that Modi does not have the guts to say he believes in the ideology of Godse," the Congress leader said. Pralhad Joshi, who is the Parliamentary Affairs minister, claimed that leaders and chief ministers of Gandhi's own party have to wait for long hours to meet him and he doesn't even bother to listen to them. "There cannot be a more arrogant person than who tore down the ordinance brought by his own party's government led by the then prime minister Manmohan Singh and condemned it," Joshi told reporters after an all-party meeting in the Parliament House in Delhi. Joshi was referring to a 2013 incident when slammed the Congress-led UPA government for bringing an ordinance to nullify a Supreme Court order on disqualifying convicted MPs and MLAs. At a news conference in Delhi, Gandhi had termed the ordinance a "complete nonsense" that should be "torn and thrown out". Another BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya wondered which ideology Rahul Gandhi believed in. "Nobody takes Rahul Gandhi seriously. He should first say what is his ideology and in which ideology he believes in. He should stop lecturing others," Vijayvargiya said in Kolkata. Attacking the prime Minister on the new Citizenship law, Gandhi questioned Modi and asked who was he to ask Indians to prove that they were Indians. "Indians are being made to prove that they are Indians. Who is to decide if I am Indian? Who gave him the licence to decide who is Indian and who is not Indian? I know I am an Indian and I don't have to prove it to anybody", the former Congress president said, adding the 1.3 billion Indians do not have to prove to these people that they are Indians. He said the country needs to fight the hatred that is being spread and there is need to confront the BJP peacefully. "Our duty is to fight their hatred. Our duty is to confront them (BJP) peacefully...we do not believe in violence...we believe in love and affection. We will defeat them with love and affection," he added. India, which is the land of different languages and religions, used to show the world how great a country it was, he said. Touching on growing unemployment in the country and the economic slowdown, Gandhi said the youngsters do not have a future under Modi and no matter how much the prime minister talks about Pakistan, it was not going to get youths more jobs. Register of Citizens (NRC) and CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) and the present situation in Kashmir were also not going to get people jobs, he added. "We all understand that youngsters have no future under Modi...You can study as much as you can but there are no jobs. Today, if you go to the US, Western Europe, or any other country and ask what they feel about India, they say India has lost its way". (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) DUBLIN, Calif., Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Giga-tronics Incorporated (OTCQB: GIGA) will release results for its third fiscal quarter ended December 28, 2019 on Thursday February 6, 2020 after the close of trading on the OTCQB Market. Also, on February 6, 2020, Giga-tronics will host a conference call at 4:30 p.m. ET to discuss the results and provide an update on the companys operations. To participate in the call, dial: (888) 517-2513 or (847) 619-6533 and enter PIN Code 6236038#. It is recommended that you call in five to ten minutes prior to the start time. You may also listen to the call via the Giga-tronics website at www.gigatronics.com . A replay of the call will be available on the Giga-tronics website under Investor Relations. This conference call will reflect management views as of February 6, 2020 only. Giga-tronics produces electronic warfare test solutions used in the defense industry and RADAR filters used in fighter jet aircrafts. Headquartered in Dublin, California, Giga-tronics is a publicly held company, traded on the OTCQB Market under the symbol GIGA. Source: Giga-tronics Incorporated UPPER CHICHESTER William Penn Lodge #19, Fraternal Order of Police, honored more than 50 current and former Chester police officers during a Jan. 18 ceremony at the Phoenix Ballroom in Boothwyn. The retirement and awards ceremony marked the lodges first since 2015. More than 100 persons were in attendance for the event. Police personnel and their family and friends were joined by officials including city Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland and Chief Financial Officer Nafis Nichols, and Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer. Its been a while since weve come together in this way but that does not discredit the years of work that tonights honorees have put in, lodge President Jonathan Ross said in his opening remarks. We are a small lodge. Some of us have made a lifes work serving as an officer. That is why its important for us to honor our officers- that is why we are here tonight. Twenty-four current police officers were presented with certificates of recognition for various accomplishments during the 2019 year. Those accomplishments included presentations of the Exceptional Service Award, Merit Commendation, and Life Saving Award. Among the recipients, Capt. John Gretsky and Capt. Matthew Goldschmidt were recognized twice for different acts of service. Twenty-seven former police officers who retired between the years 2015 through 2019 were also honored during the ceremony. Each retired officer received an 8 by 10 plaque, a Citizen watch, and a personalized badge. The plaques each contained the former officers years of service to the Chester Police Department. James Ianni, 84, a retired sergeant who served with the department from 1967-1987, was the oldest police veteran in attendance. I know many of you have been away from the department for multiple years, but its never too late to put that uniform back on and help us out, and this includes you, Mr. Ianni, Kirkland said in jest during his remarks. Whether youre retired or currently serving this city, I want you all to know that we appreciate you. Often times our men and women who are charged to protect us, do so not knowing what the day ahead may bring, he said. I thank not only our officers, but your families, for lending your loved ones to this community. Stollsteimer highlighted the countys commitment to partnering with Chester during his remarks. Stollsteimer also offered praise for the work of former Chester Police Chief James Nolan IV, whom he brought on this month as head of the county Criminal Investigation Division. Im the one who put Jimmy in retirement from this department by promoting him to chief detective with CID, he said. I wanted to make sure we had someone on the team with a proven track record. By hiring Jimmy I did just that. We care so much about what goes on in the city of Chester and you all are the force behind the city. We are going to make sure we bring resources to you from the county level, Stollsteimer said. Current officers recognized during the ceremony were: Officers Jose Alvarez, Robert Ticknor, Jeffrey Abreu, Geoffrey Walls, John Benozich, Timothy Garron, Marc Barag, Zachary Litvinenko, Robert Schrock, Charles Stevens, Jennifer Jones, William Murphy, Adam Youssef, Matthew Donohue and Jeffrey Linowski; Detectives Victor Heness, Joseph McFate and Thomas; Cpl. Michael Maher; captains John Gretsky (recipient of two awards) and Capt. Matthew Goldschmidt (recipient of two certificates). Retired officers recognized were: Darren Alston, Anita Amaro, Joseph Bail Jr., Robert Blythe, Charles Bothwell, Calvin Butcher, James Carr, James Collins, Nelson Collins, Alan Davis, George Gizzi, Lamont Graves, Robert Jones, Nicholas Kruczaj, John Kuryan, Marilyn Lee, Willie McKinzie Jr., Patrick Mullen, James Nolan IV, Todd Nuttall, Nicholas Repace, William Shaw, Michael Trasatti, Robert Weigand, Lawrence Weigand and Robert Whitaker. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. CAMDEN, N.J. A New Jersey shore pizzeria owner pleaded guilty Wednesday to filing false income tax returns over a span of several years. Giuseppe D'Arancio, owner of Sal's Ristorante and Pizzeria in Wildwood Crest, entered the plea in federal court in Camden. He is scheduled to be sentenced in May. The U.S. attorney's office alleged that the 60-year-old D'Arancio used two sets of accounting books to under-report the pizzeria's taxable income by about $1.2 million between 2012 and 2016 and avoided paying more than $400,000 in taxes. A message was left with DArancias attorney seeking comment. Some foreign airlines suspended flights to and from China on Wednesday as global fears mounted over a coronavirus epidemic that has killed 132 people and infected nearly 6,000. The announcements came hours after countries began airlifts to evacuate foreigners trapped in Wuhan, the quarantined central Chinese city of 11 million people at the epicentre of the health emergency. A growing number of governments, including the United States, Britain and Germany, have in recent days advised their citizens to avoid non-essential travel to China over concerns about the viral outbreak. China has itself urged its citizens to delay trips abroad, with at least 15 countries having confirmed cases of the disease. The United Arab Emirates reported the first known case in the Middle East on Wednesday. British Airways was the first major airline to announce a total suspension of flights to and from China, citing the travel advice of the foreign office. We apologise to customers for the inconvenience, but the safety of our customers and crew is always our priority, BA said in a statement on Wednesday. Indonesias Lion Air Group, Southeast Asias biggest carrier by fleet size, then said it would halt services to and from China from Saturday until further notice. In Myanmar, the three airlines that have routes into neighbouring China also said those flights would also be suspended from Saturday. Cathay Pacific also cut flights, citing low demand and the Hong Kong governments response plan against the virus. And in one of the most dramatic measures, the tiny Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea announced Wednesday that travellers from Asia would not be allowed in. However many other airlines said they were continuing their China services. China has taken other extraordinary measures to try and stop the disease spreading, including bans on tour groups travelling overseas, suspending schools and extending the Lunar New Year holiday. Authorities also last week imposed transport bans in and around Wuhan in an unprecedented quarantine effort, leaving more than 50 million people shuttered in their homes. Democrats need at least four US senators to join them in their efforts to call witnesses in the Senate trial. The US Senate is holding an impeachment trial on charges by the House of Representatives that President Donald Trump abused his powers and obstructed a congressional inquiry into whether he put pressure on Ukraine to investigate Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden. The Republican-controlled Senate is expected to vote as soon as Friday over whether witnesses and new documents should be part of the trial. There are 53 Republican senators, 45 Democrats and two independents aligned with the Democrats. If the 47 senators in the minority were to stick together in favour of witnesses, it would take only four Republicans to join them for the effort to succeed. Democrats want to hear from witnesses who could have first-hand knowledge of Trumps actions, especially his former national security adviser, John Bolton. Here are the key Republican senators that may swing the balance: Lisa Murkowski Republican Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, considered a moderate, says she is working to ensure senators can seek more information, including possibly witnesses and documents. Although she voted against amendments demanding additional evidence at the trials outset, Murkowski told reporters in her home state that did not mean that she would oppose a call for witnesses later. US Senator Lisa Murkowski [File: Leah Millis/Reuters] First elected to the Senate in 2002, Murkowski, 62, voted against advancing Trumps nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to serve on the Supreme Court in 2018. In 2017, she bucked Trump and most fellow Republicans by voting against the repeal of key elements of the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare. Mitt Romney Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, has said he would be very likely to support witness testimony. The freshman senator from Utah has been one of the few Republicans in Congress to criticise Trump for urging Ukraine and China to investigate Biden, a leading candidate to run against Trump in Novembers election. Senator Mitt Romney was one of only two Republicans to vote in favour on introducing new evidence in the trial [J Scott Applewhite/The Associated Press] Trump, in turn, has called the senator a pompous a**. Romney, 72, says he wants to hear testimony from Bolton. Susan Collins Susan Collins of Maine, a centrist Republican, says it is important for senators in both parties to render impartial justice during the trial. She has criticised her partys leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, for saying he was coordinating trial preparations with the White House. Senator Susan Collins [File: J Scott Applewhite/The Associated Press] Collins, 67, says she would likely support a motion to call witnesses once both sides have made opening arguments and senators have had a chance to ask questions. She says she has not decided on any particular witnesses. Collins has served in the Senate since 1997 and faces a tough re-election race this year in a state divided between rural areas that back Trump and a more liberal region around the city of Portland. Collins has stood up to Trump at times, voting against the Obamacare repeal in 2017. She voted for Kavanaughs nomination. Lamar Alexander Lamar Alexander, a moderate Republican who is retiring at the end of the year, said he would wait until senators have used up their 16 hours of allotted time to ask questions before making up his mind on whether to include witnesses. Senator Lamar Alexander [File: Brendan Smialowski/AFP] He has said it was inappropriate for Trump to talk with foreign governments about investigating political opponents but said last year that the presidents actions did not warrant impeachment. Alexander, 79, has been in the Senate since 2003. He has worked with Democrats on some issues, including healthcare. A former governor of Tennessee, he made two unsuccessful runs for president in 1996 and 2000. Instead of having an adult conversation with the population about the virus and putting in place reasonable policies that have been used effectively elsewhere, the Chinese state has gone into full lockdown mode. This demonstrates one of those truisms from political science: Authoritarian governments are like people who dont have any fingers but do possess two thumbs. They can take forceful actions but cant fine-tune the levers of government. Actually, Im not being fair. When the Chinese Communist Party has time, it can come up with and use sophisticated policies witness its co-opting of traditional faiths to fill a spiritual vacuum in society. But when faced with a crisis, the party cant seem to avoid grand gestures: building hospitals from scratch in two weeks, locking down tens of millions of people, banning millions more from traveling to big cities and so on. In some ways, a moment like this one is a technocrats dream: When Western health care experts say that this sort of lockdown wont work, they basically mean its never been tried on this scale with this kind of uberefficient government. Now that its being tried, not just in Beijing but also across the country, the effects are kind of thrilling to watch. Apartment compounds like mine are being fumigated. (With what? Who cares!) People are walking around with loudspeakers blaring out warnings against the virus. Villages are closing their gates as if bandits were on the prowl. And going to a restaurant or a bar is almost an act of treason or, at best, foolish selfishness. The most interesting question is why the party feels the need to carry on like this. I think it knows the people dont trust it in these cases and assume there has been a cover-up. Hence one of the most popular figures in the crisis: Zhong Nanshan, the hero of the 2002-3 SARS outbreak, now 83, who is back in action, treating patients and warning citizens about the need for hygiene. He has been adopted as the incorruptible official a familiar trope in Chinese history, the Confucian official who stands tall despite pressures to bend. And so we read endless profiles of Dr. Zhong in Chinese social media, discussing his family background, upbringing, successes and apolitical pursuit of science-based truth. The clear implication is that he is that rare official capable of such principled conduct. Behind all this lies the feeling that most other people in the party cant quite be trusted. This has been reinforced over the past few days by reports that at least eight people who were detained in Wuhan in early January on charges of spreading rumors are in fact medical doctors, not fear-mongering neer-do-wells. This startling fact is now leaking out in online reports that are sometimes, but not always, being blocked. At some point, the government will have to admit to a partial cover-up. The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force arrested Dr Kafeel Khan from Mumbai on Thursday in connection to a case filed against him for making an inflammatory speech at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) on December 12. An FIR has been filed against Khan for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. Khan was addressing an anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) rally at the university. The case had been filed by Aligarh's Civil Line police station in-charge under Section 153-A of the IPC. The complaint against him says that while addressing the students, Khan without naming any names had said that "'Motabhai' is teaching everyone to become Hindus or Muslims but not to become human beings." He had also said that since the existence of the RSS, he has no faith in the Constitution. Khan said that with CAA people were being made second-class citizens. Live TV Dr Kafeel Khan came into the limelight in the year 2017 when he was arrested for the alleged death of 30 children at the Government BRD Hospital in Gorakhpur due to lack of oxygen. Khan was the nodal officer of the AES (acute encephalitis syndrome) ward at the time of the incident. He was later dismissed from service by the administration. He remained in jail for about seven months. He was granted bail by the Allahabad High Court in April 2018. The CAA, grants citizenship to non-Muslim minorities including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, protests against this law has erupted in various parts of the country. Photo: Samantha Gades/Unsplash From a comedy tour to a jazz benefit show, there's plenty to enjoy in Detroit this week. Read on for a rundown of ideas for how to fill your calendar. 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. MoLaughs in the City Comedy Bus Tour From the event description: Be ready for a bus load of fun and laughter, and come ready to have a great time! We will pick you up in the Meijer parking lot (8 Mile/Woodward) at 7 p.m. We have an excellent line up for you on this ride. Our first destination is Woodward Ave. Bar & Grille in Highland Park. Then, we continue to Nancy's Whiskey in Detroit. As we tour the city, hilarious comedians are going to make sure that this is the funniest ride of your life, and your host, Monique, will keep us on time and make sure the atmosphere stays turnt up and upbeat! The tour features two of the funniest comdians in the Detroit area: Sam Rager and Tonya Murray. When: Friday, Jan. 31, 7-11 p.m. Where: 1301 Eight Mile Road Admission: $45 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Pete Tong Concert From the event description: Living legend Pete Tong returns to Detroit for the first time in the new decade for an epic house set. Ages 21 and over only. When: Friday, Jan. 31, 9 p.m.-Saturday, Feb. 1, 3 a.m. Where: Red Door Digital, 7500 Oakland Ave. Admission: $25 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Thinkful Webinar | Intro to Data Science: Python Fundamentals From the event description: Are you curious about Data Science? If you have done a little research, then you know the importance of the programing language Python. Join us for this hands-on workshop where we'll explore the most popular programming language for data scientists. We will be diving into what variables, data structures and functions are and how to use them to write basic code. You'll leave this webinar with all of the foundational Python concepts you need to begin to explore the world of data science. This is a fun, interactive class for beginners, so no prior programming experience is needed. Story continues When: Saturday, Feb. 1, 4-6 p.m. Where: Thinkful Webinar, Online Admission: Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Three The Hard Way: An Unscripted Aural Sound Experience From the event description: Come take a musical journey with Three The Hard Way DJ Righteous, DJ Andre Royster and DJ Scandalous. Get ready to groove to soulful, afro, latin funky house music all night long! When: Saturday, Feb. 1, 9 p.m.-Sunday, Feb. 2, 1 a.m. Where: Barter, 11601 Joseph Campau Ave. Admission: $6 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Wayne State University Jazz Big Band Benefit Concert From the event description: The Wayne State Jazz Big Band, under the direction of Russ Miller, will present a benefit concert this Sunday in Schaver Music Recital Hall on the campus of Wayne State University. Proceeds from this concert will support the ensemble's trip to the prestigious Elmhurst Jazz Festival in Elmhurst, Illinois. When: Sunday, Feb. 2, 3-5 p.m. Where: Schaver Music Recital Hall, 480 W. Hancock St. Admission: $5-$10 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. Past ARRL Southeastern Division Director H. Dale Strieter, W4QM (SK) Past ARRL Southeastern Division Director Harmon "Dale" Strieter, W4QM (ex-W4DQS), of Cocoa Beach, died on January 6. An ARRL Life Member, he was 92 and a founding member of the Maxim Society. Strieter was ARRL Southeastern Division Director from 1970 until 1973. During World War II, he served as US Maritime Service radio officer in the Pacific. After the war, he received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Michigan State. He got his amateur radio license in 1947. Strieter later earned an MSEE from Michigan State, and then worked as an audio engineer. In 1958, Strieter moved to Cocoa Beach to work for General Electric, a NASA contractor, and he served as the guidance engineer on the Mercury and Gemini manned spaceflight missions. Strieter was a prolific DXpeditioner. After 20 years with GE, he returned to sea in 1979 as a radio officer in the US Merchant Marine on a ship generally anchored at Chagos. As VQ9QM, Strieter logged more than 200,000 contacts from nearby Diego Garcia, between 1986 and 2001. He retired in 2002. Even as the outbreak of Coronavirus sends panic waves across countries, Special Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Sanjeeva Kumar reviewed the preparations at the airports and hospitals in efforts to curb the spread of the virus in the country. The meeting was held with Health Secretaries of states along with the Airport Health Organization Officers (APHOs) via a video conference. Kumar said that States need to take pro-active preventive measures by creating awareness among the people through local media. For planes, he said there is a need for adequate in-flight announcements to make passengers aware of the symptoms. He specified the need to popularise the call centre/helpline numbers through TV, Radio, press releases, social media and other channels. He was informed that at the airports, thermal and symptomatic screening has been initiated, immigration officers and other staff members have been sensitised and dedicated ambulances are placed at the airports. Self-declaration forms are available and signages have been kept at prominent places across the airport. As many as seven central teams have visited the respective states and helped to strengthen the preparedness too. Read more stories on Coronavirus here While in hospitals, isolation wards have been readied to face any contingency. Personal protection equipment and masks are available in adequate quantity in all the States/UTs. Tertiary hospitals have been identified for airports and protocols for contact tracing are followed and timely collection and transportation of samples from suspected cases to NIV, Pune is being undertaken. Live TV The Indian embassy in China has begun the process for the evacuation of Indian citizens stranded in Hubei Province which is said to be most affected by the coronavirus outbreak. ''The embassy is working hard to ensure smooth evacuation of our citizens from Hubei Province. We are already in touch with many sections of the Indian Community in Hubei, including our students,'' the Indian embassy in Beijing said. The embassy has reportedly compiled a list of Indians to be flown out. According to reports, there are over 250 Indian nationals, mostly students and professionals, who need to be evacuated from the Hubei province. Meanwhile, the death toll in China due to Coronavirus has jumped sharply to 170 with as many as 6000 confirmed cases. Major airlines, including British Airways, have suspended all direct flights to and from mainland China. Countries are trying to evacuate their citizens from Wuhan, the city in Hubei at the centre of the epidemic. The US, Japan, UK have all sent planes to get back nationals while EU, Germany, Mongolia, S. Korea, New Zealand, Australia, are also sending or in the process of sending planes. The World Health Organisation has urged all countries to stay alert, while an emergency committee will meet again on Thursday. In India, many cases have been reported from Kerala, Gujarat and Delhi but none of the cases has reported being positive. Samples from suspected patients are being sent to National Institute of Virology in Pune. The clearest and most detailed images of the Sun have been captured as part of a project involving Queen's University Belfast (QUB). Images of the star were captured by the world's largest telescope with images and videos released from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Co Antrim scientist Dr Eamon Scullion, currently based at Northumbria University, was one of eight European members of the Inouye Solar Telescope Science Working Group involved in the project. The images reveal unprecedented detail of the Suns surface, with experts saying it will enable a new era of solar science and a leap forward in understanding the Sun and its impacts planet Earth. Images from NSFs Inouye Solar Telescope 4-meter solar telescope, which sits near the summit of Haleakala volcano in Hawaii, show a close-up view of the Suns surface including a pattern of turbulent boiling plasma that covers the entire Sun. They also show cell-like structures - each about the size of Texas - which are the signature of violent motions that transport heat from inside the Sun to its surface. Dr Scullion said the images were an exciting first step towards understanding the physics taking place within the Suns surface. Seeing is believing. We can simulate solar activity and make predictions using data and computers, but this is the first time we have been able to see high resolution images of the activity taking place on the surface of the Sun," the former QUB student said. "For the team here at Northumbria the real excitement will come in a few months time. Once we have a series of images taken over several weeks and months, we can use the software we have developed to track the changes taking place on the Suns surface. This will really allow us to look at the Sun in ways we simply havent been able to before now. Professor Mihalis Mathioudakis from QUB, who led the UK consortium, said the imaging produced opens new horizons in solar physics. "Its imaging capability allows us to study the physical processes at work in the Suns atmosphere at unprecedented levels of detail. We worked hard over the past few years with Belfast-based Andor Technology to develop the cameras that equip the Inouye Solar Telescope and it is highly rewarding to now see this fascinating imaging, he said. Activity on the Sun, known as space weather, can affect systems on Earth. Magnetic eruptions on the Sun can impact air travel, disrupt satellite communications and bring down power grids, causing long-lasting blackouts and disabling technologies such as GPS. The Inouye Solar Telescope can measure and characterise the Suns magnetic field in more detail than ever seen before and determine the causes of potentially harmful solar activity. Better understanding the origins of potential disasters will enable governments and utilities to better prepare for inevitable future space weather events. It is expected that notification of potential impacts could occur earlier - as much as 48 hours ahead of time instead of the current standard, which is about 48 minutes. This would allow for more time to secure power grids and critical infrastructure and to put satellites into safe mode. The images were taken with cameras developed and supplied to the project by a UK consortium which is led by QUB, and involves seven other UK institutes and industry including Andor Technology, Armagh Observatory, University of Glasgow, UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory, Northumbria University, University of Sheffield, St. Andrews University and University of Warwick. Senate Republicans are wrestling with a momentous dilemma over whether to call witnesses in Donald Trump's trial in a closed-door tussle that risks antagonizing the President and fueling Democrat claims of a cover-up. Revelations from former national security adviser John Bolton that could bolster evidence that Trump pressured Ukraine for electoral favors are jolting GOP hopes for an swift impeachment acquittal and may hike the political costs of such a vote. Most Republican senators are agitating for the chance to vote to clear Trump of impeachable offenses, but a handful of their colleagues are still agonizing, beset by unique political factors or a battle with their consciences. GOP senators met soon after Trump's legal team rested its defense on Tuesday to try to find a way out of a morass. A source in the room said Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told his troops he still did not have sufficient votes to block the Democrats' demand for witnesses. The news was the first sign that the band of Republicans open to hearing from Bolton especially might be larger than the three or so senators who have said all along they are considering such an option -- though who those GOP lawmakers would be remained unclear Tuesday night. A vote for witnesses could significantly prolong the trial, would certainly spark bruising legal confrontations and would enrage Trump -- who is hoping to claim vindication at his State of the Union address next week. The President weighed in to the mix and may have betrayed growing concern with a tweet on Tuesday evening, perhaps aimed at wavering Republican senators. "No matter how many witnesses you give the Democrats, no matter how much information is given, like the quickly produced Transcripts, it will NEVER be enough for them. They will always scream UNFAIR. The Impeachment Hoax is just another political CON JOB!" Trump wrote. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer tried to thicken the plot in an interview on CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront," suggesting that there were "10-12 Republicans who have never said a bad word about witnesses or documents who know in their hearts that it's the right thing to do." "But they have to weigh that against the pressure -- the twisting of arms -- that Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell will put on them. So I think it's up in the air right now," the New York Democrat said. But if McConnell's full court press and party loyalty triumphs over a traditional perception of senators' role in a Senate trial, a vote to block witnesses and to acquit Trump in the Senate could come as early as week's end. It was not immediately clear whether the Senate majority leader was having serious problems pulling together his caucus, or whether indications of a lagging vote count were designed to pressure holdouts. Democrats need to convince at least four Republicans to join them to call witnesses including Bolton, the ex-national security adviser who wrote in a book manuscript that Trump ordered him to keep a freeze on aid to Ukraine. There is some talk of a halfway house solution -- making the manuscript available to senators in a classified setting -- though that step has been ridiculed by Democrats who say the public needs to be let in on the secret and McConnell has shown little public interest in the idea. Connecticut Sen. Chris. Murphy, a Democrat, said that the idea of subpoenaing the Bolton manuscript, the existence of which was first reported by The New York Times, instead of his in-person testimony was "bull***." "You have to be able to put John Bolton under oath and question him. They are so scared of his testimony because they know it blows a giant hole in the President's case," Murphy told CNN's Lauren Fox. Lead impeachment manager Adam Schiff warned that refusing to call Bolton was incompatible with the duty of senators to pursue justice. "I don't see how the oath of impartiality can be interpreted any other way than demanding a fair trial that includes witnesses and documents," Schiff said. But Republican Sen John Barrasso, a member of his party's leadership group, has made his mind up, saying: "The overwhelming consensus is we've heard enough -- and it's time to move to a final judgment." Still making up their minds Sources familiar with the Republican meeting said that several senators had not made up their minds one way or the other, adding to McConnell's uncertainty over his whip count. "Things have stabilized and if I had to guess, we'll have 51," to block moving forward with witnesses and documents, said a GOP senator who was in the room. Any more revelations about Bolton's book in the coming days could further shake Republican holdouts and bolster Democratic demands. A vote for witnesses, even for personal political reasons, would be an act of courage by GOP senators -- given a fierce backlash likely from colleagues, Trump's supporters and an angry President who is itching to celebrate a huge political victory and has a record of torching critics in his own party. The most likely senators to vote for witnesses are still seen as Alaska's Lisa Murkowski, Maine's Susan Collins and Utah's Mitt Romney. It's unclear if there is a fourth vote. Some vulnerable swing state senators such as Cory Gardner of Colorado are also under fierce Democratic pressure. Such lawmakers are caught between wanting to avoid antagonizing moderate voters angry about Trump's conduct and getting on the wrong side of the President's supporters who they need to show up in large numbers to have any chance of survival in November. Trump has ruled his party with a rod of iron since winning its nomination in 2016 and forced it to accept and facilitate norm-shattering behavior. So it would be a real surprise to see a Senate revolt on the issue of witnesses. Murkowski was seen in deep conversation with Collins during a break in the trial on the Senate floor on Tuesday -- and she later spoke to Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, another member of the Senate leadership group. Bolton's revelations reported by the Times rocked the trial because they appear to be strong evidence that the President did indeed use military aid in an effort to coerce Ukraine to investigate Democrats including Joe Biden -- the question at the center of the Senate trial. They also made life a lot less comfortable for Republican senators who must now explain why they don't want to know more. The former national security adviser was a key player in Trump's White House. According to testimony from a colleague, former top administration Russia hand Fiona Hill, he described Rudy Giuliani, Trump's top informal envoy to Ukraine as a "hand grenade" who could blow everyone up. Yet Trump's personal lawyer Jay Sekulow told the Senate trial that Bolton's evidence was inadmissible and irrelevant. He said impeachment "was not a game of leaks and unsourced manuscripts." Arguments made by another member of Trump's team, Alan Dershowitz, on Monday night appear even more important in light of the delicate balance within the Republican caucus. His theory that even if Bolton was telling the truth Trump's conduct would not amount to an abuse of power or rise to the level of impeachment offers a possible way out for Republicans alarmed by the manuscript. Bolton comes under fire The Bolton revelations that sprung up in the middle of the defense case also explain why McConnell wanted to get the proceedings over as quickly as possible. But they also raise the possibility that Republicans could vote to acquit Trump and then could pay a political price down the road if Bolton's book reveals new evidence of misconduct. Trump's strongest supporters in the Senate are, however, making a forceful case to their colleagues to reject witnesses. Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky attacked Bolton's credibility as a witness after he left the White House last year on acrimonious terms and said he now wanted to make money on a book. "I think we need to ask, is he a disinterested, or a neutral or a dispassionate, witness. I think we need to take with a grain a salt, his testimony, if he were to come in," Paul told Wolf Blitzer on "The Situation Room." House impeachment manager Jerry Nadler, a New York Democrat, however said such arguments were overcome every day in the regular legal system. "It's fundamental in any trial ... that you listen to the witnesses and you make the judgment as to whether the witness is credible in telling the truth," Nadler said at a Capitol Hill news conference. Schiff also sought to raise the heat on Republican senators over Bolton and also apparently to shape the political battlefield should they take a different route and quickly vote to acquit the President. "The question squarely before the senators is will there be a fair trial?" Schiff said. "Will there be a trial that American's overwhelmingly want those that are for or against the President ... want the trial to be fair, which means the calling of witnesses so that is the threshold issue that the Senate will have to decide." While Republican senators in overwhelmingly red states have a strong incentive to please the President -- others with more difficult reelection races or those who are examining their consciences have a tough choice. A vote against the President on this question could hamper their future careers, invite primary challenges, isolate them in their party and put lucrative retirement jobs in the conservative firmament at risk. A man has been arrested for making threats against Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. The Detroit News first reported Thursday a 72-year-old Groveland Township man was arrested for leaving verbal threats on Bensons voicemail and making similar threats to a person in her office. In a statement, Michigan State Police officials said they were notified Wednesday of the threats, and that authorities executed a search warrant at the mans home. Weapons and evidence were seized at the property and the man was taken into custody, and is currently being held at the Oakland County Jail. Police submitted their findings to the Oakland County Prosecutors Office for further review. On social media, Benson thanked police for swiftly responding to the situation. Threats against public officials have no place in our society, Benson wrote on Twitter. This story was updated to include comment from the Michigan State Police. WEST CHESTER, Pa., Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A. Duie Pyle (Pyle), the premier provider of asset and non-asset based transportation and supply chain solutions in the Northeast, has been named Company of the Year at the Traffic Club of Philadelphias 112th Annual Dinner, which recognizes the contributions made by local shipping and logistics companies to the Greater Philadelphia area. The ceremony took place from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday, January 23, at the Union League of Philadelphia. After polling industry professionals and discussing with industry leaders, Pyles name repeatedly surfaced when the Traffic Club of Philadelphia was deciding on its Company of the Year. Most of us in the industry who use LTL services in the Northeast know that A. Duie Pyle is the go-to carrier, said Janit Stahl, Vice President of the Traffic Club of Philadelphia. Pyle gets the job done professionally, and theres a strong level of trust that is important when freight is being moved for a customer. Stahl also mentioned that Pyles dedication to using energy efficient equipment and responsible, cost-effective practices also stood out from other carriers. It has a focus on the future with respect to environmental impact. Its an honor to be recognized by the Traffic Club of Philadelphia in this ceremony steeped in historic tradition, said Peter Latta, CEO and Chairman of A. Duie Pyle. At Pyle, we strive to provide consistent and exceptional supply chain services for our customers and an enduring culture for our employees. Winning this and other awards is extremely rewarding for our team and affirms our company-wide efforts that make superior service possible. Over the last year, Pyle has won a variety of awards, including the Supply & Demand Chain Executives 2019 SDCE 100 Award, 2019 Food Logistics Top 3PL & Cold Storage Providers List, 2019 Supply & Demand Chain Executive Green Supply Chain Award, and Food Logistics 2019 Top Green Providers List. Traffic Club of Philadelphia is a professional association that promotes transportation and logistics in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington region. Founded in 1908, it is one of the oldest traffic clubs in the United States. For more information on A. Duie Pyle, visit www.aduiepyle.com . About A. Duie Pyle A. Duie Pyle, a family-owned and operated business for more than 95 years, provides a range of integrated transportation and distribution services supported by 24 LTL service centers and 11 warehouses strategically located throughout the Northeast region. Pyle provides a variety of asset and non-asset-based services offering uniquely engineered logistics solutions including LTL, Dedicated fleet operations, Warehousing & Distribution services through more than 2.7 million square feet of public and contract warehousing space, and specialized services through its Logistics Solutions. Media Contact Elsa Anschuetz Uproar PR for A. Duie Pyle eanschuetz@uproarpr.com 321.236.0102 x233 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f8b47e37-588a-4d0b-b5e6-c6269bb3de33 WASHINGTON The Pentagon confirmed on Thursday that it is preparing to change its current restrictions on the militarys use of anti-personnel land mines, and the new policy is expected to allow the use of these weapons in more areas of potential conflict. The anticipated change would still limit the procurement of new anti-personnel mines to those that eventually self-destruct but notably it would allow their use outside of the Korean Peninsula, officials said. The move would effectively cancel a 2014 policy of the Obama administration that had limited the use of anti-personnel mines to the Korean Peninsula, and continued the destruction of land-mine stockpiles not required for the defense of South Korea. It would be the latest in a string of policy reversals made by the Trump Administration on the use of weapons that had been limited by treaties, and even condemned internationally. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 30, 2020 / Ximen Mining Corp. (TSXV:XIM)(FRA:1XMA)(OTCQB:XXMMF) (the "Company" or "Ximen") is pleased to announce that it is proceeding with a shares-for-debt filing to pay outstanding debts of $270,000.00. Approximately 771,428 shares in the capital stock of the Company will be issued to pay these outstanding payables. The shares-for-debt agreement is subject to TSX Venture Exchange acceptance and, if issued, will be subject to the customary four-month hold period. The Company also announces that it has closed a tranche of its drawdown equity financing facility with Alumina Partners (Ontario) Ltd., an affiliate of New York-based private equity firm Alumina Partners LLC. In this tranche closed on January 29, 2020, the Company drew down $150,000 from Alumina with Alumina receiving 500,000 units of Ximen consisting of a common share priced at 30 cents per share and an 18-month warrant exercisable at 45 cents per share. The hold expiry date for the placement is May 28, 2020. The net proceeds from the private placement will be used for the further exploration on the Company's British Columbia mineral properties and general working capital. The investment agreement will provide the Company with up to $8-million over a 24-month period to finance its exploration and continuing acquisition of gold assets in British Columbia. The investment agreement is structured to provide Ximen with relatively quick access to private placement financing as and when required. Under the investment agreement, the company has the right to draw down on the facility, at its sole discretion, through equity private placement tranches of up to $500,000 each. Each tranche will be a placement of units, with each unit comprising one Ximen common share and one common share purchase warrant. The units will be priced at a discount of 15 per cent to 25 per cent from the then most recent closing price of the shares on the TSX Venture Exchange at the time of the applicable company drawdown notice to Alumina. The warrants will be issued at a 25-per-cent premium over the market price of the shares and will have a term of 18 months. There are no standby charges or other upfront fees associated with the investment agreement. Each tranche of units issued under the investment agreement will be subject to the acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange and the securities issued will be subject to the customary four-month hold period. On behalf of the Board of Directors, "Christopher R. Anderson" Christopher R. Anderson, President, CEO and Director 604 488-3900 Investor Relations: Sophy Cesar, 604-488-3900, ir@XimenMiningCorp.com About Ximen Mining Corp. Ximen Mining Corp. owns 100% interest in three of its precious metal projects located in southern BC. Ximen's two Gold projects The Amelia Gold Mine and The Brett Epithermal Gold Project. Ximen also owns the Treasure Mountain Silver Project adjacent to the past producing Huldra Silver Mine. Currently, the Treasure Mountain Silver Project is under a option agreement. The option partner is making annual staged cash and stocks payments as well as funding the development of the project. The company has recently acquired control of the Kenville Gold mine near Nelson British Columbia which comes with surface and underground rights, buildings and equipment. Ximen is a publicly listed company trading on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol XIM, in the USA under the symbol XXMMF, and in Frankfurt, Munich, and Berlin Stock Exchanges in Germany under the symbol 1XMA and WKN with the number as A2JBKL. This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, including statements regarding the receipt of TSX Venture Exchange approval and the exercise of the Option by Ximen. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "potential," "goal," "objective," "prospective," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include the possibility that the TSX Venture Exchange may not accept the proposed transaction in a timely manner, if at all. The reader is urged to refer to the Company's reports, publicly available through the Canadian Securities Administrators' System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any state in the United States in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Ximen Mining Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/574621/Ximen-Mining-Corporate-Update Heidi Barker Carnival Corp. has named Heidi Barker to the newly created position of VP- corporate communications in its ethics and compliance department. She will join the cruise line company in March. Based at Miami headquarters, Barker will focus on issues surrounding health, environment, safety, security, culture and training. Carnivals stock has been under pressure following Jan. 29 news that one of its ships in Italy is being investigated for potential cases of coronavirus. The company previously announced that it suspended operations from Chinese ports from Jan. 25 to Feb. 4. We also expect that travel restrictions will result in cancellations from Chinese fly-cruise guests booked on cruises embarking in ports outside China, Carnival said in its 10-K filing. Barker is moving to Carnival from Chicago-based Cleveland Avenue LLC, a food and beverage venture capital and consulting firm, where she was chief communications officer. Before that, she was VP of global media relations and issues management for McDonald's Corporation and also spent 10 years as a producer for NBC News. Barker will report to ethics and compliance officer Peter Anderson. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday called China's ruling Communist Party "the central threat of our times" that challenges Western principles. "The Chinese Communist Party presents the central threat of our times," Washington's top diplomat said at a joint appearance with Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. He added that Western allies must "ensure that the next century is governed by these Western democratic principles". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Representative image live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Bulls made a comeback on January 29 after two straight days of selling amid worries over Coronavirus, which dented investor sentiment along with December quarter earnings from India Inc. The short-term trend is still weak with support for Nifty near 12,000-11,950 zone, experts say. "Markets are likely to remain volatile ahead of the Union Budget on Saturday where the market is expecting measures from the government to lift economic growth. Investors would also await US Fed meeting outcome. Further, there is also the monthly F&O expiry this week just ahead of Budget which could add to the volatility," said Siddhartha Khemka, Head - Retail Research, Motilal Oswal Financial Services Private. Here are 10 stocks for which foreign brokerages raised their target price after their December quarter numbers: HDFC | Brokerage: Jefferies | Rating: Buy | Target: Raised to Rs 2,745 from Rs 2,510 per share The investment gains were partly used to buffer up provision coverage. The loan growth was muted in non-retail, while retail loans did better. Company is better placed in a tough macro environment, said Jefferies. Research house largely maintain its loan growth and margin estimate for FY21/22, while FY20 EPS estimate raised by 54.3 percent & FY21-22 by 1-3 percent. PNB Housing | Brokerage: Jefferies | Rating: Hold | Target: Raised to Rs 525 from Rs 505 per share According to Jefferies, the NII growth and provisions were disappointed. The gross NPA rose sharply, led by rises in retail & corporate NPAs. Proposed equity issuance could ease gearing issues and still see challenges to loan growth, it added. It see a risk of more slippages in the developer book and cut FY20-21 estimates by 6-23 percent. InterGlobe Aviation | Brokerage: Ambit | Rating: Buy | Target: Raised to Rs 1,993 from Rs 1,823 per share The company's results were head of expectations driven by higher RASK (revenue per available seat-kilometre) & lower other expenses. The 20 percent ASK growth in FY21 is below our expectation but not a concern, said Ambit. Company's EGM on 29 January is a key near-term share price catalyst and raise FY20-22 EBITDA estimates by 15-20 percent, it added. Torrent Pharma | Brokerage: CLSA | Rating: Outperform | Target: Raised to Rs 2,050 from Rs 1,950 per share According to CLSA, revenue & EBITDA missed in the third quarter, while higher other income & low tax rate boosted the profit of the company. The supply-chain issues w.r.t EU should be resolved by March. The US revenue was flat QoQ & will likely decline in FY21, CLSA said. US FDA issues at its key manufacturing sites will take time to resolve, while India will be a key medium-term growth driver and raise FY20 EPS estimate by 3 percent, it added. Dr Reddy's Laboratories | Brokerage: Ambit | Rating: Buy | Target: Raised to Rs 3,615 from Rs 3,217 per share The improved cost base drives 7 percent/15 percent raise in our EPS estimates and R&D expense increase to be lower than sales movement in FY21/22, said Ambit. The optimal expenses will boost FY21/22 margin by 140bps/180bps, it feels. ICICI Bank | Brokerage: JPMorgan | Rating: Overweight | Target: Raised to Rs 650 from Rs 560 per share The headline Q3 print was mixed, while operating profit was strong and recoveries improved. The domestic loan / deposit growth was offset by a higher slippage. The cumulative 9-month slippage of 2.1 percent still well within our tolerance limit, said JPMorgan. The FY21/22 EPS estimates are increased 1.4 percent/4.5 percent, it added. Bank of Baroda | Brokerage: JPMorgan | Rating: Neutral | Target: Raised to Rs 100 from Rs 95 per share Brokerages house change its FY21/22 EPS estimates by -11 percent/0 percent and modelling a higher credit cost assumption for FY21. The company's operating profit assumptions are largely unchanged, while slippages driven by divergence & HFC. UltraTech Cement| Brokerage: Morgan Stanley | Rating: Overweight | Target: Raised to Rs 5,350 from Rs 5,000 per share The third quarter numbers were in-line, but trends & commentary show signs of demand revival. Company remains our preferred pick within our cement coverage, while demand seen in December to be sustained over the coming months, feels Morgan Stanley. JSW Steel | Brokerage: Jefferies | Rating: Underperform | Target: Raised to Rs 199 from Rs 180 per share The company's Q3 group EBITDA missed research house estimate, while net debt eased marginally on QoQ basis. Dolvi expansion is delayed by 3-6 months. On the other hand, rebound in steel prices should drive stronger margin in Q4. Biocon | Brokerage: Goldman Sachs | Rating: Buy | Target: Raised to Rs 350 from Rs 317 per share The company's sales/EBITDA driven by solid performance in biologics segment. The recovery in branded formulations profitability also helped topline/EBITDA of the company. The ramp-up/launches to aid biologics segment in 2020, while brand formulations challenges in end markets to remain. FY20-FY22 EPS estimates down by 1-2 percent. And act decisively they did not against the virus, but against whistleblowers who were trying to call attention to the public health threat. A doctor who told a WeChat group about the virus was disciplined by the Communist Party and forced to admit wrongdoing. The police reported giving education and criticism to eight front-line doctors for rumormongering about the epidemic; instead of punishing these doctors, Xi should have listened to them. Popular Nigerian actress Funke Akindele-Bello has finally yielded to the pleas of her fans and followers by sharing a glimpse of her twin boys on Snapchat. Information Nigeria recalls the actress received a lot of backlashes after she shared a photo of herself and husband holding their twins with their facial features hidden. The actress finally unveiled the little boys in a post shared on her Snapchat page. In the photo, her husband and father of the twins, JJC Skillz, was seen facing the camera with the two boys warmly cuddled in his hands. Read Also: Be Careful How You Treat People, Stella Damascus Warns See post below: Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 12:19:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese railway police have cracked nearly 1,200 cases of theft, robbery and fraud in a special campaign since December 2019, according to the Ministry of Public Security. A total of 1,238 suspects have been arrested for being involved in these cases, showed the ministry's website. Police stepped up patrols at major railway stations and trains in areas that are prone to these crimes. They also investigated reported cases and shared information within the police force in a timely manner. A total of 90 police officers took part in the campaign in over a dozen teams. Weather Alert ...Winter Storm System to Impact the Region this Weekend... A strong winter storm system will push east through the Quad State Saturday into Sunday. Wintry precipitation will spread eastward into southern Illinois and southeast Missouri late Friday night, and then southeast over the remainder of the region Saturday morning. The evolution of the storm for the remainder of the weekend is quite uncertain at this time. The ultimate path and intensity of the storm system, along with the temperature forecast, will determine how impactful it will be across the Quad State. For now you are encouraged to monitor the latest forecasts and follow your winter weather preparedness plans ahead of this potentially impactful winter storm. Lucknow, Jan 30 : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has convened an emergency meeting at his official residence to take stock of the hostage situation in Farukkhabad district where a criminal has held about 20 children hostage since the past five hours. Uttar Pradesh DGP O.P. Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Avanish Awasthi and other top officials were also present in the meeting. The Chief Minister, sources said, expressed his displeasure at the slow reaction of the local police and said that the rescue of the children should be of prime importance. NSG, ATS and QRT teams have been rushed to the Karsiya village which is about 40 km from Farukkhabad district headquarters. IG Mohit Agarwal is also on his way to the village. The man has already fired six rounds at those who tried to engage him in a conversation and convince him to release the children. The police does not know if he has more ammunition with him. He has not placed any demand in return for the release of the children but said that the villagers would have to pay the price of falsely implicating him in a murder case. The man Subhash Batham had invited children for the birthday of his one-year-old child and then held them hostage. Some of Batham's own family members are also held hostage inside. The incident took place on Thursday evening in Mohamadabad area of Farukkhabad when Subhash Batham, an accused in a criminal case, invited about 20 children to his house for a party and then locked them in. When some local residents tried to get the door opened, he started firing from inside in which one person was injured in the leg. Batham even threw a low intensity bomb from the window. He allegedly shouted that he had been wrongly framed in a criminal case. When some parents tried to talk to him, he fired at them and said, "You all will pay for putting me in jail." Sources said that he had been convicted for murder and was released recently on bail. The local people said he was an alcoholic and a drug addict. DGP O.P. Singh told reporters that police were acting with caution to ensure the safety of the children inside. "A special team of trained personnel is at the spot and we have kept NSG commandos on standby. Our priority is to ensure the safety of the children and rescue them at the earliest. It is a difficult situation and all senior police officials are at the spot. We want to rescue the children without any collateral damage. The local legislator, Nagendra Singh, is also trying to talk to the man," he said. The police have also called in Batham's relatives and the local village leaders. A huge crowd has collected at the spot comprising, mainly parents of children who have been held hostage. Tension prevails in the area and a heavy deployment of forces has been made in the village. By PTI ARIHA: Russian airstrikes near a bakery and a medical clinic in Syria's rebel-held Idlib region killed 10 civilians on Thursday as government forces kept up a ground offensive. The government and its allies have upped their deadly bombardment of the last major rebel bastion, slowly chipping away at it from the south. Rebel-held territory has shrunk to just over half of Idlib province, along with slivers of neighbouring Aleppo and Latakia, following a series of government gains, the latest of which saw Damascus loyalists retaking the strategic town of Maaret al-Numan on Wednesday. Early on Thursday, Russian air strikes hit the town of Ariha, between Maaret al-Numan and the city of Idlib to its north, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The strikes hit near a bakery and the Al-Shami clinic which is now out of service, AFP correspondents reported. A dust-covered doctor ran out of the Al-Shami clinic screaming following the attack, which partially damaged the facility's walls. Nearby, three entire buildings had collapsed and several vehicles were reduced to mangled wrecks. The wailing of women and children rang out as rescue workers searched for corpses beneath the rubble. Toufic Saado, a paramedic, said he was inside the medical facility when three air strikes ravaged the area. "The wounded were lying on the floor outside the medical centre," he said. The latest deaths bring to 21 the number of civilians killed by Russian air strikes in Idlib since Wednesday, the Observatory said. Earlier this month, Russia denied launching any combat operations in the region since a ceasefire it agreed with rebel supporter Turkey went into effect on January 12. But the truce has since become a dead letter and the number of reported Russian raids has risen sharply. Thousands of Russian troops are deployed across Syria in support of the army, while a contingent of Russian private security personnel also operates on the ground. Moscow's military intervention in 2015, four years into the Syrian conflict, helped keep President Bashar al-Assad in power and started a long, bloody reconquest of territory lost to rebels in the early stages of the war. Russian-backed regime forces on Thursday pushed north of the highway town of Maarat al-Numan, their latest conquest, said the Observatory. They are now moving towards the town of Saraqib, whose residents have mostly fled in recent days in the face of heavy bombardment, the war monitor added. Fighting is now within five kilometres (three miles) of the town, said the Observatory. Both Maarat al-Numan and Saraqib lie on the key M5 highway connecting the capital Damascus to second city Aleppo. The road has been in the sights of the government for some time as it seeks to revive a moribund economy ravaged by almost nine years of war. Some 50 kilometres (30 miles) of the M5 remain outside regime control, the Britain-based Observatory said. Tens of thousands of civilians have fled the government's advance, seeking safety closer to the Turkish border further north. The violence in the northwest has displaced more than 388,000 civilians since December, the United Nations says. At least 20,000 of them have moved in the past two days, UN undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs Mark Lowcock said on Wednesday. "Unless the current hostilities stop, we will see an even greater humanitarian catastrophe," he told the UN Security Council. Aid groups have warned the latest violence is compounding one of the worst humanitarian disasters of the nine-year war. Government forces, which now control around 70 per cent of Syria, have repeatedly vowed to retake the entire country, including Idlib. The civil war has killed more than 380,000 people and displaced more than half the country's population since it erupted following the brutal repression of anti-government protests in 2011. Several UN-backed rounds of peace talks have failed to stem the bloodshed and a parallel track led by regime backer Russia and rebel ally Turkey has gained precedence in recent years. The budget session of parliament which begins on Friday is expected to be stormy in the light of stance of several opposition parties against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), even as the government has said that it is willing to discuss all issues permitted by the chair. The government's legislative agenda for the budget session of parliament includes 45 bills and seven financial items. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi told the media here after an all-party meeting that the government has identified 45 bills and seven financial items for the budget session. He sought the cooperation of all parties for the smooth functioning of the two Houses. Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the meeting that the government was open for discussion on all issues during the Budget Session of Parliament and agreed with the demand of MPs that there should be a discussion on economic issues. He welcomed suggestions of most members that the session should focus on the prevailing economic situation in the country. "Most of the members have asked for discussion on the economic situation concerning the country. I welcome this and we need to discuss the economic issues as suggested by you all," he said. He urged members to see how the country can gain from the prevailing global economic scenario. "We should focus on how we can turn the global scenario in favour of India. And in this Budget Session, and in the beginning of the New Year if we can give a proper direction to the country's economy, it would be in the best interest of the country," he said. The Prime Minister also agreed with members on other important issues raised by them and said there should be an open discussion on all such issues. "I agree with you all on the other important issues raised by you. And I would like to say that there should be an open discussion on all such issues," he said. The government will seek to replace (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019 and the Mineral Laws (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 with bills during the session. The first part of budget session will conclude on February 11 and the two Houses will again meet on March 2. The budget session is slated to conclude on April 3. The recess will be used by the standing committees to examine the Demands for Grants of various ministries and departments. The session, which will begin with the address of President Ram Nath Kovind to the joint sitting of two houses, will have 31 sittings (nine in the first part and 22 in the second part) spread over a period of 64 days. The session will mainly be devoted to the financial business relating to union budget and discussion on the motion of thanks on President's Address. The Economic Survey will be presented on Friday and the union budget at 11 am. Leaders of various political parties made several suggestions during the meeting. Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad later told the media that the central government was "least bothered" about the people protesting on streets against CAA and "The government is least bothered about people protesting on streets over CAA and This shows their arrogance. They are not bothered about farmers too. "The opposition wants that these issues be discussed too and the government should be sensitive about it," he said. The Congress leader alleged that the government is only focussed on getting bills passed. "Government is focussed only on getting bills passed but we also drew their attention towards the sinking economy, rising unemployment and Kashmir. We told them Farooq Abdullah should be released so that he can attend Parliament and others should also be released," he said. The all-party meeting called by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi was held on Thursday in Parliament ahead of the Budget Session, which begins on Friday.Prime Minister Narendra Modi also attended the meeting along with other Union Ministers, namely, Rajnath Singh, Thawar Chand Gehlot, Arjun Meghwal, V Muraleedharan, and others. The Union Budget will be presented on February 1. A familiar charade is playing out in Tehran. Ahead of the elections to the Iranian parliament next month, those political factions likely to perform poorly are preemptively blaming the U.S. Expectation-management is the recourse of last resort for failing politicians everywhere, and blaming the U.S. is the hoariest political tradition in the Islamic Republic. The most practiced exponents of both skills are the so-called "moderates," whose standard-bearer is President Hassan Rouhani. A brief detour on definitions: Rouhani is not really a moderate in any rational understanding of the term. He has always been part of the security-clerical complex that has run Iran since the 1989 death of the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. He and his coterie are best characterized as the least hardline of the hardliners. The Iranian political system allows little room for genuine moderates, less still for reformers. The last time that a government came anywhere close to those definitions - the 1997-2005 presidency of Mohammad Khatami - it was unable to make any meaningful reforms stick. Back to the current election cycle. Rouhani and his fellow least-hardliners are expected to lose ground, and are blaming the Trump administration. The perfidious Americans, Rouhani says, are seeking to "create gaps between the establishment and people," and Iranians should use the ballot box to demonstrate their unity. But there are many reasons for Rouhani's faction to fare poorly. Some are purely cyclical: Iranian voters have tended to throw the bums out every eight years. Khatami and his wannabe-reformers were followed by the reactionaries of Mahmoud Ahmedinejad in 2005, who were in turn replaced by Rouhani and his faction in 2013. Ensuring that the cycle keeps turning smoothly is the man with the real power in Tehran, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the hardest of hardliners. When there is any sign of a wobble, he intervenes in one of two ways. Before an election, he weakens the prospects of any inconvenient faction by making sure the Guardian Council, which he controls, disqualifies a disproportionate proportion of its candidates. The Council has been true to form in this cycle, but it has had an assist from Rouhani's administration, which has also disqualified candidates. If putting his finger on the scale before an election proves insufficient, Khamenei has been willing to put the fix in, as he did in 2009 when Ahmedinejad seemed at risk of missing out on a second term. When Iranians took to the street to protest against this tampering, he ordered a bloody crackdown. The candidates who stood against Ahmedinejad were put under house arrest, and it has suited Rouhani to leave them there. Khamenei will likely not need a post-hoc fix this time. Rouhani and his faction excite little public enthusiasm, and many Iranians will likely sit this one out - a prospect that alarms both men, since it will inevitably be interpreted as a repudiation of the political system they have nurtured for decades. Rouhani's rivals wouldn't dream of copying an American election slogan, but their message has echoes of Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign catchphrase, "It's the economy, stupid." They know that Iranians are hurting from a severe economic contraction, and are hammering the president for failing to deliver the prosperity he promised in previous election campaigns. The president's faction has tried to blame the economic malaise on Trump's abrogation of the nuclear deal and the subsequent "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran. Rouhani has himself claimed that American sanctions have cost the Iranian economy $200 billion in investment and foreign-exchange income. But while Iranians are obviously no fans of Trump, and they know the sanctions hurt, they are not buying Rouhani's excuses. In repeated spasms of anti-government protests, they have tended to focus on the venality of the regime in Tehran, and not the hostility of the government in Washington. Rather than address such grievances, the regime has responded with brute force, killing hundreds. If the protests are any guide, the public mantra for the election will be, "It's the corruption, stupid." Despite the Rouhani government's cosmetic crackdowns, the country has continued to slide in Transparency International's Corruption Index, from 130th of 180 countries in 2017, to 138th in 2018 and 146th in 2019. The venality is widespread: Rouhani's brother was arrested for graft in 2017, only to be released a day later, prompting accusations of favoritism. (He was formally sentenced last fall.) Khamenei oversees a business network worth tens of billions of dollars, and his favorites among the hardliners, such as the powerful Larijani brothers, are obvious beneficiaries of nepotism, and possibly graft. If voters ignore Rouhani's pleas for a big turnout on February 21, he will have only himself to blame. But there's a good chance he will try to pin that, too, on the U.S. - - - Bobby Ghosh is a columnist and member of the Bloomberg Opinion editorial board. He writes on foreign affairs, with a special focus on the Middle East and the wider Islamic world. Press Release Nokia to publish fourth-quarter and full-year 2019 report on February 6, 2020 January 30, 2020 Espoo, Finland - Nokia will publish fourth-quarter and full-year 2019 report on February 6, 2020 at approximately 8 a.m. Finnish time (CET+1). The financial report will be made available on the Nokia website immediately after publication. Nokia only publishes a summary of its financial reports in stock exchange releases. The summary focuses on Nokia Group's financial information as well as on Nokia's outlook. The detailed segment-level discussion will be available in the complete financial report available at www.nokia.com/financials . Investors should not solely rely on summaries of Nokia's financial reports, but should also review the complete report with tables. Nokia's analyst conference call will begin on February 6, 2020 at 3 p.m. Finnish time. A link to the webcast of the conference call will be available at www.nokia.com/financials . Media representatives can listen in via the link, or alternatively call +1 412 317 5210. About Nokia We create the technology to connect the world. We develop and deliver the industry's only end-to-end portfolio of network equipment, software, services and licensing that is available globally. Our customers include communications service providers whose combined networks support 6.1 billion subscriptions, as well as enterprises in the private and public sector that use our network portfolio to increase productivity and enrich lives. Through our research teams, including the world-renowned Nokia Bell Labs, we are leading the world to adopt end-to-end 5G networks that are faster, more secure and capable of revolutionizing lives, economies and societies. Nokia adheres to the highest ethical business standards as we create technology with social purpose, quality and integrity. www.nokia.com Media Inquiries: Nokia Communications Tel. +358 (0) 10 448 4900 Email: press.services@nokia.com MEDIA COURTHOUSE The second of four people charged with stealing from lockers at the Haverford YMCA has pleaded guilty. Antonio McCallister Jr., 25, of Washington, D.C., entered negotiated guilty pleas before Delaware County Common Pleas Court Judge James Bradley Monday to two counts each of access device fraud and conspiracy to commit access device fraud, both third-degree felonies. McCallister was sentenced to one year less a day to two years less a day at the county prison in Concord with one year of consecutive probation, as per the plea deal worked out by Assistant District Attorney Brian Doherty and defense counsel Daniel Donohue. He will also pay restitution of $2,075 to Wells Fargo Bank and $2,044 to CVS. Haverford Township police arrested McCallister Oct. 6 outside the CVS store at 1109 West Chester Pike with Kimberly Wynn, 32, of Baltimore, Md., and Antranelle Cooper, 28, and Marco Morgan, 30, both of Washington, D.C. The arrest came after YMCA patrons returning to the locker room discovered their locks had been removed, and wallets containing cash, credit and debit cards had been stolen. While cancelling his cards, one of the victims learned that a card had just been used to make an unauthorized purchase of $2,044 at a CVS. Haverford officers checked at the two nearest CVS locations, including the West Chester Pike location, to see if the purchase had taken place there, with no luck. But a clerk at the West Chester Pike CVS called 911 about 4:21 p.m. that same day to report that two men had just attempted to purchase $2,000 worth of gift cards using a credit card. Staff contacted police after the card was declined as the two men fled the store and got into a dark vehicle on Garfield Avenue. Arriving officers blocked a dark blue Nissan Sentra that was attempting to leave from its parked position on Garfield Avenue. The vehicle had four occupants including two men that matched the description relayed by CVS staff, according to police. The occupants were later identified as Wynn, Cooper, Morgan and McCallister. Officers said they also found bolt-cutters, two cut locks, part of a third cut lock, Visa gift cards, a set of padlock keys and $459 in cash inside the vehicle. Wynn pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit access device fraud Jan. 14 and was sentenced to six to 23 months at the county prison. Cooper and Morgan are scheduled for hearings Feb. 3 before Bradley. After Sudan signed a framework peace agreement in South Sudan, the Sudanese prime ministers persistence to pursue peace may ultimately lead the two countries to a better future Sudans transitional government and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement faction under the leadership of Malik Agar (SPLM-N Agar) signed a framework peace agreement in Juba that included security arrangements, amendments to governance, and granting special status to the Blue Nile and South Kordofan states. The agreement was signed between Vice President of the transitional government Mohamed Hamadan Dagalo, aka Hemedti, SPLM-N Agar Chief of Staff Ahmed Al-Omda Badi and Tout Gelwak, chief of mediation, with the sponsorship of South Sudan President Salva Kiir. Since the signing of the Juba Declaration between the Sudan government and armed movements on 14 October, the South Sudan capital has been hosting rounds of negotiations, the last of which was on 10 January, culminating in the framework agreement. The declaration included a ceasefire, delivery of humanitarian assistance, compensation for the victims of war and trust-building procedures. The SPLM-N had been fighting against the regime of toppled President Omar Al-Bashir since 2011 in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan states, during which time the regime committed human rights violations and war crimes, according to rights organisations. However, in the past few years, the SPLM-N was split between a majority led by Abdel-Aziz Al-Helw in South Kordofan, and a minority led by Malek Aqar who signed the framework agreement in the state of the Blue Nile. Barricaded in the mountainous area of Kawda, where no Sudanese official save for new Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok had visited since the onset of the 2011 conflict, Al-Helw has been demanding a sectarian regime and granting the Blue Nile and South Kordofan the right to autonomy. In Juba, the rounds of negotiations focused on five areas: Darfur, the Blue Nile and South Kordofan, and east, north and centre of Sudan. According to the constitutional declarations governing the transitional period in Sudan, signed in August 2019, the government is responsible for conducting peace talks that lead to an end of the war within six months. By mid-February it is expected talks will continue in South Sudan for the remaining parties to reach framework agreements that lead to a comprehensive peace deal. The deadline is relatively tight, and may be extended to mid-year, according to Mohamed Al-Asbat, a Sudanese journalist residing in Paris. Negotiators on behalf of north and central Sudan are not being clear about their demands. The two regions havent witnessed civil wars since the independence of the country from occupation in January 1956. The two regions didnt demand autonomous rule. They want development, explained Al-Asbat. The original residents of north and central Sudan have been ruling the two regions since unification at the hands of Mohamed Ali two centuries ago. Sudan was unified by Mohamed Ali in 1821, with Khartoum as its capital. North Sudans people remained the elite of the ruling regime ever since. Nonetheless, north Sudan is suffering a lack of development, due to the migration of its people seeking jobs and education. In addition, the Khartoum regime focused on the centre of the country, being a source for vast agriculture and livestock. Peace deals are still shrouded in ambiguity. Armed movements are demanding that their elements join the army after its restructuring, and many of their people want government jobs. The regime will not be able to grant them this request due to the deteriorating economic and financial conditions in the country. The Sudanese government already laid off hundreds of employees loyal to Al-Bashirs regime. These have not been replaced. A wave of arrests was conducted. Bakri Hassan Saleh, the former vice president and the first prime minister for Al-Bashir, was apprehended pending investigations about the coup that delivered Al-Bashir to the helm in 1989. While Juba is hosting negotiations for peace in Sudan, Khartoum is sponsoring talks between South Sudan factions. In South Sudan, negotiations are underway between the government of Kiir and his former vice president, Riek Machar, with Sudanese mediation led by Hemedti, with the aim of urging the two parties to implement the peace agreement signed in the Ethiopian capital in September 2018. The agreement stipulated an end to the civil war between the followers of Kiir and Machar, which has been ongoing for five years since Kiir accused his deputy of plotting a coup. In 2013, tens of thousands of people were killed and millions displaced as a result. The UN said the worlds latest independent state was on the verge of famine. More than a third of South Sudans people depend fully on humanitarian assistance. The Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) in East Africa led arduous negotiations between the Kiir and Machar, leading to the signing of a peace agreement, which soon collapsed in July 2016, while Machar remains under house arrest in Khartoum. In South Sudan, the two parties reached a deal to form a transitional government and integrate the two forces into one army. The two parties, however, are squabbling over the 28 states of South Sudan. Kiir wants to maintain the number of states as is, while Machar insists on shrinking their number. Kiir wants a larger number of states to break up the power of the Noweir tribe, to which Machar belongs, said Al-Asbat. The Dinka tribe, from which hails Kiir, represents 40 per cent of the people of South Sudan, according to UN estimates, while the Noweir tribe comprises only 17 per cent of the population. That the government of Hamdok is persistent in its efforts towards peace in Sudan may eventually lead to the reunification of Sudan. But this could take years to materialise. *A version of this article appears in print in the 30 January, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: More than 3,000 passengers have been screened for the killer coronavirus this week at Piarco International Airport. So said Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh yesterday after visiting the airport and having a first hand look at the systems in place. An Irish politician has provoked outrage by asking her Facebook followers whether children with special needs should be micro-chipped, alongside a photo of the late Nora Quorin. The post, shared on independent candidate for Meath, Councillor Sharon Keogan's Facebook campaign page on August 15, featured the controversial question alongside a picture of Nora, a disabled teenager who went missing and died in Maylasia during a family holiday that same month. It caused an outcry among commenters, with one saying it was the most 'outrageous and misguided question' they had ever seen posted to social media, and Keogan has this week faced fresh criticism after it resurfaced online. In a radio interview yesterday, she defended herself by claiming she'd been asked the question by a friend who is the father of a teenager with special needs, who was left traumatised by Nora's sad fate. Cllr Sharon Keogan (pictured), an independent candidate for Meath Eastr in the upcoming Irish General Election landed herself in hot water after a post from August 2019 where she asked whether non-verbal children with disabilities should be micro-shipped with GPSs Keogan shared the controversial question alongside a picture of 15-year-old teen Nora Quoirin, who died in Maylasia after going missing during her family's holiday in a resort. Nora had mental and physical disabilities, according to her parents The post, which resurfaced on social media this week, was originally posted in August, after a father to a disabled child as Keogan to share it on Facebook Absolutely not! No human should ever be chipped or "branded" and I can't believe politicians are pushing this agenda under whatever false disguise, another wrote. I disagree with this. Children with special needs should not be microchipped. We are not pets, one said. The fact that you would even suggest this says an awful lot about you. What a disgraceful thing to suggest. Really really disappointing. Honestly, floored by your ignorance. I am a mother to three children with autism,' a fellow critic wrote. In the post alongside Nora's picture, Keogan wrote: 'This was a tragic end for this family, but should children with special needs who have poor ability to communicate be micro-chipped with GPS? Keogan (pictured) said the question was not disrespectful and that never had meant to offend anyone In an apology shared on Facebook yesterday, Keogan explained she wanted to widen the dialogue on children's disability, and that her post from August had been taken out of context 'This has been asked of me by a parent of a teenager with no verbal skills! What do you think? Please discuss,' she went on. Alongside her words, Keogan shared a picture of Nora Quoirin, 15, who had at the time had just been found dead, after being reported missing by her family during their stay at the Dusun eco-resort in the southern state of Negeri Sembilan. Nora had learning, physical and mental disabilities, according to her parents. The Irish Sun reported that Keogan defended her decision to share the question while speaking to the Micheal Reade Show on LMFM yesterday. 'I have always been a voice for those who are voiceless and I did that and you can see some of the comments on it, it was respectful,' she said. 'I didn't make any comment on it whatsoever, I didn't agree with it or disagree with it because I am not going to make judgement on it for any parent who has a child who is non-verbal. 'I admire those parents with children with abilities and disabilities. I've great admiration for them. A picture of Nora Quoirin, who died in Malaysia after going missing for ten days during her family's holiday 'At the end of the day we have to walk in their shoes to understand the struggles of their daily life that they have in coping with and dealing with very special children.' In a response post written yesterday on Facebook, the general election candidate said: 'In August 2019, a father of a child with special needs who is non verbal, contacted me to ask if I would post a topic for discussion on my Facebook page. 'He was distraught following the disappearance of Nora Quoirin, as his child goes missing regularly. 'He asked if I would open a dialogue to a wider audience in light of what had happened to Nora. Some people the question was offensive whether it was taken out of context or not, and stressed that Keogan had been wrong to share it 'He asked if I would post the following question on my page "should children with special needs who have poor ability to communicate be micro-chipped with GPS," she added. The Meath East candidate also apologised, saying: 'I understand this is a very sensitive subject and I am sorry if the post has caused offence. 'My intention was to support a member of the community who asked for my help. I have supported this family and their child since he was 3 years of age. 'I would never do anything to intentionally offend, she said. However, her explanation failed to convinced some outraged followers, who said the question was offensive, whether it was presented with the right context or not. "If US restores Bato's visa, are we going to stop the VFA abrogation process?" The Senate and DOJ move to separately study the impact of the withdrawal of the Philippines from its Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States should establish "the weightier reasons" for its abrogation, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said. "Dapat malalim ang dahilan. It should go beyond the denial of a US visa to a senator," Recto said. "Because what if the US restores the visa of my good friend Senator Bato, are we then going to reverse course, and press the stop button to the revocation process which, per reports, has been started?" he said. "Paano kung bukas sasabihin ng Amerika na restored na ang visa ni Bato, ano gagawin natin? Is that the remedial action we are seeking or are we motivated by reasons more profound?" Recto said. Recto said if VFA will ever be scrapped by the Philippine side, then it should be because our complying with its terms has harmed the national interest. "Kung dapat mang ibasura ang VFA, kailangang ipakita na it has been unfavorable to us, that we are getting the short end of the bargain. Ibig sabihin, dehado ba tayo sa VFA at delikado ba ito sa ating bansa?" he said. "We must be able to separate the national interest from the personal. The national harm done by the VFA is an issue separate from the actions taken by the other government on a certain individual," Recto said. "Kaya mabuti itong gagawin nila Koko dito sa Senado at ng executive branch sa DOJ. This is a good forum for a cost-benefit analysis which is long overdue," he said. "Personally, tingin ko mali ang ginawa ng Amerika kay Bato. BFF nila si Bato noon. Red carpet treatment sa FBI 'yan. But our response should be commensurate," Recto said. A study by researchers at the University of British Columbia in Canada suggests that children as young as four or five years of age are capable of discernment when it comes to assessing the quality of information and judging the credibility of people who deliver it. If you sometimes tell fibs "for the good" of your children (e.g., you have to eat or you won't grow), be careful not to do it too often, otherwise they may categorize you as "unreliable." A research study published in Plos One, which involved 662 children aged 3 to 13 years, has shown that at a very early age children are able to distinguish between individuals capable of delivering correct and accurate information and those who make mistakes. To reach this conclusion, the authors of the study showed children several series of videos, in which actors had to guess what was in a box or give a definition of a word. Some of the actors were hesitant or wrong, while others seemed more confident and accurate in their information. The young participants were then asked to evaluate the actors, indicating which ones seemed to them to be the most intelligent and which ones they trusted the most. The children's responses indicated a tendency to learn more easily from people who do not make mistakes. Conversely, they found it more difficult to trust people who gave false information. Moreover, the researchers found that the ability to assess people's credibility based on the answers they give appears as early as the age four or five. However, it is only at around age eight that children begin to have a grasp of the concepts of self-confidence and hesitation. Until then it is more difficult for children to trust someone who appears hesitant, even when the situation warrants it. "More research will need to be conducted to find out when children start having a better understanding of hesitancy,' points out researcher Susan Birch, who led the study. In the light of the results of this study, the researchers recommend that parents and educators pay attention not only to what they communicate to children, but also to how they go about it, while ensuring that they maintain their credibility over the long term. DES MOINES, Iowa Bruised feelings from Julian Castros criticism this fall that Iowa is too white and too unrepresentative of the Democratic Party to go first in the nominating process have been replaced by spreading fears here that critics could get their way in 2024. If a Democrat doesnt win the presidency this year or if Iowans throw their support next week to a candidate who does not go on to win the nomination some party officials acknowledge that the backlash would jeopardize the states first-in-the-nation status. In either scenario, the relevance of the states caucuses would be thrust further into question, an existential concern weighing heavily on state Democratic leaders and voters as they approach the caucuses. If our nominee doesnt win the presidency, well be on the mat again, said Dave Nagle, a former congressman and Iowa state Democratic Party chairman. Or as Sean Bagniewski, chairman of the Polk County Democrats, put it: I think we need to select the nominee. And I think we need to select a nominee who loves Iowa like Obama loves Iowa. Following a meeting of his county party on Monday, Bagniewski said concerns about Iowas relevance have added a new layer of anxiety to caucusgoers already torn over questions about which candidate they prefer and which candidate they think can defeat President Donald Trump. Now theres a third layer to it: people thinking about who goes on to be the nominee, he said, hoping for the states sake that person is the Democrat Iowans get behind. The fear is not unfounded, with Democrats from out of state continuing to lambaste Iowa for its heavily white population after Castro dropped out of the race. During a recent swing through South Carolina, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), who serves as national co-chair of Elizabeth Warren's campaign, told POLITICO that the order of the primary states should "absolutely" change because it favors white and male candidates. Story continues The call for a change diverged from Warren, who has said shes just a player in the game. Rachael Rollins, a district attorney in Massachusetts and fellow Warren surrogate, called Iowa and New Hampshire two of the least diverse places on the planet Earth when speaking to an auditorium in South Carolina last week filled with primarily black women. Maybe not the planet Earth ... because theres Norway. Iowa has weathered criticism about its lack of diversity every election cycle, always prevailing. The states small size is appealing to many Democrats because it forces candidates to interact with voters personally, benefiting contenders who do not start with large fundraising bases. Iowans famously show up to see even long-shot candidates at their events. And for Iowa, the political stakes are more than a point of pride. Steve Gorman, a Council Bluffs firefighter running for a state Senate seat, said Iowa is so small that Washington might ignore it entirely if the caucuses werent held first here. To lose that status, we feel that we would lose our say in our government, he said. Theres nervousness around losing that because we know theres a chance we could lose it. That possibility seemed more remote after Barack Obama won the caucuses and the presidency in 2008. Ever since, Democrats have pointed to his performance in Iowa as evidence that diversity has not suffered. We may not be diverse, but we vote diverse, Nagle said. One of the leading contenders right now is an openly gay mayor [Pete Buttigieg]. Weve nominated a woman [Hillary Clinton], weve nominated an African American. Invoking Obama, Mark Smith, a former Iowa House minority leader who recently endorsed Joe Biden, said, We had a senator from the neighboring state of Illinois who came over and had a theory of winning the Iowa caucuses, winning the nomination and winning the presidency. And Iowa gave him a big boost even though all minorities in the state are less than 3 percent. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass. speaks during the House Oversight subcommittee hearing on deportation of critically ill children at Capitol Hill in Washington, on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) Pressley rebuked Iowans who point to Obama as an example that Iowa and New Hampshire going first and second on the primary calendar doesnt put candidates of color at a disadvantage. "You know what, people use Obama for everything: 'This is supposed to be our evidence of a post racial America,'" Pressley said in an interview, referring to the arguments made after Obama was elected. "Ultimately, whether we're talking about racial justice or leadership parity or political representation, it's not about these exceptional anomalies and one-offs. It's about system change." Iowa community organizer Chelsea Chism-Vargas, who is mixed race and of Afro Latin descent, praised Castro, now a Warren surrogate, for bringing the issue of Iowas status to the forefront this cycle. We shouldn't be first, this isn't fair, said Chism-Vargas, who is running for the Des Moines City Council. We want a better country and not just a better Iowa. Iowa is expected to have six Spanish satellite caucuses in preparation for roughly 20,000 of the 194,000 Latinos living in the state to participate. But Latinos on the ground and activist groups are concerned it still may not be enough. Domingo Garcia, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, and Hector Sanchez Barba, executive director of Mi Familia Vota, both said its time for a more diverse state that reflects the partys base and countrys makeup to go first. Its an example of how imperfect our democracy is, Sanchez Barba said. The caucuses are totally intimidating and are not welcoming of communities of color, especially for Latinos and immigrants. At a recent Biden event in Ankeny, outside Des Moines, two voters pointed out the lack of diversity in the room, which was almost entirely white. Look at the crowd, said Vernon Naffier, a Biden supporter. We do not represent the nation very well. Wed like to see more diversity. But Biden himself has a different, more favorable view of the caucuses here. When I go around and people say, Why Iowa, why Iowa first, Iowas not that diverse, and its because yall take it seriously, the former vice president said at an event at the University of Iowa this week. You look beyond whats just happening in Iowa. You really do. And Castro? Now a surrogate for Warren, he is taking a measured tone. What Ive said is that theres going to be an opportunity after this 2020 process to think about how the DNC can improve the debate thresholds, the order of the states; were going to have that conversation after this 2020 process, right?" Castro said after an event for Warren in Ankeny this week. "But I think the people of Iowa take their role very seriously. Ive always acknowledged that, and I believe that theyre going to take their role seriously again this time. 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: The Federal High Court in Lagos presided over by Hon. Justice A. O. Faji will, on Friday, deliver judgment in the suit against Preside... The Federal High Court in Lagos presided over by Hon. Justice A. O. Faji will, on Friday, deliver judgment in the suit against President Muhammadu Buhari on the legality of his refusal to handover power to the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, during a trip to the United Kingdom in 2019. Buhari had, on April 24 2019, left the country for what the president described as a private visit. Last May, a Nigerian lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, dragged Buhari and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) Abubakar Malami to court over the matter. In the suit with number FHC/L/CS/763/2019, Effiong demanded that the Court to determine four issues. These are: Whether in view of the extant provisions of Section 145 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the 1st Defendant can validly proceed on vacation for any length of time without transmitting a written declaration to the President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to that effect, which will empower the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to perform the functions of the President in an acting capacity. Whether the 1st Defendants action in proceeding on vacation to the United Kingdom from the 25th day of April, 2019 to the 5th day of May, 2019 without transmitting the written declaration envisaged in Section 145 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) to the President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is not in conflict with the provisions of Section 145 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended). Whether the 1st Defendant in refusing to adhere to the clear and unambiguous provisions of Section 145 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) has not by that singular action violated his oath of office and the Provisions of the Constitution which he swore to uphold. Whether the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) or any other law for that matter, permits the 1st Defendant to exercise presidential authority over the affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from any country outside the territorial jurisdiction of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, save when he is out of the country on official diplomatic engagements. In his response to the suit, Buhari stated that the Nigerian Constitution does not make it mandatory for him to transmit a written declaration except when his vacation would exceed 21 days. Buharis counter-affidavit, deposed to on his behalf by Mr. Friday Atu of the Federal Ministry of Justice, read in part, It is a fact that the 1999 Constitution (as amended) regulates the performance of the duties of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in situations where the President is proceeding on vacation or is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of office. That it is a fact that where the President embarks on a vacation or otherwise is unable to discharge the functions of his office and fails to transmit a written declaration to that effect, he will be considered not to have complied with the constitution (as amended). That the time within which the President has to transmit a written letter to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is 21 days. That the Presidents foreign trip lasted for nine days from April 25, 2019 to May 5, 2019. The President did not exceed the 21-day period required by the constitution. It is in the interest of justice to dismiss the claims of the plaintiff. Buhari asked the court to strike out the suit because the lawyer lacks the locus standi to institute the case. Commenting ahead of the judgment, the applicant, Effiong said: I do not know what the court will decide. But I am confident that tomorrows judgment will have far reaching implications for Nigerias constitutional democracy and the rule of law. I believe that the sacred role of the judiciary as the Guardian of the Constitution will be reshaped, one way or the other by this case. PARIS, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Minette Batters, the president of Europes National Farmers Union (NFU), will be the keynote speaker at the Women in Agribusiness Summit (WIA) Europe , which will take place here on 9-10 March at Les Salons Hoche. Batters, who has been called the most powerful farmer in the UK, will present How Farming Can Help Mitigate Climate Change at the premier day-and-a-half conference the perfect complement to International Womens Day on March 8. As the first female president in the 112-year history of the National Farmers Union, Batters will provide her unique perspective and insight on this contemporary topic. Farming and food is much maligned as a problem of the modern age, but its rarely recognised for its adaptability and phenomenal successes, said Batters as she described her topic of discussion. For too long, farming has been on the wrong end of the climate debate, rarely recognised for its role in the carbon cycle and even more rarely recognised for the enormous potential of agriculture to deliver a range of solutions for mitigating anthropogenic carbon emissions. Batters will highlight the NFUs vision for UK agriculture to have a net-zero contribution to climate change by 2040, as well as outline industry action and the critical need for the government to get agricultural policy and trade policy aligned. Other speakers who will present on the Women in Agribusiness Summit Europe stage include: Laura Cieraad - global head of digital marketing, Syngenta Jolanda Van Haarlem - animal nutrition group director, Cargill Renee Marais - managing director, Rabobank Christine Tacon - grocery adjudicator, UK Silvia Cifre Wibrow, country manager, BASF The European event is fashioned after the very successful Women in Agribusiness Summit hosted by U.S.-based HighQuest Group , which was first held in 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. The annual event regularly convenes more than 800 attendees from nearly 45 U.S. states and 10 countries. The Women in Agribusiness Summit Europe debuted in Barcelona, Spain, in February 2015, which was an intimate gathering praised for being a solutions-oriented, uniquely-focused agricultural event for women that discussed current market trends. Current sponsors of the 2020 European event include: Cargill, Corteva Agriscience, ING, Syngenta and DeLacy Executive Recruitment. Event partners are agriDees, iGrow, International Milling & Grain Directory, Milling & Grain, Nebraska Grain and Feed Association, and World Grain. Learn more about the Women in Agribusiness Summit Europe at womeninageurope.com , or follow us at @ Womeninagri , on Facebook and LinkedIn . Register for the event with a 10% discount using promo code: PARIS20. Women in Agribusiness is a business unit of HighQuest Group , a global agribusiness consulting, events and media firm, based north of Boston, Mass., USA. Its initiatives include WIA Membership , WIA Demeter Award of Excellence , Scholarships , WIA Meet Ups and the WIA Quarterly Journal . womeninag.com CONTACT: Michelle Pelletier Marshall Senior PR/Media Manager 10 South Main Street, Suite 209 Topsfield, Mass. 01983 USA mmarshall@highquestgroup.com +1.978.790.0565 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d8149bc1-acdd-47cd-965c-2d1b7d20946c Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 22:56:42|Editor: yan Video Player Close by Xinhua writer Zhang Jiawei LONDON, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Huawei supports a "fair and open" standard of security and business operation across the telecoms industry, which is good for the industry and consumers, Victor Zhang, vice-president of Huawei Group, said in a recent interview with Xinhua. British government announced Tuesday its new plans to safeguard the country's telecoms network, which is widely seen as approving a restricted role for the Chinese tech company in helping build the country's 5G network. Following Britain's announcement, the European Union (EU) also issued non-binding guidelines on 5G security Wednesday. "Each country has their own situation, different conditions, and each country has their own way to make decisions, especially in regulating the telecoms market," said Zhang, "so we believe this is a good result and we look forward to working with the British government in enhancing the cyber security standard, and building the most secured and advanced telecoms network." The British government's Telecoms Supply Chain Review has emphasized the importance of diversity in the supply of equipment to telecoms networks. For the time being, major telecoms operators in Britain, such as the EE and Vodafone, both use Huawei's equipment in their 4G and 5G networks. Operators have previously warned about the cost and delay of the rollout of 5G if they are required to replace all Huawei equipment in their networks. "We have worked with telecoms operators in Britain for more than 15 years, and the trust has been built and we hope we can continue working with them in the deployment of next-generation networks," said Zhang. According to Kester Mann, director of consumer and connectivity at CCS Insight, a mobile industry analyst firm, the British government's decision is "broadly positive" for the country. Having a wide range of suppliers is important in terms of operators rolling out their 5G networks and Huawei infrastructure is generally considered to be more competitive and affordable than some of its competitors could offer. Although Huawei faced challenges in the U.S. market, the company held the highest share of the global telecoms equipment market at 28 percent from the third quarter in 2018 to the second quarter in 2019, according to a report released last year by market research firm Dell'Oro Group. Even though both the British government and the EU proposed some tighter measures in their telecoms industry regulation plans and guidelines, Zhang said he does not think this will have an impact on Huawei's global operations. "We have been working with our global customers, many of whom are top 500 companies in the world, and they trust Huawei given our technology and innovation and our ability to deliver value to them," said Zhang, "we will continue working with them in 5G and probably 6G in the future." As for Huawei's investment in Britain, Zhang said his company will stick to its commitment to Britain, especially in research and development and procurement plans. "Britain has an open and very transparent business environment, and this is why we chose it as one of our major destinations for R&D cooperation," he added. After a period of rapid rises in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases late last week the spread of the epidemic appears to be slowing, even as experts remain divided over how long it could remain a major public health issue. Although more than 1700 new cases were reported on Thursday, bringing the global total to 7700 confirmed cases, the new figure is only a 30 per cent increase on Wednesday's total of 6000 cases. The spread of coronavirus between 11 January 2020 and 30 January 2020. Credit:Nine In comparison, the number of cases confirmed globally increased by about 55 per cent on Saturday and Sunday last week. Separating acute and scheduled surgery must be part of the solution to address difficulties in recruiting and retaining medical staff, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland has urged. The RCSI wants advanced nurse practitioners and physician associates to play a greater role in supporting doctors in the diagnosis and management of patients. Upskilling pharmacists and physiotherapists will also help address complex issues faced in medical workforce planning and better serve patients' clinical needs. The recently published National Doctors Training and Planning working group acknowledges that smaller hospitals' reliance on junior doctors poses a threat to patient safety. The report acknowledges the risk to the safety and viability of smaller hospitals with a disproportionate number of non-consultant hospital doctors in non-training roles. RCSI president, Kenneth Mealy, said the college's national clinical programme for surgery has made the same point over many years: Non-training roles offer limited training opportunities to staff. Where these are not available, the challenge of attracting both consultants and non-consultant surgical staff is apparent. We have repeatedly said that these complex issues can only be addressed by reconfiguring our surgical services, separating acute from elective or scheduled surgeries. In addition, we need to look at the expansion of non-medical grade roles such as advanced nurse practitioners and physician associates, as well as the upskilling of pharmacists and physiotherapists. In many cases, the care delivered by healthcare professionals in these roles are more appropriate to serve the clinical needs of patients. Mr Mealy said medical workforce planning is challenged worldwide with the increasing complexity of care required by many patients and changes in societal expectation: If we fail to grasp the logistic impossibility of staffing small hospitals which can neither offer high-quality care for complex patient needs or satisfy reasonable career satisfaction and advancement for our medical workforce, we will continue to repeat the failed workforce planning models of the past and perpetuate the compromised delivery of acute surgical services seen in this country. The working group which drew up the report included clinical lead Prof Des Carney of the Mater Hospital in Dublin and Prof Frank Murray, director of the HSE National Doctors Training and Planning (NDTP) service. Mr Mealy welcomed the endorsement of the NDTP report by the Board of the HSE: We look forward to supporting the recommendations of the report in order to create a sustainable health service workforce. Bryan Charles Victor was 21 years old at the time. Victor survived, but his two friends were not so lucky. Thirty-seven years later, he is still trying to make sense of the events of July 23, 1983. Victors two-hour long emotional testimony shook the Seychelles islands, with people taking to social media to condemn the atrocities committed during the 15-year one-party era. As the Truth, Reconciliation and National Unity Commission (TRNUC) continues to hear testimonies about murders, disappearances and other alleged violations of human rights, more victims are coming forward to seek redress for atrocities. Victor and Sonny Elizabeth worked together at the Post Office and became friends. Soon after he left his job at the postal services, Victor bought a car and was approached by three soldiers, who asked him to be their driving instructor. Michael Hoffman was a friend of Elizabeth and knew the soldiers as well. During some of those driving classes, Elizabeth and Hoffman would accompany me, you know just for fun, a ride, recalls Victor. On our way, I heard talks about guns Until that day when what was supposed to be a simple errand to collect something at Sans Soucis, a mainly forested sub-district bordering the two main districts of Bel Air and Port Glaud, turned into a nightmare. On July 23, 1983, Elizabeth asked Victor to drive him, Hoffman and the soldiers at around 7pm. He would not divulge what the something was at first. It was when we were on our way that I heard talks about guns. Sonny said Hoffman is going to collect some guns from [a guy called] Marengo. I didnt know whether it was one gun, 5 guns or 500 guns, recounted an emotional Victor. Jemmy Marengo was a former schoolmate of Victor, who had become an army intelligence officer. They meet Marengo at Sans Soucis, who gets into their vehicle to guide them. Victor says he was not alarmed, until his car was ambushed. Marengo told me to leave the main road and I remember going off road into a pathway when suddenly I came across a tree trunk the size of my thigh across the road. And out of nowhere, we were ordered to get out of the car, and we saw soldiers coming out of the bushes from either side of the car, recounts Victor. Everything then spiralled out of control, he told the commission. I strongly believe that he [the former President Albert Rene] was the one who ordered the army personnel to kill my two friends and I, Bryan Charles Victor told the TRNUC in the Seychelles on 13 January 2020. Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation Let him be, he will die eventually The soldiers between 15 and 20 were armed with sticks, daggers, bayonets and AK47s and they started beating all three of us to death, says a tearful Victor. I knew karate, so I initially fought back, but they were many and they overpowered me. When I couldnt take it anymore, I gave up, broke down and started screaming for my mother as I knew I would never see her again. Their intention was to kill us, he adds. He lay still on the ground and couldnt see what happened to Elizabeth and Hoffman. I was hit with the bayonet in my back and on my head. At one point one of them said let him be, he will die eventually. Their three bodies were loaded into his car, and driven towards Morne Blanc, Port Glaud on the western side of the main island Mahe. In a secluded area, the car was pushed into a ravine. The car didnt roll over. It went down slowly and suddenly came to a halt against a small tree. I believe there was a god that stopped the car that night, Victor tells the commission. I was scared, bleeding. No sound was coming from Hoffman, but [Elizabeth] was moaning, mother, mother. Victor managed to climb onto the main road. He finally came across a house and was assisted by an elderly man who called the police. I told them about my two friends, but the two police officers said they would not go to the site in the middle of the night. I dont blame them. I understand. We were all scared in Seychelles at the time. Recovery, threats and intimidation I was hospitalized for eleven days and had regular hospital visits for weeks after that. I was traumatized and scared. I would never go to any place alone. I was always accompanied by a family member, recalls Victor. My family and I were persecuted and intimidated. At night we would hear people walking outside our house. You know, the sound of army boots. I remember my uncle Eugene would come stay with us. He slept with two machetes in case we were attacked in the middle of the night. My mother would fill up four huge thermos with hot water. This was our defence, in case the soldiers came for me. A police commissioner, James Pillay, questioned him during that time, Victor says. I told him about the beating, the armys involvement and specifically the role of Jemmy Marengo in the attack. But he said it could not have been Marengo as he had learned that he was on another island that day. He told me that I had made a mistake and I was probably drunk and could not remember what had happened to me that night, an angry Victor tells the commission. If we had not intercepted the three men that day, many more people would have died, including President Albert Rene, said one of the perpetrators, Jemmy Marengo, in front of the Seychelles TRNUC on 14 October 2019. Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation Marengo, the former intelligence officer, gave more details before the Commission on October 14, 2019. To him, Hoffman was part of an assassination plot. He regrets what had happened, but if we had not intercepted the three men that day, many more people would have died, including President France Albert Rene. One day Hoffman said () that some soldiers had hidden guns in the bushes at lExile army camp, at Sans Soucis, where I was based. And he needed my help to go through the main gate, which was guarded, to collect the guns. I knew that they wanted to assassinate president Rene, recalled Marengo. I facilitated their entrance and then I got out of the car and left. The next day I heard they were in an accident and that two of them died, said Marengo. Exile, with the help of the American ambassador In October 1983, three months after the attack, fearing for his life, Victor sought the help of the then American ambassador to Seychelles, David Fischer, to flee the country. Mr Fischer said he would contact a friend of his, Ted Fletcher, who was working for the International Rescue Committee branch in Boston, USA. Everything was done secretly as I didnt want to tip off the authorities of my imminent departure, says Victor. According to him, there was a second attempt on his life on December 31, 1983. We were at the end of year party. I noticed four soldiers, and one of them approached me with a dagger, but there was a scuffle and the other party-goers noticed what was happening. The four were eventually chased away. We slept at a friends house that night. We were scared of going home. Less than two months later, everything had been sorted out for my trip. I didnt know where I was going but I knew that if I stayed in Seychelles I would die. I had no choice. So, in February 1984, I went into exile, recalls Victor. He would return to Seychelles for the first time in 1993, when the country became a multi-party democracy. Albert Rene [the former President] knew everything that was happening especially that night, and I strongly believe that he was the one who ordered the army personnel to kill my two friends and I, Victor claims, before a packed room including members his family and the American ambassador. Many points remain to be clarified. But Following Victors testimony on January 13, the Seychelles Peoples Defence Forces announced that Captain Marengo had retired. The first vice-president of the European Parliament, Mairead McGuinness, has said Nigel Farage used the parliament to kill Europe. Ms McGuinness told the Pat Kenny show on Newstalk that she believes the parliament may have given Mr Farage too much attention. When you say 'good riddance to Nigel Farage', in a way I suppose we have allowed him become the focus of all of this - and maybe we should have played this better - insofar as not allow him to use the European Parliament as a platform to kill Europe. I worry particularly at his comments yesterday where he's not just happy that the UK is leaving, but he hates Europe and he's an outright opponent of the whole European Union. The idea of allowing somebody now to continue to chip away at a very unique structure which is difficult to maintain - 27 member states, different interests but trying to work together in a world that's fracturing - and he will be effective because he gets the airwaves. And I think it means that the rest of us have to work harder. He will travel far and wide - he will also be paid to travel far and wide - and I think for him this is now a crusade. And he has support, there's no point in us saying otherwise, and I understand why. The sad reality of politics today is sometimes the facts are irrelevant - it's the emotion that sways. And certainly in the UK referendum it was the emotion of the arguments on the Leave side that won in the end. On the future EU-UK relationship, Ms McGuinness said: We are moving into a much more dangerous and more difficult phase of the negotiations come February 1st, she said of the future UK-EU relationship. I am not confident, I have to say, that this will be at all possible or indeed easy because of the extent of the negotiations. The UK is now a third country - everything that we now accept as a given is broken and has to be renegotiated. And we have not even 11 months, we have 10 months to do it. Britain will leave the bloc on Friday at 11.00pm Irish time. A transition period will start on February 1, and is set to expire at the end of December 2020. Any agreement on the future EU-UK relationship will have to be fully concluded before that point if it is to come into force in January 2021. However, the transition period can be extended once for up to two years - but the decision to do so must be taken by the EU-UK Joint Committee before July 1. The Congress alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has violated the poll code by addressing an NCC rally a day before and urged the Election Commission to take note of it. Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said it does not behove the prime minister to make such remarks to impressionable minds while addressing the NCC rally on Tuesday here. "Election (campaign) is going on in Delhi and the prime minister is making a political speech while addressing the youth at the NCC rally. I request the Election Commission to take it up seriously. Just because he is the prime minister, he cannot violate the EC rules," he told reporters. Chavan also welcomed the EC order against two BJP leaders, but remained critical of the prime minister's remarks at the NCC rally. "Whatever the prime minister has said violated the model code. Whatever the PM has said to the young impressionable minds, I feel it does not behove the prime minister to say such things," he said. Addressing the Annual Prime Minister's National Cadet Corps (NCC) Rally 2020, Modi on Tuesday had on Tuesday said his government brought in the Citizenship (Amendment) Act to correct "historical" injustices and recalled the Nehru-Liaquat pact to assert that the law fulfils India's "old promise" to religious minorities in neighbouring countries. Modi had also said the Jammu and Kashmir problem had persisted since Independence with some families and political parties keeping issues in the region alive. This had resulted in terrorism thriving, he had said. He had also slammed Pakistan and said it lost three wars but continues to wage proxy wars against India. House of Penance review: 'an inspired and creepy take on one of America's lesser-known eccentrics' If you like Crimson Peak, you'll love House of Penance The World Health Organization on Wednesday warned all governments to "take action" over the SARS-like virus spreading from China that has killed 132 people and infected around 6,000 others. The WHO called an urgent meeting for Thursday over whether the viral epidemic should be declared a global health emergency -- a designation that can increase international coordination. Airlines have begun suspending flights to and from China following cases of onward transmission outside the country. And some countries have begun airlifting their nationals trapped in Wuhan, the quarantined Chinese city of 11 million people at the centre of the epidemic. A US charter flight from Wuhan with about 210 Americans on board, including consulate staff, was met at a California military base on Wednesday by emergency vehicles with flashing lights and personnel in white biological hazard suits. The evacuees will be monitored for symptoms and sent to local hospitals if they are found to be ill, the US defense department said. Among 206 Japanese nationals who returned home Wednesday, 12 were hospitalised for tests after they reported they felt unwell or showed flu-like symptoms. A growing number of governments -- including the United States, Britain and Germany -- have advised their citizens to avoid non-essential travel to China. China has urged its own citizens to delay trips abroad, with at least 18 countries having confirmed cases of the disease. In Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the organisation "deeply regrets" its reports last week that referred to the global risk of the outbreak as "moderate" instead of "high". "I have decided to reconvene the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on the new #coronavirus (2019-nCoV) tomorrow," Tedros said on Twitter. Michael Ryan, head of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, told reporters that "the whole world needs to be on alert now. The whole world needs to take action." Ryan said declaring an international health emergency could streamline the measures taken, stressing that 194 countries implementing unilateral policies was a "potential recipe for disaster". Outside China, 68 further cases have been identified in more than a dozen other countries, including Germany, Japan and Vietnam where cases of human-to-human transmission have been confirmed. British Airways was the first major airline to announce a suspension of flights to and from China, citing the travel advice of the foreign office. It was followed by German flag carrier Lufthansa, which said all flights to mainland China would be suspended until February 9. Indonesia's Lion Air Group, Southeast Asia's biggest carrier, said it would halt services to and from China from Saturday, and airlines from Myanmar and Nepal followed suit. Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific has reduced flights, citing low demand and the city government's response plan to the virus. READ | Coronavirus: US Screens Evacuated Americans From China At Military Base In California In one of the most dramatic measures, the tiny Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea announced no travellers from Asia would be allowed in. "Although the numbers outside China are still relatively small, they hold the potential for a much larger outbreak," Tedros said. "The world is pulling together to end the outbreak, building on lessons learned from past outbreaks. China needs the world's solidarity and support," he added, saying that he had held "frank talks" with President Xi Jinping. China has taken extraordinary measures to try and stop the disease spreading, including bans on tour groups travelling overseas, suspending schools and extending the Lunar New Year holiday. Most street traffic in and around Wuhan has been banned, leaving more than 50 million people shuttered in their homes. "This is the first day since the lockdown that I've had to go out," a man in his 50s told AFP on the mostly deserted streets of the industrial city on Wednesday. "I have no choice because I need to buy food." Some 250 French citizens and 100 other Europeans will be flown out of Wuhan on board two French planes this week. Nearly 600 European citizens in China want to be repatriated because of the coronavirus epidemic, the EU said. France said it would keep its returnees in a holding facility in Paris for 14 days -- the estimated incubation period for the virus. Australia plans to house any citizens evacuated on an island normally used to detain asylum seekers. The number of confirmed cases across China climbed to 5,974, while the death toll nationwide jumped to 132. The scale of the deepening crisis was emphasised with the total number of infections on the Chinese mainland exceeding that of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak of 2002-03. But the death toll is so far much lower than SARS, which claimed nearly 800 lives around the world -- with most fatalities in mainland China and Hong Kong. The virus is believed to have originated in a wild-animal market in Wuhan, where it jumped to humans before spreading across the country as the peak travel period for New Year festivities got under way. The virus has rattled global markets and started to dent the Chinese economy. Japanese automaker Toyota said it would keep its plants in China closed until at least February 9. Tech giant Foxconn said Wednesday that Taiwan staff at its vast network of factories in China do not need to return to work until mid-February, a move threatening supply chains for everything from iPhones to flat-screen TVs and laptops. READ | Man Who Returned From China Tested Negative For Coronavirus READ | Coronavirus Death Toll Rises To 170; Over 7,700 Confirmed Cases In China The cardinal, speaking at a brief news conference in Lyon, said that he would once again offer his resignation to Pope Francis. The pope had rejected the cardinals offer to resign after the initial conviction but had let him step down from day-to-day duties at the church while the appeal ran its course. This decision enables me to turn the page, and for the church in Lyon it is an opportunity to open a new chapter, Cardinal Barbarin said. My thoughts today always go to the victims. Matteo Bruni, a Vatican spokesman, said on Thursday that the Holy See reiterates its proximity to all the victims of abuse and that it was at the side of the Church in Lyon, which had been sorely afflicted. Mr. Bruni said that the pope, who continues to closely follow the unfolding of these painful events, had taken note of Cardinal Barbarins resignation offer and would make his decision known in good time. Still, the legal case against the cardinal is not over. Lawyers for the plaintiffs announced on Thursday that they would appeal the verdict before the Cour de Cassation, the highest court in the French judiciary, which will not hold a third trial but instead verify that the law was correctly applied by lower courts. Jean Boudot, a lawyer for one of the plaintiffs, told reporters in Lyon that the cardinals acquittal was totally incoherent because it suggested that the obligation under French law to report sexual abuse on a minor ended once victims entered adulthood, disregarding the long-lasting psychological impact of abuse. Still, the cardinals acquittal did not come as a complete surprise. Prosecutors had dropped the charges against Cardinal Barbarin in 2016 after an investigation, but nine of Father Preynats accusers used a special procedure to force the cardinal and five other French church officials and employees of the diocese to stand trial. All five of them were acquitted in March. Anybody who breaks the law must be taken to task, said Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday after a boy opened fire in Jamia area here in which one student was injured. "Anybody who breaks the law must be taken to task, it's simple as that. Anyone who does this should be taken to task. Nobody is bigger than law or bigger than the country," Rijiju told ANI. Praveer Ranjan, Special Commissioner of Police met Jamia Millia Islamia student Shadab Farooq, who was injured in the firing incident, at AIIMS Trauma Centre. "We have checked the injured and pellet has been removed from his arm. As per doctors he is stable. Police couldn't react immediately as the incident happened in split second but soon police overpowered him. The case has been transferred to Crime Branch," Ranjan said. Joint Commissioner of Police Devesh Shrivastava said that an FIR has been registered against the person who opened fire under Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code and Arms Act. Students and alumni of Jamia Millia Islamia University also reached New Friends Colony police station to lodge a complaint against the accused. The Delhi Police have taken the minor accused in their custody and is being interrogated. Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has spoken to the Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik and instructed him to take strict action in the firing incident. "Today I have spoken to the Delhi Police Commissioner on the firing incident that has taken place in Delhi and instructed them to take strict action. The Central government will not tolerate any such incident. It will be taken seriously and the culprit will not be spared," he tweeted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nigel Farage has said he was the gateway drug that enabled Boris Johnson to become Prime Minister. He insisted that Theresa May would still be in Downing Street if he had not launched the Brexit Party. Mr Farage was speaking on the UKs final full day in the European Union after unveiling his portrait, Mr Brexit, which will be auctioned to raise money for charity. The work created by artist Dan Llywelyn Hall was revealed at LEscargot Restaurant in London. Mr Farage insisted that Mr Johnson was in power because of Ukip and Brexit Party supporters. The prominent Leaver made an impact on the December general election when he said that the Brexit Party would not stand against the Tories in the 317 seats the Conservatives won in 2017. Referring to Mr Johnson, Mr Farage told the PA news agency: His voters didnt go from Labour to Conservative, they came through the gateway drug which in a sense was me through Ukip and the Brexit Party. If we hadnt launched the Brexit Party and reset the agenda, Mrs May would still be there. But, those votes werent a Conservative vote, those votes were a Brexit vote. The artistic work created by artist Dan Llywelyn Hall was revealed at LEscargot Restaurant in London, just before the UK is set to leave the European Union. Mr Farage said: I will miss the drama. I will miss being the pantomime villain who gets up and 500 people boo. I wont miss Brussels because its a dump. But I will miss Strasbourg which has got lots of family-run restaurants and yeah, of course, I am going to miss that. I suppose my level of notoriety is relatively high at the moment and I am hoping we can auction this off for a magnificent charity. Asked if he thought the other MEPs would be glad to be rid of him, Mr Farage said: No. They are going to miss me terribly I have made them all famous. The truth of it is, whether you are pro, or against the structures of the European Parliament, I have probably shed more light on it than any MEP has ever done. The money raised by the painting will go towards veteran support charity Care After Combat. Earlier, he described Brexit as the achievement of my lifetime in the wake of the final Withdrawal Agreement vote. Following his fiery departure speech which saw him having his microphone cut off and being told to leave and take your flags with you by the deputy speaker Mr Farage said he found it hard to believe Brexit was happening. Nigel Farage painting donated to us. Thanks to Dan,Nigel and team. It will be on our website auction page next week and ended at our Summer Ball in June pic.twitter.com/USFJ8Fj7qj Care after Combat HQ (@CareafterCombat) January 30, 2020 He said: As I walked out, for just a second, I did feel something. And then I thought, stiffen up, the cameras might get that. It has been a huge chapter of my life. I gave up a career in business to go up and becoming an MEP, arguably it had a very damaging effect on family life and other things. He said he will now be spending more time in America: There is a big election coming up in November. It is no great secret I am a friend of the presidents, I want to see him elected. He may be a bit rough around the edges for some people but on the big stuff, I am joined at the hip with him. Nigel Farage made his most recent exit from public life with the waving of a tiny plastic flag, which is all the man ever was. He and his Brexit Party colleagues couldnt quite make it to the end of the EU parliaments debate on the EU withdrawal agreement, choosing instead to rise to their feet and oscillate three square inches of polyester Union Jack in front of their noses, knowing it would lead to what they and they alone will forever imagine to be their heroic defenestration. The words Farage chose to mark the occasion are telling enough. There is a battle going on, in the west and elsewhere. It is globalism against populism. And you may loathe populism, but Ill tell you a funny thing, its becoming very popular, he told them. He spoke to the parliament scarcely more than an hour after it had sat in harrowed silence, listening to the life story of 89-year-old Auschwitz survivor, Liliana Segre. The gathered members of the European parliament will have had to think very hard about whose words on the subject should most be heeded. That, of course, is the measure of the man. Classless to the last. Compassionless to the core. It was, in his way, generous to make so abundantly clear which side of history he and his gang are on. No more being bullied! he told them. No more being talked down to! Well, of course, in the rarefied moment of this little paroxysm that feels like it may be true. For upwards of an hour or two come Friday night, Farage and the like may feel like they have slain their imaginary foe. The question is whether it lasts. Having ranted about the EUs power that cant be held to account, these are promises that are worth holding onto. If the success of Brexit is to be measured on whether Britain, in the future, finds itself being talked down to, not being taken seriously, well we now know that, on Farages own terms, it has been a failure. His very final words were sadly lost to history. When he and his friends rose to their feet to wave their flags, his words stopped being transmitted over the loudspeakers. You break the rules, you get cut off, the chair told him, an Irishwoman, as it happens, Mairead McGuinness. Too late, of course. There is scarcely a rule that wasnt broken, too late though it may be to change the result. It will be, in all likelihood, a very short few years before Farage and his ilk find themselves getting cut off for breaking the rules. Which is to say, the power to reap a social media tornado of nonsense will soon come to a regulated end. It is the only way democracies can survive, even if the UK will be saddled with the consequences of the wild west years for considerably longer than most. They all took to their feet at the end, to join hands and sing Auld Lang Syne, as the parliament voted its approval for Britain to up and leave. Britain, in this case, or more accurately the portion of Britain that actually wants to, didnt notice. It was already in the bar, tweeting pictures of itself, in its Union Jack ties, waving its Union Jack flags, downing little glasses of Belgian lager. Always the idiot, from beginning to end. Looking for a new spot to get cryotherapy spas and more? A new business is here to help. Called iCRYO, the fresh addition is located at 4211 S. Lamar Blvd., Suite B4, in South Lamar. iCRYO offers a range of cold therapy services that can help you sleep better, alleviate pain and more, according to CBS Austin. You can opt for whole body cryotherapy to reduce inflammation; body sculpting to destroy fat; and cryo facials to rejuvenate your skin. Three different memberships are available to match your budget and lifestyle. With a 4.5-star rating out of six reviews on Yelp so far, the new sauna has already made a good impression. Amanda D. wrote, "I always have a great experience when freezing here. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable. They have introduced me to compression therapy and cryo facials, which have really helped with my migraines. I've looked into other cryo places and this one definitely is the best value!" Yelper Vanessa C. added, I've been dealing with chronic knee problems my whole life until now... the services [offered] have really helped my inflammation and chronic knee pain calm down. I've been able to enjoy my workouts without any discomfort. Also with cryotherapy, I've been getting amazing sleep results! Would highly recommend these services to anyone. Head on over to check it out: ICRYO South Austin is open from 8 a.m.8 p.m. on weekdays, 9 a.m.5 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m.4 p.m. on Sunday. Want to keep your finger on the pulse of new businesses in Austin? Here's what else opened recently near you. 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. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed the new North American trade pact with Canada and Mexico into law, pronouncing a glorious future for US industry. It was another opportunity for Trump to tout successes in the midst of an impeachment trial where he is fighting charges of abuse of office and obstructing Congress. On Tuesday he announced a Middle East peace plan -- rejected immediately by the Palestinians -- and earlier this month he signed a truce in his trade war with China. But even if the new USMCA trade deal with Americas neighbors was crafted in close consultation between Trumps Republicans and the Democrats, the president pointedly didnt invite any of the Democratic leaders to his big White House signing ceremony. The USMCA replaces the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, which Trump has long targeted, saying that it resulted in shipping US jobs abroad. Today, we are finally ending the NAFTA nightmare, he said at the White House. Analysts say USMCA retains many elements of NAFTA, a mammoth deal that created a free trade zone across all of North America, shaking up entire industries and supply chains. Economists say that overall NAFTA increased growth and raised the standard of living in North America, binding the three countries in a complex web of trade rules and services. But the new deal does change content rules on auto manufacturing, to boost US jobs, and requires higher salaries for some Mexican auto workers. It also makes changes to e-commerce, intellectual property protections and dispute settlement for investors, as well as imposing tougher labor provisions, requiring reforms to Mexicos laws. - Colossal - Mexico ratified the new agreement December 10, and Canada is expected to follow suit in coming weeks. For Trump, the colossal victory of USMCA fits neatly into his America first campaign message ahead of a difficult November reelection fight and his current battle to see off impeachment over alleged abuse of power and obstruction of congress. Two decades of politicians ran for office vowing to replace NAFTA... yet when selected they never even tried, he told government members, lawmakers, union representatives and selected workers assembled at the White Houses South Portico. Im not like those other politicians -- I guess in many ways, he said. I keep my promises. Under NAFTA, we lost our jobs, we closed our factories and other countries built our cars. But we changed that, he said. The USMCA closed these terrible loopholes. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, who led Washingtons negotiations both with USMCA and the recent truce in an even higher-stakes trade battle with China, called it a great, historic agreement. NAFTA, he said, had been highly controversial from the start and many lawmakers subsequently came to regret their support. And Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner, who is a senior advisor, said the president was wrong-footing his many critics with USMCA, the China deal and the Mideast plan. Hes brought a businessmans approach to Washington. Hes a pragmatist, Kushner said on the FOX & Friends show, which provides mostly uncritical coverage of Trumps White House. The people in Washington may not like it that hes making them do work and hes making things happen that people have spoken about for many years before but couldnt deliver on, Kushner said. Other bills are still alive in committees, though a proposed ban on assault weapons has hit snags in both the House and Senate, as lawmakers wrestle with how to define which guns would qualify and how the state would implement a ban. That was the lone measure from the governors agenda that did not get to the House floor Thursday. The global infant formula market size was USD 45.12 Billion in 2018 and is anticipated to surpass USD 103.75 Billion by 2026. As per the report, the market is expected to rise at a CAGR of 8.30% in the forecast years. Rising awareness about the nutritional benefits of infant baby products is spurring growth in the global infant formula market. This shows that the demand for infant nutrition products will increase, with manufacturers embarking on designing the formulations that closely replicates the composition of breast milk. Despite a decrease in birth rates, infant milk formula is gaining huge attention primarily owing to the increase in working women population. Introduction of innovative packaging, premiumization, new changes in ingredient mix is driving the infant formula market growth. This, coupled with the delivery of effective communication on product offerings, is expected to benefit the long-term growth of the market. The report sheds light on the detailed evaluation of the market based on segments, competitive landscape, and dynamics. Furthermore, the report offers detailed information on the important facets of the market which include drivers, restraints, opportunities, trends, and threats. The information collated in the report has been taken from several primary and secondary sources. Experts Recommendation to Use Infant Milk Will Help the Segment Emerge Dominant Among different types of infant formula, infant milk is expected to cover the major portion of the infant formula market share. A lead analyst at Fortune Business Insights says, The segment witnesses strong sales growth in emerging economies on account of the lack of substitutes in the market. He added, Owing to the lack of nutrient-dense and convenient products, manufacturers are planning to develop a plethora of new infant formulae products such as infant milk. In addition to this, physicians also recommend the use of infant milk than follow-on-milk owing to their superior nutritional value and is the best substitute for breast milk. The medicalization of infant milk formula addresses some of the general health conditions in infants and children which include constipation and indigestion. Considering the rising awareness about infant formula, consumers demand organic, 100% lactose, GMO-free and other product differentiations in infant milk products. List of the major players operating in the global infant formula market include; Nestle S.A. Danone SA Abbott Arla Foods amba Yili Group The Kraft Heinz Company Bellamys Organic Perrigo Company plc Reckitt Benckiser Group plc. Royal FrieslandCampina N.V. The companies such as Danone SA, Nestle S.A., and Abbott are leading the market owing to their product portfolio. Other companies are also putting constant efforts to strengthen their position in the market. China Registers 11.30% CAGR and is the Fastest Growing Market for Infant Formula Products United States: The infant formula market in the U.S. was worth USD 2.66 billion in 2018 and is projected to reach USD 5.07 billion by 2026. The market is expanding owing to the rising focus on value-added infant formulae with the best ingredients and regulatory practices. The intervention from the public sector coupled with the efforts from key brands has led to effective penetration of infant nutrition products among almost every household of the country irrespective of varied ethnicity. China: The market in China is anticipated to register a CAGR of 11.30% between 2019 and 2026. The elimination of the one-child policy and rapid consolidation of the domestic industry are factors creating growth opportunities for the market in China. Also, the rising awareness about infant care and nutrition is enabling growth in the market, augmenting the infant formula market size in Asia Pacific. Browse Summary of Infant Formula Market Size Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/infant-formula-market-101498 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 The elderly women who have come to be known as the dadis of Shaheen Bagh for leading the anti-CAA agitation also came to take part in the protest but could not reach the venue due to traffic restrictions. NEW DELHI: Thousands of people, including many who have been part of a sit-in protest at Shaheen Bagh, and student groups of various universities on Wednesday held a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi against the CAA. Hundreds of protesters from Shaheen Bagh, where on a dharna against the CAA has been on for over a month now, also joined the demonstration. The elderly women who have come to be known as the dadis of Shaheen Bagh for leading the anti-CAA agitation also came to take part in the protest but could not reach the venue due to traffic restrictions. We want the government to roll back the alliance of CAA, NRC and NPR, said Nadeem Khan, an activist of NGO United Against Hate. Student groups from Jamia Millia Islamia, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi University, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Maulana Azad National Urdu University and HCU were among those who took part in the protest. The CPWD has asked its top officials to review all construction projects of the paramilitary forces after the BSF, CISF and ITBP flagged delays in the completion of work. The Central Public Works Department has asked its special director generals and additional director generals to ensure that all allotted funds are utilised in the current financial year. Sources said in a recent meeting with CPWD officials, the Border Security Force pointed out that it has released around Rs 144 crore under the head of office building (OB) to various divisions of the agency against which only 70 per cent has been utilised. Eighteen divisions of CPWD has only utilised less than 60 per cent of allotted funds, sources said. "In the meeting, the BSF also highlighted the issue regarding pendency of submission of estimates for development works. Out of 152 campuses, estimates have been received for only 65 campuses. This needs to be expedited by the CPWD field units," they said. In another meeting with the agency, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) also raised the issue of delay, saying out of 146 projects, 87 are running behind schedule in which 13 projects are delayed for more than two years. According to sources, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) had allocated Rs 106.14 crore under OB head, but expenditure of 55.13 crore was booked by the CPWD. In view of this, the CPWD has written to special director generals and additional director generals on the issue. "All SDG and ADG have been requested to review all the projects of the paramilitary forces and the progress of utilisation of the funds. It should be ensured that all the allotted funds are utilised within this financial year," sources said. CPWD is the prime construction agency of the central government. It looks after projects works of central and state governments. They agency also erects fences on the country's international borders and carries out projects in foreign countries under friendship programmes with India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Zarif terms Deal of Century as 'highway to hell' IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, Jan 29, IRNA -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a Twitter message derided the so-called US' "Vision for Peace", saying it is more like a highway to hell. "Could Mandela ever have imagined re-emergence of BANTUSTANS, decades after liberation of South Africa?," Zarif tweeted on Wednesday. "Vision for Peace" looks more like "Highway to Hell", he added. "We Muslims need to wake up: The US never wasand can never beanything resembling an honest broker," he reiterated. The White House claimed that this Vision is the most serious, realistic, and detailed plan ever presented, one that could make Israelis, Palestinians, and the region safer and more prosperous. "This Vision is just the first step and provides the basis for historic progress toward peace. The United States hopes this Vision will lead to direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians," it added. Earlier Zarif said in a separate message: "The so-called 'Vision for Peace' is simply the dream project of a bankruptcy-ridden real estate developer." He added that but it is a nightmare for the region and the world and, hopefully, a wake-up call for all the Muslims who have been barking up the wrong tree. 9376**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The United Nations was the victim of a massive, likely state-sponsored hacker attack this past summer, according to reports from The New Humanitarian and Associated Press. To make the matters worse, the organization didn't disclose the details and severity of the hack until those publications obtained an internal document on the situation. Sometime this past July, a group of hackers took advantage of a flaw in Microsoft's SharePoint software and an unknown type of malware to gain access to dozens of servers at the UN's Geneva and Vienna offices, as well as the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The three offices employ approximately 4,000 staff between them. "The attack resulted in a compromise of core infrastructure components," a spokesperson for the UN told The New Humanitarian. "As the exact nature and scope of the incident could not be determined, [the UN] decided not to publicly disclose the breach." After reading over the report, Jake Williams, a former hacker for the US government, told the Associated Press, "the intrusion definitely looks like espionage." The hackers reportedly attempted to cover their tracks by deleting the logs that would have documented their entry into the UN's servers. "It's as if someone were walking in the sand, and swept up their tracks with a broom afterward," an anonymous UN official told the publication. "There's not even a trace of a clean-up." The hackers reportedly downloaded approximately 400GB of data. The servers they breached contained sensitive employee information, but it's not clear exactly what they were able to download. The UN doesn't know the full extent of all the damage yet. Sometime after the attack happened, it told employees to change their passwords but didn't share full details on the situation. This isn't the first time the UN has failed to disclose a cyberattack. In 2016, Emissary Panda, a group with ties to the Chinese government, accessed servers from the International Civil Aviation Organization. The UN only shared information about the breach after the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported on it. According to The New Humanitarian, the UN's unique diplomatic status means it doesn't have to disclose data breaches like other government agencies in the US and EU, something that puts it at odds against cybersecurity best practices. News of the attack also comes at a time when state-sponsored cyberattacks have seemingly become more brazen. Last week, The Guardian reported that the phone of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos was hacked by a WhatsApp account associated with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. A day after the report came out, the UN called for an investigation into the hacking. The European Commission decided to allow 5G companies to deal with union members, provided they follow a set of risk-mitigating measures, simply called an EU toolbox. This means companies like Huawei and ZTE will be free to deliver 5G network equipment to each of the 27 members if the countrys governing body is okay with the progress a company has done towards network security and transparency. The decition is said to be an important step in what must be a continuous effort in the EUs collective work to better protect the critical infrastructures, added Margaritis Schinas, European Commissioner for Promoting the European Way of Life. The 30-page guideline mirrors a lot of decisions the United Kingdom has made separately since it is leaving the union by the end of the week. More interestingly, this decision directly contrasts with what the United States is trying to do - a blanket ban on all trades between American companies and the Chinese manufacturer. Speaking of Huawei, the company released a short statement, saying this decision allows Europe to have a more secure and faster 5G network. Source A decision by the government-appointed board overseeing the Manitoba Human Rights Commission is being taken to court and drawing criticism from advocates of LGBTTQ+ rights and opponents of the political appointment process. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/1/2020 (713 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A decision by the government-appointed board overseeing the Manitoba Human Rights Commission is being taken to court and drawing criticism from advocates of LGBTTQ+ rights and opponents of the political appointment process. The complaints stem from the agencys board of commissioners dismissing parent complaints that Manitobas education curriculum discriminates against LGBTTQ+ students and families. The application for a judicial review filed in Court of Queens Bench seeks to quash the dismissal of the human rights complaint by Michelle McHale, Karen Phillips, and Sonja Stone. In court documents, the parents said the "lack of representation of diverse family structures, sexual orientations and gender identities in classrooms leads to very high incidences of bullying and harassment of LGBTTQ+ students in schools, contributing to a hostile school climate and unsafe environment for students." They argued theres a "hidden curriculum" that promotes heterosexuality as the default sexual orientation and being cisgender as the default gender identity, "rather than teaching students about the full spectrum of gender identities and sexual orientations." In July, after investigating, the Manitoba Human Rights Commission found "sufficient evidence" in support of the complaint, and recommended it proceed to a public hearing. In October, the agencys seven-member board voted 4-3 in favour of dismissing the complaint. In a letter to the trios Public Interest Law Centre lawyer, chairwoman Brenlee Carrington Trepel wrote there is not enough evidence indicating the Manitoba curriculum "contributes to the creation of a discriminatory learning environment." She said the parents could apply for a judicial review of the boards decision, which they have now done. While the trio arent commenting on the case thats before the courts, critics are expressing concern, and saying it highlights the need for inclusion and diversity in education as well as a problem with political appointments to boards in Manitoba. "The human rights commission has made decisions in the past that have helped support the (LGBTTQ+) community and organizations," said Rainbow Resource Centre interim director of operations Liana Lutz. "(It) does hard, valuable work that takes an incredible amount of energy and focus. "We were hopeful that the environment for Manitoba students would become inclusive of diversity, so it is disappointing that the commissions board did not support the recommendation from their staff." 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. Her concerns were echoed by some provincial politicians. "We rely on the... commission to make these rulings about human rights, and to have that overruled by a government-appointed board is very concerning to me," said Lisa Naylor, a same-sex parent and former Winnipeg School Division trustee who is now the NDP MLA for Wolseley. "Instead of this ruling being an opportunity to make our schools safer places, this is just another way the government is pushing back at progressive policies." "What you need with the appointment process is for people to be qualified and independent," said Dougald Lamont, leader of the Manitoba Liberals, whove called for an overhaul of the process of appointing overseers to provincial boards. "These organizations need to be more at arms-length from government." Naylor said she hopes the provinces sweeping K-12 education review report expected in March will promote the inclusion of LGBTTQ+ students and families. carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca NATO positively assesses the implementation of reforms in Ukraine, but insists on the need to pay special attention to the reform of the Security Service and the defense industry. These were the results of the two-day work of the NATO-Ukraine Inter-Parliamentary Council, which was announced by NATO PACE Head Yegor Chernev on his Facebook page. "One of the main topics was discussing the implementation of the Annual National Program. The partners positively noted the consistency of the course and significant progress in the implementation of reforms. However, they emphasized the need to pay attention to such critical issues as the reform of Ukraine's State Security Service and the defense industry," the official stated. According to him, the Alliance also sees the need for effective parliamentary oversight of defense and security. As we reported earlier, the delegation of Ukraine intends to continue its work in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), having abandoned the demarches, despite the approval of the Russian Federation's authority in the organization. This was stated by the head of Ukrainian delegation Yelyzaveta Yasko (Servant of the People party 112 international.), European Pravda informed about it. Penn State Childrens Hospital, on the campus of Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, is the only childrens hospital between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia fully equipped to treat the most severely ill children. The existing Childrens Hospital is often near or at capacity, so in 2018, the Penn State Board of Trustees approved plans to add three floors to the hospital. The Trustees appointed Payette Associates as architects for the design of the additional floors. The expansion project, which is expected to be complete later this year, has an estimated budget of $148.1 million. Occupancy is expected to begin in fall 2020. The freestanding Childrens Hospital building was completed in 2012. Payette Associates of Boston, Massachusetts, designed the building so that three additional floors could be added in the future. The approximately 126,000-square-foot addition will provide space for a new labor and delivery unit and post-partum patient rooms, as well as a new neonatal intensive care unit all of which will be relocated from the their current locations in the adult hospital. The expansion also will allow the vacated spaces in the adult hospital to be renovated and repurposed for adult inpatient needs. The addition will include an 18-bed pediatric acute care unit. As part of the project, approximately 14,000 square feet of the existing fifth floor of the Childrens Hospital will be renovated from office space to provide another 14 pediatric patient rooms, team care stations and support spaces. With the Childrens Hospital renovations complete, the fifth floor will house the Pediatric Intermediate Care Unit, including an administrative suite, family waiting area, patient rooms, staff lockers and lounge, a multipurpose room, a team care station and the Child Life office. Located on the sixth floor will be the Pediatric Acute Care Unit and Post-Partum Unit. These units will include: post-partum rooms, a well-baby nursery and inpatient acute pediatric beds, along with more administrative suites, a family waiting area, and team care stations. Labor and Delivery, Triage, Post-Partum and Ante-Partum will be on the seventh floor. Labor and Delivery and C-section operating rooms will be built on the west side of the floor. The east side will house ante- and post-partum rooms and another well-baby nursery. The hospitals Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, which provides the highest level of critical care to newborns, will be located on the eighth floor. On this floor there also will be a milk lab drop and storage area, open bay rooms with bassinets, private rooms and rooms for twins and triplets. Read More: Penn State Childrens Hospital expansion project milestone marked with steel beam signing How much money did the 2019 Penn State Thon raise? Penn State Harrisburg instructor swims 24 hours in Thon fundraiser for Four Diamonds Fund 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. Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha), the UAEs largest healthcare network, has signed a new, strategic agreement with CPA (Certified Practising Accountant) Australia, the professional accounting body of Australia, to deliver advanced training and development programmes across the network. This partnership will see a range of new professional opportunities for Seha finance staff, while also offering internationally benchmarked accreditation, especially designed for the unique needs of the healthcare sector. Seha manages and executes significant budgets and handles a range of complex financial projects, including partnerships with insurance providers, managing major capital expenditure projects for new facilities and upgrades, and procuring new medical technologies. Ensuring that these investments and financial projects are managed efficiently and cost effectively, is vital to the long-term plans of the organisation. Commenting on the new partnership, George Kapitelli, Chief Finance Officer, Seha, said: CPA Australia is internationally-renowned for providing world class accounting and finance training, qualifications and accreditation that has had a huge impact on the effectiveness and efficiency of organisations around the globe. I am therefore pleased that we are entering into this new agreement; this initiative embraces development and advancement of our local finance workforce. Most importantly, investments like this ultimately benefit our patients by enabling resources to be more effectively deployed for their care. With Sehas continued organisational development, including the establishment of Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City the UAEs largest tertiary hospital effective financial management, planning, and oversight is vital to the delivery of the organisations overall strategy. The new training and development program also come as healthcare finance management is advancing as a specialist accountancy discipline, offering those on the program the opportunity to learn cutting-edge skills. Peter Wilson AM CPA, President and Chairman of the Board said; We are extremely pleased to be partnering with Seha on this important development project. As one of the world's largest accounting bodies with a global membership of almost 170,000 we work in 150 countries, enabling us to offer world class training and accreditation with international quality benchmarks. Because healthcare budgets are on the rise around the world, its a sector in which effective financial planning and management can have a huge impact. We are looking forward to building on the strong skills already in place at Seha to help the organisation pursue its ambitious plans and deliver for patients. This is the first time Seha has launched a long-term training and development programme for the finance team and will see development programs across financial planning and management across its network. In addition, online courses and webinars will further enhance knowledge development and sharing. A select group of Seha finance team members will also undertake the CPA Australia professional qualification. -- Tradearabia News Service This Chinese cabbie is taking no risks over the coronavirus - opting to wear a full hazmat suit to drive his passengers in Beijing. Hilarious footage shows the driver wearing the yellow decontamination suit with the hood up and a pair of goggles and a surgical mask added for good measure. The video was taken by an amused female passenger who was heading to the capital city's airport on Saturday. The highly contagious disease has now claimed 170 lives in mainland China and there are nearly 8,000 confirmed cases worldwide. But while almost everyone wears a face mask to protect themselves, full hazmat suits are unusual. After telling the cabbie to get to the airport 'as soon as possible', the passenger asks her driver: 'Do you get many clients while dressed like this?' The killer coronavirus rapidly sweeping the world has now infected every region of China and 20 other countries. The death toll is 170 and cases have soared past 7,900 The cabbie, who has a bottle of hand sanitiser, explains: 'These are extraordinary times. I'm being responsible for myself, and for my family.' After the passenger says, 'Quite right,' the cabbie continues: 'Safety first right? It's important to have awareness.' The World Health Organization has so far stopped short of calling the epidemic a global health crisis, but the UN body is to meet today (30th January) and discuss an escalation of the virus's status. World Health Organization figures show just 2,014 patients had been struck down with the SARS-like infection by Sunday, January 26. This has now risen dramatically to 7,817, with cases in the US, Australia and Canada Wanneroo restaurateur Greg Domoney often has to cook pizza orders twice before Uber Eats drivers make their way to Panarottis. After a controversial $50 million road upgrade kicked off in 2018, access to the shopping centre where his pizzeria is located has become so complicated it has been blacklisted by drivers. Eagle Falls Spur Steak and Grill and Panarottis owner Greg Domoney. Credit:Marta Pascual Juanola Often, Mr Domoney will watch drivers cancel the delivery several times before a car finally makes its way into the maze of temporary barriers, unfinished roundabouts and unsignalled lanes to collect the order. "It's just too hard to get in and out," he said. Mumbai, Jan 30 : "Chhapaak", which is Deepika Padukone's first film as a producer, has been poorly voted on IMDb. The actress has given a twist to one of the most impactful dialogues from the film to respond to the trolls. "Unhone meri surat badli hai, mera mann nahi," is the actual dialogue from the film based on the life of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal. The film has currently got a rating of 4.6 stars on IMDb. Now, a video of Deepika and the film's director Meghna Gulzar has surfaced online. She is seen reacting to the low ratings of the film. She says: "Unhone meri IMDb rating badli hai, mera mann nahi (They have changed my rating on IMDb, but not my mind)." Prior to the release of the film earlier this month, she did everything to promote it. But it was her visit to Jawaharlal Nehru University that was met with mixed reactions from people. She was there to lend her support to the protesting students there though many found it a publicity stunt. For the last 13 years, Ive traveled the country talking about my immigrant experience. On stages across the United States, I bare my soul and relive the trauma of moments Id rather forget, to help people understand that immigration is not a crime but an act of survival, that immigrants are not criminals but human beings who deserve to be treated with dignity and compassion. Image The cover of American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. Credit... Flatiron Books, via Associated Press Sometimes, my words help open minds and hearts. Other times, they dont. Recently, The Moth Radio Hour aired my story about a chance encounter on an airplane with a Guatemalan asylum seeker. An email later appeared in my inbox, and when I read it, I thought of American Dirt and its intended white audience: You are an excellent speaker and clearly very sincere. However, I and many others completely disagree with your point of view. Illegals in the country, that is adults that came into the USA without proper permission should all be deported as soon as practicable and there never should be any amnesty in the future for anybody [shouldnt have happened in the past eather] the young man you talked about should have been removed and sent back to where he came from, I do not want him here in my country. and no Dreamers that came here illegally should never be allowed to be citizens. And if it was up to me their children would not be alow to become citizens ether. Maybe I am being naive in thinking that this man and others like him might be more willing to show compassion toward immigrants if they heard it from someone other than a first- or second-generation immigrant. But after having spent my entire writing career advocating immigrant rights, I appreciate when another writer joins the fight. We need all the voices we can get, within and outside our community perhaps especially from outside our community. I had hoped Ms. Cumminss words would germinate in the toxic American dirt where my own words, and those of other Latino writers, have often failed to take root. When I read American Dirt, I didnt know the back story the bidding war, the seven-figure advance, the proclamation that this was the immigration book of its time. When I found out, I confess it offended me and hurt me. I felt undervalued and deceived. The publishing industry had changed its opinion of Mexican immigrant stories but not until it was someone from outside our community who had written one. I had seen Ms. Cummins as a writer who could speak with us, not for us. Instead, the publishing machine decided to put her book on a pedestal. It is unfortunate that the publisher canceled the authors future book events. That denies audiences across the country the opportunity to participate in face-to-face discussions with Ms. Cummins about the issues that are being raised around cultural appropriation and who gets to tell our stories. The reasons the publisher cited for the cancellation safety concerns and its dismissal of the legitimate concerns raised as vitriolic rancor, further denigrates the Latino community. Now is not the time to shut down conversations, but to encourage speaking out and listening to one another. To me the issue is neither with the book nor its author, but rather with those institutions that silence some voices while elevating others. One positive outcome is that publishers have shown they are willing to pay top dollar and use the full strength of their marketing machine to promote the immigrant experience. They cant back away from that now. Immigrant-written stories deserve the same treatment. Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe There's no question: It was a raucous night. There was shouting and chanting from the audience, so much it disrupted the conversation on stage. On stage, the tone was also contentious. The three candidates running for Los Angeles County District Attorney faced off Wednesday night for the first time. Incumbent DA Jackie Lacey went toe-to-toe with her challengers, former San Francisco DA George Gascon and former federal public defender Rachel Rossi. The debate was co-moderated by KPCC politics reporter Libby Denkmann and Los Angeles Times editorial writer Robert Greene. Black Lives Matter activists, relatives of people shot by police and others frequently disrupting the proceedings with chants of "Jackie Lacey must go." Some were removed by security. Lacey supporters -- many of them deputy D.A.'s -- cheered her on, calling out, "We love you, Jackie." See for yourself: Despite the disruptions, the debate carried on through nine key questions we wanted to ask the candidates for the nation's largest prosecutor's office. The race has garnered national attention, as this is the latest -- and largest -- battleground in a national push to get reformist DA's elected. So what were some of the main takeaways? LACEY SAYS SHE'S A REFORMER, BUT SHE'S MORE CONSERVATIVE THAN HER CHALLENGERS Despite Lacey's protestations that she is a reformer, she is more conservative than Gascon and Rossi. A few examples: Gascon and Rossi leaned into the need to tackle systemic racism in the criminal justice system, while Lacey tried to straddle more of a middle ground. Rossi called for tracking and publishing audited data on prosecutions as a way to determine where the DA is "overcharging" people of color. Gascon talked about how he created a tool to mask the race of the defendant in cases his office handled when he was DA in San Francisco. Lacey said it's important to take into account things like racial income disparities, but added, "people make bad decisions," touching off another loud protest from some in the audience. Lacey defended her pursuit of the death penalty in a small number of cases that she believes involve egregious acts of violence, such as the murder of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez. Gascon and Rossi said they would stop seeking the death penalty altogether. Lacey argued that Prop. 47 -- which reduced some felonies to misdemeanors -- led to an uptick in crime, particularly property crime. Gascon and Rossi defended the measure and challenged the idea that Prop. 47 led to more crime. Rossi pointed to a rise in homelessness and drug addiction as factors. DA Jackie Lacey (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times 2020) LACEY TRIED TO PAINT GASCON AND ROSSI AS UNQUALIFIED Lacey noted that Gascon never worked as a litigator, and characterized his tenure as San Francisco DA as a failure. Lacey said "it would be irresponsible" to have someone who has only worked as a public defender become district attorney. "This is a job for a real lawyer who understands in their heart and soul what a prosecutor is all about," Lacey said. Rachel Rossi (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times 2020) ROSSI TOOK ON GASCON AND LACEY OVER BAIL REFORM While Rossi and Gascon both said they will end cash bail, Rossi criticized Gascon for not ending it during his nearly nine years as San Francisco DA. She also criticized Lacey for failing to do so in L.A. Gascon countered that he worked in San Francisco "towards the reduction of the use of cash bail," and vowed to "continue to work toward the elimination of cash bail" if elected. Lacey opposes the complete elimination of cash bail, but noted she helped get the currently-suspended state law that does away with most cash bail "over the goal line." George Gascon (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times 2020) GASCON CLAIMED LACEY FALLS WELL SHORT ON MENTAL HEALTH DIVERSION Gascon said Lacey hasn't invested nearly enough resources into diverting people with mental health issues away from jail. He said 30% of the DA office's work involves people with mental illness, but until recently her office's Mental Health Division only had one person, "and I'm told now that they have another three that were added, in an office that has over 1,000 lawyers." Lacey angrily denied that the special unit is underperforming. "George Gascon doesn't know what he's talking about," she said. Paul Glickman contributed to this story. EU to take on emissions with 'Fit for 55' Friends of India prevail over Friends of Pakistan: Indias big diplomatic win at European Parliament India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Jan 30: The European Parliament decided to postpone voting on a resolution regarding the newly amended citizenship law. The resolution was introduced by give major groups across political leanings. When the resolution was taken up in the 751 member House, 271 of the 483 MEPs present voted to delay the vote on the resolution. 13 abstained, while 199 did not want to delay the voting. It was a major diplomatic win for us, a source in New Delhi told OneIndia. India had launched a drive that was intended to clear the misunderstanding regarding the law. India has maintained that the law is not discriminatory in nature and instead of passing a resolution, the European Parliament should engage with New Delhi for a right understanding of the law. Explained: What EU resolution on CAA means for India? Friends of India prevailed over the Friends of Pakistan, the official said while also blaming Shaffaq Mohammed, the PoK born MEP for the resolution. EU Parliament postpones voting on resolution against CAA, India hails it as diplomatic win|Oneindia With the vote being delayed, Indian diplomatic channels would have more time to reach out to a majority of the MEPs and provide clarity regarding the law. Our officials channels are already at work, the source confirmed, while also expressing confidence that the issue would be resolved. The final draft resolution by six of the largest groups in the European Parliament has said that the new Indian citizenship law is discriminatory in nature and dangerously divisive. The draft also says that the NRC may be used to target marginalised groups. It could cause immense human suffering, the draft also says. Entirely internal: India expresses reservation as EU lawmakers move Anti-CAA resolutions India has maintained that these issues are entirely internal. Moreover these issues have been settled by a majority vote in both Houses of Parliament, India has informed. Instead of voting on such issues, the parliamentarians should engage with New Delhi. We would be able to provide them with the right assessment on the issues, sources on the Ministry of External Affairs informed OneIndia. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, January 30, 2020, 11:18 [IST] With his appointment, Kitowski brings with him his extensive knowledge in construction and engineering, as well as specialty contractors (such as for drilling and HVAC), a release noted. LP Insurance Services principal and senior sales executive John Bolce said in a statement that the company is pleased to welcome Kitowski, especially since Kitowski has been a respected colleague for many years in our area. Kitowski earned his bachelors degree and an MBA from Sacramento State University. He also possesses the Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation. By Azernews By Abdul Kerimkhanov The parties to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs advocate for intensifying negotiations, as well as achieving tangible results on all issues of negotiation agenda, Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry spokesperson Leyla Abdullayeva wrote in her Twitter page on January 29. Abdullayevas comments come after the meeting between Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and his Armenian counterpart Zohrab Mnatsakanyan in Geneva, Switzerland on January 29. As Abdullayeva wrote, the meeting lasted seven hours and will continue on January 30. The co-chairs Igor Popov, Stephane Visconti, Andrew Schofer and Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk also participated at the meeting. Mammadyarov also met with OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America separately a day earlier, on February 28. The Minsk Groups Co-Chairs visit Nagorno-Karabakh region on a regular basis to conduct high-level talks with the parties to the conflict, and to hold meetings with the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and the Minsk Group members to brief them on the process. They are mandated to provide an appropriate framework for conflict resolution in the way of assuring the negotiation process; to obtain conclusion by the Parties of an agreement on the cessation of the armed conflict in order to permit the convening of the Minsk Conference, and to promote the peace process by deploying OSCE multinational peacekeeping forces. Unfortunately, for nearly 25 years, the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem have yielded no concrete results. Armenia broke out a lengthy war against Azerbaijan by laying territorial claims on the country. Since the war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied around 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. To this day, Armenia has not implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions. Did you grow up listening to the songs of Miss Saigon? Most of us did. The talented Miss Lea Salonga continues to bring honor to the country by making her beautiful music be heard by millions all over the world. What are some of the details of her intricate life? Who is Lea Salonga's husband? Image: facebook.com, @SofitelManila Source: Facebook Lea Salonga is a woman with a profoundly deep and meaningful career and she has brought countless honor to her countrymen. She has performed in countless Broadway musicals that have elevated her name to the likes of other international theater legends. Given the pure talent that she has, it is no wonder how she has bagged so many prestigious awards given by high-profile organizations that recognize the art of performing. What is Lea Salonga's husband's name? Lea Salonga husband and daughter Being the beautiful and talented performer that she is, many people who watched her shows and performances throughout the years wonder who she tied the knot with in the past. The name of Lea Salonga's husband is Robert Charles Chien. He is a Chinese-Japanese business owner who works in the Philippines as well as in the US. Lea Salonga's husband Robert Chien proved to be a wonderful partner and a good match for Lea when he popped the question in 2002. The engaged couple waited patiently until it was finally the right time to get married. The beautiful performer and the handsome businessman tied the knot on January 10, 2004, at the beautiful Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels in downtown Los Angeles. The couple first met while Lea was a big part of the production of Flower Drum Song at the Mark Taper Forum. While multi-awarded actress made quite a name for herself through music, she has expressed that such fame is not what her daughter wants. Nicole Beverly Chien was born on May 16, 2006, two years after the wedding of her parents. She is currently 13 years old. Image: instagram.com, @msleasalonga Source: UGC Lea Salonga husband split rumors In 2010, the show business world was rattled by the rumors that the gorgeous theatre actress has left his husband just six years after their marriage. Thankfully, the Tony award-winning actress dismissed the rumors and only speculated afterwards that it must have stemmed from the fact that she is mostly away from her husband and daughter to fulfill her career responsibilities. She added, And as for the rest of it, I really dont know where it comes from. And whenever we are confronted with news like these, the two of us are like 'where on earth could this have come from' and somebody, absolutely just had nothing better to do with their time to come up with something like that. If you have followed the actress as she vaulted to prominence throughout the years, then you will know that the story of Lea Salonga's husband is nothing short of a wondrous fairy tale. READ ALSO: Jamie Dornan wife: who is she? Source: KAMI.com.gh Donald Trump is set to give his State of the Union address in the midst of his impeachment hearing. The State of the Union is the fulfilment of the US Constitutions mandate that the president shall from time to time give to Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient. The address which, until 1913 was usually a written report is given to a joint session of Congress and widely broadcast. Beginning with Franklin Roosevelt, the address has been held in the House of Representatives chamber at the US Capitol. This years State of the Union address may be especially contentious, as Mr Trumps impeachment trial will either be recently finished likely through acquittal thanks to Senate Republicans or actively ongoing. President Trump delivers State of the Union address Show all 22 1 /22 President Trump delivers State of the Union address President Trump delivers State of the Union address Nancy Pelosis sarcastic clapping stole Trumps thunder For many the president's speech was overshadowed by Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's applause after his call for political unity, which many interpreted as "sarcastic" AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump issues ominous threat over investigations as he rails against immigration and abortion In a State of the Union speech calling on Washington to cast aside revenge, resistance and retribution, Donald Trump was accused of issuing a veiled threat over the investigations dogging his administration. An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations, Mr Trump said AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Congresswomen, dressed in white in tribute to the women's suffrage movement, pose for a photo as they arrive AFP/Getty Images President Trump delivers State of the Union address The 72-year-old harkened back to American achievements, celebrating the moon landing as astronaut Buzz Aldrin looked on from the audience and heralding the liberation of Europe from the Nazis AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address He also led the House chamber in singing happy birthday to a Holocaust survivor sitting with first lady Melania Trump. "Together, we represent the most extraordinary nation in all of history. What will we do with this moment? How will we be remembered?" Mr Trump said Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dressed in white in an act of solidarity with other women declined to join a standing ovation for Donald Trump despite his purported call for unity Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address The president ticked through a litany of issues with crossover appeal, including boosting infrastructure, lowering prescription drug costs and combating childhood cancer Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Republican Veronica Escobar reacts as President Trump claims that El Paso, Texas, has become safer due to a wall along the border with Mexico Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address Despite no one working in the White House Office of National Aids Policy, and having sacking his HIV advisory council last year, Mr Trump pledged to inject funds to stop the spread of the disease in America by 2030 Getty Images President Trump delivers State of the Union address "Scientific breakthroughs have brought a once-distant dream within reach," the president said. Together, we will defeat Aids in America and beyond." he said Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump led the House chamber in singing happy birthday to a Holocaust survivor sitting with first lady Melania Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address He also appealed to his political base, both with his harsh rhetoric on immigration and a call for Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the "late-term abortion of children EPA President Trump delivers State of the Union address Women from both political parties wore white outfits tonight at the behest of the Democratic Womens Working Group to honor the legacy of women's suffrage in the United States AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address He devoted much of his speech to foreign policy, another area where Republicans have increasingly distanced themselves from the White House EPA President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump greets Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, alongside Vice President Mike Pence AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address US First lady Melania Trump (left) with Grace Eline and Joshua Trump, special guests of President Donald Trump AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump announced details of a second meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, outlining a summit in Vietnam starting on 27 February AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address "If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea," he said AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Supreme Court Justices John Roberts, Elena Kagan and Neil Gorsuch laugh AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address President Trump greets lawmakers after delivering his second State of the Union address EPA President Trump delivers State of the Union address Independent Senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders holds his notes EPA House Speaker Nancy Pelosi formally invited Mr Trump to deliver the State of the Union two days after House Democrats voted to impeach him. Should his hearing continue into the early days of February, Mr Trump wont be the only president to have delivered a State of the Union during an impeachment trial. Bill Clinton also delivered a State of the Union address during his impeachment trial in 1999. In addition to impeachment woes, Mr Trump will also have a much clearer idea of which Democratic candidate hell be facing in the general election as the address falls on the night after the Iowa Caucus. Following Mr Trumps address, Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan, will deliver the Democratic response to the State of the Union. The response to the State of the Union is a rebuttal offered after each address by a representative of the presidents rival party, a practice which began in 1966. The address will begin at 9pm EST, with viewers in the UK having to wait until 2am. You will be able to watch the address live on our Facebook and Twitter accounts. You can also follow analysis and live updates on the State of the Union by following our liveblog. - Political commentator Mutahi Ngunyi said the head of state should have remained calm after he was "abused" by Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri - On Tuesday, January 28, the Tanga Tanga MP received an angry tongue-lashing from the Jubilee Party leader over his constant criticism of the Building Bridges Initiative - The vocal lawmaker, however, dismissed the allegations noting the president had neglected issues affecting his constituents despite electing him into office overwhelmingly Political analyst Mutahi Ngunyi has waded into the fiery exchange of words between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri. The commentator was of the opinion the head of state lowered his status by engaging with the Tanga Tanga allied lawmaker. READ ALSO: Moses Kuria says supporting BBI cannot save doomed Tanga Tanga team Political analyst Mutahi Ngunyi said Uhuru should not have responded to Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri. Source: UGC READ ALSO: 9 best dressed Kenyan celebrities setting standards in fashion On his Twitter page on Wednesday, January 29, Ngunyi argued Ngunjiri had more experience at hurling insults and as such he had beaten the president at his own game. If you climb down to fight a stupid man at his level, he will beat you. He has more experience at stupidity than you! Is this the "Kimani Ngunjiri" effect?" he wondered. On Tuesday, January 28, Ngunjiri received a tongue-lashing from the Jubilee Party leader over his constant criticism of the Building Bridges Initiative and the handshake. After launching a cement factory at Salgaa in Nakuru, Uhuru made a stopover at the MP's constituency and in an irate outburst, asked area residents to warn their representative on his behalf. President Uhuru Kenyatta addressing Nakuru residents after launching a cement factory at Salgaa. Photo: State House. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Machakos: Jamaa amuua mama, mpwa wake kufuatia mzozo wa mayai Please warn your MP if you haven't sent him to abuse me on TV... a country is not developed by verbal abuse. No one should sell fear to you before elections because Kenya is there for us all. I won't stop uniting all Kenyans," he said. In a quick rejoinder, the vocal MP dismissed the allegations noting the president had neglected issues affecting his constituents despite electing him into office overwhelmingly. Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri says the president has failed his pre-election pledges to his constituents. Photo: Kimani Ngunjiri. Source: Facebook "A whole president, surely, he was coming here to incite the people of Bahati, he has forgot the promises he made to the people who voted for him. Where the dams and the roads he promised to initiate in the region?" he posed. The William Ruto loyal supporter further said the president had disrespected him by staging a rally near his homestead to castigate him in presence of close family members including his children. "How could he come all the way to my doorstep, where my wife and children are?" posed Ngunjiri. The duo's verbal "fight" had netizens talking on social media. 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 wanted to kill my children - Jackie Ruguru | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke The US ambassador to Israel believes Donald Trump was sent by God to occupy the White House, following the presidents proposal to cement Israeli rule over Jerusalem and end a decades-long conflict with Palestinians. Asked by the Christian Broadcast Network whether the president was heaven-sent for you guys, David Friedman said he believed that God runs the world, and that would apply to the president. He added: The president supports Israel because I think it fits with his essential understanding of whos right and whos wrong, whos surviving against the odds, whos creating democracy in a sea of challenges around it. Mr Brody asked whether Mr Friedman, who is Jewish, believed that God puts people in certain places in certain times, for such a time as this. He replied: I think God puts persons in places for certain times, at all times. Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Show all 18 1 /18 Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Palestinian protesters burn pictures of US President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a demonstration in the West Bank against the expected peace plan proposal AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan US President and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announce Trump's Middle East peace plan in the White House AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Reuters Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Reuters Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AP And Trump is exhibit A of this? Mr Brody asked. Mr Friedman said: He sure is. The diplomat said Mr Trump had surrounded himself with supporters of Israels agenda, describing the presidents son-in-law Jared Kushner, one of the architects of the Israeli plan, as well as Mike Pence and Mike Pompeo, as Israels best friends. Mr Kushner is Jewish while Mr Pence and Mr Pompeo are both hard-line evangelical Christians. But above them all, Mr Friedman said, the president has really been Israels best friend. The 181-page plan effectively caters to demands Israel has made under Benjamin Netanyahu, and has been roundly rejected by Palestinian leaders. The plan would carve out a fractured Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank and would allow Israel to annexe the Jordan Valley and all occupied territory, including areas containing settlements that are illegal under international law. In line with White House policy introduced in 2017, Jerusalem would be recognised as Israels capital and would be under Israeli control, with a Palestinian capital created in the eastern outskirts of the holy city. The plan also would deny Palestinian refugees the right to return to lands they had fled or were forced from decades ago that are now inside Israel. Asked how the US Christian evangelical community influenced the plans drafting, Mr Friedman said he had an enormous amount in common with the community, which his boss has courted assiduously. Theyre believers. They believe in the divinity of the land of Israel. Since his 2016 campaign, Mr Trump has cultivated the support of right-wing American evangelical groups and pastors, boasting of his administrations anti-abortion stance and conservative judicial appointments. The president also launched an Evangelicals for Trump campaign this year as he seeks re-election. Mr Friedman said Israeli control over Palestinian land would open a massive tourism industry for Christian evangelicals. Benjamin Netanyahu says Donald Trump has been 'the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House' The ambassador claimed that Jewish and Christian holy sites that are currently within Palestinian territory - including Shiloh, Hebron and Al-Bireh were completely neglected and that the US would help assert Israeli control over them. Those areas also contain Muslim holy sites. Israel has not obtained sovereignty over those territories, he said. Our plan contemplates that Israel will. Youre talking about opening up the Bible and bringing it back to life, said Mr Friedman, who called the Trump plan an opportunity for biblical tourism that will grow and flourish in profound ways. The Import-Export Department is keeping a close watch on the development of the coronavirus, urging firms to prepare for negative impacts of the epidemic on exports to China. Lao Cai International Border Gate. The coronavirus epidemic had not yet had significant impacts on the import and export activities between Viet Nam and China. - Photo baogiaothong.vn Currently, the epidemic had not yet had a significant impact on import and export activities between Viet Nam and China, the department said. However, there was signs that sales of some agricultural products in China had started to slow due to the development of the epidemic. In addition, ongoing strict disease prevention measures also made transportation of goods much more difficult. The department learned that border gates in Pingxiang, Guangxi which bordered Viet Nams Lang Son Province would close until February 8, except for Friendship Pass which would open on February 3, as an effort to prevent the epidemic from spreading. The department said traffic as well as cross-border transportation of goods between Viet Nam and China might be affected. The department urged Vietnamese firms, especially those exporting agricultural products to China, to prepare for their partners in China not being able to receive goods. Firms should change delivery methods or seek other markets for their products. Firms must also regularly discuss with their partners in China to remain updated of any changes to the epidemic, the department said. The ministry would keep providing updates on the epidemic and its impacts on import-export activities. Viet Nam exported goods worth US$41.41 billion in 2019, around 20 per cent of which came from agro-fishery products. China was the largest market for Viet Nams agricultural products. VNS live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi, fighting extradition to India on charges over the nearly $2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud and money laundering case, was produced for a regular remand hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on Thursday and further remanded in custody until February 27. The 48-year-old, who has been lodged at Wandsworth Prison in south-west London, appeared via videolink from prison before District Judge David Robinson. I am told that your case is proceeding in accordance with the directions for a final hearing on 11 May, the judge told Modi, as he set the next 28-day remand hearing via videolink for February 27. Modi's extradition trial is scheduled for five days starting May 11, with the case management hearings in the case set to begin once all the evidence has been handed in to the court for the trial. He had made a last-ditch bail application in November last year with an unprecedented house arrest guarantee, akin to those imposed on terrorist suspects, as well as citing mental health issues from being behind bars at Wandsworth since his arrest in March 2019. But the bail plea was turned down by Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot over continued fears of witness intimidation and failure to surrender before the court for his extradition trial this year. The UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which represents the Indian government in the extradition proceedings, said there is no further prospect of an appeal for bail in a higher court as the UK High Court had already turned down Modi's plea earlier last year. Modi is meanwhile expected to appear for call-over hearings every 28 days at Westminster Magistrates' Court until the case management hearings for his extradition trial kick in. The diamond merchant denies the charges of fraud and money laundering and his defence team, led by barrister Hugo Keith, has claimed that the Indian government has wrongly blackened Modi's name as a world-class schemer. As part of the change in circumstances required for a fresh bail application, Modi's lawyers had offered to double the bail bond security offered to the court, from the previous GBP 2 million to GBP 4 million. They had also informed the court of attacks on their client from fellow inmates at one of England's most overcrowded prisons. Modi has been behind bars at Wandsworth since his arrest on March 19 on an extradition warrant executed by Scotland Yard on charges brought by the Indian government. During subsequent hearings, the UK court has been told that Modi was the "principal beneficiary" of the fraudulent issuance of letters of undertaking (LoUs) as part of a conspiracy to defraud PNB and then laundering the proceeds of crime. His extradition trial is scheduled between May 11 and 15 this year. The UK and Australia will join forces in a simulated African swine fever exercise to bolster biosecurity measures. The UK and New South Wales government will collaborate on a joint, simulated exercise to practice measures in the event of an ASF outbreak. The joint exercise will take place over three days from Wednesday 29 January and strengthen the two nations joint control strategies for the disease. There has never been an outbreak of ASF in the UK and there are robust measures in place to protect against it, including joint operations with Border Force and a policy to seize and destroy all illegal imports of meat and meat products. However, ASF is a major risk to the pig industries of both Australia and the UK due to trade links with and proximity to affected regions in Asia and Europe. In the event of an outbreak, disease control measures will mean the governments will put in place movement controls for all pig-related businesses, potentially including feed delivery, slaughter houses, pig breeding units or movement of animals to sales. The focus of the exercise will be to assess how the movement restrictions would be applied in practice to best manage an ASF outbreak. Christine Middlemiss, Chief Veterinary Officer, said: While there has never been an outbreak of African swine fever in the UK, we are in no way complacent and have robust measures in place to protect against it. The UK has strong links with Australia and scientific cooperation is one of them so I welcome this initiative to share information and experience, helping us to maintain our high biosecurity standards. The simulated exercise started on Wednesday 29 January and will conclude on Friday 31, with experts in risk assessment, epidemiology, science and disease control policy from Australia and the UK collaborating to form plans for African swine fever control. It will contribute to the skills of specialised teams who make the rapid risk assessments which would be required in an ASF biosecurity emergency. Taking place in the cities of Orange and Port Stephens in New South Wales, Australia, the NSW DPI staff will be working with Local Land Services, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Australian Animal Health Laboratory in Geelong. Whilst at the same time, Defra counterparts will be participating in the exercise in London, UK alongside the Animal and Plant Health Agency. In June 2019 ASF was found in meat seized by port authorities in Northern Ireland before entering the country, the first time the ASF virus has been detected in the UK. ASF has been reported in Belgium, Slovakia, Serbia, China, Mongolia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, North Korea, South Korea, the Philippines, Timor Leste and Indonesia. Flynn, 61, admitted more than two years ago that he lied about his conversations with Russias ambassador and misrepresented his work for the Turkish government. He affirmed his guilt a year later under oath, after U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan questioned whether he truly accepted culpability. But new defense attorneys say that Flynn was a victim of both unscrupulous prosecutors who violated his plea agreement and an ineffective defense team in the grip of intractable conflicts of interest. (Natural News) First it was Germany. Now, Taiwan and Japan are both reporting that coronavirus is spreading in their countries from person to person, debunking earlier claims that human-to-human transmission isnt a major concern with this outbreak. Not long after German authorities confirmed that a Chinese woman passed coronavirus on to a male colleague of hers while in Germany, health officials both in Japan and Taiwan have now confirmed similar cases within their own borders, raising fears of exponential growth and a possible global pandemic. In Japan, a male bus driver in his 60s who hasnt traveled to China anytime recently is said to have contracted coronavirus from one of his tourist passengers. In Taiwan, a 50-year-old man was infected by his wife after she returned from a work trip to China. This Taiwanese man is the eighth confirmed case of coronavirus in Taiwan, and the first known human-to-human transmission case in the island nation. Taiwanese officials have responded by telling people not to travel anywhere in China except for Hong Kong and Macau, after previously recommending against travel exclusively to the Hubei province where Wuhan is located. As for Japan, officials there have sent a plane to Wuhan to evacuate its citizens from the disease-stricken mega-city. The United States has reportedly done the same, followed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.) issuing heightened warnings against all non-essential travel to China. To keep up with the latest coronavirus news, be sure to bookmark Outbreak.news. U.S. expands screening of travelers as coronavirus cases continue to soar The U.S. is also implementing expanding screening protocols for travelers arriving from Wuhan to some 20 airports and other ports of entry all across the country, up from five previously. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) has upped its global risk assessment for this coronavirus outbreak from moderate to high, though this was done quietly without an official announcement. At the same time, the W.H.O. continues to refuse declaring this coronavirus outbreak a global emergency, for which the agency has received much criticism. The official death count has now reached 130 people, with the official infection count steadily climbing well above 6,100. As for the evacuation flight of Americans from Wuhan, this C.D.C.-ordered flight that was originally supposed to land in San Francisco, but that was redirected to Ontario International Airport in Southern California, was redirected again to March Air Reserve Base, also in Southern California. The C.D.C. reportedly ordered this second diversion to the military base, but refused to publicly state why. The Department of Defense (D.O.D.), on the other hand, did issue a statement indicating that the Americans onboard the flight would be given housing at the base. March Air Reserve Base and the Department of Defense stand ready to provide housing support to [the Department of Health and Human Services] as they work to handle the arrival of nearly 200 people, including Department of State employees, dependents and U.S. citizens evacuated from Wuhan, China, stated D.O.D. press secretary Alyssa Farah. These individuals were supposed to have been kept in isolation at Ontario International Airport for anywhere from three days to two weeks as they were assessed for infection, this covering the upper end of the possible incubation period for the virus. But its now unclear whether the same procedure will occur at March Air Reserve Base. In other words, it now seems possible or even likely that up to 240 Americans who have just returned from the coronavirus pandemic quarantine region of Wuhan will be released into the public population, writes Mike Adams, the Health Ranger. Stay tuned for more breaking updates about this outbreak as it verges upon global pandemic status in the coming days. Sources for this article include: TheEpochTimes.com NYTimes.com NaturalNews.com A council is to mark the 50th anniversary of the Ulster Defence Regiment with a permanent memorial in Ballyclare despite outrage from Sinn Fein, which branded the move "disgraceful". The UDR was formed in 1970 as the Troubles erupted and was at the forefront of efforts to combat republican terrorism, but a number of its members colluded with loyalist terrorists. Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council has now voted in favour of a memorial following a proposal by Ulster Unionist Danny Kinahan. The former captain in the Blues and Royals Regiment said that the UDR "did many great things, worked all day, 24 hours a day, seven days a week for many years". "Without their commitment and sacrifice, the police could have been overwhelmed," DUP councillor Paul Dunlop said. More than 190 members were killed, and another 60 were killed after leaving the regiment. UUP councillor Robert Foster said that the role of the UDR "cannot be understated or forgotten" having "paid a very heavy price and many more wounded physically and mentally". He spoke of a "lifetime spent looking over your shoulder and under your car". He noted that the regiment had "strong bonds and connections" to Antrim, Ballyclare and Newtownabbey. "To recognise their role and sacrifice is something I feel strongly about". Opposing the memorial, Sinn Fein councillor Taylor McGrann said he "immediately thought of the Miami Showband and their families". Two UDR members were convicted for their role in the UVF atrocity. Three band members and two of the terrorists, who were also UDR members, died after a bomb they were planting on the band's bus at a bogus checkpoint exploded prematurely. Victims of the attack are currently suing the Ministry of Defence and PSNI amid allegations of collusion. Mr McGrann said: "This is just one case of this regiment of the British Army carrying out murder on innocent people. There were many others. "The UDR eventually disbanded in 1992 before the ceasefire or the Good Friday Agreement. "To me, they were a failure to everything that they represented, hence why they were disbanded before the conflict actually ended." SDLP councillor Roisin Lynch said: "We are now in 2020. "We as an SDLP group want to be good and tolerant neighbours and recognise the motion as genuine. "We ask that it could be treated with sensitivity as there is much hurt within the community and the nationalist community." Alliance councillor Tom Campbell said he was "disappointed to hear such bitter views" from Mr McGrann. He recalled Bloody Friday, saying that "innocent members of the public were exposed to bombs that killed and maimed many people". The proposal for a memorial in Ballyclare was carried by 27 votes in favour and five against. The SDLP abstained. The El Paso County Sheriff's Office held a news conference regarding missing Colorado Springs 11-year-old Gannon Stauch Thursday. Watch it here: Gannon, who has been missing since Monday, is the son of a Colorado Springs-based Colorado Army National Guard 100th Missile Defense Brigade member. Gannon's mother, who lives in South Carolina, arrived in Colorado Springs late Tuesday and spent the night talking to law enforcement, Gannon's great aunt told The Gazette. The boy was last seen by his stepmother between 3:15 and 4 p.m. Monday at his home in the Lorson Ranch neighborhood of southeast Colorado Springs before reportedly walking to a friend's house across the street, the Sheriff's Office said. The case has drawn the attention of the agency's top violent-crime detectives including those from the Major Crimes Unit as they search for clues to the boy's whereabouts. But a department spokeswoman said investigators do not suspect foul play and still suspect Gannon is a runaway. He is described as 4 feet, 9 inches, with brown hair and brown eyes, and weighs 90 pounds. Anyone with information regarding Gannon was asked to call a tip line at 719-520-6666. Nigerias former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has revealed reason he is still in pain and traumatised over the Christmas eve attac... Nigerias former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has revealed reason he is still in pain and traumatised over the Christmas eve attack by gunmen on his country home in Otuoke, Bayelsa State. The former president said he was still in pain for the fact that a soldier was killed in the attack. Jonathan, who spoke in his office in Abuja on Wednesday when he hosted members of the executive of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on a solidarity visit over the 24th December, 2019, attack said: I thank you for coming to sympathise with me and my family. The fact that a soldier lost his life in that attack traumatizes me. That young man wouldnt have died, the way he did, if he was not protecting me. Whenever people come to me, just as you people have come, to talk about that attack, I feel worried about the general society. Whenever I consider that people could do that to a former President who has reasonable security guarding him, my mind reaches out to the rest of Nigerians who do not have that level of protection. I am worried that so many people are becoming victims of sporadic shootings, kidnappings and so on. I believe that the country will get over the kind of insecurity it currently faces. Jonathan highlighted the importance of education and urged the students to be serious with their studies, adding that it is only when people are educated that the country would be able to manage governance and development issues better. For you young people, I urge you to believe in yourselves and believe in your country. Surely we will get to our destination, he further said. Speaking earlier, NANS President Danielson Akpan said that the leadership of the umbrella student body had come to sympathise with the former President over the attack in his house and to thank him for his legacies in the education sector. Akpan told the former President that many students that enrolled in the 12 new federal universities he established had successfully graduated. The student that enrolled when you created those universities are now graduates. Some are gainfully employed; some are already employers of labour while some that have left the shores of our country are doing excellently well abroad. Your Excellency, Nigerians believe in you and what you stand for that elections should be freely conducted as you did in 2015. That particular call you placed to your successor on 31st of March 2015 is a notable achievement for which history will continue to hold you very dearly till eternity. As a precautionary measure, authorities in India are keeping a close eye on anyone who has travelled to and from China recently. In one such case, a 27-year-old woman who returned from China to Ghaziabad recently has been kept under observation by the health department officials. According to reports, the woman, a resident of Mayur Vihar in east Delhi, was quarantined by a Ghaziabad health department team that tracked her down to a house in Indirapuram. Reuters Speaking to TOI, Dr NK Gupta, chief medical officer of Ghaziabad, said that the woman complained of body ache and also had a mild fever. As a precautionary measure, the woman has been quarantined in her flat and her blood samples have been sent to Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospital in Delhi for tests. Apart from the above case, three other men aged between 24 and 48, were admitted to Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospital in Delhi after showing symptoms. Facebook While two of the men are residents of Delhi, one is from a neighbouring city. All three patients have respiratory problems and symptoms like cold and cough along with fever, and they self-reported at the designated health facility to deal with such cases. According to reports, two of the patients had returned from China about a week ago while the other about a month ago. Over 100 people have been kept under observation in Kerala and Maharashtra following screening for possible exposure to the novel Coronavirus as the Prime Minister's Office on Saturday reviewed India's preparedness to deal with any situation, reports PTI. The government on Monday decided to take steps for a possible evacuation of over 250 Indians from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of Coronavirus. Navy responds to catamaran medical evacuation call for American tourist at Mahahual Mahahual, Q.R. The Secretariat of the Navy of Mexico has reported the medical evacuation of a passenger from a catamaran after an American man began to experience symptoms of arterial hypertension. The man was participating in recreational activities when his high blood pressure issues began. Catamaran crew members made an emergency call for an evacuation, to which the navy responded. Photo: La Secretaria de Marina-Armada de Mexico (Semar) Elements of the Mexican Navy met the boat Mayan Win approximately 2.5 nautical miles (4.63 km) east of Mahahual where they removed a 78-year-old American man. He was transferred in stable condition to Mahahual fishermans wharf where an ambulance was waiting to transport him to hospital to receive medical care. BLUE BELL, Pa., Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- REGO Payment Architectures, Inc. (REGO) (OTCQB: RPMT) today issued a letter to its shareholders from Chief Financial Officer Scott McPherson. Dear Shareholders, REGOs corporate and technical progress in 2019 was both significant and substantial. The company streamlined its strategy to leverage its data control and identity management features. Highlighting these security and privacy discriminators allowed us to communicate how these essential building blocks in our architecture position us to offer our completely all-digital family wallet solution in the marketplace globally. As many are familiar, this technology is essential to enable the under 18-year-old age group to transact and socialize in a secure online environment guided by parental permission, oversight, and control. During the summer of 2019, our technical development of a working demo successfully executed a live transaction and yields a Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant data set was a watershed milestone. The significance of the demo version of our application, currently able to be shown on Android, iPhone, and Amazon Fire, is unequivocal. The REGO platform opens up a COPPA/GDPR compliant payment gateway that currently does not exist for the parent and the child to execute on device purchases. The ability for this gateway to supplement existing content and services, as well as the ability to enhance data capture for parents, retailers, and other interested parties is significantly different from other current market offerings. Technology & Customer Discussions Throughout the past year, we made many changes to our enterprise architecture to position the offering for a product release in 2020. We replaced the card program manager and updated our code to utilize the new card managers API to move currency. We also replaced the issuing bank. These moves culminated with our announcement on January 14, 2020, of our partnership with Cornerstone Payment Systems, Inc. to extend the platforms payment processing optionsthereby solidifying all the financial infrastructure partnerships we needed to move towards a viable product. In addition, we moved our platform from Amazon Web Services (AWS) to Microsoft Azure, conducted independent third-party tests of our application performance (receiving high marks), and finally, we renewed COPPA certification by PRIVO (a safe harbor and identity and consent service provider) in July 2019. Additionally, GDPR certification is underway and should be completed during the first quarter of 2020. As we move through 2020, our main focus is to release the initial version of the platform. REGO announced on January 20, 2020, that it will be working with Blue Diamond Media to provide its anchor product, REGO Digital Wallet, to Blue Diamond Medias network of customers. A roll-out plan has been delivered to Blue Diamond Media which outlines a swift trajectory from a pilot program to network-wide adoption throughout the year. This will be a significant opportunity for customer feedback and feature acceleration, as well as the ability for the platform to be more fully understood in the marketplace. As we move forward, we expect our multi-pronged business model to provide REGO with the flexibility to drive sustainable revenues over the long-term. Among these options are potentially a technology licensing model, joint venture concepts, and white labeling to take advantage of significant business to business opportunity sets. Continued Innovation In addition to the launch of the product, we have formed the analytics division to distribute COPPA/GDPR certified data sets. The demand for a more stringent eye on privacy protection is on the rise and the data generated by the REGO platform is becoming all the more consequential. The proprietary data sets we generate specifically address COPPA/GDPR compliance and showcase the geography and age range of the purchaser. Our ability to forecast aggregate data clusters by location, age, payment, product, brand, and transaction data is one-of-a-kind. Enhanced Branding Initiatives In 2020, we are implementing initiatives to increase market awareness of our launch and subsequent successes. We have engaged branding and marketing specialists, One Kiln Marketing, to lead a comprehensive branding and communications program. Thus far, the firm has developed marketing assets for demonstration including slick sheet, logo development, and assisted in the development of the 90-day launch roll-out plan with Blue Diamond Media. We also plan to conduct a comprehensive revision of our corporate websitein the meantime, a new splash page is currently active. REGO was featured in the January 2020 edition of Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Associations (AFCEA) SIGNAL magazine, a defense communications and electronics publication, in which REGO was spotlighted for its ability to address a financial solution for remote military families. Also, our investment banker, SKB Capital, conducted a podcast interview highlighting REGO with the financial publication Wall Street Analyzer. During 2020, we also intend to increase our interface with the capital markets details forthcoming. To assist with these efforts, we retained Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP and SKB Capital. Final Thoughts In closing, the most consistent question we receive from investors, partners, and potential customers is why is REGO the only company able to deliver an all-digital COPPA/GDPR compliant family wallet? I think it is important to offer my thoughts on this especially as we are about to engage the market with the REGO platform: There is a fair amount of the REGO platform that is easily duplicated/commoditized for example, the app skin, APIs to retailers, APIs to financial infrastructure, and cloud storage. But, just how defensible our market positioning remains, in the long run, rests on three defining factors: 1. The ability to define data control settings from parent to child. REGO approaches this problem using a master account to dictate purchase rules to sub-accounts via a hierarchical architecture REGO has patent-protected this data control methodology . This approach adheres to data flow and privacy policy requirements specifically outlined for COPPA compliance. We believe other approaches based on machine learning (or other artificial intelligence) methodologies are potentially viable alternatives but are likely too costly, do not meet current compliance timelines, and may defy the core of COPPAs "opt-in" parameters. That being said, there is plenty of room for next-generation automation techniques to be layered on REGOs hierarchical approach. Given its current stability and scalability metrics, REGO strongly features these advances in its tech development roadmap without compromising any of its current data control performance. 2. The ability to (mis)attribute the childs transaction and personal identification. REGO has solved this hard problem by masking user data and maintaining separate identity and financial data flows REGO has patent-protected this attribution methodology . As a result, REGO can verify the age of the internet user throughout the transaction lifecycle on its platform. Authenticating and validating the identity of the actual user on the internet maintains one of the hardest cybersecurity problems. Current world-class approaches are mainly not for commercial use; however, there is investment in commercial innovation in this area. Even so, we see the power of REGO's data control features and its (mis)attribution approach as inextricably linked and a key to its scalability and extensibility. 3. The ability to disseminate transactional data on minors. COPPA/GDPR compliant data can be disseminated, used, and sold. The highest value data will be that which shows the most nuanced detail afforded under current regulations. Without extreme data control features, such as in the REGO platform, any lesser data precision will thus be less valuable. I see this rationale as the most fundamental reason why REGO is in position to create sustainable, long-term value for our shareholders. Safe Harbor Statement This document contains forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and assumptions about us that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations include, but are not limited to: our ability to raise additional capital, the absence of any material operating history or revenue, our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel, our ability to develop and introduce a new service and products to the market in a timely manner, market acceptance of our services and products, our limited experience in the industry, the ability to successfully develop licensing programs and generate business, rapid technological change in relevant markets, unexpected network interruptions or security breaches, changes in demand for current and future intellectual property rights, legislative, regulatory and competitive developments, intense competition with larger companies, general economic conditions, and other risks as described by us in Item 1.A Risk Factors in our most recent Form 10-K; other risks to which our Company is subject; other factors beyond the Companys control. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us, or persons acting on our behalf, are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing. The Company has no obligation to and does not undertake to update, revise, or correct any of these forward-looking statements after the date of this report. About REGO Payment Architectures, Inc. REGO is a digital solution that enables children to stay safe in todays tech-first environment. The REGO Digital Wallet platform allows parents and guardians to enable online shopping or digital spending at approved retailers, control what funds are available for which purchases, and reward children or pay allowance via the app. REGO is an innovative financial platform uniquely positioned due to its Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance. Visit us at regopayments.com Media Contact: Kristin Graybill One Kiln Marketing talktous@1kiln.com (o) 302.536.2180 NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) Turkey may have stolen technical data that enabled it to send a drill ship to a specific location south of Cyprus that energy companies Eni and Total had pre-selected to carry out their own exploratory drilling, a Cypriot official said Wednesday. Government spokesman Kyriakos Koushos said that although Cypriot authorities don't have definitive proof, it's believed that Turkey got its hands on data that helped guide its drill ship to the specific target. The location is in an area, or block, where Cyprus has licensed Italy's Eni and Total of France to carry out a hydrocarbons search. The two companies are licensed to conduct exploratory drilling in seven of Cyprus' 13 blocks that make up its exclusive economic zone. There's information, which is probably correct, that they had stolen plans and studies from a specific company, that's why they went to the specific spot," Koushos told Greece's state broadcaster ERT. The Cypriot official said wasn't suggesting that either Eni or Total handed Turkey the data. Koushos repeated that Turkey continues to flout international law by carrying on with illegal drilling activity in Cypriot waters and accused the country of gunboat diplomacy. Unfortunately, Turkey has become the pirate state of the east Mediterranean," he said. This would be the fourth location inside Cyprus' economic zone that Turkey is looking to drill since July. Turkey has dispatched warship-escorted drill ships to drilling targets to the east and west of the island nation. Koushos denied a Turkish claim that it's in secret negotiations with Eni on a hydrocarbons search in the area. Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides said Wednesday that the European Union is moving to expedite sanctions against individuals or companies involved in illegal drilling off Cyprus. Turkey insists that it's acting to protect its interests, and those of breakaway Turkish Cypriots, in the region's energy reserves. It says part of Cyprus' economic zone falls within its own continental shelf and that its drilling activities are also part of a deal with Turkish Cypriots. Story continues The U.S. State Department said Washington remains deeply concerned over reports that Turkey is moving to drill south of Cyprus, urging Turkish authorities to halt its provocative step that raises tensions in the region. The State Department reiterated U.S. support for Cyprus' sovereign right to develop resources inside its exclusive economic zone and a deal that would allow Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots to equitably share in potential gas riches. Turkish Cypriots say they're unfairly being left out of the gas search and are entitled to a share of any revenues. The Cypriot government says the Turkish Cypriots' share of such wealth is guaranteed under an energy fund into which all future hydrocarbon revenues will flow and will be split after a deal reunifying the island is achieved. Cyprus was divided along ethnic lines in 1974 when Turkey invaded following a coup by supporters of union with Greece. A Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence in the island's northern third is recognized only by Turkey. Cyprus joined the EU in 2004, but only the southern part, seat of the island's internationally-recognized government, enjoys membership. Other companies Cyprus has licensed to carry out a hydrocarbons search include ExxonMobil and partner Qatar Petroleum, as well as Texas-based Noble Energy and partners Delek of Israel and Dutch Shell. So far three gas deposits have been discovered off Cyprus' southern coastline. U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken on Wednesday reversed course, denying release for alleged eco-saboteur Joseph M. Dibee after ruling there are no assurances he would return to court for trial based on his years as a fugitive, having fled the United States as soon as he learned he would face an indictment. Aikens 10-page ruling followed a successful appeal last month by prosecutors to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. They challenged Aikens initial decision last month to release Dibee to his sister in Seattle under home detention with GPS monitoring. Dibee is accused of taking part in environmental sabotage across the West. On Dec. 18, the 9th Circuit overturned Aikens release decision, five days after Dibee was let out of custody. He turned himself in to federal authorities later that day and was returned to Oregon. The appeals judges found that Aiken failed to make sufficient findings regarding Dibees potential flight risk or danger. Aiken ruled last month that prosecutors had failed to meet the governments clear and convincing burden.'' Dibee, 52, was arrested in Cuba in August 2018 on a 12-year-old federal warrant. He was indicted in 2006 in Oregon on charges of arson, conspiracy to commit arson and destruction of an energy facility. Dibee is accused of helping to destroy the Cavel West Inc. meatpacking plant in Redmond on July 1, 1997, and destroying a Bonneville Power Administration tower near Bend on Dec. 30, 1999, though his attorney said Dibee didnt play a role in the tower vandalism and called that charge bogus. He also faces charges of conspiracy to commit arson and possession of a destructive device in federal court in Washington and conspiracy to commit arson, arson of a government building and possession of a destructive device during a crime of violence in California. In her new ruling, Aiken acknowledged that the felony charges Dibee faces carry a presumption in favor of detention and the standard for finding someone at risk of not reappearing for court is "preponderance of the evidence,'' a lower bar than the clear and convincing burden that Aiken cited. She said she still believes that Dibee isnt a danger to the community, noting he hasnt faced additional charges for any alleged criminal conduct that occurred since 2001. Yet this time, she factored in his decision to flee the United States soon after he and his lawyer met with an FBI agent and prosecutor in 2005 and his decision to not surrender to authorities until he was caught. Defendant clandestinely left the country as soon as he knew that he might face charges for the alleged conduct,'' Aiken wrote. "Defendant has also avoided law enforcement for over a decade, and his actions over that time have shown that he took many steps to avoid facing the present charges even at the point he was detained when he requested asylum in Cuba.'' Prosecutors say he went on the run after the meeting with authorities in Seattle, where he learned of the evidence against him that allegedly linked him to arsons in Oregon and elsewhere. On that day, the U.S. Attorneys Office wanted to see if Dibee would accept responsibility for his alleged offenses and cooperate with investigators, Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Barrow said. Instead, Dibee returned home, destroyed evidence in the case by setting it on fire in his fireplace and then had a friend drive him to Mexico City, Barrow said. From there, he flew to Beirut and then set up residence in Syria. He moved to Russia in 2010, where he later married and adopted a son, according to Barrow. Once Dibee was returned to custody in Oregon, he was assaulted Jan. 2 by another inmate at Multnomah Countys Inverness Jail and suffered a broken jaw, prosecutors and his lawyer said. An inmate with suspected ties to white supremacists came from behind and sucker punched Dibee, said Dibees lawyer, Paul Hood. The other inmate may have attacked Dibee, thinking he was a terrorist from the Middle East, Hood said. Aiken has ordered prosecutors to update her in seven days about Dibees medical condition and where hes being held. Multnomah County records indicate he remains in custody in Inverness Jail. Her denial of Dibees motion for pretrial release was issued without prejudice, meaning he can request release again. -- 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 Luis Arce, the presidential candidate for Evo Morales's Movement for Socialism party, was immediately served with a subpoena as he returned to Bolivia on Tuesday following a self-imposed exile in Mexico. Arce, who is due to stand for MAS in the May 3 election, is accused of a breach of duties and embezzlement during his tenure as economy minister. Morales was in power for almost 14 years before resigning on November 10 following three weeks of at times violent protests against his controversial re-election in an October poll. An audit from the Organization of American States found clear evidence of fraud. After resigning, Morales fled into exile in Mexico before settling in neighboring Argentina a month later. He is barred from running in the May election and an arrest warrant has been issued for him -- the interim government accuses him of sedition and terrorism -- but Morales has vowed to return to his homeland to lead the MAS campaign. When Arce arrived at the El Alto airport just outside La Paz, he was served with a subpoena by a police officer, a moment captured on video and widely shared on social media. An image on the website of newspaper Pagina Siete shows Arce signing the summons, which requires him to appear before public prosecutors on Wednesday morning. Rafael Quispe, the director of the Indigenous Development Fund, has called on Arce to be "summonsed, arrested and taken to jail" for his "alleged responsibility in the embezzlement of millions" from an indigenous fund while he was economy minister. However, Attorney General Heidy Gil said that no arrest warrant has been issued for Arce. He was met at the airport by his running mate, former foreign minister David Choquehuance, amid cheering supporters waving the "Wiphala" indigenous flag. Morales, 60, was Bolivia's first ever indigenous president and MAS derives much of its support from indigenous communities that were often marginalized under previous governments. Arce, 56, left the airport without speaking to the press as his supporters chanted: "Arce, president," and "Fight, friend, the people are with you." However, he later wrote on Twitter: "Together with the people, we will win. I feel a lot of affection and now we'll continue on our road to the presidency." Arce is considered the mastermind behind Bolivia's economic success under Morales. MAS led the most recent opinion poll with 26 percent -- although the survey was conducted before Arce was named as the party's candidate. Centrist Carlos Mesa, who came second to Morales in the disputed October election, and right-winger Luis Fernando Camacho each polled 17 percent. Interim president Jeanine Anez -- who controversially announced her candidacy on Sunday despite having previously insisted her role was only to lead the country into elections -- was in fourth place with 12 percent. Candidates have until February 3 to register. Former president Evo Morales (left) hand-picked Luis Arce to be the Movement for Socialiam candidate in May's general election Approximately twice as much methane is seeping into the atmosphere than the Environmental Protection Agency estimates from oil and gas facilities in the south central U.S., according to a series of measurements taken by meteorologists using NASA aircraft. In six flights through the region, researchers used onboard instruments from two planes to collect data roughly 1,000 feet above ground. They flew through massive methane plumes concentrated by regional weather patterns and used sample points and weather models to determine the actual methane concentrations of the plumes. These concentrated plumes were discovered during the Atmospheric Carbon and Transport-America (ACT-America) campaign, a much broader Penn State led-effort to understand greenhouse sources and sinks. Researchers found methane from oil and gas facilities to be 1.1 to 2.5 times greater than EPA estimates for the region that includes Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. In another key finding, scientists showed how frontal systems in the atmosphere can be used to track methane from much larger areas at the surface because large plumes of methane concentrations come together along the frontal boundary. "When we flew across cold fronts, one thing we noticed was that warm air was being pulled up and funneling the region's greenhouse gases into large plumes," said Zach Barkley, researcher in meteorology and atmospheric science, Penn State. "We fed data from these plumes into our weather models and, when we compared the data with the EPA inventory, we saw there was a discrepancy." Methane comes from many sources -- including wetlands, animal agriculture and the oil and natural gas industry -- so researchers used ethane measurements to determine the source. Ethane is primarily found in methane produced by the natural gas industry, so researchers used that to omit methane produced by animal agriculture and other natural sources. The findings are reported in a recent issue of Geophysical Research Letters. The EPA uses a bottom-up approach to estimate methane emissions from industry by applying a value to each well and transport component. Penn State researchers used a top-down approach, meaning the emissions were measured at their endpoint, the atmosphere. advertisement "The one issue with the bottom-up approach is if you can't sample enough sources to get an accurate representation of the average," Barkley said. "When you multiply by all of the different devices and components across the U.S., you could potentially come up with a number that's not accurate." The region is important to combating greenhouse gas emissions at large, Barkley said, because it accounts for nearly 40 percent of the human-made methane emissions in the U.S. The region is a hotspot for both natural gas extraction and animal agriculture. Methane is an important greenhouse gas with 34 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide over a 100-year period, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Barkley said there are also problems with the top-down approach to measuring methane. It is more expensive and does not identify which sources are emitting methane. He said the approach is more of a check on the accuracy of the existing approach. But it does point to areas to target for greenhouse gas reduction. "If oil and gas emissions are off by a factor of two, that means that oil and gas are very significantly the highest human-made source of methane emissions in the U.S. and would be a prime area to target for reducing methane emissions, particularly if we find relatively few sources contributing significantly to the bulk of the emissions," Barkley said. "If we can figure out how to target those sources and fix them, that could be a significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions coming from the oil and gas industry." In prior research, Barkley determined EPA estimates for methane from natural gas facilities were also low in a portion of Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale region. NASA funded this research. (Newser) A woman and her five children were among the eight people who died in a dock fire at a north Alabama marina, authorities and relatives said, per the AP. Grace Annette Watson Miles, 40, was killed in the blaze early Monday, along with Dezli Nicole Miles, 7; Kesston Damien Miles, 9; Traydon Dominic Miles, 10; Bryli Long, 16; and Christopher Zane Long, 19, Jackson County Emergency Management Director Paul Smith told a news conference Wednesday. Witnesses and relatives said the woman's husband, Joe Miles, was rescued from the water with burns. Miles and others helped the woman and her children get off the flaming dock on to a boat that later caught fire, said survivor Tommy Jones. "There was nothing we could do," Jones said. story continues below Smith said the other two victims included 54-year-old Yancey Roper, whom Jones identified as his brother, and Amanda Garrard Foster, 38. Foster's stepsister, Monica Pascale-Howard, told the the Clarion-Ledger that her father married Foster's mother, giving her a sister she never had. "She was silly," Pascale-Howard said. "She had the most outgoing personality." Authorities said the victims were living in boats at a large dock at Jackson County Park Marina. Investigators are concentrating on a vessel still in the water as a possible cause of the fire, Smith told reporters. Many of the approximately 35 boats that burned were submerged in the water and mostly destroyed, making the salvage effort difficult. "They're salvaging slowly. We're in no hurry," said Smith. (Read more fire stories.) The Sharjah FDI Office (Invest in Sharjah) operating under the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority, has been named the Best FDI Agency 2019 UAE by International Finance, a premium business and finance magazine published by the UKs International Finance Publications Limited, said a report. Since 2013, the award has been recognising industry talent, leadership skills, industry net worth and capability on an international platform, and honoured Invest in Sharjah for its path-breaking initiatives that have enhanced the investment environment in the Emirate by creating ideal conditions for sustainable economic partnerships to be forged at the local, regional and international levels, in addition to its outstanding year-on-year performance, added the Wam report. After careful consideration by a qualified research team, Invest in Sharjah was chosen as the winner of the Best FDI Agency 2019 UAE category based on the strength of the offices record of past accomplishments in offering expert consultancy and customised solutions to help businesses explore several key sectors in Sharjah such as tourism and leisure, healthcare, environment, transport and logistics, education and light manufacturing. In 2019, Invest in Sharjah continued on its mission to bring Sharjah to the doorsteps of global investors with 16 international participations in leading trade and investment events, including the World Economic Forum, and conducted visits and roadshows across seven nations, namely, Russia, China, India, Spain, South Africa, Italy and Saudi Arabia. In October 2019, Invest in Sharjah assumed Middle East and North Africas (Mena) regional directorship at the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies for a two-year term until 2021, added the report. Maoists have issued fresh threats to Odisha villagers who had refused to follow their diktats and fought them bravely a day before the Republic Day. The rebels left posters in the Swabhiman Anchal area in Malkangiri district-- a hotbed of insurgency-- telling villagers to stop being swayed by fake promises of the police. The handwritten note in Telugu also warned of fatal consequences for opposing the Maoists. The Thursday note was also an acknowledgment of their clash with villagers when the Malkangiri division of Maoists had only yesterday issued an audiotape denying any face-off with people in Janturai village. On the night of January 25, tribals in Janturai village under Jodambo gram panchayat in the Swabhiman Anchala area had killed one Maoist and injured another, when more than 25 rebels swooped down on their village opposing the construction of a road in the left-wing rebels stronghold. The villagers armed with stones and arrows had resisted their move and killed local area committee member Ganga Madi alias Adma and injured Jipro Habika. In retaliation, Maoists burnt down about a dozen houses in Jodambo village of Swabhiman Anchala and looted the locals. Malkangiri SP Khilari Rishikesh Dnyandeo said police would always stand by the villagers who raised their voice against Maoists. Although we condemn the violence in any form but it seems that it was a natural outburst of the villagers, in their self-defence, against the unreasonable demands and illegal means of the Maoists. When the villagers asked had the Maoists done for the area in 30 years and why were they opposing the development, the rebels resorted to blank firing, said the SP. Referring to the video footage of the face-off between the villagers and the Maoists that is doing the rounds in social media, the SP said it clearly shows that the Maoists are threatening the villagers and holding explosives like grenades. The SP said the ultras had mercilessly beaten up elderly persons and children in the Jodambo village, looted property and burnt down several houses. He promised protection to the villagers. The villagers in the Swabhiman Anchala have nothing to fear and they will be protected, he said. Around 1000 policemen from the Special Operations Group, District Voluntary Force and Border Security Force are guarding the affected Jodambo gram panchayat area since last few days. The police said new houses will be built for those whose houses were burnt. Several villagers had been given shelter in Kuntarpadar police camp till the situation normalizes and given 30000 each. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON With more than a thousand exhibitors spread across 650,000 square feet of floor space, there will be plenty of outdoor gear many of us have never seen before at the sixth annual National Rifle Association Great American Outdoor Show Feb. 1-9 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg. And, one of the best things about the show is the opportunity we all have to get our hands on all that exotic equipment for a personal assessment. Does it scratch an itch weve had? Will it solve that long-standing problem that weve been wrestling with for years? Do we just have to have it? Here, from the GAOS exhibitor directory, are some new pieces you might want to check out at this years show. Bait Up, based in Ephrata, Booth 2322: Live bait management systems this year adding clear bait and tackle pouches to provide quick access to waxworms, mealworms, hooks, split shot and more. Burr Paw, based in Papillion, Nebraska, Booth 9: A mitten designed for fast and effective removal of stubborn stickers and burrs from clothing, gear and pets. Cindy's Gun Sweets, based in Newfoundland, Pennsylvania, Booth 757: Maybe its not gear, but Second Amendment- and self-defense-themed dessert chocolates are definitely on my must-see list for the show. Cover Craft, based in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, Booth 4143: Spidy Gear Blind Webb provides an easy but solid way to add local foliage to a hunting blind to up the concealment game. Dark Sky Outdoors, based in Smyrna, Georgia, Booth 4127: The Smoke Tube is a lightweight, durable, scent dispersal system designed to house, shelter and disperse a hunters favorite smoking lure from adverse weather conditions. Fire N The Hole, based in Jerseyville, Illinois, Booth 1040: The Detonator is the first bowfishing tip with a single-pull, retracting barbs release that eliminates twisting to remove fish. Holds like no other. Ghostblind, based in Marietta, Ohio, Booth 916: Extremely portable, quick set-up, hunting blinds with mirror technology that reflects what is directly in front of them, allowing the hunter to blend into any environment. Sportsmans Doctor, based in Barton, New York, Booth 3308: Medical kits designed for the destination where the sportsman is headed for basic, all around preparedness. The RackPacker, based in York, Booth 4040: The RackPacker is a portable, backpack-able, one-wheeled, 14-pound, tubular steel cart for hauling out harvested big game. Tie Boss, based in Piqua, Ohio, Booth 4007: Tie Boss is a unique hoisting and tie down device for lifting big game or securing an ATV to a trailer. 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. Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com. The shock felt by City of Dauphin officials and residents after the province's sudden decision to close the Dauphin Correctional Centre has now turned into anger and a resolve to fight. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/1/2020 (714 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The shock felt by City of Dauphin officials and residents after the province's sudden decision to close the Dauphin Correctional Centre has now turned into anger and a resolve to fight. The city and the Rural Municipality of Dauphin have organized a town hall and Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister has been invited to hear firsthand the far-reaching effects of the decision which will force 80 employees to either move, or stay and look for another job. "It was so shocking," Mayor Allen Dowhan said Wednesday. "I say it was the worst day in my civic career of 22 years. "We're looking for respect for all speakers at the town hall and, hopefully, a change of heart." The jail on the right is attached to the side of Dauphin's courthouse, which will remain open. (Boris Minkevich / Winnipeg Free Press files) Dowhan said Justice Minister Cliff Cullen and local Tory MLA Brad Michaleski have also been invited, with the goal of hoping to persuade the provincial government to change its mind and build a new jail in the city located 160 kilometres north of Brandon. He said the province has to understand losing 80 jobs in a community the size of Dauphin there are more than 8,100 residents in the city and another 2,300 in the surrounding municipality would be the equivalent of losing hundreds in Winnipeg. "There was no contact at all from the province before the announcement (Jan. 24). It was like a deer being caught in the headlights," Dowhan said. "It's the whole Parkland region which is affected: Winnipegosis, Ethelbert, St. Rose it's a regional issue." The town hall is scheduled for Monday, 5:30 p.m., at the Parkland Recreation Complex. The province's sudden decision was especially shocking because, as far as residents knew, plans were still moving forward to build a new jail in Dauphin. The province announced Friday the Dauphin Correctional Institution would close in May. (Boris Minkevich / Winnipeg Free Press files) In 2013, then-justice minister Andrew Swan announced the 100-year-old minimum-security correctional centre would be replaced by a new, expanded one. Land for the new facility had been donated by both the city and RM. Meanwhile, the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union, which represents correctional workers at the centre, is holding a local rally and march Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. Michelle Gawronsky, MGEU president, said organizers hope more than 500 people will attend. Bert Blundon, the union's national secretary-treasurer, will be there, she said. "We will march down to the jail... Some store owners say they will close to be with us." Gawronsky said she was in Dauphin on Monday to meet with the correctional officers, as well as their spouses. Dauphin Mayor Allen Dowhan says losing 80 jobs in the community is the equivalent to Winnipeg losing hundreds. (Boris Minkevich / Winnipeg Free Press files) "I was in the community for 24 hours and the whole community is in shock. They're angry. They're upset. One (correctional) officer said three of them have wives who are nurses in the hospital, so if they move, the hospital will lose three nurses," she said. "I asked the (justice) minister to come out with me, but he just looked at me. But, if they feel what they're doing is the right thing to do, they should come here and stand in front of people and tell them." 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. Cullen's office responded late Wednesday afternoon. "We recognize that this decision is a difficult one for our employees, and we also recognize the broader impacts in Dauphin and surrounding communities. That is why we made it a priority to meet in person with the mayor and council and representatives from the RM on Friday to discuss the decision," the justice minister said in a statement. "Those discussions were a first step in the provinces future planning for the region and municipal leaders will be an important part of the process, and we will prioritize further discussions." Meanwhile, Gawronsky said the community was already building needed infrastructure for a new jail. "There's a big sewer system sitting in a big farmer's field," she said. "They've already poured thousands of dollars into their future." kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca It could be Perth's toughest restaurant in which to get a table. At 28-seat restaurant Marumo*, the wait is about three months and the booking system is one of the quirkiest but fairest yet. And everybody knows good things come to those who wait. Chef and owner Moe Oo. Credit:Marta Pascual Juanola When Burmese-born chef and owner Moe Oo opened his first restaurant in Leeming in 2012, patrons were on six-month waitlists, so he moved to a (slightly) bigger premise at Chelsea Village in Nedlands. Kolkata, Jan 30 : As retail chain Pantaloons' some employees alleged that they were suspended for singing the national anthem, the company, here on Thursday, termed the claim "unsubstantiated and mischievous". Some employees at Camac Street showroom in South Kolkata of the Aditya Birla Group company had posted videos in the social media claiming they were punished for singing the national anthem. "25 of the 150 employees were suspended for singing the national anthem and backing those against whom action was being taken. Since then, suspension letters are being slapped one after another," said an employee. With posters reading "Pantaloon employees want justice from management", they have been holding sit-in over the past six days. Rubbishing claims, the company said action was taken against them on disciplinary grounds. "Pantaloons would like to categorically deny the unsubstantiated and mischievous claim that some employees in Kolkata were suspended for playing the national anthem. These malicious insinuations are aimed to obfuscate facts," the company said. According to the company, Pantaloons, a 20-year-old brand born in Kolkata, has 1,215 employees on its rolls in West Bengal. A few days ago, some employees were served suspension notice, pending enquiry, due to gross acts of indiscipline that are being investigated through a fair and impartial process. "Disciplinary action was taken due to a variety of reasons, ranging from acts of violence in the presence of customers, disrupting store operations, threatening female employees and abusing co-workers," said a company spokesman. Drivers caught using a phone illegally in Queensland are liable for new eye-watering fines beginning this weekend. From Saturday, those caught checking their social media, texting, making calls or unlawfully using their phone behind the wheel in any way will be fined $1000. That is more than double the current fine of $400 as police look to stamp out the deadly habit. For the first offence, drivers will receive four demerit points, meaning P-platers and learners could lose their licence. Double demerit points apply for a second mobile phone offence within a year, as part of the states crackdown on distracted drivers. The Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ) has thrown its full support behind the fine hike, saying drastic times call for drastic measures. RACQ spokesperson Renee Smith said driver distraction was the fastest growing problem on the states roads. We believe in education over penalties, but the reality is we now need a harsh deterrent to change the behaviour of motorists who are risking lives every single day, Ms Smith said in a statement Wednesday. Queenslanders are not only texting behind the wheel but using social media sites and functions such as FaceTime and its downright frightening and it must stop. Being on your phone while driving in Queensland will cost you big from Saturday. Source: AAP Research shows if you use your phone when driving youre just as dangerous as a drunk driver and youre four times more likely to be involved in a crash, he said. The RACQ recommends drivers switch their phones to a 'do not disturb mode' every time they get in a car. New camera technology, which has already been rolled out in NSW, is also set to trialled in Queensland later this year. The cameras are specifically designed to catch drivers using mobile phones. These cameras are already being used in New South Wales and are showing promising results, she said. Its always been difficult to catch people out on their phones, but these new cameras will make it very tough for motorists doing the wrong thing to hide. Story continues Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey reminded drivers that sending a text or checking social media while driving was unacceptable. It's a deadly habit that needs to stop, he said. Bicycle riders will also be fined $1000 under the new law, but no demerit points will be issued. Drivers are not allowed to hold a phone in a hand next to or near their ear, write, send or read a text message, turn a phone on or off or operate any function on a mobile phone. If a driver is using a phone for applications like Google Maps or music, it must be in a hands-free cradle. However Learner and P1 provisional drivers under 25 are not allowed to use a hands-free, wireless headset or a phone's loudspeaker function. Queensland police confirmed to Yahoo News Australia that there were no plans for police to change enforcement strategies as the fine increase comes into effect. Other states have been considering increasing the fines for mobile phone use on the road. Source: AAP Mobile fines for Australian drivers The new Queensland fine is the highest in the country. In NSW the fine for illegal mobile phone use is $344, or $457 if detected in a school zone, and comes with a five demerit point penalty. Victorias fine is higher at $484 and the state has been considering increasing the penalty. Before the Queensland governments announcements, South Australia had the previous highest fine for mobile phone usage behind the wheel. The states fine is $554 and motorists will receive three demerit points. The Northern Territory this year announced it will increase its fine from $250 to $500, while drivers will cop three demerit points. In Western Australia, motorists will receive a fine of $400 and three demerit points. Offending Tasmanian drivers will be fined $336 and three demerit points. with AAP 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. India will evacuate its citizens stuck in coronavirus-struck Wuhan in central Chinas Hubei province on Friday evening. The first flight on Friday will evacuate those who are staying in Wuhan and in the neighbouring areas. A second aircraft will be dispatched subsequently to bring out Indians who are living in other parts of the province. At least 170 have died and more than 7700 infected in ongoing Coronavirus outbreak in China. Majority of the deaths and cases of infection are from Hubei. Wuhan, a city of about 11 million, has been under an unprecedented lockdown for almost a week to contain the disease from spreading. We are preparing for air evacuation from Wuhan tomorrow in the evening. This flight will carry those Indian nationals who are in and around Wuhan and have conveyed consent for their evacuation, a message from the Indian embassy said Thursday evening. It was circulated among Indians in Hubei province via the social media app, WeChat. The message added: There will be another flight subsequently which will carry those who are from other parts of Hubei province, the message added. The embassy cautioned the Indians in Hubei that the details of the evacuation could change and the message was shared to alert to be adequately prepared. In an earlier message, the Indian embassy had asked the Hubeo-based Indians to be ready for a 14-day quarantine after their return to India. The message was circulated after the Chinese foreign ministry is learnt to have cleared Indias request to evacuate its citizens. In the shock after Nathuram Godse murdered Mahatma Gandhi that January evening 72 years ago today, a young American diplomat rushed to capture the assassin. Vaihayasi Pande Daniel traces the memorable life of Herbert Reiner, who History has sadly relegated to a footnote. Photograph: Kind courtesy Wikimedia Commons Herbert Reiner would have just turned 31 when he reached New Delhi in September 1947 to start his first diplomatic posting as a disbursing officer, at the rank of a vice consul, at the newly opened US embassy there. Delhi was going through turbulent times post-Independence as the young country struggled to establish itself. Violence racked the city. Post Partition refugees were pouring into Delhi. Some were Hindus and Sikhs getting off daily trains from Pakistan. Others were Muslims waiting to get to Pakistan. Rioting had reached a height in September that year. Reiner, born in Vermont but raised and schooled in Massachusetts, was a World War II veteran who had served with the US navy, was excited to be in India. He hoped to get a glimpse of one of the greatest men alive -- Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi was camped in Delhi through a lot of late 1947 as he worked strenuously and valiantly to quell Hindu-Muslim riots. IMAGE: Herbert Reiner. Photograph: With kind permission of the Reiner family In late 1947 and early 1948 Gandhi was living in two rooms at the sprawling Birla House (he lived there 144 days, the last days of his life), south of Connaught Place on Albuquerque Road (today Tees January Marg) Reiner wrote to his mother that he planned to attend one of the well-attended prayer meetings Gandhi conducted and finally see the famous leader. At Gandhi's celebrated interfaith meetings, prayers/songs of all religions were said and sung. And he used these occasions to air his thoughts. As the rioting increased, especially in Punjab and Delhi in January 1948, Hindu protestors often tried to disrupt Gandhi's prayer meetings. A bunch of men arrived one day outside Birla House and shouted 'Let Gandhi die'. India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, as well as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, happened to be visiting that day and ran out to confront the men with: 'How dare you say that? Come and kill me first'.** It was at one of these meetings that Gandhi said, after Partition had become a reality: 'Geographically we may have been divided. But so long as hearts too have not been divided, we must not weep', adding later when Pakistan and India were two different countries 'If I have to go to the Punjab, I am not going to ask for a passport. And I shall go to Sind also without a passport and I shall go on walking. Nobody can stop me'. A prayer meeting was scheduled for 5 pm on January 30, 1948 on the back lawns of Birla House. Reiner decided to finally attend this one, showing up 15 minutes before, joining a small crowd of, according to Reiner, 'schoolboys, girls, sweepers, members of the armed services, businessmen, sadhus, holymen, and even vendors displaying pictures of Bapu'.* As five o'clock approached, the crowd had grown to several hundred and Gandhi, 78, could be spied, running ten minutes late, approaching slowly along the path, supported by his niece Manuben and adopted daughter Abha (Chatterjee). He was still recovering from his last debilitating fast of five days made for Hindu-Muslim harmony, that he broke on January 18. IMAGE: Herbert Reiner, centre, with the US ambassador to Sierra Leone. Reiner moved closer to the raised platform in the centre of the lawns to get a better glimpse. He said: 'An impulse to see more, and at a closer range, of this Indian leader impelled me to move away from the group in which I had been standing to the edge of the terrace steps'.* He noticed an unidentified man rudely shout out to Gandhi saying 'Gandhiji you are late'. That momentarily slowed Gandhi further, who paused to give him an irritated glance and he moved ahead passing Reiner, and climbed the few steps to the dais when a well-built, short man in a khaki tunic suddenly emerged from the throng into Gandhi's path. He fired three shots from a Beretta at him and Gandhi crumpled, felled to death. It was 5.17 pm. Reiner could not see the pistol, but heard the string of shots and thought it was celebratory firecrackers. The crowd was paralysed in horror as a tall, well-built, man darted forward and caught hold of the assassin by his shoulders and handed him over to the security personnel present. The public began to punch the murderer before he was taken away. The assassin was Nathuram Godse, a high school dropout from Pune. The captor was Herbert Thomas Reiner Jr. Recalled Reiner, who believed Godse was momentarily shocked at how easy it had been to carry out his task: '(Godse) stood nearly motionless with a small Beretta dangling in his right hand and to my knowledge made no attempt to escape or to take his own fire...' 'Moving toward Godse I extended my right arm in an attempt to seize his gun, but in doing so grasped his right shoulder in a manner that spun him into the hands of Royal Indian Air Force men, also spectators, who disarmed him.' 'I then fastened a firm grasp on his neck and shoulders until other military and police took him into custody'.* Robert Stimson of the BBC reported: 'For a few seconds no one could believe what had happened; everyone seemed dazed and numb. And then a young American who had come for prayers rushed forward and seized the shoulders of the man in the khaki coat. That broke the spell...' 'Half a dozen people stooped to lift Gandhi. Others hurled themselves upon the attacker. ... He was overpowered and taken away.' Robert Trumbull of The New York Times, describing the events of that fateful evening, wrote: 'The assassin was seized by Tom Reiner of Lancaster, Mass, a vice consul attached to the American embassy and a recent arrival in India...' 'Mr Reiner grasped the assailant by the shoulders and shoved him toward several police guards. Only then did the crowd begin to grasp what had happened and a forest of fists belabored the assassin.' India was plunged into grief. 'The light has gone out of our lives and there is darkness everywhere... Our light has gone out, but the light that shone in this country was no ordinary light. For a thousand years that light will be seen in this country and the world will see it,' Nehru said. In the coverage of Gandhi's killing in newspapers across the world Reiner's capture of Gandhi's assassin made front page news too. In 1949, Godse was hanged in Ambala jail, after pleas for mercy filed by Gandhi's sons were turned down by Nehru, Patel and India's then governor general Chakravarti Rajagopalachari. That was the year Reiner left India for Korea. Reiner went on to have an eventful and successful career in the US foreign services and was posted to Hungary, Korea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and South Africa with his stint in Johannesburg being, according his family, his most historic one. But those few moments when he made history were not to be forgotten. For Reiner's 10 surviving nieces and nephews -- he never married -- their Uncle Tom was always a hero and was remembered as the American who caught Gandhi's killer. Rediff.com tracked down two of his nephews and one of his nieces and spoke to them on e-mail about their uncle: Eric Reiner recalls: "I did have the opportunity of talking with Uncle Tom, one-on-one about this incident when I was about 10 years old. "In Uncle Tom and my conversation, he, humbly made the story sound quite non dramatic. He told me that when he realised what had happened, and saw that no one was doing anything to respond and as he thought that the killer could escape, he went and grabbed and held the man until he was able to turn the killer over into the custody of the police. "I had hoped for a much more exciting story, but still I realised that moving towards and grabbing a man who had just killed someone with a gun takes uncommon courage. "But this courage proved to be no fluke. Tom had the opportunity to show his courage yet again about three years later as a US foreign service agent manning a communication post near the southern tip of South Korea. "At this time North Korean troops had over run American positions and American GIs were in full retreat and trying to regroup before being pushed off the tip of Korea into the sea. "As the communication post was likely to be overrun, it was ordered evacuated, but Tom did not evacuate. He stayed on and operated the communicationcentre himself, putting saving the lives of the many retreating American soldiers above saving his own." Nephew Edward Reiner remembers: "Uncle Tom was greatly admired by all of us when he made it home to Massachusetts. "We paid close attention in conversation to all his thoughts and assessments. He smoked a pipe, was serious, dignified, and intellectual -- a career diplomat, a highly respected 30 years plus veteran of the foreign service. "Like Gandhi, he served in South Africa. Probably the high point of his career was his post as consul general in Johannesburg. It is my undocumented belief that he was engaged in closed door meetings with those actively pursuing an end to apartheid." Edward Reiner felt his uncle, perhaps influenced by Gandhi, had played a constructive role in South Africa as a consul general. "I know my Uncle Tom chose to invite African and African-American performers to the consulate, such as Miriam Makeba and Louis Armstrong. In my mind, this was clear signalling of where his sympathies lay, with the oppressed and those active in the struggle. "We may never know what support he may have offered in closed-door sessions with members of the African National Congress, the liberation movement. It is a safe bet that he stood for equality, democracy, and self-rule. "He was an exotic with us cousins for several reasons.He had a polished, worldly air of sophistication. With intelligent blue eyes, he would thoughtfully draw on his aromatic pipe. Not one for small talk, we felt his faith in our intellect as he offered up his views on world affairs and crisis situations. He had lady friends, but never married. "The focus of his life was his work in the diplomatic corps of the US state department, some 35 years of dedicated service. "The bungalow beside the Nashua river (the family home and Reiner's home in the US) was like a museum for us children with artwork and artefacts from all over the world: camel saddles, brass samovars, African masks, ivory elephants, Chinese lions, jade carvings, etc. "There were many wonders to lay our eyes on. They opened our imaginations to the cultures of the world. "Tom told us about his work helping Liberia and Sierra Leone develop as independent nations. He helped Sierra Leone establish its independence and set up a government in the post-colonial era, 1961. "We saw the clippings from The New York Times reporting his role in capturing and subduing Gandhi's assassin, January 30, 1948. He was humble in telling his story, but my mother supplied us with typed copies of the four-page letter he sent home to his mother. "His state department training taught him the importance of writing down the details of events and meetings, so this was a well-crafted, detailed letter that put us children right in the middle of the events and captured our imaginations. "I was not shy about telling my teachers and classmates about my Uncle Tom! We saw him in heroic fashion. His surefooted alertness and reaction, when others hesitated, spoke volumes." Niece Margaret Reiner Morris says: "I am Uncle Tom's oldest living relative -- a frightening thought -- and I was 2 at the time of Gandhi's death. So none of us remembers the actual event, but it was "in the air" in our family for quite awhile. "Uncle Tom was a romantic figure to me as a little girl. He was worldly and awesome. But approachable, He brought me presents from foreign lands -- Siam, France, China, India, Africa. When he visited, talk often turned to the Gandhi assassination and what he had experienced as a result of his involvement in that, as well as to more recent adventures he had had. "My family talked about Gandhi's beliefs and his way of advancing them, and we were all touched by him. "I was very moved and impressed by what our family considered his heroic act in holding onto the assassin. I am still very impressed and proud. "I have been very aware of Gandhi, the moral genius of his century, all my life. If a book comes out, I read it. If a movie comes out, I see it. I have special feelings for India because of him. I even took a couple years of Sanskrit, just because it was from India. "As a child, I told just about just about everyone that Uncle Tom had caught Gandhi's assassin. This was usually met with disbelief because I did elaborate on the truth from time to time, but after a couple years or more, I did have a clipping from our local newspaper about my grandmother's (Reiner's mother's) trip to Liberia to see Uncle Tom, and it mentioned that her son had captured Gandhi's assassin. So I had some degree of documentation. "I still tell people about it, especially if they are from India. But to make it sound less like bragging which of course it is, I kind of make a sort of joke about it, like I really think I reflect his glory. "People still often think I'm joking, but now, with the Internet, they'll tell me later they looked it up, and now they believe me. Even though now I am pretty committed to telling the truth at all times, though I try to do it kindly. "In general, people in my age range and down to about age 45 or 50, are interested in the story and know and care about Gandhi, but the younger people in this country are not very aware of him, which is very sad." *Saco -- The Rice Paddy by Stratton Olin Roy **Gandhi: The Years That Changed The World 1914-1948 by Ramachandra Guha Photographs: With kind permission of the Reiner family A father-of-two who was convicted of murdering his ex-wife and her new partner in 1997 was executed last night after spending 20 years on death row. Donnie Lance, 66, was given a lethal injection of pentobarbital at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson at 9.05pm last night, despite several last-minute appeals. His last meal request was two chili steak burgers, French fries, onion rings, mustard, ketchup and a soda. He was sentenced to death for killing ex-wife Sabrina 'Joy' Lance and Dwight 'Butch' Wood Jr in November 1997. Donnie Lance, 66, (left) was given a lethal injection of pentobarbital in Jackson, Georgia, at 9.05pm last night. He was sentenced to death for killing ex-wife Sabrina 'Joy' Lance (right, with Lance and their two children) and Dwight 'Butch' Wood Jr in Novermber 1997 But his execution was delayed for almost two hours while the US Supreme Court discussed the application for a stay of execution in relation to claims of alleged prosecutorial misconduct. It was denied, alongside a petition for a writ for a review and a request to have his sentence reduced to life in prison. His children, Stephanie Cape and Jessie Lance, also wrote a letter to the parole board begging them to let their father live. Mr Wood (pictured) had been shot twice with a shotgun and Ms Lance had been beaten to death Lance's victims were found at the Jackson home of Mr Wood on November 9, 1997. Mr Wood had been shot twice with a shotgun and Mrs Lance had been beaten to death. Associate Joe Moore helped Lance get rid of shotgun shells. Lance then allegedly told him, 'Daddy could buy him out of a bunch of places, but he can't buy him out of hell,' according to the Mirror. The bodies of Lance's victims were found at Butch's home in Jackson on November 9, 1997 - with the murders estimated to have taken place between midnight and 5am, a court summary details. Lance was known to have a history of abusing his ex-wife, including kidnappings, beatings and strangulation. Associate Joe Moore helped Lance get rid of shotgun shells. Lance then allegedly told him, 'Daddy could buy him out of a bunch of places, but he can't buy him out of hell' Lance was known to have a history of abusing his ex-wife, including kidnappings, beatings and strangulation Lance denied his guilt in the case, and his lawyers say no proof showing he committed the crimes was presented at the trial He also threatened to set her on fire and kill her with a gun and chainsaw. According to the Mirror several witnesses also testified that Lance threatened to kill his ex-wife if she ever tried to divorce him. Lance denied his guilt in the case, and his lawyers say no proof showing he committed the crimes was presented at the trial. In trying to overturn his conviction over the last two decades, Lance's defense team had unsuccessfully asked that DNA evidence be re-examined and that a new trial be held. They hoped the US Supreme Court would grant a last-minute stay of execution in light of those requests, but the court denied the stay Wednesday just before the execution was scheduled. Lance is the second person executed in the United States this year, after a man in Texas earlier this month. Lance became the 53rd offender put to death by lethal injection. There are currently 42 men and one woman under death sentence in Georgia. There have been 74 men and one woman executed in Georgia since the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976. UK car manufacturing output was dented by factors including weakened consumer and business confidence. Photo: AP Photo/Paul Thomas UK car manufacturing plunged a further 14.2% last year, sending overall production to its lowest level in nearly a decade. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said on Thursday that weak consumer and business confidence, slower demand from overseas, a shift away from diesel, and Brexit-related factory slowdowns were to blame. The countrys auto industry produced 1.3 million units in 2019, the weakest output since 2010, the SMMT said. It was the third consecutive year of declines for the sector. The figures come as it emerged that Ralf Speth, the long-standing CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, will step back from his position later this year. Under Speths leadership, the carmaker has been forced to shed thousands of jobs and overhaul its business amid sharp losses resulting from the same spurning of diesel that has weakened the industry overall. Car production in 2019 was dented by a fall in both the domestic and export markets. Manufacturing for domestic car buyers fell by 12.3%, while the total produced for export plummeted by 14.7%. READ MORE: Jaguar Land Rover cuts 500 jobs in 'further blow' to UK car industry The fall of UK car manufacturing to its lowest level in almost a decade is of grave concern. Every country in the world wants a successful automotive sector as it is a driver of trade, productivity, and jobs, said Mike Hawes, the CEO of the SMMT. Although shipments to the European Union declined by more than 11%, it still remains the UK car industrys most important market. Its overall share of exports climbed by 2 percentage points, to 54.8%. The SMMT thus called for an ambitious trade deal with the EU in order to drive growth and prosperity for the sector. Given the uncertainty the sector has experienced, it is essential we re-establish our global competitiveness and that starts with an ambitious free trade agreement with Europe, one that guarantees all automotive products can be bought and sold without tariffs or additional burdens, Hawes said. Meanwhile, the outgoing Jaguar Land Rover CEO will remain on the board of Tata Sons (TCS.NS), the parent company of the carmakers owner. He will also continue to advise the carmaker. Benjamin Duddles, 47, from Wisconsin, has been charged with misdemeanor counts related to drug possession and unlawful phone use after allegedly harassing police dispatchers over the phone A Wisconsin man with a well-documented history of making frivolous calls to the police was apparently in the mood for love when cops say he repeatedly called 911, asking dispatchers to 'fool around' and 'spend quality time' with him. Benjamin Duddles, 47, from Waukesha, was arrested last week on misdemeanor counts related to drug possession and unlawful phone use stemming from his communications with 911 dispatchers. According to a criminal complaint obtained by The Smoking Gun, Duddles was high on THC when he dialed a non-emergency line at the Waukesha Police Department four times in a span of 37 minutes on January 21, and propositioned both male and female dispatchers. During one exchange with a female employee, the lovelorn caller said: 'it would be super duper cool if we could spend some quality time together,' to which the woman replied that she did not know him and had no intention of taking him up on his offer. On another call, Duddles allegedly asked a male dispatcher: well, do you wanna, you know, fool around?' The operator flat-out rejected Duddles' amorous advances. On a third call, Duddles requested a welfare check at his residence on Perkins Avenue, according to the complaint. A search of Duddles' home in Waukesha (pictured) yielded a glass smoking pipe and a green plant-like substance that tested positive for THC When officers responded to the man's home, they reportedly found a glass smoking pipe and a green plant-like substance, which subsequently tested positive for THC. Court records indicate that in November 2019, Duddles called the non-emergency line at the police department to tell operators that he 'loved them.' He also asked for the phone number of YouTube so he could watch Grateful Dead videos. An officer was sent to his home and warned him not to call the police unless he had a valid reason. Duddles responded by saying he 'loved talking to dispatchers and officers.' The Wisconsin man made national headlines in November 2013 when he called 911 asking police to come and remove a snoring woman from his bed. Duddles told police he and the woman 'drank together, had relations and she fell asleep'. When he couldn't rouse the slumbering woman suffering from sleep apnea, he called police, according to a Waukesha Police Department report. Duddles complained the unidentified woman was 'now snoring like a train and he wants her out', The Smoking Gun reported at the time. Police suggested Duddles sleep on the couch after reminding him that a snoring woman was not a police matter. He was not arrested. Two defunct satellites racing across the sky at a combined speed of 33,000 miles an hour narrowly missed smashing into each other on Wednesday night. The satellites - a pioneering international space telescope and an experimental US craft travelling in opposing orbits - crossed paths 550 miles above Pittsburgh 'without incident' according to US Space Command, which is part of the US Department of Defence. Satellite tracking company LeoLabs had predicted there was a one in 1,000 chance of a collision. If the satellites had collided, they would have created a cloud of debris, endangering other spacecraft orbiting the Earth, NASA said. But the US space agency added the collision would have posed no danger to anyone on the ground. The Infrared Astronomical Satellites (IRAS) space telescope was launched in 1983 as a joint project of NASA, Great Britain, and the Netherlands, and its mission lasted only 10 months Space junk has become a growing concern as the debris in Earth's orbit has the potential to cause damage to other active communication and research satellites. It is estimated there are 4,500 satellites in orbit, of which 3,000 are inactive. 'Events like this highlight the need for responsible, timely deorbiting of satellites for space sustainability moving forward,' LeoLabs said in a Tweet. The last time a huge collision occurred was in 2009 when an inactive Russian communications satellite known as Kosmos-2251 smashed into an active US commercial satellite called Iridium 33. The event produced more than 1,000 pieces of large debris in addition to thousands of smaller ones. While the debris didn't directly hit any other satellite, it did force the International Space Station to perform an avoidance manoeuvre two years later in 2011. In 2009 commercial communications satellite Iridium 33 collided with the derelict Russian military satellite Kosmos-2251 at a speed of 26,000 miles per hour - the blue lines in this graphic show the orbit of the thousands of pieces of debris that resulted in the crash There are around 20,000 catalogued pieces of debris bigger than a softball orbiting the planet, travelling at speeds up to 17,500 miles per hour. Satellite operators have to frequently adjust their trajectory accordingly, which isn't possible once a satellite dies. 'Imagine how dangerous sailing the high seas would be if all the ships ever lost in history were still drifting on top of the water,' says ESA Director General Jan Worner. 'That is the current situation in orbit, and it cannot be allowed to continue.' Last month, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced plans to remove debris from orbit as part of its ClearSpace-1 mission, which is planned for launch in 2025. ESA will commission the technology and operations of the mission from commercial companies in a hope of 'triggering a new industry in deorbit services'. In the same way private rocket launch companies take payment for putting satellites in orbit, in future private organisations could be paid to bring them back down. The greatest potential love story of our time has already come to a crushing end. Billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has scrapped plans for a dating show on which he'd search for a girlfriend to take to space after receiving more than 27,000 applications, The Verge reports. Maezawa, who's planning a trip around the moon with SpaceX in 2023, previously announced he was seeking a "life partner" to join him, writing that "with that future partner of mine, I want to shout our love and world peace from outer space." This was to be part of a "match-making event," a TV documentary called Full Moon Lovers. But Maezawa has now announced that actually, never mind, writing on Twitter that "due to personal reasons, I have informed AbemaTV yesterday with my decision to no longer participate in the matchmaking documentary, hence requested for the cancellation of the show." Full Moon Lovers will presumably no longer come to be, unless some other billionaire also seeking a space girlfriend can take over at the last minute. Apparently, though, Maezawa's plan for the trip around the moon remain, per BBC News. Meanwhile, the bidding war in Hollywood for the rights to a Full Moon Lovers romantic comedy is presumably already underway. More stories from theweek.com Mitch McConnell's rare blunder John Bolton just vindicated Nancy Pelosi All the president's turncoats This security camera image shows men identified as Michael Taylor and George Zayek during their checkpoint processing at the Istanbul Airport in Istanbul, Turkey. They are suspected of smuggling Carlos Ghosn out of Japan to Lebanon via Istanbul. TOKYO Tokyo prosecutors issued an arrest warrant Thursday for Nissan's former chairman Carlos Ghosn, who skipped bail while awaiting trial in Japan and is now in Lebanon. Japan has no extradition treaty with Lebanon, so he's unlikely to be arrested. Lebanon has indicated it will not hand over Ghosn. Tokyo prosecutors also issued arrest warrants for three Americans they said helped and planned his escape, Michael Taylor, George-Antoine Zayek and Peter Taylor. Deputy Chief Prosecutor Takahiro Saito declined to say where the three men were thought to be staying. He said Michael Taylor and George Zayek are suspected of helping Ghosn flee by hiding him in cargo at a Japanese airport and getting him into a private jet to leave the country. Saito would not say if Japan has asked U.S. authorities for help, though he said all options were being explored. Japan and the U.S. have an extradition treaty. Michael Taylor is a former Green Beret and private security specialist. Peter Taylor appears to be his son. Security footage released earlier showed Zayek and Taylor transiting Istanbul Airport at the same time Ghosn allegedly passed through Turkey on his way to Beirut. Prosecutors suspect Peter Taylor met several times with Ghosn in Tokyo, starting in July last year, to plot his escape. Saito said Ghosn was given a key to a hotel room in Osaka near the Kansai Airport that Ghosn left from. Prosecutors say Ghosn broke the law by violating bail conditions that required him to stay in Japan, mostly at his Tokyo home. We want to stress that the act of fleeing was clearly wrong, Saito told reporters. We need to erase the misunderstanding. Separately, Saito said prosecutors on Wednesday forced open a lock to search the Tokyo office of Ghosn's former defense lawyer Junichiro Hironaka for records of people Ghosn met with while out on bail, and other materials. Prosecutors are asking a judge for help in accessing contents of a computer Ghosn used at Hironaka's office that the lawyer has refused to hand over, citing attorney-client privilege. Story continues Ghosn has said he is innocent of allegations he under-reported his future income and committed a breach of trust by diverting Nissan money for his personal gain. He says the compensation was never decided on or received, and the Nissan payments were for legitimate business purposes. Ghosn has lashed out at the Japanese judicial system, saying he fled because he could not expect a fair trial, was subjected to unfair conditions in detention and was barred from meeting his wife under his bail conditions. He contends others at Nissan Motor Co., which he led for two decades, drove him out to prevent a fuller merger with its French alliance partner Renault. Ghosn's dramatic escape, while under the watch of surveillance cameras inside and outside his home, is an embarrassment for Japanese authorities. He is believed to have traveled by train to Osaka and then left via Kansai Airport, reportedly by hiding in a box for audio or musical equipment. Ghosn has not shared specifics of his escape. The maximum penalty under Japanese law for illegally leaving the country is one year in prison or 300,000 yen ($2,750) in fines, or both. The maximum penalty for hiding a criminal or helping a criminal escape is three years in prison or 300,000 yen ($2,750) in fines. Related Video: Click here to See Video >> The UAE Space Agency, in partnership with Luxembourg Space Agency and Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) recently organised the UAE/Luxembourg Space Investor Forum workshop in Abu Dhabi. The workshop was held at ADGM Authorities Building on Al Maryah Island, on the side-line of an official economic mission headed by Crown Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg and led by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy of Luxembourg Etienne Schneider. The event brought together high-level officials from both the UAE and Luxembourg to convene with investment stakeholders, companies, and experts from the space industry and public authorities to exchange experiences in space sector investment trends. The delegation from the UAE Space Agency was led by Dr Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Higher Education and Advanced Skills and Chairman of the UAE Space Agency, and Dr Eng. Mohammed Nasser Al Ahbabi, director general of the UAE Space Agency. The UAE Space Agency highlighted its Space Investment Promotion Plan and its role in supporting UAE investors accessing opportunities, as well as strategic benefits derived from involvement in the sector. The Investment Promotion Plan builds upon the UAEs growing national space sector, supports international partnerships, and encourages investment in the space sector in the UAE and abroad. The workshop also discussed the investment opportunities and trends in the space industry in the European market and showcased Luxembourg as a gateway to the European space investment market with a particular focus on the prominent supply chain companies that exist there. Dr Al Falasi, in his capacity as chairman of the UAE Space Agency, said, We are delighted to have partnered with the Luxembourg Space Agency and Abu Dhabi Global Market for this workshop. This event falls in line with our efforts to promote international collaboration in order to expedite the processes of sharing knowledge and contributing to the global space industry. As we enter one of the UAE space sectors most exciting years with the upcoming launch of the Emirates Mars Mission, it is essential that we continue building on these valued relationships and partnerships. We believe that investment in space exploration is essential for establishing a diversified economy, particularly since we can utilize space in a way that generates ancillary benefits which contribute to building a sustainable future on earth for the benefit of humanity, Dr Al Falasi added. Dr Al Ahbabi said: As a regional leader in space exploration and investment, the UAE Space Agency is keen to act as a facilitator to UAE investors. With support from the Luxembourg Space Agency through our existing bilateral agreement with them, we are able to access the European space market, allowing us to share knowledge, experiences and resources. As part of the workshop, we have successfully showcased our Investment Promotion Plan, which will allow the UAEs space program to flourish both locally and internationally, with the added benefit of having companies from Luxembourg look at the UAE as a potential gateway to the region. Etienne Schneider said: Like the UAE, Luxembourg is investing substantial financial and organizational resources in the transformation of the space sector. Since the 1980s, the Grand Duchy has been at the forefront of commercial and co-operative initiatives, shaping a vibrant space economy in pragmatic and progressive ways. A task helped by the fact that with SES, we are home to the world leading provider of satellite telecoms infrastructure. The workshop, supported by the Embassy of Luxembourg in Abu Dhabi, saw attendees participate in discussions that will drive forward the UAE space industry as well as current and future partnerships between the UAE and Europe. The UAE space sector has made significant achievements, in collaboration with European entities; including the joint venture between the UAE-based satellite operator, Yahsat, and world-leading satellite operator SES, which dates back to 2009. The joint venture, Yahlive, currently serves around 13 million satellite TV homes in the region. The UAE / Luxembourg Space Investment Forum serves as an extension of the UAE Space Agencys partnership with the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, which defines a framework for collaboration and the exchange of information and expertise in space science, research and technology. TradeArabia News Service A striking mural featuring Tomas MacCurtain and Terence MacSwiney has been unveiled at their former primary school. Fionnuala MacCurtain, a grand-daughter of Tomas MacCurtain, and Cathal MacSwiney Brugha, a grandson of both MacSwiney and Cathal Brugha, were among the guests of honour at yesterdays unveiling yesterday of the large outdoor mural at the North Monastery primary school in Fairhill, on the citys northside. The mural was painted by artist Alan Hurley, well-known for his work with Reimagine Cork. While the two legendary Lord Mayors, whose deaths in office in 1920 played a key role in the struggle for Irish independence, are focal points in the mural, it also features other famous figures who walked the schools corridors, including music legend Rory Gallagher; actor and comedian Niall Toibin; athlete Mark Carroll; hurling legends Sean Og O hAilpin, Tomas Mulcahy, and Patrick Horgan; former Taoiseach Jack Lynch; and actor Jonathan Rhys Myers. Vice principal Colin Daly said the school wanted to honour MacCurtain and MacSwiney during this, the year of commemoration, but felt it was important to honour other famous alumni too. MacCurtain and MacSwiney set the standard for the other past pupils over the years. Their commitment to the cause of Irish independence inspired others to display the same level of commitment in their chosen fields. A past pupil of the school himself, Mr Daly said he, as a student, was always very conscious of the schools heritage and history. The teachers instilled in us a sense of pride and passion in the school, he said. They reminded us that these people walked these hallways and that we are part of that, we felt a connection to it. We hope this mural will give todays students a sense of belonging to that tradition and a sense that they too can achieve great things. Former Lord Mayor Danny Wallace, representing the North Monastery Past Pupils Union, said he was honoured to attend. In 1985, as a proud North Mon boy, I was elected to the office of Lord Mayor and I had the honour of wearing the chain of office that was put on the shoulders of Tomas MacCurtain 100 years ago today, he said. New Delhi, Jan 30 : Even as air traffic volume has multiplied since 2003 when the SARS epidemic hit the aviation sector, the latest outbreak of the deadly coronavirus in China threatens to substantially disrupt the airline business which continues to be highly vulnerable to shocks and fears arising from infectious diseases. The robust growth in China's aviation sector has seen an additional 450 million passengers flying to and from China and within the country annually compared with a decade ago. India has also seen exponential growth in air traffic since the launch of the first low-cost carrier Air Deccan in August 2003. "While there are risks that this outbreak could cause a sizable disruption, history indicates that any effect on air transport would be temporary," global airlines body International Air Transport Association (IATA) has said. Monthly international passenger traffic returned to its pre-crisis level in nine months after the SARS crisis. In the past decades, SARS has been the most serious epidemic impacting traffic volumes of airlines. At the height of the outbreak (May 2003), monthly demand measured in terms of revenue passenger kilometre (RPKs) of Asia-Pacific airlines were 35 per cent lower than their pre-crisis levels. "Overall in 2003, the loss of confidence and fears of global spread impacted both business and leisure travel to, from and within the region, resulting in Asia-Pacific airlines losing 8 per cent of annual RPKs and $6 billion of revenues," IATA said in its report. The airline grouping said that the 2005 and 2013 episodes of avian flu had a much milder and shortlived impact and air travel rebounded quickly as the fears of global spread of virus eased. "In the most recent episode of MERS Flu, which was focused more on a single country, the initial impact was a sharp slowdown, i.e. a 12 per cent decline in monthly RPKs to, from and within South Korea in the first month of the outbreak. However, air travel volumes began to recover after two months and had returned to pre-outbreak levels within 6 months," noted the report. The spread of coronavirus seems far more ferocious compared to SARS and several countries have reported confirmed cases of infection. Ever since the outbreak, 172 people have died of the infection and over 7,000 infected with the deadly virus. The Chinese city of Wuhan has been the epicentre of coronavirus outbreak. India saw its first confirmed case of infection in Kerala on Thursday triggering panic. The two Indian carriers Air India and IndiGo have suspended or curtailed their operations to Chinese cities and Hong Kong. Air India has temporarily suspended its flights to Shanghai and reduced frequency to Hong Kong in the wake of rising worries of viral infections. Private carrier IndiGo has also halted its operations to Hong Kong and the Chinese city of Chengdu. German flag carrier Lufthansa along with Swiss and Austrian airlines have cancelled all flights to and from mainland China until February 9. Additionally, it has closed sales for all flights to mainland China until February 29. Many other global carriers have temporarily suspended flights to and from China as a precautionary measure. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) SERGEI GAPON/AFP via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump and his allies are promoting comments made by former national security adviser John Bolton as part of their impeachment defense, even as those same voices have sought to undermine Bolton's credibility in the wake of allegations reputedly contained in his forthcoming book. On Wednesday afternoon, Jay Sekulow, the president's personal attorney, alluded to an interview Bolton taped in August with Radio Free Europe, during which the former aide described Trump's conversations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as "warm and cordial" and noted that the two discussed efforts to curb corruption in Kiev. Within hours of Sekulow's presentation on the Senate floor, the Bolton interview clip ricocheted through Republican media channels. Both the Republican National Committee and the White House flagged Bolton's soundbite in emails that were blasted out to reporters, before ultimately landing at a familiar destination: the president's Twitter feed. Bolton's comments in the August interview bear little resemblance to accounts documented in a manuscript of his unpublished book, according to reports in The New York Times. The newspaper reported this week that Bolton's manuscript contains allegations that the president sought to withhold military aid to Ukraine as leverage to pressure Zelenskiy to announce investigations into the president's domestic political opponents. Trump on Monday pushed back on allegations reportedly laid out in Bolton's book and accused him of exaggerating claims "only to sell a book." The president's legal team has followed his lead. On Tuesday, Sekulow called the contents of Bolton's book "inadmissible." On Wednesday -- less than an hour after Sekulow mentioned Bolton's comments to Radio Free Europe -- another of the president's lawyers, White House deputy counsel Patrick Philbin, referred to Bolton as "disgruntled." Completing the curious shift in his political standing, Democrats have showed signs of support for Bolton, the longtime Republican stalwart, and took note on Wednesday of former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly's vote of confidence in Bolton's credibility. "If John Bolton says that in the book, I believe John Bolton," Kelly told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. In stopping short of a full-throated endorsement of Bolton, Democrats have instead used revelations in his book to amplify their position that he and other witnesses should be called to testify in the Senate's impeachment trial. "Don't take my word for it about John Bolton," Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, late Wednesday. "I'm no fan of John Bolton -- although I like a little more than I used to -- but you should hear from him, you should want to. Don't take General Kelly's view for it, make up your own mind." ABC News reported Thursday that Senate Republicans believe they have enough votes to prevent witnesses from being called. The full Senate could vote on a likely acquittal as early as Saturday. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. As Chief Operations Officer, Dave will be responsible for driving the continued growth of Arranta's operations, including the ongoing expansion of the company's Microbiome process development center of excellence in Gainesville, FL as well as operationalizing Arranta's new best-in-class GMP facility in Watertown, MA. He is an accomplished business leader with a demonstrated track record of success within the contract development and manufacturing services industry. Dave brings over 20 years of broad operational and commercial experience in the CRO and CDMO sectors. Most recently, Dave served as the Senior Vice President & Head of AMRI's Drug Product business unit where he had responsibility for sales and operations. During his tenure, he led the division through a period of significant growth and capacity expansion. Prior to that, Dave held roles of increasing responsibility at Aptuit and Charles River Laboratories in the UK, Italy and USA. Dave holds an MBA in strategy, finance and marketing from the University of Edinburgh and an undergraduate degree in Business. Jason Rahal has over 25 years of experience in biotechnology. Prior to joining Arranta as SVP of Business Development, Jason was a member of the senior management team at Cobra Biologics, a CDMO providing ATMP services including Live Biotherapeutic Products (LBPs) with facilities in the United Kingdom and Sweden. Jason initially joined Cobra as VP Business Development in 2002, as the first US based employee to establish the company's presence in North America, he was promoted to SVP Business Development in 2006. Prior to Cobra, Jason worked at Excell Biotech, a biologics CDMO based in Edinburgh, Scotland and Stratagene Cloning Systems based in La Jolla, CA in various business development and sales positions. Jason has a strong background in molecular and cell biology, beginning his career at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL managing a molecular endocrinology laboratory with several peer reviewed publications. Jason holds a BA in Biology and Studio Art from Knox College. "I am delighted to have two experienced leaders join Arranta Bio's senior team as we continue to build out our organization and invest in facilities as the leading end-to-end dedicated CDMO supporting microbiome pioneers with our services" said Mark Bamforth, President & CEO of Arranta. Almost 200 companies are actively exploring the linkage between diseases and the microbiome millions of bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses that live inside and on the human body in order to identify therapeutic targets. Scientists have called it the second genome, and in fact, the number of genes in the microbes making up one person's microbiome is estimated to be at least 200 times the number in the human genome. Over the last decade, there has been rapid acceleration in scientific understanding of the composition and functions of the gut microbiota. Arranta is proud to be the leading CDMO focused on supporting the supply needs of these innovators. About Arranta Bio Founded in 2019, Arranta Bio is a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) specifically established to focus on serving companies seeking to develop and commercialize therapies targeting the human microbiome. Arranta Bio acquired CaptozymeTM the leader in process development and clinical contract manufacturing for microbiome pioneers whose experienced team has worked with and developed processes for over 125 different species spanning 80 different genera of live biotherapeutics since 2009. Headed by a management team and technical experts with a proven track record in both process development and contract manufacturing through fermentation to lyophilization and encapsulation of live biopharmaceuticals, Arranta offers the knowledge and resources necessary to help clients develop and manufacture promising new microbiome therapies to meet the needs of patients. Additional information about Arranta is available at www.arrantabio.com. Enquiries can be sent to [email protected] About Ampersand Capital Partners Founded in 1988, Ampersand is a middle market private equity firm dedicated to growth-oriented investments in the healthcare sector. With offices in Boston, MA and Amsterdam, Netherlands, Ampersand leverages a unique blend of private equity and operating experience to build value and drive superior long-term performance alongside its portfolio company management teams. Ampersand has helped build numerous market-leading companies across each of its core healthcare sectors, including Avista Pharma Solutions, Brammer Bio, Confluent Medical, Genewiz, Genoptix, Talecris Biotherapeutics, and Viracor-IBT Laboratories. Additional information about Ampersand is available at www.ampersandcapital.com Arranta Bio Media contact: Guy Tiene That's Nice LLC T: +1 212 366 4455 E: [email protected] SOURCE Arranta Bio Related Links http://www.ampersandcapital.com 1-16-20 Trooper was dispatched to a Larceny of silver coins on Wedge Rd., Watertown Twp., Sanilac County. Coins were located under the garage stairway steps in a box. There were no signs of forced entry. It appears that a family member could possibly be a suspect. The complainant did not want family members interviewed. According to the complainant he had both American and Canadian coins totally 50 lbs. value $16,000. These coins were left to him by his father. Trooper was dispatched to a one car rollover accident on Forester Rd. Bridgehampton Twp., Sanilac County. Driver was traveling westbound on Forester Rd. when he started to slide on the ice causing him to go off the road overturning on its side. Driver issued citation for violation basic speed law-too fast. No injuries. Trooper was dispatched to Lakeshore Rd. Carsonville, Sanilac County for a harassment complaint. Complainant stated that he had been receiving telephone calls about his stance on the second amendment. He also received questions on his Facebook. The complainant is a commissioner in Sanilac County. The officer found no threats were committed and the caller just requested an answer on his view of people's gun rights. Trooper was dispatched to M-25 near Bradleyville Rd., Tuscola county for semi-car accident. Both vehicle was traveling westbound on M-25, when vehicle #2 slowed down to signal to turn south on Bradleyville Rd. The semi-tractor trailer failed to yield hitting vehicle #2 in the rear. Driver of semi-tractor was cited for failure to stop in assured clear distance. No injuries. Trooper was dispatched to Wilcox Rd., Novesta Twp., Tuscola County. Complainant stated that her nephew who is currently her caregiver she did not want him to care for her any longer. Both parties were arguing, no assault took place. Both parties agree to stop arguing and contact her case worker in the morning to acquire about a new care taker. Troopers were dispatched to a possible suicide at 2 Main St., Mayville, Tuscola County. Once troopers arrived a 27-year-old male stated that he was depressed and took a handful of different pills. The mother who was also at the residence stated her son has been fighting depression for some time. The male agreed to go to the hospital to be evaluated. Troopers were dispatched to Murdogs restaurant on Caro Rd., Almer Twp., Tuscola County. Troopers arrived and found no signs of forcible entry. Key holder advised alarm was malfunctioning. Trooper were dispatched to an antique shop in the city of Sandusky, Sanilac County. A anonymous subject called central dispatch stating that one of the shop's door was open. (business closed) Officers arrived at the scene and found all the doors were secure. The owner sent a friend to check the business. The entire exterior was checked, and officers cleared. Troopers were dispatched to Lobdell Rd., Fremont Twp., Tuscola County for a car/deer accident. No injuries. Troopers were dispatched to a one car PDA on Lakeshore Rd., Lexington Twp., Sanilac County. Vehicle was traveling south on Lakeshore Rd. when she hit a patch of ice causing her vehicle to cross the middle lane and spin around. The rear end of her vehicle crashed into a fence. Driver was cited for speed to fast for conditions. Troopers were dispatched to a domestic assault complaint on Wells Rd. Indianfields Twp., Tuscola County. Troopers arrived at the scene and met with the complainant who stated that the call was accidental. Troopers revealed no physical assault or argument occurred between the complainant and the juvenile at the residence. Troopers were dispatched to Cedar Run Rd., Elmwood Twp., Tuscola County for suspicious vehicle following the complainant home to her residence. Vehicle was described as a dark colored SUV no registration obtained, no description of driver. Complainant stated that she filed a complaint in Cass City yesterday against a female subject harassing her on Facebook. She thought it might have something to do with this complaint. Contact was made with the suspect in the harassing complaint and she stated she had been home all night. She does not own a SUV vehicle either. Officers cleared. Troopers were dispatched to Washburn Rd., Vassar Twp., Tuscola County to a possible domestic. Troopers arrived and met with the complainant and her live-in boyfriend. Both stated they were arguing about their children. They both agreed no assault took place. Troopers cleared. Troopers assisted Vassar Area Food Pantry at Shop-Rite Food Center at 500 Goodrich St. Vassar, Tuscola County. Donations were being received both non-Perishable and monetary donations for the Pantry who ran out of money in late December. Thousands of items and monies were received from the community. 1-18-20 Troopers were dispatched to a single vehicle accident on Barrons Rd., Kingston Twp., Tuscola County. Vehicle was eastbound when it lost control of vehicle on icy roadway driving into a ditch. Towed from scene. No injuries. Troopers were dispatched to a single vehicle PDA. Vehicle was traveling westbound on Saginaw Rd. near Huron & Eastern Railway Vassar Twp., Tuscola County. Driver noticed the railroad signal became activated and attempted to slow down. While trying to stop, the vehicle went off the roadway with the weight of the tank the caused the vehicle to flip on its side. No injuries. Violation basic speed law citation issued. Troopers were dispatched to Graf Rd. Almer Twp., Tuscola County for a vehicle in the ditch. Driver stated he was going northbound and drove over a snow-covered portion of the road. Once driving over this area he lost control of his vehicle going into a ditch. No Injuries. Citation issued for Speed too fast. Trooper was dispatched to a single vehicle accident on Dodge Rd., near Kelly Rd., Novesta Twp., Tuscola County. Driver was northbound on Dodge Rd. when he hit a patch of ice causing him to leave to roadway to the left hitting a tree. No injuries. Vehicle towed from the scene. Driver cited for speed too fast for conditions. Troopers were dispatched to Rupprecht Rd. Vassar Twp., Tuscola County for a possible domestic altercation. Troopers arrived at the scene and the complainant stated she called 911 because her husband had been drinking and they were arguing. It was determined no assault took place and the complainant stated she was no longer scared. Officers cleared. 1-19-20 Troopers dispatched to East Caro Rd., Almer Twp., Tuscola County. Subject stated he lost his wallet and house/car keys. Subject stated that he looked inside the house several times but could not locate them. He believes that someone could have taken them out of his house. He had neighbors over to his residence. He requested that the officers not talk with his neighbors at this time. He wanted a police report for his bank cards only. 1-20-20 Troopers were dispatched to Dollar General on State Rd. in Millington, Tuscola County for a B & E alarm. Troopers checked the business and found the building was secured. Trooper was dispatched to a B & E alarm on Tamarack Drive. Dayton Twp., Tuscola County. Upon arrival the trooper was contacted and advised the alarm company cancelled the call. The trooper made contact with the homeowner and was advised the wrong numbers were placed into the alarm. Trooper was dispatched to First Street in Vassar, Tuscola County for a threats complaint by telephone. The trooper made contact with the complainant who stated that she received threats via text from her ex-boyfriend whom they have a child in common. Both parties blamed the other for starting the dispute. The trooper advised both to go forward without any contact until the friend of the court decided on certain issues they were disputing about. Trooper was dispatched to a fraud complaint on Sanilac Rd. Denmark Twp., Tuscola County. The complainant stated that he a total of $2,600 in gift cards to what he believed was an eBay account. He was attempting to purchase a vehicle and the seller told him via email (invoice) to purchase $1,600 in eBay gift cards and forward the card numbers to the seller's email. Complainant did this and days later the seller told him to send another $1,000 to cover the insurance and transportation. The complainant sent another $1000.00. Once the vehicle did not arrive on the date promised he became suspicious. eBay fraud department was given information. Trooper was dispatched Vassar Rd. Millington Twp., Tuscola County for a civil matter regarding a child custody case. Trooper made contact with both parties and it was decided the child would stay at the residence with his mother. The father had specific days and times he was allowed to have the child. Trooper cleared without incident. Trooper was dispatched to a car/deer on Clifford Rd. near Pattison Rd. Dayton Twp., Tuscola County. Trooper was dispatched to assist Port Sanilac Fire Department for an elderly woman walking down M-25 in the city limits. Trooper made contact with the 88-year-old female who appeared to be having a hard time remembering where she lived. The trooper transported the female to Pope apartments where she resided. Trooper was working patrol on Galbraith Rd. Worth Twp., Sanilac County stopping a vehicle for speed 73/55 mph zone. Driver was cited for speed/no insurance. Trooper was dispatched to Jordan Rd. Speaker Twp., Sanilac County for a domestic complaint. Trooper arrived at the residence and made contact with the complainant. She stated she and her husband have been separated for the past three months. She came to his residence either to retrieve property and/or attempt to work things out with him. He stated that he would not talk with her while he had a friend over. She started to retrieve her property and her husband went to stop her from leaving the house with some property. An altercation started where he slapped her in the face. At this time, she called 911. Both parties were interviewed, and a warrant request was submitted for domestic violence. 1-21-20 Trooper stopped a vehicle on M-15 in Denmark Twp., Tuscola County for speed 68/55 mph zone. Driver was cited for an expired operator's license, verbal warning speed. Trooper was dispatched to Deckerville Rd. Farigrove Twp., Tuscola County for an assault complaint. Both parties were interviewed, and no physical assault took place. Troopers were dispatched to Burns Line Rd. Maple Valley Twp., Sanilac County for horses in the roadway. When officers arrived at that location an Amish family was in the process of gathering the horses, leading them to the farm when they resided. Trooper investigated an identity complaint where the complainant's name was used to purchase three $1000.00 cell phones in the Detroit area. Complainant received an email from the cell phone company Xfinity who requested her final signature via email. She contacted the company and advised she had not purchased these phones. It was later determined that a subject went into the store and had identification that other personal information of the complainant's. Investigation continues. Trooper took a found purse complaint at the post. The subject found the purse at the gas station located on M-24 at M-46, Fremont Twp., Tuscola County. Several dollars, credit cards, driver's license were located inside the purse. Contact was made to the owner Trooper was dispatched to Caro Rd. Watrousvile Twp., Tuscola County for a larceny of a bridge card. Complainant gave the officers the name of a possible suspect. Investigation continues. Troopers assisted Tuscola County Animal Control on Mayville Rd., Dayton Twp, Tuscola County Troopers policed nine car/deer accidents for the week. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 03:43:50|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close Palestinian refugees take part in a protest in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, on Jan. 29, 2020. Palestinian refugees' camps all over Lebanon implemented on Wednesday marches, sit-ins and general strikes against the announced U.S. Middle East peace plan, also known as the "Deal of the Century," the National News Agency reported. (Photo by Khalid/Xinhua) BEIRUT, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian refugees' camps all over Lebanon implemented on Wednesday marches, sit-ins and general strikes against the announced U.S. Middle East peace plan, also known as the "Deal of the Century," the National News Agency reported. All schools belonging to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) were closed, in addition to institutions and shops in Palestinian camps which shut their doors down in commitment to the strike. Protesters held during the demonstrations Palestinian flags and maps, affirming their right to return to their homeland while they chanted slogans that adhere to East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine and the resistance to restore legitimate rights. Protesters in the Ain al-Hilweh camp burned U.S. and Israeli flags. Speeches were delivered during the protests, highlighting the complete rejection for the "Deal of the Century." Maher Shabayta, secretary of the Fatah movement in Sidon in southern Lebanon, said that the "U.S.-Israeli conspiracy will not succeed" but it will fail because of the Palestinians' rejection, and their clear position on Jerusalem. Shakib Al-Aina, an official with the Islamic Jihad movement, assured that Palestinian resistance will continue with the aim of securing the return of Palestinians. The number of Palestinian refugees registered with the UNRWA and the General Directorate of Political Affairs and Refugees at the Lebanese Interior Ministry stands at about 500,000 while the Lebanese Central Bureau of Statistics estimates that there exist 174,422 Palestinian refugees living in 12 camps and 156 groups in Lebanon. The California Highway Patrol and West Sacramento police are asking for the public's help in locating an at-risk, missing 65-year-old man who may have traveled south into the Bay Area early Thursday. Mohammad Akbar Mohammadalam was last seen in West Sacramento at about 4 p.m. Wednesday, the CHP said. He may have traveled to Solano, Contra Costa or Alameda counties. As a protest against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Register of Citizens (NRC) is continued across the country, a Saraswati puja pandal in Howrah of West Bengal was not left untouched. People had put up No NRC, No CAA signboards in an apparent protest against CAA, NRC on the Pandal which was inaugurated by state irrigation minister Rajiv Banerjee today. The pandal was decorated in a unique way with masks representing different communities in one of its kind protest. Protests have taken place in different parts of the country, including the capital, over the CAA which grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh and entered 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.) A new study from the American Psychological Association has found that people may often lie in order to appear more truthful to others. This paradoxical study was published in the latest issue of the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. The study was titled, Lying to appear honest. One of the senior researchers on the team Shoham Choshen-Hillel, PhD, a senior lecturer at the School of Business Administration and Center for the Study of Rationality at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, explained the study adding, Many people care greatly about their reputation and how they will be judged by others, and a concern about appearing honest may outweigh our desire to actually be honest, even in situations where it will cost us money to lie. She added, Our findings suggest that when people obtain extremely favorable outcomes, they anticipate other people's suspicious reactions and prefer lying and appearing honest over telling the truth and appearing as selfish liars. For this study the team looked at offline and online participants who were lawyers and college students from Israel (offline participants), United States and United Kingdom. People may lie to appear honest if events that turned out in their favor seem too good to be true, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association. Image Credit: Pathdoc / Shutterstock Experiment 1 In one of the experiments they included 115 lawyers from Israel. The participants were asked to imagine a situation where they would inform a client that a case could be worth 60 and 90 billable hours. The work would be in the office without the actual knowledge of the client about the actual hours spent by the lawyer on work. One half of the participants had to imagine they had actually spent 60 billable hours working while the other half was told they had worked for 90 hours. All participants were then asked the number of hours they would bill their clients. The 60 hour group reported an average of 62.5 billable hours with 17 percent lying about the true hours spent on work. Similarly in the 90 hours group the average number of hours reported was 88 hours with 18 percent lying about their work hours. When asked for a reason why the 90 hour group under-billed their client, most reported that they felt if they billed 90 hours, the clients would think they cheated. Experiment 2 In the next experiment the team included 149 undergraduate students from Israel. These students played online dice-rolling and coin-flipping games and were asked to report their scores to one of the researchers who was not aware of the scores. For each successful coin flip or dice roll the participants were given a 15 cent reward. One half of the students had perfect scores (fixed by the computer at random without their knowledge) while the other half received random outcomes of their games. Results showed that 24 percent in the perfect score group under-reported their scores while 4 percent in the random group mis-reported their score. In the experiment, despite losing money the participants in the higher group lied to appear truthful. Author Choshen-Hillel said, Some participants overcame their aversion toward lying and the monetary costs involved just to appear honest to a single person who was conducting the experiment. Experiment 3 and 4 For this study 201 adults from the United States were included in an online experiment. They were asked to imagine that they had to drive on work trips for a company and the highest monthly compensation for the same was for 400 miles. Most reported between 280 and 320 miles, they were told. Next the participants were divided into two groups and half were told they drove 300 miles a month and the other half was told they drove 400 miles a month. When asked to report finally the 300 mile group reported an average of 301 miles and the 400 mile group reported an average of 384 miles with lies seen in 12 percent. The same was tested among 544 adults in United Kingdom and results were similar. According to the researchers this study showed that some persons do lie to appear more honest or when they perceive that their truths may not be believed. The authors also wrote in conclusion, This constitutes first evidence of systematic downward lying in an unobserved lying game. The observed behavior is consistent with the spirit, but not the letter, of the prominent models of lying behavior. It therefore presents a challenge for these models. Choshen-Hillel said, While our findings may seem ironic or counterintuitive, I think most people will recognize a time in their lives when they were motivated to tell a lie to appear honest. I am a man of honor, Tommaso Buscetta insists. Its a familiar enough assertion for a man in his profession he describes himself as a simple soldier in the Sicilian Cosa Nostra and one that Mafia-movie fans have heard many times before. The context this time is a little different, though, since Buscetta (who goes by the nickname Masino) invokes his honor to justify his betrayal of the organization he had loyally served for his whole adult life. No omerta for him. Buscetta, the real-life subject of Marco Bellocchios tremendous and meticulous new film, turned on his former colleagues in the 1980s, testifying against them first in interviews with the Italian judge and prosecutor Giovanni Falcone and later in open court. The Traitor, anchored by Pierfrancesco Favinos shrewd, subtle and volcanic lead performance, is less an exploration of the mans motives than a chronicle of his actions. Bellocchios approach to the story is at once coolly objective the movie is part biopic, part courtroom procedural and almost feverishly intense. He has a historians analytical detachment, a novelists compassion for his characters and a citizens outrage at the cruelty and corruption that have festered in his country for so long. Now 80, with a career stretching back to the mid-1960s, Bellocchio has long been preoccupied with the endless, tumultuous, tragicomic question of Italian identity. The dialectic of loyalty and betrayal within families, local communities, political movements, subcultures and the nation itself is his great theme, and Masino Buscetta supplies him an aptly contradictory hero. S arah Sands has quit as editor of the BBCs current affairs flagship, Radio 4s Today programme, the day after the corporation revealed a shake-up of its news operation that will cost 450 jobs. The former editor of the Evening Standard has been in the job for three years and will step down from the show, which is presented by Justin Webb, Mishal Husain, Martha Kearney and Nick Robinson, in September. In an email to Today programme staff she said: I loved Radio 4 as a listener, I loved it even more as a member of the team. But I come from a different world and I was never going to be a lifer. I am so proud of what we have achieved, championing intelligent broadcasting and political independence, under constant pressure. I have witnessed not only extraordinary professionalism and quick-witted determination here but also a heart warming consideration towards one another. The Today programme is a beacon of news journalism. It was, is, will always be, the most precious programme at the BBC. Environment minister Zac Goldsmith paid tribute to Ms Sands. The Tory peer said: Sarah is a journalistic polymath; successful at every level. And on top of that she is a thoughtful and kind person in an industry where those qualities are not always overflowing. Ms Sands, 58, has been credited with broadening the appeal of the show and attracting an eclectic range of guest editors including Prince Harry, the climate change campaigner Greta Thunberg and an AI robot. The BBCs director of news Fran Unsworth said: Sarah has brought new ideas and fresh thinking to the Today programme over the past three years. Under her editorship she has broadened the programmes agenda, putting a renewed focus on science and arts, and left the nation scratching their heads with the puzzle for Today. We thank her for all her hard work and wish her well for the future. Mohit Bakaya, controller of Radio 4, said: Sarah has held the reins at Today during a time of extraordinary politics, as well as intense scrutiny and challenge. She has done so with great poise and dedication, seeking to broaden the programmes remit along the way, and I wish her luck for what she does next. Yesterday the BBC announced major changes to its newsgathering that will see more responsibility handed to centralised news executives rather than individual programme editors. NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday asked members of the society to extend all support to patients suffering from cancer. He said if any member of a family is detected with cancer, everyone in the family gets disturbed. Pawar was speaking after laying the foundation stone for a new cancer hospital at Sahapur in Thane district. He said some vices in people like chewing tobacco and paan lead to cancer. The former Union minister said he was also a victim of the disease once, but post-surgery he is out of it now. The NCP leader said the people of Maharashtra gave him the courage and moral support to fight the killer disease. Pawar said he came across a new doctor who advised him to get all his pending works completed in 6 to 8 months as he opined that he would live for that much period only. To this Pawar asked the doctor as to what was his age and got the reply as 28 and immediately Pawar said, "I will go up only after sending you up". Pawar said he was confident he would overcome the disease successfully and live longer. The NCP chief said he wants members of the society to give all support, including moral, to cancer patients. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Editorials represent the institutional view of the newspaper. They are written and edited by the editorial staff, which operates separately from the news department. Editorial writers are not involved in newsroom operations. People wait in a queue to buy masks at a pharmacy in Hong Kong on January 30, 2020, as a preventative measure after a virus outbreak which began in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Expect supply disruptions as China takes measures to contain an ongoing coronavirus outbreak, says REYL Singapore's Daryl Liew. "The sharp action taken by the Chinese government to basically delay workers going back to work is definitely going to cause some supply disruptions," Liew, who is chief investment officer at REYL Singapore, told CNBC's "Street Signs" on Thursday. With the virus infecting at least 7,700 and killing 170 in China, authorities have taken measures to curb the disease's spread. At least three provinces have declared that businesses, other than some essential industries, are barred from resuming work before Feb. 10. In Hubei province, where the majority of cases have been found, resumption of local business has been delayed till at least Feb. 14. A "big question mark" remains over how long the disruptions could last, Liew said, as it depends on whether the situation can be contained. That comes as manufacturing numbers were showing "some normalization," he added. "It's a bit of a lagging indicator but the December ISM numbers have all been broadly positive, especially for Asian economies ... which suggest essentially that global trade is normalizing. It's not bouncing back significantly but it is rebounding," Liew said, adding that that has translated to better manufacturing numbers. "The current virus ... and the extended shutdown in China will definitely put a crimp to that," Liew said. Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who is in London on bail on medical grounds, has been given three days by the Punjab government to submit the required reports as it deliberates on his application seeking an extension of his stay abroad. The 69-year-old Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo is undergoing treatment in London for coronary artery disease. Sharif, who left for the British capital on November 19 in an air ambulance a month after he was released on bail from a seven-year prison sentence for corruption, has sought an extension in his stay abroad from the Punjab government which suspects that the illness is a ruse to escape jail, The Express Tribune newspaper reported. The provincial home department, an a letter to Sharif, said that a medical board had found the reports submitted by his counsel Khawaja Haris on December 23 to be insufficient to form a conclusive opinion and sought fresh records, it said. The letter warns Sharif that if he fails to provide the required reports, then the competent authority will decide on the stay matter "as per the available facts brought on record", the report said. Earlier this month, a fresh picture of Sharif at a London restaurant along with some family members had gone viral on social media, leading the Opposition to cast aspersions over the "serious nature" of his health. Before going to the UK, the three-time former prime minister was shifted from jail to the Services hospital in Lahore in October after his health condition deteriorated. Doctors then recommended him to get treatment abroad. The Pakistan government allowed Sharif's travel for medical reasons but put the condition that he submit an indemnity bond as a guarantee that he would return to the country after getting treatment. He, however, rejected the condition and challenged it in courts. Sharif was granted bail by the Islamabad High Court on humanitarian grounds in the Al Azizia case and by the Lahore High Court in the ongoing Chaudhry Sugar Mills case, in which he is a suspect. In November, he was allowed by the Lahore High Court to travel abroad for treatment without any bond. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Aid ship docks with 403 rescued migrants: A European aid group that organizes migrant rescue ships denounced what it characterized as a chaotic maritime rescue system in the central Mediterranean Sea as one of its vessels disembarked hundreds of rescued passengers at the southern Italian port of Taranto. The Ocean Viking, operated by SOS Mediterranee and Doctors Without Borders, arrived with 403 of 407 migrants rescued off Libya during five operations within 72 hours. SOS Mediterranee official Federic Penard said that such operations are disorganized and that there are not enough rescue ships. I TN news broadcaster Mary Nightingale was close to tears on TV as she explained to viewers her friend and mentor Alastair Stewart would not be appearing again. Shortly before going on air last night, Ms Nightingale, tweeted: Very sad about the departure of Alastair Stewart. He was a good friend and mentor to me. Mr Stewart was rowing with Martin Shapland online when he quoted a passage from Shakespeares Measure For Measure that included the phrase angry ape. Alastair Stewart is Britain's / PA Mr Shapland shared the tweet and said: Just an ITV newsreader referring to me as an ape. Mr Stewart said: It was a misjudgement which I regret, but its been a privilege to bring the news to households... for the past 40 years. Michael Jermey, director of news and current affairs at ITV, said: "Alastair has been a long-standing, familiar figure to viewers of ITV News, both reporting and presenting with distinction. "We wish him the very best for the future." Mary Nightingale shared the news last night ITN chief executive Anna Mallett thanked Mr Stewart for his "commitment to delivering high-quality broadcast news over many years." During his career, Stewart has covered stories such as the Beslan school siege and the fall of the Berlin Wall and he has been honoured with several awards. In 2004, he was named presenter of the year at the Royal Television Society Awards and in 2006 he received an OBE for services to broadcasting and charity. Stewart, who has deleted his Twitter account, had been a staff reporter and presenter on ITV News programmes. A second person in Chicago has come down with the coronavirus, bringing the total of coronavirus patients in the US up to six (two in Chicago, two in California, one in Seattle, and one in Arizona). But this is the first case that was transmitted person-to-person within the US (the other five patients became infected in China). According to NBC: The new patient lives with a Chicago woman in her 60s who was diagnosed after returning last month from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak that's now sickened upward of 8,000 people. With more than 8,000 confirmed cases of the conronavirus (mostly in China), and at least 170 deaths, The World Health Organization is meeting again today to determine whether it should be declared as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Image: By National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institutes of Health (NIH), Public Domain, Link Chockalingam Narayanan Pre- Budget Expectation for Mutual Fund Industry The government has been very vocal about simplification of the tax structure and they have demonstrated that for the corporate sector through a gradual progression towards a simple rate and in some sense setting a sunset date for exemptions. In that light, we could see a similar path being taken on the personal taxation front. This could potentially mean simplification of the ways income is taxed and that in turn is likely to benefit investors and the mutual fund industry. There are obviously more populist expectations of increasing the 80C investment limits, reducing long term capital gain horizon etc. Given the Budget constraints, we are not that hopeful of the same but if it comes, it could very well be the one demand catalyst to increase savings and consumption in the economy. Pre- Budget Expectation for Economy as a whole Given the country's GDP growth is at a decadal low of around 5 percent, the upcoming Budget will be a very important policy document, which charts a path towards the governments vision and focus on economic growth. While interim measures like corporate tax cuts have been undertaken by the government to revive investment-led growth, we will watch out for measures to revive both consumption and investment led growth. In our limited understanding, the key measures to watch for are: 1) Trend of government spending for capital expenditure especially given that there is likely slippage of divestment targets from this year to the next and that can provide a higher room for increased capital spending in FY21.2) Sector specific policies on import substitution and export growth.3) Increase in infrastructure, rural and social spending through innovative structures, attracting greater foreign participation in infrastructure annuity assets.4) Power sector reforms, particularly on the distribution side.5) Strategic divestments and roadmap towards the same.6) Further simplification of tax structure and administration.7) Personal income tax changes, if any, to increase consumption. 8) Fiscal consolidation path while achieving the above. (The author is Head of Equities at BNP Paribas Mutual Fund.) : 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. A man was convicted Friday of attempting to steal a priceless 1215 original version of the Magna Carta, smashing its case with a hammer. Mark Royden, 47, attacked the protective glass surrounding the historic manuscript at Salisbury Cathedral but was chased off by tourists and eventually cornered by stonemasons. Royden was found guilty by a jury at Salisbury Crown Court in southwest England of attempted theft and criminal damage to the security case costing ?14,466 ($18,900, 17,150 euros) to fix. Royden apparently believed the Salisbury Magna Carta was a fake. Four original copies from 1215 remain in existence: two in the British Library in London, one at Salisbury Cathedral, and one at Lincoln Cathedral, in eastern England. The charter has defined rights and liberties around the world. "There is an irony that the charter of the Magna Carta that this defendant is charged with attempting to steal states that no free man may be imprisoned other than by the lawful judgement of his peers," judge Richard Parkes told the jury. "It still holds good and is in the process of the court right now." In June 1215, the despotic king John accepted the demands of rebellious barons to curb his powers and agreed the charter at Runnymede, a meadow by the River Thames west of London. Copies were written out and sent around the country. Prosecutor Rob Welling told jurors that Royden said he "could have done more damage if he had a samurai sword" and "made some other comments about Muslims, tasers and having some object strapped to his back". The court heard that Royden had 23 previous convictions covering 51 offences, including theft and criminal damage. The defendant, who suffered brain damage in a car accident in 1991, is aided by a carer. Royden was remanded in custody until sentencing on February 25. "It's overwhelmingly likely that Mr Royden is going to an immediate sentence of custody," said Parkes. Considered the cornerstone of freedom, modern democracy, justice and the rule of law, the Magna Carta forms the basis for legal systems across the globe, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the US constitution. The principles that justice should be available to all, the law applies equally to all and leaders can only exercise power in accordance with the law continue to resonate around the world. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ISLAMABAD - A top Pakistani health official said Thursday that Islamabad had no immediate plan to evacuate any of some 30,000 nationals living in China to study and work, despite the new coronavirus that surfaced there. Zafar Mirza, who advises Prime Minister Imran Khan on health issues, told a news conference that so far only four Pakistani students in China have been diagnosed with the new virus and their conditions are listed as stable. He said about 500 Pakistani students were in Wuhan the site of the outbreak at the time it surfaced. He said although the virus has killed 170 people in China, authorities in Beijing have done a good job of containing it by taking swift measures. China has been largely praised for its response to the outbreak. Still, some Pakistani students have complained on social media that they havent received enough food and medical care. Mirza asked relatives of Pakistanis in China not to worry, saying they were being looked after well. He said no decision had been made to evacuate Pakistanis there. Mirza said the virus might have spread more rapidly internationally if Beijing had not opposed requests made by different countries to evacuate their citizens. We support China on this policy, he said. The University of Texas Permian Basin has released the following statement after a social media post began circulating indicating that a UTPB student had contracted the virus. UTPB officials have confirmed that the post is incorrect and there are no confirmed cases in Midland County or Ector County. Statement from UTPB's Tatum Hubbard: "We have confirmed with Midland Health and Senior Services Department there are not any confirmed cases in the state of Texas. We confirmed that same information with Ector County Health Department late yesterday. In addition, our VP of Student Affairs, Dr. Becky Spurlock confirmed that no hospitals, clinics, or doctors have advised Ector County Health Department epidemiology of any suspected cases in Ector county much less have a confirmed case. I know there was a tweet going around indicating something different. That post has been removed and weve been in contact with the poster. Thanks for checking with us." (Natural News) Were just a few days away from month two of whats shaping up to be quite the tumultuous new year, and researchers from the United Kingdom are now warning that the number of coronavirus cases is about to turn exponential. In a model assessing the potential fallout from this highly contagious outbreak, this team of experts is expecting that more than 250,000 Chinese people will contract coronavirus by the turn of February a number significantly higher than the roughly 6,200 cases that are currently being reported. Using the R-naught, or R0, method of mapping disease spread the basic reproductive number is considered to be the gold standard of assessing disease outbreak potential these researchers determined that 2019-nCoV, the official name for the coronavirus strain that kicked this whole thing off, has an R0 value of between 1.4-2.5, which is almost the same as the 1918 Spanish flu that killed more than 50 million people. This is the R0 range being presented by the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) as a possibility, meaning it can and some say likely will become a lot higher as the disease progresses. Needless to say, while 2.5 is quite high, and in line with that of the Spanish flu epidemic which infected about half a billion people back in 1918, killing as many as 100 million before it eventually fizzled out, the real coronavirus R0 number may end up being far higher, reports Zero Hedge. Entitled, Novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV: early estimation of epidemiological parameters and epidemic predictions, this paper, authored by Jonathan Reed, estimates that the actual R0 for coronavirus when all is said and done will be more in the 3.6-4.0 range meaning each person who becomes infected with coronavirus has the potential to infect as many as four other people with it. In order to stop coronavirus from spreading and creating an epidemic, or possibly a global pandemic, upwards of 75 percent of transmissions must be prevented by control measures for infections to stop increasing. The problem, however, is that only about five percent of the infections in Wuhan, where coronavirus is said to have originated, have thus far been identified. In other words, there appears to be some major difficulties or perhaps foul play when it comes to accurately assessing just how many people are currently infected with coronavirus, and how quickly theyre infecting other people. since all of this is happening in China which is not known for making the most socially-beneficial decisions under pressure, there is an ominous possibility that Reed is actually overly optimistic, warns Zero Hedge. If theres no change in the current trajectory of the disease, with containment measures failing to prevent further transmission, Reed warns that coronavirus infections will continue to be exported to international destinations at an increasing rate. Were already seeing this with new cases of coronavirus popping up in multiple areas of the United States, as well as in Germany, Taiwan, Australia, Japan, and elsewhere with no seemingly end in sight, sadly. Reeds estimate that at least 250,000 cases of coronavirus will emerge in China by about February 4 seem to match Chinas current rush to add at least 100,000 new hospital beds to its total capacity in the coming days and weeks. Reed also expects coronavirus to spread exponentially throughout many other nations such as Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Vietnam, and of course the United States, where there are at least five confirmed cases of coronavirus already. In short: much of Asia will (be) infected, and from there, the rest of the world awaits, concludes Zero Hedge. To keep up with the latest coronavirus news, be sure to bookmark Outbreak.news. Sources for this article include: ZeroHedge.com NaturalNews.com Highlights The CVE-2019-3568 bug was marked the most dangerous as it allowed hackers to execute malicious codes on smartphones n 2019, it was reported that one of WhatsApps vulnerability allowed hackers to install Spywares on devices Whatsapp alleged that the Israeli company was behind the cyber-attacks that infected smartphones in May The popular messaging app WhatsApp, that claims to provide high-level security to its users, has disclosed 12 vulnerabilities in 2019. Out of twelve, seven of them were said to be critical. The latest discovery came to the fore after the alleged hacking of Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos' phone due to flaw in WhatsApp. The incident questioned the credibility of the messaging app that boasts end-to-end encryption. However, this wasn't the first time the Facebook-backed messaging app came under the scanner, it was earlier accused of alleged snooping human rights activists and journalists in India through spyware, Pegasus. As per the National Vulnerability Database, out of 12 vulnerabilities that WhatsApp disclosed in 2019, seven were marked critical. Among the list of vulnerabilities disclosed by the social media app, the CVE-2019-3568 bug was marked the most dangerous as it allowed hackers to execute malicious codes on smartphones. Another critical flaw, the CVE-2019-11933 that primarily affected WhatsApp for Android allowed hackers to cause a denial of service. Another bug was reported that could have allowed hackers to crash WhatsApp by sending a malicious message on a group which could result in WhatsApp becoming completely unusable for the affected person. In 2019, it was reported that one of WhatsApp's vulnerability allowed hackers to install Spywares on devices. However, Whatsapp alleged that the Israeli company was behind the cyber-attacks that infected smartphones in May and April. The Israeli company that develops software to hack into phones strongly condemned the allegations. Over 1400 people were targeted using the Pegasus spyware, among which 121 users were Indian journalists, human rights activists and political figures. "Indian journalists and human rights activists have been the target of surveillance and while I cannot reveal their identities and the exact number, I can say that it is not an insignificant number," a WhatsApp spokesperson had said in a statement. WhatsApp had claimed to fix the vulnerability that hackers were exploiting. They encouraged users to update to the latest version of the app as that ensures end-to-end encryption and cannot be accessed by the third party. Post the gaffe, the Indian government had warned the Facebook-owned messaging app to strengthen its security as breaches like that would not be tolerated in the future. WhatsApp is currently the most used messaging app with over 450 million users in India. A man who broke into a backpackers hostel and performed a sick sex act over a 21-year-old backpacker has been jailed. Michael Wayne Tunstall, 41, masturbated in front of the sleeping girl at the Caloundra City Backpackers hostel on the Sunshine Coast at 4am on December 22. Turnstall said he was so drunk from a drinking challenge that he blacked out and does not remember the incident. He let himself into the hostel through a roller door, before going into one of the rooms stealing a wallet. Michael Wayne Tunstall, 41, masturbated in front of the sleeping girl at the Caloundra City Backpackers hostel on the Sunshine Coast at 4am He then went into another room with his pants around his ankles, police prosecutor Stu Lydford told Caloundra Magistrates Court. A 21-year-old girl woke up and realised was happening but pretended to be asleep, according to The Sunshine Coast Daily. 'He was standing in the room masturbating,' Senior Sergeant Lydford said. 'He grabbed the upper bunk, placed his erect penis through the rungs of the ladder which were vertically positioned between the complainant and the upper bunk bed.' 'He swayed from side to side moving his hips directly above her, she was at that time awake,' Sen Sgt Lydford said. He then stole the woman's phone and power bank off her bed. When the woman asked what he was doing he said he was getting into bed to which the woman replied 'not my bed.' After this he dropped the phone and power bank and fled from the room. Defence lawyer Donna Hanslow-Hastie said he had drunk a 700ml bottle of alcohol before the incident. Magistrate Haydn Stjernqvist noted Tunstall had a previous offence of a 'sexual nature.' Tunstall pleaded guilty to two charges of entering a dwelling and committing an indictable offence. The man's wife attended the court on Wednesday as Tunstall was sentenced to a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years after he serves three months. Despite his defence lawyer telling the court Tunstall's wife was struggling to deal with the incident and was taking a break from their relationship, she hugged him as court officers led him away. He was also ordered to pay $180 restitution for the stolen wallet. The other Bodo insurgent group, Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT), had already signed a peace accord in 2003. Where insurgency ends, politics begins. Yes, this is what the new Bodo accord signed in New Delhi on Monday is bringing to Assams Bodo heartland, besides, of course, large incentives like more legislative, executive, administrative and financial powers to the newly-named autonomous area, Bodoland Territorial Region. The deal was signed by all four insurgent factions of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU), the United Bodo Peoples Organisation (UBPO), a civil society body, besides the Central and Assam governments. Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal, state finance minister and BJP top gun Himanta Biswa Sarma, and existing Bodo Council chief Hagrama Mahilary signed as witnesses. Without much hesitation, one can now say the curtain has come down on insurgency in Assams Bodo heartland, with all four NDFB factions signing the peace agreement. An estimated 1,550 NDFB rebels are to formally lay down arms in the next few days, before the NDFB factions disband. The other Bodo insurgent group, Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT), had already signed a peace accord in 2003. The 2003 accord saw the transformation of the BLT into a political party called Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF), headed by Hagrama Mahilary, which has been in power in the Bodo Council for the past 17 years without a break. Despite the 2003 agreement, the demand for a separate Bodo state outside Assam continued to be raised by several frontline Bodo groups, including the ruling Bodo Peoples Front (BPF), an ally of the BJP in the state, as well as all rebel NDFB factions, besides the areas apex students group ABSU. Government leaders are now saying with the signing of the new Bodo pact, the demand for a separate Bodo state has been shelved. Home minister Amit Shah, for instance, has said with the new Bodo deal, Assams further dismemberment has been prevented. Himanta Biswa Sarma has said the demand for a separate Bodoland state now no longer exists. Lets take a look at what the new accord itself says on the issue: Negotiations were held with Bodo organisations for a comprehensive and final solution to their demands while keeping intact the territorial integrity of the State of Assam. Since the accord has made it clear Assams territorial integrity will remain intact, there is no question of its dismemberment to carve out any other state, including a Bodo state. On Tuesday, one of the signatories, NDFB leader Gobinda Basumatary, told this writer that since most of the powers and aspirations of people seeking a separate state have been provided for in the new Bodo accord, there is no need any more to demand a separate state. This could well be the stated position, but on the eve of the signing of the accord, Bodo Council chief Hagrama Mahilary described as unfortunate the commitment by the NDFB groups and ABSU to give up the separate Bodo statehood demand. Such a statement by Mr Mahilary, who heads the BPF, is not surprising as in the days ahead, unlike in the past 17 years that it has been ruling the council, there is likely to be political competition which his party has to withstand. We shall talk about what the new Bodo accord has brought for the area and its people a little later, but what it has immediately altered is the political dynamic in the Bodo heartland. If NDFB faction leaders now decided to join hands with an existing political party, United Peoples Party Liberal (UPPL), that had backed these groups, or float a new political party and jump into the council elections scheduled in a few months time, the BPF is bound to face competition. Gobinda Basumatary also told this writer on Tuesday that the groups which signed the new accord may not form a new political party but join an existing one which has been supporting their cause. He obviously referred to UPPL, now led by former ABSU leader and former MP U.G. Brahma. Therefore, its clear that unlike in the past, the Bodo Council, now renamed BTR, is set to witness a turf war or a political battle for supremacy among political parties or formations. And, in this backdrop, it was not surprising to find Mr Mahilary saying it was unfortunate the signatories were giving up the Bodoland state demand. Perhaps, it is his way of repositioning his old party, BPF, for the political battles ahead and staying relevant. But will the Assam BJPs key ally, the Mahilary-led BPF, give up so easily? Unlikely, because the BPF has been in power for the past 17 years in a row, not just with the BJP as an ally, but with the Congress before that. However, with ABSU already going ballistic against the BPF and calling for a change in the political setup ruling Assams Bodo areas, the battle in the coming council polls is going to be tough. Besides, the fight in the 12 Bodo-dominated Assembly seats will also be interesting in the 2021 elections. What does the accord provide? Apart from more legislative, executive, administrative and financial powers, the BTR will now see an exchange of villages. A commission headed by a retired judge will be set up to work out a mechanism for inclusion of villages with a majority tribal population into the BTR, those villages not included earlier in the Bodo Council. Similarly, villages with a majority non-tribal population currently under the Bodo Council will be excluded from the council. From 40 seats, the BTR Council will now have 60 seats. After the areas within the Bodo Council are altered, the government could consider reorganising the districts. Other significant provisions of the new accord is the decision to set up a Bodo-Kachari Welfare Council for focused development of Bodo villages located outside the Bodo Council area, and declaring the Bodo language in Devnagri script as an associate official language of Assam. Besides, measures for protection of the Bodo language and culture and setting up several institutions of higher and technical education have also been provided in the accord. The question now is whether the new Bodo Accord could serve as a template for arriving at solutions to other ethnic uprisings or movements in the Northeast. For example, Bodos living in areas far away from the Bodo contiguous belt could now receive benefits under the Bodo-Kachari Welfare Council. Will Nagas living in Manipur, Assam or Arunachal be covered for development benefits under such a non-political welfare body as part of the forthcoming Naga peace deal? Mayor Linda Tyer speaks to the City Council on Tuesday. Pittsfield to Begin Community Discussion About Police in Schools PITTSFIELD, Mass. The city will begin a discussion on the role of police officers in the public school system. The City Council had a lengthy conversation Tuesday on a petition put forward by Ward 7 Councilor Anthony Maffuccio in regard to filling the vacant resource officer position at Reid Middle School and agreed that the city needs to have a wider conversation about police officers in the classroom. "That is a much bigger discussion that I think is worth having, and I do think that it will require a lot of community input and community engagement," Mayor Linda Tyer said. "I understand both sides of the issue and I understand the anxiety that staff and families have when there isn't a resource officer at Reid." Tyer explained that the city has four resource officers: one at each high school and at Herberg and Reid Middle schools. She said the Reid resource officer resigned in December and took a job with the Berkshire County sheriff's office. The petition asks that the city immediately fill this position which Tyer said had been done temporarily. Different patrol officers are rotating into the school until a proper resource officer with the right training can be placed in the school. Tyer said there are staff issues in the department holding the city back from immediately making this appointment. She said that same month, four officers also resigned and transferred to different law enforcement agencies. "Now we're in a position where we are a little short on our patrol side and so our ability to quickly fill vacancies and a resource officer at Reid is a little bit challenged," the mayor said. She added that there are currently officers in the academy. Before the meeting actually started, the agenda item drew the attention of residents who spoke during public comment for the opening half hour of the meeting. Darren Turner thanked the administration for quickly getting an officer back in the classroom but asked for a more permanent arrangement. "Things have gotten worse so we need to put our best foot forward for our children so the majority of our children feel safe in the school system," he said Resident Steven White had similar things to say and handed over a petition with more than 800 signatures asking for a permanent solution at Reid. On the opposite side of the fence, Susan Lord, who said she has a background in trauma and stress, told the council that in her experience, an officer in the school would not be a benefit. She advocated for specialists who are trained to work with kids. "When you try to crack down on violence, often you create a situation that is exactly the opposite you start making people more afraid," she said. "I am imagining having a police officer ... is going to create a situation where people are either going to perceive that they are dangerous or in danger." Eden Renee Hayes cited a study in which officers were shown pictures of boys of different races and asked how old they thought they were and how much force they thought they would need to use to restrain them. She said the boys in the picture were all age 8 but that officers tended to think the black children were older and would require more force. Resident Drew Herzog asked that if funds were to be expended that the city hire specialists with a trauma approach to behavioral issues instead of placing more duties on the Police Department. The council was open to a larger discussion and Vice Chairman Peter White said he had an important relationship with the Taconic High resource officer when he was in high school. "I am still in contact with him today and he is probably one of the closest officers I was able to have a relationship with and understand their job better," White said. "But let's use this discussion to create a situation that all the citizens of Pittsfield feel comfortable with." White added that he thought these officers often act as mentors and help "humanize" them in the eyes of young people. Ward 2 Councilor Kevin Morandi agreed and was open to adjusting the position after a community discussion. "I like the idea of having a community conversation I think that needs to happen and put it all out there to see what the best solutions are going forward," he said. "Resource officers are role models in the schools they are someone you can go and talk to." Ward 1 Councilor Helen Moon also was happy to have the conversation but wanted to make sure officers were not replacing mental health professionals in the schools. "Sometimes they are forced to take on roles they are not trained to do," she said. "We can't expect them to replace our mental health clinicians and further upstream measures. We don't want to criminalize student behavior." Ward 4 Councilor Christopher Connell asked about some other solutions and, to the mayor, if it was possible to use the Berkshire County sheriff's department as a resource. He also asked if it would be beneficial to hire a private security firm to fill the position. Tyer said the city could consider these options but councilors spoke up against hiring a private firm believing it would not allow kids to foster a mentor relationship with an officer. Councilor at Large Earl Persip asked Tyer for more information about the five resignations and the mayor said they were unexpected. She said specifically the majority of the four officers transferred to other departments closer to their native communities and where they in most cases received a larger salary. The city opened up the department positions to any state resident on the Civil Service list instead of just allowing residents to enter the department. She said although they were successful in hiring officers, it is often hard to maintain them. Persip said he thought the city must have a conversation about Police Department salaries. "I think it is maybe time to rethink the way we are paying our officers," he said. "We used to be on the higher end and we had people from the area who wanted the job." The council ultimately agreed to send the petition to the Public Health and Safety Committee. The police chief and representatives from the school committee will also be invited. In other business, the council sent a second petition from Maffuccio dealing with regulating solicitation from panhandlers to the city solicitor and the police chief instead of Ordinance & Rules. Moon said she did not think it would be an easy task regulating where panhandlers can stand. She said in cases she has looked at it has been a violation of First Amendment rights. City Solicitor Stephen Pagnotta agreed and said communities have only been able to regulate where panhandlers can stand if it is a safety concern. "We would have to look at a new ordinance to see if it would pass muster," he said. Safety was Maffuccio's concern and he was worried about both panhandlers and drivers who may be distracted by panhandlers. Connell suggested first sending the item to the city solicitor so he can research it and draft an ordinance. White who is on Ordinance & Rules agreed. "Having something in front of us would make this an easier discussion," he said. The City Council sent a third petition from Maffuccio asking the city to explore ways to help shelter the homeless to the police chief, Public Health and Safety, and the Community Development Office to be considered for Community Development Block Grant funding. Banjul, Gambia (PANA) - The Gambian government on Thursday held an emergency cabinet session, presided over by President Adama Barrow, to discuss matters relating to Sunday's protest A vital component of AJU's mission of fostering inclusive Jewish communities, the Maas Center will champion those too-often relegated to the periphery of Jewish life, guiding them through a suite of interconnected programs that enrich their Jewish journeys. "American Jewish University serves a critical role in our community and nationally," said Virginia and Frank Maas. "We are proud to further enhance our long-time commitment to the University through the Maas Center for Jewish Journeys. Our hope is that as we look to the future, the Maas Center will guide, encourage and support the lives of thousands of people through the programs that currently exist and new programs that will be developed with our gift." Virginia and Frank Maas have been leaders in the Los Angeles Jewish community for over 45 years. Their long-term involvements include leadership at American Jewish University, the Jewish Federation, Hillcrest Country Club, the LA Jewish Community Centers, Beit T'shuvah, and Temple Beth Am, as well as other Jewish and secular service organizations. "We are deeply grateful to visionary leaders Virginia and Frank Maas for their generous gift, which will be a far-reaching investment in the Jewish future," said AJU President Jeffrey Herbst. "The Maas Center will create a cohesive experience that supports people in their quest for spirituality and meaning. It will champion a range of ideas and innovative solutions to address some of the most complex issues facing the Jewish community in the modern world." "The generosity of Virginia and Frank Maas has empowered AJU to amplify a critical message for our Jewish community today: people are out there searching. Whether they are newcomers to Judaism seeking an open door, or interfaith couples looking to build a shared future, or Jews by birth looking to reclaim their heritage for themselves, we're here to help," said Rabbi Adam Greenwald, Director of the Maas Center for Jewish Journeys. "The Maas Center exists to meet people where they are and welcome them to explore their Jewish journey." The Maas Center will unify a suite of programs to address the rapidly changing Jewish community. Through in-person courses, conferences, events, and digital outreach, the Center will provide thought leadership on issues of Jewish engagement and inclusion, particularly those affecting the next generation. Among these programs are Miller Introduction to Judaism, the nation's leader in empowering those seeking to convert to Judaism, interfaith couples, and anyone who wants to find their home in the Jewish community; the Ziering Brandeis Collegiate Institute (BCI), an immersive experience in Jewish learning, arts, culture, and community offered every summer to Jewish young adults from around the world; Marriage for Life retreats, which help couples envision their Jewish life together; the Community Mikveh; and planned, new online and in-person learning opportunities. The Center will also serve as a platform for strengthening AJU's nationwide network of affiliates. About AJU: American Jewish University (AJU) is a thriving center of Jewish resources and talent that serves the Jewish community of the twenty-first century. A portal for Jewish belonging, AJU equips students, faculty, campers, and learners of all ages with the tools to create the ideas, build the structures, and develop the programs to advance Jewish wisdom and elevate Jewish living. For more information, visit www.aju.edu. About Virginia and Frank Maas: Virginia and Frank Maas are longtime supporters of American Jewish University and members of the Board of Directors. Virginia Maas currently serves at the chair of the Board of Directors, and Frank Maas served as chair from 1992-1998. Their trailblazing vision and generous gift have created a major legacy at AJU that will serve the Jewish people for years to come. To learn more about the Maas Center for Jewish Journeys, please visit www.aju.edu/maascenter SOURCE American Jewish University Related Links www.aju.edu Delhi Police on Thursday summoned three students of the Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University in connection with violence which broke out during anti-CAA protests on December 15 last year. The students reached the Crime Branch office of the Delhi Police. On the day of the violent protests, some protestors, which Jamia has maintained were outsiders and not students, set buses and vehicles on fire in parts of South Delhi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) While there was a consensus among booksellers that Wi15 was a productive gathering, as far as many whom PW spoke to were concerned, the ABA saved the best for last: on Friday afternoon, Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, an American University history professor and the author of Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America (Bold Type Books, 2016), joined in conversation with newly appointed National Ambassador for Young Peoples Literature Jason Reynolds. The two discussed Reynoldss latest book, created in partnership with Kendi, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You (Little, Brown, Mar.). Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, a readers ages 12 and up, is being billed as a remix of what Reynolds repeatedly called Stamped Senior, Kendis intellectual history of racism in America, which won a National Book Award in 2016. The two actually first met at that National Book Awards ceremony, as Reynolds was a finalist for Ghost the same year. Kendi said that while he had tried to make Stamped from the Beginning accessible to the average reader beyond academia, he knew that he had to find someone skilled in crafting nonfiction for young readers to rewrite his book for that market. He thus approached Reynolds to write a young readers edition of Stamped from the Beginning, and kept asking until Reynolds agreed. This book needs to be read in every high school, it needs to be read in every middle school, Kendi told about 500 booksellers packing a hotel ballroom. I did my very best not just to honor your book, Reynolds replied, but also to honor the children. Reynolds noted that his strategy for transforming Stamped Senior into Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You was to make sure that his writing puts young people right in the middle of the conversation about race and racism. The story begins in the 15th century, when the worlds first racist, Prince Henry of Portugal, began kidnapping Africans and selling them into slavery in Europe; it concludes with a chapter on the emergence of the Black Lives Matter Movement in 2013, following the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the fatal shooting of African-American teenager Trayvon Martin. History is there, Reynolds said, but its also here. Its today, and its going to be tomorrow. Kendi explained the how and why of the central premise underlying both books: racism takes two forms, segregation and assimilation. While segregationists believe that African-Americans are inherently inferior, he said assimilationists believe that African-Americans are inferior due to environmental factors, but if nurtured and educated according to white peoples standards, Kendi said, then we are all equal as far as assimilationists are concerned., There is nothing wrong with black people. Theres a lot wrong with America, but nothing wrong with black people, Reynolds said, adding that Stampeds message is that people of all races should just be themselves, and accept others as they are. Assimilation, the two pointed out, leads white people to feel guilty, and black people to feel shame. White people are consumed with guilt from early on, Kendi said. Antiracism frees white people too, because it allows all people to accept others without preconceptions of how they should present themselves. Changing Hearts, Changing Minds Kendi insisted that the ideas presented in Stamped will free our children to be antiracist and to build relationships with other people who are antiracist. Reynolds emphasized how liberating it is, to go through life not feeling guilt, if [one] is white, and shame if [one] is black. Its gets harder and harder to assimilate, to keep up the mask. Noting that people of color often buy into the feeling that they must assimilate in order to succeed in American society, Kendi explained that some people of color who are writers even believe that if you dont cut your hair, youre never going to become a New York Times bestselling author. For me, I will take the joy of being myself. When asked by a bookseller how, in one sentence, booksellers should handsell Stamped to parents and teachers, and make it appealing to children, Kendi responded, Stamped explains where all this racism comes from, while Reynolds suggested that booksellers declare Stamped to be the boldest book about racism you are ever going to get. Hannah Oliver Depp, owner of the Liberty Bookstores in the Washington, D.C. area, asked the final question: how can booksellers avoid tokenism in promoting a book like Stamped? Reynolds said that it was not enough to simply sell Stamped, that booksellers should commit to using your bookstores as a community space, to have conversations. Take some extra steps, he urged the audience. Dont just pat yourselves on the back for selling this book. After the event, Summer Dawn Laurie of Books Inc. in San Francisco told PW that Stamped was the book of the show for her, saying, I am hoping that Stamped will give me the language and techniques to use in the store. I want all of my customers to read this book. And I am especially excited that its nonfiction. Depp said that, for her, the conversation between Reynolds and Kendi was the programming highlight of the conference. It was an excellent reminder of why the work we do matters and that it is on us. Mary OMalley of Andersons Bookshop in Naperville, Ill., concurred, saying that this was the most valuable session for her. Hearing Jason and Ibram discuss race and how we can begin to change attitudes and ideas around race in a conversational and informative dialogue was something I will carry with me back to the bookstore and into all aspects of my life. by Sumon Corraya The incident, which took place in Kutupalong Maga, one of the most crowded camps, has led to the transfer of 25 Christian families to a UN transit camp. Caritas Bangladesh serves people of every religion. Coxs Bazar (AsiaNews) Bangladesh Christian leaders have expressed "deep concern" about an attack on Rohingya Christian families at the Kutupalong Maga refugee camp in Coxs Bazar last Monday night. The next day, 25 Christian families (70 people) were moved to a UNHCR transit camp. "The attack is a very sad episode, said Nirmol Rozario, president of the Bangladesh Christian Association, speaking to AsiaNews. The association is planning to visit the affected families. Although the reasons for the incident are unknown, one of the Christian refugees, Saiful Islam Peter, said that intolerance against "the Christian faith was the cause. The attack has been blamed on members of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), who destroyed our homes and church, Peter said. According to the victims, 12 people were wounded in the attack, eight requiring hospitalisation. Police described the violence as an ordinary law-and-order incident, noting that only four Christians and one Muslim suffered injuries. Meanwhile, the Christian families have been transferred to another camp, this according to Refugee Relief and Repatriation commissioner Mahbub Alam Talukder. At present, more than 740,000 refugees are living in tents in various camps in Coxs Bazar, in particular that of Kutupalong, on the border with Myanmar. They fled Myanmar after violence broke out pinning the Myanmar military and ARSA fighters in August 2017. In addition to the 25 Christian families in Kutupalong, 444 Hindu families have also relocated to the Ukhia camp. According to some sources, Christians and Hindus are said to be the victims of persecution by majority Muslim Rohingya. Caritas Bangladesh is present in the camps, working for everyone, whether they are Christian, Hindu or Muslim, a Caritas official said. The Catholic charity doesnt consider the religion of the people they serve. Each camp has a person in charge of conflict resolution who, with the police, tries to settle issues. The European Parliament gave its final approval to Britain's divorce from the European Union (EU) on January 29, paving the way for the country to quit the bloc on January 31 after nearly half a century and delivering a major setback for European integration. After an emotional debate during which several speakers shed tears, EU lawmakers voted 621 for and 49 against the Brexit agreement sealed between Britain and the 27 other member states last October, more than three years since Britons voted out. Thirteen lawmakers abstained and the chamber then broke into a rendition of Auld Lang Syne, a traditional Scottish folk song of farewell. Britain's 73 departing EU lawmakers headed for an "Au Revoir" party in the EU chamber after the vote. Earlier on January 29, Britain's ambassador to the EU handed documents formalising Brexit to a senior EU official. Against a backdrop of British and EU flags at the bloc's Brussels headquarters, Tim Barrow, smiling, passed over a dark blue leather file embossed with the emblem of the United Kingdom. After protracted divorce talks, Britain will leave the club it joined in 1973 at midnight Brussels time (2300 GMT) on January 31, when British flags will be removed from EU offices and the EU flag lowered on the British premises there. With a status-quo transition period running only until year-end, fresh talks - covering everything from trade to security - will begin soon on a new relationship. "We are considering a zero-tariff, zero-quotas free trade agreement. But the precondition is that EU and British businesses continue to compete on a level playing field. We will certainly not expose our companies to unfair competition," European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen told the chamber. Chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier told envoys of the remaining 27 members earlier on Wednesday that a loose association agreement like the EU has with Ukraine should serve as the basis for new relations, diplomatic sources said. "We will not give ground on issues that are important to us," Barnier said, according to sources briefed on the closed-door meeting. "THE UK DIDN'T FIT" On his last working day as a member of the European Parliament, leading Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage told reporters there was "no going back" once the UK leaves. "The UK didn't fit, we'd be better off out," he said, describing euro scepticism as a settled view in the UK, where "Leave" won the 2016 referendum by a narrow 52 to 48 percent margin. He said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised him there would be no so-called 'level playing field' clauses on fair competition in the new EU-UK deal, highlighting a major point of contention with the bloc in the coming talks. As Farage beamed, his Brexit Party lawmakers waved goodbye to the chamber with mini Union Jack flags and chanted "Hurray!", but their Socialist compatriot Jude Kirton-Darling choked back tears. "It's probably the saddest day of my life so far. Brexit is something that attacks the very foundation of our identity," said Kirton-Darling, who plans to stay in Brussels with her Belgian husband. Guy Verhofstadt, a liberal EU lawmaker from Belgium and a staunch europhile, lamented Brexit as a historic debacle: "It's sad to see a country leaving that twice liberated us, twice gave its blood to liberate Europe." As a new reality dawns on Europe from Saturday, the UK's Permanent Representation to the EU, or UKRep, will become a foreign mission - already dubbed "UKmissEU" by some. Augusta, Ga, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A health care crisis is spreading throughout Georgias rural communities. Georgia ranks among the 10 worst states for most health measures, with some of the highest incidents of stroke, heart disease and cancer in the nation. To make matters worse, much of the state lacks access to primary care services, making Georgia worse than the national average for areas short of primary care doctors. As Georgias population gets older and more physicians retire, the entire state is facing a looming physician shortage and rural areas are disproportionately affected. According to the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce, 60 of the states 159 counties have no pediatrician; 76 are without an obstetrician or gynecologist; 18 have no family medicine physician; 32 with no internist; 74 do not have a general surgeon; and nine counties have no doctor at all. To combat this problem, the Medical College of Georgia has developed a 3+ Primary Care Pathway that will help place doctors where they are needed most in the state. This pathway shortens the traditional MD curriculum to three years instead of four and, if funded, will provide free tuition or student loan forgiveness to students who commit to a primary care residency and agree to serve in an underserved area for six years. As the state of Georgias only public academic health center and a leader in health care policy, Augusta University and the Medical College of Georgia are committed to improved health for all Georgians, said Augusta University President Brooks A. Keel, PhD. That statewide commitment is evidenced in the patients we treat, the education we provide and the research solutions we develop. The medical school is remodeling its curriculum so that all students at MCGs main campus in Augusta will complete the core MD curriculum in three years, but most students will spend their fourth years getting ready for residency, doing research or completing a dual degree. While only a percentage of students will be enrolled in the 3+ Primary Care Pathway, MCG Dean Dr. David Hess anticipates a statewide impact. As the states only public medical school, it is our duty to ensure a Georgia that is healthy, both physically and economically, adds Hess. The physician shortage, especially in underserved areas, is a huge problem thats only going to worsen over time. We know that primary care physicians not only improve a communitys overall health by preventing and managing chronic conditions on an outpatient basis, but they also bring jobs and other businesses with them. By placing more of these physicians in underserved areas, well be ensuring a healthy future for every corner of our state. Augusta University Health is also expanding its reach in rural Georgia with telemedicine, a technology that brings doctors and patients together in real time via a computer screen. From anchoring Georgias first emergency telehealth network to developing a pregnancy care app for new moms, AU Health is using technology to improve patient outcomes. Hess, a neurologist and stroke specialist, helped to successfully establish REACH Health, a nationally recognized telemedicine service that makes neurological consults available to patients in rural areas. Using a standard computer, webcam and broadband internet connection, AU Health neurologists are able to diagnose and treat stroke patients at participating hospitals in real time. AU Health is also providing patients access to some of the nations top emergency medical specialists, thanks to a $368,501 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued early last year to create Georgias first emergency telehealth network. Emergency room patients in five rural Georgia hospitals will be able to receive treatment the second they come in the door. When it comes to womens health disparities, AU Health is also using telemedicine to close the gap. Georgia ranks the worst in the nation for maternal mortality and half of the states counties have no OB-GYNs. In light of recent reports on this growing health crisis, Dr. Marlo Vernon, an assistant professor in Cancer Control, Prevention, and Population Health in the Georgia Cancer Center, is developing the Vida app to give doctors real-time patient data, including sudden changes in blood pressure or self-reported mental health. As it pertains to infertility, Dr. Larisa Gavrilova-Jordan, director of the In-Vitro Fertilization Service and Fertility Preservation Program at AU Health, launched a clinical service offering patients a telemedicine option of assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments. Her data showed a drop in treatment cost and the number of office visits while maintaining high rates of clinical pregnancies and live births. There was also an increase in access to ART for residents in central Georgia. Katrina Keefer, CEO of Augusta University Health and executive vice president for health affairs at Augusta University, says the wide range of rural health programs being concurrently deployed demonstrates the health systems dedication to improving patient outcomes across Georgia. We are aware of the challenges our rural patients and providers face, which is why we are putting effort into building a robust rural health program, said Keefer. We will continue to engage in rural communities and serve as high-quality partners providing care in Georgias rural and underserved areas. Learn more about Augusta Universitys Center for Rural Health and its initiatives. DOWNLOAD: An image of Augusta University Medical Center MYBEST GROUP S.P.A. Registered office in Sesto San Giovanni (MI), Viale Casiraghi 359 20099 Share capital 3.334.309,50 fully paid VAT 04227580968 Tax code 04227580968 Milan R.E.A. registration no. 1735084 * * * * * * * * * Minutes of the ordinary shareholders' meeting In the year 2019, on the 18th of December, at 03:30pm, at the registered office of the company MY BEST GROUP spa, in Sesto San Giovanni 20099 (MI), Viale Fratelli Casiraghi 359, the shareholders meeting of the company MyBest Group S.p.A. was held, after a first call, to discuss and decide on the following: Agenda Ordinary session examination of the draft financial statements as of 31.12.2018: relevant and consequent resolutions. any other business. Under the Deed of Incorporation, Mr. Fabio Regolo, Chairman of the Board of Directors, assumes the chairmanship. With the consent of those present, Mr. Alfredo Fossati is appointed as the Secretary of the meeting. For the purpose of verifying the regular constitution of the meeting, the Chairman establishes and declares the following: = for the Board of Directors, the Chairman, Mr. Fabio Regolo and the directors Mr. Daniele Vigano and Mr. Paul Manfredi are present; = for the Board of Statutory Auditors, Mr. Alfredo Fossati is present, as well as Mr. Leopoldo Turetta and Mr. Riccardo Pratesi; = there are no. 2 shareholders, representing themselves and/or proxy holders, for a total of no. 3.046.469 ordinary shares with a nominal value of 0,50 equal to 45,683% of the companys total share capital of 3.334.309,50, all detailed in the attached list, item A) and authorised to participate in the meeting by admission tickets issued by Banca Popolare di Sondrio; = the meeting was summoned by means of a notice published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale on 30 November 2019, on first call on 16 December 2019 at the registered office (on that date, the number of shareholders was not enough to reach quorum), and on second call on 17 December 2019, same location. Therefore, the meeting is legally constituted and can validly decide on the items on the agenda. The Chairman asks the participants if there are any situations that may impede the right to vote and nobody takes the floor. Then, the items on the agenda are discussed. *** With reference to the first time on the agenda, the Chairman, Mr. Fabio Regolo hands out to those present copies of: draft financial statements for the financial year ended on 31.12.2018; draft management report related to the financial statements for the financial year ended on 31.12.2018; report by the Board of Statutory Auditors on the financial statements for the financial year ended on 31.12.2018; report on the financial statements ended on 31.12.2018 y the auditing firm Deloitte & Touche s.p.a. The shareholders attending the meeting agree to waive the legal terms granted to them for the filing, by the administrative and control bodies, of the draft financial statement and relevant reports drawn up by these bodies. The Chairman reads the management report, and the reports drawn up by the auditing firm Deloitte & Touche s.p.a. and by the Board of Statutory Auditors. The Chairman gives the floor to the Chairman of the Board of Statutory Auditors, so that he can read the conclusions of the report drawn up by the Board of Statutory Auditors on the financial statements for the year ended on 31.12.2018. After opening the discussion, the Chairman answers the questions by providing the requested clarifications. After a thorough discussion, the Chairman puts the item on the agenda to the vote. Therefore, after reading and discussing the contents related to the financial statements and the reports by the Board of Statutory Auditors and by the Auditing Firm, the Shareholders' Meeting, unanimously APPROVES the Financial Statements and Management Report for the financial year ended on 31 December 2018, as proposed by the Board of Directors, which shows a negative result of 22,960,816 euros; the decision to authorise the Board of Directors, and, on its behalf, each Director separately, to fulfil any procedure and disclosure obligations and to register the resolution in the competent business register, with any formal amendments, additions or cancellations that may become necessary for this purpose; the decision to authorise the Board of Directors, and, on its behalf, each Director separately, to take every necessary and appropriate initiative to deal with the situation pursuant to article 2447 of the Civil Code, including calling a special meeting to implement appropriate measures. The Chairman takes the floor again to inform those present that the Director, Mr. Paul Manfredi has resigned from office and that, as a result, the Board does not constitute a quorum, therefore the new administrative body shall be appointed. The Shareholders' Meeting, unanimously APPROVES the decision to authorise the Board of Directors to take any useful and necessary initiative for the prompt appointment of the new administrative body of the Company, after calling a shareholders' meeting for this purpose. Since there is nothing else to be discussed and approved, and no one else asking for the floor, the shareholders' meeting is closed at 04.30pm, after drafting, reading, approving and signing these minutes. The Chairman The Secretary Regolo Fabio Fossati Alfredo Attachment The Driver and Vehicle Agency has asked its counterpart in Britain the DVLA not to sanction Northern Ireland motorists affected by the MoT crisis. It comes after calls for clarity around the issue of untaxed vehicles being clamped here due to the MoT debacle. Thousands of MoT tests have been cancelled after cracks were uncovered in 48 of the 55 vehicle lifts in local testing centres. Exemption certificates have been issued to drivers whose tests have been affected, although this does not apply to taxis and four-year-old cars. Read More In order to tax a vehicle, a valid MoT certificate is needed. There have been concerns raised that owners of cars not covered by the exemptions are having their cars clamped through no fault of their own because their test was cancelled. Read More Police have only said officers are "encouraged to exercise their discretion". Yesterday, Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon said while her department was not responsible for clamping vehicles, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in Swansea has been asked not to penalise those who can't get a test. Ms Mallon also said two new vehicle lifts are being installed to provide more capacity at centres. The lifts - one in Belfast and one in Newbuildings - were pre-ordered at the end of 2019, although installation is being accelerated due to the disruption. "These lifts will be independently inspected and checked before becoming operational," she said. "More information will follow on when and how these two new lifts will be operational, but I expect that to be possible within the next few days." "I have instructed the DVA that they are to be focused on testing taxis and four-year-old cars for private customers and also car dealerships in the first instance." Earlier yesterday DfI was criticised for not providing clarity on the matter. DUP MLA Jim Wells, who had the party whip removed in 2018, said it was "disappointing" that DfI has not been open or reacted quickly to clarify the matter. "This is what we used to blame faceless direct rule ministers and civil servants for... now it appears the Department for Infrastructure is behaving in exactly the same way," he told BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show. "I think the department needs to be out there and be flexible in answering legitimate questions almost immediately. "It's only when you think through the whole MoT system that you realise there are so many various complexities, and it has broken down and the department needs to react much more quickly." Four-year-old cars have never had an MoT test certificate, so there is no MoT to extend. On Tuesday Ms Mallon pledged to be open with the public about the situation and commissioned two separate reviews into the matter. She described the situation as a "mess" and extended opening hours at test centres to minimise disruption. She said the Association of British Insurers had assured her policy holders will not be penalised "for something that is entirely out of their control". Police said officers were being directed to "exercise discretion" over the issue. "The DVA is working to contact all owners of four-year-old cars to book them for MoT tests in the coming days," a PSNI spokesman said. "Priority is being given to those with MoTs that have expired or expire today, so motorists can tax their vehicles. "Driving without tax is not prosecuted by PSNI and is the remit of DVLA. Where a police officer detects a vehicle without tax and it is outside of the 14-day grace period provided, a referral is made to the DVLA. "Given these exceptional circumstances where PSNI detects a vehicle without a valid MoT certificate, providing the vehicle is in a roadworthy condition, officers would be encouraged to exercise discretion." Jim Wells said potentially thousands of motorists could find themselves sanctioned. "We need absolute clarity and we are not getting it from infrastructure and the police," he added. "There will be hundreds of people detected everyday [without an MoT] and we need a total amnesty." The DVLA has yet to respond to a request for a comment. LONDON The Royal Ballet has suspended Liam Scarlett, its artist-in-residence, after accusations of sexual misconduct involving students at the Royal Ballet School. The company was made aware of the accusations against Mr. Scarlett in August, it said in an emailed statement on Thursday. Mr. Scarlett was suspended immediately and an investigation is ongoing, the statement added. The accusations were first reported by The Times of London on Wednesday night. Mr. Scarlett, who was heralded as a choreographic wonder boy of British ballet, has created work for the New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theater and Miami City Ballet, among others. The impact of the accusations is already spreading beyond Britain. On Thursday, the Queensland Ballet in Australia suspended Mr. Scarlett, an artistic associate of the company, and canceled its planned productions of his ballet Dangerous Liaisons, The Australian newspaper reported. LANDOVER, Md., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Giant Food, the leading greater Washington D.C. regional grocery chain, is encouraging customers to join in its support of Black History Month through its charitable bag program, Bags 4 My Cause. The Bags 4 My Cause program was launched to support local nonprofit organizations while working to reduce single-use paper and plastic waste in the environment. Giant Food Supports Black History Month Through Bags 4 My Cause For the month of February, the Bags 4 My Cause bags will be available for purchase at all Giant stores retailing for $2.50 per bag, and will generate a $1 donation. Proceeds from each purchase of the bags from the month of February will be evenly distributed to four organizations that support black communities in the region. The four local non-profits that the bags will support for the month will include: Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington U.S. Dream Academy Greater Washington Urban League Greater Baltimore Urban League In addition to donations from the Bags 4 My Cause program, Giant employees will also be volunteering at U.S. Dream Academy as well as the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington during the month of February. "Giant has always been dedicated to being a better neighbor and giving back to our communities," said Robin Anderson, Vice President of Human Resources at Giant Food. "We are happy to celebrate Black History Month, not only with our community members and employees, but alongside the local nonprofits that work tirelessly to support the needs of our diverse neighbors." To learn more about the Bags 4 My Cause program and track the various organizations supported and the number of shopping bags saved, visit https://giantfood.bags4mycause.com/. To date, Giant's Bags 4 My Cause program has raised over $54,000 in donations and supported over 750 nonprofits. About Giant Food Giant Food is headquartered in Landover, Md. and operates 162 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia with approximately 20,000 associates. Included within the 162 stores are 152 full-service pharmacies, 80 full-service PNC Banks and 21 Starbucks locations. With flexible options and convenient solutions, Giant fits all the ways today's busy consumers want to shop whether in store, via Giant Pickup or home delivery from Giant Delivers which combined serves 156 store locations. For more information on Giant, visit www.giantfood.com. SOURCE Giant Food Related Links http://www.giantfood.com SAN RAFAEL (BCN) San Rafael police Wednesday morning arrested a man who is suspected of burglarizing a residence earlier this month. A homeowner in the 200 block of San Marino Drive called police around 10 a.m. on Jan. 17 while someone was breaking a window to get into his residence. The homeowner called police and fired a gun toward the back of the house where the break-in was occurring, police said. The suspect fled and police do not know if he was shot. Detective Kevin MacDougald searched for evidence and re-interviewed the victim and witnesses who lived in the area. MacDougald determined Jamal Jay Bseiso, 60, a transient, was a possible suspect in the burglary and other misdemeanor cases of vandalism and petty theft, and he was identified as the suspect, police said. Detectives found Bseiso's vehicle in the 1300 block of Hamilton Parkway in Novato around 9:30 a.m. He was booked into Marin County Jail on suspicion of burglary and burglary of an occupied dwelling, police said. 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 day after Dr Kafeel Khan, former assistant lecturer at Gorakhpurs BRD Hospital, was arrested, he was produced before a metropolitan magistrate court in Bandra on Thursday. Khan was arrested from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport Mumbai on Wednesday for allegedly delivering an inflammatory speech during a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in December. On Thursday, before the Uttar Pradesh Police could seek his transit remand, Dr Kafeel Khan, in the open court, said, UP Police may kill me in a fake encounter. Dr Khan told the magistrates court that he was not being given a lawyer, and then he made an appeal in the open court to the lawyers standing to represent him. But no lawyer came forward to represent him. In fact, a group of lawyers said no loudly in the court. After some time, two lawyers Alka Sharma and Shaukat Ali Khan agreed to represent him. Dr Khan then told the court, The UP government is trying to falsely frame me. The court can watch the entire video. I have not said anything provocative. But still, if the case against me has to be pursued, please keep me in Mumbai. Dr Khans lawyer, Shaukat Ali Khan, told in court that sedition charges were not applicable to him as he only gave his opinion on how CAA will impact Muslims, said the lawyer. We fear that UP Police will kill him in an encounter. He got a clean chit in the Gorakhpur hospital deaths case. But because he is putting pressure on UP government to nab the actual culprits, he is being framed, said the lawyer OP Singh director general of police (DGP), UP said, This is wrong that we will fabricate any wrong or false case against him. As far as the encounter is concerned, let me make it very clear to him and everybody that we believe in the rule of law and our preliminary aim is to arrest people and not to kill people. His apprehension is unfounded and he should not feel like this, He will be prosecuted before the court as per the law. We have arrested him as per the hate speech that he delivered at AMU on December 12. We have nothing to do with his past. We are charging him and going ahead just for his present case, Singh added. Khan was booked under section 153-A (Promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion) of IPC. The Gold Rush Everything you need to know about this years awards season race. Photo: Courtesy Twentieth Century Fox Our last foray into fantasy-casting alternative timelines for the Academy Awards got us thinking. The 2002 race for Best Actress started out as Sissy Spaceks to lose. The 1980 Best Actress winner for Coal Miners Daughter had been earning acclaim since January of 2001 for the Sundance Film Festival hit In the Bedroom. Backed by a Miramax Oscar campaign that had landed the film seven nominations, including Best Picture, Spaceks case looked strong. Doubly so after a win at the Golden Globes. But building momentum as a late-breaking contender was Halle Berry for a little seen movie that sneaked into theaters at the very end of the year, Monsters Ball. Playing a grieving single mother, Berrys performance was full of big moments and high-intensity scenes, and it seemed like voters were noticing; she upset Spacek at the SAG Awards. She was also gathering heat for the potential history-making aspect of her win: Shed be the first black Best Actress victor ever (with Denzel Washington poised to win Best Actor, and the only previous black Best Actor winner, Sidney Poitier, set to receive an honorary Oscar, too). Of course, with two neck-and-neck contenders splitting the traditionally stodgy voting body, conditions are always ripe for an insurgent third party. Enter Nicole Kidman, whose performance in the Best Picturenominated Moulin Rouge was winning raves even from skeptics. Having emerged from her high-profile divorce from Tom Cruise, she was offering up some of the best acting in her career. In fact, she was campaigning for two lead roles this year: Moulin Rouge and the terrifically creepy The Others. For the bulk of her relationship with Cruise, Kidman was seen very much as a girlfriend or wife first and an actress second. Her critical breakthrough came with 1995s To Die For (she won a Golden Globe, but received no Oscar nomination), and there was more than gossip behind the idea that Eyes Wide Shut could nab her that first Oscar nod. But Stanley Kubricks death and a media frenzy around Cruise and Kidmans nudity and sex scenes overshadowed any ensuing Academy talk. Come 2002, after avoiding splitting her own votes in the nomination phase, Kidman seemingly settled into a comfortable third-place position in the Best Actress race with Moulin Rouge. But she was certainly popular enough to capitalize on a split-vote scenario between Spacek and Berry. What if the breeze blew just slightly different in Hollywood that season? Our last foray into fantasy-casting alternative timelines for the Academy Awards got us thinking. Heres what you might expect from the mirror universe where Kidman won the Oscar in 2002: 1. Nicole Kidman wins Best Actress for her performance in Moulin Rouge, presented by the previous years Best Actor winner Russell Crowe, Nicoles good friend and fellow Aussie. Meanwhile, Halle Berrys historic Best Actress win for Monsters Ball never happens, and the focus on the fact that the Academy has never awarded a black woman in this category becomes even more intense. 2. With Kidman having just won her Oscar, the 2003 Best Actress race goes to Renee Zellweger for Chicago. The urgency to award Kidman two years in a row isnt there, so the awards priorities shift. Kidman campaigns for her role in The Hours in Supporting, and Meryl Streep gets the benefit of the films sole lead-actress push. Both are nominated (Julianne Moore is not). Meanwhile, Renee Zellwegers SAG win for Chicago proves to be a good omen, and she takes home Best Actress (with Catherine Zeta-Jones still triumphing, too), proving that alternative Oscar timelines really do favor Actress/Supporting Actress winners from the same film. 3. With Zellweger having just won her Oscar, the 2003 Best Supporting Race goes to Keisha Castle-Hughes. After campaigning all season (fraudulently, but still) as a supporting actress, Whale Rider star Keisha Castle-Hughes was surprisingly nominated in lead actress come nomination time. In this alternate timeline, though, Renee Zellweger doesnt have two years worth of Oscar momentum making her Cold Mountain win an inevitability. Instead, the backlash hits, and the reviews for her are savage. Shes never a factor in Best Supporting Actress, and with a vacuum in the category, Newmarket Films campaigns ceaselessly for Castle-Hughes, and she takes it all the way to the podium. 4. Beyonce Knowles wins a Golden Globe (and gets an Oscar nomination) for Dreamgirls. The temperature around the Oscars is heated, what with audiences realizing once again that were long overdue for some kind of forward movement when it comes to recognizing performances from black actresses. Dreamgirls becomes a contender not just for Jennifer Hudson in Supporting Actress but for the films female lead, one Beyonce Knowles. Bey storms past Meryl Streeps The Devil Wears Prada performance to take the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy. A couple weeks later, Beyonce gets her first nomination as Best Actress in a leading role, and shes the heavy favorite to make history and win Best Actress. 5. Helen Mirren (The Queen) upsets Beyonce for 2006 Best Actress. Goddamn it, Oscars! Never underestimate the Academys fondness for British monarchs or Helen Mirren. Okay, so at this point everybody just goes completely bananas. The Beyhive is incensed. There are dozens upon dozens of editorials. I wont even get into what Kanye West does. 6. Oscar spends the next decade making it up to the Beyhive. Having been burned by the Oscars race, Bey pivots hard back to her music, but at every turn, attempts are made to get her to write a song for a movie. At the last minute, shes brought on to write additional lyrics for the breakout song from a Best Picture contender and also sing lead vocals, bumping out the previously lined-up vocalist, Nicole Scherzinger. So when Jai Ho wins Best Original Song at the 2008 Oscars, Beyonce joins A.R. Rahman onstage and accepts her first Oscar. Her second Oscar comes when she (and not Sam Smith) is asked to sing the Bond theme for Spectre, and after a thrilling Oscar campaign against Lady Gagas Til It Happens to You, Bey triumphs yet again. However, the Best Actress front remains noticeably white. 7. Halle Berry emerges with a 2010 indie that catches on and wins Best Actress for Frankie & Alice. Stick with me on this! Nearly a decade after her unforgettable Oscars snub, Halle Berry takes the lead role on another small indie that sneaks into theaters at the end of the year, this time playing a stripper with dissociative identity disorder. In our timeline, Frankie & Alice got a qualifying theatrical run and was nominated for a 2010 Golden Globe, but then never got properly released and sat on a shelf until 2014. In this timeline, however, Berry once again amasses the kind of momentum she did for Monsters Ball, and Frankie & Alice gets a proper release. Berry rides the wave all the way to the Academy Awards and bests an all-time-great Best Actress field, including Natalie Portman in Black Swan, to take the Oscar. This time, her hyperventilating acceptance speech includes Beyonces name. 8. Natalie Portman wins Best Actress for 2016s Jackie. That Black Swan snub gives Portman crazy Shes overdue! energy going into the Best Actress race, and while Portmans performance was polarizing and Jackie had its detractors, the narrative is just way too strong for Emma Stones performance in La La Land to compete. 9. The La La Land/Moonlight fake-out in Best Picture never happens. As youll recall, the reason Faye Dunaway announced La La Land incorrectly as the Best Picture winner was that she and Warren Beatty were handed a duplicate envelope for Best Actress. Faye saw La La Land on the card, read it, and it was Oscar infamy from there. In this timeline, Portman wins for Jackie, which wasnt even a Best Picture nominee. This time, both Warren and Faye look askance when their presentation turn arrives, and they demand to speak to a producer. After an awkward and seemingly endless delay, where time most certainly stood still for Barry Jenkins, Damien Chazelle, and a whole lot of people, the correct envelope is found, and Moonlight is declared the winner. 10. Emma Stone wins Best Actress for 2018s The Favourite. Having lost Best Actress for her La La Land performance, Stone entered the 2018 Oscars race with her third nomination in five years. And since her overdue momentum was building, Fox Searchlight saw her as their strongest contender for Best Actress (it helps that Stones character actually is the most central of its three main actresses). In a head-to-head with Glenn Close, the latter doesnt stand a chance, and Stone sweeps the Globes, SAG, and heads right up to the Oscar stage with ease. Meanwhile, Olivia Colman is nominated in Best Supporting Actress alongside Rachel Weisz, and they split The Favourites votes between them, never really challenging Regina King, who still wins her Oscar. (Olivia still gets to star in The Crown, though.) Thats quite the mirror universe. 2.9k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Alan Dershowitz came unglued at Trumps impeachment trial and starting ranting about Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and how everyone else is wrong but him. Dershowitz said: By the way, the congressman was just completely wrong when he said, Im not the only scholar who supports this position. In the 19th Century, which is much closer in time to when the framers wrote, Dean Dwight of the Columbia law school wrote that the weight of authority by which he meant the weight of scholarly authority and the weight of judicial authority, this is 1867. The weight of authority is in favor of requiring a crime. Justice Curtis came to the same conclusion. Others have come to a similar conclusion. You asked what happened between 1998 and the current that changed my mind? What happened between the 19th century and the 20th century to change the minds of so many scholars? Let me tell you what happened. What happened was the current president was impeached. If in fact President Obama or President Hillary Clinton had been impeached, the weight of current scholarship would be clearly in favor of my position. Because these scholars do not pass the shoe on the other foot these scholars are influenced by their own bias, by their own politics, and their views should be taken with that in mind. They simply do not give objective assessments of the constitutional history. Video: Dershowitz is unhinged and ranting about Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and @tribelaw It is telling that no scholar from the last few centuries agrees with Alan Dershowitz's position on impeachment. pic.twitter.com/TSwFdfgttO Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) January 29, 2020 Dershowitzs argument boils down to claiming that everyone is biased, but him, and everyone is also wrong about impeachment, but him. The argument is very Trumpian. Trump claims that everyone else is lying, but him, and his lawyer is arguing that he is the only scholar liberal or conservative who understands the true intent of the Founders on impeachment. Alan Dershowitz is unhinged, and since he cant defend his theory with precedent, he is taking a page from Fox News by complaining about bias while proclaiming himself to be the only source of truth. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook Northern Ireland has been at peace since the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. However, with Brexit, is it possible that the precarious political balance in the province will be upset? RFI spoke to John Barry, a political scientist and Professsor of Green Political Economy at Queens University in Belfast, who thinks the peace process is not in danger. However, he is disappointed that Unionists may be looking at France's Yellow Vest movement for inspiration. The entance to the 19th century Crown Liquor Saloon in the centre of Belfast, with its elegantly carved wooden boxes where guests can seclude themselves to have private drinks, features a mosaic of the crown of England. According to popular wisdom, the couple who initially ran the place, a catholic husband and his loyalist, protestant wife came to a bizarre agreement: when the wife proposed to have a picture of the crown in the bar, the husband readily agreed, but insisted it be placed on the floor, so everybody can trample over it. Brexit seems, paradoxically, to be something similar in Belfast. Northern Ireland prepares for Brexit in opposite ways, because we are a divided society, dealing with a long legacy of conflict, says Barry. He points out that the January 31st Brexit deadline may have been helpful in getting Northern Ireland's local government, at the Stormont Palace, back on track after having been suspended for years. Had it not, Northern Ireland would be the only part of the United Kingdom without any government in terms of leaving and the negotiating period we are entering into, he says. But views on what Brexit means differ enormously. Irish nationalists are using this as a jumping off point for accelerating the debate about a united Ireland, he says. [That is to say, debating how] to get rid of the border and have some sort of re-unified state on the island. But Unionists, protestant pro-British brexiteers, are extremely wary. Barry says that many feel betrayed by Boris Johnson. [He] threw them under the bus. He sacrificed them, and went ahead with a deal the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) didn't want. So that party now has really nowhere left to go, because the deal has been done; they have no longer any leverage in Westminster. The previous Conservative government under Theresa May was dependent on the support of 10 MP's of Northern Ireland's DUP, who blocked her initial deal with the EU, causing the debate to drag on for months. Monumental error Barry adds: They have made a monumental error. They were the only major party in Northern Ireland to support Brexit, and they supported the last Conservative government, when the Conservative Party needed the 10 [DUP] MP's. It gave them some leverage. "But everything changed after Boris Johnson won an absolute majority at the December 12 elections, completely deflating the DUP's influence." Boris Johnson deal has [placed] this economic regulatory border in the Irish Sea". The DUP adherents translate this economic border into a constitutional separation of Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom," Barry adds. In a worst case scenario, Brexit, in the eyes of the Unionists, could lead to the break-up of the United Kingdom. If Scotland now is on the path of independence, this leads many Unionists to feeling isolated with no reciprocity from London, says Barry. Polarisation On the May 22, 1998, the governments of the UK and Ireland signed the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) putting an end to long decades of 'troubles' where sectarian strife between catholics and protestants cost the lives of hundreds and wrecked the fabric of society. How does Brexit affect this agreement? There was some talk that somehow Brexit, and maybe having customs posts on the Irish border, would lead to conflict, says Barry, admitting that it has led to a polarization of communities in Northern Ireland. Support or no of Brexit broke down on sectarian lines if you were a protestant British Unionist, you voted for Brexit, and if you were a catholic nationalist republican you voted to remain so the Brexit vote itself, and its aftermath has led to a polarization, he says. While believing that Brexit will not immediately fuel violence similar to what Northern Ireland saw before the Good Friday Agreement, Barry says that loyalists may react. I'm worried about a reaction of a gilets jaunes type. There's been open talk among a lot of the activists in the loyalist community: they are looking how the working class mobilizes in France," he said. "I wouldn't be surprised if something like tha happened, particularly around the ports in Northern Ireland, where goods are coming in, that they vent their displeasure about Brexit happening under conditions they didn't like." A pregnant woman has been arrested for drink driving - before her father-in-law allegedly suffered the same fate when he came to the police station to bail her out. The 29-year-old was pulled over in Katherine, in the Northern Territory's Top End, at 3.20am on Thursday. She allegedly blew 0.165, a high-range result, a Northern Territory Police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia. The 29-year-old was pulled over in Katherine, in the Northern Territory's Top End, at 3.20am on Thursday (stock) The woman was also charged with driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle. Her father-in-law was in the car and she was taken to Katherine Police Station. Later, the 45-year-old man allegedly drove to the station in the same unregistered and uninsured car. He allegedly demanded the woman be released on bail. However, police then breath-tested him and he is alleged to have blown 0.117. He was charged with medium-range drink driving. A juvenile (face blurred) brandishes a pistol while heading towards anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protesters near Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi on Thursday. He opened fire against the protesters injuring one student and causing panic. (PTI) New Delhi: Thousands of people and police personnel faced off against each other near the Jamia Millia Islamia campus on Thursday after a teenager fired a pistol at a group of anti-CAA protesters, injuring a student, before walking away while waving the firearm over his head, shouting Yeh lo aazadi. The injured student, Shahdab Farooq, who was seen bleeding from his left hand, was first taken to Holy Family Hospital and later moved to the AIIMS Trauma Centre. Farooq, a mass communications student, belongs to Kashmir. The terrifying incident took place as hundreds of students, protesting agai-nst the Citizenship Amendment Act, were on their way to Rajghat to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi, who was assassinated on January 30, 1948. The entire drama, which triggered panic in the area, was captured by television cameras that showed the man in light-coloured trousers and a dark jacket, walking away on an empty road barricaded by the police, turning around and shouting at the protesters in Hindi. In a chilling video, the teenager is seen walking backwards as he points his gun at protesters. Dozens of policemen in riot gear are seen behind him, but none of them is seen trying to stop the shooter. Yeh lo azaadi (heres your freedom), he sneered at the protesters. After he fired the shot, one cop could be seen walking towards him and grabbing him. Cop says Jamia shooter is juvenile Saying that he was a juvenile, Delhi police officials said the attacker cannot be named. While being taken away, he shouted: Delhi Police zindabad (Long live Delhi Police). By the time the police could react, the person already fired. Everything happened in seconds. The investigation is on and the case has been transferred to the crime branch, special CP (intelligence) Praveer Ranjan told this newspaper. We have apprehended the person. We are investigating whether he is a juvenile or not. The police has also seized his Aadhaar card, which shows he was born on April 18, 2002. Soon after the shooting, the locality was heavily barricaded and traffic diverted from all roads near the area. As night fell, massive protests broke out with agitated students and others gathering near the university, breaking barricades and clashing with police personnel. Some demonstrators, including a woman, could be seen being forcibly taken away. Many sang the national anthem. As tension spiralled in the area, Union home minister Amit Shah said he had ordered stringent action in the shooting incident and the culprit will not be spared. I have spoken to the Delhi police commissioner on the firing incident (in Jamia area) and instructed them to take strict action. The Central government will not tolerate any such incident, it will be taken seriously and the culprit will not be spared, Mr Shah tweeted in Hindi. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also urged the home minister to take care of the deteriorating law and order situation in Delhi. What is happening in Delhi? The law and order is deteriorating. Please take care of Delhis law and order, Mr Kejriwal said in the tweet. The incident comes against the backdrop of hate speeches during the campaign for the February 8 Delhi election; Union minister Anurag Thakur has been banned from campaigning for 72 hours after he was caught on camera encouraging the slogan Desh Ke Gaddaro Ko, Goli Maaro S***** Ko (Shoot the traitors) at am election rally. The teenager is from Uttar Pradeshs Jewar, near Delhi. He had gone live on Facebook minutes before he drew out his gun. Videos on his Facebook timeline showed him walking around in the crowded road the venue of the protest with a red backpack. His previous posts seemed to indicate that he had come prepared for the consequences of his action. On my last journey, take me draped in saffron and shout slogans of Jai Shri Ram, one of them in Hindi read. Another more threatening post read: Shaheen Bagh, Game Over, referring to a massive protest against the citizenship law taken up by women and children for over a month now. A Jamia Millia student, who witnessed the terrifying incident, said: We were standing near the barricades when suddenly this outsider, whom none of us recognised, tried to disturb the peace of the march. He marches forward with a revolver in his hand. We were all trying to stop him and calm him down. The policemen were standing there. We tried to approach them to stop that guy. But they just kept standing there simply. When we tried to take the revolver from his hand, he shot one of our friends. Violence had erupted at Jamia Millia Islamia last month during a protest against the citizenship law; the police was accused of using excessive force on students. Earlier this month, masked goons attacked students and teachers at JNU, triggering nationwide outrage and protests. Lisa Lloyd, the mother of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace actor Jake Lloyd, has released a statement giving an update on her sons current wellbeing. He had been receiving treatment in a psychiatric facility since 2016, but is now living in a residence close to relatives. The statement says he is making progress and that his family hope to have him back to his fun and entertaining self as soon as possible. George Lucas director of Star Wars along with Amanda Lucas, Jett Lucas and Jake Lloyd after the world premiere of Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith (Getty) The 30-year-old former child star, who played Anakin Skywalker in the 1999 film, was arrested by South Carolina police on 17 June 2015 on charges of resisting arrest, failure to stop at a red light, reckless driving and driving without a licence. His mother told TMZ that Lloyd had been showing signs of schizophrenia when he was 19, and he was later moved from jail to a psychiatric facility after 10 months behind bars without a trial. Schizophrenia was given as the reason for the transfer. Read more: Linda Hamilton happy to see back of Terminator franchise In a statement released to Geek News Now this week, Lisa Lloyd said that Jake had recently been moved to a facility closer to his family, and had received a new diagnosis from doctors. We would like to thank everyone for their kind words, their support, and goodwill. Jake has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, but unfortunately he also has a symptom called anosognosia which causes a lack of insight into his illness. The NHS website defines anosognosia as a lack of awareness of symptoms. This only adds to the struggle he faces, which has been very difficult after the tragic loss of his younger sister, Madison, the statement goes on. Police photo of Star Wars actor Jake Lloyd (Colleton County Sheriff's Office/AP) She says the death of Jakes younger sister Madison, who died in her sleep in 2018 at the age of 26, had been shattering for the family. He has moved closer to his family and we are all working hard to help him with this. He is still a kind and caring person and we hope to have him back to his fun and entertaining self as soon as possible. Jake will continue to make progress with the love and support you continue to show. Story continues Jake Lloyd played Anakin Skywalker (Getty) Jake Lloyd, who also goes by the name Jake Broadbent, began his acting career starring in commercials from the age of five. He starred in the 1996 film Unhook The Stars opposite Marisa Tomei, and he appeared in four episodes of hospital drama ER the same year. He then acted in Jingle All The Way, playing Arnold Schwarzeneggers son, before being chosen by George Lucas to play the highly sought-after role of Anakin Skywalker the young Jedi who would grow up to be Darth Vader in The Phantom Menace. Jake Lloyd played Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace He appeared in two more movies before retiring from acting in 2001. He remained affiliated with Star Wars, voicing young Anakin in a number of video games and appearing at fan conventions. In 2012 he revealed that he retired from acting after being bullied at school, saying: "Other children were really mean to me. They would make the sound of the lightsaber every time they saw me. It was totally mad. My entire school life was really a living hell. Read more: Fan backlash that turned really ugly The report by The Sun claims that Lloyd destroyed all his Star Wars memorabilia after quitting acting, although this claim has been strongly disputed by those close to Lloyd. Ewan McGregor, Jake Lloyd and Liam Neeson in a promotional still for Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (20th Century Fox) In 2017, Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill defended Lloyd saying hed been unfairly treated by the media. I couldnt believe some of the things they wrote about the prequels, you know. I mean really, beyond I didnt like it, Hamill told Vulture. Im still angry about the way they treated Jake Lloyd. He was only 10 years old, that boy, and he did exactly what George wanted him to do. Believe me, I understand clunky dialog. Editors note: This article has been corrected on 31 January to clarify that Jake Lloyd is not currently in a psychiatric facility as previously stated, but is now living in a residence near family. The article also stated that Lloyd make his acting debut in ER, but that has been amended to reflect his prior work in commercials. Lyon, 30 January 2020 - 8.00 am. The Visiativ Group share (FR0004029478, ALVIV) is listed on Euronext Growth Paris. Visiativ has strengthened its governance team with the appointment of Bertrand Sicot as Chief Executive Officer. Bertrand Sicot brings 30 years of experience in sales operations leadership in both domestic and international software businesses to Visiativ. Alongside Visiativ Chairman Laurent Fiard, Bertrand Sicot will drive the Group strategy, the CATALYST 2023 strategic plan execution and help boost the Group's international expansion. Bertrand Sicot most recently served as Senior Vice President of Indirect Sales at Dassault Systemes managing a channel of 500+ partners in 36 countries. Prior to this position, he was the CEO of SOLIDWORKS where he oversaw the growth of the brand into a comprehensive portfolio for intuitive, integrated 3D design with more than 2.5 million users. During his career, Bertrand established, developed and grew the business in many countries in Europe, North America, South America and Asia. His experience is mainly international including a four-year residency in Boston, MA in the USA. Aged 56, Bertrand holds a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Arts & Metiers ParisTech. Visiativ Chairman Laurent Fiard said: "We are delighted to have Bertrand Sicot on board after many years of successful cooperation with him. His experience and skills will be invaluable during this pivotal stage of the Group's transformation ushered in by the CATALYST 2023 plan. Bertrand's arrival will further strengthen Visiativ's ties with Dassault Systemes and boost our operations abroad. I would like to thank my colleague Christian Donzel who will hand over the reins to Bertrand. Christian will help manage the handover and will continue to provide his expertise and oversee the Group's development as a shareholder and member of the Visiativ Board of Directors." Visiativ CEO Bertrand Sicot said: "I would like to thank Laurent Fiard for the trust he has placed in me with this appointment. I am delighted to be joining Visiativ, a company I have known for many years, and I fully share the vision and ambitions of the new CATALYST 2023 plan. Visiativ has all the strengths it needs to become a strategic partner to help SME directors accelerate innovation and the transformation of their companies. We will do everything in our power to achieve the new plan's ambitious targets." About Visiativ A true platform of human and digital experiences, Visiativ is a global player with multiple areas of expertise (consulting, software editing and integration, platform creation, IT outsourcing). Through its unique value proposition, it helps accelerate companies' innovation and digital transformation. Working with mid-caps since its foundation in 1987, the Visiativ Group posted 2019 revenues of 203 million and boasts a diverse portfolio of over 18,000 customers. Covering all of France's business hubs and with operations worldwide (Belgium, Brazil, Canada, USA, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Morocco, UK and Switzerland), Visiativ has over 1,000 employees. The Visiativ share (ISIN code FR0004029478, ALVIV) is listed on Euronext Growth Paris. The share is eligible for the PEA and PEA-PME personal equity plans and FCPI/FIP investment funds, thanks to its status as an "innovative business" recognised by Bpifrance. For further information, visit www.visiativ.com VISIATIV CONTACT Lydia JOUVAL External communication Tel.: +33 (0)4 78 87 29 29 lydia.jouval@visiativ.com INVESTOR CONTACT ACTUS Mathieu OMNES Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 92 momnes@actus.fr PRESS CONTACT ACTUS Serena BONI Tel.: +33 (0)4 72 18 04 92 sboni@actus.fr ------------------------ This publication embed "Actusnews SECURITY MASTER ". - SECURITY MASTER Key: lpicaZdpYZuXyG1ulZWZbWJnm2ySkmmabZKcm2melMedmZ5klW5haZaXZm9inmdu - 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-0-61928-visiativ_pr_bertrand-sicot_20200130_en.pdf The coverage on this live blog has ended but for up-to-the-minute coverage on the coronavirus, visit the live blog from CNBC's Asia-Pacific team. All times below are in Eastern time. 5:35 pm: Hubei province reports 42 additional deaths The Hubei Province Health Commission on Thursday reported an additional 42 deaths along with an additional 1,220 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the region as of Jan. 30. That brings the total to 204 deaths and 5,806 cases in the province. 5:23 pm: Trump says coronavirus outbreak is 'all under control' and a 'very small problem' in US President Donald Trump said the U.S. government was working closely with China to contain the outbreak, predicting "a very good ending" for the United States. "We are working very closely with China and other countries, and we think it's going to have a very good ending for us, that I can assure you," Trump said Thursday while visiting a manufacturing plant for auto supplier Dana in Warren, Mich., a suburb of Detroit. Trump said U.S. officials believe "we have it all under control," adding that it's a "very small problem in this country." 4:19 pm: Coronavirus could hurt sales in first quarter, Oreo-maker Mondelez says Mondelez Chief Executive Dirk Van de Put said he expects first-quarter revenue to be affected by the spread of the coronavirus. The company has already closed two factories near the epicenter of the outbreak for 10 days to combat the risk of infection from the virus. "Up to the moment that the media started to talk a lot about the coronavirus, we were selling out quite well," Van de Put told CNBC. 3:52 pm: Pilots union files suit to halt American Airlines flights to China The union that represents American Airlines' pilots said Thursday it's suing American Airlines to halt service to China amid the coronavirus outbreak, which has killed more than 170 people in China and infected more than 8,000 around the world. The Allied Pilots Association represents "15,000 professional pilots who fly for American Airlines," according to its site. The suit seeks a temporary restraining order that, the APA said, would halt all American Airlines service between the U.S. and China. 3:00 pm: US State Department authorizes departure of staff and families in China The U.S. State Department has placed all non-emergency staff and their families on "authorized departure" from China. While this is not an order for personnel to leave the country, it means they are permitted to leave the country amid the coronavirus outbreak. It will affect the U.S. embassy in Beijing and the Consulates General in Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Shenyang, a State Department spokesperson said, all of which will continue to provide consular services, as resources allow. 2:43 pm: WHO declares global health emergency The World Health Organization said the fast-spreading coronavirus that's infected more than 8,200 across the world is a global health emergency a rare designation that helps the international agency mobilize financial and political support to contain the outbreak. 2:30 pm: World Health Organization officials hold press conference on outbreak WHO is holding its fourth news briefing to announce whether the coronavirus outbreak is a global health emergency. WHO was expected last week to make its decision, but officials said they postponed their announcement to gather more data. 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. Watch the announcement here. 12:37 pm: First human-to-human transmission of coronavirus confirmed in US The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Illinois public health officials confirmed Thursday the nation's first person-to-person transmission of the coronavirus. The new patient is the spouse of the Chicago woman who brought the infection back from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak, Illinois health officials said during a CDC press briefing. The transmission makes the U.S. at least the fifth country where the infection is now spreading through human-to-human contact. 11:20 am: Economists say coronavirus could hit the US economy Coming off the slowest year of growth in three years, the U.S. economy in the first quarter of 2020 is expected to slow down even more due to the impact of Boeing and now the potential wild card of the coronavirus. The virus has already hit the Chinese economy, as cities close and people isolate themselves in their homes. "It's going to have a hit on Chinese spending," Barclays U.S. economist Jonathan Millar said. "We may see more of it in the U.S. but we just don't know at this point. It's very uncertain." 10:03 am: No 'public health options off the table' to protect the American public, HHS Alex Azar says Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told CNBC on Thursday the administration will not take "any public health options off the table" to protect Americans from the coronavirus, which has infected five U.S. citizens. He added that the risk of infection remains low for the American public and that U.S. health officials are taking all necessary precautions. 9:30 am: Coronavirus cases top 8,200 surpassing 2003 SARS outbreak in less than a month More than 8,200 coronavirus cases have now been confirmed across the world, outpacing the total number of infections over the nine-month SARS outbreak in less than a month. As of Thursday morning, there were 8,123 confirmed cases in mainland China alone, according to Chinese state media, and more than 100 cases elsewhere around the world. The new virus first emerged in Wuhan, China on Dec. 31. The deadly SARS virus, by comparison infected a total of 8,098 people globally from Nov. 1, 2002, through July 31, 2003, according to the World Health Organization. 9:20 am: Wilbur Ross says coronavirus could bring jobs, manufacturing back to the US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the coronavirus could have a positive impact on the U.S. economy. "I don't want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease," Ross told Fox Business Network. "But the fact is, it does give businesses another thing to consider when they go through their review of their supply chain." I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America," he said. "Some to the U.S., some to Mexico as well." 8:15 am: Cruise ship holds 6,000 passengers near Italy Costa Cruises is holding 6,000 passengers aboard the Costa Smeralda near Italy after a Chinese woman came down with a fever, raising concern that she may have the virus, Italian news agency Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata reported. The cruise line Costa Cruises said in a statement that it is holding the 54-year-old woman from Macao in isolation along with her travel companion. "The Health Authority has been immediately notified and is now on board to conduct all the pertinent measures," the company said. "It is our utmost priority to ensure the health and safety of passengers and crew." 7:48 am: Russia closes border with China Russia plans to close its border with China to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, according to the country's state media. "A corresponding instruction was signed today. Work on it is already in progress. We will inform all those concerned properly about the measures to close the border in the Far Eastern region and other steps the government has taken (to prevent the spread of coronavirus in Russia)," Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin told the TASS news agency. 7 am: Outbreak reaches nearly 8,000 with 170 deaths in China The total number of cases reached more than 7,900 worldwide with 170 deaths in China, Chinese and international health authorities said. The majority of cases are in mainland China, with at least 7,801 cases, exceeding the total number of SARS cases in that country during the 2003 epidemic. At least 101 other cases have been reported across more than a dozen countries across the globe, including the U.S. 5:46 am: US State Department says more flights from Wuhan are scheduled for Monday More evacuation flights from the city of Wuhan for U.S. citizens will take place Monday, the State Department said. Reuters reported that those on the flights would be subject to screenings and monitoring requirements. 5:27 am: India confirms first case of the coronavirus The move by four airlines -- IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet, GoAir -- to suspend the stand-up comedian raises fears that the government can use the no-fly list to settle political scores, undermine the freedom of citizens. Arindam Majumder reports A tweet from Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri made four major airlines ban stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra for 60 days even though the crew of IndiGo, where the incident took place, filed no complaints. IndiGo suspended Kamra from flying for six months after he confronted Republic TV editor Arnab Goswami about his style of reporting on board one of its flights from Mumbai to Lucknow on January 28. The ban was followed by Air India, SpiceJet and GoAir after Puri tweeted: 'We are left with no other option but ask other operators to impose similar restrictions.' The move has raised fears that the government can use the no-fly list to settle political scores, undermining freedom of citizens. Sudhakar Reddy, president, Air Passengers Association of India, said the no-fly list is heavily tilted in favour of airlines. "The success of any law lies in it balancing the interests of all concerned. Unfortunately, at first glance, these rules look skewed against passengers. Who gave the right to airlines to ban the passenger without any enquiry? In all laws you are innocent till proven guilty," Reddy says. Industry executives also questioned the minister's involvement, saying such a direction from the minister's office undermines the laid-down guidelines by the aviation regulator. An executive of an airline that banned Kamra said, "The minister created undue pressure on airlines, forcing hurried decisions. You know whom you should ideally question on this and it's not the airlines. Such things set a dangerous precedent." Queries sent to Puri's office on why the minister interfered in a safety investigation process were diverted to Civil Aviation Secretary P S Kharola, who didn't comment. In 2017, the government had issued rules for preventing disruptive behaviour by flyers and laid down guidelines for the no-fly list. Under those rules, offence was classified into three categories -- Level 1 called for debarment of up to three months for behaviour that is verbally unruly; Level 2 called for debarment of up to six months for physical unruliness; and Level 3, where the debarment would be for at least two years, indicated life-threatening behaviour. According to the 2017 rules, the complaint of unruly behaviour needs to be filed by the pilot-in-command, and such complaints are to be probed by an internal committee to be set up by the airline. The committee is then expected to decide within 30 days, and specify the duration of ban. During the period of pendency of the enquiry, the rules empowered the concerned airline to impose a ban on a passenger. 'The matter has to be referred to an internal committee of airlines and they have to give a final decision in 30 days and give reasons in writing. Punishment for different types of unruly behaviour is prescribed and airlines have to adhere to the same,' the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said on Wednesday. 'This is to reiterate that the action taken by the airlines is in complete consonance with civil aviation requirements.' Sanjiv Kapoor, who till last month served as chief commercial officer, Vistara, said, "DGCA regulations, like all other regulations, have to be followed and not disregarded. Else, we are on a slippery slope." Queries sent to IndiGo, SpiceJet, Go Air, and Air India on whether due process was followed didn't elicit any response. Another query to the airlines on whether they have formed a committee to investigate the matter didn't elicit any response either. Only Air India said it has a committee comprising of retired judge Ashok Bharadwaj, Kamal Hingorani, an executive with SpiceJet, and Setu Vaidyanathan, vice-chairman, Passenger Association of India, to investigate such incidents. Vistara and Air Asia India have not banned Kamra yet. A Vistara spokesperson said: "The airline stands firm with zero tolerance policy against any act that compromises safety and security. We will review and follow due process in such cases." An AirAsia India spokesperson also said an internal committee was reviewing the incident and a "decision will be taken soon according to due process". A 15th century antique Quran written in golden words looted last year by a gang was recovered and a man was arrested in this connection, police said on Thursday. The 1014-page Quran, which was looted by three persons in Rajasthan's Bhilwara district last year, was recovered on Wednesday, DCP North Rajeev Pachar said. The accused had fixed a deal through a middleman to sell it in Bangladesh for Rs 16 crore, he said. Banwari Meena (30), a resident of the Jamwaramgarh area, was arrested in connection with the case, Pachar said. Meena is wanted in dacoity, loot and fraud cases in Bhilwara and Jaipur Rural areas, he said. The DCP said preliminary investigation revealed that the accused had looted the Quran from its owner on the pretext of fixing a deal. A case was registered in Subhash Nagar police station of Bhilwara district, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Aaditya said that they want to go ahead but not by damaging the environment. Mumbai: Although the chief minister Uddhav Thackeray-appointed committee has claimed that shifting the metro car shed from Aarey Colony is unviable, environment minister Aaditya Thackeray said that the report is not binding on the government. He said that they want to go ahead but not by damaging the environment. On November 29 last year, a day after being sworn in as the chief minister, Uddhav stayed the car shed construction work at Aarey and also dropped the cases filed against 29 protesters by the police. He appointed a four-member committee to study the viability of shifting the car shed from Aarey Colony. The committee was asked to explore and suggest alternative locations for shifting the car shed for the 33.5km long underground Colaba-Bandra-Seepz corridor. However, it found no viable alternative reportedly and has recommended lifting of the stay on the construction work of the metro rail car shed at Aarey. Commenting on the recommendations, Aaditya said, A decision will be made only after studying the report thoroughly. Though the committee has submitted the report, the chief minister has not seen it. We want development, but not by damaging the environment. The decisions taken by the Uddhav Thackeray government so far are based on the same concept. According to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the committee report has vindicated the former Devendra Fadnavis governments stand that Aarey Colony was the best place for the metro car shed. Mr Fadnavis tweeted, Now, stay on Aarey metro car shed work needs to be lifted and work needs to be started to prevent further financial losses to the state! (Alliance News) - Blencowe Resources PLC on Thursday reported a widened loss for its financial year on higher expenses, as it continues to progress with its acquisition of Consolidated African Resources Uganda Ltd, the holder of the Orom graphite project in northern Uganda. For the year to the end of September, the natural resources-focused investment vehicle reported a pretax loss of GBP243,119, widened from GBP163,520 the year before, as administrative fees and other expenses rose. In October, Blencowe announced an agreement to buy Consolidated African Resources Uganda off Consolidated Africa Ltd via a reverse takeover. Blencowe will acquire CARU for GBP2 million, the funds to be raised via a placing of 33.3 million new shares at 6.0 pence each. The acquisition remains subject to the fundraising taking place, the enlarged group being re-listed on the London Main Market, and shareholder approval. Shares in Blencowe are currently suspended in London. By Dayo Laniyan; dayolaniyan@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. The Pareto Group, a sister company to Pareto Limited which owns Durban's Pavilion Shopping Centre, said on Monday it had concluded a deal to acquire a 25% stake in Atterbury Europe Holding B.V. Offshore property was one of the best money-spinning sectors in the world last year. SA property investors will have to brace themselves as SA-focused real estate investment trusts cut payout ratios. Pareto said it had been fortunate in Europe, having timed its entry well and managing to partner with Atterbury Europe. Atterbury Europe's portfolio includes assets in Romania, Cyprus and Serbia, with a combined gross lettable area of 524,052m2, split between retail and offices. This acquisition provides the Group with the opportunity to diversify its portfolio outside South Africa, reducing its concentration risk whilst venturing into jurisdictions with robust economies and significant fiscal strength, said Malose Kekana, the Group CEO of Pareto. The Romanian portfolio includes 4 retail shopping centres in Timisoara, Cluj, Suceava and Iasi, as well as 4 office towers that anchor the retail centres, which are owned 50% by Atterbury Europe. In Cyprus, the 98% portfolio owned by Atterbury, comprises of two retail shopping centres which are located in Nicosia, being the Mall of Cyprus and the Mall of Engomi. These shopping centres houses international brands such as ZARA and six other Inditex brands, Marks & Spencer, Mango, Armani Exchange, Lacoste, Tommy Hilfiger, OVS and Intersport. Usce Shopping Centre, Immocentre 1 as well as Mercator, all located in Belgrade, form part of the Serbia portfolio and is owned 25% by Atterbury Europe. Atterbury Europe also owns a 50% stake in the BEO Beograd shopping centre located in old Belgrade with a GLA of 43,630 m2 currently under construction and opening in the European Spring this year. An investment into Europe will assist in building Paretos growth story as well as ensuring that the Group remains on par with its peers. This investment also improves access to international brands to anchor the Groups leasing pipeline. concluded Kekana. The remand of 61 Islamic extremists, arrested in connection with Sri Lanka's worst attack on Easter Sunday, has been extended till February 12 by a court on Thursday. Nine suicide bombers on April 21 last year carried out a series of blasts that tore through three churches and as many high-end hotels, killing 258 people, including eight Indians, in Lanka's deadliest violence since the brutal civil war ended in 2009. The 61 suspects are members of the National Thawheed Jamaath (NTJ), police said. The Batticaloa High Court extended their remand till February 12, they said. The Islamic State had claimed the responsibility for the Easter attacks, but the government blamed the NTJ for the bombings. The Lankan government on April 27 banned the NTJ and designated it as a terrorist organisation. Nearly 300 suspects have been arrested so far in connection with the bombings. A state of emergency was clamped in the country for a period of four months from April to August. Earlier this week, police recorded the statement of former prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on the terror attack. The government headed jointly by Wickremesinghe and then president Maithripala Sirisena was blamed for failing to prevent the island's worst terror attack despite prior intelligence. The warnings by the Indian intelligence about a possible terror attack in Lanka were said to be ignored by the authorities due to the deep running political tug of war. After the attacks, Sirisena had said that a friendly neighbour provided additional information but senior officials did not share the intelligence with him. Also, Wickremesinghe said he was not privy to the intelligence reports. A series of panels were appointed by both factions of the government to probe lapses in ignoring warnings for the attacks, which crippled the country's tourism industry. Sirisena's probe resulted in the unprecedented imprisonment of the then police chief and the top defence ministry administrator, while a parliamentary probe pinned the president's shortcomings in handling the security apparatus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. and NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Taylor Morrison Home Corporation ("Taylor Morrison") (NYSE: TMHC) and William Lyon Homes (NYSE: WLH) announced that, at their respective special meetings of stockholders held today, stockholders of both companies have voted to approve all stockholder proposals necessary to complete the merger between Taylor Morrison and William Lyon Homes. The companies expect the merger transaction to close in early February, subject to customary closing conditions. Taylor Morrison and William Lyon Homes will each file the final voting results for their respective special meeting with the SEC on Form 8-K and will also make their final results available at http://investors.taylormorrison.com/financial-reports and https://lyonhomes.com/investors/ , respectively, after certification by their respective inspector of elections. About Taylor Morrison Taylor Morrison Home Corporation (NYSE: TMHC) is a leading national homebuilder and developer that has been recognized as the 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 America's Most Trusted Home Builder by Lifestory Research. Based in Scottsdale, Arizona we operate under two well-established brands, Taylor Morrison and Darling Homes. We serve a wide array of consumer groups from coast to coast, including first-time, move-up, luxury, and 55 plus buyers. In Texas, Darling Homes builds communities with a focus on individuality and custom detail while delivering on the Taylor Morrison standard of excellence. For more information about Taylor Morrison and Darling Homes please visit www.taylormorrison.com or www.darlinghomes.com . About William Lyon Homes William Lyon Homes is one of the largest Western U.S. regional homebuilders. Headquartered in Newport Beach, California, the Company is primarily engaged in the design, construction, marketing and sale of single-family detached and attached homes in California, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Texas. Its core markets include Orange County, Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, the South and East Bay Areas of San Francisco, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Denver, Fort Collins, Portland, Seattle, Houston, Austin and San Antonio. The Company has a distinguished legacy of more than 65 years of homebuilding operations, over which time it has sold in excess of 110,000 homes. The Company markets and sells its homes under the William Lyon Homes brand in all of its markets except for Washington and Oregon, where the Company operates under the Polygon Northwest brand. Forward-Looking Statements Some of the statements in this communication are forward-looking statements (or forward-looking information) within the meaning of applicable U.S. securities laws. These include statements using the words "believe," "target," "outlook," "may," "will," "should," "could," "estimate," "continue," "expect," "intend," "plan," "predict," "potential," "project," "intend," "estimate," "aim," "on track," "target," "opportunity," "tentative," "positioning," "designed," "create," "seek," "would," "upside," "increases," "goal," "guidance" and "anticipate," and similar statements and the negative of such words and phrases, which do not describe the present or provide information about the past. There is no guarantee that the expected events or expected results will actually occur. Such statements reflect the current views of management of Taylor Morrison Home Corporation, a Delaware corporation ("Taylor Morrison"), or William Lyon Homes, a Delaware corporation ("William Lyon Homes"), and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. These statements are based on many assumptions and factors, including general economic and market conditions, industry conditions, operational and other factors. Any changes in these assumptions or other factors could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations. All forward-looking statements attributable to William Lyon Homes or Taylor Morrison or persons acting on their behalf, and are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements set forth in this paragraph. Undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. In addition, material risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from forward-looking statements include, among other things: the inherent uncertainty associated with financial or other projections, including anticipated synergies; the integration of Taylor Morrison and William Lyon Homes and the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits from the combination of Taylor Morrison and William Lyon Homes, and the amount of time it may take to realize those benefits, if at all; the risks associated with Taylor Morrison's and William Lyon Homes' ability to satisfy the conditions to closing the consummation of the merger and the timing of the closing of the merger; the failure of the merger to close for any other reason; the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against the parties and others related to the merger; any unanticipated difficulties or expenditures relating to the merger; the effect of the announcement and pendency of the merger on the respective business relationships or operating results of Taylor Morrison, William Lyon Homes, or the combined company; risks relating to the value of the Taylor Morrison common stock to be issued in connection with the merger, and the value of the combined company's common stock after the merger is consummated; the anticipated size of the markets and continued demand for Taylor Morrison's and William Lyon Homes' homes and the impact of competitive responses to the announcement and pendency of the merger; the diversion of attention of management of Taylor Morrison or William Lyon Homes from ongoing business concerns during the pendency of the merger; and the access to available financing on a timely basis, and the terms of any such financing. Additional risks and uncertainties are described in Taylor Morrison's and William Lyon Homes' respective filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including as described under the heading "Risk Factors" in Taylor Morrison's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, filed with the SEC on February 20, 2019, in William Lyon Homes' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 filed with the SEC on February 28, 2019, and in their respective subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Except as required by law, neither Taylor Morrison nor William Lyon Homes has any intention or obligation to update or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, future events or developments, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting the forward-looking statements. CONTACTS: For Taylor Morrison: Investor Relations Taylor Morrison Home Corporation (480) 734-2060 [email protected] For William Lyon Homes: Larry Clark Financial Profiles, Inc. (310) 622-8223 [email protected] SOURCE Taylor Morrison Related Links http://www.taylormorrison.com Northern Illinois University is getting rid of standardized tests next year, joining a growing contingent of colleges that are minimizing the role of SAT and ACT scores in undergraduate admissions. High school seniors applying to the DeKalb-based university no longer will have to submit test scores, university officials announced Wednesday. Instead, seniors with at least a 3.0 GPA will automatically be accepted to the school. The test-blind policy goes into effect for those students applying for the fall 2021 term. Those applying to NIUs honors program also no longer will need to submit scores. This new policy comes from our deep commitment to making a college education both accessible and equitable for a broad and diverse student population, NIU President Lisa Freeman said in a statement. It reflects our efforts campus-wide to eliminate unnecessary and biased barriers throughout a students educational path. NIU is the only university locally to eliminate test scores, but several others have adopted test-optional admissions. The University of Chicago became the first top-tier school to do so, implementing the policy in 2018. DePaul University also has made test scores optional for its applicants since 2012. More recently, Southern Illinois University Carbondale announced in December it will implement test-optional admissions. Western Illinois University in Macomb also is test-optional and changed its policies in the fall to guarantee admission to students with more than a 3.3. GPA. Western requests that students with less than a 3.3 GPA, however, submit test scores. In de-emphasizing test scores, schools have acknowledged how the test score industry has -- however unwittingly --created inequities that favor high-income students who can invest in test preparation. Such issues were brought to the forefront in the so-called Varsity Blues admissions scandal, revealing how wealthy parents spent heavily to help their children cheat on standardized tests and gain admission to some of the countrys most selective institutions. College officials long would try to reassure students that the admissions process involves far more than test scores, saying grades, essays and other materials gave a better picture of a students capabilities. Still, some admissions officials said it was difficult to convey that message until their schools dropped the test score requirement. Once we know a high school students GPA, one standardized test score is irrelevant, NIU Provost Beth Ingram said in a statement. We believe that this will encourage good students to focus on getting the most out of their high school classes. The changes in the admissions policy come as NIU has struggled to stem steep enrollment losses. The number of first-time freshman students at NIU has been stable for years. But overall enrollment has dropped 32% since 2009, according to state data. The same is true in Carbondale and at Macomb. Total enrollment at SIU declined 42.5% since 2009, from 20,350 to 11,695 students. Westerns enrollment has dropped by 40% in the past decade, from 12,679 to 7,624. Standardized tests are not necessarily a reflection of how successful a student is, or can be, Westerns Interim President Martin Abraham said in October. We feel that the grade point average is a good indicator of a students academic ability as the GPA encompasses not just grades achieved on exams, but for projects, homework and more. Its a reflection of the work a student puts into his/her overall schoolwork in order to be successful. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 0 Last year, Gannett and Gatehouse Media combined into the nation's largest newspaper company, with more than 260 daily newspapers, in a $1.4 billion deal. Tribune also has flirted with potential partners and is currently 32% owned by hedge fund Alden Global Capital, which owns more than 60 daily newspapers, including the Denver Post and Boston Herald, through its MNG Enterprises. MNG bought a nearly 6% stake in Lee on Wednesday after the BH Media deal was announced. Rick Edmonds, a media business analyst at The Poynter Institute, said consolidation in the industry is likely to continue. "It's a way to get bigger to get some scale," he said. Edmonds said mergers also allow companies to take strategies and initiatives that are working well at certain papers and spread them to others. He pointed out that Lee has a strong industry reputation when it comes to local ad sales, especially in the digital realm, and it will be able to apply that expertise to the BH Media papers. That's something that's already been going on as part of Lee's management agreement, and the formal merger will allow it to grow faster. But the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers said the petition aims to solve a problem that doesnt exist. The trade group wrote a letter responding to the petition, saying that while its members appreciate the sentiment, the group didnt see a need for a new class of dishwasher. Many consumers already have one, they said: Almost all dishwashers shipped in 2017 came with a faster-cycle option that got the job done in under an hour, on average. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday arraigned the Chief Executive Officer and publisher of The Interview magazine, Mr. Azubike Ishekwene, before the Ikeja Special Offences Court over fraud allegations. He was arraigned together with the former Chief Executive Officer of Cleanserve Integrated Energy Solutions Limited (CIES), Mr. Olalekan Abdul, in charge number ID/11126C/2019. The defendants were arraigned on an 18-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence, forgery, using false document, altering and conspiracy among others, before Justice Mojisola Dada. During the arraignment, two Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), Dr. Muiz Banire and Adeyinka Fusika, appeared for the first and second defendants.Abdul is the first defendant while Isiekwene is the second defendant. The third defendant, former Chief Finance Officer of CIES, Adeyinka Adewole, was said to be at large. EFCC counsel, Muhammad Idris, informed the court that the charge had been amended due to absence of the third defendant. He urged the court to issue warrant of arrest against him and take the plea of the others. Reacting, Olumide-Fusika told the court that Adewole was out of the country when the matter was filed.He urged the court to grant him leave to appear on the next adjourned date. The first defendant was arraigned on a 15-count charge, while Ishekwene was arraigned on a five-count charge.They pleaded not guilty of the offences when the charge was read to them.Upon their plea, EFCC counsel urged the court to remand them pending the commencement of trial. But the defence counsel pleaded with the court to allow them take an undertaken to provide the defendants on the next adjourned date when their bail application would be determined.After entertaining submission of the counsel, Justice Dada granted the prayer of the defence team and adjourned till tomorrow for ruling on the bail application. Credit: The Guardian The police detained a few members of the right wing group Hindu Rashtra Sena on Thursday ahead of a protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens here. Seven members of the outfit were found roaming around the premises of Gandhi Bhavan in Kothrud where the protest was to take place, a police official said. Bollywood actor Urmila Matondkar and social activist Teesta Setalwad were among those invited to the protest. "As these members of HRS were found roaming around, we detained them," said the official. On Wednesday, an office-bearer of Hindu Rashtra Sena had submitted a letter to Kothrud police station, seeking cancellation of the permission for the event and warning that they would stop the program otherwise. (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 The government is planning to sell 15 per cent stake in Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) through an offer for sale, which could fetch about Rs 4,000 crore to the exchequer. The government is looking to appoint up to three merchant bankers for managing the offer for sale (OFS) and has invited bids for the same by February 21. It holds 89.97 per cent stake in state-owned defence firm HAL, which was listed on the stock exchanges in March 2018. "The government intends to divest 15 per cent paid-up equity capital of HAL out of its shareholding of 89.97 per cent through OFS method of shares by promoters," said the request for proposal (RfP) floated by the finance ministry for appointment of merchant bankers. The sale of 15 per cent stake in HAL would fetch about Rs 4,000 crore to the government, calculated at the current market price. Shares of HAL closed at Rs 811.60, down 1.69 per cent over the previous close on the BSE. The merchant bankers would advise the government on the timing and modalities of the OFS, conduct market surveys and roadshows and advise on regulatory norms, among others. In the financial year 2018-19, HAL had clocked a profit after tax of Rs 2,282 crore. As on March 2019, its net worth stood at Rs 10,848 crore. So far, in the current financial year, the government has mopped up Rs 18,094.59 crore through disinvestment transactions as compared with the budget target of Rs 1.05 lakh crore. ORLANDO, Fla., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- St. Johns Insurance, a privately-held insurer specializing in homeowners' insurance products and services, today announced that Reese Bowen will retire from the role of President. Jesse Schalk, who joined St. Johns in 2013 as Chief Financial Officer, has been named President by the Board of Directors. Mr. Bowen spent 17 years with St. Johns Insurance and was instrumental in the formation and growth of St. Johns since its inception in 2003. Before serving as the company's President, he held the role of Underwriting Manager. On the subject of Mr. Bowen's retirement, Jim McCahill, current board member and majority shareholder added, "I have worked with Reese since the mid 1980's and brought him on board in 1992. He has been a great friend and one of the most knowledgeable and respected insurance professionals of his era. St. Johns would not be what it is today without Reese." Mr. Bowen will remain on the Board of Directors and assume an advisory position. Beginning February 1st, Mr. Schalk moves into the role of President, leading the firm's execution of growth initiatives while overseeing underwriting, claims and finance. "Working with Reese for many years, I have great respect for the leadership and professionalism he has brought to St. Johns," said Mr. Schalk. "Together with our team, I look forward to building on our strong tradition, furthering our growth and development by working with our agency network and business partners to execute a disciplined underwriting strategy." "On behalf of the Board of Directors, we are delighted to promote Jesse who brings decades of experience to fill this key leadership position and guide the strategy and future of our organization," stated Robert Lucas, Chairman of the Board. For more information about St. Johns Insurance Company, visit www.stjohnsinsurance.com. About St. Johns Insurance Company: St. Johns Insurance Company is a privately-held insurance company that insures home and condominium owners throughout the states of Florida and South Carolina. The company's mission is to provide agents and policyholders with access to a high-quality, financially stable insurer that will be a reliable market over the long-haul. Headquartered in Orlando, FL, St. Johns is rated "A" exceptional by Demotech, an organization that ranks and monitors insurance companies for financial stability. Contact: Jonathan B. Mertz, CIC [email protected] 407.248.1554 SOURCE St. Johns Insurance Company For its part, Genesis has yet to really establish a presence in the U.S. market, in part because of the current models it offers. But now that it finally has an SUV, the automaker can now move forward and create its own identity in the luxury car segment. The GV80 wont be the only SUV to come out of Genesis more are planned to arrive soon but for now, its tasked with the responsibility of carrying the Genesis flag into battle. From the looks of it, the GV80 is more than capable of that responsibility. Up until today, Genesis lineup in the U.S. market consisted exclusively of sedans, and good ones at that. But thats about to change soon now that Hyundais luxury division has unveiled the U.S.-spec Genesis GV80 . Its the first SUV to come out of Genesis, making it one of the more important vehicles in the fledgling automakers lineup. The GV80s arrival comes at a crucial time for Genesis, too. SUV sales are at an all-time high these days as automakers scramble to release as many as they can to take advantage of the rising demand for these models. Same look, different market One thing that didnt come as a shock, at least not anymore, was the design of the Genesis GV80. The SUV made its world debut a few weeks ago in South Korea, and its nothing short of a beauty. Perhaps thats partly due to the production GV80 owing some of its design roots to the GV80 Concept from 2017. The headlights are unique and, together with the mammoth front grille, they immediately give the luxury SUV a distinctive face. The GV80 also looks imposing. Its big and confident, mixed in with a little bit of aggressiveness on the side. In other words, its exactly what a luxury SUV should look like. There are no aesthetic differences between the Korean version of the GV80 and the U.S. version of the same model. I have zero complaints about that. As far as Genesis first SUV offering is concerned, the automaker doesnt have to worry about the GV80 turning some people off with its aesthetics. Sure, theres a tiny part inside me that thinks the design isnt going to age well, but I dont want to look that far ahead. The Genesis GV80 just arrived. The last thing it deserves is for someone to wonder if its design will carry over for the next half-decade or so. Tech loaded Those of you who fawned over the GV80s tech features when the SUV made its world debut in Korea a few weeks have nothing worry about. The U.S.-spec GV80 will carry all the goodies, too. That includes the massive 14.5-inch infotainment screen that will serve as the beating heart of a lot of the SUVs apps and features. One such feature that were excited to try is a handwriting recognition system that allows you to write out numerous inputs that the tech can implement, including driving destinations and phone numbers to name a few. Augmented reality also touches down on the GV80 through the SUVs navigation system. This technology should help you navigate better through complicated city routes easier. Then theres the noise-canceling system, another tech were eager to try. This technology monitors road noise in real-time and emits an opposite-wave sound to block all of it out. How about the GV80s air purification system that actively monitors air quality and activates its purification process when called upon? Plenty of engine options This is where it gets interesting for the Genesis GV80. When Genesis unveiled the SUV in Korea two weeks ago, it came with just one engine: a 3.0-liter six-cylinder diesel engine that produced 274 horsepower. Its decent power, sure, but its also a diesel engine so the likelihood of that engine being offered in the U.S. is, well, its probably not happening. So, instead of the diesel, what kind of engines should we expect from the U.S.-spec GV80. The most likely candidate is the 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that Hyundai uses on the Sonata. The output from that unit comes up to 290 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. Thats a palatable output for the base version of the GV80. 2020 Genesis GV80 specifications (est) Engine turbocharged, 2.5-liter four-cylinder 3.8-liter V-6 5.0-liter Tau V-8 Horsepower 290 HP 311 HP 420 HP Torque 310 LB-FT 293 LB-FT 383 LB-FT Of course, dont expect the U.S.-spec GV80 to come with just one engine. A V-6 engine is a likely candidate, too, and it just so happens that Hyundai has a few options to choose from. Theres the 3.8-liter that powers the G80, the GV80s sedan counterpart. This engine produces 311 horsepower and 293 pound-feet of torque. Again, its decent power, but the output sits a little too close to the output of the four-cylinder unit. I doubt Genesis offers two different versions for the G80 with the power figures sitting so close to each other. A few more options include a 3.3-liter V-6 and a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 engine that produces 375 horsepower. Honestly, either engine would suit the U.S.-spec GV80 just fine. Now, there have been rumors that Genesis could borrow another familiar engine from Hyundais engine storage room. Were familiar with the 5.0-liter Tau V-8 engine that produces 420 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque in the G80. Its possible that Genesis could use this powertrain on the GV80, though the likelihood of one of those V-6 units making it to the SUV could force Genesis to choose just one among the available options. Whatever engines end up on the GV80, they will be mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, which comes standard across the entire SUV lineup. All versions of the GV80 will also be all-wheel-drive and will carry an electronic limited-slip differential. How much is it going to cost? Genesis hasnt announced actual pricing details for the Genesis GV80, but word on the street has it that the base model with the rear-wheel drive, inline-four cylinder engine will start at around $50,000. The range-topping, fully-loaded all-wheel-drive V-6 version, on the other hand, could set you back around $65,000. If these rumored figures are accurate, the GV80 would be a more affordable version than a lot of its peers in the segment. The Mercedes GLE-Class, for example, starts at around $55,000 while the range-topping model will set you back well into the $80,000 range. Is the Genesis GV80 a Good Buy? From the looks of it, Id say yes, its a good buy. Obviously, the full scope of details hasnt been revealed so its hard to say if the Genesis GV80 will live up to the growing hype its been getting. But as far as first impressions go, Genesis first stab at a luxury SUV appears to be a home run. I like the way it looks and the potential engine options are intriguing, to say the least. But the best thing about the GV80 for now, at least is the tech that it comes with. From the massive 14.5-inch infotainment display to tech features like handwriting recognition system and the air purification system, Genesis outfitted the GV80 with enough pioneering technology to give its German rivals cause for concern. I love it that Genesis swung for the fences with the GV80. Now lets see if it lives up to all the hype. Get this newsletter in your inbox Monday-Friday by signing up at subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters. Top stories for Thursday, Jan. 30 LC- Richard Read/The Oregonian/OregonLive LABOR PAINS: The union that handles every shipping container that crosses West Coast docks is bracing for bankruptcy. Its a rare prospect for a bargaining group, and its rattling organized labor nationally. And it all started with an obscure feud over two dockside jobs in Portland that resulted in a a $94 million federal jury award to a cargo terminal operator. Here, cranes loom over the Port of Portlands empty Terminal 6 container yard. (Richard Read/Oregonian file photo) CATLIN GABEL: A second civil lawsuit, this one seeking $9 million in damages, has been filed against the Catlin Gabel school by former students who say they were sexually abused by teachers. The former students say Catlin was negligent in failing for years to adequately investigate claims of abuse and in not reporting its concerns to the police. The lawsuits follow the release of an internal report. CORONAVIRUS: Portland International Airport is not conducting any additional screening of inbound passengers to determine whether they may have been exposed to coronavirus. Airport officials said Wednesday the federal government had not directed PDX to take action against the outbreak. LEAD IN WATER: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded Oregon $1.1 million to help identify sources of lead in drinking water in schools and child-care facilities. Under state laws enacted in 2017, partly in response to news coverage by The Oregonian/OregonLive, all public schools and licensed child care facilities are required to test for lead in all water used for drinking or food preparation. POLICE STOPS: When pulling over a car or approaching a pedestrian, Portland police officers should introduce themselves with their full names, explain the reason for the stop, clearly state whether they are detaining someone, and ask if they could do anything to put people at ease, says a community group appointed by the mayor to oversee Portland police. HOMELESSNESS: An Oregon Court of Appeals ruling Wednesday upheld a homeless womans conviction for violating Portlands camping ban, but the judges signaled that a different case could potentially overturn it. At issue: the Constitutions Eighth Amendment prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. JEREMY CHRISTIAN TRIAL: Witnesses to the 2017 MAX attack testified Wednesday about their efforts to help the victims. A former Army medic, Morgan Noonan, said he saw Jeremy Christian stab Taliesin Namkai-Meche and Ricky Best, and knew they wouldnt survive. Keep up with the trial at oregonlive.com/crime, by subscribing to our free email newsletter, or via podcast or your digital assistant of choice - well have dispatches from the courtroom most afternoons. Snap of the day Stephanie Yao Long/Staff DUMPLINGS ALL DAY: The Oregonian/OregonLives Dumpling Week returns for its sixth year, with 35 participating Portland restaurants, including XLB, whose soup dumplings are pictured here. From Feb. 1-8, each restaurant will offer a Dumpling Week special for $10 or less. (Stephanie Yao Long/Oregonian file photo) More news Parkrose hero Keanon Lowe hired as West Linn High School football coach Portland restaurant searches for customer who left $5,000 tip, perhaps by mistake Mother of student sexually abused by a school tutor files federal suit against Cascade School District American Dirt publisher cancels Jeanine Cummins book tour, including Fridays event at Powells, citing safety concerns Regional Arts & Culture Council lays off 15, will add new staff as it reimagines its role Oregon City teen, 16, dies after crashing car into tree Computers still down in Oregon county hit by cyberattack Find more at oregonlive.com Weather and traffic Thursday could start out fairly dry, but the rain starts up again after about 10 a.m. Rain is likely through the afternoon. High 54, low 52. In the Columbia Gorge: Check for possible closures before heading to the Historic Columbia River Highway. A 2-mile section was closed Wednesday due to a landslide between Bridal Veil and Multnomah Falls. Get the latest forecast at oregonlive.com/weather Stay up to date on traffic conditions at oregonlive.com/commuting Advice Ask Amy: Can these political polar opposites have a successful romance? Dear Abby: Secretive fiance makes woman question their upcoming wedding Dear Annie: We just have nothing in common. Can this marriage be saved? Find more, including todays horoscope, at oregonlive.com Today's comics Click here to see today's comics Today's obituaries Click here to find area deaths reported recently Today in history In 1933: Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany. In 1948: Indian political and spiritual leader Mohandas K. Gandhi, 78, was shot and killed in New Delhi by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu extremist. In 1957: The U.S. Senate created the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Improper Activities in the Labor or Management Field, or the McClellan Committee, whose investigation of labor corruption was prompted in part by problems in Portland. (The Oregonian won a 1957 Pulitzer Prize for its reporting on local vice and corruption.) courtesy of the artist The 49th John Donald Robb Composers Symposium is being held this week, August March said with energy and growing anticipation as he pored over his notes. Thats right, I told the local music critic. The event is being held Feb. 2 through 5. This year it features an opening performance at Chatter that first Sunday, followed by free daily workshops at the UNM Department of Music and evening concerts at Keller Hall. This years symposium features the work of Wave Dashthats Camilla Hoitenga and Magdalena Meitzneras well as special guest composers Anne LeBaron, Lei Liang, Amy Williams, Blair Hiller and Juan Salvidar Jr. The work of UNM alums and world renowned artists Raven Chacon and Panaiotis will also be performed, along with compositions by UNM composition professors Richard Hermann, Karola Obermueller and Jose-Luis Hurtado. Thats one heck of a lineup, quipped March. Werent you there for some of those early historic encounters with great musicians? he asked mysteriously. Oh yeah. I was the guy moving chairs around the stage and raising and lowering the lights between acts for at least 5 symposiums in the late-1980s and early 1990s. History In 1986, symposium organizer and head brainiac Professor Scott Wilkinson brought Lou Harrison, one of the most important musical voices of the 20th century, to the forum. The UNM Percussion Ensemble, under the baton of UNM Distinguished Professor Christopher Shultisand with the assistance of legendary Albuquerque violinist Leonard Felbergperformed Harrisons Concerto for Violin and Percussion. He was very important in the composition of modern music for percussion, from what I recall, and studied with Arnold Schoenberg, March added. Well, to top that all off, the next year Wilkinson brought John Harbison, a Pulitizer Prize winner whose work Twilight Music was played by a trio of UNM faculty members, including Felberg, pianist Evelyne Brancart and hornist Kristen Thelander. I always dug Thelanders performance of the Brahms horn trio. Who else came to the symposium in those early, halcyon days? March asked curiously as he blew smoke rings toward the window and discursively added, Thelander eschewed the vibrato that some in her generation controversially used whilst playing the piece that Brahms wrote about his mothers death. Back to your point though. Under Wilkinsons directionas well as the growing influence of percussion professor Christopher Shultisthe symposium began embracing the work of New Mexicos women composers like Muriel Roth and Adelina Timofeyew while also encouraging seminal multi-media work by composers like Jeffrey Stolet. Well, in 1989 the symposium featured John Cage. Cage is credited with driving art music forward into the age of Postmodernism. Cages take on music can be summarized with the following quote: And here, more and more in my performances, I try to bring about a situation in which there is no difference between the audience and the performers. And Im not speaking of audience participation in something designed by the composer, but rather am I speaking of the music which arises through the activity of both performers and so-called audience. During that years convocation of musicians from all over the world, Professor Shultis performed Cages Child of Tree and 12-year-old Albuquerque piano student Raven Chacon met Cage at a symposium workshop. Cage spent the week hanging out with students and faculty at UNM, even taking his meals in the Student Union Building. Shultis went on to succeed Wilkinson as the events artistic director, a post he held until 2012. Present Whats the story with this years symposium, March wondered aloud as I typically began to discourse about the past. This years featured composers are Camilla Hoitenga, a flautist, and Magdalena Meitzner, a percussionist. Their project is called Wave Dash; theyll be performing the work of local and guest composers. There will also be a performance by UNM alum Blair Hamrick, who will perform John Donald Robbs modernist masterwork, Variations on a Chromatic Line. Additionally, among a plethora of awesome encounters, Panaiotis will present a transcendent musical intallation beginning on Monday, there will be a lecture on Luigi Nonos Frangmente, Stelle, an Diotima titled Utopian Dimensions on Tuesday and most importantly, there will be three absolutely essential concerts of new music throughout this latest four-day sojourn through new art music, Albuquerque-style. And theyve been doing this work for 49 years now? Thats amazing. March then shouted the words show up with new vitality as the past vanished and the present continued to materialize. Afterwards he disappeared back into the fictive fog from which he came, leaving a half-filled cup and an old pipe on my desk as he dematerialized for another week. Ukraine's Armed Forces will adopt new sergeant ranks by the end of September. "We're counting on by the end of September. That is, at least some basic elements should be ready this autumn. And after that we should take stock of what happened and what doesn't, what needs to be improved," reform coordinator from the Project Office of Reforms of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Inna Shevchuk said during an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine. Shevchuk said that there should also be a transition for the payment of cash security according to the formula of attachment to military rank, and not to posting, following the example of NATO countries. "We have to prepare a draft amendment to the decree, since cash security is regulated by the resolution (Cabinet of Ministers). The Defense Minister set a deadline of four weeks: during a meeting last week, he ordered us to prepare protocols within four weeks" she said. Shevchuk explained that since this resolution applies to all forces and structures included in the security and defense sector, it will be a lengthy process. She expressed the hope that the transition would take quickly, adding that the issue of whether to introduce military ranks in all power ministries is under discussion. "There will be a difficult moment. But we hope that we can get through it as quickly as possible and generally raise the question as to whether there should be army military ranks in each power block structure," she said. According to her, after the adoption of the law of Ukraine on amending certain laws regarding the performance of military duty and military service, a joint working group was created in Defense Ministry and General Staff. A roadmap for the changes was also developed. "This law actually concerns not only the change of ranks, but the approach to building the sergeant corps in general. This applies, for example, to social security and accrual of monetary security. The whole system is being transformed," she said. New Delhi [India], Jan 30 (ANI): All three patients of suspected coronavirus cases reported at Delhi-based RML hospital have been discharged on Thursday after being tested negative, Smriti Tiwari, spokesperson of the RML Hospital informed ANI. Since Monday, these three men were kept under tight health monitoring and isolation for the medical treatment after they complained of respiratory illnesses. Dr. Meenakshi Bhardwaj, Medical Superintendent said, "All three patients who reported to RML Hospital with complaints of respiratory illnesses after their returned from China were kept in strict isolation and medical care. Their samples were sent to the Institute of Virology (Pune) and their investigation is negative. All three patients have been discharged now." According to the Medical Superintendent of RML hospital, "The three patients are of age 24, 34 and 48, respectively. One patient is a student while the other two have gone for the business work trip to China and returned." "We have to build up a dedicated isolation coronavirus isolation ward. Our team of doctors and nurses have been instructed to monitor such patients if the need arises. Also, the center is making all important actions for preventive measures. However, as of now, no positive case of coronavirus has been reported to us," she said. "As a part of preventive measures against coronavirus infection, people are advised to cover their mouth with masks, maintain a good standard of hand hygiene and should avoid travelling in crowded places. Any kind of fever, cough, cold and illness should be reported immediately to the nearest doctor," said Dr. Bhardwaj. The hospital preparedness with regard to management and infection prevention control facilities has been also reviewed during high-level meetings and advisories, and IPC Guidelines have been shared with the States. Adequate stocks of logistics including PPE is available. In the wake of rising cases of a novel coronavirus in China, the central government on Wednesday issued an important travel advisory asking people to refrain from travelling to China. All travelers to China should monitor their health closely. The travel advisory also mentioned the 24*7 helpline number (011-23978046), mentioned the advisory. Meanwhile, the union ministry of civil aviation to conducting the thermal health screening of passengers arriving from China including Hong Kong to 21 airports in India. These airports include Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Cochin, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata respectively. All seven identified airports have airport signage displayed boldly at the strategic locations. This is being done as a preventive measure against the outbreak of the deadly Novel Corona Virus Disease (nCoV) outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei province of China where more than 7000 cases have been reported and the virus has claimed over 100 lives. It is important to note that Dr. RML Hospital has been declared as a nodal Hospital to manage the cases of a novel coronavirus if detected in India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WESTMINSTER, MA / ACCESSWIRE / January 30, 2020 / TechPrecision Corporation (OTCQB:TPCS) ("TechPrecision" or "the Company"), an industry leading manufacturer of precision, large-scale fabricated and machined metal components and tested systems with customers in the defense, energy and precision industrial sectors, today announced it will release financial results for its 2020 fiscal third quarter on Thursday, February 13, 2020. The Company will hold a conference call at 4:30 p.m. Eastern (U.S.) time on February 13, 2020. To participate in the live conference call, please dial 1-844-407-9500 five to 10 minutes prior to the scheduled conference call time. International callers should dial 1-862-298-0850. When prompted, reference TechPrecision. A replay will be available until March 13, 2020. To access the replay, dial 1-877-481-4010 or 1-919-882-2331. When prompted, enter Conference Passcode 58362. The call will also be available over the Internet and accessible at: https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/2198/33008. About TechPrecision Corporation TechPrecision Corporation, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, Ranor, Inc. and Wuxi Critical Mechanical Components Co., Ltd., manufactures large-scale, metal fabricated and machined precision components and equipment. These products are used in a variety of markets including: defense, aerospace, nuclear, industrial, and medical. TechPrecision's goal is to be an end-to-end service provider to its customers by furnishing customized solutions for completed products requiring custom fabrication and machining, assembly, inspection and testing. To learn more about the Company, please visit the corporate website at http://www.techprecision.com. Information on the Company's website or any other website does not constitute a part of this press release. Company Contact: Mr. Thomas Sammons Chief Financial Officer TechPrecision Corporation Tel: 978-883-5109 Email: sammonst@ranor.com www.techprecision.com Investor Relations Contact: Hayden IR Brett Maas Phone:646-536-7331 Email: brett@haydenir.com SOURCE: TechPrecision Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/574680/TechPrecision-Corporation-Schedules-Conference-Call-to-Report-Fiscal-2020-Third-Quarter-Financial-Results God's Plan and God's Hornets: a powerful and persuasive examination of the motives behind Gods deeds. God's Plan and God's Hornets is the creation of published author, Bennie Bullock, a lifelong Christian and resident of Fort Worth, Texas. Bullock writes: Does God use circumstances as signposts to guide us, or does He use them as obstacles to be overcome? Does God have a specific will for our lives? Why does God allow us to face more than we can handle? God is always at work transforming His children. He wants to make each of us into just the kind of Christian that we need to be. Each of our lives is a canvas that He is painting. We just need to learn to trust Him with our lives. He always has a plan, and His plan is always better than our plan. The path that He wants to take us down is always the best path for us to take. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Bennie Bullocks new book is a fantastically well-written study of the mysterious ways in which God works and how each of these ways must be taken as a basis for renewed faith and trust in His all-embracing plan. This eminently wise book is one that informs as much as it consoles and is sure to become a favorite for countless readers seeking guidance in both troubled and better times. View a synopsis of God's Plan and God's Hornets on YouTube. Consumers can purchase God's Plan and God's Hornets at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about God's Plan and God's Hornets, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. STOCKHOLM, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The man who discovered the solar wind, Eugene Parker, and one of mathematics' great problem-solvers, Enrico Bombieri, will receive this year's Crafoord Prize in astronomy and mathematics, respectively. The Crafoord Prize is worth six million Swedish krona and is awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in partnership with the Crafoord Foundation in Lund. The Parker Solar Probe is currently on its way to the sun. It was launched by NASA in 2018 and its first results were reported just before Christmas. This probe is the first to be named after a living person - Eugene N. Parker, professor emeritus at the University of Chicago, USA. Eugene Parker is responsible for several fundamental discoveries about the gases that surround the sun and other stars. He has also developed the theory of how the solar wind arises and how magnetic fields arise and change in space. When he initially presented his theories, over fifty years ago, they were strongly challenged, but were later confirmed through observations from spacecrafts. Eugene Parker was the first person to realise that the sun is not in equilibrium, as was previously thought. Quite the opposite, it releases mass; the charged gas of ions and electrons that makes up the sun's "atmosphere" is expanding as a solar wind that stretches throughout our planetary system. His ideas are also the foundation for all the forecasts about the space weather, which can disrupt satellites and cause power outages here on Earth. He will now receive the Crafoord Prize in Astronomy "for pioneering and fundamental studies of the solar wind and magnetic fields from stellar to galactic scales". Eugene Parker was stunned into silence when he was told about the award: "It took my breath away. I didn't do anything for a few minutes. I of course knew about the Crafoord Prize, so I was surprised, pleasantly so." Passionate about number theory At the same time Enrico Bombieri from the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, USA, will receive the Crafoord Prize in Mathematics "for outstanding and influential contributions in all the major areas of mathematics, particularly number theory, analysis and algebraic geometry". Enrico Bombieri belongs to an increasingly rare group of mathematicians who can solve problems in almost all areas of mathematics. However, his greatest passion has always been number theory, which is the study of integers. He was just 16 years old when he published his first work in number theory and among other things, he is a leading expert on the Riemann hypothesis on the distribution of prime numbers. Enrico Bombieri has made significant contributions in algebra, advanced geometry and complex analysis. He has also contributed to solving Bernstein's problem. This is a variation of Plateau's problem, about how to mathematically describe the shape of the soap film that forms when a wire frame is dipped into a soap solution. Enrico Bombieri has visited Sweden and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences' Institut Mittag-Leffler on numerous occasions. He was delighted to discover that he has been awarded the Crafoord Prize in Mathematics. "It came as a complete surprise. I have received a few prizes before, but I'm especially pleased with this one because of my connection with Swedish mathematicians", he commented on learning of the prize. FACTS about the prize The Crafoord Prize is awarded in partnership between the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Crafoord Foundation in Lund. The Academy is responsible for selecting the Laureates. The disciplines, which change every year, are mathematics and astronomy, geosciences, biosciences and polyarthritis (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis). The prize in polyarthritis is awarded only when scientific progress in this field has been such that an award is justified. The prize disciplines are chosen as a complement to the Nobel Prizes. This year's Laureates in mathematics and astronomy each receive six million Swedish krona. The prize ceremony will be held in Stockholm on May 15 in the presence of H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf and H.M. Queen Silvia. FACTS about the Laureates Astronomy Eugene N. Parker, S. Chandrasekhar Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Enrico Fermi Institute, University of Chicago, USA. He was born in 1927 in Houghton, USA, and received his Ph.D. in 1951 from the California Institute of Technology, Caltech, Pasadena, USA. Mathematics Enrico Bombieri, Professor Emeritus, School of Mathematics, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, USA. He was born in 1940 in Milan, Italy and received his Ph.D. in 1963 from the Universita degli Studi di Milano. Contacts: Experts Astronomy Jan-Erik Wahlund Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Associate Professor at the Swedish Institute of Space Physics and the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Uppsala University [email protected] +46-(0)76-769-7877 Mathematics Ari Laptev Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, and Professor at Imperial College London [email protected] +46-(0)76-677-88-10 Press contact: Eva Nevelius, Press Secretary at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences [email protected] +46-(0)70-878-6763 Videos about the price in mathematics and astronomy and pictures of the laureates that can be downloaded can be found at www.kva.se This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/the-royal-swedish-academy-of-sciences-the-crafoord-prize/r/crafoord-laureates-discovered-the-solar-wind-and-solved-mathematical-problems,c3013865 SOURCE The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences/The Crafoord Prize by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, January 29, 2020 The Food and Drug Administration wants to examine the effectiveness of disclaimers on social media ads for pharmaceuticals, the agency said this week. The FDA, along with the Federal Trade Commission, has attempted to crack down on online influencer marketing that lacked disclaimers in recent years. But the FDA's new proposal, unveiled this week, signals that regulators want to generate the kind of evidence that could buttress new guidance, according to advertising lawyer Jeffrey A. Greenbaum, a partner in the law firm Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz. The FTC has been struggling with this issue for years, he says, referring to disclaimers in influencer marketing. The FTC has issued very specific guidance and very specific opinions about what they believe will be effective. But one of the things that has been starkly missing form the FTC's guidance is empirical evidence. advertisement advertisement The FDA is specifically proposing to conduct two related studies. For the first, consumers would be shown an endorsement by either a celebrity, physician or patient, for an acne drug. The ad would either have no disclaimer at all, a disclaimer such as #sp -- which the agency characterizes as "indirect" -- or a "direct" statement like paid ad. The second study would examine how nearly 700 web users respond to different disclaimer language in a post by someone described as an influencer who maintains an Instagram page with more than 500,000 followers and has posted about endometriosis. In both studies, we are interested in the role of endorsement and payment status on participants recall, benefit and risk perceptions, and behavioral intentions, the FDA writes. Greenbaum predicts that the evidence from the experiments will inform regulators' approach to social media. It could be extremely influential, he says. At the same time, the FDA's proposal doesn't address key details about the disclaimers it plans to test, including their placement on the page, or the context in which they will appear. Without that kind of information, the proposal raises more questions than it answers, Greenbaum says. The FDA is currently accepting public comments on the proposed studies. The FDA has demonstrated concern about social media ads since at least 2015, when the agency warned pharmaceutical company Duchesnay about an Instagram ad by Kim Kardashian for the morning sickness drug Diclegis. The FDA said at the time that the post wrongly omitted information about the drug's potential risks and contraindications. Kardashian also said in the original post that she was "partnering" with Duchesnay -- but didn't explicitly state that she had been paid to advertise the drug. She revised the ad after hearing from the agency. Last summer, the FDA and FTC sent joint warning letters to makers of flavored e-cigarettes over their social marketing campaigns, including influencer ads. The letters alleged that the ads didn't warn consumers that the products contain nicotine, and reminded the companies that the FTC requires social media influencers to disclose when they are paid for posts. Last year's Senate Bill 406, Medical Marijuana Changes, caused a stir for a number of reasons. At the forefront of the controversy was a section that gave public school students access to medical cannabis on school grounds. The new rule seemed to please few. For those opposed to the idea of delivering cannabis to children at school, the whole idea of involving school officials was outrageous. To those in favor, the law was thought to give schools too much freedom to opt out while not giving enough guidance to participating districts. With more than 200 children reportedly enrolled in both public schools and the state's Medical Cannabis Program, the problems are more pressing than many are aware. According to the law: Local school boards and the governing bodies of charter schools shall authorize by rule the possession,storage and administration of medical cannabis by parents and legal guardians, or by designated school personnel, to qualified students for use in school settings. However, school boards and the governing bodies of charter schools may restrict the types of designated school personnel who may administer medical cannabis to qualified students and establish reasonable parameters regarding the administration and use of medical cannabis. Schools are able to opt out, though, if they can reasonably prove that they would lose federal funding for implementing the rule. Since cannabis is still federally illegal, it's not hard for districts to make the argument. In fact, Albuquerque, Rio Rancho and Santa Fe Public Schools all reportedly made noise about this stipulation when the law was initially passed. Last August, the New Mexico Public Education Department published its final rule regarding the law. It stated that it was up to each school district to create policies for where the cannabis was to be stored and who would be expected to administer the drug to students. It did state that if cannabis was stored on school grounds, it had to be locked away, and that students would not be allowed to self administer their medication. School employees were also protected from disciplinary action should they decide to refuse to administer the drug. While the Rio Rancho School board unanimously voted against allowing cannabis patients to have access to their meds on campus, Albuquerque Public Schools has adopted medical cannabis policies. APS allows the students primary caregiver to administer medical cannabis to the child in a school building, if APS is provided with a copy of the written certification from the New Mexico Department of Health that the student is a qualified cannabis patient along with written orders from an authorized certifying practitioner specifying dosage and time to administer with explicit instructions on how the medication is to be administered. The school will also require a signed Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) authorization form. The primary caregiver must complete a written treatment plan form (available on the NMPED website) and submit it to school administrators each school year. They also have to meet with the principal or designee and a school nurse (referred to as the site team) to outline plans for administration. Cannabis will not be stored on school grounds. It continues: Students using cannabis products on school grounds are not allowed to drive a personal vehicle or park there, and their parents or legal guardians have to submit a written release of liability on a form approved by the district that releases schools from all liabilities related to the administration of the student's medication. All of this could change soon, however. Lawmakers have reportedly said that school districts have abused the privilege given to them and are threatening to remove the stipulation allowing them to make their own policies. Only time will tell. The European Union is advancing its 5G plans without tying them to an unconditional Huawei ban, thus defying the U.S. This weeks guidelines outlining the next steps in the political blocs 5G roadmap reveal as much. The European Commission detailed a so-called toolbox for risk mitigation during 5G deployments. The current plan is for the telecom industry on the Old Continent to have a lot of freedom in handling such issues. That liberal approach is at odds with the policy that the U.S. has been pursuing for the majority of the President Trumps current term. With that said, its unlikely Huawei will be coming anywhere near critical telecom infrastructure in Europe during the 5G era. Thats the gist of the EUs newest guidelines which even the UK will follow to a large extent, despite leaving the alliance this week. Advertisement The White House resorted to some unconventional tactics in its attempts to promote its anti-Huawei policy on a global level. A significant portion of those includes thinly veiled threats, some of which were even targeting U.S. allies. While diplomacy may be a complicated field, its not hard to imagine how threats often arent the best strategy. Especially when dealing with some of the worlds most powerful economies. Germany demonstrated as much when the U.S. tried pressuring it into an unconditional Huawei 5G ban about a year ago. The de facto leader of the EU is inarguably vigilant about Huawei tech to this day. However, it repeatedly said it wont outright ban any potential 5G partner. The next-gen technology is proving to be an expensive beast to deploy and maintain. In these circumstances, Germany sees radical moves like the ones proposed by the U.S. as naive. By extension, that stance is now being adopted by other EU member states as well. Advertisement Avoiding 5G ban is just the beginning for Huawei So, while Huawei may be breathing a bit easier in Europe, its issues with Washington are still affecting its business on the continent. Increased scrutiny stemming from that animosity already produced new questions and spying accusations in Europe. Huawei continues arguing any notion of a 5G ban is ridiculous and unfounded. The company repeatedly dismissed its close ties to China, arguing its not any larger spying risk than telecoms in any other country are. In fact, the conglomerate insists the stateside resistance its facing is just a side-effect of the ongoing trade war between its home country and the U.S. Regardless, avoiding an outright EU 5G ban is just the first hurdle in Huaweis wireless ambitions in this decade. Viral comedy star James Veitch has teamed with Hachette Books for his debut book, EW can exclusively announce. The man behind one of the most popular TED Talks in the world (Scams) and whos appeared on Conan and The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon will publish Dot Con, a collection of real exchanges the author has had with email scammers, in the U.S. this spring. Formatted to resemble the actual back-and-forths, the book was originally published in his native U.K. in 2015, and now arrives in a new edition stateside as his profile continues to rise. Heres the official synopsis: Suspicious emails pop up in our inboxes and our first instinct is to delete unopened. The Nigerian prince eager to fork over his inheritance, the family friend stranded unexpectedly in Norway, the lonely Russian beauty looking for love they spam our inboxes with their hapless pleas for help, money, and our social security numbers. But what if you responded to the deposed princess begging for money in your Gmail? Veitch dives into the underbelly of our absurd email scam culture, playing the scammers at their own game. In Dot Con, Veitch finally answers the question: what would happen if you replied? These are the surprising, bizarre, and hilarious results. HBO MAX recently announced Veitchs new comedy special, produced by Team Coco. Known for skewering our high-tech world, the comic picks apart and parodies the constantly evolving and perplexing technology we live with. Dot Con publishes June 2, and is available for pre-order. Below, check out an exclusive excerpt for a taste of what this book will feel (and look) like. HBG HBG HBG HBG HBG HBG HBG Related content: The Uttar Pradesh jail minister Jai Kumar Singh on Wednesday said education was not important for politicians, who only needed to be visionaries. Addressing an event at a college in Sitapur, the minister said, The educated at times create a bad atmosphere. A leader doesnt need to be educated. For instance, I am a minister and I have my staff. I dont have to run jails. There are prison superintendents, others to do that. All that I have to do is to tell them that good food should be served in jails and focus on management. A leader needs to be a visionary... A video of the ministers speech has since gone viral. The minister, elected on Bharatiya Janata Partys ally Apna Dals ticket from Jahanabad, however, later said he had been quoted out of context. I feel I was selectively quoted in the video clip that has gone viral. I had made the comment in a particular context as I was telling the students that they need to study, focus on time management though the same may not be true for politicians. So, I was trying to compare but unfortunately I was selectively quoted. In hindsight, I agree I should have been more careful, Singh told HT. His party, the Apna Dal, was cautious in its reaction to the ministers comment. It isnt what the minister meant, Apna Dal spokesman Rajesh Patel said. The Congress, meanwhile, hit out at the minister. When a UP minister chooses to make such comments at an academic institute, amid impressionable minds, it proves the visionary approach of the state government and its ministers. Little wonder UP continues to fare poorly as far as education is concerned, Congress spokesman Zishan Haidar said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON WASHINGTON Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee declared late Thursday night he will oppose calling more witnesses in President Donald Trumps impeachment trial, all but dashing Democratic efforts for more testimony and pushing the Senate toward an imminent vote to acquit the president. A vote on witnesses, expected Friday, could lead to an abrupt end and assured acquittal in only the third presidential impeachment trial in American history. Trump was pressing for action in time for his State of the Union address, and that now seems likely. As the Senate adjourned late Thursday, it set the date for Tuesday nights speech. Despite the Democrats singular, sometimes-passionate focus on witnesses after revelations from John Bolton, the former national security adviser, the numbers are now falling short. It would take four Republicans to break with the 53-seat majority and join with all Democrats to demand more testimony. Chief Justice John Roberts, in the rare role presiding over the impeachment trial, could break a tie, but that seems unlikely. Alexander said in a statement there was no need for more evidence, giving the Trump team the likelihood of a Senate vote in its direction. Democrats built pressure on senators for testimony, but Trumps lawyers argued it would take too long as they sped forward, even after Boltons potential eyewitness account to Trumps actions detailed in a forthcoming book brought uncertainty. Before Alexanders statement, Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said late Thursday she would vote to allow witnesses in the impeachment trial, briefly raising Democrats hopes for a breakthrough. But Alexander minutes later said that there is no need for more evidence to prove something that has already been proven and that does not meet the U.S. Constitutions high bar for an impeachable offense. Collins, Alexander and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska were playing an outsized role in the final hours of debate with pointed questions. Another Republican senator, Mitt Romney of Utah, has made clear he will vote for witnesses. Murkowksi is expected to announce her decision on Friday, ahead of voting. Trump was impeached by House last month on charges that he abused his power like no other president, jeopardizing Ukraine and U.S.-Ukraine relations. Democrats say Trump asked he vulnerable ally to investigate Joe Biden and debunked theories of 2016 election interference, temporarily halting American security aid to the country as it battled Russia at its border. The second article of impeachment says Trump then obstructed the House probe in a way that threatened the nations three-branch system of checks and balances. Boltons forthcoming book contends he personally heard Trump say he wanted military aid withheld from Ukraine until it agreed to investigate the Bidens. Trump denies saying such a thing. Thursdays testimony included soaring pleas to the senators-as-jurors who will decide Trumps fate, to either stop a president who Democrats say has tried to cheat in the upcoming election and will again, or to shut down impeachment proceedings that Republicans insist were never more than a partisan attack. Lets give the country a trial they can be proud of, said Rep. Adam Schiff, the lead prosecutor for House Democrats. He offered to take just one week for depositions of new witnesses, sparking new discussions. Trump attorney Eric Herschmann declared the Democrats are only prosecuting the president because they cant beat him in 2020. We trust the American people to decide who should be our president, Herschmann said. Enough is Enough. Stop all of this. Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was toiling to keep Fridays vote on schedule even as the trial was unearthing fresh evidence from Boltons new book and raising alarms among Democrats and some Republicans about a Trump attorneys controversial defense. In a day-after tweet, Trump attorney Alan Dershowitz, complained about the portrayal of his Wednesday night testimony when he said a president is essentially immune from impeachment if he believes his actions to be in the national interest. That idea frustrated some inside the White House, who felt Dershowitzs claim was unnecessary and inflammatory irking senators with a controversial claim of vast executive powers. But those officials left it to Dershowitz to back away, wary that any public White House retreat would be viewed poorly by the president. I said nothing like that, the retired professor tweeted Thursday. His words Wednesday night: Every public official that I know believes that his election is in the public interest. And if a president does something which he believes will help him get elected is in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment. The president has argued repeatedly that his dealings with Ukraine have been perfect. Asked about it as one of the first questions Thursday, Democrat Schiff, said, Have we learned nothing in the last half century? Schiff drew on the lessons of the Nixon era to warn of a normalization of lawlessness in the Trump presidency. Republicans Collins, Romney and Murkowski all have expressed interest in hearing from Bolton and the others in the trial and captivated attention during the final hours of questions. Murkowski drew a reaction when she asked simply: Why should this body not call Ambassador Bolton? Alexander, who was influenced by the late Howard Baker who broke with his party over Richard Nixon also captured attention when he questioned partisanship in the proceedings thus far. In response to Alexander and others, Democrat Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California, a congressional staffer during Watergate and now a House prosecutor, told the senators that the Nixon impeachment also started as a partisan inquiry before a bipartisan consensus emerged. She told them while the House acted on party lines against Trump, the Senate the greatest deliberative body on the planet has a new opportunity. Alexander is also close allies with McConnell, and after his question Thursday night he consulted with a key staff aide to the leader. As the senators broke for dinner, Alexander and Murkowski met privately. Senators dispatched more than 100 queries over two days. The questions came from the parties leaders, the senators running for the Democratic nomination against Trump and even bipartisan coalitions from both sides of the aisle. Trumps lawyers focused some of their time Thursday refloating allegations against Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, who served on the board of a gas company in Ukraine while his father was vice president. Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., one of the managers, said the Bidens have little to tell the Senate about Trumps efforts to shake down Ukraine for his campaign. The White House has blocked its officials from testifying in the proceedings and objected that there is significant amounts of classified information in the manuscript. Bolton resigned last September Trump says he was fired and he and his attorney have insisted the book does not contain any classified information. ___ Associated Press writers Alan Fram, Andrew Taylor, Matthew Daly, Laurie Kellman and Padmananda Rama contributed to this report. An hours-long standoff shut down State Route 8 on the afternoon of Jan. 29 in Deposit, NY ended with a man being shot and killed by State Police. Around 2 p.m. that day, police said they were dispatched to an active incident responding to a possible burglary in progress. There, they found Clint Stevens, 34, of Binghamton. According to Pressconnects, Stevens was inside his parents home. The report of the potential robbery came from Stevens father who was not home at the time of the incident. When police arrived, they spotted Stevens inside with a long gun. At that time, he pointed the gun in the troopers direction. Troopers retreated to cover and notified dispatchers who sent additional uniform patrols to the scene. Stevens had just been arrested the day before under mental health law and taken to Binghamton General Hospital. When additional troopers showed up, the suspect had emerged from the home holding two long guns, one pointed outward and the other pointed at his torso. New York State Police Capt. Jeffrey VanAuken said of Stevens during the standoff, At times he said he wanted to be shot. He made statements to be shot by police. Troopers initially were unable to get the suspect to put down the weapons. Additional patrol resources were sent to assist with negotiations. Stevens meanwhile, paced back and forth, sometimes agitated and incoherent. They did get him to put down one gun, but he continued to hold a long gun to his torso. The suspect admitted to police that he was high on methamphetamine. At approximately 4:30 p.m., police said Stevens calmed to the point where negotiators thought he was going to surrender. Instead, he produced a syringe and proceeded to inject himself with what he said was meth with the long gun placed at his feet. He then became belligerent and confrontational with the negotiators, smashing windows and objects inside the house. Around 7:37 p.m., police said Stevens shot two rounds at the Bearcat from inside the residence. Shortly after he emerged from the home, armed with a rifle and a handgun aimed toward the troopers, he was shot and killed. The investigation is ongoing, and an autopsy has been done on the suspect. Toxicology results are pending. (Bloomberg) -- Qatars ruler appointed a close aide as the countrys new prime minister after the resignation of Abdullah bin Nasser Al Thani, who had held the position since the emir came to power in June 2013. Khalid bin Khalifa Al Thani, who was the head of the emirs court, is the new prime minister and minister of interior, the state-run Qatar News Agency reported on Tuesday. No reason was given for the previous premiers resignation. The appointment comes at a delicate time for Qatar. A three-year standoff with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt continues to cast a pall over regional politics, despite some signs late last year that the countries were moving closer to rapprochement. Recent tensions between Iran and the U.S. have also raised pressure on the emirate: the country is home to the biggest U.S. military base in the Middle East but shares the worlds largest natural gas field with Iran. There were rumors Abdullah bin Nasser wanted to resign, said Andreas Krieg, a lecturer in the department of defense studies at Kings College in London and a former adviser to the Qatari military. The new prime minister has proven himself to be an excellent manager able to balance different interests while heading the Diwan since 2014. The Diwan in many ways is like managing a cabinet. Key Confidant The new prime minister was born in 1968. Since 2014, he has been chief of the Amiri Diwan, an office that manages interactions between the emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and government ministries and non-government entities, according to a biography on the Diwans website. Hed worked for Sheikh Tamim since March 2006, when he joined his office at the Diwan. As the chief of the Diwan and the director of Tamims office as crown prince, Khalid bin Khalifa is definitionally one of Tamims key confidants, said David B. Roberts, an assistant professor at Kings College London who studies the Gulf. His appointment defied expectations that Abdullah bin Naser would be replaced by Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Roberts said. Story continues The benchmark Qatar Exchange Index slid 0.6% on Tuesday trading, while the MSCI Emerging Markets Index fell 0.7% at 2 p.m. in Doha. Investors globally are gauging the effectiveness of efforts to stop the spread of the SARS-like coronavirus from China. The ministers of foreign affairs, defense, finance and energy will all retain their positions. The emir also appointed Major General Abdulaziz bin Faisal bin Mohammed Al Thani to lead the countrys internal security force, QNA said. (Updates with new appointment to security force in last paragraph.) To contact the reporters on this story: Simone Foxman in Doha at sfoxman4@bloomberg.net;Dana Khraiche in Beirut at dkhraiche@bloomberg.net;Zainab Fattah in Dubai at zfattah@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Shaji Mathew at shajimathew@bloomberg.net, Mark Williams, Paul Abelsky 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. "Our continued support of the American Heart Association and the incredible generosity of our guests and team members has contributed more than $2 million for the Life is Why We Give campaign since 2018," said Ken Parent, president of Pilot Company. "Giving to such an important cause, which affects so many of our loved ones, helps the American Heart Association discover breakthroughs and develop initiatives to save and improve lives. Together, we can help countless people within our communities and around the world who are impacted by heart disease and stroke." Pilot Company will kick-off its third year of the campaign with several convenient ways for guests to participate at its stores across the country, including company-operated Pilot and Flying J travel centers, Mr. Fuel, Stamart and Pride locations. To easily find nearby locations, download the Pilot Flying J app. The company also will offer ways to give on its Pilot Flying J website and social channels. During the month of February, Pilot Company's fundraising initiatives include: Paper Heart Icons : $1 , $3 and $5 red hearts will be available for purchase at all locations. : , and red hearts will be available for purchase at all locations. Pin-Pad Round Up or Donation*: Guests can round up their purchase to the nearest whole dollar or elect to donate other amounts at the pin-pad during checkout. Guests can round up their purchase to the nearest whole dollar or elect to donate other amounts at the pin-pad during checkout. Donate Online: A donation link also will be included on the company's campaign website at pilotflyingj.com/life-is-why throughout the month of February to provide guests another convenient way to donate. A donation link also will be included on the company's campaign website at pilotflyingj.com/life-is-why throughout the month of February to provide guests another convenient way to donate. Social Media Donation: On Valentine's Day, follow @pilotflyingj on social media for an opportunity to "spread the love" and donate to the American Heart Association. For each of these contribution options, the full amount will be donated directly to the American Heart Association. To learn more about Pilot Company and its longstanding commitment to giving back, visit pilotcompany.com/about. *Certain purchases (including, without limitation, fuel and fuel additives and purchases made on fleet cards or direct bill programs) are not eligible for round-up contributions. About Pilot Company Pilot Company is a growth company focused on innovative solutions across its retail, energy and logistics operations. Headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, Pilot Company supplies more than 11 billion gallons of fuel per year. Its industry-leading network of more than 900 retail and fueling locations provides travelers with convenient stops that offer a variety of amenities and products to make road travel easier. The Pilot Flying J travel center network includes locations in 44 states and six Canadian provinces with more than 630 restaurants, 73,000 truck parking spaces, 5,200 deluxe showers, 6,200 diesel lanes and 35 Truck Care service centers. The One9 Fuel Network connects smaller fleets and professional drivers to the services they need at a variety of fueling locations. The energy division optimizes the sourcing and supply of fuel, DEF, bio and renewables and provides critical hauling and disposal services in our nation's busiest basins as the third largest tanker fleet in North America. Pilot Company is currently ranked No. 10 on Forbes' list of America's Largest Private Companies. Visit www.pilotcompany.com for more information. About Life Is Why We Give We all deserve to live a long, healthy and happy life. However, heart disease and stroke are robbing too many of us of this chance. The American Heart Association is working to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to have a quality of life that they can spend more joyfully with family and friends. When people donate or purchase goods and services from our Life is Why We Give cause supporters, we move closer to creating the quality of life we all desire. Life Is Why We Give aims to inspire consumers to think about their reasons to live healthier, longer lives and to give to AHA for those reasons. For too long, heart disease and stroke have stolen our precious moments. It's time we fight back together and affirm that we're more powerful than these diseases because everyone has a reason to live a longer, healthier life and that reason is why we give. SOURCE Pilot Company Related Links http://www.pilotcompany.com For young jazz musicians eager to test their creative mettle overseas, the path from Australia to the US (especially New York) is a well-trodden one. Perth saxophonist Brandon Allen elected to head to London instead, and 20 years later hes a stalwart of the UK jazz scene. He returns to Australia to tour every few years, and for his Melbourne gig on Wednesday he assembled an antipodean version of his London sextet, featuring a mix of long-time associates and new musical friends. With only one rehearsal prior to the concert, the musicians were kept on their toes by Allens imaginative and often intricate arrangements. The composers and tunes may have been familiar, but the leader aided by the sharp reflexes and admirable cohesion of his bandmates coaxed the compositions into new shapes via unexpected shifts in tempo, mood or metre. Stardust began in a typically slow, luxuriant fashion, the three-horn front line (Allen on full-bodied tenor sax, Carl Mackey on alto sax and Jordan Murray on trombone) creating burnished harmonies before the ballad suddenly mutated into an up-tempo strut. Jobims No More Blues was taken at an irresistibly swift clip more hip-shimmy samba than breezy bossa and Pure Imagination saw all six players skipping across different time signatures with remarkable dexterity. Importantly, though, it was the feel of each tune that mattered most to Allen. As the band travelled from urgent bop to soulful blues or Latin-tinged funk, they infused each phrase with energy and enjoyment, ensuring that the audience came along for the ride. Georgetown bans Papaya Workshop abortion demonstration on campus Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Georgetown University, the oldest Catholic university in the United States, has thwarted a student groups attempt to hold a first-trimester abortion demonstration on campus. Organized by the New York-based Reproductive Health Access Project, the Papaya Workshop features an abortionist who shows students an example of how vacuum aspiration abortions are performed by using a papaya as a uterus model in which the inner pulp and seeds are suctioned out by a suction machine. The event was originally planned to be held at Georgetowns Intercultural Center. However, University officials intervened and compelled the campus student group hosting the RHAP abortion workshop to move it off campus. The university said in a statement that the abortion workshop wouldn't be allowed on campus because it conflicts with the academic institutions religious identity. Consistent with our Catholic and Jesuit identity, Georgetown University does not support or allow for the demonstration or training of abortion procedures in any classroom or reservable space on our campus, Georgetown administration said, according to The College Fix. The student organizers of this event were notified that the Papaya Workshop is not permitted to take place in reservable campus spaces. The liberal student group H*yas for Choice, which was organizing the RHAP abortion workshop, denounced the university's decision as a violation of Georgetown's Free Speech Policy and their recent timing as a deliberate action to prevent us from providing information about reproductive health to the student body. We will be addressing this further with the administration, but in the meantime we will not allow them to prevent this event from happening, they added, moving the workshop to the Advocates for Youth's headquarters in Northwest Washington, D.C., on Jan. 22, the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. The workshop will be led by a doctor and abortion provider from the Reproductive Health Access Project who will debunk common misconceptions about abortion and perform a demonstration of the procedure on a papaya, explained the Facebook event description. "Pizza will be provided! In response, the conservative Catholic group TFP Student Action launched an online petition calling on Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia to cancel the event. I respectfully urge you cancel the Papaya Workshop at Georgetown University, which demonstrates how Manual Vacuum Aspiration abortions are performed, stated the petition, which got over 19,000 signatures. This class is a direct attack against the 5th Commandment of the Law of God and has no place on a Catholic campus. In 2016, Georgetown gained headlines and much criticism from pro-life activists when they invited then Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards to speak on campus. As part of the response, the pro-life student group Georgetown Right to Life invited former Planned Parenthood clinic director and anti-abortion activist Abby Johnson to speak on-campus on the same day as Richards. The first UK consumer study on the use of Bambara Groundnut as an ingredient in products has shown that sharing information on its sustainable features increased consumers' positive emotional connection to food. Researchers from the University of Nottingham's School of Biosciences tested Biscotti and crackers made with Bambara groundnut against standard commercial products. The study published in Food Research International showed that the main driver for accepting this new ingredient was how people felt when given information about its sustainability credentials. Alternative crops With current global challenges such as population growth, climate change and water scarcity, it is critical to develop strategies to achieve food security. The University of Nottingham's Future Food Beacon of Excellence and Malaysia campus along with Crops for the Future research projects have been investigating ways to tackle this by researching alternative crops that are resistant to climate change. They have discovered that Bambara Groundnut found in Africa puts limited demands on soil and is capable of growing in nutrient poor soils where most crops would not thrive. Bambara is high in carbohydrate and protein and is gluten free so could offer an alternative to rice and wheat flour. 100 participants were invited to the University of Nottingham's Sensory Science Centre to undertake two tasting sessions of biscotti and crackers - two commercial products and two with Bambara flour. For each sample participants were asked to rate their overall liking and emotional response based on sensory properties of the product. The first tasting was done 'blind' with a red light masking the appearance of the products. The participants were then invited back for a second session where they were informed about global resource challenges and the sustainable features of Bambara and told which products contained this ingredient. Dr Qian Yang, Assistant Professor in Sensory and Consumer Sciences at the University of Nottingham led the research and explains what they found: "Under the blind condition, no significant differences in overall liking were observed between standard and Bambara products, suggesting UK consumers accept the sensory properties of products containing Bambara flour. This indicates as long as the products taste good consumers engage with the new sustainable crops. Interestingly, after being given the information about climate and sustainability issues we saw a shift towards more positive emotions towards the Bambara product and people felt guiltier when eating standard products." Tim Foster Professor in Food Structure added: "This study gives an important insight into how emotional response could be used as a way to encourage consumers to eat more sustainable products. Our participants' positive reactions to the information they were given about the sustainable credentials of the products suggest this type of information could help with promotion when a new product is brought to market." ### Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-31 03:48:10|Editor: yan Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Thursday said that China will continue to support and facilitate the Libyan political settlement process, while noting that the current priority for the country is to achieve sustained ceasefire. "As a permanent member of the Security Council, China will continue to support and facilitate the Libyan political settlement process, support Libyans' pursuit of peace and tranquility, and contribute to bring back a peaceful and stable Libya," Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told the Security Council meeting on the situation in Libya. Noting that the current priority is to achieve sustained ceasefire, the envoy said that parties to the Libyan conflict should proceed from the overall interests of their country and people, and aim for an immediate ceasefire to ease tensions, and return to the track of finding a solution through peaceful dialogue and consultation. "Countries with influence should play an active role by exerting their influence, pushing the Libyan parties to bridge their differences and enhance mutual trust, and providing constructive assistance in bringing about a ceasefire and restoring political dialogue," he said. Wu said that the protracted conflict in Libya has been lasting for nine years, which is a "snapshot" of the continued turbulence in western Asia and northern Africa, and has inflicted "a dire disaster" on the Libyans and jeopardized the security and stability of neighboring countries and the entire region of western Asia and northern Africa. "Spillover problems arising from the Libyan situation, such as arms proliferation, refugees and terrorism, have posed great challenges to neighboring countries, the region and even the whole world," said the envoy. "China has been closely following the developments in Libya and appreciates recent actions taken by the international community, which have been constructive in alleviating the Libyan situation," he said. Wu commended the international conference on the Libyan question, which was recently convened in Berlin with a communique released, noting that the document demonstrates the "important consensus" reached among the participants. "China welcomes this process," said the ambassador. The envoy noted that to implement the outcomes of the Berlin conference with concrete steps will require the concerted efforts of all Libyan parties, relevant regional countries and the international community as a whole. "As for the Council's endorsement of the Berlin outcomes, we not only need to have a sense of urgency, but also try to accommodate the concerns of all sides," he noted. Wu called on the Council to keep united and make every effort to adopt "an actionable resolution" as early as possible. "Global synergies should be formed," said Wu. "The international community should respect Libya's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity... stay committed to the Libyan-led and Libyan-owned political process under the UN framework," he said. Noting that the Libyan question is closely linked with the original situation, Wu said that any solution should accommodate the legitimate concerns of regional countries. "And in this regard, the unique role of relevant countries should be brought into play," he said. With all the tensions brewing around us right now, here's some pleasant news to make your day a little more worthwhile. While fishing is the main staple for Kerala, fishermen are at bay, quite literally, during the night to find the best catch. Recently, a bunch of fishermen from Kozhikode were being applauded online for a tremendous task they took responsibility for. While fishing on a Tuesday night, they accidentally captured a whale shark- the largest species of freshwater fish in the world. Understanding the fact that the shark is an endangered species, they released it back into the water. Twitter In a video, that's going viral on the internet, you can see a group of men struggling to try and get the whale-shark under control so they can release it back in the water. The shark, however, in an attempt to survive, keeps hitting them with its tail, but the men resist being struck by it time and again and are seen determined to get it back in the water. Here, take a look. This is brilliant. @InSeasonFish , could you pl inbox any locally available contacts of people involved this video. Thanks. Sneha Koshy (@SnehaMKoshy) January 28, 2020 So glad to see the effort made to help the creature live.... Meghna Girish (@megirish2001) January 29, 2020 Fabulous! They are the true keepers of our planet! Pervin Sanghvi (@pervinsanghvi) January 28, 2020 Wonderful. Salutes to the fishermen Kanwar B Singh (@KB1997_) January 28, 2020 Many tweets came pouring in, questioning why are smaller fish hunted, while the whale-shark needs to be saved. To those vehemently grilling the fishermen for their efforts, I'd like to say that the whale-shark is an endangered species, and were once brutally hunted along the shores of Gujarat. To stop the slaughter, the species was added to Schedule I, of India's Wildlife Protection Act in 1972. Since then, conserving one of the biggest species in the fish world has become truly important. National Geographic That's why the only people who can understand this are fishermen, whose mainstay and livelihood depends on fishing. And the fishermen in Kerala know too well, to disturb the equilibrium and balance of the ocean, which helps them survive and make a living. So, maybe the fishing industry will cease to exist one day, maybe it won't, but understanding what's important to save and nurture counts tremendously and we applaud these men from having that keen sense of understanding. The Whale-Shark is no threat to human beings and they feed on smaller fish and Planktons. Twitter Judging by this video, the Whale-Shark seemed to be around 20 feet in length, which means it was probably still a baby, trying to make its way back into the ocean. We must also remember, capturing the Whale-Shark would have fetched the fishermen a good fortune in the black market, but knowing to do the right thing is what truly counts, especially since the world is severely battling climate change that does affect one and all species. What these boys did was absolutely commendable and we're mighty proud of them! Wow! A #whaleshark is the largest known extant fish species and is #endangered. Well done, guys!! https://t.co/cBnVtVNULF Arati Kumar-Rao (@AratiKumarRao) January 28, 2020 Good work!! Hope the #shark is well after all the work trying to release it https://t.co/j5bAnMGiqo SharkNewz (@SharkNewz) January 28, 2020 Heroes with Conscience. True environmental warriors these #KozhikodeFisherman are and to all the #fisherman who does these kind of things. You guys are true heroes. #WhaleShark https://t.co/nCE7Lmdhnm Karthik Vijayan (@iamkarthikvjn) January 28, 2020 Masks are sold out and only product samples are on the shelves of a supermarket in Seoul, Tuesday, due to a huge increase in demand after the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus. / Yonhap By Jung Hae-myoung As fears over the Wuhan coronavirus are rising here, more people are trying to prevent infection through the use of various disinfectants and masks. With the drastic rise in demand, masks are even out of stock in some shops and markets. However, some sellers are raising prices using the fears of customers. On internet communities and social media, people expressed anger over the surge in prices also seen in masks sold on online open markets. "I bought a KF94 mask for 17,000 won, but just a day later when I logged into the market, the price had rocketed to 63,000 won, three times more than the original price," one customer wrote. "I understand that prices are rising because of the demand increase, but this is manipulating people's fear and life for sales." The Korea Consumer Agency said it received around 40 complaints regarding the high price of masks and cancellation of product deliveries throughout Tuesday and Wednesday. The official said these kind of complaints had not been received before. 368 Korean evacuees from Wuhan sent to two state-run facilities Korea reports 1st human-to-human transmission of coronavirus 'Desperate time calls for desperate measures' Although many people understand that prices may rise if demand increases, many say it is unreasonable that sellers are making profits out of people's anxiety. One seller on an online market sold masks for 3,460 won each up from 600 won before; another seller on Auction also sold a 100-masks pack for 87,900won which was originally sold for 44,900 won. Some complaints said the sellers were cancelling orders on purpose in order to make customers buy the products at a higher price. A 44 year-old customer surnamed Shin ordered KF94 masks in bulk Sunday. She bought 120 masks in a box for 20,000 won, but after two days she received a text message saying her order was cancelled due to the masks being out of stock. When she went back to the website, the product was being sold for 60,000 won. Open markets were no better. "The price are adjusted by the sellers on the market, so it is hard for us to figure out the change in price," one market official said. E-commerce market WeMakePrice said they were advising sellers to stabilize prices. "The price changes several times a day according to the economic situation. Rather than imposing penalties, our operation division is giving notice to companies that are selling on our platform to consider price stabilization," a WeMakePrice official said. Coupang said it was monitoring sellers that unreasonably raised prices. "We will not tolerate sellers that hoard emergency products and resell them at a higher price. We are keeping an eye on sellers that are making excessive profits and warning them to set usual prices," the official said. CHICAGO, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On behalf of Dr. Carter Page, national litigation firm, Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht LLP, filed a lawsuit in federal court this morning against the Democratic National Committee and Perkins Coie LLP. The suit alleges that as part of their effort to oppose the Trump campaign, the Democratic National Committee and its agent, Perkins Coie LLP, deliberately undertook to produce opposition research, resulting in the spread of false information about Dr. Carter Page that ruined his reputation and businesses. The suit claims that Defendants leveraged their influence with the news media to suggest to the public that Dr. Page was an agent of a foreign power, Russia. This defamatory information made its way to the FBI, where it was used along with the surrounding media coverage as a basis to submit to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (the "FISC") improper and inaccurate applications for FISA surveillance authority over Dr. Page. This led to the FISC approving now-admittedly abusive FISA surveillance against Dr. Page in an extraordinary and devastating violation of individual liberty. The complaint states that the Defendants undertook to hire Fusion GPS and Christopher Steele to create salacious information about people associated with the presidential campaign of Donald Trump, including Dr. Page. As part of this effort, Steele prepared a dossier of false information, which included accusations that Dr. Page had colluded with senior Russian officialsIgor Sechin and Igor Divyekin. The Defendants then directed the defamatory information be disseminated to the press and ultimately the public, which painted Dr. Page as a Russian agent. As a result, Dr. Page's reputation has been irreparably harmed, his business prospects devastated, and he has been forced to essentially live a fugitive life for years following numerous death threats. The complaint further alleges that the Defendants, through Steele, also passed this information to the FBI, resulting in that agency's commencement of a counter-intelligence investigation into Dr. Page. The information in the Steele dossier was a substantial basis for the FBI submitting multiple, inaccurate applications for FISA surveillance authority to the FISC, which issued the warrants that allowed the FBI to spy on Dr. Page for approximately a year. The complaint states that the statements spread at the behest of the Defendants have now been shown to be entirely false, arguing that: (1) The Inspector General of the United States Department of Justice concluded in a 478-page report that Fusion GPS' report was nothing but fiction, based entirely on unverified and uncorroborated second-hand information; (2) Robert Mueller's years-long investigation could not establish any basis for the allegations against Dr. Page; and (3) that just a few weeks ago, on January 7, 2020, the Department of Justice itself admitted that at least two of the surveillance warrants obtained against Dr. Page were invalid and were based on material misstatements and omissions. The complaint alleges causes of action for defamation, false light invasion of privacy, tortious interference, and conspiracy. Dr. Page has been fighting on his own for years against Defendants, the news media and elements at the highest levels of the United States' law enforcement and intelligence agencies whose wrongful conduct devastated his life. Now, with the litigation team at Pierce Bainbridge by his side, he begins the process of restoring his reputation, remedying the broad-based wrongs perpetrated against him and, most importantly, ensuring this never again happens to an American citizen. Pierce Bainbridge Global Managing Partner John M. Pierce commended Dr. Page for his resilience since being targeted by a combination of the world's most powerful forces: "For years, Carter Page stood alone as the DNC, Perkins Coie and officials at the highest levels of the federal government attempted to destroy his life and derail President Trump's 2016 campaign. They failed on both fronts. It is a credit to Dr. Page's strength of character, resilience and patriotism that he was not broken by this onslaught. He no longer stands alone. Today, Pierce Bainbridge and Dr. Page begin a campaign to restore Dr. Page's name and hold those who targeted him accountable. Most importantly, this is a first step to ensure that the full extent of the FISA abuse that has occurred during the last few years is exposed and remedied. Defendants and those they worked with inside the federal government did not and will not succeed in making America a surveillance state. But this is thanks only to the brave actions of patriotic citizens such as Dr. Page who stand up as individuals to fight for the civil liberties of all Americans. This is only the first salvo. We will follow the evidence wherever it leads, no matter how high, and we will hold all those who conspired to destroy Dr. Page's life along with the Constitution accountable. The rule of law will prevail." The complaint, available upon request, is Case No. 1:20-cv-00671, Page et al. v. The Democratic National Committee et al. in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. About Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht LLP Pierce Bainbridge is a top-tier litigation firm that is changing the way companies and individuals approach major disputes. We are relentless, creative, and aggressive, and we're always on the hunt for strategic and tactical advantages that can benefit our clients and secure victory. Our team is composed of the finest trial lawyers from the best law schools who were trained at the biggest law firms in the world. We know how to win and that's what we do best. Attorneys at our firm have won jury verdicts and settlements totaling well over $3 billion dollars. We provide our clients with a high-stakes litigation force to vindicate and protect their rights. SOURCE Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht LLP We're sorry, you encountered a page that doesn't exist. After learning from the Delhi Polices priliminary investigation that the shooter in today's incident outside Jamia University is a minor, Network18 has decided not to carry his photograph or name as per the law.We will continue to report on the police investigation and keep our audiences informed about the latest developments.We thank you for your patronage.-- Editor (Image: Reuters) Campaigners dressed up with fishing rods and swimming goggles around an enormous pothole to highlight the state of Devon's roads (SWNS) A group of councillors have highlighted what could be Britains biggest pothole by fishing in it. Members of Buckfastleigh Town Council in Devon also showed dogs swimming in the so-called Buckfast Chasm to raise awareness of the state of the road. Councillors huddled around the huge hole on the outskirts of the town for a series of photographs which show one dangling a fishing rod into it and another wearing a pair of swimming goggles. As well as the dog, there is even a young child standing in the pothole to show how deep it is. Earlier this month the RAC said the problem of potholes had not gone away despite milder weather and data suggesting the UKs roads had improved. The town councillors and friends posed with fishing rods around the 'Buckfast Chasm' to show how huge it is (SWNS) Members of Buckfastleigh Town Council said they were angered at repeatedly asking for problems with local roads to be fixed, only to be met with little response. After further complaints were raised at a meeting, they decided to start a photo campaign on social media to raise awareness of the problem. READ MORE Coronavirus: Brits remain in China after officials refuse permission for flight to take off Bully burger van owner drives at Cornish pasty seller after fight over territory Chair of the town council Andy Stokes, who took the photos, said: This is a humorous way to draw attention to a problem which has a very serious side. We are finding that Devon County Council are taking longer and longer to respond to complaints about the roads and things are getting worse and worse. The town councillors and friends in and around the giant pothole in Buckfastleigh, Devon (SWNS) He added: It's not just potholes - in Buckfastleigh we we are always at risk of flooding and we have increasing problems with blocked drains. "When we get heavy rain like we have recently, they just overflow into the roads and cause flooding into people's houses. All this means there is damage to cars and homes and the risk of injury whilst trying to walk or cycle along flooded and damaged roads. ---How four years of utter Brexit chaos unfolded--- DUBAI, UAE, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Media Council, has honoured 10 winners in the 2nd Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award. The Award was launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to encourage research institutions, individuals, and innovators from around the world to develop sustainable and innovative solutions to water scarcity that use solar power. The UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia) under the umbrella of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, oversees the award, which has three main categories: Innovative Projects Award, Innovative Research and Development Award, and the Innovative Individual Award. The award ceremony was attended by a number of Ministers and directors of government departments in the UAE, ambassadors, consuls general, public figures, officials from the public and private sectors, local and international universities and research centres, and students from National and international universities. The winners from around the world presented innovative ideas and projects that received considerable praise. In the Innovative Projects Award for Small Projects, GivePower Foundation from the USA came first for its BLU Drop Solar Water Farm. Boreal Light from Germany was second with its WaterKiosk project. International Business Ventures from the UAE, in partnership with Zero Mass Water from the USA, came third with its Platinum Heritage (PH) Source Oasis project. Khalifa University from the UAE won the Innovative Research & Development Award in the National Institutions category for low-cost desalination, using a distiller coupled with gravity solar heather project. In the International Institutions category, Liquinex Group from the Republic of Singapore came first for its compact water purification system. Plasma Waters from the Republic of Chile came second for their Innovation with Purpose project. Project Maji from the Republic of Ghana came third for their Solar Kiosks project. The Innovative Individual Award for Youth was awarded jointly to Jan Radel from Germany for his Drinking Water for Malambo project; and Muhammad Wakil Shahzad for his 24/7 Solar Desalination project. Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1084147/2nd_Mohammed_bin_Rashid_Al_Maktoum_Global_Water_Award.mp4 Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1083706/UAE_Water_Aid_Foundation_Suqia.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1083707/UAE_Water_Aid_Foundation_Suqia_Logo.jpg Now in its 23rd year in Ireland, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year2020 programme nominations are officially open. Leitrim entrepreneurs are encouraged to put themselves forward to follow in the footsteps of well-known Leitrim businessman Pat Rigney, from Drumshanbo-based The Shed Distillery of PJ Rigney, who was a finalist in 2018. As yet, Leitrim has had no category winners in the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year programme. 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. Read Also: Carrick-on-Shannon franchise wins Supermacs Outlet of the Year Award again 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 Leitrim 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. Read Also: Leitrim jobs roundup: Who's hiring in the county this week? 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 YearAwards 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 YearIreland 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. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 By Jeyhun Alakbarov - Trend: Studies have been carried out at Chinese restaurants in Azerbaijan amid the spread of the 2019-nCoV coronavirus in China, Chairman Azerbaijan's Hotels and Restaurants Association Samir Dubandi told Trend. The association has contacted Chinese restaurants that have been operating in the country for a long time, the chairman said. "It turned out that the news about the coronavirus did not adversely affect the operations of these restaurants. The restaurants reported that none of their foodstuffs comes from China, but are imported from the nearest Asian countries," Samir Dubandi said. The chairman added that a memorandum was signed between China and Azerbaijan in 2019, and this year 200,000 Chinese tourists were expected to arrive in Azerbaijan. "Not many tourists from China come to Azerbaijan. But last year, a memorandum was signed between the two countries, according to which it was planned to attract up to 200,000 tourists to Azerbaijan. Unfortunately, it seems like we have lost this number of tourists from China," the chairman added. 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 startup 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 FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. Law enforcement officials told The Times that the app had helped them identify suspects in many criminal cases. Clearviews database of photos dwarfs those previously used by law enforcement agencies. Other technology companies capable of building such a tool, like Google, have decided not to because of concerns about the potential for abuse. Tor Ekeland, a lawyer for Clearview, confirmed that it had received Twitters letter and said the company will respond appropriately. He declined to comment further. The Times article set off angry protests from Democratic lawmakers and privacy watchdogs, who said it was paving the way for universal facial recognition technology that would effectively end peoples ability to remain anonymous while in public. On Wednesday, Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., also sent a letter to Clearview, addressed to its co-founder and chief executive, Hoan Ton-That. Widespread use of your technology could facilitate dangerous behaviour and could effectively destroy individuals ability to go about their daily lives anonymously, Markey wrote. The senators letter poses 14 questions to the company and asks that it respond by Feb. 12. Markey wants Clearview to provide a list of all law enforcement and intelligence agencies, as well as private entities, that use the app. He also asked about the collection of childrens information by the company and how it vets its product for accuracy and security. In the absence of a rigorously enforced consumer privacy law, technology companies will continue to develop and market products that pose existential threats to our fundamental privacy rights, Markey said in a statement. Ekeland said Clearview was reviewing Markeys letter and will respond accordingly. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said on Twitter that he was concerned that Americans personal photos were being included in a corporate database without their knowledge. He also said it was extremely troubling that Clearview had contacted police officers who were talking to the media, apparently after monitoring the activity of police officers who uploaded a photo of a Times reporter to the Clearview app. Officials in Wydens office will meet soon with Ton-That in Washington, said Keith Chu, Wydens spokesman. Ekeland said: Sen. Wydens office reached out to us in December, and we are in the process of scheduling a meeting. We look forward to it. An aide to Sen. Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, Josh Orton, also condemned Clearview, saying that its practices were disgusting and that Sanders, if elected president, would bar law enforcement from using facial recognition software. In an interview with The Times this month, Ton-That defended Clearviews technology as a valuable resource for law enforcement. Our belief is that this is the best use of the technology, he said. He added that the company had no plans to release its app for use by the public, though some private companies use it. Ton-That acknowledged that Clearview had amassed its database of photos by scraping them from publicly available websites like Facebook and Twitter. The social media companies said such activity would violate their terms of service, and Facebook said it was reviewing the situation with Clearview and will take appropriate action if we find they are violating our rules. It is not clear what power Twitter and other social media sites have to force Clearview to remove images from its database. In the past, companies have sued websites that scrape information, accusing them of violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, an anti-hacking law. But in September, a federal appeals court in California ruled against LinkedIn in such a case, establishing a precedent that the scraping of public data most likely does not violate the law. The case eviscerated the legal argument that Facebook used to use on scammers and spammers, said Alex Stamos, director of the Stanford internet Observatory and a former chief information security officer at Facebook. When asked whether Facebook had sent a cease-and-desist letter to Clearview, a Facebook spokesman said the company had no updates to share at this time. A Venmo spokesman, Justin Higgs, said on Wednesday, Scraping Venmo is a violation of our terms of service and we actively work to limit and block activity that violates these policies. YouTube did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday. One of Clearviews early investors was Peter Thiel, a venture capitalist who backed Facebook and sits on Facebooks board of directors. Jeremiah Hall, a spokesman for Thiel, previously told The Times that Thiels only contribution to Clearview was a $200,000 investment that was converted into equity, and that he is not involved in the company. Read more about: BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 Trend: There is nothing new that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) periodically expresses biased position towards Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Ali Ahmadov wrote in the article entitled "Anti-Azerbaijan Algorithm in the PACE Decision Making Mechanism", posted on his Facebook page, Trend reports on Jan. 29. This was repeatedly stated and the reasons were mentioned, Ahmadov, who is also deputy chairman of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party, said. However, the groundless criticism against Azerbaijan contained in PACE resolution #2317 - Threats to media freedom and journalists security in Europe adopted on Jan. 28, gives reason to say that the structures bias towards Azerbaijan has become chronic. Azerbaijan is experiencing a period of rapid development and transformation, the deputy prime minister said. Successful continuation of the path chosen by the country, along with many factors, envisages transparency, information freedom, openness to the world. Cooperation, partnership, expansion of economic ties, information exchange with Europe - all this is one of the main conditions that give impetus to the progress on the path chosen by the country. Moreover, Azerbaijan always openly and resolutely declares that it puts national and state interests at the forefront, Ahmadov added. As in all issues, the attitude to freedom of speech and press in Azerbaijan is stipulated in the context of freedoms enshrined in the Constitution and laws. It is possible to list dozens of reasons proving that Azerbaijan is on the same level with the countries where freedom of speech and media are protected. Amid this situation, the appeal to the Azerbaijani authorities contained in the PACE resolution to put an end to "repressions" against journalists is incomprehensible, Ali Ahmadov said. "It is enough to say that one of the authoritative international structures of Europe - PACE - cannot clearly explain the meaning of these far-fetched repressions. While analyzing the accusations against Azerbaijan, I would like to mention two arguments which are used by this structure. The essence of the first argument is to stop the use of all kinds of sanctions against journalists, Ahmadov said. It is up to citizens to estimate the extent of legitimacy and fairness of this proposal (or requirement) from the point of view of human rights and the rule of law." "While pursuing some goals, it turns out that for the sake of criticizing Azerbaijan, PACE feels free to demonstrate undemocratic approaches and distinguishes journalists as a separate caste. This means that if a journalist violates laws, commits a crime, slanders others and insults innocent people, then legal measures cannot and must not be taken against this journalist, the deputy prime minister said. In this case, how should the rights of people, insulted as a result of the actions of a journalist and subjected to moral terror, be protected? The claims against Azerbaijan in the notorious PACE resolution are also substantiated by such an absurd argument as provision of journalists with apartments by the Azerbaijani government, allegedly, this way the authorities bribe journalists. Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani government provides different categories of people, in need of housing, with apartments, Ahmadov added. First of all, these are internally displaced people. Each year, the government allocates hundreds of millions of manat to provide internally displaced people with apartments. It would be appropriate to remind that the number of towns in which people of this category live, exceeds 100. It would be better for PACE to think that as a result of Armenias aggression, 10 percent of the Azerbaijani population - one million people became internally displaced, and to contribute to the restoration of justice, the deputy prime minister said. But instead of this, the organization tries to find out and makes up reasons to criticize Azerbaijan. Not only journalists and internally displaced people are provided with housing, Ahmadov said. The families of martyrs and displaced people of the Karabakh war, who are victims of aggression against Azerbaijan, are also provided with housing. There are also people from other categories who may take advantage of the state program on preferential apartments. All these are different directions of the Azerbaijani social policy and to put it mildly, PACEs attempt to politicize provision of journalists with housing is surprising, the deputy prime minister added. Objective approach, at the very least, requires the European structure, which seeks to show care for journalists, should praise this step taken by the Azerbaijani authorities." Despite that state aid in the form of providing journalists with apartments, is, in fact, from the point of social justice, should be praised, is being criticized by the above mentioned structure, Ahmadov said. While evaluating journalists and attitude towards their activity in Azerbaijan, people who voted for the adoption of this resolution should've recalled the decision made by the Azerbaijani government to pay off the debts of all media outlets. But PACE decision-makers are silent about this aspect because they need an argument to criticize the country at all costs. Such injustice is detrimental of PACEs reputation, the deputy prime minister added. Of course, such a biased position of the above mentioned influential European structure against Azerbaijan disappoints us. However, any bias, first of all, undermines the reputation of PACE itself, casts doubt on objectivity. We wish the international organization, in which Azerbaijan is a member, to fulfill its mission with dignity and to be far away from injustice and bias." Here is another thing, Ahmadov added. The PACEs biased resolution seems to please the radical opposition. The radical opposition members are very pleased. It so happens that the radicals are happy when Azerbaijan encounters problems and has to fight off lies. They criticize Azerbaijan by all available means in all the reports. One thing is unclear to them. The main thing for us is peoples opinion. People love Azerbaijan, believe Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and strongly support his policy." Pune : , Jan 30 (IANS) Renowned feminist, rights activist, author and social worker Vidya Bal - who fought for women's entry in temples - passed away here early on Thursday after a brief illness, family sources said. She was 84 and breathed her last around 5.30 a.m. at a private hospital where she was undergoing treatment. Bal's mortal remains shall be kept at 'Nachiket', her Prabhat Road residence to enable people pay their last respects. She was the founder of the 'Nari Samata Manch' (1981), an organisation dedicated to discuss and tackle women's problems, especially from the rural areas and campaigned for equal rights for women vis-A-vis men in all spheres. Bal was a vigorous crusader for euthanasia, violence against women, female empowerment, fought legal battles for entry to women in temples or places of worship in India, providing public toilets for women in Pune and across Maharashtra. She also authored many acclaimed literary works. Several political leaders, intellectuals, and activists have condoled the demise of Bal. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text UK car production fell to its lowest level in almost a decade in 2019, new figures show. Vehicle outputs were down 14.2 per cent to 1.3million cars - the lowest since 2010, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has revealed. Structural changes in the industry, weak confidence in the UK, slower demand overseas, and Brexit-related issues were all blamed by the motoring body for the slowdown at car plants across the country. And it said it expects outputs to shrink again this year. Shrinking sector: UK car production fell by 14.2% in 2019. Some 1.3m new models came off assembly lines last year, down from 1.5m in 2018, official figures confirmed today A total of 1,303,135 new cars came off UK assembly lines in 2019, down from 1,519,440 the year previous. The SMMT said factory shutdowns last spring and autumn - timed to deal with expected disruption from leaving the EU - had a 'marked effect' on production and had weighed down annual outputs both home and abroad. Production for the home market fell by 12.3 per cent to 247,000 units. Though the bigger impact was felt by shrinking export demand. Outputs of cars built for foreign markets fell by 14.7 per cent, from 1,237,608 in 2018 to 1,055,997 in 2019. Despite this dip, overseas orders still accounted for more than four out of five cars built in UK factories. Shipments to European Union countries fell by 11.1 per cent last year, but the bloc remains the industry's most important market, with its share of exports increasing by 2 per cent to 54.8 per cent, said the SMMT. Exports to other countries fell, by 26 per cent to China, 17 per cent to Japan and almost 10 per cent to the United States, with the latter remaining the UK's second largest export market (representing 18.9 per cent of export volumes). The SMMT said vehicle production had fallen to the lowest level for almost a decade Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT, repeated the industry's call for a free trade agreement which includes no tariffs, to help maintain jobs and car making in the UK. Around 160,000 workers are employed by car manufacturers in this country, but decisions on the future of factories remain on hold as firms wait for details of a post-Brexit trade deal. Mr Hawes said: 'The fall of UK car manufacturing to its lowest level in almost a decade is of grave concern. 'Every country in the world wants a successful automotive sector as it is a driver of trade, productivity and jobs. 'Given the uncertainty the sector has experienced, it is essential we re-establish our global competitiveness and that starts with an ambitious free trade agreement with Europe, one that guarantees all automotive products can be bought and sold without tariffs or additional burdens. 'This will boost manufacturing, avoid costly price rises and maintain choice for UK consumers. 'Negotiations will be challenging but all sides stand to gain and this sector is up for it.' Jaguar Land Rover remained the UK's biggest car maker in 2019, outputs at the brand's three plants fell by 14.3% The Qashqai was the most-built UK car in 2019, followed by the Mini. Production of the Toyota Corolla only started part way through last year Nissan Sunderland celebrated producing its 10 millionth model last year - that car was a Qashqai (pictured) While Jaguar Land Rover remained the UK's biggest car maker in 2019, outputs at the brand's three plants fell by 14.3 per cent to 385,917 units. Nissan Sunderland retained its position in second, with 346,535 vehicles produced - down 21.6 per cent year-on-year. The Qashqai was the most built of all models in the UK in 2019. Honda in Swindon, which will close next year, had the biggest decline in production, down 32.2 per cent, while Toyota Burnaston - home of the new Corolla family hatchback - was the only mainstream manufacturer to post improving outputs (up 14.7 per cent. Honda production at Swindon fell by 32% in 2019 with the plant due to be closed in 2021 Jaguar Land Rover retained its moniker as the UK's biggest car maker, despite a decline in production Mr Hawes said he hopes uncertainty over a trade deal will end within months, stressing the need for the best possible outcome for the motor industry. The SMMT has predicted that leaving the EU without a deal could add 1,500 to the price of an average new car. Tariffs would hit the price of components, which move several times between the UK and the EU. The latest independent outlook downgrades expected production this year to 1.27 million cars - a year-on-year decline of 2 per cent. While total manufacturing outputs fell, the UK's renowned specialist car sector bucked the trend with growing demand for some of the world's most iconic and desirable brands boosting outputs by 16.2 per cent in the year. Other good news was the rise in production of alternatively fuelled cars, jumping by 34.7 per cent to 192,304 units, as global appetite for the UK's electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid offering continues to rise. Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has cut short his public search for a 'life partner' to accompany him to the moon on the SpaceX Starship rocket. In a series of tweets on Thursday, Maezawa said that he had pulled out of the matchmaking documentary he planned to make with Japanese video streaming site AbemaTV. "Despite my genuine and honest determination toward the show, there was a part of me that still had mixed feelings about my participation," he said on Twitter. He said to the 27,722 women that had so far entered the contest "with earnest intentions and courage" using their "precious time" to apply, that he felt "extremely remorseful(to) inform everyone of this selfish decision of mine." The billionaire also apologized to the staff at AbemaTV who were involved in production of the documentary, adding that he was "truly sorry from the bottom of my heart." Tweet 1 The founder of Japan's largest fashion retail website, Zozotown, launched his search for a partner earlier this month, tweeting a link to a website where women aged 20 or over could enter. The "serious matchmaking documentary" was to be named "Full Moon Lovers" and Maezawa was due to make his final selection on a partner at the end of March. The retail mogul planned for the chosen applicant to accompany him on the SpaceX rocket voyage around the moon in 2023, having been chosen back in 2018 by CEO Elon Musk to be its first civilian passenger. Maezawa did not say whether this changed his plans to travel to space at all. The billionaire also launched a competition on January 1, giving away 1 billion Japanese yen ($9.1 million) to 1,000 people who followed him and retweeted his message on Twitter, closing on January 7. This was second time Maezawa had conducted a giveaway over Twitter. People were able to check if they were winners by inputting their name into separate website and received a direct message from Maezawa on Twitter. Soon after this he launched another smaller giveaway offering an extra 1 million Japanese yen to another 20 people. Winners of this competition are due to be announced on Friday 31 January via a live broadcast. From left, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.), left, former Vice President Joe Biden, second from left, and former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, right, listen as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) makes a point during the Democratic presidential primary debate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020. Read more This week, several Democratic front-runners confronted questions about their free college proposals, exposing a rift among the major candidates. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the former professor, was asked by a man if he would be reimbursed under her plan for the student loans hed already paid off. Warrens plan, like Sen. Bernie Sanders, seeks to cancel all student debt but not, by her own admittance, that which has already been paid back. Meanwhile, Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of a college town, was heckled by a group of protestors for being insufficiently generous with his proposal, which has an income ceiling in the six figures for families to qualify for free public higher education. (The free will remain in quotes in my writing, by the way, because nothing in this world is free, and everything the government does is paid for by all of us.) Buttigieg is right, and Sanders and Warren are wrong, that subsidizing college for every American family is a fundamentally elitist policy that would disproportionately help richer families. It would also drive up costs, as the last decades of massive government subsidy continue to feed the explosive growth of college administrators, of whom half a million have been added across campuses in the last three decades. Sanders and Warren have justified their proposals by arguing that college is a necessity for all students. Ms. Warren said higher education was a basic good, reports the New York Times. No, it is not that is why it is called higher education. It is the next level above K-12 education, which is indeed a public good provided by the state. Which brings to the foray a glaring problem not being acknowledged among Democratic candidates: For many students, K-12 education in America just isnt that good. According to a 2017 Hechinger Report investigation, some half a million students across the nation are graduating from high school, which used to be their entry into the world, and are immediately funneled into remedial classes by institutions of higher education because they are not prepared for college curricula. The report classifies these students as a financial drain on not only students, but also colleges and taxpayers. This a tremendous indictment of the current state of public K-12 education in America. As Ive written in these pages before, the same Democrats now proposing to massively subsidize college are loath to acknowledge our education systems existing failures, since their party is a vassal to public-sector unions that oppose injecting options into our schools by way of school choice. READ MORE: On school choice, Democrats are the hypocrites | Albert Eisenberg Another element missing in the debates over free college and forgiven student debt are the notions of value and hard work rather than cost and subsidy. There is an obvious principle, best encapsulated by psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl in his book Mans Search for Meaning, that the greatest human accomplishment comes from striving, overcoming, and sacrificing toward a goal. It is this striving that gives higher education its value, and which politicians like Warren and Sanders are now undercutting in order to make things easy. College is a luxury, not just due to the expense, but due to the opportunity cost of developing your mind instead of jumping into the workforce. It is not a necessity; it is a privilege, and youre supposed to take it seriously. And there are alternatives. High school graduates can work or go to trade schools like Williamson College of the Trades in Media, where they can graduate debt-free with a great paying job. Our nation needs to wake up and relearn the value of such work. We have, frankly, too many commentators and not enough welders. READ MORE: Where the back row kids go: How college-for-all idealism fails middle-class kids | Opinion What voters should demand is a high school system that readily prepares students of all backgrounds for the world ahead, a trimming back of the state subsidies that enrich administrators and school endowments and impoverish everybody else, and a reframing of valuable work to include the trades. And if you wont accept the words of this lowly writer, take to heart those of the great English revolutionary and adopted son of Philadelphia, Thomas Paine: That which we obtain too easily, we esteem too lightly. It is dearness only which gives everything its value. Making things easy doesnt make them intrinsically rewarding; precisely the opposite is true. Higher education should remain a value, and for that, people will continue to have to pay. Albert Eisenberg is a Philadelphia-based political consultant. He formerly served as the communications director for the Philadelphia Republican Party and is a founder of Broad + Liberty. He writes regularly for The Inquirer on issues from the right. Despite clear evidence of impeachable offenses in Ukraine, it looks like President Donald Trump will be acquitted by Republicans in the U.S. Senate. But former Vice President Joe Biden's presidential campaign is struggling, due -- in part -- to messy revelations about his son's position with a Ukrainian gas company. Newscity Navajo Nation Votes to Limit Protections Navajo Nation lawmakers have voted to support a buffer around Chaco Culture National Historical Park that's only half the size of what is currently outlined in pending federal legislation, confounding environmentalists and other tribes who are attempting to protect the sacred site from encroaching gas and oil companies. The Associated Press reports that Navajo Nation delegates approved the new measure last week, citing concerns that landowners in the area could lose money from leases and mineral rights if the protected area is too large. They voted for a 5-mile buffer around the site. But a piece of federal legislation currently being considered proposes placing a 10-mile buffer around Chaco Canyon. New Mexicos congressional delegation say they worked with Navajo leaders and members of the All Pueblo Council of Governors to write the legislation, which has been supported by the Pueblos and even Navajo President Jonathan Nez. Nez told reporters that the measure could affect the future of the bills as they move through Congress. Environmental advocates say allowing oil and gas companies to drill near Chaco Culture National Historical Parkdesignated a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organizationcould cause irreparable damage to the site. The latest Samsung patent shows a Galaxy smartphone with a round notch and three displays. Samsung patents smartphone with square main display, two round sub-displays Two round sub-displays, or round screens, are at the top and bottom of the main display. A square display sits in the middle, called the main display. The main display is the largest of the three. Essentially, the display is squircular, a combination of square and circular. While the top and bottom are squircular, a standard square display sits in the middle. As is the case with all smartphones, the main display and top and bottom sub-displays are all touch-based. Icons align the top of the device and can live on the bottom sub-display as well. The round sub-displays are not just a pretty aesthetic. Users will be able to circle through icons as well. Icons travel from app page to app page so that users need not return to the home page to locate them. The round display and the circling through apps bring software and hardware together in an ideal way. Many Android OEMs focus on hardware design, but few focus on how software and hardware work together and reinforce each other. Advertisement Samsung creates Galaxy smartphone with round notch, tackles notch design problem In patenting this new futuristic smartphone, the Android OEM creates the round notch, a new perspective on notch design. Most Android OEMs concern themselves with either the typical bar notch or the waterdrop notch. The waterdrop notch is a unique notch shape and take, but it doesnt leave room for much except the selfie camera atop the phone. A bar notch isnt necessarily bad, but it demands too much space and often sticks out like an eyesore (cue Samsungs Galaxy Fold with its awkward bar notch at the top right of the tablet display). The round notch is a new notch shape that, in this case, would fit the circling through of apps (software). Hardware and software combine to create an experience that is not only intuitive but eliminates the typical notch eyesore designs. Since the camera would fit in the round notch, it wouldnt stick out like the current notch designs of most Android OEMs. Between the round notch and the circling through apps, users would come to expect a circular top and bottom display and would hardly notice the notch. In the patent, one can see the round notch is thinner than the typical notch designs. And the round notch leaves room to store more cameras and sensors than the waterdrop notch. Advertisement Round Notch: Samsung continues to rethink the notch From Samsung patents over the last several months, its obvious that Androids largest OEM is thinking about the notch constantly. And theres good reason for that. With notches being a necessary hardware evil for a greater (mobile) good, their integration into smartphone design is essential for the future of the smartphone market. Samsung has thought about the notch a bit. The notch on the Galaxy Fold is an eyesore. And yet, Samsung has other notch designs apart from the bar notch of the Fold. The company labels its notch designs Infinity-O, Infinity-U, and Infinity-V. The Infinity-O design refers to the punch-hole camera, bearing an O shape, at the top of the phone screen. The Infinity-U design is a notch bearing a U shape. Infinity-U design comes on the Galaxy A30, A50, and A70. The Infinity-V design is a notch with a V shape to it. The Infinity-V design comes on the Galaxy A10, M20, and A20s. These notch cutouts show Samsungs desire to make the notch part of a gorgeous phone aesthetic, rather than tolerate a hideous notch for tolerances sake. Advertisement Some will look back and say that Samsung invests too much time into the notch, but, if practice makes perfect, rethinking the notch is the only way to redesign the notch. The notch may never be perfect, but Samsungs newest round notch is as close as it has come so far. Global Experience Agency Isobar has launched 'Isobar Good', a purpose-led initiative that uses Isobar's skills, expertise, and methodology to drive measurable social impact for brands, businesses, and not-for-profit organisations (NFPs). The initiative will be lead by Kara Prosser, Global Director, Isobar Good, who will be based in London to drive business growth and support the roll out of Isobar Good. Isobar Good's ambition is to achieve the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by working with businesses and brands to drive change. The initiative is in response to a demand for more purposeful work from consumers and clients. The outcomes of Isobar Good projects will align with Isobar's existing Marketing, Experience Commerce and Products Services offerings and will be supported by design methodologies and measurement frameworks specific to achieving social impact. It uses skills and capabilities from across Isobar's 85 locations in 45 markets. Isobar Global CEO, Jean Lin said, "The potential of technology combined with creativity to address society's greatest challenges is huge but we need to make the commitment to make tangible change happen. As an industry, we are the designers, creators and architects of digital experiences and through using our skills we have the opportunity to make a difference for society." The UN SDGs highlight global challenges we face as a society and lay out key targets to be achieved by 2030, across 17 areas that will transform our world, and all Isobar Good projects will align with one of the targets. The SDGs provide the blueprint for Isobar to achieve a better and more sustainable future through Isobar Good. Isobar Good has an accompanying methodology and working principles to get to the root cause of the problem and drive change. This way of working is suited to complex challenges, vulnerable communities and multiple stakeholders. It educates and builds capability, ensures world class ethics and principles, and provides a resilience framework. Isobar Good will roll out to Isobar's offices with initial mobilisations in Denmark, Belgium and India and more to follow in 2020. Isobar Australia was the test-bed for the initiative with Isobar Good growing organically over the past 3 years with corporate and NFP clients, doubling revenue in the past 2 years. The team in Australia has already delivered transformative pieces of work with Monash Health, The Australian Red Cross Blood Bank, The Climate Reality Project, Tourism Tropical North Queensland, Camp Quality, and The Good Samaritan Inn. Examples of transformation include; creating a program to help chronically ill teenagers transition from peadiatric care to adult care, designing the experience for a plasma donor centre and transforming the way Australians access child care benefits to get more women back into the workforce. The team also launched a chatbot to educate tourists about the world's largest coral reef, improved the experience of women and children fleeing violence at a family violence shelter, launched 'The New Normal' an app that helps families navigate their new normal after cancer treatment and changed the way people learn about indigenous culture through an immersive 360 VR experience called 'Carriberre'. Kara Prosser, Global Director of Isobar Good said, "Social Impact is an urgent need for the c-suite: consumer expectations around transparency have thrown the spotlight on where businesses can contribute to making change happen." END About Isobar: We are a global digital agency transforming businesses and brands through the creative use of digital. Our 6,500 digital experts in 85 locations across 45 markets in Americas, EMEA and APAC deliver experience-led transformation, powered by creativity through our end to end service offering. Isobar's clients include Adidas, Coca-Cola, Enterprise, KFC, Mead Johnson, Nestle and Philips, and is part of Dentsu Aegis Network, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dentsu Inc. www.isobar.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005030/en/ Contacts: Hannah Ainsworth Hannah.ainsworth@isobar.com +44 7824 142 788 An Ethiopian Orthodox priest is raising funds to build both a church and a mosque in a town in East Hararge area of Oromia region, Ethiopia. The priest noticed the town's church and mosque were in dilapidated conditions and the congregants lacked funds to renovate them. READ ALSO: DPP Nordin Haji to challenge Babu Owino's bail terms The Ethiopian priest is raising funds to build both a church and mosque. Photo: BBC. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Machakos: Jamaa amuua mama, mpwa wake kufuatia mzozo wa mayai According to the BBC, Abba Aklilemariyam Komos decided to build both worship centres to accommodate everyone in the locality since according to him, building one of them would disappoint God. "If I only raise funds for the construction of my church while my Muslim brothers' mosque is in the same situation, I shall disappoint God. Our faith is different, but not our love," he told BBC. READ ALSO: Ship that mysteriously vanished 100 years ago with 32 people aboard found The new church and mosque currently under construction.(From left). Photo: BBC. Source: UGC He started soliciting the funds in 2015 after a visit to Lange where he noted the pitiable state of the church. He later decided to include a new mosque in his endeavour. The cleric reached out to The Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council to support him in his plan. I started collecting the money in October 2018 first going to the Nur mosque in Addis Ababa. In less than two months we collected more than KSh 624,000," he said. 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 wanted to kill my children - Jackie Ruguru | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Fayaz Wani By Express News Service SRI NAGAR: After a picture of detained former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference working president, Omar Abdullah sporting a long white beard went viral on social media, his party claimed that the growing beard is a mark of protest. I will not call it (Omars picture) demoralising for the party. However, it depicts a sad moment for J&K and the country that a former chief minister and Union minister is kept in such kind of detention for no fault of his, NC spokesman Imran Nabi Dar said. The picture of Omar, sporting a long white beard, went viral on Twitter last week with netizens criticising his detention. Omar along with his father and three-time former chief minister Farooq Abdullah and other top mainstream leaders are in detention since August 5. Omar, 49, is presently undergoing solitary confinement at the government quarters at Hari Niwas Palace in Srinagar. Refusing to compare Omars picture with former Iraqi president Saddam Hussain after his capture by US forces, Imran said, Omar is smiling in the picture. "His spirits are high in detention and this can be made out from the picture itself." The World Health Organization declared a global health emergency on Thursday as the coronavirus outbreak spread well beyond China, where it emerged last month. The move reversed the organizations decision just a week ago to hold off such a declaration. Since then, there have been thousands of new cases in China and clear evidence of human-to-human transmission in several other countries, including the United States. All of which warranted a reconsideration by the W.H.O.s emergency committee, officials said. The declaration is not a vote of no confidence in China, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the W.H.O.s director-general. On the contrary, the W.H.O. continues to have confidence in Chinas capacity to control the outbreak. The declaration comes now, he said, because of fears that the coronavirus may reach countries with weak health care systems, where it could run amok, potentially infecting millions of people and killing thousands. Sonora, CA Unless changes occur over the coming months, California Governor Gavin Newsom says the state may try to take over PG&E. Speaking at an event in Sacramento yesterday, the Associated Press reports that Newsom argued, PG&E, that company no longer exists. Theres going to be a new company, or the state of California takes it over, and that new company is going to be transformed. Newsom has asked PG&E to replace its entire 14-member board of directors, along with company CEO Bill Johnson. Newsom also wants the utility to make around $50-billion worth of improvements to its electrical grid. Meanwhile, an attorney for PG&E told a federal judge yesterday in San Francisco that the company vows to emerge from bankruptcy ahead of an upcoming June deadline. ~ MP Frans Richardson lost voting rights for 5 years, Mingo unable to work for Government-owned companies.~ PHILIPSBURG:--- Lawyers representing Member of Parliament Frans Richardson, Mark Mingo, and Oneal Arrindell all heard via teleconference on Wednesday that their clients were all convicted all charges brought against them in the Emerald Investigation which involves fraud at the Port of St. Maarten. Member of Parliament Frans Richardson was sentenced to 36 months imprisonment while he has lost his voting rights for a period of five years. The court found that Richardson accepted $370,000.00 in bribes from the dredging project conducted by Devcon. The Attorney representing MP Richardson immediately filed an appeal after the verdict was pronounced. Chief Executive Officer Mark Mingo was also found guilty, he was found guilty of forgery and scamming the Port of St. Maarten in excess of $10M. Mingo was sentenced to 46 months imprisonment while not allowed to work for any government-owned company for a period of six years. Attorney at Law Geert Hatzmann also filed an appeal on behalf of his client. Businessman Oniel Arrinedellwas found guilty of bribing MP Richardson, tax fraud, firearm possession. He was sentenced to 66 months imprisonment. Attorney at Law Brenda Brooks also filed an appeal against the decision of the court on behalf of her client. The court denied the prosecutions request to immediately incarcerate the three suspects that were all convicted by the court. Prison sentences in Emerald II Philipsburg - The Court of First Instance of Sint Maarten sentenced Wednesday, January 29, 2020, the former CEO of the Port Authority Sint Maarten to 46 months imprisonment for forgery of documents and scams of the Port Authority for approximately 10 million dollars. He is also forbidden to work as a director of a public company for a period of six years. His co-perpetrator, a Saint Martin businessman who was also guilty of firearm possession, tax fraud and bribing a Member of Parliament, was sentenced to 66 months in prison. The MP was sentenced to 36 months' imprisonment for accepting $ 370,000 as a reward for political support for a dredging project and for tax fraud. In addition, he was relieved of passive electoral rights for a period of 5 years. The Court of First Instance considers the proven facts to be very harmful to the confidence that the people of Sint Maarten must be able to place in people in important positions, such as politicians and administrators of government companies. The actions of the suspects, on whom others depend and who is looked up to, therefore also have an undermining influence on society. Medics rushing to China's Wuhan to help fight virus Iran Press TV Wednesday, 29 January 2020 7:15 AM Medical teams from across China are going to the city of Wuhan, where a deadly virus has originated, to help treat the increasing number of patients, as the disease spreads across the country and the rest of the world. Medical teams, comprising hundreds of medical workers, are being dispatched to Wuhan to fight the coronavirus epidemic at its source. "All of us volunteered to go for the fight, as epidemic control is an order," said Gong Mei, a chief physician of the Critical Care Medicine Department of the Inner Mongolia People's Hospital. "In particular, the severe patients need medical personnel the most, so it is incumbent upon us to do so." Two hospitals with special respiratory wards are also being built in Wuhan at a highly accelerated pace. On Wednesday, 25 new deaths were reported in Hubei Province, of which Wuhan is the provincial capital, bringing the total death toll from the disease to 132. Confirmed infection cases across China also reached 5,974 in 31 provincial-level regions by the end of Tuesday, health authorities said Wednesday. Among the patients, 1,239 are currently in critical condition. The virus has prompted the Chinese government to impose partial or full lock-downs on Chinese cities, affecting millions of people. The restrictions are taking place during the Lunar New Year holidays, the most important in China, which began on Saturday. Hong Kong closes borders to mainland The Chinese territory of Hong Kong has imposed severe restrictions on travel to the mainland to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The government said on Tuesday that it would "temporarily" close some of its borders with China and stop issuing travel permits to Chinese tourists. Hong Kong also suspended services for the high-speed rail that connects the city with the mainland, as well as trains to Guangzhou, Shanghai, and the capital, Beijing. Eight people have so far been diagnosed with the infection in Hong Kong. Cases have also been detected beyond China's borders, including at least five in the United States and five in Australia. Foreign governments are working to evacuate their citizens from China. Australian Prime Minster Scott Morrison said that his government would be "evacuating all Australians out of Hubei Province," which hosts more than 600 Australian citizens. Those who are returned from China will be quarantined in the remote Christmas Island immigration detention center for up to 14 days, Morrison said. The remote Pacific island, known for its notorious detention facilities, has been housing asylum seeker, who arrived on Australian shores by boat. UAE confirms first case The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday became the first Persian Gulf country to have reported a case. It confirmed a first case of the viral disease on Wednesday after a family tested positive for the coronavirus on arrival from Wuhan, according to the Health Ministry. It was not immediately clear how many people had been infected, but the ministry said the patients were in stable condition and under medical observation. Iran issues instructions for citizens in China Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi said on Tuesday that necessary recommendations had been issued for Iranians in China. Mousavi said committees had been established in the Iranian Embassy in Beijing and Iran's Consulate in Shanghai to provide assistance to the Iranian nationals. He said that the embassy in Beijing was in contact with Iranian students in Wuhan, providing them with food and other necessary supplies, as the city with the population of 11 million people is facing shortages of medical supplies. Russia, China developing vaccine A Russian diplomatic mission in China said on Wednesday that Russian and Chinese scientists had begun developing a vaccine for the disease. The Russian consulate in Guangzhou City said the Chinese side had handed over the virus genome to Russia, which had allowed scientists "to rapidly develop express-tests that make it possible to identify the virus in the human body within two hours." It was not clear if scientists from both countries were working together or separately. Russia, which has not had any confirmed cases of the infection, has been in talks with Beijing about evacuating its nationals from Wuhan and Hubei Province. Russian authorities have closed some land border crossings to China in the Russian Far East. Epidemic disrupting car industry The virus outbreak has also started disrupting the global car industry, as many major companies with operations in China restricted travel and asked their employees to stay home. Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp's production plants in China announced they will stay closed for the next ten days. "Given the various factors including the guidelines by the local and region governments, we have decided to halt operations in our plants in China until February 9," Maki Niimi, a spokesman for the company, said. British Airways halts flights to Beijing British Airways said it had suspended booking on direct flights to Beijing and Shanghai due to the outbreak. "The situation regarding the new coronavirus in China is constantly developing and tonight the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office position has changed, advising against all but essential travel to China," the airline said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address London and Brussels are two hours apart by train but on Friday, the day the U.K. officially leaves the European Union, the two cities will feel worlds apart. The Brits are planning a Brexit celebration worthy of a downtrodden colony freed from the shackles of imperialist rule. A new coin has been minted for the occasion, trumpeting peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations. There will be a light show to mark the U.K. regaining its independence. Never mind that the country didnt adopt the euro, wasnt part of the border-free Schengen Area, and, according to its own citizenship test, was last invaded in 1066. The slogan of take back control has stuck. The officials and diplomats steering the 27-member EU see things a little differently. There will be no coin, or light show, but plenty of funereal sobriety. This is the first-ever departure of a big member state, and its a palpable loss: Britain will take with it 14% of the EUs gross domestic product, 40% of its military power and 13% of its population. Brexit is a tragic geopolitical disaster, according to Dutch Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra. Its a lose-lose, according to Michel Barnier, the EUs chief negotiator of the divorce papers. Both the cheers and the tears seem extreme at first glance, considering how little will change on the ground on Friday. The transition agreement struck as part of Brexit means that, for the next 11 months, the U.K. will be treated as if it were still part of the EU (though Britains official presence in Brussels will recede). Free movement of goods, capital and labor will continue as before. Talks on a new free trade agreement will likely be tough, but the reality of geography and the intertwined nature of the U.K. and EU economies means there will be an incentive to keep a close relationship. And while the Brexiteers champion Global Britain as a free-market counterweight to a protectionist EU, we have yet to see a real divide on trade and geopolitics. On cyber-security risks from China, both the U.K. and the EU have resisted pressure from Donald Trump to ban Huawei Technologies Co. from their fifth-generation mobile networks, while also refusing to give Beijings market power a free pass. When it comes to taxing technology companies like Facebook Inc. or Amazon.com Inc., the U.K. has found itself on the same side of the argument as France and Italy, proposing a national levy on digital services that has enraged Trump. And on Iran, the U.K. has broadly stood by France and Germany on the nuclear deal. This entente wont last long, however. Both the U.K. and the EU are trying to carve out a place for themselves on a world stage thats dominated by the U.S. and China. The Brits aspire to retreat from the worlds biggest single market in favor of a soft-power, light-touch island economy experts have imagined Singapore-on-Thames, the Canada of Europe, or Belgium with nukes. The EU is going in the opposite direction, one that brings to mind its history during the Cold War. When the U.K. joined the EUs precursor organization in 1973, along with Ireland and Denmark, continental powers like France saw it as a trade-off: Europe would mechanically become more Atlantic and more economically liberal, but it would also grow in stature and find its own voice as a world power between the U.S. and the USSR. Today, as the U.K. leaves, the trade-off has been reversed: The EU is mulling a less Atlantic, less liberal, but more integrated bloc that would respond to citizens concerns and counterbalance the likes of Trump and China. Brexit is therefore likely to be seen as an opportunity for closer EU integration, seen as key to achieving both geopolitical and technological sovereignty. A more concentrated bloc is precisely what the Brits fought hard to prevent: Closer euro-zone integration, for example, was one catalyst behind the U.K.s departure. While the Germans will mourn the departure of a pro-market, economically liberal voice, the naturally dirigiste French can barely contain their glee. The British have been a permanent pain in the backside since 1973, former French minister Alain Lamassoure told Le Monde. Brexit lifts a handbrake on Europe. The next 11 months will be a crucial fight between these competing aspirations. The EU will seek to bind the U.K. close to its regulatory orbit to avoid it becoming a bridge-head for U.S. influence; the U.K., meanwhile, will be tempted to strike closer ties with the U.S. to offset the loss of frictionless trade with its large neighbor. So far, there is more convergence than divergence between the two sides. But Washington and Beijing arent sitting still. The mood could get ugly soon. Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics USA Europe China France An adult pair of Eurasian beavers have been released on a National Trust estate on Exmoor. The male and female were released on the Holnicote Estate in Somerset in order to help with flood management and improve biodiversity, the charity claims. Beavers became extinct on mainland Britain in the 16th century due to hunting and are now present in only a handful of sites across the country. Various reintroduction programmes are in place but this is the first pair to be released by the National Trust. Scroll down for video An adult pair of Eurasian beavers have been released on a National Trust estate on Exmoor. The male and female were released on the Holnicote Estate in Somerset (file photo) The beavers released in Somerset have been relocated from wild populations on the River Tay catchment in Scotland, under licence from Scottish Natural Heritage (file photo) The beavers released in Somerset have been relocated from wild populations on the River Tay catchment in Scotland, under licence from Scottish Natural Heritage. They were let into a 2.7 hectare fenced area of unmanaged woodland on the estate in the first release by the National Trust. Ben Eardley, project manager for the National Trust at Holnicote, said: 'As ecosystem engineers the beavers will develop wetland habitat, increasing the variety and richness of wildlife in the local landscape. 'Their presence in our river catchments is a sustainable way to help make our landscape more resilient to climate change and the extremes of weather it will bring. 'The dams the beavers create will slow the flow, holding water in dry periods which will reduce the impact of drought. They will help to lessen flash-flooding downstream, reducing erosion and improving water quality by holding silt and pollutants. 'Although we are introducing a species that used to live here in the wild, this project is all about developing our landscapes of the future, helping us respond to the challenges the landscape and communities now face.' The National Trust announced in November 2019 its plans to begin releasing beavers. Once settled in the estate, the beavers will build a lodge or burrow and begin to modify the enclosure to suit their needs. The National Trust says the releases will be carefully monitored by staff and volunteers, with help from Exeter University and others to document changes to the habitat. The National Trust announced in November 2019 its plans to begin releasing beavers. Once settled in the estate, the beavers will build a lodge or burrow and begin to modify the enclosure to suit their needs The beavers were let into a 2.7 hectare fenced area of unmanaged woodland on the estate in the first release by the National Trust (file photo) Beavers are found throughout the UK. The animals live as far north as Bamff, Scotland and as south as Nankilly Water in Cornwall BEAVERS: 'FRIENDS' OR 'FOES'? There is some contention as to whether Beavers should indeed be released into the wild. The points on either side of the argument include the following: FOR REINTRODUCTION The UK's wetland fauna and flora evolved alongside beavers. They reduce siltation, which can pollute waterways with silt and clay. Their dam-like habitats help to reduce downstream flooding after heavy rain. Beavers make ponds, which are needed by two-thirds of UK wildlife. The public is in favour of restoring the animals to the wild. AGAINST REINTRODUCTION UK rivers have changed dramatically since beavers went extinct. British waterways are in poor health, potentially putting beavers at risk. Beavers can spread a foreign tapeworm to both humans and dogs. They can damage both infrastructure and local forests. Dams can sometimes exacerbate, rather than prevent, flooding. Advertisement Mark Harold, director of land and nature at the conservation charity, said: 'We need to work with natural processes in the right places. 'This is a different way of managing sites for wildlife - a new approach, using a native animal as a tool. 'The development of a more natural river system; the slowing, filtering and storing of water, can develop a complex mosaic of habitats which are not only good for nature, but for people too.' The beavers were trapped under licence from Scottish Natural Heritage by consultant ecologist Dr Roisin Campbell-Palmer and were health-screened and quarantined by Five Sisters Zoo in West Lothian. They have been examined by wildlife vets and specialists and met all screening requirements, according to Defra standards and Natural England licence conditions. The only way of legally releasing beavers in England is into an enclosure licensed by Natural England. Ben Ross, beaver project manager at Scottish Natural Heritage, said: 'Beavers can have hugely positive impacts on nature and people, creating habitats such as ponds and wetlands where other species thrive, as well as moderating water flows and improving water quality. 'We wish the project every success and look forward to supporting similar projects elsewhere to realise the many benefits that beavers can provide.' A Council Bluffs man was injured in a crash Tuesday in Omaha. A 2016 Hyundai Elantra driven by Cody S. Malik, 31, was southbound on Highway 75 shortly before 8 p.m. and was exiting to the North 30th Street off-ramp when it left the roadway, entering a grass median, according to a press release from the Omaha Police Department. The vehicle went down an embankment and vaulted twice before coming to rest on the I-480 West exit ramp to North 30th Street. Malik, who was not wearing a safety belt, suffered broken ribs and was transported to Nebraska Medicine by Omaha Fire Medics. There were no other occupants in the vehicle. Charges are pending, including drunk driving. The North 30th Street exits from both Highway 75 and I-480 were closed for about 2 hours with assistance from the Nebraska State Patrol. 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. NICOSIA, CYPRUS / ACCESSWIRE / January 30, 2020 / Atalaya Mining Plc. (AIM:ATYM)(TSX:AYM), the European mining and development company, is pleased to provide a positive update relating to the environmental permits at Proyecto Riotinto. The Junta de Andalucia ("JdA") has issued a favorable report in relation to the Unified Environmental Authorization (the "AAU") of Proyecto Riotinto. The AAU is now on a short legal consultation period exclusively with parties involved in the process. After this process is completed, the JdA is expected to issue the validated AAU. This process will finally resolve all the administrative issues identified in the ruling of the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Andalucia ("TSJA") on 19 September 2018 regarding the AAU. The validation of the AAU is a required step towards the automatic re-validation of the mining permit for Proyecto Riotinto. The Company continues to operate the mine normally and will update the market on any development in due course. This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) no 596/2014. Contacts: Newgate Communications Elisabeth Cowell / Adam Lloyd / Tom Carnegie + 44 20 3757 6880 4C Communications Carina Corbett +44 20 3170 7973 Canaccord Genuity (NOMAD and Joint Broker) Henry Fitzgerald-O'Connor / James Asensio +44 20 7523 8000 BMO Capital Markets (Joint Broker) Tom Rider / Michael Rechsteiner / Neil Elliot +44 20 7236 1010 Peel Hunt LLP (Joint Broker) Ross Allister / David McKeown +44 20 7418 8900 About Atalaya Mining Plc Atalaya is an AIM and TSX-listed mining and development group which produces copper concentrates and silver by-product at its wholly owned Proyecto Riotinto site in southwest Spain. In addition, the Group has a phased, earn-in agreement for up to 80% ownership of Proyecto Touro, a brownfield copper project in the northwest of Spain which is currently in the permitting stage. For further information, visit www.atalayamining.com. This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com. SOURCE: Atalaya Mining PLC View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/574599/Atalaya-Mining-PLC-Announces-Positive-Legal-Update-on-Proyecto-Riotinto Taking a strong stand on politicians making inflammatory and controversial statements during the Delhi Assembly election 2020 campaign, the Election Commission of India on Thursday (January 30, 2020) banned and gagged two Bharatiya Janata Party MPs including a union minister. While Anurag Thakur, the BJP Lok Sabha MP from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh and Union Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs, has been banned from campaigning in Delhi election for three days, the party's MP from West Delhi Lok Sabha constituency Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma has been gagged for four days for making controversial remarks. In a statement issued by the poll commission body, it condemned the impugned statements made by the minister and under Article 324 of the Constitution of India barred Thakur from holding any public meetings, public processions, public rallies, roadshows and interviews, public utterances in media (electronic, print, social media). The EC also dismissed Thakur's request for an opportunity of a personal hearing in the matter. The Election Commission had on Wednesday ordered the BJP to remove Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Sahib Singh Varma from the party's list of star campaigners for Delhi poll with immediate effect. Anurag Thakur had been issued a show-cause notice by the EC on Tuesday (January 28, 2020) for his Desh Ke Gaddaro.. chant during an election rally in Delhi and he had time till 12 pm on January 30, 2020, to submit his reply to the poll panel. Live TV Parvesh Verma, too, was issued a notice by the EC on Wednesday (January 29, 2020) for his statement that people protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh would be cleared in an hour if the BJP comes to power in the national capital. He also laced his comments with a sensational remark, "They will enter your houses, rape your sisters and daughters". Verma further said, "It is an election to decide the unity of a nation. If the BJP comes to power on February 11, you will not find a single protester within an hour. And within a month, we will not spare a single mosque built on government land." In a separate statement, the poll commission noted that Verma's comments had the potential to aggravate existing differences and create mutual hatred between religious communities and was in violation of the Model Code of Conduct. His request for an opportunity of a personal hearing in the matter was dismissed by the EC. Delhi Assembly election is on February 8, 2020, while the counting of votes and results will come on February 11. The Giants are one of several teams showing interest in outfielder Hunter Pence, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). Other pursuers have yet to be named. Its not surprising to hear the Giants connected to an outfielder, given the news yesterday that the club is looking to add there. But Pence represents quite an interesting target for the rebuilding Giants. When last he plied his trade in San Francisco, Pence looked to be ramping down. He was highly productive for the organization after his mid-2012 acquisition, but turned in successive duds (87 wRC+ in 2017; 60 wRC+ in 2018) in his final two seasons. Pence flipped that script with a 2019 revival. Over 316 plate appearances with the Rangers, he knocked 18 long balls and turned in a .297/.358/.552 batting line good for a healthy 128 wRC+. Pence generated personal bests in hard contact (42.6%) and exit velocity (91.4 mph) while approximately doubling his average launch angle (10.1 degrees) over his prior output. True, Pence was limited mostly to DH work last year and hasnt graded terribly well in the field of late. But hes still got quite a lot of spring in his legs. Statcast numbers show that Pence ranked in the 84.7th percentile in average sprint speed last year. No doubt the Giants would view Pence as a part-time option whod help bring along and supplement younger players. The presence of the beloved Pence, along with the just-re-signed Pablo Sandoval, would also go a long way towards comforting some segments of the fanbase that are less than enthused with the degree of recent roster turnover. Pfizer, AmeriHealth Caritas Officials Talk Health at NNPA Conference Health particularly that of African Americans was a significant topic during the National Newspaper Publishers Associations (NNPA) annual Midwinter Training Conference in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. In separate sessions on Friday, January 24, 2020, officials from Pfizer Rare Disease and AmeriHealth Caritas spoke of the importance of being vigilant about health. I want to shift gears and talk about transthyretin cardiomyopathy, stated Dr. Kevin Williams, the chief medical officer for Pfizer Rare Disease. ADVERTISEMENT Dr. Williams addressed the conference during a Pfizer-hosted breakfast presentation titled, African Americans and Heart Disease New Research Breakthrough: Announcing 2020 Partnership between Pfizer and NNPA. Transthyretin cardiomyopathy is a disease characterized by the buildup of abnormal deposits of a protein called amyloid in the bodys organs and tissues, Dr. Williams stated. Most people are unfamiliar with the disease itself, which often impacts the peripheral nervous system and organs such as the heart, kidney, GI tract, and eyes. Dr. Williams stated that the disease primarily affects the heart and is defined by restrictive cardiomyopathy and progressive heart failure. The prevalence of transthyretin cardiomyopathy is presently unknown, with many patients being misdiagnosed with other forms of heart failure, Dr. Williams noted. An estimated 1 percent of those with transthyretin cardiomyopathy is diagnosed, and there are no approved treatment options, Dr. Williams stated. Education is vital to increase awareness and understanding of transthyretin cardiomyopathy, which may potentially help to identify people with the disease earlier, thereby shortening their diagnostic journey, Dr. Williams stated. Its critical that we do more as a community to elevate the understanding of this disease and progress forward in improving the diagnosis and care of those affected. Part of how we can do this is by digging deeper and asking the right questions, he stated. ADVERTISEMENT Dr. Williams noted that Pfizer Rare Disease is working closely with health care professionals and advocacy organizations to help make a difference in the lives of people living with rare diseases, such as transthyretin cardiomyopathy. Dr. Williams said Pfizers partnership with the NNPA in 2020 will focus on this illness. We want to really raise awareness for this particular form of heart failure, Dr. Williams stated. At a later session titled Future of Medicaid and Medicare: Healthy You, Healthy Us What is Managed Care and How Does It Advance Health Equity, AmeriHealth Caritas officials said it was important to gain a greater understanding of the different ways managed care organizations address key social disparities. They said many of those disparities disproportionately affect African Americans and other people of color. So many things affect our health, including violence and environmental racism, stated Jawanza Keita, the national director of corporate communications and media relations for AmeriHealth Caritas. Keita gave the example of the city of Chester, Pennsylvania, which is predominately African American and is situated near the Delaware River, where pollution is rampant. We look at the environmental issues and how that impacts our well-being, Keita stated. So much of your health is not tied to clinical care, and we have to be cognizant of what we ingest. Health literacy, food insecurity, and transportation to medical facilities, for example, are markedly more prevalent among the same high-risk member population than all others, stated Keith Maccannon, the director of marketing and outreach for AmeriHealth Caritas in D.C. When compared to all other members, 34 percent of high-risk members reported a lack of health literacy; 23 percent experienced food insecurity; and 23 percent lacked transportation to medical facilities, Maccannon noted. He noted the presentation had five key takeaways, including the need to screen for social determinants of health, creating a broad array of support and services to address the social determinants while decreasing barriers to access, leveraging strategic partnerships, and the need to continuously improve and innovate. AmeriHealth Caritas values are rooted in the community, Maccannon stated. Healthy communities are key. United Nations, Jan 30 : A Chinese envoy has said that China is ready to play a constructive role in the early restoration of peace in Syria. "China stands ready to play a constructive role towards the early restoration of peace, stability and development in Syria," Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told a Security Council meeting on the political process in Syria. "China applauds the good offices of the special envoy (Geir Pedersen) and the constructive participation of the Syrian parties. We support the special envoy in stepping up the communication with the Syrian Government to listen to the government's legitimate requests," Wu said. "All countries must combat terrorism in all its forms in accordance with relevant Council resolutions and international law, and by applying one single standard. Otherwise, Syria as well as the region of West Asia and North Africa will have no peace," said Wu. "The international community should, on the one hand, move over the political process, and on the other, help improve Syria's economic and humanitarian situation," he added. "It is essential to secure the conditions of survival for the Syrian people, lift unilateral sanctions, and support post-conflict reconstruction," the envoy noted, adding that civilians are directly harmed by unilateral sanctions. "The provision of humanitarian supplies by relevant parties should not come with any political preconditions," the ambassador noted. Talking about the approach towards the political process, Wu said that the United Nations should continue to advance the Syrian political process in line with the Syrian-led and Syrian-owned principle and Council Resolution 2254, Xinhua news agency reported. "It is important to maintain the independence of the Syrian Constitutional Committee's work so as to create conditions for bridging differences and building consensus among the Syrian parties," he said. "This process should not be subject to any external interference or arbitrary timelines," said the envoy. Wu called on all parties concerned to maintain political dialogue through the constitutional committee to "deepen mutual understanding and trust." "Syria should not be divided nor fragmented," he noted. "Members of the constitutional committee should demonstrate political will, commit to the spirit of compromise, stay actively engaged in talks, and jointly safeguard Syria's sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity, given that Syria's political, security and humanitarian issues are intertwined," the envoy added. The attempts to find a solution to the Syrian conflict and bring stability to the Middle East began in late 2011, when the Arab League launched two initiatives, but without much success. The latest major effort to bring about an end to the war started in October 2019 in Geneva with the convening of the Syrian Constitutional Committee to draft a new constitution for Syria under the auspices of the United Nations. TOKYO Japanese prosecutors on Thursday issued arrest warrants for three Americans suspected of helping the former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn flee the country, where he was awaiting trial on charges of financial wrongdoing. Mr. Ghosn surprised the world, and embarrassed the Japanese authorities, when he slipped out of his home in Tokyo in late December and turned up a day later in Lebanon. Prosecutors want to arrest Michael Taylor, 59, a former Green Beret; his son, Peter Maxwell Taylor, 26; and George Antoine Zayek, 60. The warrant said they had helped Mr. Ghosn avoid immigration checks and board a private jet in Osaka that took him to Turkey on the first leg of his escape. They also issued a new warrant for the arrest of Mr. Ghosn, who illegally left the country without notifying the immigration authorities. Multiple domestic Indian airlines have announced a ban on stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra after his encounter with Arnab Goswami on an Indigo flight from Delhi to Lucknow. The No-Fly ban on Kamra was apparently imposed on the basis of several guidelines set by the aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Lets have a look at these guidelines set by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in September 2017. What is a No Fly list? According to the rules, any airline can report unruly behaviour onboard the aircraft. When the complaint is officially filed by the pilot of the airplane, the internal committee probes the incident and examines the allegations within 30 days. If found guilty, the flyer is put on the No Fly list by the airline and other airlines can choose to follow the same. The passenger can counter the decision and contest an appeal, but only after 60 days of the committees decision. Also Read: Was IndiGo within its right to suspend Kunal Kamra? What are the levels of No Fly list? There are currently three rules that classify the ban based on the offence done by the flyer. Level 1: Unruly behaviour (physical/verbal misbehaviour or harassment) can lead to a three-month ban. Level 2: For physical unruliness (Harming other passengers or crew physically in the form of kicking, punching, pushing, grabbing, or touching inappropriately), the offender can be banned for up to six months under Level 2 offence. I did this for my hero... I did it for Rohit pic.twitter.com/aMSdiTanHo Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) January 28, 2020 : For life-threatening unruliness (Causing damage to the planes operating systems, violent behaviour like choking, assault, etc.), the passenger is banned for two years under the No Fly list of guidelines. London, 27 January 2020 (SPS) - In a session of the British Parliament on International Trade, the two members of the British Labor Party, Mr. Barry Gardiner, Shadow Minister of International Trade, and Ms. Valerie Vaz, Shadow leader of the House of Commons, asked the International Trade Minister about the agreement concluded between the United Kingdom and Morocco and the issue of its inclusion of Western Sahara, which constitutes a violation of international and European law, as well as the British law itself, which previously ruled that there are no sovereign ties between Morocco and Western Sahara. In his question, Mr. Gardiner said: " In its decision issued in March 2019, the High Court of England and Wales confirmed that the territory of Western Sahara is separate from Morocco under international law. It ruled that the UK Government were acting unlawfully by failing to distinguish between the territory of Morocco and the occupied territory of Western Sahara. Yet the trade agreement between the UK and the Kingdom of Morocco purports to apply to the territory of Western Sahara, despite the total lack of consent from the Sahrawi people. Will the Secretary of State explain why that is the case? Given that the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 process to ratify the agreement is now under way, is it her intention to hold a debate to discuss why the Government are proceeding to ratify a treaty that the High Court has ruled illegal? Is there an intention to organize a debate at parliament level that justifies the intention to ratify an agreement that the British Superior Court has been decided to be illegal? " For her part, Ms. Valerie Vaz confirmed her colleague's question in the party, stressing that the remaining time to vote on the agreement is very short and that the government should find time to open a parliamentary debate on the agreement that will be ratified, which would illegally include the occupied territories of Western Sahara. It should be remembered that the British government intends to put the association agreement with Morocco in hands of Parliament to ratify it in the coming weeks, however to date it has not announced that it would conduct a debate or a revision of it within the parliament. (SPS) 062/SPS ALBANY Assemblyman John McDonald is headed for a primary. Sam Fein, an Albany County legislator who represents the citys South End, Historic Pastures and Mansion neighborhoods, said he plans on challenging the Democrat in the 108th district in order to implement his bold vision for the future. When I speak to people in the district, they are ready for change that will have an impact, he said, accusing McDonald of participating in a go-along to get-along approach to policy. We have to stand up and champion our communities so that everyone gets their fair share. Im excited to get in there and bring this whole vision forward. McDonald, who faced a failed primary challenge in 2012 from former city Common Council President Carolyn McLaughlin, said he welcomes the challenge and that he enjoys broad support. Ive been running for office for 20 years, said McDonald, who started his political career as the Mayor of Cohoes. Every year, I won. I take the same approach, I stand on my record and my record will speak for itself. I think we need a balanced approach and representing interests of all the people of the 108th district and all Democrats. Fein, who is 29 and grew up in Massachusetts, moved to the area in 2008. A Union College graduate with a degree in political science, he worked at the state Assembly as part of its communications staff. He was first elected to Albany County in 2015. He is now at the start of his second four-year term. He has worked as an analyst with the city auditor and is currently completing his master's degree in public administration at SUNY Albany Rockefeller College. He said his run is inspired by his grandfather who told him to repair the broken promise of America. He always told me a story about the Liberty Bell, Fein said. He always said the crack on the bell represents the promise of the American dream is broken for so many families. He called on all of us to be bell menders, to fix the crack of the broken promise. Its a story that is very important to me and I have never forgotten. On the county level, Fein sought to designate Albany a sanctuary county for undocumented immigrants as well as attract more businesses to the South End, which in recent years lost its pharmacy, one of the few places to buy food. He was also involved in the ban the box campaign, which would ban potential employers from asking about criminal records. He also promoted homeownership and hopes, if elected to the Assembly, to push to end what he says are discriminatory practices of banks toward minorities seeking loans. Our communities are destabilized, Fein said. They are destabilized by discriminatory policies both by banks and by the government. People living in African-Americans communities dont have access to loans" which keeps them from gaining the longterm financial stability that can come with home ownership. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. On the state level, Fein wants to address economic inequality as well as New Yorkers inability to access healthcare, childcare and fair wages. He also wants to see the states billionaires pay their fair share so that we can afford vital services ... that are so important in our communities because the disparity is unconscionable. Hed also like to implement protections for upstate tenants and emphasize green jobs. Our communities and our climate are in crisis, he said. He also said that he believes his vision will resonate with voters. When I speak to people in the district, they are ready for change that will have an impact, he said. We have to stand up and champion our communities ... Im excited to get in there and bring this whole vision forward. The Democratic primary is June 23. - As the world continues to find vaccine for coronavirus, a pastor has said the virus was sent by God - Rick Wiles says God sent coronavirus to purge sins, warning people to walk in God's direction - A lot of reactions have trailed the statement by the pastor with some condemning it - Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in A pastor in the United States Rick Wiles has said the coronavirus is a plague sent by God to punish sinners and purge sin. According to the right-wing evangelical pastor, parents transgendering little children and the filth on TVs and movies are to blame for the coronavirus outbreak, Daily Mail reports. YEN.com.gh gathers that the pastor said the coronavirus is one of the last steps of judgment, and warned Americans to walk in God's direction. It should be noted that the deadly coronavirus has left 131 people dead, with confirmed infections at around 5,568 across the world. READ ALSO: Ship that mysteriously vanished almost 100 years ago with 32 people aboard found Rick Wiles. Photo credit: Twitter/@realRickWiles Source: Twitter Recall that the Nigerian government said Nigeria is one of the most fortunate countries currently as it is free of the coronavirus ravaging parts of the world. The authorities said there was no recorded case of the virus in Nigeria and Africa like it is happening in China and other countries where it has spread to. The clean state of the country was confirmed by Chikwe Ihekweazu, head of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). Ihekweazu, however, said despite the success, the country is not resting as it is trying to be on top of its game in ensuring that the ailment does not spread to Nigeria. READ ALSO: Coronavirus: Bill Gates to spend GHc 27,602,464 on fighting deadly virus in Africa Reacting to the pastor's statement, Mary Ortiz on Facebook said: "Sadly i believe this pastor has used the God's word in a twisted interpretation to attack those in society that need to hear our Great and Loving God is there with open arms to receive ALL unto himself as they come to know His love and truths in their hearts. They will then know the transformative power of our Lord and Savior." Shayne Smith said: "Isn't it surprising that a so called Christian man is so judgemental of others, when he looks like he sits around playing with himself." Loretta Choukeir said: "I used to like this guy and watch him all the time. But now all I see is a hate filled person. Nobody has a one way ticket to heaven. He needs to realize he is not perfect and is kidding himself if he thinks he is !!!!!" 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, YEN previously reported that in their bid to find a vaccine for the deadly disease, Australian scientists have recorded a medical breakthrough by growing coronavirus in a high-security lab. The feat was achieved by experts at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, who took a sample of the virus from the first patient diagnosed in Australia. The scientists will now share the virus with the World Health Organisation (WHO). This is what makes 4-year-old Nii Omanye aka Kwame Nkrumah the smartest child in Ghana| #Yencomgh READ ALSO: US budget deficit likely to be at its highest in 2020; projected to hit over GHc5 trillion Use the comments section below to share your views on this story. Do you have a story to share or you have information for us? Get featured on YEN.com.gh. Message us on Facebook or Instagram. Source: YEN.com.gh Actor Urmila Matondkar said on Thursday that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will be known as the "black law in the history" and compared it with the Rowlatt Act. Speaking at an event here on the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Urmila said, "After the end of the Second World War in 1919, the British knew that unrest was spreading in India and that may rise after the Second World War was over. So, they brought a law commonly known as the Rowlatt Act. That 1919 law and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act of 2019 will be recorded as black laws in history." "Gandhiji was the leader of the whole world, not of any country. According to me, if anyone has followed the Hindu religion most, then it is Gandhiji," she added. Talking about Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse, the actor said, "The man who killed Mahatma Gandhi was neither a Muslim nor Sikh. He was a Hindu man and I have nothing more to tell you about it. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Officials with The Woodlands Childrens Museum appeared at the Jan. 22 meeting of The Woodlands Township Board of Directors to pass on information about challenges facing the museum, including rising demand for services, funding challenges and a too-small space for the estimated 125,000 annual visitors the museum experiences each year. Angela Colton, executive director of the museum, said she and two other museum officials were at the meeting to be advocates for children in the community, touting the benefits that the museum and its educational programming bring to children age 7 and younger. Colton and other officials were invited to the Jan. 22 meeting by board Vice Chairman Bruce Rieser, but the issue of the museums future has been the subject of concern in past months from other directors, notably the now-retired Carol Stromatt. We are making this work with a creative spirit, but the community is asking us for more, Colton said on Jan. 22. The Woodlands Childrens Museum is a community anchor. In a follow-up interview on Jan. 29, Colton said the trios goal was to raise a flag about the issues facing the museum and to get the process started now to search for a larger facility and new funding options to help cope with the revenue needs on many fronts. PREVIEW: Get our experts picks for concerts, kids stuff, fine arts, movies and more each week in our entertainment newsletter. Due to space limitations at the museum, which is inside an 11,000 square foot space located at 4775 W. Panther Creek Drive, Suite No. 280, in the Village of Panther Creek shopping center, Colton said the museum is required to rent three off-site containers to store equipment. She also said the museum operates and sees enough visitors to classify it as a medium-sized museum but in reality it is in a small museum space. It was a pro-active call to action knowing that we are out-growing this space. It is trying to look ahead and see if there are other opportunities out there in working with the township and other people in the community, Colton said of the visit to the board meeting. People dont realize our challenges. We are not a squeaky wheel, and so people are not realizing we have concerns about remaining a resource in the community. Museum has vibrant history in township Watch The Presentation Angela Colton, executive director of The Woodlands Children's Museum, and two other museum officials were at the Jan. 22 meeting of The Woodlands Township Board of Directors to be "advocates" for children in the community, touting the benefits that the museum and its educational programming bring to children age 7 and younger. Check out Colton's speech, which begins at the 1 hour and nine minute mark of this township video replay. http://woodlandstx.new.swagit.com/videos/39738#1167471 See More Collapse The Wooodlands Childrens Museum has been a rich resource for area families since it first opened in 2005 and was housed in a space at the Market Street shopping center. After one year in Market Street, the museum relocated to The Woodlands Mall where it remained as a community resource until 2010. That year, the museum relocated a second time to the Panther Creek shopping center, where it is currently housed today. RELATED: The Woodlands Childrens Museum sparks the imagination Colton said the museum a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit entity was experiencing about an average of 81,000 visitors per year when officials moved it to the current spot in 2010. That growth, she added, steadily climbed over the years with a peak of an estimated 125,000 annual visitors in 2019. Children and families who visit the museum are treated to a gallery space with kid-friendly exhibits as well as a robust educational programming slate that includes a wide range of subjects such as cultural awareness, field trips and other lessons. The museum is known for its funky vibe and fun atmosphere, marked by events such as a kid-friendly New Years Eve countdown every Dec. 31 and other programming such as celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year and various world cultures. We are tickled about the (continued) growth. The museum is for ages 7 and younger now, but with a larger space, we could have more opportunities for older children, Colton explained. I think (our current location) is a good venue it is centrally located and a safe place to come and go. Our landlord is great and he supports us. The ideal size (facility) we would like to move into is 40,000 square feet, but even a 20,000 square foot space would be great. We are not asking for the moon. Colton said officials would prefer to be located in a facility somewhere along The Woodlands Waterway, which is the heart of the communitys Town Center area buffered by restaurants, businesses, The Woodlands Mall, public art such as sculptures and The Woodlands Arts Councils Art Benches project. Being located in such an area with rampant arts opportunities and within walking distance for many families would be ideal, she added. The museum, which on Saturday, Jan. 25, unveiled a new feature called the Play Cafe, is funded through a variety of sources, Colton explained, including both individual and corporate sponsorships, membership dues, admission fees, birthday party rentals and also educational programming. RELATED: The Woodlands Childrens Museum opens new Play Cafe The next steps for museum officials are to get a head start on planning for the next phase of the museums existence. With their current lease ending in 2022, Colton said officials believe it is better to put out a call to action and raise awareness now in hopes of creating collaborative partnerships with The Woodlands Township, new corporate sponsors and potential owners of spaces or facilities that could host the museum. The museum (staff) has concerns about the future of the museum and we are calling on the community to help solve this concern, Colton said. The children still need places to go. After Coltons presentation to directors on Jan. 22, board member Bruce Rieser said the museum was an integral part of The Woodlands and that all residents should be concerned about its future because it is a valuable community resource. I would hate to see this go away, Rieser said of the museum. And that is a distinct possibility (if nothing is done). jeff.forward@chron.com Dominic Raab raised eyebrows today as he insisted that the UK could get a post-Brexit US free trade deal done by the start of November. The Foreign Secretary said he was 'confident' that an agreement was possible in just nine months before Donald Trump stands for re-election, as he hosted Secretary Of State Mike Pompeo in London. The US politician said he agreed that such a deal was possible as he said that Washington would put Britain 'at the front of the line'. He used a think tank appearance in Westminster to claim that Brexit would be 'fantastic' for trade between the two nations. At a Policy Exchange event this morning, Mr Raab was asked if he thought a 'sectoral agreement' was possible before the presidential vote on November 3. 'I am confident a deal can be done,' Raab told reporters. 'There is huge alignment in terms of our economic interest. Of course there will be difficult issues.' Mr Pompeo said: 'I concur'. The Foreign Secretary said he was 'confident' that an agreement was possible before Donald Trump stands for re-election as he hosted Secretary Of State Mike Pompeo in London (pictured) The US secretary of state Mike Pompeo re-iterated a pledge that Britain would be at the front of the queue for a trade deal after Brexit. 'The previous administration took the view that if the United Kingdom made this decision it would be at the back of the line,' he said. 'We intend to put the United Kingdom at the front of the line.' He added that the Trump administration wanted to 'lower every barrier' to trade during negotiations with the UK. He said: 'An important part of this relationship is reducing the friction between these kinds of things, whether it is the friction of the ease of travel, it's the ease of exchange or confidence in information systems, of our students going to each other's schools and the cross-generation of knowledge that will flow from that, whether it is tariff barriers. 'We want to put all the places where friction happens across sovereign boundaries - we want to protect those boundaries because we owe it to our people to do, but once we've done that, once we've protected sovereignty, we want to lower every barrier towards the free flow of information, talent, capital - all the things that promote wealth and prosperity. 'Those and security. Those are the things that, if we do this well together, will be special and unique about the relationship after the United Kingdom finishes this process of departure from the EU.' A little girl has lost most of her hand after getting it caught in a meat grinder in Sydney's south west. The seven year-old lost all her fingers and sustained serious hand injuries after putting her right hand in the machinery at the Lebanese Bakery Zaitoune in Camden on Thursday afternoon. Paramedics said the girl was in 'excruciating pain' when they arrived on the scene. New South Wales ambulance crews rushed to the premises on Argyle Street in Camden but her hand had already been forcibly amputated. Police enter the Lebanese bakery in Camden where a child is believed to have gotten her hand amputated by a meat grinder Two crews and a specialist helicopter team treated the girl on scene before rushing her to the Westmead Children's Hospital where she remains in a serious condition. New South Wales Ambulance Inspector Karen Nichols said it was a tough situation for first responders. 'There is nothing worse than witnessing a child in distress. We were there in minutes and managed to keep her relatively calm while we treated her,' she said. 'She is one brave little girl and our thoughts are with her and her family as she recovers in hospital.' New South Wales police attend the Lebanese Bakery Zaitoune on Argyle Street in Camden on Thursday afternoon Inspector Karen Nichols also took the opportunity to warn about the dangers of working in the kitchen. 'Safety in the kitchen is paramount. We urge everyone to be mindful when using anything sharp or hot when preparing food,' Inspector Nichols said. Phone calls to the bakery have gone unanswered this afternoon. Emergency crews responded to an incident at the Zaitoune Lebanese Bakery in Camden on Thursday afternoon A staff member at one of the nearby businesses said police were ushering away bystanders who were trying to figure out what was going on. She said she nearly got taken out by an ambulance as they responded to the incident. SafeWork New South Wales said investigations are ongoing into the incident. English Lithuanian Siauliu Bankas AB, company code 112025254, domicile address Tilzes st. 149, Siauliai, Lithuania. The Management Board of Siauliu Bankas resolved to contest the resolution of the Board of the Bank of Lithuania regarding the calculation and imposition of a sanction (a fine of EUR 880,000) and, for this purpose, files a complaint with the Vilnius Regional Administrative Court. In 2019 the Bank of Lithuania (BoL) carried out a scheduled inspection of Siauliu Bankas on credit risk management and compliance with requirements of anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing (AML/CTF) and passed a resolution obliging Siauliu Bankas both to remedy violations of legal acts and shortcomings in the field of credit risk management and to eliminate violations and shortcomings in the area of AML/CTF identified by the BoL and imposed a fine of EUR 880,000. Most of the violations and shortcomings identified by the BoL had been eliminated yet before the findings of the inspection were discussed at the Board of the BoL. Siauliu Bankas has not identified any cases where the violations and shortcomings specified in the BoL inspection report would have been used for money laundering and terrorist financing purposes. Additional information shall be provided by Communication specialist Monika Rozyte, +370 686 79234, monika.rozyte@sb.lt Protesters rage over plans to quarantine hundreds of Koreans set to be flown home from Chinas coronavirus epicentre. Angry South Koreans volleyed eggs and expletives on Thursday at a minister and officials trying to defuse their ire over plans to quarantine hundreds of citizens set to be flown home from the epicentre of a new coronavirus epidemic in China. The first of up to four flights planned to evacuate South Koreans from Wuhan departed on Thursday night carrying about 360 people, after an unexpected hours-long delay because China had only approved one flight. South Korea also reported its fifth and sixth confirmed cases of the virus on Thursday, including the first patient infected in South Korea. Previous cases only involved people who had travelled to Wuhan. As the South Koreans were gearing up to fly out of Wuhan, protesters in Asan and Jincheon, cities about 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of the capital Seoul, used tractors to block access to facilities earmarked for quarantine centres. 200129233906291 In Asan, demonstrators threw eggs and shouted expletives when Chin Young, the minister of interior and safety, arrived to talk to them on Thursday. Police held up umbrellas as a shield. If its so safe why dont you bring them to your home? one protester shouted at Chin. The minister said he sympathised with the concerns, saying the facilities were chosen as the only ones large enough to accommodate the evacuees. South Korean citizens in Wuhan are suffering So we need to bring them in as soon as possible, right? he said. Chin cut short a meeting with Jincheon residents after being interrupted by two people who yelled at him. Some even lied down in front of a car which was leaving the venue carrying him. The government wants to isolate evacuees for at least two weeks at the facilities, usually used as training centres for government officials, to rule out any symptoms. Fake news Domestic media broadcast videos of protesters grabbing the hair of a vice health minister who visited late on Wednesday, before pushing him and dousing him with water. Ahead of Thursdays flights, President Moon Jae-in called for calm and decried fake news for having stirred up excessive anxiety. The weapons that will protect us from the new coronavirus are not fear and aversion, but trust and cooperation, he said in a speech in Seoul. A police cyber safety unit was working with telecommunication regulators to block or delete false information that could provoke social confusion, Yonhap news agency said. 200122194509687 About 700 South Koreans have signed up for charter flights, but Vice Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho said at the Incheon airport before the first planes departure that Seoul might have to reduce the number of flights to one or two, and talks will continue with Beijing to secure their early return. I am a mother of a three-year-old and a four-year-old, said Jincheon resident Lee Ji-hyun, who was among a handful of protesters demanding the quarantine centre be located further away from homes and schools. I was so worried I sent them to stay with my in-laws. Others said they took children out of kindergarten or sent them to relatives in other cities. I dont like my friends who have travelled to Japan or China because they might be carrying the coronavirus, said Song Ji-hoo, a six-year-old accompanying his mother to the protest. He was sad at not being able to play with his friends, who had all been sent to stay with their grandparents, he added. In his speech, Moon tried to reassure residents, saying only those free of symptoms would be among the initial evacuees and would be placed in isolation. The government will be taking air-tight steps to ensure the residents do not need to be concerned, he added. The new strain has an incubation time ranging from one to 14 days and can spread before symptoms show, complicating border screening precautions. South Korea said it will give China emergency aid worth $5m for masks, protective suits and glasses. MIAMI - A Cuban man has been sentenced to four years and nine months in U.S. federal prison for running a human smuggling operation from Cuba to Mexico to the United States. Tomas Vale Valdivia, 45, was sentenced Tuesday in Miami federal court, according to court records. He pleaded guilty last year to conspiring to commit migrant smuggling for profit. From 2013 to 2018, Vale Valdivia and at least five others were members of an immigrant smuggling conspiracy operating in Miami, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti, authorities said. More than 100 migrants were smuggled from Cuba to Mexico and then ultimately to the border of the United States. The migrants were charged approximately $10,000 each. Vale Valdivia admitted to knowing that he was breaking U.S. law and placing the immigrants at substantial risk, investigators said. The vessels used to smuggle migrants were regularly overloaded or used during dangerous weather. He also conspired to steal engines in the U.S. and ship them from Miami to Mexico to be used in the migrant smuggling operation, according to court documents. Three Japanese evacuated from Wuhan on a government-chartered flight have been confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus including two who had not shown any symptoms, the health ministry said on Thursday. The two were the first cases in Japan of people without symptoms being confirmed to have been infected with the virus, the ministry said. Japan on Tuesday designated illness caused by the new virus as "designated infectious disease", which would allow compulsory hospitalization and the use of public funds to treat such patients. But the designation which takes effect on Feb. 7 after ordinances are issued does not apply to those without symptoms. Inaugurating the government's special task force for the coronavirus, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the government would take all steps possible to prevent the spread of the virus. Among the measures, the government would confirm contact information of all entrants into Japan who have a record of staying in Wuhan and conduct health checks. Japan now has confirmed 11 cases of the virus, including a tour bus driver who was infected after coming into contact with Chinese visitors. The three new cases were among 206 Japanese who were evacuated to Tokyo on Wednesday from Wuhan, the epicenter of the epidemic. Of those evacuees, 12 were hospitalized because they had symptoms such as fever and coughing, and two refused to be taken to the hospital for checks but were escorted home. The remaining 201 all tested negative, a ministry official told a briefing. Asked about concerns over the possible transmission of the virus from people who have not shown symptoms, the official said it was not clear whether that had happened. Shigeru Omi, head of the Japan Community Health Care Organization, told the same briefing that there were reports of such transmission cases in China. Chinese National Health Commission Minister Ma Xiaowei on Sunday said the virus was infectious during incubation, which can range from one to 14 days, which was not the case with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Abe told parliament it was regrettable that two of Wednesday's returnees had declined to be tested but said there were limits to what the government could do legally. "It is extremely unfortunate that they declined to be tested," Abe told a parliamentary panel. "There are no legal constraints (on those without symptoms). There are civil rights aspects and there are limits to what we can do." Abe also said the government would keep an eye on the possible economic fallout on tourism and other areas and would do everything necessary to protect people's lives and health. A second charter flight carrying 210 Japanese nationals arrived at Tokyo's Haneda airport on Thursday morning. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference that 13 who returned on Thursday felt unwell. MIAMI, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In the ongoing war against Coronavirus, a new technology can provide much-needed protection and benefits for patients and healthcare workers. Radiation Shield Technologies' Demron Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear suits have patented thermal conductive capabilities that can enable health-care workers wearing Demron CBRN suits to be externally monitored for the onset of fever, one of the first signs of the disease. Additionally, infected patients can also be monitored and externally cooled when infection transportation chambers are lined with the Demron fabric. Ongoing testing in this area is being carried out by Dipl. Eng. Pavel Castulik, Ph.D., at the Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment, Masaryk University, Czech Republic. Demron, manufactured solely by RST, is the world's first and only CBRN fabric that provides chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear protection, while also enabling external temperature monitoring. Its products are used worldwide by every branch of the U.S. military, U.S. CST teams, the FDNY, IAEC, DSTA, NASA, and many international first responder and military teams in China, Iraq, Kuwait, South Korea, Pakistan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and Singapore. Demron's ability to permit the release and dissipation of heat makes external temperature management and monitoring possible. Infrared thermometers designed for non-contact temperature sensing can establish the base operational temperature of each health-care worker wearing a protective suit. Then, health-care professionals can randomly take external temperature readings to help to ensure the early detection of fever symptoms. The ability to capture non-contact temperature readings outside of the suits provides meaningful protection for caregivers as they monitor and transport patients. "We are proud to help contribute to the overall safety of patients and health-care workers fighting the spread of the Coronavirus," said RST CEO Ronald DeMeo, M.D., the surgeon who invented the technology. For more than 20 years, RST has pioneered high-performance, multi-hazard fabrics employing Demron for military, firefighters, law enforcement and medical personnel. Demron combines the metallic properties of gamma radiation reduction, trauma reduction and thermal conductivity with advanced nano polymer technology, and is uniquely capable of providing true anti-nuclear protection and heat stress reduction without compromising chemical or biological hazard protection. Headquartered in Miami, RST is an ISO 9001 & 13485 manufacturer and has received numerous awards including the NFPA 2007 Class 2 certification. Whether used in a warm or hot zone, Demron provides the ultimate in universal protection against all CBRN hazards. Demron's product line currently includes full body suits, blankets, and tents. For more information please visit http://www.radshield.com, [email protected] or call (866) 7DEMRON. Editor's Notes: Interviews may be coordinated upon request. Copies of the certification documents, scientific studies, research, photographs, and graphics are available. MEDIA CONTACT: Jolie Balido NewStar Media [email protected] (305) 586-0419 SOURCE Radiation Shield Technologies Related Links radshield.com Watch: An armed man shooting at the protesters at near the Jamia University. He was shouting that he will give Azadi (Freedom) to the people who have been protesting against the CAA-NRC. An unidentified assailant entered the protest march against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and opened up fire at the protesters who were marching peacefully from the Jamia to the Jantar Mantar on Wednesday. Reports said a Jamia Millia Islamia university student got injured in the attack that resulted in a panic situation in the area. A video of the incident is also doing round the internet that shows a wearing in a black and white colour jacket with a gun in hand walking on the streets shouting Yeh lo aazadi (heres your freedom). #WATCH A man brandishes gun in Jamia area of Delhi, culprit has been detained by police. More details awaited. pic.twitter.com/rAeLl6iLd4 ANI (@ANI) January 30, 2020 Reports said that the armed man was meters away the policemen deployed near the Jamia University. But soon after the incident, police personnel held him and took into the custody along with a gun. A senior police officer, Chinmoy Biswal told the media that the man has been arrested who fired at the crowd coming from Jamia. An eye witness said that a man with a gun in his hand came from the opposite side and tried to disturb the peaceful march. People got really scared when he pointed the gun towards the crowd. Protesters approached to the police but they did nothing, said another man who was present at the spot. When protesters tried to control him and take the gun from his hand, he shot one of the Jamia students, said reports. The student who got injured in the incident was identified as Shadaab Farukh, who hails from Kashmir. His friends took him to the nearby hospital as bullet injured his left hand. For all the latest National News, download NewsX App WASHINGTON - The impeachment trial of President Donald Trump is headed for a critical vote Friday that will determine whether the Senate hears from witnesses over allegations that the president pressured Ukraine to launch investigations for his own political benefit. But Senate Republicans are increasingly confident no new testimony will be heard and they can start on a sprint toward Trump's acquittal. On Thursday, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she would break with Republican leadership and vote to hear witnesses. But Collins still needs three other Republicans to vote with her if new evidence is to be allowed and it was unclear late Thursday night who, if anyone, in the party would join her. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., was considered a possible supporter of allowing testimony, but he announced Friday that he's ready to end the trial and leave Trump's fate in the hands of voters during the upcoming election. "Let the people decide," he said in a statement. Associated Press Some Republicans said they hoped the trial would be completed Friday with a vote to acquit Trump. "We still feel very positive about it," said Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the third-ranking Republican leader. "More and more members are saying, 'I'm ready to go to a final [vote] . . . I've heard enough.'" One outside possibility is that the Senate will deadlock on the question of calling witnesses. That would put Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. in the position of breaking the tie - a role Democrats are urging him to play. But there is little expectation Roberts would weigh in on such a political thorny question and instead would allow the tie to result in no witness being subpoenaed. Trump will almost certainly revel in a vote to acquit him on the impeachment charges, but House Democrats have said they will continue to investigate the president and are hoping the allegations they have made against him with resonate with voters and help make him a one-term president. Trump was impeached by the House in December - charged with abuse of power after being accused of soliciting the Ukrainian government's help in undermining his political rivals and obstructing the House's investigation into his actions. The final outcome of Trump's Senate trial has never been in doubt. It takes only 34 votes to acquit. The GOP has 53 seats. And with Republican primary voters strongly supportive of Trump, these senators have shown little interest in crossing him. Instead, the main drama has been about how much more Republican senators want to learn about what Trump may have done before deciding whether he should be convicted. On Thursday, the answer appeared to be: not much. "Even if you take everything else that is levied on him by others . . . is it an impeachable offense?" said Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who said she would not vote to call witnesses. "I don't see that it rises to the level of being an impeachable offense." Earlier this week, the New York Times reported that Trump's former national security adviser, John Bolton, wrote in a forthcoming book that Trump told him in August that he wanted to continue freezing military assistance to Ukraine until its leaders launched investigations into former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter. That revelation provided a key firsthand witness to an alleged pressure campaign at the heart of the impeachment trial. Democrats accused Trump of pressuring Ukraine's president into investigating Biden to gain an edge on his possible 2020 rival. Republicans have dismissed this account as being based on second- or third-hand witnesses. But Bolton said he was told directly by the president about his reason for holding the aid in a book that will be titled "The Room Where It Happened." If all Democrats agreed, it would take four Republican votes to call Bolton, or anyone else, as a witness. Earlier this week, that seemed possible: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told other Republicans the vote was in doubt. But since then, several Republicans seen as possible swing votes - Ernst, Cory Gardner of Colorado and Martha McSally of Arizona, all facing competitive election contests - rejected the idea of hearing more testimony. Along with Colliins, Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, is still viewed as the likeliest contender to side with Democrats for more testimony, while Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, could join as well. She said late Thursday night that she was going to review her notes and reflect on the decision. It's unclear who would be the fourth vote - Alexander was considered the most likely to join the other three before he said he was against subpoenaing witnesses. While Alexander's announcement was cheered by Republicans, he took a swipe at Trump and contradicted the president's claim that his July phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was "perfect." "It was inappropriate for the president to ask a foreign leader to investigate his political opponent and to withhold United States aid to encourage that investigation," he said. "When elected officials inappropriately interfere with such investigations, it undermines the principle of equal justice under the law. But the Constitution does not give the Senate the power to remove the president from office and ban him from this year's ballot simply for actions that are inappropriate." Republicans on Thursday mused about Roberts' potential role in breaking a tie on witnesses, but appeared unconcerned he would to take any decisive action. "If it's two [voting for witnesses], deal is over. If it's three, we don't know, because we're in uncharted territory," said Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind. That's because three yes votes would create a 50-50 tie. Normally, tie votes are broken by the vice president. But in an impeachment trial, the presiding officer of the Senate is Roberts, not the vice president. Could Roberts vote to break the tie? Would he? "There's no real certainty what the power of the presiding officer is," said Braun, who added that Republicans consider it "unlikely" that Roberts would intervene. Democrats have mostly been solicitous of Roberts during the trial, but on Thursday Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., tried to put the chief justice on the spot. The presidential contender asked whether Americans would lose faith in the chief justice, the Supreme Court and the Constitution if Roberts presided over a trial where no new witnesses or evidence was allowed. Roberts performed his duty and read the question aloud, after which House Democrats' lead impeachment lawyer came to his defense. "It reflects adversely on us," House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam B. Schiff, D-Calif., told lawmakers concerning the lack of witnesses and new evidence being allowed. He added that Roberts has performed "admirably." Republican leaders said they want to move quickly toward the vote to acquit if the Senate decides not to hear new testimony Friday. In the 1999 impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton, the Senate heard a combined five hours and 28 minutes of closing arguments. Then, the Senate entered four days of closed-door jury deliberations totaling nearly 26 hours, before voting to acquit Clinton on two articles of impeachment. In this case, some Republicans said, they want to skip the closing arguments and the deliberations and move ahead to the last step. "If 51 [senators] say we've heard enough, we can move to that final vote," said Sen. John Cornyn (Tex.), the second-ranking Republican. That would leave Senate Democrats with few cards to play. They could not stop an acquittal vote. But they could delay it - and force Republican senators to take uncomfortable votes against hearing more evidence or allowing more debate. One idea proposed by Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., is a motion to require Roberts to issue a subpoena for additional documents and witnesses if he thinks they are relevant to the trial. It would probably fail, but the vote could be used against Gardner, Ernst and other Republicans facing reelection. "The minority has rights, and we will exercise those rights," Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said Thursday. Schiff on Thursday proposed allowing for one week for deposing witnesses, a time during which the Senate could conduct legislative business, but Republicans are unlikely to agree to that. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who has remained relatively quiet throughout the proceedings, previewed an attack on Republicans to come if no additional evidence is allowed to be presented. "You cannot be acquitted if you don't have a trial. You don't have a trial if you don't have witnesses and documentation," she wrote on Twitter. "If Republican Senators choose a coverup, the American people and history will judge it with the harshness it deserves." Still, delays eventually end - even in the Senate. Even if Democrats force extra votes, the final vote to acquit Trump could come as early as Friday night or Saturday, unless leaders decide to move it to Monday, just one day before Trump's State of the Union address. On Thursday - on the last day of questions and answers in the Senate - the day was mostly devoted to softballs, lobbed by senators at their own side. At one point, Republican senators asked Trump's lawyers to, in effect, recount Trump's accomplishments in office. Trump attorney Eric Hershmann said that, if Trump's actions are "for his personal and political gain and not in the best interests of the American people then I say, 'God bless him. Keep doing it, keep doing it, keep doing it.' " Democratic senators asked Schiff who was paying the legal bills of Trump's private attorney Rudy Giuliani - who served as an intermediary to Ukraine. "I don't know who's directly paying the freight for it, but I can tell you the whole country is paying the freight for it because there are leaders around the world who are watching this, and they're saying the American presidency is open for business," Schiff said. At the start of the day's session, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., submitted a question for Roberts to read aloud. The question contained the name of a person who conservative media have alleged is the intelligence community whistleblower whose complaint last year about Trump's actions toward Ukraine sparked the impeachment inquiry. Roberts didn't read it. "The presiding officer declines to read the question as submitted," Roberts said. After that, Paul stood up, gathered his papers and walked out of the Senate chamber to address reporters. He then said the name that Roberts would not. Trump traveled Thursday night to a rally in Iowa, where he criticized House Democrats for impeaching him but said he was unfazed by the trial. He said he was enjoying a "happy period" unlike the "dark" impeachment cases of his predecessors Bill Clinton, Richard Nixon and Andrew Johnson. "This is a happy period for us," he said. "It's a happy period because they call it 'impeachment light.' " - - - The Washington Post's Rachael Bade, John Wagner, Colby Itkowitz, Felicia Sonmez and Paul Kane contributed to this report. Australian scientists have successfully grown a version of the Wuhan coronavirus described as a "game changer" in developing a candidate vaccine against the deadly illness, that experts are racing to complete within three months. Researchers from the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne said the breakthrough, revealed yesterday, will allow for accurate investigation and diagnosis of the virus which has so far killed 132 people, infected more than 6,000 and is spreading across China and into 14 other countries. Prof Wang Linfa, from Duke-NUS medical school in Singapore, said the development was "highly significant as the scientific community outside China needs a live virus for all further research and response activities including a vaccine development". The professor co-led a team that earlier identified bats as the natural host of severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) - a similar pathogen to the Wuhan strain - and he sits on the World Health Organisation's Sars scientific research advisory committee. "For the vaccine development, CEPI [Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations] is already working on it full steam and we are hopeful to have a candidate for clinical trial in three months," he said, referring to a Norway-based public-private coalition which tries to produce speedy vaccines for epidemics. The joyful moment that Mike Catton, the co-deputy director of the Doherty Institute, confirmed the breakthrough was caught on camera by ABC. "We got it," he said. "Fantastic." Expand Close Dr Mike Catton (right) and Dr Julian Druce speak to the media during a press conference at the Doherty Institute in Melbourne. Photo: Getty Images) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Dr Mike Catton (right) and Dr Julian Druce speak to the media during a press conference at the Doherty Institute in Melbourne. Photo: Getty Images) He told the news channel the discovery was "vitally important" and would become a critical part of the toolkit to show if vaccines work. Scientists will be able to test the effectiveness of any potential vaccine against a lab-grown version of the disease. The laboratory-grown virus is also expected to be used to generate an antibody test, which allows detection of the virus in patients who have not yet displayed any symptoms. "An antibody test will enable us to retrospectively test suspected patients so we can gather a more accurate picture of how widespread the virus is, and consequently, among other things, the true mortality rate," Dr Catton said. Dr Julian Druce, the Doherty Institute's virus identification laboratory head, called the development a "game changer". The virus will now be shared with the World Health Organisation in Europe, which will in turn share it with laboratories around the world. Scientists have warned that the development of an efficient vaccine could take years, but the global race to create one began on January 10, when Chinese scientists made the genetic make-up of the virus available on a public database. The worst-affected city of Wuhan hosts more than 300 of the world's top 500 companies, including Microsoft, Siemens and French carmaker PSA. The Hubei province, in which Wuhan lies, had a GDP of $595bn (540bn) in 2018 - not far short of the economic output produced by London. In recent years, the region has become a burgeoning hub for tech companies and carmakers in particular, triggering fears that the virus could negatively impact the global economy. Economists have warned that global growth is much more exposed to a Chinese slump compared with the Sars outbreak, which is estimated to have caused $50bn (45bn) of damage to the world economy. Wuhan is home to 10 car factories, including those run by major manufacturers such as Honda, Renault, PSA and General Motors. The industry plays an important role in the broader Chinese car market and economy. According to data from IHS Markit, carmakers in Wuhan are expected to produce 1.6 million vehicles this year, contributing 6pc of overall Chinese output. Honda and PSA, which manufactures Peugeot and Citroen vehicles, each have three factories in the city. However, there are concerns about how the virus could affect these companies if they are forced to shut sites once the lunar new year holidays end on Monday. ( Daily Telegraph, London) Warwickshire Justice Centre A STRATFORD teenager died after taking ecstasy with friends an inquest heard today, Thursday at Warwickshire Justice Centre. Vakaris Valuzis, aged 17, died on 30th June at Warwick Hospital last year following a pre-arranged get together at a house in Stratford involving five friends where the drug MDMA or ecstasy had been taken. In his conclusion at the inquest, the Senior Coroner for Warwickshire, Sean McGovern, said: Vakaris died of a drug related death. Im not about to preach but you are always at risk when you take drugs, particularly young people who need to realise the sadness they leave behind to their parents. Vakaris dabbled in drugs but he was a good boy and I pass on my sincere condolences. The inquest heard that five male friends aged 16 and 17 at the time took drugs together on 29th June Accounts given to police officers by those who took ecstasy on the evening of the 29th, confirmed they were all willing to take the drug and this included Vakaris. Afterwards the five friends went outside the house where at some point someone from another group shouted Vakaris name but no one in his group of friends saw who had actually shouted his name. The inquest heard this, freaked him out and he had run off. One of his friends phoned him and told Vakaris to go back to the address where they met earlier which he did and sat on the front door step. Once back inside the house, Vakaris was, asking for water and went to the first floor bathroom. A friend made regular checks on Vakaris who moved from the bathroom to a bedroom. But during one check, Vakaris was found, on the floor in the bedroom and unable to speak properly. Vakaris was then taken outside, because he was, hot and sweating and an ambulance was called. He was taken to Warwick Hospital where medical staff tried to save Vakaris life but he suffered two cardiac arrests and multiple organ failure; he was pronounced deceased at 4.40am on 30th June. The four other friends were taken to hospital as a precaution and one, did appear to have some organ damage but the others didnt show any signs. A police search of the house where the ecstasy was taken found no actual drugs at the scene and no signs of anything suspicious. His mother Loreta Valuziene said her son, Vakaris, had, only occasionally had drugs for recreational use and was a very good, well behaved boy. Hangzhou, Jan 30 : The Jack Ma Foundation has announced it will donate 100 million yuan (14.4 million U.S. dollars) to support research and development of a novel coronavirus vaccine. "We firmly know that while scientists are racing against the clock, it won't be an easy task from the vaccine research to the final large-scale production and use," said Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group and the Jack Ma Foundation. Ma said the foundation will strive to provide more help for the development and accumulation of medical science in the fight against viruses. Alibaba Group said it would provide public research institutions free access to all AI capabilities needed for the development of vaccines and new drugs for the novel coronavirus. Meanwhile, China's finance ministry said on Thursday that 27.3 billion yuan (about 3.94 billion U.S. dollars) had been allocated to support the battle across the country against the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Financial departments at all levels should reasonably allocate funds and make sure that the prevention and control work will not be affected by funding problems, a meeting held on the matter noted. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) New Delhi, Jan 30 : Despite a delay in launching WhatsApp pay in India owing to data compliance issues, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said that the peer-to-peer, UPI-based payments feature will be rolled out in several countries in the next six months. Data compliance issues and regulations have kept WhatsApp Pay launch in abeyance for quite some time, despite a successful test run of the payments service with one million users in the country in 2018. "We got approval to test this with one million people in India back in 2018. And when so many of the people kept using it week after week, we knew it was going to be big when we get to launch," Zuckerberg said during the company's earnings call on Thursday. "I'm really excited about this, and I expect this to start rolling out in a number of countries and for us to make a lot of progress here in the next six months," he added. Beyond WhatsApp Payments, the company is working on several other efforts to help facilitate more commerce from Facebook Marketplace to Instagram Shopping and its work on Facebook Pay or the digital currency Libra. "We're taking a number of different approaches here, ranging from people buying and selling to each other directly to businesses setting up storefronts, to people engaging with businesses directly through messaging and a number of things on payments ranging from existing -- using existing national systems like India's UPI to creating new global systems," said the Facebook CEO, hailing the UPI system again. The peer-to-peer, UPI-based WhatsApp Pay service will reach over 400 million users -- especially the small and medium businesses (SMBs) -- to boost digital inclusion in the country. "Having small businesses succeed is not only key to creating broad economic growth where everyone can support themselves, it's also important to maintaining healthy communities since small businesses are often where people come together," said Zuckerberg. The Indian government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have expressed concerns over some of WhatsApp's features in complying with the regulations. "On payments, we're focused in different places with different products. For things like Instagram and even a lot of what we're doing on Facebook, it's a lot more developed countries. For WhatsApp, it's the biggest countries on WhatsApp. So countries like India and Mexico and Brazil and Indonesia will make up a large part of the community on WhatsApp," he elaborated. On elections, Zuckerberg said they are very focused on election integrity. "We were behind in 2016, but after working to protect elections in countries across the world from the EU -- in the EU to India to Mexico to the US midterms for the past few years, we think our systems are now more advanced than any other companies," he told the analysts. "There's still going to be debate about what kinds of political speech should be allowed, especially as the 2020 elections heat up. But by any objective measure, our efforts in election integrity have made a lot of progress," he noted. Zuckerberg said the daily active users reached 1.7 billion, up 9 per cent compared to last year, led by growth in India, Indonesia and the Philippines. "DAUs represented approximately 66 per cent of the 2.5 billion monthly active users in December. MAUs grew 178 million or 8 per cent compared to last year. We plan to continue to disclose Facebook-only community metrics through late 2020," he added. A look at how some countries are screening travellers in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak: Canada: Travellers are asked additional health-screening questions at airports to help identify those who may have visited Wuhan, China, the epicentre of the outbreak. Travellers will either be asked at an electronic kiosk or directly by a border services officer. Passengers arriving in Canada who visited Wuhan will be subjected to closer screening. Anyone found to have flu-like symptoms will undergo further checks by the health agency. Canadian officials say that a study after the SARS outbreak in 2003 showed that screening at airports was ineffective. United States: The Center for Disease Control expanded airport checks on inbound passengers to 20 locations which includes entry via land and air up from the five airports it had designated last week. Passengers who passed through Wuhan undergo extensive screening including having their temperature checked. Certain areas of the airports have been designated for the quarantine of visitors showing flu-like symptoms. Malaysia: Airports have been conducting thermal screening for all passengers and flight crew. Medical bays were erected to quarantine passengers showing symptoms and inbound Chinese flights were strategically placed near to the medical bay. Thailand: Chinese travellers have been subjected to thermal screening at airports. Europe: Airports across Europe, in countries like Italy, have been doing thermal scanning as part of detailed screening. Hong Kong: Halved the number of flights from mainland China along with suspending high-speed rail links, cross-border ferries and reducing the number of inbound buses from the mainland. Those measures were elevated significantly from the disinfecting of trains and planes entering Hong Kong from China, a week ago. North Korea: Closed borders shared with China. Mongolia: Closed borders shared with China. Russia: Border with China will remain closed to car traffic for several weeks. A South Jersey man admitted in federal court this week to arranging a mail fraud scheme that tricked nearly 1,000 hospitals and medical offices into paying for supplies they never ordered. Robert Armstrong, 49, of Turnersville, pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to one count of mail fraud, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said in a news statement. Armstrong used the company name Pinnacle Medical Supplies and a fake address to bulk-mail bills - and return-to-sender envelopes for checks - to thousands of medical providers. The invoices asked for payment and listed items like EpiPens, sanitizing wipes and antimicrobial soap. Those establishments had not ordered the supplies, but many paid the fake bills anyway. When Armstrong was first charged in June 2019, Carpenitos office said he defrauded 169 companies and received about $43,000. But investigators in the following months learned that the scheme targeted nearly five times as many medical offices. Carpenito said Tuesday that 943 business offices sent money to Armstrong, totaling $214,995 in the fake companys account. And it wasnt Armstrongs first mail fraud. The postal inspector who wrote the federal complaint details a previous scam unearthed in 2014 and for which Armstrong served federal prison time. In that scheme, Armstrong created a company, Scholastic School Supplies LLC, and sent invoices for $647.50 to about 73,000 schools around the country for workbooks. That company name is similar to Scholastic, a legitimate educational book company. Nearly 1,000 schools sent checks, worth a total of $612,774, federal authorities said. While out on bail in that case, authorities accused him of sending invoices to colleges and trade schools in exchange for advertisements in the College Edition," a fictional publication. Those charges were merged with the school supplies case. Armstrong pleaded guilty in that case to one count of mail fraud and was sentenced to about five years in prison in 2015. Federal records show he was released in July 2018. Earlier in 2018, he was banned from doing business in the state of Kansas. The state attorney generals office there said Armstrong had sent phony invoices to 317 Kansan schools. Armstrong was on federal probation after he was released from prison in that case, and will face two years in federal prison for violating those terms. In the New Jersey medical mail fraud case, U.S. District Judge Noel Hillman heard the plea in his Camden courtroom. Armstrong faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. Sentencing is scheduled for May 7, 2020. Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JBrandt_NJ. 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. An newborn baby who beat brain cancer was able to ring the hospital bell that celebrated her cancer-free status with the help of her mom. Lillian Grace Borden was born September 5, 2019 and was sent for an MRI soon after which was how doctors spotted her brain tumor. She had to undergo multiple treatments over the course of a several months, but last weekend she was declared cancer-free and, with some maneuvering from mom, rang the victory bell. The beginning: Lilian Grace Borden was born with an 'ominous spot on her brain stem' Her battle: Testing showed a rapidly growing stage 3/4 Glioma brain tumor Soon after she was born, a nurse noticed something wrong with her movements. 'She was not distressed at birth. We held her, she cried, we cried, all was right with the world,' her mother, Leann Borden, from Reno, Nevada, told Good Morning America. But, she added: 'Lily wasnt moving her limbs quite right.' Doctors did an MRI of Lily's brain to see if everything was clear, but they found 'an ominous spot on her brain stem.' 'By the time of her next MRI, just days later, the tumor was larger and now ran from her brain stem down her spinal cord to below her shoulders,' reads a post on Lily's GoFundMe page, which was set up by her parents. 'They offered little hope the tumor was inoperable and growing aggressively but proceeded with a biopsy.' The newborn was soon diagnosed with a stage 3/4 Glioma brain tumor all while the mass continued to grow. Scary: Doctors said there was a small chance chemotherapy could kill the tumor Success! Just over a month of chemotherapy killed Lily's brain tumor Lily's parents were given the smallest ray of hope in that these types of tumors can sometimes be tackled with the help of chemotherapy, but treatment needed to start right away to prevent further growth. On October 2, Lily started her chemotherapy treatment to target the tumor. Just over one month later, the tumor that had traveled down Lily's spine and no longer appeared on a new MRI scan. Lily still had to undergo different treatments for the next couple of months after the clear scan, but she was able to ring the cancer bell with her parents in on January 25, 2020 to signify the successful end to her cancer diagnosis. Video footage of the special moment shows Borden with her husband, who held their child, as the family prepared to ring the hospital's bell. Special moment: Video footage shows Borden with her husband, who held their child, as the family prepared to ring the hospital's bell Emotional: Lily's mom, Leann Borden, gave an emotional speech to staff and thanked them for helping save her daughter's life 'Before I ring the bell I just want to say to everybody here we are so grateful for everything that you do,' Borden says in the video, through tears. 'We would have lost everything. You guys are all incredible. I've never met such amazing people in my whole life.' She helped Lily ring the bell as hospital staff looked on and cheered. A GoFundMe page was created for the family following their daughter's diagnosis because neither parent could work during her treatments. 'Nearly losing your baby to this awful disease is hard enough, but neither parent being able to work because they are out of the area, placed an additional burden on an already devastated family,' the page explained. Now that Lily is cancer-free, the family should hopefully be able to start their new life together away from the hospital. PR-Inside.com: 2020-01-30 12:00:41 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 951 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 HOLBROOK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / January 30, 2020 / American Portfolios Financial Services, Inc. (AP) is pleased to formally announce that Tim O'Grady has officially assumed the role of president for the privately-held, independent broker/dealer (IBD), serving more than 700 producing investment professionals nationwide.The promotion was informally announced to the firm's affiliated colleagues this past October at AP's annual national conference, Connections 2019, during CEO, CIO and former President Lon T. Dolber's State of the Firm Address. Throughout his speech, Dolber spoke about the importance of succession planning-not just for its affiliated colleagues and their practices, but within its corporate leadership for those who are committed to keeping the firm sustainable and independent. "A company is not a great company if it depends on only one leader; everybody has to be relied upon for providing guidance and stewardship. For the last 15 years, we've been fortunate to have Tim with us for his ability to draw talented investment professionals to AP, zeroing in on their needs and giving them tools as business owners to operate successful, independent financial services practices. Without question, Tim's innate understanding of both the business and AP's ethos can be attributed to our success over the years and I believe wholeheartedly he is the natural successor to take the broker/dealer into a new level of growth." In his role as president of American Portfolios Financial Services, Inc., O'Grady acts as the eyes and ears of the firm, working collaboratively with all departments across all initiatives in order to grow the broker/dealer in all facets.O'Grady began his tenure at AP as a consultant after attending one of the firm's conferences, where he became convinced his acquired expertise could help the then-fledgling independent broker/dealer go far. He struck up a unique proposition with Dolber, initially refusing payment for his services in order to prove that his method of recruiting new talent was the right direction in which the firm should move. That unique proposition would pay dividends in no time. Through O'Grady's sheer know-how, gift for relationship building, and measured and balanced negotiations dealings, he-and then with his expanding team-helped AP grow from a firm that now services over 700 producing investment professionals and their associates nationwide, with more than $30 billion in AUM. His leadership has also contributed to one of the firm's proudest recognitions-being named Broker-Dealer of the Year* by Investment Advisor magazine for five consecutive years.In his role as president of American Portfolios Financial Services, Inc., O'Grady acts as the eyes and ears of the firm, working collaboratively with all departments across all initiatives in order to grow the broker/dealer in all facets. More specifically, he works with the compliance area to handle the broker/dealer's regulatory requirements outlined by FINRA and the SEC, and ensures the broker/dealer functions optimally from a customer relationship management standpoint. O'Grady serves as the main point of contact for the firm's affiliated financial advisors, to arbitrate and/or advocate getting the services and support they need from AP in order to conduct business in a highly efficient and effective manner.O'Grady continues to oversee all national sales development and recruiting for the firm, as well as supervising the Connections, regional, and Leaders Conference meetings for new and existing colleagues to ensure alignment. He and his team are responsible for all new business and branch development, which includes attracting new practices, as well as supporting the growth of existing offices.AP possesses a finely-tuned operation that includes a tight-knit team of dedicated and skilled staff members in three areas: new business development - advisor relations, new business development - recruiting and focus partner relations.Vice President of New Business Development and Advisor Relations David Molter oversees the team responsible for sales reporting, customer-facing initiatives and AP-affiliated, advisor-centered goals, which include: 1) Vice President of National Sales Kenneth Aulbach, whose main focus is on the overall development of advisory and broker/dealer sales, as well as recruiting; 2) Director of Practice Management Corey Brodsky, who interfaces with the AP advisor community to develop actionable plans to scale and grow their practices; 3) Director of Insurance Products Keith Carravone, who assists AP advisors on all types of annuities, life insurance, long term care and disability insurance; and 4) Business Consultants Thomas LoManto, Kaitlyn Stanley and Michael Boccio.Working to bring recruiting to the next level is Director of New Business Development Carl Kirchner and New Business Development Consultant Mark Ferro, a former divisional sales manager for OppenheimerFunds.Fostering and maintaining new and existing focus partner relationships is Director of Sales Operations Kristina Garrison and New Business Development Associate Denise Shaljian. The team is hard at work building out a robust, value-added meeting schedule for AP's 2020 Connections Tour.About UsAbout American PortfoliosHeadquartered in Holbrook, N.Y., American Portfolios Financial Services, Inc. (APFS) is a full-service, independent broker/dealer and member firm of FINRA and SIPC, offering a complete range of financial services, including personal financial and retirement planning, securities trading, mutual funds, access to investment research, long-term care planning, insurance products and tax-free investing. Fee-based asset management is offered through its sister subsidiary, American Portfolios Advisors, Inc., (APA), an SEC Registered Investment Advisor. Both entities, along with technology entity American Portfolios Advisory Solutions, LLC, collectively reside under the legal entity American Portfolios Holdings, Inc. (APH). Full-service securities brokerage is available through a clearing firm relationship with Pershing, LLC, a BNY Mellon firm, the securities of which are held on a fully disclosed basis. The company currently supports 826 independent investment professionals, to include registered assistants, as well as more than 375 non-registered associates, located in 396 branch locations throughout the nation. It was named Broker-Dealer of the Year* (Division III) by Investment Advisor magazine in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019; a wealthman The United Nations said Thursday it was suspending its operations at a refugee reception centre in Tripoli over safety fears as the conflict in the war-ravaged country worsens. The UN refugee agency's chief of mission in Libya, Jean-Paul Cavalieri said the decision had been taken after the organisation learned that military and police training exercises were taking place just outside the facility. "We fear that the entire area could become a military target, further endangering the lives of refugees, asylum seekers and other civilians," he said in a statement. The government in Tripoli has been in clashes since April with Libya National Army (LNA) lead by commander Khalifa Haftar, the latest fighting to hit the North African state. UNHCR already expressed deep safety concerns on January 2 after three mortar shells fell close to the Gathering and Departure Facility (GDF), and fragments landed near a warehouse inside the complex. UNHCR said it had begun moving dozens of highly vulnerable refugees, who have already been identified for resettlement or evacuation to third countries, from the facility. When contacted by AFP, an agency spokeswoman declined to comment on where they were being moved to "for protection reasons". The facility, which falls under the jurisdiction of Libya's interior ministry, was established in 2018 as a transit site to host vulnerable refugees awaiting evacuation and resettlement. Since December 2018, nearly 1,700 formerly detained refugees have been evacuated out of Libya to safety through the GDF. However, UNHCR warned late last year that hundreds of other migrants and asylum seekers had flocked to the centre, leaving it severely overcrowded and unable to function as a transit centre. In a bid to encourage migrants to leave the facility, the agency said in November it would gradually halt catering to the centre. This sparked allegations, reported by British daily The Guardian, that it was "starving" asylum seekers to force them out -- something UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi at the time rejected as "offensive". The agency said Thursday it would help facilitate the evacuation of the hundreds of people remaining at the centre who did not fall in the most vulnerable category to urban areas. They included some 400 asylum seekers who had fled the Tajoura detention centre after it was hit by air strikes last July and 300 asylum seekers from Abu Salim detention centre who came to the GDF after they were spontaneously released from detention last November. The UN agency said they would all be provided with cash assistance, relief items and medical assistance at UNHCR's Community Day Centre in Tripoli. According to UNHCR, tens of thousands of refugees and asylum-seekers already live in urban areas in Libya, which has been mired in chaos since the 2011 uprising that killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi. Search Keywords: Short link: Photo: Priscilla Du Preez/Unsplash Looking for something to do this week? From a dance class to a film screening, here are a few top 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. Design Week Sacramento 2020 Town Hall From the event description: Join us for a fun yet informational night for people who are interested in getting involved with Design Week Sacramento, whether its sponsoring us, hosting an event, volunteering or more. Well be sharing a little about what we have in store for DWS 2020 and youll be able to ask your burning questions about this years event. When: Thursday, Jan. 30, 6-8 p.m. Where: Solomon's Delicatessen, 730 K St. Admission: Free (General Admission); $5 (Design Week Fan). More ticket options available. Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Year Of The Turn Up (Heartbreaka) From the event description: Purple Reign Ent and Burgundy Suite present "Year Of The Turn Up." Come celebrate Chinese New Year with Heartbreaka, YT, Vonnie and more. When: Thursday, Jan. 30, 7 p.m.- Friday, Jan. 31, midnight Where: 817 16th St, Sacramento, 817 16th St. Admission: $25 (Pre-Sale); $50 (Pre-Sale and Meet and Greet) Click here for more details, and to get your tickets DOA Dance Class: Hip Hop Edition From the event description: A high energy dance class that will provide an open space for all to have a fun time and break a sweat. Descendents of Africa (DOA) focuses on informing and spreading culture, love and expression of Africa through dance, philanthropy and fun. When: Thursday, Jan. 30, 7:30-9 p.m. Where: LAB 7 Coworking, 2417 21st St. Admission: $7 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets #FlashbackFriday a 60th Anniversary Celebration From the event description: Join us in our Golden Eagle Room and Flashback to 1960 when the Firehouse first opened its doors. On January 31st we'll be taking #FlashbackFriday very seriously here with this 60th Anniversary celebration. We'll be transforming our Golden Eagle Room, into a mecca of all things 1960 in honor of the year that The Firehouse first opened its doors. Story continues When: Friday, Jan. 31, 4-7 p.m. Where: The Firehouse Restaurant, 1112 Second St. Admission: Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Oscars Shorts 2020 (Documentary) From the event description: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the worlds preeminent movie-related organization. Watch five short films that are nominated for this year's Academy Awards. When: Sunday, Feb. 2, 8-10:45 p.m. Where: Crest Theatre, 1013 K St. Admission: $10 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. An Oakland councilwoman introduced legislation Thursday that she said would give landlords an incentive to offer their tenants first right of refusal when selling the property. The proposal by Councilwoman Nikki Fortunato Bas is still raw and doesnt yet specify what the incentive would be. But Fortunato Bas said her intention is to protect renters from losing their homes. She said she was inspired by a group of homeless mothers, known as Moms 4 Housing, who recently took over a vacant property in West Oakland for two months to highlight the areas crises of affordable housing and homelessness. It will help reduce homelessness, said Fortunato Bas said of her Moms 4 Housing Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act. When we look around in Oakland ... we see how more people are pushed onto the streets, more families are living in their vehicles. This is going to make sure that we stem the displacement crisis. She expects the legislation to incentivize home sales to tenants, community land trusts, or nonprofit affordable housing developers. If approved, it would be the first such tenant protection in California, the councilwoman said. Washington, D.C. has had a similar law since 1980. There, landlords are required to notify their tenants if they plan to sell the home. Renters then have 30 days to tell the homeowner if they want to buy the property. In November, a rotating group of at least three mothers moved into the vacant home at 2928 Magnolia St. with their children. The families lived there for nearly two months before sheriffs deputies evicted them, an act the mayor condemned. The group had repeatedly called on the property owners, Wedgewood, to negotiate with the Oakland Community Land Trust so the mothers could purchase the property through the nonprofit. But the company said it would not negotiate as long as the women occupied its property. Wedgewood, a Southern California firm, is one of Oaklands most prolific house flippers, rehabbing and selling 160 homes in nine years. On Jan. 20, Mayor Libby Schaaf announced that Wedgewood agreed to negotiate the sale of the home with the Oakland Community Land Trust, a nonprofit organization that acquires land and property for affordable housing. Schaaf helped arrange the deal that requires the three-bedroom, one-bath house to sell for no more than its appraised value. A formal appraisal will need to take place, but the home is listed at $631,201 on the real-estate site Zillow. Under the agreement, Wedgewood agreed to also negotiate a right-of-first-refusal program for all of its Oakland properties, about 50, according to the company. 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. Dominique Walker, a co-founder of Moms 4 Housing, said the ordinance introduced Thursday would keep people off the streets. The 34-year-old single mother of two young children works as an organizer for a tenants-rights group. Walker said she has struggled to find housing in the Bay Area. Recently, she found a one-bedroom cottage for $2,000 a month in San Leandro. But the landlord wanted her to pay $8,000 up front a cost that she couldnt afford. We are committed to ending homelessness, and this is the first step in the right direction for us, Walker said. The legislation will be heard Feb. 25 at the Community and Economic Development committee meeting before going to the full council. Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani Authorities of 26 prominent city schools have been asked by the West Bengal government to ensure that their students avail either car pool or school buses from April 1 to minimize vehicular pollution. The School department in a notification last week has asked the school authorities to 'mandatorily introduce' a system where students are ferried in school buses or car pool and to ensure that guardians don't use personal vehicles to take their wards to the institution. The guardians can be allowed to use personal vehicles "only in very emergent and exceptional cases" with proof, the notification, issued by the Commissioner of School Education, Saumitra Mohan, said. The 26 institutions include South Point School, Modern High School for Girls, La Martiniere School for Boys/Girls, St Xavier's School, Don Bosco School Kolkata, St James School, Gokhale Memorial School, Sakhawat Memorial Government Girls High School, Future Foundation School. The notification said as per recent directives of National Green Tribunal to maintain ambient air quality near big schools identified by Kolkata Police, the measure was taken. A School department official said the notification was issued after chief secretary and senior police officials held meeting with representatives of big schools to ensure minimum traffic congestion during start of the school hours and closing time. Father Bikash Mondal, Principal of Don Bosco School, Park Circus said "We have received the notification. After discussion with all stakeholders we will take a decision which will be acceptable to all including students." A spokesman of La Martiniere School for Boys/Girls said "we had asked guardians in the past also to use pool cars, which can ferry a number of students, instead of taking out their own vehicle, individually for a student. We will again talk with them." To a question, the spokesman said the pool cars, meant for ferrying their students will follow the safety norms and standards and the school will monitor their conditions. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A woman who claims she suffered an electric shock at a Universal Orlando water park last year has filed a lawsuit, but the theme park resort is blaming the woman for negligence. Universal Orlando filed a response last month to April Carlinos lawsuit, saying she failed to use reasonable care for her own safety. Universal Orlando said any injury Carlino suffered was from a preexisting condition. Carlino had sued the Orlando-based theme park resort in November, seeking an undisclosed amount of money. She said she was shocked last June while at the Volcano Bay water park. Her lawsuit didnt detail her injuries. Last November, federal work-safety investigators said Universal Orlando wouldnt be cited because the resort was unaware something was wrong. A Universal official told investigators with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that engineers measured 20 to 30 volts on a sidewalk. The cause was found to be electrical wiring damaged during construction that sent electrical currents through the ground, according to an OSHA report. A Universal spokesman on Tuesday said the company would not comment. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Dr Shridhar Pawar's experiences in the by-lanes of Kamathipura with sex workers, impoverished families, queer groups, migrant populations inform his poetry in Ardhe Akash Maathyavar. Its our right to be gay Aamhala manya tu, tujhya laingiktechya Hazaar aasanansaha Pan Bhukecha kaay? (Translation: Its our right to be gay. We recognise you and a thousand forms of your sexuality. But, what about hunger?) Lines such as these pierce the heart in Ardhe Akash Maathyavar, an anthology of Marathi poems by Dr Shridhar Pawar, who in his long career, happened to spend six years treating patients at an STD clinic in Kamathipura, the infamous red light neighbourhood in southern Mumbai. His experiences in those by-lanes peopled by various marginalised communities sex workers and their children, impoverished families, queer groups, migrant populations and so on inform his worldview as well as the poetry in the book, an often harshly emotional take on life on the fringes. Kamathipura has long attracted the gaze of the Indian and foreign media, with capitalist lenses often exoticising the area's poverty and backwardness. It is in this context that Dr Pawars book works best, as it shuns the over-abused spectacle and romance in favour of an empathetic storytellers gaze, one who doesnt shy away from expressing his personal emotions in the language, tone and style of each poem, based on its own individual story and context. The title of the book means half the sky on our heads, symbolising one half of the population women who form the backbone of the communities in Kamathipura. The lines at the beginning of this piece are from a poem that talks about the spectrum of marginalisation even within a single community. Thus, a gay person belonging to a higher economic stratum might not be fully able to understand the struggles of impoverished gay people, who face the kind of oppression and discrimination the former can scarcely imagine. The World of the Verses A long, arduous history lies at the back of Dr Pawars experiences in Kamathipura. The clinic itself was established over a century ago, in 1916. Ravaged by the carnal needs of Britains colonial armed forces, followed by those of the industrial population that was largely responsible for turning Mumbai into a global financial hub in the 20th century, the sex workers of Kamathipura became hosts for the onset of venereal diseases (now known as sexually transmitted diseases) such as syphilis and gonorrhoea. The tyranny of feudalism and colonialism combined to turn a vibrant, active neighbourhood of another kind of commerce, into a hotbed of disease as well as stigma. The permeation and enlargement of the margins of society is a given feature in an increasingly material world, thus giving the stories of Kamathipura a universal relevance. Invisible people, invisible stories and the power of poetry In one of his poems, titled Feminist, in the Hindi translation of the book, a certain rage emanates from his words, like a gentle soul finally getting angry. He talks of the toxicity of manhood reaching such extreme levels that perhaps only a complete rejection of the symbols of masculinity and patriarchy would do. He almost exhorts a castration of the phallus, because world that claims to aspire for social justice has no place for the infamous male ego. The poetry, is thus reactive, each referring to another story, another personal experience finding expression through these short bursts of emotional and rational perspective. Sometimes, the poetry has an almost performable quality to it. Like in the poem Ek Sadat Janarya Kalavishayi (loosely translated to about this rotting world), he talks about the identity of transgender people. The nature of verse is prickly and exclamatory, like the script of a street play. It is through such varied empathetic gazes that the collection of poems finds its own identity, though the language is often abstract and metaphorical requiring a higher level of sensitivity and cognisance of the brutal reality of our terms to fully grasp all of it. This is a book that would have immensely benefited from a contextual prose as an addendum to each of the 43 poems contained within, to completely inform the reader of the full force and gaze of each; yet the work as a whole is a timely reminder of how far weve all come, and how much farther we, as sentient custodians of the future, have to go. The requested page is currently unavailable on this server. Back to [RTHK News Homepage] There shall be no right of return The 1948 war resulted in the flight or expulsion of some 700,000 Palestinians from their homes, creating a refugee crisis that remains unresolved. Today, those refugees and their descendants, spread out across the region, number around five million. Many Palestinians believe they have the right to return to their ancestral properties, in keeping with the United Nations Resolution 194. The plan explicitly rejects this idea. Israel cant accept the right of return without abandoning either its Jewish or democratic identity, as Alex Ward explains at Vox, since the naturalization of so many non-Jews would endanger the majority status of Jews in a Jewish state. The idea of a right of return is antithetical to the two-state solution and to peace, according to Tzipi Livni, a former Israeli foreign minister. As the state of Israel is, by definition, the answer to the national aspiration of the Jewish people, as Israel absorbed Jewish refugees that came from all over the world, she wrote in 2018, the creation of the Palestinian state, by definition, provides the answer for the entire Palestinian people wherever they may be, including Palestinian refugees. But it is precisely Palestinians historical claims to Israeli land that makes a two-state solution untenable, argues Yousef Munayyer, the executive director of the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights and a Palestinian citizen of Israel. For the better part of a century, he says, Western powers have repeatedly tried accommodating the Zionist demand for a Jewish-majority state in a land populated overwhelmingly by Palestinians. This, he contends, is a circle that cannot be squared. Instead, Israelis and Palestinians should work together to craft a constitution that would uphold the rights of all. Jerusalem will remain the sovereign capital of the State of Israel Under Mr. Trumps plan, Israel would gain formal sovereignty over an undivided Jerusalem as its capital, while the Palestinian capital would sit on the outer edge of the city beyond an existing wall. The citys status as a holy site for all three Abrahamic religions has made it a central point of contention in peace negotiations. Under the United Nationss 1947 partition plan, Jerusalem was never intended to be the capital of any country, Ms. Buttu wrote in 2017, but rather a shared city under an international regime with sovereignty resting with neither Israel nor Palestinians. In 1980, the United Nations deemed Israels declaration of Jerusalem as its unified capital a violation of international law. But Mr. Trumps plan stipulates that returning to a divided Jerusalem would be a grave mistake, particularly because it would entail having two separate security forces in one of the most sensitive areas on earth. And many Israeli Jews, such as the writer Shmuel Rosner, believe that Jerusalem is our capital and it always will be. A demilitarized State of Palestine Mr. Trumps plan sets aside the goal of a full-fledged Palestinian state; he promised that Palestinians could achieve an independent state of their very own but gave few details. Mr. Netanyahu said the deal provided a pathway to a Palestinian state under as-yet-unspecified conditions. This future entity, however, would lack certain characteristics of a state, explains the Israeli reporter Amir Tibon. The streets of all of its cities, towns and villages, as well as the roads connecting them, will be under the full control of the military of another state Israel. It will have no control over its borders, which will also be controlled by Israel, he adds. Coronavirus declared global health emergency by WHO after 1st person-to-person US case reported originally appeared on abcnews.go.com The World Health Organization declared coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern at a news conference Thursday in Geneva. This is only the sixth time such an emergency has been declared, with past examples including the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Zika virus. The WHO reserves the designation for "extraordinary events" that pose a public health risk by threatening to spread internationally. MORE: Does wearing a mask while traveling ward off illness? Here's what experts say The first case of human-to-human coronavirus transmission in the U.S. has been confirmed, in a patient in Illinois, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday. The transmission occurred between a husband and wife, who were in close contact with one another. The wife, a woman in her 60s, had traveled to Wuhan, China, and was diagnosed with the virus last week. The husband, a Chicago resident also in his 60s and who has underlying health problems, had not traveled to China. "The risk to the general public in Illinois remains low," state health officials stressed. They said that they do not believe the virus is spreading widely in communities and are working to ensure health care workers at the hospital where the patient is being treated are protected. The State Department issued a "Do Not Travel" warning for China on Thursday night, its strongest warning. The Level 4 advisory already was in place for Wuhan, the center of the outbreak. It also advised Americans in China to depart via commercial flights. PHOTO: World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrives for a press conference to talk about Coronavirus, Jan. 30, 2020 in Geneva. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images) Cases of human-to-human transmission previously have been reported outside of China, in Germany, Japan, Vietnam and Taiwan. The best recommendations for Americans who are worried about their health is to practice proper flu season hygiene, including frequent hand washing, covering coughs and keeping up-to-date on new information from the CDC. The CDC does not recommend wearing a face mask to prevent coronavirus. Story continues "Our assessment remains that the immediate risk to the American public is low," said Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The transmission in Illinois marks the sixth case of coronavirus in the U.S. The WHO deliberated for two days last week before deciding not to declare an emergency. Since then, however, patients from Germany, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam and the U.S. have been diagnosed with the new coronavirus without having visited China. The new coronavirus is in the same family of viruses as the common cold and SARS. MORE: What to know about coronavirus symptoms That human-to-human transmission outside of China "worries us," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general at WHO, said during a Wednesday news conference. Confirmed U.S. Coronavirus Cases (ABC NEWS) Countries with Confirmed Coronavirus Cases (ABC NEWS) At last count, more than 7,700 people have been sickened by the novel coronavirus and 170 have died from it. More than 90% percent of those cases, and every death, have been in China. According to WHO, 20% of cases are considered to be severe and 2% have been fatal. It's expected that the fatality rate of the new coronavirus will decrease as more cases are reported, since the sickest individuals tend to seek medical treatment first. In the United States, 165 people are under investigation for the new coronavirus. Of those individuals, 68 have tested negative and six have tested positive. The remaining individuals' tests are in transit or have pending results. Twenty American airports are screening passengers for signs of sickness and distributing educational materials the signs of coronavirus to people returning from China. MORE: New coronavirus 'not spreading' in the US, CDC says Airlines around the world have suspended some routes to China -- United, Delta, American Airlines, British Airways, Air Seoul, Lion Air, Lufthansa Group, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Air Asia, Air India, Air Canada, All Nippon Airways, Asiana Airlines and Korean Air. PHOTO: A general view of the St. Alexius Medical Center, where confirmed coronavirus patient is being treated in Hoffman Estates, Ill., Jan. 25, 2020. (Kamil Krzaczynski/Reuters, FILE) This week, the U.S. government chartered a flight to evacuate 196 Americans from Wuhan, China. Those evacuees were screened and monitored for signs of illness before and throughout their flight. After landing in California, the passengers entered a voluntary three-day quarantine and will be offered testing for the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. MORE: US evacuation flight from China's coronavirus zone rerouted to March Air Reserve Base On Jan. 29, President Donald Trump announced that he was forming a coronavirus task force made up of top health, transportation, and national security officials. The team will coordinate efforts to respond to coronavirus and work to prevent the virus from spreading. ABC News' Mina Kaji and Christine Theodorou contributed to this report. New Delhi: While Indian Air Force (IAF) is inducting 36 French Rafale jets and the indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) to boost its fighter squadron strength, the force under the leadership of Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria is also undertaking a major restructuring of its highly trained and motivated personnel to boost its war-fighting units. The IAF has in recent months enhanced the strength of its combat aircraft squadrons by 20 per cent to help them prepare better for operational tasks. "More than 2,000 air warriors and technicians have been provided to the fighter squadrons in the last few months. These personnel have been drawn from air headquarters and command headquarters where they were not performing technical duties," top IAF sources told ANI. More air warriors in the fighter squadrons would help in easing the workload on the existing personnel and also help in enhancing the safety in flying operations, they said. The restructuring in the service is being monitored by the Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria. The number of people who have been taken out from headquarters and non-operational tasks is over 2,000. Bhadauria took over as the Chief of Air Staff on October 1, 2019. Apart from restructuring in the headquarters, the IAF has also implemented strict rules in appointment of support staff for flag officers in service. The IAF has been strengthening its fighting capabilities in the last one year after the Balakot operations in Pakistan on February 26, 2019, as it had acquired weapons including air to air missiles and air to ground weapon systems such as the Spice 2000 bombs with greater destruction capabilities and Strum Ataka anti-tank guided missiles. IAF was also the top spender among the three services in emergency powers given for the acquisition of weapons and spares in the aftermath of the Balakot aerial strikes in which Mirage 2000 jets had bombed a Jaidh-e-Mohammad terror group's training camp deep inside Pakistan following the dastardly attack on a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama killing over 40 troopers IAF strength also received a major boost after the induction of its Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter aircraft squadron in southern India at Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu and is likely to get further strengthened with induction of another Tejas combat aircraft squadron in Sulur. a Tuesday, Jan 11th, 2022 Project Veritas battles for journalism, and against it By Caleb Pershan Early on the morning of November 6 last year, FBI agents armed with a search warrant raided the Mamaroneck, New York, apartment of James OKeefe, the right-wing provocateur who founded the website Project Veritas. While OKeefe stood handcuffed in his... Beijing: China on Thursday allocated nearly USD four billion funding to support efforts to contain the dreaded coronavirus as the death toll from the epidemic jumped to 170, with the foundations of Jack Ma and Bill & Melinda Gates also opening their wallets to help in the fight against the outbreak. The coronavirus outbreak began in Wuhan, capital of China's Hubei province, in December and has now spread across the globe. The Chinese authorities are trying to contain the epidemic while other countries, including India, are working on plans to evacuate their citizens from Wuhan and other cities in Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak. The death toll in China has increased sharply to 170 with 38 more fatalities while the confirmed cases jumped to 7,711, China's National Health Commission said on Thursday. China has allocated 27.3 billion yuan (about USD 3.94 billion) to support the battle across the country against the novel coronavirus, the Finance Ministry said. The funds have been allocated to guarantee the coronavirus prevention and control work, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. More efforts are required to improve fiscal and taxation measures for coronavirus prevention and control in a timely manner, the Finance Ministry said. Financial departments at all levels should reasonably allocate funds and make sure that the prevention and control work will not be affected by funding problems, the meeting noted, Xinhua reported. Also, the government has announced a special daily subsidy of 300 yuan (about USD 42) for medical personnel working in close contact with the coronavirus affected patients, it said. Meanwhile, funds are pouring in to step up research to develop vaccine to counter the coronavirus. Alibaba founder Jack Ma, the second-richest person in China, reportedly pledged USD 14 million (100 million yuan) to efforts to develop a coronavirus vaccine through his Jack Ma Foundation. "We firmly know that while scientists are racing against the clock, it won't be an easy task from the vaccine research to the final large-scale production and use," Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group and the Jack Ma Foundation said. Ma said the foundation will strive to provide more help for the development and accumulation of medical science in the fight against viruses. Alibaba Group said it would provide public research institutions free access to all AI capabilities needed for the development of vaccines and new drugs for the novel coronavirus. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced a USD10 million commitment to help frontline responders in China and Africa contain the spread of novel coronavirus. The foundation pledged USD five million in support of response efforts in China and is working with public- and private-sector partners to accelerate national and international cooperation in the areas of critical need, including efforts to identify and confirm cases, safely isolate and care for infected patients, and develop treatments and vaccines. China is still in emergency mode in dealing with the coronavirus threat and not yet started counting the costs and the impact it would have on its already slowing down economy. The world's 2nd largest economy grew by 6.1 per cent last year, the lowest annual growth rate in 29 years amid the bruising 18-month long trade war with the US. The government is hoping to halt the slowdown this year after reaching the phase one trade deal with Washington. With the coronavirus causing devastating impact by virtually bringing the country to halt, analysts say it may have substantial impact on the economy this year. The U.S. military is now treating 64 troops for traumatic brain injury symptoms following Iran's ballistic missile attack on Al Asad Air Base in Iraq earlier this month, defense officials said Thursday. "The Department of Defense remains committed to providing the American people timely and accurate information about the care and treatment of our service members," said Army Lt. Col. Thomas Campbell, a Pentagon spokesperson. CNN was first to report the increase. The latest news marks the fourth time the Defense Department has amended its statement regarding the injuries. Of the 64, 39 service members have returned to duty, officials said. Earlier Thursday, top Pentagon officials said the number of troops with mild TBI or concussion-like symptoms was expected to rise. "The number is growing," Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley told reporters during a briefing. Medical professionals continue to screen troops involved in the attack for TBI, which presents concussion-like symptoms and often manifest days or weeks later. "It's not instantaneous," Milley added. "For all the folks that have been diagnosed to date, it's mild traumatic brain injury." The Defense Department's reporting of the incident has come under scrutiny as officials initially said there were no casualties -- a term used to describe those killed, wounded or incapacitated in some way. Related: US Expands Troop, Fighter Jet Presence at Saudi Base Despite early accounts that no Americans had been harmed, later media reports said that 11 troops had been hurt in the blast, requiring medical evacuation and treatment at facilities in Germany and Kuwait. Last week, defense officials confirmed that 34 service members had been diagnosed with concussion-like or TBI symptoms since the Jan. 8 Iranian ballistic missile strike. Following treatment, 17 of the 34 returned to duty, Pentagon chief spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said Jan. 24. The number then grew to 50, DoD officials said this week. "Over time, you learn things and you get reports and as we said, there would likely be more and more," Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Thursday. "I think we did our best to report no casualties." Iran's attack on Al Asad, as well as another on a base in Erbil the same day, came in retaliation for a U.S. drone strike days prior that killed Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani. Esper said that a U.S. commander in Iraq has requested a Patriot missile battery for reinforcement, "and in this case we support the commander." The U.S. does not currently have Patriot defenses at either Al Asad or Erbil, where American troops are located. In coordination with other Gulf partner nations, the Pentagon has stationed the missile battery at other locations, such as bases in Saudi Arabia, which officials judged were more likely to be in Iran's crosshairs, The Associated Press reported Wednesday. "[But] we need the permission of the Iraqi government; that's one issue," Esper said. "There's mechanical pieces -- the 'science of war' so to speak -- of actually moving and bringing in Patriot. So the mechanics need to be worked out [to bring in an Army battalion]," Milley said. He could not say for certain whether a Patriot battery could have prevented or intercepted the dozen or so ballistic missiles that hit Al Asad. "But it is what they're designed to do," Milley said. -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214. Read more: These Next-Gen Woobies Can Hide a Soldiers Heat Signature from the Enemy JACKSON, MI The courtroom was full of people crying silently as a 20-year-old man was sentenced for the crash that killed a 3-year-old girl. Kingston Skrzynski, of Jackson, pleaded guilty Nov. 15 to one felony count each of reckless driving causing death and operating under the influence causing death in the Aug. 26, 2018 crash that killed young Raylyn Kami Johnson. Jackson County Circuit Judge Thomas Wilson sentenced Skrzynski to 50 to 180 months in prison for each charge. The sentences will be served concurrently. Skrzynski, then 19, was driving on the shoulder of U.S. 127 when he rear-ended a minivan between Cook and Reed roads shortly after it pulled out of a private drive, police said. The minivan rolled several times and Raylyn was ejected. He tested positive for methamphetamine in his system that was three days old at the time of the crash. He also had taken Gabapentin, a medication used to treat seizures and nerve pain. I wish I could take that day back, Skrzynski said. Im reminded of the loss I caused every day. I think about her life being cut short. I understand I cant do anything to make up for what Ive done or take away your pain. There is absolutely no way I can undo what Ive done. I accept all consequences given to me by the court. Skrzynski turned to Raylyns family who filled half the courtroom gallery and apologized and asked for forgiveness at the end of his statement. His family filled the other half of the gallery, with people on both sides crying and wiping away tears. The 3-year-olds death forever changed the family, her mother, Misty Brown, wrote in a victim impact statement read by Jackson County Assistant Prosecutor Kalle Tucker. Her death left a huge gap in the family, the statement said. When she left, she took part of me, the statement read. A part I will never get back. My heart hurts, my soul is gone, all over someone elses stupid decisions. RELATED NEWS: Jackson man pleads guilty to killing toddler in OWI crash Murder charge added to man accused of killing toddler in U.S. 127 crash Man charged for killing toddler in OWI crash on U.S. 127 Toddler dies after being ejected from vehicle in U.S. 127 crash T he Friday closest to the EU referendum date should be made a bank holiday, a Brexiteer has said. Tory Peter Bone told MPs he plans to introduce a Bill calling for a United Kingdom Day on the Friday closest to June 23 every year. Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg described Mr Bones proposed UK Day as republican sounding, and suggested that a June bank holiday to mark the Queens birthday would be nicer. Raising the idea during business questions, Mr Bone said: Next week I intend to introduce a private members Bill to create a bank holiday on the Friday closest to June 23 every year to be called United Kingdom Day so that a country can celebrate sovereignty and the Union of our four great nations. Would the Leader of the House arrange for a statement next week saying that the Government will support this proposal, be neutral or oppose it. Mr Bone added: It seems to me that we should follow the example of some of our European neighbours. I noticed that in Germany there are nine bank holidays, France 11 bank holidays, Italy 11 bank holidays, the Netherlands 12 bank holidays, Belgium 15 bank holidays. Why not take a leaf out of their book? We only have eight in this country. Why not have an extra bank holiday. The advantage of that is that we can celebrate our sovereignty at the same time as celebrating our nations of the United Kingdom. And that will be a permanent reward, every June people will have the day off and say thank goodness for that Brexit vote. Mr Rees-Mogg said: Well, oddly, that falls under my responsibility as Lord President of the Council because bank holidays come from royal proclamation. Smart motorways could be rendered obsolete within a decade as they are not suitable for electric cars, it was claimed yesterday. AA boss Edmund King warned the routes would be even more dangerous because it would not be possible to tow the stranded vehicles to safety. He said driverless cars could also run into problems on smart motorways, where the hard shoulder is used as a regular traffic lane to ease congestion. This eight mile section of the M4 is one of the locations planners want to turn into a Smart Motorway. Smart motorways could be rendered obsolete within a decade as they are not suitable for electric cars, according to AA boss Edmund King Developers recommend if a motorist falls asleep in an autonomous vehicle then it should pull over in a safe place but this may prove impossible with no hard shoulder. Mr King said: 'In their current guise, smart motorways could be obsolete within ten years due to the lack of emergency refuge areas. A worker attaches a Mercedes star on an electric car of the type EQC The precautions for breaking down on a smart motorway Smart motorways are so dangerous that drivers must call 999 if they break down on them, a police leader warned yesterday. Che Donald, vice-chairman of the Police Federation, said even a tyre puncture could be a life-or-death emergency. He said: 'It is inherently dangerous, our members are responding to these breakdowns. We know Highways England has a duty to assist, but I think their primary focus is more about the flow of traffic than the safety of people using those roads.' AA boss Edmund King underlined the breakdown advice, adding: 'If you can't get out, keep your seatbelt on, put your hazards on and dial 999. That's how serious it is.' It came hours after John Apter, boss of the federation which represents rank and file officers, warned the roads were 'death traps'. A total of 38 people have been killed in five years. Mr King also said smart motorways where the hard shoulder is used as a regular traffic lane to ease congestion could be obsolete within a decade as they are not suitable for electric cars. He warned: 'You can't flat tow some electric vehicles more than 800 metres, some you can't flat tow at all. So the problem is they will take longer to get off the motorways.' Advertisement 'You can't flat tow some electric vehicles more than 800 metres, some you can't flat tow at all. 'So the problem is they will take longer to get off the motorways.' He spoke out as transport chiefs unveiled proposals to turn parts of the M4 and M5 into nearly 30 miles of smart motorways. Yesterday John Apter, chairman of the Police Federation, warned that smart motorways were 'death traps'. A Highways England spokesperson said: 'It's not clear what the AA is basing its analysis on. We are working with vehicle manufacturers to enable trials of connected and autonomous vehicles on the strategic road network, and we are funding the roll-out of additional electric vehicle charge-points near our network. 'Safety is and always will be our number one priority, and we are committed to ensuring the network is fit for the future. 'The Transport Secretary has asked the Department for Transport to carry out, at pace, an evidence stocktake to gather the facts about smart motorway safety. We are committed to safety and are supporting the Department in its work on this.' Map showing the location of the proposed Smart Motorways on the M4 and the M5, and insetm the locations of the Smart Motorway network New Delhi: US President Donald Trump will be state guest of Gujarat where he will also visit Sabarmati riverfront during his India trip in February, said Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Wednesday while addressing an election rally in north Delhi's Shastri Nagar. Vijay Rupani also gave hint that an event like 'Howdy Modi' can also be organised at the Motera stadium in Gujarat when the US President would visit the state. The Gujrat CM said, "In entire Asia, the Sabarmati river has become the cleanest river which was ensured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Prominent leaders like Japan and Israel prime ministers also visited the riverfront and got surprised to see it." Live TV Rupani said, "US President Trump will also come (to India) in February and he will also visit the riverfront," but did not specify the dates. Earlier this month, government sources said that Indian and US officials were engaged in talks to finalise the dates for Trump's visit to India. Trump's two-day visit could take place on February 24-26. India had invited Trump to grace the Republic Day parade as the chief guest last year, but he could not come due to scheduling issues. According to US government sources, the Kashmir issue will not be raised during any high-level visit, as Washington respects India's sovereignty. Trump's visit comes close to the heels of the impeachment process and prior to campaign for the next US presidential elections. Notably, the last time a US president visited India was Barack Obama in 2015. Obama was also the first US President to attend Indias Republic Day parade. New Delhi: Thursdays firing outside Jamia Millia University triggered a political row with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress and the Left parties training guns at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging the law and order situation in Delhi had collapsed under the party. The BJP hit back, saying Delhis chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was trying to wash his hands of all responsibilities. It linked the incident with the Shaheen Bagh protests and accused AAP and the Congress of funding protestors who have been agitating are on an agitation have continued their demonstrations against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act since December 15. Hours after the incident, home minister Shah said the Centre would not tolerate such incidents. I have spoken with Delhi Police Commissioner about the firing and directed him to take strict action against the accused. The central government will not tolerate any such incident. The guilty will not be spared, Shah tweeted. Responding to Shahs remarks, Kejriwal tweeted: What is happening in Delhi? The law and order situation is getting worse. I request you to do something about it. In another tweet, the home minister said the investigation had been entrusted with the Delhi Polices Special Commissioner and he would probe the case in entirety. AAP leaders demanded Shahs resignation and a police case against union minister Anurag Thakur, who has faced the Election Commissions flak over controversial sloganeering at a public gathering earlier this week. In a press conference, AAPs Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said, After Amit Shah took over as union home minister [June 2019], Delhi has witnessed situations like nine murders within 24 hours, clash between lawyers and the police and attack on university students. And now the latest incident proves that the law and order situation in the city has collapsed under Amit Shah. He said, The BJP is creating a riot-like situation in Delhi ahead of elections. They are trying to destroy peace in Delhi and instigate violence. It reflects that they have already accepted defeat in the polls. We demand the resignation of Amit Shah and FIR against Anurag Thakur under provisions of the Indian Penal Code. The AAPs national spokesperson Ajoy Kumar accused Delhi Police of being a mute spectator. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the incident was the result of BJP ministers and leaders inciting crowds with incendiary slogans. When ministers in the BJP government and leaders provoke people to shoot and give provocative speeches, then such incidents are possible. The prime minister should answer what kind of Delhi he wants to build. Is he standing with violence or non-violence. Is he standing with development or anarchy, she asked in a tweet in Hindi. Speaking at news conference at the party headquarters in Delhi, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said: What happened in Jamia Millia Islamia university is a live manifestation of this spectre of hate and terror that has been perpetrated across this country by the NDA-BJP government, especially since the end of the winter session of Parliament. The Congresss Delhi chief Subhash Chopra said, What kind of police force is Amit Shah running? Delhi police can be seen acting as a mute spectator while a man shot at peaceful protesters in full police presence. Is this what BJP leaders like Anurag Thakur intended when they endorsed communal slogans in public? They are creating an armed militia of radicalised youth. It is a shameful act of the BJP on the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. CPI general secretary D Raja said the incident is a direct result of the inflammatory comments made by BJP leaders. The Jamia firing incident is a direct result of provocative statements made by BJP leaders during campaigning in Delhi. BJP leader Anurag Thakur should be arrested for his comments urging crowds to raise slogan of shoot the traitors, Raja said. Responding to the allegations, the BJPs Rajya Sabha MP and former Delhi unit chief Vijay Goel said: They (AAP and Congress) are funding the protest at Shaheen Bagh and now they are blaming us for instigating violence. It is strange that the chief minister of Delhi wash his hand of all responsibilities. He doesnt visit Jamia Milia Islamia and Jawaharlal Nehru University after the violence. His party is incited violence. It seems he is the CM of his party and not the city. It is very easy to blame the police and Centre. Why is he not going and talking to protesters? (with PTI inputs) Expanding public transit would be my first priority, says Tenzin Wangmo, the Chief Climate Officer of the National Environment Commission (NEC), when asked what environmental actions the NEC would take if they had enough funding. The combination of geography, poor public transit, and increased development means that the number of private vehicles in Bhutan has exploded. According to a 2018 Ministry of Information and Communications report, the number of private cars registered in Bhutan, including taxis, went from 25,000 in 2000 to 89,3000 in 2017 an increase of 357 percent, and equivalent to a car for every tenth person in a country with a population of only around 800,000. Bhutanese officials struggle to adopt public transit that can accommodate this difficult geography. The country is too hilly and convoluted for trains, subways, or streetcars. The bus system has only gotten marginally better since the Vomit Comet era, mostly because of asphalt. Cars remain the primary way to get around for those that can afford them. Memoirs from the late 1900s about Bhutan often talk about its infamous form of transit: a series of minibuses ruefully called Vomit Comets. Bhutans geography is almost entirely mountainous, so roads must follow the winding rivers to connect faraway districts. The roads themselves can be perilous: they are cut into the mountain and drop precipitously on one side. Erosion and landslides form constant obstacles. And until recently, roads across the country werent paved, yet the Vomit Comets would take the bumpy, windy curves at breakneck speed. (Representational image via Twitter) Rising pollution The crush of cars, especially in Thimphu, the capital city of Bhutan, has wider implications beyond traffic. Exhaust from vehicles pollutes Thimphus air. The exhaust particles from fossil fuel combustion vehicles can exacerbate asthma and lead to premature deaths from heart disease. And the amount of air pollution in Thimphu has doubled between 2007 and 2018. The pollutants, plus the roads, sidewalks, and buildings, also absorb heat, making the whole city hotter. Vehicles that run on fossil fuels are also adding to Bhutans greenhouse gas emissions. The petroleum needed to run these cars must be shipped in, increasing Bhutans dependency on foreign extractive resources. In a country where electricity comes entirely from hydropower, most of Bhutans emissions come from the transportation sector. A Swiss consulting firm estimated that Bhutans emissions from vehicles would triple between 2018 and 2030 if the Bhutanese maintain the status quo. This could put Bhutans pledge of forever remaining carbon neutral in jeopardy. The electric car transition? Bhutan is promoting electric vehicle use to combat these growing emissions. However, this has not been an easy transition. A 2014 programme attempted to start this progress, but due to misconceptions and a lack of awareness, nothing came of it. Early in 2019, GEF and UNDP revitalised the electric vehicle programme with the goal of rolling out 300 electric vehicles in the taxi sector by 2021. Even under this new attempt, however, there are still a number of challenges. A lot of people dont have trust or confidence in this technology, said Phub Gyeltshen, the programmes project manager. We have had to work hard to convince them. Gyeltshen and his team face two major challenges regarding the uptake of electric vehicles by taxi drivers: trust and cost. The team is addressing the trust aspect through intensive education campaigns in schools and offices and through media interviews. But electric vehicles are expensive, and the programme can only subsidise the cost so much. The funding from UNDP can cover 20 percent, but that isnt enough for many taxi drivers. To make up the rest, Gyeltshen worked with the Royal Monetary Authority to set up a loan for 70 percent of the total cost of the electric vehicle. We are seeing more people coming to us to take the risk now that taxi drivers only have to pay 10% initially out of pocket, Gyeltshen said. For those who are not taxi drivers, buying an electric car has prohibitively expensive costs, said Nyingtob Norbu, a consultant for Bhutan Analytics. The upfront costs are already quite high, said Norbu, who wrote a cost-benefit analysis on electric vehicles in Bhutan in 2015. There is not a sufficient incentive to nudge behaviour in that direction. It is difficult to say what the results are as of now, as the 67 taxi drivers who have purchased an electric vehicle dont actually have it yet. Since the cars have to be transported from Japan, Korea, or China, they wont arrive until March. But Gyeltshen is optimistic; the taxi drivers were allowed to test drive an electric vehicle before they purchased one, and many seemed pleased at its drivability and the distance it was able to travel under a single charge. There is still the challenge of where to charge the car, however, and that is another aspect of the project that Gyeltshen and his team are still working out. There are five charging stations that were installed in 2015, but many more will be needed to meet the demand of the predicted 300 taxis if everything with this programme comes to fruition. According to Gyeltshen, 15 to 20 more charging stations are expected to be installed by the end of 2020, but those will only be installed in six western districts and Phuentsholing to the south. While 15 to 20 charging stations may be suitable for the 300 taxis, for electric vehicle adoption to be fully realised, many more charging stations will need to be installed. A 2016 report from the World Bank estimated that for a low-uptake scenario of electric vehicles, 648 normal charging stations would be needed across the country. According to Norbu, Simply deploying 300 vehicles wont be sufficient if you dont significantly expand the quick charging infrastructure. Even if the introduction of 300 electric vehicles pans out as expected by 2021, the UNDP funding stops there. If Bhutan hopes to continue with an electric vehicle programme beyond next year, the government will have to find new sponsors a process that could derail the programmes future. Currently, a few international NGOs seem interested in continuing the funding, but nothing has been formalised. While this programme of switching to electric vehicles will reduce the air pollution in Thimphu especially and lower dependency on oil, one thing would remain the same: Bhutan would still have a lot of cars. This programme doesnt change the fact that Thimphu isnt a public transit-friendly city and Bhutan isnt a public transit-friendly country. The traffic will only keep getting worse. We also hope to improve the public bus system, says Gyeltshen, discussing this challenge. We are negotiating with the Global Environment Facility for their help to develop bus rapid transit. All of this, Gyeltshen emphasises, is being discussed at the highest level by the cabinet. Banner image: With their ornate woodwork, petrol stations in Bhutan look different, but create the same problems of emissions in a country too dependent on cars. Image via The Third Pole/ Omair Ahmad The Third Pole is a multilingual platform dedicated to promoting information and discussion about the Himalayan watershed and the rivers that originate there. This report was originally published on thethirdpole.net and has been reproduced here with permission. By Express News Service RAIPUR: The Bhupesh Baghel cabinet on Thursday is holding a cabinet meeting that is likely to discuss and deliberate on moving a resolution against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) during the upcoming budget session of the Chhattisgarh Assembly. Before Chhattisgarh, two Congress-ruled states Rajasthan and Punjab besides Kerala and West Bengal have already adopted similar resolutions against the controversial Act citing it as discriminatory. Chhattisgarh chief minister Baghel has been outright critical of the CAA and was among the first chief ministers to declare not to implement CAA and NRC in the state. "CAA is diversionary tactics of the BJP as economy is sinking and unemployment is rising and the state cabinet will discuss the anti-CAA resolution, Baghel said citing the Act promulgated by the BJP-led Centre is against the ethos of Indian Constitution. Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin speaking at the Institute of International and European Affairs in Dublin (Brian Lawless/PA) A poll on a united Ireland will only take place when the time is right and sectarian tensions ease, the leader of Fianna Fail has said. There have been increased calls for a poll on Irish unity, with Sinn Fein stating preparations must begin and that the poll should be held within the next five years. Micheal Martin used his address at the European Institute on Thursday to play down calls for such a poll in the next few years. In relation to the issue of unity, the very last people who should be listened to are those who use it as an issue for party politics and ignore the fundamental challenge of building a unity between communities, he said. When the point is reached that we can have a referendum in a constructive and respectful atmosphere, with all issues about what might happen dealt with openly and conclusively, then no party will be more energetic in campaigning for it than Fianna Fail. But that point will only be pushed off further into the future if we continue seeing the essentially sectarian and partisan approach to this issue promoted by one party. We have lost a lot of time in recent years, time which should have been spent on building bridges was thrown away on senseless inter-party disputes, and this has delayed the process of deeper understanding without which nothing positive can be achieved. Expand Close Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin speaking at the institute (Brian Lawless/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin speaking at the institute (Brian Lawless/PA) Mr Martin also criticised Sinn Fein as being an anti-European party and said they would not be suitable to be in Government as Ireland got ready to partake in the next round of Brexit negotiations. The Sinn Fein party has been loudly demanding that it must be allowed into government no matter who leads the government, he said. Ive discussed at length the many reasons why that party is not acceptable to us, and it is a basic tenet of democracy that each party has a right to determine how it uses its own mandate. On top of Sinn Feins destructive agenda and policy of always putting its own interests ahead of the public interest, there is the fact that it is Irelands most consistent and obsessively anti-EU party. (Sinn Fein) never has anything good to say about the EU, and its Euroscepticism is hardwired into the partyMicheal Martin, Fianna Fail leader It campaigned against us joining the European Union and it has opposed every development of the Union. A hundred times out of 100 it attacks the EU when the opportunity arises and it is allied with hardline anti-EU parties. It never has anything good to say about the EU, and its Euroscepticism is hardwired into the party. This can go to ridiculous lengths, such as its spokespeople standing up in the Dail and blaming the EU for Russias decision to invade and partition Ukraine. Sinn Fein in government would mark a decisive move away from a constructive, active and effective policy of being positive to the EU. This would do enormous damage and undermine one of the basic foundations for Irelands economy. CHICAGO Zalo was named Best Pleasure Product Manufacturer- Small at the 2020 AVN Awards, receiving praise for advancements in pleasure technology. Wed like to thank AVN for the recognition. This acknowledgment of Zalo is affirming, said Peter Ovsonka, president of Zalo USA. We strive to create the best luxury sex toys, including products built for every price point, and this award from AVN confirms we are hitting the mark. Previously, Zalo's Queen also earned the Best Pleasure Product for Women at the 2019 O Awards. Zalo is synonymous with luxury vibrators and massagers. Boasting features such as pre-heating and thrusting options, Bluetooth connectivity and powerful whisper-quiet motors, each product takes intimate pleasure to another level with the touch of a button. Comprised of Dow Corning food-grade silicone and SOFTEK surface coating, with jewelry-grade handcrafted enamel, Zalo products are effective and aesthetically appealing. Featuring ergonomic designs that enhance comfort and pleasure, each product boasts exquisite details including gold plating, real Swarovski crystals, and jewelry box-style packaging. The 2020 AVN Awards were hosted by adult performers Nikki Benz and Emily Bloom and took place on Saturday, January 25 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. With a stylish red carpet pre-show and lavish star-studded ceremony, AVN celebrated outstanding achievements in the business of pleasure. To see a complete list of award winners for the 2020 AVN Awards, click here. Zalo products are available through Holiday Products and Williams Trading in the U.S., and PinkCherry in Canada. For more information visit ZaloUSA.com President Donald Trump signed the much-anticipated NAFTA update into law. Flyover cities are pushing toward decriminalization drug policy. And another possible case of coronavirus pops up in the Flyover states. Check-in Lets make a deal: Republican President Donald Trump signed the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement into law on Wednesday, a significant political victory for him heading into his re-election campaign. Billed as a re-write of NAFTA, the deal got broad support across Flyover states. As the Detroit News Keith Laing writes, the auto industry especially welcomed the deal, which brings some stability and certainty to the market. Stir the pot: Low-level marijuana possession offenses will no longer be prosecuted in the city of Cleveland after Mayor Frank Jackson, a Democrat, signed legislation on Wednesday, cleveland.coms Robert Higgs reports. The new law effectively decriminalizes possession of up to 7 ounces of weed. Localities in states with slow-moving marijuana laws have been moving toward decriminalization recently, including Marion County, Indiana home to Indianapolis either through local ordinance or prosecutorial discretion. Nopioid: Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, a Democrat, announced that he would no longer prosecute drug cases involving possession of buprenorphine, an opioid-based drug sometimes used in treatment, the Philadelphia Inquirers Aubrey Whelan reports. While still an opioid, buprenorphine poses a much lower risk of addiction than heroin or fentanyl. Inspector Flu-seau: Add Indiana to the list of Flyover states investigating a possible case of coronavirus, the Indianapolis Stars Shari Rudavsky reports. Ohio and Michigan are looking at multiple cases, while the second confirmed American case popped up in Chicago. Private session: Ohio Republican state lawmakers are facing a Saturday deadline to come up with a solution to prevent a massive, unintended expansion of public school dollars going to private school vouchers, The Blades Jim Provance reports. The two chambers created a conference committee to resolve their differences, with the hope of having something on Republican Gov. Mike DeWines desk by the weekend. Postpone Malone: The state of Wisconsin has once again delayed implementing Medicaid work requirements, the Wisconsin State Journals David Wahlberg reports. Wisconsin now joins Ohio, Indiana and Michigan in delaying the work requirements. Indianas and Michigans are currently being challenged in court. Labor pains: Union membership in Iowa has fallen four of the past five years, the Des Moines Registers Tyler Jett reports (hard paywall). Much of that may be attributed to the U.S. Supreme Courts Janus decision, which eliminated fair share union dues for public sector jobs. Public-sector union membership fell from 25.2% in 2017 to 21.4% in 2018. Manufacturing union membership held steady at 10.2%, higher than the national level at 9%. No labels: Michigan marijuana could soon have warning labels for pregnant women, MLives Gus Burns reports. The labels would be like tobacco labels stating the developmental risks associated with the drug. If at first you dont succeed: Following months of revelations about corruption in state government, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, said at his state of the state address that lawmakers must root out the purveyors of greed and corruption in both parties whose presence infects the bloodstream of government, per the Chicago Tribune. Good luck with that. Whats my wage again? Employees at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee reached a tentative labor agreement with management for a $15 an hour minimum wage, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinels Bill Glauber reports. The local union contract will undoubtedly get some airtime this summer: Fiserv is the site of the Democratic National Convention. The Penn is mightier: Pennsylvania lawmakers are also angling to have more say in the primary process, PennLives Jan Murphy reports. The state Senate voted 48-0 to move the state primary election in 2024 from late April to mid March, when the nominees are less likely to have been decided. This is caucus: If you missed yesterdays message, Ill be in Iowa this weekend covering the first-in-the-nation caucuses, the date when the 2020 presidential election will really get started. You can find all of my stories on cleveland.com or follow me on Twitter at @SethARichardson. PennLive opinion editor Joyce Davis is also out with the latest episode of the Battleground PA podcast, including a preview of the upcoming contest. Arrivals/Departures Comedian Dave Chapelle, who lives near Dayton, was campaigning for Entrepreneur Andrew Yang in Ames, Iowa, on Tuesday, per the Des Moines Register. Former Vice President Joe Biden was in Sioux City and Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Wednesday, per the campaign. Former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg will be in Jefferson, Ames, Webster City, Mason City and New Hampton, Iowa, on Wednesday, per the campaign and the Ames Tribune. Billionaire Philanthropist Tom Steyer was in Knoxville, Ottumwa and Fairfield, Iowa, on Wednesday, per the Des Moines Register candidate tracker. Former Rep. Joe Walsh of Illinois was in Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, on Wednesday, per the Des Moines Registers candidate tracker. Yang was in Iowa City, Burlington, Davenport and Clinton, Iowa, on Wednesday, per the campaign and the Iowa City Press-Citizen. President Donald Trump will be in Warren, Michigan, on Thursday to visit an auto parts supplier, per MLive. He is planning a re-election rally later that night in Des Moines, per the Des Moines Register. Vice President Mike Pence will be in Sioux City, Council Bluffs and Des Moines on Thursday, per the Des Moines Register. Pence will join Trump on stage for Trumps rally. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts will be in Carroll, Council Bluffs and Le Mars, Iowa, on Thursday, per the campaign. Former Rep. John Delaney will be in Muscatine and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Thursday, per the campaign. Biden will be in Waukee, Newton and Ottumwa, Iowa, on Thursday, per the campaign. Buttigieg will be in Decorah, Independence, Marshalltown and Ankeny, Iowa, on Thursday, per the campaign. Steyer will be in Burlington, Muscatine and Davenport, Iowa, on Thursday, per the Des Moines Registers candidate tracker. Yang will be in Washington, Cedar Rapids, Dubuque and Waterloo, Iowa, on Thursday, per the campaign. Walsh will be in Ames and Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday, per the Des Moines Registers candidate tracker. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota will be in Indianola, Pella and Burlington, Iowa, on Friday, per the campaign. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont will be in Clive, Iowa, on Friday for a caucus concert with Bon Iver, per the campaign. Biden will be in Burlington, Fort Madison and Mount Pleasant, Iowa, on Friday, per the campaign. Buttigieg will be in Sioux City, Council Bluffs, Clinton and Davenport, Iowa, on Friday, per the campaign. Delaney will be in Council Bluffs and Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday, per the campaign. Steyer will be in Clinton and Dubuque, Iowa, on Friday, per the Des Moines Registers candidate tracker. Yang will be in Tipton, Monticello, Grundy Center, Mason City and Winneshiek, Iowa, on Friday, per the campaign. Warren will be in Sioux City, Ames and Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday, per the campaign. Walsh will be in Des Moines on Friday, per the Des Moines Registers candidate tracker. Much of Trumps cabinet will be in Iowa on caucus day, per the Des Moines Register. That includes acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Education Secretary Betsy Devos, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson. U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy will also be in the state. This Is Your Captain Speaking Its been tough without BUB. But as much as I miss her physical presence, her spirit is strong and palpable. -Mike Bridavsky, owner of the online cat star Lil Bub, in a newsletter post announcing Bubs March 15 funeral in Bloomington, Indiana. Enjoying The Flyover? Be sure and subscribe here. Email Seth at SRichardson@cleveland.com. Follow him on Twitter at @SethARichardson. By Kim Bo-eun The Financial Supervisory Service's headquarters on Yeouido, Seoul / Korea Times file Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute Julia Louis-Dreyfus knew that filming a remake of 2014s critically beloved Scandinavian ski satire Force Majeure was a major risk. But she and Will Ferrell went ahead and did it anyway which is the polar opposite of what happens in Downhill, in which both play characters wholly unable to take any sort of action, brave or otherwise. Louis-Dreyfus and Ferrell are Billie and Pete, respectively, a pair of Americans on vacation with their kids in the Austrian Alps. One afternoon, a controlled avalanche interrupts their lunch, and Pete yanks his cell phone off the table and runs away, leaving a terrified Billie alone with their two sons. Ultimately, theyre all fine just a bit shaken but none of them can unsee Petes abrupt abandonment. For the duration of the trip and the film, all parties involved try to figure out what to do with this dark bit of information (anything except actually talking about it), to occasionally comic and often deeply uncomfortable effect. As Vultures Bilge Ebiri writes in his review, Louis-Dreyfus is the heart of the picture effectively [downplaying] the potential humor of her scenes, committing instead to her characters trauma. And its true: Louis-Dreyfuss performance isnt exactly comedic. Its tense and full of raw emotion; one long monologue sees her painfully describe whats just happened on the mountain to a couple shes just met, pausing occasionally to let out an unruly sob. The cumulative tone of the film, similar to its European counterpart, is anxiety-ridden and awkward, shot through with just a little bit of Louis-Dreyfus and Ferrells signature lightness. I sat down with Louis-Dreyfus right next to the ski slopes at the Sundance Film Festival, as she calmly ate a York Peppermint Patty, to talk about how and why she took on such a risky project, how she differentiates American comedy from Scandinavian, and whether or not she has ever been Force Majeure-d in her own marriage. First, though, we had to talk about our sweaters. I love I love that sweater. Thats what I was just going to say. Should we switch? We should. Thats so cute. Can I feel it? [Reaches over and feels my arm.] Ugh, and with these shoes? Yeah. Thats really good. Our sweaters are actually quite similar. Were very similar vibes right now. So when did you see the original Force Majeure? I saw it close to when it first came out. Searchlight screened it for me. I dont actually think it was in theaters yet, in the States. They screened it at the studio because we were talking about the possibility of adapting it. Oh, before youd even seen it? Yes. Thats right. And I loved it. I was positively thunderstruck by it. What struck you about it? The fundamental story of a reality being shifted after a certain lens is pulled off of it. And all of a sudden what you think is one way, is another way. A really extreme shift. Thats what was appealing to me. So why were you thinking of remaking it before youd even seen it? Well, Id met with some of the people in production and development at Searchlight, right after Id made Enough Said, and they were talking about, Well, what kind of projects are you interested in? And Im not kidding you, I said what I just said to you. I said, I really like stories where theres this one way of looking at something, and an event happens, and reality shifts. And theyd just seen the movie, and they said, Oh, you should see this film that we love. And if we can get the rights, if the filmmaker Ruben Ostlund is interested in that idea which he absolutely was, very keen. Thats how it began. How soon after youd seen it did you talk to Ruben about the whole idea? I didnt talk to him. Ever? Believe it or not, I have not. [Laughs.] Hes seen [Downhill]. He loves the movie. Hes said some nice things about the movie. But we didnt collaborate during the process. Sorry, I have to eat this chocolate. [Eats chocolate.] It was important to him. He wanted to let us do our thing. Adapt it for American audiences, I suppose. Though I wouldnt say thats what we were doing. It was an American family, blah blah blah. But I think he wanted to stay out of the way. So who were you remaking it for, exactly? What was the conversation like in terms of your goal? Its a very quintessentially Swedish film, in the best possible sense of the word. The culture of it it has a Swedish sensibility thats absolutely marvelous. But I thought itd be interesting to put an American family in Europe and have this family be a fish out of water, so theyre already in an unfamiliar place and then have something very strange and unsettling happen to them in an unfamiliar and strange place. I also thought itd be interesting to explore the role of the wife in our version, and sort of riff on that. I like the idea of her being very flawed, and making some bad decisions along the way. So its not just one bad decision there are a couple. She comes across as sort of a control freak. Is that what youre referring to? She makes some real mistakes in the film. You could certainly argue that bringing the children in to weaponize them, in the middle of the fight with her husband, is a particularly heinous move on her part. [Laughs.] As a mother, thats my judgment on her, but I can understand why she did it in the moment. What is quintessentially American about the humor in this movie, versus the original? Zach Woods said this earlier today, and I think hes right: I think theres something very American about not talking about things. And not being truthful, to a certain extent. No offense to all of us. [Laughs.] I would say, repressing feelings, not discussing things that are hard to discuss, is a very American thing and cultural idea. Additionally, theres a theme in this film where truth is not being told, and youre being told: What you saw, you did not see. And thats a theme of today. With fake news, and all of that kind of talk thats out there right now, in our media and in our government. Thats a theme thats very present today. That reminds me of the comedy of Veep, a bit skewering that American sensibility. A different kind of skewer, but for sure. What made you the most nervous about adapting something critically beloved? That made me nervous! What you just said. I wanted to do it proud. I didnt want to butcher this. I wanted to do a very respectful adaptation, an inspired-by take on that film. So that was important to me: Tone, tone, tone. We needed to nail the tone. And that started with the writing. Jesse Armstrong did a miraculous job on the script, as did Jim [Rash] and Nat [Faxon] when they were hired as directors, they did a pass on the script as well. And frankly, thats why I made it at Searchlight. They make movies that have an authenticity to them that I respect, and frankly, movies that I like to go to. How would you characterize that tone? Is it different from its predecessor? Id say the tone of the film is that its a drama with comedic moments. I think in this one, the tone is a little more hm I dont know. I dont want it to sound I think the comedic moments in this film are a little more evident. Maybe a little less subtle? I think so. And its not a pejorative thing to say, because I really thought that the comedic moments in the original were amazing. Lets talk about your monologue where you break down completely. What was the preparation like for that? Well, that scene was about 12 pages long and we shot it over two and a half days. And when I say over two and a half days, I mean we shot that scene as a piece. We didnt chop it into pieces. We played it like a little play, over and over and over again. It was very demanding. It was very arduous. But it was also thrilling. First of all, the actors I was with in that scene, all of them are really just sublime performers. Our directors were very much in tune to finding earned moments of drama and comedy, both, because they both co-exist in that scene. It was hard. That was a really hard place to go. And in fact, there was one angle that they realized, Jim and Nat, that we needed, after watching two days worth of dailies. And we had to go in and redo a particular angle. And it was the one we ended up using. I thought we had it in the can and we had to go back in. I just remember trying to steel myself. I went into this tiny, tiny trailer and I gathered myself to pull that up again. And after a couple days of doing it over and over, there was a newfound area that was useful. I heard you had never met Will Ferrell before making this movie. How is that possible? And how did you develop your onscreen relationship together? Its true. The fact that wed never met before is so bizarre. We still cant believe thats the case. Weve lived these parallel lives and we have people in our lives that we both know, that cross both of our lives. When we met, I was a huge fan of his, as I think almost all human beings are. But in addition to the big comedies hes done, I was a big fan of Stranger Than Fiction. I thought he did an absolutely remarkable job in that film. And so I had a hunch that he would be able to rise to the occasion in this film, and he was really intrigued by the script. We met and we immediately started talking about tone! We were simpatico from the start in our approach to this film, and then weve gotten to know each other through this process and now were very good friends. Do you see the ending as hopeful? Will they work it out? I see the ending as being something thats very ambiguous, and you can read into it whatever you want. I personally think this couple may have trouble ahead, but there are others who maybe do not feel that way. Have you ever had any kind of Force Majeure moment in your life? I have not. Thankfully. Have you? Maybe! Really? I dont think I have. What would you do if you found yourself in that situation with your own husband? Well, I can tell you one thing: Wed talk about it right away. [Laughs.] But fortunately Im married to a guy who Im certain would never run away. A British man in Wuhan has said he is losing faith in the Government after he could not board an evacuation flight because it was unclear if he would be allowed to bring his young daughter. Chris Hill, 38, chose not to board the flight back to the UK after the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) could not say if four-year-old Renee would be allowed on board because she is a Chinese national. The flight is due to leave Wuhan city at 7am local time on Friday, 11pm on Thursday UK time. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said officials had been working tirelessly to get citizens out of Wuhan, and the PA news agency understands that the FCO is trying to ensure families can remain together and relatives with dual citizenship are allowed on the flight. However, the Chinese government does not recognise dual nationality, and it is thought that people with Chinese citizenship are unable to leave the affected area. Mr Hill lives in Wuhan with his wife Caitlyn Gao and their daughter, who are both Chinese nationals. Expand Close Caitlyn Gao with her four-year-old daughter Renee Gao (Family Handout/PA) PA Media / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Caitlyn Gao with her four-year-old daughter Renee Gao (Family Handout/PA) He told PA: When [the FCO] called me they said they would not be able to say if my family could go with me or not. I said Oh OK so you cannot confirm in any way that they could travel with me, and they said Were trying our best but we cant guarantee anything, so I said No, Im not going. The whole point of saying you can go to the airport and try is like going well, it may happen, it may not. So it means if you take your family to the airport, and then they turn around and say no, what would happen? With the current situation and the way the FCO is handling the diplomatic side of things, Im just losing faith. In an email letter to those boarding the flight, the Foreign Office said they should go to Tianhe Airport Expressway Toll Gate by no later than 1am local time on Friday, after previously advising passengers they would have to arrive by 11pm local time on Thursday. Expand Close Mr Hill criticised the bad planning of the British Government when organising the evacuation flight (Family Handout/PA) PA Media / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mr Hill criticised the bad planning of the British Government when organising the evacuation flight (Family Handout/PA) Mr Hill, originally from Washington, Sunderland, told PA he could not consider leaving his family and said his wife of 11 years could not travel as she was needed to work in a hospital in Wuhan. He added that Renee had some understanding of the situation and did not want her father to leave. She knows that people are ill, and she knows not to spend time around many people, but I did ask her, if Daddy had to go back home and you had to stay here would you want me to go, and she said no, he added. Expand Close Mr Hill said he refused to go to the airport without a definite answer about whether he could bring Renee to the UK (Family Handout/PA) PA Media / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mr Hill said he refused to go to the airport without a definite answer about whether he could bring Renee to the UK (Family Handout/PA) Mr Hill criticised the planning of the repatriation flight as he was told to be at the airport just minutes before the original deadline imposed by the FCO. He said: I actually got an email from the FCO about the flight as well, they said that you have to be at the meeting point by 11pm but I received the email at seven minutes to 11. Theres no cars, theres no taxis, anything, and the FCO say, Oh well pick you up from Wuhan Tianhe airport but you have to make your own way there. That gives me a very bad taste in my mouth. Its just bad planning. It is thought around 150 UK citizens will be on the flight from Wuhan which will land at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on Friday morning. Sinn Fein TD and General Election candidate for Sligo/Leitrim/Sth Donegal and north Roscommon, Martin Kenny has called on Minister for Children and Youth affairs Katherine Zappone to withdraw a threat to stop payments to creches that allow their staff attend a demonstration over pay and funding. Martin Kenny said: I have been contacted by creche workers who are very upset and angry over this development. Their creches have been told in recent days, by the Department of Children & Youth Affairs, that they will lose payments if they close at all on February 5 to attend the protest in Dublin, organised by the Early Years Alliance. They have also been told that they will not be funded for any alternative day where services are provided to make up for the time lost. The protest by parents and childcare workers on February 5 has been necessitated by a pay crisis in the childcare sector. Despite qualifications and hard work, Early Years educators earn just 11.45 on average, well below the Living Wage. The demonstration is about a sustainable funding model, a Living Wage for childcare workers and high quality childcare for parents. Minister Katherine Zappone needs to end the bullying tactics of her Department, respect the democratic right to protest and withdraw the threat to Childcare providers. Life Science Analytics Market Overview: The global Life Science Analytics market had substantial growth possibilities and it can achieve a CAGR of 11.91% during the forecast period covering 2019 to 2025. Market Research Future (MRFR) makes significant predictions about how the market can register further growth in the coming years. This can help players to understand various growth possibilities and implement strategies accordingly. FREE SAMPLE COPY OF Life Science Analytics Market Research Report- Global forecast till 2023 @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/8570 The global market for life science analytics is slated to witness strong growth as factors like a hike in investment, better strategic planning of various governments, improved marketing strategies, technological integration, demand for better data standardization, the prevalence of various chronic diseases, and others. Better understanding shown by patients, the inclusion of big data analytics, growing disposable income, and increasing collaborations between companies and governments can also leave a profound impact on the market. On the flip side, the market for life science analytics has possibilities of losing ground as the industry lacks the presence of skilled professionals. Also, the digitalization process increases the chance of hacking, which can divulge information regarding patients and compromise their social status. However, government initiatives can make sure that the market gets back on its promised track and improves the progress rate. Life Science Analytics Market Segmentation The global market for life science analytics has been studied by MRFR in the report on the basis of type of analytics, application, component, deployment model, and end user. Such a detailed segmentation has several inputs from various market pundits and insights gained from it can trigger better market growth. By type of analytics, the global report includes the life science analytics market and involves segmentations like predictive analytics, descriptive analytics, and prescriptive analytics. The descriptive analytics segment has the maximum market share in 2018. This segment can benefit from the increasing demand for real-time accessibility of data. By application, the global market report on the life science analytics market can be segmented into research & development, pharmacovigilance, regulatory compliance, sales & marketing, and supply chain optimization. The research & development sector had the largest market share in 2018. By component, the report includes segments like software, hardware, and services of which software had the largest market share in 2018. By deployment model, the report on the life science analytics market can be segmented into on-premise and cloud-based. The on-premise segment had the largest market share in 2018. By end-user, the report includes segments like hospitals & clinics, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, & medical device companies, and others. The hospitals & clinics segment had the maximum market share in 2018 Life Science Analytics Market Regional Analysis: The global market report on the Life Science Analytics Market reveals the Americas as the largest market. This is due to the better infrastructure of the North American sector where the US and Canada are making significant progress. The integration of the healthcare IT sector is also expected to provide the market with a substantial advantage. In Europe, the growth would be triggered by the prevalence of chronic diseases and the integration of top-class technologies. Better healthcare solutions are also going to ensure strong growth. The Asia Pacific market has the chance to register the fastest growth as several countries have started investing in the life sciences industry. Life Science Analytics Market Competitive Landscape: Players making progress in the global market for life science analytics are Allscripts Healthcare, LLC (US), Cerner Corporation (US), Inovalon (US), Health Catalyst (US), Saama Technologies, Inc. (US), McKesson Corporation (US), Optum, Inc. (US), SCIOInspire, Corp. (US), CitiusTech Inc. (US), SAS Institute Inc. (US), IBM (US), Oracle (US), IQVIA (US), and others. In January 2020, FDA announced that its open-source MyStudies platform is now available on Google Cloud. This would intensify the efficiency of various technologies in the field of medical research. This can be interpreted as significant progress in the field of life science analytics. OBTAIN RESEARCH REPORT DETAILS WITH TOC @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/life-science-analytics-market-8570 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 National Chief Imam 30.01.2020 LISTEN Following the recent statement by Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu, spokesperson for the National Chief Imam, regarding the compilation of a fresh voters' register, the former has been a victim of public ridicule by some persons. In view of that therefore, the spokesperson has spoken to the DGN Online with a view to setting the records straight regarding his position on the subject under review. Some persons he said are oblivious to the fact that I am Acting Chair of the Coalition Of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) and in which capacity I spoke on the subject. The impression after the statement I made on some television networks was that I had stated the position of the National Chief which is not the case. The Chief Imam has not taken sides on the issue of the voters' register, he added. Sheikh Aremeyaw continuing, said the chief imam is a member of the Eminent Persons Advisory Committee of the Electoral Commission and so it would be wrong on his part to present a position on the subject contrary to that of the Committee. The Chief Imam as a man of integrity would want a peaceful resolution and won't take a partisan position on such matters, he said. The Chief Imam he was categorical has no position on the subject. ---Daily Guide live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Drug firm Aurobindo Pharma on Thursday reported that the US health regulator has cautioned that its oral solids formulation manufacturing facility may be subject to regulatory actions. The company stressed that it will work closely with the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) to comprehensively address the issues. "Further to our intimations... with regard to the USFDA inspection of Unit VII, an oral solids formulation manufacturing facility of the company, we inform you that the company has received a letter from the USFDA classifying the inspection conducted at the aforesaid facility as official action indicated (OAI)," Aurobindo Pharma Ltd said in a filing to BSE. According to USFDA's definitions, OAI means "objectionable conditions were found and regulatory administrative sanctions by FDA are indicated" during inspections. The company said that it believes that this OAI classification will not have any material impact on the existing revenues or the supplies to its US business at this juncture. The shares of Aurobindo Pharma were trading at Rs 484.50 apiece on BSE, down 4.49 percent from the previous close. Banna Gupta, the newly appointed Health Minister of the State, said he is quite impressed with the 'Mohalla Clinic' concept of the Delhi government and would like to see how it can be implemented in Jharkhand. Gupta, a Congress MLA from Jamshedpur West seat, has also been given the charge of Medical Education, Family Welfare and Disaster Management. He, along with other legislative members, took oath on January 28 during State Cabinet expansion. While speaking to ANI, he asserted that he is impressed with Delhi's 'Mohalla Clinic' concept and that he would like to introduce it in Jharkhand too. "Why should I not learn good things from somewhere or someone? If 'Mohalla Clinics' in Delhi are benefiting people, I would like to study it and see how it can be implemented for our people," Gupta said. He further said that making any concrete statement on this would not be right as it was in a very initial stage. "I will study everything very minutely and carefully and consider things from all angles. I will find ways to make health centres more efficient. Meetings will be held with officials to overcome all the problems and fulfill the public's expectations," he added. While talking about the department's responsibilities and challenges, Gupta did not miss a chance to attack the previous government and termed it as a government that gave deceptive speeches and advertisements. The state Cabinet was expanded on January 28 with seven lawmakers taking oath. A day after the swearing-in ceremony, ministries were allocated to all. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Did you know you can save your preferences across all your digital devices and platforms simply by creating a profile? Would you like to get started? Yes, I'd like to register/log in Not right now No, never ask again Coronavirus cases have been confirmed in several countries across the world (PA) Scotlands chief medical officer has said a positive case of coronavirus in the country is highly likely in the coming days. As of Thursday, 16 people are known to have had negative tests north of the border for the virus. Most of them were quarantined through self-isolation at home, although those with more serious conditions were taken to hospital. The public can be assured that Scotland has well-established plans and is well prepared for these types of outbreakDr Catherine Calderwood A meeting was held on Wednesday, chaired by the First Minister, to discuss the spread of the virus and Scotlands preparations for a contamination. Chief medical officer Catherine Calderwood said on Thursday: It is highly likely well have a positive case of coronavirus in Scotland in the coming days. The public can be assured that Scotland has well-established plans and is well prepared for these types of outbreak. We have a proven track record of dealing with challenging health issues and have established public health and infectious disease experts working round the clock. We have also activated our emergency resilience operation. It comes after Professor Yvonne Doyle, medical director and director of health protection for Public Health England, said the first UK case is likely to come from someone already in the country. As of Thursday, a total of 161 tests had been carried out on people across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all with negative results. The UK Government said the risk to the population remains low. Anyone who develops respiratory symptoms within 14 days of travel to Wuhan is advised to seek immediate medical attention by contacting their GP or @NHS24 (dial 111). Further health advice > https://t.co/lhLWEeCJuj Guidance for travelling abroad > https://t.co/4wYN0WcF1R Scottish Government (@scotgov) January 29, 2020 A plan is in place for dealing with a confirmed case, as is usual for any virus outbreak. There is also legislation already in place to impose restrictions on someones movement under public health law if deemed necessary. Anyone who believes they are showing symptoms for the virus is urged to contact NHS 24. All tests are currently being carried out a single UK facility, although it is expected this will soon be rolled out to sites in Scotland. The waiting time to return results is currently between 24 and 48 hours. Meanwhile, the UK Government is currently negotiating with Chinese authorities on plans to fly out around 200 British citizens who have been in Wuhan and the surrounding Hubei province. There are no direct flights from China to Scotland. Celltrion Group Vice Chairman Gi Woo-seong, left, speaks with Ma Guoqiang, deputy party chief of Hubei Province, during a signing ceremony for Celltrion's investment for the building of a biomedicine plant in Wuhan, Hubei, on Jan. 20. Courtesy of Celltrion By Nam Hyun-woo As fear of coronavirus contagion is already evident in China, South Korea's leading biosimilar manufacturer Celltrion may delay the groundbreaking ceremony for its massive Chinese plant in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, industry officials said Thursday. Regarding the possible rescheduling of the event in the wake of the spread of the virus which is affecting economic activity and financial markets, Celltrion said it was "closely monitoring" the situation as the deadly virus may affect the construction of the plant. "There has been no change in the plan to build the plant so far, but we are closely monitoring the spread of the deadly virus," a Celltrion official said, Thursday. "Since we are yet to break ground for the plant, it is hard to forecast what will happen in the immediate future. We hope the epidemic and the lockdown of the city will not be prolonged." The epidemic, however, is anticipated to cause setbacks to Celltrion's investment schedule in Wuhan. The company had planned to hold the groundbreaking ceremony in April, but it remains uncertain whether the ceremony will take place at that time as the city remains locked down, they said. Torben Minko, chairman of EuroChams Medical Devices and Diagnostics Sector Committee Last year saw improvements in total sales of medical devices. How did members of the Medical Devices and Diagnostics Sector Committee (MDDSC) perform in Vietnam in 2019? Vietnams healthcare infrastructure has developed rapidly over the past few years. This is thanks to the significant efforts of the Vietnamese authorities to improve public infrastructure across the country and to open the market to private healthcare providers. The related double-digit growth of the medical devices and diagnostics market, which consists of around 90 per cent imports, has stimulated multinational corporations (MNCs) to better serve the market through investments in a solid local network of partners. This has involved the set-up of representative offices or, very often, the creation of local Vietnamese branches employing and training highly-qualified Vietnamese experts. It has also created opportunities for some of the MNCs to establish local production to serve the market with high-quality healthcare products. How can the Vietnamese government work with the legal framework to leverage foreign investment, and to benefit Vietnamese patients? Continuous improvements in regulations and harmonisation are the key to access innovations and knowledge for the Vietnamese healthcare community, as well as an increase in pre-sales and post-sales service levels to healthcare providers. Decree No.36/2016/ND-CP, Decree No.169/2018/ND-CP, and Decree No.03/2020/ND-CP amending decrees 36 and 169 on medical device management, which has been largely aligned to international standards, are only two examples and significant milestones for the improvement of the regulatory landscape. Consistent implementation will foster a more efficient and quality-oriented supply of medical devices and diagnostics solutions in Vietnam for the benefit of Vietnamese patients. A number of issues still need to be addressed in order to keep on the path to a state-of-the-art healthcare system, giving efficient access to innovative and high-quality healthcare to all citizens. These include improving the regulatory, budgetary, and administrative framework through healthcare technology assessment to optimise usage, quality, and costs of medical devices throughout their life cycle; preventing counterfeiting and illegitimate imports; focusing on the medical device socialisation and machine installation process; and providing diverse and feasible socialisation models as well as consistent policies to create an open and transparent legal framework that will stimulate further foreign investment. What prospects for MDDSC members do you foresee in 2020 when the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) takes effect, and what preparations have members made to cash in on these prospects? MDDSCs companies welcome the major opportunities created by the EVFTA. It will come with further improvements of regulatory standards, exchanging information on customs requirements, investing in the modernisation and simplification of customs procedures, and ensuring transparency. New market access opportunities will be created to become long-term partners in Vietnam. Continuous improvement in the regulatory and legal frameworks, and training for ministries and hospitals to allow better understanding of the policies as well as full compliance with the law, will stimulate more investment and ultimately a more sustainable state-of-the-art healthcare system in Vietnam. Our mission is to engage with governments, regulators, payers, healthcare providers, and others to advocate good practice, promote high industry standards, and help develop policies which will shape the future of healthcare in Vietnam. This will enable timely access to sustainable, innovative, and high-quality healthcare for all citizens of Vietnam. MDDSC, which consists of 24 international companies responsible for more than 70 per cent of the medical device and diagnostic market, is happy to continuously work together with the respected departments for the benefit of Vietnamese patients. SAPARIS HOTEL & SAPA ECO-HOME-MOUNTAIN RETREAT Owner Lu A Tau, Sapa town, Lao Cai province Lu A Tau graduated from the National University of Art Education and became a teacher. However, he quit the job only after one year to turn his attention towards tourism. He moved all the way to Ho Chi Minh City with the desire to find a new job. But after six months, the nostalgia for his family brought him back home and after a period of consideration, Tau saw Sapa as a potential market, so he decided to focus on studying English to apply for a job there. He said, I borrowed my friends money, rented a room, and spent two months learning English. Right after that, I applied for an apprenticeship at a hotel and started my career in tourism. I quickly became a receptionist and six months later, I moved to a larger hotel and had the opportunity to experience many different positions which gave me the necessary experience before moving further. Now, Tau is the owner of two hotels in Sapa, the 3-star Saparies Hotel in the centre of the town and the Sapa Eco-Home-Mountain Retreat located 2km from the town centre. Both hotels are operating well, with a stable monthly occupation rate and around 70-90 per cent of foreign visitors. After experiencing lots of difficulties, Tau desired to support and create jobs for the local HMong youth so that they could make a living right in their homeland and now all his staff are local HMong people. Moreover, he is preparing for the establishment of a museum exhibiting HMong culture and lifestyle as well as training workshops for local people, both of which is believed to start in two or three months. I have come a long way to get here. Now, I want to share and help young HMong to find work as a way to repay those who have helped me before, said Tau. TRANG A SENH HOMESTAY Owner Trang A Senh, Hua Tat village, Van Ho district, Son La province In the past, Trang A Senh was just a farmer busy with crops all year round. Three years ago, he became one of the pioneers in Hua Tat in the homestay business and now contributes to the sustainable development for the local economy. He went to Sapa, Ha Giang, and Hoa Binh to learn about community tourism when he first heard about it. In 2017, he started to use 5,000 square metres of his land for community tourism. His brand-new homestay launched just one month later and now welcomes 150 customers per month on average, mainly from Hanoi and distant provinces, as well as foreigners on weekends or holidays. When it gets really busy, all of his children are required to work with him, helping them gain more experience in the business. Trang A Senh homestay is the combination of two L-shaped chains of houses designed in an innovative traditional style with wooden pillars and walls, stone-paved floors, grass roofs, and modern facilities and amenities. Moreover, the wide area around the homestay also features entertainment spots for cultural activities. The highlight of the homestay is the pine forest close to the house, which is an ideal place for travellers to organise teambuilding activities, campfire nights, and photography or nature trips. Senh said that tourists coming to Hua Tam enjoy the traditional culture of the HMong people, the scenery, and the food, as well as the activities organised by the homestay. We organise cultural exchange activities with boys and girls and build a performance troupe to perform traditional HMong dances, songs, and festivals. Tourists are very interested in participating in these programmes, he explained. MU CANG CHAI ECOLODGE Owner Thao A Sang, Hua Khat village, Mu Cang Chai district, Yen Bai province Located on a hill 20km from Mu Cang Chai town, Mu Cang Chai Ecolodge is currently the biggest community eco-tourism business in the area. It is owned by 62-year-old Thao A Sang, who also happens to be the former leader of Mu Cang Chai district. Explaining why he switched his business model and established the ecolodge, he said that agriculture is too hard for a retired man, so he decided to enter tourism in order to earn more income and create stable jobs for the youth in the village. He started the project in 2017, with support from one of his friends. Within months, Mu Cang Chai Ecolodge was officially launched with the first five HMong and Thai style houses. Now, the area has already nine of them and there will be six more in the future. According to Sang, these houses were bought from local people, then repaired and renovated while retaining traditional features. In order to show his love for the land he was born and raised in, Sang gave each house a simple name based on maize, rice, and tea - all of which are specific to the region. Mu Cang Chai has received a lot of positive feedback from visitors. During the crowded seasons, the ecolodge is always booked out and there has to be up to ten employees at the same time to guarantee a smooth service. Sang said, We welcomed nearly 2,000 customers of which two-thirds were foreigners in 2019. Although the price for each room starts at $39, visitors often stay for two or three nights, mostly thanks to the peaceful atmosphere and the local experience we offer. Along with bringing us more money, the ecolodge also creates a bridge between locals and tourists, enabling them to learn more about the local lifestyle. Interesting activities with locals here include gardening, farming, handicrafts, and even wedding ceremonies with ethnic minorities. If you can make smartphone apps, Chinese tech giant Huawei wants you. The No. 2 global smartphone brand is struggling to hold onto its market after Washington accused Huawei of being a security risk and blocked access to U.S. components and technology. That includes YouTube and other popular Google core apps customers expect on new phones. They will be missing from the global rollout of Huawei's next model, the P40, due out in March, replaced by its own music, payment and other apps. Huawei Technologies Ltd., along with every other smartphone brand except Apple Inc., relies on Google's Android operating system. So it's scouring the world for replacements. At events for developers from New Delhi to Warsaw to Sao Paulo, Huawei is promising cash rewards if they meet a deadline Friday to get apps onto its online store. The company says it will invest $1.5 billion in app development. It faces an expensive, uphill struggle to create alternatives to the Google-centered world of music, navigation and other apps, according to industry experts. Others including Nokia and Microsoft have tried and failed to create their own mobile ecosystems. Creating diverse apps is a really challenging task to Huawei, said chairman Guo Ping in videotaped comments released by the company. Huawei, also the world's biggest maker of switching gear for phone networks, rejects U.S. accusations it might facilitate Chinese spying. Chinese officials accuse Washington of using phony security claims to hurt a commercial rival. The Trump administration also is pressing European and other allies to exclude Huawei switching gear from next-generation telecom networks. The conflict has fed fears technology industries might split into Chinese, U.S. and other spheres with incompatible products. Huawei's founder, Ren Zhengfei, has said it wants to stay in a unified global industry and work with Google and other U.S. partners. The Android system is open-source, meaning phone brands use it for free but most also pay Google for core apps and the software to support them. Huawei can keep using Android but is blocked from buying those core apps for pre-installation. That threatens to cripple Huawei's ability to compete with market leader Samsung and other Android-based phones. Consumers expect well-known apps that their peers are using, such as Google Maps, said Thomas Husson, a principal analyst for Forrester, in an email. It would require massive investment to convince developers to develop for a new eco-system and a lot of marketing efforts." Huawei already sells phones without Google core apps in China, where the ruling Communist Party's internet filters block access to YouTube, the Google search engine and thousands of other foreign websites. Instead, Huawei phones come with Chinese search engine Baidu.com, video service Youku.com and other local apps. But Huawei competes on a level playing field in China with competitors that face the same restrictions. In other foreign markets the others have the popular Google package. For the P40, Huawei has signed an agreement for developers to use maps from a Dutch provider, TomTom. Details of other services have yet to be announced. In response to questions, Huawei said executives would talk to reporters next month at the Mobile World Congress, the industry's biggest annual event. The chief executive of Huawei's consumer unit, Richard Yu, told reporters in December the P40 would be launched in Paris in late March, using Android instead of Huawei's HarmonyOS operating system, which it unveiled last year. HarmonyOS is based on code developed for other Huawei devices and could replace Android if needed. But the company wants to keep working with Google, which has spent more than a decade improving Android with input from Huawei and other companies. Replacing Google apps is a massive undertaking for any company, said Dermot Daly, chief executive of Tapadoo, an Irish app developer that isn't working for Huawei. Huawei Mobile Services offers some 45,000 apps. But that is barely 1.5% of the 3 million titles on Google Play Store, where most Android users get apps. Huawei needs to replace Google code that supports video and other features, said Daly. Then it needs to persuade developers to adapt apps to run on Huawei's new code. They're not building from scratch, but they face a big technical hurdle, said Daly. Becoming a world-class software maker is a massive challenge. Nokia Corp. took a similar approach with its first smartphone a decade ago but failed to attract enough apps for its system, said Daly. He said Microsoft Corp. tried again after acquiring Nokia's mobile phone unit in 2013 but faced similar lack of developer interest. Such difficulties highlight the dominance of U.S. app providers and the very gradual emergence of global alternatives. Some say volatility, rather than debt, is the best way to think about risk as an investor, but Warren Buffett famously said that 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk'. So it seems the smart money knows that debt - which is usually involved in bankruptcies - is a very important factor, when you assess how risky a company is. We can see that Hebei Yichen Industrial Group Corporation Limited (HKG:1596) does use debt in its business. But is this debt a concern to shareholders? Why Does Debt Bring Risk? Debt is a tool to help businesses grow, but if a business is incapable of paying off its lenders, then it exists at their mercy. If things get really bad, the lenders can take control of the business. However, a more frequent (but still costly) occurrence is where a company must issue shares at bargain-basement prices, permanently diluting shareholders, just to shore up its balance sheet. Of course, the upside of debt is that it often represents cheap capital, especially when it replaces dilution in a company with the ability to reinvest at high rates of return. The first thing to do when considering how much debt a business uses is to look at its cash and debt together. Check out our latest analysis for Hebei Yichen Industrial Group What Is Hebei Yichen Industrial Group's Debt? As you can see below, at the end of June 2019, Hebei Yichen Industrial Group had CN150.0m of debt, up from CN303 a year ago. Click the image for more detail. But it also has CN212.2m in cash to offset that, meaning it has CN62.2m net cash. SEHK:1596 Historical Debt, January 30th 2020 How Healthy Is Hebei Yichen Industrial Group's Balance Sheet? We can see from the most recent balance sheet that Hebei Yichen Industrial Group had liabilities of CN549.4m falling due within a year, and liabilities of CN76.4m due beyond that. On the other hand, it had cash of CN212.2m and CN1.12b worth of receivables due within a year. So it can boast CN705.4m more liquid assets than total liabilities. Story continues It's good to see that Hebei Yichen Industrial Group has plenty of liquidity on its balance sheet, suggesting conservative management of liabilities. Due to its strong net asset position, it is not likely to face issues with its lenders. Simply put, the fact that Hebei Yichen Industrial Group has more cash than debt is arguably a good indication that it can manage its debt safely. On the other hand, Hebei Yichen Industrial Group's EBIT dived 12%, over the last year. We think hat kind of performance, if repeated frequently, could well lead to difficulties for the stock. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But it is Hebei Yichen Industrial Group's earnings that will influence how the balance sheet holds up in the future. So when considering debt, it's definitely worth looking at the earnings trend. Click here for an interactive snapshot. But our final consideration is also important, because a company cannot pay debt with paper profits; it needs cold hard cash. Hebei Yichen Industrial Group may have net cash on the balance sheet, but it is still interesting to look at how well the business converts its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to free cash flow, because that will influence both its need for, and its capacity to manage debt. Over the last three years, Hebei Yichen Industrial Group saw substantial negative free cash flow, in total. While that may be a result of expenditure for growth, it does make the debt far more risky. Summing up While we empathize with investors who find debt concerning, you should keep in mind that Hebei Yichen Industrial Group has net cash of CN62.2m, as well as more liquid assets than liabilities. So we are not troubled with Hebei Yichen Industrial Group's debt use. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with Hebei Yichen Industrial Group (at least 1 which makes us a bit uncomfortable) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process. If, after all that, you're more interested in a fast growing company with a rock-solid balance sheet, then check out our list of net cash growth stocks without delay. 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. 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. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan.30 By Tamilla Mammadova Trend: Turkey evacuates seven Georgian citizens from China due to the coronavirus outbreak in Chinese Wuhan city, Trend reports referring to Turkish media Evacuated presons will be quarantined in Turkey for 14 days. Georgian citizens will be evacuated from China to Turkey, President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. There are currently no cases of coronavirus in Georgia. According to the Ministry of Health of Georgia, security measures have been strengthened. The ministry noted that there is a hypothetical probability of the spread of a new deadly virus in Georgia, but the chances are minimal. At the same time, Georgia has already banned the import of animals from China, and control has been established at all airports and border points. Beijing-Urumqi-Tbilisi flights have already been suspended until March 2020. An outbreak of previously unknown pneumonia later identified as a new type of coronavirus and denoted as 2019-nCoV was registered in China's Wuhan in late Dec.2019. As of Jan.30, 2020, the number of those infected amounted to 7,711 people, whereas the number of deceased amounted to 170 people. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Mila61979356 A screengrab taken from a YouTube video issued by Woodford Investment Management of Neil Woodford. Photo: PA Investors who backed the flagship fund of stock picker Neil Woodford face a 10m ($13m) bill for its closure. Fund administrators have run up bills of 5m liquidating the fund since deciding to close it last October, investors were told Wednesday night. Administrators estimate it will cost a further 5.3m to fully close down the fund. The cash will go to asset manager BlackRock and financial adviser Park Hill, who have both been helping to sell-off Woodfords investments. Administrators also warned that a further 22.5m will go to companies Woodford backed. The money manager had signed contracts promising future investment, meaning the cash cant be reclaimed. The news came as investors were due to receive the first repayments from the fund, which has been locked since last June. Link Fund Solutions said 2.1bn will be handed back to investors, most of the funds current value of 2.8bn. READ MORE: Woodford investors finally get some money from frozen fund The distributions leave investors facing steep losses. Woodfords Equity Income Fund was worth 3.7bn when it was gated last June but its investments have declined sharply in value since then. Administrators may also struggle to realise the full value of the funds remaining 700m-worth of investments. The leftovers are illiquid investments in unlisted businesses, making them difficult to sell. This update gives an indication that Park Hill have made little progress on the selling down of the illiquid assets and, while unsurprising, this will be disappointing for investors, said Ryan Hughes, head of active portfolios at stockbroker AJ Bell. With no timescale being given on how long this element is likely to take, investors should brace themselves for a long wait for the remainder of their money. The costs and delays are particularly galling for investors given the rich rewards enjoyed by Neil Woodford. Woodford and his partner Craig Newman paid themselves 13.8m in dividends in the year before the closure of the Equity Income Fund. The pair have taken over 100m in dividends since Woodford Investment Management was set up in 2014. Story continues READ MORE: Money manager Woodford and partner paid 13.8m before collapse Neil Woodford developed a reputation as one of Britains shrewdest stock pickers during a quarter century career at Invesco but this image lies in tatters after the collapse of his business. Woodford Investment Management collapsed last October after a four month crisis sparked by the suspension of the Equity Income Fund. Woodford was forced to halt withdrawals due to troubles linked to illiquid investments. Fund administrators took the decision to wind up the Equity Income Fund rather than find a new manager. Around 300,000 investors have money in the fund. READ MORE: Fallen stockpicker Neil Woodford closes business and quits funds The National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) has issued a new 14-day strike ultimatum to the federal government to implement agreement reached with the Minister of State for Power, Goddy Agba in December. NUEE General Secretary, Joe Ajaero, told newsmen in Lagos that the agreement reached in December has not been implemented. Also Read: Nigerians Will Enjoy Uninterrupted Electricity: NERC Chairman Ajaero described the action of the minister as unfair and unacceptable and therefore demands an apology to the union. Ajaero said instead of the minister to implement the agreement reached on December 11, 2019, he resorted to grandstanding, harassment, intimidation, banging of table and eventually walked out on the union at the resumed sitting to review the issues. Central and South America, Latin America, has so much to offer travelers. There is such a diversity of culture, people, flora, fauna, and climates; it's hard to decide where to go if you are planning a trip. With some of the most incredibly beautiful cities in the world as well as the planet's most important ecosystems, this continent is rich and vibrant. In this article, we will cover some of the must-visit destinations for adventurous travelers. If you're planning a trip to Latin America anytime soon, make sure that you add these locations to your itinerary. Peninsula de Nicoya, Costa Rica Costa Rica has become world-renowned as a leading ecotourism destination. The best thing is that the country is narrow and bordered by both the Carribean sea and Pacific ocean. You can experience two totally different climates in only a single day of travel. The land is rich in forests and natural wonders. Home to some of the best surfing in the country, Peninsula de Nicoya is a destination for young travelers looking to get immersed and have an adventure. Santa Teresa is a small surfing town with great places to eat and a variety of night-clubs, and yoga dens. Santa Teresa and Mal Pais are twin towns that unfurl along the bumpy coast road. We recommend renting an ATV and driving from one city to the other through the gorgeous mountain landscape. The waves are perfect for any level of surfer in Santa Teresa; there is a small break close to the shore for beginners and more massive swells for those who want to paddle out further and get barreled. If you're looking to relax, maybe go for a hike, or do some yoga, this is also the ideal spot for you. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil The "Cidade Maravilhosa" is one of the most magical cities in the world. The geography is stunning as buildings are tucked between and on top of green mountains. Rio is intoxicatingly beautiful and full of vivacious samba spirit. During your stay, make sure to drink a caipirinha while relaxing on the world-famous beaches at Copacabana and Ipanema. While you're lying on the white sand, you will be surrounded by breathtaking views and beautiful people. The city also has so much to offer in terms of ecotourism. With the most extensive urban natural parks in the world, you will feel distanced from the concrete jungle while exploring the diverse forests and mountains with a trusted guide. If you like to party, you'll fit right in this city. Visit during the Mardi Gras carnival for a body-shaking, life-changing, week-long experience of indulgence. Machu Picchu, Peru A visit to this UNESCO World Heritage site should be on everyone's bucket list. As one of the seven wonders of the world, this ancient Inca citadel has complex architecture that is full of mystery. The popularity of this destination has lead to an attractive development in Cusco, which is great for any tourist. Tucked away in the Andes, this site holds age-old secrets within its walls. A journey to Machu Picchu is a spiritual and educational experience. Lencois Maranhenses, Brazil Every year during the rainy season, the Lencois Maranhenses National Park transforms into something magical. The park consists of miles of vast and blindingly white dunes that become filled with clear blue water. The landscape is picture-perfect, which makes it a top destination for photographers. The best time to visit this stunning natural phenomenon is between July and September when the pools are clear and not too hot. It is essential to go with a guide so that you don't get lost! Schedule your stay for a minimum of two days to explore all of this incredible park. Laguna Verde, Bolivia Lagoa Verde is just one of the several incredibly stunning bodies of water in the Bolivian countryside. The bright turquoise color depends on the lighting and the weather, but it is always a beautiful sight given the majestic Licancabur volcano that is visible in the background. Salar de Uyuni, the planet's largest salt flat, is nearby. This is one of the most spectacular attractions, with vast glowing salt stretching across 10,582 kilometers, surrounded by an extraordinary mountain landscape. Last Word Consider when you set out on any adventure hiring a trusted guide and to making sure that you have all of your bases covered. Do your research and understand the location you will be traveling to before you get on the plane. If you are traveling with a lot of photography equipment, it may be a good idea to get extra cover added to your current insurance policy. According to BST Insurance travel coverage may be added to home insurance, but it is a good idea to speak to an agent that you trust before changing your policy. South and Central America are home to some of the most incredible natural phenomena in the world. Any adventure lover must make a trip to one of these locations at some point in their lifetime. For those who don't love the outdoors, Latin America is rich with gastronomy and culture, and any of these places would still be worth a visit. Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. Reports that Prime Minister Boris Johnson will accept border checks following Brexit to avoid having to stick to EU standards could mean a brick wall instead of a paper wall in the Irish Sea, its been claimed. The UK leaves the EU on Friday, entering a 12-month transition period in which Mr Johnson has said he expects to be able to conclude a free trade agreement with the EU. But according to the Daily Telegraph, the Prime Minister is to say in a speech next week that sovereignty is more important than frictionless trade. That would mean he would ignore warnings from Brussels that the UK needs to accept the need to adhere to EU standards in order secure the best deal. But the lower the convergence between UK standards and EU standards, the more likely it is that there will be checks on goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain. Aodhan Connolly, director of the NI Retail Consortium, said the stance was not good news for Northern Ireland though he said it could be a negotiating tactic by the Prime Minister. What I would say is that this could be Boriss poker face; however it doesnt give business what they need," he said. Depending on the degree of divergence that we have from the EUs standards, it could be a matter of seeing whether we have a brick wall or a paper wall down the Irish Sea. HONG KONG, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Finastra today announced that Guotai Junan International (GTJAI) has gone live with Finastra's end-to-end equities derivatives trading and cross-asset risk solution, Fusion Sophis. The move has enabled GTJAI to launch trading operations in Hong Kong following a short implementation, helping to fuel the firm's growth and maximize market share. "We are committed to building a totally new platform in Hong Kong to cater for the needs of our clients for tailor-made OTC structured products and exchange-traded derivatives products, such as Warrants and Callable Bull/Bear Contracts," said Henry Yu, Head of Financial Products, Wealth Management at GTJAI. "To make this venture a success, we wanted to find a versatile, stable and scalable trading solution that would enable us to price and manage, on a real-time basis, the market risk of a wide range of financial instruments. We chose to partner with Finastra as their platform gives our traders the tools they need to effectively manage daily operations and associated trade life-cycles. It has also helped us overcome the complex risk and compliance challenges associated with setting up operations in a new market, which has enabled us to get our business up and running in Hong Kong within seven months." With a single solution to address the many challenges of derivatives trading, risk management, and trade processing, Fusion Sophis has enabled GTJAI to fast-track its expansion and offer a wide variety of sell-side derivatives. At the same time, it has been able to develop the systems it needs to manage a dynamic and complex risk portfolio from one stable, intuitive and highly flexible platform. Unrivalled portfolio management allows traders to stay one step ahead of the market, confident in the knowledge that they also have the most advanced risk and collateral management tools. "GTJAI had already built a highly successful securities brokerage business in Hong Kong, so expanding operations to become a full-service financial institution was a natural next step," said Wissam Khoury, GM and SVP for APAC and MEA at Finastra. "We knew that getting to market quickly was important, and the Finastra Global Services team managed to achieve this by implementing our Fusion Adopt methodology. We also worked side by side with the GTJAI team to provide the right training, meaning that traders got to grips with the solution faster. We are pleased to have helped GTJAI get to market so quickly and we look forward to continuing to work together in the future." For further information please contact: Caroline Duff Global Head of PR T +44-(0)-20-3320-5892 E [email protected] finastra.com BENJAMIN JUN TAI Senior PR Manager, APAC T +65-9058-1160 E [email protected] finastra.com About Finastra Finastra is building an open platform that accelerates collaboration and innovation in financial services, creating better experiences for people, businesses and communities. Supported by the broadest and deepest portfolio of financial services software, Finastra delivers this vitally important technology to financial institutions of all sizes across the globe, including 90 of the world's top 100 banks. Our open architecture approach brings together a number of partners and innovators. Together we are leading the way in which applications are written, deployed and consumed in financial services to evolve with the changing needs of customers. Learn more at finastra.com LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube Corporate headquarters 4 Kingdom Street Paddington London W2 6BD United Kingdom T +44-20-3320-5000 SOURCE Finastra Related Links https://www.finastra.com/ Richa Sharma By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Realising that delay in alliance formation in Bihar dented the Mahagathbandhans chances during the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress is pushing for alliance in the state to be in place by May for the assembly elections scheduled later this year. In fact, the party has already shortlisted seats with better winnability chances. Of the 243 assembly seats, the party has prepared a list of those falling in three categories A, B and C with wining probabilities keeping in mind caste equation. The Congress is in a bad shape in Bihar with no district or block level committees in many regions of the state. We want an early alliance to be in place for Bihar elections and we are doing our homework for the same. During Lok Sabha polls, the announcement of alliances was pushed till the last minute and it didnt travel well to the party workers on the ground. As a result, there was a lack of coordination between party workers, AICC Bihar in-charge Shakti Sinh Gohil told this newspaper. The party feels that in 2015, seat-sharing formula between JD (U)-RJD-Congress alliance was in place much in advance as it was taken care of by Nitish Kumar and that helped the alliances coming to power before Kumar parted ways. The alliance talks between RJD, Congress, Upendra Kushwahas RLSP, Jitan Ram Manjhis Hindustani Awam Morcha and Mukesh Sahnis Vikasheel Insaan Party lingered on during Lok Sabha polls. It was finally announced nearly a week before the first phase of polling in the state. Gohil says that instructions have been given to state president to constitute district and block committees on priority basis and first round of assessment is already over. With the RJD announcing that it will contest at least 150 of 243 seats and projecting Tejashwi Yadav as CMs face, Congress leaders are in a fix as Bihar unit has told the party high command that they cannot win under him. It would be difficult for the party to win even 5 seats if Tejashwi is declared CM candidate of the mahagathbandhan and party should not agree to contest under him, said a senior Bihar Congress leader. NEW DELHI: Zee News, one of the country's biggest media houses, on Thursday said that its fight against the separatist forces, radical Islamists and those day-dreaming to convert India into an Islamic state will continue despite all odds. Zee News, through its popular show DNA, made a scathing attack on those who believe in the prophecy of ''Ghazwa-e-Hind'' and working in a clandestine manner to damage the federal and secular structure of India. The channel also strongly condemned the attack on its senior reporters and cameraperson near Sukhdev Vihar metro station in Delhi during the coverage of the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests. In view of the attack on Zee News senior reporter Jitendra Sharma, his colleague Neeraj Gaur and cameraman Qamar Khan, the channel questioned the real motive of the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protesters. The channel slammed the anti-CAA protesters at Shaheen Jagh and Jamia Nagar for their double standards and selective approach towards media. The channel asked why those holding placards and posters of Mahatma Gandhi and BR Ambedkar in their hands were so afraid of Zee Media and evading legitimate questions raised by the channel. DNA is Live on Twitter now. Stay connected wherever you are. #ZeeNahinDarega https://t.co/MKnLyponuN Sudhir Chaudhary (@sudhirchaudhary) January 30, 2020 Reiterating that the nation will always remain the topmost priority and it will continue to work in the best interest of people of India, the channel asked if the anti-CAA protesters really respected the ideals and principles of non-violence and truth practised by Mahatma Gandhi. It may be noted that a Zee News team was attacked near the Sukhdev Vihar metro station in Delhi when they went there to cover the ongoing anti-CAA protests. They were heckled and assaulted by the protesters from Jamia area of Delhi. Live TV During the incident, the anti-CAA protesters tried to snatch the mobile and personal belongings of Jitendra Sharma and Neeraj Gaur. The channel's camera and recording equipment were completely damaged by the anti-CAA protesters, who also shouted anti-government slogans. The agitating anti-CAA protesters also broke the camera and Live Unit of the channel. The incident comes hours after a young man, reportedly a minor, identified as Gopal, brandished a locally-made pistol and opened fire at the anti-CAA protesters in Delhi's Jamia area in which a student was injured. Strongly condemning the two incidents, the channel said that it now depends on the people of India to decide which way they want to go and what kind of a nation they want to build. Referring to Sharjeel Imam, the man arrested by police for making highly-objectionable remarks against the Union of India, the channel said that the arrested youth was the new poster-boy of the ''tukde-tukde'' gang. Citing Delhi Police, the channel also reminded millions of its viewers about the danger which the ''tukde-tukde'' gang, the selfie-journalists and radical Islamists like Sharjeel Imam posed to the nation. During his interrogation, Sharjeel had told officers that Muslims were being treated poorly in this country and so he was raising his voice against this. He admitted that he knew he could be arrested for his speech but showed no regrets. The JNU student also didn't deny making highly-objectionable remarks against India in the videos that became viral and formed the ground for his arrest. The channel said that the officers of the Crime Branch and Special Cell who interrogated Sharjeel believe that he gave the speech as a deliberate strategy. The channel reminded its viewers that it continues to be the prime target of ''tukde-tukde'' gang due to its fearless and unbiased reporting of national and international issues. Is Ghazwa-e-Hind the ultimate aim of CAA protesters? the channel asked in one segment of the show. Shifting its focus on the Ghazwa-e-Hind, the show explained that Prophet Muhammad had once prophesized a great battle (Ghazwa-e-Hind) between India and Pakistan or believers and non-believers centuries ago. According to various theories of Hadith, two groups of Muslims have been listed free from Hellfire; the Group 1 includes people who would wage war against India, and the Group 2 would follow Hazrat Issa. Invoking the term ''Ghazwa-e-Hind'' has been a staple Islamist discourse from the medieval times and has triggered the call for ''jihad'' against India from the eighties of the last century. It is no surprise that all terrorist groups operating in Kashmir, including Let and JeM, claim that their jihad is a part of the prophecy of Prophet Mohammad. Emboldened with the successful history of jihadi impact on conversion of a large number of natives, the Ulemas or Islamists consider non-Islamic governance in India as Darul Harab (land of war) and feel that it is the duty of Indian Muslims to turn it into Darul Islam (Land of Islamic rule) after complete liquidation of non-Muslims in the region which could be possible only after Ghazwa-e-Hind. During the show, its presenter and Zee News Editor-In-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary recalled how the anti-CAA protesters had on January 27 not allowed him to cover their agitation. They did not allow Sudhir Chaudhary to cross the police barricade. Sudhir Chaudhary kept on urging the protesters to allow him to meet them and bring their concerns over the CAA before the government but the protesters did not accept his request. Sudhir Chaudhary was accompanied by senior journalist Deepak Chaurasia during his visit to Shaheen Bagh. The channel, while appealing to the anti-CAA protesters to shun violence and end their futile agitation, launched the #ZEENahinDarega campaign, which immediately became one of the top trends on Twitter. Amid all this, the anti-CAA protests continued near Jamia Millia Islamia University against Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens (NRC) and a heavy police force was deployed there as a precautionary measure. Several hundred people most of them women have been protesting against CAA in Jamia area of the national capital for 45 days (till January 30, 2020). Change overdue Best wishes to the new members of the Longview City Council. The change was long overdue, but it was inevitable. The toxic environment that the council has been a part of for many years has come to an end. The new city council members can only do better since there is not much room to do any worse than the previous administration. It is my hope that honesty and actions of the council members shall prove my point. Over the years, I have offered a negative outlook in the letters to the editor that I have written. I call it as I see it. There werent very many positive things that I could have said in the past, but I certainly hope I can change that for the future. My best wishes. Mark Lengyel Longview Flying monkeys The Washington State Department of Revenue recently published the requirements for nonresidents to get their 2019 state sales tax refunded. The word draconian comes to mind regarding the requirements. Youll need to register online and include a photocopy of your identification, then make copies of all your receipts. Next you have to separately list the transaction/receipt number, the qualifying items and then identify them on each receipt, even though that info is already on each receipt. Electronic copies of the marked-up/highlighted receipts must be included along with filling out the online form listing each and every item per receipt (Can you say redundant?) It seems like the flying monkeys in Olympia are intentionally making it so hard for an Oregonian who shops across the river at Safeway, Fred Meyer and The Home Depot to get a sales tax refund so well look at the requirements and just give up. Meanwhile, their constituents still stream across the I-5 and 205 bridges to enjoy tax-free shopping in our state. Why do the words class action lawsuit come to mind? Gregg Smith Clatskanie Booming and blooming I have lived in Castle Rock for almost 20 years. This community has bloomed into a beautiful place over that time. The only concern I have had is about the safety and well being of my children at school. I have a Castle Rock High School graduate, a sophomore and a fourth-grader. Our children have been in all three schools, which are old and in need of upgrades. There are leaks, holes and infrastructure deficiencies everywhere. Castle Rock kids need to be in a secure, comfortable learning environment. Our schools are a symbol of our town to visitors from other areas for sporting events and many other activities. We should be proud of our buildings. Our kids are the future of Castle Rock and we need to invest in them to keep the beauty and safety of this wonderful place moving in the right direction. We will be passing the torch to them to keep this town booming and blooming. As a concerned parent, I thank you in advance for voting yes for our Castle Rock kids. Michelle Sullivan Castle Rock Muscles, not motors John Hopkins University recently published a Guide to Employers Physical Activity in the Workplace. It concludes that organizations benefit financially when employees exercise. Unfortunately, even those organizations offering fitness facilities are missing an easy and almost free fitness approach, which includes biking, walking and/or busing to work. Developing bike, walk and bus programs to work are incredibly effective. Large and small organizations have introduced well-designed employee motivation programs, then they watch their profits grow. If you lead an organization, there are active transportation advocates in town willing to help you get started. And dont forget, Longview has passed a Complete Streets ordinance dedicated to making walking, biking and busing easier and safer. If you are an employee and your company isnt offering a program, ask them to support your active transportation fitness efforts. It will improve your health and help you and your company financially. Muscles instead of motors will make a big difference in your life. Check out FacebookLongview Active Transportation group on Facebook for more information. We are ready to help. David Fine Longview Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Eisya A. Eloksari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 30, 2020 14:44 713 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2061bda81 1 Business BKPM,investment-coordinating-board,Bahlil-Lahadalia,automation,job-opportunities,workforce,women-workforce,labor,robot Free Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) head Bahlil Lahadalia said on Thursday that automation would impact both male and female workers after he warned women workers the previous day that they could be replaced by robots. I was just joking yesterday, he told the press on Thursday. But if men and women dont have skills and dont increase their productivity, robots will replace them. He went on to say that automation was one of the reasons that investment in Indonesia could only absorb about 1 million workers last year. The number was lower than the 1.17 million workers in 2017 and 1.39 million in 2016, but was higher than the 960,000 in 2018. Bahlil said that as technology became more advanced, it became an increased threat to employment, adding that Indonesia actually had more female workers. Read also: BKPM sets Rp 886 trillion investment realization target for 2020 However, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data revealed that were many fewer women in the workforce than their male counterparts with 52 million as of February last year, compared with 77.3 million male workers. Last year, the labor force participation rate for men and women was recorded at 82.69 percent and 51.88 percent, respectively. The low labor force participation rate for women has been constant over the past 20 years. The former Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association (Hipmi) chairman previously said during a press conference on Wednesday that female workers must be careful because automation could take over humans jobs. The comment was made after a female reporter asked Bahlil about the low job absorption despite BKPMs Rp 809.6 trillion (US$59.4 billion) investment realization last year. Someday no one will hire women because you can all be replaced by robots. So women, be careful, he said on Wednesday, adding that the move toward automation in Industry 4.0 was inevitable. MEPs of the European Parliament, some holding hands, rise to sing 'Auld Lang Syne' following a historic vote on the Brexit agreement at a session of the European Parliament that paves the way for an "orderly" departure of the United Kingdom from the EU, on January 29, 2020 in Brussels, Belgium. Sean Gallup Tears, hugs, emotional speeches and singing filled the European Parliament on Wednesday as lawmakers ratified the U.K.'s terms of departure from the EU, and took stock of the challenges facing the future relationship and the EU itself. Pro-EU, British MEPs gave their, often emotional, final speeches to the parliament with some stating their hopes for the U.K. to one day return to the EU. Lawmakers then voted on the 'Withdrawal Agreement' with 621 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voting in favor of it, with 49 votes against and a smattering of abstentions. The vote, albeit considered a formality after the U.K. Parliament approved the Brexit deal earlier in January, was historic nonetheless. Many lawmakers reflected on the U.K.'s place in modern European history, from its role in liberating Europe in two World Wars to it joining the European Economic Community (an early incarnation of the EU) in 1973. Questions were also raised over how and why the U.K. voted to leave, with soul-searching over the future over the U.K.-EU relationship and the EU itself as an institution. Grief and regret British Green Party MEP Molly Scott Cato said "it is with grief and regret that I accept that we will leave the European Union on Friday. Oh no, here come the tears," she said. "But we must keep the dream alive, especially for young people who are overwhelmingly pro-European. I hold in my heart the knowledge that one day I will be back in this chamber celebrating our return to the heart of Europe, thank you" Scott Cato said before breaking into tears along with several of her colleagues. Pro-Remain MPs of the European Parliament hug and wipe away tears following a historic vote for the Brexit agreement at a session of the European Parliament. Sean Gallup Not everyone was parting with a tear. Anti-EU MEP, Brexit campaigner and euroskeptic MEP Nigel Farage, a familiar antagonist in the European Parliament told the parliament: "What happens at 11pm this Friday 31 January 2020, marks the point of no return. Once we've left, we are never coming back," Farage said. "What do we want from Europe? If we want trade, friendship, cooperation and reciprocity we don't need an European Commission, we don't need a European Court, we don't need all of these institutions," Farage said, reiterating his oft-stated phrase that "we love Europe, we just hate the European Union." Brexit Party leader and member of the European Parliament Nigel Farage speaks to the media as he departs following a historic vote for the Brexit agreement at a session of the European Parliament that paves the way for an "orderly" departure of the United Kingdom from the EU on January 29, 2020 in Brussels, Belgium. Sean Gallup Farage's microphone was cut off by the parliament's vice president after he and a group of anti-EU British MEPs started flying British flags (flags are not allowed in parliament). Vice-president Mairead McGuinness told them "put your flags away, you are leaving." After the vote, MEPs marked the U.K.'s exit by joining hands and singing 'Auld Lang Syne.' A small step European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said before the vote that the 'Withdrawal Agreement' was just a step at the start of a new relationship with the U.K. "Just to be very clear, I want the EU and U.K. to stay good friends and good partners. The story is about old friends and new beginnings and we have a lot in common," she told lawmakers in the parliament. Guy Verhofstadt, MEP and the European Parliament's Brexit steering group coordinator, said it was a "sad day" to "see a country leaving that twice liberated us, twice given its blood to liberate Europe" referring to the two world wars. "I think in this debate we cannot escape a key question, how could this happen?" he said. "How is it possible that more than 40 years after an enormous majority voted to enter into the European family ... they decided to leave this European project." Verhofstadt called for a reforming of the European Union without the "opt-ins and opt-outs" (certain exceptions made in EU legislation for certain member states, like the U.K. had negotiated) and called for the union to be "more effective and democratic" for when, and if, the U.K. returned to the bloc in future. Ahead of the vote, Verhofstadt said "this vote is not an adieu, it is only an au revoir." Tweet: The future Most speakers from various political groups highlighted that the U.K.'s withdrawal from the EU won't be the end of the road of relationship. Debate also focused on lessons to be learnt from Brexit that should shape the future of the EU. Many also warned that the negotiations on the future relationship between the EU and the U.K. are going to be difficult, especially within the tight timeframe of 11 months in which a future relationship and trade deal is to be negotiated. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, delivers a speech during a special address on day two of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. Bloomberg 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(0x7f0482bb7978)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0482c2e268)', '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(0x7f0482bb7978)') 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(0x7f0482c2e268)') 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(0x7f0482a47df0)') 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(0x7f0482c2e268)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0482c2e268)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f048226dbb0)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f0482b81720)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f0482b81720)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Thursday absence of light leads to darkness and called upon people to live in "oneness" and respect diversity. He said one may think that today's atmosphere has been vitiated, but this feeling comes from lack of light in our hearts. Bhagwat said despite their differences, all human beings are members of one family and this bond is based not on selfishness but close family ties. Speaking at the programme of a local college, Bhagwat said all should understand that unity is hidden in diversity. What we understood was that the entire world comes from one and in the language of the world it is said unity in diversity...the emotion behind is good. "But I feel there is a need to make some changes (in this slogan) and it should be Ekta ki hevivivdhata hain aur isliye vivivdhata mein ekta hain usko jaano aur saari vivivdhata ka sweekar karo...samaan karo (unity is diversity and hence diversity lies in unity... accept all diversities and respect them," the RSS chief said. Referring to the prevailing atmosphere in the country, Bhagwat said some may talk about pervasive darkness, but that is not reality. When oneness (apnapan) comes into the world then no darkness can stand before it. Love removes all darkness. The earlier speaker said days are very bad, dont know what will happen in the disturbed atmosphere. "But there is no need to fear, darkness is there, but we cannot hit darkness and turn it away because there is no such thing like darkness in reality," he said. The RSS chief said darkness does not have its own strength and it can be overcome by light. "Lack of light is called darkness and when someone brings light, darkness starts to fade away. "If we look at the atmosphere prevailing in the country then one thing comes to notice, there are those who have seen the pre-independence era and those who are seeing the current situation. "With experience of life, we say the atmosphere has become very bad, today also we may think like that. But it is lack of light in us, which is making this atmosphere come into our hearts, he said. "What is this light in us...it is oneness (apnapan), what is Bharatvarsh, it says you may be born at any place, in any caste, region, language. "You may have any habit, eating habits, rituals... you may worship or not worship any God or Goddess. All these in you is respected by me, and you also accept it and respect it," the RSS chief said. He said due to lack of oneness, darkness spreads and narrated a story from Panchatantra about friendship between a lion and a buffalo. Their friendship was broken by jackals who envied the closeness between the lion and the buffalo due to their own self-interest, Bhagwat said. He refereed to the split between the lion and the buffalo and said this what happens in politics. "Selfishness becomes obstacle in love. Jackals instigated both the tiger and the buffalo against each other for selfish motives and the same thing has been happening in politics since the British era," he said. "The tiger and the buffalo got misled by the jackals and fought with each other. Instead, the tiger and the buffalo should have deliberated with each other and fallen to the machinations of the jackals," the RSS chief said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Imagine your young daughter had been knocked down, suffered horrific, life-threatening injuries, required an air ambulance and emergency surgery and spent weeks in hospital afterwards. Now imagine that you're the one who put her there. Mother-of-two Mary McDonnell from Portaferry doesn't have to imagine it. She's been living with relentless flashbacks of this horrific incident for the last six months. That's because the quad bike 15-year-old Ellie McDonnell was riding was involved in a catastrophic collision with her mum's 4x4 on a blind bend on a lane leading to the family home. There followed indescribable, terrifying trauma - physical for accomplished horse rider Ellie, but psychological for 52-year-old Mary, wife of a dairy farmer on the Ards Peninsula. Now, however, both mother and daughter are well into the recovery process following last summer's devastating accident. Ellie - who'd just been picked to ride in the Northern Ireland team in a competition in Wales at the time of the crash - is back riding horses, and her relieved mother is finally ready to talk about the morning when disaster came calling. It was around 11.30am on July 23, 2019 when Ellie was thrown from the quad, crashed into the windscreen of the car, and landed in a ditch at the side of the lane leading to the farm. "I saw her in the last two or three seconds... and I tried to drive into the hedge but a telegraph pole stopped me and Ellie hit the front of the jeep with the quad," Mary said. "Then she somersaulted through the air, hit the windscreen with her head and then somersaulted behind the jeep and landed on the grass verge in the lane. The bang was just deathly." She added: "That bang was horrendous. If I'm going along doing something in the house I still get that flashback. "I have to stop myself thinking because I would just go mad. I blank it out because Ellie is doing so well and we've got over it, but we'll never forget it." Mary recalled jumping out of the jeep and running to Ellie to find "blood everywhere". "The blood was in her mouth and she was drifting away and there was a slow gurgle that sounded like she was taking her last breath," she said. "I was on my knees. I pulled her on to her side and the blood started running out of her mouth and I screamed at her to wake up. I was screaming at her not to die, to stay with me..." With her "hands clabbered in blood", Mary told how she ran to the car to get her mobile phone to call for help. She tried to reach her husband Peter who didn't answer so she called her neighbour Pauline and told her to get Peter because "Ellie is dying". "I knew I needed to get some help before I called the emergency services... then, after I dialled 999, I told them I needed an air ambulance," Mary said. "Ellie had serious head injuries, she was open from the front to the back and she was going in and out of consciousness." Mary's husband, neighbour and brother-in-law Kieran arrived and helped calm the teenager "because she was screaming and fighting to get up" while they waited for help to arrive. Ellie, it later emerged, had sustained broken arms, legs, eye sockets, cheeks and teeth, and had severe swelling on her brain. Shortly after their arrival, the Air Ambulance NI medical team put her into an induced coma to protect her brain and then she was transported to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. Mary and Peter (52) went by car to the hospital where Ellie spent the following eight weeks, two of them in a coma. Son Max (11) stayed with relatives. With Ellie in surgery, Mr and Mrs McDonnell were told to prepare for the worst as the extent of her injuries left doctors unsure of her survival, never mind whether she'd ever be able to walk or talk again. "We walked past her bed; we didn't recognise Ellie, who was unconscious, at first," Mary said of their post-operation reunion. "Her head was double the size it should be, she was like an alien. There were so many tubes, computers, monitors and breathing machines around her. "She didn't look like a wee girl. She looked like an old woman. She was hanging by a thread." Ellie was "so close to death" that neither Mary or Peter left her hospital bedside during those long, worrying weeks. Mary recalled the first thing Ellie - who initially thought she'd sustained her injuries falling off her horse Olaf - said to her when she first came round. "She smiled, and when I asked her how she was feeling she replied: 'I'm feeling rather average' - and she's never used that word [average] in her life," Mary said. "The consultants themselves can't explain her recovery. They honestly thought she was going to die and they told me to prepare myself because she was so ill." Ellie, a pupil at Down High School, was finally discharged from hospital on September 20 last year, and her almost miraculous recovery has helped her mum overcome her guilt. "That night [of the accident] I thought, how am I ever going to breathe again or live if Ellie doesn't survive?" Mary recalled. "I couldn't have survived without her. We're a very close family and we do everything together. It was an awful situation to be in. You run into your daughter and she's lying dying in front of you." But Mary also said she was "glad it was me who hit her on the lane and not somebody else". "I did what I did very quickly because I was damn sure I was going to do whatever I could to keep her alive," she added. "Who knows? Somebody else could have frozen. Normally I'm really squeamish around blood. I'd go weak at the knees. "But that day I didn't. I've no idea why. Maybe the mother's instinct kicked in..." The Union government held an all party meeting here on Thursday, a day before Parliament's budget session begins. The session comes amid nationwide protests against the government's citizenship measures, including the amended citizenship law, with opposition parties putting up a united front against the Narendra Modi dispensation. Prime Minister Modi, senior ministers, Anand Sharma and Ghulam Nabi Azad of the Congress and Sudip Bandyopadhyay of the TMC, besides representatives of other parties, attended the meeting. The Budget will be presented on Saturday. Here's what you need to know about what's happening in Seattle. Councilmember Alex Pedersen wrote a letter to Lyft and Uber regarding their price surging policies in emergency situations. Read the full story on KING5. People with SNAP benefits in Seattle will now be able to get groceries from Amazon People in the greater Seattle area who receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program can now use their benefits to shop for groceries online on Amazon. Read the full story on SeattlePI . Family of 9-year-old boy hurt in Seattle shooting thanks the community A 9-year-old boy named Judah was shot in the femur while walking with his family through downtown Seattle. Read the full story on KING5. Pot shops group up in unincorporated King County A report found the retailers are not distributing around the county. Read the full story on Seattle Weekly. Businesses reconsidering future in downtown Seattle over crime Andrea Raetzer wonders if last weeks mass shooting at Third and Pine is the reason why Steepologie Teas is awfully quiet. Read the full story on Q13FOX. This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. The Lackawanna River, a Class A, coldwater river that flows 60 miles through Susquehanna, Wayne, Lackawanna and Luzerne counties in northeastern Pennsylvania before joining the Susquehanna River, has been voted the 2020 River of the Year. Emerging from a record number of public votes, the Lackawanna is most deserving of the River of the Year honor, as are the many supporting groups that rallied around it, said Cindy Adams Dunn, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. All five nominees are to be saluted, as they and their proponents again helped shine a spotlight on our states wealth of rivers and streams, and the core of dedicated folks who fight hard to protect them. The other four nominated waterways are Brandywine Creek, which flows through Chester and Delaware counties in Pennsylvania, and a bit of the state of Delaware; Buffalo Creek, which flows through Armstrong and Butler counties; Connoquenessing Creek, which flows through Beaver, Butler and Lawrence counties; and the Ohio River flows through Allegheny and Beaver counties in Pennsylvania, and the state of West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky. DCNR and the Pennsylvania Organization for Waterways and Rivers will work with the Lackawanna River Conservation Association to create a free, commemorative poster celebrating the Lackawanna River as the 2020 PA River of the Year. The LRCA will receive a $10,000 Leadership Grant to help fund a slate of year-long 2020 River of the Year activities. A commemorative River of the Year sojourn is among many paddling trips supported by DCNR and POWR each year. An independent program, the Pennsylvania Sojourn Program, is a unique series of a dozen such trips on the states rivers. These water-based journeys for canoeists, kayakers and others raise awareness of the environmental, recreational, tourism and heritage values of rivers. Additional information about the sojourn program can be found at the Pennsylvania Organization for Waterways and Rivers website. Bernard McGurl, executive director of the LRCA, said, This honor is a strong validation of our community's work over the past 30 years to rediscover the incredible natural resource that is the Lackawanna River. The vision for a revitalized river that has been shared by the Lackawanna River Conservation Association has been taken to heart by more and more of our fellow citizens every year! The waterway had been impacted by the anthracite coal mining industry and railroad, industrial and urban development over the past 200 years. With the abandonment of the anthracite mines in the 1960s and the development of modern sanitary sewage treatment works, the river has staged a strong recovery. The LRCA was created by local citizens in 1987 to promote restoration and conservation of the river and its watershed resources in northeast Pennsylvania. POWR administers the River of the Year program with funding from DCNR. Presented annually since 1983, the award has previously gone to the Clarion River, 1983, 1984, 1996 and 2019; North Branch Susquehanna River, 1986, 2004 and 2016; West Branch Susquehanna River, 1988, 1992 and 2005; Bear Run, 1989; Catawissa Creek, 1990; Pine Creek, 1991; North Branch Susquehanna River, 1991; Yellow Breeches Creek, 1992; North Branch and Main Stem Susquehanna River, 1993; Meshoppen Creek, 1993; Susquehanna River, 1994; Allegheny River, 1994 and 2017; Juniata River, 1995; Upper Delaware River, 1995; Tulpehocken Creek, 1996; Lehigh River, 1997 and 2007; Youghiogheny River, 1998 and 2008; Schuylkill River, 1999 and 2014; Kiskiminitas-Conemaugh River, 2000; Juniata River, 2001; Delaware River, 2002 and 2011; French Creek, 2003; Three Rivers, 2006; Lower and Middle Susquehanna River, 2009; Lackawaxen River, 2010; Stonycreek River, 2012; Monongahela River, 2013; Conewango Creek, 2015; and Loyalsock Creek, 2018. For more information visit the Pennsylvania River of the Year website. 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. Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com. Among the many contradictions of life, some of the glaring examples in recent history are that of Mahatma Gandhi (India), Martin Luther King Jr. (United States) Nelson Mandela (South Africa) and Benigno (Ninoy) Acquino (Philippines). These were all messengers of peace who preached and practiced peace through non-violence. But tragically these apostles of peace were done to death in the most violent way, except for Mandela, who also suffered 27 years in prison. In another age and era, another harbinger of peace, also known as the prince of peace Jesus Christ was similarly killed by a violent death on the cross. Today, the nation observes Martyrs Day to remember the sacrifice of the great soul Mahatma Gandhi who was violently shot dead by someone who did not believe in his principles to work and live for peace through non-violent means. The world was wonderstruck at how Gandhiji, then armed with nothing but potent non-violent armaments. uprooted the powerful British Empire from the Indian subcontinent. Gandhiji, as we learn from his writings, was highly inspired by the Bible, where he came across, among its other teachings, Jesus words: Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God, and if someone slaps you on one cheek, show him the other too. For this, the Mahatmas non-violence was not a matter of mere words or ideas. It was reality for which he was ready to suffer and eventually die. He practiced what he preached about truth, non-violence and peace. And a peacemaker he indeed was. It is a surprise that some did not understand Gandhis message of peace then and continue to misunderstand and disagree with his methods of achieving peace through non-violent means even today. Though Jesus Christ too was killed violently while preaching love, forgiveness and peace, it did not deter the Mahatma to live by that belief. It is my conviction that nothing enduring can be built on violence, he held firmly. Psychologists tell us that a person normally takes to violence when he or she is threatened by something or is deeply hurt by someone. But Gandhi propagated: nobody can hurt me without my permission. The principle of peace and non-violence was, and is often not general practice in the world. While Gandhi was working tirelessly for peace among different communities, in another part of the world, Adolf Hitler was killing millions in gas chambers as his project of ethnic cleansing. The need of the hour in the world in general and in India in particular on Martyrs Day is to get back to the teachings of great religious leaders on peace. Mahatma Gandhi shows us that a project of peaceful and harmonious living among people of different cultures and religions in the world is indeed possible. TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) Wabash Township residents want answers about a proposed emergency loan could lead to a property tax hike. Trustee Jennifer Teising said the township had to dip into savings to provide services for the fire department. Leaders are currently seeking an emergency loan of $440,000. It would go toward hiring two full-time firefighters, increasing staff and benefits and replenishing the township's rainy day fund. The loan would raise property taxes by $50 for every $100,000 assessed property value. Residents have asked the the Department of Local Government Finance to review the loan. "We believe strongly in what we are doing," said Teising. "Firefighters are at a greater risk for health issues. Including cancer and death. They're putting their lives on the line and we don't even have health insurance benefits for them right now." The Department of Local Government Finance is reviewing testimonies from opponents. When the council filed for the loan, it submitted the wrong statute. Teising said the township will re-apply for the loan for the 2021 budget. Shortly before the Senate's impeachment trial resumes, another John Bolton revelation has arrived. Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, revealed in a statement Wednesday that he spoke with Bolton, President Trump's former national security adviser, after his White House firing in September. In this conversation that occurred at Engel's request just one day before the impeachment inquiry was announced, Bolton evidently urged the committee to look into the ouster of Marie Yovanovitch, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. "On that call, Ambassador Bolton suggested to me unprompted that the committee look into the recall of Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch," Engel said. "He strongly implied that something improper had occurred around her removal as our top diplomat in Kyiv." BREAKING: Rep. ENGEL reveals that BOLTON called him in September and told him to look into the Marie Yovanovitch ouster. The committees had already started an investigation into Ukraine matters, but Bolton appears to have supported their effort. >>> pic.twitter.com/a54uwGKkaL Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) January 29, 2020 Yovanovitch was removed as ambassador to Ukraine in May 2019, and she testified in the impeachment inquiry her ouster was a result of a smear campaign backed by Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani. This latest Bolton revelation comes after The New York Times reported on Sunday that the former national security writes in his upcoming book that Trump tied aid to Ukraine to investigations into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son. Democrats want Bolton to be called to testify as part of the impeachment trial, and in his statement, Engel says he told his colleagues about this conversation and it "was one of the reasons we wished to hear from Ambassador Bolton, under oath, in a formal setting." More stories from theweek.com Mitch McConnell's rare blunder John Bolton just vindicated Nancy Pelosi 7 witheringly funny cartoons about the GOP's John Bolton problem Self-styled Hizbul Mujahideen commander Naveed 'Babu', who was arrested along with suspended J&K Police DSP Davinder Singh, has started spilling the beans about his contacts and told his interrogators that he was in touch with an independent legislator in the now-dissolved assembly, officials said on Thursday. Naveed alias Babu, whose full name is Syed Naveed Mushtaq Ahmad, is currently under the custody of National Investigation Agency (NIA). The agency is probing the case which involves suspended Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Superintendent of Police Davinder Singh, who was arrested on January 11 for ferrying terrorists -- one of them being Naveed -- out of the Kashmir Valley. Naveed claimed that he had been in constant touch with the legislator for establishing a firm base for the terror group in North Kashmir and was looking for possible hideouts in that area, the officials alleged. The erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state assembly had three independent legislators. Along with Singh and Naveed, Rafi Ahmed Rather and Irfan Shafi Mir, who claims to be an advocate, were also arrested on the day from the Srinagar-Jammu national highway at Qazigund. After several days of interrogation, the case was handed over to the NIA. During his interrogation, officials said, Naveed gave many versions about his role in the the banned Hizbul Mujahideen, whereas Mir was emerging as a kingpin of the group which had been in touch with their masters across the border. Based on Naveed's inputs, security forces had conducted multiple raids and picked up some overground workers as well. On sustained interrogation, Naveed started talking about his contacts which included the former independent legislator of the dissolved assembly, the officials said. Later on January 23, Naveed's brother, Syed Irfan Ahmed, was also arrested after he was brought from Punjab. He was in constant touch with his brother and had asked him to look for an accommodation in Chandigarh where they could escape the harsh winters months of Kashmir. Last year also, Singh had ferried Naveed 'Babu' to Jammu and facilitated his return to Shopian after "rest and recuperation". Naveed told the interrogators that they used to stay in the hilly regions to avoid the police and left the areas to escape harsh winters, they said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Perspective Atlanta, Georgia January 30, 2020 In recent years, Morocco has put in place the right frameworks for mobilizing rural communities to advance the nations sustainable development goals, yet it falls woefully short when it comes to implementation. As someone who has been engaged in rural development in Morocco for the past 26 years, I have analyzed how these frameworks can work together and complement each other. Since 2000, I have led a Moroccan-U.S. civil organization that assists local communities in their identification and management of priority development projectsin agriculture, education, health, and womens and youth empowermentand achieved initiatives located in the 12 regions of Morocco. The community-driven data-gathering, assessments, consensus-building, and overall project experiences engaging with most ministries and administrative tiers have afforded me realistic local and national contextual perspectives. Moroccos agricultural development programs to promote product cultivation, processing, and commercializing are not making a sufficient difference for the majority of families who farm five hectares or less of land and who experience intractable poverty. Despite immense local and national potential, rural poverty is the Achilles heel of Moroccos stability and prosperity. Engaging and empowering local communities through financial grants and technical contributions is the best way to successfully address systemic poverty afflicting most rural households along the entire agricultural value-chain from nurseries to processing. Agricultural programs understandably put pressure on the entire upstream value chain of raw and processed product. Enormous value is lost by family farmers due to tree and seed dependency, irrigation inefficiency, ineffectual cooperatives, and selling through traditional local market channels. The vast majority of farming families are without the production capacity, partnerships, and means to add value and reach a consistent standard and quality necessary to enter more rewarding markets. These stifling barriers keep the average household income as low as one fifth what it could be if a viable system were in place, based on my conservative calculation. Thus, rural peoples potential savings, income, and revenue for reinvestment only serve to improve livelihoods elsewhere while they themselves reap no benefit. Ensuring and expanding rural irrigation infrastructure must be the top priority. Local people are deeply frustrated with the anemic progress made in implementing rural development projects. Farming communities know and consistently prioritize exactly the needed irrigation infrastructure to uplift all village households, yet even when the local beneficiaries would gladly contribute their in-kind labor, there has been no construction. Project priority solutions in irrigation water canals, basins, towers, pipes, and pumps can conserve water by 50% or more. Such projects are prohibitively expensive, especially in mountain areas, yet hardly any other project will more greatly improve agricultural production, food security, and income. In addition, one simple policy shift would make a profound difference for tens of thousands of families fig and walnut trees (depending on water availability) should be allowed to be planted at high elevations on public domain lands, just as carob is allowed on public domain lands in lower lying ones. Rural development conditions are very problematic; there are the near complete losses of local fruit tree varieties of fig, apple, pear, grape, clementine, carob, date, and others that are endemic in the north, and other varieties elsewhere in Morocco. They offer a genetic resource for small farmers, enhancing food security in the face of water scarcity and climate change. However, agrobiodiversity remains seriously undermined because of a few high-yielding varieties that cause genetic erosion. Government tree nurseries have been closing over the years when they should be at maximum production capacities based on the enormous public demand for trees. The obvious counter-response to the irrigation recommendation is that there are already similar government subsidy programs (pressure drip systems, for example). However, those programs need to be brought to the farmers where they are, with partnerships that aid their strategic planning and experiential learning. Programs should fund nurseries on public land lent to community associations to reduce risk and cost to farmers, as the Moroccan High Commission of Waters and Forests, public schools, universities, and others have done with the High Atlas Foundation (HAF), the U.S.-Moroccan nonprofit organization I founded and help lead that works to strengthen cooperative capacity-building in management and technical areas; organic, food safety, and other certifications; and revolving lines of credit so cooperatives can acquire certified product for processing and sale. These actions have typically resulted in a surge in cultivation and market-ready product, along with improved local organization. The HAF model can be adopted and adapted by other community-based organizations. But how do we get there? The Municipal Charter, forming community development plans driven by the intended beneficiaries, women and men of all ages, is key for sustainable agricultural project identification and implementation. Project development facilitation is helpful and needed; establishing centers of participatory planning to assist with dialogue, meeting space, and coordination is vital. Provincial governors and other local leaders who understand the important contribution such centers make should exercise greater authority to assign underutilized public or civil building infrastructure for this purpose. The Moroccan frameworks for development enumerate what is needed to catalyze sustainable development of marginalized areas and groups, and a few instructive cases have brought ideas to full implementation with replicable and enduring results. These successful cases encourage decentralization in order to enable local communities and civil and public agencies to make decisions and allocate resources for peoples projects. They target rural communities, women, and youth in recognition of their disadvantaged situations, and their role as key drivers of transformational change. Taken together, these frameworks provide the needed comprehensive pathways for the people of Morocco to achieve the future they want, providing a course and means to help reach their human development goals. Moroccan agriculture and agroforestry, with its income-generating and environmental-enhancing potential, can and should be the engine for self-reliant financing of the peoples projects, especially in rural areas that need it the most. An olive tree planted in a schoolyard in the Marrakech region of Morocco About the Author: Dr. Yossef Ben-Meir is a sociologist and president of the High Atlas Foundation, a Moroccan-U.S. not-for-profit organization dedicated to sustainable development in Morocco. Joint Statement by the Political Directors of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS Media Note Office of the Spokesperson Copenhagen, Denmark January 29, 2020 At the invitation of Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeppe Kofod, the Political Directors of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh/ISIS Small Group met today in Copenhagen to reaffirm our shared determination to continue the fight against Daesh/ISIS in Iraq and Syria, and to create conditions for an enduring defeat of the terrorist group through a comprehensive, multifaceted effort. International law, including international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians and international human rights law, as well as relevant UN Security Council resolutions, must be upheld under any circumstances. The Political Directors agreed to strengthen cooperation across all lines of effort in order to ensure that Daesh/ISIS and its affiliates are unable to reconstitute any territorial enclave or threaten our homelands, people, and interests. Daesh/ISIS no longer controls territory and almost 8 million people have been freed from its control in Iraq and Syria. Nevertheless, Daesh/ISIS is adapting its methods to the situation as it evolves and hopes to use regional instabilities as an opportunity to conduct attacks and reemerge in Iraq and in Syria, as well as where Daesh/ISIS branches and networks exist elsewhere. Territorial defeat has been achieved, but all members of the Coalition acknowledge that the job to ensure a lasting defeat of ISIS remains. We will continue our efforts until the job is done. It is critically important to maintain and allocate adequate resources to sustain Coalition efforts against Daesh/ISIS in Iraq and Syria, including providing support to legitimate partner forces, to best safeguard our collective security interests. The Coalition will continue to further develop its support to and close partnership with the Iraqi government, the Iraqi Security Forces, and our partners in the region in their ongoing efforts to diminish Daesh/ISIS's capabilities and ensure it cannot reemerge. We must continue to increase our various forms of assistance and stabilization support to liberated areas. In Iraq, the Coalition remains committed to working with the government and the Iraqi people to build a safe, stable, and prosperous country in full respect of Iraqi sovereignty. We will continue the close dialogue with the Iraqi government on appropriate measures to adapt the operational efficiency and coordination of our collective efforts to defeat Daesh/ISIS. In Syria, the Coalition stands with the Syrian people in support of a lasting political settlement based on UN Security Council Resolution 2254. The Coalition must continue to be vigilant against the threats of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, to maintain the progress achieved by the Global Coalition to defeat Daesh/ISIS, to act together against any threats to this outcome and avoid security vacuums in the region that Daesh/ISIS may exploit. The Coalition must be prepared for the challenges posed by Daesh/ISIS, which will include plans for a meeting focused on how to support ongoing international efforts in West Africa and the Sahel in 2020. In this context, the Global Coalition must remain vigilant and work against the threat of Daesh/ISIS around the world, upon the request or prior consent of the country or state in which a Daesh/ISIS branch or network exists, and while fully respecting international law. The Political Directors reaffirmed their belief that this comprehensive effort is necessary to achieve a full and enduring defeat of Daesh/ISIS worldwide. The Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh/ISIS has proven that it is a cohesive, adaptable vehicle that has sustained this important endeavor through stabilization, political, military and law enforcement lines of effort. The Coalition's members, its four working groups, the political-military consultations, and Coalition implementing platforms have put together a unique mix of military and civilian expertise focused on ensuring the enduring defeat of Daesh/ISIS and will continue its efforts to limit the threat of Daesh/ISIS and its branches and networks. The Political Directors also welcomed the announcement that the next meeting of the foreign ministers of the entire Global Coalition will take place in Italy this spring. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The prosecution and a judge in the Kem Sokhas treason trial strongly hinted on Thursday that foreign assistance and funding was given to the opposition leaders Human Rights Party, though providing little evidence to support the thinly-veiled suggestion. The treason trial for Kem Sokha resumed on Thursday morning with judge Seng Leang, the prosecution and government lawyers questioning the opposition leader about the sources of funding for the Human Rights Party, assistance he received to draft its policies and a 2012 finance report for the party. Seng Leang asked Kem Sokha on multiple occasions about the source of funding for the Human Rights Party, what were the nationalities of experts he used to draft the partys policies, and repeatedly asked if any foreigners or U.S.-funded groups, such as IRI and NDI, were involved in providing donations to the HRP. Seng Leang, however, did not present any evidence in court to rebut Kem Sokhas assertion that only Cambodians, both in the country and overseas, were involved with the funding and functioning of the political party. There was no funding or aid, Kem Sokha said in court, referring to IRI and NDI. We did not take anything. The judge proceeded to ask questions about the HRPs performance in the 2008 and 2012 elections, names of party members who won either a parliamentary or commune council seat. He again asked about Daniel Baer, a former State Department official Kem Sokha met with prior to the 2012 commune election. Seng Leang asked if the Daniel Baer meeting was to get funding for his party, or if the former State Department official was providing advice on the HRPs electoral campaign. Seng Leang did not give any reasoning for how these questions related to the conspiracy with foreign powers charge leveled against Kem Sokha. The prosecution then proceeded to ask exactly the same questions, justifying the identical line of questioning by saying they needed additional clarification. They queried Kem Sokha about IRI and NDI funding, which the opposition leader had repeatedly denied receiving because it was illegal for political parties to get donor funding. Again, the prosecution asked Kem Sokha about the partys electoral performance in 2008 and 2012, even bringing up whether former CNRP members Ou Chanrith and Ou Chanrath were previously part of the HRP, though it was unclear why these questions was pertinent to the proceedings. Government lawyer Ly Chanthola then questioned Kem Sokha about the HRPs 2012 financial report, submitted to the government in late 2012. He asked about the sources of funding, made the claim that the monthly expenditure was high and said he was curious as to how the party was contesting the 2012 election on such a meagre budget, around $100,000 at the time. He pointed out that the party had not listed the amount of money it had spent on the 2012 commune election, to which Kem Sokha shot back that the lawyer should take these queries to the Ministry of Interior, where these reports were submitted. I dont know why you are asking me these questions, he said. Do you mean the Ministry of Interior did not do its job? Earlier in the trial, defense lawyer Meng Sopheary used around five of six photos of Kem Sokha meeting foreign delegations or leaders to show that he had relations with countries other than the U.S. The photos also included workshops organized by NDI and IRI with Kem Sokha asserting that these were attended by all political parties, including the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party. The prosecution and government have looked to pin Kem Sokha on his relationship with the U.S. and organizations, like IRI and NDI, to suggest they aided and guided his career as a human rights advocate and politician. His Excellency [Kem Sokha] has clarified to the court that besides the U.S. he has relations with other countries to build good relations [for Cambodia], Meng Sopheary said. However, government lawyer Ly Chanthola suggested that meeting with dignitaries, including a Chinese president, Japanese prime minister and UK embassy delegation, were part of his official duties as a member of parliament and often no more than a welcome handshake. The A4-size copies of these photos were held up in court by the lawyers and barely visible to observers in the gallery. These short handshakes, Ly Chanthola said, were not indicative of Kem Sokhas ability to foster foreign relations and just official functions he had to attend as a member of parliament. Before Ly Chanthola could cross question Kem Sokha about his use of the word "change" during his political work and present additional evidence, presiding judge Kuy Sao ended the hearing and announced it will resume next Wednesday. The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which has taken over the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case from Pune Police, has filed an application before a court here, seeking transfer of seized evidence, court records and other material to a special NIA court in Mumbai. Sources said the NIA informed the Pune court that a fresh First Information Report (FIR) has been registered at NIA Police Station in Mumbai under IPC sections 153 (A) (promoting enmity between different groups) and 505 (1)(b) (spreading rumours, public mischief). Charges under terrorism-related provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) have also been pressed in the new FIR, the sources added. One of the defence lawyers representing the Left- leaning activists arrested in the case said the NIA filed the application before Additional Sessions Judge S R Navandar here on Wednesday. It prayed to the court for necessary orders to send all the records and 'muddemaal' (seized evidence) to the NIA court in Mumbai. A report related to the fresh FIR was submitted before the special NIA court in Mumbai on January 27, the lawyer said. The Pune court called for the Maharashtra government and the accused to file their say, and will hear the NIA's application on Monday, he added. The Centre last week transferred the probe into the Elgar Parishad case to the NIA, a decision which the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government in Maharashtra criticised strongly. Earlier this week, Pune Police told the NIA that case records will be handed over only after the state Director General of Police issues necessary orders. The case is related to speeches delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave, held at Shaniwarwada here on December 31, 2017, and the next day's violence near the Koregaon Bhima war memorial in the district. Pune Police had claimed that the conclave was backed by Maoists, and the speeches made there triggered the violence. During the probe, the police arrested activists Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Shoma Sen, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Sudha Bharadwaj and Varavara Rao for alleged Maoist links. The Pune police have already filed two chargesheets in the case. However, the new government in Maharashtra had taken steps to review the police probe. The Congress and NCP had hit out at the Centre for handing over the case to the NIA, claiming it was done as the BJP feared the earlier government's wrongful actions would get "exposed". NCP chief Sharad Pawar had last month demanded a Special Investigation Team to probe the action taken by Pune Police against the rights activists in the case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Delhi court will decide on giving a new date to hang the four convicts in the 2012 Delhi gang rape case on Friday. The four convicts - Mukesh Kumar Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Kumar Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar Singh (31) - had approached the court to stop execution of their February 1 death warrant. During the course of hearing on Thursday, the Tihar Jail authorities opposed the stay on the February 1 death warrant. Public prosecutor lashed out at the petition filed by the four convicts saying, This is complete mockery of justice. In an application filed in the court, their lawyer AP Singh told the judge that a mercy plea filed by 26-year-old Vinay Kumar Sharma to seek a presidential pardon was still pending. Lawyer AP Singh cited provisions of the Delhi Prison Rules that make it clear that none of the four convicts in the same crime can be hanged before the last one has exhausted all legal options including the mercy petition. Besides, Singh also drew the courts attention to the 2014 verdict of the Supreme Court that ordered jail authorities to give death row convicts 14 days after rejection of their mercy plea before hanging them. The trial court had on January 17 issued black warrants for the second time for the execution of all the four convicts in the case in Tihar jail at 6 am on February 1. Earlier, on January 7, the court had fixed January 22 as the hanging date. The four were sentenced to death by a fast-track court in just about a year of the gruesome crime that had brought thousands of people on the streets to protest. It led to a major overhaul of laws surrounding sexual assault. Their victim, 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. The confirmation of the death verdict by the high court and the subsequent appeals, however, are still continuing. As of now, only Mukesh has exhausted all his legal remedies including the clemency plea which was dismissed by President Ram Nath Kovind on January 17 and the appeal against the rejection was thrown out by the Supreme Court on Wednesday. The European Parliament voted in Brussels on Wednesday to ratify the withdrawal agreement that governs Britains withdrawal from the European Union, which will formally happen Friday at midnight Brussels time. The occasion was marked by speechifying and the singing of Auld Lang Syne. Some European legislators put up a sign reading, hopefully, Its not goodbye, its au revoir an until we meet again. The vote something of a relieved whimper rather than a bang, as its result was expected brings to an end to more than three years of confusion, political division and missed deadlines. The vote passed 621-49, with 13 abstentions. But for the EU, the loss of Britain is a significant defeat. It represents a loss of size, reach, momentum and permanence, comparable to Texas deciding to break away from the United States. Brexit is a defeat, a rebellion against the concept that working together makes Europeans stronger, said Rosa Balfour, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund. It also gives the bloc potentially less clout. Any room the EU walks into, it will carry less weight than when the U.K. was a member on trade, climate, defence, said Paul Taylor, a senior fellow at Friends of Europe, a research institution. At the same time, the shock of Brexit has produced a unity among the remaining 27 nations that is hard to find on any other issue neither migration nor Russia, the budget or even the supposedly common currency, the euro. As they have negotiated with Britain, at least, the 27 have stayed together, much to Londons disappointment, and talk of other countries leaving the bloc has disappeared. While Brexit originally caused panic in Brussels, it has turned out to be less of an epidemic than a vaccine, noted Josep Borrell Fontelles, the blocs foreign policy chief. The process has been so chaotic and painful for Britain that even Europes populists have stopped talking about the likes of Frexit, Nexit or Italexit, referring to France, the Netherlands and Italy. Because the European official who led the talks on the blocs behalf so far is now in charge of negotiating its future relationship with Britain, similar unity is to be expected. But it will have a defensive character, with Brussels intent on maintaining the integrity of the single market despite the desire to keep its large neighbour close. The negotiations will be both complicated and limited, given the timing. The transition period, during which little changes despite the formal Brexit, runs only until the end of the year. EU leaders like the Commissions president, Ursula von der Leyen, have pledged, as she did this month in London, to work day and night to forge a close future relationship with Britain. But the loss will ripple outward for years to come. Its a defeat for everyone for the European project, for Britains position in the world and for American interests, since the U.S. was the beneficiary of Britain in the EU, said Ian Lesser, a former U.S. diplomat who is now the director of the German Marshall Funds Brussels office. Britain acted as a sort of pragmatic balance between the more statist countries like France and the more frugal, federal ones, like Germany, Lesser noted. So Brexit will make some of the divisions in the EU more stark and difficult to manage. Britains departure changes the balance within the EU and creates a power vacuum, said Mark Leonard, director of the European Council on Foreign Relations. The absence of Britain will make the relationship between France and Germany even more toxic, he said. But it also destabilizes a lot of the countries, like the Dutch and the Nordics, on issues like the free market, anti-Russia policy and trans-Atlanticism, Leonard added. And it will further the imbalance between the eurozone and noneurozone countries, leaving those like Poland, Sweden and Denmark more exposed. Central European countries, Turkey and countries hoping to join the bloc may also feel Britains absence. The Turks are quite concerned because Britain has been a friend in terms of Turkish integration, even if accession is not on the cards, Lesser said. The European Council, made up of European governments, has already approved the deal but will make a final, pro forma vote in writing Thursday. Britains economy is roughly the size of Frances, the second-largest in the EU, and is an important security player, a nuclear power with a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. Britain has a close relationship with Washington and, even after its famous rebate, is the second-largest net contributor to the blocs budget, putting in nearly 12 per cent. Already, as European governments debate the next seven-year budget always a sour process there are angry disagreements on how large it should be, given the need to fill the hole the British will leave behind when the transition period ends in December. And given proximity, two-way trade is enormous. The EU is Britains largest trading partner, taking 45 per cent of all British exports and providing 53 per cent of all British imports in 2018, the latest figures from the House of Commons Library, according to a report issued last month. If Britain chooses to diverge significantly from European regulations, the hit to trade will be serious for both sides, if not equally shared. Britain matters far less to the EU, accounting for less than 10 per cent of its overall trade. A lot will depend on where Britain ends up landing. With Washington dangling a separate trade deal, there are powerful forces shaping the Brexit debate in favour of de-aligning with the European Union and moving more toward the United States, Balfour said. That could have a devastating impact on Europe and where it stands in the world, she continued. It could push Europe closer to Russia, undermine Europes ability to pursue an independent foreign policy and hurt Europes ability to shape the international world of multilateralism and the rule of law, the basics on which the EU was built. Britain will be important to Europe on military matters and foreign policy regardless, Leonard said, pointing to so far common positions on Iran and the 2015 nuclear deal, Russia, sanctions policies and Huawei, where Washington is often in disagreement with Europe. Iran in particular is seen as a test case in Paris and Berlin, he said. The U.K. is trying to balance, but pressure from Washington is being ramped up. Despite President Donald Trumps apparent admiration for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, I dont see the U.K. becoming Trumps poodle, Taylor said. He noted important disagreements on Iran, Israel-Palestine, northern Syria, Turkey, climate, trade, the World Trade Organization and Huawei, where Britain has remained aligned with Europe against Washington. Britain, too, has an interest, post-Brexit, in demonstrating its importance as a vital regional power in military and intelligence, and in continuing to play an important role in NATO and European security. In the end, the EU, and especially France, the other major military power, will have an interest in creating a functional relationship with Britain to take advantage of Britains assets as it tries to present a more active role in the world, especially in defence, Lesser said. But it wont be easy. Read more about: The Harris County attorney plans to sue Watson Grinding and Manufacturing over the explosion that left two dead and damaged 450 structures last week. The suit, to be filed today by County Attorney Vince Ryan, said the company violated numerous laws following the explosion Friday at its Gessner facility, according to First Assistant County Attorney Robert Soard. The Angyee Chinese Riots of 1876 High taxation in the early1870s placed backbreaking taxes on Phuket Tin mines. This extra tax burden on the Chinese mine owners and coolies happened to coincide with a fall in the world tin price in the mid-1870s. With the mines so overtaxed, several became unprofitable and the mine owners laid off many workers or simply stopped paying their wages. History-of-PhuketHistoryEducation By Colin Mackay Thursday 30 January 2020, 07:00PM Chinese Tin smelter These Chinese mine owners were often also the office bearers of the local triads, known as Angyee in Siam. The Chinese, who vastly outnumbered the Siamese police and natives in Phuket at that time, became increasingly aggressive towards the government and demanded a tax reduction. A letter in the Thai national archives from the period shows that the Siamese Department of Defence foresaw trouble, warning that Phaya Phuket is not able to follow through on governing, he cannot gain the respect of the Chinese The Chinese often offend and insult the governor of Phuket. It is recommended that more troops and weapons be sent to Phuket. The Chinese miners in Ranong encountered similar problems. It is said that the coolies in Ranong were already so tightly squeezed that they referred to the town as a great pit, easy to fall into but impossible to get out [of]. In 1876 these frustrated Ranong coolies started rioting and a Thai source tells us that in that year some oppressed miners, primarily from China rose up against the governor, other officials and mine operators. It appears that some 600 miners, allegedly Hakkas from the Gee Hin triad, though other sources say they were Hokkien from the Kian Teck, went on a rampage. They killed some Siamese army guards at the Burmese border and 21 people in the town, including government officials and other Chinese miners. The town was then ransacked and the outlying areas were also attacked and pillaged. Most locals resorted to their time-honoured response and fled off into the jungle. Things eventually calmed down when the Siamese naval gunboat the Murathavissawat, with a detachment of Siamese marines, arrived from Phuket. Some of these Ranong rioters fleeing from potential punishment then went down to Phuket to seek support from the more numerous Hokkien Kien Teck triad members there. The military commissioner of Phuket at the time, Chum Bunnag, ordered a second Siamese gunboat to Phuket. When it arrived, some of the Siamese sailors, allegedly drunk, came ashore and got into a fight with some Chinese miners. The local British police chief of Phuket at the time, a Captain Webber, arrived with his men and arrested two of the Chinese miners. Soon around 300 choleric coolies gathered at the Phuket Town police station to demand the release of their two compatriots. The duo was set free in an attempt to calm the angry mob, but the Chinese, with their blood now up, started attacking government offices and, by that evening, the riot had escalated to the point that some 2,000 coolies had joined in and were burning and looting all over Phuket Town. Some say over a hundred people were killed in these riots mostly the victims of Chinese infighting and most of the locals fled, many heading south with their valuables to the safety of Wat Chalong. Phaya Wichitsongkrans mansion in town was attacked and ransacked and the governor himself had had to flee off the island to Kao Te See in Phang Nga. Southwest Siam was notably lawless because the often fractious and better-armed Chinese immigrants usually hopelessly outnumbered the police. Chum Bunnag, the military commissioner, eventually came to Phuket Town to meet the Chinese clan leaders there. They had three main demands: First, the government must suspend the heavy taxation, until the tin price rose. Secondly, the government must allow them to grow marijuana and export it for extra income. Thirdly, the government must grant an amnesty to the rioters. Chum Bunnag agreed to these terms and promised to improve living conditions to benefit the local people and ensure peace and prosperity for all. The local Chinese leaders were either not convinced by the commissioners promises, or had no real control over the situation, as the riots and lawlessness went on for another month. Many more people, mainly Chinese, were killed and many of the remaining businesses and some homes in town were sacked and looted. The province was said, in one Siamese report, to be lost to the government. This was of grave concern to Bangkok, not least because the government knew that such disorder could give the British a good pretext to move in and take over Phuket Britain had just used the mining wars in Pahang in Malaysia as an excuse to advance their power into that state. The military commissioner, Chum Bunnag, ordered more troops up from Keddah and from the southern division military headquarters at Nakorn Sri Thammarat. When these extra troops arrived, the fighting and rioting were suppressed. The head monk of Wat Chalong Luang Pho Chaem brokered a fragile peace. He had sheltered many of the terrified residents of the island and on one occasion had managed to hold off a cantankerous mob of Chinese coolies who wanted to attack the refugees in Wat Chalong to get at their riches and loot. He is held in the greatest esteem by the people of Phuket today. All through 1876, however, rioting continued in sporadic outbreaks. Bangkok ceded to all the concessions demanded by the local Chinese towkays. They also gave sweeteners to some of the leading triad bosses, such as Tan Jao, Tan Gaik Thams son, who was the leader of the Hokkien triad. He was given a royal title and awarded the lucrative monopoly for the distribution of opium in Phuket. In 1878, after the governor of Krabi was suspiciously assassinated, Tan Jao was also allowed to operate the Krabi province tax farm. An amnesty was also granted because, as one Siamese lord in Bangkok noted, If the government wished to prosecute the rioters it would be difficult since they are so many in numbers. If the government became too forceful they may threaten another riot. This restrained and conciliatory reaction, plus Siams beefed-up military presence, eventually restored order in Phuket. But this came at a cost, as Chum Bunnag later wrote: Henceforward since the Thai government has no power to punish Chinese people, the Chinese are the most powerful people in the kingdom please consider this carefully. Phaya Wichitsongkran eventually came back to Phuket but decided not to live among the Chinese any longer. He built a new fortified house in Tharua, further from the massed Chinese and nearer to his boat in Tharua Harbour, in effect living rather as the earlier European traders had lived near an escape route to his boat. The remains of his great fortified house in Tharua, dating to the late 1870s, is one of Phukets oldest extant buildings and is a public park and historical site today. The Angyee riots of 1876 marked a turning point in the political power on the island, with power moving from the older hereditary Na Nakorn and other Siamese lordly families to the now richer and more numerous Chinese. This process was tempered and helped by later judicious intermarriages between the two groups. More on that in future issues. Adapted with kind permission from the book A History of Phuket and the Surrounding Region by Colin Mackay. Available from good bookshops and Amazon.com. Order the softcover 2nd edition directly at: historyofphuket.com Latest News Understanding the 'perfect storm' that was the Sydney property market in 2021 Leading expert reflects on the crazy year that brokers and buyers experienced and throws forward to the 12 months to come How to manage home buyer regret Tips for brokers on how they can keep their clients onside once they have bought CBA has announced a series of updates and new initiatives for its small business banking division, based directly on customer feedback, and including a commitment to providing faster access to funding. Our small business customers have wanted more from us and weve been working hard to make the improvements theyve asked for like faster access to cash flow, more specialist bankers, and less fees, said Clive van Horen, executive GM of business customer solutions. Small businesses are often the first to feel the pinch from shifts in the broader economy. As Australias largest bank, it is imperative we listen to these businesses, back them, and try to make it easier for them to innovate, invest and grow. As part of this effort, the bank has launched BizExpress, a business lending application which provides small businesses a faster lending decision and faster funding for loans up to $1m. We fully acknowledge there is concern in the small business community that it is getting harder to access credit. We currently lend more than $500m to Australian businesses every week and have the capacity and appetite to do much more, said van Horen. BizExpress can provide our eligible small business customers with a lending decision in minutes, enabling faster access to the funds they need to keep them growing. The nature of small businesses is such that they require quick access to funding, whether its to capitalise on opportunities, cover debts or cash flow, or purchase equipment. Further, CBA has created more than 120 new roles, with a larger pool of business bankers in its Australian phone-based business centres and more managers in branches in key geographic areas. Finally, the bank has been removing more business banking fees, including all electronic transaction fees from Commonwealth Bank business accounts. In November, CBA also introduced a more flexible Business Transaction Account, with a price option that has zero monthly account fees for customers who prefer to bank online. More than 93,000 existing CBA business customers have already made the switch to the zero monthly account fee option, and over 27,000 new accounts have been opened. This change to our Business Transaction Account addresses the number one complaint we received from our business customers the monthly account fee. Weve already seen tens of thousands of customers make the switch, and collectively they will save millions of dollars as a result of the changes, said van Horen. Ali Ubaidi, former health minister has sentenced to seven year in prison for squandering public funds in a case that dates back to 2018. Ubaidi was referred in 2018 to the court for ministers after an investigation accused the former health minister of hiring an insurance company to play the role of mediator and compete the procedures and fix the appointments for patients, for which the company received amounts exceeding tens of millions. The court ordered the former cabinet member to pay 10,000 Kuwaiti dinars ($33,000) as bail or face the jail sentence. The verdict handed same jail sentence to a number of other officials from the ministry. The defendants are also ordered to return to the state 80 million dinars ($263,000). Man charged in college student's 1996 cold case murder: 'We will get some answers' originally appeared on abcnews.go.com On Aug. 22, 1996, a 22-year-old college student named Debbie Dorian was found dead in her Fresno County, California, apartment, her body bound at the hands and feet with duct tape. The duct tape was also wrapped around her head, covering her mouth, nose and eyes, says Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp. MORE: Son's former football coach arrested for mom's 1981 murder The unsolved slaying gripped the community for decades. And on Wednesday, 52-year-old Nickey Stane was charged in the sexual assault and murder after authorities implemented the novel investigative technique that caught the suspected "Golden State Killer," officials said. "Now I will see justice for Deb before I die," her mother, Sara Loven, said at a Wednesday news conference. PHOTO: Debbie Dorian is pictured in an undated photo. (Obtained by KSFN) As the years passed without an arrest in Dorian's murder, investigators ran the unknown suspect DNA recovered from the scene through CODIS, a law enforcement database -- but there were no hits, officials said. In 2002, investigators in Fresno learned the DNA recovered from Dorian's case was matched to a sex assault in Visalia, California, officials said, but Visalia authorities also did not have a suspect named. PHOTO: Nickey Stane in a police booking photo. (Visalia Police Department) In 2009, Tulare County prosecutors said they filed a "John Doe" complaint against the DNA profile of the unknown suspect accusing him in multiple sexual assaults in the late 1990s and early 2000s in Visalia, officials said. The break in the case finally came when investigators in 2018 decided to use the novel technique of genetic genealogy. Genetic genealogy compares unknown DNA evidence from a crime scene to public genealogy databases, which are populated by the DNA of family members who voluntarily upload their DNA. Genetic genealogy has been called a "game-changer" in cracking cold cases. Since the arrest of the suspected "Golden State Killer" in April 2018, about 100 suspects have been identified through the technology, according to Parabon NanoLabs Chief Genetic Genealogist CeCe Moore. Story continues MORE: Man arrested in intern's 1980 cold case rape, murder thanks to DNA match Investigators have now matched Stane's DNA to the Visalia sexual assaults and Dorian's murder, prosecutors said. Stane, of Visalia, faces charges including murder, kidnapping, rape and sodomy. He could face the death penalty if convicted of all charges, prosecutors said. "During the 23 years of waiting and searching, there have been so many people waiting and praying to solve Deb's case," said Loven, Dorian's mother. "Expressing how thankful I am doesn't touch the depth of my gratitude." MORE: Possible serial killer was behind teen's 1976 rape, murder Loven said she doesn't have closure, but the arrest does end her "struggle to always be searching." "We will get some answers now and probably hear things we don't want to hear," she said. "But we will honor our precious, beautiful, daughter and see this through." Stane's arraignment is set for Feb. 6, prosecutors said. The Tulare County allegations will be prosecuted in one trial in Fresno County. His public defender declined to comment to ABC News. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) San Francisco International Airport Commissioner Linda Crayton has resigned from her position citing health concerns, airport officials confirmed late Wednesday. Crayton's resignation comes just a day after it was revealed that San Francisco Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru, 58, of San Francisco, and Lefty O'Doul's restaurant owner Nick Bovis, 57, of San Mateo, were each charged with one count of honest services wire fraud in a federal criminal complaint filed Jan. 15, and unsealed on Tuesday. The complaint alleges both Nuru and Bovis conspired to bribe an unnamed female airport commissioner in 2018 for help in obtaining a restaurant concession. The commissioner ultimately declined a $5,000 cash bribe offered to her by Bovis and the scheme never came to fruition, according to the complaint. In a letter to Mayor London Breed, Crayton announced her decision to resign due to "multiple, severe medical conditions," which she said she's been struggling with for years. "The demands of my medical treatment have increased to the point that I cannot continue to serve on the commission," Crayton said in the letter. Crayton, who served on the commission for over 20 years, has had her biography already removed from the commission's website. In the wake of the charges against Nuru and Bovis, Nuru has been placed on administrative leave, with Acting Director Alaric Degrafinried taking over the Public Works Department for the time being. Breed has called for an internal review of any implicated city contracts or decisions. Supervisor Matt Haney has called for Nuru's resignation. He's also calling for an independent investigation of DPW and any other city departments implicated in the scheme. FBI officials arrested both Bovis and Nuru on Monday and each was released Tuesday on $2 million bond by a federal magistrate in San Francisco. In addition to the honest services wire fraud charge, Nuru has also been charged in a second criminal complaint with lying to the FBI. The charge of honest services wire fraud carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years in prison upon conviction and the charge of lying to the FBI has a penalty of five years, if Nuru is convicted. Nuru and Bovis are due to return to court on Feb. 6 for a bail review. 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 single Australian radio producer has listed the many benefits of dating a divorcee, advising women to 'pounce like a tiger on the closest divorced man' because they are more likely to know what they want second time round. Jana Hocking, who works at Sydney's Triple M radio station, said the pros of dating previously married men 'far outweigh the cons' in her weekly Whimn column What's a Girl To Do. The journalist urged singletons to remain upbeat and committed to the dating circuit, because sooner or later they will meet someone who has 'made all the mistakes in their first marriage and are aiming to do better in the next'. She also believes divorcees are better communicators and more traditional in their views than those who have never been married, meaning they are less likely to ask you out - or dump you - by text. Sydney journalist Jana Hocking enjoys dating divorcees because they are better at communicating, more traditional in their behaviour and more likely to know what they want Jana recently dated a divorced man, who had never used modern dating apps like Tinder and was keen to impress her with old fashioned chivalry like taking her for a sit-down dinner rather than a drink. In the aftermath of his marriage breakdown, he was also 'determined not to make [the same] mistakes again', making kind and thoughtful gestures that made Jana feel special. 'It seemed like this guy was a unicorn, but no - he was just dating they did in the good old days before technology made us lazy,' she said. And while many women balk at the thought of a prospective partner having children already, Jana enjoyed spending time with her boyfriend's kids, seeing the arrangement as the best of both worlds. 'I could enjoy the fun, raucous family dinners, but also a quiet weekend with my partner and a lot of wine when the kids were with their mum,' she said. The 31-year-old journalist urged singletons to remain committed to the dating circuit, because sooner or later they will meet someone who has 'made all the mistakes in their first marriage and are aiming to do better in the next' Jana recently dated a divorced man who impressed her with old fashioned chivalry like taking her for a sit-down dinner rather than a drink One of Jana's divorced friends agreed, telling her their dating life was 'infinitely better' after marriage. He felt his first relationship had given him greater self-awareness and a clearer picture of who his ideal partner would be, while dating at a slightly older age has made him more confident and financially secure. The average Australian marriage lasts for 12 years, with roughly two divorces per 1,000 couples. The most common age for getting a divorce in Australia is just over 45 for men, and 43 for women. The British Council was established in 1934 and has been in Nigeria since 1943. In a message celebrating 75 years in Nigeria, Country Director, Lucy Pearson, outlined that the Councils approach is rooted in partnering with the right UK and Nigerian organisations to give the widest possible impact We have a reputation for listening and enabling that has brought us a range of partner organisations that invested in our programmes from Federal and State Governments to NGOs to the private sector. The focus of the British Council in Nigeria is on capacity building and sustainability in designing, developing and delivering programmes aimed at delivering change at scale. Between 2018/2019 alone, 117,352 internationally recognised exams were taken by Nigerians connecting them to worldwide learning opportunities which will improve their life chances. More than 3,900 students across 26 schools have gained access to an international dimension in their education through the International Schools Award. 4,832 artists were given empowerment opportunities through training and networking platforms. This includes the Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO) funded Nigeria Creative Enterprise (NICE) which supported Nigerian creative entrepreneurs, and sector support organisations in fashion and film to develop their skills, capacity and partnerships with the UK. Over 1,921 traditional rulers, 1,801 scribes and 300 mentors from 12 Emirate Councils in North-East Nigeria have been trained. The training developed the traditional rulers skills for mediation of disputes and conflict resolution. Here is an example of how they have delivered change at scale, thanks to the amazing work of the many participants that have been involved in their programmes. One of such participants is Tunde Arogunmati. Thanks to you Tunde Arogunmati, Executive Director of African Incentive Partnerships, and a former participant of the British Councils African Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (AKTP) designed to help businesses improve their competitiveness, productivity through knowledge, technology and skills available from Higher Education Institutions. Tunde Arogunmati is now a highly successful management consultant whose career was leapfrogged thanks to his involvement in the British Councils African Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (AKTP). Today Tunde is Executive Director for Business Development and Planning for Business TV Africa Ltd where he has been responsible for restructuring and repositioning BTVA Ltd from its former Bloomberg TV Africa franchise to full-fledged global African Business TV brand. He has gained varied project management experience, with a focus on civil infrastructure, business development, industry-focused knowledge transfer and global trade/business social networking. READ ALSO: He read civil engineering at the Obafemi Awolowo University of Ife but over time veered into other areas of endeavours such as consultancy where he does various enterprise development both in the social and business sectors. He credits the British Councils AKTP with the breaking of ice between academia & industry in Nigeria via strategic dialogue & the efficacy of knowledge sharing in the scheme of things as regards research, industrial development & related wealth creation & innovation. He says it gave him an enhanced ability to develop and sustain cross-sector knowledge sharing & global business development partnerships across the board. It also made me realise that the British global business and knowledge enterprise is a veritable platform for leverage, notably within the Commonwealth, but also worldwide through globalised partnerships & networks, he says. This has greatly influenced the current programme Im involved in as Executive Director; African Incentive Partnerships AIP a dedicated Sustainable Enterprise Development & Investments ecosystem. British Council is inviting past programme participants to celebrate its 75th anniversary with them by submitting stories of their experience and the impact it has had. Visit www.britishcouncil.org.ng for more information about how to participate in the 75 Stories campaign or follow #BritishCouncilNigeriaAt75 #ThanksToYou #75Stories West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh, known for courting controversies with his comments, made yet another outrageous one on Thursday by saying that a lone woman protestor at a pro-CAA rally in the city who was heckled by the party's cadres should "thank her stars that nothing else was done to her". His comments drew widespread criticism from opposition parties. The pro-CAA rally from Patuli to Bagha Jatin area in southern fringes of the city was led by Ghosh himself. During the rally a lone woman protester was seen carrying an anti-CAA poster and decrying the shooting outside Jamia Millia Islamia University during the day. BJP supporters snatched the poster from the woman and verbally abused her. They also heckled her. She was rescued by the police posted in the area. Later while speaking to newsmen, Ghosh justified the heckling of the woman saying "Our men did the right thing. She should thank her stars that she was only heckled and nothing else was done to her". "Why do they (protestors against the CAA) always come to our rallies to protest? They can go to other events. We have tolerated a lot but now we won't tolerate such nuisance," he added. Undaunted by the Ghosh's comment, the woman protester who is in her mid twenties, said she will continue to protest against the "fascist BJP". Senior CPI(M) leader Shamik Lahiri condemned Ghosh's statement and asked him to refrain from making such comments. "His comments reflect both his and his party's sadistic and perverted mindset," Lahiri said. Senior Congress leader Manoj Chakraborty said Ghosh should "publicly apologise" for his statements. Ghosh had stirred up a storm earlier this month by saying "anti-CAA protesters who destroyed public property were shot like dogs in BJP-ruled states". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nevada Exploration Inc. (NGE or the Company) (TSX-V: NGE; OTCQB: NVDEF) is pleased to provide an update regarding its ongoing reverse-circulation (RC) drilling program at its South Grass Valley Carlin-type gold project (the Project). Shortly after beginning the program on January 6, 2020, the Company mobilized a second drill rig to the Project, and has now drilled a total of 2,146 metres. Based on preliminary geologic logging, the Company is pleased to report that the additional drill holes are improving both the resolution of and its confidence in its exploration model at the Project. Specifically, NGE is pleased to report that: (1) the silicic blanket seen in the northern cluster of 2018-2019 core holes has now been intersected further to the west, beneath the Freddie target area; (2) drilling at the northern end of the Golden Gorge target area has encountered the hornfels contact aureole predicted based upon the Companys exploration model; and (3) drilling at the Waterfall target area intersected a thick section (125 metre) of favourable black, limey mudstone and siliceous mudstone and chert, that together sit immediately above the granite associated with the Grass Valley Stock. The significance of these results is highlighted under each of the specific target areas below. The Project is located approximately 50 kilometres south-southwest of the Cortez complex operated by Nevada Gold Mines (Barrick Gold Corp. and Newmont Mining Corp. joint venture) and Barrick Gold Corp.s latest Fourmile discovery. As described in detail in the Companys November 15, 2019, news release ( www.nevadaexploration.com/news/2019/nevada-exploration-advancing-four-carlin-type-gold-targets-at-south-grass-valley ) and accompanying video ( www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYMIH-mqIKo&feature=youtu.be ), NGE has designed a 9,500-metre reverse-circulation (RC) drilling program to achieve specific objectives at four target areas at the Project (Water Canyon, Golden Gorge, Waterfall, and Freddie). Below is a summary of activities to date at each target area. Water Canyon No drilling activity yet. NGE expects to commence drilling at the Water Canyon target area during February 2020. Golden Gorge NGEs first drill hole of the program at the Golden Gorge target, SGVR005, encountered granitic bedrock at only 29 metres, which then continued to the bottom of the hole at 110 metres. NGEs second drill hole of the program at the Golden Gorge target, SGVR006 (located approximately 550 metres northeast of SGVR005) encountered bedrock at 46 metres, consisting of a package of limestone and chert to 140 metres, and then marble, calc-silicates, and increasing silicification with sulfides until 198 metres, where the drill hole was stopped due to drilling issues. The presence of the shallow granite in SGVR005 confirms both the magnetic interpretation of granitic bedrock and the gravity interpretation that this bedrock is shallow. The significant changes in geology between the two holes, over a relatively short distance, are typical of the contact aureole interface surrounding large intrusives, which represent highly favourable depositional settings and known ore controls at Nevadas major Carlin-type gold districts. These features of significance are what NGE is targeting at Golden Gorge, and this will be the interface that the Company expects to continue to test with additional holes at this target. Waterfall NGEs first drill hole of the program at the Waterfall target area, SGVR004, encountered bedrock at 46 metres, which consisted of a volcanic tuff that transitioned into an andesite mudflow unit. At 155 metres, the drill hole entered black, limey mudstone; and below that a hard, siliceous mudstone and chert unit; before finally entering granite at 280 metres, which continued until the bottom of the hole at 305 metres. Importantly, based on the geologic units encountered in SGVR004, NGE is pleased to report that the granite-limestone interface immediately beneath Waterfall is resolving into a more complex geologic domain than simply a large mass of granite, within the larger magnetic-high feature seen in the airborne magnetic data. This first drill hole in this area of the Project supports the Waterfall exploration model of favourable host units located within close proximity to the Grass Valley Stock, immediately beneath the highest concentrations of gold in groundwater at the Project. NGE expects to complete a number of additional holes to continue to refine its understanding of the granite-limestone interface across the target. Freddie NGEs first drill hole of the program at the Freddie target area, SGVR001, was located immediately next to Goodwin Butte, and very quickly entered a limestone and gray chert bedrock unit at 15 metres. The Paleozoic stratigraphy that it encountered closely followed that of core hole SGVC006, 263 metres to the east, and similarly, also encountered silicification features, in this case at 329 metres. Unfortunately, silicified chips clogged and damaged the tri-cone bit, and subsequent re-entry was unsuccessful due to collapsing limestone and chert bedrock, which resulted in stopping the hole at 371 metres. NGEs second drill hole of the program at the Freddie target area, SGVR002, was located 850 metres NNW of SGVR001, and was completed to a total depth of 628 metres. The drill hole hit bedrock at 70 metres, and intersected tuff then likely mudflow, before entering a sequence of siltstone +/- black chert, black siliceous mudstone and chert, and bottoming in black shale. NGEs third drill hole of the program at the Freddie target area, SGVR003, is located 550 metres east of SGVR002, and remains in progress, currently at 536 metres. SGVR003 hit bedrock at 168 metres, entering a likely mudflow unit sitting on top of a sequence of siltstone, black chert, limestone, and mudstone, from 186 metres to the current bottom of the hole, which included silica-sulfide breccia units as well as other alteration features that will be further examined with the addition of geochemistry data, once assays are available. The alteration, and specifically the silicification, seen in holes SGVR001 and SGVR003 have confirmed that the silicification at the target horizon, based on NGEs earlier core holes, extends towards the west, as well as have also confirmed that both the lithology and hydrothermal alteration plunge towards the east, as predicted based on the NGEs exploration model. NGE plans to use the geochemistry results from these first three holes at Freddie to guide its next series of drill holes at the target. Recent Events On January 17, 2020, NGE Senior Technical Consultant, Simon Griffiths, presented a talk entitled An integrated, mineral systems approach to generating & advancing blind Carlin-type gold projects at the IMDEX Xploration Symposium in Vancouver. All talks from the symposium were video taped, and will be released by the organizers over the coming months. In the interim, the slides from the presentation are now available on NGEs website at: https://www.nevadaexploration.com/investors/presentations/ On January 21, 2020, NGE President, James Buskard, presented a talk entitled Generating and Advancing Blind Targets Using Hydrogeochemistry: An Integrated and Multi-Scale Approach as part of the 2020 Theme Session: Seeing the Unseeable at AME Roundup in Vancouver. The talks from the session were not video taped, though the slides from the presentation are now available on NGEs website at: https://www.nevadaexploration.com/investors/presentations/ Upcoming Event NGE is pleased to welcome its stakeholders to visit with its team at the following upcoming industry event: PDAC (Toronto) Sunday to Wednesday, March 1 to 4, 2020 Booth: IE2527 https://www.pdac.ca/convention About Nevada Exploration Inc. NGE is an exploration company advancing a portfolio of new district-scale Carlin-type gold projects in north-central Nevada. NGE is led by an experienced management team that has been involved in several major discoveries in Nevada, including the discovery of Lone Tree and Rabbit Creek (part of the Twin Creeks Mine). NGEs team has spent the last decade integrating the use of hydrogeochemistry with conventional exploration tools to develop a Nevada-specific regional-scale geochemistry exploration program. With new proprietary technology, NGE has completed the worlds largest groundwater sampling program for gold exploration, collecting approximately 6,000 samples to evaluate Nevadas covered basins for new gold exploration targets. By integrating hydrogeochemistry with conventional exploration methods, NGE is leading the industry to open this important new search space to explore for large new Carlin-type gold deposits. For more information, the Companys latest videos are available at: https://www.nevadaexploration.com/investors/media/ For further information, please contact: Nevada Exploration Inc. Email: info@nevadaexploration.com Telephone: +1 (604) 601 2006 Website: www.nevadaexploration.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Wade A. Hodges, CEO & Director, Nevada Exploration Inc., is the Qualified Person, as defined in National Instrument 43-101, and has prepared the technical and scientific information contained in this News Release. Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information: This news release contains forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively, forward-looking information) within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including, without limitation, expectations, beliefs, plans, and objectives regarding projects, potential transactions, and ventures discussed in this release. In connection with the forward-looking information contained in this news release, the Company has made numerous assumptions, regarding, among other things, the assumption the Company will continue as a going concern and will continue to be able to access the capital required to advance its projects and continue operations. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable, these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies. In addition, there are known and unknown risk factors which could cause the Companys actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information contained herein. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are the risks inherent in mineral exploration, the need to obtain additional financing, environmental permits, the availability of needed personnel and equipment for exploration and development, fluctuations in the price of minerals, and general economic conditions. A more complete discussion of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company is disclosed in the Companys continuous disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulatory authorities at www.sedar.com. All forward-looking information herein is qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement, and the Company disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking information or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments, except as required by law. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/60b86314-acd3-484d-896c-d88e4401c8d0 Jamie Hale/The Oregonian Itching to see Niagara Falls? You won't have to leave Oregon to do it. As it turns out, our state is home to a Niagara Falls all our own albeit one that's just a little bit (OK, a lot) smaller. The waterfall is found at the end of the Niagara Falls Trail in Oregon's Coast Range, roughly between Pacific City and McMinnville. At the end of an easy one-mile hike, visitors will actually find two waterfalls: Niagara Falls and Pheasant Creek Falls. There's some confusion over which waterfall is which. According to Siuslaw National Forest officials, Niagara Falls is the taller of the two, found at the very end of the trail. Pheasant Creek Falls comes first, where a footbridge crosses in front of the spray. Some sources have the two switched, most notably the Northwest Waterfall Survey, a website that offers detailed information on waterfalls around the region. With no signage at the falls themselves, it can be easy to mix them up. Don't Edit Jamie Hale/The Oregonian Hikers walk in front of Pheasant Creek Falls, found near Niagara Falls. Don't Edit Jamie Hale/The Oregonian Niagara Falls is located in the Siuslaw National Forest of Oregon's Coast Range. Don't Edit Jamie Hale/The Oregonian The Niagara Falls Trail leads to Niagara and Pheasant Creek Falls. Don't Edit Both waterfalls are spectacular, especially Niagara Falls itself, which plunges perfectly over a basalt cliff. It's nowhere near as impressive as the famous group of waterfalls on the U.S.-Canada border in New York, but it's certainly one of the best waterfalls in the Coast Range. According to the forest service, Oregon's Niagara Falls isn't named for the famous Niagara Falls, but for Niagara Creek and Niagara Point found nearby. Where did those places get their names? Officials said they have no idea. However, the name "Niagara" is pretty specific. While its origins seem to be in question, most agree that it comes from the Native American tribes who lived around the Great Lakes region. Many places in the U.S. and Canada share the name, and most trace their roots back to the area. There's even a small unincorporated area in Oregon called Niagara, found on the other side of the Willamette Valley near Detroit Lake. According to Oregon Geographic Names, it's named for a narrow section of the Santiam River where white settlers built a dam in 1890 presumably a reference to the famous falls. However, Niagara got its name, it's a waterfall that's worth checking out. As winter rains continue to pummel the Coast Range, Niagara Falls, Pheasant Creek Falls and all the other waterfalls in the region will be gushing. Just make sure to adjust your expectations. To reach the Niagara Falls Trailhead, take U.S. 101 south of Tillamook. At the community of Beaver, turn left onto Blaine Road. After 6.6 miles, stay right onto Upper Nestucca River Road. In 5 miles, turn right onto Niagara Road, following a sign for the Niagara Falls Trail. Follow the forest road south for about 3.8 miles, then turn right at a signed junction toward Niagara Falls. In .5 miles, look for the trailhead on the left. --Jamie Hale | jhale@oregonian.com | @HaleJamesB SEE MORE PHOTOS BELOW Don't Edit Don't Edit Don't Edit Jamie Hale/The Oregonian A picnic tables gives hikers a place to rest while visiting Niagara Falls. Don't Edit Jamie Hale/The Oregonian A sign at the Niagara Falls Trailhead, which leads hikers to Niagara and Pheasant Creek falls. Don't Edit Jamie Hale/The Oregonian The Niagara Falls Trail leads to Niagara and Pheasant Creek Falls. Don't Edit Jamie Hale/The Oregonian Niagara Falls is seen through bare branches in the Siuslaw National Forest. Don't Edit Don't Edit Jamie Hale/The Oregonian The Niagara Falls Trail comes to an end at Niagara Falls. Don't Edit Jamie Hale/The Oregonian One of several footbridges found on the Niagara Falls Trail. First suspected case of Coronavirus in Rome. A Chinese tourist is being treated at Rome's Spallanzani infectious diseases hospital in what is being reported by local media as the first suspected case of Coronavirus in the capital. The tourist reportedly arrived in Rome in recent days and had been staying at a hotel on Via Cavour, in the central Monti district, before falling ill on 29 January. Other suspected cases of the fatal virus in Italy in recent days have proved to be false alarms. Italy's health ministry has ordered strict screening measures for passengers arriving into Fiumicino airport from China where the outbreak began at the start of this year. A man who vented his frustration over his partner's obsession with buying discounted trinkets from Kmart on social media in 2016 has seen his amusing rant resurface and be crowned one of the most relatable posts of all time. Sick and tired of his house being cluttered with 'nice yet highly unnecessary items', Hobart transport coordinator Alex Gadd penned an impassioned plea to the Australian discount store on Facebook, begging it to stop releasing new designs. He demanded to know how many more accessories like candle holders and plant pots he would be forced to accommodate in his home, revealing he reached breaking point when his fiancee tried to hang a decorative light shade in the garage. 'Your products are too appealing and too cheap for her to resist, and as a result it's putting immense strain on my life,' he lamented, before assuring the retailer he did not expect a response as his relationship issues are not the brand's concern. Hobart transport coordinator Alex Gadd (pictured) penned an impassioned plea to Kmart Australia on Facebook, begging it to stop fuelling his fiancee's addiction to discount trinkets Disgruntled fiance: Alex Gadd says Kmart's products are simply too good, and his fiancee buys too many of them But Mr Gadd got more than he bargained for when a Kmart spokesperson replied with hilarious advice and a plug for the retailer's famously affordable prices. 'Hi Alex, we're so sorry to hear that our highly appealing homewares and everyday low prices are driving a wedge between you and your fiancee,' a customer support agent called Anna said. 'Installing one of our stunning lamps in your garage does seem potentially relationship-ending, and we're pleased to hear it hasn't yet come to this. 'Unfortunately, we do have new products coming out all the time and the likelihood of them arriving in your home seems high - it may be worth investing in some kind of blindfold before this happens.' The post has been liked by over 100,000 people over the past four years, racking up thousands of shares and a staggering 70,000 comments, many of them from men empathising with Alex's situation. Mr Gadd got more than he bargained for when a Kmart spokesperson replied with hilarious advice and a plug for the retailer's famously affordable prices One Melbourne man tagged his wife, saying 'her goddamn Kmart trinkets will literally be the death of me'. 'Alex Gadd, your rant does not go unheard. I feel your pain brother,' another husband sympathised. 'I call these unnecessary items "divorcee devices". I struggle to find my bed at night due to ever multiplying cushions. 'I struggle to find a spot on the couch due to throw rugs and aforementioned multiplying cushions. I stand with you from within a pile of pillows and rugs!' Kmart is famous for affordable homewares, fashion and accessories, with products found in practically every home across Australia Other men suggested forming a support group for partners' of people with discount shopping addictions. But women supported Mr Gadd's fiancee, saying they understood her Kmart addiction all too well. 'It's addictive. You walk in for one thing and come out with 20, because everything is under $5!' a Sydney mother said. CALGARY - Business friendly policies enacted by the Alberta and Saskatchewan governments are receiving much of the credit as the Canadian oil and gas industry forecasts a jump of about $2 billion in capital spending this year. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/1/2020 (713 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Suncor oil sands facility seen from a helicopter near Fort McMurray, Alta., Tuesday, July 10, 2012. Spending in the oil and gas sector is expected to rise by six per cent this year after five years of declines. The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers says it expects about $2 billion more will be invested in Canadian upstream energy this year than in 2019, taking to total to about $37 billion. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh CALGARY - Business friendly policies enacted by the Alberta and Saskatchewan governments are receiving much of the credit as the Canadian oil and gas industry forecasts a jump of about $2 billion in capital spending this year. After spending declines in four of the past five years, about six per cent more will be invested in the Canadian upstream sector this year compared with 2019, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers said Thursday. That will take the total to about $37 billion, which is less than half as much as in 2014 when investment levels reached $81 billion. The association said the "main driver" for the spending jump is an improved economic environment due to provincial government policies, along with growing optimism that new export pipeline capacity will be built. "The increase in capital investment is a very positive sign for the upstream sector, and there is a lot more work to be done to keep this momentum," CAPP CEO Tim McMillan said. "That includes the continued steps being taken, including the government of Alberta's red tape reduction panel, as well as necessary work that must happen in terms of municipal tax reform in both Alberta and Saskatchewan to foster fairness and competitiveness." CAPP said Alberta's moves to slash corporate tax rates and ease oil production curtailment levels, as well as Saskatchewan's regulatory efficiency and recent target to boost oil output by 25 per cent by 2030, are both helping investor confidence. The industry has been calling for changes to the way municipalities calculate property taxes, charging valuations are too high given recent hard times. The Rural Municipalities of Alberta reported about $173 million in property taxes from oil and gas companies is owed to 69 municipalities across the province, up 114 per cent from last year. Non-oilsands oil and natural gas capital investment for 2020 is forecast at $25.4 billion, CAPP said, up four per cent from an estimated $24.4 billion last year. Oilsands spending is forecast at $11.6 billion in 2020, up eight per cent from an estimated $10.7 billion in 2019 and the first rise in five years. "Last year was a pretty tough year so I think eight per cent is not surprising," Alex Pourbaix, CEO of oilsands producer Cenovus Energy Inc., said in an interview. In another encouraging sign for the industry, the Petroleum Services Association of Canada said Thursday it was revising its drilling forecast higher for 2020. It now estimates 4,800 wells will be drilled across Canada, an increase of 300 wells or seven per cent from PSAC's October estimate. "With three major oilsands companies planning higher activity this year with some curtailment quotas relaxed, we have increased our forecast by 300 wells," PSAC CEO Gary Mar said. "Overall, however, although many companies experienced a stronger start to 2020, we believe this is primarily due to work deferred from 2019 Q4 that will not translate into increased activity for the rest of the year." CAPP estimates the extra $2 billion in capital spending will create or sustain about 11,800 direct and indirect jobs across Canada, with 8,100 in Alberta. 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 news was welcomed by Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage. "I am extremely pleased to see capital investment beginning to return to our province," she said. "Government is taking concrete steps to show that Alberta is open for business and results like this prove our plan is working." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2020. Companies in this story: (TSX:CVE) Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version incorrectly stated overall investment had declined for the past five years. CHATHAM, Ontario, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AGRIS Co-operative board announced at its annual meeting Jan. 15, patronage and interest of $1 million will be returned to its farmer-owners and investors. Sales in 2019 for AGRIS Co-operative totaled more than $220 million, with $2.44 million allocated to support the co-operative operations. Patronage rebates will be issued as 40 per cent cash and 60 per cent stock. Total retained earnings for the co-operative in 2019 amounted to almost $27 million. After a challenging crop year due to weather, John Nooyen, AGRIS co-operative president, provided the members with this uplifting statement. The future is bright, and we have a lot to be thankful for. Next year we look forward to AGRIS Co-operatives 100-year anniversary. Trust, knowledge and technology will take us through the next 100 years, and we should be proud of all that we have accomplished. In his year-end report to owners, AGRIS Co-operative general manager Jim Campbell said, I can confidently report that the co-operative is ready to capitalize on the opportunities or withstand challenges that may present themselves into the future and is in a good financial position. Even with the highest DON levels in corn ever recorded and poor winter wheat planting conditions, we had very strong grain intake combined with basis gains at year-end offsetting weaker plant food and fuel results. Campbell reiterated for owners the positive year AGRIS experienced on the balance sheet, including owners equity which now exceeds $30 million. Pat Vanheule and Bill McDonald from Thamesville, Jim Maw from Mooretown and Scott McGeachy from Chatham, were all elected to a three-year term on the board. Immediately following the annual meeting, the directors met and re-elected John Nooyen as board president, Scott McGeachy as board vice-president and re-elected Patrick Vanheule as secretary. Each year AGRIS Co-operative sponsors young leader(s) to attend the Co-operative Young Leaders program. This years participant, Tristan Snip, spoke during the annual meeting about his experience and encouraged others to attend the program. AGRIS Co-operative Ltd. is a 100 per-cent farmer-owned grain marketing and farm-input supply company that serves more than 1,000 farmer owners in 14 locations in Essex, Kent, Elgin, Middlesex and Lambton Counties. It is a leader in precision farming technology, seed, agronomy and petroleum services. The co-operative is a partner of Great Lakes Grain, a grain merchandising company. AGRIS Co-operative is a member-owner of GROWMARK, Inc. and markets products and services under the FS brand. Visit http://www.agris.coop and www.fssystem.com for more information. - Pep Guardiola believes Man United are headed in the right direction despite their inconsistencies - The Red Devils stunned City at Etihad but crashed out of the Carabao Cup on goal aggregate - City will now take on Aston Villa in the finals of the tournament to be played in Wembley Man City boss Pep Guardiola has reserved special praise for five Man United players following his side's 1-0 defeat to the Red Devils in the Carabao Cup at Etihad Stadium. The Wednesday night, January 29, clash saw Nemanja Matic score the solitary goal that separated the two sides in the first half, before being sent off in the 76th minute. READ ALSO: Bruno Fernandes: Man United finally reach agreement with Sporting CP over Portuguese star READ ALSO: Bruno Fernandes: Arsenal's Torreira sends welcome message to new Man Utd signing Despite the buoyant performance, United still crashed out of the tournament, with City advancing to the finals on a 3-2 goal aggregate. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been on the receiving end for the Red Devils' inconsistent performances this season, with a section of fans calling for his sacking. READ ALSO: Marcos Rojo leaves Man United for Estudiantes loan However, Guardialo has moved to offer United a shimmer of hope, insisting the City rivals are heading in the right direction. "The quality of the players up front is incredible. I had the feeling, I said before when we lost at home against them, they are trying to do what the manager Ole wants, and I think it works," Guardiola said according to Metro UK. PAY ATTENTION: Install Pitch Football app for FREE to easily access stats, news and live updates "In time, they will do it and be back to what United was for many years," he continued. The Spaniard tactician further singled out Matic, Fred, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw for their impressive performances against his side. "Lindelof I saw him in Benfica, Luke Shaw is an incredible type of player, Maguire, one of the best central defenders in the world. The people up front they are so fast. Matic and Fred, they are incredible players," the ex-Bayern boss declared. Do you have an inspirational story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Tuko news. My husband left me after I made him a millionaire - Mary Miriti | Tuko Talks | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke New Delhi, Jan 30 : Leading merchant commerce platform Pine Labs on Thursday announced Paper POS for merchants -- an all-in-one solution to accept accepting multiple Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Bharat QR payments through a single merged static QR at the point of sale. Merchants can use 'Paper POS' to accept payments across different kinds of UPI and Bharat QR payments, including from Amazon Pay, Google Pay, PayZapp, PhonePe, YONO, among others. Using the Pine Labs countertop POS machines - Plutus and Plutus Smart - merchants can print a customer charge slip, thus, immediately confirming the transaction, the company said in a statement. "Paper POS is our latest innovation and will accelerate the growth of electronic payments acceptance in the country. It will not only be a one-stop solution for acceptance of all payments through UPI and Bharat QR, it will also save transaction cost," said Venkat Paruchuri, Chief Product Officer, Pine Labs. Paper POS will offer range of other benefits to the merchants like detailed insights on the transactions as well as reconciliation of all transactions, including Paper POS transactions at one place on myPlutus web (TRM) or on the myPlutus app. The merchants can also receive instant notifications for transactions on the myPlutus app. The Paper POS sticker can also be customized with the merchant name / store name and the merchant logo on the QR sticker, said the company. This is how it will work for the consumers. Scan the QR on Pine Labs Paper POS using any UPI/Bharat QR app. The customer will then enter the amount on his app, and enter UPI/ Bharat QR credentials on the app to authorise the transaction. Upon successful confirmation, the merchants with Pine Labs POS terminals can print the charge slip for Paper POS transactions. New Delhi, Jan 30 : Hundreds of women protesting at Shaheen Bagh here against the CAA for around six weeks now have been denied permission by Delhi Police to take out a march on Thursday from Jamia Millia Islamia to Rajghat, though there is no official word on the matter yet. After the women protesters announced their proposed march, Delhi Police were alerted to the plan. Police conveyed to the march's organisers in clear terms that permission would not be granted due to fears over law and order. Delhi Police spokesperson Mandeep Singh Randhawa preferred not to comment on the issue when IANS contacted him. On the other hand, the protesters maintained that they had planned a peaceful march to the Rajghat on the death anniversary of the Mahatma Gandhi and dubbed it "murder of basic human rights". They accused the Delhi Police of heavy-handedness and doing the bidding of the Modi government. Meanwhile, Gandhi Peace March led by former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha from Maharashtra to protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act will culminate on Thursday at the Rajghat after travelling from Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh. Those associated with the march said that Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar, former Gujarat and Maharashtra Chief Ministers Suresh Mehta and Prithviraj Chauhan and other leaders were expected to participate. (Sanjeev Kumar Singh Chauhan can be contacted at sanjeev.c@ians.in) It was true in 2000, when Syria rejected an Israeli offer to return the Golan Heights, which ultimately led to U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty of that territory. It was true later the same year, after Yasir Arafat refused Israels offer of a Palestinian state with a capital in East Jerusalem, which led to two decades of terrorism, Palestinian civil war, the collapse of the Israeli peace camp and the situation we have now. Its in that pattern that the blunt rejection by Palestinian leaders of the Trump plan the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, denounced it as a conspiracy deal should be seen. Refusal today will almost inevitably lead to getting less tomorrow. That isnt to say that the plan, as it now stands, can come as anything but a disappointment to most Palestinians. It allows Israel to annex its West Bank settlements and the long Jordan Valley. It concedes full Israeli sovereignty over an undivided Jerusalem. It conditions eventual Palestinian statehood on full demilitarization of a Palestinian state and the disarming of Hamas. It compensates Palestinians for lost territories in the West Bank with remote territories near the Egyptian border. The map of a future Palestine looks less like an ordinary state than it does the M.R.I. of a lung or kidney. Then again, much of what the plan gives to Israel, Israel already has and will never relinquish which explains why the plan was hailed not only by Netanyahu but also by his centrist rival Benny Gantz. Critics of Israeli policy often insist that a Palestinian state is necessary to preserve Israel as a Jewish democracy. True enough. But in that case, those critics should respect the painful conclusions Israelis have drawn about just what kind of Palestinian state they can safely accept. More important, however, is what the plan offers ordinary Palestinians and what it demands of their leaders. What it offers is a sovereign state, mostly contiguous territory, the return of prisoners, a link to connect Gaza and the West Bank, and $50 billion in economic assistance. What it demands is an end to anti-Jewish bigotry in school curriculums, the restoration of legitimate political authority in Gaza and the dismantling of terrorist militias. Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the government has received very strong interest from Australians wanting to be evacuated from China to Christmas Island, as the World Health Organisation declares the coronavirus an international public health emergency. Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the National Press Club this week. Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong Speaking in Sydney before convening cabinets national security committee for an update on the evacuation plan, Mr Morrison said Australia was well equipped to deal with the potential pandemic. All of the issues, isolation, case management, contact tracing, prevention of onward spread, active surveillance, early detection, Australia has been doing these things and will continue to do," he said. Despite several of the 600 Australians trapped in Wuhan expressing their reluctance to be transferred to Christmas Island for quarantine, Mr Morrison said there had "been very strong interest in participating in these arrangements" and the government was continuing to work on arrangements to pull Australians out of China's Hubei province. PANAMA (dpa-AFX) - Carnival Corp. (CCL) and the company's Italian brand Costa Cruises have confirmed that Italian health officials diagnosed a passenger on board a ship docked in Civitavecchia, north of Rome, Italy with the common flu. Meanwhile, the ship will resume its Mediterranean program on Friday. Guests who should have disembarked on Thursday can either disembark or remain on board overnight, at their discretion. All guests scheduled to embark will be accommodated in hotels near the port and embark on Friday. The World Health Organization has called the outbreak of coronavirus in China a global health emergency. The coronavirus outbreak has killed 170 people and sickened more than 7,000 people in China so far, with dozens more confirmed cases in countries such as Canada, Japan and Australia. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. The backlash over a new novel about a Mexican mother who flees to the US border with her young son has lead to the cancellation of a book tour promoting the novel due to 'threats of physical violence'. Critics have written scathing reviews about Jeannine Cummins' 'American Dirt' -- blasting the author, who is white and had a Puerto Rican grandmother, for being out of her league writing about undocumented Mexican immigrants. That led to the concerns which cancelled the book tour, writes Flatiron Books in a tweeted statement on Wednesday. Jeannine Cummins is pictured with her new, but controversial book, American Dirt, which had its promotional tour cancelled by the publisher The book features a Mexican mother who flees to the north with her young son. Cummins, who is not Mexican, has been criticized for taking on the subject Publisher Bob Miller wasn't specific about how exactly Cummins was threatened. 'While there are are valid criticisms around our promotion of this book that is no excuse for the fact that in some cases there have been threats of physical violence,' Miller explains. Miller adds it was 'sad' Cummins had become 'the recipient of hatred from within the very communities she sought to honor', and that her 'work of fiction that was well-intentioned has led to such vitriolic rancor'. But he also apologized for giving the impression the author's husband might have been Mexican. 'We should never have claimed that it was a novel that defined the migrant experience; we should not have said that Jeanine's husband was an undocumented immigrant while not specifying that he was from Ireland,' he added. The book, which went on sale January 21, tells the story of Lydia Quixano Perez, who flees Acapulco with her son Luca, 8, after a drug cartel violently attacks a 15th birthday party celebration that she was attending. The mother's journalist husband, who wrote about the cartel's leader, is killed and she makes the journey with her son to the US border, meeting other migrants along the way. The book was criticized by 82 authors in a letter to Oprah for being 'exploitative, oversimplified, and ill-informed, too often erring on the side of trauma fetishization and sensationalization of migration and of Mexican life and culture'. Esmeralda Bermudez, a writer for the Los Angeles Times, said that the books heroine, Lydia, was too far fetched. 'Never in nearly two decades of writing about immigrants have I come across someone who resembles Cummins heroine,' Bermudez wrote. 'Shes a middle-class, bookstore-owning Mami who starts her treacherous journey with a small fortune: a stack of cash, thousands of dollars in inheritance money; also an ATM card to access thousands more from her mothers life savings.' Another critic of the book, Myriam Gurba, said, 'There is a scene where the main character encounters an ice rink. And shes utterly shocked at the existence of this ice rink, as if shes unaware that winter sports are played in Mexico. 'I laughed out loud when I got to that section because I learned to ice skate in Mexico.' David Bowles wrote a piece in Medium calling the book 'Non Mexican Crap'. In the January 18th article, Bowles picks apart Cummins, noting that 'she has never lived even within five hundred miles of Mexico or the border'. He also lays into the book, specifically calling out how 'people are stereotypes in this novel, participating in stereotypical activities', like the 15th birthday, known as a 'quiceanera'. He adds that the book also 'screws up Spanish egregiously'. Several online posts also retweeted an early commentary by Gurba. The article's title on Topics of Meta uses a Spanish expletive to refer to Cummins, and lets her know, 'You ain't Steinbeck: My Bronca (beef) with Fake-A-- Social Justice Literature'. Her reference to Steinbeck came from New York Times bestselling author Don Wislow's positive review, saying American Dirt was a 'Grapes of Wrath for our time'. Mexican journalist Eileen Truax retweeted Chicana writer Myriam Gurba's scathing commentary about Cummins' 'American Dirt,' saying she wouldn't pay for the book LA Times staff writer Esmeralda Bermudez retweeted a scathing commentary about Cummins' American Dirt by Chicana writer Myriam Gurba, which she originally published in December on Topics of Meta 'Lydia', she writes referring to the main character, is 'incoherent, laughable in her contradictions, despite her husband in a flashback describing her as one of the 'smartest' women he's ever known. 'Nonetheless, she behaves in gallingly naiive and stupid ways' Gurba writes. 'Despite being an intellectually engaged woman, and the wife of a reporter whose beat is narcotrafficking, Lydia experiences shock after shock when confronted with the realities of Mexico, realities that would not shock a Mexican'. The book, prior to the criticisms that began sprouting up online, had drawn praises by mainstream reviewers and news sites. It also was chosen by Oprah Winfrey for her book club, which is typically a massive boost for any publisher. Author Jeanine Cummins, pictured second left beside Oprah Winfrey on CBS This Morning has faced criticism over her new book American Dirt over claims the characters in the novel are 'Mexican stereotypes' Flatiron Books, publisher of 'American Dirt,' the controversial new book by author Jeannine Cummins, tweeted a statement (pictured) with its decision to cancel a book tour promoting the novel Miller, in Cummins' defense, said she 'spent five years of her life writing this book with the intent to shine a spotlight on tragedies facing immigrants.' The author had made a handful of promotional appearances since the book was released, but over the past few days the St. Louis-based Left Bank Books had called off an event and Flatiron had canceled interviews in California. The tour for her heavily promoted book had been scheduled to last at least through mid-February, with planned stops everywhere from Seattle to Oxford, Mississippi. On Wednesday, a spokesperson for Winfrey confirmed that Winfrey will meet as planned with the author next month and that the discussion will air in March on Apple TV Plus. ' American Dirt' was the third novel picked by Winfrey since she began a partnership with Apple last year. Winfrey first chose 'American Dirt' last fall, before any criticism had emerged. She has since posted a video on Instagram, saying that she had been following the debate and hoped for a broad discussion. Winfrey said: 'I've spent the past few days listening to members of the Latinx community to get a greater understanding of their concerns, and I hear them. I do. Author Jeannine Cummins retweeted her gratitude to New York Times bestselling author Don Wislow, who called her new book 'American Dirt', a 'Grapes of Wrath for our time' in a social media post Cummins has also faced criticism over this social media post featuring her fingernails which have the same design of her book cover including barbed wire 'What I want to do is bring people together from all sides to talk about this book.' Gurba, tweeted Wednesday that she, too, had security concerns. She wrote she had received death threats because of her criticisms and added 'Let's talk about the SAFETY of MIGRANTS and LATINX ppl. That's what that book was intended to do, right?' Despite the criticism, Cummins' novel was easily the top-selling work of fiction last week, according to NPD BookScan, which tracks around 85 percent of the print market. 'American Dirt' sold more than 48,000 copies during its first week, even topping Delia Owens' blockbuster 'Where the Crawdads Sing,' which sold just under 25,000 copies. A commercial bakery that trains and employs young people with severe autism has extended its product range and listings in its first year in business. Bread & Beyond has been developed by autism charity Priors Court to help autistic people learn new skills. The charity describes baking as an activity that suits the strength and skills of people with autism as it is process-driven, practical and offers an end-product that is rewarding and motivating. The bakery, which is located at the Priors Court school site in Berkshire, was opened on 25 January by Great British Bake-Off semi-finalist Briony Williams. As well as supplying baked goods for the 90 young people and 500 staff at the school, products are also stocked in local stores. Highlights of the bakerys first 12 months include: Offering regular work placements to eight young people with autism or learning difficulties. This includes young people from Priors Court and other learning centres. Around 50 young people have also had taster sessions; Working towards creating an accredited qualification for its trainee bakers; Winning the silver award for brand identity at the Food and Beverage Awards, and the Best Local Stand award at the Royal County of Berkshire Shows food hall; Expanding the number of stores stocking products, and supplying Downe House School, Hermitage, Berkshire; Securing a maximum five-star hygiene rating from the Food Standards Agency; Adding more products to the range and introducing seasonal lines at Easter and Christmas; Selling more than 860 sourdoughs and more than 530 olive flutes. It has been a hugely productive first year for Bread & Beyond, but we are very much still at the beginning of our journey, said bakery manager Dylan Needham. The most important achievement is the huge progress the young people we have worked with have made, as that is the reason why the bakery exists. Many of our first batch of trainee bakers have now moved on from Priors Court, but we are delighted to hear the skills they have developed with us and at Priors Court as a whole are being used in the provision they are now at. Needham added that the bakery plans to partner with more local businesses and train more young people in the coming months. Only 32% of autistic adults in the UK are in paid employment, with 16% in full-time employment. British Baker visited Bread & Beyond shortly after it opened. See our report here. INDIANOLA, Iowa, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Simpson College (simpson.edu) welcomed 39 college students and professors from the University of Adelaide and Macquarie University in Australia to campus for a first-hand look at American politics. The students traveled to the U.S. to experience the first vote of 2020 at the Iowa caucuses. "People outside the United State are entirely focused on American politics," said Tom Buchanan, a senior lecturer in history at Adelaide and one of the faculty members on the trip. "It's in the news quite regularly and many have strong feelings as Americans do but we have only a very superficial clue. We hear soundbites but not the details we need to understand its complexity," said Buchanan. The Australians arrived on Jan. 20 and will remain on campus through the caucuses on Feb. 3. By the time their trip is finished, they will have seen multiple democratic presidential candidates in person, including: Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Bernie Sanders, Andrew Yang and Pete Buttigieg. They participated in Simpson's Mock Caucus, will observe the Iowa caucus on Feb. 3, tour numerous media outlets in the Des Moines area and take part in on-campus events. "Simpson College is committed to educating and informing our campus and greater Des Moines community about not only Iowa, but international politics," said Jay Wilkinson, Simpson's director of international education. "Our Simpson students, in turn, have benefitted from hearing our visitors' diverse perspectives on our political process," said Wilkinson. The program is coordinated by Simpson's study abroad program, the department of political science and the Culver Public Policy Center. About the Culver Public Policy Center The John C. Culver Public Policy Center was established at Simpson College in 2010 to honor the service of John C. Culver, who served the people of Iowa for 16 years in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. Simpson College strives to honor the example of John C. Culver by inspiring young people to pursue careers in public service with integrity and moral courage. The Center's nonpartisan programs seek to educate and inspire young people to actively participate in our democracy and encourage them to consider public service as their life's work. About Simpson College Simpson College is located in Indianola, Iowa, a short drive from Iowa's capital city of Des Moines. Founded in 1860, Simpson College has approximately 1,300 full-time undergraduate students and approximately 400 part-time students. Simpson also has a campus in West Des Moines serving primarily adult learners. Simpson offers 80 majors and minors, is a member of the NCAA Division III American Rivers Conference, hosts eight Greek houses on campus and sponsors many extracurricular options for student involvement. SOURCE Simpson College Related Links http://www.simpson.edu 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. WASHINGTON The White House and Senate Republican leaders struggled Monday to salvage their plans to push toward a quick acquittal of President Donald Trump this week in his impeachment trial, after his former national security adviser corroborated a central piece of the charges against him, angering key Republicans and reinvigorating a bid to hear from witnesses. Three Republican moderates indicated they were inching closer to joining Democrats in a vote to subpoena John Bolton, the former adviser whose forthcoming book details how Trump conditioned military aid for Ukraine on the countrys willingness to furnish information on his political rivals. Feeling political pressure, other members of the presidents party privately expressed new openness to including witnesses in the trial, even as their leaders insisted that doing so would only delay the presidents inevitable acquittal. I think its increasingly likely that other Republicans will join those of us who think we should hear from John Bolton, Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, told reporters. At a closed-door lunch with Republican senators Monday, Romney made a strong case for witnesses, arguing that calling them would be a wise choice for Republicans politically and substantively. As they opened the second day of their defense in the impeachment trial, Trumps lawyers ignored the revelations from Bolton, reported Sunday by The New York Times, which bolstered the case made by the Democratic prosecutors from the House that the president had sought to use his position to gain foreign help in his reelection campaign. Instead, the White House team doubled down with a defense that was directly contradicted by the account in Boltons book, due out in March. Trumps lawyers again told senators that no evidence existed tying the presidents decision to withhold security aid from Ukraine to his insistence on the investigations, which they have claimed were requested out of a concern for corruption. Anyone who spoke with the president said that the president made clear that there was no linkage between security assistance and investigations, said Michael Purpura, the deputy White House counsel. But behind closed doors, Republicans were singularly focused on the revelations from Bolton, which stoked turmoil in their ranks and opened new cracks in their so far near monolithic support for the White House strategy of denying witnesses and rushing toward a final verdict, almost certain to be an acquittal. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., sought to calm his colleagues at the private lunch, telling them to take a deep breath and not to leap to conclusions about how to proceed. But according to people familiar with McConnells thinking, he was also privately angry at having been blindsided by the White House about Boltons account, which aides there have had since late December. Inside the gathering near the Senate floor, just before the trial got underway, Sen. Patrick J. Toomey, R-Pa., told colleagues that he might be willing to support calling witnesses as long as the roster would include someone friendlier to Trumps case, according to people familiar with the gathering who were not authorized to discuss it. At least one other Republican senator who was previously opposed to the idea also spoke favorably about it. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and usually a reliable ally of the president, voiced new openness to calling witnesses, too, and said he would like to see a copy of Boltons manuscript. Graham, who was among those who privately complained to the White House about the out-of-the-blue disclosure, said the former national security adviser may be a relevant witness. At the White House, Trump raged throughout the morning at Bolton, accusing him of lying. Hosting Israeli leaders at the White House, the president told reporters that he had not seen the manuscript of the former advisers book but disputed its claims as false. In a series of early-morning tweets hours before the trial resumed, the president accused Bolton of telling stories only to sell a book and defended his actions toward Ukraine as perfectly appropriate. I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens, Trump wrote just after midnight. But Trump later complained to associates that the presentations from his defense team were boring. On the Senate floor, Trumps team followed the presidents lead, never mentioning Boltons claims and at one point appearing to suggest that they were immaterial. We deal with transcript evidence, we deal with publicly available information, Jay Sekulow, one of the presidents lawyers, said. We do not deal with speculation, allegations that are not based on evidentiary standards at all. In a somewhat improbable echo of the last presidential impeachment trial, Ken Starr, who had relentlessly pursued former President Bill Clinton for lying about an extramarital affair with a young aide, also appeared before the Senate to defend Trump. He argued that the president committed no impeachable offense and urged senators to restore our constitutional and historical traditions, in which impeachment was rare. Like war, impeachment is hell, Starr told senators, casting himself as a skeptic of the constitutional remedy he enthusiastically pursued 21 years ago. Or at least, presidential impeachment is hell. While it is not clear that Republicans will vote to call additional witnesses when they vote on the issue later this week, the revelations from Bolton appeared to shift the dynamic that had taken hold at the end of last weeks arguments, when it appeared unlikely that Democrats would win the support of the four Republicans they need to force the issue. On Monday, Democrats said they were newly optimistic that the momentum of the trial was pushing toward a vote for witnesses and documents, and they worked to increase the pressure on hesitant Republicans to embrace the moves. It boils down to one thing: We have a witness with firsthand evidence of the presidents actions for which he is on trial, said Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the Senate Democratic leader. He is ready and willing to testify. How can Senate Republicans not vote to call that witness and request his documents? Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who had previously indicated she would likely support additional witnesses, said the revelations about Boltons book strengthen the case for witnesses and have prompted a number of conversations among my colleagues. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said she was curious about what Bolton would say, but gave no hint of how she would vote on the matter. At lunch with his colleagues, McConnell urged them not to jump to conclusions before a vote on witnesses that will likely not occur until Friday, after the presidents legal team has finished its defense and senators have had time to ask questions of the House managers and the White House defense team. And before the trial resumed, McConnells leadership team fanned out across the Capitol to try to play down the significance of Boltons account. The best I can tell from whats reported in The New York Times, it is nothing different from what we have already heard, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said on Fox News. As I said, no crimes were ever alleged, and these events never actually occurred: the withholding of aid and the investigations. Privately, though, Republicans including McConnell were not pleased. The leader put out a rare statement saying that he did not have any advance notice of Boltons account. The slow start to the trial had some senators inside the chamber visibly struggling to remain engaged with Trumps lawyers. Sounding more like a college professor than a fierce legal advocate, Starr slowly walked senators through the history of impeachment, citing the Federalist Papers, Alexander Hamilton and a discussion about how the nations constitutional DNA had changed since the independent counsel law lapsed Justice delayed is justice denied, Starr intoned. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., rubbed his eyes with his right hand and yawned. Across the aisle, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., grabbed a notebook, stood up from her desk and leaned against a railing in the back of the chamber. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands over his chest, looking mildly exasperated. Starrs academic review of impeachment history and legal standards left even Trumps most enthusiastic supporters cold. Ann Coulter, the conservative commentator, wrote on Twitter: Ken Starr litigation strategy: Torture the senate with such an excruciatingly boring presentation that they cannot take another minute of this trial. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and another vocal ally of Trump who was nevertheless left off his defense team, agreed in a reply to Coulter. More flash, he urged, less To Kill a Mockingbird. This defense needs a little less Atticus Finch and a little more Miss Universe, he wrote. Later, Jane Raskin, one of the presidents lawyers, used her time to mount a vigorous defense of Rudy Giuliani, the presidents personal lawyer who House Democrats have charged was a central player in Trumps bid to pressure the Ukrainians to conduct the investigations he sought. Raskin called Giuliani a colorful distraction in the case, pointing out that House impeachment investigators did not subpoena him to testify. Legal experts suggest that Giuliani would have refused to disclose any of his conversations with Trump on the basis of attorney-client privilege. And he would surely have been a difficult witness, given his often erratic performance in televised interviews. But Raskin argued that the investigators did not want to hear from Giuliani because he would not have backed up their claims that he was executing a shadow foreign policy toward Ukraine at Trumps request. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. The man, who opened fire at protesters demonstrating against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA near Jamia Millia Islamia University in Delhi on Thursday, posted all his activities live on Facebook minutes before the incident. The attacker was overpowered by the police officials and bundled into the police van. The man in question went live on Facebook before finally opening fire at the Jamia students. While some of his videos showed glimpses of the protests, others featured him using the selfie camera of his mobile. There is also a series of quote posts which talk about the ongoing protest at Shaheen Bagh in Delhi and the revenge he is planning to take. Shaheen Bagh... game over, said one of the posts. Also Watch | Anti-CAA stir: Protesters clash with cops in Jamia after man fires at crowd In one post, he also urged his Facebook friends not to call him. All the posts are in Hindi. The man, who is underage, fired at the protesters, leaving one student injured. Television cameras showed the man in light coloured pants and a dark jacket, walking away on an empty road barricaded by police, turning around and shouting at the protesters in Hindi, Yeh lo aazadi (here, take your freedom). He is also seen waving the firearm above his head. The student of Jamia Millia Islamia university who was injured in the attack on Thursday. (PTI Photo) We were moving towards the Holy Family Hospital where the police had raised barricades. Suddenly, a gun-wielding man came out and opened fire. One bullet hit my friends hand, Aamna Asif, a student of economics at the university, told PTI. The students were heading from Jamia to Mahatma Gandhis memorial Rajghat. But the march was stopped at the Holy Family Hospital near Jamia university. Students squatted in the area, asking the police to go back. As they raised slogans of Go back, go back, police officials asked them to maintain peace and conduct their protest peacefully. The seventh tranche of was lapped up by on Thursday, with the portion reserved for getting subscribed more than three times to the tune of Rs 9,200 crore. The government has launched seventh tranche of CPSE Exchange Traded Fund (ETF), comprising shares of 11 state-run companies, to raise up to Rs 10,000 crore from the market. The base issue size is of Rs 10,000 crore with a greenshoe option to retain a portion of the oversubscription. As much as 30 per cent of the total base issue size, or Rs 3,000 crore, was reserved for who put in bids worth Rs 9,200 crore, DIPAM Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey said in a late evening tweet. He further said that robust participation has been received from domestic and foreign investors. The issue will open for other institutional and retail investors on Friday. The decision to launch sixth FFO (further follow on offer) or seventh tranche of was taken after the government received robust response for earlier stake sale in the product. The government has already raised about Rs 50,000 crore through six tranches of earlier -- Rs 3,000 crore from first tranche in March 2014, Rs 6,000 crore in January 2017, Rs 2,500 crore from third tranche in March 2017, Rs 17,000 crore in November 2018, Rs 10,000 crore in March 2019 and Rs 11,500 crore in July 2019. Nippon Life India Asset Management, formerly known as Reliance Nippon Life Asset Management, which has been mandated to manage CPSE ETF on behalf of the government, had earlier this month filed 'scheme information document' for sixth FFO of CPSE ETF with markets regulator Sebi. CPSE ETF tracks shares of 11 CPSEs (Central Public Sector Enterprises) -- ONGC, NTPC, Coal India, IOC, REC, PFC, Bharat Electronics, Oil India, NBCC India, NLC India and SJVN. The proceeds from ETF will help the government meet its disinvestment target of Rs 1.05 lakh crore for the current financial year. The Chinese statement came after a positive case of the deadly coronavirus, which originated in China's Wuhan, was reported in Kerala. New Delhi: China on Thursday said it is closely watching the report about one confirmed case of the coronavirus in India, and assured cooperation to the Indian side in jointly strengthening epidemic prevention and control. Chinese Embassy spokesperson Ji Rong said the mission has maintained close communication with the Indian government on the issue by briefing it regularly on the Novel Coronavirus' development and China's efforts in preventing and controlling it. "The Chinese side pays close attention to the report of the emergence of one confirmed case of pneumonia caused by the Novel Coronavirus in India, and will cooperate with the Indian side to jointly strengthen the epidemic prevention and control," Ji said. The Chinese statement came after a positive case of the deadly virus, which originated in China's Wuhan, was reported in Kerala. The Chinese government attaches great importance to safeguarding the safety and health of every foreign national in China, including the Indians, Ji said. "We are willing to continue to maintain close communication with the Indian side, provide necessary assistance and convenience to ensure the health and safety of Indian citizens in China, and address their legitimate concerns timely," he said. "We also hope Indian side could continue to render understanding and support to China's efforts in epidemic prevention and control," Ji said. Faced with a severe and complicated epidemic situation, the Chinese government has attached great importance to it, the spokesperson said. "President Xi Jinping has repeatedly given important instructions on prevention and control of the epidemic. With firm resolve, strong measures, rapid action and extensive mobilization, China has built an all-round and multi-level prevention and control system focusing on Wuhan city and Hubei province from the central government to the local level," Ji asserted. The epidemic is generally preventable, controllable and curable, he said. He said there was sufficient supply of daily necessities in Wuhan, and the commodity prices were also generally stable. The Chinese government has mobilised all national resources to ensure the supply of medical equipment and living materials in Wuhan, he said. "We have full capability, confidence and resources to win the battle against the epidemic at an early date," Ji said. "Acting with openness, transparency and a high sense of responsibility, the Chinese government has shared information of the epidemic with the WHO, relevant nations and regions in a timely manner, strengthening joint prevention and control, sparing no efforts to curb the spread of the epidemic," the Chinese Embassy spokesperson said. China believes that the international community will assess the epidemic situation in an objective, just, calm and reasonable way, and will continue to strengthen international cooperation, work with all parties to jointly tackle the epidemic, and safeguard regional and global public health security, he said. India has requested China for permission to operate two flights to bring back its nationals from the worst-affected central Hubei province. The nationwide death toll in China from the coronavirus has jumped to 170 with 38 more fatalities reported on Thursday mainly from Hubei province, the Chinese government said, while confirming more than 1,700 new infections. China's National Health Commission said on Thursday that 7,711 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the Coronavirus have been reported in 31 provincial-level regions and in the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps by the end of Wednesday. 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(0x7f0482a975f8)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f04832a81b0)', '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(0x7f0482a975f8)') 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(0x7f04832a81b0)') 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(0x7f0482a8baa8)') 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(0x7f04832a81b0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f04832a81b0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f048226dbb0)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f0483272e28)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f0483272e28)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 A mob of protesters gathered outside the office of newschannel Republic TV at Kamla Mill compound in central Mumbai on late Thursday night, the police said. Earlier in the evening, messages asking people to gather at the English newschannel's office for a protest against "misreporting" of the firing incident outside Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi by a section of media were circulating on social media. Police personnel were deployed in large number outside the channel's office here and there was no untoward incident so far, a police official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, Jan. 30 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: The Turkmen authorities have recommended the countrys citizens to refrain from traveling to China due to the coronavirus, Trend reports Jan. 30 with reference to Orient news agency. It is also reported that there are no cases of pneumonia caused by coronavirus in Turkmenistan. Recently, the Turkmen Ministry of Healthcare and Medical Industry said that sanitary-epidemiological surveillance measures have been strengthened in Turkmenistan. China, which is the source of the deadly coronavirus, is among the key trade partners of Turkmenistan. Furthermore, a significant number of Turkmen students receive higher education in China. Coronavirus 2019-nCoV was detected last December in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Infection has already been reported in South Korea, Japan, the US, Thailand, the UAE and other countries. Similar facts have also been recorded in Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A New York State Police team has found what investigators believe is the body of Syracuse University student Allan Gonzalez, missing for a week and a half, Syracuse police said today. Gonzalez accidentally fell into Onondaga Creek at Walton Street shortly after 3 a.m. on Jan. 19. Crews with the state police found a deceased person submerged in Onondaga Creek today around 11 a.m. near where the creek passes under the Interstate 690 bridge. The State Police team used sonar technology to find him. A police spokesman cautioned that the person found is only presumed to be Gonzalez, but official confirmation will come from the Onondaga County Medical Examiners Office. The state police dive team had been called in to help Syracuse police and firefighters with the search for several days, scouring the creek floor and walls in search of Gonzalez. In the meantime, Gonzalezs family has endured a heart-wrenching wait, traveling between the students home in New Jersey and Syracuse, according to a GoFundMe page set up on behalf of the family. His family is devastated and has been spending time between Syracuse and their home in NJ, according to the page. ...The family is pouring all of their financial resources into traveling between states and organizing resources to help bring them any type of closure. The Union City native was set to graduate in May with a degree in engineering and computer sciences. His mother has shared daily posts on Facebook showing her sons musical talents and her grief. Gonzalez was a recruited lacrosse player, an artist and a musician who played guitar, piano and saxophone, according to his family. Syracuse University Dean of Students Marianne Thomson said she was deeply saddened by Gonzalezs death and offered condolences to his family and friends. Please keep Allan and his loved ones in your thoughts as they grieve this unimaginable loss, she said in a statement, which also reminded students of counseling services available on campus. India is heavily influenced by Tibet because of the border we share with that country. And India being the secular country, it not only has Hindu temples but also some breathtaking monasteries located on top of hills and mountains. These monasteries in India are one of the most peaceful places in the world and are also best known for spiritual awakening. Take a look at the best monasteries in India with the best views. Also Read: Bhutan: Best Places To Visit In The Country Of Monasteries And Peace Best monasteries in India, you must visit Phuktal Monastery, Zanskar Pic courtesy: Shutterstock Phuktal monastery is one of the most unique yet challenging monasteries in India, located atop a hill. To reach the monastery is a task in itself as you have to trek all the way up there. The monastery is surrounded by a crystal blue river and snow-clad mountains. Youll find a few monks going about their daily lives who live in the most humble way possible and that itself will make you want to stay there. Also Read: Packing Tips While Travelling With An Infant Hemis Monastery, Ladakh The Hemis monastery in Ladakh is one of the largest and the richest monastery in Ladakh. It is filled with artefacts, relics and anecdotes. It is said that staying in the monastery is one in a lifetime experience and you should experience it least once. Tawang Monastery Pic courtesy: YouTube One of the largest monasteries in India, Tawang Monastery is located in Arunachal Pradesh. It is also a highly revered Buddhist monastery and you will find pilgrims and tourists flocking this awe-inspiring temple. Tawang Monastery is located at the edge of the cliff; it might look dangerous but in reality, it is pretty safe. The beauty lies inside the Tawang monastery, which looks royal. Also Read: Norway Travel Tips That Will Help You With Local Transportation In The Country Rumtek monastery Pic courtesy: YouTube Sikkim can be called as the land of monasteries in India as it houses around 200 monasteries. Rumtek monastery is one of the largest and the most popular monastery in India. Located in Gangtok, Rumtek monastery is vibrantly coloured and was built in the 9th century. The monastery welcomes pilgrims and devotees from all over the world and conducts a lot of workshops and art of living lectures. Mindrolling Monastery Located in the city of Dehradun is the serene mind rolling monastery. This monastery is one of the major monasteries of the Nyingma school which is located in Tibet. It not only a religious place but also has a huge Buddhist institute, which provides education to many Buddhist Children. Also Read: UNESCO Sites In Rajasthan That Must Be On Every Traveller's List Picture courtesy: All pics/Shutterstock Nathan Hache, a California native and avid Minnesota Vikings fan currently living in Palm Springs with his children, has published his latest book How to Find You: an autobiographical reflection guiding readers to identify their innate gifts for success in their personal endeavors. The author shares, We were all born with a God given talent. It says in the Bible, James 1:17 states that Every good and perfect gift is from above. Your gift is what you do best with the least amount of effort. We all go through our journey in our lives and some of us don't do what we were meant to do. We were put here for a reason; we all have a purpose. We were born with that purpose. That purpose is to put our gift to use. Published by Page Publishing, Nathan Haches engrossing book is an inspirational work encouraging self-reflection and faith in the pursuit of personal goals. Readers who wish to experience this engaging work can purchaseHow to Find You 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. WASHINGTON, D.C. - Democrats including Ohios U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown on Thursday criticized a new Trump administration Medicaid plan as a backdoor way to cut the programs spending and jeopardize health care for the people it covers. The director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Seema Verma, described her agencys new Healthy Adult Opportunity initiative as a "groundbreaking new policy that would provide an innovative and historical approach to surmounting Medicaids structural challenges. She said Medicaid coverage expansions that were part of the Affordable Care Act have escalated its costs, crowding out other priorities and threatening state budgets. Verma said states that have tried to craft innovative Medicaid programs have been thwarted by a rigid federal bureaucracy thats too focused on process instead of outcomes and doesnt address the needs of beneficiaries. The new program will give states unprecedented flexibility to alter their programs in exchange for greater management accountability and demonstrating real results, she said. President Trump block granting Medicaid is another betrayal of working families. It's shortsighted and only makes it harder to fight public health crises like addiction and maternal mortality. https://t.co/He1eaot7GP Sherrod Brown (@SenSherrodBrown) January 30, 2020 She said states arent obliged to participate in the new block grant program, and it wont let states strip benefits or limit eligibility. This is an invitation for states to work with us to make Medicaid more flexible, more person centered and more focused on improving the health of those it serves, added Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. A spokesperson for Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman said hes "received the administrations Healthy Adult Opportunity initiative for Medicaid and will thoroughly review the proposal. A statement from Brown called the Medicaid block granting short sighted, and said it would limit Ohios ability to fight public health crises like addiction and maternal mortality. It said that if Trump successfully implements the block grand funding plan, it will limit the amount of funding states like Ohio can receive from the federal government to cover health care expenses covered by Medicaid expansion. He noted that more than 600,000 Ohioans have now have health care coverage because of that expansion, and denounced President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress for pursuing policies that undermine Ohioans health care and put health coverage at risk. We should be working to expand health care and health resources for Ohio families, not restrict them, Browns statement said. BREAKING: @CMSgovs Medicaid block grant proposal is nothing more than a despicable attempt to strip health care from vulnerable citizens. Whether its cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, or affordable housing, this Administration has been fully engaged in a war on people in need. https://t.co/m5UopO87rp Rep. Marcia L. Fudge (@RepMarciaFudge) January 30, 2020 A statement that Warrensville Heights Democratic Rep. Marcia Fudge posted on Twitter described the block grant proposal as "nothing more than a despicable attempt to strip health care from vulnerable citizens. Whether its cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, or affordable housing, this Administration has been fully engaged in a war on people in need, Fudge continued. Niles-area Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan called it disgraceful in his own Twitter statement. President Trump continues to try and break our nations health care system, said Ryan. Now he wants to cut coverage for our friends and neighbors most in need? Toledo Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur called Trumps proposal, a radical betrayal of the most vulnerable Americans, including millions of children and older adults. She said it will allow states to undermine the delivery of care for more than 71 million people currently on Medicaid and its affiliate the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP). President Trump flipped the tables on the Republican establishment when he campaigned on protecting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid; but now just as we expected President Trump has fallen in line with conservative orthodoxy and signaled that these important programs could be slashed to foot the bill for his disastrous tax cut bill, said an email from Kaptur. A statement from the National Womens Law Center noted that converting Medicaid funding into block grants was a central part of Congress failed 2017 effort to replace the Affordable Care Act. The center also cited reports that indicated expanding Medicaid coverage improves health outcomes and greatly reduces the burden on states to fill in private health care system gaps. This guidance is nothing more than a Medicaid cut disguised as Medicaid reform, said the centers director, Dorianne Mason. Ignoring the widespread support and need for expanded Medicaid coverage, President Trump and Director Verma have instead revived their failed plan to slash health care coverage for tens of millions of Americans. Alliance of Community Health Plans President and CEO Ceci Connolly said the block grant conversion would reduce the ability of states to provide health services and restrict millions of Americans access to affordable care. Using block grants would not allow states to weather pressures on spending at the state level or to adequately account for economic and population changes," said a statement from Connolly. "Current financing provides needed stability and allows states the flexibility to innovate to address the social needs of residents and improve health outcomes in the long run. Further, evidence continues to show the positive impact of Medicaid expansion on the health and well being of millions of Americans. ACHP member plans are leaders in delivering integrated value-based care models in the Medicaid program. As a result of possible spending changes, the significant investments by ACHP member plans to improve coordinated care for Medicaid recipients could be lost. President Trump continues to try and break our nations health care system. Now he wants to cut coverage for our friends and neighbors most in need? This is disgraceful.https://t.co/UngilnufQH Congressman Tim Ryan (@RepTimRyan) January 30, 2020 Read more coverage: Senate should designate PFAS water contaminants hazardous substances, says Sen. Sherrod Brown Sherrod Brown calls its brazen for Trump attorneys to chide Hunter Biden for using his famous dad to make money Bankrupt Murray Energy coal company still banks on Trump, FEC records show Democrats including Rep. Marcia Fudge back lawsuit to fight food stamp cuts Retired carpenter challenges Rep. Dave Joyce in GOP primary New Trump administration water plan draws strong reaction from both sides of the issue Rep. Tim Ryan is hitting the presidential campaign trail for Joe Biden Trump public charge immigration rule would codify discrimination, says Rep. Marcia Fudge Sen. Sherrod Brown accuses Mitch McConnell of a cover-up as impeachment trial begins Gun activists seek 'Second Amendment sanctuary designations in Ohio The Equal Rights Amendment - its history in Ohio and what comes next: Q & A Trump jokes with LSU quarterback Joe Burrow at White House ceremony Ohios Jim Jordan is ready to assist President Trumps impeachment defense, if the White House wants Facial surveillance alarms Congress; Republicans and Democrats pledge action Apart from a recent Labour Party launch that seemed to feature as many babies as politicians, the childcare issue has not really had much of a look-in during this election campaign. It hasn't featured much during party leader debates either. But despite this, there is no doubt it's a huge issue for parents given childcare fees are among the highest in the world. It is so much of a concern that Siptu officials say 1,300 providers have indicated they will attend a rally from Parnell Square to Government Buildings next Wednesday. Before they even take to the streets in the hope of a government rethink, relations with the last one have worsened. Read More The underlying question for many providers yesterday was what part Children's Minister Katherine Zappone had in the directive issued this week entitled 'Frequently Asked Questions on the proposed Early Years Protest' that warned of the financial hit they face for taking part. They argue they could still fulfil their obligation to provide 183 days' care a year by opening on an alternative day. There is a strong suspicion the warning is designed to make them think twice about parading banners at a time that, it would be an understatement to say, is sensitive three days ahead of the General Election. Creche operator Paula Donohoe said her staff would be paid as normal but small providers may feel the pinch. "We've always been able to change our calendar and offer alternative dates," she said. "I closed before where there was a tragedy with a staff member's family but we offered an alternative date. This type of action is actually not punishing providers, it's punishing the children. I, as a provider, want to offer another date." Priyanka Chopra's Grammy Awards outfit that was both risque & classy at the same time triggered a massive debate on the Internet. While many appreciated and praised her bold move, some also trolled her for the plunging neckline. Bollywood actress Suchitra Krishnamoorthi came out in support of Chopra and slammed Padma Shri awardee Wendell Rodricks who criticized Chopra's Ralph and Russo gown. In the recent development, in what it's called a 'clarification', Rodricks took to his Instagram handle to 'age' shame Chopra and said, "There is an age to wear some clothes'. Priyanka Chopra fashion policed for Grammys gown, Suchitra Krishnamoorthi backs her Rodricks also deleted one of the posts after Suchitra bashed him for his sarcasm where he said, "the neckline goes all the way from LA to Cuba." Now to explain his previous post, Wendell Rodricks said, "For all those that said some really nasty things about me body shaming, here is my retort. Did I say anything about her body? No. Many women did. I just said the dress was wrong for her despite it being couture. It was more dress shaming than body shaming." He further said, 'Same with women who wear minis past a certain age. If you dont have it, dont flaunt it. I stopped wearing Bermudas as I have a few varicose veins. Dont make every issue body shaming, sexist or whatever."[sic] Post Priyanka Chopra's Grammy gown uproar, here are the costs of her most famous outfits FULL POST Fans hit back Wendell Rodricks' clarification didn't go down well with Chopra fans. One user wrote, And u r a designer! I feel for ur models. Guys like u r the reason models become anorexic ! Real women have curves! Take ur sexist comment and go away... and ur modern saree collection, they r tame and demure???? Wen u r bold it is beautiful and wen it s others u ve become bold and the dress s not ? I am really scared for the women working for u! Unnecessary opinion from an irrelevant people. Another wrote, Was not body shaming but certainly was aligning with stereotypes... Talk about choices that people choose to create their own sense of comfort in fashion that is created... As you choose to not wear bermudas cis of your varicose veins i choose to wear them flaunting my body which includes the bulging varicose veins... Thats body accepting. Priyanka Chopra's NET WORTH after her Grammys 2020 appearance is Shocking; read details Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment. Beverly Hills Fashion Week "Fashion is the Ambassador to World Peace" African American designer Carmen Muhammad, founder of Al-Nisa Designs and Women Working Together Inc., will host Beverly Hills Modest Fashion Week Event (BHFWE), the first annual contemporary modest main stream fashion week in the United States, May 28-31, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California, at the Montage Beverly Hills Hotel. International VIPs, Fashionistas, Buyers and Global Media will all converge in the city of Beverly Hills to be a part of BHFWE. Come and meet the new faces of top emerging designers from around the world: Italys Torino Fashion Week founder Claudio Azzolini, listed as one of the Top 500 whos who in the Islamic 500 Magazine 2018 & 2019 editions (considered to be the Middle Eastern version of a Forbes 500 magazine); DK Ambassador Paris Fashion Week founder Djamilah Kuerdon; and South Africas House of Mandela CEO Maki Mandela, eldest daughter of our former beloved President Nelson Mandela, are all industry partners and supporters of BHFWE. The theme for the BHFWE is Fashion is An Ambassador to World Peace. This statement is no cliche, states Carmen Muhammad, modest fashion is a mission. With over 27 designers from around the world, including a South African Slot (delegation) of 10 emerging designers, this event represents true diversity and inclusion in the exciting business of fashion. The mission is simple: To provide emerging designers and modest models with a platform that connects them to key individuals in the business of fashion while expanding their global outreach, and provide new editorial opportunities and content along with e-commerce business opportunities. Carmen W. Muhammad, a native of Los Angeles, has become a designer of great interest at international fashion week events. With over seven appearances at various international high-profile fashion week events and top awards, the list of achievements is plentiful. At her first appearance in Torino, Italy, she not only went viral after a published article in the UAE National newspaper titled Pink Hijab Ladies Steal The Show at Torino Fashion Week, but she was the only African American designer, and received the Louis Vuitton Brand Ambassador Award and the At Film Awards 2017. Later in the year, she was invited to the first Pret-A-Cover event hosted by Powerhouse Founder of the Islamic Design Council Alia Khan, who is also listed in both editions of the Islamic 500 Magazine. In her return to Torino Fashion Week in 2018, she again clinched the top award with an invite to appear at the first Milan Fashion Week Soiree which included Al-Nisa Designs being inducted into the Milan Fashion Library historical records as an emerging modest designer. Among additional accomplishments in 2018 include the showcasing of Al-Nisa Designs in a world museum exhibit titled Contemporary Muslim Fashion which opened at DeYoung Museum in San Francisco, Calif., in September of that year; the exhibit then traveled to Museum Angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt, Germany in April 2019. And on February 28, 2020, the exhibit is scheduled to open at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York where Ms. Muhammad is also featured in a documentary filmed to accompany the final exhibit. CONTACTS: Carmen W. Muhammad Al-Nisa Designs /Women Working Together, Inc. 312-206-8774 womenworkingtogetherinc@yahoo.com Charlene Muhammad In the Works Media Consultants 323-602-9841 ntheworks@yahoo.com EU to provide Ukraine with EUR 26 mln aid for agricultural sector 11:53, 30.01.20 871 The relevant agreement was signed in Brussels on January 28. New Delhi: Top Bhojpuri sensation turned television actress Monalisa has yet again shared her shoot diary with fans on social media. She successfully entered into television with popular daily soap 'Nazar'. She plays an evil force named Mohana in the show. Her solid fan army lauded Monalisa for playing the character in the show quite well. She received accolades for her acting chops. In her recent post, Monalisa shares on-set shooting pictures wherein one of the clicks she is hand-cuffed inside a van and in another one is seen inside a hospital. Check it out here: Monalisa enjoys a massive fan following of 2.7 million on Instagram. Often her posts break the internet sending netizens into a tizzy. The sensational actress has worked with almost every A-lister in the Bhojpuri movie industry. But it was her big break in the reality show 'Bigg Boss 10' where she got instant fame. Monalisa was one of the popular contestants inside the show and in fact, got married to her then-boyfriend Vikrant Singh inside the house. Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has officially put the spread of voter disinformation on her agenda, though the specific details of how she plans to combat it are still murky. The Massachusetts senator stated in a tweet on Wednesday that the inspiration for her plan was the lack of repercussions for disinformation spread in the wake of the 2016 election, and that a vigilant approach to disinformation in the wake of the 2020 election could directly affect Donald Trumps chances at reelection. Disinformation and online foreign interference erode our democracy, and Donald Trump has invited both. Anyone who seeks to challenge and defeat Donald Trump in the 2020 election must be fully prepared to take this onand Ive got a plan to do it. https://t.co/ZQ6B1AezBd Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) January 29, 2020 The plan would largely focus on tech companies, such as Facebook and YouTube, as opposed to cracking down on individuals. This makes Warren one of the first Democratic presidential candidates to put forth such a plan, but there is no word yet on the exact penalties that would be enacted if a big tech company were to spread disinformation. There is also no outline as to what exactly constitutes disinformation. Warren has recently fallen behind in the polls, with recent numbers from Monmouth University having her behind Biden, Sanders and Buttigieg, respectively. Senator Sanders has also been hyper-critical of tech corporations, railing for Amazon to pay their workers a living wage with benefits. Senator Amy Klobuchar has also advocated for more transparency from big tech companies. Sanders also supports peeling back voter disenfranchisement, which would allow prisoners and those who have been committed of a felony or are on parole with the right to vote. His constituency in Vermont are among the only in the country with this right (Maine also grants the right for all prisoners to vote, and Alabama, Arizona, Wyoming, Delaware, Florida, Mississippi, Kentucky and Tennessee allow for some voter rights for felons). One thing is clearpositions on voter suppression will be crucial come the 2020 presidential election. Kareena Ratnesh knows what its like to have cancer. And the 16-year-old from Upper Nazareth Township knows what its like to beat cancer. The perspective she gained from a whirlwind year has motivated her to raise thousands of dollars to fight the disease. Same goes for her friends. Together the three Nazareth Area High School juniors have formed Team One Day. Theyre competing with teams from across the Lehigh Valley to raise the most money through the end of February for the U.S. Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Im a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, Kareena said. She got her devastating diagnosis in April 2019, but after surgery and a summer of treatment she was cancer-free by August. Rather than deflate her, her experience has motivated her to stop the spread of the disease and bring hope to other children she met during her frequent visits to Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. Why did she get cancer? I think its because Im supposed to do something about it," she said. Her journey started with a pain in her stomach that days later landed her in emergency surgery. Doctors removed a germ cell tumor from her ovary. Tests confirmed a week later the tumor was malignant. I couldnt really believe what I was hearing. It was so surreal. It still feels surreal to this day, Kareena said. Her cancer was Stage 3 and required aggressive chemotherapy. She made it through with the support of her family and two close friends: Alyson DeMarco and Jennifer Vaughn. Jennifer recalls visiting Kareena early in her treatment. Kareena struggled to walk around the hospital hallway with her. And Kareena was one of the better-off patients at the hospital for children. I saw all these little kids going through what she went through, some even worse, Jennifer recalls. It didnt take long for Kareena to set her sights on not only getting better but on making a difference in the lives of all cancer sufferers. I was seeing so much of it and I wanted to do something about it, she said. She fought to get healthy enough to start her junior year on time. The three girls soon got together to plan their campaign. They met with all the faculty, then with the entire student body to share their goal of raising $15,000. The second I started telling my story it was dead silent, Kareena said. The girls have ambitious goals. They are organizing dress down days, a benefit concert and a Feb. 22 swim-a-thon. Theyre selling shirts. Theyre canvassing businesses looking for donated goods and services. Theyre setting up dine and donates where restaurants will contribute a portion of their proceeds from meal sales at given dates and times. Everything has to be executed prior to Feb. 29. Theyre off to a good start. The Upper Nazareth Township Police Association donated $1,000 raised in part from three years of No Shave November contributions. Kareena Ratnesh accepts a $1,000 donation from Upper Nazareth Township Police Cpl. Ben Rizzotto for Team One Day, a fundraising campaign against cancer, on Jan. 29, 2020.Rudy Miller | For lehighvalleylive.com Despite her dark days, Kareena has an irrepressible vivacity and enthusiasm. That smile never leaves, Principal Alan Davis said. The positive attitude she has displayed since Day One is inspirational to me. Kareena has future goals long after the campaign ends. First, college. Then, medical school. Then a career as a pediatric oncologist. Her experience motivates her. She believes it puts her in a better position to work with other cancer sufferers. I think the biggest thing for me is I know exactly what it looks like. Ive seen the effects. It was really impactful to me, she said. Team Day One got its name because Kareena and her friends know in their hearts there will be a cure. One day. We fight for that day. Its going to happen, Alyson said. How to help Donate to Team One Day at the campaign webpage on the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Students of the Year website, studentsoftheyear.org. Or, make out a check to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and put Attention Christina Cimino: Team One Day on the memo line. Send checks to Nazareth Area High School, Attn: Principal Alan Davis, 501 E. Center St., Nazareth, PA 18064. For more information, email the team at teamonedaylls@gmail.com. The Upper Nazareth Township Police Association donates $1,000 for Team One Day, a fundraising campaign against cancer, on Jan. 29, 2020. From left to right: Sgt. Mark Herman, Chief William Cope, Kareen Ratnesh, Jennifer Vaughn, Alyson DeMarco, Cpl. Ben Rizzotto and officer David Gentile.Rudy Miller | For lehighvalleylive.com Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook. Richard Muema, the man who was shot 7 times by armed robbers in Kasarani area, has been discharged from Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH). Muema was allowed to leave the facility on Wednesday morning after clearing his hospital bills. The 32-year-old said he was grateful to all the wellwishers who helped offset his hospital bill. The total bill came to Ksh.1.2 million which was catered for by the money the public contributed through an M-Pesa Paybill number established by my family, said Muema. He said he would continue recuperating at home after spending three months in hospital. Rapper King Kaka also took to social media to express his gratitude to everyone who helped raise funds. Some good news thanks to everyone who contributed a while back when I asked for help. Richard Muema who was shot eight times has been discharged and the bill settled. I am grateful, the family says Asante and Be blessed, King Kaka tweeted. Muema was shot seven times; 5 times in the abdomen and twice on the legs, during a botched robbery on November 5, 2019, in Kasarani. The incident was caught on CCTV, which helped police identify the two suspects. NEW DELHI: Zee News team was attacked near Sukhdev Vihar metro station in Delhi on Thursday (January 30, 2020) during the coverage of the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests. Zee News senior reporter Jitendra Sharma and his associate Neeraj Gaur had arrived at Sukhdev Vihar metro station in Delhi to cover the ongoing anti-CAA protests along with cameraperson Qamar Khan when they were heckled and assaulted by the protesters from Jamia area of Delhi. During the incident, the anti-CAA protesters tried to snatch the mobile and personal belongings of Jitendra Sharma and Neeraj Gaur. The channel's camera and recording equipment were completely damaged by the anti-CAA protesters, who also shouted anti-government slogans. Live TV The agitating anti-CAA protesters also broke the camera and Live Unit of the channel. The incident comes hours after a young man, reportedly a minor, brandished a locally-made pistol and opened fire at the anti-CAA protesters in Delhi's Jamia area in which a student was injured. Narrating the whole incident, Sharma said that he along with his team had gone there to cover the ongoing anti-CAA protests and talk to the protesters but they attacked them and damaged their equipment. The Zee News team was dragged by the protesters to several meters and attempts were made to thrash them, snatch their belongings. Several political leaders, including BJP's GVL Narshimha and Congress politician Rashid Alvi, have strongly condemned the attack on the Zee News team and called for strict action against the culprits. Meanwhile, protests continue near Jamia Millia Islamia University against Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens (NRC) and heavy police force has been deployed there. Several hundred people most of them women have been protesting against CAA in Jamia area of the national capital for 45 days (till January 30, 2020). The protesters had on January 27 not even allowed Zee News Editor-In-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary to cover the agitation. They did not allow Sudhir Chaudhary to cross the police barricade. Sudhir Chaudhary kept on urging the protesters to allow him to meet them and bring their concerns over the CAA before the government but the protesters did not accept his request. Sudhir Chaudhary was accompanied by senior journalist Deepak Chaurasia during his visit to Shaheen Bagh. [January 30, 2020] Newsmax Launches New Cloud TV Service, Powered by Kaltura TV Platform New York, NY, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kaltura , the leading video technology provider, announced today that Newsmax, a leading US-based media company focused on news content, has launched a new Cloud TV service, available on a wide range of devices, including Apple TV, Roku, Android and iOS devices. OTT is no longer an afterthought or experiment that select broadcasters, media companies and service providers are dabbling in - its the future of TV, and the obvious move for forward-looking companies, like Newsmax, that want to remain relevant to todays consumers, said Nuno Sanches, Kaltura General Manager, Media and Telecom. We are excited to extend the reach of our content to our audience on any device they choose, with an optimal viewing experience, stated Andy Biggers, Sr. Vice President of Distribution at Newsmax TV. Kalturas TV Platform provides us with the ultimate flexibility to evolve Newsmax TV over time, and gain insight from the invaluable data collected via the platform. Sanches added: We are excited to have been selected by Newsmax as its Cloud TV partner of choice. News and current events cntent are extremely time sensitive and always on, therefore our robust TV Platform with its proven track record supporting some of the worlds largest Cloud TV services with many live channels running across multiple time zones at any given time, is best positioned to power services of this kind. We look forward to working closely with Newsmax as the service continues to evolve. Newsmax TV, carried on major cable systems in 70 million U.S. homes, provides viewers with an independent perspective on domestic and international events. In addition to its traditional cable carriage, Newsmax TV is available free on more than 100 million OTT devices nationwide. Newsmax TVs new cloud TV service hosted by Kaltura includes its 24/7 live channel and a large VOD content catalog. The front-end applications were developed by 24i. About Kaltura Kaltura's mission is to power any video experience. A recognized leader in Cloud TV, EdVP (Education Video Platform) and EVP (Enterprise Video Platform) markets, Kaltura has emerged as the fastest growing video platform with the broadest use cases and appeal. Kalturas Media and Telecom business unit helps telcos and content owners make the transition to a full-fledged Cloud TV service that satisfies the exacting demands of todays TV viewers. The Kaltura TV Platform features personalized multiscreen access to linear, VOD and time-shifted TV as well as third-party content. It combines advanced monetization options with the ability to scale to millions of viewers anywhere in the world. The adaptability and agility of the Kaltura TV Platform means that companies can experiment with new products and features, analyze performance, and react quickly to changes in viewing behavior in order to optimize engagement and better achieve business goals. For more information visit www.kaltura.com . About Newsmax Founded in 1998 and based in Boca Raton, Florida, and New York City, Newsmax Media is a privately held broadcasting and media company. In addition to being the parent company that operates Newsmax TV, its multi-platform media holdings reach over 30 million Americans through the Newsmax Feed Network, Newsmax.com, Moneynews.com, Newsmaxhealth.com, Newsmax Magazine, and more than a dozen health and financial newsletters. Forbes has called Newsmax a news powerhouse. Lisa Bennett VP Marketing [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Thanks for joining todays PennLive live discussion. You can share your thoughts, opinions and comments in this pre-moderated discussion. Comments will begin appearing at noon, when the live chat begins. Please continue to follow the community rules and stay on topic. Nearly two-thirds of registered voters in Pennsylvania say they are highly interested in the 2020 elections nearly as many as during the lead up to the 2018 mid-terms, according to a new poll. Of those, 41 percent believe President Donald Trump has done a good enough job to deserve re-election, while 57 percent say its time for a change. Those are among the findings of a new poll from Franklin & Marshall College. The poll of 628 registered voters included 292 Democrats, 251 Republicans and 85 independents. It was conducted Jan. 21-26 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 6.2 percentage points. The poll found that 38 percent believe Trump is doing a good or excellent job slightly higher than in October. Meanwhile, the preferred presidential candidate among Democrats in Pennsylvania has grown murkier since October. Former Vice President Joe Biden continues to lead, favored by 22 percent of Democrats; but he had been favored by 30 percent of Democrats in the last F&M poll in October. Biden is followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, favored by 15 percent (up from 12 percent in October), and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, favored by 14 percent (down from 18 percent in October). That cluster is followed by former mayors Mike Bloomberg, favored by 7 percent, and Pete Buttigieg, favored by 6 percent. Regarding Trumps favorability rating, the poll authors note its similar to that of former President Barack Obama at the same point in his successful re-election campaign. As usual, Trump is far more popular among Republicans, with 77 percent having a positive view of his performance, as opposed to 31 percent of independents and eight percent of Democrats. Overall, 57 percent of those surveyed said its time for a different president and, of those, 87 percent said they will vote against Trump no matter what. Regarding overall enthusiasm, people who consider themselves liberals show the most, with 78 percent saying they are highly interested. That compares to 68 percent of conservatives and 61 percent of moderates. Some of the poll participants agreed to be interviewed by the news media. Brian Taylor, a Philadelphia-area Democrat, says he plans to vote for Sanders because of his authenticity, his accountability and his consistency. He is also trying to take down money in politics, which is one of the biggest threats to our democracy in the modern age, said Taylor, 29, who works for a non-profit counseling people living with HIV. He disagrees with those who argue only a moderate Democrat can defeat Trump. Rather, Sanders champions policies that benefit working people, which will win over people from both major parties and independents, according to Taylor. Andrew Maietta, an Allegheny County Democrat, says he leans toward Biden, adding Im not crazy about the policies of Sanders and Warren. Im not in favor of the free college and I think they are a little too far to the left, says Maietta, a retired professor of filmmaking. He says hes also considering Sen. Amy Klobuchar, for reasons including his view her policies are more centered, and she doesnt generate the level of disdain he believes many Republicans feel toward Democrats such as Biden or Hillary Clinton. Rick Hall of McKean County is a registered Democrat who says he doesnt always vote as a Democrat and is underwhelmed by the Democratic field. He further says I do not like Trump and Trumps handling of foreign policy scares the crap out of me. Still, he says unless the Democrats come up with something else, Ill have to vote for him. Moreover, Hall, who is 68 and retired after spending most of his career in the steel industry, believes Trump has done a good job on domestic issues including the economy. Scott Mcgowan, a Libertarian, says Trump shoots his mouth off and creates problems. However, while stressing the election is still nearly a year away, he says, If it was today it would be Trump getting his vote. Some other poll findings: Just over half of the voters surveyed believe Pennsylvania is headed in the right direction, with 33 percent saying they are better off financially than a year ago, and a strong majority saying they expect to be the same or better off financially in a year. On the other hand, only 38 percent believe the United States is headed in the right direction. Forty-eight percent of voters support natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania, with 44 percent opposing it. However, 49 percent believe the environmental risks outweigh the economic benefits. Forty-eight percent favor a ban on natural gas fracking, while 39 percent oppose a ban. More from PennLive: Listen to the latest episode of PennLives political podcast, Battleground Pa., on your favorite app including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts. Battleground Pa. examines the changing political climate across the state leading up to the 2020 election. An aunt of Taliesin Namkai-Meche testified Thursday that moments before Jeremy Christian stabbed and killed her nephew on a MAX train in May 2017, she had suggested that he might record Christian making a hate-filled rant and then hand the video evidence over to police. Beatrix Therese Van Olphen told jurors on the third day of Christians double-murder trial that she was on the phone with her nephew as he rode the train home from work that afternoon. But Namkai-Meche asked to end the call because he couldnt focus on the conversation with Christians racist tirade going on in the background, Van Olphen said. I said, OK, Tilie, recalled his aunt. But please dont get involved. It could be dangerous. ...Maybe you can film it or videotape it with your phone and send it to police. Namkai-Meche thought that was a good idea, she said. And I said, Dont get involved, Van Olphen recounted. And he said, OK, I wont. Namkai-Meche told her he loved her and would phone her later, she said. He did not call me back, Van Olphen said. Prosecutors drew out Van Olphens testimony because they have argued it reveals Namkai-Meches state of mind -- that he wasnt combative and that he didnt walk across part of the train to fight Christian. Defense attorneys unsuccessfully argued to the judge that parts of Van Olphens testimony shouldnt be allowed, at least in part because the testimony is hearsay. Christians attorneys contend that Namkai-Meche was an aggressor -- along with the other two men who were stabbed, Ricky Best, who died, and Micah Fletcher, who survived. A woman who was on the train that day testified Wednesday that Namkai-Meche sat down next to her, then lifted up his phone toward Christian, stating, Youre about to become an internet sensation. Prosecutors, however, say a forensic expert who analyzed Namkai-Meches phone determined he never started taking video. Two witnesses also have testified that Christian violently grabbed Namkai-Meches phone and threw it onto the floor, making a loud noise. Video taken from inside the train and played in court shows Christian shoving Fletcher and then Namkai-Meche. Prosecutors say Fletcher then shoved Christian three times. Namkai-Meche doesnt appear to lay hands on Christian in the video, but instead picks up his phone and looks at it just as Christian stabs Fletcher in the neck and then Namkai-Meche in the neck, hand and face. Best, who was standing behind Namkai-Meche, was the third person Christian stabbed. Christian is accused of first-degree murder for the deaths of Namkai-Meche, 23, and Best, 53, and attempted first-degree murder for stabbing Fletcher, then 21 and a student at Portland State University. Jeffrey Quintana, the operator of the MAX train that May 26, told jurors he didnt hear or see a call button indicator go off in his compartment. During trial the previous day, passenger Shawn Forde said he repeatedly pressed a call button in the train car before the stabbings to alert the operator that Christian was creating a commotion with his yelling. Quintana testified that when a passenger presses the call button, a light is supposed to flash and a ringing sound is supposed to go off continuously in the operators cabin. Even though Quintana wasnt aware of the call button indicator going off or it wasnt going off, Quintana said at some point he realized someone was yelling in the train car because he could hear it. He said he used the public address system to tell passengers to settle down. Quintana said he also called TriMets controller and that person told him to open his compartment door and peek out to see what was happening once the train arrived at the Hollywood Transit Center. Quintanas testimony could be troublesome for TriMet, which along with Portland police, is being sued for $20 million by the families of Namkai-Meche and Best. Among the allegations in the lawsuits is that TriMet and police botched opportunities to intervene to prevent the deaths of the two men, including implementing security measures that would better protect passengers. No witnesses testified Thursday afternoon. Instead, jurors visited a MAX train car similar to the one where the stabbings occurred. Prosecutors wanted jurors to see the car to gain a better understanding of the confined space. Multnomah County Circuit Judge Cheryl Albrecht barred Christian from visiting the train car, as well as media. Albrecht cited death threats made against Christian and the increased risk if hes allowed outside the jail or the courthouse. The judge said Christians presence would only magnify the presence and attention of the media thereby enhancing the possibility that the jury could be distracted from its task. The Oregonian/OregonLive filed an objection with the judge, arguing that her decision violated Oregons open courts law. The trial will resume Friday morning. -- Aimee Green agreen@oregonian.com o_aimee Keep up with key trial events and takeaways by signing up for The Oregonian/OregonLives Jeremy Christian trial newsletter at oregonlive.com/newsletters. Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. The reports ranged from legal issues to female genital mutilation, child marriage, and human trafficking, according the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood Egypt's National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM) announced that it had received 647956 reports through the child rescue line (1600) during 2019. The reports ranged from mental, legal issues to female mutilation, child marriage, and human trafficking crimes, according to a statement issued by the NCCM Wednesday. Azza Ashmawi secretary General of the NCCM said the council foiled 659 attempts of child marriage in Egypt's governorates throughout last year. The line received 1022 reports to accommodate children deprived of parental care, and collected 779 complaints about educational matters and 401 others about health problems, Ashmawi added. She noted that the Child Rescue Line in Egypt is working around the clock to receive complaints from citizens for free to ensure immediate action by specialists once complaints are reported. The NCCM Secretary-General pointed out to many campaigns have been launched recently with the aim to raise awareness to end violence against children such as protect her from mutilation, I am against bullying, and Calm not Harm campaigns. Those campaigns have vehemently contributed to decreasing the number of the aforementioned problems. Search Keywords: Short link: Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Karina M. Tehusijarana and Marchio Irfan Gorbiano (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 30, 2020 The first 100 days of the Joko "Jokowi" Widodo-Ma'ruf Amin administration have been marked by a focus on economic matters as law enforcement and human rights issues remain on the back burner, continuing a trend from the end of his first term. Despite his pledges to expedite reform, President Jokowi, who was inaugurated on Oct. 20, has yet to be able to lay the groundwork for his key programs in his second term, including the enactment of a slew of omnibus bills aimed at boosting economic growth. Economists say his administration has not moved quickly enough to enact the new bills. 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 Kilkenny Tradfest has been announced as a nominee for the IMRO Small Music Festival of the Year 2019. The awards will take place on February 11 in Dublin. The annual awards, now in their 12th year, celebrate the venues and individuals working in the live music industry, whose passion and determination brings the joy and inimitable experience of live music to the public across Ireland. More than 13,000 IMRO members were given the opportunity to vote for their favourite venues of 2019 for inclusion on the awards shortlist. Venues were judged on atmosphere, sound and lighting, staging, diversity of programming, the staff and management of each venue and accessibility for people with disabilities, all of which are essential foundations for a truly remarkable live music venue. IMRO members also voted on Irelands music festivals, tech crews and for the IMRO Outstanding Contribution to Live Music, the receiver of which shall be announced on the night of the awards. Music venues and festivals play a vital role in the music industry in Ireland, giving international and homegrown artists of all levels a platform to engage with existing fans and build new audiences. They also play a central role in urban and rural communities across the country, providing a social gathering space for a multitude of audience types, and contributing hugely to the domestic economy. Victor Finn, IMRO Chief Executive said, "The important role that venues and festivals make nationally is all too often overlooked. They provide an essential platform and support network for Irish and international artists and bands of all levels, in addition to their vital contribution to communities both economically and socially." The IMRO Live Music Venue Awards have grown from their inception to become one of the most anticipated dates in the Irish music industry calendar. The awards are an opportunity to acknowledge venues big and small across the country and to celebrate the individuals whose hard work and commitment help our vibrant and eclectic music industry to flourish. At the ceremony in Dublin, awards will be presented to live music venues in each of the following regions: Dublin, Leinster (excluding Dublin), Connacht, Munster and Ulster (Donegal, Monaghan, Cavan). The IMRO Music Festival of the Year, IMRO Small Music Festival of the Year, IMRO Tech Crew of the Year Award and a special Outstanding Contribution to Live Music Award will also be presented. Performances on the night will come from emerging acts Soda Blonde, Alex Gough and ELM. One overall award will be presented to the IMRO National Live Music Venue of the Year. This award is decided upon by the public, who vote for their live music venue of the year from the combined shortlist of all the regions. Live music fans can log on to surveymonkey.com and choose their favourite from the shortlist provided. Entries must be completed by 5pm on February 7. When he left the poker game at his friends house on Santa Clara Avenue, just up the road from Grand Lake Theatre in Oakland, Randy Lyman was up $12. Around 12:30 a.m. on Jan. 18, Lyman did what he always does after games win or lose: He walked home. It usually takes about 20 minutes on Grand Avenue, and everything was fine until Lyman reached the corner of Bellevue Avenue, a block hes lived on for almost two decades. Before he had time to react, he was on the ground with a gun in his face. Lyman was mugged. After celebrating historic crime lows in 2018, Oakland had a 7% increase in combined homicides, aggravated assaults, rapes and robberies in 2019. Seven definitely isnt a lucky number here. There were 6,365 violent crimes reported in 2019, a 7% increase from the 5,924 in 2018. Robberies also increased 7% from 2,588 to 2,776. Robberies were still below the five-year average of 2,828, but a slew of violent robberies in the past month have left victims and neighborhoods shaken. Im still feeling it, Lyman, 59, told me four days after the mugging. I didnt want to leave my apartment the last couple of nights. I still feel violated. We were at Perch, a cafe on Grand. We could see the spot of the assault from our seats. Lyman said he skipped the yoga class he walks to at night, and instead of taking a leisurely walk from 19th Street BART Station at night, hell now take a Lyft. As we talked, I kept thinking this could happen to anyone who likes to walk around Oakland. Like me. The reality is that it could happen to you, too. I find myself looking over my shoulder more on late-night walks. Lyman wasnt looking over his, because he was almost home. And the sidewalk in front of the Ave Vista Apartments, the building that stretches to the corner of Grand and Bellevue avenues, is brightly lit. Brittany Hosea-Small / Special to The Chronicle As Lyman turned right onto Bellevue, he noticed a man walking toward Grand. Something about his demeanor caused Lyman to look over his shoulder. I saw him turn and start to follow me, he said. Lyman took a step to run and slammed into another man. He was sandwiched. The first guy punched Lyman in the face, knocking him to the ground. The second man stood over Lyman and pointed a gun at him. Give me your wallet, the gunman said calmly. Lyman also handed over the iPhone 11 Pro hed gotten just days earlier. Then the men walked to a black getaway car idling on the street. Quick and easy. In and out. The robbers were practiced, and they didnt fear getting caught by police. This is like their day job at night, Lyman said of the robbers who drove up Bellevue toward Van Buren Avenue. Lyman, the interim national communications coordinator for the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, posted about his experience on the social media site Nextdoor, where robberies with getaway drivers are a hot topic. One person commented on Lymans post that the same thing had happened to them. And get this: Hours after Lyman was robbed, there was a similar robbery in the parking lot at Gogi Time on Telegraph Avenue. Two robbers were spirited away in a black car. Wait, are stickup crews roaming Oakland? The simplest answer is yes, said Lt. Steven Nowak of the Oakland Police Department. We have a few similars, but we havent actually made that connection yet. The M.O., the descriptions are similar, but then again weve had it to where weve had similarities and later on during the course of the investigation weve disproved them. Brittany Hosea-Small / Special to The Chronicle It was a crew that targeted Shuo Zeng on Dec. 31 as he worked on his laptop at a Starbucks in Montclair. Zeng chased the two people who had snatched his computer before he was fatally hit and dragged by the getaway vehicle. 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. Less than two weeks later, a laptop theft left a robbery victim injured with a gunshot wound. And just last week, a doorbell security video captured a woman screaming as she was robbed at gunpoint at the front door of her Oakland hills apartment. The robber had an accomplice, as seen in the graphic video first reported by KTVU. Look, were living in desperate times. Racial and social inequities are inescapable in Oakland, a city where the unhoused sometimes die hungry and cold on our streets. Ive met homeless people who told me theyve busted car windows looking for something to sell so they could eat. Auto burglaries are on the rise in Oakland. But breaking a window and swiping a snowboard from an unoccupied car, as happened to a friend while we were at dinner recently, isnt the same as sticking someone up. Oakland has to round up the crews stalking neighborhoods like Rockridge, Longfellow and Fruitvale. Theyve become more brazen. Theyve become more violent. When we actually see an uptick in certain areas and hot spots, we do implement special patrols, Nowak said. We use our special resource squads. After he was robbed, Lyman couldnt immediately call police because he didnt have a phone or a landline in his apartment. He went back to his friends house to secure his bank accounts, and he filed a police report online. Later, he went to Best Buy to get a home phone. He told the cashier his story. Youre the second guy that said that to me this week, Lyman said the cashier responded. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Otis R. Taylor Jr. appears Mondays and Thursdays. Email: otaylor@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @otisrtaylorjr Jaaved Jafferi is one of the many Bollywood celebrities who have spoken against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens (NRC), and just like his contemporaries he has become a target of trolls for voicing his opinions. BCCL After he shared a tweet that read "Resolution moved in Europe against CAA," he was trolled by a social media user. Resolution moved in Europe against CAA https://t.co/3wKiCxvfra Jaaved Jaaferi (@jaavedjaaferi) January 26, 2020 "Why don't you move to Europe. We don't need traitors in our nation," wrote a Twitter user. Why don't you move to Europe. We don't need traitors in our nation Rohini #BharatHinduNation (@RohiniShah73) January 28, 2020 In response to this, Jaaved Jaaferi trolled the troller. "YOUR nation ??? Kab kharida aapne mam ?? Last time I read the constitution it spoke of democracy, equality and right to dissent... Wouldnt know if you have made any changes privately though..kindly update," he wrote. YOUR nation ??? Kab kharida aapne mam ?? Last time I read the constitution it spoke of democracy, equality and right to dissent.. Wouldnt know if you have made any changes privately though..kindly update Jaaved Jaaferi (@jaavedjaaferi) January 28, 2020 Jaaved Jaaferi is one of those celebs who have openly slammed the amended citizenship law. He had even joined the protests in Mumbai and called the CAA "dangerous". Twitter Slamming the BJP government for its policies, he questioned why the government was not speaking on issues like unemployment. My good friend for over 30 years @jaavedjaaferi has some simple wisdom this Sunday morning Its the best few minutes of your weekend Do listen #IndiaFirst pic.twitter.com/gQZz9Rhzll atul kasbekar (@atulkasbekar) December 22, 2019 Furthermore, Jaaferi was one of those among the 300 celebs who penned an open letter opposing CAA and NRC. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP The eighth full day of Donald Trumps impeachment trial in the US Senate has concluded. Here are five key takeaways: Witnesses in doubt While impeachment managers led by Adam Schiff, the intelligence committee chair, urged senators to call former national security adviser John Bolton as a witness at the trial, the few Republican senators who might be open to that gave no new indication that they would vote in favor of witnesses. Related: Republican moderates under pressure to call witnesses as Trump rages at Bolton Trumps defense team argued, meanwhile, that calling witnesses would change the nature and scope of the proceedings and could lead to court challenges that would draw the trial out. Schiff challenged the point, but Republicans aimed to end the trial after only two weeks. Actual debate After a week of siloed opening statements, the format of Wednesdays session with lawyers getting five minutes to reply to questions posed by senators in writing allowed for the two sides to engage in debate almost immediately on contested points. When Trumps team asserted that the president withheld aid to Ukraine out of concern for corruption, the House managers pointed out that Trump never expressed concern about corruption in Ukraine until Joe Biden announced a presidential bid. And when Trumps team said the House did not seek Boltons testimony, Schiff corrected them. Elsewhere, the two sides clashed over whether impeachment must be based on an underlying criminal offense, and whether House subpoenas of the executive branch were valid. Roberts role Presiding at the trial, chief justice John Roberts was not called on to make significant rulings about permissible questions or testimony with one exception: Roberts reportedly informed senators, behind the scenes, that he would not take a question posed by Rand Paul of Kentucky that named the whistleblower whose complaint launched the impeachment inquiry. We agree to be bound by the chief justice, Schiff said, urging a move to call witnesses. We will not seek to appeal an adverse ruling. Will the presidents counsel do the same? Theyre afraid hell be fair that should tell you something about the weakness of their position. Story continues Debate over timeline Schiff said Trumps team was arguing against witnesses by threatening to draw out the trial indefinitely. If you dare to want witnesses in a trial, Schiff paraphrased the defense as saying, we are going to make you pay for it with endless delay. Schiff argued that Roberts, a perfectly good chief justice, could make fast rulings that would prevent the testimony of Bolton or others from creating a lengthy detour in the trial. Aggressive Dershowitz defense Early in the session, Trump attorney Alan Dershowitz erected an extremely broad defense of Trumps conduct, arguing that if a president thinks his reelection is good for the country, that president cannot be impeached for using his power to promote his own reelection, because by definition the president would be acting on behalf of the country, in his own eyes. If a president does something which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment, Dershowitz said. "Dorothy is one of the leading experts in health strategy and finance," said Andrew Dreyfus, BCBSMA president and CEO. "She's held executive and board level positions at major health care, not-for-profit, and publicly traded companies. That experience, combined with her passion, energy and deep knowledge, is invaluable to our company as we work to meet the needs of our members and employer customers." Puhy was first elected to the BCBSMA board in 2012 and was elected vice chair in 2017. She was executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute until her retirement last year. Puhy joined Dana Farber in 1994, as chief financial officer, and was also a long-term member of the adjunct faculty at Harvard School of Public Health. Yale, the first woman to lead the BCBSMA board, will continue to serve as a director. "I am deeply grateful to Phyllis for her service as chair," Dreyfus said. "Her insightful leadership has helped us navigate a number of challenges as we strive to provide quality, affordable health care." About the board BCBSMA is governed by a board of directors comprised of accomplished and experienced leaders who help shape the company's strategy in support of its mission to make quality health care affordable while providing an unparalleled consumer experience. The company recruits board members from a select pool of highly qualified candidates and is committed to attracting and retaining directors with significant business acumen and leadership capabilities as well as diverse experiences and backgrounds. More than half of the company's board members are women and people of color. About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (bluecrossma.com) is a community-focused, tax-paying, not-for-profit health plan headquartered in Boston. We are committed to the relentless pursuit of quality, affordable health care with an unparalleled consumer experience. Consistent with our promise to always put our members first, we are rated among the nation's best health plans for member satisfaction and quality. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn. SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Related Links https://home.bluecrossma.com/ In a major development in the ongoing saga involving Kunal Kamra and news anchor Arnab Goswami, the pilot of the IndiGo flight onboard the spat took place has questioned the airline's decision to suspend the comedian from flying over his unruly behaviour. Captain Rohit Mateti who was the captain of the flight on Tuesday said in a mail to IndiaGo that while Kamra's behaviour was unsavory, it was NOT qualifying of a Level 1 Unruly passenger". AFP "As Captain of 6E5317 BOM-LKO on 28.01.2020, I do not find the aforementioned events reportable in any way. My Kamra's behaviour while unsavoury was NOT qualifying of a Level 1 unruly passenger. Indeed we pilots can all attest to incidents similar and/ or worse in nature that were not deemed unruly," he said in the mail. In the letter, the captain also stated that Kamra had apologized to the crew and to him personally for his conduct. YouTube He also said that he was disheartened to learn that my airline took decision solely on the basis of social media posts, with no consultation with the pilot-in-command." "This is somewhat unprecedented in my 9 years of airline flying, he wrote further asking that Am I to understand that the bar for interpretation of a disruptive passenger is lower/different when it comes to high profile cases?. After the letter was widely circulated on social media IndiGo said that We have received the relevant statements and the internal committee has initiated the investigation regarding this incident. YouTube This is a massive embarrassment to IndiGo which jumped into banning Kamra for six months even before the internal probe was concluded. As per the DGCA's Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR), the pilot-in-command should file the complaint with the airline and subsequently, an internal probe committee will examine the same. During the probe, the airline can ban the passenger for a maximum of 30 days. Following the IndiGo ban Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had 'advised' other airlines to ban Kamra from flying. Air India, SpiceJet, and GoAir were happy to follow the minister's advice and ban Kamra from flying with them until further notice. It all began after Kamra posted on Twitter on Tuesday in which he was seen calling Goswami a coward. I did this for my hero... I did it for Rohit pic.twitter.com/aMSdiTanHo Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) January 28, 2020 Kamra also told Goswami that he was doing it for the mother of Rohith Vemula, whose caste was dragged into the discussion following the suicide of Vemula who was a PhD student at Hyderabad Central University. As the year progresses and we get closer to the presidential election the uncertainty of more tax law changes will increase. With Congress passing the SECURE Act people are more confused now more then ever on the effects of this new legislation and how it will impact them specifically. Best selling author and top financial planner in Lake Mary, Florida, Chuck Oliver takes to the radio air waves to discuss how a thriving retirement can be obtainable despite Congress passing their latest higher tax target legislation. On January 25th and January 26th, 2020 Chuck Oliver, owner and founder of The Hidden Wealth Solution, broadcasted his most recent retirement discussion in Orlando, FL, Tampa, FL, Jacksonville, FL, Dayton, OH and Phoenix, AZ. Oliver discussed how the SECURE Act will affect retirement savings and how Baby Boomers as well as retirees will have their retirement security tested without getting a savings tax optimization plan in place. Oliver stated As the year progresses and we get closer to the presidential election the uncertainty of more tax law changes will increase. With Congress passing the SECURE Act people are more confused now more then ever on the effects of this new legislation and how it will impact them specifically. Baby Boomers and retirees who have saved for years in tax deferred accounts are at much greater risk of the toxic tax changes that lie ahead. Tax season is now here. I ask all Boomers if they are happy with the taxes they have paid? Its tough for some to wrap their head around where future tax rates will be while others are wondering if retirement will even be reduced or even reachable. In my educational message this past weekend I discussed a case study whereby using a strategic Roth conversion one of my clients could stay in the lowest tax bracket through the remainder of his life. This client is age 60 and he wanted to see how much tax he is exposed to at todays tax rates. In this study, if tax rates didnt go up, by the time my client reaches age 81 years old his tax bracket would jump 20% higher and eventually get to 35% because of his required minimum distributions. Using a strategic Roth conversion his tax would drop significantly saving him over 1.2 million and allow him to stay in the lowest tax bracket through the remainder of his life. Its not too late nor too early to learn how to transform Baby boomers and Retirees taxes. The key is to understand how much tax they are currently paying and how much they will be paying compared to how much less tax they could be paying. As I watch the Democratic debates, its difficult to keep track of the large number of toxic taxes that lie ahead for high income and strong saving Baby Boomers and retirees. For more then a quarter of a century I personally have been educating clients on legislative changes to tax laws, marginal tax bracket management, how a 401K is not the only way, the real risks of a Roth IRA, how pensions can negatively affect retirement income, how a health savings account (HSA) can be used to reduce taxes, Social Security maximization and how to avoid over paying for Medicare and more. Many people just dont know where to turn as new tax laws unfold. Its just mind blowing for those who have saved for years with the end goal of enjoying their retirement and now they have to wonder if they can actually afford to retire or be able to stay retired thanks to those in Washington who want to fund their socialist programs by incorporating more taxes and being able to change the rules anytime they desire. My team and I at The Hidden Wealth Solution work with clients to help them discover their hidden wealth so they can thrive in retirement. To hear Olivers recent radio show entitled Transform Your Taxes in its entirety visit online at: https://thehiddenwealthsolution.com/hidden-wealth-radio/ Oliver broadcasts each weekend where he discusses retirement and taxation. In his weekly broadcast he discusses the latest changes in tax law, what lawmakers may be proposing and how retirees can maximize their savings. For those interested in following Oliver they can tune into Newsradio WFLA 93.1FM/540AM in Orlando, FL on Saturdays at 11AM EST and Sundays at 1PM EST. For those in Jacksonville, FL they can tune in to News 104.5 WOKV on Sundays at 11AM EST, in Tampa, FL on Newsradio 970AM WFLA on Sundays at 11AM EST. Oliver can also be heard in Dayton, OH on WHIO Newstalk Radio 95.7FM/AM1290 on Sundays at 9AM EST and in Phoenix, AZ on Newstalk 550KFYI on Sundays at 11AM MST. Oliver recently launched his newest edition of his 2020 Retirement and Your Taxes Guide that offers up to date important information about how to protect your retirement from all the recent changes that will impact taxes. In this quick and easy to read guide, Oliver explains how Baby Boomers can thrive in retirement. He explains how the IRA rules have changed and further discusses the SECURE Act, the changes to required minimum distributions as well as a summary of the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act of 2017. Oliver explained The most recent release of my Retirement and Your Taxes Guide offers an overview of several areas that often cause confusion to retirees with the recently passed rule changes to IRAs. To learn how to get a copy of the Retirement and Your Taxes Guide visit online at: https://thehiddenwealthsolution.com/taxes-saved/ For those interested in learning more about how to save on taxes and Chuck Oliver with The Hidden Wealth Solution, register for a complimentary webinar to learn more ways to save on taxes and how to thrive in retirement solutions. The next scheduled webinar is on February 4, 2020 as well as on February 11th, 18th and 25th. Available times are 11AM EST, 3PM EST, 7PM EST, 8PM EST, and 10PM EST. To register for this free webinar, visit online at: https://retirementprotected.com/ For more information visit online at: https://thehiddenwealthsolution.com/ A California-based Marine commander was removed from his job over "poor judgment" displayed during a recent flyover, Military.com has confirmed. Lt. Col. Ralph Featherstone was removed from his job as commanding officer of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 225. The decision was made by Maj. Gen. Kevin Iiams, commanding general of 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, who determined Featherstone flew too fast and too low during a recent event, a Marine official familiar with the situation said. Featherstone's relief "came as a surprise from an otherwise exceptionally performing commander with a long and distinguished career," according to a Marine Corps statement announcing the relief. The lieutenant colonel could not immediately be reached for comment. "The outgoing commander's relief should not detract from his accomplishments and outstanding performance in both the operational and supporting establishments," the statement about his relief adds. Related: Marine Command Group at Major Recruiting Station Fired for Failing to Meet Mission VMFA-225 held a flyover last week during a sundown ceremony for the F/A-18 Hornet at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, according to service photos from the event. The photos have since been removed from a Defense Department website. During the ceremony, Featherstone was flying in the rear seat of an F/A-18D during its final flight, Marine Corps Times reported. The official with knowledge of the relief said Iiams is "making an example" of Featherstone to promote safe aviation procedures. The squadron is transitioning from flying Hornets to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jet. "It is a necessity to enforce standards and is vital that 3rd MAW provides strong and effective leadership to promote operational excellence, trust, and combat readiness," the Marine Corps' statement on the relief says. Another officer has been temporarily assigned to the squadron to complete ongoing tasks tied to the Hornets' sundown, the release states. The name of that officer was not immediately provided. Featherstone, a Naval Academy and Naval Postgraduate School alum, completed flight training and was assigned to Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 225 in 2003. He deployed in support of the Iraq War and completed multiple tours in the Asia-Pacific region. Featherstone had led VMFA-225 since April 2019. His awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, three Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, the Korean Defense Medal, an Outstanding Volunteer Medal, and seven Sea Service Deployment Ribbons. -- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins. Read more: These Next-Gen Woobies Can Hide a Soldier's Heat Signature from the Enemy By Press Association Latest: There is a moderate risk of a coronavirus outbreak in Ireland with health experts saying they are prepared to deal with any cases. While there have been no confirmed cases of the virus, a number of tests have been carried out on concerned patients. Speaking at a HSE briefing in Dublin, Dr John Cuddihy, director of the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), advised any members of the public who have developed symptoms and have travelled to the centre of the coronavirus outbreak to ring their GP. If somebody has travelled to Wuhan in the Hubei province and you become unwell, especially with respiratory symptoms, temperature, cough, breathing difficulties, within 14 days of returning, then were emphasising that person should phone their GP and mention relevant concerns, Dr Cuddihy said. Currently there are no cases of coronavirus in Ireland, and therefore you're extremely unlikely to catch a virus from somebody in Ireland If there were to be a case in Ireland in the future then healthcare professionals will contact anyone whos been in close contact with the infected case and advise them. In caring for that patient, adherence to the infection prevention control and guidance that we have disseminated would make it very unlikely that the case would transmit and cause another case. The HSE has also advised Irish citizens to avoid travelling to the Hubei province unless it is essential. The group of health experts were asked about any potential cases in Ireland after it was reported on Thursday that a High Court Judge was told by a doctor that a Dublin hospital may have a suspected case. Dr Kevin Kelleher, assistant national director of Public Health and Child Health, said he had no idea about the case. Joe Ryan, national director of national services, said that management has been developing the plans to respond to the virus. Winter briefing including coronavirus update https://t.co/Ih2CnXG7ao HSE Ireland (@HSELive) January 30, 2020 A HSE multidisciplinary team has been working on what is needed to deal with the virus since early January. Mr Ryan said: Our current priorities are that the HSE emergency management protocols are in place alongside our public health emergency plans, and were using these to manage the situation. The heath experts said that, if they are seriously concerned about a patients safety, the patient can be put into isolation. A woman wears a face mask (Victoria Jones/PA) Dr Kelleher added: We are putting a massive amount of effort into dealing with any really quite low degree of possibility of a case to ensure that we dont miss anything. It comes as Ireland is hoping to secure seats on a French evacuation flight for a small number of citizens living in China who are concerned about the coronavirus. Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said that efforts were being made to help those who wanted to leave. He said: We have spoken to our French colleagues and we are hopeful and confident that we can secure a seat on planes that would take Irish citizens who want to leave out. Then, when they arrive back in Europe, they will have to go through the appropriate health measures to ensure that they are not carrying an infection and their healthcare needs are being looked after as they should be. Doctor tells High Court of potential coronavirus case in Dublin hospital Update 4pm: A Dublin hospital may have a case of the coronavirus, a doctor has told the High Court. High Court president Mr Justice Peter Kelly was told by a doctor during a hearing today that he had just received a text to say that a Dublin hospital, arising from a patient having attended its accident and emergency department, potentially has a case of the virus. The doctor was giving evidence during a hearing to decide whether an elderly woman with dementia, who is currently placed in a nursing unit, should remain there, be moved to a nursing home, return to her home, where some family members are living, or go to the home of one of her adult children. The nursing unit is not the location of the potential coronavirus case, the doctor stressed in reply to the judge. The hearing is continuing. HSE officials are currently giving a winter briefing which includes an update on the coronavirus. They say Ireland is "very well prepared" to deal with the coronavirus but there have been no confirmed cases so far. More as we get it ... Express News Service KOCHI: Bike-borne chain snatchers are back to haunt the city and its suburbs after a lull. And, in almost all cases, women are their primary targets.On Tuesday, two men were arrested by the Ernakulam Rural Police for snatching the chains of two women in Gothuruth and Paliyam areas under the Vadakkekara police station. Earlier this month, the Tripunithura Hill Palace police arrested a Kannur native for snatching a gold chain from an elderly woman. In the latest incident, Unnikrishnan, alias Unni, 27, of Mavelikkara and Kavanad Sasi, aka Sasi, 44, hailing from Anchalamoodu, Kollam, were arrested. Upon interrogation, it was revealed that the duo was behind nearly 10 chain snatching incidents in five districts Kollam, Ernakulam, Alappuzha, Thrissur and Idukki between December 2019 and January. Interestingly, the duo got acquainted while serving jail term together. They planned the operations inside the jail. "The duo started snatching chains to settle a murder case registered at Veeyapuram police station in Alappuzha, in which Unnikrishnan was an accused," Ernakulam Rural SP K Karthik "Unnikrishnan wanted to make around Rs 7 lakh- Rs10 lakh for settling the murder case. He was also booked in theft cases registered at the Palarivattom and Aluva police stations," he said. He added that Sasi was an alcoholic and had been arraigned in around 30 criminal cases in the state. "The duo executed the operation after Unnikrishnan got out on bail. They only targeted women," Karthik said. In the first week of January, the Tripunithura Hill Palace police arrested Shehanad, 36, of Kannur, for snatching a gold chain from an elderly woman. According to the police, the accused targeted elderly woman pedestrians in secluded areas. He used to follow his targets on his two-wheeler and attack them from behind, said a police official. Chain snatching cases on the decline Police officials said despite the recent incidents, the city was witnessing a decline in chain snatching cases. The Rural SP said the same. "The number of snatching cases in the district is going down. Investigation in a few cases is under way. We have identified the persons involved and they will be arrested soon," he said, adding, "No matter how smart they are, those involved in chain snatching cases are arrested at the earliest." The modus operandi Chain snatchers mostly use stolen motorcycles. To ensure a safe escape, the accused select localities near main roads for committing the offences. They usually operate in broad daylight and target elderly women. After a crime, the criminals briefly go into hiding and hatch the plan to commit the crime again once the dust settles down, said a top police officer. How the duo was arrested Unnikrishnan and Sasi were put under surveillance by a police team for around 20 days. The team had earlier carried out a comprehensive inquiry about the offenders time in jail and in other districts and thoroughly analysed their history before moving in to nab them. Ganesh Acharya Controversy: Tanushree Dutta Reacts To It, Says Its Time To Boycott Him Completely! Cyrus Mistry had appealed to NCLT against his ouster citing corporate governance issue and had taken the high moral ground on the same. One wonders where this same stand has gone when it comes to the issues involving recently listed Sterling and Wilson Solar Limited, which has gone back on its very objects of the issue for which the company went public. Not sure whether Cyrus Mistry the ousted Chairman of Tata Sons has a moral right to do so considering what he and his family have done to minority shareholders in the case of Sterling and Wilson Solar Limited. One wonders whether Cyrus Mistry in the Tata case is the same as the shareholder/promoter of SW Solar. It is akin to the famous Hindi adage where one must look at oneself before pointing an accusing finger at anyone else, as three fingers point to oneself. The incident of SW Solar needs to be understood in detail. Sterling Wilson Solar Limited had tapped the capital markets with its offer for sale. The issue had opened in August 2019 and was for Rs 3,150 crore in a price band of Rs 775-780. The issue received a muted response and was closed on receiving the full allotment of QIB bids and 90 per cent of the overall issue. In the Red Herring Prospectus on page 84, it is clearly mentioned that the objects of the issue include the Promoter Selling Shareholders utilising a portion of the Net Offer Proceeds, towards funding full repayment of the loans due to the Company going public (from the promoters), and Sterling and Wilson International Solar FZCO from SWPL and Sterling and Wilson International FZE (a subsidiary of SWPL) respectively within 90 days from the date of listing of the Equity Shares. This period expired on November 20, 2019 as the issue listed on 20th of August. The board has approved an extension for the loans to be repaid in a phased manner till September 2020. This is a serious issue and objects of the issue cannot be changed without the consent of shareholders particularly the minority shareholders. Further the dissenting shareholders have to be given an option to exit the company at the price at which they had invested. The management of the company and its promoters including Cyrus Mistry the gentleman who has been complaining of corporate governance has thought it fit and proper to ignore all convention. They did not even have the courtesy to write to the minority shareholders of the company who own 22.78 per cent of the shares, seeking their consent for extending the time to repay. To show their magnanimity they agreed to pay the company 50 basis points higher for the delayed amount. So, adding insult to injury they were offering crumbs to the company. While the fact that the promoters have to pay the amount was mentioned as a risk, the understanding at the roadshow held in Mumbai was that this 90-day period is sacrosanct and without any ifs and buts. Now the catch. The promoters who own 12.38 crore shares in the company and all of which are locked in, have pledged 5.97 crore shares. These shares would have been pledged to the lender. We also understand that the business of SW Solar is a negative cash flow business. So effectively it meant that loans were taken by SW Solar only to further lend to the promoters. Who is the promoter who these funds were lent to? It is the parent company of the Mistry family. They own 8.11 crore shares in the company of which 73.63 per cent or 5.97 crore shares are pledged. The offer for sale itself realised Rs 3,100 crore and this money was quickly used up by the promoters for other purposes, forgetting that Rs 2,850 crore needed to be repaid in 90 days. How quickly people forget ethics for which they have been shouting, posturing and also gone to court. The track record of the Pallonji family as a listed entity is hardly there. They operate through many unlisted entities and have a handful of listed entities which do not throw much light on their leadership qualities or performance. Their name to fame was the fact that they held 18 per cent in Tata Sons and rode to glory on the back of Tata group companies' performance. Mistry group's total investment till date in the equity shares of Tata Sons is about 69 crore. The value of this investment today, even by conservative estimates, would be at more than Rs 50,000 crore! The dividend of hundreds of crores Mistry group has received all these years is separate. In addition, the business that Shapoorji Pallonji group companies have received from the Tata group in the past would run into thousands of crores. In fact, this was one of the 'conflict of interest' points that was flagged to Mr Mistry when he was the Tata Sons chairman and he had to finally, albeit reluctantly, instruct group companies to stop transacting with the SP group companies. Probably this was a sore point which Cyrus Mistry realised a little late that he lost more than gained by becoming Tata group chairman. When a corporate going public changes the object of the issue and does not seek the proper consent or follow rules, one wonders what the redressal mechanism is or should be. Apparently, the merchant banker has no role and the watchdog SEBI does nothing either. Who should the poor hapless investor approach? Take the case of SW Solar post the announcement of delay in payment the share price just tanked. It fell from around Rs 520 to Rs 260, exactly half the ruling price and then recovered to around Rs 300. This is against the issue price of Rs 780. The credit rating agencies downgraded the rating of the company and put it on 'RWN' which means Rating watch negative. With such a rating all lenders to the company would have become wary of lending and also increased the lending rate against old loans. I am sure that 50 basis point gratis given by the promoters would have been insufficient. There is a clear lesson and some important takeaways from this entire episode. Firstly, people who live in glass houses must not throw stones at others. Secondly the promoters have taken the issue of not fulfilling the object of issue and diverting the funds to some other purpose too lightly. The regulator's silence in the issue which is now over 75 days old is deafening and worrisome. One is really worried about the future of capital markets and investors protection. Finally, whether a class action suit needs to be filed against the promoters to get their money back or some other action needs to be taken. Investors have lost about Rs 480 or over 60 per cent of their initial investment amounting to approximately Rs 1,800 crore. (Arun Kejriwal is the founder of Kejriwal Research and Investment Services. The views expressed are personal) Britain is on red alert for coronavirus after paramedics all over the country were seen treating suspected patients - as experts warn a confirmed case is imminent. Medics head to toe in white protective overalls and gas masks were filmed marching a patient through student university accommodation in the capital last night. And witnesses claim to have seen medics in full quarantine uniform loading a man into an ambulance and taking him to a hospital in York. He was whisked into isolation from a budget hotel in the city. The University of Bristol has confirmed a student with 'flu-like symptoms' has been taken to hospital as a precaution. Meanwhile, a British Airways plane from Hong Kong this morning was locked down after landing at Heathrow and passengers prevented from getting off after two travellers complained of feeling unwell. It comes as experts have warned a confirmed case of the killer coronavirus is imminent, with more than 8,200 people infected across the world. At least 170 people have died in China. Medics head to toe in white protective overalls and gas masks were filmed marching a patient through student university halls in the capital last night They escorted a woman wearing a surgical face mask out of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) at around 9pm The killer coronavirus rapidly sweeping the world has now infected every region of China. The death toll is 170 and cases have soared past 8,200 Hazmat-clad paramedics were filmed escorting a woman wearing a surgical face mask out of the halls at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) at around 9pm last night. The woman is thought to have been a Chinese student studying at the university in Holborn. This morning a BA plane from Hong Kong was put on lockdown on the runway at Heathrow amid fears infected patients were on board. The doors were kept sealed and passengers were prevented from getting off when it landed at 5am after two travellers complained of feeling unwell. Panicked passengers were reportedly told 'this is how disasters happen' and forced to fill out questionnaires about their health and travel history. The plane remained on lockdown on the runway for more than 45 minutes before the passengers and crew were allowed to disembark. MailOnline has seen one of the questionnaires which quizzed passengers about recent travel history, who they had flown with and their current health. They were also forced to sign a form confirming they are 'currently well and do not have any of the following symptoms - fever, shortness of breath, cough, sore throat, runny nose.' Passengers were kept on a BA flight from Hong Kong to Heathrow this morning amid fears some patients were infected with coronavirus. Pictured: Two passengers in first class are seen wearing face masks Passengers were told they were not allowed to leave until they had signed forms about their health and travel history (left). Right: They were also forced to sign a form confirming they are 'currently well and do not have any of the following symptoms - fever, shortness of breath, cough, sore throat, runny nose' One passenger told MailOnline: 'Everyone seemed nervous getting on, the pilot was having to chat to crew saying 'this is how disasters happen' and to 'get hand wash on the plane'. 'All the crew were wearing face-masks, wandering around paranoid. Other than that it was fairly uneventful until breakfast, which was around one hour outside of Heathrow. 'All of a sudden the crew started massively freaking out, I got wind of it because I was in the front of the plane. I could see what they were chatting about in the galley. 'One crew member said, 'F****** hell, there's two passengers that have got it'. Another said, 'Oh sh**, here we go.' 'For the next hour or so, the crew was frantically scrabbling about trying to figure out what to do. 'The pilot them comes on and says everyone has to sit on the plane because the health authority is coming on board.' World Health Organization figures show just 2,014 patients had been struck down with the SARS-like infection by Sunday, January 26. This has now risen dramatically to 7,817, with cases in the US, Australia and Canada As well as a dramatic increase in cases of the never-before-seen virus, figures also show the number of deaths have spiralled. Since yesterday, deaths rose by 38, marking the biggest 24-hour jump since the outbreak began last month In footage from on board the flight, the pilot can be heard saying: 'They [medics] are going to come on the aircraft with some forms. 'They're just about one or two minutes away now. All that we ask that you do is complete those forms and hand them back to the Port Health Authorities. 'Once we have those forms you're free to leave the aircraft.' He added: 'I know you really want to leave and I totally understand your frustration. 'But do trust us we are doing all we can to get those forms to you, to get clearance from Port Health so we can let you leave the aircraft.' A spokesman for BA said: 'The safety of our customers and crew is at the heart of everything we do, and our highly skilled crews are trained to deal with the full range of medical situations which can occur on board. 'We said sorry to our customers for the delay after landing, this was due to precautionary checks by the Port Health authorities before everyone was cleared to go home.' Meanwhile multiple witnesses also reported seeing medics in full quarantine uniform loading a man into an ambulance in York on Wednesday night. The unidentified man, who is believed to be Chinese, had checked into the budget Staycity Hotel yesterday The man, who is believed to be Chinese, had checked into the budget Staycity Hotel yesterday. A guest in the room who also hasn't been identified is thought to have called a doctor after he became unwell. Paramedics took him and two guests, who are all understood to be Chinese, from the hotel shortly at 8pm. In Scotland, health bosses are braced for a confirmed coronavirus after the country's chief medical officer said a positive case was 'highly likely' in the coming days. The Yorkshire Post reported that the suspected coronavirus patient's hotel room has now been cordoned off and the building will undergo a deep clean. A spokeswoman for the hotel group said: 'We are in conversation with Public Health England. He was taken away by paramedics masked up and suited so obviously (coronavirus) is the concern.' However, they added they have not had any confirmation of diagnosis or advice at the minute. The woman said it was not known if the group had travelled from China or which hospital he had been taken to. Keith Freeman, chief operating officer of the hotel group, said Public Health England advised them the risk was 'absolutely minimal'. He added: 'The health and safety of our guests and staff are paramount and as such the apartment containing the group's belongings has been sealed off, after which it will undergo a thorough environmental clean and disinfection, as is company policy.' Sources tell MailOnline the LSE student was taken to a nearby hospital for tests, all of which came back negative. She has now returned to the student halls. The Department of Health refused to comment on both of the cases and PHE said it was not 'providing a running commentary on tests that are under way'. In Scotland, chief medical officer Catherine Calderwood said the country was braced for its first positive case of the virus. As of Thursday, 16 people are known to have had negative tests north of the border for the virus. A plane staffed by RAF and Army personnel is expected to bring back passengers to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire A family is pictured in an airport in Beijing wearing protective masks and plastic as they prepare to board a flight An ambulance driven by a facemask-wearing medic leaves the airport after picking up suspected coronavirus patients A Boeing 767 plane carrying 210 more Japanese people has landed in Tokyo today after rescuing them from Wuhan. It is the second evacuation plane to be sent for Japanese nationals Most of them were quarantined through self-isolation at home, although those with more serious conditions were taken to hospital. A meeting was held on Wednesday, chaired by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, to discuss the spread of the virus and Scotland's preparations for a contamination. Chief medical officer Catherine Calderwood said on Thursday: 'It is highly likely we'll have a positive case of coronavirus in Scotland in the coming days. 'The public can be assured that Scotland has well-established plans and is well prepared for these types of outbreak. 'We have a proven track record of dealing with challenging health issues and have established public health and infectious disease experts working round the clock. 'We have also activated our emergency resilience operation.' It comes after Professor Yvonne Doyle, medical director and director of health protection for Public Health England, said the first UK case is likely to come from someone already in the country. As of Thursday, a total of 161 tests had been carried out on people across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - all with negative results. The UK Government said the risk to the population remains low. It is not the first time coronavirus fears have been raised in Britain - medics in hazmat suits quarantined a patient in Birmingham on Monday. Dramatic footage showed 39-year-old Drew Bennett being loaded into an ambulance - hours after being sent home by his GP. The sales worker returned from Wuhan on New Years' Eve and quickly developed flu-like symptoms before becoming too unwell to leave his bed. In other developments to the outbreak today, the number of cases has jumped to more than 7,900 and 170 people have died in China. India declared its first case, making it the 21st country or territory outside of China to do so. Finland and UAE declared cases yesterday. Three Japanese people taken home on the evacuation flight out of Wuhan have been diagnosed with the coronavirus. Russia has closed its border with China in a desperate bid to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus. And the World Health Organization will meet this afternoon to reconsider whether to declare a global emergency. Everything we know we know about the deadly coronavirus in China: But how worried should we be? Someone who is infected with the Wuhan coronavirus can spread it with just a simple cough or a sneeze, scientists say. Coronavirus cases TRIPLED in three days Cases of the deadly coronavirus sweeping the world have tripled within three days, MailOnline can reveal after China warned the killer outbreak will peak in the next 10 days. World Health Organization figures show just 2,014 patients had been struck down with the SARS-like infection by Sunday, January 26. This has now risen dramatically to 6,168, with cases in the US, Australia and Canada. Figures also show there were just 445 cases by Wednesday last week - meaning the outbreak that is continuing to escalate has increased in size by almost 14-fold in the space of seven days. It means the outbreak in mainland China is now bigger than the 2003 SARS epidemic, when 5,327 cases of the killer virus were confirmed and 8,00 people were infected. It comes after a renowned scientist at China's National Health Commission warned the spread of the infection is only going to get worse. Dr Zhong Nanshan admitted he fears the crisis will peak 'in the next 10 days'. Advertisement At least 170 people with the virus are now confirmed to have died and more than 8,200 have been infected in at least 18 countries and regions. But experts predict the true number of people with the disease could be 100,000, or even as high as 350,000 in Wuhan alone, 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. Viruses break into cells inside their host and use them to reproduce itself and disrupt the body's normal functions. Coronaviruses are named after the Latin word 'corona', which means crown, because they are encased by a spiked shell which resembles a royal crown. The 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, after medics first started seeing infections on December 31. 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. Just a week after that, there had been more than 800 confirmed cases and those same scientists estimated that some 4,000 possibly 9,700 were infected in Wuhan alone. By that point, 26 people had died. By January 27, more than 2,800 people were confirmed to have been infected, 81 had died, and estimates of the total number of cases ranged from 100,000 to 350,000 in Wuhan alone. By January 29, the number of deaths had risen to 133 and cases were in excess of 7,000. Where does the virus come from? CORONAVIRUS COULD SPREAD ON SURFACES, WARNS WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION Coronavirus could spread on surfaces, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday. There is evidence that the coronavirus 'can also be spread via fomites - when the virus survives on inanimate surfaces for a short period of time,' said Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, a member of the WHO's emergency committee on the outbreak. If the possibility becomes a certainty, it's a worrying revelation for hospital settings, where patients coming to be diagnosed and treated for coronavirus may touch chairs, tables, beds, railings and much more. WHO officials are careful to note that it's not yet clear how contagious the new virus is, but its ability to be transferred from surfaces to people could speed its already alarming spread. Experts estimate that the virus has an incubation between two and 14 days - although a small subset of cases suggest that it may be transmissible even before symptoms begin. Advertisement 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 were 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 in January, 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 one in 1,000 people. Here we're talking about a virus where we don't understand fully the severity spectrum but it's 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 it's lower,' Dr Horby added. 'We're probably missing this iceberg of milder cases. But that's the current circumstance we're in. GOOGLE SEARCHES FOR CORONA VIRUS BEER SURGE Thousands of adults turning to Google to learn more about the deadly coronavirus spreading from China seem to be getting the infection confused with the Mexican beer Corona Extra. Searches for both 'corona beer' and 'corona beer virus' have spiked since the first US cases were confirmed last week. Over the last week, searches for both terms increased more than 1,100 percent, according to data from Google Trends. However, it's likely that the more people have typed 'corona', the more Google has auto-completed that search with 'beer' or 'beer virus.' And to put to rest the question so many have put to Google: No, the deadly virus has nothing to do with a cold brew. Just five searches for the 'term 'corona beer virus' took place on January 22 compared to at least 100 searches on January 29. Advertisement '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? The illness can spread between people just through coughs and sneezes, making it an extremely contagious infection. And it may also spread even before someone has symptoms. It is believed to travel in the saliva and even through water in the eyes, therefore close contact, kissing, and sharing cutlery or utensils are all risky. 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 but they may still be contagious during this time. If and when they do become ill, 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. HAS THE KILLER CORONAVIRUS REACHED AFRICA? The killer coronavirus sweeping the world may have reached Africa as Sudan and Equatorial Guinea have reported suspected cases. Two citizens of Sudan are being monitored after displaying symptoms of the virus following a visit to Wuhan, local reports say. And officials in Equatorial Guinea have quarantined four travellers who arrived from Beijing amid fears they may have the killer SARS-like infection. World Health Organization chiefs today said they are 'concerned' about any cases in Africa because the continent does not 'have the capacity' to handle the virus. Leading scientists also fear the virus could be difficult to contain in Africa, warning that medical facilities are 'extremely limited'. Advertisement However, the director-general of China's Center 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 170 people out of a total of at least 7,100 officially confirmed cases a death rate of around two per cent. This is a similar death rate to 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 and therefore the death rate considerably lower. 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 were only 444 there to date. If cases are in fact 100 times more common than the official figures, the virus may be far less dangerous than currently believed. 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 Organization 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. HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Avion Unmanned, the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) division of Avion Solutions, Inc., signed a Participating Addendum with the State of Arizona and all its State Agencies, Political Subdivisions and Institutions. This contract opens the door for Avion Unmanned to provide UAS services to state and local government agencies in Arizona. "Providing a simplified direct path for government agencies at all levels to request unmanned aircraft operations is finally a reality. With the signing of this Participating Addendum with Arizona, Avion Unmanned has been selected to provide critical data collection services to organizations who desperately need it, but have never before had a contract vehicle to acquire vetted, legal, and safe operations in a timely manner," said Taylor Abington, Senior Program Manager of Avion Unmanned. Based on proven expertise, Avion Unmanned has been chosen to provide UAS services nationwide through the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) ValuePoint Cooperative Purchasing Organization. Among the UAS services Avion Unmanned can provide are: Emergency Services, Law Enforcement Support, Aerial Inspection and Mapping Data Services, support to Agricultural and Gaming, as well as Agency Media Relations and Marketing. Virginia's Department of General Service (DGS) and NASPO are working together through Contract E194-79435 to provide agencies easier access to UAS or drone services to organizations like Avion Unmanned. "Avion Unmanned's solutions will help Arizona's state and local agencies reduce operational risks, improve efficiency, and gather better data for use in critical areas, including law enforcement, disaster response, agriculture management, infrastructure monitoring, and construction development," said Chad Donald, President and CEO of Avion Solutions. For more information, visit https://www.naspovaluepoint.org/portfolio/unmanned-aerial-vehicle-drone-services-2019-2024/avion-solutions-inc/. About Avion Unmanned Avion Unmanned, the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) service provider of Avion Solutions, Inc., provides UAS flight operations, Red Team support, aerial inspections, training, and program development for commercial, military and non-military government agencies. The UAS team seeks to improve the efficiency, safety, and effectiveness of organizations through quality UAS services. About Avion Solutions Avion Solutions, Inc. is an employee-owned innovative engineering and logistics solutions provider for complex military-grade projects. Headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama with a presence in multiple states across the U.S., Avion Solutions has provided solutions to Department of Defense customers and commercial clients since 1992. Our broad range of technical expertise includes engineering, logistics and technical services, data analysis, software development, small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and drone services, and development of a full spectrum of training solutions ranging from on-site classroom training to interactive multimedia instruction (IMI) programs. Avion Solutions is a 2019 Best Places to Work award winner. To learn more, visit www.avionsolutions.com. If you would like more information about this release, please contact Michael Jones at 256-327-7155 or email [email protected]. Contact: Michael Jones, Marketing Manager Phone: 256-327-7155 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Avion Solutions, Inc. Related Links http://www.avionsolutions.com Pompeo Arrives In London At Start Of Five-Nation Tour By RFE/RL January 29, 2020 U.S. Secretary Of State Mike Pompeo has arrived in London at the start of a five-country tour. Pompeo, whose visit comes as Britain prepares to leave the European Union at the end of the month, is set to meet his British counterpart, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson following their decision on January 28 to allow Chinese tech giant Huawei to take a limited role in Britain's 5G networks. U.S. President Donald Trump has long backed Brexit and Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the hope he will set Britain on a more pro-U.S. course. However, Johnson has sided with Europe on everything from the need to save the Iran nuclear deal that Trump abandoned to the importance of Huawei to speedy 5G mobile. Pompeo said Britain's decision to give Huawei a limited but still leading role despite U.S. warnings was "something we'll have a conversation about." "We will make sure that when American information passes across a network we are confident that that network is a trusted one," Pompeo told reporters on his way to London. "It's a little unclear precisely what they're going to permit and not permit so we need to take a little bit of time to evaluate that." Johnson told Parliament his government will "do absolutely nothing to imperil our relationship with the United States." But a senior British official who spoke on condition of anonymity conceded that Pompeo's private dinner on January 29 with Raab and meeting with Johnson on January 30 in Downing Street might be tense. Johnson also sounded a positive note about a Middle East peace plan that the Palestinians rejected even before Trump unveiled it alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on January 28. Besides Ukraine, Pompeo will also visit Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. With reporting by AFP, Reuters, and AP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/pompeo- arrives-in-london-at-start-of -five-nation-tour/30405740.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 When it comes to politics, Jill Duggar and Amy Klobuchar probably dont have much in common. Klobuchar is a Democrat from Minnesota whos seeking her partys presidential nomination, while the former Counting On star comes from a conservative southern family thats active in Republican politics. (Her younger brother Jed is even running for Arkansas state representative.) But the two women do share one thing: an affinity for casserole-like dishes made with tater tots. The Duggars love tater tot casserole While the Duggar family has come in for plenty of criticism since they made their TV debut in 2004, one thing that particularly irks some viewers is the way the Duggars eat. With a family of nearly two dozen and a limited budget, they could often be seen eating affordable, easy-to-make dishes like tuna casserole, Frito pie, and tater tot casserole. Those dishes might have been cheap and simple to prepare, but theyre not the healthiest. They tend to have lots of processed ingredients and be high in fat, salt, and carbs. Fortunately, the older Duggar kids seem to have expanded their palettes since moving out and starting families of their own. However, they still sometimes return to childhood favorites. Jill still enjoys tater tot casserole Tater tot casserole | jillmdillard via Instagram On Jan. 29, Jill Duggar shared a link in her Instagram Story to the recipe for tater tot casserole. Had this goodness last night, she wrote. On her blog, she calls the dish a family favorite, though she concedes that its not the healthiest. Her dad Jim Bob Duggar has referred to the meal as mouth-watering. However, in an episode of Counting On, the kids admitted that they ate it so much growing up that they got sick of it. While this casserole recipe has been dubbed disgusting by some, the Duggars arent exactly unique in their love of combining ground meat, tater tots, and canned soup in a casserole dish. Tater tot hot dish is a Minnesota specialty The 2019 Minnesota Congressional Delegation Hotdish Competition | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Jills tater tot casserole recipe bears more than a passing resemblance to a dish familiar to most Minnesotans: tater tot hot dish. Hot dish is typically a combination of meat, starch, vegetables in a creamy sauce (usually a can of cream of soup) and baked. Its often served at potlucks and get-togethers in the upper Midwestern state. While there are many varieties, tater tot hot dish is among the most common. Hot dish is so strongly associated with Minnesota that the states congressional delegation holds an annual hot dish competition where the states representatives and senators share their best takes on the comfort food. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar has also made her hotdish part of her presidential campaign, hosting Hot Dish House Parties where her Taconite Tater Tot Hot Dish is served. In a 2018 tweet, she called hot dish the quintessential home-cooked MN dinner . Klobuchars hot dish recipe, which she shared with the New York Times, calls for ground beef, cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soup, garlic, onion, shredded pepper jack cheese, and tater tots. Thats similar to Jills recipe for tater tot casserole, though her dish doesnt have cheese and adds milk. She also suggests using ground turkey rather than beef, though other versions feature beef. However, neither recipe includes any added vegetables, a typical hot dish ingredient. Whether you call it hot dish or casserole, it seems that a love of convenience (and carbs) crosses political boundaries. A high-powered 4K microscope that Hamilton County Schools students use for environmental and biomedical studies will now be accessible to students in two other communities: Jackson, Tn. and Lafayette, La. Thanks to gigabit technology, students at five Hamilton County Schools have remote access to the microscope, which is housed at STEM School Chattanooga. Soon, students in the gigabit communities of Jackson and Lafayette will also be able to use the powerful tool, usually only found in scientific labs like the Centers for Disease Control.The expansion of the 4K Microscope program will be possible because of a $30,000 grant that US Ignite recently awarded to Chattanooga through its National Science Foundation-funded Smart Gigabit Communities program.Chattanooga was one of four communities selected from across the country.We are working to scale up our innovative practices in Hamilton County Schools so that more students will benefit," said Jill Levine, chief of Innovation and Choice for Hamilton County Schools. "We are excited to partner with additional communities to share this incredible opportunity to explore science through the 4K microscope.The expanded program will provide immersive experiences to students that would not be possible without a gigabit connection, and it will include real-time collaboration across these schools.We're excited by this opportunity to partner with Chattanooga around the 4K Microscope, it demonstrates the kind of innovative STEM leadership which sets Tennessee apart, said Ben Lovins, senior vice president of telecommunications at Jackson Energy Authority.For the last three years, the Smart Gigabit Communities project has supported the development of new technologies in different communities, including the 4K Microscope in Hamilton County Schools."I advocated for this project because I thought it perfectly captures what the smart city movement is in Chattanooga, says Scott Turnbull, the director of technology at US Ignite. Now they're amplifying the effects with this grant to guarantee broad access to STEM education for potentially any community in the region. Rand Paul wants Trumps trial to become a trial of Democrats. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images In the first occasion on which the chief justice has been functioning as anything other than a ceremonial figure during the trial, John Roberts refused to read a Rand Paul question that appears to finger the famous whistleblower who kicked off the impeachment process by reporting concerns about the presidents July 25 conversation with Volodymyr Zelensky. The Washington Post reports the story: Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. on Thursday declined to read a question submitted by Paul, in which the Kentucky Republican sought to name a person who conservative media outlets have alleged is the whistleblower whose anonymous complaint launched the impeachment inquiry. The presiding officer declines to read the question as submitted, Roberts said of Pauls question, which also included the name of a Schiff staffer. Paul has repeatedly demanded that the media unmask the alleged whistleblower. Federal whistleblowers are offered limited protections from retaliation. The odd thing is that Mitch McConnell presumably was in a position to discourage if not prohibit Pauls question, but apparently failed, and all but apologized for it before Roberts made his decision, as Politico reported: McConnell proactively scolded Paul as the Senate came into session on Thursday afternoon. Weve been respectful of the chief justices unique position in reading our questions. And I want to be able to continue to assure him that that level of consideration for him will continue, McConnell said. Paul instantly left the chamber and told the news media that he wasnt trying to out the whistleblower, but was simply pursuing a welter of right-wing conspiracy theories about the alleged Democratic Party/Deep State conspiracy that eventually led to impeachment: The Kentucky senator then gave a contentious news conference in the Senates TV gallery in which he read his question, which named a person referred to in conservative media as the possible whistleblower and an acquaintance who works for the House Intelligence Committee. Paul asserted those two men may have worked together to plot impeaching the president before there were formal impeachment proceedings. I dont know who the whistleblower is. Adam Schiff doesnt know who the whistleblower is. My question is not about the whistleblower. My question is about two people who are friends who worked together who have been overheard talking about impeaching the president years in advance of a process that then was created to get the impeachment process going, Paul told reporters. So Paul engaged in some serious sophistry, aiming to get the alleged whistleblowers name into the Senate trial record, and also open the door for the Senate to go fully down the rabbit hole of lurid conservative tales leading back to the FBIs handling of intelligence on the Trump campaign and Russia and Democratic cover-ups of the actual Ukrainian megacampaign to throw the 2016 election to Hillary Clinton, and Lord only knows what else. Its unclear whether Roberts was trying to avoid the inevitable effort to turn Trumps trial into a trial of various Democrats, or simply didnt want to violate the legally required anonymity of the whistleblower himself. But Paul has gratified those who have tried to turn every investigation of Trump upside down from the beginning: There is something so SOVIET about how way we know whistleblower isn't even because it's been reported, tho it has, but because powerful people are working so hard to prevent his name--and only his name--from being uttered. Like how folks used to read Pravda between the lines. Mollie (@MZHemingway) January 30, 2020 Right, whatever. Iranian government officials and many Iranian social media users have condemned the "deal of the century" presented by President Donald Trump and his White House team for Israelis and Palestinians. Today the world of Islam is facing an important issue, said Ali Akbar Velayati, the foreign policy adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, at a press conference in Tehran Jan. 30. The hypocritical and lying American president and the Zionist regime have a nightmare for the Islamic countries and have presented a plan which in reality is the sale and disintegration of Islamic countries, similar to the Crusades. Velayati continued, The plan for the deal of the century will never reach fruition. Just as Israel moving the capital from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognizing the Golan Heights did not bring tangible change for Israel, the deal of the century will bring about unity of Palestinian resistance fighters and expand the wave of those seeking their rights. Iran is a main sponsor of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Khamenei himself has said that the Islamic Republics policy is to support any group that fights Israel. Velayati said Trump presented the plan at this moment to distract from his impeachment trial. He described the United States as being on the decline. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted that the deal was delusional. He instead promoted a previous proposal by Khamenei that calls for a referendum of residents of Gaza, Israel and the West Bank, regardless of religion. In a follow-up tweet, Zarif described the plan as a dream project of a bankruptcy-ridden real estate developer, in reference to Trump. The deal is a nightmare for the region and the world, he said. Zarif also tweeted a map of South Africa under apartheid alongside a map shared by the White House depicting how the West Bank would be divided. Could Mandela ever have imagined re-emergence of BANTUSTANS, decades after liberation of South Africa?" he tweeted. "'Vision for peace' looks more like 'Highway to Hell.'" Bantustans were territories designated for black residents of South Africa during apartheid. Judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi also issued a statement about the plan. Raisi, who rarely issues statements on foreign policy since his defeat in the 2017 presidential election, called the plan another page from the series of American tricks to impose oppression, aggression and occupation. He continued, History has shown that violating justice makes the sword of justice more sharp. He added, Not only will the deal of the century not bring security for the Zionists, it will institutionalize more instability than before in occupied Palestine. Hard-line Mashregh news compiled a series of Persian-language tweets showing peoples harsh reactions to the deal. Many of the tweets shared pictures of the loss of Palestinian territory over the last century. Others shared the image presented by the White House depicting a carved-up and divided West Bank, referring to the territories as work camps. An Azerbaijani judge, one of the judges of the European Court of Human Rights, Latif Huseynov, has a 'dissenting opinion' on the ECHR ruling over the death of Armenian shepherd Manvel Saribekyan. The ECHR ruled that Azerbaijan violated two articles of the Convention on Human Rights and should pay over EUR 60 thousand as moral damage and legal costs. The decision of the court also includes the judges making the decisions. One of them was Latif Huseynov. Huseynovs 'dissenting opinion' is attached to the decision, who has no choice but to explain that he disagrees with the majoritys opinion. According to him, the present complaint should have been declared inadmissible since it was filed after a six-month period. Further, he elaborated 'very important' legal subtleties when a lawsuit should be filed. Each court ruling is posted with the votes for it. So, one can easily trace the trend: one of the judges voted against in all respects and it is not difficult to guess who exactly. Manvel Saribekyan, resident of Ttu Jur village of Armenia, was taken into Azerbaijans captivity in September 2010. Saribekyan was a civilian, a shepherd, while Azerbaijan persistently called him an Armenian saboteur. Later it was reported he allegedly hang himself on October 5. The Armenian side claimed he was either killed or forced to commit a suicide. It was proved by the fact that the Azerbaijani side refused to return his body for a month. On November 4, Azerbaijan handed his body to the Armenian side under agreement reached by Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian leaders during their meeting in Astrakhan last October. There are now 692 individuals and entities, as well as their subsidiaries, blacklisted by the U.S. government. The U.S. Treasury Department has joined the European Union and Canada in imposing new sanctions on Russia in response to Moscow's "continued aggression toward Ukraine and attempted occupation of Crimea," a news release says. A total of eight individuals and a privately owned railroad company face restrictive measures in the form of asset freezes in the United States, according to the department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) said. Read alsoCanada imposes new sanctions on individuals involved in illegitimate elections in Crimea Seven of these individuals, whom the Treasury Department called "illegitimate Russian-backed Crimean officials," were also designated by the EU on January 28. Canada blacklisted six of the individuals. The seven individuals include Sergei Danilenko, Lidia Basova, and Yekaterina Pyrkova of Sevastopol's municipal election committee, as well as Yuriy Gotsanyuk, the head of the de facto Crimean government. The three other targeted individuals are Mikhail Razvozhayev, Vladimir Nemtsev, and Yekaterina Altabayeva. The imposition of sanctions was made "as part of a coordinated action in a strong demonstration of the international community's continued condemnation of Russia's interference in Crimean politics." Grand Service Express (GSE) and its CEO, Aleksandr Ganov, were put under sanctions for supporting "Russia's efforts to deepen the economic integration of Russia and Crimea." It was in reference to a rail link that was opened in late December between Russia and the Ukrainian peninsula over a bridge that was built for which sanctions were also imposed. The GSE company says the sanctions will not affect its business as it operates in Russia. There are now 692 individuals and entities, as well as their subsidiaries, blacklisted by the U.S. government. The EU's Russian sanctions list now consists of 177 individuals and 44 entities. Canada's analogous list contains more than 430 individuals and entities. BRIDGEPORT TWP, MI Police have released additional details of a daytime robbery of a Saginaw County credit union. About 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 29, Bridgeport Township police and Michigan State Police troopers responded to United Financial Credit Union, 5658 Dixie Highway, for a reported holdup. Upon their arrival, police checked the surrounding area for a suspect, but did not find one. Police subsequently learned a person had entered the building and passed a note to a teller demanding cash. The robber made no mention of having a weapon, police report. Another surveillance image of a person police say robbed the United Financial Credit Union in Bridgeport Township on Jan. 29, 2020. On being given an undisclosed sum of cash, the robber walked outside and entered the passenger side of a silver four-door Chevrolet Cavalier. The car, possibly a 1997 to 2002, then headed southbound on Dixie. Witnesses described the person who entered the credit union as appearing to be a white male dressed as a female, wearing a purple dress, facial makeup, and possibly a dark wig. Surveillance camera images released by police also shows the suspect wore a blue scarf and a beige cardigan. The suspect stands 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 160 to 175 pounds, police report. Witnesses did not get a description of the getaway driver. Police are asking anyone with knowledge of this robbery to call Officer Garrett Breternitz at 989-777-2800. Police investigating report of credit union robbery in Saginaw County On Wednesday 29th January 2020, a delegation from the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), paid a courtesy call on Media General, one of Ghanas leading media companies. The GBC team included the Director General, Prof. Amin Alhassan, John O. Korasare, Director of Human Resource, Rev. Ebenezer Botwi, Acting Director of Finance and Kwame Waja, Director of Legal Services. The two entities recognise the importance of the media in the countrys democratic dispensation and further discussed possible ways of growing the media industry and strategic positioning to make a meaningful contribution to national development. The Group Chief Executive Officer of Media General, Beatrice Agyemang Abbey highlighted the changing trends of business globally, a shift to strategic partnerships and collaborations. She urged for the adoption of a cooperation approach and work together in the exploration of knowledge, new products and trends for mutual benefits. On his part, the Director General of GBC empathized on the need to have a united front in dealing with issues that affect industry players. It is important to see ourselves as partners and wherever we need to compete, it should be a healthy competition that will push us to focus on quality delivery and continuously look for ways to improve our products and services, he added. The Media General team included Winfred Kingsley Afful, General Manager of Shared Services and Operations, Ama Lawson, General Manager, Human Resource, Abraham Asare, Acting General Manager, News, Daniel Amartey - Amarh, General Manager, Commercial, Chris Koney, Group Head, Corporate Affairs, Bennette Nakaar, Head, Legal Affairs and Bennett Honutse, Acting Chief Financial Officer. The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, has said Nigeria will not be stopping passengers from China from entering the country once they have been screened at the airport, in the wake of the outbreak of Coronavirus. He, however, advised Nigerians and non-Nigerians planning to travel to China to suspend their trips, if possible, until further notice. Mr Ehanire, while briefing journalists after the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, said the government is issuing the caution due to the spread of new virus across countries. He said it has become necessary to issue a travel advisory to Nigerians as this is one of the ways to prevent the exportation of the disease into the country. The minister advised all intending travellers to China to delay their travel plans except it is extremely essential for them to do that trip. He also added that all persons arriving from China or any country that has a major outbreak, even if they have no symptoms at all, to self isolate, meaning that they stay indoors in their homes for at least two weeks. and if they develop any symptoms, like cough, catarrh, sneezing, breathing difficulties within this period, to report to the nearest health facility, he added. Measures in place Meanwhile, the minister asked Nigerians to remain calm as the NCDC is coordinating surveillance activities in the country. He said we are also advising all airlines to report any case of a passenger falling sick on-board before the plane lands. That is a requirement in the agreement. Nigerian Port Health Services, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control are on alert at our airports and other points of entry. Mr Ehanire said though the government does not have statistics on the number of Chinese returning to this country, those returning are free to come into the country to work if they have met with the conditions stated earlier. but what I can tell you is that for those who traveled and meet the conditions we mentioned can come back to their work. I also want to remind you that there are very many Nigerians in China who will be coming home, not only Chinese and other people who have work to do in Nigeria from that area. We are not using your nationality as a criterion, we are using your state of health, he said. High alert Public health agencies around the world has been on high alert since the report of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China. The outbreak, which started from Wuhan province in December and as at January 28, has spread across all provinces except one in the country. The disease has also been exported to about 15 countries and there are uncertainties as to how many countries would be reporting confirmed cases of the disease any time soon. Based on the ferocity of the spread of the disease, most cities in China are already on lockdown and millions of people in the country have been quarantined. As at last count, the death toll from the disease in China has risen to 106 and more cases are still being reported. The sporadic spread also made many countries intensify surveillance at the various borders and points of entry, especially airports. WHO Although there is still lack of adequate information on the pattern of the disease, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed that the disease can be transmitted from person to person. Advertisements It was at first thought that the disease could only be transmitted from animals to humans, but new evidence is proving otherwise. The status of the disease has raised concerns among the public and health workers across the globe as many have been clamouring for WHO to declare the disease a global threat. WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, on Wednesday said he would be reconvening an emergency committee on Thursday to determine the status of the outbreak. Frankfurt has been home to one of the worlds largest and most important auto shows for nearly seven decades. The Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung (IAA), as it is formally called, was held there every year until about 30 years ago; the Paris Motor Show filling the gap in the alternate years since 1998. We didnt know it at the time, but 2019 was the last year Frankfurt am Main would host the IAA for the foreseeable future. According to the website for French radio station RFI, show organizers have announced Frankfurt will no longer host the show. But, of course, the show must go on. Germany will still have its biennial auto show, but it will be hosted either in Berlin, Hamburg or Munich. In recent years, auto shows have dwindled in their grandeur and in their ability to attract major automakers as exhibitors, with many saving the costs required for international auto shows and focusing on events in their home markets. Frankfurt was no exception. In 2017, for instance, Nissan, Infiniti, Mitsubishi, Peugeot, Fiat, Jeep and Volvo all steered clear of the IAA. Now, it appears show organizer VDA has had enough, and hopes to recapture some of the shows popularity by attaching it to a new venue. The VDA said it was a tough call. "For nearly 70 years, the metropolis on the Main River was the city of the IAA and, internationally, it was known as the 'Frankfurt Motor Show,'" it said in a statement, thanking the city for a "long, excellent and trusting partnership." Its an interesting time for those of us who look forward to and closely follow the worlds auto shows. This January has felt especially dreary in Detroit with the absence of the North American International Auto Show thankfully that show returns in June. Fall 2021 will surely feel a lot different in Frankfurt. Related Video: Click here to See Video >> 3 Delhi metro stations shut as man opens fire at Jamia Student India oi-Mousumi Dash New Delhi, Jan 30: The train services at three metro stations in Delhi was briefly curtailed after an armed man shot at Jamia Millia Islamia students demonstrating against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act on Thursday. Reportedly, the entry and exit gates of Jama Masjid, ITO and Delhi Gate are closed, a DMRC source said. A student has been injured after a man brandished a gun and opened fired during the protest against the citizenship law at the Jamia area today. Meanwhile, the gun-wielding assailant has been identified as 31-year-old Gopal, and he has been taken into police custody and is being questioned. Student injured in firing at Delhi during anti-citizenship law protests Jamia protest march: 1 student injured as man opens fire, caught | Oneindia News Due to the protest police had put barricade in the area and allegedly refused to open the barricades, and people tried to take the injured student to the hospital, however, the student climbed the barricades to go to the other side while bleeding. Heavy police force has been deployed in the area. Several media crews were also present in place when the incident took place. The students were heading from Jamia to Mahatma Gandhi's memorial Rajghat. Boris Johnson is preparing to call for a trade deal with the EU based on the bloc's arrangements with Canada, according to a new report. The Prime Minister is allegedly prepared to accept an 'off-the-shelf' model to make Brexit as smooth as possible, reports The Times. It would mean the UK would enjoy almost tariff-free trade with EU countries. However, such a deal would not include the services sector, a move which it is estimated would shrink the UK's economy by almost five per cent over 15 years. Boris Johnson will deliver a plea for the country to move on from Brexit on Friday night as the UK finally leaves the EU A Canada-style off-the-shelf deal has previously been proposed by the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier but was turned down by Theresa May's team. The PM met with Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, in Downing Street at the beginning of the month to express his openness to such a deal. He said Britain would ready to start negotiations 'as soon as possible' after Jan 31, according to The Telegraph. London unfurls the flags for Brexit as the Mall in London towards Buckingham Palace is transformed into a sea of patriotic Red White & Blue It came hours after Ms von der Leyen warned it would be 'basically impossible' to negotiate as close a relationship by the end of the year. She added that the two sides 'will have to prioritise' objectives. Barnier echoed these concerns, warning that it might not be possible to get a comprehensive deal by the end of the 'standstill' transition period in December, and urged the UK to accept 'level playing field' provisions. Signed in October 2016, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), ranges from single markets to customs unions, to association agreements, to free trade agreements (FTAs) and beyond. Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator pictured in Strasbourg on January 14, will lead talks for the EU Meanwhile, Johnson will deliver a plea for the country to move on from Brexit on Friday night as the UK finally leaves the EU. In an address to be broadcast shortly before Britain's departure at 11pm, the Prime Minister will insist that Brexit marks 'not an end but a beginning'. At 11pm on Friday midnight on the Continent Britain will legally leave the EU and enter a 'transition period' which runs until December 31. Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, pictured in Downing Street on January 8, will spend 2020 trying to hammer out a post-Brexit trade deal between Britain and Brussels During this time the UK will remain subject to EU laws and free movement of people will continue. On Monday Mr Johnson will deliver a major speech setting out his approach to both Brexit and national renewal. Sources said he would be 'very frank' about his aims for the negotiations with Brussels and his determination to allow Britain to 'diverge' from the EU, even if this means the introduction of some trade barriers. In a statement, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn urged the country not to 'turn inwards' and instead 'build a truly internationalist, diverse and outward-looking Britain'. A teacher's aide from Utah has been arrested after authorities say she plied her underage students with alcohol at her home and encouraged them to have sex with one another. According to the Summit County Sheriff's Office, suspect Ashley Ann Morgan, 33, then attempted to silence one of the victims by threatening to reveal personal information about the teenage girl, which she had learned from her time working at the Department of Child and Family Service. Morgan, from Park City, was booked into the Summit County Jail Tuesday on charges of child abuse, witness tampering and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Utah's teacher's aide Ashley Ann Morgan, 33, has been charged with child abuse, witness tampering and contributing to the delinquency of a minor She was released the same day after posting bail, reported Deseret News. According to a statement from the sheriff's office, the case began unfolding on September 20, 2019, when Morgan, who at the time worked as a teacher's assistant at Wasatch County School District, invited three high school students - a girl and two boys - to her home to drink alcohol. The 17-year-old girl later told investigators that Morgan encouraged her to have sexual contact with one of the boys. The statement does not say whether or not the teens had followed through with the sexual activity at Morgan's urging. The teacher's aide later sent a text message to the teenage girl, instructing her to lie to the police that she was never at her home and that nothing happened, according to the sheriff's statement. Morgan, an employee at Wasatch County School District (pictured), is suspected of inviting a 17-year-old girl and two boys to her home, plying them with alcohol and urging the girl to have sex with one of the boys The woman also allegedly threatened to disclose personal information of the student that she had obtained from being a DCFS case worker if she ever told the authorities about what happened. A spokeswoman with the Wasatch School District released a statement saying Morgan was hired last year after passing an extensive background check. In the wake of her arrest, the teachers aide has been suspended. A DCFS representative said Morgan worked for the agency from 2016 to 2018, when she stepped down. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protestors were directly or indirectly speaking the language of Pakistan and added that any attempt to vitiate the atmosphere in the country would not be tolerated. Those who are unnecessarily vitiating the atmosphere by sitting at different places are cheating the country and speaking the language of Pakistan directly or indirectly. Dont let Pakistan succeed in its ill-intentions, because if it succeeds, not only India but the entire world will suffer irreparable loss, the CM said while addressing the pass-outs of the Guru Gorakhnath Nursing College, run by the Gorakhnath temple. The chief minister said the CAA was in line with Mahatma Gandhis assurance to minorities in Pakistan that they could come to India. In September 1947, after the unfortunate partition of the country, Mahatma Gandhi had said that the doors of the country were open for Pakistans Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and Jains and they can come back to India whenever they wish. Today, when we are celebrating his 150th birth anniversary, I wish to say that it was the Mahatma whose inspiration led to the signing of the historical Nehru-Liyaquat Pact under which both countries agreed to safeguard their respective minorities, Yogi said. Yogi said the spirit of the pact was respected in India where the Muslims never faced discrimination and even held top constitutional posts. In Pakistan, no non-Muslim can hold a top post. What kind of discrimination is it? Yogi asked. Yogi also targeted eminent personalities supporting anti-CAA protests and said the self-proclaimed intellectuals were themselves misled and therefore misleading others to create unrest. Appointment 30 January 2020 Sonder has announced Frits van Paasschen, a seasoned global executive and former CEO and president of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, is joining its board of directors. In recent months, van Paasschen has served as an informal advisor to Sonder as it applied powerful technology and "revolutionary" design to launch a new category of alternative accommodations. In 2019, Sonder raised a $225 million Series D round that valued the company at just north of one billion dollars, and at the same time, it announced an expansion into more traditional hotel formats and doubled the number of markets it operates in with over 14,000 spaces around the world. Van Paasschen will be tasked with helping to guide Sonder's growth and innovation in an official capacity, following on from his work with other globally recognised brands. The latest addition to the board will bring more than a decade of experience as a Fortune 500 CEO to Sonder, including nearly eight years at Starwood Hotels & Resorts. There, he oversaw the launch of several new brands and led technological and loyalty innovations across the portfolio of one of the world's largest hospitality providers. In addition, he has served in management positions for global corporations such as Nike and Disney and advised companies including Williams Sonoma, Royal DSM, Convene and citizenM Hotels. His Amazon best-selling book, "The Disruptors' Feast" is also an instruction manual for companies seeking to navigate today's rapidly changing global economy. Van Paasschen said: "As a life-long traveller to more than a hundred countries, I'm truly impressed by what the team at Sonder is working to build every day and how it has already helped reshape accommodations. "I'm thrilled to be joining the board of an incredible company that's delivering amazing experiences to guests around the world the hospitality industry is ripe for innovation, and Sonder is leading the charge," he added. Sonder CEO and co-founder, Francis Davidson, said: "Frits is one of the world's most respected leaders in business and hospitality and I couldn't be more excited that he's joining our board. I've long considered Frits an inspiration and know Sonder will benefit tremendously from the wisdom and experience he brings to the table." Van Paasschen joins Sonder CEO Francis Davidson; Greenoaks Capital managing partner Neil Mehta; Spark Capital general partner Nabeel Hyatt; Valor Equity Partners' Vivek Pattipatti; and WestCap founder Laurence Tosi on the Sonder board. When Omar Apollo released his debut single, Ugotme, in 2017, it quickly took on a life of its own on Spotify, and among a specific audience. Apollo, 22, is a second-generation Mexican-American and his bilingual songs struck a chord with young Hispanic listeners. Apollo, born Omar Velasco, says the identification goes both ways. Omar Apollo, touring nationally with Laneway festival in February. Credit: I identify with them when they come to the shows, its an equal exchange, he says, from his home in Los Angeles, on the eve of his first Australian tour. Im like: you remind me of myself, being back home, at church with all these Mexican kids. Ive had kids come up to me and be like: yo, my parents came from the same place [your parents] did, they [emigrated] in the same year, we have the same amount of siblings, and I make music too. Thats so crazy, so sick. Its beautiful to me. Every show I always ask how many Mexicans are in the room. Because when I was younger, I felt like there wasnt enough representation of Mexican kids and culture. A year after Gov. Gretchen Whitmers proposal to raise the gas tax by 45 cents fell flat, shes taking a different approach to funding Michigans crumbling roads: bonding. Ahead of her second State of the State address Wednesday evening, Whitmer outlined plans to sell bonds to fund the states infrastructure needs. The states Transportation Commission is expected to consider the proposal Thursday. In a release, the governors office stated the plan would add an additional $3.5 billion in road funding and add or expand 122 major new road projects. Our roads are dangerous, and the longer we wait, the more expensive it will be to fix them, she said in a statement. Thats why Im taking action now to fix the damn roads and keep Michiganders safe." Whitmer said in her speech the decision was a Plan B" after legislative Republicans rejected her initial plans. For those of you who want to keep playing games, Im going to press on without you. Im going to use the power of my office to do what I said I was going to do, she said. Because for me, for Michigan, impatience is a virtue. The State Transportation Commission can issue bonds without legislative approval but does have a limit on how much it can bond for -- under its own standards, its currently limited to taking on bonds that would result in debt payments of roughly $300 million per year out of the State Transportation Fund. As a candidate, Whitmers fix the damn roads catchphrase became an integral part of her gubernatorial campaign. As governor, Whitmers initial plan to raise the gas tax by 45 cents over time was a nonstarter with legislative Republicans, and road funding disagreements threw a wrench in last years budget talks. Most experts estimate the state needs billions of dollars more per year to improve road conditions enough to stop the deterioration. The more damaged a road gets, the more expensive it is to fix, meaning the estimated need will increase as roads become more damaged by continued use and freeze-thaw conditions. Related: 8 ideas being floated to fix Michigan roads These Michigan counties have the worst road ratings Michigan road funding talks stalled out in 2019. Will next year be any different? More than 40% of federally-funded roads in Michigan are poor, are your towns? Michigan's crumbling infrastructure is getting older and worse, to dangerous effect Confused by road funding? What Gov. Whitmers plan would and wouldnt do Fixing Michigan's roads can be a political hot potato Michigans infrastructure desperately needs to be brought up to speed Emperor Emeritus Akihito temporarily lost consciousness and collapsed at his Tokyo residence on Wednesday, but a subsequent medical checkup found no abnormalities, the Imperial Household Agency said Thursday. The 86-year-oldas condition is back to normal and he had breakfast as usual on Thursday morning, according to the agency. Empress Emerita Michiko, who was nearby when her husband collapsed, supported the former emperor and called a doctor by activating an emergency alarm. When the doctor arrived at the scene, Akihito was still unconscious and snoring, according to the agency. After regaining consciousness, he was moved to his bedroom, where the doctor provided treatment. The former emperor underwent an MRI on his head Thursday morning that found no abnormalities. On January 14, President Gotabhaya Rajapakses office issued a media release declaring that the president wanted the minimum daily wage of tea plantation workers increased to 1,000 rupees ($US5.50), starting on March 1. The announcement was immediately hailed by Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) leader Arumugam Thondaman, a cabinet minister in the new government, who claimed that it fulfilled a promise made by Rajapakse during last years presidential elections. Rajapakses announcement is a patent fraud. The president and his Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) minority government, who are preparing a snap general election sometime in April, are sitting on a social time bomb, with rising working-class opposition over low wages and the high cost of essential items. Key sections of the working class, including the tea plantation workers, have been involved in a series of wage struggles over the past 18 months. Rajapakses pay proposal is a crude attempt to diffuse the mounting anger of plantation workers over wages and win their votes in the forthcoming election. He hopes to win a two-thirds parliamentary majority for the SLPP and push through legislation to establish authoritarian methods of rule. Abbotsleigh Estate workers on strike in December 2018 Rajapakse declared last November that if elected he would ensure that plantation workers daily wage would be lifted to 1,000 rupees. While he hoped this would win him plantation workers votes, Rajapakse only secured 36 percent of the votes in the Nuwara Eliya district where large numbers of plantation workers live. Estate workersthe majority of them Tamil-speakingare hostile to Rajapakse and fully aware of his brutal role as former President Mahinda Rajapakses defence secretary during the bloody war against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Plantation workers, particularly youth, were subjected to systematic state victimisation during this period. Rajapakses proposed increase comes nowhere plantation workers demands during their indefinite national strike in December 2018. They wanted their 500-rupee basic wage doubled to 1,000 rupees, with additional increases in pensions and other benefits. The CWC and other plantation unions betrayed the strike, calling it off after 11 days and then signing a collective agreement in January 2019 that increased the daily basic wage by just 200 rupees, which along with additional allowances, took it to 750 rupees. The plantation companies also included their obligatory monthly payment to the Employees Provident Fund, to falsely claim that the daily wage of the plantation worker was increased to 855 rupees. Using this bogus figure, the media is falsely reporting that Rajapakses 1,000-rupee daily wage involves a 145-rupee or 17 percent increase on the current 855-rupee daily wage. Sri Lankas 22 major plantation companies, and the Ceylon Employers Federation (CEF) which represents them, immediately opposed the new pay proposal. This would cost nearly 6 billion rupees annually, the CEF claimed, and have a disastrous impact on the unprofitable tea industry. However, after separate discussions last week with the Sri Lankan Presidents Secretary P.B. Jayasundara and Plantation Industries Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, the CEF agreed to come up with an alternative pay rise model. On Sunday, CEF plantation sector chairman Roshan Rajadurai told a meeting that no decision had been taken on the pay issue but that if a productivity-based system was implemented workers could earn more than a 1,000 rupees a day. The productivity-based system is part of the tea industrys demands for expansion of its revenue sharing model, which the unions endorsed in last years pay deal. Under this scheme, plots of around 1,000 or more tea bushes are allocated to a worker and his family to maintain and harvest. Workers hard-won social gains, such as pensions and other benefits, are eliminated. The worker and his family are paid a portion of the income from the tea bushes, after the companies deduct their costs and profit margin. Workers have rejected this exploitative, cost-cutting system in several estates where it has been implemented. Some companies have also started introducing digital identity cards and electronic weighing machines to drive up production. Last year, 10 days after Rajapakse was elected president, almost 5,000 plantation workers from the Up-Cot area near Hatton went on strike against these methods. The strike action was betrayed by the trade unions. Sri Lankan plantation workers face an international chain of capitalist exploiters. Plantation companies constantly demand higher productivity and lower production costs in order to compete with other tea-exporting countries, such as Kenya and India, in the world market. Claims by Sri Lankan plantation companies that they are running at a loss are false. Many companies gain windfall profits because they also operate as tea auctioneers and exporting businesses. In 2018, for example, the average auction price of tea was about 580 rupees a kilogram, while the export price was 850 rupees. While plantation workers are paid a pittance, senior tea industry directors receive massive salaries. In 2017, for example, the annual remuneration of the three executive directors of Kelani Valley Plantation was 35 million rupees (about $US200,000) (see: Sri Lankan plantation companies reap huge profits while attacking workers wages and conditions). At the same time multi-national corporations such as Unilever, which control the international tea market, earn huge profits after buying from the client export companies in the tea-producing countries. Along with the CWC, other plantation unions have endorsed Rajapakses so-called pay rise proposal. The 1,000 movement, which was initiated by the Frontline Socialist Party and other pseudo-left groups, are also promoting the presidents bogus pay rise proposal as good coin. Chinthaka Rajapakse, a spokesman for the 1,000 movement, offered the organisations support, telling the media that if the government is serious not only about increasing daily wages of workers but also ensuring that the tea industry will be stable in the long run, it has to make a number of interventions. In other words, workers can win their demands and improve their living standards only if the government intervenes to ensure and maintain industry stability. This is impossible under the capitalist system in which profits are extracted from the labour of the working class. Like all other corporations, the tea industry fights to maximise its profits and maintain its market share in competition against its global rivals. The most successful companies are those that ruthlessly drive down all labour costs, including wages and other hard-won benefits (see: How giant tea companies exploit Kenyan plantation workers). Underpinning all the official propaganda about Rajapakses wage proposal are long-held preparations for a major restructuring of the Sri Lankan tea industry to drive up productivity and unleash a full scale assault on plantation workers wages and conditions. Workers can only confront and defeat this attack by mobilising independently of the trade unions and in unity with their class brothers and sisters around the world on the basis of a socialist and internationalist program. The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) is the only organisation that advocates this perspective. It fought for this during the plantation workers wage strike in December 2018, calling on workers to build their own action committees independent of the trade unions. Abbotsleigh Estate workers powerfully responded and established an action committee during the national strike. The SEP urges plantation workers and other sections of the working class to establish their own action committees in preparation for the future struggles that lie ahead. The author also recommends: Tea plantation workers need a global strategy [1 May 2019] The international significance of the Sri Lankan plantation workers strike [17 December 2018] NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday warned that the culprit behind the firing at anti-CAA protesters at Delhi's Jamia locality will not be spared at any cost and directed the police to take strict action in this regard. The Home Minister took to Twitter and tweeted, ''Today I have spoken to Delhi Police Commissioner on the firing incident (in Jamia area) that has taken place and instructed them to take strict action. The central government will not tolerate any such incident, it will be taken seriously and the culprit will not be spared.'' , Amit Shah (@AmitShah) January 30, 2020 The tweet from Shah came a few hours after a young man opened fire on students protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Delhi's Jamia area earlier on Thursday. He was identified as a resident of Jewar area of Gautam Buddha Nagar District (Uttar Pradesh). The firing incident was caught on Zee News camera. Zee News camera captures man firing at anti-CAA protests at Delhi's Jamia pic.twitter.com/7bIAxT3AFB Zee News (@ZeeNews) January 30, 2020 Sharing more details of the incident, DCP Chinmay Biswal said, ''We have earlier warned the protesters that anyone can take advantage of the crowd and untoward incident can take place. The police, which was watching the actions of the youth from the side, instantly took him into custody after he opened fire.'' The man, reportedly a minor, had put up several posts on Facebook making his intentions clear that he would indulge in violence to "end" the Shaheen Bagh protests. Live TV He has written several posts that he would "end the protest" at Shaheen Bagh by January 31. The women and residents of Shaheen Bagh are protesting against the controversial CAA and the NRC for the past one month. As the students were set to start their march from Jamia Millia Islamia to Rajghat, he took out a country-made .315 bore pistol and opened fire a student sustained an injury in his hand. Before opening fire, the youth had shouted, "If you people have to stay in India then you will have to say Vande Mataram, and now I am going to give you your freedom." Even before firing the pistol, the youth was heard raising slogans of "Jai Shri Ram". While scrolling through his Facebook posts, it was found that the shooter went live a number of times from outside the campus of Jamia and made a number of posts in which he mentioned that he was a lone Hindu in the area and none of the mediapersons covering the protest were Hindus. In one of his posts, he also asked the people to help his family in his absence and as a last wish, he wrote that his body should be wrapped in the saffron cloth and people should raise the slogan of "Jai Shri Ram" on his last journey. In one post he also mentioned that he will avenge the death of Chandan Gupta, who died in firing while taking out a bike rally in Uttar Pradesh`s Kasganj two years ago. In a January 28 post, the gunman said that "everyone should take his Facebook profile seriously". Meanwhile, the student who received a bullet injury has been identified as Shadab Farooq, a student of MA Mass Communication. He was shifted to Holy Family Hospital for treatment. Since the early days of Hollywood, celebrities have been buying each others houses, either as a moving-up status symbol or to be assured of being in the right celebrity neighborhood equal to their peers. As neighborhoods close to the studios became heavily populated, Calabasas and Hidden Hills in the western end of the San Fernando Valley became more exclusive with their protected gated communities and homes that provided more breathing space. At least five of the Jenner-Kardashian clan live in the Calabasas area and the large celebrity group of residents often sell to other celebrities such as Justin Bieber to Khloe Kardashian and Selena Gomez to rapper French Montana - who also dated Khloe Kardashian who lives nearby. Calabasas' celebrity lives intertwine as do the houses they also seem to share between them. Gomez sold to Montana in 2016 after living there for three years and three years later Montana is hoping to pass it on to the next buyer and has put it on the market priced at $6.6 million. Understandable how a young single person could feel somewhat overwhelmed after rambling around in a 7,786-square-foot mansion with five bedrooms and six baths on 3.10 acres of land. Located in the gated Mureau Estates community and built in 2004 of stucco and stone, Montanas home was designed with entertaining in mind. Palatial with its five fireplaces, large rooms, tile floors and chefs kitchen outfitted to handle large parties and with a large pantry, it caters to those who crave creature comforts and entertain routinely. Included are a formal living room, dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows, private family rooms, full bar, gym and movie theater. Glass doors open to a stunning backyard with pool, spa, cabana, Viking outdoor kitchen and a brick pizza oven. Montana turned the former guest house into a $400,000 eclectic recording studio that is guarded by a large elephant topiary. There is also an outdoor courtyard, four-car garage and parking for more than ten cars. The home was purchased by Selena about the same time she was ending her starring role in the Disney Channels Wizards of Waverly Place and taking a temporary break from her music career to pursue more acting roles. She sold the house in 2016 to Moroccan-American rapper Karim Kharbouch, better known by his stage name, French Montana. A year after moving in, Karim released his second studio album, Jungle Rules, which landed at number three on the Billboard 200. Its single, Unforgettable, was his first song as a lead artist to reach the top 10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. This Calabasas celebrity mansion might exude a special fairy dust that, within three years, propels its young owners towards the pinnacle of their future success, such as it seems to have done for Selena Gomez and now French Montana. Priced at $6.6 million, the listing agent is Gabriel Palmrot of Douglas Elliman, Beverly Hills. Photo credit: Douglas Elliman Source:TopTenRealEstateDeals Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-31 03:39:09|Editor: yan Video Player Close BERLIN, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- German politicians and entrepreneurs have established a networking platform China-Bridge (CHINA-BRUECKE) to enhance ties between the two countries. The non-profit organization will serve as a long-term channel between Germany and China, Hans-Peter Friedrich, chairman of the China-Bridge and the vice president of the German Bundestag, told Xinhua in a recent interview. Friedrich said Germany needs stability on the Eurasian continent and China is a key partner in order to reach this goal. "For the rest of the century China will be one of the major partners of German politics for economic and geopolitical reasons and among others. We would like to support the two countries' relations by offering a civil society voice," Friedrich said. Friedrich said Germany needs more know-hows about China in the political sphere, as well as in civil society. "For now in Germany, many people lack a basic idea of China. Except for our experts in foreign policy. The knowledge about China has enough room for improvement in most parts of society," Friedrich said. By interconnecting business and politics by working complementary to existing organizations and other institutions, China-Bridge can foster tighter ties, Friedrich said. "We support each other's activities. We hope that many likeminded politicians of all parties will join us to work towards stronger cooperation on all levels." Friedrich said. Lucknow, Jan 30 : After one person with suspected Coronavirus symptoms was admitted in a district hospital's isolation ward in Maharajganj district, the Uttar Pradesh government stepped up its preparedness to deal with the deadly virus that has claimed 172 people worldwide. The patient was identified as a medical student, who recently returned from China. The MBBS student from the Hubei University of Chinese Medicine had managed to skip the special investigation centre at the airport. As soon as the government and health department officials learnt about the incident through the airport authorities, they extracted the student's residential information from his passport and sent him to the district hospital. His blood samples, samples of mucus and spit were collected at the district hospital and sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for examination. The report is awaited. The state government has put on alert all districts on the Uttar Pradesh-Nepal border. Dr R.N. Singh, campaigner, Mission Save in India, said: "The virus is deadly and has already claimed lives in many countries. A case has been reported from Nepal too." He said that health check posts should be set up, along the UP-Nepal border just like it had been done during the SARS epidemic in 2002. "We share 1,751-km long open border with Nepal and checking virus only at the airport and not on borders will be an exercise in futility. Health check-posts have been established at entry points on Indo-Nepal border to check the entry of virus in the country." Checking for virus has already started at airports but open border between the two countries is also being monitored, he said. Medical experts in the region feel that there is an urgent need to create awareness about the deadly virus in the area, especially in the rural interiors. The symptoms of coronavirus are similar to any other upper-respiratory infection, including runny nose, coughing, sore throat, and sometimes a fever. "When the symptoms appear, people believe that it is a normal flu which is normal in this season. It is only when the condition gets beyond repair that people come to hospitals and by then, the patient is firmly in the grip of coronavirus," said Dr M.M. Sahay, a local medical practitioner. Gorakhpur, which is close to Indo-Nepal border, has a sizeable population that commutes daily to Nepal through Sunauli and Badhni borders. Steps have already been initiated for screening of the virus at the airport but experts believe that health check-up along the open border is more important to check its entry in India. An awareness campaign was also needed to inform people that patients with cold, cough and fever must immediately be reported to the nearest hospital "Around half-a-dozen cases of coronavirus have also been detected in Thailand. Many people from here also go to Thailand and people from the country visit Gorakhpur. Health check-posts are the need of the hour," he said. Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Srikant Tiwari said that an isolation ward was being set up at the district hospital. "As of now, no case of coronavirus has been reported in Gorakhpur but the department is ready to deal with the situation," the CMO said. Mom wears questionable shirt while volunteering in Vietnam. A Vietnamese mother who traveled to her motherland to volunteer wore a shirt with an unfortunate message. On Jan. 18, Emily Le shared photos of her 49-year-old mother on the Facebook group page "Subtle Asian Traits". Images show the woman smiling and posing with a number of children and locals . The only issue, however, is the message on the mother's T-shirt read, "NOT MY PROBLEM". Le's post immediately went viral as of Tuesday afternoon, it has received over 30,000 reactions and nearly 3,000 comments. Le's sister, Jeannine Ho, backed the claim that their mother did not intentionally wear the shirt during their trip. "She couldnt even understand why I was laughing so hard while taking these pictures. Luckily, the children did not understand the shirt either." [January 30, 2020] StreamSets Announces Support for New Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Big Data Clusters SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- StreamSets, provider of the industrys first DataOps platform, announced today support and platform integration for Microsofts recently announced SQL Server 2019 Big Data Clusters . With this integration, SQL users are empowered to design and operationalize data pipelines for big data workloads without the complexities of coding for big data systems. Announced at Ignite conference last November, Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Big Data Clusters allows users to deploy scalable clusters of SQL Server, Apache Spark and HDFS containers running on Kubernetes. With StreamSets DataOps Platforms new capabilities for Big Data Clusters, SQL developers can accelerate their analytics use cases by: Design and operate continuous data flows with intuitive, visual tools, eliminating the need to know how to code for big data systems Develop complex analytics applications on Apache Spark using intuitive drag-and-drop user interface Ingest and process data at scale from a wide variety of data sources with native integration into SQL Server and HDFS Accelerate the migration from relational databases, Hadoop custers and NoSQL stores into Big Data Clusters StreamSets enables data professionals to leverage the advanced capabilities of our new SQL Server 2019 Big Data Clusters, said Asad Khan, director of Program Management, SQL Server at Microsoft. With this support, StreamSets continues to demonstrate its value in helping joint customers quickly increase productivity with Big Data Clusters and accelerate critical business objectives. About DataOps Analytics has modernized in our always-on, always-changing world. How you deliver data to drive analytics has to modernize, too. DataOps is a set of practices and technologies that operationalizes data management and integration to ensure resiliency and agility despite ceaseless change. It combines the DevOps principles of continuous delivery with the ability to tame data drift (unexpected and undocumented changes to data). By embedding these principles, DataOps makes it possible to deliver the continuous data needed to drive modern analytics and digital transformation. About StreamSets StreamSets built the industrys first multi-cloud DataOps platform for modern data integration, helping enterprises to continuously flow big, streaming and traditional data to their data science and data analytics applications. The platform uniquely handles data drift, those frequent and unexpected changes to upstream data that break pipelines and damage data integrity. The StreamSets DataOps Platform allows for execution of any-to-any pipelines, ETL processing and machine learning with a cloud-native operations portal for the continuous automation and monitoring of complex multi-pipeline topologies. Founded in 2014, StreamSets is backed by top-tier Silicon Valley venture capital firms, including Battery Ventures, New Enterprise Associates (NEA), and Accel Partners. For more information, visit www.streamsets.com . StreamSets and the StreamSets Logo are the registered trademarks of StreamSets, Inc. All other marks referenced are the property of their respective owners. Media Contact: Jennifer Zimmer BOCA Communications [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] (CNN) L Brands' stock jumped 12% Wednesday on a report that billionaire founder and CEO Leslie Wexner is in talks to step aside or sell the struggling lingerie brand. Wexner, 82, who led Abercrombie & Fitch, The Limited and Victoria's Secret and has been under heavy scrutiny for his close ties to Jeffrey Epstein, "is in discussions to step aside as chief executive officer of his retail empire and is exploring strategic alternatives" for the brand, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. The report cautioned that L Brands is "looking to reach a decision on the potential deal and succession plans in coming weeks." There's also "no guarantee" the company will reach agreement with Wexner. L Brands, which owns the Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works chains, declined to comment to CNN Business on the report. Victoria's Secret has struggled with falling sales and competition from upstart lingerie brands in recent years. An activist investor last year built a stake in L Brands and pushed the company to make sweeping changes, including possibly spinning off Bath & Body Works into a separate company. Victoria's Secret has also dealt with the fallout from Wexner's ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein, whose death in jail last August has been ruled a suicide, was Wexner's former personal money manager and a trustee of the Wexner Foundation, Wexner's charitable group based in Ohio. Wexner said he cut ties with Epstein in 2007. In September, Wexner said that he was "embarrassed" that he put his trust in Epstein. "Being taken advantage of by someone who was so sick, so cunning, so depraved is something that I am embarrassed that I was even close to, but that is in the past," Wexner said. CNN Business' Jordan Valinsky contributed to this article. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Billionaire founder of Victoria's Secret may sell the company." Residents of Malindi village, Machakos County are in shock and living in fear after a man killed his mother and niece on Tuesday. The 28-year-old man is reported to have turned violent after his sickly 70-year-old mother asked him why he had eaten her eggs, yet he doesnt provide any food at home. After a heated argument, the man returned armed with a machete and attacked his mother as his niece and sister fled the scene. He then ran after them, slashed his sister on the leg before hacking his niece to death. The sister was admitted to the Machakos Level Five hospital. As of Wednesday evening, the suspect was still on the run after disappearing into nearby bushes wielding the murder weapon. Area locals said the suspect had a history of slaughtering his mothers livestock and would often turn violent whenever his family queried him. One time, he reportedly slaughtered one of his mothers goats, cooked it and threw the remainder to the dogs. He had also developed a particular liking for slaughtering his mothers chickens. Neighbors said although the incidents were reported at the Katheke Police Station no action had been taken by the time the suspect went berserk and attacked his family. The villagers told Citizen Digital that they were living in fear. They said some children did not report to school on Wednesday, fearing the suspect may attack them. New Delhi: Hours after US President Donald Trump proposed a West Asia Plan for peace between Israel and Palestine, India on Wednesday urged both Israel and the Palestinians to engage with each other, including on the recent proposals put forward by the US, and find an acceptable two-state solution for peaceful coexistence. New Delhi asked both sides to directly negotiate with each other while pointing out that India has been consistently supportive of the Palestinian cause and has also called for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue. MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, As you are aware, India has been consistently supportive of the Palestinian cause. India has also called for a two-State solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue. We reiterate our view that the final status issues should be resolved through direct negotiations between the two parties and be acceptable to both. We urge the parties to engage with each other, including on the recent proposals put forward by the US. According to US media reports, President Trump proposed a sweeping West Asia peace plan that would establish a disjointed Palestinian state largely surrounded by Israel, while granting Israel most of what it has sought over decades of conflict. MOSCOW (AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin has pardoned an Israeli woman who had been jailed on drug charges, the Kremlin said Wednesday. A presidential decree ordering Naama Issachar's release on humanitarian principles was effective immediately, the Kremlin said. The 26-year-old backpacker was arrested in April at a Moscow airport, where she was transferring en route from India to Israel. Russian authorities said more than nine grams of hashish were found in her luggage. She was convicted and sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison. Issachar has been serving her sentence in a prison colony just outside Moscow. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long-sought Issachar's release, is to visit Moscow on Thursday to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan with the Russian president. I thank my friend President Putin for pardoning Naama Issachar, Netanyahu said. "I look forward to our meeting tomorrow in which we will discuss the deal of the century and the latest developments in the region. On a visit to Israel last week, Putin met with Issachar's mother and told her, Everything will be alright." Putin's decree followed Issachar's petition for a pardon. Last week, Israeli media linked Issachar's possible pardon with the reported decision by Israeli authorities to pass control of the Alexander courtyard in Jerusalem's Old City to Russia. Russian officials denied any connection. 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 that Moscow claims, and the dispute over it has been a source of friction between the usually friendly Israel and Russia. Some in Israel also linked Issachar's arrest to the fate of a Russian man, Alexei Burkov, who was arrested in Israel on a U.S. warrant on charges of involvement in a $20 million credit card fraud scheme. Israeli media reports alleged that Russia hoped to use Issachar as a bargaining chip to persuade Israeli authorities to send Burkov home even though Russian officials never linked the issues. Story continues Russia submitted an extradition request for Burkov to Israel, but he was sent to the U.S. in November on an Israeli court order. ___ Joseph Krauss in Jerusalem contributed to this report. Herring, who is pushing a package of legislation aimed at battling hate groups, said he first noticed the increase in acts of violence in 2015, when he spotted some anti-Hindu graffiti on a bridge in Loudoun County. He also cited the growing number of anti-Semitic attacks in the country, including the massacre at Pittsburghs Tree of Life synagogue and the killing of four people at a kosher supermarket in Jersey City. Richard Boyd Barrett has appealed to parties that take a left-wing stance to put up a "united front". The Solidarity-People Before Profit TD wants parties such as Sinn Fein, The Social Democrats and The Greens to join forces. His comments come with nine days remaining in the general election campaign. Deputy Boyd Barrett told Newstalk radio's Pat Kenny Show that he wanted a "grand coalition" of the left to ensure Fine Gael or Fianna Fail are not returned to power: He said: "I think we have a historic opportunity to move beyond them for the first time in Irish political history. I think that's an exciting prospect. "They have had their 100 years running the State... in recent years they've left us with a mess in the most basic things: housing, health, the cost of living, the climate and many other things. "The polls are showing - and I think the trend is showing - that more than 50% of people are looking for something different. I think we should grab that opportunity with both hands, and move Ireland in a more progressive direction. Appealing for unity on the left, he added: "When we do come together - as we have done on a number of campaigns... we have been very, very effective. "I would appeal to all of the left - including some of the radical left - to build a united front that offers people a genuine alternative to Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, who I think most people can't tell the difference between the two of them." He also argued that third-level education is being "chronically underfunded" here. The People Before Profit politician suggested: "Do people know that the amount of State support for horses is bigger than for students? Horses get 6,000 in State support a year, while an arts student gets 4,000. Per capita, we are putting more into horses - the equine industry - than we are into our students. "That's why our universities are now stumbling down the international league tables." He also criticised the Labour party's past record, claiming the party's history is a "test case of the disastrous consequences of repeatedly propping up Fianna Fail and Fine Gael". Mr Boyd Barrett was also asked whether he believes a left-wing government could deliver on the policy pledges that have been made by the different parties. On the subject of housing, he responded: "During the boom period we were building 90,000 houses a year. Can we ramp up construction to a very high level? Clearly, we've shown a capacity to do that. "The problem at the moment is that a lot of people left the construction industry because they saw the boom-slump cycle. "We need, in our view, a State construction and local authority-led approach to these things - where construction workers know they will have some overtime income and employment security." One day before the UK leaves the European Union, the government has revealed that British holidaymakers and business travellers to the EU face onerous changes when the transition agreement expires on 31 December. Many aspects of travel were previously uncertain, but it appears that the government has already made up its mind that, for visitors to the remaining 27 European Union countries, it will be a hard Brexit. For the remainder of 2020, no rules on travel will change. But once the transition ends, visitors to Europe will face much more red tape and expense than the travel industry had previously hoped. The new online advice says the guarantee of free mobile phone roaming throughout the EU will end. Motorists will need a green card a certificate extending their travel insurance to Europe. 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 Allow one month to get this from your vehicle insurance company, says the government. It was already known that UK passports will be subject to new rules on validity, which means that someone with almost 15 months to run on a British passport could be denied boarding a flight to Europe. The government has now confirmed that British travellers will need to use separate lanes from EU, EEA and Swiss citizens when queueing. The Pet Passport arrangements will also be scrapped. Travellers who wish to travel with their dog or cat (or ferret) are told: Contact your vet at least four months before you go. A pet owner hoping to travel on New Years Day 2021 would need to start planning on 1 August 2020. Boris Johnsons administration has also confirmed that Northern Ireland will be treated differently from the rest of the UK in terms of duty-free purchases from the Republic. While visitors from Great Britain will be able to take duty-free liquor and tobacco home from Ireland, those returning to Northern Ireland will not. Other aspects of travel after Brexit remain unclear including whether the UK will continue as part of the European Health Insurance Card scheme, and if motorists will need International Driving Permits. UK business travellers have been told they will not enjoy any special status from 2021, which will increase bureaucracy and cost. The government warns: Youll need to follow the same rules as the rest of the world when youre moving goods to EU countries. At present businesses can move equipment and samples around the EU freely. But from 2021, they will need to pay 326 for an ATA (Admission Temporaire/Temporary Admission) carnet. PG Tips, Lipton and Lyon could be sold by retail giant Unilever because the British public are falling out of love with tea. The British-Dutch firm claims that more and more customers are switching from a traditional cuppa to herbal brews, leading to its decision to review its global tea business. Previously, Unilever said it would 'turn around' its tea business but has now admitted it is looking 'at all options' in a strategic review. This suggests that a partial or full sale of the tea business, which includes PG Tips and Lipton, could be on the cards despite 2.29 billion revenue last year. The review comes as pre-tax profits for Unilever for its full year fell by a third to 6.9 billion, compared to 10.4 billion in 2018. PG Tips, Lipton and Lyon tea brands all could be sold by retail giant Unilever as Brits turn towards herbal teas (stock image) Previously, Unilever (pictured is its central London base) said it would 'turn around' its tea business but has now admitted it is looking 'at all options' - including a potential sale Classic black tea is still Britain's favourite hot drink but the number of cups of tea consumed in the UK fell by 630 million from February 2018 to 2019, according to research firm Kantar. In August it was revealed that Twinings had overtaken PG Tips to become Britain's bestselling brand of tea. PG Tips, which rose to fame in the 60s and 70s with adverts featuring chimpanzees, saw annual sales dip by 7.2 per cent to 98.7 million. At the time, the Grocer said: 'Diversifying into areas such as cold infusions and functional teas has paid off for Twining, which gained nearly 4 million. 'Meanwhile, PG Tips slumped below the 100 million mark as it bore the brunt of the black tea decline.' A history of PG Tips, Britain's former favourite tea brand Arthur Brooke opened his first tea shop in Manchester in 1869, which later became Brooke Bond and Company. The Manchester firm launched Pre-Gest-Tea in 1930, selling it as a before-digestion drink. The word Tips was added as the drink only used the top two leaves of plant. Pre-Gest-Tea later became PG Tips. In 1956, its first TV advert airs before Chimpanzees became the star in ads until 2002. In 1960, PG Tips introduced the teabag, which quickly outsold loose leaf tea and, by 1980, was the most popular form of consuming tea. In 2007, the famous monkey became the new mascot of the brand, which remained vastly popular. However, in 2019, PG Tips lost its most popular tea crown to Twinings, bearing the brunt of a decline in British black tea drinkers. Advertisement Now, after Unilever's results on Thursday showed group sales grew at their slowest in a decade over the past quarter, finance chief Graeme Pitkethly said: 'We will look at all options for the tea business. 'Sales of traditional black tea, which is the largest part of the category, have been slowing for several years now due to changing consumer preferences in developed markets.' The retail giant added that the review comes as sales of traditional black tea, seen as a staple of British life, slow down. Instead, in developed countries including the UK, herbal teas are growing in popularity. Black tea is the dominant part of Unilever's tea business, Pitkethly said, selling in 60 countries and generating 2.29 billion in annual sales. Kantar, meanwhile, says that the British tea industry is worth 667m a year, but over the last two years, demand has fallen by 2.7 per cent. Demand has risen for other types of tea, with herbal teas now worth 52m and cold infusions valued at 11.2m. AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould said: 'The decision to launch a strategic review of its tea business reflects an attempt under CEO Alan Jope to reposition the company towards areas of higher potential after a period in which growth has been harder to come by.' Unilever's food and refreshment business has been hit particularly hard in North America and Europe as consumers reach for healthier options. Six months after taking the helm in January last year CEO Jope announced he would streamline Unilever's vast portfolio by focusing on what he described as 'brands with purpose', adding that these were its fastest-growing assets. The so-called brands with purpose, including Dove, Knorr and Persil, contributed almost two thirds of revenue and drove 75 per cent of sales growth in the first half of 2019, the company said. Brands thought to be among those that didn't have purpose, and so at risk, were Marmite, Bovril, Magnum Ice Cream and Pot Noodle. Jope said that the British classics could be axed if they do not 'contribute meaningfully to the world or society'. Leader of Mali's 2012 coup released on bail: Former general Amadou Haya Sanogo, who overthrew Mali's president in 2012, was released on bail as he awaits trial on charges that he had 21 soldiers killed after a failed counter-coup that year. Human rights groups have decried the long delay in the trial. The government of the West African nation, though, has expressed concern that the trial could inflame tensions at a time when discontent is on the rise in the military. Sanogo did not go on trial until late 2016, and the case was swiftly adjourned. The trial was supposed to start up again this month, but it was again put on hold. Xochimilco Cafe | Photo: Charles E./Yelp Looking for a mouthwatering Mexican meal near you? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top Mexican spots around Stockton, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of the best spots. This is an ideal time to duck in to the latest hotspots, since consumer spending at restaurants tends to increase in January in the Stockton area, according to data on local business transactions from Womply, a software provider that helps small businesses get more reviews. Estimated daily customers per business at Stockton-area restaurants last year rose by 15% 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. Xochimilco Cafe photo: jeff w./yelp First on the list is Xochimilco Cafe. Located at 36 S. San Joaquin St. downtown, the Mexican spot is the highest-rated Mexican restaurant in Stockton, boasting four stars out of 260 reviews on Yelp. 2. El Frutal photo: greg a./yelp Next up is Tam O'Shanter's El Frutal, situated at 1101 E. March Lane. With 4.5 stars out of 173 reviews on Yelp, the Mexican spot, which offers ice cream, frozen yogurt and desserts, has proven to be a local favorite. 3. Tacos La Palmita Photo: melissa v./Yelp Tacos La Palmita, located at 6393 Pacific Ave., is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the food truck, which offers tacos and more, 4.5 stars out of 91 reviews. 4. Taqueria Chapala photo: joshua m./yelp Taqueria Chapala, a Mexican spot in Gleason Park, is another much-loved go-to, with 4.5 stars out of 64 Yelp reviews. Head over to 205 S. Fresno St. 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. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, Texas A&M, UNC-Chapel Hill, University of Wisconsin, and Columbia University published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that examines the changing role and management of brands in a hyperconnected world. The study forthcoming in the March issue of the Journal of Marketing is titled "Branding in a Hyperconnected World: Refocusing Theories and Rethinking Boundaries" is authored by Vanitha Swaminathan, Alina Sorescu, Jan-Benedict Steenkamp, Thomas O'Guinn, and Bernd Schmitt. Nike's valuation increased by approximately $30 billion between the launch of the Colin Kaepernick ad and the end of 2019 in large part due to the viral publicity generated by this action and the way consumers responded to it. This story captured the attention of marketers everywhere and reshaped Nike's brand associations. It also seems to defy one of the traditional principles of branding where brands were encouraged to remain "above the fray" and not be involved in controversial issues that may potentially turn away certain customer segments. A new article in the Journal of Marketing begins with the premise that a hyperconnected environment is changing the role and management of brands such that new theories and models are needed to account for these changes. This article sets the stage for new branding research in a hyperconnected world in which the boundaries of branding have been blurred and broadened. To encourage future research, a research agenda on branding from the perspectives of consumers, firms, and society is presented. Considering both the broadening and blurring of brand boundaries, the research team poses three questions: (1) What are the roles and functions of brands? (2) How is brand value (co)created? and (3) How should brands be managed? The article re-examines traditional roles of brands (e.g., brands as signals of quality or as mental cues) and notes how those roles are changing in a hyperconnected environment. It also describes how hyperconnectivity contributes to several new roles in which brands are containers of socially constructed meaning, architects of value in networks, catalysts of communities, arbiters of controversy, and stewards of data privacy among others. Many of these new roles can be the focus of research from multiple disciplinary perspectives and a variety of research questions that can draw from different theoretical perspectives are highlighted. As brand boundaries are blurring, the article discusses the shift towards cocreated brand meanings and experiences, enacted via digital platforms which facilitate such cocreation. Given the complex nature of brands today and in the future, the article encourages researchers to engage in future boundary-breaking research. One implication of hyperconnectivity for branding research is that brands will need to be conceptualized more broadly within each of the theoretical perspectives in the extant brand literature. The consumer and the firm perspectives should focus more on consumers and firms as part of networks rather than on their roles as individual buyers or managers of brands. The society perspective should go beyond the role of brands as cultural symbols and examine them as agents of social change. Moreover, brands are becoming more than symbols attached to products that are owned by individual firms; brands can also be ideas, persons, and places. There is also an opportunity to examine topics that cut across these theoretical perspectives. Brands need to fulfill a broader mission and purpose. For example, the firm perspective will need to embrace societal questions as organizations or corporate brands will be asked to address broader issues including social responsibility, sustainability, and human-resource practices that go beyond profit maximization. The consumer perspective will also have to be more rooted in the society perspective as consumers form networks that are becoming distinct and occasionally vociferous entities that can shape both managerial practice and societal trends. The impact of networks on brands, like that of communities, requires additional sociological, psychological, and cultural insight. Such work would benefit from increased collaboration among branding researchers of different backgrounds, including teams of marketing strategists, economists, modelers, psychologists, sociologists, and consumer culture researchers. ### Full article and author contact information available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/0022242919899905 About the Journal of Marketing The Journal of Marketing develops and disseminates knowledge about real-world marketing questions useful to scholars, educators, managers, policy makers, consumers, and other societal stakeholders around the world. Published by the American Marketing Association since its founding in 1936, JM has played a significant role in shaping the content and boundaries of the marketing discipline. Christine Moorman (T. Austin Finch, Sr. Professor of Business Administration at the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University) serves as the current Editor in Chief. https://www.ama.org/jm About the American Marketing Association (AMA) As the largest chapter-based marketing association in the world, the AMA is trusted by marketing and sales professionals to help them discover what's coming next in the industry. The AMA has a community of local chapters in more than 70 cities and 350 college campuses throughout North America. The AMA is home to award-winning content, PCM professional certification, premiere academic journals, and industry-leading training events and conferences. https://www.ama.org After the Trump administration eliminated the group "people-to-people" educational travel category, canceled cruise ship travel to Cuba, and limited U.S. flights to Havana only, American travelers and travel advisors were left wondering if and how they can visit Cuba. "We are getting questions every day from confused travelers wanting to understand and adhere to the travel rules," says Founder and CEO, Chad Olin . Seeking to educate the public and ease the minds of perplexed travelers, CUBA CANDELA created a travel guide explaining how any American can visit Cuba using the "Support for the Cuban People" travel category, one of twelve authorized categories of travel to Cuba now the most common. "Any American traveler can visit Cuba in 2020, fly directly to Havana from eight different U.S. cities and have a remarkable experience that is legally compliant, culturally enriching and socially conscious," said Olin. "We encourage all Americans to travel to Cuba in 2020, and for those with questions about how to do so legally, I hope our guide helps to clarify the rules on how to travel using the 'Support for the Cuban People' travel category." About CUBA CANDELA CUBA CANDELA delivers impactful and authentic experiences through a socially conscious model that is sustainable and respectful to local communities. The company deeply values the transformative power of travel and believes in the social good that comes from genuine and meaningful cultural exchange. CUBA CANDELA remains one of the only companies in the Cuba travel industry with public reviews. The company guarantees compliance with U.S. law and offers clients a '100% Guaranteed Departure Policy' that includes a full refund if future U.S. travel restrictions prohibit legal travel with CUBA CANDELA. CUBA CANDELA specializes in tailor-made tours of Cuba, providing a full suite of services including travel documents, luxury accommodations and unique experiences. https://www.cubacandela.com/ SOURCE CUBA CANDELA Related Links http://www.cubacandela.com China confirmed Thursday that a case of coronavirus reported in Tibet meant that the outbreak had now spread to every region of the country. Chinese health officials said there were now 7,711 confirmed cases, marking a significant 1,500-case jump from the previous day. There are 170 reported deaths, all in mainland China. The virus has now spread globally with roughly 100 cases reported across at least 19 countries, according to the CDC, including five confirmed cases in the U.S. across four states, California, Washington, Arizona, and Illinois. Advertisement The World Health Organization announced it will meet again Thursday to reassess whether the outbreak now meets the threshold for a global health emergency. In the last few days the progress of the virus, especially in some countries, especially human-to-human transmission, worries us, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday. Although the numbers outside China are still relatively small, they hold the potential for a much larger outbreak. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement China has imposed aggressive travel restrictions around Wuhan, the epicenter of the illness, quarantining some 50 million people in Hubei Province in an effort to stop the viruss spread. There have been no reported deaths outside mainland China as of yet, as countries race to evacuate and quarantine citizens, but a handful of countriesTaiwan, Germany, Vietnam, and Japanhave now reported cases of coronavirus in people who had not been to China at all. Thats an unwelcome sign that shows the virus could be set to spread among populations that have no connection with China. Advertisement Advertisement Roughly 200 Americans arrived in California Wednesday after being evacuated from Wuhan; the State Department is arranging further evacuation flights for American citizens as early as next week. By the New York Times count, other countries currently reporting coronavirus cases are Thailand with 14 cases of infection; Japan, 11; Hong Kong and Singapore, 10; Taiwan, eight; Australia, Malaysia, and Macau, each with seven; France, five; South Korea, Germany, and the United Arab Emirates, each with four; Canada, three; Vietnam, two; and India, the Philippines, Nepal, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, and Finland, each with one. Many countries are carrying out medical screening at airports for travelers arriving from China. Russia indicated it intended to close its border with China to curb the viruss spread in the country. Australia has controversially said it will quarantine its evacuated citizens on Christmas Island, a small island 2,000 miles off the countrys coast that has an unsavory past as a detention center for refugees and migrants. Mahatma Gandhi was remembered in Tamil Nadu on Thursday on his 72nd death anniversary, with leaders paying tributes. Makkal Needhi Maiam founder Kamal Haasan described Gandhi as "one of the most important ambassadors of world peace" and termed his assassin, Nathuram Godse, an "allegedly patriotic Indian." Earlier, Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Chief Minister K Palaniswami, his deputy O Panneerselvam and state Ministers paid floral tributes to a portrait of the Mahatma at the Marina here. Haasan, who had courted controversy last year for his statement that free India's "first extremist was a Hindu", referring to Godse, condemned Gandhi's killing, calling it the "lowest and meanest from of criticism." He took to Twitter to share his views. "The lowest & meanest form of criticism in a reformed world is assassination. One of the most important ambassadors of world peace and my personal torchbearer was shot dead by an allegedly patriotic Indian on this day," he said without naming Godse. "India remembers Gandhiji so that the history is not repeated," he said in the tweet. At a poll rally in Karur district in May 2019, Haasan had said "free India's first extremist was a Hindu, his name is Nathuram Godse. There it (extremism, apparently) starts." Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on this day in 1948 in New Delhi. In neighbouring Puducherry, Lt Governor Kiran Bedi and Chief Minister V Narayanasamy paid homage to the Mahatma. Industries Minister M O H F Shah Jahan, Member of Parliament V Vaithilingam and top-ranking officials were among those present. Workers of the ruling Congress took out a silent rally from the party office to Beach Road and paid homage at the statue of the Mahatma. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Popular Nigerian actress, Iyabo Ojo has slammed an Instagram blogger, Gistlover for accusing her colleague, Lola Alao of maltreating Late Aisha Abimbolas children. Information Nigeria recalls Alao won custody of the children, Keji and Lase in 2019 almost a year after Abimbola, who was popularly known as Omoge Campus, died of breast cancer at the age of 42. The deceased was buried in Canada in May 2018. An unidentified web user had contacted Gistlover with claims that Alao treats the children unfairly and other Nollywood actors are aware of this, but they are afraid to speak up. The web user also stated that the actress almost lost custody of Lase after she allegedly slapped him. Iyabo Ojo was quick to bash the blogger for posting such news without making any inquiry or verification. Ojo also claimed the blogger had also tried to slander her name, her daughter and business. Read Also: Stop Depending On Social Media Love, Yomi Fabiyi Tells Colleagues See the post below: https://www.instagram.com/p/B766u7tnNIq/?igshid=h97afdbgghn6 https://www.instagram.com/p/B76TLKVHIW3/?igshid=gprkx6rq78i5 AMSTERDAM and BENGALURU, India, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Infosys (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation Digital services and Consulting, has signed a multi-year, multi-million contract with ABN AMRO Bank to accelerate its cloud and DevOps transformation journey. As part of this renewed contract, Infosys will enable ABN AMRO Bank to achieve its business and operational goals by aligning its IT transformation with its cloud platform strategy. Leveraging its expertise in cloud and data management services, Infosys will help ABN AMRO Bank to navigate to a single public cloud to deliver agility and cost efficiency in business operations. Infosys will deliver this transformation through agile execution. To build a culture of collaboration, Infosys will train the workforce on Microsoft Azure, and other cloud native tools including the ABN AMRO Bank specific toolset, to facilitate CICD (continuous integration and continuous delivery), with a focus on security and code quality. Mohit Joshi, President and Segment Head - Banking, Financial Services & Insurance, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Infosys, said, "Over the years, Infosys has significantly helped ABN AMRO bank streamline their digital transformation journey and enhance their overall business efficiency. ABN AMRO and Infosys's strategic joint venture in end-to-end mortgage administration services, Stater, has allowed us to deepen the relationship further with the bank. We will continue to leverage our investments in cloud, digital and DevOps to help the bank achieve agility and optimal business efficiency. As one of ABN AMRO's longest tenured partners, we are delighted to continue our strategic collaboration with them and will continue to set new digital benchmarks." Christian Bornfeld, Chief Innovation & Technology Officer (Group COO) and Executive Board Member at ABN AMRO Bank, said, "At ABN AMRO Bank, we're excited to be working with Infosys and accomplish our strategic goals and deliver this very key IT transformation in the coming years. Infosys' strategic investment in cloud, digital and DevOps has helped create best in class solutions and we are confident that this partnership will help us transform our IT environment in a timely and cost-effective way." About ABN AMRO Bank ABN AMRO Bank N.V. is a Dutch bank with headquarters in Amsterdam. ABN AMRO Bank is the third-largest bank in the Netherlands. Additional information is available online at www.abnamro.nl About Infosys Ltd. Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. We enable clients in 46 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With over three decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer our clients through their digital journey. We do it by enabling the enterprise with an AI-powered core that helps prioritize the execution of change. We also empower the business with agile digital at scale to deliver unprecedented levels of performance and customer delight. Our always-on learning agenda drives their continuous improvement through building and transferring digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem. Visit http://www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next. Safe Harbor Certain statements mentioned in this release concerning our future growth prospects are forward-looking statements regarding our future business expectations intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry and the outcome of pending litigation and government investigation. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law. Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/633365/Infosys_Logo.jpg Handout photo of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn meeting Alex Maskey MLA, Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly during a visit to Parliament Buildings, Stormont, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Jeremy Corbyn has said sorting out the future trading relationship between the UK, Ireland and EU is more important than whether Brexit makes a united Ireland more likely. Speaking during a visit to Stormont today, the outgoing Labour leader said it was time for Prime Minister Boris Johnson to make up his mind about the kind of trading relationship he wanted with the EU- and the United States. Asked if he thought Brexit had brought a united Ireland any closer, Mr Corbyn said: Clearly the issue that is important at the moment is one of dealing with the immediacy of funding and trading arrangements. He highlighted that many major companies in Northern Ireland relied on European trade. They need to know they have a future and I think thats a more important priority than anything else, he said. The Prime Minister promised that there would be no border down the Irish Sea and then, as was revealed during the General Election debates, that its quite clear theres going to be some kind of tariff arrangement. The Prime Minister must clarify this. Expand Close Mr Corbyn meeting Assembly speaker Alex Maskey at Stormont (Michael Cooper/PA) PA Media / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mr Corbyn meeting Assembly speaker Alex Maskey at Stormont (Michael Cooper/PA) If he wants a trade agreement with Europe which he says he does then they are not going to allow a trade arrangement with Britain which automatically undercuts consumer and environmental rights compared to Europe, while at the same time he is trying to do a trade arrangement with Donald Trumps USA, who are moving in entirely the opposite direction. He added that the Prime Minister still does not have an answer to the many questions raised by businesses and workers in Northern Ireland about the future trading relationship with the Republic, Britain and the rest of Europe. Its time for Boris Johnson to make up his mind. Read More During his visit Mr Corbyn who has often been criticised for his sympathies with militant Irish republicanism met representatives of Assembly parties, describing the meetings as informative. There were, of course, no Labour MLAs for Mr Corbyn to meet during his visit to Stormont, as his party refuses to allow local members to stand for election under its banner. Asked whether he had any regrets about banning Labour members in Northern Ireland from contesting elections, Mr Corbyn said: As you know, our party is talking to Labour members in Northern Ireland, and our National Executive will be considering the issue again. Mr Corbyn said he had also met representatives of the trade unions Unison and Unite to hear about issues concerning them. The North London MP also demanded more public investment in Northern Ireland, branding health inequalities here appalling and disgraceful. Asked about Brexit Day today, Mr Corbyn said: Well, its going to be a day when many people will no doubt be concerned, because its unclear in the longer term what the process will be for sending goods from Northern Ireland to Britain. We will take back to Westminster a clear message from this visit: the assembly is up and running, the Executive is up and running and as the party which brought about the Good Friday Agreement, Labour is particularly pleased and proud of that. But that has to be followed up with the necessary resources to ensure resolution of the public sector pay issues, and it also has to bring clarity to the future trading relationship which will protect jobs and businesses across Northern Ireland. The Labour leader was accompanied by Tony Lloyd, the partys Northern Ireland spokesman . Mr Corbyn also signed the book of condolence for the late Seamus Mallon, the former SDLP Deputy First Minister. BGI Group responds to coronavirus crisis by providing reagent kits for molecular 2019-nCoV testing by next-generation sequencing and RT-PCR Ares Genetics to launch next-generation sequencing testing service for infection control and monitoring of 2019-nCoV evolution using BGI Group reagents Ares Genetics, Curetis Group and BGI Group to collaborate in the distribution of next-generations sequencing and PCR testing kits for 2019-nCoV Vienna, Austria, Holzgerlingen, Germany, and Shenzhen, China, January 30, 2020, 08:00 am CET - Ares Genetics GmbH, a Curetis Group company, and the Chinese genomics company BGI Group today announced that the companies will collaborate in making molecular testing for the new coronavirus 2019-nCoV available in Europe. 2019-nCoV is a new coronavirus variant that has not been previously identified in humans but is responsible for the outbreak originating in the Chinese city of Wuhan and currently rapidly spreading globally with first cases identified and confirmed in Europe already. In response to this situation, and immediately after the occurrence of unexplained pneumonia in Wuhan, BGI sequenced the genome of the new 2019-nCoV virus and successfully developed a Real-Time (RT) Fluorescent PCR (polymerase chain reaction) kit for detecting 2019-nCoV, which can provide results in a few hours and has already obtained approval by the Chinese National Medical Products Administration. In addition to the rapid detection kit based on RT-PCR technology, the DNBSEQ-T7 sequencing platform developed by the BGI Group company MGI passed the emergency approval procedure of the National Medical Products Administration, becoming the first officially approved testing products in China for surveillance, discovery and identification of unknown infectious diseases. In Europe, BGI and MGI will work with their long-term strategic partner Ares Genetics to make its 2019-nCoV testing portfolio available to public health institutions and hospitals for outbreak monitoring, infection control, and epidemiology. Ares Genetics expects to provide next-generation sequencing services for 2019-nCoV out of its NGS laboratory in Vienna Austria for infection control and tracking of pathogen evolution from February 2020 onwards based on MGIs DNBSEQ sequencing platform. Further, Ares Genetics and the Curetis Group will support BGI Group in the distribution of its PCR and NGS reagent kits to molecular testing laboratories in Europe that have the capability for 2019-nCoV testing with reagent kits initially being marketed for research use only prior to regulatory approval in Europe. Ares Genetics is a digital diagnostics company utilizing artificial intelligence-powered molecular diagnostics to advance the field of infectious disease testing. Ares Genetics recently launched ARESupa Universal Pathogenome Assay for the broad identification of bacterial pathogens and the accurate prediction of antibiotic susceptibility. The ARESupa test is based on the sequencing of bacterial DNA, combined with data analysis and interpretation powered by ARESdb, Ares Genetics unique, proprietary reference database on genetic antimicrobial resistance markers. The first generation of ARESupa is currently offered for non-diagnostic applications in epidemiology, infection control, and outbreak analysis for customers in the public health sector and the pharmaceutical industry. A laboratory-developed test (LDT) for human diagnostic use is under development. The ability to rapidly test for 2019-nCoV with PCR as well as track its evolution by next-generation sequencing is key to contain this global outbreak. While Ares Genetics specializes in molecular detection of bacterial pathogens and antibiotic susceptibility prediction, we are responding to the global coronavirus health threat via our specialized molecular service laboratory and making 2019-nCoV testing broadly available in Europe under our strategic partnership with BGI. commented Dr. Andreas Posch, Managing Director and CEO of Ares Genetics, Longer-term, we anticipate that adding viruses to the scope for ARESupa will also significantly augment its utility as an aid in the differential diagnosis of viral and bacterial infections. ### About ARESupa Universal Pathogenome Assay Information on antibiotic susceptibility of pathogens is of utmost importance for clinical practice, epidemiology and public health purposes as well as for the development of pharmaceutical products in the infectious disease sector. Ares Genetics therefore has developed a molecular Antibiotic Susceptibility Test (AST) that is marketed under the brand name ARESupa Universal Pathogenome Assay and is capable of accurately identifying microbial pathogens as well as predicting antibiotic susceptibility via artificial intelligence-powered interpretation of high-throughput DNA sequencing data obtained by next-generation sequencing technologies. ARESupa is based on whole-genome sequencing of bacterial strains isolated from clinical specimens, combined with data analysis and interpretation powered by ARESdb, Ares Genetics unique, proprietary reference database on genetic antimicrobial resistance markers. ARESdb covers genomes of about 40,000 bacterial strains and associated susceptibility data for more than 100 different antibiotics. ARESupa already today accurately detects antibiotic susceptibility broadly across drug/pathogen combinations with prediction algorithms for further drug/pathogen combinations in development. The test is initially offered for non-diagnostic applications in epidemiology, infection control, and outbreak analysis for customers in the public health sector and the pharmaceutical industry. A laboratory-developed test (LDT) on native patient samples for human diagnostic use in indications in which current culture-based diagnostic practice is inherently challenging is planned. Furthermore, Ares Genetics has recently entered into a multi-phase strategic partnership with an undisclosed leading global in vitro diagnostics corporation to jointly develop diagnostic solutions for infectious disease testing based on the ARESupa. For further information and quotes, please register on the Ares Genetics cloud platform: https://ares-genetics.cloud/ or contact Ares Genetics GmbH Karl-Farkas-Gasse 18 A-1030 Wien Austria Email: services@ares-genetics.com About Curetis and Ares Genetics Curetis N.V.s (Euronext: CURE) goal is to become a leading provider of innovative solutions for molecular microbiology diagnostics designed to address the global challenge of detecting severe infectious diseases and identifying antibiotic resistances in hospitalized patients. Curetis Unyvero System is a versatile, fast and highly automated molecular diagnostic platform for easy-to-use, cartridge-based solutions for the comprehensive and rapid detection of pathogens and antimicrobial resistance markers in a range of severe infectious disease indications. Results are available within hours, a process that can take days or even weeks if performed with standard diagnostic procedures, thereby facilitating improved patient outcomes, stringent antibiotic stewardship and health-economic benefits. Unyvero in vitro diagnostic (IVD) products are marketed in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the U.S. Curetis wholly owned subsidiary Ares Genetics GmbH is developing next-generation solutions for infectious disease diagnostics and therapeutics. The ARES Technology Platform combines the presumably most comprehensive database worldwide on the genetics of antimicrobial resistances, ARESdb, with advanced bioinformatics and artificial intelligence. For further information, please visit www.curetis.com and www.ares-genetics.com. About BGI Group Founded in 1999, BGI is one of the world's leading life science and genomics organizations. BGIs mission is to use genomics to benefit mankind and to be a leader in the era of life sciences. BGI follows a genomics development model of research, production and application. With businesses in more than 100 countries and regions around the world, BGI has established cooperation and partnerships with thousands of different organizations across multi-disciplinary research areas including medical health, resource conservation and judicial services. At the same time, BGI provides equipment, technical support and solutions for the needs of national economies and people's livelihoods, such as precision medicine and precision health. BGI is committed to applying its genetic and technological achievements to real world settings in order to realize the dream of trans-omics for a better life. About MGI MGI Tech Co., Ltd. (referred to as MGI) is committed to building core tools and technology to lead life science through intelligent innovation. MGI focuses on R&D, production and sales of DNA sequencing instruments, reagents, and related products to support life science research, agriculture, precision medicine and healthcare. MGI is a leading producer of clinical high-throughput gene sequencers, and its multi-omics platforms include genetic sequencing, mass spectrometry, medical imaging, and laboratory automation. Founded in 2016, MGI has more than 1,000 employees, nearly half of whom are R&D personnel. MGI operates in 26 countries and regions and has established multiple research and production bases around the world. Providing real-time, comprehensive, life-long solutions, its vision is to enable effective and affordable healthcare solutions for all. Legal Disclaimer This document constitutes neither an offer to buy nor to subscribe securities and neither this document nor any part of it should form the basis of any investment decision in Curetis. The information contained in this press release has been carefully prepared. However, Curetis bears and assumes no liability of whatever kind for the correctness and completeness of the information provided herein. Curetis does not assume an obligation of whatever kind to update or correct information contained in this press release whether as a result of new information, future events or for other reasons. This press release includes statements that are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms believes, estimates, anticipates, expects, intends, may, will, or should, and include statements Curetis makes concerning the intended results of its strategy. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and readers are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Curetis actual results may differ materially from those predicted by the forward-looking statements. Curetis undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements, except as may be required by law. Curetis Group Contact Details Curetis GmbH Max-Eyth-Str. 42 71088 Holzgerlingen, Germany Tel. +49 7031 49195-10 pr@curetis.com or ir@curetis.com www.curetis.com Ares Genetics GmbH Karl-Farkas-Gasse 18 A-1030 Wien Austria Tel. +43 1 361 8880 10 contact@ares-genetics.com www.ares-genetics.com Curetis Group International Media & Investor Inquiries akampion Dr. Ludger Wess / Ines-Regina Buth Managing Partners info@akampion.com Tel. +49 40 88 16 59 64 Tel. +49 30 23 63 27 68 Attachment Attorney-General Christian Porter is preparing to put his promised wage theft bill to cabinet in the coming weeks, while at the same time working to revive his union-busting bill in consultation with the Senate crossbench. Mr Porter, the Morrison government's Industrial Relations Minister, said the wage theft legislation he pledged last year was "well advanced"and he aimed to introduce it into Parliament before the May 2020 federal budget. Attorney-General Christian Porter is close to finalising his wage theft bill. Credit:Rhett Wyman The minister, who is negotiating further amendments to his Ensuring Integrity Bill with Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie, is determined to pass both pieces of legislation as part of wider industrial relations reforms he says will make workplaces more productive, fair and co-operative. He said he was willing to amend the Ensuring Integrity Bill, which was defeated in the Senate in November, to give Senator Lambie "reassurance" it would not put ordinary union members at risk, if her proposed changes did not interfere with its aim of stamping out repeated union law-breaking. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram Miami, January 30, 2020 Argentinian authorities should conduct a speedy and transparent investigation into the shooting of the home of journalist Carlos Walker, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At around 1 a.m. yesterday, in Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires province, two unidentified individuals fired at least 13 shots with 9mm weapons at the building where Walker, who hosts the daily Hora 13 show on Radio CNN Mar del Plata and writes for the news website El Marplatense, lives in an apartment with his family, he told CPJ in a phone interview. He said that nine of the bullets hit his apartment, and one hit his neighbors home, but did not cause any injuries. Walker told CPJ that he covers local politics and has recently written about the licensing of nightclubs in the area. He said he could not speculate about a reason for the shooting, and said he had not received any threats except for the regular stuff that happens on social media. Police officers and the secretary of security of Mar del Plata visited the scene following the attack, and the local prosecutors office is investigating, according Walker and media reports. Argentinian authorities should promptly investigate the shooting of Carlos Walkers home, determine if he was targeted for his journalism, and hold those responsible to account, said CPJ Central and South America Program Coordinator Natalie Southwick in New York. Authorities must ensure that journalists can report safely and without fear that they will be attacked for their work. The attack was captured by the buildings security cameras, and Walker posted a video on Twitter, which shows two individuals with their faces covered approaching the entrance gate of the complex, firing several rounds, and fleeing on foot. There are nine units in his building, he said. CPJ called the police of the General Pueyrredon Municipality, which covers Mar del Plata, but no one answered the phone. 01/29/2020 By David Perry Artist Evelyn Rydz is in Mahoney Gallery on South Campus carefully working about 500 drinking glasses into the shape of the Merrimack River. She arranges them to resemble its vast mouth, its turns and some long stretches now used for recreation. Rydz installation is part of Local Ecologies, an exhibition dropping anchor at UML through March 6. It has already docked at galleries at UMass Boston and UMass Dartmouth. A collaborative effort between the three UMass campuses, the traveling exhibition includes newly commissioned works and public programming; its goal is to spark discussions, using location-based art that responds to the regions environmental and ecological issues. The exhibit brings together artists, scientists, historians and community members who are engaged with the coastal and river ecosystems and the regions history. We are the last stop, says Kirsten Swenson, a UML associate professor and art history coordinator who is one of the exhibit organizers. What is cool about this three-campus exhibition is that each campus is unique in terms of the features of the landscapes. At UMass Lowell, we have the Merrimack River. The exhibit is designed to relate the landscapes to the ecological history and cultural significance of each place. Local Ecologies centers around the work of eight artists, including Rydz, but it is also an exhibit designed to make viewers take a deeper look at the natural world around them especially the Merrimack River. It melds art, science and history into a show that works on multiple levels, notes Swenson. It explores a sense of ecology for the natural, cultural and economic aspects of each place, she says. A lot of the exhibit is research-based, so vision alone is not necessarily the point. More than half a million people rely on the Merrimack River for their drinking water, notes Rydz, taking a break from glass placement. There are chemicals that challenge the water, and when theres a heavy rain, raw sewage can overwhelm treatment plants and enter the river. Another of the exhibits artists is Andrew Yang, associate professor of liberal arts at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, whose work includes installation art and collage. Yangs contributions include two giant snake-shaped banners made of waste plastics; one of each is suspended in the OLeary and Lydon libraries. They are a metaphor for our troubled relationship with plastics, he says in a description of his work. On Jan. 30, Rydz conducted a workshop in Swensons Contemporary Art History class, including panels of pH paper with Merrimack River water. On Feb. 25, Rydz returns for a 3 p.m. workshop open to the campus community that will be held in the Mahoney Gallery. There will be more pH paper painting with river water, as well as a 4 p.m. panel discussion with Asst. Prof. Misha Rabinovich and Asst. Prof. Caitlin Foley of Art & Design, Assoc. Teaching Prof. Lori Weeden of the Kennedy College of Sciences and John Macone of the Merrimack River Watershed Council. Following the discussion, an opening reception in the gallery will begin at 5:30 p.m. But on this recent day before the exhibit opened, Rydz arranges the glasses, all purchased from New Hampshire and Massachusetts thrift shops within a few miles of the Merrimack River. The glasses were designed to hold everything from fruit cocktails to highballs. Some of the glasses very likely held drinking water from the Merrimack. Old, new, tall and squat, the glasses on the floor represent the water of the river that once gave Lowell its lifeblood. The river, like glass, is fragile, notes Rydz, and it is far from alone: Some of the problems we discuss speak to things happening in Lowell. But they also occur all over. A passenger on the US evacuation flight from the coronavirus outbreak epicenter in Wuhan has reportedly tried to leave a California military base less than halfway through a mandatory 72-hour observation period. Riverside County Health officials issued a quarantine order requiring the passenger to remain at March Air Reserve Base on Thursday. The subject of the order, who was not identified, was one of 195 passengers who landed at the base in Riverside on Wednesday morning on a flight chartered by the State Department to remove US diplomats and private citizens from the virus-stricken Chinese city of Wuhan. All of the passengers are being monitored for coronavirus symptoms on the base for 72 hours to ensure they do not pose a risk to the public. News of the quarantine order came just as the World Health Organization announced that it was declaring the deadly coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency. More than 8,000 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in 18 countries and territories and 170 people have died, all of them in China. Six cases have been confirmed in the US and 168 possible cases are under investigation. A passenger on the US evacuation flight from the coronavirus outbreak epicenter in Wuhan reportedly tried to leave March Air Reserve Base on Thursday, less than halfway through a mandatory 72-hour observation period. Passengers are seen deplaning after the flight arrived at the base in Riverside, California, on Wednesday morning 'Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr Cameron Kaiser issued the order requiring the person to stay for the entire incubation period or until otherwise cleared,' a news release from the county stated. 'This action was taken as a result of the unknown risk to the public should someone leave MARB early without undergoing a full health evaluation.' All 195 passengers and six crew members underwent at least four health screenings prior to their arrival at MARB - including two before departing from Wuhan Tianhe International Airport and two more during a refueling stop in Anchorage, Alaska. Though none of the passengers have showed signs of illness, they agreed to stay at the base voluntarily as a precaution, according to Dr Chris Braden of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The flight arrived at MARB just after 8am local time Wednesday and was greeted by officials in hazmat suits before passengers were filed onto awaiting buses and taken to another building. The plane was initially scheduled to fly to Ontario International Airport in Ontario, California, but was diverted to the air base 25 miles away without explanation late on Tuesday night. There are said to be more than 1,000 Americans still in Wuhan, and State Department officials have now said they are planning a second evacuation flight. China has cut off access to Wuhan and 16 other cities in Hubei province to prevent people from leaving and spreading the virus further. In addition to the United States, countries including Japan and South Korea have also planned evacuations. As of Thursday afternoon more than 8,000 coronavirus cases have been confirmed worldwide and 170 people have died, all of them in China Six cases have been confirmed in the US and 168 possible cases are under investigation The flight arrived at MARB just after 8am local time Wednesday. All 195 passengers underwent at least four health screenings prior to their arrival in California - including two before departing from Wuhan and two more during a refueling stop in Alaska There were 195 passengers - including a number of small children - and six crewmembers onboard. They filed out of the plane and stepped into awaiting buses (left and right) The World Health Organization announced on Thursday that the outbreak has been designated a 'public health emergency of international concern' - the highest warning the UN agency can give. Just one week ago, the WHO decided to hold off the declaration as there was no evidence of human-to-human evidence outside of China. This has changed with the first person-to-person case of coronavirus being confirmed in the US after a man in Chicago was infected from his wife, who traveled to China. The man's wife, who is in her 60s, became the second American diagnosed last week after she returned from a trip to Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. Her husband has now tested positive for the virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed on Thursday. It is the first case of person-to-person spread of the virus in the US and not from someone who had traveled to China and picked up the virus there. 'Given what we've seen in China and other countries with the novel coronavirus, CDC experts have expected some person-to-person spread in the US,' Dr Robert Redfield, director of the CDC told reporters in a media call on Thursday. 'We understand that this may be concerning, but based on what we know now, we still believe the immediate risk to the American public is low.' The World Health Organization announced at a press conference on Thursday (pictured) that the coronavirus outbreak has been designated a 'public health emergency of international concern' - the highest warning the UN agency can give Medical staff in protective suits treat a patient at Zhongnan Hospital in Wuhan on Tuesday Previously, all confirmed US cases had been in patients who travel to Wuhan, where an outbreak has been ongoing since December 2019. However, there have been cases of human-to-human transmission reported outside of China, including in Germany, Japan, Taiwan and Vietnam. The four other US cases have been confirmed in Maricopa County, Arizona; Orange County and Los Angeles County California; and Snohomish County, Washington. Currently, 168 cases are under investigation in at least 26 states - 21 of those alone in Illinois. The CDC say it is likely that more cases of the virus, known as 2019-nCoV, will be reported in the next several days and weeks. Signs and symptoms of the illness include fever, cough, and shortness of breath, with 20 percent of cases becoming severe. Health officials say the best steps Americans can take to stay safe is to practice basic hygiene including washing hands with warm water and soap and coughing or sneezing into an elbow. As of 1 July 2020: - Yann Leriche is appointed Chief Executive Officer - Jacques Gounon to become non-executive Chairman of the Board of Directors Regulatory News: On 30 January 2020, the Board of Directors of Getlink SE (Paris:GET) decided to implement the separation of the functions of Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer as of 1 July 2020. As of this date, Yann Leriche is appointed Chief Executive Officer and Jacques Gounon becomes non-executive Chairman of the Board of Directors. Yann Leriche has had a highly successful career, both in France and internationally. His skills, combined with his knowledge and direct experience of transport and mobility in the broadest sense, of the operational, security and technical constraints of these activities, as well as of complex, regulated international environments, will enable him to implement the most effective strategy, so that Getlink can meet the challenges of its future development. At the end of a thorough and robust process of preparation for the evolution of governance, led by the Nominations Committee, the Board of Directors of Getlink confirms its choice of a governance model ensuring the separation of executive responsibilities and the functions of the Chairman, in line with best practice in corporate governance. Jacques Gounon will retain the position of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer until Yann Leriche takes office. From 1 July 2020, Jacques Gounon will remain Chairman of the Board of Directors. Biography of Yann Leriche: Born on 1973, of French nationality, a graduate of Ecole Polytechnique (1997), l'Ecole des Ponts et Chaussees (1999), College des Ingenieurs (2000) and ESCP-Europe (2006), Yann Leriche began his career in the public sector, first as a road infrastructure project manager, then in the construction and operation of public transit systems. After extensive experience at Bombardier Transport where he became head of Direction of Transport Systems "Guided Light Transit", Yann Leriche joined Transdev group in 2008. Initially CEO of Transamo, a subsidiary dedicated to advice and project management, he then became CEO of the German subsidiary Transdev SZ and subsequently deputy director of transit activities in North America in 2012. In 2014, he was appointed as Group Chief Performance Officer and a member of the Executive Committee. Since 2017, he has been CEO of Transdev North America, in charge of the group's American and Canadian operations, which have 17,000 employees, generate US$ 1.4 billion in revenue, and serve over 100 cities and urban areas with seven different means of transport. He is also in charge of the worldwide development of Transdev's autonomous vehicle activities. Jacques Gounon, chairman and CEO of Getlink, stated: "With a market capitalisation of over 8 billion Getlink has changed dimension. I have confidence that Yann Leriche will continue and amplify the Group's growth at the dawn of this new decade. I will be at his side to ensure that the transition is a complete success as he takes on his responsibilities with all the group's stakeholders" Colette Neuville, Senior Independent Director stated: "Jacques Gounon has run the company for over 15 years after rescuing it from bankruptcy. Under his leadership Getlink has been transformed and experienced remarkable growth, succeeding in surpassing the objectives set in 2007, despite the difficulties that it faced (fire, migrants, Brexit). Getlink today is a strong, forward-looking company, highly appreciated by many investors. At the head of the board of directors, Jacques Gounon will continue to participate in its development in line with its values." Perrette Rey, Chairwoman of the nomination committee stated: "The Board of Directors welcomes the appointment of Yann Leriche as Chief Executive Officer. His in-depth knowledge of the international transport sector, his energy, and his charisma are major assets that will enable Getlink to accelerate its growth and consolidate its leadership. We are also delighted that Jacques Gounon has agreed to stay as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Getlink." View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005674/en/ Contacts: For UK media enquiriescontact John Keefe on 44 (0) 1303 284491 Email: press@getlinkgroup.com For investor enquiries contact Jean-Baptiste Roussille on +33 (0)1 40 98 04 81 Emailjean-baptiste.roussille@getlinkgroup.com For other media enquiries contact Anne-Laure Descleves on +33(0)1 4098 0467 Michael Schuller on +44 (0) 1303 288749 Email:Michael.schuller@getlinkgroup.com Nadda drove down to Mr Badals residence in Delhi and was welcomed by the SAD president. New Delhi: After weeks of hedging its bets on the Delhi Assembly polls, the Shiromani Akali Dal has finally come around to renewing its electoral alliance with the BJP with a declaration that certain misunderstandings between the two parties have been amicably resolved. At a joint press conference, Bharatiya Janata Party president J.P. Nadda hailed the Shiromani Akali Dal as an old and strong ally, while SAD chief Sukhbir Badal asserted theirs is not merely a political but also an emotional alliance. I am grateful to the SAD that they have decided to support the Bharatiya Janata Party in Delhi Assembly elections. I thank Sukhbir Badal. The SAD is one of the oldest constituents of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. The SAD has always been at the forefront of serving the society. The strong coalition between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the SAD will remain intact, Mr Nadda told reporters at Mr Badals residence. Mr Nadda drove down to Mr Badals residence in Delhi and was welcomed by the SAD president. The two leaders had a long meeting before their joint press conference. The BJP-SAD alliance is in the national interest, and is meant for Punjab, its people and the Sikhs across the country, Mr Badal said, asserting his party carder in Delhi will work for the victory of BJP candidates. Mr Badal said the SAD had never broken their alliance with the BJP but just decided not to contest the elections. There were some misunderstandings that have been sorted out. SAD extends full support to the BJP in the upcoming Delhi VS polls, he later tweeted. On January 20, the SAD had indicated that it will not contest the Delhi elections with the Bharatiya Janata Party over seat-sharing differences. Back then, the regional party also said that it cannot accept the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act in its present form. Our stand is clear... the nation cant be divided over religion. We will prefer to not contest the polls than change our stand. The National Register of Citizens should also not be introduced either... the nation belongs to all, Delhi Akali Dal leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa had said at a press conference amid ongoing protests against the controversial law. The SAD has consistently maintained that Muslim migrants should not be excluded from the ambit of the Citizenship Amendment Act. Select the Somerset County Athlete of the Week for Jan. 3-7 With exams now over, Ontarios public secondary teachers will resume their rotating, one-day strikes next week. News of the walkouts came Thursday as talks continued for a second, full day between the province and the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) seen as an early positive sign in the impasse. They return to the table on Friday. ETFO has said its 83,000 members will strike two days a week, starting next week, if no deal is reached by Friday. Education Minister Stephen Lecce said on his way into a noon-hour cabinet meeting that his negotiators have been granted the latitude to get a deal, and that talks were productive. Well see how the negotiations go, he said. On Tuesday Feb. 4, the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation will target a dozen boards with strikes, including Halton public and Yorks public and Catholic boards. The 60,000 member union represents teachers as well as education assistants, early childhood educators, psychologists and speech-language pathologists in public, Catholic and French boards across the province. Catholic teachers return to the bargaining table on Monday, the day before their planned day-long province-wide strike. The government is also negotiating with the union representing French-language educators, but has no talks scheduled with the secondary union. Share your thoughts: Harvey Bischof, president of the secondary school teachers union, said the one-day strike can be averted if the Ford government agrees to return to, and maintain, the class-size ratios and staffing levels that were in place in Ontario schools just one year ago. The province plans to boost secondary class sizes from last years average of 22 to 25, which would mean the loss of thousands of teaching positions as well as course options for teens. It also wants to introduce two, mandatory online credits starting next fall, a controversial move which would be a first in North America. Neither move is popular with the public, and is opposed not only by the unions but also school boards, the principals association as well as the Ontario Student Trustees Association, which advocates for the provinces two million students. Bischof said his members are not the only ones who understand the enormity of the damage that will ensue if this governments education agenda is allowed to unfold. He said if Premier Doug Ford is even remotely serious about providing government for the people, then he will acknowledge that Ontarians have roundly rejected his education agenda, and he will direct his minister of education to return to the bargaining table and negotiate a deal that preserves the quality of one of the best education systems in the world. Lecce has called on the unions to end their one-day strikes, saying such job action only hurts students. Parents are losing patience with (the secondary school teachers union) ultimatum of proceeding with further strikes against students unless the government delivers on their demands, he said in a statement. Last week, Ford said he has limited patience for the teacher walkouts, and vowed the government will not budge on its offer of a one per cent annual wage increase. Teachers are seeking a raise equal to the cost of living, or about two per cent. Boards impacted by the high school teachers walkout on Tuesday are: Lakehead, Thunder Bay Catholic, Lambton Kent, Thames Valley, Waterloo, Waterloo Catholic, York Region, York Catholic, Halton and Kawartha Pine Ridge. Some schools in Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir and Conseil scolaire Viamonde will also be targeted. Read more about: "I am delighted with this new governance, which marks a decisive step for the Group and for the Alliance. Luca de Meo is a great strategist and visionary of a rapidly changing automotive world. His expertise but also his passion for cars make him a real asset for the Group," said Senard. Effective July 1, 2020, the Renault Board of Directors, under the leadership of Jean-Dominique Senard, has appointed Luca de Meo as the CEO of the company. The Board expressed their full confidence with de Meo, stating that his career experience and his success in previous roles in other auto brands will contribute to the company's development and transformation. As Renault continues to move forward amidst the fallout from the Carlos Ghosn fiasco, the French automaker has appointed a new leader to steer the company in the future. Luca de Meo is set to succeed Thierry Bollore (pictured below), who was appointed as the temporary CEO last January 2019 after Ghosn was detained in Japan. Ghosn, however, was able to flee the country and is now currently in Lebanon. This is not the first time de Meo got to work at Renault. The 52-year old executive actually first started out in the French auto brand 25 years ago. He then joined Toyota Europe, and then with the Fiat Group where he managed the Lancia, Fiat and Alfa Romeo brands. In 2009, he joined the Volkswagen Group as Marketing Director for passenger cars, and the Volkswagen Group itself. Then in 2012, de Meo held the position of Member of the Board of Directors in charge of Sales and Marketing at Audi AG. After his stint at Audi, de Meo became the Chairman of the Executive Committee of SEAT from November 2015 up until January 2020. He also was a member of the Supervisory Boards of Ducati and Lamborghini, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Volkswagen Group in Italy. With de Meo's vast experience in the automotive industry, as well as having a broad knowledge of various auto brands, the Italian-born executive will have plenty to offer on Renault's plate. And with the company itself still reeling after Ghosn's departure, perhaps de Meo will be able to steer the company away from the recent controversies. It is time the current leaders who swear by 'cultural nationalism', that is religion neutral, assert that Bharatiyata is at the core of our nationalism and India was never a 'Hindu Rashtra', argues Colonel Anil A Athale (retd). Photograph: Ajay Verma/Reuters. Part 1: The bogey of Hindu Rashtra The real shot in the arm for and wide propagation of the concept of a 'Hindu Rashtra' began in 1942 at the height of World War II. The Allied powers faced their most critical moment of the war in August 1942. The Germans were at the gates of Stalingrad in the USSR. All of Europe was already under the Germans. Hitler had formed a battle group India, to reach India via Afghanistan. The Japanese were the masters of the Pacific Ocean and the Bay of Bengal had become a Japanese lake. Many political leaders, including Gandhi, felt that the Axis may well be victors and did not wish India to be on the losing side. At that critical moment, he launched his Quit India movement. It was at that time that Mohammed Ali Jinnah seized the opportunity, promised full support to the British war effort in return for Pakistan. The Pakistan that Jinnah envisaged consisted of most of North India, with an unbroken link between Muslim majority Punjab and Bengal. It was to counter this prospect that organisations like the Hindu Mahasabha and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh raised the demand for a Hindu Rashtra, that was to consist of Hindu majority areas. The demand for a Hindu Rashtra was clearly a reaction to the demand for Pakistan. The ideology of a Hindu Rashtra and a demand for it was clearly in the context of the events of the 1940s or, as the Germans describe it, zeitgeist or 'spirit of the times'. For all intents and purposes, the separation of Muslim majority provinces in the west and east was a done deal the moment Jinnah came to the rescue of Allied powers at a critical time. The tide of war soon turned with the German defeat at Stalingrad (now Volgograd) and the Allied victory in the battle of the Midway islands where American airpower destroyed most Japanese aircraft carriers. After 1943, it was not whether but when the superior resources of the Allies would lead to victory. It is one of the big 'ifs' of recent history: Should Gandhi and Congress have accepted the Cripps Mission (and the Colonel Johnson proposal sent by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt) and possibly averted the separation of Punjab and Bengal? The answer is not unambiguous. Possibly the events of 1947 could have been delayed, but not averted. Even more insidiously, the British granted 'freedom' to 462 princely states as well. As per Winston Churchill's calculation, in that scenario Pakistan would have emerged as the strongest State on the Indian subcontinent and in Churchill's words, the eventual conquest of the south by the Muslim dominated north. It is thanks to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel that the rest of India was unified and has remained so for more than 72 years while Pakistan broke into two nations. Post-1947, India continued be a non-denominational republic. The word 'secular' was only added in 1976. The Indian State, by remaining 'secular' in 1947, was a continuation of its civilisational ethos and not because of some great wisdom of the founding fathers. Unlike Kemal Ataturk's Turkey, it was not an imposition from above, but an expression of the grassroots way of life. India has a diverse mix of ethnicities, yet a distinct subcontinental identity is visible. Nations and States are formed on the basis of ethnicity, language, religion, culture, geography, shared historical memories, and ideology. Each of these factors has a different value at different times. At the time of the separation of Muslim majority provinces in 1947, religion dominated to the exclusion of all other factors. In 1971, in the case of undivided Pakistan, language, culture and geography led to the separation of East Pakistan and the formation of Bangladesh. Another interesting facet of the Indian past are strong regional identities -- Sindhis, Telugus, Tamils, Bengalis, which are older than Christianity and Islam. Many of these distinct identities go back to the Mahabharat era (accepted to be around 1500 BC). That war was fought not between the Kauravas and Pandavas, but between two coalitions. India has seldom been a centralised State unlike China which is its civilisational counterpart. The Indian concept of political unity was rule by Chakravarti or head of the strongest state exercising suzerainty. Digvijay or Ashwamedh were peaceful methods to integrate the subcontinent. The federal State structure in India partially mimics this past. But keeping in view the cost of a lack of a powerful central military, the Indian Republic has maintained a strong central military force. Given these historical facts and an intelligent reading of Indian history, why does the false bogey of a 'Hindu Rashtra' keep raising its head periodically? The answer to that is that the successors to Veer Savarkar's ideology have failed to accept that the concept of a Hindu Rashtra was a need of the time and has long gone past its date of expiry. Savarkar himself led by example by disbanding Abhinav Bharat post-Independence, saying there was no need any more for a revolutionary armed organisation like it. The ruling ideology of independent India is Bharatiyata, whereby anyone who is born here and is loyal to the country is a Bharatiya. The Indian concept of nationalism is territorial as ideological. Some of the current crop of leaders have gone around calling all Indians, born here, as Hindus. The reluctance to accept the territorial concept of Bharat is due to the long period of being in the intellectual dog house and the rigidity born out of a defensive mentality. Unfortunately, that term Hindu, rightly or wrongly, has acquired religious overtones today. Forget Christians and Muslims, even followers of Indic faiths like Buddhists, Jains or Sikhs, do not accept being called Hindus. To hark back to the ancient past and say at one time all Indians were Hindus is like the Israelis saying all Middle Easterners are Jews because at one time they were so. By that token, at an even older time we were all cavemen! It is time that the current leaders who swear by cultural nationalism, that is religion neutral, assert that Bharatiyata is at the core of our nationalism and India was never a 'Hindu Rashtra' and never will be in future and lay the ghost of the past to rest. Thus, they will be showing themselves true to the Vedic concepts of Vishva Bandhutva (universal brotherhood) -- India's gift to the world. With inputs from Lieutenant General Ashok Joshi (retd). Colonel Anil A Athale is a military historian. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 13:13:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WELLINGTON, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- China overtook the United States as the biggest market for New Zealand beef exports in 2019, the statistics department Stats NZ said on Thursday. In the year ended December 2019, beef exports to China rose 112 percent from 2018 to reach 1.7 billion NZ dollars (1.1 billion U.S. dollars). In contrast, beef exports to the United States fell 20 percent to 956 million NZ dollars (622 million U.S. dollars). "China became the number one destination for beef exports from New Zealand in 2019," international statistics manager Darren Allan said in a statement. "In 2019, nearly half of the total value and quantity of beef exports were sent to China. Around a quarter were exported to the U.S., reversing the figures for 2018 when it was the top destination," Allan said. The average unit values of beef exports for the December 2019 year to China and the United States both rose, by 12 percent and 15 percent, respectively, statistics showed. "The total value of beef exports to overseas markets was up in 2019, with higher prices and greater volumes," Allan said. China leads the increase in New Zealand exports, he said, adding that of the country's main export markets, China had the largest increase in annual exports, up 21 percent from 2018. Exports to China were the leading contributor to New Zealand's annual increases in several primary sector export commodities in 2019, including dairy products, beef, lamb, fish, and fruit, Stats NZ said. Exports to China have risen strongly in the last three years, and now make up 28 percent of New Zealand's total value of exports, up from 24 percent a year earlier, it said. Iran: 21-year-old Christian convert who criticized regime's oppression of believers arrested, missing Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A 21-year-old Christian convert in Iran known for highlighting the plight of persecuted believers and criticizing the countrys repressive government remains missing nearly three weeks after her arrest. The website Article 18 reports that Fatemeh Mohammadi, also known as Mary, was among those arrested on Jan. 12 near Azadi Square. At the time of her arrest, protests were taking place in response to the Iranian governments admission of guilt in the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane hit by two missiles. Mohammadi was apprehended by police and transported to an unknown location. Nearly three weeks after her arrest no one has heard from the young woman. On the day of her arrest, she published a series of tweets in which she said the Iranian people were facing soft repression, exposed only to news that the regime wanted them to read. In her tweets, she used hashtags that, when translated, mean hard-pressed and suppression is the norm." She added that tackling soft repression is even harder than tackling the hard repression," accusing the government of institutionalizing false beliefs through selective coverage of the news," and lies that are bigger and more repetitive make them more believable. The Christian activist was previously arrested three other times and spent six months in prison on charges of "membership in proselytizing groups," "Christian activity," and "acting against national security through propaganda against the regime." Just before her arrest, she was kicked out of the university she was attending for no given reason. A week later, she was arrested again. It appears that my religious beliefs and having a prior conviction [because of Christian activities] on security-related charges, as well as my human rights activism, are the reasons for banning me from further education, she told Article 18 at the time. The denial of basic and fundamental rights, such as the right to education, certainly can act as a pressure mechanism and is used as a lever to apply pressure on religious minorities and human rights activists in the hope that individuals will halt their activities and abandon their beliefs. Depriving me of my education is certainly intended to exert pressure upon me, and silence me. Persecution watchdog group Open Doors notes that Mohammadi also boldly spoke about believers rights, including the cruel treatment she received in prison, and ran a campaign petitioning for all Christians, including converts, to be given the right to worship in a church. When asked whether she feared for her safety, she responded that she was ready to return to prison to fight for the rights of Christians in Iran. Earlier this year, she wrote an open letter to Irans Minister of Intelligence, accusing him of violating the Iranian Constitution by targeting Christians. In it, she questioned why Christians are prevented from talking about their beliefs with their peers, while Muslims can freely engage in propaganda at schools, universities, mosques and shrines. Iran is ranked No. 9 on Open Doors' 2020 World Watch List of worst countries to live as a Christian. Iranian society is governed by Islamic law, which means the rights of and professional possibilities for Christians are heavily restricted, Open Doors notes. Christians are forbidden from sharing their faith with non-Christians in Iran, and it is illegal to produce Christian literature. According to the charity, over the 2020 World Watch List reporting period, there were at least 169 arrests of Christians, 114 of them made in one single week at the end of 2018. Many Iranian believers (especially converts) have been prosecuted and sentenced to long terms in jail. Others are still awaiting trial. Their families face public humiliation during this time, Open Doors reports. Last week, a court in Iran sentenced a 65-year-old convert to Christianity to three years in prison for insulting Islamic sacred beliefs even as he is yet to be tried in the court for two other charges. In December, Irans Revolutionary Court sentenced nine Christians to a combined total of 45 years in prison for converting to Christianity. The converts were arrested in January and February 2019. Christopher Ekpenyong, senator representing Akwa Ibom north-west, says Minister of Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio is an uncommon failure. The lawmaker said this on Thursday in Abuja while speaking with journalists after he was sworn in as the senator representing the district. Read Also: Akpabio Pulls Out Of Akwa Ibom Senatorial Rerun Ekpeyong, a former deputy governor who defeated Akpabio, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the rerun election that was held last Saturday said Akpabio did nothing while he was governor. Im ashamed of him. If he was investing, go to Akwa Ibom; there is nothing. When you talk of uncommon, what is uncommon or is it because he is uncommon failure? The fact that he became a governor was by accident and that is because our electoral process is porous. Thank God I have come to meet the discussion on the electoral act amendment because I am going to contribute, he said. He also accused Akpabio of trying to subvert the rerun poll, saying; He felt he could go to the election without resigning, then he flew a kite that he is not contesting but he failed to know that I am veteran in this game. We went to the election and I defeated him, I had 19,000 plus votes and he had 6,000 in his local government. The spotlight on brain injuries suffered by American troops in Iraq this month is an example of Americas episodic attention to this invisible war wound, which has affected hundreds of thousands over the past two decades but is not yet fully understood. Unlike physical wounds, such as burns or the loss of limbs, traumatic brain injuries arent obvious and can take time to diagnose. The full impact physically and psychologically may not be evident for some time, as studies have shown links between TBI and mental health problems. They cannot be dismissed as mere headaches the word used by President Donald Trump as he said the injuries suffered by the troops in Iraq were not necessarily serious. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a veteran of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, told reporters Thursday that the number of service members diagnosed with TBI from the Jan. 8 Iranian missile attack in Iraq has now grown beyond the 50 reported earlier this week, although he provided no specific number. Milley said all are categorized as mild injuries, but in some cases the troops will be monitored for the rest of their lives. Speaking alongside Milley, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the Pentagon is vigorously studying ways to prevent brain injuries on the battlefield and to improve diagnosis and treatment. Milley said its possible, in some cases, that symptoms of TBI from the Iranian missile attack on an air base in Iraq on Jan. 8 will not become apparent for a year or two. Were early in the stage of diagnosis, were early in the stage of therapy for these troops, Milley said. William Schmitz, national commander for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, last week cautioned the Trump administration against taking the TBI issue lightly. TBI is known to cause depression, memory loss, severe headaches, dizziness and fatigue, sometimes with long-term effects, he said, while calling on Trump to apologize for his misguided remarks. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr., a New Jersey Democrat and founder of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, faulted Trump for displaying a clear lack of understanding of the devastating impacts of brain injury. When it announced earlier this week that the number of TBI cases in Iraq had grown to 50, the Pentagon said more could come to light later. No one was killed in the missile attack, which was an Iranian effort to avenge the killing of Qassem Soleimani, its most powerful general and leader of its paramilitary Quds Force, in an American drone strike in Baghdad. Details of the U.S. injuries have not been made public, although the Pentagon said Tuesday that 31 of the 50 who were diagnosed with traumatic brain injury have recovered enough to return to duty. The severity of the other cases has not been disclosed. The Pentagon did not announce the first confirmed cases until more than a week after the Iranian attack; at that point it said there were 11 cases. The question of American casualties took on added importance at the time of the Iranian strike because the degree of damage was seen as influencing a U.S. decision on whether to counterattack and risk a broader war with Iran. Trump chose not to retaliate, and the Iranians then indicated their strike was sufficient for the time being. The arc of attention to TBI began in earnest, for the U.S. military, in the early years after it invaded Iraq in 2003 to topple President Saddam Hussein. His demise gave rise to an insurgency that confounded the Americans with crude but devastatingly effective roadside bombs. Survivors often suffered not just grievous physical wounds but also concussions that, along with psychological trauma, became known as the invisible wounds of war. For generations, battlefield traumatic brain injuries were not understood and often dismissed, said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat. The injuries have often been dismissed in part because the problem is not fully understood, although the Pentagon began focusing on the problem in the early 1990s when it established a head injury program that grew into todays Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center. Among its work, the center provides published reviews of research related to TBI, including links between severe TBI and behavioral issues such as alcohol abuse and suicide. A study published this month by University of Massachusetts Amherst health services researchers concluded that military members who suffered a moderate or severe TBI are more likely than those with other serious injuries to experience mental health disorders. Concern about TBI has recently given rise to questions about whether military members may suffer long-term health damage even from low-level blasts away from the battlefield, such as during training with artillery guns and shoulder-fired rockets. Were finding that even a mild blast can cause long-term, life-changing health issues, said Riyi Shi, a professor of neuroscience and biomedical engineering at Purdue University. A 2018 study by the federally funded RAND Corp. found a dearth of research and understanding of potential damage to the nervous system from repeated exposure to these lower-level blasts. That same year, the Center for a New American Security, a Washington think tank, released a study urging the Pentagon to conduct a blast surveillance program to monitor, record, and maintain data on blast pressure exposure for any soldier, in training or combat, who is likely to be in a position where he or she may be exposed to blasts. It said this should include brain imaging of soldiers who have been exposed to blasts as part of the study to better understand how blasts affect the brain. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The Geography of Jobs Has Changed It's Likely to Get Worse Either a Virtuous or Vicious Cycle Where the Money Goes The Beginnings of a Policy Response A Problem of Unprecedented Scale How much money do you make? Increasingly, the answer to that question depends on where you live.The nation's economic activity is increasingly concentrated in a tiny fraction of major metropolitan areas. By nearly every measure that matters job growth, income growth, share of business creation and investment there are about two dozen metros capturing the lion's share of the wealth."Since the Great Recession, there's an even greater concentration of net growth in businesses and human capital," says John Lettieri, president and CEO of the Economic Innovation Group (EIG), a research and advocacy group. "The winners of the longest economic boom in our nation's history are places that were already relatively well off."According to EIG, in the years following the recession fully half of net new business creation occurred in just 20 counties . More than three-quarters of total venture capital now flows to just three states : California, Massachusetts and New York.While the economy in the Bay Area, Boston and Seattle is booming, most places are losing workers. More than a third of the jobs in America's most innovative industries technology, computer manufacturing, biotech, telecommunications and the like are located in just 16 counties, according to a recent report from the Brookings Institution. More than half of those jobs are in 41 counties. All told, just 31 counties out of more than 3,000 nationwide account for a third of the nation's GDP.We've all become familiar with the idea that the nation's wealth is heavily concentrated in the hands of 1 percent of individuals. It's now clear that geographic inequality is creating another 1 percent problem, with just that fraction of superstar cities outpacing the rest of the country. Brookings hosted a conference today on ways to address this growing gap.As things stand, everyone's a loser as a result of the diverging economy. The boom cities are experiencing skyrocketing housing costs, homelessness and traffic congestion, while other places suffer from stagnating economies and all the social ills that follow The gap between rich and poor areas, between thriving urban centers and struggling rural communities, has also had political effects. While the nation's largest metros support Democrats, small cities and rural areas are becoming increasingly Republican."This particular transition is taking faster than prior transitions agricultural changes that took thousands of years, or the Industrial Revolution, which played out over a century," says Eric Schnurer, president of Public Works, a policy consulting firm. "People and institutions that come out on the short stick of this change, that are in a less secure position, are reacting against it."Geographic inequality is a major reason Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, promising to bring back older industries such as steel and coal and to revive the manufacturing economy. "We're splitting up, economically speaking, and that tends to show itself in political terms," says Roberto Gallardo, assistant director of the Purdue University Center for Regional Development.Now the problem is starting to draw attention from a broader range of policymakers, academics and investors. Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently released a proposal as part of his Democratic presidential campaign to invest in "place-based policies" designed to boost economic growth in mid-sized cities. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti helped found Accelerator for America , a nonprofit aimed at helping more communities build wealth and opportunity.AOL cofounder Steve Case andauthor J.D. Vance have each launched investment funds that are devoting millions of dollars to promoting economic growth and startup ecosystems in heartland communities. And on Monday, Silicon Valley investor David Roux announced a $100 million donation to Northeastern University for a research center in Portland, Maine, with the long-term aim of transforming that city into an innovation hub. "There's no reason we shouldn't be to Boston what San Jose is to San Francisco," Roux said at the announcement in Portland. "We live today in an innovation economy."There's no silver bullet that will solve a problem that's been growing for decades and is global in nature. Still, new investments and proposals that are moving out of think tanks and onto the political stage represent a welcome change from policies that have only served to exacerbate regional inequality.Throughout most of the 20th century, the economic fortunes of most of the country were converging. There were always areas that were richer, but those that were poor were catching up.It was a different economy back then, however. The automobile industry might have been headquartered in Detroit, but its supply chain stretched across multiple states and hundreds of miles. Mining and manufacturing in general had large indirect effects, putting lots of people to work in ancillary industries.American manufacturing is far from dead, but large numbers of factories that created well paying blue-collar jobs have shut down. Extractive industries have become highly mechanized , while agriculture is heavily consolidated. Farming and ranching were once dominant sources of employment in this country, but now direct farm employment makes up just over 1 percent of the national workforce In the industrial era, companies located in places that worked to their advantage, offering access to natural resources such as coal or timber that were essential to their products, as well as proximity to distribution nodes such as rivers and ports. But the rise of the service economy made such physical attributes much less important. "The advantage of natural resources peaked long ago," says Chris Briem, an economist at the University of Pittsburgh. "Fewer regions can rely on any geographic advantage."The Internet was supposed to free the economy and workers from the tyranny of place. People were supposed to be able to take their laptops and work remotely from the mountaintops or beach locations of their dreams.It hasn't worked out that way. Tech and other advanced industries, it turns out, benefit from what economists call agglomeration effects.Every industry tends to cluster. As innovation occurs, the gravity of successful enterprises pulls in entrepreneurs and workers from other places. That's proven to be especially true when it comes to information technology and biotech.In the tech economy, the need to be near highly skilled workers has supplanted the need to be near rivers and ports, notes Mark Muro, policy director for the Brooking Metropolitan Policy Program. "In a tech economy focused on talent, intellectual property and networks, things like agglomeration and clustering are much more important," he says.People planning a career in tech want to know they'll have options. In past decades, a worker who signed on at a manufacturing plant might be able to count on employment not just for the remainder of his own career but for his children as well. Today's workers, by contrast, assume they'll have to change jobs multiple times.So just as most aspiring actors move to New York or Los Angeles, tech workers tend to move to a small number of cities where they can be confident of plentiful job opportunities over the long haul. "You're not being attracted by a particular job," says Briem, the Pitt economist. "You're looking for that job and the next job. It's more important for there to be a concentration of jobs available for when you move on."The areas that pioneered the creation of the new economy have enjoyed so-called first-mover advantages. Their head starts have allowed them to build ecosystems where success bred further success.There's long been an assumption among economists that tech, like earlier industries, would inevitably spread out its operations and wealth. As people and firms are priced out of Boston and the Bay Area, so this thinking goes, they'll move to cheaper places such as Pittsburgh or Salt Lake City.There are certainly examples of that happening. On the whole, however, the areas rich in opportunity are continuing to get richer. According to the Brookings study, just five innovation clusters Boston, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose and Seattle enjoyed more than 90 percent of the job growth in advanced sectors between 2005 and 2017. "If you're a tech worker, you'll go to one of those five places," Muro says.The result is an ongoing sorting of talent. If there's not a mass migration of tech companies out of Boston and Silicon Valley, the cost of living in such places is driving out the people who lack the skill or education to land top-paying jobs. Meanwhile, areas that are less vibrant are losing their most talented workers to larger cities.The share of the population in metro areas with at least a bachelor's degree jumped by 22 percentage points between 1970 and 2018 , according to Purdue's Gallardo. Small cities and rural counties lagged behind, and now the share of college graduates among their populations is half that of metropolitan areas. "We've reached a level of sorting where the talented make the move but the others don't, because it doesn't make sense for them economically," Muro says.While many people are priced out of the innovation centers, struggling areas are seeing their populations age or drain. Consider the 207 counties mostly economically stressed counties in the Midwest that voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 but switched their support to Trump four years later in 2016. More than half of them lost population in the two years following Trump's election, according to the Economic Innovation Group. Nearly all of them 94 percent have experienced declines in their populations of people in prime working ages over the past decade. Less than 10 percent of Americans moved last year the lowest share since the Census Bureau began collecting that data back in the 1940s.Many people feel priced out of the places where job growth is most rapid. In San Francisco, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment has topped $3,500. Zoning and land use policies in such places have put de facto limits on housing, making it harder for people to move where the jobs are. In March, San Francisco residents will vote on a ballot measure that would cap new office-space construction unless the city meets affordable-housing goals.Back in the industrial age, people moved where the jobs were. That makes less sense for people who lack the skills and education to command a top salary at Apple or Amazon.Millions of Americans are shackled by other policies that discourage them from reinventing themselves. Roughly 20 percent of jobs now require some form of occupational licensing, up from 5 percent back in the 1950s. More than 30 million Americans are covered by non-compete agreements. "An enormous share of our workers are blocked from doing the rational thing stop being here and go somewhere else and do something else," says Lettieri, the Economic Innovation Group's president.Buy while many workers are boxed out of the job creation centers, capital is still flooding in. Even as foundations and philanthropists are trying to revive places such as Cleveland and Detroit, large portions of their wealth are actually being invested in the booming tech cities. University endowments, public employee pension funds, insurance companies, rich individuals all of them are shipping money out of their own hometowns. "It's not just an economic restructuring," says Bruce Katz, co-founder and director of the Nowak Metro Finance Lab at Drexel University. "It's also magnified by investment distortions."There's an entire "wealth export industry," Katz says private equity firms, wealth management companies and other financial institutions that are sending money out of the heartland to chase returns in a small number of cities and alpha industries. If their clients could be convinced to invest more locally, it could help combat the problem of the overconcentration of the economy, Katz argues."It's leading to over-investment in a few cities and under-investment in dozens of places that have innovations infrastructure in place," he says. "If we have a combination of smart federal policy and some new norms and models in the investor world, we might be able to address this imbalance."The federal tax cut package enacted in 2017 included the creation of an Opportunity Zones program designed to spur economic investment in low-income neighborhoods. There are more than 8,700 qualifying zones scattered across all 50 states.Some analysts are calling for direct federal investment on a massive scale. In their 2019 book, MIT economists Jonathan Gruber and Simon Johnson call for the federal government to invest $100 billion a year in scientific research and development in more than 100 cities they think can be turned into technology hubs.The Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program is calling for a similar investment that would be more geographically targeted. It recommends that the feds spend $100 billion over 10 years to help build up advanced-industry clusters in eight to 10 metros that already have assets in place, such as research universities, and with them the capacity to be put on a more dynamic trajectory.The Brookings proposal had a clear influence on Bloomberg's new plan . Meanwhile, research from the Economic Innovation Group suggesting that immigration policy should support growth in metro areas experiencing population decline or economic stagnation has informed proposals from two other Democratic presidential candidates, Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg "One of the things driving this divergence is the demographic landscape," says EIG President Lettieri. "When you have so much of the country seeing a shrinking of their prime age workforce the vast majority losing prime age workers and most set to lose again in the next decade that's just a fundamentally different picture than what we've had for the last 100 years."The entire world is urbanizing. More than half the global population now lives in cities, a share projected to rise to above two-thirds by 2050 . The same forces that are concentrating economic activity in this country are also creating regional winners and losers everywhere from China to the United Kingdom.In the U.S., the forces that are pushing jobs and economic growth to a small number of superstar cities are playing out on a smaller scale in practically every state. Cities such as Indianapolis and Omaha, Neb., can't really compete with the Seattles and San Franciscos, but they're certainly outpacing other parts of their states. They're also seeing sizable rent increases, albeit at a less alarming rate than along the coasts. "You see a lot of the national problems in microcosm in regions," Lettieri says. "Every state is spiky, just like the national economy is spiky."From a purely economic perspective, there are benefits to having innovation clusters. The concentration of the economy, in fact, is based on the reality that there's a bigger national economic boost when thousands of tech companies locate in Silicon Valley, as opposed to having one tech company in each of thousands of different places."You wouldn't actually get the innovation if you took the people working on those things and spread them around the country," says Salim Furth, director of the Urbanity project at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. "We rely on face-to-face contact to come up with great innovation and changes."But not everything is about economics. People want to stay in their hometowns for a variety of reasons, whether it's family, culture or quality of life. Having a country where most of the new opportunities are opening up in just a few places places that as a result have become unaffordable to most people is ultimately not sustainable. "I do worry that these trends are a very good way to undermine consensus in the country," says Muro, the Brookings senior fellow. "It may be that some of this is contributing to greater skepticism about the innovation economy and tech. Most people feel very remote from the coastal hubs in which the millennial bros develop the economy."Muro concedes that the Brookings proposal having the federal government try to develop "growth poles" in eight or 10 regions will be a difficult sell politically. The feds tend to spread economic development investments around pretty thin creating Opportunity Zones in 8,000 communities, not eight of them.Even if a consensus develops that the federal government must play an active role in investment in an effort to reverse or ameliorate the trends that are concentrating economic activity, there will be political pressure both to spend less money and to spend it in more places.The problem isn't going to solve itself. Economic concentration is increasing, not diminishing. We're moving from skepticism that this concentration is a real problem to a recognition that the problem is grave. The growing political divide, between urban areas that are aligned with the global economy and less populated areas that are not, shows that the present course is not sustainable."The forces that we've been discussing are so powerful, it really is a serious question about how we can alter them," Muro says. "But we think this country really hasn't tried [to address them] before, and tried on this scale." MEDFORD, Ore. Right now, over 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimers Disease. There is no treatment to cure, delay or stop the progression of the disease. Alzheimers is the 6th leading cause of death in the U.S. It kills more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined, according to the Alzheimers Association. Not only does Alzheimers and other forms of dementia impact those diagnosed with the disease, it also greatly impacts their caregivers, which are often times immediate family. Keith Drahn became the primary caregiver for his wife Mary when she was first diagnosed about nine years ago. He says that as the disease progressed, he truly began to feel the impact. "A warm, loving woman who was a child magnet preschoolers were always attracted to her," Drahn said, describing Mary before her diagnosis. "She reached a point where her anger would come out a couple of times a day, getting up at 2:30 in the morning. Someone said 'you really need to go to a support group.'" RELATED: Alzheimer's Walk in Medford raises more than $71,000 According to the Alzheimers Association, 60 percent of caregivers pass away before the people they care for. For family members caring for their loved ones, the stress from caregiving and grief can impact overall health; not to mention the emotional toll it can take to walk through memory loss with someone you love. "We did our best to keep her at home . . . even with family there, it just reached a point where I could see that my health was diminishing and I need to do something different," said Drahn. As a response to fill the need for support, the Medford Senior Center Support Group meets regularly. The group is for caregivers and those who have been diagnosed. The room is divided so that each group can speak freely and receive support. "The group pointed me to some resources for respite care for a time before we finally placed her," said Drahn. "So information, encouragement, wisdom all of those things were very helpful and I'd be lost without them." You can join this support group by contacting Jerry Hauck at 541-261-3578 or Marya Kain at 541-601-5341. U.S. Congress Passes Resolution In Support Of Iranian Protesters 01/30/20 The U.S. House of representatives has passed a resolution in support Iranians protesters. The House Resolution 752 supports the rights of the people of Iran to free expression, condemning the Iranian regime for its crackdown on legitimate protests. The resolution was introduced in December 2019 following widespread protests in mid-November violently suppressed by Iran's security forces. It passed without an objection on January 28, 2020. Whereas, on November 15, 2019, popular protests against the Iranian regime began and rapidly spread to at least 100 cities throughout the country, in the most significant antigovernment protests in Iran since June 2009; Whereas the protests began in response to an announced increase on the price of fuel and protesters have expressed numerous economic grievances, while also calling for the structural reform of the political system and condemning current and former Iranian leaders; Whereas reports indicate that Iranian security forces have used lethal force in arresting more than 7,000 people and killed hundreds of people in connection with the protests; Whereas reports indicate that Iranian Government authorities have, in many instances, refused to return victims' bodies to their families and that security forces have removed bodies from morgues and transferred them to unknown locations; Whereas, on November 16, 2019, Iranian authorities began implementing a near-total shutdown of internet services, stopping nearly all means of online communications for people inside Iran, to preclude the sharing of images and videos of deadly violence being used by security forces; Whereas section 103(b)(2)(B) of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 (22 U.S.C. 8512(b)(2)(B)) authorizes licensing services relating to personal communications over the Internet, to improve the ability of the Iranian people to speak freely; Whereas General License D-1 authorizes the provision of key communication tools to the Iranian people with the aim of ensuring that the Iranian people can freely access the internet; Whereas, on November 16, 2019, Iran's Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said that the Iranian regime will no longer show "tolerance" and "self-control" toward the protesters; Whereas, on November 17, 2019, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called the demonstrators "villains" galvanized by foreign enemies and domestic insurgents and ordered Iranian security services to "implement their duties" to end the protests; Whereas, on November 18, 2019, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps deployed to the city of Mahshahr and engaged in mass repression, reportedly killing as many as 100 people; Whereas several laws provide authorities to designate and sanction elements of the Iranian regime involved in significant corruption or serious human rights abuses, including the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010, the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, and the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012; Whereas the Iranian regime was implicated in a March 2018 plot in Albania and June 2018 plot in France against Iranian opposition activists; Whereas Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Basij militia have been sanctioned by the United States for planning and carrying out serious human rights abuses against the Iranian people, including for the cruel and prolonged torture of political dissidents; Whereas in August 2018 the United States criminally charged two persons for acting as illegal agents of the Government of Iran for having conducted surveillance on Jewish and Israeli facilities and Iranian political dissidents; Whereas the regime has routinely violated the human rights of Iranian citizens, including by implementing ongoing, systematic, and serious restrictions of freedom of peaceful assembly and association and freedom of opinion and expression, including the continuing closures of media outlets, arrests of journalists, and the censorship of expression in online forums such as blogs and websites; Whereas the Department of State's 2018 Human Rights Report on Iran noted "severe restrictions on free expression, the press, and the internet, including censorship, site blocking, and criminalization of libel; substantial interference with the rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of association, such as overly restrictive nongovernmental organization (NGO) laws; egregious restrictions of religious freedom; restrictions on political participation; widespread corruption at all levels of government"; Whereas, on November 18, 2019, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that, "The United States is monitoring the ongoing protests in Iran closely. We condemn strongly any acts of violence committed by this regime against the Iranian people and are deeply concerned by reports of several fatalities * * *. The Islamic Republic must cease violence against its own people and should immediately restore the ability of all Iranians to access a free and open Internet."; Whereas, on November 22, 2019, the United States imposed sanctions on Iran's Minister of Information and Communications Technology for his role in shutting down internet access in Iran; Whereas, on November 18, 2019, the Office of the German Chancellor stated that, "It is legitimate and deserving of our respect when people courageously air their economic and political grievances, as is currently happening in Iran. The Iranian government should respond to the current protests with a willingness to engage in dialogue * * *. We urge the government in Tehran to respect freedom of assembly and expression."; Whereas, on November 20, 2019, the French Foreign Ministry stated that, "France is following the demonstrations taking place in Iran with concern. It expresses its deep concern at reports that a large number of demonstrators have been killed in the last few days. It reaffirms its attachment to respect for the freedom of expression and to access to means of communication, as well as to the right to demonstrate peacefully. France calls on Iran to comply with its international human rights obligations, in particular the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights."; Whereas, on November 21, 2019, the European Union stated that, "The protests in several Iranian cities over the past days have, according to reports, led to serious loss of life and left many people injured. We convey our condolences to the families of victims and wish a speedy recovery to those injured. Socio-economic challenges should be addressed through inclusive dialogue and not through the use of violence. We expect Iran's security forces to exercise maximum restraint in handling the protests and for protestors to demonstrate peacefully. Any violence is unacceptable. The rights to freedom of expression and assembly must be guaranteed. We also expect the Iranian authorities to ensure the free flow of information and access to the internet."; Whereas, on November 26, 2019, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo stated, "The Iranian people are once again on the streets because of the regime's poor economic management. And instead of addressing their grievances, Tehran has responded with violence and blaming those outside of the country."; Whereas, on December 8, 2019, the High Representative of the European Union Josep Borrell Fontelles stated that, "A growing body of evidence indicates that despite repeated calls for restraint, the Iranian security forces' disproportionate response to recent demonstrations has led to high numbers of deaths and injuries. For the European Union and its Member States, the widespread and disproportionate use of force against nonviolent protestors is unacceptable."; Whereas, on December 8, 2019, the High Representative of the European Union Josep Borrell Fontelles stated that "A growing body of evidence indicates that despite repeated calls for restraint, the Iranian security forces' disproportionate response to recent demonstrations has led to high numbers of deaths and injuries. For the European Union and its Member States, the widespread and disproportionate use of force against nonviolent protestors is unacceptable."; Whereas Iran is a member of the United Nations, voted for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, among other international human rights treaties; Whereas in violation of these and other international obligations, Iranian regime officials continue to violate the fundamental human rights of the Iranian people; Whereas the Iranian regime has a long history of violent repression of dissent, including- (1) in 1988, the Iranian regime carrying out the barbaric mass executions of thousands of political prisoners by hanging and firing squad for refusing to renounce their political affiliations and in some cases for possessing political reading material, including prisoners of conscience, teenagers, and pregnant women; (2) in 1999, the Iranian regime brutally suppressing a student revolt that was one of the largest mass uprisings up until that point in the country since 1979; (3) following voting irregularities that resulted in the 2009 election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian regime brutally suppressing peaceful political dissent from wide segments of civil society during the Green Revolution in a cynical attempt to retain its undemocratic grip on power; and (4) beginning in December 2017, and continuing for several months after protests erupted in more than 80 cities, the Iranian regime suppressing such protests with repressive force that resulted in at least 25 deaths and 4,000 arrests; Whereas, on January 9, 2018, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed H. Res. 676, a resolution supporting the rights of the people of Iran to free expression and condemning the Iranian regime for its crackdown on legitimate protests; Whereas, on December 5, 2019, the Department of State identified the Great Tehran Penitentiary (Fashafuyeh) and Qarchack Prison as entities responsible for gross violations of internationally recognized human rights in Iran and subject to the imposition of sanctions under section 106 of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (22 U.S.C. 9405); Whereas, on January 8, 2020, the Iranian military shot down a civilian airliner Ukrainian Airlines Flight 752 in a surface-to-air missile strike, killing 176 civilians aboard; Whereas for 3 days, the Iranian military denied that it shot down Ukrainian Airlines Flight 752 before admitting responsibility on January 11, 2020; Whereas peaceful protestors amassed throughout Iran on January 11, 2020, and subsequent days, decrying the Government of Iran's downing of the Ukrainian airliner, subsequent campaign of lies and obfuscation, and continued undemocratic practices; and Whereas in response to peaceful protests throughout early January 2020, Iranian Government forces fired live rounds and used brutal tactics against civilians in a manner well-documented by international human rights organizations, media, and scores of Iranians: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives- (1) stands with the people of Iran that are engaged in legitimate and peaceful protests against an oppressive, corrupt regime; (2) condemns the Iranian regime's serious human rights abuses against the Iranian people, significant corruption, and destabilizing activities abroad; (3) commends the statements of support for the protesters from the executive branch and key allies; (4) calls on all democratic governments and institutions to clearly support the Iranian people's right to live in a free society; (5) demands that the Iranian regime abide by its international obligations with respect to human rights and civil liberties, including freedoms of assembly, speech, and press; (6) urges the Administration to work to convene emergency sessions of the United Nations Security Council and the United Nations Human Rights Council to condemn the ongoing human rights violations perpetrated by the Iranian regime and establish a mechanism by which the Security Council can monitor such violations; (7) encourages the Administration to provide assistance to the Iranian people to have free and uninterrupted access to the internet, including by broadening General License D-1; (8) calls on companies to reject requests by the regime to cut off the Iranian people from social media and other communications platforms; (9) respects the proud history and rich culture of the Iranian nation and fully supports efforts by the people of Iran to promote the establishment of basic freedoms that build the foundation for the emergence of a freely elected, open, and democratic political system; (10) supports the right of Iranian dissidents to assemble, without fear of persecution and violence, whether in Iran or internationally; and (11) urges the President and the Secretary of State to work with the international community to ensure that violations of human rights are part of all formal and informal multilateral or bilateral discussions with and regarding Iran. WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidates Michael Bloomberg and Joe Biden on Thursday announced endorsements from prominent African American mayors as next weeks leadoff Iowa caucuses near. Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington, D.C., is backing Bloomberg, a billionaire businessman and former New York City mayor. His outreach and charitable support of city leaders has helped him rack up more than two-dozen endorsements since entering the race late last year. Biden, the former vice-president whose campaign relies on his strong support among black voters, was endorsed by Levar Stoney, the mayor of Richmond, Virginia. While Bowser may have a higher national profile as the leader of the nations capital, Stoney may prove to be a more significant pickup. Stoney heads the largest city in Virginia, which votes March 3, when 14 states have their turn in the nominating process after the early states have voted. The District of Columbia is the last jurisdiction in the country to vote in the primary, on June 2. MEXICO CITY The raid delivered a resounding blow to Mexico Citys most fearsome criminal group: 31 suspected gang members were arrested, two drug labs were uncovered and a criminal bounty was seized, including two and a half tons of marijuana, 44 pounds of cocaine and an arsenal of weapons. Within a few days, however, the case had collapsed. A judge, finding inconsistencies in the prosecutions files, freed nearly all of the suspects. And a major victory for the government turned into a major embarrassment. The outcome was, in some ways, a reaffirmation of Mexicos new criminal justice system. A sweeping overhaul of the judiciary, fully carried out in 2016, has created more transparency in the courts, raised the standards of evidence and given judges more authority to toss out charges because of procedural errors. But with this shift to stronger due process, government officials have come to a difficult realization: An overhaul meant to strengthen the nations ability to combat violence and impunity has also made it more difficult to put people behind bars and keep them there. WASHINGTON - Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee declared late Thursday night he will oppose calling more witnesses in President Donald Trumps impeachment trial, all but dashing Democratic efforts for more testimony and pushing the Senate toward an imminent vote to acquit the president. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/1/2020 (713 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. In this image from video, a graphic is displayed as House impeachment manager Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., answers a question during the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020. (Senate Television via AP) WASHINGTON - Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee declared late Thursday night he will oppose calling more witnesses in President Donald Trumps impeachment trial, all but dashing Democratic efforts for more testimony and pushing the Senate toward an imminent vote to acquit the president. A vote on witnesses, expected Friday, could lead to an abrupt end and assured acquittal in only the third presidential impeachment trial in American history. Trump was pressing for action in time for his State of the Union address, and that now seems likely. As the Senate adjourned late Thursday, it set the date for Tuesday night's speech. Despite the Democrats' singular, sometimes-passionate focus on witnesses after revelations from John Bolton, the former national security adviser, the numbers are now falling short. It would take four Republicans to break with the 53-seat majority and join with all Democrats to demand more testimony. Chief Justice John Roberts, in the rare role presiding over the impeachment trial, could break a tie, but that seems unlikely. Alexander said in a statement there was no need for more evidence, giving the Trump team the likelihood of a Senate vote in its direction. Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts departs at the end of the day in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) Democrats built pressure on senators for testimony, but Trump's lawyers argued it would take too long as they sped forward, even after Bolton's potential eyewitness account to Trump's actions detailed in a forthcoming book brought uncertainty. Before Alexander's statement, Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said late Thursday she would vote to allow witnesses in the impeachment trial, briefly raising Democrats' hopes for a breakthrough. But Alexander minutes later said that there is no need for more evidence to prove something that has already been proven and that does not meet the U.S. Constitutions high bar for an impeachable offence. In this image from video, presiding officer Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts gets a card with the question submitted by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., aside as declines to read the question as written during the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30 2020. (Senate Television via AP) Collins, Alexander and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska were playing an outsized role in the final hours of debate with pointed questions. Another Republican senator, Mitt Romney of Utah, has made clear he will vote for witnesses. Murkowksi is expected to announce her decision on Friday, ahead of voting. Trump was impeached by House last month on charges that he abused his power like no other president, jeopardizing Ukraine and U.S.-Ukraine relations. Democrats say Trump asked he vulnerable ally to investigate Joe Biden and debunked theories of 2016 election interference, temporarily halting American security aid to the country as it battled Russia at its border. The second article of impeachment says Trump then obstructed the House probe in a way that threatened the nation's three-branch system of checks and balances. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., calls on a reporter during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, during the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. (AP Photo/ Jacquelyn Martin) Bolton's forthcoming book contends he personally heard Trump say he wanted military aid withheld from Ukraine until it agreed to investigate the Bidens. Trump denies saying such a thing. Thursday's testimony included soaring pleas to the senators-as-jurors who will decide Trump's fate, to either stop a president who Democrats say has tried to cheat in the upcoming election and will again, or to shut down impeachment proceedings that Republicans insist were never more than a partisan attack. Lets give the country a trial they can be proud of, said Rep. Adam Schiff, the lead prosecutor for House Democrats. He offered to take just one week for depositions of new witnesses, sparking new discussions. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., talks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, during the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Trump attorney Eric Herschmann declared the Democrats are only prosecuting the president because they can't beat him in 2020. We trust the American people to decide who should be our president, Herschmann said. Enough is Enough. Stop all of this. Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was toiling to keep Friday's vote on schedule even as the trial was unearthing fresh evidence from Bolton's new book and raising alarms among Democrats and some Republicans about a Trump attorneys controversial defence. In this image from video, House impeachment manager Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., answers a question during the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30 2020. (Senate Television via AP) In a day-after tweet, Trump attorney Alan Dershowitz, complained about the portrayal of his Wednesday night testimony when he said a president is essentially immune from impeachment if he believes his actions to be in the national interest. That idea frustrated some inside the White House, who felt Dershowitz's claim was unnecessary and inflammatory irking senators with a controversial claim of vast executive powers. But those officials left it to Dershowitz to back away, wary that any public White House retreat would be viewed poorly by the president. I said nothing like that, the retired professor tweeted Thursday. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, walks to the Senate chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, during a break in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) His words Wednesday night: "Every public official that I know believes that his election is in the public interest. And if a president does something which he believes will help him get elected is in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment." The president has argued repeatedly that his dealings with Ukraine have been perfect. Asked about it as one of the first questions Thursday, Democrat Schiff, said, "Have we learned nothing in the last half century? Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, talks with reporters as in the basement of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, while leaving at the end of a session in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Schiff drew on the lessons of the Nixon era to warn of a normalization of lawlessness in the Trump presidency. Republicans Collins, Romney and Murkowski all have expressed interest in hearing from Bolton and the others in the trial and captivated attention during the final hours of questions. Murkowski drew a reaction when she asked simply: "Why should this body not call Ambassador Bolton?" Alexander, who was influenced by the late Howard Baker who broke with his party over Richard Nixon also captured attention when he questioned partisanship in the proceedings thus far. In response to Alexander and others, Democrat Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California, a congressional staffer during Watergate and now a House prosecutor, told the senators that the Nixon impeachment also started as a partisan inquiry before a bipartisan consensus emerged. She told them while the House acted on party lines against Trump, the Senate "the greatest deliberative body on the planet'' has a new opportunity. 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. Alexander is also close allies with McConnell, and after his question Thursday night he consulted with a key staff aide to the leader. As the senators broke for dinner, Alexander and Murkowski met privately. Senators dispatched more than 100 queries over two days. The questions came from the parties' leaders, the senators running for the Democratic nomination against Trump and even bipartisan coalitions from both sides of the aisle. Trump's lawyers focused some of their time Thursday refloating allegations against Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, who served on the board of a gas company in Ukraine while his father was vice-president. Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., one of the managers, said the Bidens have little to tell the Senate about Trump's efforts to shake down Ukraine for his campaign. The White House has blocked its officials from testifying in the proceedings and objected that there is significant amounts of classified information" in the manuscript. Bolton resigned last September Trump says he was fired and he and his attorney have insisted the book does not contain any classified information. ___ Associated Press writers Alan Fram, Andrew Taylor, Matthew Daly, Laurie Kellman and Padmananda Rama contributed to this report. RALEIGH, N.C. - A 12-member team from North Carolina is spending two weeks in Puerto Rico helping islanders deal with earthquake damage. The state Division of Emergency Management says structural engineers, an architect and search and rescue team are assessing damage from the earthquakes and aftershocks that began in late December. Theyre focusing first on residences to make sure theyre structurally sound enough for families to return home. Puerto Ricos emergency management office requested the help through a mutual-assistance compact. North Carolina also provided extensive help to Puerto Rico in late 2017, after Hurricane Maria. People wearing face masks walks outside Beijing Railway Station as the country is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus, in Beijing, China January 30, 2020. (Photo : REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins) The whole world has to be on alert to address the spread of coronavirus, the World Health Organization said. The health agency urged nations to prepare in detecting any cases that occur and isolate and deal with the sick. WHO will reconvene its expert committee on Thursday to determine whether or not to claim the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. There at the moment are more than 7,000 confirmed cases of viral pneumonia resulting from the virus and 170 deaths - all are from China. Just 68 cases were confirmed in 15 nations outside China. However, there was human-to-human transmission in Germany, Vietnam, and Japan - which elevated fears over the unfold of the disease. ALSO READ: Where Did Chinese Coronavirus Go? Dr. Michael Ryan, the head of the WHO health emergency program, urged the nations to be on alert now. He underscored the need to take action and be ready for any cases coming from the epicenter or other places that had the virus. He and the WHO director-general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, lauded China for its efforts in containing the virus. Tedros said they had recorded 68 cases outside China, and no deaths are due in no small part of the countries due to the efforts China has made. China is doing the steps at the expense of its economy and other factors, according to Tedros. But China's containment of the coronavirus, which likely emerged from wild animals sold in Wuhan's seafood market, has only reduced the risk to the rest of the world. "The continued increase in cases and the proof of human-to-human transmission outside China are deeply concerning," Tedros stated. While the numbers outside China are still enormously small, the health official said the virus could multiply and cause an outbreak. Ryan noted that more than 190 countries are implementing unilateral measures that could create a "potential recipe for disaster." The evacuation of foreign nationals from Wuhan started with airlifting hundreds of people sponsored by Japan and the United States. A government-chartered aircraft sporting 206 Japanese citizens arrived in Tokyo from Wuhan on Wednesday morning. Health officials said two passengers showed symptoms of pneumonia following scans, but a coronavirus diagnosis had not been confirmed. Two more were admitted to the hospital, while seven others with symptoms such as coughs and fever will undergo tests. The passengers had been sent home with instructions to stay in and avoid human interaction for 14 days. Unicef sends breathing masks, protecting suits to China Unicef said it had shipped six tonnes of breathing mask and protecting suits to Shanghai to support health workers. Henrietta Fore, Unicef's executive director, noted the coronavirus is spreading at a breakneck pace, and it is critical to position all the essential resources to prevent the sickness from spreading. While no one could still determine the virus' impact on children or how many may be affected, Fore noted that close monitoring and prevention are the solutions to the situation. British Airways said on Wednesday it had suspended all direct flights to and from mainland China after the British government warned against "all unnecessary" trips to the country. Kolkata, Jan 31 : As some employees of retail chain Pantaloons alleged that they were suspended for singing the national anthem, the company, here on Thursday, termed the claim "unsubstantiated and mischievous". Some employees at the Aditya Birla Group company's showrooms in Kolkata had posted videos in the social media claiming they were punished for playing the national anthem. "25 of the 150 employees were suspended for playing of the national anthem and backing those against whom action was being taken. Since then, suspension letters are being slapped one after another," said an employee. Displaying posters that read "Pantaloon employees want justice from management", they have been holding sit-in at the company's Camac Street showroom in south Kolkata over the past six days. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rakesh Singh met the agitating employees and backed their protest. Singh said the show-cause and suspension notice slapped on one of the employees at the Avani Mall showroom in Howrah on September 19 last year referred to "raising question about playing of music at the store on the occasion of the Independence Day." "It has been reported against you that on 15th August 2019, between 12-30 p.m. and 1.45 p.m. you misbehaved with store manager and abused him in front of customer, raising questions about playing of music at the store on the occasion of Independence Day and also misbehaved with one customer while on duty," said the purported letter, according to Singh. The letter, however, also mentions several other charges of indiscipline, including rowdy behaviour, using abusive/filthy languages, taking leave without intimation, usually coming late against the employee. A. Singh, President of the Pantaloon Permanent and Contractual Employees Union, claimed the that the notice triggered the issue. "As several other staff members at various showrooms backed this employee, 24 others were suspended," Singh told IANS. According to Singh, on his request the employees have withdrawn the agitation and given the management seven days to take 'rectification measures'. "Our (BJP) top leaders have decided to give the management some time to rectify, so that the message doesn't go that we are trying to browbeat businesses. I went there and requested them to give seven days to management. If the management doesn't withdraw the punitive measures, after seven days there will be extensive protest," he said. Rubbishing claims of employees being penalised for playing the national anthem, the company said action was taken against them on disciplinary grounds. "Pantaloons would like to deny the unsubstantiated and mischievous claim that some employees in Kolkata were suspended for playing the national anthem. These malicious insinuations are aimed to obfuscate facts," the company said. Pantaloons, a 20-year-old brand born in Kolkata, has 1,215 employees on its rolls in West Bengal. A few days ago, some employees were served suspension notice, pending enquiry, due to gross acts of indiscipline that are being investigated through a fair and impartial process. "Disciplinary action was taken due to a variety of reasons, ranging from acts of violence in the presence of customers, disrupting store operations, threatening female employees and abusing co-workers," said a company spokesman. The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, adjourned the trial of a former governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, till January 31. The judge, Okon Abang, gave the ruling after the defence counsel informed the court that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)s counsel, Leke Atolagbe, had just served them with the additional proof of evidence in the ongoing case. News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Suswam and the then Commissioner for Finance in his administration, Omadachi Oklobia, are being prosecuted before the court on N3.1 billion money laundering charges. They were accused by the EFCC of diverting the money which was said to be part of the proceeds of the sale of some shares of Benue State in a company. Mr Suswam, is currently a senator representing the Benue North-East Senatorial District. Mr Abang had, on November 26, adjourned the trial continuation till January 30. At the resumed hearing on Friday, the 1st defendant (Suswam)s counsel, Chinelo Ogbozor, enumerated reasons the court should adjourn the matter. She argued that the case was presently before the Court of Appeal and that the court had reserved judgment in the suit with number: CA/A/1007C/2019, urging the court to adjourn pending the delivery of judgment by the court. Mrs Ogbozor also said the prosecution counsel had just served them with about 200-page additional proof of evidence the previous day (January 29), thereby denying them of the adequate time and facility to respond to the application as provided for by Section 36(6)(b) and Item 4 of the Practice Direction of the Federal High Court. Also speaking, Counsel to 2nd defendant, Paul Erokoro, SAN, said besides that the EFCC lawyer served them the document the previous day, some of the pages were illegible. However, in his argument, the prosecution counsel, Mr Atolagbe, disagreed with the defence counsel. In his ruling, the judge, who refused to grant Mrs Ogbozors request based on the Appeal Courts trial, said the defendants demand could only be granted as a result of the delay by the prosecution to serve them on time. I think the defence has a point here, Mr Abang held. On the illegibility of some of the pages in the additional proof of evidence by the EFCC, the judge said it was a subjective issue and the court could not make a pronouncement on this. Mr Abang, therefore, adjourned the trial continuation to give the defence adequate time and facility to study the additional proof of evidence served on them by the EFCC. (NAN) On Thursday, NASAs Spitzer space telescope signed off and went silent. But even during its final week of operation, the spacecraft was making one-of-a-kind observations. The telescope, the size of a family sedan, follows Earth in its orbit around the sun, but trails 158 million miles behind. Lately, it has gazed out with its infrared eyes, taking sensitive measurements of fine cosmic dust that pervades the space between planets in the solar system. The resulting imagery will enable researchers to better understand our local celestial neighborhood, while informing models of worlds circling other stars and giving insight into the early universe. Since it launched on Aug. 25, 2003, Spitzer has provided unique contributions to science. It gave us new views of distant galaxies, newborn stars and nearby exoplanets, as well as of asteroids, comets and other objects in our solar system. Its infrared cameras have observed the universe in a light imperceptible to human senses, providing otherwise unattainable visions of the sky. There is no field of investigation that has not been touched by Spitzer, said Daniela Calzetti, an astronomer at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, who has used the telescope to study galactic evolution. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 30, 2020) - OSPREY GOLD DEVELOPMENT LTD. (TSXV: OS) (OTCQB: OSSPF) (the "Company" or "Osprey") is pleased to announce assay results from the first 3 holes of its 13 hole, 2,003 metre ("m") drill program at the Company's Goldenville Property, located in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia. All three holes returned elevated gold values, including hole G19-18 which returned 2.0 m of 269.15 grams per ton gold ("g/t Au") ("g/t Au") Hole G19-16 and G19-17 both encountered multiple zones of gold mineralization, including G17-19 which encountered a zone of 8.0 m of 0.80 g/t Au - this area is open to the east All three holes step-out from the existing mineral resource area Results demonstrate that narrow high-grade gold mineralization and lower-grade disseminated gold mineralization are abundant at Goldenville. 24% of samples in holes G19-16 and G19-17 returned greater than 0.1 g/t Au. This indicates continued potential for disseminated mineralization on the property. Results from an additional five holes drilled at Goldenville and five holes drilled at the Mitchell Lake Zone are pending Company President Cooper Quinn said, "We're very pleased with these initial results from the drill program at Goldenville. Twenty-four percent of samples in holes G19-16 and G19-17 returned over 0.1 g/t Au, indicating continued potential for disseminated mineralization on the property especially in this area along the south limb of the main structure - this is the style of mineralization we were targeting with these holes. The spectacular high grade results we see in hole G19-18, near the Stuart shaft show how even near the most significant areas of mining in Nova Scotia, abundant gold remains in the near surface environment. Narrow, high grade gold mineralization is not the focus of Osprey's programs, however they remain an important part of the story in the Meguma Terrane both for the historical mining, and in a modern context. We're looking forward to additional results from holes working to expand our existing resource at Goldenville, and as well from the five holes drilled at Mitchell Lake, where we drilled disseminated gold mineralization in 2017 (See News Release dated March 1, 2018)" Significant results from the first batch of assays released are available below in Table 1, with collar location data in Table 2. Holes G19-16 and G19-17 were drilled to the north stepping out along strike from a zone with sulphide-rich argillite sequences anomalous in gold mineralization encountered in 2017. The mineralized intercepts in these holes occur within bedding parallel quartz veins, as well as lower grade mineralization within the argillite and greywacke host rocks. Both holes encountered multiple zones of gold mineralization, including G19-17 which encountered a zone of 8.0 m of 0.80 g/t Au. This area of the structure remains relatively untested for approximately 700 m of strike to the east, and was the subject of additional drilling in 2019 with assays still pending. Assay results returned from hole G19-18 encountered one main zone of high-grade mineralization, with significant visible gold in quartz veins, as well as the surrounding argillites. The two 1 m samples in this zone contained 517 g/t Au, and 21.3 g/t Au respectively, as reported by metallic screen analysis. Table 1 - Drill results from 2019 Exploration Program Hole ID From To Width Au (g/t) G19-16 71.1 72.1 1.0 0.98 G19-16 115.5 117.5 2.0 1.01 G19-16 194.0 209.5 14.0 0.40 incl 194.0 206.5 11.0 0.46 incl 199.0 206.5 6.0 0.59 incl 205.5 206.5 1.0 2.53 G19-17 55.0 61.0 6.0 0.64 incl 58.0 59.0 1.0 2.67 G19-17 64.5 65.5 1.0 3.03 G19-17 91.5 99.5 8.0 0.80 incl 96.5 99.5 3.0 1.91 G19-17 105.5 106.5 1.0 4.65 G19-18 119.5 124.5 5.0 107.80 incl 119.5 121.5 2.0 269.15 incl 119.5 120.5 1.0 517 True widths are unknown, but should be approximated by these results. Holes drilled from the north have intercepts largely perpendicular to bedding and observed core axis angles for all holes were approximately perpendicular. Holes drilled from the south have core angles averaging approximately 55-60 degrees. Results noted in the table above represent the first three holes logged and submitted for analysis. Core samples from an additional five holes drilled at the Goldenville Zone and five holes drilled at the Mitchell Lake Zone have been submitted for laboratory analysis and will be reported as they become available. Figure 1 - 2019 Goldenville Drill Collar Locations To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5059/51959_abada9da740ba8d5_001full.jpg Table 2 - Drill Hole Collar Data Hole ID Location Easting Northing Depth Azimuth Dip G19-16 Goldenville 578045 4997117 224 354 45 G19-17 Goldenville 578045 4997161 113 354 45 G19-18 Goldenville 577444 4997003 269 354 45 About Goldenville and Osprey Osprey is focused on exploring five historically producing gold properties in Nova Scotia, Canada. Osprey has the option to earn 100% (subject to certain royalties) in all five properties, including the Goldenville Gold Project, Nova Scotia's largest historic gold producer. Goldenville hosts a current NI 43-101 Inferred Resource of 2,800,000 tonnes at 3.20 g/t gold for 288,000 ounces of gold (2,800,000 tonnes at 4.96 g/t gold for 447,000 ounces of gold uncapped) near the town of Sherbrooke, NS. All five properties in Osprey's current portfolio have a history of high-grade gold production. A copy of the Company's technical report titled "Technical Report on the Goldenville Property, Guysborough County, Nova Scotia Canada" prepared by by David G. Thomas, M.Sc., P. Geo. and Neil Pettigrew, M.Sc., P. Geo. is available under the Company's profile at www.SEDAR.com. Samples from the 2019/2020 exploration program are split with a hydraulic splitter, and placed in sealed bags and shipped to ActLabs for gold and multi-element ICP analysis. A Quality Control/Quality Assurance program, including the insertion of Standards, Blanks, and Duplicates has been implemented. The 2019/2020 exploration program is performed under the supervision Perry MacKinnon, P.Geo, Vice President of Exploration of Osprey and a 'Qualified Person' under NI 43-101. Mr. MacKinnon has reviewed and approved the technical content of this release. Additional information regarding Osprey and the Goldenville and Caribou properties is available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com and at www.ospreygold.com. ON BEHALF OF OSPREY GOLD DEVELOPMENT LTD., "Cooper Quinn" Cooper Quinn, President and Director For further information please contact Osprey at (778)986-8192 or cooper@ospreygold.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. All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to Osprey within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Osprey 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 to the completion of planned expenditures, the ability to complete exploration programs, exploration findings, results and recommendations, as well as those risks and uncertainties identified and reported in Osprey's public filings under Osprey's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Although Osprey 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. Osprey 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. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/51959 A Houston-area attorney wanted his client to look sharp for his coming trial, so he asked him to cut his nails. The defendant couldnt afford it. As it turned out, the jail charged $10 for access to nail clippers. He said, It costs money, man! lawyer Cory Roth said. Im indigent, Im broke. Roth successfully moved for the judge to order the jail to cut his clients nails for free, and he brought the issue to a local reporter, who asked the sheriffs office about the practice. Days later, the Harris County Jail stopped charging inmates to use nail clippers, ending a longer-standing practice that predated Sheriff Ed Gonzalezs three-year-old administration, spokesman Jason Spencer said. When it was brought to sheriffs attention, it was not a hard decision, he said. The practice was never a written policy and went unnoticed by sheriffs office administrators for years, Spencer said. If an inmate wanted access to nail clippers, they had to fill out a written request. Then they would be taken to a medical triage clinic, where they could use the clippers under medical supervision. Visits to the triage cost $10. The sheriff learned that the jail was charging for nail maintenance after Roth told Keri Blakinger, a reporter with The Marshall Project, a nonprofit criminal justice publication, about his clients experience. Blakinger, a former Houston Chronicle reporter, asked Spencer last week to check on the practice. Spencer tracked it down and told the sheriff, whose office manages the jail. From here on out, Gonzalez determined, inmates will be able to cut their nails for free. Its a sanitary and safety issue, Spencer said. No one benefits if inmates fingers and fingernails and toenails are growing longer than they would like. It becomes a danger to them and to others. Roth added that defendants should look presentable for trial so jurors dont wrongly jump to conclusions about them. And beyond long nails being uncomfortable, he said, its a matter of dignity. Meanwhile the client who spurred the action saw his charge felon in possession of a weapon dismissed on an unrelated issue. But not until after he showed up for court with his nails looking good. These guys in jail, especially over a long period of time, really feel like their dignity, their humanity is taken away from them, Roth said. You could definitely sense that he was relieved. samantha.ketterer@chron.com Prime Minister Boris Johnson will hold talks on post-Brexit trade with the top US diplomat on Thursday, eve of Britain's historic departure from the European Union. The British premier will aim to paper over recent disagreements as he hosts US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo the day before nearly half a century of EU membership ends late Friday. With Britain at a historic crossroads, Johnson wants to strike post-Brexit trade deals with both the bloc and the US, but has seen recent strains in the so-called "special relationship" with Washington. Britain will enter a new chapter when it becomes the first country to quit the EU's institutions at midnight Brussels time (2300 GMT) on Friday. Although it will remain under most EU rules during an 11-month transition period, Britain is then likely to lose privileged access to the single European market -- the world's largest and most important for UK trade. But Johnson has argued he will negotiate an ambitious free trade agreement with his 27 former partners while also striking a lucrative trade deal with the US. "It is a great moment for our country... a moment of hope and opportunity," the British leader said Wednesday, as he prepares to address the nation at 2200 GMT Friday -- an hour before Brexit. Pompeo, in London on the first leg of a five-nation tour that also takes in Ukraine, sounded a positive note on arrival Wednesday. "The #UK is an indispensable ally on a range of issues," he tweeted, adding the special relationship was being strengthened "through constructive discussions". En route, he had told reporters Britain's decision to ignore months of US warnings and give China's Huawei tech giant a role in the rollout of its 5G network was "something we'll have a conversation about". "We will make sure that when American information passes across a network we are confident that that network is a trusted one," he added. Pompeo will also speak at a conservative think tank alongside Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. He met his British counterpart on Wednesday evening, with several contentious issues on the agenda. Britain has been angered by Washington's refusal to extradite the wife of a US diplomat who is using the cover of diplomatic immunity to avoid prosecution over the death of a teenager in a road accident in England. Meanwhile Johnson has defied expectations since taking power and failed to side with the US on everything from Huawei to the Iran nuclear deal that the US has abandoned. President Donald Trump -- a long-time fan of Brexit and Johnson's ability to deliver it successfully -- has publicly urged Britain to rethink, yet has so far been restrained in his criticism. But others, including Republican senators who will have to sign off on a future US-UK trade deal, have cautioned that sharing intelligence and striking an agreement could be imperilled by the Huawei decision in particular. Johnson's hopes for a US trade deal are also complicated by Trump's unpopularity in Britain and domestic pressure to stand up to Washington. Britons narrowly backed departing the EU in a 2016 referendum that left the country locked in political crisis and acrimonious division. Johnson, who headed the pro-Leave campaign and became premier in July, won a thumping election victory in December on the mantra "get Brexit done". That is now finally happening, with Britain's departure set in European law Wednesday, amid emotional scenes, as the bloc's parliament voted to ratify the divorce papers. "We will always love you and we will never be far," said EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, adding: "Long live Europe." Following the vote, MEPs burst into a chorus of "Auld Lang Syne", a traditional Scottish song of farewell. Britain's eurosceptic lawmakers were in triumphant mood after two decades as a thorn in Brussels' side, brandishing British flags in contravention of the chamber's rules. (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 Dede Oetomo, Hendri Yulius and Sharyn Davies (The Jakarta Post) - Thu, January 30, 2020 17:37 713 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2061c39d5 3 Opinion LGBT,LGBT-persecution,LGBT-in-Indonesia,reynhard-sinaga,media Free Sensational headlines, clickbait articles and pseudoscience cannot be tolerated when they promote fear and hatred. Many in the media, including writers and editors, use these techniques to inflame prejudice against homosexuality and LGBT communities. Another technique used is to cite outdated research or cherry-pick parts of research to make it seem like the author has based their opinion in fact. At a time when homophobic claims are becoming a mainstay of Indonesian media, we must take time to think through what is being said and assess if it is scientifically accurate. There are many examples of opinion presented as fact. One of the most heinous can be found in an article published by Republika on Jan.10. In the article, Ihshan makes blatantly untrue statements, uses discredited and outdated studies and misinterprets others to support his opinion. He dresses up opinion as fact. Ihshan uses the idea of "neuroplasticity" to argue that LGBT is a lifestyle and a product of external influence. Neuroplasticity is the idea that the brain can change. Neuro means brain and plasticity means changeable. While the brain can change, there is no evidence to support his claim that sexual preferences can be easily changed. There are many other problems with using the idea of neuroplasticity to say that LGBT people can simply stop being LGBT. Firstly, this argument assumes that our brains are always heterosexual. Even if that were true, Ihshan's argument falls down. If sexuality is located in the brain and can be easily changed due to external influences, all heterosexuals are also a product of external influences. It makes one wonder if people who put forth this opinion are just scared that if they are around LGBT people they themselves might become gay. Secondly, this argument deliberately discounts the complexity of sexuality. Sexuality is an interplay between physical aspects (including the brain, hormones, etc) and social aspects. Thirdly, this argument is one that people were having in the 1950s. It was then a debate of nature versus nurture, gender versus sexuality. Key figures in this debate were Milton Young, John Money and Robert Spitzer. But most of this work has been discredited. To not keep pace with changes in sexuality theory shows a lack of intellectual rigor. Articles such as the one written by Ihshan show none of the dynamics of scientific advances in the study of sexuality. Another erroneous assumption Ihshan makes is that LGBT-people commit rape because of their sexual orientation. As evidence, Ihshan cites the case of Reynhard Sinaga, who was convicted of rape in the UK. Rape is used to assert power, as evinced by the May 1998 rapes of Chinese-Indonesian women and girls. While Sinaga drugged and raped men, media in the UK have largely refrained from linking Sinaga to being gay because his sexual orientation is irrelevant. Indonesian media has reported the case differently. Sinagas case has been sensationalized and used to justify homophobia. Ihshan is guilty of pseudoscience when he claims that Sinagas behavior is a result of his sexual orientation. If we extend Ihshan's logic, we would have to conclude that all heterosexual men are evil because heterosexual men commit the majority of rapes. No one claims that straight men rape because of their sexual orientation. Therefore, it is ludicrous to suggest that Sinagas sexual orientation caused him to commit rape. The University of Auckland, where Ihshan is currently studying, was so appalled at Ihshan's claims that they have requested that Republika remove any mention of the Universitys name. Further, in response to protests in both New Zealand and Indonesia over what Ihshan had fabricated, the University issued a restatement of their values. The University has now explicitly said that its position is unequivocal: we are committed to being safe, inclusive and equitable for all our staff and students. Now more than ever Indonesian media must stop giving a voice to homophobic people who dress their opinions up as facts. As Taylor Swift sings, the haters are gonna hate. Indeed renowned scholar Martha Nussbaum says that people have always been afraid of or even disgusted by differences in other people. Those in power often make this attitude legitimate to secure their own privilege (e.g. hatred of Dutch colonialists). But we shouldnt accept hate. Shame on newspapers who publish inflammatory, homophobic stories. These stories have real-life consequences. While for Ihshan and others like him, homophobic statements might just be words on a page, the consequences for LGBT people can be devastating. The LGBT community consists of people who fall in love, who are religious, who are productive and who support their community. LGBT people love their country, but it is often hard to love a country that does not love you back. Indonesian media has a responsibility to support its LGBT community. Indonesia must honor its words of unity in diversity. *** Dede Oetomo has a PhD from Cornell University, US. Hendri Yulius completed his Masters degree at the University of Sydney, Australia. Sharyn Davies has a PhD from the University of Western Australia. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Local community leaders and Fulani leaders from Mangu, Bokkos, Barkin Ladi and Riyom local government areas of Plateau State were on Wednesday arrested by the Plateau State Police Command and whisked away to Abuja on Thursday for further questioning on the crisis that rocked parts of Bokkos LGA of the state. Breaking Times reports that the arrest came less than 24 hours after Plateau State Governor, Simon Bako Lalong ordered the State Commissioner of Police, Isaac Akinmoyede to arrest community leaders and Ardos of the affected communities following the killings and destruction of properties around Kwatas and nearby communities of Bokkos LGA. A slight disagreement had stalled the arrest on Tuesday when only the Fulani Ardos stood up for the arrest while community leaders remained seated, claiming that the governors instructions was not directed at them. However, CP Akinmoyede had ordered the leaders to reconvene at the Police headquarters the following day. It was gathered from sources at the headquarters that on their arrival, they were asked to make individual statements in which some of them were released. As at 4:00am on Thursday, it was gathered that Ardos from Riyom, Barkin Ladi, Bokkos and Mangu as well as the Chairmen of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association in Nigeria and some community and youth leaders were bundled into vehicles and whisked away to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) at the Police headquarters in Abuja. Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Ubah Gabriel confirmed the development and said, for every Ardo that was moved to Abuja, an equivalent of the community leader from that area was equally picked and taken to Abuja. Overseas students in city at centre of outbreak are confined to dormitories, hoping to avoid coronavirus infection. Beijing, China After a week under quarantine in Wuhan, where Chinas new coronavirus emerged late last year, some of the citys thousands of international students are feeling isolated and anxious, with some hoping they can be evacuated. Four of an estimated 500 Pakistani students in the city have already been confirmed to have the virus, Pakistans State Minister of Health Zafar Mirza said on Wednesday. Others, holed up in their dormitories, worry they too will contract the disease; their fears fuelled by misinformation. You can understand people are kind of paranoid, said Mohammad Samiul Ahsan, a student from Bangladesh, who is vice president of the Wuhan University International Students Union. Ahsan has been working to calm their fears, dispel rumours and keep them informed. He said most students were staying inside their dormitories. We try to tell them, the situation you are in, we are in also. Wuhan is an education hub with more than 30 colleges and universities welcoming students from around the world. In total, there are 492,185 foreigners studying in China. Advice from university administrators, which was shared with Al Jazeera by students who have now left China, warned them against eating from shared dishes and gave instructions on how to keep living spaces properly cleaned and well-ventilated. Ahsan said he has been on-call nearly 24 hours a day since the quarantine started, coordinating with college officials since Monday to deliver meals three times a day to those in the dorms. Countries including Japan and the US have begun evacuating their nationals from Wuhan, but few stuidents have that option [Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP] Ahsan said 500 international students are on the campus. Second week under quarantine On Monday, Pakistani media outlet The Express Tribune published a video of a group of masked students from Wuhan University of Science and Technology describing food shortages and calling on the authorities to rescue them. Muhammad Furqan Rauf, a 30-year-old chemistry and chemical engineering masters student said he is concerned conditions will further deteriorate. 183/ Got confirmation that 4 Pakistani students in China are diagnosed with #coronavirus. They are doing well, getting best care possible, and the families are being notified and reassured. Thanks to Chinese authorities and Pakistani embassy for their rapid response. pic.twitter.com/AsD4qaxCPo Zafar Mirza (@zfrmrza) January 29, 2020 Rauf said he has filed a report to officers at Pakistans embassy in Beijing suggesting an evacuation plan, a mandatory health check for students and quarantine, if necessary before they travel. We are not going to create any unnecessary panic, we are just worried about our health, he said. Students from other countries, including Kenya, India, and Uganda took to Twitter early in the week to call for a response from their governments about an evacuation plan. Kenyan Cornelius Mulili, 28, who is studying for a doctorate in botany and asked that his university not be named, was also among the people on Twitter appealing to their embassies for assistance. The Khan sisters, Chinese-language students from Pakistan, told Al Jazeera that they were not worried about remaining in Wuhan [YouTube Screengrab] Mulili said he felt calmer calm now because his embassy had started being more responsive after he posted his tweets. Its cutting across the international community because its a serious matter, he said. The most important thing is taking precautionary measures. Worried families Other students, including 21-year-old Daniel Pekarek from the Czech Republic, are trying to create a travel plan to get out of Wuhan. Pekarek said on Tuesday that he had been in contact with the Czech Embassy and the French Embassy about getting evacuated via France. My family is under pressure and they are scared for me, Pekarek said. I will return the first moment I can to Wuhan because I have many friends here and my girlfriend is here. A worker wearing a face mask sprays disinfectant along a path in Wuhan which has been sealed off to try and curb the spread of the virus [Arek Rataj/AP Photo] For now, his most pressing concern is how to pay his water bill when the building where he usually does that is closed. Chinas efforts to contain the virus have affected 20 Chinese cities, preventing 56 million people from travelling during the Lunar New Year holiday, normally one of the busiest travel times of the year. Hubei province, where Wuhan is located is home to 11 million people and tens of thousands of foreign residents and students. It is also the location of the vast majority of coronavirus cases. The United States and Japan have already begun evacuating their citizens while other countries including Australia, Britain and France are also preparing evacuations. 24-hour Wuhan hotline The Wuhan Municipal Affairs office has opened a 24-hour hotline to answer questions from foreigners who remain in the city. A representative from the office said he had received calls from Chinese people outside of Wuhan searching for accurate information on the situation. Foreigners who have called the office most frequently ask about when and how they can leave, he said. For many students in countries that have not announced evacuation plans, that remains unclear. But the Khan sisters Saher, 24, and Mehar, 21 Chinese language students from Pakistan, said they were not worried about remaining in Wuhan because they felt they had enough supplies to be comfortable. The sisters left their dorm room for the first time in a week on Tuesday wearing gloves and masks and filming the trip for their YouTube channel. They found that most stores were open and even saw people out jogging. They are sceptical of reports and videos circulating on the internet that describe extreme conditions, but they have also seen from friends the ways anxieties can multiply and spread when people are cooped up in their dormitories. So many people are alone here, Saher said. We are sisters. So I can understand. Police forces in Wuhan have punished people for publishing and spreading unverified information. Ahsan from the Wuhan University International Students Union said what he finds most important is to stamp out smaller rumours like those promoting false remedies for illness, which create confusion among people who have to remain in Wuhan and for families who are reading about the situation from outside China. [Panic] will affect other people, also, he said. Ahsan said he has received queries from students who have returned to their home countries and are wondering about when the semester will start again. The education ministry has said the holidays will be extended, but not when classes will resume. For students who have remained on campus through the quarantine, the bigger concern is when some semblance of normality will return. We are thinking about when it will stop. The Visva Bharati university on Thursday told its teaching and non-teaching staff not to speak to the media on varsity-related matter without prior permission of the authorities. Only the official spokesperson will speak to the media on varsity-related matters. A notification issued by Acting Registrar, dated January 30, said the teaching/non-teaching staff should not air any public statement they may wish to the media from now on. The university said any public statement - which the teaching/non-teaching staff wish to air - should be sent to the assistant registrar and public relations in-charge Anirban Sircar in writing from now on. "To seek public limelight and self-importance through media for oneself is unworthy of any teacher or employee of the university. Visva Bharati itself seeks no publicity. The genuine grievances of the staff will be sympathetically attended to by the concerned officers and the higher authorities and anyone can reach the registrar or the Vice-Chancellor through the above officers," the notification said. Sarkar has also been named as the 'Social Media Champion' in the notification which says no other staff member will make any statement on any university-related matter to media without prior permission of the university "as per the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964." The notification was sent to all directors/principals of bhavans, all heads of academic and administrative departments, deputy registrars among others. Sarkar could not be contacted for his comments about the circumstances which prompted such a clampdown. However, Visva Bharati University Faculty Association president Sudipta Bhattacharya described this directive as a 'strong-arm tactics' and claimed it was against the act and statute of the higher educational institution, which is an autonomous body and "not bound by the Central Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964." The SFI, Visva Bharati unit in a statement alleged the notification is aimed at curbing the freedom of expression. The notification was preceded by incidents like anti-CAA protests in the campus, the six-hour long agitation against BJP MP Swapan Dasgupta, the clash between two groups of students inside the campus, circulation of two purported videos of Vice-Chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty on social network in past one and half month. Sarkar had earlier alleged that the videos were doctored and aimed at maligning the image of the VC and the institution bearing Tagore's name and vitiating the peceful academic atmosphere in the campus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Death-row convicts in the Nirbhaya case on Thursday took another step, which may delay their scheduled February 1 hanging, by moving a trial court with a plea to adjourn the execution "sine die" saying they are yet to avail their remaining legal remedies even as the Supreme Court dismissed the third curative petition. Of the four convicts, Mukesh Kumar Singh has exhausted all his legal remedies, including the clemency plea which was dismissed by President Ram Nath Kovind on January 17 and the appeal against the rejection was thrown out by the apex court on Wednesday. Convict Vinay Kumar Sharma had yesterday filed a mercy plea before the President and the apex court today rejected the curative petition of Akshay Kumar Singh, who is likely to file a clemency plea soon. Pawan Gupta is yet to file a curative petition in the top court. The day witnessed fast-paced development with the counsel for Vinay, Akshay and Pawan rushing to a trial court seeking stay on their executions saying legal remedies of some of them are yet to be availed. While Special Judge A K Jain posted the matter for hearing in the post-lunch session, a five-judge bench of the apex court in the afternoon rejected the curative plea of Akshay saying "no case is made out" and also declined to stay his execution. Hours after the apex court development, the trial judge issued notice to Tihar jail authorities seeking their response on the plea by three convicts, which the prosecution said was a "mockery of justice" and was only a "delaying tactic". While all eyes would be in the trial court on Friday when the matter would be taken up for hearing at 10 AM, the reports have already appeared that Pawan Jallad, a hangman from Meerut Prison has reached Tihar Jail two days ahead of the scheduled execution. According to Delhi Prison Rules, none of the four convicts in the same case can be hanged before the last one has exhausted all legal options including the mercy plea. The apex court guidelines also stipulate that convicts cannot be hanged until 14 days after their mercy plea has been rejected by the President. The trial court on January 17 had issued black warrants for the second time for execution of all the four convicts -- Mukesh (32), Pawan (25), Vinay (26) and Akshay (31) -- in Tihar jail at 6 am on February 1. The court had earlier on January 7 fixed January 22 as the hanging date. The 23-year-old physiotherapy intern, who came to be known as 'Nirbhaya', the fearless one, 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. One of the six accused in the case, Ram Singh, allegedly committed suicide in Tihar Jail in 2013. A juvenile, who was among the accused, was convicted by a juvenile justice board and was released from a reformation home after serving a three-year term. (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 Adrian Wail Akhlas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 30, 2020 17:38 713 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2061c3bb5 1 Business Sri-Mulyani-Indrawati,World-Bank,Jim-Yong-Kim,stunting,poverty,children,jusuf-kalla Free Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati walked down memory lane when talking about stunting in Indonesia during an event held by the World Bank in Jakarta on Thursday. She recalled a period when she was the banks managing director and the World Bank president at that time, Jim Yong-kim, used to criticize the Indonesian governments shortcomings in handling stunting. "The World Bank president is a doctor and he said to me: 'Your country is among the top ranking countries with stunting', but at the time I did not know what stunting was," said the minister. The World Bank boss used to rib me, the World Bank managing director. He specifically ribbed me about [the stunting] issues, Sri Mulyani said while laughing. She later asked then-vice president Jusuf Kalla about the issue, and after that the government became aware of the extent of stunting in the country and started devising programs to eliminate it. Since then, the government has stepped up efforts to fight stunting. Stunting is a condition of impaired growth that occurs in children under 5 years old due to chronic malnutrition, repeated infections and inadequate psychosocial stimulation in their first 1,000 days of life. According to data from the Health Ministrys 2013 Basic Health Survey, 37.2 percent of Indonesian children under the age of 5, or around 9 million kids, were considered stunted. A report by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Food Research Institute (IFPRI), with support from the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), revealed that 22 million people in the country suffered from chronic hunger between 2016 and 2018. Sri Mulyani said on Thursday that collaboration between ministries had become the governments main strategy to address stunting in the country. Together with Bappenas we are making efforts to ensure that the problem of stunting is resolved, she stressed. Editor's note: This article has been revised to change the word "shame" to "rib" in the heading and the story for accuracy. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Thursday met with Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad in Delhi. Thakur urged the Union Minister to provide better communication facilities in far-flung areas of the state, according to an official release. Chief Minister also urged the Union Minister to help the state in attracting investments in the Information Technology sector and in areas of Centre of Excellence in Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence in the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) It was Emerson who said in The Over Soul the soul is the perceiver and revealer of truth. We know the truth when we see it; let the skeptic and scoffers say what they choose. In Imo , it was well known that Emeka Ihedioha did not win the Imo Governorship election . With the way he went about the street protesting his removal by the Supreme Court, one should say he is indeed a sad man. Of course, we have always known we had a sad man in government house but the Supreme Court compounded his worrisome condition. The obvious reaction to his removal from office by Ndi-Imo and the speed which PDP members in Imo are jumping to APC is that, it serves him right, bye bye to a phantom governor. Even the House of Assembly member from his constituency of Aboh Mbaise did not think twice in dumping PDP for APC. Sources confirmed that there were wild spread jubilations across the state over the Supreme Court decision. The jubilations across the state were understandable. The Supreme Court judgment was a tribute to truth which is what Imo state has stood for. As Imo people were jubilating, those who held the state hostage for 8 months, sulked, grieved and scampered into their homes as their plans to deeply milk Imo dry was finally dashed by the verdict. Ihediohas insincerity and that of the political party to which he belongs brought the masses of Imo misery for eight months and at last, sadness to him. In the 8 months he was in power he was so petty, so unsophisticated. He ran a lack-lustre, low-energy, do-nothing government with no vision and no mission. A leader for whom selfish interest overrides that of the state cannot be said to be a good leader. You see, sometimes a single act by a God-sent individual at a propitious moment could change the fortunes of a nation or state. This was the case when the dreaded disease of Ebola found its way into Nigeria. The swift and accurate diagnosis of the index patient by Dr Stella Ameyo Adadevoh and her firm decision to hold him in the hospital against his will contributed to the early containment of the disease in Nigeria. Dr Adadevoh paid the ultimate sacrifice by putting herself at risk for her country . She is acknowledged to have been God-sent by Nigerians. Here in Imo, God used Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodinma to deliver the state. Uzodinma is God- sent.. Each time I read about the agonizing pains of the disgruntled and torn coat politicians kicked out of office by the Supreme Court , I understand the pangs of their dashed aspirations and unreasonable expectations that have quickly become dreams and impossibilities. These leprous hands of the Ihedioha led group should give Uzodinma a breathing space as he starts the serious business of governance . They should seize making unguarded utterances. They should know that leadership is service opportunity and privilege granted by God. The Ihedioha group are behaving like the morally bankrupt and shameless characters that we watch in TV movies. They are sounding worse than rift raffs from motor parks. They engage in egregious behaviours with their too many media smear campaign against our governor . They ought to know that it is the Lord that giveth power and it is the Lord that taketh. Why are they crying over an election they never won. Hope Uzodinma simply reclaimed his stolen mandate. Uzodinma clearly won the Imo governorship election. The lord who put Senator Hope in power will use him to bring prosperity to Ndi-Imo. The fortunes of medieval France was turned around by a mere teenage girl born around 1412, named Jeanne dArc( Joan of Arc) God choosed her to lead France to victory in its long running war with England and Burgundy. With no military training, Joan convinced the embattled crown prince Charles of Valois to allow her to lead a French army to the besieged city of Orleans. She achieved a momentous victory over the English and their French allies, the Burgundians. The capacity of Uzodinma, who is today Imo state governor is not in doubt. Even before he became governor, he was a two term senator. He has distinguished himself as one Nigerian who is detribalized, de-sectionalized and accessible to all and sundry. He is also known throughout the country as one who does not discriminate for any reason, humble, patriotic and philanthropic. He had adequately defended the interest of Imo state over the years at the Senate. No one had cause to complain about his representation. All those who have been spreading lies about our Governor should repent now, for we will not allow anything to distract him as he begins to give Imo people the tools, skills and training to succeed. It is God that saw the need for good governance in Imo state that choose to crown him governor.God wants Imo to have a leader who is committed to working tirelessly to better the state and who knows how to create jobs and grow our economy. No matter how the enemies of our state plan against our Governor,Chineke agaghi ekwe, they will fail ,for God is on his side. Certainly, Uzodinma needs the support and the cooperation of all and sundry in the state to push the state forward.I am humbled . -Kenneth Uwadi lives in Mmahu -Egbema, Imo State, Nigeria and can be reached via 08037982714 Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said it is for the people of Delhi to decide whether they consider him their son, brother, or a terrorist even as his party demanded that BJP leaders Parvesh Verma and Manoj Tiwari be barred from campaigning for assembly polls for their remarks against the AAP national convenor. BJP MP Parvesh Verma, addressing an election meeting in Madipur Assembly constituency, had reportedly said, "Kejriwal jaise natwarlal, Kejriwal jaise atankwadi is desh mein chhupe baithe hain (Natwarlals and terrorists like Kejriwal are hiding in this country)." The AAP alleged that Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari also called the Delhi chief minister a "terrorist". Reacting, Kejriwal said it is for the people of Delhi to decide whether they consider him their son, brother, or a terrorist. "Today I'm leaving this decision to the people of Delhi, whether they consider me as a son, consider me their brother, or consider me a terrorist," he told reporters. Recalling his journey on "serving" the nation, Kejriwal said he has sacrificed a lot for the country. "Since the formation of our government in the last five years, I have considered every child as my own while providing good education to them. Does that make me a terrorist? I have arranged for better treatment and medicines to the people of every household in Delhi. Does that make me a terrorist?" he asked. Kejriwal further said he has tried to take care of the families of the martyrs in Delhi. "Does that make me a terrorist? I have never asked for anything for myself or my family. I have always tried to be of service to the people with all my heart and soul, I will sacrifice my life for the nation if need be," he said. "IIT Kharagpur is one of the most reputable institutions in the nation. I was a bright student who attained good marks, I would have gone to a foreign nation like my peers. But I chose to stay because I thought that it is only us who can work for and improve the nation. I left a job as the income tax commissioner, to take part in the nation's biggest movement against corruption. Are these the steps that a terrorist would take?" asked Kejriwal. He said he has "exposed" some of the most powerful and eminent people in cases of corruption, because of which he had to suffer through a lot. "Would a terrorist do that? I am a diabetic, I take insulin four times a day. If a patient of diabetes does not consume something every three-four hours, he or she might collapse due to low blood sugar levels. Despite being on such a high risk of life, I sat on a protest against corruption twice, once of 10 days and once for 15 days. Doctors would advise me against it. I risked my life for the nation," he said. Soon after Kejriwal's comments, senior AAP leaders Sanjay Singh and Pankaj Gupta, along with some of their supporters, sat on a protest outside the Election Commission office over Verma's remarks. They were holding placards reading 'Delhi ke bete Kejriwal ko aatankwadi kahne wale par karwayee karo (take action against those who called Delhi's son Kejriwal a terrorist). They were also demanding registration of an FIR against Verma. The AAP leaders later submitted a complaint to the Election Commission demanding lodging of an FIR against Verma and Tiwari and campaigning ban on them during the duration of the Delhi polls. Kejriwal, while addressing people at a public meeting in Babarpur Thursday evening, said, "When you go to vote on February 8, when you press the button, if you consider me your son, then give the vote for jaadu (AAP election symbol), if you consider me a terrorist, then vote for kamal (BJP election symbol). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) KAMPALA The commander Land Forces Lt Gen Peter Elwelu has on Thursday January 30 at Makubulita sub county told residents to make use of the peace available to chase poverty out of the their homes. In Uganda no one should say he is poor because its a promised land and Buganda in particular, Gen Elwelu added. He further told them everything good in Buganda like education, hospitals and markets with everything around the region can be sold for money. As UPDF we are not interested in those who are enemies of peace. This peace belongs to you so its your duty to keep it as citizens of this country, he said. He gave them an example of those from neighboring countries running to Uganda, its not because they love Uganda so much but its because of the peace Uganda is enjoying. Its in Uganda where one abuses the head of state and he walks home peacefully without any threat he said. The Commander Land Forces represented the Chief of Defence Forces at the Luweero district launch of Tarehesita activities week at Makubulita sub county headquarters. The Resident District Commissioner Hon Namulindwa Phoebe thanked UPDF for remembering Luweero to bring the health camp to treat the people and also renovate and construct schools like Galikwoleka primary school , Bowa primary school and Lutembe primary school in katikamu north. The RDC told the people to make use of the peace to make a country move forward and this to be achieved there is need to come together. The challenge here is we think of being given instead of working and this is a syndrome to the youth who think of selling their land to move to town and resort to boda boda business she advised. Hon Namulindwa Pheobe launched the giving out of mosquito nets as one of the activites to be done by UPDF other medical activities to be done in Kamira HCIII and Butuntumura HC III include safe male circumusion (SMC) Fumigation, Mobile dental and Eye clinic. The launch started with the cleaning of Katiti town and planting of trees at Kalasa Collage, kalasa mixed primary to promote afforestation. The function was attended by all district leaders, and area members of parliament for Luweero who were invited to Butalangu grounds on the 6th Feb for grand celebrations Related My most recent birthday was a significant milestone: I turned 62. And as every American within two decades of retirement knows, thats when you can claim Social Security benefits. Turning 62 prompted me to dig up my latest Social Security benefits estimate to incorporate into my retirement financial plan. I dont intend to claim benefits until at least full retirement age (66 and 6 months for someone born when I was), when I can lock in a monthly benefit about 35% higher than Id get at my current age. In fact, I may wait until age 70 so I can earn the 8%-a-year bonus for three and a half years. But its comforting to know that if I need the income sooner, its there. (We help you sort out the best time to file, among other common conundrums, in our collection of Social Security FAQs.) In 2011, Social Security stopped mailing annual paper statements to beneficiaries younger than 60, and a few years back I signed up for a mySocialSecurity account at www.ssa.gov/myaccount. But when I went online to retrieve my statement, the password I had jotted down didnt work. And thats when things got discouraging. Office, phone or online? More than 40 million people visit a field office each year, and according to a 2018 report from the Social Security Office of the Inspector General, the average wait time is 25 minutesbut more than 4 million visitors cool their heels for longer than an hour. Trying to get answers on the phone isnt much better. In a recent exchange in a Facebook group for finances, users compared notes, and commiserated, over the frustratingly long times they spent on hold trying to reach customer service. (As a workaround, go to GetHuman.com and search for Social Security. If you type in your phone number, you will get a call back when the service connects with a live rep.) Its been days since Priyanka Chopra Jonas made a red carpet appearance in a Ralph & Russo gown at the Grammys. The outfit had an enormous decolletage with a mid-section slit going all the way down her pierced belly button but the Internet hasnt stopped commenting, critiquing and caricaturing the ensemble. Key in her name on Google and one finds numerous articles comparing her outfit with Jennifer Lopezs iconic Versace dress. Priyankas Instagram post of the dress, which she captioned as Tassel fun gained close to a whopping three million likes (till the time of going to press), way more than her Met Gala (1,878,188 likes) and Cannes (909,564 likes) looks got. Designer Wendell Rodricks was quick to make a tongue-in-cheek remark on Instagram: @priyankachopra nailed it at the Grammys 2020. Truly the bold and beautiful in this @ralphandrusso couture fringed gown where the neckline goes all the way from LA to Cuba. Love it. Later he wrote, Of course not many saw my sarcasm. Its not for her this @ralphandrusso... He deleted the second post and wrote: Did I say anything about her body? No... I just said the dress was wrong for her... It was more dress shaming than body shaming... And critiques are divided some blame the badly constructed gown, others are hailing Priyanka for taking a risk. This was one of the most unflattering looks on PeeCee. There was so much going on in the garment, starting from a plunging neckline to tassels and embroidery, says designer Anand Bhushan. Designer Rina Dhaka hails it as a bold look but certainly not wow-worthy. I thought of it as very JLO-ish. And she wanted to have a Liz Hurley moment. A section of designers is nixing the tendency to body shame. A lot of people are saying the outfit was not age-appropriate. I dont agree with that... but I personally didnt like the look for other reasons. Also, it was trying too hard to re-do a JLO, says designer Rimzim Dadu. Priyanka managed to grab all eyeballs. Though I feel the dress wouldve looked better on someone a little taller. But she experimented with her look which was bold, says designer Suneet Varma. Designer Monisha Jaising quips, If you analyse the construction of the gown, the tassel detailing on the shoulder was required to balance the bare centre parting. However PeeCee carried off the tricky shoulder to navel silhouette with confidence. Designer Shane Peacock applauds her: Every red carpet look of hers has always been a distinctive pick some have worked and some havent. This look has become a talking point, the objective of fashion. Designer Nikhil Mehra seconds that, One has to be really gutsy to pull off such a look and Priyanka is certainly the one. I applaud her for the choice she made. Reports say PeeCee has bagged a big project in Hollywood. According to a report in Variety, the 37-year-old is in final negotiations to join the cast of Matrix 4. [Priyanka] is in final talks to join the cast of the untitled fourth film, insiders close to negotiations were quoted as saying. Directed by the Wachowskis, the fourth instalment will see the return of Keanu Reeves, and also star Carrie-Anne Moss and Neil Patrick Harris. Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter 3 Filipino Church Leaders Arrested for Immigrant-Trafficking Scheme Three top administrators of a Philippines-based church were arrested by authorities on Jan. 29 for allegedly participating in an immigration fraud scheme that brought church members to the United States to work as fundraisers, and then took away their passports and forced them to work long hours. According to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Central District of California, The Kingdom of Jesus Christ, the Name Above Every Name church obtained visas for church members to enter the United States by claiming, for example, they would be performing at musical events. However, once they arrived in the United States, they were forced to hand over their passports and made to work long hours as full-time workers, who were also called miracle workers to collect donations for the Childrens Joy Foundation USA (CJF), claiming the money would help support impoverished children in the Philippines. Those that did not meet the daily cash solicitation quota were subjected to abuse, victims who fled KOJC told authorities. Instead of using the donations to help children, however, church members used all of the money raised to finance KOJC operations and the church leaders lavish lifestyle, according to the criminal complaint. Bank records show that KOJC accounts received approximately $20 million in cash deposits from 2014 through mid-2019 [and] most of these funds appear to derive from street-level solicitation, according to the affidavit, which notes that little to no money solicited appears to benefit impoverished or in-need children. Some of the miracle workers who performed well were also forced to marry other KOJC members who were U.S. citizens, or to obtain student visas and enrol in schools. Over the past 20 years, there were 82 marriages involving KOJC administrators and individuals bought to the United States under the illegal scheme, according to the affidavit. The defendants have been named as Guia Cabactulan, 59, who is the top KOJC official in the United States who maintained direct communication with KOJC leadership in the Philippines, and Marissa Duenas, 41, who allegedly handled fraudulent immigration documents for KOJC workers and secured the passports immediately after workers entered the United States. Both were arrested on Wednesday morning at a KOJC compound in Van Nuys, where they lived and were expected to appear in court the same day. The third defendant is named as Amanda Estopare, 48, who allegedly handled the financial aspects of the KOJC enterprise, including enforcing fundraising quotas for KOJC workers. She was arrested in Virginia, officials said. All three are described as the main administrators of KOJC in the United States. Along with Wednesdays arrests of the three administrators, federal agents also executed search warrants this week at KOJC properties in Hawaii and in the Southern California cities of Van Nuys, Glendale, and Los Angeles. Law enforcement are currently interviewing witnesses across the United States as part of their investigation into the organization. According to its website, The Kingdom of Jesus Christ, the Name Above Every Name is a religious organization created in Davao, Philippines, in 1985 by Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy. The website states that there are currently 6 million members across 200 countries. This is not the first time the KOJC church has been investigated by authorities. In September 2019, a Hawaii manager of KOJC was charged with smuggling cash to the Philippines using Quiboloys private jet, ABC reported. The pastor was also briefly detained by authorities in Hawaii in 2018 after federal agents found piles of cash amounting to $350,000 and parts to assemble a military rifle in his jet. Passengers from China wearing masks to prevent a new coronavirus are checked by Saudi Health Ministry employees upon their arrival at King Khalid International Airport, in Riyadh, yesterday. Photo: Ahmed Yosri/Reuters The World Indoor Athletics Championships has been postponed until March 2021 due to the coronavirus outbreak. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri Passengers with face masks at Heathrow Airport in London after the last British Airways flight from China touched down A medical worker in protective gear walks in the street near a community health station in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province. Photo: Chinatopix via AP The city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus, remains in lockdown mode (Handout/PA) The coronavirus outbreak has placed most countries on alert including Thailand, where Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha addressed journalists at Bangkoks airport while wearing a facemask on Wednesday (Thai Government handout/AP) The coronavirus outbreak has led millions of people to wear face masks in various parts of the world, such as these commuters in Taipei (Chiang Ying-Ying/AP) UP TO 20,000 people in Ireland could become infected with the coronavirus, an expert has warned. The virus which has so far killed 132 people, infected more than 6,000 and is spreading across China and into 14 other countries and there are concerns it could reach Ireland. Samuel McConkey, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of International Health and Tropical Medicine at the RCSI, said that we need to be prepared in case of an outbreak of the virus here. "We need to start preparing for very large numbers of people coming to GP practices and emergency rooms with signs of flu, some of whom will have the traditional flu but some of whom will have this new coronavirus potentially. "It hasn't yet been detected in Ireland but it is quite possible that over the next thee, four, six or eight weeks that we might be seeing thousands of people coming to emergency rooms with that virus. "From the data in China, about 2 per cent may die, about 25pc of those people will need oxygen and hospital care to stay alive," he said on RTE Radio One's Morning Ireland today. "We're a very, very wealthy country. To put this in context the Chinese have just given 8 billion to build two big hospitals in Wuhan to deal with isolated cases - that's four children's hospitals they're proposing to build in two weeks and they probably will. "We could do that if we needed to, we have the technical ability to respond to this if it becomes an issue of extensional survival of 20,000 people in Ireland potentially. "So I think we're well organised, we've good technology, good diagnostics, very well-trained staff so I think we could survive it." He also gave an insight into how our health system can prepare for potential coronavirus patients. Professor McConkey said: "Planning, strengthening our diagnostic capacity, nobody knew this virus existed before December, so we have to develop and test new diagnostic tests. "Have them widely available so if someone does come to the emergency room, you can rapidly find out do they have it or not, just as we've done with flu. "Fortunately, some of the same technology platforms that we've been using for influenza can be transferred to work for this new coronavirus. "Secondly, teaching staff about personal protective equipment - gloves, gowns, masks - it's not all that exciting but it turns out how to take it off correctly is really important to protect staff and other patients. "The deaths from Ebola in West Africa we found were from people contaminating their skin, eyes, mouth accidentally by touching the outer surface of their gowns and masks." This comes as Tanaiste Simon Coveney confirmed that less than a dozen Irish citizens who have sought immediate evacuation from China because of the coronavirus epidemic will have to remain in quarantine in the EU member state they fly back to. Ireland has sought seats on a special aircraft organised by the French Government for evacuations from the Wuhan region starting from Friday - and Mr Coveney insisted that Ireland is now doing everything possible to prepare for the highly contagious virus. Almost 140 people have died from the new variant of Coronavirus which has prompted an unprecedented lockdown across China to prevent its spread. Mr Coveney said the priority is to protect Ireland from the virus and to ensure it never arrives here - while aiding Irish citizens in China and complying with EU health guidelines. "There are a small number of Irish citizens who are living in the region affected in China," he said. "We have reached out to them in the last few days through the (Irish) Embassy in Beijing. "It is a small number but it is still important. Our consular services want to make sure that Irish citizens in the affected area and city are given support and options. "A small number of those Irish citizens have indicated they want to leave and to be assisted in doing that. "We have set about doing that with our EU partners. "The reason that France has been mentioned is that France happens to be sending a plane into the city (Wuhan) to take out French citizens. "The UK may be doing the same for British citizens. There are not commercial flights operating in and out. "This involves essentially a special arrangement whereby EU countries may be sending specific flights to bring EU citizens out and that is being co-ordinated at an EU level." More than 600 EU citizens are in the Wuhan region hardest hit by the virus. "We have spoken to our French colleagues and we are hopeful and confident that we can secure a seat on planes that would take Irish citizens who want to leave out - then, of course, when they arrive back in Europe they will have to go through the appropriate health measures. "This will ensure that they are not carrying any infection and that their healthcare needs are being looked after as they should be. "We are working on that process and I am confident that we can support any Irish citizen anywhere in China but particularly in the region concerned. We can support them if they want to leave and we can find a way of getting them out working with other EU countries who are more than happy to help in that regard." A number of Irish citizens have opted to remain on in China - but some have sought immediate evacuation. "The number who have requested to leave is in the low single figures - I think it is better that I don't give exact figures. It is certainly not huge numbers. "They are obviously Irish citizens and will get the help of the Irish State." Mr Coveney said the self-isolation and quarantine issue was an important part of EU health regulations and the policy towards dealing with the virus. "Nothing is finalised or confirmed yet. We are working with France and other EU countries to ensure that if Irish citizens that are living in the region concerned want to leave, we will help them to leave. "France happens to be sending a plane tomorrow and we are talking to France about securing seats on that plane. "I think we should be able to do that - but we also need to be sure that if people come back to the EU that when they land they are treated in a way that is appropriate to ensure that no infection is spread and, of course, that they get any supports they might need." This will involve a fortnight of quarantine or self-isolation in the arrival EU member state. "I do want to emphasise that there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that any Irish citizen has contracted the virus. But anybody leaving that region and coming to the EU effectively means that process must be managed to contain any potential spread of the virus." Mr Coveney insisted that the Government will support Irish healthcare systems to ensure the country is as prepared as possible for any threat posed by the coronavirus. "We have a chief medical officer and a Department of Health that is very much focused on ensuring that Ireland will be as prepared as we can be should that happen," he said. "But I think the important thing is that we do everything we can to make sure that it doesn't (arrive here)." "That is why any Irish citizens who will be coming home whether it is via Paris or any other EU city...that process would be managed in a way to ensure they would not be carrying the virus into Ireland. "The EU is working together on this to make sure we do everything we can to contain any potential risk and I am confident we can do that." New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/30/2020 -- The updated 'Global CRISPR Technology Market Report 2030' is now available with Market Industry Reports (MIR). Researchers have provided detailed analysis on ongoing trends and developments in the product, product preference by large end-users, and strategies adopted by the key players for the competitors to identify opportunities and expand considerably. According to the report, the global CRISPR technology market was valued at over US$ 550.0 Mn in 2018 and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 24.0% from 2019 to 2030. Growing application of genome engineering/editing to propel the market growth Genome editing accounted for the major share in 2015 due to increase in the adoption of various genome editing procedures for therapeutic development and germ line modifications. High implementation in plant genome editing is also supportive for the market growth. CRISPR holds potential to become a substitute biotechnology treatment for supporting or replacement of the current single-antibody drugs. Furthermore genome editing that is proposed to switch on the immune response for cancer is anticipated to drive the industrial growth significantly. Key players are looking for licensing with the other companies The key players operating in the global CRISPR technology market include Addgene, Caribou Biosciences, Inc., Merck KGaA, Horizon Discovery Group plc,CRISPR THERAPEUTICS, Mirus Bio LLC, Takara Bio USA, Editas Medicine, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., GE Healthcare Dharmacon Inc. and Intellia Therapeutics, Inc. Companies are involved in collaborations to gain share in the market.For instance, Caribou Biosciences develop CRISPR technology in collaboration with the research based on University of California. Get Access to Sample Pages @ https://www.marketindustryreports.com/pdf/6 Global CRISPR Technology Market predicts the future consumer demand and helps the operating players in the industry for the planning of profitable strategies for the forecast period 2019 - 2030. The literature focuses on major impacting factors that are expected to fuel the xyz market in the forthcoming years. The report also analyses changing consumer requirements including the market scenario in different regions. This information is useful for the industry players to plan production volume efficiently, while reducing wastage and producing products in compliance with environmental policies. Growing application of genome engineering/editing to propel the market growth Genome editing accounted for the major share in 2015 due to increase in the adoption of various genome editing procedures for therapeutic development and germ line modifications. High implementation in plant genome editing is also supportive for the market growth. CRISPR holds potential to become a substitute biotechnology treatment for supporting or replacement of the current single-antibody drugs. Furthermore genome editing that is proposed to switch on the immune response for cancer is anticipated to drive the industrial growth significantly. Report Objectives -To define, describe, and forecast the CRISPR technology market based on product and service, application, end user, and region -To provide detailed information about factors influencing market growth (drivers, restraints, opportunities, and industry-specific challenges) -To analyze micro markets with respect to individual growth trends, prospects, and contributions to the overall market -To analyze market opportunities for stakeholders and provide details of the competitive landscape for key players -To strategically analyze the market structure, profile the key players of the market.To forecast the size of market segments in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World. -To track and analyze competitive developments such as partnerships, agreements, collaborations, expansions, acquisitions, and product launches in the market Inquire Before Buying @ https://www.marketindustryreports.com/inquiry/6 CRISPR Technology Market by Product & Services On the basis of product, the CRISPR technology market is segmented into CRISPR Kits, Enzymes and Services. The CRISPR services are further sub-segmented into design & vector construction, cell line engineering, screening services and other services. CRISPR Technology Market by Application Based on application, the market is segmented into biological & biomedical applications, agricultural applications, industrial applications and other applications. CRISPR Technology Market by End User On the basis of end user, the CRISPR technology market is segmented into academic institutes & research centers, contract research organizations (CROs), pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and other end users. About Market Industry Reports Market Industry Reports is at the forefront of innovation to address the worldwide industry trends and opportunities. We identified the caliber of market dynamics & hence we excel in the areas of innovation and optimization, integrity, curiosity, customer and brand experience, and strategic business intelligence through our research. Contact Us 2nd Floor, Manikchand Ikon, B-Wing, Dhole Patil Road, Sangamwadi, Pune 411 001 Email: sales@marketindustryreports.com Phone: +1 347 767 5477 ( US ) + 91 8956 767 535 ( IN ) + 44 131 463 4161 ( UK ) Website: https://www.marketindustryreports.com Follow Us- LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook Renewable energy project developers who have been locked out of Australia's $26 billion market for energy risk management will be allowed to compete on an even footing when the Morrison government gives them access to hedge contracts. The government has co-funded private firm Renewable Energy Hub, through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), to help wind, solar and battery storage companies compete for project investment on an equal footing with traditional coal and gas fired generators. Genex Power's Kidston pumped hydro and solar plant in Queensland. The announcement follows Prime Minister Scott Morrison's calls on Wednesday for increased domestic gas production as an "important transition fuel", and his assurance Australia would meet its international emissions reduction targets without a carbon tax. Australia has committed to reduce its emissions by 26 to 28 per cent on 2005 levels by 2030, and to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 under the Paris Agreement. The Australian Industry Group said on Friday a carbon tax was a "key policy" to help the economy decarbonise. Appeals judges on Thursday overturned a French cardinal's conviction for failing to report alleged sex abuse by a priest, in a case that rocked the French Catholic Church. Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, Archbishop of Lyon, had been given a six-month suspended jail sentence last March for not reporting that a priest in his diocese had allegedly abused dozens of boy scouts in the 1980s and 1990s. He was found guilty of twice failing to report Bernard Preynat to the police, first in 2010 when the priest admitted to the cardinal that he had a history of abuse, and again in 2014, when one of Preynat's alleged victims told Barbarin about abuse he suffered. Lyon Appeals Court in South-East France has overturned Cardinal Philippe Barbarin's conviction for failing to report alleged sex abuse by a priest, in a case that rocked the French Catholic Church Preynat has been defrocked and is awaiting a ruling on March 16 in his trial on sex abuse charges. Barbarin, 69, had denied the charges against him but nonetheless offered his resignation to Pope Francis, who refused it pending the outcome of his appeal. The cardinal, who has stepped back from his duties, is the most senior French priest to be caught up in a global clerical paedophilia scandal, which has seen clergy members hauled before courts from Argentina to Australia. Barbarin arrives at the Lyon courtroom for his appeal trial in Lyon. The cardinal, who has stepped back from his duties, is the most senior French priest to be caught up in a global clerical paedophilia scandal Philippe Barbarin, pictured with Pope Francis in 2016. Barbarin, 69, had denied the charges against him but nonetheless offered his resignation to Pope Francis, who refused it pending the outcome of his appeal Barbarin, a staunch conservative who took over as archbishop in Lyon in 2002, has long been accused by victims' groups in Lyon of turning a blind eye to decades of child abuse in his diocese which blighted dozens of lives. Investigators had initially dropped the case against him in 2016 after concluding that the allegations were either impossible to prove or beyond the statute of limitations. Cardinal Philippe Barbarin has been acquitted by the Appeal Court of Lyon. Barbarin was charged with failing to report a priest who abused boy scouts in the 1980s and 90s But a group of victims succeeded in having the probe reopened, which led to Barbarin being tried. He insisted that he had 'never tried to hide, let alone cover up, these horrible facts'. But the trial court ruled that he chose not to tell the authorities of the abuse allegations 'in order to preserve the institution to which he belongs'. 'This wrong was today righted... Cardinal Barbarin is innocent,' one of his lawyers, Jean-Felix Luciani, said after Thursday's ruling by the Lyon Appeals Court. Philippe Barbarin leads a mass in Saint-Jean cathedral in Lyon in 2016. Barbarin who took over as Archbishop in Lyon in 2002, has long been accused by victims' groups in Lyon of turning a blind eye to decades of child abuse in his diocese which blighted dozens of lives WASHINGTON The White House and Senate Republicans worked aggressively on Wednesday to discount damaging revelations from John Bolton and line up the votes to block new witnesses from testifying in President Donald Trumps impeachment trial, in a push to bring the proceeding to a swift close. As the Senate opened a two-day, 16-hour period of questioning from senators, Trump laced into Bolton, his former national security adviser, whose unpublished manuscript contains an account that contradicts his impeachment defense. The president described Bolton on Twitter as a warmonger who had begged for his job, was fired and then wrote a nasty & untrue book. On Capitol Hill, Trumps aides circulated a letter informing Bolton that the White House was moving to block publication of his forthcoming book, in which he wrote that the president refused to release military aid to Ukraine until its leaders committed to investigating his political rivals. That is a core element of the Democrats case, which charges Trump with seeking to enlist a foreign government to help him win reelection this year. Before the trial convened, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, and other Republicans signaled that they were regaining confidence that they would be able to cobble together the 51 votes needed to block new witnesses and documents and bring the trial to an acquittal verdict as soon as Friday, after the revelations from Bolton, reported Sunday by The New York Times, had threatened to knock their plans off course. Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the No. 3 Senate Republican, declared that he had heard enough and predicted that the Senate would vote to acquit the president by weeks end. Im ready to vote on final judgment, Barrasso told reporters. Asked if Republicans planned to move directly to a vote on the two articles of impeachment Friday, Barrasso said, Yes, thats the plan. By Wednesday afternoon, Democrats were sounding a note of pessimism about the prospect of witnesses and securing new evidence in the trial, even as they used their questions to make the case that an impeachment trial without additional witnesses and documents amounted to a cover-up. Weve always known it will be an uphill fight on witnesses and documents because the president and Mitch McConnell put huge pressure on these folks, Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, said during a break in the trial. Is it more likely than not? Probably no, Schumer said. But is it a decent, good chance? Yes. For Republicans, it appeared as if they were on the verge of giving Trump what he has wanted all along: an acquittal that he could boast about on the campaign trail delivered before he goes to the Capitol next Tuesday for his State of the Union address. Inside the Senate chamber, senators spent eight hours grilling House managers and White House lawyers about the definition of obstruction; the meaning of executive privilege; the history of security aid to Ukraine; the role of Hunter Biden, the son of former Vice President Joe Biden, on the board of a Ukrainian energy company; and the whistleblower who first raised concerns about Trumps call with the president of Ukraine; and whether, as Trumps legal team asserted, it was perfectly fine for the president to solicit damaging information about the Bidens from Ukraine. In accordance with impeachment protocol, senators wrote their queries on small cards, which were read aloud by Chief Justice John Roberts, who presided over the trial. In their responses, Trumps lawyers offered their most expansive defense of the president to date, effectively arguing that a president cannot be removed from office for demanding political favors if he believes his reelection is in the national interest. Every public official I know believes that his election is in the public interest, said Alan Dershowitz, the celebrity defense lawyer and constitutional scholar who is part of Trumps legal team. Mostly, youre right. If the president does something which he believes will help him get elected, in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment, he said. Many of the arguments and much the day was tailored to convincing a few Republicans who remained holdouts on the question of whether to call witnesses. McConnell gave his partys first question on Wednesday to Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska in an effort to allay the concerns of the three lawmakers, Republican moderates who are swing votes on the issue. The trio teamed up to ask Trumps lawyers how they should judge the president if they conclude he acted in the Ukraine matter with both political and policy motives. The selection of Collins, who is facing the toughest reelection campaign in her long Senate career, was revealing: It suggested that McConnell was keenly focused on giving her every opportunity to have her voice heard before moving forward. When she rose to announce herself, she became the first senator other than the two leaders to have a speaking role in the trial. Notably absent from the group was the fourth Republican who had expressed interest in witnesses: Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, a close friend of McConnells who has said he will not decide whether to support witnesses until after the question period has closed. Later in the evening, Romney hinted that he was seeking to better understand why Trump withheld security aid for Ukraine, asking White House lawyers for the specific date that the president first ordered a hold on the assistance. Patrick Philbin, a deputy White House counsel, did not provide a direct answer, saying there was no evidence of a specific date, offering only testimony showing that budget officials were aware of the hold in late June. On Tuesday, McConnell had privately warned his rank-and-file members that he did not currently have the votes to stop Democrats from summoning witnesses. One after the other on Wednesday, in statements and interviews in the Capitol, they made clear they would side with their leader. Sen. Patrick Toomey of Pennsylvania, who had previously floated the idea of a witness deal, said Wednesday that he was very, very skeptical of new witnesses. Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado, facing a tough reelection in a swing state, issued a statement saying that he had heard enough and would vote against hearing from anyone else. Sen. Martha McSally of Arizona, who is also facing a difficult election, tweeted later Wednesday: I have heard enough. It is time to vote. McConnell summoned Murkowski to his office Wednesday morning for a private meeting before the trial began, and she emerged refusing to answer questions about whether she would ultimately support the call for witnesses. We still got some folks who are, like I said, assessing, said Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the second-ranking Senate Republican. But the leaders were planning as if the defeat of a bid for witnesses was a certainty; Thune said it was likely that if it did fail, Republicans would move swiftly for an acquittal. Democrats would need the votes of four Republicans to compel the Senate to subpoena witnesses and new documents. But it seems increasingly likely that Alexander, who is retiring from the Senate and is thus free to do as he chooses, would break from his party. Trump is charged with abusing his power and obstructing Congress by pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political rivals, including Biden and his son Hunter Biden, and concealing evidence of it from lawmakers who were investigating. In the first hint of a possible crack in Democratic unity, Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama suggested Wednesday that he might vote to acquit Trump on the charge of obstruction of Congress, although he said that the presidents own behavior was strengthening the case against him. And Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia said he thought that Hunter Biden might be a relevant witness. Im still looking at that very closely; there are some things that trouble me about it, Jones said, without elaborating. But I will tell you this about the obstruction charge: The more I see the president of the United States attacking witnesses, the stronger that case gets. Fielding friendly questions from Democratic senators, House managers reiterated the heart of their case and accused Trumps lawyers of falsely stating that there was no evidence that Trump linked security assistance to investigations. Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the lead House impeachment manager, responded to Dershowitzs argument that a president who believed his reelection was in the national interest could demand a quid pro quo to help himself politically without consequence was very odd. If you say you cant hold a president accountable in an election year where theyre trying to cheat in that election, then you are giving them carte blanche, Schiff said. All quid pro quos are not the same. Some are legitimate and some are corrupt. Democrats have argued that Trumps pressure campaign on Ukraine was precisely the kind of corrupt scheme that the nations founders had in mind when they created impeachment, fearing that an out-of-control president would abuse his power for personal gain. But throughout the day, lawyers for Trump argued that all elected officials make policy decisions to help themselves get reelected. Answering the question from the three Republican moderates, Philbin said that a president could not be removed for a mixed-motive situation in which he is acting out of both personal and policy concerns. Theres always some personal interest in the electoral outcome of policy decisions and theres nothing wrong with that, Philbin told senators. Thats part of representative democracy. In one case, White House lawyers struggled to answer a question from Collins and Murkowski, admitting that they had no evidence to counter Democratic arguments that Trump became interested in investigations of Joe Biden in 2019 only after Biden became a candidate for president. Trumps legal team also argued that the House needed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt a standard of proof that legal experts say has no basis in either the Constitution or the rules of the Senate. And the legal team said that the case was merely based on a policy difference between the president and the career diplomats who sounded the alarm on his pressure campaign in Ukraine. While Roberts spent the day reading senators words aloud, he did exercise his judgment on one key point, refusing to reveal the identity of the CIA whistleblower who filed the complaint that spurred the impeachment inquiry. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., sought unsuccessfully to ask a question about the origins of the investigation that named the CIA whistleblower who filed the complaint that spurred it, according to a person familiar with the debate. The query was rejected repeatedly. White House lawyers had help making sure their speakers stayed within a five-minute time limit that Roberts strictly enforced, and he occasionally cut off speakers midsentence. Staff for the lawyers held up small white cue cards showing when the clock was about to run out; the Democratic House managers did not appear to have such a system. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Trump Impeachment Trial Turns Into Debate Over Bolton Testimony By Ken Bredemeier, Kenneth Schwartz January 29, 2020 U.S. President Donald Trump's impeachment trial quickly turned into a debate Wednesday over whether his former national security adviser John Bolton should be called as a witness. "There's no way to have a fair trial without witnesses," Congressman Adam Schiff, the lead House of Representatives manager prosecuting Trump, told the 100 members of the Senate acting as jurors. He said there was "no question about the president's motivation" in asking Ukraine to investigate a key 2020 Democratic rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, to benefit himself politically, at the same time blocking release of $391 million in military aid Kyiv wanted. In this image from video, House impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., answers a question during the impeachment trial But with Trump's repeated denial of a quid pro quo with Ukraine military aid for the politically tinged investigation Schiff said it "makes it all the more sense to call a witness who knows what happened." Bolton, who often met with Trump until the president ousted him from his security post last September, claims in the new book "The Room Where It Happened" that Trump told him directly last August he wanted the Biden investigation before he would release the defense assistance Kyiv wanted to help fight pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. "Don't wait for the book to find out what (Trump's) motivation was," Schiff said. But a Trump lawyer, deputy White House counsel Patrick Philbin, accused the Democratic-controlled House of approving two articles of impeachment against Trump in a "hurried, half-baked, partisan fashion" and that to call witnesses now "could drag (the Senate trial) on for months." "This institution gets derailed," Philbin said, preventing the Senate from normal legislative work. Philbin said that if impeachment of U.S. presidents "becomes that easy, (the House will) do it all the time. It's a very dangerous precedent." The Senate is voting Friday on whether to subpoena witnesses, including Bolton and other key Trump aides, which could significantly extend the length of the trial. But Republican leaders are hoping to reject Democrats' bid for their testimony and then move quickly to acquit Trump by week's end. Trump's case is only the third presidential impeachment trial in the country's history. Senate Republicans and Democrats alternated submitting written questions to the House managers and Trump lawyers that were read by Chief Justice John Roberts, who is presiding over the trial. The questioning is planned to last for 16 hours over two days, before the crucial Friday debate on whether to call Bolton as a witness. At the outset, the Republican and the Democratic lawmakers directed their questions almost entirely to their side of the political aisle. Bolton's possible testimony looms large after details from his upcoming book surfaced this week. The issue of Trump's request to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for the Biden investigation is at the center of the two articles of impeachment Trump faces whether he abused the presidency by seeking the investigation to benefit himself politically, and obstructed congressional efforts to investigate his Ukraine-related actions. Trump, however, released the military assistance in September without Zelenskiy launching the Biden investigation, proof, Republicans say, that Trump had not engaged in a reciprocal quid pro quo deal with Kyiv. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a staunch Trump supporter, conceded Tuesday that he does not yet have the firm votes needed to block Democrats from calling witnesses and extending the trial. The 47 Senate Democrats looking to call Bolton and others as witnesses need four Republicans to join them in a simple majority vote. Trump has railed against Bolton since the allegation from his book became known. Late Tuesday, Trump said on Twitter, "No matter how many witnesses you give the Democrats, no matter how much information is given, like the quickly produced Transcripts, it will NEVER be enough for them. They will always scream UNFAIR. The Impeachment Hoax is just another political CON JOB!" Hours before the trial resumed Wednesday, Trump made the unfounded claim that Bolton had not objected contemporaneously about Trump's overtures for the Biden investigation. "Why didn't John Bolton complain about this 'nonsense' a long time ago, when he was very publicly terminated. He said, not that it matters, NOTHING!" Trump tweeted. According to testimony during the House of Representatives' impeachment investigation, Bolton had voiced his concerns about Trump withholding the aid and asking for the Biden investigation to several White House officials, at one point calling it a "drug deal" he wanted no part of. Trump urged Republicans to stand strong against the call for witnesses, tweeting, "Remember Republicans, the Democrats already had 17 witnesses, we were given NONE! Witnesses are up to the House, not up to the Senate. Don't let the Dems play you!" In the question-and-answer sessions, the House managers and Trump lawyers had five minutes to respond to the numerous queries. In the impeachment trial against former President Bill Clinton two decades ago, when he was accused of lying to a grand jury about a sexual relationship, senators asked more than 100 questions before later acquitting Clinton. While the two sides asked questions supporting their own viewpoint of the proceedings, Republicans could yet target Schiff about his initial contacts with the still-unidentified government intelligence official who first disclosed Trump's request to Zelenskiy for the Biden investigation. Republicans also could attack the House Democrats for what they say was the unfairness in the way they conducted their investigation. Meanwhile, Democrats could ask Trump's lawyers why they consider it acceptable behavior for a U.S. president to ask a foreign government for an investigation of an American political rival. Biden leads some national polls as the favorite of Democratic voters to oppose Trump in next November's national election. The question-and-answer process will continue Thursday, before the chamber proceeds to a four-hour debate on witnesses Friday. Several moderate Republican senators, including Mitt Romney, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, have said they may be interested in hearing Bolton and others testify. Other Republicans have said they see no need for calling witnesses and want to acquit Trump as soon as possible, perhaps exonerating him before he delivers his annual State of the Union address to Congress next Tuesday. Trump's lawyers say he had the right to withhold the military aid because he was concerned about Ukrainian corruption and wanted Europe to pitch in more to help Ukraine fight Russian-backed separatists. Last week, over three days of arguments, Democrats contended that there is "overwhelming evidence" of Trump's guilt and called for his removal from office. However the debate plays out over witnesses, Trump remains almost certain to be acquitted. A two-thirds vote in the 100-member Senate is needed to convict Trump and remove him from office. But with Republicans holding a 53-47 majority and no Republican calling for his ouster, Trump is all but assured of being exonerated. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Giragirachariya.com scored 42 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 15 Dec 2012, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the giragirachariya homepage on Twitter + the total number of giragirachariya followers (if giragirachariya has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the giragirachariya homepage on StumbleUpon. The total number of people who shared the giragirachariya homepage on Delicious. The total number of people who shared the giragirachariya 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 giragirachariya homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if giragirachariya has a Facebook fan page). Basic Information PAGE TITLE Welcome to Gira Gira Chariya! DESCRIPTION Gira Gira! Osaka`s best NJS/Keirin track/fixed gear bikes, frames, and parts shop! KEYWORDS Apparel Handle bars Straps Frames Hubs Tyres Stems Cogs Saddles Brake parts Bottom brackets Rims Chains Crank sets Grips Headsets Chain rings Pedals Seat posts DVDs and Books Pedal clips Spoke sets Forks Bags Lights Wheels Small Parts Framebuilding Sticke OTHER KEYWORDS The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. 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. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. Domain and Server DOCTYPE XHTML 1.0 Strict CHARSET AND LANGUAGE UTF-8 DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER Apache OPERATIVE SYSTEM Linux Linux Operative System running on the server. Character set and language of the site. Type of server and offered services. The language of giragirachariya.com as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world. Referring domains for giragirachariya.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 type of Facebook page. The URL of the found Facebook page. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND Permanent secretary Richard Pengelly said it was unacceptable that any patient has to wait longer than they should to be assessed or treated (Niall Carson/PA) Northern Ireland's Health Minister said new figures, which show the number of people waiting more than 12 hours in Northern Ireland emergency departments doubled in the past year, were simply not good enough. Robin Swann has written to the chief executives of each of the Trusts after the latest figures were published on Thursday. The figures showed that in December 2019, 64,872 people attended emergency departments, compared to 66,636 in December 2018. However, the number waiting for more than 12 hours was 5,280 up from 1,991 in the previous year. It means almost one in 10 who attended emergency departments were waiting for more than 12 hours. Mr Swann said: I fully recognise that there are no quick or easy solutions. As with other parts of the health service, sustained investment is required alongside reforms to the way services are delivered. One of the key issues is the increasing number of older people attending emergency departments and experiencing long waits, many of whom will require hospital admission. Another priority is the development of community services to facilitate discharges of patients who are well enough to leave hospital. This is in the best interests of the patients and will also alleviate pressure in emergency departments and throughout the system. This will require investment in the social care workforce. SDLP health spokesperson Sinead Bradley said the figures painted a bleak picture. Our health service is very clearly in crisis and the solution must be sustained investment and service transformation, she said. Hard working staff are at breaking point and working under intolerable pressure. We must address this crisis for the benefit of staff and patients. During December nurses staged an unprecedented walkout in industrial action over pay and conditions. Around 15,000 healthcare workers took to picket lines in wide ranging strike action. Sinn Fein MLA Colm Gildernew said he was deeply concerned by the figures. It is clear that the hard working health and social care staff are struggling with the huge pressures. We need an end to the 10 years of Tory cuts to public services which have created the crisis in our health and mental health services, he said. For the health minister to address emergency waiting times, he needs the funding to transform the wider health and social care system. In December, Altnagelvin Hospital in Londonderry had the longest average waiting time from arrival to admission to hospital of 10 hours and 34 minutes. The Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children reported the shortest average time of four hours and 11 minutes. No patient should wait longer than 12 hours in any emergency department, government targets state. The figures show 4.8% of all people attending emergency departments in December 2019 left before their treatment was complete. Mr Swann said: Looking to the longer-term, I welcome the fact that the department is progressing a clinically-led review of urgent and emergency care, with a view to transforming services. An initial report is expected shortly, which will outline the current challenges and explore some potential solutions. Every second counts. It is important to know when to call EMS (Bloomberg) -- A controversial $1 billion shale gas pipeline thats been stalled by a dispute over whether it can seize state-owned land for construction won the backing of the nations top energy regulator. PennEast had sought the support of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission after a court decision prevented it from exercising eminent domain in New Jersey. Its developers -- which include Enbridge Inc. and Southern Co. -- argued the ruling overturned 80 years of industry practice. On Thursday, the energy commission voted 2-1 in favor of PennEasts petition, lending the project support as it prepares to take its case to the nations highest court. The commissions order rejecting the courts interpretation strengthens PennEasts forthcoming petition to the Supreme Court, Patricia Kornick, a spokeswoman for the project, said by email. But the projects viability remains on life support, Guggenheim Securities analyst Shahriar Pourreza said Thursday in a note to clients. Headwinds remain material to get a project through a state that appears to be anti natural gas due to Governor Murphys policies, Pourreza said, referring to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. FERC Chairman Neil Chatterjee said at the agencys meeting that the earlier court ruling has the potential to disrupt the commissions regulation of the natural gas industry and that Thursdays order would provide clarity for other potential litigants. The text, legislative history and precedent of the Natural Gas Act of 1938 reflect Congresss intent to delegate the authority to condemn state property to pipeline certificate holders, he argued. But Democrat Commissioner Rich Glick, the sole dissenter, criticized the regulators decision as both deeply troubling and frankly, a discredit to this agency. The ruling also drew an angry rebuke from New Jersey Democratic Representative Frank Pallone, the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. For an independent regulatory agency to help a private party seize state lands, all in order to build a pipeline, is as wrong as it is bizarre, he said in a statement. Story continues The 120-mile line (193-kilometer) PennEast line would carry about 1 billion cubic feet of gas per day, enough for 4.7 million homes, from Pennsylvania to New Jersey. (Updates with further reaction in penultimate paragraph.) To contact the reporter on this story: Stephen Cunningham in Washington at scunningha10@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: David Marino at dmarino4@bloomberg.net For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. The future of NSG and the Fire Alarm Industry as a whole, is reliant on the cultivation of young talent to replace an ageing group of Life Safety professionals." NSG Life Safety recently recognized the achievement of NICET (National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies) certification for three of their employees. After a rigorous training syllabus and on-the-job training, NSGs Engineering staff members have earned their NICET Certification in Fire Alarm Engineering Technologies. NSG Life Safetys President, Dan Chauvin (NICET IV Engineering Technologist) stated: For two consecutive years, NSG has been honored as North Americas largest Autocall dealer. This achievement is a direct result of the efforts and commitment of our engineering group. The future of NSG and the Fire Alarm Industry as a whole, is reliant on the cultivation of young talent to replace an ageing group of Life Safety professionals. Our team represents the next wave of building systems experts. Systems Engineer, Chris Viveiros earned a Bachelors Degree from The University of Rhode Island in Mechanical Engineering. Sales Engineer, Kyle Chauvin earned a Bachelors Degree from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in International Business. Project Engineer, Torrey Champignie earned a Bachelors Degree from The Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Facilities Engineering. About NICET: Established in 1961, NICET is a non-profit organization providing recognition and certification for engineering technicians and technologists in the U.S. All NICET programs are designed by industry experts to ensure that companies in engineering and technology fields have a qualified workforce. As a result, the institute greatly invests in its members by promoting their continuing professional development through job placement services that connect employers with highly qualified technicians and technologists. For technicians, the program requires a written and multiple-choice test and documentation including a work history, recommendations, and usually a supervisor to verify your proficiency for certain skills. For technologists, the certification requires a 4-year degree in a field related to engineering technology, and at the advanced level, a work history including references. For a company, NICET certifications mean that any potential candidate with a NICET certification has been evaluated by an objective third party, including committees of experts, and is guaranteed to have the qualifications necessary to fulfill a company's needs. This means that their quality of workand ultimately the quality of the products and services performed will be of the highest standards. For more information on NSG Life Safety: http://www.nsglifesafety.com China on Thursday expressed its keenness to continue maintaining close communication with the Government of India regarding its efforts to deal with the situation arising out of coronavirus outbreak. "We are willing to continue to maintain close communication with the Indian side, provide necessary assistance and convenience to ensure the health and safety of Indian citizens in China, and address their legitimate concerns timely," said Counselor Ji Rong, spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy here, on Thursday. "We also hope the Indian side could continue to render understanding and support to China's efforts in epidemic prevention and control," added the spokesperson. The novel coronavirus has killed more than 170 people and infected hundreds of others in the East Asian country. "The Chinese government attaches great importance to safeguarding the health of every foreign in China including the Indian people," he added. The Ministry of External Affairs initiated the evacuation of Indian citizens residing in Wuhan -- the epicentre of the deadly virus outbreak -- on Tuesday after talks with the Chinese authorities. The Chinese government had requested for permission to operate two flights to evacuate Indians from the central Chinese province of Hubei. The envoy said his country believes that the international community will assess the epidemic situation in "an objective, just, calm and reasonable way, and will continue to strengthen international cooperation, work with all parties to jointly tackle the epidemic and safeguard regional and global public health security." "The Chinese government has mobilised all the resources to ensure the supply of medical equipment and living materials in Wuhan. We have full capability, confidence, and resources to win the battle against the epidemic at an early date," he further said. The Indian government has issued a travel advisory, asking its people to refrain from travelling to China. Thermal screening facilities, as a precautionary measure, have been extended to 21 airports now including Gaya, Guwahati, Vizag, Varanasi, and Goa. A total of 33,552 passengers arriving in India from China in 155 flights have been screened at different airports till Monday. The Wuhan novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain of coronavirus that has not been identified before. The exact source of infection of 2019 nCoV is not known yet. Coronavirus is a large family of viruses that cause respiratory illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). The symptoms reported in patients with nCoV include acute onset of fever, cough, and difficulty in breathing. The infection results in severe complications and even death. China has imposed quarantine and travel restrictions, affecting the movement of 56 million people in more than a dozen cities, amid fears that the transmission rate will accelerate as hundreds of millions of Chinese travel for the Lunar New Year. Following India, some other countries including the United States and Canada have also started evacuating their nationals from the Chinese province. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [January 30, 2020] Resilience360 Analyzes Supply Chain Impacts of the Wuhan Coronavirus TROISDORF, Germany, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Since January 23, a deadly coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei Province a major industrial and transport hub in central China - has triggered full or partial lockdowns in 13 Chinese cities that have severely restricted key land, air, and maritime transport routes across the country, and globally. Today, Resilience360 released a special report outlining the impacts of the coronavirus on the global supply chain. To download the full findings of the report, please click here . Insights from the report include: Severe disruptions to inbound and outbound air cargo shipments, trucking and rail cargo services, as well as heavy port congestion for vessels along the Yangtze River near Wuhan, will likely persist as the coronavirus crisis unfolds. The regional lockdown has already severely impeded logistics operations that rely on access to highways to carry goods into and out of the region, while severe delays should also be expected on inbound and outbound air cargo shipments. Should the lockdowns continue beyond the Lunar New Year holidays a major Chinese festive period from January 24 to January 30 that has been extended to February 2 it could have a major impact on supply chain operations and industrial production throughout China across industries such automotive, pharmaceutical and medical supplies, and high-tech manufacturing. Several major jurisdictions including Beijing, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Guangdong, and Shanghai - have put further restrictions on when companies will be able to return to normal operations in a bid to quell the coronavirus outbreak. The Wuhan coronavirus has already had a horrific impact and we are extremely sad for the lives and families it has impacted, said Shehrina Kamal, Product Director Risk Monitoring, Resilience360. This situation is evolving quickly and we will continue to evaluate and provide updates as events warrant. Kamal continued, As a leading supply chain risk management and insights company, Resilience360 is well-positioned to develop this report having leveraged the power of its network by obtaining on-the-ground intelligence of the situation in Wuhan and assessing industry-level impacts of the outbreak. Resilience360 is able to do this through a balanced blend of machine-learning and a global team of multilingual risk experts. Resilience360 predicts, monitors, and mitigates disruptions both man-made and natural, including hurricanes, cyberattacks, labor strikes, protests, and a rapidly changing regulatory environment. Resilience360s platform enables near real-time monitoring of incidents by accessing millions of open-source media sites to provide an accurate assessment of potentially disruptive events that can impact the supply chain. Resilience360s risk mitigation tools provide businesses with the information they need for supply chain visualization, procurement, and trade compliance. To download the full findings of the report, please click here . About Resilience360 Resilience360 helps companies to visualize, track and protect their business operations. The Resilience360 solution facilitates intuitive supply chain visualization, tracks shipments and ETAs across different transport modes and enables near real-time monitoring of incidents capable of disrupting supply chains. Resilience360 easily integrates with business systems and helps companies keep track of risk in combination with their business performance indicators. It enables companies to better ensure business continuity, building risk profiles based on over 30 risk databases, and identifying critical hotspots using heat-maps to mitigate risks and to turn potential disruptions into a competitive advantage. For more information, go to https://www.resilience360.dhl.com/ . Media Contact: Will Haraway Backbeat Marketing 404.593.8320 [email protected] www.linkedin.com/in/willharaway www.backbeatmarketing.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Popular highlife artiste and song writer George Kwabena Adu, aka Kwabena Kwabena, is making a comeback after a short break. The highlife artiste has been working behind the scenes while on break and is currently set to release his sixth studio album titled Fa Me Saa in April, this year. His consistency as an artiste has made a tremendous impact, motivating and inspiring many music lovers who believe his songs are very good. He happens to be one of the few young dedicated highlife artistes in the country who are working tirelessly to put Ghanaian music on the world map. According to him, he went on a short break to study the trend of the music industry as well as work on his craft, to enable him create a better connection with his fans. After five albums, I needed to start all over again, see what's happening and see how I can connect with my fans again, he said in an interview with JoyNews. Kwabena Kwabena, who is billed to perform at this year's edition the Joy FM Valentine's Day bash, dubbed 'The Love Experience', stated that he was ready to bounce back after his break, adding that his sixth studio album would be released this year. All of Kwabena's songs are easy to sing along and considering the kind of message he is sending to the youth, one will easily be motivated to sing along. With a number of danceable hit songs to his credit, Kwabena Kwabena shot into the limelight with his maiden album titled Aso which he featured Kontihene in 2004. Three of the songs were used in the soundtrack of Sparrow Productions' movie titled The Perfect Picture. Some of his hits include Ka Kyere Me, Trodom, Adea Waye Me, Fakye Me, Me Ne Woa among others. He has being featured by Tinny, A-Plus, Nkasei, Kontihene and a host of other acts. Due to his strong passion for philanthropic work, he set up the Kwabena Kwabena Save a Life Foundation which has hosted a number of charity concerts to raise funds for the National Cardiothoracic Centre. Daily Guide Last night, we learned the results of the elections for the chairmanships of various select committees. We published the full list here. These committees play an important role in holding the Government to account, especially now it enjoys the first solid one-party majority since 2010. They can also take the initiative and help set the policy agenda. So looking under the bonnet at some of these results, what do they tell us? A shift in focus at DCMS Perhaps one of the most interesting result was that of the Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport Select Committee, where Julian Knight defeated incumbent chairman Damian Collins. Knight, who has represented Solihull since the 2015 election, has served on the DCMS Committee for three years. As a former BBC journalist he previously garnered press attention during the Committees hearings over equal pay at the Corporation, and he recently wrote on this site about his plan to have the Committee serve as its own Royal Commission on finding a new model for the BBC one which, in his words, weans it off the poll tax. Others have already noted that this marks quite a shift from Collins chairmanship, under which the Committee had focused on issues such as Facebook and online disinformation as well as trying to summon Dominic Cummings. Downing Street will probably not be unhappy about this particular change. (Incidentally Philip Dunne, another candidate who wrote for us about his plans, was successfully elected to chair the Environmental Audit Committee.) Ex-ministers: yea or nay? As has already been pointed out elsewhere, several May-era ministers have now taken up key chairmanships. These include not only Jeremy Hunt, the Prime Ministers vanquished rival for the leadership, at Health but also Greg Clark at Science & Technology and Tobias Ellwood at Defence. This has been described in some quarters as the basis for a Tory resistance, although that might overstate the potency of even the most powerful committee in the face of a majority of close to 80. Setting aside that purely political angle, there are arguments for and against appointing former ministers to lead the committees which scrutinise the departments they used to run. On the one hand, they almost certainly bring a greater familiarity with the work of said department than your average backbencher will have. On the other, that familiarity comes with its own baggage: they may try to use their new position to defend pet projects, or to direct scrutiny away from areas where a share of the blame might redound upon them. So yes, they may well know where the bodies are buried. But they probably buried one or two of them themselves. A waning interest in education? When David Cameron first took office in 2010, school reform was at the very top of his Governments reform agenda. The drive towards free schools, and Michael Goves battles with the Blob, was one of the central planks of the Conservative agenda. This focus, perhaps inevitably, took a serious hit after 2015 when Brexit started taking up more and more of the Partys energy and attention. Back in 2018 we noted that the Government has lost momentum on free schools, faith schools, and grammars, and by the most recent election the Conservative manifesto offering on schools was extremely thin. But for all that, it is nonetheless telling that the newly-enlarged bloc of Tory MPs couldnt find even two people prepared to stand for the chairmanship of the Education Committee. It really does suggest that the Partys waning interest in education with the obvious exception of Rob Halfon, the new chairman extends not just to the front bench but to the back benches too. Almost 12% of the American soldiers posted in Afghanistan have had suicidal thoughts at least once in their lives. More to the point, 3% thought of suicide at least once over the past year, and almost 2% over the last month, according to the questionnaires filled in by a sample of soldiers midway through their stay in that country, in 2012. The rate of suicide is much higher among soldiers in combat compare to those who were never deployed. The presence of suicidal ideas is a risk factor for suicidal behavior and shows that the individual is seriously distressed. It should be taken as a chance to intervene. However, it is unlikely that the prevalence of mental health issues represented by the administrative records is accurate since it is difficult for soldiers on active combat duty to seek treatment for such disorders and the difficulty of maintaining medical records in the war zone. This was the reason for the current survey method. Suicidal ideas are known to be linked to risk factors like being female, younger, entering service at a higher age, sexual trauma in service, and poor childhood experiences, as well as exposure to combat. A new study published in JAMA Network Open is unique in its assessment of soldiers' self-reported suicidal ideation and mental health disorders at the midpoint of deployment, a period when risk for suicide attempts appears to peak. Kandahar, Afghanistan. Image Credit: Nate Derrick / Shutterstock The study The researchers distributed a questionnaire to about 4,000 soldiers out of the over 87,000 American troops posted in Afghanistan. The number was adjusted to provide a representative picture of the whole group. 87.5% were male, and about 53% were 29 years or less. They then carried out an observational study based on the questionnaires, to understand more about the prevalence of suicidal ideas and mental illness over the period of deployment in a combat zone, as well as to find out what risk factors were linked to this. The analysis was performed in August 2018 to August 2019. The findings The risk factors identified included white race, a history of trauma not associated with military combat, and a history of major depression in the past. About 44% had major depression, and 19% had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the past month. The odds of having suicidal thoughts were 3 times higher for whites, twice as high for a history of noncombat trauma, and almost 32 times higher for people with major depression in the last 30 days. If the major depression had occurred more than a month before the survey date, the odds were 5 times more. 85 soldiers said they had had suicidal thoughts in the last 30 days, and on follow up over the next 12 months, after returning from deployment, 44% had tried to commit suicide. 5 of them (6%) were documented to have attempted suicide, or 6%. This is in contrast to 0.14% of participants without such ideas. The study depends upon self-reported data, and the findings may not be widely applicable to other groups of soldiers or to civilians. All the same, the presence of major depression and trauma outside the battle zone should prompt a watch for suicidal thoughts during deployment for combat. There is a reason that Chile is one of the hottest global traveler destinations these days, and the Atacama Desert is one of its shining stars. Beige, rocky and seemingly lifeless, the north-easternmost part of Chile generally regarded as the driest desert on earth feels more like the surface of the moon than the blue planet Earth. The Atacama Desert. Peter Gabriels / EyeEm It is mesmerizing and beautiful a rugged landscape of craggy outcrops, flat mesas and vast sand dunes ringed by volcanoes that contrast against a brilliant sky. It is this very starkness which dazzles, as the mind explores how a place so dry and desolate can pack so much interest and excitement. The gateway to the desert San Pedro de Atacama With fewer than 2,000 residents, the town of San Pedro de Atacama is a compact collection of small adobes and wooden buildings, nothing over two stories high. The town is more than 1,000 miles from Santiago, but has no airport. Streets are made of dirt, with no stoplights, and there is just one petrol station in 60 miles. A street in San Pedro de Atacama. Prisma by Dukas | Universal Images San Pedro de Atacama is a simple town, perfect for walking, with narrow streets stretching from the center outward until they simply disappear into the desert. The main street, Caracoles, is lined with petite galleries, shops, tour operators and restaurants nearly all merchant-owned and very friendly. Just a block away is the idyllic little Plaza De Armas a common name for the center of Spanish colonial towns which is anchored by an adobe church. The door of the Bell Tower of San Lucas made of cactus wood in Toconao, near San Pedro de Atacama. Wolfgang Kaehler Strolling along the dusty streets between low-slung colorful buildings with cactus wood doors, everything one wants to buy, drink and eat is available, including the ever-popular La Frenchuteria bakery whose authentic French bread is claimed by many as some of Chile's best despite the bakery's extreme remoteness from, well, everywhere. The extraterrestrial outskirts If San Pedro de Atacama is a beehive of light-handed tourism, the outskirts are nature in her most austere, elemental state. Just outside of this bustling little town is an emptiness that feels extraterrestrial an endless vista of barren beauty and natural harshness that is nevertheless accessible by car. This is where the exploration begins. Trek and tour the Licancabur and Jurique volcanoes, gape at the aptly-named Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) in Los Flamencos National Reserve, explore jagged canyons, pick through caverns and even "snowboard" down enormous sand dunes (rental equipment is available in town). Sandboarders surfing the Death Valley dunes near San Pedro de Atacama. Andia Farther away, it's possible to float effortlessly in the salt water ponds of the Salar de Atacama Salt Flats. Beyond, the Miscanti and Miniques lagoons await in windy isolation, so blue and pristine that you'd swear they were artificial. Floating in the salt lagoons of the Atacama Desert. Martinelli73 Along the way, small adobe villages are good stops to sample dried fruits, nuts and stews, and there is a spot to straddle your feet across the Tropic of Capricorn in the utter absence of anyone else. Atacama at night When the sun drops behind the flat tops of the area's volcanoes, the sky rains with the light of thousands of flickering dots and streaks tearing across the galaxy. Indeed, the night sky of Atacama is considered among the clearest anywhere. At more than 8,000 feet above sea level and almost entirely free of ambient nighttime light, the desert is home to many of the world's most important observatories, including the ALMA telescope, the largest radio telescope in the world. Several of the 66 antennas that make up the ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) telescope, a partnership project between Europe, North America, East Asia and Chile. MARTIN BERNETTI This type of telescope isn't needed for awe-inspiring stargazing, and having an astronomer explain the night sky with laser pointers is an incredible experience that can be easily arranged by most hotels. Sunrise with geysers No visit to Atacama is complete without a frigid pre-dawn journey to El Tatio Geysers. After a 50-mile drive north in the dark and a climb (by car) of several thousand feet, the landscape reveals hundreds of natural steam geysers bubbling and spewing under the sunrise. El Tatio Geyser Field. Henryk Sadura As the sun peeks above the jagged mountains and the geysers subside, it's time for breakfast either at the tiny villages on the journey back for fresh-grilled guanaco (similar to llama) or rolling right into San Pedro to the popular Roots cafe. Later, a stroll to the local open-air market little more than an alley covered with a plastic tarpaulin offers the chance to pick up fresh fruits and vegetables for a desert picnic later that day. Hotels boutique, all-inclusive or luxury Despite its popularity, the Atacama has been overlooked by big box hotels, populated instead by boutique chains and desert-style independents. A guanaco closely related to the llama in the Atacama Desert. Veronique Durruty One such place is the Noi Casa Atacama, a mix of comfort, luxury and desert simplicity. A few all-inclusive resorts, like Explora, have everything one needs in private surroundings and activities. And for memorable five-star accommodations, the Awasi Atacama has unparalleled exclusivity, blending Relais & Chateaux luxury with a bespoke desert experience. Tips Berkshire Hathaway chairman and CEO Warren Buffett has apparently given up on newspapers. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/1/2020 (713 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Berkshire Hathaway chairman and CEO Warren Buffett has apparently given up on newspapers. The Omaha, Neb.-based financial company is selling its BH Media Group, which includes 30 newspapers and more than 49 paid weekly publications, and The Buffalo News, a newspaper Buffett has owned since 1977. Lee Enterprises of Davenport, Iowa, which had managed Berkshires media group for the last 18 months, will pay US$140 million for the assets. The financing comes from about US$576 million Berkshire is loaning Lee Enterprises to refinance US$400 million in long-term debt. Berkshire will become Lees sole lender. Buffett said Lee Enterprises had shown an ability to outpace competitors in revenue and digital market share. "We had zero interest in selling the group to anyone else for one simple reason: We believe that Lee is best positioned to manage through the industrys challenges," he said in a statement accompanying the sales announcement. 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. "No organization is more committed to serving the vital role of high-quality local news, however delivered, as Lee," Buffett continued. "I am confident that our newspapers will be in the right hands going forward and I also am pleased to be deepening our long-term relationship with Lee through the financing agreement." A newspaper delivery boy as a teen, Buffett has been a lifelong voracious newspaper reader reading as many as five a day. But he knew the industry faced massive challenges. "They are a fair amount worse off, and not one is bucking that trend, even in prosperous communities," he told USA TODAY four years ago. "Theres less and less in the newspaper." At the time he said: "We would never sell a newspaper I want to be the last guy standing." Apparently it was time for the "Oracle of Omaha" to turn the page. USA Today California police have released footage of a mystery cyclist who is now a 'person of interest' in the murder of a tech millionaire last October. In the footage, a person is seen riding a bike shortly in Tushar Atre's neighborhood shortly after 12am on October 1. The person is then seen stopping in front of Atre's home to observe the area for a few seconds before riding away. Authorities, who have increased a reward for more information in the case to $200,000, said three hours later, Atre, 50, was seen being kidnapped from his Santa Cruz home in a white SUV BMW that the suspects stole from the home. Scroll down for video California police have released footage of a mystery cyclist who is now a 'person of interest' in the murder of tech millionaire, Tushar Atre, 50, last October. In the footage, a person is seen riding a bike shortly in Atre's neighborhood shortly after 12am on October 1 Authorities, who have increased a reward for more information in the case to $200,000, said three hours later, Atre, was seen being kidnapped from his Santa Cruz home in a white SUV BMW (circled) that the suspects stole from the home 'We believe the car traveled from East Cliff Drive to 41st Avenue then to Soquel Drive onto Soquel San Jose Road,' authorities said. 'We're asking anyone who was along that path of travel around the time of 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning and saw that vehicle or anything suspicious, please let us know.' Atre was found dead in October 2019 in his girlfriend's BMW in Santa Cruz. He had been coaxed out of his home and forced into the car, according to police. In November 2019, detectives released surveillance footage of three suspects near Atre's home carrying a rifle and a duffel bag the night he vanished. The suspects were filmed by surveillance cameras walking near Atre's home on October 1. It remains unclear what they stole from the millionaire's home or whether or not they had ever come into contact with him before. Atre (left) was found dead in October in his girlfriend's BMW in Santa Cruz. Rachael Emerlye (right) was cleared as a suspect in October Atre was a technology CEO but he had recently ventured into the cannabis industry This map shows Atre's home in Pleasure Point, Santa Cruz, California, where he was kidnapped at 3am on October 1. The getaway car was found at 10am, 14 miles away on rural Soquel San Jose Road Atre was the CEO of website design company Atrenet, but he had also recently launched a licensed cannabis manufacturing company, Interstitial Systems, before he died. Friends said he had 'a lot of enemies' as a result of the way he did business. 'Atre made enemies over his business deals. And specifically with his company,' the friend, who chose to remain anonymous, told KPIX5 at the time. Others in the marijuana industry said that because he was new to it, he had not yet learned how to get along with 'black market' players who demanded payment from legitimate outfits. 'He's definitely new to the industry. Basically, unfamiliar with the etiquette about how to do business. In November 2019, detectives released surveillance footage of three suspects near Atre's home carrying a rifle and a duffel bag the night he vanished The suspects were filmed by surveillance cameras walking near Atre's home on October 1 It remains unclear what they stole from the millionaire's home (pictured) or whether or not they had ever come into contact with him before 'Unfamiliar with how, you know there are some illegal black market elements in the cannabis industry and if you don't pay them, bad stuff happens,' Grant Palmer, the CEO of CannaCruz, a well-established dispensary located just a block down from Atre's cannabis business, told KSBW at the time. Police have not indicated whether or not the cannabis business may have had something to do with his death. Following his disappearance a friend said Atre had many 'enemies' in his work and neighbors reported he was involved in illicit activities. Atre and his girlfriend Rachael Emerlye were dating long-distance as she lives in Massachusetts, but she often visited him and posted video to social media in his lavish ocean-front home. She was cleared as a suspect in October. Anyone with information about his death is urged to contact the Santa Cruz Sheriff's Office on 831-454-7635 or the anonymous tip line (831)454-7631. A woman wears a mask following the outbreak of the coronavirus as people arrive from the International terminal at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. A Toronto hospital said Saturday it has a confirmed case of the deadly virus from China, Canada's first. Read more Universities across the Philadelphia region are scaling back study-abroad programs and restricting travel to China in response to the coronavirus outbreak that has killed 170 people and sickened thousands. University of Pennsylvania students who had planned to study in China this spring are instead studying at Penn, and university officials have recommended rescheduling or canceling all academic, extracurricular, and other programs in China until the spring term ends May 12. Individual schools, centers, and departments at Penn will determine if they want to cancel the program, defer it to a later date or host it in another country, spokesperson Ron Ozio said Thursday. He could not say how many such programs the university has. Temple University announced Thursday that it had suspended university-affiliated student travel to China, while Pennsylvania State University said it had placed China on its restricted travel list. In New Jersey, Rutgers University said it had decided to restrict student, faculty, and staff official or authorized travel to China, including for teaching, study abroad, and conferences. READ MORE: New case of coronavirus being investigated in Philadelphia, student at Penn Charter tested negative, health department announces The move by Philadelphia-area universities to restrict student travel to China echoes actions by other schools. More than 10 colleges and universities in New England have suspended spring study-abroad programs in China, the Boston Globe reported Thursday. Other schools reportedly pulling students back from China include American University, the University of Maryland, and Cornell University. Its unclear how many students around Philadelphia may be affected. A number of area universities said their programs in China were small. Just three Temple students were affected by changes to study-abroad programs, all of which were run by other universities, said Temple spokesperson Ray Betzner. Weve either put them into classes here on campus or found an alternative program thats not in China, Betzner said. John Cramer, a Rutgers spokesperson, said that the university had two students who had planned to go to China this semester in a third-party program but that has been canceled. The university is working with the students on an alternative plan for completing courses this semester, Cramer said. Rutgers has plans for three summer programs in China, with about 36 students signed up, but we have not decided whether those programs will proceed," Cramer said. Ozio said only a handful of Penn students were affected by changes to study-abroad programs canceled at two locations after Penns Chinese partner universities, responding to the spread of the virus, delayed the start of their spring terms. But, Ozio said, the number of students impacted by the cancellation of spring break travel is in the hundreds." The university advised its students, staff, and faculty to delay all personal travel to China for the time being unless it is absolutely necessary. There have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Pennsylvania or New Jersey. On Thursday, federal health authorities confirmed the sixth case and first person-to-person transmission of the virus in the United States. READ MORE: First person-to-person transmission of coronavirus in U.S. Officials with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the patient, who lives in Chicago, was infected through his wife. She had traveled to Wuhan, China, where the virus is believed to have originated. CDC officials said the immediate risk to Americans is still low. Area universities advised students and staff to take steps to reduce disease transmission, like frequent hand-washing and covering coughs and sneezes. They also said symptoms of coronavirus resemble those of the flu, and urged anyone with such symptoms who has been to Wuhan or nearby to seek medical attention though travelers from China who have been in the United States for 14 days without symptoms are considered safe. Could Total be held to account for actions in western Uganda? A French court is due to decide whether oil giant Total is addressing the human and environmental impact of an oilfield in Uganda. The case was brought by several human rights groups who accuse the firm of failing to properly compensate farmers removed from their land. Al Jazeeras Catherine Soi reports from Bulisa, in western Uganda. Drug firm Aurobindo Pharma on Thursday reported that the US health regulator has cautioned that its oral solids formulation manufacturing facility may be subject to regulatory actions. The company stressed that it will work closely with the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) to comprehensively address the issues. "Further to our intimations... with regard to the USFDA inspection of Unit VII, an oral solids formulation manufacturing facility of the company, we inform you that the company has received a letter from the USFDA classifying the inspection conducted at the aforesaid facility as official action indicated (OAI)," Aurobindo Pharma Ltd said in a filing to BSE. According to USFDA's definitions, OAI means "objectionable conditions were found and regulatory administrative sanctions by FDA are indicated" during inspections. The company said that it believes that this OAI classification will not have any material impact on the existing revenues or the supplies to its US business at this juncture. The shares of Aurobindo Pharma were trading at Rs 484.50 apiece on BSE, down 4.49 per cent from the previous close. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The jury in the trial of a man from Northern Ireland accused of murdering a detective in the Republic has been instructed to put emotion and sympathy for the deceased officer aside. Aaron Brady (28) is charged with the murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe at the Lordship Credit Union in Bellurgan, Co Louth, on January 25, 2013. Yesterday morning at Dublin's Central Criminal Court, Justice Michael White said it was clear from the opening that it was a complex and difficult case where "human sympathy with the deceased Garda officer is very high" on people's minds. Mr Justice White said he wanted to, from a legal point of view, make the jury's function very clear. "When you are acting as judges, you have to put emotion aside, you have to put any sympathy aside," he told the jury of eight men and seven women. Mr Justice White said that there "is a man here on trial for capital murder" and that the jury must "put any human emotion or sympathy out of your minds." Aaron Brady is also charged with the robbery of approximately 7,000 in cash and assorted cheques from Mr Pat Bellew at the same location on the same date. The accused, of New Road in Crossmaglen, Co Armagh, previously pleaded not guilty to both charges. Several maps were shown to the jury displaying various areas in Co Louth and Co Armagh, as well as surrounding locations. This included a map of the Lordship Credit Union, containing markers for the four vehicles that were in the car park at the time of the incident. Prosecuting counsel Lorcan Staines SC asked Detective Garda Laura Bolger about the height of a wall at the rear of the building. This, the jury heard, was the wall jumped by the suspects to gain access to the car park. Sean Hennessy, a photographic officer with the PSNI, also took the jury through a number of images he took at a location around 28km away from the Lordship Credit Union. Seven were of a burnt-out car. The images, taken on January 27, 2013, showed the vehicle on a grass area with its driver-side door opened. The trial continues today. Charlotte Crosby left The Project hosts in fits of giggles last night after revealing a candid sex confession about her love life with new beau, Ryan Gallagher. The 29-year-old, who was booted from Im A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! on Wednesday, appeared on the screen live from South Africa, where the Channel 10 show is being filmed. Charlotte Crosby made a sex confession on The Project. Photo: Channel 10 When the former Geordie Shore star was asked if shed spent the night with Ryan, Charlotte claimed a medical reason meant there was no action between the sheets after they left the jungle. Obviously we spent last night together - nothing like you think! I've got some infections down there... you can't really go there at the moment, Charlotte said. So at the weekend there's going to be some fireworks, I tell you now! Give us two more days with the cream! Hosts Lisa Wilkinson and Rachel Corbett were left visibly shocked by Charlottes confession, with the both of them breaking down into fits of giggles. Lisa Wilkinson couldn't believe how candid Charlotte was. Photo: Channel 10 Rachel Corbett clapped her hands together as Charlotte made her confession. Photo: Channel 10 The cheeky Brit never failed to shock viewers of Im A Celebrity during her stint on the show, none more so than when she asked her rumoured love interest, Ryan Gallagher of MAFS fame, an X-rated question. Do you think were gonna have sex? she asked Ryan, 31, while they were cuddled up in camp. When pressed, the ex-TV groom agreed to meet up after the show wrapped but just as friends, responding with, Nah, probably not. Charlotte and Ryan met during their stint on Im A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!. Photo: Channel 10 However, since leaving the jungle, Ryan has said he believes his romance with Charlotte could last the distance. "Obviously I'd love it to keep going outside of the show. I really do like her," he told the Daily Telegraph. Got a story tip or just want to get in touch? Email us at lifestyle.tips@verizonmedia.com Police in Georgia say a Delta employee killed two women earlier this week before fatally shooting himself. On Sunday, at approximately 10:30 p.m., police say Raeshaun Antonie Jones first shot 30-year-old Alexis Nicole Lee Reed in the Delta employee parking lot near Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in College Park. According to WSB-TV, Reed, a below-wing employee, had just finished her shift when she was ambushed by Jones who was waiting for her in the parking lot. Reed attempted to flee but was shot three times, the station reports. She was taken to a nearby hospital where she died of her injuries. College Park police said in a press release obtained by PEOPLE that while they were investigating Reeds murder, it was discovered that [Jones] was also the primary suspect in a separate homicide of a female in Clayton County. The following morning, around 10:30 a.m., police found the body of Tyneshia Shelby, 33, at a hotel in Stockbridge. She was fatally shot, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Raeshaun Antonie Jones On Tuesday, police say Jones fatally shot himself when law enforcement attempted to stop a car in which he was a passenger in Lovejoy, according to the Journal-Constitution. The motive for the killings is unknown but police said both women knew Jones. This act of violence was not a random act, but all indications are they were specific in nature, the police press release states. The investigation into both homicides is still ongoing at this point, but College Park Police and Clayton County Police are confident that Jones is the offender in both cases. Police said that other than the fact that Jones knew both of them, there was no connection between the two women , WSB-TV reports. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLEs free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Reeds mother Shaunda Shepherd told the Journal-Constitution that her daughter, who grew up in California, was a very sweet, hard-working woman of Delta for 10 years. Story continues She lived a very simple life and loved life and family, the mom added. Shelby was described on a GoFundMe page launched to help pay for funeral expenses as very loving, bright, caring. One thing Tyneshia always had was a smile and she kept some crazy story or joke in her pocket to make sure you ended the conversation with a smile too, the post states. She was very comfortable in her own skin she didnt care about what others thought of her.If you needed a protector you always had back up in Tyneshia. HOUSTON, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Tajin, the leading chili lime seasoning in the United States and Mexico, has been selected as one of the latest and greatest foods in 2020 including "flavor of the year" by top industry publications including Food Network Magazine and EatingWell. Tajin is a unique blend of mild chili peppers, sea salt and lime. Tajin's continued popularity is a testament of its versatility and ability to enhance the taste of various foods - from fruits and vegetables - to eggs, fish, poultry, beverages, snacks such as popcorn, dips, guacamole and many others. "Tajin has been in the United States since 1993, it is an honor for us to be recognized as a 2020 food trend and flavor of the year by leading publications and food/trend experts in the areas of food and wellness," said Javier Leyva, Tajin International Corporate Director for the U.S. "Our fan base in the United States has increased significantly in the past five years, which has been reflected on our steady sales growth. That trend will continue in 2020 as we have plans to increase distribution and are working on powerful partnerships that will allow us to better serve the increasing demand." The full list of 2020 food trends can be found in the January/February issue of Food Network Magazine (Hearst) now in newsstands. About Tajin Tajin is a privately held brand established in Mexico by Empresas Tajin since 1985. It is sold in the U.S. by its subsidiary office, Tajin International, a U.S. corporation since 1993.The leading fruit seasoning in both countries, Tajin is produced from world class chiles to deliver a uniquely-balanced blend of mild chili peppers, sea salt and dehydrated lime. Tajin is approved by the FDA and sold in more than 24,000 points of sale in the U.S. www.tajin.com. SOURCE Tajin International Corporation Related Links http://www.tajin.com Manchester United agreed a deal to sign Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon. (AFP/PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA) "Manchester United is delighted to announce it has reached agreement with Sporting Clube de Portugal for the transfer of Bruno Fernandes. The deal is subject to a medical and the agreement of personal terms," United said in a statement. Fernandes, 25, has been linked with a move to Old Trafford for many months, but United were previously unwilling to meet Sporting's valuation. Sporting confirmed the deal is worth an initial fee of 55 million with another 25 million in performance-related add-ons. "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. Thanks captain," Sporting tweeted alongside of video of some of Fernandes's finest moments for the club. United are badly in need of midfield reinforcements due to long-term injuries to Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay. Fernandes has scored 63 goals in 137 appearances for Sporting since returning to his homeland after spells with Udinese and Sampdoria in Italy. He was also part of the Portugal side that won the inaugural Nations League in June and has scored twice in 19 international caps. There had been mounting pressure on United's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward to land at least one marquee name in the remainder of the transfer window. Woodward, who has overseen the club's poor recruitment over the past seven years, had been the target of the fans' anger in a 2-0 home defeat to Burnley last week that left the Red Devils still six points adrift of the Premier League top four in fifth. Police have launched an investigation into an attack on Woodward's Cheshire home on Tuesday night when a hooded group targeted the property with flares and graffiti. United's chances of a top-four finish will depend greatly on how they fare in their next two league games at home to Wolves on Saturday and then away to fourth-placed Chelsea on Feb 17. Fernandes is expected to watch United in action when they travel to Manchester City in the second leg of their League Cup semi-final on Wednesday, trailing 3-1 from the first leg. WASHINGTON House impeachment manager Adam Schiff on Thursday sharply criticized the legal theory used by attorney Alan Dershowitz to defend President Trumps pressure campaign on Ukraine, calling it constitutional madness. There is no limiting principle to the argument we heard last night, Schiff, D-Calif., said during the impeachment trial in the Senate chamber. Its astounding. What we have seen over the last couple of days is a descent into constitutional madness, he added. Schiff was referring to arguments made Wednesday evening by Dershowitz on behalf of Trumps defense. An emeritus professor at Harvard Law School, Dershowitz asserted that if a president exchanges in a quid pro quo with a foreign power in order to help himself get reelected but also perceives it to be in the public interest, that alone is not enough to impeach that president. Everybody has mixed motives, and for there to be a constitutional impeachment based on mixed motives would permit almost any president to be impeached, Dershowitz said. Dershowitz argued that history is filled with examples of presidents acting simultaneously to benefit the country and their own political prospects. Rep. Adam Schiff answers a question during the impeachment trial against President Trump on Thursday. (Senate TV via Yahoo News) How many presidents have made foreign policy decisions after checking with their political advisers and their pollsters? If you are just acting in the national interest, why do you need pollsters? Why do you need political advisers? Just do what is best for the country. But if you want to balance what is in the public interest with what is in your partys electoral interest and your own electoral interest, it is impossible to discern how much weight is given to one or the other, Dershowitz said. The statement from Dershowitz that drew the most attention was this: If a president does something which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment. Legal scholars quickly took issue with Dershowitzs claim. Story continues It means that a president could break any law or abuse any power and say that it was for the public interest because the public interest would be served by his or her election, Erwin Chemerinsky, a prominent law professor, told NBC News. This argument is more accurately described as the assertion that the success of the politician is too important to be left to a fair election, wrote David French, a conservative constitutional lawyer, in the Dispatch. The president can abuse his power to influence the public so long as he doesnt clearly commit a crime. Alan Dershowitz, an attorney for President Trump, answers a question during the impeachment trial on Wednesday. (Senate Television via AP) Dershowitz tweeted on Thursday that he was being willfully distorted and misunderstood as if I had said that if a president believes that his re-election was in the national interest, he can do anything. I said nothing like that, as anyone who actually heard what I said can attest, he wrote. Dershowitz clarified that his argument was that there is pure national interest and pure corrupt motive and then there is a mixed motive scenario, and that mixed motives are often the reality of politics and that helping ones own re-election efforts cannot by itself necessarily be deemed corrupt. Schiff, however, blasted Dershowitzs arguments before the Senate as giving the president almost unlimited powers to act in his own political interests, without fear of consequences. That is the normalization of lawlessness, Schiff said. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: The trade ministry warned Vietnamese businesses exporting agricultural products to China to adjust shipping methods amid Wuhans deadly new coronavirus outbreak. The export-import department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade on Wednesday said theres currently little possibility the deadly new acute pneumonia virus from Chinas Wuhan City would have a great impact on the export and import of goods between Vietnam and China. However, if the epidemic continues, transportation and travel at border gates between the two countries would be limited. According to the department, the flow of goods via border gates will certainly be affected. The nCoV virus has spread from mainland China to Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Macau, Hong Kong, the U.S., Singapore, Malaysia, France, Canada, Germany and Vietnam. Chinese authorities said 170 people had died of the disease as of Thursday morning. The number of confirmed cases of infection has topped 7,000. The department said information from China indicates demand for some agricultural products has slowed due to the complicated health situation. Due to strict anti-epidemic measures, transportation of goods between provinces and cities across China was extremely difficult, it was added. To avoid the spread of the disease, some border gates in northern Lao Cai and Lang Son provinces bordering China will remain closed till February 8. Besides, Huu Nghi Quan border gate in Lang Son will re-open on February 3. Minister of Finance Dinh Tien Dung on Wednesday requested the customs sector to tighten control and supervision of people and vehicles from countries affected by the Wuhan pneumonia epidemic. The customs sector has halted procedures for flights from Vietnam to Wuhan, epicenter of the deadly disease and epidemic-stricken areas across China under Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc's direction. The export-import department recommends Vietnamese businesses, especially those exporting agricultural products to China, immediately change their delivery methods in case goods cannot be received. Local businesses should also expand agricultural exports to other markets or increase domestic consumption to avoid dependence on China. Agriculture and fisheries products are traditional export items to China, accounting for 20 percent of total export turnover to the market. China is currently the largest market for agricultural and aquatic products in Vietnam. The main agricultural products exported to China include vegetables, cashews, coffee, rice, cassava products, rubber and aquatic products. Bilateral trade between Vietnam and China reached nearly $117 billion in 2019, a year-on-year increase of 9.6 percent, according Vietnam Customs. HARRISBURG A group of state judges will decide whether a victims rights amendment that voters apparently supported overwhelmingly in November will become part of the Pennsylvania Constitution, a court announced this week. Commonwealth Court on Monday announced that a full panel of the court will hear oral argument in Philadelphia in March about the so-called Marsy's Law ballot question. It would enshrine into the state constitution rights for crime victims that include notifications about the case and being allowed to attend and weigh in during plea hearings, sentencings and parole proceedings. A closely divided state Supreme Court ruled on the eve of balloting in November that elections officials could not tabulate or certify the votes while litigation continued. Unofficial tallies indicated the ballot question passed by a three-to-one margin, according to case filings. In a Jan. 16 brief, a group of four voters who intervened in the case urged the court to rule that the referendum met legal standards and should be added to the constitution. "Every day that passes with the secretary (of state) being enjoined from tabulating and certifying the results of the vote on the proposed amendment is a day in which the rights set forth in Marsy's Law which was approved overwhelmingly by the commonwealth electorate are denied to crime victims and their families," lawyers for the four voters argued. A single jurist, Commonwealth Court Judge Ellen Ceisler, issued an injunction in late October at the request of the state League of Women Voters and a registered voter. Ceisler ruled the amendment would have profound and irreversible consequences for the rights of people accused of crimes and for the criminal justice system. She said the referendum did not fully inform voters about what it would do and that the amendment improperly combined several elements that should be voted separately. The state's defense attorneys' association also warned the court in a Dec. 16 brief that the amendment would undermine the rights of the accused and that it would grant status to people as victims when the accused has not been convicted of anything. But the four voters who support the amendment have said its provisions are sufficiently interrelated and that the vast majority of its elements are already state law. Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar, the defendant in the case, supports making the votes official, and her lawyers told Ceisler that the referendum's various elements all related to the single purpose of advancing victims' rights. The Pennsylvania District Attorneys' Association has dismissed concerns that adopting the amendment's set of victims' rights would create delays and other problems for court proceedings. It strains credulity to suggest that every guilty plea, every post-conviction hearing, every parole hearing will be frustrated and lacking finality because it could never be known that notice was properly provided to all interested victims, the prosecutors group wrote in a friend-of-the-court brief. PR-Inside.com: 2020-01-30 15:15:49 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 982 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 30, 2020 / NV Gold Corporation (TSXV:NVX)(OTCPINK:NVGLF) ("NV Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to review the Company's portfolio of 15 gold projects in Nevada, and its expansive data library comprised of over 40 years of geological information by U.S. Minerals Exploration (USMX - during 1970s and 1980s) and AngloGold-Ashanti ("AngloGold" during 1990s and 2000s)."In 2020, we will prioritize our exploration and drilling plans on our Slumber and Sandy Gold Projects and continue to evaluate the Silver District Project. In addition, a focused effort is underway to option projects from our strategic portfolio to maximize the potential for a new precious metal discovery in 2020. NV Gold's Team consists of some of Nevada's leading technical consultants in the industry, including Dr. Quinton Hennigh, Dr. Odin Christensen and John Watson, M.Sc., with collectively over 120 years of focused exploration experience directly in Nevada," commented Peter A. Ball, CEO of NV Gold. "There have never been better fundamentals, with gold at $US1575 per ounce, and to be exploring in one of the best locations in the world - Nevada. With a share structure of less than 47 million shares outstanding, strong management ownership of approximately 20%, and low burn rate, our dollars are focused in the ground, and we look forward to an exciting 2020."The Data Library / DatabaseThe data library consists of two geological databases, which covers Nevada, and includes extensive proprietary exploration files created by AngloGold and USMX and their predecessors. Multiple significant regional geological, geochemical and geophysical exploration programs generated the data, over nearly 40 years of effort, and at a cost of over US$20 million. Our team continues to filter and locate interesting prospects within the library.The Nevada Gold ProjectsThe 15 projects NV Gold controls in Nevada include both sedimentary rock-hosted and volcanic rock-hosted gold systems on important mineralized trends, including the Carlin Trend, the Cortez Trend and the Walker Lane. Each of projects have yielded significant results to date, and excluding the Slumber and Sandy Gold Projects, are AVAILABLE FOR OPTION.Slumber (55 claims) is located within an intra-mountain valley in the Jackson Mountains approximately 80 kms northwest of Winnemucca, Humboldt County, Nevada, and approximately 35 kms west of Paramount Gold Nevada's ("Paramount") Sleeper bonanza epithermal gold deposit. The exploration target is volcanic-rock-hosted epithermal gold and silver mineralization. Slumber is one of several high-level epithermal gold systems on a north-south trend from the Jackson Mountains, through the Bilk Creek Mountains, and continuing north into Oregon. NV Gold identified significant alternation, silicification, and believes the drill results from 2019 demonstrate a prospective gold system may exist at depth (refer to news releases dated September 25th and October 28th, 2019). NV Gold anticipates additional geophysics and drilling in the spring of 2020, upon completion of our updated geological model.Sandy (20 claims) located in Lyon County, Nevada, USA, and close to the historical Hercules Gold Mine, shows widespread alteration and mineralization hosted by Tertiary volcanic rocks. Sandy exhibits alteration, mineralization, and geochemical signatures consistent with other low-to-intermediate-sulfidation deposits in the vicinity, including Como, Hercules, and the Comstock Lode. Sandy was originally explored in 1993-1994, which included geologic mapping, rock-chip and soil sampling, and drilling. Seventeen (17) holes were drilled, where the strongest values were identified to be found in the altered zones and in vein systems. The Company is currently examining the geological database, and historical drill intercepts found in preliminary reports (refer to NV Gold's website for more information on drill results from Sandy), and reviewing a potential drill program for 2020.Baker (16 claims) is approximately 20 kms north of Newmont Goldcorp Corporation's (Newmont") new Long Canyon mine. The project is focused on anomalous mercury and arsenic, along with local hydrothermal barite within fault-controlled jasperoids at a range front. Peripheral stratiform jasperoid is widespread. AVAILABLE FOR OPTION.Cooks Creek (51 claims) is a sedimentary rock-hosted gold system located 12 kms west of the world-class Pipeline deposits being mined by Barrick Gold ("Barrick"). In late 2016, two initial target areas were tested with nine (9) reverse-circulation drill holes totaling 1,475 m and ranged from 67 m to 244 m in length. Drilling tested a portion of the Dinner zone, where previous surface sampling yielded up to 2.45 g/t Au in silicified hydrothermal breccias believed to be localized along a northeast-trending fault with poor surface exposure. In addition, a single hole tested the Lunch fault, which is approximately 1.2 kms north of the Dinner zone, where historic drilling intersected 2.32 g/t Au over 21.3 m. The hole intersected 0.470 g/t Au over 4.6 m above (in the hanging wall of) the fault, similar to previous holes. Cooks Creek is a large property that exhibits widespread gold, and opportunities remain elsewhere on the property. The volcanic-basement unconformity is intriguing, noting that it has yet to be determined if this contact is a more significant control to mineralization than previously recognized. The large alluvial basin adjacent to the mineralized zones conceals this unconformity, and the target should be evaluated further (refer to press release February 6, 2017). AVAILABLE FOR OPTION.Frazier Dome (55 claims) is located 13 kms north of the Tonopah mining district. The project contains a low-sulfidation, volcanic-hosted epithermal gold system with high-grade mineralization in three settings. Gold occurs in silicified breccias and veins adjacent to and likely genetically-related to a Middle Miocene felsic dome (NV Gold sampled up to 6.1 g/t Au, historic samples up to 14.7 g/t Au). High-grade gold also occurs in north-northwest-trending quartz vein stockworks (NV Gold sampled up to 11.2 g/t Au) within the volcanic rocks farther from the dome and along the contact between the Tertiary volcanic rocks and underlying pre-Cenozoic basement (historic drill hole with 7.5 g/t Au over 3 m at 58 m, including 10.39 g/t Au over 1.5 m)(refer to press release October 3, 2018). AVAILABLE FOR OPTION.Gold Cloud (13 claims) is along the southeastern portion of the Cortez Trend and contains a 2 kms long zone of carbonate veins and silicification (jasperoid) with values at surface Bay Area discrimination lawyers The phrase 'equal pay for equal work' has come to be strongly associated with the male/female wage gap and our post explains the basics. California Civil Rights Law Group, a leading San Francisco Bay Area law firm focused on sexual harassment and discrimination law, is proud to announce a new post to its blog on "equal pay for equal work." As Bay Area discrimination attorneys, the firm follows developments in the employment sphere. Many Bay Area workers, including those in key cities such as San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, confront discrimination at work and need to know their rights, including the right to reach out to an attorney for a confidential consultation on the facts and the law of their particular situation. "The phrase 'equal pay for equal work' has come to be strongly associated with the male/female wage gap and our post explains the basics, explained Larry Organ, principal attorney at the Bay Area-based law firm. "However, there are many types of discrimination at work not just in terms of wages but in other areas as well, and some types of discrimination are based on sex and not race. Any person experiencing discrimination on the job should reach out for a confidential consultation." Interested persons can view the blog post at https://www.civilrightsca.com/equal-pay/. Journalists, bloggers, and other media representatives who are looking to speak with an expert in California and federal discrimination law are encouraged to reach out to one of the law firm's attorneys. They can provide interview opportunities on current day news and events. Secondarily, persons who may be experiencing racial discrimination are encouraged to read the updated informational page at https://www.civilrightsca.com/race-discrimination/. That page explains that although we have state and federal laws in place to protect people from race discrimination or sexual harassment, the color of a persons skin can still affect their ability to get hired, earn a promotion, or receive other benefits of employment. Even in the San Francisco Bay Area, employers, managers and supervisors still discriminate based on race, believing that they can avoid punishment for violating civil rights laws. A LAW FIRM THAT BLENDS THE INTERNET, TELEPHONE, AND FACE-TO-FACE Here is background on this release. In today's Internet age, persons often turn first to search engines like Google and then blogs to learn about important issues, including issues that may be highly sensitive such as potential sexual harassment or workplace discrimination. The "wage gap" is one such issue as is the concept of "equal pay for equal work." While the blog is not in any way, shape, or form, legal advice, it can offer general information to the lay public and spur a social conversation. The next best step for any person experiencing discrimination is to reach out to an attorney for a consultation. Consultations are available over the phone or in person at the law firm's offices in San Francisco, Oakland, or San Anselmo (Marin County) and are always strictly confidential. ABOUT CALIFORNIA CIVIL RIGHTS LAW GROUP The California Civil Rights Law Group (http://www.civilrightsca.com/), led by prominent trial attorney Larry Organ, is dedicated to furthering the cause of employee civil rights throughout the state. The legal team has made it its priority to provide help to those who need it the most, and specializes in representing plaintiffs in matters involving race, sex and disability harassment, discrimination, retaliation and wrongful termination. Men's rights activist Bettina Arndt should be stripped of her Order of Australia, Victorian Attorney-General Jill Hennessy has said. Ms Arndt was given the honour on Australia Day for her "significant service to the community as a social commentator, and to gender equity through advocacy for men". After widespread outrage, Ms Hennessy asked Governor-General David Hurley to overturn the decision in a letter to him on Tuesday. The Philippine Navy has decommissioned a former U.S. minesweeper that was built during World War II and earned five battle stars in the Korean War. The corvette BRP Rizal was retired Wednesday by the Philippines as part of a move to save money on maintenance costs and to make way for new ships, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper. It is among several "aging vessels" that Philippine Vice Adm. Robert Empedrad said are being removed from service. "It's the only way to move forward," he was quoted as saying. "We have to retire [these] ships so we can man our new ships." The Rizal began life in August 1944 at the Savannah Machine and Foundry Co. in Georgia. Commissioned as the USS Murrelet one year later, it arrived at Sasebo Naval Base, Japan, in January 1946, according to Naval History and Heritage Command. After operating around Japan and Korea, the Auk-class minesweeper was mothballed in the Pacific Reserve Fleet at San Diego for several years before returning to service in October 1950 after the Korean War began. For the next three years, the Murrelet shuttled between Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan and Korea, where it resumed its former duties as a minesweeper and a patrol craft. It earned its battle stars by destroying shore-based artillery batteries and capturing or destroying enemy sampans, small wooden vessels converted to wartime use for laying mines and other tasks. After the war, it returned to the West Coast, where it was once again assigned to the Pacific Reserve Fleet, this time in Columbia City, Oregon. The Murrelet was retired from the U.S. Navy for good on Dec. 1, 1964. However, the ship still had life left. In June 1965, it was sent to the Philippines under the U.S. Foreign Military Assistance Program and renamed the BRP Rizal. During its nearly 55 years with the Philippine Navy, the Rizal and its crew sometimes paired up in naval exercises with the ship's previous owner. It took part in Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training, or CARAT, in 2005 and again in 2011. The Rizal also had run-ins with the Chinese in the South China Sea, where the Philippines and China sometimes clash over conflicting territorial claims. In May 1999, it collided with a Chinese fishing vessel off the Scarborough Shoal, drawing a protest from Beijing, which lays claim to the shoal. In 2011, the Rizal again collided with a Chinese-flagged vessel towing 25 sampans near the Recto Bank within the Philippine exclusive economic zone. The Chinese vessel retreated, leaving behind the sampans, which the Rizal then towed back to Palawan province. By Abdul Kerimkhanov Opening of the World Economic Forums regional center in Baku is an indicator that Azerbaijan is in the right direction of the economic development and the countrys development as a whole, Natalia Zdorovets, Leading economist at one of the state enterprises in Ukraine's energy sector said in an interview with Azernews. She was commenting on the working visit of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to Switzerland where he attended the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF). Zdorovets emphasized that the opening of the World Economic Forums regional center in Baku is a great achievement of the Azerbaijani government, adding that the basis for this decision was an atmosphere of economic growth, financial stability, a well-developed banking sector, and the oil and gas industry as the basis for employment opportunities in Azerbaijan. "One of the most important factors in the development of the country's economy is its industrial production base, and here Azerbaijan demonstrates success both at the local level and abroad," she added. Listing the examples, she recalled commissioning on 16 January 2019 of SOCAR carbamide plant, built on the territory of the Sumgayit chemical industrial park, where 70 percent of the production is envisaged for export, while the rest covers the demand of the domestic market. Zdorovets also stressed opening of the Star oil refinery in the Turkish city of Izmir on 19 October 2019, which will significantly reduce the dependence of Turkey on imports of petrochemical products. She reminded that the main oil supplier is the Azerbaijani oil company SOCAR. She underlined that the reforms have improved the investment environment and provided good economic dividends in Azerbaijan. "Azerbaijan has significantly improved its position in the Doing Business ranking of the World Bank Group. Azerbaijan is one of the leaders in such indicators as Protecting minority investors, Business Registration, Registering Property, Getting credit. Azerbaijan has simplified the process of obtaining building permits, connecting to power grids, registering property, getting credit, taxation, international trade," she noted. Zdorovets further mentioned that Davos Forum is not just an economic event, it affects all areas related to the economy, including security issues. "Azerbaijan has a very favorable geographical position, stable economy, and also established itself as a secular, politically stable state. As President Aliyev said, the basis of economic security is political stability in the country," Zdorovets pointed out. She told that Azerbaijan is directly involved in the energy security of Europe. "Since 2003, Azerbaijan has been supplying crude light oil via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, the agreement was signed until 2050. This year's participation is more than symbolic, since the construction of the TAP gas pipeline, which will ensure the supply of natural gas to countries such as Greece, Albania, Italy, has been completed. All this allows Azerbaijan to be a participant in energy security of Europe," she added. Zdorovets considers Azerbaijan has something to offer to the world economy and potential investors. "Azerbaijans population is growing every year by approximately 100,000 people, which means that the country needs additional infrastructure and food supply. Azerbaijan is developing successfully and almost all international organizations characterize this development as innovative. Azerbaijan is classified as a world leader in a number of modern areas of development (economic, social and humanitarian). One of the most important conditions for successful management is the efficient use of resources. So, the priority for Azerbaijan is the efficiency of the use of non-renewable energy sources, as well as the development of renewable resources," Zdorovets said. Speaking about the problems of global climate change and environmental disasters, she believes innovative energy management in Azerbaijan contributes to cutting greenhouse gas emissions and reducing the impact on global climate change. Touching upon the relations between Azerbaijan and Ukraine, Zdorovets noted that since 2015, the total volume of trade between the two countries has tripled, adding that Davos Forum 2020 could become a platform for more specific arrangements to large businesses from both countries. Noting areas of interest, she said that Azerbaijan is interesting for Ukraine with its resort industry, medical wellness services, construction, engineering sector and other infrastructure projects, while Ukraine can offer Azerbaijan agro-technologies and technologies for processing agricultural products, chemical industry and military-industrial complex. "Bilateral negotiations also showed good results for producers of meat and dairy industries. The main thing is that political initiatives end with tangible positive results," she concluded. Another political expert from Ukraine Sergey Zaporozhsky believes President Aliyevs participation in Davos Forum was successful. "The president had a lot of meetings and negotiations, including a meeting with the OPEC secretary-general Mohammad Barkindo, in which he praised Aliyevs proposal of 2015 to work jointly with all oil-exporting countries, and not just OPEC members," he stressed. Commenting on Aliyevs statement in a panel discussion on Strategic Outlook: Eurasia as part of World Economic Forum that Azerbaijan needs to bring living standards closer to the EU standards, Zaporozhsky believes that this statement will affect the positive perception of Azerbaijan in Europe. Regarding the opening of WEF regional center in Baku, he noted that this suggests serious intention of Azerbaijan to expand and strengthen its role in the global economy. As for Azerbaijan-Ukraine bilateral relations, Zaporozhsky said that Baku for Kyiv is a leading strategic partner in oil supplies, adding that about 80 percent of oil imported by Ukraine comes from Azerbaijan, while Ukraine has a good position in the supply of agricultural products to Azerbaijan. "It is likely that the expansion of defence cooperation will be important and significant. There are already joint projects and a real mutual interest in new ones. In other areas, the parties have yet to look for mutually beneficial interests. The annual turnover of $1 billion, of which 30 percent is oil, does not clearly say that the potential for cooperation has been exhausted," he stressed. At the same time, Ukrainian political expert Maxim Gaiduk emphasized that at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Azerbaijan was perceived as a European state with significant energy potential and geopolitically aspiring to European political structures, NATO and as a state ready to increase mutual trade with European states. Commenting on the opening of WEF regional center in Baku, Gaiduk said: "Opening of the WEF affiliate regional center in Azerbaijan is undoubtedly a positive development. This is a matter of the convenience of solving investment problems and issues of economic cooperation in a specific promising region," he noted. Speaking about the bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Ukraine, Gaiduk pointed out that mutual trade between the two countries is constantly growing, adding that SOCAR gas station network is well-known in Ukraine and by service, it is one of the best networks. "We are interested in the growth of mutual trade and geopolitically in the future we can create a common belt of close allies from several states, including on military issues," he added. He pointed out that thanks to Azerbaijani oil supplies, which have been constantly growing since 2016, Ukraine gained energy independence. "We are interested in the supply of Azerbaijani oil to our refineries and in transit through our capacities to neighboring EU countries and Belarus. We [Azerbaijan and Ukraine] can help Belarus achieve a new level of raw material and energy independence as well," Gaiduk believes. Finishing his point, Gaiduk underlined that the cooperation of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus and Central European countries looks both politically and economically beneficial for all of the above states. The 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting held on 21-24 January 2020, in Davos, Switzerland. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz A "trusted member" of Patricia O'Connor's family who carried out repairs on the bathroom where she was allegedly murdered told gardai: "I know it looks bad." Handyman Keith Johnston (43), who did the work in the days after Ms O'Connor was first reported missing, said he was "trying to help the family" so she would not "chuck them out" when she returned. Mr Johnston, of Avonbeg Gardens, Tallaght, Dublin 24, who is accused of carrying out refurbishments to conceal or destroy murder evidence, denied he was "up to something" when he was arrested and interviewed. The Central Criminal Court has heard Mr Johnston is an ex-partner of Patricia O'Connor's daughter Louise (41). He is one of four people on trial over the death of the grandmother of seven in 2017. Louise's then-partner Kieran Greene (34), Mountainview Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin, is charged with murder while Mr Johnston, Louise and her daughter Stephanie O'Connor (22), both of Millmount Court, Dundrum Road, Dublin 14, are accused of impeding the investigation. The four have all pleaded not guilty. Ms O'Connor was allegedly murdered on May 29, 2017, at the house at Mountainview Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin, she shared with family including Louise, Stephanie and Mr Greene. Her remains were found scattered in the Dublin and Wicklow mountains between June 10 and 14 that year. The jury heard Mr Johnston was arrested on September 26. He told gardai when he was at the house on the day Patricia was reported missing -June 1 - he noticed a wooden step in the bathroom had gone soft and he "put down a few tiles". Mr Johnston was not asked to do the work and did it over a few days, he said. He went with Mr Greene to get supplies and got tiles, wood and grout. He brought his own hacksaw from home, he said. Mr Johnston told gardai he had done other work in the house and "don't just say I did one thing to make it look like I was up to something because that is not the case". "I know it looks bad but that is just the way it is," he said. "Hand on heart, that was trying to help the family so they wouldn't get chucked out," he said. Mr Johnston said he felt "sickened" after Mr Greene "confessed" that he had killed Ms O'Connor. Earlier, Stephanie O'Connor identified herself as a person seen on CCTV coming in the back door of her house with a "suitcase-type bag" on the night her grandmother was allegedly murdered. However, she told gardai she did not kill her "nanny", or assist anyone in her killing. Stephanie (22), who is accused of disguising herself as her grandmother to pretend she was alive, was initially arrested on September 2, 2017, on suspicion of murder. In interview, gardai showed her CCTV footage of the outside of the house on the night of the alleged murder. She was shown a clip of someone coming in the back door with a bag at 10.05pm and asked what she saw. "Someone going inside, me I guess," she said. "I'm bringing a bag from the shed." It was just stuff from the shed and she then went to bed, she said. Stephanie and Louise had both told gardai the last time they saw Patricia was when she stormed out of the house after a row that night. The trial continues. A decades-old article in which Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, seemingly praised Alabamas controversial segregationist governor George Wallace is making the rounds online. The 1972 article in the Brattleboro Reformer was written when Sanders was a 31-year-old candidate running for governor of Vermont as a member of the Liberty Union party. Sanders finished in third place in the race. Politicians put people to sleep, Sanders said before offering praise for Wallace. (Wallace) advocates some outrageous approaches to our problems but at least he is sensitive to what people feel they need. Sanders comments came less than a decade after Wallaces infamous stand in the courthouse door, where he attempted to block black students from entering the University of Alabama. In 1972, Wallace was in his second of four terms as Alabamas governor. Sanders is now a Democratic candidate in the 2020 presidential race. In response to the Wallace comments, Sanders campaign points to a May 2019 deep-dive on the candidate by CNN. The profile includes comments Sanders made in 1972 after interviewing Wallace supporters and comparing the atmosphere to that in Nazi Germany. I came away from these Wallace interviews with two basic feelings. First, that democracy in America (in any sense of the word) just might not make it," Sanders wrote at the time. My mind flashed to scenes of Germany in the late 1920s. Confusion, rebellion, frustration, economic instability, a wounded national pride, ineffectual political leadership - and the desire for a strong man who would do something, who would bring order out of the chaos. Could it happen here? Sanders asked in the article, With the inability of the national leadership to solve the real problems facing this country, could the blacks, long-hairs, welfare chiselers, and political dissidents become the Jews and Communists of the Nazi experience? Could it happen here? I see no reason why it couldnt. Sanders campaign provided an additional statement to AL.com: Almost 50 years ago, Bernie Sanders compared George Wallace to Hitler. Throughout his entire life, hes warned about demagogues like Wallace and Donald Trump using hate and fear to divide people up. The fact that Sen. Sanders has recognized this for decades shows that hes the best candidate to take on Trump. The deadly coronavirus that has taken lives of over 170 people and affected 7,700 others across countries so far, has cast its shadow over two of Indias biggest auto shows to be held in less than a week. At least 320 companies from China that are involved in manufacturing of automotive parts have confirmed their participation in the 15 th Auto Components Expo, which would be in the heart of Pragati Maidan in New Delhi for four days starting February 6. Chinese companies make up more than 20 percent of the total number of confirmed participants for the Components Expo. It was not immediately known if any of these companies are based in Wuhan, the Chinese city that was declared as the epicenter of the coronavirus. Nearly a dozen companies from China, including six car, SUV and bus makers, are participating in the Auto Expo that will be held in Greater Noida starting February 5. China-headquartered companies like Great Wall Motors, FAW Haima, SIAC-controlled MG Motor, Olectra-BYD have confirmed their participation in the Auto Expo. While the number of participants for the Components Expo, comprising mostly business visitors, is expected to cross 100,000, as for the Auto Expo, this figure is expected to swell to more than 600,000. In addition there are a number of companies from other countries including Japan, Italy, Thailand, USA, Turkey, UK, Germany, Korea and Canada that are also participating in the Component Expo. Some of these countries like the USA has already issued strong travel advisories against travel to China to its citizens. India has also confirmed at least two cases of people infected with the coronavirus. The Component Expo is organized by Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA), the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Deepak Jain, President, ACMA, said, The Coronavirus is a global concern. We at ACMA with SIAM and CII are regularly not only in touch with the Chinese companies, but we are also in touch with the ministries on how to handle healthcare. They have also issued advisories and we will be following them. There is a containment and prevention plan at the Expo in terms of the medical facilities that will be provided and also certain hygiene aspects like washing of hands and sanitizing and wearing masks. So all those things has been taken care of. We are already in touch with Chinese companies that are participating and till now we have not seen any adverse impact like any pullouts (from the event). So from that perspective, we are good to go as of now, but we are closely monitoring the situation and also talking to the members to reduce anxiety levels, added Jain. Questions surfaced Thursday over whether Israel would immediately seek to annex parts of the West Bank, after US President Donald Trump's controversial peace plan called for extending Israeli sovereignty into the area. The plan, seen as overwhelmingly supportive of Israeli goals, has been firmly rejected by the Palestinians and triggered protests in Gaza and the West Bank, including isolated clashes with Israeli forces. Trump's proposal gives the Jewish state a US green light to annex key parts of the occupied West Bank, including in the strategic Jordan Valley. But uncertainty mounted Thursday over Israel's next moves. After Trump unveiled his long-awaited plan in Washington on Tuesday, his ambassador to Israel David Friedman said the Jewish state "does not have to wait at all". Israeli officials said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a staunch Trump ally, would seek cabinet approval on Sunday to annex settlements and territory that would become part of Israel under the US plan. But Jared Kushner -- Trump's adviser and son-in-law, who spearheaded the Middle East initiative -- said that Washington does not want any moves made before Israel's March 2 election. Asked about the timing of any annexations in an interview with Gzero media, Kushner said: "The hope is they will wait until after the election." "We'll start working on the technical stuff now, but I think we'd need an Israeli government in place in order to move forward," he added. Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat on Thursday called the plan "historic madness". He told journalists in Ramallah that president Mahmud Abbas had written to Netanyahu threatening to cut off security coordination if Trump's plan goes ahead. "We've told the Israelis the consequences of such an idea and they know it," he said. The Palestinians have made such threats multiple times before, without following through. - 'Miss of the century' - Netanyahu heads a caretaker government after failing to form a majority in coalition talks following two elections over the past year. Likud is again neck-and-neck in the polls with the centrist Blue and White alliance led by ex-military chief Benny Gantz, and it remains unclear if either bloc will be able to form a government following a new election scheduled for March. The Israeli premier also faces graft charges as he battles for re-election. Netanyahu's office declined to comment on whether the annexation issue was on the agenda for a Sunday cabinet meeting. The international community views Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank as illegal. An attempt to formally place them under Israeli sovereignty would likely trigger further global uproar. Netanyahu was however facing calls from the Israeli right to act. "Whatever will be delayed until after the election won't ever happen. Everyone understands that," Defence Minister Naftali Bennett said Wednesday. "If we delay or diminish applying sovereignty, the opportunity of the century will become the miss of the century." Netanyahu was in Moscow earlier Thursday seeking to broaden international support for Israel's ambitions. Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, who was travelling with him, told army radio that the government wanted to move on annexation "as quickly as possible, in a number of days". Netanyahu again praised Trump's initiative at the start of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian leader did not mention the peace plan in his public remarks. But Russian foreign spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told journalists that Moscow had only "begun to study" Trump's 180-page plan, stressing that "the decision on issues of a long-term and fair peace agreement must belong to the Palestinians and Israelis themselves." - Army presence boosted - Israel's army announced Wednesday it was deploying extra troops to the West Bank and around the Gaza Strip ahead of any further Palestinian demonstrations against the Trump plan. An Israeli military official told AFP the deployment aimed "to minimise the risk of a flareup". But protests against the plan have been relatively muted. The Palestinian Red Crescent said a total of 18 people were injured in the West Bank cities of Ramallah and Hebron on Thursday during demonstrations. In Ramallah, Israeli troops fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse demonstrators. According to the Ramallah-based Palestinian Prisoners Club, 33 protesters have been arrested over the last 24 hours. Police said they had decided to boost their forces in and around Jerusalem ahead of Friday Muslim prayers on the volatile Al-Aqsa mosque compound. Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, including the largest, Maale Adumim, are at the centre of Israeli annexation plans following a green light from US President Donald Trump's controversial peace plan President Donald Trump was joined by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he revealed key points of a peace plan already strongly rejected by the Palestinians The Israeli prime minister told Putin that Trump's peace initiative offered "a new and perhaps unique opportunity" Palestinian protests against Trump's peace proposals have been relatively muted so far but Israel has deployed troops and police reinforcements to the occupied West Bank and areas near the Gaza border Sinn Fein MLA Raymond McCartney has announced he is stepping down from the Assembly. In a statement the Foyle MLA said it had been an "honour and privilege" to represent the constituency for 15 years. Derry is a city in transition and huge progress has been made in recent years and I have no doubt that will continue in the time ahead in order to reach its full potential," he said. I want to thank everyone who has supported me and who I have worked with over the years and want to wish my successor well for the future. Expand Close Raymond McCartney Test Pix / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Raymond McCartney Sinn Fein vice president Michelle ONeill paid tribute to Mr McCartney and said: I want to thank Raymond for his years of dedicated service to the people of Foyle and to Sinn Fein. Raymonds commitment and courage shine through in everything he did and his professionalism, wisdom and good humour earned him respect from across the political spectrum. I want to wish Raymond, his wife, Rose, and his family all the best for the future and I have no doubt he will continue to be on hand with wise counsel when required. It is understood either former MEP Martina Anderson or former MP Elisha McCallion may be co-opted into the Foyle seat. British lawmakers bid farewell to European Parliament Britain will leave the club it joined in 1973 at midnight Brussels time on Friday, when British flags will be removed from EU offices and the EU flag lowered on the British premises there. The European Parliament gave final approval to Britains divorce from the European Union on Wednesday, paving the way for the country to quit the bloc on Friday after nearly half a century and delivering a major setback for European integration. SPEAKERS SHED TEARS After an emotional debate during which several speakers shed tears, EU lawmakers voted 621 for and 49 against the Brexit agreement sealed between Britain and the 27 other member states last October, more than three years since Britons voted out. On his last working day as a member of the European Parliament, leading Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage told reporters there was no going back once the UK leaves. The UK didnt fit, wed be better off out, he said, describing euroscepticism as a settled view in the UK, where Leave won the 2016 referendum by a narrow 52 to 48 percent margin. He said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised him there would be no so-called level playing field clauses on fair competition in the new EU-UK deal, highlighting a major point of contention with the bloc in the coming talks. As Farage beamed, his Brexit Party lawmakers waved goodbye to the chamber with mini Union Jack flags and chanted Hurray!, but their Socialist compatriot Jude Kirton-Darling choked back tears. Senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya Thursday mocked TMC for extending support to Aam Aadmi Party in the February Delhi Assembly polls and said it is on the verge of losing power in Bengal and is backing parties in places where it hardly has any exsistence. The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress has thrown its weight behind AAP for the February 8 Delhi polls and its national spokesperson Derek O' Brien on Thursday uploaded a video endorsing not just Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal but all AAP candidates. "The TMC is fast losing its ground in Bengal and is extending support to AAP in Delhi, where it doesn't have any existence. The less we speak on such issues, the better. The TMC should stop making fun of themselves," Vijayvargiya said. Banerjee and Kejriwal have shared a cordial relationship over the years. The Delhi chief minister came out in support of his West Bengal counterpart during the general elections in 2019 and also during her face-off with the Centre over the erstwhile Kolkata police chief Rajeev Kumar. Banerjee on her part had condemned attacks on Kejriwal during the general elections and lashed out at BJP over the issue. "Vote for @AamAadmiParty, Vote for the candidate from Rajendra Nagar constituency @raghav_chadha, Vote for @ArvindKejriwal and all AAP candidates in Delhi," O' Brien tweeted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tech Industry Trends K12 Ed Tech Investments Dive The latest "2019 Global Learning Technology Investment Patterns" report from Metaari declared that a "breathtaking $18.66 billion flowed to ed tech companies around the world in 2019" the "highest in the history" of the industry, "[blasting] past the records set between 2015 and 2017 and far [outpacing] the historic high in 2018." Total global learning tech investment by market segment. Source: "2019 Global Learning Technology Investment Patterns" from Metaari As Metaari CEO and Chief Researcher Sam Adkins noted, funding for higher ed-specific tech companies increased in 2019 to $740.6 million, 80 percent higher than the $406.8 million given to these companies in 2018. Meanwhile, funding to the Pre-K12 sector did the opposite, dropping by almost half in 2019. While investments to Pre-K12 in 2018 reached $1.4 billion, that declined to $855 million in 2019, a reduction of 39 percent. Yet, overall, both markets together made up a small fraction of the total investments plowed into ed tech for the year just 8.6 percent (compared to 21.4 percent in 2017 and 11.2 percent in 2018). Higher ed received 4 percent of total funding for the year, and Pre-K12 took 4.6 percent. The cause? There may not be anything in particular. As Adkins wrote, "Investment trends are inherently unpredictable, and this could be an anomaly." Total global learning tech investments by learning technology type. Source: "2019 Global Learning Technology Investment Patterns" from Metaari Likewise, he added, those percentages "are heavily skewed by the massive investments going to consumer and corporate deals." Corporate learning investment drew $10.4 billion for the year (up from $6.2 billion in 2018), while consumer learning investment attracted $6.7 billion (down from $8.6 billion in 2018) Adkins has divided the ed tech product landscape into 10 broad categories, three that are "legacy" and seven that are "next-generation." Legacy products include self-paced courseware, digital "reference-ware" and collaboration-based learning. The next-generation products cover: Cognitive learning; Artificial-based learning; Mixed reality learning; 5G and mobile learning; Location-based learning; Game-based learning; and Educational bots (both physical and virtual). Adkins' report declared three "big winners" for overall 2019 investments: AI-based learning (which attracted $3.7 billion, most obtained by U.S. companies); Collaboration-based learning (which wooed $3.3 billion most going to companies in China); and Mobile learning (which won $3 billion); here, the largest investments were drawn by China-based Zhihu, which develops a "homework helper" app, and India-based Aakash Education Services, which does exam prep in person and virtually. Other next-generation ed tech drew lesser amounts: Over $2.6 billion went to mixed reality learning companies both augmented and virtual in 2019, up from the $2.2 billion invested in 2018. Game-based learning companies attracted $2.5 billion in 2019, up a bit from the $2.25 billion for 2018. Cognitive learning, which encompasses products designed to improve brain functions in "relatively healthy people" and products designed to mitigate brain deficiencies or impairments, drew $1.3 billion in 2019, compared to $839 million in 2018. Educational bot firms saw less in 2019 ($736.5 million) than 2018 ($1.3 billion). Adkins suggested that highwater mark for 2018 was due to a single deal the $820 million invested in UBTECH by Chinese multination Tencent.) Location-based (also known as spatial computing) learning companies enticed $659 million in 2019, up from $507 million in 2018. Two of the legacy segments the reference-ware and self-paced courseware have been left in the dust over the last year as investors have sought out opportunities with the newer product categories. In the reference-ware group, nearly $556 million was invested, the report stated, a slight dip from the $570 invested in 2018. As Adkins explained, "It is challenging for developers to generate revenues for this type of learning technology in the presence of a large amount of free content on the market." In the self-paced courseware category, four companies garnered the bulk of the investment: Coursera, Degreed, FutureLearn and OpenSesame. Combined, they drew $272 million of the $312 million invested in 2019. This was a market that drew a "staggering $2.1 billion in 2015," Adkins pointed out. More complete details are in the report, which is openly available through the Serious Play Conference website, at which Adkins spoke last year. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 Trend: Some functions on https://www.butaairways.az/en/ official website will be temporarily unavailable from February 5 (20:00, GMT+4) in connection with the transfer of the resources of Azerbaijans Buta Airways to Amadeus innovative flagship platform, a source in Buta Airways told Trend on Jan. 30. During the operations on the website, the airline ticket purchase, online registration and booking management will be unavailable in the mobile application. The technical work is planned to be completed within 48 hours; however, longer delays in the restoration of registration services and booking management may be observed. During the period when online check-in is unavailable, check-in on all flights will be free of charge at the airports. In case of additional questions, it is possible to contact the airline's round-the-clock call center by e-mail [email protected] through the feedback form on the website, or by WhatsApp number: +994 70 437 40 86. The House of Representatives has asked the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu to appear in the green chamber over the increasing extra-judicial killings across the country. The resolution of the House followed a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Deputy Whip, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha (APC-Abia), Reps Ozuruigbo Ugonna (PDP-Imo) and Princess Miriam Onuoha (APC-Imo). Also Read: General Soleimani: IGP Places Policemen On Red Alert Nationwide The lawmakers who sponsored the motion expressed that extra-judicial killing is now a recurring theme by the police and personnel of other security agencies, hence, there is a need for explanation from the police chief. An Indiana man accused of trying to lure a New Jersey teen for sex as part of a statewide undercover investigation last fall has been indicted on a federal crime, authorities said Wednesday. Randal Wise, 43, believed he was talking to a 14-year-old boy from Somerset County last fall. He was actually communicating with an agent with the New Jersey Attorney Generals office, who was undercover as a member of the Crimes Against Children Task Force. Wise was indicted in federal court in Newark on charges of one count of attempted online enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual conduct, the New Jersey U.S. Attorneys Office said in a statement. He used an online dating app to message the person on Oct. 25, who Wise thought was an eighth-grade boy. Wise had sexual conversations with the undercover agent, including sending photos of his genitals and asking for nude photographs in return, the office said in a statement. The day after sending the photos, Wise made arrangements to meet with the teen at a home in Somerset County, but when Wise arrived, agents arrested him, the office said. Wise was one of 19 men arrested in late October as part of Operation Open Door," run by the state Attorney Generals Office. Katie Kausch may be reached at kkausch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieKausch. 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. Most politicians consider the next five days the most important of the General Election campaign. Come Monday morning, most people who are going to vote will have decided where they are going to put their number one on the ballot paper. It's not that the following six days are not influential, but candidates believe most of those who consider their vote make peace with their decision a week out from polling day. Today also happens to be the last full day of the 28 member-state European Union. Brace yourself for displays of Union Jack-draped nationalist ignominy from our nearest neighbours. But save your tears, and/or embarrassment, for they will not be shedding any for us. Team 27 will hold their heads high and struggle on regardless as the UK flirts with other trading blocks in search of new-found relationships. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has gone to the ends of the Earth to remind voters that Fine Gael has been involved in Brexit negotiations to date. The day after he called the election, Varadkar was posing alongside European Council President Ursula von der Leyen on the steps of Government Buildings as she praised him for his effort on Brexit, and on Monday EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier was lauding the Taoiseach for the courage he has shown during the negotiations. Yesterday, EU Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan was warning people of the dangers of the forthcoming Brexit trade negotiations. Hogan helpfully noted election manifesto predictions might have been very different if his former colleagues in Fine Gael had not secured a deal with those awkward Tories. Coincidentally or not, all the stars are aligning for Fine Gael on its Brexit strategy. Most likely not coincidentally, though. But is anyone listening? Fine Gael hopes voters are becoming petrified of the idea of future trade relations being negotiated by Micheal Martin and his team of inexperienced TDs. On that point, has anyone ever heard Fianna Fail foreign affairs spokesperson Sean Haughey give his views on the next stage of Brexit negotiations, or even speak? Perhaps some day we will. If only Fianna Fail would give him a chance. However, Martin won't be distracted by the Brexit noise and will focus on his message of change - if your idea of change is to the party that propped up the Government for the last four years. But the real fear among both parties is the possibility of Sinn Fein breaking into establishment politics. Sinn Fein's rise mostly eats into Fianna Fail's vote, but also chips away at Fine Gael's plan to appeal to young voters. Fine Gael is waiting to see the results of the next opinion poll. Some believe it could show a three-horse race with all three parties on the mid to low 20s. If that's the case, it would be hard to deny Mary Lou McDonald a spot on the last RTE leadership debate. And it makes the possibility of a grand coalition between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail all the more likely if the votes fall the same way on February 8. Andy Stanley talks politics ahead of 2020 election; 4 interesting takeaways Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment North Point Community Church Senior Pastor Andy Stanley recently preached a sermon series centered on how Christians should handle politics and political differences, in advance of the 2020 presidential election. I have found it very difficult to stay away from the topic of religion in church, explained Stanley during the first part of the series. But I have found it very easy to stay away from the topic of politics in church. Stanley noted that he felt obligated to preach on this issue in part because his church was becoming more and more diverse and thus was set up to be divided because of what were about to experience within the next few months. Nothing divides like politics because nothing divides like fear, said Stanley, recalling concerns he heard right after the 2016 presidential election. Titled Talking Points: The Perfect Blend of Politics & Religion, the three-part sermon series was preached over the course of three Sundays in January. Here are four important points made during Stanleys sermon series on how American Christians should handle political differences during the 2020 election season. 1 2 3 4 5 Next WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. Three Purdue University alumni will soon help more members of the U.S. Air Force advance critical communication skills to keep them safe in the cockpit. PlaneEnglish, a simulator created by the three Purdue alumni, has received a $1 million SBIR Phase II award, sponsored by the Air Force and AFWERX, the Air Forces technology and innovation hub. The technology addresses important communication and training needs for the Department of Defense. This is a tremendous opportunity for us to play an even bigger part in helping the Air Force train pilots using a digital approach thats proven popular with users, said Muharrem Mane, one of the creators of the simulator. PlaneEnglish is an app-based aviation radio simulator to help new pilots acquire radio communication proficiency by developing advanced skills in more realistic environments. Mane, an alumnus of the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics; Eren Hadimioglu, an alumnus of the School of Aviation and Transportation Technology; and Sam Dickson, an alumnus of the Department of Computer Science, created and developed PlaneEnglish. The technologys simulator is used in dozens of airports across the United States, and the team just launched a version of the technology for civilian pilots. PlaneEnglish lessons guide users through simple and complicated interactions with air traffic control on every phase of flight from taxi out, to takeoff, to airspace entrance, to approaches, to taxi in. Mane also said the technology comes at a time when the Federal Aviation Administration has put an increased focus on English language proficiency for pilots, and started asking instructors to test their students on their speaking and communication abilities. The PlaneEnglish team works out of the Purdue Research Park in West Lafayette, and the creators work closely with the Purdue Research Foundation as they develop their technology. About Purdue Research Foundation The Purdue Research Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation created to advance the mission of Purdue University. Established in 1930, the foundation accepts gifts; administers trusts; funds scholarships and grants; acquires property; protects Purdue's intellectual property; and promotes entrepreneurial activities on behalf of Purdue. The foundation manages the Purdue Foundry, Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization, Purdue Research Park and Purdue Technology Centers. The foundation received the 2019 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Award for Place from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. For more information on licensing a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization at otcip@prf.org. For more information about funding and investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Foundry at foundry@prf.org. Writer: Chris Adam, 765-588-3341, cladam@prf.org Source: Muharrem Mane, muharrem@planeenglish.net London: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed never to send intelligence through a network America couldn't trust, declaring China the central threat of our time. Pompeo was speaking at the Westminster think-tank Policy Exchange alongside his UK counterpart Dominic Raab when he was asked if the US would make good on its threat to limit Five Eyes intelligence from the UK if it allowed China's Huawei to build its 5G network. "All the elements of the Five Eyes will work together to ensure that the systems are sufficiently secure ... that we have only a level of risk that we find tolerable inside of our systems and we will ensure that we will protect American information through that stance," Pompeo said. But when asked directly, Pompeo did not rule out denying Britain access to intelligence. PLAINVIEW, N.Y., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Tamper evident seal manufacturer, American Casting and Manufacturing, provides 7 ways to use fixed length plastic truck seals . As the name implies, plastic truck seals were originally created to seal truck and trailer doors to increase security in the transportation industry. However, other industries have picked up on the versatility of plastic truck seals and have used them to meet a variety of needs. Some additional uses for plastic truck seals include: Exporting animal pelts. New York State requires bobcat, otter, fisher, and marten pelts to be tagged before exporting. Other states require different species to be tagged, but they have requirements as well. Therefore, the best bet is to tag all pelts before transportations, and plastic truck seals are an ideal choice. Tagging trees. Fixed length plastic seals help agriculturalists manage their tree inventory. They can tag their trees using seals with printed serial codes and barcodes for easy inventory management. Managing boats and their moorings. Harbormasters can utilize plastic seals to match boats to their moorings, which will be paired by using the same tags. Tags can also be used to indicate which mooring has passed inspection. Plastic seals are a good choice for tagging boats and moorings because they are lightweight, often flexible, and will not rust when wet. Identifying lobster traps. Fixed length plastic seals are required for commercial fishermen to tag and identify their lobster traps. This is another scenario where plastic is a better choice than a metal tag. Tracking equipment parts. Equipment manufacturers can use fixed length plastic truck seals to track parts during shipment. Their low cost factor makes them a good choice for this job. Equipment inspections. Industries that rely on heavy equipment can use fixed length plastic seals to mark that equipment has passed inspection and is safe to use. Taxidermy. Taxidermists label their hides with plastic seals to track them through the process of mounting and tanning. Plastic truck seals are versatile, making them a good choice for a multitude of industries. They also come in a variety of colors, strengths, and customization options to better suit any organization's needs. About American Casting and Manufacturing American Casting and Manufacturing tamper evident seals supplier is a New York based, family-owned manufacturing company that produces high-quality customizable security seals, including bolt seals, container seals, and trailer seals, across a wide range of industries. Through innovative production, customer service, and both employee loyalty and respect, the tamper evident seals manufacturer has been producing high-quality seals for over 100 years. The company conforms to the highest standards, meeting the requirements of ISO-9001:2015 quality management systems. SOURCE American Casting and Manufacturing By ANI LUCKNOW: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday evening convened a high-level meeting on the Farrukhabad incident, where more than 15 people, including children, have been held hostage. The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary (Home), Director General of Police, ADGP (Law and Order). ALSO READ: Over 15 children, women held hostage in UP's Farrukhabad by man out on bail The Chief Minister also spoke to Farrukhabad District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police, to take stock of the ground situation. Meanwhile, sharing details of the incident ADG law and order PV Ramashastry said, "The man had been sentenced to life imprisonment in a murder case and he was out on a bail. He had called the children on the pretext of a birthday party and held them hostage. He opened fire on villagers. DM, SSP and Police force are present near his house." "Quick Response Team (QRT) and Special Operation Group (SOG) team are there. Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) is on its way. It is being said that around 20 children are inside", he added. Earlier, Farrukhabad Police had said that more than 15 children and a few women have been held hostage at a house. Plaine Magnien, Mauritius (PANA) The Mauritian Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade Minister, Mr Nandcoomar Bodha, on Thursday said the present meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) offers a unique platform for high calibre professionals in the field of trade and investment to deliberate and come up with practical and well-defined recommendations on how to improve trade and investment within the IORA region," PANA reported from here Large investments, including a corporate office in Munich, have dented profitability for KPIT Technologies and the target is to get operating margin up to 18 per cent in the medium term, its management said on Thursday. To boost employee morale, the company is planning to allocate shares to 70 per cent of its over 7,000 employees by March as against only 20 per cent who own the company at present. The company, which had merged with Birlasoft in 2018 before splitting into two publicly listed companies in ealry 2019, has invested in hiring over 700 people at the Munich office, which is one of the most expensive locations in the world, its co-founder and chief executive Kishor Patil said. In results announced on Wednesday, it reported a post tax net of Rs 40.93 crore in the December quarter, up from Rs 36.73 crore in the year-ago quarter. The Pune-headquartered company which provides software solutions mainly to auto and mobility companies worldwide reported operating margins at 13.4 per cent in the December quarter, which was flat as the quarter ago period. "Most of the investments that we have to do are over now and we will be restricting the investments to 3-4 per cent of our revenues from here on. The target is to take the EBITDA to 18 per cent in the next few years," Patil told PTI. The company, which added 1,000 people in calendar 2019, is also finalising a location to have an development centre in India but it may not impact margins, he said. It sees a healthy demand and deal flow, and will continue hiring in the new year as well, he said. The attrition was at "early double digits" as of December and the company is targeting to get it down to single digits in March quarter, he said. As a token for completing one year as a standalone entity, the company is targeting to give shares to over half its employees or over 3,500 people in the March quarter, Patil said, clearing that these are not ESOPs. Indian automakers are investing in technologies despite the reverses in demand, Patil said, adding that companies globally ought to invest for holding on to market shares in the competitive segment. The company scrip gained 0.46 per cent to close at Rs 99.35 apiece on the BSE on Thursday as against a 0.69 per cent correction on the benchmark. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Geordie Shore star Charlotte Crosby isn't known for her subtlety. On Thursday, the 29-year-old compared her I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! love interest Ryan Gallagher to a 'Christmas present' she was going to 'unwrap' after the pair were recently voted out of the South African jungle. Speaking to Hit90.9's Lise, Sarah, Dan and Ben on Thursday, Charlotte revealed she and Ryan, 31, would be spending the next few days with her mother Letitia, before finally getting some private time together over the weekend. 'Let's just hope he's a big one': Charlotte Crosby said she is preparing for an X-rated weekend with her I'm A Celebrity campmate Ryan Gallagher after the pair were voted out of the South African jungle this week When the radio presenters asked when she would meet up with her jungle lover after leaving the camp, Charlotte revealed that Ryan was right in front of her 'in some Christmas pyjamas'. One of the female radio hosts blatantly asked Charlotte whether she planned on 'unwrapping that Christmas present'. The blonde bombshell replied: 'I dont think that Christmas present is going to be unwrapped tonight or tomorrow night because I want to spend a little time with me ma. Private time: Speaking to Hit90.9 's Lise, Sarah, Dan and Ben on Thursday, Charlotte revealed she and Ryan, 31, would be spending the next few days with her mother Letitia, before finally getting some private time together over the weekend 'But the Christmas present will be getting unwrapped over the weekend. You know what? Im quite excited.' Sticking with the X-rated line of questioning, one of the male radio hosts brazenly asked Charlotte what the 'present' looked like. 'I dont quite know the size of the present yet. Lets just hope its a big one,' Charlotte quipped. Romance: Charlotte and Ryan sparked up a steamy romance during their time in the South African jungle On a more romantic note, if all goes well with her mother Letitia over the next few days, Charlotte said her jungle fling may get serious. Chatting with Now to Love on Thursday, she revealed she had no reservations about making the big move Down Under to be with the former Married At First Sight star. 'The only reason I'd move to Australia is Ryan. So yes, I would [consider moving],' she explained. Since Charlotte's parents have reportedly already given Ryan the tick of approval, the reality starlet could be heading to warmer weather very soon. 'She loves [Ryan], and she said my dad's given him the approval,' Charlotte told Fox FM's Fifi, Fev and Byron on Thursday. 'Everyone's speaking very highly of Ryan and she's coming out [to South Africa] tomorrow, she's going to meet him,' she added. 'I mean it's getting very serious, before the deed's been done as well!' Mum's the word! On a more romantic note, if all goes well with her mother Letitia over the next few days, Charlotte said things with Ryan could get serious hanhanpeggy/iStock(SEATTLE) -- A critically endangered orca is presumed dead following a six-month span without a single sighting, according to a nonprofit dedicated to saving the species. The orca, of the Southern Resident population and named L41 Mega, was not seen with his family on Jan. 24 off Washington's coast, according to Shari Tarantino, president of the Orca Conservancy. Tarantino said the last time L41 was seen was in August 2019. "I hope he comes back, but I don't think so," she told ABC News on Thursday. The presumed loss of L41 is the latest difficulty facing the dwindling population. With just 72 Southern Resident orcas left, Tarantino said society is moving backwards in terms of caring for the species. The new population number is the lowest it's been since 1974, when only 71 whales remained, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. L41 was among two orcas who fathered a majority of the population's offspring. The orca J1, who is dead, fathered 16 of the Southern Residents, while L41 fathered 20, according to the NOAA. Tarantino believes that L41 was post-reproductive, but said he was "still a vital member." "It's kind of like us," Tarantino said. "We take care of each other." Southern Resident orcas -- which live in the inland waterways of Washington state and the trans-boundary waters between the U.S. and Canada -- are decreasing in population for a slew of reasons. The main reason is that their food intake levels are too low, specifically their intake of salmon. Salmon have not been able to hatch their eggs because water temperatures are too warm and if they do hatch, the eggs can often be swept away by melting snowcaps, according to Tarantino. She said both factors have been a result, in part, of climate change. Tarantino hopes that the public will soon realize the urgency of the situation. Because Southern Killers are apex predators, she said, "When they're failing, that generally means the ecosystem beneath it is failing." Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, January 29, 2020 The ad industry is urging the California Attorney General to postpone enforcing the state's new privacy law until at least six months after regulations implementing the measure have been finalized. The California Consumer Privacy Act, which took effect Jan. 1, gives consumers the right to learn what personal information has been collected about them by companies, to have that information deleted, and prevent the sale of that data to third parties. Enforcement is slated to begin in July. Last October, Attorney General Xavier Becerra issued a set of draft regulations, including instructions for businesses on how to allow people to opt out of disclosure of their information. Those regulations have not yet been finalized. advertisement advertisement The ad industry now says businesses will need additional time to comply with the rules. Given the extraordinary complexity of the law and the wide range of open issues to be clarified from the draft guidance, there will not be sufficient time for many businesses to effectively implement the final regulations prior to the anticipated enforcement date of July 1, 2020, the Association of National Advertisers, American Association of Advertising Agencies, Interactive Advertising Bureau, Network Advertising Initiative and American Advertising Federation say in a letter sent Wednesday to Attorney General Xavier Becerra. The groups add that the draft rules presented significant new and unprecedented requirements for businesses. Without final regulatory requirements, business will be unable to make operational changes to their systems, further delaying finalization of their compliance programs, the organizations write. In order to avoid consumer and business confusion with respect to the new rules, we request that you further delay the enforcement of the law to begin six months from the date the CCPA regulations become final." Last month, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce also sought a delay in enforcement. That group says enforcement shouldn't begin until 2022, noting that Europe's sweeping General Data Protection Regulation didn't take effect until May 2018, more than two years after European regulators adopted final regulations. Jennifer Gates, the eldest daughter of billionaire businessman Bill Gates is all set to get married as she recently took to Instagram to announce her engagement with Nayel Nassar. The 23-year-old Stanford graduate shared a photo of her reaction after her fiance proposed during their ski trip. In the picture, she is visibly surprised and can be seen wearing a diamond ring while she leans against Nassar in a snowbank. The caption read, Nayel Nassar, you are one of a kind. Absolutely swept me off my feet this past weekend, surprising me in the most meaningful location over one of our many shared passions. I cant wait to spend the rest of our lives learning, growing, laughing and loving together. Yes a million times over. READ: Mallika Sherawat Attends Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos' Party, Poses With Bill Gates Nayel Nassar is a show jumper and the couple have reportedly been together for two years. They have bonded over their shared love for equestrianism and they often share pictures of one another on Instagram. According to international media reports, Jennifer is studying towards becoming a doctor and Nayel has made a name for himself in the world of equestrianism. In October 2019, Nassar and his team also won the Nations Cup Competition and secured a spot for Egypt at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. READ: Dwayne Johnson Praises Bill Gates; Calls Him A 'bud' And 'twin' 'She said yes!' Nassar also shared a series of photos of the proposal on Instagram and wrote, SHE SAID YES!! Im feeling like the luckiest (and happiest) man in the world right about now, he captioned his pictures. Jenn, you are everything I could have possibly imagined..and so much more. I cant wait to keep growing together through this journey called life, and I simply cant imagine mine without you anymore. Love you more than you can possibly imagine, and thank you for making every single day feel like a dream to me. Heres to forever!. The engagement comes just weeks after Bill Gates and his wife Melinda Gates celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary. The couple also shares son Rory, 20, and another daughter Phoebe, 17. READ: Woman Discovers Microsoft Founder Bill Gates Is Her Secret Santa READ: Anand Mahindra Reveals Why He Was Called A 'loser' After He Met Bill Gates We are sad to report the passing of Wing Commander Paul Farnes; the last surviving Royal Air Force ace from the Battle of Britain. There are now just two living members from the The Few, the small cadre of RAF fighter crews who took part in the desperate, and seemingly futile effort to save Britain from the Nazi horde during the summer of 1940. As most will know, their monicker, The Few, derives from Prime Minister Winston Churchills oft-quoted line, Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few, which he presented during his immortal House of Commons speech of August 20th, 1940 in which he described the heroic exploits of these airmen as they faced the elite of Germanys then-invincible Luftwaffe. Roughly 3,000 men, hailing from more than a dozen nations, took part in this fight which, officially at least, took place between July 10th and October 31st. More than 500 of these brave airmen died during the Battle, with another thousand losing their lives before wars end Wing Commander Paul Farnes enlisted in the RAF Volunteer Reserve in April, 1938. He was officially mobilized as a sergeant pilot in July, 1939, and joined 501 Squadron that September, flying Hurricanes from RAF Filton, in Bristol. The squadron deployed to France the following May, and saw heavy action against the Luftwaffe during this time, often referred to as the Battle of France. As we all know, the Battle of France was a slaughterhouse for the Allies. Despite their valiant efforts the British, French and Belgian air forces were severely mauled, although they did exact a hefty price against the Luftwaffe. Paul Farnes was right in the middle of it all, and shot down a Heinkel He 111 bomber, with half shares in two additional German bombers. Other squadron members also did well, including the remarkable Ginger Lacy, another sergeant pilot who became an ace, but there were just too many Germans fighters to contend with to avoid being overrun. Exhausted, the remnants of 501 Squadron withdrew to Britain to regroup following the fall of France in early June. There followed a lull, in which Germany tried to persuade Britain to surrender; the Battle of Britain began in earnest during mid-July, by which point No.501 was flying from RAF Kenley, near London. Again Paul Farnes was in the thick of it, flying as many as six sorties a day. He shot down five German aircraft during August. No.501 Squadron is credited with having shot down 149 enemy aircraft by December, 1940, but this came with the substantial cost of 19 pilots killed and thats in addition to those whom died during the Battle of France. Indeed, 501 Squadron lost more pilots than any other RAF fighter unit during the Battle of Britain Paul Barnes prowess was rewarded with a provisional commission; he became a Pilot Officer in early December, 1940. He became a flying instructor with No.57 Operational Training Unit (OTU) at RAF Howarden early in 1941, receiving a rest from combat, although flight training was still a highly dangerous occupation. Towards the end of 1941, Farnes, now a Flying Officer, was stationed with No.73 OTU in Aden. He moved to become a Flight Commander with No.229 Squadron in Egypt during February, 1942, flying combat over Lybia. No.229 transferred to Malta in March, and Farnes soon assumed command of the squadron. In May, Farnes moved back to North Africa, and spent much of the rest of the war in Iraq before returning home to Britain during March, 1945 to take command of No.124 Squadron flying Spitfires from RAF Hawkinge. He ended the war as an acting Wing Commander. Following the war, Farnes remained in the RAF, where he gained his permanent commission, at the lower rank of Squadron Leader. He retired as a Wing Commander in 1958, and went on to run a hotel in West Sussex. As with many pilots who survived the war, Paul Farnes didnt talk much about his experiences for several decades. But in later years, he was active with the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust, and often attended events celebrating WWII veterans, including September 15th, 2018 when, at the age of 100, he laid a wreath at the Battle of Britain Monument in London. He died at his home in Hampshire on January 28th at the age of 101. Now there are just two remaining members of The Few, Flt Lt William Clark, aged 100, and F/O John Hemingway, also a centenarian. Lest we forget WILLIAMSPORT A federal appeals court panel has affirmed the jail sentence imposed on a New York State man for making threats to kill President Trump. A three-judge panel of the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday upheld U.S. Middle District Judge Matthew W. Branns decision not to give Jared Marc Brown credit for acceptance of responsibility when he sentenced him last June to 42 months. Brann had ruled Brown, 22, of Lockport, was not entitled to that credit listing four incidents of misconduct after he had been indicted, including again threatening to kill Trump. The charge of threatening to kill the president to which Brown pleaded guilty stemmed from incidents in June 2017 while he was an inmate at the Allenwood Federal Penitentiary. He admitted sending an email through the prison system threatening to blow up the facility and to kill, among others, presidents Obama and Trump. A note threatening to kill the two presidents and the makings of a knife were found in his cell. When interviewed by Secret Service agents he retracted his threat against Obama but refused to do so against Trump and a Secret Service agent. Browns prosecution was delayed until he was found competent after undergoing treatment for borderline personality traits at a Bureau of Prisons medical facility in Missouri. Although Brann would not give Brown credit for acceptance of responsibility, he sentenced him below the maximum because he said it appears the medication for his mental issues is working. This was the second time Brown had been sentenced for making threats to kill the president. In a New York case, he was sentenced to 15 months followed three years of supervised release for calling Lockport police in October 2015 and threatening to kill Obama and a judge. He later was found to have violated terms of his supervised release, and in February 2017 was sentenced to two years in prison that he was serving in Allenwood. -- Here are recent PennLive stories from John Beauge Philadelphia area men get jail terms for hitting a man with a car and shooting at him Man pleads guilty, sentenced to life in prison in Williamsport murder-for-hire case Unwed Pa. teacher fired for being pregnant loses second bid to get her job back Erie man admits firing gun while robbing Centre County convenience store Steelton man gets state prison term for stealing money from skills games Former owners of Lycoming County motel owe feds $1.18M, government says A cruise ship was locked down off the coast of Italy today amid fears a couple onboard may have caught coronavirus. More than 6,000 passengers, including 751 Chinese people, were on board the cruise ship in the Italian port city of Civitavecchia near Rome when the liner was placed on lockdown over two suspected cases of coronavirus. Italian health authorities did not allow the passengers and 1,000 crew members to get off the ship. Samples from a couple onboard from Hong Kong were sent for testing after three doctors and a nurse boarded the Costa Crociere ship Costa Smeralda to tend to a woman with a fever and mild flu symptoms. The 54-year-old woman from Macau was put into isolation overnight in a hospital ward on the ship. Her husband, who did not have any symptoms, was also been tested by doctors from Romes Spallanzani hospital and quarantined as a precaution. The Italian news agency Agenzia Ansa has reported that the tests on the couple indicate the virus is not present in their system. The couple had arrived from Hong Kong to Milan Malpensa airport on January 25 and boarded the cruise ship at Savona. The Costa Smeralda docked at the port of Civitavecchia today after stopping in Marseille, Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca during its tour. Italian Coastguard commander Vincenzo Leone said: "All the planned mechanisms were activated. Health authorities are on board, doing checks. "The situation is under control. Theres a security cordon on the dock." HHS warns it will strip California of funding over state's abortion coverage mandate Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The Trump administration warned California that it will revoke federal funding on grounds that it is violating federal law by requiring all health insurance plans in the state to cover abortion, a regulation that also impacts church healthcare plans. The Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights announced last Friday the same day as the 2020 March for Life that it issued a notice of violation to California over its abortion coverage mandate enacted in 2014. OCR warned that the state cannot impose universal abortion coverage mandates on health insurance plans and issuers in violation of federal conscience laws. According to an HHS press release, California has deprived 28,000 people of plans that did not cover elective abortion but are not required to cover abortion. The OCR investigated two complaints that California had engaged in unlawful discrimination resulting from Californias Department of Managed Health Cares August 2014 order that all health plans offer elective abortion coverage. The complaints against the rule came from a Catholic order of nuns called the Missionary Guadalupanas of the Holy Spirit and Skyline Wesleyan Church, a Southern California megachurch that was once led by conservative pastor Jim Garlow. The organizations contend that the law forces them to violate their religious convictions against abortion. The OCRs investigation concluded that the California mandate violates the Weldon Amendment, a provision that bars government agencies from requiring healthcare providers to pay for or refer patients for abortions. The amendment states that no funds made available by the Consolidated Appropriations Act may be granted to agencies or state governments that subject institutional or healthcare entities to discrimination on the basis that the health care entity does not provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for abortions. HHS has ordered the state to inform OCR within 30 days of the steps it will take to correct its violations. If HHS does not receive "sufficient assurance" that California will come into compliance with federal law within 30 days, it could result in "limitations on continued receipt of certain HHS funds." Once again, President Trumps administration is delivering on his promise to protect human life and all Americans freedom of conscience, HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement. Under President Trump, HHS has been vigorously enforcing the statutes Congress passed to protect Americans consciences and institutionalizing these protections within the departments civil rights work. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra vowed in a tweet that the state will fight the HHS notice by any means necessary. Make no mistake, this attack on California is just one more attempt to chip away at reproductive rights and access to abortion, Becerra wrote. In a press release, Becerra accused the administration of political grandstanding. Today, Donald Trump is using the official levers of government to advance his political agenda, Becerra argued. Sound familiar? In California, we will continue to protect our families access to healthcare, including womens constitutional right to abortion. Nothing changes. OCR Director Roger Severino said in a statement that no American should be forced to pay for or cover other peoples abortions. We are putting California on notice that it must stop forcing people of goodwill to subsidize the taking of human life, not only because its the moral thing to do, but because its the law, Severino, who formerly served with the conservative think tanks The Heritage Foundation, stressed. The HHS notice was praised by the Alliance Defending Freedom, an influential nonprofit legal group devoted to defending religious freedom rights. For years, Californias Department of Managed Health Care has demonstrated hostility to churches by forcing them to pay for elective abortions, ADF Legal Counsel Denise Harle said in a statement. The agency has unconstitutionally targeted religious organizations, repeatedly collaborated with pro-abortion advocates and failed to follow the appropriate administrative procedures to institute its unprecedented mandate. Ever since Tuesday, there is a lot of conversation about the 'No-fly list', following the mid-air altercation between stand up comedian Kunal Kamra and news anchor Arnab Goswami. After the incident, IndiGo announced that Kamra has been suspended from flying with the airline for six months. On the advice of Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, national carrier Air India and private carriers SpiceJet and GoAir followed suite with 'ban until further notice' form their flights. However many have since pointed out that the six-month ban on Kamra by IndiGo did not follow the due process set by the Director-General of Civil Aviation. AFP According to the No-fly list rules of DGCA, any passenger accused of misconduct can be blacklisted by the airline for a set period of time, based on the nature of the act. Level 1: Behaviour that is verbally unruly, and calls for debarment up to 3 months. Level 2: Physical unruliness and can lead to the passenger being debarred from flying for up to 6 months Level 3: Life-threatening behaviour where the debarment would be for a minimum of 2 years. It also specifies that until an internal probe by the airline is completed the passenger can be suspended for a maximum of 30 days. However, Kamra who faces a level 1 charge which carries a maximum ban of three months has already been banned by IndiGo even before the inquiry is completed. The DGCA came up with the idea of the no-fly list and rules to deal with unruly passengers in 2017 after the then Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad slapped an Air India crew member. In May 2018 Birju Kishore Salla, a Mumbai-based jeweller who created a hijack scare on a Jet Airways' flight became the first person to be put on the same. Salla's act of leaving a hijack message in the business class lavatory of a Mumbai-Delhi flight on October 30, 2017, which had forced the plane to divert to Ahmedabad, has led Jet to ban him from flying its planes for five years. In 2018 there was another incident involving a 62-year-old passenger who allegedly molested a cabin crew member of Air Vistara from Lucknow to Delhi. Even though initially it was reported that the accused, Rajeev Vasant Dani could be put on the no-fly list, there was no follow-through. So that means currently there is only one on the list, Birju Kishore Salla. And most likely Kamar will join him soon. But what happened to Gaikwad? Technically, Gaikwad was never put on a no-fly list, because there was no such list then. Air India whose crew was on the receiving end of Gaikwad's attack had banned him from flying. The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) comprising of Jet Airways, SpiceJet, GoAir, and IndiGo also followed through and banned Gaikwad. But the ban did not even last for 15 days. Under pressure from Shiv Sena which was then a BJP ally, the Civil Aviation Minister at the time Ashok Gajapathi Raju wrote to Air India to revoke the ban. The national carrier obliged and FIA followed. And Gaikwad who once again got the right to fly took the same Air India flight on which he had slapped the crew member. Another potential incident that could have invoked the no fly list, when BJP MP Pragya Thakur caused a 45-minute flight delay over her seat did not even come up for consideration because the pilot-in-command of the SpiceJet flight did not make the complaint as per the set rules. BETHALTO Parents and children have several opportunities to experience quality Christian education at Zion Lutheran School in Bethalto. The school will host special events to answer questions and provide information prior to the start of enrollment for the 2020-2021 school year on March 3. WASHINGTON In the end, the impeachment calculation nearly all Senate Republicans are making is fairly simple: They would rather look as if they ignored relevant evidence than plunge the Senate into an unpredictable, open-ended inquiry that would anger President Trump and court political peril. As Republicans lined up on Wednesday behind blocking witnesses in the trial, their reasoning reflected the worry that allowing testimony by John R. Bolton, the former national security adviser whose unpublished manuscript contradicts a central part of Mr. Trumps impeachment defense, would undoubtedly lead to a cascade of other witnesses. They in turn could provide more damaging disclosures and tie up the Senate indefinitely, when the ultimate verdict an acquittal of the president is not in doubt. For the sake of argument, one could assume everything attributable to John Bolton is accurate, and still the House would fall well below the standards to remove a president from office, said Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina. Republicans have offered myriad rationales for refusing new testimony: Gathering it was the Houses job. Calling more witnesses would lead to prolonged court fights over executive privilege. They had heard more than enough evidence to reach a verdict. There was not enough evidence to show they needed more information. Allowing the House to force the Senate into a drawn-out impeachment trial would set a dangerous institutional precedent. In essence, during what they hoped would be the final hours of Mr. Trumps trial, Senate Republicans were constructing a permission structure for not trying to get to the bottom of what happened, with the hope that voters would find their explanations satisfactory and reasonable. First Look: Limerick's new brand campaign designed by M&C Saatchi Peter Ward of Country Choice, in the Limerick Milk Market. The campaign image is from Limerick's new, M&C Saatchi-designed brand. Limerick: Dolores ORiordan of The Cranberries featured in an overlay mural near King Johns Castle. Mural: AchesDub Photo: Pol O Conghaile A new Limerick brand designed by M&C Saatchi will encourage visitors, business people and investors "to see the city and county with fresh eyes". That's according to Mayor of City and County, Cllr Michael Sheahan, who presided over the launch of Limerick's first ever international brand and marketing campaign. 'Atlantic Edge; European Embrace' is the new master brand for city and county. The campaign is "a sign of newfound confidence in who we are, what we are and what we have to offer," Cllr Sheahan said at the launch. Expand Close 'Atlantic Edge, European embrace' - Limerick's new, M&C Saatchi-designed brand / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp 'Atlantic Edge, European embrace' - Limerick's new, M&C Saatchi-designed brand The new logo's shape is based on condensed letters of 'Limerick', its designers say, with a colour palette ranging from Atlantic Ocean blues to the county green and even gritty limestone greys from the famous Treaty Stone. M&C Saatchi is a London-based global agency whose clients range from Amazon's Audible.com to travel groups Klook and eDreams ODIGEO. The campaign aims to promote tourism, business, education and investment across the county, and drew on input from the public, local companies and students of LITs Limerick School of Art & Design, it says. The brand reflects "the future of Limerick city and county", said Liz Nolan of Lyric FM, who MC'd the launch. It projects "a resurgence" in both city and county, she added, saying the time has now come to project this energy on a national level. Expand Close A campaign image from Limerick's new, M&C Saatchi-designed brand. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A campaign image from Limerick's new, M&C Saatchi-designed brand. Despite being Ireland's third-largest city, with a thriving university and close proximity to Shannon Airport and the Wild Atlantic Way, Limerick has struggled at times to shed persistent stereotypes of crime, grit and Angela's Ashes. M&C Saatchi's research found that few people overseas understand "what Limerick means, stands for or is even located," partner David Glass explained. "Limerick now has a sharper way to focus its message, as a destination with an edge," he said. It was also described as "an amazing sweet spot", as "Europe's closest link to North America", and a place of "incredibly warm welcome". Promotional efforts will play on Limerick's combination "of edginess and friendliness", with local heroes like Celia Holman Lee, hurler Cian Lynch and Dr Norah Patten, who is hoping to become Irelands first astronaut, inspiring people with their stories. The launch coincides with a growing sense of local belief in Limerick. Limerick is on the turn, as Niall Sloane, Dean of St Marys - where the brand was launched - told this reporter on a visit last year. A multi-million euro International Rugby Experience backed by JP McManus and Paul O'Connell, among others, is set to open on O'Connell Street in 2021. The McManus family-owned Adare Manor has also won the county's first Michelin Star, and is gearing up to host the Ryder Cup in 2026. Elsewhere, boutique city hotels like One Pery Square and The Bedford Townhouse have added depth to its accommodation offering, Limerick boasts vibrant street art and festival scenes, and new, locally-driven ventures include Treaty City Brewery, which has opened a micro-brewery and tour in the medieval quarter on St Nicholas St. Limerick's Milk Market and local food scenes are also on the up; a point highlighted by Tom Flavin, Head Chef of the Limerick Strand Hotel, who prepared a spread based entirely on Limerick produce for the launch event. Cllr. Sheahan concluded his speech with "two important words", as he put it. "Limerick forever. Luimneach abu," he said. An Offaly man who survived cancer after 40 rounds of treatment at St Luke's Hospital is launching a brand new tea company to raise money for Irish cancer services. John McKeigue is in the process of launching 'Paddy's Tea' - a product free of any harmful chemicals - and he plans to tap into the huge tea market in Ireland and abroad to raise funds for St Luke's and the ongoing fundraising push for the Midlands Hospice. He attributes his recovery to all the wonderful staff in St. Lukes Cancer Care department in St Jamess Hospital Dublin who provided him with the medical treatment he so badly needed having been diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2017. In order to support cancer services financially, John wanted to set up something that would be a "perpetual fundraiser" rather than a one-off event. With that in mind, he took on the incredible task of setting up his own tea company with 100% of the profits made going to cancer services. He landed on tea because Irish people drink an average of five cups a day and he thought he could tap into that market potential with a product that was free of chemicals and plastics. He has lined up stockists around Ireland and as far away as America and Australia when the product hits the shelves later this year. A press launch will take place at 4pm on Monday, February 3, at the Bridge Shopping Centre with the product expected to hit the shelves in late March or April. "We will have a full launch at that time outside one of the large stockists in Tullamore where people can go in and buy their Paddy's Tea. We hope this will take off because it doesn't put extra expense on people; it just asks them to pick up Paddy's when they go to buy their tea every week," John McKeigue said. That launch will be carried out in conjunction with The Hope Mobile, which is a refurbished Pope Mobile. "The owners have generously donated the use of it for both our own launch and for a similar launch in every county over the next number of months," John said. "Proceeds from all photographs of locals sitting on the Pope's chair in the Hope Mobile at each venue on the day will be donated to a local charity/fundraiser chosen by the winning host of that day. So, if your running your own local fundraiser this could be your way to make it a success," he added. John has also said the profits of Paddy's Tea sold in the Midlands will go directly to the Midlands Hospice project. A fundraising committee is already working to raise the funds for the hospice but John wants to lend his support. He also praised other fundraisers for the hospice like the recent Hooves 4 Hospice project. "My reason for going public with my diagnosis and story is twofold. Firstly, because I believe that it will help get rid of the stigma in Ireland, that is often associated with a cancer diagnosis, and secondly, because I truly believe that it will help many other cancer patients on their road to recovery," John explained. "On one particular Tuesday morning while in St Lukes waiting room awaiting my treatment, I met a lovely lady from the Friends of Saint Lukes, Geraldine Stafford. We got into a conversation about what exactly they do to help all cancer diagnosed patients. That conversation was to turn out to be a light bulb moment for me. "On the days to follow that I was attending St. Lukes over the six weeks of my treatment, and while in the waiting room awaiting my treatment, I got into the habit of writing down notes about my whole experience, and about my fears, feelings, and hopes for the future. Then when I would be travelling to Dublin on the train for my treatment, and on the return journey, I would read them over again what I had written earlier and what I had written on previous days, as my thoughts began to crystallize, and a plan gradually began to emerge over the next forty days. "Then on the fortieth day, the last day of my treatment, the very welcome moment had finally arrived where I could say to myself Im finished with my treatment, its all over now. Not only did I have the hope and opportunity of a good few more healthy years ahead of me after my successful treatment, but there was also the added bonus that I now had a plan, Paddys Tea. It was a plan to help many other cancer patients in the future, to help lighten their load. This wonderful feeling of positivity inspired me even more to bring the plan to fruition. "Now, this is where you the people of Ireland can come to play your part, as almost every family in Ireland has been touched in some way or another, either by a family member, relation, or friend being diagnosed with cancer and in need of these specialist services. "So please support these very worthy causes by purchasing Paddys Tea. Please also tell all your friends and relations, who are part of the Irish Diaspora around the world, about this wonderful initiative, and let us toast to all of our continued good health," John concluded. Paddy's Tea will be available from March or April, but you can spread the word now. You can find out more about the new product and John's story HERE. KYODO NEWS - Jan 30, 2020 - 15:29 | All, World, Coronavirus Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday that Taiwan's participation in the World Health Organization is necessary to effectively fight the spread of a new coronavirus. "It will be difficult to maintain health and prevent further infections in this region if (Taiwan) is excluded for political reasons," Abe said during a parliamentary session. "We will continue to make our country's stance clear at the WHO." China regards Taiwan as a renegade province to be brought under its control, by force if necessary, and objects to the self-governing island's participation in the WHO and other international organizations as a different entity. Abe made the remarks after an opposition party lawmaker said Taiwan was not allowed to participate in an emergency WHO meeting on the outbreak of the deadly virus in Geneva on Jan. 22. Both Japan and Taiwan have confirmed cases of infections with the pneumonia-causing virus that has been spreading rapidly from the central Chinese city of Wuhan. Between 2009 and 2016, Taiwan was allowed to attend the international body's annual meetings as an observer. But China has hardened its stance since Taiwan's independence-leaning President Tsai Ing-wen took office in 2016. Japan has built ties with Taiwan on a nongovernmental basis over the years, with Taiwanese visitors accounting for about 15 percent of all travelers from overseas in 2019. As of Thursday afternoon, the death toll from the viral outbreak in Wuhan has reached 170 and more than 7,700 cases of infections have been confirmed in mainland China. Infections have also spread to other parts of the world, including Europe and North America. Related coverage: New coronavirus spreads to all of China's provincial-level regions 3 Japanese returnees from Wuhan test positive for new coronavirus New-virus infections in China exceed SARS total Chinas coronavirus death toll has reached 170 as more countries report infections. Russia is closing its 2,600-mile border with China, joining Mongolia and North Korea in barring crossings to guard against the outbreak. It had been de facto closed because of the Lunar New Year holiday, but Russian authorities said the closure would be extended until March 1. Train traffic between the countries was halted except for one train connecting Moscow and Beijing, but air traffic between the two countries continued. Russia has not confirmed any cases of the virus. Expand Close Funeral workers disinfect themselves after handling a virus victim in Wuhan (Chinatopix via AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Funeral workers disinfect themselves after handling a virus victim in Wuhan (Chinatopix via AP) Meanwhile, the United States and South Korea confirmed their first cases of person-to-person spread of the virus. The man in the US is married to a 60-year-old Chicago woman who got sick from the virus after she returned from a trip to Wuhan, the Chinese city that is the epicentre of the outbreak. There have been cases reported of the infectious virus spreading to others in a household or workplace in China and elsewhere. The case in South Korea was a 56-year-old man who had contact with a patient who was diagnosed with the new virus earlier. Human-to-human spread of the virus outside China has also occurred in Germany, Japan, Canada and Vietnam, and was a major reason the World Health Organisation (WHO) has convened its committee of experts to assess whether the outbreak warrants being declared a global emergency. The committee last week had advised the UN health agency it was too early to make that pronouncement. Expand Close The coronavirus outbreak has led millions of people to wear face masks in various parts of the world, such as these commuters in Taipei (Chiang Ying-Ying/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The coronavirus outbreak has led millions of people to wear face masks in various parts of the world, such as these commuters in Taipei (Chiang Ying-Ying/AP) The new virus has now infected more people in China than fell ill there during the 2002-2003 outbreak of SARS, a cousin of the new virus. The latest figures for mainland China show an increase of 38 deaths and 1,737 cases for a total of 7,736 confirmed cases. Of the new deaths, 37 were in Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, and one was in the south-western province of Sichuan. Outside China, there are 82 infections in 18 countries, according to WHO. A second Japanese flight carrying 210 evacuees landed in Tokyo. Reports said nine of those on board the flight showed signs of having a cough and a fever. Three of Japans confirmed cases were among a group of evacuees who had returned on a government-chartered flight the previous day. Expand Close The city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus, remains in lockdown mode (Handout/PA) PA Media / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus, remains in lockdown mode (Handout/PA) A flight was also en route to China to bring back 350 Europeans. The US said additional flights were planned for early next week after it evacuated 195 Americans from Wuhan on Wednesday. They are being tested and monitored at a Southern California military base. South Korea, Britain, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and other countries were also trying to get their citizens out. Taiwan, the self-governing republic China considers its own territory, has also asked to be able to repatriate its passport holders from Wuhan, but it was awaiting approval from Beijing. Israels El Al, Spains Iberia, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Korean Air joined the growing list of airlines suspending or reducing service to China. Teenage suspect in police custody after he fires at protesters near Jamia Millia Islamia university, injuring a student. A gunman has fired at a protest rally against Indias new citizenship law near the Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) university in capital New Delhi, witnesses and officials said. The alleged assailant, identified by the police as a 17-year-old teenager, brandished a single-barrel weapon and shouted slogans against the protesters before firing at them, wounding a JMI student on Thursday. The deputy commissioner of police in Southeast Delhi said the teenage suspect has been arrested and an investigation was being conducted into the incident. Who wants freedom? He [the gunman] was shouting, Delhi Police Zindabad [long live Delhi police] and Who wants Aazadi [freedom], come, Ill shoot you, said witness Nazim Qazi, who was also part of the protest. And then he shot one fire. A student named Shadab was hurt and has been taken to the nearby Holy Family hospital, he added. Another witness told Al Jazeera that JMI students were marching towards the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of Indias independence struggle, when the attack happened. The march was organised to coincide with the death anniversary of Gandhi, who was shot dead by a member of the Hindu far right, Nathuram Godse, in 1948. On the day Gandhiji was shot dead by Godse! https://t.co/4djBajqfmt Niha Masih (@NihaMasih) January 30, 2020 The victim has now been moved to the trauma centre of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi, sources said. A photograph taken by the Reuters news agency showed the suspect, dressed in a black jacket and brandishing a single-barrel weapon, standing metres away from dozens of policemen deployed outside the university, where protesters had gathered for the march. Witnesses said the assailant shouted slogans against the protesters before firing at them. The police stood nearby, Ahmed Zahir, a witness, told Reuters. Meanwhile, Indias Home Minister Amit Shah posted on Twitter that Delhi Police officials have been ordered to conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident. A wounded man is helped after Sharma opened fire during a protest against a new citizenship law outside the Jamia Millia Islamia university in New Delhi [Danish Siddiqui/Reuters] Who is the suspect? The suspects purported Facebook page, now suspended, showed that he called himself a Rambhakt (devotee of Hindu god, Lord Ram). He was live on Facebook just before the attack, the page showed. The teenagers Facebook account also revealed his apparent hatred towards Muslims and his sympathies for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). His social media profile suggested he is a member of the far-right Bajrang Dal, the youth wing of the World Hindu Council, which forms a part of what is called the Sangh Parivar (Sangh Family) in India. The Sangh Parivar is named after their parent organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS or National Association of Volunteers), which draws its inspiration from the German Nazis. On Thursday, hours before he shot at the JMI student, the suspect made several posts on his Facebook page, in which he threatened the protesters and asked his friends to follow his activities. Shaheen Bagh, tera khel khatm (your game is over), read one of his posts, referring to a peaceful protest being led by women in a Muslim-dominated neighbourhood in New Delhi, a stones throw from where he incident happened. In another Facebook post on Thursday, he wrote: Meri antim yatra pe mujhe bhagwa me le jaiye aur Jai Shri Ram ke naare hon (On my final journey, drape me in saffron clothes and chant Hail Lord Ram). Weeks of protests Protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which fast-tracks Indian citizenship for non-Muslim minorities from three neighbouring countries, have flared since last December. Prime Minister Narendra Modis government insists the law is required to help persecuted minorities who fled to India before 2015 from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. However, protesters insist the law as well as a proposed national register for citizens discriminates against the countrys Muslim minority and violates Indias secular constitution. In recent days, BJP leaders have called for action against the protesters, whom they call anti-nationals. This week, Indias Minister of State for Finance, Anurag Thakur, encouraged supporters at a state election rally in New Delhi to chant slogans, calling for the traitors to be shot, drawing a reprimand from the countrys election commission. Last month, Delhi police officers stormed the JMI library and beat students who were protesting against CAA. Dozens of students were injured in the police action that caused a public outcry. Tawqeer Hussain contributed to this report from New Delhi Morse Insurance Agency Inc., a provider of personal and business insurance in Southeastern Massachusetts, has acquired Connolly Insurance. The transaction became effective January 1, 2020. Morse Insurance has been a family-run agency since 1950. Brothers Dan, Tim and Brian Morse took the agency over from their father, David, in 2004. With 16 years of experience at the helm, these second-generation owners run the agency in Easton, Mass., as well as in the surrounding communities of Norton, Bridgewater and Marion. Richard Connolly, former owner and President of Connolly Insurance Agency, along with his team, will join Morse Insurance in its North Easton, Mass., office location following the acquisition. Source: Morse Insurance Agency Topics Mergers Massachusetts I would just kill for a menu, she joked Thursday before testing a meat tenderizer to laughter from her friends and announcing it would be good to smack any coyotes that might wander into her yard. Others at the auction included restaurant professionals looking for deals on food equipment, a couple of women opening a church in Troy hoping to stock its kitchen, and many loyal customers seeking a bit of nostalgia. You just want a piece of the place to remind you of all the good times, said Dan Hobbs, owner of Fox and Hound Antiques in St. Charles. Hobbs used to come to the bar once or twice a week. He knew the bartender and staff well, and bid on tables and stools Wednesday in hopes to use them in a pub of his own one day. Former manager Tammy Burt answered questions from potential buyers Thursday, as they wound through the tables of plates, cutlery and branded T-shirts with the restaurant logo. Burt said shes worked to help put the auction in order to give the longtime establishment a respectable end. We want people to remember all the great things here, she said. Things have certainly been intense for the senior members of the British royal family. At the end of last year, Prince Andrew stepped down after a lifetime of royal duties, following an ill-fated interview on BBCs News Night where he defended his 20-year relationship with late child sex-offender, Jeffrey Epstein. With the Duke of York pushed into the background, the royals seemed to have been finding their footing once more until Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex announced they would be stepping away from heir duties as senior royals. Though the Sussexes had been candid about the toll of the constant bullying and harassment Markle had on their mental well-being, people were still shocked and appalled following their decision to step back. Now, the remaining senior royals are scrambling to figure out how to proceed. Prince William is still trying to find his footing following Megxit Prince William has a singular vision for the royal family moving forward, especially leading into the years when he takes the throne. He hopes that the royal family holds on to its traditions while becoming wholly modern. The Duke of Cambridge had hoped his younger, more charismatic brother would be by his side as his secret weapon. However, since that isnt happening hes had to restrategize. I think the severity of whats happened has had a huge impact on his brother, on his sister-in-law, expert Katie Nicholl explained. Both of them are still reeling from the news, coming to terms with the reality of this situation. Still, that hasnt stopped the prince and his father, Prince Charles from reaching out to the Sussexes. An insider explained to Express, Charles and William have grown very concerned about Harry and Meghans well-being and have reached out in a show of support. Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex may take Prince Harry and Meghan Markles place With so much happening, some other royals have stepped up to pick up some of the Sussexes duties. Prince Edward is Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth IIs youngest son. He and his wife, Sophie, Countess of Wessex have been praised for being a quiet and regal force n the royal family. Edward has molded into a quiet and efficient figure who does not seek attention or acquire headlines, a source told Express. He and Sophie are liked for being dutiful and uncomplaining. They seem like the perfect fit for royal life. However, another royal expert suggests that Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie might step in for the Sussexes. If two go out, two have got to come in, and those two have got to be Beatrice and Eugenie, royal biographer Robert Lacey recently told Hello! Im sure they will step forward and be greatly welcomed Its ironic that Harry mentioned his cousins as models of how he wants to be. Kate Middleton is in panic mode following Megxit Kate, Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex have been friendly, but they never grew close. Apparently Middleton had hoped that the two would work together, but with Megxit, shes feeling a ton of stress and panic. Kates in a panic and has been having bouts of anxiety, an insider told US Weekly. She barely has time to rest, and when she does try to sleep, her mind is constantly racing. Apparently, the duchess schedule is also extremely hectic with 18-hour workdays. Though shes trying to figure out her new royal role, the duchess does want her children to be close with baby Archie. Commissioner Ellen Nowak of the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin was appointed chair of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners Committee on International Relations by President Brandon Presley of Mississippi. Commissioner Nowak is replacing Chairman David Danner of the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission. Commissioners Kenneth C. Hill of Tennessee and David Morton of British Columbia will remain co-vice chairs. Established in 1996, the Committee on International Relations supports NARUC's outreach activities across the globe, including partnerships with numerous countries in Eurasia, Africa, Asia and Latin America. With the trend of energy market development expanding overseas, several countries have sought help and best practices from their American counterparts. As NARUC's former first vice president, Nowak served on the board of directors and the Executive Committee until March 2018, when she was appointed by Governor Scott Walker to serve as the Secretary for the Department of Administration. She was a member of the PSC since July 2011 and became chairperson in March 2015. In January 2019, she was appointed to the NARUC Board of Directors by then-president Nick Wagner. Nowak has served on several NARUC committees, including the Committee on Energy Resources and the Environment, the Task Force on Environmental Regulation and Generation and was a member of the Advisory Council for New Mexico State University's Center for Public Utilities. Moreover, she has represented NARUC before federal bodies and moderated panels at NARUC's national meetings. She holds a law degree from Marquette University and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. "Commissioner Nowak's legal background, along with her experience on the NARUC board of directors and other committees, bodes well for this new role," said Presley. "Her record of serving the public interest is well-documented and will greatly benefit the committee. I would also like to thank Chairman Danner for his excellent leadership the past four years." "I'm thankful for the opportunity to chair the committee and continue the important work of the NARUC community around the globe," Nowak said. "I hope to advance the great work of the committee by educating NARUC's members and our global partners. We must continue to learn from each other about solutions to challenges and share opportunities." NARUC's eight standing committees propose resolutions that, if approved by the Board of Directors, set Association policy on congressional, federal and industry matters. The committees, populated by state public service commissioners, also hold educational sessions and panel discussions on relevant issues to best serve NARUC members. Committee chairs are appointed by the NARUC President for a one-year term and may be reappointed for a maximum of three consecutive terms. About NARUC NARUC is a non-profit organization founded in 1889 whose members include the governmental agencies that are engaged in the regulation of utilities and carriers in the fifty States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. NARUC's member agencies regulate telecommunications, energy, and water utilities. NARUC represents the interests of State public utility commissions before the three branches of the Federal government. Contact: Scott R. Bolden, 202-898-8083, sbolden@naruc.org Patient treatment, supplies highlighted in China's epidemic control meeting Global Times Source:Xinhua Published: 2020/1/30 8:45:12 Chinese authorities emphasized the treatment of patients and the supply of medical resources at a high-level meeting on the novel coronavirus prevention and control on Wednesday. The meeting, chaired by Premier Li Keqiang, noted that the prevention and control efforts are in full swing and have been intensified, but the epidemic keeps spreading, with a rapid rising trend in some regions. The situation remains grim and complex, according to the meeting of the leading group of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on the prevention and control of the outbreak of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus, with Li as the head. Targeted measures must be taken to curb the spread of the epidemic in the country, the meeting stressed, adding that further epidemic prevention and control should be carried out in central China's Hubei Province, and Wuhan, the provincial capital and center of the coronavirus outbreak. The meeting required dispersed clinical reception and centralized treatment, and severe patients should be sent to hospitals of best conditions or attended to by intensive-care experts. Noting that the development of vaccines should be sped up, the meeting also demanded to step up approval for medicines which initially proved effective in clinical research for extensive use as soon as possible. Stressing all-out efforts to ensure the supply of medical resources, the meeting asked local administrations to organize enterprises to resume the production of resources including medical protective clothing, masks, and medicines. Local authorities are required to guide logistic enterprises, including e-commerce entities, to smooth delivery, according to the meeting. The supply of daily necessities and vegetables in key areas was emphasized at the meeting. The meeting also stressed efforts of epidemic prevention and control amid the return trips of people after the Lunar New Year holiday, adding that proper postponement of return should be allowed. Methods such as ventilation and sterilization at public transportation vehicles, stations and ports should be implemented, it said. Delays in business operation and school opening should be applied, among other necessary measures, in Hubei Province and other places facing relatively serious epidemic. Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and deputy head of the group, attended the meeting. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Germany takes pole position in the acquisition strategies of European real estate investors. Alongside the top seven locations, there is also strong interest in the countrys second-tier cities. That is the finding of a recent survey of 150 institutional property investors in Germany, France and the UK by Union Investment. [] A 31-year-old man has been convicted in the fatal stabbing of another man inside a downtown Birmingham furniture store. A Jefferson County jury Thursday morning found Wesley Dewayne Conor guilty on a charge of murder. The slaying happened Aug. 4, 2018, killing 22-year-old Ladaniel Willis. Birmingham police South Precinct officers were dispatched at noon that Saturday to Birmingham Wholesale Furniture at 2200 Second Ave. South on a report of a stabbing. Birmingham Fire and Rescue transported Willis to UAB Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Authorities said the stabbing happened in the break room at the furniture business. Both men were temp workers assigned to the Birmingham Wholesale. Some kind of altercation between Willis and the suspect erupted. Conor then stabbed Willis with a knife. Court records indicate the two had been gambling the night before and the stabbing possibly stemmed in a dispute over money. Conors mother, Annette Conor, said that wasnt true. She said Willis had held her son at gunpoint for 45 minutes the night before and that Willis wasnt even scheduled to be at work that Saturday but showed up looking to start trouble with Conor. She also said her son had been cut by Willis. Conor was initially arrested on Aug. 8, 2018. He was then released later that month on $100,000 bond and placed on electronic monitoring. Under the monitored release, Conor had to be home between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. each night, could not possess or be around weapons and could have no contact with Birmingham Wholesale Furniture. Conor went to trial in November 2019, but the trial resulted in a hung jury. His bond was revoked and he has been held in the Jefferson County Jail since then. The second trial began this week. The Jefferson County Public Defenders Officer represented Conor. Jefferson County assistant district attorneys Deborah Danneman and Ellie Friedman prosecuted the case. A sentencing date before Circuit Judge Clyde Jones has been set for March 19. A UN envoy accused "unscrupulous" foreign actors Thursday of continuing to meddle in Libya's conflict, in violation of commitments made at an major international summit in Berlin this month. Ghassan Salame said actors inside and outside of Libya "cynically nod and wink towards efforts to promote peace" but continue to "double down on a military solution." He told the United Nations Security Council via video link from Brazzaville that maneuvers to resupply the two warring parties despite a UN embargo "threaten to precipitate a new and much more dangerous conflagration." "They violate the spirit and the letter of the Berlin Conference," Salame said in an impassioned briefing to the 15-member council. "I urge the parties and their foreign sponsors to desist from reckless actions and instead renew their expressed commitment to work towards a ceasefire," he added. World leaders committed to ending all foreign interference and to uphold a weapons embargo to help end Libya's long-running civil war during a summit in the German capital on January 19. Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were among dignitaries at the conference. Salame said he was "deeply worried" by military reinforcements to both sides in the conflict despite the pledge to halt arms shipments to the belligerents. He said they raised "the specter of a broader conflict engulfing the wider region." His comments came as a French military source said France's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier this week spotted a Turkish frigate escorting a cargo ship delivering armored vehicles to the Libyan capital Tripoli in defiance of the embargo. The cargo ship Bana docked in Tripoli port on Wednesday, said the source, who asked not to be named. Also Thursday, Algeria offered to host a reconciliation forum on Libya during a meeting of African leaders discussing ways to end the conflict, the African Union said. - 'Thousands of fighters' - The talks were attended by Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairman of the African Union (AU) Commission, several African presidents, and Salame. Libya has been torn by fighting between rival armed factions since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi. The warring parties are led by strongman Khalifa Haftar and the head of Tripoli's UN-recognized government, Fayez al-Sarraj. "(They) have continued to receive a sizable amount of advanced equipment, fighters and advisors from foreign sponsors," Salame said. He cited in particular the reinforcement of Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) forces in Tripoli, including arms, equipment and soldiers, including foreign fighters. Salame did not name any countries, Haftar has the support of Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. Sarraj's Government of National Accord (GNA) is backed by Turkey and Qatar. Salame said foreign fighters supportive of the GNA have been flown to Tripoli "by the thousands and deployed in forward locations, alongside Libyan forces. He added that his mission had recorded more than 110 reported violations of a fragile ceasefire backed by both Ankara and Moscow that was installed on January 12. prh-burs/pdh/jh UN special representative for Libya Ghassan Salame warns that continued foreign meddling in the country's conflict threatens to fuel "a new and much more dangerous conflagration" 815 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Mitt Romney asked Trumps lawyer when did Trump first request the hold on Ukraine, and what was his reason why? Trumps defense had no answer. Romney asked, On what specific date did Trump first order the hold on aid to Ukraine, and did he give a reason at that time? This was Trump lawyer, Patrick Philbins response in part: I dont think that there is evidence in the record of a specific date, the specific date, but there is testimony in the record that individuals at OMB and elsewhere were aware of a hold as of July 3rd and there is evidence in the record of the presidents rationales from even earlier than that time. There is an email from June 24th that has been publicly released. It was publicly released in response to a FOIA request that is from one dod staffer up to the chief of staff in DOD excuse me, sorry, from the chief of staff down to a staffer in DOD, relating on the subject line, POTUS follow-up. Its follow-up from a meeting with POTUS, president of the United States, explaining questions that had been asked about the Ukraine assistance, which were specifically, what was the funding used for? I.e. did it go to U.S. Firms? Who funded it? And what do other Nato members spend to support Ukraine? So, from the very beginning in June, the president had expressed his concern about burden sharing, what other NATO members do. Video: Mitt Romney asks, "On what specific date did Trump first order the hold on aid to Ukraine, and did he give a reason at that time?" Trump's lawyer responds by falling apart. pic.twitter.com/hg3c6eZ2Hc Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) January 30, 2020 Trumps lawyers dont have answers for the most basic questions, and Philbins response made the argument for calling more witnesses. Mick Mulvaney could answer the question on when the hold was requested, and even better, the White House has the documented paper trail on when and why the hold was requested. The Senators questions have illustrated why documents and witnesses must be subpoenaed. Trump is hiding information that the American people must have on the Ukraine scandal. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook An Oregon Court of Appeals ruling Wednesday upheld one womans conviction for violating Portlands camping ban, but the judges signaled that a different case could potentially overturn it. Three years ago, homeless Portlander Alexandra Barrett argued that some of the criminal charges she had racked up in 2014 should be dismissed because they unfairly targeted her for being homeless. The one she zeroed in on was the citys prohibition against camping on public property. In a pretrial motion, her attorneys tried to get the case dismissed on the grounds that the charge, when applied to homeless people, violated the Constitutions Eighth Amendments prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. The argument boiled down to whether it is cruel to arrest Barrett for sleeping in downtown Chapman Park if she had nowhere else to go. That argument lost at the circuit court level and Barrett was found guilty. Still, she appealed. Since the Appeals Court case was argued in 2017, the federal 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals made a landmark ruling that cities cannot ban camping if there are not enough shelter beds to house every homeless person. However, the Oregon appellate judges noted that they were not bound by that case because only federal appeals court cases or Supreme Court ones are binding on a state appeals court. And in this instance, they ruled, Barrett didnt provide enough information to determine whether she could have accessed shelter at the time she was arrested. She didnt have proof that there were no open shelter beds on the nights she camped in a downtown Portland park, for instance, and there was some testimony that she rebuffed police offers to connect her to social services or a shelter bed. Portland city attorney Tracy Reeve said that she is still confident the citys camping ordinance is in line with both state and federal law. We do not expect the courts recent decisions to have an immediate impact on the City since the City has been operating consistently with these decisions in the past and will continue to do so," Reeve said. But nine of the 11 appeals court judges specified that the ruling only applied narrowly to Barretts failure to provide enough information -- not whether Portlands camping ban violates the Eighth Amendment, which leaves open the door for a future case. Two judges took the ruling a step further by saying that banning camping on public property by homeless people likely does violate the Eighth Amendment if they are not voluntarily homeless. As I see it, it is not hypothetical that the homeless in Portland are subject to criminal punishment for a circumstance that is, in many cases, beyond their control, wrote Judge Darleen Ortega, and those in circumstances similar to those faced by defendant would benefit from guidance by this court. She continued: The citys blanket prohibition of public camping violates the Eighth Amendment when the camping is an unavoidable consequence of being homeless. While the ruling disappointed homeless advocates, they found some hope in the ruling and especially Ortegas opinion. Members of the Court of Appeals raise serious and important questions about the constitutionality of the ordinance and the use of it to prosecute homeless Portlanders, said Barretts attorney Lindsey Burrows of law firm OConnor Weber. She said that she plans to appeal the case to the Oregon Supreme Court. The ACLU and Oregon Justice Resource Center also called on Portland officials to reexamine the camping ban. It is wrong to punish or jail people for sleeping outside, especially when they have nowhere else to go, said Kelly Simon, interim legal director of the ACLU of Oregon. People who live on the streets are already very vulnerable. Piling on fines, fees and a criminal record only makes things harder." -- Molly Harbarger mharbarger@oregonian.com | 503-294-5923 | @MollyHarbarger Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Delta, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 30, 2020) - Desert Gold Ventures Inc. (TSXV: DAU) (FSE: QXR2) (OTC Pink: DAUGF) ("Desert Gold" or "the Company") is pleased to present, recently acquired and reviewed, geophysical data over the Company's SMSZ Project in Western Mali, near the border with Senegal. The ~400 km2 SMSZ Project is both named after, and, overlies a 38 km section of the Senegal Mali Shear Zone (see Figure 1), which is related to 5 large mines located both to the north and south, along strike, including B2 Gold's Fekola Mine, Barrick's Gounkoto and Loulo Mines and AngloGold Ashanti/Iamgold's (now Allied Gold's) Sadiola and Yatela Mines[1]. To the Company's knowledge, the SMSZ Project is the largest, contiguous, non-producer land package over this very prospective structural feature. Exploration targets within 5 km of the Senegal Mali Shear Zone, are considered by management to be high priority, exploration targets. Induced Polarization (IP) surveys were carried out over the project area in 2011 for TransAfrika Resources, a precursor to Desert Gold. This work led to the definition of 15 strong anomalies that are presented in Figures 2 and 3, along with select drill results, the inferred location of the Senegal Mali Shear Zone and select geological data. Of these anomalies, 4 anomalies, B, E, F and I, are deemed to be tested with each of the 4 related to known gold zones. The remaining 11 geophysical anomalies have either not been adequately tested or tested at all. A summary of the anomalies is presented in Table 1. Testing of these geophysical anomalies is planned to begin in 1H, 2020. Jared Scharf, Desert Gold's CEO comments "This newly evaluated geophysical data, further emphasises the potential of the SMSZ Project. We are defining new targets in a great structural setting, in generally, laterite and/or overburden-covered areas, that would not have been picked up by conventional soil sampling and mapping. As well, most, if not all of these anomalies are of sufficient scale for the discovery of a new, significant, gold deposit." Figure 1 Property Scale Compilation Map* To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4954/51956_d8f226e824abdbd4_001full.jpg *All gold grades over width, with the exception of the Soa prospect, represent drill holes with the true widths, for most holes, ranging from 70 to 95%. **The Soa Prospect result is from a trench with true widths unknown. Estimated true widths for the Berola Prospect are unknown. True widths at the Gourbassi Zones range are estimated to range from 60% to 90%. Figure 2 Colour-contoured IP Chargeability Inversion data for -168 metre level To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4954/51956_d8f226e824abdbd4_002full.jpg Figure 3 Colour-contoured IP Resistivity Inversion data for -168 metre level To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4954/51956_d8f226e824abdbd4_003full.jpg Technical Details Induced Polarization surveys were carried out over an approximate 3 km by 8 km part of the project area in 2011 for TransAfrika Resources, a precursor to Desert Gold. The geophysical surveys consisted of a Time Domain, Pole-Dipole IP survey that was conducted with 6 x 100 metre dipoles. The results were modelled using the Geotomo Software inversion package. This work led to the delineation of 15 anomalies with color-contoured inversion data presented at the approximate 168-metre vertical level, well below the base of oxidation (see Figures 2 and 3). The IP summary data presented in Figures 2 and 3 also show three critical, regional scale geological features, including the Senegal Mali Shear Zone in the lower left portion of the figures, a northeast-trending shear zone corridor and two, larger granodiorite intrusions in the upper right of the figures. Regionally, the Senegal Mali Shear Zone is associated with 6, >1 million-ounce gold deposits that are located within 5 kilometres to the east of the shear zone. The inferred location of the Senegal Mali Shear Zone is based on an abrupt change in resistivity across the projected structure. The granodiorite intrusion may have been emplaced in an area where the dominantly north-trending Senegal Mali Shear Zone, locally trends more northwesterly. The northeast-trending shear zone, which controls the location of the carbonate-hosted Barani East Zone and a few other gold zones, appears to offset the granodiorite intrusion, in a left lateral sense, by 500 to 1,000 metres. A potential geological scenario, is early movement on the Senegal Mali Shear zone, emplacement of the granodiorite intrusions, which are in turn are both cut by the Northeast Shear Zone, which is in turn cut by the reactivated Senegal Mali Shear Zone and a series of related north- to northwest-trending splay structures. Second and third order shears appear to have developed as splays off of the Senegal Mali Shear Zone and are focussed along, and locally within, the granodiorite intrusion. Gold mineralization is hosted by siltstones, sandstones, carbonates, felsic intrusions and gabbroic intrusions, or essentially any rock types that are intersected by stronger shear structures. Alteration consists of typical carbonate sericite zones with disseminated to veinlet pyrite, quartz veining and local hematization and tourmalinization. Both iron-(hematization) and tourmaline-enrichment are associated with most of the large deposits in the region and thus are viewed as positive aspects in this overall target area. IP chargeability anomaly highs appear to indicate increased in pyrite content as evidenced by increased pyrite content in the known gold zones, which are associated with chargeability highs. However, chargeability highs can also be related to other conductive materials, like graphite, which may or may not be related to gold mineralization. Resistivity highs in this area denote intrusive rocks or general rock type changes proximal to the Senegal Mali Shear Zone, and areas of abundant quartz veining. Resistivity lows can represent graphitic shear zones. While gold zones, related to the IP chargeability highs, would be the easiest to follow, gold zones can also occur on the flanks of the geophysical anomalies. Table 1 - IP Anomaly Summary IP Anomaly Chargeability Resistivity Strength Length (m) Comment A (Target Area 58) high Low to flank strong 1,500 May be western contact of GD. Strongest at depth. Open to North. B (Target Area 37) high Flank to high Mod to strong 2,100 Barani East Zone. Deviates from NE trend north toward GD. Northern portion not tested. C (target Area 56) high Low to flank to high Weak to strong 3,200 Recently tested with 2 RC holes. May be two anoms. Northern half aligned along western GD contact D (Target Area 57) high moderate medium 600 Parallel trend to Barani East Zone. Not tested. E (correlates with Barani Zone) high moderate Medium to strong 4,000 Northern half correlates with Barani Zone. Southern half not tested F (correlates with Barani Zone) moderate low moderate 850 Part of Barani Zone, open off grid to north. Good correlation with drill intercepts G (Target Area 55) moderate Low to flank moderate 2,400 Not tested. Consider auger line H moderate Flank to high moderate 260 Likely a shear in the GD. Intrusion-hosted-type target. Open to North. I (correlates with Keniegoulou Zone) strong Wk to mod to flank moderate 2,500 Eastern flank of Keniegoulou Zone, partially tested. Patchy assoc Au. AC holes tested northern portion J (Target Area 59) moderate Moderate to flank moderate 1,300 Not tested, open to South. Appears to cut GD. May be related to Target Area #3 K (Target Area 51) strong strong strong 1,600 Not tested. Seems to lie immediately to west of SMSZ L (Target Area 48) moderate Moderate to flank moderate 2,300 Partially tested, weak auger correlation, Au to 4.88 g/t over 2 m. parallels target area #2. Could use a few holes to test. M (Target Area 49) Moderate to strong moderate moderate 2,400 Not tested, may be strike continuation of K, but, N-trending vs NW, on west side of SMSZ? N (Target Area 53) moderate moderate moderate 1,000 and 300 Not tested. May be southern strike extend of anomaly G, splay off SMSZ? Anomaly pair O (Target Areas 1 and 52) moderate Weak to flank moderate 500 and 750 Not tested. Eastern anom correlates with at zone wt tour. Target area #1. West anom correlates with 380 ppb Au soil. May extend to south for another 1,400 m Exploration Plan These target areas will be evaluated in a sequential fashion. Wide-spaced auger lines will initially test for gold enrichment along the IP anomalies that are covered by laterite. If anomalous gold values are delineated over the anomalies, then more systematic auger drilling will be carried out to better define the gold anomalies prior to first pass testing by AC drilling. IP anomalies that have been validated by existing soil surveys and/or geological mapping, will be tested by AC if the rocks are weathered (saprolitic) and RC if the rocks are fresh. Additional drilling is planned both to depth and along strike of known zones with a goal to delineate mineral resources. Recent work at the Barani and Keniegoulou Zones suggests a flat plunge, which would support continuing to test high grade zones, along strike, at or about the same vertical level. The Barani East Zone, which is controlled by a different structure, appears to plunge moderately to shallowly to the southwest, with new drilling targeting down plunge of the known lenses and along strike, with a goal to discover additional lenses. The company, also plans to extend the IP geophysical surveys to the north, since many of the anomalies are open to the north and the favorable northwest orientation, of the Senegal Mali Shear, appear to persist for approximately an additional 2 km before appearing to trend northeast for approximately 4 km and after that, northerly. This press release contains certain scientific and technical information. The Company is solely responsible for the contents and accuracy of any scientific and technical information related to it. Don Dudek, P.Geo a director of Desert Gold and a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this press release. [1] Mineralization hosted on adjacent and/or nearby properties is not necessarily representative of mineralization hosted on the Company's SMSZ Property. About Desert Gold Desert Gold Ventures Inc. is a gold exploration and development company that holds 3 gold exploration projects in Western Mali (SMSZ, Segala West and Djimbala) and its Rutare gold project in central Rwanda. The Company's current focus is its 391 km2 SMSZ Project that spans approximately 38 km of the prolific Senegal Mali Shear Zone. On Behalf of the Board of Directors "Sonny Janda" ____________________ Sonny Janda, Chairman Contact: Jared Scharf, President & CEO Email: jared.scharf@desertgold.ca Tel. No.: +1 (858) 247-8195 For further information please visit our website www.desertgold.ca or information available on www.SEDAR.com under the company's profile. Certain statements contained in this release may constitute "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" (collectively "forward-looking information") as those terms are used in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and similar Canadian laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words "could", "intend", "expect", "believe", "will", "projected", "estimated", "anticipates" and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on the Company's current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. Actual future results may differ materially. In particular, this release contains forward-looking information relating to the business of the Company, the Property, financing and certain corporate changes. The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof and the Company is not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Because of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the securities described herein in the united states. The securities described herein have not been and will not be registered under the united states securities act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the united states or to the account or benefit of a U.S. person absent an exemption from the registration requirements of such act. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/51956 The globalization of the food chain has resulted in increased complexity and diminished transparency and trust into how and where our foods are grown, harvested, processed and by whom. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/1/2020 (713 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion The globalization of the food chain has resulted in increased complexity and diminished transparency and trust into how and where our foods are grown, harvested, processed and by whom. Furthermore, recurring incidents of food fraud remind us that some of those involved in the food chain are exploiting this complexity. Today, consumers are at an increased risk of buying lower-quality food than what they paid for, or worse, eating food with unsafe ingredients or undeclared allergens. Historically, food chain transparency and trust was established between the shopper and the farmer or fishmonger, green grocer, butcher, milkman and baker. Dutch scholar Arthur Mol argued that this personal interaction enabled face-to-face transparency, which built trust. Before modern supermarkets, a local village or town grocery store stocked up to 300 items grown or processed within a 240-kilometre (150-mile) radius. In comparison, our post-modern supermarkets carry an average of 33,000 items, many of which travel 2,400 kilometres or more. The Canadian government is poised to tackle that problem by announcing a Buy Canadian food campaign. While the extent of global food fraud is difficult to quantify, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) suggests food fraud affects 10 per cent of commercially sold food. Various academic and industry sources suggest that globally, food fraud ranges from US$10 billion to $49 billion. This is likely a conservative range considering estimates of fake Australian meats alone and sold worldwide are as high as AUD$4 billion, or more than US$2.5 billion. If you add the sales of fake wines and alcohol, adulterated honey and spices, mislabelled fish and false claims of organic products, wild-caught fish or grain-fed meat, the numbers, and risks, increase significantly. Are Canadian regulations adequate? Regulations are in place to protect Canadians. The Safe Food for Canadians Act (known as the SFCR) and the Food and Drug Act work together to protect Canadian consumers from food safety and food fraud risks. The SFCR states that food businesses must have preventative controls in place as well as product traceability records to ensure imported products meet Canadian laws. A provision of the Food and Drug Act states: "No person shall sell an article of food that (a) has in or on it any poisonous or harmful substance; (b) is unfit for human consumption; (c) consists in whole or in part of any filthy, putrid, disgusting, rotten, decomposed or diseased animal or vegetable substance; (d) is adulterated; or (e) was manufactured, prepared, preserved, packaged or stored under unsanitary conditions." Another section of the act declares: "No person shall label, package, treat, process, sell or advertise any food in a manner that is false, misleading or deceptive or is likely to create an erroneous impression regarding its character, value, quantity, composition, merit or safety". But are the regulations being enforced? The CFIA is very active in food fraud prevention and detection. In July 2019, the agency received $24.4 million in new food fraud funding after announcing that 12,800 kilograms of adulterated honey was blocked from entering the Canadian market. Honey adulteration is the process of cutting pure honey with fillers and cheaper sweeteners, including corn syrup. The CFIA has several enforcement instruments it can apply to offenders including administrative monetary penalties, licence suspension or cancellation and criminal prosecution. Is food fraud the same as consumer fraud? No. Canada is recovering from a significant consumer fraud incident where some of the most trusted brands colluded for more than a decade to fix the price of bread in whats often termed breadgate. This was a breach of the Canadian Competition Act. Canada was one of the first countries in the world with a formal Competition Act, initiated in 1889. While breadgates egregious breach of trust shocked Canadians, consumers are known to have short memories and to quickly forgive. The protection of insiders acting as whistleblowers in the food industry is critically important to expose both consumer fraud and food fraud. However, most food fraud detection requires the use of advanced high-tech methods. In 2017, the University of Guelphs Biodiversity Institute, in partnership with the CFIA, received $320,000 in federal funding to develop better genomics and DNA bar-coding tools, including portable devices. DNA bar-coding allows researchers to match animal and plant DNA against a reference database to identify a species. 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. Mislabelled fish, sausage The partnership has published a number of research papers uncovering food fraud and revealing the mislabelling of fish species in Canadian restaurants and grocery stores, an area of the institutes research that now spans more than a decade. In January 2019, the institute published a paper entitled "Re-visiting the occurrence of undeclared species in sausage products sold in Canada" as a followup to a previous study that showed a 20 per cent mislabelling rate for sausages. The followup indicated 14 per cent of the 100 sausages tested still contained meat DNA that was undeclared on the label. Even more concerning for the public is that many types of food fraud and mislabelling have gone undetected. New technology and methods of testing still have to catch up. As social media amplifies recurring high-profile incidents of food fraud, trust in our global food supply chains remains a concern. For the foreseeable future, much of Canadas food fraud remains hidden in plain sight, sitting right there on our grocery store shelves. John G. Keogh is a researcher in food chain transparency, technology and supply chains at the University of Reading. This article was first published at The Conversation Canada: theconversation.com/ca. Authoritarian governments in Asia are undermining human rights and demonizing their critics, but they face a rising tide of protest from young people who defy grave risks to protest such repression, Amnesty International said in its annual report on the region. The human rights group's annual survey of the Asia-Pacific region, released Wednesday, said India and China, the two most populous nations, are trying to impose their own bleak, domineering vision on the continent, perceiving minorities as a threat to 'national security.'" The main takeaway" from the report is that in Asia, we saw an escalation of the repression in many countries. But we also saw an increase in the resistance and protest, often led by young people from Hong Kong to India, from Myanmar to Thailand," Nicholas Bequelin, regional director for Amnesty International, told The Associated Press. We saw increased mobilization by young people to defend their rights. Demand accountability, justice, action on climate and rights for all," Bequelin said. The effort to silence criticism and prevent the public from holding public officials and corporations accountable is a worrying trend, it said. But anti-government protests in Hong Kong and elsewhere showed an abiding will to resist repression, it said. Some highlights from the report. Chinese leader Xi Jinping's push to vanquish dissent and impose the absolute control of the ruling Communist Party has intensified persecution of human rights defenders and others, the report said. In China and across South and Southeast Asia, governments are increasingly forthright in silencing their opponents and the media, reducing the space for even peaceful protests and introducing laws that punish online dissent, it said. It noted that many such governments also attack their critics with sophisticated social media tactics, smearing them as treasonous. Companies are shielded from accountability to the public by leaders who defend them for the sake of economic growth, it said. They also are quick to resort to using lawsuits to penalize whistleblowers and others who speak out. Chinese authorities subjected Uighurs, Kazakhs and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups in the far western Xinjiang region to intense surveillance, arbitrary detentions and forced indoctrination. In Sri Lanka, anti-Muslim violence broke out after Easter Sunday bombings that killed more than 250 people, mainly Christians, in three churches and three hotels. Across the region, all governments need to make more headway in protecting and empowering indigenous populations, the report said. In Afghanistan, more than 2,500 people died and 5,676 people were injured from January to September, mainly in attacks using homemade explosive devices that often were carried out by the Taliban against minority ethnic groups. In Myanmar, the military carried out war crimes in Kachin, Rakhine and Shan states, as internal strife continued, the report said. In Pakistan, journalists, human rights defenders and members of the Shi Muslim community were among the hundreds of people who were disappeared" by security forces, often detained without charges or trial, the report said. Laws against sedition and defamation were used to curtail media freedoms, while anti-blasphemy laws were used to persecute some people and justify human rights abuses. Governments in the Philippines and other countries combating drug abuse and trafficking were responsible for killings of thousands of people, usually from poor and marginalized communities, it said. Protests have gained momentum in many places, but most prominently in Hong Kong, where months of demonstrations that began peacefully but turned violent have been met with excessive force, including beatings of non-resisters and misuse of tear gas and rubber bullets, the report said. Demonstrations against India's Citizenship (Amendment) Act that excluded Muslim refugees from acquiring Indian citizenship through fast-track naturalization prompted the government to walk back plans to conduct a nationwide citizenship registry to identify illegal foreign nationals, though 25 people died in the violence and thousands were arrested. In India, as well as many other places, journalists often were targeted while trying to cover such protests. The report noted many improvements, including the decision by the International Criminal Court to order an investigation into abuses committed by Myanmar's military against Rohingya Muslims, some 700,000 of whom have fled to Bangladesh. But Bangladesh authorities have also targeted Rohingya in smear campaigns that have fomented violence against the refugees, it said. In some countries, such as Japan, efforts to win equal treatment for all genders and crack down on sexual harassment are making headway, it said. Taiwan legalized same-sex marriages, and South Korea's Constitutional Court ruled that criminalization of abortion was unconstitutional. In Malaysia, the coalition government is striving to deliver on campaign promises to improve protection of human rights, though it rejected proposals to better safeguard LGBTI and indigenous people, the report said. There are positive signs across the region," Bequelin said. But generally, they don't come from governments. They come from people, from activists who stand up to defend their rights. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After an Oxford professor had to be escorted to lectures over her views on transgender issues Nelson McCausland asks what can be done to protect academic debate Freedom of speech and academic freedom are under threat today in many British universities and one of the battlegrounds is that of sexuality, especially transgenderism. Merton College Oxford has organised an Equality Conversation event to explore perspectives on transgender intersectionality and it is due to take place next Monday, February 3. However, initially the college demanded that attendees agree not to undermine the validity of trans and gender diverse identities. In effect it was banning trans-sceptics, people who believe that gender is biological and that we are born either male or female. That condition would have prevented any meaningful debate by prohibiting or silencing one viewpoint. It led to strong criticism from some academics and rightly so. Professor Selina Todd, an Oxford University historian, said she was stunned by the rule and that it set a dangerous precedent. Others spoke up as well and eventually Merton College backed down. It removed the draconian prohibition and replaced it with a nuanced statement that supported free speech but also asked attendees to be respectful of other views. However, some transgender activists were not content to let the matter rest there. Professor Todd has been branded transphobic and has become the target of threats on email networks. As a result she has been given security guards to accompany her to lectures. It isnt the first time that Professor Todd has been in the news over freedom of speech in universities. Last summer she was one of a group of more than 30 senior academics, including several from Oxford University, who wrote to the Sunday Times arguing that the requirements of universities joining the Stonewall Diversity Champions Programme were in tension with academic freedom. Stonewall is the largest and most powerful LGBT pressure group in the United Kingdom and the academics were concerned that universities joining the Stonewall programme were creating an inappropriately close relationship with the LGBT activist group. They said that Stonewall made tendentious and anti-scientific claims about transgenderism and that the Stonewall programme put an unacceptable restriction upon free academic debate. Now Professor Todd is a socialist and a feminist. She is president of the Socialist Educational Association and her research focuses on the history of the working class, gender and feminism in the United Kingdom. You might imagine that with those credentials the liberal-Left would love her, but no! She had committed the cardinal sin of daring to question the propaganda of the new militant transgenderists. It is no wonder that the head of education at Policy Exchange has urged the Government to take steps to tackle the tyrannical silencing of free speech on university campuses. Another and very different victim of this tyranny was Felix Ngole, who is a devout Christian and a social conservative. In 2016 he was expelled from his social work course at Sheffield University after posting comments on his personal Facebook page in support of the biblical understanding of marriage and sexual ethics. Someone must have reported him to the university and he was told that his posts may have caused offence to some individuals. It was also stated that he had transgressed boundaries which are not deemed appropriate for someone entering the Social Work profession. The students career was at stake and he took the university to court. His barrister said: If you philosophically believe in free speech, people should have the right to say what you dont want to hear. Society must be rational in its restrictions of free speech. Otherwise, free speech would be at the mercy or the most militant, most aggressive, most hurt or even the most violent. The legal process ran on for several years but eventually in the summer of 2019 the Court of Appeal overturned the decision of a lower court and ruled against Sheffield University. The legal judgment was that merely expressing disagreement with same-sex marriage does not amount to discrimination. However, that victory came at considerable legal and personal cost, after a Christian student had endured four years of unfair treatment and unnecessary stress. The thought-police of the liberal-Left are certainly busy these days and the bullying of those who dare to disagree with their diktats shows just how illiberal the liberal-Left really is. New Delhi, Jan 30 : President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh were among the leaders who on Thursday paid tributes to the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi at the Raj Ghat on his death anniversary, the Martyrs Day. Veteran BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi also paid floral tributes to the leader at the Raj Ghat -- the memorial dedicated to Gandhi. Apart from political leaders, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Army Chief General M.M. Naravane, Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh, and IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria also paid their tributes. On #MartyrsDay, President Kovind's homage to #MahatmaGandhi: "In his final sacrifice, Gandhiji left a constant reminder for us: Unconditional love, especially for The Other. I am confident, more and more of us will discover Gandhiji's true message," President's office said in a tweet. "A tribute to the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary. The personality, ideas and ideals of Bapu will continue to inspire us to build a strong, capable and prosperous New India," Modi tweeted before his visit to the Raj Ghat. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also paid his tributes to Gandhi in a tweet saying he taught the whole world to fight for right with the power of non-violence and truth. "The relevance of his concepts of education, health, sanitation, harmony, brotherhood and swaraj remains intact in the lives of all of us even today. A great tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi. Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on this day in 1948. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Four Indian nationals, including two children of the same family, died of suffocation after they were crushed beneath a pile of gunny sacks in Nepal. The incident happened in the Gallamandi Pipariya area of Siddharthanagar Municipality in province number five of western Nepal. According to the police, the body of Sahajad Hussain (30), Saddab Khatun (28), Sultan Raja (6) and Sahina Khatun (2) were found dead beneath a pile of sacks in their rented room. "Sacks collected and compiled by them might have collapsed and crushed them. After landslide of sacks, they might have died because of suffocation as the room had high edged sacks. Further investigation is underway," Keshav Gyawali, Police Inspector of District Police, Rupandehi told ANI over the phone. Police have said that Sahajad has been into the business of collecting recyclable materials and has been living in the area for 15 years. They belonged to the Baliya district in the north Indian state of Bihar. This is the second tragic incident to strike Indians in the Himalayan nations this month. Eight Indian tourists, including four minors, from Kerala, died in Nepal last week after they fell unconscious due to a suspected gas leak from a heater in their room at a resort in Makwanpur district. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Deadly strikes hit Syria rebel bastion as army advances Ariha, Syria, Jan 30 (AFP) Jan 30, 2020 Air strikes killed 10 civilians near a bakery and a medical clinic in Syria's last major rebel stronghold on Thursday, as government forces pressed a fierce ground offensive. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Russian warplanes hit the Idlib province town of Ariha, but the Russian defence ministry said its "aviation did not carry out any combat tasks in this area of Syria." The government and its Russian ally have upped their deadly bombardment of northwestern Syria, which hosts some three million people including many who fled violence elsewhere in Syria. Slowly chipping away from the south, pro-regime forces have shrunk rebel-held territory to just over half of Idlib province and slivers of neighbouring Aleppo and Latakia. Damascus loyalists retook the strategic Idlib town of Maaret al-Numan on Wednesday. Early on Thursday, Russian air strikes hit near a bakery and the Al-Shami clinic in Ariha which is now out of service, the Observatory said. The monitor says it determines whose planes carried out strikes according to type, location, flight patterns and munitions used. A dust-covered doctor ran out of the clinic screaming following the strike, which partially damaged the facility's walls, an AFP correspondent reported. Nearby, three entire buildings had collapsed and several vehicles were reduced to mangled wrecks. The wailing of women and children rang out as rescue workers searched for corpses beneath the rubble. Toufic Saado, a paramedic, said he was inside the medical facility when three air strikes ravaged the area. "The wounded were lying on the floor outside the medical centre," he said. - Ground offensive - The latest deaths bring to 21 the number of civilians killed by Russian air strikes in Idlib since Wednesday, the Observatory said. Earlier this month, Russia denied launching any combat operations in the region since a ceasefire it agreed with rebel supporter Turkey took effect on January 12. But the truce has become a dead letter and the number of reported Russian raids has risen sharply in the area, dominated by jihadists of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham alliance, led by a former Al-Qaeda affiliate. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Moscow on Wednesday of "not honouring" several deals intended to avert a broad military offensive in the area. It was a rare critical remark from Erdogan, who has largely sought good relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin since a 2016 rapprochement. Thousands of Russian troops are deployed across Syria in support of the army, while a contingent of Russian private security personnel also operates on the ground. Moscow's military intervention in 2015, four years into the Syrian conflict, helped keep President Bashar al-Assad in power and started a long, bloody reconquest of territory lost to rebels in the early stages of the war. Government forces pushed north from Maaret al-Numan on Thursday towards the town of Saraqeb, whose residents have mostly fled in the face of heavy bombardment. The front line is now within two kilometres (one mile) of the town, the Observatory said. Both Maarat al-Numan and Saraqeb lie on the key M5 highway connecting the capital Damascus to second city Aleppo. The road has been a key government target as it seeks to revive a moribund economy ravaged by almost nine years of war. Some 50 kilometres (30 miles) of the M5 remain outside regime control, the Britain-based Observatory said. - Exodus of civilians - Tens of thousands of civilians have fled the government's advance, seeking safety closer to the Turkish border further north. The violence in the northwest has displaced more than 388,000 civilians since December, the United Nations says. At least 20,000 of them have moved in the past two days, UN undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs Mark Lowcock said on Wednesday. "Unless the current hostilities stop, we will see an even greater humanitarian catastrophe," he told the UN Security Council. Aid groups have warned the latest violence is compounding one of the war's worst humanitarian disasters. Government forces, which now control around 70 percent of Syria, have repeatedly vowed to retake the entire country, including Idlib. The war has killed more than 380,000 people and displaced more than half the country's population since it erupted following the brutal repression of anti-government protests in 2011. MANILA, Philippines Malacanang supports the decision of President Rodrigo Duterte to bar members of his Cabinet from any travel to the United States. Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the boycott was solely because of the cancellation of Senator Ronald dela Rosas US visa. (The) boycott is more of a protest (for what they did). Sa ginagawa nila sa mga kababayan natin (For what they did to our fellowmen), he said. Dapat naman huwag nang pumunta roon. Kinakansela nila ang sa kasama nating senador. Sabi niya boycott tayo (Do not go there because they canceled (the visa) of one of our senators. He said, lets boycott (them), he added. But Senator Panfilo Lacson expressed concern that the decision may have a negative impact on the countrys economy and security, as well as on Filipino citizens in the US. An indefinite travel ban to the United States imposed on all members of the Cabinet could have adverse consequences on our countrys economy and security, not to mention the many employed Filipino immigrants there, especially if the US retaliates to the recent tirades of President Duterte, Lacson said. Lacson hopes someone from the Cabinet to reach out to the President and convince him to reverse his decision, to which Panelo said, He (Lacson) is entitled to his opinion. But I dont think so. Panelo added that President Duterte is determined to cancel the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the US and the Philippines, and his decision is final. The Palace spokesperson clarified, however, that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) needs to submit a draft agreement to the US government to finalize and formalize the termination. Even so, Panelo assured that the termination of the VFA will not affect the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the two countries. The official also maintains that China and Russia have nothing to do with the severing of ties between the Philippines and the US. You know, its about time that we, as a country, rely on our own resources. We cannot be relying on others. We have to strengthen our capability in defending ourselves, he concluded. MNP (with details from Harlene Delgado) The post US boycott is a form of protest Malacanang appeared first on UNTV News. The Union environment ministry has directed all states to use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with advanced cameras to identify illegal sand mining hotspots and survey areas where sand needs to be replenished. The Enforcement and Monitoring Guidelines for Sand Mining, 2020, published on Monday as an 83-page document in line with the 2016 sustainable sand mining guidelines, for the first time, directed states to develop trans-boundary combined task force teams (mostly involving district officials from the revenue department) to prepare regular district survey reports assessing quantity of sand mined, and areas where illegal mining is rampant. The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) said the guidelines were based on various court orders. The Supreme Court in July 2019 pulled up the Centre for not being able to curtail illegal sand mining across Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh. So far, information from remote zones where illegal sand mining has been reported lacks ground-truthing, said a senior official from MoEFCC. Along with physical surveys, the advent of advanced technology in the form of drones needs to be used by states to have a topographic overview and provide information accuracy to curb illegal sand mining. The latest guidelines are an amalgamation of all previous guidelines and court directions issued over the years, the official said. Other major guidelines include optimal utilisation of mined materials; monitoring through environment audits of sites where environment clearances have been issued; quantifying final-end use by the consumer for gravel and sand mining; and a mining plan to help avoid environmental impacts on forests, protected areas, wildlife habitations, and to protect critical infrastructure projects such as bridges. Mindless unsustainable mining destroys the natural sedimentation process, loosening the foundation of soil. Long term effects lead to bridge collapses and inundation, said V Subramanyan, geologist. In May 2019, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) declared India and China the two top countries globally where illegal sand mining has become a major environmental problem. Extraction of sand from rivers, coastal marine areas, lakes, reservoirs, agricultural fields, etc., leads to pollution, flooding, lowering of water aquifers, beach erosion, destruction of important ecological habitats, and frequent droughts, geologists have said. In a first, states have also been directed to quantify future demands for sand over the next five years, based on a market survey to compare demand and supply (factoring in illegal sand extraction). This needs to be done under the mining plan for each district. A November 2019 study by the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) calculated the annual demand for sand in urban India across the housing sector, infrastructure construction including highways, ports, harbours, airports, dams, and railways as well as for construction of institutions and offices throughout the country at a staggering 60 million metric tons. To put the amount in perspective, the national demand stands at an average of 1kg per person per day in urban India, according to IIT-B. Nearly 10% of the annual sand requirement can be fulfilled by setting up facilities for manufactured sands and diverting segregated construction and demolition wastes to processing facilities rather than municipal solid waste management facilities, said Shyam Asolekar, professor at IIT-B. The remaining 90% can be fulfilled by processing various solid wastes and utilising them gainfully in preparation of manufactured sand. A ministry official pointed out that a separate chapter on manufactured sand had been prepared under the latest guidelines, and inventories needed to be developed under the mining plan at the district level. Environmentalists said developing a market survey mechanism was welcome but the monitoring mechanism fails to address how the local mafia needs to be tackled. Having drones will boost protection but these are still interim measures. The long-standing demand to have environmental police or empower existing officers to address the mafia nexus operating out of remote districts needs a more focused and centralised approach, said Sumaira Abdulali, convener, Awaaz Foundation, which has been working on environmental issues. Rampant illegal sand mining in India fetches $250 million or 1,611 crore in profits every year, a documentary by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) found in 2018. The Maharashtra government said illegal sand mining was much lesser in the state as compared to other areas, but cases of illegal sand dredging, especially along creeks, was on the rise. These guidelines will help control that at the district and taluka level by cracking down on the mafia and allowing revenue to be generated through correct means for the local livelihood. At the same time, the infrastructure risk will reduce if the quantity of sand requirement is calculated, said Sanjay Sandanshiv, undersecretary, state environment department. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A man convicted of transporting unauthorized immigrants through East Texas was sentenced in Beaumont on Wednesday to 2 years in federal prison. Joel Sanchez-Guzman, 26, also was ordered to pay $1,300. A news release from the Eastern District of Texas said Sanchez-Guzman, a Mexican citizen, was arrested on two separate occasions in Nacogdoches. The news release, citing court information, said Sanchez-Guzman first was picked up on Jan. 25, 2019, on U.S. 59. During that traffic stop, he told law enforcement officers that he had received approximately $900 to transport six adult male passengers from Houston, Texas to Atlanta, Georgia. He was released and the investigation continued. Three weeks later, the news release said, Sanchez-Guzman was again stopped by Nacogdoches Police on U.S. 59 for a traffic violation and at the time was transporting eight individuals he knew to be illegally in the United States. Sanchez-Guzman was arrested for this offense as well as for the January incident. Top hits: Get Beaumont Enterprise stories sent directly to your inbox Federal investigators with Homeland Security Investigations/Immigration and Customs Enforcement worked with the Nacogdoches Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall L. Fluke prosecuted the case in court. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Hanna Rantala (Reuters) London, United Kingdom Thu, January 30, 2020 10:02 713 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2061abc72 2 Entertainment Melina-Matsoukas,film,Queen-and-Slim,Beyonce,Daniel-Kaluuya,Jodie-Turner-Smith Free Director Melina Matsoukas said making the jump from directing music videos for Beyonce to directing Queen & Slim for the big screen has given her the chance to tell what she calls a "necessary" story about "black people, my people". Matsoukas was on the red carpet for the premiere of her directorial debut in London, just days before the BAFTA awards, Britain's acting awards, which have been criticized by some for their lack of diversity. As the BAFTA's all-white line-up of nominees in the acting categories trends on social media as #BaftasSoWhite, audiences looking for more diversity will find it in Queen & Slim. Matsoukas' drama is about a black couple whose Tinder date ends with the duo on the run after they kill a white police officer in self-defense. "When I read the script it was everything I had been looking for in a feature - it was political, it had something to say, it felt really necessary and it was entertaining," Matsoukas told Reuters at the film's London premiere. "It also represented a community of people - black people, my people - that we don't always see on screen and I really wanted to tell our stories to our lens, unfiltered, and we were able to do that." Read also: '1917' scoops top Hollywood director prize for Mendes Actors Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith joined Matsoukas on the red carpet to celebrate ahead of the film's release in Britain on Jan. 31. The film opens with Kaluuya and Turner-Smiths characters "Slim" and "Queen" on an awkward date that appears to be going nowhere. Driving home along a deserted Cleveland street after dinner, they are pulled over by a lone white police officer and become involved in an altercation that results in Queen being shot in the leg and Slim killing the policeman in self-defense. Turner-Smith said she hoped the subject matter started conversations for people. "The film doesn't really have an answer to any of the issues it raises, it's really just bringing them up to light and talking about it, that trauma, that tension, that fear, that black people live in and at the same time being able to exist and find love," she said. The film opened in the United States in late November 2019. WASHINGTON House Democrats on Wednesday unveiled a five-year, $760 billion framework for rebuilding the nations highways, airports and other infrastructure, laying out an election-year package with little chance of enactment after bipartisan talks with the White House on the issue failed to gain traction. The plan, billed as the Moving Forward Framework, provides a foundation for legislation that is currently being drafted or debated in House committees, according to a senior Democratic aide. It is the product of a collaboration led by Reps. Peter DeFazio of Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee; Frank Pallone Jr. of New Jersey, chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee; and Richard Neal of Massachusetts, chairman of House Ways and Means. This is not just about fixing our roads and bridges, the three said in a joint statement. It is about seizing the opportunity to make transformational changes in communities of all sizes, in every corner of our country. Democrats will also renew calls for bipartisan talks with the White House to forge an agreement on infrastructure, the aide said, including a mechanism to pay for it. But after they struck an initial deal with President Trump last spring to pursue a $2 trillion package, talks faltered over how to finance the initiative, and the president stormed out of a meeting on the topic, declaring that he could not work with Democrats until they stopped investigating him. We thought we would be able to move in a positive way on this, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said at a news conference this month. So far, they have not come on board. However, weve decided now, well just have to go forward. The renewed push for agreement on an infrastructure plan comes as Democrats, eager to shift the focus from the divisive impeachment proceedings against Trump, are mapping out an election-year agenda that showcases their policy priorities. Nine months before Election Day, a $1 trillion infrastructure plan is still one of Trumps unfulfilled promises from his inaugural campaign. Emily Cochrane is a New York Times writer. Amazon is in a prime position post-earnings. Shares of the e-commerce giant soared more than 10% in after-hours trade following the company's fourth-quarter earnings report Thursday after the bell. The report topped Wall Street's estimates on earnings and revenue following what the company called a "record" holiday sales season. Even with this impressive move in Amazon, there's still room for upside when it comes to the broader technology sector, Neel Shah, senior trader at Peak6 Capital Management, told CNBC's "Trading Nation" on Thursday. "Think about how we got here," Shah said of the broad market's bull run. "We got here by buybacks, we got here by [price-to-earnings multiple] expansion and people buying stocks. So, I think that's going to take us higher. PE expansion could continue. So, even though people are complaining that valuations are high, I think there's still room for upside here." Still, as Microsoft gains traction in cloud computing with its Azure business, which competes with Amazon Web Services, Amazon could be faced with a tough decision: Cut margins in order to stay competitive or let Microsoft win. "Microsoft came out last night, had really good numbers [for] cloud, and I think, with Amazon, it's going to drive the market going forward," particularly if the cloud business stays strong, Shah said. "But if they say they're sacrificing margins, watch out below, and watch out below for the market as well." Amazon Web Services grew 35% in the third quarter, trailing estimates and Microsoft Azure's 59% growth in the same time frame. This quarter, Azure grew 62%. A recent Goldman Sachs survey showed Azure was also getting more usage at large companies than Amazon Web Services, which remains the market leader by revenue. Even with that rivalry heating up, Shah remained bullish on the prospects for tech, emphasizing that contrary to many market watchers' assertions that today's market looks a lot like that of the 1999 dotcom bubble we're a long way off from the overheated conditions Wall Street saw before that bubble burst. "Markets do rhyme, but this time, it is different. Valuations aren't egregious," he said, noting that 1999 saw at least five days when the broad market dropped 5% in one session and multiple drops of more than 10%. "Volatility was significantly higher in 1999, [and that's] obviously not the case right now," the trader said. "I think you have to trade this market. You have to kind of be willing to buy it when nobody wants to and just tactically trade it going forward." As for key levels, Shah was watching the 3,181 level on S&P 500 e-Mini Futures contracts, the low from when Iran fired missiles at bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq on Jan. 7. "I think that's an important level to watch," Shah said, telling CNBC that if S&P e-Mini Futures break below that level, it could be an opportunity to "tactically trade the panic." Stocks bounced back late in Thursday's trading session as investors continued to parse developments with the coronavirus outbreak. Disclosure: Peak6 Capital Management has positions in Amazon, Microsoft, the Nasdaq 100 and the S&P 500 e-Mini Futures. Disclaimer If you can make smartphone apps, Chinese tech giant Huawei wants you. The No. 2 global smartphone brand is struggling to hold onto its market after Washington accused Huawei of being a security risk and blocked access to U.S. components and technology. That includes YouTube and other popular Google core apps customers expect on new phones. They will be missing from the global rollout of Huawei's next model, the P40, due out in March, replaced by its own music, payment and other apps. Huawei Technologies Ltd., along with every other smartphone brand except Apple Inc., relies on Google's Android operating system. So it's scouring the world for replacements. At events for developers from New Delhi to Warsaw to Sao Paulo, Huawei is promising cash rewards if they meet a deadline Friday to get apps onto its online store. The company says it will invest $1.5 billion in app development. It faces an expensive, uphill struggle to create alternatives to the Google-centered world of music, navigation and other apps, according to industry experts. Others including Nokia and Microsoft have tried and failed to create their own mobile ecosystems. Creating diverse apps is a really challenging task to Huawei, said chairman Guo Ping in videotaped comments released by the company. Huawei, also the world's biggest maker of switching gear for phone networks, rejects U.S. accusations it might facilitate Chinese spying. Chinese officials accuse Washington of using phony security claims to hurt a commercial rival. The Trump administration also is pressing European and other allies to exclude Huawei switching gear from next-generation telecom networks. The conflict has fed fears technology industries might split into Chinese, U.S. and other spheres with incompatible products. Huawei's founder, Ren Zhengfei, has said it wants to stay in a unified global industry and work with Google and other U.S. partners. The Android system is open-source, meaning phone brands use it for free but most also pay Google for core apps and the software to support them. Huawei can keep using Android but is blocked from buying those core apps for pre-installation. That threatens to cripple Huawei's ability to compete with market leader Samsung and other Android-based phones. Consumers expect well-known apps that their peers are using, such as Google Maps, said Thomas Husson, a principal analyst for Forrester, in an email. It would require massive investment to convince developers to develop for a new eco-system and a lot of marketing efforts." Huawei already sells phones without Google core apps in China, where the ruling Communist Party's internet filters block access to YouTube, the Google search engine and thousands of other foreign websites. Instead, Huawei phones come with Chinese search engine Baidu.com, video service Youku.com and other local apps. But Huawei competes on a level playing field in China with competitors that face the same restrictions. In other foreign markets the others have the popular Google package. For the P40, Huawei has signed an agreement for developers to use maps from a Dutch provider, TomTom. Details of other services have yet to be announced. In response to questions, Huawei said executives would talk to reporters next month at the Mobile World Congress, the industry's biggest annual event. The chief executive of Huawei's consumer unit, Richard Yu, told reporters in December the P40 would be launched in Paris in late March, using Android instead of Huawei's HarmonyOS operating system, which it unveiled last year. HarmonyOS is based on code developed for other Huawei devices and could replace Android if needed. But the company wants to keep working with Google, which has spent more than a decade improving Android with input from Huawei and other companies. Replacing Google apps is a massive undertaking for any company, said Dermot Daly, chief executive of Tapadoo, an Irish app developer that isn't working for Huawei. Huawei Mobile Services offers some 45,000 apps. But that is barely 1.5% of the 3 million titles on Google Play Store, where most Android users get apps. Huawei needs to replace Google code that supports video and other features, said Daly. Then it needs to persuade developers to adapt apps to run on Huawei's new code. They're not building from scratch, but they face a big technical hurdle, said Daly. Becoming a world-class software maker is a massive challenge. Nokia Corp. took a similar approach with its first smartphone a decade ago but failed to attract enough apps for its system, said Daly. He said Microsoft Corp. tried again after acquiring Nokia's mobile phone unit in 2013 but faced similar lack of developer interest. Such difficulties highlight the dominance of U.S. app providers and the very gradual emergence of global alternatives. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Enoch Adeboye, the general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), stated that he asked for his sons secretary to be sa... Watch o... the narrative go soon change. Them go soon release press statement that the secretary was flirting with/coming unto the son...just to justify the act of wickedness!!! Nigeria!! Open your eyes! Religion is now a Malicious hateful tool! CHOOSE LOVE! Uti Nwachukwu (@SirUTI) January 29, 2020 Enoch Adeboye, the general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), stated that he asked for his sons secretary to be sacked to avert an extramarital relationship.The 77-year-old clergyman took to his Twitter handle on Wednesday to disclose this while baring his opinion on intimate friendships outside marriages.Adeboye said: One of my sons told me that he was always excited to resume office every Monday so he would get to see his secretary again. I told him to fire her immediately. No one is worth your marriage.In his reaction, Nigerian media personality and actor, Uti condemned the clerics stance on the issue.Hear him: Religion in Nigeria is a BIG JOKE!!!! You ask your son to fire an innocent woman because your son cannot discipline himself/His feelings?? Tomorrow now the same people will say we shd rise and pray against anyone blocking our progress!! Isokay. We have heard now!Watch o the narrative go soon change. Them go soon release press statement that the secretary was flirting with/coming unto the sonjust to justify the act of wickedness!!! Nigeria!! Open your eyes! Religion is now a Malicious hateful tool! CHOOSE LOVE!However, Utis opinion didnt quite go well with some Nigerians.Read the reactions below NPG Birthright Citizenship was first established in 1868 to protect the voting rights of recently-freed slaves. Immigration status was never mentioned. Today, due to current interpretation of the original language, it has grown to protect almost anyone born on U.S. soil. Negative Population Growth (NPG) President Donald Mann has commended the action of the U.S. State Department in their new effort to halt the growing flood of foreign women coming to the U.S. to give birth to children who will automatically gain U.S. citizenship. Mann greeted the announcement by stating: The issue of reining-in anchor babies and putting an end to the ever-growing abuse of our nations problematic birthright citizenship policies has been a priority goal of NPG. We applaud any and all steps our government can take to put the brakes on those looking to use this immigration loophole to ultimately bring their entire family to America in the future. Actions taken by NPG in recent years that have been targeted to fixing the present flaws in the nations birthright citizenship policy include running national ads and an on-going national petition drive that has reached hundreds of thousands of citizens. The petitions, signed by their constituents, ask Members of Congress to sponsor and support H.R. 140, legislation that would limit automatic birthright citizenship to newborns who have at least one parent who is currently a U.S. citizen, or in our nation legally. We must remember, Mann continued, that Birthright Citizenship was first established in 1868 to protect the voting rights of recently-freed slaves. Immigration status was never mentioned. Today, due to current interpretation of the original language, it has grown to protect almost anyone born on U.S. soil. Surely our nation has the right to clarify who should receive citizenship status based on the reading of the 14th Amendment. While lauding the State Departments goal to no longer issue visas to potential birth right abusers, Mann acknowledged: There is no question that the open border lobby will immediately go running to the courts to quash the State Departments activities. However, their action will only embolden us to fight harder for a workable solution to end this travesty. Mann observed: Right now, we have to look at this action as a major plus one which will seriously undermine the rapid growth of the birth tourism industry in major cities nationwide, where women pay tens of thousands of dollars to be guided through all of the fine points of duping the present U.S. immigration system. He went on to say: What we also need is for the Trump administration to have the Justice Department concurrently ratchet-up their crackdown on this fraudulent activity. By doing so, we have a great chance to decrease the present number of 300,000 anchor babies who are born annually in the U.S. and whose births sow the seeds for greater population growth in the future. In the long run, Mann added, Im hopeful that by the White House making birthright citizenship the subject of an Executive Order, and shining a spotlight on this ongoing crisis, we may finally be able to bring it out of the shadows and spark a long-overdue national debate on this festering issue on Capitol Hill and, if necessary, in the U.S. Supreme Court. Mann concluded by saying: I give great credit to NPG members who have been in the forefront of this battle for years. This positive government action gives solace to all of us who are fighting for responsible, common-sense immigration policies to help us shape a livable future for all Americans. Founded in 1972, NPG is a national nonprofit membership organization dedicated to educating the American public and political leaders regarding the damaging effects of population growth. We believe that our nation is already vastly overpopulated in terms of the long-range carrying capacity of its resources and environment. NPG advocates the adoption of its Proposed National Population Policy, with the goal of eventually stabilizing U.S. population at a sustainable level far lower than todays. We do not simply identify the problems we propose solutions. For more information, visit our website at http://www.NPG.org, follow us on Facebook @NegativePopulationGrowth or follow us on Twitter @npg_org. [January 30, 2020] The Simple Dollar Announces Inaugural Awards in Personal Finance for 2020 FORT MILL, S.C., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Simple Dollar, a personal finance website dedicated to simplifying finances, today announced the winners of the inaugural The Simple Dollar Awards. To continue providing well-researched content that empowers readers to make smart financial decisions, the editorial staff analyzed every major brand in each category to determine the best-of-the-best personal finance apps, services, and resources. "Trent Hamm founded The Simple Dollar in 2006 with the intention of recommending his favorite personal finance solutions to his readers and it has evolved into so much more," said Adam Morgan, Senior Editor at The Simple Dollar. "To further his original initiative, we decided to highlight 2020's best personal finance solutions in an objective way. Our editorial staff spent months researching the most affordable, trustworthy, and innovative services and resources in each category. Instead of products like credit cards and personal loans, our awards focus on services and other resources that make people's lives easier, financially and otherwise." Winners from The Simple Dollar Awards for 2020 include: Best Apps for 2020 Best Money Transfer App - Transferwise Best Investing App - Robinhood Best Budgeting App - Clarity Money Best Services for 2020 Best Financial Advisors - Commonwealth Best Cell Phone Plan - Republic Wireless Best Live TV Streaming Service - Sling Best Resources for 2020 Best Personal Finance Conferences For Educators - Annual Conference on Financial Education Best Personal Finance Reporters - Asia Martn , WealthManagement.com , WealthManagement.com Kelly Anne Smith , Forbes , Forbes Lorie Konish , CNBC , CNBC Ron Lieber , The New York Times , The Sharon Epperson , CNBC The Fairer Cents The Money Millhouse Popcorn Finance So Money SPI with Pat Flynn A complete list of all award winners can be found here: https://www.thesimpledollar.com/the-simple-dollar-awards-2020/. Acknowledging that finances can be overwhelming especially when trying not to break the bank the Simple Dollar has been offering practical and actionable financial advice for 11 years and counting. In addition to the original finance blog, The Simple Dollar also offers comprehensive guides on credit cards, investing, banking, insurance, and more. About The Simple Dollar Founded in 2006 by Trent Hamm, The Simple Dollar began as a community for people to learn and share real-life personal finance strategies. While the team continues to grow, our mission remains the same: providing well-researched, useful content that empowers our readers to make smart financial decisions. Today, we serve around one million visitors per month and we've been featured in some of the world's largest publications. For more information, click here. For more information, contact: Hayley Armstrong | Communications Associate, The Simple Dollar | [email protected] Related Images the-simple-dollar-awards.png The Simple Dollar Awards badge Related Links The Simple Dollar View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-simple-dollar-announces-inaugural-awards-in-personal-finance-for-2020-300996188.html SOURCE The Simple Dollar [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 30) An opposition lawmaker renewed calls for the Philippine government to impose stricter monitoring measures for passengers with travel history to Wuhanthe Chinese city at the center of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Speaking to CNN Philippines The Source on Thursday, Senator Risa Hontiveros said the Philippines may be lacking some precautionary measures that would help prevent the entry of the mysterious respiratory illness in the country. We are not doing enough, Hontiveros said. It seems to be a very versatile virus. Let's err on the side of caution, dahil bagong sakit ito. Mas mabuti nang maingat kaysa careless. [Translation: It seems to be a very versatilevirus. Let's err on the side of caution, because this is a new illness. Its better to be careful than careless.] In line with this, Hontiveros urged fellow public officials to impose not only a visitors ban, but also a 30-day health surveillance program for passengers with travel history to the Chinese city. Probably DOH can set the protocol na magpa-check up ba sila every week. Or to firmly request and require them na kapag maramdaman mo ang simtomas, you must report, Hontiveros noted. [Translation: Probably DOH can set a protocol that they can visit the hospital for a weekly checkup. Or to firmly request and require them to report to authorities when they feel symptoms.] Hontiveros also backed sentiments to temporarily ban Chinese cruise ships from docking in Philippine portswhile international health authorities scramble to prevent the outbreak from worsening. Hangga't hindi matibay ang ating border control (unless our border control is strong) in terms of entry of these new and dangerous virus, it would be a wise, proactive, and preemptive step to take, the lawmaker said. At least 170 people have been killed by the coronavirus in China, CNN reported Thursday. The number of confirmed cases has also soared to over 7,700. While there are no confirmed cases in the Philippines, the Health Department said it is monitoring 23 patients for possible infection of the respiratory illness. The Bureau of Immigration has also ordered the suspension of the issuance of visas upon arrival to Chinese nationals to slow down group tours amid fears over the virus. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Reuters) Thu, January 30, 2020 12:07 713 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2061b2688 2 Health Johnson-and-Johnson,coronavirus,vaccine,health,outbreak,Wuhan-coronavirus Free Johnson & Johnson on Wednesday became the latest drugmaker to begin work on developing a vaccine for a new coronavirus that has already killed more than 100 people in China, as health authorities race to contain the outbreak. J&J said its vaccine program would utilize the same technologies used to make its experimental Ebola vaccine, which is currently being administered in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. Three separate research teams backed by a global coalition set up to fight epidemic diseases last week said they will start work on developing potential vaccines against the new coronavirus. The research will be conducted by drug developers Moderna, Inovio Pharma, and a team at the University of Queensland, Australia. Read also: With Wuhan virus genetic code in hand, scientists begin work on a vaccine Gilead Sciences last week said it was assessing whether its experimental Ebola treatment could be used against the coronavirus. J&J also said it had donated its HIV drug Prezcobix to China for use in research to find a solution against the outbreak. The United States and Japan evacuated their nationals from the quarantined city of Wuhan, while British Airways suspended flights to mainland China as deaths from a new virus leapt to 133 and a government economist predicted a huge hit to the economy. 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). After India's first case of the coronavirus was confirmed in Kerala, Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Thursday assured that the Centre is making best efforts to diagnose and treat the disease. "Even before the first confirmed case we were doing our best to ensure diagnosis and then to treat it if any positive cases of Coronavirus arise," Harsh Vardhan told reporters here. He further said that an official release of information related to the first confirmed case of the disease in India will follow soon. The Union Health Minister further said that the measures being taken by the government had led to the detection of the patient who tested positive for Novel Coronavirus. "We are taking many measures, including screening of passengers at more than 20 airports, especially those who are coming in with a travel history of China. That is how we could trace this patient," he said. Earlier today, the first case of the disease in India was reported from Kerala, according to the Union Health Ministry. The patient is a student at Wuhan University in China. He is stable and is being closely monitored by a team of doctors in an isolation ward at a hospital. The Indian government had also issued a travel advisory, asking people to refrain from travelling to China. In addition, the thermal screening facilities, as a precautionary measure, have been extended to 21 airports now, including Gaya, Guwahati, Vizag, Varanasi and Goa. A total of 33,552 passengers arriving in India from China in 155 flights have been screened at different airports till Monday. The novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain of coronavirus that has not been identified before. The exact source of infection of 2019 nCoV is not known yet. Coronavirus is a large family of viruses that cause respiratory illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). The symptoms reported in patients with nCoV include acute onset of fever, cough, and difficulty in breathing. The infection results in severe complications and even death. China has imposed quarantine and travel restrictions, affecting the movement of 56 million people in more than a dozen cities, amid fears that the transmission rate will accelerate as hundreds of millions of Chinese travel for the Lunar New Year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Khomein: Business is booming at Iran's largest flag factory, which makes US, British and Israeli flags for protesters to burn. At the factory in the town of Khomein, southwest of the capital Tehran, young men and women print the flags by hand then hang them up to dry. The factory produces about 2000 US and Israeli flags a month in its busiest periods, and more than 1.5 million square feet of flags a year. Burning of US, Israeli and British flags has occurred regularly throughout Middle East protests, like this one in Lebanon, since the US assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. Credit:AP Tensions between the United States and Iran have reached the highest level in decades after top Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad on January 3, prompting Iran to retaliate with a missile attack against a US base in Iraq days later. The Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor of Malaysia has denied that Manir Hossain (23) of Tripura died after contracting the novel Coronavirus disease contrary to what his family members had claimed earlier. The hospitals report cited Status Epilepticus Secondary Meningoencephalitis as the reason for his death. Manir Hossain died on January 29 at 5:35 AM in Malaysias Johor. Earlier, Abdul Rahim, a veteran who had identified himself as Manirs grandfather had claimed in a video that his grandson had died due to contracting the novel coronavirus in Malaysia where he was working in a hotel. Manir had left for Malaysia two years ago. My grandson Manir Hossain died of Coronavirus. He used to work at a hotel in Malaysia. We got a call from there on Wednesday (January 29) and were informed about his death. We are trying to bring his body here, Rahim said. When contacted, director of the Family Welfare Department Dr. Radha Debbarma said,We dont have any authentic information regarding the death till now. There has been no confirmation from the Chief Ministers Office (CMO) regarding the death. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Dateline: Michigan A black man is suing a bank for racial discrimination after it refused to cash his racial discrimination lawsuit settlement check. New York Post reports that Sauntore Thomas filed the suit against TCF Bank in Michigan, where he's had an account for nearly two years. Last week, Thomas attempted to cash a check that he'd been awarded in a previous discrimination case against his former employer, Enterprise Leasing Company of Detroit. The check was reportedly flagged as fraudulent by the bank's computer system. Thomas contacted his lawyer, Deborah Gordon, who spoke to bank employees on the phone. I sent them my federal court complaint to see that it matched, she told reporters. I did everything. Nevertheless, bank employees called the police, and four officers were dispatched to the bank. I feel very intimidated, Thomas said, because I knew that if I would have gotten loud, they would have had me on the ground for disturbance of the peace. He was not arrested or charged during the incident, and the check cleared 12 hours later. But Gordon says the bank discriminated against Thomas. Obviously, assumptions were made the minute he walked in based on his race, said the lawyer. Thomas filed a discrimination suit against the bank the next day. TCF Bank publicly apologized for not being able to meet his needs and denounced racial discrimination. Thomas was able to open a new account with Chase bank once the check cleared and went on to buy a 2004 Dodge Durango with his new funds. Dateline: Massachusetts The city of Natick is breathing easier now that a serial defecator has finally been arrested. According to Fox News, police were told of the serial pooper's crimes in December. A local store owner reported discovering fresh feces in the parking lot on eight separate occasions, beginning in October. Officers initially believed the droppings were the work of an animal, but soon found soiled toilet paper and sanitary wipes that had been left in the area. Last week, an officer was patrolling the parking lot when he reportedly saw Andrea Grocer sitting in her car and waiting for the lot to clear before opening the driver's side door and defecating on the lot. The officer pulled her over and she told him that she was on her way to a nearby home where she worked as a nanny. She said she'd had to stop at the store because she suffers from irritable bowel syndrome. But her employer told police that Grocer had access to their restroom, and investigators noted the length of time she spent waiting in the lot. Grocer was arrested on eight counts of wanton destruction of property and released without bail following her arraignment. She is expected back in court in March. It is unclear why Grocer targeted the lot, as she has no apparent connection to the store or its owner. Dateline: North Carolina An animal shelter in North Carolina is desperately trying to find a home for the world's worst cat. Last week, Mitchell County Animal Rescue Inc. posted an adoption listing on Facebook for a cat named Perdita, whom it described as being not for the faint of heart. We thought she was sick turns out she was just a jerk, the post says. According to the post, her likes include staring into your soul until you feel as if you may never be cheerful again; the song Cat Scratch Fever, the movie Pet Cemetery (Church is her hero), jump scares (her specialty), lurking in dark corners, being queen of her domicile, fooling shelter staff into thinking she's sick (vet agrees she's just a jerk). Perdita reportedly dislikes the color pink, kittens (yuk they are so chipper), dogs, children, the Dixie Chicks, Disney movies, Christmas and last but not least hugs. Amber Lowery, executive director of the shelter, told CTV News that the cat will often growl at people. She likes her space, said Lowery. According to the post, Perdita is single and ready to be socially awkward with a socially awkward human who understands personal space. Lowery says they don't actually know all of the cats in the world and admits that calling Perdita the worst one might be somewhat presumptuous. Dateline: Canada Employees at a pet shop in Canada say an Australian shepherd named Vango helped to alert them that he'd been dognapped. According to CBC News, staff at Au Royaume des Animaux in Gatineau, Quebec became suspicious of a couple who brought a dog into the pet store last week after they were unable to answer simple questions about the dog's historylike his age, where he'd been sterilized and how much they'd paid for him. Dog trainer Yves Jodoin told reporters that as the couple evaded the questions, the dog was barking, the dog was poking, and he really wanted my attention. As Jodoin kept the couple occupied, a colleague went to check social media for mentions of stolen pets and quickly found an image of Vango, who looked very similar to the dog in the store. According to the report, the dog had been stolen only two and a half hours earlier. Jodoin reportedly recognized the dog, realizing he'd trained Vango as a puppy. At that point I said, 'Vango, come!' And the dog was reacting, he was jumping, Jodoin said. All along he was barking and poking, trying to say, 'Hello, I'm not the dog they say I am.' The suspected dognappers claimed they'd found Vango in the woods, but his owner said he went missing from a fenced yard. Surrounded by witnesses, the couple surrendered Vango into the store employees' custody. The dog's rightful owner, Josee Francoeur, was immediately contacted. Francoeur says she has made an appointment to microchip Vango and has filed a police complaint. ALEPPO, Syria A local department that helps displaced persons in Ras al-Ain, in the north of Hasakah province in northeastern of Syria, has announced its readiness to help Syrian refugees in Turkey return to their homes. The area is under the control of the Turkish army and the Syrian National Army (SNA) of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) as part of Operation Peace Spring, the Turkish offensive into northeastern Syria that was launched Oct. 9. We are seeking through the local council to provide the necessary services for refugees returning to Ras al-Ain, including free transportation for Syrians based in Urfa province and other Turkish provinces. Refugees, however, have to gather at the place and time specified in the announcement, Abdel-Karim Mohammad, an official at the Directorate of Civil Peace and Displaced Persons, told Al-Monitor. There will be consecutive trip appointments for the refugees who wish to return. Hundreds of refugees were already transferred to Ras al-Ain on Jan. 10. There are no accurate statistics on the number of refugees who have returned so far, as there are other batches of refugees who will be transported in succession. The door is open for Syrians to return. Their entry will be through the Tell Abyad crossing and then to the Ras al-Ain area, where refugees could return to their homes and villages, he added. Mohammad continued, There are no conditions for the return of refugees from Turkey provided that they obtain a permit from the Turkish Immigration Department from Urfa province to be able to pass through the Tell Abyad border crossing in the northern Raqqa countryside. He said, The return of refugees is of course not limited to the Ras al-Ain area in the north of Hasakah province, but also includes those who wish to return to their homes in the Tell Abyad area in the north of Raqqa province. These two areas were liberated by the SNA and the Turkish army as part of Operation Peace Spring. We believe that 2020 will witness the return of large influxes of refugees. The area is moving toward stability and we are upping our efforts in the various service sectors in Ras al-Ain to the largest number of people. Mohammad al-Salem, a Syrian refugee residing in Urfa, told Al-Monitor, I really wish to return home to Ras al-Ain, but the living conditions there are harsh. The area lacks basic services, such as running water and electricity. This has been the case since it was liberated. This is not to mention the difficulty of securing hydrocarbons and foodstuffs. Also, there are no job opportunities. I might reconsider returning once services are available and the living conditions are improved, he said. Ali Ahmad, a journalist in the city of Ras al-Ain, told Al-Monitor, The areas of Tell Abyad and Ras al-Ain in northeastern Syria are still in urgent need of many basic services and security efforts in order for life to return to normal. Several public service facilities need rehabilitation, and this requires time and continuous endeavors. An activist who moves between Tell Abyad and Ras al-Ain told Al-Monitor, Local councils in the Peace Spring area are constantly seeking to provide services to improve the living conditions as many schools have recently opened their doors as well as bakeries. The activist, who goes by the name Abu al-Karam al-Halabi, continued, Many hospitals are operating again, the municipalities are cleaning the roads, running water is back in most of the villages and towns, which would contribute to encouraging refugees to return. Syrian refugees, however, are waiting for the area to be completely stable and secure and for more job opportunities before they consider coming back. Wael al-Hamdo, head of the local council in Tell Abyad, told Al-Monitor that the council and its department for the displaced are offering all necessary services for the people wishing to return to their homes in the city and the surrounding villages. The returnees are mostly from the city of Tell Abyad. Some of them went to Turkey in search of work and others fled the area because of the bad security situation under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces. The Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-dominated group backed by the United States, sought Kurdish autonomy in Syria. Hamdo said fewer than expected are returning "because many are committed to schools and jobs in Turkey. The next few months are likely to witness more refugees returning to the Peace Spring area, especially during the summer. Amin al-Abd, director of the Tell Abyad council's media office, said that while hundreds of refugees have returned to the SNA-controlled areas, there are many complicating factors. The local council has an annual plan for the rehabilitation of the services facilities. There are, however, some obstacles down this road, as the area is disconnected from the rest of the SFA-liberated areas, not to mention the deteriorating security situation because of SDF actions and terrorist attacks, which greatly contribute to creating chaos and fear among people, he said. A car bomb exploded Jan.16 in the town of Suluk, near Tell Abyad. The explosion targeted the FSA headquarters, killing seven fighters in the SNA and the Turkish army. Halabi said SNA leaders in Suluk told him SDF forces were responsible for the attack. For his part, NSA media coordinator Yahya Mayo told Al-Monitor, The Turkish government encourages Syrians living on its territories to return to the Peace Spring area, and is supporting all services and cooperating with local councils in this direction. Other problems are also hindering the return of refugees to the areas of Tell Abyad and Ras al-Ain in northeastern Syria. Chief among these are the violations committed by SNA and FSA forces. Such incidents included looting and setting houses ablaze. It was reported that on Jan. 1, FSA fighters from the FSA al-Majd Corps killed Ammar al-Hajji, a civilian, in Tell Abyad because he refused to hand over his car key. He had been stopped, and when he refused to hand over the key, a combatant hit him with a sharp object on his head and killed him, reports said. This led dozens of people to protest against SNA violations and gather in front of the SNA military police building in Tell Abyad to demand the arrest of the killer. An Idaho mother was ordered to physically produce her missing children 7-year-old JJ Vallow and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan, who haven't been seen in four months, by Thursday. Police found Lori Vallow, and her new husband, Chad Daybell, in Hawaii last week. The couple is also at the center of investigations into the deaths of their former spouses. At a November welfare check at Vallow's home, two months after the children were last seen, police say she lied to them about their whereabouts. A day later, she and Daybell disappeared as police showed up to serve a search warrant. The couple refused to answer a reporter's questions in Hawaii, moments after police executed a search warrant and seized their rented SUV. JJ's grandparents Larry and Kay Woodcock are pleading for the safe return of him and his sister, CBS News correspondent Nikki Battiste reports. nfa-missing-idaho-children-pkg-needs-trk-gfx-frame-1502.jpg CBS News "Bring the kids, that's it," Kay Woodcock said. "I don't care to ask her anything. I don't care." "Show me they're alive," Larry added. "The only thing that I care about is those two grandkids. We're here, I'll get on my knees, and I'll beg. Just give me JJ. That's all I want." Relatives say Vallow met Daybell before she was divorced. Charles Vallow filed for divorce in February 2019, concerned not only about his wife's radical behavior, but also about JJ's safety. He said his wife made claims she was working to carry out "Christ's second coming" and that "if he got in her way" "she would murder him." Just five months later, Charles Vallow was shot and killed by Lori's brother, Alex Cox, who claimed self-defense. "He came at me with a bat," Cox told a police officer in Chandler, Arizona, after the shooting, according to a body camera video. "I shot him to stop him," he said. Three months later in October, Chad Daybell's wife Tammy mysteriously died in Idaho. He married Vallow about two weeks later. Then, in December, Cox also died of unknown causes. "There's the multiple deaths with strange circumstances involving all of them, the missing kids. That's troubling," said Fermont County Sheriff Len Humphries. Story continues Humphries said an autopsy was never performed on Tammy Daybell, so her body was recently exhumed. Those autopsy results have been sent to the lab for further testing. An attorney for Lori and Chad did not immediately respond to CBS News. WorldView: Coronavirus evacuation plane delayed, and more headlines How residents in China are dealing with the deadly coronavirus outbreak 195 Americans being tested in U.S. after being evacuated from China It further said that it was not necessary for the authorities to call for the opinion of the jail superintendent. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a plea by Mukesh Kumar, a death row convict in the Nirbhaya case, challenging the rejection of his mercy petition by President Ram Nath Kovind on the ground that all relevant material on the case was not put before the President, and thus there was non-application of mind. Holding all documents were taken into consideration by the President and the swift rejection of the mercy plea could not be a ground for its reconsideration by the court, Justices R. Banumathi, Ashok Bhushan and A.S. Bopanna said in their order that there was no ground for the exercise of judicial review of the Presidents order rejecting the mercy petition. We do not find any ground for exercise of judicial review of the order of the President of India rejecting the petitioners mercy petition and this petition is liable to be dismissed, said the order on Wednesday. The court rejected all the claims made by Mukesh, including that all relevant material relating to the case was not considered, rejection of the mercy petition was done at a lightning speed with pre-determined mind, thus there was non-application of mind, his being kept in solitary confinement, and subjected to indignities, including being repeatedly beaten up and sexually harassed. The court shall keep in mind that where the power is vested in a very high authority, it must be presumed that the said authority would act carefully after an objective consideration of all the aspects of the matter, the order said, brushing aside the contention that the mercy plea was decided without considering the entire material. Speaking for the bench Justice Banumathi said: Merely because there was quick consideration and rejection of the petitioners mercy petition, it cannot be assumed that the matter was preceded with a pre-determined mind. The court further said the quick consideration of the mercy petition and swift rejection of the same cannot be a ground for judicial review of the order passed under Article 72/161 of the Constitution. Nor does it suggest that there was pre-determined mind and non-application of mind. Holding that the swift rejection of the mercy petition could not be a ground for judicial reconsideration of the presidential order, the court noted solicitor-general Tushar Mehtas submission that a delay in disposal of the mercy petition may be a ground calling for judicial review of the order passed under Article 72/161 of the Constitution. Addressing the contention about the absence of the recommendation of the Tihar jail superintendent while sending the case material along with the mercy plea, the court said considering the high position of the President and the constitutional duty which he is discharging, it may not be appropriate for the jail superintendent to express views about the subsequent conduct of the prisoner while in prison unless the situation so warrants. It further said that it was not necessary for the authorities to call for the opinion of the jail superintendent. Business is looking great for Bae Juice, the Australian-Korean beverage startup that provides antidotes to hangovers after our boozy night-outs. Although with its aesthetically pleasing package and huge social media following, Bae Juice is more than just another pretty Millennial drink. Launched in Melbourne less than 12 months ago, Bae Juice has sold over 20,000 units through its website and landed on partnerships with some of Australian largest online distributors, including Dan Murphys, Deliveroo and Amazon. The business journey of Bae Juice is an interesting one: without a cent spent on traditional advertising, the companys sales have surged by 282 percent in just five months from August to December last year. We spoke to the founder of Bae Juice, Tim OSullivan, about the companys unusual marketing strategy and making sales out of it. Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. How did you come across the idea of starting an Australian-Korean business? I was actually visiting my girlfriends family in Korea! We spent heaps of time meeting cousins and aunties as well as friends etc. We spent most nights out and excited to all meet, we often drank too much Most bar hops lead us to 7/11 where I grabbed a beer (love Asia) and the locals grabbed some Korean pear juice? It really baffled me, so I asked why and they said duh helps your hangover. Its a trick that has been passed down through generations, and without knowing the specifics, the Koreans knew pears helped hangovers. After doing a bit of research of my own, I found CSIRO has reports confirming this and Bae Juice was born. You had quite an unusual launching strategy, can you elaborate on this? (and how did it turn out?) Amazing to think our pure excitement grew a spiralling marketing/launch idea!! We delivered over 2500 units within our first week. We put it out there: if anyone wants to try Bae Juice, message our page or us personally and bang, people went for it. We had people messaging us and we were dropping our boxes off to doors hours later. This grew into apparently if I message your page my friend said we can try some which then lead into is it true I can get some samples by just messaging. So it was pretty cool to have heaps of interaction and people drinking our product we had spent an insane amount of time and money on. Very rewarding. What do you think is the biggest milestone for the company so far? I think hitting 50 stores this week specifically has been a really big moment for us and shown our growth. We also did a $20k month in our first December ever so that was like WOW we have heaps of demand and we were able to manage getting product/packing boxes, etc. ourselves. You mentioned that, instead of paying for influencer ads like other companies that target at millennials, Bae Juice is exclusively marketed through unpaid social media posts and word of mouth. Can you explain the reasons behind this strategy? This is honestly us not having a full understanding of the influencer market, and hearing about people not getting an ROI or much reach through it. Having said that, its something we want to explore this year. We think word of mouth has been our biggest push factor, everyone loves being on the new product or gadget and I think this is one of those. It works, its new and there isnt anything else like it so its definitely a talking point. Were there hard times when running a business? Funding the business through our weekly pay checks is difficult. We save, then spend money on a marketing idea or sponsor an event. We save then pay for some legal advice, we save then can afford to do some advertising, all learning along the way what is bringing in money and what isnt. We seem to have a good understanding now, having worked with such thin budgets, to be sustainable and not drain our funds but also use them wisely. What is the next step for Bae Juice? We want to be in 300 stores by the end of this year, the product needs to be accessible and thats our goal! Were also seeking some investment to enable us to scale up and take our brand and especially our distribution and expansion to the next level, now that we have a better understanding of our position and see the potential of taking things to the next level this year and moving forward. You can read more about startups here. Dubai, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/29/2020 -- TTS Technology Network Services is a company established in the year 2019 in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, which develops Shippers. Their main objective is to create, design and market websites and mobile phone applications that can facilitate the lives of people and try to employ technology in practical life. Shippers works through the recruitment of passengers to transport goods and the needs of users from one country to another or city to another through the application and monitoring of the shipping process and pay passengers the amounts owed to them after the delivery of required shipments. "We are one of the reliable shipping and logistics companies in Dubai," commented the company spokesperson. "We transport and ship clothing, items, documents, or any goods that can be put in the suitcase through passengers who travel from one place to another by any means of transport available. Our pricing is based on the type, size, weight and cost of the package being transported, and the destination where the package goes." Shippers collect specific anonymous data regarding the usage of the website. This information does not personally identify users, by itself or in combination with other information, and is gathered to improve the performance of the website. The anonymous data collected by the Shippers website can include information such as the type of browser the clients are using, and the length of the visit to the website. They may also be asked to provide personally identifiable information on the Shippers website, which may include their names, addresses, telephone number, and e-mail address. This information can be gathered when feedback or e-mails are sent to Shippers when they register for services or make purchases via the website. In all such cases, clients have the option of providing Shippers with personally identifiable information. "Payments will be made to a traveler when the confirmation from a traveler about the successful delivery of shipments, confirmation from the senders about the successfully delivery of the shipment and after elapsing a clearance period of 15 days upon receiving confirmation from a traveler about the successful delivery of the shipment," commented the company spokesperson. "Payments will be made in the form of electronic funds transfer or any other method that Shippers chooses to at a later time. Once the payment is made, the confirmation notice will be sent to the traveler via an app push notification within 24 hours of receipt of payment. At Shippers, we collect a transaction fee of 30% per transaction." Shipper offers a go-to way for products that are not available in clients' country and are too expensive to purchase locally. Clients can order just about anything at shippers from baby clothes and kids' toys to electronic gadgets and nutritional supplements. Shippers offer the most straightforward way to shop at users' comfort. The process begins by creating shipments request whereby the clients provides detailed information on the items to be shipped until the moments when the package is delivered. Potential clients can make contact for shipping in Dubai by visiting their website. About Shippers Shippers offer the simplest way to shop for products from abroad. Clients can ship their packages anywhere in the world using the Shipper app. Shippers.ae offers the cheapest courier service in Dubai, where clients can save on courier fees and customs charges when they partner with Shipper.ae. It also ensures that clients get their products faster than when they use commercial shipping methods. Contact Information Best Class Business Center 1st Floor, 213 Salah Al Din St - Dubai - United Arab Emirates Phone1: 00971567778983 Phone2: 0097142233405 Email: info@shippers.ae Website: https://shippers.ae/ Former minister of aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode has shown his admiration for Senate Minority leader, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe on his call for President Buhari to resign over the security situation of the country. The call for President Buharis resignation has led to the Presidency dragging the lawmaker in the mud on social media. Also Read: #BuhariResign: Nigerians Back Call By Lawmaker For Presidents Resignation The lawmaker in response reiterated his stand as he expressed that he is afraid of no one. With the ensuing drama, the former minister expressed his admiration for the lawmaker and his ethnic group. See his tweet below: President Putin Addresses The Russian Tech Gap President Vladimir Putins has been speaking out on new constitutional arrangements that may extend his period in power and at the same time announced various measures meant to foster Russias technological efforts. In a recent parliamentary speech, he urged the Russian legislature to pass a technological legislative package intended to launch a flexible mechanism of experimental legal regimes for the development and implementation of new technologies in Russia. These inlude a focus on artificial intelligence, to establish modern regulation of big data turnover based on the best world standards, as well as establish mechanisms for state support and financing, using both direct and venture instrumnets. Although offering no details, yet his speech marks a mid-point, of sorts, in national efforts to spur innovation. In the speech, Putin alluded to the difficulties Russian researchers, engineers, and entrepreneurs face, particularly in the realm of finance. While Western entrepreneurs can obtain venture capital, miss their goal, and move on to a new project, Russia lacks a similar ecosystem. President Putin also called for reshaping legal and financial conditions so that as many startups and innovative teams as possible can become strong, successful innovative companies. He also called for an effort to help Russian industry export its products and meet domestic demand. The day after Putins speech, he appointed a replacement for Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev, who resigned, apparently, to facilitate the Russian presidents transition plan. The replacement is Mikhail Mishustin, who has a degree in information technology, and who has led national initiatives involving data centers and online services for the national tax collection agency. Among other things, Mishustin will oversee Russias Digital Economy national project, having an IT-capable technocrat at the highest levels of national power will probably help. The Russian STEM community was quick to comment on Putins speech. Konstantin Vorontsov, who leads the machine intelligence laboratory at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, or MIPT, reiterated the need for a Russia-wide platform where scientists, researchers, engineers, and entrepreneurs could share their work and cooperate, and said that the countrys tech drive urgently needed more engineers, researchers, and computer programmers. In his speech, Putin a;so addresed the worldwide skills shortge, saying, The ability to work with unique equipment, to take on the most ambitious tasks, is an incentive for young people to enter the science field. This is already happening. It is estimated that by the middle of the decade, every second scientist in Russia will be under 40, In 2019 President Putin said that his country had "unique" advances in hypersonic weaponry, saying other countries were "trying to catch up with us." He made these remarks at a Russian Defense Ministry board meeting, adding that "not a single country possesses hypersonic weapons, let alone continental-range hypersonic weapons," according to a transcript released by the Kremlin. Both the US and China are also working on hypersonic technology and Chian is understood to be testing a hypersonic aircraft, and the US Air Force has awarded a contract to Lockheed Martin to develop a missile. While Russia and China are the first nations to have announced the operational deployment of hypersonic weapons systems, other nations have had hypersonic programs for decades, and some of those have successfully tested these weapons as early as in 2011. The Congressional Research Service reported in September 2019 that at least seven countries have been developing hypersonic weapons technology for over a decade. These include the United States, Russia, China, Australia, India, France and Germany. CNN: Defense One: Polygraph: OECD: You Migh Also Read: Russias AI Mission Is State-Driven: Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, and Mahatma Gandhi died on January 30, 1948. However, there is a much more indelible connection between these two foremost practitioners of non-violence to advance civil and human rights, than the month of birth and death that they share. That is their connection with one another and the examples they set for those in their homelands and around the world. Martin Luther King Jr was a disciple of Mahatma Gandhi. More than 60 years ago in February, 1959, King travelled to India. During that trip he told a group of reporters, To other countries I may go as a tourist, but to India I come as a pilgrim. During his visit, he also stated in a radio broadcast, If this age is to survive it must follow the way of love and non-violence that Gandhi so nobly illustrated in his life. It is both tragic and ironic that both of these prominent advocates of non-violence died violently. Gandhis life was cut short by an assassin who shot him because of his advocacy for unity and equality between Indias Hindus and Muslims. Kings life was cut short by an assassin who was a supporter of white segregation. Several years ago, American novelist and civil rights activist, Marian Wright Edelman observed, A lot of people are waiting for Martin Luther King or Mahatma Gandhi to come back but they are gone. We are it. It is up to us. It is up to you. In 2015, I had the distinct honour of being awarded the Martin Luther King Jr Legacy Award for International Service. At that time, I said, I agree wholeheartedly with Ms. Edelmans statement of responsibility to carry on the good work of King and Gandhi. It is up to us. It is up to you. It is up to me. I then qualified that by saying,But I do not agree that these great men are gone. They live on through each of us who are willing to pick up the baton of non-violence and use it as an instrument of peace to make the world a healthier and better place for all. In these polarised times in the United States, India, and indeed, around the world, Gandhi and King live on through their deeds and words. Here is counsel from Gandhi that is relevant for the situation in present-day America. To safeguard democracy the people must have a keen sense of independence, self-respect and their oneness, and should insist upon choosing as their representatives only such persons as are good and true. Here is counsel from King that is relevant for the situation in India today. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. In his last speech in Memphis, Tennessee, on the day before he was killed on April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr said to a massive crowd, Weve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesnt matter with me now, because Ive been to the mountaintop. . And Ive looked over. And Ive seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. King did not get to the promised land. But he did get to India, where he spent a month learning from Gandhis associates, friends and family. King never met Gandhi but did spend a night in his residence. Now he is united with him above. In January, 2020, India, the US, and the world, need more peace, love and healing. We need a renewal and a reawakening of our better angels. Those of us who understand this must hear the voices of King and Gandhi and step forward to walk in the light and to be the change. Frank F Islam is an entrepreneur, civic leader, and thought leader based in Washington DC. The views expressed are personal The High Court has imposed one of the longest disqualification periods ever handed down on a company director who admitted his role in a scheme which resulted in Revenue being defrauded of more than 1.2m. Mr Justice Brian O'Moore ruled Kevin Rabbitte who was the director of a company called Westman Plant and Civils Limited, should be disqualified for a period of 14 years and three months. Mr Rabbitte he said had been involved in what "a carefully coordinated and planned fraud." Mr Rabbitte he said was given a "5% discount" off the maximum 15 year disqualification allowed under the 2014 Companies Act because he had made certain admissions and consented to various orders shortly before the bid to disqualify him was due to be heard by the High Court. It is one of the longest disqualification periods ever handed down by the Irish courts. Earlier this week Mr Rabbitte consented to a declaration that as an officer of the company he had knowingly carried out business on behalf of Westman with the intention to defraud the firm's creditors, including the Revenue Commissioners. He also consented to being made personally responsible for 1.5m of the company's debts and liabilities, and that he would be disqualified from acting as a company director for a period. The court heard that as part of the fraud Westman's VAT number was used to purchase machinery and plant equipment imported mainly from the UK, into Ireland between July 2014 and June 2015. He would bid for the machinery and if successful he would used Westman's VAT number to acquire the goods. It is claimed that VAT due on the goods bought in the UK was not paid to revenue when the machinery was subsequently sold on in Ireland. This resulted in Revenue being defrauded of 1.2m. The company, incorporated in 2014 and wound up in 2017, never declared the purchases or any subsequent sales for VAT purposes. The company filed nil VAT returns for the relevant period. The application against Mr Rabbitte of Clonberne, Ballinasloe, Co Galway was sought by the company's liquidator Mr Myles Kirby, represented in court by John Kennedy SC and Sally O'Neill Bl. Mr Kirby claimed Mr Rabbitte had knowingly participated in a fraud which is known as "carousel fraud" or Missing Trader Intra-Community VAT Fraud. Mr Justice O'Moore said while it "had it complexities" the "nature of the fraud was fairly straight forward". It was also a serious matter, which merited "a significant" disqualification. The Judge said Mr Rabbitte, represented by solicitor Robert Dore was entitled to a small discount after he had consented to certain orders, and thus had avoided the costs of the full hearing of the application seeking disqualification orders. The Judge said he had agreed to be liable for the company's debts up to 1.5m. However given Mr Rabbitte's available assets there was no reality of that sum being recovered. The judge also noted that Mr Rabbitte had claimed he was a front for an unnamed individual, to purchase machinery auctions in return for a commission. The judge remarked that a third named party had not been named by Mr Rabbitte, and that both Mr Rabbitte had claimed he and his wife were in fear and were "petrified" of this unnamed third party. The Judge while this was an unusual part of the case it was not something the court could take into account in regards to the disqualification order, the Judge said, adding that in a sworn statement Mr Rabbitte had admitted to acting and dealing with the unnamed individual without any fear of intimidation. A man who appeared in court on a marijuana citation was charged with contempt of court after he lit a joint in front of the judge in Lebanon, Tennessee, on January 27. Spencer Boston, 20, was filmed standing before Judge Haywood Barry and discussing his case briefly, before lighting a joint as the judge was looking away. Local media reported that Boston turned to those in the courtroom, some of whom were laughing, and said, The people deserve better. A court bailiff is seen in the footage taking Boston into custody. Lt Scott Moore of the Wilson County Sheriffs Office said Boston was booked on a second charge of simple possession and received 10 days for contempt of court. Moore told WKRN, Ive been in law enforcement for 20 years, and this is by far the most bizarre thing I have seen in a courtroom. He is a lot braver than I am." Marijuana has been decriminalized in the neighboring states of North Carolina, Mississippi, and Missouri and is legal for recreational use in 11 states, but Tennessee is not among them. Theres a debate over whether marijuana should be legal or not, but the bottom line is here in Tennessee it is not legal, and we have a responsibility to uphold the law and that is what we are going to do, Moore said. Credit: Wilson County Sheriffs Office via Storyful DAMASCUS, Syria Syrian government forces captured one of the largest and most strategic rebel-held towns in the countrys northwest, the Syrian military and opposition activists said Wednesday, part of a Russian-backed military assault that has displaced hundreds of thousands of people fleeing to safer areas. The town of Maaret al-Numan in Idlib province, which had been in rebel hands since 2012, sits on the highway linking Damascus with Aleppo and is considered critical to President Bashar Assads forces. The town is now largely empty as a result of intense bombardment in recent weeks. Its capture is the latest in a series of military triumphs for Assad. His forces have retaken control of most of the country from rebel fighters, largely because of blanket air support from Russia, which helped turn the tide in the nearly nine-year civil war. The Syrian conflict has left more than 400,000 people dead and displaced half of Syrias population, including more than 5 million who are refugees, mostly in neighboring countries. An exception to the Syrian governments success in retaking territory from rebel groups has been Idlib province in the northwestern corner of the country near the Turkish border, which is held by opposition fighters and is dominated by al Qaeda-linked militants. The province is home to some 3 million people, many of them internally displaced. Syrian government forces have been on the offensive for more than a month in Idlib province, the last rebel stronghold in the country. But in recent days, the government captured more than a dozen villages in the area as the insurgents defenses began to crumble. Our armed forces continued operations in southern parts of Idlib with the aim of putting an end to crimes committed by terrorist groups, said army spokesman Brig. Gen. Ali Mayhoub. He listed more than a dozen villages and towns captured, including Maaret al-Numan. But the push appears to have angered Turkey, which backs the opposition and has for years coordinated with Russia, a main backer of Assad, during the conflict. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed frustration with Moscow over its failure to halt Syrian government attacks in Idlib. Albert Aji and Bassem Mroue are Associated Press writers. WESTMINSTER, Colo., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Coalfire, a provider of cybersecurity advisory and assessment services, today announced that two of its employees who were arrested while conducting a standard penetration test to protect Iowa citizens from cybercrime have been exonerated. Following discussions between representatives of Coalfire, the Dallas County Sheriff and the Dallas County Attorney, it was the decision of the Dallas County Attorney to dismiss trespass charges against the Coalfire employees. It is clear that on September 11, 2019 it was the intention of the Dallas County Sheriff to protect the citizens of Dallas County and the State of Iowa by ensuring the integrity of the Dallas County Courthouse. It was also the intention of Coalfire to aid in protecting the citizens of the State of Iowa, by testing the security of information maintained by the Judicial Branch, pursuant to a contract with State Court Administration. Ultimately, the long-term interests of justice and protection of the public are not best served by continued prosecution of the trespass charges. Those interests are best served by all the parties working together to ensure that there is clear communication on the actions to be taken to secure the sensitive information maintained by the Judicial Branch, without endangering the life or property of the citizens of Iowa, law enforcement or the persons carrying out the testing. It is the hope of Dallas County and Coalfire that the Judicial Branch will work with them so that any issues carrying out such vital testing can be avoided in the future. "We are pleased that all charges are dropped in the Iowa incident," said Coalfire CEO Tom McAndrew. The arrests raise national awareness on the quiet war being waged against cybercrime, and the critical role red team penetration testing plays in defending the integrity of public and private sector commerce. "With positive lessons learned, a new dialogue now begins with a focus on improving best practices and elevating the alignment between security professionals and law enforcement," said McAndrew. "We're grateful to the global security community for their support throughout this experience." About Coalfire Coalfire is the trusted cybersecurity advisor that helps private and public sector organizations avert threats, close gaps and effectively manage risk. By providing independent and tailored advice, assessments, technical testing and cyber engineering services, we help clients develop scalable programs that improve their security posture, achieve their business objectives and fuel their continued success. Coalfire has been a cybersecurity thought leader for nearly 20 years and has offices throughout the United States and Europe. Press Contact: Mike Gallo For Coalfire 212-239-8594 [email protected] SOURCE Coalfire Ukraine's former Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin says Kyiv should remain a priority for the United States and not become part of domestic American politics. Speaking on January 29 to Current Time in Kyiv, Klimkin said Ukraine is now considered in the framework of President Trump's impeachment process, which is the worst possible scenario. Dr. Hudis has been a member of the College since 1980, joining as a student and later attaining the designation of Fellow. Dr. Hudis has been a Diplomate of the American Board of Prosthodontics since 2005. He has served in multiple leadership roles with local and national dental societies and with the ACP and the American College of Prosthodontists Education Foundation (ACPEF). Dr. Hudis served as Treasurer of the ACPEF from 2006 to 2015 and as Director of the Northeast Region of the ACP from 2011 to 2015. Dr. Hudis obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the New England Conservatory of Music. "I am an artist at heart," he said. "Before I decided to pursue dentistry as a career, I was a professional musician. Prosthodontics gives me the opportunity to combine art, science, and technology." The president attended New York University College of Dentistry where he received his Doctor of Dental Surgery, followed by a General Practice Residency at Bellevue Hospital Center in New York City. He earned a certificate in prosthodontics from the New York University College of Dentistry Advanced Education Program in Prosthodontics. About Prosthodontists A prosthodontist is a dental specialist who focuses on the restoration and replacement of missing teeth and other oral or facial issues. Prosthodontists specialize in helping patients with implants, dentures and veneers, all the way to full mouth and jaw reconstructions. About the ACP The American College of Prosthodontists (ACP) is the only ADA recognized organization for the specialty of prosthodontics. Founded in 1970, the ACP is dedicated to advancing the art and science of prosthodontics and promoting the specialty to the public and dental professionals. For more information, consumers can visit GoToAPro.org and dental professionals can visit Prosthodontics.org. Evan Summers [email protected] SOURCE American College of Prosthodontists Related Links http://GoToAPro.org The University of Dayton has joined with the University of Cincinnati and three other universities in the region in a partnership that will greatly increase the resources and opportunities available to the region's early-stage startups. Startups formed to commercialize intellectual property developed at the University of Dayton, Wright State University, Xavier University, and Cincinnati State Technical and Community College are now eligible for placement in UC's Venture Lab pre-accelerator program at its 1819 Innovation Hub. Startups from each university and college can now connect to the entrepreneurial talent they need to launch their businesses. "Partnering has always been a key to success for the University of Dayton, especially with respect to innovation, which is part of Daytons DNA," said University of Dayton President Eric F. Spina. "As such, we are excited to join our regional universities in building an entrepreneurial ecosystem to commercialize more of Ohios inventions by companies in Ohio." The seven-week Venture Lab program connects innovative startup founders with talent and entrepreneurial expertise, speeding up the process of getting ideas to market. Venture Lab will play a critical role in maximizing the strengths of each institution while also providing a swift track for future startups to thrive. The partnership, which brings together private and public universities, is the first of its kind led by a public urban research university in the Midwest and among the first in the nation. "Working together, we can move ideas faster than what any of us could do individually," says UC Chief Innovation Officer David J. Adams. "Universities are the strongest generators of startups. As a unified group, we can attract even more prosperity to this region and move at the speed that the knowledge economy demands. The 1819 Innovation Hub is the nexus that brings all of these efforts together." More than a dozen Venture Lab graduate startups and counting have attracted funding. Since July 2019, Venture Lab has connected companies with more than $1.4 million funding from grants and UC investment. The 1819 Innovation Hub is recognized by Forbes as one of the countrys top 50 innovation hubs, and anchors the Uptown Innovation Corridor, recognized by The Global Institute On Innovation Districts as one of just 27 innovation districts in the United States. For more on the partnership, visit University Partnership FAQs. The first flight of the Boeing 777X. Stephen Brashear/Getty Boeing's newest aircraft, the Boeing 777X, flew for the first time in January 2020 after lengthy delays. It's the largest twin-engine jet in the world and Boeing's latest new aircraft to fly since the grounding of the 737 Max. Pandemic-related delays, however, have further pushed back its first delivery until late 2023. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Boeing's latest history-making plane continues to be delayed. The Boeing 777X will not be delivered until late 2023, its manufacturer announced on Wednesday, further delaying the aircraft's debut well-beyond the planned time frame of 2020. Boeing attributed the delay to numerous factors including the pandemic, reduced demand, and new certification requirements. The twin-engine jet first graced the skies in January 2020 when it lifted off from Paine Field in Everett, Washington following a day of weather delays. A total of four test aircraft now roam the skies, pushing the limits of the aircraft in advance of its certification to fly passengers. Boeing designed the 777X to be the first next-generation variant of Boeing's popular 777 product line, which first flew in the 1990s and currently sees service with the world's leading airlines. The plane is equipped with new engines developed by General Electric and a longer pair of wings, enabling it to carry more passengers while operating more efficiently than its predecessor aircraft, effectively replacing the Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet. When it first took flight, the 777X became the largest twin-engine jet aircraft to ever fly. Though a milestone aircraft for Boeing, its 2020 aerial debut was hampered by the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max and the subsequent worldwide grounding of the narrow-body jet due to issues with the aircraft's software stemming from its development. Take a look at the plane Boeing hopes will be its redemption. Boeing's 777 became popular in the mid-90s as the next step up from its 767. Large twin-engine aircraft were gaining popularity due to their efficiency and changing attitudes toward their safety. Story continues A Boeing 777-200 test aircraft. Reuters/Stringer Source: Boeing Fast-forward to more recent days: Boeing looked back to its famous 777 to see if it could be improved using technology from its latest widebody, the smaller 787 Dreamliner. View of one of two Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engines of Boeing 787 Dreamliner during a media tour of the aircraft ahead of the Singapore Airshow in Singapore Reuters Read More: Boeing's revolutionary 787 Dreamliner has changed air travel forever. Here's how the company left competitors in the dust with a risky $8 billion bet. Source: Boeing And so, the 777X was born. A Boeing 777X aircraft being built by Boeing. Stephen Brashear/Getty Just like the aircraft that came before it, Boeing would create two variants, the -8 and -9. A Boeing 777X aircraft in production. Stephen Brashear/Getty The -9 aircraft would be the first to be manufactured, with production beginning in October 2017. A Boeing 777X without paint at Paine Field. JASON REDMOND/AFP/Getty Source: Boeing At 251 feet and 9 inches in the length, the aircraft would be the largest twin-engine aircraft to roam the skies. A Boeing 777x aircraft. LINDSEY WASSON/Reuters Source: Boeing Its wingspan is almost as wide as the aircraft is long - wingtip to wingtip it spans 212 feet and 8 inches. The wingspan of a Boeing 777X. TERRAY SYLVESTER/Reuters Source: Boeing The aircraft has two different wingspan lengths thanks to a unique feature of the aircraft: the wingtips extend flat before takeoff to improve fuel efficiency. The retractable wingtips of a Boeing 777X. TERRAY SYLVESTER/Reuters Pilots activate the function via a switch in the cockpit and retract them right after landing to avoid hitting anything on the ground. A Boeing 777X with its wingtips retracted. TERRAY SYLVESTER/Reuters The wingspan with the extended wingtips is 235 feet, nearly enough to fit two Boeing 757 aircraft back to back. A Boeing 777X preparing to take flight. LINDSEY WASSON/Reuters Source: Boeing While the range of the new -9 and the last generation 777-300ER are comparable, the draw to the new aircraft is its efficiency and extra carrying capacity. A Boeing 777X taxing back to its hangar. LINDSEY WASSON/Reuters Source: Boeing The aircraft's increased efficiency and similar range to its predecessors despite the additional load are made possible thanks to General Electric Aviation's GE9X engines. A General Electric GE9X engine used exclusively on the Boeing 777X. JASON REDMOND/AFP/Getty Source: Boeing The huge engines are large enough for a Boeing 737 fuselage to fit inside. The GE Aviation GE9X engine powers the Boeing 777X. TERRAY SYLVESTER/Reuters The fuel-efficient measures of the aircraft lead Boeing to boast that it will offer 10 percent less fuel burn, emissions, and operating costs. A Boeing 777X aircraft taxing in Washington. Stephen Brashear/Getty Images Source: Boeing Boeing also estimates that the -9 can carry 426 passengers in a two-cabin configuration, 30 more than the -300ER. A Boeing 777X taxing to the hangar. TERRAY SYLVESTER/Reuters Source: Boeing Passengers can look forward to larger windows, more natural light, quieter engines, and a more spacious cabin. A Boeing 777X taxing at Paine Field. JASON REDMOND/AFP/Getty Source: Boeing Its first flight was scheduled for January 24, 2020, three years after production began. That flight was scrapped, however, due to bad weather in the area. A Boeing 777X taxis following a failed first flight attempt. LINDSEY WASSON/Reuters The next day, with the sun shining, the aircraft successfully departed from Paine Field north of Seattle and away from the grounded Max aircraft at Boeing Field. The first flight of the Boeing 777X. Stephen Brashear/Getty A monumental day for Boeing, the aircraft performed routine tests before heading back to Seattle. The flight path of the Boeing 777X's first flight FlightRadar24 Source: FlightRadar24 But not before stopping for a photo with Mt. Rainer, a Boeing staple. The first Boeing 777X flight landing at Boeing Field. JASON REDMOND/AFP/Getty The second 777X built by Boeing took flight on April 30, flying for just under 3 hours on its first trip to the skies. The second Boeing 777X test aircraft taking flight for the first time. Boeing Source: Boeing The second of four flight test aircraft, this plane will test the 777X's flight handling characteristics and performance capabilities. Boeing flew the plane from its birthplace at Everett, Washington's Paine Field to Seattle's Boeing Field. The second Boeing 777X test aircraft taking flight for the first time. Boeing Source: Boeing A third aircraft took flight on August 3, departing from its home at Paine Field and heading as far south as Salem, Oregon before heading home via Spokane, Washington and a few touch-and-go maneuvers at an airport in Moses Lake, Washington. Boeing's third 777X aircraft departing on a test flight. Boeing Source: Flighradar24 This test aircraft will focus on the auxiliary power unit - known as the third engine as it provides additional energy for functions such as engine start - as well as the aircraft's avionics, flight loads, and propulsion performance. Boeing's third 777X aircraft departing on a test flight. Boeing Instead of the Boeing house livery that its predecessors wear, the third aircraft's fuselage is nearly all white with the Boeing logo and other small lettering and branding providing the only color. Boeing's third 777X aircraft departing on a test flight. Boeing The tail, however, remained the same. Boeing's third 777X aircraft departing on a test flight. Boeing The aircraft will continue test flights until it receives certification from the world's aviation regulatory agencies. So far, Boeing has logged around 100 hours of test flying with the new type. A Boeing 777X test flight. Stephen Brashear/Getty When it does receive the certification, expected to be rigorous following the issues exposed with the Boeing 737 Max certification, deliveries can begin to customers, with Emirates first on the list. Emirates Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in Dubai. Reuters Source: Forbes Seven other airlines have the aircraft on order including Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, British Airways, All Nippon Airways, Etihad Airways, and Cathay Pacific. A Boeing 777X aircraft departing Paine Field. JASON REDMOND/AFP/Getty Source: Boeing As is Boeing's custom, painted on the side of the fuselage of the first test plane are the tails of each airline that has an order in for the plane. A Boeing 777X aircraft on its first test flight. Stephen Brashear/Getty Images The cost per plane stands at $442.2 million, but some airlines receive discounts for buying in bulk. A Boeing 777X aircraft preparing for takeoff. JASON REDMOND/AFP/Getty Source: Boeing For the majority of the airlines in the list, an Airbus aircraft serves as the flagship, though the 777X will likely take that spot. A Boeing 777X preparing for its first test flight amid bad weather. Stephen Brashear/Getty The first delivery - and likely the first passenger flight - of the aircraft is now expected in late 2023 following pandemic-related delays. A taxing Boeing 777 in Seatle, Washington. JASON REDMOND/AFP/Getty Read More: Boeing's Washington facilities closed indefinitely due to COVID-19. Take a look at the greatest successes and failures which were built there. "This schedule, and the associated financial impact, reflect a number of factors, including an updated assessment of global certification requirements, the company's latest assessment of COVID-19 impacts on market demand, and discussions with its customers with respect to aircraft delivery timing," Boeing said in a statement. A Boeing 777X test flight. Stephen Brashear/Getty Until then, Boeing can revel in its accomplishment of building the world's largest twin-engine jet as the next step towards redemption for the troubled manufacturer. A Boeing 777X aircraft returns triumphantly following a successful test flight. JASON REDMOND/AFP/Getty Read the original article on Business Insider The Union government held an all party meeting in New Delhi on Thursday, a day before Parliaments budget session begins. The session comes amid nationwide protests against the governments citizenship measures, including the amended citizenship law, with opposition parties putting up a united front against the Narendra Modi dispensation. Prime Minister Modi, senior ministers, Anand Sharma and Ghulam Nabi Azad of the Congress and Sudip Bandyopadhyay of the TMC, besides representatives of other parties, attended the meeting. The Budget will be presented on Saturday. | By Chris Zang The power of teamwork was on display Jan. 27 at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) as its Faculty Senate and Staff Senate combined to hold a Shared Governance Town Hall. The event was so popular that SMC Campus Center staff had to bring out additional rows of chairs for the overflow crowd of 200-plus in Elm Ballroom B. K-9 comfort dog Archie wanders during the Shared Governance Town Hall. Thank you so, so much. It warms our hearts to see everyone here today to get a grasp on whats going on around campus, said Kristy Novak, MS, Staff Senate president and assistant director of student services at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. Over the last year the Staff Senate and Faculty Senate have been working on forging a stronger bond and developing a better collaboration. Now that we see how much interest there is, Im really hoping this is something we can do every six months. UMBs new interim president, Bruce Jarrell, MD, FACS, headed a seven-person leadership panel who each spoke about their area before the floor was opened to questions. Jarrell, who took over the presidency on Jan. 6 when Jay A. Perman, MD, stepped down to become chancellor of the University System of Maryland, also mentioned teamwork. We have a wonderful environment here for people to participate, he said. In giving you a summary of what I think is important, the first thing I want to say is teamwork. If you think leadership is here to have all the answers, youre wrong. Were here to listen to your good ideas, to be part of this team, and to guide us in terms of how we can do a better job. Jarrell said he would be doing more listening when he begins office hours later this year. Just to have an open door for people to walk in and talk about a topic and have a conversation. Its not a lecture, its a listening session, he said. It has to be constructive to be useful. So Ill expect to hear your solutions as well as your questions. The town hall, moderated by Mark Emmel, MAS, director of employee development in Human Resource Services, then turned to the other panelists. Roger Ward, EdD, JD, MSL, MPA, interim provost, executive vice president, and dean of the Graduate School, explained how the Office of the Provosts goal is to add value to UMBs schools and the leadership of the schools. He said this is done in three areas. 1) Creating excellence in teaching and learning, adapting to current demographics and how todays students wish to be taught. 2) Inclusive excellence, making sure that UMB has a diverse community in every way possible across faculty, staff, and students; and 3) what I call institutional effectiveness, that we can demonstrate at accreditation time that we are a well-run, well-organized, effective institution at exercising our mission. Dawn Rhodes, MBA, chief business and finance officer and vice president, discussed changes in the UM shuttle where faculty and staff will pay $1.75 per ride beginning in April. She also discussed the UMB budget, buildings that are being acquired as part of the North Campus Master Plan, Quantum Financials, public safety, and a smoking committee update. She was followed by UMB Police Chief Alice Cary, MS, who noted new portable radios are helping her officers get information instantaneously, in real time, that students will be hired to help monitor the expanded Safe Walk/Safe Ride program, and that 30 new officers are being recruited in a joint UMB/University of Maryland Medical Center initiative. So if you know of anyone who would like to apply for these new positions, please let us know, Cary told the crowd, because you who work here are the greatest recruiters we have. Matt Lasecki, SPHR, chief human relations officer, spoke of how HR is evolving at UMB, from a policy interpretation and transactional organization to one that is more solutions-oriented. So instead of saying you cant, were looking at trying to identify what the ultimate goal is and saying maybe we cant do it this way but maybe we can do it that way, said Lasecki, who also mentioned HRs Office of Career Development for staff and new conflict resolution tools. The PDP evaluation system is being completely re-evaluated for the first time in 15 years. Joshua Abzug, MD, Faculty Senate president and University of Maryland School of Medicine associate professor, thanked Novak for sharing this event, with plans to add students in the future. For now its great to get all the employees of the University in one room and try to get them on the same page. He said clinicians such as himself are often in their own little worlds in UMBs seven schools and he has been happy to grow as a collaborator in his five years on Faculty Senate. After some closing remarks on civility and the need for nominations for the Board of Regents awards from Novak, Emmel took questions from the audience on Live Near Your Work, the UM shuttle, cost-of-living adjustments, and more. But the star of the show, before the presentations and after, was Archie, the K-9 comfort dog who accompanied Cary. A survivor of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas, Archie had a line of UMB employees offering him pets beforehand and the last two questions were on how UMB groups can arrange visits with him and his K-9 colleague Lexi and who takes care of them after-hours (Cary and Cpl. J.R. Jones). This little guy brings so much heart and soul to so many, Cary said. Christina Cestone, PhD, executive director of the UMB Center for Faculty Teaching and Learning, said she attended the event because she is fairly new employee and wanted to learn more about current initiatives on campus. I was really interested in the expansion of the campus and the development of the northwest side of the campus because thats where our offices are located, she said. I think a lot of employees and faculty should attend because I think some of the questions in the room particularly are very illuminating for the rest of the group. Afterward, there was a resource fair of the aforementioned departments as well as the Office of Accountability and Compliance, Community Engagement Center, Communications, Diversity Advisory Council, Parking, URecFit, Workplace Mediation Service, and more. Enlight Renewable Energy (TASE: ENLT) today (1/29) informed that it has completed the negotiation and signed an agreement to buy the rights in a 100-MW wind energy project in the Qawqaz state Georgia. The project is under development stages and expected to complete development within 18-24 months. As of today, the project has already secured part of the rights in the relevant lands and is in the process of achieving environmental permits. It is in an area characterized by favorable wind conditions based on measurements conducted over several years. In addition, the project may expand with an additional 200 megawatt, Subject to increased wind energy quotas in Georgia and additional conditions. The developers behind the project include an engineering company with extensive experience in developing wind energy projects in central and Eastern Europe, and a local Georgian development company. The project company has entered a memorandum of understandings with Georgia's government and is negotiating a detailed framework agreement, which is expected to include the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), and which will anchor the project's right to be connected to Georgia's national grid. The PPA will be entered at the expected feed-in tariff of US$ 65 per megawatt hour for nine months every year, for a period of 10 years. The sale of power in the remaining three months will be made under market conditions. At the end of the 10-year PPA period, the power will be sold at market prices. The total cost of the project is estimated at $ 135-155 million, including construction, financing costs, and the acquisition of project rights. The gross revenues from the project are estimated at $ 18-21 million a year during the PPA term, and an average of $ 25-30 million a year after that. The expected EBITDA from the project will be around 80%. The completion of the first milestone of the purchase transaction hinges on several conditions' precedent, mainly signing of a framework and PPA agreement with the Georgian government The project is covered by the current quota allocated by Georgia's government for wind energy, at initial capacity of 250 megawatt. Georgia's power market relies mainly in hydroelectric plants until today. Following the joining of Georgia to the European Energy Treaty, the Georgian government has pledged to support further renewable energy development, and recently adopted a National Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP) and new legislation in the field setting renewable energy targets of 35% of total Energy consumption by 2030. It is clarified that there is no certainty regarding the completion of the development of the project, which is subject to various variables and, inter alia, obtaining the full approvals and permits required for its establishment, including the signing of the framework agreement as described above. Enlight Renewable Energy, founded in 2008, trades on the Tel-Aviv-125 Index. With 97% of its shares held by the public, Enlight is a leading company in the development, financing, construction, and operations of renewable energy generation projects. The company has operations in Israel and Europe with a diversified portfolio of income-generating projects that total over 750 megawatts. An additional 550 megawatts are in advanced stages towards construction, and 1,500 megawatts more are in initial development stages. Enlight enjoys consistent growth in revenues from long term electricity sales of its yielding assets, and in parallel increasing its diversification to additional markets and clean energy segments. For additional information: Neta Schoener Scherf Communications +972-50-7202718 netas@scherfcom.com A protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act at Jamia Millia Islamia was disrupted after a young man, later identified as a teenaged minor, opened fire at the crowd using a countrymade pistol, injuring a first-year postgraduate student on Thursday, eyewitnesses said. The minors Facebook account, since suspended by the social media company, was filled with hate speech directed at anti-CAA protests, especially those at the Capitals Shaheen Bagh. Indeed, one of his recent posts seemed to suggest he was planning something drastic. Shaheen Bagh khel khatam... azaadi de raha hun (Gave over, Shaheen Bagh. I am giving you freedom), he wrote in a post made moments before he began one of several short live stream videos from close to the place where he opened fire. The injured student, Shadab Farooq, was taken to Holy Family Hospital at first and later to AIIMS trauma centre for his treatment where doctors said he will be kept overnight. The shot was fired even as a group of policemen, many of them in anti-riot gear, stood and watched for several seconds before one of them made a move to restrain the attacker, who has claimed that he is 17-years-old and a student of Class 12 at a private school in Noidas Jewar. Eyewitnesses said the gunman shouted Yeh lo aazadi (here, take your freedom) before he fired the shot. Union home minister Amit Shah tweeted saying action would be taken against those behind the incident. I have spoken to the Delhi Police Commissioner on the incident of firing in Delhi and have directed him to take strictest action, he said. By late evening, the investigation was handed over to the crime branch. The firing comes towards the end of a fraught week in the Capital, which is going to the polls on February 8 even as the protests against CAA at Shaheen Bagh continue. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is touting its track record, which is being questioned by the BJP. The latter has also sought to make the election one between pro- and anti-CAA forces. Earlier this week, Sharjeel Iman, one of the original organisers of the protest at Shaheen Bagh was arrested for inflammatory speeches where he suggested that Assam should be separated from India in the context of NRC. On Thursday, the Election Commision suspended BJP leaders and MPs Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma for 72 and 96 hours respectively. The former led the audience at an election rally in a chant of Desh ki gaddaron ko..., exhorting them to finish it, which they did with goli maaron saalon ko. The slogan roughly translates as shoot the traitors. Verma said protesters from Shaheen Bagh will enter your houses, rape your sisters and daughters and kill them. AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said Thursdays incident was waiting to happen after the provocative speeches given by BJP leaders. He also accused the party of trying to scuttle the elections. If the home minister of our country inspires and instigates the leaders of his party to give provocative speeches, then the result will be exactly what is happening in Delhi today. The BJP is fearing its defeat and is trying all this to stop elections which is why it is constantly trying to spoil Delhis atmosphere. Shifa-ur-rehman, a member of Jamias alumni association, said a police complaint has been filed against the attacker and Thakur, Verma, and another BJP leader Kapil Mishra for allegedly provoking people. The communal and hate speeches by these leaders have provoked people. They are responsible for instigating people like the one who attacked the protesters in Jamia on Thursday. We have filed a complaint against them in New Friends Colony police station. AAP leader and former MP Ajoy Kumar drew an explicit link: A few days ago you all must have heard BJPs Anurag Thakurs comment and just after this, one man reaches with a gun and shoots as well. The AAP demands the resignation of home minister Amit Shah. Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari said the party was against the violence. The home minister has already ordered a probe, but Arvind Kejriwal has backed Shaheen Bagh from where provocative statements like killing PM Narendra Modi and killing HM Amit shah are coming... Kejriwal being CM of NCT Delhi should meet Shaheen Bagh protestors and persuade them to clear the roads occupied by protestors, he said. The incident took place as hundreds of students were gathering for a march to Raj Ghat on the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi as part of an anti-CAA protest. Police said the students did not have permission for the march which was called by the Jamia Coordination Committee, a body with members from different students outfits. Roads leading to Jamia Millia Islamia were barricaded near Sukhdev Vihar Metro Station and Holy Family hospital by police to stop students from marching ahead. At around 1.30pm students crossed the universitys gate and were marching towards the hospital. Multiple eyewitnesses said the teenager was then spotted walking towards the students, brandishing a gold-coloured countrymade pistol and shouting provocative slogans. He came running from the other side and started saying aao aaj aazadi dilaata hoon (come, I will give you freedom). He walked around raising religious slogans and fired in front of police, injuring Shadab Farooq. How could he fire in the presence of so many police personnel? For whose safety were they deployed? asked Aamir Zahid, a former Jamia student who runs a small business in the area. After the shot was fired, police detained the attacker and took him away for questioning. Police did not even remove the barricades to let Farooq cross the road and reach the hospital. He had to climb the barricades with his wounded and bleeding arm, said his friend Midhat Samrah, an undergraduate student at the varsity. Jamia vice chancellor Najma Akhtar condemned the incident and said, If the miscreant had been nabbed by the police on time, this deplorable incident could have been averted. She also said she was proud of the students for their Gandhian principles of non-violence and wise avoidance of retaliation. Speaking to reporters at the spot, deputy commissioner of police Chinmoy Biswal said the police told the students they did not have the permission for the march to Raj Ghat. When the march was coming towards the barricades, some of our officers were going to meet the students and have a dialogue with them. During this time, one person who was a part of the crowd and was marching with them, came out and waved some kind of weapon-like thing, There was noise and someone stepped forward and said he was injured in the left hand. Immediately, we took him to Holy Family hospital, Biswal said. Biswal said that the organisers should have screened the protesters, since it was a public march putting the onus for the incident on them. Hundreds of students and residents gathered outside Holy Family thereafter, blaming the police for inaction and remained parked outside the hospital, blocking both carriageways of Okhla Road, demanding action. While metro services were not disrupted, at least two entry gates of Sukhdev Vihar Metro station remained closed till evening. Vehicular movement on Okhla Road and MP Road were also disrupted for around five hours. Praveer Ranjan, special commissioner of police (crime branch), who will head the probe into the attack, said that the incident happened in a split second and before the police could react. He emerged from the crowd and seemed like one of the protesters. But we reacted to overpower him and seize his weapon, said Ranjan. The teenager has been booked for attempt to murder and under the arms act. The police are yet to ascertain whether he was working alone. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON 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. 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 Goods and Service Tax (GST) was introduced two and a half years back replacing various indirect tax laws like excise duty, service tax, value-added tax, etc. It also saw the creation of GST Council, which brought both the Centre and state governments on to a common platform for deciding changes in the law, rate of taxes etc. This has resulted in having a uniform indirect tax law across India. Now eyes are on what could be the key themes/trends to watch out for in the next couple of years. Extensive use of technology Introduction of GST has seen extensive use of technology by the tax authorities to administer the laws. Technology has been fulcrum of compliance. There has been considerable emphasis on seeking detailed information relating to procurements, sales, etc, to introduce transparency and plug the revenue leakages. Initiatives like filing of GSTR - 1 for submission of invoice-wise data, and the use of electronic way bill for movement of goods have been successfully implemented. Several other initiatives are in the pipeline - like the introduction of electronic invoicing - where the invoice number will be generated by a central system having unique identification codes, online matching of input tax credits whereby the input tax credit will be available only when the supplier uploads the supply invoice on the GSTN portal. This would enable tracking of GST paid by the supplier as well as tackle the menace of fake invoicing. There is an increasing reliance on technology to meet compliance requirements. It has necessitated behavioural and operational changes at the organisation level for the tax function. The tax has taken centre stage at the board meetings like never before! Also read: GST revenue crosses Rs 1-lakh crore mark in December 2019 Data analytics With the vast amount of data at its disposal, the tax department is making use of data analytics to identify defaulters, fraudulent transactions. It is getting increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to avoid detection and one can see instances of such frauds being detected much earlier than before! The availability of data at a granular level could also have ripple effects in compliances in other laws like income tax. Increased co-operation by sharing of data between various departments is fast gaining traction. The Centre is also investing in building new technologies and incorporating artificial intelligence to monitor compliances. Will GST Council decision making remain unanimous? The GST guarantees an increase in tax collection by 14 per cent year-on-year for the states in the next five years. The assurance by the Centre was necessary for obtaining the states' agreement to join the new tax regime and not operate outside its framework. The Indian Constitution has divided the powers for the collection of taxes between the Centre and the states for different domains. Obtaining concurrence of the states was vital for uniform application of the new law across the country. In this assurance lies the future of the GST. The GST Council provides the platform for achieving consensus between the Centre and the states on all GST-related matters. For decisions to be taken at the GST Council, there are provisions to adopt voting in case of difference in opinion. So far, the GST Council's decisions have been taken unanimously, except the recent case relating to the fixation of tax rates for the lottery. It would be interesting to watch this space and see whether voting would continue to remain an exception or become a rule going forward. Rejigging GST rates This year's GST collection has been below the budgeted amounts, which may lead to a significant shortfall in the collection. With another round of increased compensation to the states kicking in the next financial year, can the GST Council rejig rates to augment tax collection? While the government is focusing on increasing compliances to bridge the gap, if it does not yield the intended results, who knows what lies in future? The author is a partner with tax consulting firm Dhruva Advisors. The views expressed are personal Paighton Houston, the Trussville woman who disappeared from a Birmingham bar and was later found buried in the backyard of a Hueytown home, died of drug overdose, authorities announced Thursday morning. The Jefferson County Coroners Office on Thursday listed the cause of death as morphine and methamphetamine toxicity. The manner of death is accidental. "This represents an overdose and is classified as a drug-opioid death,'' Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates wrote in his early-morning news release. The announcement comes less than 12 hours after Fredrick Hampton was captured in Ohio by U.S. Marshals. The 50-year-old man is charged with abuse of corpse in her death, meaning he buried her following her accidental overdose. Similar abuse of corpse cases have happened around the state. In 2014, a Pinson womans body was found burning behind an abandoned Fairfield home. Kenneth Lamar Childers and Nathaniel Fortune were charged with abuse of corpse following the death of 22-year-old Megan Elizabeth Monroe. Monroes remains were discovered April 19, 2014 behind an empty house in the 500 block of 40th Street. Authorities determined Monroe was already dead from an alleged drug overdose when the two men put Monroes body behind the house and set it on fire, according to the indictments against Childers and Fortune. Childers went to police nine days later and confessed what he had done and identified Fortune as the second suspect. Police also obtained video of the two men buying gas. Both men eventually pleaded guilty to the felony charge. Childers was sentenced to six years in prison; Fortune to 10 years in prison. Fortune had previous convictions for attempted murder, possession of cocaine and carrying a pistol without a license. In November 2017, the body of 27-year-old Melissa Ann Cleckler was found on Egg and Butter Road near Oak Drive in Columbiana. Her body had been at the location for a couple of days before the discovery. The cause and manner of her death was never determined. Allen Dion Jones, 44, of Jemison, and Anthony Scott Germany, 42, were charged with abuse of corpse. Both men pleaded guilty to the charge in 2018 and received nine-year suspended sentences. Houston vanished Dec. 20. She was last seen at Tin Roof in the 2700 block of Seventh Avenue South in Birminghams Lakeview District. According to Birmingham police, she left the bar about 10:45 p.m. with two heavy-set black males. Sgt. Johnny Williams said it was reported that Houston left the location willingly with the two men. She had reportedly gone to the Birmingham bar with co-workers. Friends on Facebook said Houston didnt know the men and that the last text message from her to a coworker about two hours after she left Tin Roof - stated she didnt know where she was, and she felt she might be in trouble. She had sent multiple messages to her co-worker, the last one reading, Idk who im with so if I call please answer. I feel in trouble. That text was sent at 12:15 a.m. Dec. 21 but not seen by her coworker until nearly two hours later. We have evidence the victim and the offender were together the night of Dec. 20, 2019,'' said Sheriffs Office Deputy Chief David Agee in an earlier press conference. We have evidence the victim died the next day at a house on McClain Street in Brighton. We have evidence that after the victim died, her body was disposed of in a criminal manner by Fredrick Hampton. The body of the 29-year-old Houston was found Friday, Jan. 3, wrapped in sheets and buried in a shallow grave behind the house at 215 Chapel Drive. That house belongs to relatives of Hampton. Hampton was initially held in the Birmingham City Jail on a 48-hour extension on suspicion of kidnapping beginning Saturday, Dec. 28, but was released two days later because investigators did not have enough to charge him with any crime. Agee said investigators have determined Houston was with Hampton on Dec. 20, 2019 and Dec. 21, 2019. She died on Dec. 21 at a house on McClain Street in Brighton, he said. Asked if Houston was with Hampton willingly and voluntarily, Agee said, We are saying they were together. There is no evidence there was any force. Full coverage of Paighton Houston disappearance Hampton was previously convicted in 1992 on first-degree rape and first-degree sodomy charges out of Jefferson County. He served 20 years, five months and 26 days in prison before his release on March 22, 2012. He was also charged with kidnapping, but that charge was dismissed. Details about those March 5, 1991 crimes werent immediately available but a sex offender notification states the offender, along with seven other men, committed rape Rape 1st and Sodomy 1st on an adult female. Shortly after the completion of his prison sentence, Hampton was arrested again for failure to provide authorities with his new address, which is required by law for convicted sex offenders. He pleaded guilty Far-right commentator Katie Hopkins has been suspended from Twitter following calls for the social network to carry out a full review of her account. Campaigners had accused her of spreading hate on the platform, where several of her tweets have been shared by Donald Trump, the US president. Ms Hopkins account has more than one million followers, having survived a series of Twitter takedowns targeting activists including Tommy Robinson and the far-right group Britain First. The only tweet still visible on her main profile page on Thursday morning was from a critic accusing her of inciting racial hatred in messages directed at the rapper Stormzy. Twitter said that Ms Hopkins had been temporarily locked out of her account for violating the sites hateful-conduct policy, which bans the promotion of violence or inciting harm on the basis of race, religion, national origin or gender identity. Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Show all 16 1 /16 Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins on 'plus size' 'To call yourself 'plus-size' is just a euphemism for being fat. Life is much easier when you're thinner. Big is not beautiful, of course a job comes down to how you look.' Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins on naming children I think you can tell a great deal from a name. For me, there are certain names that I hear and I think Urgh. For me, a name is a shortcut of finding out what class that child comes from and makes me ask, Do I want my children to play with them? Theres a whole set of things that go with children like that and thats why I dont like those sorts of children. Hi, this is my daughter Charmaine. I hear: Hi, I am thick and ignorant. Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins on gender equality 'Women don't want equal treatment, they couldn't handle it if they got it. It's a tough world out there. What a lot of women are actually looking for is special treatment. What women need to realise is that they have to toughen up.' Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins on immigration 'I've always said if you go into a school playground and shout Mohammad, you'll probably get 100 children running towards you!" Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins to Benefits Street's White Dee 'Do you not feel like the patron saint of druggies and dropouts?' Channel 5 Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins on tattoos 'Are tattoos just a badge for the stupid? For me, and for lots of people like me, when you see tatoos you think of someone who is just looking for attention, who hasn't managed to find a way in their life through conventional means and who is just shouting 'I want attention! I want to be looked at!' Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins on addiction I dont believe what Russell Brand says about addiction. I just dont buy it. Gazza likes drinking, let him crack on. He is enjoying himself. Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins on The X Factor 'The X Factor 2013 has ended in a painful showdown between a fat mum in a jumpsuit (Sam Bailey) and a small boy in whatever his mum laid out for him on his bed (Nicholas McDonald)' ITV Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins on the Egyptian uprising 'The difference between most mothers and me is that I didnt sit around drinking coffee at baby group for 12 months after the birth of my baby. No, in three weeks I was back in my suit, back at my desk earning profit for my business and I dont see why other women shouldnt do the same.' Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins on maternity leave 'Egyptian uprising continues to look like Bonfire Night. Protest fireworks. Right up there with angry cup cakes.' Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins on 'gingerism' 'Ginger babies. Like a baby. Just so much harder to love. A ginger person with tattoos called Jayden? The triumvirate of horror!' Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins on affairs 'I lied to get someone else's husband because I wanted him. I give myself 8 out of 10 for ruthlessness for that one.' Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins on the elderly Personally I hate mobility scooters. I find their owners intolerable. Ran past a mobility scooter going up hill. Made me giggle. I need to grow up and stop being an arse. Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins after the Glasgow helicopter crash 'Life expectancy in Scotland is 59.5. Goodness me. That lot will do anything to avoid working until retirement.' Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins on Ramadan 'Channel 4 broadcasts Islamic calls to prayer for Ramadan. A 30 day reminder that minority rules in the UK. Any more PC, it'd be a bloody laptop.' Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins on self-harming 'I am advised by the Twitterati to 'cut myself'. I grazed myself on my house gate yesterday. Will that suffice?' The move came a little over a day after Rachel Riley, a co-presenter of Channel 4s Countdown and an anti-racism campaigner, met Twitter representatives calling for them to review and remove Ms Hopkins account. The meeting was organised by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) campaign group, which called for Twitter to permanently delete the account. We are pleased that preliminary action appears to have been taken by Twitter against the identity-based hate actor, Katie Hopkins following productive discussions with Twitters UK office, said CCDHs chief executive, Imran Ahmed. There is a long road ahead before social media is made safe for dialogue, information exchange and the formation and maintenance of relationships. The fact parents are so hesitant and fearful of allowing children on to social media platforms shows how toxic many of these environments have become. We believe social media can empower the world to be even better, but handing megaphones to hate actors is irresponsible and dangerous. Ms Riley said she was pleased to see that action appears to have been taken, but added that she had also called for the removal of George Galloways account, which remains online. A spokesperson for Twitter said: Keeping Twitter safe is a top priority for us abuse and harassment have no place on the service. We take enforcement action against any account that is violative of our rules which includes violations of our hateful conduct policy and abusive behaviour policy. Katie Hopkins sacked by LBC These rules apply to everyone using our service regardless of the account involved. Numerous retweets remained visible on Ms Hopkins account and it was unclear whether she or Twitter had removed the other posts. Ms Hopkins following on Twitter increased dramatically after Mr Trump shared a series of her tweets, including posts attacking the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and US Democrats. She originally found fame on BBC1s The Apprentice before appearing on a series of reality television shows and forging a career as a provocative commentator. She lost jobs writing for The Sun and Daily Mail in the wake of scandals that included a 2015 column calling refugees cockroaches, which the United Nations said resembled genocidal propaganda. In 2017, Ms Hopkins left her job at the LBC radio station after posting a tweet calling for a final solution in the wake of the Manchester Arena bombing. The following year she applied for an insolvency agreement in a last-ditch attempt to avoid bankruptcy after losing a libel case to food writer and poverty campaigner Jack Monroe. However, Ms Hopkins has continued to appear on international television recently discussing Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and to support figures such as Tommy Robinson at UK events. - 3 Nigerian stowaways have been busted in Ghana - The trio were hoping to stowaway to Europe but ended up in Ghanas harbour city of Tema - Officials say one of the three is a serial stowaway - Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in Ghanas port officials have arrested three Nigerians who wanted to stowaway to Europe but ended up at the Tema port. The three Nigerian nationals are Kelvin Popoola, 26, Isaac Daniels, 32 and 28-year-old Nuta. According to a statement from the port officials, the trio are currently in the custody of the police. Nigerian stowaways heading to Europe land in Ghanas Tema port city instead. Credit: AtinkaOnline Source: UGC READ ALSO: NPP Primaries: Man who challenged Akufo-Addo in 2014 prevented from picking forms The statement further explained that the three men sneaked into an MV Unity vessel from Apapa Port in Nigeria which was apparently heading to Ghana. One of the arrested stowaways, Isaac Daniels has been identified as a serial stowaway who was arrested in 2019 for similar offenses. He was deported to Nigeria with a $600 package, officials told the media. Meanwhile, an officer at the Tema Port in charge of security, Col Punamane said the issue of stowaways being disembarked at the port is becoming a major concern. He noted that they have stepped up efforts to deal with such crimes. ATTENTION: Read the best news on Ghana #1 news app. Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Ghana In April 2018, six Tunisian stowaways were arrested at the Tema Port raising concerns about safety at Ghanas ports of entry. READ ALSO: Coronavirus: It is a plague sent by God to punish sinners - Rick Wiles A similar incident occurred in August 2018 after two Ghanaian teenagers were also arrested by port officials. YEN.com.gh earlier reported that the founder of the Glorious Wave Church, Prophet Emmanuel Badu Kobi has cautioned Ghanaians to be critical of the Electoral Commission to ensure they deliver a clean, free and fair elections. According to Prophet Badu Ghanaians should not trust the EC to do a good job in the upcoming 2020 polls. Speaking in an interview on Power FM in Accra, the renowned preacher revealed that the Commission will be engaging some persons to assist with the coalition of the election results, and this is likely to spark violence. Faces of Ghana: Art is Lucrative But Not Appreciated-Ghanas Incredible 3DMotion Designer| #Yencomgh READ ALSO: Ghana ranked 5th best country in Africa 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 IIC goals: A pathway for William & Mary students to address conservation issues on the ground Institute launch: John Swaddle (left) is the faculty director of William & Marys new Institute for Integrative Conservation, while Rob Rose serves as executive director. The IIC is forging collaborations with ennvironment-minded nonprofits with the aim of involving students worldwide in conservation initiatives. Photo by Joseph McClain Photo - of - Hide Caption The leaders of William & Marys Institute for Integrative Conservation envision their nascent enterprise as a smooth pathway to the empowerment of students with the knowledge and skills to engage in the knotty environmental issues of the 21st century. John Swaddle expects the IIC to have its own undergraduate curriculum in about three years. Hes already talking about adding a graduate certificate. But Swaddle stresses that the Institute is not a strictly academic endeavor. A major aspect will be developing research collaborations with external organizations. Theyre going to be conservation NGOs, largely, he said. A big goal is to put William & Mary faculty, staff and students in positions where they can make positive contributions to conservation on the ground. Swaddle, a behavioral biologist, will serve as faculty director of the IIC. Rob Rose, who heads William & Marys Center for Geospatial Analysis, is the institutes executive director. The IIC was launched in late 2019, supported by a $19.3 million gift from an anonymous alumna donor as part of the universitys For the Bold fundraising campaign. The IIC will move into quarters on the second floor of the universitys recently acquired property at 332 N. Henry St. in Williamsburg once its renovated. But Swaddle and Rose arent waiting for their new quarters to start the Institutes work. Rose noted that they have already forged some collaborations, including partnership agreements with Conservation International. CI is an Arlington-based environmental organization that focuses on human interactions with natural ecosystems. We've been working with Conservation International already and we're going to have some student internships with CI this summer, Rose said. He cited an example: a set of internships centered around zero-deforestation commitments, promises made by corporations that deal in extractive resources. For example, companies that are growing palm oil in Indonesia issue these zero deforestation commitments, Rose explained. I had students that were looking at this as part of a class project. We've now connected them to Conservation International and well be able to do this on a bigger scale, seeing how these commitments play out in the field. Many of the IIC collaborations will have a broad focus, addressing not only conservation issues, but also related economic, land rights and social questions, as in the palm oil collaboration. Therefore, the focus of the IIC mission is necessarily interdisciplinary and it falls directly under the aegis of William & Marys chief academic officer Provost Peggy Agouris. The reason for the word integrative is that we want to take a different approach to conservation, Swaddle explained. Traditionally it's been centered in the sciences. We want to take a much broader view of conservation and build in business processes, strategic leadership, and the rights of indigenous peoples, as many conservation problems stem from the conflict involving economic development in developing nations. Swaddle said the curriculum will be developed within the next three years. The curriculum will include traditional conservation-oriented subjects such as biology, geology and data science. He added that there will be a significant technological component. Theres so much information out there, he noted. How can that information be converted and used in ways that make sense for conservation action? The IIC coursework also will include training in finance, accounting and business practices, especially as they pertain to NGO operation. Other aspects will include international environmental law. Another important component will be an understanding of indigenous cultures. Because a lot of effective and sustainable conservation action is really about influencing collective human behavior. It's not only about focusing on the wildlife or even the habitat itself, Swaddle said. It's about sustaining communities in environmentally sensitive localities. Big Tech companies are responding to the Chinese coronavirus outbreak in two main ways: limiting employee travel to China and trying to make sure their users have access to accurate health information. Why it matters: Like the virus itself, the spread of misinformation is hard to slow. Driving the news: Google has temporarily shut its offices in mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. (The mainland China office handles some sales and engineering for Google's ads business.) Apple said Tuesday it has closed one store in the region. All the big tech companies told Axios they are following CDC advice and limiting non-critical travel to China. Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma is contributing $14.5 million to help fight the spread of the disease, per Bloomberg. Our thought bubble: The big question now is whether the outbreak and travel limits lead to lost revenue or product delays. Meanwhile: On the content front, Google, Facebook and Twitter are all taking steps to promote verified information. Facebook has been giving ad credits to the World Health Organization and Philippines Department of Health to share information. It is also returning dedicated information modules when users search for terms related to the outbreak. YouTube is returning text results when people search for "coronavirus" and other terms, reminding users that the situation is rapidly changing while also aiming to point to authoritative video results. Google is also trying to put extra focus on verified information in search results, including showing information that has been fact-checked where possible. Twitter has adjusted its results to point to authoritative, local-language information when people search for virus-related terms. At the same time, Bloomberg reports that false information is spreading fast. The Daily Beast reports that TikTok videos show teens pretending to have the disease. Go deeper: The new age of global pandemic risk Boris Johnson's government is about to embark on fresh talks with the EU determining the nation's future relationship with the bloc (PA) Brexit, in the infamous words of Boris Johnson, is about to get done. But even when the UK leaves the EU at 11pm on Friday, the saga will be far from over. On Saturday, the following day, Britain will enter into the transition period. So, what is this - and what is at stake? Yahoo News UK take you through everything you need to know. What is the transition period? Its an agreed period of time, set out in Mr Johnsons Withdrawal Agreement, in which the UK will negotiate its future relationship with the EU. Will the UK still be subject to EU customs? Yes. It will still be a member of the single market and customs union. Freedom of movement will still apply. Britain will still be subject to EU law and European Court of Justice rulings. All the while, it will have no say in EU decision-making. So, how long will this last for? The transition period ends on December 31, by which point an agreement with the EU must be in place. Can the transition period be extended? Yes, for up to two years. But the UK must give notice of this by June 30. The PM has ruled out an extension to the transition period (AP/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Mr Johnson, for his part, is adamant the transition period wont be extended. Matt Bevington, a UK-EU relations researcher from the UK in a Changing Europe group, tells Yahoo News UK: The sole purpose of Boris Johnson will be to get a deal done and make it appear as if the negotiations are over. What is the main priority of the talks? A free trade deal to ensure the UK is not subject to costly tariffs when trading with EU countries: one of the benefits, of course, of EU membership. This is part of the reason why, in the words of Mr Bevington, the talks will be very, very tricky. What else will be discussed? Various other issues, such as security and fisheries, will have to be thrashed out. Much of the finer details remain unknown, however. Security wasnt in the Conservative election manifesto at all, Mr Bevington says. We have heard very little from the government, whether we will be in any programmes. Story continues The political declaration says the UK can still attend informal meetings of EU ministers, which shows they do want us to be involved, but the UK has been quite quiet on this. What dangers does the transition period pose to the PM? Mr Bevington points out: A key political issue will be fisheries. The risk for the government comes if it wants to extend the transition. Then, the EU will be discussing the 2021 fishing quotas in October - and it would be the EU27 dictating quotas in UK waters. Mr Johnson enjoyed spectacular success in the general election, taking a number of traditionally Labour seats. Yet this could pose its own new ramifications for Number 10 depending on how the negotiations play out. Jeremy Corbyn lost a host of traditionally Labour seats to Mr Johnson's Tories in the election (AP/Alberto Pezzali) A lot of the seats he won in the general election are in heavily manufacturing areas, and that will influence his thinking. The top 10 per cent of manufacturing areas now have a strong majority of Conservative MPs. They are now the party of manufacturing areas, and a customs union would have been very, very useful for these places. If we dont reach an agreement on goods, its the manufacturing areas like the north-west that will suffer most. He added: Food manufacturing is also important. We are a major food exporter. Look at whisky and salmon from Scotland: it all goes on the same route to Europe from Dover. It shows how the knock-on effects could reverberate around the county. How will the PM approach the talks? Mr Bevington says: I suspect there may be a battle almost immediately - with Boris Johnson trying to enforce his own timetable. However, Mr Johnson is unlikely to repeat the aggressive tactics he used in securing the Withdrawal Agreement in October last year. The likely approach is him not wanting to be as combative. He wants to relegate Brexit to the middle pages of the newspapers. He will want an agreement. What happens if an agreement isnt reached by December 31? The UK will then trade with the EU on World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms - the same as what a no-deal Brexit would have entailed. It would mean UK goods being subject to tariffs. This would have major implications for UK business, Mr Bevington says. If an agreement is not reached, businesses will start to make firm decisions on the UK. If we are outside the customs union, with no trade agreement in place, thats when they will decide. Its why businesses will be looking for steers from the government to see how the negotiations are going. In terms of security, meanwhile, the Institute for Government says the UK would have to rely on previous international conventions. Overall, just how hard will the negotiations be? Mr Bevington warns: There are all these different strands going on simultaneously, along with the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement. All these issues at the same time makes for a very complicated picture. Finally, will the UK still have any ties to Europe once the transition period ends? Yes. People will have a sense we have left and can forget about the European Commission, Mr Bevington says. But after Brexit, it can still bring cases against the UK for four years. That would come as quite a shock to the public - though it was written into the Withdrawal Agreement. Is your question not here? Let us know in the comments below. How four years of utter Brexit chaos unfolded Cannabis firms are considering an IPO. The burgeoning marijuana market includes several companies looking to raise capital to expand, acquire businesses and stay ahead of the competition by going public. U.S. and Canadian cannabis companies are anticipating growth in the recreational and medicinal use of marijuana. Although U.S. federal law prohibits the use of marijuana, medical usage is allowed in more than 30 states and the District of Columbia. "Having access to more capital and being able to use your stock as currency to make acquisitions or investments and grow the business are the main advantages of going public," says Michael Berger, founder of Technical420, a Miami-based company that researches on pot stocks. Here are five marijuana companies planning an IPO in 2020. ManifestSeven ManifestSeven, a Commerce, California-based integrated company that owns dispensaries and six delivery services, plans to go public as soon as the first quarter of 2020. The company has raised $22 million, is completing another fundraising round and does not have any debt. With that, ManifestSeven will have the infrastructure to expand if marijuana is federally legalized, Berger says. In January, the company acquired Lady Chatterley Health, a San Francisco-based cannabis delivery service focused on high-end women's products. "We're making acquisitions and have a strong balance sheet and are three months away from profitability," CEO Sturges Karban says. "This is the ideal time to go public." Hemptown USA A Central Point, Oregon-based multistate cannabinoid hemp plant producer, Hemptown USA could yield more than 2.5 million pounds of flower and biomass from the 2019 harvest season. The company has farmland across three states in Colorado, Oregon and Kentucky, along with extraction and processing capabilities. Cannabigerol hemp, or CBG, can sell for 10 times a kilo compared to cannabidiol, or CBD, which is a lesser quality, Berger says. The company has "substantial growth opportunities," he says. The company controls 40% of the world's CBG production, says Jason Spatafora, co-founder of Marijuanastocks.com and a Miami-based trader and investor. "They're going to be one of those companies that will fly under the radar for only for so long." Story continues Pure Extracts Pure Extracts, a Pemberton, British Columbia-based cannabis extraction company, could go public in the first or second quarter of 2020, Berger says. The company has strong brand recognition and will be white labeling and selling its own private label in the near term, he says. Berger adds the company's facility is well structured and developed as more consumers are turning toward products made in the legal market. Canada legalized the recreational use of cannabis in 2018 and began the rollout of sales shortly afterward. Shelter A Canadian company, Shelter operates three divisions: Shelter Farmstead, a fully licensed facility in Canada; Shelter Craft Collective, which works to assist small farmers to get their product to market; and Shelter Brands, which includes products such as cannabis oils, vapes and dried flower. The company signed a white-label deal in January to work with MediPharm Labs, an Ontario-based company that provides pharmaceutical quality cannabis extraction, distillation and derivative product production. Shelter Brands has a good management team and is well-positioned to attain additional growth and brand recognition, Berger says. Third Wave Farms Founded in 2017, Third Wave Farms is a Huntington Beach, California, industrial hemp grower. The company has several ventures with other public companies and plans to expand farms in five states this year compared with farming in four states in 2019, says Trent Paasch, co-founder of the company. Third Wave Farms seeks to raise $70 million to $100 million when it goes public this year or in 2021 and list on a U.S stock exchange, he says. Third Wave Farms has raised $3.8 million in cash and has $1.8 million in debt. "Hemp is rapidly becoming a commodity and 2020 is about the company executing and expanding its acreage in the U.S.," Paasch says. Marijuana companies poised for an IPO: -- ManifestSeven -- Hemptown USA -- Pure Extracts -- Shelter -- Third Wave Farms More From US News & World Report The upcoming Union Budget is an opportunity for the NDA government to show a roadmap to reach the $5 trillion economy-target, and prove that it is not just rhetoric, said a senior executive at UK India Business Council (UKIBC). "It will be important for any external investor to follow the Budget for any changes in the context of policy, and how the narrative aligns with the policy. Its a question of how you get from A to B. What I would like to see in the Budget is a narrative which explains or articulates that," Richard Heald, Group CEO, UKIBC, told Moneycontrol. The $5 trillion target for the Indian economy by 2024 was one of the highlights of the 2019 Budget. And since then, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has used several platforms to reiterate the target. However, the recent estimate of GDP growing by 5 percent in the 2020 financial year - the lowest in 11 years - and the current slowdown in the economy, have raised questions on achieving the $5 trillion target. The Budget, which will be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1, thus could become a catalytic moment, said Heald. Despite the current slowdown, added the former Vice Chairman of Rothschild for South and South-East Asia, India continues to be on the radar for investors. "India is an exciting place in its self with a hugely developing economy," said Heald, adding that an investor doesn't necessarily need to choose between the country and China. You invest in India for a set of reasons different from why you would invest in China," added the industry veteran. Founded in 2007, the UKIBC promotes trade and business relations between the United Kingdom and India. Heald, who has been visiting India for over 20 years, also reiterated that the ongoing protests over the Citizen Amendment Act will not hamper India as a destination for foreign investors. " I see it as a domestic issue, one which really doesnt impact on investment decisions of UK businesses. If you take any commercial decision as to whether you are going to invest in a country or not, I would argue that this isnt necessarily a factor at all," he said. While agreeing that there will be a short-term impact of Brexit on the UK economy, Heald pointed out that the new environment will also be an opportunity for Indian businesses. "UK businesses will have to be smarter and those who are not yet exporting need to think about new markets and adaptations to increase their profitability and earnings. Thats why I think Brexit is quite fundamental in terms of the future," said Heald. The UK will formally leave the European Union on January 31, which will be followed by a transition period of 11 months. As UK businesses prepare for a post-Brexit environment, India presents them with a promising opportunity, says Heald. He explains: "We have similar legal system, accounting and language. There is a huge scope for UK businesses to have a socio-economic impact in India...UK businesses have expertise in areas like waste management, water purification, renewable energy and agri-tech, which are eminently translatable into an Indian context." United States military officials warn that Islamic militants are using news of possible American military cuts in Africa to call for more attacks against U.S. interests. Earlier this month, the Islamic extremist group al-Shabab killed three Americans in an attack that destroyed U.S. military aircraft in Kenya. It was the deadliest attack against the U.S. military in Africa since 2017. After the attack, al-Shabab sent a message to African soldiers. The group claimed that the U.S. would abandon them like it abandoned the Kurds in Syria. This has caused a rare moment of agreement between both major American political parties. Lawmakers are criticizing the cuts. They argue there is an urgent need to oppose China and Russia in the area and contain the growing threat from groups linked to Islamic State, or IS, militants. Experts say it is not a good time to reduce the U.S. military presence in Africa. In a new report, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies said extremist groups increased their activity in 2019. It reported an estimated 10,400 killings linked to militant Islamists took place last year. Researchers added that increase is two times higher than in 2013. The U.S. Africa Command has signaled that it is concerned about the proposed cuts. It said leaders of al-Shabab have called on followers to attack Americans wherever they are. The command recently told reporters that neither China nor Russia are doing a lot to fight Africas extremist groups. The U.S. Defense Departments possible reduction of U.S. troops in Africa is part of a worldwide reexamination by Defense Secretary Mark Esper. He wants defense officials to pay more attention to China and Russia. It is not known when a decision will be announced. But officials say Esper has made clear that the U.S. will not withdraw from Africa completely. The U.S. has about 5,200 Africa Command members, troops and others, on the continent, and about 800 other Department of Defense workers. France warns about withdrawal French President Emanuel Macron held a conference with West African leaders in Pau, France, this month about the issue. Attendees discussed measures against Islamic extremism. The group confirmed the need for U.S. military support in the Sahel, the area south of the Sahara Desert. Groups linked to al-Qaida and IS, have already moved closer to heavily populated coastal cities there in Ghana and Ivory Coast. The French are increasing their military support in West Africa. This month France announced that it is adding to its 4,500 troops in the Sahel. Last month, France also carried out its first armed drone attack there. If the Americans were to decide to withdraw from Africa, it would be bad news for us. I confirm it, French President Emmanuel Macron said at the conference. The U.S. considers the French military very important in the Sahel. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has suggested that the Sahel is the next area of importance for the global coalition against IS. Republican and Democratic lawmakers have warned the Trump administration against cutting U.S. military support in Africa. They argue it would give too much influence to China and Russia. Lawmakers noted the recent establishment of Chinas first overseas military base in the East African country of Djibouti. It is a short distance from the U.S. militarys only permanent base in Africa. Russia also is increasing its influence in the area by using mercenaries and forming military cooperation deals. 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. The al-Shabab attack in Kenya got little international attention because it took place around the time that the U.S. killed the military commander of Irans Quds Force. But the January fifth attack was notable as al-Shababs first against U.S. forces in Kenya, East Africas economic center. The U.S. has identified the Americans killed as U.S. Army soldier Henry J. Mayfield, Jr and U.S. contractors Bruce Triplett and Dustin Harrison. A statement said an investigation is continuing and additional troop protection has been put in place. William Gayler is the U.S. Africa Command director of operations. Recently, he told reporters that a very small U.S. force was able to defend against the al-Shabab attackers and move them away from the airfield. But the extremist group declared its attack a victory, releasing images of masked fighters standing next to burning aircraft. The Trump administration has increased U.S. attention on al-Shabab in Somalia. The military said it carried out 63 airstrikes against the group last year and killed more than 320 fighters. U.S. officials, however, have expressed concern about another possible military withdrawal that could affect East Africa. That is the planned withdrawal of nearly 20,000 African Union forces from Somalia by next year. Somali forces are meant to take over security but are widely seen as not ready. Im Dorothy Gundy. And Im Pete Musto. The Associated Press reported this story. Pete Musto adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story abandon v. to leave and never return to someone who needs protection or help continent n.one of the great divisions of land, such as North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, or Antarctica, of the Earth drone n. a type of small aircraft that flies without a pilot global adj. involving the entire world mercenaries n. soldiers who will fight for any group or country that hires them cooperation n. a situation in which people work together to do something surge n. a sudden, large increase Since the flotation of the Egyptian pound, the publishing industry in Egypt suffered significantly, given that as an import-based industry around 90 percent of its components are sourced from external markets, according to Printing Chamber at the Egyptian Federation of Industries (FDI). The problem was compounded further, despite being a component for decades of Egypts soft power, by the fact that little to no data was gathered on the domestic industry, or even Egypt's ranking in the world in this sector. Yet, the industry has started to recover, in the wake of Egypt's improving macroeconomic performance, especially the better performance of the Egyptian pound against the US dollar and the stabilisation that the domestic market has begun to witness. Significant challenges According to Saeed Abdu, head of the Egyptian Publishers Association (EPA) and chairman of the oldest Egyptian publishing house, Dar Al-Maref, the publishing industry in Egypt has faced considerable challenges. One challenge, Abdu noted, was the absence of a database monitoring the industrys investments, sales volume, or even basic data, such as the number of authorised publishers in the market, publishing houses, and their share in the Egyptian market. The EPA has made significant efforts to gather this data, to be in line with countries around the world, as well as other Arab countries, that jumped forward in this industry. According to our data, Egypts market involved approximately 1,500 publishers and 500 publishing houses, including the illegal ones, with total industry volume estimated at about EGP 3 billion. More than 90 percent of books produced in the domestic market are provided by the private sector, which constitutes the lion's share of the industry in Egypt, Abdu said. The flotation of the Egyptian pound was a serious challenge to the publishing industry, forcing around 60 publishers to leave the market in 2017, Abdu noted. Production costs tripled due to hikes in the US dollar, while the price of publications jumped by between 120 and 150 percent. Publishers profit margins dwindled by as much as 50 percent, according to Abdu. This situation has caused purchasing power to decline by more than 50 percent since 2016 until now. And the Egyptian readers budget could not bear the hikes. Yet, Abdu notes, the industry has started to slowly recover as the market has begun to adjust to current economic conditions since late 2018, while macroeconomic indices have started to perform better. Forged books is a serious challenge in this regard, affecting publishers profits and investments, amid the absence of an active intellectual property law. Markets shrink, costs rise Meanwhile, Abdu said, tensions and wars in number of neighbour countries, such as Libya, Syria, Yemen and Iraq, excluded these countries from Egypts target markets, while Morocco, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia replaced them. The countries that have experienced conflict were among the largest market for Egyptian books for decades, with as much as 60 percent of Egyptian book exports headed to these countries, according to Abdu. On the other hand, paper manufacturing in the domestic market plays a role in the publishing scene. Egypt has only two state-owned factories that produce paper. According to the head of the Printing Industries Chamber at the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI), Ahmed Gaber, paper production costs jumped significantly in the wake of the governments economic reform programme, followed by the flotation of the Egyptian pound in November 2016. Publishers were forced to resort to imported paper, saving costs but putting further pressure on this domestic sector. The only paper manufacturing factories have stopped their work since April because of the price hikes in gas, which reached $5.5 per thermal unit, while it costs between $2.5 to $3 globally. Meanwhile, paper pulp, which is used to manufacture paper, itself is subject to VAT tax, while imported paper is not. Economic variables in the Egyptian market have caused a significant rise in these factories debts, Gaber explained. Reviving the industry Amid such serious challenges, the Cairo International Book Fair (CIBF) has become a lifeline for the publishing industry in Egypt. On a tour in CIBF in its current round, Ahram Online met with number of publishing house representatives who asserted that the event is vital to their businesses and sales. Ahram Online found that the price a book in standard size ranges between EGP 50 and EGP 60, while larger sizes range between EGP 80 and EGP 120, with discounts ranging between 10 and 20 percent. But CIBF in its current round noticeably lacks the hot deals of past editions. Adapting to change Given existing challenges in traditional print, some are turning to digital publishing as a lifeline for the industry. CEO and founder of Kotobna, the first Egyptian digital on-demand publishing platform, Mohamed Gamal, told Ahram Online that adopting a digital outlook towards publishing has become urgent, to break the current deadlock. Kotobna is the first platform of its kind that allows to fresh authors to publish works online with an ability to publish on-demand paper copies for readers. Electronic publishing in the Arab world accounts for only two percent of publications, Gamal said, while the latest report of the Berlin International Book Fair noted that the publishing industry in the Arab world has an estimated value of $4 billion. In the US, electronic books account for 40 percent of the publishing market, and in Europe around 25 percent, while between 15 and 20 percent in India and China. These figures illustrate an untapped market in the Arab world. Publishing house owners, particularly in Egypt, still do not believe in electronic publishing, while current readers have started to depend on digital materials more than on traditional paper books. Moreover, electronic publishing has number of potentials, especially that it does not require costs of printing and warehousing, Gamal highlighted. He added that the publishing industry in Egypt lacks investment. Thus, electronic publishing could be a way out for the publishing industry to boon yet again, adding that the government should embrace digital publishing in its efforts to boost and invest in Arabic content. Global figures According IBIS World, total revenues of the publishing industry globally raised in 2019 over $119 billion. Furthermore, annual growth in the industry between 2014 and 2019 reached three percent. The transition toward digital technology, particularly e-books, has created a fast-growing segment. However, e-books are generally priced lower than print works, which has put pressure on revenue expansion. Mature markets, such as North America and Europe, embraced digital technologies early, but these have reached their apex, producing a saturated e-book market. Significant space remains, however, in the Arabic content market. Can Egyptian publishers adapt, spurring business as well as sales? Search Keywords: Short link: Serving sailors and former comrades of a Navy man who died helping to save the crew of a Spanish trawler held a special commemoration to remember him 30 years to the day of the tragedy. They gathered for a special wreath-laying ceremony at Naval Service headquarters at Haulbowline Island in Cork harbour to honour Leading Seaman Michael Quinn the only fatality the navy has suffered in its numerous search and rescue operations during its 74-year history. On the night of Jan 30, 1990 the Spanish fishing vessel Neusra Senora De Gardtoza (Our Lady of Gardtoza) ran aground on rocks on Roancarrigbeg in Bantry Bay during a violent storm. The crew on the fishing vessel sent out a Mayday call on Marine VHF radio, which was responded to by LE Deirdre, under the command Lieutenant Commander Noel Goulding. Once close, LE Deirdre launched a Gemini inflatable boat and two men volunteered to take it to the stricken vessel. Leading Seaman Quinn, 27, and Able Seaman Paul Kellett, 31, who also attended the commemoration, set out in atrocious conditions. The Gemini capsized after being hit by a large wave, tipping both men into the sea. Able Seaman Kellett managed to make it to shore, scrambling up into the rocks. He was later picked up by a garda patrol car. Meanwhile, an RAF Sea King helicopter, and some nearby merchant vessels joined in the search for his missing colleague. The following morning, an Air Corps Dauphin helicopter, based in Shannon, recovered the body of Leading Seaman Quinn. The 16-strong crew of the Spanish fishing boat were rescued by helicopter. The Spanish Cross of Naval Merit was posthumously awarded to Leading Seaman Quinn by the then King of Spain, Juan Carlos. The Irish government awarded him a posthumous DSM (Distinguished Service Medal) 'in recognition of his unselfish bravery and devotion to duty.' The Spanish deputy ambassador, Javier Gonzalez, attended the commemoration and laid one of four wreaths in memory of the sailor at a memorial in the base dedicated to all deceased members of the Naval Service. Wreaths were also laid by Defence Forces Chief of Staff, Vice Admiral Mark Mellett, the Flag Officer Commanding the Naval Service, Commodore Mick Malone, and one of Mr Quinn's three sisters, Angela Dunne. At the same time, the crew of LE James Joyce laid a wreath at the spot where Leading Seaman Quinn's body was found. Hundreds of Naval Service personnel formed a guard of honour at the ceremony. Comrades of the Leading Seaman Quinn who were crewmembers of LE Deirdre also came to pay their respects. A piper's lament was played. This was followed by a minute's silence and the playing of the last post. One of San Francisco's biggest landlords, Veritas Investments, is selling 76 residential properties with more than 2,000 units, nearly a third of the company's local portfolio. In a city where housing is scarce, the real estate offering is stirring up a conversation around who should buy these buildings, which are all rent-controlled apartments, according to Veritas. Supervisor Dean Preston and the Housing Rights Committee are asking Veritas to delay the sell-off for 60 days to allow nonprofits and city leaders time to consider purchasing some or all of the buildings. In a city where some 171,000 units are considered rent-controlled, Preston feels the sale could impact the market and availability of affordable housing. "This is a huge number of rent-controlled units, and being put on the market all at once like this virtually guarantees the buyer will be another massive corporation," said Preston, who led a press conference on Monday to call attention to the issue. "This isn't the sale of one or two buildings. This is a sale of a significant chunk of rent-controlled-stock in the city. The big corporate investors who can buy large portfolios like this, their model is a business practice of generating their profits by aggressively raising rents through pass-throughs and trying to vacate units through evictions." Veritas has no plans to delay the sale. The company said it already gave nonprofits the opportunity to buy the buildings and alleges a tenant advocacy group committed a "flagrant" breach of confidentiality in the process. ALSO: Expert notes 'sharp deceleration' in San Francisco Bay Area rent prices San Francisco's new Community Opportunity to Purchase Act, approved by the Board of Supervisors last year, requires property owners to give qualified nonprofits the first right to purchase properties during a one-month waiting period. Veritas listed the units to nonprofits on Dec. 20, 2019, and gave them first right of refusal until Jan. 18, 2020. "Three qualified nonprofits came forward and said, 'Were interested in these buildings,'" Veritas spokesperson Juliana Bumim said. "Veritas provided all the information rent, addresses, contact info, confidential private information. At the end of the 30 days, none of the nonprofits made an offer." Bumim alleges that during this process, confidential information tenants' names, addresses, rent amount and other information was illegally released by the Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco. She said this is "deeply problematic and undermines the whole purpose of honestly coming to the table in good faith to negotiate with nonprofits." Sarah Sherburn-Zimmer, the director of the Housing Rights Committee, a tenants rights organization, said Veritas is making misleading claims to intimidate tenants from receiving information on their basic rights. Sherburn-Zimmer told The Chronicle earlier this week that the names were posted to give tenants the opportunity to find out that their buildings were for sale and denied the publication of names was illegal. "Veritas is upset that their tenants are standing up to their plan of speculation led displacement with our help," Sherburn-Zimmer wrote in an email. "We will continue to get tenants information they need to fight back to stay in SF." Veritas maintains that HRC committed a "flagrant violation" of the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act and undermined the company's ability to work with Supervisor Preston and the Housing Rights Committee. "We are open to working with the Mayors Office of Housing and Community Development, which governs the citys acquisition of affordable housing projects and has always been a strong partner, said Justin Sato, chief strategy and portfolio officer of Veritas. The office has an acquisition and preservation program, but "given limits on available funding, it would be difficult for us to fund the purchase of a significant portion of the overall portfolio, though we are currently evaluating what possibilities there may be," MOHCD said in a statement. This story was updated at 6 p.m. on Jan. 30, 2019. Amy Graff is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com. (Bloomberg) -- Prosecutors in Tokyo issued a fresh warrant on Thursday for the arrest of ex-Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn, who jumped bail and fled the country last month to escape trial for alleged financial crimes. The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office issued the warrant on Ghosn for illegally departing Japan, where the former auto executive was charged with failing to fully report his compensation and using company money for personal gain. Ghosn, 65, who made his way in a private jet to Lebanon at the end of December, held a news conference the week after he arrived, lashing out at Japans prosecutors for what he called a rigged criminal justice system. The Justice Ministry has pushed back, issuing government statements and using news conferences and interviews to defend the country. Japan Sees Nothing Wrong With Justice System Ghosn Called Rigged Without obtaining permission to travel abroad, suspect Ghosn boarded a private jet at Kansai International Airport at around 11 p.m. on Dec. 29, with the intent of traveling to Lebanon via Turkey, illegally leaving the country, prosecutors said in the statement. Prosecutors also issued a warrant for the arrest of American Michael Taylor, 59, a former U.S. Green Beret special forces soldier, and George-Antoine Zayek, 60, a former Christian militia fighter from Lebanon, for allegedly aiding Ghosns escape. They are also seeking the arrest of a newly identified suspect thought to have aided Ghosn, Peter Maxwell Taylor, 26. The Tokyo Job: Inside Carlos Ghosns Escape to Beirut The three are suspected of helping Ghosn in making his way to a Tokyo hotel, and then to the airport and onto the plane using various methods to prevent him from being detected, prosecutors said in their statement. Earlier this month, prosecutors also issued an arrest warrant for Carole Ghosn, the fugitive executives wife, for allegedly giving false testimony in court last April. The former Nissan chair is believed to have left Japan apparently concealed in an equipment case aboard a charter jet bound for Turkey en route to Lebanon, where Carlos Ghosn holds citizenship. Ghosn has maintained his innocence and defended his decision to flee Japan, saying that he couldnt get a fair trial in the country. Story continues (Updates with details from prosecutors statement in fourth paragraph.) To contact the reporter on this story: Chester Dawson in Southfield at cdawson54@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Young-Sam Cho at ycho2@bloomberg.net, Reed Stevenson, Jon Herskovitz 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. A court in Surat on Thursday issued death warrant for a 22-year-old man from Bihar, convicted for rape and murder of a three-year-old girl in the city in October 2018. The warrant, issued by additional sessions judge P S Kala, fixed February 29 as the date for hanging Anil Yadav, the convict. "Today the judge issued the death warrant. According to the warrant the convict has to be hanged till death at Sabarmati jail in Ahmedabad at 4.30 am on February 29, 2020," government pleader Nayan Sukhadwala said. The court had sentenced Yadav to death under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act, which was upheld by the Gujarat High Court on December 27, 2019, he said. Yadav has not yet approached the Supreme Court against the high court's order confirming his death sentence, the government pleader added. A three-year-old girl went missing from her house in Godadara area of Surat city on October 14, 2018. The police found her body a day later in a locked room on the ground floor of the building where she lived. Yadav, who lived in the room, was missing. A migrant labourer from Bihar, he knew the victim and her family. He was arrested from his village in Buxar district of Bihar five days after the body was discovered. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An airline passenger is speaking out about the "horrific" experience she had on a recent flight, after she and her daughters were allegedly forced to move seats due to their weight. Huhana Iripa was on a Thai Airways flight from Bangkok, Thailand to Auckland, New Zealand where she lives when the alleged incident occurred. Iripa, 59, and her daughters Renell, 28, and Tere, 37, had each paid $1,727 ($2,650 NZD) for business class tickets so they could travel comfortably, the New Zealand Herald reports. "We were utterly humiliated in front of all the other passengers," Iripa said of the family's experience boarding the plane. "We went up to business class check-in and the member of staff on the desk looked at us and said, 'sorry you can't.'" Iripa said that exchange prompted several staff members to begin talking about them in a different language and looking at them "as if [they'd] committed a crime." The 59-year-old told Insider that one staff member eventually came forward and said, "No, you're too big." "She then pulled out a measuring tape and wrapped it around my daughter Renell, moving her arms outstretched, before trying to do the same to me and Tere," Iripa added. "Everyone was just standing [and] staring at us. The whole thing was disgusting." Iripa told the New Zealand Herald that she "broke down in tears" as she and her daughters were moved to economy class for the 11-hour flight home. According to the New Zealand Herald, Iripa asked for a full refund following the flight but was instead offered the difference between the business class and economy tickets approximately $815 ($1,250 NZD) each. The family later met with Thai Airways and were offered an additional $293 ($450 NZD), but Iripa refused. "For their rudeness, their disrespect and the trauma of what they put us through, how could they identify that price as compensation?" Iripa said. Story continues However, Flight Centre, the travel agency that helped Iripa book the tickets, ultimately offered the family a full refund, with a company saying spokesperson saying she "shocked" to hear about the incident. Thai Airways, for its part, said the airline was forced to ask the family to move due to the type of plane a Boeing 787 Dreamliner their flight was scheduled to use. Wayne Cochrane, a spokesperson for the airline's New Zealand sector, told the New Zealand Herald that, due to an airbag design, extension seatbelts could not be added to the business class seats on that plane. "As this issue involves passenger safety, I am sure you will understand that we cannot compromise on this," Cochrane said. In 2018, Thai Airways faced backlash for similar policies, after the airline announced it would not allow people with a waist of 56 inches or larger to sit in business class on particular flights. That rule, also reportedly based on airbag restrictions, applied only to the Boeing 787-9 model. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 Trend: In its resolution on alleged political prisoners in Azerbaijan, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) appreciated Azerbaijans cooperation with its speakers, Member of the Russian delegation to PACE, head of the State Dumas Committee on International Affairs Leonid Slutsky told reporters. Slutsky was commenting on the PACE resolution Reported cases of political prisoners in Azerbaijan adopted on Jan. 30, Trend reports. "The resolution on political prisoners in Azerbaijan is incomparable with those [documents] that have been submitted on this topic previously," the politician said. "As a result of the coordinated, systemic and professional work of the delegation of the Azerbaijani parliament, headed by Samad Seyidov, it was possible to qualitatively reduce the degree of tension against Baku in PACE." "Today, the Azerbaijani delegation has more than ever achieved integration into PACEs functional architecture over the years of accession to the Council of Europe," Slutsky added. This clearly affected the cooperation with the PACE rapporteur on the resolution related to political prisoners. But I must say that the resolution turned out to be critical. It contains certain information that isn't true. "There are no political prisoners in Azerbaijan," Slutsky emphasized. "We have stated this repeatedly and will state this in PACE and beyond it. But at the same time, we must pay tribute to the fact that the draft resolution that was adopted on Jan. 30, in fact, positively assesses the work of the Azerbaijani leadership and parliament in cooperation with the Council of Europe." "This is the leitmotif of the cooperation of the Azerbaijani delegation with PACE and the preparation of various cases regarding Azerbaijan, rather than mythical political prisoners," the politician said. Slutsky also congratulated Azerbaijani delegation on excellent work. Last year, several local police departments worked together to collect a whopping 25,000 diapers for families in need, according to Madison police Capt. Joseph Race. This year, with six local departments and one state police troop participating, theyre trying to beat that number, Race said, adding that police also are collecting wipes. Police in East Haven, Clinton, Guilford, North Branford, Branford and Madison, as well as Connecticut State Police Troop F, will be collecting donations Feb. 1-15, according to a flyer posted to the North Branford Police Departments Facebook page. Those who wish to contribute can bring items to any of the participating police stations. Diaper sizes four to six are most needed, the flyer said, adding that monetary and Amazon wishlist donations also are welcome. The departments work in conjunction with Bare Necessities, a nonprofit diaper bank in Clinton that serves the Shoreline. While one in three babies have a need for diapers, food stamps cannot be used to purchase them, according to the organizations website. Tina Bascom, president of Bare Necessities, said she and her business partner founded the organization in 2015 after a woman approached them at a food pantry in Clinton and asked where she could find diapers for her 9-month-old. After doing some research, Bascom realized there were no diaper banks between Branford and New London. Now, Bare Necessities provides diapers each month to 375 babies between Branford and Old Saybrook, according to Bascom, who said the organization uses different agencies across town to distribute the items. People dont really know about diaper needs, she said. Not only is the police department diaper drive the organizations biggest fundraiser, but it also helps raise awareness about the issue along the Shoreline, Bascom said. Its a need we werent even aware of until Bare Necessities brought it to our attention, said Race, adding that families who cannot obtain diapers may have difficulty sending their children to daycare and, in turn, holding a job. Race said he hopes the departments efforts will help families in need. The Madison Police Department has participated in the diaper drive for several years running, according to Race. In Guilford, its the departments third year helping with the drive, police Chief Jeffrey Hutchinson said. Were happy to participate, Hutchinson said. Its another opportunity for us to basically help the community. Hutchinson noted how expensive it is for families to buy diapers, wipes and baby formula. I dont think people realize how taxing it is for parents, he said, adding that the drive receives a great community response every year. Two departments, East Haven and North Branford, are new to the team. Chief Kevin Halloran, who, after years of serving as Branfords top cop, became chief in North Branford last year, has been participating in the drive since its inception, according to Deputy Chief James Lovelace, who said Halloran brought the idea to his new department. Its another way to help out the community, Lovelace said. For more information on the drive, call 203-928-7558. Open packages of diapers are accepted, according to Race. meghan.friedmann@hearstmediact.com Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis met with the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement, Oliver Varhely, on Wednesday, 29 January 2020, in Brussels. During the meeting, he underscored the importance of EU Enlargement in the Western Balkans and Greeces readiness to play a supportive and constructive role in the negotiations. He also expressed Greeces commitment to this process and invited the Commissioner to attend the Enlargement Conference our country is hosting on 24 February, in Thessaloniki. Mr. Varvitsiotis supported the European perspective of North Macedonia and Albania, underscoring the importance of good neighbourly relations and our neighbours meeting their commitments. We want to move ahead and send the message that the Balkans can trust and rely on the EU and Brussels, he stressed, adding that Enlargement can once again become the vision of the citizens of the Balkan countries at a time when Europe lost its momentum. We must send the same message, regarding their future in Europe, to Serbia and Montenegro, he added. Concluding, he referred to Greeces multidimensional and decisive role in promoting the European Idea in the Balkans at a time when the wider region needs calm and stability. Agartala/Guwahati, Jan 30 : Three chief ministers of northeastern states -- Assam, Tripura and Manipur -- along with MPs and top leaders of the BJP would campaign for the saffron party candidates contesting the February 8 assembly polls in Delhi, party sources said on Thursday. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sources in Agartala and Guwahati said that Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and his Manipur counterpart N. Biren Singh would soon join the election campaign in the national capital. "Besides the Chief Ministers, many MPs from the northeast and senior BJP leaders would take part in the Delhi election campaign to seek votes for the party candidates," the sources added. The Tripura Chief Minister would undertake his campaign in Delhi from February 3-5. There are thousands of voters from the northeast in Delhi. The election for the 70-member Delhi Assembly is scheduled to be held on February 8 while the counting of votes will take place on February 11. In an opinion piece published in the Washington Post on Sunday, National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower Edward Snowden warned that US charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and a Brazilian prosecution of Intercept journalist Glenn Greenwald are the spearhead of a campaign by governments around the world to abolish press freedom. Calling for all supporters of democratic rights to rally to the defence of both Assange and Greenwald, Snowden wrote: The most essential journalism of every era is precisely that which a government attempts to silence. These prosecutions demonstrate that they are ready to stop the pressesif they can. Snowdens voice carries the weight and authority of a courageous individual who risked everything to alert the population to government crimes. In 2013, Snowden revealed mass NSA spying on the American and world population, as well as on the political rivals of US imperialism, including its own formal allies, in violation of the US constitution and international law. For these actions, he has been relentlessly hounded by the US government and its intelligence agencies. His successful flight to Russia and bid for political asylum were carried out with assistance from WikiLeaks. Snowdens appeal comes at a crucial stage in the fight to free Assange. British court hearings for the WikiLeaks founders extradition to the US, where he faces Espionage Act charges and the prospect of life imprisonment, begin on February 24. If extradited, Assange would be prosecuted over his role in WikiLeaks publishing activities, including its exposures of war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan and human rights abuses at the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay. The British judiciary, and all of the official political parties, have already greenlighted what can only be termed an extraordinary rendition operation. The US Department of Justice has made clear Assange would be denied the First Amendment protections for freedom of the press and free speech, despite the fact that he has been charged under domestic US law. Glenn Greenwald was charged last week in Brazil with conspiracy and hacking offences for his role in exposing how Brazilian officials used an anti-corruption probe to railroad political opponents of the countrys fascistic President Jair Bolsonaro in the lead-up to the countrys 2018 national election. Snowden described the prosecution of Greenwald as a straightforward attempt to intimidate and retaliate against Greenwald and the Intercept for their critical reporting on the Brazilian government. In his article, headlined Trump Has Created a Global Playbook to Attack Those Revealing Uncomfortable Truths, Snowden noted that this attack was a direct application of the Assange precedent. The NSA whistleblower wrote: The legal theory used by the Brazilian prosecutorsthat journalists who publish leaked documents are engaged in a criminal conspiracy with the sources who provide those documentsis virtually identical to the one advanced in the Trump administrations indictment of [Assange] in a new application of the historically dubious Espionage Act. The arrest and unveiling of a US indictment against Assange last year has also been followed by police raids against journalists in Australia, and threats by the French government to prosecute journalists for exposing its complicity in the Saudi-led war on Yemen. The connection between the US attacks on Assange and Brazils move against Greenwald is likely even more direct. In comments this week, the Intercept journalist noted that the Bolsonaro government would not have initiated a prosecution without receiving the go-ahead from the Trump administration. The US State Department has said nothing about the charges against Greenwald. In other words, the same political forces are spearheading the persecution of both Assange and Greenwald. Snowden pointed to the way in which the Trump administration has accelerated a protracted government assault on press freedom. The NSA whistleblower commented that while former US President Barack Obama initiated the US-led vendetta against Assange, his administration did not publicly unveil charges against the WikiLeaks founder over his publishing activities, for fear of triggering a constitutional crisis. Instead, the Obama administration used US allies, including Sweden and Britain, to concoct a sexual misconduct frame-up against Assange that was used to blacken his name and deprive him of his liberty. The attempt to prosecute Greenwald similarly represented a rapid escalation, after an August 2019 order from a Brazilian Supreme Court judge banned the police from even investigating the journalist. Snowdens article followed an opinion piece in the New York Times by Intercept reporter James Risen, who warned that the cases against Julian Assange and Glenn Greenwald may be models for a crackdown. It noted that the charges against Greenwald were eerily similar to those contained in the US Espionage Act indictment of Assange. Risen wrote: Both cases are based in part on a new prosecutorial conceptthat journalism can be proved to be a crime through a focus on interactions between reporters and their sources. Prosecutors are now scrutinizing the processes by which sources obtain classified or private information and then provide it to journalists. Since those interactions today are largely electronic, prosecutors are seeking to criminalize journalism by turning to anti-hacking laws to implicate reporters in the purported criminal activity of their sources in gaining access to data on computers or cellphones without authorization. He noted that if this model were successful, it would provide the government with a detour around the First Amendment protections of the US constitution and would imperil journalists everywhere. The publication of articles defending Assange in two of the largest daily newspapers in the US underscores the fears of the major media corporations that this campaign could disrupt their decades-long collaboration with governments and state authorities and their lucrative business models. For years, the New York Times, the Washington Post and other mainstream publications have aided the assault on press freedom, including by repeating the official smears used to discredit Assange. Both publications promoted the bogus Swedish sexual-misconduct allegations against him. The Times collaborated with Assange in 2010 on the very publications over which Assange has been charged. By 2011, however, they had thrown the WikiLeaks founder to the wolves and undermined his First Amendment protections by falsely claiming that he had functioned as a source and not a co-publisher. Risens piece, even as it warned against the implications of Assanges persecution, gave succour to the unsubstantiated assertions of the Democratic Party and the intelligence agencies that Assange functioned as an agent of the Russian government in 2016. In reality, WikiLeaks 2016 publications proved that the Democratic National Committee had sought to rig the Democratic Party primaries against Bernie Sanders in favour of Hillary Clinton, in violation of its own rules. They demonstrated that Clinton had promised multi-billionaire bankers that she would govern in their interests and support more predatory US military interventions. Risen has long promoted the discredited Russiagate conspiracy theory, including by slandering Assange. This underscores the fact that there will be no genuine defence of the WikiLeaks founder, or of democratic rights, from the corporate press, which is thoroughly integrated into the state apparatus. It demonstrates that the fight to free Assange and all class war prisoners, and to defend Greenwald, requires the development of an independent political movement of the working class. The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to interfere with the Allahabad High Court's order granting custody parole to BSP leader Atul Rai, who could not take oath as an MP from Ghosi constituency in Uttar Pradesh due to his incarceration on rape charges. A bench presided over by Justice D Y Chandrachud rejected a plea made on the victim's behalf against the high court's order of January 23. With the apex court's order, Rai can take oath on January 31. Ghosi Parliamentary constituency is in Mau district in the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh. Just before the polls, an FIR was lodged with the Varanasi's Lanka police station by a college student on May 1, 2019. The victim alleged Rai took her to his home for meeting his wife and sexually assaulted her. NEW DELHI/CHENNAI: Bulk of the banking operations would come to a standstill on January 31 and February 1 with about 10 lakh bankers in government and private sector striking work over wage revision. Confirming the development, a top All India Bank Employees` Association (AIBEA) official CH Venkatachalam said, ''The talks with Indian Banks` Association (IBA) has failed. So the two-day strike on January 31 and February 1 stands." The IBA also issued a statement saying, ''Multiple rounds of discussions have been held between the IBA Negotiating Committee and the United Forum of Bank Unions for the Wage Revision of Bank employees. In the meeting held on 30th January 2020, despite the revised offer of up to 19% hike including performance-linked incentive made from IBA side, the Unions have unfortunately decided to go ahead with an all-India Bank strike on 31st January and 1st February 2020, to be followed by other agitational programmes.'' ''During discussions, the conditions of business, paying capacity of Banks and consistent efforts by Banks at providing various types of benefits to the employees from time to time were explained but all Unions are pressing for some other demands which are not possible to accept. One such demand is for 5-day banking. It is known to all that the economy of the country is going through testing times. Banks being the principal players in economic development, cannot afford to provide a lesser number of working days for banking activities. Our country already has one of the highest numbers of public holidays than any other country and adding 26 more holidays would create more problems for the public,'' the IBA statement said. ''For the convenience of the customers, Banks will keep alternative channels available and customers can utilise these alternate/digital channels of banking 24x7 for day to day banking,'' it added. Live TV Interestingly, the bankers have called strike on the day when the Economic Survey will be presented on January 31 and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman would be presenting her second budget on February 1. According to Venkatachalam, the majority of the 80,000 bank branches will remain closed on the two days. The strike will be spearheaded by United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body of nine unions in the banking sector. The UFBU had earlier announced that after January 31 and February 1 strikes, there will be a three-day strike, starting March 11, and an indefinite strike from April 1 to highlight their demands. Since Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, Canada has sanctioned more than 430 individuals and entities. Canada's Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois-Philippe Champagne announced on Wednesday that Canada was imposing sanctions under the Special Economic Measures Act on six individuals involved in the illegitimate elections held in Russia-occupied Crimea on September 8, 2019, in concert with the United States and the European Union. Read alsoPACE ratifies Russian delegation's credentials "Canada's support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity is unwavering. Today's sanctions demonstrate that Canada and its allies stand united in their condemnation of Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and the illegitimate elections held there last fall and that Canada and the international community are ready to impose a cost for ignoring international law and the rules-based international order," he said, according to the official website of the Government of Canada. It is noted such coordinated action underscores the continued transatlantic unity in responding to Russia's aggressive actions in Ukraine and its violations of international law. The government reiterates since Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, Canada has sanctioned more than 430 individuals and entities, many in coordination with our allies. Canada's sanctions impose asset freezes and dealings prohibitions. Indonesian authorities are offering a reward to anyone who can rescue a saltwater crocodile with a motorbike tyre stuck around its neck -- and survive. The contest will see one brave croc hunter land an unspecified amount of cash, but it will mean coming face to face with the 13-foot (4-metre) reptile Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi. Local conservation authorities have been trying -- and failing -- for several years to find a way to untangle the croc after video showed it gasping for air. That sparked worries the tyre was slowly killing the beast. After a recent sighting, the province's governor instructed his resource-strapped conservation agency to figure out how to end years of fruitless attempts. The agency offered few details on the reward, or how outsiders might pull off the task. But its chief -- who said the cash would come out of his own pocket -- warned that he was not calling on amateurs to hunt down the reptile, but rather addressing people with a background in wildlife rescue and a thirst for conservation. "We're asking the general public not to get close to the crocodile or disturb its habitat," said Hasmuni Hasmar, head of the Central Sulawesi Natural Resources Conservation Agency. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As Vietnams traditional Tet, or Lunar New Year holiday, has ended, an increasing number of people have been rushing back to Ho Chi Minh City to resume their regular livelihoods. Tens of thousands of residents in the Mekong Delta have headed back to the southern metropolis to continue their work and study since Wednesday, the fifth day of the new lunar year, according to the observation of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters. The 2020 Lunar New Year fell on January 25, with preparation and celebration taking place one week before and after the date. National Highway 1, an arterial road connecting the Mekong Delta and Ho Chi Minh City, became crowded after 2:00 pm on Wednesday, with traffic jams occurring at such hotspots as Ruou Bridge and Sao Bridge in Tien Giang Province. A similar situation also happened on National Highway 60. The congestion at Rach Mieu Bridge, which links Tien Giang and Ben Tre Provinces in the Mekong Delta, was so serious that a tollgate had to swing its boom barriers open twice on Wednesday evening to alleviate the issue. A traffic jam on Ruou Bridge in Tien Giang Province, located in Vietnams Mekong Delta on January 29, 2020. Photo: Mau Truong / Tuoi Tre Traffic police officers were also mobilized to stop commuters from traveling in the wrong lane as well as dealing with other traffic violations that could worsen the gridlock. In Ho Chi Minh City, congestion was less severe at major bus stations, ferry stations, and Tan Son Nhat International Airport thanks to the preparations of the municipal Department of Transport and traffic police units. A car travels in a motorcycle lane along National Highway 1 on January 29, 2020. Photo: Mau Truong / Tuoi Tre A section of National Highway 1 in Tien Giang Province is congested, January 29, 2020. Photo: Mau Truong / Tuoi Tre Vehicles wait for their turn to cross Rach Mieu Bridge connecting Tien Giang and Ben Tre Provinces in Vietnams Mekong Delta on January 29, 2020. Photo: Mau Truong / Tuoi Tre A birds-eye view of congestion on National Highway 1 on January 29, 2020. Photo: Mau Truong / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! GILBERT, Ariz., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Footprint, the technology innovation company addressing the growing consumer demand for sustainable food packaging materials, introduced today a greener solution for sustainable active lifestyles. The multi-use Footprint Eco Cooler, debuted at the Super Bowl LIVE Environmental Village in Bayfront Park, Miami, marks another company product innovation eliminating the Styrofoam cooler. The Eco Cooler can be composted or recycled at its end-of-use, and is the latest Footprint packaging design solution to offer an environmentally-friendly alternative to disposable plastic products. The Eco Cooler has a twenty-four, 12-oz-can capacity, keeps ice frozen for up to 12 hours, and will hold water for five days without leaking. Unlike other alternatives, Footprint's cooler can be reused again and again once allowed a short drying period. Its clever design includes drink holders and a smartphone stand that turns the cooler into a natural stereo amplifier. Made in North America from durable paper fiber, the cooler is completely free of toxic PFAS chemicals, is fully compostable and provides a 100 percent reduction in plastic. "Styrofoam coolers cause dozens of harmful chemicals to be released into the environment, never degrades, cannot be recycled, contaminates water sources, and breaks down into small Styrofoam pieces that humans eventually ingest in the food chain," said Footprint CEO Troy Swope. "Already, many travel destinations like Miami Beach, Florida have banned the sale of Styrofoam coolers, and look to better solutions, which makes this product so important for us and the planet." Bans on Styrofoamcontainers and single-use plastics are sweeping the nation, with more than 400 cities in the U.S. banning or restricting use of the toxic substances. In addition to Miami Beach, major cities banning the foam include New York, Seattle, Washington D.C., Los Angeles and San Francisco alongside the states of Hawaii and Maine. The Eco Cooler is among Footprint's many products on display at the Super Bowl LIVE Environmental Village this week, where Footprint has been chosen as the food ware sustainability partner for the Miami Super Bowl Host Committee. Footprint's Eco Cooler is expected to retail at $6.99- $8.99 and be available in retail locations in Spring 2020. About Footprint Footprint has a clear vision: eliminate single-use and short-term use plastics. Footprint designs, develops and manufactures technologies that are biodegradable, compostable, and recyclable. We make it easy for companies to switch out of plastic to preserve our future. We love our oceans and our planet, that's why we are revolutionizing industries to eliminate plastic pollution. The company was founded by former Intel engineers Troy Swope and Yoke Chung and employs more than 800 people. In 2019, Footprint was announced a winner of the prestigious NextGen Cup Challenge for its Plant-based alternative manufacturing process for making cups and lids. It has already helped eliminate over 60 million pounds of plastic. The company is based in Gilbert, Ariz. For more information and a complete portfolio of Footprint solutions visit www.footprintus.com. Media Contact Brendan Lahiff TrailRunner International for Footprint [email protected] +1.415.867.5967 SOURCE Footprint Related Links http://www.footprintus.com A BJP delegation, which included Union ministers Harsh Vardhan and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, on Thursday accused the AAP of "sponsoring" anti-CAA protests, including the one at Shaheen Bagh here, and urged the Election Commission to include expenses incurred on them in the expenditure of AAP candidates. BJP general secretary Bhupender Yadav said his party submitted "evidence", including records of statement by AAP leaders, that showed that the Delhi's ruling party was behind these protests. BJP MP Meenakshi Lelhi was also part of the delegation. The delegation urged the EC to take cognizance of the matter. Yadav said the EC assured them of looking into the matter. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern on Thursday amid the coronavirus outbreak in China. The organization held discussions for two days last week on the virus but did not declare a global health emergency at the time. But a number of new patients who did not visit China have been diagnosed in Japan, Germany, Vietnam, and Taiwan. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus traveled to Beijing and met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping to discuss the outbreak, which is centered in Wuhan, Hubei Province. Chinese regime officials have ordered the lockdown of Wuhan and a number of cities across Hubei in an attempt to quarantine the area, affecting tens of millions of people. Most forms of transportation have been banned. Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems, and which are ill-prepared to deal with it, Ghebreyesus said Thursday. I am declaring a public health emergency of international concern over the global outbreak, he remarked. The vast majority of cases outside #China have a travel history to Wuhan, or contact with someone with a travel history to Wuhan, he said, adding that there have been no deaths outside of China. The declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern has only been done five times in the past decade, including outbreaks of Ebola in Africa, the Zika virus outbreak, and the 2009 swine flu outbreak. The coronavirus is in the same family of viruses as SARS or the common cold. WHO describes the move as an extraordinary event which 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. On Thursday, Russia ordered the closure of a 2,500-mile border with China in the Far Eastern District. In the United States, federal officials expanded screening for the virus at 20 airports and the State Department and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have called on Americans to avoid nonessential travel to China, urging citizens not to go to Hubei Province. Cases of the virus outside of China have been confirmed by U.S. health authorities in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, Australia, Cambodia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, the United States, and Vietnam. So far in the United States, five cases have been confirmed, including two in California, one in Washington state, one in Illinois, and one in Arizona, according to the CDCs latest update. A sixth case in Chicago not included in the CDCs update was confirmed by the Illinois Department of Public Health on Thursday. It is the first case of a person contracting the virus from another person in the United States. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump confirmed he was forming a coronavirus taskforce made up of top health, transportation, and national security officials. The task force will respond to the virus and work to prevent it from spreading in the United States. Several major airlines confirmed they would suspend some or all flights to China, including United Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Delta Airlines, and Lufthansa. Meanwhile, the United States flew 195 of its citizens back home from Wuhan, and they are currently in isolation at a military base in California. Japan also evacuated its citizens, finding that three tested positive for the virus, said the Japanese government on Thursday, reported AFP. There are now 14 confirmed coronavirus cases in Japan, and two patients showed no symptoms, said officials. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A Holocaust survivor who made a life for himself on Staten Island delivered the opening prayer for the House of Representatives on Wednesday after an invitation from Rep. Max Rose. Rabbi Avraham Hakohen Romi Cohn, whose story was part of the SILive.com documentary Where Life Leads You, delivered the prayer recalling what he went through to escape Nazi persecution. At the age of 13, as a young boy, I was condemned to death along with my entire family by the evil of one man, Cohn said in his prayer. "I was saved by my Father, the Father of the Universe, who brought me to the shores of this beautiful country, the United States, the land of the free which provided me with a new safe home. Blessed be You, Master of the Universe, who has granted me life and sustenance to this day. Accept with mercy our prayers for our land, our President, Vice President and Congress. And pour out your blessings upon the United States of America. Born in Pressburg, Czechoslovakia, Cohn joined a group of partisans at the age of 15 to fight the Nazis. He published a book, The Youngest Partisan, about his experiences. Rose (D-Staten Island/South Brooklyn), the Islands first Jewish member of Congress, is part of his chambers Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Anti-semitism. Following a frightening wave of violence against Jewish Americans in the tri-state area last year, Rose chaired the first Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism hearing of the year with a focus on the issue of anti-Semitism. Rabbi Cohn saw how a democracy can be corrupted into a fascist dictatorship, and what happens when anti-Semitism is allowed to fester, Rose said in a speech on the House floor. Sadly, across the country we see rising hatred and anti-Semitism. Rabbi Cohns legacy reminds us to never accept bigotry, not when we see it in the street, and not in the halls of Congress. The Cascade County Sheriff's Office is requesting the public's help in searching for a Great Falls woman who has been missing since Sunday. Amy Elaine Harding, also known as Amy Elaine Permann, 34, was last seen Sunday night leaving a residence on Flood Road in Great Falls. Cascade County Sheriff's Office deputies arrived to the home around 8:30 p.m. Sunday night after a 911 call was made at the residence. Harding's boyfriend, John VanGilder, said that Harding had assaulted him and left the home toward the Missouri River before deputies arrived, according to Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter in a press conference Monday. Slaughter said that search crews have been looking for Harding since Sunday. The public is asked to meet at the west doors of Faith Lutheran Church at 1300 Ferguson Dr. at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday in Great Falls. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old and in decent physical condition due to difficult hiking conditions and rough terrain in the area, according to a press conference by the Cascade Sheriff's Office on Tuesday. Volunteers should wear warm clothing, hats, gloves and proper footwear. Other details can be found on the Cascade County Sheriff's Office Facebook page. Slaughter said he wants to use as many resources as he can to look for Harding. "It's a missing person, and we treat all missing persons as serious criminal events, regardless of knowing if it's criminal or not," Slaughter said. Volunteers should wear a reflective vest or a hunter's orange vest. Slaughter said that people should also bring a life jacket, food, water, a driver's license and cell phone. The search will end at dark, Slaughter said. Harding was last seen wearing black yoga-style pants and a long sleeve t-shirt of unknown color. Anyone with information on Harding's whereabouts should contact the sheriff's office at 406-454-6979. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Clashes broke out at some early protests, but more recent demonstrations have been peaceful, deliberately drawing on Gandhis example of nonviolent resistance. The government has responded with both force and a virulent disinformation campaign. (Officials have denied cracking down on peaceful protests, despite many images and witness accounts of violence.) In recent days, a protest camp of hundreds of women in the Shaheen Bagh neighborhood of New Delhi has come to symbolize the movement. Officials have said the women are radicals or have been paid to be there, and many believe a police crackdown is imminent. Throughout his six years in power, Mr. Modi has frequently linked himself to Gandhis legacy, saying he was made of the same soil as the champion of Indian independence. His vice president has called it divine coincidence that both men were born in the state of Gujarat. Mr. Modi has even used Gandhis signature round, wire-rimmed spectacles as a logo for his Clean India sanitation campaign. Mr. Modi has also drawn on Gandhis globally resonant image overseas as he cuts military alliances and trade deals. In October, as he wrapped up meetings at the United Nations General Assembly, he wrote an Opinion piece for The New York Times calling on the world to learn from Gandhis teachings. But one fact omitted by the prime minister was that Gandhi was killed by a Hindu nationalist a man nurtured by the same hard-line ideological group that shaped Mr. Modi: the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The assassin, Nathuram Godse, believed that Gandhi had betrayed Hindus by being too conciliatory to Muslims. That line is still echoed today by Mr. Modis party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is filled with officials who revere Godse and see Gandhi as a traitor. Technavio has been monitoring the global smart toys market and it is poised to grow by USD 1.15 billion during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of 5% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200129005380/en/ Technavio announced its latest market research report titled global smart toys market 2019-2023 (Graphic: Business Wire) Adoption of STEM toys for children's skills enhancement has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. However, privacy and security issues might hamper market growth. Request a free sample report Smart Toys Market 2019-2023: Segmentation Smart Toys Market is segmented as below: Technology Wi-Fi Bluetooth RFID/NFC Distribution Channel Online Offline Geographic segmentation Americas APAC EMEA To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR30324 Smart Toys Market 2019-2023: Scope Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our smart toys market report covers the following areas: Smart Toys Market Size Smart Toys Market Trends Smart Toys Market Industry Analysis This study identifies the use of AR in toys as one of the prime reasons driving the smart toys market growth during the next few years. Smart Toys Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the smart toys market, including some of the vendors such as Hasbro, JAKKS Pacific, Mattel, The LEGO Group and VTech Holdings. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the smart toys market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Smart Toys Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023 Detailed information on factors that will assist smart toys market growth during the next five years Estimation of the smart toys market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the smart toys market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of smart toys market vendors About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200129005380/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 Senior government officials from the UAE and the US recently discussed ways to increase trade exchange and enhance cooperation in vital sectors, including technology, innovation, digital transformation and a creative knowledge-based economy. The discussion came about as Abdullah Bin Ahmed Al Saleh, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy for Foreign Trade Affairs, held a meeting recently with Ian Steff, Assistant Secretary for Global Markets and Director General of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service and his accompanying delegation at the Ministrys headquarters in Abu Dhabi. Al Saleh underlined the economic, investment and commercial relations between the UAE and the US as reflected by the continuous growth of trade exchange figures and investment flows in both directions, which serve mutual interests and benefit both countries. Al Saleh further pointed out the importance of enhancing cooperation in the field of investment in light of key investment opportunities that are emerging in both countries, noting in this regard that the UAEs investments in the US are the largest among the Arab countries. He also emphasized the importance of intensifying the exchange of visits by both countries businessmen and investors to discuss and exchange views on investments available in the US and UAE markets. During the meeting, Al Saleh further elaborated on the ideal investment environment that the UAE provides to investors, in addition to highlighting promising investment opportunities in the countrys market. The two sides also discussed joint cooperation in strengthening intellectual property protection; combating commercial fraud and discussed fees imposed by the United States on aluminium and iron imports. The arrangements for the participation of the UAE trade delegation headed by Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, UAE Minister of Economy, at Select USA Investment Summit 2020 conference in the American capital in June 2020, and their visit to a number of American states was also discussed during the meeting. Ian Steff hailed the growing economic, trade and investment relations between the UAE and the USA and is a candidate for further growth in light of the mutual desire and the existence of more opportunities for cooperation in various sectors and fields. The US official praised the countrys business environment and its attractive investment climate, encouraging the American business community to expand its activities in the region. TradeArabia News Service Berkadia secures $30M for ICG apartment deal Berkadia announced that its Seattle office recently secured $30.3 million in financing for the local buyer of the 288-unit Talus in Great Falls, Montana. Berkadia's Jeff Stuart arranged the 10-year Freddie Mac loan for Investors Capital Group. ICG invests in most of the West Coast, Southwest and Texas. It doesn't list any Seattle properties, but owns apartments in Pasco and Spokane. It has about 6,000 units in its portfolio. The firm is led by Mick Halpin, Ward Murphy and Michael Christian. A white man wearing blackface makeup is suspected of robbing a bank in Maryland: Perryville Police Department A white man wearing blackface suspected of robbing a bank in Maryland is still at large after a surveillance camera captured the moment the man allegedly held up the teller. The Perryville Police Department is searching for "a white male with paint on his face" following the robbery at a PNC Bank branch on Tuesday. Footage shows a man who appears to wear dark makeup with a red beanie hat and a large white coat and grey gloves. The department's Facebook page posted a photo and description of the suspect, who police say is between 5ft and 5ft 5in tall and in his late 20s to early 30s, but the post was removed after "derogatory and/or vulgar" comments overwhelmed the post, police said. Police said: "We have elected to take down/remove the post. "We do appreciate those who had contributed any information in regards to the bank robbery. We ask that in future posts regarding a crime that we limit any commenting to relevance of the incident and details." The racist tradition of non-black performers wearing blackface makeup was intended to mock and caricature black people in minstrel shows, films, cartoons and other performances aimed at white audiences in the US. Law enforcement agencies across the US have reported several other blackface robberies in recent years. In 2017, a white man who sheriffs in Riverside County, California described as wearing "obvious dark makeup" robbed a Wells Fargo in 2017. In 2018, a Las Vegas man wearing black makeup held up a casino cashier. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) said earlier this week that she would only nominate a Secretary of Education who was pre-screened by a young transgender person in order to ensure that her pick would be committed to creating a welcoming environment, a safe environment, and a full educational curriculum for everyone. Speaking Sunday at a townhall in Iowa, Warren responded to a question about how to address a lack of LGBTQ history and sexual education in public schools. It starts with a Secretary of Education who has a lot to do with where we spend our money, with what gets advanced in our public schools, with what the standards are, she replied. The Massachusetts Democrat went on to explain that any candidate for the position first had to be a former public-school teacher, and then had to go through an interview conducted by a young transgender person Warren had met on the campaign trail who was worried about the lack of a welcoming community in public schools. I said, Im going to have a Secretary of Education that this young trans person interviews, on my behalf, and only if this person believes that our Secretary of Education nominee is truly as committed to creating a welcoming environment, a safe environment, and a full educational curriculum for everyone, will that person be actually advanced to be Secretary of Education, Warren explained. Warren says that she will have a "young trans person" interview her future Secretary of Education and only hire this future secretary if the young trans person approves. This in reference to a question about sex education/LGBTQ history in public schools. pic.twitter.com/txyt6OI6FX Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) January 30, 2020 Warren has released several plans highlighting her agenda to promote transgender talking points. A recent plan detailing how to restore Integrity and Competence to Government after Trump included a commitment to have at least half of Warrens Cabinet be filled by women and non-binary people. Story continues In October, Warren released her criminal justice reform platform, which included an end to the Trump Administrations dangerous policy of jailing prisoners based on their biological sex, and also proposed providing transition-related surgeries, to already-incarcerated inmates. In 2012, Warren told a Massachusetts radio station that I dont think its a good use of taxpayer dollars to pay for sex-change operations for prisoners. More from National Review For many of Pakistan's farmers, long at the mercy of ruthless middlemen, an app enabling them to sell direct to clients could mean more money in their pockets. Omar Majid Warraich knew his idea could help thousands earn more from their crops, but the problem was he did not know how to execute it. "As a start-up, you tend to need advice about the do's and don'ts, when to pitch an idea, what to pitch to investors, apply for grants, get the loans," he told AFP. Today the co-founder of Agrim@art is one of Pakistan's start-up success stories -- his platform has more than 700 registered and verified farmers and a $100,000 grant from Karandaaz, an investment platform sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Officially launched in August last year, Agrim@art reported sales worth 5.5 million rupees ($36,000) in its first three months, and predict they will have 2,000 farmers working with them by March 2020. Like tech entrepreneurs around the world, Warraich turned to a start-up incubator for help getting his idea off the ground -- the National Incubation Center (NIC), a public-private partnership based in Lahore. The challenges he faced are not uncommon in Pakistan, where the education system is weak, and the economy is faltering. Some 64 percent of Pakistanis are under the age of 30, and youth unemployment stood at six percent in 2019, according to a report commissioned by the UN. - No money, more problems - Incubation centres fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in the tech sector are "the solution", believes Faisal Sherjan, programme director at NIC. Its hub, with its colourful walls, state of the art labs and quirky furniture, is far removed from the daily grind of the heaving, traffic-choked, polluted city of 11 million. Teams there have six months to set up their businesses while utilising its facilities, which include Facebook's newly installed VR lab to a host of business workshops. There are supervisors and mentors to help entrepreneurs navigate Pakistan's daunting business environment. There have been some homegrown tech hits: Bykea, a motorbike-hailing app, raised more than $7 million in 2019 and is expected to raise another $15 million in the first quarter of 2020. The country has both a huge talent pool and a huge market, offering the "right mix" for investors, says Khurram Zafar, director of Karandaaz and 47 ventures, a fund that only invests in Pakistan. But there are concerns about how tech start-ups can successfully navigate a messy business environment. Pakistan was still ranked a dismal 122 out of 137 on the Global Entrepreneurship Index in 2018, and 108th on the World Bank's ease-of-doing-business list. Kalsoom Lakhani, founder and CEO of the fund Invest2Innovate (i2i), cited the "bureaucratic headaches", "the difficulty of bringing money into the country and the impossibility of getting it out", and the "very debilitating" taxation, as key issues. - 'Game-changing start-ups' - Bribery and corruption are widespread, while government efforts to tackle graft have resulted in an unfriendly regulatory environment "towards investors and entrepreneurs alike", i2i said in a 2019 report on Pakistan's start-up ecosystem. The government is enthusiastic about start-ups and has launched incubators in dozens of universities and tech schools, which it hopes will help develop the sector. Global tech giants are also taking interest. Ride-hailing app Uber has partnered with a government fund to bring its #UberPitch to Pakistan, where budding businesses are given a chance to present their ideas, while Google and Facebook have awarded grants to start-ups featured on Pakistani reality show Idea Croron Ka (Million Dollar Idea). But, compared to countries such as neighbouring India, investment has been slow to come, making it hard for start-ups to grow beyond their incubation period. Many tech entrepreneurs are out of touch with the realities of Pakistan and the unique needs of consumers there, said Maryam Mohiddin Ahmed, co-author of a report on Pakistani start-ups entitled "Beyond the Buzz". "We don't need people to get our emails arrive faster but our crops to grow better. If a large chunk of the population is not being served by innovations, then what is the point of innovating?" she added. What Pakistan needs is more "game-changing startups" on a human and environmental level, she argued. But despite the challenges, there is room for optimism. With Pakistan's young population rapidly digitizing, "never have the opportunities for social, economic and political progress been so great", the UNDP stated in a 2018 report. News service RT has released data showing that it has become the most-watched TV news network on YouTube, with a record-setting 10 billion views as well as more than 16 million subscribers. RT is a global, round-the-clock news network of eight TV channels, broadcasting news, current affairs, and documentaries, with digital platforms in six languages and the RUPTLY video news agency.In 2007, RT was the first Russian TV network to begin posting its content on YouTube, and in 2013 it became the worlds first news network to reach one billion views. The network adds that its current milestone in terms of the total number of views from across its channels on YouTube has put the network ahead of all the news channels of the BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera, Euronews, Fox News and others.Leading traffic has been a number of key events covered in depth from the RT France operation. Some of the most viral RT video content over the last year has been the networks coverage, sometime live from inside demonstrations of the Gilets Jaunes protests in France while RT and RUPTLY also delivered live coverage of the Notre Dame fire in Paris and were the first to release drone footage of the visible damage to the iconic cathedral after the incident.In 2019, RUPTLY was the only outlet to capture exclusive footage of Julian Assanges arrest as the WikiLeaks founder was evicted from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. Newark, NJ, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As per the report published by Fior Markets, the global surgical suture market is expected to grow from USD 4.1 Billion in 2017 to USD 7.2 Billion by 2025 at a CAGR of 7.38% during the forecast period 2018-2025. Rise in aging population, increasing incidences of various chronic diseases, growing occurrence of continual diseases, the introduction of technologically advanced products and an increase in awareness about surgeries in emerging economies are the factors driving the surgical suture market. Suture is a thread or wire that is used to join together a wound. They are commonly known as stitches and involves using a needle with an attached length of thread. Surgical sutures are used in closing wound in various conditions including skin ulcers, neuropathic ulcers, pediatric cardiac surgery, and diabetic ulcers. Sutures are divided into absorbable and non-absorbable sutures. The absorbable surgical sutures break down harmlessly in tissue over time without intervention. The non-absorbable sutures do not metabolized by the biological activities of the body tissue. These non-absorbable sutures are removed by the surgeons after the wound has healed. They can be comprised of natural or synthetic materials. Natural material includes silk, linen, and catgut, synthetic materials includes polyglycolic acid and polylactic acid. Increase in prevalence of injuries and diseases in animals and rise in awareness among pet owners for better treatment options are expected to enhance the growth of the segment. In addition, upsurge in population of livestock and high demand for dairy & meat products are also driving the market. Lack of professionals may restrict the growth of the market. However, increasing technological advancements and increase in pet adoptions are further augmenting the growth of the market. DOWNLOAD FREE SAMPLE REPORT AT https://www.fiormarkets.com/report-detail/376061/request-sample Key players operating in the global surgical suture market include Medtronic, B. Braun Melsungen AG, Boston Scientific Corporation, Ethicon Inc., Peters Surgical, Mellon Medical B.V., Surgical Specialties Corporation, Smith & Nephew, Endoevolution LLC, Internacional Farmaceutica, Sutures India Pvt. Ltd., Molnlycke Healthcare, Coloplast Corporation, ConvaTec Inc., Hollister Incorporated, BSN Medical, and Urgo Medical and others. Extensive product portfolio and expansion strategies by major players are contributing for the growth of the sector. In February 2017, Integra LifeSciences acquired Derma Sciences. Through this acquisition Integra LifeSciences expanded their product portfolio and doubled the number of wound care sales channels. For instance, in July 2017, Canon launched the new Canon series of CXDI Digital Radiography (DR) Detectors at the 2017 Association for Medical Imaging Management (AHRA) show. Moreover, in 2018, Carestream Health partnered with Med Imaging Healthcare, which is a diagnostic imaging equipment maintenance company. This partnership is aimed at providing wider maintenance coverage and support for customers across Scotland. Suture threads segment is expected to dominate the segment and was valued around USD 2,382.17 Million in 2017 The product segment is classified into sutures thread and automated suturing device. Suture threads segment is expected to dominate the segment and was valued around USD 2,382.17 Million in 2017. Low cost of suture threads over automated suture device and their increasing preference for wound closure are driving the growth of the segment. Multifilament segment held the maximum market share of around 59.31% in 2017 Type segment is divided into monofilament and multifilament sutures. Multifilament accounted for the maximum market share of around 59.31% in 2017. Due to their greater strength, flexibility and preference in complicated surgeries are contributing to the growth of the segment. Cardiovascular surgery segment estimated to attain the highest CAGR of around 8.94% in the forecast period Application segment is bifurcated into cardiovascular surgery, gynecological surgery, orthopedic surgery, ophthalmic surgery, general surgery, cosmetic surgery, and other applications. Cardiovascular surgery segment estimated to attain the highest CAGR of around 8.94% in the forecast period due high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases leading to large number of cardiovascular surgeries performed worldwide and technological advancements in diagnostics, imaging, and surgical tools. The hospitals segment held the largest share of around 48.10% in the forecast period End user segment is classified into hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers and clinics & physician offices. The hospitals segment held the largest share of around 48.10% in the forecast period. The growth can be attributed to rising geriatric population and increasing number of new hospitals especially in developing countries are driving the growth of the segment. Browse full report with TOC at https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-surgical-suture-market-by-product-automated-suturing-376061.html Regional Segment Analysis of the Surgical Suture 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) The regions analysed for the market include North America, Europe, South America, Asia Pacific, and Middle East and Africa. North America region captured the largest share of global surgical suture market and was valued around USD 2.14Billion in 2017 whereas Asia pacific is expected to attain the lucrative growth in the forecast period. North America region is expected to dominate the market due to adoption of technologically advanced devices, healthcare facilities and presence of many manufacturers in the region. Asia pacific is expected to register the highest growth in the forecast period owing to rising prevalence of chronic diseases, growing medical tourism industry in the region and favourable reimbursement scenario. About the report: The global surgical suture 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=376061&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 Immunoassay Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-immunoassay-market-by-product-service-reagents-376055.html Global Joint Reconstruction Devices Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-joint-reconstruction-devices-market-by-technique-joint-376056.html Global Oncology Nutrition Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-oncology-nutrition-market-by-cancer-type-head-376057.html Global Particle Therapy Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-particle-therapy-market-by-type-heavy-ion-376058.html A condo project in HCM City. Experts forecast that the market faces challenges in 2020.-VNS Photo In the latest reports about market predictions, Le Hoang Chau, chairman of the HCM City Real Estate Association, said that the market would not face a bubble situation, but that it would encounter challenges in the first half of the year. However, the market is expected to recover in the third quarter, thanks to the support of local authorities in solving difficulties facing real-estate developers, he said. Chau also predicted that condos priced around VND2 billion each will continue to dominate the housing market in HCM City. Having the same prediction, Duong Thuy Dung, senior director of CBRE Vietnam, said: Licensing issues and credit tightening continue to be the main challenges for the condominium market in 2020. Buyers will face difficulty in buying a condo unit, not because they can't afford them, but rather because they can't find suitable options. On the other hand, developers are well-positioned to increase profits thanks to the shortage of existing condo projects in the primary market. In addition, the remaining issues, including flooding, air pollution and traffic congestion, have had a negative impact on living quality in big cities. As a result, new township developments in fringe areas that offer full range of facilities and good connectivity will receive high interest from the market. To meet this demand, developers have planned new township projects in suburban districts and neighbouring provinces. These projects offer fresh living environments for end-users as well as a good options for investors, especially in the context of limited supply in HCM City. A CBRE report noted that in 2020 licensing issues would continue to pose a hurdle for the market, so about 30,000 units would be added to the market. Some new projects in fringe districts which are expected to launch are Vinhomes Grand Park in District 9, AIO City in Binh Tan District, West Gate Park in Binh Chanh, PiCity in District 12; and the southern area with subsequent phases of Eco Green Saigon, Sunshine City Saigon and Sunshine Diamond River in District 7. Primary prices will continue to increase due to a lack of supply. The luxury segment is expected to have a price increase of 10 per cent year-on-year. Prices for high-end and mid-end segments will increase 5 per cent year-on-year, due to new supply and high price levels in 2019. The affordable segment will have a modest growth of 2 per cent year on year. The secondary market will be more active due to a lack of supply in the primary market and new pricing levels across the market. End-users may find limited options in the primary market and may turn to the secondary market which offers both completed projects and those with good construction progress, the company said. JLL predicts that about 30,000-35,000 units are expected to launch officially in 2020, mainly from the Vinhomes Grand Park project. It should be noted that the number is subject to a great deal of uncertainty given the governments tight control in granting land-use rights and construction licences. Strong demand is set to carry on and will boost the price further across all sectors. "However, the demand in the high-end segment, especially from investors, is likely to slow down in the long term as their already-high price level and low rental yield make it a less attractive investment, the company said. Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The chairman of the presidential council of the Libyan government of national accord, Fayez Al-Sarraj, Thursday denounced the negative regional and international foreign interference which initially contributed to block the political process and lead the country to the present situation of war It is mad to think that this Friday is the day we have been thinking about and worrying incessantly about since June 23 in 2016. Many believed that today would never arrive and that common sense would eventually prevail, but I guess rowing back on the democratic will of the citizens of the UK would always have been a very dangerous route to pursue and would have inevitably resulted in civil unrest. I remember speaking at a conference some months after the referendum when a number of speakers, including myself, were musing about whether the UK would ever really take the momentous and fundamentally stupid decision to leave the EU and walk away from totally free access to a market of 420m people and all that it entailed. A speaker from the UK embassy assured us that it would happen and that there would be no way to reverse the decision that the majority of those who voted opted for. That has indeed turned out to be the case and the big day has eventually arrived despite the numerous speed bumps encountered on the journey. At 11pm Irish time on Friday, the UK will be gone. Ireland will find itself in the EU without is closest and arguably most important economic and political trading partner for the first time ever. This will be a huge culture shock, but perhaps not as big a culture shock as for those UK MEPs and bureaucrats who are today emptying their desks and exiting Brussels. Now the real fun will begin. Shortly, the process of negotiating the future trading relationship between the EU and the UK will commence. This is very unlikely to be an easy or straightforward process and issues like fisheries, agricultural and food standards to name but a few, could prove very contentious. I may be proved wrong, which wouldnt be a first, but it strikes me that the sense of calm out there now relating to Brexit may be ill-judged. The transition period which now commences and which is due to end on December 31 means that little will change for the moment in terms of our trading relationship with the UK. However, come January 1 in 2021, all will change and change utterly. It is just a question of the magnitude of that change. If a trade deal is not done by the end of the year and if the UK does not seek an extension to the transition period, then barriers to trade will be erected very quickly. That would be the worst-case scenario. In the event of a deal being done by the end of the transition period, it still means that the business of doing business with the UK will still be very different and bureaucratic impediments to trade will become a reality. That would be the best-case scenario for Ireland, but obviously would not be without problems and of course is certainly not guaranteed. While today is the truly momentous day that we have thought about so much for the past three and a half years, it is likely to pass without too much commotion here as the focus of attention is very much on the upcoming general election. We have now seen the publication of the various manifestos of the three main political parties and to varying degrees they are promising a variety of tax cuts, tax increases and lots of additional public spending. The manifestos are predicated on a deal being done between the EU and the UK and the avoidance of a crash-out in just eleven months. Naturally, one assumes, that in the event of no deal, the various promises will be taken off the table. It strikes me that many of our politicians are living on a parallel universe and are proceeding on the basis that the electorate will once again be stupid enough to welcome the Greek bearing gifts. The opinion polls would suggest that the electorate is stupid enough to welcome gifts. It is depressing in the extreme to think that we may once again make the mistakes of 1977 and 2007 and subsequently, pay a very heavy price. Our electorate should think long and hard about what is happening at 11pm on Friday. In a matter of days, the Iranian street seemed to pivot from nationalist sentiment that bolstered the regime to popular outrage against it. Its too early to tell which will prevail, writes Abdel-Moneim Said Tehran and other Iranian cities have recently been swept by mass protests reminiscent of the millioniya rallies during the so-called Arab Spring. Two such demonstrations have occurred since the beginning of this year. The first was an outpouring of anger and grief in response to the assassination of Major General Qassem Suleimani, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander who supervised operations involving Iranian proxies in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Gaza. The second was another outpouring of anger and grief triggered by the downing of the Ukrainian passenger plane killing all 176 people aboard, most of whom were Iranians. Only days separated the two demonstrations, but they were miles apart in form and substance. In the first, the demonstrators stood in solidarity with their rulers in mourning the loss of and commemorating the national hero and martyr. In the second, the demonstrators directed their anger inward, against their rulers and the regime that has controlled Iran since the revolution in 1979. For several days, Iranian authorities denied that the Iranian army or Revolutionary Guard were responsible for the tragic airplane crash. When the truth was revealed, demonstrators vented their outrage at those in power in Tehran, shouting Salamis a killer, referring to the Commander of Irans Revolutionary Guards Hossein Salami, and Death to the Dictator, referring to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The second, anti-government demonstration couldnt have contrasted more sharply with the mood following the US assassination of Suleimani. But it also contrasted with the protests triggered by the price hikes in fuel that erupted last autumn. This time, the anti-government demonstration included many students and middle-class Iranians. Does all this speak of a cumulative groundswell shaped by economic straits, political corruption, the consequences of US sanctions and a revolutionary upheaval four decades down the line from the Islamic revolution and the imposition of a theocratic totalitarian system of government under the banner of vilayat-e faqih? Or are we looking at a divided groundswell, half made up of Iranians who came out to support of the regime in the first demonstration and the other half made up of the Iranians who took to the streets to protest the regime in the second millioniya? The answer is probably more complex than the Persian carpet of Iranian society with its intricate weave of millions of knots. Political scientists would categorise the two large outpourings as mass phenomena though we, of course, can call them uprisings, revolutions or just popular movements. Regardless of the term, we are looking at situations in which hundreds of thousands of people took to the street to call for some form of radical action or change. In the Iranian case this was firstly directed against the US which had assassinated Suleimani, and secondly against a system of government that demonstrators believe lacks legitimacy and against a political and economic condition that is no longer tolerable. The masses, by dint of their sheer numbers, acquire a tangible power that is greater than its component parts; the individual becomes an integral part of a large seemingly indestructible whole, and he/she forms the conviction that this whole can only be right and that this right will ultimately prevail. The recent uprisings in Iran were not much different to similar phenomena elsewhere in the world: in Hong Kong, Chile, Catalonia and France; in Sudan, Algeria, Lebanon and Iraq last year; and in Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain and, to a lesser extent, other countries in the Arab world 10 years ago. In all these cases, the movement fed itself. It regenerated its energies with the addition of more numbers and with the ability of a political organisation or group to reshape mass awareness and steer it towards a new image of society and the state. In terms of outward form, the most salient characteristic of the first Iranian demonstration was black a particularly Shia colour. At a moment of profound sorrow, mourners formed huge waves of black that surged to such a frenzy of grief that 57 people were killed and dozens of others were wounded in a stampede. The chants, shouts and tears that arose from that crowd expressed a deep pain. But perhaps not all this pain was caused by the loss of Suleimani. Much of it may have had its source in the cumulative grief over a long line of dead stretching back to 1970: the hundreds and thousands who died during the revolution, during the Iran-Iraq war, and in the course of the many subsequent wars in which Iranian youth marched off to serve in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and elsewhere. The second Iranian demonstration this year featured familiar scenes from other Middle Eastern uprisings involving middle class youth. In addition to black, we saw variegated colours of clothes and hair, including strands of womens hair escaping from slack head coverings. In contrast to the sombre solemnity of the first occasion, in the second demonstrators seemed more at ease. They smiled and their eyes gleamed with hope. This may have been due to the youth factor or to the growing belief that the time for change has come. Have Iranians changed in just a few days? Had the governments lies and evasiveness surrounding the airplane accident triggered a radical shift in Iranian public opinion? It will be some time before we can answer such questions. The repercussions from the recent US-Iranian facedown are still in their early stages. As is the case in all such crises that reach the brink of war, this one left effects that will continue to simmer and ferment on each side. In the US, the results of that fermentation process will be felt in the electoral campaigns from now till November. Already, developments in the Gulf before and after the assassination of Suleimani have affected the Trump impeachment trial in the Senate and, to some extent, the Democratic Party primaries which will kick off in Iowa in a few days. Some of these developments are unfolding in Iraq where Baghdad had approached the threshold of asking US troops to leave the country, but then withdrew the request when Washington demanded too high a price. But the question of the US military presence in Iraq isnt over yet. It is still caught between the Iraqi grassroots uprising, the formation of a new cabinet and the reordering of relations between Baghdad and Tehran because the former feels overly strained by the alliance while the latter fears that the assassination of Suleimani and Iraqs Al-Mohandes was a sign that the time had come to part ways now that Iraq had become an arena for escalation. In Iran, the aftermath of the showdown has produced two opposing outputs: Death to the US and Israel and Down with the Supreme Leader. But there was more than just chants. There were Iranian missile strikes that caused no deaths and there was an escalation in Iranian uranium enrichment in order to bring the nuclear crisis back to centre stage. The European reaction was split: a European call for the members of the P5+1 group to return to the negotiating table with Iran in the hope of reaching an agreement satisfactory to all, versus a post-Brexit Britain under the leadership of Boris Johnson who is franker than his predecessors, leaving Iran with little choice but to make a deal with Trump. What all this boils down to is a state of intense fluidity aggravated by the diversity in positions of a host of international and regional powers. Such is the reality in the wake of a major crisis fraught with tensions that remain highly volatile. The writer is chairman of the board, CEO and director of the Regional Centre for Strategic Studies. *A version of this article appears in print in the 30 January, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Ajith MS By Express News Service MYSURU: With the Novel Coronavirus scare gripping many countries across the globe, eight youths from Karnataka, who were staying at Xuzhou city in China, about 500 km from epicentre Wuhan, are a relieved lot as they are finally set to return. The virus has claimed over a hundred lives in China and spread to several other countries. The eight youths, studying at the Xuzhou Medical University, have their flight tickets booked for January 31 after days of uncertainty as many flights were cancelled and they faced problems booking tickets too. They will be returning by a Nok Air flight via Bangkok. Speaking to The New Indian Express from Xuzhou, Mysuru resident BS Kishan, who is part of the group, said they were rushing back since there are reports that there will not be any flights to India from February 2. "Xuzhou city resembles a war zone, streets are empty and no one is getting out. Our university authorities have instructed us not to step out as ten cases were reported in the city itself," said Kishan. With markets closed for many days, food has become an issue and they are managing with whatever they had stocked, he said. "We have a liason officer who gets us whatever we need, but we are scared to get even vegetables from outside," he added. ALSO READ| All you need to know about Coronavirus According to Mysuru resident BS Kishan, the university allowed them to travel after they signed a letter stating that they are travelling at their own risk. He is returning along with Shashidhar and Akash of Vijayapura, Balangowda of Bagalkot and Snehith of Haveri as well as Aishwarya and Vijay Sai of Kalaburagi and Mahalakshmi who hails from Maharashtra. However, Ruthwik from Bengaluru and Gururaj from Davanagere have chosen to stay back, reportedly due to fear of coming out in public. According to Dr Prakash Kumar, Deputy Director (communicable diseases), they will be screened thoroughly for symptoms and subjected to thermal scanning at Bengaluru airport upon their arrival. It is an arduous journey for the group before they can catch the flight back. They will first have to travel to Nanjing, about 300 km away, by train from where they will head to Bangkok with a stopover at Taiwan. They will have to wait for 20 hours at Bangkok before they take another flight to Bengaluru. Kishans parents are understandably relieved. "Initially, we were confident that he could stay back. But with the death toll mounting and cities being locked down, my wife insisted that he return," said Krishna Kumar, the father. Kishan is the only son of Krishna Kumar Narakappa, an artist at Rangayana, and lawyer Usha D from Hinkal, Mysuru. 19 people under observation in Bengaluru The Department of Health and Family Welfare stated that eight new passengers are under observation for novel Coronavirus as on January 29. Totally, there are 19 passengers under observation, of which 11 are isolated at their residence and eight at RGIChest Diseases. A total of 3,669 people have been subjected to thermal scanning at the Kempegowda International Airport since January 20. The two samples that were collected on January 26 had tested negative. There are no confirmed cases in Karnataka as of Wednesday. Washington In a striking shift from President Donald Trump's claims of "perfect" dealings with Ukraine, his defenders asserted Wednesday at his Senate trial that a trade of U.S. military aid for political favors even if proven could not be grounds for his impeachment. Trump's defense spotlighted retired professor Alan Dershowitz, a member of their team who said that every politician conflates his own interest with the public interest. Therefore, he declared, "it cannot be impeachable." The Republicans are still hoping to wind up the impeachment trial with a rapid acquittal. Democrats are pressing hard for the Senate to call additional witnesses, especially Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton. Bolton's forthcoming book contends he personally heard Trump say he wanted military aid withheld from Ukraine until it agreed to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden the abuse of power charge that is the first article of impeachment. As Chief Justice John Roberts fielded queries in an unusual question-and-answer session, Texas Republican Ted Cruz asked, Does it matter if there was a quid pro quo? Simply, no, declared Dershowitz, who said that many politicians equate their re-election with the public good. Rep. Adam Schiff, the Democrat leading the House prosecutors, appeared stunned. "All quid pro quos are not the same," he retorted. Some might be acceptable some not. "And you don't need to be a mind reader to figure out which is which. For one thing, you can ask John Bolton." With voting on witnesses later this week, Democrats, amid the backdrop of protesters swarming the Capitol, are making a last-ditch push to sway Republicans to call Bolton and other witnesses to appear for testimony and ensure a "fair trial." Trump faces charges from the House that he abused his power like no other president, jeopardizing Ukraine and U.S.-Ukraine relations by using the military aid as leverage while the vulnerable ally battled Russia. The second article of impeachment says Trump then obstructed the House probe in a way that threatened the nation's three-branch system of checks and balances. The two days set aside for questions, Wednesday and Thursday, are allowing each side to grill the House Democrats prosecuting the case and the Republican president's defense team. Dozens of questions were asked and answered in rapid-fire fashion on Wednesday, with senators under orders to sit silently without comment, submitting their questions in writing. Democratic Leader Charles Schumer asked whether the Senate could really render a fair verdict without hearing from Bolton or acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, both potential eye witnesses to Trump's actions. The March 17 publication date of Bolton's book is now in doubt. The White House on Wednesday released a letter to Bolton's attorney objecting to "significant amounts of classified information" in the manuscript, including at the top secret level. Bolton and his attorney have insisted that the book does not contain any classified information. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The White House action could delay the book's publication if Bolton, who resigned last September Trump says he was fired is forced to revise his draft. GOP senators have been sternly warned by party leaders that calling Bolton as a witness could entangle the trial in lengthy legal battles and delay Trump's expected acquittal. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell huddled privately with senators for a third consecutive day, acknowledging he didn't yet have the votes to brush back Democratic demands for witnesses. Republican ideas for dealing with Bolton and his book were fizzling almost as soon as they arose among them, a witness "swap" with Democrats or issuing a subpoena for Bolton's manuscript. Bolton writes in a forthcoming book that Trump told him he wanted to withhold military aid from Ukraine until it helped with investigations into Democratic rival Joe Biden. That assertion, if true, would undercut a key defense argument and go to the heart of one of the two articles of impeachment against the president. Schiff's response to Dershowitz focused on one particular senator: He asked his audience to imagine what would have happened if then-President Barack Obama asked the Russians to dig up dirt on then-candidate Romney, the GOP's 2012 presidential nominee? He warned them to consider the fallout any president "can ask for an investigation of you." Far from voiding the last election, Schiff said, impeachment is protecting the next one, in 2020, from any future Trump efforts to ask foreign governments to intervene. India on Thursday said it has noted the European Parliament's decision to not put to vote a resolution against the new citizenship law, asserting that the legislation was enacted following the due process. External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India has also noted the European Commission's clarification that the EU Parliament's views don't reflect the official position of the grouping. "As I have mentioned earlier, CAA is an internal matter of India. It has been adopted through due process and democratic means," Kumar said, adding India will continue to engage with the European Parliament and other stakeholders on the issue. The European Parliament delayed a vote on Thursday on a resolution against the new citizenship law, a move seen as an attempt to not jeopardise Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Brussels in March for a bilateral summit with the 28-member bloc. The European Parliament on Wednesday decided to take up the voting against the Citizenship Amendment Act during its new session beginning March 2. "We have noted the decision of the EU parliament not to put the CAA resolution to vote on Thursday," Kumar said. India reached out to almost all countries of the powerful bloc, trying to persuade them against going ahead with the resolution against the CAA. Sources said the European lawmakers agreed to delay the voting to get a direct perspective from on the CAA from External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar who is scheduled to visit Brussels to prepare the ground for Modi's visit in mid-March. The EU lawmakers also wanted to wait for judicial review of the contentious law by India's Supreme Court. Diplomatic sources said the vote on the resolution against the CAA may take place between March 30 and 31, but a debate on it will go on as scheduled later on Wednesday. Six political groups of members of the European Parliament had moved a joint resolution against India's citizenship law, calling it discriminatory. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) High Priority Targets Identified - Warroo Project Perth, Jan 30, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Rumble Resources Ltd ( ASX:RTR ) ( FRA:20Z ) is pleased to announce that it has generated multiple first order targets at its newly formed Warroo Project, located in the highly sought-after Fortescue/Paterson Province region, which has attracted renewed interest following significant recent discoveries by Rio Tinto Limited at the large Winu copper-gold project and the Newcrest Mining - Greatland Gold joint venture at the exciting Havieron gold-copper project.Warroo Project Overview - 100% RumbleThe Warroo Project is contiguous to the east of Rumble's Braeside - Barramine Zn-Pb-Ag (Cu Au V) Projects and lies some 160km to the east of Marble Bar in the East Pilbara region of Western Australia. The project comprises of three exploration licence applications (ELA45/5365, ELA45/5366 and ELA45/5367) for a total area of 1082 km2. The tenure is 100% owned by Rumble.The Warroo Project overlies the Lower Fortescue Group (Late Archaean) rocks adjacent to the main tectonic boundary with the Paterson Province (early to late Proterozoic). Exploration by historic and current companies has been very limited over the project as the main focus was on the highly prospective Paterson Province that lies immediately to the east of Warroo.Recent work by Rumble Resources on the Braeside Project (west and contiguous with the Warroo Project) has confirmed significant base metal mineralisation (Zn, Pb and Cu) is associated with a large preserved Archaean epithermal-porphyry system. The mineralisation at Braeside is hosted in andesitic basalts and associated volcaniclastics and is controlled by an extensive fracture network over 60km in strike. The age of the mineralisation, host rocks and the likely source (felsic volcanics of the Koongaling Volcanic Member) are similar (2.76 Ga).Within the Warroo Project, a Late Archaean bimodal volcanic-sedimentary faulted (thrusting) synform (Warroo Hill Member) with strong copper anomalism has significant potential for VMS, stratiform base metal and intrusive related styles of mineralisation. The synform forms a part of Fortescue Group Harding Formation. Elsewhere in the Pilbara, the basal formation to the Fortescue Group is typically conglomerate. At Warroo, bimodal volcanism (felsic, andesite and basalt) is associated with volcaniclastics and sediments (including carbonates). The stratigraphy is typical of a rift related bimodal volcanic system, i.e. rhyodacitic volcanism followed by sedimentary basin development with ongoing volcanism evolving into andesite and basalt.The felsic volcanic sequence (Koongaling Felsic Volcanics - oxidised) associated with the bimodal volcanism is structurally in contact with a large granitoid complex (Gregory Granite Complex). Within the Gregory Granite Complex, A-type granite has been identified based on mineralogy and tectonic setting. A-type granites are generally anorogenic, post tectonic and emplaced in extensional regions (rifts). These granites have a strong radiometric output and often have significant REE, Nb, Ta, U, Sn and W. In general, the Gregory Granite Complex is a mix of metamorphosed syenogranite, granophyre and porphyritic granite with numerous rafts of xenolithic para/ortho amphibolite and felsic metasediments.A major sandstone unconformity (Tarcunyah Unconformity) occurs along the eastern margin of the Fortescue Group rocks. Above the unconformity, a thick sequence of oxidised quartz sandstones occurs with conglomerates. Underlying the Tarcunyah Unconformity (Neoproterozoic) are the highly radiogenic Gregory Granite Complex and Koongaling Felsic Volcanics (felspar bearing) and the bimodal volcanic-sedimentary synform which hosts reductant carbonates and shales. Tarcunyah sandstone also occurs in fault bounded outliers. Potential for Au, U and Pt.Airborne Magnetic SurveyTo aid in exploration targeting, Rumble completed airborne magnetics over the Lower Fortescue synform structure (Warroo Hill Member) and the southern portion of the Lower Fortescue/Neoproterozoic contact. A total of 798 line km were flown in late October 2019 with data becoming available for interpretation in December 2019. The survey was flown on 400m line spacing to complement existing regional public 400m line spaced airborne magnetic surveys. The new line spacing is 200m.Shallow RAB drilling (vertical holes) on 500m by 500m spacing was conducted over the northern section of prospective synform in the mid 1990's. The drilling was very shallow (3 to 12m deep) and was aimed at defining lithotypes and geochemistry under extensive shallow sand cover in the area.Elevated Cu and Zn anomalism was highlighted over a strike of some 10km on 500m by 500m spacing (project area) within metamorphosed volcaniclastics and sediments. Copper (>400ppm) in basement delineated (see image 3 & 4*). No follow up drilling was conducted and the prospective rocks within the synform are open to the south (18 km strike) within the project area.Grab sampling at the Warroo Cu-Zn Prospect (within project area - see image 3 & 4*)) returned strong mineralisation from multiple samples including.- Cu - 3.43%, 2.04% and 1.51%- Zn - 26.0%, 23.5% and 19.1%No previous exploration has been conducted over the large regional unconformity (Tarcunyah Unconformity).The Warroo Hill Member Synform is prospective for:- VMS Cu-Zn-Pb-Ag-Au deposits:o Geological setting ideal for VMS style mineralisation associated with bimodal Archaean rift related tectonism. Large felsic volcanic province (rhyodacite - lower sequence) underlies a sedimentary basin (rift related) comprised of intermediate to mafic volcanics/volcaniclastics and sediments.- Stratiform Replacement Cu (Zn Pb Ag Au) deposits:o Early basin (syngenetic) base metal mineralisation with overprint (later replacement) - copper dominant.- Intrusive Related Cu Zn Pb Ag Au deposits:o High level (porphyry) intrusive related deposits.- Over 18km of strike is prospective for Cu Zn Pb Ag Au mineralisation and potential deposits within the Warroo Hill Member Synform (Image 3,4 & 5*).The Tarcunyah Unconformity is prospective for Au-U-Pt (unconformity related) deposits.- Upper oxidised sandstone (Neoproterozoic) over reduced basement of shales and carbonates (Warroo Hill Member) and feldspar rich radiogenic felsic volcanics, syenogranite and granite.- Some 60km of strike potential associated with the Tarcunyah Unconformity and outlier fault has no previous exploration and has potential for Au U Pt unconformity related deposits.Next Steps - JV PotentialIn line with is strategy, Rumble will refine target generation prior to completing exploration in its own right and also consider suitable joint venture opportunities and partners.Rumble has recently secured two significant joint ventures in Tier 1 jurisdictions, one with Independence Group ( ASX:IGO ) on Rumble's Fraser Range Project and another with AIC Mines ( ASX:A1M ) on Rumble's Lamil Project in the Paterson Province.*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. The San Francisco International Airport Commissioner whom federal officials allege Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru and restaurateur Nick Bovis sought to bribe resigned Wednesday. Linda Crayton cited a struggle with multiple, severe medical conditions for several years in her resignation letter to Mayor London Breed. Nuru and Bovis were charged with wire fraud Tuesday in connection with schemes that involved trying to exchange cash and gifts for contracts at SFO and the Transbay transit center. The complaint alleges the men tried to bribe Crayton in exchange for voting to approve an airport lease for Bovis chicken restaurant. Her resignation could mark the beginning of a broader fallout from the corruption scandal. Despite the arrest of Bovis and Nuru, the FBI considers the investigation to be ongoing. In the hours and days ahead, we are going to learn the names of who various players were that are anonymously named in the U.S. attorneys complaint. Today, one of those individuals resigned and were going to find out whether this goes further and wider, said Supervisor Aaron Peskin. The Board of Supervisors would likely call for hearings into the scandal next month, Peskin said, and well see where that trail leads. FBI agents on Tuesday also raided the offices of Walter Wong, a well-connected business and permitting consultant closely connected to Nuru and Bovis, according to a source with knowledge of the matter. Wong was not named in Tuesdays federal complaint and has not been charged with a crime. A phone message left for Wong Wednesday wasnt immediately returned. Crayton, who was first appointed to the Airport Commission by then-Mayor Willie Brown in 1996, is listed only as Commissioner 1 in the Justice Departments criminal complaint against Nuru and Bovis. But Craytons attorney, Randall Knox, confirmed Wednesday that Crayton was the target of their alleged bribery scheme. Knox said Craytons frail health combined with Tuesdays revelations is a little more stress than she wants to bear right now. Recent questions have also emerged about whether she lives in San Francisco a requirement for airport commissioners and other public offices. In their complaint, federal officials lay out in meticulous detail the evidence collected from confidential informants, wiretaps, undercover officers and surveillance that they allege shows Nuru and Bovis concocting a plan to buy off Crayton. The complaint also alleges that Bovis expected Craytons approval would bring along the votes of two additional commissioners who vote in a block with Crayton. The complaint indicates that Crayton knew Nuru going so far as to say that Nuru helped get her a spot on the commission. Federal officials say that Bovis thought Crayton was receptive to their overtures. According to the complaint, Bovis told an informant that Crayton had confided that she was confident she could help them secure the lease after she got all the information. The complaint accuses Nuru and Bovis of conspiring to bribe Crayton with a trip and $5,000 in cash. Bovis and Nuru then took concrete steps to implement the scheme by arranging a private dinner with (Crayton) and bringing an envelope full of cash to the meeting, the complaint said. Federal officials suggested that Craytons interactions with Bovis may constitute a violation of the rules governing the bidding process. Bovis allegedly told an undercover officer that he had offered the cash to Crayton after the dinner, but she rejected it. He later decided against the lump-sum and thought instead to take care of Crayton by offering a small portion of the licensing fees he would receive from the restaurant lease. 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. But that plan unraveled after Bovis and others involved in the alleged scheme became suspicious that they were being watched by the FBI. The complaint also says Crayton did not accept the cash bribe. If you look at the recorded conversations in the complaint, its clear that Ms. Crayton is saying, Im trying to do the right thing, Knox, the commissioners lawyer, said. Shes innocent. Shes neither the target or the subject (of the investigation). At most, shes a potential witness. The alleged airport scheme is one of five separate instances of public corruption Nuru and Bovis are accused of being involved in. Nuru was also charged with lying to the FBI. He was arrested on Jan. 21 but agreed to work with investigators on the ongoing public corruption case. But he reportedly revealed he was cooperating with law enforcement to an unnamed senior city official, and allegedly lied about doing so to the FBI, which triggered his rearrest on Monday. Both men are free on $2 million bonds and both face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Nuru was placed on paid administrative leave, in accordance with city policy, on Monday. They are expected back in court on Feb. 6. Scrutiny over Craytons role in the alleged scheme also raised questions about her eligibility to work as an airport commissioner based on where she lives. Publicly available records indicate that while Crayton is registered to vote in San Francisco, she has a residence in San Leandro. A Chronicle editor visited the San Leandro address, inside a gated neighborhood, Tuesday and Wednesday. No one responded to calls to a home listed on the security system at the entrance as Crayton L. And on Tuesday, a reporter spoke with residents at the address where Crayton is registered to vote in San Francisco. They said they had never heard of her. Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa An Accra High Court has thrown out an application by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service to search the phone records of the National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi. The court has also denied the police access to Mr Gyamfis Facebook records. In his ruling, the Judge described the CIDs application as frivolous. This ruling comes days after a member of the communication and legal team of the NDC, Mr Abraham Amaliba, disclosed to the media that the police requested and had access to Mr Gyamfis phone when he was picked up to the CID headquarters on Monday, January 27, 2020. Upon insistence and to avoid any altercation with the police, we decided to give out the phone since there is nothing incriminating in it, Amaliba said. The police are interrogating Mr Gyamfi following a complaint filed by the Executive Secretary to the President, Nana Bediatuo Asante to the CID alleging that Mr Gyamfi forged a document purported to have emanated from the presidency and published same on his social media page in order to cause fear among the Ghanaian public. ---Starrfm.com.gh Phoenix, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - January 30, 2020) - The Stock Day Podcast welcomed Timberline Resources (OTCQB: TLRS) ("the Company"), a company focused on advancing district-scale gold exploration and development projects in Nevada. President and CEO of the Company, Steve Osterberg, joined Stock Day host Everett Jolly. Jolly began the interview by asking Osterberg to share how he became involved with the Company. "I joined the company back in early 2012," said Osterberg, adding that his background is in geology. "I've worked for a number of companies - juniors, explorers, all the way up to majors such as BHP Minerals," said Osterberg. "I also have considerable experience working in the mining consulting industry for a couple of different engineering firms," he added. Osterberg then shared that he began working with the Company leading the technical aspects of the business, but was eventually offered his current position as President and CEO in 2016. "Who is Timberline Resources and what are you guys about?", asked Jolly. "Timberline Resources is principally a gold explorer, all of our projects are in Nevada," explained Osterberg, adding that the Company chose Nevada for its reputation of being a world class mining jurisdiction. "We operate within well established districts, both of which are on the Battle Mountain-Eureka gold trend," he continued, noting that the Company's projects are also well suited in terms of infrastructure. "On the capital market side, we have a tight share structure with about 75 million shares outstanding," said Osterberg, adding that the Company also has a high level of insider ownership. He then expanded on the Company's diverse and experienced management team. "We're poised to continue on to some really exciting work." Jolly then noted that the Company's market cap seems exceptionally undervalued considering their current projects, and asked about their assets. Osterberg shared the history of the Battle Mountain-Eureka gold trend, which represents enormous potential to the Company's current projects. "With our recent drilling, we drilled to about 200 meters depth," said Osterberg regarding the Paiute project. "Within that 200 meter drill hole there are 6 intersections, each of them multiple meters in length grading from approximately half a gram to a gram per tonne, and in some cases, over a gram per tonne gold," explained Osterberg. "Those are very interesting grades and really attractive as an exploration opportunity. We certainly will be advancing the project with further drilling," said Osterberg. Osterberg then expanded on the Company's Eureka project. "In mid-2019, we brought in a partner to fund us on this work. It's a large property block, district scale, and is a Carlin-type gold system," said Osterberg. "Within the large resource area there is a zone associated with a historic open pit in which we have around 20 drill core holes that run better than 10 grams per tonne over multiple meter intercepts," he continued, noting that many open pit operations in Nevada today mine at about a gram or less per tonne. "We believe we have the opportunity to significantly advance that and turn this from half a million ounces into a much larger size through the work effort with our joint venture partner." To close the interview, Osterberg expanded on the discovery potential of the Company's projects, as well as their tight share structure, which represent an excellent opportunity for investors. To hear Steve Osterberg's entire interview, follow the link to the podcast here: https://audioboom.com/posts/7491602-president-and-ceo-of-timberline-resources-steve-osterberg-is-featured-on-the-stock-day-podcast Investors Hangout is a proud sponsor of "Stock Day," and Stock Day Media encourages listeners to visit the company's message board at https://investorshangout.com/ About Timberline Resources Timberline Resources Corporation is focused on advancing district-scale gold exploration and development projects in Nevada. These include the Lookout Mountain joint venture project with PM & Gold Mines operated by Timberline and the Windfall project, both in the Eureka district, as well as being operator of both the Paiute joint venture project with Nevada Gold Mines, and the Elder Creek joint venture with McEwen Mining, both in the Battle Mountain district. All of these properties lie on the prolific Battle Mountain-Eureka gold trend. Timberline also owns the Seven Troughs property in Northern Nevada, which is one of the state's highest-grade former producers. Timberline has increased its owned and controlled mineral rights in Nevada to over 43 square miles (27,500 acres). Detailed maps and NI 43-101 estimated resource information for the Eureka property, and copies of press release disclosure of exploration results may be viewed at http://timberlineresources.co/. Timberline is listed on the OTCQB where it trades under the symbol "TLRS" and on the TSX Venture Exchange where it trades under the symbol "TBR". Forward-looking Statements Statements contained herein that are not based upon current or historical fact are forward-looking in nature and constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements reflect the Company's expectations about its future operating results, performance and opportunities that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. These include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the advancement of projects, and exploration potential. When used herein, the words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "upcoming," "plan," "target", "intend" and "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to Timberline Resources Corporation, its subsidiaries, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to the Company and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause the Company's actual results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. There are no assurances that the Company will complete the earn-in on the Elder Creek project as contemplated or at all. Factors that could cause or contribute to risks involving forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, changes in the Company's business and other factors, including risk factors discussed in the Company's Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2019. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. For Further Information Please Contact: Steven A. Osterberg President and CEO Tel: 208-664-4859 E-mail: info@timberline-resources.com Website: www.timberline-resources.com About The "Stock Day" Podcast Founded in 2013, Stock Day is the fastest growing media outlet for Nano-Cap and Micro-Cap companies. It educates investors while simultaneously working with penny stock and OTC companies, providing transparency and clarification of under-valued, under-sold Micro-Cap stocks of the market. Stock Day provides companies with customized solutions to their news distribution in both national and international media outlets. The Stock Day Podcast is the number one radio show of its kind in America. Stock Day recently launched its Video Interview Studio located in Phoenix, Arizona. SOURCE: Stock Day Media 602-441-3474 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/51965 The following updates are from Jan. 30. Click here for updates from Jan. 31. US Upgrades Warning For China to Do Not Travel The U.S. State Department has upgraded its travel advisory for China from level 3, reconsider travel, to the highest level, Level 4: Do not travel. Travelers should be prepared for travel restrictions to be put into effect with little or no advance notice, it said. Commercial carriers have reduced or suspended routes to and from China. The department urged U.S. citizens currently in China to consider leaving the country through commercial means. Virgin Atlantic Suspends Flights to Shanghai British airline Virgin Atlantic announced that it had suspended flights from Heathrow to Shanghai for two weeks from Feb. 1, according to a travel alert issued by the airliner. After careful consideration of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak within China, Virgin Atlantic has decided to suspend daily Shanghai operations from Saturday 1st Feb for 14 days. The latest customer travel advice can be found here: https://t.co/AtrWyMFTWb pic.twitter.com/dVaRr1h8NF Virgin Atlantic (@VirginAtlantic) January 30, 2020 Our service to Hong Kong is operating as scheduled, the airline stated. Currently, Hong Kong has 12 confirmed cases of coronavirus. The airline joins American Airlines, British Airways, Air Canada, and others to halt flights into China. China Insider Claims Top Communist Officials Looking to Protect 11 Cities from Virus Outbreak Stephen Shiu Yeuk-yuen, a senior political commentator and media professional in Hong Kong, told the Hong Kong edition of The Epoch Times on Jan. 28 that he had obtained insider information about how top Chinese Communist Party officials plan to respond to the coronavirus outbreak. According to Shiu, an insider in the CCPs top leadership had told him that top officials were concerned that the outbreak would bring an end to CCP rule, and discussed saving 11 cities from the coronavirus outbreak during a Jan. 25 emergency Politburo meeting. The 11 cities on the CCPs priority list are said to be Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Hangzhou, Xian, Shenyang, Harbin, and Urumqi. Read more here. France Reports 6th Case of Coronavirus Jerome Salomon, Frances director general of health, announced a new case of known coronavirus infection in Paris in a press conference on Jan. 30, according to local newspaper Ouest-France. In a case of human-to-human transmission, a doctor was infected when treating a patient from China, Salomon said. The doctor is now in isolation in a Paris hospital while the patient has returned to China. Hong Kong Reports 2 New Cases of Coronavirus, Bringing Total to 12 Hong Kong has reported 2 new cases of 2019-nCoV, bringing the citys total number of known virus carriers to 12. One of the new cases involved a human-to-human transmission, the first such case in Hong Kong, according to Hong Kong media. The patient, a 37-year-old woman, is the daughter of a couple from Wuhan who had already tested positive for the virus. The second new case involved a 75-year-old man living in Tsing Yi, an island to the northwest of Hong Kong Island. He visited Shunde District in southern Chinas Guangdong Province from Dec. 30 to Jan. 7. Later, he visited Macao from Jan. 10 to Jan. 14. Trinidad and Tobago Imposes Travel Restriction on Travelers from China Terrence Deyalsingh, Trinidad and Tobagos health minister, announced that travelers from China will not be allowed entry into the Caribbean country for 14 days after leaving China, according to local daily Trinidad Express. Deyalsingh made the announcement on Jan. 30 and the restriction was to take effect immediately. Currently, Trinidad and Tobago does not have any confirmed cases of coronavirus. Italy Blocks All China Flights After First Cases of Coronavirus Confirmed Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has confirmed the first two known cases of novel coronavirus in the country in a press conference late Thursday night. A Chinese couple, 66 and 67, tested positive for the virus in Rome, Italy, according to the local daily La Reppublica. The couple were part of a tour group that arrived at Malpensa Airport in Varese on Jan. 23, and subsequently stayed at Hotel Palatino. They had been to multiple tourist sites in Italy. The situation is serious but totally under control. Theres no need to scaremonger, health minister Roberto Speranza told reporters. Conte added that Italy is now blocking all air traffic with China. We are the first country to take such a precautionary measure, he said. Read more here. WHO Declares Global Emergency The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern over the new coronavirus outbreak. The organization held discussions for two days last week on the virus but did not declare a global health emergency at the time. Since then, new patients have been diagnosed in a slew of countries, including some who did not travel to China themselves. Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems, and which are ill-prepared to deal with it, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference on Thursday. The declaration has only happened five times in the past ten years. WHO describes the move as an extraordinary event which 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. Read more here. Funeral workers disinfect themselves after handling a virus victim in Wuhan in central Chinas Hubei Province on Jan. 30, 2020. (Chinatopix via AP) US to Offer More Flights Out of Wuhan Additional flights are planned to evacuate American citizens from Wuhan, the epicenter of the new coronavirus, officials said. In a Thursday statement to Americans in the Wuhan and Hankou areas, the agency said it will be staging additional evacuation flights with capacity for private U.S. citizens, leaving Wuhans international airport on Monday, Feb. 3. American citizens with valid passports should contact CoronaVirusEmergencyUSC@state.gov to leave. Those who are seeking transport have to be subjected to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) screening, health observation, and monitoring requirements, the agency wrote. The announcement came after the State Department chartered a plane to fly Americans, primarily department personnel, from Wuhan. The 195 people touched down at March Air Reserve Base on Wednesday and are expected to stay in isolation for at least three days as theyre intensely monitored for signs of the virus. Read more here. The entrance to March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, Calif. on Jan. 29, 2020. (Matt Hartman/AFP via Getty Images) New Patient in US Didnt Travel to China The first case of a person contracting the Novel Coronavirus from another person in the United States was confirmed on Jan. 30. Officials said the man, in his 60s, did not travel to China. The other five confirmed patients in the United States traveled to China before returning to America. The new patient contracted the new virus from his wife, a woman in her 60s who returned from Wuhan on Jan. 13. She did not show symptoms during her travel but later developed symptoms and was isolated at a hospital. Her husband developed symptoms in recent days and tests showed he had the virus. Read more here. St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, on Jan. 24, 2020. The first coronavirus patient in Illinois was isolated at the hospital; officials announced on Jan. 30, 2020, that her husband contracted the illness from her. (Derek Henkle/AFP via Getty Images) US Not Restricting Travel, but Number of Flights Dropping The United States isnt yet restricting travel to or from China, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said on Thursday. Were not going to take any public health options off the table to protect the American public but what were seeing already is a diminution in flights going back and forth between China and the United States, Azar said on CNBC when asked if officials might announce a travel ban. The declining number of people arriving in the United States from China is a natural consequence of heightened State Department travel advisories, Azar said, referring to a level four advisory warning people not to travel to Hubei Province and a level three advisory advising people to consider any travel to other parts of China. Read more here. 6,000 Passengers Held on Cruise Ship in Italy A spokesperson for Costa Cruises said a 54-year-old Chinese woman was showing symptoms of coronavirus on the cruise ship, which has prompted quarantines and lockdowns in several Chinese cities and fears of a global health epidemic. A Costa Cruises spokesperson told Epoch Times that a sanitary protocol has been activated for a guest on the Costa Smeralda, docked off the coast of Civitavecchia, adding that the person is of Chinese origin. She was placed isolation on the onboard hospital since last night together with her travel mate. As soon as the suspected case was detected, the medical team on board immediately activated all the relevant health procedures to promptly isolate and manage the case, according to the cruise liner. Read more here. Taiwan Reports 9th Case of Coronavirus Chen Shih-chung, Taiwans health and welfare minister, announced Taiwans ninth confirmed case of coronavirus on Jan. 30. The patient, a woman, began to have respiratory symptoms on Jan. 27, and went to a hospital the following day. She tested positive for coronavirus on Jan. 30. Her husband worked in Wuhan and recently returned to Taiwan. Japanese Minister Calls on Taiwans Participation in the World Health Organization Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in a parliamentary session on Jan. 30, said Taiwans participation in the WHO was important to fight the coronavirus. It will be difficult to maintain health and prevent further infections in this region if [Taiwan] is excluded for political reasons, said Abe, according to local newspaper Mainichi Shimbun. He added, We will continue to make our countrys stance clear at the WHO. Beijing views Taiwan as a renegade province and has tried to diminish the islands international presence by blocking it from becoming a member of international organizations such as the WHO. Taiwan was not allowed to take part in an emergency meeting held by the WHO in Geneva on Jan. 22. US Territory Northern Mariana Islands Bans Travelers from China Ralph Torres, governor of the Northern Mariana Islands, issued an executive order on Jan. 29 declaring a state of significant emergency and banning travelers from China, according to local newspaper Saipan Tribune. The nCoV poses a significant and imminent threat of harm to the community, environment, and people of the CNMI and this emergency declaration issues in order to respond, quarantine, and ensure the prevention of or containment of nCoV in the CNMI, Torres stated. CNMI is short for the U.S. territorys official namethe Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 2019-nCoV is the name for the virus behind the current outbreak. The ban, which will be in effect for 30 days, ordered airlines to suspend direct and indirect travelers from China. The U.S. territory has not reported any cases of coronavirus. Some countries in the Pacific, including Palau and the Marshall Islands, have already banned travel from China, according to the Saipan Tribune. Phillipines, India Report First Case of Coronavirus Indias Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced on Jan. 30 that a student studying at Chinas Wuhan University had contracted the virus in Kerala, a state in southwestern India. The ministry stated that the patient was stable and being closely monitored in isolation in a hospital. On Jan. 28, local outlet The Economic Times reported that 633 people in Kerala, who had all returned from China recently, were under observation, citing comments by Keralas health minister K. K. Shailaja. Among them, seven were in isolation wards at different hospitals. Francisco Duque III, the Philippines health minister, said that a 38-year-old Chinese woman originally from Wuhan was infected with the virus, according to local outlet ABS-CBN. The woman arrived in Manila via Hong Kong on Jan. 21, and went to a local hospital for a check-up on Jan. 25 due to a mild cough. Australia Defends Decision to Quarantine People on Island The Australian government on Jan. 30 defended its plans to quarantine its citizens for 14 days in a detention center on Christmas Island as they return from Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in China. Australia announced on Wednesday it would help evacuate some citizens from Hubei province as part of a joint operation with New Zealand, promising to prioritize the isolated and vulnerable, including the elderly, children, and short-term travelers who have no support base in the region. Speaking to reporters in Canberra on Thursday, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said Australia has no other choice, and the decision was made to keep the broader population safe. The reality is people need to be accommodated for somewhere for up to 14 days. I cant clear out a hospital in Sydney, Melbourne, or Brisbane, he said. Read more here. Malaysia Reports 8th Confirmed Case of Coronavirus Malaysias Director-General of Health, Datuk Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah, said that a Chinese national aged 49 had contracted coronavirus, according to local newspaper Malay Mail. Currently, Malaysia has eight confirmed cases, all of them Chinese nationals. South Korea Will Send $5 Million in Aid to China South Koreas Yonhap News Agency reported on Jan. 30 that the South Korean government will send $5 million in aid to China to combat the coronavirus outbreak, citing the countrys foreign ministry. Currently, South Korea has four confirmed cases but no new confirmed case has been reported since Jan. 27. American Evacuees Voluntarily Stay in Isolation at Military Base The Americans evacuated from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have voluntarily stayed in isolation at a Californian air force base for medical evaluations, federal health officials said on Jan. 29. The 195 evacuees, who came back on a chartered plane, will be staying in the March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County for about three days, Nancy Messonnier from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told reporters. She said the people on board cheered loudly as the plane landed in the United States. So far, no passengers have exhibited symptoms of the infectious disease, said Messonnier. Messonnier is the director for the CDCs National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Medical personnel will continue to actively monitor the evacuees for up to 14 daysthe upper bound of the viruss incubation period before symptoms become apparent. Read more here. Human Rights Watch Says China Censoring Citizens, Press New York-based non-profit Human Rights Watch (HRW) in an article published on Jan. 30 pointed out that Beijing has tried to control the flow of information regarding the epidemic. It said that Chinese authorities have censored many articles and social media posts about the outbreak. Additionally, Chinese authorities have also ordered medical personnel not to speak to the media, while journalists have been escorted away from reporting. Chinese authorities have also failed to provide basic necessities for citizens in cordoned areas. For example, a man with cancer living near Wuhan has not been able to restock his medication. The article urged Chinese authorities to prohibit discrimination and harassment against Hubei residents in other provinces. Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive, said Wang Yaqiu, a China researcher with HRW. South and North Korea Close Joint Liaison Office The two Koreas have suspended their joint inter-Korean liaison office in Gaeseong, a border town in North Korea, due to to the coronavirus outbreak, South Koreas Unification Ministry announced in a Jan. 30 press release. The ministry said that 58 staff members in the office will return to South Korean soon. Additionally, the ministry said the two sides had agreed to maintain contact through telecommunication lines. North Korea has suspended its trade with China, according to Radio Free Asia. Chinas Anti-Corruption Watchdog Issues Warnings to Chinese Officials Chinas anti-corruption watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), published a warning on its official website on Jan. 30. The warning said that those who fail to carry out Chinese leader Xi Jinpings instructions in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak are to be resolutely investigated and punished. The CCDI also stated that it would resolutely investigate in accordance with the law and party discipline acts such as derelict of duty and misappropriating rescue funds. In recent years, the CCDI has been responsible for taking down many corrupted Chinese officials. Read more here. Google Closes Offices in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan Google announced the temporary closure of its offices in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan on Jan. 29. The current coronial outbreak, which originated from Wuhan, has spread to more than a dozen countries and regions. In Hong Kong, there are 10 confirmed cases and Taiwan eight. Tibet Reports First Confirmed Case of Coronavirus A patient surnamed Zhang arrived at Lhasa by train from Wuhan on Jan. 24 and was hospitalized on the following day after experiencing coronavirus symptoms, according to Chinas state-run news outlet Xinhua. Xinhua confirmed that Zhang had contracted the virus in an update on Jan. 30. All regions in China now have patients testing positive for the novel coronavirus. Experts believe that China is underreporting the scale of the outbreak. Read more here. Russia Closes Border With China, Blocks Chinese Tour Groups Three Russian regions in the Far EastThe Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Khabarovsk, and Amur regionshave closed their crossings with China until Feb. 7, local English-language daily The Moscow Times reported. Meanwhile, Russian travel agencies since Jan. 28 have stopped accepting new tour groups from China. Currently, Russia has not reported any confirmed case of coronavirus. It shares a 2,600-mile border with China. 92 Singaporeans Return Home From Wuhan A plane with Singaporean budget airline Scoot arrived in Singapore in the morning on Jan. 30 carrying 92 passengers, local media The Strait Times has reported. Scoot had been scheduled to fly another plane to Wuhan this evening, but that flight has since been cancelled. US Senator Marco Rubio Voices Anger at China for Refusing to Work with Taiwan on Evacuation Plan While many governments have successfully evacuated some of their citizens from Wuhan, including Japan and the United States, China has refused Taiwans requests to charter planes to Wuhan, according to local Taiwanese media. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), in a tweet on Jan. 29, wrote: #China refusing to allow #Taiwan to evacuate its citizens due to growing #coronavirus pandemic is outrageous. #China refusing to allow #Taiwan to evacuate its citizens due to growing #coronavirus pandemic is outrageous. https://t.co/hdIAJPlhEZ Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 29, 2020 While Taiwan is a full-fledged democracy with its own military, constitution, currency, and elected officials, Beijing considers the island a renegade province that must be united with the mainland one day, with military force if necessary. Australia Confirms 2 Citizens in China Infected with Coronavirus Two Australian citizens have been infected with the virus, reported Australian broadcaster ABC, citing comments made by Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt. According to Hunt, the two are not in Wuhanthe epicenter of the coronavirusbut in Guangdong province. My advice before coming to this event from the national incident centre in our morning briefing is that two Australians did contract the virus in Guangdong province, Hunt said at a press conference. They have been treated and the advice that I haveand I would want to be cautious on thisis that they have been released and are not seeking consular assistance at this stage. Ikea Closes All Stores in China Swedish furniture maker IKEA announced on Jan. 30 that it has closed all of its 30 stores in China, in response to the coronavirus outbreak, according to Reuters. Several American companies have already shut down some of their stores, including Starbucks and McDonalds. Multiple Airlines Cancel Flights to China Indonesia airline Lion Air, in an announcement on Jan. 29, stated that it will suspend all flights to China for February, according to Reuters. Russian Ural Airlines also announced on Jan. 29 that it had suspended some flights to several European destinations, including Paris and Rome, according to AFP. The airline said these European routes are popular with Chinese tourist groups. Prior to the latest cancellation, Ural has already suspended its flights to Chinas Hainan from Russian cities of Tyumen and Yekaterinburg, Anadolu Agency reported. Finlands flag carrier Finnair suspended flights to Nanjiang and Daxing District in Beijing until the end of March, according to local media. Flights to other Chinese destinations, including the capital Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong will continue. Earlier on Jan. 28, South Korean budget carrier Air Seoul suspended all flights to China. Other Korean airliners, including Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air, Eastar Jet, and Tway Air, have also suspended some services to China, according to local media. On Jan. 26, Hong Kongs Cathy Dragon suspended flights to Wuhan until March 31. Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon announced on Jan. 28 that they will be progressively reducing the capacity of our flights to and from mainland China by 50 percent or more from Jan. 30 until the end of March. WHO Says Whole World Needs to be On Alert Dr. Michael Ryan, the head of the World Health Organizations (WHOs) Health Emergencies Programme told reporters on Wednesday, the whole world needs to be on alert now as the number of coronavirus cases reported by China continue to increase. The whole world needs to take action and be ready for any cases that come, either from the original epicenter or from other epicenters that become established, he said. Live from Geneva on the new #coronavirus outbreak https://t.co/f2fNWxSQHu World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) January 29, 2020 Also at the press conference, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that an emergency committee would decide on Thursday whether the outbreak is an international public health emergency after stopping short last week. He added that the WHO deeply regrets mistakenly describing the worldwide virus risk as moderate in three reports last week instead of high. The situation report has since revised the risks to very high in China, high at the regional level and high at the global level. Following a visiting to China this week, Ghebreyesus said that most of those who had contracted the coronavirus suffered milder symptoms, while around 20 percent of patients suffered severe effects such as pneumonia or respiratory failure. New Zealand Charters Plane to Evacuate Citizens from Wuhan Winston Peters, New Zealands foreign minister, announced that the government has agreed with national carrier Air New Zealand to arrange a chartered flight to Wuhan to evacuate citizens, according to local media. Peters urged New Zealand citizens in Hubei to register on Safetravel if they would like to board the plane. Air Canada Announces It is Suspending China Flights Effective Jan. 30, Air Canada is suspending all direct flights to Beijing and Shanghai until Feb. 29, the airlines said in a statement. The decision came after the Canadian government released advice for Canadians to avoid non-essential travel to mainland China. The airline said that impacted customers will be notified and offered other options, including travel on other carriers where available, or a full refund. Air Canada regrets this situation and apologizes for the serious disruption to our customers travel plans, it said, adding that adjustments to the cancellations may be announced as the situation continues to evolve. The airline joins American Airlines, British Airways, and others to halt flights into China, with some offering only limited services to Hong Kong. From The Epoch Times Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu 30.01.2020 LISTEN I'd last night (29/1/2020) watched with pains in my heart an interview granted the media by the Majority Leader in Parliament, who also doubles as the Member of Parliament for the Suame Constituency in the Ashanti Region, and the Minister for government business, Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu. In the said interview, the Mr. Bonsu was asked by journalists to comment on his chances of returning to Parliament in the upcoming elections since he's been challenged fiercely by a young man in his constituency. With a smirking air of invincibility, the Majority leader said; and I paraphrase: "what's the name of the guy who said he's coming to challenge me for my seat? Haha, he's just joking. Parliament needs people who work with their brains, brilliant intelligent people, to make laws. Parliament needs people who have stayed for long, we need experienced people there, as seen elsewhere in the developed countries........." (sic). As if a sharpened iron blade was used to scrape my brains, I forced myself through an agonizing moment watching our majority leader on television. And he was not ashamed of his boastfulness one bit. He went on ranting till I picked my pen to answer him this way, albeit deserving of his - my boiled up anger. Mr. Majority leader, the developed countries you cite for example to justify why you and your type are to be left go unchallenged, for God knows what number of years in Parliament, the Europes and the Americas, count what those long stayed parliamentarians have benefitted their representing constituencies and countries. Compare how developed their constituencies and the countries at large benefitted from the decisions that bear their signatures to that of Suame Constituency and Ghana, one that bears your thumbprint. A Ghana of which Parliament your long stay you're comparing to the proverbial old wine that's priced highly, do put it on the same scale with the Chuck Schumers and the Nancy Pelosis in America's Parliament if your benefit to the old beautiful Ghana that was a pilgrim's pride will not be a fraction to theirs. We're sick and tired of you using your long stay in Parliament to thumbscrew us always in electioneering period that you're the best for the country, and that aside you, no one else. My native Goka people say: amfom na 3kyer3 he ntoaso. To wit: (He's to continue who has achieved the better). Show to us the better you've achieved for Ghana in your two decades stay in the Parliament. Have you not been in our Parliament that the very seating you occupy, not considering our local artisans, you contracted the Chinese to provide? The very Chinese who could build for the Africa Union's office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and eavesdrop in on our presidents with bugging gadgets, they're the very ones you married to to dress the very Parliament you join to make laws for Ghana, opening our important arm of government to an espionage. If they can do that, stealthily listening to decisions taken by leaders of the 54 and over countries, is Ghana safe, using anything of theirs at whatever place we sit, not even to talk about where we make our laws? Or you think it is for nothing that America is banning Chinese Huawei's 5G network from its jurisdiction and urging all her allies to do same? Mr. Leader of government's business, Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonus, you were in the same Parliament when the Chinese entered our country to mine our gold illegally, lumbering our priced rosewoods unabating to our disadvantage in business terms, and all sorts of their illegal activities reported done here. Your acclaimed brilliance and intelligence I believe, is more strong in words and on paper, than its visible physical implementation. If your other long stayed colleague in Hon. Alban Bagbin from the other side of the political divide is bowing out, learn to bury your pride and walk out the stage with the little applause accorded you. Don't use that your cliche silver bullet of "long stay the best" to stymie the patriotic young Ghanaians who are with the burning desire, filling all arms of government to erect again our fallen walls from the debris, and place Ghana at a vantage position in the NEW WORLD. Long Live Ghana! *Written by: Charles Yeboah (Sir Lord)* *Contact/WhatsApp: +233249542111* *Email: [email protected]* British travellers have been warned not to travel to mainland China because of the rapidly spreading Wuhan Coronavirus. Since the outbreak began, the Foreign Office has warned only against travel to Hubei province, where the virus originated. But on Tuesday evening the FCO extended its warning to the whole of the Peoples Republic except for the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau. The advice to avoid all but essential travel to mainland China came about because of fears that the government in Beijing could widen the lockdown of transport that is currently in force in Hubei. The Foreign Office said: It may become harder over the coming weeks for those who wish to leave China to do so. The strengthened warning is aimed at sharply reducing the number of UK travellers going to mainland China, but the Foreign Office has made it clear that those who are currently in the Peoples Republic need not return early. But it adds: If you feel that you may want to leave China soon, you should consider making plans to do so before any further restrictions may be imposed. Anyone who continues with plans to visit China in spite of the advice risks invalidating their travel insurance. Travellers with imminent bookings to China with UK holiday companies will be entitled to full refunds. But it is likely that travel firms will ask those with future bookings to wait to see if the warning is withdrawn. Plans are being finalised for an airlift of British nationals currently in the city of Wuhan and its surroundings. British nationals in Hubei Province are advised to call +86 10 8529 6600 and "register your desire to leave before 29 January at 11am local time". The Independent understands that the Foreign Office will charter a wide-bodied plane from an Asian airline to avoid the problems with crewing that using British Airways or Virgin Atlantic would involve. It is not yet clear which UK airport will receive the evacuation flight. A wide range of monitoring and healthcare facilities will need to be put in place. Meanwhile, a China specialist travel firm, Wendy Wu Tours, claims it has confirmation from China that the virus will start to decline imminently. The company said: Dr Zhong Nanshan, the medical expert behind the elimination of Sars and the leading doctor on the current coronavirus, has stated that the virus should reach a peak in a week to 10 days and will then subside. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA) The government of Tanzania said on Wednesday it was closely monitoring developments of the deadly virus outbreak in China, and asked its citizens to remain calm A multitude of billboards for cosmetic surgery clinics line a street in Apgujeong, southern Seoul in this 2012 file photo. / Korea Times file By Celeste Kriel Banobagi Plastic Surgery and Aesthetics have teamed up with medical concierge company Seoul Cosmetic Surgery to assist in bridging the Korean cosmetic surgery industry and the unique medical and aesthetic needs of expats in Korea, as well as tourists coming to Korea specifically for cosmetic treatments and surgeries. They have recently been hosting events specifically for foreigners in Korea to educate them on safe practices within the industry. With "K-everything" (K-pop, K-drama, K-beauty) becoming a ubiquitous rising trend in many facets of culture around the world, the Korean beauty industry has been making a name for itself in various facets including makeup, skincare and cosmetic surgery, while Seoul has become one of the most desired destinations for plastic surgery because of its highly experienced doctors, and advanced techniques and technology. While social media has influenced the normalization of cosmetic surgery, it is still relatively taboo in most countries. However, here the streets of Gangnam District are dotted with aesthetic dermatology clinics on almost every corner, and it's not uncommon to spot heavily bandaged tourists walking nonchalantly among the crowds in areas such as Myeongdong, the most popular of Seoul's shopping districts. Banobagi is situated in the upscale area of Cheongdam-dong, also in Gangnam. It is an advanced medical center offering all specialties of plastic surgery and aesthetic treatments including some non-invasive procedures unique to Korea, and they have joined hands with Seoul Cosmetic Surgery, a government licensed medical tourism agency that curates the best doctors and clinics for their foreign customers. While some of those customers specifically come to Korea because they aspire to Korean beauty standards, patients from outside of Asia coming to Seoul for the city's sought-after doctors and advanced technology often have very different beauty ideals. The beauty experts at Seoul Cosmetic Surgery serve to bridge the gap between the patient's desired outcomes and the doctor's expertise. Mona Lisa Hanson, CMO of Seoul Cosmetic surgery believes the quality of cosmetic surgery in Korea is perhaps unrivaled. "Korea is one of the best places, if not the best, for cosmetic surgery and many medical procedures. The competition in this industry drives excellence and innovation, which is passed on to the customer," Hanson told The Korea Times. The boutique agency works with foreign patients from all over the world but largely caters to patients from Western countries, who may have different aesthetic expectations. "A good percentage of medical tourism agencies target Asia, specifically China, however we knew that there was a viable market in the West of people who would be interested in coming to Korea because of the growing interest in K-pop, K-beauty and other Hallyu categories. As a woman of color, I wanted to bridge the gap between the East and the West," she said. "Our vision was to effectively bring the best of Korean beauty, surgical know-how and innovation to a Western market." Hanson and her Korean business partner CEO Young Min Seol, a product development specialist, have their fingers on the pulse of the local market and know which doctors and clinics are especially foreign friendly. "Oftentimes, when people come by themselves without an advocate, there are a lot of things that can fall between the cracks," Hanson said. She noted one benefit of her partnership with Young is that "we are able to communicate well with the doctors since I understand more of the customer's Western beauty standards which is conveyed to my partner, which he then translates to the doctors." Irene Ji, a representative from Banobagi agreed that more and more patients from Western countries are looking to Korea as a cosmetic surgery mecca. The clinic and its doctors strive to provide individualized surgery based on maintaining the patient's ethnicity, as well as safety. "Ever since the opening, we have been focused on not only great surgery results customized to the individual's situation and desire, but also the safety for our patients. Our good reputation also has been constantly growing with zero accidents for almost 20 years now. Even doctors from overseas visit our clinic to learn from our surgeons," said Ji. Amid the increased risk of cancer associated with a certain type of textured breast implants, the latest presentation hosted by Seoul Cosmetic Surgery and Banobagi aimed to educate participants on the risks of breast implants and to introduce what they believe is a safer alternative. Visit engbanobagi.com/ and seoulcosmeticsurgery.com/ for more information. celeste.gabrielle.kriel@gmail.com MOUNT PLEASANT The Central Michigan District Health Department on Tuesday issued a news release regarding the coronavirus, which has killed 81 people and spread to 15 countries since December. The CMDHD serves six counties, including Osceola. According to the health department, coronaviruses are a family of viruses that can infect people and animals. They are a common cause of mild respiratory illness, or "the common cold", in people. Once in a while, coronaviruses from people and animals mix together, creating a new strain. These new strains usually cause worse illness in people. The new strain in 2019 started in Wuhan, China in December, the news release stated. As of Monday, cases number more than 2,800 in 15 countries, with 81 deaths. There have been five cases in the United States but no spread of the illness from these cases. "We have seen new strains of coronaviruses before," the news release stated. "In 2002-03, severe acute respiratory disease coronavirus (SARS-CoV) caused 8,437 cases and 813 deaths, a fatality rate of approximately 10%. Then, in 2012, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was identified as a cause of severe illness. It caused over 2,400 cases globally and had a fatality rate of around 35%. "Coronaviruses, including 2019-nCoV, are spread by droplets created by coughing or sneezing. This is the same way influenza (flu) is spread. While 2019-nCoV is a serious public health situation, only those in direct contact to someone who is ill are at risk. It is recommended that travelers avoid all nonessential travel to Hubei Province, China. It is also recommended that people traveling to other parts of China avoid contact with people who are sick and practice good hand hygiene." The health department recommended that anyone who has been in China within the past two weeks and develops symptoms of 2019-nCoV which include fever, cough and shortness of breath call their healthcare provider. Symptoms should appear within two to 14 days after being exposed. There is currently no vaccine to prevent 2019-nCoV infection, according to the health department. The best way to prevent infection is to avoid exposure to the virus. Fotis Dulos has died two days after a suicide attempt at his home while on bail over the murder of his wife Jennifer, as his family say they are 'adamant that his name be cleared'. Attorney Norm Pattis confirmed that his client died at 5:32pm Thursday at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, New York, surrounded by family, friends and his legal team. The 52-year-old had clung to life for more than 48 hours, after trying to take his own life at his home in Farmington, Connecticut, on Tuesday. Shortly before midday Tuesday, police officers performed a wellness check when he did not show at court and found Dulos inside his garage with a hosepipe taped to his car exhaust in an attempted suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning. Fotis Dulos (left) has died two days after a suicide attempt. He was awaiting trial for murdering his wife Jennifer (right) Dulos is pictured being transported into Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx on Tuesday after attempting to kill himself with carbon monoxide poisoning in his garage in Connecticut before a court appearance. He never recovered and died Thursday Cops dragged him into the fresh air, performed CPR and rushed him to the hospital. At one point he was legally dead before being revived. Dulos was on bail accused of murdering his estranged wife Jennifer Dulos when he died. Jennifer disappeared on May 24 after dropping their children off at school, in the midst of an ugly divorce and custody battle over their five children. Her car was abandoned near to her home but her body has never been found. Police believe Dulos murdered Jennifer and then disposed of evidence with the help of his then-girlfriend Michelle Troconis. The pair were caught on surveillance disposing of garbage bags of items, some of which were later recovered and found to be stained with Jennifer's blood. His attorney Pattis slammed the public's treatment of his client, saying he was 'executed' by public opinion. Fotis Dulos is led by police in Connecticut after being arrested for the murder of his ex-wife. His attorney slammed the public's treatment of his client, saying he was 'executed' by public opinion The family of Fotis Dulos (pictured being led out of court by officials) are now demanding that he is cleared posthumously of murdering his wife Jennifer last year. 'The family is adamant that his name be cleared,' Pattis said in a statement, after announcing Dulos' death In the statement he gave announcing Dulos' death, Pattis said: 'Mr. Dulos was tried and convicted in the court of public opinion. Now he has been executed. We remain committed to demonstrating he did not murder Jennifer.' Dulos' family are now demanding that he is cleared posthumously of Jennifer's murder. 'The family is adamant that his name be cleared,' Pattis said in a statement, after announcing Dulos' death. Pattis filed an 'unusual motion' on Thursday requesting the state continues to pursue the murder case against Dulos posthumously so that his lawyers can clear his name. In the move, which the Hartford Courant said is 'unprecedented', Dulos' estate would become the defendant because Dulos is now deceased. 'It'll be a difficult challenge,' Pattis said. 'We intend to proceed on as if he were alive to vindicate him.' Fotis was found in his car inside his garage. The exhaust pipe he used to try to kill himself is shown attached to his vehicle Fotis is filmed being put into a helicopter at UConn Health in Connecticut on Tuesday The motion, which will have to be agreed to by state prosecutors, states that Dulos' family wants his children to know their father is innocent of killing their mother. 'Mr. Dulos' children should not be subjected to a lifetime coping with the fictional reality that their father murdered their mother in cold blood on the basis of baseless and rampant speculation,' the motion says. Dulos' family are also trying to harvest his organs, Pattis said. The family of Jennifer Dulos released a statement asking for privacy as news broke of his death. 'This is a horrific tragedy all around,' family spokeswoman Carrie Luft said. 'Please respect the privacy of the families and loved ones involved.' It emerged earlier Thursday that Dulos left a suicide note protesting his innocence over Jennifer's murder. Law enforcement sources told the Hartford Courant that during a search of Dulos' home, officers found the note but no other evidence that could reveal the location of Jennifer's missing body. Dulos' lawyer confirmed in a court filing Thursday that the note was found in the vehicle with Dulos. In the note 'he declared his innocence of the infamous and heinous crimes that the State has accused him of and claimed his lawyers have the evidence to prove it,' the motion states. Fotis' sister, Rena, who had traveled from Greece to support him throughout his legal woes, is shown outside Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx Thursday Rena previously said she believes her brother is innocent and that he would never have harmed Jennifer Police said in arrest affidavits that Jennifer was attacked in the garage of her home in New Canaan, Connecticut, after dropping her children off at school for the day. They think her killer then transported her body out of the home in her own car. TIMELINE OF THE FOTIS DULOS CASE 2004: Fotis Dulos and Jennifer Farber get married. It is his second marriage In the same year, her father Hilliard starts loaning him money for his property business, Fore Group 2015: Fotis and Michelle Troconis start taking trips he paid for which he claimed were for business. They later start an affair January 2017: Hilliard Farber dies March 2017: Gloria Farber takes over his estate June 2017: Jennifer files for divorce, saying she is afraid of her husband February 2018: Gloria Farber sues Fotis Dulos for unpaid loans May 24 2019: Jennifer vanishes after dropping off her five children at school June 2019: Fotis and Michelle Troconis are arrested for evidence tampering Gloria Farber files an order for custody of the children August 2019: Troconis 'turns' on Dulos in police interviews, admits she lied when she said she had an alibi for him September 2019: Fotis is arrested again for evidence tampering January 2020: Dulos and Troconis are charged with murder January 28: Dulos is found unresponsive at his Farmington home January 29: Dulos' family fly in to say their goodbyes as sources say he 'is completely reliant on life support' Police conduct a new search of Dulos' home January 30: Dulos dies at 5.32p.m. at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, New York, surrounded by family, friends and his legal team His attorney files a motion to continue with the murder trial after his death as Dulos' family are 'adamant that his name be cleared' Earlier it emerges that a suicide note was found protesting his innocence Advertisement The car was found abandoned not far from the property later that day, but there was no sign of her. Police then found large pools of her blood in the garage. They also said they had surveillance footage of two people who looked like Dulos and Troconis depositing garbage bags at various locations that night that, when tested later, were found to contain Jennifer's DNA. Jennifer had said in divorce papers that she was afraid of him, and their children's former nanny said she once witnessed him 'chase her through the house'. Dulos, however, gave interviews protesting his innocence. He said he never harmed her and, at one stage, his attorney suggested Jennifer had killed herself in a Gone Girl style plot to blame it on him. Gloria Farber, Jennifer's mother, was given full custody of Jennifer and Fotis' children, aged 8 to 13, after she filed a custody motion the same day Fotis was arrested for evidence tampering and hindering prosecution in relation to Jennifer's disappearance in May. She continues to care for them in her Upper East Side apartment on Fifth Avenue. At one point, Farber's apartment was being guarded by armed security. Police carried out a new search of Fotis Dulos' home on Wednesday, the day after the suspected murderer was found unresponsive in his garage. Connecticut State Police confirmed they had executed a new search warrant at the Farmington home. Brian Foley, assistant to the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection commissioner, said the Western District Major Crimes unit had obtained the warrant for the home and conducted the search Wednesday afternoon, NBC Connecticut reported. Authorities did not divulge what they were looking for but, according to The Hartford Courant, they found the suicide note. A bondsman who had been working with Dulos since his first two arrests has come forward revealing he was probably the last person to speak with the suspected killer before he died. Mark Motuxzick, a bondsman for Capitol Bail Bonds, said he spoke on the phone with Dulos just hours before he was found lifeless. Motuxzick told NBC Connecticut Wednesday that Dulos called him at 9:53 a.m. Tuesday morning asking if he could take over the bond that was up for the emergency hearing that Dulos missed later that day. Police searched Fotis Dulos' home on Wednesday, the day after the suspected killer tried to kill himself with carbon monoxide poisoning on Tuesday Connecticut State Police executed a new search warrant at the Farmington home (above) Authorities did not divulge what they were looking for but it later emerged that a suicide note was found in which Dulos' maintained his innocence 'He asked me what do I need to take over, those were his words, the bail that he's referring to the $6 million,' said Motuxzick, who was the first bondsman to try to secure Dulos' most recent $6 million bond. 'I stated that I would give him a call back in a little while because he said he was on his way to his attorney's office.' He said when he called Dulos back about 40 minutes later at 10:34 a.m., he noticed he sounded different and like he was 'out of breath'. 'He was like it's all set something to that effect,' Motuxzick said. 'It sounded like he was working out it was almost like he was kind of I don't know out of breath.' A bondsman (pictured) who had been working with Dulos since his first two arrests has come forward revealing he may have been the last person to speak with him before he died 'Unfortunately I don't know if it just all got to him at that point and he said to heck with it,' said Motuxzick. The bondsman told NBC Dulos always told him he loved his children and that he had an explanation for the accusations against him but the bond might have 'put him over the edge'. 'Whatever happened along the way with the bond being posted I think this was possibly a something that just might've put him over the edge,' Motuxzick said. At the time of his suicide attempt, Dulos was on strict house arrest and could only leave his mansion to see a lawyer, a doctor or attend a religious service. Dulos' attorneys Norm Pattis (right) and Kevin Smith (left) in court on Wednesday at the bond hearing. Pattis announced his client's death on Thursday evening The company which insured his $6million bond and got him out of jail reneged on it on Tuesday over doubts around the equity of the real estate assets he put up as security. Palmetto Surety Company, which originally posted the bond, had recently learned that two properties offered as collateral, including the real estate developer's mansion in Farmington, were subject to foreclosure and a third was overvalued by over $300,000. Dulos faced the prospect of having his $6 million bond revoked at an emergency court hearing Tuesday. Sources told DailyMail.com Dulos was 'losing his mind' at the prospect of having to go back into custody. Fotis was due in court at noon that day, but failed to show up. Police arrived to check on him and saw him through a window, sitting in his vehicle in the garage, showing 'obvious signs of medical distress'. On Wednesday, New York bail bondsman Ira Judelson, a celebrity favorite, went to Stamford to offer up the bond. Before Dulos passed away, the judge issued a warrant for his re-arrest and added $500,000 to his bail. Dulos' attorney Pattis said on Wednesday he never anticipated his client would try to take his own life. 'A lawyer's commitment is to be a shepherd to his client and to walk them through the valley of the shadow of death... 'Sometimes you make a call where you think your client is self destructive. That is based on the best judgement you can see. 'I saw nothing that made me believe that so I look back and wonder what I missed,' he said outside court. Emergency workers are shown trying to revive Fotis Dulos at his home in Farmington, Connecticut, on Tuesday The new girlfriend who put up nearly $150k for his bond and was with him the morning of his suicide attempt Murder suspect Fotis Dulos had a new girlfriend who had fronted thousands of dollars in cash in order for him to make bond and who was with him the morning he attempted suicide, DailyMail.com revealed Thursday. Before his suicide attempt and death two days later, Fotis Dulos had a new girlfriend Anna K. Curry (above) who paid 147,000 in cash in order for him to make bond, DailyMail.com revealed Documents obtained by DailyMail.com found that Anna K. Curry, 42, put up $147,000 in cash and said she would pay an additional $272,000 to secure the $6million bond that Dulos posted after he was charged with Jennifer's murder. Curry was seen at Dulos' home on Tuesday in the hours before he was due to attend a hearing at Stamford Superior Court where he feared his bond would be revoked and he would be jailed. She left Dulos' home around 10.30am to run errands and returned to find police officers fighting to revive him on the driveway, according to sources. Sources confirmed that Curry was in a romantic relationship with him. She bears a striking resemblance to Dulos' missing wife Jennifer and his ex-girlfriend Michelle Troconis, who has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder. The brunette bears a striking resemblance to Dulos' missing wife Jennifer (left) and mistress Michelle Troconis (right) who has also been charged in the disappearance A neighbor told DailyMail.com: 'A young woman has been at Fotis' house several times over the past few months. They've been out jogging together. She's been driving one of his cars.' The Hartford Courant first reported that Curry wrote two checks for a total of $147,000 on January 9, according to public records, in order to pay the bail bondsman his fee on the $6million bond. Dulos contributed a check for $1,000. The conditions of Dulos' $6million bond meant putting up 7 per cent of that amount or $420,000 in cash, to prevent him awaiting trial in jail. According to the filing, Curry also agreed to pay the balance of just over $272,000 in 15 installments until April 2021 to secure the $6million bond. In the documents, seen by DailyMail.com, Dulos listed Curry as his 'best friend'. Curry worked at a consulting firm in New York from 1999 until 2003 and Dulos overlapped with her at the company when he worked there from 1997 until 2004 On Curry, Dulos' lawyer Norm Pattis said in an earlier statement: 'It is my understanding and belief these were old friends who developed a friendship years ago at work and out of loyalty to that friendship she has assisted Mr. Dulos. We should all be lucky enough to have such a loyal friend.' He declined to elaborate on the nature of Dulos and Curry's relationship. Curry lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, and works in financial services. She worked at Capgemini, a consulting firm in New York, as a senior consultant in wealth management strategy for four years from 1999 until 2003, according to her LinkedIn. Dulos overlapped with her time at the company when he was a manager at Capgemini for seven years from 1997 until 2004. Curry went on to take other senior positions in wealth management at New York firms until 2013 when she relocated to North Carolina, where her family are based. She graduated magna cum laude from Duke University in Durham with a BA in history in 1999. Social media pictures appear to show she is a keen equestrian. Dulos' final message: The suicide note protesting his innocence Fotis Dulos maintained he was innocent of murdering his wife until the very end, DailyMail.com revealed Thursday. The suspected killer left a suicide note protesting his innocence over Jennifer's murder before attempting suicide, it emerged. Dulos consistently denied having anything to do with her death since her disappearance in May. He gave interviews saying he never harmed her and, at one stage, his attorney suggested Jennifer had killed herself in a Gone Girl style plot to blame her death on him. Hopes of any admission of guilt have been dashed after Dulos succumbed to his injuries Thursday - not before authorities allegedly found a note in which he continued to proclaim his innocence. Police conducted another search of Dulos' home Wednesday. While authorities would not comment on what they hoped they would find, many were eager to know whether he had confessed to Jennifer's murder in a note before trying to take his own life. According to The Hartford Courant, officers did find a note - but it protested his innocence and not his guilt. Dulos' lawyer later confirmed in a court filing Thursday that the note was found with his body. In the note 'he declared his innocence of the infamous and heinous crimes that the State has accused him of and claimed his lawyers have the evidence to prove it,' the motion states. Family flew in to say their goodbyes The family of Fotis Dulos were urged to come to the hospital to say their goodbyes to the suspected murderer before he passed away as his chances of recovery appeared to dwindle, DailyMail.com revealed exclusively on Wednesday. A source told DailyMail.com that by the day after his suicide attempt, he was 'completely reliant on life support' and all hope had faded that he would ever wake up. Had the father-of-five pulled through, doctors had said brain damage would have been 'inevitable because of the amount of time he was unresponsive', the source said. Relatives flew in from Greece to be with him in his final hours and his affairs were 'being put in order', according to the source. Rena Dulos, his sister who lives in their native Greece, was his closest living adult relative. Rena traveled to New York with his niece Angelika to say goodbye to her brother. She was pictured outside Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx Thursday. Rena Dulos speaks with her brother's attorney, Norm Pattis, at the hospital on Thursday shortly before Fotis Dulos died at 5.32p.m. Jennifers disappearance and alleged murder On May 24, in the midst of an ugly divorce and custody battle over their five children, Jennifer vanished without a trace. She was last seen arriving home at around 8a.m. after dropping the children off at school that morning and then missed several appointments in New York City that day. Her car, a Chevrolet Suburban, was abandoned in a parking lot near to her home. Her body has never been found. Surveillance footage allegedly shows Dulos in a pickup truck with his then-girlfriend Michelle Troconis disposing of garbage bags of items, some of which were later recovered and found to be stained with Jennifer's blood. Sources told the Hartford Courant that police later recovered blood-soaked sponges and a Vineyard Vines shirt that Jennifer was wearing when she went missing. Surveillance footage (pictured) shows the last known images of Jennifer driving home, where police say Dulos 'lay in wait', after she dropped her children at school at around 8am on May 24 Dulos is shown on May 29 withdrawing $500 cash before visiting a car wash to clean his employee's car on the day Jennifer vanished Jennifer and her husband had been locked in a vicious custody battle for the last two years. In 2017 divorce documents, Jennifer said she was 'afraid' of Fotis and he would 'harm' her They also have traffic and school bus camera footage of a man they believe was Dulos driving a pickup truck to New Canaan on the morning Jennifer disappeared; surveillance video of Dulos getting the truck washed and detailed days after she vanished; and evidence that Jennifer's DNA was found on the truck's passenger seat, according to a police warrant. State's Attorney Richard Colangelo Jr. said in court last year that Jennifer's blood also was found mixed with Dulos' DNA on the kitchen sink faucet of her home in New Canaan. Authorities believe that Dulos drove an employee's red Toyota Tacoma truck to New Canaan, and lay in wait for Jennifer to return home from the school run. Dulos is believed to have murdered Jennifer sometime over the next two hours. Jennifer's SUV was seen leaving her house at around 10.20a.m. Police believe Dulos was driving the car. Dulos was then allegedly picked back up by surveillance cameras at 11.20a.m. back in the truck. The most explosive claims in the warrant came from Pawel Gumienny, the employee whose truck Dulos allegedly used. Gumienny claims Dulos urged him to keep one of his cars instead of taking back his truck that day. Five days later, Gumienny said he found out that Dulos and Troconis had washed his truck without his knowledge. Dulos then repeatedly urged him to replace and get rid of the seats of his truck and grew angry when his employee failed to do so at first. Police found a 'bloodlike substance' containing Jennifer's DNA on the seats, despite Dulos' alleged attempts to clean the car. Investigators are convinced Jennifer is dead. It took eight months for murder charges to be brought against Dulos. The ex-girlfriend and the civil attorney: The surviving two charged in Jennifer's disappearance Dulos' ex-girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, and his friend and civil attorney, Kent Douglas Mawhinney, are charged with conspiracy to murder for their alleged roles in plotting and covering up Jennifer's death. Dulos and Troconis had previously been charged with evidence tampering and obstruction in Jennifer's disappearance. Dulos' criminal attorney previously proposed that Mawhinney could provide an alibi that cleared him of wrongdoing. Troconis is accused of helping Dulos dispose of evidence on the day of Jennifer's disappearance. They were both captured on surveillance disposing of the items that tested positive for Jennifer's blood. Mawhinney is accused of digging a grave and stocking it with lime before she disappeared. The grave was later discovered and found not to have been used. According to arrest warrants, Mawhinney had a prearranged meeting with Dulos on the morning of his wife's disappearance, was at Dulos's office and had his cellphone with him. He also was mentioned in what police described as 'alibi notes' found in the trash at Dulos' business, according to the warrants. Mawhinney once represented Dulos in lawsuits filed by Jennifer's mother, who claims Dulos never repaid her late husband for about $3 million in loans he gave Dulos to develop expensive homes. Mawhinney is charged in another case with sexually assaulting his estranged wife in South Windsor last year and violating a protective order. He has pleaded not guilty. In court documents in those cases, Jennifer told authorities she believed Mawhinney was plotting to have her killed and Dulos made contact with her as part of the plot. Our Customer Advisory Board (CAB) is the most awaited event on our companys calendar. On behalf of all my SirionLabs colleagues, I warmly welcome our CAB members and guests to this very special get-together. SirionLabs, the value leader in contract lifecycle management (CLM) technology, today announced that the companys annual Customer Advisory Board (CAB) event will be held on 29 January at Raiffeisen Banks headquarters in Vienna. SirionLabs CAB represents an engaged group that includes senior procurement, legal and business executives from SirionLabs customers such as Vodafone, Credit Suisse, RBI, Fujitsu, Optus and Unilever. The purpose of the CAB is to guide the product roadmap and strategic direction of the company. SirionLabs also invites a select group of companies outside its customer base to offer their perspective on the industry. Our Customer Advisory Board (CAB) is the most awaited event on our companys calendar. On behalf of all my SirionLabs colleagues, I warmly welcome our CAB members and guests to this very special get-together. Said Ajay Agrawal, Founder and CEO of SirionLabs. We are delighted to share our progress and product and company roadmap with our clients, prospects and partners and get their real-time feedback. This ensures that Sirion continues to stay in sync with our customers needs and drive unmatched enterprise value for our clients an ability that distinguishes Sirion in the crowded CLM market. Key highlights from this years CAB agenda include: Sirion Vision 2020: A glimpse of the future Customer impact presentations by Vodafone, Credit Suisse, Raiffeisen Bank and NHS BHR Hospitals Exclusive product previews showcasing new product developments in contract authoring, self-service contract extraction and predictive invoicing Product interest group breakout sessions Roundtable on Sirion best practices ABOUT SIRIONLABS SirionLabs, with operations in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific, transforms enterprise engagements by bringing buyers and suppliers closer together across the full lifecycle of the contract, from authoring to performance to closure. Sirions award-winning CLM platform serves as a single source of truth for both parties across all key disciplines: contract authoring and management, performance management, invoice auditing and buyer-supplier collaboration. This holistic approach materially reduces friction between parties, improves transparency and trust, and drives improved outcomes and tangible savings while reducing the cost of governance. More information about SirionLabs is available at http://www.sirionlabs.com. Media Contact: Devinder Jeet Singh Vice President - Marketing media.relations(at)sirionlabs.com VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ActiveState today announced another year of rapid annual recurring revenue (ARR) growth and profitability driven by its innovation in open source languages and its expanding enterprise customer base. Building on the strength of its enterprise support, indemnification and custom runtime offerings, the company successfully launched a beta of the ActiveState Platform that attracted over 250,000 new users in 2019. The ActiveState Platform is SaaS that makes ActiveState's powerful enterprise Open Source Language Automation tooling freely available to developers. Click to Tweet: One year & 250,000 users already! With support for #Python, #Perl and #Tcl on Linux & Windows, the @ActiveState Platform beta is moving fast to its goal of making it easy to build stable, reproducible and easy-to-deploy runtimes in any language for any OS. https://tinyurl.com/rsn8jlg In 2019, ActiveState took key portions of the internal systems it uses to create secure, curated, open source language runtime environments for its enterprise customers, and made them available as a free SaaS offering for developers. The ActiveState Platform, though still in beta, lets developers solve many of the open source language problems they wrestle with, including: Cross-platform language use by providing up-to-date build environments for Windows and Linux that make it easy to create custom Python, Perl and Tcl runtime environments on demand Dependency management, which is largely eliminated by the Platform "Works on my machine" issues, which the Platform's State Tool eliminates by enabling consistent, reproducible deployments to dev, test and production systems Key plans for the Platform in 2020 include: Adding support for macOS and Docker, as well as integrations with CI/CD tools and other important DevOps tools Bringing other languages, such as Ruby and Java/OpenJDK, to the platform Adding support for community (and other third party) contributions Using insights from the Platform, together with a donations program, to help foster the sustainability and security of the open source language ecosystem Raj Behera, Vice President, Development Engineering, MSC Software, said: "We chose ActiveState because it was the only firm that could provide on-demand, customized versions of the Python programming language. We gain speed, flexibility and engineering time, plus [can] better manage the risk of products running Python with a uniform and consistent approach." Bart Copeland, CEO, ActiveState, said: "We had an amazing year, with almost 40% growth in ARR, great new enterprise customers coming on board and over a quarter-million people signing up for the ActiveState Platform beta all driven by organic growth. With this enthusiastic market validation of our strategy, we look forward to expanding the ActiveState Platform with additional languages and platforms in 2020, and to doing our part to support the open source projects that we rely on." About ActiveState ActiveState helps enterprises scale securely with open source languages and gives developers the kinds of tools they love to use. More than 2 million developers and 97 percent of Fortune 1,000 enterprises use ActiveState to support mission-critical systems and speed up software development while enhancing oversight and increasing quality. https://www.activestate.com/ Press Contacts: Kara Luk Nadel Phelan, Inc. 831-440-2404 [email protected] SOURCE ActiveState Related Links https://www.activestate.com ALBANY Gov. Andrew Cuomo reassured New Yorkers on Thursday that there are still no confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in the state. His assurance came the same day the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency over the spread of the newly discovered virus, and the same day that health officials reported the first known person-to-person transmission of the virus in the U.S. The emergency declaration was ordered largely due to the risk the virus poses in countries with weak health care systems, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. Samples taken from 11 people in New York have been sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for testing, Cuomo said Thursday. Seven came back negative for the novel coronavirus and four are still pending, he said. A coronavirus is a family of viruses whose symptoms range from mild to severe and even deadly. The new coronavirus was first detected in Wuhan, China last month and has killed 170 people in or around the center of the outbreak in the country's Hubei Province. WHO reports it has also spread to 18 other countries. While imported cases of the virus have been detected in the U.S., only five have been confirmed, the CDC reports. Risk of contracting the virus is low for people who have not recently traveled to Wuhan or come into contact with persons who have, officials say. "New York does not have one single confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, but we are taking every necessary precaution to protect against its spread into our state, Cuomo said. We have been here before, and I want to remind New Yorkers that it is much more likely that they will be exposed to the influenza virus than to the coronavirus. He noted that the number of laboratory-confirmed flu cases and hospitalizations has risen every week since flu season began in October. Last week, 15,012 laboratory-confirmed cases of flu were reported to the state Department of Health up 11 percent from one week earlier. Flu-related hospitalizations rose 8 percent to 2,015. So far this season there have been 72,385 confirmed cases of flu in New York, 11,539 hospitalizations and three pediatric deaths. Flu season typically ends in May. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. I am urging New Yorkers to take basic precautions against the flu, such as regular hand washing and avoiding close contact with people who are sick, Cuomo said. These measures will also help people avoid coming in contact with the novel coronavirus." Health officials are still urging people to get vaccinated against flu. While the vaccines effectiveness varies each year depending on the types of flu in circulation, health experts say the vaccine can still reduce the duration and severity of the flu even when it does not prevent it. We know that Data Science is the field to go in right now. And in case you were wondering where would you learn more about this field, IIT Madras has come to your rescue with PadhAI. IIT Madras/ Getty Images Usually, when you think of signing up for a data science course, chances are theyll be expensive; however, IIT Madras has a way to circumvent this issue. IIT Madras faculty has collaborated with startup One-Fourth Lab to offer really affordable courses in the field of data science -- an all online course based on the foundations of data science and will cover subjects involving beginners level mathematics as well as programming skills to train you to be a data scientist. The course starts ar Rs 1,000 (plus taxes) and can be signed up by not just students but anyone who is interested to learn more about the field. According to Mitesh Khapra, Co-Founder, One Fourth lab -- an IIT Madras" With PadhAI, for us it is Nation first. One primary goal is to ensure that every college student in our country in engineering, science, or commerce disciplines receives an accessible and foundational understanding of data science," He further added, "Often data science is taught in an isolation, and separated from the advanced and more popular topics of machine learning and deep learning. We are working towards bridging this gap with a unified series of courses across these topics." Getty Images The 19-week program teaches Data Science as well as fundamentals of statistics, probability, and programming language Python. A study recently revealed that Data Science jobs are in demand right now, with 1.5-lakh openings starting at Rs 7 lakhs p.a. Package. The sector has been affected by a striking shortage of skilled talent in India with around 97,000 jobs lying vacant because no one skilled enough existed to take them. For students, the course is priced at Rs 1,180 (including GST), whereas for professionals looking to upskill, itll cost you Rs 5,900 (including GST). PadhAI is also planning on conducting follow-up courses on Data Science with Machine Learning and Deep Learning. Bexar County Republican Party Chairwoman Cynthia Brehm has come under fire from one of three challengers in her March 3 re-election bid over a December altercation with a GOP activist. Brehm, who is seeking re-election for the first time, said she is being falsely accused by political adversaries of starting a fight. She said she was holding a party management meeting on the night of Dec. 16 at party offices, 12000 Starcrest Drive, when another woman, the unidentified activist, began heckling her. She said the woman followed Brehm to her office, attempting to bait her into a fight. Im not a brawler, Brehm said. On ExpressNews.com: GOP Chair backs down on threat to disrupt March primary According to a police report, the activist, whose name is redacted, told an officer that Brehm assaulted her, grabbing her by the wrist and leaving a slight red mark. Brehm told the San Antonio Express-News on Thursday that the other woman started it. She took both fists and pounded me in the chest, Brehm said. Brehm said she grabbed the womans wrist to defend herself and that a nearby precinct chairwoman helped subdue the woman and remove her from Brehms office. Brehm said she immediately called police and about a month later filed papers to press charges. According to the police report, Brehm told a police supervisor that the activist entered her office and pushed her back multiple times. The report noted that the woman also feels as if she was assaulted/pushed by Brehm. Neither Brehm nor the woman has been charged with a crime. The incident occurred just after a period of intense party unrest. On. Dec. 3, Brehm threatened not to sign a Bexar County resolution for a joint party primary, potentially forcing the Republicans to run their own polling sites on election day. She wanted the Bexar County Elections Department to meet more than a dozen demands, including some she said were designed to ensure that Republican poll watchers would not be obstructed from observing any activity conducted at the Central Counting location. But on Dec. 13, under pressure from party officials, Brehm signed the resolution. The primary election will be held March 3, with early voting from Feb. 18 to Feb. 28. Monday is the last day to register to vote in the election. The primary will decide the party chair race. One of Brehms challengers, Charlotte Williamson Eisenhauer, said in a statement this week that the altercation is consistent with Brehms personality. Infighting in the Republican Party of Bexar County has been a near constant, but physical violence cannot be tolerated, Eisenhauer said. Chair Brehm has a long history of tarnishing our partys reputation, but this incident is the most extreme example of her inability to perform the duties of the office. On ExpressNews.com: Bexar County Democratic Party still putting out factional fires Eisenhauer, who has vowed to work with members in all political wings of the party, said she did not witness the altercation but did not believe Brehms account. For her part, Brehm dismissed Eisenhauers statement as an attempt by a less experienced candidate to unseat the first hard-right conservative to lead the party in Bexar County. Im not going to dignify her attack on me, Brehm said. Brehm also faces challenges from John Austin and Jacinto Chinto Martinez for the party chair post. 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 T he death toll of the coronavirus has risen to 170 and the illness has spread to every single region in mainland China. Of the latest fatalities, 37 were in the epicentre of the outbreak in Hubei province and one in the south-western province of Sichuan. Infections have been reported in at least 15 other countries and, with the appearance of the first case in Tibet, in every province of mainland China. The new, deadly virus has also now infected more people in China than were sickened there during the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak. 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 The World Health Organization's (WHO) Emergency Committee is set to reconvene behind closed doors in Geneva later on Thursday. They will decide whether the rapid spread of the virus now constitutes a global emergency. It comes as Britons stranded in Hubei face a longer wait to return home as officials have not yet granted permission for their chartered flight to depart. Coronavirus: Britons will not fly home from Wuhan on Thursday Some 7,711 cases of the virus have so far been recorded. To date, about 99 per cent of the cases are in China. Scientists say there are many questions to be answered about the new virus, including just how easily it spreads and how severe it is. In a report published Wednesday, Chinese researchers suggested that person-to-person spread among close contacts occurred as early as mid-December. A planned flight to bring UK nationals back home UK from Wuhan, where the deadly illness first broke out, on Thursday is feared to have been delayed. The British government had aimed to fly around 200 British citizens out of the country but it is understood Chinese officials have not yet granted permission for the chartered flight to take off. Greek lawmaker rips apart Turkish flag in EU Parliament The Greek MEP blamed Turkey for the stream of migrants coming into his country and getting away with whatever it likes. A Greek MEP ripped apart a Turkish flag on the floor of the European Parliament late Wednesday. The action took place during debate over the large number of refugees on Greek islands, with Greek lawmaker Ionannis Lagos blaming Turkey for the situation before tearing apart a Turkish flag. LAGOS DISRESPECTFUL DISPLAY COULD DRAW A SIMILAR SANCTION In the session, EU lawmakers were debating the humanitarian situation on the Greek islands, when Lagos said most Greeks are against illegal migration. Greek lawmaker rips apart Turkish flag in EU Parliament WATCH Lagos then accused the European Union of ignoring the rights of Greeks. What situation are we talking about right now people are killing, stealing [but] all we are talking about is Pakistanis and Afghans, he said, urging that the Greeks be given back their lost homeland. He then tore into pieces a Turkish flag made of paper, and said: Lets put an end to this. In response, the chair of the session called for restraint, adding that such behavior was not acceptable. Lagos is one of the most prominent figures of Golden Dawn, a far-right racist political party in Greece. In 2013 he was found guilty of attacking a community center in Athens which was hosting asylum-seekers. The Greek lawmaker, along with former Greek parliamentarian Nikos Michos and 20 other party members, had led the attack on the facility and its director. Both parliamentarians got a two-year suspended sentence. Huma Qureshi has made her big entry to Hollywood with Army Of The Dead, a film directed by Zack Snyder. The actress spoke about her experience working with the director of critically acclaimed films such as 300, Man Of Steel and Justice League. She also shared her experience of working with an international crew, which she said was a great cultural exchange. Speaking to Hindustan Times, Huma said that it was very exciting to work with Snyder, adding, "I had a great time working not just with Zack, but also with (actor) Dave Bautista, the rest of the cast and crew. It has been a very enriching experience as an actor, as so much attention to detail has gone into making it. Just learning how things happen on the other side of the world, has been fulfilling." She revealed that whenever she got homesick while shooting the film which went on for four months, she reminded herself, "Here's a director who directed 300, and you're getting a chance to work with him... How many people would get an opportunity like that?'" When asked if she encountered any Indian stereotypes on set, she said that there weren't any stereotypes but they had a healthy curiosity about India, Bollywood and our culture. "The cast and crew members were like, 'We want to come to India', some people had already visited so they wanted to ask more questions about our cities, food, movies. I always happily gave them information," she said. Army Of The Dead is a Netflix original thriller film. Although the release date hasn't been announced yet, it is expected to premiere in the winter this year. ALSO READ: Cannes 2019: Huma Qureshi Turns Heads In A Grey Ruffled Gown On The Red Carpet! ALSO READ: Has Huma Qureshi signed Ajith Kumar's Valimai? WASHINGTON A federal agency investigating last weeks deadly blast at a Houston manufacturing facility was criticized Wednesday for being too poorly staffed and equipped to properly probe chemical accidents. Steve Sallman, assistant director of health and safety for the United Steelworkers union, warned a Senate panel that the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board has been unable to complete investigations because of understaffing. Commonly known as the Chemical Safety Board, the agency sent investigators to Houston after the Friday morning blast at Watson Grinding and Manufacturing that killed two and destroyed or damaged about 200 homes and businesses in the Spring Branch neighborhood. Local, state and federal agencies are investigating the explosion. Sallman, in addition to referring to incidents in 2008, 2015, and 2019, cited a 2009 fire and chemical release at a Citgo refinery in Corpus Christi, saying the board issued initial recommendations without a full investigation. On HoustonChronicle.com: We didnt sign up for this. Living in Houston shouldnt mean constant fear of explosions. [Opinion] Our union does not want to see a situation like this in the future where promises are broken and needed lessons are not learned. We also do not want a situation where investigations are not being undertaken, putting workers and communities at greater risk, he told senators on the Environment and Public Works Committee. The safety of American chemical facilities has been increasingly questioned after a string of accidents, many in the Houston area. Last month two workers died while cleaning a chemical storage tank in Pasadena. That followed several chemical incidents in Southeast Texas, including fires in March at Exxon Mobils Baytown facility and at the Intercontinental Terminals Co. tank farm; a fatal April blaze at the KMCO chemical facility in Crosby; a second Exxon fire in July at the companys Baytown Olefins plant; and a massive explosion just before Thanksgiving at the TPC Groups Port Neches facility. On HoustonChronicle.com: replace this text with your teaser head and add hyperlink In November the Trump administration announced it was rolling back a safety regulation created after the deadly 2013 explosion at a fertilizer plant in the town of West. The rule, criticized by the chemical industry, had increased transparency about the storage of dangerous chemicals and better coordinated police and firefighters in the event of a fire. At Wednesdays hearing, Republicans and Democrats focused on the need to fill the three empty seats on the five-member panel that oversees the safety board, which employs several dozen people. Its in everyones interest to keep the board functioning, said committee Chairman Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. The board serves a critical role in helping us understand why chemical accidents take place and the steps needed to ensure these accidents do not happen again. Washington County sheriffs deputies are looking for a man who almost crashed into a deputy while driving a vehicle with two female passengers who told police they were being held against their will. According to a news release, at approximately 12:30 a.m. Wednesday police saw Edgar Adrian Hernandez, 20, careening west on Highway 26 at more than 100 mph in a black 2012 Dodge Charger. Hernandez got off the freeway at Southwest Park Way in Beaverton, proceeded to run a red light and came within a few feet of crashing into a Washington County deputy near Southwest Baltic Avenue, said deputy Brian van Kleef, Washington County Sheriff public information officer. He almost T-boned our deputy, said van Kleef. Two deputies in vehicles flashed their lights and attempted to stop Hernandez, but he kept driving and eventually crashed the car at Southwest Barnes Road and Southwest 118th Avenue, according to the release. When deputies found the car, Hernandez had already fled. Two women were inside the car and told officers they were being held against their will. Hernandez offered give the women a ride to their home in Banks from a party in Portland, but then refused to take them there after they were in the car, according to the release. The women said they asked Hernandez to stop the car, but he continued speeding and ignored their request. Both women are reportedly fine and didnt suffer any injuries in the wreck, said van Kleef. After the crash, police found a handgun under the passenger seat of the vehicle. Deputies searched the area with a K9 team but couldnt find Hernandez. Hernandez faces multiple charges including reckless driving, possession of a weapon and two counts of kidnapping, van Kleef said. Edgar Adrian Hernandez. Courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff's Office. Hernandezs last known address was in Cornelius, and police believe he may be in that area. The Washington County Sheriffs Office that anyone with information about Hernandez contact them at 503-629-0111. -- Piper McDaniel; amcdaniel@oregonian.com; 503-221-4307; @Piperamcdaniel Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Year after year, Illinoisans see a larger and larger share of their incomes eaten up by property taxes, Harris said in a statement Wednesday. This is huge burden for our residents and I am glad the governor is aware that something needs to change if we want our residents to continue to live in Illinois. WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump finally signed NAFTA's death warrant Wednesday, his distinctive Sharpie scrawl on the American road map for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement heralding the start of a new era of managed continental trade and what could be an acrimonious debate in the House of Commons. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/1/2020 (714 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. President Donald Trump walks towards Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020, for the short trip to Andrews Air Force Base, Md., en route to a campaign event in Wildwood, N.J. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump finally signed NAFTA's death warrant Wednesday, his distinctive Sharpie scrawl on the American road map for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement heralding the start of a new era of managed continental trade and what could be an acrimonious debate in the House of Commons. Trump signed the implementation bill approved by Congress after extensive negotiations with Democrats in the House of Representatives and the U.S. Trade Representative's office during an hour-long ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House that featured Vice-President Mike Pence, trade ambassador Robert Lighthizer and a long roster of Republican lawmakers. "This is something we really put our heart into it's probably the number 1 reason I decided to lead this crazy life I'm leading right now, as opposed to that beautiful, simple life of luxury that I led before this happened," Trump said to laughter, standing before a working-class backdrop of American manufacturing and oilpatch workers in coveralls and hard hats. "I love doing it, and the reason I love doing it is that nobody in a period of three years has done so much, as all of us have nobody." The signing leaves Canada as the only member of the trilateral deal still to ratify the agreement, a process that began almost on cue as Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who presided over the negotiations as foreign affairs minister, introduced a Canadian version of the bill in the Commons. "The new NAFTA is a victory for all Canadians, of every political view, and in all regions of the country," Freeland said in a statement Wednesday. Earlier Wednesday, the Bloc Quebecois voted against a motion to make way for the bill. The motion carried their support. "Various industries, various groups have questions and concerns," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said before his weekly Liberal caucus meeting. "There will be a certain amount of pressure on Canada from both Mexico and the United States, who want to see this move forward, but we have questions and we have a process for ratification. I just look forward to getting through it responsibly and rapidly, because it's so important to Canadians." The 13 months of negotiations, which began in 2017, put pressure on Canada's relationship with its largest trading partner. Trump, an outspoken critic of NAFTA, mentioned Trudeau only once Wednesday, acknowledging his "close partnership and co-operation" while in the same breath hailing an "incredible friendship and relationship" with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. "Canada's opening up," he said, promising substantially higher exports of U.S. poultry, eggs and wheat to Canada. "Where is the Canadian folks, where are they?" he asked, peering in the crowd. "You guys did a good job on us before this deal, I'll tell you. Canada was very tough. But they're good. They're our friends, so we appreciate it." The USMCA christened in Canada as CUSMA but known more widely simply as "the new NAFTA" is expected to feature prominently in Trump's re-election efforts, which is why House Democrats were also clamouring to take a share of credit. "We rescued the final NAFTA 2.0," said Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenhauer, touting Democrat efforts to negotiate more stringent labour and environmental enforcement mechanisms. "We now have an agreement that will be worth the paper it is printed on." USMCA "can't undo the damage" wrought by the 26-year-old NAFTA, but the changes negotiated by Democrats earned her support, added Rep. Debbie Dingell, who blames free trade for hollowing out the auto sector in her home state of Michigan. "Our work is just beginning to strengthen U.S. manufacturing ... it sets a floor from which we will fight." Even once Canada passes the needed legislation, it will still take several months before the new rules are fully in place. All three parties need the time to develop so-called "uniform regulations" used to interpret the terms of the deal. Once that happens, a welcome measure of predictability and confidence will return to the continental trade corridor, said Kirsten Hillman, Canada's acting ambassador to the U.S., who was on hand for Wednesday's ceremony. "Trade agreements as public policy tools do two things: they open markets and liberalize trade between parties so as to incentivize mutual benefits supply chains, investment, business partnerships and they create predictable rules that Canadians can count on in deciding to make business choices," Hillman said in an interview. "One of the challenges over the past couple of years has been that this instrument that underlines and underpins a $2-billion-a-day trading relationship we have with the United States has been under negotiation, creating a certain sense of instability within our trading community." The Democrat changes commit Mexico to a suite of changes that include protections that would allow workers to organize, form and join the union of their choice, among other measures. "In my view, the labour reforms being undertaken in Mexico are the largest labour reforms ever undertaken in North America, including the New Deal in the U.S.," said Dan Ujczo, an international trade lawyer and U.S.-Canada expert with Dickinson Wright in Columbus, Ohio. 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. "It is a huge undertaking, and so every Canadian and U.S. company that has operations in Mexico had better get ready for a significant adjustment period on labour and employment issues in Mexico." Hillman said a Canadian delegation, part of a working group to support the implementation of those reforms, is in Mexico this week to determine precisely how Canada can help. "I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but I think these obligations are very much something that are very consistent with the policies and objectives of the Mexican government." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2020. Follow James McCarten on Twitter @CdnPressStyle With files from Mike Blanchfield in Ottawa The central and local governments will shoulder all costs for coronavirus treatment, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Wednesday. So far 187 people, including four who tested positive for the new mystery virus, have been quarantined. The National Health Insurance Service will pay all the medical costs of those with confirmed and suspected cases of the disease from when they are quarantined until they are released. Meanwhile, the Environment Ministry and the Korea Customs Service have temporarily banned imports of Chinese wild animals that might transmit coronavirus. Banned animals include bats and snakes, which are suspected of being intermediate hosts of coronavirus, as well as badgers, raccoons and civet cats, which were believed to be intermediate hosts of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. WCC Receives Geneva Engage Award Photo: Albin Hillert/WCCNEWS PROVIDED BYJan. 30, 2020GENEVE, Jan. 30, 2020 / Christian Newswire / -- The World Council of Churches (WCC) was nominated as a top non-governmental organization and received a 4th place in the Geneva Engage Award on 29 January. The honor recognises the actors in International Geneva for their social media outreach and online engagement. The award encourages convergences around development, human rights, digital and other policy issues between communities worldwide and International Geneva, host of many international negotiations with an impact across countries and continents. In its communications, the WCC envisions itself as a catalyst for change for a world with unity, justice and peace at its heart, said WCC communication director Marianne Ejdersten. "The WCC strives to inspire and invite its member churches to work together, actively lending weight to the churches' common voice," she said. "The member churches are the heart of the council." WCC's communicators also strive to be inclusive; the core of their work involves participation and, most of all, hope. "Our task is to ignite hope for a better world where human dignity prevails," said Ejdersten. "Human dignity and equality must permeate all communications." "Telling the truth - even when it is inconvenient or unwelcome - is a powerful way of amplifying voices that have been previously silenced, ignored, powerless or marginalized," Ejdersten added. The Lutheran World Federation was also among the ten winners and received a 7th place. Geneva Engage Award WCC Communication Strategy 2018-2021 SOURCE World Council of Churches CONTACT: Media Office +41 79 507 6363, media@wcc-coe.org Related Links www.oikoumene.org/press Iranian Reformists have called on President Hassan Rouhani to step down, while hard-liners, surprisingly, are urging him to remain in office. Rouhani has faced unprecedented pressure in recent months, as new crises arise each day, including countrywide protests. It's possible Rouhani is unlucky, as several unforeseen events have taken place during his tenure, such as the 2017 election of Donald Trump possibly the worst thing a moderate president of Iran could have imagined. Trump's election led to the death of the 2015 nuclear deal and the reimposition of US sanctions. However, Iran and the United States are seemingly doomed to have hostile ties. When Iran elects a moderate as president, the United States has a conservative as head of state, and vice versa. Prominent Reformist theorist Saeed Hajjarian was the first to bring up the idea of Rouhanis resignation. In May 2019, when Iran's economic crisis peaked due to US sanctions, Hajjarian stated that since parliament had effectively lost its power, Iran's economic problems could be solved by Rouhani's resignation and the subsequent holding of parliamentary and presidential elections, so the hard-liners and conservatives could win both. Hajjarians suggestion is taking a swipe at the deep state, which, according to Mashregh News, Hajjarian uses to mean the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Hajjarian argued that the deep state doesnt allow the Reformist-backed Rouhani to implement his policies, including negotiations with the West. As such, it is better not to waste time and to let the groups representing the deep state take over in order to see harmony in the country. A few days after the November 2019 protests in Iran, which caught many analysts off-guard, as the protests stemmed from the anger of poor segments of society, Abbas Abdi, an eminent Reformist analyst, suggested again that Rouhani resign. Mentioning the hard-liners constant attacks on Rouhani and their belief that he is the source of the dire state of the economy, Abdi explained Dec. 8: After the recent protests, it is unlikely that the [Rouhani] administration would be able to take its [simple] decisions, let alone make big decisions. He called for holding an early presidential election. A choice must be made," he wrote. "What is definite is that the continuation of the current [condition] is the worst [possible approach]. He reiterated Hajjarian's argument, stating, For [resolving] the current problems in economy, foreign policy and domestic politics, we need managerial and political unity. Abdi is indicating that since the hard-liners and the deep state have placed obstacles before Rouhani, it is better that a new president and parliament aligned with hard-liners replace the existing ones. The idea, which hard-liners would normally welcome, surprisingly irritated them. Kayhan newspaper, the mouthpiece of hard-liners, called it the enemies plan. On one hand, they suggest Rouhani resign, and on the other hand they claim that [Rouhanis administration] opponents want his tenure to end with no achievement," Kayhan reported Dec. 15, 2019. The Reformists "seek to lay the blame for [Rouhanis] failure at [conservatives] door and perhaps are preparing the public for future negotiations." "The Reformists are well aware of Rouhanis popularity sinking and consider themselves the losers of the [2020] parliamentary election," Kayhan continued. "They presumably want to put the fault of their loss on the [Islamic Republic] establishment. Despite the hard-liners argument against Rouhani leaving power, they have called for his resignation over the past few years. Even in December 2019, Alireza Panahian, a hard-line cleric, called for the formation of a powerful and independent parliament to impeach Rouhani. Then we dont have to see the suffering of the people and other Saudi-American crises in the country for two more years, tweeted Panahian. In the face of hard-liners unexpected opposition to the idea of Rouhani stepping down, Abbas Abdi said: If the serious opponents of the government dont accept this solution, [therefore] it is better for them to avoid making trouble [for Rouhani]. This administration seeks to revive the economy through resolving the foreign [affairs issues]. If you dislike and still oppose it, then why do you oppose the idea of resignation? He then emphasized: If you find resignation inappropriate, then please allow [Rouhani] to do his job. It seems Abdi is referencing the opposition to Rouhani's previous attempts at more negotiations and restoring ties with the United States, including during President Barak Obamas tenure. As the result of various crises over the past month, some people on social networks are asking for Rouhanis resignation. Nevertheless, even if Rouhani decides to stand down, Supreme Leader Khamenei will definitely oppose it, as it could lead to more chaos in the country. In this vein, Abbasi Salimi Namin, an influential conservative analyst, stated in 2018: The supreme leader won't allow [the resignation to happen]. He has never let the administrations to [step down] halfway through. In a separate statement in December 2018, Salimi Namin argued that Rouhanis resignation would create chaos. "Thats why the leader entered the field [for the issue of a hike in gasoline price, which led to protests] to prevent the possible [repercussions of the pressure on Rouhani]. Iran's leader recently supported Rouhanis policy to raise gasoline prices while he was under pressure from hard-liners, who were bent on ousting him, and the public. Advertisement Passengers who were in lockdown on a cruise ship in the Italian city of Civitavecchia have now been allowed to leave after confirmation that two people on board do not have coronavirus. The Costa Smeralda ship - carrying 7,000 people including some Britons - had been kept on the ship since Thursday morning after a 54-year-old Chinese woman from Macau came down with flu-like symptoms the previous night. The woman, who boarded the ship on January 25 in the port of Savona, was placed in an isolation unit on the ship with her partner. The Costa Smeralda had visited Marseilles in France and the Spanish ports of Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca this week before docking on Thursday at Civitavecchia. Italy's health ministry has now confirmed that two Chinese cruise ship passengers tested negative for the virus that has killed 170 people so far in the city of Wuhan. Costa Cruises was offering to pay for food and hotels for some 1,140 people who had been due to disembark at the Civitavecchia port near Rome early Thursday, and the Costa Smeralda was to set sail again Friday, Italian media said. The Costa Smeralda cruise ship of Costa Crociere, carrying around 6,000 passengers, sits docked at the Italian port of Civitavecchia following a health alert due to a Chinese couple and a possible link to coronavirus The Costa Smeralda cruise ship of Costa Crociere pictured in Civitavecchia in Italy on Thursday evening Italian cruise ship Costa Smeralda carrying some 6,000 passengers is pictured docked at the Italian port of Civitavecchia as tests are carried out 7,000 people have been quarantined aboard cruise ship Costa Smeralda in the Italian port city of Civitavecchia, 35 miles north of Rome, amid a suspected case of coronavirus (pictured, social media images believed to show passengers on board the ship) A 54-year-old woman from Macau is thought to have alerted medics on the ship (pictured today) to symptoms including fever and respiratory problems on Wednesday night The woman and her husband are thought to be in separate isolation rooms in the medical bay, while other passengers have been forbidden from leaving the ship Mayor Ernesto Tedesco (pictured) was forced to slap down the port's captain on Thursday afternoon after he suddenly tried to release 1,000 of the quarantined passengers. Tedesco raced to the port in a Fiat 500 before yelling: 'Are you crazy?' Passengers wearing face masks are seen on board the vessel. It is though there are around 750 Chinese on board, of which around 350 boarded in Savona - the same port as the infected couple On Thursday afternoon Vincenzo Leone, the commander of the port, suddenly announced that 1,140 people who were due to complete their cruise that day would be allowed to disembark as scheduled. But he was quickly rebuked by mayor Ernesto Tedesco who arrived on the scene in a Fiat 500 being driven by his assistant, leaned out of the window and shouted: 'Are you crazy? Who gave the landing order?' It is thought Leone gave the order after preliminary test results indicated that the couple do not have coronavirus, but was told to wait until full results come back from a hospital in Rome before letting anyone go. 'Shout to the commander Leo,' he added, according to Italian news site Repubblica. 'If you let someone down, you do so at your own risk.' The only people allowed on or off the boat since it docked in Civitavecchia in the early hours have been three doctors and a nurse, who were taken to the medical bay to test the woman and her husband for coronavirus. It is though the woman is suffering 'mild flu-like symptoms' and her husband has no symptoms, but was isolated is a separate room to her and tested as a precaution. Samples have been sent to a specialist hospital in Rome with results not expected until the evening. Preliminary tests have indicated that the couple do not have coronavirus. It is thought that Mr Leone may have mistaken these results for the full test results when he tried to release some of the passengers. Costa Crociere, the company which owns the ship, has confirmed that it is in lockdown. Of those stuck on board, 751 are though to be Chinese with 374 embarking in Savona, the same ports as the sick couple. Healthcare workers have placed the woman and her husband, who is not thought to have symptoms, in solitary confinement while tests are carried out (pictured, other passengers on board the ship) The Smeralda was due to leave Civitavecchia Thursday afternoon for La Spezia but will be held until the all-clear is given Passengers have reported an easy-going attitude on board the ship, with families playing in the pool and relaxing on deck The couple are thought to have flown from Hong Kong to Milan, joined the cruise at Savona the same day, and then visited several locations around the Mediterranean before being quarantined at Civitavecchia The Costa Smeralda, the company's flagship and the fifth-largest cruise ship in the world, 'came from Palma de Mallorca and is currently engaged in one-week cruises in the western Mediterranean,' it said. 'The couple's cabin has been isolated and they are in with the doctors,' an unnamed passenger was quoted as telling ANSA news agency. 'We're a bit worried of course. No-one is getting on or off the ship apart from the doctors. This holiday risks ending in a nightmare'. Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said the government was 'not worried, but vigilant and cautious'. Vincenzo Leone, head of the Lazio coastguard, said: 'We are waiting to know the outcome of the checks still in progress, but everything that needed to be done has been done. 'The situation is under control and at the moment there is no reason for concern on board.' Carnival, the company which owns Costa Crociere, saw its stock price plunge 11 per cent Thursday morning. Cruise operators MSC Cruises and Costa Cruises said on Thursday that they had cancelled departures from Chinese ports because of the deadly coronavirus outbreak. MSC cancelled three scheduled cruises on its Splendida ship which has a capacity of 6,880 people and was due to sail on February 1, 5 and 9 for Japan. The ship is now to depart again only on February 14, when it will leave from Singapore, instead of Shanghai, for the Middle East and Europe, MSC said. MSC said in a statement that no case of infection among passengers or crew had been reported on any Asian winter cruises. The decision to move the departure point from Shanghai to Singapore had been taken for the safety and wellbeing of passengers and crew, it said. Costa, meanwhile suspended nine trips from China that had been scheduled between now and February 4, saying the measure was 'temporary'. The ship was on its last day of a round-the-Mediterranean cruise when it came to dock at Civitavecchia - where it departed on January 23 - when it was stopped The Costa Smeralda had been on a seven-day cruise around the Mediterranean, including stops in France and Spain, when it returned to Civitavecchia on Thursday Samples from the two passengers were sent for testing after three doctors and a nurse boarded the Costa Crociere ship in the port of Civitavecchia Italy has yet to have any confirmed cases of coronavirus, though there are currently five cases under review - including the two on board the Smeralda Passengers are seen onboard the Costa Smeralda cruise ship as they wait to hear whether they will be allowed to disembark The Costa Smeralda cruise ship is docked in the Civitavecchia port 35 miles north of Rome WUHAN 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 lung 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 the Wuhan coronavirus kill? Yes 170 people have so far died after testing positive for the virus. What are the symptoms? Some people who catch the Wuhan coronavirus may not have any symptoms at all, or only very mild ones like a sore throat or a headache. Others may suffer from a fever, cough or trouble breathing. And a small proportion of patients will go on to develop severe infection which can damage the lungs or cause pneumonia, a life-threatening condition which causes swelling and fluid build-up in the lungs. How is it detected? The virus's genetic sequencing was released by scientists in China and countries around the world have used this to create lab tests, which must be carried out to confirm an infection. Delays to these tests, to test results and to people getting to hospitals in China, mean the number of confirmed cases is expected to be just a fraction of the true scale of the outbreak. 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 around China and are known to have spread from person to person. 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. CLICK HERE TO SEE MAILONLINE'S FULL Q&A ON THE CORONAVIRUS Advertisement The Costa Smeralda is a brand-new ship that only launched in December last year, and cruises around the Mediterranean. It is currently on the last day of a cruise that began at Civitavecchia on January 23 before stopping at La Spezia, Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, and Mallorca. The ship was in the process of docking back at Civitavecchia when it was stopped. The couple are thought to have boarded at Savona on January 25, having flown from Hong Kong to Milan's international airport the same day. The ship had been due to sail for La Spezia in north Italy late Thursday, but will be detained in Civitavecchia. The cruise ship is not the only site of a suspected coronavirus outbreak in Italy. A 24-year-old woman has been placed in isolation in Alessandria hospital after falling ill upon her return home from Shanghai, where she had been living for six months. She has been tested for coronavirus, with results due by Friday morning. In Rome, a Chinese couple have also been taken to hospital with a suspected case of coronavirus after the husband fell ill shortly after arriving from his home country. The woman has not shown symptoms, but is being kept in hospital as a precaution. Elsewhere Russia has closed its eastern border with China in an attempt to stop the spread of the disease, with cases reported in 20 countries around the world. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said the drastic measure was necessary because the country 'had to do everything it could to protect its people'. He said it would come into effect immediately. As well as shutting off the Far East border, Russia has limited all railway links with China from January 31, leaving only direct trains between Moscow and Beijing. Russia does not have any confirmed cases of the new virus but the government has set up a task force to track down and screen people who have travelled from Wuhan, to prevent its possible spread. Chinese officials have now confirmed more than 7,900 cases, while more than 100 have been recorded outside of nation. Deaths have also risen to 170, with 38 patients dying in one day - the biggest 24-hour jump since the outbreak began last month. It comes after three Japanese people who were evacuated from Wuhan have tested positive for coronavirus - while India has become the latest country to confirm a case. Two of the Japanese nationals did not show symptoms when they boarded the plane on Wednesday - fuelling fears hosts of the virus may be spreading it unwittingly. They were among 206 passengers flown to Tokyo from the epicentre of the outbreak, which has so far killed 170 and infected nearly 8,000 worldwide. While the vast majority of cases have been in China, more than 100 have appeared in about 20 other countries and territories, including the US, Canada, France and Australia. The couple are thought to have flown in to Milan on January 25 before joining the ship at Savona, then stopped at Marseille, Barcelona and Palma before going back to Civitavecchia The killer coronavirus rapidly sweeping the world has now infected every region of China and 20 other countries. The death toll is 170 and cases have soared past 7,900 World Health Organisation figures show just 2,014 patients had been struck down with the SARS-like infection by Sunday, January 26. This has now risen dramatically to 7,817, with cases in the US, Australia and Canada Passengers wait to hear news of their flight at Heathrow Airport as BA announced the cancellation of all flights to mainland China 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 The World Health Organization, which initially downplayed a disease that has now killed 170 in China, was preparing to meet Thursday to decide whether to declare it a global emergency. Silvio Brusaferro, president of the Italian national health institute, said that all suspected cases in Italy so far had turned out to be false alarms, but the health service was 'ready should any cases of infection emerge'. Beijing has taken extraordinary steps to arrest the spread of the virus, including effectively quarantining more than 50 million people in Wuhan and surrounding Hubei province. The pathogen is believed to have emerged in a market that sold wild game, and spread by a Lunar New Year holiday season in which hundreds of millions of Chinese travel domestically or abroad. Scientists in Asia claim to have made a vaccine that could protect millions against the killer coronavirus that is rapidly sweeping the world. Several countries have joined the global race for a jab, with virologists in Britain and the US working round-the-clock to create one. Experts in Hong Kong have now announced they are hopeful a vaccine they have created will work against the never-before-seen virus. But the team warned it will be at least one year before it could dished out to humans, with safety trials on animals and humans needed first. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-31 00:26:53|Editor: yan Video Player Close VILNIUS, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Lithuania's gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 3.9 percent in 2019 compared to 3.6 percent in 2018, the country's statistics office said on Thursday. Statistics Lithuania said that in 2019, the country's GDP, based on available statistical data and econometric models, amounted to 48.3 billion euros (53.3 billion U.S. dollars) at current prices. The fastest GDP growth -- 4.3 percent -- was recorded in the first quarter of 2019. "Industrial production, exports of goods, freight and passenger transportation expanded last year, while agricultural sector overcame the decline and increased its production. Businesses earned more pre-tax profits, although profitability declined slightly," Statistics Lithuania Director Jurate Petrauskiene said, quoted by local media. Lithuania's GDP growth exceeded most of the previous forecasts, including that of the country's central bank, Bank of Lithuania, which expected the country's economy to grow by 3.7 percent in 2019. Bank of Lithuania projected that the country's GDP growth will not exceed 3.0 percent in 2020, due to current economic trends. Further development of U.S.-EU trade conflicts, Brexit, and re-escalation of U.S.-Iran conflict are among the global risks which could have effect on Lithuania's economy, the central bank said in its commentary on Thursday. The United States government has awarded a grant of $400,000 (approximately N144 million) for the conservation of the 14th century Sungbo Eredo Earthworks of the Yoruba Ijebu Kingdom in Nigeria. A statement by the U.S. Mission in Nigeria, on Wednesday, said the grant is the largest Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) grant in Nigeria, and the second largest in sub Saharan Africa. The Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation Large Grants Program aims at the preservation of major ancient archaeological sites, historic buildings and monuments, and major museum collections that are accessible to the public and protected by law in the host country. The grant, received by a US-based institution, College of William and Mary, in collaboration with the National Commission for Museum and Monuments, Augustine University (Ilara), and the Natural History Museum at Obafemi Awolowo University will work to preserve and build awareness of the monumental public work that is currently under increasing pressure from urbanisation, industrialisation, and erosion. Mary Beth Leonard, the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, said the U.S. is a strong supporter of efforts to preserve Nigerian culture through the AFCP. The U.S support for this project, using state-of-the-art remote-sensing technology for mapping, conservation, and preservation, shows our commitment to Nigerias rich heritage. In the last three years projects worth over $370,000 have included the Trust for African Rock Art for rock art preservation in Cross River and Jigawa States, and the documentation of traditional knowledge of the Ifa cultural system in Oyo state. The AFCP also helped restore the Gobarau minaret in Katsina, and the Kofar Kanakali gate in Kano, Ms Leonard said. She added that the U.S Mission will continue to explore opportunities to support the preservation of Nigerias rich heritage using the Ambassadors Fund and other partnership mechanisms. Speaking on behalf of the partners, Gerard Chouin, the director, Medieval and Renaissance program at the College of William & Mary, applauded the U.S Mission for its support for the project. This will communicate to future generations of Nigerians the importance of the monument, which is the largest ever built on earth, Mr Choin said. BARRIE, Ontario, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MediPharm Labs Corp. (TSX: LABS) (OTCQX: MEDIF) (FSE: MLZ) (MediPharm Labs or the Company) a global leader in specialized, research-driven, pharmaceutical quality cannabis extraction, distillation, and derivative products, today provided an update on its aggregate liquidity position, which supports plans for domestic and international growth, and announced it has fulfilled further Cannabis 2.0 product shipments to Canadian provincial distributors in January 2020. The Company continues to maintain a very strong balance sheet and had an unaudited aggregate liquidity position of approximately $67 million as at December 31, 2019. With our strong balance sheet, a healthy aggregate liquidity position, supply of pharmaceutical-quality products and the fact that the Cannabis 2.0 market is opening, we are well positioned to support our customers in Canada as they ramp up sales, as well as new potential customers in emerging international markets, said Pat McCutcheon, CEO, MediPharm Labs. In Canada, as the consumer market begins to achieve its full potential, we have remained disciplined in shaping our committed wholesale and service agreements based on our credit policies and sizeable upfront payments. As noted in the Companys press release dated January 24, 2020, the Company filed a statement of claim against one of its customers after negotiations to settle a past due amount proved unsuccessful. To provide additional background, the Company considers this claim to be a singular event and not representative of the strong liquidity of its customer base. As at December 31, 2019, the Companys unaudited past due balance was approximately $8.6 million, of which $7.7 million was related to the statement of claim. The majority of the other remaining outstanding balance has already been collected as of today. The Company is pleased to note that it expects to collect its existing receivables in the normal course of business and does not perceive any additional credit risk on its remaining customer base due to the high credit worthiness of these customers. Increasing Cannabis 2.0 Shipments In late December 2019, the Company commenced shipments of Cannabis 2.0 products into three of Canadas provincial jurisdictions - British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Following initial shipments in December, the Company received multiple purchase re-orders. Because of the nature of its business, MediPharm Labs is also able to supply B2B customers serving four product categories recognized under Schedule 4 of the Cannabis Act: cannabis extracts (for ingestion and Inhalation), cannabis topicals, edible cannabis (beverages and food products) and cannabis oils. This exposure to each cannabis 2.0 product category is another element of the Companys risk-managed plan for diversifying its growth the primary elements being international expansion and focus on the global medical market. As the Canadian market builds on the launch of the next generation of cannabis products, our specialized GMP certified platform and ability to produce a stable supply of pharmaceutical-quality concentrates will continue to position us to support various licensed producers and new upcoming direct to consumer brands launching innovative products, said Pat McCutcheon, CEO, MediPharm Labs. Beginning last year, in anticipation of a slower rollout of Cannabis 2.0 products in Canada, we made the decision to accelerate our international diversification plans and develop our capabilities to partner with international pharmaceutical companies to address an emerging medical cannabis consumer and research market. Enactment of Cannabis 2.0 federally, and recent moves by the Ontario government to accelerate licence applications from prospective retailers in Canadas largest province are expected to improve product choice and accessibility for consumers as the retail market matures. About MediPharm Labs Founded in 2015, MediPharm Labs specializes in the production of purified, pharmaceutical quality cannabis oil and concentrates and advanced derivative products utilizing a Good Manufacturing Practices certified facility with ISO standard-built clean rooms. MediPharm Labs has invested in an expert, research driven team, state-of-the-art technology, downstream purification methodologies and purpose-built facilities with five primary extraction lines for delivery of pure, trusted and precision-dosed cannabis products for its customers. Through its wholesale and white label platforms, they formulate, consumer-test, process, package and distribute cannabis extracts and advanced cannabinoid-based products to domestic and international markets. As a global leader, MediPharm Labs has completed commercial exports to Australia and is nearing commercialization of its Australian Extraction facility. MediPharm Labs Australia was established in 2017. For further information, please contact: Laura Lepore, VP, Investor Relations and Communications Telephone: +1 416-913-7425 ext. 1525 Email: investors@medipharmlabs.com Website: www.medipharmlabs.com CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release contains forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively, forward-looking statements) within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as expects, or does not expect, is expected, anticipates or does not anticipate, plans, budget, scheduled, forecasts, estimates, believes or intends or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results may or could, would, might or will be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, the Companys domestic and international growth, the Companys customers ramping up Canadian sales, the Company obtaining new customers in international markets, improving customer selection within Canada, expected processing capacity of the Australian facility and production of active pharmaceutical ingredients and cannabinoid-based medicines. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; the inability of MediPharm Labs to obtain adequate financing; the delay or failure to receive regulatory approvals; and other factors discussed in MediPharm Labs filings, available on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. 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 the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Except as required by law, MediPharm Labs assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Every year across the United States, 4,000 churches close their doors, according to research from Thom Rainer. Five years ago, when Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington closed its doors. It was one of the more public in modern history because it was widely reported across social media, websites and blogs. When I got to Mars Hill in 2011, layoffs and terminations were not done well. I would love to say that I always laid off staff in a loving way in my role as pastor. But, I did not. One of the greatest lessons I learned while at Mars Hill was to lead as a pastor and not a professional. Over time, Jesus taught me a lot from and with Pastor Dave Bruskas as he led our staff through the pastoral epistles (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus) each week. By the grace of God, in the end, we had gotten closer to getting it right than what we had in the past. LAYOFFS Most of the time, churches lay off employees because of financial difficulties because they can no longer afford the employee. Sometimes, churches lay off staff because of a shift in vision. When the person is laid off, their position will not be refilled. Here are some tips Ive learned over the years about how to lay off staff in a way thats honoring and kind to them: 1. Be certain that the layoff is correct and needed. 2. Seek wise counsel. Before you execute a layoff, seek wise counsel from your board or other pastors from other churches. You need prayer as the leader and wise counsel for what is best for your church and your staff. 3. As a leader and manager, take some responsibility for the layoff. The church hired the employee and situations have changed financially or strategically. If you were too aggressive on church growth plans that did not pan out, you need to own that. 4. A layoff, unlike a termination, will come as a shock to the staff member. Even though you might have been watching the financial numbers closely as the executive pastor, most staff members will not know the financial situation of the church to that detail. So be prepared for their shock and emotional upset. 5. Meet with the person who is being laid off with another pastor if possible. Open the meeting in prayer. Then get right to it: I am very sorry, but we are going to have to lay you off. 6. Go through as much detail as you can to explain the reason for the layoff and also that their position will not be refilled because of the current circumstances. 7. As a leader, you have a requirement to try to assist the person being laid off in finding another job. That means you need to write a reference letter, use your contacts to get them an interview and be available when future employers call for a recommendation or reference. Many people these days do not know how to write a good, effective resume. So, give the former employee an example of a good resume. Offer to help them edit it before they send it out. 8. Many times, the staff member will be very hurt. mad, or upset with you and the church. Give them time and space to go and talk to their spouse and family. 9. Existing staff will feel shame and guilt that they still have a position when their friends and co-workers dont. Still others may fear that their position is also in jeopardy. Have a staff meeting after the individual layoff meetings for the staff to process the situation. 10. Since many times layoffs are done with multiple staff members at one time, you should bring them back (a couple of days or weeks after they were notified of the layoff) to have a time of prayer and community with remaining staff. Remember, it might be appropriate to invite their spouses. Spend this time in the Word with a short teaching and have an open prayer time where supervisors and staff pray over the former employee. I wish I had followed the suggestions given above, each and every time that I laid off a staff member. I did not. Thanks be to God for the power of the Holy Spirit which has graciously sanctified me in this area over the last several years. Looking back at the two large layoffs we had at Mars Hill in May and September 2014, we had a prayer time Wednesday, Sept. 10. It was one of the toughest days of my professional life. That day, we had all of our church locations and their local staff join an online broadcast, and we invited all of the people who were laid off to return for a corporate time of prayer. Pastor Dave Bruskas started the meeting with a Bible teaching. Then we had each supervisor or close co-worker pray over each person who had been laid off. For a leader, it was a tough thing to do, but in hindsight, it was most definitely the right thing. As an executive pastor, I have learned over time that you cannot lead a church staff like a business. You are a pastor with business acumen. The leadership style that worked while you were in the secular world may not love and lead like your church team needs. This fact is never truer than when it comes to terminations and layoffs. I pray that God will use what I have learned to help you lead and love well through the tough staff transitions you will face. In a New York magazine piece in June and a book published the next month, Carroll said she and Trump met by chance, chatted and went to the lingerie department for Trump to pick out a gift for an unidentified woman. She said joking banter about trying on a bodysuit ended in a dressing room, where she said Trump reached under her black wool dress, pulled down her tights and raped her as she tried to fight him off, eventually escaping. Meghan Markle's best friend Misha Nonoo has announced she is expecting a baby boy after declaring her pregnancy 'pure magic'. The New York-based designer, 33, and her oil heir husband Mikey Hess, 33, revealed her baby's gender for the first time in an interview with People magazine, saying: 'Im so excited to meet our little baby when he comes!' Misha, who is rumoured to have introduced Meghan Markle, 38, and Prince Harry, 35, also said that, like any friend, the Duchess has shared 'lots of tips' about motherhood with her. Meghan Markle's, 38, close friend Misha Nonoo, 33, has revealed she is expecting a boy with her husband Mikey Heiss, 33 (pictured, Meghan and Misha pictured together in 2015) The news comes less than a year after Meghan welcomed baby Archie with Prince Harry, 35, (pictured together in September 2019) Discussing her pregnancy, she explained: 'We are so thrilled, its just really exciting. Its a very grateful time of life. Its pure magic.' Her announcement comes less than a year after close friend Meghan gave birth to baby Archie in May. Misha went on to hint that Meghan has already been sharing her advice about becoming a first time mother. The designer revealed: 'As with all friendships, you share lots of tips and everything.' Mother-to-be Misha also hinted that Meghan had been sharing her tips and tricks for becoming a new parent (pictured, revealing her baby bump on a recent photoshoot) Misha married her husband Mikey in a ceremony in Rome in September that was attended by Prince Harry, Meghan, Princess Eugenie, 29, and Princess Beatrice, 31. She announced her pregnancy at the end of last year and, although it is not known when her due date is, she said she has 'just a little bit longer to go' until she welcomes her son. Misha is believed to have been close to Meghan for many years, with the Duchess continuing to support her friend by wearing Misha Nonoo designs over the years. Meghan donned the famous 'Boyfriend shirt' for her first appearance alongside Prince Harry, and also wore another of Misha's designs for her final day of meetings in the UK before she jetted off to Canada earlier this month. The two women collaborated on Meghan's Smart Works charity line in September last year (pictured together at the launch) Misha, who worked with the Duchess on her Smart Works charity line, recently opened up to FEMAIL about her friendship with the royal. Reflecting on the experience of working together, Misha described Meghan as 'the ultimate professional' and very 'considerate' of the women the collection was helping. She said: 'It was such an ideal, incredibly easy collaboration. It was, from start to finish, wonderful, thoughtful, considerate, as is she.' Russia's prison service said Thursday that a US-Israeli woman jailed for drug trafficking has been freed from prison after President Vladimir Putin pardoned her. Putin pardoned Issachar on Wednesday evening ahead of a Thursday visit to Moscow by Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "Due to the presidential decree on pardoning, Naama Issachar has been freed from prison," the prison service said in a statement. Issachar, 26, was arrested at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport in April 2019 while she was in the transit zone en route from India to Israel. Russian authorities said they found nine grammes (three ounces) of cannabis in her checked luggage and she was sentenced in October to seven and a half years in prison. "Guided by the principles of humanity, I pardon Naama Issachar," Putin said in a decree cited by the Kremlin. The young woman's fate had sparked a wave of sympathy in Israel where Netanyahu had pledged to do everything for her release. Her mother Yaffa Issachar told Israeli media in Russia that her daughter was "out, in a car." "Finally, thank God, thanks to everyone," she was quoted as saying. The Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot reported that the freed woman would return to Israel on Thursday in Netanyahu's plane. In December, Issachar lost an appeal against her sentence, which Netanyahu has described as disproportionate. During the appeal hearing, Issachar had proclaimed her innocence, denouncing the charges against her as absurd. She was imprisoned in a penal colony in the Moscow region. After initially refusing to appeal to Putin, on Sunday she signed a request to him for a pardon. When travelling to Israel last week for commemorations for the liberation of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz 75 years ago, Putin appeared before the cameras with Issachar's mother and Netanyahu. The Israeli foreign ministry had called the verdict "harsh and disproportionate" and President Reuven Rivlin had appealed to Putin's "mercy and compassion" when asking him to intervene in the case. Netanyahu on Thursday was to discuss US President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan with Putin. Netanyahu, who has highlighted his personal bond with Trump, stood alongside him at the White House when the peace plan was announced Tuesday and called it a victory for Israel. It remains to be seen how much Issachar's release and Netanyahu's visit to Washington boost his re-election chances. Analysts said the details of Trump's plan could offer political benefits to Netanyahu, delighting rightwing voters with calls for the annexation of West Bank settlements and possibly appeasing some on the left with nominal support for a Palestinian state. Russia said it would study Trump's plan and called on Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate directly to find a "mutually acceptable compromise. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) NEW YORK - Lawyers for a woman who accuses President Donald Trump of raping her in the 1990s are asking for a DNA sample, seeking to determine whether his genetic material is on a dress she says she wore during the encounter. Advice columnist E. Jean Carrolls lawyers served notice to a Trump attorney Thursday for Trump to submit a sample on March 2 in Washington for analysis and comparison against unidentified male DNA present on the dress. Carroll filed a defamation suit against Trump in November after the president denied her allegation, saying he didnt know and had never even met her. Her lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, then had the black wool coat-style dress tested. A lab report with the legal notice says DNA found in skin cells on the outer surface of the sleeves was a mix of at least four people, at least one of them male. Several other people were tested and eliminated as possible contributors to the mix, according to the lab report, which was obtained by The Associated Press. Their names are redacted, but the report indicates they were involved in a photo shoot where she wore the dress last year, the only time Carroll says she has donned the dress since the alleged assault. Unidentified male DNA on the dress could prove that Donald Trump not only knows who I am, but also that he violently assaulted me in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman and then defamed me by lying about it and impugning my character, Carroll said in a statement Thursday. The White House and Trumps lawyer have not responded to a request for comment. While the notice is a demand, such demands sometimes spur court fights requiring a judge to weigh in on whether they will be enforced. Carroll accused Trump last summer of raping her in a dressing room in Bergdorf Goodman, a Manhattan luxury department store, in the mid-1990s. In a New York magazine piece in June and a book published the next month, Carroll said she and Trump met by chance, chatted and went to the lingerie department for Trump to pick out a gift for an unidentified woman. She said joking banter about trying on a bodysuit ended in a dressing room, where she said Trump pinned her against the wall by her arms, reached under the dress, pulled down her tights and raped her as she tried to fight him off, eventually escaping. The Donna Karan coatdress still hangs on the back of my closet door, unworn and unlaundered since that evening, she wrote. She donned it for a photo accompanying the magazine piece. She had kept the dress because it was a favourite and she hoped she could someday feel comfortable wearing it again, her legal team says. Trump said in June that Carroll was totally lying and he had never met this person in my life. While a 1987 photo shows them and their then-spouses at a social event, Trump dismissed it as a moment when he was standing with my coat on in a line. She is trying to sell a new book that should indicate her motivation, he said in one of various statements on the matter, adding that the book should be sold in the fiction section. Carroll sued Trump in November, saying he smeared her and hurt her career as a longtime Elle magazine advice columnist by calling her a liar. She is seeking unspecified damages and a retraction of Trumps statements. Her lawyer, Kaplan, said the DNA sample request was standard operating procedure given the unidentified male DNA on the garment. As a result, weve requested a simple saliva sample from Mr. Trump to test his DNA, and there really is no valid basis for him to object, she said. Trumps lawyer has tried to get the case thrown out. A Manhattan judge declined to do so earlier this month, saying the attorney hadnt properly backed up his arguments that the case didnt belong in a New York court. The Associated Press typically does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted, unless they come forward publicly. Carroll said she didnt do so for decades because she feared legal retribution from Trump and damage to her reputation, among other reasons. But when the #MeToo movement spurred reader requests for advice about sexual assault, she said, she decided she had to disclose her own account. Trump, a Republican, isnt the first president to face the prospect of a DNA test related to a womans dress. Former President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, underwent such a test during an independent counsel investigation into whether he had a sexual relationship with onetime White House intern Monica Lewinsky and then lied in denying it under oath. After Clintons DNA was found on the dress, he acknowledged an inappropriate intimate relationship with Lewinsky. Clinton was impeached by the House in December 1998 and later acquitted by the Senate. Hong Kong police are tracking down around 300 anti-government protesters and suspects believed to be behind a series of violent crimes, including possession of firearms and explosives. The organised crime and triad bureau, which has been handling serious cases arising from more than seven months of protests sparked by the now-withdrawn extradition bill, denied charges it had been making arbitrary arrests. Its deputy head, Senior Superintendent Steve Li Kwai-wah, said identifying suspects and gathering evidence for prosecution was challenging and time-consuming, but arrests were made on the spot only when officers were satisfied the law had been broken. He also said the force was taken aback by the increasing number of young people being arrested, as they risked going to jail for venting their anger in an unlawful way. Ongoing anti-government protests led to the arrest of 7,143 people as of January 19, the youngest aged 11. According to the bureau, two in five of those arrested were students, with 1,170 still in secondary school. Li said the bureau had handled 75 protest-related cases its heaviest workload ever. They include 26 cases of rioting, eight of possession of offensive weapons, six related to explosives and three of possession of firearms. Our office has arrested 1,048 individuals so far and we have around 300 targets who are at large. I hope to arrest them soon. Investigations are under way, Li told the Post. Apart from the 300 suspects, the Post reported this week that more than 80 radical protesters suspected of hurling petrol bombs during anti-government protests, storming the citys legislature and assaulting opponents had fled to Taiwan. But police sources said as there was no extradition agreement between the two places, there was nothing more police could do unless they returned voluntarily to Hong Kong. Of the 7,143 people arrested, the police charged 1,106, or 15 per cent. The courts have convicted 41 individuals, with sentences of up to 14 months in jail. Story continues Conceding that prosecution figures do not seem impressive, Li said investigations soaked up time and manpower, as officers sieved through massive amounts of video clips to find evidence. Since the protests began last June, masked radicals have besieged roads, wrecked traffic lights and set fires on streets, vandalised MTR stations, businesses and banks, and occupied universities. Groups have attacked police officers on the front line, hurling petrol bombs and bricks, and shooting at them with bows and arrows. Police have responded by firing more than 16,000 rounds of tear gas, 10,000 rounds of rubber bullets, 2,000 beanbag rounds, and 19 live rounds. Li expressed sadness at the surge in the number of young students arrested, especially since the school year began in September. The 2,623 students arrested since then were almost 10 times the 279 nabbed between June and August. Senior Superintendent Steve Li says that arresting just kids has left him feeling sad. Photo: May Tse The veteran investigator said he used to feel excited each time he arrested a suspect behind a nasty crime, believing he helped to make society a better place. But arresting youngsters left him feeling sad, as he found from speaking to them that they were just kids. He said: They can build a gun from parts and come up with ways to have them mailed to Hong Kong. To a certain extent, their creativity is a talent, but why use it to break the law? Li said repeated allegations that arrested individuals had been subjected to sexual violence by the police had also had an effect. An arrested girl asked me why l had not been sexually violent towards her, he said. I explained our work to her. But I am certainly not the first in the force to be asked that question. Responding to accusations of arbitrary arrests, Li said it was reasonable for officers to assume that a person might have broken the law if they were found in the centre of an unlawful assembly. We look at all the evidence during our investigations. A shopper might have a receipt or newly bought products with them. Or the security camera might show them leaving the mall, he said. But merely claiming to be residents in an area does not mean people can join an unlawful assembly. If they refused to leave the spot despite repeated warnings, we have the grounds to make an arrest. More from South China Morning Post: This article Hong Kong protests: police hunting 300 suspects over serious cases of violence during civil unrest first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. " " This famous painting, "The Death of Socrates" by Jacques-Louis David shows Socrates surrounded by his followers preparing to drink the cup of hemlock. VCG Wilson/Corbis via Getty Images One of the giants of Western philosophy, Socrates (470 to 399 B.C.E.) is also one of history's most enigmatic figures. He left behind no published writings, so all we have are secondhand accounts written by his students and contemporaries, most famously the dialogues of Plato. While scholars agree that Socrates changed philosophy forever, they argue furiously over who he was and what he really believed. We spoke with Debra Nails, professor emerita of philosophy at Michigan State University, to learn how the Socratic method turned education on its head, and why Socrates' infamous trial and execution remains the "founding myth" of academic philosophy. Here are some facts to help you get to know Socrates. Advertisement 1. Socrates Stuck Out By all accounts, Socrates cut a strange figure in Athens. A brilliant intellect, he chose not to pursue money, power or fame, but to live in abject poverty as a troublemaking street philosopher. And if you believe the descriptions of his appearance by his student Plato and the comic playwright Aristophanes, Socrates was one ugly dude. First, Socrates was dirty and disheveled, wandering the streets in his unwashed bedclothes, his hair long and greasy. Nails says that Socrates' unattractive appearance was probably as offensive to his critics as his confrontational questioning style. " " The painting "Xantippe Dousing Socrates," by Reyer van Blommendael portrays an incident when his wife was so enraged with Socrates, she emptied a chamber pot on his head. Of his wife, Socrates said, "I know full well, if I can tolerate her spirit, I can with ease attach myself to every human being else." Wikimedia Commons "The Greeks were devoted to beauty, and beauty meant proportion in their architecture and statues," says Nails. "And then there's Socrates with the mouth of a frog or maybe a donkey, and these eyes that bulge and don't track. He didn't fit the Greek ideal and I'm sure that bothered them." Despite his looks, Socrates was married to a much-younger woman, Xanthippe, who was often portrayed as nagging and shrewish. But since he spent all his time philosophizing rather than earning a living, there was perhaps much to complain about. The couple had two sons together. Advertisement 2. He Wasn't a 'Teacher' Even though Plato is sometimes referred to as his "star pupil," Socrates flatly rejected the title of "teacher," or at least in the way that the Greeks understood the role of a teacher. "During Socrates' time, teaching meant transmitting information and the receiver receiving it," says Nails. "When he says he's not a teacher, Socrates is saying that he doesn't have information to transmit and that's why he's asking questions. The important thing is for each person to be involved in the intellectual labor required to come to conclusions." Socrates reserved some of his most cutting remarks for the sophists, paid philosophers who imparted their wisdom and knowledge to the rich and powerful of Athens. Advertisement 3. The Socratic Method Was Genius at Work Instead of writing dry philosophical treatises or lecturing students on the nature of knowledge, Socrates preferred a far more entertaining way of getting to the bottom of thorny questions. He'd hang around all day in the Agora, the bustling outdoor marketplace of Athens, and ask people questions. No one was immune from Socrates' playful interrogations young, old, male, female, politician or prostitute and crowds of young Athenians would gather to watch Socrates use his stinging wit and unbreakable logic to force his victims into intellectual corners. The more pompous and pretentious the victim, the better. It's known today as the Socratic method, but Nails says that Socrates wouldn't have recognized what passes for the Socratic method in places like law schools, where professors pepper students with questions until they arrive at a predetermined answer. Socrates never claimed that he had the answer to whatever question was being posed from the nature of knowledge to the meaning of life. For him, the Socratic method was an exercise in breaking down false assumptions and exposing ignorance so that the individual being questioned not Socrates could arrive at something true. "The real Socratic method requires individuals to dig down to the reason why they're saying what they're saying," says Nails. "And when they uncover those reasons, they often find there are inconsistencies they need to think through." While some people who got roped into Socratic shakedowns walked away furious, others were transformed. After a young poet named Aristocles witnessed Socrates' marketplace spectacle, he went home and burned all his plays and poems. That kid would become the philosopher known as Plato. Advertisement 4. We Don't Know Much About the 'Real' Socrates The historical Socrates, like the historical Jesus, is impossible to know. Neither men wrote the texts for which they're best known, but figure as main characters in the writings of others. In the case of Socrates, these second-hand sources aren't in agreement over how Socrates lived and what kind of philosophy he employed to understand the world around him. The impossibility of knowing the real Socrates is called the "Socratic problem" and it complicates any easy reading of the three main historical sources on Socrates. The playwright Aristophanes, for example, features a character called Socrates in his comedy "Clouds," but the character is more of a caricature of all intellectuals disheveled, impious and intent on warping the minds of the youth than an unbiased portrait of the man. " " This 1821 illustration shows Socrates (R) teaching Alcibiades, a prized pupil who later became an Athenian statesman. Bettmann/Getty Images Aristophanes and Socrates were contemporaries, but the men didn't see eye to eye. Aristophanes blamed the sophists and natural philosophers for poisoning the minds of Athenian youth, and his caricature of Socrates in "Clouds" became so well-known that it hounded the philosopher his entire life. By the time of his trial, Socrates blamed Aristophanes' plays for poisoning the jurors' minds against him. A second source is Xenophon, a soldier-historian who, like Plato, was 45 years younger than Socrates. Xenophon has a solid reputation as a reliable historian of Athens, but he was a practical man with practical concerns. So, his quotations of Socrates have to do with mundane topics like estate management and moneymaking and may reflect Xenophon's views more than those of Socrates himself. Plato's dialogues are the richest and best-known sources on Socrates, because Socrates is the main character in nearly all of the texts. Plato wrote the dialogues like plays, dramatizations of encounters that Socrates may or may not have had with real Athenians, some known to history. In the dialogues, the character of Socrates is an ingenious and often humorous interrogator, quick to confess his own ignorance while coaxing and teasing his fellow conversants toward philosophical revelations about morality and nature. But are the dialogues historically accurate? Plato was 25 when Socrates was tried and executed. While Plato was undoubtedly inspired by Socrates, it's impossible to untangle which philosophies came from Socrates and which were Plato's alone. Further complicating the Socratic Problem is that ancient writers like Plato didn't distinguish between biography, drama, history and fiction. Advertisement 5. Socrates is Best-Known as a Moral Philosopher It's not easy to boil down Socrates' philosophies to a single statement, but if there's a key tenet that shows up again and again in the dialogues, it's this: it's never right to do wrong. "Do no wrong, not even in return for an injury done to you," explains Nails. "Not even under threat of death, or to save your family. It is never right to do wrong. That's huge as a moral principle." The best-known quote from Socrates comes during his trial, when he addresses supporters who ask him why he doesn't just go into exile and keep quiet in order to save his life. "The unexamined life," Socrates replies, "is not worth living." The Socratic method was part of a system of self-examination that Socrates believed lead to virtue. And the only way to improve was to question everything until you arrived at greater wisdom and therefore greater virtue. Advertisement 6. Socrates Heeded an Internal 'Voice' Socrates was a fierce defender of reason and rationality, but he didn't fully dismiss the supernatural. For one thing, Socrates believed he was called by the oracle of Apollo at Delphi to safeguard the souls of all Athenians, making his confrontational conversations in the Agora part of his divine work. But Socrates also believed he heard a daimonion or internal voice that stopped him from doing certain things. It was similar to a conscience, but it wasn't limited to chiming in on moral choices. "You have often heard me speak of an oracle or sign which comes to me," says Socrates in Plato's "Apology." "This sign I have had ever since I was a child. The sign is a voice which comes to me and always forbids me to do something which I am going to do, but never commands me to do anything..." Was Socrates schizophrenic? Nails doesn't think so. She points to scholars who say that there was nothing psychological or supernatural going on, but that Socrates would sometimes become intensely focused on a particular topic and slip into his own mind. "That's when he would stand for hours and not move," says Nails. "That's when he would stop suddenly on the street and not continue along with his friends." Whether supernatural or not, one of the reasons Socrates cites for going along with the trial in Athens is that his internal voice didn't tell him not to go. So he knew that the outcome, good or bad, would be for his ultimate benefit. Advertisement 7. Socrates Died as He Lived, Uncompromising The mood is Athens was bleak after suffering defeat by Sparta in the Peloponnesian Wars, and Athenians were looking for something or someone to blame. Some thought that the gods were angry at Athens for the impiety of its philosophers and sophists. And so, 70-year-old Socrates, a well-known philosopher with a passionate young following, was charged with two counts: irreverence toward the Athenian gods, and corruption of Athenian youth. (It didn't help that two of his students had briefly overthrown the city's government.) As mentioned earlier, Socrates could have avoided the trial altogether by leaving Athens and going into exile. But that wasn't his style, says Nails. Instead, Socrates practiced "civil disobedience" in its original meaning. "This is not resistance. This is not revolution. This is civil disobedience," says Nails. "I do what I believe I must do and if there are consequences, I must accept them." Socrates said as much in the "Apology," written as a record of his final defense during the trial and sentencing: "For I do nothing but go about persuading you all, old and young alike, not to take thought for your persons and your properties, but first and chiefly to care about the greatest improvement of the soul. I tell you that virtue is not given by money, but that from virtue come money and every other good of man, public as well as private. This is my teaching, and if this is the doctrine which corrupts the youth, my influence is ruinous indeed. But if anyone says that this is not my teaching, he is speaking an untruth. Wherefore, O men of Athens, I say to you ... either acquit me or not; but whatever you do, know that I shall never alter my ways, not even if I have to die many times." Socrates was found guilty and sentenced to die by drinking a poisonous concoction containing hemlock, the Athenian method of execution. Before leaving, he gave final counsel to his supporters with a hint of his trademark irony. "The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our ways I to die, and you to live. Which is better, God only knows." Now That's Cool Socrates had some high-profile fans including Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela and Benjamin Franklin, whose personal recipe for humility was "Imitate Jesus and Socrates." YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian government approved today the draft decision on abolishing visa requirements for the citizens of Serbia. During todays Cabinet meeting deputy foreign minister Avet Adonts said on October 25, 2019 the government of Serbia adopted a unilateral decision to abolish visa requirements for the Armenian citizens holding ordinary passports. This decision came into force on November 2, 2019. The Armenian governments todays decision will enter into force on the tenth day after its official publication. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attached importance to the adoption of this decision. Its a good decision, and I think that this trend of eliminating visa regime with different countries is a good reaction for our country, the PM said. In response the deputy FM said Armenia currently has a visa-free regime with 63 states, adding that in line with this the launch of talks on setting visa-free regime with the EU remains a priority for the Armenian foreign ministry. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan The House on Thursday passed one resolution to end the Authorization of the Use of Military Force enacted in 2002 and another to require that the administration seek congressional approval before taking any future military action against Iran. Members of Congress continue to have serious, urgent concerns about the presidents decision to engage in hostilities against Iran and about its lack of strategy moving forward, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) told reporters before the vote. Pelosi continued that Congresss power to declare war has been, shall we say, usurped by administrations both Democratic and Republican, and now to an extent that practically abrogates whatever is in the Constitution. The AUMF, which was enacted in 2002 to authorize the Iraq War, was rejected by the House in a vote of 236 to 166, largely along party lines. The House moved to act in the wake of President Trumps order to kill top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani. The House also approved a separate resolution, sponsored by Representative Ro Khanna (D., Calif.), that would condition funds used for any future attack on Iran on congressional approval. The last thing we can do is give the Pentagon another blank check, Khanna said on Wednesday. Trump has not been clear on whether he will veto the legislation. While the White House did threaten a veto earlier this week, Trump told legislators in a Twitter post to vote with your heart on AUMF. On the same night, Trump then said the Democrats legislation would make the fight against Iran more difficult. The Democrats resolution on AUMF has already gained the public support of four Republican senators Susan Collins of Maine, Todd Young of Indiana, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Mike Lee of Utah securing a legislative majority. More from National Review Our team is dedicated to finding and telling you more about the products and deals we love. If you love them too and decide to purchase through the links below, we may receive a commission. Pricing and availability are subject to change. Game of Thrones may be over, but the forever-Mother of Dragons Emilia Clarke is only continuing to soar as she was recently announced as the inaugural global ambassador for skincare and beauty brand Clinique. The actress recently shared the news in an Instagram post in conjunction with the brand's announcement. "I'm Emilia Clarke and I am incredibly excited to say that I am the new Clinique Global Ambassador," she said in the Instagram post. "I'm not just that. I am also funny, I am a philanthropist and I am a feeder. I'm also a little bit tired as is my skin, which is why, today, I am going to be using this Clinique iD for tired skin." The actress' product of choice is the Active Cartridge Concentrate for Fatigue from the brand's Clinique iD line, which uses a custom-blend hydrator for tired skin that is said to "energize and revive" the skin's glow. Clinique iD: Active Cartridge Concentrate for Fatigue In a more extensive brand statement, Clarke expounded on her love of skincare and why she has decided to partner with the over-50-year-old brand. Story continues "I am so proud to join Clinique as the new Global Brand Ambassador. It is a skincare brand I have regularly used and to now be part of that family is such an honor," she shared. "I love the confidence and happiness it brings to the people using their products. Not only is Clinique timeless, but I'm proud to work with a brand that makes people feel included for who they are, and unapologetic about helping them to create great skin no matter what their skin concern is." This partnership seems to be a match made in heaven as Clarke has actually opened up in the past about her passion for skincare. While speaking with the folks at Harper's Bazaar UK in 2018, she shared her direct beauty philosophy, which she said she has maintained throughout her life. "There have been times and I feel like people have this where you don't even like looking in the mirror, and you just slap your moisturizer on and don't think about it. But actually, taking the time to stop, and ritually clean yourself, and to take stock, is important," she told the publication. "I was really lucky; my mum always drilled it into me to cleanse, tone and moisturize, wear SPF, and don't wear too much make-up, and your skin will be good. And don't pluck your eyebrows. Those were the basics that I was brought up with." Well, it seems as it all worked out for the film and TV star as she currently stands as one of the most effortlessly beautiful actresses in Hollywood. If Clarke's Clinique iD choice does not fit your skin type, you can formulate your very own or shop the brand's bestselling products below: Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel Clinique Dramatically Different Hydrating Jelly Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+ NIP Group New Website Our new website is designed to help brokers and CSRs quickly find the right program for their clients, connect with our industry experts, stand out from the crowd to win more new business, and retain existing accounts, states Richard Augustyn, CEO of NIP Group. NIP Group (http://www.NIPGroup.com), a market leader in the insurance program business located in Woodbridge, NJ, is proud to announce the launch of its modern and responsive website, providing visitors with an interactive and educational user experience. The new website features a mosaic selection of programs upon arriving at the home page where visitors have the option to dive deeper into their journey by selecting personalized content specifically tailored by industry. Every feature of the new website has been designed for brokers and CSRs to easily access as much information as they need and connect with our industry experts so they can quickly get their job done, states Tom Doherty, SVP of Specialty Programs. Each industry page boasts its own Better Coverage By Design callout section that allows both brokers and CSRs to understand how NIP Groups programs are differentiated so they can offer the best insurance solution to retain an existing client or win new business. In addition, brokers and CSRs can easily view underwriting eligibility, the benefits of working with NIP Group, specialized coverages and available limits, as well as getting to know their program manager, who will serve as their industry expert throughout the underwriting process. Brokers time is valuable, so we worked hard to organize a significant amount of program specific information to make easily accessible from any device and in a well-designed format to be shared with clients, states David Springer, President of NIP Group. Understanding that suffering a loss is a stressful event for everyone involved, NIP Group tailored their claims page (https://nipgroup.com/claims/) to seamlessly support brokers, CSRs and their clients with an easy way to file a new claim, allowing for a claims experience that is pleasant and efficient, and most importantly, allowing the insureds business to continue with minimal disruption. Our new website is designed to help brokers and CSRs quickly find the right program for their clients, connect with our industry experts, stand out from the crowd to win more new business, and retain existing accounts, states Richard Augustyn, CEO of NIP Group. The ingenuity and agility of the NIP Group team has established us as one of the nations most respected insurance program administrators and the company that brokers and CSRs turn to, to provide industry tailored coverages to their clients and help them build a stronger brand as industry specialists. Today, clients are expecting more from their brokers and CSRs. They want advice on risk management and access to industry specific safety, loss control resources, and services. NIP Groups in-house loss control professionals have listened and rolled out a turn-key safety and risk control management system tailored for each industry program. The new system will enable brokers and CSRs to offer a customized risk management solution that will hit home for insureds, covering the topics of safety, compliance, and growing their businesses. About NIP Group NIP Group is a market-leading specialty insurance program manager that designs unique commercial insurance solutions and risk services for more than 25 niche industries. Working with more than 5,500 broker partners, we help clients gain control over their costs, secure customized coverage and create safer work environments. NIP Group has more than 150 employees headquartered in Woodbridge, NJ and draws upon the expertise of highly talented business partners throughout the country and abroad to meet the needs of its clients. The worldwide biostimulants market is likely to gain impetus from a rise in the demand for high-value crops. According to a premium research report published by Fortune Business Insights, titled, Biostimulants Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis By Source (Microbial and Non-microbial), By Active Ingredients (Seaweed Extracts, Humic Substances, Vitamins & Amino Acids, Microbial Amendments, and Others), By Application (Foliar Treatment, Soil Treatment, and Seed Treatment), By Crop (Row Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Turf & Ornamentals), and Regional Forecast 2019-2026, the global market is projected to reach US$ 5.69 Bn by the end of 2026. It will exhibit a CAGR of 12.4% during the forecast period (2019-2026). The global market was valued at US$ 2.24 Bn in 2018. The report further states that the governments of numerous countries have begun focusing on the usage of natural or biological origin agricultural inputs in crop production for increased yield and better quality. It is one of the major factors that is anticipated to boost the global biostimulants market growth during the forecast period. Moreover, renowned enterprises operating in the global market are focusing on launching technologically advanced and novel products. This is another factor that will increase the sales of biostimulants in the coming years. Increasing Launch of Awareness Programs to Promote the Adoption of Sustainable Farming Products and Practices to Favor Growth in Europe The global biostimulants market is geographically divided into the Middle East and Africa, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and North America. Amongst these regions, Europe and North America have acquired the largest global biostimulants market share generating approximately 50% revenue altogether. The market in Europe is anticipated to grow rapidly during the forecast period owing to the rising number of governmental awareness programs that are encouraging the populace in adopting sustainable farming methods, tools, and substances. Several biostimulant promoting councils are also present in this region. One of them is the European Biostimulant Industry Council (EBIC), which is considered to be the most prominent when it comes to promoting the usage of biostimulants among the European farmers. North America, on the other hand, is already witnessing notable growth and Fortune Business Insights predicts that the region will exhibit a high CAGR in the coming years. This growth is attributed to the increasing demand for organic products and the presence of U.S. fertilizer regulations that must be strictly followed. Futureco Bioscience, Italpollina, and Other Key Market Players Launch Innovative Products to Gain Competitive Edge Futureco Bioscience, an agrobiotechnology company, involved in the research, development, and worldwide commercialization of products for the protection of crops, based in Spain, announced in that it has launched Radisan May 2019. It is a new biostimulant that can be used in the development of roots. It can also improve the structure of a plant and strengthens its general state. Radisan can be applied to a variety of crops during their vegetative growth as it has several benefits. Italpollina, a provider of biotechnological and certified solutions for modern agriculture, based in Italy, launched Tandem, an innovative biostimulant product in February 2019. It consists of a strain of beneficial microorganisms infused with LRPP. The product will aid in promoting the development of roots. Tandem also contains vegetal peptides that improve plant resistance to harsh climatic conditions, namely, excess heat, cold, drought, or even lack of nutrients in the soil. Read Press Release on Biostimulants Market: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/press-release/biostimulants-market-9231 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 It was supposed to be a weekend to celebrate Jamie Stiles birthday. Stiles and her mother posted a closed sign on their homey Northeast Portland coffee shop and took the family to the Oregon coast earlier this month. That Friday, they settled into a cabin at Cape Falcon, between Seaside and Manzanita. The next day, on Jan. 11, Stiles decided to drive with her mom to Seaside for groceries. Stiles husband, Jeremy, stayed behind with the couples two young children, William and Lola. The kids were eating breakfast when the two women left. Marilyn Romaine, Stiles mom, paused to kiss her grandchildren on the way out. The family knew about the warnings for king tides and sneaker waves. Theyd been to the coast enough to understand how cautious they needed to be. But for a brief time that day, the skies cleared, Jamie Stiles said. Lola and Bill, as he was known by his family, wanted to see the sand. So, her husband and children headed down a walkway near the cabin that led to the water. Its unclear how close the three got to the beach before a powerful wave swamped the path, pulling all of them out to sea. Romaines phone went off as the women loaded groceries into the car about a half-hour away. It was a text from Romaines husband. Sneaker wave. Kids are gone. Cell service was erratic, making it hard to call him back. When Romaine finally reached him, he was frantic. A wave took Lola and Bill, he told her. The kids are in the ocean. *** Rescuers eventually pulled Jeremy Stiles and Lola, 7, from the water. They were taken to the hospital in Seaside, where Lola was pronounced dead. Jeremy, 47, suffered hypothermia and an injury to his arm. Jamie Stiles, 38, said her husbands biceps was damaged from straining to hold onto one of the children. He has been discharged from the hospital. A U.S. Coast Guard search turned up no sign of Bill, 4. Lola Faye Stiles was a first-grader at Vestal Elementary School on Southeast 82nd Avenue. William Henry Alan Stiles went to preschool at the Montavilla Community Center. Jamie Stiles and Marilyn Romaine spoke this week about the tragedy, the grief that has consumed them and the support theyve received from friends and strangers alike. Someone left two small angels in the familys yard. A stranger on the coast reached out to say he looks for signs of Bills body on his daily walks. Marilyn Romaine was deeply involved in her grandchildren's lives, often walking them to and from school. The called her "Yaya." January 29, 2020 Beth Nakamura/Staff Romaines iPhone holds thousands of snapshots of Lola and Bill playing, reading on the couch, dressing up, sleeping and playing at the beach. Short clips show Lola singing and Bill buzzing around the familys coffee shop, Mother Lovin Coffee, next to the Stiles home on Glisan Street. I wanted to dedicate my life to my grandchildren, said Romaine, who lives a short distance from her daughter and son-in-law and helped raise her two grandchildren. Lola and Bill called her Yaya. It was the first word spoken by Lola and it stuck. Lola was a curious and sensitive girl who could memorize a song after hearing it just once, her mother and grandmother said. She loved to dress up as a mermaid or Elsa from Frozen. She doted on her brother, gently holding him when he napped. When she insisted that he dress up as a prince, he went along. Stiles said when her son was a baby, she would wait until he was sleeping soundly before placing him in his sisters arms. Holding baby Bill was heaven, Lola once told her mother. She would sit and suck her thumb and pet him and kiss him, she said. Jamie Stiles enjoyed capturing the closeness of her children, Lola and Bill, as they slept. January 29, 2020 Beth Nakamura/Staff Bill was a tinkerer and collector. He loved to play with Legos. On walks in the neighborhood with Romaine, the two would scour the ground for treasures. One day the pair came home with their pockets full of chestnuts. On a walk this week, Romaine spotted an old twisted nail, just the sort of find that would have delighted Bill. She picked it up and slipped it in her pocket. Debilitating bouts of grief overwhelm her each day. The honor of knowing these children, she said, was worth every minute. *** Stiles aches from the loss of her children. She misses ordinary things that in hindsight made their lives so special. Like those quiet moments in the morning before work and school. And evenings when she and her husband cooked dinner and hung out with the kids. He would wash the dishes before settling in with Lola and Bill to watch an episode of Scooby-Doo on the couch. I used to tell my husband all the time, I just love our little family, she said. She recently found a book shed given Lola for Christmas years ago. Shed inscribed it to her daughter. You just made my dream come true, the only dream I ever wanted, she recalled writing to her daughter. Now, she said, it feels like a dream for real that I cant wake up from. She longs to see them again. To take them to McDonalds for a treat or out for ice cream. They were starting to get to the age where I could go places with them, she said. It was so fun. Shed say, Hey guys, want to go on an adventure? All they had to do was put their shoes on and just go. *** The family donated Lola and Bills toys and games to Vestal and the nearby community center. The playroom, with its bright violet walls and tall cabinet for toys and books, sits almost empty. Upstairs, Bills clothing is carefully folded and in boxes. Some of Lolas dresses still hang in the closet. The Stiles family was about to repaint Lola and Bill's bedroom before the accident happened on the Oregon Coast. Now, unable to live with endless reminders, they are packing the children's belongings into boxes. January 29, 2020 Beth Nakamura/Staff Stiles, who works as an administrator at an online learning school, and her husband, who works in manufacturing, plan to return to work soon. He still cannot talk about what happened, his wife said. They have scheduled a memorial service for Lola and Bill on March 1 at the German American Society. Its excruciating for the family to consider Bills remains may never be recovered. On Wednesday afternoon, a package from Amazon arrived at the Stiles home. Stiles sliced open the box in her kitchen, her mother at her side. Inside lay a single cream-colored ceramic urn decorated with delicate flowers. For Lola, the girl who loved to play dress up. They just saw so much magic in this world," Stiles said. "Sometimes you can look at it and theres nothing special. They just saw the magic in everything. -- Noelle Crombie; ncrombie@oregonian.com; 503-276-7184; @noellecrombie Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. MSCI Inc. (NYSE: MSCI), a leading provider of critical decision support tools and services for the global investment community, announced today that Paula Volent and Sandy C. Rattray have been appointed to serve as independent directors of MSCIs Board of Directors (the Board). Their appointments will be effective February 26, 2020. These appointments increase the Board from ten to twelve directors. As we pursue our mission of enabling investors to build better portfolios for a better world, we are incredibly excited to welcome to our Board Paula and Sandy, both of whom have extensive experience in the investment industry. Their global experience and expertise across diverse asset classes and emerging industry trends, including technological innovation, will further strengthen our Boards breadth of talent, said Henry A. Fernandez, MSCIs Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Paula is well versed in multi-asset class investments and asset allocation as demonstrated by her excellent track record managing a sophisticated endowment, and will help us further build our asset owner strategy. With his extensive asset management career and expertise in derivatives trading and volatility indexes, Sandy will be able to provide insights into the many use cases for indexes and the importance of risk management for our clients. I am confident they will provide diverse and valuable perspectives as we execute our strategy and drive long-term shareholder value, added Mr. Fernandez. Paula Volent.Ms. Volent is currently the Senior Vice President for Investments and Chief Investment Officer at Bowdoin College, a role she has held since 2006. She previously served as Vice President for Investments at Bowdoin College from 2002 to 2006, and Associate Treasurer at Bowdoin College from 2000 to 2002. Prior to joining Bowdoin College in 2000, Ms. Volent served as a Senior Associate at the Yale Investments Office and before focusing on endowment management, she worked as a paper conservator. She holds a Master of Business Administration from Yale School of Management, a Master of Arts from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New Hampshire. Sandy C. Rattray.Mr. Rattray is currently the Chief Investment Officer of Man Group plc, a position he has held since 2017. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Man AHL from 2013 to 2017, and Chief Investment Officer of Man Systematic Strategies from 2010 to 2013. Prior to holding such positions, he held several other senior leadership positions at Man Group. Before joining GLG Partners, which was later acquired by Man Group, in 2007, he spent 15 years at Goldman Sachs where he held various positions, including Managing Director and head of the Fundamental Strategy Group. Mr. Rattray also sits on the MSCI Advisory Council. He holds a Masters Degree in Natural Sciences and Economics from the University of Cambridge and a Licence Speciale from the Universite Libre de Bruxelles. About MSCI Inc. MSCI is a leading provider of critical decision support tools and services for the global investment community. With over 45 years of expertise in research, data and technology, we power better investment decisions by enabling clients to understand and analyze key drivers of risk and return and confidently build more effective portfolios. We create industry-leading research-enhanced solutions that clients use to gain insight into and improve transparency across the investment process. To learn more, please visit www.msci.com. MSCI#IR Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements relate to future events or to future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as may, could, expect, intend, plan, seek, anticipate, believe, estimate, predict, potential or continue, or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that are, in some cases, beyond MSCIs control and that could materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Other factors that could materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements can be found in MSCIs Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on February 22, 2019 and in quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K filed or furnished with the SEC. If any of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if MSCIs underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual results may vary significantly from what MSCI projected. Any forward-looking statement in this press release reflects MSCIs current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to MSCIs operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. MSCI assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005411/en/ [January 30, 2020] First Annual Report Looks at Race/Ethnicity and Gender in the Biotech Industry The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) today released "Measuring Diversity in the Biotech Industry: Building an Inclusive Workforce," the most comprehensive report on diversity and inclusion in the biotech industry. Based on a survey of biotech companies, the report looks at where companies stand on representation in terms of gender and race/ethnicity - and assesses the steps they are taking to improve diversity and inclusion. The report analyzes data from a survey of nearly 100 BIO member companies, conducted online from May to June 2019. The findings show that while responding companies are approaching gender parity, with 45% female employees overall, this near balance shrinks at the higher levels - with 30% female executives and 18% female board members. Representation of people of color is slightly lower, at 32% overall. Again, this number lessens at the higher levels - 15% of executives and 14% of board members are people of color. "BIO will continue to publish an annual survey to track industry progress as it works to expand representation at all levels," said Joanne Duncan, BIO's President of Membership and Business Operations Division. "BIO has developed resources available at RightMixMatters.org such as BIO's Diversity and Inclusion toolkit and the BIO Boardlist, that aim to help biotech companies achieve their diversity and inclusion goals. These resources can be particularly helpful for smaller companies that don't have the staffing or resources to dedicate to diversity and inclusion efforts." Overall, the findings show that pre-revenue, smaller, and private companies have made progress in increasing repesentation. Pre-revenue organizations are more likely than profitable organizations to have people of color make up one-quarter of their executive level workforce - and are also more likely to have a female CEO. In addition, small organizations are more likely to have a female CEO, while privately held organizations are more likely to have a person of color as CEO. The report's findings also show where BIO member companies stand on their approach to diversity and inclusion. Responding companies reported that 80% of their employees and 73% of their leaders demonstrate a commitment to creating an inclusive environment. In addition, about half of the responding companies say that diversity and inclusion is one of their organization's stated values or priorities, while almost one-third have a stated goal about creating an inclusive environment. Overall, the findings show that diversity and inclusion programming is still in the nascent stages at most responding companies - with many companies still assessing the benefits of diversity and inclusion programs. Building on three years of work by BIO's Workforce Development, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (WDDI), this report provides a baseline for understanding representation of diversity and inclusion within BIO member companies. "While these numbers show progress in some areas, we know that as an industry, we can do better," said Helen Torley, chair of BIO's WDDI Committee and CEO of Halozyme Therapeutics. "What is hopeful about this report is that many BIO member companies express a strong desire to do better - and a commitment to take the needed actions to get there." The report recommends that companies start by assessing where they are when it comes to diversity and inclusion. From there, companies can expand the collection and tracking of data on representation and implement such diversity and inclusion programs as leadership development and inclusive behavior trainings, investment in pay equity, networking opportunities, reviewing hiring/career progress practices and more. In addition, the report recommends that companies pay particular attention to representation at the board level. The full report can be downloaded here. About BIO BIO is the world's largest trade association representing biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world's largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005099/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Policymakers fret over risk to global growth from China virus outbreak FILE PHOTO: Members of the Thai Airways crew prepare themselves before disinfecting the cabin of an aircraft of the national carrier during a procedure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport By Lindsay Dunsmuir and Leika Kihara WASHINGTON/TOKYO (Reuters) - A rapidly spreading virus outbreak in China is emerging as a potentially major new risk to the global economy and leaving policymakers, still grappling with the impact of the Sino-U.S. trade war, fretting over the widening fallout. In a sign of alarm over the possible damage, Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Masayoshi Amamiya said on Thursday that China's huge presence in the world economy must be taken into account in gauging the impact the outbreak could have on global growth. Stocks around the world tumbled on Thursday as the death toll from the spread of the coronavirus reached 170, forcing airlines to cut flights and some stores to close. The potential impact on the world economy from the outbreak took centre stage in U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's news conference on Wednesday. "China's economy is very important in the global economy now, and when China's economy slows down we do feel that - not as much though as countries that are near China, or that trade more actively with China, like some of the Western European countries," Powell said. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also voiced concern on Thursday, saying he was closely watching the impact on Japan's economy, including declining tourism from abroad. Zhang Ming, an economist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a top government think tank, projected the outbreak would cut China's first-quarter growth by one percentage point to 5% or lower. Economists at Citibank and elsewhere have forecast a similar slowdown. China has imposed travel restrictions and shut businesses to contain the outbreak, but that has not quelled rising concern among companies and governments across the world. "Apart from the risk to human lives, it is likely to hit travel and consumption activities. In a scenario of widespread infection, it could materially weaken economic growth and fiscal positions of governments in Asia," S&P said in a note to clients on Thursday. Story continues The International Monetary Fund was more cautious, saying that it was too soon to quantify the potential economic effects of the virus, noting that the direct impact on consumer and business demand had been most severe in Hubei Province, the outbreak's epicentre. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said the negative impact on economic activity could be recouped within a year if the virus is quickly contained, as happened during the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2002 and 2003. But the number of cases of the new coronavirus now exceeds the total number of SARS cases. "The immediate impact is obvious. We have travel, tourism, manufacturing in China and a little bit beyond China in Asia being impacted," Georgieva said at the Centre for Global Development in Washington. "So let's say for this quarter, very likely there would be some negative impact. What would happen beyond this quarter, we have to just observe and assess," she said. BIGGER DAMAGE THAN SARS? Analysts are comparing the current coronavirus outbreak to the 2002-2003 SARS epidemic, which led to about 800 deaths and slowed Asia's economic growth. Many say the impact on global growth could be bigger this time as China now accounts for a larger share of the world economy, a view echoed by BOJ's Amamiya. The number of Chinese tourists visiting Japan has increased by more than 20 times since then, Amamiya said. "The outbreak also spread during China's Lunar (New Year) holiday, when consumption tends to peak," he added. "We're looking very carefully at developments, including how much the impact could spread," Amamiya said in a seminar in Tokyo hosted by Jiji news agency. The fallout from the epidemic casts a shadow over the Bank of Japan's projection that global growth will pick up around midyear and help Japan's economy sustain a moderate recovery. China is Japan's second-largest export destination. The Chinese make up 30% of all tourists visiting Japan and nearly 40% of the total sum foreign tourists spent last year, an industry survey showed. (Reporting by Lindsay Dunsmuir in Washington and Leika Kihara in Tokyo; Additional reporting by Ann Saphir in San Francisco; Editing by Paul Simao, Jacqueline Wong, Jonathan Oatis and Daniel Wallis) The Hees at Raffles Singapore. (PHOTO: The Worlds Most Exclusive Dinner) SINGAPORE Fancy paying for an 18-course Michelin-starred dinner, paired with vintage wines and champagnes handpicked by a sommelier onboard a private jet, while contributing to a worthy cause? One Singaporean couple did. READ MORE: Customising jewellery is a lost art, says La Putri's second-generation boss REVIEW: Anastasia Shimmer Body Oil gives my skin a touch of gold without being greasy Vincent and Jane Hee, who oversee childhood institutions like Charis Montessori Preschool in Singapore, as well as Tong Le Yuan and Sin-China International Education in China, purchased the luxury experience dubbed The Worlds Most Exclusive Dinner for a whopping US$2 million dollars, all in the name of charity. The proceeds will go towards purchasing and administering vaccines to 20,000 children from pneumonia in Nigeria through Danish humanitarian organisation DINNdhjlp, as well as to raise awareness of children accused of being witches responsible for the failure of crops, illnesses in villagers or death of farm animals. When I was 15, my mum fell ill to cancer and we needed help. We had relatives and strangers coming to our aid, financially and emotionally. They gave us hope and hope is important. I relate to the situation in Nigeria. When I first saw the video of the witch children (being ostracised), I was shocked. Imagine your own parents burning you alive or starving you. It broke my heart. Im in the education business and I love children. I feel that I should also give back (to society), Hee shared with Yahoo Lifestyle Southeast Asia on what piqued his interest in purchasing this exclusive dinner. Chef Kirk Westaway of Jaan Restaurant explaining the menu. (PHOTO: The Worlds Most Exclusive Dinner) Meals onboard the Bombardier Global 6000 private jet. (PHOTO: The Worlds Most Exclusive Dinner) The Worlds Most Exclusive Dinner was curated by philanthropist and director of World of Diamonds Group, Karan Tilani. Tilani said, Im very passionate about kids and I think Anja (Ringgren Loven of DINNdhjlp) has always been doing a great job. When you look at kids, they are so vulnerable and innocent. In 2018, there were about 800,000 cases where kids aged 5 and below die of pneumonia when pneumonia is easily preventable and treatable with vaccines. It is really unfortunate. Story continues There were seven other interested buyers around the world for the exclusive dinner but Tilani said that he eventually picked the Hees for their passion in education for children. The Hees on a cruise onboard the Ferretti 780 yacht. (PHOTO: The Worlds Most Exclusive Dinner) The two-day experience kicked off on Monday (27 Jan) with The Hees enjoying a dining experience at new rooftop concept 1-V:U and a one nights stay at The Outpost Hotel with 10,000 roses, followed by a daytime cruise onboard a Ferretti 780 luxury yacht the next day (28 Jan). But really, the highlight of the experience: an 18-course dinner by Chef Kirk Westaway of Michelin-starred JAAN served with hand-picked vintage wines and champagnes by a sommelier onboard the Bombardier Global 6000 private jet, cruising 40,000 feet above Southeast Asia. The menu prepared by Chef Kirk. (PHOTO: Sheila Chiang/Yahoo Lifestyle SEA) Throughout the two-day experience, the couple was chauffeured in a Rolls-Royce. At Seletar Airport, the Rolls-Royce was parked on the tarmac the second time since the former US president Barack Obama was permitted to do so in a previous visit to Singapore. The Hees were the first private citizens in Singapore to take a private car onto the tarmac. On the flight being the first to start and end at the same place, Tilani said, Singapore doesnt typically recognise a flight that takes off and lands back in Singapore. It has never been done before. The evening closed with a night at the Presidential Suite of the newly-restored Raffles Hotel. Nobody can ever replicate this experience. I must give a lot of credit to our partners because I would never be able to do this without them. But the idea is merging luxury and giving back to society. We sent out a clear message that luxury is the key engine to philanthropy. We do this because it piques the interest of audience globally. We want to reach out to the right audience so people can make an impact and contribute through their time and effort, or even just understanding the cause, continued Tilani, who heads a diamond mining group. Jane Seymour ring with a rare 2.08-carat blue diamond and diamond-encrusted chopsticks. (PHOTO: The Worlds Most Exclusive Dinner) At the end of it, the couple were presented with two pairs of diamond-encrusted chopsticks, together with the Jane Seymour ring, a rose-gold plated platinum ring set with a rare 2.08-carat blue diamond. All partners have donated their elements of the experience. To know more about this cause, you may find information on DINNdhjlp and World of Diamonds. Three Vietnamese citizens returning from China's Wuhan city tested positive for coronavirus (nCoV) as of January 30 afternoon, bringing the total number of nCoV cases detected in the country to five, reported the Ministry of Health. Doctors of the Cho Ray Hospital wear protective clothing when entering the quarantine area. One of them has been quarantined at central Thanh Hoa provinces hospital, while the other two are undergoing treatment at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi. All three have reportedly gone to China's Wuhan the epicentre of the sweeping pneumonia virus outbreak. Along with a Chinese father and son from Wuhan admitted to Ho Chi Minh Citys Cho Ray Hospital, Vietnam has recorded five cases of coronavirus infection so far. The pair have been identified as Li Ding, 66, and 28-year-old Li Zichao. They were admitted to the Cho Ray Hospital on January 22 suffering from pneumonia and later tested positive for coronavirus. The Ministry of Health said both patients were recovering. Li Zichao on January 28 was given the all-clear. The country is quarantining a total of 32 suspected infected cases, awaiting final test results, while 65 cases have their results returned negative. Forty-three people are being quarantined despite having normal health as they have had contacts with suspected nCoV-infected patients. National steering committee for coronavirus prevention set up Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam examines the preparedness for quarantining and treating patients infected with coronavirus at the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has decided to establish a national steering committee for prevention and control of the acute respiratory disease caused by a new coronavirus (nCoV). The committee is headed by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, while Deputy Ministers of Health Do Xuan Tuyen and Nguyen Truong Son work as its deputy heads. The steering committees members also include representatives from various ministries and agencies. The Ministry of Health is the standing agency of the steering committee. It is tasked to help the PM instruct and coordinate relevant ministries, ministry-level and governmental agencies and localities in the fight against the nCoV-caused acute respiratory disease across the country. The committee is assigned to direct the coordination between ministries, ministry-level and governmental agencies and bodies of the Party, Vietnam Fatherland Front and Peoples Committees of centrally-run provinces and cities in mobilising resources to participate in and support the implementation of urgent plans launched by the Ministry of Health. The steering committee is responsible for carrying out and supervising the performance of the PMs instructions by ministries, sectors and localities and making daily reports about the development of the disease to the PM and authorities. The northern port city of Hai Phong also set up a steering committee for prevention and control of the disease. Vietnam is well controlling nCoV-caused acute respiratory disease: PM At the meeting of permanent Cabinet members on January 30 Vietnam has set forth specific solutions to cope with the acute respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus (nCoV) and is well controlling it, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said on January 30. Speaking at a meeting between permanent Cabinet members and representatives of ministries and agencies in Hanoi, PM Phuc said the virus is rapidly sweeping over the world. We must stay calm and resolutely protect the public's health, he said, urging localities and agencies to outline their own countermeasures. The PM stressed the need to completely ban travelling via border-to-border trails and suspend the sending of Vietnamese labourers to China from which the deadly virus is originated. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should soon work with the Chinese side to bring Vietnamese workers in the country home, he said. Tours to China, and vice versa, must also be banned, he said, adding that trading activities at border gates are not encouraged at this time. PM Phuc asked the army, public security forces and the health sector to closely supervise passengers going through border gates. Those from China must be kept under quarantine within 15 days the estimated incubation period of the new virus. Besides, wildlife trading the source of transmission - must be completely prohibited, he said. As Vietnam holds the ASEAN Chairmanship, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should raise voice to create high consensus in the grouping in the fight against the disease, the PM noted. Local steering committees for prevention and control of nCoV would help improve the efficiency of the combat, he suggested. The leader asked the media to consider the fight against nCoV a political task, and the Health Ministry to coordinate with the Ministry of Justice to make legal preparations once the World Health Organisation (WHO) announces the nCoV emergency status. At the meeting, Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen reported that as of 15:20 on January 30, three people had tested positive for nCoV, raising the total cases in the country to five. One of the three is being treated at the General Hospital of the central province of Thanh Hoa, while two are under treatment at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases. All are Vietnamese nationals and returned from Chinas Wuhan city where the virus was first identified. According to the Health Ministry, as of 12:00 the same day, 7,819 cases of nCoV infections had been confirmed in 19 countries and territories worldwide, with the death toll climbing to 170, including 162 in Wuhan. In response to the PMs directive, the Health Ministry has asked all provincial hospitals to set up emergency teams and map out countermeasures, while preparing medical equipment and medicines. The ministry suggested establishing five working groups to inspect the prevention and control of nCoV in localities, focusing on areas at high risk of being affected by the disease. Russian strikes kill 10 civilians in Syria's Idlib as army advances Ariha, Syria, Jan 30 (AFP) Jan 30, 2020 Russian air strikes near a bakery and a medical clinic in Syria's rebel-held Idlib region killed 10 civilians Thursday as government forces kept up a ground offensive. The government and its allies have upped their deadly bombardment of the last major rebel bastion, slowly chipping away at it from the south. Rebel-held territory has shrunk to just over half of Idlib province, along with slivers of neighbouring Aleppo and Latakia, following a series of government gains, the latest of which saw Damascus loyalists retaking the strategic town of Maaret al-Numan on Wednesday. Early on Thursday, Russian air strikes hit the town of Ariha, between Maaret al-Numan and the city of Idlib to its north, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The strikes hit near a bakery and the Al-Shami clinic which is now out of service, AFP correspondents reported. A dust-covered doctor ran out of the Al-Shami clinic screaming following the attack, which partially damaged the facility's walls. Nearby, three entire buildings had collapsed and several vehicles were reduced to mangled wrecks. The wailing of women and children rang out as rescue workers searched for corpses beneath the rubble. Toufic Saado, a paramedic, said he was inside the medical facility when three air strikes ravaged the area. "The wounded were lying on the floor outside the medical centre," he said. - Ground offensive - The latest deaths bring to 21 the number of civilians killed by Russian air strikes in Idlib since Wednesday, the Observatory said. Earlier this month, Russia denied launching any combat operations in the region since a ceasefire it agreed with rebel supporter Turkey went into effect on January 12. But the truce has since become a dead letter and the number of reported Russian raids has risen sharply. Thousands of Russian troops are deployed across Syria in support of the army, while a contingent of Russian private security personnel also operates on the ground. Moscow's military intervention in 2015, four years into the Syrian conflict, helped keep President Bashar al-Assad in power and started a long, bloody reconquest of territory lost to rebels in the early stages of the war. Russian-backed regime forces on Thursday pushed north of the highway town of Maarat al-Numan, their latest conquest, said the Observatory. They are now moving towards the town of Saraqib, whose residents have mostly fled in recent days in the face of heavy bombardment, the war monitor added. Fighting is now within five kilometres (three miles) of the town, said the Observatory. Both Maarat al-Numan and Saraqib lie on the key M5 highway connecting the capital Damascus to second city Aleppo. The road has been in the sights of the government for some time as it seeks to revive a moribund economy ravaged by almost nine years of war. Some 50 kilometres (30 miles) of the M5 remain outside regime control, the Britain-based Observatory said. - Displacement - Tens of thousands of civilians have fled the government's advance, seeking safety closer to the Turkish border further north. The violence in the northwest has displaced more than 388,000 civilians since December, the United Nations says. At least 20,000 of them have moved in the past two days, UN undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs Mark Lowcock said on Wednesday. "Unless the current hostilities stop, we will see an even greater humanitarian catastrophe," he told the UN Security Council. Aid groups have warned the latest violence is compounding one of the worst humanitarian disasters of the nine-year war. Government forces, which now control around 70 percent of Syria, have repeatedly vowed to retake the entire country, including Idlib. The civil war has killed more than 380,000 people and displaced more than half the country's population since it erupted following the brutal repression of anti-government protests in 2011. Several UN-backed rounds of peace talks have failed to stem the bloodshed and a parallel track led by regime backer Russia and rebel ally Turkey has gained precedence in recent years. Premier Doug Ford will travel to Washington, D.C. next week to unveil a new trade strategy aimed at strengthing economic ties with the country that is Ontarios largest trading partner and countering Buy American policies south of the border. Ford says he and Economic Development Minister Vic Fedeli are heading to the winter meeting of the National Governors Association from Feb. 7 to 9 to continue many of the productive discussions weve started over the past year to remove trade barriers and to promote investment and economic opportunity. The premier did not reveal details of the new strategy but said this is about making it easier for people on both sides of the border to do business with each other. He has previously sounded off against Buy American policies that jeopardize the lucrative $390 billion a year in two-way trade between Ontario and the U.S. Buy American polices force large infrastructure and airline projects that receive federal funding to have high levels of U.S. content or manufactured goods, limiting opportunities for Ontario and Canadian companies to bid on them. Ford focused on one U.S. jurisdiction in a 10-minute speech Thursday to the Canada 360 Economic Summit at the MaRS building across the street from Queens Park. Were in talks with the state of Ohio to move forward with a new ground-breaking approach...were looking to improve market access and procurement opportunities for Ontario and Ohio businesses. Its an approach that will allow us to address the challenges we face with a damaging, and I repeat that damaging buy American policies, the premier said. When Im down there Im preaching that constantly....once we roll this out we have a way of possibly getting around this Buy American policy. We cant afford to stand back and wait, were taking action because Buy American policies are hurting Ontario businesses and workers. Ohio represents about $2.5 billion in government procurement opportunities for Ontario businesses, Ford said, with those businesses looking at similar prospects on the north side of Lake Erie. Green Leader Mike Schreiner said Ford has done enough damage of his own when it comes to attracting investment and boosting trade by ripping up more than 750 renewable energy contracts shortly after taking office in 2018. Its hard to attract investment and trade when the U.S. Chamber of Commerce says Fords actions have sent a negative signal to international businesses and investors, Schreiner said in a statement Thursday. Ford visited Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, last September in Columbus and warned protectionism, its just not going to work at a meeting of the Ohio-Canada Business Association, where he said Canada and the U.S. are better working together as a bloc to compete with India and China. In Washington, Ford and Fedeli will meet with governors, their state officials and business leaders while in Washington to press efforts to keep cross-border commerce flowing. Make no mistake about it, Im a business person first and an elected official second. I believe in building relationships, the premier told the crowd of business executives. I dont care if theyre Republican or Democrat, we have great relationships with so many governors, and making sure...we get the message out: invest here in Ontario. Ford noted a delegation of state governors is coming to Toronto from April 21-23, headed by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, chair of the National Governors Association, for an infrastructure study tour. We will showcase to the United States governors that come up here what an incredible province we have. Its not clear how many governors will come. Ontario is the no. 1 trading partner to 19 states and no. 2 to nine other states. Ford said he was pleased that U.S. President Donald Trump signed the new free trade pact with Canada and Mexico known as the USMCA and said he supports the Trudeau governments passage of it to help provide much needed certainty to businesses. Read more about: Photo: Paul Morigi/Getty Images The specter of Hunter Biden, the neer-do-well son of Joe Biden, has haunted the impeachment trial since its beginning. His unseemly connections to a Ukrainian natural gas company prompted Trumps now-infamous alleged quid pro quo in the first place. But as the Senate trial of Donald Trump has progressed, the possibility of Biden being compelled to give testimony has become a subject of conversation on Capitol Hill. In particular, some Republicans floated the concept of a one-for-one deal, in which Democrats are allowed to subpoena John Bolton in exchange for Republicans getting to quiz Hunter Biden in an attempt to bolster Trumps claims that he was only concerned about corruption, and not undermining Joe Bidens presidential campaign. And, as a bonus, it would still undermine Joe Bidens presidential campaign. The possibility provided bountiful fodder for cable-news speculation in recent days. After all, no pair could be as unlikely as Hunter Biden, whose career has been plagued by a series of drug and sex scandals and Bolton, a bellicose septuagenarian with a mustache better suited to a 19th-century British viceroy than a 21st-century right-wing apparatchik. Boltons expected testimony would be about the allegations reportedly contained in his unpublished manuscript that Trump explicitly told him he tied aid to Ukraine in exchange for an investigation into the Bidens. In contrast, Hunter Biden would be asked about his handsomely compensated service on the board of Burisma an energy conglomerate owned by Ukrainian oligarch Mykola Zlochevsky as well as former vice-president Joe Bidens work as the Obama administrations point man on diplomacy with Ukraine. Trump has alleged, without foundation, that Biden worked to oust the countrys chief prosecutor, Victor Shokin, in an effort to protect Burisma from investigation. However, Burisma was not under active investigation at the time, and ousting Shokin was the policy of the United States as well as its European allies because the prosecutor was corrupt. The idea of horse-trading the testimony of Trumps former national security adviser for a man most recently in the news for settling a child-support suit in Arkansas brought by a former exotic dancer may seem outlandish in the abstract. However, it gained some bipartisan momentum earlier this week. As recently as Wednesday morning, one Democrat, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, said he would vote to compel Hunter Bidens testimony. But most Senate Democrats see this proposed Bolton-for-Biden witness deal as a nonstarter. Its not simply that they see the younger Bidens testimony, which Trump allies have been pushing for, as irrelevant to the proceedings. Its also that Democrats believe they would be doing Trumps dirty work for him by supporting a subpoena for Hunter Biden to appear before them. Chris Murphy of Connecticut told Intelligencer, I think we would be making ourselves complicit in the scheme that the president is on trial for, using an official act in order to try to destroy the presidents political opponents. He added, I dont want to try to be a co-conspirator in the presidents alleged crimes. When asked if there was any theoretical scenario in which he would agree to Hunter Bidens testimony even in exchange for 20 or 50 witnesses Murphy jibed, Only if they throw in a first-round draft pick. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, where Trump won in 2016, echoed Murphys thinking that calling Hunter Biden would allow the president to benefit from his alleged offenses. I think thats honestly ridiculous in the debate about abuse of power of the president of the United States, and it would just reward the president for his political conspiracy theories, she told Intelligencer. The only public break in the Democratic consensus came from Manchin. A conservative Democrat who represents a state Trump won by 40 points, the West Virginian has long been prone to breaking with his party. When asked on MSNBCs Morning Joe if he would vote to subpoena Hunter Biden, Manchin said, I think so. I really do. As he explained: I dont have a problem there. This is why we are where we are. Now I think he could clear himself from what I know and what I heard, but being afraid to put up anybody who might have pertinent information is wrong. But even that came with a caveat. Manchins support on Hunter Bidens testimony hinged on the premise that the judge or whoever rules that its pertinent. Aside from the moral argument, Democrats dont think that Hunter Biden would add any relevant information. Ben Cardin of Maryland told Intelligencer, The Biden issue is a distraction. He thought that Republicans should be able to make a pitch as to any witnesses they want to and they should be allowed if theyre relevant. However, the Maryland Democrat insisted, I dont see relevancy. Cardin did say he would defer to Chief Justice Roberts to make any rulings about which witnesses are relevant. Jeff Merkley of Oregon took a similar tone: Id be very comfortable with each side choosing its own set of three or four witnesses, as long as the Chief Justice can rule on them as relevant. However, he disapproved of calling Hunter Biden, whom he did not think met the threshold of relevance. In Merkleys view, it would be wrong for the Trump team to continue their efforts to essentially injure or degrade the standing of a potential opponent by using this trial as a weapon, when the trial is all about their abuse of power to degrade and assault an opponent. Yet, for all the handwringing over Hunter Bidens potential testimony, it may be for naught. For the younger Biden to testify, there would need to be 51 senators to support calling any witnesses in the first place, something there seems to be little appetite for in the Republican conference. Four Republicans would need to break ranks. On Wednesday, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania who proposed a one-for-one trade in which Republicans would allow John Bolton to testify in exchange for Hunter Bidens testimony shied away from that proposal. He told reporters: I remain very very skeptical that theres any witness thats going to shed any light thats going to cause me to change my view on what the final outcome of this trial. This proposal for a trade had already been scoffed at by many Democratic senators. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii described it as: You get your lousy witness so we get our relevant witness it doesnt make sense. As Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said in a press conference Wednesday, the final decision on the younger Bidens testimony rests with Senate Republicans. Its not up to Joe Manchin, its not up to any of us, said Schumer. The Republicans could call Hunter Biden today. They have the votes. Trump and McConnell could call Hunter Biden today. They dont want to. While Republicans and Democrats have entirely different reasons for not wanting to call Hunter Biden at this point, it does represent a rare bit of bipartisan agreement in an increasingly contentious trial. But, if Democrats manage to force votes on considering witness testimony, this peculiar sliver of bipartisanship is unlikely to last. US special forces losing discipline over repeated deployments: Pentagon Iran Press TV Wednesday, 29 January 2020 9:40 AM The US Defense Department has warned that repeated deployments by US special forces have affected discipline within the ranks, urging changes in oversight following a series of scandals. Near-constant deployments by special forces to Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Africa have reduced to a minimum the resting times that ensure unit cohesion, said the Pentagon report published Tuesday. "We have a 'can do' culture with a bias toward action," said General Richard Clarke, commander of US Special Operations Command, presenting the report. "Nearly 20 years of continuous conflicts have imbalanced that culture to favor force employment and mission accomplishment over the routine activities that ensure leadership, accountability, and discipline," Clarke said. Active and retired officers, as well as civilians, in the Pentagon prepared the report, which was commissioned last summer after a series of disciplinary incidents. US President Donald Trump intervened last year to pardon Navy SEAL platoon leader Edward Gallagher, who was accused of war crimes for stabbing to death a Daesh (ISIS) detainee and posing for a picture next to his corpse. A US military jury acquitted Gallagher of murder but convicted him for taking the photographs. The incident led to the firing of US Navy Secretary Richard Spencer, who said he and Trump did not share an understanding about "the key principles of good order and discipline." Trump also granted clemency to Matt Golsteyn, an ex-member of the US Army Green Berets. He was charged with premeditated murder in the shooting death of an alleged Taliban bombmaker in Afghanistan in 2010. Those cases fueled reports that the US military leadership was angered by Trump's interference in disciplinary cases. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address OTTAWA - Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who presided over the talks that led to a new North American free trade deal, urged the opposition parties to get on with enshrining the revamped pact into law in order to provide certainty after years of turmoil. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/1/2020 (713 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA - Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who presided over the talks that led to a new North American free trade deal, urged the opposition parties to get on with enshrining the revamped pact into law in order to provide certainty after years of turmoil. Freeland kicked off debate on a bill to implement the new deal by saying it was time for Canada to join the U.S. and Mexico by ratifying the deal. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Chrystia Freeland rises to vote on a motion to implement the trade agreement between Canada, the United States and Mexico, in the House of Commons, Wednesday, January 29, 2020 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld The "new NAFTA" preserves the core of the existing North American Free Trade Agreement while improving parts of it that affect numerous Canadian industries, Freeland said. The legislative path the deal must follow will see it debated in the House of Commons and Senate, and in their committees, and while Freeland suggested that process has its merits, she stressed the need to move quickly. "It is in the national interest for us to finish this process, to put this process behind us, to have the economic and political certainty that ratification will bring," Freeland said Thursday outside the House. "But I am far from thinking that the debate we're hearing in the House now, the discussions we'll hear in committee, are pointless." Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Chrystia Freeland rises for debate on the USMCA trade agreement in the House of Commons in Ottawa, Thursday January 30, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld Despite the Opposition Conservatives signalling they were willing to support the agreement, despite holding their noses, Freeland said she will not take any votes for granted. The United States and Mexico have already ratified the agreement and President Donald Trump held a signing ceremony at the White House Wednesday. The Canadian implementation bill was introduced in the House of Commons later that day, with only the Bloc Quebecois voting against a motion to make way for the legislation. A host of industry groups and premiers have come out asking MPs and senators to support the bill without delay. It has been more than two years since Trump demanded the three-country deal be revised. The 13-months of negotiations placed a strain on the relationship between Canada and the U.S. as the Trump administration took what Freeland described as unconventional bargaining positions and enacted punitive tariffs. "Canadians have come a long way since 2017, when Canada's most important trading relationship, indeed our national prosperity itself, was put at serious risk," she said during her speech to begin the debate in the House. Conservative MP Randy Hoback was more critical. The Saskatchewan MP praised the cross-partisan "Team Canada" approach to negotiating a new deal and thanked Freeland for involving other parties. "I know they did their best. I really do. I know they tried their best and did their best, but having said that, there is some shortfalls, there is some problems," he said. "I think the reality is the president and Mexico sat down and did a deal and they came back to Canada and said 'Here you go, take it or leave it.' And that's disappointing. It didn't have to be that way." The deal needs close scrutiny and effort to mitigate any problems it creates, Hoback said. But he signalled that at the end of that, the Conservatives expect the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement to be approved. The Liberals will need the backing of at least one other official party to pass the legislation in the Commons. "Our party supports, and wants a free-trade deal with Canada, the U.S. and Mexico," Hoback said. "Some things are just too big to play politics with." If the bill receives parliamentary approval, the three parties to the agreement will take several months to develop regulations to interpret the pact's provisions before rules finally take hold. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said "securing access to the North American market is incredibly important" to workers and businesses in all three countries, and urged all MPs and senators to ratify the deal quickly. "It will be hopefully done quickly, but properly, in the House of Commons," Trudeau said Thursday afternoon at an event in Brampton, Ont. "I am counting on all parliamentarians to work together to make sure that it's done right." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2020. The Philippines on Thursday confirmed its first case of the new coronavirus that has killed at least 170 people so far in China, as the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the viruss outbreak a global emergency. A Chinese woman who arrived in Manila last week tested positive for the coronavirus, Philippine health officials said, while neighboring Indonesia and Malaysia ramped up efforts to evacuate hundreds of their citizens from Wuhan. The Chinese city of 11 million people has been on lockdown since Jan. 23 in an effort to quarantine the epicenter of the virus. We were able to detect the first confirmed case [in the Philippines] because of our strong surveillance system, close coordination with World Health Organization and other national agencies, Philippine Health Secretary Francisco Duque III told reporters. The 38-year-old Chinese woman arrived in the Philippines from Wuhan via Hong Kong on Jan. 21, two days before the Chinese lockdown. She was admitted to a government-run hospital four days after her arrival when she reported experiencing a mild cough, Duque said. Currently the Chinese woman was showing no signs of symptoms, he said. Duque said the Philippines had recorded 29 patients under investigation, including 18 in metropolitan Manila. Five of the total have been discharged but are still under strict monitoring, he said. On Thursday, more nations reported infections from the new virus officially called 2019-nCov as Beijing raised the death toll to 170 so far in mainland China, with thousands infected across the country of 1.4 billion people. The virus has been detected in more than a dozen countries, including the United States, Canada and India, which also confirmed its first case Thursday in a patient in Kerala, a southwestern coastal state. Late Thursday in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus upgraded the virus to a public health emergency of international concern over the global outbreak of novel coronavirus. The main reason for this declaration is not because of what is happening in China, but because of what is happening in other countries, he told a news conference. Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems, and which are ill-prepared to deal with it." New case in Malaysia Malaysia, which earlier reported that 32 people had been placed under close monitoring by health authorities, confirmed its eighth case on Thursday. The eighth case is a 49-year-old Chinese citizen who has been admitted to an isolation ward at the Permai Johor Hospital and is reported to be in stable condition, Noor Hisham Abdullah, the Health Ministrys director-general, said in a statement. Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said authorities were coordinating with Beijing to repatriate 82 Malaysians from Wuhan. The government plans to bring all Malaysians in Wuhan home as soon as possible and hope it can be done within the next two or three days, Saifuddin told reporters Thursday. Meanwhile in Jakarta, President Joko Jokowi Widodo ordered the immediate evacuation of Indonesians from Wuhan, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told reporters. Marsudi said Jokowi gave the order after they met at the Halim Perdana Kusuma Airport in Jakarta. Indonesian authorities were preparing documents needed to relocate Indonesian citizens scattered in several areas in Chinas Hubei province, the most-affected region, to their pickup location for their repatriation, the foreign ministry said in a statement. Officials from the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing are already near the affected area to help facilitate the process, it said. There are 243 Indonesians in Hubei Province, 98 of whom live in Wuhan, officials told BenarNews. Anung Sugihantono, the Indonesian health ministrys director for disease prevention and control, said returning citizens would be subjected to a quarantine of up to 14 days. Those who are under observation will be put in isolation, Anung told reporters. Hadi Tjahjanto, the military chief, said that if the evacuation process went well, the Indonesian citizens coming in from Wuhan would be placed at a dormitory in East Jakarta during the quarantine. We will also provide security there, he said. The Indonesian military had prepared a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft and appointed two Boeing commercial planes for the evacuation process, Hadi said, without elaborating. Thailand, which has 14 confirmed cases of the virus, stepped up protective measures Wednesday by screening its tourist-sector workers, while military medical personnel were tasked with screening arrivals at 10 international airports across the country. All but one of the coronavirus cases in Thailand were Chinese tourists, and so far there have been no human-to-human transmissions inside the country, officials said. Between Jan. 3 and Jan. 27, the Buddhist-majority nation, a popular destination among Chinese tourists, recorded more than 25,000 arrivals from Wuhan, according to health ministry figures. As the country grappled with its confirmed cases the second-highest number outside China Thai authorities warned online users that they could face arrests for sharing inaccurate information about the coronavirus. You better think a lot more and look for sources of where news comes from, Thailand's digital economy minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta told AFP, as he confirmed that two people had been charged with violating the Computer Crimes Act, which can carry up to five years in prison. Buddhipongse said the duo, a man and a woman, had admitted creating fake news by posting a misleading video and spreading false information about an alleged coronavirus case. Elsewhere, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said that it and the police had detained four people suspected of spreading false news regarding the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCov) outbreak on social media. The four suspects will be investigated under the countrys communications and internet laws, and could face up to a year in prison and/or be fined a maximum of 50,000 ringgit (U.S. $12,200) if convicted, the MCMC said in a statement. Mark Navales from Cotabato City, Philippines and Nisha David and Ali Nufael in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report. After Brexit France will be ready to defend its businesses, fishermen and farmers, with the country's Secretary of State for European Affairs warning Paris will be "extremely vigilant" in the upcoming negotiations with the United Kingdom. Speaking after a Council of Ministers meeting devoted to Brexit, Amelie de Montchalin stressed the importance of establishing a fair competitive relationship between France and Britain. "We have several points of absolute vigilance so that we can fully protect our fellow citizens, our farmers, our fishermen, our businesses," she said. Once the UK quits the European Union on Friday, it will have until 31 December to negotiate the conditions of its future relationship with the bloc of 27 in areas including trade, internal security and mobility. During this transitional period, European law will continue to apply. "If we want to reach an agreement quickly, it is possible, de Montchalin said. If we respect the same standards, and we continue to have a regulatory alignment on the trade of goods, in particular. However she added that if the British want to adopt other standards, the zero customs tariff, zero quota that London is seeking will have to be guaranteed by zero dumping, adding that France would be extremely vigilant about sanitary standards and agricultural production. Social issues including welfare and state aid would also be at the heart of the negotiations. Farage sparks flag-waving row Meanwhile as MEPs debated the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement in the European Parliament, which easily passed Wednesday, Irish MEP Mairead McGuinness went head to head with Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage. . McGuiness, who is First Vice-President of the European Parliament, cut Farage's microphone as he was finishing off his address to the chamber, his allies cheering and waving Union flags. Please sit down, resume your seats, put your flags away, McGuinness said as the cheering Brexit Party MEPs walked out. You're leaving, and take them with you if you are leaving now. Iran's Rouhani calls Trump's plan 'most despicable plan of century' Iran Press TV Wednesday, 29 January 2020 10:51 PM Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has condemned US President Donald Trump's so-called 'peace plan' for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as 'the most despicable plan of the century.' "Enough of these foolish attempts," Rouhani wrote on his Twitter account on Wednesday. "The Most Despicable Plan of the Century," he added. Meanwhile, Iran's Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani also referred to Trump's self-proclaimed "deal of the century" as a dangerous plan for the West Asia region which, describing it as a ploy devised to make up for the failures of the United States and the Israeli regime. "We have to try to make all Muslim countries united against this illegal and inhuman agreement," Larijani said while speaking in a phone conversation with Syrian Parliament Speaker Hammouda Sabbagh on Wednesday. "In fact, this deal and treasonous conspiracy is designed to fulfill the wishes of the Israeli regime in the region," Larijani noted, adding that despite the claims of the US officials, the plan has nothing to do with the interests of the Palestinian people. Defying the international outcry, Trump announced the general provisions of the plan at the White House on Tuesday with the Israeli premier at his side. During the Tuesday joint presser with Netanyahu, the US president once again endorsed his contentious recognition in December 2017 of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel's "capital," a move he took in the face of Palestinian demands that the holy city should serve as the capital of their future state. He said the plan envisages the city as the Israeli regime's "undivided capital." Trump's plan is widely expected to take the US's pro-Israeli brinksmanship to a whole new level, with various reports warning that it seeks to lay the groundwork for Israel's annexation of about half of the West Bank, which the regime occupied in 1967, including most of the Jordan Valley. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Alastair Stewart used the 'angry ape' quote from Measure for Measure during a Twitter row with a white environmentalist 18 months ago, it emerged today. The tweet emerged after the veteran presenter was forced out of ITN last night after black Twitter user Martin Shapland complained he used the phrase towards him. But in June 2018, Mr Stewart had used exactly the same Shakespeare quote in an exchange - this time over horsefeed and ragwort - with a white Twitter user. Alastair Stewart, pictured in November 2018, has stepped down from his presenting role at ITN Mr Stewart tweeted the 'angry ape' Shakespeare quote to environmentalist Neil Jones in 2018 He had been in a discussion with Friends of the Earth supporter Neil Jones, an environmentalist, nature enthusiast and ragwort expert from Swansea, South Wales. Mr Stewart was responding to a tweet by Mr Jones who had said he had spent years studying ragwort and had checked his facts with data and other experts. Mr Jones added: 'Research says that such rational thinking and certainty is often mistaken for arrogance by people who haven't yet studied how to be rationally certain of facts.' But Stewart replied to Mr Jones, saying: 'But man, proud man, Dress'd in a little brief authority, Most ignorant of what he's most assur'd His glassy essencelike an angry ape, Plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven As makes the angels weep; who, with our spleens, Would all themselves laugh mortal.' While a photograph of Mr Jones could not immediately be sourced, Friends of the Earth confirmed to MailOnline this morning that he was white. Martin Shapland (pictured) was in a debate with Mr Stewart on Twitter when the veteran newsreader quoted a passage from Shakespeare that included the words 'angry ape' Mr Stewart's decision to step down comes after the black Twitter user claimed he 'called him an angry ape' three weeks ago. Mr Shapland later branded Mr Stewart a 'disgrace' Supporters of Mr Stewart said he appeared to have a habit of using the phrase to make a point about those he felt were claiming to be experts in a certain field. The Shakespeare quote at the heart of Alastair Stewart's social media rift In a Twitter row Mr Stewart decided to quote a short passage from Measure by Measure by William Shakespeare. The play was written in either 1603 or 1604 and is a dark comedy about a judge, Angelo, who leads the government in Vienna while the Duke is away. The specific part Mr Stewart tweeted is a short speech by a character called Isabella, who has come to plead with Angelo for her brother's life after he is sentenced to die. Angelo refuses her request, and in response to him she says: 'But man, proud man, 'Dress'd in a little brief authority, 'Most ignorant of what he's most assur'd 'His glassy essencelike an angry ape 'Plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven 'As makes the angels weep; who, with our spleens, 'Would all themselves laugh mortal' Experts say Shakespeare's simile 'like an angry ape' used in Isabella's tirade at Angelo is to show his reversion to a human being's basic instincts such as self-preservation rather than a racist trope. Advertisement Last night Mr Stewart, 67, said he was quitting after 'a misjudgement which I regret' on social media. He told friends he was 'very sad it was ending this way' after 40 years in the job. Colleagues leapt to his defence, saying the broadcasting 'legend' had been 'shunted out'. One insisted last night: 'Alastair is not a racist.' ITN said Stewart was stepping down following 'errors of judgement in Alastair's use of social media which breached ITN's editorial guidelines'. It refused to give more details but several sources said it related to a Twitter spat on January 13. Mr Stewart and Mr Shapland were debating the Royal Family's finances online when the news anchor cited the passage from Measure for Measure. Describing Mr Stewart as a disgrace, Mr Shapland shared the tweet and said: 'Just an ITV newsreader referring to me as an ape.' In a statement, the presenter said: 'It was a misjudgement which I regret, but it's been a privilege to bring the news to households throughout the UK for the past 40 years.' An ITN insider said: 'He would have thought he was being clever and it was merely an innocent put-down. He is certainly not a racist in any way. 'Alastair is a hugely popular figure, well liked, kind and something of an institution. 'It is sad if he has had to go because of this. He accepts the error of judgement, but many believe that, if this was the reason he is going, it was wrong, and he will be the first man ever fired for accurately quoting Shakespeare.' Stewart, who is married with four children, was the nation's longest-serving male newsreader. He started on Southern Television in 1976 and joined ITN in 1980. An OBE came in 2006 for services to broadcasting. Amid an outpouring of support last night, fellow ITV News presenter Mary Nightingale tweeted: 'Very sad about the departure of Alastair Stewart. He was a good friend and mentor.' News anchor Julie Etchingham tweeted: 'So sad to learn this we have worked on many big stories together & Al is a trusted friend and guide to many of us.' From the Archive A Tale of 3 Myanmar Political Assassination Plots From left to right: U Saw, Capt. Ohn Kyaw Myint, Kyi Lin and Aung Win Zaw Wednesday marked the third anniversary of the shooting death of prominent lawyer and constitutional reform advocate U Ko Ni outside Yangon International Airport. Two of those responsible for his murderwidely viewed as politically motivatedare now on death row. Shocking as it was, U Ko Nis case wasnt the first in Myanmars modern history in which assassins sought to effect change by killing a prominent figure, only to find themselves sentenced to death for their effortssuccessful or otherwise. To mark three years since U Ko Nis Jan. 29, 2017 assassination, The Irrawaddy republishes the following commentary from February 2019, which examined the killing in the light of two previous plots against prominent political figures. YANGONTwo weeks ago, a Yangon court handed down death sentences to two men involved in the killing of National League for Democracy (NLD) legal adviser U Ko Ni, who was gunned down at point blank range outside Yangon International Airport two years ago. With U Ko Nis assassination widely believed to be politically motivated, these were the highest-profile capital cases in Myanmars recent history. U Ko Ni was a longtime advocate for amending the countrys Constitution, mainly to diminish the militarys involvement in politics. The Constitution was drafted by the military and is widely criticized as undemocratic. At the time of his death, the 63-year-old lawyer was advising the ruling NLD on charter reform. On Feb. 15, a judge at Yangons Northern District Court pronounced that convicted gunman Kyi Lin should be hanged for his premeditated murder of U Ko Ni. His accomplice Aung Win Zaw received the same sentence for helping to plan the killing. (Two others received prison sentences while another major suspect is still at large.) Since independence, U Ko Nis case is the third political assassination plotsuccessful or otherwisethat has led to the death sentence and gripped the public. Seventy years before U Ko Nis bloody assassination in Yangon, Myanmar national hero General Aung San and his cabinet members were shot to death during a meeting at the citys Secretariat. The killings, which took place less than one year before the country achieved independence from the British, were masterminded by U Saw, a former prime minister of British Burma and the generals bitter political rival. U Saw and nine men were put on trial for the assassinations, and a special tribunal handed down death sentences to all of them in December 1947 after convicting them of committing or abetting the murders. But only U Saw and five accomplices were executed on a late summer morning in May 1948. As the gray dawn broke on the day, witnesses said, U Saw emerged from his cell and smiled to everyone he saw on his way to the gallows. The 48-year-old paid his last respects to a Buddha statue on the way. He even shook hands with some of the officers supervising the execution and said goodbye. While U Saw paid with his life, his familys suffering lasted long after his death for they became virtual outcasts for what he had done. The case may have appeared to be open-and-shut, but many loose ends were left hanging, leading to conspiracy theories and rumors of other participants in the assassination plot, including British Army officers. In his book A Trial in Burma, which tells the full story of the assassination and trial in the context of the politics and personalities involved, author Dr. Maung Maung, a former assistant attorney-general who briefly served as Myanmars president in 1988, writes that Britain itself was on trial in the eyes of the public, as rumors swirled that figures in London supported the plot, believing that with Aung San gone and U Saw in charge, Burma might be kept in the British fold. As a result, to this day many Myanmar people still suspect the British were behind Gen. Aung Sans killing. Twenty-nine years later, in March 1976, another assassination plot was hatched, this time within Myanmars military circles targeting state leaders including the president, General Ne Win; U San Yu, who was general secretary of the then ruling Burma Socialist Program Party (BSPP); and National Intelligence Chief Colonel Tin Oo. The coup plottersa group of young army officers led by a captainwere unhappy with Ne Wins Burmese Way to Socialism, as well as his recent ouster of General Tin Oo as defense minister and chief of staff. The general was quite popular among army personnel at the time. (U Tin Oo went on to become one of the founders of Myanmars currently ruling NLD and is currently the patron of the party.) They wanted to restore Gen. Tin Oo to his former position. The assassination was planned to take place at the Armed Forces Day dinner on March 27 at the Presidential Residence on Yangons Ahlone Road. It didnt happen, however, due to poor coordination among the plotters and the long distance between the site where their weapons were stored and the targeted location. The plotters aborted the plan and agreed to make another attempt later. The plan was leaked, however, and arrests began. On the evening of July 2, a frightened 36-year-old man appeared at the entrance to the compound of then U.S. Ambassador David L. Osborn on Pyay Road asking for political asylum. The panic-stricken man was the leader of the failed coup, Captain Ohn Kyaw Myint. He told the ambassador that the plot had been uncovered and that he feared imminent arrest. Unfortunately, his request fell on deaf ears, as the U.S. government was trying to maintain good relations with Burma at the time. Embassy officials persuaded the fugitive to get into an embassy car and drove into the city while asking him for details about himself and the other plotters. During the ride, they refused his asylum request and managed to get him to leave the car voluntarily somewhere downtown. The New York Times reported in late August of 1976 that Osborn said he called on the authorities the following morning to report that a man claiming to be an officer had requested asylum. The embassy did not want the Burmese government to suspect U.S. complicity in the reported coup attempt. The paper said it learned independently that the ambassador had not notified the Foreign Ministry, which would have been in accordance with protocol, but had made his report to Col. Tin Oo, the chief of intelligence. A few days later Capt. Ohn Kyaw Myint was arrested. Along with 13 others, he was put on trial. The trial ended on Jan. 11, 1977 with the captain being sentenced to death, while having also earned the publics silent admiration. Capt. Ohn Kyaw Myint was executed in 1979 without his familys knowledge, according to U Win Htein, who was then an Army captain and went on to become an aide to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi until early last year. U Win Htein was himself dismissed from the army in 1977 for withholding information about the plot. Forty-one years later in 2017, NLD legal adviser U Ko Ni was shot dead. While the victim himself did not hold a position in the state leadership, as in previous cases, his endeavors on behalf of constitutional amendment were unquestioningly remarkable and important for Myanmar. Were it not for his expertise in the Constitution, there would have been no State Counselor position created for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, allowing her to serve as the de facto head of state. The position was necessary as the military-drafted charter bans her from holding the presidency. He advised the NLD on what should be changed in the Constitution in order to make it democratic for the betterment of all Myanmar citizens, bestowing equal rights and self-determination on the countrys diverse ethnic minorities. The motive behind the assassination is an open secret. For his relentless activism and contributions to the NLD on charter reform, he was rewarded with a bullet to the head. In all three high-profile assassinations, the victims attracted varying levels of public sympathy. The whole nation mourned the loss of its leader Aung San and his cabinet. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi praised U Ko Ni as a martyr and a majority of the people remember him as a hero who sacrificed his life while helping to shape a better Myanmar society bound by a democratic constitution. At the same time, his killing epitomizes how difficult it will be to change the charter. The failed assassination attempt against Ne Win and his colleagues was a source of public dismay. Their survival led the country to become poorer and the people continued to suffer for decades to come. Given the diverse motives for these attempted and successful killings, public opinion regarding the assassins is varied as well. U Saw and his men have gone down in history as a national disgrace. This will also be the case for Kyi Lin and Aung Win Zaw, U Ko Nis assassins. Despite their death penalties, some questions remain unanswered, such as who masterminded the killing. Only when those behind it are brought to trial will justice be done for the slain Muslim lawyer. Capt. Ohn Kyaw Myint may be a daredevil in the eyes of some due to his unrealistic coup plot. Nobody can deny, however, that he tried to change the regime. He gave his life in the fight against the repressive Ne Win regime. He deserves praise for that. Bolivian Cochran frogs that were originally found in South American countries, have not been seen for nearly two decades, according to a published report in Remezcla. This species is known for translucent skin and are more commonly known as "glass frogs" because of their vitreous bellies reveal their internal organs. Luckily, after nearly two decades, this rare species was spotted once again in the Carrasco National Park, near the central city of Cochabamba, on January 8. A group of conservationists were on an expedition to rescue vulnerable animals like reptiles and amphibians that are facing an increased risk of endangerment due to an ongoing hydroelectric project in the area. Researchers told the AFP News agency, "The rediscovery of this species fills us with a ray of hope for the future of the glass frogs - one of the most charismatic amphibians in the world - but also for other species." This extremely rare species is called "ranas de cristal" in Spanish, and is very recognizable. You can also see the heart of this frog beating as if it were on display behind their skin. The Bolivian Cochran frogs weigh between 70 to 80 grams and measure 19 to 24 millimeters. Meanwhile, Cochran frogs found in Carrasco National Park were reported to have a white chest. Male Cochran frogs are described to have dark green bones and vocal sacs. Part of the team who discovered this rare species was Rodrigo Aguayo and Oliver Quinteros, from the Natural History Museum "Alcide d'Orbigny," and Rene Carpio of the San Simon University in Cochabamba. Latin America and Bolivia are generally known to hold some of the richest ecosystems on the planet. Meanwhile, Bolivia is one of the top 15 most-diverse countries in the world and 24 new species have been discovered since 2014, according to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Bolivia adopted The Law of Mother Earth in 2010, the law requires every citizen in the country to uphold and respect the rights of Mother Earth and this includes the Bolivian Cochran frog that is currently threatened by degradation and habitat destruction. The Latin American Wildlife Trafficking Coordinator for the Wildlife Conservation Society, Adrian Reuter, said that the expansion of commercial agriculture is a particular threat. He also said that amphibians like the Cochran frogs have to contend with an infectious fungal disease and this has been linked to the drastic decline of some species of amphibians. Moreover, the re-discovered Bolivian Cochran frogs have been taken to the K'ayra Amphibian Conservation Center along with Aguayo, Quinteros, and Carpio's frogs at Alcide d'Orbigny museum. The newly found amphibian will join the two other frogs, Romeo and Juliet. There have been efforts made to breed Romeo and Juliet, but until now they have not yet successfully produced offspring. This is done to preserve the endangered species, and help Mother Earth continue to balance the natural habitats of animals. It is still unknown whether the frogs will continue to procreate, but seeing as how they were rediscovered after 18 years, it's safe to say that they can take care of themselves. Nevertheless, conservationists and others will be sure to assist these magnificent beings along the way. The deadly coronavirus outbreak in China could start to disrupt India's production of smartphones if it continues to spread in February, industry executives said, as it could delay component shipments. India is the world's biggest smartphone maker after China but is still largely dependent on China for supplies of parts such as cells, display panels, camera modules and printed circuit boards. Taiwan's Foxconn and Wistron make iPhones in India for Apple, and Foxconn produces phones there for China's Xiaomi as well. Other smartphone makers in India include South Korea's Samsung and China's OnePlus. So far smartphone makers in India have weathered the impact of the virus, which has already killed 170 people, partly because they had ramped up inventories of Chinese-made parts anyway to cover the Lunar New Year holiday period when China's factories close down. "Those disruptions were already planned but if it (the virus' spread) gets prolonged then for March and April production we will have serious trouble," said S.N. Rai, the co-founder of homegrown smartphone maker Lava. "We're definitely worried about it." 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 Some components can be shipped in from markets such as South Korea, Vietnam or Taiwan, but smartphone makers will only make such purchases as a "last resort" as it would force companies to make changes including in design and software, Rai said. China's OnePlus said its Indian operations could manage, in the short term at least. "We are well covered because we have the entire production in India, we already have enough stock, and even going forward many of the components will anyway be coming directly from other markets," said Vikas Agarwal, the India head of OnePlus. While Beijing has expressed confidence in defeating the "devil" virus, which is yet to be declared a global emergency by the World Health Organisation, major companies such as Alphabet Inc's Google and Sweden's IKEA have closed operations in China. India's Tata Motors, which counts China as a major market for its luxury Jaguar Land Rover cars, said on Thursday it was worried about the coronavirus and warned that the outbreak could hit profits. As several airlines suspend flights to China, the movement of technical staff from the country - such as on-site support executives, machine and automation specialists - will also be curtailed and that will hit India's smartphone sector, an executive at another foreign-owned smartphone maker, who did not wish to be named, said. For now, the industry just hopes the outbreak can be contained within the next two weeks. "If the problem persists beyond Feb. 10 then we have a real problem at hand," said Pankaj Mohindroo, head of the India Cellular & Electronics Association, an industry lobby group. Dr Tim Moore, a developmental psychologist at the Royal Childrens Hospital Melbourne and the lead author of The First Thousands Days paper (which looks at the period of development from conception to age two) says your lifestyle and personal circumstances before you conceive a child contribute to the life course of your child. Being in a stable relationship, eating healthily, exercising, not binge drinking and taking drugs all of that matters, he says. Loading What the mother experiences during pregnancy high levels of stress, mental health problems and more is absorbed by the foetus, which uses cues provided by their mothers physical and mental states to predict the kind of world they will be born into, and adapts accordingly. Yet now we know that all that carries through to the foetus, and that even experiences become biologically embedded. The foetus senses from the signals of the mother what environment theyre going to be born into, and if its a stressful environment, then the foetus changes its reactivity levels to become more vigilant. If the father is overweight, smokes, or works in a toxic environment, that will affect the integrity of the sperm and therefore shape the foetus, he says. Career As someone who has grown up being told women can do anything, being on the precipice of starting a family while knowing the risks involved for my career is the most frightening part. Emma Walsh, founder and CEO of Parents At Work, an organisation which providers work and family education and policy advice to workplaces and individuals, advocates for women to do serious career forward-planning before having their first baby. Ms Walsh who had twins at the age of 31, and a third child a few years later was already planning her future in her late 20s. I started future-proofing my career early, thinking about issues such as: what will be the impact of me taking time out? What kind of flexibility will I need? Will my employer be adaptable to that? What's likely to happen based on what I see role-modelled around me in the workplace? she says. A 2016 Danish study found that women of all ages take a dramatic short-term hit to their earnings after having their first child. But it also showed that women who had their first child at age 31 or older earned more over their careers than women who had children at a younger age or women who did not have children at all. Being on the precipice of starting a family while knowing the risks involved for my career is the most frightening part. The gains were especially significant for university-educated women who had children between the ages of 31 and 34; they earned, on average, 13 per cent more over the course of their life than university-educated women who did not have children. It seems that the younger the mother is, the more she has to forgo in terms of opportunity to accumulate experience and human capital in the labour market,'' the researchers point out. To compound the disadvantage, younger mothers may also self-select into occupations seen as more mother-friendly, such as public sector roles, childcare and teaching, which tend to pay less. According to Anne Hollonds, a vital choice for women planning children and a career is to team up with a partner who wants to be part of a true parenting team. Partner choice is the key factor in balancing work and family unless theyre prepared to be part of your team to make it work, youre going to be in big trouble, she says. Emma Walsh agrees: The earlier the father gets involved and takes parental leave, the more positive impact on maternal wages," she says. Economics Having a baby is a life-altering event, and one which will ultimately affect your finances. Millennials are said to become the first generation poorer than the one before them, and Daniel Woodman, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Melbourne and an expert young peoples lives, says they are hitting life milestones including parenthood later. "Overall, my research shows that your average young person is actually taking longer to reach the markers of job security and success than ever before, he says. Apart from being able to take the hit to your household budget associated with adding a baby, people considering taking the plunge should also factor in the cost of childcare (Australians pay some of the highest prices for it in the world). Loading Curious to know how much child care would cost in inner-suburban Melbourne, I looked up my local council-run centres to find rates of $129.50 per day. Multiply that by five days a week for a full-time worker, and youre looking at $647.50. The Australian minimum wage is in Australia is $740.80 (gross). While there is no optimum salary a mother or couple must earn before they have a child, Dr Moore says there are certain elements that are needed in order for a child to grow up feeling safe and well-adjusted. What you need is secure housing, good social support, to be free of any food insecurity, a healthy environment, access to early childhood services, green parklands, environments free from toxins and access to affordable, nutritious foods," he says. And savings aren't a bad idea. By Trend Ten citizens of Azerbaijan and 35 citizens of Turkey will be evacuated from China, due to the coronavirus outbreak in Chinese Wuhan city, Trend reports referring to Turkeys Ministry of Health. Evacuated citizens will be quarantined in Turkey for 14 days. Azerbaijani citizens will be evacuated from China to Turkey, President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. The Minister of Health said that we have no threat so far. But there are citizens of Azerbaijan in China. They want to come back," Erdogan said. The president instructed relevant authorities to take necessary actions and bring the citizens of Azerbaijan to Turkey, An outbreak of previously unknown pneumonia later identified as a new type of coronavirus and denoted as 2019-nCoV was registered in China's Wuhan in late Dec.2019. As of Jan.30, 2020, the number of those infected amounted to 7,711 people, whereas the number of deceased amounted to 170 people. (Alliance News) - Atalaya Mining PLC said Thursday the Spanish local government Junta de Andalucia has issued a favourable report in relation to the unified environmental authorization of the Proyecto Riotinto copper project in Spain. The authorisation is now on a legal consultation period exclusively with parties involved in the process. Once the consultation is completed, the junta is expected to issue the authorisation, which will resolve all administrative issues identified in the ruling of the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Andalucia in September 2018. The validation of the environmental authorization is a required step towards the re-validation of the mining permit for Proyecto Riotinto. Shares in Atalaya Mining closed 1.1% higher at 192.00 pence on Thursday in London. By Dayo Laniyan; dayolaniyan@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. As the nations eyes turn to Iowa, where party caucuses next week will provide the first official results of the 2020 presidential primary, the states youngest votersmany of them still in high schoolare preparing to weigh in for the first time. A new law allows 17-year-olds to register to vote and participate in party caucuses if they will turn 18 before the general election in November. Read my story here about the special responsibility Iowa civics teachers feel to prepare their students to participate in a politically powerful state. One of those educators, veteran Iowa City government teacher Gary Neuzil, has tried to give his students as many real-life experiences as possible to prepare them to choose a candidate, voice their opinions, and caucus. Hes taught them about media literacy, connected events in the primary to past presidential elections, and challenged them to find creative ways to make sure their eligible peers register to vote. As I reported my story, Neuzil agreed to give a few of his students the most essential Iowa caucus season experience of all: speaking to a clueless out-of-town reporter about their political views. What the students shared could be instructive for teachers around the country as their states head into primary election season at a time when many teens pride themselves on political participation. Here are a few highlights from my notebook. Students Need Practical Help With Voting, Registration In dozens of states, qualifying teens can register at 17 if they will turn 18 by the general election. In many of those states, registered 17-year-olds can participate in presidential primaries. Heres the most recent data from Fair Vote, an organization that encourages voting. But teachers said some teens arent familiar with voting laws, and they might not realize they can register. The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University, known as CIRCLE, has found students arent always certain that election workers will help people like them vote, and some need help discerning reliable information about candidates. Iowa students told me they also need help feeling confident about expressing their opinions around adults: The caucus requires them to appear in person and, for Democrats, to physically stand with others who support their candidate. So some Iowa teachers have staged mock caucuses, having students caucus for their favorite cookie flavor or pizza topping to help them understand the process. What might intimidate students about voting in your state? How can schools address that barrier? Young People Are Eager to Influence 2020 Election While young people are historically less likely to vote than Americans in older age groups, signs point to increased interest in 2020. In Iowa, about 5,000 17-year-olds have registered, the secretary of states office told me. And, in a Jan. 24 CIRCLE-Tisch College/Suffolk University poll of Iowans ages 18-29 , about 35 percent of respondents said they are extremely likely to caucus on Feb. 3. That interest lines up with data that shows nationwide increases in youth voter participation in the 2018 midterms. Iowa students tell me theyve seen peers who volunteer for campaigns pushing friends to commit to their candidates and debating issues like capitalism in the hallways. Fake News Is a Real Problem Iowa teachers at both the middle and high school levels said one of their biggest challenges in helping their students engage with democracy is the confusing and crowded media landscape. Part of the problem: Where students, and Iowans in general, get their news is increasingly individualized based on their social media feeds, podcast preferences, and targeted internet ads. Maddie von Harz, 17, a high school senior from Iowa City, told me students are even surprised to learn how many candidates are running for the Democratic ticket because she has been bombarded by ads for just one. Tom Steyer, she said of the billionaire philanthropist who has made big ads a center of his strategy. His ads are everywhere, including between every video she watches on YouTube and popping up on her friends cell phone apps, she added. Neuzil teaches his students to interpret poll results, how political ideas are pitched, and how to parse the effects of political media coverage. To detach the concepts from one candidate or another, he sometimes mocks up fake campaign materials for his own fictitious campaign, making himself the center of a joke to get his students excited to participate. What Im teaching is here and now and real, versus stale in a textbook, he said. Heres a sample Neuzil campaign banner that hangs on his classroom wall: Civic Participation Goes Beyond Voting Teachers dont want their students civic engagement to stop with voting. They want them to be prepared to engage on a variety of levels. Jack Vanderflught, a government and history teacher at Dallas Center-Grimes High School northwest of Des Moines, also serves as his countys Republican Party chairman. The students hes teaching today may be the adults who volunteer for parties and campaigns in the future, something that shapes his approach. So Vanderflught requires students to partipate in democracy by completing tasks like attending a public meeting, observing a caucus, volunteering for a campaign, or writing to a public official. He also brings in representatives of campaigns from both parties to speak with students. They ask questions about the process and how it works, Vanderflught said. I can tell them about what its like on the other side and the things they dont see. Getting the Most Out of Mock Elections Like students around the country, many Iowa kids participate in a form of mock election at school. The secretary of states office coordinates a statewide Youth Straw Poll. Candidates, including presidential candidates, make video pitches to students. And schools often encourage actual voter registration alongside the mock event, teacher said. More ballots being cast today as students at @DMPS_Academy line up before classes to vote in the Iowa Youth Straw Poll. #BeAVoter pic.twitter.com/bMorfYyPHm Phil Roeder (@PhilRoeder) January 28, 2020 So who do Iowa kids favor in the caucuses? Democrat Andrew Yang, who has proposed lowering the voting age to 16 , and President Donald Trump led their parties vote totals, official results from Secretary of State Paul Pate show . Among Democrats, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has been at the top of some adult polls in recent weeks, was a close second. If candidates fare poorly in that mock contest, they will likely ignore it, Pate predicted in an interview earlier this month. But if they do well, they run that number pretty high up the flagpole, he said. As predicted, Yangs Iowa team and his traveling press aide tweeted out the Youth Straw Poll results hours after they were announced this week. The choice for the next generation. https://t.co/JnsKMF5HFr Erick Sanchez (@erickmsanchez) January 28, 2020 Photo: Students at McCombs Middle School in Des Moines watched candidate videos to prepare for the Youth Straw Poll in October. --Des Moines Public Schools Follow us on Twitter @PoliticsK12 . And follow the Politics K-12 reporters @EvieBlad @Daarel and @AndrewUjifusa . The Battleship Texas, the last surviving dreadnought that fought in two world wars, is officially looking for a new home. The nonprofit Battleship Texas Foundation on Tuesday announced that it had put out a request for proposals (RFP) for a new berth. The USS Texas current berth at the San Jacinto State Historic Site does not draw enough visitors to financially support its annual maintenance costs, which have skyrocketed in recent years due to the ships decaying condition. The foundation, which runs the battleship museum, hopes a new home port will ensure sufficient paid visitor revenue can be generated to support the operation and maintenance needs of the ship well into the future. The battleship, which has been closed to the public since August, typically attracts about 88,000 visitors annually and generates $1.3 million in revenue at its current location. The whole strategy has been at some point the battleship has to operate with a (high) level of visitation, said Bruce Bramlett, the foundations executive director. Thats not the only way money comes in but its probably the biggest bucket. If were gonna maintain her going forward, you dont do it at 80-90,000 paid visitors. The purpose of the RFP is to solicit proposals from various candidate organizations, after which the foundation will conduct an evaluation and select the location. Parties wishing to submit an RFP must contact the Battleship Texas Foundation through info@battleship.org. Bramlett declined to identify specific locations vying to be the battleships new landlord, saying only that it will remain berthed on the upper Texas coast. Galveston is among the cities expected to make a bid to host the vessel. The foundation commissioned an economic study by Deloitte in 2016 that projected as many as 283,000 visitors and $3 million in annual revenue if the battleship moved to Galveston. Strategically you want to look where people already have great traffic and visitation numbers, you would certainly put Galveston up on any list in my mind, Bramlett said. Wherever the ship ends up relocating, customers may have to wait as long as two years before they can visit its museum again. While the USS Texas was considered one of the more formidable vessels of its time, serving admirably during both world wars including famously shelling the Normandy coast during D-Day age has not been kind to the ship. Years of saltwater corrosion have laid waste to the ships steel hull. A system of pumps constantly pushing water out of the hull is the only thing keeping the ship upright at its current berth at San Jacinto. The ships future has divided state and local officials. Opponents of moving the ship from a heavily industrial area 25 miles east of downtown Houston argue that it provides significant economic value for La Porte and Harris County. Those in favor of a new location emphasize the ship must eventually generate enough revenue to be self-sustaining and not buoyed by taxpayer dollars. Texas Parks and Wildlife has spent at least $54 million maintaining and repairing the ship since 2009, an agency spokeswoman said. The work included two phases of critical repairs to engine rooms as well as the installation of an emergency generator, additional pumps, and fuel storage to help address leaks. The Houston Chronicle previously reported that the foundation was considering a costly and potentially dangerous operation: towing the 104-year old vessel from its berth down the Houston Ship Channel and into the Gulf of Mexico before eventually berthing at a dry dock, possibly in Louisiana, Mobile, Ala., or Tampa, Fla. Bramlett confirmed that the battleship foundation and Texas Parks and Wildlife are preparing the ship for transportation to a shipyard where its hull will be replaced from the waterline down and repainted, along with other necessary repairs and improvements. The ship is tentatively scheduled to depart its current berth between April and August and be in the shipyard for approximately one year. The ship is currently being stripped of all its artifacts and weapons systems in preparation for its eventual towing, Bramlett said. He expects the foundation board will decide on a shipyard, in consultation with the Texas Historical Commission, in the next two months. Once the battleship leaves the shipyard, the foundation anticipates the ship arriving in the new berth around August 2021 . The plan is to have it receiving visitors by early 2022. But the cost of the repairs has not yet been determined, and the battleships line of credit from the state is limited. Senate Bill 1511, signed by Gov. Greg Abbott last year, appropriated $35 million to tow and repair the battleship at a dry dock. It also ends the parks and wildlife departments stewardship, transferring day-to-day operations to the Battleship Texas Foundation, effectively getting the state out of the museum business. Bramlett said that money from the state should be enough to cover the replacement of the hull. The foundation would look to private donors to raise funds for any additional repairs. We dont have the states deep pockets, this thing has to work like a business, which means we have to cover the cost, he said. nick.powell@chron.com MANLIUS, N.Y. A developer with longstanding plans to build an inland port near the CSX Corp. rail yard in the town of Manlius is trying to take the first step in a complex plan to create the facility. Even if Eckardt Chris Beck gets the zoning change he asked the Manlius planning board to recommend Monday night, other challenges confront his plan. Becks company, 3Gi CNYIP, proposes to establish a cargo hub on 43 acres of vacant land to warehouse goods and load them into shipping containers for rail or truck transport. The site is north of the CSX train tracks, south of Kirkville Road and just west of Fremont Road. Now that CSX is gearing up to handle intermodal shipping containers arriving by rail from the Port of New York and New Jersey, Beck is trying to develop his companys property next door as a cargo hub to handle the traffic. A key uncertainty is how trucks would access the site without overloading Fremont Road, something town officials want to avoid because of three nearby schools. At Mondays meeting with the planning board, Becks engineering firm outlined plans to establish a new road from the CSX rail yard north to his site and then to Kirkville Road. But that depends on getting regulatory approval to cross a wetland and getting road construction funds from the state or federal government, engineer Matthew Napierala said. Beck acknowledged the uncertainties but urged town officials to take the first step by approving a zone change from restricted agricultural to industrial. Youre asking for certain things that Im not in control of, Beck said in response to planners questions about truck access. The town board, which discussed Becks project Jan. 8, sent the matter to the planning board for a recommendation. After hearing from Beck and his engineers Monday, the planning board delayed their decision until the Feb. 10 meeting. In the meantime, they will seek input from the county planning board. By the end of Monday nights meeting, a seemingly exasperated Beck said he was not certain he would show up Feb. 10. Hes been trying to develop an inland port for nine years, he said. Youre assuming that I want to continue to go through this, Beck said after learning of the delay. I would like to take this up with some of my people that Ive been doing this for, and maybe this is a better time to just table the project for a while, Beck said. Planning board Chairman Joseph Lupia asked Beck to contact the board before Feb. 10 if he decides to remove his item from the agenda. If the planning board recommends the zone change, it will go to the town board for final approval. The town board would hold a public hearing before voting. At the town boards request, Beck reduced the proposed size of the project site from 75 to 43 acres to provide a buffer between the site and Kirkville Road. Beck has been working on the inland port idea for years, with state support. In 2013, the state economic development agency, Empire State Development, gave his company a $420,000 grant to help pay for land acquisition and soft costs. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority also provided a $1 million grant, of which $126,750 was disbursed, according to state records. His land in Manlius is hemmed in by wetlands, which limits the size of the potential development and the ability to build a road into it. In 2015, when Central New York won a $500 million grant from the states Upstate Revitalization Initiative, members of the Regional Economic Development Council pushed to develop an inland port somewhere else. REDC leaders sought a site with more open land for warehouses or manufacturing plants. They predicted that a larger inland port would allow for as many as 2,000 new jobs. But both sites promoted by the REDC, in Jamesville and Camillus, were later rejected by the state transportation department as unlikely to succeed. Instead, the DOT in 2018 awarded CSX a grant of up to $21 million to prepare its rail yard to load and unload intermodal cargo containers. That project is under way and slated for completion later this year, DOT officials said. Already, CSX has begun moving some cargo from truck to rail at the site, which it calls the DeWitt yard. (The facility is on the border of DeWitt and Manlius.) When the new intermodal operation reaches full capacity, it will be able to handle 30,000 containers a year, according to the DOT. If Beck gets the zone change he asked for, his first step would be to build a 2-acre container yard to store up to 300 cargo containers, stacked three-high, he said. The cargo facility would likely be operated by Intransit Container, which runs a similar operation in Worcester, Mass. A later stage of the project would be to develop on-site warehousing for agricultural products, lumber or other material waiting to be shipped overseas. Beck said CSXs new ability to handle import and export cargo could soon result in a huge increase in truck traffic arriving at the facility via Fremont Road. Beck said his planned facility would be able to manage the pace of that traffic and -- eventually, assuming the construction of a new road send it over a less disruptive route. Without me, you have a huge traffic problem, he said. Im your solution. Tim Knauss is a public affairs reporter for syracuse.com/The Post-Standard. Contact him anytime: email | twitter | | 315-470-3023 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 DUBLIN, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN, INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OR REGULATIONS OF SUCH JURISDICTION In accordance with Rule 2.10 of the Irish Takeover Rules, Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN) ("Allergan") confirms that, as of the close of business on January 28, 2020, Allergan's issued share capital, excluding treasury shares, consisted of 328,763,705 ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share (the "Allergan Ordinary Shares"). The International Securities Identification Number (ISIN) of the Allergan Ordinary Shares is IE00BY9D5467. Allergan confirms that, as of the close of business on January 28, 2020, there were outstanding 2,738,835 restricted share units (the "Allergan Restricted Share Units") and 5,366,900 options to purchase Allergan Ordinary Shares (the "Allergan Share Options") granted by Allergan. Upon vesting, each Allergan Restricted Share Unit entitles the holder to receive one Allergan Ordinary Share and each Allergan Share Option entitles the holder to purchase one Allergan Ordinary Share at the applicable exercise price. Allergan also confirms that, as of the close of business on January 28, 2020, there were outstanding performance share units (the "Allergan Performance Share Units") entitling holders to receive up to a maximum of 434,009 Allergan Ordinary Shares upon vesting, assuming satisfaction of the applicable performance criteria at maximum performance. The number of Allergan Ordinary Shares capable of being issued in respect of the Allergan Restricted Share Units and Allergan Performance Share Units described in this announcement includes the Allergan Ordinary Shares capable of being issued upon the vesting of the applicable dividend equivalent units attaching to the respective Allergan Restricted Share Units and Allergan Performance Share Units. ABOUT ALLERGAN Allergan is a global pharmaceutical leader. Allergan is focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing branded pharmaceutical, device, biologic, surgical and regenerative medicine products for patients around the world. Allergan markets a portfolio of leading brands and best-in-class products primarily focused on four key therapeutic areas including medical aesthetics, eye care, central nervous system and gastroenterology. Allergan has operations in more than 100 countries. Allergan's ordinary shares are currently traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "AGN." For more information about Allergan, please visit www.allergan.com. ENQUIRIES Allergan Media: Lisa Brown +1 862 261 7320 Investors: Manisha Narasimhan, PhD + 1 862 261 7162 Statement Required by the Irish Takeover Rules The Allergan directors accept responsibility for the information contained in this announcement. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the Allergan directors (who have taken all reasonable care to ensure such is the case), the information contained in this announcement for which they respectively accept responsibility is in accordance with the facts and does not omit anything likely to affect the import of such information. Dealing Disclosure Requirements Under the provisions of Rule 8.3 of the Irish Takeover Rules, if any person is, or becomes, 'interested' (directly or indirectly) in, 1% or more of any class of 'relevant securities' of Allergan or AbbVie Inc. ("AbbVie"), all 'dealings' in any 'relevant securities' of Allergan or AbbVie (including by means of an option in respect of, or a derivative referenced to, any such 'relevant securities') must be publicly disclosed by not later than 3:30 pm (New York time) on the 'business' day following the date of the relevant acquisition. This requirement will continue until the date on which the Scheme (as defined in the Proxy Statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on September 16, 2019) becomes effective or on which the 'offer period' otherwise ends. If two or more persons co-operate on the basis of any agreement, either express or tacit, either oral or written, to acquire an 'interest' in 'relevant securities' of Allergan or AbbVie, they will be deemed to be a single person for the purpose of Rule 8.3 of the Irish Takeover Rules. Under the provisions of Rule 8.1 of the Irish Takeover Rules, all 'dealings' in 'relevant securities' of Allergan by AbbVie or 'relevant securities' of AbbVie by Allergan, or by any party acting in concert with either of them, must also be disclosed by no later than 12 noon (New York time) on the 'business' day following the date of the relevant acquisition. A disclosure table, giving details of the companies in whose 'relevant securities' 'dealings' should be disclosed, can be found on the Irish Takeover Panel's website at www.irishtakeoverpanel.ie. 'Interests in securities' arise, in summary, when a person has long economic exposure, whether conditional or absolute, to changes in the price of securities. In particular, a person will be treated as having an 'interest' by virtue of the ownership or control of securities, or by virtue of any option in respect of, or derivative referenced to, securities. Terms in quotation marks are defined in the Irish Takeover Rules, which can also be found on the Irish Takeover Panel's website. If you are in any doubt as to whether or not you are required to disclose a dealing under Rule 8, please consult the Irish Takeover Panel's website at www.irishtakeoverpanel.ie No Profit Forecast / Asset Valuations No statement in this announcement is intended to constitute a profit forecast for any period, nor should any statements be interpreted to mean that earnings or earnings per share will necessarily be greater or lesser than those for the relevant preceding financial periods for AbbVie or Allergan as appropriate. No statement in this announcement constitutes an asset valuation. General The release, publication or distribution of this announcement in or into certain jurisdictions may be restricted by the laws of those jurisdictions (the "Restricted Jurisdictions"). Accordingly, copies of this announcement and all other documents relating to the proposed acquisition of Allergan by AbbVie (the "Acquisition") are not being, and must not be, released, published, mailed or otherwise forwarded, distributed or sent in, into or from any Restricted Jurisdictions. Persons receiving such documents (including, without limitation, nominees, trustees and custodians) should observe these restrictions. Failure to do so may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the companies involved in the Acquisition disclaim any responsibility or liability for the violations of any such restrictions by any person. A copy of this announcement will be available, free of charge (subject to certain restrictions relating to persons resident in Restricted Jurisdictions) on the Allergan website at www.allergan.com. The contents of the Allergan website are not incorporated into, and do not form part of, this announcement. Any response in relation to the Acquisition should be made only on the basis of the information contained in the Scheme Document or any document by which the Acquisition and the Scheme are made. Allergan shareholders are advised to read carefully the Scheme Documents. This announcement has been prepared for the purpose of complying with the laws of Ireland and the Takeover Rules and the information disclosed may not be the same as that which would have been disclosed if this announcement had been prepared in accordance with the laws of jurisdictions outside of Ireland. SOURCE Allergan plc Related Links https://www.allergan.com The father of a man who died after his wedding in Las Vegas has told of their ongoing agony as they face a devastating wait to determine the cause of his death. Shortly after this joyful photograph of an elated Gary and Grace Love was taken following their dream wedding, the 33-year-old Waringstown man was dead. Beautician Grace couldn't wake her husband in their hotel room in Nevada just 48 hours after they were married on Friday, January 17. And it was only this week that the coroner for Clark County, Nevada, in Las Vegas finally released Mr Love's body 11 days after his death. But the agony for Grace and rest of Mr Love's family isn't over. For they've been told it could be up to 12 weeks before the cause of his death is revealed. Nicole Charlton from the coroner's office told the Belfast Telegraph the cause of death was "still pending". A distraught Mrs Love has flown back home to Northern Ireland to await the return of her husband's body. She's been too upset to talk about the tragedy, but shared a picture with the Belfast Telegraph of her husband on their wedding day. Funeral director Ian Milne, who has businesses in Portadown, Lurgan and Banbridge, has been liaising with an undertaker in Las Vegas to have Mr Love's body repatriated. "I am trying to bring him home as soon as possible for his family to have his funeral. It's a dreadful time for them all," said Mr Milne, whose firm have specialised in bringing bodies back from overseas locations in the past. Mr Love died the day after watching Dubliner Conor McGregor win his UFC fight in Las Vegas against Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone. Mr Love and his wife were photographed by friends in the crowd at the T Mobile Arena in Vegas where the McGregor fight took place on the night after their wedding. It's understood that on the Sunday after returning to their room following a meal, Mrs Love wasn't able to wake her husband. She called the emergency services and they pronounced Mr Love dead. Mr and Mrs Love have two young children, Molly and Pippa, who are under the age of four. Mr Love has a 13-year-old daughter Bethany from a previous relationship. His mother Rosemary Bacon, who is from the Killicomaine area of Portadown, had gone to Las Vegas with her daughter Sarah and son Kenneth to be with Mrs Love but the family have now returned to Northern Ireland. Mr Love's father Malcolm said they had been informed on Tuesday that the coroner in Las Vegas had signed the paperwork for Mr Love's body to be released. He added: "However, we have also been told that it could be 12 weeks before we are informed about the cause of his death. Until we get the results back from the coroner we just won't know what happened. "Obviously the delay is making a difficult situation even worse but all we want is to get Gary's body home and lay him to rest." There is speculation that a family member may have to sign official documents on a future date in Las Vegas. And Mr Love's father said he would fly to the States if that proved necessary. "We wouldn't put poor Grace through any more heartache," he said, adding that preliminary plans were in place to hold his son's funeral service in a church in Portadown after his body is flown home. Gary Love had until recently run a shop on Belfast's Newtownards Road and he had moved to a house in the more rural Waringstown to give his family "a better life". Friends said Mr Love lived for his family and their two pet Alsatian dogs. A friend who was with Mr Love in Las Vegas described him as being "like my big brother". Police are carrying out post-mortem examinations on three bodies found in coffins inside a funeral parlour located in a semi-detached house on a residential street. Officers arrived at the house in Blackley, north Manchester, on Friday night and were seen removing three coffins from the property after arresting a 52-year-old man on suspicion of fraud. Police stayed at the property, which is the office of Pearson Funeral Services, all weekend and today confirmed their investigation remained a fraud inquiry related to 'money being taken on false pretences'. Officers arrived at the house in Blackley, north Manchester, on Friday and were seen removing three coffins from the property after arresting a 52-year-old man on suspicion of fraud All three bodies found at the home have now been identified and their families made aware. The post-mortems are intended to establish if any criminal offences have been committed, it is understood. The suspect has been released on bail pending further investigation and police are appealing for former customers of the home who may have concerns to come forward. One neighbour said he was woken up by police arriving in the early hours of Saturday. 'We wondered what the commotion was,' he said. 'The police have been coming and going ever since and they've been sat outside all night.' 'There were a couple of coffins taken out and they took him away on Saturday afternoon.' Police stayed at the property, which is the office of Pearson Funeral Services, all weekend and today confirmed their investigation remained a fraud inquiry Detective Inspector Claire Moss said: 'It is important that while this investigation continues to take place that we avoid speculating over information that is not yet known. 'What we can confirm is that we have arrested a man and released him on bail on suspicion of fraud after concerns that money was being taken under false pretences at a registered company. 'We are committed to ensuring that the families of the three bodies that have been formally identified continue to be supported by specialist officers and are now able to go through the necessary next steps to allow their loved ones to rest in peace. 'Our investigating officers are keen to hear from anyone else who may be concerned that they have used this company and we urge those with any concerns to contact police.' Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 30, 2020) - Nano One Materials Corp. (TSXV: NNO) (OTC Pink: NNOMF) (FSE: LBMB) ("Nano One" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has arranged a non-brokered private placement of up to 4,347,826 units of the Company (the "Units") at a price of $1.15 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to $5,000,000. The proceeds of this private placement are intended to be used for corporate development, facilities expansion, technology advancement, and general working capital. "Most importantly," said Nano One CEO Mr. Dan Blondal "the five million in proceeds will be leveraged by an additional five million dollars in non-dilutive and non-repayable contributions, that was awarded to Nano One by Sustainable Development Technology Canada in May of 2019. The sum of ten million dollars will help fast track testing and co-development activities including those with existing collaborators Volkswagen, Pulead and Saint-Gobain. This positions us very well to execute on our business plan." Each Unit will consist of one common share and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole such warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase an additional common share at a price of $1.60 for a period of 36 months from the closing date. In connection with the private placement, the Company may pay finder's fees in cash or securities or a combination of both, as permitted by the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange. All securities issued pursuant to the private placement will be subject to a hold period under applicable securities laws, which will expire four months plus one day from the date of closing of the private placement. Closing of the private placement is subject to receipt of all necessary corporate and regulatory approvals, including approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. Separately, Mr. Dan Martino of Donaldson Brohman Martin CPA Inc. has been retained to provide CFO and Corporate Secretary services for Nano One, thereby filling roles that were being temporarily held by President Mr. John Lando and Mr. Dan Blondal, respectively. Nano One Materials Corp. Dan Blondal, CEO For information with respect to Nano One or the contents of this news release, please contact John Lando (President) at (604) 420-2041 or visit the website at www.nanoone.ca. About Nano One Nano One Materials Corp has developed patented technology for the low-cost production of high performance lithium ion battery cathode materials used in electric vehicles, energy storage and consumer electronics. The processing technology enables lower cost feedstocks, simplifies production and advances performance for a wide range of cathode materials. Nano One has built a demonstration pilot plant and is partnering with global leaders in the lithium ion battery supply chain, including Pulead, Volkswagen and Saint-Gobain to advance its lithium iron phosphate (LFP), lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) and lithium nickel manganese oxide (LNM) cathode technologies for large growth opportunities in e-mobility and renewable energy storage applications. Nano One's pilot and partnership activities are being funded with the assistance and support of the Government of Canada through Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) and the Automotive Supplier Innovation Program (ASIP) a program of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED). Nano One also receives financial support from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP). Nano One's mission is to establish its patented technology as a leading platform for the global production of a new generation of battery materials. www.nanoone.ca Certain information contained herein may constitute "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements related to the private placement, the use of proceeds, size and pricing of the private placement, payment of finder's fees, receipt of requisite corporate and regulatory approvals and statements related to financial contributions from SDTC. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as 'believe', 'expect', 'anticipate', 'plan', 'intend', 'continue', 'estimate', 'may', 'will', 'should', 'ongoing', or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, including, without limitation,: the Company's failure to find suitable purchasers for the private placement, the Company's failure to receive all necessary regulatory approvals and management's discretion to reallocate the use of proceeds. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that is incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws. NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE THIS NEWS RELEASE, REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE CANADIAN LAWS, IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES, AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL SECURITIES AND THE COMPANY IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN. THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. PERSONS UNLESS REGISTERED OR EXEMPT THEREFROM. NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR THROUGH U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/51974 Will Doolittle projects editor Follow Will Doolittle Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Its hard for me to watch our congresswoman, Elise Stefanik, these days, because Ive always hated it when people play dumb. When she first ran for office in 2014, in response to a question about climate change from the Post-Star editor, Ken Tingley, Stefanik said, Im not a scientist. That wasnt relevant, any more than it would be relevant for her to say she wasnt a doctor in response to a question on health care funding. As a member of Congress, its her job to educate herself on important issues. The larger point is, Stefanik was educated about climate change, but she was feigning ignorance to avoid an answer that didnt match the party line. Stefanik isnt dumb. Like most members of Congress, shes very well-educated (she attended Harvard). Shes sharp. Despite that remark in 2014, Stefanik rarely played dumb her first few years in office. She engaged with dissenters and argued effectively for her positions. I often disagreed with her, but I wasnt embarrassed to see her on TV and think, Thats my congresswoman. Im embarrassed now. Stefanik was prominent this week in a TV clip that shows her and Republican congressmen Lee Zeldin of New York (Suffolk County) and Mike Johnson of Louisiana trying to avoid answering a question from Heidi Przybyla, an NBC News correspondent. Przybyla says, the Department of Defense certified in May 2019 that Ukraine had taken substantial actions to decrease corruption and increase accountability, as required by law, and therefore could receive the U.S. military aid approved by Congress. So, Przybyla asks the three members of Congress, what changed after May? What instances of corruption were found after May that caused President Trump to withhold the aid for several months? What follows are increasingly desperate diversions from the three representatives. You can find it online, but it goes something like this: Zeldin: blah, blah, there was a new president, blah, blah and new members of Parliament, a lot of corruption, new initiatives, blah, blah, Pence meeting, blah, blah. Przybyla lets him ramble on from one non sequitur to another, finally jumping in to repeat her question: What changed since May? Zeldin asks if anyone else has a question. But Przybylas colleagues in the press also want to know the answer, so Zeldin cranks up the avoidance machine again: Burisma, blah, blah, Hunter Biden, etc. Then he snaps: Youre doing a great job as Adam Schiffs shills, he says. Congressman Johnson attempts a rescue: The president is elected to be the commander in chief, he says, and it doesnt matter that the Department of Defense gave the OK. Finally, Stefanik, spotting an opening, swoops in: I will cite actual testimony. Everyone who testified gave examples of corruption. And Ukraine has a rampant corruption problem. And The premise of your question is wrong. And This is ridiculous. That is her conclusion, and shes right: Three smart members of Congress playing dumb, pretending theyre answering a simple question when they know they arent. That is ridiculous. But that is the very low level to which our politics has sunk. Its not as if it was high before, but its embarrassing now. Will Doolittle is projects editor at The Post-Star. He may be reached at will@poststar.com and followed on his blog, I think not, and on Twitter at @trafficstatic. Love 50 Funny 13 Wow 2 Sad 5 Angry 38 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. By Jon Healey Political polls are notoriously unreliable, but Im going to point to the results of two new ones anyway that show a collision ahead between two polarizing candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination. According to the Los Angeles Times, a new University of California Berkeley Institute of Government poll shows Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) pulling away from the field in California. Sanders is at 26% and rising, while his nearest rival, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), is at 20% and fading (with a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points). Meanwhile, the latest Morning Consult poll of national voters shows former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg climbing like a rocket since he started dedicating cash-stuffed mattresses to his television advertising campaign late last year. The poll put Bloomberg at 12%, closing in on Warren (14%) but still well behind former Vice President Joe Biden (29%) and Sanders (23%). Biden and Warren have been heading down, Sanders heading up but not at anything close to Bloombergs trajectory. Conventional wisdom (insert your joke here about the news media and conventional wisdom) holds that Sanders remains an unlikely nominee and that Bloomberg remains a far longer long shot. And horse-race punditry is every bit as valuable as what you pay for it. But there are trends at work here worth pondering. In almost every poll tracked by RealClearPolitics, Sanders is leading in the two states that vote first Iowa and New Hampshire while Biden is leading in two of the next states to vote South Carolina and Nevada. That makes Sanders rise in California, the biggest prize among the 15 states and territories voting on March 3, especially important. If Warren doesnt break through in any of the early states, she may be tempted to throw her support behind Sanders, the candidate whose platform is closest to her own. That would leave a scrum of more moderate Democrats facing a single standard-bearer on the far left a candidate with a fervent base of support but whose vision of a massive government expansion funded (incompletely) by enormous wealth transfers is unappealing, to say the least, to millions of Americans in the mainstream. New York Magazine columnist Jonathan Chait did a fine job Tuesday morning laying out why nominating someone as extreme as Sanders would be a huge mistake for the Democrats. In short, Chait noted that such candidacies usually wind up in smoking ruins in November. I know, progressives argue that the country needs more than just a return to normalcy after Trump. Its problems need a far stronger tonic, which in their prescription includes such things as providing government health insurance with no premiums or copays, taxing wealth, forgiving student loan debt and defanging Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Yet I cant help suspecting that most people dont want to be whipsawed from an extreme presidency on the populist right to an extreme presidency on the populist left. They want temperatures to cool, divisions to narrow and presidential rhetoric to be, well, presidential. Which brings us back to Bloomberg, who may cause as much heartburn among progressives as Sanders does among moderates. His pitch which hes making directly to the public through tens of millions of dollars in campaign commercials is that he gets things done. Thats a stark contrast to Sanders aspirational promises, which the senator admits he wont be able to fulfill without a revolution by voters. And its more concrete than Bidens nostalgia-tinged campaign to make the presidency great again. Granted, Bloombergs platform isnt far different from that espoused by other moderates, such as former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and former Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.). But Bloomberg has a Croesus-sized war chest, which hes using to raise himself above the white noise of the debates, rallies and punditry. And as Morning Consult notes, the commercials are making Bloomberg considerably more appealing to Democratic voters than he was when he announced his candidacy. Granted, he hasnt faced a barrage of negative ads and coverage yet, so that flirtation may be brief. But if the Morning Consult numbers are right, Bloomberg is establishing himself alongside Buttigieg as an alternative to Biden for voters worried about how the impeachment proceedings are affecting the former vice presidents reputation. Thats a remarkable shift in momentum, transforming the notion of Bloomberg winning the nomination from inconceivable into a real possibility. To which many will respond, alarmed, that Bloomberg is buying the election because in their minds, its worse to spend a lot of your own money on a campaign than a lot of money raised from other people. And money in politics is a legitimate concern, especially when its flooding in from powerful individuals and interest groups. A bigger concern for Democrats, though, is finding a nominee who can beat Trump. And that concern is clearly helping Bloomberg. Jon Healey is the Los Angeles Times deputy editorial page editor. 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. The military service academies saw an increase in sexual reports during the 2018-2019 academic year, according to a report published Thursday. The schools received a total of 149 sexual-assault reports, up from 117 received the prior year, according to the biennial "Report on Sexual Harassment and Violence at the Military Service Academies." "This should not be interpreted as an increase in crime rate, as the next prevalence survey won't be conducted until the next academic year," the Pentagon said in a statement accompanying the report. "The increase in reporting cannot be interpreted until next year's prevalence survey, which estimates rates of unwanted sexual contact." The data is comparable to rate of sexual-assault reports observed in civilian colleges, officials said. "However, the DoD holds itself, and the academies, to a higher standard of behavior." Related: Facing Accusations of Sexual Assault, General Says He Wants to Help Victims Of the 149 reports received, 130 were made by and or against "actively enrolled cadets and midshipmen for incidents that occurred during military service," the report states. Those 130 reports were made by 122 cadets or midshipmen, five active-duty members and three civilians. The United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, saw 57 reports; the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, received 33; and the Air Force Academy in Colorado had 40. Each school received both restricted and unrestricted reports. In a restricted report, an individual discloses a crime confidentially without triggering an official investigation or notification to his or her chain of command. The remaining 19 reports came from members who experienced a sexual assault prior to joining the service or at a military prep school, said Dr. Nate Galbreath, acting director of the Pentagon's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program, or SAPR. "It includes the incidents that occurred to a cadet or midshipman prior to joining their service. ... It also includes reports from our prep schools that are on different campuses, but we capture it all," Galbreath told reporters at the Pentagon. "But the 122 ... cited in the report that came out this morning, those are just cadet and midshipmen victims that came forward making a restricted or unrestricted report," he added. According to the survey, 28.5% of female students said they had experienced unwanted sexual contact during the 2018-2019 school year, up from 21.6% in the 2016-2017 year. By comparison, 26.5% of civilian college women said they had experienced unwanted contact, according to a U.S. campus climate survey also outlined in the report. Roughly 5.8% of males at the military academies said they experienced nonconsensual sexual contact during the 2018-19 school year, up from 3.3% the previous year. Meanwhile, 7.1% of men at civilian higher education institutions reported unwanted sexual contact during the 2018-19 school year. "The department recognizes the challenge of combating sexual assault in the military service academies and the high cost of not succeeding," said Dr. Elizabeth Van Winkle, executive director of the Office of Force Resiliency. "Our academies produce our future leaders. At every turn, we must drive out misconduct in place of good order and discipline," she said in an emailed statement. "Our data last year, and the findings from this year's report, reflect the progress we have made in some areas, and the significant work that remains. We will not falter in our efforts to eliminate these behaviors from our academies and to inculcate our expectation that all who serve are treated, and treat others, with dignity and respect." The Pentagon for years has attempted to improve its sexual assault and harassment prevention programs across the military, as well as the services' handling of reports and prosecutions. But the Defense Department's fiscal 2018 Report on Sexual Assault in the Military released in May 2019 found that roughly 20,500 service members experienced sexual assault during fiscal 2018 -- up from an estimated 14,900 in 2016. On the heels of the latest report, a bipartisan group of lawmakers on Capitol Hill introduced legislation Thursday to make it easier for military personnel to report sexual assault. Reps. Jackie Speier (D-California), chair of the House Armed Services Committee Subcommittee on Military Personnel, and Don Bacon (R-Nebraska) unveiled the "Safe to Report Act," which would ensure protections for members who fear retaliation or self-incrimination should they report a sexual-assault incident. "The ongoing increase of sexual assault in our military is a national failure and disgrace, made more egregious by the steady decline in survivors of sexual assault feeling confident that there is a fair system in place," Speier said in a release. "This bill will address the culture of fear that breeds silence and prevents survivors from speaking out. The Department of Defense's priority needs to be holding perpetrators of sexual assault accountable, not dinging survivors for minor infractions like curfew violations." The bill aims to safeguard personnel from punishment they would face for misconduct that might be uncovered during a sexual-assault investigation -- such as underage drinking, possession of alcohol, fraternization or violating curfew -- that occurred during the time frame of the assault, she said. Speier's office said Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, intend to introduce a similar bill in the Senate. "We must believe survivors, and the bipartisan 'Safe to Report Act' will ensure that survivors can come forward without having to fear punishment for minor offenses," Gillibrand said. -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214. Read more: Navy Settles Lawsuit, Won't Scrape Ship Hulls in Puget Sound By Trend A bill on the efficient use of energy resources and energy efficiency has been prepared within the EU4Energy Program with the organizational support of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Energy and the International Energy Charter, Azerbaijani Deputy Minister Samir Valiyev said. Valiyev made the remark in Baku at the meeting within the EU4Energy Program, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Energy. The deputy minister added that the next step in this sphere was the submission of the draft of the first National Action Plan on Energy Efficiency for 2021-2025 to the working group. Then, during the discussions related to the budget, opinions and proposals on the project will be considered, Valiyev said. The goals of energy conservation and energy efficiency related to the National Action Plan were considered and the proposals on strengthening the administrative and institutional structure in this sphere, creating a monitoring and reporting system on energy efficiency and enlightening were voiced during the meeting. The participants were informed about the proposed measures on energy supply, industry, transport and agricultural sector, buildings and municipal services of the National Action Plan for 2021-2025. The presentations on energy conservation and assessment of required investments were made. The opinions and proposals of the working group were discussed during the meeting. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Voltas with its joint venture partner Turkey's Arcelik launched their first 'Make in India' factory with $180 million (Rs 1,286 crore approximately) investment in Sanand, Gujarat. This factory will be used to manufacture consumer durables for the JV company Voltbek Home Appliances. The first set of products to be rolled out will be refrigerators. Voltbek will be producing 1 million refrigerators from thew new facility in the first year itself. Voltbek has targeted production of 2.5 million units of consumer durables (refrigerators and other appliances) from the Sanand facility over the next five years. Both Voltas and Arcelik hold 49 percent in the joint venture while their parent companies (Tata Group and Koc Holding) hold 1 percent each. The investment will also be split 50-50 percent. Noel Tata, chairman, Voltas said that the company is delivering on the 'Make in India' promise. "There is massive potential in the consumption-driven Indian economy. We forsee a greater pace of change going forward. This will be driven by a strong consumption growth with rapid electrification leading to improvement in power quality and availability across the country. Proliferation of consumer finance companies has supported the growth of the consumer durables (CD) firms. This will enable the CD sector to grow at 10 percent over the next five years and double the size of the market from Rs 70,000 crore currently to more than Rs 1.40 lakh crore." Tata added that their supply chain has already begun to relocate itself around this factory. This, he said, will lead to development of Gujarat as a consumer durables manufacturing hub just as the Tata Motors factory led to Gujarat's development as an auto manufacturing hub. The factory has around 500 employees currently. Levent Cakroglu, CEO, Koc Holding, said that in 2010 he and his team came to India with our team to explore the potential. This team then met Voltas and worked on a potential collaboration. An agreement on setting up Voltbek Home Appliances was finally inked in 2017 between Voltas and Arcelik. Voltas Beko as a brand was launched in September 2018. Voltbek Home Appliances already sells goods in India. However, these products were imported from abroad so far. Refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers and microwave ovens constitute Voltbek's product portfolio. The company's sales is likely to touch 0.5 million units by FY20 end. The production facility will initially begin with refrigerator manufacturing. In the second phase, washing machines will be added. In the third stage, others like dishwashers and microwave ovens will be added to the list of products manufactured at Sanand. Arcelik's parent Roc Group's combined revenue constitutes 8 percent of Turkey's GDP and export contribute 10 percent of Turkey's total exports. In an interaction with Moneycontrol, Pradeep Bakshi, MD & CEO, Voltas said that the company is looking to have a 10 percent market share in each product category (refrigerator, washing machine, dishwasher and microwave oven) by 2025. "Nobody remembers the number two player in any field. We have been market leaders in air-conditioners and want to extend it to other categories as well," he added. So far Rs 700 crore has already been invested in the facility. Bakshi explained that depending on the demand, they will invest further. The global consumer durables market is estimated to be USD213 billion. Of this, APAC contributes 41 percent. The University of Wyoming seeks more Cowboys from within the state. Representatives visited with students at Green River High School Friday afternoon to talk about what the university offers, as well as the importance of a college education in the 21st century. The visit was part of a series of events hosted by the university throughout the weekend, culminating with a wrestling dual at GRHS Sunday afternoon. Joining the visiting students and professors from the university was the university's interim president, Neil Theobald, who spoke to students about his background and experience with Ca... 30.01.2020 LISTEN The Charlotte.Virus was contained. But can we deal with the Jean Virus? In October 2016, some political party members and their surrogates smiled like a bride at a wedding ceremony. You want to know why? I'll soon get into that. But there's reason why one must strike while the iron is hot. Of course, the wise couldn't be wrong, because you cannot proficiently deal with it, if it cools down. In other words, it's better to de-escalate issues or situations at their nascent stage rather than allow them to be blown out. I simply put it this way-- caution adhered to saves one, a security at the bank. Can we deal with the Jean Virus? Former President Jerry Rawlings believes caution is the way to go. He's therefore asked the Electoral Commission (EC) and all other stakeholders involved with the processes leading to the 2020 polls to take extra caution. "There is so much mistrust that if we do not find a way of dealing with some of these issues, they'll remain and sour the atmosphere during the election period. It'll keep us very close to an ignition point which will be very unnecessary," says. Mr. Rawlings continues: "This coming election is going to be a truly serious thing and nobody must take the process for granted or think they can get away with making the wrong moves. And I think the ringtone is loud and clear. So let's talk about caution while we're politicking. Let's preach it everywhere we go, because we've one Ghana-- a place we all call home. Charles de Gaulle, a former French President said this and I quote: "Once upon a time there was an old country wrapped in habit and caution. We have to transform our old France into a new country and marry it to its time." Not too long ago, in October 2016, ahead of the December General Elections there was a near outbreak of 'Charlotte virus'. I named it so because the EC chair at the time was Mrs Charlotte Osei. The contagious virus had attacked 12 presidential candidates that were then bidding to serve at then Flagstaff House. Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom (PPP) Dr. Edward Mahama (PNC), and frm. First Lady Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings among others were disqualified for some electoral errors. In the wake of that political shock wave some political party members mocked the disqualified candidates and they even wished it happened to their arch rival. Some aggrieved persons or group of people also threatened mayhem. While others ran to the courts.I think Dr. Nduom went to court to seek redress. But the truth is the EC was right. The commission was following the electoral rules. The Jean Virus Today, another virus has popped up like commercial ads. It seems the EC has lot of viruses that only rear their heads during electioneering periods.Already, the Jean Virus is causing runny nose, popping eyes and ruffling feathers. Its plan to have a new voter register is already creating unnecessary tension and controversy. Is the chair's decision right? Well, in the eyes of her supporters the answer is yes. Her critics think otherwise. Hence the recent demonstrations and petitions flying everywhere. And I strongly believe the need for a healthy dialogue can't be overstated. And utmost caution must be taken. So, for those of you who have an obsession with inciting violence, creating commotion, stoking fire and running your mouths like nika-nika. I kindly urge you to exercise restraint. Do not throw caution in the wind. To the EC, I say open up to diffuse the mistrust issue. Be transparent to win confidence and credibility. And I think President Rawlings articulated it better: "Any wrong move will have dire consequences considering the fact that the election is a major one and all parties involved have high interests and stake in it." Mr. Rawlings who was responding to a petition by the Inter-Party Resistance against the New Voters Register (IPRAN) among other things noted how much distrust has been created among political parties currently, because of recent happenings involving the voters' register. The steps being taken must be transparent so no one has any doubts about the integrity of the process. Whoever wants to win will necessarily have to win by free and fair means, he stated. Stiff Opposition Lately, things haven't gone smoothly at all for the electoral body, since it expressed its intention to compile a new voter register. It's faced stiff opposition mainly from the opposition NDC and other parties. So far, about six (6) political parties, including the opposition NDC as well as some Civil Society Organisations, have openly expressed their reservations about the need for the register, whilst thirteen other parties have affirmed their support for the exercise. There's supposed to be a stakeholder engagement meeting for today Thursday 30 January 2020. But even before that meet up the Commission has gone ahead to set Saturday, April 18 to begin the non-consensual exercise and it's expected to be completed on the 30th of May this year. How does that sit with her critics? By Gordon Offin-Amaniampong ABCs legendary talk show The View is less one co-host once again. With Abby Huntsmans recent departure, the current panel Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Meghan McCain, and Sunny Hostin are in search of the next person to fill the seat at the table. Several panelists abruptly left the show over the years with little explanation. One co-hosts announcement to move on came on the heels of a high-profile interview with a well-known political figure. The Views Sunny Hostin, Joy Behar, Sara Haines, and Jedediah Bila | Heidi Gutman/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Addressing the most recent exodus Earlier this month, Huntsman announced her departure from The View, saying she would be helping her father Jon Huntsman, Jr. in his upcoming political campaign. After much deliberation over the holidays, I have decided to leave the show to dedicate myself full-time in support of my dad and his campaign for Governor of Utah, Huntsman shared, according to People. Rumors swirled that Huntsmans exodus was partially due to tension with friend and co-host McCain, though the conservative co-host recently spoke on the matter to Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live. I think she was genuinely conflicted about her dad running for governor and her not helping, and that is the reason why she left, McCain told Cohen. The View star went on to reveal that she did have an argument with Huntsman at one point, but it was blown way out of proportion by the media, saying, we did get in a fight, which is a very small fight and a friend fight. And all friendships have ups and downs, McCain told Cohen. She feels the media has put a false light on her friendship with Huntsman just to create gossip. It was sort of bizarre for me, and I think bizarre for her, to have the fact that we got in one fight the two years that we worked together on the show, to be put under dissection in the media, to be weaponized, she said of the leaked story. I dont think this is a totally fair shake using our friendship in the way that it has been used. Another conservative leaves the table According to Closer Weekly, conservative co-host Jedediah Bila got a seat at The Views table in 2016, but abruptly announced her departure in the fall the following year. So, this is my last day at The View, and I want to thank these ladies, she said to her fellow panelists in September 2017, referring to Goldberg, Hostin, Behar, and Sara Haines. What you dont know about us, these ladies, were friends. Sunnys texts, Sara, Whoopi, youre my inspiration. Joy, when I need comedic relief, this is where I go. So were going to be friends no matter what. With such a hasty exit, speculation on Bilas reasons for leaving began pointing to a certain interview that had been conducted just the week prior to her announcement. When Hillary Clinton appeared on the show to promote her book What Happened, Bila presented her with some tough questions. Former campaign surrogates of yours, former fundraisers have said, This book puts us in the past and we wanna move forward, we wanna figure out where to take this party, how to succeed in the future. And this places us in the past. Bila posed to Clinton. How do you respond to Democrats also coming out in criticism of you writing this? I think they first should read the book, Clinton responded. Behars take With the timing of the interview and Bilas news that she was moving on, rumors swirled that the two circumstances were somehow connected, implying that Bila was fired for giving Clinton some hard-hitting inquiries. When Joy Behar appeared on Watch What Happens Live in 2017, she addressed the rumors on the buzz surrounding Bilas exit. I know that theres this thing going on that Jedediah lost her job because she asked Hillary a tough question, Behar said. That is so the opposite they want her to ask a tough question. They would never get rid of her for something like that and yet this thing is going around like its true It wasnt anything completely off the wall, but it was a strict question. Bila has clearly moved on from the ABC daytime talk show with her co-hosting gig at Fox News. She recently welcomed son Hartley with husband Jeremy in November and is enjoying her new role as a mom. Cambodia's leader urged citizens on Thursday to remain calm about the new virus from China, which has been confirmed in a single case of a visitor from Wuhan, while threatening to kick out reporters or officials seen wearing a face mask. Prime Minister Hun Sen said in a live televised address that people should not be scared because the real illness they faced was fear, based on inaccurate information on social media. "The prime minister does not wear a mask, so why should you be wearing a mask here," he said. Hun Sen, who very actively posts on his own Facebook account, was critical about misinformation about the virus that had spread on that platform in Cambodia. He said the real illness that had emerged recently and was much more scary was the irresponsible sharing of stories online that caused people without understanding of the virus to panic. Hun Sen appeared to be referring to many unverified reports on social media claiming that many people in different provinces were sick or dead from the virus. Hun Sen also announced he would not ban direct flights between Cambodia and China, saying that would disturb relations between the two countries and hurt the economy of the country, which hosts many Chinese investors and tourists. People should not discriminate against the Chinese, he said. China's own efforts to curb travel were an effective measure against the disease, Hun Sen said. Several foreign airlines have cut or stopped flights to China on their own initiative. Beijing is the main foreign supporter of Hun Sen's authoritarian government, supplying major amounts of aid and investment. Cambodia in turn supports China's position on issues such as the South China Sea, where Beijing's territorial claims are challenged by other Southeast Asian nations. Hun Sen also said there are no plans to bring Cambodian students and diplomatic representatives back from China. Several countries have arranged evacuation of their nationals from the Wuhan area. He urged people to take health precautions, but also to go about their normal work, appealing to students to attend classes. Hun Sen turned to a traditional saying to make the point that none of his countrymen have been reported to have caught the illness. Why would we need to be afraid of tiger's dung since we are not scared of the tiger?" he said. There is not a single Cambodian contracting the virus, it happened only to a Chinese man." The man, who had traveled to Cambodia from Wuhan, was now almost recovered, Hun Sen said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) GCC tourists to Egypt will spend $2.36 billion in 2020, an increase of 11 per cent over 2019, with visitors from Saudi Arabia driving this growth, according to new data published ahead of Arabian Travel Market 2020, which takes place at Dubai World Trade Centre from April 19-22. Visitors from Saudi Arabia to Egypt made 1,410 trips in 2019 with a forecast of 1.8 million tourists by 2024, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5 per cent. In terms of tourism expenditure, Saudi Arabian visitors spent $633 million in 2019, which is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 11 per cent through to 2024, reaching $1.13 billion, according to Colliers International research commissioned by the organiser of ATM, Reed Travel Exhibitions. Danielle Curtis, exhibition director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: Total tourism receipts in Egypt which stood at $16.4 billion in 2019, will achieve an average 13 per cent CAGR over the next five years to reach $29.7 billion. And Egypt also has a significant outbound market for the GCC. 1.84 million visitors arrived in 2019 and this is estimated to increase to 2.64 million by 2024, added Curtis. Egypts top source market is Germany with 2.48 million arrivals, a 46 per cent increase over 2018 and a total spend of $1.22 billion in 2019. German arrivals are forecast to reach 2.9 million by 2024 with a total projected spend of $2.18 billion. While arrivals from Europe are expected to be the largest contributor on a regional basis, increasing from 6.2 million in 2018 to 9.1 million tourists in 2022, arrivals from the GCC at 11 per cent will represent one of the highest growth rates. Over the last 12 months, Egypts tourism industry has witnessed remarkable growth, with arrivals up 57.5 per cent from 11.3 million in 2018 to 17.8 million in 2019. Growth has been fuelled by the cheaper Egyptian Pound and government incentives for charter airlines operating international flights, said Curtis. Data and analytics specialist STR commented that Sharm El Sheikh led the recovery with RevPAR rebounding 315 per cent for the November rolling 12 month period between 2016 and 2019. Hurghada followed closely with a 311 per cent increase, whereas Cairo & Giza recorded a 138 per cent growth. Underscoring those impressive numbers, we witnessed a 23 per cent increase in the number of visitors interested in doing business with Egypt, up to almost 4,000, added Curtis. Taking advantage of this resurgence in tourists, Egypt will be back at ATM 2020 with some of the countrys most prominent tourism companies including the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Board, Dana Tours and Orascom Development Egypt, representing a 29 per cent increase in participation since 2018. Following Germany, the second-largest source market in 2019 was Ukraine, with 1.49 million visitors, almost 50 per cent growth over the previous year. This remarkable rise has been mainly driven by the availability of direct flights, which resumed, after a two-year suspension, in April 2018. Egypt tourism capital investment, which was estimated to have reached $4.2 billion in 2019, up 25 per cent on 2018, was fully justified after a major announcement by the UKs Department of Transport (DoT), was made on October 22. The DoE ended a ban on direct flights between the UK and the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh. This should lift UK visitor numbers significantly in 2020 and beyond, she added, Just days after the ban on UK flights to Sharm al-Sheikh was lifted, British Ambassador to Egypt Geoffrey Adams claimed that nearly half a million British citizens would visit Egypt before the end of 2020, a major boost for Egyptian tourism. After the flight ban was imposed, according to STR figures, hotel occupancy for the following year was a mere 33.6 per cent - last year it had already climbed to 59.7 per cent. Looking further than its current top source markets, the 2020 influx of UK visitors, the bulk of Russian visitors still to come back, as well as the Chinese market, the future looks promising for Egyptian tourism, said Curtis ATM, considered by industry professionals as a barometer for the Middle East and North Africa tourism sector, welcomed almost 40,000 people to its 2019 event with representation from 150 countries. With over 100 exhibitors making their debut, ATM 2019 showcased the largest ever exhibition from Asia. Adopting Events for Tourism Growth as the official show theme, ATM 2020 will build on the success of this years edition with a host of seminar sessions discussing the impact events have on tourism growth in the region while inspiring the travel and hospitality industry about the next generation of events. - TradeArabia News Service On Wednesday, the presidency took a jab at Enyinnaya Abaribe, minority leader of the senate, for asking President Muhammadu Buhari to ... On Wednesday, the presidency took a jab at Enyinnaya Abaribe, minority leader of the senate, for asking President Muhammadu Buhari to resign over the growing insecurity in the country. Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, said such a call was foolish, and that there was no basis for Buhari to vacate office. That call does not represent the opinion of the country, Shehu said, describing the senator as an arm hair critic, known for making stray comments. Just because some characters think that President Buhari should resign, then they expect him to quit.That call does not represent the opinion of the country, Shehu said, describing the senator as an arm hair critic, known for making stray comments. If a leader like President Buhari needs to resign, there are millions of other Nigerians who need to resign, including Senator Abaribe who unlocked the door to enable the escape of traitorous and treasonable suspects, he also said. Back in May 2013, Buhari, who had run for president on three occasions but failed, asked Jonathan to vacate office for failing to tackle insecurity across the country. While addressing journalists at his residence in Daura, Katsina state, Buhari said: Jonathan should vacate and give way to competent hand to govern the country. According to him, the then president failed to perform his primary function of securing Nigerians. He had said: When the Niger Delta militants started their activities in the south-south, they were invited by the late President Umaru Yaradua. An aircraft was sent to them and their leaders met with the late president in Aso Rock and discussed issues. They were given money and a training scheme was introduced for their members. But when the Boko Haram emerged in the north, members of the sect were killed. And when the police failed to address the insurgency, soldiers were invited and they captured the Boko Haram leader, Muhammad Yusuf alive and handed him over to police. But Yusuf was eventually killed, his in-law too was killed and their houses were demolished. In Bama and Baga towns, military personnel were reported to have been engaged in extortion and sometimes raping of women. And because a soldier was killed in Baga the whole town was sacked by the military. This is not the best way the military should have acted when they were sent to restore law and order in a town. How can a responsible government allow its people to be killed in this way. The soldiers are not expected to go and sack a town because one of them is killed. They are expected to capture the culprits for prosecution. After all the soldiers are not meant to tackle internal crisis but when it is necessary they should act professionally. Whoever is sent to protect people should also protect their integrity. Detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) led by prosecutors of the Ukraine's Special Anti-corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) have detained three persons who tried to give a bribe of $5 million to Head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine (SPF) Dmytro Sennychenko. "Investigators established that in the autumn of 2019, these persons offered the SPF head $5 million bribe in exchange for the appointment of a predetermined person as the director of OJSC Odesa Port-Side Plant, 99.5% of the shares of which belong to the state, and assistance in the implementation of business activities with the specified enterprise," the SAPO press service said. It is reported that the investigation was launched in November 2019 at the request of the head of the SPF. The persons were detained immediately after the first part of the bribe of $50,000 was offered. According to a video posted by SAPO and NABU, it was planned that after the appointment of Valeriy as director, the Odesa Port-Side Plant would resume work on a tolling basis with VEK. At the moment, the issue of notifying about suspicion under Part 4 of Article 369 (offer, promise or provision of undue benefit to an official who occupies a particularly responsible position) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The sanction of the article provides for imprisonment for a period from five to 10 years with seizure of property. Commonwealth Bank chief executive Matt Comyn has expressed hope the cycle of customer refunds that punched a multibillion dollar hole in industry profits has passed its peak, as lenders try to rebuild their tainted reputations. One year after the historic Hayne royal commission delivered its final report, Mr Comyn, also chairman of Australian Banking Association (ABA), said that across the industry banks had put "a great deal of work" into their remediation programs. Commonwealth Bank chief executive Matt Comyn alongside ABA chief executive Anna Bligh. Credit:Louie Douvis While stressing he could not say definitively whether these costs had peaked, he said banks had been "getting to the heart of the issues" and work was under way to repay clients properly. Of course we would all like to like to think were much closer to the end of that than the beginning, Mr Comyn said. The Trump administrations new rule aimed at depriving several hundred thousand Americans of necessary food stamp benefits will go into effect in just two months. The rule severely limits states ability to provide waivers exempting those designated as Able Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) from work requirements that limit their access to necessary Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. By the US Department of Agricultures (USDAs) own estimates, this restriction would cause 700,000 adults to lose their benefits, affecting about 7 percent of SNAP recipients nationally Beginning in April, only states with an unemployment rate 20 percent above the national average will be allowed to waive work requirements. The new law also blocks states from defining boundaries of economically distressed areas, instead relying on labor market areas that are defined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This will make it more difficult for people living in cities that are surrounded by wealthier counties to receive waivers. Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, the executive director for the Ohio Association of Foodbanks (OAF), spoke to the WSWS about the effect that the new rule will have on Ohio residents. The OAF is Ohios largest charitable organization seeking to meet the needs of those in hunger. It represents 12 non-profit Feeding America foodbanks as well as a 3,600-member charity program that oversees food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters. Asked how Ohio foodbanks are planning to prepare for the anticipated rise in foodbank use, Hamler-Fugitt noted, SNAP is the first-line protection against hunger. SNAP provides 9 meals for every 1 that food banks can. We will have to do what we can by raising money and raising awareness to try to feed everyone. We will give away all the food we can, we will stretch and ration, but if we run out, the doors will close. Cynically citing the cuts as a gesture of respect to hard-working taxpayers as well as claiming that a booming economy negates the need for federal assistance, the Trump administration presents a highly questionable picture of American life. In reality, as is the case in Ohio, the residents of working-class areas that continue to be wracked by poverty, under-employment and food insecurity will bear the brunt of the assault. Record corporate profits, a booming stock market and a low unemployment rate have done nothing to significantly improve the living standards of millions of Americans. By and large, the acronym ABAWD is a complete misnomer. This is a population largely living with undiagnosed mental and physical disabilities, and low literacy levels. Many have few family supports or are full-time caregivers for adult relatives, Hamler-Fugitt explained. And those who can work, do work, she added. But many are forced to join the low-wage, temporary and contingent work force. Their employment rarely lasts longer than 79 days and they never get more than 30 hours per week. This means they wont be eligible for unemployment in Ohio, but they also dont make enough to support themselves. As Hamler-Fugitt describes, while jobs have been added to the American economy, these have tended to be lower-paying, hourly and temporary positions without benefits in the so-called gig economy. As a result, many Ohio residents eligible for SNAP and/or suffering from food insecurity are working, but still cannot support their families. New data released by the US Department of Labor shows that half of the 10 most common jobs in Cleveland pay workers too little to support a family of three without SNAP benefits, with annual incomes of roughly $20,000. Only 13 of the 42 Ohio counties currently exempt from work requirements will maintain their waivers. However, the 29 counties to lose waivers still suffer from high poverty levels. According to the February 2019 Ohio Poverty Report, released by the US Census Bureau, Ohio has poverty rates higher than the national average of 13.4 percent, with an estimated 14 percent of the population living in poverty. The counties along Ohios southeastern border, part of the Appalachian region, are some of the poorest, with a poverty rate of 17.2 percent. And in Cuyahoga Countyhome to Cleveland, the second largest city in the statean estimated 18.3 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. According to a study by the Urban Institute, which estimates the effect of the new rule, approximately 20,000 Ohio residents will lose SNAP benefits. The same study estimates that changes to waivers will lower the percentage of Ohioans who are both living under the poverty line and receiving SNAP benefits from 16 percent to just 4 percent. Even with the help of SNAP benefits, Ohioans continue to struggle with food insecurity. Cuyahoga County has the highest number of residents with food insecurity at 18.6 percent of residents compared to the state and national rate of 15.1 percent and 12.9 percent, respectively. Out of the countys SNAP recipients, 80 percent still rely on local food programs such as foodbanks to battle hunger. With the cuts to SNAP, pressure on foodbanks to meet growing needs will only increase. The cuts are basically an unfunded mandate onto the emergency food assistance network, Hamler-Fugitt explained. Now you will have floods of people standing in line with other working Ohioans who arent poor enough to get SNAP. There is no assistance from the federal government to help the foodbanks meet the new demand. Hamler-Fugitt pointed out that the cuts will have a negative impact on entire communities, not just SNAP recipients. This will probably have a catastrophic impact on the ability for rural communities to maintain full-service grocery stores, creating more food deserts, which in turn will impact the health of the community, exacerbating chronic health conditions like obesity. There are also a considerable amount of logistical difficulties that come with the brazen attacks on SNAP benefits. Counties that are affected by the loss of waivers will have to notify all SNAP beneficiaries in a short time frame with no increase to their budget or employee workforce. There is also no comprehensive system in place for caseworkers and SNAP recipients to report logged work hours, a requirement for people who will lose their waiver and become responsible for proving minimum work hours. Its going to be a bureaucratic nightmare, Hamler-Fugitt stated. Many people who will be affected by this change have phones with limited minutes, e-mail addresses they rarely check, and their addresses on file are void since they are homeless or forced to move frequently. Our experience is that when we send out mass notifications, more than half of them never reach the person. Most people end up finding out their benefits have been slashed when they reach the checkout counter and hand over their Ohio Direction Card and theyre told there is nothing on it. The rule restricting work waivers is the first of three total proposals to near its initiation. The other proposalsone capping deductions for utility allowances, and the other aimed at cutting SNAP benefits for working-class familieswill further impact food stamp recipients in Ohio and across the country. The aforementioned Urban Institute study estimates that the three proposals combined would cut 3.6 million people from SNAP benefits, reduce monthly benefits for millions more, and lead to 982,000 students losing access to free school meal services. On the topic of the standard utility allowance proposal, Hamler-Fugitt said, This will serve as an even broader attack. We estimate that about 40 percent of the states SNAP population will be affected by it, which is upwards of 300,000-plus households across the state. Families will lose about $42 a month. Think of that as an entire week of lost groceries. At the same time, Ohioans face severe attacks on their health care. Last year, Ohio joined 17 other states in seeking approval from the federal government to implement Medicaid work requirements. Work requirementswhich have been approved but not yet implementedare expected to cut 60,000 Ohio residents from their health care coverage. However, the estimate is subject to change as people lose SNAP benefit waivers. One of the exemptions from the new Medicaid work requirements is compliance with SNAP work requirements or possession of a work requirement waiver, which, come April, will be increasingly difficult to acquire. The family of a man killed by a single punch from a martial arts instructor in a late night street assault four years ago have said they are still "absolutely devastated" by his death and have been "left with a life sentence". Judge Pauline Codd imposed a six-year prison sentence with six months suspended on Jonathan Dargan (49) yesterday for the manslaughter of Patrick Mullally. Dargan, who once trained with MMA star Conor McGregor, attacked Mr Mullally (56) and his friend after the two men had stopped to intervene in a drunken row between Dargan and his partner. Mr Mullally had been celebrating his retirement from Guinness when he and Shane Cunningham approached Dargan on the Harold's Cross Road, Dublin, around 4am on March 6, 2016. Expand Close Jonathan Dargan / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jonathan Dargan "In a split flash" Dargan began throwing punches, and a passing cyclist told the trial he saw the two men putting their hands up to shield themselves. At least one punch connected with Mr Mullally, shattering his jaw and cheekbone and knocking him to the ground. Trauma Mr Mullally suffered a subdural haemorrhage and brain trauma due to a blunt trauma to the face and head and died the next day. Mr Cunningham was also injured and described the effects of having to live with the trauma of the fatal attack. Dargan, of Belfry Manor, Citywest, Dublin, had denied the unlawful killing of Mr Mullally. Expand Close Patrick Mullally / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Patrick Mullally He also denied assault causing harm to Mr Cunningham and to Mr Mullally's niece, Lauren Mullally, during the same incident. The defendant, a taekwondo instructor who had worked as a doorman at Lillie's Bordello nightclub for two decades, admitted "lashing out" with a punch but claimed he was acting in self-defence. The cyclist, Shaun O'Donoghue, told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that Dargan shouted "bang, bang" as he threw "fairly powerful" punches at the men. Justice Codd said this was a particularly chilling aspect of the case and evidence of a man who was in control of the situation and not somebody in fear. She said the jury had rejected Dargan's defence that he was in fear and felt he was being surrounded and that the independent CCTV evidence also showed this not to be the case. Mr O'Donoghue also testified that he saw no aggression from the victims. Impact Judge Codd noted that Dargan's martial arts training meant he had a knowledge of the force and impact of his own strength and capacity. She said for a man with this strength and capacity to strike a defenceless and intoxicated man was an aggravating factor. She said the victims were entirely innocent and had approached Dargan to help a woman and to "do the honourable thing". The violence was unwarranted and Dargan was in a state of intoxication and an angry mood. When Mr O'Donoghue had stopped at the rowing couple earlier Dargan had told him he to "f***k off and mind his own business" and that "he'd kill him or stamp on his head on the ground". Judge Codd said that Dargan could have calmed down or walked away when the men approached him. "Instead he choose to act in the worst type of macho way", she said. Judge Codd noted in mitigation that Dargan had led a blameless life up to this point and that he had shown great support and strength to his family when his own mother was the innocent victim of a fatal shooting. Judge Codd said she considered Dargan's remorse to be genuine and the assaults out of character. Character testimonials noted that as a nightclub doorman for two decades he had always shown kindness and restraint even when dealing with difficult patrons. Judge Codd suspended the final six months of a six-year prison term, noting the assaults were not prolonged and were impulsive rather than premeditated. Devastated After a trial last November the jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict on the manslaughter charge. The jury convicted him by majority on the charge of assaulting Mr Cunningham. The charge of assaulting Ms Mullally was withdrawn from the jury by Judge Codd. Speaking after the sentencing Mary Mullally said her family missed her brother every day. "Four years later we're still absolutely devastated by the loss of our beloved Paddy," she said. "His life revolved around being a devoted dad, caring brother, fun uncle and a cherished friend. "We as a family miss him everyday but there is also a huge group of friends who are grieving alongside us. No matter what happened today, sadly we're left with a life sentence." Judge Codd said it was particularly poignant that Mr Mullally died on the night he was celebrating his retirement after 35 years of working at the Guinness plant. The court heard much of this involved working night shifts and Mr Mullally was looking forward to spending more time with his then 10-year-old daughter. The oil giant was hit by lower oil and gas prices, and squeezed margins in refining and chemicals businesses. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Shells underlying profits crashed 36% last year, as weak oil prices hit the company. Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell said on Thursday that underlying earnings fell 36% to $15.3bn (11.8bn) in 2019. The company blamed lower oil and gas prices, and squeezed margins in refining and chemicals businesses. The results were below market expectations. Shares (RDS-B.L) were down over 3% in London at 10.30am. The strength of Shells strategy and portfolio has enabled delivery of competitive cash flow performance in 2019 despite challenging macroeconomic conditions in refining and chemicals, as well as lower oil and gas prices, chief executive Ben van Beurden said in a statement. We generated $47bn in cash flow from operating activities excluding working capital movements and distributed over $25bn in dividends and share buybacks to our shareholders. Shell said it would launch the next phase of its share buyback programme, with plans to buy up to $1bn-worth of its own stock by the end of April this year. We remain committed to prudent capital discipline supported by world-class project delivery and are looking to further strengthen our balance sheet while we continue with share buybacks, van Beurden said. READ MORE: Markets slide as WHO due to meet over coronavirus Neil Wilson, chief market analyst at Markets.com, said: Shell is suffering from persistently weak oil and gas prices. The world is awash with crude and natural gas and prices will likely be a headwind for some time. The demand side has yet to really recover. The coronavirus is not helping and could materially reduce average prices this year. Oil prices were under pressure on Thursday, as travel lockdowns and factory shutdowns linked to the spread of coronavirus continued. Crude (CL=F) was down 1.5% to $52.49 and Brent (BZ=F) was down 1.6% to $58.82. Brent had been trading as high as $71 per barrel at the start of the month. In defiance of pressure from the United States, the European Union (EU) did not ban Chinese technology firms such as Huawei in its guidelines on 5G security issued on Wednesday. The European Commission, the EU's executive, issued the non-binding guidelines -- agreed by 28 member states -- known as a "toolbox" for 5G security, where the EU sets out detailed mitigation plans for each of the identified risks and recommends a set of key strategic and technical measures. Despite intense lobbying and threats from the U.S. aiming to ban Chinese suppliers, particularly the leading global vendor Huawei, from participating in building 5G infrastructure, the EU did not name either China or any specific company. Instead, the EU guidelines resorted to urging member states to "apply relevant restrictions for suppliers considered to be high risk, including necessary exclusions to effectively mitigate risks for key assets," as well as "using for an adequate balance of suppliers at national level and avoid dependency on suppliers considered to be high risk," without naming or specifying which supplier is "high risk". The guidelines followed London's decision on Tuesday to allow Huawei playing a role in building the United Kingdom's 5G network, albeit with some restrictions. The U.S. administration has launched intensive diplomatic offensives against Huawei, urging -- sometimes with explicit threats on intelligence sharing -- its European allies to get rid of Huawei for good. Huawei said in a statement after Brussels' guidelines that "Huawei welcomes Europe's decision, which enables Huawei to continue participating in Europe's 5G roll-out. This non-biased and fact-based approach towards 5G security allows Europe to have a more secure and faster 5G network." "Huawei has been present in Europe for almost 20 years and has a proven track record with regard to security. We will continue to work with European governments and industry to develop common standards to strengthen the security and reliability of the network," the statement added, quoting Abraham Liu, Huawei Chief Representative to the EU Institutions. The Chinese Mission to the EU said in a statement that it is studying and assessing the "toolbox", urging the world's largest trading bloc to implement its much-touted multilateralism, free trade and market principles and uphold a fair, open, just and non-discriminatory environment. The statement urged the EU to join China in win-win cooperation and "resolutely resist" pressure from a small number of countries and politicians. Huawei is widely considered as the leading technology firm globally in terms of 5G, and experts and think-tanks have repeatedly said banning Huawei would be very costly and extremely time-consuming for the EU. Thierry Breton, the European Commissioner for Internal Market, appeared to allude to the thinking by saying "Europe is not lagging behind" at a press conference after the issuance of the guidelines. The European Commission said its approach is a risk-based one and solely on security grounds, "in full respect of the openness of the EU internal market as long as the EU security requirements are respected." "We are not picking on anybody, we are not ostracizing firms," Breton said. Huawei is the world's biggest producer of telecommunication gears, competing with Sweden's Ericsson and Finland's Nokia. At the same time, the roll-out and operation of 5G networks in the EU is considered "a matter of national security", according to the European Commission. EU Member States can go further than what is proposed in the toolbox where they identify a need to do so. Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa will visit India from February 7-11, during which he will hold extensive talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. "The visit is in continuation of the tradition of high-level exchanges between India and Sri Lanka," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said during a media briefing. President Gotabaya Rajpaksa visited India in November which was his first official overseas trip after taking charge of the top office. Apart from his official engagement in Delhi, Mahinda Rajapaksa will also travel to Varanasi, Sarnath, Bodh Gaya and Tirupati, Kumar said. A host of issues, including fulfilling the aspirations of the Tamil community in Sri Lanka, the situation in the Indian Ocean region and ways to boost defence and trade ties, are expected to figure in the talks between Modi and the Sri Lankan prime minister. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SPRINGFIELD Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and two other state attorneys general filed a lawsuit in federal court Thursday to ensure the Equal Rights Amendment officially becomes the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Americans have long agreed that discrimination based on sex is unacceptable, Raoul said. But by enshrining that shared value in our Constitution, we have made a commitment never to go back. The states filing suit Illinois, Virginia and Nevada were the final three states to ratify the ERA. Nevada signed on in 2017, Illinois in 2018 and Virginia two weeks ago, allowing the amendment to meet the 38-state threshold to be added to the Constitution. However, making the ERA binding is not as simple. In the complaint, the attorneys general are asking a court to direct U.S. National Archivist David Ferriero to officially write the ERA into the Constitution, as per his duty. The U.S. Department of Justice, however, effectively ordered Ferriero not to do so because the ratification deadline imposed by Congress expired in 1979. Additionally, five states want their ratifications rescinded: Idaho, Kentucky, Nebraska, Tennessee and South Dakota. The latter joined Alabama and Louisiana in a federal lawsuit last month that aims to block Ferriero from adding the ERA to the Constitution. Experts have said it is likely the final decision will have to be made by a court. The three AGs hinge much of their argument on Article V of the Constitution, which governs how amendments are ratified. The power to decide when to ratify is not limited in any way by Article V, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring said. Nowhere does it provide for rescission. A proposed Constitutional amendment becomes valid once it is ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the states, Article V reads. Also, the lawsuit argues, the 27th Amendment was added to the Constitution in 1992 by the then-Archivist Don Wilson shortly after the final state ratified it. As an Illinois state senator in 2018, Raoul voted for the resolution that made Illinois the 37th state to ratify the ERA. It was one of my very last acts as a member of the Legislature, he said. And to have been elected attorney general and to be able to contribute to making certain that we recognize the 28th Amendment, it means a lot to me. Raoul added that he has a 19-year-old daughter in college who aspires to go to law school. She will promise to support a Constitution that will equally support her, he said. A 2016 poll commissioned by the ERA Coalition found 77 percent of Americans strongly agree with a Constitutional amendment that guarantees equal rights to both men and women. Another 17 percent somewhat agree. We have waited too long already for equal rights, and it is shameful that there are those who would have us wait even a moment longer, said Carol Jenkins, co-president and CEO of the coalition, which is comprised of more than 100 organizations supporting womens equality. Jenkins says securing the ERA is a life-or-death issue because it will give women a legal basis to take on issues of gender inequality, including pay differences and violent crimes. Women in the home and workplace continue to fear sexual and physical assault with no recourse to federal courts, because without the ERA there is no basis for such jurisdiction, she said. The Equal Rights Amendment is 24 words long and reads, Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi was remanded in custody till February 27, 2020, after he appeared before a UK court on Thursday via video link from his London prison. Modi, the prime accused in USD 2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud, is currently lodged at Wandsworth prison in south-west London and is wanted for his alleged role in the Rs 13,570 crore loss caused to the Punjab National Bank (PNB) along with his uncle, Mehul Choksi. Modi, 48, was arrested in March last year by Scotland Yard in connection with the case. His five-day extradition trial is due to begin on May 11. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), earlier this month, said that the Indian government has put all "resources on the ground to ensure early extradition" of Modi and Choksi. He was declared a fugitive economic offender under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act on December 5, 2019. The order on the confiscation of his properties is yet to be issued. Modi, 48, was arrested in March this year by the Scotland Yard in connection with the case. He did not return to India despite repeated summons from Indian probe agencies and courts. India is seeking his extradition to make him face the law of the land for allegedly committing economic offenses. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi: While campaigning for the BJP in the upcoming Delhi Assembly election 2020, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan criticised Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for offering freebies during polls and not improving the drinking water situation or solving the air pollution problem in the capital. "Arvind Kejriwal is now distributing free electricity, free water, but all this is only till the elections. He gave dirty water to Delhi, what has he done to stop pollution? Earlier, Kejriwal was complaining that Modi ji is not letting him work, what happened now? Modi is still here, the Lieutenant-Governor is also here, how are you now blowing the trumpet of your success?" he asked. Referring to the arrest of JNU student Sharjeel Imam and "tukde tukde gang" Chauhan said, "Those who talk about splitting up the country will always be put behind bars." Live TV On Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) Chauhan said, "No force in the world can stop the implementation of CAA." He slammed the Opposition for spreading lies on CAA. "The opposition has set fire to the whole country, and are trying to incite riots. Tell us Kejriwal, Rahul Gandhi where is it mentioned that Indian Muslims will be expelled from the country under CAA," he said. Also, the BJP leader praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah for the abrogation of Article 370 in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. The voting for the 70-member assembly will take place on February 8 and the results will be declared on February 11. January 30 : Actor Ajay Devgan has joined the cast of RRR Movie to shoot for his part in the epic historic drama helmed by SS Rajamouli, also starring megastar Jr NTR and Ram Charan. The entire lead of the film took to their social media profiles and welcomed the Tanhaji actor Ajay Devgn. Megastar Jr NTR took to his social media and wrote, Delighted to welcome you to the world of #RRR dear @ajaydevgn sir Sharing the picture on Instagram, Ram Charan wrote: "Welcome to the sets of RRR Ajay Devgn Sir! I love your work, but a bigger fan of your personality. It's a pleasure having you on the sets of RRR." The official handle of RRR Movie tweeted, The stars are shining bright on the sets of #RRR! @ajaydevgn ji, @tarak9999, #RamCharan & @ssrajamouli from the shoot! #RRRMovie RRR, set in the 1920's is a "fictitious story based on two legendary freedom fighters - Alluri Seetharamaraju and Komaram Bheem." It is Rajamouli's first project after the 2017 blockbuster Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, which was a massive success. The film also stars Alia Bhatt in a pivotal role. The film will release across the globe in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam simultaneously. RRR is expected to release on July 30, 2020. Ajay Devgn was last seen in the period drama Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, co-starring Kajol and Saif Ali Khan. The actor will also be seen in Maidan and Bhuj: The Pride Of India. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have not yet announced exactly how they plan to become financially independent, but according to reports, that is precisely their goal. Tired of the British press, the couple shocked the world when they decided to step away from royal duties. Whether or not that was a smart move for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex remains to be seen, but it looks like they might be posed to make a ton of money as private citizens, and the owner of the sprawling mansion where they spent the holidays might hold the key to their plan moving forward. A Hollywood heavy-hitter is believed to own the mansion that Meghan and Harry stayed in At first glance, it appeared as though Prince Harry and Markle were merely recharging their batteries on a private holiday. That all changed swiftly when the couple announced theyd be stepping back from royal duties to live as private citizens. A decision like that isnt made overnight, and it seems the power couple was getting their ducks in a row for months before announcing their move. While they refused to name the owner of the sprawling mansion on Vancouver Island, where they set their plan in motion, it looks like it isnt a secret anymore. According to Page Six, the estate may belong to Frank Guistra, a Canadian billionaire who also happens to be the co-founder of Lionsgate. Guistra denies the allegations that he owns the home; in fact, he boldly suggested he does not own and has never owned a home in the area. While Page Six insists hes the owner of the sprawling estate, the actual identity of the owner hasnt been confirmed. All property information regarding the owner is confidential, and the property has reportedly been registered to a corporation, alleges Fox Business. Guistra also claims hes never had contact with the royal couple. If Guistra does, in fact, own the mansion, it might indicate just what Markle and Prince Harry have planned for their future. It looks like Markle might have an interest in returning to the bright lights of Hollywood, a world she seemed to navigate with ease before marrying the prince. If thats the case, Guistra would be a good person to rub shoulders with. Ellen DeGeneres is rumored to have scored the first sit down interview with Meghan Markle The announcement that Prince Harry and Markle would step down from royal duty isnt even a month old yet, but they may have their first interview already locked down. Last week, rumors began to swirl that Markle, at the very least, would sit down with Ellen DeGeneres for her very first post-royal interview. A source reportedly told The Daily Mail, that the interview has been in the works for some time and that Meghan is comfortable discussing her decision with DeGeneres. The two have known each other for years. The royal couple, nor DeGeneres have commented on the rumor. What will she do next? The royal couple may be looking to become independent, but how they plan to do that still remains up in the air. It has been reported that Markle has signed a voiceover deal with Disney, but reportedly, Disney will be making a donation to Elephants Without Borders, according to Vulture, in place of an actual payday. If the rumors about the deal are correct, this will only be Markles way of dipping her toes back into Hollywood. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle | Chris Jackson WPA Pool/Getty Images She may be looking to further her reach and return to her former life. Lionsgate may be the way she chooses to do that if she and the prince have the connection to Guistra that is being reported. For now, the couple is financially fine. Reportedly, they will still receive money from Prince Charles as they transition into private life, and Prince Harry has an inheritance from his mother, Princess Diana, to fall back on. Its unlikely that the couple will be satisfied with just that, though. They appear to want to get on with a normal life and finding a way to support their philanthropic efforts and their lifestyle will be the next step. An aerial image captured by a Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard search and rescue plane of the Avrio yacht belonging to British sailor Mark Brennan, from South Shields, who was found dead on board on 27 January, 2020: Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard A missing British man has been found dead on a yacht off Jamaica while attempting to sail solo around the world. Window cleaner Mark Brennans decomposed body was found in the hull of his 30ft Avrio sailing boat after the vessel was spotted drifting 70 miles off the coast of Jamaica on Monday. The 42-year-old inexperienced sailor, from South Shields, Tyne and Wear, travelled across the Atlantic to the Caribbean and was last seen alive as he left the island of Grenada on 6 December. A fellow sailor from Manchester, who met him on the Caribbean island, alerted the International Boat Watch Network (IBWN) to his missing boat after growing concerned about him. Mr Brennans yacht had dirty fuel, no radio or mobile network and had lost its dinghy while crossing the Atlantic, claimed Boat Watch, which described him as a somewhat inexperienced sailor. A search and rescue team spotted the vessel adrift with its sails furled, or rolled up, and no signs of life on board on three occasions between 19 and 21 December, the organisation said. Boat Watch tracked down Mr Brennans mother and brother in law, who then reported him missing to the Northumbria Police on 21 December. The US Coast Guard alerted the Jamaican Coast Guard after spotting the boat adrift about 70 miles from Ocho Rios, on the north coast of Jamaica. The Jamaican Coast Guard towed the vessel to Port Antonio harbour and Jamaican authorities are investigating. Northumbria Police said the body had not been formally identified, but was believed to be that of a missing 42-year-old man. A spokesperson for the force said: We can confirm a 42-year-old from South Shields was reported missing on 21 December after he had set sail to the Caribbean. Enquiries have been ongoing to trace him, and we have since been made aware that authorities in Jamaica have recovered a body on a boat. A formal identification process is ongoing but it is suspected that the body is that of the South Shields man. Story continues The relevant authorities in Jamaica are carrying out enquiries to establish the cause of death and we will continue to support their investigation in conjunction with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The mans family are being offered support by officers and they have requested that their privacy is respected at this time. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office added in a statement: We are supporting the family of a British man reported as missing in the Caribbean, and are in contact with the Jamaican authorities. Read more Miami police searching for missing baby after three women found dead By Lambert Strether of Corrente. Trade Businesses from car manufacturing to airlines are bracing for a growing impact from the coronavirus outbreak on their China operations. The viruss spread has disrupted some automotive production in China. raising the potential for a broader industrial impact as Lunar New Year seasonal shutdowns are extended to keep people from traveling [Wall Street Journal]. Global businesses are scaling back operations as Beijing tries to control an outbreak that has now infected more people than severe acute respiratory syndrome did nearly two decades ago. The locked-down city of Wuhan at the center of the outbreak is a major car manufacturing hub, contributing some 6% of Chinas overall output, and hosts factories including joint ventures between Chinese and major foreign auto makers. Coronavirus could mean more U.S. jobs. Wilbur Ross goes there. [NBC]. Well, first of all, every Americans heart has to go out to the victims of the coronavirus. So, I dont want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease, Ross told Fox Business Network on Thursday. But the fact is, it does give businesses yet another thing to consider when they go through their review of their supply chain. Politics But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? James Madison, Federalist 51 They had one weapon left and both knew it: treachery. Frank Herbert, Dune Here is a second counter for the Iowa Caucus, which is obviously just around the corner: * * * 2020 Alert reader dk (not to be confused with DK) is in the process of developing the following interactive chart. We have new national YouGove as of 1/28/2020, 12:00 PM EST. Biden and Sanders are the pick of the litter, trailed by Warren and, horridly, Bloomberg, who has lapped Buttigieg and Klobuchar. Of course, these are national polls, about to be massively thrown into confusion by IA, NH, SC, and NV and then CA. I returned to the three-day average because (as you see from the numbers) the big FL sample was throwing everything off: And the numbers: Come on, man. And now FL: Notice the miserably inadequate frequency. FL numbers: Summary: The Biden juggernaut rolls on, but Sanders has pulled even. Warren is in trouble (meaning her smear of Sanders did not work). Bloomberg is buying his way in. CAVEAT I think we have to track the polls because so much of the horse-race coverage is generated by them; and at least with these charts were insulating ourselves against getting excited about any one poll. That said, we should remember that the polling in 2016, as it turned out, was more about narrative than about sampling, and that this year is, if anything, even more so. In fact, one is entitled to ask, with the latest I boomlet (bubble? (bezzle?)) which came first: The narrative, or the poll? One hears of push polling, to be sure, but not of collective push polling by herding pollsters. We should also worry about state polls with very small sample sizes and big gaps in coverage. And thats before we get to the issues with cellphones (as well as whether voters in very small, very early states game their answers). So we are indeed following a horse-race, but the horses dont stay in their lanes, some of the horses are not in it to win but to interfere with the others, the track is very muddy, and the mud has splattered our binoculars, such that its very hard to see whats going on from the stands. Also, the track owners are crooked and the stewards are on the take. Everythings fine. I think dk has started a really neat project, and in the near future well seek your feedback (within reason) for the tool live. * * * Biden (D)(1): Biden Push for Labor Support Is Burdened by Obama-Era Baggage [New York Times]. [Biden] failed to fight for our priorities and stand up for the main reason we endorsed him card check, said Norwood Orrick, a telecom technician and member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in Tampa, Fla. It was discussed a lot in my immediate circles of activists.' Karma in this lifetime. Biden (D)(2): Iowa has been volatile for Biden. Can an electability argument save him at the end? [McClatchy]. Over the last year, Bidens campaign in Iowa has been sluggish, even by his allies admission, then revived, thanks in part to a successful December bus tour, and now threatened, by a late surge in support for Bernie Sanders. But with just days to go before the lead-off caucuses, Biden and his allies are relying on a blunt message of electability hopeful that the sizable chunk of undecided voters fixated on defeating Donald Trump will swing support to his campaign. But Bidens pitch could still make inroads with some key caucus-goers, most of whom have yet to definitively settle on a candidate: A CBS News poll of Iowa found only 35 percent of them say they have definitely made up their mind about whom to support. And many voters continue to say that electability is their most pressing concern in selecting a candidate. Only centrists are electable! Take John Kerry please! Biden (D)(3): As Biden Makes Push in Iowa, His Ground Game May Have Some Gaps [New York Times]. Dan Corken, one of Mr. Bidens most fervent volunteers, knocks on doors here, he is dubious about the candidates prospects just days out from Mondays caucuses. If you want to look at the Biden community in Dubuque, the average age is probably about 72, he said. Im having difficulties imagining some of the people Im talking to door-knocking getting out on February 3 in the cold to go caucus. As Mr. Corken approached the first house on a list of potential Biden backers on Tuesday, a volunteer for Bernie Sanders swooped in and planted two signs in the yard before Mr. Corken reached the door. Were all Bernie, a man at the door told Mr. Corken. The age of many Biden supporters could also prove detrimental: In 2016 only 28 percent of caucusgoers were over 65, Bloomberg (D)(1): You Think Trumps a Danger to Democracy? Get a Load of Bloomberg. [Daily Beast]. Already a modern-day Crassus, Bloomberg has both the wealth and the brains to emerge as a true Caesar, albeit a short-statured and aging one. Just as Caesar used the wealth of Gaul to finance his takeover of the Republic, Bloomberg can use his private fortune to bribe, cajole and otherwise promote his ascendancy. In his 12 years as ruler of New York, he showed his willingness to buy elective office, spending half a billion dollars on his three runs. To match the $174 per vote he spent to win his final term, Bloombergwhos has already spent $200 million on TV adswould need to spend an unheard of $12 billion. He could afford it. Bloomberg (D)(2): CBS Inks Deal For 30-Episode Bloomberg Ad [The Onion] I hope were still looking back on this and laughing a few years from now. UPDATE Klobuchar (D)(1): Klobuchar Called On To Suspend Campaign As Questions Swirl Around Myon Burrell Case [CBS Minnesota]. The Associated Press report published Tuesday, in collaboration with American Public Media, raised questions about the [Myon Burrell] convictions, saying that police relied on jailhouse informants who have since recanted their stories, adding that one man who is in prison confessed to the murder. Also noted was the lack of gun, fingerprint or DNA evidence. Klobuchars campaign says if there is new evidence it should be reviewed by the Hennepin County Attorney. Missed this on Tuesday. Sanders (D)(1): Sanders Team Weighing Executive Orders to Legalize Marijuana, Stop Trump Border Wall, Declare Climate Emergency, and More [Common Dreams]. The Washington Posts Jeff Stein, citing two anonymous people familiar with the campaigns plans and an internal document, reported Thursday that Sanders aides have presented the senator with a list of possible executive orders that would allow him to unilaterally: Declare a national climate emergency; Ban U.S. exports of crude oil; Import prescription drugs from Canada; Cancel federal contracts for companies that pay their workers less than $15 an hour; Direct the Department of Justice to legalize marijuana at the federal level; Reverse existing rules that bar the U.S. from funding organizations that provide abortion services; Immediately halt the construction of President Donald Trumps U.S.-Mexico border wall; Lift the cap on the number of refugees the U.S. accepts each year; and Release billions in disaster aid to Puerto Rico that the Trump administration has withheld. Picking out the White House drapes aspects aside, I think its important to send the signal now that Sanders will move aggressively; it raises the baseline for other candidates. That said, Im seeing a social-justice inflected laundry list; Im not seeing universal concrete material benefits (more money in your pocket), which would put the Sanders administration in the strongest possible position with working class voters (as opposed to Washington-based NGOs, however well-intentioned). How about an interest-free moratorium on student debt collection, for example? And I think importing prescription drugs from Canada is small ball. UPDATE Sanders (D)(2): Fact check: Is California putting Bernie Sanders at the bottom of its 2020 primary ballot? [Sacramento Bee]. Concerns Sanders is being deliberately placed at the bottom of California ballots, however, are unfounded and inaccurate The facts are that the names of candidates are listed in an order determined in December through a randomized alphabet selection process conducted by the Secretary of States Office. Twenty Democrats qualified for the ballot, including three candidates who dropped out of the 2020 race out after a Dec. 26 withdrawal deadline and one candidate who didnt file the necessary paperwork to take his name off the ballot. The randomized drawing rotates the 20 candidates by state Assembly district, meaning all candidates will appear both at the top and bottom of the ballot in four districts. UPDATE Sanders (D)(3): Bernie Sanders Is Getting a Ton of Endorsements From Musicians [Vice]. [A]rtists on the fringes of success have come out in droves to endorse the 78-year-old Vermont senator; earlier this month, a 20-song compilation from bands like Strange Ranger, Frankie Cosmos, Shady Bug, and many more was uploaded to Bandcamp with the proceeds directly supporting Sanders campaign. Those acts are just a small slice of the indie, D.I.Y., and working-class musicians who have recently voiced their support for the 2020 presidential election. Evan Weiss, whose pop-punk band Pet Symmetry opened a recent Iowa Sanders rally, told Mother Jones, Hes definitely the most punk-adjacent of the candidates. His messaging is all about community. It feels like hes one of us. Hell wax poetic about not being a Washington insider till the cows come home and that really resonates with us.' Punk-adjacent! Trump (R)(1): Trumpworld torn over running against Bernie [Politico]. The biggest fear about Sanders is that he could threaten the presidents monopoly on the outsider mantle in a way other Democrats in serious contention for the nomination cannot. Others express unease about Sanders energized following and worry that, as an unconventional, candidate he could inject an unpredictable dynamic into the contest. They, too, see potential parallels to Trump in 2016, when he attracted a wave of new voters. Trump (R)(2): Explaining the triumph of Trumps economic recklessness [Bruegel]. The Trump administrations economic policy is a strange cocktail: one part populist trade protectionism and industrial interventionism; one part classic Republican tax cuts skewed to the rich and industry-friendly deregulation; and one part Keynesian fiscal and monetary stimulus. But its the Keynesian part that delivers the kick. Making Obamas economic team look like the fools they were. Trump (R)(3): Life Expectancy Rises in U.S. for First Time in Four Years [Wall Street Journal]. U.S. life expectancy increased in 2018 for the first time in four years as deaths from drug overdoses dropped, according to government figures released Thursday. Lower mortality from cancer, accidents and unintentional injuries were the main reasons life expectancy ticked up in 2018. Trump (R)(4): One year inside Trumps monumental Facebook campaign [Guardian]. Over the course of 2019, the Trump campaign spent nearly $20m on more than 218,000 different Facebook ads, a new Guardian analysis shows. Among the ads were some of the images and videos that made front-page news for their xenophobic, fear-mongering, vitriolic and outright false rhetoric. But the campaign also ran a decidedly mundane social media campaign featuring classic marketing ploys designed to harvest user data. Considering the fact that the campaign has run these ads which are largely substance-free and appear designed to maximize engagement with simple requests over and over again, they were probably very effective. Warren (D)(1): Elizabeth Warren proposes criminal penalties for spreading voting disinformation online [CNBC]. With less than a week to go, this is the issue? Who does it appeal to? Clinton voters still upset about 2016? * * * UPDATE IA: What are the Iowa presidential caucuses and why are they so important to the 2020 election? [Los Angeles Times]. Maybe. But probably not. Among Democrats, the winner of the caucuses has won the nomination in seven out of the 10 contested races since 1972. But only two candidates Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama have gone on to win the White House. Among Republicans, the caucus winner has won the nomination in three of eight contested contests, but only won the White House once: George W. Bush in 2000. The caucuses definitely have had their moments, allowing candidates to prove their viability. Among the top examples is Obama in 2008. His ability to win the caucuses beating John Edwards and Hillary Clinton in an overwhelmingly white state helped dispel doubts that the United States could elect a black president. Lots of detail on how the caucus process works, plus detail on reforms made after 2016. 1. The Democratic nomination contest [Pew Research]. Looking at those same voters today, 43% of Democratic voters who consistently supported Clinton for the nomination in 2016 now support Biden. None of the other Democratic candidates garner more than 13% of this groups support for the nomination. Among those who consistently supported Sanders in 2016, 44% favor him for the nomination today, while 25% support Warren. And among the larger share of Democrats whose preferences were less consistent in late 2015 and early 2016, a third now support Biden, while 17% favor Warren and 13% back Sanders. To rig primary against Bernie, DNC chair Tom Perez nominates regime-change agents, Israel lobbyists, and Wall Street consultants https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/rubycramer/tom-perez-dnc-compensation > 2016 Post Mortem Hillary Clinton refuses to be served Tulsi Gabbards defamation lawsuit [New York Post]. Hillary Clinton has now twice snubbed a process server attempting to deliver the defamation lawsuit filed against her by Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard, according to Gabbards attorney. I find it rather unbelievable that Hillary Clinton is so intimidated by Tulsi Gabbard that she wont accept service of process, the congresswomans attorney, Brian Dunne, told The Post. But I guess here we are.' Try serving Clinton at brunch. Pollsters Iowa voters react to polling? Psych experimenter: Our cover story is rock-solid, undergrad research participants will never suspect the real intention of our study Research participants: pic.twitter.com/xjCjK04S83 Dan Quintana (@dsquintana) January 30, 2020 Impeachment Opinion: It looks like John Bolton isnt going to get his C-SPAN moment after all [Los Angeles Times]. In a huge win for the publishers of Boltons forthcoming book, Senate Republicans reportedly have lined up the votes to block Democrats from calling the former national security advisor or any other witnesses to testify at President Trumps impeachment trial. That vote is expected to happen Friday. So it must seem far more palatable for Republicans to explain to their constituents why Boltons testimony wouldnt have fundamentally changed the contours of the case. And that has the benefit of being true: Bolton would merely shore up an assertion that House Democrats have been treating as if it were already proved. The dubious impeachment proclamations of Alan Dershowitz: Jonathan Turley [USA Today]. I hold a different interpretation but not necessary a different ultimate conclusion from Dershowitz. I do not believe that the House managers have sufficiently rebutted the defense of the president and specifically established the necessary intent to hold the Ukrainian aid for solely political purposes (as opposed to a policy concern of corruption or sharing costs with allies). The fact is that there is a host of non-criminal acts that could not just put lives but the nation at risk. If those acts are committed for purely personal reasons, they can be impeachable. It is the most difficult type of impeachment to prove, particularly if you are not alleging collateral criminal acts. This is not just the narrowest presidential impeachment in history but the first to allege only non-criminal conduct. If there are other reasons for a president to have acted (even unwisely or catastrophically), a case for removal cannot be made. In other words, it is not impossible (as suggested by Dershowitz) but it is highly difficult when faced with countervailing reasons for the same conduct. Our Famously Free Press UPDATE MSNBCs Owners Shower Biden With Campaign Cash [Sludge]. A Sludge review of Federal Election Commission records shows Biden is the preferred candidate of the stations owners, the behemoth Comcast Corporation. Biden has received 17 large campaign contributions from executives and vice presidents at Comcast, including eight for the legal maximum of $2,800. Of all the other candidates still in the race, only South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg has received any Comcast executive contributionsButtigieg received a single contribution from Comcast Managing Director Amy Banse. In addition, Comcasts top lobbyist, David Cohen, co-hosted Bidens kick-off fundraiser in April and he is listed as a bundler for the campaign, meaning that he has collected at least $25,000 in contributions from others for Biden. No wonder they pay Rachel so much. Realignment and Legitimacy CA: 6 Ways to Vote for Bernie in the CA Primary [GoogleDocs]. Or anybody. Its complicated. UPDATE Election Meltdown Is A Real Possibility In 2020 Presidential Race, Author Warns [NPR]. The American public is going to be really sick and tired of the 2020 election by the time we get to November, and theyre going to want an instant result. And yet the people need to be prepared that its going to take a week or two. So thats, I think, at the top of the list for the news media. Scam PAC fundraisers reap millions in the name of heart-tugging causes [Reuters]. From unmarked strip-mall offices in small-town Alabama, the calls go out across the United States, meant to talk people into giving money for heart-tugging causes like helping breast cancer patients or the widows of fallen police officers. Even as they charmed millions from credulous donors, a dozen former callers for two major fundraisers told Reuters that they knew their companies would be keeping the vast majority of it. And the groups they were raising money for werent charities at all, but political action committees, which normally are set up to gather funds for candidates or political causes. The motto was, Leave your morals at the door, said Alexander Lefler, 21, who worked for nearly a year at a call center southeast of Birmingham, Alabama, describing what he saw as high-pressure and deceptive tactics. We kind of all understood what we were doing was wrong, but I needed a place to live.' Precarity. Stats Watch Construction: AIA Projects Slowing Growth in Nonresidential Construction in 2020 and 2021 [Architect Magazine]. The broader economy is expected to continue to see slower growth this year, but the number of potential trouble spots seems to be diminishing, said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, Hon. AIA, PhD. Revenue trends at architecture firms saw an uptick in the fourth quarter last year, which suggests construction spending will continue to see growth in the coming quarters.' Tech: After meager 2019, Samsungs modest chip recovery outlook falls flat [Reuters]. But in a guarded outlook, the worlds biggest memory chip and smartphone maker said on Thursday it couldnt rule out the possibility that demand growth may be curbed amid lingering tensions on U.S.-China trade and looming fears of the economic impact of the new coronavirus outbreak in China and beyond. Manufacturing: Boeing Co. packed a planeload of bleak financial news into a single earnings report but the impact on its suppliers is likely only beginning. The aircraft manufacturer posted a full-year loss of $636 million and says the costs from the 737 MAX crisis have climbed above $19 billion [Wall Street Journal]. The company is cutting production of its wide-body 787 Dreamliner for a second time, hitting more suppliers in a field already stung by the fallout from the MAX suspension. Boeings 777X jet, which flew for the first time last weekend, is behind schedule, and deliveries arent due to start until next year. That could force a cut in output of the existing 777 model. Manufacturing: Exclusive: Do or die Nissan takes the axe to the house Ghosn built [Reuters]. Nissan is planning aggressive cost cuts to deal with an unexpected slump in sales as the expansionist strategy it inherited from fugitive former Chairman Carlos Ghosn flounders. Japans second biggest carmaker is set to eliminate at least 4,300 white-collar jobs and shut two manufacturing sites as part of broader plans to add at least 480 billion yen ($4.4 billion) to its bottom line by 2023, two of the people told Reuters. The moves come on top of a turnaround plan unveiled in July and are likely to include cutting Nissans range of cars and the array of product options and trims in each line, slashing jobs mostly at head offices in the United States and Europe, and reducing advertising and marketing budgets, they said. The situation is dire. Its do or die, a person close to Nissans senior management and the companys board told Reuters. The Fed: A Nothingburger Snoozefest From the Fed. Should We Be Worried? [Bloomberg]. In my experience covering FOMC meetings, I can only think of one that was duller. That was the meeting overseen by Ben Bernanke in May 2006. However, we should never ignore the Fed completely. Back in May 2006, it seemed truly to be on autopilot. But we now know that U.S. house prices were about to peak in the next month, while credit markets were boiling up. By making life so predictable for markets, the Fed had created the conditions for complacency and excessive speculation. This is a grab-bag of a column, with a lot of interesting stuff. For example, Mexican border factories were winners from the U.S. v. China trade war! * * * Todays Fear & Greed Index: 56 Greed (previous close: 53 Neutral) [CNN]. One week ago: 74 (Greed). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Jan 28 at 12:59pm. The Biosphere US Household Carbon Footprint (map) [Decolonial Atlas]. While population density contributes to relatively low household carbon footprint in the central cities of large metropolitan areas, the more extensive suburbanization in these regions contributes to an overall net increase in household carbon footprint compared to smaller metropolitan areas. Suburbs alone account for 50% of total U.S. household carbon footprint. Guardian to ban advertising from fossil fuel firms [Guardian]. The Guardian will no longer accept advertising from oil and gas companies, becoming the first major global news organisation to institute an outright ban on taking money from companies that extract fossil fuels. The move, which follows efforts to reduce the companys carbon footprint and increase reporting on the climate emergency, was announced on Wednesday and will be implemented with immediate effect. The ban will apply to any business primarily involved in extracting fossil fuels, including many of the worlds largest polluter. Good. One can only hope that our own newspapers follow suit. Everyones Favorite Climate Solution Has a Fire Problem [Bloomberg]. Plunging prices and intensifying efforts to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions have touched off a battery boom. Energy companies are plugging more battery packs into the grid as a way to store renewable power and replace fossil-fuel plants. Megaprojects are becoming the norm. Last year, regulators approved a battery installation in New York City that will be big enough to power 250,000 homes for eight hours. Developers near Las Vegas plan a similarly huge system to store energy from a 690-megawatt solar plant. But the April explosion in Arizona illustrated a lingering problem that has long dogged lithium-ion batteries: fires that can be difficult to douse. In South Korea, a global leader in battery manufacturing and adoption, there have been at least 23 fires over a roughly two-year period. Worlds largest solar telescope takes its first shot [Science]. This new close-up of the turbulent boiling plasma of the solar surface is the debut image of the largest telescope ever built for staring at the Sun. Sporting a 4-meter-wide mirrortwice the size of any existing solar scopeand a vantage point 3000 meters up on the summit of Haleakala on the Hawaiian island of Mauithe Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) will reveal unprecedented detail of processes that channel energy from the Suns interior into its atmosphere, the corona. Researchers hope that by zooming in on cell-like structures like those shown aboveeach about the size of Texasthey can learn what causes the Sun to launch powerful flares out into space. Pass the popcorn: The hunt for a healthy microbiome [Nature]. What does a healthy forest look like? A seemingly thriving, verdant wilderness can conceal signs of pollution, disease or invasive species. Only an ecologist can spot problems that could jeopardize the long-term well-being of the entire ecosystem. Microbiome researchers grapple with the same problem. Disruptions to the community of microbes living in the human gut can contribute to the risk and severity of a host of medical conditions. Accordingly, many scientists have become accomplished bacterial naturalists, labouring to catalogue the startling diversity of these commensal communities. Some 5001,000 bacterial species reside in each persons intestinal tract, alongside an undetermined number of viruses, fungi and other microbes. Health Care News you can use: And here is the National Geographic article from which the chart was taken. Social ties and susceptibility to the common cold. [JAMA]. n = 276 . From 1997, still germane: [T]hose with more types of social ties were less susceptible to common colds, produced less mucus, were more effective in ciliary clearance of their nasal passages, and shed less virus. These relationships were unaltered by statistical controls for prechallenge virus-specific antibody, virus type, age, sex, season, body mass index, education, and race. Susceptibility to colds decreased in a dose-response manner with increased diversity of the social network. There was an adjusted relative risk of 4.2 comparing persons with fewest (1 to 3) to those with most (6 or more) types of social ties. Although smoking, poor sleep quality, alcohol abstinence, low dietary intake of vitamin C, elevated catecholamine levels, and being introverted were all associated with greater susceptibility to colds, they could only partially account for the relation between social network diversity and incidence of colds. More diverse social networks were associated with greater resistance to upper respiratory illness. Rhino viruses, not corona viruses; perhaps that makes a difference. That said, some ironies: First, the recommendation to fight #2019-nCoV by increasing social distance (whether person-to-person, or nation-to-nation) would seem to decrease our resistance to the next outbreak, no matter what it may be. Second, it seems not to have been predicted that globalization, as a function of neoliberalism, would end up atomizing people even more than they already are. Short mass tourism, amusement parks, malls; go long VR, AR, digital entertainment, and so forth. What a nauseating prospect for a fundamentally social species. * * * Block grants no more: Trumps Medicaid overhaul has new name, same goals [Politico]. The Trump administration will rebrand its Medicaid block grant program and look to safeguard the policy against an expected wave of legal challenges from patient advocates, according to two officials with knowledge of the plan set for release Thursday. The forthcoming block grant program comes with a new name Healthy Adult Opportunity but retains the original mission long sought by conservatives: allowing states to cap a portion of their spending on Medicaid, a radical change in how the safety net health program is financed. The block grant plan, which invites states to request capped funding for poor adults covered by Obamacares Medicaid expansion, also would let states limit health benefits and drugs available to some patients. Medicaid advocates already have vowed to make the block grant an issue in this years election, particularly after President Donald Trump repeatedly pledged to protect Medicaid during his 2016 campaign. Democrats have also long warned the Trump administration that they would vigorously oppose any effort to cap Medicaid spending after Congress rejected the idea during the failed effort to replace Obamacare. Im a-skeered! Black Injustice Tipping Point The Emancipatory Past and Future of Black Politics [Jacobin (NippersMom)]. A multidimensional assessment of both historical and contemporary black political developments is needed for our current moment. A social democratic current is roaring back onto the political scene. A political revolution of the type Bernie Sanders envisions would necessarily involve rebuilding a viable working-class political project among millions of black people. It is with this task in mind that we should review the triumphs and limitations of the past. Guillotine Watch Yusaku Maezawa: Japanese billionaire cancels search for moon trip life partner' [BBC (NippersMom)]. Fashion mogul Yusaku Maezawa invited single women over the age of 20 to apply for a match-making event. Almost 28,000 applied, but on Thursday he said he was experiencing mixed feelings and pulled out of the search. Maezawa: To think that 27,722 women with earnest intentions and courage had used their precious time to apply makes me feel extremely remorseful to conclude and inform everyone [of] this selfish decision of mine.' What an odd statement from a billionaire. Perhaps I should stay the guillotine blades descent? Class Warfare The New Majority Behind Sex Work Decriminalization [The New Republic]. A good summary of current social justice thinking, which, oddly, or not, seems not to consider economic aspects at all. Minimum wage would be $33 today if it grew like Wall Street bonuses have [CBS]. Wall Street employees saw their typical annual bonus slip by 17 percent last year to $153,700, according to new data from the New York State Comptroller. But dont feel sorry for the banking set just yet even including down years like 2018, bankers bonuses have jumped by 1,000 percent since 1985. By comparison, the federal minimum wage has increased about 116 percent during the same period, according to an analysis from the Institute for Policy Studies, a left-leaning research center that used the comptrollers latest data. If the minimum wage had grown at the same pace as Wall Street bonuses, fast-food workers and other low-wage workers would earn a baseline wage of $33.51 an hour, the group said. Membership Levels and Fees [Unicode Consortium]. The spectrum of emotions that can be expressed on the Internet through emojis is determined by players who pay big bucks to do so. News of the Wired Emotional expressions in human and non-human great apes [Science Direct]. Humans and great apes are highly social species, and encounter conspecifics throughout their daily lives. During social interactions, they exchange information about their emotional states via expressions through different modalities including the face, body and voice. In this regard, their capacity to express emotions, intentionally or unintentionally, is crucial for them to successfully navigate their social worlds and to bond with group members [W]hile showing deep evolutionary homologies across closely related species, emotional expressions show relevant species variation. If a lion could speak, we could not understand him. Wittgenstein. Long-term follow-up of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for psychiatric and existential distress in patients with life-threatening cancer [Journal of Psychopharmacology]. n=16. From the abstract: A recently published randomized controlled trial compared single-dose psilocybin with single-dose niacin in conjunction with psychotherapy in participants with cancer-related psychiatric distress. Reductions in anxiety, depression, hopelessness, demoralization, and death anxiety were sustained at the first and second follow-ups. Within-group effect sizes were large. At the second (4.5 year) follow-up approximately 6080% of participants met criteria for clinically significant antidepressant or anxiolytic responses. Participants overwhelmingly (71100%) attributed positive life changes to the psilocybin-assisted therapy experience and rated it among the most personally meaningful and spiritually significant experiences of their lives. Thats why its illegal. Today I Learned That Not Everyone Has An Internal Monologue And It Has Ruined My Day. [Inside My Mind]. My day was completely ruined yesterday when I stumbled upon a fun fact that absolutely obliterated my mind. I saw this tweet yesterday that said that not everyone has an internal monologue in their head. All my life, I could hear my voice in my head and speak in full sentences as if I was talking out loud. I thought everyone experienced this, so I did not believe that it could be true at that time. I dont. Readers? * * * Readers, feel free to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, with (a) links, and even better (b) sources I should curate regularly, (c) how to send me a check if you are allergic to PayPal, and (d) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi and coral are deemed to be honorary plants! If you want your handle to appear as a credit, please place it at the start of your mail in parentheses: (thus). Otherwise, I will anonymize by using your initials. See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) here. Todays plant (BR): BR writes: A photo of Truckee River with fall colors. Readers may remember that, as a New Englander, I had thought, wrongly, that fall colors shared the same palette throughout the country. * * * : Water Cooler is a standalone entity not covered by the annual NC fundraiser. So if you see a link you especially like, or an item you wouldnt see anywhere else, please do not hesitate to express your appreciation in tangible form. Remember, a tip jar is for tipping! Regular positive feedback both makes me feel good and lets me know Im on the right track with coverage. When I get no donations for five or ten days I get worried. More tangibly, a constant trickle of donations helps me with expenses, and I factor in that trickle when setting fundraising goals: Here is the screen that will appear, which I have helpfully annotated. If you hate PayPal, you can email me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I will give you directions on how to send a check. Thank you! The Organisation for National Ex-Servicemen (ONE) says there are at least 65 homeless Defence Forces veterans in the country and is trying to provide them with a roof over their heads. ONE chief executive Ollie O'Connor said the vast majority of them are in the greater Dublin area, but there are also at least eight in Cork City. Mr O'Connor said the figure of 65 was the number they knew about "but the true figure could be considerably higher". "There are a lot of things that contribute to them being homeless. These could range from breakups of relationships to addiction, but we're beginning to see PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) even more," Mr O'Connor said. Also, he said the age profile of homeless veterans is dropping all the time, especially in Dublin. "It's shocking to see even younger people coming to us, some are as young as 35," Mr O'Connor said. ONE currently has three residential hostels. One is a 35-bed unit in Dublin, while the other two in Letterkenny, Co Donegal and Athlone, Co Westmeath, have seven beds each. The organisation also has 11 veteran support 'drop-in centres' around the country and Mr O'Connor said they hope to increase this to 15 by the end of this year. Plans are in place to provide residential accommodation at a new centre which ONE is hoping to open in Cobh, Co Cork. ONE has acquired a lease on a building at 8 Harbour Row in Cobh from the OPW for a new centre. Cobh was picked because it is close to the Naval Service headquarters on Haulbowline Island and there are many navy veterans living in the town who would be willing to help. "We are planning to move into it in March. We have plans drawn up for its refurbishment and we would hope to have it up and running within six months," Mr O'Connor said. He said ONE had set up a temporary veterans' support centre at Collins Barracks, Cork, and hoped to have a permanent residential centre opened close to the barracks sometime next year or by early 2022. Mr O'Connor said the Dublin hostel receives financial backing from the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive. The Department of Finance has given ONE 100,000 per year for the last two years and the government has also agreed to give it 50,000 per year over the next three years from dormant accounts. However, Mr O'Connor said while very welcome it simply isn't enough to keep the supports they provide going. "The public is the backbone of what we do. We rely on them for fundraising," he said. In terms of the Cobh development, Mr O'Connor said ONE had about two-thirds of the funding needed in place. "We will need to fundraise locally to get the remainder," he said. (Bloomberg) -- Frances cybersecurity chief said his agency hasnt uncovered any evidence of Huawei Technologies Co. spying via Europes communications networks, shrugging off U.S. and German concerns. Guillaume Poupard, the head of the national cybersecurity agency ANSSI, spoke following reports of a U.S. document transmitted to Germany, citing evidence of Huawei spying through its equipment. There is no Huawei smoking gun as of today in Europe, Poupard said in an interview with Bloomberg News. There is no situation with Huawei being caught massively spying in Europe. Elsewhere maybe its different, but not in Europe. Intelligence agencies and companies have been warning about the dangers of equipment from Chinas Huawei for nearly a decade. The Shenzhen-based giant has always denied that its products posed any kind of security threat. The U.S. government has recently put pressure on its allies to avoid using the Chinese gear makers equipment in their 5G infrastructure. Poupard acknowledged that Huawei may have held discussions with the Chinese state, but noted that Chinese national security laws require all local organizations to cooperate with the national intelligence service. The fact that Huawei discusses with the Chinese state, its normal, he said. Its a Chinese company, and the law forces them to. Its no use reproaching them for that; we just have to include that as an existing setting. Huawei said the companys relationship with the Chinese government is no different from any other private company operating in China. We have never received any order from the Chinese government in the last 30 years, it said. Huawei is a 100% privately owned company. Germanys spy chief has previously said Huawei cant fully be trusted. A Handelsblatt report this week cited a classified note from the German Foreign Office that stated that last year it received intelligence from the U.S. of Huawei cooperating with Chinas security agencies. Story continues Bloomberg reported last year that from 2009 to 2011, Vodafone Group Plc one of the worlds most powerful and far-reaching telecom companies found vulnerabilities that could have given Huawei access to its fixed-line network in Italy, according to security briefing documents from the London-based company. Vodafone Group Plc says the issues were resolved. In May, the Dutch newspaper Volkskrant reported an alleged Huawei backdoor in the network of a major telecoms firm in the Netherlands. It said the Dutch intelligence service, the AIVD, was probing whether the breach had enabled spying by the Chinese government. The European Union, as well as the U.K., have this week unveiled their recommendations for regulating equipment for future 5G communication networks. French rules stipulate that non-European actors wont be allowed in core networks, and also in certain cities, including Paris. French and European regulations never name Huawei in their public documentation. Huawei is currently suing critics in France who alleged it has ties to the Chinese state. In March last year it filed three defamation claims in Paris over comments made during television programs by a French researcher, a broadcast journalist and a telecommunications sector expert. (Updates with Huawei comment in seventh-eighth paragraphs) To contact the reporter on this story: Helene Fouquet in Paris at hfouquet1@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Giles Turner at gturner35@bloomberg.net, Vidya Root 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. Priyanka Chopra is known to make headlines with her outfits at international events and it was no different at the Grammys a few days ago. Unlike her Met Gala dress that was among the most popular moments for meme makers, the actors Ralph & Russo gown, this time, attracted criticism from one section. This included Wendell Rodricks, who stated that the dress was not for her and mocked her plunging navel-revealing neckline as going from Cuba to LA. READ: Wendell Rodricks Slammed For Pathetic Age-shaming Of Priyanka Chopra's Bold Grammy Gown Suchitra Krishnamoorthi did not take too kindly to the fashion designers remark as many came out in support of the Desi Girl for her choice of dress. The actor wrote she was upset with Wendells post, and termed Priyanka as beautiful and rockstar. Sharing how she became a fan of PeeCee, Suchitra was so inspired that that she said shed flaunt her flabby baby stretch marks with confidence. Later, Wendell deleted one of his posts and posted a lengthy clarification over it. He stated that he had not body shamed Priyanka, but had dressed shamed her. He further said that the dress was wrong for her and that there was an age to wear some clothes. READ:Priyanka Chopra To Sunny Leone: Celebrity-inspired Slip Dresses To Wear For Any Party Suchitra was not pleased with his defence either and termed it as funny. She quipped over his not body shaming comment and called it age shaming. The actor concluded by saying shame shame. Heres the post READ:Priyanka Chopra, Kriti Sanon, Alia Bhatt Will Teach You How To Ace The Blazer Dress Right READ:Priyanka Chopra's NET WORTH After Her Grammys 2020 Appearance Is Shocking; Read Details Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment. As part of a $200 million investment from First State Super to address the issue of key worker affordable housing in Australia, the Fund has announced the acquisition of 55 new units, 6km from the CBD. This brings the Funds total commitment to affordable housing to nearly $200 million in NSW and Victoria; believed to be the largest investment in key worker affordable housing by any institutional investor in Australia. Victorian Minister for Housing, the Honourable Richard Wynne MP, joined First State Super CEO Deanne Stewart and several healthcare industry representatives for the first official tour of the Moonee Ponds development on 30 January. Mr Wynne congratulated First State Super for its efforts to address the affordable housing pressure facing many key workers. The rental properties will be available for key workers (healthcare, aged care, disability services, teachers, law enforcement, emergency services, childcare and associated industries) to rent at 80 per cent of the market rate for the area and boast short commutes to several leading Melbourne hospitals and schools. Nine out of every 10 hospital workers in Melbourne live more than 4 kilometres from their work and face an average commute time of 47 minutes, 32 per cent longer than the state average. For health and social service workers in Melbourne, that commute time increases to 56 minutes, 38 per cent longer than the state average for their industry. First State Super has for some time been investigating how we can be part of the solution to the housing affordability issues many members and other key workers who care for and protect our community, face in cities such as Sydney and Melbourne. We now have four other similar investments in NSW and will shortly commence construction on our next project in Miranda NSW. Located in the leafy suburb of Moonee Ponds, the new apartments are in close proximity of major health facilities including Royal Melbourne Hospital, Royal Children's Hospital, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Royal Womens Hospital; as well as 15 primary and secondary schools. In addition to the new Moonee Ponds investment, First State Super has purchased 35 residential units located in Hurstville (15km from CBD), 17 residential units located in Waterloo (4km from CBD), 61 residential units in Epping (22km from CBD), and 35 residential units in Northmead (27km from CBD) across NSW. Goddard engineer Tom Grubb manipulates a 3D simulation that animated the speed and direction of four million stars in the local Milky Way neighborhood. Goddard astronomer Marc Kuchner and researcher Susan Higashio used the virtual reality program, PointCloudsVR, designed by primary software developer Matthew Brandt, to obtain a new perspective on the stars' motions. The simulation helped them classify star groupings. Credits: NASA/Chris Gunn NASA scientists using virtual reality technology are redefining our understanding about how our galaxy works. Using a customized, 3D virtual reality (VR) simulation that animated the speed and direction of 4 million stars in the local Milky Way neighborhood, astronomer Marc Kuchner and researcher Susan Higashio obtained a new perspective on the stars' motions, improving our understanding of star groupings. Astronomers have come to different conclusions about the same groups of stars from studying them in six dimensions using paper graphs, Higashio said. Groups of stars moving together indicate to astronomers that they originated at the same time and place, from the same cosmic event, which can help us understand how our galaxy evolved. Goddard's virtual reality team, managed by Thomas Grubb, animated those same stars, revolutionizing the classification process and making the groupings easier to see, Higashio said. They found stars that may have been classified into the wrong groups as well as star groups that could belong to larger groupings. Kuchner presented the findings at the annual American Geophysical Union (AGU) conference in early December 2019. Kuchner and Higashio, both at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, plan to publish a paper on their findings next year, along with engineer Matthew Brandt, the architect for the PointCloudsVR simulation they used. "Rather than look up one database and then another database, why not fly there and look at them all together," Higashio said. She watched these simulations hundreds, maybe thousands of times, and said the associations between the groups of stars became more intuitive inside the artificial cosmos found within the VR headset. Observing stars in VR will redefine astronomer's understanding of some individual stars as well as star groupings. The 3D visualization helped her and Kuchner understand how the local stellar neighborhood formed, opening a window into the past, Kuchner said. "We often find groups of young stars moving together, suggesting that they all formed at the same time," Kuchner said. "The thinking is they represent a star-formation event. They were all formed in the same place at the same time and so they move together." "Planetariums are uploading all the databases they can get their hands on and they take people through the cosmos," Kuchner added. "Well, I'm not going to build a planetarium in my office, but I can put on a headset and I'm there." Realizing a Vision The discovery realized a vision for Goddard Chief Technologist Peter Hughes, who saw the potential of VR to aid in scientific discovery when he began funding engineer Thomas Grubb's VR project more than three years ago under the center's Internal Research and Development (IRAD) program and NASA's Center Innovation Fund [CuttingEdge, Summer 2017]. "All of our technologies enable the scientific exploration of our universe in some way," Hughes said. "For us, scientific discovery is one of the most compelling reason to develop an AR/VR capability." The PointCloudsVR software has been officially released and open sourced on NASA's Github site: https://github.com/nasa/PointCloudsVR Scientific discovery isn't the only beneficiary of Grubb's lab. The VR and augmented reality (AR) worlds can help engineers across NASA and beyond, Grubb said. VR puts the viewer inside a simulated world, while AR overlays computer-generated information onto the real world. Since the first "viable" headsets came on the market in 2016, Grubb said his team began developing solutions, like the star-tracking world Kuchner and Higashio explored, as well as virtual hands-on applications for engineers working on next-generation exploration and satellite servicing missions. Engineering Applications Grubb's VR/AR team is now working to realize the first intra-agency virtual reality meet-ups, or design reviews, as well as supporting missions directly. His clients include the Restore-L project that is developing a suite of tools, technologies, and techniques needed to extend satellites' lifespans, the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) mission, and various planetary science projects. "The hardware is here; the support is here," Grubb said. "The software is lagging, as well as conventions on how to interact with the virtual world. You don't have simple conventions like pinch and zoom or how every mouse works the same when you right click or left click." That's where Grubb's team comes in, he said. To overcome these usability issues, the team created a framework called the Mixed Reality Engineering Toolkit and is training groups on how to work with it. MRET, which is currently available for government agencies, assists in science-data analysis and enables VR-based engineering design: from concept designs for CubeSats to simulated hardware integration and testing for missions and in-orbit visualizations like the one for Restore-L. For engineers and mission and spacecraft designers, VR offers cost savings in the design/build phase before they build physical mockups, Grubb said. "You still have to build mockups, but you can work out a lot of the iterations before you move to the physical model," he said. "It's not really sexy to the average person to talk about cable routing, but to an engineer, being able to do that in a virtual environment and know how much cabling you need and what the route looks like, that's very exciting." In a mockup of the Restore-L spacecraft, for example, Grubb showed how the VR simulation would allow an engineer to "draw" a cable path through the instruments and components, and the software provides the cable length needed to follow that path. Tool paths to build, repair, and service hardware can also be worked out virtually, down to whether or not the tool will fit and be useable in confined spaces. In addition, Grubb's team worked with a team from NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, this past summer to work out how to interact with visualizations over NASA's communication networks. This year, they plan to enable people at Goddard and Langley to fully interact with the visualization. "We'll be in the same environment and when we point at or manipulate something in the environment, they'll be able to see that," Grubb said. Augmented Science -- a Better Future For Kuchner and Higashio, the idea of being able to present their findings within a shared VR world was exciting. And like Grubb, Kuchner believes VR headsets will be a more common science tool in the future. "Why shouldn't that be a research tool that's on the desk of every astrophysicist," he said. "I think it's just a matter of time before this becomes commonplace." Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. By PTI JAIPUR: Bureaucrat-turned-activist Kannan Gopinathan on Wednesday slammed the 'combination' and the 'chronology' of the CAA, NPR and NRC, saying their implementation will contribute to corruption and hatred in the country. "The CAA, NPR and NRC are exercises of hatred, exercises of corruption," he told reporters here. The farther the process continues, the more hatred it will create, he added. Gopinathan quit the IAS last year, saying the people of Jammu and Kashmir were being denied freedom of expression after the abrogation of the special status for the state under Article 370. On Wednesday, he claimed that there has been no substantial change in the situation in J&K. "The CAA is against constitutional and secular values and, therefore, the people are opposing it," he said, criticising the amended citizenship law. He also criticised the planned implementation of the National Population Register (NPR) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). "The NPR and the NRC are document-based exercises which are against the poor, tribals and women, and will also encourage corruption," he said. "The people have understood the combination of CAA, NPR and NRC and the chronology of implementing the decisions." The former bureaucrat suggested that "a section of the people" may be helped by the CAA while others could be termed "intruders" if they do not produce the required documents during the NPR and NRC exercises. The CAA fast-tracks citizenship for Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Christians, Parsis and Buddhists who entered the country before 2015 from three neighbouring countries following religious prosecution. Muslims don't figure in the list. Gopinathan said the people and different state governments have indicated their opposition to the CAA, NPR and NRC, and it is now for the Centre to take a call on the issue. He questioned the reasoning behind choosing only three neighbouring countries -- Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan -- and making religion the basis for granting citizenship, which he said was against constitutional values. Gopinathan said people who question the government are being targeted and given "tags". "If an urban intellectual raises a question, he is called an urban naxal. Students are called `tukde tukde gang'. If he is a Muslim, he is termed a terrorist. If poor, he is called a Maoist and if a Hindu poses a question, he is called anti-national," he said. He said the Centre took the decision on Article 370 without any consultation with the Kashmiri people and deprived them of their freedom of expression. "There was an awful silence over the issue and therefore I decided to quit. We should have stood by the Kashmiri people," he said. Gopinathan said the country's economy suffered at a time when the government is focusing on issues which spread hatred and violence. He said nothing has changed substantially in J&K after the government's decision on Article 370, and compared the situation with that in "Sudan or Syria". "Leaders are in jail without being charged. Even habeas corpus petitions are not being listed," he alleged. He said instead of accepting his resignation, the government issued him a memo which said that by talking to the media he had created an adverse image of the country and the government. He claimed that the government wants to dismiss him instead of accepting his resignation. Later, Gopinathan attended an event organised by civil rights organisation PUCL against the CAA. In his tweets earlier, the ex-bureaucrat has accused the Uttar Pradesh government of stopping him from attending similar programmes in that state. (Newser) Russia has closed its 2,615-mile border with China, the first human-to-human transmissions have been confirmed in the US and Europe, the number of cases hit 8,249 and the death toll hit 171, and India and the Philippines reported their first cases. Those are just some of Thursday's updates on the Wuhan coronavirus: CNN reports 7,000 people are being held on a Costa Cruises ship in a port near Rome while a Hong Kong couple, who boarded the cruise ship in Italy after arriving from Macau, are being tested for the virus. The woman, 54, developed a fever and breathing difficulties Wednesday night, Fox News and USA Today report; the ship was on a tour of the western Mediterranean and had already visited Spain. The ship is now docked at Civitavecchia port near Rome, and the cruise line says no one will be allowed to leave until the couple tests negative. story continues below If they're positive, cruise passengers could be quarantined for up to two weeks. Just 10 cases of the virus have been confirmed in the semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong, where the government has closed a high-speed rail station that typically connects the city to mainland China. Meanwhile, the US commerce secretary was on Fox Business Channel Thursday noting that while he didn't "want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease," he believes the coronavirus "will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America." That's because companies will want to move operations away from hard-hit locales, says Wilbur Ross. Also Thursday: The World Health Organization met yet again and this time decided to declare the coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern, NPR reports. (Read more coronavirus stories.) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram Vilnius, Lithuania, January 30, 2020 Russian authorities should immediately lift the ban imposed on journalist Taras Ibragimov and allow him to freely report in Crimea, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On January 18, officers of the Russian Federal Security Service denied Ibragimov, a Ukrainian national and freelance reporter for the U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, entry to the Crimea peninsula and gave him a written notice saying he was barred from entering Russia until May 31, 2054, according to a report by his employer. Ibragimov is a reporter for RFE/RLs Crimea Realities project, which reports critically on the region, according to RFE/RL. Russia has enforced its laws in Crimea since annexing the territory in 2014, according to news reports. Ibragimov, who is based in Kyiv, told CPJ in a phone call that the ban is related to my journalistic activities, and said he plans to file an appeal. Authorities in Russian-occupied Crimea seem intent on importing Russias harsh attitude toward the press into the disputed territory, said Gulnoza Said, CPJs Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, in New York. Journalists including Taras Ibragimov should be free to travel to Crimea to report on the situation there. If they are not, we can only assume Russia has something to hide. According to the notice given to him by the Federal Security Service agents, Ibragimov is accused of having worked illegally in Russia while he was reporting in Crimea, RFE/RL reported. He received the notice while attempting to enter Crimea through a border crossing in Ukraines southern Kherson region, he said. He told CPJ that, while he has reported on sensitive issues in Crimea, he always tried to be objective and said there was nothing radical in the stories he published in RFE/RL. CPJ called and emailed the Federal Security Service office in Crimea, but did not receive any response. In 2017, Russian authorities forced Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and its individual services, including Crimea Realities, to register as agents of foreign governments, according to the Russian Justice Ministrys website. Earlier that year, the U.S. government required Russian government-funded media to similarly register in the United States, according to CPJ reporting. At least four Crimean journalists were detained for their work in the region as of December 1, 2019, according to CPJs most recent prison census. A father has revealed his heartbreak after his partner abducted their eight-year-old child and fled the country. Christian Penwill, 43, has not seen his daughter Nina for more than a year since she was taken from his home in Brighton. Her mother Inesa Ivanova is believed to have left the UK for her native Lithuania with the child on January 23 last year, and a European Arrest Warrant has now been issued on grounds of child abduction. Nina's name and her mother's have been put on an international watch list in the hope they can be located. Now, more than 12 months after Nina went missing, Mr Penwell has been granted special permission to speak to the press about his daughter's abduction in the hope of finding her. Christian Penwill, 43, has not seen his daughter Nina for more than a year since she was taken from his home in Brighton He said: 'It's like a trauma, almost like a bereavement. I have a hole I can't fill. 'Someone knows where she is. She was removed from my house in November 2018 without me knowing. 'I came home from a weekend away and she had gone. I contacted Sussex Police. It is now with Interpol. 'Her name is flagged so if she goes through a port or airport she should be found, but you can move freely across lots of Europe without having to show a passport. Her mother Inesa Ivanova is believed to have left the UK for her native Lithuania with the child on January 23 last year, and a European Arrest Warrant has now been issued on grounds of child abduction 'People assume she's with her mother so must be safe. But to remove a child from her home and go on the run isn't thinking clearly is it?' Mr Penwill has been battling for a year to try to find his daughter and have her brought home. He said his life had been put on hold by the search for his child and his daughter's friends were desperate for her to be returned. He said: 'She was a super baby and then a very friendly and happy little girl. Sensitive, like most kids. 'She had a huge group of friends and was very active. 'She loved to ride her bike and was always talking about horses - I don't know where that came from. 'She was a really happy little girl, very well liked and we had a large community of friends in Brighton. 'To start with I had to convince myself it was like she was on holiday, but the last six months have been the worst. 'I have supportive family and friends but nothing helps. 'She was a really happy little girl, very well liked and we had a large community of friends in Brighton,' Mr Penwill said 'Everywhere I go in Brighton, If I walk past the Level or down The Lanes I can burst into tears. 'If I just hear a tiny bit of music or walk past the Flour Pot where we used to go for hot chocolate - there's constant reminders wherever I go. 'I used to have a social circle of parents at the school. 'That camaraderie around drop off times, people are still there but they don't know what to say.' Just over a week ago Nina turned eight without her father to wish her a happy birthday. A spokeswoman for Sussex Police said: 'On January 24, 2019, we received a report that a girl then aged seven (now eight) living in Brighton had been taken out of the UK without the authority of her father and in contravention of Family Court Orders on 6 December 2018 and 22 January 2019, prohibiting her from being taken out of the UK. 'Our enquiries showed that the girl had left the UK on 23 January. 'A European Arrest Warrant (EAW) has been granted by Brighton magistrates for the arrest of a named person on a charge of child abduction. 'So far the person has not been traced and is not believed to have returned to the UK since January 2019. 'There is no suggestion at this time that the child in question is at any known risk of harm.' Anyone with information is advised to contact Sussex Police online or by calling 101, quoting serial 1181 of 23/10/18. Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion at 9 AM. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times. Money grows if invested in Gujarat, says CM Vijay Rupani Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani spoke to Smriti Kak Ramachandran about key schemes during his term, challenges such as malnutrition, and the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests in Delhi and other states. Read more Prices of three key vegetables unlikely to go down for now Will the production of potato, onion and tomato, which together account for 44% of the typical household budget for vegetables, show an improvement in 2019-20 over 2018-19? Read more In Finally Free, Asia Bibi recounts arrest, prison days, relief of release Recounting the hellish conditions of eight years spent on death row on blasphemy charges but also the pain of exile, Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi has broken her silence to give her first personal insight into an ordeal that caused international outrage. Read more Why is everyone still talking about Priyanka Chopra Jonas Grammy couture? Heres what Bollywoods leading fashion designers think Its been days since Priyanka Chopra Jonas made a red carpet appearance in a Ralph & Russo gown at the Grammys. The outfit had an enormous decolletage with a mid-section slit going all the way down her pierced belly button but the Internet hasnt stopped commenting, critiquing and caricaturing the ensemble. Read more Wendell Rodricks on Priyanka Chopras Grammy dress: There is an age to wear some clothes; Twitter hits back Priyanka Chopra continues to make headlines for her appearance at the Grammys, courtesy her statement-making dress with a plunging neckline. Read more McDonalds branches shut over fluid situation in Chinas coronavirus-hit Hubei US fast food giant McDonalds said on Wednesday it closed all of its restaurants in Hubei, the Chinese province at the epicenter of a virus outbreak that has spread beyond the countrys borders. Read more Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 5G launched with 10.5-inch display, Smart S Pen Samsung has officially launched the Galaxy Tab S6 5G, which it says is the worlds first 5G enabled tablet. The newly launched tablet is essentially a 5G variant of its last years Galaxy Tab S6 and it is priced at 999,900 Won (Rs 60, 280 approximately) in Korea. Read more S cotland Yard has more than doubled the number of officers tackling online child sex abuse following a huge increase in offences. On average 182 crimes of possessing, making or distributing indecent images and videos were recorded by the Met each month last year, compared with 79 a month in 2016. Police said one of the causes of the 130 per cent rise in offences was internet child abuse being discovered on phones and devices belonging to suspects initially arrested for other crimes. Hundreds of referrals also come into the Met from the National Crime Agency when abuse images are shared via US-based social media platforms. Other UK police forces, charities and the public also spark investigations. Often a suspect can be caught with thousands of images and clips across multiple devices. Each needs to be examined and graded, and enquiries made to trace victims. All 12 of the Mets borough commands will now have dedicated teams investigating paedophiles, taking the number of officers and staff from 90 to 208. A detective sergeant and eight detective constables or Pcs will work alongside borough colleagues, and the units central team will be in West Brompton. Detective Superintendent Zena Marshall, the Met lead for online child sexual exploitation and abuse, said: Online offenders can consider themselves less responsible than a real-life abuser as they hide behind a screen but a child being sexually abused is at the heart of every image or video. She said there was no clear profile for offenders: Although the vast majority are male, they are of all ages and walks of life including teachers, doctors and vicars. She added: The scale of these offences, and need to adapt to the advancement of technology, is challenging for all forces including the Met. Officers viewing the images are given psychological screening before joining the unit and support once on it. The Met works closely with the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, a UK-wide child protection charity deterring people from viewing under-age sexual images. Their new campaign video, The Fear, shows a wife walking in on her husband looking at disturbing images. Global health leaders agree coronavirus is a global emergency, but said China travel bans were not based in science. The coronavirus outbreak is a global health emergency, the director-general of the World Health Organization has declared but added that travel restrictions to China would be counterproductive. An unprecedented outbreak had been met with an unprecedented response, said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, following a crisis meeting in the Swiss city of Geneva on Thursday. He called for the global community to make evidence-based decisions regarding travel and trade with China and decried unilateral actions to isolate Beijing, saying the WHO opposed some measures taken and threatened. This is the time for facts, not fear, he said. This is the time for science, not rumours. This is the time for solidarity, not stigma. The Chinese government is to be congratulated, said Adhanom Ghebreyesus, for the extraordinary measures it has taken to contain this outbreak. The speed with which Chinese officials identified the virus, sequenced its genome and shared those findings with global public health experts was very impressive, he added. Public health emergency By Thursday evening, there were 98 declared cases of coronavirus in 18 countries outside China, including eight cases of human-to-human transmission. There have so far been no deaths outside of China. More than 7,000 cases have been identified inside China, where 180 people have lost their lives. Work to build a vaccine has already started, said the WHO head. We dont know what sort of damage this virus could do if it were to spread within a country with a weaker health system, said Adhanom Ghebreyesus. I am declaring a public health emergency of international concern. The WHO has every confidence in Chinas ability to contain the outbreak and reverse the tide, he said. He pointed to the scale of mobilisation of healthcare there, noting one hospital had been built in just 10 days. There is no reason for measures that affect international travel and trade, said Adhanom Ghebreyesus. We call on all countries to implement decisions that are evidence-based and consistent. Travel restrictions counterproductive The WHO committee said, in general, evidence has shown that restricting the movement of people and goods during public health emergencies may be ineffective and may divert resources from other interventions. Restrictions may also interrupt needed aid and technical support, disrupt businesses, and have negative effects on the economies of countries affected by the emergencies, the WHO said in a statement. The only way we will defeat this outbreak, said the WHO chief, is for all countries to work together in a spirit of solidarity and cooperation. We are all in this together, and we can only stop it together. Some countries had taken questionable measures, said Didier Houssin, the WHO Emergency Committee chair. What does it mean a travel restriction? It means, for example, visa refusal, border closure, quarantine of travellers who are in good condition, he said. This declaration will provide the WHO the possibility to question such measures which already have been taken by some countries: Why did you take this decision? What is the science supporting this decision? Could you reconsider this decision? And we suggested the WHO should inform the world about transparency concerning these measures which should not constitute an example to follow, but a decision to reconsider. Al Jazeeras Charlie Angela has been following the outbreak. There was only praise for Chinas response, she said. The WHO is saying that if China hadnt responded in the way it had we would have seen many more deaths. Theyre saying China has done their best to contain it but now, the WHO are taking over. It does seem the main concern is helping to prepare countries which, as they put it, have a weaker health system. But also they made a number of recommendations they will not be limiting trade or travel, theyre ready to give advice and support to countries, and they want to combat rumours and misinformation. Russia on Thursday evening closed its border with China, and the WHO would now be questioning such decisions at a governmental level, Angela added. The declaration of the public health emergency gives them authority through the United Nations to release funding, coordinate testing and set up specialist laboratories to deal with the molecular detection of this virus, Angela noted. But the WHOs message has not yet been acknowledged by national public health officials. Moments after the WHOs declaration, Trinidad and Tobago imposed 14-day restrictions on travellers from China visiting the Caribbean island, while the United Kingdom announced it was raising its risk level from Coronavirus to moderate, with the UKs Chief Medical Officers saying in a statement they considered it prudent for the government to escalate its planning in case of a more widespread outbreak. Australians stuck in the Chinese coronavirus epicentre will have to pay up to $1,000 to be evacuated to Christmas Island. About 600 Australians are trapped in the Hubei province as the deadly disease that has so far killed 170 people and affected more than 7,000 in China continues to spread. The Federal Government on Wednesday announced plans to evacuate Australians via a Qantas jet, but confirmed the following day evacuees would have to pay up before they stepped foot on the plane. 'People have to pay for the flight from China back to Australia. Thats, as Im advised by DFAT, the normal way in which these things occur and that will be the limit of the contribution,' Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said on Thursday. Those hoping to escape the virus epicentre will also have to sign a waiver to agree to staying in quarantine on the Island's detention centre for 14 days. People are seen leaving the Sydney Airport terminal wearing facemasks over fears of the deadly coronavirus Evacuees have been contacted by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade about the flight, which is expected to arrive in a matter of days, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. After the Australians are quarantined, they will be re-directed to Perth where they are to make their own way home. A Boeing 747 is being considered to take the evacuees but the aircraft is too big to land on the tarmac on Christmas Island. Australians may be forced to land in Darwin before taken to the island on another plane. Earlier, Mr Dutton defended the Christmas Island plan, saying it would help keep Australia safe. 'I can't clear a hospital in Sydney or Melbourne to accommodate 600 people. We don't have a facility otherwise that can take this number of people,' he told the Nine Network on Thursday. Australians trapped in the Chinese Wuhan province will need to pay $1,000 in order to be evacuated to the detention centre on Christmas Island (pictured) The deadly disease has killed 170 people in China and nine Australians have so far been diagnosed WUHAN 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 lung 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 the Wuhan coronavirus kill? Yes 170 people have so far died after testing positive for the virus. What are the symptoms? Some people who catch the Wuhan coronavirus may not have any symptoms at all, or only very mild ones like a sore throat or a headache. Others may suffer from a fever, cough or trouble breathing. And a small proportion of patients will go on to develop severe infection which can damage the lungs or cause pneumonia, a life-threatening condition which causes swelling and fluid build-up in the lungs. How is it detected? The virus's genetic sequencing was released by scientists in China and countries around the world have used this to create lab tests, which must be carried out to confirm an infection. Delays to these tests, to test results and to people getting to hospitals in China, mean the number of confirmed cases is expected to be just a fraction of the true scale of the outbreak. 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 around China and are known to have spread from person to person. 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. SCROLL DOWN TO SEE MAILONLINE'S FULL Q&A ON THE CORONAVIRUS Advertisement Australian diplomats are continuing negotiations with Chinese authorities to clear the way for the 'humanitarian' mission. But those facing the potential trip to Christmas Island aren't happy. Bon Lee, a physiotherapist from Sydney is stuck in the Hubei province and fears the plane evacuation may put him at greater risk of contracting the disease. 'I just want to keep my options open. The main thing is safety for the people, my family, my patients. I also need to weigh up risks of going to Christmas Island,' he told the publication. 'It's great for quarantine to be far away from everything, but if something bad happens, the closest hospital is in Darwin 2700 kilometres away.' Moko Yong from Melbourne has been trapped in Wuhan for more than a week and says he will refuse the government's plan. 'Many people expressed that they cannot accept the destination of evacuation accounted for by Australia. After all, Christmas Island, to many Chinese-Australians, we know what kind of place it is,' he said. Christmas Island Shire president Gordon Thomson told ABC News the decision would turn the island into a 'leper colony'. 'Saw PM's announcement. Regressive colonial era ideas since 2001. Create convict settlement for innocent people - now we'll be a leper colony,' Mr Thomson said in a text message. It is unclear how many evacuees will be put into quarantine on Christmas Island, which sits 1,650 kilometres off the coast of Western Australia. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia was working with New Zealand on the operation and would seek to help Pacific nations evacuate their citizens where possible but his 'first priority right now is the safety of Australians'. 'I stress there is rather a limited window here and we are moving very, very swiftly to ensure we can put this plan together and put the operation together,' Morrison told reporters in Canberra. 'I stress that this will be done on a last-in, first-out basis. 'I want to stress that we cannot give a guarantee that this operation is able to succeed and I also want to stress very clearly that we may not be in a position if we're able to do this on one occasion to do it on another occasion.' Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Australia was seeking permission from Chinese authorities to allow its citizens to depart Wuhan, with Australian consular officials travelling from Shanghai to coordinate the efforts. Fully protected ambulance and medical staff walk through a community health station in Wuhan A Qantas jet is being considered to evacuate Australians from Wuhan (pictured: Air China terminal at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport) Japan and the United States have already evacuated hundreds of citizens from Wuhan. It comes after New Zealand's announcement to send a 300-seat aircraft to evacuate citizens from Wuhan as more than 50 people are believed to be in the area. On Thursday, two more Australians were diagnosed with coronavirus bringing the national number of those with the deadly disease at nine. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said on Thursday that both nationals remain in China and are receiving treatment in the Guangdong province. Meanwhile, authorities fear as many as 16 other Australians in New South Wales may have contracted the disease. Four people there have been diagnosed with the disease, one in Queensland and two in Victoria. Meanwhile, authorities fear as many as 16 other Australians in New South Wales may have contracted the disease Photo: Twitter UPDATE 1:11 p.m. A scare over a 54-year-old woman with flu-like symptoms led Italian authorities to keep 6,000 passengers and 1,000 crew members on the cruise ship docked north of Rome. The Costa Crociere cruise line said the woman and her partner, who had no symptoms, were put into isolation Wednesday. The passengers were allowed to disembark on Thursday after tests for the new virus from China came back negative, Italian coast guard Capt. Stefano Varone said. The ship was sailing from Mallorca, Spain, to Civitavecchia on a weeklong Mediterranean cruise. ORIGINAL 8:12 a.m. At least six thousand people are being confined to a cruise ship docked in Italy as a couple is being tested for the Wuhan coronavirus. The Costa Smeralda cruise ship is now docked at Civitavecchia port, a coastal town northwest of Rome. It had arrived from Palma de Majorca, Spain, as part of its tour of the western Mediterranean. A spokesperson for Costa Cruises says a 54-year-old woman aboard the cruise ship was suffering from a fever and that she and her husband were both being tested for the virus. Six thousand people on board are passengers and around another thousand are crew members. "All the other passengers are, at the moment remaining on board," the spokesperson said. Italian news agency ANSA and public broadcaster RAI reported that the woman and her husband were from Hong Kong and were being kept separately in solitary confinement in the hospital section of the cruiseliner. The passengers and crew will be held until the woman and her husband both test negative to the virus. The couple is expected to receive results Thursday afternoon, ANSA reports. They are said to have arrived in Italy on January 25 at Milan's Malpensa airport from Macau. BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's Christian religious authorities on Tuesday urged anti-government protesters to give a new government breathing room to tackle a dire financial crisis, condemning what they described as mob assaults on security forces in recent marches. Many demonstrators have rejected the government formed last week by the Iran-backed Shi'ite group Hezbollah and its allies without participation of major political parties including the second-largest Christian party, Lebanese Forces (LF). Demonstrations that began last October against a political elite blamed for steering Lebanon into its worst crisis in decades have turned violent as some protesters clashed with security forces at barricades around parliament and government headquarters in central Beirut to demand an independent cabinet. "The Fathers stress the right for peaceful demonstrations to demand reform, but strongly reject the mobs on the streets and squares, especially in Beirut, lest the mobilization veers away from its noble goals," the Christian religious leaders said in a statement after a summit. Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai had called the summit which gathered patriarchs of Lebanon's many Christian sects, according to state news agency NNA. The meeting's communique was read out in live broadcasts on local media. The Christian faith leaders said the government should be given "room to take on its responsibilities", and called on Arab states and the international community to support Lebanon. Lebanon is governed according to a sectarian political system that parcels out state positions according to religious sect. The presidency is reserved for a Maronite Christian. The largest Christian party, President Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement, is close to Hezbollah and has backed the new government, which has yet to issue a policy statement. The heavily indebted country's crisis is rooted in decades of state corruption and waste. Foreign donors say any support to Lebanon will depend on it enacting long-delayed reforms. Prime Minister Hassan Diab said on Tuesday he would not obstruct a state budget drafted by the previous cabinet and approved on Tuesday by parliament in a session boycotted by some parties including the staunchly anti-Hezbollah LF. (Reporting by Laila Bassam; Writing by Ghaida Ghantous; Editing by Peter Graff) Riyadh Bahrain participated in an urgent meeting on the new coronavirus, held here yesterday by the Communicable Diseases Committee at the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC)s Secretariat-General. The Kingdoms delegation included Epidemiology and Public Health Consultant and Chief of Disease Control Section at the Public Health Directorate, Dr Adel Al Sayyad, and Infectious Diseases Consultant at the Salmaniya Medical Complex, Dr Jameela Al Salman. The meeting, chaired by Bahrain, discussed the current status of the novel coronavirus, reviewed the protocol of screening passengers arriving from China and highlighted the real need to prevent travel to places where the virus has been detected. The attendees also discussed the treatment protocol that should be applied whenever a case is discovered in one of the GCC states, and the procedures and measures that must be taken in that situation. They also stressed the importance of the role of the media role in such crises, and the methods used to contain them and try not to cause panic among the local citizens. They also reviewed a media plan related to the coverage of the spread of the virus. Requested by the Kingdom, represented by the Ministry of Health, the meeting aimed to co-ordinate GCC efforts and exchange experiences in the fields of infection control and precautionary and preventive measures in order to unify GCC efforts for the best interests of the citizens and residents of GCC countries. ATHENS - Greece is making moves to boost the country's backlogged asylum service as it looks to speed up processes of applications among the 70,000 it currently has on record from refugees and migrants. The alternate Minister for Migration Policy, Giorgos Koumoutsakos, and the executive director of the European Asylum Support Office (EASO), Nina Gregori, have signed an agreement which paves the way for the agency to open a branch in Greece to reinforce its support. The agreement, which was announced on Tuesday, comes hot on the heels after an announcement from EASO that the organization would be doubling its number of personnel operating in Greece, as well as an increase in funding to the tune of 36 million euros for 2020 overall. Right now, EASO's operations in Greece are already now at unprecedented levels, with over 500 personnel at any given point, that were deployed in 36 locations in the country in 2019. Ths number will now raise to 1,000 staff. "EASO has been continuously increasing its operational support and cooperation with the Greek authorities since 2011. We have already started further expanding our support in the country in these weeks, and this agreement gives us the needed administrative and legal framework to do so effectively," said Gregory in a media statement. She added: "I want to thank Alternate Minister Koumoutsakos for the renewed effort he put into ensuring that the agreement was finalised as a priority. This continued constructive approach reflects the long-standing and ongoing excellent working relationship EASO has in partnering with our Greek colleagues." Asylum requests and application processes are notoriously slow in Greece due to the lack of staff and paperwork involved, and the 70,000+ backlog created by the ongoing refugee crisis has exacerbated the situation. Kyriakos Mitsotakis' New Democracy government are trying to live up to their promises of proving faster processing so it can proceed with its plan to close down a total of five massively overcrowded refugee camps in the North West Aegean region on several islands and open more restrictive "closed" holding centers. As part of the agreement, EASO staff will be sent to camps on both the islands and mainland Greece, and some will also work with the Greek Asylum Service in an effort to speed up the process of granting refugees protection, but while also accelerating deportations and returns. Over the course of 2019, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR,a total of 59,726 migrants and refugees arrived on Greek shores, the majority of which landed on Lesvos, Chios or Samos islands just off the Turkish coast. (ANSAMed). Kobe Bryant's wife of nearly 20 years, Vanessa finally broke the silence after the tragedy that happened on January 26th., where her husband and daughter died in a helicopter accident at Calabasas, California. Vanessa and Kobe Bryant married in 2001 and would have celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary in April. Bryant's wife said she and her three surviving daughters have been completely devastated. "There aren't enough words to describe our pain right now," she wrote on Instagram. "I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved." She described the Lakers legend as ''an adoring husband and father'' and called Gianna "a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter" and an amazing sister to their three other daughters, Natalia, Bianka and Capri. "I'm not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it's impossible to imagine life without them. We will wake up each day, trying to keep pushing because Kobe, and our baby girl, Gigi, are shining on us to light the way." Aside from posting this message, Vanessa also updated the profile picture to a photo of Kobe Bryant smiling at Gianna, with her arms around her father's neck. Opening Remarks by Angel Gurria OECD Secretary-General 17 January 2020 - Paris, France (As prepared for delivery) Chere conseillere federale Keller-Sutter, chers ministres, Mesdames et Messieurs: Je suis ravi de vous accueillir a la Reunion Ministerielle de lOCDE de 2020 sur les migrations et lintegration. Il est encourageant de voir autant de ministres et de representants de haut niveau du monde entier participer aux importantes discussions daujourdhui. Votre travail est essentiel pour faconner l'avenir des politiques de migration et d'integration et pour les preparer a en assurer la conformite, a definir des voies legales pour des migrations sures et regulieres, et a favoriser une integration stable. Vos politiques sont egalement essentielles pour renforcer la confiance du public sur cette question sensible. Mais nous ne sommes pas reunis ici uniquement pour parler de politiques. Le sujet de la migration concerne avant tout des individus, des etres humains. Il est de notre responsabilite d'alimenter nos discussions avec des solutions plus axees sur l'humain. In your folders in addition to a box of Swiss chocolates kindly provided by the Chair of todays meeting, Federal Councillor Keller-Sutter you will find a booklet presenting a wide variety of films on migration. In almost all OECD countries, cinema has looked at how migration affects us as individuals, as families, as societies. As you flip through these different portrayals of the human stories of migration, you will see the range of individual aspirations and struggles, of achievements and frustrations. The important contribution of international migration We all know that international migration, and migrants themselves, can contribute to economic growth and social development. From 2009 to 2018, bouncing back from the global financial crisis, the employment rate of migrants increased in OECD countries by 4.7 percentage points, very close to the 4.5 percentage point increase for the native-born. In three out of 10 OECD countries, the employment rate for migrants is higher than for natives; and in a further three out of 10 countries, the employment gap with natives has closed over the past decade. But these changes havent happened automatically. Good policies, informed by data, have been key. For more than four decades, the OECD has been monitoring migration trends through our annual International Migration Outlook, which is now in its 43rd edition. Our work shows how migration flows can change and integration outcomes can shift. The country cards in your folders provide snapshots of the latest statistics on different migration and integration indicators. We encourage you to compare cards with your peers throughout the day to foster mutual learning. One of the OECDs main objectives is to help our Members prepare for the future, to create conditions that promote the well-being of all our citizens; for those born locally, as well as for the 129 million immigrants who have become residents in OECD countries and who represent about 13% of our populations. Identifying and addressing migration challenges I look forward to hearing about your achievements and good practices here today. But we cannot only look at our past successes; we also need to address some hard questions. How can we prepare for the future? What policies will allow us to adapt to shocks and emerging trends in migration and integration? How can we foster stronger international co operation on migration? What innovations can we draw on? How can we engage the whole of society? Despite the great diversity of situations across countries, these are key questions for all of us. This is why we collectively chose Making Migration and Integration Policies Future Ready as the theme of todays meeting. To support our discussions, weve worked with colleagues from your Ministries through the OECD Working Party on Migration to identify the main challenges we already face and assess potential disruptions that might deeply reshape migration policy making going forward. A brief video summarising the main findings of this exercise will kick off our first session. As you will see, in the future, migration and integration might look very different from today. Migration is constantly evolving and we need to be ready to adapt. Some trends, however, are clear. For example, international migrants are more educated than ever before. Between 2000 and 2016, the share of migrants with a high level of education rose from 27% to 35% for those born outside of the OECD area, while it rose only from 21% to 30% for those born in an OECD country. This is even more marked among immigrants who arrived in the early 2010s: two out of five are highly-educated, and highly-educated migrants outnumber low-educated migrants. Women comprise 51% of all migrants in general and 53% of high-skilled migrants. Shaping future migration and integration policies In this context of rapidly evolving migration and integration, today we will be discussing four key issues that are central in shaping future policies. First, the need to innovate the management of labour migration, which is expanding in many of our countries. Today, we know more than ever before about the needs of our labour markets and societies and how we can identify the right candidates. We have more sophisticated tools for attracting, selecting, managing and retaining labour migrants. Second, managed migration means that states maintain control over flows, with a greater compliance with the conditions of residence. Migration policy does not work without effective enforcement. Technology, when used right, can make it easier to comply for those in good faith, and harder to abuse the system for those in bad faith. But it is not only technology that matters; partnerships and information sharing are also crucial. Third, we need to be more innovative in developing integration policies. Many of the transformations that affect labour market policy in general also affect migrant integration. We need to identify, build and assess skills outside of traditional qualifications frameworks. During our discussions today, we will also look at the changing nature of work and new approaches and actors in service provision. Finally, migration and integration policy involves a range of ministries, along with many other actors. Public and private, business and non-profit, local, regional, national and even international actors all play important roles. Delegating authority, setting standards and engaging with these actors is one of the challenges for success. Ladies and Gentlemen: Our world is changing and one thing is clear: migration will remain a defining feature of our economies and societies. The OECD stands ready to work with you to help harness the potential of migration and integration. We look forward to your guidance in orienting the OECDs future work on migration and integration. How can we best support you in preparing for the changes we expect? What can we do to help make policies more resilient in the face of unexpected circumstances? How can we assist in bringing more stakeholders into this effort? What issues can we address together, sharing experiences and comparing achievements? I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you. See also: OECD work on Migration A new study finds that active shooter incidents off campus and politics are key factors that led state legislators to pass laws allowing concealed weapons on college and university campuses between 2004 and 2016. We assumed that campus carry legislation might be driven by active shooter incidents in educational contexts, David R. Johnson, lead author of the research, sociologist and assistant professor of higher education leadership in the College of Education at the University of Nevada, Reno, said. Our analysis found that bill introduction is associated with active shooter incidents anywhere within a legislators state, but not specifically those occurring at schools and universities. The dataset we developed tracked state legislative behaviors related to concealed weapons on campus and captured key factors that may have influenced these activities, said Liang Zhang, coauthor of the research and professor of higher education at New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development. We found that following a mass shooting, Republican legislatures tend to introduce and sometimes adopt legislation that would specifically allow people to bring concealed weapons onto college campuses, while Democrat-controlled legislatures do not. Johnson and Zhangs academic paper, Intrastate and interstate influences on the introduction and enactment of campus carry legislation was published in Educational Researcher, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Educational Research Association that features the fields leading research. This is believed to be the first empirical analysis of the policy process related to campus carry legislation. As of 2018, campus carry laws have been enacted in 11 states, 16 states ban concealed weapons and in 23 states the decision to ban or allow guns at higher education institutions is left to university systems or individual schools. The analysis showed that factors unrelated to crime on school grounds led to the introduction and enactment of these bills. In addition to active shooter incidents, bill introduction is influenced by the percentage of Republicans in state government, conservative citizen political ideology and policy diffusion the influence of neighboring states policies on the issue. The analysis of bill enactment reveals that conservative citizen political ideology and contributions from anti-gun control interest groups are the driving forces behind policy adoption. Such legislation is critical, Johnson said, because it has implications for student safety and the authority of governing boards to regulate their institutions. Other research suggests that nearly 95% of students and faculty at large public universities are opposed to allowing guns on school grounds. Theres no clear security issue, most stakeholders dont want guns on campus, and it seems that legislators push it through to please their constituents. An active shooter incident could lead policymakers to adopt new or stronger prohibitions against concealed weapons on campus, but the chief legislative emphasis in the past two decades has been to remove prohibitions established in the 1980s and 1990s. Zhang added that these gun bills and laws are largely unfunded mandates. The legislature doesnt include funding for the implementation of the new laws, but the schools must install signs, storage lockers and hire more police. The estimates are in the millions for a state higher education system to regulate guns on campus. When considering SB1474 in 2012, the state of Arizona estimated that allowing concealed weapons would introduce $13.3 million in one-time costs and $3.1 million annually for three state universities. The bill ultimately failed. Johnson and Zhang focused on proposed bills aimed at permitting concealed weapons on campus to explain the policy process related to their introduction and either passage or failure to pass. Their work expands the empirical scope of higher education policy research by considering a social problem that is only indirectly related to student achievement but nevertheless a high priority for some state legislators. While there are some areas of gun policy that draw bipartisan support, allowing concealed carry in more places is not one of them: 68% of Republicans support increased concealed carry in more places compared to only 26% of Democrats, according to the Pew Research Center. This helps explain why the prevalence of conservative leaning citizens within a state is so influential on the policy process. In Nevada, the state legislature has three times considered permitting firearms at postsecondary institutions once in 2011 with a Democratic controlled legislature, once in 2013 with a Democratic controlled legislature and again in 2015 in a Republican controlled legislature. The 2011 and 2013 bills died without consideration. In 2015 AB148 was passed by the Assembly. The Senate never considered the bill. Johnson teaches graduate courses on policy, finance, governance and organizational theory in higher education in the College of Education. His interest in this legislation emerged from teaching a graduate course on higher education policy. Teaching and research on higher education policy largely focus on issues related to access, affordability, and accountability in higher education, Johnson said. These are important issues, but legislators across the U.S. have also been focused on issues such as guns, sexual assault, and speech. I started this project to make my teaching and research as relevant as possible. Johnson is the author of A Fractured Profession: Commercialism and Conflict in Academic Science in 2017 (Johns Hopkins University Press). His work has also been published in top social science journals such as The Journal of Higher Education, Social Forces, Sociological Science, Public Understanding of Science and Science, Technology, and Human Values. Johnson and Zhangs academic article was published this week in Educational Researcher. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Fine Gael has criticised its political rivals tax plans and said Sinn Feins projections would be a dream for Jeremy Corbyn. The party set out its plans for tax on Thursday, which it said will see the standard rate cut-off point being raised from 35,300 euro to 50,000 euro over the lifetime of the next government, and those earning less than 20,000 euro will not be levied with USC. The press release, which was handed out at the event, mentions rivals Fianna Fail seven times throughout the statement, in which it alleges there would be a 777 euro effective tax hike on ordinary workers under Micheal Martins partys plans. The party claims that Fianna Fails failure to take into account projected wage increases over the lifetime of the next government will result in an effective tax hike on ordinary workers, and that Sinn Feins plans would create huge risks to the economy by making Ireland less attractive for trade. Fine Gael will always prioritise the improvement of living standards of workers and their familiesPaschal Donohoe Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe called Sinn Feins proposals a con job built on sand that even Pearse Doherty (the partys finance spokesman) knows wont work. Mr Donohoe then echoed his boss Taoiseach Leo Varadkars comments on Wednesday when he remarked that Sinn Feins plans could have been written by (British Labour leader) Jeremy Corbyn. Fine Gael have repeatedly remarked that their tax plan is for the many, not the few, which is exactly the same campaign slogan that the British Labour Party used throughout its last general election campaign. Mary Lou McDonalds party wants to scrap the USC on the first 30,000 euro someone earns, and those earning under 100,000 euro seeing a decrease in their tax of up to 700 euro a year. While Fianna Fails proposals are to cut the main rate of USC by 1% from 4.5% to 3.5%, and to increase the threshold of standard income tax by 3,000 euro over five years. It says an average of between 1,050 and 1,400 will be put back in the pockets of ordinary individuals and families. Mr Donohoe balked at both his rivals plans, accusing them of massive giveaways and effectively hiking taxes. Fine Gael will always prioritise the improvement of living standards of workers and their families, he said. Thats why we will ensure that nobody has to pay the top rate of tax until they earn 50,000 euro a year and that anyone earning less that 20,000 euro will not be levied with USC. It is simply wrong that a worker on 39,000, 42,000 or the average wage of 47,596 should be paying the higher rate of tax. Fianna Fail betrayed taxpayers when they crashed the economy. Now they are betraying taxpayers again by effectively hiking taxes. Fine Gael in contrast, will let middle income earners keep more of their money. She captivated the world with the Handmaid's Tale, now she is coming back with a collection of poems. Canadian writer and poet Margaret Atwood announced she would be releasing a new poetry collection, titled 'Dearly' on November 10 2020, which is being hailed as the 'collection of a lifetime' by the publisher. Atwood, who jointly won the 2019 Booker Prize with Bernadine Evaristo (author of Girl, Woman, Other) for her much-anticipated sequel to the Handmaid's Tale The Testaments is returning to poetry 13 years after publishing her last poetic effort, The Door, in 2007. The new collection, published by Penguin Random House imprint Chatto & Windus, is described as a 'moving, playful and wise' work exploring notions of 'absences and endings, ageing and retrospection, but also gifts and renewals.' Handmaid's Tale author Margaret Atwood, 80, announced she would be releasing a collection of poems on November 10 (pictured winning the Academy Board of Director's Tributes at the Canadian Screen Awards in March 2018) It will include mythical creatures such as werewolf and sirens as well as fragments of the real world dipped into Atwood's sharp style. 'Every poem in Dearly rings with all Margaret Atwood's characteristic curiosity and energy,' Becky Hardie, of Chatto, told The Guardian. 'It is a pure delight which stretches heart and mind.' It was also announced that Atwood herself would narrate the audio book version of the poetry collection. The new collection comes 13 years after Atwood's lasr poetry collection, titled 'The Door,' which was released in 2007. Pictured at the NYWIFT Muse Awards in December 2019 Fans of the author could barely contain their excitement after the 80-year-old writer took to Twitter to announce the good news. 'I can't wait! Congratulations Ms. Atwood,' one wrote. 'I'm so excited,' said another. The new offering comes 59 years after the author released her first ever collection of poems, Double Persephone, in 1961. Atwood's excited fans took to Twitter to congratulate the writer on her upcoming collection of poem Pictured winning a joined Booker Prize Award with Bernadine Evaristo for The Testaments, her sequel to the Handmail's Tale, in October 2019 Back then, Atwoot, aged 22, had self-published the collection, and only made 200 copies, but the hot anticipated 2020 collection promises to reach much more people. 2019 was a busy year for the author, who saw her jointly win the Booker Prize in October with Bernadine Evaristo, and release the sequel to her worldwide success novel The Handmaid's Tale. In July of that year it was also announced her debut novel The Edible Woman, which was published in 1969, would be adapted for television. The novel tells the story of a woman's whose world is turned upside down when she starts to identify with food such as steaks or rabbit. The book is a criticism of gender roles and gender sterotypes. It established Atwood as a prose writer when it was published in 1969. Watch The Handmaid's Tale on Hulu in the US, All 4 in the UK, or on Stan in Australia. Paying for bonuses Re: Boohoo for USAA, Your Turn, Monday: Several years ago, I saw an Express-News article reporting record double-digit bonuses for USAA employees. I thought, Thats nice. That same day I received a notice from USAA that my homeowners insurance was increasing by hundreds of dollars for absolutely no reason. Thats the day I canceled my auto and home insurance, closed my checking and credit card accounts, and moved my 401(k). Jack McGarrity, Live Oak Choose the right path Sen. John Cornyn: As a former judge, you understand better than most the importance of impaneling an impartial jury to decide the fate of every defendant who stands accused in any court. The essence of our rule of law depends on that concept. You now are acting in the role of such a juror, and have publicly sworn an oath to be impartial and fair not just to the defendant but also to the case brought by the prosecution. You know that to fulfill that oath, you must hear the testimony of all the witnesses offered by both the prosecution and the defense, and examine whatever evidence either side offers to prove its case. This willingness to impartially examine the facts on both sides is critical in any case that winds up in any court of law. But no legal proceeding you have ever participated in during your long and distinguished career approaches the importance and gravity to the future of our political system, our Constitution and the very existence of our nation itself as the impeachment trial now underway. Therefore, your oath to act impartially, and to see and hear all of the evidence available, is the most solemn commitment you have ever made to your constituents, your fellow countrymen and this great nation. Your reputation and the esteem of your many supporters throughout the country are resting upon how and if you faithfully execute your overlapping oaths to be a fair and impartial juror, and to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. The men and women who stand tall against political pressure, and for democracy, in this challenging moment will be lauded by the vast majority of Americans and remembered as the heroes they are. Those who fail in their duties will forever be reviled for their cowardice. Please choose the only right path: Hear the witnesses testimony, and admit all relevant evidence into the record. Only then can you honestly pass judgment on the fate of our nation. That is, after all, what hangs in the balance. Roger Gray Kenmare Resources plc (Kenmare or the Company) 30 January 2020 Analyst site visit to Moma Mine Kenmare Resources plc (LSE:KMR, ISE:KMR), one of the leading global producers of titanium minerals and zircon, announces that it is hosting a site visit for analysts at its Moma Mine in Mozambique on 30-31 January 2020. During these two days, the investor and analyst group will visit Momas three mining ponds, Wet Concentrator Plant (WCP) A, WCP B and the new development project, WCP C. The WCP C mining pond was flooded in mid-January 2020 and first heavy mineral concentrate production continues to be expected before the end of February 2020. The WCP C development is the second of three growth projects that together are planned to increase Momas production to 1.2 million tonnes per annum of ilmenite from 2021, which represents a 35% increase compared to 2019 production. The group will also visit Kenmares dedicated export facilities, the dune rehabilitation area and some of the community initiatives supported by the Kenmare Moma Development Association (KMAD), a not-for-profit organisation established by Kenmare in 2004. The site visit presentation, including some of the latest photographs of the WCP C development, is available for download from the Company's website: https://www.kenmareresources.com/investors/reports-and-presentations For further information, please contact: Kenmare Resources plc Jeremy Dibb / Katharine Sutton Investor Relations Tel: +353 1 671 0411 Mob: + 353 87 943 0367 / + 353 87 663 0875 Murray (PR advisor) Joe Heron Tel: +353 1 498 0300 Mob: +353 87 690 9735 About Kenmare Resources Kenmare Resources plc is one of the worlds largest producers of mineral sands products. Listed on the London Stock Exchange and the Euronext Dublin, Kenmare operates the Moma Titanium Minerals Mine in Mozambique. Momas production accounts for approximately 7% of global titanium feedstocks and the Company supplies to customers operating in more than 15 countries. Kenmare produces raw materials that are ultimately consumed in everyday quality-of life items such as paints, plastics and ceramic tiles. The Supreme Court on Thursday said that a nine-judge Constitution Bench will on February 3 frame questions to adjudicate the larger issue of legality. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday said that a nine-judge Constitution Bench will on February 3 frame questions to adjudicate the larger issue of legality and essentially of religious belief and practices discriminatory to women. The larger question to be addressed by the constitution bench will include the legality and essentially of religious belief and practices prohibiting the entry of women in mosques and temples, genital mutilation in Dawoodi Bohras and the ban on the entry of Parsi woman in the fire temple after she has married outside the Parsi community. The nine-judge bench of Chief Justice S.A. Bobde, Justices R. Banumathi, Ashok Bhushan, L. Nageswara Rao, Mohan N. Shantanagoudar, Abdul Nazeer, R. Subhash Reddy, B.R. Gavai and Surya Kant on Thursday said also expressed disappointment over senior lawyers not been able to arrive at a consensus on the issues to be addressed. We are little disappointed as you could not arrive at a consensus. Now a nine-judge bench will go through the questions submitted by some of you (advocates) and try to crystallise the issues on February 3, the CJI said. A new section of border wall between the U.S. and Mexico fell over amid high winds on Wednesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. A portion of the wall in Calexico, California landed on the Mexican side of the border in Mexicali. U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson Ralph DeSio told CBS News that high winds "impacted" a handful of newly constructed panels. No one was hurt as a result of the collapse. "No property damage or injuries were sustained during this uncommon event while the concrete was drying and construction remains ongoing," DeSio said. According to the National Weather Service, wind gusts reached up 30 miles per hour around the time of the fall. MEXICO-US-BORDER-WALL A construction crew works on a fallen section of the U.S.-Mexico border wall, as seen from Mexicali, Mexico, on Wednesday, Jan. 29. Newly installed panels from the U.S. border wall in Calexico, California, fell over in high winds, landing on trees on the Mexican side of the border. Getty Images "The border wall system is imperative to securing the border and is what border patrol agents have asked for and need to maintain operational control of the southern border," he added. News agencies captured video of the wall tilting over toward the Mexicali side, as trees held it back from completely falling over. The portion of the wall runs about 130 feet in length, local television station KYMA reported. The Los Angeles Times reports the wall is part of a project to replace 11 miles of border barrier in the area. Earlier this month, a federal appeals court in Louisiana ruled the government can use $3.6 billion in military funds to construct border barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border. Teacher creates lesson out of Kobe Bryant's legacy R. Kelly's former girlfriend says she was "brainwashed" by singer The internet has fallen in love with Ben Afquack, the drumming duck Morocco expressed its appreciation of the peace efforts of the Trump Administration and voiced hope for the launch of a constructive peace process agreed by all parties to reach a realistic, applicable, equitable and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian question, satisfying the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, for an independent, viable and sovereign State, with East Jerusalem as its capital. The Kingdom of Morocco followed with interest the presentation of the vision of the President of the United States of America, DonaldTrump, on the Israeli-Palestinian issue, the foreign ministry said in a statement. While noting the importance of the resolution of the Palestinian issue for Middle Eastern stability, the ministry lauded the US administrations efforts towards achieving a just, lasting and equitable solution to this conflict. Morocco noted elements of convergence with the US initiative including reaching a two-state solution and upholding negotiation between the two parties as the preferred approach. Morocco also stressed the need for acceptance by the parties of the various elements as fundamental aspect for the implementation and sustainability of this plan. While the economic dimension is important, it must be complemented by a political dimension, the foreign ministry said. With regard to Jerusalem, Morocco, whose Sovereign chairs the AlQuds Committee, reiterated its steady position contained in the Appeal of Al-Quds of 30 March 2019, signed by King Mohammed VI and Pope Francis, which affirms the need that in the Holy City, full freedom of access to the followers of the three monotheistic religions and their right to worship will be guaranteed, so that in Jerusalem / Al-Quds Acharif they may raise their prayers to God, Creator of all, for a future of peace and fraternity on the earth. Morocco also made it clear that the status of Jerusalem must be preserved and that the final decision must be discussed between the parties in accordance with international legality. In this respect, Morocco expressed its wish that a constructive peace process be launched from now on, with a view to a realistic, applicable, equitable and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian question, satisfying the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, for an independent, viable and sovereign State, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and enabling the peoples of the region to live in dignity, prosperity and stability. Nearly ten years later, in the midst of our own potential pandemic, the disaster movie is less horror and more comfort food. Photo: Claudette Barius/Warner Bros. The film opens on a quiet black screen punctured by a single sound: a woman coughing. Its not just nervous throat-clearing. This is a heavy, phlegmatic cough, one that telegraphs with zero doubt that this person is sick. Over the course of the next 106 minutes, the cough becomes the heartbeat of Steven Soderberghs Contagion, and its primary fear trigger. As casualties mount and paranoia increases, the cough is a reminder that circumstances are about to get a lot worse before they get better. As awareness of coronavirus and its death toll spreads, so too have renewed discussions of the 2011 pandemic drama starring Gwyneth Paltrow as Coughing Patient Zero. The movie numbered among the top-ten films rented on iTunes earlier this week, after experiencing a surge in Google searches and Twitter mentions. The connections between our real-life outbreak and the films MEV1 infection are striking: Both illnesses originated in Asia, passed from bats to humans, and entered the world via a live-animal market. Funny how Contagion predicted how the world would react to a deadly virus is, at the moment, not an uncommon online refrain. But more than the similarities it brings to mind, rewatching Soderberghs virus fantasia is a reminder of how far we as a virus-phobic audience have come. Contagion sprang to life in theaters nearly a decade ago, when the saga of a competent federal government triumphing over a villainous conspiracy theorist didnt seem all that far-fetched. Nor did its overriding ethos of respect for, and trust in, traditional institutions. Today, its hard to know how to feel when the closing credits roll: comforted by the dramatization of a virus contained, or disturbed by the utter fiction of its happy ending? Back in 2011, Soderbergh described Contagion as an ultrarealistic take on pandemics, focused more on the banality of the virus and humanitys struggle to tame it than the postapocalyptic potential of its spread. At the same time, it followed in the footsteps of disaster epics before it, particularly those of super-producer Irwin Allen, responsible for The Towering Inferno, The Poseidon Adventure, and When Time Ran Out. Were doing exactly what he did, Soderbergh explained, using a lot of movie stars and trying to scare a lot of people. Exactly is perhaps an overstatement. The heroes of Allens 1970s films were usually rugged loners who stepped in to clean up the messes made by corrupt bureaucrats and dirty politicians. In Contagion, however, the bureaucrats are the heroes. It is a story about a crisis caused by the private sector and corrected by the public sector: The federal government saves the day in the form of selfless CDC doctors and administrators, efficient Homeland Security officials, and compassionate scientists. The average person touches their face two or three thousand times a day, says one such doctor, Kate Winslets Dr. Erin Mears, in an effort to explain how an illness could so quickly spread from a Minnesota businesswoman to residents of both Hong Kong and London, and eventually beyond possibly the result of a biological weapon, possibly not. Three to five times every waking minute. In between, were touching doorknobs, water fountains, elevator buttons and each other. Quotes like this dont exactly render MEV1 as the most compelling of movie villains, and so Soderbergh introduces us to Alan Krumwiede (Jude Law), a conspiracy-theorist blogger who announces, in his very first scene, Print media is dying! As a nontraditional journalist, Krumwiede is portrayed as wildly unethical, willing to use his megaphone to sell a snake-oil cure that does little more than put money in his own pockets. The Glenn Beck-ian nature of the character is a subtle reminder that Contagion was written, produced, and released during the first Obama administration. The panic over, and response to, the 2009 H1N1 virus was its direct inspiration, and Contagions calm, measured depiction of the CDCs response seemed to reflect the publics more positive feelings about government at the time. We later learn that the fictional outbreak was caused by an environmentally destructive private company; here, just as it had in 2008, the federal government bails out an irresponsible free market. In 2011, this seemed possible. But in 2020, this kind of well-functioning government seems like science fiction. Nearly two years ago, the Trump administration cut 80 percent of the CDCs epidemic-prevention efforts worldwide. Then the administration diverted funds from the CDC budget to house detained migrant children. Even the position of secretary of Homeland Security is in flux; Chad Wolf, the current acting chief, is the fifth to hold the interim position. In the closing scenes of Contagion, thanks mostly to the efforts of its government-funded doctors and researchers (one of whom injects herself with the virus, to better evaluate the effectiveness of a cure), a vaccine is developed, tested, and mass produced. Its gonna start getting normal again, Matt Damon assures his daughter, who maintains a contact-free relationship with her boyfriend throughout the pandemic and its aftermath (a Rockwell painting of faith and chastity). We learn that a birthday-based lottery will be used to deploy the vaccine, with randomly chosen, numbered ping-pong balls read aloud on live television, to most fairly determine who will get treated first. The idea of such an easy, structured ending is borderline comical. Nine years removed, the film feels less ultrarealstic and more like the ultimate fantasy, a salve for the world-weary citizens of today. Once you get past the films depiction of a society temporarily undone by home invasions and grocery-store looting, there is something strangely calming about its portrayal of selfless public servants simply doing their jobs well. The heretofore unthinkable chaos that has come to define daily life not even a decade hence makes Contagion feel, in the midst of our growing pandemic, like something Soderbergh and his team couldve never imagined: comfort food. Rich nations are funnelling cash through government-backed financial institutions to provide $30 billion to fossil fuel projects each year that "run counter to the Paris Agreement", a new analysis showed Thursday. The export credit agencies (ECAs) of G20 countries currently provide more than 10 times more state-backed finance to oil, gas and coal projects abroad than they do to renewable energy schemes, the analysis said. Under the Paris Agreement, emissions from these projects do not count as part of donor nations' carbon footprint. ECAs are public entities that provide government-backed loans and insurance to overseas businesses. Market monitor Oil Change International and Friends of the Earth America showed that G20 financing for coal delivered via ECAs under the Paris radar had increased as a percentage of energy project financing since the 2015 Paris treaty. That translates to $7.1 billion annually in the years since the signing of the landmark accord that enjoins nations to slash carbon emissions. "It's reckless and reprehensible for any government to still be providing billions in public finance for oil, gas and coal," said Bronwen Tucker, an analyst at Oil Change. "It's even more offensive when these fossil fuel handouts come from the governments who are most historically responsible for the climate crisis." The analysis singled out China, Japan, South Korea and Canada as among the worst offenders, accounting for 78 percent of G20 fossil fuel support from 2016-2018. "Despite the climate emergency, ECAs are doubling down on fossil fuels," it said. "Japan's ECAs continue to support new coal projects; Canada's ECA is pouring money into tar sands, and many ECAs are jumping at the chance to support LNG in northern Mozambique and elsewhere." The United Nations says carbon emissions must decline 7.6 per cent annually by 2030 in order to put the world on track to meet the 1.5C temperature rise cap called for under Paris. Instead, fossil fuel emissions are rising annually as energy demand surges. "ECAs are something almost no one has heard of but, as public finance institutions, they help governments pursue trade strategies and individual countries are able to shroud their investments around them," Tucker told AFP. She said that most ECA funding comes from public coffers. "But they play a different role to private enterprise in terms of their creditworthiness." They are "backed by a government and their credit rating is much higher so the value of that guarantee is higher," Tucker added. AFP asked all export credit agencies named in the analysis for comment. The watchdogs highlighted the announcement last week from Britain that it was ending funding for overseas coal. Its ECA, UK Export Finance, has not funded a coal-fired power plant since 2002, but a separate analysis showed it is financing millions of tonnes worth of overseas emissions through continued oil and gas funding. Britain's prime minister Boris Johnson told lawmakers on Wednesday that its decision over coal was "a massive step forward by this country. While denying an appeal of a Bay Area murder conviction in which all prospective black jurors were removed by prosecution challenges, the state Supreme Court said Wednesday it will appoint a task force to examine the need to strengthen protections against discrimination in jury selection. The working group of judges and lawyers from across California will consider whether current standards, based on decades-old court decisions, allow the racial bias they were intended to prevent and provide protection against unconscious bias, the court said. Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye will appoint the members in upcoming weeks. At issue are peremptory challenges, which lawyers can use to dismiss a limited number of prospective jurors without having to state a reason. The California Supreme Court outlawed intentional racial discrimination in peremptory challenges in 1978, and the U.S. Supreme Court issued a similar ruling for courts nationwide in 1986. If an attorney claims an opponents juror challenge was racially motivated, the opponent must present a racially neutral reason to the trial judge and, as two appeals court justices in San Francisco observed, virtually any explanation will do. For example, in a Contra Costa County murder case, one black prospective juror was a retired journalist married to a schoolteacher and had been a member of a jury in another trial that deadlocked on a verdict all factors the prosecutor was allowed to cite as valid non-racial reasons for dismissing the juror. Attorneys can easily come up with supposedly non-biased justifications to strike potential jurors, and under the current standards, it is nearly impossible for trial judges to meaningfully evaluate those justifications, Presiding Justice James Humes, joined by Justice Kathleen Banke, said in an opinion issued in September by the First District Court of Appeal in San Francisco. But, citing the state high courts 1978 decision and other legally binding precedents, Humes and Banke joined Justice Sandra Margulies ruling that rejected claims of racial bias in jury selection by lawyers for Gary Bryant Jr. and Diallo Jackson. Bryant and Jackson, both of Antioch, were convicted of murdering Kenneth Cooper, 23, also of Antioch, in a gang-related attempted robbery and shootout in July 2014 that seriously wounded Bryant. Both defendants are African American, and were convicted by a jury whose six prospective African American members were successfully challenged by prosecutors. Bryant was sentenced to 53 years to life in prison and Jackson to 50 years to life. The court said both men could ask the trial judge to reduce their sentences by 25 years, under a recent state law that made such sentences optional rather than mandatory in gang cases, and also allowed Bryant to file another challenge to his murder conviction under a new law reducing punishment for some participants in fatal crimes. 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 state Supreme Court denied review of both mens appeals Wednesday while announcing, in a separate action, plans to create the working group on discrimination in jury selection. Among other things, the court said, the group will consider whether allowing challenges based on a jurors negative experiences or views of law enforcement or the justice system made juries less representative, and whether opposing lawyers should have to prove that discrimination was intentional. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter:@BobEgelko BRIAN VINER A goat ate director Richard Fleischer's script and a parrot wrought havoc on set by repeatedly shouting 'Cut!' in a perfect imitation of Fleischer's voice. A squirrel got drunk on gin. And relentless rain flooded pretty Castle Combe, the Wiltshire village doubling as fictional Puddleby-on-the-Marsh. These were just some of many problems plaguing the 1967 musical Dr Dolittle, a production sabotaged even before it began by a young Army officer, Lieutenant Ranulph Twistleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, who, objecting to how the designers had 'desecrated' a local trout stream, tried to blow up the set with stolen explosives. For his pains, the man better known now as explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes was booted out of the SAS. But he wasn't the only person for whom the film represented a sizeable career blip. Chaos: 'Tyrannosaurus' Rex Harrison in 1967 film Dr Dolittle was based on Hugh Lofting's much-loved children's books, about an eccentric doctor in Victorian England who learns to converse with his feathered and four-legged friends In fact, it became a hideously expensive flop that nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox. And now something eerily similar is happening again. Dr Dolittle was reworked in 1998 with Eddie Murphy in the title role, and did well enough to spawn a couple of sequels. But Hollywood really should have let talking dogs lie because I have now had the misfortune to see Dolittle, the big-budget movie in which Emma Thompson voices a macaw and Sir Ranulph's kinsman, Ralph Fiennes, a tiger. I can report that it is as big a turkey as the original. The 135 million film opens across the UK next week but U.S. critics are already declaring it a disaster, with cinemagoers there left 'reeling' by a desperately misjudged climactic scene involving a constipated dragon, voiced by Frances de la Tour. For some reason, the removal of a set of bagpipes from her fundament eases the dragon's discomfort, though mercifully we are spared the sight of her expelling everything inside her. Yet as mountains of dung go, the 1967 film was in a class of its own, not least because the star playing the genial doctor, Rex Harrison, made the lives of fellow actors and studio staff a misery. His rampaging ego earned him the nickname 'Tyrannosaurus Rex'. Dr Dolittle was based on Hugh Lofting's much-loved children's books, about an eccentric doctor in Victorian England who learns to converse with his feathered and four-legged friends. For Fox, it sounded the ideal follow-up to its global hit The Sound Of Music. Moreover, Harrison was a hugely bankable star, especially after his Oscar-winning performance in My Fair Lady (1964). He quickly asserted his movie-star muscle by high-handedly refusing to act opposite Sammy Davis Jr, who had been cast to play an African prince, Bumpo Kahbooboo. Chee-Chee, voiced by Rami Malek, left, and Dr. John Dolittle, portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. in a scene from 'Dolittle' Dolittle is an upcoming American fantasy comedy film directed by Stephen Gaghan and written by Gaghan and Thomas Shepherd Harrison insisted he wanted Sidney Poitier instead. If they stuck with Davis, he said, he would quit. So Davis was fired and Poitier hired. In the event, that didn't work either. Poitier was paid off handsomely and his character was cut. The initial 6 million budget was climbing alarmingly, before a single scene had been shot. Next, Harrison turned on the film's British screenwriter and lyricist, Leslie Bricusse, whose regular collaborator Anthony Newley had been hired to play Dr Dolittle's friend Matthew Mugg. Harrison summoned Fleischer to his suite at the Beverly Hills Hotel and raged that Bricusse and Newley were 'sewer rats'. Both men were Jewish and Newley (married at the time to Joan Collins) felt sure Harrison's hostility to them was motivated by anti-Semitism. Harrison demanded that Bricusse be replaced by songwriters Michael Flanders and Donald Swann. For a short while he was, only for everyone to realise even Harrison that Bricusse's songs were much better. With Castle Combe eventually chosen as the principal location, a menagerie almost 1,500 strong was assembled so Harrison could, in Bricusse's words, 'walk with the animals, talk with the animals, grunt and squeak and squawk with the animals'. Lt Twistleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, however, was furous that the film-makers had dammed a trout stream to create a pond. So the night before Dr Dolittle was due to start shooting, he planted his explosives in cahoots with an old friend from Eton. The police had been tipped off and were lying in wait with sniffer dogs but he escaped by using SAS techniques to avoid capture, submerging himself in the pond. Some of the bombs exploded and in due course there was a trial, at which Fiennes was lucky not to be sent to prison. Still, at least the episode gave him the title of his 2007 autobiography when the father of his girlfriend (and future wife) labelled him 'mad, bad and dangerous to know'. So, in a different kind of way, was Rex Harrison. But he wasn't the only source of problems on set. The new film is based on the character Doctor Dolittle created by Hugh Lofting, primarily The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle A scene from the up-and-coming film. The 135 million film opens across the UK next week but U.S. critics are already declaring it a disaster, with cinemagoers there left 'reeling' by a desperately misjudged climactic scene involving a constipated dragon, voiced by Frances de la Tour In his own biography, Harrison described having to act opposite a drunk squirrel that had been fed gin through a fountain pen to try to calm it. He was also bitten by a chimp and urinated on by sheep while standing in a field singing to them. Fleischer had already had his script eaten by a goat by the time he came to direct the film's trickiest sequence, Dolittle singing a song called The Reluctant Vegetarian while feeding his animal friends in his living room. Eventually, with all the creatures in place, Fleischer let the cameras roll. Miraculously, everything went perfectly. The animals stayed in their positions, all looking directly at Harrison while he delivered the song beautifully. Then, abruptly, he stopped. Fleischer asked why. 'I heard you call 'Cut!',' Harrison said. Why would I have done that when it was going so well, replied Fleischer. Tension between the two men was building when there was another clear shout of 'Cut!'. It was Polynesia the parrot. To reinforce the old maxim about not acting with animals, ducks placed in the pond began to drown. It was moulting season and they had lost their waterproof feathers. Meanwhile, a fawn drank a quart of paint and had to have its stomach pumped and persistent rain turned the set into a quagmire. On location in St Lucia, where Dr Dolittle goes to search for the legendary Great Pink Sea Snail, locals pelted the prop with stones because their children had just suffered a spate of food poisoning caused by snails. Dr Dolittle ended up costing three times its original budget. In anticipation of its success, Fox had prepared millions of dollars worth of merchandising. Thousands of Dolittle clocks, watches, hats, medicine kits and a talking version of the two-headed pushmi-pullyu all went unsold. And now we have another Dolittle which, some critics have suggested, could lose Universal Pictures up to 77 million. History, like Polynesia the parrot, seems to be repeating itself. Dolittle opens across the UK on February 7. Two satellite images show traffic on the Yingwuzhou Yangtze River Bridge in Wuhan, China, January 12, and on January 28. Planet Labs Inc / Handout / Reuters Since January 23, Wuhan, China, has been on lockdown to stop the Wuhan coronavirus from spreading. Five million left the city before it was closed off, but the city was swollen with people visiting for the Lunar New Year, and 9 million remain. Regardless, the lockdown's effect is noticeable from above. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Wuhan looks like a ghost town. Since January 23, the city of 11 million has been on lockdown. The Chinese government closed off Wuhan to try and stop the novel coronavirus, or 2019-nCoV, from spreading. The coronavirus is thought to have originated at a wet market within the city. As of Thursday, it had killed 170 people, and infected at least 7,900 worldwide. Five million people left before the lockdown, and and an estimated 9 million people were in the city once the quarantine started. Despite this, satellite photos show a city without traffic. Typically congested streets and train stations are empty. Hotel lobbies are without patrons. Photos on the ground show a few people still brave enough to venture out. But for the most part, nothing is going on. Here's what life in Wuhan looks like under quarantine. Wuhan, China, appears to be abandoned. People wearing face masks walk down a deserted street in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020. Arek Rataj / APOn January 23, China closed off Wuhan, along with 15 other cities. Bus and train service stopped. Tunnels were closed off. Wuhan Yangtze River Tunnel is blocked with a barrier following an outbreak of the new coronavirus and the citys lockdown, in Wuhan, Hubei province, China January 25, 2020. China Daily / Reuters Sources: Business Insider, Business Insider Five million people left before the lockdown, and 9 million are still in Wuhan. But from above, day or night, the effect is noticeable. An aerial view shows residential and commercial buildings of Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on January 27, 2020, amid a deadly virus outbreak which began in the city. Hector Retamal / AFP / Getty Source: Business Insider The contrast before and after the lockdown is stark. Here's traffic on the the Yingwuzhou Yangtze River Bridge, on January 12. A satellite image shows traffic on the Yingwuzhou Yangtze River Bridge in Wuhan, China, January 12, 2020, before the city is put under virtual lockdown due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus. Planet Labs Inc / Handout / ReutersBy January 28, the bridge was empty. A satellite image shows traffic on the Yingwuzhou Yangtze River Bridge in Wuhan, China, January 12, 2020, before the city is put under virtual lockdown due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus. Planet Labs Inc / Handout / ReutersThe roads beside Wuchang Railway Station in Wuhan were full on January 12. A satellite image shows the Wuchang Railway Station in Wuhan, China, January 12, 2020, before the city is put under virtual lockdown due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus. Planet Labs Inc / Handout / ReutersBy January 28, they were deserted. Story continues A satellite image shows the Wuchang Railway Station in Wuhan, China, January 12, 2020, before the city is put under virtual lockdown due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus. Planet Labs Inc / Handout / ReutersA satellite image of an airport in Wuhan in October 2019 show a parking lot full of cars and planes in the runway. wuhan airport coronavirus satellite Satellite image 2020 Maxar TechnologiesHowever, a recent image of the same airport shows an eerily empty parking lot with grounded planes surrounding the terminal. Wuhan airport coronavirus satellite Satellite image 2020 Maxar TechnologiesOther train stations, which are typically bustling, were empty, too, except for paramilitary police guarding the entrance. A woman talks on her cellphone as Chinese paramilitary police stand guard at an entrance to the closed Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020. Thepaper / AP Source: Global News Only a week earlier, on January 22, the city was still functioning. A couple wear face masks as they ride along a street in Beijing, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. Mark Schiefelbein / APBut by January 29, major roads were completely deserted during the day. A major road going through the streets of the city remains deserted as people stay at home and avoid transport due to the virus outbreak in the city of Wuhan in Hubei province on January 29, 2020. Hector Retamal / AFP / GettyHotel's emptied out. Lobbies, like this one, were empty, except for a lone security guard. The hotel lobby is pictured deserted as guests and visitors stay away due to the SARS-like virus affecting the city of Wuhan in Hubei province on January 29, 2020. Hector Retamal / AFP / GettyThere are no vaccines available that can prevent people from catching the coronavirus. For the average person, wearing a mask is not as effective as everyday measures like hand-washing and avoiding close contact with anyone who might be infected. A woman walks on an empty road on January 27, 2020 in Wuhan, China. Getty Source: Business Insider Residents have been told to stay home, but some still take walks ... A woman walks on an empty road on January 27, 2020 in Wuhan, China. As the death toll from the coronavirus reaches 80 in China with over 2700 confirmed cases, the city remains on lockdown for a fourth day. Getty Source: Business Insider ... or take their children to play outside. wuhan coronavirus city lockdown quarantine Arek Rataj/APBut they're in the minority. Two residents walk in an empty Jiangtan park on January 27, 2020 in Wuhan, China. As the death toll from the coronavirus reaches 80 in China with over 2700 confirmed cases, the city remains on lockdown for a fourth day. GettyThere's one area that appears to have increased activity... wuhan hospital construction satellite view Satellite image 2020 Maxar Technologies...construction sites for two new hospitals to accommodate the overwhelming number of patients, which should be open at the beginning of February. wuhan hospital construction Satellite image 2020 Maxar Technologies Read the original article on Business Insider Subscriber content preview More than anything, the deal restores certainty to $1.4 trillion-a-year in North American commerce. By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON When President Donald Trump signed a revamped trade agreement with Mexico and Canada into law Wednesday, he kept a campaign pledge to improve upon a deal that he had long condemned. His U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement replaces a 26-year-old version that he and other critics said was a job-killing disaster for the United States. The president's overhaul is designed to update the pact to reflect the rise of e-commerce and other technological changes and to do more to encourage factories to move production to the United States or keep it there. . . . Providers, educators and parents from the Early Years sector are set to take to the streets of Dublin next Wednesday, February 5 in a protest rally over the "worsening childcare crisis." The rally is being organised by the Early Years Alliance and will see the closure of many creches for the day. In a statement Local Early Years Educators said the "reason for this action is that as a collective group, all stakeholders in the Early Years sector have reached breaking point with the demands that are put on us year after year from the various departments governing this one sector. "We realise that this will be an inconvenience to a lot of families and feel badly about this but on personal levels we have to make a collective stance. "The current government has spoken at length about how important the early years are to a childs life, the importance of high-quality curriculums, child led environments along with highly qualified staffing. "Indeed, we are contractually obliged to have level 6 in Early Childhood Development to participate in the ECCE programme; and we should be seeing ourselves as Early Years educators, professionals, just like our counterparts in the rest of Europe. "But that has not translated on the ground; instead we have more governing agencies over our sector, more administrative work, more costs, leaving us feeling belittled; no resemblance to our European counterparts. "We are regulated by many departments; Tusla, Department of Children and Youth Affairs, Pobal, Department of Early Years Services, Department of Environmental Health, A.I.M along with the introduction of the new National Childcare Scheme. "All of these bodies look for different documented records from us and all except the DES inspection is spontaneous we meet their standards but yet we are not good enough to receive Department of Education wage. "Our sector has gone under many changes since the introduction of the ECCE scheme in 2009. We meet their standards but yet we are not good enough to receive Department of Education wage. "Our hourly rate under the scheme (15 hrs total) started off at 4.30 in 09, decreased to 4.16 for the next nine yrs. Last year we got a rise to 4.60: that additional 30 cent per hr was to help with the additional hours of labour needed to plan, document, setup and clean up. "This time is what they call non- contact time - non contact time is before 9am, after 12pm and on weekends; the additional 30 cent is their idea of helping/respecting the professionals. "If a child attends 2 or 3 days a week Pobal do not want to pay us for the childs non- attendance, even though its a parents personal choice. If you arrive to school 15 mins late, they take back that from us, but if you arrive 15 minutes early or late to collect, its no concern of theirs! This is the reality we face. "The departments are pushing for Inclusion for all in preschools and thats a good step, but there are problems with the funding application, both the structural/development side of the process as well as the financial application for the additional member of staff. "Not forgetting that a 15- hour working week only suits a small number of potential applicants, along with it being a 38-week year. Along with making time to try and find the best person possible for the position, we also have to make time to work alongside the various disciplinary agencies associated with any child with additional needs to ensure they are getting the best support they need. "And all employees are entitled to bank holiday pay and annual leave but this is paid by the employer, not Pobal. One provider in Portlaoise has 5 children who receive support in her service. The amount paid by Pobal is 7410 per year/per position. The service provider herself pays additional money out of her own pocket to sustain their employment! This can not carry on, and I know there are many services length and breadth of the country in the same position. "Another service in Portlaoise has paid before Christmas 3,000 for insurance for the year, 3,000 for their fire application and received a proposed rates bill for 7,000. Personally speaking, we have gone from a 50-week service to a 38-week service. "This was a very tough decision and we put if off for as long as we could. Services like ours find it very hard to retain and recruit educators. It has had an impact not only on our income but also on colleagues that are looking to secure mortgages." Why we are protesting and what we hope to achieve: *We need the government to recognise our sector, value it, instead of demanding from us continuously. *We would hope for double funding to ECEC services on an incremental basis over the lifetime of the next government, from Sept 2020, bringing Ireland closer to the EU average *We would like the introduction of a new funding model that supports affordability and accessibility for parents, high quality experiences for children and professional pay and conditions for Early Years educators, as committed to in the First 5 documents *Establish a streamline inspection process with a graded compliance system *We would support effective policy development by engagement with the ECEC sector through respectful negotiation and co-design approach "The age and stages of the children in our care are completely different to those in Junior Infants. Our curriculum is as much about CARE as EDUCATION. "Speaking with parents over the past week we have got great support. Everyone in childcare does their very best for the children in their care. Despite all we have had to do, we love our jobs. "We would like to be recognised for the hardworking, vital job that we have. We had no alternative in 2009 but to sign the contract to join the ECCE scheme. It took away our independence but thankfully not our innate interest in early childhood education and care." AMMAN As US President Donald Trump unveiled the details of his peace plan Jan. 28, dozens of Jordanians rallied in front of the US Embassy in Amman. They decried the so-called "deal of the century" and demanded the closure of the US and Israeli embassies in Amman. At the sit-in called for by the Muslim Brotherhood, the protesters chanted, Raise your voice," "Down with the Americans' approach," "No embassy for the Zionist entity on your land, O Amman," "No US embassy on your land, Amman," "Palestine is an Arab [state]" and "Down with Wadi Araba, a reference to peace agreements with Israel. They rejected Trump's declaration of Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel and denounced the plan for denying Palestinian refugees the right to return to Palestine. Secretary-General of the Islamic Action Front Murad Adayleh told Al-Monitor, The Jordanian and Palestinian people will not accept the abdication of Jerusalem. I warn the Arab regimes against participating in this deal. The Arab people will not tolerate the loss of an inch of Palestine. Whoever signs or executes this deal will be held accountable. The popular position against the deal mirrors the official Jordanian position. The kingdom, which hosts 2.1 million Palestinian refugees and holds custodianship of the holy sites in Jerusalem, fears the Palestinian issue will be settled at its expense. King Abdullah II had explicitly voiced his rejection of the US plan during his Jan. 26 visit to Aqaba. Our position is very well known toward the so-called 'deal of the century.' The word no is clear to everyone, he said. But will Jordan pay a price for rejecting the deal? There are concerns in political quarters that Jordan will face economic pressures by the United States, which provides the kingdom with $1.08 billion worth of annual aid. Former Deputy Prime Minister Mamdouh al-Abbadi said it's unlikely the United States will cut aid to Jordan and affirmed that Jordan will not back down on its opposition to the plan. King Abdullah II made his choice and said no, he told Al-Monitor. Jordan has strategic alliances with the West. The aid it receives falls within the scope of institutional work in the US. Jordans rejection of the 'deal of the century' will not affect the US economic support. Al-Monitor spoke to political analyst and author Amer Sabayleh, who argued that Jordan will lose if it decides to change the nature of its relationship with the United States. The US is the official sponsor of Jordan, with $1.8 million of annual aid, he said, and hinted that although the current relationship between Jordan and Israel is rocky, mutual intelligence-based interests might smooth complications. The joint press conference for Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did nothing to reassure Jordan about the Hashemite custodianship of Jerusalems holy sites. Israel will work closely with a wonderful person, a wonderful man, the King of Jordan to ensure that all Muslims who wish to visit peacefully and pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque will be able to do so, Trump said during the unveiling of his peace plan. Jordanians' fears are not limited to the future of Jerusalem, as the kingdom also fears Israeli annexation of the Jordan Valley. For Jordan, such a move would cut off communication between Jordan and the Palestinian territories. It would harm Ammans interests by cutting off any chances of establishing a a Palestinian state with clear boundaries and deny Palestinian refugees' right of return. Addressing Trump at the press conference, Netanyahu said, But you, Mr. President, you recognized that Israel must have sovereignty in the Jordan Valley and other strategic areas of Judea and Samaria. He added, You recognized that Israel must have sovereignty in places that enable Israel to defend itself, by itself. Political analyst Lamis Andoni told Al-Monitor, The 'deal of the century' is a real danger for Jordan. By annexing Jerusalem and settlements and seeking to annex the Jordan Valley, the only thing that will remain of Palestine would be separate cities. No state will be established. In the first official Jordanian response to Trump's peace plan, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi affirmed in a press statement on the same day that only the two-state solution meets the legitimate rights of the Palestinians, including the right to establish a state based on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, is the only path to a comprehensive and lasting peace. He added that the two-state solution would allow Palestinians to live in peace and security alongside Israel in accordance with international law and with international legitimacy. A coalition of leftist and nationalist parties announced that a sit-in will be held Jan. 31 in front of the US Embassy in Amman in protest of the deal. Jordanian activists also protested in front of the Prime Ministry demanding the government cancel its gas agreement with Israel. Senate Republicans are on the brink of bringing a quick and sudden close to President Donald Trump's impeachment trial. The votes to block consideration of subpoenas for witnesses and documents are all but in hand. Senior GOP aides caution nothing is locked in yet, but make clear this proceeding will be coming to an end soon. Bottom line GOP leaders started to lay the groundwork internally to bring a rapid end to the trial if the witness vote is defeated on Friday, feeling out just how amenable the conference is to teeing up a vote to essentially close down the proceedings and move to a final vote on the articles of impeachment immediately after the witness vote, two GOP senators tell me. That means two things: they have grown confident in their count on the witness vote and this process could be over quite soon. All the details on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's desire to end the trial quickly can be found here in this report from CNN's Ted Barrett and Manu Raju. What to watch Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer holds a press conference at 11 a.m. ET. Senate closed-door party lunches at 11:30 a.m./12 p.m. Senate impeachment trial gavels into session at 1 p.m. Could Trump be acquitted by Friday night? It's possible. Several Republican senators made that suggestion after it was discussed at the closed-door GOP lunch on Wednesday. But the reality is we just don't know -- and neither to do they at this point. There are a lot of variables at play (do Democrats get a chance to offer motions that draw the process out? Are there closing arguments? Do senators decide to deliberate?) So the short answer is, if the witness vote fails, Republican leaders are exploring how to vote to acquit Trump by Friday night. But there is every possibility it moves into Saturday or possibly later. Just stay tuned. On the Q&A It's long. It's arduous. It seems designed solely to give each party an opportunity to tee up softball questions for their side to make their case or rebut the points of opponents. But buried in the 92 questions asked by senators on Wednesday were several that elicited very interesting responses that legitimately may have an effect on how senators vote. The subtext of the entire day was the case for and against witnesses, and it's likely to be the case again Thursday. But White House counsel being unable to answer specific questions about what the President knew or did regarding the Ukraine aide from Republican senators including Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah is notable. The managers clearly not providing a response to Collins' question regarding why bribery wasn't included in the articles of impeachment that she deemed adequate was as well. And then there's the Alan Dershowitz argument regarding presidential power and intent which had some Republicans -- nearly all of whom praised his initial presentation on Monday -- wondering, in the words of one Republican senator, "what the hell he was talking about." Jeremy Herb's distillation of the day that was is very, very good. The GOP "yes" votes on witnesses Collins. Romney. That's it. It's been virtually unchanged for days. Murkowski has said she's "curious" to hear what John Bolton, the former national security adviser, has to say, but hasn't tipped her hand on the final witness vote yet. (Murkowski told reporters she wouldn't discuss witnesses on Wednesday, and focused instead on the 14 questions she'd drafted for the senator question-and-answer period. She met privately with McConnell Wednesday morning and the witness issue was discussed, a source says.) The shrinking GOP undecided votes on witnesses Take a look at any list over the past few weeks or months, either printed here or elsewhere of the senators labeled "undecided" or "in play" to vote with Democrats to consider subpoenas for witnesses and documents. By Wednesday afternoon, almost all of those senators could be crossed off, firmly, or at least signaling, opposition to witnesses. Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, neither of whom were ever firmly trending toward witnesses but who had raised the idea behind closed doors, appeared to pretty firmly close out the idea in public comments. Sens. Cory Gardner of Colorado and Martha McSally of Arizona, two of the most vulnerable GOP senators, made it official they'd be voting against witnesses. (Though to be clear: neither had been on our lists for a few weeks. The political incentives for breaking with the President, according to several GOP campaign officials, were virtually non-existent.) Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio is largely considered to be in line with leadership on this, according to sources, and he teed up a question for the President's legal team to discuss the implications for the Senate if the chamber were to call witnesses. Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas never said he was considering voting for witnesses -- he's largely held off on commenting about the trial -- but he's often a wild card in these kinds of votes. He's not a wild card this time around. Who is left Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee. At this point, that really is about it, GOP senators and aides tell me. Alexander has largely kept to himself and kept his own counsel throughout the trial. He helped Collins and Murkowski with the witness language in the initial organizing resolution, but hasn't committed to voting to move forward on witnesses. Sources familiar with Alexander caution against thinking he's in any great hurry to ride in and be the deciding vote on it, particularly given his concern that much of the process is just an effort for Democrats to create political issues for Senate Republicans up in 2020. Alexander is also extremely close with McConnell. All of that said, to a person, GOP senators leave Alexander alone on decisions like this. He has immense respect inside the conference and has made clear he'll make his mind up after the senator question and answer period ends. Keep an eye on this There was a fascinating behind the scenes dispute on Wednesday between Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul and, basically, Chief Justice John Roberts. The backstory is this: Roberts signaled to senators earlier this week he would not read any questions that included the alleged whistleblowers name, or significant identifying information of the alleged individual. Paul's question included the name. He believes he has every right to ask it, and that Roberts has no grounds to block it. But the question ran afoul of Roberts communicated red line, and Paul was informed by GOP leadership he couldn't ask. He could be seen (and overheard) extremely frustrated on the Senate floor at one point. It's not over. There's still a chance Paul could try and force his question Thursday which would be a remarkable -- and very unprecedented -- moment on the Senate floor. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 30) Two job recruiters who sent Mary Jane Veloso to Indonesia were found guilty of large-scale illegal recruitment in a case involving three other Filipina victims. The complaint filed by Lorna Valino, Ana Marie Gonzales, and Jenalyn Paraiso is separate from the one filed by Veloso, who is on death row in Indonesia over drug charges. Veloso's case remains pending before the Nueva Ecija court. In a decision dated January 14 and released Thursday, the court said Cristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao presented weak defenses for the case and were thus sentenced to life imprisonment for the illegal recruitment charges. The Court has oft pronounced that both denial and alibi are inherently weak defenses which cannot prevail over the positive and credible testimony of the prosecution witness that the accused committed the crime, the ruling penned by Presiding Judge Anarica Castillo-Reyes read. The two were also ordered to pay a fine of 2 million. Veloso was arrested at the Yogyakarta airport in 2010 when authorities found 2.6 kilograms of heroin in her luggage. She was given a reprieve from execution by firing squad in 2015, following an appeal from the previous administration. Veloso had said she was only a victim of drug trafficking. The Supreme Court previously allowed the detained OFW to testify against her recruiters. READ: Mary Jane Veloso: Job search ends in death row The National Union of People's Lawyers (NUPL) meanwhile welcomed the verdict, saying the decision may have an impact on Veloso's case herself. "Even if their case is distinct from Mary Jane's, we believe that Sergio and Lacanilao's conviction stands as a testament to Mary Jane's story that she was not a drug courier but an unwitting victim of the same illegal recruiters," NUPL said in a statement. Presidential Spokesperson and Chief Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo also lauded the development, but said the decision won't likely have a bearing on Veloso's complaint. "There is no connection. She's being charged with the crime there (Indonesia) nothing to do with the conviction of traffickers here," Panelo said in a media briefing. CNN Philippines Correspondent Anjo Alimario contributed to this report. (Newser) Around 200 Americans evacuated from the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak this week will not be going home immediately. Officials say the US citizens, who were screened before leaving Wuhan and then screened again during a stop in Alaska, will be quarantined at a military base in California for at least 72 hours, the BBC reports. The flight, originally scheduled to land at a civilian airport near Los Angeles, landed at March Air Reserve Base Wednesday morning. Dr. Christopher Braden, deputy director of the CDCs National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, said the passengers were not under a federal quarantine order but had voluntarily agreed to stay in special housing on the base, reports Reuters. story continues below "I can just tell you they were very happy to be here and there was no indication they wanted to leave right away," Braden said, per the San Jose Mercury News. He said some passengers have decided to remain at the base for two weeks, believed to be the maximum incubation period for the virus, and those who decide to leave will also be monitored. Other countries evacuating citizens from Wuhan, including Australia, are keeping the evacuees in isolation for two weeks. The World Health Organization plans to hold a meeting Thursday to discuss the coronavirus, which has now killed more than 170 people, almost all of them in Wuhan and surrounding cities. The AP reports that India and the Philippines have now reported their first confirmed cases. (Read more coronavirus stories.) Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. Millennials, as a group, face some tough economic challengeseverything from paying down student loans to affording healthcare to figuring out how to buy a house. Although many millennials are saving more, as a group they lag behind Gen Xers and baby boomers on a number of financial measures, according the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). The median family net worth for millennials (those under 40) stood at just $16,450 in 2016, compared with $103,130 for Gen Xers and $175,890 for baby boomers at the same stage in life. Debt is a key reason so many millennials are falling behind financially. A new Bank of America survey found that more than three-quarters of millennials are carrying debt, such as student loans and credit card balances. Of those, 16 percent owe $50,000 or more (not including mortgage debt). Nearly eight out of 10 of millennials with debt say they can't achieve their personal or financial goals because of it, including buying a house or saving for the future. "For many millennials, it's essential to find a way to pay down debt and save at the same time," says Marguerita Cheng, a certified financial planner in Gaithersburg, Md. A Balancing Act The good news is that many are already doing it. Nearly eight out of 10 of millennials who have debt are also saving, according to the Bank of America study. Nearly 25 percent of those who are saving managed put away $100,000 or more. Clearly, those with hefty debt loads will need a long-term plan to pay down those balances. But sticking with a plan over time can lead to success. More than 30 percent of older millennial savers (ages 31 to 41) have $100,000 or more, the study found. These successful savers tend to benefit from having access to an employer retirement plan. Middle-income workers are 12 times as likely to save for retirement in a tax-advantaged account if they have access to a plan at work, studies show. Story continues But many millennials have yet to take advantage of these savings opportunities. Although two-thirds of millennials have an employer retirement plan, only about 36 percent contribute, according to the National Institute on Retirement Security, a nonprofit group. That's not too surprising, because many young adults are focused on other financial goals, such as buying a first home or affording child care, as well as paying down student loans. "Millennials are pulled in a lot of different directions, and the notion of retirement is often less important to them than maintaining their standard of living," says Cheng. As a recent survey by EBRI found, 65 percent of millennials said that other financial goals were more important now than retirement. More than 60 percent also said that preparing for retirement made them feel stressed. Both responses were higher than those for Gen Xers or boomers. What to Do It's important not to let stress get in the way of success. Perhaps you may not be able to achieve all of your goals right away, but with the right strategy, you may be able to get there sooner than you think. These guidelines can help. 1. Trim your budget. Take a hard look at where your money is going. You can do this relatively easily with online tools such as Mint (free) or YNAB ($84 per year), which can monitor your transactions. Your bank or credit card website can also track and categorize your transaction for you. With numbers in hand, look for ways to free up cash. Youll achieve the biggest impact by tackling big-ticket items, such as housing or transportation. But don't overlook small fixes as well, says Ryan Marshall, a certified financial planner in Wyckoff, N.J. Maybe you don't really need all those meal kit deliveries, or perhaps you can sell unwanted items for extra cash. 2. Prioritize your debt payments. If you have credit card debt, you may be paying a 17 or 18 percent rate or more. So figure out a plan to tackle those balances as quickly as possible, using the cash flow you have freed up. Use automatic payments to ensure that money goes toward that debt. Many financial planners suggest targeting the highest-rate card first, but perhaps paying off a smaller balance first will give you confidence to stick with your plan, says Matt Cooley, a certified financial planner in Boise, Idaho. 3. Devise a student loan strategy. If you have student loan debts, check on the rates and repayment options. (You may find you have more flexibility than you think.) For loans that charge a low rate, such as 3 percent or 4 percent, the problem may be less urgent. That's because you may be able to get a higher investment return on that money than you would save in interest. Still, the best strategy depends on your personal goals. "I had a client in her early 20s, an engineer earning about $60,000 a year, with more than $50,000 in debt that was mostly student loans," says Ben Wacek, a certified financial planner in Minneapolis. "She wanted to pay down the debt as soon as possible, because she wanted flexibility to take a lower-paying job or to go back to school or to travel." She began paying $1,000 a month toward her loans, freeing up the cash by living with friends and keeping her expenses low, which enabled her to wipe out her loans in a few years, says Wacek. 4. Build a rainy fund. Next to paying down debt, amassing an emergency fund is a top priority. If you don't have cash on hand to pay a medical bill or get your car repaired, you're likely to end up putting the amount on a credit card, which means more high-rate debt. How much do you need stashed away? Most planners suggest saving enough to pay three to six months of expenses. Once again, setting up automatic payments into your rainy day account will help ensure you reach your goal. 5. Stash cash in your retirement plan. If you have a 401(k) or other employer-sponsored plan, you may have the benefit of a matching contribution. The most common match is a dollar for dollar up to 6 percent, according to the benefits consultants Alight Solutions. That's free money, so contribute at least enough to get a full match, if you can. Making pretax contributions can also lower your tax bill. (Use a calculator to see the impact of pretax contributions on your take-home pay.) If you don't have an employer plan, design your own by funneling savings in an IRA or solo 401(k). The plans can let you stash large amounts away while also saving on taxes. For those with an employer retirement plan, you may have additional benefits in the form of financial wellness offerings. These programs typically offer free or low-cost assistance with budgeting and paying down debt, among other services. Check with your 401(k) provider or benefits department to see what your plan may offer, if you need the help. More from Consumer Reports: Top pick tires for 2016 Best used cars for $25,000 and less 7 best mattresses for couples Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright 2020, Consumer Reports, Inc. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo holds a press briefing at the State Department in Washington on Jan. 7, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Pompeo Calls Communist China Central Threat of Our Times Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with British leaders in London to reiterate U.S. concerns about allowing Chinas Huawei to have a role in British communications networks, describing the Chinese Communist Party as the biggest threat of the current era. Pompeo, seeking to defuse tension between the two allies, said recent actions wouldnt affect broader ties. He said the United States and the UK would retain and enhance their special relationship once the UK leaves the European Union this week. Speaking alongside British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab at a think tank event on Jan. 30, Pompeo said that he regards the Chinese Communist Party as the central threat of our times, and urged the United States and its allies to ensure they have the military and technological power to ensure that this century is governed by Western principles. When you allow the information of your citizens or the national security information of your citizens to transit a network that the Chinese Communist Party has a legal mandate to obtain, it creates risk, Pompeo told reporters at the Policy Exchange event, before meeting with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. A State Department spokesperson told The Epoch Times previously that it was disappointed by the United Kingdoms decision and that there was no safe option for untrusted vendors to control any part of a 5G network. While Pompeo was en route to London for his two-day trip, he told reporters that theres also a chance for the UK to rethink its decision. Pompeo stressed that he expects concerns about Huawei can be addressed as more details emerge on what limits will be placed on the company, and with advances in communications technology. However, he showed no softening in his opposition to using Huawei, citing national security concerns. Johnson granted Huawei a limited role in Britains 5G mobile network on Jan. 28. Pompeo, during his Jan. 30 meeting with Johnson, spoke about the importance of maintaining the integrity of communications networks and about security concerns in the Middle East, as well as holding the Iranian regime accountable, according to State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus. Negotiating a U.S.-UK free trade agreement also was discussed. Undermining UKs Digital Sovereignty Robert J. Bunker, an adjunct research professor at the U.S. Army War Colleges Strategic Studies Institute, said allowing Huawei technology components into UK 5G networks is inviting malware elements. Such access pointseven if its outside of the critical 5G network sectorscan later be exploited for hacking, infiltration, intelligence monitoring, and control purposes, he told The Epoch Times via email. Western countries talk about their risk management of Huawei contracts, but they are getting in way over their heads since, in certain high technology areas, such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing, including security, China is far more advanced than the UK. Bunker said the United States isnt overstating the threat that Chinas Huawei represents, given the regimes direct hostility to the liberal democratic form of governance. He said the move would undermine the UKs long-term digital sovereignty with China getting the better end of the deal in terms of intelligence. The UK had better heed this warning, Bunker added. Britains decision also goes well beyond letting the fox guard the henhouse, according to Bunker. [It] instead provides the fox the contract to build components of it and embed secret entrances into it, he said. Instead of losing a chicken or two now, a wholesale slaughter is being orchestrated for the future, Bunker said. Huawei is classified as a high-risk vendor by the UK, meaning that it will be excluded from the sensitive core where data is processed, and barred from all critical networks and sensitive locations, such as nuclear sites and military bases. As a high-risk company, its involvement would be capped at 35 percent. Washington has repeatedly warned that Huaweifounded in 1987 by a former engineer of the Chinese regimes Peoples Liberation Armyis an extension of the Chinese state and that it assists Chinese intelligence in stealing secrets. Huawei denies the allegations. Any impact the move would have on the broader relationship between London and Washington was downplayed. I am very confident that our two nations will find a way to work together to resolve this difference, Pompeo said, adding that the Five Eyes intelligence alliance would remain. Pompeo said that the special relationship, a term used to describe the close Anglo-American alliance, remains in good health and that he wanted to prioritize a post-Brexit trade deal with Britain. The previous administration took a view that if the United Kingdom made this decision, theyd be at the back of the linewe intend to put the United Kingdom at the front of the line, he said. Pompeo told reporters that the United States is trying to make the case to every country in the world that we think putting Huawei technology anywhere in your system is very, very difficult to mitigate and, therefore, not worth the gamble. But as we move forward together to make sure that next generation of technology is right, is secure and operates under a Western set of values and system, well get to the right place, he said. The United States has been lobbying European allies to bar Huawei over concerns it could be compelled to help with electronic eavesdropping, after Beijing enacted a 2017 law that forces Chinese organizations to cooperate with national intelligence. U.S. officials also worry that 5G networks would rely heavily on software, leaving them open to vulnerabilities, and have repeatedly warned they would have to reconsider intelligence sharing with allies that use Huawei. Huawei isnt expected to greatly affect negotiations on a post-Brexit free-trade deal that Britain is counting on after exiting the EU. President Donald Trump has pledged that the United States and the UK will negotiate a major free-trade deal as soon as Brexit is complete, and officials have already begun discussions on the plan. Huawei also denied a report on Jan. 29 that alleged the German government was in possession of evidence that the company had cooperated with Chinese intelligence. Huawei Technologies has never, and will never, do anything to compromise the security of networks and data of its customers, the Chinese company said, in response to the report in the Handelsblatt business daily. The Handelsblatt report cited a confidential foreign ministry document as a smoking gun that showed Chinese companies were unsafe partners for building next-generation 5G mobile networks. The intelligence was shared by U.S. officials. Huawei is currently the worlds biggest producer of telecom equipment, with The Wall Street Journal reporting that its soaring growth is the result of $75 billion in state subsidies, which has helped the company undercut many competitors on price. Britain has argued that excluding Huawei would have delayed its 5G rollout and cost consumers more. U.S. officials this year have increasingly spoken out about countries opening their arms to Chinese companies for key infrastructure, such as artificial intelligence and 5G. US Lawmakers Respond A number of U.S. lawmakers have expressed disappointment with the UKs decision, with several calling for a review of its intelligence-sharing with Britain. Allowing Huawei to build the U.K.s 5G networks today is like allowing the KGB to build its telephone network during the Cold War, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) wrote in a statement. The Chinese Communist Party will now have a foothold to conduct pervasive espionage on British society and has increased economic and political leverage over the United Kingdom. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), in a previous email to The Epoch Times, said the misguided decision ignores the considerable expenditure required to mitigate the risk of Huaweis involvement. While Chinese subsidies lower the initial price tag of Huawei, the long-term costs to security and in allies trust are high, Rubio said, adding that the United States should reevaluate economic and intelligence cooperation with Britain. Rubio, Cotton, and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) sent a genuine plea to Johnson earlier this week, urging him to exclude Huawei from Britains 5G infrastructure. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement that he was disappointed by the decision, adding that the United States remained committed to working with its allies such as the United Kingdom to build alternatives to Huawei. Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) put it more bluntly. Heres the sad truth: our special relationship is less special now that the UK has embraced the surveillance state commies at Huawei, he said in a statement. During the Cold War, Margaret Thatcher never contracted with the KGB to save a few pennies. Epoch Times reporter Cathy He, The Associated Press, and Reuters contributed to this report. Sinn Fein General Election candidate or Louth, Councillor Ruairi O Murchu has said this morning that a Sinn Fein Government would set up a pay review commission on Defence Forces Pay within six months. Outlining a package of measures on pay and conditions in the Defence Forces, Councillor O Murchu said we have to end the scandal of poverty wages in the Defence Forces. He said: In recent years there has been a decline in Defence Forces numbers, a marginalising of the Reserve Defence Forces, and a declining morale among members, due in no small measures to government cuts and the lack of appropriate pay and conditions. The scandal of poverty pay for our Defence Forces must be brought to an end and Sinn Fein in Government would set up a review commission on Defence Forces Pay within six months. Sinn Fein would also give our Defence Forces to right to collective bargaining on pay, terms and conditions and to affiliate with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. We would increase numbers in the Defence Forces year on year to rebuild to a baseline figure of 9,500 members. Successive Fine Gael and Fianna Fail led governments have treated the Defence Forces with a lack of respect leading to disgraceful situations where personnel are having to sleep on ships to save on rent or take out second jobs and personal loans to cover basic living requirements. This cannot be allowed to continue and a Sinn Fein Government would restore the respect that our Defence Forces deserve by introducing a package of measures to strengthen pay and conditions. BEIRUT - Warplanes struck a town in a rebel-held enclave in northwestern Syria, killing at least 10 people including some who were fleeing the bombs, opposition activists and a rescue service said Thursday. The attack, believed carried out by Russian warplanes backing a Syrian government offensive, put a local hospital out of service, they said. The late Wednesday night assault on Ariha, a town in Idlib province, comes as the rebel-held enclave is under intense fire amid Syrian government advances on the area, which had been controlled by the opposition for nearly eight years. The Russian Defence Ministry rejected claims it was behind the attack, calling them a provocation. The ministry said Russian warplanes did not fly any combat missions in the area. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the death toll from the airstrikes was at least 10 civilians. The rescue group Syrian Civil Defence, known as the White Helmets, said 11 people, including a child, were killed when the Russian warplanes hit a road used by displaced people trying to leave Ariha. Both the Observatory and the White Helmets said a local hospital and a bakery were struck. At least 24 people were wounded, including a doctor, a White Helmet volunteer, three women and two children, the rescuers said. An Associated Press video shows the damaged hospital in a residential area, with medical equipment broken, supplies strewn over the floor and windows and doors dislodged from their frames. At least six people, relatives of patients, were killed as they waited outside the hospital, said Zuheir Qarat, a surgeon. An anesthesiologist was critically wounded, Qarat said, and remained at the hospital for over an hour until rescuers were able to evacuate him after the raids ended, along with 15 patients. Hospital generators and one hospital car were burned, he added. No patients were hurt. Qarat described three raids before midnight, within minutes of each other. It destroyed the hospital and put it out of service, Qarat told the AP in a voice message from Ariha. There were also people injured from neighbouring buildings. The Ariha hospital, also know as al-Shami, is the only medical facility in the area with surgical facilities. There are no government-run hospitals in opposition-held areas, where health and education services are based on donations and international aid. Hospital director Waguih Qarat said the hospitals co-ordinates have been shared with the U.N. for three years and said the government and Russia know it is a medical facility. He said the strikes came hours after dozens of dead and wounded from a separate airstrike in a village nearby were transported to the hospital. Most the patients were wounded in that strike. Attacks on hospitals and health facilities by Syrian government forces and their Russian ally illegal under international law have been systematic throughout the war. Physicians for Human Rights recorded over 530 attacks on health facilities by Syrian and Russian forces as well as more than 900 deaths of medical professionals, over 90 per cent of them blamed on the government. Footage from Ariha showed the main road blocked with rubble from destroyed buildings. The raids sparked several fires in residential apartments, said a rescuer. He gave only his nickname, Abdel-Karim, because of concerns for his safety. He added that his team of volunteers were going through the area to ensure no survivors remained buried under the rubble. Qarat said that striking the hospital is a message ... a warning to evacuate, adding that Ariha residents started fleeing after the raids. The hospital was the third that Qarat had worked in, after the previous two were also bombed. The U.N. Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock described to the Security Council on Wednesday the dire conditions in the rebel-held areas. At least 20,000 people were displaced in the last two days, he said, adding that 115,000 left their homes in the past week, bringing total of those uprooted by the violence since December to 390,000. Many families are moving multiple times. They arrive in a place thought to be safe, only for the bombs to follow, so they are forced to move again, he said. This cycle is all too familiar in northwest Syria. In the Russian-backed offensive, Syrian troops captured Maaret al-Numan, one of the largest and most strategic rebel-held towns in Idlib province on Wednesday. The town, which had been in rebel hands since 2012, sits on the highway linking Damascus with Aleppo and is considered critical to President Bashar Assads forces. It was mostly empty after intense bombardment in recent weeks. The government offensive now appears to be eyeing Saraqeb, a town to the north, which if captured, would secure the governments hold on the highway. Farther north, government forces began an offensive on the western suburbs of Aleppo in an attempt to secure the other side of the strategic highway. The president of Turkey, which backs Syrias opposition, said hes in contact with Russia to urge it to stop the bombing in Idlib or our patience will run out. Syrias nearly nine-year conflict has killed close to half a million people and displaced half of the population, including more than 5 million who are now refugees, mostly in neighbouring countries. Animal rights organisations are furious after eight starving horses and 27 dead animals 'slowly decomposing' were discovered on a drought-ravaged farm in regional Queensland. The Animal Liberation Queensland has slammed the state's Department of Agriculture for taking 'very little action' since the horses were discovered three weeks ago on a barren Toowoomba property, west of Brisbane. Shocking images obtained by Daily Mail Australia show skeletal horses with protruding ribs and dead horses decomposing in the dirt on the Charlton farm. In a statement, the ALQ said: 'We have grave concerns for these 8 horses who have witnessed their friends starve to death. 'The surviving horses are still not being adequately fed. The bodies of their friends still remain on the property, slowly decomposing.' In addition to the eight starving horses, there are 17 decomposing corpses and over 10 skeletons on the property, according to ALQ Executive Director Chay Neal. Skeletal horses are currently starving to death on a Toowoomba property in regional Queensland. The Animal Liberation Queensland has slammed the state's Department of Agriculture for taking 'very little action' since the horses were discovered three weeks ago Dead horses and horse skeletons lie in the dirt on the barren property. It is estimated that more than 27 animals have died on the drought-stricken farm in Charlton, Toowoomba A heavily decomposed horse, revealing its skull beneath rotting flesh. In addition to the eight starving horses, there are 17 decomposing corpses and over 10 skeletons on the property, according to ALQ Executive Director Chay Neal Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Mr Neal said the discovery of horse skeletons suggests the animal mistreatment 'has been going on for a long time'. 'It doesn't make sense. The owner doesn't live locally but we don't understand why he hasn't been prosecuted yet,' he said. 'He has someone who comes to feed them but we don't know how often they're being fed and how often the department has been checking on them.' In total, the ALQ estimates that as much as 27 horses have died on the property but Mr Neal said 'it's hard to get an accurate picture'. Among the dead animals were five racehorses, according to the ALQ, which sent members down to scan bodies for microchips. The dead racehorses include Onya Sonya, who is still listed as 'active' by Racing Australia and the 'retired' Miss Voli and Sarah's Joy. In addition, two more dead racehorses, Oorawan and Aah, were found on the property and listed as deceased on January 20. Of the eight surviving horses, there is one 'severely emaciated' horse named Flagflamenco, who is also listed as 'active' by Racing Australia. Another decomposing horse corpse on the regional Queensland property. 'The surviving horses are still not being adequately fed. The bodies of their friends still remain on the property, slowly decomposing,' the ALQ said in a statement Among the dead animals (pictured) were five racehorses, according to the ALQ, which sent members down to scan bodies for microchips Shocking images obtained by Daily Mail Australia show skeletal horses with protruding ribs and dead horses decomposing in the dirt on the Charlton farm Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Mr Neal said the discovery of horse skeletons (pictured) suggests the animal mistreatment 'has been going on for a long time' A horse skull lies in the dirt next to faeces. After dead horses were discovered on the property, Biosecurity Queensland, which is a subdivision of the state's Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, began investigating The mistreatment of horses on the Toowoomba property was first discovered by a local resident on January 10. Biosecurity Queensland, which is a subdivision of the state's Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, is currently investigating the matter. On January 14, Biosecurity Queensland inspectors and a vet visited the property and directed the horses' owner to feed them. In a statement on Thursday, Biosecurity Queensland said: 'The owner has been cooperating and appropriate feed is being provided to the horses in line with the animal welfare direction. 'Biosecurity Queensland continues to monitor the care of the horses. Further veterinary assessment of the horses is scheduled for this week. 'While the recovery process will take some time, we are pleased to report the horses are gaining strength and are better able to deal with all weather conditions.' However, Mr Neal said the owner has only been feeding the horses once a day so neighbors began giving the animals 'high quality horse feed'. 'The food being supplied by the owner has been low quality, wet straw. The action by these neighbours has meant that no further horses have died,' he said. Neighbours were instructed by Biosecurity Queensland to stop feeding the horses last Monday, according to Mr Neal. The emaciated horse matter is being investigated by Biosecurity Queensland, which is a subdivision of the state's Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. The body ordered neighbours to stop feeding the horses as they were being 'fed appropriately' Dead horses lie side by side on the property, left to rot in the sun. The ALQ Executive Director called on the Department of Agriculture to take immediate action by prosecuting the owner and seizing ownership of the surviving horses After seeing he starving horses, neighbours began feeding them but were told to stop by Biosecurity Queensland. The department said they have spoken to the property owner and instructed him to feed the animals Horse bones and skeletons are scattered across the property and have not been properly disposed of. Mr Neal questioned how many horse must die before action is taken The ALQ Executive Director urged Biosecurity Queensland to prosecute the owner and seize ownership of the horses. 'Waiting for more horses to die before taking action and prosecuting the owner is gross negligence by the Department,' Mr Neal said. Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses Campaign Director Elio Celotto blamed the racing industry for the mistreatment of horses. 'This is one of many horrific examples of what happens to horses once they are no longer wanted by the racing industry. Their outcomes are most commonly this or the slaughterhouse,' Mr Celotto said. 'This multi billion dollar industry is openly allowing those only bred into the world because of them, to starve to death. It is abhorrent.' Jo Marsh was the local resident who discovered starving horses and posted photos of the farm to Facebook on January, sparking outrage in the community. 'These poor creatures are barely standing... The rest are lying around the paddocks in various states of decomposition. It appears they havent been fed for months and have starved to death!' Ms Marsh captioned the post. A gaunt horse stares into the camera on the barren Queensland property. Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses Campaign Director Elio Celotto blamed the racing industry for the mistreatment of horses The mistreatment of horses on the Toowoomba property was first raised by local Jo Marsh on January 10, who posted photos to Facebook. 'These poor creatures are barely standing... The rest are lying around the paddocks in various states of decomposition,' she wrote Opposition Congress said on Thursday that it will raise the issue of theCitizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) during the budget session of the Goa Legislative Assembly. The controversial legislation violates the Constitutional principle of secularism, it said. The session would be held from February 3 to 7, with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant scheduled to present the financial statement on February 6. Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat told reporters that the Congress and other opposition parties would raise the CAA on the floor of the House. Senior Congress leader Pratapsingh Rane said the BJP-led Union government had disrespected the Constitution by enacting a law like CAA. "India is a secular country and no attempt should be made to harm its fabric," he said, reading out the preamble of the Constitution. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Residents wear surgical masks while crossing the road in order to prevent the spread of the Wuhan corona virus on Thursday in Hong Kong. Read more The news about the spread of a new virus out of the city of Wuhan in China is scary. The virus is a novel type of coronavirus provisionally called 2019-nCoV that leads to an upper respiratory disease similar to influenza or pneumonia. According to the World Health Organization, more than 6,000 people have been confirmed to have contracted coronavirus almost all in China and 132 people have died. Since the virus is new, there are still many unknowns. But according to city and state health officials, while the situation in China is being closely monitored, there is no reason for people in the Philadelphia region to be overly concerned. Washing hands, covering coughs, staying at home when experiencing cold and flu-like symptoms, and contacting a physician if symptoms follow recent travel to China are all measures of protection. All of these measures are also the way to prevent the spread of the flu a virus that so far this season has reportedly led to 445 hospitalizations and six deaths in Philadelphia. A previous viral outbreak from China showed the ugly consequences of panic created by epidemics. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the six months of the SARS outbreak in 2003, it infected roughly 8,000 people and killed 770. READ MORE: How much will the coronavirus spread? Its a question of biology and math. In the United States, only eight people got SARS and all survived; none were from Philadelphia. But the panic of SARS led to a toll that does not come with influenza: racism and exclusion. In April 2003, amidst the global SARS outbreak, the Daily News and The Inquirer reported that businesses in Philadelphias Chinatown saw sales dip by 40% to 60%, even though no case in North America was linked to any Chinatown. According to reporting at the time, one reason for SARSs impact on businesses in Chinatown was internet hoaxes and rumors that linked the disease to restaurants and other Chinese-owned businesses. The exclusion of people only because they are Chinese has already begun worldwide. In Seoul, South Koreas capital, a restaurant put up a sign in Chinese reading, No Chinese allowed. A Chinese student in the U.K. reported being avoided in the halls of their university out of fear of infection. In a Canadian town with a large Chinese population, thousands of parents circulated a petition demanding that kids whose family members visited China be self-quarantined. None of these measures have any basis in public health only in panic and in racism. A possible case of coronavirus led Philadelphias Penn Charter School to end a Chinese exchange program testing showed that the student did not have the virus and the 18 Chinese high schoolers flew back home. READ MORE: New case of coronavirus being investigated in Philadelphia, student at Penn Charter tested negative, health department announces READ MORE: Coronavirus screening expanding to Philadelphia International Airport, while Free Library cancels Chinese New Year events The concern over coronavirus is understandable, but science, not stigma and exclusion, should guide both the citys and individuals responses. Instead of avoiding Chinatown, Chinese-owned businesses, and cultural events, Philadelphians should make an effort to patronize them as a form of solidarity as long as people dont forget to wash their hands, cover their coughs, and stay home if they are feeling sick. Labour has pledged to spend 40 million over three years to tackle overcrowding at the beleaguered University Hospital Limerick. The party's health spokesman Alan Kelly said the funding of UHL needs a radical upgrade. "I have carried out significant research between the resources at UHL and Beaumont Hospital in Dublin and the disparity is frightening. These are similar hospitals in similar (population catchment) areas but the difference in the numbers of doctors, nurses and administration staff is huge and makes no sense. The UHL funding is part of a 1bn-a-year health care package which the party launched in Limerick. Mr Kelly said there is an over-reliance on agency nurses who cost the HSE more than 900,000 each day. "We need to end this and provide permanent nursing jobs and make them attractive," he added. More nurses and health care professionals need to be recruited to make Slainte Care a reality, he added. "Labour is committed to a single health system that works for everyone, where everyone gets equally good medical treatment, based on need," he said. Front bench spokesperson Jan O'Sullivan said the intolerable situation in the ED at UHL has to be stopped. "We have heard of so many harrowing stories, frail and elderly people squashed together on trolleys and chairs for days at a time, deprived of their dignity and fearful for their health." Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) Oleksiy Danilov has met with Secretary of State, Head of the National Security Bureau of Poland Pawel Soloch to discuss bilateral cooperation in the sphere of defense and cybersecurity, the NSDC's press service has reported. "The parties exchanged views on the current situation in the area of the Joint Forces Operation. The NSDC secretary stated that, despite the agreements reached during a meeting in the Normandy Format, the dynamics of shelling attacks against Ukrainian positions, unfortunately, remains negative. Danilov and Soloch discussed in detail bilateral cooperation in the security and defense sector, in particular in the field of the military-industrial complex, as well as the intensification of cooperation at the level of the apparatus and experts of the two agencies. In this context, the NSDC secretary expressed the importance of further development of cooperation in the field of cybersecurity, noting that 'cyberattacks and the information war against Ukraine are extremely dangerous'," the report reads. Danilov and Soloch also exchanged views on the situation in the countries bordered by the two states and expressed the need to expand the regional dimension of cooperation, particularly in the Baltic and Black Sea regions. Soloch emphasized successful cooperation as part of the joint Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian brigade (LitPolUkrBrig) and emphasized the expediency of introducing such military cooperation between Ukraine, Romania, and Poland. The parties also discussed the possibility of continuing activities in the format of the "Strategic Dialogue" of the heads of the national security agencies of Ukraine, Poland, the United States and Belarus, which was launched in Warsaw on August 30, 2019, noting that there is an interest in maintaining and developing this format of cooperation. op Nights of cavorting, cheap beer and Cornish pasties are the delights on offer at the Euro Bar. However, despite appearances, the name of this pub in Benalmadena on Spains Costa del Sol, is not a homage to the spirit of the European Union. Mark Sampson, the manager of the Euro Bar, chose the name because its boast is that no drink costs more than one euro. Nonetheless, he will be happy when Britain finally leaves the EU on 31 January. The EU sounds like a great dream, but I dont think it has worked. It has become too bogged down in bureaucracy, which causes too many problems for business, he says. Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Show all 20 1 /20 Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Britain votes to leave the European Union - 23 June 2016 A referendum is held on Britain's membership of the European Union. Fifty-two per cent of the country votes in favour of leaving AFP via Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? David Cameron resigns - 24 June 2016 David Cameron resigns on the morning of the result after leading the campaign for Britain to remain in the EU Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Theresa May takes the reins - 13 July 2016 Theresa May becomes leader of the Conservative party and prime minister, winning the leadership contest unopposed after Andrea Leadsom drops out Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? High Court rules parliament must vote on Brexit - November 2016 - 3 November 2016 The High Court rules that parliament must vote on triggering Article 50, which would begin the Brexit process Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Article 50 triggered - 28 March 2017 The prime minister triggers Article 50 after parliament endorses the result of the referendum Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? May calls snap election - 18 April 2018 Seeking a mandate for her Brexit plan, May goes to the country Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? May loses majority as Labour makes surprise gain - 8 June 2017 After a disastrous campaign, Theresa May loses her majority in the commons and turns to the DUP for support. Jeremy Corbyn's Labour party makes gains after being predicted to lose heavily AFP/Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Negotiations begin - 19 June 2017 David Davis and Michel Barnier, chief negotiators for the UK and EU respectively, hold a press conference on the first day of Brexit negotiations. Soon after the beginning of negotiations, it becomes clear that the issue of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic will prove a major sticking point AFP/Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? MPs vote that withdrawal deal must be ratified by parliament - 13 December 2017 The government suffers a defeat in parliament over the EU withdrawal agreement, guaranteeing that MPs are given a 'meaningful vote' on the deal Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Boris Johnson resigns as foreign secretary - 11 July 2018 Following a summit at Chequers where the prime minister claimed to have gained cabinet support for her deal, Boris Johnson resigns as foreign secretary along with David Davis, the Brexit secretary Reuters Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Draft withdrawal agreement - 15 November 2018 The draft withdrawal agreement settles Britain's divorce bill, secures the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and vice versa and includes a political declaration commiting both parties to frictionless trade in goods and cooperation on security matters. The deal also includes the backstop, which is anathema to many brexiteers and Dominic Raab and Esther McVey resign from the cabinet in protest Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? May resigns - 24 May 2019 After several failed attempts to pass her withdrawal agreement through the commons, Theresa May resigns Reuters Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Johnson takes over - 24 July 2019 Boris Johnson is elected leader of the Conservative party in a landslide victory. He later heads to Buckingham Palace where the Queen invites him to form a government Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Parliament prorogued - 28 August 2019 Boris Johnson prorogues parliament for five weeks in the lead up to the UK's agreed departure date of 31 October. Stephen Morgan MP Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Prorogation ruled unlawful - 24 September 2019 The High Court rules that Johnson's prorogation of parliament is 'unlawful' after a legal challenge brought by businesswoman Gina Miller Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Johnson agrees deal with Varadkar - October Following a summit in Merseyside, Johnson agrees a compromise to the backstop with Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar - making the withdrawal agreement more palatable to Brexiteers Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Final Say march demands second referendum - 19 October 2019 As parliament passes the Letwin amendment requiring the prime minister to request a further delay to Brexit, protesters take to the streets in the final show of force for a Final Say referendum Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Johnson wins 80 seat majority - 12 December 2019 The Conservatives win the December election in a landslide, granting Boris Johnson a large majority to pass through his brexit deal and pursue his domestic agenda Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Withdrawal deal passes parliament - 20 December 2019 The withdrawal agreement passes through the commons with a majority of 124 Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? EU parliament backs UK withdrawal deal - 29 January 2020 Members of the European parliament overwhelmingly back the ratification of Britain's departure, clearing the way for Brexit two days later on 31 January. Following the vote, members join hands and sing Auld Lang Syne AFP/Getty Up in the Andalusian mountains near Ronda, Paul Darwent will not be celebrating Brexit but he has decided to stage a tongue-in-cheek salute to Britains farewell to Europe. At the Bar Allioli in Jimera de Libar, an exhibition of blue passports, a tombola to win a fake visa to Europe, a Brexit poetry competition and a sample of the best of British cuisine, including beans on toast and curry, will be on offer. Paul Darwent outside his bar near Ronda in southern Spain (Graham Keeley) Vera Lynns Well meet again and The Communards Dont leave me this way will provide the musical backdrop. I have a British passport but, ironically, I think Europe is better off without the Brits, says Darwent, 64, who has lived in Spain for 22 years and voted Remain in 2016. When Brexit finally becomes a reality, it will leave the more than 300,000 Britons who live in Spain wondering what the future holds for them. These emigres are the largest group of Britons in any European country and many insist they do not conform to the cliche of gin-swigging expats on the costas. The EU sounds like a great dream, but I dont think it has worked. It has become too bogged down in bureaucracy Mark Sampson, manager of Euro Bar Most voted against leaving the EU, but others also chose to support the Leave campaign, despite the risk that their lives might never be quite the same again. In March last year, Spain issued a royal decree guaranteeing the rights of 365,967 Britons who are registered as residents. Effectively, this means they can still enjoy the same rights to healthcare, to work and freedom of movement as before Brexit. Others who do not currently have residency permission have until the end of 2020 to apply. However, the Spanish deal is dependent on Britain bringing in a reciprocal agreement for about 150,000 Spaniards living in the UK. So far, the UK has brought in its settled status scheme for current EU residents but no bilateral deal exists. A trade deal can only be settled between Brussels and London to settle. Union flag bunting hangs in the Bar None pub in Benalmadena (Getty) After 31 January, a transition period begins when a deal must be thrashed out between London and Brussels. This period ends on 1 January 2021, when Britons who live abroad may notice a real change, but nothing is certain yet. Analysts believe Spain will not seek to make life difficult for Britons or UK firms as Madrid has too much to lose. People protest in Madrid in defence of Europeans and Britons rights (AFP/Getty) (AFP via Getty) British companies bring 200,000 jobs to Spain and 6bn (5bn) annual tax revenue, not counting tourism. Ever since the package holiday revolutionised tourism, Britons have been the largest group by nationality coming on holiday to the costas. In 2018, 18.5 million made the journey. Spain has no incentive to make life difficult for Britons. We would prefer them to take an active lead in ensuring this doesnt happen, says Chris Dottie, the president of the British Chamber of Commerce in Spain. Philip Smalley, 73, a retired retail manager who moved from Preston to La Vinuela, near Malaga, 14 years ago, is confident life will continue much the same. Where I live you can count the Brexiteers on two hands. My friends who are Brexit supporters love to tease the people who wanted to remain, he says. We will have to see what happens, wont we. If all else fails, I will just become Spanish and forget Britain Paul Derwent, Remain-voting bar owner But we keep the bars open here and provide work. They wont do anything to upset that. After the 2016 referendum, others were so worried their future might be threatened that they opted to apply for Spanish nationality. The latest figures showed the number who attained citizenship rose from 63 in 2016 to 209 in 2018, but lawyers believe the real figure is much larger as the Spanish justice system is notoriously slow. John Bentley, 50, an English teacher in Barcelona, spent two years battling his way through the red-tape and sitting two examinations before he swore allegiance to King Felipe VI. To get Spanish citizenship, one must pass a language test and a constitutional examination, which includes questions about how government works and cultural questions about such things as the name of FC Barcelonas ground. It also includes trick questions asking the name of the river between Madrid and Barcelona; answer: there is not one. Applicants must have lived in Spain for 10 years. When the referendum result came through, it was very unclear what would happen, so I thought I would apply to get Spanish nationality so I could carry on living here, says Bentley, who moved from Halifax in Yorkshire to Spain 24 years ago. However, Cheryl Carroll, 41, a company director who moved from Glasgow to Madrid 16 years ago, became disillusioned with the process when Spanish authorities insisted she must take her father and mothers surnames rather than her married name, as is the custom in Spain. I didnt see why I had to surrender my identity and it would have been a practical problem with regard to the company I work for, she says. Back at the Allioli Bar in Jimera, Darwent is putting the finishing touches to his Brexit party. We will have to see what happens, wont we. If all else fails, I will just become Spanish and forget Britain, he says. Thousands of foreigners, many of them students, are being evacuated this week from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the deadly novel coronavirus that has killed upwards of 170 people and infected more than 7,000 in China alone. There are still more foreigners who have been asking their countries for assistance in order to be evacuated from the central China Hubei region. On the African continent, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has reportedly called for the government to repatriate 36 Algerians, primarily students, who are living in Wuhan. Local media in Morocco said that some 100 Moroccans, also primarily students, would be evacuated, but did not give an indication as to when this would happen. South African nationals in Wuhan told CNN TV in the US that they have not been given any information from their foreign ministry as to when they could get flights back to South Africa. South Africas Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) had posted on social media that their offices would be closed for Chinese New Year on Wednesday. DIRCO spokesperson Clayson Monyela told CNN that they are working on processing repatriation requests. Tanzanian student Hilal Kizwi, who studies at Tongji Medical College in Wuhan, told the Associated Press news agency that the Tanzanian embassy told him that the government was working on an evacuation plan, but he was not hopeful. In the interim, he said that he created a social media help group with other Tanzanian doctors to get information to other students in Swahili on how to protect themselves from the virus. Going, going, gone In Asia, a number of countries are in the process of evacuating or have already begun flights home. Japan has already sent two planes, as 400 Japanese have been repatriated. According to Japanese officials on Tuesday, some 650 people had registered for evacuation. Story continues Singapore said evacuated 92 citizens on Tuesday, while the US State Department said a chartered plane with 240 US citizens, including consular staff, left on Wednesday. South Korea is reportedly sending planes on Thursday or Friday to bring back their people, while the Philippines said it would be repatriating 300 Filipinos from Wuhan and Hubei province. France has already sent one plane on Thursday, but the health ministry said it would be sending another plane either Friday or Saturday. Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne said about 500 French citizens are registered at the Wuhan consulate, but that the actual number of French citizens in the area is probably closer to 1,000. Air France announced on Thursday that it would be suspending all flights to and from China until 9 February. The European Union said it was co-funding the French flights, which includes EU nationals, but only if they do not show symptoms. South Korea is also reportedly sending planes on Thursday or Friday to bring back their people, while the Philippines said it would be repatriating 300 Filipinos from Wuhan and Hubei province. German press reported that the foreign ministry was preparing the evacuation of some 90 citizens on a Saturday flight. Authorisation from China Other countries, such as India, Thailand and Sri Lanka are waiting for authorization from China to pick up their citizens. The Indian foreign ministry has asked to bring two planes to repatriate lore than 250 Indians living in the area. There is reportedly a Boeing 747 at Bombay airport that is waiting to pick them up. Australia is in the midst of negotiating the terms of evacuation for the Australians, many of whom are dual nationals, from the area, according to Prime Minister Scott Morrison. He added that Australia is working with New Zealand to evacuate their citizens as well. Spains Foreign Affairs Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya said Spain was working with Chinese authorities and the European Union to ensure their citizens would be able to get out of Wuhan. Although more than 230 Indonesians live in Wuhan and Hubei province, the foreign ministry said on Thursday it had not decided on an evacuation plan yet. Efforts arebeing made to develop tier-II and tier-III cities in Karnataka, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi has said. Speaking at 'Invest Karnataka Road Show' here on Wednesday night, he said it was time to seek investment for tier-II and III cities in the state. Joshi said Bengaluru was becoming more congested and efforts were being made to decongest the capital city, adding there was need for tier-II and III cities to develop. "Keeping that in mind, we thought that in entire Karnataka there should be some investment and some industries we should set up," he added. While agriculture continues to get top priority from the government, Joshi said it (agriculture) alone cannot cater to the requirements of a family for employment and that other sectors should also grow. The intention is to support agriculture and supporting industries also, Joshi said. He highlighted the strengths of Karnataka, including abundant availability of power, responsive administration, friendly industrial atmosphere. In his region of Hubli-Dharwad, infrastructure and air connectivity have improved, the Minister added. By Trend Ten citizens of Azerbaijan and 35 citizens of Turkey will be evacuated from China, due to the coronavirus outbreak in Chinese Wuhan city, Trend reports referring to Turkeys Ministry of Health. Evacuated citizens will be quarantined in Turkey for 14 days. Azerbaijani citizens will be evacuated from China to Turkey, President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. The Minister of Health said that we have no threat so far. But there are citizens of Azerbaijan in China. They want to come back," Erdogan said. The president instructed relevant authorities to take necessary actions and bring the citizens of Azerbaijan to Turkey, An outbreak of previously unknown pneumonia later identified as a new type of coronavirus and denoted as 2019-nCoV was registered in China's Wuhan in late Dec.2019. As of Jan.30, 2020, the number of those infected amounted to 7,711 people, whereas the number of deceased amounted to 170 people. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Nana Akufo-Addo, the Ghanaian president once said in his speech, during his visit to Paris that we must stop believing in "the story of Santa Claus who will come to develop the continent, according to him, his doctrine to free Ghana from International Aid is: Ghana beyond aid. President Akufo-Addo promised to build a country in which developments will never again depend on the assistance of rich countries. Is the man really serious about what he says, to impress or just wishful thinking? Because he has failed miserably in many things, including his fight against corruption in the country. Often shown as an example for its democratic achievements and robust growth, Ghana gives reason to hope. The former Gold Coast is the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to have reached the number 1 Millennium Development Goal (MDG), which aims to halve the rate of extreme poverty. It went from 52% in 1992 to 28% in 2006, then to 24% in 2013, according to Ghanaian statistics, due to the country taking advantage of its economy rich in raw materials of all kinds, such as gold, bauxite, manganese, but also cocoa, coffee, cashews and the discovery of oil deposits. This development has also led to an improvement in the human development index, measured through gross income per capita, life expectancy at birth and access to education. Ghana is one of the rare countries in sub-Saharan Africa classified in the category of countries with average human development. Taking advantage of foreign exchange earnings during the years of strong growth, the government set up several social assistance programs. The most emblematic, subsistence income against poverty was launched in 2008. According to the authorities, 330,000 households today receive an allowance and fulfill, in exchange, certain obligations, such as the education of their children. However, economic growth is not very strong in the industrial sector, which could have created jobs. Many Ghanaians are self-employed and make a living from trades or agriculture and the oil sector does not provide many jobs either. The benefits of record economic growth over the past decade have gone mainly to the wealthy. As a matter of fact, inequality is greater than ever in Ghana, this has created unemployment and poverty in Ghana. On average, a quarter of Ghana's population still lives below the poverty line and in certain places, particularly, the north, rural and landlocked, destitution can affect 70% of the inhabitants. For example, in Tamale, located some 100 km from the border with Burkina Faso, the inhabitants of this region, mostly farmers and pastoralists do not have the basic public infrastructure, particularly in the fields of health and education. This article cant be complete if this issue is not discussed. How can Akufo Addo, proudly presents in his speech that Ghana doesnt need aid as a nation, yet, since coming to power, within three years, he has increased Ghanas debt by about GS86.6 billion? The stubborn Ghanaian leader, wouldnt accept his mistakes for his bad policies affecting the nation. When a section of Ghanaians, the opposition and some economics warned him about his fast borrowing spree which will plunge the nation into an economic crisis, Akufo Addo responds, Even America borrows. Yes, he is right, America borrows but they know how to utilize the resources taken from Africa and also know how to create jobs for the unemployed population but look at you Akufo Addo, what do you know? How many banking institutions have collapsed under your administration, will you also blame the NDC for that? For a very long time, I have been praying to stop writing about you, because I have too many articles about your inefficiency, unfortunately, your political blunders wouldnt permit me to do so. Knowing this, I dont think I will ever stop writing about you until you become an efficient leader. You cant shout Ghana beyond aids and later create such a huge debt for the country to carry, would anyone call that efficiency? I feel very sorry for the common Ghanaians. Entities can bid for national carrier on the basis of the financial strength of their affiliates, a proposition that could attract more bidders. In its second attempt in as many years to divest loss-making Air India, the government came out with the Preliminary Information Memorandum (PIM) on Monday. The government has proposed selling 100 per cent stake in along with budget airline Express and the national carrier's 50 per cent stake in AISATS, an equal joint venture with Singapore Airlines. As per the PIM, a bidder may also "qualify on the basis of net worth of its affiliate, provided such IB (Interested Bidder) itself has a positive net worth...," subject to certain conditions. This means that an entity can bid based on the financial strength of its parent, according to a source involved in the disinvestment process. Such a provision could also help in attracting more bidders. In case an IB is taking the benefit of financial strength of its affiliate, then the net worth of only the affiliate would be used for the purposes of evaluation of financial capability of the IB, as per the PIM. To make the disinvestment more attractive, the government has eased the bidding norms. Prospective bidders now need to have a minimum of Rs 3,500 crore net worth. In 2018, when the government tried to divest Air India, the net worth criteria was fixed at Rs 5,000 crore. Meanwhile, the source said that complete foreign ownership of the national carrier would not be possible. Under the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) norms, the Substantial Ownership and Effective Control (SOEC) framework and provisions in the bilateral agreements, it would not be practical for Air India to have 100 per cent foreign ownership, the source said. Through the automatic route, a foreign investor or an airline can have up to 49 per cent stake in an Indian carrier. The limit can be 100 per cent under approval route but would not be applicable for overseas airlines. In the case of Air India, only 49 per cent FDI is allowed through the approval route, the source said. As per the SOEC framework, which is followed in the airline industry globally, a carrier that flies overseas from a particular country should be substantially owned by that country's government or its nationals. In the case of Air India, the government has signed bilateral flying rights agreements with more than 100 countries. As per these pacts, flying rights would be given to carriers that are substantially owned by the Indian government or Indian nationals, the source said. According to the source, in case the substantial ownership of the carrier is to be changed, then all these pacts would have to be renegotiated. In such a situation, the countries concerned might also ask for increased bilateral flying rights, the source added. Bilateral flying rights refers to an agreement between two countries that allows each other's airlines to operate services with a specific number of seats. Among others, the government would withdraw its guarantee extended to loans taken by Air India. "Government of India (GOI) may prescribe additional conditions (including but not limited to replacement of all GOI guarantee or other GOI support extended on behalf of the companies) in the Request for Proposal (RFP)," the PIM said. Qualified Interested Bidders (QIBs) would be required to demonstrate availability of funds for the proposed transaction "including but not limited to appropriate expression of support from financial institution(s)... confirming ability of the IB to discharge all its obligations defined under RFP and definitive documents related to the proposed transaction," it noted. The successful bidder would have to take over only debt worth Rs 23,286.5 crore while the liabilities would be decided depending on current assets at the time of closing of the transaction. Air India is in the red for long. A group of politicians, including former ministers, from Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) will seek appointments to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah to discuss restoration of the regions statehood and to raise concerns regarding government jobs and land ownership, according to people aware of the matter. If it materialises, it will be the first such meeting since the nullification of the Constitutions Article 370 that stripped the region of its special status in August. Around two dozen politicians, including Altaf Bukhari, met on Wednesday in Srinagar and decided to seek the appointments for the mitigation of the problems people have been facing since the erstwhile state was stripped of the special status that prevented non-residents from buying land and getting jobs there. Three former chief ministers Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and Farooq Abdullah were among hundreds of people detained to prevent protests against the nullification and the division of J&K into two Union territories. A lockdown and a communication blackout were also imposed ahead of the nullification in August. Most of the restrictions have since been eased but the three chief ministers remain under detention. The people cited above said a team will be constituted before the appointments with the two are sought. They added it was decided at the meeting held at former minister and Democratic Party Nationalist leader Ghulam Hassan Mirs residence on Wednesday. Bukhari as well as rebel Congress leaders Shoaib Lone, Usman Majeed and Hilal Shah also attended the meeting. The development comes in the backdrop of the Centres attempts to rope in Bukhari and another former minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig to restart political activity in J&K, according to officials in Delhi. The Centre last week conferred upon Baig the Padma Bhushan. Bukhari does not have political baggage unlike others and, therefore, is more acceptable to the people and New Delhi, said an official in Delhi on condition of anonymity . Officials said the government is working on a plan to allow political activity in the state and offer concessions like restrictions on the land sale. The officials indicated Bukhari is likely to take the leadership of this initiative. He has had several rounds of meetings with government functionaries, the officials said. The governments move to back Bukhari comes after offers to other political leaders, including those in detention, failed to make any progress. It feels political activity around statehood and promises of jobs, land rights have minimal chance of being hijacked by Pakistan-backed moves. Bukhari and Baig have stressed on the need to look beyond Article 370 and advocate for the restoration of statehood and domicile laws that will protect employment and land rights. Parliament and the Supreme Court are supreme. Once the court decides on the pleas on Article 370, we have to see how best to address the apprehensions of the people of J&K. Like the protection available to several northeastern states, we will also request the government for similar provisions, Baig said. Across ethnic linesDogras, Kashmiris and Gujjarsthere is a feeling of insecurity. Bukhari called restoration of statehood and protection of employment and land rights achievable. I can only promise and fight for what is doable. Protecting the rights of my people is possible. I cannot make the same promise about the restoration of Article 370 and it would be wrong to take my people down that road, Bukhari said. The European Court of Human Rights has condemned France for the poor conditions for keeping convicts in prison, particularly the overcrowdedness of prisons. This is stated in the decision of the European Court of Human Rights released by the Courts press service on Thursday, reports RIA Novosti. The European Committee of Human Rights has received the complaints of 32 convicts (29 of them are citizens of France) who are being kept in the correctional institutions of Martinique, French Polynesia and Guadeloupe. They have complained about the poor conditions, particularly the overcrowdedness of prisons and the ineffectiveness of preventive methods for legal protection. The Court decided that France has to pay the claimants 4,000-25,000 Euros for moral damages. The Wisconsin Department of Justice will review a series of sexual assault investigations from the Wisconsin National Guard after a federal report released last month found that many were conducted improperly, the Capital Times reported Jan. 20. At least two Guard victims whose cases were initially investigated by the Guard were notified by the National Guard Bureau last week that Wisconsins DOJ would review some cases, according to an email from the NGB obtained by the Capital Times. The NGB is the federal administrative agency that oversees Guard units nationwide, and authored the report on the Wisconsin Guard. One victim told the Cap Times she wants her case reviewed by the DOJ and the other is still considering it. The reviews could lead to some cases being fully re-investigated and prosecuted. One soldier, who experienced a sexual assault in the Army National Guard and was retaliated against for reporting it, said she is thankful for the review but doesnt have any outrageous hopes for justice. My case was handled in a manner that was not simply haphazard it was done in a way that ensured my perpetrator retired as a hero, while I was forced to endure six years of libel, slander and ostracism, she said. The Capital Times is not naming her because she still serves in the Guard. I watched the people who retaliated against me get promotions and progress in their careers while I spun my wheels simply defending myself from removal. The Capital Times wrote about her case last year, in which the soldier reported that a high-ranking leader in her unit sexually harassed and assaulted her and other women. After her allegations were substantiated by the Guard, the perpetrator was allowed to retire with benefits and was later rehired by the Guard as a private civilian contractor. The Guards former leader, Adjutant General Donald Dunbar, and other leaders working with him not only allowed these erroneous internal investigations to take place, but welcomed them, the soldier said. In my case, the cover-up was exponentially worse than the original offense and exponentially more damaging, she said. It would be nice to have someone simply acknowledge the wrongs I suffered because my leadership was too busy retaliating against me to consider the consequences of their actions. The DOJ review comes after federal investigators from the National Guard Bureau found that the Wisconsin National Guard violated state and federal law by improperly conducting sexual assault investigations using internal investigators who were, at times, not fully trained. That practice potentially compromised dozens of investigations. The investigations are used as the basis for how or whether an alleged perpetrator is punished. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said the review, ordered by Gov. Tony Evers, will help DOJ determine where further investigation and potential prosecution is appropriate. Survivors shouldnt be denied a full investigation because the Wisconsin National Guard improperly handled their case or because they were deterred from reporting, he said. If Wisconsin National Guard assault victims cant get justice from National Guard Bureau, then the Wisconsin Department of Justice must do all it can for them. Evers and Kaul are right to conduct a review. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Property values and rent prices in Berlin have exploded in recent years, making it one of the fastest-growing real estate markets in the world. While the average rent remains well below some other European capitals, surging costs have been a particular burden for residents of a city where salaries are relatively low, public housing stock is scarce and more than two-thirds of the population rents rather than owns. The Tibetan Government-In-Exile on Thursday raised doubts over China's intent behind the decision to shut Dalai Lama's official residence as part of its efforts to prevent the spread of coronavirus, describing it as a political move aimed at stopping the Tibetans from celebrating their upcoming New Year. "China is playing over His Holiness' palace. The Potala Palace is not just under the Chinese government but is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. So, I think they should be careful in handling a holy place like Potala Palace," said Yeshi Phuntsok, Deputy Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament. Phuntsok condemned the Chinese government's move to shut the residence at a time when it is visited by a large number of devotees ahead of the Tibetan New Year. "Losar (Tibetan New Year) is very close. Everyone wants to visit such holy places. They are making an excuse to stop the Tibetans from celebrating the New Year," he said. Similar views were echoed by TG Arya, spokesperson of Tibetan Government-In-Exile, who said that while the decision -- taken as part of the precautionary measure -- may appear as justified, feels that all this "may be just an excuse to shut the palace" ahead of the New Year. Located in Tibet, the Potala Palace had been the winter residence of Dalai Lamas until 1959. The decision to shut the palace has been taken as part of the nationwide efforts in China to prevent the spread of the new strain of coronavirus. Tibet on Thursday reported its first confirmed case of coronavirus, involving a person hailing from the Chinese province of Hubei. Coronavirus originated in Wuhan, a Chinese city of more than 11 million people and has since then spread to various countries around the world. As many as 170 people have been killed, while over 1700 cases have been registered in China alone. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) From 2010 until 2015, the council said, it didnt have the financial resources to invest in needed repairs or improvements at its properties. In the last three years, the council said, it has regained its financial footing and has spent about $7 million to make upgrades. Just hours after an armed youth fired at students protesting against the amended citizenship law in Delhi, home minister Amit Shah said that the culprit will not be spared. The gun-wielding man opened fire leaving one student injured in the incident. I have spoken to the Delhi Police Commissioner on the firing incident(in Jamia area) and instructed them to take strict action. The central government will not tolerate any such incident, it will be taken seriously and the culprit will not be spared, Shah tweeted in Hindi. Reacting to the incident, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged the home minister to take care of the deteriorating law and order situation in Delhi. What is happening in Delhi? The law and order is deteriorating. Please take care of Delhis law and order, Kejriwal said in the tweet. The man was subsequently overpowered by police and taken into custody. The entire drama, which triggered panic in the area, was captured by television cameras that showed the man in light coloured pants and a dark jacket, walking away on an empty road barricaded by police, turning around and shouting at the protesters in Hindi, yeh lo azaadi (Take this independence). The man also went live on Facebook five times from the protest site and the cover picture of his profile showed him holding a sword. The Facebook profile was deleted after screenshots of the posts were shared widely on social media. MoS home Kiren Rijiju too underlined that nobody is above the law and anyone who breaks law will be taken to task. The left parties said the firing on anti-CAA protesters at Jamia is a fallout of hate speeches and inflammatory comments made by Union ministers and BJP leaders during campaigning for the February 8 Delhi assembly polls. CPI general secretary D Raja said the incident is a direct result of the inflammatory comments made by BJP leaders. ISELIN, N.J., Jan. 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Middlesex Water Company (MSEX) announced today that its Board of Directors has declared a cash dividend of $0.25625 per share on its common stock payable on March 2, 2020 to holders of record as of February 14, 2020. Middlesex Water has paid cash dividends in varying amounts continually since 1912 and has increased its annual dividend rate for 47 consecutive years. Organized in 1897, Middlesex Water provides regulated and unregulated water and wastewater utility services primarily in New Jersey and Delaware through various subsidiary companies. To learn more about Middlesex Water, including information about its Investment Plan, visit the Investor Relations section at www.middlesexwater.com . Contact: Bernadette Sohler, Vice President Corporate Affairs Middlesex Water Company (732) 638-7549 www.middlesexwater.com Jammu and Kashmir: Around 200 fish found dead in Mansar Lake January 30,2020 | Source: The Dispatch Around 200 fish found dead in the largest freshwater lake in the Shivalik Mountain range of Jammu and Kashmir. Moreover, the wildlife department has claimed the investigation started to ascertain exact reason behind the dead fish. The dead fish have been floating on the banks of lake since past one weak which is spotted by locals and the tourists. MK Kumar, Regional Wildlife Warden, Jammu, blamed the cold weather for the deaths. Fish may have died due to the intense cold and other natural factors, resulting in the decrease of dissolved oxygen in water, M K Kumar told The Tribune. Kumar said they had taken preventive steps and a scientific probe had been initiated. We are closely monitoring the situation. Locals and environmentalists, however, doubt the official explanation about the continued deaths. They blame pollution and increase in the number of carp fish by the government about three decades back for the mess, which is leading to slow death of the lake. It is surprising that the cold weather alone will be responsible. The lake is slowly being poisoned by pesticides used in surrounding farmland, influx of untreated sewage water as the construction of a treatment plant was never taken up, said Bushan Parimoo, an activist working for the preservation of water bodies in the Jammu region. There was a plan to relocate the carp fish but it was never implemented. Carp fish is not native to the lake. They were introduced after native fresh water fish died mysteriously in mid 1990s. Their number has increased fast, which has overwhelmed the water bodies, said Ajay Kumar, who lives near the banks of the lake. Locals said the government should take preventive steps and improve the infrastructure along the water body and construct sewage treatment plants and remove the excess fish. In brief: GMC on Thursday said it will reveal the first-ever Hummer EV on May 20, 2020, and from what the company is teasing thus far, its going to be an absolute monster. The Hummer EV landing page points to an all-electric vehicle thatll generate up to 1,000 horsepower and a mind-melting 11,500 pound-feet of torque. Its electric powertrain will be able to propel the Hummer from 0-60 mph in just three seconds. The Hummer brand traces its roots to the Humvee, a military vehicle originally developed by AM General. In the early 90s, the company started producing a civilian version under the Hummer name, eventually attracting the interest of GM who purchased the rights to the brand name in December 1999. GM continued to update the line over the next decade but as the global recession hit, GM put the brand under review and ultimately shut it down. The new GMC Hummer EV will be revealed at General Motors Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant in Michigan. Earlier this week, GM said it would be investing $3 billion into this very facility to build electric vehicles. GMC isnt yet taking pre-orders and hasnt revealed any pricing information. We also dont know anything about battery capacity and range although GMC Communications Manager Stuart Fowle told Electrek that range will be competitive with other electric trucks that have been announced. By Abdul Kerimkhanov Head of Nagorno-Karabakhs Azerbaijani community Tural Ganjaliyev has discussed the protracted Karabakh conflict with U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan. During the meeting held on January 29 upon the initiative of Ambassador Lee Litzenberge, Ganjaliyev emphasized that the community members are supporters of peaceful settlement of the conflict. He conveyed to the ambassador the wishes and demands of the community members for the withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from the occupied territories, the return of all Azerbaijani internally displaced persons to their homes, restoration of the violated fundamental rights and freedoms, including property rights. In turn, Litzenberger underlined that he is closely following the communitys activities and expressed pleasure with the meeting. Ganjaliyev further informed that as part of the snap parliamentary elections to be held in February, he has put forward his candidacy from the Khankendi constituency No. 122, and, along with other candidates from this constituency, conducts an election campaign on equal and fair terms in accordance with the requirements of the law. Baku strengthens the role of the Azerbaijani Community of Nagorno-Karabakh in the negotiation process and wants to ensure equal access to negotiations of the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities in the region. Karabakhs Azerbaijani community which was subjected to ethnic cleansing and expulsion from their lands has the legal right to participate in determining the future legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh. Nagorno-Karabakh is Azerbaijans breakaway region which along with seven surrounding regions came under occupation of Armenian forces in a war in the early 1990s. Armenia has not implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions since the cease-fire agreement was signed in 1994. The OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by Russia, the U.S. and France has been negotiating the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict for over two decades now. However, their efforts have not yielded any results to this date. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Miceli, authorities said, approached his friend Targo in early February 2018 and asked him to kill his parents. After considering it for about a week, Targo agreed and they came to terms on payment, prosecutors said in 2018. After his parents were dead, prosecutors said, Miceli planned to sell a car and some other items, then split the proceeds with Targo. LIBERTYVILLE, Ill., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hollister Incorporated, an independent, employee-owned company that develops, manufactures, and markets healthcare products worldwide, has been awarded a contract position on both the Premier National and Premier ASCEND agreements for ostomy products. Effective April 1, 2020, both agreements will allow Premier members, at their discretion, to take advantage of special pricing and terms pre-negotiated by Premier for ostomy products. "We are excited that Premier has decided to extend our long standing relationship by awarding Hollister a place on both the National agreement as well as on Premier's committed program, ASCEND. These contract positions will ensure that Premier members will continue to have access to Hollister products and services, which will allow us to continue our Mission of making life more rewarding and dignified for both patients and clinicians," said Abinash Nayak, Hollister Incorporated Vice President of the Americas. "This agreement will help us continue in our efforts to reduce healthcare costs, improve quality and produce better patient outcomes." Ever since Hollister introduced its first ostomy pouch in 1964, the company has been known for innovation, quality, and reliability. Hollister Ostomy offers a wide range of innovative ostomy products focused on promoting skin health, all developed with a deep understanding of patient needs. The innovative CeraPlus skin barrier with Remois technology* features a formulation infused with ceramide that is designed to help protect the skin's natural moisture barrier, decrease transepidermal water loss, and maintain healthy peristomal skin. In addition to the product portfolio, Hollister offers a best in class service to support patients with an ostomy throughout the continuum of care. "Hollister Secure Start services provides a lifetime of personalized support to patients, to help them adjust to the physical and lifestyle changes that follow ostomy surgery. Our consumer service advisors serve as product experts that are dedicated to helping patients with the tools and resources they need throughout their journey to recovery. We want patients to live their life, their way," said Heather Czarnetzki, Hollister Incorporated Director of Secure Start services. About Hollister Incorporated Hollister Incorporated is an independent, employee-owned company that develops, manufactures, and markets healthcare products worldwide. The company develops and manufactures products for ostomy care, continence care and critical care, and also develops educational support materials for patients and healthcare professionals. Hollister Incorporated has been serving healthcare professionals and consumers for more than 95 years and is committed to making life more rewarding and dignified for people who use its products and services. Headquartered in Libertyville, Illinois, Hollister has manufacturing and distribution centers on three continents and sells in nearly 80 countries around the world. www.Hollister.com . *Remois is a technology of Alcare, Co., Ltd. Media Contact: Jennifer McGrath Corporate Communications [email protected] 224-358-7033 SOURCE Hollister Incorporated Related Links http://www.Hollister.com 2.3k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Sens. Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham got taken to school by Adam Schiff when they asked a hypothetical question equating Obama and Trump. Cruz and Graham asked, In Mr. Schiffs hypothetical if President Obama had evidence that Mitt Romneys son was being paid $1 million per year by a corrupt Russian company and Mitt Romney had acted to benefit that company, would Obama have authority to ask that that potential corruption be investigated? Shiff answered: First of all, the hypothetical is a bit off because it presumes that in that hypothetical that President Obama was acting corruptly or there was evidence he was acting corruptly with respect to his son. But nonetheless, lets take your hypothetical on its terms. Would it have been impeachable if Barack Obama had tried to get Medvedev to do an investigation of Mitt Romney whether it was justified or unjustified? The reality is for a president to withhold military aid from an ally or in the hypothetical to withhold it to benefit an adversary, to target their political opponent is wrong and corrupt. Period. End of story. And if you allow a president to rationalize that conduct, rationalize jeopardy it is nations security for his benefit because he believes his opponent should be investigated by a foreign power that is impeachable. If you have a legitimate reason to think that any U.S. Person has committed an offense there are legitimate ways to have an investigation conducted. There are legitimate ways to have the justice department conduct an investigation. I would suggest to you that for a president to turn to his Justice Department and say, I want you to investigate my political rival taints whatever investigation they do. Presidents should not be in the business of asking even their own Justice Department to investigate their rivals. Video clip of Schiff: Adam Schiff just destroys Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz when they try to come up with a hypothetical question equating Obama to Trump. #ImpeachmentTrial pic.twitter.com/lcOrjhuQnR Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) January 29, 2020 The Justice Department ought to have some Independence from the political desires of the president and one of the deeply troubling circumstances of the current presidency is you do have a president of the United States speaking quite openly, urging his Justice Department to investigate his perceived enemies. That should not take place either. But under no circumstances do you go outside of your own legitimate law enforcement process to ask a foreign power to investigate your rival whether you think theres cause or you dont think theres cause. And you certainly dont invite that foreign power to try to influence an election to your benefit. Its remarkable to me that we even have to have this conversation. I cant imagine any circumstance where thats justified. And I cant imagine any circumstance where we would want to say the President Of The United States can target his rival, can solicit elicit foreign help in an election, can help him cheat and thats okay. Because that will dramatically lower the bar for what we have a right to expect in the president of the United States and that is theyre acting in our interest. . And the more accurate parallel, senator, would be if Barack Obama said I dont even need you, Russia, to do the investigation. I just want you to announce it. Because that betrays the fact there was no legitimate basis because the president didnt even need the investigation done. He just wanted it announced. And there is no legitimate explanation for that except he wanted their help in cheating the next election. Graham and Cruz were trying to box Schiff in with a question that implied that Trumps impeachment is partisan. Instead, they got too cute by half and ended up completely getting wrecked by Schiff, and get a very pointed civics lesson on why no president should be given a free pass to blackmail a foreign government into helping him cheat in an election. Even the hypotheticals are crashing and burning for Trumps biggest defenders. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook The sailors remain defendants in the case and may be put on the wanted list if they leave their country of residence. Coordinator of a group of lawyers working for 24 Ukrainian sailors Nikolay Polozov has explained why Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has suspended an investigation into his clients' case. Read alsoRussia suspends investigation into case of released Ukrainian sailors lawyer "The investigation has been suspended for an indefinite period because the whereabouts of the defendants are known but [Russian] investigators are unable to ensure the participation of all the 24 sailors," he said, according to the Russian news agency TASS. Polozov added the sailors were not recommended to travel to Russia from Ukraine. "However, it doesn't mean they seek to escape justice," the lawyer said. According to Polozov, the sailors remain defendants in the case and may be put on the wanted list if they leave their country of residence. "We are not satisfied with such an uncertain situation so will file an appeal against the decision," he added. Donald Trump lawyer Alan Dershowitz marshaled his legal know-how to defend his own reputation after making comments on the Senate floor suggesting there was virtually no limit to what a president might get away with so long as he considers it in the national interest. Dershowitz took to Twitter to push back at critics after he made the comments on the Senate floor to counter Democratic charges that President Trump pushed a 'quid pro quo' with Ukraine to investigate the Bidens, and that this constitutes an impeachable offense. 'Every public official that I know believes that his election is in the public interest,' Dershowitz argued. 'And mostly you're right. Your election is in the public interest,' he told senators sitting in judgement of the president. 'And if a president did something that he believes will help him get elected, in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment,' Trump lawyer Dershowitz said 'And if a president did something that he believes will help him get elected, in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment,' Dershowitz said. Democrats seized on the comments, saying they could make the president tantamount to a monarch, since a president could extend it to virtually anything so long as he considers his reelection in the public interest which Trump certainly does. Dershowitz pushed back with fury online. 'I did not say or imply that a candidate could do anything to reassure his reelection, only that seeking help in an election is not necessarily corrupt, citing the Lincoln and Obama examples. Critics have an obligation to respond to what I said, not to create straw men to attack,' he wrote. President Trump's impeachment trial continued on Thursday Rep. Adam Schiff blasted the extension of Dershowitz's argument, saying it was an argument made 'of desperation' because 'you know your client is guilty Dershowitz made reference to Abraham Lincoln, who allowed Union troops to return to their states to vote during the Civil War, in a move that helped the Republican Party 'They characterized my argument as if I had said that if a president believes that his re-election was in the national interest, he can do anything. I said nothing like that, as anyone who actually heard what I said can attest,' he added in another tweet. 'Anyone watching my answer would know that it was in response to the manager's claim that any electoral benefit would constitute an impeachable quid pro quo.' During his remarks in the Senate, Derswhowitz responded to a question about quid pro quos and described how an office-holder might rationalize conduct. 'We may argue that it's not in the national interest for a particular president to get elected,' he said, 'and maybe we're right,' he siad. 'A complex middle case is 'I want to be elected. I think I'm a great president. I think I'm the greatest president there ever was and if I'm not elected, the national interest will suffer greatly,' he said. Dershowitz, an emeritus Harvard Law School faculty member, also took criticism for arguing that abuse of power is not an impeachable offense, something he acknowledged was out of the academic consensus. Dershowitz himself held the opposing view 20 years ago. He also got grilled on CNN after he was seen on video patting Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the back when Trump joked about Pompeo's angry tirade at an NPR reporter. Why are you patting Mike Pompeo on the back? asked CNN's Jeffrey Toobin. 'Because I like Mike Pompeos views on the Middle East,' Dershowitz responded, leaving his questioner incredulous. Dershowitz's comments drew a question during debate from Sen. John Tester of Montana. 'Rep. Adam Schiff blasted the extension of Dershowitz's argument, saying it was an argument made 'of desperation' because 'you know your client is guilty.' A mother has expressed her outrage after picking up her son from daycare to find a message written on his stomach in marker. According to Heather Chisum, from Sanibel Island, Florida, who shared her story on Facebook, her 18-month-old son Milo had permanent marker all over his torso that read: Mom Im out of diapers pls read my report. Photos attached of Milo show writing scrawled across him, which can be easily read even after scrubbing several times. In the post, which has since been shared more than 30,000 times, Chisum asked her followers whether she was right to be furious or whether she overreacting. I really need your opinions guys, because Im about to barge in this daycare tomorrow morning and have some words, the mum wrote, explaining that her son comes home with a daily report from the daycare each day, which informs parents what mood he was in for the day, what times they changed his diapers, and if he needs diapers or wipes, but that she had not read the report from the day prior about needing to purchase diapers. I guess yesterday they wrote on his report that he needs diapers, and I failed to see that, she continued, before questioning why a teacher couldnt have informed her in person instead of drawing on her son. Now keep in mind, I see several teachers at drop off and several at pick up, if I failed to see that he needs diapers a simple, Hey Heather, your son needs diapers maybe you missed the report would have done the trick, she wrote. Chisum was not the only one that found an issue with the behaviour. In the comments, numerous people agreed with the mother, and said that they too would be furious. File a report! Totally not okay or appropriate, one person wrote. I am so mad for you! You are human with a lot on your plate. Its easy to miss a couple things, there are many better ways to go about informing you. Another said: Unreal. Who does that to a child? The ten best budget activities for toddlers Show all 10 1 /10 The ten best budget activities for toddlers The ten best budget activities for toddlers 229265.bin The ten best budget activities for toddlers 229282.bin The ten best budget activities for toddlers 229283.bin The ten best budget activities for toddlers 229284.bin www.wildernesswood.co.uk The ten best budget activities for toddlers 229285.bin The ten best budget activities for toddlers 229286.bin www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk The ten best budget activities for toddlers 229500.bin Getty Images The ten best budget activities for toddlers 229512.bin Getty Images The ten best budget activities for toddlers 230611.bin The ten best budget activities for toddlers 230511.bin www.pooh-country.co.uk The Childrens Education Centre has since responded to the incident, and said that they have fired the teacher in question from the school. We are reviewing protocols already in place to ensure that nothing like this occurs again executive director Cindy Carter DeCosta told WBHH. After the initial Facebook post on Monday, Chisum shared a follow-up message, saying: Im overwhelmed with the amount of attention this has received. People and news stations from all over the country reaching out to me to offer their condolences and support. I want to say Im thankful for all of you. A press conference will be held at the epicentre of anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in the capital--Shaheen Baghon Thursday night , said news agency ANI. It is being speculated that the press conference may be addressed by the representatives of the protesting women camping day and night at the South East Delhi colony bordering Uttar Pradeshs Gautam Budh Nagar since 14 December 2019. The press conference will cap a hectic day in capital marked with an alleged right-wing youth opening fire at an anti-CAA protestor near the Jamia Millia University to express his angst against protestors at Shaheen Bagh. The incident sparked unruly protests and a face-off with Delhi police at JMU. The bitter political campaigning for Delhi assembly elections also saw several references made to continuing protests at Shaheen Bagh. The man who fired at a protestor was waving the firearm over his head and shouting Yeh lo aazadi (Take this freedom). Before the attack, he had put out messages on Facebook against Shaheen Bagh protests. Shaheen Bhag Khel Khatam (Shaheen Baghs game is over), said one post. Another message stated, Please wrap me in saffron in my last journey with slogans of Jai Shri Ram. His Facebook profile was deleted after screenshots of his posts were circulated widely on social media platforms. The man was overpowered by police and arrested but not before he had already shot and injured student Shahdab Farooq, a Kashmiri studying mass communications. Farooq was seen bleeding from his left hand before he was rushed to the AIIMS Trauma Centre. Police said he was out of danger. Special Commissioner of Police of Delhi Police has been entrusted with the probe into the incident, said Home Minister Amit Shah. Shah said he had instructed the police to take strict action in the case. The home minister added that the Central government will not tolerate such incidents and the guilty will not be spared. Opposition parties such as the CPI (M) said the firing was a result of the alleged hate speech by Union ministers and BJP leaders during the Delhi election campaign. Union minister Anurag Thakur and BJP MP Parvesh Verma were earlier banned from campaigning for three and four days respectively for their controversial remarks. Thakur was accused of inciting a crowd of BJP supporters with provocative slogans like, Desh Ke Gaddaron ko, Goli maro **lon ko (shoot the anti-nationals). Anti-CAA protesters at Delhis Shaheen Bagh and other places often raise slogans like CAA se Aazaadi, NRC se Aazaadi (freedom from CAA and NRC). Shaheen Bagh was invoked on Thursday in political speeches by leaders campaigning for assembly elections, most notably by the home minister and BJP leader Amit Shah, who slammed the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia for extending support to Shaheen Bagh protestors and not to the refugees who were likely to benefit from the new citizenship law. Manish Sisodia says -- We are with Shaheen Bagh. I want to tell him that if he is with Shaheen Bagh, then we are with Sanjay Colony. Shah said voters in Delhi had to choose between those who eliminate terrorists through surgical strikes and airstrikes carried out inside Pakistan and those who support Shaheen Bag. The Assembly poll in Delhi is scheduled to take place on February 8. The counting of votes will take place on February 11. The Pennsylvania inspector general's office spent nearly $160,000 on pistols, ammunition and related equipment that its investigators are not legally allowed to carry, leaving taxpayers on the hook. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 22:06:36|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close On Jan. 23, China locked down Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province and center of the novel coronavirus outbreak, in an unprecedented effort to curb the spread of the new infectious disease. In the locked-down megacity, life goes on. Everyone has been racing against time to battle the epidemic. WUHAN, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- More than one week after Wuhan was put on lockdown, the megacity with a population of over 10 million has been racing against time to battle the epidemic. Zhang Dingyu is president of Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, one of the city's designated hospitals to admit patients infected with the new virus. He has spent the past 30 days seeing and treating patients since the arrival of the first few cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). In the past week, going to bed at about 2 a.m. and getting up at about 4 a.m. has become the 57-year-old doctor's daily routine. Wearing a protective cap and suit and putting on a face mask, Zhang clutches at the handrail as he slowly makes his way up and down the stairs. He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease, though he never revealed the state of his illness to his colleagues. "I have never encountered such pressure as today," Zhang said. "For me, ALS is like a sword hanging in the air. I want to make a contribution with what limited time I have left." Members of the medical team of the Second Military Medical University receive praise from a patient at Hankou Hospital in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 27, 2020. (Photo by Chen Jing/Xinhua) He added that he has to quicken his pace to save time and indeed more patients. His wife, also a medical worker, was infected with the novel coronavirus and was hospitalized on Jan. 19. Luckily, after medical treatment, she has now recovered. Chinese health authorities announced Thursday that 7,711 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus had been reported in 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps by the end of Wednesday. A total of 170 people have died of the disease. The National Health Commission said in its daily report that 1,370 patients remained in critical condition, and 12,167 people were suspected of being infected with the virus as of the end of Wednesday. Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province and center of the coronavirus outbreak, reported 356 new confirmed cases and 25 new deaths on Wednesday, the provincial health authorities said. On Jan. 23, China locked down the city in an unprecedented effort to curb the spread of the new infectious disease. At present, Hubei has 131 designated hospitals, including 30 in Wuhan and another 101 distributed in the counties and cities of the province, for confirmed and suspected new pneumonia patients, according to Liu Yingzi, director of the Hubei Provincial Health Commission. Liu said that more than 170,000 local medical workers are now fighting the epidemic and 6,097 more from 29 provincial-level regions and the military had also joined by Tuesday. Medical workers diagnosed with the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) pneumonia are cured and discharged from a hospital in Wuhan, Jan. 28, 2020. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu) MILITARY AT THE FRONTLINE On the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year, a traditional occasion for family reunions, Song Caiping left the comforts of home and family for Wuhan. Song was among 450 military medical staff sent to Wuhan, including professionals who had experience in the fight against SARS and Ebola. The medics, in three teams dispatched by medical universities of the army, navy and air force of the People's Liberation Army, arrived in Wuhan by military aircraft on Friday night. They were mobilized from various hospitals affiliated to the military universities. All of them volunteered for the mission. As a member of the medical team from the Army Medical University, Song and her colleagues took charge of two inpatient areas with the help of doctors and nurses of Jinyintan Hospital. After three hours' preparation, they began receiving the first batch of 20 infected patients transferred there. "We will stick to prevention and control in a scientific way and standardize the diagnosis process. We can definitely defeat the epidemic and win the battle," said Xu Dixiong, head of the medical team from the university. Members of a military medical team head for Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan, on Jan. 26, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheng Min) At Hankou Hospital, a medical team from the Second Military Medical University took charge of the intensive care unit with 16 beds and newly opened an inpatient ward with 39 beds, rushing to treat critically ill patients with all-out efforts. "We sent our best staff from various clinical departments. They have rich experience in battling contagious diseases," said Zhou Xianzhi, president of Air Force Medical University. "Some of them took part in major missions such as the battle against SARS and the fight against Ebola in Africa, as well as earthquake rescue missions." RAPID HOSPITAL CONSTRUCTION Following Beijing's SARS treatment model, Wuhan is building two hospitals to treat pneumonia patients infected with the novel coronavirus. The two facilities are expected to be put into use on Feb. 3 and Feb. 5, respectively. Workers, trucks, and excavators are racing against the clock to meet the deadline at the construction sites. At around 6 p.m. Wednesday, construction of power facilities at Leishenshan (Thunder God Mountain) Hospital, one of the hospitals, was completed. In only three days, more than 300 workers toiled around the clock to install and adjust 7-km-long high-voltage cables and 26 supporting facilities. Aerial photo taken on Jan. 28, 2020 shows the construction site of Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu) The hospital will accommodate 1,600 beds, 300 more than the previous design, as the number of local patients increases. It is expected to expand to 60,000 square meters and provide working space to over 2,000 medical staff. More than 4,000 workers and around 1,000 vehicles and large pieces of machinery have been toiling away at the Huoshenshan (Fire God Mountain) Hospital site day and night. Around 400 prefab rooms have been finished so far. The main pipeline of the drainage system in the hospital site is largely complete. LIFE UNDER LOCKDOWN In locked-down Wuhan, life goes on. Medical supplies, vegetables and other daily necessities are brought in. Residents are consistently reminded to steer clear of the virus. A Wuhan resident in his 50s surnamed Zhang said he lost his mother on Jan. 25, the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year. Under the lockdown, Zhang's family is unable to hold a memorial ceremony. Residents shop at a supermarket in Wuhan, Jan. 27, 2020. (Xinhua/Xiong Qi) "Amid this unfortunate epidemic, the only gratifying thing is that I could accompany my mother in her last days," Zhang said. He kept the clothes of his mother to remember her and set up an online chat group to share messages of mourning from relatives. "After my mother left, it suddenly dawned on me that nothing is that important. The disaster also made my son realize the meaning and value of life," he said. Sorrow and repentance can translate into confidence and strength to win this unprecedented battle. A hotline was opened Thursday in Hubei Province to help people maintain psychological health amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. An official WeChat account has also been set up to provide 24-hour service. The nation is currently experiencing a peak period of confirmed cases. With prevention and control measures in place, the number of future infections will be significantly reduced, said Li Lanjuan, a renowned Chinese epidemiologist. "As of Wednesday, we have isolated five strains of the virus, two of which are very suitable for vaccine development," Li said. "It will take at least three months to prove a vaccine for the novel coronavirus is effective." (Reporting by Cheng Lu, Lu Yifan, Lou Chen, Tang Weibin, Liao Jun, Qu Ting, Li Jingfeng, Li Changzheng, Liang Jianqiang, Yu Pei, Yue Wenwan, Yin Xiaosheng, Yu Wan, Ma Jian, Gu Xiaoli, Li Yun, Jia Qilong and Liu Yi; Video reporters: Yu Guoqing, Yang Zhigang, Xu Yang, Dong Bohan, Rao Rao, Wang Siban, Pan Zhiwei, Fang Yadong, Xiao Yijiu, Xiong Qi and Li Yun; Video editors: Jia Xiaotong.) A man and woman have been arrested for sexually trafficking a 14-year-old girl to multiple men at an Atlantic City hotel. Tiffany Davis, 39, and Derrick Ross, 26, are accused of posting ads of the girl online, offering men sex for money, then pimping her out at hotels. Over the month of November, police say the pair set her up with multiple men then took the money and split it between them without giving her a share. Their most recent client was Kurt Young, 52, a retired state correction officer, who allegedly paid to have sex with the girl in his home. He was arrested this week, prompting the information about all three to become public. Tiffany Davis, 39, and Derrick Ross, 26, are accused of posting ads of the girl online, offering men sex for money, then pimping her out at hotels Police say that he was among many clients of Davis and Ross. Their arrests were announced on Thursday by the Office of the Attorney General in New Jersey. Kurt Young, 52, allegedly had sex with the girl at his home The detectives involved responded to an online escort ad in November offering her services. When they met up at a hotel in Atlantic City, she offered the undercover detective sex for money. She was immediately put in the care of the authorities and Ross was arrested. Davis was arrested on January 17. This week, Young was arrested for having previously had sex with the young girl at his home. Davis and Ross were charged with first degree human trafficking, first degree prostitution of a child under 18 and 2nd degree endangering the welfare of a child. Davis was also charged with Conspiracy to Commit Human Trafficking. An air raid near a bakery and a medical clinic in Syrias rebel-held Idlib region has killed 10 civilians, a war monitor and a rescue service said, as government forces kept up a ground offensive. The attack on Thursday, believed to have been carried out by Russian warplanes backing a Syrian government offensive, also put a local hospital out of service, they said. The reported assault that took place in Ariha, a town in Idlib province, late on Wednesday comes as the rebel-held enclave is under intense fire amid Syrian government advances on the area that had been controlled by the opposition for nearly eight years. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the raid, believed to be carried out by Russian warplanes, killed at least 10 civilians. The Syrian Civil Defence, a group of rescuers who operate in rebel-held areas, put the death toll at 11, including a child, saying most of them were killed when the Russian warplanes hit a road used by displaced people trying to leave Ariha. Both the Observatory and the Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, said a local hospital and a bakery were struck. The Ariha hospital, known as al-Shami, was no longer functional, the Observatory said. At least 24 people were wounded, including a doctor, a White Helmets volunteer, three women and two children, the rescuers said. Russia denies claims Moscow denied carrying out the attack. The Russian aviation did not carry out any combat tasks in this area of Syria, Russias foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday, calling foreign media reports a provocation. The United Nations Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock described to the Security Council on Wednesday the dire conditions in rebel-held areas in Syria. 200129092135761 At least 20,000 people were displaced in the previous two days, he said, adding that 115,000 left their homes in the previous week, bringing the total of those uprooted by the violence since December to 390,000. Many families are moving multiple times. They arrive in a place thought to be safe, only for the bombs to follow, so they are forced to move again, he said. This cycle is all too familiar in northwest Syria. In the Russian-backed offensive, Syrian troops captured Maaret al-Numan, one of the largest and most strategic rebel-held towns in Idlib province on Wednesday. The town, which had been in rebel hands since 2012, sits on the highway linking Damascus with Aleppo and is considered critical to President Bashar al-Assads forces. It was mostly empty after intense bombardment in recent weeks. The fighting in Idlib has driven hundreds of thousands of civilians from their homes, mainly towards the border with Turkey and other rebel-held areas. Union Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday attacked Delhi's Arvind Kejriwal government on the plight of women, accusing it of doing nothing to enhance their security. She appealed to the people to vote for BJP in February 8 Assembly elections for "womens' respect". Irani also raked up the 2016 suicide of AAP volunteer Soni Mishra, allegedly after harassment from party colleagues. Aam Aadmi Party's Narela MLA Sharad Chauhan was accused of abetting the suicide. She also accused the AAP government for not taking the case of Nirbhaya seriously as the convicts have not been executed till date. The court has fixed hanging of all four convicts on February 1. Ahead of the Assembly election, the AAP government has made big promises on women security, while citing the measures it has taken including installing CCTVs in different localities and deputing marshals in buses. The Congress and the BJP are questioning the AAP over its achievements and promises. The four-day event Global Model United Nations (GMUN) 2020 opened here on Thursday at the Global System of Integrated Studies (GSIS) in which more than 1,200 students participated across the city ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jan, 2020 ) :The four-day event Global Model United Nations (GMUN) 2020 opened here on Thursday at the Global System of Integrated Studies (GSIS) in which more than 1,200 students participated across the city. The opening ceremony was presided over by chief guest Ms. Katherine Aziz Manager Fulbright Outreach and education USA Advising, Ambassador. Ali Sarwar Naqvi Executive Director, Center for International Strategic Studies (CISS) was guest of honor, said a press release. Speaking on the occasion, Principal GSIS, Quratul Ain Ali Rizvi said the purpose of this intellectual exercise was to foster teamwork, encourage workforce, engage youth of the country in the most organized scholastic event which was recognized worldwide. She said the entire youth was against the Indian oppression and pledged that Kashmiris sacrifices for the freedom struggle would not go wasted. She urged to resolve the conflict through dialogue and committed in influencing the youth to start a petition against the atrocities in the Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and present it to the United Nations office here. She said the educated youth could play a significant role in sensitizing the international community about the early resolution of Kashmir dispute. Kashmir issue was an international dispute and therefore the world community as a whole should play its role to resolve it peacefully, she added. Quratul Ain said the event was an amalgamation of different cultures, mindset and delegates participate to win a memorable experience. It was a platform on which delegate students have registered as the forum allows them to prove their mettle within the domain of diplomatic debate and policy making. The culture of the Model United Nations (MUN) conferences has spread at a rapid pace throughout the world, and today, MUN was being taught as a course in some parts of the world, she added. She said the students at GSIS understand that in the near future the focus of intellectuals of the world had shifted from specialized knowledge to a more holistic development of the individual. The ceremony highlighted some breath-taking performances by the GSISians where they presented speeches to highlight the great cause of Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and become the voice of the Kashmiri people. Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto visited Russia on Wednesday as part of his defense diplomacy that has taken him to seven other countries as his countrys president pushes to modernize its military arsenal. Prabowo held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu and was to meet with officials from the federal military-technical cooperation service, defense export agency Rosoboronexport, and weapons maker Kalashnikov Group, the Russian embassy in Jakarta said in a statement. We are ready to improve relations between Russia and Indonesia in a more progressive way, including in the field of military and military-technical cooperation, the embassy quoted Shoygu as telling Prabowo in Moscow. Shoygu called Prabowos visit a milestone ahead of the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The Indonesian defense chief responded by saying that Indonesia considered Russia as one of the most powerful countries in the world. Russia, or before that the Soviet Union, always helped Indonesia in times of need, has always been by our side, Prabowo said, according to the statement. On Monday, President Joko Jokowi Widodo said that he wanted Indonesias military to have the most modern and sophisticated weaponry. I want the development of our weapons system to adopt the latest technology in which everything is digitalized, Jokowi told reporters in Jakarta. It requires a leap forward, but Im sure that our state-owned enterprises in partnership with foreign companies have what it takes, he said. Prabowos spokesman, Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, said the minister was likely to discuss the possibility of procuring Russian missiles. Many things [are on the agenda]. But one that he has in mind is missiles, Dahnil told reporters last week. He did not elaborate. Dahnil said Prabowos Russia visit would be the last stop in his defense diplomacy trips, after which Jokowi would decide whether to follow up on his ministers recommendations on weapons procurement. Prabowo, a former general who has faced accusations of human rights abuses when he was the commander of the Indonesian armys special forces (Kopassus), has also visited Malaysia, Turkey, China, Japan, Philippines, France and Germany since being appointed defense minister in October. Prabowo ran against Jokowi in both the 2014 and 2019 presidential elections. His travel to Russia came four months after the Indonesian parliament passed the governments 2020 budget of U.S. $180.3 billion, including allocations of 131.2 trillion rupiah ($9.6 billion) for the Defense Ministry, a 20 percent increase from last years defense spending plan. Trip to France Prabowos Jan. 13 meeting in Paris with French counterpart Florence Parly attracted controversy on social media after La Tribune, a financial newspaper, reported that he was interested in buying 48 Dassault Rafale fighter jets, four submarines and two corvette warships from France. Deputy Defense Minister Wahyu Trenggono, however, told reporters there was no plan for now to purchase French-made weapons. All we did was have a look. No plan yet, Wahyu said. Local media also reported that Prabowo had played down the French newspapers story. Thats probably their [the French governments] wish, the Jakarta Post quoted Prabowo as saying last week, as he conceded that there was an urgency for Indonesia to modernize its weaponry systems. Apparently responding to the controversy, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati urged the defense ministry to be prudent in its weapons spending. The ministrys budget comes from taxpayers, as well as domestic and foreign loans, Sri Mulyani wrote on Instragram last week. She urged the ministry and the military to sit together and design an efficient acquisition plan. We dont want changes in high-ranking officials at the Ministry of Defense or the TNI (military) to result in changes in planning for purchases of equipment after the budget has been decided, and therefore we have to start again from scratch, Sri Mulyani said. Barter deal for Russian jets Meanwhile, under a deal signed in 2018, Indonesia has agreed to purchase 11 Russian-made Sukhoi SU-35s for $1.14 billion, in exchange for Russia having to buy Indonesian commodities, such as rubber. Indonesian Air Marshal Yuyu Sutisna was quoted by the state-owned news agency Antara in October as saying that Jakarta was still pursuing plans to acquire the Russian-made fighter jets in the next five years, although that push has struggled with delays. Indonesian negotiators had expressed concerns over an American law signed by President Donald Trump in August 2017 that could apply sanctions against entities doing business with Russia, according to defensenews.com. But while Indonesia seeks to diversify its weapons procurement sources, officials still consider Washington as Jakartas leading source of defense hardware, analysts say. Yuyu Sutisna said during a visit at an airbase in Riau Province that Jakarta would submit a request to purchase two squadrons of F-16 fighter jets this year as part of the plan to upgrade the nations weaponry. Insya Allah [God willing], we will buy two squadrons in the next strategic plan 2020-2024. We will purchase the newest type of Block 72 Viper, he said, without elaborating on exactly how many planes would be purchased. A squadron in an air force or naval aviation is usually a unit composed of 12 to 24 aircraft usually of the same type. If we have them, we will be among those having sophisticated F-16s, he said. In total, the country has 33 F-16 Fighting Falcons that have, until now, been one of the main weapons of the Indonesian Air Force, Antara said. Last month, Prabowo and his South Korean counterpart Jeong Kyeong-doo agreed to move ahead with a joint project to develop a next-generation fighter jet, even though Indonesia has failed to pay $255 million in installments to Seoul before the agreed September deadline. Under the scheme, Indonesia will shoulder 20 percent of the development cost of the $7.36-billion KF-X project, but it failed to pay the full 301 billion won ($255 million) it was supposed to pay by the end of September, according to data from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the state-funded South Korean news agency Yonhap said. The AAP on Thursday smelt a BJP conspiracy behind the Jamia firing incident, saying the saffron party wants to create a "riot-like" situation in the city and get the assembly polls, scheduled for February 8, postponed as it can sense its defeat. The party also demanded the resignation of Amit Shah, terming him the "most incompetent Home Minister India has ever had", while also slamming the police for just being a "mute spectator" to the firing incident. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Delhi's law and order was "deteriorating". "What is happening in Delhi? The law and order is deteriorating. Please take care of Delhi's law and order," Kejriwal said in reply to a tweet by Shah in which the home minister said he has directed Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik to take strict action against the culprit. On Thursday afternoon, a student from Jamia Millia Islamia was injured when a man opened fire at a group of protesters and shouted "Yeh lo azaadi", triggering panic in the area. The man was detained after he fired at students demonstrating against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, police said. The Aam Aadmi Party alleged the incident in Jamia area was a BJP conspiracy to spoil the atmosphere of Delhi so that the Delhi elections scheduled for February 8 could be postponed. "The BJP did such a disgusting act on the Martyrdom Day of Gandhi ji. The BJP and Home Minister Amit Shah are scared of losing the upcoming polls and they are trying to get the polls postponed through the act," Singh told reporters at a press conference. He further alleged that Shah has tied the hands of the Delhi police that is "why they were mute spectators to the incident" Singh said law and order in Delhi has deteriorated after Amit Shah became the home minister. "Shah is the most incompetent Home Minister India has ever had," Singh alleged. He also said the BJP is creating a law and order situation in Delhi and seems to be hatching a conspiracy to try and stall the upcoming election, because of the fear of defeat. "Today, we witnessed how easily a man opened fire in the presence of police, at the students of Jamia Millia Islamia University. This incident is yet another instance of the continuously deteriorating law and order situation of Delhi and a pointer to the incapability of Shah as Home Minister," Singh said. He alleged the BJP was trying to create a "riot-like" situation in Delhi and was hatching the most "diabolical conspiracy" to destroy the peace of the city. The AAP believes that the BJP fears a defeat in this election and therefore Amit Shah and the Delhi BJP leaders resorted to delivering "inflammatory" speeches, he said. "First, senior leaders of the BJP labelled the Delhi Chief Minister a terrorist, but when they realised that none of these dirty tricks is bringing any political gains, they have now conspired to create a riot-like situation in Delhi by unleashing violence," he said. Senior AAP leader and national spokesperson Ajoy Kumar said the incident comes on a day when the country is observing the martyrdom of Mahatma Gandhi. "We witnessed an unprecedented incident in Jamia because the person, whose name is Ram, who fired at the students was doing a Facebook live at the time of the incident. It is completely unacceptable that despite such live videos the police were not prepared," he said. It is clear that the central government and the Delhi police were protecting such people Kumar said, adding "we also remember what BJP leader and central minister Anurag Thakur told his supporters from a rally in Delhi". "Keeping in mind the deteriorating law and order situation of Delhi we demand the immediate resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah. We also demand FIR against Mr Anurag Thakur under IPC 153 and IPC 505," said Kumar. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Readers will find themselves caught up in unforeseen and unexpected life changing experiences, be exposed to spiritual enlightenment, and have the opportunity to witness the truthfulness of divine intervention and the graciousness of a loving and caring God. John Joness book, Forget Me Not: Determined That I Would Live My Life as God Intended ($16.49, paperback, 9781630501747; $26.49, hardcover, 9781630501754; $8.99, e-book, 9781630501761), is available for purchase. Forget Me Not: Determined That I Would Live My Life as God Intended is an inspirational story chronicling how John Benton, using the counsel of a soft whispering voice called Forget Me Not, returned to the Christian faith after years of wandering. John Benton turned away from the Christian religion after being humiliated and put in a life threatening situation by white men in downtown Naples, Texas in 1942. Reverend Billy Graham says this voice who counseled and guided him back, Forget Me Not, is not an impersonal force like gravity or magnetism. He is a person with all the attributes of personality. But He is not only a person. He is Divine. Readers will find themselves caught up in unforeseen and unexpected life changing experiences, be exposed to spiritual enlightenment, and have the opportunity to witness the truthfulness of divine intervention and the graciousness of a loving and caring God. These experiences and revelations in combination enable the novel to be of value to Christians and non Christians alike. Finally, people searching for answers regarding the dichotomy of Christians doing good and evil and desirous of living a life on earth as God intended will find the novel beneficial. John Benton Jones, an African American, was born in the east Texas town of Naples. He grew up there during the 30s, 40s and 50s and is the son of a father he did not know and a young maid servant, who he lovingly called Madea. John Benton graduated from Prairie View A & M College in 1958. An army ranger and paratrooper, he served in the U. S. Army and Illinois National Guard for a combined military career of twenty-six years, achieving the rank of Colonel. His military career includes service in Viet Nam with the elite 101st Airborne Division and a battalion commander in the Illinois Army National Guard. John Benton obtained a MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 1975. John Benton and his wife Rhonda have been married for forty-four years. They have five children and four grandchildren. # # # Xulon Press, a division of Salem Media Group, is the worlds largest Christian self-publisher, with more than 12,000 titles published to date. Forget Me Not: Determined That I Would Live My Life as God Intended is available online through xulonpress.com/bookstore, amazon.com, and barnesandnoble.com. SEATTLE, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Twistle, a company that helps health systems automate personalized education and care communications with their patients, today announces that Providence Ventures, the venture capital arm of Providence St. Joseph Health, and ChristianaCare, two of the nations most innovative health systems, are now strategic investors as well as significant customers. Both use Twistle across their enterprises to improve patient outcomes, reduce costs, and differentiate their services. This investment completes Twistles latest funding round at over $18 million. An automatic navigation (GPS) system for health, Twistle reduces the burden on clinicians by keeping patients on track. On behalf of care teams, Twistle offers "turn-by-turn" guidance to patients as they navigate specific care journeys before, during, and after a clinic or hospital visit. Patients are motivated to engage in their own care and follow best practices, communicate as needed with their care teams, and realize measurably better outcomes. Twistle integrates sophisticated automation with multi-channel communication, engaging patients wherever they may be -- through secure messaging, interactive voice response, patient portals or the health system's own digital apps. In the past year, Providence , one of the largest health systems in the nation, has expanded its use of Twistle to span more than 17 hospitals. Across many clinical specialties, Twistle has helped more than 150,000 patients navigate most types of surgery and procedures, chronic disease, and wellness -- all while also collecting patient-reported outcomes (PROs) along the way. "Providence St. Joseph Health is building highly engaged digital relationships with patients to improve the health of populations in the communities we serve," said Aaron Martin, Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer at Providence. "We have made Twistle's care pathway automation platform a core piece of our digital strategy to amplify our care teams' capacity to deliver timely, personalized and proactive care to our patients. We are excited about what Twistle brings to health care that we also want to participate as a strategic investor and help the company scale its solution." In 2016, ChristianaCare was one of the first health care providers to adopt Twistle, leading the industry by creating innovative communication pathways to support patients in surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pain management, and virtual care coordination. ChristianaCare also uses Twistle to send updates to families whose loved ones are going through major surgery. "At ChristianaCare, we leverage technology to forge deep and sustained connections with our neighbors in ways that are highly relevant to them. Twistle is foundational to our care model, physical and digital. We deliver care around the patients' needs, including digital communication, in order to help them achieve their personal health goals," said Randy Gaboriault, Chief Digital and Information Officer for ChristianaCare. "Twistle has been a valuable collaborator in improving our care processes, with a measurable ROI. We are now proud to be a strategic investor to help Twistle take its products to the next level and beyond." Kulmeet Singh, Twistle CEO, says, "If we want to deliver great care and bend the cost curve of healthcare in the United States, we cannot continue following the status quo. We have to use automation intelligently to increase the effectiveness of our care teams, and find better ways to engage patients in the ownership of their own health. Our valued relationships with Providence and ChristianaCare will help us accelerate product development and innovation, not only honing our ability to automate patient communication for cost savings, but also helping forward-thinking health systems differentiate their services to grow their consumer appeal and revenue." About Twistle Founded in 2011, Twistle is a healthcare technology company that helps organizations deliver personalized care to patients in their homes by automating everything from routine communication to information gathering and education activities, saving time for care teams while improving outcomes. Twistle's platform automatically checks in with patients and based on their responses, guides them to a better outcome by delivering follow-up information, questions, and empathetic messages. Patients are connected to the care team through multi-channel engagement, including IVR, text messaging and Twistle's own intuitive mobile app. Twistle's technology helps its customers increase revenue, standardize care processes and reduce costs. Twistle takes deep integration with EHRs, wearables, devices and the healthcare IT ecosystem, and creates a simple user experience for patients and their care teams to reach its vision: Every patient connected, supported and reassured. About Providence Ventures Founded in 2014, Providence Ventures (PV) manages $300 million of venture capital across two funds on behalf of Providence Saint Joseph Health. The fund is designed to achieve venture class returns through direct investments in innovative healthcare companies that improve quality and convenience, lower cost and improve health outcomes. PV offers investment capital, combined with health system expertise, to companies addressing existing and emerging pain points in healthcare. PV partners with our portfolio companies to refine existing solutions, while expanding their adoption within and beyond our health system. About ChristianaCare Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, ChristianaCare is one of the country's most dynamic health care organizations, centered on improving health outcomes, making high-quality care more accessible and lowering health care costs. ChristianaCare includes an extensive network of outpatient services, home health care, medical aid units, three hospitals (1,299 beds), a Level I trauma center and a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, a comprehensive stroke center and regional centers of excellence in heart and vascular care, cancer care and women's health. It also includes the pioneering Gene Editing Institute and was rated by IDG Computerworld as one of the nation's Best Places to Work in IT. ChristianaCare is a nonprofit teaching health system with more than 260 residents and fellows. It is continually ranked by US News & World Report as a Best Hospital. With its unique CareVio data-powered care coordination service and a focus on population health and value-based care, ChristianaCare is shaping the future of health care. Learn how ChristianaCare delivers greater quality and value at https://christianacare.org. SOURCE Providence Related Links http://www.providence.org Two ambulance drivers in Kazakhstan's southeastern town of Qapshaghai have been detained on suspicion of spreading false information about a coronavirus infection in the country. Police said in a statement on their website on January 30 that the two men, whose identities were not disclosed, will be charged with the "premeditated spreading of false information" via the WhatsApp messaging application. According to the statement, the two suspects said via WhatsApp on January 29 that a hospital in Qapshaghai had admitted two patients with coronavirus symptoms, which turned out to be false. The suspects have not commented on the accusation. Under Kazakhstan's Criminal Code, spreading false information is punishable by up to a year in prison. Kazak authorities have suspended the issuance of visas to Chinese citizens and temporarily halted all forms of passenger travel to and from its neighbor because of the coronavirus outbreak. Kazakhstan hasn't registered any cases of the virus, but 35 people with respiratory-infection symptoms upon arrival from China have been quarantined while additional tests are carried out, according to the Health Ministry. CIVITAVECCHIA, Italy Thousands of passengers stuck on a towering cruise ship. Doctors racing to the scene. Confusion and fear spreading. For more than 12 hours on Thursday, the travelers aboard a ship docked north of Rome were ensnared in what was an ultimately false alarm after a Chinese national came down with a fever. The episode prompted by a single sick passenger illustrates the fear that is spreading around the world along with the outbreak of the coronavirus, which has sickened nearly 9,800 people globally, the vast majority of them in mainland China. All 213 deaths have been reported in China. For much of the day, Italy was gripped by fears that the coronavirus had arrived in the country. At least 68 cases have been reported outside mainland China, but there had not yet been any confirmed cases in Italy though that changed later Thursday, when the government announced the first two cases, which were unrelated to the ship. Foster was found strangled to death in her bedroom on April 23, 1996. A slow learner, she didn't know how to read or write and had never passed the second grade. She lived in a house at 4904 Monument Avenue. Foster worked the evening shift cleaning tables at the food court at The Shops at Willow Lawn. When she didn't show up for work, a security guard at the shopping center became concerned and alerted police. Verlander was found slain on her birthday, March 28, 1996. Nieces and nephews had just arrived to celebrate. "She didn't have any children," Hillsman said. "All her nieces and nephews were her children. She was an extraordinary woman." He recalled her having worked at The Library of Virginia, where she helped Douglas S. Freeman gather information for some of his books. A Cadillac found outside Verlander's home was reported stolen from the home in which Foster lived. Foster was a boarder in the house, and the car was stolen from another woman who lived at the residence. Elizabeth Seibert was found dead in her bathtub on April 22, 1996, the day before Foster was killed. Seibert, a widow, lived alone in her third-floor apartment at 408 N. Nansemond Street. LEHI, Utah, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Neighbor.com, the self-storage marketplace disruptor, today announced it has closed a $10 million Series A funding round led by Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. Jeff Jordan, managing partner at Andreessen Horowitz and former eBay, PayPal and OpenTable executive who currently sits on the boards of Airbnb, Instacart, Lime and Pinterest, will join the Neighbor Board of Directors. Other investors in this round include Nate Bosshard, former partner at Khosla Ventures and co-founder of Tonal, as well as Ryan Graves, Uber's first CEO. "The self-storage industry in the United States will eclipse $40 billion in revenue in 2020, capping off a decade of astronomical growth that we believe is firmly related to the burdensome costs of homeownership and the increasing premium placed on space," said Joseph Woodbury, CEO of Neighbor. "Neighbor.com provides individuals with a practical, safe and reliable platform to capitalize on extra residential space in local communities and tap into this national storage revenue themselves with truly passive income streams. This funding round is a major step toward building the Neighbor marketplace across the United States and beyond, creating a fair, common-sense storage marketplace in every community." Neighbor.com connects "renters" in need of storage space with "hosts" in their neighborhood who are willing to lease extra storage space in their home or garage. From college students storing a box in a neighbor's closet for $20 per month to a homeowner storing a classic car in their third car garage for $400 each month, the Neighbor marketplace saves renters an average of 50% on traditional storage costs and creates residual income for hosts. Some Neighbor hosts make as much as $25,000 per year, all in passive income that requires little to no work. "Neighbor has a lot of the attributes that first attracted me to the Airbnb investment economic empowerment for the hosts, a superior value proposition for the guests in a huge market, and better leveraging existing infrastructure in a sustainable way," said Jordan of Andreessen Horowitz. "I look forward to supporting their efforts to build a comparable company." Jordan announced Andreessen Horowitz's involvement in the $10 million funding round and his new position on Neighbor's board today at the 2020 Silicon Slopes Tech Summit in Salt Lake City. This marks the first investment venture in Utah for Jeff Jordan. Neighbor's Series A funding comes following a period of rapid expansion for the storage startup, which now provides access to affordable storage in all 50 states, more than any traditional storage company. "The quality of the Neighbor team gave me a confidence and an excitement similar to how I felt about the early team at Uber," said Graves, Uber's first employee. "The opportunity is enormous and I'm eager to help Joseph scale this awesome business." About Neighbor Storage, Inc. Founded in 2017, Neighbor is a peer-to-peer self-storage company based in the Silicon Slopes of Lehi, Utah. The company connects people who have unused space in their homes, garages or apartments to renters who are looking for affordable storage. Neighbor benefits renters by providing safer, more accessible storage for half the price of a traditional self-storage unit, while giving hosts the opportunity to earn thousands of dollars per year from their empty space. Neighbor's team helps keep the connection safe, easy and friendly and provides an unprecedented $25,000 renter guarantee for items stored and a $1 million host liability guarantee so that good neighbors everywhere can help each other out. Learn more about Neighbor at neighbor.com. PR Contact Matt Nestor [email protected] 484.888.2432 SOURCE Neighbor KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Jewelry Television (JTV), national jewelry retailer and broadcast network, announced its second annual partnership with Respiratory Health Association and the launch of their 2020 Catch Your Breath campaign supporting the fight against women's lung disease. The month-long initiative, which kicks off tomorrow, Friday, January 31st, will provide countless opportunities for viewers to learn more about the risk factors and symptoms of lung disease, how you can enhance your lung health, and help raise funds lung disease education and research. Customers will be able to donate throughout the month of February, and thanks to JTV, can easily participate in the Catch Your Breath initiative and support the cause in a variety of ways: Learn more about the risk factors and symptoms of lung disease and enhance your lung health by visiting JTV.com/breath Tune in to JTV for a special "Give More, Save More" event on Friday, January 31 st Saturday, February 1 st for a chance to receive an exclusive promotional offer for a chance to receive an exclusive promotional offer Help fund important research and educational programs by purchasing a special Catch Your Breath crystal butterfly keychain with 50% of the sale price directly benefiting the Respiratory Health Association "We are so proud to support and raise vital funds for Respiratory Health Association's Catch Your Breath campaign for another year," said Tim Matthews, CEO of JTV. "We are honored to be involved in spreading awareness for this cause because not only is it so meaningful to our consumers who are comprised primarily of mothers, daughters, and sisters but for all the nearly 21 million women in the U.S. who live with some form of chronic lung disease." "Even though chronic lung disease is one of the most widespread illnesses among women, there is not nearly enough federal research funding to make a significant impact," said Joel Africk, President and CEO at Respiratory Health Association. "The Catch Your Breath campaign, with brands like JTV who truly care about making a difference, is what moves the needle in terms of awareness, funding, and progress in the fight against this critical public health crisis." To donate, call JTV's Call Center (800) 619-3000 or go online at jtv.com/breath or womenslunghealth.org . To learn more about the JTV 2020 Catch Your Breath campaign and/or JTV products, visit jtv.com and follow @jtv on Instagram, @jewelrytelevision on Facebook and @jewelry on Twitter. About Jewelry Television JTV (Jewelry Television) is the leading retailer of jewelry and gemstones in the United States. With a proven 26-year history, JTV leverages an omni-digital strategy designed to elevate the customer experience through holistic, digitally-driven touch points, including live TV programming, 24 hours a day, seven days a week to 85 million U.S. households, an industry leading mobile optimized e-commerce platform, and a robust and engaging social media presence. As part of its commitment to customer satisfaction and the development and distribution of educational content, the company employs numerous Graduate Gemologists and Accredited Jewelry Professionals. JTV.com is one of the largest jewelry e-commerce websites in the country according to Internet Retailer's Top 500 list for 2017. For more information, visit JTV.com and JTV's social media channels: Facebook , Instagram , YouTube , Twitter , Pinterest and LinkedIn About Respiratory Health Association A public health leader since 1906, Respiratory Health Association (RHA) is dedicated to its mission of preventing lung disease, promoting clean air and helping people live better lives through education, research and policy change. To achieve that goal, RHA collaborates with researchers in pursuit of new treatments and cures for disease like asthma, COPD and lung cancer; empowers adults and children by teaching them skills to manage their health; delivers evidence-based tobacco cessation programs; and works with lawmakers to craft innovative policies that build a more equitable and sustainable future. Learn more at resphealth.org . Respiratory Health Association's Catch Your Breath campaign raises awareness and funding for lung health research and programs. Catch Your Breath advocates increased funding for research to better understand lung disease including asthma, COPD, lung cancer and pulmonary fibrosis and improve treatments. The initiative also educates the public and medical professionals about the disproportionate effects of lung disease on women. Learn more and get involved at womenslunghealth.org . SOURCE Jewelry Television Related Links http://JTV.com Xtalks Life Science Webinars Industry sponsors are facing numerous challenges in the digital era, but emergent digital labelling solutions can help to drive operational excellence whilst maintaining compliance, reducing costs and resources all while safeguarding the patient and future-proofing the clinical supply chain. Join Nathan Kohner, Label Solutions Manager, Almac Clinical Services on Wednesday, February 26, 2020 at 10am EST (3pm GMT/UK) in a live webinar to hear how digital technologies are reshaping the clinical trials process. There is a wealth of opportunities to use technology to increase R&D productivity and to provide the information that sponsors need to optimize decision-making. Specifically, technology plays an important role in navigating todays rapidly changing global clinical supply landscape. Sponsors must ensure they have robust processes in place to handle both the regulatory and country-specific guidelines for each label they produce. This webinar will focus on clinical labelling, which is a critical part of the clinical trial planning process. Industry sponsors are facing numerous challenges in the digital era, but emergent digital labelling solutions can help to drive operational excellence whilst maintaining compliance, reducing costs and resources all while safeguarding the patient and future-proofing the clinical supply chain. The speaker will look at the drive to make clinical trials more patient-centric and how technology plays a central role at increasing patient engagement and improving both compliance and understanding of trial protocols and Investigational Medicinal Products (IMPs). This webinar will be followed by a live Q&A session with the speaker. For more information or to register for this event, visit Clinical Trial Innovations How Digital Technology is Transforming Clinical Labelling. ABOUT XTALKS Xtalks, powered by Honeycomb Worldwide Inc., is a leading provider of educational webinars to the global life science, food and medical device community. Every year thousands of industry practitioners (from life science, food and medical device companies, private & academic research institutions, healthcare centers, etc.) turn to Xtalks for access to quality content. Xtalks helps Life Science professionals stay current with industry developments, trends and regulations. Xtalks webinars also provide perspectives on key issues from top industry thought leaders and service providers. To learn more about Xtalks visit http://xtalks.com For information about hosting a webinar visit http://xtalks.com/why-host-a-webinar/ Novak Djokovic paid "huge respect" to old rival Roger Federer Thursday after he swept past the ailing star and into a record eighth Australian Open final to move closer to his 17th Grand Slam crown. In the 50th instalment of one of sport's greatest rivalries, the Serb shrugged off a tentative start to reinforce his recent dominance, showing no mercy to the injury-hit Swiss maestro in a 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, 6-3 win. He will play either fifth seed Dominic Thiem or seventh-ranked German Alexander Zverev in Sunday's final, but it will take a monumental effort to prise another title from the 32-year-old. Of the seven Melbourne finals Djokovic has made, he has won them all. If any extra motivation was needed, winning on Sunday will see the Serb reclaim the number one ranking after Thiem sent Rafael Nadal packing in the last eight. "It's never easy to play Roger. I mean, obviously he was hurting. You could see it in his movement. Respect to him for trying his best," said defending champion Djokovic, who is into his 26th Grand Slam final. "After losing the first set, he got a medical (timeout). He came back and played all the way through. It's unfortunate that he was not at his best." It was the fourth time Djokovic had beaten Federer at the semi-final stage in Melbourne after doing the same in 2008, 2011 and 2016. Federer, the 2018 champion, came into the match carrying a groin injury that he picked up in his five-set, come-from-behind quarter-final win against Tennys Sandgren. He was seen around Melbourne Park before the match with tape on his upper right leg and there were even rumours that he might pull out. But that is not in the 38-year-old's nature -- he has only ever given up four walkovers in his long career and has never retired in more than 1,500 matches, facts that Djokovic said were "amazing" and deserved "huge respect". - Power and finesse - ====================== Djokovic was clear favourite after beating the third seed in every Grand Slam meeting since Wimbledon 2012, but in their 50th career clash it was Federer who initially set Rod Laver Arena alight. The opening game, on Federer's serve, lasted six minutes in an indication of what might be in store. Then against the odds the 38-year-old, the oldest man in a Grand Slam semi since Jimmy Connors in 1991, broke Djokovic on his first service game with an unbelievable backhand passing shot. The edge didn't last long with the Serb immediately hitting back to even it up. But the power and finesse of the Federer game was troubling Djokovic, who was on the back foot and was broken once more to go 4-1 behind. Federer had three break points to make it 5-1, but Djokovic dug deep to fend them off as he clawed back, breaking once more as the Swiss was serving for the set. It went to a tiebreaker which the second seed dominated to pull off a remarkable turnaround in a set that Federer threw away. Federer took a medical timeout at the end of it and he wasn't moving freely in the second set. But he clung on until he fluffed an easy shot at the net to hand Djokovic set point at 4-5 and the Serb cracked a top-quality crosscourt volley to go two sets to one in front. Djokovic was pumped and Federer rapidly running out of steam. When the Swiss star was broken to go 4-2 behind in the third, there was no way back as his rival extended his winning record over him to 27-23. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Taliban Attack In Northern Afghanistan Kills At Least 13 January 29, 2020 At least 13 members of Afghanistan's security forces have been killed when Taliban fighters attacked checkpoints in the northern province of Kunduz, officials say. The militants launched the attack in Dasht-e Archi district overnight, Safiullah Amiri, a member of the provincial council, said on January 29. Eight soldiers and at least four policemen were injured in the fighting while at least three others were taken captive by the Taliban, according to Amiri and an unidentified security source. District Governor Saduddin Sayyed said the clashes continued through the morning. Sayyed said the attackers seized weapons but said the checkpoints were now back under the control of government forces. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which came a day after at least 10 police officers were killed in a Taliban assault on a police station in the northern province of Baghlan. Meanwhile, Afghan special forces freed 62 security forces from a Taliban prison in the northwestern province of Badghis, the Defense Ministry said on January 29. It said five militants were detained during the overnight operation, while several others were killed or wounded. Najmuddin Burhani, a spokesman for Badghis's governor, told RFE/RL that those freed had been held by the militant group for more than a year. The Taliban has not immediately commented. U.S. and Taliban negotiators earlier this month kicked off another round of talks aimed at putting an end to the 18-year war in Afghanistan. Based on reporting by dpa, TOLOnews, AFP, and RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/taliban-attack-in-northern- afghanistan-kills-at-least-13/30403883.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 Controversial child specialist Dr Kafeel Khan was back in after the Uttar Pradesh STF arrested him from the Mumbai airport for allegedly making inflammatory statements at the Aligarh Muslim University during anti-CAA protests in December 2019, officials said on Thursday. Khan, who was arrested in a joint operation with the Mumbai Police when he arrived in the megapolis on Wednesday night to attend anti-CAA protests, will be brought to Aligarh under transit remand, the Special Task Force said in a release in Lucknow. He had hogged the headlines after being arrested and jailed for his alleged role in the deaths of over 60 children at the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur in August 2017 due to alleged oxygen shortage. But, two years later, a state government probe report cleared him of all major charges, prompting him to seek an apology from the Yogi Adityanath government. Khan was posted as a pediatrician when 63 children died in a span of less than a week in August 2017 allegedly because of short supply of oxygen to the children's ward at the hospital, including critical care units. Following a massive outrage, Khan was suspended, with the UP government noting that he had failed to take prompt action or warn his superiors about the impending crisis despite knowing about the situation. An STF official said in Lucknow on Thursday that Khan was arrested in connection with a case registered at Civil Lines Police Station in Aligarh under Section 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups) of the IPC. An official from the Mumbai Police said, "Our police team helped our UP counterparts on their request." The charge against Khan is that he made inflammatory statements on December 12 last year during the protest near Bab-e-Syed Gate outside the Aligarh Muslim University in front of more than 600 students. The official also alleged that the Gorakhpur doctor had made objectionable comments against Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Following the arrest in the case, Khan was taken to the Sahar Police Station in Mumbai for completing formalities before being taken to UP on transit remand. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In this special podcast ahead of the Budget 2020, Moneycontrols Jerome Anthony speaks to Viswanath Pilla to find out what the pharma and healthcare sectors are expecting from Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman come February 1. Top on their list is the revival of tax benefits offered on research and development. The industry would hope that the government announces incentives to encourage bulk drug manufacturing units in India as it depends on China for 80 percent of its raw materials. Moreover, the healthcare sector would want the government to announce reforms that would boost schemes like the Ayushman Bharat Yojana. The budgetary outlay for the scheme remains low at Rs 6,400 crore as of BE 2019-20. Every taxpayer in India is always on a lookout for identifying the best schemes that can help to save taxes. Accordingly, there are several schemes available in the market that can significantly reduce the tax liability of taxpayers legitimately. These schemes are commonly referred to as tax saving schemes. The most popular of the lot are the National Savings Scheme, Senior Citizens Savings Schemes, National Pension Scheme, term deposits with post offices, Equity Linked Savings Schemes, Public Provident Fund, etc. The investments/contributions made in these schemes can be claimed as tax deductions under specific provisions of the Income Tax Act. The chief attraction for investors investing in these schemes is the tax benefit offered. Lets take a look at some of the popular tax saving schemes in the country at present that can help you to save a chunk of your tax payments legally. Income Tax Saving Schemes Following are examples of a tax saving scheme that you can consider investing in: Public Provident Fund Public provident fund, commonly known as PPF, is one of the most popular long term saving-cum-investment options. It is also a very common tax saving scheme in India. PPF was introduced in 1968 to incentivize small savings. PPF is popular as it offers attractive returns and tax benefits. You need to maintain a minimum deposit of INR 500 in a financial year. The maximum amount of deposit can be up to INR 1,50,000. Any amount over INR 1,50,000 is not eligible to earn any interest or receive any tax benefits. The returns from PPF depend on the rate of interest, which is decided by the Government of India every quarter. The current rate of interest is 8% per annum (with effect from October 2018). The interest is calculated on the minimum balance, which is available in the PPF account between the 5th day and end of the month. The interest payout takes place on 31st March every year. When it comes to tax benefits, the interest and the principal amount of PPF is fully exempt from income tax under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Equity Linked Saving Scheme Another popular tax saving scheme is Equity Linked Saving Scheme. In this scheme, the investment amount invested in equity. One can start investing in ELSS with just INR 500. There is no upper cap on the amount of investment. There are two types of ELSS options. A dividend ELSS will either provide a dividend payout or an alternative to reinvest the dividend to reinvest in equity. A growth ELSS can help you to generate more wealth. The average returns offered by ELSS range between 15% to 18% per annum. Further, ELSS is the only pure equity investment, which is a great tax saving scheme. It offers deductions up to INR 1.5 lakh in a financial year under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act, 1961. If you invest in ELSS, then long term capital gains above INR 1 lakh are taxed at 10%. National Pension Scheme Another popular tax saving scheme is the National Pension Scheme, which is regulated by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority. NPS is based on a contribution model where the subscriber is required to contribute towards the retirement account on a regular basis. In the case of salaried employees, this contribution can be made by the employer. The investment corpus is invested by pension funds in equity, corporate bonds, government bonds, and other alternative assets. NPS offers a lot of tax saving options. For a salaried employee, investment of up to 10% of the salary is exempted from taxable income under Section 80 CCD (1), IT Act, subject to an upper limit of INR 1.5 lakhs. Additionally, INR 50,000 is also deductible from taxable income under Section 80CCD (IB) over and above INR 1.5 lakh. Further, contributions by employer up to 10% of salary is allowed a deduction under Section 80CCD (2), IT Act. NPS also has a Tier II account, which is a voluntary savings account. However, this account does not offer any tax saving options. Senior Citizens Savings Scheme For senior citizens who want to save on payment of taxes, the Senior Citizen Savings Scheme is a great tax saving scheme. The subscriber should be 60 years or above. You are also allowed to open joint accounts under SCSS. The age of the primary depositor should be as per the prevailing eligibility criteria. There is no restriction on the age of the second applicant provided the secondary applicant is the spouse of the primary subscriber. You are allowed to make a lump sum deposit with a minimum deposit of INR 1000. However, an individual cannot deposit more than INR 15 lakhs in the account. In the case of a joint account, the investment limit applies to the accounts collectively. Deposits can be made in multiples of INR 1000. Investments made to SCSS are eligible for tax deduction under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act up to INR 1.5 lakh per annum. It is important to note that any interest earned on the investments under SCSS is fully taxable at the hand of the investor. Tax saving sections Sections 80C to 80U of the Income Tax Act,1961, are the various sections that provide for deductions under a tax saving scheme. The key sections are as follows: Section 80C: Individuals and HUFs can claim tax deductions up to INR 1.5 lakh for contributions made to PPF, NSC, payment of LIC premium, fixed deposits with banks, etc. Section 80CCD: Individuals are eligible to claim tax deductions up to INR 1.5 lakh for contributions made by themselves or employers to a pension fund notified by the government. Section 80D: Individuals and HUFs can claim tax deductions for payment of premium towards the medical insurance policy. The amount of tax deduction available under this section is INR 25,000 for individuals or HUFs and INR 30,000 for senior citizens. Section 80TTA: Under this section, you are eligible to claim a tax deduction for the interest earned on a savings account. At present, the amount of deduction is capped at INR 10,000. FAQs Rajesh is a salaried individual. He does not receive a Housing Rent Allowance as part of his salary. However, he wishes to save tax on the rent that he is paying. Is it possible? What are some of the well-known income tax saving scheme fit for a millennial? Nita is considering an investment in an income tax saving scheme. She came across tax-saving FDs. Will the interest earned on the fixed deposit eligible for tax deductions? Rahul is looking for tax saving options. He has a daughter who wants to pursue higher studies abroad. Will availing an educational loan help Rahul in his pursuit of saving taxes? Raj has taken a health insurance policy for his parents, who are senior citizens. Can he claim a tax deduction on the premium amounts paid by him? Neha wants to invest in a five year fixed deposit with a nationalized bank. What are the tax saving options available for FDs? If I invest in a Unit Linked Investment Plan, can I avail of tax deductions? Section 80CCF: Long term infrastructure bonds of the government are also a tax saving scheme. If you have invested in these, you are eligible to claim a deduction of up to INR 20,000.Yes, he can claim the deduction under Section 80GG. The lowest of the three amounts can be claimed as a deduction: INR 5,000 per month OR 25% of the total Income (such income shall exclude any long term capital gains and short term capital gains under Sections 111A,115A or 115D and deductions made pursuant to Section 80C to 80U OR the actual rent paid less 10% of Income.The best options include the Public Provident Fund, National Savings Certificates, National Pension Scheme, fixed deposits with banks, and ULIPs.No, the interest earned is fully taxable at the hand of the investor. She will not receive any tax deductions for the same.Yes, it is an option that he can definitely consider. As per the provisions of Section 80E of the Income Tax ACT, Rahul is eligible to claim the full amount of interest on the educational loan as a deduction from total gross income. This deduction can be claimed prior to the computation of the total taxable income.Yes, payment of premium can be claimed as deduction from the taxable income. As his parents are senior citizens, Raj is eligible to claim a maximum of Rs. 30,000 as a deduction.Fixed deposits with banks are a perfect tax saving scheme. The deductions can be claimed under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act. These fixed deposits have a lock-in period of 5 years when no withdrawals are allowed. The interest earned on the fixed deposit does not enjoy any tax deductions. However, these fixed deposits offer a much higher rate of interest compared to standard FDs or savings account.Yes, Section 80C provides for tax deductions on the revenue generated from ULIPs. It is an option you can consider. Spain is now the only European country of our day to have Communists in the government. The minister of consumption claims that his economic model is Fidel Castros. The minister for equality became a militant with the Communist Youth at the age of 16 and has made Communist politics her livelihood. Her husband, the Spanish vice president, communist Pablo Iglesias, is Chavezs political offspring and Maduros protege. The last to face this electrifying Communist experience were the Greeks, in 2015, when Alexis Tsipras reached power with a leftist coalition, after promising citizens an easy solution to the ongoing debt crisis. At that time, many Millennial journalists found Tsiprass solution appealing. His plan was to freeze privatization, impose universal health care, and grant aids to the poor and special benefits to pensioners. It was an inarguable failure: Pensioners found their benefits cut 23 times in eight years, salaries fell 40 percent, youth unemployment grew to 40 percent, and Tsipras fled to the opposition, leaving Greek society in ruins commensurate to those of the Parthenon. P. J. ORourkes famous statement summed it up (and not for the first time in history): If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when its free. Spain is now facing a scenario worse than what hit Greece then. In the run-up to last Novembers general elections, socialist leader Pedro Sanchez declared that he would not be able to sleep easy if he allowed Communist ministers such as Pablo Iglesias into his cabinet. Naturally, a mere 24 hours after the elections, Sanchez and Iglesias jointly announced an agreement to place Communists in power. Its not hard to imagine sleeping-pill manufacturers beaming as their shares rocketed on the stock market. Welcome to 21st-century socialism in Spain. As for Podemos, the Communist party led by Iglesias, they had campaigned against, and promised to abolish, privileges for the political class. In the usual Communist spirit, the first Sanchez-Iglesias government is the largest of all the governments in Europe. Its members have just been announced: There will be 22 ministers, four vice presidents, and 31 state secretaries, with their corresponding plush salaries and privileges. After seeing the first cabinet meeting, all I can say is that it looked more like a Greek wedding. Story continues The good thing about Sanchez, though, is that he is no more trustworthy with his own lot than he was with the voters: Yes, he promised Pablo Iglesias a vice presidency, but what he didnt tell him is that he would create three more vice presidencies to dilute Iglesiass power. Fortunately, Spaniards, even in their lowest moments, keep their sense of humor, so after the devaluation of the vice presidency through multiplication, the trending meme on Twitter was a yogurt-pot label that read on its underside: Congratulations, you have also won a vice presidency! The last time socialists and Communists shared power in Spain was during the Second Republic, from 1931 to 1939, when their anti-Christian hatred and contempt for democracy plunged the country into civil war. Back then, as in Cervantess Don Quixote, Spaniards also tackled the situation with a sense of humor. After a show trial that sentenced Pedro Munoz Seca to death, Munoz, a monarchic and Catholic satirical writer, declared to the firing squad facing him: You can take my estate, my country, my fortune, even my life. But there is one thing youll never take from me: my fear! It was just one of the many assassinations in that era, product of a barbaric civil war that, had Franco not won it, would have turned Spain into a Soviet satellite, as per Stalins plans. But thats a story for another day. Today, the war that monopolizes the headlines, even though it doesnt actually exist, is the one in Iran. For geopolitical reasons, Spain holds an important place in a hypothetical war between the U.S. and Iran, and the new Spanish government threatens the Trump administrations strategy on Iran. United States military bases on Spanish soil have seen an enormous amount of activity since New Years Eve, comparable only to that witnessed during the run-up to the Iraq War in 2003. The naval base in Rota, in the south of Spain, is a key element in the American missile shield in the event of an attack from Iran. And even though its not in President Sanchezs interests to be on bad terms with the U.S., his counterpart in the government, the Communist Iglesias, would probably support shutting down these military bases. Iglesias is a friend to the Iranian regime; for many years he hosted a left-wing TV talk show on the Spanish-language Iranian network HispanTV. The new government is also under scrutiny from Europe. The Greek episode gave Brussels its fair share of headaches, with the EU having to force Tsipras, time and time again, to honor his commitments to the Union. A Spanish government that is a friend of Iran and an enemy to Western values that is now aligned with Maduro, Evo Morales, and Cuba is no ideal neighbor for anyone in Europe, unless youre waiting for its ruin, to buy it up and deal out whatevers left over. But that would not be an easy feat. Spain always seems to survive. In fact, we survived an absolutely disastrous prime minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who today is affiliated with most of the totalitarian governments of South America. If you see a Communist tyrant, do not hesitate: Look around and you will always find Zapatero kneeling before him. While analyzing Spains current situation, the international press is overlooking the most important factor: The Spanish people didnt vote for the Communists. The Podemos party is just the fourth-largest political power, with little over 12 percent of the votes, behind the PSOE and the right-wing PP and VOX parties. The Communists are in power because Pedro Sanchez, after the election, has been willing to ally with anyone to strengthen his presidency. Moreover, Communist support has not been enough, and Sanchez has reached out to each and every one of Spains enemies, from Catalan and Basque secessionists, to republicans who would tear down the monarchy (the last bastion of freedom and democracy in Spain), to the heirs of the terrorist group ETA. This is exactly what the historic socialist leader Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba (who recently died) called the Frankenstein government. What could possibly go wrong? More from National Review For many, visual communication is the hardest form of communication to master. Text and audio can come naturally, to a certain extent, and plenty of people undergo some sort of public speaking training. Some assume that visual communication requires an artistry they don't possess. Others assume it's too abstract to be useful. Still others believe it requires them to over-simplify their message to the point of being simplistic. What others understand, however, is how powerful visual communication can be. Even the most left-brained, logical person can create great visual communication if they put some thought into it. Visual media include banners and billboards, cartoons, commercials, art, graphics, photos, videos, webinars, workshops, and more. If you want to help bring your company or team to the next level, here's what you need to know about visual communication: 1. Good: It's consistent. Visuals need to have an element of consistency across various forms. If you pay attention, you'll see that for some companies, you can spot their ads from a mile away. That's because of the consistent visual elements they include. I live in New York, so I see lots of billboards advertising various brands. The smart brands use a common theme, font, or layout to connect their billboards to their magazine ads to their television spots. Sure, these companies spend millions on marketing every year, but it doesn't have to be complicated. Consistently following a familiar structure and including a themed background can help create a slide deck that's cohesive with the other marketing materials you send to a client. Great: There's a common visual theme, with sub-thematic identifiers. If you really want to create compelling, organized visual materials, it requires more planning - but again, it doesn't have to be complicated. If you need to produce a binder of materials, for example, give the whole thing a look that is in line with your company's aesthetic. Then label sub-themes with colors, each complementary to the main colors in the materials. This creates a visually appealing, well-organized product that helps clients understand exactly what you're offering and sets a high expectation for your services. 2. Good: It's appealing to the eye. Visuals shouldn't be too busy or too simplistic. One is confusing, and the other can be disappointing, or even condescending. Instead, seek to strike a happy medium. Pick or design visuals that support your argument without being distracting. Great: It's compelling to view while also contributing to your overall theme. You want visual aids to highlight the point you're trying to make. You should also use visuals as an opportunity to connect back to the ultimate objective of the communication. Whether that's convincing your client to grow their relationship with you, or explaining to your employees why they need to change a process, make sure your visuals contribute to the immediate and overall points. 3. Good: It gets their attention. Good visuals grab the viewer's attention. It might be the color, the format, or the graphic, but something has to stand out to make the audience focus on that visual instead of on the many other things they could be looking at. Naturally, there's an art to this that helps the visual be more subtle than a blunt instrument, but it should still be bold enough to reel them in. Great: It keeps them engaged. The European Parliament has decided not to conduct a vote on Thursday on a resolution against India's new citizenship law, a move seen as an attempt to not jeopardise Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Brussels in March for a bilateral summit with the 28-member bloc. The European Parliament on Wednesday decided to take up the voting against the Citizenship Amendment Act during its new session beginning March 2. Government sources called the deferment of the voting a diplomatic victory, adding that friends of India prevailed over the friends of Pakistan in the European Parliament on Wednesday. India reached out to almost all countries of the powerful bloc, trying to persuade them against going ahead with the resolution against the CAA. Sources said the European lawmakers agreed to delay the voting to get a direct perspective from about the CAA from External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar who is scheduled to visit Brussels to prepare the ground for Modi's visit in mid-March. The EU lawmakers also wanted to wait for judicial review of the contentious law by India's Supreme Court. Diplomatic sources said the vote on the resolution against the CAA may take place between March 30 and 31, but a debate on it will go on as scheduled later on Wednesday. Six political groups of members of the European Parliament had moved a joint resolution against India's citizenship law, calling it discriminatory. "Strenuous efforts of outgoing British MEP (Member of European Parliament) Shaffaq Mohammad to have a resolution passed by the European Parliament against India on the penultimate day before Brexit were defeated," a source said. The government has been maintaining that the CAA is a matter internal to India and it was adopted following a due process through democratic means. The sources said they expect that their perspectives in this matter will be understood by all objective and fair-minded MEPs. A move by a group of MEPs to totally reject the resolution against the CAA was thwarted at the EU Parliament. The resolution takes note of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights statement last month, which described the CAA as "fundamentally discriminatory in nature", and also of other UN as well as the European Union (EU) guidelines on human rights as it calls on the Indian government to "repeal the discriminatory amendments". "While the CAA's stated goal of protecting persecuted groups is welcome, an effective national asylum and refugee policy should be just and holistic in nature and apply to all those in need," it notes, describing the CAA as "discriminatory in nature and dangerously divisive". There is also a reference to the Indian government's "push" for a nationwide citizenship verification process, the National Register of Citizens (NRC), which it says "aims to strip Muslims of their citizenship rights while protecting those of Hindus and other non-Muslims". The new citizenship law passed by Parliament in December 2019 offers citizenship to non-Muslim persecuted religious minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. India has been witnessing massive protests against the new law, with opposition parties, civil rights groups and activists saying granting citizenship based on religion is against the Constitution's foundational principle. Also read: Student injured in Jamia violence moves HC for SIT probe, compensation At first it was thrilling for the crew and passengers aboard a tour catamaran off Lahaina, Maui a baby humpback whale had swum up to the boat and begun nuzzling against the stern. Then it became clear that something was wrong. "I came up and I was just like, 'Wait, did it just touch the boat?'" Cherine Baumgardner, an environmental scientist, told Hawaii News Now. "Why would it come so close? Like, no mother would ever let the baby get so close." The explanation was simple: There was no mother. The catamaran captain, Jack Boulware, who recorded video of the incident last Thursday, told the station that when he went over the footage, he could actually see the baby sticking out its tongue and sucking on the side of the boat. It was begging for milk. A baby humpback whale needs between 100 and 130 gallons of milk per day for the first eight to 12 months of its life. What happened to the mother is not known. Earlier that day, a drone camera reportedly shot video of an adult humpback swinging its tail at a calf resembling the one that came up to the boat. Humpback babies sometimes become orphaned by boat strikes or fishing net entanglements. On occasion, mothers abandon babies because they sense they won't survive. ALSO: Rare whale sightings surprise sightseers in Monterey Bay In 2008, a humpback calf orphaned off the east coast of Australia during the annual whale migration from the Antarctic began trying to suckle off the hulls of passing yachts. "There's no doubt the youngster thinks the yacht is its mother," a spokesman for the whale-watch group, the Organization for Rescue and Research of Cetaceans, told the UK Evening Standard at the time. Eventually the calf, nicknamed Colin, became so weak that a team of park rangers and marine scientists, had to euthanize him. Federal Marine Mammal Response Manager Ed Lyman, who makes a living freeing entangled whales, told Hawaii News Now that he has witnessed separated calves desperately trying to find milk. "The calf is approaching our boat and nuzzling against it, and it breaks your heart, said Lyman. Even as scientists, it can hit you there." --- Mike Moffitt is an SFGATE Digital Reporter. Email: moffitt@sfgate.com. Twitter: @Mike_at_SFGate The Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) has initiated a project of the Russian Federation called "Arctic Hydrogen Energy Applications and Demonstrations" (AHEAD) in the Arctic Council's Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG). The project is supported by the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic, the governor of Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, and the EnergyNet infrastructure center of the National Technology Initiative. Together with its Russian and foreign partners, MIPT undertakes to build a year-round fully autonomous International Arctic Station (IAS) in the Land of Hope, in the foothills of the Polar Urals. The station will have a modular structure and rely on renewable energy sources and hydrogen fuel, without burning diesel. The autonomy of the station will be provided by the energy of the sun and wind, and hydrogen obtained in the cleanest way. The station, dubbed Snowflake, is scheduled to begin operation in 2022. The objective of the IAS is to test, improve, and promote solutions in the field of environmentally friendly technologies of the future for life support and the maintenance of remote settlements and facilities in the Arctic region. This includes solutions for telecommunication, medicine, biotech, clean agriculture, robotics, the internet of things, smart home and smart settlement, 3D printing, advanced materials and construction technologies, and artificial intelligence systems that improve the living and working conditions in the Arctic. "With the government's support, MIPT is initiating an ambitious international project in the Arctic Council, which Russia will preside over in 2021-23," said MIPT Rector Nikolay Kudryavtsev. "That project envisages a carbon-free Arctic station, which would host visitors from all over the world: researchers, engineers, talented science students, and even high schoolers. They could all make working visits to the station year-round to test and demonstrate technologies that would be a part of our life tomorrow." "We are making the International Arctic Station an open platform that is convenient for all foreign partners willing to participate," the rector went on. "We will also not limit ourselves to power engineering, creating opportunities for R&D in telecom, medicine, biotech, robotics, the internet of things, artificial intelligence, and more." According to Yury Vasiliev, the executive director of the MIPT Institute of Arctic Technologies, the construction of the station will be a challenging endeavor for Russian and foreign scientists. The total cost of the project is about 10-12 million euros. "The main building of Snowflake will be a panoramic view dome, connected with a range of other modules. Two of them will host laboratories, and two more provide accommodation, with about 30 single rooms for researchers and guests to feel comfortable. Other modules will house a kitchen, a dining room, a library, and leisure areas, including a gym and a sauna. Three more separately standing domes will form a hydrogen complex for the production and storage of compressed gas," said Vasiliev. "An all-terrain vehicle will run year-round between the station, Salekhard, and its airport, with a gas station for electric vehicles and a helipad for emergency assistance on the way," he added. The authors of the project paid serious attention to preserving the lifestyle of indigenous peoples and bringing new clean technologies to the Arctic. ### Published on 2020/01/29 | Source Fashion magazine Dazed featured actor Lee Jae-wook in its February issue. Advertisement Lee Jae-wook styled the 2020 S/S season look that consists of a gentle suit, a minimal mono look and checked casuals, which range anywhere from the teens to 30s. The 187 centimeter tall actor posed exceptionally well for the pictures and it's hard to believe he's an actor. Lee Jae-wook received a rookie award for his role in the 2019 MBC drama "Extraordinary You" and in the following interview, he talked about his character in the drama, some behind-the-scenes stories and his determination as an actor. He also revealed his ambitions as a rookie actor about being an actor from Korea. Currently, the actor is going back and forth between Seoul and Kangwondo, filming the jTBC drama "I'll Visit You When the Weather Is Nice". Pregnant, newly-wed and now trapped at the Chinese epicentre of a global health crisis, Thai national Aphinya is among thousands of foreigners desperate to escape -- and watching helplessly as the US and Japan fly their citizens home. Hundreds were flown to safety this week to Tokyo, Singapore and California on government-chartered flights, but those from countries with less diplomatic clout fear they are being left behind. "I feel hurt that they don't care about us," Aphinya Thasripech, 32, told AFP. "Either I could starve or I'll get infected and die," said the factory worker, who is two months pregnant. So far 170 people have been killed by the virus since it emerged from a market in Wuhan, and more than 7,700 people have been sickened. The illness has also spread around the world, with cases being recorded as far away as the United Arab Emirates, Finland and the United States, but all of the deaths have been in China. China has imposed transport bans in and around Wuhan -- effectively trapping tens of millions of people -- including thousands of foreigners -- in a bid to contain the virus. Aphinya arrived in China on two weeks ago to marry her Chinese husband in Xiantao -- about 200 kilometres (120 miles) from Wuhan. Now the city is a virtual ghost town, with restaurants and shops shuttered. Aphinya said she is worried for the health of her unborn baby, and desperate for the Thai government to get her out. For days, the government in Bangkok has said they are awaiting "permission" from China to evacuate 65 citizens known to be at ground zero. But the wait is taking its toll. "Sooner or later, it will get to us," said Aphinya, adding she had heard that a man had collapsed in a restaurant near her. Thai medical student Badeephak Kaosala has barricaded himself in his dorm room with a dwindling supply of food and water. He has watched with disbelief as wealthy nations have mounted mercy flights for their stricken citizens, with no word from home on when -- or if -- he might get out. "China has given permission to so many other countries... so we feel really down," Kaosala, 23, told AFP. South Korea, France and Britain have all announced preparations to evacuate their citizens. Japan has already brought out two plane-loads. But "fear, frustration and panic" is mounting among those still trapped, said Pakistani Ruqia Shaikh, 33, who was visiting friends when the city was locked down. There are around 500 Pakistani students in Wuhan. Currently four have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, an official in Islamabad has said. Those with families are eager to leave, said Ruqia, though some students prefer to remain where they are -- happier to take their chances against the disease than run the gauntlet of Pakistan's poor health facilities. "Our country is not capable of treating the coronavirus," she told AFP. But Fadil, an Indonesian doctoral student in Wuhan who goes by one name, said he and his friends are desperate to leave -- even if only to another Chinese city. There are about 100 Indonesians in Wuhan, and another 143 elsewhere in Hubei province. "The key thing is that we want to get out of here," he said. "Only fools would want to stay in Wuhan." A few Myanmar nationals living in Wuhan have taken to Facebook, issuing public pleas to be brought home. "Other countries are calling back their citizens... when are we going back?" said Khin Thiri Thant Zin, a hospital intern in Wuhan. "I have a headache from crying so much -- I cannot sleep at night. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Thursday said cleanliness of the Ganga was the responsibility of both the government and the society. The Ganga does not belong to any caste, or religion, but to everyone, he said at a public meeting in Kannauj on the fourth day of the Ganga yatra. Lashing out at Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, he said if Yadav had welcomed the Ganga yatra in Kannauj, then the people there would have greeted him, but he lost the opportunity. The purpose of the yatra was to make the river clean and ever-flowing, the deputy chief minister said, adding that the state government planned to promote organic farming on the riverbank. Ganga parks, along with Ganga talab, would be constructed in villages along the riverbank, he said. Attacking the Opposition, Maurya said those who did not have feelings for the Ganga were questioning the yatra. The Opposition was upset after Prime Minister Narendra Modi removed Article 370 and got Parliament to pass the Citizenship Amendment Act, he added. The opposition is in pain when our Army carries out surgical strikes against terror camps in Pakistan, he said. Union minister of state for environment, forest and climate change Babul Supriyo said previous governments had taken no concrete steps to free the Ganga from pollution. But the BJP governments led by Modi at the Centre and the Yogi government in UP were cleaning the river, he said. Clean Ganga is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modis dream of a New India. The government is working under a well laid down and good policy. The clean water of the Ganga in Kanpur is an example for the whole country. Bathing in the Ganga gives immense joy to the people, he said. Uttar Pradesh ministers Suresh Rana, Suresh Khanna and Baldev Singh Aulakh were present at the public meeting. Another wide-gauge rarity opens the festival March 5. While its the sole title in this years lineup to be shown in 35 mm, not full-on 70, the films historical importance makes it a mouth-watering prospect. The Big Trail," released in 1930, was photographed by director Raoul Walsh with 35 mm cameras as well as Foxs 70 mm Grandeur equipment. John Wayne, before he was John Wayne, takes a leading role in a story of a wagon train making its way from the Missouri River to the Oregon Territory. Set in the 1840s, the film was shot all over the relatively unspoiled West, from Sequoia National Park to Yellowstone. GUYSBOROUGH, N.S. - An Afghanistan war veteran shot his wife, daughter and mother from about one metre away before firing a bullet into his own forehead, a pathologist testified Thursday at a public inquiry. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/1/2020 (713 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Desmond Fatality Inquiry is being held at the Guysborough Municipal building in Guysborough, N.S. on Monday, Nov. 18, 2019. A high-profile inquiry is set to begin today in rural Nova Scotia, not far from where Lionel Desmond, an Afghan war veteran with PTSD, fatally shot his mother, wife and daughter before turning the gun on himself. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan GUYSBOROUGH, N.S. - An Afghanistan war veteran shot his wife, daughter and mother from about one metre away before firing a bullet into his own forehead, a pathologist testified Thursday at a public inquiry. Dr. Erik Mont, Nova Scotia's deputy chief medical examiner, provided expert evidence to the inquiry into the Lionel Desmond case in Guysborough, N.S., describing medical autopsies his office's team performed. Mont also testified that the autopsy indicated Desmond who was suffering from PTSD after returning from Afghanistan in 2007 had signs of the antidepressant drug trazodone in his body, but he said he couldn't comment on whether it "affected his mental state." The pathologist said Desmond's death after he shot himself with the military-style carbine he had purchased just hours earlier was "essentially instantaneous" due to massive injuries to the brain. Mont said the extent of the head injury made it almost impossible to test for signs of the brain injury known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, in the former soldier's brain. Adam Rodgers, the lawyer representing the estate of Lionel Desmond, noted links have been drawn in the United States between CTE and suicides in professional athletes, and asked if there is analysis being done in Nova Scotia to trace the extent of diagnoses of CTE in the province. Mont said "very little" diagnosis of the brain injury is being carried out, and his office has not studied any links between CTE and suicides in younger men. In a December 2016 Facebook posting, Desmond said he had hit his head on a light armoured vehicle and suffered back spasms after falling off a wall and had been told he had post-concussion disorder as well as PTSD. He wrote in the posting he had "ADD/ADHD from thrashing my head," and doctors told him he should seek neurological help in Halifax. The five-week inquiry is examining whether Desmond had access to mental health and domestic violence services and whether he should have been able to buy a gun on Jan. 3, 2017, the date of the killings in Upper Big Tracadie. RCMP investigators have testified during the first week of hearings that the veteran had struggled to cope with daily life after returning from Afghanistan in 2007, and had conflicts with his spouse. Mont said his team's autopsy of Shanna Desmond, the former soldier's spouse, showed two bullets lodged in her body after entering her chest and abdomen. Another bullet passed through her neck. The pathologist said Shanna died "within seconds," as a bullet cut through her spinal cord. "It (the bullet) would sever any connection between the brain and the body," he said. He said the death of Desmond's 10-year-old daughter Aaliyah occurred within "minutes" after a single shot entered through her jaw and into her chest. Desmond's mother, Brenda, also died in "minutes" after a single shot went through her back, shoulder and neck, then lodged in her body. Mont said he couldn't be sure of the order in which the three were shot. The autopsy of Lionel Desmond detected meta-chlorophenylpiperazine, or MCPP, a metabolite of the antidepressant drug trazodone, which is used to treat depression. Stewart Hayne, the lawyer representing doctors who interacted with Desmond, asked about other drugs, including medicinal marijuana and quetiapine, an antipsychotic medicine. Mont confirmed those drugs were not detected, and indicated Desmond hadn't taken marijuana within three days and "there was no detectable quetiapine" in his body at the time of his death. The inquiry has heard that Dr. Paul Smith, a family physician who worked at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in New Brunswick, was the man responsible for granting Desmond approval for a firearms licence, even though he was aware of the veteran's PTSD diagnosis. The inquiry heard during Hayne's opening statement that Smith had prescribed medical marijuana for Desmond in July 2015 to help him cope with major depressive disorder and PTSD. Three months later, Desmond told Smith the drug had helped reduce his anxiety and depression, while virtually eliminating his suicidal thoughts. However, Hayne said Desmond had stopped using medical marijuana by February 2016, which is when Desmond asked Smith to sign off on a medical assessment form for a firearms licence. Though Smith was aware that Desmond was experiencing marital problems, he "felt comfortable completing the form indicating that he had no concerns that Mr. Desmond posed a safety risk to himself or others," Hayne said. The inquiry will resume on Feb. 3. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2020. By Michael Tutton in Halifax. On January 28, 2020, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted Conio Inc. U.S. Patent No. 10,547,441 for Method and Apparatus for Restoring Access to Digital Assets. Founded in 2015 in San Francisco by Italian natives Vincenzo Di Nicola and Christian Miccoli, Conio is a blockchain startup with offices in both the US and Italy, that makes cryptocurrencies easy and safe to use for the general public. Conio is funded by Poste Italiane (Italys largest state-controlled financial institution) and other banks. Conio offers digital wallet services through both its consumer app and in white and private label versions to banks. The company provides financial institutions, banks and insurance companies with integrated enterprise solutions for digital asset management, from custody services of cryptocurrency holdings, to the integration of blockchain protocols within cards and smartphone payment services. Commenting on the issuance of the patent, Vincenzo Di Nicola, co-Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Conio, said the new patent is further proof of the technological prowess of Conio in blockchain digital asset management. We are striving to build ingenious, yet easy-to-use, solutions to meet the growing demand of partnerships that we are getting from enterprises and financial institutions Di Nicola said. Jeffrey M. Capaccio, Of Counsel with the law firm Carr & Ferrell LLP, commented, Carr & Ferrell is very pleased to represent Conio Inc. as it develops its IP portfolio with cutting-edge technologies. To learn more about Conio Inc., visit http://www.conio.com To learn more about Carr & Ferrell, LLP, visit http://www.carrferrell.com SACRAMENTO A contentious bill to increase the housing supply in California by boosting dense construction around public transit and in wealthy suburbs was defeated in the state Senate on Wednesday, potentially capping a yearlong battle over its fate. The Senate rejected SB50, by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, on a vote of 18 yes to 15 no, following a nearly two-hour debate in which lawmakers split along geographic rather than partisan lines. The measure needed 21 votes to pass the 40-member house. Supporters, including Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, had maneuvered for months to advance the bill, which they argued was a critical step to addressing the states severe housing shortage. Atkins was among several members who urged the Senate on Wednesday to keep the measure alive so negotiations could continue in the Assembly, where further changes could be made. But it ultimately ran into opposition from lawmakers who expressed concerns that it would strip too much control from communities and did not provide enough affordable housing. Wiener was granted reconsideration to take up the bill again Thursday, a final shot to get it out of the Senate, though such a motion is often a mere courtesy from colleagues. Were going to do everything in our power to pass SB50 tomorrow, Wiener said in a brief statement after the vote. The clearest path to advancing the measure would be persuading some of the senators who didnt cast votes to side with him. Six senators abstained and one was absent. SB50 would have eased the development of small- and medium-size apartment and condominium projects by raising height limits, removing density restrictions and reducing parking requirements. Under the bill, cities could not have blocked residential buildings of at least four or five stories within half a mile of rail stations and ferry terminals, provided they met other local design standards. The state would have designated jobs-rich areas higher-income census tracts close to employment opportunities and good schools under a zoning preemption for density limits and parking requirements. A streamlined process to convert vacant plots and homes in residential areas to multifamily housing of up to four units would have essentially eliminated single-family zoning in California, except in small coastal communities and areas at high risk of fire. Wiener said on the Senate floor that the bill would counteract deliberate anti-housing policies that California and cities had adopted for decades, driving up the cost of living, pushing residents farther away from their jobs and threatening the states diversity and climate goals. Weve made a choice that the way a neighborhood looks, that views are more important than whos actually able to live in the neighborhood, Wiener said. The proposal drew broad support from labor unions, business groups, the construction industry and even some environmentalists. Gov. Gavin Newsom expressed his commitment to passing the bill in some form this year. But it faced enormous resistance from local governments worried about losing their ability to decide how their communities grow. A state senator sympathetic to cities arguments shelved the measure in his committee last year, prompting Atkins to intervene last week to move it onto the Senate floor. Wiener amended his bill this month to address the concerns over local control, though it did little to subdue cities objections. The new version would have given them two additional years, until 2023, to come up with their own plans to build as much housing as the measure would otherwise have required before subjecting them to its new standards. SB50 sharply divided the Senates majority Democrats, who met for 2 hours before the vote. The large contingent of Los Angeles legislators overwhelmingly voted against it, while Democrats from Northern California and the Central Valley mostly supported it. Among Bay Area lawmakers, Democratic Sens. Steve Glazer of Orinda, Jerry Hill of San Mateo and Bill Dodd of Napa voted no. Several senators who represent coastal and suburban districts, which would potentially see the biggest changes, said they could not support SB50 because they believed it would make the housing crisis worse in their communities. Sen. Bob Hertzberg, D-Los Angeles, argued that the bill would give developers an incentive to wait until the law took effect three years from now to pursue new projects under more favorable conditions. Although finding a solution to the housing crisis is urgent, Hertzberg said, getting it right is just as urgent. Democratic Sen. Henry Stern, whose home burned down in the 2018 Woolsey Fire, said the measure would force cities like those in his district, encompassing portions of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, to rebuild in the same risky areas that have been devastated by wildfires in recent years. He said California must put new housing in the right backyards. When the land is too dangerous, we have got to say no, Stern said. Prominent affordable housing and tenants rights advocates also came out against the bill, which would have required projects approved under the relaxed standards to set aside 15% to 25% of their units for low-income families. They said it would not generate enough affordable housing or protect against gentrification. Sen. Holly Mitchell, D-Los Angeles, said it was the concern she had heard most often from her constituents. The issue of gentrification is synonymous with fear, she said, a core fear about: Can I afford to continue to live in my community? Will developers and speculators buy up the property around me and make my community look and feel different? Who will be my neighbors? Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff Practically everyone sets health and wellness goals for themselves at the onset of the new year but rarely are those goals inspired by ones employer. Setting a seldom-seen standard for mental health awareness and support in the workplace, coffee titan Starbucks recently announced that they would be offering their employees free access to a meditation app as part of their Mental Health Matters campaign. One of Starbucks' iconic storefront signs. The Headspace app typically requires an annual fee of $70 to $100, offering a host of meditation sessions of varying lengths and topics. According to a press release from Starbucks, Partners (What Starbucks calls employees) can sign up for a free Headspace subscription and have access to hundreds of themed sessions and easy guided meditations on everything from stress and sleep to focus and anxiety. The companys overarching goal in providing the app is to promote health and wellness within the workplace. Starbucks believes this not only enhances employee satisfaction, but also creates a more positive experience for customers. In todays corporate world, its unusual to hear open discussions about mental health and stress relief. Employees might receive a quarterly newsletter outlining ways to reduce stress or achieve a healthier work/life balance, but actually providing tools for better health speaks volumes about Starbucks commitment. As Chief Partner Officer Lucy Helm says, Together, were on a mission to take a stand, help break the stigma, and get even more partners and their family the support they need. Animation demonstrating some of the Headspace mediation app's programs and capabilities. Although taking this step undeniably creates positive press for the company, it comes at the end of a long discussion regarding mental health within the organization. Initially, 12,000 store leaders were brought together for training and discussions on the topic. The company then created an online forum where employees (partners) could share their feelings and discuss the issue. Obviously the Mental Health Matters campaign struck a chord, since nearly 5,000 employees have contributed to the discussion to date. Story continues Another aspect of the campaign has provided training to more than 200,000 partners through the Third Place Development Series, itself aimed at topics like loneliness, vulnerability, and the power of human connection. The companys perspective is that a focus on mental health is equally as important as any on physical health when it comes to overall employee satisfaction, firmly believing that its the responsibility of the employer to offer this type of support to their partners. Helm adds that: Mental health is a fundamental part of our humanity. We have so much more opportunity ahead, and with each step, we want to ensure that every partner, in every store, feels supported and knows how and where to seek help for themselves and others. A young woman meditates on her desk at work. Critics of the news, including some employees, say that higher pay or the opportunity to work more hours is a more meaningful perk than a free meditation app. Those employees feeling the pressure from notorious understaffing and the struggle to pay rent acknowledge that Starbucks has a history of providing progressive benefits, but that those efforts dont put food on the table. Of course, appreciation for the added perk is evidenced by over 30,000 employee downloads since the benefit became available. An artist has revealed one final clue to help codebreakers crack the message behind his 30-year-old sculpture. Jim Sanborn built the copper monument, known as Kryptos, outside the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, in 1990. The sculpture comprises of four coded passages but only three have ever been successfully cracked. Now its creator has given code-breaking enthusiasts a helping hand. Jim Sanborn built the copper monument (pictured), known as Kryptos, outside the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, in 1990 Mr Sanborn, now 74, has already provided two clues to help decode the meaning behind the fourth segment of code. The first, which was released in 2010, was the word 'Berlin' from letters 64 to 69. The second, released in 2014, was the word 'clock' from 69 to 74. The third and final clue that he recently announced was the word 'northeast' found from letters 26 to 34. The assortment of letters now read: 'OBKRUOXOGHULBSOLIFBBWFLRVNORTHEASTOTWTQSJQSSEKZZWATJKLUDIAWINFBBERLINCLOCKWGDKZXTJCDIGKUHUAUEKCAR.' Kryptos was first created by Mr Sanborn alongside retired CIA cryptographer Edward Scheidt. Each passage is based on the themes of concealment and discovery. The first passage, which was cracked by a team from the National Security Agency, reads: 'Between subtle shading and the absence of light lies the nuance of iqlusion [sic].' Its creators said that some words, such as illusion, had been misspelled on purpose to make the code harder to crack. The sculpture comprises of four coded passages but only three have ever been successfully cracked - and now its creator has given code-breaking enthusiasts a helping hand The second passage says: 'It was totally invisible. 'Hows that possible? They used the Earths magnetic field X. 'The information was gathered and transmitted undergruund [sic] to an unknown location X. 'Does Langley know about this? They should Its buried out there somewhere X. 'Who knows the exact location? Only WW This was his last message X.' Mr Sanborn (pictured) set up a website where members of the public could submit their suggested solutions for $50 but said he feared the final passage would not be cracked before he died It concludes with the latitude and longitude co-ordinates of the CIA headquarters. 'WW' refers to the head of the intelligence agency when the sculpture was installed, William Webster, who was given a key to help decipher the code by Mr Sanborn. The third passage paraphrased Eqyptologist Howard Carter's account of the opening of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1925. It reads: 'Slowly, desparatly [sic] slowly the remains of passage debris that encumbered the lower part of the doorway was removed with trembling hands I made a tiny breach in the upper lefthand corner and then widening the hole a little I inserted the candle and peered in the hot air escaping from the chamber caused the flame to flicker but presently details of the room within emerged from the mist X. 'Can you see anything Q?' Kryptos was first created by Mr Sanborn alongside retired CIA cryptographer Edward Scheidt with each passage based on the themes of concealment and discovery Its creators said that some words had been misspelled on purpose to make the code harder to crack Mr Sanborn set up a website where members of the public could submit their suggested solutions for $50. But he said he feared the final passage would not be cracked before he died. 'For the past few years I have been trying to figure out how to have this "system" survive my death. 'It has not been easy,' according to the New York Times. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 30, 2020 20:31 713 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2061c97b6 1 City reformasi-dikorupsi,trial,student-protest,guilty-verdicts Free The Central Jakarta District Court sentenced 20-year-old Luthfi Alfiandi, whose photo clutching an Indonesian flag to his face has become an emblem of the student protests against controversial legal amendments, to four months of imprisonment on Thursday. The bench found Luthfi guilty of violating Article 218 of the Criminal Code for failing to comply with police orders more than three times during a riot following student protests in September last year. Prosecutors had indicted him of attacking police officers by throwing stones. Despite the guilty verdict, Luthfi will walk free from detention after the hearing, because he had spent the same amount of time in custody. We demanded that the judges sentence him to four months in prison, and the bench granted our request. He was released because he had spent four months being detained prior to his trial, prosecutor Andri Saputra said as quoted by kompas.com. We have talked with [Luthfis] lawyers and decided to accept the verdict. Maybe he can be released by this evening after all paperwork is sorted out, the prosecutor went on to say. Read also: Police torture, electrocute to coerce false confession: Student flag bearer Luthfi, one of 1,489 people arrested during the series of student protests, is the first to stand trial. More than 1,000 of those arrested have been released, while 380 are facing charges including spreading false information, hurling rocks at police, possessing bladed weapons, vandalizing police stations and using Molotov cocktails. During a hearing on Jan. 20, Luthfi told the courtroom that he had been tortured by West Jakarta Police officers to falsely confess to having attacked authorities. The student took to the street in late September and early October to protest controversial revisions of the Criminal Code and the Corruption Eradication Commission Law, among other pieces of controversial legislation. The protests lasted several days and were mostly attended by senior high school students and young adults. (kuk) Local factory makes US and Israeli flags to burn in Iran In state-sponsored rallies and protests in Iran, demonstrators regularly burn the flags of Israel, US and Britain. Business is booming at Irans largest flag factory which makes US, British and Israeli flags for Iranian protesters to burn. 1.5 MILLION SQUARE FEET OF FLAG PER YEAR At the factory in the town of Khomein, southwest of the capital Tehran, young men and women print the flags by hand then hang them up to dry. The factory produces about 2,000 US and Israeli flags a month in its busiest periods, and more than 1.5 million square feet of flags a year. Ghasem Ghanjani, who owns the Diba Parcham flag factory, said: We have no problem with the American and British people. We have (a) problem with their governors. We have (a) problem with their presidents, with the wrong policy they have. The people of America and Israel know that we have no problem with them. If people burn the flags of these countries at different rallies, it is only to show their protest. During protests this month that erupted after Tehran belatedly admitted shooting down a passenger plane by mistake, young demonstrators in Tehran refused to step on the American flag painted on the street. OUTOTEC OYJ PRESS RELEASE JANUARY 30, 2020 AT 10:30 AM Outotec and Neste introduce 100% bio-based diluent as a new solution for metals extraction Outotec and Neste have jointly verified the viability of applying Neste MY Renewable Isoalkane as a fully bio-based diluent for extracting metals in hydrometallurgical processes. The diluent is based on Neste's NEXBTL technology and produced entirely from bio-based waste and residue raw materials. Laboratory studies and pilot trials at the Outotec Research Center in Pori and Neste's Technology Center in Porvoo, Finland, confirmed the high-level performance of the product for solvent extraction of copper, and it can be also used for other base metals. Thanks to its renewable origins and being readily biodegradable, the bio-based diluent reduces environmental risk and has a remarkably smaller carbon footprint over its life cycle when compared to fossil equivalents. Moreover, Neste MY Renewable Isoalkane evaporates at a lower rate, which improves copper extraction efficiency and safety due to significantly reduced volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Neste MY Renewable Isoalkane is fully compatible with conventional fossil diluents at solvent extraction plants, and it can be introduced into the extraction process without any downtime. "This cooperation with Neste is part of our continuous innovation efforts of improving the environmental performance of our technologies and helping our customers to meet their sustainability goals. In this project, experts from two industries discovered synergies and co-created a new application for Neste's bio-based product," says Kari Knuutila, Chief Technology Officer at Outotec. "Collaboration with Outotec provides us with a great opportunity to introduce Neste MY Renewable Isoalkane as a new 100% bio-based solution to metals extraction. Using Neste MY Renewable Isoalkane as a replacement to fossil diluents provides significant ecological benefits, while simultaneously improving the efficiency, economy and safety of metals extraction processes," says Mercedes Alonso, Executive Vice President, Renewable Polymers and Chemicals at Neste. Outotec and Neste have agreed to cooperate in introducing the Neste MY Renewable Isoalkane to metal producers. Outotec will provide technical industry expertise, whereas Neste will be responsible for the production, sales and deliveries of the bio-based diluent to the solvent extraction sites globally. For further information please contact: OUTOTEC Kari Knuutila, Chief Technology Officer tel. +358 40 779 9566 Saija Kinanen, Director - Corporate Communications tel. +358 20 529 2044, +358 40 187 5353 e-mails firstname.lastname@outotec.com NESTE Alejandra Noren, Head of Production Partners, Renewable Polymers and Chemicals. Please contact Neste's media service, tel. +358 50 458 5076 / media@neste.com (weekdays from 8.30 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. EET). DISTRIBUTION Main media www.outotec.com Neste in brief Neste Neste MY Renewable Isoalkane in brief Neste MY Renewable Isoalkane, used either as is or further distilled, is a long-lasting, safe and odorless alternative to traditional mineral oils. It can replace fossil-based content in multiple applications, such as in paints, coatings and lubricants. Neste MY Renewable Isoalkane is produced entirely from waste and residue oils and fats, and its use helps reduce fossil oil based emissions to the atmosphere. It is an environmentally-friendly product as it is readily biodegradable in accordance with the OECD 301 test guidelines. Read more: Neste MY Renewable Isoalkane Music industry fears it will be among businesses affected by UK leaving EU. The United Kingdom will leave the European Union at midnight on Friday, after years of wrangling about how to honour the result of a 2016 referendum on membership. Many sectors have raised concerns about the effect Brexit will have on business. Not least the music industry, which wants to ensure musicians can carry on touring freely. Al Jazeeras Emma Hayward reports. R esidents of the Wirral have reacted to the news that a hospital in the Merseyside area has been chosen to house a coronavirus quarantine. From there, the passengers will be taken up north to an NHS facility, understood to be an accommodation block at Arrowe Park Hospital, for an isolation period of 14 days. Health experts have deemed it unlikely that any of those quarantined will be carrying the virus. 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 But many have reacted with surprise to the news, with several posting memes on Twitter about the move. One jokingly wrote: Oh great, Wirral's in the news, you don't often see that, so often overshadowed by Liverpool, it'd be great to see it get some positive pub... Oh. Another asked: What did The Wirral do to deserve this? Others have jokingly suggested that the area, in northern England, is being punished for voting Labour in last years general election. Touche Boris Johnson touche, tweeted one woman. Picking the wirral to eradicate us for voting labour. I get it. Meanwhile, the Labour MP for Wirral South, Alison McGovern, said she had received no news from the government on the area's imminent guests. She wrote: "No one has informed me. Awaiting a call. Will be asking Dept for Health to make sure that those being brought to Wirral be made as comfortable as possible. "Know my constituents will feel for them and will back our brilliant NHS staff to do everything necessary to help." Local Liberal Democrat councillor Andy Corkhill agreed, saying his town of Oxton would accommodate in anyway it could. He wrote: Can we all calm down please? Not one of the 200 has been reported to be ill, & the Wirral has some of the best facilities in the country. By Express News Service BHOPAL: A massive protest rally was organized against CAA, NRC and NPR at Bhopals historic Iqbal Maidan on Thursday. The rally was attended by JNU Students Union (JNUSU) president Aishe Ghosh, senior journalist Arfa Khanum Sherwani, Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar and some students of Jamia Milia Islamia University. The rally was organized by anti-CAA, NRC and NPR protesters who have been peacefully protesting at Iqbal Maidan for over a month after being inspired by Delhis Shaheen Bagh protests. ALSO READ: BJP youth leader booked under NSA for threatening anti-CAA protestors in Ujjain Addressing the gathering, JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh compared Prime Minister Narendra Modis policies in India with that of Adolf Hitler in Germany. She also linked the Holocaust in Germany with Citizenship Act. While maintaining that she will return to JNU, the young student leader said 'Home Minister Amit Shah says he wont move an inch back on CAA. The CAA might have become a law, but we still have time left with us, we can still stall bringing of the National Population Register (NPR). If we succeed in doing that the home minister will not be able to repeat his words that he wont move even an inch back.' She also said that the protest on CAA-NRC-NPR wasn't an electoral battle, but was actually the struggle of people of India for their existence. ALSO READ: Chhattisgarh cabinet passes resolution against CAA, urges PM to withdraw it 'Every time when the election comes, those in power in the Centre raise issues of some being internal enemies. Since 2016 theyve been portraying JNU also as internal enemies. Even if locks are put on JNU to close it, the protests will continue. JNU isnt a just a university building but represents the thought of free India,' said Ghosh. On the issue of women in forefront of the anti-CAA-NRC protests, Aishe Ghosh questioned the Modi government on why they were against women leading the anti-CAA protests when they themselves talk about liberating Muslim women. The JNUSU president also blamed the recent 'goli maaro' speech by Union Minister of state Anurag Thakur to have inspired the teenager who opened fire on the protesting students near the Jamia Milia University in Delhi on Thursday evening. 'Its Anurag Thakurs recent hate speech at a recent election rally in Delhi that has inspired the shooting on the students near Jamia Milia University, injuring one student,' said Ghosh. Donald Trumps defence has said a trade of US military aid for political favours even if proven can not be grounds for his impeachment. The claim, coming as the US presidents Senate trial continued on Wednesday, marked a striking shift from Mr Trumps claims of perfect dealings with Ukraine, Mr Trumps defenders relied on retired professor Alan Dershowitz, a member of their team, who told senators every politician conflated his own interest with the public interest. It cannot be impeachable, he declared. Democrats are pressing to force the Senate to call more witnesses to testify, but Republicans appear intent on bringing the impeachment trial to a vote of acquittal, possibly in a matter of days. Demonstrators protest outside of the US Capitol during the Senate trial on Wednesday (Jose Luis Magana/AP) Even new revelations from former national security adviser John Bolton are being countered by the presidents lawyers, who used Wednesdays unusual question-and-answer session to warn off prolonging the proceeding, insisting senators had heard enough. Democrats argued Mr Boltons forthcoming book can not be ignored. It contends he personally heard Mr Trump say he wanted military aid withheld from Ukraine until it agreed to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden the abuse of power charge that is the first article of impeachment. As Chief Justice John Roberts fielded queries, Texas Republican Ted Cruz asked if it mattered whether there was a quid pro quo in such actions as those conducted by Mr Trump. Mr Dershowitz said it did not, adding many politicians equated their reelection with the public good. Thats why its so dangerous to try to psychoanalyse a president, he said. Representative Adam Schiff, the Democrat leading the House prosecutors, appeared stunned. All quid pro quos are not the same, he retorted, saying some might be acceptable and some not. And you dont need to be a mind reader to figure out which is which. For one thing, you can ask John Bolton. Story continues No matter how many witnesses you give the Democrats, no matter how much information is given, like the quickly produced Transcripts, it will NEVER be enough for them. They will always scream UNFAIR. The Impeachment Hoax is just another political CON JOB! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2020 With the vote on calling witnesses expected by Friday, Democrats are making a last-ditch push to sway Republicans to call Mr Bolton and others to appear for testimony and ensure a fair trial. Mr Trump faces charges from the House that he abused his power like no other president, jeopardising Ukraine, and US-Ukraine relations, by using the military aid as leverage while the vulnerable ally battled Russia. The second article of impeachment says Mr Trump then obstructed the House probe in a way that threatened the nations three-branch system of checks and balances. Over two days, senators are grilling the House Democrats prosecuting the case and the Republican presidents defence team. Dozens of questions were asked and answered on Wednesday in rapid-fire fashion, with senators under orders to sit silently without comment, submitting their questions in writing. They expect to continue on Thursday. Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer asked whether the Senate could render a fair verdict without hearing from Mr Bolton or acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, both potential eyewitnesses to Mr Trumps actions. Dont wait for the book. Dont wait till March 17, when it is in black and white to find out the answer to your question, Mr Schiff told the Senate. That publication date is now in doubt. The White House on Wednesday released a letter to Mr Boltons attorney objecting to significant amounts of classified information in the manuscript, including at the top secret level. Mr Bolton and his lawyer have insisted the book does not contain any classified information. The White House action could delay the books publication if Mr Bolton, who resigned last September Mr Trump says he was fired is forced to revise his draft. GOP senators are straining to balance the new revelations with pressure for quick acquittal. They have been sternly warned by party leaders that calling Mr Bolton as a witness could entangle the trial in lengthy legal battles and delay Mr Trumps expected acquittal. Most Republican senators dont want to extend the trial by calling Mr Bolton, and most Democrats would rather avoid dragging the Bidens further into the impeachment proceedings. The Bidens were a focus of defence arguments, though no evidence of wrongdoing has emerged. Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has suggested that he and President Muhammadu are on one side and backed by the All Progressives Con... Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has suggested that he and President Muhammadu are on one side and backed by the All Progressives Congress, APC in the state amid the face-off between him (Obaseki) and the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole. Obaseki said the entire party structure in Edo is one and solidly behind President Buhari and him as a governor. Governor Obaseki spoke with journalists in Benin, the state capital on Thursday. It is a party matter. We have a party chairman who has been suspended in his Ward. He has no legitimate business to act in the capacity. We will not accept any decisions from him. This is the party, I have the 18 local government chairmen of the party behind me. The entire party structure in Edo is one. They are solidly behind the President and behind me as a governor. He also explained why he ordered a probe of the new five-star Benin Specialist hospital built by his predecessor, Oshiomhole. Obaseki had on Monday set up a Commission of Inquiry headed by Hon. Justice J.U. Oyomire (rtd) to conduct a detailed inquiry into the process leading to the conceptualization, design, construction and equipping of the hospital. Governor Obaseki, who spoke with journalists in Benin, the state capital on Thursday, said he ordered the probe because he was beginning to see many things he didnt understand about the hospital. His words, We have opened that hospital. We had a consultant there working. So much has been said about the hospital. I am beginning to see many things I dont understand. Oshiomhole did a video that went viral. It is only fair for Edo taxpayers to understand what happened and why they decided to build the hospital. How much was spent to build the hospital, the state of the hospital today. I cannot be held liable for something I didnt do. I want to make sure that at the end of my tenure I can explain everything that has happened. The White House on Wednesday objected to the publication of a book written by former White House national security adviser John Bolton that depicts President Donald Trump as having played a central role in a pressure campaign on Ukraine. A letter from the White House's National Security Council to Bolton's attorney said the manuscript appeared to contain "significant amounts of classified information" and could not be published in its current form. Some material was considered top secret, according to the letter, which was seen by Reuters. "Under federal law and the nondisclosure agreements your client signed as a condition for gaining access to classified information, the manuscript may not be published or otherwise disclosed without the deletion of this classified information," the letter said. Reports about the contents of Bolton's book appear to boost the Democrats' case against Trump at his trial. Democrats want to call Bolton, a foreign policy hawk in several Republican administrations, to testify, but many Republican senators have so far resisted any new witnesses. A spokeswoman for Bolton had no comment. Neither his publisher nor lawyer immediately responded to requests for comment. Meanwhile, senators began the first of two planned days of posing questions to both Trump's legal team and the Democratic lawmakers in the House of Representatives who have served as prosecutors in the trial on charges of abusing power and obstructing Congress arising from his request that Ukraine investigate political rival Joe Biden. The questioning precedes a vote later in the week on whether to call witnesses, including Bolton, as Democrats have sought. Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the chamber, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told senators on Tuesday that he did not have the 51 votes needed to block Democrats from calling witnesses because some Republicans remained uncommitted, several media outlets reported. Allowing witnesses such as Bolton could inflict political damage on the Republican president as he seeks re-election on Nov. 3. Trump lashed out at Bolton on Twitter. He said Bolton "couldn't get approved for the Ambassador to the U.N. years ago, couldn't get approved for anything since, 'begged' me for a non Senate approved job" and added that "if I listened to him, we would be in World War Six by now." Trump added that Bolton, who left his White House post in September, "goes out and IMMEDIATELY writes a nasty & untrue book. All Classified National Security. Who would do this?" The Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan today remanded two travel agents, Semiu Oluwole Ololade and Adegboyega Adefuye in Agodi prison in Ibadan till February 4, 2020 over alleged visa fraud. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibadan Zonal Office, arraigned the two, alongside their companies: Frenage Travel & Tour Limited and Protective Services Nigeria Limited respectively on a 53-count charge, bordering on obtaining money by false pretence and allegedly defrauding several Nigerians to the tune of N15 million. The petitioners alleged that Ololade and Adefuye conspired to come up with a scam in which they claimed to have the wherewithal to help people secure travel visa to Dubai and Canada, and also get them work permit on arrival. The fraud which was promoted on electronic media attracted many Nigerians who were desperate to seek greener pasture abroad, with every applicant, required to pay N300, 000, in order to partake. However, after fulfilling their side of the bargain, the petitioners alleged that they later found out that the accused only used the bait to extort them. The defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges and the the prosecution counsel, Babatunde Sonoiki ask the court for a date for commencement of their trial. Justice Oladiran Akintola adjourned the case till February 4, 2020 and remanded the accused persons in the custody of Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS). The Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan today remanded that two travel agents, Semiu Oluwole Ololade and Adegboyega Adefuye in Agodi prison in Ibadan till February 4, 2020 over alleged visa fraud. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibadan Zonal Office, arraigned the two, alongside their companies: Frenage Travel & Tour Limited and Protective Services Nigeria Limited respectively on a 53-count charge, bordering on obtaining money by false pretence and allegedly defrauding several Nigerians to the tune of N15 million. The petitioners alleged that Ololade and Adefuye conspired to come up with a scam in which they claimed to have the wherewithal to help people secure travel visa to Dubai and Canada, and also get them work permit on arrival. The fraud which was promoted on electronic media attracted many Nigerians who were desperate to seek greener pasture abroad, with every applicant, required to pay N300, 000, in order to partake. However, after fulfilling their side of the bargain, the petitioners alleged that they later found out that the accused only used the bait to extort them. The defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges and the the prosecution counsel, Babatunde Sonoiki asked the court for a date for commencement of their trial. Justice Oladiran Akintola adjourned the case till February 4, 2020 and remanded the accused persons in the custody of Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS). The global airfreight forwarding market is poised to grow by 7.67 million tons during 2020-2024, progressing 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/20200130005386/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled global airfreight forwarding market 2020-2024. (Graphic: Business Wire) Read the 120-page research report with TOC on "Airfreight Forwarding Market Analysis Report by End-user (Manufacturing industry, Retail industry, and Other industries), by Geography (APAC, North America, Europe, MEA, and South America), and Segment Forecasts, 2020 2024." https://www.technavio.com/report/airfreight-forwarding-market-industry-analysis The market is driven by the growing e-commerce sector. In addition, the rising free-trade agreements in Europe are also anticipated to drive the airfreight forwarding market growth during the forecast period. The e-commerce sector is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 20% during the forecast period. The development of the global e-commerce market is supported by the increase in Internet penetration and improving purchasing power parity across all the regions. The US and China are the key contributing countries to the global e-commerce market. In addition, cross-border e-commerce activities are also increasing, especially in the UK, Germany, China, and the US. The augmented online sales are expected to positively influence the volume of global airfreight. Furthermore, some airfreight service providers are customizing their offerings to cater to the needs of e-commerce companies which will trigger 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 Airfreight Forwarding Market Companies: A.P. Moller Maersk AS A.P. Moller Maersk AS operates in key business segments including Ocean, Logistics and Services, Terminals and Towage, and Manufacturing and Others. The company's freight forwarding business is handled by Damco. C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc. C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc. operates in key segments including North American Surface Transportation (NAST), Global Forwarding, Robinson Fresh, and All Other and Corporate. The company offers global airfreight forwarding services with access to 15 large scale air gateways. CEVA Logistics AG CEVA Logistics AG. operates in key business segments including Freight Management and Contract Logistics. The offerings under airfreight forwarding include air charter, air now, air premium, air value, on-board courier, and other value-added services. Deutsche Bahn AG Deutsche Bahn AG offers a varied range of products and services through key business segments including DB Long Distance, DB Regional, DB Arriva, DB Cargo, DB Schenker, DB Netze Track, DB Netze Stations, DB Netze Energy, and Subsidiaries. The company offers airfreight forwarding services through its subsidiary DB Schenker. Deutsche Post AG The company operates through the following key business segments which include Post eCommerce Parcel (PeP), Express, Global Forwarding Freight, Supply Chain, and Corporate Functions. The service offerings include same-day jetliner, air charter, air thermonet, air priority, and other services. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Airfreight Forwarding End-User Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2020 2024) Manufacturing industry Retail industry Other industries Airfreight Forwarding Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2020 2024) APAC Europe North America South America MEA 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 Industrials are: Global Project Logistics Market 2020-2024 Global project logistics market by service (transportation, warehousing, and others), and geography (APAC, Europe, MEA, North America, and South America). Global E-commerce Logistics Market 2019-2023 Global e-commerce logistics market by service (transportation, warehousing, and others) and geography (APAC, Europe, MEA, North America, and South America). 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/20200130005386/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Website: www.technavio.com Email: media@technavio.com Public sector Indian Bank on Thursday announced the launch of two tailor-made credit products for the benefit of the textile sector. The products -- Corporate Loan and Ind Surya Shakthi/ Indian Bank Solar -- would be available for all textile units across the country, Indian Bank Managing Director and CEO Padmaja Khunduru told reporters here. The Corporate Loan, to be offered at 'affordable' interest rates, will help industries meet their working capital requirements while Surya shakthi is a Term Loan for setting up roof-top solar power plants for captive consumption which will give a thrust to the renewable energy utilisation culture in the textile sector, she said. Khunduru was speaking on the sidelines of an interactive meeting with captains of the textile industry under the Indian Texpreneurs Federation (ITF), in association with the FICCI. On merger of Allahabad Bank with the Indian Bank, she said the process was progressing and it would effective from April 1. Consequent to the merger, the Indian Bank will become the seventh largest PSU banks in the country with a pan-India presence through 6,200 branches and a total business of over Rs.8.50 lakh crore, she added. ITF Convenor Prabu Dhamodharan said the interaction was essentially to understand the needs of textile sector and to explore the opportunities for collaboration. Members of the ITF expressed their happiness that the bank has right understanding of the issues faced by textile entrepreneurs and expressed confidence that the new products would address their constraints, Prabu said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In his final speech before Britain's breaks its ties to the bloc, the Prime Minister will say the night will mark the moment when the dawn breaks and the curtain goes up on a new act. At 11pm on Friday, bonds dating back to 1973 when the UK joined the European Economic Community will be broken, but Mr Johnson insists the divorce from Brussels is not an end, but a beginning. Mr Johnson will chair a meeting of his Cabinet in Sunderland. The city in the north of England was the first to back Brexit when results were announced after the 2016 referendum. Addressing the nation an hour before the moment the UK leaves the EU, Mr Johnson will attempt to sound an optimistic note. He will say: "Our job as the government - my job - is to bring this country together and take us forward." The PM will call Brexit "the moment when the dawn breaks and the curtain goes up on a new act". Members of European Parliament react after ratifying the Brexit deal during a plenary session at the European Parliament / POOL/AFP via Getty Images "It is a moment of real national renewal and change. "This is the dawn of a new era in which we no longer accept that your life chances - your family's life chances - should depend on which part of the country you grow up in." The address was being filmed by Downing Street rather than one of the national broadcasters. Very little will change at the moment of Brexit as a result of the deal which Mr Johnson agreed with Brussels and the 27 remaining member states. But the UK faces further uncertainty as both sides seek to strike a trade deal by the end of the year. As 11pm arrives, Big Ben will remain silent despite a high-profile campaign for repair works to be halted to allow its bell to ring. Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage holds up a small Union Jack flag following a vote on the ratification of the Brexit deal in the European Parliament / AFP via Getty Images In official events, Downing Street will be illuminated with a light show and a new 50p coin will enter circulation. In Brussels, the UK flag will be removed from the EU institutions, with one Union flag expected to be consigned to a museum. The Belgian capital has already dressed its famous Mannekin Pis statue of a urinating boy in a John Bull costume, complete with Union flag waistcoat. In Scotland, which voted to stay in the EU in the 2016 referendum, candlelit vigils are planned. Auld Lang Syne Sung In European Parliament And Some MEPs In Tears As Brexit Withdrawal Agreement Is Approved The Leave a Light On gatherings are taking place in Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow, and Stirling, among other locations. Participants intend to send a message to the EU to keep open a place for Scotland. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Brexit left Britain "at a crossroads". Mr Corbyn said: "We will resist a toxic Trump deal that puts our NHS, food standards and jobs at risk. "That choice of which path we take for a post-Brexit Britain now lies before us. "As we leave the European Union, whatever side we took in the Brexit debate, we now need to bring the country together to shape our common future, work to rebuild and strengthen our communities, and eliminate poverty and injustice in our society." As the UK leaves the EU at 11pm, the Queen will be at Sandringham, her private estate in Norfolk, where she is spending her annual winter break. The monarch has already given Royal Assent to the legislation for Boris Johnson's Brexit deal, which the Prime Minister hailed as crossing the "Brexit finish line". She is not expected to make a statement to the nation regarding the UK's divorce from the bloc. Brexit day is expected to be greeted with both protests and celebrations in Ireland. In the final hours before the UK officially leaves the EU, a series of protests have been planned along the Irish border. The film resin will contain Danimer Scientific's proprietary biopolymer, Nodax polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA). This renewable material was verified by University of Georgia (UGA) researchers and the UGA New Materials Institute as a truly biodegradable alternative to petrochemical plastics in 2018. The materials will enable Columbia Packaging Group to manufacture produce bags that will reliably biodegrade in home compost units and industrial composting facilities. "CPG will be among the first companies to receive resins made with PHA from our newly opened manufacturing plant in Kentucky," said Stephen Croskrey, CEO of Danimer Scientific. "Our new plant is the world's first commercial production facility for PHA, and we could not ask for a better partner to integrate this biodegradable material into produce bags. Demand for plastic alternatives that have a minimal impact on the environment is continuing to rise, and PHA is a sustainable material that consumers can rely on to transport their favorite fruits and vegetables." The new produce bags are an expansion of CPG's suite of sustainable packaging options, which includes Lindamar Industries' Compostable Bags, a line of compostable bags made of 100-percent renewable starch and biodegradable polymers. The company is ISO 9001-2018 compliant and certified by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). "Danimer Scientific is a true innovator in this market and CPG is fortunate to be in partnership with such an industry-leading company," said William F. Preston, President & CEO of CPG. "The CPG-Danimer partnership is a critical component of CPG's product strategy and sustainability initiatives, driven to create a cleaner and more environmentally responsible packaging industry. We sought out to engage with a company that wanted to lead eco-initiatives from the front line and a partner that offered the best product in the market in terms of quality and ecological life story. We found that in Danimer." Danimer Scientific's Nodax PHA possesses seven TUV AUSTRIA certifications and statements of industrial and home compostability, is biodegradable in anaerobic soil, freshwater and marine environments and is 100% bio based. All of Danimer Scientific's biopolymers, including its Nodax PHA, are FDA approved for food contact. For more information on Danimer Scientific, visit www.DanimerScientific.com. For more information on Columbia Packaging Group, visit www.ColumbiaPKG.com. About Danimer Scientific Danimer Scientific is a pioneer in creating more sustainable, more natural ways to make plastic products. For more than a decade, our renewable and sustainable biopolymers have helped create plastic products that are biodegradable and compostable. They return to nature instead of polluting our lands and waters. Our technology can be found in a vast array of plastic end products that people use every day. Applications for our biopolymers include additives, aqueous coatings, fibers, filaments, films, hot-melt adhesives and injection-molded articles, among others. We now hold 125 patents in nearly 20 countries for a range of manufacturing processes and biopolymer formulations. For more information, visit www.DanimerScientific.com . About Columbia Packaging Group Columbia Packaging Group (CPG) is an extruder, printer, and converter of biopolymer and polyethylene bags, films, and roll stock. CPG has locations in Missouri, California, and Ohio, and offers its customers customized products and programs, high levels of customer service, and production flexibility. CPG will continue its eco-initiatives in the spirit of creating a better and cleaner packaging environment. For more information, visit www.ColumbiaPKG.com. SOURCE Danimer Scientific Photo: The Canadian Press Lincoln Davies leaves court after testifying in Harvey Weinstein's trial on charges of rape and sexual assault. A fledgling actress came home "pretty shocked, upset, angry" and "kind of overall appalled" after a hotel room meeting where she says Harvey Weinstein offered her movie roles in exchange for three-way sex, her ex-boyfriend testified on Thursday at Weinstein's New York City rape trial. Lincoln Davies, who was dating Dawn Dunning at the time in 2004, was called as a prosecution witness to bolster emotional testimony by Dunning and another aspiring actress on Wednesday accusing Weinstein of preying on their vulnerabilities while pushing the notion that sex could lead to stardom. Dunning also said Weinstein put his hand up her skirt and fondled her genitals a few weeks earlier that same year. But Davies said that she never told him about that. Also taking the witness stand was the manager of the celebrity hangout where Tarale Wulff, then a cocktail waitress, alleged that Weinstein masturbated in front of her on a secluded terrace. Maurizio Ferrigno testified he saw Weinstein and Wulff heading up a stairway, but conceded on cross-examination that prosecutors helped jog his memory of the moment, which Wulff says happened about 15 years ago. Jurors are also expected to hear Thursday about Weinsteins efforts to keep his alleged behaviour secret, including his use of a private intelligence company as reporters from The New York Times and The New Yorker pursued stories about him in 2017. The experiences of Dunning and Wulff, who also claims Weinstein raped her in his SoHo apartment in 2005, are not part of the underlying criminal charges against him, but their testimony could be a factor in whether he goes to prison at the end of his landmark #MeToo-era trial. Prosecutors called them as witnesses under a state law that allows testimony about so-called prior bad acts, enabling them to explore things like motive, opportunity, intent and a common scheme or plan. Weinstein, 67, is charged with forcibly performing oral sex on Mimi Haleyi, at the time a "Project Runway production assistant, in 2006 and raping another aspiring actress in 2013. That woman could testify later this week. Weinstein has insisted any sexual encounters were consensual. Dublin, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Drafting & Negotiating International Agency and Distribution Agreements" conference has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This interactive seminar is targeted at those who draft, negotiate and advise on international commercial agreements and cross-border transactions. The programme reviews the sale of goods and the appointment of distributors and agents, as well as the licensing of intellectual property rights within the context of an international contract. This seminar is not jurisdiction specific and is as such ideal for individuals working in international practice. Why You Should Attend This two-day seminar will give practical advice on the legal considerations and commercial concerns essential for securing a successful and sustainable international deal. Day one provides a comprehensive overview of the main international legal instruments governing international contracts, the sale of goods, trade terms, documentary sale and letter of credit. Cross-jurisdictional concerns will be explored generally and, in particular, the allocation of jurisdiction, choice of law, and the recognition and enforcement of judgments. The programme will look at the new Brussels Regulation (in force from 2015), the Hague Convention 2005 (in force from 2015), Incoterms 2010 and 2020, and the UCP 600 (Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits). Day two provides delegates with the requisite knowledge and skills that they need to negotiate and draft international commercial deals generally, and specifically sales, distribution, and agency agreements. By the end of this seminar, delegates should be properly equipped with the essential skill-base and substantive legal and business knowledge needed in order to effectively advise on, negotiate and draft cross-border commercial agreements. This intensive and interactive training programme will develop your skills to: Be aware of the legal and commercial considerations for a successful international deal of the legal and commercial considerations for a successful international deal Understand the main legal instruments governing international contracts the main legal instruments governing international contracts Explore the allocation of jurisdiction, and the choice of law in a cross-border dispute the allocation of jurisdiction, and the choice of law in a cross-border dispute Evaluate the dispute resolution mechanisms available to resolve disputes in a sustainable manner the dispute resolution mechanisms available to resolve disputes in a sustainable manner Use best practice techniques to successfully negotiate your contracts techniques to successfully negotiate your contracts Examine key types of international commercial agreements key types of international commercial agreements Assess the strategic considerations associated with international commercial agreements the strategic considerations associated with international commercial agreements Plan in order to better negotiate a value-added deal Agenda Day One International contractual disputes A review of the international instruments governing cross-jurisdictional matters Alternative dispute resolution Mechanisms available and their pros and cons Arbitration agreements New York Convention Jurisdiction and recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments Brussels Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 1215/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2012 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters) Hague Convention of 30 June 2005 on Choice of Court Agreements Hague Convention 2019 on recognition of enforcement of foreign judgments in civil or commercial matters Choice of law Rome I (Regulation (EC) No 593/2008 of the European Parliament and the Council of 17 June 2008 on the law applicable to contractual obligations) Practical exercise: Choice of law International contract law Key instruments governing international contracts (binding and non-binding) Choice of law in international contracts United Nations' Convention on Contracts for the International Sales of Goods 1980 (CISG) Applicability and exclusions Formation of a contract Responsibilities of seller and buyer Remedies of seller and buyer Excuses for non-performance Practical exercise: Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods Trade terms, documentary sales and trade finance Introduction Incoterms 2010 and 2020 Documentary sales and bills of lading Letters of credit and the UCP 600 Practical exercise: Trade terms and documentation Programme - Day Two Distribution agreements Choosing between an agent and a distributor The key differences between the two relationships Framework agreements Regulation of distribution agreements (DCFR and EU competition law relevant to distribution agreements) Key terms in distribution agreements: exclusivity, term, licences, verification and termination Practical workshop: Drafting and negotiation - part 1 Agency agreements Agency arrangements: when and why? Common types of agency relationships Concerns of principal and of agent Legal regulation of the agency relationship Directive 86/653/EEC on self-employed commercial agents Commercial Agents (Council Directive) Regulations 1993 (SI 1993, No 3053 as amended) EU competition law Agency agreements: key terms Appointment Exclusivity Term Payment Performance obligations Targets IPR protection Termination Indemnity Compensation Checklist of general provisions Practical workshop: Drafting and negotiation - part 2 Summary and final questions For more information about this conference visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/a2rnny Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Senator Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) claimed on Thursday that the coronavirus epidemic spreading across China is worse than the country is willing to admit. There was a 28% increase in coronavirus cases overnight in China, Cotton wrote in a Twitter post. Make no mistake, though: these arent new cases. Just what China is willing to admit. Its much worse. By Thursday morning over 7,700 cases of the virus were confirmed worldwide, mostly in mainland China, while 68 cases were recorded in other locations around the world. 170 people have died from the virus so far. Cotton has repeatedly pushed for a travel ban to China due to concerns over the spread of the virus. On Tuesday Cotton sent a letter to members of President Trumps cabinet, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, urging the administration to enact a travel ban. As of [Tuesday] morning, China has reported that the Wuhan coronavirus has infected more than 4,500 people and killed more than 100, Cotton wrote in the letter. But the real number is likely far higher perhaps in the hundreds of thousands given the Chinese Communist Partys long history of covering up and minimizing these crises. On Friday Senator Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) himself called for a ban on U.S.-China travel as the epidemic spread. The World Health Organization will meet on Thursday to determine whether to announce a global-health emergency. W.H.O. director general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has praised Chinas response to the outbreak. I was struck by the determination of Chinese leadership & its people to end the new coronavirus outbreak, Dr. Tedros wrote on Twitter. More from National Review Last week, Jan. 21, to be exact, a strange thing happened. Well, not so strange if youre Black in America, as it occurs all too frequently to Black people, especially Black men. Ball State University marketing professor Shaheen Borna called campus police on Sultan Benson, a student majoring in business administration. Benson is Black. Borna isnt. The offense: When a student left in the middle of class, Benson wouldnt move to that empty seat after Borna told him to do so. Benson sat near an electrical outlet so he could charge his laptop. The other seat wasnt near an outlet, so, logically, Benson didnt want to move. Sounds reasonable enough, right? Obviously not to Borna. Campus police were initially confused as to why they were called. The students in class assured the officers the incident was petty and didnt warrant police involvement. The officers gave Benson two options: move or leave the class. He left the class. On the video circulating on social media, you can see him handing a fellow student the cord to charge his laptop, adding validity to his claim of needing to plug in his computer. While Benson had plenty of defenders several students commented theyve had this professor and problematic behavior isnt new for him others say Benson shouldve moved seats. Somehow the absurdity of calling the cops on a student for not switching seats is lost on them. That reaction wasnt just extreme, it was off the charts! For people to act as if this action is justified further reinforces the belief that no matter how benign the act, a Black person is always a threat. This incident hits close to home because Im a Ball State alum. I wont say Im shocked by this incident, but I am infuriated. Ball State University President Geoffrey Mearns says the professor used poor judgment. I disagree. Judgment presumes logic was involved. Its clear logic wasnt involved in Bornas decision. It was an emotionally-based decision, so poor emotion was used (if theres such a term). Im not Borna so Im just spitballing here, but Im guessing fear or pride were the emotions he felt. He either feared this Black man or he didnt want to look weak in front of his students. (As if calling the police on a student for something as innocuous as moving seats makes you look tough.) If Borna feared this student, Id like to know why. What did this young man do that warranted a phone call to the cops? If hes in class in college theres a pretty good chance the young man is there to learn. I keep up with current events, but some trends miss me. Is there a trend where students today go through the trouble of enrolling in college, making a schedule, paying for college and going to class only to sit there and harass the professor? And if this is a new trend, who are these parents who are allowing their children to go to school and waste thousands of dollars just for kicks? Black Americans let out a collective sigh of relief when they saw how well this situation was handled. It couldve been worse. Thats whats so infuriating about these calls to police for no other reason than a Black person being Black. The police arent here to solve every petty disagreement that arises. Its a waste of taxpayer dollars, and Black peoples lives are often put in jeopardy. At this point, Borna feels foolish. I cant imagine how he would feel if the situation turned violent or deadly. This is how Black people in America think, and this is why we were relieved. White privilege is never having to think that way. As I stated earlier, judging from social media posts, students think this professor is a jerk. Being a jerk is one thing. Being a racist jerk is another. Hes likely been both for a very long time. Im not sure how Ball State should reprimand Borna. If hes tenured, firing isnt that simple. If he has to undergo diversity training, it begs several questions: is this the first time, if its the first time, why isnt this a regular requirement, if not the first time, why didnt his behavior change, and why not intermittent workshops to keep the information fresh? While his behavior may be an isolated incident, hes not the only professor on that campus who needs diversity, inclusion and equity training. It should be a regular part of the job. ASAP. JERUSALEM - Israel has vowed to quickly annex large parts of the occupied West Bank after getting a green light from President Donald Trump, whose newly unveiled Mideast initiative heavily favours Israel and has been rejected by the Palestinians. But the move raises complex legal questions, both in terms of international law, which forbids the annexation of war-won territory, and inside Israel, which has not had a permanent government in more than a year. Those issues, and an apparent push by the Trump administration for Israel to proceed carefully, could delay any formal annexation. Israel captured east Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 war, lands the Palestinians want for a future state. Most of the international community supports a two-state solution based on the 1967 boundaries. The Trump plan would give the Palestinians limited self-rule in Gaza, parts of the West Bank and sparsely populated areas of Israel, with a capital on the outskirts of Jerusalem. In return, Israel would be allowed to annex all of its West Bank settlements, which much of the international community views as illegal. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had planned to bring annexation to a vote as soon as Sunday, but that was postponed, with one government minister saying the plan would first need to be submitted to the attorney general. U.S. officials have said a joint Israeli-U.S. committee would need to be formed to implement the extension of Israeli sovereignty over parts of the West Bank. Jared Kushner, Trumps son-in-law and the architect of the plan, told GZERO Media the administration hopes Israel waits until it has a permanent government after March 2 elections the third in less than a year. Here is a look at the legal concerns around annexation. INTERNATIONAL LAW International law forbids the annexation of war-won territory. Israel argues that the West Bank is a special case because it was never part of a Palestinian state. Israel, the West Bank and Gaza were all part of the British-ruled Palestine Mandate, and Britain had promised a national home for the Jewish people there, without specifying its boundaries. On that basis, Israel says it has the right to extend sovereignty over the territories with a simple Cabinet vote, a position backed by the Trump administration. Most of the international community rejects that interpretation, and views annexed east Jerusalem and the West Bank as occupied territory because they were seized in war. Amichai Cohen, a legal expert at the Israel Democracy Institute, a non-partisan think-tank , said Israels legal claim is simply a way to try to avoid a confrontation with the international community. Annexation has a negative aura to it because its illegal to annex territory, he said. Annexation would be widely seen as a violation of international law, but there would be no way to hold Israel accountable outside of the United Nations Security Council, where the U.S. wields a veto. ___ THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT The International Criminal Court said last year it was prepared to open a probe into alleged war crimes committed in the occupied territories pending a ruling on jurisdiction. The ICC is not authorized to prosecute annexation as a crime, but chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said Israel may have violated international laws against transferring civilians into occupied territory a reference to Jewish settlements. Israel has strenuously objected to any probe, saying the Palestinians do not meet the courts criteria of statehood and the dispute over the settlements must be resolved through peace negotiations. The Trump plan, by defining a future Palestinian state and siding with Israel on the settlements, could undermine that defence. Israel is not a member of the court and does not recognize its jurisdiction, but Israeli officials could be subject to international arrest warrants if indicted. ___ ISRAELS POLITICAL LIMBO Israel has had a caretaker government for more than a year after back-to-back elections left Netanyahu and his main opponent unable to form a majority coalition. Israelis will head to the polls again in March, but even that may not break the gridlock. A transitional government has the same formal powers as a permanent one, but the Supreme Court has long urged restraint, saying such a government should not take major decisions unless absolutely necessary. That would support the argument for delaying annexation. But the Trump plan enjoys wide support in Israel, including among all the major parties in the Knesset. In making the case for urgency, Netanyahu says Israel has a rare opportunity from the greatest friend it has ever had in the White House. ___ GANTZS GAMBIT Netanyahus main opponent, former army chief Benny Gantz, has also embraced the Trump plan. But he has warned against rash, irresponsible measures and said it should be implemented in co-ordination with other countries in the region like Jordan, which is opposed to annexation. Gantz has vowed to bring it to a vote in the Knesset next week. That would strengthen the governments case if the Supreme Court were to argue for postponing annexation until after the elections. But it would also pose a dilemma for Netanyahus right-wing allies, who have welcomed the opportunity to annex territory but are vehemently opposed to any Palestinian state, even the heavily restricted one called for in Trumps plan. A vote on the plan as a whole would force them to choose between rejecting Trumps proposal or voting in favour of a future Palestinian state. The discussions over the plan could lay bare fractures in Netanyahus right-wing bloc ahead of elections, potentially helping Gantz. Special constable Daniel Glassey bombarded the women with abuse as part of a two-year campaign of controlling behaviour, Cheshire Crown Court heard (SWNS) A policeman once awarded Cheshires Constable of the Year has been jailed for 27 months for harassing and threatening to rape two ex-girlfriends in a campaign of abuse. Special constable Daniel Glassey who was named the constabulary's top officer in 2018 made constant, controlling threats to the women, Chester Crown Court heard. Glassey, 30, pulled the hair of one ex-partner and spat at her during a relationship that left her feeling "trapped" and "living in fear". He threatened to throw acid into the face of the ex-partner, threatened to "kick her teeth" in and stabbed her in the leg with a pen. Chester Crown Court heard how Glassey's campaign of control began when he "refused to accept" that a partner had left him in June 2018 (SWNS) The court heard how his campaign of control began when he "refused to accept" that a partner had left him in June 2018. He barraged her with texts and phone calls for months demanding to know where she was and who she was with. However, Glassey had actually started a new relationship with a fellow officer in March of that year - who was not aware he was already in a relationship with someone else. The court heard how Glassey persistently called, messaged and emailed her and changed his shifts to ensure that they were always working together. Read more on Yahoo News UK: Demand for face masks appears to spike in UK amid coronavirus fears Scientists have fitted GPS trackers to albatrosses so they can spy on illegal fishermen New images reveal scale of what will be Britain's longest road tunnel He constantly accused her of cheating, called her names and put her down which belittled her. Glasseys actions left the second victim in fear, feeling trapped and believing that she was responsible for what he was doing. The abuse came to a head in April last year, when she was at a colleagues leaving party and another workmate noticed that Glassey had attempted to call her more than 100 times. Glassey, of Warrington, Cheshire, admitted controlling and coercive behaviour and harassment during an earlier court hearing and was jailed for 27 months. Story continues Detective constable Leanne Brundrett, who led the investigation, said after he was jailed: To many of his colleagues, Glassey was a well-respected and committed volunteer but behind closed doors he was a different person he made his victims lives a living hell. Daniel Glassey, once dubbed "Cheshire's Constable of the Year", was jailed for 27 months for harassing and threatening to rape two ex-girlfriends whose lives he "made a living hell" (SWNS) He tormented, violated and abused them both physically and emotionally, and the impact that it has had on them is unimaginable. Thankfully, as a result of the bravery and courage that these women have shown throughout the investigation, Glassey is now facing the consequences of his actions. I hope that his conviction and the sentence handed to him will allow them to finally move forward with their lives. This case demonstrates the fact that anyone can be a victim of controlling and coercive behaviour." According to Womens Aid, common signs of controlling and coercive behaviour include: depriving victims of basic needs, such as food; monitoring time and movements via online communication tools or spyware; and taking control over aspects of everyday life. Other signs include depriving access to support services, such as medical services; humiliating, degrading or dehumanising a victim; controlling your finances and making threats or intimidating you ---How four years of utter Brexit chaos unfolded--- BERLIN (Reuters) - Lufthansa is suspending its own, Swiss and Austrian Airlines flights to and from China until Feb. 9, the German airline said on Wednesday. Lufthansa said in a statement it would continue to fly to Hong Kong, while it would stop taking bookings for flights to mainland China until the end of February for operational reasons. Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian Airlines will fly to their usual destinations in China one more time to give passengers the possibility of taking planned flights and to bring crew back home. (Reporting by Emma Thomasson; Editing by Paul Carrel) Rush has been one of the most outspoken hospitals in the country in recent years when it comes to identifying flaws in the federal governments rating system. The American Hospital Association also has criticized the system, saying, among other things, that it tends to penalize academic medical centers, such as Rush, University of Chicago and Northwestern, because they treat more medically complex patients than other hospitals. Those under the impression that the venerable violin is the sole domain of tuxedo-clad classical musicians have another plink coming. And they were most assuredly not among audiences last Friday at a pair of concurrent violin-centric concerts in Charleston. Whether soaring through jazz standards at the hands of the acclaimed improvisational violinist Regina Carter, or wired and mixed a la local composer and violinist Seth G., the instrument demonstrated its versatility, abiding appeal and the capacity to elicit unbridled pleasure in divergent, yet utterly uplifting ways. By way of the Charleston Jazz Festival, the raring-to-go Regina Carter Quintet infused Charleston Music Hall with a performance as ecstatic as it was excellent. The sixth annual festival now stretches over four days, folding in locals, hosting headliners and even offering a closing showcase for young performers. From the moment the much-acclaimed MacArthur "genius grant" recipient let loose the first ebullient sound, it was clear that she was going to take us to rare, resplendent places, ably abetted by Carla Cook on vocals, Brandon McCune on piano and Hammond B3, Chris Lightcap on bass and Alvester Garnett on drums. For a merry, up-tempo Squatty Roo, Carter's quicksilver bow zipped and frolicked over her strings with fastidious, giddy verve, whipping up sheer happiness with masterful alacrity. A dreamy When I Grow Too Old to Dream" paid homage to Stuff Smith and Nat King Cole. An innovative Undecided utterly reimagined Ella Fitzgerald's classic. Through these and more, Carter delivered joy and heart, capped by her own urging at the end for us all to let love win. Sated but energized, I then made a dash for a non-festival-related offering at Queen Street Playhouse, as crowds filed back in for the second set of Seth G. A Charleston composer and violinist, the artist amplifies his strings and mixes them with backing tracks and DJ loops. The result is an effusive, upbeat sound centered on those wondrously worked strings. A house packed largely with thirty-something men was as enthusiastic in its booming, loving support as it was in its courteousness of less emotive audience members, shifting so as not to block the view of seated patrons, smiling at passersby. Sign up for our new opinion newsletter Get a weekly recap of South Carolina opinion and analysis from The Post and Courier in your inbox on Monday evenings. Email Sign Up! It's no wonder the artist performed songs from his new album "Heartstrings," which fuses genres including electronic, hip-hop, pop and R&B, with a similar enthusiasm, one matched with polish and passion. On Friday, these songs were accompanied by evocative videos that captured sweeping, luxe Charleston scenes, from windswept waterways to sleek modish structures to iconic Holy City spots. At times, he enlisted friends to play with him, such as celebrated electric violinist Daniel D. and vocalist Mary Gilmore (who like Carter's vocalist, Carla Cook, is a high school friend). In the smooth, effusive Paradise, the artist exuberantly plays atop the Folly Beach pier and standing on the sand before its rolling surf. In Caught Up, his video situates him and featured rapper Roan at a posh Lowcountry manse, complete with marshy expanse, to-die-for pool and vibrant graffiti art. Most poignant was the artist's final song, the tender, rich My Moment. In it, he samples encouraging words from his father, Rodgers Gilliard (the artist's birth name is Seth Gilliard). An accompanying video splices years of performance footage taken by his father through the years, including a preteen, suited up young Seth performing with the Charleston Symphony Youth Orchestra as well as footage of the present-day Seth G. holding forth on the steps of Charleston's US Customhouse. It also offered an apt segue to the Charleston Jazz Festival's Sunday Family Jazz Day at North Charleston's Revive Charleston Faith Church, when middle school and high school musicians comprised a high-energy seven-school lineup. When Charleston School of the Arts wrapped up, David Carter, Charleston Jazz's director of education and outreach, took the stage along with music and artistic Robert Lewis, breaking the big news that the Charleston's own Ranky Tanky had just won a Grammy for their regional roots album "Good Time." The Grammy is the product of musical outpourings made possible by the fertile ground here in Charleston, whether by cultivating talent from Ranky Tanky to Seth G. or attracting phenoms like Detroit native-gone-stratospheric Carter through an ambitious festival. It speaks volumes for Charlestons musical past, present and continued promise. But, forget speaking. I'd prefer that one of the fine violinists who elevated last weekend take to those strings, offering testament in his or her own impassioned, inimitable style. A newly formed group of more than 100 residents is working to stop the construction of 40 homes planned for the edge of the Olde Carlsbad neighborhood overlooking the Buena Vista Lagoon and Hosp Grove. Additional traffic and noise from the homes in the proposed Pio Pico subdivision would disrupt the quiet, small-town character that residents love, say members of the nonprofit Olde Carlsbad Voters Coalition. Were also concerned about the larger issue of infill developments that seem to be proliferating around every corner in Carlsbads older neighborhoods, said coalition member Keith Hunter in an emailed response to questions. Were not against development per se, but rather advocate smart and sustainable development that is consistent with the character and infrastructure of the area. Advertisement The proposed 12-acre subdivision would be built at Carlsbads northern boundary, about a block east of Interstate 5, with access from the northern end of Pio Pico Drive, which is a narrow two-lane street with no sidewalks, and from Spruce Street, which is about one block long. Not everyone in the neighborhood opposes the subdivision. Steve Conboy, a Spruce Street resident for 12 years, said he likes the project. His home is just a few feet from what would be the eastern entrance to the subdivision. The developer has done a nice job, Conboy said. Carlsbad is not a sleepy little town anymore. Growth is part of our economy. The owners of the Pio Pico property, the late Robert Siegel and his wife, Doris, lived there for many years, and the land remains in the Siegel family trust. Robert Siegel and his brother John, who died three weeks apart in the summer of 2014, were businessmen and owned a number of North County movie theaters. They opened the Plaza Camino Real theater beside what is now The Shoppes at Carlsbad mall, and owned several older Oceanside theaters including the downtown Crest and the Star. They also built the now-closed Valley Drive-In theater in the San Luis Rey Valley in the 1960s. The three main structures on the Pio Pico property were built in 1925, 1926 and 1948, according to documents on file with the city. Those buildings would be razed to make way for the proposed subdivision. The property is mostly open grassland, recently plowed for fire season, and some of it was used to grow avocados until the 1970s. Some of the homes nearby on Pio Pico date to the 1950s and are built in a variety of sizes and styles. However, residents were upset last year when traffic increased from a cluster of 17 new three- to five-bedroom homes built by Shea Homes on Lanai Court just off Pio Pico. More tract homes on Pio Pico would be completely incongruous with the character of this historical neighborhood, said resident and coalition member Cynthia DeCuir in a June 4 letter urging the city to deny the Pio Pico project. It sounds more like a design for horse stables than for human beings to dwell, she said in her letter. True Life Companies of Newport Beach is the projects developer. The company builds master-planned communities in California, Arizona, Colorado and Hawaii. The Siegel property has historically been zoned for single-family residential and, to that end, we submitted our application for a standard residential subdivision, which complies with the existing land-use designations, said True Lifes senior director of community development, Susan Lindquist, in an email on Friday. Projected home sizes range from 2,900 to 4,100 square feet on lots averaging 8,400 square feet. The company has conducted extensive community outreach including launching the website www.siegelproperty.com, door-to-door visits, in-home meetings and direct mail, she said. Some residents have offered suggestions, she said, and the company is working with the city to determine how those suggestions might be incorporated in the plan. Another concern of many residents is that the Pio Pico site will have to be elevated six to 10 feet with fill so that the sewer lines will drain into the citys treatment system. The residents say the neighborhoods sewer and storm drains already are overburdened and frequently clog. Members of the coalition have held two neighborhood fundraisers to help pay for studies, specialists and attorneys to fight the project. Also adding to the issues is a problem with rights-of-way. Over the years, some homeowners have built fences and added landscaping in the citys right-of-way along some streets in the neighborhood, including Pio Pico and nearby Highland Drive, which would take some of the traffic from the eastern side of the proposed subdivision. Those additions have made the streets narrower and eliminated parking spots in places. City officials announced last month they soon will send notices to Highland Drive residents to remove landscaping, boulders, rocks, fences and walls from the citys right-of-way, which extends 30 feet from the centerline of the road. So far, no notices have gone out to Pio Pico residents. The project application and the issues raised by residents are under review, Principal Planner Teri Delcamp said by email. Also, the city is preparing environmental documents required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) . Residents will have the opportunity to provide written comments on the CEQA document when it is released, Delcamp said. Residents also can speak to the city Planning Commission when it reviews the project, she said. So far, no date has been set for the Planning Commission hearing or for the release of the environmental documents. philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @phildiehl Jamia Shooting LIVE Updates: Devesh Shrivastava, Joint Commissioner of Delhi Police said that the shooter who fired at students of the Jamia Millia Islamia on Thursday afternoon had been booked under Section 307 of the IPC, which is the charge of attempt to murder. Auto refresh feeds The man, who is yet to be identified, was overpowered by protesters. A student appeared to have been injured in the incident, which led to panic in the Jamia area An armed man was detained on Thursday after he brandished a pistol at Jamia Millia Islamia students demonstrating against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act on Thursday, police said. In a video shot during the incident, the man brandishing the gun can be heard saying, Yeh lo azaadiHindustan zindabadDelhi Police zindabad. Delhi Police personnel were present when the shooting took place, reports the Indian Express . The gunman, police said, has been taken into custody. He shouted "who wants Azadi, come I'll shoot you and then fired on the protesters," students who witnessed the shocking incident told News18. According to the Indian Express reports, the gunman has been identified as Gopal. In the video, the man wielding the gun can be heard saying, Yeh lo Azadi Hindustan zindabad Delhi Police zindabad. The video, reportedly taken at a rally in the National Capital, purportedly shows Thakur, the Minister of State for Finance, exhorting the crowd to chant 'shoot the traitors', a slogan that has frequently been used to denigrate anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protesters and which was also reportedly heard during the 5 January attack on teachers and students at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus in New Delhi. This shooting in Jamia on Thursday comes days after Union Minister Anurag Thakur at a BJP rally encouraged those present in the crowd to chant Goli maro saalon ko'. The accused has been taken into custody by Delhi Police. He has identified himself as Gopal, while the police are yet to confirm his claim, say reports . The injured student, meanwhile, has been identified as Shadab Najar, a student of Jamia Millias Mass Communication and Research Centre. He has been rushed to Holy Family Hospital in Jamia area. There was heavy police and media presence when the incident took place. She said her friend, Shadab Farooq, a mass communication student, was injured in his left hand and taken to the AIIMS Trauma Centre. Al-Ameen, another student, said the man was brandishing his pistol and shouted "Yeh lo azaadi (Here, take your freedom)". "We were moving towards the Holy Family Hospital where the police had raised barricades. Suddenly, a gun-wielding man came out and opened fire. One bullet hit my friend's hand," Aamna Asif, a student of economics at the university, told PTI. The man was overpowered by protesters. Students had squatted in the area, asking the police to go back. As they raised slogans of "Go back, go back", police officials asked them to maintain peace and conduct their protest peacefully. The man, who is yet to be identified, was detained after he fired at students demonstrating against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, police said. The students were heading from Jamia to Mahatma Gandhi's memorial Rajghat when the man opened his fire on them on Thursday. The march was stopped at the Holy Family Hospital near the university. In a series of tweets, he took a dig at Narendra Modi, asking to identify the shooter by "his clothes". He also noted that the shooting occurred on a day when we were remembering "terrorist Godses murder of Gandhi". Today is the 72nd death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi accused BJP leader Anurag Thakur and "all the 9 PM nationalists" for creating "so much hatred in this country that a terrorist shoots a student while cops watch." This information has not been independently verified by Firstpost, and the Delhi Police are yet to officially identify him. A student of the university's Mass Communication and Research Centre, Shadab Najar was injured in the incident and rushed to Holy Family Hospital in Jamia area. The man who brandished a gun and fired a shot outside the Jamia Millia Islamia university on Thursday identified himself to the media, NDTV reported . While he brandished the gun even as the Delhi Police were present, the personnel overpowered him after he fired a shot. His identity has not been independently verified by Firstpost, and the Delhi Police are yet to officially identify him. The Jamia shooter went live on Facebook multiple times before firing at the Jamia student. In one of the posts, the shooter says "azaadi de raha hu (I am coming to give you freedom). The message was directed at those protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the NRC. ANI quoted South East District (Delhi) DCP Chinmoy Biswal as saying that the shooter is currently being questioned. Delhi Police said that the injured student Shadaab Farooq is out of danger and has sustained an injury on his left arm. He has now been shifted to the trauma centre of the AIIMS hospital, reports said. Her comments came soon after the shooting incident at the Jamia Millia Islamia university, in which one student was injured. Union Minister Smriti Irani, addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Pratapgarh on Thursday said that she wanted to tell the Shaheen Bagh protesters that "they should understand that the talks of breaking India cannot be the culture of any Indian. The shooter's Facebook page , on which he went live multiple times before the shooting incident. He is being questioned at the New Friends Colony police station, News18 Delhi reported. The shooter who fired at Jamia Millia Islamia students during a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act and NRC on Thursday has been identified by the Delhi Police as a resident of Jewar in the Greater Noida area of Uttar Pradesh. He had also posted that that his actions were a revenge for ' Chandan ', referring to the killing of Abhishek Gupta in clashes on Republic Day in Uttar Pradesh's Kasganj in 2018, NDTV reported. The Facebook profile of the shooter carried several posts about his intentions regarding firing at Jamia Millia Islamia students. While the profile is yet to be verified as belonging to him, it contains posts including calling for him to be "draped in saffron" if he had died and for his supporters to "shout slogans of Jai Shri Ram". The protest continued on Thursday evening and protesters attempted to breach a portion of the police's barricades. A massive protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the NRC continued at the Jamia Millia Islamia university on Thursday even after a man brandishing a gun fired a shot at the student protesters on Thursday afternoon. Students accused the Delhi Police of inaction while the shooter was threatening the protesters. BJP leader GVL Narasimha Rao reacted to reports of the Delhi Police identifying the shooter who fired on Jamia Millia Islamia students and referred to Arvind Kejriwal, Rahul Gandhi, and Asaduddin Owaisi as "hypocrites" and said that the Opposition leaders were blaming the BJP because of the arrested shooter's name. Identified by the Delhi Police, the shooter's Facebook profile carried his name as along with the videos and posts posted before he brandished the gun and fired the shot which injured one student. In one of the posts, he made references to the anti-CAA protesters at Shaheen Bagh and the university and said, "game over". The Facebook profile of the shooter who fired on Jamia Millia Islamia students protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the NRC on Thursday afternoon has been deleted. "Today I have spoken to Delhi Police Commissioner on the firing incident that has taken place and instructed them to take strict action. Central government will not tolerate any such incident, it will be taken seriously and the culprit will not be spared," he said, amid criticism from the Opposition and Twitter users, accusing the Delhi Police of inaction when the perpetrator was brandishing the gun. Home Minister Amit Shah reacted to the Jamia shooting incident on Thursday afternoon and said that he had instructed the Delhi Police to take "strict action" against the perpetrator who has been identified by the Delhi Police. The National Capital's police force is under the jurisdiction of the Union home minister. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, replying to Amit Shah's statement on the shooting incident at the Jamia Millia Islamia university on Thursday afternoon, appealed to the Home Minister to "take care of Delhi's law and order". Demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi "answer about what kind of Delhi he wants to build", Vadra said that such incidents were "possible when the ministers and leaders of the BJP government will incite people to shoot by giving provocative speeches." Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday criticised the BJP after a shooter fired at students of the Jamia Millia Islamia university during a protest against the CAA and NRC, which resulted in one student getting injured. ANI shared the CBSE marksheet of the allegedly minor gunman who brandished a gun and opened fire in Jamia area, on Thursday afternoon. One student was injured in the incident. He said , "We've checked the injured & pellet has been removed from his arm. As per doctors he's stable. Police couldn't react immediately as incident happened in split second but soon police overpowered him. Case transferred to Crime Branch. Ranjan's statement comes amid criticism levelled by Opposition leaders, journalists, and activists that the Delhi Police didn't act in the appropriate manner or fast enough when the shooter was brandishing the gun. Praveer Ranjan, the Special Commissioner of the Delhi Police said that the incident of shooting at the Jamia Millia Islamia, where a shooter fired a shot at students protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act on Thursday, happened in a "split second" which is why the police "couldn't react immediately". Praveer Ranjan, Special Commissioner of Police met Shadab Farooq, a Jamia Millia Islamia student, at the AIIMS trauma centre. He was injured after a shooter fired at Jamia Millia Islamia university students during anti-CAA protests on Thursday afternoon. Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Azad has reached the AIIMS trauma centre where Shadab Farooq,a Jamia Millia Islamia student who was injured in an incident of shooting on Thursday afternoon,is admitted. ANI reported that Azad was seeking permission to go inside the centre. Students and alumni of the Jamia Millia Islamia university have reached the New Friends Colony police station to lodge a complaint against the shooter who brandished a gun and opened fire outside the campus on Thursday afternoon, ANI reported . A student was injured in the firing and was admitted in the AIIMS trauma centre. Amid continued protests against the CAA outside the university on Thursday evening, Shrivastava also said that the students were stopped from marching to the Raj Ghat because they didn't have permission. Devesh Shrivastava, Joint Commissioner of Delhi Police said that the shooter who fired at students of the Jamia Millia Islamia on Thursday afternoon had been booked under Section 307 of the IPC, which is the charge of attempt to murder. Protests outside the Jamia Millia Islamia university continue on Thursday evening after the shooting incident in the afternoon, in which one student was injured. The Jamia Coordination Committee issued a statement regarding the incident of a gunman firing on students of the Jamia Millia Islamia on Thursday afternoon, and demanded action against Union Minister Anurag Thakur for his 'desh ke gaddaaron ko' slogan at a poll rally on 27 January. The National Capital's police force is under the jurisdiction of the Union home minister. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, replying to Amit Shah's statement on the shooting incident at the Jamia Millia Islamia university on Thursday afternoon, appealed to the Home Minister to "take care of Delhi's law and order". Demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi "answer about what kind of Delhi he wants to build", Vadra said that such incidents were "possible when the ministers and leaders of the BJP government will incite people to shoot by giving provocative speeches." Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday criticised the BJP after a shooter fired at students of the Jamia Millia Islamia university during a protest against the CAA and NRC, which resulted in one student getting injured. Delhi: CBSE marksheet of the allegedly minor gunman who brandished a gun and opened fire in Jamia area, earlier today. One student was injured in the incident. pic.twitter.com/3p6Pgbsl7P ANI shared the CBSE marksheet of the allegedly minor gunman who brandished a gun and opened fire in Jamia area, on Thursday afternoon. One student was injured in the incident. He said , "We've checked the injured & pellet has been removed from his arm. As per doctors he's stable. Police couldn't react immediately as incident happened in split second but soon police overpowered him. Case transferred to Crime Branch. Ranjan's statement comes amid criticism levelled by Opposition leaders, journalists, and activists that the Delhi Police didn't act in the appropriate manner or fast enough when the shooter was brandishing the gun. Praveer Ranjan, the Special Commissioner of the Delhi Police said that the incident of shooting at the Jamia Millia Islamia, where a shooter fired a shot at students protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act on Thursday, happened in a "split second" which is why the police "couldn't react immediately". Praveer Ranjan, Special Commissioner of Police met Shadab Farooq, a Jamia Millia Islamia student, at AIIMS Trauma Centre. He was injured after a man opened fire in Jamia area today during protests there earlier today. pic.twitter.com/XYvcp2xSHP Praveer Ranjan, Special Commissioner of Police met Shadab Farooq, a Jamia Millia Islamia student, at the AIIMS trauma centre. He was injured after a shooter fired at Jamia Millia Islamia university students during anti-CAA protests on Thursday afternoon. Delhi: Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad reaches AIIMS trauma centre where Shadab Farooq,a Jamia Millia Islamia student,is admitted. Azad is seeking permission to go inside the centre. Farooq was injured after a man opened fire in Jamia area during protests there, earlier today pic.twitter.com/TqGku9r6rN Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Azad has reached the AIIMS trauma centre where Shadab Farooq,a Jamia Millia Islamia student who was injured in an incident of shooting on Thursday afternoon,is admitted. ANI reported that Azad was seeking permission to go inside the centre. Students and alumni of the Jamia Millia Islamia university have reached the New Friends Colony police station to lodge a complaint against the shooter who brandished a gun and opened fire outside the campus on Thursday afternoon, ANI reported . A student was injured in the firing and was admitted in the AIIMS trauma centre. Devesh Shrivastava, Joint Commissioner of Police: They wanted permission to protest at Raj Ghat. We have stopped them here as they do not have any such permission. FIR has been registered against person who opened fire under 307 IPC and Arms Act and further investigation is on. https://t.co/UhkBEla6fY pic.twitter.com/ncFgv5t2BV Amid continued protests against the CAA outside the university on Thursday evening, Shrivastava also said that the students were stopped from marching to the Raj Ghat because they didn't have permission. Devesh Shrivastava, Joint Commissioner of Delhi Police said that the shooter who fired at students of the Jamia Millia Islamia on Thursday afternoon had been booked under Section 307 of the IPC, which is the charge of attempt to murder. This is whats been happening between protestors and police outside #Jamia University for sometime now. Video: Ahmer Khan. pic.twitter.com/xntmPWJKTz Protests outside the Jamia Millia Islamia university continue on Thursday evening after the shooting incident in the afternoon, in which one student was injured. The Jamia Coordination Committee issued a statement regarding the incident of a gunman firing on students of the Jamia Millia Islamia on Thursday afternoon, and demanded action against Union Minister Anurag Thakur for his 'desh ke gaddaaron ko' slogan at a poll rally on 27 January. Jamia Shooting LATEST Updates: Devesh Shrivastava, Joint Commissioner of Delhi Police said that the shooter who fired at students of the Jamia Millia Islamia on Thursday afternoon had been booked under Section 307 of the IPC, which is the charge of attempt to murder. Amid continued protests against the CAA outside the university on Thursday evening, Shrivastava also said that the students were stopped from marching to the Raj Ghat because they didn't have permission. Praveer Ranjan, the Special Commissioner of the Delhi Police said that the incident of shooting at the Jamia Millia Islamia, where a shooter fired a shot at students protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act on Thursday, happened in a "split second" which is why the police "couldn't react immediately". Ranjan's statement comes amid criticism levelled by Opposition leaders, journalists, and activists that the Delhi Police didn't act in the appropriate manner or fast enough when the shooter was brandishing the gun. He said, "We've checked the injured & pellet has been removed from his arm. As per doctors he's stable. Police couldn't react immediately as incident happened in split second but soon police overpowered him. Case transferred to Crime Branch. ANI shared the CBSE marksheet of the allegedly minor gunman who brandished a gun and opened fire in Jamia area, on Thursday afternoon. One student was injured in the incident. Home Minister Amit Shah reacted to the Jamia shooting incident on Thursday afternoon and said that he had instructed the Delhi Police to take "strict action" against the perpetrator who has been identified by the Delhi Police. "Today I have spoken to Delhi Police Commissioner on the firing incident that has taken place and instructed them to take strict action. Central government will not tolerate any such incident, it will be taken seriously and the culprit will not be spared," he said, amid criticism from the Opposition and Twitter users, accusing the Delhi Police of inaction when the perpetrator was brandishing the gun. The shooter who fired at Jamia Millia Islamia students during a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act and NRC on Thursday has been identified by the Delhi as 19-year-old Ram Bhagat Gopal Sharma, who is a resident of Jewar in the Greater Noida area of Uttar Pradesh. He is being questioned at the New Friends Colony police station, News18 Delhi reported. The shooter's Facebook page, on which he went live multiple times before the shooting incident, carries the name 'Rambhakt Gopal'. The Jamia shooter, who has identified himself as Rambhakt Gopal, went live on Facebook multiple times before firing at the Jamia student. In one of the posts, the shooter says "azaadi de raha hu (I am coming to give you freedom). The message was directed at those protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the NRC. Another post says, "Shaheen Bagh, khel khatam (Shaheen Bagh, game over)". The man who brandished a gun and fired a shot outside the Jamia Millia Islamia university on Thursday identified himself to the media as 'Rambhakt Gopal', NDTV reported. While he brandished the gun even as the Delhi Police were present, the personnel overpowered him after he fired a shot. A student of the university's Mass Communication and Research Centre, Shadab Najar was injured in the incident and rushed to Holy Family Hospital in Jamia area. An unidentified man, brandishing a gun, reportedly opened fire during an anti- Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protest outside Jamia Millia Islamia on Thursday, injuring one student, reported ANI. Shadab Farooq, a mass communication student, was injured in his left hand and taken to the AIIMS Trauma Centre. Al-Ameen, another student, said the man was brandishing his pistol and shouted "Yeh lo azaadi (Here, take your freedom)". The incident comes days after BJP leader Anurag Thakur raised slogans during a Delhi election rally exhorting the crowd to chant 'shoot the traitors', a slogan that has frequently been used to denigrate anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protesters and which was also reportedly heard during the 5 January attack on teachers and students at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus in New Delhi. Following outrage over his speech, Election Commission has banned Thakur from campaigning for the next 72 hours. The injured person, Shadab, who was hit by the bullet in his arm, has been rushed to Holy Family Hospital in Delhi and is reportedly out of danger, reports News18. The gunman, police said, has been taken into custody. He shouted "who wants Azadi, come I'll shoot you and then fired on the protesters," students who witnessed the shocking incident told News18. Delhi Police personnel were present when the shooting took place. In the video, the man weilding the gun can be heard saying, Yeh lo Azadi Hindustan zindabad Delhi Police zindabad. Shadab can be seen bleeding here. Jamia gun attack pic.twitter.com/kR1lbUmPhL Saahil Murli Menghani (@saahilmenghani) January 30, 2020 According to India Today, the incident took place when people, including students of Jamia Millia Islamia, were marching towards Rajghat to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act and to mark the 72nd death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. This is a developing story, more details are awaited. Sacha Baron Cohen has launched a fresh attack on Mark Zuckerberg telling him 'history will judge you' and that he is helping to 'destroy democracy' after a new report showed the Trump campaign had more than double the number of Facebook ads than any other presidential candidate. British comedian Baron Cohen slammed the Facebook CEO on Twitter Wednesday, tweeting a Guardian report on President Donald Trump's advertising campaign on Facebook. 'Terrifying. 218,000 political ads on Facebookmany with lies and hate - seen by voters perhaps 1.3 BILLION times. 'And Facebook profits. #MarkZuckerberg, history will judge you harshly - if we still have historians after you help destroy democracy!' Cohen tweeted. Sacha Baron Cohen (pictured) has launched a fresh attack on Mark Zuckerberg telling him 'history will judge you' and that he is helping to 'destroy democracy' after a new report showed the Trump campaign had more than double the number of Facebook ads than other presidential candidates British comedian Baron Cohen slammed the Facebook CEO on Twitter (above) Wednesday, tweeting a Guardian report on President Donald Trump's advertising campaign on Facebook The report, published Wednesday and titled 'One year inside Trump's monumental Facebook campaign', investigated the use of Facebook ads in the race for the White House over the course of 2019. It described how Trump's re-election campaign 'built a sophisticated social media machine to communicate with conservative voters, grow its email list and fine-tune its messaging'. The Trump campaign spent nearly $20 million on more than 218,000 different Facebook ads, more than double every other candidate except for Democrat Tom Steyer who spent $16.8m on just 12,704 ads. The volume of ads posted in support of Trump dwarfed that of the second-highest candidate, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg who posted 74,286 ads. The report went on to explain that 'among the ads were some of the images and videos that made front-page news for their xenophobic, fear-mongering, vitriolic and outright false rhetoric.' Analysis of the content of Trump's ads found that the media and its 'fake news' was the issue mentioned most, featuring in almost one in five (18.25%) of the president's ads. Immigration and Trump's plans to build a wall between the US and Mexico was next second, followed by impeachment, the economy and gun rights. By Wednesday evening, Baron Cohen's post had been retweeted 1,200 times, with Twitter users widely coming out in support of his comments. 'Your speech was spot on, BTW. Facebook is the most dangerous weapon man has ever invented. It weaponizes people,' one person tweeted. Another said: 'We've learned nothing from the Cambridge Analytica fiasco.' Baron Cohen blasted Mark Zuckerberg (above) after Guardian analysis showed the Trump campaign had 218,000 political ads on Facebook in 2019 The Guardian analysis (above) showed that the Trump campaign ad spend and volume of ads dwarfed that of other presidential candidates. The report went on to explain that 'among the ads were some of the images and videos that made front-page news for their xenophobic, fear-mongering, vitriolic and outright false rhetoric' However some defended Zuckerberg and critiqued Baron Cohen's post. 'If your going to hate on Facebook do the same on twitter. I only see political ads on twitter and none on facebook,' one user said. It's not the first time Baron Cohen has publicly slammed Zuckerberg. Back in November Baron Cohen gave a 28-minute speech at the Anti-Defamation League's Never is Now summit, in which he described Facebook as 'the greatest propaganda machine' for hate groups in history. Then at the Golden Globe Awards on January 5, the comedian called the tech entrepreneur a 'naive, misguided child who spreads Nazi propaganda'. At the November summit, Baron Cohen singled out Zuckerberg and five other tech executives - that he dubbed the 'Silicone Six' - for facilitating and profiting off the spread of hate speech and misinformation across the world. 'All this hate and violence is being facilitated by a handful of internet companies that amount to the greatest propaganda machine in history,' Cohen said during his keynote speech, adding that the sowing of such information has led to 'surging' hate crimes and a rise in 'murderous attacks on religious and ethnic minorities.' 'The Silicon Sixall billionaires, all Americanswho care more about boosting their share price than about protecting democracy,' Cohen said. 'This is ideological imperialism - six unelected individuals in Silicon Valley imposing their vision on the rest of the world, unaccountable to any government and acting like they're above the reach of law.' Baron Cohen's latest attack comes just weeks after the comedian called the tech entrepreneur a 'naive, misguided child who spreads Nazi propaganda' at the Golden Globe Awards on January 5 (above) The comedian (left) has slammed Zuckerberg (right) several times, accusing the Facebook CEO of profiting off hate speech spread on the platform During the speech for the ADL, Cohen singled out Zuckerberg and five other tech executives - dubbed the 'Silicone Six' - for facilitating and profiting off the spread of hate speech and misinformation across the world Baron Cohen saved most of his criticisms specifically for Zuckerberg and his controversial decision that Facebook does not fact-check political ads. 'If you pay them, Facebook will run any political ad you want, even if it's a lie,' he said. He went on to suggest that this policy meant that if Facebook was around in the 1930s, Adolf Hitler would have been able to post political ads against Jewish people uninhibited. 'It's like we're living in the Roman Empire, and Mark Zuckerberg is Caesar,' the Ali G funnyman continued. 'At least that would explain his haircut.' Cohen then took Zuckerberg and Google to task for refusing to ban Holocaust deniers from the social network. '[Zuckerberg] said that he found posts denying the Holocaust 'deeply offensive,' but he didn't think Facebook should take them down 'because I think there are things that different people get wrong',' Cohen said. 'At this very moment, there are still Holocaust deniers on Facebook, and Google still takes you to the most repulsive Holocaust denial sites with a simple click. 'One of the heads of Google once told me, incredibly, that these sites just show 'both sides' of the issue. 'This is madness.' Cohen also rejected Zuckerberg's claim that he could not act as a censor to limit what people can say. 'Freedom of speech is not freedom of reach,' Cohen said. 'Sadly, there will always be racists, misogynists, anti-Semites and child abusers. But I think we could all agree that we should not be giving bigots and pedophiles a free platform to amplify their views and target their victims.' Cohen said that social media sites and internet search engines have the legal right to ban hate speech. 'If a neo-Nazi comes goose-stepping into a restaurant and starts threatening other customers and saying he wants kill Jews, would the owner of the restaurant be required to serve him an elegant eight-course meal?' he asked rhetorically. 'Of course not! The restaurant owner has every legal right and a moral obligation to kick the Nazi out, and so do these internet companies.' Facebook responded to Baron Cohen's scathing remarks by saying he was misrepresenting its policies around hate speech. Baron Cohen then used the stage at the Golden Globes to continue the feud earlier this month. The Borat star had been tasked with introducing the film Jojo Rabbit - a satirical movie about a German boy enrolled in the Nazi youth whose imaginary friend is Adolf Hitler. He said: 'The hero of this next movie is a naive, misguided child who spreads Nazi propaganda and only has imaginary friends. His name is Mark Zuckerberg.' As gasps and awkward laughter broke out among the audience, the comedian continued: 'Sorry, sorry. This is an old intro for the Social Network. I'm actually talking about JoJoRabbit. It's nominated for two Golden Globes and it's directed by its star, the brilliant and groundbreaking Taika Waititi.' His satirical takedown of Zuckerberg at the Golden Globes was widely praised online. 'Thank you @SachaBaronCohen for continuing to call out Mark Zuckerberg for his active role in destroying our democracy,' tweeted Ryan Knight. 'All hail Sacha Baron Cohen for saying what we are all thinking about spineless Mark Zuckerberg,' echoed another user. Other prominent figures have also waded into the debate. Hillary Clinton (pictured) blasted Zuckerberg in an interview with The Atlantic in January about the misinformation campaigns that spewed on Facebook against her and in favor of getting Trump into power. The Former Secretary of State branded the Facebook boss 'authoritarian' and 'Trumpian' Hillary Clinton blasted Zuckerberg in an interview with The Atlantic in January about the misinformation campaigns that spewed on Facebook against her and in favor of getting Trump into power. The Former Secretary of State branded the Facebook boss 'authoritarian' and 'Trumpian'. 'I didn't really know this was happening to me. We did not understand what was going on below the radar screen,' she said. Clinton said she was alarmed by Zuckerberg's unwillingness to have Facebook buckle down on propaganda after such campaigns were exposed. Clinton noted last spring a slowed-down video of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi went viral online, distorting the speed so that she appeared to slur her words and appeared cognitively impaired. 'Google took it off YouTube...so I contacted Facebook. I said, Why are you guys keeping this up? This is blatantly false. Your competitors have taken it down, And their response was, 'We think our users can make up their own minds,' Clinton said. Zuckerberg said last year Facebook wants to moderate content as little as possible and doesn't want to censor free speech, even if it means airing paid content from politicians that isn't accurate. Workers at an op shop have blasted locals for treating the shop like a dumping ground and leaving donations outside for thieves to ransack them. Volunteers at Coomera's Living Rivers Uniting Church op shop, on the Gold Coast in Queensland, say locals have been treating the shop as a place to ditch their old belongings for years. But instead of donating during opening hours, the shop gets 'hammered' every weekend, giving thieves the opportunity to ransack items. Volunteers at Coomera's Living Rivers Uniting Church op shop, on the Gold Coast, say locals have been treating the shop as a place to dump their old belongings for years Photos taken of the shop on Monday mornings show clothes strewn all over the floor, furniture turned upside down and items ruined. 'Can we please try and bag everything up when it gets donated, instead of loose items please?' the op shop posted to Facebook in December. 'Also if you could kindly bring donations to the shop while we are open, that would be greatly appreciated.' 'We can't monitor and prevent thieving of your donations if they are left on the verandah when the shop is closed.' Team Leader Amanda Mackey told the Gold Coast Bulletin she is at her wit's end. She said both she and the volunteers are frustrated after having to deal with constant thieves in the past five years. 'Monday volunteers prepare themselves before they come to work because often the driveway and the front of the shop is in a horrific state after ransackers take anything of value and destroy anything else in their way,' Ms Mackey said. She said the shop is often in a 'horrific state' on Monday mornings and makes going to work discouraging. City of Gold Coast Division Two Councillor William Owen-Jones took to Facebook to express that he was appalled by the mess 'We appreciate and value your donations and it breaks our hearts to have no choice but to take items to the tip because they are spoiled,' Ms Mackey said. Volunteers have to go out of their way by taking many of the items to the dump each Tuesday and Thursday. 'They need to realise they are stealing from the poor. It truly breaks my heart. Hopefully now they can get the message,' she said. Ms Mackey is urging people to donate to the shop during trading hours so they can ensure the products are fit for sale. City of Gold Coast Division Two Councillor William Owen-Jones took to Facebook to express that he was appalled by the mess. 'The poor little Uniting Church Op Shop gets hammered,' he Mr Owen-Jones wrote. 'Imagine being a volunteer on a Monday morning? Everyone just needs to find an alternative on the weekend because this cannot continue.' Scourge Once Tortured Millions Every Year; Carter Center, Partners Redouble Efforts to Reach Zero ATLANTA A provisional total of 54* cases of Guinea worm disease were reported in 2019, The Carter Center announced Wednesday. Intensified surveillance and reporting incentives in endemic areas in recent years have produced expected fluctuations in the small number of Guinea worm cases. When The Carter Center assumed leadership of the program in 1986, about 3.5 million human cases occurred annually in 21 countries in Africa and Asia. The campaign against the disease, also called dracunculiasis, has taken on additional complexity in recent years with the rise of infections in animals, primarily dogs in Chad. The worlds foremost experts and partner governments are responding vigorously. The time to eradicate Guinea worm is now, said Adam Weiss, director of the Carter Center Guinea Worm Eradication Program. To prevent unnecessary suffering, the remaining endemic countries are going all out with every intervention available. For example, in Chad, the national program intensified surveillance and broadly promoted cash incentives for reporting suspected infections. As a result, in 2019, rumors of human cases rose 137% and rumors of animal infections rose 268% compared to 2018. The program investigated 95% of those rumors within 24 hours. Additionally, the larvicide Abate was applied to water sources in 408 villages in 2019, compared to 72 villages the previous year. Case and Infection Numbers by Country During 2019, 47 human cases of the disease were reported in Chad, four in South Sudan, one in Angola, and one in Cameroon that is believed to have been imported from Chad. No human cases have been reported for two years in Ethiopia or four years in Mali, but the two countries are still considered endemic. As for Guinea worm infections in animals (mainly dogs but also a handful of cats and baboons), 1,973 were detected in Chad, nine in Mali, eight in Ethiopia, and one in Angola; none in South Sudan or Cameroon. (All 2019 figures are provisional until officially confirmed in March 2020. Further details can be found in the latest issue of Guinea Worm Wrap-Up.) Interventions to stop transmission include community-based health education, filtering all drinking water, keeping people and animals with emerging Guinea worms from entering water sources, and targeted use of Abate in stagnant water sources. Only one human disease has ever been eradicated; that was smallpox, 40 years ago. For a disease to be declared eradicated, every country in the world must be certified free of human and animal infection, even those where transmission has never taken place. To date, 199 countries have been certified free of Guinea worm; only seven have not. Neglected Tropical Diseases Wednesdays announcement comes on the eve of the inaugural World Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) Day, created to draw attention to a group of little-known conditions, including Guinea worm, that disproportionately affect the worlds poorest and most marginalized people. In late 2019, the World Health Organization and the NTD community agreed to adjust and accelerate elimination targets for NTDs to align with the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The Carter Center, the WHO, and the independent International Commission for the Certification of Dracunculiasis Eradication all agreed that GWs goal could fit into the adjusted plan. As a result, the target date for eradication of Guinea worm disease including for the first time the certification process, which takes at least three years now is by 2030. The WHO is the only body that can certify disease eradication. The Carter Centers goal is to end the human suffering caused by the disease as soon as possible, and the revised target of 2030 would include that goal, said Dr. Donald R. Hopkins, a veteran of the campaign to eradicate smallpox who is the Carter Centers special advisor for Guinea worm eradication. The fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases is long and difficult, but so is every battle worth fighting, added Dr. Mwelecele Ntuli Malecela, director of the WHO Department of Neglected Tropical Diseases. Victory cannot be achieved merely by dreaming. The way to victory is marked by honest goals, good science, and focused work. We are bringing all of these to bear against Guinea worm disease. Carter Center Challenge Fund The Carter Center Board of Trustees announced in September 2019 a $40 million fundraising campaign, including a $20 million Carter Center Challenge Fund, toward the eradication of Guinea worm disease. The Challenge Fund will match donations up to $10 million per year in 2019 and 2020, for a total of $20 million in matching funds. Our successes are a testament to the fierce persistence of people on the front lines and our committed partners, Jason Carter, chair of the Carter Center Board of Trustees, said. We are grateful for every ally standing with us as we seek to eradicate the first parasitic disease in human history, and we are so committed that we are investing our own endowment funds into the effort. About Guinea Worm Disease Considered a neglected tropical disease, Guinea worm disease (dracunculiasis) is usually contracted when people consume water contaminated with tiny crustaceans (copepods) that carry Guinea worm larvae. The larvae mature and mate inside the patients body. The male worm dies. After about a year, a meter-long female worm emerges slowly through a painful blister in the skin. Contact with water stimulates the emerging worm to release its larvae into the water and start the process all over again. Guinea worm disease incapacitates people for weeks or months, reducing individuals ability to care for themselves, work, grow food for their families, or attend school. Without a vaccine or medicine, the ancient parasitic disease is being wiped out mainly through community-based interventions to educate people and change their behavior, such as teaching them to filter all drinking water and preventing contamination by keeping patients from entering water sources. Roles The Carter Center has led the international Guinea Worm Eradication Program since 1986 and works closely with national programs, the World Health Organization (WHO), U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), UNICEF, and many other partners. The Carter Center provides technical and financial assistance to national Guinea worm eradication programs to help interrupt transmission of the disease. When transmission is interrupted, the Center provides continued assistance in surveillance and helps endemic countries prepare for official evaluation by the International Commission for the Certification of Dracunculiasis Eradication (ICCDE) and certification by the WHO. The CDC provides technical assistance and verifies that worm specimens truly are Guinea worms. The presence of Guinea worm disease in an area usually indicates abject poverty, including lack of safe drinking water; UNICEF mainly assists countries by helping governments provide safe sources of drinking water to priority areas identified by the national Guinea worm eradication programs. Partnerships Many generous foundations, corporations, governments, and individuals have made the work to eradicate Guinea worm disease possible, including major support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID); Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) - United Kingdom; Alwaleed Philanthropies; the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development; and the Federal Republic of Germany. Major support from the United Arab Emirates began with Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and has continued under Sheikh Khalifa and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed. The DuPont Corporation and Precision Fabrics Group donated nylon filter cloth early in the campaign; Vestergaard's LifeStraw donated pipe and household cloth filters in recent years. ABATE larvicide (temephos) has been donated for many years by BASF. Key implementing partners include the ministries of health in endemic countries, The Carter Center, WHO, CDC, and UNICEF. *Editor's note. This press release originally stated that 53 cases of Guinea worm were reported in 2019. Contact: Emily Staub, (404) 420-5126; Emily.Staub@CarterCenter.org ### Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope. A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in over 80 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; and improving mental health care. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide. The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed felling of 17 trees in the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) in Agra for construction of an overbridge over railway tracks for smooth traffic, if mandatory compensatory afforestation is undertaken. The apex court has been hearing a PIL of environmentalist M C Mehta filed in 1984 on preservation of Taj Mahal and its surroundings and has been monitoring activities to ensure that no damage is done to the monument and flora and fauna in the TTZ. TTZ is an area of about 10,400 sq km spread over the districts of Agra, Firozabad, Mathura, Hathras and Etah in Uttar Pradesh and Bharatpur district of Rajasthan. A bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices B R Gavai and Surya Kant allowed felling of trees and asked the authorities to comply with directions of the apex court-mandated CEC (Central Empowered Committee). The directions include that the authorities will have to undertake mandatory 10 times more compensatory afforestation for felling trees to construct the overbridge on railway tracks. The felling of trees for the project shall be limited to the bare minimum number which is absolutely unavoidable, the bench said, adding that the saplings will have to be nurtured properly. The bench also took note of an another plea seeking a direction to the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) to start online sale of tickets for night viewing of the Taj Mahal. It granted four weeks' time for the ASI to respond to the plea which said that presently the night-viewing of Taj is allowed by tickets sold through counters. Dealing with another plea alleging overflowing drains in Agra, especially in TTZ, the bench granted six weeks time to Mehta and NEERI (National Environmental Engineering Research Institute) to inspect the city and file a report suggesting measures to deal with the problems. The plea has said that there are several open drains and sewer lines in the TTZ and Agra in particular and the waste water from these drains overflows and spreads on the streets. "We, therefore, consider it appropriate to direct that Mehta, petitioner-in-person who is present before us, and NEERI would inspect the area of TTZ and Agra City and submit a detailed report to this court. Mr Mehta and NEERI would, if the assertions are correct, highlight the remedial action and steps, both short term and long term, which the commissioner of TTZ or the Agra Municipal Corporation should take," the bench had ordered. Earlier, the top court had permitted Northern Railways to axe over 400 trees in the TTZ for construction of an additional rail track between Delhi and Agra if mandatory compensatory afforestation is undertaken. The top court has been monitoring developments in the area to protect the monument, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal in 1631. The mausoleum is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two Alabama contractors face a total of $88,482 in fines stemming from a July 2019 trench collapse in a Hoover neighborhood. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says OLA Inc. and Calloway Inc. exposed employees to excavation hazards by allowing them to work in a trench without hard hats and cave-in protection. OLA Inc. was operating as Outdoor Living Areas Inc., and Calloway was operating as American Lawn Co., OSHA said. The citations came after an investigation into a July 23, 2019 incident where two men were killed while working on a drainage system in front of a home on Twin Pine Circle, near Preserve Parkway, when the earth around them caved in. According to documents related to the citation, the trench the men worked in was five to seven feet deep, 70 feet long, three-and-a-half to five feet wide, with piles of dirt about five feet high on either side of the trench or at the ends. Two men died Tuesday, July 23, when they were trapped in a drainage trench in a Hoover neighborhood. The two victims were Gaspar Manueal-Pedro, 46, and Matias Gaspar-Lopez, 28. They were related and both from Guatamala, but living in Birmingham. It took first responders about 90 minutes to find the bodies of the men following the collapse. There was never any communication with them. The agency said the companies also did not train employees on excavation hazards, provide a safe entry and exit from the trench, place soil piles away from the trench edge and ensure a trench inspection before allowing employees to enter. Employers are legally required to slope, shore or shield trench walls to avoid a collapse, and must ensure that workers are properly trained and use approved equipment to prevent serious or fatal injuries, OSHA Birmingham Area Director Ramona Morris said in a statement. Shane Sears, an attorney representing Water Drainage Solutions, Calloway, Inc., and Outdoor Living Areas, said the companies fully cooperated with OSHAs investigation, including multiple in-person interviews. However, he said the companies that OSHA identified in its report did not perform any work at this job site. The companies have already contested OSHAs findings, he said. The supervisor on site specifically advised the men to stay out of the trench, Sears said. Additionally, none of OSHAs findings indicated that anyone did anything willfully or intentionally to harm these men. All money donated to Gofundme on behalf of the men has been forwarded to the Court to distribute to their families, he said. Again, our thoughts and prayers go out to these men and their families. This was a terrible tragedy that will affect everyone involved for the rest of their lives, Sears said. OSHA recently updated the National Emphasis Program on preventing injuries related to trenching and excavation collapses. The companies have 15 business days to comply, request an informal conference with OSHAs area director, or contest the findings. This post was modified at 3:08 p.m. Jan. 31 to include comments from the attorney. Chief minister Jaganmohan Reddys plans for abolishing the upper house of Andhra Pradesh assembly or the legislative council may face hurdles in Parliament with both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress pushing for upper Houses of assembly in other states. A parliament panel has also advocated a national policy on such issues. The Andhra Pradesh assembly on Monday adopted a statutory resolution for abolishing the Council days after two bills seeking the creation of three capitals for the state and on the introduction of English medium in government schools were blocked in the upper House. The resolution would be sent to the Centre, which will have to introduce a bill in Parliament for the Councils abolition. Parliamentary officials pointed out two bills on the formation of legislative councils in Congress-ruled Rajasthan and BJP-ruled Assam are pending before Parliament for years. Then Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government and the previous Congress government in Assam moved Parliament in 2013 for setting up legislative councils in their states. According to the Constitutions Article 169, a legislative council can be created or dissolved only through an act of Parliament. The officials said although Reddys YRS Congress Party (YSRCP) has supported the BJP-led central government, any hasty decision on the Andhra Pradesh assemblys resolution is unlikely. A Parliamentary panel has examined the two bills related to the creation of legislative councils in Rajasthan and Assam. In its report on Rajasthans proposal in December 2013, the panel said, There is a need to evolve a national policy with regard to creation/abolition of Legislation Council particularly in regard to the fact that the status of the second chamber cannot be of temporary in nature depending on the mood of the Government of the day nor can be abolished once created, only at the whims and fancy of a newly elected Government in the State. The panel reiterated its stand in its report on Assam as well in February 2014. The Andhra Pradesh legislative council was abolished in 1985 before it was revived in 2007 during the Congress rule. Legislative councils in Punjab, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu were abolished in 1969 and 1986. In 2010, Parliament passed a bill for the revival of the legislative council in Tamil Nadu but it was not notified. Subsequently, in 2012, the state government proposed to repeal the 2010 law. The Constitutions Article 168 initially provided for legislative councils in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Bombay, Tamil Nadu, Mysore, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and West Bengal. A BJP leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said on one hand, they want a legislative council in Rajasthan and on the other hand, how can they support a move to abolish it in Andhra Pradesh. A Congress strategist ruled out any possibility of supporting the Reddy governments proposal. Reddy has defended his decision plan to abolish the council saying the Constitution does not say that there should be compulsorily an upper House in every state. The YSRCP enjoys an overwhelming majority of 151 in the assemblys 175-member lower House. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to meet with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on January 31, and the two officials will give a joint press conference at 12:00, reports Comments.ua, citing the Office of the President of Ukraine. Earlier, on December 30, the US Department of State had reported that Mike Pompeo was going to visit Kiev on January 3 and meet with Ukraines leadership, religious organizations, as well as civil society representatives and businesspersons. After Ukraine, Pompeo was scheduled to visit Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Cyprus on January 3-7, but on January 1, the trip was postponed for an uncertain period due to the situation in the Middle East. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, announced today, Thursday, 30 January, that it is suspending its operational work at the Gathering and Departure Facility (GDF), fearing for the safety and protection of people at the facility, its staff and partners amid worsening conflict in Tripoli, Libya. Unfortunately UNHCR was left with no choice but to suspend work at the Gathering and Departure Facility in Tripoli after learning that training exercises, involving police and military personnel, are taking place just a few meters away from units housing asylum seekers and refugees, said Jean-Paul Cavalieri, UNHCR's Chief of Mission in Libya. We fear that the entire area could become a military target, further endangering the lives of refugees, asylum seekers, and other civilians, he added. UNHCR has started moving dozens of highly vulnerable refugees, who have already been identified for resettlement or evacuation to third countries, from the facility to safer locations. UNHCR will also facilitate the evacuation of hundreds of other people to urban areas. This includes around 400 asylum seekers who had left the Tajoura detention centre after it was hit by air strikes last July as well as some 300 asylum-seekers from the Abu Salim detention centre who entered the GDF last November after being spontaneously released from detention by the authorities. All will be provided with cash assistance, relief items and medical assistance at UNHCRs Community Day Centre in Tripoli. Other important aspects of our work in Libya continue at full pace and we hope to be able to resume our work at the GDF once safe to do so, Cavalieri said. On 2 January, UNHCR expressed serious concerns after three mortar shells fell close to the GDF and fragments landed near a warehouse inside the complex. The GDF, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Interior, was established as a transit site to host refugees who had been identified for a solution outside of Libya, pending their evacuation. Since December 2018, nearly 1,700 formerly detained refugees have been evacuated out of Libya to safety, through the GDF. With close to 900 individuals entering the GDF spontaneously since July, it became severely overcrowded and is no longer functioning as a transit centre. UNHCR continues to urge all sides to the conflict in Libya to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure. Media contacts: Media bodies on Thursday strongly condemned the detention of journalists covering the anti-CAA march here and urged the Delhi police not to interfere in the free functioning of the press. "Delhi Police today swooped down on journalists in the Raj Ghat-Red Fort- Daryaganj area of Delhi. They had gone there to report on and record the human chain that was organised by citizens - on Mahatma Gandhi's martyrdom day - against official intimidation and high-handedness on people conducting peaceful protests against CAA or NRC," said Press Club of India (PCI) in its statement. The PCI expressed its "shock" and "strong protest" at the police action. "From the first reports we have, Rajesh Kumar, Shivesh Garg and a clutch of other journalists were forcibly taken away to an unknown destination- probably a distant detention centre or police station. We have no further information," it added. Other journalists were violently attacked by police, among them photographer Sanjay K. Jha of The Telegraph, and S. K. Pande, a senior journalist and leader of the Delhi Union of Journalists, the PCI said. "We strongly condemn the police action against journalists doing their duty. This seems to now becoming a regular trend. Last December, media covering the peaceful protests by Jamia Milia Islamia students had been manhandled by Delhi Police," it added. The PCI stated that it is also drawing the attention of Union Home minister Amit Shah to the "condemnable anti-media attitude of Delhi Police". It also called upon the Parliament to note the current goings-on and ask questions to Delhi Police. Press Association (PA) stated: "The Association strongly condemns the police action against a number of journalists who were there just to do their professional work. Earlier also various media personnel have faced such high-handed treatment from the police." "The association condemns such acts which tantamount to shooting the messenger and urges the government to direct Delhi police not to interfere or impede the free functioning of the Press," it added. Despite the outrage among the Palestinian leadership over the Trump peace plan and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus rush to annex parts of the West Bank, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has thus far withstood the pressure on him from all directions and does not appear eager to cancel security coordination with Israel. The current assessment is that as long as there are no wide-scale or violent clashes between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Palestinians, and not many casualties resulting from impending demonstrations, he will continue to be able to withstand the pressure. For that to happen, however, Israel must exert intense efforts to assist him. There is a great paradox when it comes to Israels attitude toward Abbas and the Palestinian Authority on all matters pertaining to security coordination and the official attitude toward the refusenik from the Mukataa, as Abbas some Israeli sources call him. One can also not overstate the sense of loathing for Abbas among the leaders of the Israeli right, starting with Netanyahu and including former Foreign Minister and Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman as well as Naftali Bennett, the current defense minister. Bennett's is an interesting story. The Trump plan presents Bennett with a political dilemma in terms of his relationship to his electoral base. He cannot support the plan, because it includes the creation of a Palestinian state. This holds true even if the plans benefits to Israel including the annexation of territory and the settlements make it a sweet deal as far as he is concerned. On the other hand, as defense minister, he has to support the defense establishment in backing Abbas. In other words, he must assist the subject of his loathing so Abbas doesnt succumb to his adversaries, who are pressuring him to take a bold step and cancel security coordination altogether. An Israeli security source who spoke with Al-Monitor on the condition of anonymity said the defense establishment's backing of Abbas has many beneficial features. For example, it results in a significant reduction in points of friction between IDF soldiers and Palestinians at West Bank checkpoints; it has reduced to almost zero the number of IDF incursions into West Bank Area A (under Palestinian civil control, an area where the IDF usually enters to search for suspects on its wanted list); and it has resulted in instructions to IDF forces to show added caution in handling Palestinian demonstrations. This backing is not limited to a reduction in IDF activities on the ground that would otherwise lead to an escalation of violence. According to another security source who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, IDF officers overseeing security coordination sent messages to their Palestinian counterparts to alleviate their fears, knowing that they would reach the seat of Palestinian government in the Mukataa. According to this same source, the officers reassured the Palestinians that Israel does not intend to implement the Trump plan tomorrow morning. In other words, thousands of new housing units in the settlements are unlikely to be approved tomorrow, and Netanyahus statements about annexation are, for the moment, for election purposes only. Abbas has previously withstood enormous pressure to cancel security coordination. For instance, coordination continued even after the US Embassy was moved to Jerusalem in 2018 as well as during the 2015 wave of civilian violence and even during Operation Protective Edge against Gaza in 2014, when the number of Palestinian casualties exceeded 2,000 dead and 10,000 injured. In fact, collaboration actually intensified after the Israeli military offensive for fear of outbursts of rage in the West Bank that Abbas believed could also be directed at him. Despite the lack of trust between Abbas and Israeli politicians, chief among them Netanyahu, Abbas' relationships with Shin Bet Director Nadav Argaman and his predecessor, Yoram Cohen, was built on mutual trust. This has played an important role in the survival of security coordination despite all the obstacles along the way. Nevertheless, Israel must not take for granted that Abbas' ability to stand firm on security coordination will last forever. Israeli declarations about impending annexation, the uprooting of the Palestinians' dream of a capital in East Jerusalem and the right of return for refugees present a new reality to the Palestinians and especially to a man, Abbas, who spent his political career advocating for nonviolence. The dream of Palestinian statehood is over, at least as the Palestinians envisioned their state. As far as they are concerned, they are now being offered crumbs. There is nothing on the diplomatic horizon. They have no hope, nothing to cling to. Given these circumstances, what can Abbas actually promise his people? Besides, there are many Palestinians who believe that it is time for him to resign from office and make room for someone else to lead. If Netanyahu decides to rebel against the American position and approve immediate annexation, it is not unlikely that Abbas will succumb to pressure and in response declare the Oslo Accords null and void, announce that the PLO no longer recognizes Israel, and that security coordination is dead. Another element that should be added to the equation is that as the White House prepared to announce Trump's plan, the head of Hamas' political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, called Abbas to try to stop the plan together. It has also been reported that Abbas invited Hamas' leadership for discussions on how to respond to the plan. This might be the closest the rival movements have been since Hamas' 2007 coup in Gaza. Hamas would be happy to reconcile with the PA leadership, since doing so would extricate them from the economic and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Haniyeh, however, has one sine qua non: Abbas must immediately suspend security cooperation with Israel. Abbas knows that this condition is nonnegotiable for Hamas. Without it first being met, there is nothing to talk about. If demonstrations in the West Bank escalate and Abbas feels his position and government at risk, the pressure he faces will increase. He will then be forced to choose between Palestinian unity and security coordination with Israel. PA leaders are concerned that Hamas will take advantage of the situation to seize control of the West Bank. For the past 13 years with the West Bank and Gaza politically divided, Palestinian-Israeli security coordination helped to check budding attempts by Hamas to establish a firm foothold on the West Bank. If Abbas ends security coordination, he risks seeing Hamas' military wing in the West Bank grow stronger. Furthermore, we cannot forget that Bennett occupies the Defense Ministry, and with Israeli elections in the offing, he could force Abbas to make the kind of decision that he has so far managed to avoid. Heres one clue that things are getting less rowdy at the troubled coworking startup WeWork: The company is phasing out free beer and wine at its North American locations. For anyone whos followed the company from its rise to the ousting of its moony CEO Adam Neumann and the bungling of its IPO, this marks yet another crack in the companys polished, perk-filled aesthetic. Abundant beer taps were as crucial to the WeWork image as foosball tables and concrete floors. Advertisement At the same time as Wall Street was side-eyeing WeWork for its dubious finances, the company has come under fire for fostering a frat-boy work culture with Mad Men levels of drinking. In 2018, a former employee sued WeWork, alleging that shed been fired for reporting sexual assaults at two company events, and that her assailants had been too drunk from the free beer to remember the incidents. The company is now trying to grow up and has been gradually tamping down on workday alcohol consumptionboth within its corporate offices and in the workspaces it subleases. Back in 2018, it also limited WeWork tenants to four 12-ounce glasses a day. With the phase-out of beer, WeWork offices will instead offer beverage options that might be more befitting of a staid professional: kombucha, seltzer, cold brew, and tea. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a way this is fitting, since WeWork is going through sober times. In 2019, it announced plans to lay off almost 20 percent of its staff globally, shut down its restaurant coworking subsidiary, and engaged in talks with lenders for a $5 billion debt package. But is WeWork without free beer still WeWork? To understand how tenants are taking the news, I spoke to Breda Lund, a senior editor at Law360 whos been working at a WeWork in Los Angeles for two and a half years. Our interview has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity. Did you ever drink the beer at your WeWork? How often? Yeah, I did. Not very often, but occasionallymainly because Im working when Im there, so I cant just be drinking lots of beer. Also, Im an editor so I work a later shift: I start at 1 p.m. Weirdly, they have these beer kegs, but they lock them at around 5, at least at our WeWork. If I were to want a beer, usually it would be closer to the end of my shift, but 5 is halfway through my shift. Advertisement Did the beer add anything at all to the WeWork experience? It was more of a punchline for me and my co-workers, because clearly it was intended as a, Oh look at how cool we are and premier or whatever. But first of all, it wasnt all that accessible to us given the time. And then second of all, the kegs seemed very poorly maintained. It was always lukewarm and flat and possibly skunked. It was clearly meant to be more of a draw than a thing that is meant to be used. It was always lukewarm and flat and possibly skunked. It was clearly meant to be more of a draw than a thing that is meant to be used. What were the offerings on tap, exactly? I dont know about other WeWorks, but in ours, every floor has a tap built into the kitchen counter. And then the main floor has a few taps. Sometimes they would have kombucha in one and beer in another one, and sparkling seltzer in a different oneall rotating around. Recently, I noticed there would be only one tap that was beer, and all the others were seltzer and tea and other nonalcoholic things. So I was thinking, Oh, maybe theyre phasing out this beer thing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What was your reaction when you found out they were getting rid of beer? Not surprised. Theres been a lot of little changes lately. It also seems like theyre cutting little things here and there. They used to have this little shop that they got rid of a while ago, after the beginning of the turmoil. It was called the Honesty Market or something. They had snacks and drinks, and even some prepared meals. And you could buy it, but you had to scan your card. It was self-service. Maybe people were stealing, or it was too hard to maintain or something. Advertisement Advertisement As you mentioned, it seems like WeWork is going to be replacing the beer with cold brew, kombucha, and tea. Is that a welcome change? I havent really tried them yet. I know one was green tea and one was some other tea. I guess in my case it might be more useful because, like I said, I wasnt really using the beer much. It was more just something to laugh about and brag to my co-workers in other locations who dont have beer in their office. But as far as the amount that I actually use it, not very often. So yeah, probably better for me. Advertisement Did it seem like other people were drinking the beer a lot? I feel like I never say anyone drinking it. I wasnt there watching it, but it seemed pretty rarely. And thats why I think that the beer would go bad before it was used. Because occasionally if I did pour, it didnt come out as the freshest beer. Is there an amenity or perk that would actually be pretty heartbreaking if they did get rid of it? They make these elaborate fruit waters, which are pretty good. I mean its fruit water, so it tastes good. For some reason they use cookie cutters to cut the fruit into all these various shapes. I would miss that. The fruit water is the thing I use the most. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I see. Another funny thinga while ago, maybe around when we first moved into the WeWork, they had this companywide announcement that they were going with all-vegan or plant-based foods. So any kind of food provided by WeWork would be all plant-based. Not to say that you couldnt bring your own food, but every time they had an event with food it had to be plant-based. They have a lot of food events, like taco Tuesday or whatever. So that was a big thing. But then, this past fall around Thanksgiving, I saw this message that was like, Please join us for a Friendsgiving celebration featuring food from our good friends at Chick-fil-A. What happened to the plant-based thing? And also fast food seems very counter to the general image and the food they were providing before that, so it kind of cracked me up. I dont know if thats a one-off or if they just dropped that whole thing. Advertisement Do you generally like working in a WeWork? Do you prefer it to a traditional office? I dont know. I do think that, and this goes back long before these current problems, its a gimmick. I feel like I get the business idea and why it would be effective both for individuals as well as companies like mine to rent out space. But it just seems like everything is like the beer: Its a perk, but its not really adding anything. Advertisement Advertisement At least in ours, all the hallways are lined on either side with these glass-walled offices. Its just so noisy. You can see everybody else. You can hear everybody. Its glass; its not soundproof or anything. Its not even frosted glass. It looks nice, but as far as the working environment, it might as well just be a big open space. You can hear the person next door, every word of their phone conversation. And speaking of phone conversations, they have these phone booths, which is this little closet that you can sit in, but its not soundproof or anything. Its the same thing as just a glass door. Theres really nowhere you can go to have a quiet phone conversation. Its just like nobody really thought about what would make a good work environment. The CSIRO will start growing large batches of coronavirus on Friday in the race to create a vaccine against the deadly infection. The leading scientific agency intends to use the samples to begin testing vaccines for the virus on animals within six weeks. Scientists working in the secure area at CSIRO's Australian Animal Health Laboratory. Credit:CSIRO/Supplied A sample of the pathogen is due to arrive at the CSIRO's highly secure laboratory in Geelong on Friday. Meanwhile, the agency is preparing to manufacture pilot doses of the vaccines at a separate lab in Clayton. Whos the got the Big Mo going into Monday? Photo: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images After a seemingly endless primary campaign in Iowa, voters are finally going to the polls in just a few days. I spoke to national correspondent Gabriel Debenedetti about how things look on the ground in the state, and how the various leading campaigns might spin Monday nights results. Ben: When we last spoke, you were just a bit skeptical of the Bernie is surging narrative in Iowa and beyond (which is not to say you denied it was happening). Since then, several new polls have shown him to have a lead in the state, or pulling into a close second behind Joe Biden. How much do these numbers track with what youre seeing on the ground out there? Gabriel: I didnt deny it! But yes, since then theres definitely been a lot of evidence that were in the middle of a Sanders moment. I have to say, though, that plenty of the usual ways of measuring momentum and support in Iowa have proven pretty useless this time around. If you go just by crowd sizes, youd say Sanders has got this. If you go by organizer presence, its Warrens to lose. Yard signs? Buttigieg. Coverage? Biden. Hell, we can keep going: Billboards? Tulsi! Campaign buses I keep nearly crashing into on the icy roads? Steyer. Ben: Yangs gotta come out ahead on one of these metrics. Gabriel: Good point. Candidate I keep running into accidentally? Yang. I will say, though, that when I talk to local political types, theres something close to a consensus now that Bernie could very realistically win.Thats a bit of a shift. Not everyone is convinced, obviously, and plenty still think Biden will surprise (scare quotes because hes still leading a bunch of the polls here, but you wouldnt know it by the tenor of the coverage). Ben: Right funny how these narratives work. If Biden does manage a win now, will it be even more of a boost than it might have been, because hell be seen as holding off this late Bernie surge and vaulting over everyone else? Gabriel: Thats definitely possible, though I hesitate to predict media narratives since the result will almost certainly be muddled rather than a clear 1-2-3-4 order. Thats because it could be very close, and because plenty of campaigns could conceivably declare victory based on the three (technically four) different measures of Caucus Night support that the Iowa Democratic Party will be reporting which, by the way, is all the more reason to care about New Hampshire, if you ask just about anyone from New Hampshire. Ben: Can you remind us of what those different measurements are, briefly? Gabriel: To make a long story bearable remember that the caucuses take place over two rounds. This is how the night breaks down: Say you live here in Des Moines. You show up at your assigned caucus site (a living room? a cafeteria? whatever), and you stand in the corner of the room corresponding to your preferred candidate. The people monitoring the proceedings then count everyone up, and calculate which candidates dont have enough support to hit the predetermined support threshold (again, this is maybe oversimplifying). This is, basically, 15 percent. If your candidate doesnt hit this number, you then get to choose another candidate. The result of this realignment is then reported to the state party, which then calculates how many delegate equivalents each candidate gets, based, basically, on the size of the caucus site and its location. Usually, this last measure is what counts. But now the party will report the raw number of backers each candidate got in both Caucus Night alignments, too. So you can see a world where, for example, Sanders has the most backers in the first round in a given caucus site, but then someone else say Amy Klobuchar doesnt hit viability and her supporters move over to Biden, who then finishes with more backers in the second round. Sanderss camp has already suggested theyre likely to treat the first raw alignment number as the real one, and other campaigns are trying to figure out which theyll spin on. Add to this the calculus that campaigns are making about WHEN to declare victory (Hillary Clinton did so early in the night in 2016, infuriating Sanderss team but successfully tilting the coverage in her favor her former Iowa comms director just wrote an article recommending this tactic to the 2020 campaigns:/), and we could be in for a pretty unclear evening. Ben: Maybe they should just declare victory now? Gabriel: Uh, I wouldnt be shocked if some of the lower-polling candidates try to pull the moral victory argument in the next few days. Ben: You mentioned Klobuchar, whom you wrote a piece about today. Theres been some talk of her making an arrangement with Biden so that her backers throw their support to him if she doesnt gain viability, which would presumably be bad news for Bernie Sanders. She has basically scoffed at this idea, which is natural for a candidate who still wants to win. But might this end up happening organically anyway, since the two groups of voters are pretty well aligned? Gabriel: Polling suggests a lot of her voters would go to Biden, but significant numbers would also break for Buttigieg and Warren. Naturally any candidate who doesnt hit viability will see their supporters go elsewhere, deal or no deal. Thats just how it works, so what youre seeing now is campaigns trying to see if they can arrange it in their favor. People looooove to speculate about these kinds of deals, but theyre exceedingly rare. Yang, too, said this morning that some of his staffers had been approached by other camps about making something like this happen. But who knows? A big thing to remember here is that its not like these candidates are likely to say to their backers: Thanks for supporting me, lets go win this thing! And if it doesnt work, you should definitely support this other guy! If it were to happen, itd be a more subtle arrangement carried out by organizers and local staff. Which makes it all the harder to enforce/track. Anyway, re: the actual substance of your question: The Biden people are trying hard to convince voters who might like Klobuchar or Buttigieg to swing to them in the final days. Ben: Elizabeth Warren led polls a couple months ago, then dropped steadily, but is still very much in contention going into the caucuses. As you mentioned, shes known for having a very strong organizational presence in the state. Could that factor end up putting her over the top if things remain really close Monday night? Gabriel: Yeah, definitely. Its a maxim for a reason: In a close race, youd rather be the candidate with the best organization. And I think a lot of the polling coverage has really made it seem like this race is less close than it is. I cant stress enough that any one of the top four could very conceivably win. Warren has some things going for her, too, that may be flying under the national radar: her organization, which shouldnt be underestimated (yesterday I was at a Buttigieg event in Indianola and there was a Warren table with some of her local organizers handing out info literally right outside the door), and the fact that shes just gotten the endorsement of not just the Des Moines Register, but also a lot of late-deciding local legislators, including, most prominently, the state senates Democratic leader, who was expected to stay neutral. Usually Id say that stuff doesnt really matter, because it doesnt but all bets are off in a four-way race where the winner could be decided by just a few thousand votes. Zimbabwe opposition leader Nelson Chamisa is in South Africa on a diplomatic offensive to pressure President Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene in his countrys affairs, to prevent further economic decline. Chamisa, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), has made several appeals to Ramaphosa to facilitate dialogue between him and President Emmerson Mnangagwa, to break the political impasse. Chamisa has challenged Mnangagwas legitimacy, and accused him of stealing the 2018 elections. While Mnangagwa has started dialogue with some of the opposition parties that contested the 2018 election, Chamisa and leaders of three other political parties, have refused to meet with him, insisting on a neutral mediator. Former South African President Thabo Mbeki, who mediated talks between former late President Robert Mugabe and late MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and other MDC formations after a violent and disputed 2008 election, has expressed willingness to assist in talks, and has even been to Harare to meet with concerned parties. Chamisa told VOA Zimbabwe Service that he wants Pretoria to intervene because the political temperatures in Harare are rising. Reacting to Chamisas regional initiative, ruling Zanu-PF party secretary for administration, Paul Mangwana, said there is no crisis in Zimbabwe that calls for regional intervention. Mnangagwa has not warmed to regional intervention, opting for internal dialogue and has initiated his own domestic talks under the banner of the Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD), a forum that brings together about 17 opposition parties that participated in the 2018 elections. From its epicenter in Wuhan, China, the current coronavirus outbreak is stoking fear and disrupting travel and business across the globe. More than 150 people have died from the virus in China alone, and more than 8,000 are infected across 20 countriesexceeding the SARS epidemic in 2003. [Update: As of March 15, more than 3,200 people have died in China, and more than 168,000 have been infected across 120 countries.] Citizens in Wuhan, a major central city comparable to Chicago, are under lockdown by the government and public activities have come to a standstill, including annual celebrations for Chinese New Year (which began on January 25). Chinese Christians, in Wuhan and China at large, have faced difficult decisions about whether to join the millions of Chinese who return home to visit family (as is customary during the lunar holiday season), to flee from the mainland, or even to gather for regular Sunday services. But are followers of Jesus right to flee an epidemic when people are suffering and dying? In the 16th century, German Christians asked theologian Martin Luther for a response to this very question. In 1527, less than 200 years after the Black Death killed about half the population of Europe, the plague re-emerged in Luthers own town of Wittenberg and neighboring cities. In his letter Whether One May Flee from a Deadly Plague, the famous reformer weighs the responsibilities of ordinary citizens during contagion. His advice serves as a practical guide for Christians confronting infectious disease outbreaks today. First, Luther argued that anyone who stands in a relationship of service to another has a vocational commitment not to flee. Those in ministry, he wrote, must remain steadfast before the peril of death. The sick and dying need a good shepherd who will strengthen and comfort them and administer the sacramentslest they be denied the Eucharist before their passing. Public officials, including mayors and judges, are to stay and maintain civic order. Public servants, including city-sponsored physicians and police officers, must continue their professional duties. Even parents and guardians have vocational duties toward their children. Luther did not limit tending the sick to health care professionals. In a time when Wuhan faces a shortage of hospital beds and personnel, his counsel is especially relevant. The city, one of Chinas largest with a population of about 11 million, is in the process of rapidly constructing two new hospitals to accommodate growing crowds of coronavirus patients. Lay citizens, without any medical training, may find themselves in a position of providing care to the sick. Luther challenges Christians to see opportunities to tend to the sick as tending to Christ himself (Matt. 25:4146). Out of love for God emerges the practice of love for neighbor. But Luther does not encourage his readers to expose themselves recklessly to danger. His letter constantly straddles two competing goods: honoring the sanctity of ones own life, and honoring the sanctity of those in need. Luther makes it clear that God gives humans a tendency toward self-protection and trusts that they will take care of their bodies (Eph. 5:29; 1 Cor. 12:2126). All of us, he says, have the responsibility of warding off this poison to the best of our ability because God has commanded us to care for the body. He defends public health measures such as quarantines and seeking medical attention when available. In fact, Luther proposes that not to do so is to act recklessly. Just as God has gifted humans with their bodies, so too he has gifted the medicines of the earth. Article continues below What if a Christian still desires to flee? Luther affirms that this may, in fact, be the believers faithful response, provided that their neighbor is not in immediate danger and that they arrange substitutes who will take care of the sick in their stead and nurse them. Notably, Luther also reminds readers that salvation is independent of these good works. He ultimately tasks devout Christians to come to their own decision and conclusion whether to flee or to stay during plagues, trusting that they will arrive at a faithful decision through prayer and meditation on the Scriptures. Participation in aiding the sick arises out of grace, not obligation. However, Luther himself was not afraid. Despite the exhortations of his university colleagues, he stayed behind to minister to the sick and dying. He urged his readers not to be afraid of some small boil in the service of neighbors. Though Gods children face earthly sufferings, those who proclaim faith in Christ share in a heavenly promise of freedom from illness and suffering. In an open letter calling for prayer from Christians around the globe, an anonymous Wuhan pastor affirms [Christs] peace is not to remove us from disaster and death, but rather to have peace in the midst of disaster and death, because Christ has already overcome these things. Both Luther and the Wuhan pastor express the reality of suffering but recognize that death and suffering do not have the final word. This week, my grandparents in China messaged me that they are well but are dwelling like rats in their apartment, leaving only when necessary. Incidentally, in the Chinese Zodiac system, 2020 is the Year of the Ratthe animal that spread pestilence-carrying fleas across Europe in the 14th century. My grandparents live west of Wuhan in the province of Sichuan, where more than 100 coronavirus cases have been confirmed. I cannot help but think of them and my other relatives living in China at this time. Hoping to send them masks now out of stock in many stores throughout Asia, my parents and I discovered this week that even US stores have been depleted. In a climate of fear surrounding the outbreak, I come back to Luthers letter for guidance. As a medical student and a future physician, I have a clear vocational commitment to caring for the sickwhether they have coronavirus, tuberculosis, or influenza. Precautions I will take, yes. But I am reminded by Luther that they are individuals deserving of care all the same. When did we see you sick? ask the righteous in the parable of the sheep and the goats, to which Jesus responds, Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me (Matt. 25:3940). If and when the coronavirus encroaches upon our communities, how will we faithfully respond? Emmy Yang is a Theology, Medicine, and Culture Fellowat Duke Divinity School and a medical student at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. [ This article is also available in espanol, Portugues, Francais, , , Italiano, and . ] Sebastian and Sons, TM Krishna's upcoming book, was to be unveiled on 2 February at Kalaksheta's Rukmini Arangam auditorium. Following this development, however, an alternative venue has been found at MS Subbulakshmi Auditorium, Asian College of Journalism, Taramani, Chennai on the same date and time (6.45 pm). Chennai's Kalakshetra Foundation has withdrawn permission for the book launch of noted Carnatic vocalist TM Krishna at its auditorium, after initially confirming that it would host the event. Sebastian and Sons, Krishna's upcoming book, was to be unveiled on 2 February at Kalaksheta's Rukmini Arangam auditorium. Following this development, however, an alternative venue has been found at MS Subbulakshmi Auditorium, Asian College of Journalism, Taramani, Chennai on the same date and time (6.45 pm). On 30 January, Kalakshetra Foundation sent out a letter to Krishna's publishers Westland and informed them that they, being an autonomous body under Ministry of Culture, Govt of India, wouldn't "allow any programme that may instigate political, cultural and social disharmony". Revathi Ramachandran, director of Kalakshetra, wrote to Westland saying they weren't aware of the "controversies" surrounding the book at the time of renting out the auditorium for the launch. She mentions that a certain review published in the newspapers on 30 January alluded to statements in the book being "controversial" and having "a lot of political overtones". Krishna's book Sebastian and Sons is a tribute to the Dalit Christian community of mridangam makers who use cow, buffalo and goat hide to make the percussion instruments used in Carnatic music. Speaking with Firstpost, Krishna expressed surprise at the turn of events. "I am totally surprised by this. This book is about celebrating people who are not celebrated it is about the mridangam makers who are marginalised, it is about generations of their work," he said. "It is a hard truth that you need cow skin, buffalo skin or goat skin to make the mridangam. It is a truth that we must learn about and that is what art is supposed to do," the Magsaysay award-winning musician and social commentator said, adding, "I don't understand where the problem is, where the controversy lies in discussing the realities and various dichotomies of the way we are as people." Krishna said that he had received an email from the director of Kalakshetra asking him to call immediately. Since he was flying to Jaipur, he couldn't do so and after reaching he came across the letter (as seen above) sent to Westland, marking him. Talking about the recurring phenomenon of politicisation of public spaces in India of late, Krishna said, "Places of art and culture are places where such discussions need to be encouraged. Wouldn't it have been an honour for Kalakshetra in being the place where lives and works of so many mridangam players were being discussed?" Referring to the contents of the letter issued by Kalakshetra, Krishna asked: "What do they mean by "political and social disharmony"? What are they talking about? Do they mean we shouldn't discuss people who are in the margins? Are they saying we shouldn't discuss because there is caste involved in this narrative? Do they mean we shouldn't discuss the fact that you need cow skin to make the mridangam?" "You celebrate the great mridangam artists but it's not okay to say that it is the cow skin that is producing the resonance? Isn't that a strange hypocrisy?" he asked. "This (the book) is not about me," Krishna said. This is about these great people. They are innovators, they are entrepreneurs. They have trodden paths that normal individuals usually don't. The book is a celebration of all of that. And, if my presence is creating all this ruckus, I really don't know how to react to that." GamesRadar+ is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more The calm before the reshuffle? Our first Cabinet League Table of 2020 This is the first Cabinet League Table of 2020. It is also very likely the last before the Prime Minister embarks on his next reshuffle. December saw some stellar scores in the aftermath of that months general election victory, and its once again a pretty rosy picture. Here are a few takeaways: Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 30, 2020 In a move that may weaken environmental protection in the country, the Environment and Forestry Ministry has terminated a contract with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Indonesia, blaming it for forest fires in a conservation area in Jambi. Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar issued a decree about the termination on Jan. 10 to notify the group, which has been a major pillar in the countrys environmental efforts for decades. The contract was supposed to last until 2023. WWF Indonesia has confronted the decision, calling it a one-sided settlement by the government. 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 National Organiser for National Democratic Congress (NDC), Joshua Hamidu Akamba says his party will resist attempts to compile new voters register by the Electoral Commission (EC). The National Democratic Congress has accused the EC of scheming to rig the upcoming 2020 elections in favour of the government with its planned new register. Speaking to Kwame Tutu on Anopa Nkomo on Accra-based Kingdom 107.7, Joshua Akamba said, the current voters register is credible, as it was used to elect President Akufo-Addo. Again, he said it had been used for other previous elections in the country and, therefore, any attempts to change the electoral roll would be rejected. Joshua Akamba insisted that the existing register is credible which was recently used for the local assembly elections on December 17 last year. He accused the EC of being bias towards his party in favour of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP). He indicated that the compilation is part of the dubious means by which the NPP want to use the EC to disenfranchise voters in their stronghold. According to him, until the EC rescind its decision, they will continue with their nationwide protests to kick against the compilation of the new voters register. Graduates and guests at a Korea Maritime and Ocean University graduation ceremony in Busan wear face masks, Wednesday, amid the global scare over the fast-spreading new coronavirus. /Yonhap By Bahk Eun-ji Universities here are scrambling to deal with their Chinese students who are set to return to Korea for the new semester that begins March 2, amid the spread of a new coronavirus in China, according to school officials, Thursday. The officials expressed concern of the possibility that the students could bring the highly-infectious virus with them, raising the possibility that campuses could become the epicenter of any outbreaks here. Korea University, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) and other schools in Seoul have already closed their Korean language institutes temporarily amid growing fears of the virus spreading on their campuses. According to the Korean Education Statistics Service, the number of Chinese nationals studying in Korea was 69,287 as of April 2019, or 43.3 percent of the 160,165 international students. Kyung Hee University had the largest number of Chinese students with 4,727 enrolled last year, followed by Sungkyunkwan with 4,189, Korea University with 4,184, and HUFS at 2,666. Kim Brent / The Enterprise A Southeast Texas suspect has been taken into custody two days after a YouTube video appeared to show sexual text messages between him and another male pretending to be a minor. Accused people should be considered innocent until proven guilty, but what is alleged here is a serious crime. If a minor was being solicited by an adult, our judicial system should mete out stern punishment. Yet this is a process that should be carried out by law enforcement and the courts, not civilians. In this case, the suspect agreed to meet the mythical 14-year-old at the Lumberton Walmart. There, the man posing as the teenager confronted him and followed him through the store yelling, Watch out, this guys here to meet a 14-year-old boy off the internet. Lumberton Police Chief Danny Sullin said of the unusual confrontation, I think it was (motivated for) a monetary gain for hits on YouTube. By the time of the suspects arrest, the video had been viewed more than 65,000 times. In this sense, the President of the Council of Ministers noted that a series of meetings between President Martin Vizcarra and those political parties will be held. "It is not a matter of raising topics, but of articulating thematic axes for the sake of the country . Here we are not going to insist on the leading roles of one or another constitutional body such as Parliament or the Executive Branch," he expressed. House also votes to block Trump from using federal funds to take military action against Iran without Congress approval. Refocusing a debate on President Donald Trumps moves in the Middle East in the midst of the Senate impeachment trial, the Democratic-controlled House on Thursday approved measures reasserting congressional authority over war powers. The House passed a proposal to repeal the 2002 congressional authorisation for the war in Iraq, as well as a plan to prevent tax dollars from being used to take military action against Iran without congressional approval. Repeal of the 2002 authorisation was approved by a 236-166 vote, while the funding measure on Iran passed 228-175. The actions follow a January 9 vote by the House asserting that President Trump must seek approval from Congress before engaging in further military action against Iran. Democrats said the three measures, taken together, would reassert Congresss constitutional authority in questions of war and peace and sending American forces into harms way. For far too long, Congress has been missing in action on matters of war and peace, said Democratic Representative Barbara Lee, who sponsored the measure repealing 2002 war authorisation. She called the repeal vote long overdue. It is time to end giving blank checks to any president to wage endless wars, she said. Noting that presidents from both parties have used the outdated 2002 resolution to justify military action in a host of countries, Lee said leaving the resolution in place is not only dangerous but irresponsible. Republicans said Lee and fellow Democrats were the ones acting irresponsibly. After President Trump took decisive action to take out a brutal Iranian terrorist responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans, Democrats now seek to restrain our president and restrict his ability to protect our nation, said Representative Steve Scalise, the number 2 House Republican. The bills sponsored by Lee and Representative Ro Khanna, severely restrict the presidents authority to protect Americans from terrorist threats and fight ISIS, Scalise said, referring to ISIL. The Democrats bills do not offer solutions to concerns about war authorisation, only constraints that embolden Iran, Scalise said. Khanna said the measure does not prevent the president from acting to defend US interests, but said Congress must authorise spending US resources on any military action. Its high time Congress reasserted our power of the purse and made clear to any president that they must come to us first before taking any offensive military action. War should always be a last resort, Khanna said. The House approved a nonbinding resolution January 9 asserting that Trump must seek approval from Congress before engaging in further military action against Iran. The vote followed a January 3 US drone strike that killed top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in Iraq. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in announcing the House vote, called the killing of Soleimani provocative and disproportionate. Democrats and several Republicans called Trump administration briefings on the attack inadequate, adding that officials did not provide enough details about why the attack was justified. The Senate has not acted on the proposal by Democratic Senator Tim Kaine asserting that Trump must seek approval from Congress before engaging in further military action against Iran. Kaine said earlier this month that he has at least 51 votes to support the bipartisan resolution. Ann Dunkin, chief information officer in the heart of Silicon Valley at Santa Clara County and CIO for the federal Environmental Protection Agency immediately prior will return to the private sector next month, she confirmed toThe public-sector veteran made her departure known Monday, just more than three years after joining Santa Clara . Vacation notwithstanding, her last official day at the agency will be Feb. 21, and shell join Dell on Feb. 24. The CIO declined to say exactly what shell do for the computing and technology giant, but described it as a strategy role related to state and local government in the western regions of the United States and Canada. A job search for her successor has not yet opened, and its unclear how Dunkins position will be filled in the interim. Santa Clara County hired Nina DAmato, longtime chief of staff for the San Francisco Department of Technology, in mid-November as director of its Office of the CIO. But family circumstances caused new Deputy CIO Donald Lemma, who came to the county at about the same time from the Columbia Business School at Columbia University, to decide not to relocate after around two months on the job so Santa Clara is now without a deputy CIO.Dunkin pointed to her work with the EPA, an agency with local and global impact, to explain why shes leaving Santa Clara, a county that serves more than 1.7 million residents and is deploying a new voting system.All that said, thats one county," Dunkin said. "And so, as I think about this, Im like, Well what can I do in the next five or seven or 10 years, however long I decide to work, that touches more people?Work at Santa Clara, running IT services for 42 agencies and three hospitals, impressed upon her that the public-sector system is full of really great people but across the public sector, that same system, including rules, makes it hard for really great people to do their job.The system is the problem, said Dunkin, who in three years spearheaded much of the ongoing consolidation of four major IT organizations hospital systems, social services, finance and internal services into one with around 1,000 staff. The goal, she said, was to ensure customers of county agencies got better service, by consolidating core services like infrastructure and business offices. Another goal was freeing up funds that might have gone to IT to be spent on things like hospitals, social services, public safety and justice, and county administration. Elected officials and offices like probation still retain their own IT staff, but the CIO said one way she measures that success is by the fact that several county agencies have offered to reassign their individual IT staff to join hers.The CIO led completion of a class study, incomplete upon her arrival, that reclassified all IT employees at the county in her organization and elsewhere. Doing so reclassified about 800 employees and around 200 vacancies, and created 119 new job classifications. The process also included the re-evaluation needed to reclassify the employees and the training they needed in their new roles.We absolutely moved the needle. Theres no doubt about that, Dunkin said, calling it the biggest weve done since Ive been here."Her organization also handled the IT chores last year when Santa Clara spent $235 million to buy OConnor Hospital in San Jose and St. Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy, along with the De Paul Health Center in Morgan Hill. That meant onboarding about 2,000 new employees, standing up an Epic HealthLink employee health record system in less than five months an endeavor that typically takes at least 18 months and adding 300 new IT employees on the weekend in August when it went live. Elsewhere, county courts had a successful go-live of a new Odyssey case management system, and a case management system for the county jail is wrapping its procurement.Data, however, is an area where Dunkin said she wishes shed been able to do more, noting Santa Clara faces an issue familiar to many governments the desire to access and analyze personal information housed in multiple systems governed by many distinct rules.I very much value privacy dont get me wrong, its really important. The problem is, there are too many different organizations protecting your data for too many different sources with different rules, Dunkin said. At some point, someones got to look at those rules holistically from a Legislative standpoint.Government Technology's Kiambu Deputy Governor James Nyoro will take oath of office as the county governor on Friday, January 31. Nyoro was set to be sworn in on Thursday, January 30, but the ceremony was cancelled "due to unavoidable circumstances". READ ALSO: Mhubiri wa miaka 9 amuombea mbunge Bobi Wine James Nyoro will be sworn in as Kiambu governor on Friday, January 31. Photo: James Nyoro Source: UGC READ ALSO: Huduma Namba: Court throws away petition challenging registration process It later emerged the judge who was to swear him in had demanded that the event be gazetted as required by the law. In a gazette notice by the county secretary released on Thursday evening, the Nyoro will take oath of office as the third governor of Kiambu county on Friday at 10am. The function will be held at the county headquarters and shall be presided over by a High Court judge. The Judiciary had settled on High Court Judge, John Onyiego, to preside over the installation of Nyoro on Thursday before the function was cancelled. Onyiego cited failure by the County Committee of Assumptions of the governor's office to comply with the law which requires publication and notification of the swearing-in ceremony as reason for the cancellation of the function. Such notifications, according to the Judge, must be published in the Kenya Gazette and the County Gazette stating date, time and place of the event. The succession process emanated from the Senate's decision to approve the removal of Waititu from office as it had been proposed and initiated by the county assembly. At the Senate, the legislators found Waititu guilty of gross violation of the Constitution 2010, County Government Act 2012, Public Finance Management Act 2012 and the Public Procurement and Disposal Act 2012. At the end of a heated session that ran into the night, 27 senators against 11 voted in support of the county assembly's decision to impeach him becoming the first governor to be impeached. 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. Behind the scenes in Babu Owino's Day in court | Tuko TV. Source: TUKO.co.ke Beaumont Police have arrested three people and are searching one more after they allegedly kidnapped an individual who was seeking to meet with a prostitute before assaulting him and stealing his car. The incident took place at Americas Best Value Inn located at 1155 Interstate 10 N. Dabur India's consolidated net profit gained 8.62% to Rs 398.87 crore on a 6.99% rise in net sales to Rs 2,352.97 crore in Q3 December 2019 over Q3 December 2018. Consolidated profit before tax advanced 4.95% to Rs 482.34 crore in Q3 December 2019 as against Rs 459.57 crore in Q3 December 2018. Tax expense during the quarter fell 8.33% to Rs 85.79 crore as compared to Rs 93.59 crore in corresponding quarter last year. The Q3 earnings were disclosed during trading hours today, 30 January 2020. The net profit was impacted by one-time impairment in value of investments to the tune of Rs 20 crore. Excluding this impairment, the net profit for Q3 of 2019-20 marked a 12.8% growth year-on-year. EBITDA jumped 9% to Rs 567.40 crore in Q3 December 2019 over Rs 520.60 crore in Q3 December 2018. EBITDA margin stood at 24.1% in Q3 December 2019 as compared to 23.7% in Q3 December 2018. The operating profit soared 10.7% to Rs 492.90 crore in Q3 December 2019 as against Rs 445.40 crore in Q3 December 2018. Domestic FMCG business reported an underlying volume growth of 5.6% during the quarter. Contribution of domestic FMCG reduced to 71.1% from 72.2%. Health supplements business grew by 12.2% during the quarter, led by strong demand for its flagship Dabur Chyawanprash. Riding on this, Dabur Chyawanprash reported an over 300 bps gain inmarket share to 64%. Dabur's International business grew by 11.7% during the third quarter of 2019-20, led by strong local currency growth in key markets like Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Egypt, Nigeria, Turkey and Nepal. The international business contributed 26.1% during this quarter as compared to 25% corresponding quarter last year. While the global macroeconomic environment continues to be challenging and competitive intensity remains high, we have successfully tapped the growth opportunities to deliver a strong performanceduring the quarter. Our focus on strengthening our core Healthcare portfolio with heavy investmentsbehind our Power Brands, coupled with investment in expanding our rural footprint and enhancing ourgo-to-market approach, continues to serve us well. This has enabled us to grow ahead of categories andgain market share across our portfolio," Dabur India chief executive officer Mohit Malhotra said. "The near-term outlook for demand growth remains challenging with most key categories reporting asteady decline in Value and Volume growth. We will continue to invest in building a sustainable growthplatform for the future with healthy investments in strengthening our brands and enhancing ourcompetitiveness in the marketplace to tide over the consumption headwinds," Malhotra added. Dabur India is a fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) company. The company operates in various product categories, such as hair care, oral care, healthcare, skin care, home care and foods. Its business units include consumer care business, foods business and international business. Shares of Dabur India lost 2.65% to Rs 478.60 on BSE. It hit a high of Rs 495.15 and a low of Rs 478.60 in intraday so far. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vineet Nagdev is late for work. Hes usually at his electronic goods shop in Chandni Chowk, one of Asias largest wholesale markets, by 12:30pm but that Friday, Republic Day preparations in and around central Delhi had slowed traffic to a snails pace. Sometimes, its a nightmare to get here, complains Nagdev, 27who drives on most days and takes the Metro on othersafter he greets his father who reached the shop early in the morning. Being late means a delay in the dispatch of goods, one of Nagdevs main responsibilities at the shop. But the supervisor, his father, doesnt mind. For the past four years, Nagdev has been helping his father run the family business, which was started by his grandfather as a tea stall in 1955, turned into a radio repair shop in 1970, and a few years later into an electronic goods establishment. After completing his bachelors in business administration from Mahatma Gandhi University, Nagdev joined the family business. It was a given from childhood that I would look after my dads business, and why wouldnt I, they worked hard for this," says Nagdev, whose younger brother is a DJ. Similar is the story of Sanchit Khandelwal, 28, and Harjot Singh Saluja, 26, who never spent an extra minute thinking about what theyd do once they grew up. They, like many other young businessmen in the labyrinthine alleys in Old Delhi bazaar, always knew they would sit in a shop rather than an office cubicle, to run their family business, experiment with new ideas and, in some cases, save it from tanking. LOW EXPECTATIONS Since the Narendra Modi governments demonetization move in 2016, the mood in Chandni Chowk, as Nagdev puts it, is hopeless". To be honest, I dont have much hope from the (upcoming) budget," says Nagdev, adding that that they are down to just 30% of their business since new currency notes were introduced. Competition is growing. We cant give credit as much as we used to. Earlier, we worked on faith in our clients, but the market and cash flow is so bad now that its difficult to trust people," he explains. He hopes the government will widen the tax net instead of focusing on the same assesses, and bring down the personal income tax rate to 10%. Thats the hope of most people in Chandni Chowk. We could really use a breather." Saluja, whos in charge of one of his familys six textile shops in Kucha Kabil Attar market, meanwhile, doesnt care about the budget. The government will continue to tax us heavily. Its a lost battle. I would rather focus on my work." NEW ROUTES To grow his business, Saluja has been using WhatsApp. My dad didnt believe in the power of social media. I had to convince him, and it is helping," says Saluja. He uses the messaging app to send pictures of new products to clients every day, and has seen a 10% increase in orders in the past year. Im also thinking of introducing chocolates made by my wife at the shop. It will make us stand out and help me sharpen my marketing skills," says Saluja, a Delhi University graduate who did a specialized course in marketing and management. Nagdev, on the other hand, has been travelling to China to find new electronic products. I feel better when I step out for work. It allows me to use what I learnt in college and speak in English," he says. In Chandni Chowk, you deal with people from all walks of life. You have to speak the street language. You cant use terms like ROI (return on investment) with them. I would love to do that, and yes, I miss it. But thats how it is here and thats the charm of this place." Nagdev, Khandelwal and Saluja do not own cars or homes, and they have no plans to invest in them in the future. It doesnt make sense, they believe, to invest in such assets. We live in a joint family. Why would we want to step out and increase our spending," asks Saluja. They, however, have the same plan if business doesnt improve. They will rent out their shops. At least, we will have steady income then. And maybe, I will start my own startup," says Nagdev. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. (CNN) German police and prosecutors are questioning a nurse accused of poisoning five premature babies with morphine at a hospital. Five premature babies at the University Hospital of Ulm in southern Germany between the ages of one day and one month suddenly began experiencing life-threatening breathing difficulties on the morning of December 20 last year, authorities said in a statement. The suspect was on duty at the hospital that morning and was taken into custody on Wednesday. The nurse is being investigated for five counts of attempted manslaughter and grievous bodily harm. All the babies survived and police said they were not expecting any further health problems. Police searched staff members' lockers at the hospital and authorities confirmed Thursday at a press conference that they found a syringe containing breast milk among the nurse's possessions. Police and the public prosecutor also confirmed that forensic testing showed the syringe had been laced with morphine. Christof Lehr, the Ulm's chief public prosecutor, said Thursday that the nurse denies having given the babies morphine. It was not immediately clear whether morphine may have been part of the babies' treatment plan. "In the early morning hours of December 20, 2019, five premature babies housed in a room in the Clinic for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine in Ulm almost simultaneously suffered from life-threatening breathing problems, which fortunately, thanks to the immediate intervention of the hospital staff, remained without consequences according to current medical assessments," investigating authorities said in a statement. The hospital alerted local police after morphine residue was found in the babies' urine samples. This story was first published on CNN.com, "German nurse accused of poisoning five premature babies with morphine." WASHINGTON The clock wound down on Thursday as senators posed questions to impeachment trial lawyers in an effort to consider whether to remove President Trump from office. Senators are expected to vote Friday on whether to hear new witnesses, and Republicans gained ground late Thursday night after Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, a critical swing vote, said he would vote against considering any new evidence before deciding whether to remove President Trump from office. The first part of Thursdays session focused largely on the arguments of one of Mr. Trumps lawyers, Alan M. Dershowitz, who said the president has very broad powers to do what he must in order to be re-elected. Here are some of the takeaways so far. Key Republicans begin to take stances on a witness vote. Senator Lamar Alexander said late Thursday that he would vote against considering additional witnesses, a strong indication that Republicans have lined up the votes to block a call for more documents and witnesses. Fans are super pumped for Kangana Ranaut's upcoming movie Thalaivi, which is a biopic on actor-turned politician J. Jayalalitha who became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Kangana's team recently shared a new look from the film, while also celebrating hairstylist Maria Sharma for having completed 50 years in the industry. Team Kangana Ranaut on Instagram shared an image of Kangana donning the makeup and hair of a South Indian classical dancer, looking absolutely gorgeous in it. She is sharing the frame with Maria, who worked with her even on her first few films like Woh Lamhe and Once Upon A Time In Mumbai. The post was captioned, "Wishing Maria Sharma a glorious five decades in the Indian film industry. This legendary hair stylist who worked with screen icons like Hema Malini, Sharmila Tagore, Helen and Manisha Koirala completed 50 years on the sets of Thalaivi. #KanganaRanaut started her career with Maria Ji with films like 'Woh Lamhe' and 'Once Upon A Time in Mumbai'. Here she's seen putting final touches on Kangana's stunning Indian look for #Thalaivi. Stay tuned for more." (sic). Fans are in awe of this look of Kangana's, as many of them commented, 'Gorgeous', 'Dynamic pic', 'Beautiful', and so on. Kangana has been prepping hard for the role, going through intense prosthetics sessions and taking Bharatanatyam and Tamil classes. She once admitted that she was struggling to learn the Tamil language, and was only learning Tamil as per the demand of the script. Thalaivi will be released in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi simultaneously. Directed by A.L. Vijay, and co-starring Arvind Swami, the film is scheduled to be released on June 26, 2020. ALSO READ: Kangana Ranaut's Starrer Thalaivi New Teaser Introduces Arvind Swami As MGR ALSO READ: Kangana Ranaut Launches Her Own Production House Named 'Manikarnika Films' Rudy Giuliani has lashed out at former national security adviser John Bolton, accusing him of being a backstabber and a swamp character. Mr Bolton earned the ire of those loyal to Donald Trump when The New York Times reported that his upcoming book contains passages suggesting Mr Trump personally shared his plan to withhold military aid to Ukraine until they agreed to investigate his political opponents. Giuliani has admitted to investigating allegations of corruption charges against the family of Joe Biden, but denies ever discussing the issue of Ukrainian military aid Mr Trump. Discussing Mr Bolton during a CBS News interview, Mr Giuliani said the former national security adviser never shared any apprehension with him regarding the investigation into the Bidens. Never once. Never winked, never sent me a little note. Thats classic backstabber, Mr Giuliani told CBS News. I feel like Ive got a swamp character here. 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 Though Mr Giuliani has referred to Mr Bolton as a friend, the men have frequently been at odds. During her testimony to the US House impeachment investigators, National Security Council senior director Fiona Hill who reported to Mr Bolton testified that the then-national security advisor was troubled by Mr Giulianis actions in Ukraine, referring to the presidents personal lawyer as a hand grenade that would blow everyone up. As a result, Mr Bolton asked Hill to keep notes on the Ukraine situation and share them with the National Security Councils chief lawyer. Mr Giuliani complained that Mr Bolton didnt make the comments to him personally, and went on to say if he was a hand grenade then Mr Bolton was an atomic bomb. If he came up to me and said, Rudy, youre a grenade thatll blow up, and he shows his face, I would say I would never have the opportunity, cause youre an atomic bomb, Mr Giuliani said. The former New York mayor is echoing the same message Mr Trump shared on Twitter on Monday. Then, on Wednesday, Mr Trump used similar language to Mr Giuliani to refer to Mr Bolton as a destructive force. Senate Democrats want to use Mr Bolton as a witness in the impeachment trial of Mr Trump, and the former national security adviser said he would testify if subpoenaed by the Senate. Recommended White House seeks to block publicaiton of damaging John Bolton book Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hoped to block the Democrats from calling witnesses, though it is unclear if Mr McConnell has enough votes to stop them. Senator Lindsey Graham, a consistent Trump loyalist, pleaded with Bolton to hold a news conference and well consider what youve got to say if you think its that important. Mr Giuliani isnt even affording Mr Boltons testimony that much consideration. I find his testimony about the president pretty close to incredible, Mr Giuliani said. I cant imagine that the president of the United States said that to him. The clearest and most detailed images of the Sun captured by the worlds largest telescope will open the door to new horizons in solar physics, scientists have said. The Daniel K Inouye Solar Telescope, located in Hawaii, has produced the highest-resolution images of the Suns surface ever taken, showing the stars turbulent atmosphere in intricate detail with features as small as 18 miles visible for the first time. The pictures also reveal gold cell-like structures, roughly the size of the US state of Texas, which are the signature of violent motions that carry heat from inside the Sun to its surface. The NSF's Inouye Solar Telescope provides unprecedented close-ups of the suns surface, but ultimately it will measure the suns corona no total solar eclipse required. More: https://t.co/UsOrXJHaY1 #SolarVision2020 pic.twitter.com/DO0vf9ZzKC National Science Foundation (@NSF) January 29, 2020 Astronomers believe the telescope, which belongs to the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the US, will usher in a new era of solar science and help unlock the mysteries of the Sun and its impacts on Earth. Mihalis Mathioudakis, a professor from Queens University Belfast, who helped develop the cameras for the telescope, said: The imaging produced by the Inouye Solar Telescope opens new horizons in solar physics. Its imaging capability allows us to study the physical processes at work in the Suns atmosphere at unprecedented levels of detail. The telescope is also expected to play a key role in the better understanding of space weather. NSF director France Cordova said: NSFs Inouye Solar Telescope will be able to map the magnetic fields within the Suns corona, where solar eruptions occur that can impact life on Earth. Story continues This telescope will improve our understanding of what drives space weather and ultimately help forecasters better predict solar storms. Features of the Sun as small as 18 miles in size can be seen for the first time (NSO/AURA/NSF/PA) Understanding more about solar storms will enable governments and utility companies to better prepare for future space weather events, allowing for more time to secure power grids and critical infrastructure and protect active satellites. Matt Mountain, president of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, which manages the telescope, said: On Earth, we can predict if it is going to rain pretty much anywhere in the world very accurately, and space weather just isnt there yet. Our predictions lag behind terrestrial weather by 50 years, if not more. What we need is to grasp the underlying physics behind space weather, and this starts at the Sun, which is what the Inouye Solar Telescope will study over the next decades. The Inouye Solar Telescope will work with Nasas Parker Solar Probe and soon-to-be-launched European Space Agencys Solar Orbiter to explore the frontiers of solar research. David Boboltz, programme director in NSFs division of astronomical sciences, said: These first images are just the beginning. Decrease Font Size Font Size Increase Font Size Article body Jan Davis is a 1977 mechanical engineering alumna who enjoyed a distinguished career at NASA as an engineer, astronaut and executive and now serves as a leader in private industry. After beginning her career at Texaco, Davis joined NASA as an aerospace engineer in 1979. After the Challenger disaster, Davis made a lasting impact on the Space Shuttle design by leading a multicenter team for the redesign of the solid rocket booster aft external tank attach ring. From 1987-98, she was an astronaut mission specialist, serving on three shuttle flights and logging over 673 hours in space. Later in her NASA career, Davis served as director of the Flight Projects Directorate from 2001-03 and as director of the Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate from 2003-05. From 2005-17, she was a vice president at Jacobs Engineering. She now serves as a technical expert for Bastion Technologies Inc. In addition to her many awards from NASA and other professional organizations, Davis is a member of the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame and the Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame. Davis is also a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. She received the Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Senior Executive in 2002. JH: President Trump announced that we would be back on the moon, and on our way to Mars, in five years. How does it feel to know that your alma maters additive manufacturing initiatives will play a huge part in that? JD: Its great. There are a lot of Auburn engineers not only at Marshall [Space Flight Center], but at the other space centers, and so were building the space launch system with just the rockets with the Orion module on top. Thats what I am working on now still at NASA as a contractor and its really exciting. We have started working on the hardware right now and we will begin testing it within the next year. JH: Which of your space missions saw the most meaningful research? JD: All three of my missions had a lot of scientific experiments, but the one thats most meaningful to me was on my second mission. It was protein crystal growing experimentsto grow a perfect crystal of a protein. Your body is made up of proteins, so they want to know what the proteins look like exactly so that a particular drug can attach to it to prevent a bad bug from attaching to it. They just needed to know the structure. So they bring the protein back and do a 3-D computer model of what we do in space. They didnt know what insulin looked like back in 1994. So we had two big batch runs with insulin and grew a perfect crystal that made breakthroughs in research for diabetes and artificial insulin. But that particular flight was a one-shift mission, so my crystal started growing when I was supposed to go to bed, so I had to do some things to keep the experiment crystal growing. I didnt want to go to bed, I wanted to make this crystal grow, and it did. JH: Didnt you take an Auburn pennant up there with you once? JD: I did, every flight I took something from Auburn. The first flight I had a pennant. Were allowed to take two things that we can take out of our locker and display. Everything else was stowed. So one of the two things was an Auburn pennant and we had a module on that flight, our laboratory module. Youre supposed to take your module out and then put it back but I left it up there the whole mission. Our mission manager was an Alabama grad, so I said to him when you guys have an Alabama astronaut, you can put an Alabama pennant. But yeah, I left it up there. I flew something from Auburn in every mission. Sometimes Id ask Auburn what they wanted me to fly, but in that case I just flew my pennant. I also always had an orange-and-blue shirt with me. JH: Lets talk about the training; how intensive is it to prepare not only for what you have to do in space, but for the physical demands of getting there? JD: The biggest challenge is the mental challenge; theres just so much to learn. The physical challenges are there, too, especially training for a spacewalk or some of the other things. We get centrifuge training so we know how to experience g-force during launch, but as I said, its a mental challenge to learn so much about the shuttle systems themselves, but also, they have an expert come in and teach us about astronomy and meteorology. We took a field trip out to New Mexico where we had all kinds of great learning experiences, and I like to learn, but then for flying the T-38 jets, we had to go through survival training that the Air Force flyers have to dowater survival, wilderness survival, parachute training, ejection seat training and all that kind of stuff. So that was kind of intense; but I loved it. I mean, it was exciting for me to be able to fly a military jet; that was just awesome, because I was already a little plane pilot. It was all more than I ever thought it would be. JH: You also went to Georgia Tech and the University of Alabama at Huntsville. Im sure they try to claim you as much as we do. But Auburn is obviously the best. Were special, right? JD: Youre right, all three alma maters have done a lot but Auburn really embraces the Auburn astronauts. The university had us here years ago when all the former astronauts were still alive, they had us here to give talks. Auburn is a very special place and the people are special. I noticed how friendly and helpful the students were and people say hi to you, so yeah, its a very special place. I always enjoy coming back. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ruma Paul (Reuters) Dhaka Thu, January 30, 2020 09:51 713 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2061aa2a1 2 SE Asia Rohingya,#Rohingya,Bangladesh,#Bangladesh,children,#children,Education,#education,refugee,#refugees Free Rohingya refugees reacted with surprise and joy on Wednesday to the news that Bangladesh would provide formal education to their children, two and a half years after they were forced to flee Myanmar. Human rights groups have long campaigned for the nearly half a million effectively stateless Rohingya children in Bangladeshs refugee camps to be allowed access to quality education, warning of the costs of a "lost generation". "Oh my god! Bangladesh is letting us be educated!" Mohammed Zobayer, 19, said by phone when Reuters told him about the decision, taken this week but not formally announced. Officials say the move will provide schooling to the age of 14 and training thereafter in place of informal learning for only younger children. "I'm so excited. This is so good. I can't express my happiness," Zobayer said. More than 730,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar after a military-led crackdown in 2017, and were forced into squalid camps across the border in Bangladesh. UN investigators concluded that the military campaign had been executed with "genocidal intent". Bangladesh has not recognized the vast majority of the refugees and does not issue birth certificates for those born in the camps, making their legal status unclear. Last year it expelled scores of them from local schools, saying they were using fake Bangladeshi identity cards. Mahbub Alam Talukder, Bangladesh's refugee relief and repatriation commissioner, told Reuters Rohingya children would be taught in existing learning centers and some more schools would be built, with teachers recruited through NGOs. "They will follow the Myanmar national curriculum," he said. Learning centers are operated in the camps by international NGOs and the UN, but children and their parents say they offer mostly unstructured learning and playtime for those who attend. "Many have already lost two academic years," Zobayer, who works as a teacher in one of the learning centers, said. "Now they can chase their dreams. It is like having a new life." Dil Mohammed, a senior Rohingya leader, said the community was grateful to Bangladesh. "The country saved our lives by opening its doors for us. Now, by providing education, they have saved our children from becoming a lost generation, he said, adding that Myanmar had barred Rohingya children from mainstream schools in 2012. The Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Myanmar last Thursday to protect the Rohingya against further atrocities and preserve evidence of alleged crimes, after west African nation the Gambia launched a lawsuit in November accusing the country of genocide. Deon Lendore's journey to the top has been nothing short of inspirational. Apart from his ex A renowned choreographer has been suspended by the Royal Ballet Company over claims of sexual misconduct with students. Independent investigators are examining allegations Liam Scarlett, 33, encouraged dangers to send him naked photographs, made inappropriate comments, and walked in on them while they were changing, according to The Times. The inquiry has not yet concluded and it is understood that no findings have been made against Scarlett. The allegations have sent shockwaves through the ballet world, with Australias Queensland Ballet among those to cut ties with Scarlett, cancelling a forthcoming run of his adaptation of Dangerous Liaisons. The Royal Opera House in London's Covent, which houses the Royal Ballet Company / PA Images The Royal Opera House, which is home to the Royal Ballet Company, said: The individual was immediately suspended and an independent disciplinary investigation opened. As the process is still ongoing, and as a duty of care to staff and artists, we are unable to comment further. Scarlett joined the Royal Ballet Company in 2006 and retired from dancing in 2012 to focus on choreography. He became artist-in-residence in 2012, and at 26 was the youngest choreographer to be commissioned to create a three-act ballet for the Royal Ballet - Frankenstein. The companys revival of Scarletts Swan Lake is due to open in March for a sold-out run. Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has proposed civil and criminal penalties for those who knowingly spread false information about when and how to vote in US elections. The proposal is part of a broader plan to combat disinformation, in which she also accuses major tech companies of contributing to its spread in their drive for profits, and calls for them to take action to combat it. The 2016 presidential election that brought Donald Trump to office was plagued by rampant disinformation, including well-documented efforts by Russia to influence the vote, and there are fears that such efforts will be replicated this year. "In both the 2016 and 2018 elections, online disinformation sought to depress voter turnout by telling people they could vote via text, giving people the wrong date for election day, and more," Warren said in her plan on Wednesday. "I will push for new laws that impose tough civil and criminal penalties for knowingly disseminating this kind of information, which has the explicit purpose of undermining the basic right to vote," she said. In addition to penalties for disseminating false information about voting, Warren calls for tech companies such as Facebook, Twitter and Google to "to take real steps right now to fight disinformation." "The safety of our democracy is more important than shareholder dividends and CEO salaries, and we need tech companies to behave accordingly," Warren said. She calls for steps including a coordinated effort by the government and tech companies to address disinformation, alerts for users affected by it, the labelling of content from state-controlled organizations, and "clear consequences" for accounts that try to interfere with voting. "One of the most harmful forms of political disinformation on social media is false information aimed at keeping people from exercising their right to vote," Warren said. Warren has been a sharp critic of big tech companies, and has called for major platforms to be broken up. The US senator from Massachusetts also pledged that she and her campaign will stay away from disinformation as she vies to take on Trump in November. "I'm sending a clear message to anyone associated with the Warren campaign: I will not tolerate the use of false information or false accounts to attack my opponents, promote my campaign, or undermine our elections," she said. "And I urge my fellow candidates to do the same. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Haiti - Diplomacy : 3 new accredited ambassadors Wednesday January 29 at the National Palace, President Jovenel Moise, received the credentials of three new ambassadors accredited to Haiti. They are the Ambassadors: Mohamed Isham Gamal Eldien Shuair (Egypt), Faisal Bin Muslat Almandeel (Saudi Arabia) and Sahebzada Ahmed Khan (Pakistan). These new Ambassadors renewed the commitment of their respective countries to continue to support Haiti in its efforts to improve the living conditions of its people. For his part, President Moise assured them of the will of the Republic of Haiti to work to strengthen the ties of friendship and cooperation between his State and their country. After the presentation of their credentials, in tribute to the Fatherland, these 3 new diplomats respectively presented a floral offering to the Museum of the Haitian National Pantheon (MUPANAH) in memory of the Heroes of the Independence of Haiti. These offerings were followed by a guided tour of the Museum's exhibition halls with Mrs. Emmelie Prophete Milce, the Director General, a.i. of MUPANAH HL/ HaitiLibre Last weekend, readers of The Inquirer took a giant swipe at the dark forces that have convinced too many of our friends and neighbors that hatred should be their passion of choice. People who read my column about a young boy with a terminal diagnosis of Childhood Alzheimers went on the internet and did something that gets less attention on the web these days: They Did Good. They donated nearly $20,000 to try to keep a child alive. The goodwill began once the story appeared online on Saturday and continued days after it landed in Sundays print editions: 220 donations and counting on a Sanfilippo syndrome page tailored for Connor Dobbyn of Glenmoore (www.fightforconnor.com). Some pledged anonymously, others with names attached, and some left notes on why a story about an 11-year-old Chester County fifth grader had moved them to action. This is goodness. And it couldnt come at a better time, even as Connors one-in-a-million plight remains downright heartbreaking. As I type these words, Im recalling a video tweeted only hours ago by my colleague Amy S. Rosenberg from President Donald Trumps political rally in Wildwood on Tuesday. An onlooker gleefully shouts: Go back to your shole countries! At about the same time, on Connors donation page there was only charity and human kindness. An unemployed man explained why he was donating $5; another reader dropped $1,000 without comment. Parents, grandparents people of all stripes, presumably. The owner of a few Chick-fil-A stores near Connors home called the boys mom to say theyd be donating a portion of chicken nugget sales through Valentines Day. All of this for a child with a rare genetic disease that has caused his IQ to drop by dozens since kindergarten. Connors parents, Marisa DiChiacchio and Mike Dobbyn, are trying to raise $1 million toward a $5 million Sanfilippo syndrome clinical trial. And while the tally was nearing $107,000 on Wednesday, that was only part of what overwhelmed Marisa. For me, she said, just seeing the good in people. People who dont even know us. (She cried, which she doesnt do all the time but which has happened in our conversations about her sons illness.) The 43-year-old mother is, like many her age, a Facebook denizen. Before my column was published, she said, she had posted a FB note about how her dad, Bob, had read The Inquirer every morning at their home in Lansdowne, Delaware County. He died in November 2018. Now, however, Marisa was certain that Bob DiChiacchio was smiling down on her and her ailing eldest son. There is so much negativity out there, she said through tears. Its just nice to know that behind everybodys computers and everybodys phone screens that theres people that have a heart. Here are a few of the goodhearted folks. Ive pulled excerpts as they appear at www.fightforconnor.com: William Piccinni donated $5 I read a story in The Inquirer about this young man. All I can afford to donate is $5. Even though I am unemployed, I feel empathy for him and the others afflicted with this disease. It is disheartening that the federal government cannot subsidize the treatment for which you are attempting to raise the money (was it five million dollars?). Good luck to Connor and all of you. I hope it works out for the best for all concerned. Sharon Carson donated $105 Today my family laid my 79-year-old father to rest after a two-year battle with an aggressive form of Alzheimers dementia. We have watched my father fight the disease throughout its course, and we want to honor his memory with a donation to help Connor in his battle with Sanfilippo disease. I feel certain that my father would wholeheartedly approve of this decision. He leaves behind four young grandchildren who meant the world to him, and I believe that he would want to help someone elses grandchild if he could. We wish Connor all the best and will be praying for a cure! $105 was donated anonymously Thank you for the Inquirer interview it really opened my eyes. Bless you. Andrea Rodriguez donated $26.25 My son is 10 and all I ask God is for my son and all children to be healthy. James Chura donated $50 The Philly Inq story, bad enough to have autism, which my grandson does, but then to be told no, its worse than that, which broke my heart. Adam Hepp donated $262.50 It was frustrating and sad to have seen my father debilitate and ultimately die from Alzheimers after a close to full life as father of 10, but for a beautiful young child like Connor to have had no opportunity at all to live his life is way worse. I pray there is time for this little man to benefit from a clinical trial. God bless you Connor. Deb Goggins donated $100 Go Connor! You and your family are such an inspiration! Brian Marriott donated $52.50 In honor of my mother, who has been fighting this disease for more than eight years. God bless Connor. Richard Ferraiolo donated $25 I have a 7-year-old son and reading Connors story is bringing me to tears. All children need a chance to just be kids. So does Connor. Hes in our prayers. Steve Piskai donated $25 Love thy neighbor. ABC News(DES MOINES, Iowa) -- As Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg doubles down in Iowa with back-to-back campaign events in the final days before the caucus, some Iowa voters are looking at his low poll ratings among African Americans and raising concerns. The former South Bend, Indiana mayor still hovers around 2% among black Democratic voters and black Democratic-leaning independents, according a recent Washington Post/ Ipsos poll. With minority voters making up nearly a third of the electorate, the low black voter support for Buttigiegs presidential campaign could call his viability into question. Some Iowa caucus-goers have made it known that they are aware of the 2020 hopefuls continued struggle with attracting the voters of color and asked out-right if a vote for him will be worth it. I really love the message that you're giving, a man told Buttigieg in Vinton, Iowa Tuesday. However, it concerns me a lot that it apparently is not being received by communities of color. Your polling numbers in those areas are not very high. What can you tell us to make us more confident that a vote for you on caucus night is going to continue all the way through and you have what it takes to make it to the end, he asked. Buttigieg touted his support from black voters in his hometown of South Bend and also noted his outreach strategy of hosting intimate conversations with communities of color to introduce them to his policies. He acknowledged that some minority voters may be skeptical of presidential candidates due to previous election cycles that left them feeling taken for granted by both Republicans and Democrats--- a sentiment that adds a layer of complexity for a fresh-faced candidate looking to court the Democratic Partys must-win voting bloc. When asked what he is doing to earn the African American vote, Buttigieg told voters at a North Liberty, Iowa town hall that he has been promoting his Douglas plan, a policy proposal that aims to use federal dollars to address racial gaps in wealth, business and education. We have put forward what we call the Frederick Douglass plan, the idea that it should be as ambitious as the Marshall Plan that rebuilt Europe, but this time investing right here at home to tear down systemic racism in all its forms, Buttigieg said. Inside the campaign, staffers told ABC News that proving Buttigiegs electability will eventually attract black voters to his campaign. The former South Bend, Indiana mayor has therefore largely focused campaign resources in Iowa and New Hampshire, early voting states with predominately white Democratic electorates. In Iowa alone, Buttigieg has spent $6.5 million in television campaign advertisements, the second-highest investment in the race, according to a report released by Wesleyan Media Project on Thursday. The best thing we can do to convince black voters that Pete [Buttigieg] is a good choice is to win in Iowa and thats our focus, said Lauren Brown, Buttigiegs South Carolina communications director. She and her fellow staffers are organizing ahead of the Palmetto States first in the South primary, where roughly two-thirds of the electorate is African American. Black voters are focused on electability across the board and we are not one of those campaigns with unlimited dollars to spend so we are going to use our resources smartly, Brown continued, adding that the campaign hopes to use the momentum from the first two primary contests to kick-start Buttigiegs push into more diverse states like South Carolina, as well as in Nevada where over 60% of the Democratic electorate is Latino. Though electability remains a top priority for Democratic voters according to a recent Gallup survey, Buttigieg's steady momentum has done little to cement his support with voters of color. The mayors campaign investments combined with his message of generational change has propelled him to front-runner status in the presidential race. He stands in a solid third place in Iowa at 13% just below former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, according to a Monmouth Poll released Wednesday. In New Hampshire, hes polling at 10%, coming in fourth place according to a Franklin Pierce/Boston Herald poll released Monday. But in Nevada and South Carolina, he polls at a distant 6% and 4%, respectively according to Fox News polls conducted in early January. On the campaign trail, Buttigieg continues to attract largely white audiences, something he spoke candidly about during a conversation with Angela Rye during her On One Podcast, which was taped in the campus theater at Claflin University, a historically black college in Orangeburg, South Carolina. I'll be honest, its mostly white folks showing up... I'm happy for the folks who are showing up, but in order not just to win to deserve to win. I got to be speaking to everyone, Buttigieg said, explaining that improving support is that will continue to earn. Buttigieg is not the only candidate who is polling low with some voters of color. Front-running Democratic candidate Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren polls at 9% among black Democratic-leaning registered voters, according to the Washington/ Ipsos poll. The campaign has enlisted surrogate powerhouses Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., and Black Womxn, a Democratic coalition for African American women, to campaign in diverse early and Super Tuesday states to attract more women of color to her campaign. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who shares a New York Times endorsement with Warren, polls below 1% with black voters and continues to struggle with earning support in communities of color. Her prosecutorial record has also recently come under fire in her home state of Minnesota after the after an Associated Press report raised questions about her role as a prosecutor in Minneapolis in a case in which her office charged Myon Burrell, who is black and was then 16, in the 2002 shooting death of Tyesha Edwards, an 11-year-old girl who was killed while sitting at her family's dining room table. The AP report, done in conjunction with American Public Media, found multiple inconsistencies and additional evidence that has raised questions about the police department's handling of the case. Burrell was ultimately sentenced to life in prison. Activists,including representatives from the locally based Racial Justice Network, a grassroots group, the Minneapolis chapter of the NAACP, Black Lives Matter's Twin Cities chapter, Twin Cities Coalition for Justice for Jamar, and Communities United Against Police Brutality--a locally, are all now calling for her to withdraw given her role in sending someone they see as innocent to prison for life. The Klobuchar campaign maintains that Burrell was tried and convicted twice, with the second trial happening once she was out of that office, and that if there is indeed new evidence it should be reviewed by the court immediately. Senator Klobuchar has advocated for reforms to our criminal justice system over the years, including during her time as Hennepin County Attorney. If there is new evidence in this case, it should be immediately reviewed by the court, Carlie Waibel, Klobuchar's national press secretary told ABC News in a statement. Klobuchar, Warren, and Buttigieg also share a debate stage with businessmen Andrew Yang and Tom Steyer, who both poll at 3% and 2%, respectively among African American Democratic-leaning registered voters voters in the Washington Post/Ipsos poll. However, it is Buttigieg's on-going issues with diversity that put his struggle with voters of color under unique scrutiny. As Buttigieg rose in visibility, his campaign briefly came to a pause following its biggest crisis: the fatal police shooting a black man in South Bend. His handling of the incident and subsequent admittance of missteps exposed the long-standing tension between the black community and the police department in his hometown. The moment came in an election cycle in which black voters have indicated in polls that they are looking closely at candidates with a proven track record for championing criminal justice reform. Buttigieg also had to answer for his record after coming under fire for firing South Bends first black chief. Earlier this week, the New York Times reported insider accounts of frustration within the Buttigieg campaign over its alleged treatment of staffers of color. The Times obtained a recording from a mandatory retreat in December about diversity and inclusion. The details of this retreat were leaked by a former campaign staffer, a source inside the campaign told ABC News. ABC News has not obtained a copy of the recording. During the meeting, attendees of color expressed feeling unheard when sharing ideas on how to boost minority voter outreach and experiencing racial microaggressions--subtle acts of discrimination against marginalized groups, a different source with direct knowledge of the retreat confirmed to ABC News. The New York Times report, for example, detailed an account from Hispanic staffers who said they were asked to translate Spanish texts, though they did not speak the language. The Buttigieg campaign disagrees with that characterization and highlighted its efforts to translate campaign materials into Spanish. "Not only that, Pete himself has been eager to work on his Spanish and has participated in several practice sessions. Im proud to work for a campaign that has prioritized both Latino and Spanish-language outreach and to work for a candidate who has prioritized being a part of this process himself," Manuel Bonder, an assistant to the campaign's rapid response team later told ABC News. Following a town hall in Ottumwa, Iowa on Tuesday, Buttigieg did not directly answer questions regarding the New York Times report. When asked if hes done anything personally to address some of the concerns from his staff, Buttigieg wouldnt say yes or no, but noted that he did speak to staffers about the issue. First of all, I just want to say I'm so thankful to the staff of color who bring so much to this campaign, Buttigieg said. It's one of the reasons why we've taken steps that may not be something that is typical or has happened a lot before in presidential campaigns, to try to empower staffers at all levels to be able to speak to their experiences, to raise concerns and to have these tough conversations," he continued, adding that he would look to build an environment of inclusion in the White House if elected president. Rodericka Applewhaithe, who is black and a senior researcher from the Buttigieg campaign's rapid response team, told ABC News the campaign will continue to have conversations about diversity. It's frustrating because [the leaked recording] violates trust for staffers of color, but we don't regret having those conversations, or feel like they were indicative of something unique to the campaign with regards to the larger narrative attached to Pete, adding that shes had diversity training at every place shes worked in. Brown, South Carolina communications director, told ABC News the reports reveal Buttigieg's on-going effort to create inclusive environments. There isn't a single campaign organization for this presidential campaign that isn't grappling with the internal issue of racial diversity, inclusive, or hierarchy. This is why you have all these progressive running for President. Because this is exactly what we're trying to foster. We want people who feel unheard to feel heard, whether that's internally in a campaign or a rural town in South Carolina, Brown, who is black, explained. At the event in Ottumwa, Iowa on Tuesday, Buttigieg was asked if it frustrates him personally that despite his efforts to win over black voters this past year he has seen little progress in his quest to build a diverse coalition. Im humbled by the challenge of making sure that we connect, especially with voters who have every reason to be skeptical I don't think the biggest thing to be worried about is whether it's frustrating for me," Buttigieg said. "I think that Americans, especially workers of color across the country and people of color in this campaign, Black staff on my campaign, have had to deal with all of the complications that come with being in a workplace. He later added, We're taking steps that I'm proud of our campaign for taking. That may be unusual by the standards of presidential campaigns, but are the right thing to do. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Between 1945 and 1952, Lee Sang-ho, also known by his Japanese name Sugiura Shogo, had been forced to embark on a tragic transnational migration. In June 1945 he was drafted as a civilian employee of the Japanese military and sent to Manchuria a month later. After Japan's surrender in August 1945, he became a prisoner of war (POW) captured by Soviet Union troops and from there he was sent to a prison camp in Mongolia until he was released to North Korea in 1948. He infiltrated Japan the next year as a North Korean spy and was arrested by the Japanese police. He was tried in Tokyo and deported to South Korea in 1952. / Korea Times graphic by Bae So-young Korean Japanese historian brings World War II POW's tragic transnational migration to light By Kang Hyun-kyung Lee Sang-ho, also known by his Japanese name Sugiura Shogo, embodied the tragic life of "zainichi" Koreans in Japan shortly after World War II. Although a Japanese national, he lived as a second-class citizen in the country he truly believed his home and ultimately faced deportation to South Korea in 1952 after which his whereabouts have remained unknown. Born in 1924 in Gyeongsang Province in South Korea, Lee accompanied his parents who moved to Japan the same year when he was three months old. Spending almost all his life in Japan until he was enlisted as a civilian employee of the Imperial Japanese Army in June 1945, he identified himself as a Japanese citizen. Lee's life became intertwined with the turbulent modern history of East Asia. Between 1945 and 1952, he had been forced to embark on a tragic transnational migration. In June 1945 he was drafted as a civilian employee of the Japanese military and sent to Manchuria a month later. After Japan's surrender in August, 1945, he became a prisoner of war (POW) captured by Soviet Union troops and from there he was sent to a prison camp in Mongolia until he was released to North Korea in 1948. He infiltrated Japan the next year as a North Korean spy and was arrested by the Japanese police. He was tried in Tokyo and deported to South Korea in 1952. His post-World War II journey was different from other Korean POWs who were interned in Siberia or Mongolia. Some of them managed to travel all the way down to South Korea across the 38th parallel and were reunited with their families. Back in the late 1940s before the Korean War, the inter-Korean border was blurred and porous. But for Lee, going to South Korea was not what he wanted. He was Japanese and wanted to go back home to Japan. His parents died not long after the family migrated there. Still a child, Lee was adopted by a Japanese family and raised in Japan until he was enlisted in the Japanese Army. "I had never set foot on the land of my birthplace, Korea, since my family moved to Japan when I was three months old I always lived with Japanese people and in their customs. I did not have any chance to use Korean language and did not even need it," Lee was quoted as saying during interrogation by the U.S. military investigators who probed the North Korean espionage ring in Japan. His remarks were included in the U.S. intelligence report that compiled the espionage case in Japan in 1952 which was declassified decades later. Lee Sang-ho (1924-?), also known by his Japanese name Sugiura Shogo / Photo from Deok-hyo Choi The North Korean authorities had ordered him to work for a spy ring in Japan to collect information and share it with other North Korean agents operating there, a condition he accepted in order to return home. In the late 1940s after World War II, North Korea-Japan relations were not hostile. Japan had been under U.S. occupation from 1945 till 1952. This unique political circumstance appears to have motivated North Korea to feel the need to infiltrate Japan to gather information about their enemy the United States. Lee was smuggled on a boat from the North Korean port city of Wonsan and secretly landed in Japan in March 1949. He stayed in Japan until he and over forty other suspects were arrested by the Japanese police in September 1950 as the U.S. authorities instigated a crackdown on North Korean spies. The suspects were tried in a U.S. provost court in May 1951. Lee was sentenced to four years of confinement and deported to South Korea in 1952 before his jail term was completed. The deportation of Korean leftists in Japan during the U.S. occupation era was a highly sensitive political decision, according to Korean Japanese historian Deok-hyo Choi. Choi, 44, a lecturer in Korean Studies at the University of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England, brought the Korean POWs' tragic transnational migration to light while tracing Korean Japanese communists' involvement in the socialist movement in Japan for his research paper. He found the declassified U.S. military intelligence reports and discovered the existence of Lee Sang-ho. Korean Japanese historian Deok-hyo Choi, a lecturer in Korean Studies at University of Sheffield in England, brought the Korean POWs' tragic transnational migration to light while tracing Korean Japanese communists' involvement in the socialist movement in Japan for his research paper. / Courtesy of Deok-hyo Choi In an email interview with The Korea Times, Choi said the United States was wary of communist influence in Japan, particularly during the Korean War, because it was at war with North Korea. Meanwhile, Korean leftists were a headache to the Japanese government as the former teamed up with the Communist Party of Japan (CPJ) to bring down the government and instigated the public to join their anti-war campaign. They staged protests, distributed anti-war leaflets and rallied support from laborers assigned to ship munitions, which were to head to South Korea during the war, on sabotage missions. The socialists recognized North Korea as the sole legitimate government on the Korean Peninsula, and put serious effort into mobilizing like-minded Japanese to fight against the U.S. government that led the allied forces in the Korean War. It is no surprise that Korean and Japanese socialists were targeted as a common enemy for both the U.S. and the Japanese governments. The United States and Japan shared a mutual interest in deporting Korean socialists to South Korea. By sending the socialists to prison camps in war-time South Korea, the United States was able to remove the potential threat to its East Asia strategy, and Japan was able to remove "subversive" Korean communists. Lee Sang-ho's deportation to South Korea in 1952 during the Korean War came against such a geopolitical backdrop. Citing Japanese government sources, Choi said Korean deportees totaled 10 in 1946, rose to 365 the next year, and dozens more in the following years. It remains unknown how Lee's life turned out after he was deported to South Korea. There are no documents available to trace his whereabouts. Professor Choi cautiously predicted that the Korean Japanese POW would have been sentenced to death. "I could not trace his whereabouts after his deportation," he said. "But based on my research on other similar cases, it is highly likely that he was imprisoned and possibly sentenced to death in South Korea." Although six decades have passed since he was last seen in a prison camp in Incheon, Choi said the untold history surrounding Lee still has implications for South Korea. Wartime victims, including those who fell victim to sexual enslavement and slave labor, became vocal in the 1990s and some took legal action against the South Korean and Japanese governments. The Korean courts sided with these wartime victims. POWs and Koreans who were interned in the Siberian region or Mongolia, however, faced a different fate. The post-Korean War purge of communists in South Korea made them vulnerable to punishment and a witch hunt as they were painted as communists having alleged links with the Soviet Union or North Korea. Some voluntarily chose military service to prove their patriotism. Choi found the declassified U.S. military intelligence reports and discovered the existence of Lee Sang-ho. / Photo from Deok-hyo Choi YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. The United Kingdom welcomes Armenias positive progress since its 2015 review, and the Governments commitment to wide-ranging reforms, the UK government said in a statement delivered at the 35th Session of Universal Periodic Review (UPR). In particular, we acknowledge Armenias conduct of elections in December 2018. We also welcome Armenias advances in media freedom. The UK welcomes Armenias progress in adopting legislative reforms towards gender equality and combating violence against women, the statement says. The UK recommended Armenia to ratify the 2014 protocol to the ILO Forced Labour Convention of 1930 (P029); adopt an open, merit-based process when selecting national candidates for UN Treaty Body elections; sign the Global Pledge on Media Freedom, and commit to international efforts to create a safer environment for journalists worldwide as a member of the Media Freedom Coalition. If youve ever heard the urban legend that a series of tunnels run underneath San Franciscos Chinatown, you have a group of opportunistic tour guides to thank. For some 150 years, gossipy San Franciscans have spread rumors that drug runners, human traffickers and other ne'er-do-wells used extensive tunnels below Chinatown to conduct their shady business. But unfortunately for urban spelunkers, its actually a well-constructed deception. Many of Chinatowns stereotypes were reinforced by 19th-century tour guides. The Chinatown tourism industry is almost as old as the place itself, and in the 1860s, newspapers began writing about the neighborhood in less than flattering terms. Horrors of a Great City: Chinadom by day and by night, warned a 1868 San Francisco Chronicle story, which went on to describe a trip to Chinatown led by a police officer. It describes what today are incredibly innocuous scenes, painted in a panicky light by a nativist reporter. "The European spoon has not yet invaded the precincts of barbarism," the reporter wrote, marveling in horror as he watched women and children use chopsticks to "shovel rice into their Celestial mouths." There were also plenty of stories about opium dens, dank basements where Chinese men gathered to smoke, and breathless reports of the ruthless gang leaders who ruled the neighborhood. "Many places there are in this miniature China of San Francisco to which no European has ever been admitted, or, if admitted, he has never survived to return to the world, W.H. Gleadell wrote in an 1895 piece for Gentlemans Magazine. Because people are naturally curious, this resulted in the inevitable: guided tours. The industry was fairly ad-hoc at first. Working class white Californians would wander into Chinatown, hoping to catch a glimpse of illicit going-ons. Both Chinatown residents and neighborhood beat cops quickly saw a business opportunity. In the 1880s, San Francisco began first marketing Chinatown as a tourist destination, and its decades of fear-mongering coverage of the area gave tourists certain expectations. Guides generally took guests to four types of places: an opium den, a temple, a restaurant and a theater. But it wasnt always enough to thrill. To accommodate guests seeking the theatrical, white tour guides and Chinese San Franciscans began staging scenes of depravity, presenting them as authentic experiences, writes Raymond W. Rast in The Cultural Politics of Tourism in San Franciscos Chinatown. One of their favorite tricks was convincing tour groups they were traveling through underground tunnels up to seven feet below the street. Former San Francisco police chief Jesse Brown Cook described how it worked: In order to deceive the people, the Chinese guides would take them in on Grant Avenue, between California and Sacramento Streets, going down into a cellar. From this they would go downstairs into the next cellar, and so on, sometimes going into six or seven. These basements, however, were all connected with the stores on Sacramento Street. Should you go from any one of these basements toward Sacramento Street, you would, of course, come to the cellar of some Sacramento Street store, and all you had to do was to go up one flight of stairs to Sacramento Street. The guides naturally would not allow anyone to do this. They would bring the people back the same way that they came and tell them that they had been down six or seven stories. The people of course believed them, but at no time were they ever over one story below the street. Guides also employed residents to get in on the act, faking hostility toward the white outsiders or staging knife fights in alleys. "In doing so, they affirmed perceptions of Chinese American 'otherness,'" Rast wrote. In one account from the late 1880s, a woman told the story of how her police officer guide promised her a visit to an opium den. When they got there, they were greeted by what was almost certainly a staged scene: A Chinese man politely met them and showed them how he prepared the opium for smoking. The tour group "enjoyed this visit very much," the woman wrote, but was unsatisfied with the tame drug spot she was shown. A few days later, she booked another tour so she could see worse dens. Thankfully those "exotic" farces have gone by the wayside today, but touches still remain around Chinatown. According to historians, some of the bright, elaborate architecture and many of the curios shops originate from this tourist boom as residents sought to increase souvenir sales. So the next time you pick up a beautifully carved jade ornament, it's fascinating to know that its origins, long ago, were in appeasing a clientele of looky-loo tourists. Thinking of visiting San Francisco's Chinatown? Now's a great time. The famous Chinese New Year Parade will be held on Feb. 8. Katie Dowd is an SFGATE senior digital editor. Contact: katie.dowd@sfgate.com | Twitter: @katiedowd EUGENE, Ore. -- Staff members at the University of Oregon are closely monitoring updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Oregon Health Authority surrounding the recent coronavirus outbreak. According to a report from the university, there were more than 1,800 students from China at the university last school year. While there has been no confirmed cases of the new strain, novel coronavirus, in Oregon, a spokesperson for the university said they are taking extra steps. RELATED: AIRLINES AROUND THE WORLD ARE SUSPENDING FLIGHTS TO CHINA AS THE CORONAVIRUS SPREADS The said as standard practice, staff at the Univerity of Oregon Health Center ask basic questions when patients come in for treatment, including if the patient has traveled outside of the country. When there is an increase in a communicable disease related to travel, as is the case with the coronavirus, staff will ask if the patient has traveled to a specific region during a certain period of time. MAP: TRACK THE CORONAVIRUS IN REAL TIME They are also asking students who feel ill to contact university officials before they come to the health center if theyve recently traveled out of the country or believe they could have come in contact with someone who has the virus. Senior Pengfei Qin is from Beijing. He said he is not worried about the virus reaching Oregon. "I have a classmate who is from Wuhan, but he just got a fever last week, but he is all good," Qin said. MORE: JACK MA DONATES $14 MILLION TO DEVELOP CORONAVIRUS VACCINE Jason Davis, a spokesperson for Lane County Public Health, said one person recently told their doctor they might have caught the virus after visiting China. Davis said the patent was isolated for a couple of hours until doctors were able to determine they did not have coronavirus. Davis said that experience has helped prepare them for the real thing if the virus ever comes to Oregon. "We got some direction to work with our providers. We also got some firsthand knowledge on what a case might look like and some of the criteria that we would need to check off," Davis said. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 Trend: Ten citizens of Azerbaijan and 35 citizens of Turkey will be evacuated from China, due to the coronavirus outbreak in Chinese Wuhan city, Trend reports referring to Turkeys Ministry of Health. Evacuated citizens will be quarantined in Turkey for 14 days. Azerbaijani citizens will be evacuated from China to Turkey, President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. The Minister of Health said that we have no threat so far. But there are citizens of Azerbaijan in China. They want to come back," Erdogan said. The president instructed relevant authorities to take necessary actions and bring the citizens of Azerbaijan to Turkey, An outbreak of previously unknown pneumonia later identified as a new type of coronavirus and denoted as 2019-nCoV was registered in China's Wuhan in late Dec.2019. As of Jan.30, 2020, the number of those infected amounted to 7,711 people, whereas the number of deceased amounted to 170 people. Call 2 Worship January 30 The United House of Prayer for All People celebrates its Centennial Anniversary 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. ADVERTISEMENT 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. 9. 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. ADVERTISEMENT First AME Church of Los Angeles hosts the annual citywide kick-off of African American Heritage Month on Feb. 9, at 9:55 a.m., at 2270 S. Harvard Blvd. in Los Angeles, said Pastor J. Edgar Boyd. L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, elected officials and Consul Generals from several African countries. Will participate. Jennifer Holiday, a Tony and Grammy-winning artist, will perform. The public is invited to attend. NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Generator Sales market worldwide is projected to grow by US$8.5 Billion, driven by a compounded growth of 5.1%. Diesel, one of the segments analyzed and sized in this study, displays the potential to grow at over 5.2%. 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$13.8 Billion by the year 2025, Diesel will bring in healthy gains adding significant momentum to global growth. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05798661/?utm_source=PRN - Representing the developed world, the United States will maintain a 3.9% growth momentum. Within Europe, which continues to remain an important element in the world economy, Germany will add over US$296.4 Million to the region's size and clout in the next 5 to 6 years. Over US$244.3 Million worth of projected demand in the region will come from Rest of Europe markets. In Japan, Diesel will reach a market size of US$696.7 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 8.2% over the next couple of years and add approximately US$2.5 Billion in terms of addressable opportunity for the picking by aspiring businesses and their astute leaders. Presented in visually rich graphics are these and many more need-to-know quantitative data important in ensuring quality of strategy decisions, be it entry into new markets or allocation of resources within a portfolio. Several macroeconomic factors and internal market forces will shape growth and development of demand patterns in emerging countries in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East. All research viewpoints presented are based on validated engagements from influencers in the market, whose opinions supersede all other research methodologies. - Competitors identified in this market include, among others, Briggs & Stratton Corporation; Caterpillar, Inc.; Cummins, Inc.; Generac Holdings Inc.; Kohler Co.; Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.; Mq Power; Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG (Mtu Onsite Energy); Sterling And Wilson Pvt. Ltd.; Wacker Neuson SE; Wartsila Corporation; Weichai Holding Group Co., Ltd.; Yanmar Co., Ltd. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05798661/?utm_source=PRN I. METHODOLOGY II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. MARKET OVERVIEW Global Competitor Market Shares Generator Sales Competitor Market Share Scenario Worldwide (in %): 2019 & 2025 2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS 3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS 4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE Table 1: Generator Sales Global Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 2: Generator Sales Global Retrospective Market Scenario in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 3: Generator Sales Market Share Shift across Key Geographies Worldwide: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 4: Diesel (Type) World Market by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 5: Diesel (Type) Historic Market Analysis by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 6: Diesel (Type) Market Share Breakdown of Worldwide Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 7: Natural Gas (Type) Potential Growth Markets Worldwide in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 8: Natural Gas (Type) Historic Market Perspective by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 9: Natural Gas (Type) Market Sales Breakdown by Region/Country in Percentage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 10: Other Types (Type) Geographic Market Spread Worldwide in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 11: Other Types (Type) Region Wise Breakdown of Global Historic Demand in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 12: Other Types (Type) Market Share Distribution in Percentage by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 13: Standby (Application) Demand Potential Worldwide in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 14: Standby (Application) Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 15: Standby (Application) Share Breakdown Review by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 16: Peak Shaving (Application) Worldwide Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 17: Peak Shaving (Application) Global Historic Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 18: Peak Shaving (Application) Distribution of Global Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 19: Continuous Power (Application) Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Years 2018 through 2025 Table 20: Continuous Power (Application) Analysis of Historic Sales in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Years 2009 to 2017 Table 21: Continuous Power (Application) Global Market Share Distribution by Region/Country for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 22: Industrial (End-Use) Global Opportunity Assessment in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 23: Industrial (End-Use) Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 24: Industrial (End-Use) Percentage Share Breakdown of Global Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 25: Commercial (End-Use) Worldwide Sales in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 26: Commercial (End-Use) Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 27: Commercial (End-Use) Market Share Shift across Key Geographies: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 28: Residential (End-Use) Global Market Estimates & Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 29: Residential (End-Use) Retrospective Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 30: Residential (End-Use) Market Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 III. MARKET ANALYSIS GEOGRAPHIC MARKET ANALYSIS UNITED STATES Market Facts & Figures US Generator Sales Market Share (in %) by Company: 2019 & 2025 Table 31: United States Generator Sales Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 32: Generator Sales Market in the United States by Type: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 33: United States Generator Sales Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 34: United States Generator Sales Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 35: Generator Sales Historic Demand Patterns in the United States by Application in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 36: Generator Sales Market Share Breakdown in the United States by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 37: United States Generator Sales Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 38: Generator Sales Historic Demand Patterns in the United States by End-Use in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 39: Generator Sales Market Share Breakdown in the United States by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 CANADA Table 40: Canadian Generator Sales Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 41: Canadian Generator Sales Historic Market Review by Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 42: Generator Sales Market in Canada: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 43: Canadian Generator Sales Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 44: Generator Sales Market in Canada: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by Application for 2009-2017 Table 45: Canadian Generator Sales Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 46: Canadian Generator Sales Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 47: Generator Sales Market in Canada: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by End-Use for 2009-2017 Table 48: Canadian Generator Sales Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 JAPAN Table 49: Japanese Market for Generator Sales: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 50: Generator Sales Market in Japan: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2009-2017 Table 51: Japanese Generator Sales Market Share Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 52: Japanese Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Generator Sales in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 53: Japanese Generator Sales Market in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 54: Generator Sales Market Share Shift in Japan by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 55: Japanese Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Generator Sales in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 56: Japanese Generator Sales Market in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 57: Generator Sales Market Share Shift in Japan by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 CHINA Table 58: Chinese Generator Sales Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 59: Generator Sales Historic Market Analysis in China in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 60: Chinese Generator Sales Market by Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 61: Chinese Demand for Generator Sales in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 62: Generator Sales Market Review in China in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 63: Chinese Generator Sales Market Share Breakdown by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 64: Chinese Demand for Generator Sales in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 65: Generator Sales Market Review in China in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 66: Chinese Generator Sales Market Share Breakdown by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 EUROPE Market Facts & Figures European Generator Sales Market: Competitor Market Share Scenario (in %) for 2019 & 2025 Table 67: European Generator Sales Market Demand Scenario in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 68: Generator Sales Market in Europe: A Historic Market Perspective in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Period 2009-2017 Table 69: European Generator Sales Market Share Shift by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 70: European Generator Sales Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2018-2025 Table 71: Generator Sales Market in Europe in US$ Million by Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 72: European Generator Sales Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 73: European Generator Sales Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by Application: 2018-2025 Table 74: Generator Sales Market in Europe: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2009-2017 Table 75: European Generator Sales Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 76: European Generator Sales Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018-2025 Table 77: Generator Sales Market in Europe: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2009-2017 Table 78: European Generator Sales Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 FRANCE Table 79: Generator Sales Market in France by Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 80: French Generator Sales Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 81: French Generator Sales Market Share Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 82: Generator Sales Quantitative Demand Analysis in France in US$ Million by Application: 2018-2025 Table 83: French Generator Sales Historic Market Review in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 84: French Generator Sales Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by Application for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 85: Generator Sales Quantitative Demand Analysis in France in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018-2025 Table 86: French Generator Sales Historic Market Review in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 87: French Generator Sales Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by End-Use for 2009, 2019, and 2025 GERMANY Table 88: Generator Sales Market in Germany: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 89: German Generator Sales Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 90: German Generator Sales Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 91: Generator Sales Market in Germany: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2018-2025 Table 92: German Generator Sales Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 93: Generator Sales Market Share Distribution in Germany by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 94: Generator Sales Market in Germany: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2018-2025 Table 95: German Generator Sales Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 96: Generator Sales Market Share Distribution in Germany by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ITALY Table 97: Italian Generator Sales Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 98: Generator Sales Historic Market Analysis in Italy in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 99: Italian Generator Sales Market by Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 100: Italian Demand for Generator Sales in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 101: Generator Sales Market Review in Italy in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 102: Italian Generator Sales Market Share Breakdown by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 103: Italian Demand for Generator Sales in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 104: Generator Sales Market Review in Italy in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 105: Italian Generator Sales Market Share Breakdown by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 UNITED KINGDOM Table 106: United Kingdom Market for Generator Sales: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 107: Generator Sales Market in the United Kingdom: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2009-2017 Table 108: United Kingdom Generator Sales Market Share Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 109: United Kingdom Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Generator Sales in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 110: United Kingdom Generator Sales Market in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 111: Generator Sales Market Share Shift in the United Kingdom by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 112: United Kingdom Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Generator Sales in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 113: United Kingdom Generator Sales Market in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 114: Generator Sales Market Share Shift in the United Kingdom by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 SPAIN Table 115: Spanish Generator Sales Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 116: Spanish Generator Sales Historic Market Review by Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 117: Generator Sales Market in Spain: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 118: Spanish Generator Sales Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 119: Generator Sales Market in Spain: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by Application for 2009-2017 Table 120: Spanish Generator Sales Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 121: Spanish Generator Sales Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 122: Generator Sales Market in Spain: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by End-Use for 2009-2017 Table 123: Spanish Generator Sales Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 RUSSIA Table 124: Russian Generator Sales Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 125: Generator Sales Market in Russia by Type: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 126: Russian Generator Sales Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 127: Russian Generator Sales Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 128: Generator Sales Historic Demand Patterns in Russia by Application in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 129: Generator Sales Market Share Breakdown in Russia by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 130: Russian Generator Sales Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 131: Generator Sales Historic Demand Patterns in Russia by End-Use in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 132: Generator Sales Market Share Breakdown in Russia by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF EUROPE Table 133: Rest of Europe Generator Sales Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2018-2025 Table 134: Generator Sales Market in Rest of Europe in US$ Million by Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 135: Rest of Europe Generator Sales Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 136: Rest of Europe Generator Sales Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by Application: 2018-2025 Table 137: Generator Sales Market in Rest of Europe: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2009-2017 Table 138: Rest of Europe Generator Sales Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 139: Rest of Europe Generator Sales Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018-2025 Table 140: Generator Sales Market in Rest of Europe: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2009-2017 Table 141: Rest of Europe Generator Sales Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ASIA-PACIFIC Table 142: Asia-Pacific Generator Sales Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 143: Generator Sales Market in Asia-Pacific: Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Period 2009-2017 Table 144: Asia-Pacific Generator Sales Market Share Analysis by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 145: Generator Sales Market in Asia-Pacific by Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 146: Asia-Pacific Generator Sales Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 147: Asia-Pacific Generator Sales Market Share Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 148: Generator Sales Quantitative Demand Analysis in Asia-Pacific in US$ Million by Application: 2018-2025 Table 149: Asia-Pacific Generator Sales Historic Market Review in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 150: Asia-Pacific Generator Sales Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by Application for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 151: Generator Sales Quantitative Demand Analysis in Asia-Pacific in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018-2025 Table 152: Asia-Pacific Generator Sales Historic Market Review in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 153: Asia-Pacific Generator Sales Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by End-Use for 2009, 2019, and 2025 AUSTRALIA Table 154: Generator Sales Market in Australia: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 155: Australian Generator Sales Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 156: Australian Generator Sales Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 157: Generator Sales Market in Australia: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2018-2025 Table 158: Australian Generator Sales Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 159: Generator Sales Market Share Distribution in Australia by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 160: Generator Sales Market in Australia: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2018-2025 Table 161: Australian Generator Sales Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 162: Generator Sales Market Share Distribution in Australia by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 INDIA Table 163: Indian Generator Sales Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 164: Indian Generator Sales Historic Market Review by Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 165: Generator Sales Market in India: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 166: Indian Generator Sales Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 167: Generator Sales Market in India: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by Application for 2009-2017 Table 168: Indian Generator Sales Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 169: Indian Generator Sales Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 170: Generator Sales Market in India: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by End-Use for 2009-2017 Table 171: Indian Generator Sales Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 SOUTH KOREA Table 172: Generator Sales Market in South Korea: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 173: South Korean Generator Sales Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 174: Generator Sales Market Share Distribution in South Korea by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 175: Generator Sales Market in South Korea: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2018-2025 Table 176: South Korean Generator Sales Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 177: Generator Sales Market Share Distribution in South Korea by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 178: Generator Sales Market in South Korea: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2018-2025 Table 179: South Korean Generator Sales Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 180: Generator Sales Market Share Distribution in South Korea by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF ASIA-PACIFIC Table 181: Rest of Asia-Pacific Market for Generator Sales: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 182: Generator Sales Market in Rest of Asia-Pacific: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2009-2017 Table 183: Rest of Asia-Pacific Generator Sales Market Share Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 184: Rest of Asia-Pacific Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Generator Sales in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 185: Rest of Asia-Pacific Generator Sales Market in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 186: Generator Sales Market Share Shift in Rest of Asia-Pacific by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 187: Rest of Asia-Pacific Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Generator Sales in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 188: Rest of Asia-Pacific Generator Sales Market in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 189: Generator Sales Market Share Shift in Rest of Asia-Pacific by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 LATIN AMERICA Table 190: Latin American Generator Sales Market Trends by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018-2025 Table 191: Generator Sales Market in Latin America in US$ Million by Region/Country: A Historic Perspective for the Period 2009-2017 Table 192: Latin American Generator Sales Market Percentage Breakdown of Sales by Region/Country: 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 193: Latin American Generator Sales Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 194: Generator Sales Historic Market Analysis in Latin America in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 195: Latin American Generator Sales Market by Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 196: Latin American Demand for Generator Sales in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 197: Generator Sales Market Review in Latin America in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 198: Latin American Generator Sales Market Share Breakdown by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 199: Latin American Demand for Generator Sales in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 200: Generator Sales Market Review in Latin America in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 201: Latin American Generator Sales Market Share Breakdown by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ARGENTINA Table 202: Argentinean Generator Sales Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2018-2025 Table 203: Generator Sales Market in Argentina in US$ Million by Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 204: Argentinean Generator Sales Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 205: Argentinean Generator Sales Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by Application: 2018-2025 Table 206: Generator Sales Market in Argentina: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2009-2017 Table 207: Argentinean Generator Sales Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 208: Argentinean Generator Sales Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018-2025 Table 209: Generator Sales Market in Argentina: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2009-2017 Table 210: Argentinean Generator Sales Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 BRAZIL Table 211: Generator Sales Market in Brazil by Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 212: Brazilian Generator Sales Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 213: Brazilian Generator Sales Market Share Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 214: Generator Sales Quantitative Demand Analysis in Brazil in US$ Million by Application: 2018-2025 Table 215: Brazilian Generator Sales Historic Market Review in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 216: Brazilian Generator Sales Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by Application for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 217: Generator Sales Quantitative Demand Analysis in Brazil in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018-2025 Table 218: Brazilian Generator Sales Historic Market Review in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 219: Brazilian Generator Sales Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by End-Use for 2009, 2019, and 2025 MEXICO Table 220: Generator Sales Market in Mexico: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 221: Mexican Generator Sales Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 222: Mexican Generator Sales Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 223: Generator Sales Market in Mexico: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2018-2025 Table 224: Mexican Generator Sales Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 225: Generator Sales Market Share Distribution in Mexico by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 226: Generator Sales Market in Mexico: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2018-2025 Table 227: Mexican Generator Sales Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 228: Generator Sales Market Share Distribution in Mexico by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF LATIN AMERICA Table 229: Rest of Latin America Generator Sales Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 230: Generator Sales Market in Rest of Latin America by Type: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 231: Rest of Latin America Generator Sales Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 232: Rest of Latin America Generator Sales Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 233: Generator Sales Historic Demand Patterns in Rest of Latin America by Application in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 234: Generator Sales Market Share Breakdown in Rest of Latin America by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 235: Rest of Latin America Generator Sales Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 236: Generator Sales Historic Demand Patterns in Rest of Latin America by End-Use in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 237: Generator Sales Market Share Breakdown in Rest of Latin America by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 MIDDLE EAST Table 238: The Middle East Generator Sales Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 239: Generator Sales Market in the Middle East by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 240: The Middle East Generator Sales Market Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 241: The Middle East Generator Sales Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 242: The Middle East Generator Sales Historic Market by Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 243: Generator Sales Market in the Middle East: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 244: The Middle East Generator Sales Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 245: Generator Sales Market in the Middle East: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by Application for 2009-2017 Table 246: The Middle East Generator Sales Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 247: The Middle East Generator Sales Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 248: Generator Sales Market in the Middle East: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by End-Use for 2009-2017 Table 249: The Middle East Generator Sales Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 IRAN Table 250: Iranian Market for Generator Sales: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 251: Generator Sales Market in Iran: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2009-2017 Table 252: Iranian Generator Sales Market Share Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 253: Iranian Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Generator Sales in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 254: Iranian Generator Sales Market in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 255: Generator Sales Market Share Shift in Iran by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 256: Iranian Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Generator Sales in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 257: Iranian Generator Sales Market in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 258: Generator Sales Market Share Shift in Iran by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ISRAEL Table 259: Israeli Generator Sales Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2018-2025 Table 260: Generator Sales Market in Israel in US$ Million by Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 261: Israeli Generator Sales Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 262: Israeli Generator Sales Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by Application: 2018-2025 Table 263: Generator Sales Market in Israel: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2009-2017 Table 264: Israeli Generator Sales Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 265: Israeli Generator Sales Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018-2025 Table 266: Generator Sales Market in Israel: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2009-2017 Table 267: Israeli Generator Sales Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 SAUDI ARABIA Table 268: Saudi Arabian Generator Sales Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 269: Generator Sales Historic Market Analysis in Saudi Arabia in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 270: Saudi Arabian Generator Sales Market by Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 271: Saudi Arabian Demand for Generator Sales in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 272: Generator Sales Market Review in Saudi Arabia in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 273: Saudi Arabian Generator Sales Market Share Breakdown by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 274: Saudi Arabian Demand for Generator Sales in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 275: Generator Sales Market Review in Saudi Arabia in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 276: Saudi Arabian Generator Sales Market Share Breakdown by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Table 277: Generator Sales Market in the United Arab Emirates: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 278: United Arab Emirates Generator Sales Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 279: Generator Sales Market Share Distribution in United Arab Emirates by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 280: Generator Sales Market in the United Arab Emirates: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2018-2025 Table 281: United Arab Emirates Generator Sales Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 282: Generator Sales Market Share Distribution in United Arab Emirates by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 283: Generator Sales Market in the United Arab Emirates: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2018-2025 Table 284: United Arab Emirates Generator Sales Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 285: Generator Sales Market Share Distribution in United Arab Emirates by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF MIDDLE EAST Please contact our Customer Support Center to get the complete Table of Contents Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05798661/?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 WASHINGTON When John R. Boltons book manuscript landed on the desk of a White House national security aide shortly after Christmas, no one had to page through it to know that the draft could upend the impeachment proceedings against President Trump. Now the question of who did review the book and to what extent has become a subject of the Senate impeachment trial of Mr. Trump. The White House has acknowledged that National Security Council staff members reviewed the draft, and that they briefed the White House counsel, Pat A. Cipollone. But the presidents impeachment defense lawyers Mr. Cipollone among them insisted on Wednesday that they were unaware it contained the explosive revelation by Mr. Bolton, the former national security adviser, that Mr. Trump had directly linked aid for Ukraine to investigations he sought for personal gain. No one from inside the White House or outside the White House told us publication of the book would be problematic for the president, Patrick F. Philbin, a deputy White House counsel and one of Mr. Trumps lawyers, said on the Senate floor. We assumed Mr. Bolton was disgruntled and wouldnt be saying a lot of nice things about the president, but no one told us anything like that. In the Philippines and Singapore, the bishops say communion must be distributed by hands. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines launches an Oratio Imperata for victims of the virus. In Malaysia, people with flu-like symptoms who cannot attend Mass are encouraged to perform an act of spiritual communion. Manila (AsiaNews) In a world anxious over the health crisis caused by the 2019-nCoV outbreak, the Catholic Church in Southeast Asia is taking a number of steps to avoid contagion among the faithful, including prophylactic measures touching prayers and the holy communion. In the Philippines, no case of coronavirus-related pneumonia has been reported yet; however, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has issued some directives. Communion must be distributed by hands to help prevent further fear from people, reads a notice sent to all of the countrys dioceses by CBCP general secretary Fr Marvin Mejia. All other forms of contact between Mass participants are also discouraged. This includes holding hands when reciting Our Father or shaking them during the sign of peace. The CBCP urges parishes to regularly change holy water at the entrance to churches and install "protective cloth" on the grills of confessional. The Filipino bishops also released an Oratio Imperata for people affected by the virus and the prevention of a global epidemic. The prayer will be recited at weekday and festive Masses after the communion, on one's knees, starting next Sunday (2 February), feast day of the Presentation of the Lord. In Singapore, health authorities have confirmed ten cases of coronavirus infection so far. The local archdiocese is urging the faithful to be "socially responsible" and "comply with health advisories and control measures issued by the authorities. It has also posted specific steps on its website. For instance, Alcohol hand rubs are to be made available near entrances of churches and confessionals. Holy Communion is to be received by hand and Holy communion by Chalice is to be suspended till further notice. No holy water in fonts at entrance of churches as this could be a vehicle for infection. The advisory goes on to say that catechists and students should have their temperature taken before class. It also urges Catholic parishes and associations to postpone to a later date those initiatives that are not essential to the life of the community. In Malaysia, seven people have reportedly contracted the infection. Here the three bishops of the ecclesiastical province of Peninsular Malaysia Archbishop Julian Leow of Kuala Lumpur, Bishop Sebastian Francis of Penang, and Bishop Bernard Paul of Melaka-Johor issued a number of pastoral recommendations. Persons displaying flu-like symptoms, e.g. fever, runny nose, sore throat, cough, cold, etc are advised to stay home and avoid public places including churches. For those not able to attend mass for these reasons, they are encouraged to make an act of spiritual communion (offer a prayer at home accompanied with a desire to be in union with the Eucharistic Lord). The bishops invite the faithful to pray for all the victims of the outbreak and the medical staff treating them. They add that The local church will continue to closely monitor the development of the situation and issue further updates and guidelines, if and when it is deemed necessary. The prelates call upon all the faithful to remain calm, to trust official announcements, and follow the general precautions issued by the Ministry of Health. New mother Amy Duggar shared a series of selfies wearing just a nursing bra and jeans on Instagram this week and urged other women to embrace their postpartum bodies. The 33-year-old cousin of the cast of '19 Kids and Counting' and 'Counting On' welcomed her first child, a son named Daxton, with her husband Dillon King in October and though she's still working to lose the baby weight, she's choosing to celebrate the way her body has changed. On January 29, she shared several revealing photos of her 'not magazine perfect' body which are sure to come as a shock to her younger cousins, who follow incredibly strict modesty standards as evangelical Christians. Revealing: New mother Amy Duggar shared a series of selfies wearing just a nursing bra and jeans on Instagram this week At home: The 33-year-old cousin of the cast of '19 Kids and Counting' and 'Counting On' wore what appears to be a black nursing bra along with a pair of black skinny jeans Positive thoughts: She urged other women to embrace their postpartum bodies, saying her own is 'not magazine perfect' but it's a great honor and blessing Good message: 'To all the mama's [sic] out there struggling to except their new figure just remember every scar, tummy pooch, and stretch mark and flabbiness you have now has created life! Be proud of that!' she wrote Amy's four new photos are hardly shocking by Western society standards today, and she joins quite a few women in sharing postpartum body images aimed at changing beauty standards. In the pictures, she wears what appears to be a black nursing bra along with a pair of black skinny jeans. Her hair is down and she has no makeup on, and in some shots she punches some extra 'flab' and sticks a thumb in the waistline of her jeans to pull it down. 'My body is not magazine perfect, but this is me,' she wrote. 'When I look in the mirror I see a MOM. And there is no greater honor, love or blessing! 'To all the mama's [sic] out there struggling to [accept] their new figure just remember every scar, tummy pooch, and stretch mark and flabbiness you have now has created life! Be proud of that! 'Your body is powerful and made you a mother! Forget society's standards on what is beautiful! You're a bad *ss, be patient with your progress and love yourself.' New little one: She and her husband Dillon King welcomed their first child in October Growing so fast: Their son Daxton is nearly four months old The post has been met with plenty support, with 22,000 likes and comments from fans and friends including former CBS Big Brother contestant Bayleigh Amethyst Dayton. But conspicuously missing from her likes and comments is anyone from the Duggar side of the family, including her uncle Jim Bob and the 19 children he shares with his wife Michelle. Jim Bob and Michelle raised Amy's cousins with a rigid set of rules that included strict modesty standards, especially for the girls. Growing up, Jana, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joy Anna, and their sisters were not allowed to even wear pants or shorts. Dresses were expected to fall below the knee (Michelle even had her knees blurred when they've inadvertently appeared on camera), and necklines were expected to fall high up by the collarbone. Progress: Amy frequently showed off her growing bump while she was pregnant The secular one: Amy doesn't follow the same strict modesty standards as her cousins When necklines are lower and sleeves don't cover shoulders, the girls were expected to wear tank tops and T-shirts underneath their dresses. Clothing was also expected to fit loosely for example, tops are worn over the waist of skirts, rather than tucked in so as not to draw too much attention to the female figure. The given reasoning is that this is immodest and can be 'defrauding' to men and boys, who will be tempted sexually perhaps like sex pest oldest brother Josh, who has admitted to molesting four of his younger siblings, being unfaithful to his wife, and having a porn addiction. Since growing up, getting married, and moving out, two of the adult Duggar daughters have slightly widened their wardrobes: Jinger and Jill. Jinger now wears pants and waist-defining dresses, while Jill wears jeans, shorts, and even a nose ring. Natural: She also posed for this snap in a bra with her bare tummy when she was pregnant Normal: After giving birth, she posted a picture of herself enjoying some skin-to-skin contact with her son Real life: She also posted a candid shot of herself breastfeeding Daxton The Duggars haven't shared their thoughts on cousin Amy's wardrobe, though her new belly-baring pictures are hardly a departure for the more secular family member. Immediately after she gave birth, she shared a snap of herself enjoying some skin-to-skin contact with Daxton, holding over a semi-exposed chest. After, she shared another photo of herself breastfeeding her son. And back in July, she vacationed in Florida with her husband and shared several photos of herself in bikinis, putting the focus on her big pregnant belly. In one, nearly her whole body was buried in sand, with just her head and stomach poking through. In another, she cradles her bump, and in a third, she shoots herself from above, with her bump taking up most of the frame. Flashback: When she was pregnant, she showed off her bump in a bikini Fun in the sun: She shared the bathing suit shots on a trip to Florida with her husband Not like that: Amy's uncle Jim Bob and his wife Michelle raised her cousins with a rigid set of rules that included strict modesty standards, especially for the girls Yikes! Her cousins don't even go to the beach, lest the boys see women dressed this way Swimsuit time: If Amy's male cousins were here, they'd be expected to aver their eyes Her cousins don't even go to the beach, lest the boys see women dressed this way. 'We typically dont go to the beach in the summertime,' Michelle once told TLC. 'And in general we don't do a lot of swimming events where swimming suits are worn because it's just too hard for the guys to try to keep their eyes averted in those situations.' Michelle knows when she was a teenager, she used to mow the lawn in a bikini, but eventually decided that that was inappropriate. 'I mowed the lawn in a bikini and had no idea what I was doing to my neighbors husband across the street. No wonder the woman hated our family you know?'she told PopSugar in 2015. 'And, I think I had no clue as far as the responsibility I had in that the way I dressed caused men to have struggles.' Sopping wet: Amy's cousins including Jessa, left follow strict modesty standards and wear clothes while they swim Rebel Duggar: Amy has been known to wear bikinis, and once made a snarky comment about swimming in clothing But Amy who is the daughter of Jim Bob's older sister Deanna has no problem with normal swimwear. When asked about how she dresses differently from her cousins, she said: 'People write comments to me about wearing a bathing suit in the pool. I mean Im not going to wear scuba gear, or shorts and a t-shirt to swim in thats ridiculous in my mind.' It's not the only way Amy is different. She waited until she was in her 30s to start a family, and also spent some couple time without kids during her marriage while many of her adult cousins married in their late tees and early 20s and started having babies immediately. 'The kids are coming,' she told People in December 2018. 'Weve been practicing.' Her aunt and uncle have been outspoken against birth control, saying that they welcomed as many children as God saw fit to give them. Lawyers protesting for the establishment of an extra High Court bench in the state suspended their stir on Thursday. Currently, the Allahabad High Court has a bench in Lucknow and the lawyers are demanding that another one be set up either in Agra or Meerut to reduce the pendency of cases. Khandpeeth Sthapana Sangh convener Lalit Sharma said the protest has been suspended for now as it was felt that the agitation needed public support. The protest has been suspended to garner public support, Sharma added. Demanding an extra bench of the High court in Uttar Pradesh, advocates of Mathura had started their agitation on January 21. Sharma said for the past 40 years, the Bar Association has been observing weekly one-day strike but the government has not taken any steps in this direction. The only answer to reduce the pendency of cases is to set up an extra bench of the High Court in west UP, he concluded. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 11:11:28|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Security Council on Wednesday condemned the recent violence between the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities in the Kolom area of Abyei, a border town currently in the Abyei Area that is disputed by Sudan and South Sudan. "The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the recent violence between the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities in the Kolom area of Abyei, which resulted in the death of approximately 30 civilians, including children," according to a press statement issued by the Security Council. The members of the Security Council called for an immediate cessation of violence against civilians. "The members of the Security Council expressed their deepest condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims. The members of the Security Council wished a speedy recovery to those injured," said the statement. The Council members welcomed reports that the governments of Sudan and South Sudan committed to deescalate tensions and jointly investigate the violence. They called on the two sides to coordinate an investigation without delay with the assistance of United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) and stressed that those responsible must be held accountable. The Council members also encouraged the African Union, the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP), and the UN Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa to intensify their mediation roles with the governments of Sudan and South Sudan to establish temporary administrative and security arrangements for Abyei and to achieve a political solution for the status of Abyei. Ryanair has accepted the terms of a four-year labour agreement with pilots in Ireland that are represented by trade union Forsa. The budget airline was hit with industrial action and threats of unrest across swathes of its network over the past two years after it decided to recognise trade unions in late 2017. However, it has now reached agreements with unionised staff groups across a number of its territories. The agreement in Ireland came after tortuous negotiations that involved top mediator Kieran Mulvey. And while Ryanair has accepted the terms of the recommendations for the agreement, Forsa is still considering them. The union represents about 180 of Ryanair's Dublin-based pilots who are directly employed by the carrier. "Ryanair today confirmed that it had accepted before Christmas the recommendations of independent mediator Mr Kieran Mulvey on a four-year Collective Labour Agreement (CLA) with the pilot union Forsa, to cover all Ryanair's directly employed pilots in Ireland to 2024," the airline said in a statement. It added that the terms of the CLA will now be implemented, and include a new pay structure along with its five days on, four days off fixed roster. "Ryanair would like to thank Kieran Mulvey for his contribution and expertise in overseeing this mediation process which has now concluded," the statement said. Mr Mulvey helped to thrash out agreements that will see a new incremental pay scale for the pilots, as well as a change in how their pay is calculated based on fixed and variable compensation. Last August, Ryanair secured an injunction against Forsa, which is the parent union of the Irish Airline Pilots' Association (IALPA), preventing the Ryanair pilots it represents from staging a 48-hour strike. Ryanair then sued Forsa and a number of named pilots, including IALPA president Evan Cullen, claiming that it lost 13.7m as a result of the planned strike. The airline and the union subsequently returned to mediation under Mr Mulvey. However, the action by Ryanair against the union and pilots is listed to be up again in the Commercial Court this Friday. This week, Ryanair warned staff that continuing delays in the recertification of Boeing's troubled Max aircraft meant it may have to consider further base closures. Ryanair chief executive Eddie Wilson told staff that the carrier had hoped to have at least 10 Max-200 aircraft delivered during May and June when it published its summer schedule before Christmas. But Boeing now doesn't expect to have the Max jet recertified until mid-summer. Some industry executives think that even that timeline may be optimistic. Mr Wilson told staff in a memo that even if the aircraft - which was involved in two deadly crashes and then grounded all over the world - is recertified for use by June or July, Ryanair won't receive its first Max jet until September or October "at the earliest". He said that Ryanair will now "urgently review" its summer 2020 schedule to remove 10 aircraft. "Sadly, this means we cannot rule out further base cuts and closures," he said. "We will do our best to avoid any more base closures, but this will mean eliminating at least 10 aircraft from existing bases, and so further pilot and cabin crew job losses cannot be ruled out." Mr Wilson said that Ryanair is "doing our best" to minimise base closures in favour of base cuts and frequency reductions. There are about 4,500 Max aircraft on order with Boeing, Ryanair has ordered about 200 of the jets. Germany's Lufthansa Cancels All Flights to China Amid Coronavirus Outbreak Sputnik News 14:51 GMT 29.01.2020(updated 15:47 GMT 29.01.2020) The new coronavirus was first detected in China's city of Wuhan at the end of last year and quickly spread to other cities. According to the latest information, the virus has claimed the lives of 132 people, while over 6,000 people have been infected. Germany's Lufthansa plans to cancel all flights to China amid the coronavirus outbreak, Bild daily reported, citing sources in the company. Lufthansa has confirmed the report, adding that its own flights to and from China, as well as those operated by Swiss and Austrian Airlines, have been suspended until 9 February. In a separate development, American Airlines said it was suspending flights from Los Angeles to Shanghai and Beijing from 9 February through 27 March because of a decline in demand. Earlier in the day, British Airways announced it was suspending all direct flights to and from mainland China amid the spread of the new coronavirus. The UK is currently waiting for around 200 British passport holders airlifted from China to arrive on Thursday, UK Prime Minister Johnson's political spokesman said. London said it would quarantine them for two weeks. The novel type of coronavirus was first registered in China's Wuhan in late December and spread to other cities and abroad within a couple of weeks. The virus has claimed the lives of 132 people in China, while over 6,000 people have been infected, according to the country's National Health Commission. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A round 6,000 people have been detained on a cruise ship as tests are carried out on two Chinese passengers suspected of having the coronavirus. A spokesman for the Costa Crociere cruise company confirmed passengers on the vessel, which is near Rome, were being kept aboard today. The couple arrived in Italy on January 25 and boarded the ship, the Costa Smeralda, in the port of Savona that same day. They subsequently came down with a fever and are suffering breathing difficulties. 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 The liner has visited Marseilles in France as well as the Spanish ports of Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca this week before docking on Thursday at Civitavecchia, north of Rome. No one was being allowed off the ship while medical checks were carried out. Coronavirus: The confirmed cases around the world These will see if the pair had the potentially deadly coronavirus, the company spokesman said. He said it might take "a few hours" before the situation became clearer. The killer virus has claimed more than 100 lives and more than 7,000 have been infected by the virus in China. Coronavirus: Foreign Office warns against travel to China as UK nationals are set to return The infection has been found in every region of the nation. The coronavirus has infected nearly 8,000 people while the death toll has risen to 170. Passengers have been unable to leave the vessel / REUTERS The US and Japan have evacuated hundreds of their nationals from in and around the city of Wuhan, where the killer virus is thought to have originated and most of the fatalities have occurred. UK diplomats are still negotiating with Chinese authorities over a flight to evacuate British nationals stuck in the area, with millions of residents in China on lockdown, after a flight hoped to have left today postponed. The UK was working urgently with Chinese authorities on Thursday to ensure citizens in Wuhan can return on a flight as soon as possible, Downing Street has said. The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK. A number of countries flights have been unable to take off as planned including the British repatriation from Wuhan. We are working urgently with the Chinese authorities to ensure that the flight can take off as soon as possible. The flight is planned to touch down at a military base in the UK before passengers are taken to an NHS facility to be quarantined. But the plane has been prevented from leaving China because we havent got the necessary clearances and we are working with the Chinese authorities on securing those, the spokesman said. Listen to today's episode of The Leader: Tata Motors-owned (JLR) on Thursday posted revenues of 6.4 billion pounds in the quarter ending December 2019, marking a 2.8 per cent rise year-on-year. The UK-based luxury carmarker said that while its total retail sales fell 2.3 per cent, sales in China continued to recover by going up 24.3 per cent and sales in North America increased by 1.1 per cent. Its pre-tax profit increased to 318 million pounds in the last quarter, representing a 591 million pounds year-on-year improvement versus the 273 million pounds loss in the third quarter of last year. "In the third quarter sustained year-on-year revenue and profit growth as we continued to transform our business," said CEO Ralf Speth. "Conditions in the automotive industry remain challenging but we are encouraged by the recovery in our China business and the success of the new Range Rover Evoque. Our proactive and decisive actions are creating a more robust, resilient business, transforming today for tomorrow," he said, as it was also announced that he would be stepping down as CEO at the end of his contract this September. "Ralf developed from a niche UK centric manufacturer to a respected, technological leading, global premium company," said N Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, as he announced that Speth would be staying on with in the role of non-executive Vice-Chairman and also on the board of Tata Sons. "A search committee has been formed which will work with me to identify a suitable successor in the coming months," Chandrasekaran said. Meanwhile, said its Project Charge transformation programme has reduced operating costs by 154 million pounds, investment by 200 million pounds, and inventories by 405 million pounds in the previous quarter. This brings the total cost and cashflow improvements to 2.9 billion pounds, exceeding the 2.5 billion pounds target three months ahead of schedule. The company has now embarked on 'Project Charge +', the next phase of Project Charge, which will primarily target cost savings and deliver a further 1.1 billion pounds of cost and cashflow improvements for a total of 4 billion pounds of improvements by March 2021. JLR, the UK's largest car manufacturer, had announced thousands of job cuts over the previous year and earlier this year as part of its cost-cutting drive. The company said that despite the many challenges being faced by the automotive industry worldwide, Jaguar Land Rover continues to expect improved profitability and cashflow for the financial year ending 31 March 2020 but warned that coronavirus outbreak in China could have some impact on the profit outlook for the year. Punjab Police's Cyber Crime Cell achieved big success in busting a hi-tech multi-crore Bank fraud racket operating across the state. The fraudster siphoned off the account money in five Bank accounts opened on fake identities and later on withdrew the cash through ATMs and self cheques. Disclosing this here today, a spokesperson of Bureau of Investigation said that Vijay Kumar, Location Manager Investigation, Risk Intelligence and Control Unit, HDFC Bank submitted an application on December 30, 2019, alleging a fraud of around Rs 2 crore from a bank account of the HDFC Bank in a tech-savvy manner. He further said the modus operandi was that the fraudsters very shrewdly changed the Email IDs and mobile numbers registered with the bank account of the victim to identical mobile numbers and email Id thereby updating their own mobile number and e-mail id in the targeted account hence becoming the virtual controllers of that account. "All the money withdrawals were done by the fraudsters through ATM cards and cheques thereby leaving no trail for the Police to follow. Moreover, the Mobile used were made functional only during the operation and remained non-accessible thereafter", the spokesperson said in a statement. During the further course of the investigation, it was found that the racket was operating from Ludhiana and consisted of at least three persons. Two of them were arrested on January, 28, while one managed to escape. "From the arrested accused, Rs. 10,00,000/- which was deposited in their own accounts have been recovered and more recoveries will be affected soon", officials said. Both the above said arrested accused were produced in the Court of Judicial Magistrate and have been remanded in the five-day custody. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ireland is facing a fresh Brexit cliff edge with the UK formally leaving the European Union tomorrow night at 11pm, Tanaiste Simon Coveney has warned. We will have to make some very difficult choices before the summer because the European Union has already indicated that there is no way that a full future relationship agreement that involves free trade agreements can be completed by the end of the year, there is no chance, he said yesterday. Mr Coveney said he and the Government are not seeking to scare people but said he has to be honest about the new threats the country faces. Irelands EU commissioner Phil Hogan warned the most difficult days lie ahead and he called on people to wake up from their slumber and realise the threat facing the country. There were highly emotional scenes as the European Parliament overwhelmingly passed the Withdrawal Agreement, by 621 votes to 49, clearing the way for the formal legal departure to take place tomorrow. After the vote was taken, hundreds of Remainer MEPs broke out into a stirring rendition of Auld Lang Syne with its pointed opening line of Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? In Dublin, the Cabinet met for the last time before the general election, and were briefed by Mr Coveney and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and warned of the stark consequences of the UKs decision. At Cabinet, Mr Coveney warned Irelands frictionless trade with the UK will end on December 31, and the country is facing a cliff-edge fall into tarriff-laden trade. He said this is because the UK has made it clear it will not seek an extension to the Brexit transition period, which will kick in once Britain leaves the EU. He highlighted key concerns to his ministerial colleagues: Transition arrangements: It is accepted at EU level, the UK are very unlikely to seek an extension to transition period. Because of the timeline, the UK has put itself in a straightjacket, and the EU approach will be tailored to that timeline, he said. Moving very quickly to the next phase, he said the Government is ready for what comes after 11pm Friday. He said the EU will publish its draft mandate as early as Monday. It is accepted at EU level, the UK are very unlikely to seek an extension to transition period. Because of the timeline, the UK has put itself in a straightjacket, and the EU approach will be tailored to that timeline, he said. Moving very quickly to the next phase, he said the Government is ready for what comes after 11pm Friday. He said the EU will publish its draft mandate as early as Monday. Difficult choices: The EU has concluded that there is no chance a full deal can be done by the end of the year, he warned. He said the challenge is how do we as a country limit the damage. We will be looking at how do we avoid falling into a WTO scenario, how do we avoid the cliff edge, he said. The EU has concluded that there is no chance a full deal can be done by the end of the year, he warned. He said the challenge is how do we as a country limit the damage. We will be looking at how do we avoid falling into a WTO scenario, how do we avoid the cliff edge, he said. Contingency planning: He warned enormous damage will be done if we do not get as frictionless trade as possible. The status quo is not achieveable in any scenario. He said preparations will have to continue to make Dublin Port and Rosslare fully ready for Brexit. He warned enormous damage will be done if we do not get as frictionless trade as possible. The status quo is not achieveable in any scenario. He said preparations will have to continue to make Dublin Port and Rosslare fully ready for Brexit. The NI protocol: He said the imperative will be to ensure the Government implements what has been agreed to avoid a hard border. He said that will involve checks between the UK and the North. To make that work, the North will have to operate to EU customs code and single market rules, he said Mr Coveney said: The approach to the negotiations from the EU will be tailored to that time and that will force choices, but it will also force a very intense negotiation very quickly. On Monday, the commission will publish their draft negotiating mandate, that will need to be approved by EU leaders on February 25, and that mandate will be wide ranging, he said. In Brussels, there were testy exchanges between parliament vice-president Mairead McGuinness and Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage who along with his colleagues flouted the rules by waving Union Jack flags before they left. To loud applause, Ms McGuinnness gave them short shrift by saying: Put your flags away, youre leaving... and take them with you... goodbye! Bike-hailing operators have described the ban of tricycles, motorcycles from operating in 15 local government as insensitive. Reacting to the ban, Gokada and Max,ng made known that they were not consulted before the decision was taken. They said their fear was that millions of dollars worth of investment would be lost and peoples sources of income would be blocked. While speaking during a press conference, the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of MAX, Adetayo Bamiduro said the company had been fully complying with the laws guiding the operations of commercial motorcycles in the state. He said that despite making two million trips, the companys riders had not recorded any fatalities. Bamiduro explained that the company was established in accordance with the requirements of the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law 2018, which restricts motorcycles from operating on major highways in the state but however makes an exception for motorcycles with engine capacity above 200cc. He said the companys motorcycle engines were all 220cc, a 10% premium above the regulatory requirement. We are also fully compliant with the requirement of the law prohibiting the operation of motorcycles without rider and passenger helmets, carrying more than one passenger, comprehensive insurance, in addition to other safety-related violations. ALSO READ: Rumpus as Lagos Task Force raids commercial motorcycles, trikes ahead of Feb 1 ban This blanket directive extending the ban to commercial ride-hailing operators is therefore not in accordance with the extant law which guides us as a legal business. To keep them safe physically and mentally, our drivers are provided with smartphones, accident insurance, two helmets, branded clothing and first aid equipment. Both drivers and passengers have accident insurance and the drivers, in addition, have functional HMOs, Bamiduro said in a Punch report. Also speaking on the ban, the Pilot Operations Manager at Gokada, Victor Daminabo noted that the company was also fully compliant with the provisions of the law prohibiting the operations of motorcycles without rider and passenger helmets, amongst others. We are also fully compliant with the requirements of the law prohibiting the operations of motorcycles without rider and passenger helmets, carrying more than one passenger, comprehensive insurance etc. In addition to being fully compliant with the relevant laws, we have also in the course of our constant engagements with the government, demonstrated that we have the infrastructure and investments to address all safety and security concerns regarding the operations of motorcycles in the state, he said. By Express News Service KANNUR: The Kannur Collectorate has got three applications seeking citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, said District Collector TV Subhash. The applicants had applied on the website of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), in addition to sending three hard copies each of their applications to the collectorate. Question 7A of the form asks the applicants: "Do you belong to one of the minority communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, namely Hindu, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians? If Yes, Please specify." The question is clearly based on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019, as pointed out by Vinod ER, the lawyer for one of the applicants and a former government pleader. According to him, however, there were two issues with the question. "Firstly, the question has been introduced before the rules under the Act have been framed. Forms are governed by rules," he said. "Secondly, the application does not ask for any documentary evidence to prove the religion of the applicant. This is because only the rules will decide on the documents required," he said. "Either the government was in a hurry to bring in the amendment, or it was trying to do so on the sly," he added. As of now, the application form for citizenship (Form 6) is governed by the Citizenship Rules framed in 2009. Vinods client is an 18-year-old Malayali Muslim boy from Kannur. While his father is an Indian citizen by birth, his mother (a Malayali) was born in Pakistan. The teen was also born in Pakistan, in 2002. The family relocated to their ancestral home in Kannur in 2008. After six years, his mother was granted Indian citizenship in 2014. "My client has the Overseas Indian Citizen card. But now that he has turned 18, he wanted to apply for Indian citizenship," said Vinod. Vinod said though Muslims from Pakistan were excluded from the amendment, it would not be disadvantageous for his client. He, however, said the form exposed the hollow stance of politicians on implementing the CAA. "As part of the procedure, three hard copies of the applications had to be submitted to the collectorates secret section," he said. One of the forms will be sent to the District Police Chief for applicant verification, the second copy will be sent to the state Home department, and the third copy will be kept at the collectorate. Senior Congress leaders had already said that the states could not stop the implementation of the CAA, but could only protest against it. The juggernaut Smith, previously of the 3900 block of West Flournoy Street, and two other men are accused of following a Wheaton couple to their residence on the night of Feb. 22, 2017. Smith and Carlos Moore, both wearing masks, allegedly accosted the couple at gunpoint in their garage and demanded the keys to the car. The trio left with the vehicle and were later able to elude police in a chase after the car was spotted. It was later recovered in a Chicago parking lot, authorities said. A KFC restaurant has installed security glass to protect staff from violent customers. Customers at the Alfreton Road branch on the outskirts of Nottingham have to pick up their chicken through the unsightly barrier that covers most of the serving area. Regular diners described the screen as a 'sign of the times' and said although they feel like being 'served at a bank' it doesn't put them off eating there. Customers at the Alfreton Road branch on the outskirts of Nottingham have to pick up their chicken through the unsightly barrier that covers most of the serving area The fast food giant has previously done the same in crime-ravaged Detroit in the USA but it is understood to be the first time they have done so in Britain. Earlier this week a store in Birmingham was branded as 'Britain's roughest' after putting up protective security wiring to prevent workers from being attacked. But the security measures in Nottingham, previously dubbed 'Shottingham' due to the high levels of gun crime, are even more stringent. A KFC spokesman said the glass was not new but had been at the store since it was established. Father-of-one Connor Turley, 33, a fencer, from Hyson Green, Nottingham, said: 'I use this place quite a lot and didn't realise it was unusual. 'I guess they have to think of the safety of their staff, which around this area is a good idea as it's a bit rough around the edges. It's a sign of the times we are living in unfortunately.' KFC has refused to comment on the reasons behind taking the security measure at the Nottingham store Student Laura Horrocks, 21, from Hockley, said: 'It doesn't put me off, but I try not to come here at night. 'Nottingham isn't as bad as it was for gun crime but it still has a pretty bad reputation.' Tim Brown, 44, an insurance worker, from Aspley, also accepted the measure could be justified. 'It must be quite unsettling to work behind... but I understand why is there,' he said. 'You can never be too careful these days but I've never seen it anywhere else. It's like ordering your food at a bank or a petrol station after hours.' One staff member at the store said: 'It's been like it for a while. There's not been any incidents since I worked here, but it's there to keep us safe.' On Monday another KFC hit the headlines after they installed a wire grille across the counter of its Chelmsley Wood store near Birmingham following a series of attacks On Monday another KFC hit the headlines after they installed a wire grille across the counter following a series of attacks. The Chelmsley Wood restaurant near Birmingham had seen staff members assaulted by intruders who jumped over the counter as well as several fights breaking out. A KFC spokesman said at the time: 'We're sorry for any issues caused by the barriers, but these have been put up for the safety of our team members.' MailOnline has asked KFC for more comment about the more recent case. GARY Police are investigating after a man says he was robbed while trying to sell his iPhone through the online sales phone app, LetGo. The victim told police he went at about 6:50 p.m. Wednesday to the Pilot gas station, 2501 Burr St., in Gary to meet someone and sell his cellphone, according to Gary Police Lt. Dawn Westerfield. Once a factory reset was performed on the phone, the potential buyer displayed a gun and demanded the phone, Westerfield said. The victim handed over the phone with no further incident. The suspect was described as approximately 6 feet, 1 inch tall with short dreads, police said. Police ask anyone with information to call the Gary Police Department at 219-881-7300. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 2 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. In November 2017, CNBC had booked Hugo Shong, a prominent Chinese venture capitalist, to talk about bilateral business relations between the United States and China, as the first year of President Donald Trump's tenure was nearing a close. Trump was on a 12-day tour through Asia, his second major international trip since taking office. On the agenda during his two-day stop in Beijing: bilateral meetings with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Kequiang; a "meet-and-greet" with U.S. Embassy staff; a speech and business event at the Great Hall of the People; and a receiving line at a state dinner. What wasn't on the White House or State Department agendas: a meeting with private equity investors convened by Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and senior advisor, and U.S. Ambassador Terry Branstad. During our conversation with Shong at the time, he revealed he had accepted the administration's invitation for Chinese investors to offer advice in a small-group forum with the two U.S. officials as they worked to outline the administration's policy. White House Senior adviser Jared Kushner attends bilateral meetings held by U.S. President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People on November 9, 2017 in Beijing, China. Thomas Peter | Getty Images "Both sides, of course, realize we have challenges," Shong said of the meeting's tenor, in our two-person interview setup in the lobby of the China World hotel. "From the investment point of view, I can see both sides can benefit a lot for the future investment opportunities." The meeting and its guest list, according to two U.S. officials who spoke to CNBC after this story was first published, was arranged by Wendi Deng Murdoch, a longtime friend of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. According to the officials, who requested anonymity to discuss the meeting, the event was a "casual lunch" at which no official business government or personal was discussed. At the time of the meeting, the Kushner family was under fire for its pursuit of overseas investors while Jared Kushner occupied a senior role advising the president on foreign policy ranging from Middle East peace to trade with China and Mexico. Kushner reported divesting his stake in the family company, and his siblings took the reins of the business and its search for foreign investment. The site of the One Journal Square luxury apartment project stands in Jersey City on May 9, 2017 in Jersey City, New Jersey. Getty Images In the months immediately prior to the meeting, Kushner's sister Nicole Kushner Meyer referred to Jared at an event urging wealthy Chinese investors to buy $500,000 visas to come to the United States and participate in an upcoming New Jersey project. The Washington Post and New York Times reported that investors at the Beijing sales pitch saw Jared Kushner's celebrity status as a draw. Meyer later issued a formal apology, saying it was not her intention to use Jared to "lure investors." And then there was 666 Fifth Ave., the Kushner Companies' marquee New York property, with $1.4 billion in debt coming due and a search for a new owner coming up empty. In 2016, the company was forced to abandon a deal to sell a stake to China's Anbang Insurance amid concerns of a conflict of interest, should Trump win the White House. In August 2018, Qatar-backed Brookfield Properties announced it would pay upfront for a 99-year lease on the building, erasing the Kushner Companies' financial troubles. Traffic passes outside 666 Fifth Avenue in New York. Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Images People walk around Lao Cai border gate between Vietnam's Lao Cai Province and China's Yunnan. Photo by VnExpress/Kim Anh. A general hospital in Lao Cai Province near the Chinese border has placed 10 Vietnamese experiencing high fever under quarantine for coronavirus tests. The patients, coughing and suffering chest pains, were hospitalized from Sunday to Thursday after returning to Lao Cai from trading in China. All were subsequently quarantined and placed under observation, with blood samples sent for testing to determine whether their symptoms were related to a new coronavirus (nCoV) that started sickening people in Wuhan, China, last December. On Thursday morning, one patient tested negative for the nCoV virus, with five others have recovered from high fever. The remainder are still being closely monitored. The virus has spread from mainland China to Hong Kong, Macao, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan, Australia, the U.S., South Korea, France, Germany, Canada, Vietnam, UAE, Nepal, Cambodia and Sri Lanka. Chinese authorities said 170 people had died of the disease as of Thursday morning. The number of confirmed infections has topped 7,700. The Lao Cai tourism department Monday asked local travel companies to temporarily halt trips to and from China via its land border to prevent the spread of the deadly virus. To avoid the disease from spreading, some border gates in Lao Cai and the nearby Lang Son Province will remain closed till February 8. Lao Cai, home to popular tourist town Sa Pa, shares its northern border with China's Yunnan Province. No Vietnamese has contracted the new coronavirus yet, with the two confirmed victims being Chinese nationals. Li Zichao, 28, one of two, recovered by Tuesday morning. But his father remains on a ventilator, doctors at Cho Ray Hospital in HCMC said Wednesday. The government has deployed various measures to combat the virus, including keeping out tourists from Chinas epidemic-hit areas and quarantining Chinese workers returning to Vietnam after Tet. As of Thursday Vietnam reported 97 suspected cases with signs of fever and coughing, all from affected areas. Of these, 32 are in quarantine pending test results. A perceptive article posted on the website of the Neue Zurcher Zeitung, the German-language daily newspaper published in Zurich, Switzerland, raises troubling questions about the trial of Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein on rape and sexual assault charges, currently under way in New York City. Journalist Sarah Pines, in Weinstein trial: Believe the one who shouts Wolf! loudest, paints a highly (and legitimately) unflattering portrait of the American media. She indicts in particular its refusal to adhere to the legal principle that both sides should be heard. She takes note of the deliberately selective treatment of the Weinstein trial in the media, and the latters general refusal to inform the public about facts and defense arguments that call into question the validity of the allegations against the once powerful producer. Reporters look on as Harvey Weinstein, center, arrives to court after a break on the first day of jury selection of his sexual assault trial, in New York, January 7, 2020 [Credit: AP Photo/Seth Wenig] Pines article is disgracefully rare. We are not in a position to pronounce on Weinsteins guilt or innocence, but we do know beyond the shadow of a doubt that important sections of the American political and media establishment are determined to see him locked away. Actress Annabella Sciorra was the first witness in the ongoing trial to accuse Weinstein of sexual assault, although the alleged incident lies beyond the statute of limitations. Sciorra asserts that Weinstein raped her at her apartment in late 1993 or early 1994. The purpose of her testimony from the prosecutions point of view is to try to show a pattern of predatory behavior. In her piece, Pineswho is attending the trial in Manhattancomments on certain issues that came out in defense attorney Donna Rotunnos cross-examination, for example, that Sciorra was still involved in Weinstein productions decades after the incident, although, as she claimed in court, she feared for her life whenever Weinstein was near her. Indeed, the defense highlighted August 2017 Instagram communications to a friend in which Sciorra said she was more broke than [she] ever imagined and added, Im hoping Harvey has a job for me. After this job-seeking effort failed, Pines writes, In October 2017 Sciorra went to the press with the rape accusation. The Neue Zurcher Zeitung article continues, In court her [Sciorras] story reveals breaks, incoherences and gaps in memory [for example, she could not recall the date or even the year of the alleged rape]. None of this could be found in the national and international press in the days that followed, just as there was hardly any mention of the video clip in which Sciorra admits [to talk show host David Letterman in 1997] she enjoys lying. Indeed, the media coverage of Sciorras appearance was one-sided and biased in the extreme. One striking example of this prejudicial character is Chris Francescanis January 24 article on the ABC News website. Sciorra, writes Francescani, testified in wrenching detail about the night nearly 30 years ago that she said the disgraced Hollywood producer violently raped her at her apartment. Francescani goes on, remarkably, In the course of several hours of often tense cross-examination, Rotunno tried repeatedly to impeach Sciorras credibility, with virtually no success. Each time Rotunno appeared to have laid a rhetorical trap for Sciorra, the actress struck back, turning the tables on the line of questioning and forcing Rotunno to move on. An Associated Press story, widely reproduced, asserts that actress Annabella Sciorra confronted Harvey Weinstein from the witness stand Thursday, testifying that the former Hollywood studio boss overpowered and raped her. The use of the loaded word confronted already implies the guilt of the accused. In a quivering voice, the AP continues, Sciorra told the jury that the burly Weinstein barged into her apartment in the mid-1990s, threw her on a bed and forced himself on her as she tried to fight him off by kicking and punching him. CNN adds: In emotional testimony with vivid detail, actress Annabella Sciorra said Thursday that Harvey Weinstein barged into her apartment 25 years ago and raped her. That Sciorra spoke in a quivering voice or that her testimony was emotional and full of vivid detail has absolutely no bearing on the truth or falsity of her accountit is a cynical and transparent effort to play on the heartstrings of the public. Weinsteins defense pointed out that the subsequent witness, Miriam Mimi Haley (who recently changed her name from Haleyi), who accuses Weinstein of assaulting her in 2006, also kept in touch with Weinstein for years. One has to search the American media to find these details, included by the Hollywood Reporter: Haley decided to continue having a professional relationship with Weinstein, and continued to communicate with him regarding work opportunities. Haley later met with him in London to pitch him an idea she had and, a few years later, emailed him to say that she was becoming a yoga teacher. After Haleys prosecution testimony concluded, she was cross-examined by defense attorney Damon Cheronis, who pointed out that Haley saw Weinstein at Cannes in 2008, two years after the alleged assaults. She called him that same year and signed a 2008 email to Weinstein, Lots of Love, Miriam. In an entry for the three days in late July 2006 that followed an undesired [according to Haleys testimony] sexual encounter with Weinstein, Haley had drawn hearts on her calendar. Numerous other publications, even more heavily invested in the #MeToo campaign, do not even go through the motions of referring to the defense cross-examination of Sciorra and Haley. Salon, for example, fails to even refer to the defense questioning, as does The Cut in New York magazine, which simply reports on The Harrowing Testimonies of Harvey Weinsteins Accusers. Pines in the Neue Zurcher Zeitung is entirely within her rights in observing, He raped me, Victory for #MeToothese or similar ones are the last few days headlines; they are the starting points for predictable coverage that produces yawns and concern at the same time. The truth, or its closest possible approximation, consists less than ever in unbiased portrayals or an all-inclusive narrative, but in the tendentious, dramatically one-sided. Who is to be believed? Whoever shouts Wolf! the loudest. The journalists description of the media covering the Weinstein trial is especially damning. It is worth citing at length: Every day 70 journalists sit in the courtroom, most of them from the American media, only a few from abroad. They are always the same faces, mostly young and female. The days devoted to questioning witnesses begin with the prosecutions side, which understandably tries to portray Weinstein in a bad light. But after the prosecutions questioning concludes, some of the journalists get up and dont return. Why also report on the defense case? Why raise doubts about the womens narrative? Even newspapers that didnt send reporters to the Manhattan Supreme Court serve readers spoon-fed, tendentious stuff without any pretense of neutrality. In the courtroom itself, the journalists hardly ever look up from their laptops to study the facial expressions of those involved, to capture the dynamics, to give room to intuition. When Sciorra theatrically raises her arms above her head to demonstrate how Weinstein held her down, the clacking of the keyboards swells up like an approaching swarm of locusts. Pines concludes her recent piece, under the subhead Women are not only victims, with a passage that a female journalist perhaps writes more effectively, Women can lie, calculate, take stone-cold revenge, just like men. Is the notion so unbearable? For its part, the media coverage is quite content with images stressing female weakness. Headlines and trial reports, written thousands of times by commentators who have not spent a minute in the courtroom, then spread millions of times on social media, show the weaker sex in close-up: weeping and confused. In a previous article, Pines asked whether a fair trial for Weinstein was still possible given the anger and hatred on display, noting that the trials infrastructural difficulties and the media commotion make disturbingly clear how much US society has changed. The perpetrator-victim structure is becoming increasingly pronounced, and the rule of lawthe presumption of innocence, the work of a lawyer, the right to legal counselis being called into question, if not undermined. In the tedious sameness and near hysteria of its tone, in its vindictiveness and law-and-order cruelty, in its contempt for the rights of the accused and general hostility toward democratic principles, in its sophistic claims that sexual assault cases require a relaxation of standards by which guilt or innocence is determined, the US media coverage of the Weinstein trial is a spectacle of ignorance and reaction. Why is it that a respectable, conservative Swiss newspaper is able to publish truthful, thoughtful articles about the Weinstein case, and the American media produces almost nothing but dishonest, partial rubbish? As Pines suggests, one must seek the answer in how much US society has changed. The corrupt, wealthy media and its representatives, morally owned lock, stock and barrel by giant conglomerates, has one point of departure and one watchword above all: the defense of the wealth and privileges of the American elite. The #MeToo campaign and identity politics generally have become vital to the Democratic Party wing of the establishment for a number of reasons: to divert attention from the social disaster and the danger of war and fascism, to ensure that mass opposition to the hated Donald Trump does not take on radical and left-wing colors, to divide as much as possible the population along gender and racial lines, to block the development of independent working-class politics in response to the crisis of capitalism and to enrich and empower the upper-middle-class layers who feed from the racialist and gender-obsessed trough. One fact stands out unmistakably: the matter of Weinsteins culpability or otherwise is of the least interest to the people actually conducting and sensationalizing the case. He is simply a pawn in a larger political and social game. [January 29, 2020] Kumar Ritesh, Founder and CEO of CYFIRMA, Accepted Into Forbes Technology Council Kumar Ritesh, Founder and CEO of CYFIRMA, a predictive cyber-threat visibility and intelligence analytics platform company backed by Goldman Sachs and Zodius Capital, has been accepted into Forbes Technology Council, an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs, and technology executives. Ritesh was vetted and selected by a review committee based on the depth and diversity of his experience, proven a track record of successfully impacting business growth metrics, as well as personal and professional achievements. He spent the first half of his career as the head of a cyber-intelligence agency, gaining first-hand cyber threats and risks insights on a global scale before transitioning into the commercial arena as a senior executive for multi-national corporations. Ritesh has a strong track record of developing successful cybersecurity strategies, products, policies, standards, and solutions, in addition to running complex cybersecurity programs. He has developed prototypes for data loss prevention, social profile risk assessment, web content assessment management, intelligence-led cyber risk management, and adaptive cyber threat intelligence tools. He is also the co-inventor of several patented technologies. "We are honored to welcome Ritesh into the community," said Scott Gerber, founder of Forbes Councils, the collective that includes Forbes Technology 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 a member of the Council, Ritesh will collaborate with other industry eaders in the areas of digital transformation, organizational resiliency and cybersecurity. He will also 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. "Responsible and sustainable growth can only be achieved when government and business adopt resilient measures to create a safe space for commerce and communities to thrive. Cyber-attacks and security breaches will derail these growth plans. Organizations must utilize reliable cyber-intelligence to devise effective security strategies to protect people and assets," said Ritesh. "CYFIRMA's cyber threat intelligence platform provide real-time insights, threat visibility, and situational awareness so that proactive actions can be taken to prevent financial, infrastructural and reputational damage. Our predictive capability gives organizations deep insights that correlate data, providing valuable context to every threat, and increasing accuracy of threat alerts. I look forward to sharing our vision of building a safer society with all council members, Forbes readers and the wider business community." 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 Technology Council, visit forbestechcouncil.com. To learn more about Forbes Councils, visit forbescouncils.com. ABOUT CYFIRMA Headquartered in Singapore and Tokyo, CYFIRMA is a leading Predictive Cyber Threat Visibility & Intelligence Platform company. Its cloud-based AI and ML-powered Cyber Intelligence Analytics Platform helps organizations proactively identify potential threats at the planning stage of cyberattacks, offers deep insights into their cyber landscape, and amplifies preparedness by keeping the organization's cybersecurity posture up-to-date, resilient, and ready against upcoming attacks. CYFIRMA works with many Fortune 500 companies. The company has offices and teams located in Singapore, Tokyo, and India. Official websites: https://www.cyfirma.com/ https://www.cyfirma.jp/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200129005307/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar on Thursday said his party is willing to join hands with the Shiv Sena to form government in Maharashtra if its "natural ally" comes up with a proposal in this regard. In November last year, the Shiv Sena snapped ties with the BJP, its long-standing ally, and joined hands with the Congress and the NCP, its ideological opponents, to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. Sena president Uddhav Thackeray is now chief minister of the MVA coalition. Mungantiwar, who was finance minister in the erstwhile Devendra Fadnavis cabinet, said if the Sena realises its "mistake" of walking out of the saffron alliance, the BJP is ready for a patch up. "If tomorrow the Sena comes to us saying it was a 'mistake' to part ways and proposes to form government, the BJP will have no objection in accepting the Sena's proposal," he said and described the Thackeray-led party as the BJP's "natural ally". "The BJP has no problem in forming government with any party that adopts the line of thinking of (Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji to protect this country," Mungantiwar said. "If the Sena comes with a proposal -- chalo der aaye, durust aaye... (better late than never) subhah ka bhoola sham ko laut aayaa...(one who realises his mistake) then the BJP will have no objection in accepting the Sena's proposal," he said. Mungantiwar was speaking on the sidelines of an event in Nanded district of central Maharashtra. The former state BJP president also took a dig at the Sena leadership for joining hands with the Congress. "The Congress' support to the Sena for government formation is a wonder of 21st century. With it, Mumbai's once strong Matoshree (Thackeray's home in suburban Bandra) has now weakened, but Delhi-based Matoshree (a reference to interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi) has become stronger," he said. "Both the parties -- the Sena and the Congress -- have different principles and stand on issues. They do not match at all. Congress leader Ashok Chavan has admitted both the parties came together on the demand of Muslims to keep the BJP away from power," said Mungantiwar. Meanwhile, speaking in Aurangabad, Chavan, who is a minister in the Sena-led government, said Mungantiwar was "dreaming" and thinks he is still in government. He was replaying to queries from reporters about Mungantiwar's comments on forming government with the Sena. "Mungantiwar has a habit of dreaming. But our government is working smoothly," said Chavan, a former chief minister. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Several people including Swaraj India president Yogendra Yadav and activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan were stopped by the police when they were marching towards the Rajghat to mark the Martyr's Day, the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, on Thursday. Protestors from different location were going to the Rajghat where they planned to form a human chain to register their protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Students of Jamia Millia Islamia University were also stopped by the police. "Prashant Bhushan, myself and about 50 protesters have been detained from Delhi Gate. We were just standing with national flag and singing the national anthem. "Police confirmed: no 144 in force, served us no order. Yet dragged and pushed into bus. Being taken to unknown destination," Yadav tweeted in the evening. Those who still managed to reach Rajghat formed a human chain and observed a one-minute silence at 5.17 pm, the time when Mahatma Gandhi was shod dead. Holding a banner, that read "No NRC, No CAA and No NPR", they paid tribute to Gandhiji and sang national anthem. CPI (M) leader Brinda Karat, who also participated in the human chain along with Sitaram Yechruy, slammed the Delhi Police for failing to file an FIR against Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma for their alleged incendiary remarks, and also "not taking" action in the Jamia incident. "Anurag Thakur's call for 'Goli Maro' was implemented by his supporters who came to shoot at Jamia students and when we have come here to pay tribute to the father of the nation, we have been prevented," she said. She added that hundreds of people who came to support could not reach since three metro stations in the vicinity were closed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) He claimed that a vote for BJP in the February 8 polls will ensure the security of Delhi and the country. New Delhi: Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday said that the Delhi Assembly polls are a contest between Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who eliminated terrorists through surgical strikes inside Pakistan, and those supporting the Shaheen Bagh protest. Seeking votes for BJP during an election meeting at Bhatti Mines in Sanjay Colony (Chhatarpur), Mr Shah said refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan have as much right over the country as its other citizens. Two forces are face-to-face in the Assembly elections in Delhi. While on the one side is Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who eliminated terrorists through air and surgical strikes inside Pakistan, on the other hand there are those supporting Shaheen Bagh. You have to decide whom to support. He claimed that a vote for BJP in the February 8 polls will ensure the security of Delhi and the country. Shaheen Bagh in Southeast Delhi has emerged as the epicentre of the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in the country. A large number of women protesters have taken the centre stage at the protest in Shaheen Bagh since mid-December last year. Attacking senior AAP leader and deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, Mr Shah said BJP was with the thousands of Pakistani refugees living in Delhis Sanjay Colony. Sisodia said I am with Shaheen Bagh. Now I am saying we are with Sanjay Colony. I want to say to dalits, who came from Pakistan and settled in Sanjay Colony, that you have as much right over this country as my son and I do, he said. The home minister attacked AAP and Congress for opposing the CAA, which was meant for providing citizenship to minorities like Hindus, Sikhs, and Buddhists persecuted in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. Mr Shah asserted that the vote of Delhi people on February 8 will not only replace the Kejriwal government but also ensure victory of those who worship Mother India. It will not only change the Kejriwal government, but also defeat an ideology. Formation of the BJP government in Delhi will preserve the ideology of worshipping Bharat Mata, he said. Mr Shah also credited Prime Minister Modi with finding solutions to issues like Ram temple and Article 370 and accused AAP and Congress of opposing BJP fearing backlash from their vote bank. He promised that the Ayushman Bharat health scheme of the Modi government will be implemented in Delhi within hours of BJP forming the government here. Sendy, a Nairobi, Kenya-based logistics startup providing a delivery solution for business, raised $20m in Series B funding. The round was led by Atlantica Ventures, with participation from Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Asia Africa Investment, Sunu Capital, Enza Capital, Vested World and Kepple Capital. The company intends to use the funds to continue to grow operations, develop the platform and expand its reach to West Africa in 2020. Co-founded in 2015 by CEO Mesh Alloys, Evanson Biwott, Don Okoth and Malaika Judd, Sendy provides an on-demand platform that links clients to drivers and vehicles for delivery of goods. A mobile app manages drivers for deliveries, generating metrics and handling payments. Clients include Unilever, DHL, Maersk, Safaricom and Jumia, among others. The company currently has offices in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and features over 5,000 drivers on its system. FinSMEs 30/01/2020 Warner Bros.' new DC Comics adaptation Birds of Prey has screened for the first wave of critics, and the reactions are overwhelmingly positive. While the first full reviews won't be published until February 5, two days before Birds of Prey hits theaters February 7, the first reactions from several critics on Twitter and Instagram have surfaced. Many critics have been comparing the Warner Bros./DC movie to Deadpool, since they are both over-the-top in outrageous ways and they're both R-rated. Positive: Warner Bros.' new DC Comics adaptation Birds of Prey has screened for the first wave of critics, and the reactions are overwhelmingly positive Deadpool comparison: Many critics have been comparing the Warner Bros./DC movie to Deadpool, since they are both over-the-top in outrageous ways and they're both R-rated IGN critic Laura Prudom gushed that Birds of Prey, 'is a riot - oozing with attitude and some of the most inventive, bone-crunching fight sequences in the superhero genre to date. She admitted that she had, 'low expectations' for the film but was, 'pleasantly surprised,' though she added it, 'doesn't reinvent the wheel, but has style to spare.' Los Angeles Times critic Katie Walsh calls the movie, 'totally campy and brutal carnival ride, a colorful cheeky blast,' while throwing her support behind Ewan McGregor for a Best Supporting Actor nomination. Reaction: IGN critic Laura Prudom gushed that Birds of Prey, 'is a riot - oozing with attitude and some of the most inventive, bone-crunching fight sequences in the superhero genre to date Low expectations: She admitted that she had, 'low expectations' for the film but was, 'pleasantly surprised,' though she added it, 'doesn't reinvent the wheel, but has style to spare' Campy: Los Angeles Times critic Katie Walsh calls the movie, 'totally campy and brutal carnival ride, a colorful cheeky blast,' while throwing her support behind Ewan McGregor for a Best Supporting Actor nomination Mashable critic Angie J. Han had a more mixed reaction, stating that Birds of Prey featured, 'winning characters, above-average action, and a killer soundtrack hampered by uneven tone and pacing.' She added that the girls are,' at their best together, and they're not together enough,' and that Mary Elizabeth Winstead's Huntress, 'is the not-so-secret MVP.' Fandango's Erik Davis said the biggest highlight of Birds of Prey was Margot Robbie, who is 'fantabulous as Harley, while also proving that sometimes our most valued relationships are the ones we have w/ good food.' Mixed: Mashable critic Angie J. Han had a more mixed reaction, stating that Birds of Prey featured, 'winning characters, above-average action, and a killer soundtrack hampered by uneven tone and pacing' Highlight: Fandango's Erik Davis said the biggest highlight of Birds of Prey was Margot Robbie, who is 'fantabulous as Harley, while also proving that sometimes our most valued relationships are the ones we have w/ good food' Mashable's Alison Foreman praised both the movie, which she called, 'a solid breakup movie' and the soundtrack, which, 'slaps' while calling it 'leagues better than Suicide Squad.' Atom Tickets' Alisha Grauso described the movie as, 'if John Wick were run through a crazy funhouse filter and stuffed full of glitter and f-bombs' adding, 'I'm into this movie completely.' Variety's Courtney Howard called the movie an, 'absolute blast' while calling Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Rosie Perez and Ella Jay Basco's performances, 'perfection.' Better: Mashable's Alison Foreman praised both the movie, which she called, 'a solid breakup movie' and the soundtrack, which, 'slaps' while calling it 'leagues better than Suicide Squad' Into it: Atom Tickets' Alisha Grauso described the movie as, 'if John Wick were run through a crazy funhouse filter and stuffed full of glitter and f-bombs' adding, 'I'm into this movie completely' Perfect: Variety's Courtney Howard called the movie an, 'absolute blast' while calling Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Rosie Perez and Ella Jay Basco's performances, 'perfection' Birds of Prey is a follow-up, of sorts, to 2016's Suicide Squad, following Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn in the aftermath of her leaving The Joker (Jared Leto). She teams up with Huntress (Winstead), Black Canary (Smollett-Bell) and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) to help a young woman escape a crime lord. Birds of Prey hits theaters nationwide on February 7. Birds: She teams up with Huntress (Winstead), Black Canary (Smollett-Bell) and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) to help a young woman escape a crime lord English Danish Annual general meeting of Per Aarsleff Holding A/S On 30 January 2020 at 15.00, the annual general meeting of Per Aarsleff Holding A/S, CVR no. 24257797, was held at the companys headquarters, Hasselager Alle 5, 8260 Viby J. The agenda was as follows: 1. Report by the board of directors on the activities of the company. 2. Presentation and approval of the annual report and consolidated financial statements. 3. Resolution on the appropriation of profits or losses as recorded in the annual report as adopted. The board of directors proposes that a dividend of DKK 124,575,000 be paid. Of this figure DKK 13,615,932 constitute dividend concerning treasury shares. 4. Decision to grant discharge to the executive management and board of directors. 5. Any other proposals from the board of directors and/or the shareholders. Proposals from the board of directors: The board of directors proposes that a new remuneration policy for board of directors and executive management of Per Aarsleff Holding A/S be approved. It is proposed to amend the remuneration policy subject to the attached draft with a view to implementing the new legal requirements. The board of directors proposes that the ordinary board remuneration per board member shall amount to DKK 275,000 for the financial year 2019/20 plus a multiple thereof for the Deputy Chairman and the Chairman as well as for ordinary board members who are also committee members in accordance with the remuneration policy. The Deputy Chairman shall receive 1 times the ordinary board remuneration and the Chairman shall receive 2 times the ordinary board remuneration, and one ordinary board member who is also a committee member shall receive an additional fee of DKK 90,000. The Chairman and the Deputy Chairman of the board of directors shall receive no further remuneration for any committee work. The board of directors proposes to reduce the companys share capital by nominally DKK 4,530,000 from nominally DKK 45,300,000 to nominally DKK 40,770,000 by cancellation of part of the companys own B shares. If the proposal is adopted, the companys holding of own shares will be reduced by 2,265,000 B shares of nominally DKK 2 each. These shares were repurchased under the companys share buyback programmes which were carried out in the period from 20 October 1998 to 22 June 2010 for a total amount of DKK 60,398,000 which means that in addition to the nominal capital reduction amount, DKK 55,868,000 has been distributed to the shareholders, cf. section 188 (1) (2) of the Danish Companies Act. The capital reduction will thus take place at a price of DKK 26.67 (rounded off) equal to the average price of the repurchase of each share of a nominal value of DKK 2. Adoption of the proposal implies the following amendment of Article 4.1 of the Articles of Association taking effect upon completion of the capital reduction: The share capital of the company amounts to DKK 40,770,000 divided into DKK 2,700,000 class A shares and 38,070,000 class B shares. The board of directors proposes that until 30 January 2025, the board of directors is authorised with pre-emptive rights for the shareholders to increase the share capital by up to nominally DKK 8,154,000 new shares by changing article 4 a of the companys articles of association to: " 4 a. Until 30 January 2025, the board of directors is authorised, with pre-emptive rights for the shareholders, to increase the share capital by up to nominally DKK 8,154,000 new shares on one or several occasions. The capital increase can be made by cash contribution. The increase may be effected by the issue of class A shares as well as class B shares according to the proportion between the two classes of shares, or on condition the capital increase is made at market rate by the issue of class B shares only. If the capital increase is made by issue of both class A and class B shares, the class A shareholders are granted a pre-emptive right to new class A shares and the class B shareholders are granted a pre-emptive right to new class B shares. In case of a capital increase by class B shares only, the shareholders of both share classes shall have a proportionate pre-emptive right to the new class B shares. If bullet 4 above is adopted, the board of directors recommends that until 30 January 2025, the board of directors is authorised, without pre-emptive rights for the shareholders, to increase the share capital by up to nominally DKK 8,154,000 new shares by changing articles 4 b and 4 c of the companys articles of association to: " 4 b. Until 30 January 2025, the board of directors is authorised, without pre-emptive rights for the shareholders, to increase the share capital by up to nominally DKK 8,154,000 class B shares on one or several occasions. The capital increase shall be made at market rate and either by cash contribution or by contribution of assets other than cash. 4 c. The aggregate authorisations of the board of directors pursuant to articles 4 a and 4 b can at the most be exercised to increase the share capital by a total sum of nominally DKK 8,154,000. The board of directors proposes that the annual general meeting extends the existing authorisation to allow the board of directors to purchase own shares so that the board of directors in the period until 30 January 2025 may allow the company to purchase own shares corresponding to a total of 20% of the B share capital, corresponding to nominally 7,614,000 B shares (after the reduction of the B share capital mentioned in bullet 3). In connection with the purchase of own shares, the price of the shares must not deviate by more than 10% from the market price which applies at the time of acquisition. The board of directors proposes that the age limit for election or re-election to the companys board of directors is changed from the age of 70 to the age of 75 subject to amendment of the articles of association of the company, article 12, 1 to: Members may not be elected or re-elected to the board of directors after they have attained the age of 75. 6. Election of members to the board of directors The board of directors proposes re-election of Jens Bjerg Srensen, Charlotte Strand and Bjarne Moltke Hansen as well as new election of Ebbe Malte Iversen and Henrik Hjen Andersen. The board of directors proposes that the board of directors consists of five members elected by the annual general meeting. Andreas Lundby and Peter Arndrup Poulsen are not seeking re-election. Information on the nominated candidates background and executive positions is available on the companys website www.aarsleff.com. 7. Appointment of auditor. In accordance with the recommendation from the Audit Committee, it is proposed that PWC, Statsautoriseret Revisionsaktieselskab, be re-elected. The Audit Committee has not been influenced by a third party and has not been imposed upon it any contract entered into with a third party restricting the choice by the annual general meeting to certain auditors or audit firms. 8. Any other business The chairman of the board Andreas Lundby welcomed the attendants and said that the board of directors had appointed attorney Mads Reinholdt Srensen to act as chairman of the annual general meeting in pursuance of article 8 of the articles of association. Mads Reinholdt Srensen accepted the role as chairman of the annual general meeting and noted that the annual general meeting had been legally convened and was able to form a quorum in accordance with the agenda, and that the agenda and proposals in full, the total number of shares and voting rights at the date of the notice of the annual general meeting, the documents to be presented at the annual general meeting, and the forms to be used for voting by proxy and for voting by letter were available on the companys website, www.aarsleff.com, three weeks prior to the annual general meeting subject to article 7 of the articles of association on holding of annual general meetings. The chairman also noted that shareholders representing 66.6% of the voting rights were present or represented. At the same time, a voting share capital of nominally DKK 18,755,376 was represented. In addition, the company's board of directors, executive management and auditor participated in the annual general meeting. Ad 1 The chairman of the board of directors presented the board of directors report on the companys activities in the period 1 October 2018 to 30 September 2019. The report was noted. Ad 2 CEO Jesper Kristian Jacobsen presented the annual report for the period 1 October 2018 to 30 September 2019. The annual report was adopted. Ad 3 Given that the annual report was adopted, the annual general meeting also adopted the proposal of the annual report for appropriation of profit as follows: Reserve for net revaluation under the equity method DKK 160,557 Profit for the year carried forward DKK 22,746 Dividend to shareholders DKK 124,575 Total DKK 328,878 The annual general meeting approved that a dividend of DKK 124,575,000 be paid. Of this figure DKK 13,615,932 constitute dividend concerning treasury shares. Re 4 Decision on discharge for the executive management and board of directors. The proposal was adopted. Re 5 After a written vote, the annual general meeting adopted the proposed remuneration policy. The result of the vote was 19,395,997 yes votes, corresponding to 90.26% of the votes cast, and 2,093,873 no votes, corresponding to 9.74%. After a vote, the annual general meeting adopted that the ordinary board remuneration per board member shall amount to DKK 275,000 for the financial year 2019/20 plus a multiple thereof for the Deputy Chairman and the Chairman as well as for ordinary members of the board of directors who are also committee members in accordance with the remuneration policy. The Deputy Chairman shall receive 1 times the ordinary board remuneration and the Chairman shall receive 2 times the ordinary board remuneration, and one ordinary board member who is also a committee member shall receive an additional fee of DKK 90,000. The Chairman and the Deputy Chairman of the board of directors shall receive no further remuneration for committee work. After a vote, the annual general meeting adopted the proposal to reduce the companys share capital by nominally DKK 4,530,000 from nominally DKK 45,300,000 to nominally DKK 40,770,000 by cancellation of part of the companys own B shares. As a consequence hereof, taking effect upon completion of the capital reduction, article 4.1 of the companys articles of association will be amended to: The share capital of the company amounts to DKK 40,770,000 divided into DKK 2,700,000 class A shares and 38,070,000 class B shares. Prior to the implementation of the capital reduction, the companys creditors will be asked, through the IT system of the Danish Business Authority, to file any claims that they may have against the company within a period of 4 weeks pursuant to section 192(1) of the Danish Companies Act. Pursuant to the Danish Companies Act section 193(2), implementation of the capital reduction and the resulting amendment of the articles of association will automatically be registered with the Danish Business Authority 4 weeks after the expiry of the time limit for filing of creditor claims, unless the capital reduction cannot be implemented at such time under the provisions of the Danish Companies Act. The chairman accounted for the proposal that until 30 January 2025, the board of directors is authorised with pre-emptive rights for the shareholders to increase the share capital by up to nominally DKK 8,154,000, and a written vote was conducted. The proposal was adopted by the annual general meeting and the board of directors was authorised until 30 January 2025, with pre-emptive rights for the shareholders, to increase the share capital by up to DKK 8,154,000. The chairman accounted for the proposal that until 30 January 2025, the board of directors is authorised without pre-emptive rights for the shareholders to increase the share capital by up to nominally DKK 8,154,000, and a written vote was conducted. The result of the vote was 19,578,790 yes votes, corresponding to 91.19% of the votes cast, and 1,891,128 no votes, corresponding to 8.81%. The proposal was adopted by the annual general meeting and the board of directors was authorised until 30 January 2025, without pre-emptive rights for the shareholders, to increase the share capital by up to DKK 8,154,000. The chairman accounted for the proposal that the board of directors is authorised for the next five years to allow the company to acquire treasury shares, corresponding to a total of 20% of the B share capital, corresponding to nominally 7,614,000 B shares. The price of the shares must not deviate by more than 10% from the market price at the time of acquisition. A written vote was conducted. The result of the vote was 18,448,163 yes votes, corresponding to 86.10% of the votes cast, and 2,979,370 no votes, corresponding to 13.90%. The proposal was adopted by the annual general meeting and the board of directors was authorised for the next five years to allow the company to acquire treasury shares, corresponding to a total of 20% of the B share capital, corresponding to nominally 7,614,000 B shares. The price of the shares must not deviate by more than 10% from the market price at the time of acquisition. The annual general meeting approved the proposal to change the age limit for election or re-election to the companys board of directors from the age of 70 to the age of 75 subject to amendment of the articles of association of the company article 12, 1 to: Members may not be elected or re-elected to the board of directors after they have attained the age of 75. Ad 6 Ebbe Malte Iversen and Henrik Hjen Andersen were elected as new board members. The other board members were re-elected. After the annual general meeting, the board of directors constituted itself with Ebbe Malte Iversen as Chairman and Bjarne Moltke Hansen as Deputy Chairman. Ad 7 PWC, Statsautoriseret Revisionspartnerselskab, was elected as auditor for Per Aarsleff Holding A/S. Ad 8 After answering questions from the shareholders, the annual general meeting was closed. Attorney Mads Reinholdt Srensen was authorised by the annual general meeting to apply for registration of the resolutions passed with the Danish Business Authority and to make any such amendments thereto, and to the articles of association and other business as may be required or requested by the Danish Business Authority as a condition for registration of the resolutions passed at the annual general meeting. The general meeting was closed. Chairman of the annual general meeting: Mads Reinholdt Srensen The minutes of meeting have been prepared in Danish and English. In case of discrepancy, the Danish version shall prevail. Attachment The director Osgood Perkins specializes in not-quite-horror movies: eerie, patient, female-centric tales that hint at far more than they reveal. In I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016), he teased a standard haunting into a conversation between life and death. And with the more bloody Blackcoats Daughter (released in the U.S. in 2017), he used shifting timelines and an isolated girls boarding school to examine grief and abandonment. Gretel & Hansel finds him relying once again on atmosphere over narrative. Flipping the title of the well-known fairy tale, he sends the two siblings (confidently played by Sophia Lillis and Sammy Leakey) into the deep, dark woods. Famine and disease have ravaged the countryside, and the childrens distraught mother, unable to feed them, has cast them out to fend for themselves. A friendly hunter (Charles Babalola) warns them not to talk to wolves, however seductive; but its their human counterparts who are more to be feared. Virginia Senate passes bill removing abortion safety standards; governor expected to sign Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Virginias state Senate narrowly approved a bill that removes certain regulations on abortion, including an ultrasound requirement and that some abortion clinics be held to the same health and safety standards as hospitals. The Senate passed Senate Bill 733 on Wednesday in a vote of 21 to 20. The Senators themselves were tied 20-20 until Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, who plans to run for governor in 2021 despite multiple sexual assault allegations against him, broke the tie. Among its provisions, SB 733 states that facilities that perform five or more first trimester abortions per month will cease being designated as hospitals regarding regulations establishing minimum standards for hospitals. The legislation also repeals a state law requiring that a woman be informed of the benefits and risks of an abortion 24 hours before undergoing the procedure, the National Review reported. The bill retains Virginias requirement that an abortionist obtain the informed written consent of the pregnant woman seeking an abortion, but it repeals the requirement to perform an ultrasound and offer the woman an opportunity to see the ultrasound, National Review added. Olivia Gans Turner, president of Virginia Society for Human Life, a pro-life group, denounced the passage of the bill. This week will be remembered as a tragic one for the well-being of all women in Virginia as well as their unborn children, Turner said Wednesday. The action of the General Assembly only serves to protect abortionists who once more will be able to hide the truth from the women that come to them. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is expected to sign the bill. Last year, he garnered controversy for, among other things, appearing to endorse infanticide when defending a pro-choice bill. And its done in cases where there may be severe deformities, where there may be a fetus thats not viable, so in this particular example, if a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen, Northam told WTOP at the time. The infant would be delivered, the infant would be kept comfortable. It would be resuscitated, if thats what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physician and the mother. So I think this was really blown out of proportion. Many pro-life activists and politicians decried Northams comments, among them U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., who said on the floor of the Senate last year: Let's be clear what we're talking about. We're talking about killing a baby that's been born. We're not talking about some euphemism, we're not talking about a clump of cells. Everyone in the Senate ought to be able to say unequivocally that killing that little baby is wrong. This doesn't take any political courage. And, if you can't say that, if there's a member of this body that can't say that, there may be lots of work you can do in the world but you shouldn't be here. You should get the heck out of any calling in public life where you pretend to care about the most vulnerable among us. While Virginia is a step closer to liberalizing its abortion laws, in neighboring Kentucky, the state Senate passed a measure aimed at protecting babies born alive after an attempted abortion. The Kentucky bill, which mandates that a doctor and other health workers save a child that survives an abortion, unanimously passed the Senate in a vote of 32-0. We want to make sure that life is protected not only in the womb but certainly after the baby's out of the womb," said Kentucky state Sen. Whitney Westerfield, the bill's lead sponsor, in a statement reported by The Associated Press. California teens killed in doorbell prank remembered by church as 'bright lights' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment As investigators have charged a California man for intentionally driving his car into a Toyota Prius full of teenagers, three of whom died, last week, the victims are being remembered as joyful Christians who regularly attended their churchs youth group in Corona. The Olive Branch family is grieving today for the tragedy that happened in Temescal Canyon. We, as a Church and School, mourn with all who are mourning. All six boys attended our school (through eighth grade) and were dearly loved by our staff, wrote Olive Branch Community Church and School on its Facebook page. Last Sunday night, Daniel Hawkins of Corona, Jacob Ivascu of Riverside, Drake Ruiz of Corona and three of their friends pulled a prank during a sleepover for Ivascus birthday. They wanted to ring a friends doorbell and run away. However, it turned out to be the house of an apparently unknown man, 42-year-old Anurag Chandra, who chased the teens Prius in his Infinity Q50 and rammed it into their car, which spun out of control and hit a tree on the side of the road. The three 16-year-olds Hawkins, Ivascu and Ruiz died in the crash. Their friends survived with injuries. All of the boys involved attended our school and were bright lights that impacted many hearts here on campus, the Christian school said. Family and church leaders remembered the boys as a tight-knit group of committed Christians, according to USA Today. In a youth group of about 80 teenagers, their joy was evident, Taylor Mendoza, pastor of student ministries for Northpoint Community Free Church, was quoted as saying. Mendoza described Hawkins as a kid who can think well soft and tender toward others and receptive to learning more about Christian teachings. Every kid does Ding Dong Ditch, but you dont know whos behind that door, said Ruizs mother, Debbie Ruiz, as reported by The Press-Enterprise. From the minute I heard it, I knew God had a plan I couldnt not think this way, because God is bigger than us. Remembering her son, Debbie Ruiz said, He was a class clown Joy and happiness were his main priorities in life. We had a lot of fun together. Especially with their boys. It was my goal that we have fun. And we had a lot of fun. More than 100 people gathered last Monday at Northpoint Evangelical Free Church to pray for the three boys who were killed and the others who were injured, according to The Mercury News. We sang songs to God, just crying out to him for comfort and peace that could only come from him, Stefany Nguyen, a friend of one of the families affected by the incident, was quoted as saying. A candlelight vigil was held Friday to grieve and remember the three teens. Police arrested Chandra last week on suspicion of murder and assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Enterprise, which reported that the charges were later upgraded to three counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder. Our investigation led us to believe Mr. Chandra intentionally rammed the Prius, causing the driver to lose control. The investigation has now changed from a hit-run collision to homicide, California Highway Patrol Lt David Yokley said, according to Washington Examiner. Abbott just announced that it is the first company to receive European regulatory approval to introduce transcatheter mitral valve replacement procedures on the continent. The Tendyne Transcatheter Mitral Valve Implantation (TMVI) system is intended for mitral regurgitation patients for whom open-heart surgery is too risky and in cases where transcatheter valve repair is not appropriate. Mitral valves are considerably more difficult to implant using minimally invasive means and some researchers in this field have been using artificial valves indicated for aortic valve replacements combined with novel imaging and 3D printing to get it right. The newly issued CE Mark for Abbott to introduce its Tendyne in the EU will provide an effective option for many seriously ill patients to treat their diseased mitral valves. According to Abbott, Tendyne produced a 98.9% resolution of mitral regurgitation in patients receiving the valve in clinical trials. This is partly thanks to the design and multiple available sizes of the self-expanding valve that allows for implantation into a variety of patient anatomies. Moreover, the valve worked fine for at least a year after implantation. European approval for Abbotts Tendyne mitral valve replacement therapy provides the clinical community with a new choice in how we approach correcting a leaking mitral valve, said Hendrik Treede, M.D., professor of cardiac surgery, University Hospital Bonn, Germany, in an Abbott announcement. For the first time outside of clinical trial settings, heart teams now have a minimally invasive valve replacement therapy that is backed by an excellent safety profile and designed to help physicians reposition the device as needed for improved patient outcomes. The device can be repositioned and completely removed, if necessary, during the implantation procedure. This helps to ensure optimal outcomes while avoiding invasive surgery in case something goes wrong and the implantation has to be aborted. The launch of the Tendyne device builds upon our history of developing groundbreaking therapies that offer new treatment options for people with serious structural heart conditions who have limited treatment options, said Michael Dale, senior vice president of Abbotts structural heart business. The availability of Tendyne as a treatment option in Europe provides physicians with an additional tool that has been shown to completely correct MR in very ill patients, and it adds to Abbotts portfolio of life-changing and life-saving treatments. Flashback: 3D Printing Helps to Implant Risky Transcatheter Mitral Valves Via: Abbott There is no need to evacuate Kenyans in China, Kenyas Ambassador to China Sarah Serem has said. Speaking in an interview with Citizen TV Wednesday, Serem said Kenyan nationals in China are safe from the coronavirus. She noted that the Chinese government is better equipped to handle the virus; hence, there is no need to risk exposing the Kenyan population by evacuating Kenyans in Wuhan. I dont think Kenya is ready to deal with the virus. The government of China is in a better position to deal with the virus and bringing Kenyans in china back to Kenya will only further expose the rest to the danger of infection, she said. The envoy added: I would not advise trying to extract Kenyans in Wuhan until we are sure they are safe from the virus. Let us be patient for a resolution, Kenyans are safe and no one has been reported to be infected with the virus. Serem noted she had to cancel her annual leave due to the coronavirus scare and that the Embassy is in communication with Kenyans in China. We are in communication with all the students in china and we have given them emergency numbers to call in case of anything, she said. We are trying to comfort them that the government is doing everything they can. Serem had called on Kenya Airways to suspend flights to China but the national carrier said it would not. Kenya Airways, however, said it was closely monitoring the situation and it would take the necessary steps if required to do so. Cancellation of the flights is on the table but we are monitoring and we will take the action as soon as theres imminent danger, the airlines acting chief executive officer Allan Kilavuka said Wednesday. Iconic drink duo reimagined in Jameson Cold Brew The elements of a classic Irish coffee are being brought together in a new product from Jameson. The brand, produced by Irish Distillers, unveiled Jameson Cold Brew to an American audience to coincide with National Irish Coffee Day, celebrated in the US on January 25. Following successful trials in Australia and Ireland, Jameson hopes the product will be a hit with bartenders and whiskey drinkers across the pond. The beverage infuses triple distilled Irish whiskey with cold brew coffee, made with Arabica beans from Colombia and Brazil, and is bottled at 30% ABV with no added sugar. Jameson says the drink's coffee aromatics complement the vanilla nuttiness of its whiskey. Serving suggestions include neat over ice, with cola and a wedge of orange, or in a cold brew martini for a low-sugar take on the classic espresso version. Brendan Buckley, international marketing director at Irish Distillers, said: "While coffee and Irish whiskey are no strangers in the glass, we wanted to modernise this iconic duo in a refreshing way which will appeal to curious whiskey drinkers looking for new flavours and experiences." Jameson Cold Brew will be available in on-trade and through retailers across the US. 28 January 2020 - Bethany Whymark I Am A Child Of GOD: a touching life story of a person woven through verses of prayer and poetry that run through her six decades of existence. I Am A Child Of GOD is the creation of published author Victoria J. Gadsden, a writer who began her walk with God at three years old. What inspired her to write were the glory and beauty of Gods creation and her personal walks with the Lord. She has lived and travelled to numerous towns, cities, and states. Gadsden shares, This book is an accumulation of prayers, poems, and prose written over the last sixty years. My Special Prayer was written when I was at my first church camp. I was eight years old. If We Had Peace was written at age twelve. The rest were written when with my grandparents in the summer on a lake in Michigan, school assignments, and just being with God in many situations. My walk with God began in Kalamazoo, Michigan, at age three. God and I have held hands and walked together throughout my sixty-four years. Ive known Him since before I knew how to pray. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Victoria J. Gadsdens new book is a captivating voice that captures a life filled with faith in the Lord and a heart that braved the troubles of the world. View a synopsis of I Am A Child Of GOD on YouTube. Consumers can purchase I Am A Child Of GOD at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about I Am A Child Of GOD, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived in Moscow today. At their meeting in the Kremlin, Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for a quick decision on pardoning Israeli national Naama Issachar, who was sentenced in Russia. Putin, in turn, expressed warm wishes for Naama Issachar and her family. "Mr. President, you are the first leader whom I met after my visit to Washington and [the unveiling of] Trumps plan. I think we have an opportunity today [to discuss this issue], I would like to talk to you and listen to your opinion and see how we can join all forces for peace and calm [in the region]," Netanyahu said. He noted that his current visit to Moscow "symbolizes strengthening relations between the two countries." He also thanked Putin for his recent visit to Jerusalem and his "touching" speech at a ceremony to inaugurate a monument to the victims of the Leningrad siege. The Israeli PM has also offered the Russian leader to discuss the U.S. "deal of the century" on ironing out the Middle Eastern crisis, showing interest in the Russian leaders stance on this issue. The Knesset member, member of the Yisrael Beiteinu party Mark Ifraimov, speaking to the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that Netanyahus visit to the Kremlin shortly after his trip to Washington is intended to show that Israel values Russia as its important political partner. "President Putin is now one of the most important people who can contribute to the signing of a peace treaty in our region. We see this, and Israel respects all its partners, of course, those who treat us well. Russia is one of those countries that are among priorities for Israeli relations," he pointed out "Since there has already been a visit to the U.S. and support has been received from Washington, now Netanyahu needs support from Moscow. Israel is a small state, and every country that can provide us with any form of support is very important for us," Mark Ifraimov stressed. In India, several people are under observation in hospitals for suspected infections, including in Maharashtra, Goa, Odisha and the national capital. New Delhi: The Union health ministry on Wednesday asked Indians to refrain from travelling to China where the novel coronavirus (nCoV) has claimed over 130 lives. A number of airlines are seeing heavy cancellations over the outbreak of nCoV in China, and on Wednesday, Air India and IndiGo announced cancellations of some of their flights to China. While IndiGo said it has decided to suspend its flights on the Bengaluru-Hong Kong route from February 1 and on the Delhi-Chengdu route from February 1 to 20 due to the coronavirus outbreak, Air India said it will suspend flights on the Delhi-Shanghai route from January 31 to February 14. Air India has six flights a week on the Delhi-Shanghai route and IndiGo has three daily flights to China. Both these airlines, along with SpiceJet, have waived ticket cancellation/rebooking charges till February 24. In view of the #CoronavirusOutbreak, SpiceJet is offering waiver of cancellation/change fee (fare difference if any will be applicable) for all flights to/from Hong Kong between 24 January and 24 February, Spicejet tweeted. In India, several people are under observation in hospitals for suspected infections, including in Maharashtra, Goa, Odisha and the national capital. People returning from China are being screened for the virus at airports across the country. Photo: Adam Jenkins/Flickr Missed the most recent top news in Atlanta? Read on for everything you need to know. Police honor deputy killed in police pursuit Atlanta Police joined several departments offering kind words and condolences following the death of Long County Deputy Sheldon Whiteman. Read the full story on 11ALIVE. Wahlburgers set to open downtown Its the second Atlanta location of the Boston-based burger joint owned by the famous Wahlberg brothers. Read the full story on Eater Atlanta. Take a look at Atlanta from space NASA Astronaut Christina H Koch shared a picture on her Twitter page Tuesday evening. Read the full story on 11ALIVE. Area brewery to offer Trix and Skittles beer Pontoon Brewing in Sandy Springs will release its Trix Skittles Berliner Weisse on Feb. 7. Read the full story on 11ALIVE. KFC will test Beyond Fried Chicken in 2 new cities after popular trial launch in Atlanta KFC will test Beyond Fried Chicken in two new cities, marking the first large-scale trial run of a plant-based "chicken" by a major fast-food chain. Read the full story on Business Insider. This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 Trend: An exhibition titled Undiscovered: New motives in Azerbaijan carpetry has launched at the headquarters of UNESCO in Paris, with joint organizational support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the Embassy of Azerbaijan in France, and Azerbaijans permanent representative office in UNESCO, Trend reports. Executive Director of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Anar Alakbarov, UNESCO Director Generals assistant for cultural affairs Ernesto Ramirez, Azerbaijans Ambassador to France Rahman Mustafayev, head of the Permanent Delegation of Azerbaijan to UNESCO, Ambassador Anar Karimov, ambassadors accredited in France, heads of missions at UNESCO, and representatives of the local public and the Azerbaijani Diaspora attended the exhibitions opening ceremony. Executive Director of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Anar Alakbarov, speaking at the opening ceremony, talked about the implementation of the exhibition titled Undiscovered: New motives in Azerbaijan carpetry. It was noted that 10 years earlier, the Azerbaijani carpet-making art was entered on the Representative List of UNESCOs Intangible Cultural Heritage of the World, and at the 43rd Session of UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Baku, The Historical Centre of Sheki, together with the Khans Palace was entered on UNESCOs World Heritage List. From this standpoint, the exhibition of Sheki carpets at UNESCOs headquarters is of great importance. Anar Alakbarov thanked Director General of the organization Audrey Azoulay for the support provided for the organization of the exhibition at the headquarters of the organization. Thereafter, UNESCO Director Generals assistant for cultural affairs Ernesto Ramirez, Azerbaijans Ambassador to France Rahman Mustafayev and head of the Permanent Delegation of Azerbaijan to UNESCO, Ambassador Anar Karimov spoke at the opening ceremony. In their speeches, the speakers thanked First Vice-President of Azerbaijan, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva and the Heydar Aliyev Foundation for the organization of the exhibition. It was mentioned that this exhibition gives a chance to study more closely the culture of Azerbaijan, and its carpet-making art. They said the carpet-making art reflects Azerbaijans identity, which is handed over from one generation to another. The rich cultural heritage of Sheki, its silkworm breeding, and the Khans Palace a masterpiece of the Azerbaijani architecture was talked about. An integral part of the Azerbaijani people, the art of carpet-making reflects the Azerbaijani peoples aesthetic and world view, as well as its pluralist opinion. It was mentioned that preservation of cultural heritage and passing it on to future generations is UNESCOs mission. State representatives of Azerbaijan were thanked for the support they have provided to this mission of the entity. Two of the carpet weavers whose carpets are displayed at the exhibition, as well as Philippe Juge who came to Azerbaijan and learned the art of carpet weaving, having inspired by the exhibition in Cannes, too participated in the exhibition. Philippe Juge expressed his satisfaction with the fact that the exhibition Undiscovered: New motives in Azerbaijan carpetry was held in the city of Cannes, of which he was a resident, saying that from the very moment he has been enchanted by the Azerbaijani carpets. It was brought to attention that his astonishment at Azerbaijani carpets made him visit the said exhibition every day. He said that, after repeatedly viewing the carpets displayed at the exhibition, he came to Azerbaijan and learned the art of carpet weaving from local carpet makers. After returning to Cannes, he installed a loom in his home, and has been weaving carpets for already two years. After the official part of the exhibition, attendees viewed the carpets, exchanging their views of the motifs and colours. Azerbaijani artisans, and artist have created delicate and rich artworks, having inspired by the enigmatic ornaments and frescoes in the Sheki Khans Palace. The carpets being displayed at the exhibition were weaved by 30 artisans over the course of two years based on the sketches of these ornaments, and those by carpet-maker, Peoples artist Eldar Mikayilzadeh. This exhibition was first presented in 2019, within the days of Azerbaijani culture in the French city of Cannes, and it is expected that it will be demonstrated in a number of French cities over the course of this year. The exhibition held at headquarters of UNESCO will continue to run until February 4. Dr Kafeel Khan, who was arrested from the Mumbai international airport on Wednesday evening by the Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh Police, was produced before a metropolitan magistrate court in Bandra on Thursday afternoon. But before the UP Police could seek his transit remand, Dr Khan said in the open court, UP Police will kill me in a fake encounter. He was arrested for allegedly delivering an inflammatory speech during a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in December last year. Dr Khan told the magistrates court in Mumbai that he was not being given a lawyer, and then he made an appeal in the open court to the lawyers standing in the courtroom. But no lawyer came forward to represent him. In fact, a group of lawyers even said no loudly in the court. After sometime, one lawyer Alka Sharma agreed to represent him. Dr Khan then told the court, UP Police will kill me. The UP government is trying to falsely frame me. The court can watch the entire video. I have not said anything provocative. But still, if the case against me has to be pursued, please keep me in Mumbai. Dr Khans lawyer told in court that sedition charges were not applicable on him. He only gave his opinion on how CAA will impact Muslims, said the lawyer. We fear that UP Police will kill him in an encounter. He got a clean chit in the Gorakhpur children death case. But because he is putting pressure on UP government to nab the actual culprits, he is being framed, said the lawyer. Uttar Pradesh Police chief OP Singh said, This is wrong that we will fabricate any wrong or false case against him. As far as encounter is concerned let me make it very clear to him and everybody that we believe in the rule of law and our preliminary aim is to arrest people and not to kill people. His apprehension is unfounded; he should not feel like this. He will be prosecuted before the court as per the law. We have arrested him as per the hate speech that he delivered at AMU on December 12. We have nothing to do with his past. We are charging him and going ahead just for his present case, Singh added. He was booked under Sections 153 (A) and was arrested at the airport when he arrived in Mumbai to attend anti-CAA protests. A protest outside the Jamia Millia Islamia that began soon after a man opened fire at a group of anti-CAA agitators was called off after police released four detained protesters, police and university officials said Thursday. Joint Commissioner of Police D C Srivastava said all detained students, barring one, have been released. Thousands of people and police personnel faced off against each other near the university after a man fired a pistol at a group of anti-CAA protesters, injuring a student. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A day after he was remanded to five-day custody of the Delhi Police's Special Cell, Sharjeel Imam in his interrogation spoke about turning India into an Islamic state. As per sources, it has come to light that Sharjeel is highly radicalised and that he speaks about turning India into an Islamic state. Sharjeel repeatedly told officers that Muslims were being treated poorly in this country and so he was raising his voice against this. He admitted that he knew he could be arrested for his speech but showed no regrets. The JNU student confessed that he said those things in the video in the heat of the moment. However, officers of the Crime Branch and Special Cell who interrogated Sharjeel believe that he gave the speech as a deliberate strategy. In the video shot on January 25 at Delhi, Sharjeel had made objectionable comments on Assam. In a series of videos that went viral on social media, Sharjeel can be heard saying, "If we all come together, then we can separate the Northeast from India. If we cannot do it permanently, then at least for 1-2 months we can do this. It will take the administration at least one month to disperse all of them." Live TV Police has sent all his videos to FSL for investigation, in addition to investigating all his social media accounts. Also, his links with the Islamic Youth Federation and PFI is being investigated. The police is investigating if Sharjeel was working alone or if more people are involved with him. Sharjeel was arrested on Tuesday by the Delhi Police at Bihar`s Jehanabad and brought him to Delhi for questioning. Jose Angel Gurria, Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Photo: Reuters. The intergovernmental Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has asked Britain to hold fire on a digital tax that would hit the worlds biggest tech companies. The planned levy is a 2% tax on the UK sales of search engines, social media companies, and online marketplaces from April this year. It would likely hit US tech firms the hardest due their size and scale. The OECDs Secretary General Angel Gurria told press at the World Economic Forum (WEF) that there needs to be a global agreement otherwise it could spark countries implementing their own version of the tax as and when they want in a non-standardised way. READ MORE: What is the digital services tax? How it impacts big tech companies and the US The OECD, which is tasked with brokering a global compromise on how tech companies get taxed, is trying to prevent a transatlantic trade war and further warned that without a global agreement, it could risk "a cacophony" with countries doing their own thing amid "tensions rising all over the place. The UK Treasury said in a statement: We've committed to introduce our Digital Services Tax from April 2020. It will be repealed once a global solution is in place. In mid-December last year, UK prime minister Boris Johnson declared that he would stick to his Conservative partys pledge to further tax tech giants to ensure they pay their "fair share" of tax. "On the digital services tax, I do think we need to look at the operation of the big digital companies and the huge revenues they have in this country and the amount of tax that they pay, he said. "We need to sort that out. They need to make a fairer contribution." In the same week, , a report accused the big six 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 and tax havens such as Bermuda, Ireland, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Story continues READ MORE: PayPal CEO: 'Ethical and moral' duty put staff ahead of shareholders The UKs move followed in line with France which imposed the new law in the same month. 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. However, at the WEF conference in Davos, Switzerland this week, reports surfaced that the French Government will delay its tech tax to until the end of the year. This has yet to be confirmed. Since the spate of countries looking to implement a digital services tax, the US government has hit out several times at the move and has caused concerns over a trade war. Initially in response to France taking the first step towards a digital services tax, the US government claimed that it unfairly affects US companies and, in retaliation, the Office of US Trade Representative released a list of the French items that face tariffs at rates up to 100% which include make-up, cheese, and handbags. This week, US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told The Wall Street Journal that countries, like the UK will "find themselves faced with President Trump's tariffs. We'll be having similar conversations with them. READ MORE: Billionaire Salesforce founder: 'Capitalism as we know it is dead' 'The awareness of how big my father's sacrifice was came to me when we went for the Republic Day parade and my mother received the Ashok Chakra,' Rukmini Vasanth, whose father Colonel Vasanth Venugopal was killed in action fighting terrorists, tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih. Photograph: Seema Pant for Rediff.com IMAGE: Rukmini Vasanth was 10 when her father Colonel Vasanth Venugopal was killed in action and awarded the Ashok Chakra. Colonel Vasanth Venugopal's mother-in-law enters the home as her granddaughter is talking about her father, an infantry officer who was killed in action, fighting terrorists in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir. "Hello. Have you offered them coffee, biscuits?" the grandmother asks her granddaughter with a warm smile that brightens up the fading evening light. Assured that her actress granddaughter Rukmini has indeed been a good host, she goes into the puja room to pray and light a lamp. Rukmini was ten when Colonel Vasanth was killed in action. Her younger sister Yashoda was seven. They would come to stay in this -- their maternal grandmother's -- home in Bengaluru during Colonel Vasanth's field postings and this is where they returned after he sacrificed his life in the service of the nation. A book Forever Forty, celebrating his memories by his wife Subhashini Vasanth, is kept in the living room. "I go back to the book a lot. It tells me so much about who my father was. Since his letters are in the book, so much of the book is in his own words. He was missing through a lot of my formative years, and I wondered how those conversations would be like with him -- those letters provided some answers," says Rukmini who played a lawyer in the film Birbal. Colonel Vasanth wrote nearly 400 letters to his wife from the border. IMAGE: The family spent their last summer together in Kashmir where Colonel Vasanth was posted. He was killed in action a couple of months later. Photograph: Kind courtesy, Forever Forty The last time the family met together was when Colonel Vasanth was posted in Kashmir. It was a few months before his martyrdom. In July 2007, he was killed in action fighting terrorists in the Uri sector. Colonel Vasanth, a Kargil veteran, led his men from the front. He was grievously injured in enemy fire, but continued fighting till all the eight infiltrators were eliminated. By the time he could be moved to the base hospital, he had breathed his last. The framed Ashok Chakra citation hangs on a wall in the room where Subhashini Vasanth teaches Bharata Natayam, a dance form that has helped the reputed dancer cope with her grief. A brass diya hangs above the certificate that gives an account of his extraordinary courage and supreme sacrifice. Below it on a glass shelf is kept the Ashoka Chakra medal in a glass case, along with the colonel's other medals and his baton. It is a spot of quiet reverence and fond memories. IMAGE: Colonel Vasanth with his team in J&K in 2007. The officer fought in the Kargil War of 1999. Photograph: Kind courtesy, Forever Forty Colonel Vasanth had led his regiment -- the Maratha Regiment -- in the Republic Day parade in 1997. In 2008, his wife Subhashini Vasanth accepted the Ashok Chakra -- the nation's highest medal for gallantry in peacetime -- from the President of India at the poignant start to the Republic Day parade. "The awareness of how big my father's sacrifice was came to me when we went for the Republic Day parade and my mother received the Ashok Chakra," says Rukmini with a poised maturity. "I was stunned by how controlled and graceful she was. She was devastated with what had happened, but her ability to steady my sister and me was remarkable. I now get a sense of how much work she must have had to do." "My journey for navigating that loss is a constant process. I don't think it ever shuts down. It crops up at every stage of your life. But as time passes, you can remember the memories without making it very difficult. It does not debilitate you," she says sitting at the large dining table, her coffee lying forgotten. Photograph: Seema Pant for Rediff.com IMAGE: Rukmini Vasanth is a budding actress. "Navigating loss is a constant process," she says. Toying with a spoon, she remembers the treks with her father, his doodles in the margins of his notes, his love for P G Wodehouse, the taste of the nimbu-paani in the mess -- how he taught her to eat dosa with a fork and knife... "It is still something I like doing. It is not a necessary skill, but it is there. When I go to the regimental reunion, I like having the masala dosa with a fork and knife," she laughs. In the last few years, she has made a conscious attempt to meet those in the army who knew her father. Last year, the family met the entire regiment at the reunion in Belgaum. The best part for her is listening to the jawans speak about her father. "In a hierarchical system like the army, I feel nice that the people who served below him have such a lot of respect and affection for him. That means a lot to me." IMAGE: Colonel Vasanth with his troops in J&K in 2007. 'I will go where my men go,' he would say. Photograph: Kind courtesy, Forever Forty Subhashini Vasanth started the Vasantharatna Foundation in her husband's memory to help and care for martyrs's families, especially the wives and children of jawans. "Basically, we have one thing is common -- loss, but we have built an amazing sense of community. A camp is also organised where wives, children, sometimes grandparents come for a weekend to a corporate team building space outside Bengaluru for a workshop," says Rukmini. The workshops also provide financial, health and education counselling. As she started on her own career track, she realises that a career in the army is what her father wanted since he was six. "He had chosen that life and where it would lead him." "People sometimes DM on Instagram that they saw my film and then found out about my father and thank me for what he did." "I don't know how to react, but I understand where it is coming from. People do appreciate what he has done." Photograph: Seema Pant for Rediff.com IMAGE: Rukmini Vasanth with her grandmother in her home in Bengaluru. Rukmini has shown us around her home, the room upstairs where her mother holds dance classes, the foundation's office and pictures of her father. As we leave, her grandmother puts a tikka on our forehead, blesses us and gives a fruit. A martyr's home doesn't send anyone empty-handed. As the number of coronavirus cases skyrocketed in China on , rights groups and local people say the ruling Chinese Communist Party is riding roughshod over people's rights in its effort to contain the epidemic centered on the central city of Wuhan. China's National Health Commission announced a cumulative total of 7,678 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus -- designated nCoV-2019 (Wuhan) by the World Health Organization (WHO). The number of deaths jumped to 170 from 132 the previous days, as confirmed cases in Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore rose to double figures, prompting the WHO to declare the outbreak global emergency, particularly on concerns that it could spread to countries with weaker health systems. "The main reason for this declaration is not what is happening in China but what is happening in other countries," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Ma Guoqiang, secretary of the ruling Chinese Communist Party for Wuhan, said the sharp rise in fresh cases is the result of the authorities freeing up more hospital beds to meet demand in a city of 11 million that is now under quarantine, with no movement permitted in or out. "In order to speed up the pace of examinations to achieve earlier diagnosis and treatment, the number of hospitals and disease control centers in Wuhan authorized to see patients [with likely coronavirus symptoms] increased to nine from Jan. 24," Ma told a news conference. "That's why the number of diagnosed cases grew by a large amount," Ma said. "This is about speculation becoming diagnosis." Asked about widely reported shortages of essential medical supplies, Ma said the city has enough supplies. But he admitted that there had been a shortage of hospital beds in the city "in recent years." Ma said he believed that most people from Wuhan and Hubei would be well-treated elsewhere in China, even if they needed to be place in isolation for 14 days. But a U.S.-based rights group warned of discrimination and harassment against people from Hubei province and Wuhan, its provincial capital, with hotels outside the quarantine zone turning away travelers with license plates or ID cars linked to the area. "There have been numerous reports of hotels outside of Hubei province ... refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media," the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement on . "People who reside in Wuhan but are currently in other parts of the country reported that their personal information, such as their address, phone number, and ID number, were exposed online without their consent, and that they had received harassing phone calls or messages," the group said. Students studying in the virus-hit city who went back to their hometowns for Lunar New Year said their personal information was widely shared in online chat groups. Discrimination and harassment against people from Hubei HRW called on the authorities to prohibit discrimination and harassment against people from Hubei and ensure their equal access to housing and medical care. "Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive," China researcher Yaqiu Wang said. "Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach." The authorities have also detained people for rumor-mongering, censored online discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, HRW said. "The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights," Wang said. "Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis." HRW said that while social media in China is a mine of misinformation, the best approach is clearer information from the government. "Authorities have legitimate reasons to counter false information that can cause public panic." it said. "But rather than rebutting false information and disseminating reliable facts, the authorities in some instances have appeared more concerned with silencing criticism." HRW said the widespread travel restrictions across much of central China had resulted in many people being cut off from essential medical treatment and basic necessities, citing the cases of cancer and HIV patients who had been unable to get live-saving medicines because of the lockdown. "When quarantines are imposed, governments have absolute obligations to ensure access to food, water, and health care," HRW said, saying that the quarantine was "arbitrary and potentially discriminatory" because it had allowed around five million people to leave ahead of the lockdown. There are signs that more comprehensive government surveillance is being rolled out as part of a bid to curb the epidemic. In a Jan. 29 document, the public health emergency command center in Hunan's Xiangyin county ordered local officials to implement a "grid management" system that subdivides townships and villages into clusters of just a handful of households to be monitored by officials. "All rural roads out of the county are to be strictly closed, with nothing allowed to pass," the document said, suggesting that similar measures are also being rolled out elsewhere in China. "Anyone refusing to obey these instructions will be placed under compulsory isolation," it said. 'Biggest rumors and lies come from the government itself' Poet Wang Zang, who lives in the southwestern province of Yunnan, said he had received a visit from local police after he forwarded a social media post related to the epidemic. "They came knocking at my door in the morning, and scared the kid," Wang said. "I didn't open the door for security reasons." Wang said he had then been summoned to the local police station for questioning, but had refused to go, citing the epidemic. Guangzhou-based rights lawyer Sui Muqing said he had been told to delete a social media post by police. "The reason why the epidemic is so big is because of the suppression of freedom of speech," Sui said. "The biggest rumors and lies come from the government itself, and it's those that cause the greatest harm." Social media posts have shown the authorities detaining and beating people for not wearing masks, shutting them up in their homes if they are suspected of having the virus, and targeting suspected coronavirus patients with strong-arm tactics and surveillance usually reserved for dissidents. A woman surnamed Wang who returned to Shanghai on Jan. 23 from Wuhan said she was placed under house arrest for 14 days, with a newly installed surveillance camera in the hallway outside her apartment. "Every morning at 9 o'clock, they put on protective clothing and goggles and come to carry out disinfection," Wang said. "They also gave us milk and instant noodles, and we can have takeaway delivered to the door." "We can't go out of the front door, not into the yard or out of the building," she said, adding that she had to sign a "letter of commitment" to remain in isolation. A video clip of a conversation between a police officer and someone who had refused to sign it after traveling from Wuhan showed the officer making threatening comments. Reported by Qiao Long, Gao Feng and Lu Xi for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Lau Siu-fung for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Republican South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has sued the City of Columbia over a trio of gun-related ordinances Mayor Steve Benjamin and Columbia City Council have passed in the last year. Wilson filed the lawsuit Wednesday in the state Supreme Court. The attorney general is asking the Supreme Court to hear the matter without it going through the lower court system first. We have consistently advised for almost three decades, since 1991, that state law preempts local regulation of firearms," Wilson said, in a release. "These ordinances clearly violate the state law that prohibits local governments from passing any gun laws or ordinances that regulate the transfer, ownership, or possession of firearms. Benjamin tells Free Times he received a call from Wilson early Wednesday informing him the lawsuit was coming. The lawsuit dropped on the same day that the Democratic Benjamin was set to deliver his annual State of the City address. During that Wednesday night speech, Benjamin referenced Wilson's lawsuit. "Too many families across this community feel that pain of loss [from gun violence] everyday, losing loved ones," Benjamin told a large crowd at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. "This is why we will not stop, Mr. Attorney General, working to take illegal guns off the streets of Columbia, South Carolina. "We're going to take guns off our streets, out of neighborhoods and out of our schools, so that our children can learn and grow with their peers free from fear and free from harm. As we debate politics, some of our children are debating survival." In the suit, the attorney general references three ordinances Columbia passed in 2019: one that prohibits the possession of firearms within 1,000 feet of a school; another that allows for the seizure of guns from individuals who have an extreme risk protection order against them, commonly known as a red flag law; and a third that added so-called "ghost guns" to the city's nuisance laws. Previously Wilson's office had issued opinions on all three city ordinances, alleging they are unlawful. The attorney general wrote a letter to Benjamin in December, strongly urging the city to repeal its recently enacted gun laws. Columbia City Council has taken no action toward repealing the ordinances. "The Office of the Attorney General did not receive a written response to the [ [December] letter, but news media reported that the City respectfully disagreed," the newly filed lawsuit says. Wilson has repeatedly argued that state statutes dictate that, with few exceptions, state law not city or county regulations takes precedence in regard to firearm regulations in South Carolina. "The Office of the Attorney General has consistently construed ... that the General Assembly intended that state law expressly occupy the entire field of South Carolina firearm regulation and preempt any local ordinance on the same subject, except where local regulations are expressly permitted by those same statutes," the lawsuit reads, in part. Following his Wednesday night State of the City speech, Benjamin insisted the city's gun laws are lawful. "The ordinances are not only constitutional, but they are in compliance with state statute," Benjamin told reporters. "We firmly believe that and we'll defend that, whether it's in the Supreme Court or the circuit court." Wilson also alleges in his suit that Columbia's gun laws are in "conflict with the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution." Benjamin has been aggressive on gun laws in Columbia. Aside from the aforementioned ordinances, in 2017 he pushed through a city ban on gun bump stocks devices that can make a semi-automatic weapon perform like an automatic weapon. And he supported Columbia's adoption of ShotSpotter, technology that notifies officers of the location of gunshots in near real time. The mayor and Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook in September also touted more than $745,000 in federal grant funds the city is using specifically to target gun crimes and establish a crime gun intelligence unit. Back in December, following Wilson's letter urging him to repeal the city's new gun laws, the mayor issued a statement to reporters insisting the city ordinances were lawful, and necessary in a city that has continued to be affected by gun violence. "The city has a heavy burden to bear when it comes to the safety and well-being of its citizens and many visitors," Benjamin said, at the time. "As mayor and City Council, we have the authority under the South Carolina Constitution, our state Code of Laws, as well as a moral obligation to do whatever is in our power to protect the people and ensure their safety and enjoyment of life. "With these ordinances we have done so, all within the bounds of State and Federal Law." The Senate has urged the executive to appoint a minister among indigenes of the Federal Capital Territory as ruled by a court. The appeal court in Abuja had on January 15, 2018, ruled that indigenous inhabitants of the FCT are entitled to a ministerial representation in the Federal Executive Council as provided in Sections 147(3), 299, 14(3) and 42 of the 1999 constitution. The call by the lawmakers was sequel to deliberation on a petition to the Senate over the exclusion of FCT indigenes in the recent ministerial appointments. President Muhammadu Buhari had in July 2019, appointed 43 ministers with none of FCT origin. Some FCT indigenes and the FCT senator, Philip Aduda, petitioned the Senate, seeking representation in the ministerial appointments. Ayo Akinyelure, chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Priviledges and Public Petitions, presented the report of the committee after consideration of the petition. He recommended that based on the decision of the Court of Appeal and pursuant to the provision of Section 299 and section 147 (3), the Senate should give approval that the indigene for FCT be granted approval by Mr President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to appoint a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in respect of FCT in Federal Executive Council. Lawmakers were divided on the issue. While some said the ruling was still subject to appeal by the federal government, others said it is unfair to deny the FCT indigenes of their rights. Bashiru Ajibola (APC, Osun), said it is not a general conviction to equate the Federal Capital Territory to a state. The recommendation, he said, is in reliance to the ruling of the Court of Appeal and the rule of this Senate is when there is a matter before the court, the committee ought to decline jurisdiction. The court of appeal is an intermediate court in Nigeria, it is not the final court. So the position of the court of appeal is still subject to an appeal and it is not clearly shown that the matter has been appealed by the federal government. We should be careful not to turn ourselves to Supreme Court. Adamu Aliero (APC, Kebbi) who was a former FCT Minister said the judgement is subsisting. There is no appeal against the judgement and there is no evidence whatsoever that somebody has appealed to the Supreme Court. It is my opinion that the Senate consider the recommendation. FCT is to be considered a state, even though it is not a state, it has all the features of a state. READ ALSO: Bala Naallah explained that when the Constitution said under 299 for the purpose of what was outlined should be treated as if it were a state, they know it is not a state and to further give it the structure that differentiates it from being a state, they say they cannot have local governments but area councils just to make sure that this confusion is made more clear. The judgement of the court of appeal as far as it stands today, remains a precedent too. The Senate is in a situation of neither here nor there, he said. For Biodun Olujimi (PDP, Ekiti), there is a need to give the FCT indigenes what they are asking for. I am taken aback that we are even discussing this issue at all. What is fair, is fair. Whether we like it or not, we remain the house of assembly of the FCT. If we are, what will prevent the FCT from having a nominee as Minister because thats all they are asking for. They are saying they should be treated as a state. If they are working for this nation and we are all resident here, and we also draw everything from the FCT, fair is just fair, the FCT deserves someone to be nominated from their tribe as a minister, she said. The Senate thereafter resolved to note the decision of the Court of Appeal, Abuja in respect of appointment of a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to represent FCT Abuja and refer same to the executive for consideration. Dont be surprised if banning cars from the downtown stretch of Market Street doesnt have the transformative effect that boosters predict. Instead, the prohibition on private automobiles launched Wednesday simply should be seen as a welcome move in the right direction. It wont cure the worst of Market Streets ills. But it will make San Franciscos most symbolic artery a bit calmer and, with luck, clear the way for other changes. The new order was evident during the morning commute, when bicyclists turned out to celebrate the new reality that private automobiles are no longer allowed from 10th Street almost to the Embarcadero. I counted as many as 40 two-wheeled vehicles cross some intersections during a traffic light cycle, mostly bicycles but also scooters and even a non-electric skateboard or three. While the numbers dwindled as the morning went on no surprise there always were cyclists on every block. The biggest single cluster headed west around noon, after an 11 a.m. rally where public officials gathered at the Embarcadero to accept the cheers of cyclists and transit advocates. Many in the crowd had been working toward a car-free Market Street since 2008 or before. Others had started as skeptics but migrated to the no-car camp. This has been really a long time coming, Mayor London Breed said. I know this will be challenging for many people, but the city is changing. She was the lone speaker to acknowledge that theres plenty of grumbling from regular drivers who are frustrated by what they see as a proliferation of green-painted bike lanes in a city where getting from point A to point B by car can seem like an existential task. Other officials grandly predicted that Market Street will suddenly blossom now that private cars arent allowed between the final miles wide brick sidewalks. In this camp: Malcolm Heinicke, who chairs the board of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and jokingly questioned why the long-term plan for the street it was approved last year and will include repaving and redesigning everything east of Octavia Boulevard is called Better Market Street. Thats not enough. This is a magnificent Market Street, Heinicke proclaimed. Magnificent for transit, for pedestrians, for cyclists, for equity ... for visitors, for businesses. Here is where a few reality checks wont hurt. Even without private vehicles, the broad artery is still a mess. Taxis still are allowed, as are vehicles making deliveries. Muni buses back up behind the historic streetcars that rumble back and forth on metal tracks. And cars still cross Market Street at more than a dozen intersections more than a few of which were gridlocked on Wednesday, overeager drivers marooned while blocking the buses and streetcars filled with transit riders. Getting rid of cars, meanwhile, isnt likely to revive the mid-Market blocks where purveyors of illegal drugs and stolen goods are an all-too common sight. Cars from the west already have been shuttled toward Mission Street for nearly a decade. This just makes things official. Heinickes rhetoric echoes past visions of Market Street when big fixes fizzled out. The wide brick sidewalks, for instance, date to a 1970s remake that was going to turn Market into San Franciscos Champs-Elysees. Moving Twitter and other tech firms to mid-Market, we were assured, would make a squalid stretch shine. 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. But if you tone down expectations, the new reality looks pretty good. As many speakers emphasized, taking private autos out of the mix should have a beneficial effect in terms of personal safety for pedestrians and bicyclists, and making buses flow a bit more smoothly. Besides, its not as if this has been a major thoroughfare for drivers behind the wheel. Ive lived here all my life, and I never drove down Market Street, said Jim Haas, who entered public life as an aide to then-Supervisor Dianne Feinstein and stopped by for the morning ceremony. I figured it was only for tourists. Otherwise you got bottle-necked at every intersection. Among the cyclists biding their time while speakers figuratively patted each other on the back was Juli Uota. Uota is member of the board of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, an advocacy group that has touted the virtues of a car-free Market Street for more than 20 years. She pedaled in for the event from her home in the Outer Sunset, pulling a cart that held her Formosan mountain dog, Dascha. Just by removing the cars, you change things in terms of safety, Uota said. The drivers who drive Market all the time understand were part of the picture. Its the occasional ones who arent familiar with everything thats going on. ... riding in today, I felt more at ease. A small victory, perhaps. In the long run, though, Market Street is better served by a procession of small victories than by making grand promises that inevitably fall short. John King is The San Francisco Chronicles urban design critic. Email: jking@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @johnkingsfchron HARTFORD, Conn. - A man charged with murdering his wife who went missing amid a contentious divorce case died Thursday, his lawyer said. Fotis Dulos, 52, had been hospitalized since Tuesday when he was found at his home in Farmington, Connecticut, following an apparent suicide attempt. Its been a truly horrific day for the family filled with difficult decisions, medical tests and meeting the requirements to determine death, attorney Norm Pattis said. To those who contend that Mr. Dulos death reflects a consciousness of guilt, we say no, he added. We say it was more a conscience overborne with the weight of a world that was too busy to listen and wanted a story more than it wanted the truth. Dulos, a luxury home builder originally from Greece, was accused of killing Jennifer Dulos, who has not been seen since she dropped their five children off at school in May in New Canaan. Her body has not been found despite extensive searches. Fotis Dulos had denied any role in her disappearance. The children, who ranged in age from 8 to 13 when their mother vanished, are in the custody of their maternal grandmother in New York City. This is a horrific tragedy all around, said Carrie Luft, a spokeswoman for the family of Jennifer Dulos. Dulos insisted he was innocent in a note found near him, according to a court motion filed by his lawyers Thursday. In the note recovered by police officers, Dulos declared his innocence of the infamous and heinous crimes that the state has accused him of and claimed his lawyers have the evidence to prove it, his lawyers wrote in the filing asking a judge to order the state to preserve the note and other evidence found at the home. On the day Fotis Dulos was found unresponsive, he had been facing an emergency bond hearing where he could have been sent back to jail. The company that originally posted the $6 million bond had learned that two properties offered as collateral were subject to foreclosure and a third was overvalued. Police officers who went to check on Dulos because he was late for the hearing saw through a garage window that he was in medical distress. Emergency responders forced their way into the garage and medics performed CPR for about 30 minutes; he was taken to a hospital by ambulance after a pulse was discovered, Farmington police said Thursday. A lawyer for Dulos, and others, initially said he had died before saying a pulse had been found. Dulos was eventually transferred to the Jacobi Medical Center in New York City for treatment. Fotis Dulos was arrested Jan. 7 on murder and kidnapping charges, capping a lengthy investigation in which he emerged early as the primary suspect. Warrants released last summer, when Dulos was charged initially with evidence tampering and hindering prosecution, said that he and a girlfriend were seen on video surveillance driving in Hartford around the time Jennifer Dulos was reported missing. The man was seen tossing garbage bags into more than 30 trash bins in the area that were later determined to have items with Jennifer Dulos blood on them. Items in the garbage bags included clothing belonging to Jennifer Dulos and plastic zip ties that later tested positive for her DNA. In filings in the two-year divorce proceedings, Jennifer Dulos said she was worried for her safety and that of the couples children. In the arrest warrants, police suggested a possible financial motive, saying Fotis Dulos was $7 million in debt and would have had some access to the childrens trust funds if Jennifer Dulos died. Fotis Dulos denied that allegation. Police allege Fotis Dulos lay in wait at Jennifer Dulos home in New Canaan for her to return after dropping the children off. Authorities say Fotis Dulos attacked the woman in her garage, leaving behind a bloody crime scene, and drove off with her body. Dulos had pleaded not guilty to the charges. Pattis said the defence team will continue to seek a trial to clear his name. We intend to proceed on as if he were alive to vindicate him, Pattis said. 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. ___ Associated Press writers Michael Melia in Hartford and Pat Eaton-Robb in Storrs contributed to this report. Although Buttigieg began his TV ad campaign in Iowa first, there are fewer ads on the air for him in the final week before the caucuses than there are for his competitors. Buttigieg is being outspent by Sanders, Warren and the super political action committee backing Biden though with the local airwaves saturated by political ads, there can be just as much value in making news by going on the attack on the stump as there is in buying more TV time. The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is communal, said former Governor Aziz Qureshi here on Thursday. Qureshi, who came here to support women protesting against CAA and Register of Citizens (NRC) at the historic Clock Tower here, said: "Why is this law being brought? This (CAA) is communal. This country does not need anything on the basis of religion. People here need employment. People here need justice against injustice," he added. "I have come in support of these women. I have come against this brute government. This government is in the hands of the impotent people, who use the wrong language against women like it was used in Delhi and here in Lucknow," said Qureshi while addressing the protestors. The newly enacted law is facing stiff opposition across the country with some states including Kerala, West Bengal, Rajasthan, and Punjab refusing to implement the law there. The CAA grants citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist, and Christian 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.) It is well known that quantum properties of individual atoms can be controlled and manipulated by laser light. Even large clouds of hundreds of millions of atoms can be pushed into the quantum regime, giving rise to macroscopic quantum states of matter such as quantum gases or Bose-Einstein condensates, which nowadays are also widely used in quantum technologies. An exciting next step is to extend this level of quantum control to solid state objects. In contrast to atomic clouds, the density of a solid is a billion times higher and all atoms are bound to move together along the object's center of mass. In that way, new macroscopic quantum states involving large masses should become possible. However, entering this new regime is not at all a straightforward endeavour. A first step for achieving such quantum control is to isolate the object under investigation from influences of the environment and to remove all thermal energy - by cooling it down to temperatures very close to absolute zero (-273.15 C) such that quantum mechanics dominates the particle's motion. To show this the researchers chose to experiment with a glass bead approximately a thousand times smaller than a typical grain of sand and containing a few hundred million atoms. Isolation from the environment is achieved by optically trapping the particle in a tightly focused laser beam in high vacuum, a trick that was originally introduced by Nobel laureate Arthur Ashkin many decades ago and that is also used for isolating atoms. "The real challenge is for us to cool the particle motion into its quantum ground state. Laser cooling via atomic transitions is well established and a natural choice for atoms, but it does not work for solids", says lead-author Uros Delic from the University of Vienna. For this reason, the team has been working on implementing a laser-cooling method that was proposed by Austrian physicist Helmut Ritsch at the University of Innsbruck and, independently, by study co-author Vladan Vuletic and Nobel laureate Steven Chu. They had recently announced a first demonstration of the working principle, "cavity cooling by coherent scattering", however they were still limited to operating far away from the quantum regime. "We have upgraded our experiment and are now able not only to remove more background gas but also to send in more photons for cooling", says Delic. In that way, the motion of the glass bead can be cooled straight into the quantum regime. "It is funny to think about this: the surface of our glass bead is extremely hot, around 300C, because the laser heats up the electrons in the material. But the motion of the center of mass of the particle is ultra-cold, around 0.00001C away from absolute zero, and we can show that the hot particle moves in a quantum way." The researchers are excited about the prospects of their work. The quantum motion of solids has also been investigated by other groups all around the world, along with the Vienna team. Thus far, experimental systems were comprised of nano- and micromechanical resonators, in essence drums or diving boards that are clamped to a rigid support structure. "Optical levitation brings in much more freedom: by changing the optical trap - or even switching it off - we can manipulate the nanoparticle motion in completely new ways", says Nikolai Kiesel, co-author and Assistant Professor at the University of Vienna. Several schemes along these lines have been proposed, amongst others by Austrian-based physicists Oriol Romero-Isart and Peter Zoller at Innsbruck, and may now become possible. For example, in combination with the newly achieved motional ground state the authors expect that this opens new opportunities for unprecedented sensing performance, the study of fundamental processes of heat engines in the quantum regime, as well as the study of quantum phenomena involving large masses. "A decade ago we started this experiment motivated by the prospect of a new category of quantum experiments. We finally have opened the door to this regime." ### Publication in Science: Deli?, U, Reisenbauer, M, Dare, K, Grass, D, Vuleti?, V, Kiesel, N & Aspelmeyer, M; "Cooling of a Levitated Nanoparticle to the Motional Quantum Ground Stat" DOI: 10.1126/science.aba3993 Did officials of a Roman Catholic diocese lie when they encouraged financial donations from members of a long-standing parish that the diocese had already decided to close? A Commonwealth Court panel on Thursday decided that question should be answered in a courtroom. It did so by reviving part of a lawsuit lodged against the Diocese of Pittsburgh and Bishop David A. Zubik over the much-contested merger of the Saint Anthony Parish in Monongahela. The parishioners fighting the merger appealed to the state court after a Washington County judge dismissed their appeal on grounds that the courts cannot interfere with ecclesiastical decisions. The Commonwealth Court judges saw an opening in that argument. In an opinion by Senior Judge Bonnie Brigance Leadbetter, they reinstated a fraud count of the parishioners complaint and sent the case back to the county court for more battling. The case revolves around the merger of Saint Anthonys with another Monongahela parish, Transfiguration, to form the new Saint Damien of Molokai Parish in 2014. The merger came over the loud protests of parishioners from Saint Anthonys which was founded in 1904 to serve the Italian community. The merger opponents even tried, without luck, to get the Vatican to intervene. Leadbetter noted that, in general, the courts are not allowed to interfere with church decisions. However, she found the parishioners claim that Zubik and his subordinates deliberately misled them to secure funding for the diocese merits further examination. The parishioners contend diocese officials encouraged them to give more than $100,000 to a Church Alive! initiative even as church officials were looking at closing their parish. The parishioners allegethat the diocese and its representatives misled (them) to believe that if enough funding was raised the (Saint Anthonys) facility might remain open, Leadbetter noted. That civil claim for fraud needs to be addressed in court, and diocese officials must be given a chance to respond to it, she found. The truth can be sought on that issue without crossing the line separating church and state, Leadbetter concluded. While the bishop and the diocese may have had the right to do as they saw fit with regard to merging the parishes and dealing with church property, they did not have the right to take the parishioners money under false pretenses, the judge wrote. In a footnote, Leadbetter observed the parishioners might be able to secure punitive financial damages if they can prove diocese officials knowingly perpetrated a fraud. The Commonwealth Court decision could be appealed to the state Supreme Court. After seeing several advertisements in Thailand, a woman from HCM City's District 2 began looking for information about health centres that offer genetic tests that predict the likelihood of cancer. Only people whose families have a high incidence of cancer or those who have cancers caused by inherited genetic mutations should pay for DNA genetic tests. I wanted to test my genes to know whether I have a high cancer risk. I didn't know which places can be trusted, so I thought about going to Thailand for the test, the 34-year-old said. However, Dr Giang Hoa, deputy director of Medical Genetics Institute, said that only people whose families have a high incidence of cancer or those who have cancers caused by inherited genetic mutation should use the DNA tests. The chances of getting cancer for women who have the breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 rises to 81 per cent by age 80, Hoa said, adding these women should get periodic cancer screening. The survival rate after five years of treatment can be up to 90 per cent if the breast cancer is treated in the early stages. He said that one family in the northern province of Bac Ninh in the Red River Delta has had nine siblings diagnosed with various cancers. Samples of their DNA were sent to his centre for genetic sequencing to discover the cause of these cancers. The other members of the family are at high risk, so these tests are vital. Cancer screening can help to increase survival rates, he said. Dr Nguyen Thi Quynh Tho of the institute said: Genetic tests help detect diseases that are related to genes, including cancers. The tests show genetic mutations that can prevent genes from functioning properly and completely. Patients can then adjust their lifestyle to reduce the cancer risks. Wrong uses Besides DNA tests for screening diseases, several genetic centres in HCM City are advertising their services for nutrition, IQ and EQ levels, and aptitude assessments of children, but experts warn that parents should be cautious about these because they could affect childrens development. Professor Truong inh Kiet, head of the Medical Genetics Institute and former vice rector of the HCM City University of Medicine and Pharmacy, said that DNA testing services were booming in the city. But genetic centre quality is not verified and prices vary substantially. The Ministry of Health should strictly supervise these services." According to Kiet, DNA tests to identify possible IQ level or natural talent are fairly common in the US and other countries. These tests could be correct in the cases of children with learning disabilities. But parents should not base their judgement on these test results. The living environment and education are also very important for children to develop their talents, Kiet added. Dr Giang Hoa, the institutes deputy head, said that several centres have worked with counterparts in other countries to test DNA samples, but he warned that this method leads to missing data about Vietnamese genes for databases. The exact results of DNA tests are also dependent on technologies which labs use, he said, adding that quality and standards of many labs in HCM City are not adequate. Genetic tests can be done by providing a sample of blood, hair, skin, amniotic fluid (fluid that surrounds a fetus during pregnancy), or other tissue. Doctors can also use a small brush or cotton swab to collect a sample of cells from the inside surface of the cheek for genetic test, Hoa said, adding that this procedure is easy and the cost is not high. Doctors recommend that people who need genetic tests should be offered careful counselling before and after the tests. VNS Gia Loc Ive been happily married since 2002, but I remember when I was single before social media, smartphones, and the internet was really thing matrimonial ads posted in community magazines were a source of much giggling among friends. The ads, usually posted by parents, described homely (domestically-inclined) daughters, of wheatish complexion (colourism is alive and well in many South Asian communities). The ads would go on to list the age, education level, even racial background of daughters. Parents were looking for a groom who was a professional (read: doctor/ lawyer/ engineer/ accountant), moderately taller and infinitely wealthier than their daughters. The boys parents were no better: only fair and lovely princesses need apply for their offspring. These ads were printed in magazines aimed primarily at the South Asian diaspora, where the tradition of facilitated introductions and chaperoned courtship were a common way to arrange a marriage. These facilitated proposals are known as rishtas picture a blind date with your entire family watching. They still happen in some families who want to take a more active role in helping adult kids find their life partners. Adult children, in turn, accept this as a normal part of the dating scene, similar to asking your friends to set you up. Many of my friends experienced some variation of this rishta-proposal process. A lot of us found the one this way after first meeting a few duds. My husband and I, for example, had a fusion of the traditional and modern. We were introduced by a mutual family friend, my mother was present when we first met, but after that we were left to figure things out on our own, with the understanding that our end goal was marriage. We were engaged within six months. Seventeen years and a couple kids later, the process worked for us. Of course, that was in ancient times. Today, as usual, the internet has ruined everything, by providing plentiful dating apps with thousands of potential partners, along with an exponential increase in ghosting, catfishing, disrespectful and time-wasting behaviour. Many young first and second generation North American Muslims are caught up in what I call the Venn Diagram of Muslim Love. They exist in that tiny space between two intersecting circles of parental expectation and dating according to everyone else. That space is where things get complicated for devout, modern Muslims looking for love. These single Muslims are observant, and looking for someone with a similar level of faithfulness. They also have a more cosmopolitan sensibility about what Muslim dating looks like. For instance, they expect to get to know their future partner over a longer time frame than the match-and-dispatch rishta process; they may want to avoid physical intimacy until after marriage; while family approval is important, feeling that spark of chemistry with their future partner is equally paramount, even while they may opt of chaperoned meetings. One thing that remains the same is young professionals looking for love still face an uphill battle, particularly if they are single women. This isnt solely a problem for observant Muslims, of course. In dating generally, women have greater difficulty finding partners looking for long-term commitment. Forgive the generalization, guys, but overwhelming anecdotal evidence bears me out. I know many Muslim women in their 20s, 30s, and 40s all attractive, put-together professionals with stable jobs who have not been able to find their counterpart among the pool of available Muslim men in the GTA and beyond. One might be tempted to blame shorter attention spans and a swipe-left-whats-next cultural zeitgeist, yet there are plenty of market-specific dating apps aimed at helping the Muslim community work overtime to help people find their match. There is Muzmatch, Minder, Eshq, Beyond Chai, and the newly-launched NIM, to name just a few. Many of these platforms have been written about in major publications, including this paper, the Washington Post, the Guardian, CNN, and the New York Times. Even though the apps are aimed at observant, religious singles, they have the same problems that exist on many other dating platforms. As one of my single friends put it, The guys just arent serious. There is the same risk of being catfished, sent unwanted sexually explicit photos and propositions, not being forthright about intentions, and eventually losing hope as the search becomes a gruelling process that may or may not result in finding a match. Many Muslim dating platforms have tried to address such systemic issues. Some are designed for people looking for serious relationships only. NIM and Eshq, like the more mainstream Bumble, ensure that contact is initiated by women. Many services charge a fee to act as bespoke virtual matchmakers, such as Beyond Chai, which was set up by young 30-something tech entrepreneurs in the Washington, D.C. area. Others, including NIM, have a zero-tolerance policy toward inappropriate behaviour, and even allow for a chaperone to be added to chats a service some people find comforting on an online platform. Shakespeare famously wrote, The course of true love never did run smooth. An apt idiom for our times. However, judging by the number of weddings Im invited to every year, young Muslims continue to find their way to each other, whether through a rishta hookup, an auntie referral, using a targeted app, or the old fashioned route meeting at a Starbucks in real life. Uzma Jalaluddin is a Toronto-based writer and a freelance contributing columnist for the Star. Reach her via email: ujalaluddin@outlook.com A British tourist has been found dead after going missing as he tried to cross a lake in Argentina in a kayak with his girlfriend. The body of the 34-year-old, named locally as Thomas David McKendrick Warden, was discovered just before midday on Wednesday nearly 20 miles from where he was last seen. He fell into the water a day earlier as he crossed Nahuel Huapi Lake, a glacial lake with crystal-clear blue waters in the foothills of the Andes in northern Patagonia. A 34-year-old Briton, named locally as Thomas David McKendrick Warden (pictured left with his girlfriend), has drowned while trying to cross Nahuel Huapi Lake in Argentina in a kayak His girlfriend, named locally as Charlotte Inman, raised the alarm when the accident happened on Tuesday morning as they crossed the lake despite high winds to try to reach the famous town of Bariloche from an island called Isla Victoria. Local authorities had reportedly closed the lake for nautical activities because of the weather conditions shortly before the Brit tourist and his girlfriend attempted the crossing and got into difficulties after being battered by gusts of winds of up to 50mph. His partner, thought to be 35, is said to have been in another kayak which also overturned before she managed to get back into the boat and reach the coast. Silvina Palenque, the owner of a house where Charlotte raised the alarm, said she had told her their kayaks had overturned and told local press: 'She began to row desperately towards the coast to look for help and appeared here. 'They put her in a medical vehicle with heating and we gave her tea and changed her clothes and looked after her till the authorities arrived. 'She didn't speak much Spanish but she kept on repeating in a state of shock, 'What a bad decision!' 'She was constantly asking if they were still looking for her boyfriend.' The missing Brit's body was found around six miles east of Bariloche and nearly 20 miles from the spot where he vanished. It is thought Mr Warden was trying to reach the tourist city of Bariloche (file image) by crossing the lake in high winds when he capsized and fell into the water Local firefighter Lorena Oyarzun, speaking before the grim find, said they had begun a search with police and Naval Prefecture officials around 11am on Tuesday. Confirming the accident had happened because of the heavy swell on the lake caused by the high winds, she said: 'The British man's girlfriend was very nervous and we tried to clam her down. 'She was also suffering from hypothermia. She kept on repeating that they had taken a bad decision. 'The conditions on the lake were not suitable for kayaking that day. They decided to try to cross it anyway and sadly this happened.' The Brit couple reportedly spent Monday night camping on Isla Victoria after reaching the island in their kayaks before setting off for Bariloche on Tuesday morning. An autopsy is already thought to have taken place, although the results have not yet been released. Cartier has entrusted the production of its latest Panthere campaign to the German videographer Jonas Lindstroem, famous for his film Truth or Dare. Cartiers film unites fearless and unique personalities, who are drawn to the most dangerous creature in the Cartier menagerie for her powers of seduction and desire for power. Untamed and indomitable, the Panthere de Cartier is charged with a magnetism that reveals one's own strength of character. Panthers know their kind; it is a tribe united by instinct and independence. Chang Chen, Annabelle Wallis, Ella Balinska and Mariacarla Boscono feature in the international cast of this film which has been shot all over the world. Wherever they may be, they recognise each other, beguiled by the same animal distinction whose wild, magnetic look is a sign of freedom. The panther accompanies them everywhere with her feline shadow like a copy of themselves. Frees spirits, the artists interpreting the Panthere de Cartier are the modern-day heirs to a prestigious line of the panthers devotees, including its creator Jeanne Toussaint, The Duchess of Windsor, Maria Felix and Daisy Fellowes. A community that embodies the Cartier emblem: an object of desire and fascination that has been a creative signature for Cartier since her first sighting in 1914. Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said on Thursday that Health Minister Victor Costache performs surgery Saturday and Sunday at patients' request and that he is not in conflict of interest, as reported by the national media. Orban mentioned that he knew the Costache was performing surgery at a private hospital. "The minister of health operates Saturdays and Sundays, instead of going vacationing, of going to the mountains to spend time; he operates, because he is a renowned doctor, he is a doctor in high demand with patients. Patients who are operated by him expressly request to be operated on by Victor Costache. Obviously, in order to be able to operate a contract was necessary; but with him, the contract is at a minimum amount... He could not operate without being hired," said Orban after participating in the management meeting of the National Council of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Romania. He argued that Costache is not in any conflict of interest. "The minister has asked the National Integrity Agency (ANI) for advice, from what I know, and there was an answer that there is no conflict of interest. If there was a conflict, it would probably have been declared so far," he said. AGERPRES Sorry, we can't find the content you're looking for at this URL. Maine Secretary of State's Office(NEW YORK) -- Mike Bloomberg's campaign has engaged in aggressive outreach to Super Tuesday voters, sending out paper letters detailing the former New York City mayor's long record of experience, and a broad outline of things he'd get done as president. But one postscript at the bottom of a recent mailer offered inaccurate voting information to residents in Maine. It reads, "P.S. Maine election law allows all registered voters, regardless of party registration, to vote in the Democratic Primary. Go to https://www.mikebloomberg.com/elect/ to request your vote by mail ballot." However, the Maine Democratic primary on March 3 is actually closed, meaning only voters who are registered Democrats can vote in that primary. If you are a registered Republican or registered Independent, you cannot vote in the Democratic primary. The Republican primary is being held the same day, though Donald Trump is the only one on the ballot. The error was flagged by a Maine voter who received the mailer, and then alerted Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap's office late Tuesday, according to Dunlap Communications Director Kristen Muszynski. Dunlap's office sent out a statement issuing a correction to the Bloomberg campaign, saying that Dunlap was "reaching out to voters who may have received a political mailing with inaccurate voting information," calling the Bloomberg campaign by name as the actor. "We received this from a voter who said, 'I, and I have friends, who got this -- and this is concerning," Muszynski told ABC News in a phone interview. "And we said, 'Oh, yes it is.'" Muszynski said it was probably an "honest mistake" on the Bloomberg campaign's part. "I know these are national campaigns; you know voting is very different depending on what state you're in. ... It's complex," Muszynski said. "We felt very strongly that it was our responsibility to step up and say -- this was inaccurate," she added. A Bloomberg campaign spokesperson told ABC News that the letter was "targeted at Democrats and unaffiliated voters," and they "regret any confusion," adding they are sending a "follow-up mailer" to clarify. "Earlier this week, the campaign sent a letter introducing Mike Bloomberg and his record targeted at Democrats and unaffiliated voters in Super Tuesday states," a Bloomberg campaign spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News. "Due to slight variations in local election laws in Maine, Colorado, and North Carolina that weren't captured in the letter, the campaign is sending a follow up mailer to recipients in those states clarifying how they can participate in their upcoming Democratic primaries. We regret any confusion this may have caused." Just days ago Bloomberg paid a visit to Maine -- the first by a 2020 presidential candidate -- part of his overarching strategy to key in on Super Tuesday states. Maine does have same-day voter registration, so those who are unaffiliated can register at a polling site and then vote. If you are already registered for one party, there is a 15-day waiting period or you can register before the deadline of Presidents Day on Feb. 17. Simple clerical errors seed confusion, and "certainly could" cause frustration that impacts participation at the ballot box, Muszynski said. Muszynski said when they learned of the inaccuracy, they reached out to the campaign via the press email to say they were issuing a correction, but did not speak with them about it. "It's not our job to do their mailers," Muszynski said. "Our role is to make sure that Maine voters know what's accurate and what isn't. It's a matter of us getting the right information out and making sure people feel comfortable with their ability to vote." Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. TSB swung into profit in 2019, the bank said on Thursday as it looks to recover from a major IT failure that claimed the job of its chief executive. Pre-tax profit reached 46 million over the year, an increase from a pre-tax loss of 105.4 million the year before. The banks lending book increased to 31 billion, an increase of 3.6%. Customer deposits, meanwhile, rose by 3.7% to 30 billion. It gives the bank a loan to deposit ratio of 103% to customers across the period. The bank is trying to put a major IT failure behind it as it looks to 2020. TSB is back to doing what it does bestDebbie Crosbie, CEO TSB is a trusted brand and now operating on a modern banking platform, it highlighted. Around two million people were locked out of their bank accounts in 2018, in an incident that an investigation by outside lawyers blamed in part on TSBs board. The directors lacked common sense in the lead-up to the failure, Slaughter and May said. It was a scandal that claimed the head of chief executive Paul Pester, who stepped down in September that year. He was replaced by Debbie Crosbie, a veteran of Clydsdale and Yorkshire Bank, where she had held several positions. During her time there she oversaw of the transfer of customers to a new entity. On Thursday Ms Crosbie said: TSB is back to doing what it does best, focusing on serving customers and innovating to meet their needs. We have returned to growth, making good, steady progress in customer loans and deposits. We know that customers want something different and better from their bank. Every day, more of our customers are taking advantage of our improved digital offer for their banking and, as the only bank to offer a Fraud Refund Guarantee, were on the side of the customer on the issues that matter to them. While the market remains competitive, I am confident that with our new strategy and clear purpose, TSB is well positioned to deliver even more for our customers. SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ValleyML is the most active and important community of ML & AI Companies and Start-ups, Data Practitioners, Executives and Researchers in the Silicon Valley. The goal is Advancing AI to Empower People. ValleyML sponsors include UL, MINDBODY Inc., Ambient Scientific Inc., SEMI, Intel, Western Digital, Texas Instruments, Google, Facebook, Cadence, Xilinx. These highly focused events welcome a community of CTOs, CEOs, Chief data scientists, product management executives and delegates from some of the world's top technology companies. Companies interested in sponsoring ValleyML events can follow the instructions in the sponsor brochure document as soon as possible as there are limited sponsorship opportunities available. A unified call for proposals for 3 AI Expo events is now open. AI Hardware Expo - May 5th-6th 2020 Submit by March 1st. AI Enterprise Expo - August 25th-26th 2020 Submit by May 1st. AI Robotics Expo - November 12th-13th 2020 Submit by August 1st. ValleyML.ai 's recent event "State of AI and ML-January 2020" at Intel, Santa Clara on January 14th-15th was a great success with more than 36 speakers and 250+ attendees. Event updates, videos and pictures are at ValleyML website. These highly content oriented conferences are curated by an expert program committee that included Dr. Koji Seto, Dr.Osso Vahabzadeh, Marc J. Mar-Yohana, Promila Agarwal, Dr. Mehran Nekuii assisted by industry advisory board under the leadership of Dr. Kiran Gunnam , a Distinguished Machine Learning and Computer Vision Engineer with more than 100 inventions. The event featured prominent speakers such as Dr.Prasad Saripalli from MINDBODY, Dr.Ted Selker from C3.chat, Gajendra Prasad Singh from Ambient Scientific, Janet George from Oracle, a panel chair, John Currie from UL. This event received publicity help from local IEEE chapters and SF Bay ACM as well as great post-event coverage in a Forbes article titled "Silicon Valley Event On Machine Learning Tackles The Latest Riddles Vexing AI Self-Driving Cars". In addition, registered attendees are eligible to get IEEE PDH (Professional Development Hours) Certificate. SOURCE ValleyML Related Links https://www.valleyml.ai Garmin India roped in famous actor and VJ, Mr. Rannvijay Singha as their brand ambassador. The popular face of MTV Roadies and the promoter of healthy and active lifestyle, Rannvijay will be promoting Garmin watches in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan across the mediums of print, television, online as well as creating buzz on all social media platforms. Commenting on the brand association, Mr. Ali Rizvi, Director of Garmin India Pvt. Ltd. said, We are delighted to have Mr. Rannvijay Singha on board with us who is not only a famous face on television but is also a fitness inspiration and a mentor to many. The youth icon is known in the industry for his challenging personality, determination and confidence which is in sync with Garmin as a brand. We are confident that this partnership will help the brand in reaching out to more true fitness enthusiasts and grow in the markets. Recently, Garmin India launched its FIRST ever smartwatch with a vibrant AMOLED screen: VENU. Garmin vivoactive 4: GPS smartwatch, enriched with enhanced health and wellness monitoring features was also launched. Fenix 6 Series- with solar charging lens was also introduced to the Indian smartwatch market by Garmin India. Excited to be part of Garmin, Mr. Rannvijay Singha said I am using GARMIN watch since a long time now and personally love its accuracy, durability and innovative approach, which is designed to help fitness enthusiasts to perform at the highest levels. Its an honor for me to be associated with the brand, which is known globally for their advanced GPS technology. Garmin is supporting in accommodating physical activities with the unique features and advanced styling in their smart wearables, bringing a positive change in everyones lifestyle. The brands ethos is truly synonymous to mine and I am extremely excited to reach out to millions as the face of Garmin India. Americans have long migrated from city to city in search of a better life, changing the face of regional real estate markets as they go. Now, internet searches for out-of-town rentals can predict these changes before they occur. A new study by the real estate listing site Apartment List examined millions of rental searches made on its platform in an effort to identify the U.S. cities that people most want to leave (the ones from which the highest share of searches for out-of-town properties originated), and the cities people most want to move to (the ones for which the highest share of rental searches originated out of town). The study looked at all searches occurring on Apartment List between June 1 and Dec. 31, 2019. Only areas with at least 2,500 inbound and outbound users searching were included, for a total of 157 cities. In addition to figuring out where people are leaving and going, the researchers went one step further and looked at the origins of inbound searches and the destinations of outbound searches for each city, determining where renters from certain places actually want to go. Overall, the city most desired by out-of-town renters was Denver, and the largest share of searches for Denver originated from far-off Washington, D.C. In Los Angeles, people searched most for rentals in Phoenix closer but not exactly next door. DUBLIN, Jan. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Medical Oxygen Systems - Market Analysis, Trends, and Forecasts" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Medical Oxygen Systems market worldwide is projected to grow by US$1.6 Billion, driven by a compounded growth of 7.6%. Compressed Oxygen Cylinders, one of the segments analyzed and sized in this study, displays the potential to grow at over 7.2%. 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$1.7 Billion by the year 2025, Compressed Oxygen Cylinders will bring in healthy gains adding significant momentum to global growth. Representing the developed world, the United States will maintain a 6.5% growth momentum. Within Europe, which continues to remain an important element in the world economy, Germany will add over US$56.6 Million to the region's size and clout in the next 5 to 6 years. Over US$49.3 Million worth of projected demand in the region will come from the rest of the European markets. In Japan, Compressed Oxygen Cylinders will reach a market size of US$87.8 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 11.2% over the next couple of years and add approximately US$451.5 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: Atlas Copco AB Cryofab Inc. GF Health Products Inc. Invacare Corporation Keen Compressed Gas Co. Medtronic Inc. Philips Respironics For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/dn92sd 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 Buying a house is the biggest, and often most important, financial decision of your life. So you want to make sure you nail every step along the way, right? Open House is the Houston Chronicles Houston How To series on homebuying for first timers. These six real estate professionals work with new homebuyers, and they have tips for you about how to make the homebuying process smoother. Mark Dimas, broker/owner at Mark Dimas Properties One of the biggest fears is choosing the wrong home. Its like a fear of missing out, FOMO they see a house they really like but they wonder if theres another one out there. You dont want to lose out by not making a decision. There are (low interest) rates, prices or that perfect house that was really good for you, (but) its still a really competitive market. You see a lot of multiple offers in those price points. Eric Fontanot, president at Patten Title The one thing that always jumps out to me is to always, always, always get a new survey when youre buying a new piece of property. Its a critically important aspect to the home buying process. Its important to know where the land is, where the boundaries are, where the land is situated, where the house is situated. Jennifer Hughes Hernandez, senior loan officer at Legacy Mutual A misconception about pre-approval is that you can just do credit only and get a pre-approval. Thats not a pre-approval. A pre-approval is when you give someone your paperwork your taxes, pay stubs, W-2s. So if a company says that theyre pre-approving you yet they reviewed none of your documentation...online companies are notorious for this, you push a button and youre approved. Theres been no human revision of your documents, and that should be worrisome because it could be potential surprises down the line. Omar Enriquez, affordable housing manager at Amegy Bank You definitely want to be able to consult and advise a potential borrower with the actual facts from a credit report. Customers ask, If I inquire about my credit, is it going to bring down my points? The credit system does allow one, two, even three inquiries to be able to actually compare lenders. The idea that theyre going to suffer creditwise each time we inquire is not accurate. We dont want to go to every bank in town, but advise if youre going to do that, do it with a limited number. Chad Helmcamp, president at BWC Lending The rule of thumb is two months of bank statements, two consecutive paystubs in a month and two years of tax returns. We get a lot of self-employed people coming in who dont have that together or write off too much on their tax returns that make it challenging to qualify. Mike Spear, Realtor at Martha Turner Sothebys International Realty When they come in and they go Ive been looking for a year, two years the biggest red flag is if theyre just very indecisive. Youre having a hard time getting them to go to the lender to go ahead and get pre-approved and its like, OK, maybe youre not ready to buy. Sometimes you just got to get in there and dig and ask whats your motive here and why do you need to buy? In part one of "Open House," the Houston Chronicles series on first-time homebuying, learn from Houston How To about the real estate agents, mortgage lenders and escrow officers who will help you on your property buying journey. In part two of "Open House," the Houston Chronicles series on first-time homebuying, Houston How To will explore how a prospective homebuyer can get their finances in order and what financial programs can make owning your own place more affordable. In part three of "Open House," the Houston Chronicles series on first-time homebuying, Houston How To gets into the good stuff: what to look for once youre finally ready to check out homes. In part four of "Open House," the Houston Chronicles series on first-time homebuying, Houston How To looks at closing and escrow, the most important part of the purchase. gwendolyn.wu@chron.com Twitter: @gwendolynawu By Tracy Rucinski and Laurence Frost CHICAGO/PARIS (Reuters) - Pilots and flight attendants are demanding airlines stop flights to China as health officials declare a global emergency over the rapidly spreading coronavirus, with American Airlines' pilots filing a lawsuit seeking an immediate halt. China has reported nearly 10,000 cases and 213 deaths, but the virus has spread to 18 countries, mostly, presumably, by airline passengers. The United States has advised its citizens not to travel to China, raising its warning to the same level as those for Iraq and Afghanistan. U.S. airlines, which have been reducing flights to China this week, were reassessing flying plans as a result, according to people familiar with the matter. It is possible the White House could opt to take further action to bar flights to China in coming days, but officials stressed that no decision has been made. The Allied Pilots Association (APA), which represents American Airlines pilots, cited "serious, and in many ways still unknown, health threats posed by the coronavirus" in a lawsuit filed in Texas, where the airline is based. American said it was taking precautions against the virus but had no immediate comment on the lawsuit. On Wednesday, it announced flight cancellations from Los Angeles to Beijing and Shanghai, but is continuing flights from Dallas. APA President Eric Ferguson urged pilots assigned to U.S.-China flights to decline the assignment. In a statement, the American Airlines' flight attendants union said they supported the pilots' lawsuit and called on the company and the U.S. government to "err on the side of caution and halt all flights to and from China." Pilots at United Airlines , the largest U.S. airline to China, concerned for their safety will be allowed to drop their trip without pay, according to a Wednesday memo from their union to members. United announced on Thursday another 332 U.S.-China flight cancellations between February and March 28, though it will continue operating round trip flights from San Francisco to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Story continues The American Airlines pilot lawsuit came as an increasing number of airlines stopped their flights to mainland China, including Air France KLM SA , British Airways , Germany's Lufthansa and Virgin Atlantic. Other major carriers have kept flying to China, but protective masks and shorter layovers designed to reduce exposure have done little to reassure crews. 'COUNTDOWN' A U.S. flight attendant who recently landed from one major Chinese city said a big concern is catching the virus and spreading it to families, or getting quarantined while on a layover. "I didn't understand the gravity of the situation until I went there," she said on condition of anonymity, describing general paranoia on the return flight, with every passenger wearing a mask. "Now I feel like I'm on a 14-day countdown." Thai Airways is hosing its cabins with disinfectant spray between China flights and allowing crew to wear masks and gloves. Delta Air Lines is operating fewer flights and offering food deliveries so crew can stay in their hotels. The carrier is also allowing pilots to drop China trips without pay, a memo from its union to members said. Korean Air Lines Co Ltd <003490.KS> and Singapore Airlines are sending additional crew to fly each plane straight back, avoiding overnight stays. The South Korean carrier also said it was loading protective suits for flight attendants who might need to take care of suspected coronavirus cases in the air. Airlines in Asia are seeing a big drop in bookings along with forced cancellations because of the coronavirus outbreak, the head of aircraft lessor Avolon Holdings Ltd said, adding the impact could last for some months. The outbreak poses the biggest epidemic threat to the airline industry since the 2003 SARS crisis, which led to a 45% plunge in passenger demand in Asia at its peak in April of that year, analysts said. Fitch Ratings said airlines with more moderate exposure to China and the Asia-Pacific region were likely to be able to re-deploy capacity to alternative routes to mitigate the effect on traffic, but that could increase competition on those routes and reduce airfares. Air France, which maintained China flights throughout the SARS epidemic, suspended its Beijing and Shanghai flights on Thursday after cabin crews demanded an immediate halt. "When the staff see that other airlines have stopped flying there, their reaction is 'Why are we still going?'," said Flore Arrighi, president of UNAC, one of the airline's four main flight attendants' unions. (Reporting by Tracy Rucinski, Laurence Frost and David Shepardson; Additional reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal, Aradhana Aravindan, John Geddie and Anshuman Daga in Singapore, Chayut Setboonsarng and Panu Wongcha-um in Bangkok, Caroline Pailliez in Paris, Josephine Mason in London, Jamie Freed in Sydney and Joyce Lee in Seoul; Writing by Jamie Freed and Tracy Rucinski; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Lisa Shumaker) PHILIPSBURG:--- The St Maarten Chamber of Commerce & Industry (COCI) is reminding the business community to register to participate in Europes biggest event for emigrants, the Emigration Expo 2020 which will be kicking off within the next two weeks. The Expo is being held under the theme A world of opportunities, and will take place from February 8 to February 9 in Expo Houten in the Dutch city of Utrecht. The Dutch Caribbean Islands will be having a stand at the Expo from where exhibitors can network with the visitors. Chamber registrants will get a special rate. Interested businesses can visit the website of Emigration Expo 2020 and download the information about what it is all about and the registration requirements. According to the organizers, 150,000 emigrants leave Europe to work elsewhere. The 24th edition of Emigration Expo attracts approximately 200 exhibitors from two dozen countries; 340 participating organizations; 100 presentations and receives 11,000 visitors from the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium. The website promoting the event also receives close to half a million unique visitors which would be great exposure for a Sint Maarten-based business or entrepreneur. COCI and the Sint Maarten Ministry Plenipotentiary in the Netherlands have collaborated to represent the country. The Chamber has also been working very closely with various departments within the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunications (Ministry TEATT). Local businesses and entrepreneurs in search of personnel in a specialized area as well as Sint Maarteners seeking to return, the Emigration Expo 2020 is an avenue to make that contact and network about the rebuilding effort here at home and how contributions can be made. I encourage our COCI registrants to make use of this opportunity. For businesses that are not able to travel, you are welcome to contact the Chamber to further discuss the possibilities. The joint promotion between COCI and Ministry Plenipotentiary at Emigration Expo 2020, will concentrate on promoting not only the diaspora seeking to return to Sint Maarten, but to also work with possible interested businesses that are seeking to establish their company on Sint Maarten. It is well-known that investors also look at such Expos to receive additional information about the country. The cooperation received from Ministry TEATT and the joint approach embarked upon, vital economic development information will be part of the presentation at the Expo in the Netherlands. This overall collaboration between the Chamber, Ministry Plenipotentiary and Ministry TEATT is a much-needed development with respect to proper representation of the country at such events, President of the COCI Board Benjamin Ortega said on Wednesday. Visitors to the Expo will learn about living, studying and working abroad as well as doing business in another country. Emigration Expo 2020 is aimed at entrepreneurs, emigrants, returning emigrants, expats, students, and retirees. The exhibitors comprise of companies, schools, hospitals, governments, embassies, banks, relocation companies, consultancies, tax advisors, insurance companies, real estate agents, and emigration guidance companies, just to mention a few. For more information about Emigration Expo 2020, you can visit the website www.emigrationexpo.com or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Empty racks where face masks are usually sold at a DIY store in west London (PA) The demand for protective face masks in the UK has appeared to spike over fears about coronavirus, as pharmacies look to boost sold out stocks. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is expected to reconvene its emergency committee on Thursday to decide whether to declare an international public health emergency. On the Boots website, a six-pack of safe & sound surgical face masks has already sold out accompanied by a note that they will not be receiving any further stock. Another product on the Boots website a box of 50 masks is also sold out and will not be restocked either. People arrive at Heathrow airport wearing protective face masks following the coronavirus outbreak (AP) Boots said surgical face masks are available to order in stores as a special line from the pharmacy counter. They added that they are working to make additional stock available for customers to purchase in store and on boots.com which we hope will land over the next week. A spokesperson told Yahoo News UK: The best way to help prevent catching a virus is by making sure you regularly wash your hands with soap, and avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth to prevent transmission from surfaces, especially after blowing your nose, sneezing and coughing. Read more: Thousands of cruise passengers stuck on ship in Italy as Chinese couple are tested for coronavirus Coronavirus: Brits remain in China after officials refuse permission for flight to take off European shares dip as Chinese coronavirus concerns deepen Surgical face masks are normally available on request from Boots stores and customers can order from our pharmacy counters, depending on stock availability. All our pharmacists have the latest public health advice on coronavirus and can offer advice on the best way to stay healthy this winter. A branch of B&Q in London also appeared to be low on stocks of face masks, with racks empty on Wednesday evening. And on Amazon.co.uk, a pack of 12 anti virus flu surgical face masks is sold out, with the retailer saying they do not know when the item will be back in stock, Story continues Current confirmed cases of coronavirus (PA) However, there are other masks available on the site. In Wuhan, China where cases of the virus were first recorded the death toll has risen to 170. Brits who were hoping to fly home from Wuhan remain in China after officials refused permission for their flight to take off. Women are seen in central London wearing protective face masks as they take precaution against coronavirus (AP) So far, 73 tests for suspected cases of the virus in the UK have all come back negative. A poster on the WHO website, under the heading Stay Healthy While Travelling, offers advice on using face masks. It reads: If you choose to wear a face mask, be sure to cover mouth and nose avoid touching mask once its on. Immediately discard single-use mask after each use and wash hands after removing masks. ---How four years of utter Brexit chaos unfolded--- Results of tests on samples of nine people from Telangana for possible exposure to the novel coronavirus were awaited, Health authorities said on Thursday. So far, no positive case of the virus has been detected in the state since its outbreak in China where it has claimed 170 lives in the past weeks. Of the nine people, who had returned from China, two are under observation in hospitals while the others are in their houses and being monitored by health officials, they said. "Till today (Thursday), we have have taken the samples of 11. Two have already tested negative. As for the rest of the samples, we are awaiting the results," a health official told PTI here. The samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune. The official said the Centre has agreed to the states request to provide kits to conduct the tests at the state-run Gandhi Hospital here. The kits were expected to reach the city either on Thursday night or on Friday morning. Against the backdrop of the first case in the country being reported from Kerala, state Health Minister E Rajender on Thursday told the authorities to keep everyone who comes to the state from China under observation and to supervise even if they were staying at home, sources said. He directed the health administration to be fully prepared to provide treatment in isolation wards. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (Newser) Though rifles abound in Longyearbyen, Norway, the worst crimes that tended to occur were the theft of unattended bootsuntil late 2018, that is. In a piece for Outside Online, David Kushner takes readers to one of the northernmost settlements on the planet, a town of 2,200 that sits just 800 miles from the North Pole. It's in the Svalbard archipelago, best known for being home to the "Doomsday Vault" seed bank. There are also polar bears, so many that locals who go beyond Longyearbyen's limits are required to carry a rifleand so the town makes it simple for visitors to rent one. That was the appeal for Maksim Popov, a "single, unemployed 29-year-old ... descending into darkness" in his Russian hometown. He decided to end it all but needed a gun. And Longyearbyen seemed like the easiest place to get one. story continues below But once Popov got to Longyearbyen on Dec. 17, 2018, and got his rifle, he had a change of heart. He didn't feel like dying or heading home. A new plan emerged: Do something that would end in him getting help. That's how he ended up inside the town's only bank, rifle in hand, four days later. "This is not a joke," he told the teller. "This is a robbery. I need hundred thousand." He was ultimately given about $8,000, but only after the bank manager tried to explain just how dumb a move it was: "A single phone call could close the entire town, so there was no chance of getting away," writes Kushner. But that was the point. Popov left the bank, returned his rented gun, and called his mom, who told him to run. "I told my mom that I was on a desert island," he later recounted. So he went back to the bank. (Read the full story to learn his fate.) Attorneys for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) filed a motion in US District Court last Friday asking the federal judge to dismiss with prejudice the lawsuit brought by General Motors last November. GMs legal complaint charged that FCA gained an unfair competitive advantage by bribing the United Auto Workers to sign labor agreements favorable to the Italian-American automaker. GM contends that from July 2009 to at least 2017, through a pattern of racketeering activity, FCA acquired and maintained an interest in and/or control of the UAW, and in particular its decisions and actions regarding CBAs [collective bargaining agreements]. As a result of illegal payoffs, the lawsuit charges, the UAW was transformed into an FCA-Control Enterprise under the terms of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations [RICO] Act. FCA boss Sergio Marchionne hugging UAW President Dennis Williams at opening of 2015 talks. Norwood Jewell (left) is currently in prison for taking bribes Among the benefits, concessions and advantages that GM says FCA illegally purchased from the UAW were the unions collusion with FCAs World Class Manufacturing system, which ensures that FCAs facilities are flexible and competitive with the best in the world, the gutting of the grievance procedure, and the unions agreement to allow a higher percentage of lower-paid and temporary workers than at GM factories. The GM suit claims that FCA worked with the UAW to impose higher costs on GM in 2015 in order to press the company into merger talks with FCA. GMs legal complaint, based on the plea agreements and statements of indicted and convicted UAW and FCA officials, was filed on November 20, 2019, the same day that UAW President Gary Jones was forced to resign in disgrace. Tellingly, GM does not name the UAW as a defendant in its complaint. Instead, the lawsuit praises the supposed anti-corruption efforts of the UAW leadership, which had just sabotaged the 40-day strike by 48,000 GM workers and acceded to demands for plant closings and an expanded use of temporary workers. In its lawsuit, GM does not seek the return to Fiat Chrysler workers of billions of dollars in concessions agreed to by the UAW. On the contrary, GM wants billions in damages from FCA because it allegedly did not receive as many concessions from the UAW as FCA did, although it actively sought them. Fiat Chrysler responded aggressively to the suit, hiring powerful corporate law firms in New York City and Detroit to prepare its dismissal motion, which includes hundreds of pages of exhibits and citations of previous case law. FCAs motion largely relies on technical arguments. It asserts that GM filed its lawsuit too late to meet RICOs four-year statute of limitations; that the dispute should be settled by the National Labor Relations Board and not adjudicated by the federal courts; and that even if GMs contentions were true, GM would not be the direct victim of the bribery scheme, but only the third in line following FCA workers and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the latter having been defrauded of tax revenues as a result of the concealment of illegal payoffs by UAW and FCA officials. FCAs lawyers are most concerned with debunking the GM lawsuits assertion that the UAW is a criminal enterprise controlled by FCAan entirely accurate characterization of the so-called labor organization. The motion to dismiss states: GMs contention that FCA influenced certain UAW decisions by virtue of the alleged prohibited payments does not establish that FCA acquired power over the UAWs day-to-day operationsa requirement akin to owning enough stock to affect the composition of a corporations board of directors. The lawyers further argue: GMs allegation that, as a result of the alleged prohibited payments, the UAW occasionally accede[d] to specific requests from FCAeven if truedoes not establish the level of operational control by FCA over the UAW required for a RICO conviction. The lawsuit, they claim, fails to prove that FCA gained control over the essential functions of the UAW, an organization of 400,000 active members. But the legal record shows that Fiat Chrysler executives bribed the lead UAW negotiators during the 2009, 2011 and 2015 contract talksGeneral Holiefield and Norwood Jewellas well as a significant portion of the UAW-Chrysler National Bargaining Committees in those years. Left unsaid by both the GM and FCA lawyers is the fact GM and Ford have also spent years acquiring the UAW. This has taken the form of billions of dollars in bribes funneled by the auto companies through the training centers jointly operated by the UAW, GM, Ford and Chrysler since the early 1980s. Several UAW-GM officials, including former union Vice President Joe Ashton, have been convicted of illegally using funds from the UAW-GM Center for Human Resources. Former UAW presidents Dennis Williams and Gary Jones have been linked to illegal schemes to use training money and union assets to wine and dine UAW officials. The FCA attorneys know that the most damning answer to the GM lawsuit would be to state: You bribed the UAW just as much as we did. But this would open up a Pandoras Box and further undermine the already deeply discredited union, upon which the auto companies have long relied to suppress the resistance of autoworkers. There is, however, an element of the truth in a footnote on the bottom of Page 7 of the memorandum of law in support of the motion to dismiss. It reads: GM repeatedly insinuates that FCA and the UAW entered into secret letter agreements and memoranda of understanding negotiated outside of the collective bargaining process. But these agreements are neither secret nor unique to FCA GM itself routinely negotiates similar letter agreements and memoranda of understanding with the UAW. While seeking to protect its own corporate executives and wealthy shareholders from potential financial damages, FCAs motion to dismiss is contemptuous of the devastating consequences for tens of thousands of workers and their families. The motion glibly passes over the fact that FCA workers have been unable to obtain any legal relief from the courts. In fact, there have been no fewer than five actions brought by FCA employees aris[ing] out of the infamous bribery scandal. It does not matter that these actions have been dismissed, the motion states. The bitter legal battle between GM and FCA is being driven by the struggle that has erupted in the global auto industry over shrinking markets and control of new technologies, including electric and autonomous vehicles. A ruthless global restructuring of the auto industry is underway that will undoubtedly result in the disappearance of not a few currently existing companies in the next wave of mergers, acquisitions and bankruptcies. One expression of this conflict is the conviction of former Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn and his flight from Japan. In the motion to dismiss, FCAs attorneys compare GMs resort to a RICO lawsuit to the use of a thermo-nuclear device aimed at disrupting FCAs planned merger with the PSA Group in France. The tie-up will create the fourth largest automaker in the world, pushing GM to the sixth spot. Autoworkers have no stake in the victory of one or another of the two corporate giants involved in this conflict. Both will wage the struggle on the backs of their workers. The entire sordid affair does, however, further expose the corrupt and anti-working class character of the UAW. Essentially, the argument of both companies boils down to the fact that the UAW is in the pocket of the auto bosses and everybody knows it. The UAW cannot be reformed and made to serve the interests of autoworkers any more than GM and Fiat Chrysler can be turned into benevolent societies for the advancement of workers and their families. The so-called union is an integral part of the corporate structure and bases the fat salaries, expense accounts and slush funds of its executives on obtaining a cut in the profits sweated out of the workers. That will not be changed by replacing the current crop of bureaucrats with a new batch, or through a government takeover of the UAW by Trumps Justice Department. The UAWs transformation into a criminal enterprise is the product of its nationalist and pro-capitalist program and decades of collusion with corporate management. That is why autoworkers must make a decisive break with the UAW and build new organizations of struggle: rank-and-file factory committees controlled democratically by the workers themselves and committed to the mobilization of autoworkers in the US and internationally to fight for secure jobs with decent pay and benefits and safe and healthful working conditions. This fight is inseparable from developing a political movement of the working class to fight for a socialist alternative to the capitalist system, all of its parties and political representatives, and the corporate and financial elite that profits off the exploitation and oppression of the working class. Reuters A person fired a shot in the presence of police personnel while chanting Jai Shri Ram slogans, injuring a Jamia student, while they were marching to Raj Ghat on Mahatmas Gandhi death anniversary. Read more Heres more top news of the day: Kerala Student Has Been Confirmed Positive For Coronavirus; First Case In India Reuters Passengers who have travelled to China recently are being screened for symptoms in at least 20 Indian airports. The virus which originated in China has so far killed 170. Read more 'Shaheen Bagh Game Over', Jamia Gunman Rambhakt Gopal Posted Threats On Facebook Before Opening Fire Twitter On Thursday, the Delhi Police arrested a man who identified himself as Rambhakt Gopal, moments after he opened fire at a protest march outside Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia University, injuring one student. According to the police he is 19 years old. Read more What Happens When Airlines Ban A Passenger From Flying Depends On Who You Are Ever since Tuesday, there is a lot of conversation about the 'No-fly list', following the mid-air altercation between stand up comedian Kunal Kamra and news anchor Arnab Goswami. Read more Gorakhpur Doctor Kafeel Khan Arrested By UP Police In Mumbai For Inflammatory Comments At AMU Last Month The Special Task Force (STF) of the Uttar Pradesh Police has arrested Dr. Kafeel Khan the former pediatrician at the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur. He was allegedly making inflammatory statements at the Aligarh Muslim University during protests against the Citizenship Amendments Act (CAA) last month. Read more No Strict Action Against Politicians Accused Of Hate Speech Shows Authorities Arent Serious Enough The protesters at Delhis Shaheen Bagh have been painted as potential rapist and murderers. Women and children are allegedly used in Islamic State-like module. Over the last few days, many politicians have spewed targeted hatred against the protesters. Read more Dzhemilev says those who could speak and express their point of view were either abducted or killed, or are in prison. Leader of the Crimean Tatar people Mustafa Dzhemilev has spoken about the "silence" mode in Russian-occupied Crimea. Read alsoEU adds seven individuals to sanctions list for holding Russia elections in occupied Crimea "My wife is there [in Crimea] now. It's silent as a graveyard. Those who could speak and express their point of view were either abducted or killed, or are in prison. Those who keep silent nobody touches them. The collaborators are hiding in their homes and do not appear in public. People are afraid to talk about topics other than everyday ones they are silent about Ukraine, the [Russian] occupation. What can I say if the Russian special services are monitoring the Internet, if people are immediately summoned to the FSB for a like under an article Russians don't like," he told the Ukrainian-registered Apostrophe online media outlet. Dzhemilev added that Russian President Vladimir Putin deliberately shuns the topic of Crimea. He did not mention the peninsula in his address to the Federal Assembly, and said nothing at the end-of-year press conference. And during the Normandy Four summit, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky started talking about Crimea, Putin began to rummage through the papers, pretending not to hear. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 30, 2020 18:24 713 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2061c5825 1 National Jokowi,Chinese-New-Year Free President Joko Jokowi Widodo has once again drawn public attention for his famously unconventional sense of fashion as he attended the 2020 National Chinese New Year Celebration at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE) in South Tangerang on Thursday. Jokowi arrived at the venue at around 9 a.m. wearing traditional Chinese attire. He was seen greeting guests and members of the public before taking a seat in the auditorium. As reported by kompas.com, other state officials, including Coordinating Human Development Minister Muhadjir Effendy and State Secretary Pratikno, also appeared to be dressed in traditional Chinese clothing for the occasion. Im happy that Im wearing this dress this morning. The head of the event committee is wearing traditional Javanese attire quite a [cultural] exchange, Jokowi said in jest, referring to National Chinese New Year Celebration committee head Gandi Sulistyanto, who was dressed in a beskap (formal Javanese suit) and blangkon (traditional Javanese hat). He then called on fellow guests to view such a choice of clothing as a testament to Indonesias state motto of unity in diversity. We are diverse. We consist of over 714 tribes with more than 1,100 regional languages. Theres no other country quite as diverse as Indonesia. We must be grateful for this; that despite our differences, we are still brothers and sisters living together in Indonesia, Jokowi addressed the public. Renowned Indonesian fashion designer Anne Avantie revealed on her Instagram account that she had designed Jokowis Chinese attire. I am very proud to present my work to the honorable President Joko Widodo for the National Chinese New Year Celebration, she wrote in an Instagram post, alongside a video clip of Jokowi wearing the traditional red dress at the event. (rfa) Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM/NEW DELHI: Hours after Kerala reported Indias first confirmed case of novel coronavirus, the Centre on Thursday decided to test all individuals who returned from China after January 15, for possible infection. The condition of the victim, a female medical student in Chinas Wuhan, is stable. The diagnosis was confirmed by the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune. ALSO READ | Coronavirus may be more infectious than SARS but is less virulent now: Dr K Srinath Reddy, President, Public Health Foundation, India The student initially underwent treatment at the Thrissur General Hospital, from where she was shifted to the Thrissur Medical College. Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja said there was no need to panic as the state had started precaution and preparation since the start of the China outbreak. "The patient had symptoms of cold and cough and given the travel history, necessary tests were carried out on the samples collected," Union health secretary Preeti Sudan told this newspaper. "The person is being closely monitored in an isolation ward of a hospital," Sudan said, adding the government has decided to test all those who have returned from China, irrespective of whether or not they have symptoms, as the incubation period of the infection is nearly 28 days. "We do not want to take a chance," she added. Officials in NIV, Pune said the confirmation in the case came through matching of the genome sequence of the virus shared by China. "We carried out the test following two testing protocols. Both confirmed the presence of the virus," they added. A third test known as "next gen sequencing test" will be done on the sample and the final result will be declared by Friday. ALSO READ| 1053 people under surveillance for coronavirus, 15 in isolation wards: Kerala Health Department ALSO SEE: Video of Kerala students from China The Met Police's cold case team are investigating sensational claims that Lord Lucan is living as a Buddhist in Australia - nearly 50 years after he vanished without trace. Scotland Yard will speak to the son of the nanny allegedly beaten to death by Lord Lucan in 1974 after he claimed to have tracked the fugitive peer down to the other side of the world. Richard John Bingham, the 7th Earl of Lucan, disappeared after Sandra Rivett was found dead at his home in Belgravia, central London. Three days later his borrowed car was found abandoned and blood-splattered at the cross-Channel port of Newhaven, East Sussex. One theory was that Lord Lucan had jumped into the sea and drowned. After numerous sightings around the world, including one in Goa, Lord Lucan's son George Bingham, obtained a death certificate for his father in 2016 to inherit his title. But now Neil Berriman, from West Sussex, the son of Ms Rivett, says Lucan is alive and currently housebound, awaiting a major operation after decades living Down Under. He claims he has spoken to the Met who have reassured him they will look into his claims that the now 85-year-old fugitive is actually alive. Scotland Yard told MailOnline that Sandra Rivett's case remains 'unsolved' and 'open' more than 45 years after she was bludgeoned to death with a length of lead piping and her body then stuffed into a mail-sack in Lucan's basement. Neil Berriman's mother Sandra Rivett was allegedly murdered by Richard John Bingham, the 7th Earl of Lucan, in November 1974 Lady Annabel Birley, Zac Goldsmith's mother, with Lord Lucan in an undated photo. The fate of the fugitive pier has captivated the imaginations of the British public for decades Lord Richard John Bingham with his fiancee Veronica Duncan on the announcement of their engagement in 1963 The father-of-two would later find out his mother was Sandra Rivett's (pictured), and 12 years ago began searching for Lord Lucan, who is suspected of bludgeoning her to death A spokesman said: 'The inquiry into the death of Sandra Rivett remains open as is the case with all unsolved murders. It has never been closed. Any significant new information will be considered. We keep an open mind in relation to this case'. He told the Daily Mirror: 'I'm pleased they are taking it so seriously.' Mr Berriman said he is due to have a meeting with a senior detective investigating the case in which he will discuss some the alleged eight aliases the lord is said to go by in his new home. The father-of-two previously said: 'I believe I have tracked down the man, Lord Lucan, who murdered my mother. He has been alive all this time. Lying about who he is. Lying about it to his new friends. 'Anyone with information should contact the Metropolitan Police on 101, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.' Since claims his fugitive father is alive were first made this week, the current Lord Lucan has rubbished the suggestion the British aristocrat is living as a Buddhist in Australia. The 8th Earl of Lucan, George Bingham, told MailOnline: 'My father has been found many times over the years only to be wrong.' Lord Lucan's blood-stained car was found abandoned in East Sussex, but he was never successfully traced, and despite sightings in countries all over the globe the most likely theory was that he committed suicide by scuttling the powerboat he kept at Newhaven and jumping in the sea with rocks in his pockets. In 1975, an inquest jury declared Lucan to have been Ms Rivett's killer, and in 2016 a court issued a 'presumption of death' certificate for him, a ruling that cleared the way for the couple's son, George Bingham, to become the 8th Earl of Lucan. But in a quite extraordinary claim, 52-year-old Neil Berriman says he has located Lucan, who he says is now a Buddhist who turned 85 last month but is seriously ill. Mr Berriman claimed the peer originally lived in Perth after escaping to Australia, but moved to another part of the country after falling out with friends. After killing Ms Rivett (right) Lord Lucan's (left) blood-stained car was later found abandoned in Newhaven, East Sussex, but he was never successfully traced John Bingham, Lord Lucan is pictured with his wife Veronica Duncan in October 1963 George Bingham, the only son of the infamous British aristocrat Lord Lucan, arrives at the High Court with his wife Anne-Sofie Foghsgaard in 2016 where he obtained a death certificate for his father allowing him to become the 8th Earl of Lucan Sightings of Lucan across the globe: Jungly Barry, a goat called Camilla and the riddle that has fascinated the world for A former Scotland Yard detective claimed in 2003 that an ageing hippy living in Goa, India, (pictured) was Lucan. Instead, it turned out to be Barry Halpin, or Jungly Barry, a well-known musician In the years since he disappeared, Lucan (who would now be 85) has been variously 'spotted' in Africa, India, Australia, Holland and living in a Land Rover in New Zealand with a goat called Camilla. There have been theories that the peer fled to West Africa and extraordinarily that his children were flown out there so he could see them. 'Lucky' Lucan's privileged gambling friends were also said to have spirited him out of the country so he could evade justice, and his estranged wife (who was his intended target when he killed the family nanny) has previously claimed that as a gambler he would never have committed suicide 'as gamblers always win the next hand'. In 1974 Australian police arrested a man they believed to be Lucan but it turned out to be Labour MP John Stonehouse who had faked his own death a month before. A former Scotland Yard detective claimed in 2003 that an ageing hippy living in Goa, India was Lucan. Instead, it turned out to be Barry Halpin, or Jungly Barry, a well-known musician from the 1960s folk music circuit. In 2004 Scotland Yard reopened the Lucan case and produced an image of what he would look like now. That same year it was reported that he had been living in Mozambique and was known by the name of John. An Englishman in New Zealand called Roger Woodgate, who lived in a Land Rover with a goat called Camilla, was accused of being Lucan in 2007. Woodgate admitted he arrived in the country the same year that Lucan went missing from the UK but said he was 10 years younger and five inches shorter. Other sightings include Lucan working as a waiter in San Francisco, at an alcoholics centre in Brisbane and at a hotel in Madagascar. There has even been speculation, started by Mr Aspinall, that Lucan committed suicide by scuttling the powerboat he kept at Newhaven. He said Lucan had killed the nanny by mistake and felt ashamed by his actions. Advertisement Father-of-two Mr Berriman, who lives in West Sussex, with his wife Kim, only learned he was Ms Rivett's son in 2007. The 29-year-old Sandra was an inquest ruled in 1975 most likely murdered by Lucan, who'd mistaken her for his estranged wife, Veronica, with whom he was locked in a bitter custody battle. He said yesterday: 'The people he lives with know he has a mystery past and what he tells them does not add up. They have had their suspicions for many years. 'They are fully aware he is a mystery elderly Englishman and not who he is claiming to be. 'Lucan is a deceitful conman and he is the man who murdered my mother.' Mr Berriman has taken his extraordinary claims to Scotland Yard's Cold Case Unit and hopes officers will now investigate, adding: 'I know he's still alive.' Lucan's new friendship group - two young Englishmen and an Australian - confirmed to the Mirror that an elderly Englishman who looks like Lord Lucan does live at the house. They claim the quartet all take part in daily meditation sessions, while the man Mr Berriman believes is Lord Lucan, who has a carer, often sits on the veranda listening to distant trains pass. The man was said to know of claims he is Lord Lucan. The Mirror said it has chosen not to reveal his identity or exact location. Neil was born Gary Roger Hensby - Sandra Rivett's maiden name - in Southsea, Hampshire, in 1967 and was immediately put up for adoption aged six months. Neil believes that he was the result of a love affair between his mother, who already had an older son being brought up by her parents, and a married estate agent. Around 13 years ago Mr Berriman opened brown envelope left to him by his adoptive mother, Audrey, when she died, which revealed Ms Rivett was his birth mother. He then had to come to terms with the fact she was brutally murdered in the darkened basement kitchen of the Lucan family's Belgravia home. Since then he has been hunting for Lucan himself. Detectives believe the aristocrat - an abusive husband and heavy gambler nicknamed 'Lucky Lucan' - intended to murder his wife and killed the nanny by mistake. Lucan was never seen in public again, and his body was never found, leading to decades of fevered speculation about his whereabouts. Despite Lord Lucan being formally declared dead in February 2016, Mr Berriman claimed he acted on a detailed tip that he was still alive. He spent 30,000 of his own money on private investigations into Lord Lucan's supposed whereabouts. He said: 'He has been alive all this time. Lying about who he is. Lying about it to his new friends. 'They are fully aware he is a mystery elderly Englishman and not who he is claiming to be. 'The people he lives with know he has a mystery past and what he tells them does not add up. They have had their suspicions for many years. 'Lucan is a deceitful conman and he is the man who murdered my mother.' John Richard Bingham, Earl of Lucan, and Veronica Duncan after their marriage Lady Lucan in 2017 (left) and with Lord Lucan before they married on November 20 1974 Lord Lucan, right, with his friend Sir James Goldsmith, father of Zac Goldsmith, in a rare colour photo of the fugitive. What happened to Lord Lucan, and is he still alive? The four most likely theories about his disappearance Theory one: Lucan drowned himself off Newhaven after murdering the nanny Lord Lucan's friend James Wilson, who gambled with him at London's Clermont Club, said five years ago he believes Lucan killed himself after murdering Ms Rivet. Mr Wilson said he filled his pockets with rocks and stones before jumping off his scuppered speedboat in Newhaven Harbour just hours after the killing. He told the Telegraph in 2015: 'I believe that when he realised he had killed the nanny, the remorse, guilt and panic led him to commit suicide. He must have realised he only had two options open to him; hand himself in or kill himself. Having lost the gamble he chose the latter'. In an ITV documentary before her death in 2017, Lady Lucan said she believed Lord Lucan had jumped off a ferry shortly after the killing. 'I would say he got on the ferry and jumped off in the middle of the Channel in the way of the propellers so that his remains wouldn't be found'. Theory 2: Lucan fled to Africa - and lived there quietly until he died in 2000 Shirley Robey, who worked for Lucan's casion owner John Aspinall claimed in 2012 she overheard conversations with Lucan's friend Sir James Goldsmith, father of Zac Goldsmith in the early 1980s. She said the pair said Lucan was in Africa, adding: ' I knew he was hiding, I knew he was in Africa, I knew we were hushing it up. I knew he'd fallen out with his wife and I knew it was a major secret but for whatever reason I didn't appreciate there had been a murder until some years later. If I'd have known, I think I would have handled things quite differently. In fact I know I would have done'. She claims she heard he died in 2000, in his mid-60s. Theory 3: Lucan shot himself and was fed to a tiger called Zorra in a Kent zoo Philippe Marcq, another of Lucan's casino friends, told MailOnline previously that friends of the Earl disposed of his body at Howletts zoo near Canterbury, set up as a private zoo in 1957 by John Aspinall, another friend of Lucan's. Mr Marcq said he was told story by Lucan's friend Stephen Raphael. It is claimed a pistol was offered to Lucan who took it, went into a room on his own and shot himself dead and the friends removed his body. Mr Marcq said: 'I was stunned when Stephen told me this. But I believed what he told me 100 per cent'. Aspinall's mother, Lady Osborne, the grandmother of former Chancellor George Osborne, apparently told police: 'The last I heard of him, he was being fed to the tigers at my son's zoo.' Police are said to have subsequently descended on Howletts, where a contemptuous John Aspinall told them: 'My tigers are only fed the choicest cuts do you really think they're going to eat stringy old Lucky?' Theory 4: Lucan didn't commit the murder - and was helped to flee by his circle Lucan's brother, Hugh Bingham defended the peer's innocence until he died in South Africa. He always claimed he in fact went into hiding after Rivett's death, which he was innocent. He said: 'I have always believed he didn't commit murder/ He had no choice but to flee in the face of cruel allegations. The police inquiry was compromised from the start. There is significant evidence of the existence of an unknown man at the scene is he known to police?' Advertisement In 1975, an inquest jury declared Lucan to have been Ms Rivett's killer. The High Court declared him dead for probate purposes in 1999, but there have been scores of reported sightings around the world, in countries including Australia, Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand. In an ITV documentary in 2017, Lady Lucan said she believed Lord Lucan had jumped off a ferry shortly after the killing. 'I would say he got on the ferry and jumped off in the middle of the Channel in the way of the propellers so that his remains wouldn't be found,' she said, calling what she believed to be his final act 'brave.' Lady Lucan was found dead in September 2017 at her home in Belgravia where her husband Lord Lucan famously disappeared. Lady Lucan was one of the last people to see her husband alive. The countess was in the house watching TV in her bedroom that night when the 29-year-old nanny Sandra Rivett was killed as she went downstairs to the unlit basement to make her employer a cup of tea. The countess contends that she disturbed her husband after the fatal assault. He hit her four times with a length of bandaged metal piping before she grabbed his genitals. Recalling the attack she said: 'I'd started moving towards the cloakroom when someone rushed out and hit me about four times on the head with something hard. I screamed. 'A voice said: 'Shut up!' I just had time to register that the man was my husband when he thrust three gloved fingers down my throat. 'At this point, I started fighting back in earnest, but he switched tactics trying to strangle me and then to gouge out my eyes. I gasped: 'Please don't kill me, John!' Then, after she had persuaded her husband to get her a glass of water, she fled to a nearby pub and raised the alarm. She recalled: 'He told me, 'I'll go to Broadmoor for this'. [Our children] George and Camilla were seven and three when it happened, and asleep in bed.' Lord Lucan fled the murder scene in a car he had borrowed. His body has never been found. Over the years several fantastical theories about his disappearance have placed him in the Australian outback, as a hippy drop-out in Goa, and even fed to the tigers at his friend John Aspinall's zoo. Although a High Court judge granted a death certificate last year allowing his son to inherit his title, this has provided neither resolution nor a conclusion to the mystery. Lady Lucan remained closer to the truth than anyone and with her death, the possibility of her husband's disappearance being solved looked ever more remote. She believed that the note he left, with the poignant sentence, 'Please tell those that you know, that all I cared about was them [the children]', was proof her husband intended suicide. That night he called at the home of friends in a Sussex village, before leaving in the early hours. Lucan told them he had happened on an attacker hitting his wife as he passed the family home. His version of the story was that his wife had accused him of hiring a hitman to kill her and he claimed he was going to 'lie doggo' for a while. Three days later his borrowed car was found abandoned and blood-splattered with a section of bandaged lead piping in the boot at the cross-Channel port of Newhaven, East Sussex. Lord and Lady Lucan with their son George, then aged 3, taken from Lady Lucan's photo album Lord Lucan's life and grizzly legacy The Daily Mail from November 1974 as police hunt for Lucan's body at sea and his estranged wife Lady Lucan leaves a police station after saying he was guilty of the murder - and trying to kill her December 18 1934: Richard John Bingham is born in London into an aristocratic family with connections to Ireland. 1955: He got a job with a small merchant bank, William Brandts, for 500 a year. 1960: He retires having won 26,000 - around 600,000 in today's money - over two nights playing 'chemin de fer' at a gambling party run by John Aspinall. 1963 Marries Veronica Duncan - the couple have three children 1964 Becomes an earl after the death of his father, the 6th Earl of Lucan 1972 Their marriage collapses and Lucan moves out of the family home at 46 Lower Belgrave St, London. He loses a custody battle and accrues gambling losses November 7 1974 The children's nanny Sandra Rivett is found dead. At 9.45pm, Lady Lucan, in great distress, burst into the Plumber's Arms, the pub near her home in the exclusive area of Belgravia in central London. With blood streaming from several wounds on her head, she cried: 'Help me, help me, help me! He's in the house! He's murdered my nanny!' Lady Lucan, who was estranged from her husband, told police her estranged husband had killed their nanny and tried to kill her. Police found the couple's three children asleep in their beds, unharmed, and when they went to the basement they were greeted by a macabre scene. The basement lightbulb had been removed, but in the semi-darkness, officers made out a pool of blood with a man's footprint in it, a blood-stained length of lead piping and a mailbag containing a body. November 14 1974: Lucan's car is found abandoned near Newhaven and police begin seraching for his body at sea after his speedboat was found scuppered. June 1975 Lucan is named as Ms Rivett's killer at the inquest into her death. 1999 His family is granted probate over Lord Lucan's estate, but no death certificate is issued. 2016: A court issued a 'presumption of death' certificate for Lord Lucan, a ruling that cleared the way for the couple's son, George Bingham, to become the 8th Earl of Lucan. Advertisement Lady Lucan, prisoner of a macabre past she refused to relinquish: The last writer to interview her reveals how she foretold her own solitary death - and why she never healed the 30-year rift with her children by Frances Hardy for the Daily Mail Her words were both prescient and full of pathos; her own death was in the forefront of her mind as she turned 80. Just four months before she was found dead, Veronica, the Dowager Countess of Lucan told me that she did not fear a solitary end. Veronica, the Dowager Countess of Lucan (pictured in June 2017) told Frances Hardy last year that she did not fear a solitary end Bereft of loved ones, her greatest terror, she confided, was becoming reliant on others to care for her. 'I don't fear dying alone not at all,' she said. 'But I do fear dependency. I'd find that very depressing. It would be horrible to feel you were a burden. 'Your faculties start to fade when you reach 80, so I've been thinking about my death. I'd quite enjoy the rest of my life if I knew it was not going to end in something horrific. I've given it some thought, and I support the idea of assisted suicide.' Lady Lucan did indeed die alone last September in the mews house in Central London that had been her home for 40 years. It would be premature to suggest that she might have opted to take her life her son George Bingham, the 8th Earl Lucan, said she had passed away 'apparently peacefully' but I can attest that the idea was certainly in her mind when we spoke. I spent an afternoon with her in late spring and was the last journalist to interview her. Lady Lucan was last seen by neighbours when she answered the door to the postman. Police battered down her door after she had failed for three days in a row to turn up for a daily walk with a friend. It was the end she had wished for, and she had not become a burden. But Lady Lucan's old age was spent in frugal routine and quiet desperation. She remained obdurately alienated from her sister and three adult children. Yet after her death in September, they paid warm tribute to her. 'Although Veronica severed relations with her family in the Eighties, and continued to decline contact with them right up until her death, all of them remember her lovingly and with admiration,' according to the statement they released. 'She had a sharp mind, and when she spoke it, she did so eloquently. She was courageous and, at times, outrageous, with a mischievous sense of humour. 'She was, in her day, beautiful and throughout her life fragile and vulnerable, struggling as she did with mental infirmity. To us she was and is unforgettable.' Lady Lucan decorates a Christmas tree with her children Camilla, Frances and George in 1974 Lady Lucan was a woman who was both defined and imprisoned by a past she stubbornly refused to relinquish, even choosing to remain living in the same house she and her late husband, John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan, had bought as a guest house (close to the family home), during their ill-fated marriage. In November 1974, after 11 years together, Lord and Lady Lucan had separated. Lucan, a 39-year-old professional gambler and inveterate drinker, disappeared on the night of November 7, after visiting the five-storey family home in Lower Belgrave Street and bludgeoning to death Sandra Rivett, 29, his children's nanny, in the mistaken belief that she was his estranged wife. Lucan then violently assaulted Veronica. His body has never been found and the mystery of his disappearance one of the most compelling in recent history has given rise to myth and speculation, and continues to fascinate today. There seemed a perverseness in Lady Lucan's decision to remain so enmeshed in this lurid story, eking out a modest state pension with her dwindling savings. When we met, she described for the first time in such graphic detail the events of the awful night: how she disturbed her husband after he'd killed Mrs Rivett. How she was then set upon herself with a metal pipe before she managed to flee and raise the alarm, while her children slept in their beds. Portraits of her husband loomed over us as we talked in the home where Lady Lucan imposed reclusiveness on herself. Heavy curtains, closed to deter snoopers, had shut out any vestige of daylight for the preceding four decades. Tall, elegant and slender, her silver hair tied in a girlish ponytail, she sat ramrod straight in the fusty darkness of her airless home, among memorabilia that had remained preserved in time, like some parody of Dickens's Miss Havisham, repining a dreadful marriage but determined never to forget it. Lady Lucan, pictured with a portrait of her husband in 1976, had previously discussed assisted suicide if she had a terminal illness or a degenerative disease She told me why she had never left the area: she liked the familiarity of the place, the predictability of her routines a stroll in nearby Green Park preceded by a visit to Victoria library. It was around these humdrum activities that her life revolved. Lady Lucan affected not to care that her children, Frances, 52, George, 50, and Camilla, 47, as well as her sister Christina Shand Kydd distantly related by marriage to the late Princess Diana were estranged from her. She was blithely unconcerned too, that she had never met any of her five grandchildren. Neither did she express regret nor regard it as odd that she did not know the identity of her eldest daughter's husband. 'Frances didn't tell me she was married,' she told me, 'but she was, recently. I don't really know to whom, because I have no contact with them at all.' Was this alarming disregard for all those who should have been dearest to her genuine? Actually, I believe not. I think it was the bravado of a stubborn woman who was not prepared to capitulate. Her thoughts were very much focused on death and she revealed that she campaigned actively for assisted euthanasia, showing me a placard she had taken on a march, printed with the slogan Give Me A Choice Over My Own Death. Following publication of the interview in the Mail, we kept up a short correspondence. She wrote to me: 'I was happy about the article and especially for including my thoughts on death and disability.' It was a sentiment I am certain was sharpened by the fact there was no close family member she would have been willing to turn to if her health failed. So why did she never seek a rapprochement with her children? This is yet another of the abiding mysteries about the Lucan affair especially as she had fought so hard to keep them when they were young. Living apart from his family and on the brink of divorce, Lord Lucan had lost a ruinously costly and acrimonious battle for custody of his children and was mired in spiralling gambling debts when he tried to kill his wife. Frances was then nine, and George and Camilla respectively seven and three. A 1975 inquest jury at a coroner's court named him, in his absence, as Mrs Rivett's murderer he was the last person in Britain to be declared a murderer by an inquest jury (the procedure was later outlawed) although he was never convicted in a criminal court. Some have suggested a hired or unknown assailant was the nanny's killer, and indeed Camilla, a QC, and George, a merchant banker, have always insisted their father should not be assumed guilty of their nanny's murder. This enraged Lady Lucan, who regarded it as a betrayal, and it may be one of the reasons she refused to be reconciled with them. Neither did it help that in their teens, the children opted to live in the country with their maternal aunt, rather than their mother. Extravagant theories as to Lord Lucan's whereabouts persisted for years: one posited the idea that he had been eaten by a lion in his friend John Aspinall's zoo; another that he became a hippie in Goa; yet another that he'd disappeared into the Australian Outback. But Lady Lucan made clear to me she believed her husband had committed suicide. After fleeing the murder scene, he visited friends in Sussex. Then a car he had borrowed from a friend was found a length of bloodied lead piping in its boot abandoned in the port of Newhaven. 'He got on a ferry and jumped off mid-Channel, and was then chopped up by the propeller which is why his body was never found,' Lady Lucan told me. She said that as a powerboat racer, he had a detailed knowledge of propellers, and would have known precisely where to jump so his remains were destroyed. Theirs had been a sorry union, a joyless marriage she said, describing her constant anxiety over the vast sums he regularly lost at the gaming tables. She also recounted how, driven by loneliness her frequently absent husband was taciturn and remote she had sought solace in a platonic friendship with another man. When Lucan found out, the man was warned off and she fell into a profound depression and was prescribed powerful anti-psychotic drugs, the dire side-effects of which convinced her, and her family, that she was losing her mind. There was lacerating honesty, too, in Lady Lucan's admission that she had taunted her husband about his ineptitude as a lover and in the humiliating confession that he beat her for his own sexual gratification. Her husband, she said, insisted she was both mad and an unfit mother; two suggestions she fervently denied. Twice, she recalled, she was taken by Lucan to psychiatric units against her will and twice she escaped. The question that touched a nerve most acutely was whether she was a good mother. She wrote to me expressing regret that a newspaper article had suggested she neglected her children and accused her of spending too much time in bed. In fact, she countered, she was a conscientious parent; her children were always well turned-out and advanced in their schooling. She resolutely denied, too, that she was ever psychotic, though she conceded: 'I was pushed to the brink of madness. My husband manipulated me psychologically, so I began to think I was mad. 'He had a campaign to destroy me. I was a nuisance. He was an imposing character, an earl, and the doctors believed all he told them about me. 'I, in turn, just accepted what the doctors said. I had injections [of anti-psychotics] and their side-effects were horrible. I had hallucinations, restlessness I walked for miles and miles and the drugs induced Parkinson's disease.' Lady Lucan, there is little doubt, could be difficult, intransigent and self-serving. Yet there was something profoundly sad about her. She told me she was fit she took no medication now, endured no ailments and neither was she suffering from depression. Yet her existence, in a house that seemed to be suffocating her, was meagre and joyless. There had, she said, been lovers since her husband disappeared, but there were no more. All her friends from the old days when there had been money for servants, private hospitals, lavish holidays were dead. All that remained were her daily visits to the library, where she used the computer, and those walks in the park. The coffee she served me was instant, and the chocolate she offered a supermarket's own budget brand. She said she regretted proposals to end the winter fuel allowance for all but the poorest pensioners, and I wondered whether she was dreading the impending chill of another lonely winter. This cannot have been the future she envisaged for herself, when in part out of expediency she agreed to marry John, then Lord Bingham, in March 1963. They had met at a point-to-point the then Veronica Duncan was there with her sister, Christina, and her husband, businessman Bill Shand-Kydd, whose half-brother, Peter, would later marry Princess Diana's mother, Frances. 'There was John, standing against the rails and laying bets, looking like a caricature of a gentleman: baggy cavalry twills, tweed cap, moustache,' she said. He was a professional gambler, and she the daughter of an Army officer who'd won the Military Cross in World War I but died before she was two. Veronica's mother had married again, and from the age of 13, Lady Lucan grew up living in a pub in North Waltham, Hampshire, 'a typical country girl, obsessed with my pony and gymkhanas'. She conceded that she felt 'no chemistry' when John chatted her up, but fearing, aged 26, that time was running out for her to snare a decent catch as a husband, she agreed to marry him. It was not the most auspicious start to a relationship that descended into acrimony, recrimination and bitterness and ultimately attempted murder yet extraordinarily, when I asked Lady Lucan if she regretted it, she replied: 'I can't say that I'm sorry I married him because I would not have had three beautiful children, would I? 'I was never so happy in my life as when George was born.' George, she told me, had once proposed a meeting in a nearby hotel, but she had declined because she would have preferred a rendezvous at his home. They did not meet. Did she regret her obduracy? We will never know. Yet, Lady Lucan's family say they will remember her 'lovingly' despite the severing of ties. But surely it is part of this family's abiding tragedy that it was a love never returned while she was still alive. Humanitarian goods are exempt from US sanctions, but fears of falling afoul of Washington have restricted flow to Iran. Tens of millions of Iranians are grappling with the ravages of United States economic sanctions that have raised the price of food staples and led to shortages of medicines, including life-saving ones. But some token relief is heading their way. On Thursday, a Swiss humanitarian channel to bring food and medicine to Iran kicked off trial operations, the US Department of the Treasury and the Swiss government said. The Swiss Humanitarian Trade Arrangement (SHTA) seeks to ensure that Swiss-based exporters and trading companies in the food, pharmaceutical and medical sectors can sell their products to Iran without landing in the crosshairs of the US Treasury. SHTA gives firms that sell humanitarian goods a secure channel with a Swiss bank through which payments for their exports to Iran are guaranteed, the Swiss government said. After President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the Iran nuclear deal with world powers in 2018, Washington has hammered Iran with a maximum pressure campaign that has seen waves of sanctions imposed on the countrys oil and banking sectors, effectively isolating the country within the global economy. Though life-sustaining goods such as food, medicine and medical devices are exempt from US sanctions, fear of falling afoul of Washington has made many banks wary of processing any financial transactions including humanitarian ones with the Islamic Republic. The first transaction processed through the Swiss humanitarian channel which has been under development since 2018 involved exports of cancer and organ transplant drugs worth 2.3 million euros ($2.54m), according to the Swiss government. The US Treasury said the new channel is subject to strict due diligence measures to avoid misuse by the Iranian regime. This Administration has full confidence that, together with our partners abroad, this mechanism will improve the flow of humanitarian goods to the Iranian people, said US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in a statement on the US Treasurys website. Humanitarian transactions are currently allowed under our sanctions programs, and we encourage companies to use this humanitarian mechanism. We would like to thank the Swiss authorities for working with us. A report released in October by Human Rights Watch concluded that the consequences of US sanctions whether intentional or not, pose a serious threat to Iranians right to health and access to essential medicines and have almost certainly contributed to documented shortages ranging from a lack of critical drugs for epilepsy patients to limited chemotherapy medications for Iranians with cancer. After Iran suffered devastating floods last year that left an estimated two million people in need of humanitarian assistance, the Iranian Red Crescent Society said that US sanctions had impeded its relief efforts including receiving foreign financial aid to help flood victims. India reported the first case of novel coronavirus from Kerala on Thursday, saying a female student of a university in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, has tested positive for the virus that has killed 170 people in China and is spreading worldwide. "The patient tested positive for novel coronavirus and is in isolation in a hospital," the Health Ministry said. It added the student is stable and being closely monitored. Priya Abraham, director of ICMR-NIV in Pune, said 49 samples have been tested till now at the national institute of virology and one sample has tested positive. "The positive sample belongs to a student from Kerala who was studying in Wuhan. Now a next test known as 'next-gen sequencing test' will be done on her sample and the final result will be declared till tomorrow evening," Abraham said. The virus strain not seen before has spread to at least 17 countries, where authorities have been scrambling to contain the epidemic and evacuate their citizens from the worst-hit Hubei Province in China. Chinese authorities have confirmed over 1,700 new cases of the coronavirus. India, which is placed by a study at the 23rd place among "high-risk" countries where the virus can spread, has requested China to operate two flights to bring back its nationals from Hubei Province. Authorities have been screening patients at airports, ports and borders for possible coronavirus infection and the Health Ministry has urged people to report themselves if they show symptoms of coronavirus such as cold and respiratory distress on the 24x7 helpline (011-23978046). The ministry has asked people to refrain from travelling to China and the states bordering Nepal Uttarakhand, UP, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim have stepped up vigil. "Per day a total of 9-10 samples are received at the facility (NIV-Pune) for testing. All facilities and capacity is available for testing of samples and it takes a day to test a sample for coronavirus (nCoV)," Abraham said. Hundreds of people have been quarantined in hospitals, including over 800 in Kerala, and are being monitored by doctors, according to ministry officials. Three men kept under observation in an isolation ward of Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in Delhi for possible exposure to nCoV have tested negative, a Health Ministry official said. On Wednesday, the only two Indian carriers that fly to China IndiGo and Air India announced suspension of most of their flights to the country, joining other airlines based in Asia, North America and Europe which have restricted operations to the region. India has increased the number of airports from seven to 21 where thermal screening of passengers is being done for possible exposure to nCoV. These include airports at Gaya, Guwahati, Visakhapatnam, Varanasi, Goa, Bhubaneswar and Lucknow. Apart from NIV-Pune, the health ministry has established four more laboratories to test samples at Alleppey, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai. The health ministry has advised those who have recently travelled to China (within last 14 days) or had possible contact with an nCoV-infected person, to stay at home, in isolation for 14 days after returning and sleep in a separate room. It has advised them to cover nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing and avoid close contact with anyone with cold or flu like symptoms (maintain a distance of at least 1 meter from any individual). "In case you develop fever, cough or difficulty in breathing anytime within 28 days of return from China: Call at Ministry of Health, Govt. of India's control room no +91-11-2397 8046 for further information. Wear a mask immediately and report to nearest medical facility as advised Do not panic," the health ministry said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Decrease Font Size Font Size Increase Font Size Article body Katharine Hayhoe, an atmospheric scientist who studies climate change, will address the Auburn community at the 2020 Sustainability Speaker Series event Thursday, Feb. 6, at 7 p.m. in the auditorium at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center. As our students engage with these important issues, it's crucial to have experts such as Dr. Hayhoe speak campus-wide to address key questions that our students are facing during the current era of climate change, said Nanette Chadwick, director of Academic Sustainability Programs and associate professor of biology. The annual Sustainability Speaker Series event provides opportunities for the Auburn campus and community to learn from and engage with experts and thought leaders immersed in the global movement for a sustainability transformation. Hayhoe has received the American Geophysical Unions climate communication prize, the Stephen Schneider Climate Communication award and has been named to a number of lists including Time Magazines 100 Most Influential People, Foreign Policys 100 Leading Thinkers and FORTUNE magazines Worlds Greatest Leaders. She is currently a professor and director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University. Hayhoe has a bachelors degree in physics from the University of Toronto and a masters and doctorate degree in atmospheric science from the University of Illinois. "Katharine Hayhoe is a phenomenon in climate change science and communication, said Karen McNeal, associate professor in the Department of Geosciences. She not only produces the essential science that guides decision making around the world, but she also flawlessly communicates the science of climate change, the associated impacts and solutions in ways that grab the attention of the public. Having Katharine come to Auburn University is a unique opportunity that I hope everyone in the community takes advantage of. Aside from her research, Hayhoe also hosts and produces the PBS digital series, Global Weirding, and serves on advisory committees for a broad range of organizations including the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, the Earth Science Womens Network and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Katharine Hayhoes visit is a once in a lifetime opportunity, said Martin Medina-Elizalde, associate professor in the Department of Geosciences. The 2020 Sustainability Speaker Series is co-organized by the Office of Sustainability and the Department of Geosciences with support from the College of Agriculture and Academic Sustainability Programs. For more information, go to http://wp.auburn.edu/sustainability/sustainability-speaker-series/. YEREVAN. The majority My Step faction of the National Assembly (NA) of Armenia is meeting today with Acting Chief of Police Arman Sargsyan. Speaking to reporters, faction MP Kristina Poghosyan said the meeting was planned about 10 days ago. "It is at the initiative of our faction, we meet regularly," she said. "The meeting was scheduled 8-10 days ago, it should have been yesterday.[But] since we had an April [2016 war NA inquiry] committee meeting [yesterday], they couldn't attend with the whole committee, [so] we asked the faction leader, and the meeting was rescheduled for today." BRUSSELS Friday will mark a truly historic moment, but almost nothing will happen. A few Union Jack flags will be lowered from European Union buildings in Brussels, more will be waved in jubilation by Brexiteers in London at the moment of Britains departure at 11 p.m. in the United Kingdom. But for most of the half a billion people in Britain and the bloc, it will be a normal Friday night. Britain and the bloc fought tooth and nail for the best part of four years with insults flying across the English Channel over the terms of their divorce. Now, on the eve of one of the most significant events in European Union history, the political eruptions have ceased and an uneasy quiet reigns: the calm before the next storm. Both sides are spent and drained from the Brexit fight, and neither has much appetite for an extravaganza to mark the occasion. The EU would prefer the night to pass without anyone noticing. After all, it is losing one of its biggest members, a diplomatic, military and economic power on a par with Germany and France. The United Kingdom is the first nation ever to turn its back on the EU in the 62-year history of this experiment in political union. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke this week of the agony of parting. We will always love you and we will never be far, she said at the last session of the European Parliament with British participation. Even British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, an energetic champion of Brexit, promised a dignified exit that is mindful of everybodys feelings. Arch-Brexiteer Nigel Farage and his band of devotees will gather for patriotic songs and speeches in Londons Parliament Square. But Johnson is staying away from triumphalism and wont be gloating, at least in public. Union Jacks will flutter in the streets around Parliament and buildings will be lit up in red, white and blue. But there wont be fireworks. Britains Parliament and government were riven by deep divisions over Brexit, pitting remainers against leavers, and setting those who wanted a sharp break with Europe against factions favoring a softer departure, or even no Brexit at all. Raf Casert and Jill Lawless are Associated Press writers. MANILA, Philippines - A Philippine religious group on Thursday denied allegations by American law enforcement agents that it was involved in a scheme to trick followers into becoming fundraisers and arrange sham marriages to keep them in the U.S. FBI agents raided the Kingdom of Jesus Christ church in Los Angeles on Wednesday in a human trafficking investigation that led to the arrests of three church leaders. A spokesman for Apollo Quiboloy, the church founder and leader, said former members who had been disciplined for wrongdoing retaliated by breaking off from his church and fabricating information they fed to the FBI in a grand conspiracy of lies. Their aim, therefore, is to exact revenge, extortion commingled with a brazen but shameless desire to put (Quiboloy) and the (church) as a whole into a quagmire of shame, blatant humiliation and defeat through trumped-up charges, lawyer Israelito Torreon said in a statement issued to reporters in southern Philippines Davao city. The church leader ordered an internal audit last year that prompted a trusted officer and other members to leave the group and struck an alliance with forces jealous of Quiboloys rise, Torreon said without elaborating. We will face and disprove as utter lies the charges filed against the administrators of the church in the U.S., he said. Workers who managed to escape from the church told the FBI they had been sent across the U.S. soliciting donations for the churchs charity and were beaten and psychologically abused if they didnt make quotas, according to an affidavit filed in support of the charges. The immigrants essentially became full-time workers, sometimes referred to as miracle workers, in a crusade to raise money for the non-profit Childrens Joy Foundation USA, which was supposed to benefit poor children in their homeland. But the complaint said most of the money raised was used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyle of Quiboloy. The church claims a membership of at least 6 million people and backed the 2016 candidacy of President Rodrigo Duterte, a close friend of Quiboloy. Duterte appeared in the groups radio and TV program in Davao when he was mayor of the southern port city. Quiboloy claims to be the appointed son of God and last year claimed he stopped a major earthquake from hitting the southern Philippines. The Los Angeles leader of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ church was arrested on immigration fraud charges along with a worker who seized victims passports and another who handled finances, the U.S. attorneys office said. Between 2014 and the middle of last year, $20 million was sent back to the church in the Philippines, the FBI said. Most of these funds appear to derive from street-level solicitation, according to the affidavit by FBI Special Agent Anne Wetzel. Little to no money solicited appears to benefit impoverished or in-need children. Guia Cabactulan, 59, the top church official in the U.S., was arrested in Van Nuys with Marissa Duenas, 41, who allegedly handled fraudulent immigration documents, prosecutors said. Amanda Estopare, 48, who allegedly enforced fundraising quotas, was arrested in Virginia. Cabactulan and Duenas are expected to make initial court appearances Thursday in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana, said Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles. Estopare was ordered held after a hearing in Norfolk, Virginia, and expected back in court Monday. Investigators documented 82 sham marriages over 20 years between top fundraisers and church members who were U.S. citizens. Torreon said church members give their offerings voluntarily out of their faith and understanding of the biblical teaching concerning religious offerings, as well as their desire to raise money for specific projects, endeavours and ministry of the kingdom. In addition to raiding the churchs Van Nuys compound, agents were searching other Los Angeles-area locations and at two places in Hawaii linked to the church. Two years ago, a leader of a Hawaii branch of the church was arrested smuggling cash onto a private plane in Honolulu bound for the Philippines with Quiboloy on board, according to court records. ___ Associated Press journalist Brian Melley in Los Angeles contributed to this report. Launching a scathing attack against the Central government, Congress on Thursday said that hatred which killed Mahatma Gandhi is ruling the nation today. Addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said, "Hatred which killed Mahatma Gandhi is ruling the nation today. The firing which happened in Jamia is the result of the environment of hatred which is being built from last one month". "In the campaigning for Delhi Assembly polls, the statements made by BJP leaders are fuelling this environment and this is to polarise Delhi, which is being done by people who are sitting at the top level in this government. Mahatma Gandhi's soul must be in tears to see the state of affairs today," he said. Today, the nation is remembering Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary. He was assassinated by Nathuram Godse on January 30, 1948. Earlier today, a person had opened fire in Delhi's Jamia area injuring a student. The accused was detained by the police. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 23-year-old Nepalese national in possession of heroin worth around Rs 1.5 crore was arrested from the Indo-Nepal border here on Thursday, an official said. Suman Gurung (23) was on his way to Nepal from India, when he was nabbed by a joint team of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and the UP Police during a routine check at Shukrauli village in Sonauli area, said SSB-Sub Inspector Amit Kumar Singh said. He said 115-gram heroin worth Rs 1.5 crore in the international market was recovered from Gurung. The accused was booked under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, the official said. Uttar Pradesh shares a 599.3-km-long open border with Nepal. Maharajganj is among the seven districts of Uttar Pradesh located along the border. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) B rits stuck in the centre of the Coronavirus outbreak in China could be brought back today, according to the foreign secretary. The Government is hoping to fly them back from Wuhan and into a military base, PA news agency understands. It could land at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and passengers will then be taken to an NHS facility in the North West for a quarantine period of 14 days, sources told PA. The flight has not yet been given permission to leave by Chinese authorities. Dominic Raab today said that he is "hopeful" the flight will take place this evening. 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 Speaking at a Policy Exchange event in Westminster, he said: On the Wuhan situation, weve been working tirelessly in the Foreign Office. Weve been working with the Department of Health flat out, 24/7, to try and make sure we can identify British nationals in Wuhan, get them to a muster point and get them to a flight, a chartered flight in and out. We are hopeful now of doing that this evening. But, of course, this depends on the decisions taken by the Chinese government." Coronavirus: The confirmed cases around the world It comes as the World Health Organisation (WHO) emergency committee is expected to declare an international public health emergency during its meeting on Thursday. The Government has been negotiating with Chinese authorities over permission for a flight to leave Wuhan, after one planned for Thursday was stopped. Downing Street said the UK was working "urgently" with Chinese authorities on Thursday to ensure citizens in Wuhan can return on a flight "as soon as possible". The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK. "A number of countries' flights have been unable to take off as planned including the British repatriation from Wuhan. "We are working urgently with the Chinese authorities to ensure that the flight can take off as soon as possible." In an extraordinary congressional election dominated by a crisis of bourgeois rule and overwhelming popular hostility to the entire political setup, Peruvian voters on Sunday failed to give any of the nine parties to win congressional seats more than 10 percent of the ballots cast. The election was a devastating defeat for the right-wing fujimorista party that had previously dominated the legislature. The largest share of the vote consisted of blank and spoiled ballots cast by nearly a quarter of the Peruvian electorate. Only four of the 130 members of the previous Congress managed to hold onto their seats. The election was the product of a protracted constitutional crisis that has its roots in the exposure of the wholesale corruption of the entire Peruvian political establishment, centered in a bribes-for-contracts scandal surrounding the operations of the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. President Martin Vizcarra called the election after dissolving the Congress last September over its refusal to debate a vote of confidence. He had called for the vote of confidence after the Congress stonewalled a series of anti-corruption measures he had proposed. Vizcarras action marked the first such dissolution since the so-called self-coup staged by President Alberto Fujimori in 1992, which allowed Fujimori to consolidate a right-wing dictatorship with the support of the military. Fujimori is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence for his role in massacres and other human rights abuses as well as corruption. The fujimorista Fuerza Popular (Popular Force) party, led by the former presidents daughter Keiko Fujimori, which controlled an absolute majority in the Congress, denounced Vizcarras action as a coup and attempted to declare the countrys vice president, Mercedes Araoz, as president. Vizcarra prevailed, thanks to both the overwhelming popular hostility to Fuerza Populars corrupt running of the Congress, which provoked street demonstrations, and, most crucially, a declaration of support issued by the chiefs of the Peruvian security forces. Perus high court ruled Vizcarras action constitutional only on the eve of the election. Fuerza Popular was the biggest loser in the election, placing sixth with just 7.2 percent of the vote. It collapsed from its previous 73-seat absolute majority in the Congress to a 12-seat minority. On Tuesday, party leader Keiko Fujimori was sent back to prison for 15 months of preventative detention. She is charged with using her party as a criminal organization to launder some $1 million in illegal contributions from Odebrecht to finance her 2011 presidential campaign. Perhaps even more significant was the rout suffered by the APRA (American Popular Revolutionary Alliance) party, a major force in Peruvian politics since its formation in 1917. It won just 2.7 percent of the vote, failing to clear the five percent cut-off for representation in Congress. A bourgeois nationalist party that previously had a base in the working class, it was repeatedly the target of military repression in the 20th century, including a military coup staged in 1962 to prevent its founder, Victor Raul Haya de la Torre, from taking office after having been democratically elected. It subsequently turned increasingly to the right, forging alliances with right-wing bourgeois forces and integrating itself into the ruling establishment. APRA served as the main ally of the fujimoristas in the Congress and was deeply implicated in the Odebrecht corruption scandal. Alan Garcia, its most prominent figure and two-time Peruvian president, shot himself to death in April of last year, just as police were coming to arrest him on bribery and corruption charges. He is only one of four former presidents to be charged. TwoVizcarras immediate predecessor, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, and Ollanta Humalaare detained in Peru, while Alejandro Toledo is jailed in the US facing extradition proceedings. Placing first in Sundays election was the right-wing bourgeois party Accion Popular. It is associated with the former two-time president, Fernando Belaunde Terry. It captured just 10.31 percent of the votes. Accion Popular is a reliable representative of Peruvian and international capital and enforcer of the dictates of the International Monetary Fund. Coming in second and third were the Frente Popular Agricola Fia del Peru (Frepap), with 8.27 percent, and Podemos Peru, with 8.06 percent. The first is a right-wing religious party with a rural base. Its origins lie in a Messianic religious cult known as the Evangelical Association of the Israelite Mission of the New Universal Covenant (Aeminpu), founded by Ezequiel Ataucusi, who cast himself as the reincarnation of the Holy Spirit. Upon his death in 2000, his followers waited in vain for three days for him to resurrect. Podemos Peru is an outgrowth of the Partido Nacionalista Peruano founded by the former army officer Ollanta Humala, who is now in prison. Humala who won the presidency in 2005 by casting himself as a somewhat more moderate version of Venezuelas Hugo Chavez, subsequently shifted sharply to the right. The partys most prominent candidate, who received more votes than anyone else running for Congress, was Daniel Urresti, who served as Humalas interior minister, establishing a tough on crime image. Urresti, who was an Army intelligence officer in the 1980s during the dirty war against the Maoist Sendero Luminoso guerrilla movement, has been accused of participation in massacres, torture, disappearances and extra-judicial executions. Prosecuted in connection with these crimes in 2018, he was acquitted, but the Supreme Court overturned the verdict and ordered his re-trial. As a result of the election, he will be protected by parliamentary immunity. Another party connected to Humala, the Union por el Peru, also won congressional seats. It is a vehicle for the imprisoned former presidents brother, Antauro Humala, who is in jail for staging a 2005 abortive coup against the government of Alejandro Toledo. The party, which announced that one of its main goals would be passing legislation to free Antauro Humala, ran on a program of extreme xenophobia and support for the death penalty and the deployment of troops in the streets. Antauro Humala has called for executing homosexuals. One pseudo-left coalition, the Frente Amplio, won representation in Congress with 5.7 percent of the vote. The failure of the Peruvian pseudo-left to gain any broad support under conditions of overwhelming popular hostility to the capitalist ruling establishment is due to its refusal to wage any genuine struggle against the right-wing capitalist policies of the Vizcarra administration, which has dedicated itself to handing over the countrys mineral resources to transnational mining corporations and enriching a thin layer of the Peruvian financial elite. Instead, the pseudo-left organizations worked to channel the growing social anger of the working class exclusively against the right-wing fujimoristas in the Congress, while lending credibility to Vizcarras pose as a crusader against corruption. The new Congress, which merely serves out the term of the old one dissolved by Vizcarra, will face a fresh election in barely 18 months. Vizcarra himself has said he does not intend to remain in the presidency after 2021. The latest elections will do nothing to resolve the profound crisis of bourgeois rule in Peru, under conditions in which the entire capitalist ruling class has been exposed as wallowing in corruption while presiding over ever-widening social inequality. The greatest fear within the Peruvian bourgeoisie is that the country will confront an eruption of class struggle that will go beyond even the mass upheavals that have broken out all around it, from Chile to Bolivia and Ecuador. The decisive question posed is the forging of a new political movement, independent of the Peruvian bourgeoisie and its left representatives, to unite all sections of the working class around a genuine socialist and internationalist program. Investigators have found no evidence that a missing 1-week-old was with his father when the man died this week of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office said Thursday. Ernesto Caballeiro, 49, was found dead in a rural wooded area in Pasco County, Florida, on Wednesday -- a day after his newborn son, Andrew, went missing. Police have issued an Amber Alert. After an 'exhaustive search of the area,' authorities have been unable to confirm Andrew was at the scene at the time of his father's death, the sheriff's office said Thursday on Twitter. Authorities have been searching for the baby since Tuesday, when they were called to a Miami home and found three women shot dead. Andrew was missing and believed to be with his father. Caballeiro left the Miami Dade County area about 4 1/2 hours before arriving at the spot where he killed himself, the sheriff's office said. His van -- found about 50 yards from Caballeiro's body -- was not far from Interstate 75 in Blanton, about 300 miles northwest of Miami. Blonde woman may not be involved in case Authorities had said they were looking for information about a blonde woman who witnesses said was in the van with Caballeiro. But the investigation now suggests the woman may have been a passerby who stopped to check on the vehicle and 'was not directly involved in this case,' the sheriff's office said Thursday. Investigators are frantically searching for the baby, using helicopters and bloodhounds. There's been no sign of him so far. Police did not disclose the relationship between the father and the women found dead in the Miami home. They were identified as Arlety Garcia Valdes, 40; Isabela Valdes, 60; and Lina Gonzalez, 84. The victims are the baby's mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, family friend Miguel Gonzalez told CNN affiliate WSVN. 'They are a good family,' Gonzalez said. 'My friend is the uncle of the baby. I am unaware if they were having issues as a family.' President Trump shared a series of photos from inside A coronavirus briefing after announcing a task force to try to contain the spread of the deadly virus which has so far killed 170. The president insisted the task force is 'using the best experts anywhere in the world' - as Chinese health authorities confirm there are 7,711 confirmed cases in the country as of Wednesday, January 29. Tweeting in the early hours of Thursday morning, Trump wrote: 'Just received a briefing on the Coronavirus in China from all of our GREAT agencies, who are also working closely with China. Tweeting in the early hours of Thursday morning, Trump wrote: 'Just received a briefing on the Coronavirus in China from all of our GREAT agencies, who are also working closely with China' Pictures from inside the briefing capture the president appearing pensive with Domestic Policy Council Director Joseph Grogan sat to his right, and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar second from his left while the virus is discussed 'We will continue to monitor the ongoing developments. We have the best experts anywhere in the world, and they are on top of it 24/7!' The task force is led by US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and also includes national security adviser Robert OBrien, Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun and Domestic Policy Council Director Joseph Grogan. Four photos from inside the briefing capture the president appearing pensive with Grogan sat to his right, and Azar second to his left while the virus is discussed. Infections have now also spread to at least 15 other countries, it was confirmed. Germany, Vietnam and Japan, are among the countries to have cases carried over from people who have been to China. The president insisted the task force is 'using the best experts anywhere in the world' as Chinese health authorities confirm there are 7,711 confirmed cases in the country as of 29 January Trump shared a series of photos from inside the coronavirus briefing after announcing a task force to try to contain the spread of the deadly virus which has so far killed 170 The World Health Organization (WHO) will meet again today to consider whether the virus constitutes a global health emergency. An evacuation flight bringing 201 Americans home from the Chinese city at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak landed at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, California on Wednesday. The plane chartered by the US government to fly diplomats and private citizens back from Wuhan touched down at the air base just after 8am PST. Officials in hazmat suits were seen approaching the plane on the tarmac before passengers - including a number of small children - began filing out and stepping into awaiting buses. Infections have now also spread to at least 15 other countries, it was confirmed The passengers will now undergo health screenings and be quarantined at the base for 72 hours as they complete the repatriation process. They've already undergone four screenings over the course of the journey - two before departure in Wuhan and another two during a refueling stop in Anchorage, Alaska, late Tuesday night. The plane was originally scheduled to fly to Ontario International Airport in Ontario, California, but was diverted to the air base 25 miles away without explanation late on Tuesday night. Meanwhile in China, the death toll continues to rise and several countries - including the US and UK - have advised against non-essential travel to the nation. Passengers are seen deplaning after arriving at March Air Force Base in Riverside, California, on an evacuation flight from the coronavirus outbreak epicenter in Wuhan on Wednesday morning More than 7,000 people have been sickened by the deadly strain in at least 18 countries amid an international effort to stop the spread. China has cut off access to Wuhan and 16 other cities in Hubei province to prevent people from leaving and spreading the virus further. In addition to the United States, countries including Japan and South Korea have also planned evacuations. There are said to be 1,000 Americans living in Wuhan - but only 201 ended up on the flight which could hold up to 240. Officials have not said why the plane was not full. Pakistan's security forces gunned down six militants during a shootout in the country's restive northwest tribal region on Thursday, officials said. Two soldiers have also been killed in the gun battle which took place in Datta Khel area of North Waziristan. The security agencies received a tip off regarding the presence of terrorists in a house in Datta Khel area and launched an operation. In an exchange of fire, all the six terrorists present in the house were killed on the spot. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ambassador Mamman Nuhu is the Executive Secretary of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, which oversees natural resource use in the region. He is also Head of Mission of the Multinational Joint Task Force, which is made up of military units from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria and is tasked with ending the Boko Haram insurgency. He spoke with Africa Renewals Kingsley Ighobor about the situation on the ground. On environmental challenges: We are losing a lot of plant life and animals, including fish species. Farmers, herders and fishermen have lost their livelihoods. Its a real crisis for us. On defeating Boko Haram: We have made progress. Some territories have been recovered, and now Boko Haram is only in a few places around Lake Chad, but it still has capacity to cause harm. What we need to do as the Multinational Joint Task Force [MJTF], which we are already doing and seeing good results, is to have continuous military operations. Previously, we had operations for a limited period and then there was a lull. Troops from Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin constitute the 10,500-strong MJTF. Progress on addressing humanitarian challenges: The humanitarian challenges are still there. About 10.7 million people need humanitarian assistance. Another 2.4 million people are displaced and are yet to return to their hometowns and villages. We have made some progress. Some of the displaced people in neighbouring countries are returning voluntarily, and we are reintegrating them into their communities. A lot of reconstruction is going onschools and marketplaces are being rebuilt, and civil authorities are gradually going back to the places that are safe. On the regional strategy: We have a robust regional stabilisation strategy crafted in 2018 by the Lake Chad Basin Commission, with the assistance of the African Union and the UN Development Programme [UNDP]. It is an all-encompassing approach with nine pillars, including education and skills acquisition, socio-economic recovery, environmental sustainability, and empowerment and inclusion of women. These are the robust ways we will address some of the regional issues in a non-violent way. The regional stabilisation strategy has not yet fully come on stream. In 2019 a UNDP facility helped raise $60 million, which is what we are currently using to address some of the humanitarian challenges. On the African Unions Silencing the Guns by 2020 campaign: It will take sustained pressure on Boko Haram, along with interventions that address the root causes of the problems in the Lake Chad Basin. For example, poverty and hunger are caused by drought and the shrinking of the lake. If we address the developmental issues, we will be able to silence the guns. Imagine: in the 1960s, the lake occupied 25,000 square kilometers; currently, it is 4,500 square kilometers. Over the same period, the population increased from 7 million to about 50 million. Efforts underway to address some of these issues: We are addressing the human aspects such as unsustainable methods of farming, which consume a lot of water. We are introducing drought-resistant crops and new farming techniques to enable farmers to use water more efficiently. There is also a sensitisation campaign to educate people on sustainable ways of farming. Final message: The cordial relationship among countries of the Lake Chad region should continue. We also need the support of the international community so that we can mobilise the needed funding for these interventions. The countries of the region are not in a financial position to handle these huge projects on their own. https://www.un.org/africarenewal/ WASHINGTON Lets consider the conundrum of the three Bs. Bernie, Biden and Bloomberg. Despite our great fondness for Iowa, its quadrennial caucuses are costly and fairly meaningless exercises. Since 1972, only three men won a contested Iowa caucus and went on to become president Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Jimmy Carter. In 2016, Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz won Iowa while Donald Trump came in second. (It is, possibly, fitting to digress by remembering that Trump crudely insulted Cruzs wife and falsely accused Cruzs father of involvement in the Kennedy assassination, but now the Senate has no one more loyal to Trump than Cruz. Other than Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, whose private cellphone number was publicized by Trump.) So the odds are better than even that after all the Iowa hoopla, we wont know much more about the upcoming presidential sweepstakes than we do now. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, with a huge ground game in Iowa left over from 2016, is exceedingly popular with young Democrats in the state. But it remains unlikely that he could sway enough moderate Democrats to get the party nomination. The Trump campaign would like nothing better than running against a white-haired septuagenarian who has had a heart attack and declares he is a democratic socialist. Fox News prays Go, Bernie, go! Former Vice President Joe Biden, not likely to win Iowa, still remains the favorite to get the party nomination. But he has been damaged unfairly by the scandal over Trump exhorting Ukraine to open a bogus investigation of him and his son Hunter. There is no smoking gun there, but Trump has succeeded in convincing many Americans that somehow Biden is culpable of something even if they dont know what. Its wrong and unfair, but its exactly what Trump did to Hillary Clinton. Many still think Trumps barrage of nasty criticism of her as corrupt means something was wrong even after it has been positively proven she was innocent of any wrongdoing (although guilty of running a bad campaign). Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has changed his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat to run for president, but he is not even running in Iowa. Nonetheless, he has spent millions of dollars in TV ads trying to convince Americans that Trump is the worst president in U.S. history. More to the point, he vows that he will spend $1 billion of his self-made $50 billion fortune to defeat Trump, no matter who is the Democratic nominee. Bloomberg is a centrist, and on many social issues he is in line with a majority of Democrats. But even many of the Democrats most fiercely passionate about dumping Trump scoff that they dont want to facilitate a nominee who hopes to buy their nomination. And a lot of them are still angry about his stop-and-frisk policy when he was mayor. The big question of 2020 is whether Trump has changed politics forever. Are nastiness, deliberate falsehoods and lack of civility now required? Do Americans now demand constant titillation from their politicians? Bernie, Biden and Bloomberg are old school. They dont really seem to have the stomach to fight dirty. If one of them winds up as the official counterpuncher to Trump, is Trump a shoo-in for reelection? Could Bernie convince enough Americans that its time for an old-timey socialist? Could Biden convince enough Americans that he is not tainted by Trumps false allegations about Ukraine? Could Bloomberg convince enough Americans that another New York City billionaire is worth taking a chance on? The two other potentially realistic alternatives are two senior women senators Minnesota Nice Amy Klobuchar and Massachusetts Liberal Elizabeth Warren. Is America finally ready to vote a woman into the White House? Is there a surprise coming? Both women can claim they never lost an election. Lets admit that while Trump was sucking all the air out of the room by getting himself impeached, a lot of us havent paid much attention to what was happening in Iowa. Lets face it, the Democratic debates were not all that exciting. But now were in a new chapter. Now it gets serious. Now we have to pay attention. After Iowa, were still left with the quandary we started with which candidate could defeat Trump in an all-out, no-holds-barred fight? Ann McFeatters is an op-ed columnist for Tribune News Service. Readers may send her email at amcfeatters@nationalpress.com. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 An employee holds a display of dried marijuana at the Fire and Flower store as the first legal cannabis stores open in the province of Ontario, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, April 1, 2019. REUTERS/Chris Wattie Sales at Canadian cannabis retail chain Meta Growth (META.V) slipped during the companys latest quarter despite rising spending at legal pot shops. Meta Growth currently has 33 corporately-owned cannabis stores. The company booked $15.8 million in sales in the three months ended Nov. 30, compared to $17.1 million in the previous period, according to quarterly results released after the closing bell on Wednesday. The 7.4 per cent quarterly decline came as the Ontario-based retailer opened three new stores during its fiscal first quarter. The sales stumble is the companys first since recreational cannabis became legal for sale on Oct. 17, 2018. Chief executive officer Mark Goliger said the drop in revenue was primarily the result of greater competition in the Alberta market. When you go back to the early days of the Alberta rollout, Meta had 14 of the 70 stores that were licensed before Alberta initiated the moratorium (freeze) on new licences. This allowed Meta to generate revenue in a less competitive market, he told Yahoo Finance Canada in a statement on Thursday. The Alberta government suspended issuance of new cannabis store licences for six months beginning in November 2018. The suspension was fully lifted last May. At the end of August 2019 there were 270 competitors. On December 2, 2019 there were 355. That means that there were 85 new competitors between the quarters, a growth of 31 per cent, Goliger said. As a result, he said supply for high-demand items like pre-rolls was more thinly distributed. He added that pricing pressure and decisions to mark down slower-selling inventory, like oils, also factored into weakness in the latest quarter. Licenced producers were dropping their prices to the control board, who in turn dropped its prices to the retailer. Retailers dropped our prices to the customer, but for the most part kept the same gross margin. The result was lower revenue per transaction, Goliger said. Meta Growth now plans to prioritize opening new stores in Ontario. Story continues The companys chief cannabis chain rivals, Fire & Flower (FAF.TO) and High Tide (HITI.CN), saw their revenue increase 66 per cent and 26 per cent, respectively, in their most recent quarters. Meanwhile, retail trade data from Statistics Canada show spending at legal cannabis stores increased more than 26 per cent between July and November of last year. Sales in November topped $135 million, according to the federal agency. According to StatCan, legal cannabis spending in Alberta in November 2019 was stronger than all other provinces with the exception of Ontario, a province with about 10 million more residents. Analysts have been bullish on retail-focused pot stocks heading into 2020, expressing optimism for greater store density in underserved Ontario, and higher margins from new vape and edible products. Earlier this month, AltaCorp Capital analyst David Kideckel predicted better profitability for retailers compared to licenced producers. Analysts at Stifel recently named Fire & Flower their top cannabis pick in a lengthy 2020 outlook research note. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the province will soon have more cannabis stores than the entire country combined in a television interview with BNN Bloomberg on Thursday. Ontario currently has 28 legal pot stores open, compared with 402 in Alberta. Ford did not give a timeline for his projection. Will serve as founding partner for the strategy & business development firm with long-time chief of staff JACKSON, Miss., Jan. 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Former Miss. Gov. Phil Bryant has joined the newly branded Bryant Songy Snell Global Partners, formerly Songy LLC the strategy and business development firm launched last September by Joey Songy, the governors former chief of staff as founding partner. As part of the move, the firm will be rebranded Bryant Songy Snell Global Partners. Bryant will focus on economic development in the Southeast and international trade markets, and remain active in national and local political arenas. He joins founding partner Songy, who continues to focus on business development and strategic planning, and new founding partner Katie Bryant Snell, who will provide strategic advice and counsel on development opportunities to a variety of industry clients and advocate for policy initiatives on behalf of public and private entities. While serving as governor, nearly all of our objectives centered around education and economic development, and this opportunity will allow me to continue to advocate for education and economic opportunity in the private sector, said Gov. Bryant. Im excited to have a firm where these driving forces can be cultivated, with two great partners, for years to come. Bryant Songy Snell is a full-service consulting firm offering economic and business development, public relations, strategic planning and government affairs servicesacross Mississippi, the Southeast nation and world. I began consulting for companies and organizations with the objective of continuing much of the meaningful work that defined Gov. Bryants administration, said Songy. The impact from Gov. Bryants extraordinary leadership has left its mark on the public sector, and this firm will allow him to bring those abilities to bear in the private sector. Katie brings to our firm vast policy experience and expertise both in the public and private arenas. Together, their leadership will help us chart future economic expansion across the marketplace. Story continues Bryant served two terms as governor of Mississippi from 2012-2020. He was succeeded by Tate Reeves and preceded by Haley Barbour. Prior to that, he was lieutenant governor and state auditor. After graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi, Bryant became a drug enforcement investigator. He received a masters degree from Mississippi College, where he later taught political history for a number of years. Bryant also worked as an insurance fraud investigator prior to serving in statewide elected office. Bryant launched his political career in the Mississippi House of Representatives. As a representative, he worked on the insurance committee and was instrumental in introducing the Capital Gains Tax Cut Act of 1992. He was appointed state auditor by Governor Kirk Fordice in 1996, elected state auditor in 1999, and became lieutenant governor in 2008. He has served as chairman of Jobs for Americas Graduates and the Education Commission of the States, both national education organizations. Songy spent over seven years in the Bryant administration, and brought his numerous years of public and private sector experience to launching the firm. He served as legal counsel for three years in the administration and chief of staff for four years. During his tenure, he was appointed by the White House to the Intergovernmental Policy Advisory Committee on Trade to represent state and local governments. Prior to joining Bryants administration, Songy was an attorney in South Mississippi, where he founded the Songy Law Firm. Snell previously served as an attorney for the Madison County Board of Supervisors and founded the Katie Bryant Snell law firm. Before starting her own firm, Snell was an attorney for Butler Snow, where she focused her practice on product liability litigation, election and campaign finance, commercial litigation, employment litigation and government litigation. After earning a degree in marketing from the University of Southern Mississippi, she graduated from the University of Mississippi law school. Snell serves as a member of the Mississippi Childrens Advocacy Centers Board. About Bryant Songy Snell Global Partners Bryant Songy Snell based in Jackson, Miss. is a full-service consulting firm offering economic and business development, public relations, strategic planning and government affairs services. The firm includes three founding partners: Phil Bryant, Joey Songy and Katie Bryant Snell, as well as a former Bryant aide, Bethany Stanfill, and other strategic relationships worldwide. For more information, visit www.bryantsongysnell.com. Attachments Bethany Stanfill Bryant Songy Snell Global Partners bethanystanfill@gmail.com Todd Smith Deane | Smith 615-202-7944 todd@deanesmith.agency - Jennifer, Bill Gates daughter, has been engaged to her young Egyptian boyfriend, Nayel Nassar - The 23-year-old woman said she will like to grow and learn together with Nassar - The Egyptian also took to his Instagram account to celebrate his love after she accepted his marriage proposal Bill Gates eldest daughter, Jennifer, has been engaged to her heartthrob, Nayel Nassar. The news of her engagement was announced on Wednesday, January 29. READ ALSO: 9 best celebrity Kenyan mothers setting standards in motherhood READ ALSO: Going for the kill: Reality TV star Dog the Bounty Hunter proposes to sons ex-girlfriend The tycoon's daughter shared news of her engagement through her Instagram account. Jennifer shared a beautiful photo with the love of her life captioning it with the sweetest message ever. "Nayel Nassar, you are one of a kind. Absolutely swept me off my feet this past weekend, surprising me in the most meaningful location over one of our many shared passions," she wrote. READ ALSO: Kieleweke wafanya maandamano baada ya Nyoro kukosa kuapishwa Further into the post, the beauty queen said she could not wait to spend life with Nayal learning and growing together. "I cant wait to spend the rest of our lives learning, growing, laughing and loving together. Yes a million times over," she concluded. An excited Nayal took to his Instagram account to celebrate saying she Jennifer meant everything to him. "She said yes! Im feeling like the luckiest (and happiest) man in the world right about now. Jenn, you are everything I could have possibly imagined and so much more," he said. In another picture on her account, Jennifer appeared surprised at the proposal as her mouth remained agape. She was also seen wearing a fancy diamond ring. It should be noted that she was born in Medina, Washington and recently got her degree in biology at Stanford University and is currently pursuing med. Nassar on the other hand was raised in Kuwait and is 28 years old. He bagged a degree in economics and management from the same university. Another thing worthy of note is that the lovers have always made their affection public as they are in the habit of replying to each others messages. 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 wanted to kill my children - Jackie Ruguru | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke President Pierre Nkurunzizas decision not to run in Burundis elections in May has come as a surprise. In 2015, his push for a third term led to the death of 1,200 people while more than 400,000 fled their homes, prompting a probe by the International Criminal Court (ICC) into intimidation and atrocities. Three years later, a constitutional change allowed Nkurunziza to stay in power even longer, and until this weekend few believed he would step down. But, in a move defying expectations, the ruling CNDD-FDD party picked a key member of the elite, General Evariste Ndayishimiye, as his successor. Here are four key questions about what this means for the troubled East African nation. Is this a real sign of change? Among diplomats, members of civil society and the opposition interviewed by AFP, some see the move as a sign of hope. They point to Ndayishimiyes personality described by one of his friends as a rather open man, easy, who likes to joke and laugh with his friends in contrast to the sterner Nkurunziza. Ndayishimiyes name does not come up in the numerous crimes of the regime, said Pacifique Nininahazwe, a civil society activist. But Nkurunzizas influence over Ndayishimiye and his successors intentions are unclear. Thierry Vircoulon, an Africa expert at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI), noted that Ndayishimiye is a man who has belonged to the inner circle of the government for at least 15 years. It is the same system which is continuing. There will be no regime change in Burundi, just a change of people, he argued. An African diplomat told AFP that Ndayishimiye had in recent months been touring the region discreetly visiting heads of state and African Union officials. Everywhere he has shown the regimes willingness to open up, he said. Is it the end for Nkurunziza? Nkurunziza, 55, an evangelical who believes he was chosen by God to rule the nation, retains a key role, the ruling party highlighted at the weekend congress, remaining at the head of the Council of Wise Men, an organ which takes the most important decisions. The ruling CNDD-FDD officially bestowed upon him the title of visionary in 2018. And the national assembly last week adopted legislation that would assure Nkurunziza a comfortable retirement, including a luxury villa and a one-off sum equivalent to more than half a million dollars. President Nkurunziza controls the whole system. He is without doubt the richest man in the country, a party member told AFP on condition of anonymity. I cant see General Ndayishimiye, who has always been respectful towards him to the point of appearing obsequious, trying to sideline him, he added. Vircoulon said all indications pointed to this being a negotiation within the ruling party but one must not underestimate surprise turnarounds. He pointed to the case of Angolas Jose Eduardo Dos Santos, whose anointed successor, Joao Lourenco, took action against the former presidents family after taking office. How has the opposition reacted? The opposition has been stunned by the weekends events. It appears to have based its entire pre-election strategy on expectations that Nkurunziza would run again. It offered little reaction in the wake of the announcement that he was passing the baton. It is indeed a surprise for them, but overall we can say this opposition has not been effective for many years and as time passes appears less and less capable of influencing events, said Vircoulon. It is worn down by time and riddled with divisions, with some of its members choosing to cross to the other side. Can we expect credible elections? The opposition and civil society say there is no hope for the 2020 elections, which they believe have already been decided. They argue that the electoral commission is under the thumb of the regime, which has already said it will not allow international observers. On the ground, harassment and abuse of members of opposition leader Agathon Rwasas National Freedom Council (CNL) have mounted as the election nears. Members have disappeared, been tortured, killed or arrested and more than 80 of its offices have been destroyed or damaged. We wont have free and fair elections because part of the opposition (in exile) cannot act in the country, said Vircoulon. The CNDD-FDDs obsession with remaining in power means it has pushed aside all opposition, keeping only Agathon Rwasa on a symbolic level. ISTANBUL In 2016, the Turkish government reinstated a nighttime security force known as "bekci," or watchmen, to support police officers in maintaining public safety in urban neighborhoods. Tasked with patrolling streets and calling police officers when needed, the bekci forces have acted as a complementary security force and have grown to more than 21,000 male and female officers. Earlier this month, a proposal submitted by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) sought to expand the bekcis' powers to include authorities normally retained by police officers, such as conducting body searches and detaining suspects. The proposal is currently being reviewed by AKP and Nationalist Movement Party lawmakers who appear positioned to pass the bill in a move that has drawn protest from opposition politicians and civil rights advocates. Ali Oztunc, a deputy with the main opposition Republican Peoples Party, recently argued the proposal not only created insufficient entrance exams, requiring applicants have completed only a middle school education, but also gave bekcis powers that could easily be abused. The seventh article of the bill grants all police authority to the watchmen. In that case, what is the need for police? Oztunc asked, as reported by Gazete Duvar. The watchmen would be granted the right to search with their hands and pat people down. Will a watchman that sees a female student at midnight search her with his hands? This article is unacceptable and needs to be amended. ... They are creating a parallel police force. Among the powers to be granted to bekcis are the authority to intervene in incidents, to guard and handle crime scene evidence, to carry guns and conduct identity checks. The bekcis have already been carrying out some of these activities, at times giving rise to legal disputes. The parliamentary internal affairs commission has so far approved nine of the 18 articles in the bill since it began reviewing the proposal Wednesday. Mehmet Mus, the AKP deputy chair who submitted the proposal, has pitched it as a beneficial jobs-creation program amid an ongoing economic downturn in Turkey. Recently, we have created a serious level of employment regarding the watchmen who patrol markets and neighborhoods, he said. Volkan Gultekin, a lawyer and member of the Izmir Bar Association, said the proposal raises numerous issues, including expanding the right to use force a power currently reserved for the police, coast guard, customs officers and gendarmerie, who mostly function as rural police. I don't understand why these powers are given to bekcis, Gultekin told Al-Monitor. Police units, organized everywhere, can do the same things. He noted the bill would allow bekcis to gather evidence from crime scenes, an authority not extended to police and gendarmerie without a judicial investigation or by a prosecutors orders. Gultekin added that police officers need reasonable suspicion to search individuals while the proposal does not put forth the same requirement for bekcis. Gultekin highlighted other gaps in the proposal that left questions regarding whether bekcis will follow legal procedures and identify themselves as state officers when stopping people and whether individuals will be informed of their right to remain silent. We cannot expect bekcis, who do not have the same professional training as police forces, to follow this procedure, Gultekin said. Bekci forces have traditionally served as neighborhood watchmen in Turkey. The practice was abolished in 2008, when the 8,000 bekcis in service at the time were absorbed into the regular police force. In 2016, the AKP reinstated the bekci force, hiring an initial group of about 2,400 officers to patrol the southeastern Kurdish-majority cities of Sirnak, Hakkari, Urfa, Mardin and Diyarbakir following military operations to eradicate militants linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Sinem Adar, a research associate at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs in Berlin, said the deployment of bekcis as actors in micro-governance is not new. Bekcis were used to maintain control during the warfare in the 1990s between the Turkish army and the PKK, Adar told Al-Monitor. What is new since 2016 has been the gradual expansion of this earlier-used function of bekcis to the entire country. This expansion has led to several court cases in which Turkish citizens challenged the legal authority of bekcis to conduct ID checks. Two recent court decisions one in Izmir and the other in Mardin ruled bekcis did not have such powers, though this may now change. Some Turkish citizens have expressed feeling safer under the watch of bekcis, who patrol neighborhoods in groups and make their presence known by blowing whistles throughout the night. Others see them as a hassle for conducting arbitrary ID checks on individuals out for an evening stroll. Yet after a string of bombings in the mid-2010s and a 2016 coup attempt that left about 250 people dead and many more traumatized, bekci forces are generally seen as upholding public safety and can often be found sitting inside taxi kiosks chatting with drivers late into the night. Still, Adar said their increasing numbers and powers should be interpreted in the context of a growing security regime under the Turkish state. One can also consider these developments as efforts to redistribute means of violence within the state apparatus with two potentially contradictory implications: empowering the police force, while at the same time giving expansive powers to a sub-unit within it to govern daily life at the neighborhood level, said Adar. Lawmakers admonished the Department of Veterans Affairs on Wednesday over reports of veterans committing suicide at its facilities, as well as its lack of progress in reducing veteran suicide rates. House Veterans Affairs Committee members questioned VA staff in a hearing about suicide weeks after the latest VA Inspector General report found institutional failures at one facility that led to a veteran's suicide. About 17 veterans commit suicide each day, one of the VA officials testified, and six of those were in touch with the VA within a year or two of their death. "We know -- first off -- that zero number that we're trying for is very difficult because so many are not coming in contact with you, but the fact that we have them actually committing suicide at the VA is a huge problem," said Rep. Mike Bost, R-Illinois. Bost, whose southwest Illinois district touches St. Louis, also raised concerns about front-line staff training as he recalled an incident in which a veteran shot himself in the lobby of the John Cochran VA Medical Center but staff did not find him until an hour later. Related: Institutional Failures Found at VA Facility After Veteran's Parking Lot Suicide Renee Oshinski from the Veterans Health Administration tried to reassure lawmakers that the VA takes these situations seriously and is working on the local level to fix concerns. "This is the most difficult thing for any provider, to lose someone," she said. "When you know that the VA is there to do something good for people and instead they harm themselves." Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Virginia, asked Oshinski how the VA is addressing staffing shortages, especially those in the mental health field. She said she had learned that the Hampton VA clinic in her district had a mental health personnel vacancy rate of 35.5%. The national VHA vacancy rate is 10%. "We've made some tremendous progress in the last few years," Oshinski said. "However, there are pockets -- and you are mentioning one of those -- [where] we still have difficulty trying to bring staff onto the level that we need to support the demand, because you have a very high-growing area where we have a lot of veterans seeking care." When Luria pushed her on how long it takes to approve a new hire or recredential an employee moving to another facility, Oshinski said that the VA has instituted an initiative of "hire right, hire fast" and is looking into offering incentives. Ranking committee member Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, said change must come at the local level. "It is a national tragedy," he said, after discussing how the number of suicide deaths across the country is larger than the population of the largest town in his district. "It's going to take not the 30,000-foot level where we are, but I think you're going to solve this at the individual and local level." He cited the wildfire prevention slogan, "Only you can prevent forest fires." "But we need to do that for suicides so that you can look after your neighbor, your friend if they're having problems," Roe said. "All these things that we're doing are good, but it's gotta be more organic than that." -- Dorothy Mills-Gregg can be reached at dorothy.mills-gregg@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @DMillsGregg. Read More: Military Retirees Can Be Court-Martialed After All, Appeals Court Decides More than 200 Americans who landed at a California military base yesterday after being evacuated from the epicentre of the deadly coronavirus outbreak in China will be held in quarantine for 72 hours. Passengers onboard the flight from Wuhan, where the infectious disease originated before spreading to all other Chinese provinces killing 170, were screened four times over the course of the 14-hour journey. The 201 onboard were screened twice before departure and twice more during a refueling stop in Anchorage, Alaska, late Tuesday night before landing at March Air Reserve Base near Riverside, California, on Wednesday morning. Passengers are seen deplaning after arriving at March Air Force Base in Riverside, California, on an evacuation flight from the coronavirus outbreak epicenter in Wuhan on Wednesday morning Dr Nancy Messonnier of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters on Wednesday that the passengers have been 'screened, monitored and evaluated' for signs of coronavirus. Pictured: The plane touches down at March Air Reserve Base in There are said to be 1,000 Americans living in Wuhan - but only 201 ended up on the flight which could hold up to 240. It is understood the others were not able to get through the screening process, while one was denied travel because they had a fever. Included among the passengers were children aged from one-month-old to their late teens, officials said. The plane was originally scheduled to fly to Ontario International Airport in Ontario, California, but was diverted to the air base 25 miles away without explanation. Passengers said they would stay at the base voluntarily, said Dr. Chris Braden of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 'They wanted to know their own status. They wanted to know the status of their children. They wanted to protect their family, They wanted to protect others,' he told CNN. There were 195 passengers - including a number of small children - and six crewmembers onboard. They filed out of the plane and stepped into awaiting buses (left and right) Officials in hazmat suits met the flight when it landed at the air base just after 8am PST. Pictured: People in hazmat suits are seen outside of the Kalitta Air plane The plan is to hold the passengers for three days, monitoring them for fever and other symptoms at least twice daily, Dr Braden added. It is understood that health officials will allow the passengers to go home after 72 hours if they don't present any signs of infection, but that they will be monitored locally for a further 14 days thereafter. They can also voluntarily remain at the base for the full 14 days. Should anyone demand to go home before they're cleared, an individual quarantine is an option, Braden said. Some US citizens voiced their concern about the seemingly short quarantine process on social media. The flight touched down at the air base (left and right) just after 8am PST after stopping to refuel in Anchorage, Alaska, on Tuesday night The UK has implemented a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all returning citizens. Japanese authorities said that those who showed symptoms would be transferred directly to a hospital, while others who appeared healthy would be tested for the virus and then asked to quarantine themselves for two weeks. More than 7,000 people have been sickened by the deadly strain in at least 18 countries amid an international effort to stop the spread. China has cut off access to Wuhan and 16 other cities in Hubei province to prevent people from leaving and spreading the virus further. In addition to the United States, countries including Japan and South Korea have also planned evacuations. MIAMI, Jan. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL;NYSE: CUK), the world's largest leisure travel company, today announced it is among the first companies to join the United Nations' Standards of Conduct for Business, a global campaign seeking to tackle discrimination against lesbian, gay, bi, trans & intersex (LGBTI) people in the workplace and in society. Carnival Corporation joins 272 major corporations as early supporters of the LGBTI diversity and inclusion initiative. The United Nations Human Rights Office collaborated with the Institute for Human Rights and Business to develop the five pillars comprising the Standards of Conduct, reflecting the input of hundreds of companies from diverse business sectors. These principles align closely with Carnival Corporation's 2020 sustainability goals, including an ongoing commitment to building a diverse global workforce that currently represents over 150,000 employees from nearly 150 countries. "As part of our ongoing efforts to build a sustainable, positive work environment and create opportunities for building a career with our company, we are committed to supporting diversity, inclusion and equality across our nine cruise line brands," said Roger Frizzell, chief communications officer for Carnival Corporation. "We salute the U.N. for its leadership and we hope many others will join the initiative. It is not only the right way to operate, but we also believe diversity of thinking plays a key role in driving innovation and providing a competitive advantage, so there are plenty of good reasons to be part of this important effort." The five standards outlined by the U.N. include a global call for companies to respect human rights of LGBTI workers, customers and members of the public; eliminate workplace discrimination against LGBTI employees; support LGBTI employees at work; prevent discrimination and related abuses against LGBTI customers, suppliers and distributors, and insist that suppliers do the same; and stand up for the human rights of LGBTI people in the communities where companies do business. As additional global organizations sign on in support of the Standards of Conduct for Business, the United Nations Human Rights Office continues to build momentum for public awareness in support of LGBTI inclusion, promoting a culture of respect, diversity and equality in the workplace. The U.N.'s global campaign to promote greater equality for LGBTI workers is the largest of its kind to date. "The U.N. is grateful to see Carnival Corporation, the leading international cruise provider, join more than 272 of the world's largest companies in expressing support for the United Nations Global LGBTI Standards for Business," said Fabrice Houdart, United Nations Human Rights Officer and co-author of the Standards. "Businesses play a key role in keeping the momentum for LGBTI equality globally and Carnival Corporation's support is a strong signal to the tourism industry and beyond." As part of Carnival Corporation's commitment to equal rights, the company has been actively engaged in significant efforts on issues such as marriage equality. This includes supporting efforts by OUTBermuda and other LGBTQ community organizations to advocate for the legal recognition of same-sex marriages in Bermuda. The company has also shown support through LGBTQ cruises, onboard activities and special events, including the company's Holland America Line brand sponsoring the 2020 Seattle Men's and Women's Chorus Annual Dinner and Auction, and annual Pride events to raise awareness and funds for LGBTQ organizations, including the Los Angeles Pride Parade, Seattle Pride Parade and Southampton (England) Pride. Additionally, the company has partnered with equal opportunity champions such as the Human Rights Campaign, Executive Leadership Council, Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility, Catalyst and Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics. Carnival Corporation is regularly recognized by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, the educational arm of America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. This includes achieving a perfect score for four consecutive years in the organization's Corporate Equality Index (CEI), which rates U.S. companies on their treatment of LGBTQ consumers, investors and employees. In January 2020, Carnival Corporation was also named one of the top companies in America on Forbes' annual list of Best Employers for Diversity for its outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. The company was recognized as the highest rated company in the cruise industry, the No. 3 employer in the travel and leisure sector and No. 77 overall among the 500 top employers. Additional information on the Standards of Conduct for Business can be found at https://www.unfe.org/standards/, and more information on Carnival Corporation's commitment to diversity and inclusion is available here: https://www.carnivalcorp.com/corporate-information/diversity-inclusion. About Carnival Corporation & plc Carnival Corporation & plc is the world's largest leisure travel company and among the most profitable and financially strong in the cruise and vacation industries, with a portfolio of nine of the world's leading cruise lines. With operations in North America, Australia, Europe and Asia, its portfolio features Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O Cruises (Australia), Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard. Together, the corporation's cruise lines operate 105 ships with 254,000 lower berths visiting over 700 ports around the world, with 16 new ships scheduled to be delivered through 2025. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour company in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices. With a long history of innovation and providing guests with extraordinary vacation experiences, Carnival Corporation has received thousands of industry awards including recognition by the Consumer Technology Association as a CES 2019 Innovation Awards Honoree for OceanMedallion. A revolutionary wearable device that contains a proprietary blend of communication technologies, OceanMedallion enables the world's first interactive guest experience platform transforming vacation travel on a large scale into a highly personalized level of customized service. The prestigious CES Innovation Awards honor outstanding design and engineering in consumer technology products. Additional information can be found on www.carnival.com, www.princess.com, www.hollandamerica.com, www.seabourn.com, www.pocruises.com.au, www.costacruise.com, www.aida.de, www.pocruises.com and www.cunard.com. SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc Related Links https://www.carnivalcorp.com * Bangladesh steps up efforts to stabilise domestic prices * Thai prices ease slightly, Vietnamese rates unchanged * Vietnam's January exports to fall 18.7% from year ago By Shreyansi Singh BENGALURU, Jan 30 (Reuters) - India's rice export prices scaled a near four-month peak this week on increased demand from buyers in Africa, in anticipation of a further jump in rates in Asia as a persistent drought in Thailand squeezes supply. Prices of India's 5-percent broken parboiled variety rose to their highest since the first week of October, around $369-$373 per tonne, from $366-$371 last week, also helped by a depreciation of the rupee. Buyers from Africa have been making purchases fearing prices could rise further due to the drought in Thailand, said an exporter based at Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. Second largest exporter Thailand's benchmark 5-percent broken rice prices eased slightly to $432-$453 a tonne from $440-$460 last week, which was the highest level since June 2017. Traders attributed the slight dip to the fluctuation in the baht, the domestic currency, which has softened by 4% so far this year after gaining more than 8% last year. "(However) The prices remain high due to concern over supply and that has put off many overseas buyers," a Bangkok-based trader said. In Vietnam, markets reopened after the Lunar New Year holiday, with rates for 5-percent broken rice unchanged from two weeks ago at $345 a tonne. "There haven't been any transactions as traders have not returned to work after the Lunar New Year holiday," a trader based in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang said, adding activity should pick up from next week. Farmers in the Mekong Delta said they have begun harvesting rice of the winter-spring crop, and that the harvest will peak late February. Vietnam's rice exports in January are forecast to fall 18.7% from a year earlier to 350,000 tonnes, official data showed on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Bangladesh undertook measures to combat a spike in domestic prices. Seven monitoring committees have been formed to keep prices stable in the domestic markets, the country's food ministry said this week. "The measure has been taken to make sure farmers get fair prices for their produce while customers can buy rice at a tolerable rate," the ministry said in a statement. (Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai, Ruma Paul in Dhaka, Khanh Vu in Hanoi and Panu Wongcha-um in Bangkok; editing by Arpan Varghese and Elaine Hardcastle) To accelerate its cloud and DevOps transformation journey Infosys has signed a multi-year, multi-million contract with ABN AMRO Bank to accelerate its cloud and DevOps transformation journey. As part of this renewed contract, Infosys will enable ABN AMRO Bank to achieve its business and operational goals by aligning its IT transformation with its cloud platform strategy. Leveraging its expertise in cloud and data management services, Infosys will help ABN AMRO Bank to navigate to a single public cloud to deliver agility and cost efficiency in business operations. Infosys will deliver this transformation through agile execution. To build a culture of collaboration, Infosys will train the workforce on Microsoft Azure, and other cloud native tools including the ABN AMRO Bank specific toolset, to facilitate CICD (continuous integration and continuous delivery), with a focus on security and code quality. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP and its controlling Sackler family have been negotiating with cities, counties and states on a proposed settlement worth an estimated $10 billion to resolve more than 2,600 lawsuits alleging they helped fuel the U.S. opioid crisis. Those negotiations could be complicated by a Reuters report on Tuesday that Purdue is the unidentified company that was involved in an alleged kickback scheme aimed at improperly boosting prescriptions of opioid medications, though it was not charged with wrongdoing and has said it is cooperating with Justice Department investigations. The following is the state of legal woes facing Purdue and the Sacklers: BANKRUPTCY Purdue filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September in White Plains, New York, to put thousands of lawsuits on hold and give it time to broaden support for its wide-ranging settlement proposal. Purdue Chairman Steve Miller said in a September interview that continued litigation would deplete the companys assets. Purdue has projected spending hundreds of millions of dollars on legal and professional fees, much of it devoted to opioid litigation, according to bankruptcy court records. The company is also working to resolve Justice Department probes. Supporters of Purdues settlement plan when it filed for bankruptcy included 24 states and five U.S. territories, as well as lead lawyers for thousands of counties and other plaintiffs suing the company and, in some cases, the Sacklers. Two dozen states led by Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut were opposed or uncommitted to the settlement plan, setting the stage for contentious legal battles over who bears responsibility for a public health crisis that has claimed the lives of some 400,000 people between 1999 and 2017, according to U.S. data. Purdue and the Sacklers have denied the allegations in the lawsuits that allege they aggressively marketed addictive prescription painkillers while misleading doctors and patients about their abuse and overdose risks. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain agreed to put the lawsuits by various states on hold at least until April to give negotiators more time to reach a settlement. Purdue still faces U.S. Justice Department criminal and civil investigations over its handling of OxyContin. Any financial penalty emerging from those cases could eat into funds that might go to U.S. communities to help mitigate the crisis in a broad settlement. Purdue has responded to subpoenas and other investigative demands from federal prosecutors and is engaged in discussions with U.S. officials to resolve the probes, the company has said in bankruptcy court papers. THE SACKLERS Purdue also convinced Drain to temporarily halt lawsuits against the Sacklers. Many states have vowed to extract more money from the family, which has not budged from a proposal to pay $3 billion over seven years and at least an additional $1.5 billion through a sale of another business they own called Mundipharma. The Sacklers could attempt to use bankruptcy proceedings to largely shield themselves from future legal exposure and the possible financial liabilities associated with it. Settlements approved in bankruptcy court often come with legal releases. Some states would be expected to fight that. New York Attorney General Letitia James has subpoenaed Wall Street banks, Purdue corporate entities and family offices for records related to the Sacklers finances. In October, states opposed to the settlement said court records showed Purdue steered up to $13 billion to the Sackler family over an unspecified time frame. A lawyer for the Sacklers said the transfers reflect tax payments and investments in businesses that will soon be sold for the benefit of the states suing the company. In September, James highlighted wire transfers made by former Purdue board member Mortimer D.A. Sackler, including some made through Swiss bank accounts. A Sackler representative said the decade-old transfers were legal and appropriate. PHARMA CO. X Reuters on Tuesday identified Purdue as the drugmaker referred to by Vermont federal prosecutors as Pharma Co. X in court filings on Monday. The unnamed company is described as paying kickbacks to Practice Fusion, now a unit of Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc, to develop an alert used in physicians software with the goal of boosting its opioid product sales. (Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Del., and Mike Spector in New York; Editing by Vanessa OConnell and Bill Berkrot) Topics Lawsuits USA New York WASHINGTON A nonprofit organization run by one of President Trumps most prominent African-American allies recently held an event in a black community where it promoted Trump administration policies like criminal justice reform while doling out cash prizes to participants. The event, a Christmas Extravaganza in Cleveland last month, was hosted by a charity group run by Darrell Scott, a longtime Trump surrogate who has also been advising his campaign. Organizers with the group, the Urban Revitalization Coalition, handed out thousands of dollars of cash stuffed in envelopes for an event it advertised as a $25,000 Cash Giveaway. The event was first reported by Cleveland.com. In an interview, Mr. Scott said that his organization was nonpartisan and that the event had not been organized by the Trump campaign. But he acknowledged that interspersed throughout the event were positive remarks about some Trump administration policies that have affected black communities. We talked about the country, Mr. Scott said. We said there are a number of things that are benefiting black America right now. For instance, criminal justice reform. Mr. Trumps campaign has been highlighting the 2018 passage of the First Step Act, which revised a number of the nations sentencing and prison laws, as part of its outreach to African-American voters. This is because the Government of Vietnam and domestic commercial banks have issued many policies to encourage overseas Vietnamese to send their money to invest and do business in Vietnam. Remittances have contributed significantly to the country's socio-economic development. Photo for illustration (Source: tapchitaichinh.vn) Remittances are very important to many countries in the world, especially developing countries. For Vietnam, remittances are becoming more important. In recent years, the flow of remittances pouring into Vietnam has continuously increased, contributing to hunger eradication and poverty reduction, and raising the living standards of the people who receive remittances. Promoting resources strongly In recent years, the resources of Vietnamese businessmen and intellectuals in foreign countries have been promoted strongly, especially young overseas Vietnamese. Currently, there are about 3,000 overseas Vietnamese enterprises investing in 52 localities across the country with total contributed and registered capital of USD4 billion. Enterprises are mainly from the US, Canada, Australia, Russia, France, the Netherlands, Japan, Poland and Switzerland, and concentrate in production, processing of export goods, trade, tourism, construction, real estate, aquaculture, seafood processing and software technology. In 2019, the activities of groups, individuals, experts, intellectuals, overseas Vietnamese businessmen have resonated in the community, making an important contribution to connecting Vietnamese businessmen, intellectuals and experts worldwide; promoting overseas Vietnameses contribution for the development of science, technology and economy - society of the country. Along with investment projects of overseas Vietnamese in Vietnam, remittance is an important resource to promote production, business and economic development. According to an announcement from the World Bank, in 2019, Vietnams remittance is estimated nearly USD17 billion. For three consecutive years, Vietnam is in the top 10 countries receiving the largest amount of remittances in the world, of which, Ho Chi Minh city received the highest amount in the country, estimated at USD5.6 billion in 2019. The overseas Vietnamese businessmen community grows strongly, increasing its position and role in host countries, and has many investment and trade promotion activities and has connected with enterprises, ministries, branches and localities in Vietnam. They have organized many programs such as the First Overseas Vietnamese Economic Forum in the Republic of Korea in June 2019; Vietnamese Business Forum in Europe held in Warsaw, Poland in September 2019; and Thailand - Vietnam trade promotion conference in Udon Thani, Thailand in September 2019. These activities have contributed significantly to promoting Vietnamese businesses and brands to the international market. Important role of the State Commission for Overseas Vietnamese In 2019, the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese (SCOV) took the initiative in reviewing, proposing and contributing many ideas to relevant ministries and agencies to complete the legal system relating to overseas Vietnamese in a practical and effective manner, meeting the legitimate aspirations of overseas Vietnamese, creating favorable conditions for them to return to their home country to work, live and study such as: research, review and amend the inadequacies related to naturalization and return of Vietnamese nationality of overseas Vietnamese; and attract overseas Vietnamese individuals to participate in science and technology activities in Vietnam. Support activities for the community are implemented timely and methodically, contributing to strengthening the legal status of overseas Vietnamese; actively grasp the situation in the areas; promote activities of associations, unions and community solidarity; mobilize governments of host countries to create conditions for overseas Vietnamese to do business and live. The commission also supports the consolidation of the organization, solidarity and guide associations and union to operate effectively; coordinate to introduce 20 typical overseas Vietnamese who will be negotiated to join the Central Committee of Vietnam Fatherland Front, term IX for the 2019-2024 period; and support overseas Vietnamese to live and work in Vietnam In addition, the activities to support the overseas Vietnamese community to preserve the national cultural identity and maintain Vietnamese language are better, contributing to connecting overseas Vietnamese and their homeland; while information and communication work for overseas Vietnamese has been renewed with rich content and creative forms. Typically, the Homeland Spring Program 2019 with the participation of about 1,000 overseas Vietnamese from around the world; art troupes performing to serve the overseas Vietnamese communities on the occasion of the Lunar New Year of the Pig in the Russian Federation, Sweden, Taiwan (China), Australia received the enthusiastic response of a large number of overseas Vietnamese. Overseas Vietnamese people are very interested in the sacred sovereignty of the nation. Through meaningful visits to Truong Sa Island district and the DK1 frame house, overseas Vietnamese better understand the actual situation on Truong Sa island, their love for the sea, islands and the homeland has increased and when returning to the host countries, overseas Vietnamese have had practical activities, such as the establishment of Truong Sa clubs in Germany, Poland, France, RoK and a number of other areas. These clubs have operated actively, connecting members who have visited Truong Sa and contributing to confirming Vietnam's sovereignty over Truong Sa and Hoang Sa archipelagoes. According to Mr. Luong Thanh Nghi, Deputy Head of the SCOV, in 2020, his unit will continue to promote the solidarity, enhance the resources of overseas Vietnamese in the new situation; encourage individuals to engage in science and technology activities; provide information and communicate to overseas Vietnamese about the guidelines and policies of the Party and State, the domestic situation; maintaining meaningful annual activities for overseas Vietnamese such as homeland spring program, visits to Truong Sa, Vietnam summer camps; as well as supporting to teach and learn Vietnamese language; supporting associations, groups of overseas Vietnamese businessmen and intellectuals./. The jury in the murder trial of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe has been told to put emotion and sympathy for the deceased officer aside. At the Central Criminal Court yesterday, Justice Michael White said there were matters to which he wanted to draw the jury's attention. He said it was clear from the opening that this was a complex and difficult case, where "human sympathy with the deceased garda officer is very high" on jurors' minds. Mr Justice White said he wanted to, from a legal point of view, make the jury's function very clear. "When you are acting as judges, you have to put emotion aside, you have to put any sympathy aside," he told the jury of eight men and seven women. Mr Justice White said there "is a man here on trial for capital murder" and that the jury must "put any human emotion or sympathy out of your minds". Aaron Brady (28) is charged with the murder of Det-Gda Donohoe, who was a member of An Garda Siochana acting in the course of his duty, at the Lordship Credit Union in Bellurgan, Co Louth, on January 25, 2013. Mr Brady is also charged with the robbery of approximately 7,000 in cash and assorted cheques from Pat Bellew at the same location on the same date. The accused, of New Road, Crossmaglen, Co Armagh, has pleaded not guilty to both charges. In the afternoon, the jury was taken through several maps of areas in Co Louth and Co Armagh, which included credit union branches on the Carlingford peninsula and other locations across the counties. Det-Gda Laura Bolger, of the Garda mapping section at Harcourt Square, Dublin, said she attended the scene of a fatal shooting at Lordship Credit Union on January 25, 2013. The witness told the court she attended the scene in order to provide maps and to set the scene to assist the court. Det-Gda Bolger said she served there over the next three days, and also assisted members of the Garda Technical Bureau. As the investigation progressed, Det-Gda Bolger said, she was requested to map additional locations. Several maps were shown to the jury displaying various areas in Co Louth and Co Armagh, as well as surrounding locations. This included a map of the Lordship Credit Union which contained markers showing the location of the four vehicles that were in the car park at the time of the incident. Prosecuting counsel Lorcan Staines SC, asked Det-Gda Bolger about the height of a wall at the rear of the credit union building. This, the jury heard, was marked as the rear wall jumped by the suspects to gain access to the car park. Det-Gda Bolger said the wall was approximately between 4ft and 4ft 5in in height. Sean Hennessy, a photographic officer with the PSNI, also took the jury through a number of images that he took near an area referred to as the "burn site". The court earlier was told that this location was around 28km away from the Lordship Credit Union. Seven images were also shown of the "burn site" which included images of a burnt-out car. He told the court he was directed to take images of the area around this site by his superiors and agreed with Mr Staines that this was done in co-operation between the PSNI and gardai. The images, taken on January 27, 2013, showed the vehicle on a grass area with its driver side door opened. The trial will continue before Justice Michael White at the Central Criminal Court this morning. The program is designed with specific area businesses in mind for the graduates. The skillset we look for is welders and I think that is such a great skillset to train someone in no matter what their socioeconomic background is, said Geof Bissell of Raymond Corp. That skillset can carry them through in many ways throughout life. I think the program not only helps the individual but it has helped us, a business in Iowa. During the discussion, Reynolds was also informed in the City of Muscatine Community Development and Housing is also working to stabilize housing options, rental and homeowner training and self-sufficiency services. Muscatine Center for Social Action also works on homelessness prevention. About four students are expected when the Fueling the Future program begins in March. Program graduate Maguel Salcedo reflected on finding a good job after completing the program. He commented he had no background in welding before taking the course. As the meeting ended, Reynolds commented that she had gone to college at night while she was working and had graduated later in life. Its never too late to get an education, she said. 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. YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan, who is in Kazakhstan on a working visit, is participating in the session of the Council of Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) in Almaty, the deputy PMs Office told Armenpress. The session agenda includes issues relating to the elimination of existing barriers for the functioning of the market in the EAEU space, integration development directions within the Union and digital transportation corridors. The session will also touch upon the formation process of a common market of gas, oil and oil products. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan K Shiva Kumar By Express News Service MYSURU: With Rajinikanth having completed his shooting for the Man Vs Wild teleseries, Bollywood star Akshay Kumar arrived in Mysuru by a special flight on Wednesday, to film for the survival show with British wildlife adventurer Bear Grylls. Akshay reached the resort in Bandipur, and held discussions with Grylls and his team, who later went around the forest and finalised 4-5 locations, including Tiger Road and Rampur Elephant Camp, for the shoot to be held on Friday. The final location, however, will be decided later, and the crew will move in the morning, as the forest department has allowed shooting from 6 am to 6 pm. Forest officials will also join the crew as per orders from the higher-ups, but will keep 30-40 metres away from the shooting. The Banijay Group, one of the worlds largest independent content creation groups for television and multimedia platforms, along with Seven Sauran, have collaborated to bring out this documentary on the lines of Man Vs Wild hosted by Bear Grylls. Grylls chose Bandipur to shoot with Rajinikanth, as the latter connected with the place, having shot many movies there. The show will be shot across 14 episodes, with the second and third episodes being shot at Bandipur National Park. Conservator Balachandra said that Rajinikanth enjoyed shooting at Bandipur, and was ready for his next shot, when he suffered bruises in the bushes. He added that Rajinikanth has accepted the forest departments request to campaign for conservation. He informed that Akshay Kumars shooting will take place deep inside the forest in the morning, without violating any conditions imposed by the department. Sources said that the crew will wind up shooting on Friday, with both Akshay Kumar and Bear Grylls likely to return by the evening. A 78-year-old former Roman Catholic priest whose whereabouts are unknown was accused Tuesday of aggravated sexual assault of a child while serving as a priest in North Texas, according to a police affidavit. Dallas police obtained a warrant for the arrest of Richard Thomas Brown, a priest who served at five North Texas churches before he was removed in 2002 and recently defrocked. The affidavit accused Brown of sexually molesting a child on July 5, 1989. Brown is the first Catholic priest to be charged with sexual abuse since Dallas police raided the offices of the diocese last year. One year ago, the diocese issued The present case against Brown began in 2018 when an Irving abuse victim's aunt emailed the diocese to report that her niece had been molested during the 1980s. The police, contacted by the diocese, interviewed the victim who said the diocese had been alerted in 2004. Brown's activities were reported long before 2004, though. In depositions taken in 1995 and 1996 in a civil case, Sister Caroleen Hensgen, then the superintendent of the parochial schools in the diocese, testified that the principal of the school at the Holy Family School in Irving told her of those activities during the 1980s. She said she passed those reports on to then-Bishop Thomas Tschoepe. Brown was transferred to another parish. According to the police affidavit, Brown continued to be transferred from one parish to another, one diocese to another. Police believe he sexually abused as many as 50 children between his ordination in 1980 and his removal from the priesthood in 2002. In a letter dated last Sept 19, the diocese said Brown's last known whereabouts was in or near Delaware. "It is our prayer that the arrest of Richard Brown will provide an opportunity for the legal system to address the accusations against him," the letter stated. No telephone number could be found listed in that area for Brown, and he could not be reached for comment. BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorneys with the law firm BD&J, PC are speaking out following a second fire at the Barrington Plaza Apartments in West Los Angeles. A fire tore through the sixth floor of the 25-story building in West Los Angeles around 8:37AM on Wednesday, injuring 11 people, one critically according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. "Our hearts go out to the injured victims and all the residents who are now displaced by this preventable disaster," said attorney Shawn McCann of BD&J, PC. McCann along with attorney Lauren Horwitz, represented victims of the October 18, 2013, fire at the same building, which occurred on the 11th floor. The 2013 fire injured two people and forced more than 100 residents to seek temporary housing. The plaintiffs in that lawsuit claimed that the building's owners and operators were negligent for failing to have fire sprinklers, pressurized stairwells, and an adequate emergency plan. The staff of the building also failed to act appropriately after the fire broke out and left the residents to fend for themselves in the emergency. The trial lasted for five weeks in Los Angeles Superior Court. The jury found Douglas Emmett Management, LLC negligent and 100% at fault for the harm caused. "We're extremely disheartened that something like this could happen again in the same apartment building," said Lauren Horwitz. "It appears the building's owners have not learned from past mistakes." BD&J, PC is a personal injury law firm based in Beverly Hills. The plaintiff's firm handles a broad range of cases including semi-truck crashes, motorcycle accidents, train crashes, auto accidents, pedestrian accidents, and much more. Contact: BD&J, PC (424) 288-4251 [email protected] https://www.bdjinjurylawyers.com SOURCE BD&J, PC Related Links https://www.bdjinjurylawyers.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 07:33:09|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy said Wednesday that China is ready to play a constructive role in the early restoration of peace in Syria. "China stands ready to play a constructive role towards the early restoration of peace, stability and development in Syria," Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told a Security Council meeting on the political process in Syria. "China applauds the good offices of the special envoy (Geir Pedersen) and the constructive participation of the Syrian parties. We support the special envoy in stepping up the communication with the Syrian Government to listen to the government's legitimate requests," Wu said. "All countries must combat terrorism in all its forms in accordance with relevant Council resolutions and international law, and by applying one single standard. Otherwise, Syria as well as the region of West Asia and North Africa will have no peace," said Wu. "The international community should, on the one hand, move over the political process, and on the other, help improve Syria's economic and humanitarian situation," he added. "It is essential to secure the conditions of survival for the Syrian people, lift unilateral sanctions, and support post-conflict reconstruction," the envoy noted, adding that civilians are directly harmed by unilateral sanctions. "The provision of humanitarian supplies by relevant parties should not come with any political preconditions," the ambassador noted. The attempts to find a solution to the Syrian conflict and bring stability to the Middle East began in late 2011, when the Arab League launched two initiatives, but without much success. The latest major effort to bring about an end to the war started in October 2019 in Geneva with the convening of the Syrian Constitutional Committee to draft a new constitution for Syria under the auspices of the United Nations. Quitting smoking not only prevents further damage to cells in your lungs, but it can help replenish healthy cells that weren't destroyed beforehand, a new study suggests. Cells can even replenish in a 70-year-old who has smoked 10,000 packets of cigarettes in their life, researchers found. The study, by Nature, found that cells killed by years of smoking can be replaced by the regrowth and multiplication of new ones, even helping in the battle against cancer. Cancer Research UK said: 'The study shows that quitting smoking could do much more than just stopping further damage to the lungs. Quitting smoking not only prevents further damage to cells in your lungs, but it can help replenish healthy cells that weren't destroyed beforehand 'Researchers believe it could also allow new, healthy cells to actively replenish the lining of our airways. This shift could help protect against cancer.' The cells of a person who has never smoked will be at a normal or near-normal health level but this falls to between four and 10 percent for those who like a puff. But the new study found that this can rise back up to between 20 and 40 per cent for someone who has kicked the habit. Those behind the study, from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Essex and University College London Hospital, say that the benefits of stopping 'begin immediately, accrue with time and are evident even after quitting late in life'. 'Stopping smoking, at any age, does not just slow the accumulation of further damage, but can reawaken cells unscathed by past lifestyle choices.' Researchers inspected samples of tissue from 16 people that included smokers, ex-smokers and people who had never smoked. They then sequenced the DNA from 632 cells and came out with the findings that 'surprised' them. They found that up to 96 per cent of cells in a smokers lungs had genetic mutations not present in non-smokers. And 25 per cent of these cells had at least one mutation linked to cancer. Those who'd given up smoking had four times more healthy cells in their airways than people who still smoked. These cells were also just as healthy as those in people who had never started. Peter Campbell, of the Sanger Institute, said: 'These patients showed just as much of the replenishment of normal cells as people who quit earlier.' Icelandic English Today the Court of Appeal ruled on the second claim of the Company towards the Icelandic Competition Authority, based on Article 102 of the Icelandic criminal procedures act, claiming that the seized documents from two dawn raids should be returned and all copies destroyed. Reykjavik District Court rejected the second claim on 18 December and today the Court of Appeal confirmed that verdict. The Court of Appeal stipulates that the Company can use the same arguments at a later stage to seek annulment of a decision of the authority, should it make a decision. The Court of Appeal also ruled today on the claim of the former CEO that the investigation of the District Prosecutor should be ceased. Reykjavik District Court rejected the claim on last 17 January and the Court of Appeal confirmed the district court verdict. The Justice Department has said that it would not oppose probation for former Trump administration national security adviser Michael Flynn a more lenient stance than prosecutors took earlier this month, when they said he deserved prison time. The latest sentencing filing still seeks a sentence of up six months, but unlike before, prosecutors explicitly state that probation would be a reasonable" punishment and that they would not oppose it. It was not clear why the Justice Department appeared to soften its position, though prosecutors did suggest Flynn deserves credit for his decades-long military service. "There is no dispute that the defendant has an unusually strong record of public service," the prosecutors wrote on Wednesday. As part of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, Flynn pleaded guilty in December 2017 to lying to the FBI about his conversations with the then-Russian ambassador to the United States during the presidential transition period. He cooperated extensively, leading prosecutors to initially support a sentence of probation. He was to have been sentenced the following year, but after he was sharply rebuked by the judge during the sentencing hearing, he abruptly asked that it be postponed so that he could continue cooperating with the government in hopes of getting additional credit for his behaviour and avoiding any prison time. Since then, though, he has fired his lawyers and replaced them with new ones who have taken a sharply adversarial approach toward the prosecution. They have raised allegations of government misconduct that a judge has rejected. Earlier this month, they asked to withdraw his guilty plea a request that is still pending. Prosecutors are expected to more fully respond to that request soon. The Justice Department says though Flynn did provide assistance to their investigation and that a judge may consider that in fashioning a sentence, any claims of acceptance of responsibility are hard to reconcile with his request to withdraw his guilty plea. They also opted not to call him in the trial last year of a business associate after they said he had changed his account. He is due to be sentenced on February 27. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 14:39:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday held phone talks with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, who expressed full confidence in China's fight against the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak. Balakrishnan said that Singapore admires China's vigorous fight against the novel coronavirus epidemic and firmly supports various efforts by China. Urging the international community to cooperatively cope with the challenge of the epidemic, he said that Singapore highly appreciates China's prompt sharing of relevant information. Singapore is willing to keep close communication with the Chinese side and actively provide support and assistance, the Singaporean foreign minister said. Compared with the battle against the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003, China's current technologies, experience and abilities in coping with such challenges have been enhanced remarkably, he said. Singapore is fully confident that China will finally win the battle against the novel coronavirus epidemic, he noted. For his part, Wang said that at present, the Chinese government and people are sparing no effort to fight the coronavirus epidemic and are pushing forward infection prevention and control in a scientific, orderly and precise manner, which has gradually yielded good results, adding that China is absolutely confident about, capable of and sure of eventually winning the battle against the epidemic. Wang appreciated the fact that people from various circles and non-governmental organizations in Singapore have recently expressed their understanding of and support for China's battle against the novel coronavirus epidemic. This has once again embodied the Chinese and Singaporean people's excellent tradition of always supporting and helping one another, Wang said, recalling the China-ASEAN leaders' special meeting on SARS sent a positive signal of facing difficulties together at that time. The Chinese side believes that this time, China and ASEAN nations will also maintain close cooperation to overcome challenges posed by the outbreak of the coronavirus, Wang said. Dhankhar also took a dig at the TrinamUl Congress government over security arrangements at the venue. Kolkata: A day after being driven out of the Calcutta University annual convocation without conferring D.Litt on Nobel Laureate Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee, West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has cautioned the Mamata Banerjee government that he would not play the role of Emperor Nero when Rome was burning. Terming it as black day for both the university and the state, Mr Dhankhar also took a dig at the TrinamUl Congress government over security arrangements at the venue. The ruling party, however, sided with the students, saying even Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had led protests against a British professor during his student days. Im in excruciating pain. I am totally shaken by the events that had taken place (at the CU convocation on Tuesday).... It is a dark period, Mr Dhankhar said at a press meet in Raj Bhavan. The people have to give it a thought when a small group of persons creates a problem and it is still not booked under the law. I can not be a Nero and play the fiddle when Rome is burning, he added. He observed, Yesterdays chain of events, which did not happen spontaneously, marred the finest moments in the recent times in the state. One hundred sixty three years tradition was broken, when the Chancellor was forced by unruly mob or a group of interested persons/students, to leave the venue without awarding the degree, for which the convocation had been convened. TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee hit back at the governor saying he has adopted a confrontational stand and was tarnishing his constitutional post by frequently comments against the state government. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has boasted many times of his close relations with world leaders, foremost among them US President Donald Trump, and less obviously, Russian President Vladimir Putin. Thanks to the relationship with Putin he managed to achieve the release of the Israeli-American Naama Issachar, who has been imprisoned in Russia the past few months. The price of the deal, it seems, is not very high, certainly compared to past deals to release soldiers or kidnapped citizens, where thousands of murderous terrorists were freed. Netanyahu has shown that his relationship with Putin has a practical payoff, even if the Russian president continues to support regimes that are enemies of Israel, like Iran, and opposes opening the nuclear deal and sanctions on the ayatollahs. Issachar was arrested in April 2019 during a stopover at the Moscow airport on her way from the Far East to Israel. A relatively small amount of 9.5 grams of hashish were found in her bag. In October, a Russian court convicted her of possessing drugs and of trying to smuggle them into the country, and gave her a surprising heavy sentence of 7 years in prison. The Israeli Foreign Ministry called it a disproportionately heavy punishment to be handed out to an Israeli young woman with no criminal record, and the feeling in Israel was that Issachar was punished harshly as a means for the Russian government to exert pressure on Israel to receive some kind of exchange. With the announcement of the sentence Netanyahu declared in a statement that he will work personally on Issachars case and talked about it with Putin, noting that the punishment being demanded by the Russian prosecutor is disproportionate and does not fit the nature of the offense being attributed to Issachar. He also spoke with her family and promised to work to free her. After the Moscow court rejected Issachars appeal, Netanyahu told her family, We will continue doing everything we can to bring Naama home." Last week, my colleague Ben Caspit reported that Issachars uncle, Asher Issachar, is a driver for the prime ministers office, but he believes that Netanyahu was working to free her not because of this connection but rather for political reasons. Leading up to Putins arrival in Israel Jan. 23 for the ceremony marking 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz, various reports were published according to which progress was being made in the negotiations to free Issachar. Putin did not bring Issachar with him on his plane, but met with her mother here and told her, Everything will be alright. Later, Issachar submitted an official petition for pardon, which was accepted. Netanyahu met this morning, on Jan. 30, with Putin, and he is expected to bring back to Israel with him Issachar. The big question is: What is Russia getting for the pardon of Naama Issachar? Relations between Israel and Russia have been considered good in recent years, although there are friction points, like Russia supplying weapons to Iran and Russian control in Syria, which to some extent limits Israels military activity. In September 2018, a conflict broke out between the two nations following a missile fired by the Syrians that downed a Russian military plane, a short time after Israeli air force planes attacked in Syria. Russia blamed Israel, which has since worked to mollify Putin. About two months ago, in November, as part of the efforts to appease Russia and following the extradition of a Russian hacker from Israel to the United States, Israel established an intergovernmental Israel-Russia committee headed by Minister Zeev Elkin in order to diffuse the tension between the countries and discuss Russias various demands, most of them in the civil sphere. So, for instance, the Russians demanded that Israel stop the extra scrutiny of Russian tourists entering Israel and the deportation of some on suspicion of being labor migrants. Al-Monitor has learned that the Elkin Committee asked the Immigration Authority to refrain from sweeping deportations and to justify every deportation with real evidence. Another Russian demand has to do with property owned by Russian churches in Jerusalem, such as the Alexander Nevsky Church next to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Yitzhak Brudny of Hebrew University, an expert in the history of the Soviet Union, explained in a conversation with Al-Monitor that the roots of the conflict date back to the 19th century, when Russia, by means of the Russian Orthodox Church, acquired land in Jerusalem. But the laws of property registration of the Ottoman Empire that then ruled the Land of Israel, the Communist Revolution and a schism in the Russian Church have complicated the issue of its property registration. Now Israel is working in legal avenues to help the Russians in this matter. The Israeli gestures could have interesting ramifications beyond the release of Issachar. The Russian appeal to Israel in this matter in itself is a diplomatic achievement, since it reflects a de facto recognition of Israeli control over East Jerusalem. Thus, Putin has broken with a longstanding Russian policy to refrain from such recognition. No less important is the issue of the governments involvement in conflicts related to holy sites in Jerusalem. Israel tries not to intervene in the many conflicts between the various churches and denominations in the city, and the guiding principle has been to maintain the status quo. The intervention in a conflict between two Russian ecclesiastical bodies regarding sacred real estate could open a door to additional demands from other countries and churches that Israel intervene in their favor in conflicts with other denominations. On another matter, Israel agreed to look into the possibility of changing the route of the light rail being built in south Jerusalem, very close to the land of the Russian Church in Ein Karem neighborhood. It seems that there will not be a real change to the route, but modifications will be made to reduce the noise and air pollution feared by the church officials who occupy the church, considered one of the most beautiful in Jerusalem. Another issue raised by the Russians is the reacquisition of buildings and land in the area of the Russian Compound in central Jerusalem, land that Israel bought from the Soviet Union in 1964. Here the Israeli reply was negative but polite, since it would require the authorization of the Knesset to sell land to a foreign country. A request that was apparently met was the leveling of the status of the new Russian hotel built in the Sergei's Courtyard in central Jerusalem to the status of the Vatican guest houses in Jerusalem. The significance is mostly financial, that is, a significant discount in property taxes to be paid by the hotel, which is owned by the Russian government. An Israeli diplomatic source told Al-Monitor that the release of Issachar was obtained at not too high a civil price. According to him, the importance of the move was in the realization of effective contacts with the Putin government and the strengthening of a relationship that is very important to Israeli security activity in the region. EDWARDSVILLE Six months after its first official meeting, the momentum and the cash donations continue to grow for 100+ Women Who Care from the 618. The womens collective giving group held its third quarterly impact meeting Tuesday at the Leclaire Room, located on the N.O. Nelson Campus of Lewis and Clark Community College in Edwardsville, choosing its next recipient for a cash award of more than $35,000. We ended up as standing room only and we had chairs for 180, said Denise Arendell, founder and co-director. We added an element of networking to this meeting and the tables were lined with non-profit flyers and brochures. We had a dozen new members join at the meeting and our committed membership is quickly approaching 400 members. Bella Milano provided all of the food, cash bar and staff to make us comfortable. Dr. Kristen Jacobs from Ooh La La Medical Spa (in Glen Carbon) was our meeting ambassador and provided for the venue, Arendell added. The concept behind 100+ Women is simple. The women become members by committing $100 and one hour of their time four times a year. The members meet quarterly for one hour to learn about local non-profit agencies doing the hard work in the community. The members vote and the organization the majority selects receives the quarterly collective impact award. Members individually write checks for $100 directly to the organization to ensure that 100 percent of the donations are given directly to the non-profit. The process is repeated at the next quarterly impact meeting. Members could choose from an ever-growing list of pre-vetted local non-profits as potential nominees. Any member willing to speak on behalf of eligible non-profits can put their name in the spinner. Three are chosen at random. The three finalists on Tuesday were Hope Animal Rescues in Godfrey, an all-breed and all-age dog rescue facility; Trinity Services in Mascoutah, a support facility for people with disabilities and mental health needs; and Heartlinks Grief Center, in Belleville, a professional counseling and support center for people dealing with the loss of a loved one. More Information MORE For more information or to donate to the non-profits, visit: Heartlinks Grief Center, myheartlinks.com; Trinity Services, trinityservices.org; Hope Animal Rescues, hoperescues.org See More Collapse The three women representing each non-profit got the chance to address the crowd for five minutes about their organization. The women in attendance voted and through the collective wisdom of the room declared Heartlinks Grief Center as this quarters Impact Award recipient. We asked Erin Bickle from Refuge, our last recipient, to draw the three names out of the spinner and she also spoke about what her organization plans to do with the money, said Sarah Rankin, co-director. We also asked her to announce the next recipient, so it was like passing the baton. Arendell isnt sure what the final amount of the award for Heartlinks will be, but she expects it to surpass the $35,500 that Refuge received in October. The award winner for the first quarterly impact meeting last July was Main Street Community Center, which received $32,125. Between each quarterly meeting, Arendell and Rankin are doing their best to spread the word about 100+ Women Who Care from the 618 in the community. Sarah and I were asked to come speak at the Granite City Rotary Tuesday morning and it was well-received with so many business leaders, Arendell said. We have meetings with Scott Credit Union this week on how they have budgeted to support 100+ Women. Carrollton Bank will be the ambassador for the next quarterly impact meeting, which is scheduled for Thursday, April 30 at the Leclaire Room. For more information about the group, visit the Facebook page for 100+ Women Who Care from the 618, www.wwcfromthe618.com, or email wwcfrom618@gmail.com. Reach reporter Scott Marion at smarion@edwpub.net Blue marks remain on several trees sitting among a tangle of forest litter and towering redwoods in Cascade Creek canyon in the Santa Cruz Mountains an indication that they were once the target of loggers. The paint, along with numerous, weathered springboard notches cut by lumberjacks into what are now stumps, are reminders of how vulnerable the redwood forests in the Bay Area and California have been over the past 150 years. But they are also symbols of how much things have changed. We got here just in time, said Sam Hodder, president and CEO of Save the Redwoods League, gesturing toward the paint marks at least two decades old as he stood in the middle of 564-acre Cascade Creek, nestled between Big Basin Redwoods and Ano Nuevo state parks. The San Francisco conservation group reached an agreement Thursday to buy the picturesque canyon, a sprawling lush forest oasis with 100 acres of ancient redwood trees that have never felt the blade of a saw, the kind conservationists reverently refer to as old-growth. Now Playing: Save the Redwoods League officials tour Cascade Creek, a grove of Santa Cruz redwoods saved from the ax. Video: San Francisco Chronicle The league has so far raised $8.6 million of the $9.6 million needed to complete the transaction, which is expected to close May 30. The deal, once finalized, will create a continuous corridor of protected redwood habitat stretching from the Santa Cruz Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. This land is one of the key missing links in an extraordinary landscape, Hodder said of the grove, which the league has wanted to buy for two decades. This is a really important part of our effort to restore and build the old growth of the future. Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle 2019 The plan is to make Cascade Creek an integral part of a larger effort to preserve second-growth trees, which are the conifers that grew up after the originals were cut down. These fast-growing descendant trees often found growing in a circle, called a fairy ring, around the original stumps make up 95% of the redwood acreage across the state. Ecologists believe the reconstruction of Californias once mighty forest ecosystem is dependent on the regrowth of the previously logged giants which, at their full height and density, provide unique, valuable habitat for many rare birds, insects, reptiles, mice and other mammals. Cascade Creek, which also contains woodlands filled with knobcone pine and madrone, was already a study plot for the league, which plans to do further research on forest growth, wildlife and the carbon-capturing properties of redwoods. The ultimate goal throughout California is to build ecological bridges connecting old-growth and second-growth stands. This is a terrific example of a healthy, recovering second-growth forest, Hodder said during a recent hike through the property. Theyre popping right up out of the ancient roots that are below ground. These are the clones of the trees that have been growing here for thousands of years. The canyon, carved out by its namesake creek, sweeps down in a green swath from the coastal mountains on the border of Santa Cruz to the beach, where colonies of giant elephant seals bask. A 50-foot waterfall cascades amid the trees onto rocks just south of the leagues new property. Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle 2019 There is no shortage of ancient trees 100 acres of old growth is hard to find in the heavily logged Bay Area forests, including neighboring Big Basin. Researchers at Humboldt State University studied four of the largest redwoods last year, taking core samples that showed an age range of 420 to 528 years old and heights reaching 235 feet. They were surprised to find that one 100-year-old second-growth tree was actually taller than a tree more than 500 years older. The one that we thought was the youngest tree ended up being the oldest and vice versa, probably because the younger tree had a lot of light after the old growth was removed, said Jim Campbell-Spickler, a Humboldt State forest canopy ecologist who often works with the Redwoods League. This was important information because we were interested in the regeneration of trees from cut-over areas. The preservation of coast redwood forests is important because they are facing many challenges, including warming temperatures, increased fire danger, destruction of redwood and wildlife habitat, and the encroachment of roads, development, agriculture and illegal marijuana plantations. Old-growth trees, which can live up to 3,000 years, once covered huge swaths of land along the California coast all the way to the Oregon border. Starting in the 1850s, loggers began cutting them down, including a huge stand in Oakland that researchers say might have contained the largest coast redwoods in the world. Those springboard notches held a platform that allowed loggers to get above snow and other obstructions while felling a tree. Blanchard; John Researchers say 95% of Californias old-growth redwoods were wiped out in the 150 years after the California Gold Rush, leaving only 113,000 acres of the oldest and largest coast redwoods. It was a staggering loss. 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. Still, researchers say, while coast redwoods remain the dominant tree over much of their original range, only 22% of that ecosystem has been fully protected. There are currently 1.4 million acres of logged-over redwood groves between San Luis Obispo and Oregon. Cascade Creek was not spared the ax. All but the hard-to-reach portion, where most of the old-growth trees are, was logged at least once when timber companies came through around 1900, again in the 1940s and finally in the late 1980s. Larry Holmes, whose family has owned Cascade Creek since 1978, said his father did some logging on the property in 1987, but no old growth has been cut since the 1940s. Still, there are at least eight lots on the property that could be developed with houses. Weve felt for many years that this is a piece of property that should be preserved as a park, Holmes said. Negotiations began in earnest in 2012, when the league paid the Holmes family $8 million for Peters Creek, the third-largest old-growth redwood grove in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The good feelings generated by that transaction prompted Holmes to give the Redwoods League a $1 million discount on Cascade Creek, which was appraised for $10 million. Hodder said the league hopes to raise an additional $600,000 for restoration and maintenance through its Forever Forest campaign, a $120 million effort to protect redwood and giant sequoia groves around the state. He said the plan is to do some restoration work and eventually turn the land over to the California State Parks system. Were happy that it is becoming part of the park, very happy, Holmes said. The whole family is. Hodder paused next to a giant log spanning the creek where most of the old-growth trees stand untouched and looked out in wonder. How unique is it that there is this little hidden valley in the heart of the Bay Area that harbors these ancient trees? he said. Its true primeval forest less than 25 miles as the crow flies from the 7 million to 8 million people that live in the Bay Area metropolitan area. Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @pfimrite Russian oil pipeline operator and owner, Transneft, which supplies Urals crude to European customers via the Druzhba pipeline, faces compensation claims of up to US$1 billion for the contaminated oil it sent to Europe last year, sources from oil firms, traders, and the industry told Reuters on Thursday. At the end of April 2019, Russia halted supplies via the Druzhba oil pipeline to several European countriesincluding Germany, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republicdue to a contamination issue, which the Russians said was deliberate. Russia said at the time that the oil was contaminated with organic chlorine, a substance used in oil production to boost output but dangerous in high amounts for refining equipment. The amounts of the chemical were found to be at levels much higher than the maximum allowable amount. A month after the crisis started, supplies were not restored and analysts and traders were saying the progress in restarting oil flows was very slow while costs could be very high, despite Russias assurances that clean oil would resume flowing through the Druzhba pipeline westward to Europe in the second half of May. Supplies were restored only in early July, while Russia continues its investigation into how exactly the oil was contaminated. Meanwhile, Transneft now faces claims of a total of up to US$1 billion, more than double the US$364 million (23 billion Russian rubles) the company has allocated for paying compensations, according to multiple Reuters sources. As per the sources, the average claims stand at US$30-US$40 a barrel, while Transneft has said it would pay up to US$15 per barrel. Related: The Real Reason Russia Wants A Ceasefire In Libya A spokesman for Eni confirmed to Reuters that the Italian oil major had filed its claim for compensation over the tainted oil issue, but did not provide financial details due to commercial reasons. Polands refiner PKN ORLEN said in December 2019 that it would seek compensation for the interrupted Russian supply and for the contamination issue. We are determined to recover all the costs we had to pay, Daniel Obajtek, CEO and President of the PKN ORLEN Management Board, said in a statement. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Philadelphia City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson enters Council chambers for his first Council meeting following his indictment on Jan. 30, 2020. Johnson is charged with using his office to enrich himself and his wife. Read more Two Philadelphia city councilmembers under federal indictment in separate corruption cases are both poised to gain influence over the very areas of city government they are accused of abusing, under committee assignments by Council President Darrell L. Clarke. Prosecutors on Wednesday accused Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson of securing a zoning change for a company that hired his wife as a consultant. As the new chairman of the Rules Committee, Johnson will oversee the panel that handles all zoning legislation. And in a wide-ranging indictment last year of officials in the city electricians union, Councilmember Bobby Henon was accused, in part, of weaponizing the Department of Licenses and Inspections against Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia for the benefit of the union. Clarke last week named him the new chairman of the Committee on Licenses and Inspections. Clarke on Thursday defended his committee assignments for Johnson and Henon. The lineup in terms of committees were assigned based on an individuals, one, willingness to serve, and, two, their ability to serve, he said. There is a presumption of innocence in this great country that we live in, and you have an opportunity to defend yourself. I dont think its appropriate for me to indict or cast a guilty verdict on an individual who serves in this body. Both Johnson and Henon have denied the accusations against them. Patrick Christmas, policy director for the good-government group Committee of Seventy, said the criminal allegations will be resolved in the courtroom, but said letting them keep this sort of power in the legislative process can taint all the work by their committees. Folks go back and forth as to whether or not, when one of these indictments come down, the individual in question should resign from public office. Thats a separate matter because the voters are involved. In this case, Council decides whether these folks have the power to sit on these committees. On Thursday, none of Johnsons 16 Council colleagues called on him to resign or step back from his lawmaking duties. Following Henons indictment, only Councilmember Maria Quinones-Sanchez called for him to step down. I dont think it puts us in the best light, but at the same time, these members deserve to have their cases play out in court and have their day in court, newly elected Councilmember Jamie Gauthier said, echoing many of her colleagues. Council rules prohibit Clarke from unilaterally removing a chair or vice chair once he has made committee assignments for the four-year term, as Clarke did last week. But Council can strip a colleague of a committee gavel with a simple majority vote. No member of Council, once appointed, may be removed from the Chair or vice-Chair of any standing Committee of Council, except upon a vote of a majority of all the members of Council, the rules state. Without such a vote, there is no way to prevent Johnson or Henon from leading those committees. A 1982 Law Department opinion after the Abscam scandal held that members who wish to continue their Council duties, including serving on committees, cannot be prevented from doing so until they are convicted and sentenced. As a Councilmember he has the right to attend the regular meetings of Council and to be permitted to participate in the normal and regular activities of a Councilmember, including the caucus and committee work, both of which are integral parts of the legislative processes of the Council, the opinion says. Asked on Thursday whether it was inappropriate for him to lead the committee that handles zoning bills in light of the indictment, Johnson responded: Not at all. I have done nothing wrong, and everything thats in the indictment is alleged. Its not fact, said Johnson, who also chairs the Committee on Transportation and Public Utilities. Im innocent, and I always work in decency and transparency. So I will continue working in that same manner as the rules chairman. Henon, who also chairs the Committee on Public Property and Public Works, said the indictments would not affect his ability to lead committees. This Council has full confidence in all its committees, its makeups, and working with the administration, Henon said. Its irrelevant when it comes to the policies that Council and the city work on together and vote on independently. So people are going to be able to do their work, do their job, and move the city forward. Staff writer Laura McCrystal contributed to this article. B rits at the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak in China will fly home tonight, the foreign secretary has confirmed. They will fly at around 9pm tonight GMT, which is 5am on Friday morning local time in Wuhan, where the virus is believed to have originated and the majority of cases have been found. There had been speculation they would return earlier on Thursday, though permission was not granted to do so. Some 56 million people across China are on lock down to stop the virus' spread. Coronavirus: The confirmed cases around the world However, the Chinese government has agreed to allow Brits to be evacuated, following similar departures of US and Japanese nationals. Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab said: "We are pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities that the evacuation flight from Wuhan airport to the UK can depart at 0500 local time on Friday 31 January. The safety and security of British nationals is our top priority. Our Embassy in Beijing and consular teams remain in close contact with British nationals in the region to ensure they have the latest information they need. 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 This morning health chiefs sounded the alarm over the virus spreading very fast. With the official death toll from the virus hitting 170, and the number of those infected 7,711, the World Health Organisations emergency committee was reconvening today to decide whether the virus should be declared a global emergency. As the crisis grew: British Airways cancelled all its flights to mainland China for a month, though flights to Hong Kong were unaffected. A Scottish government source said: It is highly likely we will have a positive case of coronavirus in Scotland in the coming days. So far 130 tests carried out in the UK have been negative. Some 6,000 people are being kept on board Italian cruise ship Costa Smeralda moored at Civitavecchia, north of Rome, as coronavirus tests are carried out on a middle-aged Chinese couple, a spokesman for the Costa Crociere cruise company said. Russia temporarily stopped issuing electronic visas to Chinese nationals in response to the outbreak, with the Czech Republic also reported to have halted the issuance of visas to Chinese citizens. India and the Philippines reported their first cases. Demand for face masks in the UK was rising, with packs of surgical face masks sold out on Bootss website. The US government was laying on extra evacuation flights from Wuhan within days. The FTSE 100 and other European and Asian stock markets fell as it was confirmed that the virus has now reached every region of China, where the vast bulk of cases have been reported. Peter Openshaw, professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London, told Sky News: This is a very worrying situation now it looks like this virus has spread very fast. It looks like it has spread pretty widely. It may be very hard to contain. We have to do everything we can to slow this one down. Medical staff in protective suits treat a patient with pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus at the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University / REUTERS With evidence suggesting it is taking off much more sharply than the 2002/03 Sars outbreak, Professor Openshaw stressed the big concern was how it would spread in less developed parts of the world, including highly-populated areas, where there is little medical care. Dr Michael Ryan, executive director at the WHO health emergencies programme, said the decision to reconvene was due to the increasing number of cases and evidence of person-to-person transmission of the virus. The whole world needs to be on alert now, the whole world needs to take action and be ready for any cases that come, either from the original epicentre or from other epicentres that become established. Members of the Thai Airways crew prepare themselves before disinfecting the cabin of an aircraft at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport / REUTERS Scientists believe the infection is likely to arrive in the UK and an analysis of international air travel suggested London is the European city most at risk of an outbreak. Coronavirus infections have been reported in at least 16 other countries, including France and Germany, with 105 confirmed cases, but no deaths have occurred outside China. The number of cases has surpassed the 5,327 diagnoses of Sars in China in 2002/03, but the death toll so far is lower than the 348 people who died Listen to today's episode of The Leader: Two women visiting the Alamo Drafthouse in La Vista on Tuesday were mistakenly served drinks containing cleaning solution, according to La Vista police. The women, ages 45 and 51, were taken to a hospital after they began to feel a burning sensation in their throats and stomachs and had trouble breathing, said La Vista Police Chief Bob Lausten. Both women eventually were released. A server also experienced symptoms after tasting the drinks. Lausten said a bottle that had contained Pama Pomegranate Liqueur was being used to store cleaning solution for lines that connect beer kegs to taps. The bottle, which was near the bar, had tape around its neck, Lausten said. I think its an unfortunate mix-up, but it could have had really bad consequences, he said. In a statement, Alamo Drafthouse franchise partner Tyler Calabrese called it an awful situation. He said the customers who were sickened have been contacted, and the employee responsible for the mix-up has been fired. When pulling over a car or approaching a pedestrian, Portland police officers should introduce themselves with their full names, explain the reason for the stop, clearly state if they are detaining someone or not and ask if they could do anything to put people at ease. Thats the unanimous recommendation approved 8-0 Tuesday night by a community group appointed by the mayor to oversee Portland police. This recommendation would radically change the interactions at stops or searches by laying out everything about the stop, said Lakayana Drury, co-chair of the Committee on Community-Engaged Policing. The Portland Police Bureau under Chief Outlaw has championed procedural justice. This recommendation would put that into practice. Police Chief Jami Resch, who took over for Outlaw on Dec. 31, said shell take a look at the idea, but the head of the rank-and-file officer union expressed reservations about officers required to follow a script. Both Resch and Officer Daryl Turner said police already do most of these things. The committees proposal also urges the Police Bureau to note in police reports why officers make the stops. Portland officers stopped African American motorists and pedestrians at more than twice the rate of white people stopped during 12 months ending in June, according to data examined by the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission. African American motorists also were more likely to be searched, yet less likely than whites to be found with contraband. City auditors reported in May that the bureau still doesnt document investigative reasons for motorist and pedestrian stops by the former Gang Enforcement Team, now the Gun Violence Reduction Team. The auditors also said police have no comprehensive data on what they call "mere conversations'' defined as contacts with people who are free to leave at any time. The audit also found the Gang Enforcement Team lacked records to explain why its officers pulled over so many African American motorists during traffic stops or if their tactics were effective in reducing violence. If people are being treated fairly and justly, theyre more likely to follow the law, said Marcia Perez, a member of the oversight committee who worked as a Multnomah County juvenile court counselor and now serves as a youth and gang violence prevention coordinator. This will help increase trust with the community. She said she hopes police officials will work with committee members to iron out specific language for a new policy. Were not policy experts but can make recommendations to develop one collaboratively, she said. The bureau now requires officers to display their badge and name tag on their uniform, identify themselves by name and offer their police business card when responding to an emergency call, making a stop or conducting an investigation. They arent required to identify themselves when it would compromise their safety, interfere with police duties or if a supervisor says they dont have to because of a safety concern, special assignment or other reason. Resch said she believes officers now do a lot of what the committee is recommending but shell review the proposal details with the bureaus policy team. Under Outlaw, the bureau began to include procedural justice concepts in all training. The four main principles are: giving someone a voice, being neutral in decision-making, promoting transparency or respect in officers actions and trustworthiness. Turner, president of the Portland Police Association, said officers practice the protocols the community group has recommended. Officers, though, shouldnt be required to provide specific instructions in a specific order because of the different dynamics involved in each stop, he said. There is no one-size-fits-all and only the officer involved in the interaction can access what information shall be given and in which order its given in, he said. Drury shared an experience he had last Sunday night when he received a call from a young man of color, a student of his from his work in the community, who was stopped and pulled over outside Portland. The student called him and asked him to remain on FaceTime with him. He feared for his safety, wanted me to stay on the line, Drury said. The officer was agitated. He (the student) began recording the incident, when for him it was a matter of personal safety. Drury had taught at Rosemary Anderson High School before becoming executive director of the nonprofit Word is Bond, which works to build positive relationships between young black men and law enforcement. Drury also criticized the question that police sometimes ask motorists, Do you know why I stopped you? Its a backwards question, asking me to incriminate myself, Drury said. He wants officers to ask motorists if theres any reasonable accommodation the officer can make to make the motorist feel more safe. That can range, he said, from stepping back slightly, writing down their instructions and showing them to the person or giving a motorist a chance to call a mentor. Acting Capt. Chuck Lovell, a supervisor of the Police Bureaus community services division, said everything officers do when they stop a car is intended to keep the officer safe, as well as the motorist and passengers in the car. Officers are instructed to over convey information, asking such questions as the location of someones drivers license so the officer knows where it is before a motorist reaches for it. The committee also adopted an idea offered by Dan Handelman of the police watchdog group Portland Copwatch: The officer should ask motorists to keep their hands visible for their safety and then ask if there are any other reasonable accommodations they can make to ensure the driver feels more comfortable. Amy Anderson, a committee member who works as a peer wellness specialist for a Cascadia Behavioral health team, expressed initial reluctance to support the policy recommendation, concerned it could put officers at a greater risk. Every single stop is a potential risk to life and limb, she said. But she ended up supporting the idea after other committee members pointed out that officers would be excused from the requirement in certain circumstances if it would impair their duties or when a crime is in progress, weapons are visible or where force may be necessary. In other action, the community group didnt endorse the use of body cameras for officers but adopted recommendations governing their use if police ever decide to provide them to officers. Resch has voiced support to outfit officers in a pilot program before providing the cameras to the full bureau. The community group said: Officers should be randomly selected for the pilot project; an independent third-party should store the footage and make the footage available to the public; officers should write their police reports before viewing footage so they dont tailor their accounts based on the video; and officers who turn off their cameras when theyre supposed to be operating should face strict discipline, including termination. -- 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 Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and senior ministers have bombarded local authorities with queries on hundreds of people caught up in Ireland's housing crisis. Fine Gael has sustained heavy criticism from election rivals on its efforts to get to grips with the country's serious housing shortage. The Fine Gael-led Government's handling of the issue has been a key line of attack by Fianna Fail, Sinn Fein and others. Mr Varadkar and his party have insisted that progress has been made in ramping up supply, including social housing. Correspondence obtained by the Irish Independent now shows how ministers have been faced with the human misery of the emergency in their own constituencies. Cases raised include: Several people who feared they will become homeless; Families living in overcrowded conditions; Social housing applicants facing long-waits for homes; Concern about crime and anti-social behaviour in communities; Maintenance problems in council houses. In most of the cases, the only information that was provided by local authorities was the individuals' place on the social housing waiting lists, with councils unable to say when they will be housed. In some instances, the individuals who contacted ministers were not eligible for the housing they were seeking or applications they made were incomplete. The most recent figures available show there are almost 69,000 households on the social housing list. Around 50,400 more are getting Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) to help with rent in the private market. Documents released by local authorities show how Mr Varadkar and seven senior members of Government, including Michael Creed, contacted local authorities' housing departments at least 600 times in 2019. Mr Varadkar's office contacted Fingal County Council (FCC) on 40 occasions. One of the cases was a single mother of three who feared she would be left homeless after her landlord wanted to sell the property and issued her with notice to leave. She apologised for seeking his help due to how busy he was with Brexit, but said she wanted to try everything to avoid homelessness for the sake of her children. Mr Varadkar asked FCC if her case could be examined. FCC outlined the woman's place on the housing list and said that "regrettably" it couldn't say when she might be offered a house. Mr Varadkar's staff also raised the case of a pregnant mother of two who was given notice to leave her rental home. FCC said the woman should try to source another rented property under the HAP scheme. Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe's office was in touch with Dublin City Council (DCC) 126 times in the first 11 months of the year. This included the case of a couple who were "deeply concerned" to get a termination of tenancy from their landlord. They told Mr Donohoe they were more than 10 years on the housing list and couldn't find affordable alternative accommodation. Health Minister Simon Harris's office got on to Wicklow County Council (WCC) 82 times. In one case, Mr Harris was contacted by an individual who described themselves as "completely distraught" as their landlord was selling their home. Children's Minister Katherine Zappone contacted South Dublin County Council on 80 occasions on issues ranging from housing applications and homelessness to anti-social behaviour. Disabilities Minister Finian McGrath was in touch with DCC 68 times, including a case of "serious overcrowding". Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy made no representations to DCC. A spokesperson said that as the minister responsible for housing he is "precluded legally from making representations on individual cases". [January 30, 2020] Wells Fargo Expands Financing for Diverse Small Businesses The Wells Fargo (News - Alert) Foundation announces that it is providing $17.4 million to Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) across the U.S. to accelerate the growth of diverse small businesses and job creation in local communities. As part of the foundation's Diverse Community Capital program, Wells Fargo's grants will fund new efforts to speed access to capital, launch mentoring programs, expand geographic reach, and help sustain more than 50,000 local jobs. Overall, the funding is expected to create an opportunity for more than 30,000 new loans to diverse entrepreneurs. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005571/en/ Adrian Espinoza Garcia, owner of Empanada Club in Maine, has a growing business as part of the Wells Fargo Diverse Community Capital program. (Photo: Business Wire) "Empowering small businesses is a direct and impactful way to stimulate job growth," said Brandee McHale, president of the Wells Fargo Foundation. "Wells Fargo's Diverse Community Capital program lifts up underserved small business owners with financing and important technical assistance. By working with CDFIs, we can reach into neighborhoods to find those entrepreneurs who want to build a legacy for their families and the wider community." Wells Fargo will collaborate with these CDFIs, local banks with a social mission, during this investment round: Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs, Atlanta, will launch a new collaboration with Morehouse College's Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center for diverse entrepreneurs and expand an existing in-house development program for women entrepreneurs. Both programs will focus on activating growth and building business acumen forexisting small businesses poised to scale. The theory of change for each will be evaluated for possible replication. In addition, a new loan guarantee program will give high-risk business owners access to capital and technical assistance. Overall funding will enable ACE to provide more than $28 million in loans for at least 250 diverse small business owners over the next three years, enabling 500 local jobs. Community First Fund, will expand its lending work in north Philadelphia, increasing the capital available to primarily African American and Latino small businesses by more than $13 million. Community First Fund plans to intensify efforts in the small business community and anticipates financing 89 businesses that will employ more than 350. Grameen America will expand its microlending program in Los Angeles and open locations in Fresno, Calif.; San Antonio; and Dallas to enable diverse low-income women entrepreneurs to start or grow businesses with the goal of investing in over 6,000 new businesses and supporting 6,700 jobs over three years. To help support successful small businesses, Grameen America offers all of its members the ability to receive financial education, build their credit scores, and boost their family's incomes. Houston Business Development, Houston, will deploy more than $3.25 million in loans over three years by introducing Credit Builder, Fast Track and Express Loans in the Houston area to help expedite access to finance for entrepreneurs. Along with increased capital, Houston Business Development will mentor more than 4,500 small business owners and run local workshops that build business acumen. LISC will increase the total volume of lending to diverse small businesses in South Los Angeles and the Far East Industrial Corridor of Indianapolis by providing enhanced credit for entrepreneurs in need and growing the size of its available loan capital for underrepresented small business owners over the next three years. In each place this work is part of a broader effort to support and coordinate investments in people, places and businesses. Opportunity Fund, based in California, will launch an Inclusive Lending Platform, with a goal of originating more than 16,000 loans and investing more than $600 million in minority-owned small businesses through 2022. The new platform will enable digital referrals and loan packaging, increasing efficiency and accelerating access to affordable financing and improving the customer experience. This catalytic capital and online platform will help support nearly 45,000 local jobs in diverse, undercapitalized communities across the U.S. Raza Development Fund, Phoenix, will enhance its services and technical assistance for diverse entrepreneurs in South Phoenix with a focus on larger-scale loans for growth-stage companies. With new financing, small business owners anticipate sustaining approximately 275 local jobs. Started in 2015, the Wells Fargo Diverse Community Capital program is a five-year, $175 million commitment to empower diverse small businesses in collaboration with Opportunity Finance Network. To date, the program has delivered more than 322,000 hours of technical assistance and $781 million in financing to minority-owned small businesses, enabling over 103,000 jobs across the U.S. About Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.9 trillion in assets. Wells Fargo's 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 Fortune's 2019 rankings of America's largest corporations. News, insights and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005571/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Beijing: The number of deaths from the mysterious coronavirus hit a new high in China, rising to 170, as the international medical community scrambles for more information. World health officials, back from a visit to Beijing, expressed great concern that the virus is spreading between people outside of China, even as the number of illnesses continue to grow dramatically inside the country. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the WHO, Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Program and Maria van Kerkhove, head of the Outbreak Investigation Task Force. Credit:AP The new virus has now infected more people in China than were sickened during the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak. On Wednesday, the number of confirmed cases jumped to 7000, surpassing the 5327 people diagnosed with SARS. Foreign governments have begun flying their citizens out of China's Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak, as authorities say the death toll there has topped 160. : Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said the latter believed in the same ideology as Nathuram Godse. Addressing thousands of party workers after leading the "Save the Constitution" march at Kalpetta, organised to protest against the Citizenship law coinciding with the 72nd death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the Congress MP also said Modi was making Indians to prove that they are citizens of the country. Referring to Mahatma Gandhi assassin Godse, he said Modi shared the same ideology with him (Godse). "Today, an ignorant man is trying to challenge Gandhi's ideology. He is so full of hatred and anger that he cannot even understand what India's strength is," he said. "The ideology is same. Nathuram Godse and Narendra Modi, they believe in the same ideology. There is no difference except that Modi does not have the guts to say he believes in the ideology of Godse," the Wayanad MP added. Attacking the Prime Minister on the new Citizenship law, Gandhi questioned Modi and asked who was he to ask Indians to prove that they were Indians. "Indians are being made to prove that they are Indians. Who is Narendra Modi to decide if I am Indian? Who gave him the licence to decide who is Indian and who is not Indian? I know I am an Indian and I don't have to prove it to anybody", the former Congress president said adding the 1.3 billion Indians do not have to prove to these people that they are Indians. He said the country needs to fight the hatred that is being spread and there is need to confront the BJP peacefully. "Our duty is to fight their hatred. Our duty is to confront them (BJP) peacefully...we do not believe in violence...we believe in love and affection. We will defeat them with love and affection," he said. India, which is the land of different languages and religions, used to show the world how great a country it was, he said. Touching on growing unemployment in the country and the economic slowdown, Gandhi said the youngsters do not have a future under Modi and no matter how much the Prime Minister talks about Pakistan, it was not going to get youths more jobs. National Register of Citizens (NRC) and CAA (Citienship Amendment Act) and the present situation in Kashmir were also not going to get people jobs, he added. "We all understand that youngsters have no future under Modi...You can study as much as you can but there are no jobs. Today, if you go to the US, Western Europe, or any other country and ask what they feel about India, they say India has lost its way". Alleging the Prime Minister was "protecting" his "friends", Gandhi said he has given away the ports and airports to the Adani group. The government was taking steps to privatise the Railways, various public sector undertakings, including BPCL, were being disinvested, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [January 30, 2020] INVESTOR ALERT: Law Offices of Howard G. Smith Announces Investigation on Behalf of Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. Investors (SPR) Law Offices of Howard G. Smith announces an investigation on behalf of Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. ("Spirit" or the "Company") (NYSE:SPR) investors concerning the Company and its officers' possible violations of federal securities laws. On January 30, 2020, Spirit issued a press release announcing executive officer changes. Therein, Spirit stated that it "did not comply with its established accounting processes related to certain potential contingent liabilities that were received by Spirit after the end of third quarter 2019." Moreover, the Company stated that, "[i]n ight of these findings," Spirit's Chief Financial Officer, Jose Garcia, and Principal Accounting Officer, John Gilson, resigned from their positions. On this news, the Company's share price fell $2.56, or nearly 4%, to close at $65.08 per share on January 30, 2020, on usually heavy trading volume. If you purchased Spirit securities, have information or would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Howard G. Smith, Esquire, of Law Offices of Howard G. Smith, 3070 Bristol Pike, Suite 112, Bensalem, Pennsylvania 19020 by telephone at (215) 638-4847, toll-free at (888) 638-4847, or by email to [email protected], or visit our website at www.howardsmithlaw.com. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005882/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 30, 2020 12:59 713 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2061b644b 1 World Wuhan-coronavirus,Wuhan-lockdown,coronavirus,China,Indonesia,evacuation Free The head of the Indonesian Student Association in China (PPIT) at the Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), Khoirul Umam Hasbiy, has said that Indonesians in Hubei province, China, have been asked by the Indonesian government to be prepared for evacuation out of the area where the novel coronavirus outbreak emerged. "We hope that the evacuation and cooperation by the Indonesian Embassy in China, the Foreign Ministry, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency and the Indonesian Air Force goes well," Khoirul said in a statement on Thursday. Khoirul said he did not know yet when exactly he and other Indonesians in some of the locked-down cities of Hubei, including Wuhan the epicenter of the fast-spreading virus would be airlifted from the area. However, he said the Indonesian Embassy in China had asked them to prepare their travel documents. "We were asked to prepare our passports, parents permission slips and other administrative documents," he said. According to the Foreign Ministry, 243 Indonesians currently live in the quarantined zone, with around 100 of them residing in Wuhan. There are 12 Indonesian students at the Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Read also: Don't compare us with other countries, govt says of Wuhan evacuation The Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that officials were finalizing plans to evacuate Indonesian citizens from the virus-stricken province as they intensified communication with the Chinese government so that the latter could facilitate the repatriation process. The Indonesian Air Force has prepared three aircraft two Boeing 737 and an Indonesian military C-130 Hercules aircraft and health personnel are on standby to airlift Indonesian citizens in Hubei. The aircraft have the capacity to transport over 200 people. "We are now waiting for confirmation from the Foreign Ministry [...] to decide whether or not we can go. But the Air Force is ready 24/7 to fly," Fajar said on Wednesday. The Chinese government has imposed lockdowns on at least 13 cities in Hubei province, including Wuhan, where the novel coronavirus was first identified on Dec. 31, 2019, in an attempt to contain the fast-spreading pneumonia-like virus. As of Thursday, the coronavirus has killed at least 170 people in China and more than 7,000 cases have been confirmed globally, mostly in the mainland, AFP reported. Indonesia has no confirmed cases to date. (ami) Its the time of the year when primary school children around the country are getting ready to do battle as the Credit Union Schools Quiz returns. One of the most eagerly awaited events in the local school calendar, St Canices Credit Union will hold the first stage of this years quiz this Friday, January 31, at 7.30pm in The Hub, Cillin Hill. Its expected that more than 80 teams of four, representing more than 40 local schools, will take part. The winning teams from Friday nights quiz will progress to the regional knock out stage of the competition. Questions will cover a wide range of topics including geography, history, music and sport and both the winners and runners up will be presented with uniquely designed St Canices Credit Union gold and silver medals. Of course, following the time-honoured tradition, no child will go home empty handed. Every quiz participant will get a Credit Union bag filled with goodies. The quiz is divided into two age categories, under 11 and under 13 years. The winning teams from the regional stage will then make it through to the Grand Final in the RDS in April 2020. Here they will be pitted in a nerve-wracking battle of their wits against a number of other formidable teams of four. Today FM DJ, Fergal DArcy, who was a huge hit at last years final, returns as Quizmaster this year and all teams will have their eye on the prize with a total of 4,000 up for grabs for the overall winning schools. St Canices Credit Union would urge those budding geniuses taking part in the quiz on Friday to arrive at least 15 minutes early. This will give them time to find their seat, settle in and get ready for a fun filled night. A Joe Biden presidency would get California Attorney General Xavier Becerra out of federal court, but its not going to end intrastate battles, legal and otherwise. Californians could find themselves simply moving to different courthouses with Bidens campaign pushing a number of controversial and litigation-friendly state issues. Biden, for example, wants to see Californias high-speed rail project completed, which plenty of people, Democrats and Republicans alike, characterize as an overpriced boondoggle rather than a much-needed effort to link the states rural interior with San Francisco and Los Angeles. Then theres Bidens call to have federal transit officials work with cities to build complete streets, designed to help drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and others safely share the road. That would be the same program Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed in October. Biden also promises to expedite permitting and bring in experts to help design common-sense zoning and building codes, something many environmentalists view as shorthand for more development. Very little of Bidens program would happen quickly, however. There will be a robust public engagement process for new projects, which in California often translates into drawn-out discussions before the first shovel hits the dirt. But Biden is adamant that while Washington can provide the money and the direction, most of the decisions should be made locally. In climate and other concerns, Bidens campaign plans say that the people living in each area must be part of developing the solutions to best address their unique challenges. Biden will work hand in hand with federal, local and state governments to tackle some of our countrys most pressing problems, said Jessica Mejia, his California campaign director. Heres how a Biden presidency could affect the nations most populous state: Immigration Bidens plan to reverse President Trumps immigration policies would end a series of federal fights with California over issues like the border wall, deportation of longtime, undocumented residents and protections for Dreamers, young people brought across the border by their parents. Election 2020: Our candidate coverage The Chronicle is examining how California would look if the major Democratic presidential candidates were elected and could implement their top policy priorities. Candidates' positions are taken from their websites, their campaign comments, and in some cases legislation they have sponsored in office. Today's installment is on former Vice President Joe Biden. Here are the other installments in this series: Mike Bloomberg, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren. All of The Chronicle's 2020 campaign coverage is found at sfchronicle.com/politics. See More Collapse Biden would end Trumps public charge rule, which allows immigration officials to deny permanent resident status to those who have received, or they believe are likely to receive, virtually any type of public assistance. While he would not break up the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, Biden would increase training and demand independent oversight over both ICE and U.S Customs and the Border Patrol. With more than 2 million undocumented residents in California, Bidens pledge to push for legislation providing a road map to citizenship would be important for the state. And his call to expand the number of visas for highly skilled workers and end the limits on employment-based visas by country would be a win for the tech industry. Robyn Beck / Agence France Presse 2019 Taxes, finance By focusing on changes he characterizes as both progressive and achievable not to mention less expensive Biden comes up with a plan that would boost taxes on big business and wealthy Americans by about $3.4 trillion over 10 years. Thats a lot of money, but far less than the tax hikes proposed by some of his Democratic rivals. Like much of his campaign agenda, Bidens tax plan calls for moving in the same progressive direction as the partys left-leaning mainstream, only not quite as far. While he would reverse Trumps slash of the corporate income tax to 21%, Biden would move it to 28%, still lower than the pre-Trump 35%. He would also put a 15% minimum tax on companies that report profits, even if they used legal deductions to cut their taxes to zero, as firms including Amazon, Netflix and Chevron have done in recent years. Biden would return the top tax rate for the richest Californians to 39.6%, after Trump dropped it to 37%, but he doesnt include the special surcharges on the superwealthy that both Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, his Democratic rivals, want. That unwillingness to hit the wealthy harder has led other Democrats to complain that Biden is too close to big companies and the rich. But at a San Francisco fundraiser in December, Biden told the crowd of wealthy supporters that, if you elect me, most of you are not going to get a tax cut. As a senator from Delaware, he said, he knew the states uber-rich DuPont family didnt need any help from the government, but I never demonized them. Health care Bidens health care plan looks a lot like former President Barack Obamas Affordable Care Act, only on steroids. While he says it builds on Obamacare, it includes plenty of things that never made it into the 2010 law, including a public option insurance plan and increased subsidies for those who cant afford the full cost of coverage. I would call it radically incremental, said Chris Jennings, a Democratic health care strategist. The changes would mean far less in California than elsewhere, since only about 7.2% of state residents were uninsured in 2018, according to a U.S. census survey. Contrast that to Texas, where nearly 18% of state residents were without health insurance. But while an overwhelming percentage of Californians have insurance, many are putting up thousands of dollars each year in costs, deductibles and copayments. Bidens plan would eliminate the income-eligibility cap for tax credits and ensure that no family would pay more than 8.5% of income on health insurance. Biden also would allow anyone to buy a Medicare-like public option insurance plan, which he says would be able to negotiate lower prices from hospitals and doctors. According to Bidens campaign, his health plan would cover 97% of Americans. As many Democrats see it, the fact that its not 100% is the problem. Not only are some Americans not covered, but people also are still paying directly for their care, something that wouldnt happen under the various Medicare for All plans. Coverage is not the same as health care, since that means some people still wont be able to afford the insurance, said Stephanie Roberson, government relations director for the California Nurses Association, which has long backed a government-administered health system. We need to make sure people can get high-quality care at no cost. Biden, though, argues that more inclusive plans, with their multitrillion-dollar price tags, are not realistic and are too dramatic a change for the country to swallow. Eric Baradat / Agence France Presse 2019 Environment Bidens plans to deal with climate change are in sync with what California is proposing. Along with the state, he wants a 100% clean energy economy by 2050, with net-zero carbon emissions. Biden also says he will focus on preserving the Clean Air Act and develop tough fuel economy standards designed to ultimately have all new cars run on electricity. A proposed $400 billion investment in clean energy research and innovation could pay dividends for California farmers, since Bidens top priority will be developing the next generation of biofuels. Manure, grass, crop residue and other biological material can be turned into reduced-emission fuel, his campaign says, and will create quality jobs across rural America. Infrastructure Bidens focus on transportation improvements would change the way Californians get around. He plans to spend $1.3 trillion over 10 years in upgrading the nations underpinning, with much of it going for competitive grants to cities, counties and states that can show innovative smart growth ideas for the money. They are big plans that would have an effect on California. By 2030, Biden says, he will provide quality public transportation for every city with 100,000 or more residents. In California, that could include as many as 75 cities, all the way down to places like Vacaville, Daly City and San Mateo. Biden would double federal funding for airport improvements and renovations and upgrade their technology. Other money would go to improve ports. Then theres Bidens plan for the second great railroad revolution. He argues that a 21st century passenger rail system is essential to our competitiveness as well as to reducing greenhouse gases. Although theres no price tag for the rail plan, it would not only work toward finishing Californias high-speed rail system, but also begin construction of an end-to-end high-speed rail system that will connect the coasts. Not everyone is convinced that would be money well spent. You could argue that federal money makes a difference, but how much money would that be? said Joe Nation, a Stanford University public policy professor and former San Rafael state assemblyman. The train would also likely need a long-term subsidy, so its tough to make it pencil out, to make economic sense. Biden also has plans for the nations roads and bridges, making sure that some of the $50 billion for highway repairs in his first year in office will go directly to cities and towns that own and run most of our roads. John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuth Japanese prosecutors today issued arrest warrants for a former US special forces soldier and two others accused of helping ex-Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn jump bail and escape to Beirut. Warrants were issued for Michael Taylor, 59, a former US Green Beret, his 26-year-old son Peter Taylor and George Zayek, 60, a former member of a Christian militia in Lebanon. The prosecutors also issued a warrant for Ghosn himself for leaving the country illegally, after he fled to Lebanon via Turkey last month to escape 65million corruption charges. Japanese prosecutors issued warrants for the arrest of Michael Taylor (left and right), his son Peter Taylor, 26, and George Zayek, 60, a former member of a Christian militia in Lebanon Ghosn was under house arrest on bail in Tokyo when he fled the country. He is pictured here in April last year being released from jail to await trial on 65million corruption charges Ghosn says he fled Japan hidden inside a music equipment case to escape a 'plot' against him They are suspected of taking Ghosn from his Tokyo home to a hotel in Osaka, western Japan, and hiding him inside a musical instrument case before taking him to Kansai airport where they allegedly helped him evade a security inspection. CCTV emerged earlier this month showing Michael Taylor, who became a security consultant after leaving the military, and Zayek at Istanbul airport as Ghosn, 65, changed planes en route to his final destination. The warrants are the first official confirmation of the reported details about how Ghosn slipped past security and jumped bail shortly after Christmas. Ghosn has refused to confirm or deny the various reports on how he gave Japanese authorities the slip. Michael Taylor, front right, and George Antoine Zayek (rear), were caught on CCTV at Istanbul Airport in Turkey while allegedly helping Carlos Ghosn flee from Japan to Lebanon The escape of the high-profile suspect, who had been under house arrest on bail, left Japanese officials red-faced and they have demanded Ghosn returns to face trial. Ghosn was arrested in November 2018 and faced four charges of financial misconduct, which he denies. Ghosn claims there was a plot against him and that he had no chance of a fair trial. He has said he did not believe he would get a fair trial, and accused Nissan executives opposed to his plans to integrate the firm further with its French partner Renault of effectively cooking up the charges against him. Lebanon does not have an extradition treaty with Japan. A team of 15 private security contractors hatched a plot to smuggle Carlos Ghosn out of Tokyo and onto a private jet to Lebanon via Turkey Ghosn fled Japan hidden inside a music equipment case to escape what he has described as a 'plot' against him Earlier this month Turkish prosecutors said Taylor senior and Zayek accompanied the former Nissan boss on the first leg of his journey from Osaka to Ataturk Airport, a smaller airfield in the Turkish capital, on a private jet. They claim Ghosn changed aircraft on foot before taking a second private plane to Beirut, while his accomplices went across town to Istanbul's main airport. Taylor and Zayek then checked in and went through security, where the CCTV images were taken, before boarding a separate commercial flight to Beirut. Turkey has arrested five people as part of its investigation into the escape, including employees of MNG, the private jet firm used by Ghosn. The firm says its aircraft were used illegally in the escape and has filed a criminal complaint. Taylor, who used to be a U.S. Special Forces counter-terrorism specialist, is now a private security contractor who has protected powerful people and companies, as well as secretly helping the U.S. government. The 59-year-old has previously rescued hostages and is said to be well known in the private security contractor world. Taylor's company, American International Security Corp., was once hired by the New York Times to help rescue one of its reporters, David Rohde, after he was kidnapped by the Taliban in Afghanistan. The reporter was held in Pakistan for seven months before managing to escape himself in 2009. Taylor also served a 14-month prison sentence in Utah in 2012 after pleading guilty to wire fraud in a multimillion-dollar military fraud scheme. He was arrested after allegedly calling an FBI agent and asking him to stop a federal investigation into his security company. Taylor was being investigated over a bid-rigging scheme to get $54 million Defense Department contracts. Taylor, who denied any wrongdoing and claimed he was a legitimate businessman, took a plea deal. When he was released from prison in 2015, the government gave him back the $2 million they had seized from him. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday hailed US President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan as a new opportunity after flying to Moscow to discuss it with President Vladimir Putin. "I think there's a new and perhaps unique opportunity here," said the Israeli premier, who stood alongside Trump at the White House when the plan was announced Tuesday and called it a victory for Israel. Trump's plan angered Palestinians by proposing Israel retain control over Jerusalem as its "undivided capital" and giving the green light to annex Jewish settlements in the West Bank. "I'd like to speak to you and hear your insights and see how we can combine all our forces for security and peace," Netanyahu told Putin at the start of their Kremlin meeting. "You're actually the first leader I'm speaking with after my visit to Washington about President Trump's Deal of the Century," he added. The Russian leader did not mention the peace plan in his public remarks. Netanyahu, facing graft charges, is contesting March elections and hoping the proposal will boost his re-election chances. The March 2 vote is Israel's third in less than a year, with polls suggesting the prime minister's rightwing Likud is again neck-and-neck with the centrist Blue and White party led by ex-military chief Benny Gantz. Netanyahu was visiting Russia on the same day that it released a young US-Israeli woman jailed for drug trafficking over a small amount of cannabis found in her luggage as she transited a Moscow airport. Her case caused an outcry in Israel and her release came after Netanyahu pleaded her case with Putin, who issued a pardon. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With the prospect of a looming coronavirus pandemic and the fate of the 106billion HS2 project hanging in the balance, the fate of a 67-year-old veteran broadcaster forced to quit his job after 40 years seems of little consequence. Except it isn't. It is entirely right that this has become an issue that is dominating front pages, news bulletins and social media because it cuts to the heart of the culture war in Britain that has, in my opinion, taken an alarming turn for the worse. To recap briefly: In one corner sits ITN newsreader and esteemed journalist Alastair Stewart. In the other is Martin Shapland, a man of whom until yesterday the world was largely unaware, but who once stood as a council candidate for the Lib Dems (unsuccessfully). Goodness knows how these two found each other, but two weeks ago they started exchanging barbs over Twitter about the funding of the Royal Family. It is entirely right that this has become an issue that is dominating front pages, news bulletins and social media because it cuts to the heart of the culture war in Britain that has, in my opinion, taken an alarming turn for the worse, writes Tony Sewell Good Morning Britain's Political Editor Ranvir Singh (left) and Alastair Stewart (right) As tends to happen on social media, their disagreement suddenly got salty and Mr Stewart in an attempt to highlight what he regarded as his interlocutor's pomposity was moved to tweet a passage from Measure For Measure, surely Shakespeare's dullest play. 'But man, proud man, Dress'd in a little brief authority, Most ignorant of what he's most assur'd His glassy essence like an angry ape.' This was enough to whip Mr Shapland, who is black, into a fury and accuse the ITN newsreader of being a 'disgrace' for 'referring to me as an ape with the cover of Shakespeare'. He complained to ITN and Mr Stewart duly jumped before he could be pushed, confessing to a 'misjudgment which I regret'. Yes, he should regret it but I very much doubt that Mr Stewart meant that quotation to be taken as a racial insult. He does not strike me as the sort of person who would call a black man an ape, either directly or by implication. Indeed, since news of his departure broke, I've been struck by how many of Mr Stewart's colleagues many of them of colour have spoken of him as a civilised and supportive presence in the newsroom. Elsewhere, his defenders pointed out that he sent the same Shakespearean passage to other Twitter users in the past who were not black. If true, there can be little doubt that he did not discriminate against or abuse Mr Shapland because of his race. More likely, it seems, is that he was simply guilty of wanting to flaunt his knowledge of Shakespeare and put another Twitter user down. ITN newsreader Mary Nightingale announces her 'friend and mentor' Alastair Stewart has been forced out by their bosses over a Twitter spat Yet there is something deeply concerning about how this latest online bust-up manifested itself: Namely, why exactly did Mr Shapland decide to cut short a worthy debate about royal budgets and make knee-jerk allegations of racism? It was weak of him when the debate got heated to play the race card. And yet it is all too typical of the contemporary discussion about race. Where once marginalised people fought for the right to participate in the public sphere and discuss anything and everything there is an increasingly insular trend today, especially among younger adults, to shroud political and social discussion in the divisive cloak of identity politics. And we have reached the depressing point where anyone of colour is expected to view every comment through the prism of race. I do not tweet because I don't care for the abuse that it can trigger, but I do occasionally look at Twitter feeds and I see black men and women going back and forth in endless arguments over real and perceived racial taunts. It provides a contrast to the harsh world of racism that I encountered as a teaching assistant in London 20 years ago when the English language did need cleansing. During our weekly staff meetings our white supervisor would sometimes use the phrase 'n***** in the woodpile'. The racism was so deep that she didn't realise that this was highly offensive to the black teachers in the room. We did call her out and she was shocked. This was enough to whip Mr Shapland (pictured), who is black, into a fury and accuse the ITN newsreader of being a 'disgrace' for 'referring to me as an ape with the cover of Shakespeare', writes Tony Sewell Racism is, of course, still very much a fact of life for many in Britain and I would never seek to minimise its impact. However, I refuse to carry the burden of race that sees an offence at every corner or sentence like another Shakespeare character, Macbeth, who sees the ghost of Banquo at every corner. But those who attempt to distort a perfectly innocent comment and herald it as proof that an individual is racist or that Britain is stuffed with racists are either factually mistaken or intellectually dishonest. And yet while I despair at the close-minded, often censorious nature of contemporary discourse, I also worry that matters could get very much worse before they get better. Any discussion of race all too often descends into an ugly bloodsport contest played out on social media, which is the preferred battleground of the morally superior so-called 'woke' brigade among us. But in recent months I believe we have reached an alarming turning point in this culture war. After years of being belittled and lectured to about everything from global warming and gender rights to racial politics and Brexit, we are starting to see a backlash from the 'unwoke' that, while understandable in motive, is proving equally nasty when played out in public. In their attempt to fight back against political correctness, the 'unwoke' are often baited into responding in an arrogant and toxic fashion. In this context, Mr Stewart is a minor offender. He is not guilty of racism, but I would suggest that perhaps he may be guilty of arrogance. Of course, in the past it would never have occurred to a newsreader to share his political outlook with a member of the viewing public. When the great Sir Trevor McDonald read the news on ITN, at a time when the channel's viewing figures were much higher than they are today, we had no idea what he thought about politics or race or the price of fish. He would certainly never have felt the need to use Shakespeare to insult a member of the public. As I write this, I am in Jamaica where I am organising a competition of school productions of Shakespeare the prize for the best is a trip for pupils to Britain. Those who say Shakespeare is irrelevant to the young or that the playwright was inherently racist in his characterisation of Jews or people of colour, for example, should come here and see how young Jamaicans relish the Bard's use of language and metaphor. Rather than decry an innocent passage from Measure For Measure as akin to a speech by Oswald Mosley, what I am finding is that Jamaican children focus on the real message in Shakespeare's greatest works. For them, Hamlet is a play about a man without a father which is sadly too often the case on this island. And Othello isn't important because it's about a Moor, but because it encapsulates everything you could ever want to know about goodness, about loyalty, love and jealousy. Shakespeare is a hero to these children, not the writer of plays to scour to find grounds for offence. Perhaps Mr Shapland might deem this observation worthy of wider distribution when he next sits down to tweet. Dr Tony Sewell is an educational consultant and chief executive of the charity Generating Genius Ben Graveston was being treated for complex post-traumatic stress disorder when he first heard of Brigade, a bar and kitchen with a difference. He had spent 10 months at the Maudsley, a psychiatric hospital in south London, after a breakdown: a tick bite on a tour of Afghanistan led to a debilitating bacterial infection called Q fever, then a prolonged period of insomnia and depression as he struggled to cope with the end of his career as a combat medic. By the time he left the army, Ben had served in Afghanistan and Iraq, completing five operation tours in the time that someone of his rank would usually be expected to complete one and a half. As his recovery progressed, and he began to contemplate life outside the psychiatric hospital, Graveston worried about how he would adjust to life on his own. A prototype of SpaceX's Starship Mars-colonization spacecraft blew its lid in a crucial pressure test late Tuesday (Jan. 28) in a big test for the private spaceflight company. During a cryogenic strength test at the company's South Texas facility near the village of Boca Chica, SpaceX filled the prototype's 30-foot (9 meters) test tank with ultracold liquid nitrogen and pressurized the tank until it "popped." This video was captured by Spadre.com, a tourism information site for the nearby South Padre Island that offers live camera views of SpaceX's Starship work. While the destructive test may not look like good news for the private spaceflight company, this event actually represents a major milestone for Starship. It demonstrated that the fuel tank can withstand the pressure it would experience on future human missions to the moon and Mars. Video: Watch SpaceX destroy a Starship tank in pressurization test Related: SpaceX's Starship and Super Heavy in Images Liquid nitrogen cryogenic strength test underway pic.twitter.com/qRPBLInqm0January 29, 2020 See more The Starship's test tank reached an internal pressure of 8.5 bar, or about 8.5 times the pressure of Earth's atmosphere at sea level, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk tweeted after the test. And that's exactly how much pressure Starship will need to be able to endure to be considered safe for astronauts. Earlier this month, Musk tweeted that the spacecraft would need to withstand a pressure of 6 bar for an orbital flight without humans onboard. For safety reasons, a crewed mission would raise that requirement by a factor of 1.4, which is why the spacecraft needs to endure a pressure of 8.5 bar to safely fly astronauts. Tuesday's test follows a similar evaluation SpaceX performed earlier this week, when the spacecraft's tank reached a pressure of 7.5 bar before springing a leak, Musk tweeted on Monday (Jan. 27). "Small leak at a weld doubler. Will be repaired & retested at cryo," he said. A fuel tank for SpaceX's Starship prototype is destroyed during a cryogenic pressure test at the company's South Texas facility, on Jan. 28, 2020. (Image credit: SPadre.com/ YouTube SpaceX still has a lot of work to do before it can launch people to space on its new Starship. The company is currently building its newest Starship prototype, the SN1, at its Boca Chica facility. An earlier version, a fully assembled rocket prototype called Mk1, was destroyed in a cryogenic test in November. After that anomaly, SpaceX discontinued the development of Mk1 and a nearly identical prototype called Mk2, which was being built on Florida's Space Coast. "We're now building flight design of Starship SN1, but each SN will have at least minor improvements, at least through SN20 or so of Starship V1.0," Musk tweeted on Dec. 27, 2019, adding that the SN1 could be ready for its first test flight in just a few months. If all goes according to plan, SpaceX could start launching satellites as early as 2021, followed by uncrewed moon missions for NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program in 2022. The company also plans to launch a private crewed mission called "#dearMOON" on a flight around the moon in 2023. SpaceX has not offered an official timeline for Starship's Mars missions, but Musk has suggested that the spacecraft could help establish a human Mars base by 2028. Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. The Victorian Government has announced Victoria will enter a snap lockdown commencing 11.59pm, Thursday 15 July 2021. This is in response to recent community transmission of COVID-19. *Please note: The Victorian Government permits vulnerable students who are unable to study from home to access campus. Accordingly, the Hawthorn campus LateLab will be open from 9am on Thursday 22 July. It will be open from 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday and swipe cards will be required to gain access. Students who currently have classes will continue to learn remotely and staff must remain working from home during this period. Swinburnes on-campus facilities at Hawthorn, Croydon and Wantirna remain closed during this period, unless for permitted teaching. Libraries, LateLabs*, StudentHQ and the Multifaith Centre services at all campuses are closed. Remember, it is essential that all staff, students and visitors attending campus check-in by scanning a QR Code each time they visit campus. Staff and students must also connect a mobile device to Swinburnes free Wi-Fi network Eduroam when on campus. You must stay at home if you are feeling unwell, even with mild symptoms, are awaiting test results, or have been instructed to isolate by the Department of Health. Wellbeing at Swinburne and the Psychology Clinics will reopen for face-to-face appointments from Thursday 29 July. The Enrolment Hub at Hawthorn will return on campus from Monday 2 August. Bookings are available via the Course Advice Appointment service. The Hawthorn library will be open Monday to Friday from 9.00am to 5.00pm. Croydon and Wantirna libraries will open Monday to Friday from 8.00am to 4.00pm. Swinburnes Libraries and LateLabs will reopen on Wednesday 28 July for students who are unable to study from home. If you can study from home, you should continue to study from home. Some practical classes that cannot be conducted at home will occur on campus. Please watch for further updates on Canvas from your course convenor. As Semester 2 is about to commence, there will be some practical classes that will be delivered on campus as these cannot occur at home. Further information will be shared once the Victorian Government has provided the relevant directions. Staff access to campus Staff must continue to work from home if they can, however a 25 per cent capacity limit has been reintroduced for office spaces, as well as a one person per four square metre density requirement. As a result, Swinburne will remove the Access to Campus Activiti process for staff as of 11.59pm on 27 July. Face masks must be carried at all times and worn both indoors and outdoors, unless an exemption applies. Examples of exemptions include teachers and lecturers while they are teaching and a person working by themselves in an office. The Victorian Government has announced COVID-19 restrictions will ease in Victoria from 11.59pm on Tuesday 27 July 2021. These restrictions will be reviewed on Tuesday 10 August. As part of the eased restrictions, the five reasons to leave home will no longer apply and the existing five-kilometre travel limit will be removed. Your mental health is always important, particularly during times of lockdown. Swinburne staff seeking support can access the universitys Employee Assistance Program (EAP) at any time. Swinburne students seeking mental health support are encouraged to contact Swinburnes student health and wellbeing services . If you have recently been in contact with a positive COVID-19 case or are feeling unwell, even with mild symptoms, you must get tested for COVID-19 and isolate until you receive a negative test result. It is important you adhere to all Victorian Government directives to help keep our community safe. Staff, students and visitors are encouraged to regularly review the Victorian Governments list of exposure sites and follow the Department of Healths advice. If you are a vulnerable student and unable to study from home, the LateLabs at Hawthorn, Croydon and Wantirna will be open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, starting at 9am Friday 6 August. Practical classes, such as labs, that had recently recommenced will move back to online as part of the revised restrictions. There are however some areas of study that are permitted to continue on campus at this time, such as health care studies and apprenticeships. Unit convenors or teachers will contact students this applies to. Permitted workers under the Victorian Governments Health Directions may be able to work from campus, however must seek approval from their Executive Group member by completing the Access to Campus Activiti process . You must wait for approval prior to coming to campus. The Access to Campus Activiti process is available now. All Swinburne staff must work from home during this period, including research staff. Information on managing critical research activities will be provided directly to researchers from the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) shortly. Wellbeing at Swinburne and the psychology clinic will move to telehealth appointments. Urgent face-to-face medical appointments with Wellbeing at Swinburne will take place at 20 George Street if needed. Please contact Wellbeing at Swinburne if you need to make an appointment. Swinburnes on-campus facilities at Hawthorn, Croydon and Wantirna will be closed until further notice. This includes Swinburnes libraries, StudentHQ and the Multifaith Centre services. Face masks must continue to be worn inside and outdoors, except in your own home or if you have an exemption. The Victorian Government has announced revised COVID-19 restrictions. Victoria will enter a seven-day lockdown, commencing 8.00pm, Thursday 5 August 2021. The lockdown period is expected to end at 11.59pm on Thursday 12 August, pending government advice. Visit the Department of Health website for more information about your COVID-19 vaccine eligibility. Please speak with your GP if you have any questions about the vaccine. The Victorian Government has made the Astra Zeneca vaccine available for individuals aged 18 to 39 years who provide informed consent at selected Victorian vaccination centres. We understand that this extension may be difficult for many of Swinburnes students and staff. Please ensure that you get in contact with the support services that are available for our students and our staff . The LateLabs at Hawthorn, Croydon and Wantirna will remain available for vulnerable students who are unable to study from home from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Swipe cards will be required to gain access. Swinburnes on-campus facilities will remain closed during this period, unless for permitted teaching. All students and staff will continue to learn and work from home. Staff and researchers who need to attend campus, and meet the Victorian Government's authorised worker criteria, will need to continue to secure approval from their Executive Group member through the Access to Campus Activiti process . The Victorian Government has announced an extension to COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in metropolitan Melbourne for an additional seven days, until 11:59pm Thursday 19 August 2021. Swinburnes on-campus facilities at Hawthorn, Croydon and Wantirna will be closed during this period, unless for permitted teaching as per below. Libraries, LateLabs, StudentHQ and the Multifaith Centre services at all campuses will be closed. What this means for students Students that currently have classes on campus will move online, unless permitted as per below. These students will be contacted by their unit convenor or teacher with more information. Some areas of study can continue on campus at this time, such as health care studies. Students that this is applicable to will be contacted by their unit convenor or teachers. Swinburne is continuing to plan for an open campus for the start of Semester 2 with face-to-face learning as previously scheduled. What this means for staff All Swinburne staff must work from home during this period, including research staff. The exception is permitted workers under the Health Directions and have approval from their Executive Group member. Information on managing critical research activities will be provided directly to researchers from the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) shortly. Other Swinburne facilities Wellbeing at Swinburne and the psychology clinic will move to telehealth appointments. Please contact the clinics to make an appointment. Keeping our community safe The Victorian Department of Health is regularly updating a list of exposure sites . It is important staff, students and visitors review this list regularly and follow the Department of Healths advice. If you have recently been in contact with a positive COVID-19 case or are feeling unwell, even with mild symptoms, you must get tested for COVID-19 and isolate until you receive a negative test result. It is important you adhere to all Victorian Government directives to help keep our community safe. Eligible staff and students are encouraged to consider their options around getting vaccinated against COVID-19. Further information is available on the Victorian Governments vaccination website 15 July 2021 8.15am AEST Further updates to face mask rules in Victoria Late last night, the Victorian Government announced changes to face mask rules for those living in Victoria from 11:59pm on Wednesday 14 July 2021. This includes: Face masks must be carried at all times and must be worn indoors, by anyone aged 12 years and over. This includes while on campus. If you work in an office you must wear a face mask, however if you are alone you do not need to wear a face mask unless someone else enters the room. Face masks must be worn outdoors where physical distancing of at least 1.5 metres cannot be maintained from others (except household members or intimate partners). You do not need to wear a mask in your own home, or if a lawful exception applies, such as working alone in an office or teaching). Face masks must cover the mouth and nose. Wearing a face mask under your nose or chin does not provide protection to you or others. There are currently no restrictions on the reasons to leave home or the distance you can travel, but staying COVIDSafe remains important. Please remember to continue to check-in via the Victorian Government QR codes whenever you are on campus. 12 July 2021 2.00pm AEST Updated face mask rules Following the recent easing of restrictions in metropolitan Melbourne, the Victorian Government has advised office workers are not required to wear face masks in office settings that are not public facing. This means the only instance where Swinburne staff do not need to wear a face mask on campus is when in an office space or meeting room that can only be accessed by Swinburne staff and where no students or external parties are present. Face mask rules apply to students, staff and all external parties attending Swinburnes campuses in the following instances: Staff working in an indoor public-facing setting, such as a service desk in the library and at reception in public foyers, are required to wear a face mask Staff who are transiting through publicly accessible indoor spaces, including foyers, libraries and buildings that are open to students and the public, must wear a face mask In the event a staff member is attending a meeting with an external party or a student, all attendees must wear a face mask All students are required to wear face masks in indoor spaces on campus, including in classrooms, libraries and LateLabs All contractors, visitors and other external parties are required to wear face masks while in indoor spaces on campus Staff, students and external parties attending events held indoors on campus must wear a face mask The usual exemptions for face masks remain, including individuals for whom the nature of their work or education means that clear enunciation or visibility of their mouth is essential (teaching, lecturing) or where wearing a face mask presents a health risk Physical distancing Staff, students, contractors and visitors should take reasonable steps to maintain a distance of 1.5 metres from all other persons when on campus, including in office spaces. The Victorian Government recommends that face masks be worn in situations when physical distancing is not possible. 8 July 2021 12.00pm AEST The Victorian Government has announced that restrictions in metropolitan Melbourne will be brought in line with regional Victoria from 11.59pm Thursday 8 July 2021. Face masks will continue to be required in indoor public-facing settings (unless an exemption applies) but will no longer be required in office settings that are not public facing. Swinburne travel policy We will continue to be guided by government advice when it comes to staff travel. Domestic travel and international travel within approved travel bubbles is only permitted for the delivery of core services or core business activities and where the travel does not increase the travellers risk of COVID-19 exposure. All international travel must be approved by the relevant Executive Group member. Vice-Chancellor delegations of authority continue to apply to domestic travel approvals. Staff can visit the Travel intranet page and Travel wiki page for more details on the approval process as well as resources and guidelines on our COVID-19 travel policy. 24 June 2021 12.30pm AEST The Victorian Government announced a further easing of COVID-19 restrictions in metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria from 11.59pm on Thursday 24 June 2021. As part of the eased restrictions, working and studying from home is no longer a requirement. Office capacity limits will increase to 75 per cent or up to 30 people in a total workplace of 40 or less. A density quotient of one person per four square metres applies to all office spaces. Face masks must continue to be worn indoors (except in your own home). However, face masks are not required outdoors if physical distancing can be maintained. Access to campus Staff and students may return to work and study from campus. However, face masks must be worn indoors for both staff and students. Teachers are not required to wear a face mask when they are teaching. Study spaces continue to be open for students who would like to access them. Staff and students are reminded to bring their swipe cards to access buildings. Checking-in via Service Victoria QR codes Checking-in via the QR codes on campus is now mandatory at all Swinburne campuses and buildings. All staff, students and visitors are required to check-in by scanning the Victorian Governments QR code each time they visit campus. There is one QR code per campus, including a separate QR code for the Luton Lane building in Hawthorn. Additional QR code signs have been displayed across Swinburne campuses. Manual check-in is also available by the Service Victoria app. If you are unable to check-in via your mobile device, a fellow student or colleague can check-in for you using the Service Victoria app. Swinburnes QR location codes are: Hawthorn 78F A3P Croydon BBK 9LQ Wantirna STW 2Y7 Green Street, Prahran MYK RDL High Street, Prahran PRE EQW Fairfield 6H2 9QQ Luton Lane, Hawthorn NHR MHQ If you are still unable to check-in via the QR code or manually, kiosks are available across Swinburnes campuses for staff, students and visitors. Physical record sheets, pens and hand sanitiser are currently in place, with laptops soon activated. The kiosk system will provide a simple online form where people can record their details directly into the Victorian Government QR code service. Kiosks can be accessed at the following locations: Hawthorn GS Building (GS101) Hawthorn TD Building (TD154) Hawthorn LateLab Croydon cafeteria Wantirna LateLab When conducting meetings and classes, please remind attendees to check-in using the QR code. Please continue to connect to Swinburnes free Wi-Fi network Eduroam while on campus. Connecting to Eduroam supports contact tracing if needed and plays an important role in protecting our community. 17 June 2021 1.45pm AEST The Victorian Government has announced a further easing of COVID-19 restrictions in metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria from 11.59pm on Thursday 17 June 2021. As part of the eased restrictions in metropolitan Melbourne, the 25 kilometre travel limit will be removed, face masks will no longer be required outdoors where physical distancing can be achieved, but are still required indoors and capacity limits in office spaces will increase to 50 per cent. Staff and students must continue to work or study from home where possible. In addition to study spaces reopening last week, the Multi Faith Facility will reopen on Friday 25 June, subject to government directives. The Multi Faith Facility is located on level 3 of The George building on the Hawthorn campus. Access to campus All staff, students and visitors are now required to check in by scanning a QR Code each time they visit campus. QR code check ins are a government requirement and will be enforced by the Victorian Government from 24 June 2021. There is one QR Code per campus, including a separate QR Code for the Luton Lane building in Hawthorn. QR Code posters are currently displayed at building entrances, and additional posters will be displayed shortly. Swinburnes IT department will set-up at a kiosk at each campus for people who do not have access to a device and are unable to use the QR Code system. The kiosk will contain a device with a simple online form where people can record their details directly into the Victorian Government QR Code Service. More information on this service, including kiosk locations will be provided shortly. Staff and students are still required to connect to Swinburnes free Wi-Fi network Eduroam each day they are on campus and for the duration they are on campus. Connecting to Eduroam supports contact tracing if needed and plays an important role in protecting our community. 9 June 2021 3.00pm AEST The Victorian Government has announced COVID-19 restrictions will ease in metropolitan Melbourne from 11.59pm on Thursday 10 June 2021. As part of the eased restrictions, the five reasons to leave home will no longer apply in metropolitan Melbourne, and the existing 10 kilometre limit will be increased to 25 kilometres. Face masks will be required indoors and outdoors. Staff access to campus In response to the easing of restrictions, Swinburne will remove the Access to Campus Activiti process for staff as of 11.59pm on 10 June. Staff must continue to work from home if they can. However, staff who need to come to campus can do so without seeking approval through Activiti. Study spaces for students Under the eased restrictions, students must continue to study from home if they can. Scheduled exams will continue to take place online or be replaced with alternative assessments. From Friday 11 June, Swinburne will reopen study spaces at Hawthorn, Wantirna and Croydon campuses to support students during the final assessment period. The Hawthorn Library and Student HQ, and LateLabs at all three Melbourne campuses, will reopen on Friday for students who need a place to study. Swipe cards will be required to gain access. The library and Student HQ at Hawthorn will be open Monday to Friday from 9am until 5pm. The Hawthorn LateLab will be open 24 -hours every day, starting from 9am on Friday. LateLabs at Croydon and Wantirna will be open every day from 8am to 9.30pm. Remember to check in It is essential that all staff and students coming on campus connect to Swinburnes free Wi-Fi network Eduroam to support contact tracing requirements. Anyone who is unable to connect to the Wi-Fi network, must check-in each day using the QR codes available at all building entrances. If you are feeling unwell, even with mild symptoms; are awaiting test results; or have been instructed to isolate by the Department of Health, you must stay at home. 4 June 2021 2.05pm AEST In response to the ongoing extended COVID-19 restrictions in metropolitan Melbourne, Swinburne will provide additional support to students during the Final Assessment Period (4 18 June 2021). This additional support recognises the concerns and stress that has been caused by the current COVID-19 situation and impacts students completing assessments. Swinburne is replacing all scheduled on-campus exams with online exams and alternative assessments. Flexibility will be provided to students completing final assessments, with unit convenors offering extensions to due dates where possible. Students can still apply for special consideration as per the standard process. Special consideration will also be available for students who experience severe technical difficulties that negatively impacts their ability to complete a time-based assessment. All requests for special consideration require evidence to support the application. Further detail will be provided to students via Canvas and email. 2 June 2021 1.15 pm AEST The Victorian Government has today announced a seven-day extension to circuit breaker restrictions for metropolitan Melbourne in response to ongoing community transmission of COVID-19. These restrictions will be in place until 11.59pm, Thursday 10 June, unless advised otherwise by the Victorian Government. Restrictions in regional Victoria are proposed to ease from 11.59pm, Thursday 3 June, subject to health advice. The Victorian Government will provide further detail in due course. As part of this circuit breaker, all people in metropolitan Melbourne must stay at home except for five reasons: shop for food and supplies (up to 10 km from home); provide care and caregiving; exercise (for two hours per day with one other person, up to 10 km from home); authorised work or study; and to receive a vaccination. Face masks must continue to be worn inside and outdoors, except in your own home or if you have an exemption. Swinburne staff and students who reside in Victoria are expected to abide by the government directives that apply to their location. These restrictions play an important role in keeping our community safe. Study and work at Swinburne Swinburnes campuses will remain closed during this period. Higher education teaching and learning will continue to be conducted remotely, as will research activities. Staff and students are expected to work and learn from home unless their activity is authorised by the Victorian Governments Department of Health. Details of exempt activities will be communicated directly with relevant staff and students, including VCE and VCAL students. Swinburne is replacing all scheduled on-campus exams with online exams and alternative assessments. Students will be contacted by their unit convenors with further information shortly. Wellbeing at Swinburne (medical centre) will remain open by appointment at our Hawthorn campus. Telehealth appointments are also available. All other facilities continue to be closed during this period, including libraries and LateLab. Click and collect provisions are in place for the Hawthorn library for laptops and essential materials. If you need to collect a laptop or essential library item, please email library@swin.edu.au. A reminder of Swinburne's COVIDSafe process positive case You must notify Swinburne if you have tested positive for COVID-19 and attended our campus in the week prior. If you are a student, please contact Wellbeing at Swinburne via nurses@swin.edu.au. If you need academic support, please contact your unit convenor. If you are a staff member, contact the Health, Safety and Wellbeing team via healthsafetywellbeing@swin.edu.au and your line manager. If you have been advised of a Swinburne staff member, student or contractor who has either attended an exposure site or tested positive for COVID-19, please contact the Health, Safety and Wellbeing team via healthsafetywellbeing@swin.edu.au and wait for their advice before taking further action, including communicating with others. Exposure sites It is important you frequently check the Victorian Government's list of exposure sites and follow the Department of Health's advice if you attended one of these sites. Stay home if you are feeling unwell, even with mild symptoms, or if you are awaiting test results or have been instructed to isolate by the Department of Health. 2 June 2021 11.30 am AEST In response to the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 situation in Victoria, Swinburne is replacing all scheduled on-campus exams with online exams and alternative assessments. Students are advised to check Canvas regularly for further updates. 27 May 2021 2.30pm AEST The Victorian Government has today announced increased restrictions as part of a circuit breaker lockdown in response to a recent increase in community transmission of COVID-19. These restrictions will be in place from 11.59pm, Thursday 27 May for at least seven days until 11.59pm, Thursday 3 June. As part of this circuit breaker, all people in Victoria must stay at home except for five reasons: shop for food and supplies (5km from home) provide care and caregiving exercise (for 2 hours per day with one other person, 5km from home) authorised work or study to receive a vaccination. Face masks must be worn inside and outdoors, except in your own home or if you have an exemption. Swinburne staff and students who reside in Victoria are expected to abide by these government directives, which play an important role in keeping our community safe. Study and work at Swinburne Swinburnes campuses will be closed during this period. Higher education teaching and learning will be conducted remotely, as will research activities. Staff and students are expected to work and learn from home unless their activity is authorised by the Victorian Government Department of Health. Further information on exempt activities will be communicated directly with relevant staff and students. Upcoming exams will proceed on the scheduled date, however may be delivered in an alternative format. Students will be provided with information on exams shortly. Wellbeing at Swinburne (medical centre) at the Hawthorn campus will remain open. All other facilities will be closed during this period, including libraries and LateLab. A reminder of Swinburne's COVIDSafe process - positive case You must notify Swinburne if you have tested positive for COVID-19 and attended our campus in the week prior. If you are a student, please contact Wellbeing at Swinburne via nurses@swin.edu.au and your unit convenor for support. If you are a staff member, contact the Health, Safety and Wellbeing team via healthsafetywellbeing@swin.edu.au and your line manager. If you have been advised of a Swinburne staff member, student or contractor who has either attended an exposure site or tested positive for COVID-19, please contact the Health, Safety and Wellbeing team via healthsafetywellbeing@swin.edu.au and wait for their advice before taking further action, including communicating with others. Exposure sites It is important you frequently check the Victorian Government's list of exposure sites and follow the Department of Health's advice if you attended one of these sites. Stay home if you are feeling unwell, even with mild symptoms, or if you are awaiting test results or have been instructed to isolate by the Department of Health. Swinburnes COVID-19 Taskforce has met to consider these new directives and will communicate with staff and students shortly. 25 May 2021 3.00pm AEST The Victorian Government has today announced increased COVID-19 restrictions for Greater Melbourne from 6pm on 25 May 2021. This is in response to recent community transmission of COVID-19. Swinburnes on-campus facilities at Hawthorn, Croydon and Wantirna will remain open, including Library and StudentHQ, and LateLabs, and all teaching, research and professional work activities will continue as planned. Face masks In response to the governments announcement, Swinburne staff, students and visitors will be required to wear a fitted face mask in all indoor settings, including in offices, teaching spaces and research areas at Swinburne, unless an exemption applies. Teaching staff are not required to wear face masks while teaching, but students are required to wear masks in the classroom. Private and public gatherings Private gatherings in homes are limited to five people throughout the day, which applies to those living in Swinburne Residences. Public gatherings are limited to 30 people. This includes Swinburne external events but does not apply to teaching and assessment tasks. Staff and students who are registered to attend a public event should contact the event organiser to confirm the event is proceeding. Contact tracing As always, it is essential that all staff and students connect to Swinburnes free Wi-Fi service, Eduroam, to support contact tracing requirements when they are on campus. If you are unable to connect to the Wi-Fi, please ensure you scan the Check-In QR Code available at all Swinburne building entrances every day you are on campus. Visitors and contractors must check in by scanning the Check-In QR Code available. Keeping our community safe The Victorian Department of Health is regularly updating a list of exposure sites. It is important staff, students and visitors review this list frequently and follow the Department of Healths advice if you have attended one of these sites. If you have recently been in contact with a positive COVID-19 case or are feeling unwell, even with mild symptoms, you must get tested for COVID-19 and isolate until you receive a negative test result. It is important you adhere to all Victorian Government directives to help keep our community safe. 22 April 2021 12.00pm AEDT On Friday 23 April, Swinburne will introduce a QR code system for contractors, visitors and events. The QR process is in line with Victorian Government directives, and it replaces the previously used online health declaration form. Swinburne staff and students will no longer be required to complete a daily self-assessment using the Swinburne App or complete the online health declaration when attending campus, from Friday 23 April. Instead, all staff and students are still required to connect at least one device to the wifi network eduroam each day they are on campus and for the duration they are on campus. Connecting to eduroam is important and will ensure Swinburne meets its contract tracing obligations. Staff and students who are unable to connect to eduroam must scan the QR code available for contractors, visitors and events each time they attend campus. Staff and students are only required to scan the QR code if they cant connect to eduroam. QR code posters will be displayed at main entrances and key points around the university. There will be one code per campus. A QR code will also be available at events. The Victorian Government has confirmed that workplaces can move to 100% capacity and no density requirements are in place, with the exception of publicly accessible spaces such as foyers and lobbies where density limits remain. Swinburne staff are asked to work with their leader on transition to campus plans that are appropriate for the team and work requirements. For your safety and the safety of others, Swinburne strongly recommends a fitted face mask be worn where physical distancing (1.5 metres) cannot be maintained. Face masks must be carried at all times, which is in line with current government directives. Visit our on-campus protocol page for further information. 26 February 2021 2.00pm AEDT The Victorian Government has announced as of 11:59pm, Friday 26 February 2021, Victoria will return to its previous COVIDSafe settings. As part of the COVIDSafe settings: fitted face masks are required on public transport, in rideshare vehicles and taxis, in sensitive settings (e.g. aged care facilities) and larger retail settings (e.g. supermarkets, indoor shopping centres) up to 30 visitors allowed to your home at one time up to 100 people allowed at outdoor gatherings in public places private and public workforce capacity limits will increase to 75 per cent. In response to this announcement, Swinburne will require fitted face masks to be worn indoors or outdoors on campus where physical distancing cannot be maintained. Swinburne will also work towards a gradual transition to campus for up to 75 per cent of our staff (excluding teaching staff who can operate at normal capacity). All staff and students are reminded to complete the health declaration via the Swinburne App - Access to Campus prior to coming to campus each day. More details will be communicated to students and staff promptly. 17 February 2021 2.00pm AEDT The Victorian Government has announced that as of 11:59pm, Wednesday 17 February 2021, Stage 4 restrictions will be lifted in Victoria. The following restrictions will remain in place until at least Friday, 26 February 2021: A fitted face mask must be worn in public indoor spaces at all times and outdoors where physical distancing cannot be maintained Up to five visitors to your home at one time Up to 20 people allowed in public gatherings Private and public workforce capacity limits will remain at 50 per cent. The Victorian Government will announce an increase to 75 per cent of workforce capacity when it is safe. In response to this announcement, Swinburne will recommence its transition to campus plans for staff and students. All on-campus teaching, learning, research and professional work that was ongoing prior to the reintroduction of Stage 4 restrictions on Friday 12 February will recommence from Thursday 18 February. Wellbeing at Swinburne, libraries, StudentHQ and LateLabs will reopen from tomorrow with limited hours and services. All staff, students and visitors must adhere to government directives and Swinburnes on-campus protocols when attending campus. Swinburnes on-campus protocols include: Completing a daily self-assessment via the Swinburne App before attending campus Connecting one device to the wifi network Eduroam when on campus Using student or staff swipe cards to access buildings Staff are no longer required to complete a transition to campus Activiti request to attend campus as an individual or team. Some high-risk activities still require an Activiti request. Please visit the transition to campus page for further detail. 12 February 2021 4.45pm AEDT The Victorian Government has announced that as of 11.59pm on Friday 12 February, Victoria will return to Stage 4 restrictions for five days until 11.59pm on Wednesday 17 February. During this period, the following restrictions apply across Victoria: Stay at home unless: shopping for essential items (one person per household, once per day), caregiving or compassionate reasons, essential work, or exercise (two hours per day) Travel limit of 5km from place of primary residence Fitted face masks must be carried at all times and must be worn indoors and outdoors (except if at home) These restrictions will be reviewed in the coming days. In response to this announcement, Swinburne has paused transition to campus for students and staff. During this period: All on-campus teaching and learning will be rescheduled or delivered online (watch for updates on CANVAS) All on-campus research activities will be paused (critical research activities will require approval to access campus stay tuned for updates from the DVCR) All professional staff are required to work from home On-campus facilities at Hawthorn, Croydon and Wantirna will be closed. This includes Library and StudentHQ, and Latelabs. All appointments will be rescheduled. The medical centre will be closed, with the exception of emergencies at The George. Scheduled student online activities, including the Orientation Strategies for Success and Strategies for Wellbeing sessions for commencing students, will continue online. Students who are currently on health-related placement (e.g., nursing or aged care) will continue as are deemed an essential service. Swinburne's COVID-19 Taskforce will continue to monitor the situation and update as appropriate. 4 February 2021 9.15am AEDT The Victorian Government has announced new statewide restrictions that came into effect from 11:59pm, Wednesday 3 February. The limit on the number of people gathering in a household has been reduced from 30 to 15 (excluding members of the household and children under 12 months) Fitted face masks are mandatory in public indoor spaces, apart from when eating or drinking. If you have visitors in your home, it is strongly recommended that masks are worn during the visit. You must also continue to carry your mask on you at all times. The increase to 75 per cent workforce capacity limits has been paused and the current cap of 50 per cent remains in place. In response to these changes, Swinburne requires all staff, students and visitors to wear a fitted face mask when indoors on campus, including in office spaces. It is also recommended that face masks are worn outdoors where physical distancing cannot be maintained. Teaching staff are exempt from wearing a fitted face mask while teaching as clear enunciation or visibility of the mouth is essential. However, students are required to wear fitted face masks while indoors, and therefore in the classroom. Swinburne will continue its gradual transition to campus in line with the governments 50 per cent workforce capacity limit, which excludes teaching and research staff. Flexible work arrangements remain in place and staff are encouraged to work with their manager on what working arrangement is appropriate for them and the team. For further information on Swinburnes transition to campus plans, visit the COVID-19 hub. 25 January 2021 3.30pm AEDT As of 1 February 2021, Swinburne staff will commence a gradual transition to working from on-campus locations. To ensure we are adhering to government directives, adjustments will be made to the number of staff permitted on campus at any one time. Priority will be given to student-facing and research focused teams and individuals. From 1 February, the Activiti transition to campus process will no longer be required for staff. However, staff and students will continue to be required to: complete a daily health declaration via the Swinburne App before attending campus connect to Swinburnes wifi network Eduroam use swipe cards to access buildings when on campus These tools will continue to play an important role in keeping our community safe and support contact tracing if required. Staff seeking further information on transition to campus plans are advised to speak with their line manager. Further information for staff, students and visitors can be access on our dedicated COVID-19 Hub, which will continue to be updated. 15 January 2021 2.00pm AEDT The Victorian Government has advised that as of 11.59pm on 17 January 2021, face masks are no longer mandatory when indoors and outdoors where physical distancing is maintained. For your safety and the safety of others, Swinburne requires that students, staff and visitors wear a fitted face mask on campus where 1.5 metres distance cannot be maintained. Anyone coming onto campus must carry a face mask at all times as per government directives. Visit the COVID-19 hub for more details about accessing campus and on-campus protocols. 7 January 2021 11.00am AEDT The Victorian Government has advised that as of 5pm on 31 December 2020, a fitted face mask must be worn in public indoor spaces. Face masks are also strongly recommended outdoors where physical distancing cannot be maintained. Swinburne requires that students, staff and visitors wear a face mask on campus. Anyone coming onto campus is required to carry a face mask at all times. Visit the COVID-19 hub for more details about accessing campus and on-campus protocols. 16 December 2020 1.30pm AEDT The majority of Swinburne staff will continue to work from home until at least 1 February 2021. Swinburnes COVID-19 Taskforce has formed a dedicated project team to plan and work through a range of options to support staff with a gradual transition back to campus in 2021. The project team is also exploring what our future ways of working will look like, including options around flexible working, transitioning to a COVID Normal and a longer-term approach to new ways of working. Staff transition to campus will be gradual and in line with government directives and COVIDSafe protocols. 11 December 2020 - 11.00am AEDT With the further easing of restrictions in Victoria, Swinburne has made changes to some of its on-campus protocols and services. Face masks are no longer mandatory when indoors and outdoors where physical distancing is maintained. However, for the safety of our community, Swinburne requires that staff, students and visitors wear a face mask on campus where 1.5m physical distancing cannot be maintained. Please also ensure that you are carrying a face mask at all times as per government directives. The Victorian Department of Education and Training has provided advice that during the COVIDSafe Summer, adult education settings can open without density quotients in their learning and classroom spaces. Swinburne will implement this advice and remove the density quotient for these settings. Density limits of one person per two square metres apply to all other areas, such as offices, open plan desk areas, and kitchens. In these settings, maintaining a physical distance of 1.5m must continue to be applied where reasonably practical. Where it is not reasonably practical to achieve physical distancing of 1.5m due to the nature of the teaching/learning activity, approval for the activity can be obtained through a Teaching Transition Plan request. For Nursing and Allied Health units where physical distancing cannot be achieved, clinical teaching staff will determine if additional personal protective equipment (PPE) and associated controls are required. In addition, Wellbeing at Swinburne (Medical Centre) will resume face-to-face operations on all campuses on Monday 14 December, with most services available Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. 27 November 2020 - 10.30am AEDT As announced by the Victorian Premier, there will be a gradual return of staff to workplaces starting 30 November. A small proportion of Swinburne students and staff have already been transitioned to campus under existing restrictions. Considering this, and the stage of the academic year that we are in, Swinburne staff are advised to continue to work from home where possible, until 1 February 2021. Staff who need to transition to campus earlier due to work or personal circumstances will need to complete the necessary access to campus processes and receive approval to do so. Swinburnes position will be reviewed in late January 2021. Swinburnes travel policy As borders start to open across Australia, Swinburne has made some updates to its travel policy, as below: We will continue to be guided by government advice, as such, there is to be no international travel until further notice Domestic travel, which includes both interstate and intrastate travel will be permitted where it relates to the core business activity, and will require necessary approvals from the Executive Group 23 November 2020 11.00am AEDT Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews, has announced further easing of COVID-19 restrictions in the state. From 11.59pm Sunday 22 November, Victoria moved to the Last Step of the COVID-19 roadmap. Under the Last Step, public gatherings will increase to up to 50 people outdoors. Face masks will no longer be mandatory outdoors where physical distance can be maintained, however they will still be mandatory in all indoor settings. While the Premier also announced a gradual return of staff to workplaces for the private sector, he also flagged that employees in the public sector will continue to work from home under existing arrangements. In line with this directive, Swinburne staff must continue to work from home unless advised otherwise. Swinburnes dedicated COVID-19 Taskforce is working through the implications of this announcement and further updates will be communicated directly to our students and staff. 9 November 2020 12.30pm AEDT Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews, has announced a further easing of COVID-19 restrictions. From 11.59pm Sunday 8 November, the 25km travel limit and the boundary between Melbourne and regional Victoria will be lifted. There are further easing of restrictions around private gatherings, retail and sporting facilities. Swinburne students and staff are to continue learning and working from home. Swinburnes COVID-19 Taskforce will work through the implications of this announcement and further updates will be communicated directly to our students and staff. 30 October 2020 4.30pm AEDT The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Knox COVID-19 testing site will be relocated from the Westfield Knox shopping centre to Swinburnes Wantirna campus. This will support DHHS to continue to provide safe and accessible drive-through testing for the Knox community. The site will be located at the gravel car park off Riverpark Drive near Stud Road at the top end of the Wantirna campus. It will provide testing seven days a week from 9am to 5pm and will operate with a strict COVIDSafe operating plan. The site will be set up at Swinburnes Wantirna campus on Sunday 1 November. The first day of testing at this site will commence on Monday 2 November 2020 at 9am. 27 October 2020 1.30pm AEDT Swinburne has launched a self-assessment tool within the Swinburne App to support the safe transition to campus of our students, staff and stakeholders, and to assist with contact tracing. The self-assessment tool is mandatory for all staff and students who are attending campus. It must be completed each day before coming to campus. Staff and students will be asked three questions as part of the self-assessment, which seeks to understand if the staff member or student has COVID-19 symptoms, if they have been in contact with someone who has COVID-19 or if they are required to self-isolate. On completing the self-assessment, staff and students will receive a message to advise they are either approved to attend campus on that day or not authorised to attend campus on the same day. The direction provided is relevant for one day. When on campus, staff and students must connect to Swinburnes wifi network eduroam and to also use swipe cards when entering buildings. This will play an important role in supporting the university to complete contact tracing if required. Temperature checking Temperature checking will no longer be mandatory for staff, students, contractors or visitors who come to campus from 29 October 2020. Government guidelines have been adjusted in response to the reduced risk of community transmission of COVID-19 in metropolitan Melbourne. To continue to provide a level of health support, self-serve temperature checking stations have been installed on campus for those choose to have their temperature checked. These stations will not be staffed, but are simple to use and will have easy to follow instructions available. The locations of these stations by campuses are: Croydon Cafeteria Wantirna LateLab Hawthorn (two locations) GS Building, Lift Foyer, Ground Floor and at the entrance to the Latelab (off John Street) In instances where physical distancing cannot be achieved and where high-risk cohorts are involved, such as students who work in aged care settings or researchers working in a lab where physical distancing isnt feasible, temperature checking will remain mandatory. Further information on the self-assessment tool and temperature checking can be found on the COVID-19 hub on-campus protocol page. 26 October 2020 5.00pm AEDT Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews has announced that metropolitan Melbourne will move into the Third Step of easing coronavirus restrictions from 11.59pm Tuesday 27 October. Under the Third Step, there will be a significant easing of restrictions including the reopening of cafes, restaurants, pubs as well as retail outlets. The four reasons to leave home will no longer apply, however, the 25km travel radius remains in place. Swinburne students and staff will continue to learn and work from home where possible. If you can work or learn at home, you must continue to do so. Our dedicated COVID-19 Taskforce will work through the implications of Premier Daniel Andrews announcement and any changes will be communicated promptly to students and staff. There will be a further easing of restrictions from 11.59pm Sunday 8 November. 19 October 2020 11.00am AEDT Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews has announced the easing of restrictions in Victoria. From 11.59pm Sunday 18 October, in metropolitan Melbourne the four reasons to stay at home remain: to shop for food and other necessary goods (this now includes the hairdresser) for care and compassionate reasons for work or education for exercise or social interaction (no time limit). People will now be able to travel in a 25-kilometre radius from their homes. Groups of 10 people from two households can gather outside. A fitted face mask that covers the nose and mouth must be worn whenever you leave your house, unless you have an exemption. Swinburne staff and students will continue to learn and work from home for the foreseeable future. It is vital that students and staff do not come on campus unless they fall in the exempted categories and have the necessary approvals. Swinburne is continuing its planning to ensure that our students can complete their 2020 year and to enable our final year students to graduate. Our dedicated COVID-19 Taskforce will work through the implications of yesterdays announcement and communicate any relevant updates to students and staff as soon as possible. Restrictions will be eased further on from 11.59pm Sunday 1 November. 28 September 2020 1.00pm AEST From 11:59pm Sunday 27 September, metropolitan Melbourne has moved to the Second Step of easing restrictions. The four reasons to leave home remain, however some restrictions have been eased, including: the curfew has been lifted groups of up to five people from across a maximum of two households can meet outdoors, within the 5km limit childcare and early educators can reopen primary school students, VCE/VCAL and specialist schools return to onsite learning from October 12 final year higher education and apprenticeship students who require access to in-person teaching, assessment or work placements can attend onsite for learning and assessment workforce limits for some industries have been expanded. Further easing of restrictions around exercise, weddings, funerals, care and health facilities are also in place as part of the Second Step. In addition, Victorians are now required to wear a fitted face mask, covering the nose and mouth. Wearing a face shield, or a scarf or bandana as a face covering, is no longer permitted. Progression to the Third and Last Steps of easing restrictions will be dependent on case number targets, not dates. Our COVID-19 Taskforce will work through the implications of the latest announcements for Swinburne and communicate any relevant updates to students and staff as soon as possible. 6 September 2020 6.45pm AEST Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews has today announced a roadmap for Victorian residents and businesses addressing the lifting of restrictions across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria. The roadmap outlined the following key points: Stage 4 restrictions (currently in place in metropolitan Melbourne until Sunday 13 September) will be extended for an additional two weeks until Monday 28 September, with some easing of restrictions around exercise, curfew hours and social interaction. Further easing of restrictions over the coming months will be subject to public health advice and the average daily cases. Swinburne has already commenced contingency planning to ensure that our students can complete their 2020 year and to enable our final year students to graduate. Our dedicated COVID-19 Taskforce will work through the implications of todays announcement and communicate any updates to students and staff as soon as possible. 5 August 2020 6.30pm AEST In addition to recently announced Stage 4 restrictions, the Victorian Government has advised permitted workers who fall in the exempted categories will require a worker permit from 11.59pm Wednesday 5 August when travelling to and from work. It is vital that students and staff do not come on campus unless they fall in the exempted categories and have the necessary approvals. As part of the Permitted Worker Scheme, Swinburne will be issuing worker permits for staff in selected categories of teaching, research and essential support services that are exempt from Stage 4 restrictions. More information about this process is available on the Stage 4 restrictions page on our COVID-19 hub. Swinburne will also issue approval letters for students in exempted categories to enable them to travel to and from campus for approved activities. Students and staff who are permitted on campus must adhere to on-campus protocols, including mandatory temperature checks and wearing a face covering. The Victorian Government has also announced car parks in metropolitan Melbourne must close from 11.59pm on Wednesday 5 August. Car parks that remain open will risk a penalty of $100,000. In response, Swinburne will close its car parks in Henry Street, Burwood Road and the multi-deck car park in Wakefield Street, Hawthorn from Wednesday, 5 August until 16 September 2020. Students and staff who have swipe card access and have been permitted to come onto campus will still be able to park on campus. 5 August 2020 10.30am AEST Whilst the majority of our teaching and learning will continue to be delivered online, we are temporarily restricting access to Hawthorn, Wantirna and Croydon campuses from 11:59pm on Wednesday 5 August for six weeks. Access to campuses will only be allowed for those in selected exempt categories of teaching, research, and essential support services. Most of our buildings will be closed to staff and students except those with a specific exemption under Stage 4 restrictions. Most teaching will continue to be delivered online, in keeping with government directives. As announced by Premier Daniel Andrews, staff in selected exempt categories will need a Worker Permit from 11:59pm Wednesday, 5 August when travelling to and from work. These will be issued by Swinburne and we are developing a process to ensure relevant staff subject to exemptions, can be issued with a permit. Exceptions apply to those who fall under selected exempt categories. Students and staff permitted to come on campus will need to follow all current on-campus protocols, including mandatory temperature checks. Most students and staff should expect to continue to study and work remotely for the foreseeable future. Libraries and Latelabs on all campuses are now closed. Wellbeing at Swinburne will continue to operate both online and also at Hawthorn campus. You can make an appointment to see a GP or for counselling by calling (03) 9214 8483. More information and updates are available at our COVID-19 hub, which we will continue to update regularly. 3 August 2020 3.00pm AEST In keeping with the Stage 4 restrictions in Melbourne, the following decisions have been made relating to on-campus classes and services: classes currently on campus will continue as scheduled, unless advised otherwise on-campus classes will finish no later than 6.30pm to enable students and staff to make curfew. They will be rescheduled or cancelled, and students will be notified in advance VCE and VCAL courses will abide by the conditions imposed on secondary schools and all will move to remote learning effective immediately Latelabs and Libraries will close from 5.00pm Monday 3 August research activities will continue as normal until advised otherwise temperature checking will continue on all Swinburne campuses 2 August 2020 3.30pm AEST The Victorian Government has announced that Victoria will enter a State of Disaster starting 6.00pm Sunday, 2 August 2020. Additionally, Melbourne will move to Stage 4 restrictions starting 8.00pm Sunday, 2 August 2020, with stronger rules in place to limit peoples movements across the state. The following new restrictions will now apply to Melbourne: an 8.00pm 5.00am curfew beginning on Sunday, 2 August. The only reasons to leave home during these hours will be work, medical care and caregiving exercise will be limited to a maximum of one hour per day and no more than five-kilometres from your home group size for exercise will be limited to a maximum of two people shopping will be limited to one person per household per day, within a five-kilometre radius from your home Additionally, Premier Daniel Andrews has also announced that Regional Victoria will return to Stage 3 restrictions from 11.59pm Wednesday, 5 August 2020. More information on what these new restrictions mean for Swinburne students and staff will be communicated promptly. 28 July 2020 4.30pm AEST Swinburne is mandating temperature checking for all staff, students, contractors and visitors coming onto campus for approved essential activities from Friday, 31 July 2020. This is an important measure, which will help protect our community during the current level of community transmission. Temperature checking is one of the many tools Swinburne is implementing to help mitigate risk on campus and keep our community safe. Physical distancing, hand hygiene and staying at home if unwell remain important measures to minimise the spread of COVID-19 in our community. Visit Swinburnes on-campus protocols page for further information on temperature checking, including the locations of the temperature checking stations. 20 July 2020 9.00am AEST The Victorian Government has mandated face coverings for people living in metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire when leaving home for one of the four reasons. By covering our faces, were protecting ourselves, our families and every single Victorian. So please just as you remember your house keys, please remember something to cover your face, says Premier Daniel Andrews. This new rule will come into effect on 11.59pm, Wednesday 22 July. The fine for not wearing a face covering when youre out will be $200. Swinburne students and staff are expected to abide by these new directives while they are on-campus for essential teaching, learning and research activities. 7 July 2020 4.00pm AEST The Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced that Stage 3 Stay at Home restrictions will be reinstated from 11:59pm on Wednesday 8 July for metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire in Victoria for six weeks. If you live in these areas, there will be only four reasons to leave your home: Shopping for food and essential items Care and caregiving Daily exercise Work and study if you cant do it from home Otherwise: stay home. This Stay at Home direction will apply to your principal place of residence. Businesses in metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire will also return to Stage 3 restrictions. Restaurants and cafes will return to takeaway and delivery services only. Beauty and personal services will need to close. Entertainment and cultural venues will need to close. Community sport will stop. Swinburne staff and students are expected to abide by these government directives. We will continue to update you. 2 July 2020 9.00am AEST The Victorian Government has announced a return to Stage 3 stay at home restrictions in several suburbs across the state in response to a recent increase in COVID-19 cases. These restrictions will be in place from 11.59pm, Wednesday 1 July and relate to people who reside in these postcodes: 3038, 3064, 3047, 3060, 3012, 3032, 3055, 3042, 3021 and 3046. Under Stage 3 restrictions, residents in these locations are asked to stay at home except for four reasons: shop for food and supplies provide care and caregiving exercise study or work if you cant do it from home. These restrictions are expected to remain in place in these locations until 29 July. Swinburne staff and students who reside in these locations are expected to abide by these government directives. However, study and work are exempt from these lockdowns and we understand that some staff and students will come to campus for essential teaching and learning or research activities. 24 June 2020 1.00pm AEST As Swinburne transitions essential activities to campus, managing the health, safety and wellbeing of our people is our priority. To minimise risk to our community, Swinburne is implementing appropriate health and hygiene protocols. We have also developed a Keeping Swinburne COVIDSafe training module (login required) that has been shared with all staff. A similar training module has been provided to higher education and vocational education students who have commenced on-campus classes, and will be available for the wider student cohort in the coming weeks. The training outlines Swinburnes key COVIDSafe principles and the processes in place to ensure the health and safety of our people on campus. Key topics covered in the training include: Physical distancing requirements Capacity limits of our spaces Cleaning of facilities and equipment Hygiene More information on our transition to campus is available on our COVID-19 hub. 22 June 2020 10.30am AEST The Victorian Government has announced a tightening of restrictions following a spike of COVID-19 cases in the state. These restrictions will be in place from 11.59pm, Sunday 21 June and include: a maximum of five visitors to your home outdoor gatherings will be limited to ten people restaurants, pubs, auction halls, community halls, libraries, museums and places of worship will be restricted to a maximum of 20 people until 12 July businesses set to open on 22 June (gyms, cinemas, theatres and TABs) can do so, but with a maximum of 20 people those who can work from home must continue to do so at least until 31 July 19 June 2020 4pm AEST The Australian Government has announced it will provide an additional 39,000 university places by 2023 to meet the expected increase in demand because of COVID-19. University students who study in areas of expected employment growth will pay less for their degree as they are incentivised to make more job-relevant decisions about their education. From 2021 students will pay: 62 per cent less to study agriculture and maths 46 per cent less to study teaching, nursing, clinical psychology, English and languages 20 per cent less to study health, architecture, environmental science, IT, and engineering 28 per cent more to study law and commerce 113 per cent more to study humanities Current students will not be affected by the increased student contribution. The proposal will require the approval of Parliament. The government will also provide $900 million for a National Priorities and Industry Linkage Fund to incentivise universities to produce job-ready graduates that local industries and employers need. 10 June 2020 - 5pm AEST Swinburne continues to exercise care and caution as we plan our transition to campus. To protect the health of our community and adhere to government directives, online learning and assessments will continue to be the primary mode of delivery for the majority of teaching activities in 2020. However, we are planning to safely transition some specific activities to campus to ensure students can continue to progress in their studies. A small number of students with delayed practical activities and assessments from semester 1 will be contacted by their unit convenors about activities that will operate on campus in July. Approximately 100 units will be scheduled for on-campus delivery in semester 2. There will be no online alternative for these learning activities, so students will need to attend campus in order to complete these activities. A number of units will have selected learning activities transitioned to on-campus delivery. Students in these units will have the option to attend campus to participate in these activities if they wish. Students will be advised to check their timetable in early-July to confirm any on-campus activities in their schedule. Swinburne will implement strict health and hygiene protocols to ensure the safety of our students and staff, including extra cleaning, clear signage, and physical distancing requirements. Students and staff should not attend campus if they are feeling unwell. As we continue to support our students during this time, students will also be able to request to have results achieved after 1 April 2020 omitted from their GPA calculation. This is in addition to our no recording of fails on transcripts policy which means fail grades will not count as part of a students GPA calculation (as of 1 April 2020). More information on our transition to campus is available on our COVID-19 hub. 2 June 2020 - 2pm AEST Swinburne is continuing careful planning for a staged and flexible transition to campus. At all times, the health, safety and wellbeing of our people is Swinburnes top priority. We are working through how to safely transition essential teaching activity to campus as soon as possible. However, online learning and assessment approaches will continue to be the primary delivery mode for the majority of teaching activities for the remainder of 2020. Students should expect to continue studying online for the immediate future. Essential face-to-face learning activities that were postponed in semester 1 will be prioritised for on-campus delivery as soon as possible. Laboratories, practical classes, studios, specialist classes and general tutorials will be delivered on-campus for winter term and semester 2 (Higher Education) and the July/August teaching periods (Vocational Education). These are subject to risk assessments and capacity across our campus spaces. Students will be contacted by their unit convenors or teachers with any changes to their delivery mode. Staff have been asked to continue working from home if they are able to, in line with Victorian government advice. We expect most staff will need to continue to work from home in some form throughout winter. Essential student facilities and campus services, such as study and library spaces, will gradually reopen from the beginning of June. Our Latelabs at Hawthorn and Croydon are open as of Monday 1 June. Our Wantirna Latelab will be opening from Monday 8 June. Some face-to-face services will be available in time for winter term (22 June), such as student ID card services, library spaces, loans and returns, and essential health and wellbeing services. By semester 2, some further student facilities such as full library services and studentHQ services, Student Life club activities and prayer rooms may be open. The latest information on our transition to campus will be updated on Swinburnes COVID-19 hub. 21 May 2020 4pm AEST Swinburne is carefully planning for a staged and flexible transition to campus. At all times, the health, safety and wellbeing of our people is Swinburnes top priority. Our approach will be in line with government requirements, including appropriate physical distancing and hygiene practices, and guided by our own formal risk assessments. Our top priorities for access to campus are: Practical teaching that cannot be conducted remotely Research that requires specific facilities to proceed Essential student-facing staff and student facilities, such as study spaces We expect that most professional staff will not transition to campus in the immediate future and have asked staff to continue to work from home if they are able to. Swinburne will share details with students and staff as plans are finalised. 19 May 2020 11am AEST Today the Victorian Government has announced it will make an unprecedented investment in local universities to support the states economic rebound from the coronavirus pandemic. This Victorian Higher Education State Investment Fund provides $350 million to support universities with capital works, applied research and research partnerships. The works will focus on new technology and infrastructure, enabling universities to conduct new research, commercialise Intellectual Property and create high-value jobs. This investment not only supports our universities through this crisis, it ensures we have a strong Higher Education sector as we move to recovery, says Victorias Minister for Higher Education, Gayle Tierney. Also announced, the government will offer universities payroll tax deferrals valued at around $110 million. This is intended to provide immediate relief for universities dealing with a shortfall in funds from the downturn of international student enrolments and other revenue loss as a result of COVID-19. The government expects universities to use this funding to retain as many staff as possible, so that Victorian universities are well-placed to drive the revival of the states economy out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Todays funding is in addition to the $260.8 million announced by the government last month to support the TAFE and training system, and the $55 million in maintenance works at TAFE as part of the $2.7 billion Building Works package. 11 May 2020 2pm AEST The Victorian state government has announced a gradual easing of restrictions with a focus on ensuring the safety of all Victorians. Starting 11.59pm on Tuesday 12 May the following changes will be introduced in the state: outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people will be permitted indoor gatherings at home will be allowed, with up to five visitors in your home outdoor recreational activities are allowed; however, these activities are limited to 10 people and physical distancing measures must be practiced for weddings, 10 guests are allowed, plus the couple and celebrant for funerals, 20 people will be allowed at an indoor ceremony and 30 people at an outdoor ceremony. This is in addition to the minimum people required to conduct the funeral religious gatherings and ceremonies will be permitted with up to 10 people in addition to those required to perform the ceremony These new restrictions and a renewed State of Emergency will be in place until 11.59pm on Sunday 31 May. Two people were arrested on charges they trafficked a 14-year-old girl for sex, including bringing her to a retired state corrections officers home, who was also charged in the case, authorities announced Thursday. The state Attorney Generals Office (AG) announced the arrests of Tiffany Davis, 39, of Egg Harbor Township, Derrick Ross, 26 of Atlantic City and the retired officer, Kurt Young, 52, of South Dennis Township. Davis and Ross are both charged with human trafficking and promoting prostitution of a child under 18, both first-degree offenses. They also face a charge of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Young is charged with sexual assault of a child under 16 and engaging in prostitution with a minor, both second-degree offenses. In November, Davis and Ross posted ads of the girl online and trafficked her in Atlantic City and in other parts of South Jersey, the AGs statement said. A detective with the New Jersey State Polices Casino Gaming Bureau responded to an escort ad by phone and arranged to meet with the girl at a casino hotel in Atlantic City. The girl was recovered and referred to support services after meeting the detective on Nov. 27, 2019. Ross was arrested that day. Davis was arrested Jan. 17, 2020. Davis and Ross allegedly split the proceeds from trafficking the 14-year-old girl. On Tuesday, investigators arrested Young, a retired state corrections officer. He paid Davis to bring the teen girl to his home for sex, authorities said. If convicted on the first-degree human trafficking charge, Davis and Ross could face 20 years to life in prison. The penalty for other first-degree charges is 10 to 20 years. A conviction on the second-degree charges carries a penalty of 5 to 10 years in prison. Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JBrandt_NJ. 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. CHICO, Calif.- A business owner in Chico says he's fed up after his shop has been vandalized twice in one week. Dave Williams, owner of "Dave's Chico Muffler Services", on Broadway Street, says the latest break-in at his shop took place two days ago, and the one before that took place exactly a week before. Williams says he's facing at least $5,000 dollars worth of damage and stolen property. He says, "I've lived here my whole life and I've been on this corner for more than 30 years and every year it gets worse. I'm very fed up." The Chico Police Department says they are aware of both incidents and there is currently an active investigation taking place. Officials are still working to obtain surveillance footage from surrounding businesses to help them find whoever is responsible. Williams says he's in the process of installing security cameras himself. According to The Chico Police Online Crime Map, there have been 32 reports of vandalism in the last 30 days in Chico. Film: "Bad Boys For Life"; Cast: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Alexander Ludwig, Charles Melton, Paola Nunez, Kate Del Castillo, Nicky Jam, Joe Pantoliano, Theresa Randle, Bianca Bethune, Jacob Scipio; Direction: Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah; Rating: ** (two stars) A typically frothy, buddy-cop drama, "Bad Boys For Life" is the third edition of the franchise, which started way back in 1995. This film picks up in real-time, 17 years after the events of the previous film with nearly the entire cast, which is wonderful. It also introduces a new team, which adds dimensions to the protagonists' character with the family-and-friend track. These new aspects, in turn, add an emotional weightage to the viewing experience. In this edition, Miami detectives Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) are both in their fifties racing against time, at this juncture, not to arrest any criminal but to meet Marcus' just-born grandson. Realising how fast time is moving, Marcus plans to retire from the fast-moving life of a cop but Mike, who still has the stamina in him, refuses to hang his boots. And while they are debating on the issue of retirement, Mike finds himself shot in the gut by a Mexican assassin, Armando (Jacob Scipio), son of the psychopathic cartel leader Isabel Aretas (Kate del Castillo). Soon the investigation unspools a vengeance plot, which finds Mike hunt for the Aretas family, despite the objections of Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano), who reluctantly allows him to team up with the high-tech Advanced Miami Metro Operations group, or AMMO, consisting of the enthusiastic Kelly (Vanessa Hudgens), smug Rafe (Charles Melton) and nerdy beefcake Dom (Alexander Ludwig), all under the command of Rita (Paola Nunez). Soon Marcus joins in to lend his helping hand. On the performance front, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, both share the same charisma and chemistry that they did over the last two decades, but they barely hide their boredom with the material. They actually sleepwalk through their performances, thereby resembling glorified stereotypes. The four members of AMMO clearly positioned to serve as the foundation for a Fast & Furious ensemble-style reinvention of this franchise, add gravitas to this edition. But it is Jacob Scipio and Kate del Castillo, as the mother-son duo, who bring intrigue and excitement to their characters. Packed with high-octane action sequences, which include fights, vehicular chases, shootouts and helicopter crash sequence, the film has exciting set-pieces. It is not exceptional in any sense but special mention is a must for the editors Dan Lebental and Peter McNulty for maintaining the continuity during the action and emotional scenes and making the film appear creative and spectacular. Overall, this film is a timepass crowd pleaser. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday met Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn and discussed a host of issues to strengthen bilateral ties. The two leaders met over breakfast and exchanged views on issues of mutual interest. The meeting comes in the backdrop of six resolutions being tabled by groups within the European Union against India's new citizenship law, which it alleged marks a "dangerous shift" in the country's citizenship regime. Luxembourg is part of the European Union. Amid anti-CAA protests in India, the UK on Thursday said it hopes that the Indian government will address concerns of the people over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) as its manifesto commitment is "with all, development for all and trust of all". Outgoing British High Commissioner to India Dominic Asquith also said the British side is "very interested" in a visit to the Kashmir Valley and has a standing request for it. He also said the British side had not received any request from the Indian side to visit Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370 provisions. At an interaction with journalists here, the British envoy also expressed "regret" over violent protests on the premises of the Indian mission in London last year. Asked about the protests in India over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, Asquith said, "We have noted what the government and Mr. Modi say about together with all, development for all, and trust of all (reference to sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishvas) and I believe that is the manifesto commitment of this government." "There is protest in every single democracy...I refer back to the 'with all, development for all, and trust of all' as the objective set by this government and I am sure that in that 'trust of all' (is) the trust that it will be addressing the concerns that have been expressed about the CAA. But that is for the Indian government to deal with," Asquith said. On the anti-CAA resolutions in the European Parliament, he said parliaments as key democratic institutions have the habit to debate a variety of subjects. On the eve of Britain's historic departure from the European Union, Asquith stressed that the UK will remain the most important European partner of India. There will be an expansion of diplomatic and trade activity, he said. Asquith also expressed support for permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for India. Asked when will British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visit India, the envoy said he would visit some time this year. "He (Johnson) said he wants to come. I would be very surprised if you don't see him or meet him sometime this year," Asquith told reporters. Talking about the issue of security of the Indian High Commission in London, he reiterated the UK's commitment to the obligations to make sure that diplomatic premises and staff are not threatened. He also expressed regret over "any threat the Indian diplomats may have felt as a result of protests in August and September". "I am glad to note that the last two protests have passed off without any serious concern. That balance between the right to protest which in a democratic society is very important and ensuring that protests don't cross the line to illegality is a balance that is always difficult to maintain," he said, adding that the Metropolitan Police has the responsibility to do. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Michael Rozman/Warner Bros. Ellen Degeneres will have a former Barbers Hill ISD student on her show Wednesday after the east Houston-area district made national headlines by telling senior DeAndre Arnold to cut his dreadlocks to comply with the districts dress code. Barbers Hill officials told Arnold that he would face suspension or sent to an alternative campus and would not be able to walk at graduation unless he cut the dreadlocks. And even amid the impeachment scandal in Washington, and with far less Western political assistance than his predecessor, Mr. Zelensky is making tentative progress toward ending the bloodshed in the countrys east, where Russia continues to wage a war that has cost over 13,000 lives. Mr. Zelensky met with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in December. Despite worries that he would capitulate to Russia, he stood firm. In addition to a prisoner exchange that took place before the new year, the leaders agreed to new civilian crossings and a demining plan. Whats more, Mr. Zelensky laid out clear red lines he will not cross in future negotiations: Ukraine will not be federalized, allow Russia to influence its political decisions or acquiesce to Russian control of any of its territories, including Crimea. American influence would be most useful for these peace negotiations and anticorruption efforts. A skilled replacement for Kurt Volker, Americas former special envoy to the country, will ensure that Ukraine isnt left with an outcome that threatens its sovereignty. A more unified American voice might help in other areas, too: Worries remain about the oligarch Ihor Kolomoiskys influence over the government, as well as the new political elites relative inexperience. High-level American pressure could provide the guidance the Zelensky administration needs to continue to govern well, free of oligarchic influence. Resolving these issues is in Americas interests. A democratic, prosperous and peaceful Ukraine can serve as a model for other transitional democracies pushing back on Russian influence and adventurism and making room for citizen participation in government. American diplomats and civil servants continue to diligently assist their Ukrainian counterparts to achieve these goals, but their message is undercut by the drumbeat of conspiracy and accusations of corruption reverberating in the halls of Congress. Members of Congress who were once among the most vocal supporters of Ukraine, including Senator Lindsey Graham, who has visited Ukrainian troops on the front lines in the countrys east, are now undercutting the progress Kyiv has made in the last six years. They claim that Ukraine is irredeemably corrupt despite the successful reforms they advocated under the previous president, Petro Poroshenko. These misplaced corruption concerns fuel unfounded narratives about Hunter Biden, Ukrainian election interference, the CrowdStrike conspiracy theory and secret cabals of bad guys within Ukrainian society allegedly working against Mr. Trump. It is a dizzying array of falsehoods meant to confuse Congress and the American people, and everyone involved knows it. In recently released text messages, Rudy Giuliani, the presidents personal attorney and kingpin of Ukraine conspiracy theories, even admitted his fantasy about Ukrainian election interference is baseless. Bucharest, Jan 30 /Agerpres/ - The United States of America are an essential strategic partner for Romania, stated Deputy Prime Minister Raluca Turcan, after she had, on Wednesday, a meeting with the US ambassador in Bucharest, Adrian Zuckerman. "I assured today Mr. Adrian Zuckerman, the US Ambassador to Romania, that he has in this government a trustworthy ally that will openly enter into all common commitments," Turcan wrote on her Facebook page. She emphasizes the importance of "a dialogue increasingly more intense to put into practice the strategic orientation resulted from the meeting of August 2019 between President Klaus Iohannis and the US President, Donald Trump". "I was elated at the support Ambassador Zuckerman expressed towards the priorities of the Orban Government: consolidation of the rule of law, healthcare, education, development of infrastructure. We have an excellent opportunity to extend the collaboration between Romania and the US in numerous domains, in the line with our strategic partnership. We are profoundly grateful for the United States' contribution to the democratic consolidation of Romania in the past 30 years, as well as for the strong support granted to the efforts to strengthen national security," the Deputy Prime Minister also wrote. AGERPRES Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 30, 2020 13:25 713 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2061b8aaf 1 City coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,mask Free The flu-like outbreak linked to the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) centered in Wuhan, China, has prompted Jakartans to buy up masks across the capital, including at Pramuka Market in Matraman, South Jakarta, where stocks of surgical and N95 masks have started to run out. Aya, a vendor of medical supplies at the market, said that the masks were becoming harder to source amid the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak. "We started running out of stock when the coronavirus became a hot topic after Chinese New Year," Aya said on Wednesday as quoted by kompas.com. "N95 masks are usually for factory workers so they are supposed to be better [than surgical masks], and even the factories are starting to run out," she added. "We still have our final stock of regular masks. People have bought out the N95 masks, so the rest are buying the regular masks," said Aya. Anton, who was visiting the market on Wednesday, said he was looking for the N95 masks for shipping them to Wuhan, but could not find any. "I have looked everywhere, but most [shops] have run out, including here [at Pramuka]. I need around 100,000 masks to send to Wuhan," he said. The 2019-nCoV causes a flu-like severe respiratory ailment, and can spread from person to person by airborne droplets that an infected person expels when sneezing or coughing. Official figures on Thursday showed that 170 people in China had died from the viral disease and that the virus had infected over 7,000 people worldwide, AFP reported. Indonesia has no confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV infection to Jan. 29.(ami) A wanted woman has hit back at police for posting an unflattering mugshot of her on Facebook. Officers shared the 'most recent image' they had of Tiffany-Anne Brislane, 23, who is being hunted by Newcastle City Police for alleged stealing offences. She is known to frequent suburbs of Newcastle, north of Sydney, including Wallsend. Officers shared the 'most recent image' they had of Tiffany-Anne Brislane, 23, who is being hunted by Newcastle City Police for alleged stealing offences The mother-of-two came across the police's Facebook post and fired back at some of the comments (pictured) The image from 2015 shows Brislane with her hair up in a bun, a confused look on her face and a tattoo on her collarbone which reads: 'We don't remember days, we remember moments.' Police posted the image in the hope it garner information on her whereabouts. The mother-of-two came across the Facebook post and fired back in the comment section. 'Loving the photo taken how many years ago. Let's calm down on the comments guys it's not everyday I look like trailer trash. Let's just say it wasn't a good angle,' she commented. Newcastle Police responded: 'Probably time you walk into a police station before we find you.' 'Thanks for the advice like I said youse [sic] will be seeing me bright and early Monday morning with my solicitor. Thanks guys,' she fired back. 'Thanks for the advice like I said youse [sic] will be seeing me bright and early Monday morning with my solicitor. Thanks guys,' she once again responded Brislane then took to her personal Facebook page where she uploaded an 'actual pic of me'. 'Here's an actual pic of me. Let's take the time to acknowledge this is not my current Newcastle police page photo they've decided to upload from 2015,' she wrote. Some social media users lashed out at others for their comments. 'For Christ's sake I pray none of you ever have a family member or friend in this situation because most of you are just plain downright nasty,' one person wrote. 'This is someones daughter, sister, loved one. Have a heart please.' Photo: The Canadian Press President Donald Trump Lawyers for a woman who accuses President Donald Trump of raping her in the 1990s are asking for a DNA sample, seeking to determine whether his genetic material is on a dress she says she wore during the encounter. Advice columnist E. Jean Carrolls lawyers served notice to a Trump attorney Thursday for Trump to submit a sample on March 2 in Washington for analysis and comparison against unidentified male DNA present on the dress. Carroll filed a defamation suit against Trump in November after the president denied her allegation. Her lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, then had the black wool coat-style dress tested. A lab report with the legal notice says DNA found on the sleeves was a mix of at least four people, at least one of them male. Several other people were tested and eliminated as possible contributors to the mix, according to the lab report, which was obtained by The Associated Press. Their names are redacted. While the notice is a demand, such demands often spur court fights requiring a judge to weigh in on whether they will be enforced. The Associated Press sent a message to Trump's attorney seeking comment. Carroll accused Trump last summer of raping her in a Manhattan luxury department store dressing room in the mid-1990s. In a New York magazine piece in June and a book published the next month, Carroll said she and Trump met by chance, chatted and went to the lingerie department for Trump to pick out a gift for an unidentified woman. She said joking banter about trying on a bodysuit ended in a dressing room, where she said Trump reached under her black wool dress, pulled down her tights and raped her as she tried to fight him off, eventually escaping. The Donna Karan coatdress still hangs on the back of my closet door, unworn and unlaundered since that evening, she wrote. She donned it for a photo accompanying the magazine piece. Trump said in June that Carroll was totally lying and he had never met this person in my life. While a 1987 photo shows them and their then-spouses at a social event, Trump dismissed it as a moment when he was standing with my coat on in a line. She is trying to sell a new book that should indicate her motivation, he said in one of various statements on the matter, adding that the book should be sold in the fiction section. Carroll sued Trump in November, saying he smeared her and hurt her career as a longtime Elle magazine advice columnist by calling her a liar. She is seeking unspecified damages and a retraction of Trumps statements. Unidentified male DNA on the dress could prove that Donald Trump not only knows who I am, but also that he violently assaulted me in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman and then defamed me by lying about it and impugning my character," Carroll said in a statement Thursday. Her lawyer, Kaplan, said it was standard operating procedure in a sexual assault investigation to request a DNA sample from the accused. As a result, weve requested a simple saliva sample from Mr. Trump to test his DNA, and there really is no valid basis for him to object, she said. In an emotional message to the citizens of Delhi, incumbent Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on January 30 that he has dedicated his life to the service of the nation. His statement was in response to Bharatiya Janata Partys Parvesh Verma labelling him a 'terrorist'. While the tussle between the Aam Admi Party (AAP) and the saffron party for the throne in Delhi has been ongoing, the feud got deeper in the run-up to the Delhi Assembly elections. Things started taking an ugly turn once Arvind Kejriwal began speaking about the anti-Citizenship Act demonstrators gathered at Shaheen Bagh. The worst direct attack on the AAPs national convener came from Verma at a Delhi rally held last week when he called him a terrorist. 5 pic.twitter.com/FzcgOOGmyy Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 30, 2020 Besides the party writing to Delhis Chief Electoral Officer seeking a formal complaint to be registered against the BJP MP, Kejriwal tweeted: Addressing the media on January 30, he said: How have I become a terrorist? I've arranged for medicines... did so much for the needy. I've never thought of myself or my family... am ready to give my life for the nation. I am a diabetes patient. I take insulin four times a day. Doctors asked me not to join politics... they said I would not live. Without food for four hours, diabetic patients collapse. Yet, I fasted twice, for 10 and 15 days. I put my life at stake for India, but the Opposition left no stone unturned to harass me. In conclusion, the IIT-Kharagpur graduate said: If I wanted to, I could have gone abroad like so many of my friends and colleagues. But I gave up my job; does a terrorist do all this? I leave this up to Delhi to decide... am I their son, their brother, or a terrorist? Manchester United's Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has become the first manager to defeat Manchester City twice on their home ground, Etihad Stadium. United defeated City 1-0 on Wednesday (local time) in the Carabao Cup to achieve the feat. Solskjaer's United had defeated City in December last year as well. However, City progressed to the finals of the Carabao Cup after defeating United on goals aggregate in the semi-final. After the loss, City's manager Pep Guardiola praised Manchester United and said that the team can reach their former glory. "I like the way they play a lot. The quality of players up front is incredible. I said before when we lost at home, I have the feeling they are trying to do what the manager wants. I think it works," Goal.com quoted Guardiola as saying. "Maybe they are not consistent. Maybe at home they struggle against the teams who defend deep. I think in time they will come back to what United was for many, many years," he added. Manchester United and Manchester City will now play against each other in the Premier League on March 8. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government is expected to announce two agriculture initiatives during the Union Budget, according to a report by The Economic Times. One scheme will be related to crop diversification, and the other will provide financial assistance to create Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), the report said. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, during her Budget speech in 2019, said the government planned to establish 10,000 FPOs over the next five years. Moneycontrol could not independently verify the story. The main challenge before FPOs is availability of credit as banks dont give them loans owing to unsecured returns, a government official told the paper. With governments equity, FPOs will be able to have easy access to credit backed by a sovereign guarantee. This will help FPOs expand their operations, the official added. FPOs will help farmers raise their income through market access and collective bargaining. Each FPO is operated as separate business units where the profits are shared by the member farmers. Apart from financing, the agriculture ministry will provide training to farmers who are part of the FPOs, the report said. For the crop diversification programme, the government might allocate Rs 500-600 crore to promote crops other than paddy in states such as Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh where the groundwater level is low. Sculptures by Salvador Dali worth nearly 500,000 were stolen early this morning in a smash-and-grab raid on a Stockholm gallery. The alarm was raised at around 4am on Thursday after at least two thieves broke through the front entrance of the Couleur Art Gallery in the Ostermalm neighbourhood. The burglars worked fast to strip the place of 10 or 12 bronze sculptures by the surrealist master, each worth up to 40,000 and each around 20 inches high. The two suspects are believed to have sped off in a dark Audi and the police arrived after they had left. Officers had been alerted by a private security firm. The alarm was raised at around 4am on Thursday after the thieves broke through the front entrance of the Couleur Art Gallery in the Ostermalm neighbourhood The sculptures had been shipped in from Switzerland as part of a 10 day exhibition. They are believed to have included 'The Profile Of Time' (pictured), a 1977 sculpture by Dali echoing the melting clocks of his famous 1931 painting 'The Persistence of Memory' A damaged door at the gallery this morning, police said at least two thieves entered the property Gallery owner Peder Enstrom told Goteborgs-Posten: 'The alarm went off at ten past four this morning, and police and security guards were quickly in place. Dali, a Spanish artist who died in 1989, was famous for his bizarre artworks and often just as renowned for his eccentric behaviour 'You see the podiums here, they are empty. They have taken all the sculptures. There were about ten. 'They were worth between 200,000 and 500,000 krona each. So that's a lot of money. It's awful.' The sculptures had been shipped in from Switzerland as part of a 10 day exhibition. The gallery has been closed off and police have opened an investigation. Mr Enstrom said that he hoped because the sculptures were numbered they would be difficult to sell. Dali, a Spanish artist who died in 1989, was famous for his bizarre artworks and often just as renowned for his eccentric behaviour, such as walking his pet anteater. His most famous work, the 1931 painting 'The Persistence of Memory,' is one of the most recognisable works of surrealism. It features melting watches or clocks on a coastal landscape. A police officer uses a torch to inspect the damaged door to the gallery this morning History was made at Aiken Barracks, Dundalk last week when a Kildare duo became the first mother and daughter to serve in the Irish Defence Forces. Following 27 weeks of training, Private Sarah Fitzsimons and her fellow comrades celebrated their passing out parade in the 27th Infantry Battalion. Her proud mum Sergeant Sandra Murphy watched on as her daughter received her rank as a 3-star Private. They are the first mother and daughter to serve together in Ireland. Sergeant Sandra Murphy spent many years travelling around the world throughout her 25 years of service. She was deployed to overseas to the Lebanon, Kosovo, Uganda and Syria. Sandra is a highly-skilled communications and information technician. Military.ie reports that Sergeant Murphys successful career played a key role in her daughter Sarah making the decision to join the defence forces. Sandra followed in her mothers footsteps and trained in the Communications and Information Services (CIS) Corps. Before she began her career in the Irish Defence Forces, Sarah completed her Leaving Cert and went on to do a PLC course in Criminology, Security & Legal studies. The 30 recruits of the 57th Recruit Platoon started their intense training on July 15, 2019 in Aiken Barracks, Dundalk. The new recruits came from all across Ireland to dedicate their time to learn and perfect their skills to become trained soldiers. Platoon Commander, Lt Conor OBrien congratulated the young privates on their achievement and wished them well. WASHINGTON Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross predicted Thursday morning that a deadly virus originating in China would cause companies to reconsider their global supply chains and ultimately help to accelerate the return of jobs to the United States. In an interview on Fox Business, Mr. Ross said diseases like the Wuhan coronavirus, which has killed more than a hundred people and sickened thousands, were another risk factor that people need to take into account when considering where to locate operations. Every Americans heart has to go out to the victims of the coronavirus, so I dont want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease, Mr. Ross said. But the fact is, it does give businesses yet another thing to consider when they go through their review of their supply chain. He cited the deadly SARS outbreak that paralyzed China 17 years ago, as well as the African swine fever that has decimated Chinas pig farms. One thing the coronavirus has been good for? The 2011 movie Contagion. As officials in China confirm more than 6,000 cases of the respiratory illness and 132 deaths (with five confirmed cases of the disease in the United States), the movie about a viral outbreak that wipes out the population has shot up the iTunes chart, The Hollywood Reporter reports. Director Steven Soderberghs thriller even broke into the top 10 of the rental chart on Tuesday, dropping back down to number 14 on Thursday. RELATED: What to Know About the Mysterious Coronavirus Spreading in Asia and How to Protect Yourself Contagion might be spurring more views since it feels eerily similar to the current outbreak. In the film, the mysterious virus originates in Hong Kong before travelers coming back to America bring it with them and infect the population. The outbreak in the movie starts with Gwyneth Paltrows Beth, who brings the illness home after a business trip in the Asian country and is dead within 24 hours. Contagion goes on to dramatize an outbreak, with the death toll eventually hitting 2.5 million in the U.S. and 26 million worldwide. But a repeat of the movie isnt likely to happen, as the Center for Disease Control says that the risk for Americans is low. According to the World Health Organization on Wednesday, there have been 6,065 confirmed cases of people with coronavirus, with 132 deaths. Outside of China, there have been 68 confirmed cases so far across 15 countries, WHO reported. Coronavirus is actually a blanket term for several respiratory illnesses, ranging from the common cold to more severe viruses such as SARS, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. The symptoms typically include trouble breathing, fever, coughing, headache and a sore throat. The first U.S. case of the coronavirus was reported earlier this month. The 30-something man had recently traveled to Wuhan, China, where the outbreak started, and returned to the U.S. on Jan. 15. Californias 88-year-old skydiver Pat Moorehead is a figurehead of a global subcommunity of athletes who are pushing the limits of extreme sport into old age. His next milestone? Jumping at 90. Californias 88-year-old skydiver Pat Moorehead is a figurehead of a global subcommunity of athletes who are pushing the limits of extreme sport into old age. His next milestone? Jumping at 90. For more stories like this, check out The Chronicles weekly Travel newsletter! Sign up here. Each year on Dec. 29, Pat and Alicia Moorehead travel to Lake Elsinore in Southern California to celebrate a friends birthday party in midair, while freefalling at terminal velocity. Its a group skydiving affair made up of seemingly unlikely adrenaline junkies: senior citizens. There was a guy there this time who was under 30, Pat Moorehead, who lives in Burlingame, said after the jump. I dont know how he snuck in. Among the group of jumpers was a 58-year-old German tourist, 72-year-old Alicia Moorehead, a 78-year-old retired Marine captain and an 80-year-old member of the group Latin Skydivers. At the high end of the aging curve was Pat Moorehead at 88 years old. The German said to me he hoped hes still jumping when hes 88, Pat Moorehead said. I says, you will if you plan to! The Mooreheads, who live in the Bay Area and Long Beach, have nearly 9,700 skydives between them and several records involving large group formations. Alicia, retired from a career in marketing and quick-witted, has been jumping for 42 years. In his 51 years in the sport, Pat tall with wispy white hair and a well-kept mustache completed 80 skydives on his 80th birthday (in under 7 hours, with the help of a large team of pilots and jumpers). Skydiving brought them together they met during a jump in Mexico in 1984 and has since brought them to New Zealand, Japan, Jordan and across Europe. When theyre not lining up jumps with friends internationally, theyre chasing other adventures. In December they returned from a trip photographing king penguins in Antarctica. In February theyre going on an expedition in Chad. Moorehead has become something of a figurehead of a global subcommunity of aging and elderly athletes who are pushing the limits of extreme sport into old age. These are grandparents and, in the Mooreheads case, great-grandparents who routinely launch themselves out of airplanes and perform acrobatic maneuvers in free fall. I call it the worlds largest dysfunctional family, said John Dobleman, a 71-year-old San Francisco-born jumper known in skydiving circles as Mad John. Pat is totally well respected within it. He and Alicia are in the upper tier. Theyre role models for everybody. The umbrella organization for this global skydiving family is the Parachutists Over Phorty Society, or POPS a cheeky nod to the perception that skydiving is a young persons game. Today, there are 28 chapters in countries around the world and upwards of 12,000 members. The group was founded in 1966, back when 40-year-olds in the nascent sport were scarce. Now jumpers like Moorehead are pushing skydiving way beyond middle age. His first skydive, in 1969, took place at Lake Elsinore in Riverside County on a whim. Moorehead, then a firefighter in Vernon (Los Angeles County) and his crew had seen a program on their black-and-white TV depicting a radical activity in which people jumped out of airplanes for fun. They psyched each other up to do a group jump. It was a macho thing, Moorehead recalled recently in his Burlingame apartment. The firemen completed a static-line jump meaning their parachutes opened automatically from about 2,500 feet, a disturbingly low altitude for beginners by todays standards. Moorehead was the only one to go up for a second jump. He remembered taking note of the ages of his fellow jumpers. At 37, I was the oldest guy at the drop zone. I still am, by the way! he said recently with a laugh. Today, aging jumpers are more numerous, and they organize under clubs with amusing acronyms, some of which Moorehead helped establish: Skydivers Over Sixty (S.O.S.), Jumpers Over Seventy (J.O.S.) and, more recently, Jumpers Over Eighty Society (JOES) and Jumpers Over Ninety Society (JONS). Alicia Moorehead served as POPS volunteer leader, called Top Pop. The Mooreheads jump at least once a month, often in Perris (Riverside County), and always in groups. For them, skydiving is an excuse to travel, a way to stay in touch with friends, a way to stay in shape and a means of contributing to a growing community. Its our sport and our social life, Pat Moorehead said. With most sports, you probably dont have that many 70- to 80-year-olds, like you do with skydiving, Dobleman said. Probably its because once you leave the airplane all you have working on you is gravity. So you can still do it actively into old age. With some chagrin, Pat Moorehead has grown into a poster child (poster octogenarian?) for a generation of Americans who are living longer and more active lives than any that have come before. About eight years ago, Campbells Soup featured him jumping out of a plane in a TV spot the idea being that Silent Generation soup-slurpers are still getting after it, living life to the fullest. Later, he skydived for a life insurance commercial. A long time ago, he did stunts in commercials. Then he got too old, Alicia Moorehead said. Now were in a period where they want old, so he started all over again. In the past decade, Pat Moorehead has found himself increasingly bombarded with interview requests for articles (not unlike this one) that seek to exalt him as a case study of active living into old age. He appreciates the consideration and the platform, but he is conflicted about the implications of being singled out as an oddity. Pat Moorehead prepares for his 80th skydive on his 80th birthday near Lake Elsinore in 2011 Pat Moorehead prepares for his 80th skydive on his 80th birthday near Lake Elsinore in 2011 Photo: Tom Sanders Photo: Tom Sanders Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Meet Californias 88-year-old skydiver who plans on jumping at 90 1 / 4 Back to Gallery Were not trying to set an example for anyone, he said. If what we do helps inspire people to realize that getting older isnt an early death sentence that its a gift that you take and you make something out of it thats great. The Mooreheads dont have any secrets for staying healthy nothing exciting, anyway. They try to avoid TV and dependence on daily meds. They go on long morning walks. Pat pushes free weights; Alicia prefers yoga. Theyre basically vegetarians. Id like us not to be seen as an unusual couple but representative of a lot of people, Pat Moorehead said. The problem is that when we get profiled like this, they do this thing about, Were unusual. In the huge population, yes, we are. But theres a huge segment of this group that keeps on keepin on. Thats a classic Moorehead-ism one of many sayings he deploys in conversation meant to convey an attitude that is less concerned with gracefully slowing down than mindfully pursuing new experiences. Relaxing comfortably into a sedentary existence whether old or young is a death blow to peoples innate energy and passion, Moorehead reasons. People are always looking for ways to make their lives easier, he said with a twinge of disgust. He has a metaphor he likes to roll out for questions about his lifestyle choices. The Mooreheads Burlingame apartment is up two flights of concrete stairs. When I come up those stairs, I never grab the banister, Moorehead said. Because if you grab the banister today, pretty soon youre going to have to grab the banister. Or, if youd prefer another Moorehead Motto, which he adopted from a former Top Pop: You dont stop skydiving because you get old. You get old because you stop skydiving. Making a jump at age 90 is Pat Mooreheads next milestone. The 90-and-over club, JONS, has only about a dozen members, but Moorehead and a few of his late-octogenarian buddies are already planning their free-fall foray into their next decade. I guarantee well find a way to make it happen, he said. Gregory Thomas is the Chronicles Editor of Lifestyle & Outdoors. Email: gthomas@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @GregRThomas Lead photo credit: Randy Forbes (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Under increasing pressure from restive populations that are demanding economic opportunity and social justice, many governments in the Middle East and North Africa are keen to speed up economic growth and increase job creation. But their policies, for the most part, prioritize attracting foreign and domestic private investmentas well as increasing foreign borrowingover the redistribution of income and wealth. They are missing one low-hanging fruit in particular: property taxes. Increasing levies on real estate, and improving their collection, can help to address demands for social justice as well as spur economic development. That might seem blindingly obvious in the West, where property taxes made up an average of 5.8% of total tax revenue in the OECD countries in 2017, with their share reaching 9.5%, 12.5% and 16% in France, Britain and the U.S., respectively. But MENA nations have a poor track record in this regard: taxation on property is weak, in comparison with indirect taxes and non-tax revenue. In general, MENA countries have a limited capacity to tax their economies. Even though this has historically been related to the abundance of oil rent, this pattern is also seen in non-oil countries. In 2018, tax revenue to GDP ratios were 21.9% and 21% in Morocco and Tunisia, respectively, and a dismal 12.5% in Egyptcompared to 40.3% in the EU. The share of property tax to total revenue was a trifling 0.92% and 0.55% in Tunisia (2017) and Egypt (2016), respectively. Morocco was an exception, with 5% in 2017; the share of taxes on immovable property was 2.6%. As a result, although the real-estate sector in the MENA region attracts substantial investment, it contributes very little to the tax revenues. Moreover, real-estate investment has not led to the development of tradable and productive assets that could reduce the regions chronic balance-of-payments deficits by increasing exports or reducing imports. This in turn contributes to protracted fiscal crises, especially for non-oil states, increasing inequality in income and wealth distribution and a rising sense of injustice. Story continues Real-estate taxes are a form of direct taxation: they can be made progressive, and therefore serve the twin purposes of social justice and redistribution. Unlike income flows, these taxes target property that can be easily registered by the state, thus overcoming the problems of weak institutional capacity to collect taxes. Real-estate assets, unlike financial ones, cannot be transferred abroad. They cannot be hidden, either. Moreover, given that the informal sector makes up a large proportion of MENA economies, property is a good proxy for income and wealth and hence for tackling inequality. In addition, property taxes are an instrument for economic development. Property tends to be a dead asset, since most units built for housing are not used for the production of goods or services afterwards. Real-estate tax is not a tax on capital for countries short in that commodity, and that need to encourage investment. It is not likely to contribute to capital flight, or reduce investment required for growth and job creation. On the contrary, it is likely to help correct a structural problem with almost all Arab economies: the over-representation of non-tradable and speculation-ridden sectors like construction and real-estate services. These tend to be prevalent where most corruption and crony capitalism is rampant, given the heavy state control over the supply of land. In many Arab countries, real-estate captures most middle-class savings. It creates dead assets, dampening the prospects for developing financial markets to serve investment in more productive and tradable sectors that can positively impact the balance-of-payments positions. Real-estate taxes can help correct the incentive structure and channel savings to more productive sectors, like manufacturing and high-skill services. Last, but not least, much of the real-estate boom in MENA countries takes place in luxury compounds and villas, and does not contribute to solving the housing crisis. Most housing supply in Arab countries happens through informal and largely unplanned housing that caters to the requirements of the low-income majority. Egypt is a case in point. Urban expert David Sims examined around 20 new desert cities launched from the time of Anwar Sadat in 1976, which were intended to have a combined population of more than 20 million. By 2014, however, these cities had a combined population of less than one million. The bulk of the countrys population growth has been absorbed by informal settlement on scarce agricultural land close to the major cities. Slums make up 40% of Egypts urban areas. Much of the investment in housing by upper-income groups in these new cities does not serve direct social goals, and can be targeted with taxation without much fear of a negative impact on the availability of housing for the majority. The chronic problems bedeviling property-tax policies and collection across the region cant be fixed overnight. Sudden changes will likely be resisted by powerful vested interests that have enjoyed for long access to subsidized land without paying taxes. Reforms should be introduced gradually, to allow investors and producers to adjust to a right set of complementary policies. But governments have little time to waste: thats the lesson from the protests that have broken out in the streets of Lebanon, Iran, Egypt and other MENA countries. Arab states must move quickly to address unequal redistribution without undermining investment and growth. Property taxes are a good place to start. To contact the author of this story: Amr Adly at amradly82@aucegypt.edu To contact the editor responsible for this story: Bobby Ghosh at aghosh73@bloomberg.net This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners. Amr Adly is an assistant professor at the American University in Cairo. He is the author of "State Reform and Development in the Middle East." 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. INDIANAPOLIS (WLFI) - The state senate has passed a bill to increase protections for child victims of sex crimes. Senate Bill 206 states that child victims of a sex crime under the age of 16 will no longer have to go through a discovery deposition. SB 206 would redefine the procedures for depositions for any victims of a sex crime who are aged 16 or younger. Indiana is only one of five states that currently allow children to be subjected to this type of pre-trial questioning and testimony. The other states and the federal justice system don't usually allow it because of the emotional harm it causes the child. Tippecanoe County Prosecutor Pat Harrington said the bill protects child victims and their mental health. "This goes quite closely with what happens when these children are victimized by sex offenders, said Harrington. So, this offers more protection to our children who have been unfortunately victimized." The bill passed the senate 49-1. It now heads to the house for a vote. The corpse of a construction worker who died last October in the collapse of the Hard Rock Hotel in New Orleans was visible to the public last week after a tarp placed over the remains blew away. For several days, onlookers took photos of the dangling legs sandwiched between two collapsed floors before firefighters replaced the tarp. The remains belong to one of the two workers whose bodies have not been recovered due to safety concerns with the collapsed structure. Officials have identified the two men as 36-year-old Quinnyon Wemberly and 63-year-old Jose Ponce Areola. A third victim, 49-year-old Anthony Magrette, was recovered after the accident. A portion of the collapsed Hard Rock Hotel site [Credit: AP Photo/Gerald Herbert] As images of the exposed body spread across social media, New Orleanss Democratic mayor, LaToya Cantrell, sought to shift blame to the citizenry who were sharing the imagery, posting on Facebook: To be clear: 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. Out of respect to the victims and their families, and in the name of basic common decency: we urge news outlets, residents, and social media users to have nothing to do with making a tragic situation needlessly worse. New Orleans residents who replied to the mayors post were mostly critical. One poster stated, I fear despite all of your City of Yes propaganda you will be remembered as the Mayor who did nothing while a collapsed building and the remains of victims sat there through photo op after photo op. Another comment read, At least youre able to keep your mind off it, traveling (yet again, and on the peoples dime) to DC Mardi Gras to $bond$ with other politicians. I wonder what the family of the man decaying while hanging over Rampart Street will be doing while you party and schmooze? The collapse occurred on the morning of October 12. In addition to the three deaths, an additional 18 workers were hospitalized with injuries. One of the workers injured and a key witness to the collapse, Delmer Joel Ramirez Palma, was deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in November. Ramirez Palma is a plaintiff in a suit filed against the developers and the firms responsible for the project. Shortly after the construction site collapse, he had spoken out to the media about numerous safety violations and shortcuts about which he had previously complained to management. Video of the incident taken by a pedestrian shows one corner of the top of the structure collapse, pancaking the floors below it and sending a portion of construction equipment and debris falling to the street below. The construction project was located on the edge of the French Quarter in downtown New Orleans, along the parade route for the Mardi Gras festival, which draws some 1 million tourists to the city each year. Many groups participating in the parade have advocated changing the route, as the structure is not scheduled for demolition until March, after the festival is complete. It is unclear why demolition has been delayed so long, with some local media speculating that the insurer of the project is still investigating the collapse to determine the pay-out. Though the developer, 1031 Canal Street Developments, is responsible for the cost of the demolition, the City of New Orleans can become liable if they move ahead with demolition in advance of the companys timeline. Legal analyst Chick Foret told local news station WWL, The owner is probably sitting back and hoping that the city will take over the project, take over the responsibility from here and then the owner will say, OK, city of New Orleans. You made the decision. The demolition of the structure will cost an estimated $25 million, on top of the $5 million already spent removing disabled cranes that posed an immediate threat to the surrounding area. In addition to the insurance issues, the builders also need to obtain permission from the city to destroy three adjacent structures that the developer owns but are protected by their status as historic buildings. 1031 Canal Street Developments stands to reap a massive windfall if the old structures are demolished and it is free to build whatever they like on the remaining vacant lot, most likely other large hotels or other similar projects. On Monday, Kerry Miller, an attorney for the development company, whose majority owner is the Kailas Companies, a large New Orleans-based real estate company, gave an interview to a local radio station in which it denied responsibility for the accident. 1031 Canal LLC, the owner, the majority owner, entities controlled by the Kailas family, are not general contractors, theyre not engineers and theyre not architects. Those are simple, basic facts that people need to be aware of before they jump to conclusions and make accusations. The company also placed an ad in local papers making the same claim. The Kailas Companies has a history of corruption, with one member having been sentenced to 30 months in prison in 2013 for defrauding the federal government in connection with a program designed to assist victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Also contradicting the statement that 1031 Canal LLCare not general contractors is the fact that both the general contractor and the electrical contractor are minority partners in the project. Epworth Playgroups | Photo: Susan J./Yelp Searching for the best kids activity options near you? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top kids activity spots around Berkeley, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of the best spots to venture to. 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. Brushstrokes Studio photo: brushstrokes studio/yelp First on the list is Brushstrokes Studio. Located at 745 Page St. (between Fifth and Fourth streets), the kids' activity and team-building activity spot, which offers art classes and more, is the highest-rated kids' activity spot in Berkeley, boasting 4.5 stars out of 92 reviews on Yelp. 2. The Rec Room photo: the rec room/yelp Next up is The Rec Room, situated at 3222 Adeline St. (between Harmon and Fairview streets). With 4.5 stars out of 57 reviews on Yelp, the cafe, kids activity and party spot has proven to be a local favorite. 3. Kids Gym Berkeley Photo: barbara b./Yelp Kids Gym Berkeley, located at 2920 Seventh St. (between Anthony and Potter streets), is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the indoor playcenter, kids activity and party spot four stars out of 133 reviews. 4. Yama Kids Yoga photo: beth h./yelp Yama Kids Yoga, a meditation center and kids activity and yoga spot, is another much-loved go-to, with five stars out of 18 Yelp reviews. Head over to 2631 Ashby Ave., Suite A (between College and Benvenue avenues) to see for yourself. 5. Epworth Playgroups photo: epworth playgroups/yelp Check out Epworth Playgroups, which has earned five stars out of 15 reviews on Yelp. You can find the kids activity spot at 1953 Hopkins St. (between Milvia Street and Napa Avenue). 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. Between 30 to 50 percent of production for copper, gold, iron ore, and zinc is concentrated in areas where water stress is already high, reported McKinsey in a recent study looking at climate change and miners. With climate change, the consultancy warned that water shortages will get worse for miners leading to social and technical challenges. "In Chile, 80 percent of copper production is already located in extremely high water-stressed and arid areas; by 2040, it will be 100 percent. In Russia, 40 percent of the nations iron ore production, currently located in high water-stressed areas, is likely to move to extreme water stress by 2040," writes the study's authors. McKinsey also noted that mining operations not accustomed to water stress will suddenly have to adjust their operations. Water shortages will make getting a social license to operate that much harder. To adapt miners will need to invest in technology to reduce water consumption. "To improve resiliency, companies can reduce the water intensity of their mining processes. They can also recycle used water and reduce water loss from evaporation, leaks, and waste. Anglo American improved evaporation monitoring at its Drayton mine dam in Australia, for example. Mining companies can prevent evaporation by putting covers on small and medium dams." The authors said mining is currently responsible for 4 to 7 percent of greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions globally. The majority of greenhouse-gas emissions in mining are generated in downstream industries and during coal mining, via fugitive methane release. McKinsey notes that coal combustion for the power sector contributes up to roughly ten gigatons of CO2. Cruising down the canals of Venice on a real gondola is quite possibly one of the most romantic ways to ring in Valentines Day. But if you cant get to Italy by Feb. 14, theres another Venetian-style way to celebrate your love and its right here in the U.S. DoNapa.com is a one-stop spot for all the things you can do in Napa Valley, California. And one of the most popular and romantic activities currently available is a Venetian gondola ride. Gondola Servizio, a company that provides gondola cruises on Lake Merritt in Oakland, has been offering their specialty boat rides down the Napa River since 2018, according to the Napa Valley Register. Now that Valentines Day is just around the corner, DoNapa.com is highlighting this extra-romantic activity. Guests can enjoy the gorgeous Napa Valley scenery while cruising down the river. To make it feel even more special, they can also bring a bottle of wine to share on the ride. Plus, the gondoliers at Gondola Servizio will point out interesting features along the river or historical facts while you ride. They may even serenade you with some traditional Venetian songs, even though gondoliers dont traditionally sing, according to the Napa Valley Register. Richard Cummins/Getty Images Cruises launch from the Main Street boat dock in downtown Napa. Guests can choose between the Valentine's Day package, which includes a private wine tasting, cheese plate, and sweet treats ($325 per couple), and the 60-minute Casanova cruise ($175 per couple). For more information, or to book a ride, call 510-663-6603 or visit the Gondola Servizio website. DoNapa.com also has plenty of other romantic Valentines Day ideas, including chocolate, wine, and beer tastings, the Napa Valley Wine Train, cooking classes, and dining experiences for you and your partner. For more information, visit DoNapa.com. A mass 'Hong Kong style' protest is threatening to throw peak-hour traffic into chaos as hundreds of students flood the streets calling for action on climate change. The protest through central Melbourne, which will begin at 5pm, has been organised by Uni Students for Climate Justice with the intention of causing as much disruption as possible. Hong Kong's anti-government protests, which began in June last year, caused widespread chaos, with thousands clogging streets wearing masks and often clashing with police. A mass 'Hong Kong style' protest is threatening to throw peak-hour traffic into chaos as hundreds of students flood the streets calling for action on climate change (Pictured: Activists from in a protest in Melbourne last year) The protest through central Melbourne, which will begin at 5pm, has been organised by Uni Students for Climate Justice with the intention of causing as much chaos as possible (pictured: Activists from in a protest in Melbourne last year) While the protests began peacefully, they increasingly descended into violence after demonstrators became frustrated with the governments response. Protesters have previously used bricks, umbrellas and traffic barriers to barricade roads. Police have urged organisers of the Melbourne rally to cancel the event as they will have to pull officers away from working in bushfire-ravaged communities to manage the disruption to the city. 'To conduct an event which drains that number of police resources away from its number one priority, is really stretching us. It is not considerate,' North West Metro Region acting assistant commissioner Tim Hansen told the Herald Sun. Hong Kong's anti-government protests, which began in June last year, caused widespread chaos, with thousands clogging streets wearing masks and often clashing with police Anti-government protesters march during anti-parallel trading protest at Sheung Shui, a border town in Hong Kong, China in January Organiser Natalie Acreman said she was 'sick of talking about the police' and felt there issue was not a resourcing issue. 'This isn't about resources, this is about trying to stop people from talking about climate change. 'These protests are about sending the message loud and clear to both the federal and state governments that until we see real climate action, business as usual will not be allowed to continue.' Organisers have planned for the activists to swarm the streets 'like water' appearing and disappearing in various locations. (Natural News) The quarantine protocols in Wuhan, China, that are supposed to contain coronavirus arent working, claims one on-the-ground medical worker who issued a dire warning that everyone will end up being infected and dying. In shocking video footage depicting corpse-lined corridors at a local hospital, this self-proclaimed nurse is seen stating that infected patients are coming into the facility continuously, despite quarantine measures in place to prevent such a scenario. Before the footage was quickly pulled down by Chinas communist authorities, viewers were shown what appeared to be dead bodies strewn all over the floor and on stretchers at this obviously overwhelmed facility. In one part of the clip, a victim is seen covered in a blanket with only the feet protruding out, while other dead bodies are seen amid living patients presumably waiting for their appointments. The now-deleted footage was shared by a Weibo user named magic girl Xiao Xi, and is believed to have been filmed at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital, which is one of the facilities thats been designated by the communist Chinese government to receive both suspected and diagnosed coronavirus patients. Three corpses, [they] have been lying here all morning, the person who filmed these horrors is heard stating in the footage. Some of them died in the wee hours. Nobody has come to deal with [them] yet. And doctors, nurses and patients, they all work in such an environment, the person filming further added. Not a single person is here to manage. A doctor treating a coronavirus patient is also heard in the video crying out in horror, What do we do here? followed by the person filming voicing complaints that even the executives in charge of the hospital dont know what to do about whats transpiring. Chinas medical system is already overwhelmed even under normal circumstances will coronavirus lead to a total collapse? While the official numbers coming out of China peg the total number of coronavirus infections at around 6,200, the communist country is frantically constructing new facilities to accommodate more than 100,000 new hospital patients in the coming days. What this suggests, of course, is that there are far more infections in real life than the much lower number being reported by Chinese authorities. The epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, Chinas Hubei Province, is opening up 100,000 hospital beds in an effort to contain the disease, the provinces vice governor announced on Jan. 27, The Epoch Times is reporting. What does the communist Chinese government know that its not telling the rest of the world, we wonder? Its important to keep in mind that Chinas government-run health care system is already insanely overwhelmed even when theres not an outbreak occurring, which makes this latest panic all the more suspicious and disturbing. China does not have a functioning primary care system, so most people flock to hospitals, writes Sui-Lee Wee for The New York Times. On an ordinary day, doctors are frustrated and exhausted as they see as many as 200 patients. Those weaknesses are most pronounced in the poorer areas of China like Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus, Wee adds. In other words, Chinese people living in Wuhan and many other areas of China routinely head to their nearest hospital whenever they get a mere cough or common cold, which puts immense strain on the countrys already dismal health care resources. And now with coronavirus, the entire system could be on the verge of collapse. Despite having dealt with the SARS coronavirus nearly two decades ago, many Chinese hospitals in smaller cities are not fully prepared to deal with a major outbreak like the current virus, Wee says. For the latest news about the coronavirus outbreak, be sure to visit Outbreak.news. Sources for this article include: DailyStar.co.uk NaturalNews.com NYTimes.com The ongoing election dispute in District B has put Jerry Davis in a peculiar position, seemingly caught between two provisions of the Texas Constitution as he challenges longtime incumbent state Rep. Harold Dutton in the March 3 Democratic primary. And it is unlikely to change until the courts clear the way for voters to cast ballots in the long-delayed runoff for his council seat. Until then, Davis is stuck in the council seat he was supposed to leave in January because of term limits. Davis has served as the District B councilman since 2012. He was barred from re-election to the seat by the citys term limit ordinance, which blocks incumbents from serving more than eight years. Fourteen candidates ran to replace Davis last November, with Tarsha Jackson and Cynthia Bailey finishing first and second respectively, presumably headed for a December runoff. On HoustonChronicle.com: Why was the District B runoff postponed? The runoff has been on hold, however, after third-place finisher Renee Jefferson-Smith filed a lawsuit challenging the legitimacy of the District B election, saying state law disqualified Bailey from the ballot because of the 56-year-olds 2007 theft conviction. That has pushed the runoff until at least May while the matter is decided by a judge. With no new council member seated by the first of the year, Article XVI, Sec. 17 of the Texas Constitution kicked in, requiring Davis to remain in the District B seat until his successor can be elected and seated. All officers of this State shall continue to perform the duties of their offices until their successors shall be duly qualified, the provision reads. When Davis filed Dec. 9 to challenge Dutton for the District 142 seat in the Texas House, it raised another constitutional clause, this one found in Article III, Sec. 19. That provision says no public official who holds a lucrative office shall during the term for which is he elected or appointed, be eligible to the Legislature. Texas Supreme Court rulings have held that any paid public office, no matter how small the compensation, is considered lucrative. Additionally, the high court has ruled that the eligibility requirement extends to ones candidacy. A Houston city council salary is around $63,000 a year. To date, no one has challenged Davis eligibility. The councilman said he believes he is in the clear because his elected term ended in January. Democratic Party officials, tasked with determining eligibility for primary candidates, say they believe he qualifies because his appointed term as a hold-over should end long before he would join the Legislature next January if he wins. And Dutton has not lodged any complaints or challenges. That could change, should Davis prevail in the March election. On HoustonChronicle.com: Houston Councilman Jerry Davis to challenge state Rep. Harold Dutton Buck Wood, an authority on Texas election law who has represented clients in landmark Supreme Court rulings on the subject, said the law holds that candidates have to be eligible while they are running for office, not just on the date they take it. Since Davis still is on the council, someone could make the case that he is not eligible, he said. The problem is, the court has also held that you have to be eligible as of the date that you file, Wood said. The interaction of those two constitutional clauses is an open legal question, left unresolved for now by Texas judges. The courts have not ruled on that hold-over provision, he said. Wood represented candidate Jeff Wentworth in a 1992 Supreme Court case, Wentworth v. Meyer , that redefined the courts interpretation of the lucrative office phrasing. Before then, a candidate was ineligible if any part of his original elected term overlapped with the legislative one he was running for, even if he had resigned the seat and already had been replaced. That was the situation Wentworth found himself in. He had years before running for the Legislature resigned his six-year term on the Board of Regents of the Texas State University system and had been replaced by another person. In Wentworths case, the Supreme Court overturned the previous interpretation and said candidates who effectively have resigned could run for another office. The court in that case emphasized its ruling was tailored narrowly to the facts at hand, Wood said. Making matters more complex, a 1996 Attorney General opinion said that even if an office-holder resigned his seat to run for another, he or she still would hold over in office until a successor is appointed and qualifies. That means Davis would not be able to effectively give up his council seat, even if he wanted to. To do that, the city would need to appoint someone to replace him while the election dispute continues. A resignation doesnt terminate the problem, Wood said. Thats the question, still hanging there from Wentworth. Its an unanswered question, and I, frankly, think the Supreme Court would say you have to be eligible on the day you filed (to run for office). It is not the first time the issue has arisen. Former gubernatorial candidate and state Sen. Wendy Davis faced an eligibility challenge when she resigned from Fort Worth City Council in 2007 to run for the Texas Senate. She continued to serve as a hold-over council member, like Davis is now, though he has not resigned. Her successor on council ultimately assumed the seat before she filed a second application to run for the state Senate, clearing the way for her candidacy. On HoustonChronicle.com: GOP candidate will appear on ballot, despite party's claim his bid violated 'lucrative office' law Davis legislative campaign continues despite the confusion. On the day he filed for the primary, he transferred more than $139,500 from his city council campaign account into one for his state race, giving him a funding advantage over Dutton, who reported having just under $80,000 heading into the contest. Davis finance report shows he had spent close to $10,000 as of Jan. 15, renting office equipment, hiring a consultant and printing campaign materials. Mark Jones, a Rice University political scientist, said lawmakers should look to address the legal questions when they reconvene next year. In the end, thats what happens when you have the second-longest constitution in the United States, he said. When you keep adding, this is what you get, parts that are at odds with each other or at least in partial conflict. dylan.mcguinness@chron.com Gajendra Hari, a business owner, and his companion, attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Gainesville, Florida, Jan. 29, 2020. (Yawen Hung/The Epoch Times) GAINESVILLE, Fla.True Chinese culture is a very rare sight. Many dont realize that todays prevailing culture in China is engineered by the communist party, which has been attempting to systematically destroy traditional culture for more than 60 years. But one performing arts company is spearheading a renaissance of authentic and deeply spiritual Chinese culture: Shen Yun Performing Arts. On Jan. 29, 2020, business owner Gajendra Hari attended Shen Yun Performing Arts in Gainesville, Florida at the Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. He said the experience was so much more than I expected. It was extremely beautiful, he continued. From scene to scene, there were so many scenes that developed the storyline. The past, the future, the present, and there were just so many emotions and all. But I just never have experienced seeing dance so well performed. It was so much color. It was so much emotion. New York-based Shen Yun draws from Chinas 5,000 years of divinely-inspired civilization and utilizes highly-expressive classical Chinese dance to evoke profound feelings and ideas. A full orchestra accompanies the dancers and includes unique-sounding ancient instruments native to China such as the pipa and erhu. Soloists singing in the bel canto tradition, colorful costumes, and an animated backdrop complete the experience that many call breathtaking and transformative. I would just describe it as this amazing performance, just very, very, very, very beautiful, Hari said. Thats a big thing. It was aesthetically very, very beautiful. And that the quality of the performance was just expert, very expert. I felt changed by the experience, to be honest. I want to dance. One thing I really liked here the set production with the video backdrop, he said. I felt that was a very powerful part of the presentation. It really added a lot to the scene and the beauty. I was also really intrigued with the production, the way different scenes they have, people are like flying in from a distance or jumping off the mountain. And how they integrated the choreography of the dancers with the animationI felt that was really effective. That was really cool. Shen Yun Stories Evoke Joy and Sorrow Hari spoke about the depth of feeling he experienced from the 20 or so short stories and vignettes in Shen Yun. There were sadness, like watching the part where the modern practitioners were being harassed, even injured, abused by the Chinese authorities. For me, that was really sad, cause I know this is true. You have people that are, you know, being with their spirituality, being with their health, being with beauty, and they are being persecuted. Thats very sad, he said. Although Shen Yun is reviving true Chinese culture, it is not allowed to step foot in China today due to the persecution being carried out against spiritual believers and those who herald Chinas ancient spiritual traditions. A Shen Yun performance includes stories about this real-life, ongoing violence that the Chinese Communist Party has been carrying out for decades. But even those sad scenes are eventually filled with hope and compassion as the stories characters act out the kind and forgiving ways in which some Chinese citizens are responding to the attacks. Some of Shen Yuns scenes portray Falun Dafa practitioners, some of the main targets of the persecution. They believe, like ancient Chinese people did, that good is rewarded and evil is punished by heaven. Falun Dafa is an ancient practice of self-refinement that includes energy-strengthening exercises and encouragement to follow moral principles. And then there were other scenes many, many scenes had elements of humor, Hari said. The Miraculous Flute, and The Novice Monks are two narratives in Shen Yun that depict foibles and funny characters drawn from ancient Chinese culture. Its just very entertaining, from start to finish. It was more than entertaining. Emotionally, it was moving, it was very soulful. Like I said, with all the different emotions, Hari said. Other pieces include stories about the Creator and divine beings. The way authentic Chinese culture has for millennia, Shen Yun Performing Arts recognizes that the secular and the sacred are inseparable in culture and life. Divine beings are depicted on stage throughout the show, as well as those on earth who wish to follow in their footsteps: Buddhist monks, Daoist believers, and Falun Dafa practitioners. Hari saw the commonalities between Falun Dafa, which he viewed as a religion, and his own background. I practice ancient spirituality, so to me, there isyou know, God is God, spirit is spirit, people are people, he said. There may be specifics about this specific religion in China that I dont know about, but I understand the general principles. Just relative to my spiritual heritage. With reporting by Yawen Hung and Brett Featherstone. 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. One day in September 2018, a fire drill took Chris Williams away from his office in the James Farmer Multicultural Center at the University of Mary Washington. While waiting to be let back inside the building, he checked his email on his phone. One new message in particular caught his eye. It was from Banger Films, developers of the Peabody and Emmy award-winning documentary Hip Hop Evolution, currently streaming on Netflix. The email asked Williams if he was willing to be interviewed about Virginias mid-1990s hip-hop scene, for an episode in the new fourth season. If so, could he be in New York the next week? I put my phone down and thought, Is this for real? Williams said. I was through the roof. I was a fan of the series myself, so I was extremely excited. That next week, Williams boarded a Megabus from Washington, D.C., to New York and spent three hours with Darby Wheeler, one of the shows producers. He appears in the episode titled The Super Producers on series four of the show, which became available for streaming on Netflix on Jan. 17. BIRMINGHAM, Mich., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- An investment fund managed by Lakeview Capital, Inc., a Michigan-based family office, has closed its acquisition of The Mochi Ice Cream Co., makers of My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream and the largest branded manufacturer of mochi ice cream in North America. Lakeview Capital, Inc. acquired the company from Century Park Capital Partners. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream is the creator of the mochi ice cream category and the leading national brand currently available in over 20,000 retailers throughout the United States. The company has over a 100-year history and is credited with creating mochi ice cream, a handheld, portion-controlled snack of premium ice cream wrapped in sweet, pillowy rice dough. Craig Berger, President and CEO of The Mochi Ice Cream Co., along with the management team, will remain with the company in their current roles under the new ownership. "Under Lakeview's ownership, we are very excited to continue building on the incredible momentum we have generated," said Mr. Berger. "Lakeview has a proven track record of success, and through our shared vision and collaboration, we will continue to grow and expand our business." "We're thrilled to be partnering with a focused, seasoned management team to support growth in the snack category, a segment we find very attractive," said Jake Freeman, Director of Investments for Lakeview Capital, Inc. "We are closely aligned with the team on our plans to deploy significant capital to continue to build a leading, global branded mochi snack platform." Financing for the transaction was provided by LBC Credit Partners, PineBridge Investments and WhiteHorse Capital. Advisors to Lakeview Capital, Inc. on the transaction included Ropes & Gray as legal counsel and Plante Moran as financial and tax advisor. Houlihan Lokey served as financial advisor to Century Park and Winston & Strawn provided legal counsel. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. About My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream: Headquartered in Los Angeles, My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream is a miraculous match of magnificent mochi dough with marvelously mouthwatering ice cream. Available in a variety of fan favorite flavors, My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream gives snackers a colorful and flavorful new way to experience ice cream in a handheld, naturally portion controlled way. Made from the very best ingredients, always gluten free and rBST free, My/Mo's offerings range from poppable and delicious ice cream wrapped in sweet rice mochi dough with dairy and vegan offerings. For more information on My/Mo, including where it is available for purchase, please visit mymomochi.com. About Century Park Capital Partners: Century Park Capital Partners is a Los Angeles-based private equity group established in 2000 that invests in family businesses, owner-operated firms and corporate divestitures with the purpose of accelerating growth and transforming these companies into leading industry players. We specialize in acquiring strategically well-positioned yet under-resourced middle market companies with identifiable potential for value creation. We leverage the domain expertise of the Century Park Executive Council to work with management to implement a value creation blueprint for our portfolio companies. We further support our investments with proven operational and best practice initiatives, led by our Operating Team, including buy-and-build acquisition integration programs and infrastructure additions. For more information on Century Park, please visit www.centuryparkcapital.com. Media Contacts: Lexie Gracey (646) 428-0680 [email protected] Lakeview Capital, Inc. Jake Freeman [email protected] SOURCE My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream Related Links http://www.mymomochi.com SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The search for a missing Syracuse University student in Onondaga Creek will continue until his body is found, police said today. Allan Gonzalez, 22, a senior at SU, slipped and fell into Onondaga Creek near Walton Street in the early morning hours of Jan. 19, according to surveillance video that police reviewed. The Syracuse Police Department and other agencies, including the New York State Police, have been searching for Gonzalez since he disappeared. Search crews were back on the creek today. The search will continue until he is located, said Officer Brian Commisso, a Syracuse police spokesman. State police used a sonar tool Wednesday to search the floor of Onondaga Creek. Troopers focused on an approximately 1-mile stretch between Walton Street (Armory Square) and the Inner Harbor. If Gonzalez body isnt found during the next few days in the creek or the Inner Harbor, troopers said they plan to expand the search into Onondaga Lake. Allan Gonzalez, 22, of Syracuse (Courtesy of Syracuse Police). 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. Gorakhpur, Jan 30 : The students of the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University (DDU) in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur district are now set to launch an array of organic products, including pickles, jam, jaggery and vinegar under their exclusive, self-funded start-up. The group of eight students involved in the project plans to plough back 50 per cent of the returns from their new venture to the village from where they are sourcing their raw material. "We have not invested more than Rs 50,000 for the new initiative and we plan to use 50 per cent of the profits for the development of our village Rampur," said Deepak Yadav, a Ph.D student and the leader of the group. The start-up has not only made each of them self-reliant in terms of paying college fees and meeting daily expenses, but has also given an employment opportunity to 25 Dalit women from six families in the Rampur village of the neighbouring Sant Kabir Nagar district. These students have come up with the unique idea to offer free samples of their new products to existing customers before going online. The products will be made available for sale on various online food delivery apps from this week. The items will be prepared by the women of 'Kahar' caste in Rampur and sold in attractive earthen packaging. "In our village, caste discrimination against Dalits still prevails. We, too, faced criticism when we decided to rope in these women for preparing the food items," said Deepak Yadav The same group of students had launched the now famous 'Students Lassi' last year and the venture has proved very successful. Started with an initial investment of Rs two lakh, the annual turnover has been Rs eight lakh. Each member of the team is tasked with a specific role. Deepak, belonging to a Yadav family, has a number of cows at home, so he arranges for milk to prepare curd. Ambika, a fine arts student and son of a potter, gets kulhads (earthen pots) at a much cheaper rate for packaging while law student Pragyesh Mishra plays the chef and prepares lassi of different flavors, including chocolate, pineapple, butterscotch and rose. Salman, a post-graduate student looks after supply and Anurag Maurya, a graduate, assumes the role of creative designer for overall branding. Nitin Tripathi and Nitesh Singh deal in marketing. The same team is now working on the new range of products and the women from Rampur village will be preparing the pickles and jams. Each of the women is earning between Rs 200 to 300 per day. H ow to make a hotel feel like home by interior designer Beata Heuman 1. It sounds obvious but the first thing I do when arriving in my room is unpack my clothes. Even if its just for a short stay, you will feel more settled if youre not living out of a suitcase. 2. A bath is the best way to unwind after a long flight bring some nice products that smell like home. 3. Im a bit of a sucker for good silk pyjamas; Olivia von Halle and Poplin make the best. I always pack a set. 4. Pillow sprays are great for helping you sleep. This Works makes a lovely one with chamomile, lavender and vetiver, to help you drift off. 5. I would never travel without a good book and a set of noise-cancelling headphones. If you end up somewhere uninspiring its all about escaping into your own little world Home run This year, you neednt leave the capital to see some of the best new hotels on offer The Londoner, Leicester Square The Londoner Opening this summer, it will be the citys first hotel with more space underground than above, with cinemas, a pool and beauty salons. Zedwell, Piccadilly Zedwell Launching in February, its dedicated to peaceful slumber: rooms are designed with innovative soundproofing and calming colours to reduce anxiety. STAY, Camden STAY A new aparthotel (part-apartment, part-hotel to you and me) for long or short stays, complete with huge crittall windows and muted interiors. Swoon. Northern star City hall of Belfast / Alamy Stock Photo With a clutch of Michelin-starred restaurants and a thriving new bar scene, Belfast is having a moment as 2020s new foodie destination. Book into the old headquarters of shipbuilder Harland & Wolff, recently transformed into the elegant Titanic Hotel, and dine at the handsome, tucked-away Muddlers Club with its ambitious menu using the best seasonal ingredients. Finish off with some briny Galway Bay oysters teamed with cold Riesling at wine bar Ora. Cruise control Scarlet Lady from Virgin Voyages Cruise operators are attracting the hipster millennial crowd over old-age pensioners with new destinations and on-board offerings. Sir Richard Branson launches the Scarlet Lady from Virgin Voyages (complete with on-board tattoo parlour and vegan menus in place of garish casinos and kid-packed creches) while Gwyneth Paltrow is getting on board (literally) by partnering with Celebrity Cruises on an 11-night, 3,488 wellness cruise. Starting in Barcelona and working its way around Spain and France, you can sail away with GP herself, Goops chief content officer, Elise Loehnen, and a team of hot-shot healers and wellness experts. Her name is Rio Rio Palena Lodge Set deep in a pristine Andean valley, make Rio Palena Lodge your hideaway of choice. The majestic landscape is breathtaking (volcanoes, bamboo forests, glacial lakes and rivers that offer the very best fly-fishing, perfect for go-slow mindfulness) while the lodge sleeps up to 14 in rustic-chic rooms. How to pack by Ally Betker, editorial director at Away and editor-in-chief of Here magazine 1. Stackable packing cubes help with organisation: ideal for spending less time rummaging and more time enjoying your trip. 2. Never roll, always fold: it allows more to fit into your case and keeps things neatly stacked. 3. Plan ahead: I pack in outfits, so that Im only packing what I need and nothing extra. 4. You never need as many shoes as you think! 5. Aways Bigger Carry-On has thoughtful features like a built-in laundry bag and a compression pad to maximise space. Bonus: it comes with a built-in, removable charger. Into the wild One&Only Gorillas Nest jungle sanctuary Googling gorilla tours in Rwanda after watching an Arsenal game? The fourth-smallest country in mainland Africa is the club shirt sponsor, but dont let that put you off. Known for its resplendent stop-and-stare scenery, Rwanda is also home to a growing number of mountain gorillas thanks to conservation efforts. Try to spot them at the new One&Only Gorillas Nest jungle sanctuary in the foothills of the Virunga volcanoes, which offers hiking through gorilla habitat as well as 21 stilted wood cabins and a steaming hot infinity pool. The only way is Norfolk The Harper Norfolk is now the must-book spot for the staycation cool crowd. Not only is it Her Majestys favourite hangout (Sandringhams here), but soon you can stay at The Harper, an exquisite 32-room retreat close to Blakeneys beach that opens in April and promises a full-service spa and in-house restaurant, Stanley's. Theres loads to discover in this bucolic county. Travel talk The holiday buzzwords youll hear this year, decoded Voluntourism Doing good while you kick back, also known as volunteer tourism, is set to be one of the fastest-growing travel trends of 2020 more than 5,000 people signed up to a maintenance scheme on the Faroe Islands within 24 hours. The newest brand of eco-tourism. Friendmoon Forget destination weddings: more couples are asking their mates along on honeymoon, in place of a romantic retreat a deux. Blame Jennifer Aniston, who kick-started the movement a few years back by taking her Hollywood circle on her honeymoon with Justin Theroux to Bora Bora. This year its set to go mainstream. Micro-cation The new slang for a mini-break, mostly co-opted by time- and cash-poor millennials, micro-cations are long weekends, reborn as three-day trips with action-packed schedules. Not the most relaxing, but worth it for the Instagrams. Yes we Canouan Godahl beach Canouan, a five square mile paradise in the Grenadines, is set to become the namedroppers ultimate destination. Home to a superyacht marina, Glossy Bay, Canuouan already hosts the luxe Mandarin Oriental on dreamy Godahl Beach and Soho House opens its doors there this summer. The islands vibe is unhurried (like its resident tortoises) with an emphasis on high-end, laid-back chic. Walk this way The view from the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela / Alamy Stock Photo Jaguar Land Rover chief executive Ralf Speth is to step down in September (Chris Ratcliffe/PA) The boss of Jaguar Land Rover is to step down in September. The car manufacturer confirmed that Ralf Speth will leave his role after 10 years in charge, to become a non-executive vice chairman of the business. His departure comes after a challenging period for the company, which has axed thousands of jobs in recent years after slowing sales. The 65-year-old engineer has been chief executive since 2010, when Tata purchased the business from Ford. Over the past decade, Jaguar Land Rover has expanded by growing its model range and driving into new markets, with new production plants in the US, China and Slovakia. However, falling demand for diesel vehicles and sluggish demand in China has seen the business announce a strategy to cut 2.5 billion of costs, leading to thousands of job losses. Prof Sir Ralf Speth announced as Non-Executive Vice-Chairman of Jaguar Land Rover. https://t.co/6sVuoY0rMF pic.twitter.com/q4tLn8l3Ja Jaguar Land Rover (@JLR_News) January 30, 2020 JLR confirmed that Mr Speth will step down at the end of his current contract, and that a search committee has been set up to find a suitable successor. Mr Speth said he is looking forward to new and exciting challenges. I feel very honoured to have worked with so many dedicated and creative people, both inside and outside of Jaguar Land Rover, he said. We have elevated Jaguar and Land Rover. I want to say thank you for all their support and commitment. We offer our customers multi-award-winning products and will continue to surprise with the best pipeline of new, innovative products we have ever had. Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman of Jaguar Land Rover, Tata Motors and Tata Sons, said: I want to thank Ralf for his passion and commitment over the last 10 years. Ralf developed Jaguar Land Rover from a niche, UK-centric manufacturer to a respected, technological leading, global premium company. On the side-lines of the Budget, the government should also focus on releasing the new Direct Taxes Code, which is long overdue. Budget 2020 is being presented at a time when the economy, Indian as well as global, is showing signs of stress. Indias estimated GDP growth of 5 percent is the lowest in the past decade or so. There is a dip in the private investment and consumption demand is falling. The Finance Minister has limited fiscal space with the tax revenue collections below expectations. A reformist Budget with the right policy levers is a fair expectation. We take a sneak peek at some of the key direct tax reforms that are expected from Budget 2020: Reduce personal taxes to boost consumption: To boost consumption, especially at lower income levels, it may help to lower individual tax rates. For example, the tax rate for income in the slab of Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh which is currently 20 percent may be reduced by either reducing the tax rate to 10 percent or by raising the thresholds from Rs 5 lakh to say Rs 8 lac for the 20% tax rate to be attracted. While the loss of tax revenues may not be material, this would provide more disposable income to the people and could boost the consumption demand. Higher GST collections should partly offset the loss of income tax revenues. Small tweaks in corporate tax needed: Significant corporate tax reforms have already been made through the Taxation Ordinance of 2019 and subsequently ratified through the Taxation Amendment Act, 2019. Indias corporate taxes are quite competitive in the global landscape, especially in the Asian region. This should help attract more FDI into the country. However, some smaller tweaks are expected. An extension of the present sunset date of 30 June, 2020 (section 194LC/194LD) for availing concessional withholding tax rate of 5 percent in respect of interest on foreign currency loans is a reasonable ask when globally countries are vying with each other to attract foreign capital. This will also prevent flight of foreign capital from India. Introduction of the 10 percent long term capital gains a couple of years back on the sale of listed shares/equity-oriented mutual funds is also being seen as a regressive step since it has not added much to the tax kitty, but has had negative sentiments on investors. The Budget should amend this and go back to the earlier exemption rule. Corporates that consistently and persistently invest in R&D outperform others. Several studies confirm a positive correlation between R&D and economic development. Further, leveraging new and emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, BlockChain, etc., to the maximum advantage of the economy requires higher levels of innovation, keeping pace with the advancement of technology globally. However, currently, the IT sector continues to be deprived of the R&D tax incentive under the current law. While there has been a continued focus on encouraging IT adoption and allocation of funds in a few sectors, there is no specific incentive given to the IT companies for R&D. Key expectations from this Budget on this front are to include the introduction of additional depreciation on the tangible/ intangible assets used in R&D units/divisions of companies which would incentivize capital investments and reintroduction of the weighted deduction [under section 35(2AB)] for R&D activities carried out by such companies. Extension of tax holiday: On the SEZ front, to maximise the use of unutilized SEZ space, the government recently notified (December 2019) all existing SEZs as multi-sector special economic zones (co-existence of different sector SEZ units in the same SEZ). However, without an extension of the existing tax holiday sunset date of March 2020, there is not much incentive for companies to shift to SEZs. Therefore, one could anticipate an extension to the sunset clause, at least for the non-IT/ITES sectors. Alternatively, as recommended in the Baba Kalyani committees report on SEZ reforms, SEZ incentives should be linked to investments made and employment generated in the SEZs, rather than the current focus of how much foreign currency revenues these SEZs earn. Direct tax disputes settlement scheme: Lastly, the introduction of a tax dispute settlement scheme could prove to be a silver lining for the legacy tax disputes tormenting corporate taxpayers. The government could ask corporates to pay part of the disputed amount along with interest and penalties to end age-long disputes. It is thus anticipated that the upcoming Budget would bring into effect the said scheme and help release clogged tax demands. This will definitely boost the governments tax kitty. Corporates would be a happier lot. A similar scheme was introduced under the indirect tax regime in Budget 2019. On the side-lines of the Budget, the government should also focus on releasing the new Direct Taxes Code, which is long overdue. The Indian income tax law is a 60-year old law and with amendments over the years, it has become a complicated piece of legislation. It is high time that the government introduces a forward-looking and simplified version of the income-tax law. Introduction of calculated tax measures along with strong macro policy changes would act as stepping stones for the countrys economic growth and therefore all eyes are on the Finance Minister. (Rao is Partner, Deloitte India and Nahata, Manager, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India) Follow full coverage of Union Budget 2020-21 here A savvy homeowner has told how she removed the rust from her old baking trays using a 2p coin - and her clever hack is branded a 'game changer.' Louise Wright, from Glasgow, shared impressive before and after photos to Hinch Army Cleaning Tips Facebook group and penned: 'Don't bin baking trays.' 'I spend a fortune on baking trays because I buy the cheaper range and they dont last long being marked by tough cooking stains. But I tried the 2p trick going about and it worked.' And many were impressed with the thrifty woman's top tips, with some even admitting their 'mind was blown.' 'WOW.. lil bit of work.. but worth it,' commented one, while a second joked: 'Guess what Ill be doing tonight! Thanks for the tip.' Louise Wright, from Glasgow, took to Hinch Army Cleaning Tips Facebook group and told how she used a two pence coin to remove rust from her old baking trays. Pictured, before Louise went on to explain how she first rubbed the baking tray with the 2p, before washing it in washing up liquid. Pictured, the baking tray after the transformation Louise took to Facebook to explain how she had previously spent a fortune on baking trays because she tends to buy ones from the cheaper range (pictured) A third who was in disbelief by the concept commented: 'Is this a joke? I feel stupid if I try it but really want to.' In the post, which has since racked up over 700 likes, Louise went on to explain her method to those eager to hear more. 'Rub baking tray with the 2p and then wash in washing up liquid (as you would with daily dishes),' she penned. 'It works takes away the burnt marks left from baking/cooking. No more binning and replacing.' Others took to the comments section to express their excitement at giving the hack a go themselves (pictured) However, it was too late for some, who admitted they had recently thrown out their old trays after struggling to remove the rust. 'Oh no I binned four yesterday!! Couldnt get them clean enough,' wrote one, while a second similarly penned: 'I binned my tray last week because of this rust.' A further explained: 'Literally just bought new pans and threw my old ones. Will definitely give this a go.' Meanwhile, others expressed how excited they were to try the bargain trick out for themselves. 'Running to get baking trays out,' enthused one, while a second commented: 'Love it, will be spending my day off tomorrow doing this.' A delighted third added: 'Omg!!!!! Louise I love you!!!!!!! Im on it in the morning.' Seasoned diplomat Vinay Mohan Kwatra has been appointed as India's next envoy to Nepal, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Thursday. Kwatra, a 1988 batch Indian Foreign Service officer, replaces Manjeev Singh Puri who has retired from service. Currently, Kwatra is posted as the Ambassador of India to Paris. He is expected to take up the assignment shortly, the MEA said. In his 30 years of service at IFS, he has served in the Permanent Mission of India in Geneva, China and diplomatic missions in South Africa and Uzbekistan. From 2006 to 2010, he represented India at the SAARC Secretariat in Nepal as head of the Trade, Economy and Finance Bureau. From May 2010 till July 2013, he served as Minister (Commerce) in the Embassy of India, Washington. Kwatra also served as Joint Secretary in the office of the Prime Minister of India between October 2015 and August 2017. He has also served at the ministry headquarters here. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The dashboard, which will be accessible to only top-notch officials of the corporation, will help them know the areas of focus. Hyderabad: Greater Hyderabad Muni-cipal Corporation (GHMC) commissioner D.S. Lokesh Kumar has instructed zonal commissioners to file weekly reports on 10 civic aspects, including road repairs taken up under Comprehensive Road Main-tenance Project (CRMP), development of parks, junction and median improvement, bus bays and shelters, Foot over Bridges (FoBs) and public toilets. He wants these details entered into the corporations dashboard, which will help him monitor progress or otherwise of these works. He warned zonal commissioners that any delay or failure in filing these reports would invite stringent action. GHMC chiefs action comes following increasing number grievances from citizens under mainly 10 subjects. The dashboard, which will be accessible to only top-notch officials of the corporation, will help them know the areas of focus. Lokesh Kumar made it clear to officials that urban lung space must be improved by greening central medians, parks and junctions. He has set tight deadlines for completing long-pending bus bays, bus shelters and Foot over Bridges (FoBs) for the benefit of commuters. He has also emphasised on cleanliness at public toilets. The corporation had proposed to build 52 FoBs and eight skywalks. However, it could ground only five of them during the previous year. The junction and median improvement programme was taken up way back in 2015 as part of 100 days action plan. GHMC could do precious little on these two aspects. GHMCs flawless paperwork on public toilets helped the corporation bag several awards. However, the ground reality is that they are still in a very bad condition due to poor maintenance. The Delhi High Court has asked the AAP government to respond to a plea by former Haryana chief minister O P Chautala claiming that his prayer for early release from jail in a teachers' recruitment scam has not been considered by the authorities despite judicial order. Justice Rajnish Bhatnagar asked the Delhi government to file its response on the plea and listed the matter for further hearing on February 28. The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) chief, who is 84 and lodged in Tihar jail to serve 10-year jail term in the JBT scam, has been seeking special remission on the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi as notified by the central government. The high court on December 18, 2019 asked the Delhi government to consider afresh Chautala's plea for early release from jail. It had set aside the state's April 3, 2019 order of rejecting his plea. Advocate Amit Sahni, appearing for Chautala, argued that despite the December 18 directions of the court, the Delhi government has not decided the case for special remission and the state cannot prolong it indefinitely. He said the government was asked to comply with the order in two weeks but it has not been complied with even after 40 days and sought direction to the authorities to comply with it. Delhi government standing counsel (criminal) Rahul Mehra submitted that in view of upcoming elections in the capital, the model code of conduct is in force and the state level committee would examine Chautala's case after the new government is formed. In the December order, the court said that in view of mandate of law and the fact that he was aged and has completed 50 per cent of his actual sentence period, the court was of the opinion that he was eligible to have his case considered by the State Committee for special remission in terms of the guidelines prescribed under the Notification. The court had made it clear that it had not expressed any opinion on the entitlement of Chautala for early release. His plea was earlier opposed by the Delhi government, which had said Chautala was not eligible for the relief as he was convicted under the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act and as per the proviso of the government notification, such convicts cannot be granted special remission. Chautala had claimed in his plea that he should be considered for release from jail in view of his old age and disability as also the period of seven years already undergone by him behind bars. The petition had referred to the central government's July 18, 2018, special remission notification, by which the relief could be granted to certain categories of prisoners and they were to be released in three phases with effect from October last year. As per the notification, the special remission has to be given to women and transgender convicts of 55 years of age who have completed 50 per cent of their actual jail term, male convicts of 60 years of age and who have completed half of their sentence period. The relief has to be given to physically challenged/ disabled prisoners with 70 per cent disability and more and who have completed 50 per cent of their actual jail term and those who are terminally ill and the convicts who have completed two-thirds of their jail term, it said. However, the special remission was not to be given to those who have been convicted for heinous offences or under POTA, UAPA, TADA, POCSO Act, money laundering, FEMA, NDPS and anti-corruption act. "Considering the age, disability and period of incarceration, the case of Chautala falls under two clauses of the notification but since the authorities are biased towards him, his case is not considered in furtherance of the notification despite the fact that he has already undergone more than seven years of incarceration under the PC Act," the plea had said. Chautala, his son Ajay Chautala and 53 others, including IAS officer Sanjiv Kumar, were convicted and sentenced in the case of illegal recruitment of 3,206 junior basic teachers (JBT) in 2000. They all were sentenced to varying jail terms in the case by a special CBI court in January 2013. Kumar, the then director of primary education in Haryana, had initially exposed the scam after he filed a plea in the Supreme Court. Later, he was also found to be involved in the scam during a CBI probe. The others who were given 10-year jail terms are Madan Lal Kalra, Durga Dutt Pradhan, Bani Singh, Ram Singh and Daya Saini. Apart from them, a convict was handed a five-year jail sentence and the rest 44 were given four years of imprisonment. Among the 55 convicts, 16 were women officials. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Health officials visit two patients infected with the Wuhan coronavirus at Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, January 23, 2020. Photo by VnExpress. The Ministry of Health confirmed Thursday that three Vietnamese nationals have tested positive for the new pneumonia virus thats killed 170 people in China. One patient is being treated at Thanh Hoa General Hospital in the eponymous north central province and the others at the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi. All three of them had returned recently from Chinas Wuhan City, the epicenter of the epidemic, Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen said. Two different methods were used to test biological samples from the three people, and the results were positive for the new coronavirus (nCoV), he said. As of Thursday afternoon, Vietnam has recorded five cases of individuals infected with the new coronavirus. Two Chinese nationals were confirmed on January 23 as Vietnam's first cases of nCoV infection. Li Zichao, 28, one of the two Chinese nationals, a father and son duo, had recovered by Tuesday morning, But his father remains on a ventilator, doctors at Cho Ray Hospital in HCMC said 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 virus has spread from mainland China to Hong Kong, Macao, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan, Australia, the U.S., South Korea, France, Germany, Canada, Vietnam, UAE, Nepal, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, India and the Philippines. Chinese authorities say 170 people had died of the disease as of Thursday morning. The number of confirmed infections has topped 7,819. The Vietnamese government has deployed various measures to combat the virus, including keeping out tourists from Chinas epidemic-hit areas and quarantining Chinese workers returning to Vietnam after Tet. As of Thursday, Vietnam had recorded 97 suspected cases with signs of fever and cough, all from affected areas. Of these, 32 are in quarantine pending test results. Gov. Gretchen Whitmers second state of the state speech struck a different tone than her first, turning gravely serious at times as she hit lawmakers for not acting on her road plan. Her speech was shorter than usual, and she outlined the reason as she unveiled her new road plan. I am not here to play games, Whitmer said, to much applause. Thats why its time for Plan B... for those of you who want to keep playing games, Im going to press on without you." It was one of several defining moments for the speech, which packed quite a few pointed comments into under an hour. Here are some others: Please, I urge you, focus on the substance of my speech. Its about issues, not appearances. I mean, I dont care how distracting Senator Shirkeys outfit is, cut him a break." This was the governors nod to people spending the day after her last State of the State address talking about the dress she wore instead of what she said. She hugged Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clark Lake, after making the joke, thanking him for his sense of humor. The two have sparred politically but remained connected through that shared sense of humor over the past year. After Shirkey apologized for reportedly telling a group of college students Whitmer and Democrats were on the batshit crazy spectrum, she sent him birthday cake wishing him a Happy 65th BAT Day. Well let a woman choose her birth control that works for her. A novel idea, I know, but we are going to ask a woman what she wants." Whitmer dropped this line of her speech to much applause during a section where she spoke about expanding health coverage for low-income women and babies, something she said would be part of her budget proposal next week. Aside from birth control, she also said she would expand health coverage to addiction treatment and mental health services, too. Believe me, the people of Michigan dont want more ceremony. They want concrete action, and sometimes they just want concrete. This play on words was one more nod to her plan to issue bonds for road money, which she can do without legislative approval. He got tired of waiting for the adults in charge to fix them. So Monte took action... he grabbed dirt and a shovel from his backyard and filled them himself." Whitmer highlighted the pothole-filling efforts of Monte Scott, a 13-year-old from Musekgon Heights who got frustrated with his neighborhood being full of potholes and took matters into his own hands. The adults in charge she referred to in the story was undoubtedly targeted at lawmakers, who she has criticized for failing to act on her road plan. House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, dismissed that claim after the speech as revisionist history, saying she had come in with a 45-cent gas tax increase and not been willing to budge. She refused to work with us and it was 45 cents or bust, Chatfield said. Sure, its good to be patient. When youre waiting in the line at the grocery store, or when youre on the phone with customer service, or when youre a Lions fan. But not now." When it comes to fixing the roads, Whitmer made the case impatience was a virtue, pointing to safety and other issues with the roads. More State of the State coverage: Gov. Whitmer unveils Plan B for roads: Shell fix them without the legislature Whitmers road financing plan doesnt fix underlying problem, critics say Gov. Whitmer hits back at those who criticized her dress at last State of the State Whitmers new road plan: Borrow $3.5B to fix them now Mom's managers write sweet letter to kids when she returns from maternity leave originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com For working moms, the transition back to the office after maternity leaves is one of the hardest parts of motherhood. But one mom's managers went out of their way to make it just a little bit easier on her. After Emma Corless' 10-month maternity leave, Kate Dunton and James Rosenwax, her managers at the global infrastructure company AECOM, wrote a letter to her kids. "We are so lucky to have your mummy returning to work," it read in part. "We've missed her and her brains. She's an amazing mother, but she's also amazing to us! She's a key mentor of our team." MORE: CEO pens viral post on work-life balance urging others to 'pick family' Corless, who has been working for the Melbourne, Australia, company for the last six years, told "Good Morning America" the letter to her sons -- Finn, 2 and Leo, 10 months -- and her wife, Celeste, arrived at the end of her first week back. "I was feeling exhausted and overwhelmed," she said. "It felt like such a big week for me and my family, and it was so heartening just to know that they were conscious of that." On her 10-month leave, Corless said she had "fundamentally changed as a person." She said she was anxious for week before her return, worried about how her son Leo would cope in daycare. MORE: 'Put a smile on your face' says dad in viral post "When I received the letter in the post I cried. My partner did, too," Corless said. In the letter, her managers also wrote, "We promise to look after her." While on her leave, Corless told "GMA," she was also promoted and able to ease back into work with a three-day work week. "Without that support and flexibility, I wouldn't have been able to take the job," she said. Getty One of Donald Trump's plucked-from-television impeachment lawyers argued every action taken by a sitting president is in the interests of the country even if carried out mostly to win re-election. "If the president does something that he thinks will help him get elected, in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment," Alan Dershowitz, a celebrity Harvard University professor, told senators. GOP Texas Senator Ted Cruz had asked Mr Dershowitz, whom Mr Trump used to watch on Fox News, if a commander in chief ordering a quid pro quo is legally appropriate. The question also touched on a sitting president acting, at least in part, while thinking the this-for-that deal might help on Election Day. "Every public official I know believes that his election is in the public interest," Mr Dershowitz replied. "Mostly, you're right." House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff of California, Democrats' lead impeachment manager, later furrowed his brow and called Mr Dershowitz's theory "very odd". "If you say you can't hold a president accountable in an election year where they're trying to cheat in that election, then you are giving them carte blanche," Mr Schiff said. "All quid pro quos are not the same. Some are legitimate and some are corrupt." Mr Dershowitz's argument is part of a broader Trump team claim that the president did nothing wrong in his Ukraine policy efforts and even if he did, his actions were not impeachable. Democrats, however, have based their case on the opposite. One of the impeachment articles stated Mr Trump's actions amounted to him abusing the powers of his office. During the trial, Mr Schiff and his Democratic colleagues have argued Mr Trump's power abuse was an attempt to "steal" November's presidential election. As the first day of senators questioning House Democratic impeachment team and Mr Trump's lawyers unfolded, politicians mostly asked questions of the team representing their own political party, often with highly leading questions. None of the questions from the GOP senators suggested any are thinking of voting to convict and remove Trump; it would take 20 joining with the chamber's 47 Democrats. Read more Key senators show some cards in Trump impeachment questioning Pawan Jallad, the hangman from Meerut, who was called to execute the four convicts of 2012 gang-rape case on Thursday reported at Tihar Jail. The convicts are scheduled to be executed on February 1, 2020. Pawan will perform dummy execution tomorrow. Pawan had earlier said that he was ready to hang the four convicts in the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case. "It will really give a great sigh of relief to me, to Nirbhaya's parents and to everyone else in the country when these convicts are hanged. These kinds of people should be hanged," he said. A Delhi court had issued a fresh death warrant against the four death-row convicts in a Nirbhaya rape case who will now be executed on February 1. Four convicts -- Vinay, Akshay, Pawan, and Mukesh -- were convicted and sentenced to death for raping a 23-year-old woman in a moving bus in the capital on the intervening night of December 16-17, 2012. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A company release noted that with Kuderas appointment, previous group actuary Paul Frydas will assume the new role of chief analytics officer. In his new role, Frydas will lead strategic pricing, aggregation management and modelling. Although he takes new responsibilities, Frydas will still serve as chief actuary for Aspen Insurance UK, Aspen Management Agency, and Aspen Bermuda. Welcoming industry leading experts of Andys quality to our team increases our capabilities, allowing us to transform our business, simplify and enhance our operations, and increase accountability across these functions, said Aspen Insurance Holdings executive chairman and group CEO Mark Cloutier. Cloutier also commented that Kuderas capabilities and perspective, together with Frydass expertise and experience, will create a strong partnership across complimentary disciplines. ST. JOHN'S, Newfoundland, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Restaurants Canada is calling on the government of Newfoundland and Labrador to provide much needed relief to small businesses hard hit by the recent blizzard, following years of economic slowdown. In an open letter to Premier Dwight Ball and Finance Minister Tom Osborne, the national associations vice president for Atlantic Canada urges the government to take the following actions: Introduce a wholesale beverage alcohol pricing program for bars and restaurants. Now that New Brunswick has committed to introduce such a program, Newfoundland and Labrador is the only province in Atlantic Canada not offering wholesale pricing to bar and restaurant licensees. Now that New Brunswick has committed to introduce such a program, Newfoundland and Labrador is the only province in Atlantic Canada not offering wholesale pricing to bar and restaurant licensees. Maintain commitment to continue linking minimum wage to increases to the national consumer price index. Small business operators would further benefit from the introduction of a training wage, recognizing the cost of hiring inexperienced workers, and a liquor-serving wage, recognizing the significant gratuities earned by servers. Increase the Health and Post Secondary Tax (HAPSET) exemption threshold to $3 million. While introduced with the intent to target large corporations, this tax instead penalizes small, labour-intensive businesses like restaurants, where over a third of all sales go toward salaries and wages. Increasing the exemption threshold to $3 million and changing the rules so that associated establishments are not captured would protect small business operators from the job-killing consequences of this tax. Exempt businesses from the 15 per cent Retail Sales Tax on insurance premiums. Newfoundland and Labrador is the only province that imposes a tax on the insurance premiums that businesses pay to protect their property and operations from risk. Read the full letter here: www.restaurantscanada.org/restaurants-canada-open-letter-to-government-of-newfoundland/ Media Contacts: Luc Erjavec 902-209-0804 lerjavec@restaurantscanada.org Marlee Wasser 416-649-4254 media@restaurantscanada.org 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. The foodservice sector in Newfoundland and Labrador is a $1.1-billion industry that directly employs 16,500 workers and is the provinces number one source of first jobs. WASHINGTON - Attorney General William Barr on Thursday named Timothy Shea, one of his closest advisers, to be the next top prosecutor in the nations capital. Shea will lead the largest U.S. attorneys office in the country, which has been historically responsible for some of the most significant and politically sensitive cases the Justice Department brings in the U.S. He is a senior counsellor to the attorney general and was Barrs right-hand man helping institute reforms at the federal Bureau of Prisons after Jeffrey Epsteins death at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City. As the U.S. attorney in the District of Columbia, Shea would oversee some of the lingering cases from special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation, along with a number of politically charged investigations. The office is also generally responsible for handling potential prosecutions if Congress finds a witness in contempt. Tim brings to this role extensive knowledge and expertise in law enforcement matters as well as an unwavering dedication to public service, reflected in his long and distinguished career in state and federal government, Barr said in a statement. His reputation as a fair prosecutor, skilful litigator, and excellent manager is second-to-none, and his commitment to fighting violent crime and the drug epidemic will greatly benefit the city of Washington. Prosecutors from the U.S. attorneys office had been investigating former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, a frequent target of President Donald Trumps wrath, and the prospect of charges seemed likely in the fall after his lawyers failed to persuade senior Justice Department officials that he didnt intentionally lie to internal investigators. Little has been said about the case in recent months. The position generally requires Senate confirmation, but the law also allows federal judges to vote to appoint a U.S. attorney after a 120-day window. That was the case with Geoffrey Berman, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan. Shea, a Boston-area native who comes from a family of first responders, is widely seen as being able to bridge a gap between law enforcement officials and the community, especially in Washington. The office is unique because its 300 or so prosecutors have jurisdiction to prosecute both local and federal crimes in the nations capital. Hes the definitive public servant, said Jim Pasco, the executive director of the National Fraternal Order of Police. He has a real reverence for the law and a real dedication to making communities safer. Shea has served in a variety of roles in the Justice Department from working as a line prosecutor to being associate deputy attorney general. As an assistant U.S. attorney, he prosecuted violent crimes, fraud, public corruption and drug trafficking cases and hes also led a task force that was responsible for investigating and prosecuting prison crimes and had also worked as a congressional staffer in the House and Senate. He was the chief counsel and staff director for the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which was chaired at the time by Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, and also worked on the staff of the House Appropriations Committee. Collins said in a statement that Shea did an outstanding job leading in-depth investigations into issues ranging from consumer protection to government waste, fraud, and abuse. With his decades of legal experience in both the private and public sectors, Tim has a wealth of knowledge that will serve him well in his new role, she added. In the wake of Epsteins death, Barr and Shea worked hand-in-hand to manage the crisis and investigation into the circumstances surrounding the wealthy financiers death. Shea visited the jail days after Epsteins suicide and helped advise the attorney general as Barr shook up the agencys leadership, removing its acting director. Shea, who begins his new role on Feb. 3, replaces Jessie Liu, who has been nominated to become the undersecretary for terrorism and financial crimes at the Treasury Department, as the Trump administration imposes economic sanctions as a national security tool. The attorney general said Liu had served with distinction as U.S. attorney. Barr had nominated Liu to become the associate attorney general, the third-highest job in the department, overseeing civil litigation, but she withdrew from consideration after encountering opposition on the Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee because of her past membership in a lawyers group that has supported abortion rights. Liu would be first U.S. attorney to assume the role at Treasury. When she was U.S. attorney, her office brought several sanctions-related cases and issued a warrant to seize an Iranian supertanker caught in a diplomatic standoff because of violations of U.S. sanctions, money laundering and terrorism statutes. MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Three prisoners wanted by the United States for their links to drug trafficking, including an alleged associate of the sons of Mexican drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, on Wednesday escaped from a Mexico City prison, authorities said. MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Three prisoners wanted by the United States for their links to drug trafficking, including an alleged associate of the sons of Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, on Wednesday escaped from a Mexico City prison, authorities said. Mexico and the United States, its most important trade partner, have been looking for ways to address the escalating security situation as well as clamp down on illegal drug and arms trade. Mexican authorities said the prisoners escaped from a penitentiary in southern Mexico City on Wednesday morning, possibly with the help of prison staff. "The escape of an inmate from this prison cannot be carried out without the involvement of public servants," Rosa Icela Rodriguez, interior minister for the Mexico City government, told reporters. Antonio Hazael Ruiz, deputy minister for the city's prison system, said the escapees had to get past five locked doors. Ten prison staff are being investigated for their possible involvement, Ruiz added. Luis Meza and Victor Felix Beltran, both from Culiacan, in the western state of Sinaloa, had been held for drug trafficking while Yael Osuna, from Nayarit, had been held for being part of a criminal association. Beltran, known as "El Vic", managed the finances of Guzman's sons, local media reported. It was not immediately clear when the United States had submitted the request for their extradition. Guzmans's children, collectively known as "Los Chapitos", enhanced their family's near-mythical outlaw reputation last year when hundreds of heavily-armed Sinaloa Cartel henchmen poured into Culiacan to rescue one of Guzman's detained sons, briefly taking hostage the modern city of a million people. Guzman himself escaped from two high-security prisons in Mexico but was eventually captured and extradited to the United States. Last year, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole and moved to a high security facility in Colorado after being convicted in a U.S. court of smuggling tons of drugs to the United States over a colourful, decades-long career. (Reporting by Raul Cortes; Writing by Julia Love and Stefanie Eschenbacher; Editing by Alistair Bell) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh will address a series of public meetings and participate in roadshows in various parts of the capital from February 3 to 5 in support of Congress candidates during the Delhi Assembly elections. A spokesperson of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) said that the Chief Minister will address a public meeting in favour of Congress candidate Surender Setia in Hari Nagar on February 3 at 4:45 pm, followed by a roadshow to canvas for party candidate Shivani Chopra in Kalkaji at 9 pm. On February 4, Singh will participate in a roadshow at Kasturba Nagar at 5 pm, in favour of party candidate Abhishek Dutt, followed by a public meeting at Bata Chowk Bhogal in Jangpura at 8 pm. The Chief Minister's programme for electioneering on February 5 is yet to be finalised, the spokesperson said. Elections will be held in all 70 constituencies of Delhi on February 8. The 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.) Donald Trump will allow US troops to use landmines again by overturning an Obama administration ban on the explosives that have killed about 130,000 civilians over the past two decades, a report says. In the coming days the president is expected to loosen the restrictions set in 2014 in line with the Ottawa Treaty's aim to prevent the production, stockpiling and transfer of the weapons of war. But troops will only be able to use mines that self-destruct or self-deactivate in 30 days as the US prepares to be well equipped in case of major conflict with a 'great power'. Donald Trump will reportedly allow US troops to use landmines again and the decision is expected to be announced in the coming days. The new approach will be achieved by overturning a 2014 Obama administration ban According to a 2019 State Department report, 'landmines and explosive remnants of war, including cluster munition remnants, artillery shells, and mortars, continue to kill and maim people even after conflicts end'. File image from Thailand on August 6, 2019 Pentagon sources told CNN the change was to make sure countries such as Russia or China will not be able to get access to critical terrain and is based off a review launched in 2017 which found lack of landmines outside of Korea 'increased risk to mission success'. The finding two years ago from then-Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, comes 20 years after the Ottawa Convention that enforced a worldwide ban. Since 1993 it has cost about $3.6billion to clear excess weapons and explosives from over 100 countries, many African, with the help of non-government funding. In the late 90s the Clinton Administration instructed the clearance of mines installed around the US Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, placed to defend against Communist Cuban troops. The Obama policy prevented the used of weapons such as the Gator munition which is dropped from planes. Mine use was still allowed in the Korean Peninsula after the Obama restriction. However the new policy would give permission for the development, production and procurement of landmines once again. The Obama policy prevented the used of weapons such as the Gator munition which is dropped from planes The new decision is based off a review launched in 2017 where then-Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis (center) found lack of landmines outside of Korea 'increased risk to mission success' Defense Secretary Mark Esper told CNN on Thursday when questioned about the information from Pentagon sources: 'There will be a change coming out, I'm not going to comment on it until it is' They would no longer get the same treatment as nuclear weapons and responsibility would be overseen by US Military combatant commanders. When asked about the claims, Defense Secretary Mark Esper told CNN on Thursday: 'There will be a change coming out, I'm not going to comment on it until it is.' According to a 2019 State Department report, 'landmines and explosive remnants of war, including cluster munition remnants, artillery shells, and mortars, continue to kill and maim people even after conflicts end'. The woman who received the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize together with International Campaign to Ban Landmines, blasted the decision Thursday. 'Mr. Trump's policy rollback is a step toward the past, like many of his other decisions, ' Jody Williams told CNN. She said it 'sends exactly the wrong message to those working to rid the world of the scourge of landmines'. In the late 90s the Clinton Administration instructed the clearance of mines installed around the US Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, placed to defend against Communist Cuban troops. March 18, 1997, file photo For many Britons living in towns and villages across Europe, the arrival of Brexit on Friday night will mean losing the right to vote and run for office. From being active participants in the communities where they have spread roots and paid taxes, British expatriates in France, Germany and elsewhere in the European Union will suddenly find themselves on the outside with no say. Andrew Nixey must give up his seat on the elected council in Saint-Martial-sur-Isop, the village in west-central France where he has lived and raised cattle for 20 years. He said: The fact that we cant vote is illogical. We pay taxes, why should we not vote? In the German village of Brunsmark, Brexit is forcing Scotsman Iain Macnab to cut short his third term as mayor which was not due to end until 2023. German authorities told him last year that his voting rights and his mayorship of the village of 170 people must end with Britains EU withdrawal. Todays vote was not a vote in favour or against #Brexit. It was a vote for an orderly Brexit & against a hard one. This is not an 'adieux', but merely an 'au revoir' https://t.co/TCygycbnk8 Guy Verhofstadt (@guyverhofstadt) January 29, 2020 Mr Macnab said: The guillotine is there. I will have a glass of sparkling wine with the local council on Friday and then thank them for doing an excellent job, and I will disappear into the twilight, ride off into the sunset. Many details of Britains separation from the EU still must be sorted out, and there will not be many visible changes on Saturday, after the tortuous divorce process finally becomes official. Story continues However, the loss will be felt by Britons who left years ago to make new lives on the continent. Already disenfranchised by British electoral law, which prevents expatriates from voting in the United Kingdom after 15 years overseas, Brexit will for many usher in an uncertain future with no ability to vote anywhere. We have reached the point of no return. pic.twitter.com/Yj2OyVhl9Q Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) January 29, 2020 The problem could be fixed by becoming citizens of where they have chosen to live which can be a drawn-out process. However, some expatriates do not meet the requirements, some have applied but are still awaiting the paperwork, and some simply do not want to change citizenship. Others have not got round to it, waking up late to the fact that they will soon have nowhere to vote at all. Mr Macnab said he does not want to be a German citizen, despite having lived in Germany for 40 years, because he may choose to move back to the UK some day. I have been 70 years a Scot, he said. I dont want to ruin the chance of going back to Britain and being covered by the National Health Service. MEPs embrace after a vote on the UKs withdrawal from the EU (AP) The right for all EU nationals to vote and stand in municipal elections where they live, even if they are not citizens of that country, was enshrined in the 1992 Maastricht Treaty which established the EU. However, rules in Europe are not uniform for non-EU citizens, which is what Britons will become after Friday night. Some countries allow non-EU citizens to vote in municipal elections. So even after Brexit, Britons should still have a voice at the local level in Denmark, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands and in two cities in Slovakia. In Finland, they will need to have been residents for two years, while the residency requirement is five years in the Netherlands. Britain also has been negotiating directly with other EU nations to extend the ability of British expatriates to vote and run for office after Brexit. The UK Government said it has deals with Spain, Portugal and Luxembourg and is continuing talks with other administrations. It said British expatriates should also still be able to vote locally in Belgium, Estonia, Ireland, Lithuania, Malta and Slovenia. But they will no longer be able to vote or stand locally in France, which has tens of thousands of long-term British residents and many more part-time residents of holiday homes. The French interior ministry said 757 Britons serve on municipal councils, more than any other expatriate group. To our British friends pic.twitter.com/FAtDRazU36 Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) January 29, 2020 They will keep their seats until municipal elections in March, but they will not be able to run or vote then if they have not gained French citizenship. For Briton Elaine Bastian, this has come as a blow. She has been proud to serve as an elected councillor since 2014 in the village of Blond, which has 700 residents and boasts a fortified medieval church. She said: I do feel robbed, almost, of my little crown, my hat of responsibility. It makes me angry more than anything. I really dont like other people being able to make my life choices. It was my life choice to be a councillor. Mr Nixey said his application for French citizenship is stuck somewhere in a Brexit-induced backlog. He is not optimistic that he will get it in time to stand again for re-election in Saint-Martial-sur-Isop. What PM @BorisJohnson will be doing when the UK leaves the EU on Friday. #PeoplesPMQs pic.twitter.com/xd23j2a431 UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) January 29, 2020 Mr Nixey said that serving on the village council, dealing with the minutiae of local services like refuse collection and road repairs, helped integrate him and his wife, Margaret, into the rural community where they raised two children. He also feels it allowed him to play a bridge-building role between newly-arrived Britons and their French neighbours. About one third of the 140 residents of Saint-Martial and its immediate surroundings are British, many of whom were attracted by cheap housing and land. Mr Nixey worries that communication will suffer if he is not around to translate and help smoothe out problems and misunderstandings. Mr Nixey said: Its one more wall being built to prevent the further integration of people. It is a real shame. I know the ropes. My French is good enough. Saint-Martial mayor Pierre Bachellerie said that excluding the British expatriates will be a big loss for his and other villages which have been revived by the arrival of British workers and retirees. He said: What really upsets me is that they repopulated our villages. We are lucky to have them. For me, its an aberration that they can no longer vote. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 20:23:22|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close BUCHAREST, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Social Democratic Party in Romania on Thursday tabled a censure motion in parliament against the cabinet led by National Liberal leader Ludovic Orban, to prevent the ruling party from revising election laws on the eve of local elections on June. Russia has said it will complete construction of the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea without the help of foreign companies, Financial Times writes in the article Russia to go it alone on construction of Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Tuesdays admission by Gazprom, the Kremlin-controlled gas monopoly, is the first official acknowledgment that Moscow will complete the pipeline, which runs from Russia to Germany, without foreign involvement. The Nord Stream 2 project, which is already 94 per cent complete, will be finished by the Russian side, Gazproms deputy head Elena Burmistrova said at the European Gas Conference Vienna. Washington imposed sanctions last month against companies involved in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 as part of efforts to punish Moscow for alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential elections. The Trump administration also voiced fears that the pipeline would increase Europes dependency on Russian energy. Gazprom and five EU energy companies are paying for the Nord Stream 2, which was being laid by international contractors, who suspended their work on the project when the US sanctions were announced. Critics say the pipeline is designed to reroute gas supplies to Europe that are currently sent through Ukraine, depriving Kyiv of lucrative transit revenues. Russia says it is a purely commercial venture. Half a century ago, when pipelines to Europe were being built, no one could think they would be torn by political disagreements, Ms Burmistrova said on Tuesday, pointing out the approaching 50th anniversary on February 1 of the legendary deal between Germany and the Soviet Union to supply gas in return for pipelines. It is unclear how Gazprom intends to finish the project without international assistance. Various options are being discussed, including vessels owned by the gas company and other Russian pipe laying contractors, but none are as modern or advanced as those used by Allseas. Swiss group Allseas, the main contractor that had been laying the pipeline, immediately suspended operations in the face of US sanctions. Despite Ms Burmistrovas comments, Nord Stream 2 AG, the fully Gazprom-owned pipeline operator based in Switzerland, on Tuesday insisted that together with the companies supporting the project Engie, OMV, Royal Dutch Shell, Uniper and Wintershall, all of which have already given it substantial financial investment it would work on finishing the pipeline. The 55bn cubic-metre pipeline was initially expected to be launched by the end of 2019, when the previous gas transit contract with Ukraine was set to expire. Construction work stretched into 2020, however, after a delay in receiving permission from Denmark to build in its waters. With a new Gazprom-Naftogaz transit contract now in place, Russian officials estimates for the completion of Nord Stream 2 now vary from the end of 2020 to early 2021. The UK government is trying its best to rescue Britons from Wuhan City in Hubei Province, ground zero for the emergence of the deadly virus, 2019-NCov or the Wuhan coronavirus. Just like other residents trapped in the city, the Britons clamor to escape this unfortunate situation, as the virus continues to spread, taking more than 170 lives, and infecting more than 7,000 people. Amid the health crisis in China, especially in Wuhan, food and water supplies are becoming critically low. Shops, restaurants, and grocery stores have shut down with most of their shelves empty. Fortunately, many citizens had already stockpiled food for the recent Chinese New Year celebrations on January 25, with perhaps enough to last them a couple more weeks. Due to these predicaments, the British government is trying to rescue its residents trapped in the city. More than 200 residents are scheduled to depart and are required to sign contracts stating they agree to be under quarantine upon arrival in the UK. The country has also suspended all flights from and to China as precautionary measure. Wuhan Tianhe International Airport. Image Credit: Al.geba / Shutterstock Not allowed to leave yet Originally, a flight was planned from Wuhan to the UK on Jan. 30th. However, the planned departure of about 200 British nationals from Wuhan to the UK has been postponed due to the delay in permissions from Chinese authorities. However, Foreign Office explained that discussions are ongoing to organize a flight to the UK as soon as possible. Coronavirus: Britons on Wuhan flights to be quarantined - BBC News Play When it eventuates the flight from Wuhan will land at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, all the passengers will be screened and evaluated. Further to that, all of them will then be taken to an NHS facility and put into supported isolation for two weeks. Some UK citizens were also not granted permission to leave Wuhan since they carry Chinese passports. A pilot in full protective gear parks an aircraft at #Wuhan airport. #CoronaVirus pic.twitter.com/TRd0iqtWB2 MDWLive! News (@MDWLiveFeed) January 30, 2020 Rescue plans for other countries Other countries, such as the United States, Japan, Australia, and the European Union, plan to repatriate their citizens who are still trapped in the city. The Chinese government has locked down Wuhan, a city of 11 million people, not allowing anyone to leave or enter in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus. On Jan. 23, authorities issued a notice that all public transport, including buses, flights, ferry services, and railways would be suspended. All residents in the city are not allowed to leave unless they have special permission from the government. Despite the lockdown, more than 300,000 people are estimated to have left the country before the lockdown. As of writing, 14 countries have reported confirmed cases of the coronavirus strain. Other countries such as Japan and the United States have started rescuing their citizens, with some 200 Japanese nationals among those who left Wuhan. They arrived at the Haneda airport in Tokyo and are under isolation. Meanwhile, the United States has also repatriated about 200 citizens, including employees from the U.S. consulate. All the evacuees cleared initial health checks in China and during a refueling stopover in Alaska. This was the entrance to #Wuhans airport as Americans tried to reach the flight to get them out. Masked police, tankers spraying the road, and eerie silence for an international hub. #China increasingly being cut off from the world to contain the #coronavirus outbreak. @NBCNews pic.twitter.com/8d2YhKfP1L Janis Mackey Frayer (@janisfrayer) January 29, 2020 Current status of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak As of writing, the cases of coronavirus soars with more than 162 people dead, and more than 7,700 people infected in more than a dozen countries. The United States reports its fifth confirmed case and more than 100 people being tests for the infection. Finland and Sri Lanka added to the list of countries with confirmed cases of the Wuhan coronavirus, with one case each. Cambodia and Nepal have one confirmed case of the infection, while Canada and Vietnam have two confirmed cases. Thailand, Japan, and Singapore have the most cases outside of China, with 14, 11, and 10 cases, respectively. The other countries with confirmed cases are Australia (7 cases), France (5 cases), Germany (4 cases), Hong Kong (10 cases), Macao (7 cases), Malaysia (7 cases), South Korea (4 cases), Taiwan (8 cases), United Arab Emirates (UAE) (4 cases), and the United States (5 cases). The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that all those who developed fever, difficulty of breathing, and cough within 14 days after leaving China, to seek medical attention right away and void contact with others. They are also advised not to travel while sick. Passengers arrive in France from Beijing. Kamil Zihnioglu (AP) The Spanish government is preparing to repatriate the 20 or so Spaniards who are currently trapped in the city of Wuhan, China due to the quarantine imposed there by the Chinese government in a bid to halt the spread of a new strain of coronavirus. No cases of the virus have so far been identified in Spain Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya announced today via Twitter that her department is working with the Health Ministry, the Spanish consulate in Beijing and the Chinese and European authorities in an effort to bring back the countrys nationals who are still in the area in Hubei province, which is the epicenter of the outbreak. Health Minister Salvador Illa said today during a radio interview with the Cadena SER network that his department is studying the protocols that will have to be followed when the Spanish nationals in question arrive in their home country, so that they receive the medical treatment that they require. Asked whether they would have to be placed in quarantine, Illa replied that measures will be taken to confirm whether are not they are infected with the virus. The minister pointed out that no cases have so far been identified in Spain, with four possible infections already ruled out. He added that the Spanish health system is perfectly capable of dealing with the situation. The minister explained that a protocol has been agreed with Spains regional governments, who are in charge of their own health systems. Salvador stated that he is in ongoing contact with the regions, as well as with the World Health Organization (WHO), and explained that daily meetings are being held in the ministry in order to keep on top of the latest information. Health Minister Salvador Illa said Spain is perfectly capable of dealing with the situation I want to convey a message of calm, Illa said. Several countries are preparing to repatriate their nationals from the affected area in China. So far, France, Germany, United States and Japan have announced that they will do so soon, although for now none of these operations have taken place. According to news agency Reuters, the current coronavirus outbreak has killed 81 people in China so far and infected more than 2,750 globally. English version by Simon Hunter. [January 30, 2020] ServiceTitan announces 2020 edition of Pantheon user conference LOS ANGELES, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ServiceTitan, the world's leading, comprehensive software and operating system for residential and commercial service and replacement contractors, has announced its fourth annual Pantheon user conference, scheduled for Aug. 13-14 at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California. Pantheon 2020 is expected to be ServiceTitan's biggest user conference yet, with in-depth training sessions, presentations and addresses from industry experts and ServiceTitan executives, and company announcements. Pantheon is also an unparalleled networking opportunity for decision makers. "We want to make Pantheon one of the premier events for the home and commercial services industry every year," said Ara Mahdessian, co-founder and CEO of ServiceTitan. "The industry is in transition, not just technologically but in management, leadership, sales and marketing. It's not always possible for the hardworking people in these businesses to keep up with the latest developments. But they can count on sharing intelligence and experience with the best in the industry at Pantheon." In 2019, more than 1,000 people from across the residential and commercial service industry attended Pantheon. During the two-day event, they had access to 65 training sessions, a trade show, and pesentations from industry leaders. Vahe Kuzoyan, ServiceTitan's co-founder and president, announced two of the platform's most significant new products, ServiceTitan Phones Pro and ServiceTitan Marketing Pro, as well. "This event is intended to be transformative," Kuzoyan said. "The focus last year was on transforming users into leaders by teaching them how to take full advantage of the ServiceTitan platform, as well as other tools that are available. This year, we'll be teaching them to take another step forward and futureproof their business so they can focus less on the day-to-day operations and more on growth and long-range planning and strategy." According to ancient Greek mythology, Pantheon was a meeting of the gods and titans to plan the protection of mankind. That legend inspired Mahdessian and Kuzoyan to develop an event uniquely focused on elevating, enlightening and enriching the home and commercial services industry. "Pantheon is about so much more than just ServiceTitan," Mahdessian said. "It's an opportunity for today's leaders in the industry to connect with each other and share their insights with the next generation of leaders. And it's the best chance we have all year to hear from the people who depend on ServiceTitan. This is a huge learning opportunity for us, and we owe our success to the education we get at Pantheon every year." ServiceTitan was founded by Mahdessian and Kuzoyan in 2012 when they discovered there were few software options to recommend to their fathers, both of whom were tradesmen. ServiceTitan raised more than $200 million in two rounds of venture financing in 2018, including a $165 million Series D, the largest venture round of a SaaS company in the history of Southern California. The company has more than 700 employees, with offices in California, Atlanta, and Armenia, and serves 4,000 client businesses throughout the U.S. and Canada. For more information, visit http://www.servicetitan.com. About ServiceTitan ServiceTitan is a software company built to accelerate the home and commercial service industries. ServiceTitan's end-to-end software suite includes CRM, intelligent dispatch, custom reporting, marketing automation, a mobile solution for field techs, and accounting integrations with Sage Intacct and QuickBooks. ServiceTitan raised the largest venture round of a SaaS company in the history of Southern California ($165 million Series D) led by Index Ventures, with participation from Dragoneer and T. Rowe Price and existing investors Battery Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners and ICONIQ Capital. ServiceTitan brings a fully operational modern SaaS infrastructure to an industry traditionally underserved by software, making direct and positive impact on the lives of thousands of entrepreneurs and their extended teams. For more information about ServiceTitan, visit https://servicetitan.com/. MEDIA CONTACT: Heather Ripley Ripley PR 865-977-1973 hripley@ripleypr.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/servicetitan-announces-2020-edition-of-pantheon-user-conference-300995376.html SOURCE ServiceTitan [ Back To www.mobilitytechzone.com\LTE's Homepage ] Cars will be banned in Milan on Sunday to tackle dangerously high pollution levels and the city is also considering banning smoking at bus stops. Italy is one of the most highly polluted countries in Europe and dozens of towns and cities have suffered smog alerts this month. Residents and tourists will be restricted to using bicycles, electric scooters and public transport in Milan on Sunday between 10am (9am GMT) and 6pm. But fans will still be allowed to drive to the San Siro Stadium to watch AC Milan play Hellas Verona in the afternoon. Residents and tourists will be restricted to using bicycles, electric scooters and public transport in Milan on Sunday between 10am (9am GMT) and 6pm Italy is one of the most highly polluted countries in Europe and dozens of towns and cities have suffered smog alerts this month. This was Milan on January 8 The driving ban was criticised by some, including Raffaele Cattaneo, the regional councilor for the environment, calling it 'demagogy in salsa green and short-sighted measures with a limited horizon.' Milan's mayor Beppe Sala has himself acknowledged the measure would not solve the city's pollution problem in the long-term. Earlier this month, Sala proposed that smoking be banned at bus and tram stops, part of a wider plan to ban smoking outright in open spaces by 2030. It will be submitted to the city council in March. But Cattaneo said cigarette smoke constitutes a mere 1.9 per cent of environmental emissions. Traffic pollution is a major problem in Italian towns and cities. Pictured: A morning traffic jam near Porta Venezia District in Milan Raffaele Cattaneo (left), the regional councilor for the environment, called the ban 'demagogy in salsa green'. Mayor Beppe Sala (right) is also considering a ban on smoking at bus stops Smog has been a recurring problem in Italy's industrial north, especially in Milan and neighbouring Turin, and previous authorities have often turned to banning cars. A European Court of Auditors report published in September 2018 found that cars were a 'major source of urban air pollution' in Milan and that the most effective measure would be to limit their use. Three weeks ago, more than a dozen cities and towns across Italy introduced traffic curbs in a bid to cut harmful emissions following a spike in pollution. A prolonged period of sunny weather with little rain or wind pushed up air pollution across the country, triggering smog alerts in more than 60 municipalities. Officials in the northeastern city of Turin, home to Italian automaker Fiat, banned cars built before 2013 from taking to the roads, as did at least 11 other municipalities in the surrounding Piedmont region. Raffaele Cattaneo (left), the regional councilor for the environment, called the ban 'demagogy in salsa green' on Twitter Cities and towns in the neighbouring region of Lombardy, including Milan, also announced similar curbs for January 8, but subsequently temporarily lifted the order because a public transport strike risked leaving locals stranded. Heating systems and car emissions were blamed for the bubble of smog. Further south, the Tuscan city of Florence and seven nearby towns banned highly polluting vehicles from their streets for five days. The Air Quality Index showed Italy was one of the most highly polluted places in western Europe on January 8. Many of the more populous areas posted levels deemed unhealthy, with a top reading of 170 registered in Tuscany. But Italy was still considerably better off than large swathes of Asia, with the Indian capital Delhi, one of the world's most polluted cities, scoring above 300 on the index. The GSMA is monitoring and assessing the potential impact of the Coronavirus on its MWC20 events held annually in Barcelona, Shanghai and Los Angeles and as well as the Mobile 360 Series of regional conferences. The upcoming MWC Barcelona event, 24-27 February 2020, will proceed as planned, across all venues at Fira Gran Via and Fira Montjuic, including YoMo and Four Years From Now (4YFN). Specifically, for MWC Barcelona 2020, several measures are already in place, and updates can be found on www.mwcbarcelona.com/about/news/. The GSMA will: Carefully follow and adhere to: the World Health Organisations (WHO) recommendations, all applicable Chinese government recommendations, all Spanish health authority recommendations and all police/health recommendations and protocols Provide additional medical personnel for on-site support in the run-up to and during the event Work with Fira de Barcelona to ensure sufficient sanitising products throughout all venues and implement other activity in line with recommendations from our city partners Support exhibitors who may not be able to travel to MWC Barcelona (via GSMA account managers or the Customer Care Team). The GSMA confirms that there have been no registration impacts on MWC Barcelona thus far and further updates will be issued as advice develops. However, we strongly urge exhibitors and attendees to implement appropriate guidelines and protocols as suggested by the WHO and other health authorities to contain and mitigate against any further spread of the virus. Currently, the WHO has decided not to declare a global public health emergency, saying it was still too early for such a move and has advised that, measures to limit the risk of exportation or importation of the disease should be implemented, without unnecessary restrictions of international traffic. Up-to-date WHO advice can be found here: www.who.int/ith/2020-27-01-outbreak-of-Pneumonia-caused-by-new-coronavirus/en/ and the most recent press release issued by WHO is here:https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/28-01-2020-who-china-leaders-discuss-next-steps-in-battle-against-coronavirus-outbreak. -ENDS- About the GSMA The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting more than 750 operators and nearly 400 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces the industry-leading MWC events held annually in Barcelona, Shanghai and Los Angeles, as well as the Mobile 360 Series of regional conferences. For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200129005672/en/ A man has been charged with murder two decades after he was first named as a "main suspect" in the suspicious death of Sydney business owner Hasan Dastan. Kubilay Kilincer, 58, was arrested and charged late on Wednesday evening over the death of his former employer Mr Dastan, who was found dead underneath a vehicle at his car wrecker business in Blacktown in 1995. The body of 52-year-old Hasan Dastan was found inside a workshop at his car wrecker business. The arrest comes less than two days after Mr Kilincer told Nine News he hoped authorities find who did it, as police offered a $1 million reward for information into Mr Dastan's death. At his Granville home Mr Kilincer said he was "the last person to see [Mr Dastan] alive, but that he wanted to put it all behind me. 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!) By Express News Service Bengaluru-based fintech firm Zeta has unveiled its banking platform Tachyon, which can be used to power debit, credit, and prepaid products for retail and commercial customers of banks and fintech firms. It has a comprehensive end-to-end card management system, universal switch and payment engine, it said. The platform is connected to payment networks and supports multiple modes of payments. Banks run several products on antiquated software that cannot cope with the ever-changing needs and demands of digital-native customers. Tachyon is a modular, mobile-first, banking platform that enables rapid product deployment, and provides a modern UX that helps banks increase customer engagement, retention and revenue, said Bhavin Turakhia, co-founder, CEO, Zeta. Founded in 2015, it claims that Tachyons platform is in-built with bank grade security and first in class features for end customers for a safer and peaceful banking experience. The platform, with its modules and apps, currently powers prepaid cards, employee benefits, expense management, gift cards and other experiences for millions of users and corporate customers of financial institutions and issuers within India and other countries globally. Further, the company is looking to expand its business in the US and Europe. "We have been building the product for four years and will be launching it in the US, which is the biggest market for fintechs, and European countries this year, said Turakhia who is known to bootstrap companies like Directi. Over $70 million has been invested in the company, including $40 million by him and co-founders, for creating a product suite targeted at banks, he said. Sodexo has funded the company at a valuation of $300 million. Dr Tran Nguyen Hai, 35, from Duy Tan University, is a member of the editorial board of 12 prestigious international science journals. Having a high number of scientific articles published in prestigious international journals with high citation indexes, Hai is one of 10 young talents in the field of science and technology selected to be honored with the 2019 Golden Ball Award. Tran Nguyen Hai Graduating from Can Tho University majoring in land management in 2003, Hai continued studying soil science for a masters degree. Later, he received a doctorate in environmental engineering from Chung Yuan Christian University, Taiwan in 2017. At present, Hai works for the Research Institute for Basic and Applied Sciences in HCM City, an arm of Duy Tan University in Da Nang. Since 2015, he has had 50 scientific research works published on Web of Sciences prestigious international journals, of which 29 articles belong to Q1 list, nine belong to Q2, 10 to Q3 and 2 to ESCI. Having a high number of scientific articles published in prestigious international journals with high citation indexes, Hai is one of 10 young talents in the field of science and technology selected to be honored with the 2019 Golden Ball Award. He is the main author of one scientific report which received award for excellent report. He was a key member of the research team implementing the project on applying a new decentralized arsenic treatment system for drinking water in rural Vietnam. The project is funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Google. The scientific work was published in the ISI journal - Science of The Total Environment - with high prestige in the environment. According to the Ministry of Health, in Vietnam, 17 million people use underground water contaminated with arsenic. Regular use and exposure to arsenic-contaminated water leads to many potential health risks, especially cancer. Therefore, the main objective of the project is to develop technology for treating arsenic toxins in underground water, suitable to households and local public works such as schools and clinics. From more than 30 filter materials selected for laboratory testing, the research team has developed a new filtration system that is compatible with locally available materials. The water indicators after going through filtration meets quality standards. He was also the leader of the research team implementing the project on synthetizing advanced materials for treatment of polluted water funded by the National Foundation for Science and Technology (NAFOSTED). Hai is a member of the editorial board of 12 ISI/Scopus journals, including Science of the Total Environment; Current Pollution Reports; Environment, Development and Sustainability; Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology; and Water Science and Technology. When he was a postgraduate student, Hai wrote an article on important errors in his research area of water treatment with adsorption technology. This article is among the most cited by the international community. Le Huyen Vietnamese scientists develop new uses for bee venom This is the first time a study on anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of bee venom (apis mellifera) on experimental animals has been carried out in Vietnam. CROWN POINT A Hobart man was wanted Wednesday on charges alleging he shot a man he's known since grade school as the man walked near a Merrillville church. Dresean Clair, 21, used a .40-caliber Glock handgun to shoot at the man Jan. 18 from the passenger seat of a vehicle, which pulled into the parking lot of SS Peter and Paul Church in the 5800 block of Harrison Street, records allege. The gunfire wounded a man, who crawled along a fence and flagged down a passerby to take him to a hospital, according to court records. He was later transferred to an Illinois hospital because of the severity of his wounds. The man told police he recognized Clair and had known him since grade school, records state. Clair is believed to be associated with a gang in Gary, records allege. The man told police he has friends involved in a rival gang, but he no longer is involved with the gang since his brother was killed in 2014. Clair was charged this week with attempted murder, aggravated battery, battery by means of a deadly weapon, battery resulting in serious bodily injury and pointing a firearm, all felonies. Swaraj Abhiyan founder Yogendra Yadav was detained at Delhi Gate where protesters have formed a human chain against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed nation-wide National Register of Citizens (NRC), news agency ANI has reported. The development comes against the backdrop of protests at Jamia Nagar, where a man fired shots at a group of anti-CAA protesters, injuring a Jamia Millia Islamia university student, before he brandished the firearm above his head and shouted "Yeh lo aazadi" amid heavy police presence in the area. Massive protests erupted in the area after the incident with hundreds of agitated people gathering near the university, breaking barricades and clashing with police personnel. The man, who identified himself as "Rambhakt Gopal", was subsequently overpowered by police and detained. He was taken into custody and is being interrogated, the police said. The students were heading from Jamia to Mahatma Gandhi's memorial Rajghat. The march was stopped at the Holy Family Hospital near the university. Before our next election, please google education in Finland in a nutshell. Straight away, youll encounter a commitment to equality. A vision. Education as a values-based ideology. In every decision they make, theres an embedded agreement that every child deserves the same treatment. A central objective is to provide all citizens with equal opportunity. Now, do the same research for Ireland. You might come across a chart, a very confusing chart of the plethora of disconnected schools we have in this country. You may wade through a matrix of national outcomes, policy frameworks and policy commitments. At no point will you read the word equality. A friend of mine remarked recently that equality is nonsense, impossible to achieve, and a waste of time and energy. I understand where shes coming from. Walk down any city street in Ireland and it screams at you. The teenagers with raised voices, thick with anger, spitting, and making you feel intimidated. The perfectly coiffed solicitor with the leather bag, and matching high heel shoes. The elderly man in a wheelchair, the warmth of kindness drained from his face, ashen grey, and resigned. We dont appear to be very equal. And equality is difficult. But the point being missed by my friend is that equality can be an aspiration. Its not necessarily about achieving a perfect end. Its about universal design, creating a world, a space, that aspires towards true diversity and inclusion. Its about striving to get there or as close to there as possible. Its about moving in the right direction at least. When it comes to education, Ireland isnt moving enough. Its in the resignation stage, mired in the belief that equality isnt worth fighting for. Were stuck in the mud, in very different sections of mud at that. Schools dont even share resources or facilities with each other and visiting different schools in Ireland is like travelling to different continents. Different patrons continually vie for prized school sites, buildings and renovations, and so theyre pitted against each other. Theres even rivalry and tension between Catholic schools of different orders! But somewhere in these bog lands are echoes of past optimism, calls for change. Across the water Martin Luther King once told us of his dream. He knew racial equality might remain so just a dream. But by describing this dream, of black and white kids holding hands as sisters and brothers, he got people moving, moving in the right direction. When we hear of racially motivated injustices, we experience those injustices against the backdrop of his dream. It is our litmus paper, our acid test. Without this mans dream, the world would be less just; wed be less determined, less hopeful. We dont dream in education enough. Our constitution does us a disservice when it contends that the primary and natural educator of the child is the Family. We respond to the demands of families. We firefight. We cater to the religious parent who wants us to silence sex education. We cater to the non-religious parent who doesnt want that. We struggle to cater to the parents of children with special needs but we cater to the parent who puts the Irish language first or who wants their child to play sport at a top level. We heavily fund Deis schools and vocational schools, relying on positive discrimination quotas to get some students to third level, even though they remain grossly disadvantaged and under-represented. And then we have the private schools. The parents who have left the state system with its many inadequacies, but who still have their teachers wages paid by the state. Of course, these schools are not to be vilified; Ive no issue with anyone who works there or sends their kids there. It is more the fact of them that is wrong. The way they make people feel on both sides of the fence. How unhealthy that is for us all. We must create one cohesive system of education with a foundation in equality. We must not sit back while the minister calls for inclusion but answers this call by denying schools access to information on special needs. We must question the disparity in facilities. Because our constitution also states a commitment to the natural and imprescriptible rights of all children. Yet all children are not given equal access to education and opportunity in Ireland. This is a basic fact and we seem to be ok with it. We need to not be ok with it. We need to start dreaming again. We need to move in the right direction again. By allowing the family fundamental control over a childs education, we deny Irish children any chance at nearing an equal experience in our school system. What about the family that doesnt value any form of education? The family that is absent or abusive. The family that fails to love, educate, and nurture the child. The state needs to provide a basic, secular education for every child. The state needs to cater for a full range of learners in one cohesive system. I plan to ask any canvasing politicians this week: What is your vision for education in Ireland? If they point to a pie chart, Ill ask them to put it away. Ill ask them to dream. The Chinese tech giant is a security risk, Washington maintains, but the UK has agreed to use Huawei for 5G networks. The United States on Wednesday again warned that Huawei posed a real risk to cybersecurity as United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted that allowing the Chinese tech giant some limited involvement in building the UKs 5G network would not damage transatlantic security cooperation. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the firm was an extension of the Chinese Communist Party and Washington would evaluate the UKs decision. Pompeo has arrived in the UK for talks with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and the prime minister with the shadow of the Huawei dispute hanging over them. After Raab met Pompeo on Wednesday evening, a brief Foreign Office statement did not reference the Huawei controversy. A spokesman said: The foreign secretarys discussions with Secretary Pompeo this evening focused on future opportunities for economic and security cooperation between the UK and US. The pair discussed the US proposal for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, and the situation in Iran and Yemen, and the foreign secretary underlined the need to de-escalate regional tensions. Huawei has always rejected claims it represents a security risk. But speaking to reporters on the plane to the UK, Pompeo said: Our view of Huawei has been that putting it in your system creates real risk. This is an extension of the Chinese Communist Party with a legal requirement to hand over information to the Chinese Communist Party. He added that American information only should pass through trusted networks, and well make sure we do that and suggested the UK could relook at the decision in the future. The prime minister said allowing Huawei to play a limited role in the UKs 5G infrastructure would not imperil our relationship with Donald Trumps administration as he faced a backlash both from Conservative MPs and US Republicans. 200128133936123 The prime minister defied the president by giving the green light to the Chinese firm despite US warnings that it could hamper intelligence-sharing with Washington and the other members of the Five Eyes alliance. Johnson, who spoke to Trump on Tuesday, said the governments decision would not damage the extremely valuable security cooperation with the Five Eyes alliance which includes the US. Answering questions from the public on Facebook he said he had interrogated the security and intelligence agencies about the issue and whether Huawei could be allowed to play a role while preventing any kind of risk of leaks or interference with our security. There is no doubt in their mind that we can do it and we can allow Huawei into some aspects of 5G but not compromise our intelligence-sharing ability with America, Australia, Canada or New Zealand the so-called Five Eyes. Im very confident we can do that. Thank you to @DominicRaab for hosting me today. The #UK is an indispensable ally on a range of issues, and we continue to strengthen our two countries #SpecialRelationship through constructive discussions. pic.twitter.com/v4J0myBo64 Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) January 29, 2020 The decision has caused deep unease on the Conservative benches, with discussion of a possible rebellion when the matter comes to the Commons, although the prime minister can rely on a comfortable majority in the legislature. The upgrade to 5G is reported to be a major development for communications and digital infrastructure globally. Margrethe Vestager, executive vice president for a Europe Fit for the Digital Age, said: We can do great things with 5G. The technology supports personalised medicines, precision agriculture and energy grids that can integrate all kinds of renewable energy. This will make a positive difference. But only if we can make our networks secure. Only then will the digital changes benefit all citizens. The UKs National Security Council agreed on Tuesday to allow high-risk vendors to play a limited part in building the 5G network. At a 90-minute meeting, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace argued against the move, according to The Times, but was said to have been a lone voice. Government assurances about the decision have done little to quell what Damian Green, former de facto deputy prime minister under Theresa May, called widespread (and) strong unease on the Conservative benches. Ministers have said they will legislate at the earliest opportunity to put the new guidance on telecoms providers into law, opening up the prospect of a potentially damaging backbench revolt. One of the things that frankly surprised me was the breadth of opposition to the current stance of the government on the Conservative backbenches, Green told BBC Radio 4s Today programme. We dont know yet, when push comes to shove and votes happen, how many people will actually put their heads above the parapet but it is very widespread. Senior Conservative Party MPs including former leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith and former Brexit Secretary David Davis are among those to express displeasure. Trump has refrained from a Twitter outburst on the decision but officials in Washington said they were disappointed by the UKs decision. There is no safe option for untrusted vendors to control any part of a 5G network, an official said. A series of senior congressional figures spoke out to condemn the move. Tom Cotton, a member of the Senate intelligence committee, said: Allowing Huawei to build the UKs 5G networks today is like allowing the KGB to build its telephone network during the Cold War. The European Union also unveiled security guidelines for the next-generation high-speed wireless networks that stop short of banning Huawei, in a further blow to the US campaign against the firm. Pompeos two-day visit is likely to offer the first real indication of the extent of any damage to the so-called special relationship. The US administration has consistently argued that giving Huawei a role in 5G could allow the Chinese a back door into the telecoms network through which they could carry out espionage or cyberattacks. The UK government has acknowledged Huawei is not a trusted supplier, but argues that by banning it from the most sensitive elements of the network and restricting its involvement to 35 percent, it can manage the risks. Good meeting with @SecPompeo covering the many future opportunities for the & . We discussed the US Middle East peace plan, Iran & other shared priorities. I underlined our continued commitment to justice for Harry Dunn and his family. pic.twitter.com/8P09FZGVIG Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) January 29, 2020 The clash comes at a sensitive moment in US-UK relations, just as Johnson is hoping to make rapid progress on a trade deal and while a diplomatic fight continues to rage surrounding the rejected extradition request concerning a US intelligence officials wife who has admitted causing a fatal collision when driving a car on the wrong side of the road, killing a British teenager named Harry Dunn. The foreign secretary reiterated his disappointment at the US decision to reject the extradition request for Anne Sacoolas and emphasised the importance of delivering justice for Harry Dunn and his family, read a statement from the UK foreign office following the meeting on Wednesday evening. The meeting comes after Dunns mother said she expected Raab to not accept anything less than the return of her sons alleged killer after his meeting with the US secretary of state. The prime minister appears to have concluded that honouring his general election pledge to level up the left-behind areas of the country must be the priority. Rolling out 5G across the country is regarded as key to improving economic performance and Whitehall believes excluding Huawei would mean delays and higher costs. One of the non-health-related but certainly predictable side-effects of Chinas coronavirus outbreak has been component shortages and, like the spread of the virus, they may get worse before they get better. This has been noted by the press, particularly in India, where smartphone and consumer electronics companies are having to deal with potential production cuts and product launch delays. According to local press reports, China accounts for an incredible 75 per cent of the total value of components used in Indian TVs and almost 85 per cent of those used in smartphones. This includes mobile displays, open cell TV panels, printed circuit boards, capacitors, memory and LED chips. Not only are there shortages but Chinese component prices have gone up as much as three percent, given the still uncertain situation in China. Inevitably of course, it is expected that this rise will also be passed on to Indian consumers in the form of increased product prices. The Chinese New Year holiday should have ended on 31 January, but in some Chinese cities it has been extended for as much as nine days. In fact some media reports suggest that industrial activity in China has come to a standstill, and may be impacted further. Hong Kong, the main gateway to mainland China for freight and business, has suspended cross-border travel for now. According to the BBC, the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak has risen to 170, and a confirmed case in Tibet means it has reached every region in mainland China. Chinese health authorities have been quoted as saying that there were 7,711 confirmed cases in the country as of 29 January. Its reasonable to assume that a number of countries consumer technology businesses will suffer, directly or indirectly, from the effects on productivity of this outbreak as contact with coronavirus sufferers is minimised. The only question is for how long? Attorneys who challenged a truancy court in Fort Bend County that was later scrapped amid concerns that it disproportionately affected black and Hispanic students will have to pay nearly a quarter-million dollars in legal fees and sanctions arising from their lawsuit, which was ultimately dismissed, a judge has ruled. Judge ONeil Williams on Wednesday granted Fort Bend ISD a turnover of the attorneys assets and appointed a receiver. Now, certain assets of the attorneys can be seized. The legal fees and sanctions, totaling $246,788 stem from a lawsuit in 2015 that attorneys Deron R. Harrington, Susan H. Soto, and Carole S. Anhalt filed on behalf of three students against the Fort Bend County Juvenile Board, Fort Bend ISD trustees and other county and school district employees. Soto said the attorneys would look into appealing the appointment of a receiver. The Fort Bend ISD can take everything I own, but what they cant do is re-open that unconstitutional truancy court, Soto said after the court hearing. That was our end goal. In the end, we did achieve a victory for the children in Fort Bend ISD and their families. The attorneys lawsuit filed in 2015 alleged that the truancy court was not lawfully created under the Texas Constitution. They also alleged that the county and school district did not have authority to create a Criminal Court to hear Failure to Attend School complaints, according to a news release issued prior to the hearing. The president of the Fort Bend ISD, Jason Burdine, praised the judges ruling. Fort Bend ISD is thankful that the court recognized the District has a legitimate interest in collecting the legal fees and sanctions that were awarded to the District following this baseless lawsuit, Burdine said in a written statement. We agree with the judges actions, and it is our hope to recoup some of the taxpayer funds expended in response to this litigation. In April 2015, Superintendent Charles Dupre wrote parents to say that district officials would stop filing truancy cases against students with the courts while the district reviewed the court system. The Texas legislature decriminalized truancy in 2015 and Fort Bend ISD created a new process for truancy proceedings. State Sen. Rodney Ellis had urged the U.S. Department of Justice to launch an investigation of the state's truancy laws, including Fort Bend ISD, amid concerns about racial disparities in their application. The law, for example, required districts to pursue criminal charges against students or parents for 10 unexcused absences or partially missed days in six months In 2016, the attorneys were ordered to pay legal fees and sanctions by Fort Bend County Judge Brady Elliot, who is now retired. Elliot, who was named a defendant in the original truancy lawsuit, did not recuse himself from the case. Tammie Lang Campbell, a longtime community activist for children in Fort Bend ISD, was present at Wednesdays court hearing. She said the community is looking to start a Go Fund Me account to help the attorneys with the fees they have to pay back. Today, I was so disappointed in our judicial system, Campbell said by phone Wednesday afternoon. Im disappointed in Fort Bend ISD. I am not disappointed by the attorneys who took a stand for our vulnerable children. If it were not for them, the truancy court wouldve continued. Soto noted that in many civil cases, plaintiffs may be held responsible for a defendants legal expenses, but in this case the attorneys were hit with the bill. Soto said the county did not hire outside counsel, but the school district did. Chad Dunn, a Texas civil rights lawyer, said hes noticed more defendants trying to recover fees from plaintiffs recently, but that its rarely successful. Its a very high bar for the plaintiff to be obligated to pay attorneys fees. You normally have to prove that the case was frivolous or brought in bad faith, said Dunn. Its an important rule because you dont want plaintiffs who are trying to vindicate important constitutional rights, to have to wager bankruptcy in order to have a court adjudicate their rights. Fort Bend County Attorney Roy Cordes said other county officials were among those named individually in the civil lawsuit, but opted not to pursue damages or sanctions. Cordes said the lawsuit is now a closed matter and declined to comment. This is a case of fee shifting from plaintiffs to the pro bono attorneys who stepped up and spoke up on behalf of Fort Bend ISD students, said Soto. It is highly unusual and in our opinion highly inappropriate. Kristi Nix contributed to this report. A special needs school in Limerick says it is to lose its nurse in June due to lack of HSE funding. St Vincents in Lisnagry teaches children between four and 18 years of age who have learning difficulties. DES MOINES Joe Biden and other leading candidates are actively courting lower-polling campaigns in the final days before the Iowa caucuses, hoping to forge election night alliances designed to pick up the supporters of candidates who fail to move past the first ballot. Bidens campaign has approached at least two rival primary campaigns, seeking to broker agreements ahead of the Monday nights caucuses, according to sources familiar with his overtures. And an aide to Tom Steyer said Wednesday that his campaign had been approached by multiple candidates. The Biden campaign reached out to Andrew Yang staffers, according to sources familiar with the conversation, and three Biden aides also approached a senior adviser to Amy Klobuchars campaign, Pete Giangreco, this week about a potential deal, sources said. The New York Times first reported the meeting. In each case, the campaigns said they rebuffed advances. The outreach efforts are familiar plays in Iowa caucus politics. The caucus system allows backers of non-viable candidates those who fail to reach 15 percent support in a precinct on the first ballot to realign with a new candidate on the second ballot, making them a valuable pool of voters who could tip the scales in a tight battle for delegates. But the frenzy of activity also reflects the significance of second-choice votes in a crowded race that remains unsettled and where top-tier candidates are preparing robust efforts to woo supporters of rival campaigns. Its common sense to do this, but its also easier said than done because it requires a very good organization, said Sam Roecker, an Iowa-based Democratic consultant who worked on former Colorado Gov. John Hickenloopers now-finished presidential bid. Those rooms are crowded, chaotic, and being able to do that quick delegate math, while sending supporters out on the fly, takes planning and training. [But that] makes it very difficult to do that four days out. Story continues Steyer and Yang are running at 4 percent and 3 percent, respectively, in Iowa combining for 7 percent of the vote according to a Monmouth University poll released on Wednesday. Those candidates are widely expected to fail to meet support threshold in many precincts across the state. Democratic presidential candidate entrepreneur Andrew Yang thanks supporters after a campaign event Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020, in Clinton, Iowa. (AP Photo/John Locher) Outside of a candidate-to-candidate deal, campaigns are still obsessively preparing for how to draw in caucus-goers who are either undecided or may see their first-choice candidate fail to capture enough support to win delegates. Mike Frosolone, who led Cory Bookers now-finished Iowa operation, said the Booker campaign had developed an app for its precinct captains that would allow for fast communication among the organizers and allow them to quickly calculate the delegate math on the spot. I expect all the campaigns have some version of that, Frosolone said. Staying in a voters consideration set shaped the contours of the primary throughout 2019. Mike Nellis, a Democratic consultant who served as a senior adviser on Kamala Harris presidential bid, said, Everybodys playing nice up until Iowa because they want to stay everyones second choice. In addition, organizers for multiple candidates said they expect caucus sites to be populated by some protest voters who will initially support candidates who have already dropped out of the race, such as Booker, Harris and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, who has endorsed Elizabeth Warren. As candidates have dropped out, their departures reshuffled the remaining campaigns second-choice calculations. Fearful that Harris might endorse Biden, the pro-Sanders online activist group RootsAction.org this week sent an email blast to its California list on Monday, urging her not to endorse him. By Tuesday, about 1,300 members had sent individual emails to Harris urging her not to endorse, said Jeff Cohen, the groups co-founder. Uriah McGee, a precinct captain for Biden in Ankeny, said he has prepared volunteers to watch over his caucus site on Monday night looking for other candidates supporters who may be movable. If we get to the second round and were doing what were supposed to, well sway some over, he said. Mary McAdams, a Warren supporter and the chairwoman of the Ankeny Area Democrats, said she tells caucus-goers that they are going to need a second choice. She said, People need to think about that and go in prepared. Encountering a caucus-goer in Iowa this week who said he planned to caucus for Castro before re-aligning, Castro, a surrogate for Sen. Elizabeth Warren, persuaded the voter to commit to caucus for Warren immediately on Monday night. I will sign this for you because I want you to be my vice president, the caucus-goer, Thomas Lecaque, said. The effectiveness of direct campaign-to-campaign strategizing is unclear, as supporters of a candidate may not be willing to follow such top-down guidance. Former Rep. John Delaney, a non-factor in public polling in Iowa despite campaigning tirelessly there since 2017, said Wednesday that he was not aware of outreach to his campaign from any other competitor. He doubted it would be effective. The folks in Iowa are so well informed that they know full well who theyre going to go with, and I think they probably have in their minds their first, second and third choices, he said. I dont know how much utility there is in these alliances people are talking about. Were talking about the most informed voters in the country. Yang, speaking to reporters in Des Moines on Wednesday, said that his campaign has no guidance for our caucus-goers who dont find us to be viable. However, he said, I think that many of my supporters would naturally head to Bernie...I think that Bernie and I do have a lot of overlap in support. So, it wouldn't be surprising to me if many of our supporters head in that direction." He said, "I'm not sure [pushing supporters to caucus for other candidates] is my job to say to someone that, 'If it's not me then it should be this other person unless it's at a point where frankly, I'm not in a position to be a candidate myself and I'm endorsing someone and obviously we're nowhere near that kind of stage. Biden is narrowly leading in Iowa, according to the Monmouth poll, with 23 percent support. Sanders is running slightly behind him, at 21 percent. In precincts where Biden is viable but other moderate candidates such as Klobuchar or Buttigieg are not, the former vice president is widely expected to gain ground on second balloting. Sanders surge in recent polls has unnerved many moderate Democrats who fear that if he wins Iowa, he may become the nominee. You talk to people, and theyre like, Oh my God, if Bernies going to win, I guess we have to go to Biden, said Jeff Link, an Iowa-based Democratic consultant. Still, he said it would likely be easier to say who not to go to than it is to say who you should caucus for. Bidens rivals view him as weaker in Iowa than polls suggest, seeing Monday as a turning point when superior organizations such as Warrens or Buttigiegs may give those campaigns an edge. Klobuchar, who watched her polling numbers rise into the high single-digits in Iowa over the last month, is also on an upswing in the state. One aide to a rival campaign who received the Biden campaigns overtures said, The fact that they brought it up is a big sign of weakness for them [and] reflects a lot of what were seeing in the field. A Biden adviser dismissed news of the talks as a nothing burger and said these talks happen all the time with everyone. Added another adviser: It would be malpractice if people werent talking. For lower-tier candidates, the potential deal-making could come with some benefits, like taking credit for any bump the more viable campaign might receive or joining the shortlist for prime positions in any future administrations. Or there might be ideological considerations at stake when deciding where to direct their supporters. Supporters of lower-polling candidates are acutely aware of the calculation that they will have to make on caucus night as concerns about second choice have come to color the final days of campaigning. At a Steyer event in Ankeny this week, Aaron Reynolds, a small business consultant, said he likes Steyer, Yang and Sen. Michael Bennet, but joked that he is behind all the candidates who dont stand a chance, so thats great. He said he will probably caucus for Steyer and, if he is not viable in his precinct, default to Biden, who he views as a status quo choice. Others may prove immovable. Robert Hites, a retired tire builder who wore a Steyer t-shirt, hat and buttons to the gathering, said that if Steyer falls out of the race entirely after the early state caucuses and primaries, he will likely get behind Biden. But he feared caucusing for any other Democrat on Monday could hurt Steyers chances in New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. If his first choice isnt viable, he said, I may just leave. Maya King, Marc Caputo, Ryan Lizza and Christopher Cadelago contributed to this report. A man who used stolen cheques to buy groceries at a Carberry store, scamming more than $1,800 from them, has been sentenced to a short stint in jail and probation. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/1/2020 (714 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us A man who used stolen cheques to buy groceries at a Carberry store, scamming more than $1,800 from them, has been sentenced to a short stint in jail and probation. Allan Sinclair, 42, pleaded guilty in Brandon provincial court to possession of property obtained by crime. On July 24, the owner of Spud City Food Mart in Carberry called Blue Hills RCMP reporting that several stolen cheques had been used at his business over the course of the past month, Crown attorney Brett Rach told the court. The cheques, which were from Extreme Electronics, were made out to Sinclair and another suspect, Rach said. Police spoke to employees who told them Sinclair and another man had come in a few times at the beginning of July and bought a large amount of groceries with the cheques. They claimed they were using their paycheques from Extreme Electronics, Rach said. Employees accepted the cheques and any remaining balance on the cheque was handed back to them as change. In total, Spud City Food Mart was out $1,839, Rach said. Sinclair has spent 15 days in custody after credit for time served, Rach said, which both the Crown and defence counsel agreed would be a sufficient sentence. Defence lawyer Jennifer Janssens told the court Sinclair has used his time in jail wisely, participating in a number of different programs. "I apologize to the court," Sinclair said when given the opportunity to speak. Judge John Combs agreed with the recommended sentence of 15 days time served, followed by one year of probation. Sinclair was also ordered to repay $1,839 to Spud City Food Mart. "Because of you and others, this business is out a lot of money," Combs said. "You need to know that these matters are serious and particularly to businesses in small communities a loss such as this is a significant blow." edebooy@brandonsun.com Twitter: @erindebooy NORTH YORK, ON / ACCESSWIRE / January 30, 2020 / ZTEST Electronics Inc. ("ZTEST" or the "Company") (CSE - "ZTE") wishes to announce that, further to the Company's Press Release of January 28, 2020, the Company requested and was granted relief from the requirement of the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") that an application for extension and re-pricing of warrants be made at least ten (10) trading days prior to the expiry of the warrants. All warrant holders have consented to the re-pricing of the 312,500 warrants which are now exercisable at $0.40 per share until January 31, 2021. In the event that the closing price of the common shares of ZTEST on the CSE is at least $0.40 for ten (10) consecutive trading days (the last day being the "Tenth Trading Day"), the Company will issue a press release and file a Form 13 announcing that the warrants will expire if unexercised within thirty (30) days commencing seven (7) days after the Tenth Trading Day. About ZTEST Electronics Inc. ZTEST Electronics Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary Permatech Electronics Corp. ("Permatech"), offers Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS) to a wide range of customers. Permatech's offering includes Materials Management, Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Assembly, Testing and Design services. Permatech operates from a 20,000 square foot, ISO 9001:2015 certified facility in North York, Ontario, Canada. The company serves customers in the Medical, Power, Computer, Telecommunications, Wireless, Industrial and Consumer Electronics markets requiring high quality, quick-turnaround, small and medium size production runs. ZTEST also holds a 25.29% equity interest in Conversance Inc. ("Conversance"). About Conversance Inc. Conversance, a Waterloo Ont. based private company founded by Mr. Joseph Chen, is focused on developing and marketing proprietary artificial intelligence supported distributed ledger technologies. Mr. Chen is an electrical engineer with a strong background in radio frequency, digital signal processing, VLSI (very-large-scale integration), complex systems, chemistry and physics. Mr. Chen joined Research In Motion (now BlackBerry) in 1999, becoming a senior member of the office of the chief technology officer ("CTO"), where he was instrumental in many of Blackberry's key telephony innovations and patents. While at BlackBerry, the office of the CTO first began looking into blockchain in 2008. Since leaving Blackberry in 2012, Mr. Chen has focused much of his personal research on the state of the art in machine learning, cryptography and quantum computing, and their implications and applications in digitizing and automating finance, and the protection of personal information and trust in a digital world. For more information contact: Steve Smith, CEO (604) 837-3751 email: stevesmith15@shaw.ca The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: ZTEST Electronics Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/574630/ZTEST-Extends-and-Re-Prices-110-Warrants PR-Inside.com: 2020-01-30 22:02:22 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 416 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 30, 2020 / TerraX Minerals Inc. (TSX-V:TXR; Frankfurt:TX0; OTC Pink:TRXXF) is pleased to announce the acquisition of two large claims, Aurora 1 and 2, which are readily accessible by paved road from Yellowknife. The Aurora claims tie up ground containing strike extensions of the Ptarmigan and Tom Mines (collectively 120k oz Au produced at an average grade of 10 g/t Au) which were acquired by Terrax in 2018.TerraX has entered into an agreement (the "Agreement") to acquire a 100% interest in the claims under the following terms:$10,000 cash paid upon TSX-V acceptance for filing of the Agreement ;100,000 TerraX shares issued upon TSX-V acceptance for filing of the Agreement; andA 2% Net Smelter return (NSR) with a buy back of 1% for $1,000,000 and an additional 0.5% buy back for a further $1,000,000.The acquisition of these claims will give TerraX an additional 600 metres of known strike on the Ptarmigan vein as well as the known east extension of the Tom vein. (see attached map). A recent grab sample taken on the Ptarmigan vein at the property boundary between Aurora 2 and TerraX's current claims graded 19 g/t Au (see news release of July 25, 2018).This acquisitions add fully accessible high-grade targets to be evaluated in 2020, along with planned drilling at Crestaurum and the Campbell shear extension of the Con Mine. Being close to Yellowknide, these high potential areas fit The Company's strategy of developing the Project within local infrastructure.About TerraXThrough a series of acquisitions, TerraX owns a 100% interest in the Yellowknife City Gold ("YCG") Project, encompassing 783 sq km of contiguous land within 12 kilometers of the city of Yellowknife. The Project is located in the prolific Yellowknife greenstone belt, covering 70 kilometers of strike length along the main mineralized break in proximity to the former high-grade Con and Giant gold mines which have produced over 14 million ounces of gold. The YCG Project is close to vital infrastructure, including all-season roads, air transportation, service providers, hydro-electric power and skilled tradespeople.For more information on the YCG project, please visit our web site at www.terraxminerals.com On behalf of the Board of Directors,"DAVID SUDA"David SudaPresident and CEOFor more information, please contact:Samuel VellaManager of Corporate CommunicationsPhone: 604-689-1749 / Toll-Free: 1-855-737-2684svella@ terraxminerals.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.SOURCE: TerraX BAGHDAD - Joint military operations with the U.S.-led coalition to counter the Islamic State group have resumed after a nearly three-week pause, an Iraqi military statement said Thursday. Meanwhile, anti-government protesters called for 1 million Iraqis to take to the streets Friday in what they said was a last chance for the protest movement to build on momentum gained after followers of influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr packed up and left last week. The pause in joint anti-IS operations came amid heightened tensions after a Washington-led airstrike killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad. The statement said joint operations had resumed in light of the continued threat posed by IS. Militants belonging to the group are holed up in parts of northern Iraq. The statement also implied that Baghdad was standing by intentions to reorganize Iraqs military relationship with the U.S. In light of continued activities by the terrorist group (IS) in many areas of Iraq and for the purpose of making use of the remaining time of the international coalition before organizing a new relationship ... it was decided to carry out joint actions, the statement said. The statement was issued by the office of the armed forces commander in chief. As prime minister, Adil Abdul-Mahdi assumes that role. The coalition paused operations in support of Iraqi forces in the fight against IS militants on Jan. 5 after a U.S. airstrike killed Irans elite Quds Force leader Gen. Qassem Soleimani and senior Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis on Iraq soil, sparking outrage among Iraqi officials. Lawmakers passed a resolution to oust foreign troops from Iraq after the U.S. strike. The coalition refocused on protecting military personnel amid fears of an Iranian counter-attack. Despite signs of de-escalation after Iran retaliated with a barrage of missiles on two Iraqi military bases hosting U.S troops that caused no fatalities, outgoing Prime Minister Abdul-Mahdi has been vocal that American troops should withdraw and has said steps are being taken to move the process forward. Activists said the aim of Fridays protest was to pressure President Barham Saleh to select a new candidate for prime minister after weeks of deadlock and a looming constitutional crisis. Political blocs have been jockeying over the selection since Abdul-Mahdi resigned in December under pressure from demonstrations. Saleh has given political blocs until Feb. 1 to select a candidate or else he would select one himself, he said in a statement Wednesday. Al-Sadr expressed his disappointment at anti-government protesters and withdrew his support for the movement. The demonstrators had spoken out against an anti-U.S. rally organized by al-Sadr supporters. Analysts said the withdrawal was al-Sadrs attempt to gain leverage in ongoing premier selection talks. His followers and his militia group had been protecting demonstrators from security forces and unknown groups seeking to suppress the movement. Their departure was followed by a security crackdown in which at least four protesters were killed and tents were burned. Protesters, fearing security forces would root them out of Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the movement, called for thousands to defy al-Sadr and take to the streets in response. The withdrawal of al-Sadrs support has altered the dynamics of the four-month protest movement, some activists say. Kamal Jaban, an activist camped out in Tahrir, said al-Sadrs followers had accounted for nearly a third of the tents in the square. He said Fridays protest was the movements last chance to mobilize the street and push for reform. On Thursday evening, the once bustling plaza was relatively quiet. Did he affect us? Yes. But did he affect the trajectory of the movement? No, said Jaban. Maybe he put a few sticks in the wheel. Support from al-Sadr was crucial in parliaments passing of an electoral reform bill, a key demand of demonstrators. The cleric is also the head of the Saeroon bloc, which won the largest number of seats in the May 2018 federal election. The bad thing is protesters feel less secure. The good thing is day by day protesters are gaining confidence that we can do it alone, said Jaban. Protesters said they were taking their own self protection measures by looking out for suspicious cars and communicating through walkie-talkies. But many feared this was not enough. Abdul Razzak, 21, is a supporter of al-Sadr but said he was shocked by his withdrawal of support. He is among the few followers of the cleric who have remained in Tahrir d espite the order to leave. I am shocked, he said. But we gave a promise that we will not return until the revolution succeeds. ___ Associated Press writer Qassim Abdul-Zahra contributed from Baghdad. American actor Jodie Foster, recipient of two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and three British Academy Film Awards and many others, has an interesting film in the pipeline for her. As per reports, the actor-director is gearing up to direct an untitled film that deals with the greatest theft of all time. The world-famous painting of Mona Lisa, made by Italian artist Leonardo Da Vinci, was stolen from the famous Louvre museum at Paris in 1911. The script for the film will reportedly be written by Bill Wheeler with the help of Seymour Reit's book The Day They Stole the Mona Lisa, which narrated the story of the famous robbery at the Louvre Museum. Read | Jodie Foster: Here are some of the best movies of the Panic Room actor Story of the heist In 1911, Vincenzo Peruggia, a former employee at the Louvre in Paris, perpetrated what has been described as the greatest art theft of the 20th century. After keeping the painting hidden in his Paris apartment for two years, Peruggia, believing the painting belonged in Italy, returned to his homeland with it. He kept it in his apartment in Florence, Italy but grew impatient, and was finally caught when he contacted Alfredo Geri, the owner of an art gallery in Florence. It was returned to the Louvre in 1914. Geris story conflicts with Peruggias, but it was clear that Peruggia expected a reward for returning the painting to what he regarded as its 'homeland'. Geri called in Giovanni Poggi, director of the Uffizi Gallery, who authenticated the painting. Poggi and Geri, after taking the painting for 'safekeeping', informed the police, who arrested Peruggia at his hotel. About Jodie Foster The Silence Of The Lambs actor has had a long and successful career in front of the camera as she made her debut as a child artist in Martin Scorsese's psychological thriller film Taxi Driver. Her claim to fame in her early days was the Alan Parker directorial debut film Bugsy Malone. The actor donned the director's hat for the first time in 1985 for a video segment in Golden Tales based on Stephen King's novel. Read | Jodie Foster: Here are some of the best roles of the Oscar-winning actor In recent years, she has directed the crime-thriller Money Monster starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts and directed an episode of Black Mirror. Jodie Foster is set to direct and star in the English-language remake of Icelandic-Ukrainian thriller Woman at War. Read | Jodie Foster, Shailene Woodley join 'Prisoner 760' cast Read | Zachary Levi joins Benedict Cumberbatch, Jodie Foster for the movie 'Prisoner 760' Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment. A city has become the first in Italy to join a scheme offering homes for just 1. Taranto, a coastal city in the south that sits on the western edge of Italys boot heel, has joined the ranks of villages that have already signed up to the initiative in a bid to boost dwindling rural populations. However, unlike the other participants, Taranto is far from a remote idyll: the city is home to a heavily polluting steel plant, called Ilva, reports the Local. It does have some of the same issues as the villages that have taken part, with a population in the historic centre that has plummeted from around 40,000 in the 19th century to 3,000 today. The eventual aim is to rejuvenate the city with 25,000 new residents in the old town. Were aiming to take measures which will result in the repopulation and development of the old city, the councillor for heritage and housing policies, Francesca Viggiano, told Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera. The key to the citys rebirth is the historic centre, says Ms Viggiano: It is the nucleus from which Taranto must start again. We no longer want the city to be associated only with Ilva, but to have an alternative development. The old part of the city is set on its own island, connected to the mainland by two bridges on either side. Comprised of a series of narrow alleyways, its also home to an Aragonese Castle, the Town Hall and the Cathedral of San Cataldo. While it has previously been lacking in investment, the historic centre has recently been granted a cash injection of 90m to transform the waterfront and update key infrastructure, such as the crumbling sewage system. The city will initially put three buildings which together comprise 15 housing units up for sale for the symbolic price of 1 each. Those considering buying one must have enough money to renovate the neglected building, with costs potentially totalling 300,000-800,000 depending on the size of the property and amount of work needed. The city also stipulates that buyers must live there themselves after works are completed, or at least use the property as a holiday home. If the first batch of homes is successful, more will be put up for sale in due course there are around 1,300 on the island. Interest has already come from as far afield as New York, Milan and Rome, according to Ms Viggiano. (Photo : Screenshot from Official Twitter Page of Evan Blass) Samsung, one of the leading brands in the smartphone game, will host it's unpacked reveal event on Feb. 11. This reveal will most likely confirm what has already been speculating around the interwebs that were already leaked. Leaks and rumors have already been popping up about the Samsung Galaxy S20 for months and have gained massive traction because of the hype. Samsung Galaxy S20+ and S20 Ultra, as well as the Galaxy Buds+, are there to see in the leaked picture. Rumor has it that there will be three different screen sizes, which are 6.2, 6.7, and 6.9-inches, respectively. For the rear camera, it might gain a couple of features and/or bigger sensor range. The phones to watch out really are the S20 and S20 Plus, and these will be the direct upgrades to last year's Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus models. Literally, they will be the successors and the ones to look forward to most. Read Also: Crucial Things About the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus You Wish you Knew Before Buying What is in store for you: As per every Galaxy model that comes next, it will always be an upgrade from the previous generation, may it be minor or major. This is what we know so far: 120Hz is now the standard for the S20, you heard it right. 120Hz from a phone perspective is an amazing feeling. It will make everything feel very responsive and will be very pleasing to the eyes. An overhaul in regard to the camera, featuring four rear camera systems which promises to take remarkable shots. This is why Samsung isn't far beside Apple's iPhone and Google's Pixel. Upgraded and updated processors that will no doubt include 5g support by DEFAULT, this might be true for the US variants of the phone since 5g is unfortunately not a focus across the world so far. More info regarding features We mentioned that 120Hz is confirmed, but at what cost? As per leaks from XDA Developers show the display in question in action. This revealed the indeed lightning-quick reflexes of 120Hz refresh rate, but this can only be used at the lower FHD+ resolution. The standard higher-res WQHD+ setting will only be able to go all out at 60Hz. Bummer. For the overhaul of the phone's camera setup, we will be explaining the differences of each variant to you in detail as of the leaks. S20 will have a 12MP main camera lens, a 64MP telephoto lens, a 12MP ultra-wide lens and the same goes for the S20 Plus but will also include a 3D time-of-flight sensor. If the bigger battery life of the S20 Plus and the extra sensor is what you need, then go for it. You do you. Leaks provide some benefits-it gives users perspective as to that would be in store for them, especially when it comes to gadgets or anything new. However, take the leaks and rumors with a grain of salt because no matter how accurate the source is, there are always unknowns that can change the reality of what's real. Are you excited about the new Samsung flagships? Stay tuned with us in Tech Times for more up-to-date news regarding anything and anything tech-related! Read also: iOS 14 Rumors and Leaks With a Sprinkle of Wishes 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. (Bloomberg) -- The European Unions top official for judicial affairs pressed Poland to help find a solution to their clash over the rule of law, which legal experts warn can isolate the ex-communist country from the rest of the bloc. Visiting a nation whose nationalist government has fueled criticism that its trampling democratic checks and balances, European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova met Tuesday with judges, government officials and other stakeholders in Poland. Four years into a campaign by the ruling Law & Justice party to push through more than a dozen changes to the judicial system, judges are unsure of their ability to make rulings and courts are putting cases on ice. At the same time, the government is pushing for rules to punish jurists critical of its actions and denouncing them as corrupt in state-owned media. The door for dialog is open but Im concerned with the smear campaign against judges, Jourova told reporters Tuesday after meeting ombudsman Adam Bodnar. At the heart of the matter is the stability of the EUs legal system and its internal market -- the worlds largest -- which cant function without independent courts. EUs DNA The situation in Poland, which mimics Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbans efforts to give politicians more control over the judiciary, now threatens to create islands of ambiguity where legal rulings arent valid across the bloc. Polands legal system was thrown further into disarray last week, when the Supreme Court, following an order from the EUs highest court, ruled that hundreds of judges appointed by a government-backed judicial body didnt have the legitimacy to adjudicate. The government asked the Constitutional Tribunal -- another judicial panel it has stacked with loyalists to counter the influence of the independent Supreme Court -- to review the ruling. Its also pushing for legislation to punish any judge critical of the changes in the courts. Today, foreign courts now have much more reason to not believe that Polish courts are independent, for example when they consider European arrest warrants issued by Poland, said Wojciech Sadurski, a law professor at the University of Sydney. Rule of law is part of the EUs DNA. Story continues With no signs that Law & Justice will back down, the EUs highest court could soon suspend the regime designed to discipline judges and impose fines against Poland, the biggest net recipient of EU funds. In the longer run, the clash may cause the the country of 38 million people to lose out on billions of euros from the blocs nextmulti-year budget. To contact the reporter on this story: Marek Strzelecki in Warsaw at mstrzelecki1@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Andrea Dudik at adudik@bloomberg.net, Michael Winfrey, Andrew Langley 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. In the last few years, data has become significant to every industry. Data scientist is one of the hottest jobs in IT. Companies are increasingly reliant on data and are eager to hire data professionals who can make sense of the information the business collects. If you are looking to get into this lucrative field, or want to stand out against the competition, certification can be key. Whether for gaining insights, designing transparent and simpler products, predicting behaviour through social media data or for customer retention, it has emerged as a buzzword that is multiplying business efficiency. This trend, in fact, isnt surprising considering about 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are created every single day- a figure that is only accelerating with the growing number of internet users across the world. Fuelled by this demand, the need for data scientists is also growing at an exponential pace and there has been a dramatic upswing in the hiring rate of data scientists by employers. This has created significant opportunities for individuals to delve into data related profiles. To cater to this need here are the list of the online learning platform is providing data science certification courses: UpGrad: UpGrad is an online platform that offers educational services. UpGrad's range of programs consists of digital marketing, product management, entrepreneurship, data analytics, data-driven management, and digital technology management. It offers industry insights and student support services. Whether youre an amateur or a professional, Data Science courses with upGrad will equip you with the practical and theoretical knowledge required in order to become a successful Data Scientist. Professionals can get a chance to study about open source tools and libraries, Python, databases, SQL, data visualization, data analysis and machine learning. Udacity: Udacity is a global lifelong learning platform connecting education to jobs and providing students with skills to advance careers. Udacity Nanodegree programs provide credentials earned through a series of online courses and projects in an array of subjects from self-driving cars and AI to data science and digital marketing. Udacity collaborates with more than 200 global employer-partners including AT&T, Google, Facebook, Mercedes-Benz and NVIDIA to close talent gaps. Headquartered in Mountain View, California, the privately-funded company has operations in India, China, Egypt, Germany, and the United Arab Emirates. Its investors include Bertelsmann, Andreessen Horowitz, Charles River Ventures and Drive Capital. Shine Learning: Shine Learning is Indias largest professional courses and career skills portal. Launched by Shine.com, Shine Learning has a vision to up-skill the Indian talent pool to adapt to the changing job market. Shine Learning uses an algorithm that not only predicts emerging skill sets but also recommends courses to its users after analyzing their resume and application history. Shine learning to provide a series of online courses and certification in a variety of subjects like Sales & Marketing, IT Software, Digital Marketing, Big data, Data Science and others. These certifications come with flexible study options; giving an edge to professionals who can work and learn at the same time. Coursera: Coursera is an online learning platform that offers massive open online courses (MOOC), specializations, and degrees. Coursera works with universities and other organizations to offer online courses, specializations, and degrees in a variety of subjects, such as engineering, data science, machine learning, mathematics, business, computer science, digital marketing, humanities, medicine, biology, social sciences, and others. Simplilearn: Simplilearn is the worlds leading certification training providers. This platform provides online training in disciplines such as Cyber Security, Cloud Computing, Project Management, Digital Marketing, and Data Science among others, where technologies and best practices are changing rapidly and demand for qualified candidates significantly exceeds supply. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. All eyes are on China as the nation takes unprecedented measures in attempt to control the outbreak of the deadly Coronavirus, which has already reached a handful of other countries, including the United States. While these nations leaders must work to address this global health crisis, other pressing issues that also affect millions in the United States and China, such as the ongoing trade war, cannot be forgotten. In December, the United States and China agreed to a Phase One Deal, reducing levies on some goods and preventing new tariffs from going into effect. The United States is in the drivers seat as never before in the global energy market and the Phase One Deal is progress but, until the trade war with China is resolved, U.S companies and consumers could be in for a bumpy ride and missed economic opportunities. In recent years, the right mix of growing global demand, technological innovation that freed vast domestic oil and gas reserves, and regulatory reform, along with lifting the export ban on crude oil, has made the United States the worlds top oil and gas producer. In fact, it is now on the cusp of being a net energy exporter for the first time since World War II. That seismic shift means vast new domestic economic opportunities as well as expanded influence and responsibility in the global energy market. In September, a drone attack on a production facility of Saudi Arabias Aramaco threatened to disrupt supplies and sent oil prices soaring. The Trump Administration calmed allies with its resolve in the face of Iranian aggression and calmed markets by tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to mitigate supply disruptions. Perhaps more important, though, was knowledge (or threat thereof) of immediate production expansions from Americas extensive reserves. Those actions epitomized why the United States must embrace more fully its role as the worlds biggest producer and exporter. The worlds appetite for oil and gas is increasing, which is great for U.S. producers and refiners as well as companies all over the world that are interlinked in a complex supply chain. However, until differences between China and the United States over trade are resolved and tariffs come down, U.S. companies will miss potential commercial opportunities, just as tariffs have squandered the benefits of the presidents tax cuts. Continued trade wars likewise could prompt China to turn to Iran, Russia, and other countries, many of whom have policies that diverge from U.S. interests, for its long-term energy needs. On its face, it makes no sense for the United States, the world's top oil and gas producer, to undercut its access to China, one of the world's largest and fastest growing energy markets. Unfortunately, senselessness is becoming more of a reality every day. Because of the trade war, China has imposed tariffs on U.S. oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), commonly known as propane and butane. Those actions mean fewer U.S. export opportunities and fewer domestic jobs. Chinas protectionism undermines U.S. interests for many reasons. As a practical matter, abundant yields from hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, have forced U.S. oil and gas producers to look for markets beyond our borders. Government data show that domestic energy consumption has essentially remained flat in recent years. Fortunately, exports are on the rise, doubling in just the past five years. No combination of solar, wind and other renewables can meet present or future energy needs in the U.S., let alone those of developing countries. Last years slump in prices underscored the importance of expanding export opportunities. If, however, producers are less confident in recovering their investments, U.S. oil and gas infrastructure extraction activities, equipment, refineries, storage facilities, pipelines and export terminals eventually will suffer. If the prospect of expanding export markets, such as sales to China, is uncertain, capital spending linked to exports could be sidelined further. The trade war continues to undermine U.S. oil and gas producers in other ways. As tariffs increased the prices of parts and equipment they had imported from China, producers have turned to other sources of supply. In many cases, inferior equipment, delivery problems, and other factors have disrupted operations, harmed bottom lines, undermined competitiveness and resulted in higher prices for consumers. Every tariff China imposes worsens those conditions. To be sure, the United States is not Chinas only buyer of energy imports, but it has leverage. Over the summer, U.S. oil exports to China spiked as a 5% tariff on U.S. oil loomed. Even after the tariff was imposed, Unipec, a Chinese refinery, chartered tankers to ensure supplies of U.S. crudey. But dont expect such moves in the future. The longer tit-for-tat tariffs define U.S.-Sino economic relations, the more China will seek to untether its energy demands from U.S. supplies. U.S. consumers, manufacturers, farmers, and small businesses have adjusted as well as could be expected to the higher prices, supply disruptions, and lost export sales that followed President Trumps launching of a trade war, but such pain is not sustainable and is avoidable. Chinas leaders, in the meantime, can ill-afford to let the trade battle with the United States contribute further to the slowing economic growth that threatens their power. It is time for China and the United States to resolve their differences. Deeper and stronger trade and investment ties, particularly in the energy arena, will unleash trade flows, invigorate supply chains, and boost economic growth. Tariffs and other forms of protectionism are a lose-lose game. Hungary has bought back 1 billion dollars of high-yield FX bonds, saving the state 42.7 billion forints (EUR 26.4m) in debt servicing expenditures, Finance Minister Mihaly Varga told MTI. Those savings will be booked until 2024 and include 16.5 billion forints in 2020, Varga said. He said that another FX bond issue was not necessary to refinance the debt as the bonds had been repurchased with existing forint and FX liquidity. Hungarys Government Debt Management Agency (AKK) earlier announced it would repurchase the 1 billion dollar of dollar bonds between January 21 and 27. Varga noted that the credit default swap (CDS) spread on Hungarys sovereign debt is now under 50bp, close to the CDS spread for Polish bonds. In 2010, the CDS spread on Hungarian government securities stood around 400bp, he added. A CDS contract valued at 50bp means that the cost to insure every EUR 10 million worth of sovereign FX bond exposure against default is around EUR 50,000 a year for the benchmark five-year maturity. MTI Photo: Kovacs Tamas President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with other leaders on Thursday paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat on his 72nd death anniversary. Offering tributes to the late leader, PM Modi said the ideals of Bapu will continue to inspire people to build a strong, capable and prosperous country. "A tribute to the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary. The ideals of Bapu will continue to inspire us to build a strong, capable and prosperous New India," PM Modi tweeted in Hindi. President Ram Nath Kovind visited Rajghat to pay homage to the Mahatma. "In his final sacrifice, Gandhiji left a constant reminder for us: Unconditional love, especially for The Other. I am confident, more and more of us will discover Gandhiji's true message," the official twitter account of Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a post. Among others who paid their tributes to the Father of the Nation at his resting place was former prime minister Manmohan Singh and Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi. Meanwhile, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also reached Raj Ghat and paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, Army Chief General MM Naravane, Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh, and Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria were also present. Veteran BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani also offered homage to Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi, the man who led India to freedom from the British colonial rule, was assassinated on January 30, 1948. He was assassinated by Nathuram Godse, who was against Gandhi's idea of partition. Bapu, as he was lovingly called, played one of the most prominent roles in India's freedom struggle through non-violence and peaceful ways. In India, five days are declared as Martyrs Day to honour those who laid down their lives for the country. Of these, the first day is January 30, when Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in 1948. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) To listen to the podcast, click on the play button below: When the trial is over the lawyers have argued, the judges have judged, the sentence has been served then what? The guilty person says they want to return home, because they were sorry about what happened, and they want to try to make amends. Thats the story of Germain Katanga, one of two local ethnic militia commanders from Ituri province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), who were on trial from 2009 to 2014 at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes in the village of Bogoro in the eastern province of Ituri. One man was set free. Katanga though had the charges against him changed by the judges, after all the evidence was heard and after hed spoken directly to the court to say sorry admitting his guilt. After sentencing he stayed in The Hague a scant few months, because his trial had taken so long, he had technically served his sentence. And then, he went back to the DRC. There, he was put in jail again. This time by the Kinshasa authorities. And, according to his lawyer David Hooper, The Hague has basically washed its hands of responsibility for the intended re-trial that has still not yet taken place, some four years later. Filmmaker and journalist Lisa Clifford was fascinated by the story. Together with Katangas lawyers, Hooper and Caroline Buisman, she visited him in the Scheveningen detention unit, and again in the main prison in Kinshasa. She also went with the lawyers as they tried to take Katangas apology back to the people of Bogoro. But through the eyes of a young woman who lost her whole family when Katangas militia attacked, Clifford also explores the limits of forgiveness and reconciliation. If you want to watch a film that should make you deeply question the meaning of punishments for mass atrocity crimes, and challenge your pre-conceptions about justice and the ICC, then watch Militia Man. Otherwise, listen to Lisa explaining her methods to us in this edition of Asymmetrical Haircuts. In 2019, New York City experienced a record number of anti-Semitic hate crimes, the highest it had seen since 1992. Similar trends are seen nationwide, with the Anti-Defamation League reporting that the United States saw the greatest number of anti-Semitic acts in 2017 since it began tracking such acts three decades ago. Given that 1.8 million Jews live in New York, the largest Jewish population of any state, many of those attacks have occurred here. Nothing has made that spike more apparent than the wave of attacks directed at the Jewish community throughout the tri-state area, including the shooting at a Jersey City kosher grocery store to the machete attack at a rabbis home in Rockland County. Elected officials have rallied against the spike in crimes. Having just visited the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Poland, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has pledged to get certain hate crimes labeled domestic terrorism, to increase security funding for religious institutions and to require students to visit museums providing education related to the Holocaust. New Yorks congressional delegates have similarly encouraged community groups at risk of being targeted to apply for federal security funding. But aside from the educational initiatives, these efforts dont address why these crimes are on the rise in the first place. And that cause can be difficult to place given that the perpetrators of these crimes in New York cut across racial demographics and ideologies. Throughout the first three-quarters of the year, most people arrested for commiting anti-Semitic hate crimes were white but many perpetrators observed in the most recent attacks are people of color. To understand why anti-Semitic acts are on the rise in New York and what can be done about it, City & State consulted the following experts: Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino; Evan Bernstein, vice president of the Northeast division of the Anti-Defamation League; Yossi Gestetner, co-founder of the Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council; and Jeannine Bell, an expert in hate crimes and professor at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law. Why have anti-Semitic hate crimes been on the rise in New York? Why, when most perpetrators nationally are white people on the far-right, have so many attackers in New York been people of color? Brian Levin: Anti-Semitic hate crimes hit a modern record in New York City in 2019 with 234. Through the first three quarters, the majority of those arrested in New York City were white and the racial breakdowns were in line with that of all those arrested for all hate crimes in the city. However, in the last two weeks of Dec. 2019 there were 21 anti-Semitic hate crimes and many of those assailants were people of color (but we don't have the final data on it). A few things appear to be influencing the rise of anti-Semitic hate crime. First, when societies become socio-politically fragmented, there is less of a communal firewall to repel the harmful stereotypes that fuel hate crime. In particular Jews have a trifecta working against them. When nationalism, conspiracy theories and and anti-elitism grow, Jews represent a convenient scapegoat, and these derisive perspectives toward Jews aided by social media, spread like a virus spreads across the ideological spectrum. In addition, New York is home to the largest Jewish population in the world (outside of Israel) 25% of U.S. Jews reside in New York state so population density and local demographics means there are a lot of diverse people squeezed into a city where they will have frequent, but limited, interactions, some of which are conflictual. This plays out in cities across the U.S., so in LA, for example, people of color commit the overwhelming majority of racial hate crimes against each other. Lastly, mental illness, ignorance and a copy-cat mentality also contribute to hate crimes spike. Interestingly, four of the five worst months nationally for anti-Semitic hate crimes over the last three decades came around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, until Oct. 2018, when the spike was around a conflictual national mid-term election cycle. Lastly, remember anti-Semitism has thousands of years of anchoring across many societies. Evan Bernstein: There is no one factor that points to why anti-Semitism is on the rise in New York. The rise of social media has given those who espouse anti-Semitic and hateful messages a platform to broadcast those views to a much larger audience. While extremist groups or those who ascribe to extremist ideologies seek to spread their hateful messages nationally, the data does not show a correlation of those groups to individuals who commit hate crimes in New York City. It is important to keep in mind that each of these anti-Semitic incidents is separate there is, to date, no connection between them, no connection between any of the perpetrators a number of whom are juveniles under 18 and several who have not been apprehended and no apparent ideological motivation driving the actions of these few individuals. When the Anti-Defamation League has seen evidence of ideology-driven racist and anti-Semitic extremism like in the case of the murders at the JC Kosher Market in Jersey City we have called it out and labeled it as such. But where no such evidence exists, it would be offensive, dangerous, and inaccurate to place blame on an entire racial group, or to call for action or repudiation from black community leaders, based on the actions of a few individuals. Like the Jewish community, the African American and black communities are not monolithic and there are many black Jews and Jews of color. We must be careful to avoid painful and dangerous stereotypes or assumptions that seek to distract and divide our communities. Why do the attacks in NY seem mostly to target ultra-Orthodox Jews? Yossi Gestetner: Orthodox Jews are, well, visibly Jewish, so they are easier to ID. In addition, most of the conversation in politics and on social media about Orthodox Jews is in a negative context filled with broad-brush lies and innuendo; not done to other communities. It has become worse the last five to 10 years. So whether you are a Black Israelite in Jersey or a 17-year-old bully in Brooklyn, who else but on the beat-down Jew who "causes" all the "problems" and it is easier for you to find will you act out on? Bernstein: Unfortunately, individuals who are more identifiably Jewish in the New York metropolitan area are more likely to be the victims of anti-Semitic assaults or hate crimes simply because they are easily identified. This is especially true for the Ultra-Orthodox community. Because of their traditional black hats and coats for men, they are easy targets for those who hold or espouse anti-Semitic views. Levin: Orthodox Jews are targeted because many of the stereotypical images of "scheming" Jews show them dressed in religious garb, which is easily identifiable. Second, to be close to each other, synagogues and kosher stores, Orthodox people are often living in geographically small communities within cities, which also make them easier to target. The commercial and religious establishments that Orthodox Jews frequent are also places non-Jews may not go to as much, making opportunities for more tranquil spontaneous meetings less common. How can New York stem this rise in anti-Semitic attacks? Levin: Some solutions include executive leadership from the mayor and governor, stepped up enforcement, and additional security for Jewish institutions. More fundamentally, education is important because for many offenders, prejudices are actually shallow, but ignorance deep. This is especially true respecting Judaism's place in the Abrahamic tree and the lessons of the Holocaust, as survivors become increasingly rare. Moreover, a lack of meaningful direct interactions so that diverse folks can experience empathy with each other is often lost in an era where many, particularly young people are socially isolated and online more, where bigotry has greater currency. Jeannine Bell: The answer to stemming the rise in anti-Semitic attacks lies in law enforcement bias-crime units, both prosecution and police based. The cities that are most serious about providing support to targets of bias-motivated violence have specialized police hate crime units and prosecutors both experienced in, and dedicated to bias-crime prosecution. Gestetner: Politicians and pundits need to write and speak about Hasidic Jews with the same standards that they do about African Americans or Muslims. After the hate shooting at a church in South Carolina, sane pundits did not write about "clashes" between blacks and whites and then blame blacks for it; but this rhetoric was used against Hasidim. In addition, steady enforcement of the law can help: 72% of the 515 reported anti-Semitic cases in New York City from 2017 through late 2019 did not lead yet to an arrest! Bernstein: Education is one important way to stem this rise. The Anti-Defamation League is always working to improve and implement anti-bias education in schools, as we recently announced, together with the Brooklyn borough presidents office, an expansion of our premier education program, No Place For Hate, in order to bring twice as many schools our resources, given the recent uptick in anti-Semitic incidents within the borough. It is also crucial to support strong hate crime laws and enhanced penalties for those who act on their hatred with violence. It is also important for the public to report hate incidents and hate crimes immediately, not only to their local law enforcement agencies but to the Anti-Defamation League as well, so that we are able to accurately count how many anti-Semitic incidents are occurring within each county in New York. iland Opens Canadian Cloud Region with New Data Centre Facility in Toronto London, UK- iland, an industry-leading provider of secure application and data protection cloud services built on proven VMware technology, has announced a new cloud region in Canada with the opening of its new data centre facility in Toronto, Ontario, joining nine other cloud regions in Los Angeles, Dallas, Washington, D.C., London, Manchester, Amsterdam, Singapore, Melbourne and Sydney. The new iland cloud region provides access to the company?s full suite of secure cloud services built on iland?s Secure Cloud Platform, including Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Backup as a Service (BaaS), and backup services for Office 365, in addition to Cloud Object Storage available later in the year. The Toronto facility is iland?s first cloud region in Canada with plans for an additional Canadian location later this year. With this new cloud region, iland is offering additional opportunities to its existing North American channel partners and is actively engaging new partners in the region, especially those with customers using VMware and Veeam solutions. ?By extending iland services into Canada, we can better serve new customers and partners who seek the benefits of cloud computing, but must also meet Canada?s data sovereignty requirements,? said iland president and co-founder Brian Ussher. ?Many of our North American customers and partners have operations that span across the United States and Canada border. Meeting the security and environmental standards of both sides will give them the peace of mind that their data and workloads are both proximal and secure.? Secure Inside and Out Expansion into Canada provides unmatched cloud services to customers in North America, while meeting the stringent demands of Canadian data security and privacy regulations. The new 242,000 square-foot facility includes security officers working 24 hours a day, seven days a week; provides numerous physical security measures; and it meets the certification requirements of ISO 9001, ISO 27001, CSA STAR and BS 10012. Designed Green iland?s new cloud region is designed green to meet environmental demands of Canadian consumers and regulations, earning it a Gold level for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The building includes granular-temperature and optimised-lighting controls, a rainwater capture irrigation system, cold aisle containment and high-efficiency-Turbocor chillers. The opening of iland?s 10th cloud region is the first major announcement of this year, coming off a highly successful 2019, which included the following accomplishments: ? Achieving VMware Cloud Verified status ? Extending its leader position in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for four straight years ? Being named for the third time as Zerto?s Cloud Service Partner of the Year ? Receiving a 5-star rating in CRN?s 2019 Partner Program Guide ? Being named Cloud & Service Provider Partner of the Year by Veeam Sophisticated hackers infiltrated UN networks in Geneva and Vienna last year in an apparent espionage operation that top officials at the world body kept largely quiet. The hackers identity and the extent of the data they obtained are not known. An internal confidential document from the United Nations, leaked to The New Humanitarian and seen by The Associated Press, says dozens of servers were compromised including at the UN human rights office, which collects sensitive data and has often been a lightning rod of criticism from autocratic governments for exposing rights abuses. Everything indicates knowledge of the breach was closely held, a strategy that information security experts consider misguided because it only multiplies the risks of further data hemorrhaging. Staff at large, including me, were not informed, said Geneva-based Ian Richards, president of the Staff Council at the United Nations. All we received was an email (on Sept. 26) informing us about infrastructure maintenance work. The council advocates for the welfare of employees of the world body. Asked about the intrusion, one UN official told the AP it appeared sophisticated with the extent of damage unclear, especially in terms of personal, secret or compromising information that may have been stolen. The official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity to speak freely about the episode, said systems have since been reinforced. Given the high skill level, it is possible a state-backed actor was behind it, the official said. Its as if someone were walking in the sand, and swept up their tracks with a broom afterward, the official added. Theres not even a trace of a clean-up. The leaked Sept. 20 report says logs that would have betrayed the hackers activities inside the UN networks what was accessed and what may have been siphoned out were cleared. It also shows that among accounts known to have been accessed were those of domain administrators who by default have master access to all user accounts in their purview. Sadly ... still counting our casualties, the report says. Jake Williams, CEO of the cybersecurity firm Rendition Infosec and a former US government hacker, said the fact that the hackers cleared the network logs indicates they were not top flight. The most skilled hackers including US, Russian and Chinese agents can cover their tracks by editing those logs instead of clearing them. The intrusion definitely looks like espionage, said Williams, noting that the active directory component where all users permissions are managed from three different domains were compromised: those of United Nations offices in Geneva and Vienna and of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. This, coupled with the relatively small number of infected machines, is highly suggestive of espionage, he said after viewing the report. The attackers have a goal in mind and are deploying malware to machines that they believe serve some purpose for them. The UN is known to have been trying to patch its myriad IT systems for years, and Williams said any number of intelligence agencies from around the globe are likely interested in infiltrating it. The hack was not severe at the UN human rights office, said its spokesman, Rupert Colville. We face daily attempts to get into our computer systems, he said. This time, they managed, but it did not get very far. Nothing confidential was compromised. Clearly concerned that word of the hack could have a chilling effect on people reporting human rights violations to it, the office said in a statement issued later that it wanted to assure all concerned parties no sensitive information was compromised. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said earlier Wednesday that attack was serious, compromised core infrastructure components and was contained. T he earliest activity appeared to have come in July and was detected in August, he said in response to emailed questions. He said the world body does not have enough information to determine the author but added that the methods and tools used in the attack indicate a high level of resource, capability and determination. Dujarric noted that the UN detects and responds to multiple attacks of various level of sophistication on a daily basis. Peter Micek, general counsel of the digital civil liberties nonprofit AccessNow, said U.N. leadership made a terrible decision from an information-security standpoint by denying staff information about the breach. Its best practice to alert people, let them know what they should look out for (including phishing attacks and social engineering) and inform them of what steps are being taken on their behalf, he said. Otherwise, you are compounding the threat, and a missed opportunity for a teaching moment becomes an example of intransigence and obfuscation, which is unfortunate, said Micek, who works with UN human rights workers to shore up their cyber-defenses. The internal document from the UN Office of Information and Technology said 42 servers were compromised and another 25 were deemed suspicious, nearly all at the sprawling Geneva and Vienna offices. Three of the compromised servers belonged to Human Rights agency, which is located across town from the main UN office in Geneva, and two were used by the UN Economic Commission for Europe. The report says a flaw in Microsofts SharePoint software was exploited by the hackers to infiltrate the networks but that the type of malware used was not known, nor had technicians identified the command and control servers on the internet used to exfiltrate information. Nor was it known what mechanism was used by the hackers to maintain their presence on the infiltrated networks. Security researcher Matt Suiche, the Dubai-based founder of the cybersecurity firm Comae Technologies, reviewed the report and said it appeared entry was gained through an anti-corruption tracker at the UN Office of Drugs and Crime. The report mentions a range of IP addresses in Romania that may have been used to stage the infiltration, and Williams said one is reported to have some neighbours with a history of hosting malware. Technicians at the United Nations office in Geneva, the world bodys European hub, on at least two occasions worked through weekends in recent months to isolate the local UN data center from the i nternet, re-write passwords and ensure the systems were clean. Twenty machines had to be rebuilt, the report says. The hack comes amid rising concerns about cyber espionage. Last week, UN human rights experts asked the US government to investigate a suspected Saudi hack that may have siphoned data from the personal smartphone of Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder and owner of The Washington Post, in 2018. On Tuesday, the online civil rights sleuths at Citizen Lab published a report on the attempted hack of the T he New York Timess bureau chief in Beirut, Ben Hubbard, about the same time by a Saudi-linked group. The UN human rights office is particularly sensitive, and could be a tempting target. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet and her predecessors have denounced alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and in places as d iverse as Syria, Venezuela, Myanmar and Saudi Arabia. Richards, of the UN Staff Council, complained of uncertainty over the safety of UN networks. Theres a lot of our data that could have been hacked, and we dont know what that data could be, he said. How much should UN staff trust the information infrastructure the UN is providing them? Richards asked. Or should they start putting their information elsewhere? Protesters calling for the closure of the Mississippi State Penitentiary, also known as Parchman Farm. Photo: Rogelio V Solis/AP/Shutterstock Since December 29, Mississippis department of corrections has reported 13 prisoner deaths across the state, the vast majority occurring at the Parchman Farm state penitentiary in Sunflower County. Of the nine Parchman fatalities, two died in a rash of gang violence during the first two days of January; a third died of neck injuries after a fight with his cellmate on January 3; and two more died in beatings on January 21. (Another Parchman prisoner died of natural causes at a hospital in Clarksdale on January 8.) The initial violence prompted a statewide prison lockdown, which has since been lifted at every facility except for Parchman. A trio of suicides followed, most recently that of Joshua Norman, who was found hanging in his cell during a wellness check on Monday. The concentration of violence was unusual for Mississippi the state averaged 3.4 inmate deaths per year between 2014 and 2018, according to the Clarion-Ledger. But the brutal conditions that prompted it are not. Their persistence over the years not only presaged this months violence, but illustrates the logical outcome of a system with no real plan beyond condemning people to indefinite suffering and looking the other way. Oddly enough, the solution suggested most often for what ails Parchman is more funding. The notion that Mississippis department of corrections lacks the financial or personnel resources needed to sustain smooth operations seems to be a trans-ideological consensus, from advocates with the Southern Poverty Law Center to MDOC officials. Most agree that recent budget cuts by legislators have exacerbated an already dismal state of affairs. Many prison guards in Mississippi are paid at roughly minimum wage, which, given the states absence of an established wage floor, defaults to the federal at $7.25. This lack of a financial incentive for would-be applicants has led to understaffing. According to the Marshall Project, at least one privately run Mississippi prison Wilkinson Correctional Facility was so undermanned in 2018 that its administrators functionally turned their security duties over to prison gangs. Increased funding was the central demand in a lawsuit filed on January 14 by lawyers working with the rappers Jay-Z and Meek Mill on behalf of 29 Mississippi prisoners. Plaintiffs lives are in peril, the lawsuit begins, according to the Clarion-Ledger. Individuals held in Mississippis prisons are dying because Mississippi has failed to fund its prisons, resulting in prisons where violence reigns because prisons are understaffed. This seems like a rational argument. If one accepts the premise that peace and order in prisons are enhanced by having more guards, and that funding translates to cleaner, safer, and more comfortable conditions, then it follows that hiring up and spending more is the best solution. But evidence undermines this reasoning. Californias state budget share dedicated to corrections nearly tripled between 1970 and 2018. By 2011, state prisons had seen two riots in the previous five years and were so overcrowded that inmates were forced to sleep in hallways, gyms, and day rooms, prompting the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that they violated the Eighth Amendment. In 2015, Wisconsin and South Carolina were separated by a nearly $20,000 gap in per-inmate spending, according to the Vera Institute of Justice, despite comparable living costs and tax rates. Yet both boast deplorable prison conditions. The crumbling and overcrowded Green Bay Correctional Institution in Wisconsin is notorious for its violence, and lawmakers and activists alike have called for its closure. Conditions at Lee Correctional Facility in South Carolina are so inhumane they sparked the deadliest American prison riot of the last 25 years, which killed seven people in April 2018. The relationship between money spent and humane prisons is never one-to-one especially in a country where the welfare of prisoners is an enduringly distant concern. The deeper problem is the animating philosophy behind these conditions. Mississippis state population is the poorest and blackest in the country. Majorities of its voters and lawmakers have responded to its abundant problems not by dedicating resources to social welfare or racial equity or anti-poverty programs, but by saddling its residents with the third-highest imprisonment rate in the country (and, consequently, among the highest in the entire world). One in seven black Mississippians has a felony conviction today. More than half of the people housed in the states jails have not been convicted of a crime, which, in the absence of available data, can be surmised to mean that most simply couldnt afford bail, as is the pattern in most states. After a brief period of reform-driven decline, Mississippis imprisoned population has grown every year since 2014. In 2017 alone, more than 500 people were sent to prison in the state merely for drug possession. And as is the case nationwide, the defining feature of these prisons is that theyre overflowing with people whose humanity Mississippi has chosen to abandon. The rationale for their circumstances is that prisoners have committed crimes and been convicted for doing so, and have thus proved themselves unworthy of humane treatment and the reasonable expectation of an eventual full life in civil society. Their lot is civil death, often in perpetuity. And where despair prevails, so typically does violence. [If] you aint treated like animals, you wont act like an animals, former prisoner Benny Ivey told the Clarion-Ledger earlier this month. But contrary to the impression given by this months killings, such violence is overwhelmingly directed inward. As Ive written before, in any given year, more than half of prisoners are mentally ill and prison inmates meet the threshold for serious psychological distress at three times the rate of the general population. Suicides in prisons outpace murders threefold. Few responses are more understandable to an environment that encourages self worth to plummet so drastically, that reminds one daily how meaningless he or she is considered to be by their countrymen. None of this is mysterious. These men and women live under conditions of torture. And although in theory more funding could transform prisons into rehabilitation centers dedicated to healing their denizens and facilitating their reintroduction to full and meaningful lives on the outside, theres no evidence that a critical mass of lawmakers or voters are committed to doing so, even as public opinion seems to trend toward greater sympathy for people convicted of crimes. Prisons are the way they are because weve allowed them, and even encouraged them, to become that way. Granting them more money to advance the current orthodoxy, or even a slightly milder version of it, spells torture with a heftier price tag. And its torture with no endgame. All pretenses of a productive outcome a lesson learned, a comprehensive safety achieved have been dropped, if they ever existed. The point is to condemn prisoners to lives of perpetual suffering, and as far outside the public consciousness as possible. We are privy to sporadic insight into these conditions mainly because the prisoners themselves have forced us to be aware of them. Cellphones are contraband punishable by longer sentences. Yet they are the foremost means by which people locked inside Mississippis correctional facilities have communicated through photos and verbal testimony, to family members and reporters alike the hell they endure. At Parchman, they testify to a life of mold everywhere, rats everywhere; of treatment by guards hardly befitting livestock, let alone human beings; of sparse electricity and water; of long-untreated wounds that still havent healed, of being forced to sleep on concrete floors with no cot or mattress, and of such a preponderance of vermin that food must be hung from the ceiling to avoid infestation. Yet when then-outgoing Mississippi governor Phil Bryant was asked at a press conference in early January who was responsible for the recent violence, he replied, The inmates. The inmates are the ones that take each others lives. The inmates are the ones that fashion weapons out of metal. The inmates are the ones that do the damage to the very rooms they are living in. Ours is a criminal-legal culture operating at the height of delusion. And its insistence that we keep feeding it despite its failures highlights the reality that the general plan for ensuring that prisoners be granted some semblance of humane consideration seems to be no plan at all. Greece ratifies US defence deal amid anti-war protest Athens, Jan 30 (AFP) Jan 30, 2020 Greece's parliament on Thursday approved an updated defence agreement with the US allowing the use of Greek military facilities as hundreds protested outside. A majority of lawmakers ratified the Mutual Defence Cooperation Agreement (MDCA) as hundreds of Communist, left-wing and anti-war demonstrators protested on central Syntagma Square. The agreement, which updates a deal originally signed in 1990 when Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' father was premier, enables the use by US forces of Greek military facilities including the airbases of Larissa and Stefanovikio. Permitted actions for US forces at these facilities include training, refuelling, temporary maintenance, storage and emergency response. The updated deal was originally signed in October during a visit by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. "This agreement is beneficial to national interests," defence minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos told parliament. The US is also granted priority status for "unimpeded access and use" within 48 hours of the port of Alexandroupolis, a Balkans and Black Sea gateway of strategic value to the US navy and NATO. The US paid approximately $2.3 million to remove last year a sunken dredging barge that had blocked part of the harbour since 2010. "This agreement upgrades (Greece's) importance in US planning and can help deterrence," the defence minister said, adding that US forces are expected to invest over 12 million euros ($13 million) on the Larissa base and around six million euros at Marathi, part of the US base of Souda, Crete. Athens has signed on to an F-16 upgrade programme worth $1.5 billion, and is also interested in US-made drones and, eventually, F-35 warplanes, Mitsotakis has said. The defence agreement has been roundly condemned by left-wing opposition parties. "Wherever they are, US and NATO bases are targets for reprisals...NATO bases do not protect," said Communist party chairman Dimitris Koutsoumbas, warning that the government was "deepening" its involvement in "adventurism." Garvan Walshe is a former National and International Security Policy Adviser to the Conservative Party. Benjamin Netanyahu, indicted by the attorney general he had appointed. Donald Trump, braced for his former National Security Adviser to spill the beans before his Senate trial. The two, however, have cause to celebrate, for Jared Kushner, Trumps son in law, Middle East envoy, has just launched his new Middle East peace plan. Its less a fresh plan then a resurrection. Just after the 1967 war, Yigal Allon proposed that Israel annex the Jordan valley, while areas of high Palestinian population would be transferred to Jordan, which had controlled the territory before the war. The new plan revives the essence of its terms, drafted in the idiom of a real estate contract: the peace agreement that will hopefully be negotiated on the basis of this Vision should be implemented through legally binding contracts and agreements (the ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN PEACE AGREEMENT) dictated by the Israeli ministry of housing. In the West Bank, the main part of the Jordan Valley, designated as Area C under the Oslo Accords, would be annexed by Israel. The entire old city of Jerusalem would be under permanent Israeli control. A conceptual map appended to the document would limit a Palestinian state to the cities and towns of Areas A and B. The resulting chart resembles nothing so much as a propaganda document the Palestinians used to use to argue the Israelis were trying to deny them a contiguous state. What is curious is the reaction of the Arab States, who would, in previous years, have loudly condemned such a flagrantly one-sided proposal. Their silence is a response to Arab fatigue at the Palestinian issue, which has slipped down their radar, coming at best fifth after the chaos in Syria, the threat posed by Iran, the need to crush any further attempts at democratic revolution, and Islamist terrorism. The content is a consequence of the severity of the Palestinians defeat in the second intifada. Unable to threaten Israel militarily, but unable to convince Israelis that, like a domestic cat, they wouldnt kill them if they were bigger, the Palestinians find themselves at the mercy of the two accused who prefer headlines that please their base to practical policy. Needless to say, the Palestinians have rejected the deal. It is as unreasonable to them as the report of the Peel Commission Partition Plan of 1937 was to the Zionist movement of the time. The resemblance is in fact uncanny: that proposal confined the Jewish state to areas of high population, assigning most of the land to a future Arab Palestinian state. Leave aside the realism, or not, of the Palestinian position, which is really a bet on the forthcoming US Presidential election. They might have been wiser to emulate the Zionist leadership and accept the unacceptable in order to fight it when the balance of power improved. But since even accepting acceptable peace deals has never been their style, it is surely too much for them to accept a deal that is, in fact, unacceptable. Now turn for a moment to Israeli politics. Formal annexation of Area C (an idea floated in recent weeks to distract people from the criminal proceedings against Netanyahu) would be unwise foreign policy. It could even risk EU sanctions. If there is one thing that could cause Germany to shift from its resolute support of Israel, it is the unilateral revision of international frontiers. Nor does it make sense locally. It would make co-operation with Palestinian security forces, on which the Israeli forces rely to disrupt Palestinian terrorism, all but impossible. As befits a real estate brochure, most of the plan, which is subtitled Peace to Prosperity imagines economic progress alleviating the Palestinians political predicament. In this it resembles the decidedly unsuccessful Killing Home Rule with Kindness policy introduced by none other than Arthur Balfour. Though Netanyahu may not be familiar with Balfours early work, he is certainly familiar with that of Zeev Zhabotinsky, who founded the Likud Party which Netanyahu leads. In his essay The Iron Wall he warned against plans like Kushners: OWENSBORO, Ky., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hundreds of Kentucky families will gather for an indoor rally to celebrate the state's K-12 school options. The program will include student performances, remarks by parents about the impact of school choice, and perspectives of school leaders. Attendees will be able to take a free self-guided tour through the museum. WHAT: - Rally and showcase of many school types during School Choice Week WHO: - Hundreds of Western Kentucky parents, students, and educators WHEN: - 10 a.m. CST Friday, Jan. 31 WHERE: - The Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum is located at 311 W 2nd Street. This event is hosted by EdChoice Kentucky. 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. SOURCE National School Choice Week Related Links www.schoolchoiceweek.com Airlines Cut Flights to China As Coronavirus Infections Spike 2020-01-29 -- British Airways and other international airlines on Wednesday suspended all flights to mainland China after the number of coronavirus cases rose by more than 1,000 in a single day, surpassing the total number of reported cases in the SARS epidemic of 2002-2003. "Following Foreign Office advice against all but essential travel to mainland China we have temporarily suspended our flights to and from Beijing and Shanghai with immediate effect, until Friday 31 January, while we assess the situation," the flag-carrier said in a statement on its website. The announcement came as the number of newly confirmed cases of the Wuhan coronavirus, officially termed nCoV-2019 (Wuhan) by the World Health Organization (WHO), jumped to 6,057 from 4,409 only a day earlier. The virus has killed 132 people to date, with 125 of those deaths in the central Chinese province of Hubei, of which Wuhan is the provincial capital. The Chinese authorities have now shut down all public transportation to 17 cities, leaving more than 50 million people under quarantine. Local governments and groups of residents have also taken it upon themselves to cut local road links between communities throughout Hubei and surrounding provinces, with many hotels refusing accommodation to anyone with a Hubei-based ID card. Video posted to Twitter by one user showed several rows of people in the waiting room of a major hospital hooked up to drips. The person shooting the video said he was doing it surreptitiously while pretending to make a phone call, and that most of the patients had presented with a fever or other symptoms that wouldn't go away after several days, and were worried enough to seek help in a hospital. Elderly at risk A healthcare worker surnamed Zhang at Wuhan's Xiehe Hospital said hospitals in the city are very short of supplies. "Some people can't be helped at all, and the doctors are in a panic because there's just no medicine," Zhang said. "There is no way to treat them: patients are just left on their own." "A lot of older people have underlying disease, such as high blood pressure or coronary heart disease. If they are infected, their immune system just gets destroyed and they die," he said. "Most [of the deaths] are elderly patients." Patients have been taking to China's social media platforms to ask for help. One WeChat user said he had had a fever for 15 days, and that an injection he received from a community clinic hadn't helped. A resident of Wuhan surnamed Hu said her father had been diagnosed with the coronavirus on Jan. 27, but was denied a bed in hospital. The rest of the family were beginning to show symptoms, but the hospital had ignored their calls, she said. Hu said felt as if she and her family were just "waiting to die." Hubei residents shunned There are signs that people who fled Hubei ahead of the lockdown are being excluded from social contact or even placed under house arrest by authorities wherever they end up. A video clip seen by RFA showed the front door of a home in Hebei's Langfang city nailed shut with iron bars and a notice in red warning that the occupants were from Hubei, and shouldn't be contacted. "You don't have to isolate people like this," a local resident surnamed Liu. "They are basically shutting them in to die." Authorities in Dandong city in the northeastern province of Liaoning meanwhile shut down all large shopping malls and markets in the city, citing a need for "epidemic prevention and control." Officials in Daozhen county in the southwestern province of Guizhou issued a noticing banning any vehicles from Hubei, Guangdong, Zhejiang and Chongqing from entering the county. Local governments across China have issued notices and warnings calling on residents to be on the lookout for people from Hubei. One notice read: "People who come from Hubei and don't report [to authorities] are walking time bombs." "People who have a fever and don't report it are class enemies of the people," read another notice seen by RFA. Senior officials die In Hubei, high-ranking government official Yang Xiaobo, who headed the Hubei State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), died of pneumonia two days after taking part in the provincial People's Congress meeting that ended on Jan. 15, sources told RFA. News of his death emerged just three days after the death of another high-ranking provincial official, Wang Xianliang, of pneumonia at Wuhan Central Hospital on Jan. 26. An official of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, which advises the Hubei People's Congress, said many officials have been told to work from home since the epidemic struck the city. "We are on standby at home right now, not at the office," the official said. "The situation is even more serious now ... the possibility remains [that other officials were infected during the congress]." A medical doctor who gave only her surname He said senior officials, if infected, will likely get priority when it comes to potentially life-saving medications. "This will make effective antiviral drugs and immune-promoting globulins less accessible to ordinary people," she said. "Senior officials will use imported globulins and thymosin to improve their immunity." "There are very few globulins available in China; they're not available in hospitals and can only be bought direct from pharmaceutical suppliers," He said. "Ordinary people can't get hold of them. Even I would have to go from pillar to post to get it, and it might not be available even then," she said. An official who answered the phone at a hospital providing healthcare to more than 180 provincial government officials denied that high-ranking officials have access to globulin injections. He said the hospital wasn't currently taking any fever or pneumonia patients because they hadn't been designated as a hospital dealing with the epidemic. Authorities in Hong Kong said there were 56 patients aged 13 months to 88 years old who met the reporting criteria of severe respiratory disease associated with a novel infectious agent as of Wednesday. "Specimens of the patients concerned have been sent ... for testing ... Five patients are in a ... serious condition," the Hospital Authority said in a statement. Foreign residents evacuated BA isn't the only airline to suspend or limit flights to mainland China. Lufthansa, Air India, South Korea's Seoul Air, and Indonesia's Lion Air said they would do the same, while Finnair, Cathay Pacific, and Singapore's Jetstar Asia are cutting the number of flights to and from China. Countries also began evacuating foreign nationals from Wuhan on Wednesday. Chartered flights carrying about 200 evacuees each arrived in Japan and the United States. Four passengers on the evacuation flight to Japan had coughs and fevers, and two were diagnosed with pneumonia, the Associated Press reported. But China has refused requests from the democratic island of Taiwan to evacuate its nationals. Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) have requested permission to bring home Taiwan passport holders on charter flights, but China's Taiwan Affairs Office has refused the request. Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Ma Xiaoguang said in a statement that Taiwanese in Hubei are being well taken care of, and that there had been no reported infections among them. Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Wong Siu-san and Sing Man for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. 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 It has been more than 220 years since Patrick Henry, the famous Give me liberty or give me death revolutionary set foot in the region, but the neighboring counties Patrick and Henry still carry the attorneys name. This Saturday, the Martinsville-Henry County Historical Society will celebrate the establishment of Henry County, which took place during the American Revolution, when it separated from present-day neighbor Pittsylvania County. On Jan. 1, 1777, Henry County started operating as a unique location. A couple of years ago, a group of individuals at the countys historical society decided to have a community event honoring that history. Near the start of 2018, the Martinsville-Henry County Historical Society hosted its first Founders Day event. It was one of our board members who just suggested it thought that it would be appropriate to educate the community about our founding history and to commemorate it, said Virginia King, board president of the Martinsville-Henry County Historical Society. The event was such a hit that the historical society decided to host a second celebration the following year and a third this year. The first year we highlighted some of the prominent founders of the area. Then last year we focused on the African-Americans who made contributions in the area, King said. This year the board thought theyd like to focus on the furniture industry. And there's already a plan for 2021. Next year, well focus on the textile industry, King said. Barry Dorsey will present a brief history about the founding of the county. Then, Jeb Bassett, senior vice president of Bassett Furniture Industries, will speak about the start of furniture industry in the area. Founded in 1902, Bassett Furniture Industries was the first large-scale furniture manufacturer in the area. An astonishing 118 years later, the company still exists, with headquarters in Bassett, as well as other local furniture makers. Of course, other furniture companies took off from there. I think Bassett even helped some of them get started, King said. This was just a good place. It had the timber that provided the wood. We had good transportation. We had two big railroads that ran through the area, one north and south and one east and west, which made it convenient to bring in supplies, as well as ship out what they produced. And it just grew and grew until at one point Basset Furniture was the worlds largest producer of wood furniture. Following Bassetts presentation, Andy Doss will share a PowerPoint of photographs of furniture workers. And there will be a special guest registry of sorts that current and former furniture workers are encouraged to sign. We want to not only recognize the founders, but also recognize the hundreds of workers who made the industries what they became, King said. Were going to have a place for those anyone whos worked in the furniture industries to sign a registry with their name and what company they worked for and what years they worked there. And well keep that in our permanent archive. The celebration will culminate with a reception in the exhibit rooms, featuring hors d'oeuvres and community fellowship. While its hard to say how many people might attend the Founders Day event, King said she expects 50, but hopes for upwards of 100. The publics invited. Its free and we hope that well have a good turnout, King said. We hope that people who ever worked in the furniture industry will come and be recognized. The new joint US-Ukraine project is expected to take effect this summer The United States intends to open a representative office of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Ukraine. This was discussed at a meeting between Ukraines Interior Minister Arsen Avakov and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Jorgan K. Andrews, Ministrys press service reports. "The representative office of DEA Office on Anti-Crime is expected to be opened this summer, which will allow Ukrainian experts to join a team on combating international drug crime," the statement said. According to Avakov, the work on a program to counter small drug trafficking on the streets of the country is now underway. Andrews, in turn, thanked Avakov for working together and for his partnership, and expressed his hope that all the planned projects could be implemented in 2020. As we reported earlier, the head of Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov and the Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine Larisa Galadza discussed a strategic project. The main objective of the project is to improve security in Ukraine by supporting local strategic reform through the development of the police. The parties also discussed joint counteraction to drug trafficking, liberalization of the visa regime with Canada, as well as cooperation in the field of reforming the National Police and the National Guard. Charlottesville, Va., Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau (CACVB) invites everyone to consider Albemarle County and Charlottesville for a romantic Valentines Day excursion this year. Named one of the 9 Most Romantic Cities in the South by The Huffington Post, Albemarle County & Charlottesville offer a wide variety of romantic activities and attractions, including charming lodging options; a plethora of cozy, award-winning wineries with crackling fireplaces; and an array of intimate and romantic restaurants. The Charlottesville area is home to some of the most picturesque and breathtaking scenery in the country. Nestled in the foothills of Virginia near Shenandoah National Park, the views alone are enough to inspire feelings of love and romance. Home to 35+ wineries, the region has been dubbed one of the Top Wine Destinations in the World by Wine Enthusiast and many of these wineries have an incredibly romantic ambiance, with roaring fireplaces, scrumptious food pairings, and occasionally, even live music. The vineyards are situated on gorgeous parcels of land, with grapevines set against the backdrop of pastoral landscapes, gently rolling hills, and breathtaking mountains. These serene settings also make Albemarle County vineyards popular marriage proposal sites and wedding venues. There are even lodging options on site at a few of the wineries, for those seeking a vineyard vacation. In addition to the bounty of wineries, the Charlottesville area is also home to a world-renowned culinary scene. Named the Locavore Capital of the World by Forbes, the destination has been leading the pack in the farm-to-table movement since its inception. A stroll down the historic pedestrian Downtown Mall, one of the longest of its kind in the country, is sure to provide couples with many unique romantic dining options. A short, scenic drive into surrounding Albemarle County also provides many romantic dining gems in quaint and charming towns like Crozet and Scottsville. After dinner, be sure to enjoy a delicious cocktail at one of the areas rooftop bars for sweeping views that will provide the perfect ending to a romantic day. Couples will be pleased with the selection of romantic inns, B&Bs, and boutique hotels in Albemarle County & Charlottesville, with lodging options available for every budget. Many of these properties offer special deals and packages to guests for Valentines Day weekend and throughout the winter season. Trip ideas and more information about Albemarle County & Charlottesville can be found at www.visitcharlottesville.org. ### About the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau The Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau (CACVB) welcomes thousands of visitors to the region each year from all over the world who are seeking a variety of unique experiences in history, food, wine, spirits and adventure. The CACVB serves as the global resource for marketing the tourism assets of the City of Charlottesville and County of Albemarle, and assists tour operators, meeting planners, and other groups in planning visits to the destination. The CACVBs mission is to enhance the economic prosperity of the people of the City and County by promoting, selling and marketing the area as a destination, in pursuit of the meetings and tourism markets. Attachment You know how we throw stones at Syrians, Durdane Aydin, the woman Othman rescued, said in an interview from her hospital bed that was widely shared on social media. That kid used his nails to dig and dig. He got me out of there. I wont ever forget that kid. The first thing Ill do when I get out of here is find him. Chandni Chowk Delhi Assembly Constituency Election Results 2020 Live Updates - Read Chandni Chowk constituency vidhan sabha chunav latest news, party, constituency, candidate name wise winner, loser, leading, trailing live updates online at Firstpost.com. Chandni Chowk Assembly Elections 2020: Alka Lamba who made a comeback to the Congress from AAP has only a tragic trajectory to showcase in the current election so far as her performance goes. Despite being the incumbent MLA from Chandni Chowk, Lamba got a pathetic 3881 votes while Parlad Singh Sawhney won with 50,891 votes. Lamba had won the seat in 2015 as an AAP candidate. Sawhney's nearest rival was BJP's Suman Kumar Gupta, who polled a total of 21,307 votes. Chandni Chowk, known as the historical centre of Old Delhi, is one of the smallest constituencies in the National Capital in terms of electorate. Yet, it is one of the most important constituencies in Delhi primarily because of the dominance of various businesses in the area and its historic significance. The constituency went to the polls on 8 February. This year, the Congress fielded former AAP leader Alka Lamba, the BJP gave a ticket to Suman Kumar Gupta, while Parlad Singh Sawhney contested as the AAP candidate. Constituency Name: Chandni Chowk Constituency Number: 20 District Name: Central Delhi Total Electors: 1,13,784 Female Electors: 51,055 Male Electors: 62,723 Third Gender: 6 Reserved: No Results in previous elections: A quintessentially Congress stronghold, Parlad Singh Sawhney was the MLA between 1998 and 2015. In 2015, he lost to AAPs Alka Lamba, who is now back with the Congress. In 2015, the Aam Aadmi Party fielded Alka Lamba, a former Congress leader who had joined the AAP then. She bagged the seat for AAP but had been disqualified as the MLA in 2019 after she rejoined the Congress last year. Additionally, four-term Congress MLA Prahlad Singh Sawhney, who was elected in the 1998, 2003, 2008 and 2013 elections, had joined the AAP in 2019. Demographics: Situation in Old Delhi, Chandni Chowk is among the few constituencies in Delhi where over 40 percent of the population is Muslim. The BJP would be hoping to take the lead in the constituency banking on a potential split in the Muslim votes between the AAP and Congress. Dariba Kalan, Fateh Puri, Jama Masjid, Kashmere Gate, Chandni Chowk, Khyber Pass, Lal Quila and Yamuna Bridge are some of the areas located in the constituency. The trader community, located across markets like Khari Baoli, Darya Ganj, Faiz Bazar, Kinari Bazar, Nai Sarak and Naya Bazar, is also a key electoral factor in this constituency. Chandi Chowk market is one of the oldest and busiest markets in the city. It is also home to residents who have lived in the area ever since their ancestors migrated to Delhi after the 1947 Partition. The markets have a host of shops with goods, including food, books, clothing, electronics, consumer goods, shoes and leather goods. A majority of buildings including 18 notified heritage structures on the stretch in the market commissioned by Mughal prince Jahanara were raised after the 1857 rebellion. Some of them - Shankar Terrace (1937-38), State Bank of India (SBI) building (1861), Rai Chunnamal ki Haveli (1850s), ES Pearey Lal Building (early 20th century; probably around 1930s), Mahavir Jain Bhawan (1910), and Town Hall (1863) - are embellished with splendid facades and are in urgent need of repair. The Red Fort monument is located at the eastern end of Chandni Chowk. The constituency has a rich history dating back to the Mughal and British eras. It also has the famous mosque Jama Masjid and Gurudwara Sisganj. Under a redevelopment plan for the area, the PWD will pave the pedestrian corridors, illuminate the area, plant a variety of trees and place sandstone street furniture on the Chandi Chowk market stretch between Red Fort and State Bank of India building. The plan also includes increased parking space and a curb on motorized traffic. For more than 13 years, three San Antonio hospital systems quietly battled a class-action claim in federal court alleging they had conspired to keep wages low for nurses. Three nurses accused Baptist Health System, Methodist Healthcare System and Christus Health System of working together to stifle registered nurses pay a violation of federal antitrust laws. All parties filed an order to dismiss the case on Jan. 17. Chief Judge Orlando L. Garcia of San Antonio federal court signed the order last week. Details of the settlement between the nurses and hospitals struck during a court-mandated mediation have not been made public, and both sides declined to say how the case was resolved. In a statement, Christus officials said they were pleased to bring this matter to a conclusion after more than a decade of litigation. This matter was resolved by mutual agreement, they said, and we are not able to discuss the specifics of the case. The nurses Marissa Maderazo, Roselia Pollard and Barbara Miles filed the lawsuit in June 2006. Their lawyer at the time, from the Washington-based firm Cohen, Milstein, Housefeld & Toll, told the San Antonio Express-News they were seeking $52 million for four years of back pay, but that they potentially could win a damage award of as much as $156 million. Baptist now is owned by Dallas-based Tenet Health; Methodist operates under a 50-50 ownership agreement between Nashville-based chain Hospital Corp. of America and nonprofit Methodist Healthcare Ministries; and Christus Health System is a nonprofit system based in Irving. According to recently unsealed court files, hospital administrators contacted one another in writing to provide salary information and disclosed their future wage decisions. The plaintiffs argued this communication amounted to a price-fixing scheme. In one exhibit, a Baptist document noted that information on nurse pay would need to be collected through discrete inquiry to avoid legal issues regarding price fixing. A Methodist chief nursing officer discusses this arrangement in a November 2005 email, stating: Other systems reportedly gave $1 across the board increases, but our rates are pretty competitive bumping by 0.50 - 0.60 still keeps us in line with the local market (Our HR folks meet with HR folks from all local systems monthly). Both sides brought in labor economists as experts, debating whether discussions among hospitals during a national nurse shortage would have prevented the wages they paid nurses from rising to a competitive level. Princeton University economics Professor Henry S. Farber estimated the employees lost earnings to be more than $150 million at the three hospital systems between 2002 and 2006. On the other hand, David S. Sibley, a University of Texas at Austin professor and former U.S. Justice Department official in the antitrust division, said sharing pay information could have led to more competition and higher wages. The nurses attorneys failed to get the judge to grant class-action certification. This case was one of several potential antitrust class-actions lawsuits that the Service Employees International Union brought against major health systems in Memphis, Tenn.; Albany, N.Y.; Chicago; and Detroit in 2006, in addition to San Antonio. The union also brought an antitrust case the following year in Arizona. The outcomes of the cases varied. The lawsuit in Detroit ended in 2015 with settlements totaling $90 million for registered nurses. In 2012, the class-action case against five Albany hospitals was settled for a total of $14.1 million. That same year, Arizona nurses won in a similar class-action suit, collecting more than $14 million. In the Chicago case, the court denied plaintiffs' motion for class-action certification, and two of the plaintiffs opted for minimal settlements. In the federal case in Memphis, a judge also denied the plaintiffs class-action status. In its statement, Christus Health officials said nurses play an invaluable role in insuring that our patients health care experiences are positive ones. We hold our nurses and the role that they play within our health system in high regard, and we strive to provide them fair, meaningful compensation and benefits, they said. We are honored to work alongside so many men and women who are focused on patient well-being, and extending the healing ministry of Jesus Christ. laura.garcia@express-news.net About 35 completed criminal cases could be headed for new trials as a result of a major ruling last week from Ontarios top court on changes to jury selection. The figure was released Thursday by the Superior Court of Justice, which handles jury trials in the province. The reason for the possible retrials is a judgment released last Thursday by the Ontario Court of Appeal, in which the top court weighed in on changes made by the federal government last year to jury selection. One of the key changes made by the government was a ban on what were known as peremptory challenges, which allowed the Crown and defence to each reject a specific number of potential jurors without having to give a reason. The top court upheld the ban on peremptory challenges as constitutional. But they also found that if an accused person had opted for a trial by jury before Sept. 19 when the changes took effect they still had the right to use peremptory challenges even if jury selection only took place after that date. The ruling has affected dozens of completed and ongoing cases heard after Sept. 19 that used the new rules during jury selection. A Superior Court spokesperson said Thursday the 35 cases being retried will depend if they each appeal to the Court of Appeal and are successful in having the top court order a new trial. One such high-profile case is that of Gavin MacMillan and Enzo DeJesus Carrasco, who were found guilty by a jury last November of sexually assaulting and drugging a 24-year-old woman over several hours at the College Street Bar in downtown Toronto. The Crown is seeking a sentence of 12 years in prison. The judge is expected to deliver his decision on Feb. 12. Meanwhile, MacMillan is appealing, seeking to have his conviction overturned based on the trial judges refusal to allow him peremptory challenges during jury selection. He filed his notice of appeal the same day the Court of Appeal released its ruling. The number of possible retrials is significant in part because they will have to be accommodated in a system already dealing with hundreds of ongoing cases, said Daniel Brown, the vice-president of the Criminal Lawyers Association. Some of them may be complex homicide cases or complex sexual assault cases, and thats a month that will need to be taken away from someone elses case in order to be accommodated within the timelines set by the Supreme Court for delay, Brown said. The Supreme Court has said that cases in Superior Court must be completed within 30 months or risk being tossed for violating an accused persons right to a trial within a reasonable time. The defendants are going to have to pay to start their cases again, Brown said. It means that the outcomes of these cases are delayed for both the victims and the defendants who are likely looking for closure on both sides. The Superior Court also said that there have so far been three mistrials declared since last Thursday in ongoing cases whose juries were not properly selected: one case was mistried after jury selection but before evidence was called and one sexual assault trial was rescheduled to April. The third case was that of Peter Johnson. The Crown was one day away from concluding its case in his second-degree murder trial his third retrial when the mistrial was declared last Thursday. The jury was dismissed after hearing two weeks of evidence about the fatal shooting of Jeffrey Lewis, 31, at a nightclub in 2006. Johnson ended up pleading guilty Monday to the lesser charge of manslaughter, and was released on time served with two years probation. I feel like weve been cheated, Lewis cousin Natasha George told the Star after the guilty plea. If this is what Jeffs life is worth? Allentown mother Amber Clark had to pull her daughter, Olivia, to safety two years ago when a car sped past the kindergartners school bus stop. The experience led her to City Hall, then the Allentown School District and state lawmakers in the push for better enforcement of drivers who fail to stop when a bus' stop-arm is extended. Her efforts led to a state law signed by Gov. Tom Wolf in October 2018, authorizing a pilot demonstration of automated school bus stop-arm enforcement. The Allentown School District hosted the study, and the company it partnered with shared its findings Thursday morning. "You're not going to be surprised, but you're going to be shocked," said Clark, whose daughter is now 7 1/2 and in second grade. Under the state law authored by state Sen. Pat Browne, R-Lehigh, and Mike Schlossberg, D-Lehigh, the school district worked with Virginia-based BusPatrol to attach cameras to the outsides of two school buses. The results were then recorded over 47 school days, from Oct. 21, 2019, to Jan. 12, 2020. The cameras recorded 205 potential violations. Thats an average of 2.18 vehicles per bus per day passing by an extended, flashing stop-arm. The study suggests the problem is bigger than traditional enforcement can handle. Statewide, Pennsylvania saw 667 convictions for breaking state School Bus Stopping Law in all of 2018, down from 747 in 2017. "So what you see is a perfect opportunity to apply technology to keep kids safer," said Jean Souliere, CEO of BusPatrol, during a news conference at the Allentown schools administration building. Artificial intelligence in BusPatrols system can identify drivers and build automated evidence packages that are reviewed by police so citations can be sent out, with a link to a video online showing the violation. They get to see their car pass a stopped school bus, and the people Ive talked to that have received these tickets and that have reviewed these videos with their families have had really meaningful discussions around the dinner table about how they can change their behavior, Souliere said. BusPatrol, based in Lorton, Virginia, offers cameras that can be attached to school buses to automatically record and identify vehicles driving pass activated stop-arms so the drivers can be cited, in an effort to curb violations.Courtesy BusPatrol | For lehighvalleylive.com School districts in other states have outfitted entire bus fleets with systems like these. Funding from the violations is designed to make the technology available to school districts regardless of socioeconomic circumstances dictated by their ZIP code. The 2018 Pennsylvania law authorizing the pilot program, SB 1098, attached a $35 surcharge to $250 school bus stop law citations to cover the demonstration. That law expires after three years, so lawmakers will need to revisit the proposal to allow police to use the automated systems for issuing citations. The goal is not to make money, but to cut down on drivers ignoring school bus law. "That is at least two chances for a massive pedestrian accident," Schlossberg said of the study's average daily data. "We know that as we live in a society where people are more distracted, where they're paying more attention to their phones instead of what's literally right in front of them, there's a real safety challenge." "We know what's at stake here," said Browne. "I don't believe that the information we're getting today shows that our citizens don't care about our public safety for our kids. I think there's a huge lack of awareness about the importance of this." Running a school bus extended stop-arm can have devastating consequences. In Indiana, a 25-year-old woman was sentenced in December to four years in prison for killing three children crossing a highway to board their bus, The Associated Press reports. She told authorities she didnt realize that she was approaching a stopped school bus, despite the activated stop arm and flashing lights. Court documents show Shepherd told police she saw the lights but didnt recognize the vehicle as a school bus until the children were right in front of her. "I really hope the legislators in the state pay attention and listen to our message," said Clark, the Allentown mother who pushed for the state pilot demonstration. "All we want is safety." My No. 1 goal has always been, just stop. Please just stop, she said Thursday. When you see a school bus you should be slowing down anyway even if their lights are not on. Just stop. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. A substance has been made in a laboratory which mimics an extremely dangerous material created during the nuclear reactor disasters of Chernobyl and Fukushima. The material is intentionally similar to the Lava-like Fuel Containing Materials (LFCMs) created by the extreme and unique conditions only found during a nuclear meltdown. Researchers from the University of Sheffield say it is so radioactive it cannot be safely studied and its properties remain a mystery to scientists. This means it cannot be removed from the sites and is therefore obstructing decommission efforts and posing an ongoing radiological risk to the environment. The artificial version is similar in its structure and properties to the enigmatic original material, which means it behaves in a similar way but is safe to use. Scientists hope this material can aid in the creation of tools and processes to help rid the sites of LFCMs and aid in decommissioning them. A substance has been made in a laboratory (pictured) which mimics an extremely dangerous material created during the nuclear reactor disasters of Chernobyl and Fukushima. The material is intentionally similar to the Lava-like Fuel Containing Materials (LFCMs) The 100-ton mass of the glass-like lava at Chernobyl spread to sub-reactor rooms, solidifying in large masses and creating, among other things, the infamous 'elephants foot' (pictured) Researchers from the University of Chernobyl created a material designed to replicate the highly-radioactive rocks created in unique conditions to form Lava-like Fuel Containing Materials (LFCMs). Pictured, a Chernobyl rock Chernobyl's catastrophic meltdown on April 26, 1986 'caused 31 direct deaths and a mass evacuation from a 30-km exclusion zone surrounding the reactor, that remains in place today', the authors write in their study, published today in the journal Nature Materials Degradation. The formation of LFCMs at Chernobyl is well-known and the problems they pose are well documented. LFCMs are a mixture of highly radioactive molten nuclear fuel and building materials that fuse together. For example, during the meltdown of Chernobyl's reactor core, temperatures exceeded 1600C and the uranium fuel melted with the zirconium cladding. REAL VERSUS SIMULANT CHERNOBYL LAVA PROPERTY UO2% DENSITY MELT TEMP (C) REAL 7.8 1.8 3.5 g/cm3 ~1,450 SIMULANT 8 3.054 g/cm3 1280 Advertisement This formed a radioactive molten mush that remained at an extremely high temperature. Propelled by its own weight, it then mixed with steel, concrete, serpentine and sand. The 100-ton mass of the glass-like lava then spread to sub-reactor rooms, solidifying in large masses and creating, among other things, the infamous 'elephants foot'. The researchers say there are relatively few samples of meltdown materials available for study and creating an artificial version is the best option. Dr Claire Corkhill from the University of Sheffield's Department of Materials Science and Engineering said: 'Understanding the mechanical, thermal and chemical properties of the materials created in a nuclear meltdown is critical to help retrieve them, for example, if we don't know how hard they are, how can we create the radiation-resistant robots required to cut them out?' The team of researchers developed the material in the lab to try and imitate the 'truly unique nuclear materials' at the centre of Chernobyl and Fukushima. They have a similar internal structure, composition and behaviour to the real thing The team of researchers developed the material in the lab to try and imitate the 'truly unique nuclear materials' at the centre of Chernobyl and Fukushima. They have a similar internal structure (as confirmed by scanning electron images), composition and behaviour to the real thing. Researchers suspect LFCMs have also formed at the site of Fukushima's doomed nuclear power plant, which was destroyed by an earthquake in 2011. It killed more than 21,000 people and the reactor is now still submerged in water used to cool the melted core. Dr Corkhill is collaborating with researchers at the University of Tokyo and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency to see what happens to the highly radioactive dust that billows out from the surface of LFCM when water is removed. Dr Corkhill added: ''Thanks to this research, we now have a much lower radioactivity simulant meltdown material to investigate, which is safe for our collaborators in Ukraine and Japan to research without the need for radiation shielding. 'Ultimately this will help advance the decommissioning operations at Chernobyl and also at Fukushima too.' Ahead of the commencement of the Budget session on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the government is ready to have a discussion on all issues, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said after an all-party meeting on Thursday. All opposition parties spoke against the Citizenship Act and the National Register of Citizens except the AIADMK. In the all-party meeting, the prime minister said that the government is ready to listen to the oppositions views and is open to discussion on all issues, Joshi said quoting the PM. He said that Modi was for discussion on economic issues and how India can take advantage keeping the global economic situation in mind. Watch: All party meeting | PM Modi asked for structural debate: Pralhad Joshi Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, at the briefing after the meeting, said the opposition has demanded that former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah be released immediately so that he can attend the Parliament session. Azad also said the governments stand on the anti-CAA protests shows its arrogance and alleged that it has made no effort to reach out to protesters. The opposition should introspect as the amended citizenship act has been passed democratically in Parliament, Joshi said on oppositions criticism of the government not listening to it on the issue. The Shiv Sena did not attend the meeting. Motorola's Galaxy Note competitor has been confirmed by new pictures of the device that were leaked online. The images, obtained by 91Mobiles, show an in-the-flesh picture of the device's front and backside and reveal a camera array similar to previous Motorola devices. According to 91Mobiles, the phone's rear-facing camera array will have a 48-megapixel sensor and a 117-degree wide angle lens. Leaks suggest the the phone, which 91Mobiles calls the Moto G Stylus, will have a screen size of about 6.4 inches, 4 GB of RAM and a 6-series Snapdragon processor. Pictures leaked by 91Mobiles reveal the first-ever real look at Motorola's upcoming stylus phone - the first stylus device from the company in about a decade Pictures follow leaks from Evan Blass, a frequent purveyor of intel on upcoming mobile phones, that showed a render of Motorola's stylus phone which could be released sometime this year. In an image released by Blass, the phone - a sleek looking, nearly full-screen device with a hole-punch style selfie camera fixed to the upper-left corner - a stylus can be seen leaning across the display. A new image leaked by Blass (pictured) shows a Motorola device that comes with a stylus - potentially the first stylus phone from the company in a decade As noted by Engadget, who was the first to report on the apparent leaked images, the stylus is significant not just because it would be the first stylus phone in 10 years, but because it makes marks another attempt to encroach on space already dominated by Samsung. Samsung's Galaxy Note 10 was unveiled late last year and has a signature stylus called the S-Pen that can be used for several different actions aside from just writing our drawing on the phone. For example, a button on the S-Pen can tell the phone to begin taking a video or a picture remotely. Already Motorola is in the midst of challenging Samsung in the foldable phone market with a revamped $1,500 Razr that mixes throwback form factor with modern technology, including a 6.2 inch bendable screen that bends in half to shut in the same way as older 'clamshell' phones. Motorola's new razr will look to bite off a section of the folding phone market which is currently dominated by Samsung and Chinese phone-maker, Huawei Samsung was notably among the first companies to introduce a mobile device with a bendable screen in its Galaxy Fold. Of course, throwing in a stylus with its apparent Note competitor likely won't be enough to challenge Samsung. Motorola will most likely make its stylus a multi-functional device like the S-Pen, whether through similarly designed motion-controls or other technology. So far, price and a specific release date are still a mystery, but according to The Verge, the device could make a debut in April or potentially even sooner during a Mobile World Congress even next month in Barcelona. YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. The National Assembly of Armenia has convened an extraordinary sitting, ARMENPRESS was informed from the official website of the parliament of Armenia. By the decision of President of the National Assembly Ararat Mirzoyan and the initiative of the MPs the extraordinary sitting will take place on February 6 at 11:00. The sitting will address mainly constitutional issues. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 22:11:37|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close FRANKFURT, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Deutsche Bank AG on Thursday reported a massive net loss of 1.48 billion euros (1.63 billion U.S. dollars) in the last quarter of 2019, bringing the total loss for the year to 5.27 billion euros. The German lender said its full-year net loss was entirely driven by transformation-related effects. In July 2019, the bank announced that it will withdraw from the global equities business as part of a restructuring plan to improve its profitability. This sweeping restructuring is expected to cost 7.4 billion euros until the end of 2022. By the end of 2019, Deutsche Bank had recognized 70 percent of the anticipated cumulative costs to achieve its transformation strategy between 2019 and 2022, it said Thursday. "Our new strategy is gaining traction," CEO Christian Sewing said in a statement, "[we]'re very confident we can finance our transformation with our own resources and return to growth." Its annual revenue for 2019 totaled 23.17 billion euros, down 8 percent from the previous year. The bank reported a pre-tax profit of 543 million euros for its ongoing core businesses. For the last three months, the bank reported a third consecutive quarterly loss, which totaled 1.48 billion euros. Total net revenues for the quarter amounted to 5.35 billion euros. It also said that the group headcount was reduced by over 4,100 in 2019 to 87,597 full-time equivalents, in line with the bank's previously announced target of below 90,000. Proposed religious discrimination laws could make it legal for a boss to tell a gay worker "being gay is a form of brokenness", or a childcare provider to tell a single mother "God will judge you harshly for taking away the child's right to have a father". As public submissions close on the second draft of the Morrison government's religious discrimination bill, Monash University associate professor of constitutional law Luke Beck warned the revised bill included provisions that "appear to be motivated by a desire to allow people to be nasty to others". Legal experts warn the Morrison governments proposed religious discrimination laws will give church goers the "right to be a bigot". Credit:The Age In a separate submission, the 13-member Australian Discrimination Law Experts Group (ADLEG), said the bill was "deeply flawed", prioritising religious beliefs over the rights of LGBTIQ Australians, people with a disability and women. The ADLEG, which includes Sydney University professor Simon Rice and Melbourne University professor Beth Gaze, said the bill's wide definition of "statements of belief" meant current unlawful acts of discrimination would "likely become lawful if based on religious belief". (Bloomberg Opinion) -- London and Brussels are two hours apart by train but on Friday, the day the U.K. officially leaves the European Union, the two cities will feel worlds apart.The Brits are planning a Brexit celebration worthy of a downtrodden colony freed from the shackles of imperialist rule. A new coin has been minted for the occasion, trumpeting peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations. There will be a light show to mark the U.K. regaining its independence. Never mind that the country didnt adopt the euro, wasnt part of the border-free Schengen Area, and, according to its own citizenship test, was last invaded in 1066. The slogan of take back control has stuck.The officials and diplomats steering the 27-member EU see things a little differently. There will be no coin, or light show, but plenty of funereal sobriety. This is the first-ever departure of a big member state, and its a palpable loss: Britain will take with it 14% of the EUs gross domestic product, 40% of its military power and 13% of its population. Brexit is a tragic geopolitical disaster, according to Dutch Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra. Its a lose-lose, according to Michel Barnier, the EUs chief negotiator of the divorce papers.Both the cheers and the tears seem extreme at first glance, considering how little will change on the ground on Friday. The transition agreement struck as part of Brexit means that, for the next 11 months, the U.K. will be treated as if it were still part of the EU (though Britains official presence in Brussels will recede). Free movement of goods, capital and labor will continue as before. Talks on a new free trade agreement will likely be tough, but the reality of geography and the intertwined nature of the U.K. and EU economies means there will be an incentive to keep a close relationship.And while the Brexiteers champion Global Britain as a free-market counterweight to a protectionist EU, we have yet to see a real divide on trade and geopolitics. On cybersecurity risks from China, both the U.K. and the EU have resisted pressure from Donald Trump to ban Huawei Technologies Co. from their fifth-generation mobile networks, while also refusing to give Beijings market power a free pass. When it comes to taxing technology companies like Facebook Inc. or Amazon.com Inc., the U.K. has found itself on the same side of the argument as France and Italy, proposing a national levy on digital services that has enraged Trump. And on Iran, the U.K. has broadly stood by France and Germany on the nuclear deal.This entente wont last long, however. Both the U.K. and the EU are trying to carve out a place for themselves on a world stage thats dominated by the U.S. and China. The Brits aspire to retreat from the world's biggest single market in favor of a soft-power, light-touch island economy experts have imagined Singapore-on-Thames, the Canada of Europe, or Belgium with nukes. Story continues The EU is going in the opposite direction, one that brings to mind its history during the Cold War. When the U.K. joined the EUs precursor organization in 1973, along with Ireland and Denmark, continental powers like France saw it as a trade-off: Europe would mechanically become more Atlantic and more economically liberal, but it would also grow in stature and find its own voice as a world power between the U.S. and the USSR. Today, as the U.K. leaves, the trade-off has been reversed. The EU is mulling a less Atlantic, less liberal, but more integrated bloc that would respond to citizens concerns and counterbalance the likes of Trump and China. Brexit is therefore likely to be seen as an opportunity for closer EU integration, seen as key to achieving both geopolitical and technological sovereignty. A more concentrated bloc is precisely what the Brits fought hard to prevent. Closer euro-zone integration, for example, was one catalyst behind the U.K.s departure. While the Germans will mourn the departure of a pro-market, economically liberal voice, the naturally dirigiste French can barely contain their glee. The British have been a permanent pain in the backside since 1973, former French minister Alain Lamassoure told Le Monde. Brexit lifts a handbrake on Europe. The next 11 months will be a crucial fight between these competing aspirations. The EU will seek to bind Britain close to its regulatory orbit to avoid it becoming a bridgehead for U.S. influence; the U.K., meanwhile, will be tempted to strike closer ties with the Americans to offset the loss of frictionless trade with its large neighbor. So far, there is more convergence than divergence between the two sides. But Washington and Beijing arent sitting still. The mood could get ugly soon. To contact the author of this story: Lionel Laurent at llaurent2@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Melissa Pozsgay at mpozsgay@bloomberg.net This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners. Lionel Laurent is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Brussels. He previously worked at Reuters and Forbes. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has said it is ready to induct Prashant Kishor, who was expelled from the Janata Dal (United) by party boss Nitish Kumar. Prashant Kishor can come to us. He is welcome in RJD. Nitish Kumars JD(U) has always tortured and abused people since the beginning. They have in fact used Prashant Kishor, RJD leader and party chief Lalu Prasads son Tej Pratap Yadav said on Thursday. Kishor was expelled from JD(U) after weeks of tension between him and Nitish Kumar over the citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA. Kumar also showed the door to Pavan Varma. The sackings seemed imminent after Kumars recent declaration that the two were free to leave. The two leaders, derisively referred to as intellectuals by Nitish Kumar recently, had been outspoken in their criticism of the NDA governments amendment to the citizenship act. The new law lets the Centre fast-track citizenship of religious minorities from three Muslim-majority neighbours - Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh - and has led to massive protests in parts of the country. Thank you @NitishKumar. My best wishes to you to retain the chair of Chief Minister of Bihar. God bless you, tweeted Kishor who had joined JD(U) in September 2018. Prashant Kishor, who was the partys vice president, was seen to signal his discomfort in the party after he recently amended his Twitter bio to drop a reference to the party and his designation. He made his name as an election strategist in the 2014 parliamentary polls, and was seen as a confidant of Nitish Kumar, who often shielded him from attacks by his own party leaders. He had teamed up with Nitish Kumar ahead of the 2015 state elections when the JD(U) formed a grand alliance with RJD and the Congress. The alliance defeated the BJP and Nitish Kumar returned as the chief minister. Nitish Kumars somersault of 2017 when he exited the grand alliance and teamed up with the BJP had upset Prashant Kishor. But he stayed put and formally joined the JD(U) the next year. Kishors debut in active politics, however, did not go according to plan and soon enough, he found himself with little to do. Russias prison service said Thursday that a US-Israeli woman jailed for drug trafficking has been freed from prison after President Vladimir Putin pardoned her. Putin pardoned Naama Issachar on Wednesday evening ahead of a Thursday visit to Moscow by Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Due to the presidential decree on pardoning, Naama Issachar has been freed from prison, the prison service said in a statement. Issachar, 26, was arrested at Moscows Sheremetyevo airport in April 2019 while she was in the transit zone en route from India to Israel.- Russian authorities said they found nine grammes (three ounces) of cannabis in her checked luggage and she was sentenced in October to seven and a half years in prison. Guided by the principles of humanity, I pardon Naama Issachar, Putin said in a decree cited by the Kremlin. The young womans fate had sparked a wave of sympathy in Israel where Netanyahu had pledged to do everything for her release. Her mother Yaffa Issachar told Israeli media in Russia that her daughter was out, in a car. Finally, thank God, thanks to everyone, she was quoted as saying. The Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot reported that the freed woman would return to Israel on Thursday in Netanyahus plane. In December, Issachar lost an appeal against her sentence, which Netanyahu has described as disproportionate. Mercy and compassion During the appeal hearing, Issachar had proclaimed her innocence, denouncing the charges against her as absurd. She was imprisoned in a penal colony in the Moscow region. After initially refusing to appeal to Putin, on Sunday she signed a request to him for a pardon. When travelling to Israel last week for commemorations for the liberation of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz 75 years ago, Putin appeared before the cameras with Issachars mother and Netanyahu. The Israeli foreign ministry had called the verdict harsh and disproportionate and President Reuven Rivlin had appealed to Putins mercy and compassion when asking him to intervene in the case. Netanyahu on Thursday was to discuss US President Donald Trumps Middle East peace plan with Putin. Netanyahu, who has highlighted his personal bond with Trump, stood alongside him at the White House when the peace plan was announced Tuesday and called it a victory for Israel. It remains to be seen how much Issachars release and Netanyahus visit to Washington boost his re-election chances. Analysts said the details of Trumps plan could offer political benefits to Netanyahu, delighting rightwing voters with calls for the annexation of West Bank settlements and possibly appeasing some on the left with nominal support for a Palestinian state. Russia said it would study Trumps plan and called on Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate directly to find a mutually acceptable compromise. SOURCE: AFP | PHOTO: AFP A former child actor who was in '90s children's movie classics The Mighty Ducks and Heavyweights was arrested in northern California in connection with a home break-in, police said Tuesday. Shaun Weiss, 41, of Van Nuys, was taken into custody on Sunday at a Marysville home, police said. Officers arrived at the residence around 7 a.m. Sunday after the homeowner spotted an intruder in his garage. Officers spotted Weiss inside a vehicle parked in the garage. He shattered a passenger-side window to get into the vehicle, police said. Officers asked him to get out of the vehicle and arrested him. Weiss displayed symptoms of being under the influence of methamphetamine and said he did not reside at this residence. Weiss also said the vehicle he was filtering through was not his, police said in a news release. Weiss was booked into Yuba County Jail on charges of burglary and being under the influence of meth. His bail is set at $52,500. Weiss played goalie Greg Goldberg in the 1992 Disney movie "The Mighty Ducks" and in the two sequels. He also played Josh Burnbalm in the 1995 movie "Heavyweights" with Ben Stiller. Weiss last acting role was in 2008. Myanmar's State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi (L) and members of the Myanmar delegation attend the start of a three-day hearing on the Rohingya genocide case before the International Court of Justice in The Hague, the Netherlands, Dec. 10, 2019. Myanmar will not destroy evidence related to allegations of genocide against Rohingya Muslims, a government minister from violence-ridden Rakhine state said Wednesday, nearly a week after the U.N.s top court ordered the country to preserve evidence and take measures to protect the minority group from genocidal acts. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an order on Jan. 23 for Myanmar to take the provisional measures in response to a request by the West African nation Gambia, which filed a lawsuit against the Southeast Asian nation in November for alleged atrocities against the Rohingya during a military-led crackdown in Rakhine in 2017. Thousands of Rohingya died during the campaign of violence, which included indiscriminate killings, mass rape, and village torchings, while more than 740,000 others fled across the border to Bangladesh. Though a verdict in the ICJ case could be years in coming, the preservation of evidence is crucial for other legal action being taken against specific individuals accused of ordering the violence in cases at the International Criminal Court and in an Argentine court. Colonel Min Than, Rakhine states minister for security and border affairs, told RFAs Myanmar Service that the central government has no reason to destroy evidence and has not issued any separate orders to take action with regard to the ICJs ruling. Our government will never eliminate the evidence, he said. Nobody would do that, so the order to preserve the evidence is totally unnecessary. We have never tried to destroy it. A statement issued by Myanmar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the day the legally binding ruling was issued said the ICJ must still reach a factually correct finding on the charges that genocide occurred in northern Rakhine state, but did not state whether the government would comply with the ruling. On Wednesday, Myo Nyunt, spokesman for the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD), said his party could only comment on the issue after the administration had made additional announcements. Currently, the statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs seemed to accept the ICJs provisional measures order, he said. We will wait and see how it will implement these orders. Government will not act But Aung Htoo, a Myanmar human rights attorney who lives in exile in Sweden, contends that the government has limited respect for the ICJs order. I think the Myanmar government will not act on anything, he told RFA, adding that Kyaw Tint Swe, minister for State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyis office, previously said during an interview on state-owned television that the genocide had not occurred. The NLD government must have prepared for the ICJs ruling, he added. It issued a well-drafted statement on Jan. 23 in response to the ICJs ruling. The very title of the statement said there was no genocide in Rakhine. Aung Htoo also said Myanmar should revise the 1982 Citizenship Law and other laws that discriminate against the Rohingya, who are considered illegal immigrants from Bangladesh though many have live in Myanmar for generations. The law excludes the Rohingya as one of the countrys 135 legally recognized ethnic groups, thereby denying most of them Myanmar citizenship. Aung Htoo suggested that the government enact four laws to comply with the ICJs ruling one that prevents discrimination, another that prevents genocide, a third that would allow civilians to file lawsuits against crimes committed during armed conflicts, and an amendment to the Citizenship Law to recognize the Rohingya as citizens. In the days following the ICJs decision, Myanmar government officials have said that the courts order repeats what they have already been doing to hold to account those found guilty of committing atrocities by military courts, and that they will not take any additional measures. The government has largely denied the accusations and defended the actions of the military, saying soldiers were carrying out a clearance operation in northern Rakhine following deadly attacks by a Rohingya militant group. Demands are reasonable Myanmar attorney Thein Than Oo said the ICJs demands are reasonable. Myanmar has denied committing genocide, he said. If it is not genocide, it should comply with the preventative measure anyway. Regardless of whether what happened in Rakhine state amounted to genocide or not, the courts demands are reasonable. Rohingya activist Thar Aye said that the government must go further than just complying with the ICJs order. In order to prevent genocide, the government needs to recognize that a particular ethnic group exists, he said, referring to the Rohingya. It should allow the Rohingya to identify themselves as Rohingya, he said. The government should also take care of their security. If it takes such measures, it will improve everything. The online journal The Irrawaddy reported that the ICJ on Tuesday said that Gambia must submit its initial pleading in the genocide case by July 23, while Myanmar has until Jan. 25, 2021, to reply. Reported by Waiyan Moe Myint and Khin Khin Ei. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Sheryll Roberson was told to call 311 to ask someone anyone for direction because an explosion had made her house unsafe to live in. So she was furious when the operator on the other end put her on hold and suggested that she try FEMA. I called 3-1-1 on Monday and they were clueless as far as resources, she said at a town hall meeting for victims of Fridays explosion at Watson Grinding and Manufacturing Co. Someone needs to get the 3-1-1 operated. Roberson, 63, had her door blown open and her walls cracked in the blast that killed two people and damaged 450 structures. She sat in the second row at Wednesday nights town hall meeting, one of the lucky people who got seats: Dozens pressed into the chapel-turned-Red Cross center, which was standing room only, wanting answers after days of struggling to figure out where to spend each night and how to pay for long-term recovery. TOO SOON: Watson CEO walks back promise to repair homes damaged in explosion More Information Town Hall details Wednesday, January 29, 2020 at 6:30 PM Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Recovery Center) 4703 East Shadowdale Drive Houston, Texas 77041 See More Collapse Nonprofit representatives and city officials introduced themselves at the meeting, emceed by Houston City Councilwoman Amy Peck, before finally arriving at the long-anticipated Q&A session. One man in the front row couldnt get through to 9-1-1 after the explosion the line told him it wasnt a working number. It really freaked me out, he said. I thought wed been hit. Peck, standing at the podium, promised shed check in with the police. In response to Robersons question about 3-1-1, she said there was a whole new code in the system for people who had been affected by the explosion. A man in a blue puffer raised his hand then stood up to be quite sure hed be called upon to ask about the rumor that houses within a certain radius of the blast site would be demolished (It was just, Peck assured him, a rumor). Even after Peck suggested the Q&A session stop so residents could talk to nonprofit representatives, they kept coming. Why is my neighborhood not being looked at? demanded a woman in the front row. (It was, Peck said, and she was invited to call Pecks office anytime). What about water? someone shouted. What about soil? When Stephen Williams of the Houston Health Department said it hadnt been tested that the water didnt come from the soil in the area some residents muttered. Others shushed them, loudly. As Peck finally cut off the Q&A session, residents rushed up to talk to her and lined up at the nonprofits tables around the chapel. Its all talking, one woman muttered, pushing through the crowds. Nothings being done. LIST GETS LONGER: Gessner explosion latest in string of major chemical incidents for Houston area The town hall offered no new information on the investigation into the plant behind the explosion or on any plan the city might have to assist the displaced in housing. Residents did learn from the city about permit technicalities and from nonprofits such as the YMCA, the Red Cross and Memorial Assistance Ministries about services being offered: financial aid, household supplies, legal aid and counseling. Before the meeting, residents swapped stories of what theyd been through (Were totally displaced, its a mess) and showed each other photos of fallen bricks and what used to be windows. Some sat in silence. One woman, sitting alone in a blue felt hat on the end of a row of chairs, said what had happened to her was too painful to repeat. Latrecia Austin, 37, has homeowners insurance but came to the meeting to learn about what else was being offered. Ever since the explosion, her children have refused to sleep without her and wake up in the middle of the night. They jump at small noises. Austin is watching her children closely to see if she wants to put them in counseling. When the explosion hit, they had thought it was a home invader. Austin grabbed them and hid in a restroom while her husband raced downstairs for what they thought could be a deadly confrontation. They are still in their boarded-up home. Theyre worried itll blow up again, Austin said of her children. Its been traumatizing, actually. sarah.smith@chron.com Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images The Trump administration has proven that there are many second acts in American lives, even if political actors sometimes try to switch things up a little too quickly. Such is the case of Lev Parnas, who wanted to attend Trumps Senate impeachment trial on Wednesday in his new role as media whirlwind, resistance darling, and walking evidence of presidential corruption. However, the Ukrainian-American was still dealing with the repercussions of his past life as a Republican fixer, and was not allowed into the Senate gallery because of a court-mandated surveillance device on his person. Like smartphones and laptops, ankle monitors violate the legislative bodys no-electronic-devices rule. Parnas is currently under house arrest in Florida, due to alleged campaign finance violations related to his work for Trump in Ukraine. A federal judge in New York ruled that he could travel to D.C., but refused to approve his lawyers request that the monitoring device be removed so that he could attend the trial, courtesy of gallery tickets provided by Chuck Schumer. Lev Parnas has crashed the impeachment party. pic.twitter.com/NeS9GpQhQF Ebony Bowden (@ebonybowden) January 29, 2020 Parnas like John Bolton and other witnesses privy to Trumps campaign to solicit foreign interference in an election was not allowed to testify before the Senate, though it didnt stop him from bloviating on his trip to the capital. According to Washington Post reporters Maura Judkis and Avi Selk who followed Parnas throughout the day, he stopped in front of a macaron shop to tell a small scrum that, The president knew everything that was going on in Ukraine. There was many quid pro quos. Later, when he was asked if he could flash his ankle monitor, he replied, Thats a separate issue. More than 170 passengers on a flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast are on high alert after two people on the plane were diagnosed with coronavirus, as the third Victorian diagnosis emerged. Tigerair is contacting all 171 other passengers who were on flight TT566 from Melbourne on Monday, January 27. "Based on medical advice we have received, the risk of contracting coronavirus is low for passengers who travelled on this aircraft in subsequent days," a Tigerair spokeswoman said. "However, we have taken the precautionary measure of cleaning this aircraft today." Authorities are scrambling to contact passengers who were on a flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast after a passenger on the plane was diagnosed with the deadly coronavirus. Credit:James Morgan A 44-year-old passenger on the plane, who is a Chinese national and has tested positive to the disease, is being treated at Gold Coast University Hospital. He was travelling with eight people, including children, when he began to feel unwell on the flight. Actor Sunny Leone and her husband Daniel Weber were spotted at the Mumbai airport on Wednesday. A new video has now emerged online where Sunny can be seen refusing a selfie with a fan. She eventually did pose but with a mask on. In the video, Sunny and Daniel step out of the car and walk towards the entrance. At least two selfie-seeking fans approach them. Sunny can be seen making a hand gesture, as if to say no. As they walk on, a little later, a persuasive fan insists. Sunny, who has a black face mask, puts it now and poses for a selfie. In an Instagram post later, Sunny wrote: Safe is the new COOL with @dirrty99 !! Dont be ignorant about what is happening around you or think the Coronavirus cant affect you! Be smart and be safe! #india #coronavirus. In the picture, the couple sits at the airports waiting lounge with their respective masks on. Also read: Priyanka Chopra pens introspective post about love and hate after Grammys navel-baring dress uproar Sunny, who was last seen in a song in Arjun Patiala, has been filming for Tamil film Veeramadevi. She also appeared as herself in last years release Motichoor Chaknachoor. Sunny has often spoken about her unconventional choices. Speaking to IANS, she said that she is pretty sure that most of the things that she does are against the social norms, so she goes by what she feels is ideal for her and family. She said, I am pretty sure that most of the things I do are against social norms whether its on purpose or not. So I just go by what I feel is ideal for me and my family and what I believe in. The actor is serving as host of a podcast show, Confessions With Sunny Leone. Speaking about it, she said, I believe that a lot of the stories are the stories that are very common among different people, but we dont always talk about it, so if they hear these stories from me and some of the callers, maybe then they will be open to talking about it. Follow @htshowbiz for more WE NEED A TEMPORARY CHINA-WIDE TRAVEL BAN NOW *Statement of Senator Risa Hontiveros on the first confirmed case of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus in the Philippines I urge the government to immediately impose a travel ban on all individuals traveling from China, and all travelers who have passed through China in the past two weeks. My proposal is a TEMPORARY travel ban of at least 30 days in light of the first confirmed case of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus in the country. Our travel ban must firmly include both air and sea travel to prevent a local outbreak. This includes a temporary ban on all cruise ships from docking at any of our ports. I also urge the Bureau of Quarantine to implement mandatory quarantine to all those who have just arrived from China, to remain vigilant and to study the safety measures of our neighboring countries with confirmed cases of nCoV. This temporary travel ban will give time for our health authorities to set in place all safeguards necessary in case there are more confirmation of the 2019-nCoV presence in the country from those under present surveillance. I also call on our public health units, especially our barangay health centers, to engage in active community surveillance. Finally, I am asking our government to extend full assistance to our Overseas Filipino Workers in China, or in any countries with confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, who seek repatriation in relation to possible exposure. Kailangang siguraduhing ligtas ang mga Pilipino mula sa banta ng 2019 Novel Coronavirus. LONDON Dont be fooled by the billing. Toby Jones and Richard Armitage may have pride of place on the poster for Ian Ricksons West End revival of Uncle Vanya. But its no surprise to see all the actors bowing as one at the end, with no one stepping forward for applause. Those wanting to see solo bows can look elsewhere, to any of the many celebrity-heavy productions that often find their way from London to Broadway. But Chekhov, possibly more than any dramatist, benefits from ensemble playing that gives every participant his or her due. Ricksons Vanya, at the Harold Pinter Theater through May 2, grants equal time to the variously wounded and disappointed inhabitants of a fractious Russian household. In a feisty new adaptation by Conor McPherson, this is an unusually spiky, unsentimental reading of a frequently performed play but one that could benefit from deepening the emotional stakes. The production is never quite as moving as you want it to be, though it is always ravishing to look at. Some characters come into bolder relief than usual. Ciaran Hinds is in fine, fighting form as Vanyas gruffly spoken brother-in-law, an aging professor whose younger second wife awakens a longing in both Joness angsty Vanya and Armitages self-lacerating Astrov, a doctor who has stared death in the face once too often. A Russian tanker under the the Kerch bridge blocks the passage to the Kerch Strait near Kerch, Crimea, on Nov. 25, 2018. (AP Photo) US Issues Fresh Sanctions Over Ukraines Crimea: Treasury WASHINGTONThe United States on Wednesday, Jan. 29, issued a fresh round of sanctions related to Russias annexation of Crimea, targeting eight individuals and a Moscow-based railway company, the U.S. Treasury Department said. The United States has imposed a series of sanctions in response to Russias annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Moscow has since built up military infrastructure on the peninsula. The latest move comes a day before a visit to Ukraine by U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo. The officials blacklisted on Wednesday include Yuri Gotsanyuk, so-called prime minister of Crimeas pro-Russian regional government after the 2019 election, and six others, a Treasury statement said. Five of the sanctioned individuals are named high-level officials of Sevastopol, including a so-called member of the parliament of the Russian Federation representing Sevastopol, says the Treasury statement. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Ukraine signed a treaty with Russia in 1997 that allowed Russia to keep its Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol for 20 years. A term later extended until 2042. Also blacklisted is Moscow-based railway company Grand Service Express, which operates in the Crimea region, and its Chief Executive Officer Alexander Ganov. Grand Service Express is a privately owned Russian railway company that started offering passenger services connecting Crimea with Russia over the Kerch Strait Bridge in December 2019. The Kerch Strait, which separates mainland Russia from Crimea, is the only outlet from the Azov Sea to the Black Sea. The U.S. sanctions block assets of these persons and the railway company and prohibit U.S. individuals and businesses from conducting transactions with those targeted. Also, foreign persons who engage in transactions with them may face sanctions. Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin answers questions from the press after an interview on CNBC on the North Lawn of the White House in Washington, on Sept. 12, 2019. (Sarah Silbiger/Reuters) Treasurys action, taken in close coordination with our international allies and partners, reiterates our unwavering support for restoring free and fair democratic political processes in Crimea, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in the statement. These actions demonstrate the strength of the transatlantic alliance in standing up to Russias continued aggression, Mnuchin said. In 2014, Russian forces invaded the Crimea peninsula, and after that held a controversial local referendum in which Crimeans voted to join the Russian Federation, according to the Council of Foreign Relations. The referendum was called illegal by the United Nations General Assembly. However, Russia annexed the Crimea peninsula despite criticism. Treasury said the individuals sanctioned were also blacklisted by Canada on Wednesday, as part of coordinated action in a strong demonstration of the international communitys continued condemnation of Russias interference in Crimean politics, Treasury Department said in a statement. The sanctions follow action taken on Tuesday by the European Union, which blacklisted seven of the same people, including Gotsanyuk. The Council of the European Union imposed sanctions on those seven people for their involvement in organizing so-called local elections on Sept. 8, 2019, in the illegally annexed Crimea and Sevastopol, according to the statement adopted by the Council of the EU. Their actions threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine, the statement says. The total number of people sanctioned for undermining the sovereignty of Ukraine by the EU since 2014 rose to 177 after adding these individuals. The EU also has in place other economic sanctions targeting Russia for creating Ukraine crisis and restrictive measures targeting the illegally annexed territory of Crimea that will expire in June or July 2020. Reuters contributed to this report. The number of complaints after the seeds were launched was significantly higher than in previous years. Nationwide, in the five years preceding 2015, farmers never filed more than 40 claims about dicamba drifting, said Billy Randles, lead attorney for Bader Farms. However, that changed in 2015, when Monsanto released its new cotton seeds that could withstand being sprayed by dicamba. Though dicamba was not approved for use on the crops, Monsanto felt it was worthwhile to release the new seeds because they were resistant to glyphosate and glufosinate, another herbicide that is sold by BASF under the brand name Liberty, Carey said. Despite it not being legal to spray dicamba, some cotton farmers reportedly sprayed older versions of the herbicide, which drifted and harmed other farmers crops in 2015. Monsanto and BASF were aware of the issue, Carey testified. However, Monsanto chose not to track drift complaints in 2015 or 2016. Novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a large family of viruses that causes illnesses ranging from common cold to acute respiratory syndromes. The virus that has so far killed 170 people and affected at least over 7,000 others in China is a novel strain not seen before. IMAGE: People ware masks to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus in Bangkok, Thailand. Photograph: Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters The virus emerged from a seafood and animal market in Wuhan city and is suspected to have spread as far as the United States. In India, many people are under observation in hospitals for suspected coronavirus infection in several states including Maharashtra, Goa, Odisha and New Delhi. People returning to the country after visiting China are being regularly screened for the deadly virus at airports across the country. According to the World Health Organisation, the common symptoms of the novel coronavirus strain include respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. WHO's standard recommendations for the general public to reduce exposure to and transmission of a range of illnesses are as follows: >> WASH YOUR HANDS >> PROTECT OTHERS >> PROTECT YOURSELF >> SEEK MEDICAL AID >> PRACTICE FOOD SAFETY MBABANE The Form V Class of 2019 candidates have beaten all odds in the external examinations. Despite the numerous class disturbances last year during the teachers strike over the cost-of-living adjustment (CoLA), the 2019 Form V candidates have also produced the best results since 2010. This was also the case with both the Grade VII and Form III results which were released earlier this year and were also deemed as the best in 10 years. Yesterday, the Minister of Education and Training, Lady Mabuza revealed that the 2019 results overall pass rate was 92.77 per cent, which showed an increase of 0.96 per cent when compared with the 2018 overall pass rate, which stood at 91.81 per cent. Records The Form V examinations are known as the Eswatini General Certificate in Secondary Education (EGCSE) and the Prevocational (PREVOC) Examinations. The minister, through records from the Examinations Council of Eswatini (ECESWA), stated that there were 17 subjects examined and that the candidature had increased by 0.51 per cent. The minister further revealed that the number of candidates who passed and scored A* to G in four or more subjects including English, was at 91.66 per cent. Speaking at the press conference which was held at the ministry yesterday, Mabuza said the aforementioned figure showed an increase of 2.66 per cent when compared to the 2018 pass rate, which stood at 89 per cent. On the performance of candidates the minister stated that in 2019 the pass rate was 91.66 per cent, which was also the highest since 2010. It was reported that the candidature for the 2019 examinations was 20 002 which showed a decrease of 1.46 per cent when compared with the previous year where 20 229 candidates had registered for the examinations. There were 10 781 females who registered for the examination while there were lesser males, at 9 221. The percentage ration according to the analysis was 53.06 per cent females and males at 46.10 per cent. The report shows that there were 15 283 fulltime candidates who sat for the examination, which was an increase of 78 pupils compared to the 15 205 candidature in 2018. The minister revealed that there were six candidates who shared position one who were chosen based on their performance in the best six subjects and these were from Salesian High, Lusoti High, Mhlume High, KaBoyce High and Entandweni High Schools. Delivering a speech after officially presenting the results, the minister thanked all candidates who were successful in both the EGCSE and PREVOC examination and said she wished them the best as they pursued their tertiary education after successfully completing their high school education. Mabuza congratulated the schools that produced good results, saying she was looking forward to an even better performance in the 2020 examinations. To the schools and candidates that did not do well in 2019, I encourage you to reflect on what went wrong and then put more effort in order to improve this year. Parents play an important role in the education of their children. I would like to appreciate the support they gave to the children when preparing for the examination, she said. Appreciated Furthermore, the minister appreciated the work done by head teachers and teachers, saying they ensured that children were registered for the examinations and were well taught and prepared for it. She also thanked all who were involved in ensuring that the results were released on time, which she said allowed the candidates to make necessary arrangements for their tertiary education. I would like to encourage teachers to organise themselves as schools open for the year and to use teaching time effectively. Head teachers are encouraged to ensure that teaching and learning takes place in schools. Likewise, pupils are also encouraged to study as early as possible to ensure that they achieve good results, the minister emphasised. Also, the minister appreciated the effort made by ECESWA top ensure that the prevocational qualification was accredited. I was made aware that Cambridge Assessment will now accredit this qualification with effect from 2021. I look forward to more candidates taking prevocational subjects, she highlighted. It should be noted that 2019 was not the first year pupils had to write examination while there were challenges. In 2018, schools faced a myriad of challenges as civil servants, who included teachers, were on a go-slow. As a result, government found itself having to deploy members of the Royal Eswatini Police Service in schools to ensure safety and proper invigilation as there were fears that the examination papers could be leaked or that pupils would copy. Transport chiefs believe the government could decide to split the planned HS2 rail network into three separate projects in a bid to save money and win over opponents. Such a move would reduce the headline figure of the 106 billion infrastructure project and potentially make it more acceptable to its critics. The suggestion came as Boris Johnson was reportedly set to give the green light to the high speed railway line despite the opposition of his most senior aide Dominic Cummings and a growing Tory backlash. The Prime Minister was due to meet with Chancellor Sajid Javid and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps today to discuss the future of the network. The meeting followed the revelation that Mr Javid is ready to throw his weight behind the massive initiative. The signs now suggest HS2 will be allowed to proceed despite the prospect of a Conservative rebellion over the project's spiralling costs and questions about the benefits it will deliver. If Mr Johnson does go ahead with HS2 it will put him at odds with Mr Cummings who previously described it as a 'disaster zone'. Boris Johnson, pictured leaving Downing Street yesterday, is reportedly set to back HS2 Dominic Cummings, pictured arriving in Downing Street today, is opposed to HS2 and has previously labelled the project a 'disaster zone' An official government review suggested HS2 could end up costing 106 billion having been costed at 56 billion in 2015 An ally of the PM told The Times: 'We dont want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Yes, there are significant issues with the cost but that doesnt mean it shouldnt go ahead.' It is thought the PM's backing for the project would come with the caveat that it must make significant cost savings. The Financial Times reported that industry figures believe ministers are looking at the possibility of breaking HS2 up into three separate projects to make the cost more palatable. The first phase from London to Birmingham would still be known as HS2 but the route from Birmingham to Leeds and Manchester would be rebranded as northern regeneration while HS2-related works at Euston station would also be split off as a separate initiative. Many in the government believe HS2 must go ahead in order to deliver on the PM's promise to 'level up' the UK and spread prosperity away from London. In 2015 it was costed at 56 billion but a leaked review commissioned by the government examining the viability and value for money of the project recently revealed it could end up costing as much as 106 billion. Today's meeting between Mr Johnson, Mr Javid and Mr Shapps inevitably sparked speculation that HS2 will be granted permission to proceed, especially after Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay said at the weekend it was his gut feeling it would go ahead. It is understood that having reviewed costs and alternatives to HS2 the Chancellor will now 'broadly back' the high-speed line. Mr Shapps has insisted that no decision on the controversial infrastructure project - the biggest in Europe - will be announced this week. And Downing Street said yesterday that there would be 'no decision this week'. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said this morning: 'A decision on HS2 is an important decision for the country and it will be taken based on the facts and I am not going preempt that decision.' However, it is thought today's meeting could end with the trio of senior ministers backing HS2 in principle. Mr Johnson told the Commons yesterday that a decision on the project would be made 'very shortly'. He said: 'I just want to reassure all of my honourable friends and everybody, whatever persuasion they may be about HS2 across this Chamber, that there will be an announcement and a decision very shortly.' Approximately 8 billion has already been spent on HS2 but there is growing disquiet among some Tory MPs who are adamant it is a waste of money. The HS2 route would initially link London and Birmingham with the second phase of the project then heading north to Manchester and Leeds HS2 would allow trains to travel at speeds of up to 250mph. That would mean much faster journeys between key UK cities. The graphic shows times for HS2 passengers (in red) verses the current times (in blue) They have urged the government to scrap the project and spend the cash on smaller infrastructure improvements instead, like better bus services and pothole repairs. Greg Smith, the newly elected Conservative MP for Buckingham, told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme this morning that he would vote against HS2. He said: 'I was very clear in the general election campaign that I am opposed to HS2. It is absolutely wrong for my constituency and I believe it to be wrong for the country as well.' Whitehall's spending watchdog said this month that HS2 is over budget and behind schedule because its complexity and risks were under-estimated. The National Audit Office (NAO) warned that it is impossible to 'estimate with certainty what the final cost could be'. Phase One between London and Birmingham was due to open in 2026, but full services are now forecast to start between 2031 and 2036. Business chiefs in the north of England have argued that pushing forward with HS2 is key to boosting transport links across the region and providing increased capacity on the overcrowded rail network. 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.] This story was originally published by the Guardian and has been republished here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. When Vanessa Nakate addressed a tweet to the Associated Press asking why she had been cropped out of a photo, it was out of curiosity. She didnt think her question would ignite a firestorm of criticism and spark an international conversation on erasure and diversity within the environmental movement. When I saw the photo, I only saw part of my jacket. I was not on the list of participants. None of my comments from the press conference were included, she said. It was like I wasnt even there. Advertisement The 23-year-old Ugandan activist had appeared at a joint press conference in Davos, Switzerland, with other prominent climate activists, including Greta Thunberg, Loukina Tille, Luisa Neubauer, and Isabelle Axelsson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But when the news agency published a picture of the event, Nakate had been cut from the imagewhich showed only the four white activists. Speaking up catapulted Nakate into an unfamiliar territory of social activism: calling out anti-black discrimination and racism. After experiencing the definition of the word for the first time in her life, she received messages of support. She said she now felt a greater responsibility to amplify their voices. Climate activists of color are erased, she said. I [had] activists who messaged me to tell me that the same thing happened to them before but they didnt have the courage to say anything. Advertisement Advertisement Activists told me the same thing happened to them before but they didnt have the courage to say anything. Vanessa Nakate After a wave of outcry, the cropped photo was replaced on the AP wire, and the agency apologized to Nakate, both publicly and in person. We train our journalists to be sensitive to issues of inclusion and omission. We have spoken internally with our journalists and we will learn from this error in judgment, said Sally Buzbee, the APs executive editor, in a statement. The agency said that the crop was an honest mistake with no ill intent, but Nakate was skeptical. They changed the photo to where I was in the middle. That means they had other photos and chose to use that one, she said. So no, I dont believe their statement or their apology. Advertisement And what some dismiss as an error, she said, reflects the constant silencing of diverse voices in climate action groups. Advertisement Nakate was among dozens of youth activists globally who convened for a weekend of workshops and panels. But media coverage of the event didnt show the diversity of those who attended. Nakate only learned of the crop after struggling to find images that included her. Jamie Margolin, founder of the climate action group Zero Hour, said this exclusion of activists of color was part of a culture of silencing marginalized communities disproportionately affected by the climate crisis. Advertisement Advertisement Racism, classism, and the erasure of marginalized voices isnt new, she said. A photo crop-out is an easy way to describe it but its really a metaphorical crop-out from the narrative of climate science in general. Margolin recalled instances when activists were left out of clips, transcripts, and other coverage of eventseven those they had organized. Advertisement Advertisement While Margolin was initially surprised to hear it was Nakates first experience with racism, she said growing up in Uganda may have shielded her from the discrimination minority activists often face elsewhere. Many of us havent spoken out because it isnt unusual to us, she said. Environmental activism has been framed as Europe influencing the worldnot the other way around. Weve become used to our perspectives being excluded. Advertisement Advertisement Climate researchers say that poor, mostly minority communities will face the brunt of the climate crisis, making their presence and power within activist circles vital. Its disgraceful that not only is Africa ignoredits also deliberately removed from the picture, said Theo Cullen-Mouze, a 17-year-old Irish climate activist. Africa has contributed the least [carbon emissions] but will suffer the most from climate breakdown. Advertisement Robert Bullard is widely considered the father of environmental justice, introducing the discipline in the early 1980s to dispel the myth or misconception that African Americans and other people of color dont care about climate science. He said the cropping incident was a symptom of a larger pathology that isnt unique to climate or environmental fields. Climate activism among youth is perceived by the larger society as a white thing. The uncropped photo didnt fit the model, he said. Racism has the intended purpose of making people of color invisible. A Kampala native, Nakate is the founder of the climate action groups Youth for Future Africa and the Rise Up Movement. She drew inspiration from Thunberg in leading a strike outside the Ugandan Parliament to protest against climate inaction. Nakate has also campaigned for climate initiatives across the continent, including protecting rainforests in Congo. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her Twitter question prompted responses from other black, Latino, and indigenous activists, all expressing their own frustrations at being erased in favor of white counterparts. As much as this incident has hurt me personally, Im glad because it has brought more attention to activists in Africa, she said. Maybe media will start paying attention to us not just when were the victims of climate tragedies. As a white Latina, Margolin said she understood she had often toed a line between inclusion and exclusion. She recalled instances when she was both the white girl left in a photo or the Latina left out. [Nakates] experience made me reflect on the conferences where the picture didnt include the dark-skinned activists next to me, and I realize now I should have spoken up, she said. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 By Elnur Baghishov - Trend: The products worth $1.8 billion were exported through customs checkpoints of Irans western Kermanshah province during 10 months (from March 21 through January 20) of this Iranian year (beginning on March 21, 2019), Director General of the Customs Administration of the province Khalil Heydari said. Some 4.6 million tons of products were exported through the customs checkpoints and border markets, Heydari added, Trend reports referring to Mehr news agency. The export value increased by 24 percent while the export volume by 3 percent during 10 months of this Iranian year compared to the same period of last Iranian year, the director general said. Some 2.6 million tons worth $980.4 million were exported through Kermanshah, Parviz Khan, Khosravi and Paveh checkpoints within 10 months of this Iranian year, Heydari added. The export value dropped by 28 percent while export volume - by 20 percent within 10 months of this Iranian year compared to the same period of last Iranian year, the director general said. Over 2 million tons of products worth $817.5 million were exported by other Iranian checkpoints through the Kermanshah checkpoint during the reporting period," Heydari said. The export volume increased by 33 percent while export value decreased by 19 percent during 10 months of this Iranian year compared to the same period of last Iranian year, the director general said. Some 798 kinds of products were exported to 30 countries within 10 months of this year. In Iowa over the past week, "abortion" and "health care" were the top searched issues in relation to all 2020 candidates that have qualified for the next Democratic debate, according to the latest Google Trends data. Why it matters: Iowa's caucus-goers will set the first real test of candidates' appeal to voters in just five days. Winning a single pledged delegate from the caucuses will also allow any candidate to join the next debate. Candidate's top-searched issue: "Abortion" Former Vice Presidet Joe Biden Former mayor Pete Buttigieg Former tech executive Andrew Yang Billionaire Tom Steyer Candidate's top-searched issue: "Health care" Sen. Amy Klobuchar Sen. Elizabeth Warren Sen. Bernie Sanders Of note: Of these seven candidates, the only ones that Iowans searched for alongside "social security" were front-runners Biden, Sanders and Warren. Yang, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, and Steyer were the only ones among the seven debate qualifiers to be searched alongside "climate change." Background: Most candidates have suggested alternatives to Sanders' Medicare for All plan which has no set price tag, but could cost trillions of dollars to cast themselves as moderate alternatives on health care. Biden advocated repealing the Hyde Amendment last year after Warren and former 2020 candidate Beto O'Rourke criticized him for his position on the legislation, which bans using federal funds for abortion except in cases of rape, incest or life-threatening circumstances. Go deeper: At a time when the country has been witnessing large-scale protests, mostly led by students against the Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens, it is only natural that the political class feels that educated people are bad, at least for them. And according to a minister in Uttar Pradesh, educated people are bad for society. Jai Kumar Singh, the Uttar Pradesh Jail Minister criticized "educated people" who taunted ministers who had not studied beyond Class 10, saying these "educated persons" often created a "bad atmosphere". BCCL "Many a time it happens that educated people like IAS and PCS officers, doctors and engineers used to say that a particular leader or legislator is only a high school (10th) pass and that illiterate people are ruling educated persons. These educated persons used to create a different type of bad atmosphere. A leader need not be educated," Singh said. Incidentally, Singh, an MLA of Apna Dal told this nonsense to a group of students. Addressing students at a school in Mehmoodabad tehsil on Tuesday, Singh said education and degrees have no meaning for a political leader. "A leader should be a visionary. Education of a leader, his knowledge and degree do not have any meaning. If I envision that an ITI needs to be set up then it has to be built by engineers and architects, and not by the minister concerned," he said. "I am the jail minister. That does not mean I have to run the jails myself. There are jail superintendents and jailors for that. I have to just say that jails should have good food and management," Singh said. According to his election affidavit, Singh is a graduate, though it is unclear in which subject. According to ADR, 101 MLAs in the current UP Assembly have declared their education qualification to be between 8th pass and 12th pass while 290 MLAs have declared having an educational qualification of graduate or above. As far as UP ministers are concerned, seven of them have declared their educational qualification to be between 10th and 12th pass while 37 are graduates or above. As of now, in India, there is no fixed minimum educational qualification for those wanting to become MLAs and MPs. However, there has been a long demand to fix a minimum education qualification for candidates who wish to fight elections. In 2017, the Haryana government had written to the Centre to fix minimum qualification for MPs and MLAs for contesting elections. In 2015 the state had already fixed a minimum qualification of panchayat representatives in the state. ODESSA -- The University of Texas of the Permian Basin will introduce a resiliency program aimed at equipping students with the tools needed to process and heal from traumatic events. The programs inception is a result of the Aug. 31 mass shooting in Odessa and Midland, university officials said at a press conference Wednesday. The hope is that students will be able to move forward from traumatic events with more poise and that it could potentially be a preventative measure from future tragedies occurring, Carmen Dragun, UTPB student body president, said in an interview. She said the program was created after the student senate was granted a $10,000 gift from the University of Texas board of regents. The University of Texas at El Paso was also given a $10,000 gift, she said. The student senate designed the initiative with the help of faculty, said Becky Spurlock, vice president for Student Affairs and lLeadership. She said the idea sprung from the common stop the bleed campaign, which teaches the public basic first aid training so they can assist with medical traumas before first responders arrive. We started talking about how that is related to mental health traumas and how might we apply the same principles to the work we could do with our students, she said. And from there the idea grew. Although no UTPB students were injured in the shooting, Spurlock said there were members of the student body who were working at the Cinergy Cinemas that day or at other locations impacted by the shooting. The shooter was ultimately shot and killed by police in the parking lot behind Cinergy. If a university doesnt help our students process that trauma -- if we dont really give them the skills necessary -- then weve really failed them in some way, she said. Dragun said the program will be implemented through the universitys freshman seminar course, which is mandatory for new students, starting this semester. The university will also add onto their existing bystander intervention training program, she said. Currently, the university trains students in intervening if they witness sexual assault. The additional training will be 50-minute workshops that teach students if you see something, how to deal with it, how to step in, in potentially harmful situations, Dragun said. Spurlock said she believes instilling students with the skills to respond to trauma will reverberate back to the communities of Odessa and Midland. The beautiful thing about this work is that when you give somebody those skills, they pass them on to other people in their families, she said. Youre not just changing one individual; youre changing whole communities. Spurlock said Texans, and West Texans especially, tend to want to be tough when faced with trauma, as shown though the West Texas Strong hashtag that trended on social media after the shooting. The program was designed with that attitude in mind, she said. We want people to be tough, but what we also want is for them to recognize that to be tough -- to stay tough -- sometimes you have to get help or learn new coping mechanisms for dealing with the things that happen in your life, she said. Thats how you stay tough. The emergence of John Bolton, a leading architect of the Iraq war, as the central figure in the Democrats impeachment drive has made clear, once again, that the conflict within the state centers on divisions over foreign policy between two right-wing factions of the US ruling class. John Bolton On Sunday, the New York Times reported that a forthcoming book authored by Bolton alleges that Trump demanded that Ukraine investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, as a condition for receiving military aid. The central focus of the House impeachment managers since then has been to press the demand that the Senate agree to hear new witnesses, beginning with Bolton. John Bolton is a war criminal. He was a leading architect of the Iraq war, who shamelessly made false claims about Iraqs weapons of mass destruction to start a war that killed over one million people. He has both participated in, and publicly advocated, the launching of countless wars, with disastrous human consequences. While in office as Trumps national security advisor, Bolton stated that the United States is considering the Libya model in its dealings with North Korea, referencing the lynching of Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi by US-backed Islamist forces. The fact that Bolton is being held up as the leading figure in the Democrats opposition to Trump makes clear that their opposition to Trump is based not on the presidents real crimeshis human rights abuses on the border, his assertion of dictatorial powers, and his appeals to fascistic forcesbut on allegations that he is insufficiently aggressive in confronting Russia. On Wednesday, Representative Eliot Engel, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, revealed that Bolton had called him on September 23, 2019, urging that his committee look into the firing of Marie Yovanovitch, the US ambassador to Ukraine, and suggesting that it was improper. The timing is key: Bolton called the influential Democrat less than two weeks after his acrimonious departure from the White House, and the same day that seven House Democrats with military-intelligence backgrounds published an op-ed in the Washington Post calling for an investigation of Trump for the withholding of military aid to Ukraine. The next day, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the start of the impeachment inquiry. There are suggestions in the press, as yet unsubstantiated, that Bolton began his anti-Trump operations even before he left the White House, in response to disagreements over Iran, Ukraine, and other areas where he advocated a more bellicose policy than the president. Engel was a logical point of contact for Bolton within the Democratic Party. He has a long and thoroughly right-wing foreign policy record, particularly on the Middle East. The New York congressman is one of the most fervent supporters of Israeli oppression of the Palestinians. He voted to authorize the war in Iraq, opposed the Iran nuclear deal negotiated under the Obama administration, and, when Trump threatened last summer to fire missiles on Iran, said that no congressional vote was needed to authorize such action because we dont need to tie the presidents hands. In Wednesdays session of the trial, devoted to eight hours of questions submitted alternately by Republicans and Democrats, the first three questions from the Democrats raised the subject of Bolton and the demand for more eyewitness testimony about the Ukraine aid decision. The Democrats returned to the issue repeatedly, while the Senate Republicans and Trumps attorneys fought a rearguard action, hoping to prevent the defection of four Republicans in Fridays vote on whether to call witnesses. Trump denounced Bolton in a series of tweets, claiming, [I]f I listened to him, we would be in World War Six by now. This was a cynical attempt to use Boltons warmongering record to strike a false pose of opposition to war, despite Trumps embrace of militarism and a foreign policy based on bullying threats of violence. In reality, all factions of the US ruling elite support pouring trillions of dollars into the military in preparation for global war. Their differences are tactical: which country to strike first, and when, and on what pretext, with the Democrats targeting Syria and Russia and Trump focused more on Iran and China. But Trumps main response to impeachment and Boltons public alignment with the Democrats has been the elevation of executive authority above that of Congress, combined with ever more violent and inflammatory rhetoric, particularly at campaign rallies, seeking to whip up an atmosphere of violence and intimidation directed against his political opponents. The White House sent a letter to Boltons attorney threatening to block publication of his book, claiming that it contained extensive classified information that had to be removed. The transparent purpose was to use bogus national security concerns to silence Bolton long enough to bring an end to the Senate trial and allow Trump to declare himself vindicated. The substance of the case presented by Trumps lawyers Monday and Tuesday was to declare the president exempt from any check on his authority by Congress. Adjusting to the impact of Boltons account, the attorneys put forward the argument that even if Trump had withheld aid to force a political favor from Ukraine, that was not an impeachable offense. The most flagrantly authoritarian argument came from Harvard Professor Alan Dershowitz, who claimed that abuse of power, and obstruction of Congress are not impeachable offenses. By that logic, the articles of impeachment that led to Richard Nixon resigning the presidency in the Watergate scandalfor abuse of power, contempt of Congress, and obstruction of justicewere illegitimate and unconstitutional. While on the floor of the Senate, Trumps attorneys and Republican legislators push the theory of the president as an elected tyrant, subject to no legal constraint, Trump himself travels to campaign events in which he engages in racist, demagogic and fascistic incitement against socialists and far-left radicals. On Tuesday night in Wildwood, New Jersey, Trump ranted against immigrants, hailed the violence perpetrated against them by agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and vilified the Democrats as socialists and traitors. He will continue this campaign with rallies in Des Moines just before the Iowa caucuses and in Manchester, New Hampshire just before that states primary, in a transparent effort to intimidate votersalthough the effect is likely to be the opposite. There is vast and growing hostility to the Trump administration, and, more broadly, the program of social counterrevolution, attacks on democratic rights and war that the entire ruling elite and both of its political parties are pursuing. The central issue facing working people and young people is to recognize that neither faction in the current political infighting represents anything progressive or democratic. Both factions defend the capitalist financial aristocracy and American imperialism. The working class must break free of the political straitjacket of the corporate-controlled two-party system and build a mass independent political movement for socialism. Umar Khalid, Safoora Zargar, PFI, student activists and the one link to Delhi riots Jamia firing: UP teen who opened fire on anti-CAA protesters is a 'minor' India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Jan 31: The boy, who brandished a gun at a group of students protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act in New Delhi's Jamia Milia Islamia University on Thursday, injuring one student, has turned out to be a minor. The family has produced a copy of his Class X certificate issued by the Central Board of Secondary Education and his Aadhaar card claiming that he is a minor. The Delhi Police have officially not confirmed the age of the firing accused. The cops will verify documents to ascertain the age of the person. The injured student Shahdab Farooq, who was seen bleeding from his left hand, was taken to the AIIMS Trauma Centre. Farooq, a mass communications student, belongs to Kashmir. 'Culprit will not be spared': Amit Shah on Jamia firing The boy fired a pistol at a group of anti-CAA protesters in the city's Jamia Millia Islamia University on Thursday, injuring a student, before calmly walking away while waving the firearm above his head and shouting "Yeh lo aazadi" amid heavy police presence in the area. Delhi Police have taken the minor accused in the custody and interrogating him. Most of NSW will experience "severe" to "extreme" heatwave conditions over the next three days, with Saturday looming as another peak day for fire danger in the state's south-east and the ACT. The weather bureau is predicting a string of very hot days and uncomfortably warm nights before a cool change on Sunday, with strong winds contributing to elevated fire danger and sending dust and smoke into the atmosphere. Bureau meteorologist Abrar Shabren said a high pressure system over the Tasman Sea, combined with a front, is "dragging the hot air mass from WA, central Australia and western NSW over the rest of NSW" including coastal areas with temperatures set to rapidly increase from Friday. Mr Shabren said the entire state will be in heatwave conditions, with about 80 per cent experiencing "severe" or "extreme" heat, including areas already threatened by bushfires. Television actor Karanvir Bohra was flying off to Nepal, but says he was stopped at New Delhi airport because he wasnt reportedly carrying the required documents. Deported at Delhi airport on my way to #nepal. trvlng wid #adhaarcar not allowed Nepal gov alows (PP, voters ID and Adhaar by road, by air only PP and VI) Then,Y did @airindiain in Mumbai let me fly with my Adhaar? Y didnt they stop me there? #indianembassy @DrSJaishankar @IndiaInNepal, Karanvir tweeted on Thursday. Later, Air India tweeted to him: Dear Mr Bohra please find details regarding documents required for visit to Nepal in the link The requirement of documents is from Immigration authorities. Karanvir replied saying: Thank u 4 this link, and I believe not only 4 the passengers, its 4the officials2, how could they allow me to travel on an invalid document? If I was told in Mumbai itself I wud have arranged it immed and not make my guy fly down 2 Delhi to hand me the passport. Karanvir was travelling to Nepal with Ravi Dubey and Sargun Mehta. He also shared pictures and videos with them on Instagram stories on Thursday morning. Also read: Wendell Rodricks on Priyanka Chopras Grammy dress: There is an age to wear some clothes; Twitter hits back This isnt Karanvirs only unpleasant international trip. Last year, he was detained at Moscow due to passport damage. He was helped by late external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj who got him a new passport. I have no words to thank the @IndEmbMoscow 4 helping me get a brand new temporary passport and a visa. Celebrity or no celebrity, I know one thing for sure, we Indians are in very safe hands when we travel abroad... Thanks to @SushmaSwaraj and the #IndianEmbassy for their help (sic), he wrote on Thursday. Follow @htshowbiz for more TOKYOJapanese prosecutors Thursday issued arrest warrants for three Americans suspected of helping former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn flee the country, where he was awaiting trial on charges of financial wrongdoing. Ghosn surprised the world, and embarrassed Japanese authorities, when he slipped out of his home in Tokyo in late December and turned up a day later in Lebanon. Prosecutors want to arrest Michael Taylor, a 59-year-old former Green Beret; his son, Peter Maxwell Taylor, 26; and George Antoine Zayek, 60. The warrant said they helped Ghosn avoid immigration checks and board a private jet in Osaka that took him to Turkey on the first leg of his escape. They also issued a new warrant for the arrest of Ghosn, who illegally left the country without notifying immigration authorities. The document was the first official confirmation by Japanese authorities of some of the details of Ghosns flight. Ghosn himself has shared next to no information about the escape, citing concern about the safety of those who aided him. According to the warrant, Michael Taylor and Zayek accompanied Ghosn from Tokyo to Osaka, nearly 500 kilometres west of Tokyo, where they hid him in portable luggage and helped smuggle him through a private jet terminal and onto a waiting plane where they accompanied him to Istanbul. Ghosn is believed to have hidden in a large black box typically used for transporting audio equipment. Michael Taylor is a private-security contractor with extensive contacts in Lebanon dating to the 1980s, when he was deployed to Beirut as part of a team of U.S. Special Forces. Zayek, whose part in the escape was previously reported by The Wall Street Journal, was born in Lebanon and previously worked with Taylors Boston-based security company. The arrest warrant was the first public mention of Peter Taylors involvement. All three are believed to be American citizens, prosecutors said. Michael and Peter Taylor and Zayek have been in the Middle East since Ghosns escape, according to a person familiar with the matter. Lawyers for the men could not immediately be reached for comment. Japan has an extradition treaty with the United States, potentially putting them within reach of Japanese prosecutors if they were arrested by U.S. authorities. In a news conference, a deputy chief prosecutor, Takahiro Saito, said Peter Taylor had played an important role in the escape, having met with Ghosn at least seven times in Tokyo, beginning in July and ending on the day of his escape Dec. 29. Saito said he believed that the younger Taylor had been a key conduit for planning the escape, ultimately reserving a Tokyo hotel room for Ghosn and providing him with the key. On the day of his flight, Ghosn travelled from his home in central Tokyo to the nearby hotel, where he changed clothes before meeting with the other two men, who accompanied him to Osaka, he added. After the private jet landed in Istanbul, Ghosn is believed to have boarded another private jet flight to Beirut. Michael Taylor and Zayek are suspected of taking a commercial flight to Lebanon; Turkish authorities have released photos showing the two men passing through passport control at the Istanbul airport. The warrants were announced a day after prosecutors raided the Tokyo office of Ghosns former lawyer, Junichiro Hironaka, looking for evidence related to the escape. Speaking to reporters afterward, Hironaka said that they had tried to confiscate materials Ghosn had used to prepare his defence, forcing open a door in the office and breaking open drawers and cabinets that they believed might contain relevant documents. During the raid, prosecutors tried to seize a personal computer used by Ghosn in Hironakas office. Hironaka has refused to turn over the computer, citing his responsibilities as Ghosns former lawyer. Saito said that Ghosn had met the younger Taylor four times in the lawyers office. Since Ghosns flight, prosecutors have worked hard to turn up the pressure on him. Interpol issued a so-called red notice for Ghosn at Japans request, asking that co-operating countries arrest him. Prosecutors have also issued an arrest warrant for his wife, Carole Ghosn, accusing her of providing false testimony about her husbands case. For the time being, the couple, who both hold Lebanese passports, are living in Beirut. Lebanon has no extradition treaty with Japan and a policy of not handing over its citizens to foreign governments. In Japan, Carlos Ghosn faced charges of hiding his compensation from regulators and using Nissans resources for his own financial benefit. But he has strongly denied the allegations, arguing that they were part of a corporate coup intended to thwart his efforts to strengthen Nissans alliance with its French partner Renault. While on bail in Japan, Ghosn largely stayed out of the spotlight. But since his escape, he has repeatedly lashed out against Japans justice system, where he said he had no chance of receiving a fair trial. After his surprise arrest in November 2018, Ghosn said, he was held in solitary confinement for long periods and interrogated for hours without a lawyer. He was released after posting nearly $14 million in bail. Until his escape, he lived in a home in central Tokyo. As a condition of his bail, authorities monitored his comings and goings and forbade him from using the internet outside of his lawyers office. Ghosn was also not allowed to see or even speak to his wife, except for two brief video calls, because of prosecutors concerns that she might help him tamper with witnesses or evidence. A passenger on board a cruise ship in Italy has been diagnosed with the common flu, Italian operator Costa Cruises said in a late Thursday statement. Earlier, some 6,000 tourists were held on the cruise ship over fears that the ill passenger could be infected with the coronavirus. "Sanitary protocol" had been activated amid concerns over the health of an individual traveling on the ship operated by Costa Cruises. The ship reached the Italian port of Civitavecchia on Thursday morning, where it had sailed from Palma in the Spanish island of Mallorca. "While we appreciate the inconvenience caused, the procedures in force and our cooperation with the Health Authorities were effective in managing this situation and were intended to ensure maximum safety for all our guests, crew and the community as a whole," Costa Cruises said in its statement announcing that the passenger had the common flu. The cruise operator had previously confirmed to CNBC that medics onboard had been alerted to a suspected case of the virus in a 54-year-old Chinese woman, who had been kept in isolation alongside her travel companion since Wednesday evening. Late Thursday, Italy's ministry of health said that the cruise ship samples were negative. According to The Associated Press, health officials screened 6,000 passengers and 1,000 crew members aboard the ship, and all were being prevented from leaving until the type of virus infecting the woman was determined. New Delhi: Bollywood actor Tanushree Dutta urged the Bollywood industry to boycott choreographer Ganesh Acharya, following a harassment complaint against him by a 33-year-old woman. Tanushree said, "It`s time Bollywood and the other Indian film industries boycott choreographer Ganesh Acharya completely. Hiding behind the male superstars who work with this despicable man, he has been abusing his power and position to harass, bully and take advantage of vulnerable young newcomers to the industry." The 35-year-old actor referred to her harassment case and said," Even though Ganesh Acharya was party to all the harassment I faced on `Horn Ok Pleasse` set, he went on to spoil my name and reputation thereafter, the leading men and heroes of Bollywood continued to work with him and give him film after film. Look now, didn`t I tell you so?" The actor added, "Nobody had any regard for me and how much I had suffered psychologically and financially because of the turmoil I went through because of these people. I left the industry because I was so scared and hurt over the atrocious treatment meted out to me on `Horn Ok please` set. I had worked very sincerely to get to where I got in life and so went in shock for many years, over the whole episode on that set almost 12 years ago, that led to an attack on my car. They didn`t just break my car, they broke my spirit that day." She further said, "Now, after all the information of fraud, non-payment of dues, sexual harassment of dancers, bullying and intimidation and even physical abuse of dancers is coming out about Ganesh Acharya in the media, if the actors, directors and producers still work with him, it would mean that they themselves are engaging in such acts also." Warning the film fraternity the actor said, "Stay the hell away from Ganesh Acharya otherwise your own reputation will be joined to his character. I`m sure many more girls and boys will come out about his misbehaviour and shady business, opening floodgates in the future." She concluded by stating, "Paap ka ghada bhar Gaya re tera, Ab toh chalak chalak ke teri kahaniya nikal Rahi hai" (Your pot of sin is full, now your stories are coming out). In September 2018, Dutta had alleged that veteran actor Nana Patekar misbehaved with her on the sets of `Horn Ok Please` in 2008 while shooting a special dance number for the movie, and went on to file an FIR against him. However, Patekar refuted all allegations. Rabbit Holes is a recurring series in which writers pay homage to the diversity and ingenuity of the ways we procrastinate now. To pitch your personal rabbit hole, email humaninterest@slate.com. For two years in Brooklyn, my roommate and I had the luxury of a large (though likely tetanus-bearing, nail-littered) backyard. In the summer, we would have outdoor parties, but there was no greater joy than the post-party wind-down when stragglers would flop onto the small sofas in our cramped living room for a YouTube plunge. We would coast through music videos, watch Vine compilations, and hunt for old episodes of our favorite childrens shows. But my favorite videos to pull up were those in the elaborate cinematic universe of American Girl Doll Stop-Motion, or AGSM for those in the loop. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The first AGSM music video I saw, and the first I pull up to introduce friends to the genre, is a video by auteur PolkadotAG set to A Thousand Years by Christina Perri. A Thousand Years is the love theme from the final Twilight film and, unsurprisingly, a favorite of AGSM creators. This video opens with a close-up of a brunette dolls face dripping with tears. The video jumps back in time to follow the friendship of the brunette, Melody, and her blond best friend, Isabelle, leading up tospoiler alertIsabelles tragic death as the victim of vehicular manslaughter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PolkadotAGs work hits all of the marks of what makes these videos so great. Not only does the video have a tragic plot, but it also makes use of a variety of American Girl doll accessories mixed with DIY ingenuity. The girls make cookies together, putting a batterlike liquid onto a toy baking sheet that is placed into a toy oven before coming out with toy cookies on itbrilliant! Even Isabelles tragic death is brought about by another doll carelessly cruising in a pink AG SUV, and she is tended to by a doll in an official AG nurses uniform. Isabelles hospital room is decked out in a mixture of AG furniture and hospital equipment made out of graph paper and string. A handwritten ALERT on the graph paper hospital monitor makes for a heart-wrenching and striking visual. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last year, I left my Brooklyn apartment and moved home to Buffalo, New York, to help take care of my mom. I could not bring all of my friends or my living room with me, but I could bring AGSM videos. More and more, I find myself returning to these videos, especially late at night when I cant sleep. As the hours creep on, I sit in front of my laptop and watch AGSM music videos and movies. I am constantly impressed by the myriad uses of the hairless American Girl, from leukemia storylines to a personal favorite about a girl with alopecia finding her inner beauty. I am drawn to the melodrama, the production value, and the range of costumes and props. I am fascinated by the community: Encouraging comments abound, and shoutouts to other creators feature prominently in video descriptions. Ive even found subcommunities, like a thriving pack of religious makers set out to use their American Girl dolls to tell stories about Christ, like The True Meaning of Christmas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im not proud to admit that this obsession started as a late-night laugh session at the hard work of young girls. The more I watched, however, the more I grew to appreciate and take seriously the effort and craftsmanship of the AGSM artists. In one video description, the creator shares that it took her two weeks to complete the video. Advertisement Advertisement It is exciting to see the ways young girls express themselves online. Most of the AGSM videos focus on female friendships. Sure, one of the girls usually ends up dying or battling an illness, but it is refreshing to see young girls making content for themselves that doesnt always revolve around boys, crushes, and romance. With so few women still being recognized for their work as screenwriters, directors, and cinematographers, it feels good to find a weird corner of the internet, a more wholesome proto-TikTok, where girls are teaching themselves how to be all of the above. Advertisement Sprawled on the same bed in the same room where I hid from my high school bullies, I spend hours watching, but no longer laughing, at the AGSM videos. The creative work and sense of community reminds me of ways that I found solace online as a young girl. Growing up, I spent a lot of my time on LiveJournal. On LiveJournal, I was able to teach myself skills that seemed otherwise inaccessible. In creating custom HTML LiveJournal layouts, my peers and I were really young women in STEM. I also found a sense of community virtually when I struggled to find one at school. I love that AGSM videos provides that for a new generation of girls. Advertisement User Agbrownies articulates my journey with AGSM in the plot description of a video about a 13-year-old realizing she isnt too old for her dolls: Eventually, the girl realizes that she can grow older, but bring her childhood imagination along with her. I am 27, almost 28, and have had a tough year, but these videos are one of the things that brings me comfort and joy. Thank you to the robust community of AGSM creators for helping to remind me that even as I get older, I can still bring my childhood imagination along with me. Roommates Ross Nazimov and Nicholas Gardner in their home in the Oxford Circle neighborhood of Philadelphia. Both rented the same room in Fishtown before discovering it was a scam. Read more Ross Nazimov thought he had found the perfect apartment: a room in a brand-new two-bedroom unit in Fishtown, with a roommate who assured him he was rarely home. In November, he paid a $500 deposit, moved in, unpacked his few possessions, and began snapping photos of the place, astounded by his good luck. But there were warning signs: the empty fridge, the bare cabinets. I was getting a bad feeling, he said. But I was also starting to get very excited, because it was a very nice place. Then the cleaning crew showed up and asked what he was doing there followed by the real landlord and, soon after, the police. Just as the conversation was growing tense, a U-Haul pulled up carrying two more people, Nick Gardner and Natasha Pittman, who had rented the same room as Nazimov. Thats when the landlord and his three new, unwitting, and as yet nonpaying tenants figured out theyd all fallen victim to a conman who was long gone. It turned out theyd been caught up in a scam thats popping up on crime blotters from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Kansas City, Mo., and Vancouver, British Columbia. In a more sophisticated grift than the average fake rental listing made with copied photos, someone had rented the place for two nights on Airbnb and then posted an ad on Craigslist as if he owned the place. Nazimov was out his last $500. I would have been homeless at that point, he said. His would-be roommates lost $800. And the landlord, George Ryzinsky of the Southampton-based property management firm DAN Housing, was also in a difficult position, with new Airbnb tenants due that evening and the prospect of a protracted battle in landlord-tenant court. You cant just change the locks, even if you have a squatter, Ryzinsky said. The police who arrived at the scene advised him to work it out," he said. As to whos behind the scam, Ryzinsky said it was no great mystery to him. He could see the name and photo of the person whose Airbnb account was used: Tamiah Holmes, a Temple University student. But Holmes said she, too, was a victim. I had no part of it whatsoever," she said. She said Travonne Williams, a former romantic interest, had stolen her identity to create the account and perpetrate the fraud, leaving her to face the consequences and dispute the Airbnb charges to her credit card. Airbnb Inc. didnt respond to a request for comment. And Williams, whose cell phone number was listed on the Airbnb account created in Holmes name, had a different story. He, too, said that he was blameless, and that Holmes told him she owned the property and asked him to help rent it out. I was just as concerned as they were when they lost their money, he said, adding that he had offered to take them into his own home. (Gardner said he declined the invitation.) Williams introduced himself to the tenants as William Maxwell. He said he lived at the property with his wife, a medical student, who was asleep in the back bedroom while he was showing the place, according to Gardner and Nazimov. The day after a reporter called Williams in January, that cell phone number was no longer in service. Ryzinsky believes the scammers count on the fraud being too low-level for police to pursue, or for legal action to be worthwhile. The police do not spend enough time to catch these people," he said. "There is a way to do it that has to come from the financial part of the operation. A Philadelphia police spokesperson said an investigation is ongoing, though Nazimov said he only received a call from a detective in mid-January after a reporter inquired about the case. The spokesperson said the police have no way to track how common reports of similar rental frauds may be. The detective handling the case said she couldnt comment on it. Since November, Nazimov has repeatedly pleaded with Wells Fargo to cancel his cashiers check, without success. A spokesman said the bank is obligated to pay the check ... even if there is a later dispute between the person who purchased the check and their payee. In the end, Ryzinsky quickly moved the three duped tenants to a house he owns in Oxford Circle that had been vacant and that was actually within their price range. Even so, he said, hes just barely covering his costs on the property. He said other clients of his have experienced similar frauds. He feels relatively lucky that in this case, he discovered the problem right away. Since then, hes taken precautions on Airbnb, including avoiding locals, who he figures are either throwing a party or up to no good. And, he said, we no longer take anybody with zero reviews. Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) speaks to media at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 27, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Schumer: Vote to Call Impeachment Witnesses Is Uphill Fight Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) conceded on Jan. 30 that his caucus and House impeachment managers likely will not convince four Republican swing-vote senators to vote for more witnesses during President Donald Trumps impeachment trial. I hope we can get witnesses and documents. Its an uphill fight. Is it more likely than not? Probably no. But is it a decent, good chance? Yes, he told reporters on Jan. 29. The president and [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell put huge pressure on these folks, Schumer said, referring to the Republican senators. Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) have been floated as possible swing-voters, while Collins and Romney have both suggested the need to call former national security adviser John Bolton as a witness. Schumer, on Jan. 30, said that his focus is getting four Republicans to vote on witnesses, and Democrats shouldnt rely on Chief Justice John Roberts to act. We dont know what the four witnesses will say, he said. They might be exculpatory. They might be incriminating. At the same press conference, Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said he hopes there are at least three Republican senators who are seriously considering joining Democrats push to vote for witnesses. The question on whether to call witnesses was muddied this week after a report from The New York Times was published, alleging that Boltons forthcoming book contained details of him seeing Trump link the provision of military aid to Ukraine to investigations. Trump has categorically denied the allegations in the NY Times report. House Democrats voted to impeach Trump on two charges, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, and alleged that the president pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate his political rivals. Trump and Zelensky have denied there was any pressure campaign. Remember Republicans, the Democrats already had 17 witnesses, we were given NONE! Trump wrote on Twitter on Jan. 29. Witnesses are up to the House, not up to the Senate. Dont let the Dems play you! Some Republican senators this week sounded optimistic when asked about whether they have the votes to block calling witnesses. Were going to get it done by Friday, hopefully, Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) told The Hill following a meeting with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Jan. 29. Rounds also told the same publication that they would be able to bypass calling witnesses. I think well be OK, he said. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, also told Fox News that the president will be acquitted, and I think it will be this week. by Shafique Khokhar On 15 March 2015 two Taliban suicide bombers blew themselves up at the entrance of two churches in the Christian colony of Lahore. The defendants were accused of murder in connection with the lynching of two Muslims mistaken for terrorists. Lahore (AsiaNews) The Anti-Terrorist Court (ATC) in Lahore acquitted 42 people, 41 Christians and one Muslim, in connection with the killing of two Muslims mistaken for terrorists after two Christian churches were hit by suicide bombers in Youhanabad in March 2015. The court gave the accused the benefit of the doubt over the riot that took place in a highly charged atmosphere in which they saw friends and relatives blown to pieces. Forty defendants were freed today and went home; the other two will follow shortly. On 15 March 2015, two Taliban terrorists blew themselves up at the entrance of St Johns Catholic Church and the Anglican Christ Church killing 27 people and wounding more than 70. The death toll would have been much higher had some Christians not stopped the attackers from entering the churches, dying themselves in the blast. The bombings sparked a riot that led to the lynching of the two Muslims mistaken for the terrorists by a frightened and angry crowd. Whilst the police failed to arrest the people behind the attacks, scores of Christians ended up in jail on charges of arson, rioting, and damaging state property. Out of 200 people arrested, charges were laid against 47 people. Since 2015, two Christian defendants have died in prison and four more went on the run. The National Justice and Peace Commission of the Pakistani Bishops' Conference took on the legal costs of 12 accused, including the one Muslim, and financially helped all 42 prisoners. Christian organisations are grateful to Punjab's Minister for Human Right and Minority Affairs Ejaz Alam for his efforts in solving the case. Thanks to his support, the court acquitted 47 defendants, including the four who escaped. It is really difficult for ordinary people to have justice in Pakistan, activist Nadeem Anthony told AsiaNews. They dont have access to justice because the system is deficient. The defendants spent five years behind bars, and no one has ever spoken of the 27 Christians killed in the explosive attacks. I welcome the decision of the ATC to acquit innocent people, he added. I really appreciate the decision of Judge Arshad Hussain Bhutta. However, families still receive threats. The state must guarantee their protection; the security of these people is at risk. The Madras High Court on Thursday directed the Tamil Nadu police chief to form a special cell in all police stations to track those making derogatory comments against Constitutional authorities on social media and take necessary action. Justice M Dhandapani passed the order on a bail petition by Maruthachalam of Coimbatore, who is alleged to have posted defamatory statement against an advocate and a Constitutional authority. He also observed that it was high time the law enforcement agency took necessary penal action against those unscrupulous 'fellows', who misused the social media without evidence. "The officers, who are deputed to the cells be imparted with all crafts and taught the necessary tricks of the trade that are required for tracking the unscrupulous offenders, who post such filthy and derogatory messages/videos in the social media," the court said. Quick and diligent action by such officers would prevent untoward incidents from happening so that the constitutional authorities and other high-ranking officials, both at the Centre and state can discharge their functions in accordance with law without any fear or favour, it added. In a report on the mechanism to nab those posting derogatory messages on social media, the state police submitted that some people were habitually indulging in posting defamatory contents on social media against central and state governments and officials in higher positions. It also suggested that necessary amendments be made to Section 110 of CrPC to direct the offenders to execute bond for good behaviour. Breach of the bond condition can entitle in imprisonment, the report added. After perusing the report, the judge said, "There is neither any proper mechanism relating to the future course of action to be taken against such erring persons, nor the action that is sought to be initiated against such unscrupulous elements have been stated." "Unless the menace is curbed with iron hands, it is a creeping issue which is spreading its tentacles far and wide and which will eat away not only the healthy and peaceful living of the individuals, but would also put in jeopardy the whole nation... (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Description GIS - 30 January, 2020: Mauritius is hosting t he Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)s Experts Meeting to enhance Intra-Regional Trade and Investment which opened, this morning, at Holiday Inn, Mon Tresor in Plaine-Magnien. The two-day workshop is expected to examine barriers to trade and investment among IORA Member States and identify solutions in order to address them. Delegates from twenty IORA Member States as well as five Dialogue partners attended the workshop which is an initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, in collaboration with the IORA Secretariat. Speaking on the occasion, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mr Nandcoomar Bodha, recalled that at the 17th IORA Council of Ministers in 2017, Mauritius was appointed Coordinator of the Trade and Investment Facilitation, one of the eight priority areas of IORA for enhancing economic cooperation among Member States. He highlighted that it is imperative to remove impediments and barriers to enhance flow of goods, services, investment and technology within the region as it is the cornerstone of achieving sustained growth and balanced development in the region. Today, he added, half of the worlds container ships, two thirds of the worlds oil shipment, more than 50% of the worlds maritime oil trade and, one third of bulk cargo traffic pass through the Indian Ocean. Minister Bodha underlined the necessity of strengthening cooperation and dialogue among Member States to unleash and tap into the economic space of great potentials and opportunities of the Indian Ocean region for the entrepreneurs and business community. According to Mr Bodha, the present IORA meeting offers a unique platform for high calibre professionals in the field of trade and investment to deliberate and come up with practical and well-defined recommendations on how to improve trade and investment within the IORA region. In addition, the Minister pointed out that the world is at a crossroad where all economic fundamentals are being challenged, and climate change is redefining the way of doing business, mode of production and consumption patterns. Therefore, he stated that it is also important to consider strategies, initiatives and policies to promote good practices which are critical for sustainable development among Member States. Speaking about the experts, Mr Bodha stated that they will explore the mechanisms for the enhancement of trade and investment in specific areas namely: trade facilitation, investment facilitation, Small and Medium Enterprises, women economic empowerment and investment in goods and services so as to come up with a Work Plan with clear objectives, allocation of responsibilities, identification of partners and resources, as well as a well defined time frame. As for the representative of the Chair of the IORA, Mr Mohamed Naser A.Hamdani Alzaabi, he pointed out that the IORA meeting will enable Member States to share best practices and experiences to enhance trade and investment within the IORA region, which still faces various challenges. The workshop, he added, will help promote knowledge sharing on policies, programmes, initiatives and best practices that will help address barriers to trade and use existing initiatives and instruments to address them. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his second term in May, Id hoped for a reset of his governments fraught relationship with domestic business and global capital. Eight months later, the stalemates have only multiplied, while the worlds view of the country under his watch has dimmed. Growth has collapsed. The annual budget on Feb. 1 will present another opportunity for course correction. But if the previous budget in July it is presented late in election years is any guide, truth and honesty may rank way below expediency and bravado. Theres no shortage of ideas to fix the economy, provided New Delhi accepts that its facing a crisis. The last budget would have been the right time to press the panic button. However, the newly re-elected government tried to whitewash its funding crunch with outlandish forecasts of tax collection that have fallen badly short. Doubling down on those rosy predictions with an off-budget corporate tax cut cheered the stock markets but worsened the governments revenue shortfall and did nothing for an economy-wide insufficiency of demand. Nominal gross domestic product growth of 7.5% is the slowest in more than four decades. Virtually every industry, from banking and auto to real estate, power and telecom is in disarray. The fiscal space available to fight the slowdown is limited. Broader society, grappling with a multiyear drought in investment and jobs, has been swept up in the frenzy of Modi 2.0s non-economic agenda. Indias 200 million Muslims fear that the Hindu-majority nation is weakening the protections of its secular constitution. Mass protests have erupted against a project that might require 1.3 billion people to furnish documents to prove citizenship. The end result could be discriminatory along religious lines, hurt the undocumented poor, or both. Microsoft Corp.s Indian-born chief executive, Satya Nadella, has expressed his disappointment and financier George Soros has rebuked the government. When Amazon.com Inc. boss Jeff Bezos visited recently to promise more investment, an official from Modis party snubbed the Washington Post owner over the newspapers criticism of the countrys policies. Story continues India is doing some things right. Modi has restarted a privatization program thats been dead for nearly two decades: A white elephant like Air India Ltd. may finally cease being a burden on the taxpayer. Legislation to make layoffs easier so that private firms will undertake labor-intensive work is also welcome, though the likes of Bangladesh and Vietnam have already stolen a march in textiles and electronics. To reclaim the economic goals obscured by a fog of political nationalism, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has to acknowledge that the fiscal deficit of the federal government is around 4.5% to 5% of GDP nowhere close to the 3.3% target for the financial year ending March 31. Theres little chance of that happening. The 2017 goods and services tax has flopped, pushing New Delhi to incur more liabilities outside the budget, for instance by dipping into peoples post-office savings for food subsidies. Without accepting that the GST needs an overhaul, a fair share wont reach Indias states and into the hands of people who can spend it. But fixing the GST isnt something that can be done in the budget. It will require a buy-in from states that are being starved of resources. With many of Indias state governments virulently opposed to what they see as Home Minister Amit Shahs agenda of turning India into a Hindu nation, its unclear if a coordinated effort to stabilize the rudderless economy is politically feasible. Equity markets may be chuffed if Finance Minister Sitharaman does away with a tax on long-term capital gains, though I would be more keen to see a bold recapitalization of the broken shadow banking system. An Indian version of the U.S. Troubled Asset Relief Program, which floated the American economy through the 2008 financial crisis, is needed. As for generating resources in a weak economy, a push to include Indian government debt in global indexes is a good idea, but foreigners will demand even more transparency than local investors. Telling them that the governments debt-to-GDP ratio, currently 46%, will perhaps miss the 40% target set for March 2025 by as many as five years could push borrowing costs higher, and nudge the rupee lower.A safer choice would be to acknowledge an annual fiscal slippage of, say, 0.5 percentage point to 3.8% of GDP for a couple of years and finance the additional budget deficit with money printed by the central bank. That, I suspect, is Indias current ceiling on truth-telling. To contact the author of this story: Andy Mukherjee at amukherjee@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Patrick McDowell at pmcdowell10@bloomberg.net This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners. Andy Mukherjee is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering industrial companies and financial services. He previously was a columnist for Reuters Breakingviews. He has also worked for the Straits Times, ET NOW and Bloomberg News. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Rachel Riley with her baby daughter (Charlotte Emily Gray for From Babies With Love) Countdown star Rachel Riley has celebrated the birth of her baby daughter with some new snaps. The maths whizz, 34, gave birth to her baby girl, Maven Aria, in her bathroom in December, two weeks after her due date. She has released a new set of images with her newborn baby and husband, ex-Strictly Come Dancing professional Pasha Kovalev. Expand Close Rachel Riley, husband Pasha Kovalev and daughter Maven Aria (Charlotte Emily Gray for From Babies with Love) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Rachel Riley, husband Pasha Kovalev and daughter Maven Aria (Charlotte Emily Gray for From Babies with Love) Riley and Kovalev met on Strictly in 2013, and married in a Las Vegas ceremony in 2019. The photos are part of a collaboration with From Babies With Love, a social enterprise baby brand which says it donates all its profits to orphaned and abandoned children. Riley said: As a new parent I feel even more strongly about creating positive change in the world, for my own daughter and for children everywhere. Purchases support more than 7,000 children, including through the charity Street Child, which educates children in the worlds toughest places. After keeping us waiting she came so fast we didnt get to hospital & was born in our bathroom with our amazing doula & wonderful St Marys midwives rushing over to be with us just in time! Shes absolutely perfect & Pasha & I are in newborn bliss. Couldnt be more in love pic.twitter.com/14oO1imyXG Rachel Riley (@RachelRileyRR) December 18, 2019 Its Street Child projects include schemes in Internally Displaced Persons Camps in Nigeria, and a school in northern Uganda for South Sudanese refugee children. Video of the Day From Babies With Love founder Cecilia Crossley said: Id like to thank Rachel for so kindly giving her time to support From Babies With Love and Street Child. The Love collection is at www.frombabieswithlove.org Novak Djokovic paid "huge respect" to old rival Roger Federer Thursday after he swept past the ailing star and into a record eighth Australian Open final to move closer to his 17th Grand Slam crown. In the 50th instalment of one of sport's greatest rivalries, the Serb shrugged off a tentative start to reinforce his recent dominance, showing no mercy to the injury-hit Swiss maestro in a 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, 6-3 win. He will play either fifth seed Dominic Thiem or seventh-ranked German Alexander Zverev in Sunday's final, but it will take a monumental effort to prise another title from the 32-year-old. Of the seven Melbourne finals Djokovic has made, he has won them all. If any extra motivation was needed, winning on Sunday will see the Serb reclaim the number one ranking after Thiem sent Rafael Nadal packing in the last eight. "It's never easy to play Roger. I mean, obviously he was hurting. You could see it in his movement. Respect to him for trying his best," said defending champion Djokovic, who is into his 26th Grand Slam final. "After losing the first set, he got a medical (timeout). He came back and played all the way through. It's unfortunate that he was not at his best." It was the fourth time Djokovic had beaten Federer at the semi-final stage in Melbourne after doing the same in 2008, 2011 and 2016. Federer, the 2018 champion, came into the match carrying a groin injury that he picked up in his five-set, come-from-behind quarter-final win against Tennys Sandgren. He was seen around Melbourne Park before the match with tape on his upper right leg and there were even rumours that he might pull out. But that is not in the 38-year-old's nature -- he has only ever given up four walkovers in his long career and has never retired in more than 1,500 matches, facts that Djokovic said were "amazing" and deserved "huge respect". - Power and finesse - Djokovic was clear favourite after beating the third seed in every Grand Slam meeting since Wimbledon 2012, but in their 50th career clash it was Federer who initially set Rod Laver Arena alight. The opening game, on Federer's serve, lasted six minutes in an indication of what might be in store. Then against the odds the 38-year-old, the oldest man in a Grand Slam semi since Jimmy Connors in 1991, broke Djokovic on his first service game with an unbelievable backhand passing shot. The edge didn't last long with the Serb immediately hitting back to even it up. But the power and finesse of the Federer game was troubling Djokovic, who was on the back foot and was broken once more to go 4-1 behind. Federer had three break points to make it 5-1, but Djokovic dug deep to fend them off as he clawed back, breaking once more as the Swiss was serving for the set. It went to a tiebreaker which the second seed dominated to pull off a remarkable turnaround in a set that Federer threw away. Federer took a medical timeout at the end of it and he wasn't moving freely in the second set. But he clung on until he fluffed an easy shot at the net to hand Djokovic set point at 4-5 and the Serb cracked a top-quality crosscourt volley to go two sets to one in front. Djokovic was pumped and Federer rapidly running out of steam. When the Swiss star was broken to go 4-2 behind in the third, there was no way back as his rival extended his winning record over him to 27-23. Novak Djokovic is into an eighth Australian Open final after beating Roger Federer BOSTON, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Charlesbank Capital Partners, LLC is pleased to announce that it has completed fundraising for its inaugural Technology Opportunities Fund (TOF or the Fund). The Fund had a $600 million target and received limited partner commitments in excess of its $700 million hard cap. The investor base includes more than 40 institutional investors, with approximately 80% of the capital coming from current Charlesbank limited partners, including pension funds, family offices, financial institutions, endowments and foundations. The Fund will invest in lower middle-market technology-focused companies with enterprise values averaging between $50 million and $300 million. Charlesbank also invests in technology companies through its flagship private equity funds. Established in 1998, Charlesbank is an experienced middle-market private equity firm with a strong history of investing across a range of core sectors and business cycles. TOF will apply the firms disciplined and repeatable investment approach and strong risk management to pursue meaningful value creation. The fund will target key technology sectors including enterprise software, cybersecurity, cloud computing, financial technology, healthcare IT, and technology-enabled services. Charlesbank Managing Directors Hiren Mankodi and Darren Battistoni, who joined the firm in 2018 and have a combined 33 years of technology investing experience, will lead the investment and management of TOF, along with Mayur Desai, a Principal who originally joined Charlesbanks private equity team in 2009. The focused team also includes new hires Bhuvan Jain, Dhruva Kaul, Michael Zirngibl, Nicolo Carrara and Jonathan Page, as well as William Eisenbeis, who is engaged as Advisory Director. These team additions, together with the broader technology investment group for Charlesbanks flagship vehicles, will enable the firm to invest across a broad spectrum of technology-focused companies with the potential for strong risk-adjusted private equity returns. Michael Choe, CEO and Managing Director at Charlesbank, said, The focused strategy that will be pursued by TOF creates significant synergies with our overall strategy as a firm. Together we can invest across the spectrum, targeting investments ranging from $20M of equity up to $500 million in a single technology transaction across applicable Charlesbank funds. Moreover, the technology teams deep pattern recognition is invaluable to our whole portfolio, as technology continues to spur innovation, product development and growth across all of our key verticals. TOF will primarily invest in control-oriented transactions, seeking companies with a defensible business model and predictable financial profile with attractive unit economics. The TOF strategy targets a very compelling investment opportunity as technology continues to reshape and disrupt traditional industries and create new opportunities for private equity value creation, said Mr. Mankodi. With this powerful long-term trend, we see the potential to deliver attractive returns for years to come and are grateful for our investors confidence in us. Mr. Battistoni added, It is gratifying to see the results of leveraging our deep sector focus, broad sourcing and executive network, together with the broader insights generated by the Charlesbank platform. This combination has already yielded three exciting new investments for our debut fund. The Funds 2019 investments include: DoiT International, a provider of public cloud software and managed services; WolfePak Software, a leading provider of ERP software to the oil & gas industry; and HelpSystems, a provider of automation and cybersecurity solutions. In addition to the Technology Opportunities Fund, Charlesbank is currently investing its ninth flagship private equity fund (2018 vintage), capitalized at $3.0 billion in total commitments; the firm also has its Credit Opportunities strategy, which was launched in 2016. This press release is not an offer or solicitation of an offer, or an invitation or inducement, to invest in any Charlesbank Capital Partners fund. No person may invest in any Charlesbank fund except in accordance with and subject to the terms of the applicable fund documentation and applicable law. About Charlesbank Capital Partners Based in Boston and New York, Charlesbank Capital Partners is a middle-market private equity investment firm managing more than $6 billion of capital. Charlesbank focuses on management led buyouts and growth capital financings and also engages in opportunistic credit and technology investments. The firm seeks to partner with strong management teams to build companies with sustainable competitive advantage and excellent prospects for growth. For more information, please visit www.charlesbank.com. Contact: Maura Turner Vice President, Communications and Marketing (617) 619-5457 mturner@charlesbank.com Donald Trumps commerce secretary has predicted the coronavirus will accelerate the return of jobs to the United States, as thousands of newly-confirmed cases of the deadly new disease were reported worldwide. Speaking to Fox Business Maria Bartiromo, Wilbur Ross said every Americans heart has to go out to the victims of the coronavirus and added: So, I dont want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease. But the fact is, it does give businesses yet another thing to consider when they go through their review of their supply chain. Mr Ross went on to list several other viruses and outbreaks, saying: You had Sars, you had the African swine virus there, now you have this: its another risk factor that people need to take into account. China has been hit the hardest by the African swine fever, a deadly pig disease reported to have already cut the countrys hog supply in half. Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Show all 20 1 /20 Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Donald Trump's Cabinet Donald Trump's Cabinet is one the richest in American history, filled with billionaires, conservatives and several career politicians. AFP/Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Mike Pence US Vice President Mike Pence has defended Donald Trump throughout his presidency while walking a fine line to avoid any public involvement in major scandals. AFP/Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Mike Pompeo Secretary of State Mike Pompeo replaced Donald Trump's previous appointment to the post, Rex Tillerson, and has led talks with North Korea in establishing high-profile summits between the president and Kim Jong Un. Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Wilbur Ross Secretary of Commerce Wibur Ross raised controversy when he was accused of falsely claiming to have sold stock in a bank and violated a government ethics agreement. AFP/Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Robert Lighthizer US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has been a fixture in Donald Trump's ongoing trade spat with China. AFP/Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet William Barr Attorney General William Barr replaced Jeff Sessions as the nation's top cop in early 2019 and has refused to commit to recusing himself from the Russia probe despite an unsolicited memo he sent to the Justice Department decrying the investigation. EPA Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Rick Perry Energy Secretary Rick Perry has held his post throughout Donald Trump's presidency despite previously undermining the need for the agency he now leads in past public statements. Ken Shipp / United States Department of Energy Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Betsy DeVos Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has also held her post throughout the presidency, despite major backlash to her apparent undermining of the nationwide public school system and advocacy for charter programmes. Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Steven Mnuchin Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has faced numerous controversies throughout his tenure as the head of Treasury, including costing taxpayers at least a million dollars in travel expenses. AP Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Robert Wilkie Veterans Affairs secretary Robert Wilkie was appointed after Donald Trump's White House doctor Ronny Jackson withdrew over allegations he provided prescription drugs to patients without prescriptions. AFP/Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet David Bernhardt Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt took office in January 2019 after the resignation of Ryan Zinke after previously serving as Zinke's deputy. Before taking office Bernhardt worked for many years as a solicitor for the Department of the Interior. Tami Heilemann / United States Department of the Interior Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Elaine Chao Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao has held her post throughout the presidency and has mostly avoided controversy, despite a report claiming her office has been in frequent coordination with her husband's, Mitch McConnell. AFP/Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Kevin McAleenan Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan took over from Kirstjen Nielsen after she resigned in April 2019. He previously worked as the executive director of the executive director of the Office of Anti Terrorism in the Customs and Border Protection agency United States Customs and Border Protection Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Ben Carson Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson was appointed shortly after Donald Trump took office and raised controversy over an exorbitant furnishing bill for his office. Reuters Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Gina Haspel CIA Director Gina Haspel was appointed in 2018 and faced backlash surrounding her oversight of Guantanamo Bay. Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Dan Coats Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats could be the next person to leave Donald Trump's administration over his refuting the president's claims surrounding ISIS. Reuters Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Sonny Perdue Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has been dogged by ethics questions throughout his tenure and faced controversy when emails showed the agency appeared willing to eagerly work with lobbyists under his leadership. Reuters Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Alex Azar Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar is a former pharmaceutical lobbyist and former drug company executive. Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Mick Mulvaney Acting Chief of Staff and Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney has described himself as one of the most conservative officials in the White House. EPA Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Robert Wilkie Secretary of State for Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie has spent his career on Capitol Hill serving in various roles in foreign affairs and defence. He holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force Reserve. Gene Russell / United States Department of Veterans Affairs I think it will help the accelerate the return of jobs to North America, Mr Ross said about the latest outbreak, adding: Some to US, probably some to Mexico. Ms Bartiromo responded: Oh, thats a good point. Recommended Ross confused why unpaid federal workers are going to food banks It comes as the World Health Organisation was meeting on Thursday to discuss whether to declare the coronavirus an international public health emergency. There have reportedly been more than 7,700 cases confirmed in China alone, and at least 170 deaths. Meanwhile the virus has spread across the globe with more than 6,000 cases worldwide. Believed to have originated from a market in Wuhan, China, the coronavirus causes pneumonia and, in severe cases, organ failure. A senior official said that the state government does not have any option but to cooperate with the NIA. Mumbai: In the wake of the Centres decision to hand over the investigation into the Bhima-Koregaon riot case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh on Wednesday met chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra advocate general (AG) Ashutosh Kumbhakoni. The state government has decided to seek the legal opinion of the advocate general on whether the Centre had reasonable grounds to transfer the case to the NIA. The Union home ministry had sent a letter to Maharashtra director general of police Subodh Jaiswal on January 25, informing him that the Union was taking over the probe. However, the letter has been sent to the law and judiciary department of Maharashtra, seeking its opinion. Meanwhile, Mr Deshmukh has said that he had personally not received the letter. A senior official said that the state government does not have any option but to cooperate with the NIA. Mr Deshmukh said, We have met the AG and apprised him of the letter. We have sought his opinion on what would be the stand of the state if the Centre seeks to transfer the case to the NIA. He added that the chief minister, AG and himself would review the letter and take an appropriate decision. The home minister said that many organisations have met him over the Bhima-Koregaon riot case. They expressed suspicions that the inquiry into the case had been conducted with prejudice and a few people had been falsely implicated in the case while others had been overlooked. He also pointed out that the NCP chief Sharad Pawar, too, had written a letter to the state government seeking the setting up of Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe this matter. A team of researchers from the University of La Rochelle in France have converted albatrosses into de facto surveillance drones as part of a project to gather data on illegal fishing boats in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean. The team traveled to popular albatross nesting locations at Amsterdam Island and Kerguelen Island in the Indian Ocean north of Antarctica, and attached small sensors to 169 albatrosses in a procedure that took about 10 minutes per bird. The sensors weigh 65 grams, or around a seventh of a pound, and were equipped with a GPS receiver, a radar antenna, and a satellite communications monitor to track various boat communication systems. A group of researchers from the University of La Rochelle in France attached sensor devices to 169 albatrosses to gather data about fishing vessels in international waters and search for potentially illegal activity The devices were each powered by a small lithium battery that maintains a charge through a small solar panel, according to a report from ArsTechnica. The albatrosses covered more than 18 million square miles between East Africa and New Zealand, gathering data from more than 600,000 GPS locations. In all, they detected more than 5,000 radar signals from 353 different vessels. More than a third of the boats detected by the birds sensors couldnt be identified. 28 percent had turned off their official communication systems, suggesting the possibility they were trying to avoid detection or were illegally fishing in areas they shouldnt have been. Most commercial fishing vessels use several different communication systems depending on where they are. The first is a Vessel Monitoring System, which allows local authorities to track all guest vessels in their territory. Another is the Automatic Identification System, which allows ships to communicate directly with one another to help avoid collisions or crowding. The team targeted albatrosses from Amsterdam Island and Kerguelen Island, which then flew across some 18 million square miles of ocean territory. AN END TO GLOBAL OVER-FISHING COULD REAP BILLIONS Global profits from fishing could grow by tens of billions of dollars if depleted fish stocks were allowed to recover, the World Bank said earlier this month. Overfishing costs more than $80 billion a year in lost revenues as dwindling supplies require extra effort to find and catch increasingly scarce fish, according to a World Bank study. Millions of people depend on fish to survive, and fish will be vital to feeding the world population that is predicted to reach 9.7 billion people by 2050, the United Nations has said. Due to over-exploitation, however, trawlers must sail further and longer to catch fish, leading to higher costs and lower profits, the World Bank said in a study titled 'Sunken Billions Revisited.' Advertisement Illegal fishing vessels often keep one or both of these systems turned off to avoid detection during illegal activity. However, these vessels can often still be identified by searching for their radar signals, which is almost always left on to scan for obstacles and fish populations in the waters around them. By tracking radar signals, researchers were able to locate specific vessels, then check VMS and AIS records for ships officially documented as having been at or around those specific GPS coordinates. If radar signals suggested a boat was in an area where none was identified in VMS or AIS regions, they considered the possibility of illegal fishing or exchange of potentially illegal catches between vessels. Waters were tuna is commonly fished had the highest percentage of boats with all their main communication systems turned off. After analyzing the data, researchers found that more than one third of boats had turned off standard communication systems, behavior consistent with illegal fishing techniques They found that boats were most likely to have turned off their Automatic Identification Systems in tuna fishing waters. In recent years, several new limits have been placed on tuna fishing in the Indian Ocean and elsewhere to help keep local fish populations from falling below certain levels. In 2016, the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission banned several different fishing techniques, including the use of drones to locate large schools of fish, the use of fish-aggregating devices that attract fish with bright visual markers, and using spotlights to attract fish at night. The team is currently working on expanding the scope of the project and hopes to conduct future missions in Hawaii, the South Atlantic Ocean and more territory around New Zealand. The officer determined that by the time Hurst was brought into the magistrates office for a formal breathalyzer test which is the only admissible test in court Hurst would be under the legal limit, the town release said. Because of this, along with Hursts overall performance during the field sobriety tests and coupled with the fact that Hurst had a sober companion in the vehicle who could drive him home, the officer released Hurst without charging him. The officer was aware that Hurst is a delegate, but neither the officer nor Hurst mentioned this fact at any time during the encounter. Lisa Steinberg, the Director of Leadership Engagement at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation, gives a goodbye hug to a guest at a farewell dinner for Holocaust survivors at the QPlus Hotel in Krakow, Poland on January 28, 2020. Steinberg helped to organize and lead the travel of over 100 Auschwitz-Birkenau survivors and their families as they returned to Poland to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Read more KRAKOW, Poland On Tuesday night in a Krakow hotel, at a farewell dinner for Holocaust survivors, Lisa Steinberg was one of many thanked for making it all happen. More than 200 survivors came to Poland to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camps this week. But even as she was being applauded, Steinberg, 64, was in the back of the room, texting and e-mailing, a hot meal getting cold on her plate. Her husband, Harold Steinberg, had to nudge her. I still have to help get all these people home, she said. Once she finished on the phone, Steinberg sipped a glass of red wine, relaxing, for a moment, as this trip wound down. Excuse me, she said, I need to go hold that baby. Steinberg grew up in Levittown, Bucks County, and attended Neshaminy High School. When the family moved to South Jersey, she graduated from Cherry Hill West, then later lived at Second and Christian Streets in Queen Village, working in the Jewish community in Philadelphia, she said, for 30-plus years. Her official job title at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation is director of leadership engagement, helping raise funds for its endowment. She now lives in Riverdale, N.Y., and works in Manhattan. The foundation raised $1.7 million to help bring survivors and their families 400 people in total to Poland for the anniversary of the camps liberation by the Soviet Red Army on Jan. 27, 1945. In Philadelphia, Steinberg said, the foundation raised $830,000 for its endowment. In Poland, however, she took on a whole slew of tasks, and Wheres Lisa? became a familiar phrase on shuttle vans and tours. She had to move people along, slow them down, and find out where theyd wandered off to. She procured wheelchairs, oranges, even hand-warmers. I got it under control, she said on the phone a few times on the shuttle. Often, she repeated the phrase in person. During Tuesdays tour of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Steinberg was able to take survivors into laboratories where workers were salvaging artifacts, personal items the Nazis took, everything from suitcases to shoes and letters. Much of the foundations endowment is funneled into that project. Steinberg grew emotional watching the lab workers focus so intently on restoring the items, giving them more care than the Nazis ever did when they ripped them from families arms. They are called to their work the way Im called to mine, she said. Its so impressive. The trip to Auschwitz was personal for Steinberg, too, as Harold, 69, was visiting for the first time. He said Berta Cik, his mothers mother, died there, along with other family members. In the Book of Names, a mind-boggling accounting of every Jew killed in the Holocaust thats displayed at Auschwitz, Harold ran his finger down the list. He stood in the room, by the large scrolls, tears pooling in his eyes. "I found them, he said to no one in particular. Later, at the farewell dinner, Lisa called him her best friend. I think he met his grandmother today, she said. As the night came to a close and survivors and family members made their way out into the cold to get into taxis, Steinberg made her last rounds. She hugged, cried a few more times, and yes, had to check her phone every now and then. She found every baby in the room, because she needed to. Tell me, she said, is there anything better after a day at Auschwitz than holding a Jewish baby. Chief Justice John Roberts declined to read a question from Republican Senator Rand Paul on Thursday that would have named the alleged whistleblower. Roberts looked at the card containing Paul's question carefully and then set it aside, saying: 'The presiding officer declines to read the question as submitted.' Paul immediately left the impeachment trial to hold a press conference on Roberts' move. 'I can tell you that my question made no reference to the whistleblower or any kind of person,' the senator from Kentucky said. Chief Justice John Roberts declined to read a question from Republican Senator Rand Paul on Thursday that would name the alleged whistleblower Senator Rand Paul immediately left the trial to hold a press conference Rand Paul holding his question that Chief Justice Roberts wouldn't read He read his question to the press but DailyMail.com is not naming the alleged whistleblower, whose public identity has not been disclosed. Here is Senator Paul's question with the names in it redacted: 'Are you aware that House Intelligence Committee staff ... has a close relationship with ... when at the National Security Council together. Are you aware and how do you respond to reports that ... and ... may have worked together to plot impeaching the president before there were formal House impeachment proceedings?' Roberts - who is tasked with reading senators' questions aloud - had told the lawmakers he would not say the name of the whistleblower during the Q&A session. The person has not publicly identified themselves and is protected by federal law from having their identity revealed. Democrats don't want the whistleblower named publicly to protect the person and several Republicans agree with them. Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell appeared to reassure Roberts the lawmakers would support his position amid reports Paul was going to try to name the person in his question. 'We appreciate the judge reading our questions, and I want to continue to assure him that that level of consideration for him will continue,' McConnell said before the Q&A period began. But Paul made his inquiry and then left the trial to talk to the press. 'I don't know who the whistleblower is,' Paul told reporters. 'My question is not about the whistleblower. My question is about two people who are friends who work together the National Security Council, who are having overheard talking about impeaching the president years in advance of a process that then was created,' he said. He said he was 'still contemplating' trying to ask his question or some other form of his question again. He was asked if he shouldn't be in the trial instead of holding a press conference. 'Yeah, I will be there very shortly. Thanks for the question,' he said. Republican Senator Joni Ernst said it was 'concerning' that Roberts would not read Paul's question. 'That's concerning. I think that all questions need to be considered,' she told reporters during a break in the trial. The Senate is considering closed-door deliberations for its final decision on President Trump Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell could put the chamber in private session to debate whether or not to find the president guilty Senator Joni Ernst told reporters a closed-door session could happen Paul's move got the second day of the Senate question and answer period off to a fiery start. Senators spent nine and half hours asking their final questions on Thursday for a total of 89 inquires to the defense and prosecution. Thursday also saw a first: bipartisan questions. Democratic Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin teamed up with Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins to ask about the Logan Act, which criminalizes negotiation by unauthorized American citizens with foreign governments having a dispute with the United States. The question was in reference to Rudy Giulianis actions in the Ukraine. Later in the day, Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski and Democratic Senator Brian Schatz asked the second bipartisan question, inquiring of both sides what the line is between acceptable political actions and impeachable political actions. Senators had eight hours Thursday to make their inquiries as they prepare for the big question hanging over their heads: will additional witnesses be called. McConnell is expected to begin the debate on the witness issue on Friday and questions remain how that conversation will go. Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski (left) and Lamar Alexander (right) could be the deciding vote on calling additional witnesses Democrats want to call former National Security Adviser John Bolton There are discussions about having a closed-door session for either the witness debate or the final debate on whether or not to acquit President Trump or possibly for both. 'I think they could have closed door deliberations,' Senator Joni Ernst told reporters on Thursday morning. The president's legal team made the repeated argument in Wednesday's 10-hour session that calling witnesses will drag the trial out for months and risks turning the Senate into a permanent court of impeachment, preventing the senators from doing an legislative work. The spotlight - and pressure - shown on the two Republican senators who will make or break the vote: Lisa Murkowski and Lamar Alexander. Alexander said he would announce his decision after the Q&A period was finished. Murkowski cut to the chase by asking why shouldnt the Senate call former National Security Adviser John Bolton to testify: This dispute about material facts weighs in favor of calling additional witnesses with direct knowledge. Why should this body not call Ambassador Bolton? was her inquiry. Deputy White House Counsel Patrick Philbin warned senators whatever decision they made would affect future impeachments and repeated the argument from Trumps team such a move would freeze business in the Senate. He also said Bolton hasnt even confirmed what is reported to be in his forthcoming memoir. Whatever is accepted in this case becomes the new normal for every impeachment proceeding in the future. And it will do grave damage to this body as an institution to say that the proceedings in the House don't have to really be complete. You don't have to subpoena the witnesses that you think are necessary to prove your case, he said. And then this chamber will have to be issuing the subpoenas and dealing with that. He went to warn: It's the entire chamber that is going to have to be sitting as a court of impeachment, and that will affect the business of the chamber. And so I think the idea that something comes out because someone makes an assertion in a book, allegedly. It's only alleged -- it's simply alleged now that the manuscript says that. Ambassador Bolton hasn't come out to verify that, to my knowledge. In his book, according to The New York Times, Bolton claims the president said he was freezing U.S. aid to Ukraine until that country agreed to investigate Joe and Hunter Biden. Trump has denied the charge. Democrats spent their time trying to convince senators to support their cause. 'They make the astounding claim that their case is so good, let them try without witnesses. That wouldn't fly before any judge in America. And it shouldn't fly here either,' Adam Schiff, the lead impeachment for Democrats, told senators. McConnell wants a speedy trial with no witnesses. A vote on the matter is likely to take place Friday. Asked Thursday Morning by ABC News if he feels confident about that vote, he replied: 'I always do.' On Friday, there could be four hours of debate on the witness issue with the time divided evenly between two hours for each side. Republican senators held a private meeting Thursday morning before the trial began to talk about next steps. The big question is what happens if there is a 50-50 tie for witnesses and whether or not Roberts would break the tie. Republican Senator Mike Braun said there was a lot of 'uncertainty' in that scenario but added lawmakers were confident that a simple majority - 51 votes - could over ride any decision by Roberts, the presiding chair in the Senate. 'If there's a tie there's a lot of uncertainty in terms of what happens with presiding officer, especially with the chief justice, and the one technicality I think I'm clear on is that the Senate with 51 votes could override the chair,' Braun said. He said the mood among senators was 'suspenseful.' Trump's defense bluntly threatened that if the Senate votes for John Bolton, the former national security advisor, to give evidence, they would demand Hunter Biden, the whistleblower, Adam Schiff and potentially many more be called too, tying the Senate up for months. Adam Schiff, the head Democratic impeachment manager, continued Thursday to make the case to call additional witnesses White House deputy counsel Patrick Philbin argued the impeachment was an attempt to overthrow the 2016 election Without witnesses, the trial could end as early as Friday. President Trump is expected to be acquitted in the Republican-controlled chamber. It would take a vote of two-thirds of the senators to convict the president. 'We don't have a timeline. I think it's very dependent upon some of the motions that might come up,' Ernst said. Senators have an additional eight hours to ask questions in Thursday's session. A total of 93 were asked on Thursday. The questions focused on the central arguments both sides have been making. Democratic senators asked questions to help the impeachment managers make their case for calling additional witnesses. They want to call acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and former National Security Adviser John Bolton. 'If you make the decision that a fair trial can be conducted without hearing from witnesses, the American people will not accept that,' Adam Schiff said. 'We would like to call our witnesses. We'd like to rely on more than our argumentation. There are few things about this trial that American agree on but one thing they are squarely in agreement on, well, two, they believe a trial should have witness testimony, and they want to hear from John Bolton.' Republicans asked questions to help Trump's lawyers make their case that the impeachment was being done in an attempt to overturn the 2016 election. 'This is really taking the vote away from the American people,' White House deputy counsel Patrick Philbin said. Attorney Eric Herschmann offered a list of Trump's accomplishments as president, including working on the border wall, the strong economy and low unemployment numbers. 'We the American people are happier. And yet the House managers tell you that the president needs to be removed because he's an immediate threat to our country,' he said. 'Maybe if the House managers stop opposing him and harassing him and harassing everyone associated with him, with the constant letters and the constant investigations, maybe we can even get more done,' he added. Republican Senator Susan Collins asked if there was a reason a president could ask a foreign government to investigate an American citizen if no U.S. agency was investigating that person. Phibin argued president's can do what they want. 'Yes, if there was a conduct by a U.S. person overseas that potentially violated the law of that country but didn't violate the law of this country,' he said, adding there could be 'various circumstances where a person had done something overseas but there was a national interest in understanding what they had done.' But Schiff argued the opposite. 'I cannot conceive of circumstances where that is appropriate. It may be appropriate for the Justice Department acting independently and in good faith to initiate investigations. There's a process for doing that,' Schiff said. 'That didn't happen here.' Meanwhile, Alan Dershowitz, one of Donald Trump's lawyers, took to Twitter Thursday to refute interpretations of a comment he made during Wednesday's session where he argued any action taken by the president to benefit his re-election is in the public interest and therefore not impeachable. 'Every public official that I know believes that his election is in the public interest, and mostly you're right. Your election is in the public interest, and if a president does something which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment,' he said during the senators' question and answer period. It was astonishing argument for sweeping executive power made by the famous law professor. But on Thursday Dershowitz disputed the interpretation of his words. 'They characterized my argument as if I had said that if a president believes that his re-election was in the national interest, he can do anything. I said nothing like that, as anyone who actually heard what I said can attest,' he wrote on Twitter. Several Democrats used the social media platform to snap back at him. 'READ THE TRANSCRIPT,' Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich wrote. 'You said as long as the President doesn't commit a crime, he can abuse his power in any way he likes in service of his re-election. He can trade taxpayer aid for foreign interference. He can sick law enforcement on his political rivals. I was there. That's what you said,' Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy tweeted. The issue Dershowitz raised came up in Thursday's questioning and Adam Schiff, the lead House Democratic manager, warned if the Senate acquitted the president, they would be setting a precedent for other presidents to use such tools in their re-election campaigns. 'If you believe that a president can essentially engage in any corrupt activity as long as he believes that it will assist his re-election campaign, and that campaign is in the public interests, then what's to stop a president from tasking his intelligence agencies to do political investigations?,' Schiff said. Alan Dershowitz, one Donald Trump's lawyers, argued any action taken by the president to benefit his re-election is in the public interest Dershowitz gave an astonishing argument for sweeping executive power for President Trump Adam Schiff called Dershowitz's argument 'very odd' The assertion was interpreted any action taken by a president in pursuit of his re-election campaign would not impeachable and nothing a president did would be an abuse of power, which is one of the articles against Trump. Adam Schiff, the lead Democratic impeachment manager, called Dershowitz's argument 'very odd.' 'If you say you can't hold a president accountable in an election year where they're trying to cheat in that election, then you are giving them carte blanche,' he said. 'All quid pro quos are not the same. Some are legitimate and some are corrupt.' The query about quid pro quos and their legality came after Republican Senator Ted Cruz asked: 'As a matter of law, does it matter if there was a quid pro quo? Is it true that quid pro quos are often used in foreign policy?' Dershowitz answered for the president's team, his first time speaking on the Senate floor Wednesday. 'The only thing that would make a quid pro quo unlawful is if the quo were in some way illegal,' he said. 'It would be a much harder case if a hypothetical president of the United States said to a hypothetical leader of a foreign country, unless you build a hotel with my name on it and unless you give me a million dollar kick back, I will withhold the funds. That's an easy case. That's purely corrupt and in the purely private interests,' he noted. Senators started their question and answer session Wednesday with Democrats going straight to John Bolton, the president's former national security adviser they want to testify in the trial. Republicans focused on the legal and technical aspects of impeachment in their first questions. Both in their questions and in the House impeachment managers response, Democrats made the case over and over again to hear from Bolton. Bolton turned the trial on its head when The New York Times published revelations from his forthcoming memoir, 'The Room Where It Happened,' that claimed Trump was with holding nearly $40 million in U.S. aid to the Ukraine until the country agreed to investigate the Bidens. Trump has denied the charge. Democrats made the case for John Bolton to testify in Donald Trump's impeachment hearing But Democrats repeatedly argued senators have a chance to hear from a fact witnesses if they call Bolton. 'The important thing is that you can get a witness who talked to the president firsthand about what the president thought he was doing,' Rep. Zoe Lofgren reminded senators during the proceedings. Schiff reminded senators if they 'have any question about the president's motivation' in with holding U.S. aid to the Ukraine, to subpoena Bolton. 'Don't wait for the book,' he told senators, 'to find the answer for your question.' White House deputy counsel Patrick Phil told senators if they called witnesses, the Senate would be 'effectively paralyzed' for months. 'It's not just a question of, should we hear one witness,' he said. He pointed out it would drag out because in addition to Bolton, President Trump would want witnesses of his own. The president has said he'd like to hear from Hunter Biden and the whistleblower. 'It's not a question of a lot of people talk right now about John Bolton, but the president would have the opportunity to call his witnesses, just as a matter of fundamental fairness. And there would be a long list of witnesses if the body were to go in that direction. It would mean this would drag on for months and prevent this chamber from getting its business done,' he said. He also argued the president needed the confidentiality of his advisers so he could get the best, most candid advice, arguing executive privilege should be respected. 'The president has to be able to be sure that those who are speaking with him have the confidence that what they say is not going to be revealed, that their advice can remain confidential. If it's not confidential, they would temper what they're saying. They wouldn't be candid with the president, and they wouldn't be able -- the president then would not be able to get the best advice,' he said. Passengers on a US government-chartered flight evacuating more than 200 US citizens from coronavirus epicentre Wuhan, China cheered when the plane touched down on US soil. The US Department of State ordered the "safe and expedient ordered departure of US citizens" from the area, where the deadly flu-like respiratory virus has killed 132 people and sickened thousands of others in a dozen countries. The flight carrying diplomats from the American consulate and private citizens was rerouted from its final destination at a Los Angeles-area airport to a nearby military base on Wednesday morning. Confirmed cases of the virus spiked to nearly 6,000 on Wednesday, surpassing the rate of confirmed cases of SARS during its 2000s outbreak that killed more than 750 people in 17 countries. Several Chinese cities are on effective lock-downs as airlines have begun suspending flights to and from mainland China, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised Americans to avoid all non-essential travel to the country. The CDC identified five confirmed cases in the US after all patients affected had travelled from Wuhan. More than 100 people in the US are being medically monitored. 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 Passengers on a US government flight were screened before take off, monitored during the flight, and screened again during a refuelling stop in Anchorage, Alaska, where passengers reportedly broke out in cheers as they entered the country late Tuesday night. The flight continued to California, where a last-minute schedule change diverted the plane from its scheduled stop at Ontario Airport outside Los Angeles to a US military base in Riverside County. Passengers were screened upon arrival at March Air Reserve and will be "temporarily housed", officials said. A statement from the Department of Defence said the base "stands ready" to provide housing to the passengers, and staff with Health and Human Services will transport ill passengers, if any, to a nearby hospital. A CDC statement said: "Our primary objective is to facilitate the safe return of these Americans while protecting the public's health." By PTI NEW DELHI: With the Delhi assembly polls just over a week away, the BJP has upped its ante against anti-CAA protesters at Shaheen Bagh, with a top party functionary on Wednesday saying the national capital will not be allowed to become "Syria". The agitation against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) at Shaheen Bagh began in mid-December following a violent protest against the law at Jamia Nagar. BJP national secretary Tarun Chugh in a tweet alleged that the Shaheen Bagh protesters are trying to create fear in the minds of the people of Delhi by blocking roads. Protesters, most of them women, have blocked the main road connecting areas in south-east Delhi with Noida, posing hardships for locals and commuters, including office goers. "We will not let Delhi become Syria and allow them to run an ISIS-like module here, where women and kids are used. "They are trying to create fear in the minds of people of Delhi by blocking the main route. We will not let this happen. (We will not let Delhi burn). #ShaheenBaghKaSach," Chugh tweeted. This not the first attack on protesters. BJP MP Parvesh Verma on Tuesday raised the spectre of Shaheen Bagh's anti-CAA protesters in their lakhs entering homes to rape and kill women, provoking opposition outrage as the Delhi election chief submitted a report on his remarks to the Election Commission. On Wednesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah asked voters to press the EVM button "so hard" on February 8 that the "shock" (poll result) is felt at Shaheen Bagh. He was addressing election meetings at the Najafgarh and the Beejwasan constituencies for the Delhi polls. Shah, the then BJP president, in a booth level workers' convention in December 2019, had said that his party will form the next government in Delhi highlighting achievements of the Modi government and exposing the failures of the Kejriwal dispensation. Blazing the campaign trail by holding two to three small meetings every day in different constituencies, Shah has attacked the Kejriwal government, alleging that it has not fulfilled its promises. Despite focusing on the CAA and Shaheen Bagh protest, BJP leaders are also talking about local issues. BJP's in-charge for the polls and Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday listed various works of the Modi government in Delhi and accused Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of creating obstacles and delaying schemes and projects, including Metro's Phase IV, the Ayushman Bharat health scheme and the Dwarka Expressway. "The BJP is contesting assembly elections on the issue of development," he asserted. A top BJP officer bearer said, "Our surveys conducted last week, show that three out of four people are favouring the BJP. Currently, we expect to win around 45 seats." He said that the BJP got just over 32 per cent votes in the 2015 assembly polls but this time expects to obtain 10 per cent more votes to win enough seats to form the government. Voting for 70 assembly seats in Delhi will be held on February 8. Results will be declared on February 11. In 2015, the BJP was routed by the AAP, managing to win just three seats. The party is contesting the polls on 67 seats, leaving three to its alliance partners JD(U) and LJP. As our Founding Fathers mandated, when the impeachment trial began 10 days ago, U.S. senators took an oath to "do impartial justice" as jurors at that trial. And as James Madison wrote in Federalist 10, a key principle of impartiality is that No man is allowed to be a judge in his own cause, because his interest would certainly bias his judgment, and, not improbably, corrupt his integrity. Black letter law applies this principle not just to parties, but to anyone who has a direct interest in a case. Ohios Senator Rob Portman has such an interest. Even voting on the rules of the trial, as he did last week, constituted an egregious conflict of interest. Voting to further block witnesses and evidence this week would only double down on the problem, and voting on the ultimate outcome would taint both our senator and the overall trial for the history books. So how does Portman have an interest? Like others, he made initial statements suggesting he had already made up his mind on key facts. But thats just the beginning. Unlike others, his involvement runs far deeper than that. Until several months ago, Portman proudly touted that he founded and chairs the Senates Ukraine Caucus. The senator has been an active participant in Ukraine policy for years calling for the same anti-corruption steps as Vice President Joe Biden did in a 2016 letter, pressing for U.S. aid, and meeting with all the key players in 2019, including President Zelensky and former Ambassadors Yonavovich and Volker. And we learned only last week that in August 2019, his office even requested to know why Ukraine aid had been held up. In short, he had a front row seat as developments unfolded there. But then his entanglement got even more direct, placing him center stage at a pivotal moment of the factual sequence that led to impeachment. On Sept. 12, Portman tweeted that he had called Trump the evening before to ask that the Ukraine aid be released, and that he appreciated the President doing so. He also suggested that Trump had held up the aid because European countries had not been providing sufficient help, a position Portman said he "strongly support[ed]." Weeks later, on the same day that the call summary with Ukraines president was making news, Portman proactively elaborated on this story through a blitz of interviews on Fox News and Fox Business News, as well as through numerous media outlets in Ohio. Story continues Trump later amplified Portmans account, claiming publicly that "I gave the money because Rob Portman and others called me and asked." He, too, cited the lack of European "support" as his excuse for the hold up. And he explicitly touted Portmans statements to boost this narrative "Rob Portman backed me upand theres nobody more honorable than Rob Portman of Ohio." This Portman intervention has become such an important part of the Trump factual narrative that it was referenced in the White Houses Impeachment Brief, filed in the Senate. In that account, Chief of Staff Mulvaney and Vice President Pence were also part of Portmans conversation. The Europe "burden-sharing" argument was also part of the Trump defense teams opening argument to the Senate. But heres the problem: the account appears to have been a simplistic cover story hiding the real reason the money was held up Trumps shakedown of Ukraine to get his desired political investigations and later released. Documents and corroborating House testimony now make clear that the lack of European support was not only not the reason for the hold-up, but that Trumps statements about European support were false. As fact checkers quickly pointed out, Europe has supported Ukraine generously, far more than the United States, and one would assume the chair of the Ukraine Caucus would know that. But even more importantly, the claim that the call from Portman is what pried the money loose is also highly misleading. The tale was far messier than that. A flood of released documents has revealed the tense back and forth between US officials in Ukraine, OMB, the State Department, the Department of Defense, and other administration officials about the illegality of withholding aid authorized by Congress. With questions mounting about Trump flouting the law, the specter of a quid pro quo, an impending fiscal deadline, and the concern that the whistleblower complaint was about to go public, enormous pressure built on the White House in August and early September to release the funds. Testimony and documents show that it was only at this time that the White House started formulating its "Europe burden sharing" excuse to cover for its actions, inquiring only then into data about how much European nations support Ukraine. Finally, on Sept. 11, the dam burst. Congress was notified early in the day that the aid was being released. All of which sheds damning light on the coordinated narrative that, despite urgent calls from so many others, it was a uniquely persuasive phone call from Senator Portman on the evening of Sept. 11 that convinced Trump to release the funds. To put it bluntly, we now know that was a highly misleading cover story debunked by the documents that have come out since, and inconsistent with the actual sequence of events (the call occurred after notification to Congress). Its important to remember the timing of all this because when Portman tweeted about his phone call on Sept. 12, it wasnt yet clear that other documents would come out or witnesses would come forward telling the real story. At the time, with little other information yet public, Portmans narrative conveniently masked all the chaos and illegality with a tidy cover story: concern over Europe had led to the freeze, but Portmans advocacy ended it. Simple. Innocent. And not only was Trump saying it, but so was a senator whom Trump could hold up as a credible witness. But to use the Presidents favorite word, that narrative was a hoax, hiding from sight the White Houses illegal shakedown and the chaos that followed. And now that we know the truth, his participation in this false portrayal begs a series of questions of Senator Portman. President Donald Trump greets Senator Rob Portman on the tarmac at Wright-Patterson Air Force base. If Portman was duped into being a participant in the White Houses effort to cover its tracks, thats important to know, and he should say so. Youd imagine hed want to assure Americans he did not knowingly mislead them. This would also mean that he is at the very least a witness to the impeachable course of action, including an attempt to cover it up with a bogus narrative involving a sitting senator. Whatever conversations Portman had with the White House about the call before, during and after (including when the two were in Ohio together weeks later) could shed valuable light on the overall White House behavior, including the presidents consciousness of guilt, along with Pence and Mulvaney. If Portman wasnt duped, but knowingly advanced the cover story in coordination with that president, Pence and Mulvaney, via multiple and well-timed interviews he has even more questions to answer. And here the conflict of interest is even more egregious, because Portman would have his own reputation to protect by squelching a robust impeachment trial. Either scenario meets the textbook definition of having an interest in the case, and every vote he takes represents a blatant conflict of interest. Consider, for example, Portmans votes last week opposing subpoenaing documents (including information he himself asked for last fall). By hiding these documents, he not only is helping the president cover his tracks, but he also is shielding evidence that might tell us more about Portmans own direct involvement. Same story if he votes against subpoenaing Mulvaney as a witness. Since Mulvaney was apparently in on the phone call on September 11, Portman voting to muzzle Mulvaney also keeps the nature of Portmans own involvement hidden. These examples make it clear that this is not a close call. This is Legal Ethics 101. It would be a sad day for Ohio, now and for the history books, if the person occupying the Senate seat once held by John Glenn and George Voinovich participated in the impeachment proceedings with such an egregious conflict of interest, unique among the Senates 100 members. It would be even worse if his vote were to be the deciding one keeping new evidence or witnesses out of the impeachment trial. Rather than violating his oath of impartiality, and before casting any more tainted votes that both protect the president and himself, Ohios junior senator must recuse, and he should publicly submit to questions about his involvement in and knowledge of the scandal and the intense effort to cover it up. David Pepper is chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party. 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 Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio Sen. Rob Portman should recuse himself from impeachment Burma KNU Denies Targeting Myanmar Military Officer Killed in Mine Blast Part of a road being rebuilt by the military that connects Karen States Papun District and Bago Region's Kyauk Kyi is seen in November 2019. The road runs through areas controlled by the Karen National Union. / The Irrawaddy. CHIANG MAI, ThailandThe Myanmar military has accused the Karen National Union of using an anti-vehicle mine to kill a battalion commander in a targeted attack in Karen States Papun Township on Monday, an allegation the KNU denied. The commander was serving as part of a unit providing security for a road-building project that the KNU opposes. Lieutenant Colonel Aung Kyaw Soe, commander of Light Infantry Battalion No. 708, died when the anti-vehicle mine exploded at 3 p.m. on Jan. 27 near Nat Taung Village in Papun, said Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun, a spokesman for the Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw). The following day, military vehicles transporting goods to security forces and engineers constructing roads in the area were hit by anti-vehicle mine blasts near Muthae Village in Kyauk Kyi Township, Bago Region. The military said the attack damaged a vehicle and its shipment of rice. Brig-Gen. Zaw Min Tun told The Irrawaddy on Thursday, The mine that killed the commander on Monday was planted in the middle of the road and was detonated in a targeted attack. [The KNU] should refrain from such actions. If not, we will have to act for security reasons, he said. He added that at around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday evening, a number of soldiers were injured by mines planted by the KNUs Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) near a Tatmadaw outpost. The Tatmadaws reconstruction of an old road connecting Bago Regions Kyauk Kyi and Karen States Papun, which traverses areas under the control of the KNUs brigades 2, 3 and 5, has caused tensions between the KNLA and Tatmadaw troops since early 2018. The KNU says the road rebuilding project is a violation of the principles agreed in the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), which both the Tatmadaw and the KNU signed in October 2015. The standoff has caused a delay in peace negotiations for the last couple of years. The KNU believes the militarys road reconstruction activities will lead to the deployment of more Tatmadaw troops in the area. The prospect has heightened safety fears among local residents, who have urged that the government, not military engineers, handle road construction work. The roadwork was halted temporarily and resumed on Nov. 11. According to the military spokesman, local Tatmadaw units have held discussions with the KNLAs brigades in the area twice in recent months to clarify the militarys position that its work in the area, including the development of road infrastructure, is aimed at advancing the development of Karen State. Major Saw Ka Leh Doh of KNLA Brigade No. 5 told The Irrawaddy on Thursday that the Tatmadaw needs to take the KNUs views seriously. He denied the Tatmadaws allegation that KNU personnel physically detonated a mine to kill the commander. Brigade No. 5 does not accept the road rebuilding, so they planted anti-vehicle mines. These mines do not hurt those walking over them. They are only triggered by vehicles. Our troops reported that the Myanmar soldiers were hurt while trying to remove the anti-vehicle mines. He added that, as had been discussed at a recent bilateral meeting between the KNLA and military commanders in Kyauk Kyi, If they [the military] want to transport rations for the troops on the other side, they can either walk or use horsesnot vehicles. They do not take what we say seriously. The KNU brigades are based in locations lying between the militarys frontline camps and its bases inside the country. Maj. Saw Ka Leh Doh said, If the Tatmadaw continues to neglect the KNUs demands, the conflict will intensify. Since Nov. 11, military vehicles using the road to transport rations and for administrative purposes have been hit by KNU-triggered mine explosions three times, said the military spokesman. There had also been seven armed clashes, while military troops had stepped on landmines seven times. Military troops had conduced demining operations eight times, he said. Brig-Gen. Zaw Min Tun added that during a meeting in Naypyitaw on Oct. 29, KNU chairman Padoh Saw Mutu Say Poe and Myanmar military commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing discussed the need for all sides to put aside their differences and work together for peace. They discussed avoiding further engagement of ground forces. Road rebuilding in the Papun and Kyauk Kyi areas is not related to military aims, but purely to improve road access, the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services said on Wednesday. The military said it had sent complaint letters to the Joint-Ceasefire Monitoring Committee (JMC) and the KNU via the Bago regional minister for security and border affairs. It said, The Tatmadaw will continue its work toward regional development, security and territorial control. Whereas the Tatmadaw previously submitted such complaints directly to the KNU and through the JMC, following the death of Lt-Col. Aung Kyaw Soe, the military decided to make this weeks mine explosions in the area public. It shows that the Tatmadaw is not pleased with the KNLAs actions, said Dr. Min Zaw Oo, the director of the Myanmar Institute for Peace and Security and an adviser to the Myanmar Peace Commission. The KNU/KNLA also take the position that they are not attacking, he said. Rather, they see the planting of landmines or anti-vehicle mines as defensive operations to deter military troops from trespassing in their areas, he said. At negotiations in Kyauk Kyi early this month, the military agreed to upgrade the existing road, not expand it, said Dr. Min Zaw Oo, adding that the bilateral meeting was positive, as the KNU raised its concerns and the Tatmadaw discussed the aims of its road reconstruction. However, some observers are concerned that this weeks incident within the KNU-controlled area will lead to fresh delays in the recently resumed peace process. But Dr. Min Zaw Oo said he is optimistic that it would not affect the upcoming peace negotiations, as both the KNU and the military are being cautious. Htet Naing Zaw and Lawi Weng contributed to this report. You may also like these stories: Fighting Escalates in Northern Shan State as Peace Conference Looms KIO, Myanmar Peace Team Discuss Truce, IDPs Mine Blast Kills 4 Rohingya Children in Myanmars Rakhine State By PTI BENGALURU: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday said he would leave for New Delhi on January 30 to discuss the much-awaited Ministry expansion with the BJP high command and expressed confidence that the exercise would be completed in a couple of days. He also indicated the possibility of a cabinet rejig and noted that the call will be taken by the party leadership. Speaking to reporters in Belagavi, he said that in the backdrop of ongoing talk in the state that the exercise was getting delayed, he would leave for Delhi tomorrow and meet the party national president JP Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and try to expand the ministry as soon as possible in two or three days. ALSO READ| Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa to discuss Mahadayi water dispute with Union Water Resources Minister To a question on reports that the expansion exercise was scheduled for January 31,he said "I'm going to Delhi tomorrow. If possible, tomorrow or within two days (it will be done), but I will go tomorrow and get it (list of Ministers) cleared." Yediyurappa has been anxiously waiting for the high command's nod to expand his ministry amid intense lobbying by the aspirants. Opposition parties also have been critical of BJP and Yediyurappa over the delay in cabinet expansion, alleging that he was weak and that the administration had collapsed. As the Chief Minister has already made it clear that 11 of the disqualified JDS-Congress MLAs who got re-elected in the bypolls on BJP tickets will be made ministers, lobbying has been on in the party for the remaining ministerial berths. Currently there are 18 Ministers, including the Chief Minister in the cabinet that has a sanctioned strength of 34. Sixteen are vacant. To a question, Yediyurappa said, "Those who have come with us (BJP) in Belagavi district and have won the bypolls, they will all become Ministers and Umesh Katti (eight-time MLA) will also become Minister. "Let's see if Delhi leaders desire to drop one or two (from Ministry), I'm not sure. Let's see what all happens in Delhi during discussions with the high command," he added. Belagavi district, with two Ministers-Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi and Minister for Women and Child Welfare Shashikala Jolle- may get the lion's share in the expansion. With the addition of three defectors who won on BJP tickets in the bypolls- Ramesh Jarkiholi (Gokak), Mahesh Kumthalli (Athani) and Srimanth Patil(Kagwad) and senior party legislator Katti (Hukkeri), the district's tally will increase to six. The Chief Minister however ruled out creating any more posts of Deputy Chief Minister and said that three DCMs who are currently there will continue. "Currently three are Dy CMs (Laxman Savadi, CN Ashwathnarayan, Govind Karjol). They will continue and I will not make anyone else Deputy Chief Minister," he said. Amid talks that at least one more Dy CM post may be created, Health Minister Sriramulu and his supporters have openly expressed a desire for the post. Gokak MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, who played an instrumental role in the collapse of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government and paved the way for BJP to come to power, is also seen as a contender for the Deputy Chief Minister's post. The cabinet expansion will not be an easy task for Yediyurappa as he has to strike a balance by accommodating the victorious disqualified legislators as promised and also make place for the old guard, upset at being "neglected" in the first round of the induction exercise. He also has to give adequate representation to various castes and regions in his cabinet and deal with allocation of key portfolios. The cabinet already has eight Lingayats, including the Chief Minister, three Vokkaligas, three from Scheduled Caste,twoOBCs, one Scheduled Tribe and a Brahmin. Among the winners likely be inducted are three Lingayats, four Vokkaligas and one Kuruba, which will increase the number of Lingayats to 12 (including Umesh Katti) and Vokkaligas to seven. Region-wise, Bengaluru Urban, with four Ministers, and Belagaviand Shivamogga, with two each, have a larger share in the Ministry. With the induction of the newly elected, Bengaluru will get three more Ministers and Belagavi four (along with Katti), which may trigger criticism of regional imbalance in the Ministry. Despite Yediyurappa categorically ruling out induction of defected candidates who were defeated in the bypoll, demands for AH Vishwanath (Hunsur) to be made Minister and disqualified legislator R Shankar who was not given a ticket to contest bypolls, but promised a ministerial post, openly expressing his ministerial aspirations, has added to the Chief Minister's worries. New Delhi, Jan 31 : A Delhi court on Thursday sentenced two men to 20-year jail for kidnap and gang-rape of a five-year-old girl in 2013. Special POCSO judge also directed the convicts to pay Rs 5 lakh compensation to the victim. Sentencing the two -- Manoj and Pradeep -- the court said, "In our society the minor girls are worshipped as goddess on certain occasions. But in this case, the child, who was aged about five years at time of crime, had experienced exceptional depravity and extreme brutality." "The crime against the victim was committed in a most grotesque and revolting manner. It shook the collective conscience of the community," the court said. Additional Sessions Judge Naresh Kumar Malhotra convicted them under sections 366, 342, 376 D, 201, 307, 372(2) of the Indian Penal Code and certain sections of the POCSO Act. On April 15, 2013, the child was kidnapped and gang-raped by the two in East Delhi's Gandhi Nagar. The victim and her family were staying in the same building as the accused. The accused had also inserted foreign objects in her private parts, causing grievous injuries. The minor was found two days later, on April 17, from a neighbour's rented accommodation where the crime took place. She was unconscious and was admitted to Delhi's AIIMS in a critical state. Manoj had allegedly confined the girl in the room for at least two days and raped her. He was apprehended from his in-law's village in Bihar and Pradeep was arrested later. Latest updates on Gandhi Jayanti 2019 "We are thrilled that Alondra Nelson is joining the Mellon Board. As both the leader of one of the world's preeminent research organizations and an accomplished scholar, she brings uniquely rich perspective and insight to the work of the Mellon Foundation," said Mellon Board of Trustees Chair Kathryn Hall. Nelson's wide-ranging interdisciplinary scholarship explores the intersections of science, technology, medicine, and social inequality, focusing on questions of how racial formation and social citizenship interact with emerging scientific and technological phenomena. She is the author of several books, including The Social Life of DNA: Race, Reparations, and Reconciliation after the Genome, in which she identifies how cutting-edge DNA-based techniques are enabling a confrontation with the long and complex legacies of slavery; and Body and Soul: The Black Panther Party and the Fight against Medical Discrimination. She has also written on the history of slavery, genetic genealogy, the "GU272"the 272 enslaved people sold by Georgetown University to finance the construction of the universityand Afrofuturism, which explores the linkages between African Diaspora culture and technology. "Alondra Nelson is a brilliantly innovative scholar and an effective organizational leader. Her intellectual rigor, cross-disciplinary perspective, and leadership experience will enrich Mellon's work in support of the humanities and the arts and their contributions to a just democratic society," said Elizabeth Alexander, President of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. "It is a deep honor to join the Mellon Board of Trustees. For half a century, Mellon has played a vital role advancing higher education, the humanities, and the human sciences, with a thoroughgoing commitment to inclusion and excellence," said Nelson. "This unique mission has never been more critical. I look forward to working with President Alexander and my fellow Trustees in support of this important work." Before joining the Institute for Advanced Study, Nelson was on the faculty of Columbia University, where she served as the inaugural dean of social science for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. She began her academic career at Yale University, where she received the Poorvu Prize for interdisciplinary teaching excellence. Nelson's research has been supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the National Science Foundation. She has been a visiting fellow of the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, the BIOS Centre at the London School of Economics, the Bavarian American Academy, and the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University. In addition to her scholarly work, Nelson has written widely in popular outlets; her essays, reviews, and commentary have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Science, Nature, and on National Public Radio, The New Yorker Radio Hour, and PBS NewsHour, among other outlets. She is currently at work on a book on science, technology, and the politics of ethics in the Obama administration. Nelson serves on the board of directors of Data & Society, The Teagle Foundation, the Center for Research Libraries, and Brotherhood/Sister Sol, a Harlem-based youth development organization, and on the board for African American programs at Monticello. Raised in Southern California, Nelson received her BA in 1994 from the University of California, San Diego, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She earned her PhD from New York University in 2003. ABOUT THE ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION Founded in 1969, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation seeks to strengthen, promote, and defend the centrality of the humanities and the arts to human flourishing and to the well-being of diverse, fair, and democratic societies. To this end, its core programs support exemplary and inspiring institutions of higher education and culture. Additional information is available at mellon.org. SOURCE The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Related Links http://www.mellon.org An unidentified girl walks through a market inside the Kurdish-run al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria where families of Islamic State fighters, including 27 Malaysians, are held, Jan. 25, 2020. Militants linked to Islamic State extremists have launched an ideological campaign to persuade dozens of Malaysians living in Syrian camps to stay and fight to re-establish a caliphate in the Middle East, Malaysias counter-terrorist police chief said Thursday. Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said efforts to repatriate Malaysians from Syria, including women and children, were being complicated by the Islamic State information campaign as IS tries to regain power it lost, after Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces drove its forces out of Baguz in March 2019. Baguz was the last IS stronghold in Syria and Iraq. IS is trying its best to brainwash, control and persuade Malaysians and others that IS will return to power, making some of them reluctant to return home, Ayob told BenarNews. They have gone through a very strong process of indoctrination to believe that their actions are correct [and] based on the hadith, he said, adding that police had received intelligence regarding Malaysians in Syria from the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR. Malaysian police were working with unnamed third parties in the region to reach out to those citizens in Syria and begin the repatriation process, and the Malaysian government would decide whether to allow them to return home, Ayob said. Police identified 56 Malaysians 19 men, 12 women, 17 boys and eight girls who are living in Syrian camps or at large, according to the chief of the Malaysian polices anti-terror wing. IS is attempting to strengthen their ideology at camps where women and children are detained in Syria. We have obtained information that IS is influencing them not to return to their country of origin, Ayob said, according to the New Straits Times newspaper. Previously, 11 women and children told officials they were willing to return, but that number has fallen to nine, he said. Police have identified 10 women, 12 boys and five girls who are living at the al-Hol refugee camp in northeastern Syria. Nine Malaysian men are in the al-Hasakah prison while one is in the Idlib prison. So far, we have not been able to contact them, Ayob told BenarNews, when asked if the Malaysian men wanted to be repatriated. If the men choose to return, they will be detained and investigated for potential criminal charges, Ayob said, adding that the women and children would undergo a special assessment by psychologists. We will find out why they are in Syria, whether they were forced or joined IS. If there is sufficient evidence, the women will be charged as well, he said. 2 men deported, charged In December, two men who were accused of traveling to Syria to commit terrorist acts were charged under Malaysias Security Offenses (Special Measures) Act. Both men could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted. The pair were the first Malaysians to be deported from Syria after Turkish troops crossed the border into Syrian territory in October 2019 to go after Kurdish fighters. Lawyer Hamdan Hamzah who represents one of the suspects, Mohamad Azmer, told a judge that his client wanted the case to be heard by the High Court. The accused had been to Syria. That is the crux of the charge, Hamdan told Judge Saifuakmal Mohd Said at a hearing last month. The accused intents to plead guilty at the High Court. Meanwhile, Ayob said about 120 Malaysians were known to have traveled to Syria since 2014 to engage in terrorist activities, adding that there had been no recent attempts. More than 55,000 suspected militants and their families have been taken to detention centers since IS lost control of its territory, according to the U.N. About 11,000 family members of fighters from almost 50 countries are being held at the al-Hol camp in substandard conditions. About 50 detainees are Malaysians, officials said in December. In addition, Malaysian authorities have arrested 495 people linked to alleged terror activities since 2013, according to government figures compiled by BenarNews. Dozens have been freed but no clear number is available. Nani Yusof in Washington contributed to this report. HYDERABAD: Ministers in Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Raos Cabinet are heaving a sigh of relief following the landslide victory of TRS in the municipal polls. The victory means their ministerial berths are safe. Prior to the municipal elections, KCR had warned that ministers who fail in ensuring victory of the party candidates would be sacked. TRS has won an overwhelming majority of the 120 municipalities and 10 municipal corporations. While ministers are happy, a former minister is said to be in trouble. He is quite likely to face action for encouraging rebels to contest from Kollapur municipality. MLAs are also in a jubilant mood, as the party boss had announced that they would be rewarded with nominated posts based on their performance in the municipal polls. The TRS chief, during the partys extensive executive meeting on January 4 to prepare party cadres and leaders for elections to urban local bodies, warned ministers that they would lose their berths in the cabinet if any of the municipalities or corporations in their respective districts were lost by the TRS. Ministers were quite worried in the beginning as many of the ticket aspirants jumped into fray as rebels after they were denied tickets. They are now a relieved lot with the results being heavily in favour of the ruling party. Initially, there was talk within the party that TRS would face a tough fight from Congress or BJP in Karimnagar, Medchal, Ranga Reddy, Nizamabad, Adilabad, Yadadri-Bhongir, Mahabubnagar and Suryapet districts. However, results went in favour of TRS in these districts too. Though initial trends during counting at Dharmapuri municipality showed that TRS could lose, the ruling party emerged victorious with a one-vote margin. The ex-officio vote enabled social welfare minister K. Eswar to breathe easier. In Kollapur municipality, former minister Jupally Krishna Rao allegedly encouraged rebels to contest on tickets of All India Forward Bloc due to his dispute with sitting MLA B. Harshvardhan Reddy. Reddy had won the 2018 December assembly elections as a Congress candidate but later switched over the TRS. Since then, Jupally Krishna Raos group has been staying away from active politics in Kollapur constituency. Sources in TRS disclosed that when party tickets were being issued, the sitting MLA denied tickets to members of the Jupally group, following which the ex-MLA encouraged rebels to contest from certain wards in the municipality. Following this, TRS won nine wards while the rebels won 11 seats. The TRS still manage to grab the council on the strength of ex-officio votes. As a result, former minister Jupally may find himself on the crossroads. His close associates disclose that he will quit the party soon. [January 30, 2020] Dean McKendrick Joins Counter Threat Solutions As Executive Vice President RESTON, Va., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Reston-based consulting firm Counter Threat Solutions LLC (CTS) announced that Dean McKendrick has joined the firm as its Executive Vice President. McKendrick most recently served as Senior Vice President, National Security Group, at Tyson's Corner-based Preferred Systems Solutions. An accomplished senior executive and 35-year leader in the information technology industry, McKendrick will spearhead growth initiatives as CTS expands its presence in Intelligence, Defense, and Civilian agencies. "We are thrilled to have Dean join our senior leadership team," said CTS President and CEO Theresa Keith. "Dean brings decades of experience managing large-scale technology consulting initiatives; has a well-earned reputation as a subject matter expert in big data analytics and insider threat solutions; and will leverage his government and industry relationships to advance our company's growth and success." McKendrick will oversee CTS business generation and client development, as well as participate in planning and executing the firm's stategic direction. He has a proven track record of providing advanced technology solutions to the Intelligence Community (IC), having successfully managed IC programs for ManTech International and Oracle USA's National Security Group. In addition, McKendrick was responsible for unprecedented growth of the professional services business at Unisys, and has led network and system engineering, software development, and hardware integration teams at STG, DynCorp, and EDS. "I am excited to be a part of this client-centered, growth-oriented company," reports McKendrick. "The firm's leadership team has an exceptional understanding of its clients' challenges and provides innovative solutions and qualified talent to solve complex financial, management, and technical problems." About Counter Threat Solutions Counter Threat Solutions LLC (CTS) is a Woman-Owned Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) consulting company named a 2019 Best Small Company to Work For by Talent Desk. CTS provides mission-savvy subject matter experts to the U.S. Government's Intelligence and Defense communities, as well as innovative financial and IT solutions to its Civilian clientele. Learn more about CTS at ctstruenorth.com or LinkedIn. CONTACT Valerie Passwaiter (703) 987-1584 [email protected] ctstruenorth.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dean-mckendrick-joins-counter-threat-solutions-as-executive-vice-president-300996101.html SOURCE Counter Threat Solutions [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] New Rochelle, NY, January 28, 2020--Novel interventions using virtual reality to aid individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) handle common scenarios may include helping youngsters navigate air travel. This example and more are included in a Special Issue on Virtual Reality Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. Click here to read the full special issue free on the Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking website through February 28, 2020. The article "Virtual Reality Air Travel Training with Children on the Autism Spectrum: A Preliminary Report" was coauthored by Ian Miller, Brenda Wiederhold, PhD, Catherine Miller, and Mark Wiederhold, MD, PhD, Interactive Media Institute (San Diego, CA), Virtual Reality Medical Center (La Jolla, CA), and Speech Tree Therapy Center (Chula Vista, CA). The researchers used an iPhone and Google Cardboard device to deliver the virtual reality intervention once a week for 3 weeks to each child with ASD. At week 4, the children went to the airport for a real-world air travel experience. Both the parents and researchers observed improvement in the children's air travel skills after the intervention and all of the children were able to navigate the real-world airport under their own power. Gregory Kuper, Kate Ksobiech, PhD, Jonathan Wickert, PhD, Frederick Leighton, and Edward Frederick, PhD coauthored the article entitled "An Exploratory Analysis of Increasing Self-Efficacy of Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder Through the Use of Multimedia Training Stimuli." The researchers found significant increases in the participating adults' self-efficacy when a multimedia training approach was used - in this case, video and virtual reality - to teach them a vocational skill. The article entitled "An Auti-Sim Intervention: The Role of Perspective Taking in Combating Public Stigma with Virtual Simulations" describes a study in which a virtual reality tool is intended to reduce the stigma associated with ASD and sensory overload symptoms. Coauthors Melanie Sarge, PhD, Hark-Shin Kim, PhD, and John Velez, PhD, from Indiana University (Bloomington) and Utah Valley University (Orem) exposed a group of college students to a virtual simulation called Auti-Sim, which is intended to simulate the sensory overload of ASD. Compared to students not exposed to Auti-Sim, those that engaged with the virtual simulation showed greater perspective taking, resulting in greater emotional concern, helping intentions, and willingness to volunteer. "From education and training to treatment and assimilation, VR technologies are assisting across a range of experiences to help us better serve those with ASD. With the increasing focus on integrating a neurodiverse population into today's workforce, these new tools can assist us in achieving our inclusionary goals," says Editor-in-Chief Brenda K. Wiederhold, PhD, MBA, BCB, BCN, Interactive Media Institute, San Diego, California and Virtual Reality Medical Institute, Brussels, Belgium. ### About the Journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly online with Open Access options and in print that explores the psychological and social issues surrounding the Internet and interactive technologies. Complete tables of contents and a sample issue may be viewed on the Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking website. About the Publisher Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Games for Health Journal, Telemedicine and e-Health, and Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 90 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website. DES MOINES, Iowa - With President Donald Trump holding a campaign rally here Thursday ahead of the Iowa caucuses, his allies had coalesced around an effort to damage former vice president Joe Biden's prospects in the state that begins the 2020 presidential nominating contests. Republican lawmakers have used the spotlight of Trump's impeachment trial to accuse Biden of corruption, a U.S. senator from Florida is running television ads against Biden in Iowa, and several Trump campaign surrogates have ramped up their attacks against the former vice president as they prepare to fan out across the state in support of Trump's reelection bid. "There is a mountain of evidence to suggest the Bidens' behavior was harmful to the United States," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Wednesday from the U.S. Capitol, where several GOP lawmakers used the impeachment trial's question-and-answer session to insinuate wrongdoing by Biden. Trump's campaign is dispatching Vice President Mike Pence and more than 80 other surrogates to Iowa ahead of Monday's caucus votes. The group includes several Republicans who have launched the most pointed attacks against Biden and his son Hunter during the impeachment process. Trump's rally in Des Moines came on the eve of a critical Senate vote over whether his impeachment trial would include witnesses. The president has used his recent rallies to criticize several of his Democratic rivals, with Biden receiving the lion's share of the attacks. Biden responded Thursday by drawing a sharp contrast with Trump in a speech and with a new television ad, both aimed at highlighting differences in character between the two men and previewing a potential general-election matchup. "In Joe Biden's America, the president's tax returns will not be a secret," Biden told a standing-room-only crowd at an elementary school in Waukee, Iowa, his first of three stops for the day. "Political self-interest will not be confused with national interest. And no one, not even the president of the United States, will be above the law." "Character is on the ballot. America's character," Biden's prepared remarks said. "I do not believe we're the dark, angry nation we see in Donald Trump's tweets." On Thursday, Trump mocked several of his Democratic rivals during a speech that stretched longer than an hour, declaring Biden's campaign "over." "Joe had a crowd so small the other day that they set up a round table," Trump said. Earlier in the rally, he decried the impeachment process as a "deranged, witch-hunt hoax" driven by partisan "rage." After former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi, a member of Trump's impeachment defense team, spent 30 minutes Monday echoing the president's attacks on Biden from the Senate floor, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, bluntly assessed the political impact the broadside could have on the first-in-the-nation caucuses. "Iowa caucuses, folks, Iowa caucuses are this next Monday evening," Ernst told reporters on Monday. "And I'm really interested to see how this discussion today informs and influences the Iowa caucus voters, those Democratic caucus-goers. Will they be supporting Vice President Biden at this point? Not certain about that." Biden, who has denied any wrongdoing, has responded by arguing that Republicans' focus on him signals their fear that he is the strongest candidate to defeat Trump in November. "Joni Ernst just spilled the beans," Biden wrote on Twitter. "She and Donald Trump are scared to death I'll be the nominee. On February 3rd, let's make their day." Biden's campaign has also pushed back against the onslaught, criticizing Republican threats to call Biden and his son as witnesses in Trump's impeachment trial as partisan attempts to interfere in the 2020 race. Trump stands accused of withholding military aid and a critical White House meeting from Ukraine to pressure the Eastern European nation to announce investigations into the Bidens. In her presentation at Trump's trial, Bondi accused Biden of corruptly pressuring Ukraine to fire a prosecutor in 2015 while his son Hunter served on the board of a Ukrainian natural gas company. "Trump desperately wants to impact the outcome of the Democratic primary, dropping into Iowa a few days before the caucus to spread a message of division, discord, and hate," Biden's campaign said in a statement previewing Thursday's speech. "Trump has been trying to prevent Biden from getting the nomination since the moment the VP got into the race, getting himself impeached by the House and tried in the Senate in the process." Biden's campaign also released the new ad, which runs for one minute and is titled "Character." It criticizes Trump's behavior in the White House while describing Biden as a steady leader. "It's said, 'In here is where your character is revealed,' " the ad says, flashing an image of the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. "But it's in life where your character is formed." The ad ran Thursday in Iowa's top five media markets, Biden's campaign said. Although Biden events can resemble classroom lectures on electoral math, the former vice president is wrapping up his Iowa bid by talking less about policy and more about character. Trump, he said Thursday, has led a "culture of cruelty" from the White House. "This is a president who laughs at, insults and demeans other people. He pits us against one another. He traffics in the ugliest lies," Biden said in Waukee. "He's more bully than president. He's more George Wallace than he is George Washington." Several polls have shown Biden leading Trump nationally and in key swing states in a hypothetical general-election matchup. Polling in Iowa shows a close race in the Democratic caucuses, with Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg all vying for a victory on Monday. Trump does not face serious competition in the Republican caucuses, which also take place Monday. His campaign's decision to send more than 80 surrogates into the state is aimed at engaging Trump supporters rather than affecting the outcome of the close Democratic race, said Kayleigh McEnany, a Trump campaign spokeswoman. "We're not there to shape the Democrat outcome," she said. "We're there to showcase the support for the president." Still, many of the surrogates will inevitably highlight the "contrast" between Trump and some of the leading Democrats, she said. During a "Women for Trump" event this month in Des Moines, McEnany and Lara Trump, the president's daughter-in-law, criticized Biden and Sanders as too liberal for the country. Lara Trump is listed as one of the dozens of surrogates the Trump campaign plans to send to various caucus sites to meet with supporters and engage with local media in Iowa. Others include Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and several Cabinet secretaries. Several Republican members of Congress who have been leading defenders of Trump against impeachment will also participate. Among them will be Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Mark Meadows of North Carolina, Matt Gaetz of Florida and Elise Stefanik of New York. "Our Caucus Day operation is just a preview of what is to come," Brad Parscale, Trump's campaign manager, said in a statement this week. "This will be the strongest, best funded, and most organized presidential campaign in history. We are putting the Democrats on notice - good luck trying to keep up with this formidable reelection machine." Some non-surrogates are also seeking to influence the Iowa race. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., began running television ads this week in Iowa accusing Biden of "corruption." The concerted attacks on Biden could end up "rebounding against" Trump and his allies, said Jim Messina, who was campaign manager for President Barack Obama's 2012 reelection bid. "Donald Trump's focusing on Joe Biden has helped Joe Biden during this primary process," he said. "Democrats understand that Trump is worried about Biden. And it helps Biden's electability argument, that he's the candidate who could best beat Donald Trump." - - - The Washington Post's David Weigel in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Cleve R. Wootson Jr. in Waukee, Iowa, contributed to this report. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 17:59:07|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close BEIJING, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- China's efforts to prevent the new coronavirus pneumonia epidemic from flowing out of the country have been proven effective, a Chinese expert said Thursday. So far, the number of confirmed cases reported overseas only accounts for less than 1 percent of the total number worldwide, said Wu Zunyou, an expert on epidemiology at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, at a press conference held by the National Health Commission (NHC). As of Wednesday, China had reported a total of 7,711 confirmed cases while the number of all cases reported outside the country stood at 68. Wu cited the case of a woman in Shanghai who was diagnosed with the virus after returning from a business trip to Germany. Before leaving for Germany, she had spent time with her parents who traveled from Wuhan to see her in Shanghai. Upon learning the information, Chinese health authorities immediately contacted their German counterparts, which helped Germany take effective measures to prevent possible transmissions. "This case shows that the Chinese government is responsible and that China's response to the epidemic has been transparent," Wu said, adding that China is currently enforcing the toughest preventive measures and they are proven effective. "We are confident that we can effectively curb the epidemic and eventually beat it," Wu said. Update: On Thursday morning, France-Antilles was officially liquidated by a tribunal in Martinique. Prior to the decision, the papers in Guadeloupe and Martinique, fearing the worst, ran front page headlines that read, The last pages of France-Antilles. According to staffers, the three overseas territories served by France-Antilles will become the first regions of France not to have a daily newspaper. THREE FRENCH TERRITORIES situated some 4,000 miles from the countrys mainland are about to lose their daily newspapers. France-Antillesa trio of publications serving the islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, in the Caribbean Sea, as well as French Guiana, which sits on the South American continent, just north of Brazilis facing liquidation. Even if it survives, its staff and daily schedule will be pared back. The uncertainty is weighing very heavily on the atmosphere at the paper, Emmanuelle Lerondeau, web editor for the Guadeloupe edition of France-Antilles, says. Its very sad, very morose. France-Antilles was founded as a daily in 1964, and published its first issue that year, with the support of the French state, to coincide with then-President Charles de Gaulles visit to Martinique. In more recent times, it has experienced steep financial difficulties, racking up monthly losses totaling roughly $500,000. It isnt tenable anymore, Lerondeau says. THE MEDIA TODAY: Felicia Sonmez and the tyranny of the social-media policy Some of its travailsdeclining ad revenue, declining circulation, low rates of online subscriptionswill look familiar to local papers the world over. But distancefrom France, and between the papers themselveshasnt helped matters, staffers say. The paper they print on, for instance, is shipped from France, and its cost has risen in recent years. In the autumn, Frederic Verbrugghe, France-Antilless director general, called the papers structurally deficit-making, thanks, in part, to quirks of the territories demography and geography. (Verbrugghe did not respond to CJRs requests for comment.) Sign up for CJR 's daily email In June, the papers woes intensified as the French legal system took an interest in their financial plight. Today, a tribunal will rule on their future. Aude Jacques-RuettardFrance-Antilless only current shareholder who, backed by local investors, has mounted a bid to save the papershad until earlier this week to convince officials that her offer was financially viable. (Jacques-Ruettard is the granddaughter of Robert Hersant, a French media magnate who used to own France-Antilles, as well as Le Figaro and other titles. CJR was unable to reach her for comment, but will update this story should that change.) The French state agreed to support the rescue bid by matching private contributions. However, the last staffers heard, a further $1.4 million was still needed for the deal to be sealed. At time of writing, the staffers didnt know if the deadline had been met. If I want to preserve my family life, I have to stay here in Guadeloupe. And I already know that its going to be very difficult to preserve my journalism career here If the tribunal moves to shut the papers down, at least 200 people will lose their jobs. (France-Antilles has around 240 staffers split across its titles. According to Bernard Dordonne, who works for the smallest of the papers, in French Guiana, some of his colleagues may be spared by an alternative, local takeover bid, should the group as a whole be liquidated.) Even if Jacques-Ruettards plan is accepted, the papers combined payroll would be cut nearly in half. In terms of raw numbers, those layoffs would be more significant than they sound, says Rodolphe Lamy, a journalist with the Martinique edition who also serves as a staff representative. Its the equivalent of 1,000 jobs being lost in mainland France, relative to the population. Its huge for a territory like ours, he says. Were trying to fight as best we can, but we know we dont have the keys to the future. Alternative media work is not readily available in the three territories. And while French national newspapers and magazines accept occasional freelance dispatches from the countrys overseas regions, such work doesnt pay as well as a steady newspaper gig. Those in search of full-time journalism jobs may need to move thousands of miles away in order to find one. Im in quite a delicate situation, Lerondeau says. If I want to preserve my family life, I have to stay here in Guadeloupe. And I already know that its going to be very difficult to preserve my journalism career here, unless I work freelance. Dozens of non-editorial staffers, meanwhile, will find themselves adrift in regions with high unemployment rates, compared to the French average. In particular, youth unemployment in all three territories hovers around or above 50 percent. Jacques-Ruettards plan to save France-Antilles doesnt just involve layoffs. If its accepted, the papers will aim to bring in more revenue from events, audio production, and, in particular, a pivot to digital. The papers in Guadeloupe and Martinique would print only three days per week; the French Guiana edition would become online only. Printing would be centralized in Guadeloupe, meaning some copies would have to be shipped overseas. That could pose problems. If theres a cyclone, theres no boat, Lerondeau says. Sometimes there isnt even a plane. Staffers at the Guadeloupe edition, in particular, have expressed reservations about the plan. We dont know what resources will be allocated to us to build this new economic model, Lerondeau says. Managers havent done market analysis, they havent calculated anything, and so its a gamble on the futurea gamble were not sure we can pull off. Lerondeau worries that cutting back on print would alienate older readers, in particular. In French Guiana, that problem would be particularly acute; internet coverage there is patchy, Dordonne says. Journalists at France-Antilles told me that readers in their part of the world rely on the papers to provide accurate information. Martinique is a small community, and fake news can spread like wildfire. According to Lamy, residents are heavy users of WhatsApp, a prolific vector of junk information. And those who come from the territories served by France-Antilles, Lamy says, risk losing an important link to their homes. Already, Frances overseas regionsscattered vestiges of the countrys imperial heightcan feel isolated from the metropole. Losing France-Antilles would only exacerbate that distance. Whats happening to us is symptomatic of whats happening to papers in mainland France, Lerondeau says. But we have a bigger problem: insularity. The territories, she says, are not really considered to be French. Its unfortunate, but it is what it is. ICYMI: Why did Matt Drudge turn on Donald Trump? 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. A number of airlines say they are halting or reducing flights to China as the country struggles to contain the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus sweeping the country. China has advised its citizens to postpone trips abroad and cancelled overseas group tours, while several countries have urged their citizens to avoid travel to China if possible. The epidemic has killed 170 people, infected more than 6,000 worldwide, and spread to some 15 countries. The following is a list of airlines that have announced changes: - Air France - Air France suspended its three weekly flights to Wuhan on January 24. It said Wednesday that flights to Beijing and Shanghai would be suspended from Friday. - Air India - Air India announced Wednesday that it was suspending service on its Mumbai-New Delhi-Shanghai route effectively January 31, and through February 14. The flag carrier also said it would reduce the number of flights from Delhi to Hong Kong for the next two weeks. - Air KBZ - This Myanmar-based airline has confirmed it will halt flights to the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou from February 1. - American Airlines - American Airlines said it will suspend flights from Los Angeles to Beijing and Shanghai from February 9 through March 27. Flights from Dallas/Fort Worth to Beijing and Shanghai have been maintained, the US carrier said. - British Airways - British Airways said it had suspended all flights to and from mainland China. The airline flies daily from Londons Heathrow airport to Shanghai and Beijing. The airline said it had taken the move following UK government advice against all but essential travel to China. - Cathay Pacific - The Hong Kong-based carrier said it would progressively reduce capacity by 50 percent or more on its routes to mainland China from Thursday through to the end of March. The reduction concerns both Cathay Pacific and its Cathay Dragon subsidiary. - Delta - Delta Air Lines said it was temporarily halving the number of weekly flights connecting the US and China due to significantly reduced customer demand -- from 42 to about 21 per week. The new schedule will be in effect from February 6 through April 30. - Finnair - Finnair, which offers many connections between Europe and Asia, said it would suspend some flights beginning February 5 through most of March after group travel from China was halted. For the moment, it will continue daily flights to Beijing and Shanghai, two daily flights to Hong Kong, and two flights a week to Guangzhou. - Iberia - Iberia announced the suspension of its flight to Shanghai, the only flight they have to China, from Friday. - Kazakhstan - Kazakhstan says it will halt all transport links with China, beginning with road transport on February 1 and flights from February 3. - KLM - From Thursday, KLM will suspend its direct flights to Chengdu and Hangzhou and reduce the number of weekly flights to Shanghai from 11 to seven. From Friday, it will suspend direct flights to Xiamen. - Lion Air - Indonesias Lion Air Group, Southeast Asias biggest carrier by fleet size, said Wednesday it would halt all flights to and from China. The suspension, which affects routes to 15 different Chinese cities, takes effect from February 1 until further notice. Indonesia attracts more than one million Chinese tourists annually and hosts tens of thousands of guest workers. - Lufthansa - German flag carrier Lufthansa is cancelling flights to mainland China until February 9. The Lufthansa group, one of Europes largest airline companies, said the decision also applied to flights run by its subsidiaries Swiss and Austrian Airlines. Each of the carriers will fly to their respective destinations in China one last time to give passengers and crew the opportunity to return to Germany, Switzerland and Austria, the group said in a statement. The Lufthansa group normally operates 73 connections to and from mainland China a week, mainly to Beijing and Shanghai. - Myanmar Airways International - MAI has announced a suspension effective from Friday for charter flights to 10 Chinese cities and was allowing passengers booked on its regular service to Guangzhou to change their travel plans without charge. - Myanmar National Airlines - MNA has said it will halt flights to Hong Kong and Chengdu from Saturday. - SkyUp Airlines - The low-cost Ukrainian airline said it will halt charter services to Chinas resort island of Hainan until March 28. - Ukraine International Airlines - UIA said it would halt services to Hainan until February 24. - United Airlines - US carrier United Airlines said it will trim its services to China from the United States in light of reduced demand in the wake of a US travel warning urging Americans to reconsider non-essential travel. United said certain flights to Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai beginning February 1 through February 8 from three US cities were affected. - Urals Airlines - Russias Urals Airlines, which had already suspended flights to several destinations in China, said Wednesday it was cutting some services to Europe popular with Chinese tourists, including Paris and Rome, because of the outbreak. Some airlines say that for the moment they are not adjusting their operations to China, including SAS and Virgin Atlantic. Theres plenty to do in Connecticut this weekend, starting with a visit from best-selling author Mitch Albom, who will be at Westport Country Playhouse Thursday. Albom will share how he and his wife tried to save the life of a little Haitian girl who was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The intimate event is a benefit for Wilton-based Circle of Care. Rick Springfield kicks off this weekends music Friday with a stripped-down show at College Street Music Hall in New Haven. Blues legend Lurrie Bell has a gig that night, too, at Black-Eyed Sallys in Hartford. A six-year-old, dubbed "The Shirley Temple King," is going viral for his thought-provoking and insightful reviews of the iconic childhood drink. Like many kids, Leo Kelly has taken to ordering a Shirley Temple when going out to eat with his parents. The mocktail is often made with ginger ale, grenadine, and maraschino cherries, and little Leo has become the expert on what makes them great and well, not so great, His Instagram account, aptly named @theshirleytempleking, is filled with videos and photos of his reviews of various Shirley Temples he's tried, and he's quickly gone viral. This is partly thanks to a shout-out from PEOPLE Magazine food editor Shay Spence on Twitter and partly thanks to the fact that his reviews would make any food and drink critic jealous. Leo's favorite Shirley Temple to date comes from Hoodoo Brown BBQ in Ridgefield, Connecticut. He starts all of his videos by saying "Hey guys, it's the Shirley Temple King." In this particular video, he paints a picture of what's going on in the restaurant before diving into his review. "I wish you could smell how good it is in here, but anyways, I'm here to try their version of a Shirley Temple," he says. "As you you can see there's cherries on the outside and inside and there's an American flag. USA!" He ended up giving it a 9.5/10 because there was nothing else to say. It's just a great Shirley Temple. (Video above: This Shirley Temple Cake Is a Serious Throwback) He doesn't always love them though, and in the video Spence posted on Twitter, Leo reviews Longhorn Steakhouse's version of a Shirley Temple, which he knocked for not containing any cherries. Comments on his Instagram posts are wholesome and full of praise for this gem in the food and drink world. "Doin big things Tourists and theme park visitors taking pictures of the large globe in front of Universal Studios Singapore on Sentosa island. (PHOTO: Getty Images) SINGAPORE Tourist attractions in Singapore are taking precautionary measures to guard against the spread of the coronavirus as the republic confirmed ten cases of the new strain, all of whom are Chinese nationals from the central Chinese city of Wuhan. At least 18 countries outside of China have reported cases of infection since the outbreak began in Wuhan earlier this month. Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), which manages major tourist attractions on the island resort of Sentosa, said in response to queries from Yahoo Lifestyle SEA, Thermal scanners to carry out temperature screening have been deployed at the entry points of our casino and attractions. We have increased the frequency of cleaning, disinfection and sanitisation across the resort. Hand sanitisers are available at visitor touchpoints for the convenience of guests. RWS added, We have also proactively reached out to guests, reminding them to observe personal hygiene and pay attention to any respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough or runny nose. Hotel guests feeling unwell are advised to remain in the room, avoid physical contact with others and contact the front desk immediately for assistance. Our frontline employees are on standby to attend to any guests who are unwell and arrange for them to seek medical attention. (Update as of 19 March 2020: RWS has further enhanced its cleaning, disinfection and sanitising procedures, and introduced social distancing measures like limiting visitor loads, spacing out people in ride queues, reducing face-to-face meetings among employees, social distancing at staff cafeterias and split-team working arrangements.) Attractions managed by RWS include the Universal Studios Singapore theme park, S.E.A. Aquarium and Resorts World Sentosa casino. Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS), which manages animal attractions including Singapore Zoo and Night Safari, told Yahoo Lifestyle SEA, WRS is following all actions recommended by the Singapore authorities and has in place a Pandemic Response Plan which includes taking necessary preparatory actions for the safety of our guests and staff. These include increasing the frequency of disinfection in high traffic areas such as ticketing points and park entrances, providing hand sanitisers at various locations and placing reminders to maintain good personal hygiene at all times. Our staff have been briefed to look out for and assist members of public who may feel unwell or exhibit flu-like symptoms. Story continues WRS added that the public health advisory cautioning people to avoid contact with live animals is targeted at outbound travellers from Singapore, and it is safe for visitors to share spaces with the animals at its attractions. The virus is suspected to have originated from a wet market in mainland China and not here in Singapore, said the WRS spokesperson. In such markets, live animals are known to be kept and sold under stressful conditions. The health status and origins of such live animals are also unknown as they are likely to have been taken from the wild. In contrast, animals in zoological institutions like ours live in vastly different conditions where they enjoy good and positive welfare, screening for diseases and state-of-the art veterinary care. We are therefore confident that they are safe for our guests and staff to share spaces with. Both RWS and WRS said they were closely monitoring the situation. Symptoms of the coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 disease, include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and pneumonia in severe cases. (INFOGRAPHIC: Yahoo News Singapore) Click here for stories on the developing COVID-19 pandemic: sg.news.yahoo.com/health Related stories: Coronavirus: 92 Singaporeans flown home from Wuhan Singapore confirms 3 more cases of coronavirus, 10 in total Hong Kong singer Miriam Yeung postpones Singapore concert due to China travel restrictions 3 in 5 Singaporeans fearful of contracting COVID-19: survey On Thursday, January 30, Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) will release its latest earnings report. Here is Benzinga's outlook for the company. Earnings and Revenue Coca-Cola EPS will likely be near 44 cents while revenue will be around $8.85 billion, according to analysts. Coca-Cola EPS in the same period a year ago totaled 43 cents. Sales were $7.06 billion. If the company were to match the consensus estimate, earnings would be up 2.33%. Revenue would be up 25.41% from the same quarter last year. Here's how the company's EPS has stacked up against analyst estimates in the past: View more earnings on KO Quarter Q3 2019 Q2 2019 Q1 2019 Q4 2018 EPS Estimate 0.560 0.610 0.460 0.43 EPS Actual 0.560 0.630 0.480 0.43 Stock Performance Over the last 52-week period, shares are up 20.86%. Given that these returns are generally positive, long-term shareholders are probably content going into this earnings release. Analyst estimates are adjusted higher for EPS and revenues over the past 90 days. Analysts seem to have settled on a Neutral rating with Coca-Cola. The strength of this rating has maintained conviction over the past three months. Conference Call Coca-Cola is scheduled to hold a conference call at 8:30 a.m. ET and can be accessed here. 0 See more from Benzinga 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. WASHINGTON - As the Senate impeachment trial grinds toward a climax, it remains unclear how three Democrats will vote on whether to toss President Donald Trump from office. Sens. Doug Jones of Alabama, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona are all question marks, though theyre widely regarded as likely to vote for at least one of the two impeachment articles. Unlike a quartet of wavering Republicans who could put Trump in peril as lawmakers decide whether to call witnesses and extend the proceedings, the three Democrats votes on whether to acquit him wont likely affect the trials outcome. It seems certain that the GOP-run Senate will lack the 67 votes needed to remove Trump from office, no matter what the trio does. But the Democrats decisions will colour their political careers and this years presidential campaign. If one or more of them votes to acquit Trump even voting against one article of impeachment while supporting the other, which many consider likely it could alienate some Democratic voters, mark their legacies and let Trump spend his reelection campaign asserting that he was cleared by a bipartisan vote. On the other hand, with Republicans now controlling the Senate 53-47, many Democrats arent willing to criticize moderates from swing states for voting in ways that will protect their political futures. All three wavering Democrats come from states Trump won in 2016 and where Democrats struggle to win elections. They have reputations for being independent actors, said Democratic pollster Mark Mellman. I think thats what theyll do here. Thats very tough terrain, Democratic pollster Celinda Lake said of their states. Theyre all people wholl need Republican or independent votes to win, so Im sure theyre thinking about that. Jones and Manchin have said they back their partys effort to call witnesses Trumps former national security adviser John Bolton is a top target while Sinema has not commented. But with just four Republicans now seen as possible votes for witnesses and even that appears to be a tough climb opposition to witnesses by even one Democrat would probably kill that effort and infuriate the party. Anyone who votes against hearing the evidence, witnesses and documents will be judged harshly by history, said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who pointed out that he wasnt singling out members of a particular party. They will be haunted by history. GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Mitt Romney of Utah, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee have all expressed a willingness to consider witnesses. But it is unclear how many of them will vote that way in an initial showdown vote expected Friday. Trump all but taunted the Democrats on Twitter on Wednesday. There is much talk that certain Democrats are going to be voting with Republicans on the Impeachment Hoax, so that the Senate can get back to the business of taking care of the American people. Sorry, but Cryin Chuck Schumer will never let that happen! Trump tweeted, referring to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Asked what hed tell his undecided colleagues, Schumer said, The only message I have is listen to the arguments carefully and make your own decision of conscience. Jones, 65, the only one of the three facing reelection this November, is running in a deep-red state and faces the greatest career risk. Voting to convict Trump could make it harder for him to pick off some Republican voters, while voting to acquit him could anger the Democrats whose votes, contributions and volunteering hell need to win. Jones was noncommittal Wednesday about the outcome of the case , saying he wanted to evaluate the evidence. Now dont go putting some damn headline in there, Still open to acquit. Im open to acquit, Im open to convict, Jones told reporters. I want to hear all the evidence. I want to hear witnesses. Manchin told West Virginia reporters Wednesday that while he wants to hear witnesses, hes undecided about whether to acquit Trump. He said the impeachment article alleging that Trump obstructed Congress by refusing to provide documents or White House witnesses was the weakest of the two charges. But he said the charge that Trump had abused power by pressuring Ukraine to provide dirt on former Vice-President Joe Biden, a Democratic presidential hopeful, was very serious. Manchin, 72, is a former governor and household name in a state where Trump is enormously popular. Now in his 10th year in the Senate and reelected to a six-year term in 2018, it is unclear whether he will run again for public office. As the trial began, Sinema released a statement that shed no light on her views. I will treat this process with the gravity and impartiality that our oaths demand and will not comment on the proceedings or facts until the trial concludes, she said. Sinema, 43, has been in the Senate for just a year but has already cut an unusual profile. Her start in Arizona Democratic politics came on the partys left wing, but she has tried to carve a more moderate profile in the Senate. It was the first winning Democratic Senate campaign in Arizona in three decades. Manchin and Jones have both periodically posted brief videos on social media giving their thoughts on the trial. Manchin spokesman Sam Runyon said the more than 5,200 calls and emails their office had received were divided roughly evenly between constituents who want to remove or absolve Trump. ___ Associated Press writers Matthew Daly and Eric Tucker in Washington and Anthony Izaguirre in West Virginia contributed to this report. TUNIS, Tunisia Tunisian President Kais Saied has tasked Elyes Fakhfakh, a former minister of both tourism and finance, with forming the countrys next government. Saied's nomination of Fakhfakh for prime minister seems to be a response to the calls of young Tunisians. This came after the Tunisian parliament rejected Jan. 10 a government proposed by Habib Jemli, who had been nominated for this task by the Islamist Ennahda party. Jemlis proposed government did not get the required votes of confidence, set at 109 in the 217-seat parliament, which gave Saied the opportunity to designate Fakhfakh. Fakhfakh, an engineer by training, seems an appealing candidate for the Tunisian young people, who launched a campaign calling on politicians to allow the countrys youth to choose the prime minister and Cabinet members. The campaign Yezziyom "Yezzi" meaning Enough in colloquial Tunisian Arabic has gathered more than 6,000 followers since it was launched on social media Jan. 14. After Fakhfakh was chosen Jan. 20, the campaign published a statement to the Tunisian public on its Facebook page, saying young people seek to discuss their ideas about the new government's composition and want to include the largest number of young people possible. On Jan. 16, the campaign's organizers had submitted to the president a list of five people they consider capable of leading the country. In addition to Fakhfakh, who was born in 1972, the list included Shaimaa Buhilal, 29, president of Al-Bawsala Association; former Minister of Communication Technologies and Digital Economy Manji Marzouq, 59; Farah Hashad, 45, a member of the UNESCO Executive Council; and Shiraz al-Talili, 45, a Court of Auditors judge. The movement said it is seeking candidates who are clean and have never been involved in corruption cases to head the government and be members of the Cabinet. Mamdouh Ezzdine, a Tunisian researcher in political sociology at the Palestinian Center for Policy Research and Strategic Studies - Masarat, told Al-Monitor that youth movements are important and have great influence on political life. He noted that young people and the power of social media helped launch the Tunisian revolution that ousted longtime President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011. Ezzdine said that the revolutionary spirit lives on among the country's youth, who are greatly affected by soaring unemployment rates. During the third quarter of 2019, unemployment reached 15.1%, according to the National Institute of Statistics. Tunisian young people are no longer turning to traditional politics via traditional political parties to voice their demands, but to social media, where they are demanding actual participation in the countrys political course, he added. If elected, Fakhfakh would be the second-youngest prime minister in the history of Tunisia, following the current caretaker prime minister, Youssef Chahed, who is 45. Fakhfakh is a member of the center-left Ettakatol party, which is not represented in parliament. He also ran in the presidential election of Sept. 15, 2019, but did not get more than 11,000 votes out of about 3.4 million voters. Sadok Mtimit, political science professor at the University of Tunis El Manar, told Al-Monitor the emergence of such youth movements indicates the dwindling influence of the traditional political parties that failed to live up to the young peoples aspirations and demands. He believes those parties are no longer able to add anything new to the political arena. Murad Farah, head of the regional branch of the Global Young Leaders Organization in Kasserine, told Al-Monitor, The president responded to the demands of the youth by tasking Fakhfakh." He added that young people contributed to Saieds rise to power and that Saied will have an active role in leading the country through the post-revolution transitional period and will support the nascent democratic experience in Tunisia. Fakhfakh, in his bid to assemble a coalition government, has the support of the Democratic Current, which has 22 seats in parliament, and Long Live Tunisia, with 14 seats. He is opposed by the powerful Ennahda party, which has 54 seats, and Ennahda's rival Heart of Tunisia Party, with 38 seats. Both those parties believe Fakhfkahs government will not win a parliamentary vote of confidence. As per the Tunisian Constitution, the designated prime minister will have 30 days to form a government and win the confidence vote. If the government fails to secure the simple majority in parliament, Saied would be forced to dissolve it and go for fresh elections. Ghazi al-Shawashy of the Democratic Current told Al-Monitor the youth campaign is effective and considers Fakhfakh the right person for the job. Shawashy said his party will take into account the demands of the youth and support Fakhfakh in forming the government. (CNN) France is to ban the controversial practice of shredding live male chicks by the end of 2021, agriculture minister Didier Guillaume announced in Paris on Tuesday. Billions of male chicks are culled around the world by industrial farmers as they are considered redundant by both egg and poultry producers. Egg producers use cockerels only for insemination while poultry producers favor hens for meat, as they grow faster. As a result, male chicks are routinely culled by being thrown, live, into shredders though some farmers suffocate them in bags or gas them to death. Announcing the ban, Guillaume said "nothing will be like it was before" in poultry farming after the end of 2021. "We want to move forward, there's no going back. The government is committed to it," he said at a press conference. "The aim is to oblige firms to do this by the end of 2021. We need to find a method that works on a large scale." He also said France would ban the practice of castrating young, male pigs without anesthetic. "The ministry is going to publish regulatory texts in the next few weeks to move towards the banning of painful practices in farming husbandry," he added. In reaction to the news, Maxime Chaumet, general secretary of the poultry trade body Comite National pour la Promotion de l'Oeuf, told CNN more research was needed to find an alternative method to shredding. "We understand and take note of what the minister of agriculture said. However, we currently have no other method available. We have no solution to date. "So at the end of 2021 we hope that we will have a solution," he told CNN. "Machines will be needed," he added. "A two-year time period is quite short, but the minister is well aware of this. They need to accelerate the research process because at the moment it's looking like a complicated ban." In 2015, Germany was the first country to announce a ban on the mass killing of chicks, but last year a German court ruled the controversial practice would remain legal until farmers could access technology to determine the sex of a chick while still an embryo, which would enable them to destroy unwanted eggs before hatching. The German government told CNN it had invested 5 million ($5.5 million) in ovo sex determination technology -- also called "Seleggt technology" -- to enable farmers to do this. It said the technology would be available this year, at which point the mass killing of chicks would become illegal. British animal rights organization The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has previously said that while the idea of maceration and killing of chicks by gas can be "distressing," both methods "can offer humane methods of euthanasia, as long as they are carried out correctly by trained, competent staff." This story was first published on CNN.com "France to ban mass shredding of live chicks" [January 30, 2020] Global Online Food Delivery Market and Last Mile Delivery Market 2020 Segmentation By Services, Key Player's Competition, Comparative and Competitive Analysis, Future Developments, Growth, Forecast Report Dallas, Texas, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Online Food Delivery Market 2020-2024 Online food delivery is a courier service in which a restaurant, store, or independent food delivery company delivers food to a customer. Online food delivery service is basically a courier system in which delivery agents deliver food from restaurants to the customers. The food delivery service is not a new concept. Earlier there was vendors who used accept the orders on phone call. Now a days websites and mobile applications have been developed for the same. The introduction of online food delivery system has been a convenient addition, which has not only reduced long queues, but has also decreased the waiting time for ordered food delivery. Because of the efficient services and customer satisfaction, the online food delivery system has already been accepted all over the globe. As millions of customers across the world have shown that it is more preferable for them to get food at home delivered rather than going out to eat, industry growth rates have been increased exponentially. Request a sample of this report @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/4196463 Global Online Food Delivery Market Segment by Companies, this report covers Domino's Seamless Pizza Hut Papa John's Eat24 Postmates DoorDash Cavlar Ube's Eats Delivery.com Browse Complete Report @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/reports/index/global-online-food-delivery-market-2019-by-company-regions-type-and-application-forecast-to-2024 Global Online Food Delivery Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers North America (United States, Canada and Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia) South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia) Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa) Global Online Food Delivery Market Segment by Type, covers Delivery Takeaway Global Online Food Delivery Market Segment by Applications, can be divided into Family Non-Family Make an enquiry of this report @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/enquiry-before-buying/4196463 Acquisition and partnerships are the prominent factors that key players in the market rely on to help boost their growth in the market. On the back of its popular elder sibling Uber, Uber Eats was Launched in year 2014 after that the company did astonishingly well across the globe. The company was one of the toughest competitor to the local vendors. Recently it acquired by zomato. Surge in the food & beverage industry and rise in internet penetration coupled with increase in the working population are some of the factors driving the growth of global online food market. The increasing on mobile phoe also supports online food delivery market growth. Big food outlets denying to adopt this system along with the potential technical and infrastructural issue is one of the challenge obstructing the growth of this market. Lack of loyal customers and too much competition also act like threats. Along with that the factors driving the growth especially in the emerging nations are Technological breakthroughs and infrastructural improvements. Table of Contents 1 Online Food Delivery Market Overview 2 Manufacturers Profiles 3 Global Online Food Delivery Market Competition, by Players 4 Global Online Food Delivery Market Size by Regions 5 North America Online Food Delivery Revenue by CountriesContinued Part 2: Global Last Mile Delivery Market 2020-2025 Market Overview The global Last Mile Delivery market size is expected to gain market growth in the forecast period of 2020 to 2025, with a CAGR of 8.5% in the forecast period of 2020 to 2025 and will expected to reach USD 51510 million by 2025, from USD 37150 million in 2019. Request a sample of this report @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/4177166 The Last Mile Delivery market report provides a detailed analysis of global market size, regional and country-level market size, segmentation market growth, market share, competitive Landscape, sales analysis, impact of domestic and global market players, value chain optimization, trade regulations, recent developments, opportunities analysis, strategic market growth analysis, product launches, area marketplace expanding, and technological innovations. The major players covered in Last Mile Delivery are: UPS Supply Chain Solutions, Nippon Express, Kuehne + Nagel, DHL Supply Chain & Global Forwarding, DB Schenker Logistics, FedEx, CEVA Logistics, XPO Logistics, SF Express, GEODIS, DSV, Toll Holdings, J.B. Hunt (JBI, DCS & ICS), GEFCO, YTO Express, Hitachi Transport System, Agility, Expeditors International of Washington, Panalpina, China POST, ZTO Express, Yusen Logistics, Sinotrans, C.H. Robinson Worldwide, STO Express, Dachser, etc. Among other players domestic and global, Last Mile Delivery market share data is available for global, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa and South America separately. Global Info Research analysts understand competitive strengths and provide competitive analysis for each competitor separately. The fastest delivery of goods from a transportation hub to the final delivery destination is called as last mile delivery. Mostly personal residence is given as the final delivery address. Fastest delivery of the items to the end user is the main goal of last mile logistics. Minimizing the time to complete delivery while decreasing supply-chain costs is achieved by being closer to the customer. While trying to cut costs, businesses are competating with each other to develop new technologies and experimental supply chain models to expedite deliveries, delight customers and increase parcel volume. Delivering items on the same day is one of the biggest challenge and expense for last mile shipping. Local, non-professional couriers who use their own transportation to make deliveries are contacted by logistics partners, retailers, consumers by using the crowdsource technology. Browse the complete report @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/reports/index/global-last-mile-delivery-market-2020-by-company-regions-type-and-application-forecast-to-2025 Global Last Mile Delivery Market segmentation Last Mile Delivery market is split by Type and by Application. For the period 2015-2025, the growth among segments provide accurate calculations and forecasts for sales by Type and by Application in terms of volume and value. This analysis can help you expand your business by targeting qualified niche markets. By Type, Global Last Mile Delivery market has been segmented into B2C, B2B, etc. By Application, Global Last Mile Delivery has been segmented into 3C Products, Fresh Products, Others, etc. Stocking, and management of warehouse, inventory planning, dispatch, and deliveries are the activities involving manual labor that the logistics services have been dependent on. Automation increases the efficiency of services and save time of service provided by the firms by helping in optimizing the processes. Advanced solutions such as automated loading & unloading systems have already been installed by many warehouses. Increase in customers demand for fastest delivery possible, amalgamation of innovative technologies into existing systems are the factors driving the last mile delivery market. The growth of last mile delivery market in the coming years is expected to be obstructed by the inappropriate structure of parcel deliveries and transportation mode. With customers are looking for highly personalized retail experiences, the online retail market is developing rapidly and the growth in the e-commerce industry across the world, market is continuously growing. Make an enquiry of this report @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/enquiry-before-buying/4177166 Competitive Landscape and Last Mile Delivery Market Share Analysis Last Mile Delivery competitive landscape provides details by vendors, including company overview, company total revenue (financials), market potential, global presence, Last Mile Delivery sales and revenue generated, market share, price, production sites and facilities, SWOT analysis, product launch. For the period 2015-2020, this study provides the Last Mile Delivery sales, revenue and market share for each player covered in this report. Table of Contents 1 Last Mile Delivery Market Overview 2 Company Profiles 3 Market Competitions, by Players 4 Market Size by Regions 5 North America Last Mile Delivery Revenue by CountriesContinued About Us: Orbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customized reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialization. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients. Contact Us: Hector Costello Senior Manager Client Engagements 4144N Central Expressway, Suite 600, Dallas, Texas - 75204, U.S.A. Phone No.: +1 (972)-362-8199 ; +91 895 659 5155 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] In what the plaintiffs lawyers are calling the largest cash settlement ever resolving a privacy related lawsuit, Facebook has agreed to establish a fund of $550 million to pay Facebook users in Illinois claiming the social media giants facial recognition feature violated their privacy under Illinois law. The plaintiffs alleged that Facebook collected biometric information in the form of face prints, for the purpose of supporting its face tagging feature, without their permission in violation of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act. Facebook has denied any wrongdoing and argued that users could opt out of the feature. However, during a quarterly earnings call yesterday, Facebook Chief Financial Officer David Wehner confirmed the settlement and cited the settlement one driver behind the firms higher legal expenses. The settlement must still be approved by the U.S. District Court in San Francisco presiding over the case. While Texas and Connecticut also have laws regulating biometrics, Illinois has a one-of-a-kind biometric privacy statute under which consumers may sue for monetary damages. The law allows for $1,000 in damages for each negligent violation and $5,000 for each intentional or reckless violation. Google is facing similar suits under the Illinois law. Last July, Facebook paid a record-breaking $5 billion fine levied by the Federal Trade Commission to end a probe into its privacy practices. The company promised to revamp its approach to privacy. We currently have more than 1,000 engineers working on privacy-related projects and helping to build out this program, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told analysts yesterday. Facebook reached the settlement with three law firms representing the plaintiffs: Chicago-based Edelson, the first to allege potential violations of the Illinois Biometrics law by Facebook and other companies, along with Labaton Sucharow and Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd. The cases were consolidated and transferred to the U.S. District Court in San Francisco. The three firms have been jointly litigating the case for nearly five years. In August, in a 3-0 decision, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco rejected Facebooks effort to undo the class action suit. The case was then returned to U.S. District Judge James Donato in San Francisco for a trial. Attorney Jay Edelson said battles over biometrics along with geolocation will define privacy rights for the next generation. We hope and expect that other companies will follow Facebooks lead and pay significant attention to the importance of our biometric information, he said. This is a tremendous victory for the class, said Michael Canty, with the law firm Labaton Sucharow. Here, Illinois enacted a statute not to thwart innovation, but to protect individuals privacy. As technology advances, corporations must be mindful of the privacy of their customers and more importantly, comply with the law. This case should serve as a clarion call to companies that consumers care deeply about their privacy rights and, if pushed, will fight for those rights all the way to the Supreme Court and back until they are justly compensated, added Paul Geller of Robbins Geller law firm. The case is In re Facebook Biometric Information Privacy Litigation, 15-cv-03747, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California (San Francisco). Topics Claims USA Illinois Ireland is confident of securing seats for its citizens on a French evacuation flight from China, Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has said (Niall Carson/PA) Ireland is confident of securing seats for its citizens on a French evacuation flight from China, the Government has said. Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said the Republic would do everything necessary to contain any potential risk of the spread of coronavirus. A small number of Irish citizens in the low single figures have sought help through the embassy in Beijing, he added. I am confident that we can support any Irish citizen anywhere in ChinaSimon Coveney Mr Coveney said: We have spoken to our French colleagues and we are hopeful and confident that we can secure a seat on planes that would take Irish citizens who want to leave out. Then, when they arrive back in Europe, they will have to go through the appropriate health measures to ensure that they are not carrying infection and their healthcare needs are being looked after as they should be. The minister was in Waterford in the south east, canvassing for next weeks General Election, and said there was no evidence that any Irish citizen had contracted the virus. He added that efforts were being made to help those with concerns. China - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade https://t.co/R0dk4zqSrU Simon Coveney (@simoncoveney) January 30, 2020 We are working on that process and I am confident that we can support any Irish citizen anywhere in China, but particularly in the region concerned, he said. We can support them if they want to leave, we can find a way of getting them out, working with other EU countries who are more than happy to help. No commercial flights from the coronavirus-affected region of China are available but EU states are co-operating to make special arrangements, Mr Coveney added. YEREVAN. Hraparak daily writes: PAP [Prosperous Armenia Party] leader [and tycoon MP] Gagik Tsarukyan has been under the magnifying glass of the authorities for a long time; criminal cases are filed against the director of his company, they are inspecting [his] businesses. However, there is information that the authorities are going to apply tougher tools against the leader of this opposition force, given that new political processes and dissatisfaction with the authorities are budding in the country. The PAP leader probably foresees that prospect, and [therefore] it is not accidental that although there was no sitting in the NA [National Assembly] yesterday, he came to the parliament and stressed in a briefing with journalists that he considers it impermissible to drag families into politics. The Ondo State Government may have spent not less than N179.2million in the treatment of persons infected with Lassa fever in the state since the outbreak of the disease in January. This is even as the death toll in the state has increased from 16 to 20 persons in the last week. At the outbreak of the disease earlier in January, 84 persons were infected by the virus with 16 persons dead. But the states Epidemiologist, Stephen Fagbemi, confirmed on Wednesday that the record is now 20 dead and 112 cases recorded. The Ondo State Government has blamed the increase in the reported cases on the entrants of patients from neighbouring states who wanted to benefit from Ondos free treatment. We are having a high figure because Ondo State is the only state that the treatment of Lassa fever is free of charge, Wahab Adegbenro, the Ondo State Commissioner for Health, said. I think we are having people coming from other areas for free treatment. The areas of high prevalence include Akoko South-West, Ose, Owo, Akure South and Ondo West Local government areas. Mr Adegbenro told PREMIUM TIMES in a telephone conversation on Thursday that it was costing the state government N1.6million to treat a patient. With 112 persons current undergoing treatment, the cost of treatment would come to N179.2million. Mr Adengbero, however, said the state government was getting support from some donor agencies which had made it possible for the state to deliver treatment free of charge. The government spent the same amount in treating patients when the disease broke out last year. A total of 115 cases were recorded in 2019 with 21 deaths. It is the same amount we are spending in the treatment of the cases, Mr Adegbenro said. The amount covers drugs, feeding and other needs of the patients. The governor, Rotimi Akuredolu, and the heads of relevant agencies held an emergency meeting to review the situation and came up with measures to stem the spread of the disease. At the time, it was reported that medical facilities at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, and other facilities in Akure, the state capital, were already overstretched. Mr Fagbemi had given a detailed breakdown of the situation after the meeting with the governor. The meeting also involved local government chairpersons from Ondo North and Central senatorial districts at the governors office in Akure. Mr Fagbemi said the fatalities were because the cases had reached advanced stages before they were presented at the hospitals. READ ALSO: He said some patients were still hospitalised, while some others had been treated and discharged. Earlier, Mr Akeredolu advised local government chairpersons in the state to deploy cleaners to markets and public places while residents should maintain a high level of hygiene to curtail the spread of the Lassa virus in the state. Advertisements He had lamented that the disease had continued to reoccur in the state due to the unhygienic practices of residents in the affected communities. He said the government had deployed the necessary resources and manpower to track the disease, urging the residents to adopt recommended health measures to ensure the end of the disease. See the 1.5 -ton fire spitting Daijayama dragon, and more than 40 different groups perform at Honolulu Festival, March 8, 2020. The Honolulu Festival is a platform for cultural groups of all ages and origins-- from remote areas of their countries, to local talent here Hawaii -- to share a part of their heritage through music, dance, and special presentations," said Hiroyuki Keith Kitagawa, Honolulu Festival Foundation The Honolulu Festival, a diverse celebration of Asia-Pacific cultures, people and traditions will excite Honolulu with cultural performances, the magnificent Waikiki Grand Parade, and spectacular Nagaoka Fireworks show, March 7-8. The Honolulu Festival is a platform for cultural groups of all ages and origins-- from remote areas of their countries, to local talent here Hawaii -- to share a part of their heritage through music, dance, and special presentations, said Hiroyuki Keith Kitagawa, president of the Honolulu Festival Foundation. The festivals mission is to promote cultural understanding and ethnic harmony among all people. This years theme is Making the World a Better Place for Our Future, from the Pacific to the World. Hundreds of cultural performers from countries such as Australia, Japan, the Philippines, China, Taiwan, South Korea, and the US mainland, will be joining groups from Hawaii in a showcase of diversity in music, dance, food and art. Events will take place in Honolulu at four locations the Hawaii Convention Center, Ala Moana Center, Waikiki Beach Walk, and International Marketplace. Free Cultural Performances, Sake & Food Fest, and Film Festival, March 7-8 The free cultural indigenous performances begin March 7 at 10 a.m., at the Hawaii Convention Center and the other performance venues. On the first floor of the Hawaii Convention Center, attendees can enjoy a plethora of cultural exhibits, including the Ennichi Corner with games and activities for children as well as a craft fair with more than a hundred booths. Activities for the festival continue on the third floor with the Japanese Film Festival which features a tribute screening for Kyoto Animation Studio, as well as a pop-up planetarium in partnership with Bishop Museum. For attendees 21 and older, the inaugural Sake & Food Fest is a must-try activity at the Hawaii Convention Center. The exhibit features a learning experience of how to enjoy Japanese-made alcohol and includes samplings of a variety of sake, shochu and awamori (an alcoholic beverage made in Okinawa). On Sunday, March 8, the Honolulu Festival starts at 8 a.m. with the Honolulu Rainbow EKIDEN (running relay races) at Kapiolani Park. Attendees are also encouraged to visit the craft fair and other stage performances continuing at the Hawaii Convention Center, as well as the other venues. Magnificent Waikiki Parade and Spectacular Fireworks Show Conclude Festival Two of the most highly anticipated events, the Waikiki Grand Parade and Nagaoka Fireworks Show, conclude the festival on March 8. Starting at 4 p.m., whimsical floats, hundreds of spirited dancers, and live cultural exhibitions will parade along Kalakaua Avenue through the heart of Waikiki. The parade concludes with the showstopping 1.5-ton fire spitting dragon Daijayama. Culminating the weekend celebration, the spectacular Nagaoka Fireworks show will illuminate the skies with sparkling pyrotechnics above Waikiki Beach beginning at 8:30 p.m. The Honolulu Festival is made possible by the nonprofit Honolulu Festival Foundation with the support of generous community and corporate sponsors and Hawaii Tourisms Community Enrichment Program. The Honolulu Festival Foundation supports educational and cultural programs for the benefit of Hawaiis schools, children, and community-at-large through public outreach and charitable efforts. For more information, please visit http://honolulufestival.com. Photos can be accessed at the photo archive. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Harya S. Dillon and Ibrahim Kholilul Rohman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 30, 2020 Following months of violent turbulence, the winds of change cannot come soon enough to Garuda Indonesia Airlines. After showing Gusti Ngurah Ari Askhara the door over an alleged Harley-Davidson smuggling last December, the publicly listed national flag-carrier took off last week with Irfan Setiaputra, a seasoned corporate executive, as its new president director and Triawan Munaf, the former head of the Creative Economy Agency, as chairman of the board of commissioners. State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir made it clear that the first order of business for the new management would be to restore good corporate governance and the companys image. Garuda went through some jolting turbulence year last year. In June, the Financial Service Authority caught the company window-dressing its 2018 financial statements. The carrier was later fined and forced by regulators to fix and restate its financial report. 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. Most Remain supporters still do not accept Brexit, according to a survey (AP) With just one day to go until Britain finally leaves the EU, it seems most Remainers still have not accepted Brexit. According to a YouGov survey, nearly one in five (19%) of those who support remaining in the EU do not believe Brits really wanted to leave the EU when they voted in 2016. While this figure is a drop from the 32% who answered that way in November 2016, the results nevertheless paint a stark picture into the various stages of grief that Remain supporters still inhabit. Some 16% of respondents said they still felt angry about the result, while a quarter are in the depression stage. The stages of Brexit grief for Remain supporters (YouGov) The survey also shows that, even with Brexit certain to happen on Friday, 3% still believe it can be averted if they put their case to the public. Overall, 30% of the 2,050 adults surveyed say they now accept that Brexit will happen an increase of 10% from 2016. Britain will leave the EU at 11pm on 31 January after the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly to back Boris Johnson's Brexit deal on Wednesday. Read more from Yahoo News UK: EU anthem Ode to Joy tops UK singles charts in latest Brexit battle Nigel Farage launches one final attack on 'bullying' EU British MEP throwing 'Brexit's s**t' party in Brussels to cheer up Remainers MEPs, sitting in Brussels, voted by 621 to 49 in favour of the Withdrawal Agreement, paving the way for Britain to leave on Friday with a deal in place. The vote in Brussels follows the completion last week of the passage of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill through the British Parliament at Westminster. The agreement settles the terms of Britain's departure, including future citizens' rights, the arrangements on the Northern Ireland border and the UK's divorce settlement. Campaigners had hoped to stop Brexit altogether (AP) It also allows for an 11-month transition period, during which the UK will continue to follow EU rules while talks take place on a free trade agreement. Mr Johnson has said he wants a comprehensive deal covering all aspects of Britain's future relationship with the EU, including security by the end of the year. Story continues He has been adamant that he will not contemplate any extension of the transition period beyond the end of 2020. However, senior EU figures have repeatedly warned that reaching such a wide-ranging agreement will not be possible within such a tight timetable. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK A Chinese man diagnosed in Queensland with coronavirus also spent time in Melbourne, and four fellow travellers are now ill and being tested for the disease. Efforts are also underway to track down people who shared the man's Tiger Airlines flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on January 27, flight number TT566. The man came from Wuhan - the Chinese city at the epicentre of the virus outbreak - and flew to Melbourne via Singapore, landing there on January 22. Efforts are also underway to track down people who shared the man's Tiger Airlines flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on January 27, flight number TT566 (stock image) He spent time in Melbourne before flying north five days later. He went to his accommodation but became increasingly unwell and ended up calling an ambulance. Queensland's Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young says eight fellow travellers in a tour group have been tested, and four of them are sick. 'There are eight other people who were in that tour group and they are all currently in isolation in the Gold Coast University Hospital. Four of them are unwell and being tested today,' she told reporters in Brisbane. 'We'll get those results later today. Four of them are well at this time, but will continue to monitor them.' The man who has the virus remains in isolation at the same hospital, in a stable condition. Health Minister Steven Miles said authorities were trying to track down everyone who was on the man's flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast. He said anyone on the flight should contact Queensland Health immediately for advice, but said there was no need for panic. Police are on the hunt for a man who disguised himself with blackface while robbing a bank in Maryland. The suspect walked up to the counter in the PNC Bank in Perryville, near the Delaware border, and passed a note to the cashier at 1pm on Tuesday. Officers identified the suspect as a man in his late 20s or early 30s and approximately 5'0"-5'5". Police are on the hunt for a man who disguised himself with blackface while robbing a bank in Perryville, Maryland, on Tuesday The man was wearing a white coat with a maroon hat and grey gloves. The Perryville Police Department posted on social media asking the public for help in identifying the suspect. They wrote: 'We are seeking the publics help in identifying the below pictured subject. 'This subject is responsible for a bank robbery that occurred on January 28th at the PNC Perryville branch. 'Suspect is described as a white male, with paint on his face, approximately 50-55 and late 20s to early 30s. 'Any information can be directed to Detective Warner at 410-642-3725 or a private message to our Facebook page.' The suspect is still at large, according to police. Sylvester Stallone, 73, has been praised by his fans after showing off a new, un-dyed grey hair look on social media. The Rocky star, who has been wearing a salt n pepper hairstyle for years, shared a selfie video of the transformation with his 11.7 million followers on Instagram yesterday. It has since received almost four million likes. READ MORE: Stress really does turn your hair grey While the video doesnt specifically address the new look, it has certainly been picked up by Stallones followers. The white looks clean on you, wrote one person, while another added: Loving the hair you handsome silver fox!!!! Sylvester Stallone is seen on 29 January 2020 in Los Angeles, California. [Photo: Getty] Sylvester Stallone arrives for the Premiere Of HBO documentary film 'Very Ralph' at The Paley Center for Media on 11 November 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. [Photo: Getty] Other comments included: Looking great, Sly, Wowww you're even more charming with this look.... and I really like your new look! READ MORE: How to go grey gracefully: The women embracing their naturally silver locks Stallone has experimented with different shades in recent months. Earlier this week, he was pictured with a significantly darker look, while last November his hair was dark brown with hints of grey. Hes not the only male celebrity ditching the hair dye. George Clooney, 58, appeared to have gone almost entirely silver when pictured at the Nordic Business Forum in Helsinki, Finland in October last year. The likes of Paul Hollywood, Pierce Brosnan, and John Slattery also work silvery locks. There has also been a trend among female celebrities for ditching hair dye in favour of grey locks from Diane Keaton to Helen Mirren. Earlier this year, Gwyneth Paltrow showed off grey roots with pride at the Golden Globes. Alexandra Grant, the girlfriend of Keanu Reeves, ditched hair dye after concerns over the toxicity of the dyes. Overall, the hair colourants market has fallen in recent years, declining in value by 2% in 2018 according to Mintel with permanent colourants showing the biggest decline, which is said to be a sign of the trend towards ageing naturally, according to Alex Fisher, Associate Director for Beauty & Personal Care at Mintel. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo Style UK: " I am a middle-class white male, says Rafe Spall, the star of Life Of Pi, Black Mirror and recent BBC drama The War of the Worlds, in his gentle south-east London accent. Were meeting at the National Theatres rehearsal studio to talk about his role in the play Death of England, a one-man show which deals with issues of race, grief and bigotry. For me to speak about whether people are getting more racist would be remiss, he continues. I dont experience it. If people of colour say theyre experiencing bigotry, I listen. Ill defer to black or ethnic-minority commentators and intellectuals who say [the medias treatment of the Duchess of Sussex] is racist. Listen to the experts. It never went away of course but the British debate about race and identity has been high in the news agenda recently, particularly with regard to the medias treatment of Meghan Markle. So, given the subject matter of his latest stage role, its interesting to hear Spalls views on the issue, especially as the controversial comments made by fellow actor Laurence Fox on BBC Question Time went viral just a few hours after we met for this interview. In Death of England, Spall, 36, stars as Michael, a young man grieving for his father Alan, a popular east London flower seller, whos recently died of a heart attack. But Alans sudden death also finds Michael reflecting on the deep intolerance of a man he admired yet who happily came out with offensive statements like: England for the English. The writers of the play, Clint Dyer and Roy Williams, are black men talking from the perspective of white racists, says Spall. Thats something Ive never seen before. Theyre looking slightly differently at the nuances in modern racism and peoples characters. The fact that, despite his fathers attitudes, Michaels best friend growing up was a black kid who was practically accepted as part of the family, for instance. And that, even though Michael was brought up to believe in bigotry, someone like him has the opportunity to change. Tackling modern bigotry: Rafe Spall in rehearsals for Death of England / Helen Murray The play also deals with working-class disenfranchisement. As a distressed Michael rails against his family at Alans funeral, he talks about his sister Lisas patronising liberal, leftie uni mates who claim to be down with the working classes but think a council flat [is] destitution. I can understand peoples anger at feeling like theyre being lectured to by people whove had the privilege of a university education then become an op-ed writer or whatever, says Spall. Talking about seizing the means of production to people who are getting by day-to-day and simply want to give their children a better life. Spall, son of well-known actor Timothy Spall, was born in Camberwell and attended a very multicultural New Cross state school. He now lives in west London with his wife, actress Elize du Toit, and their three young children. Overall he says he has a fairly positive view of British society. Im an optimist. I have a deep belief in the inherent decency of human beings. I dropped my daughter at her school close to Grenfell Tower on the morning of the disaster. No words can do justice to how devastating that fire was for those affected. But that morning, really early, before everyone else started getting involved, there were lots of locals bringing bags of clothes and food. Amid the upset and anger of what had happened, seeing them helped me. When the chips are down, people do good. As a lifelong Londoner, Spall feels that one the citys greatest merits is that, despite problems like knife crime, its hugely diverse population generally gets on. I cannot tell you how proud I am of my city. Its ancient but accepting. Its tough and difficult to get around but it gives everyone a chance. If you ever feel bad about the place, look at the beautiful architecture. In any other city, the Natural History Museum would be the best building. Here, theres something similar on every corner. Its great that my children are growing up somewhere that will give them a really varied world view. Fatherhood is another big theme in Death Of England and for Spall its the hardest and most important thing Ive done. It becomes apparent that Alan wasnt an ideal dad in many ways. I think he tried his best, says Spall. He just wasnt able to articulate how he truly felt. Each generation has brought its children up in a different way to how their fathers did. My generation caters to their kids every need. Well see how that comes out. I was raised with a lot of love and a feeling that I could achieve anything. There was a great deal of laughter, too. Im trying to pass that on to my children. Despite being a hugely successful performer in his own right, with some 50 film and TV appearances under his belt, Spall is quick to acknowledge the debt he owes his father for his career. My dad was my drama school. Sitting on the sofa watching him shout at the telly showed me what was good and bad, he says. And lets get real, having a well-known actor for a father helped early on. If youre a casting director with a list of young performers in front of you and one of them is the son of someone famous, youre going to be curious to see their audition, so you get through the door. After that, though, you have to be good or they wont want you in their production. My dads still hugely supportive and we speak all the time about directors, actors and the business. But Ill never call him and say, Ive got this scene, how do I do this? Its always been clear that I get on with acting on my own. Spall, whos never performed in a one-man play before, sees Death Of England as a big challenge. Its going to require certain skills that I dont even know I have. Thats exciting. And its at the National Theatre! When I was growing up dad used to give me 40 a week and Id go and see everything that was on there. Its the Lords of acting. I still get a funny feeling in my stomach going to it now. He currently appears in the recently released US legal-drama movie Just Mercy, and also stars in Apple TV+s first original British comedy Trying, which is out in May. But for now Spall is totally focused on this play. Film acting has its own challenges but Im most proud of my theatre work, he says. It takes a lot of nerve. Its difficult. This play is a big deal for me. It is using every sinew of my being. Its such a simple thing: a shower. But it can do more than just clean off grit and grime. It can lead to a feeling of confidence the confidence needed to apply for a job and get off the street. Something as simple as soap and water can transform a persons life, said Dawn White-Fosdick, executive director of Christian Assistance Ministry, as she addressed the City Council on Thursday. At the meeting, the council approved buying the citys first mobile shower unit, which will provide warm showers to San Antonios homeless community starting in April. To assess the need for a shower unit, an idea first proposed by Councilman Roberto Trevino, the city launched a pilot program in July. On ExpressNews.com: Encampments among topics tackled in third public forum on homelessness in San Antonio The city rented a mobile shower unit and operated it in partnership with Christian Assistance Ministry, a social service provider supported by more than 80 San Antonio churches. The unit was placed at the ministrys campus at 110 McCullough Ave. On Monday, Wednesday and Saturday mornings, homeless people lined up to take 20-minute showers. Homeless shared with us over and over that they were desperate for a shower, White-Fosdick said. While its difficult to document the exact number of homeless in San Antonio, city officials have seen a significant increase in complaints about encampments. And several council members have said there are now homeless people in parts of the city where there werent as noticeable before. Whether there are actually more homeless people in San Antonio or whether they have just been driven out of their usual downtown places by development, city efforts to address the issue have intensified. Last year, the city hired HomeBase, a San Francisco company, to develop a plan for tackling the problem. The company has been conducting public forums to gather information and ideas, researching the citys programs and services and shadowing those directly affected by the issue social workers, police officers and homeless people. The mobile shower is another project seeking to help homeless people get off the streets and back into the community. During the pilot program, 404 people used the unit and took more than 1,400 showers. Its still in use and will continue at the site until the citys unit opens in April. One of the things we did not know that would happen is not only would our clients be clean on the outside, White-Fosdick said, but there was a visible difference in their demeanor and attitude on the inside and outside. They began to regain some of their own self-worth with regular showers, she said. The mobile shower unit the city is purchasing is 16 feet long and 7 feet wide. It will have three shower stalls, one of which meets legal standards for accessibility by disabled people. The unit will cost about $58,500. Operating costs are about $600 a month. A part-time city employee and volunteers from the ministry will oversee the unit. On ExpressNews.com: Working on plan to address homelessness, San Francisco firm arrives in SA The council and Mayor Ron Nirenberg voted to approve the purchase 10 to 1, the lone no vote coming from Councilman Clayton Perry. Perry said that although he was advised by his chief of staff that if he spoke against it he would look like a meanie, he felt it was necessary to speak up. Weve done research on this, and what we found is a lot of cities do provide this, Perry said. But its not with city funds. Its through nonprofits organizations that step up and fund these items, operate them, maintain them and get them out to where they are needed. Like the rented shower used during the pilot program, the new one will be based at Christian Assistance Ministry and will be open each Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. The unit also will be set up at events that serve the homeless and will be taken to homeless encampments. This will help us expand our outreach, said Melody Woosley, director of the citys Human Services Department. There are homeless all over the community. This may be something that helps us engage with them. White-Fosdick said the pilot project helped the ministry build a rapport with the homeless. We were able to have important conversations about who they were, who they wanted to be and what they needed to do to move forward, White-Fosdick said. That started to happen during, and through, this transformative shower process. Trevino added, This program has illustrated the need for dignified solutions, such as providing the opportunity to take care of a basic human necessity cleanliness. sara.cline@express-news.net Brighteye's tailored solutions and modular architecture ensure that clients receive solutions suited to their unique needs LONDON, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on its recent analysis of the European market for manufacturing operations management software (MOMS) for the food and beverage industry, Frost & Sullivan recognizes Brighteye with the 2020 Europe Customer Value Leadership Award for helping customers substantially improve their manufacturing operations. While rapidly expanding its commercial activities beyond Belgium to Spain, France, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine, it is also looking to grow beyond the food and beverage market and into the discrete computer numerical control (CNC) machining factory sector. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1083731/Brighteye_Award.jpg "At the heart of Brighteye's success is Momentum, a cloud-ready MOMS platform that provides an enterprise-level manufacturing execution system as well as warehouse management and advanced production scheduling for optimized manufacturing," said Nandini Natarajan, Industry Analyst at Frost & Sullivan. "Momentum is a highly configurable and multilingual solution, which can customize to organizations' specific needs. Brighteye's unique modular architecture helps customers acquire and implement only the functional capabilities required by the client." Brighteye currently provides 12 application modules, which constitute a comprehensive and fully integrated MOMS solution that empowers customers with data, control, execution, and insights regarding the manufacturing processes. Specifically, these modules present increased visibility into the manufacturing operation performance while significantly lowering manufacturing lead times and cycle times. Furthermore, the modules automatically increase asset utilization, lower unplanned downtime, and improve production scheduling. Moreover, these modules allow customers to increase their compliance with standard processes. Brighteye works relentlessly to meet and exceed the needs of its customers. For instance, it delivers a spectrum of services like a DevOps implementation toolbox, on-site training, an e-learning platform and technical support to help customers optimally utilize its MOMS platform. It aims to triple its team of certified system integrators to provide around-the-clock online support in English as well as vernacular languages across Europe. Furthermore, the company has signed strategic partnerships with various companies within the food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals markets. "Overall, Brighteye's unrivaled expertise, technology insight, and customer-centric approach give it a distinct edge in the European MOMS market, and position it for continued growth," noted Natarajan. Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that demonstrates excellence in implementing strategies that proactively create value for its customers, with a focus on improving the return on the investment that customers make in its services or products. The award recognizes the company's unique focus on augmenting the value that its customers receive, beyond simply good customer service, leading to improved customer retention and customer base expansion. Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry. About Frost & Sullivan For over five decades, Frost & Sullivan has become world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders, and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models, and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion. Contact: Harley Gadomski P: 12104778469 E: harley.gadomski@frost.com About Brighteye As an Independent Software Vendor, founded in 2003 in Belgium, Brighteye maximizes manufacturing momentum across the total production process. We keep businesses moving and let them meet the constant flux in business demand. Brighteye's Momentum software platform digitalizes the entire Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM), often referred to as extended Manufacturing Execution Software (MES) capabilities. The purpose build DevOps toolbox for managing the MOM improvement projects streamlines the work from the international network of certified system integrators like CGI, Agidens, VMA, Reditech, X-tensive, AG Solution, etc. Our solution is shortlisted and recommended by independent consultants and researchers such as Capgemini, CGI, Actemium, ARC Advisory Group and Frost & Sullivan. They endorse our strong MOM vision and unrivaled ability to execute out-of-the box. Brighteye has competence centers in 6 countries, to support both local markets and global roll-outs for international muntinational enterprise clients. To fund the strong international growth, Brighteye partners with PMV - the participation fund of the Flemish Government. Let's gain momentum and contact us. Contact: Stijn Roggeman P: +32 (0)51 26 32 10 E: stijn.roggeman@brighteye.be Bengaluru, Jan 30 : Global software major Infosys on Thursday signed a multi-year contract with Dutch financial giant ABN AMRO Bank to quicken its Cloud and DevOps transformation. "We will continue to leverage our investments in Cloud, digital and DevOps to help the bank achieve agility and optimal business efficiency," Mohit Joshi, President, Banking Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI), Infosys, said in a statement. According to the renewed deal, the $11 billion Bengaluru headquartered company will help the bank achieve business and operational goals by streamlining IT transformation with Cloud platform strategy. Infosys will enable ABN AMRO to shift to a single public Cloud for efficient business operations. Joshi said the joint venture between the companies in mortgage services through Stater has enhanced Infosys' relationship with the bank. However, Infosys did not reveal the deal size. HOUSTON, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- KBR (NYSE: KBR), a leading solutions provider to the civil, military and commercial space industry, will become the first company to train private astronauts at NASA facilities. The company recently signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA Johnson Space Center allowing it to provide human spaceflight operation services to commercial companies. KBR currently holds the only agreement with NASA to provide these services using the agency's facilities and capabilities. Through this agreement, KBR will be able to train private astronauts in a wide variety of spaceflight tasks including operating onboard International Space Station (ISS) systems, integrating into the existing ISS crew, performing routine operational tasks, maintaining health and performance, and responding to emergencies. KBR will also provide medical operations and services prior to, during, and after spaceflights. From mission planning and training to mission execution, KBR will ensure these private astronauts are prepared to fly to the ISS and beyond. The company currently trains and provides medical support to NASA and ISS international partner astronauts and supports all planning and execution aspects of mission operations. KBR will provide its specialized services utilizing its more than 60 years of experience which includes supporting every astronaut since 1968. "KBR has pioneered space travel for more than half a century. We will leverage our domain expertise to assist private astronauts with their human spaceflight activities," said Stuart Bradie, KBR President and CEO. "This historic agreement is a testament to KBR's long standing partnership with NASA. We will continue to work together to propel NASA's mission to fuel a low-Earth orbit economy and advance the future of commercial space," Bradie continued. The agreement directly supports one of five elements of NASA's plan to open the ISS to new commercial and marketing opportunities that will continue the agency's efforts to enable a sustainable low-Earth orbit economy. As was recently announced, KBR will further support this mission by working as a subcontractor to Axiom Space on the first commercial destination module for the ISS. KBR is one of the world's largest human spaceflight support organizations, contributing to every operational aspect of NASA's human spaceflight program. It currently operates at 11 NASA centers and facilities. As part of this work, it executes International Space Station operations, performing 24/7 real-time human spaceflight command and control from the NASA Johnson Space Center Mission Control Center. About KBR, Inc. KBR is a global provider of differentiated professional services and technologies across the asset and program lifecycle within the Government Solutions and Energy sectors. KBR employs approximately 38,000 people worldwide (including our joint ventures), with customers in more than 80 countries, and operations in 40 countries, across three synergistic global businesses: Government Solutions, serving government customers globally, including capabilities that cover the full lifecycle of defense, space, aviation and other government programs and missions from research and development, through systems engineering, test and evaluation, program management, to operations, maintenance, and field logistics Technology Solutions, featuring proprietary technology, equipment, catalysts, digital solutions and related technical services for the monetization of hydrocarbons, including refining, petrochemicals, ammonia and specialty chemicals, as well as inorganics Energy Solutions, including onshore oil and gas; LNG (liquefaction and regasification)/GTL; oil refining; petrochemicals; chemicals; fertilizers; differentiated EPC; maintenance services (Brown & Root Industrial Services); offshore oil and gas (shallow-water, deep-water, subsea); floating solutions (FPU, FPSO, FLNG & FSRU); program management and consulting services KBR is proud to work with its customers across the globe to provide technology, value-added services, integrated EPC delivery and long term operations and maintenance services to ensure consistent delivery with predictable results. At KBR, We Deliver. Visit www.kbr.com Forward Looking Statement The statements in this press release that are not historical statements, including statements regarding future financial performance, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's control that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the outcome of and the publicity surrounding audits and investigations by domestic and foreign government agencies and legislative bodies; potential adverse proceedings by such agencies and potential adverse results and consequences from such proceedings; the scope and enforceability of the company's indemnities from its former parent; changes in capital spending by the company's customers; the company's ability to obtain contracts from existing and new customers and perform under those contracts; structural changes in the industries in which the company operates; escalating costs associated with and the performance of fixed-fee projects and the company's ability to control its cost under its contracts; claims negotiations and contract disputes with the company's customers; changes in the demand for or price of oil and/or natural gas; protection of intellectual property rights; compliance with environmental laws; changes in government regulations and regulatory requirements; compliance with laws related to income taxes; unsettled political conditions, war and the effects of terrorism; foreign operations and foreign exchange rates and controls; the development and installation of financial systems; increased competition for employees; the ability to successfully complete and integrate acquisitions; and operations of joint ventures, including joint ventures that are not controlled by the company. KBR's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, any subsequent Form 10-Qs and 8-Ks, and other U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings discuss some of the important risk factors that KBR has identified that may affect the business, results of operations and financial condition. Except as required by law, KBR undertakes no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason. SOURCE KBR, Inc. Related Links http://www.kbr.com The former state BJP president also took a dig at the Sena leadership for joining hands with the Congress. Mumbai: In an indication that the BJP hasnt given up hope of government formation with its former ally, the Shiv Sena, yet, senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar said that the saffron party is open to forming the government if the Uddhav Thackeray-led party so proposes. Terming the Sena as the BJPs natural ally, Mr Mungantiwar said that if the Sena realises its mistake of walking out of the saffron alliance, the BJP is ready for a patch up. If tomorrow the Sena says it was a mistake to part ways and proposes to form the government, the BJP will have no objection to the Senas proposal," he said. The BJP has no problem in forming the government with any party that adopts the line of thinking of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to protect this country. If the Sena comes with a proposal chalo der aaye, durust aaye (better late than never) subah ka bhoola sham ko laut aayaa (one who realises his mistake) Then the BJP will have no objection to the Senas proposal, he said in Nanded. The former state BJP president also took a dig at the Sena leadership for joining hands with the Congress. The Congresss support to the Sena for government formation is a wonder of the 21st century. With it, Mumbai's once strong Matoshree (the Thackeray home in Bandra) has now weakened, but the Delhi-based Matoshree (reference to interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi) has become stronger, he said. "Both the parties the Sena and the Congress have different principles and stands on issues. They do not match at all. Congress leader Ashok Chavan admitted that both parties came together on the demand of Muslims to keep the BJP away from power, said Mr Mungantiwar. TEHRAN, Iran, Jan.30 Trend: The passing flights through Iran's sky will resume as previously, since all countries know that Iran has the best and most profitable airspace for flying, said secretary of Association of Iranian airlines. "It was certain that the passing flights will be resumed through Iranian sky as the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has withdrawn its recommendations on Iran and Iraq over flights," Maghsoud Asadi Samani said, Trend reports citing ISNA. "It seems the situation will return to the previous status, since international airlines and especially European airlines know that passing via Iran's sky is both safe and economically profitable," the secretary added. "The passing flights are usually done on higher than 30,000-feet latitude; therefore, the EASA statement on avoiding flight on 25,000-feet latitude would not have considerable effect on passing flights," he said. The EASA recommendations to avoid all flights over Iran and Iraq as a precautionary measure, have been withdrawn on Wednesday. Major international airlines canceled or re-routed flights in the Middle East after Iran's attack on the US bases and the crash of Ukraine plane, following which the European Aviation Safety Agency issued warning over flying through Iran and Iraq sky. Air France, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines and Taiwan's EVA Air said they were avoiding the airspace above Iran and Iraq, Singapore Airlines announced that the company would not fly over Iran, and the UAE 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. Ernesto Caballeiro, who police suspect abducted his 7-day-old son after shooting and killing the childs mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, was found dead in a rural wooded area just north of Tampa Wednesday afternoon of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. But the desperate statewide search by law enforcement after the suicide and ghastly triple murder was far from over. Still missing was little Andrew, a child so young that survival on its own for any length of time seemed unlikely, police said. A newborn, obviously without parental care, every minute counts, said Miami-Dade Detective Christopher Sowerby-Thomas. Thats why were reaching out to hospitals, schools and other safe havens. Caballeiro, 49, was found dead just past noon Wednesday in a heavily wooded area about three miles from I-75 near the town of Blanton, just north of Tampa in Pasco County. The white van law enforcement had been searching for was discovered about 50 yards away on the side of the highway. Inside the van, police said, were old receipts and a pacifier. Though there was no sign of Andrew, Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco added a new wrinkle to the manhunt, one that left at least a glimmer of hope that Andrew may still be alive. Police found the truck, he said, after someone called the Pasco sheriffs office about a suspicious vehicle early Wednesday afternoon. The witness, he said, reported that there appeared to be a blond woman inside the truck. A Pasco deputy responded and matched its license plate to the missing vehicle, and K9s were called in and quickly found Caballeiro, 49, about 50 yards from the van. Nocco also reported that an individual told deputies that a blond woman had been spotted in the van. It wasnt clear who that witness was but the sheriff said they were working to verify the report and create a sketch that could potentially help lead to Andrew. I sit here and pray to God that it is true and that she has the baby, said the sheriff. If the woman is out there, please come forward. I promise you that all we care about is that that angel is okay. All afternoon Wednesday law enforcement searched the area near the white van for the child, helicopters flying overhead, investigators searching through and under brush, bloodhounds trying to pick up a scent. But by early evening there was still no sign of Andrew. Blanton is a rural community filled with vast ranches crisscrossed by narrow two-lane roads. The van was found on the side on an old, cracked stretch of Jessamine Road. Crime scene tape and law enforcement vehicles blocked off both sides of the roadway. The Sheriffs Office sent its canines to help search the area. Horse trailers pulled up to unload mounted patrols to search on horseback. As the sun set, a search line formed in a vacant, fenced-in pasture. Sheriffs officials and other searchers walked forward in unison, slowly searching the ground ahead of them. Law enforcement began a desperate statewide search Tuesday after a relative called Miami-Dade police to say they had not been able to get in touch with the infants family. Police went to Caballeiros home and found the three women shot to death with a high-powered rifle and the child missing. Late Wednesday, police identified the dead women as Andrews mother, Ariety Garcia-Valdes, 40; grandmother Isabela Valdes, 60, and great-grandmother Lina Gonzalez, 84. The department said it was trying to piece together the vans travels over the last 36 hours and shared photos of the white utility van that had at least two bumper stickers including one that says FeelTheBern. By Wednesday morning the Florida Department of Law Enforcement had issued a statewide Amber Alert for Andrew, with electronic billboards along roadways featuring the vehicle Caballeiro was believed to be traveling in, a white 2001 Chevrolet Express with the license tag HETY13. Police described the van as having several decals, one that says Nesty School Services and another, Caution: Transporting Children. Though the license plate matched, the van found in Pasco was actually a Ford van. Police said Caballeiro had access to several vehicles and they updated the Amber Alert later in the day. Roads near the Caballeiro home in the Redland just northwest of Homeland were blocked off as helicopters hovered overhead and K9s searched fields, canals and around homes. Caballeiro has owned the four-acre property since 2005, according to Miami-Dade property records. Bill Crawford, whos lived close to the Caballeiro home since 1980, said he only realized something had been going on when he heard the helicopter flying above. He said didnt know much about the family. Everybody sticks to themselves down here, said Crawford. Public records list Nesty School Services as a company owned by Caballeiro that transports students to and from about a dozen South Dade elementary, middle and high schools. Its Facebook page says its licensed and insured. Some of the schools listed on its website include Coral Reef and Robert Morgan Senior High schools and Jack D. Gordon Elementary. Miami-Dade Public Schools spokeswoman Daisy Gonzalez said Nesty is not a contracted vendor with the school system. She said its not unusual for companies to market themselves independently and contract service directly with parents. State records show that Caballeiro has several arrests in Miami-Dade over the years. In 2004 he was arrested for a slew of car thefts and running a chop shop. Caballeiro wound up pleading guilty and accepting probation on a single charge of grand theft. He was also granted a withhold of adjudication, which meant a criminal conviction did not appear on his record. His probation ended in 2006. He also has previous arrests for aggravated assault and loitering, both cases that were dropped. Nocco, the Pasco County Sheriff, said Miami-Dade detectives were on their way to Pasco Wednesday night to help in the search for the child and the investigation into the suicide and murders. He said that Caballeiros truck had about half a tank of diesel fuel left and that investigators were trying to retrace its route. But, said the sheriff, all that was secondary at the moment as the massive search for Andrew continued into the night. Our best hope right now, said Nocco, is that he handed that baby off to somebody. Written by The Miami Herald at www.miamiherald.com and distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. But he thought some limits were needed. There was horrendous chalking this past semester, said Mr. Blair, who is studying industrial design. White supremacist, anti-Semitic, transphobic. BUILD THE WALL and Its ok to be white appeared on sidewalks, students said. Then came what some students called the chalking wars, in which messages were defaced and turned into hate speech. Smash the Patriarchy was crossed out and rewritten as Smash the Hooknose, students said. Eat the Rich became Eat the (((Rich))), with the triple parentheses as a code for Jews. And HH for Heil Hitler appeared next to MAGA. Mr. Blair said that, as a gay man who had experienced discrimination, he believed that speech and symbols could be inherently violent. Maybe we should ban the Confederate flag, he said. A group called Students Against Racism formed last October to combat the chalking and other incidents they perceived as racist. Alexa Rodriguez, a sophomore who helped found the group, cited the mental exhaustion that comes from seeing these types of messages. Nobody seems to know the identities of the perpetrators, who apparently acted at night, sometimes wearing masks, Ms. Rodriguez said. Left-wing students suspect the mischief was wrought by Trump supporters, and conservatives say it may have been sabotage, to make them look bad. Ryan Hurley, president of the College Republicans, said his group was not to blame. Mr. Hurley, a sophomore majoring in business, waited outside the campus bookstore on a recent morning wearing a T-shirt that condemned sex trafficking. He showed off a photo of 800 sticks of chalk, ordered on Amazon, as if it were a cache of ballistic missiles. He would never have written something like HH, he said, adding that he did not even know what it stood for until the chalking appeared. I thought it was Hulk Hogan, honestly, he said. Camilla Parker Bowles reportedly had a hand in Prince Harry and Meghan Markles exit. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their departure at the beginning of the year and are currently back in Canada staying out of the spotlight. While Harry and Meghan plan their next move, anonymous sources claim that Camilla encouraged Meghan to leave the royal family and follow her heart. Camilla Parker Bowles and Meghan Markle | Chris Jackson/Chris Jackson/Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leave the royal family In a stunning move, Harry and Meghan confirmed that they are stepping down as senior members of the royal family at the beginning of January. Taking to Instagram, the Sussexes explained how they no longer want to depend on public funding and will be spending some of their time in North America. Harry met with other members of the royal family after making the shocking announcement. Following the meetings, Queen Elizabeth released a statement in support of the couples decision to step down. Is Meghan Markle Becoming As Unpopular As Camilla Parker Bowles? The Cheat Sheet Is Meghan Markle Becoming As Unpopular As Camilla Parker Bowles? The Cheat Sheet Prince William Cautioned Prince Harry That Things Were Moving Too Quickly with Meghan M https://t.co/LcfCMgrvfr Ayubi (@Shikai32) April 12, 2019 Her Majesty also revealed that Harry and Meghan will be giving up their HRH royal titles and will be paying back the money that was used to renovate Frogmore Cottage. Harry has since flown back to Canada to reunite with Meghan and their son, Archie Harrison. The family is staying in a luxurious home on Vancouver Island and is reportedly looking to purchase a home in the region. Camilla Parker Bowles advises Meghan Markle A source claims that Camilla and Meghan share a close relationship behind closed doors. The former Suits star reportedly leans on Camilla, who has experienced a fair share of royal scandals over the years. She knew this was in the works and actually told Meghan to follow her heart and leave if she needed to, the insider revealed. Camilla Parker Bowles has not always had an easy time in the royal family. For years, Camilla engaged in an affair with Prince Charles, who was married to Princess Diana at the time. Their secret love affair is what really drove Charles and Diana apart. After they got a divorce, Charles and Camilla started dating and eventually tied the knot in 2005. The Duchess of Cambridge faced a lot of public scrutiny over what happened between Charles and Diana, though she has done a lot to repair her image in recent years. While Camilla and Meghan allegedly grew close, the source claims that Charles was oblivious about what the women were planning. Was Camilla Parker Bowles acting behind Prince Charles back? According to Radar Online, the insider says that Camilla helped Meghan plan Megxit, even though Charles wanted her to guide the couple back into the royal family. Charles hoped Camilla would be a calming influence, but hes been blind to her scheming and stirring thats been going behind his back, the source stated. Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles have not commented on the rumors surrounding Megxit. Camilla was, however, asked if she would miss Harry and Meghan during a recent public event. After a short pause, Camilla responded with a simple, Course, before walking away. Camilla Parker Bowles to Meghan Markle: The Royals Are Better Off Without You! https://t.co/Wgt4XCstVD US Celebrity Gossips (@GoCelebrityUS) January 28, 2020 In light of the response, the insider claims that Camilla loves stirring the pot. She is also really good at playing both sides and has developed into quite the politician. To make things even more complicated, the source insists that Meghan looks up to Camilla and respects her authority. That said, there is good reason to believe that there is absolutely no truth to the rumors about Camillas involvement in Megxit. Camilla Parker Bowles takes a step back from the drama Despite the reports to the contrary, Camilla was not involved in the talks between Harry, Queen Elizabeth, Charles, and William in the wake Megxit. In fact, Camilla stayed behind while her husband tried to reason with Harry to stay in the royal family. As previously mentioned, Camilla faced a lot of controversies when she became a member of the royal family, yet she never entertained the idea of leaving. The notion that Camilla would advise Harry and Meghan to step down goes against everything she has endured over the years. If anything, Camilla would have told them to stay in the royal family and fulfill their duty. Unless new information comes to light, it is safe to say that Camilla had little to do with Harry and Meghans decision to step down. Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles have not said anything about Harry and Meghans exit from the royal family. Their departure is expected to be set in stone in the spring. Farah Damji was jailed today for a 17,500 housing benefit fraud A notorious socialite once dubbed 'London's most dangerous woman' was jailed for 15 months today for a 17,500 housing benefit fraud. Farah Damji, 43, daughter of multi-millionaire property tycoon Amir Damji, created a web of deceit by defrauding landlords and claiming public benefits. The writer forged documents, pretended she was someone else and made bogus claims to landlords and the local council, the court heard. 'The level of dishonesty at every conceivable juncture is so persistentit's the type of case I have never come across before,' said JudgeAidan Marron QC at Blackfriars Crown Court. 'This was a scheme dripping with dishonesty at every conceivablecorner. She was not entitled to a penny on the informationprovided.' Judge Marron said Damji claimed she was penniless and that her children lived with her, but she also claimed she was wealthy when applying for tenancies and sought to sub-let one property for profit. 'You manipulated bank accounts so money came to you instead of yourlandlord and when your dishonesty was exposed you responded with moredishonesty and threats,' the judge added. At an earlier hearing, Judge Marron outlined the prosecution's case, saying that the defendant orchestrated a planned fraud on landlords and then claimed benefits. The court heard Damji told landlords she was the 96,000-a-yearcreative director of fashion company Moksa and owned a 3m Chelsea homewith a non-existent husband who was a 100,000-a-week propertydeveloper. Damji pleaded guilty to dishonestly making false representations tolandlords Alex and Alix Lentjes in relation to a property inShepherd's Bush and to landlord Benjamin Hutton, owner of a property in Hammersmith, on or before October 3, last year. She also admitted three counts of dishonestly making falserepresentations to Hammersmith and Fulham Council in relation to bothaddresses, forging a Halifax Bank statement she gave letting agents'Lets's Do Business' and falsely representing Mr Lentjes as theholder of a specific account that benefits were deposited in. Confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act are scheduled for June 14. Prosecutor Miss Karen Robinson told the court that Damji received 17,500 in housing andcouncil tax benefit. The socialite left landlord Mr Lentjes7,685 out of pocket and with a damaged flat following the defendant'seviction on October 3, last year. Before moving into the 350-a-week Shepherd's Bush property, Damji claimed she was married, leaving the landlord 'with the impression a couple were moving in and were in a position to pay for the flat,' said Miss Robinson. Rent was paid in a variety of ways and from a variety of sources, while some cheques bounced, the court heard. Damji even advertised the flat for 400-a-week on website Gumtree, behind her landlord's back. A similar fraud was hatched for the flat in Hammersmith, but policearrested Damji on October 27 before the landlord suffered any loss. In both cases Damji's wealthy father funded the deposit payments. Damji is currently involved in Family Court proceedings for custodyof her son, 12, and daughter, eight, who have been brought up by theirgrandparents in South Africa and are heirs to a huge trust fund. Her lawyer Giles Newell told the court: 'She was trying to get something better than she was entitled to. 'She accepts what she did was wrong and takes full responsibilityfor her offending and does intend to pay this money back. This was nota sophisticated, well-planned fraud. 'The aim was to provide for her family,' added the lawyer. 'It was aheartfelt attempt to find a suitable home for her two young children.' Ugandan-born mother-of-two Damji, from Westminster, claimed in her book Try Me that her infamous criminal exploits were behind her. The book was actually launched last year, less than 24 hours before yet another appearance in the dock. Damji edited lifestyle magazine Another Generation, wrote for the Observer and New Statesman, was a Birmingham Post columnist and previously ran art galleries in Manhattan and East Hampton, New York. She earned her notorious description as 'London's most dangerous woman' in an Evening Standard feature. Damji once absconded from Surrey's Downsview Prison where she wasserving a three-year sentence for a 50,000 credit card fraud andbecame Britain's first on-the-run blogger. The mother-of-two also posed as a Daily Mail assistant in orderto have rings worth more than 10,000 delivered to her. The controversial socialite first came to public attention when allegedclaims of her affairs with a Guardian newspaper executive andwriter William Dalrymple became public. There is a solution to the issue regarding the Constitutional Court, and the head of the My Step faction of the National Assembly of Armenia will make a statement in a couple of days. This is what deputy of the My Step faction of the National Assembly Kristina Poghosyan told reporters today. The deputy also talked about President of the Constitutional Court Hrayr Tovmasyan. I listened to Hrayr Tovmasyans interview yesterday and heard him talk about his honor and dignity, and I remembered when Hrayr Tovmasyan didnt say a word when former deputy Armen Rustamyan crossed the line and offended Hrayr Tovmasyans manhood in parliament a couple of years ago. I would recommend Hrayr Tovmasyan to ask his lawyers and file a claim against Armen Rustamyan, even though I am certain that he will come and say the same things in court. When told that Hrayr Tovmasyan had said the authorities cant decide if he is going to be the president of the Constitutional Court or not and that he represents a particular branch of power, Kristine Poghosyan said the following: I would like to make it clear that he doesnt represent any branch of power. As president of the Constitutional Court, he is making an illiterate statement and doesnt even understand that the president of the Constitutional Court is not a representative of the judicial branch. The judicial branch is represented by the judicial council. Basically, he declared himself a person who is the head of a particular branch. Perhaps he wanted to show that he has seized that branch of power. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- It appears no ones job is safe from the rise of the robot workforce, not even the nations most beloved groundhog. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), an international organization dedicated to protecting animal rights, has written a letter to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club requesting the retirement of Punxsutawney Phil -- just in time for Groundhog Day on Sunday. PETA claims that the annual Groundhog Day ceremony, which draws thousands of visitors to Gobblers Knob in Pennsylvania to watch Punxsutawney Phil search for his shadow, places an undue burden on the furry prognosticator. As a prey species, groundhogs actively avoid humans. Being in close proximity to the public causes these animals great stress. When Phil is dragged out of his hole and held up to flashing lights and crowds, he has no idea whats happening, wrote PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. Additionally, the organization claims that Phils living arrangements are not up to snuff. When hes not predicting the weather, Phil lives in a man-made, climate-controlled, light-regulated zoo connected with Barclay Square, the town park and the Punxsutawney Memorial Library, according to the clubs website. Being relegated to a library habitat for the other days of the year doesnt allow him or the other groundhog there to dig, burrow, or forage. Its no kind of life for these animals, Newkirk wrote. But not to worry, PETA has a solution in mind to satisfy all parties. The organization has suggested that the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club replaces Phil with an animatronic groundhog with an artificial intelligence (AI) system that would allow it to accurately predict the coming weather. By creating an AI Phil, you could keep Punxsutawney at the center of Groundhog Day but in a much more progressive way. Talk about taking your towns annual tradition in a fresh and innovative direction! PETA argues that the switch to Robo-Phil could help restore some interest in Groundhog Day among the younger generations. Todays young people are born into a world of terabytes, and to them, watching a nocturnal rodent being pulled from a fake hole isnt even worthy of a text message... Ignoring the nations fast-changing demographics might well prove the end of Groundhog Day. AND WHAT ABOUT CHUCK? So far, the boroughs weather-predicting groundhog -- Staten Island Chuck -- still has his job security. This years Groundhog Day celebration at the Staten Island Zoo, West Brighton, will begin at 7 a.m. on Sunday. Charles G. Hogg, also known as Staten Island Chuck, is scheduled to make his prediction at 7:30 a.m. Admission to the ceremony is free. Those unable to attend the ceremony at the Staten Island Zoo can watch Chuck make his prediction on Silive.com. Dershowitz himself seems to understand that, judging by the theory he unpacked Wednesday: If a president does something which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment. Think about that: Trump has the right to use the power of the presidency (and public funds) to pressure an ally to interfere in Americas election to his own political advantage as long as he believes his reelection serves the public interest. So if Trump would be within his rights to extort an ally for personal political gain, as Dershowitz says, why are Trumps defenders so determined to prevent testimony from former national security adviser John Bolton? By all indications, Bolton would confirm that Trump did exactly what hes accused of. But so what, if what hes accused of is not impeachable? Americans should assume that if Republican senators buy the Dershowitz argument, they would also be OK with Trump ordering that, say, the votes of Democratic states just dont get counted on Election Day. After all, it would be in service to Trumps reelection, and thus the good of the country. Biomedical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated that at least 25 percent of antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria found in clinical settings are capable of spreading their resistance directly to other bacteria. At the same time, the study shows that, despite common beliefs, the use of antibiotics does not significantly affect the rate at which the genes responsible for resistance are swapped between bacteria. Researchers used a new high-throughput method of measuring the rate at which bacteria exchange the packages of DNA that bestow resistance. The speed and ability to automate much of the process could allow new insights into what variables affect transfer rates. Such efforts could help doctors slow--or even reverse--the spread of resistance in certain human pathogens. The results appears online on January 24 in the journal Science Advances. Our previous research showed that antibiotics do not affect the rate at which bacteria spread their resistance directly to their community in laboratory strains of E.coli. But we wanted to see if this is also true for clinical strains of pathogens that are actually out there in the world." Lingchong You, professor of biomedical engineering at Duke Each antibiotic-resistant pathogen carries a genetic recipe for its resistance. But like chocolate chip cookies, not all recipes are the same, and not all of them are easily taught to others. One way of transferring resistance, however, is for that genetic recipe to be neatly written into a sharable book of sorts called a plasmid, which is then picked up and read by a neighboring bacteria through a process called conjugation. As resistance to antibiotics grows around the world, scientists are trying to figure out how to stop it from spreading. But because a lot of antibiotics come from natural sources, it would be impossible to completely eliminate resistance in the wild, which means there will always be reservoirs of bacteria filled with recipe books for resistance. "So the real problem is the resistance making its way into pathogens that harm humans," said Jonathan Bethke, a PhD student working in You's laboratory and first author of the new paper. "We're looking to gain a good understanding of what factors affect their rate of conjugation, because if you can slow that process down enough, the plasmids carrying the genes for resistance can fall out of a population." One major challenge in accomplishing that, however, is the classical method of measuring the rate of plasmid conjugation. Besides being labor intensive, researchers must wait 16 hours for a new generation of bacteria to grow in Petri dishes before they can get the results. This restriction makes this approach difficult to use when dealing with hundreds of bacterial strains and dozens of tweakable variables. Rather than taking years to finish the experiment, Bethke and Allison Lopatkin, a former graduate student in You's laboratory who is now an assistant professor at Barnard College, developed a method that uses automated machinery and takes only five hours to deliver results. It involves mixing two strains of bacteria -- a donor strain with resistance to one antibiotic that can be shared through plasmid conjugation and a recipient strain with resistance to a different antibiotic that cannot be shared. After letting the strains mingle and the plasmid conjugation process take place for a set amount of time, the bacterial mixture is transferred to vials containing nutrients and both antibiotics. This promotes the growth of the recipient bacteria that have successfully received the donor's plasmids for resistance while stunting the growth of all the rest. The researchers then wait to see how long the newly dual-resistant population takes to hit a certain threshold, which indicates how many there were to begin with. "This method opens up the ability to test many more drugs or environmental factors to see how they influence the rate of plasmid conjugation," said Bethke. "It will also allow us to determine if there's some sort of genetic determinant that is playing a greater role in terms of the transfer rate." You and Bethke collaborated with Joshua Thaden, assistant professor of medicine at Duke, and Vance Fowler, professor of medicine at Duke, to obtain 219 clinical isolates of pathogens - bugs found in real patients. All carried resistance to beta-lactamase, the most common form of antibiotic in use today. By measuring the rate of plasmid conjugation both with and without beta-lactamase antibiotics present, they showed that, except for one outlier, these antibiotics do not increase the rate of sharing resistance. They also discovered that more than 25 percent of the strains studied are capable of sharing their resistance at rates fast enough to detect. "We were surprised to discover that it was that high," said You. "And of course antibiotics do promote the spread of resistance, but our study indicates that it is primarily through selective population dynamics rather than through an increased rate of plasmid conjugation." The researchers also examined how slight variations in the genetics of the resistance plasmids themselves affect their conjugation rate. Working with Minfeng Xiao's laboratory at BGI Genomics in Shenzhen, China, the team sequenced the plasmids and analyzed their DNA. They then categorized the plasmids into "mobility groups" based on how they jump between cells and "incompatibility groups" based on how they replicate. Much to the researchers' surprise, they discovered that while there were only two mobility groups present in their sample library, neither of which affected the rate of conjugation, there were seven incompatibility groups -- and they very much did affect the rate of conjugation. "This is a preliminary but potentially big discovery because these two classifications are genetic, which makes them easy to identify," said Bethke. "If we can start to build a library of genetic markers that indicate what a pathogen's ability to spread its resistance directly to its neighbors is likely to be, then we can start to make large predictions about things like horizontal gene transfer networks and maybe start understanding how bacteria are evolving through this process at large." "Such a library would also have direct implications for how doctors use antibiotics in the field," said You. "This knowledge would help doctors make patient-specific decisions on whether or not to administer antibiotics." Two more West Australians are being tested for potential contraction of the deadly novel coronavirus that has the globe on high alert. In the first communication as part of a new daily update on the virus, the WA Department of Health confirmed it had cleared seven people of infection but was testing a further two. Medical workers in protective gear transport a patient believed to be a confirmed case of the Wuhan coronavirus. Credit:Bloomberg The virus has killed 170 people in mainland China, where it originated, and has infected nearly 8000. Australia has so far recorded seven confirmed cases. On Wednesday the federal government announced Australians in the affected Chinese province would be given the option of evacuating to Christmas Island off the WA coast for a 14-day quarantine period. Homegrown auto major Tata Motors on Thursday reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 1,738.30 crore for the third quarter ended December 31, 2019, helped by aggressive cost-cutting measures and stronger performance from Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). The company had posted worst ever quarterly loss of Rs 26,992.54 crore in the corresponding quarter last year due to one-time non-cash charge for asset impairment of its UK subsidiary Jaguar Land Rover at Rs 27,838 crore. Consolidated revenue for October-December period declined by 6.81 per cent to Rs 71,676.07 crore as compared to Rs 76,915.94 crore in the same quarter last year, Tata Motors said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange after market hours. The operating profit or EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) margin stood at 9.9 per cent during December quarter. Finance costs increased by Rs 175 crore to Rs 1,744 crore during Q3FY20 versus prior year due to higher gross borrowings. The company said the consolidated results were benefitted from JLR recovery in China and 'Project Charge' cost-saving plan. However, decline in the M&HCV (medium and heavy commercial vehicle) and the stock reduction in India have adversely affected numbers. "The company's project charge transformation programme reduced operating costs by 154 million pounds, investment by 200 million pounds, and inventories by 405 million pounds in the quarter," Tata Motors said in the filing. On the standalone basis, the company posted net loss of Rs 1,039.51 crore against a profit of Rs 617 crore in the year ago period, dented by decline in domestic sales. The standalone revenue plunged 33 per cent year-on-year to Rs 10,800 crore. In Q3FY20, wholesales (including exports) fell 24.6 per cent to 1,29,185 units. In the domestic market, M&HCV trucks de- grew by 47.7 per cent, followed by ILCV by 15.7 per cent, SCV & Pick Ups by 6.1 per cent and CV Passenger by 25.6 per cent. Domestic passenger vehicle volumes were down 26 per cent. Also Read: Jaguar Land Rover CEO Ralf Speth to retire in September; remain on Tata Sons board During the quarter under review, Tata Motors' UK-based subsidiary, JLR, reported profit at Rs 372 million pounds against revenue of 6.4 billion pounds. The total retail sales declined 2.3 per cent, despite 24.3 per cent rise in sales in China and 1.1 per cent increase in North America sales. Commenting on earnings numbers, Guenter Butschek, CEO and MD Tata Motors said, "The downturn in the automotive industry continued in 03 as the economy slowed down. Despite gaining sequential market shares in M&HCV, ILCV and SCV this quarter, our financial performance was impacted due to the downturn coupled with the inventory corrections we took to get ready for BS VI." "We remain optimistic of the medium to long term opportunity offered by the Indian automotive market and aim to win in this market with our fully refreshed, exciting and competitive portfolio coupled with focused efforts to improve our sales and customer experience and continued drive for cost efficiencies," Butschek said. Also Read: Bajaj Auto Q3 result: Profit rises 15% to Rs 1,262 crore; revenue up 3% Speaking on JLR's performance, CEO Ralf Speth said, "In the third quarter Jaguar Land Rover sustained year-on-year revenue and profit growth as we continued to transform our business. Conditions in the automotive industry remain challenging but we are encouraged by the recovery in our China business and the success of the new Range Rover Evoque." Ahead of Q3 earnings, shares of Tata Motors closed Thursday's trade at Rs 186.20 apiece, down 0.98 per cent, on the Bombay Stock Exchange. By Chitranjan Kumar Britain's Prince Harry on Thursday lost a complaint against tabloid newspaper the Mail on Sunday about a story criticising wildlife photographs he posted on Instagram. The prince alleged the newspaper had run the inaccurate headline "Drugged and tethered... what Harry didn't tell you about those awe-inspiring wildlife photos" in an article about pictures he had posted online of himself and an elephant. The weekly reported that another picture showed the animal was tethered with a rope. Harry complained that the paper had made it seem he had deliberately cropped out the rope, and that he had posted the full picture in 2016. He also said the website of the conservation organisation explained how it tranquilised and tethered the animals. But the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) watchdog rejected the complaint. "The complainant (Harry) said the article was inaccurate as it reported that... he had intentionally misled the public to give the impression that he was a superior wildlife photographer who had captured the images in dangerous circumstances," said IPSO. "The Committee did not consider that it was significantly misleading to report that the photographs posted on the complainant's Instagram account did not quite tell the full story and that the complainant had not explained the circumstances in which the photographs had been taken," it added in a ruling. The prince, 35, has launched multiple complaints against newspapers recently, ramping up hostilities with the media that he blames for his mother Diana, princess of Wales' death and for unfair reporting on his wife Meghan. The couple stunned the country earlier this month when they announced they were stepping back from frontline royal duties to spend more time living in North America. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) TORONTO, Jan. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - VersaPay Corporation (TSXV: VPY) (the "Company" or "VersaPay"), is pleased to announce that Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. ("ISS"), one of the leading independent proxy advisory firms that provides voting recommendations to institutional investors, has recommended that shareholders of VersaPay (the "Shareholders") vote FOR the proposed acquisition by 1233518 B.C. Ltd., an affiliate of Great Hill Partners, of all of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company ("VersaPay Shares") by way of a statutory plan of arrangement under the Canada Business Corporations Act (the "Arrangement"). ISS has recommended that Shareholders vote FOR the Arrangement resolution stating: "The transaction will allow shareholders to cash out of their investment at a significant premium to the unaffected share price, with the cash consideration providing certainty of value during a challenging period under which increased access to capital has become necessary for the Company. Given the favourable market reaction and steps taken to mitigate certain minor governance concerns, shareholder approval of this resolution is warranted." Your vote is important regardless of the number of VersaPay Shares you own. As a Shareholder, it is very important that you carefully read the management information circular dated January 15, 2020 and related materials with respect to the special meeting of Shareholders (the "Meeting") and then vote your VersaPay Shares. You are eligible to vote your VersaPay Shares if you were a Shareholder of record at the close of business on January 8, 2020. HOW TO VOTE Shareholders are encouraged to vote today using the internet or telephone. Registered Shareholders may vote by: Non-registered Shareholders may vote by: Shareholders who hold VersaPay Shares through a bank, broker or other intermediary will have different voting instructions and should carefully follow the voting instructions provided to them. In most cases, non-registered Shareholders will receive a voting instruction form as part of the meeting materials. A non-registered Shareholder can complete the voting instruction form by: (i) calling the phone number listed thereon, or (ii)through the Internet at www.proxyvote.com. YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT - PLEASE VOTE TODAY VERSAPAY MEETING The Meeting will be held on Friday, February 14, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. (Toronto Time), at the offices of Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, Suite 2100, Scotia Plaza, 40 King Street West, Toronto, Ontario. Shareholder Questions and Assistance If you have any questions or require assistance voting your VersaPay Shares, please contact our proxy solicitation agent, Laurel Hill Advisory Group, at 1-877-452-7184 toll-free in North America, or outside North America at +1 416 304-0211, or by e-mail at [email protected]. About Great Hill Partners Great Hill Partners is a Boston-based private equity firm targeting investments of US$25 million to US$500 million in high-growth companies across the consumer, digital infrastructure, financial technology, healthcare, and software sectors. Over the past two decades, Great Hill has raised nearly US$8 billion of commitments and invested in more than 75 companies, establishing an extensive track record of building long-term partnerships with entrepreneurs and providing flexible resources to help middle-market companies scale. For more information, visit www.greathillpartners.com. About VersaPay Corporation VersaPay is a Fintech company and leading provider of cloud-based invoice-to-cash solutions, enabling businesses to provide a superior customer experience, get paid faster, streamline financial operations, and dramatically reduce DSO and costs. VersaPay ARC is the first platform to provide Customer-Centric ARO with a customer self-service environment to view invoices online, collaborate on inquiries and disputes, and facilitate secure online payments (EFT/ACH and credit card). Businesses gain access to a suite of powerful tools that enable efficient collections, cash application and real-time insight into accounts receivable. VersaPay ARC automatically reconciles payments and account information through integrations with a wide range of ERPs and accounting software providers. More information about VersaPay is available at www.versapay.com or under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Forward Looking and Other Cautionary Statements This press release contains "forward-looking information" which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the Meeting and the completion of the Arrangement, including expected timing, and statements with respect to the anticipated benefits of the Arrangement to VersaPay and the Shareholders. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of terminology such as "anticipates", "believes", "expects", "plans", "intends", "estimates", "schedules", "forecasts", "budgets", "proposes", or variations or comparable language of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "should", "might" or "will", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connotation thereof. Forward-looking information is based upon certain assumptions and other important factors that, if untrue or incorrect, could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such information. Readers should not place undue reliance on forwardlooking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from any forwardlooking information include, but are not limited to, the possibility that the Arrangement will not be completed on the terms and conditions, or on the timing, currently contemplated, and that it may not be completed at all, due to a failure to obtain or satisfy, in a timely manner or otherwise, required Shareholder and court approvals and other conditions of closing necessary to complete the Arrangement or for other reasons, the possibility of adverse reactions or changes in business relationships resulting from the announcement or completion of the Arrangement, and changes in equity markets. Specific reference is made to the "Risk Factors" section of the Circular which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com for a discussion of some of the factors and risks underlying forwardlooking information. All of the forwardlooking information in this news release is qualified by these cautionary statements and are made as of the date hereof. The Company assumes no responsibility to update them or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances other than as required by law. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE VersaPay Corporation Related Links www.versapay.com Seoul National University Hospital in Seoul restricts the entry of visitors as it is treating the nation's sixth confirmed patient of the new coronavirus, Thursday. /Yonhap By Bahk Eun-ji Korea reported its first case of a human-to-human transmission of the new coronavirus, Thursday, with the total number of confirmed cases rising to six, according to the government. The case has put the health authorities on even higher alert over the deadly virus, and is likely to force the government to come up with strengthened and more comprehensive quarantine measures than previous ones that have focused on controlling the entry to the country of people from and those who had visited China. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), the two additional cases were reported late in the afternoon. The fifth confirmed patient is a 32-year-old businessman, who recently visited the city of Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the viral disease outbreak, and returned here Jan. 24. The man, who had a cough due to asthma, had been under government observation despite having no fever. However, he tested positive for the virus and was quarantined at Seoul Medical Center. The sixth confirmed patient is a 56-year-old man, and his case is believed to be the nation's first case of person-to-person infection as he had not visited China recently but was in contact with the country's third confirmed patient. WHO to Decide if Coronavirus Is Global Health Emergency By Margaret Besheer January 29, 2020 The chief of the World Health Organization says it will decide Thursday whether to declare the coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency. The WHO said last week that the outbreak did not meet that threshold, but that was before the number of confirmed cases reached 6,000. "The continued increase in cases and evidence of human-to-human transmission outside China are, of course, deeply concerning," Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters at WHO headquarters in Geneva on Wednesday, a day after he visited Beijing. "Although the numbers outside China are relatively small, they hold the potential for a much larger outbreak." Several countries have evacuated their nationals from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the epicenter of the outbreak. International airlines have suspended direct flights to China. Tedros said 99% of the 6,000-plus confirmed cases were in China. Fifteen other countries have confirmed 68 cases. As of Wednesday, 132 deaths have been reported, all in mainland China. The number of new coronavirus cases now exceeds those of the 2002-03 SARS epidemic that killed 800 people worldwide. Tedros praised Beijing for its response. "China's efforts to contain the outbreak at the epicenter have been essential for preventing the further spread of the virus," he said. "China identified the pathogen in record time and shared it immediately, which led to the rapid development of diagnostic tools." President Donald Trump was briefed on the outbreak by those he called the "great agencies" working with China. "We will continue to monitor the ongoing developments. We have the best experts anywhere in the world and they are on top of it 24/7," he tweeted late Wednesday. The White House said it was considering further restrictions on U.S. airlines' flights to China, in addition to the voluntary restrictions by some air carriers. It has not yet decided whether to impose a travel ban. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said none of the 195 U.S. citizens evacuated from Wuhan showed symptoms of coronavirus infection. They will remain at a U.S. military base in California at least through the end of the week. The CDC said the risk to Americans was low. The agency was working with the WHO to get a U.S. team to China as soon as possible. The CDC's Dr. Nancy Messonnier said Wednesday that the symptoms of a cold or the flu and the coronavirus were the same, but the risk factors for the coronavirus involve having visited China's Hubei province or having close contact with those who were there. A chartered jet flew 206 Japanese nationals from Wuhan to Tokyo's Haneda airport. Japanese officials told reporters in Tokyo that 12 of the passengers were taken to a hospital after complaining of feeling ill. Medical personnel were on board the flight to screen the passengers before takeoff and again when the plane landed. Japanese officials said they were sending a second chartered flight Wednesday evening to evacuate more nationals. Australia, New Zealand, France, Russia and other nations also announced plans to evacuate their citizens this week. The WHO criticized Australian plans to quarantine its nationals flown out of Hubei on a remote island in the Indian Ocean. But scientists in Melbourne said they had replicated the coronavirus in a lab for the first time outside China, a move that could help in making diagnoses and developing a vaccine. British Airways and Germany's Lufthansa said Wednesday that they were suspending all direct flights to and from mainland China. Hong Kong is halting all high-speed rail and ferry services from the mainland starting Friday, while the territory and Malaysia have banned entry to visitors from Wuhan. Mongolia has closed its vast border with China. Kazakhstan, which shares a border with China, said all flights to China would be suspended Wednesday and train service would be canceled Thursday. Quarantine on Wuhan Authorities have imposed a virtual quarantine on Wuhan, banning people from traveling into or out of the city. Several other cities in Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, are facing heavy restrictions on movement. Wuhan is racing to complete two new field hospitals to treat the growing number of patients. The virus is believed to have emerged late last year at a local seafood market illegally selling wildlife. Dr. Nathalie MacDermott, an epidemic response expert at Kings College London, applauded China's efforts to contain the virus. "It's a very good effort and hopefully it will reduce the spread of the virus, but I think it's not going to be feasible for China to quarantine every single one of its cities," MacDermott said in an interview with VOA's Mandarin service. "And so we as a public health authority here in the U.K., and every public health authority, need to be prepared to deal with a case if they arrive in their country and to try and identify them promptly, and isolate them and treat them promptly to try and reduce ongoing transmission in their country." First cases in Middle East The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday confirmed that a family who had recently arrived from Wuhan had been diagnosed with the new coronavirus, making them the first confirmed cases in the Middle East. Other countries with confirmed cases included Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam. The WHO said most of those people affected had a travel history in Wuhan, with several others having had contact with someone who was there. The virus hit China just as it was beginning celebrations to mark the Lunar New Year, resulting in the canceling or the scaling back of festivities for tens of millions of Chinese. Officials took an extra step Sunday to extend the holiday by three extra days to try to cut down on group gatherings. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A delegation of high-ranking military leaders headed by Egypt's Defence minister Mohamed Zaki, and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Mohamed Farid visited on Thursday the Interior Minister Mahoud Tawfik to offer greeting on the 68th annual National Police Day, dated on 25 January. During the meeting, the defence minister expressed Egyptian armed forces' appreciation of the patriotic role of police officers in securing the internal front and fortifying high state's interests. The minister praised the role of the Egyptian armed forces, stressing "the recent defeats of the terrorism and curbing the criminal plans come as a result of this the strong bond between army and police as being the state's security wings. On 25 January 1952, the British occupation, which was present in Egypt from 1882 until 1956, issued a warning to the Egyptian forces to evacuate the area, so they can take full control of the Canal, but the Egyptian police forces stood their grounds. Police fought a heroic battle against the occupation in Ismailia City, overlooking the west bank of the Suez Canal. Fifty police personal were killed, and over 80 were injured. Pletnikov Named Chair of Physiology and Biophysics Mikhail V. Pletnikov, MD, PhD Mikhail V. Pletnikov, MD, PhD, has been named professor and chair of the Department of Physiology and Biophysics. He currently serves as a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences; molecular and comparative pathobiology; and neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Noted for His Scientific, Leadership Skills The appointment was announced by Michael E. Cain, MD, vice president for health sciences and dean of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Dr. Pletnikov rapidly emerged as our top candidate possessing the administrative, scientific, leadership and visionary skills needed to move the department forward and further align the department with the Jacobs Schools strategic plans, Cain said. Pletnikov, a native of Moscow, Russia, will relocate to Buffalo and join UB on July 1, 2020. He will be accompanied by his wife, Olga Pletnikova, MD. Hogan Has Served as Chair Since 2015 I feel honored to be appointed to this position, Pletnikov said. I am grateful to the members of the search committee, the faculty of the department and personally to Dr. Cain for placing their trust in me to lead the department. I look forward to working with the faculty, staff and students to support and promote education and biomedical research in the department and the school, he added. On a personal note, Olga and I are excited to move to Buffalo, Pletnikov said. As for its weather, I am sure we will appreciate all four seasons there as after all, we used to live in Moscow. Pletnikov will succeed Perry M. Hogan, PhD, who has served as chair of physiology and biophysics since 2015. Research Focuses on Complex Brain Disorders Pletnikovs research focus is on understanding how neurons and non-neuronal cells (glial cells) interact with one another to support critical brain functions, including emotion and cognition. He also studies the mechanisms whereby the brain regulates functions of different organs in the body and itself is influenced by peripheral systems, particularly the immune system and the gut. A growing number of studies suggest that abnormalities in these complex interactions lead to the development of disorders of the brain and peripheral organs, Pletnikov said. Targeting cells, processes and pathways involved in the brain-periphery interplay is emerging as a new promising direction in treatment of complex brain disorders. Johns Hopkins Faculty Member for Two Decades Apple will be forced to make drastic changes to future iPhones if they are to be sold in the European Union. EU lawmakers today overwhelmingly called for rules to establish a common charger for all mobile devices, effectively forcing Apple to ditch its Lightning cable. Apple last week publicly criticised the move and said it would produce an 'unprecedented volume of electronic waste' and stifle innovation. Scroll down for video EU lawmakers today overwhelmingly called for rules to establish a common charger for all mobile device makers, effectively forcing Apple to ditch its Lightning Cable, with the USB-C (pictured) being the most likely choice as the universal choice Members of the European Parliament voted by 582-40 for a resolution urging the European Commission, which drafts EU laws, 'to propose mandatory provisions' ensuring EU consumers are not obliged to buy new chargers with each new device. The Commission should adopt new rules by July, the lawmakers' resolution said. The US company insists that its Lightning cable that charges its iPhones is part of a stand for 'innovation'. A week ago, an Apple spokesperson said: 'Legislation 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.' According to estimates, old chargers generate more than 36.6 pounds (16.6kg) of electronic waste per person in 2016. Apple chargers sell for roughly 20 ($25) for an official cable and replica versions are also available for far less. The resolution also said wireless charging could prove beneficial by mitigating waste. But it reiterated the need to ensure wireless chargers are able to charge many different mobile devices. A move to a common charger would affect Apple more than any other company as iPhones and most of its mobile products are powered by its Lightning cable, whereas Android devices are powered by USB-C connectors. Apple moved away from its original 30-pin connector in 2012 when the lightning cable emerged with the release of the iPhone 4. Lightning cables are now on the verge of extinction (stock) In 2009, a voluntary pledge was signed by the likes of Apple, Nokia and Samsung to make chargers compatible with the micro-USB standard. While many went on to adopt micro-USB, Apple went ahead with its own Lightning port in 2012 and sold a micro-USB adaptor instead. WHICH APPLE DEVICES USE THE LIGHTNING CABLE? Apple released its 'Lightning' charger in 2012, and all of its iPhones are charged this way. Most Android devices now use USB-C, including the Oppo Reno3, Huawei P30 and OnePlus7Pro. The latest iPad Pro uses USB-C. Apple already sells a Lightning port to USB-C charging cable. The iPad, the iPad Air and the iPad mini use the Lightning cable, but the iPad Pro is powered by USB-C. Advertisement Some smartphone makers have now evolved to USB-C, which charges devices faster than the old micro-USB. Apple also moved to USB-C on the iPad Pro tablet, as well as MacBook laptops. Apple released its 'Lightning' charger in 2012, and all of its iPhones are charged this way. French MEP Geoffroy Didier said after the vote: 'European consumers deserve better than indecent waste and pollution dictated exclusively by the commercial interests of a few industrial groups.' The European Commission is preparing an impact assessment on the possibility of forcing manufacturers to offer just one type of charger. It is due to be completed late this year, with EU officials to decide then whether to send a bill to the European Parliament to enshrine that in an EU regulation. Before the impact assessment, the Commission will publish in the coming days 'a study to evaluate the situation,' a spokesperson said. European Commissioner Maros Sefcovic recently told MEPs that 'we are looking at a combination of political options including regulatory and non-regulatory measures'. New Forces of Literature Series are released in January 2020. [Haibao News] Publishing House: Shandong Urban Publishing Media Group & Jinan Publishing House Publishing Time: January 2020 The New Forces of Literature Series published by Shandong Urban Publishing Media Group & Jinan Publishing House was recently released in Beijing. Tie Ning, President of the Chinese Writers Association (CWA), Mo Yan, Director of the International Writing Center of Beijing Normal University (BNU), other leaders of the CWA, and a number of writers and scholars attended the ceremony. The series of 12 volumes gathers the works of 12 young contemporary Chinese writers. The writers are students of a writers' graduate class offered by Lunxun Literature School and the BNU. In their works, they use stories that keep abreast of the times to express love, warmth and faith. As early as 1988, many renowned writers including Mo Yan, winner of Nobel Prize for literature, Liu Zhenyun whose works have been adapted into many movies, female writers Chi Zijian and Yan Geling were students of the class. Three terms of classes have been held, which have recruited 56 young writers, editors and literature workers since 2017. Jidimajia, vice president of the CWA, said that the series showcases the creative strength of the class' young writers and the achievement of contemporary Chinese literature. Ge Fei, writer and professor of Tsinghua University, also one of the tutors of the writers' graduate class, said that the books provide a convenient way for people to read the works of China's young writers. (Source: China Culture Daily/Translated and edited by Women of China) Kafeel Khan has requested the Maharashtra government to let him stay in the state, saying he doesnt trust the Uttar Pradesh Police, after being arrested on Wednesday night The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) arrested Dr Kafeel Khan from Mumbai airport late Wednesday night, for making alleged inflammatory statements at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) last month. The UP STF arrested Kafeel with the help of Mumbai Police at the airport when he arrived to attend anti-CAA protests in the city, an official told PTI. On Thursday, ANI quoted Khan as saying that the Uttar Pradesh police was trying to "frame" him. "I was given a clean chit in Gorakhpur children death case, now they are trying to frame me again," Khan told ANI. He further requested the Maharashtra government to let him stay in the state as he did not "trust" the Uttar Pradesh Police. "Officials of the UP STF arrested Dr Kafeel Khan in a case which was registered at Civil Lines Police Station under section 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups) of Indian Penal Code. Our police team helped our UP counterparts on their request," said an official from Mumbai Police. He claimed that Khan had made inflammatory statements on 12 December last year during the protest near Bab-e-Syed Gate outside the Aligarh Muslim University in front of more than 600 students. The official also alleged that the Gorakhpur doctor had made objectionable comments against Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The FIR against Khan mentions that Swaraj India's president Yogendra Yadav was also present during the speech at AMU. Following the arrest in the case, Khan was taken to the Sahar Police Station and after completing formalities he will be taken to Uttar Pradesh on transit remand, the official said. Khan, a paediatrician, had come to the limelight in 2017 when a controversy broke out after the death of over 60 children in less than a week at the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. LET your hair down and sway to the flow of the music as the biggest and most anticipated international music fest, Plus63 Music and Arts Festival, comes back to Cebu! Plus63 Music and Arts Festival at a glance: Plus63 Music and Arts Festival started in 2016 with the goal of supporting local talents and musicians by giving them the opportunity to perform alongside the world's top performers. "Plus63 Music & Arts Festival began as a fun project between childhood friends to create an international music festival for the city of Cebu. We brought Steve Angello from the Swedish House Mafia to kick off the inaugural event on Sinulog, Saturday of 2016," said Peter Delantar, head of Plus63 Music and Arts Festival. Plus63 since then has become an annual music event that never fails to leave partygoers awestruck -- with its spot-on premium sound quality, impressive digitally-programmed fireworks and eclectic mix of international and local performers. It has brought in international DJs and performers like Steve Angello of Swedish House Mafia, Steve Aoki, Showtek, Kid Ink and Dada Life in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. Plus63 always brings the best to give out a true music festival experience while adding a local twist, enhancing it even more with the best of the Philippines' hospitality and cuisine. "The goal is for Plus63 to be a staple event in Cebu, highlighting great music, great food and an unforgettable experience," said Delantar. New date. This year's Plus63 is set on February 2, breaking away from the Sinulog festivities for the first time. "We believe the time is right for Plus63 Music & Arts Festival to establish its own weekend where it becomes the main event of the city. We have bigger and grander plans for the years to come," Delantar added. New place. Attracting thousands each year, Plus63 is set to happen at the SM Seaside Complex Cebu Concert Grounds, a location apt to host such a grand event and accommodate a big crowd. With over 7,000+ fans since it was first introduced, the festival has grown over the years and is expected to double to over 15,000+ this year. Plus63 persistently grows into a destination festival in Cebu attracting international and local tourists. Bigger party. Now on its 5th installment, Paul Klein, Charles Leslie Priest and Jake Clifford of LANY headlines the music fest. LANY is an acronym for Los Angeles New York as their desire is to spread music from coast to coast. Now, they have come to the Philippine music fest scene alongside some of Cebu's best -- Lourdes, Three Legged Men, Mandaue Nights, Sepia Times and DJ Short. In addition, LANY will be bringing special merchandise up for grabs and Plus63 Festival will have limited edition items for sale. (PR) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 30) Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia said she plans to place visitors arriving in the province from China on a 14-day quarantine amid the confirmed entry of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in the country. Garcia said she will formalize the new policy through an Executive Order in a few days. She said they have already identified two properties which can accommodate 200 people for the quarantine and they will be available in two to three days. The Department of Health confirmed that a 38-year-old female Chinese national tested positive for 2019-nCoV. The patient had a travel history to Wuhan, China where the virus outbreak originated before arriving in the Philippines on January 21. The patient also previously travelled to Cebu and Dumaguete provinces, the DOH said. Health Secretary Francisco Duque said he will suggest a temporary ban on travelers from the Hubei province, where Wuhan is located. Garcia said she will not issue a ban against Chinese nationals in the province. Earlier, Cebu City Mayor Edgar Labella along with Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan said they have already called for immigration and health officials to restrict flights coming from China. However, President Rodrigo Duterte said Wednesday enforcing such a restriction will not be easy, since China continues to "respect the freedom flights that we enjoy." Cebu City declared a state of preparedness on Wednesday, triggering the implementation of preventive measures. Wesley Eaton - General Manager of CA Cleanroom Since joining the team, I have been greatly impressed with the commitment and drive for success both as a company and with each individual team member. In September of 2019, Wesley Eaton joined Astro Pak to head up the operations for the California Cleanroom as its General Manager, in Downey. An aerospace engineer by training, Mr. Eaton has spent most of the past decade in Southern Californias aerospace industry. Since starting out as a mechanical design engineer at C&D Zodiac Aerospace in Huntington Beach, he was soon elevated to Program Manager and then Director of Operations, working with both Airbus and Bombardier on supplying components for their aircraft. Eventually becoming Director of Supply Chain and Materials for Zodiac, he managed and oversaw various aspects of the sites supply chain, warehousing and worked with key stake holders to keep things running smoothly. After Zodiac, Mr. Eaton assumed the role of Vice President of Operations for BMS | Data 911 in the San Diego area where, along with managing a diverse portfolio that included operations, supply chain, and customer service, he was also tasked with overseeing quality and engineering while also helping develop the companys vision and core values. Chief Business Development Officer, Robert Pozil observes, The broad scope of services at the cleanroom creates a challenge of how to manage operations throughput for such diverse precision cleaning requirements, and at the same time to create a great experience for each customer. He continues, the addition of Wesley Eaton as General Manager is the perfect fit. His background in team building, aerospace quality management systems, production processes and optimization are exactly what Astro Pak needs as the company prepares for considerable growth. It was Astro Paks culture and investment in their team members which impressed me, Mr. Eaton said when asked what drew him to the company. During each of my visits, I found myself surrounded by happy, energetic and honest people that were ready for the next challenge. He continued, Since joining the team, I have been greatly impressed with the commitment and drive for success both as a company and with each individual team member. About Astro Pak Astro Pak has been the leading provider of passivation, high purity and precision cleaning services in North America since 1959. Astro Pak meets the critical cleaning and surface conditioning requirements for a myriad of industries such as biopharmaceutical and aerospace via our on-site services, as well as our state-of-the-art cleanroom and shop facilities. President Tsai Ing-wen called on for Taiwan to be allowed to join the World Health Organization (WHO), saying the democratic island is at the "front line" of the coronavirus epidemic that has seen tens of millions of people quarantined in central China. Tsai told journalists that the democratic island, which has never been ruled by the Chinese Communist Party, nor formed part of the People's Republic of China, is on "high alert" over the coronavirus outbreak. "Like all other countries, Taiwan is currently facing the risk from this global pandemic," Tsai told a news conference, speaking hours before the WHO on Thursday declared the outbreak a global emergency. "We have the capability and the responsibility to do our part for the international community, and we hope that the WHO will not exclude Taiwan for political reasons." "The WHO must make room for Taiwan's participation," she said, thanking the United States, Japan and Canada for backing Taiwan's membership of the WHO. "The coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China has made it clear to the world just how important Taiwan is to disease prevention efforts," she said. Tsai's comments came as the island's disease control center confirmed its second domestic case of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), bringing the total number of confirmed cases to nine. The woman, in her 40s, is believed to have contracted the virus from her husband, who developed respiratory symptoms after coming back to the island from Wuhan on Jan. 12 and developed respiratory symptoms on Jan. 22, epidemic response command center chief Chen Shih-chung said. Doctors believed his symptoms were "too mild" to qualify as a suspected 2019-nCoV case, so it wasn't initially reported as such, Chen said. Critic of Taiwan's exclusion Taiwan's government said it would hand out surgical masks as part of infection control measures to civil servants and healthcare workers, distributing the remainder to local stores and pharmacies. Tsai -- who was asked why she wasn't wearing a mask at her news briefing -- said the island has plenty to go around, but that the majority of people still don't need one unless they have a connection to a known case. She said anyone who had recently traveled to Hubei would be subject to home quarantine for 14 days to prevent a possible outbreak in the community. "We will continue to strictly monitor travelers with a history of travel to China and enforce stringent requirements for truthful declarations upon entry to Taiwan, as well as rigorous follow-up," she said. Tsai has been an outspoken critic of China's insistence that Taiwan be excluded from membership of international agencies, as well as its requirement that its diplomatic partners break off ties with Taipei. She has warned that the People's Republic of China under President Xi Jinping is a threat to global stability, and not just Taiwan's problem. Earlier this week, China denied Tsai's administration permission to evacuate around 300 Taiwan nationals currently stranded in Wuhan, prompting sharp criticism from Taiwan's democratically elected lawmakers. Fan Yun, a lawmaker for Tsai's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), hit out at Beijing for preventing Taiwanese from leaving the city like other non-Chinese nationals. "Is the Chinese Communist Party going to take these Taiwanese people hostage? What do they want in exchange?" Fan said. "They are risking people's lives to play politics." Reported by Chung Kuang-cheng for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Hsia Hsiao-hwa for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Which was exactly the point of slapping the Bud Light name on it. With that instant familiarity, many people will try it at least once. And while lending the name Bud Light to a seltzer may chip away at Bud Light the beer, so what? Bud Light the beer is already being chipped away. Photo: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images Of the many unsettling aspects to Clearview AI, a shadowy facial-recognition-software company providing users access to a database of 3 billion photographs scraped from social media and video streaming sites, the one that has most unsettled me is the pervasive sense that there is nothing we can do about it. A quote from one of Clearviews investors, David Scalzo, has been rattling around in my head since I first read it in Kashmir Hills initial New York Times article: Ive come to the conclusion that because information constantly increases, theres never going to be privacy, Scalzo told Hill. Laws have to determine whats legal, but you cant ban technology. Sure, that might lead to a dystopian future or something, but you cant ban it. Scalzo is presenting a candid expression of one of the enduring, foundational principles of Silicon Valley: The creep of new technologies is inevitable, and attempts to stop or control it are foolish. Even as the messianic confidence that characterized Silicon Valley philosophizing in the 90s and 00s has curdled, the religious faith in technological inevitability has remained. The sense that we are powerless to arrest or in some cases even direct the ceaseless expansion of technology into our public and private lives is somehow even stronger now that weve seen the negative effects of such expansion. In Silicon Valley, zealous techno-optimism has given way to a resigned but impotent techno-pessimism, shared by both fearful critics who cant imagine an escape, and predatory cynics like Scalzo, for whom the revelation of an unstoppable, onrushing dystopian future represents, if nothing else, an investment opportunity. It is inevitable this digital information will be out there, Scalzo later told Dilbert creator Scott Adams in an interview. Sure, we might be headed toward hell too bad we cant do anything about it! Or imagine me pausing dramatically here can we? Theres no corresponding fatalism around regulating (or prohibiting) technologies that arent computer networks. Most states and cities maintain bans on particular kinds of dangerous weapons, for example. Or take a deadly substance like lead, which used to be discussed in not-unfamiliar terms of indispensability and inevitability: Useful, if not absolutely necessary, to modern civilization, the Baltimore Afro-American wrote in 1906, years after it was first clear that lead was fatally toxic. Even decades later, lead was still touted as an inevitable constituent of the future: One of the classic quotes from a doctor in the 1920s is that children will grow up in a world of lead, historian Leif Fredrickson told CityLab recently. Not unsurprisingly, it took the U.S. decades longer than the rest of the world to eliminate the use of lead paint indoors. But still, we banned it. Of course, lead paint is not immediately equivalent to facial-recognition technology for a number of reasons. But what they have in common is that surveillance software of this kind, as it exists and is used right now, causes clear social harms. Clare Garvie of the Georgetown Law Center for Privacy and Technology argues that the expansion of facial-recognition technology not only poses the obvious risk to our right to privacy, but also to our right to due process and even, potentially, our First Amendment rights to free speech and freedom of assembly, given the likelihood that police or corporate use of facial-recognition software at gatherings and protests would have a chilling effect. Worse, the technology is itself still in development, and is frequently fed with flawed data by the law-enforcement agencies using it. The problem is that, as the last decade has shown us, after-the-fact regulation or punishment is an ineffective method of confronting rapid, complex technological change. Time and time again, weve seen that the full negative implications of a given technology say, the Facebook News Feed are rarely felt, let alone understood, until the technology is sufficiently powerful and entrenched, at which point the company responsible for it has probably already pivoted into some complex new change. Which is why we should ban facial-recognition technology. Or, at least, enact a moratorium on the use of facial-recognition software by law enforcement until the issue has been sufficiently studied and debated. For the same reason, we should impose heavy restrictions on the use of face data and facial-recognition tech within private companies as well. After all, its much harder to move fast and break things when youre not allowed to move at all. This position that we should not widely deploy a new technology until its effects are understood and its uses deliberated, and potentially never deploy it at all runs against the current of the last two decades, but its gaining some acceptance and momentum. As unsettling as the details of Clearview AIs business were, the response to their disclosure from legislators and law enforcement has been heartening. Last week, New Jerseys attorney general, who had, without his permission or knowledge, been used in Clearviews marketing materials, barred police departments in the state from using the app. On Monday, New York State senator Brad Hoylman introduced a bill that would stop law enforcement use of facial-recognition technology in New York State. In doing so, New Jersey and New York are joining a handful of other states and municipalities enacting or considering bans on certain kinds and uses of facial-recognition technology. California, New Hampshire, and Oregon all currently ban the use of facial-recognition technology in police body cameras. Last year, Oakland and San Francisco enacted bans on the use of facial recognition by city agencies, including police departments. In Massachusetts, Brookline and Somerville have both voted in bans on government uses of facial recognition technology, and Brooklines state senator has proposed a similar statewide ban. The European Union was reportedly considering a five-year moratorium on the use of facial recognition, though those plans were apparently scrapped. And Bernie Sanders, alone among Democratic candidates for president, has proposed a complete prohibition on the use of facial-recognition technology by federal law enforcement. Such bans are admittedly imperfect, in part because theyre pioneering and are necessarily incomplete covering as they do only particular uses, like body cameras, polities, and institutions. One city banning its law enforcement from making use of facial recognition wont necessarily stop a sheriffs department from creating a surveillance dragnet nor would it necessarily stop a private institution within a city from enacting its own facial-recognition program. For now, the bans dont touch on third-party companies whose data is used by facial-recognition algorithms. (Among the most concerning aspects of Clearview is that the company built its reportedly 3 billion-image database by scraping, more or less legally, public images on social networks and video-streaming sites like Facebook.) A well-executed ban would require thought and deliberation. (In San Francisco, the initial ban needed to be amended to allow employees to use FaceID on their government-issued iPhones, a feature that didnt seem to have been adequately considered beforehand.) Robust facial-recognition regulation, Garvie says, would need to identify what, precisely, is meant by facial recognition probabilistic matching of face images? Anonymized sentiment analysis? and any current uses that would fall under that definition. It would also need to take into account the global nature of the technology industry: Most of the face-recognition algorithms used by U.S. law enforcement agencies are not made by U.S. companies. So are we prohibiting the sale of that technology within U.S. borders? Garvie asks. What about if I go abroad and Im caught on the face recognition system in Berlin, is that a violation? It may be that this is what Scalzo really means by you cant ban technology we as human beings lack the political will and global capability to entirely prevent the use or development of it somewhere in the world. Still, incomplete and imperfect though they may be, such bans represent the return of an idea largely discarded during Silicon Valleys conquering expansion: that technological change is evitable, controllable, and even preventable not merely by powerful CEOs but by democratically elected legislatures and executives. It feels a bit blasphemous to say so, as a citizen of the 21st century and beneficiary of the computer revolution, but: We should ban more technology. Sign Up for the Intelligencer Newsletter Daily news about the politics, business, and technology shaping our world. 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. *This article appears in the February 3, 2020, issue of New York Magazine. Subscribe Now! WEST TURIN, N.Y. -- Lewis County sheriff's deputies are investigating a snowmobile crash involving a Utica man. Sheriff's deputies say Scott Inman, 47, of Utica, failed to negotiate a curve on Trail C4A, and hit a tree off the right-hand side of the trail. Police reports say the accident happened Wednesday night, along Michigan Mills Road, in West Turin. Inman was flown to SUNY Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, where he is being treated for his injuries. New York State Police assisted on-scene as well as Constableville Fire Department & Ambulance, Lewis County Search & Rescue, and Mercy Flight. New Delhi, Jan 30 : Novel Coronavirus can derail Chinese smartphone makers' India plans in 2020 as China lockdown in the long run can severely impact the flow of key components required to assemble smartphones at their manufacturing plants in India. According to industry experts, if the lockdown continues for over a month or so, it will hamper the time-to-market strategy of nearly all Chinese brands as China provides bulk of various semi-knocked down (SKD) components like memory chips, touch panels/cover glasses along with semiconductors for smartphone assembling lines in India. Unlike the completely built-up (CBU) units that are final products, SKD requires labour to assemble five-six key components which are imported and China is the main supplier, along with Vietnamm and Taiwan. Most Chinese brands are currently involved with nearly 100 per cent SKD-level production in the country. "The long-term impact of Coronavirus will impact upcoming smartphone launches as various brands will find it difficult to maintain their time-to-market planning in the wake of delay in SKD arriving in India," Tarun Pathak, Associate Director, Counterpoint Research, told IANS. "With SKD components stuck at warehouses in China, the whole supply chain will be affected as this is a seamless, effective, time-bound process for any smartphone brand to gain footprint in the highly-competitive Indian market," Pathak added. Currently, nearly 12 per cent SKD components are being sourced locally while rest of the 88 per cent come from China, Taiwan, Vietnam and Japan - with China being the biggest supplier. "The entire global supply chain will be affected, pushing the launch dates further if the virus is not controlled fast," Pathak noted. According to Varun Mishra, Research Analyst at Counterpoint, supply chains have been upset, causing various companies to rethink their strategies and reduce dependence on single markets. "2020 will likely see efforts to further diversify investments across geographies to mitigate risks. The current coronavirus outbreak in China is the latest issue to threaten supply chains," said Mishra. Sensing the upcoming troubles, Chinese smartphone makers are currently in a huddle and strategizing Plan B in case the supply chain remains affected for a long time. A well-established Chinese brand told IANS that at the moment, travel plans are affected and those who have gone to China on business travel, have been were asked to remain there till the situation is under control and the threat is minimised. "There is a complete travel ban. Those who are based here, are in continued discussions with the Chinese counterparts to understand and how to control the supply-chain issue once arises. Right now, things appear to be in place," a company employee told IANS on the condition of anonymity. India had to import $13 billion worth of components in 2018. "Not many high-value components are being sourced from India. As a result, local value addition in India was at 17 per cent during 2018. "This helped the country save $2.5 billion in forex but increased assembly operations in India led to imports of mobile phone components going up to $13 billion," said Pathak. The possibility of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to source chips locally is still nearly four to five years away. "Sourcing of chips locally will happen only once the component ecosystem for low-value components is strengthened and export incentives are brought into force," said Pathak. Half of the handsets sold in India in 2018 were imported as SKDs while only 34 per cent were imported as CKDs. However, by the end of 2019, handsets imported as CKDs were forecasted to reach 75 per cent while 25 per cent will be in the form of SKDs. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) May 30, 1934 January 22, 2020 Robert L. Bob Johnson, 85 years, of North Bend, Nebraska, died Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020, at his daughters home in Omaha, Nebraska. Bob was born May 30, 1934, to Warren Percy and Meta (Black) Johnson, on his family farm near North Bend, where he lived most of his life. He was a 1953 graduate of North Bend High School, where he was an active member of Future Farmers of America. He was drafted into the Army in 1956, and served in Germany with the 2nd Armored Division. He returned to North Bend in 1958 and began farming. He raised Angus cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens; with corn, soybeans, wheat, and alfalfa crops. Bob married Lorrie Drevo on April 16, 1960, at United Presbyterian Church in North Bend. He is survived by his daughter, Christine (Vivek Chand) Vivek of Omaha; sister, Rosemary Euken of Aliso Viejo, California; brother, Richard Dick Johnson of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; and 5 nieces and 1 nephew. He was preceded in death by his parents and wife. The funeral service will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 1, at United Presbyterian Church in North Bend. The Rev. Michael Hill will officiate. Visitation on Friday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. with the family receiving friends from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Moser Memorial Chapel in North Bend. Visitation on Saturday at church 1 hour prior to service. Burial will be at Woodland Cemetery near North Bend with military honors. Memorials may be given to United Presbyterian Church or Cancer Research Foundation. Online condolences may be left at www.mosermemorialchapels.com. NEW ORLEANS - A federal appeals court in New Orleans has refused to reconsider its ruling striking down a key part of President Barack Obamas health care law. The brief ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was dated Wednesday. A divided three-judge panel ruled in December that the laws requirement that people buy insurance was rendered unconstitutional when Congress set the tax on those who dont buy insurance at zero. And it told a lower court judge to review whether other parts of the law, such as protections for those with pre-existing conditions, must also fall. Wednesdays ruling says one 5th Circuit judge asked for a rehearing by the full court. But the judges voted 8-6 against a rehearing. Defenders of the law have asked the Supreme Court to hear the case. For Mahmoud Abbas, the ailing octogenarian president of the Palestinian Authority, his lifes work a viable state side-by-side with Israel is quickly slipping away Jerusalem: For Mahmoud Abbas, the ailing octogenarian president of the Palestinian Authority, his lifes work a viable state side-by-side with Israel is quickly slipping away. President Donald Trumps West Asia plan deprives the Palestinians of nearly everything they had been fighting for: East Jerusalem as their national capital, the removal of Jewish settlements on the West Bank, and territorial contiguity and control over their own borders and security that a sovereign state normally enjoys. While it was always presumed that such a State would be forged through talks with the Israelis, years of failure, a weak and divided Palestinian leadership, and an Arab world that has largely moved on have all emboldened Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to try to impose a solution of their own. But the landscape has shifted so much in recent years that Abbas has few good options. With only muted reaction from Arab neighbours, a struggling Palestinian economy, little apparent appetite among Palestinians for a violent response and the United States having abandoned any pretense of neutral mediation, a proposal that might have been considered outlandish a decade ago landed with little serious opposition. Rather than fighting back, some Palestinian activists on Wednesday were saying the best option may be breaking up the Palestinian Authority, leaving Israel to assume the burden of providing for the West Banks 2.5 million Palestinians. Abbas could decide that this is the moment for dramatic pushback, like walking away from the security cooperation that has long helped protect Israelis from terrorism. He could try to unleash violence. But if his overriding motive is self-preservation, the safer option would be to try to weather the storm, hoping that Trump is defeated in November, or Netanyahu even sooner. That focus on his own survival, as Abbas many local detractors are keenly aware, would place him in the same category as his US and Israeli adversaries leaders whose personal and political predicaments appear to be driving them in making the weightiest decisions of state. One guys dealing with impeachment, another with an indictment, and Abbas is 85 years old, said Dimitri Diliani, a 46-year-old member of the Fatah Revolutionary Council who is impatient for Abbas, who is still 84, to go. Hes looking for a way to dodge the bullet and stay in power. But even if they wanted to, Palestinians have only a limited ability to stand up to an American-Israeli bulldozer. Yara Hawari, 31, a scholar and analyst for Al Shabaka, a network of Palestinian analysts, said the Trump plan was becoming a cautionary tale about the diminishing importance of international law when those making the rules are unafraid to exploit their power. What happens here can happen elsewhere very easily, she said. If you dont care for the Palestinians, at least care for yourselves. The assorted calls for action from Palestinian activists, thinkers and analysts eager to shake up the prevailing inertia sounded like variations on a theme of admitting the failure of the Palestinian Authority to grow into a state. Some called for the authority to dismantle itself, which would require Israel to take on the costs of health, education, social welfare and policing of West Bank Palestinians and would remove an entity that they see as camouflaging the occupations ugliness. We couldnt have seen 50 presidents and prime ministers in Israel last week if it was revealed as an apartheid State, said Hamada Jaber, an activist in Ramallah, referring to a Holocaust commemoration in Jerusalem that attracted dozens of world leaders. Its still hiding itself behind the PA. But Tareq Baconi, 36, a Palestinian analyst for International Crisis Group, cautioned that any wind-down of the authority should be strategic, not impulsive. There needs to be a serious exploration not another empty threat from the presidents office of what dismantling the PA looks like, he said. How will the economy be managed, what kind of resilience infrastructure needs to be built to take its place, and how can security cooperation end without endangering Palestinians or risking instability? Abbas has remained typically opaque, offering little insight into his current thinking. One of the weaknesses and failings of the leadership, said Sari Nusseibeh, 70, the former president of Al Quds University, was its inability to address the people openly and to present ideas. I dont know if they are doing any thinking at a deep level, Nusseibeh continued, and Abbas, as people say, is very much a one-man show. He is also increasingly authoritarian, as Hawari noted. Im trying not to fall into the trap of calling for anything so I dont get arrested, she said, adding, I dont see a just and free Palestinian future with the PA in place. Abbas called again Tuesday for elections, prompting eye rolls among critics who note he is entering the 16th year of what was supposed to be a four-year term. Few believe he is serious. A better idea, several said, would be to hold elections for the Palestine Liberation Organisation as a way of revitalising the group still widely seen as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. Still, many Palestinians view the authority, one of the few tangible achievements of the national cause, as worth preserving. Personally I dont think handing over the keys is a smart move, said Nour Odeh, a Palestinian writer and analyst. A right-wing Israel drunk on power with Trumps support couldnt care less, she said, adding: We built these institutions with the blood and sweat of our sons and daughters. Why give it up? Raja Khalidi, a development economist who runs a research institute, said there was the added matter of a sense of duty. I cant see any political leadership walking away from the responsibility its assumed for 30 years and allowing Israel to return to that role, he said. Disillusioned about statehood, especially the kind of statehood now on offer, Palestinians are increasingly rejecting a two-state solution to work for a single state with equal rights and the vote for all people living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean. That idea, though, is unrealistic, said Sani Meo, publisher of This Week in Palestine, a Ramallah-based magazine. Of course Israel will never give us the vote. A more immediate measure many Palestinians want is an end to Israeli-Palestinian security cooperation, which they see more as collaboration with the enemy. Abbas has resisted that so far because the teamwork with Israel also helps keep Hamas at bay in the West Bank, ensuring his survival. Equally popular would be national reconciliation and the healing of the 13-year, bitter schism between Abbas Fatah-led Authority in the West Bank and his rivals in Hamas, the Islamic militant group that controls Gaza. There was a veneer of unity the night the Trump plan was announced, with Abbas and the head of Hamas politburo, Ismail Haniyah, speaking by phone. But few believe it will go anywhere. And the leadership has other problems than disunity. Baconi of the International Crisis Group recalled that before the British election last month, he sat with Palestinian officials who expressed the seemingly far-fetched hope that Jeremy Corbyn would win, Netanyahu would be defeated and Bernie Sanders would be elected president of the United States. It misses the point that you dont manage the context, you operate in it, Baconi said. So far, although the Israeli military sent reinforcements into the West Bank and along the Gaza border Wednesday, Palestinians were not taking to the streets in large numbers. It would be wrong to read that as acquiescence, Hawari said. The Palestinian grassroots have been weakened over time, she said, not just by the Israelis but by the authoritys own repression, since protesters against the Israeli occupation also sometimes protest against autocracy and the corruption of their own leaders. She added that the hundreds of Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers at demonstrations along the Gaza fence set a really gruesome precedent for how Israel might respond to a mass mobilization. If thousands of us went down to the streets in the West Bank, do you think that would be met lightly? she asked. Diliani, the Fatah Revolutionary Council member, said Palestinians were torn over whom to protest against. Do we overcome our internal problems with Abbas first? he asked. Or with Israel? He added: You will hear this conversation in every restaurant, everywhere you go. Who do we target first? Who should we fight? What Palestinians of every age and background still can agree on is the idea that merely staying on the land, with steadfastness, or sumud in Arabic, is an act of resistance. We are not going anywhere, Odeh, the writer, said. Their mere presence, she said, poses a long-term challenge to Israels right wing, not to mention Zionism itself. Khalidi, the economist, said Palestinians needed to focus inward while they wait for a better set of circumstances. How do we get back to being one community? he asked. What can we do to get people engaged in building their lives, and their nation, without it necessarily being a State? What do I need a State for, he added, if it doesnt give me more than I already have? David M Halbfinger and Isabel Kershner c.2020 The New York Times Company SAN FRANCISCO For years, a determined state senator has pushed a singular vision: a bill challenging Californias devotion to both single-family housing and motor vehicles by stripping away limits on housing density near public transit. Now the state will have to look for other ways to relieve its relentless housing crisis. On Thursday, one day before the deadline for action on the hotly debated bill, it failed to muster majority support in a Senate vote. In the end, in a Legislature where consensus can be elusive despite a lopsided Democratic majority, the effort drew opposition from two key constituencies: suburbanites keen on preserving their lifestyle and less affluent city dwellers seeing a Trojan horse of gentrification. The failure marks the third time since 2018 that State Senator Scott Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat and one of the countrys most outspoken advocates for reforming local zoning laws, has tried and failed to push through a major bill meant to stimulate housing production. KISORO President Museveni has given UGX10 million as condolence to the family of a Ugandan who was shot dead by Rwandan authorities about two weeks ago. Teojen Ndagijimana, a resident of Kabingo Village, Murora Sub-county in Kisoro District, was shot dead alongside two Rwandans at Kumugu Trading Centre inside Rwanda on January 18 over smuggling. While addressing residents of Murora Sub-county in Kisoro District on Wednesday, the President condoled with the family of the deceased. I announce a donation of Shs10m as condolence to the resident of this area who was recently shot and killed in Rwanda. In case the parents to the deceased are here, let them come and pick it , Mr Museveni said. The President also assured the residents that he will soon resolve the border standoff with Rwanda. Dont worry about the closure of the Rwandan border, I am in talks with President Paul Kagame and soon, the matter shall be resolved, he said. The President was in the area to thank the residents for overwhelmingly voting the NRM party in the 2016 General Election. The function was held at Gatete Catholic Church playgrounds in Murora Sub-county yesterday. I am also handing over 10 cows for slaughter for the voters in this sub-county to celebrate their victory of being the only sub-county that voted NRM party highly in the 2016 General Election, he said. Mr Museveni also urged the residents to take advantage of the infrastructure developments in the area such as the tarmacked Kabale-Kisoro road, electricity, schools and piped water to develop. I appeal to the people of Kigezi region to abandon the practice of land fragmentation because this disables land as the small units cannot be used for farming that is commercially viable, he added. Related A MALAYSIAN woman living in Limerick has been found not guilty of possession of a stolen laptop which contained a sex tape of her and her former partner. A jury at Limerick Circuit Court was told the Apple Macbook was found by gardai who searched a house at Avondale Drive, Greystones on October 7, 2014, having been contacted by Interpol. While accepting the laptop was located at her then home, Ching Lee, 35, who now has an address at Mallow Street in the city centre denied the charge. The jury was told the laptop was stolen on January 18, 2011 from an apartment in Sunway a suburb of the Malaysian city of Kuala Lumpur. The complainant Canadian national Lee David Clayworth, pictured below told the jury he was teaching in Malaysia at the time and started a relationship with Ms Lee in 2010. The relationship ended a number of weeks before the laptop was stolen. Mr Clayworth told John OSullivan BL, prosecuting, he realised the laptop was missing when he returned to his apartment at around 7pm on January 18, 2011. He said a number of other items were taken and that he reported the matter to the local police. Being cross-examined by barrister Brian McInerney, instructed by solicitor Sarah Ryan, Mr Clayworth accepted his relationship with Ms Lee was tempestuous and that there was a lot of acrimony between them. He confirmed various photos and home movies were recorded during the relationship and that a sex tape had been saved on the computer. Ms Clayton accepted Ms Lee was aware the video was on the laptop and that people are concerned about the existence of such tapes when relationships end. The jury was told that following the theft, Mr Clayworth began his own investigation and obtained CCTV from the apartment complex where he was living. He said Ms Lee can be seen arriving and leaving the complex around the time the laptop was taken. During the two-day trial, evidence was heard that Mr Clayton met with Ms Lee and her mother a number of weeks after the theft and that he agreed to withdraw his complaint after monies were paid to him. Mr Clayton said he did so as he believed the stolen property had been dumped and the laptop destroyed. The jury was told when Ms Lee was questioned, in 2014, about the laptop which was seized at her home, she insisted she did not have access to it or its contents. In her charge to the jury, Judge Martina Baxter noted it was the State case that Ms Lee knew the laptop was stolen and had been involved in the theft. The defence case, she stated, was that Mr Clayton was looking for two bites of the cherry and that the case was not about the laptop but about events which happened between the couple in Malaysia. The jury of seven women and five men returned its unanimous not guilty verdict following just under 30 minutes of deliberations. U.S. bank regulator charges ex-Wells Fargo executives for role in sales scandal FILE PHOTO: Wells Fargo CEO Stumpf testifies before Senate Banking Committee hearing on firm's sales practices on Capitol Hill in Washington By Chris Prentice and Imani Moise WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Wells Fargo & Co's U.S. regulator on Thursday announced it had banned former Chief Executive John Stumpf from the banking industry and charged him and seven other former executives combined more than $58 million in civil penalties for their roles in the bank's multi-year sales practices scandal. The action by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) marks a rare example of senior executives being held personally accountable for failing to put a stop to misconduct at their bank. It also broke new ground for the regulator, which forced Stumpf to pay $17.5 million (13.3 million pounds) to settle the charges against him - the largest ever penalty it has secured from an individual. The OCC's probe is one of several into the San Francisco-based lender, with investigations by the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission ongoing. One person with knowledge of the OCC probe said it was far-reaching and that more individuals could be charged. "We do not expect these penalties will end Wells Fargo's troubles in Washington...Yet this is still a positive development for Wells Fargo as this was a hurdle that the bank was always going to have to clear," said Jaret Seiberg, an analyst at Cowen Washington Research Group, in a note. Some of the OCC's findings, though, contradict Wells Fargo's 2017 board report into the scandal, which largely pinned the blame on a small number of executives, in particular the bank's former retail banking head Carrie Tolstedt. But on Thursday, the OCC said many members of the bank's senior leadership were culpable, a finding that is likely to spark further questions by lawmakers who may push for criminal convictions, said Sieberg. In addition to Stumpf, former human resources head Hope Hardison and Michael Loughlin, former chief risk officer, settled the OCC's charges for $2.25 million and $1.25 million, respectively, the OCC said. Stumpf, who could not immediately be reached for comment, also agreed to a lifetime ban on working for an OCC-regulated bank. He abruptly left the company in October 2016 after a nearly a decade at the helm. Story continues Five other former executives refused to settle, including Tolstedt who is facing a potential $25 million civil monetary penalty, James Strother, the former general counsel, and Claudia Russ Anderson, the former community bank group risk officer, who both face $5 million fines. They and two auditing executives may ultimately fight the charges before a judge under the OCC's administrative process. "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," a lawyer for Tolstedt said in a statement. In a statement, Strother's lawyer said the former Wells Fargo executive "acted with the utmost integrity and transparency" and that the OCCs charges are "false and unfounded." Russ Anderson could not immediately be reached for comment. In a memo to Wells Fargo employees, CEO Charlie Scharf said the company was reviewing Thursday's filings and will determine what, if any, further action is appropriate in respect to any of the individuals who were named. The memo added that the bank would not make any remaining compensation payments that may be owed to those individuals in the meantime. INDIVIDUAL MISCONDUCT Wells Fargo, the country's fourth largest U.S. lender, has paid out more than $4 billion in fines and penalties since the 2016 revelation that the bank's sales practices encouraged employees to open potentially millions of unauthorised bank accounts in order to hit lofty sales targets. Since then, internal and external probes have uncovered issues in each of Wells Fargo's major business lines, including wealth management and the commercial bank. The fallout has also resulted in the Federal Reserve imposing an unprecedented growth restriction on Wells Fargo's balance sheet until it proves it has fixed its risk management and controls. While Wells Fargo has inked multiple federal and private settlements for its sales practices, the OCC action marks the first federal action against individuals for their roles in the scandal, instead of just the institution. In its complaint, the OCC said that senior bank leadership must have been aware of rampant sales misconduct, citing large numbers of employee complaints and years' worth of other evidence. For example, an internal investigation conducted by the bank in 2004 found that instances in which staff "gamed" the sales system to meet targets climbed 979% from 2000 to 2004. The number of calls to the bank's internal ethics hotline steadily climbed from 2006 through 2014, the OCC said, with nearly half of all cases investigated related to sales misconduct. (Reporting by Chris Prentice, Karen Freifeld, Peter Schroeder and Imani Moise; Editing by Michelle Price, Paul Simao and Lisa Shumaker) BEIRUT Since the start of the Lebanese uprising this past October, the protest square in the center of Beirut Martyrs' Square has been filled with tents erected by revolutionaries. Amid reports and efforts by the Ministry of Interior to remove such tents, a large number of demonstrators and protesters rushed Jan. 28 to resist the Internal Security Forces attempt to remove barriers blocking the road around the square and protecting their tents. Nazih Khalaf is among the revolutionaries who have not left Martyrs Square since the start of the mass protests on Oct. 17, 2019. My name is Nazih Khalaf. Ninety-six days into the start of the protests that have been calling for basic rights, and as the state continues to disregard such rights, I announce that I am going on a hunger strike until such demands are fulfilled, Khalaf said in a Jan. 21 post on his Facebook page. When the popular protests broke out in various Lebanese regions Oct. 17, as a result of the deterioration of the economic and social conditions in the country, Khalaf, in his 40s, left his house, wife and 10-year-old daughter to sleep in the revolution squares in downtown Beirut. Khalaf told Al-Monitor that the reason he took part in the protests was that most Lebanese feel they are foreigners within their own country, and some resort to raiding garbage bins to find bread crumbs to survive. It breaks my heart when my daughter asks me for 2,000 Lebanese pounds [$1.32]. I wonder whether I should give her the money as I think about how to cover lunch, he lamented. I cannot even pay my electricity bills anymore. I am unemployed and have many obligations. I am sick and cannot afford my rent. I had no other choice but to take to the streets because I know that this is all due to corruption and due to leaders who keep stealing our money. I took to the streets to be able to provide for my daughter. Thats all. I do not want her to have to erect a tent one day just to claim her most basic rights, Khalaf added. He said he returned to Lebanon from Kuwait when his daughter was born about nine years ago. He opened a small home decor store, but he subsequently shut it down because he could not deal with the tough competition with imported products. He has been looking for a full-time job for two years now in vain. Khalaf has managed to survive thanks to a couple of freelance jobs he did here and there, but he hasnt been able to cover his daughters tuition fees, let alone other financial obligations. We are hungry and have nothing to lose. We decided to take to the streets because this gave us hope and because we do not want to ask for anyones help. People in the squares are in severe pain. They are deprived of food. We saw some of them pick up food from garbage bins as officials continue to overlook their pain. This is why we spoke up. But no one gave heed to our demands, he added. Khalaf is among several citizens who erected tents in revolution squares in downtown Beirut and have been sleeping there for 100 days now. They live in these tents, even though some of them have homes and jobs. But even if employed, protesters head to the squares after finishing work to call for holding corrupt officials to account and to claim rights related to health care, education, old age pensions and the eradication of sectarianism. That some choose to sleep in their tents is quite telling. Two days before the start of the popular protests, Mahmoud al-Khash had to leave his home in Beirut and move to his family's house in southern Lebanon because he couldnt afford rent anymore. But when the revolution broke out, he did not hesitate to go back to Beirut. I only had enough to pay for the trip to Beirut. The first day I slept at my friends place, and when a lot of citizens took to the streets, I erected a tent in the revolution square in downtown Beirut and have been sleeping there, he told Al-Monitor. He said he has been going through tough circumstances over the past two years. He is unemployed and his rent was $250 per month. He cannot even afford to buy food. However, the real tragedy he faces is that he was born to a Lebanese mother and a Syrian father in Lebanon. Although he grew up in Lebanon, he continues to be treated as a foreigner. Under the current law, Lebanese mothers married to foreign spouses cannot pass on citizenship to their children or husbands. But as Lebanese fathers can pass on citizenship to their foreign wives, many women have joined the protest movement to claim the right to pass citizenship on to their children. No one would employ me despite the fact that I have a permanent residence permit. I do not have Lebanese citizenship. I started drawing and selling paintings although I hate to sell my paintings. I had no other choice. I also resorted to wood decor to make some profit, Khash said. Khash receives protesters in his tent and allows them to stay overnight until they set up their own tents and secure their needs. He also receives people who havent been able to pay their rent. He said that he went through some difficult times in the square, as young supporters of political parties in power repeatedly tried to invade the protest tents. However, I will never forget the beautiful square experience once the revolution is over. I will then pack up my things and leave. I hope I will have found a job by then but I call on everyone to take to the streets for now so we bring about change. Protesters may have different stories, but they have all been suffering one way or another. Rola Kanaan, often referred to as Chef of the Revolution, lost her job four months ago due to the financial crisis plaguing the country. She prepares food for the protesters in a tent set up in Lazarieh Square in downtown Beirut and dubbed the kitchen tent. She lives in the Tariq el-Jdideh neighborhood of Beirut. I am here because I fully support the demands of the revolution. I have a daughter and am unemployed. We want a pension plan and health care. We want jobs, water, electricity and medicine. Thats all we want. I hope our basic rights will be met. The revolution shall continue for this specific purpose, she told Al-Monitor. To survive, Khash sometimes brings food from the kitchen tent, while the rest of the time he relies on the food his mother sends him. His tent in Lazarieh Square only consists of a small mattress, a pillow, a seat and a table with some coffee and tea. His painting kit also always accompanies him wherever he goes. Similar basic necessities are found in Khalafs tent. Rima, or Um Ahmad, as she introduced herself, is a woman in her 30s who works as a principal in a Beirut school who did not want her last name used out of fear of retaliation. She has been roaming the revolution squares with her three kids and husband since the start of the protests. She eventually set up a tent near the Al-Amin Mosque in the center of Beirut. It was really upsetting to see the crackdown on protesters at the beginning of the revolution. None of the politicians asked about the protesters demands, so I decided to take to the streets because we are all somehow affected by the deteriorating living conditions. People are begging for a hospital bed. It frightens me just to think that my son might not find a job when he grows up and might not be able to provide for me in a country where there is no old age pension. The young people expressing their opinion should not be suppressed, she told Al-Monitor. Every day, Rima goes to school to do her work and then returns to her tent in the square and sleeps there. The revolution gave me hope that my children wont be raised on sectarianism. I am a Sunni from Beirut and my husband is a Shiite. I do not want my son to be despised in my area. This is such an ugly feeling, she said. Rima said she hopes that all those who are in power will be toppled. For his part, Khalaf believes that good things are lying in store for Lebanon. Even citizens who usually support political parties are starting to join the protests, he said. He concluded by saying, We shall not give up hope of bringing about change. We are willing to stay one solid year in the squares if that is what it takes for our demands to be met. HQ Relocates from Alameda in Bay Area to Irvine in Orange County, CA IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oncocyte Corporation (NYSE American: OCX), a molecular diagnostics company with a mission to provide actionable answers at critical decision points across the cancer care continuum, today announced the move of its national headquarters to Irvine in Orange County, California. Oncocytes new headquarters, located at 15 Cushing in Irvine will replace its Alameda office in the Bay Area. The move reflects Oncocytes commitment to the growth of the company. As Oncocytes portfolio of molecular diagnostics expands, the company is looking to continue growing its team. With Oncocyte growing, we wanted to find a location that suited our need to find talented individuals to join our team as well as provided opportunities to engage with patients in the community setting, said Ronnie Andrews, CEO of Oncocyte. We conducted a comprehensive search across the U.S. for a new location, looking at several markets including Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina; Houston, Texas; and Carlsbad and San Diego, California. Ultimately, we settled on Orange County because of its access to talent, affordability, opportunity for future growth and incredible community treatment centers. We are looking forward to engaging with the community and hope to contribute to bringing clinical trials to patients in the Orange County area and beyond. Orange County is one of the leading hubs for the life sciences industry in the United States, with preeminent organizations such as the Leonard Cancer Institute at Mission Hospital, the recently opened City of Hope Cancer Center and Hoag Hospital all in the region. A recent report highlights that Orange Countys Life Sciences industry accounts for employment of more than 164,000 people and is responsible for over $35.3 billion in annual economic activity. This announcement comes after several other recent milestones for the company. In just the first month of 2020, Oncocyte has announced its proposed acquisition of Insight Genetics, the commercial availability of its DetermaRx test and the completion of CLIA validation for its liquid biopsy test, DetermaDx. Story continues In securing its new lease, Oncocyte was represented by Jason Lantgen of JLL, and the new corporate headquarters space will include state of the art cancer genomics and molecular pathology labs, as well as corporate administrative functions. For further details on Oncocytes headquarters facilities and the lease, see the companys Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 27, 2019. About Oncocyte Corporation Oncocyte is a molecular diagnostics company whose mission is to provide actionable answers at critical decision points across the cancer care continuum, with the goal of improving patient outcomes by accelerating and optimizing diagnosis and treatment. The Company is currently preparing to launch DetermaRx, a treatment stratification test that enables the identification of early-stage lung cancer patients at high risk for recurrence post-resection, allowing them to be treated when their cancer may be more responsive to adjuvant chemotherapy. DetermaDx, the companys liquid biopsy test in development, utilizes a proprietary immune system interrogation approach to clarify if a patients lung nodules are benign, which may enable them to avoid potentially risky invasive diagnostic procedures. DetermaDx and DetermaRx are trademarks of Oncocyte Corporation. Oncocyte Forward Looking Statements Oncocyte cautions you that this press release contains forward-looking statements concerning, but not limited to, the planned acquisition of Insight Genetics. Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but not limited to statements that contain words such as will, believes, plans, anticipates, expects, estimates, may, and similar expressions) are forward-looking statements. These statements include those pertaining to the development of DetermaDx and the ongoing Clinical Validation study, the impact of the anticipated commercial launch of DetermaRx, unexpected expenditures or assumed liabilities or other unanticipated difficulties resulting from the planned acquisition of Insight Genetics, implementation and results of research, development, clinical trials and studies, commercialization plans, future financial and/or operating results, and future opportunities for Oncocyte, along with other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and/or commercialization of potential diagnostic tests or products, uncertainty in the results of clinical trials or regulatory approvals, the capacity of our third-party supplied blood sample analytic system to provide consistent and precise analytic results on a commercial scale, the need and ability to obtain future capital, maintenance of intellectual property rights, and the need to obtain third party reimbursement for patients use of any diagnostic tests we commercialize. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and accordingly such statements should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the business of Oncocyte, particularly those mentioned in the Risk Factors and other cautionary statements found in Oncocytes Securities and Exchange Commission filings, which are available from the SECs website. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they were made. Oncocyte undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made, except as required by law. Investor Contact Bob Yedid LifeSci Advisors, LLC 646-597-6989 bob@lifesciadvisors.com Advertisement Paleontologists have uncovered the most complete Brachiosaurus upper arm bone in history. Standing more than six feet tall, the right humerus belonged to a 6,600 pound dinosaur that once walked the Earth about 150 million years ago. The bone was unearthed at the Morrison Formation in Utah, which us a fossil-hunting haven for researchers. Because the bone is so large and the terrain so rugged, the team had to enlist the help of Clydesdale horses to pull it out of the ground. To carefully move the bone, the team encased it in a jacket of plaster and hessian that sat on two pieces of wood the entire packaged weighed about 992 pounds. Paleontologists have uncovered the most complete Brachiosaurus upper arm bone in history. Standing more than six feet tall, the right humerus belonged to a 6,600 pound dinosaur that once walked the Earth about 150 million years ago Because the bone is so large and the terrain so rugged, the team had to enlist the help of Clydesdale horses to pull it out of the ground. To carefully move the bone, the team encased it in a jacket of plaster and hessian that sat on two pieces of wood the entire packaged weighed about 992 pounds The artifact was first discovered in 2019 at a site on Utah State Park land by the palaeoartist on the team Brian Engh, ABC reports. However, the team was unable to move it until the received the correct permits, which they did in October of last year. The humerus, which is believed to be the fifth largest every found, was spotted alongside other bones including several rib fragments, as well as fossil plants. Prior to this discover, there have only been two other upper arm bones of a Brachiosaurus found in the US one in 1900 and another in 1955. The artifact was first discovered in 2019 at a site on Utah State Park land by the palaeoartist on the team Brian Engh, ABC reports. However, the team was unable to move it until the received the correct permits, which they did in October of last year The bone stands taller than six feet and was larger than the researchers that discovered it The humerus, which is believed to be the fifth largest every found, was spotted alongside other bones including several rib fragments, as well as fossil plants And the recent find may also be the oldest, the researchers added, given where the fossils were found. Anatomist Mathew Wedel of the Western University of Health Sciences, wrote in an email to ABC: We are particularly excited because this Brachiosaurus was found very near several other identifiable sauropod sites, petrified logs, and plant fragments ... in the lower layers of the Morrison Formation, which pushes these lineages back by several million years. Brachiosaurus, meaning arm lizard, were herbivorous saurapods, a family of very large plant eating dinosaurs that walked mostly on four legs. The recent find may also be the oldest, the researchers added, given where the fossils were found They lived primarily in Algeria, Portugal, Tanzania, and the United States during the Late Jurassic period, 155 to 140 million years ago. They are believed to have been around 100 feet long on average and around 41 feet tall. Dr. Stephen Poropat of Swinburne University said: Often in the media what is presented as Brachiosaurus is based a lot on Giraffatitan [a closely related African genus of dinosaur]. The more fossils we find, the better understanding we'll get of what Brachiosaurus was like as an animal its anatomy and where it sits on the dinosaur family tree, its behavior and its ecology. Thousands of people came together to form human maps of India, organised by the Congress-led UDF, across Kerala as a mark of protest against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act on Thursday. Intensifying its protest against the CAA, the Congress- led UDF organised the formation of human map in 12 of the 14 districts barring Wayanad and Kozhikode. The programme was cancelled in Kozhikode due to the demise of veteran Congress leader M Kamalam this morning. At Wayanad, MP and Congressleader Rahul Gandhi took out a protest rally against the CAA. The Congress in Kerala has been organising protest marches under the leadership of MPs and MLAs and local leaders since the past few days. Senior Congress leader A K Antony participated in the human map in the state capital, while UDF leaders including Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, KPCC President Mullappally Ramachandran and others participated in the protest at various places. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) On Tuesday, January 28, 2020, the Trump Administration revealed its vision for an Israel-Palestine peace plan. The proposed two-state solution would leave the state of Palestine completely surrounded by Israel, with tunnels connecting different sections. The "deal" was brokered in part by Jared Kushner. I put "deal" in quotes because no actual Palestinian humans were included in the conversations. This, to me, seems like a poor approach to solving such a famously contentious issue. Of course, I did not have the fortune to luck into a diplomatic position by marrying to the daughter of a con artist president. So what do I know. Similarly, if you're going to leave half the people involved in the negotiations out of the negotiations, I wouldn't think it wise to go on CNN and make your disdain for them so abundantly clear, as Kushner did here: Jared Kushner, senior adviser to the President, says the White House's Middle East plan is "a great deal" and if Palestinians reject it, "they're going to screw up another opportunity, like they've screwed up every other opportunity that they've ever had in their existence." pic.twitter.com/ABAI3gKjig CNN (@CNN) January 28, 2020 I suppose one could argue that this is not explicitly racist. But it absolutely hints at racist notions of Arabs as inherently savage beasts who can't take care of themselves. In subsequent interviews, Kush basically made it clear that the Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory are going to keep growing and expanding anyway, so the Palestinians may as well take the deal because they're inevitably going to be pushed out anyway. Again: probably not the best way to start negotiations that you already left them out of? On the same day the plan was announced, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was also formally indicted on corruption charges. Peace To Prosperity: A Vision To Improve The Lives Of The Palestinian and Israeli People (The White House) Image of the proposed plan via WhiteHouse.gov Nepal's Himalayan Airlines on Thursday terminated flight services to China for an indefinite period of time following the outbreak of novel coronavirus that has killed more than 170 people and infected more than thousands other in the East Asian country. In the wake of the recent 2019-nCoV outbreak, the airlines said it has already introduced precautionary measures on its flights to contain the Wuhan pneumonia epidemic. "Stepping up further in our efforts, we have suspended most of our flights on Nepal-China sector until further notice," the airlines said in an advisory. As per the notice published today, passengers can apply for free ticket alteration and cancellation on all flights to and from China. Passengers have to contact the original ticket purchase channel and need to avail the waiver of the fees within the validity period of the ticket. Stepping up the precautionary measures, the company has now decided to suspend flights on the Nepal-China sector until further notice, Ujjawala Dali, head of the Department of Brand and Service Improvement, told Himalayan Times. "Flight bookings of Changsha and Guiyang airports have already been cleared, so we have cancelled flights to these destinations since last week," Dali said. She, however, noted that five flights, including three to Beijing and two to Chongqing, have to be operated at any cost as the occupancy is full. As per Dali, the last flight to Beijing will take off from Tribhuvan International Airport on February 7, while last flight to Chongqing will be on February 6. The Health Organisation has shown particular concern over the cases of human-to-human transmission outside China. A WHO meeting to decide whether to declare outbreak of strains of Corona Virus as "health emergency" is expected to be held Thursday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Youre floating off the coast of Civitavecchia, Italy, where the turquoise water is shimmering. Never mind the poolside crowds or the children screaming in the room overits a holiday, and its blissful. Then, your ship announces a lockdown. And a possible case of the coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China, last month and has since infected more than 7,700 people. Youre stuckall that was sparkling about your vacation is now tinged with the forced proximity of others and the underlying anxiety of possible infection. Was that a muffled cough?, you think, as you side-eye your neighbor. Advertisement This is more or less what happened to the passengers on the Costa Smeralda cruise ship Thursday morning, where more than 6,000 tourists and 1,000 crew members were quarantined. After a passenger from Macau came down with a fever and respiratory problems, fears over the possible case of the coronavirus led to immediate action. While the patient was in isolation in the ships hospital, the town of Civitavecchia prevented anyone onboard from disembarking until the results of multiple medical tests were known. Passengers took to social media to share their frustrations. It was unclear what would happen to the ship if the patient tested positive. Late Thursday night, the tests came back: She had the flu. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the cruise ship may be one of the more bizarre instances, quarantines on small and large scales are being launched worldwide. The U.S. retrieved nearly 200 Americans who are more at risk from Wuhan on Tuesday. The government is keeping them at a California military base for at least three days, with the option to stay for 14 and a possibility of leaving early for individual quarantine. Similarly, the British government chartered a plane on Thursday to retrieve 200 Britons in the vicinity of Wuhan, which was itself quarantined last week. Upon their return to the U.K., the passengers will be taken to a facility in the northwest of England and held there for two weeks to monitor symptoms. Australia, in an apparent attempt to instate the most outrageous quarantine, has defended its plans to send evacuated citizens to an island used to banish asylum-seekers and criminals. (Some Australians have now said they prefer to remain in Wuhan.) Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, at the center of the outbreak, Wuhan and its province, Hubei, have become the site of the largest experiment in human quarantining in history. China has indefinitely restricted the movement of more than 50 million people in a measure thats been called a radical experiment in authoritarian medicine. Lawrence Gostin, director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center on National and Global Health Law, told the Los Angeles Times that the Chinese government likely initiated the lockdown too late and that it could result in food and medicine shortages that amplify the outbreak. (Theres already been a serious shortage of hospital beds and medical supplies in Hubei.) It will provoke fear and panic, and people will not come into the hospital, and so youll drive the epidemic underground, Gostin told the Times. Advertisement Advertisement The effects of Chinas quarantine on its citizens have already been severe. People are experiencing increased levels of isolation and anxiety. While Wuhan is rushing to build two new hospitals by next week, the existing hospitals in Wuhan are so overcrowded that health care workers are wearing adult diapers in order to care for patients without taking bathroom breaks. A man said that roadblocks prevented him from getting his HIV medicine refilled, and instead of helping him, local police told his parents about his condition. A teenager with cerebral palsy died in a rural village on Thursday after his dad and brother, who were his caretakers, were taken and quarantined at a treatment facility 15 miles south of their house after developing fevers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ongoing debate over if, when, and how to quarantine people is fraught. Some argue that quarantiningwhich resurfaced in the modern era during the 2003 SARS outbreakviolates human rights and is ineffective and incompatible with modern cities and globalization. Others still maintain that quarantines work to keep the public calm, especially when the coronavirus has already killed at least 170 people, and help ensure the virus is contained. Regardless, biomedical researcher Eugenia Tognotti wrote in 2013 that segregation and isolation of people suspected of infection has frequently violated the liberty of outwardly healthy persons, most often from lower classes, and ethnic and marginalized minority groups have been stigmatized and have faced discrimination. Advertisement Advertisement While there may be some justifications for certain quarantines, there are numerous instances where panic has informed extreme, stigmatizing restrictions. The cruise ship is the latest example: An Italian woman told the New York Times that the number of Chinese tourists in Italy is making her worried. The public health merits of quarantining remain up for debate, but its clear that government responses to the coronavirus have already contributed to racial discrimination against at least one group of people. If anything, the coronavirus has shone a spotlight on how unimportant that is to governments, especially in the face of a public health crisis they dont really know how to handle. On the 72nd death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi addressed a Save The Constitution rally in Wayanads Kalpetta in Kerala. While addressing the people, Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said PM Modi believes in Nathuram Godses ideology who assassin Mahatma Gandhi. He underlined that PM Modi doesnt have guts to accept and say it aloud. Rahul Gandhi further said Godse shot Gandhi because he did not believe in himself, he loved no one, he cared for nobody, adding PM Modi is also on the same track as he only loves nobody, except for himself. #WATCH Rahul Gandhi, Congress in Kalpetta, Kerala: Nathuram Godse & Narendra Modi believe in the same ideology, there is no difference except Narendra Modi does not have the guts to say he believes in Godse. pic.twitter.com/J7GmOlBW55 ANI (@ANI) January 30, 2020 Taking on the government over Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC), Rahul Gandhi said people of the country are being made to prove whether they are Indian national or not, asking who is Narendra Modi to decide ? Who gave him the licence to decide this? Congress leader said he is an Indian and has no need to prove it to anybody. Government doesnt worry about unemployment, deteriorating economy: In his speech, Rahul Gandhi also slammed the Modi government over slipping economy and rapidly increasing unemployment. He said at the time when people have been facing really tough time as they have no jobs, money and rupee is becoming weak everyday, the Centre is trying to divert peoples attention by introducing amendments to the Citizenship Act. CAA and NRC will not bring jobs, said Rahul Gandhi and the crowd responded to him loud shout of slogans in support. Congress leader asserted that whenever youth question the government about unemployment and jobs, saffron leaders start talking about citizenship and infiltration. The Kashmir lock down and tension in Assam would not get jobs and a better future for Indias young generation, said Rahul Gandhi. For all the latest National News, download NewsX App The UK on Thursday said it hopes the Indian government will address peoples concerns over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in line with its commitment to work for development of all and win the trust of all. Outgoing British envoy Dominic Asquith made the remarks during a news briefing, saying protests such as those against CAA were part of every democracy and the issue is being widely analysed by the Indian and international media. Asked about protests against CAA, he referred to the NDA governments motto of sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishvas and said: Weve noted what the government and [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi say about together with all, development for all, trust of all and I believe that is the manifesto commitment of this government. He added, I refer back to that together with all, development for all, and trust of all as the objective set by this government and I am sure that in that trust of all...it will be addressing the concernsthat have been expressed about the CAA. But thats for the Indian government to deal with. Asquiths remarks came against the backdrop of a debate on CAA in the European Parliament on Thursday that was joined by MEPs from the UK. Diplomats from Western countries have closely followed the protests against CAA, which the external affairs ministry has described as an internal matter. Responding to another question on whether protests against the CAA could affect trade and investment, he said: There is a long history of Indian inclusivity and tolerance. So, I think British companies will look at that history. Asquith said British diplomats were very interested in travelling to Kashmir to assess the situation there and the Indian side was yet to respond to a standing request for a visit. He added the UK was not invited to join diplomats from 15 countries who were recently taken by the Indian government to Kashmir. Talking about Britains plans to forge new partnerships after its exit from the European Union, he said the UK would remain the most important and closest European partner for India and there will be an expansion of diplomatic, security and trade activity. Britain will also focus on practical measures to boost trade in goods and services and investments in India. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to visit India sometime this year, he said, adding: We always would welcome Mr Modi at any time in the UK. Asquith expressed regret over any threat the Indian diplomats may have felt as a result of...protests in August and September last year near the Indian mission in London. The UKs commitment to obligations to ensure diplomatic premises and staff are not threatened is without question, he added. I am glad to note that the last two protests have passed off without any serious concern...That balance between the right to protest, which in a democratic society is very important, and ensuring that protests dont cross the line to illegality is a balance that is always difficult to maintain, Asquith said. [January 30, 2020] Bright.md Now Screening for Coronavirus Following CDC Patient Evaluation Criteria PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to the CDC's release of clinical criteria to guide the evaluation of patients under investigation (PUI) for Wuhan coronavirus (2019-nCoV), Bright.md updated its Upper Respiratory Infection (URI) SmartExam modules to include coronavirus screening. SmartExam will automatically escalate positive screenings for further evaluation as well as continue to screen for flu diligently as we fly through one of the most destructive flu seasons in recent history. "We are doing everything we can to support our health system partners as they stay in front of the coronavirus scare, including a screening update that will use CDC insights to triage people who have higher risk for coronavirus," said Dr. Ray Costantini, co-founder and CEO of Bright.md. "That said, coronavirus is a pandemic threat that is making headlines, with only five documented cases in the US. As a trained medical doctor, it's important to remind people not to get caught up in a panic. The real threat facing a greater number of Americans is still the flu especially those who haven't yet been vaccinated this year. We're up to at least 8,200 flu deaths already this year. There's still time to get that shot." So far this past month, 11.5% of SmartExam URI module visits through Bright.md health system partners across the nation were flu-driven. SmartExam,Bright.md's award-winning asynchronous virtual care platform, provides convenient online access to primary and urgent care for low-acuity conditions from anywhere a home, office, car, or even bed. Coronavirus Update Explained The latest SmartExam update includes crucial questions that will evaluate for recent travel to China or exposure to a person who is either ill with coronavirus or under investigation for the virus. Those who screen positive according to these CDC defined criteria will be escalated and instructed to contact a provider for follow-up. This means that additional exposure and contagious spread can be better managed. Additionally, SmartExam after-visit-summaries now include instructions for patients in case they suspect or experience symptoms in the future. The coronavirus screening and after-visit-summary education will be a part of the clinical interview process until no longer required. "Our goal is to help providers identify patients at risk of coronavirus, intervene and proactively reduce their contact with other people to reduce exposure, and limit the chaos, fear and potential loss of human lives," said Dr. Costantini. "If we can do the same with the flu, stopping just a percentage of people from exposing others to their bugs, then we're doing our job. It's not about computer-intervention, it's about getting the right patients to the doctor when they need to be seen, and keeping the healthier people away from waiting rooms during outbreaks like this." Last month, Bright.md's Consumer Trust Survey revealed that more than two-thirds of patients surveyed still prefer their own doctor or hospital to provide care over urgent care facilities. SmartExam is helping providers streamline the healthcare delivery process using asynchronous automation as the first point of entry. About Bright.md Founded in 2014 and based in Portland, Ore., Bright.md is a leading healthcare automation company dedicated to modernizing direct-to-patient telehealth for healthcare systems with its AI-powered virtual-care platform, SmartExam. Bright.md partners with premier healthcare organizations in North America, including three of the top five not-for-profit health systems in the United States. These partners offer SmartExam to more than 10 million patients who are seeking convenient urgent and primary care online. Bright.md has been named the Leader in the "Forrester New Wave: Virtual Care Solutions for Digital Health" report, a Gartner Cool Vendor in Healthcare, a Vendor to Watch by Chilmark Research, and is the preferred choice of AVIA's Virtual Access cohort. Bright.md is venture-backed by B Capital Group, Seven Peaks Ventures, Pritzker Group Venture Capital, Oregon Venture Fund, and the Stanford-StartX Fund. For more information, visit Bright.md . View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/brightmd-now-screening-for-coronavirus-following-cdc-patient-evaluation-criteria-300995953.html SOURCE Bright.md [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] R.M.Q. in The Villages: Sprinkling baking soda on the bottom of the dishwasher between uses will definitely help to control odor. In fact, baking soda also can freshen and deodorize the microwave and butcher block, and is a great scouring powder in the sink and on the counters. Ive compiled a collection of my favorite baking soda hints, recipes and helps into a handy six-page pamphlet. Would you like to receive one? Its easy. Send a long, stamped (70 cents), self-addressed envelope, along with $5, to: Heloise/Baking Soda, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. Or you can order it online at Heloise.com. FYI: An empty grated-cheese container makes an excellent baking soda shaker. Be sure to label it or you might wind up with baking soda on your pasta! The Mumbai Police on Thursday claimed to have busted an interstate human trafficking racket by arresting three persons who were allegedly trying to sell off a new-born girl into flesh trade. Unit-9 of the city Crime Branch arrested Mohammed Fazal Pathan, Sharifa Pathan and Afrin Salamat Khan from Kureshi Nagar in suburban Bandra, an official said. The police also rescued the 20-day-old girl whom the accused wanted to sell, he added. The accused allegedly confessed that they had purchased the baby from her mother for Rs 10,000. The girl's mother was a resident of Bihar who had landed in the city after her husband broke the ties with her, the officer said. After purchasing the baby girl, the gang was allegedly trying to sell her off to agents in the flesh trade who raise girls to be exploited for prostitution, the police officer said. The police sent a decoy customer to the gang and finalised a deal for Rs 50,000, and arrested the accused on Thursday when the cash was being handed over, he added. The accused were part of an interstate human trafficking racket, the police officer said, adding that further probe was on. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Academic-activist reckons radical love required for equitable healthcare Shehnaz Munshi in the Centre for Health Policy at Wits believes we need to start grappling with the multi-dimensional nature of inequality in public health. Researchers know that population health and social determinants are intertwined but viewing this through an equity lens could transform the way we begin to think about solutions for a more just world for all. The Sheiham Family/WitsProgramme on Social Determinants of Health and Health Inequality in the Wits School of Public Health is looking at doing just this to simultaneously undertake broad and encompassing research while also drilling deeper into understand how public health is affected by every social factor and in turn how this affects society. Programme manager and associate lecturer Shehnaz Munshi explains that the programme came about in 2015, when Wits alumnus Professor Aubrey Sheiham and his philosopher wife, Dr Helena Sheiham donated R8.8 million to Wits University to support the Vice-Chancellors focus on addressing inequality. The Sheiham family donation has been added to since 2015 and is currently valued at R11.398 million. Aubrey Sheiham, who graduated from Wits in 1957, was a globally recognised epidemiologist and bold disrupter in the field of public dental health. He died in November 2015 at the age of 79. Investing in understanding inequity in health Public health has always looked at social determinants and its impact on health. Whats different about this programme is that were saying lets shift the lens through which we understand health problems and social determinants. Lets use an equity lens as an entry point to broaden the conversation to understand that health equity goes beyond the health system, says Munshi. We need to start grappling with this multi-dimensional nature of inequality. Health is shaped by the economies shaped by whose health is more important. There are innate inequalities and inequities, we know them, but weve got to start making a clear link. Munshi is a qualified occupational therapist and holds a Masters in Public Health, Health Systems and Policy Track from Wits. Shes also an activist and a social change agent. She has a distinct vision of how the Sheiham Family Wits Programme can challenge the status quo to add to impactful transformation of public health. She says its an approach that extends from personal reflection and responsibility, to community engagement, that goes beyond the light touch, as well as interdisciplinary collaboration and approaches to learning and researching that are more inclusive. We've got to dismantle and reconstruct the ways we understand how knowledge is produced and accessed in terms of equality and equity. The Sheiham Family programme is exciting in that we are beginning to attract PhD students who are interested in looking at developing different quantitative skills and research method skills. An activist for a healthier, more equal nation Munshi is also a Tekano Fellow, which is a leadership and fellowship community that has a mission to build a healthier and more equal nation. In 2018, she was identified as one of one of the Emerging Voices for Global Health (EV4GH). The EV4GH training programme is an initiative of the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium. Its aim is to empower health researchers from the Global South by providing them with intensive skills training and to facilitate their participation in global health conferences. For Munshi, these programmes and fellowships allow her to commit more deeply to social justice while building her own consciousness, skills and networks between other fellows, who may be lawyers, anthropologists, activists, or involved in the media. Munshi also talks about radical love; its a personal philosophy and its part of how she sees deep transformation being able to happen. She says for her its being unequivocal about taking a firm stance on issues and recognising toxicity in all its forms that should be pushed away or challenged. At the same time, she also believes in making room for more people and for tolerance. We have to start to see how gender, race, class, and patriarchy play out in ourselves in order to understand how we are carriers of inequity, but we can also be agents of change. My activism is deeply linked to my desire for a loving world. To get to a loving world means I have to embody anti-racism, anti-capitalism, anti-discrimination I have to be able to undo it inside of me. It is about building pockets of difference where radical love can be practised. Recognising that deep transformational work is required is what I think will be the healing project of South Africa. Munshi is also involved with the global Peoples Health Movement that is focused on building coalitions and in engaging policy makers for better quality and better access to healthcare. She was previously chairperson of JuPHASA (Junior Public Health Association of South Africa) and co-founder of the PHASA Mental Health special interest group. Munshis personal approach to balance is being able to write poetry and also to pursue her hobby of practising Islamic art. Hyderabad, Jan 30 : With the first case of coronavirus in India occurring in Kerala, health authorities in Telangana have sounded an alert to deal with possible cases of the infection. Officials said all arrangements were in place at three hospitals in Hyderabad to keep in isolation those having suspected symptoms of coronavirus. Arrangements have been made for testing the samples for coronavirus at Gandhi Hospital. Officials said this will eliminate the need to rush samples to Pune's National Institute of Virology. Health Minister Etela Rajender appealed to people not to panic. He said the state was following all the guidelines of the Centre for identifying and treatment of any possible case of the infection. A central team on Wednesday visited various hospitals in Hyderabad to review the preparedness in meeting any eventuality. A total of 100 beds have been arranged at three major hospitals to keep the suspected cases in isolation. Forty beds each have been arranged at Gandhi Hospital and Sir Ronald Ross Institute of Tropical and Communicable Diseases, popularly known as Fever Hospital. An isolation ward with 20 beds was set up at Chest Hospital. Meanwhile, three members of a family have tested negative for coronavirus in Hyderabad. A couple and their four-year-old daughter, who had returned from China recently, had approached government-run Fever Hospital with suspected symptoms of coronavirus. They were kept in isolation ward and their swab samples were sent to National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune. They all tested negative, doctors said. Earlier, two samples sent to NIV also tested negative for coronavirus. So far eight persons approached the hospital. Barring one, all of them had returned from China. According to Fever Hospital Superintendent K. Shankar, Telangana has not recorded any case of coronavirus infection so far. "Only some people who suspected to be having symptoms of coronavirus approached the hospital," he said. The official said after keeping them under observation at the isolation ward, the samples of only those really having the symptoms were being sent to Pune. He said those coming from China were being screened on arrival at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad. Shankar said there was no need for any panic but people should take precautions like washing their hands frequently, using a cloth while sneezing or coughing and wearing masks while going out in public. He said those having symptoms like running nose, fever, headache and breathing problems should avoid visiting public places and should approach the hospital for treatment. He also advised people to drop plans to travel to countries like China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Vietnam, where the disease is endemic. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) SCHEDULE OF EVENTS | HEAT SHEETS ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. The 2020 indoor track and field season continues at home for The University of New Mexico as the Lobos host the UNM Team Open on Saturday, Feb. 1 at the Albuquerque Convention Center. Coming off of a successful opening home weekend in which the Lobos recorded three event wins, six personal bests and five of the top marks and times in the Mountain West this season, UNM will have 50 entries and two relay teams competing in the one-day meet. One event to look out for is the womens mile, which will be filled with runners in the Cherry and Silver, among them Weini Kelati, Alondra Negron, Lydia Hallam, Gracelyn Larkin, Emily Martin, Juanita Johnson, Brenda Rosales-Coria, Johanna Briscoe and Kyla Fugate. Negron enters the weekend as the current Mountain West Indoor Track Athlete of the Week after winning the mile last weekend with an altitude converted time of 4:45.91, the current fastest time recorded by a MW runner this season. Larkin is second in the event in the conference with a time of 4:50.26, and Kelati will be running for the first time since setting the school record, as well as the MW record, in the 5000-meter at 15:14.71. However, this will be her first appearance in the mile this season, another event in which she holds the school record. Saturdays meet will have a heavy Pac-12 presence with four teams competing in UCLA, Washington State, Arizona State and California. Other notable schools competing in the meet are TCU, CSUN, Virginia Tech, Air Force and Nevada. The UCLA and TCU men are currently ranked 22nd and 23rd, respectively in the latest USTFCCCA national rankings. As aforementioned, the Lobos posted five of the top results in the Mountain West this season at the opening weekend meet, with Jay Griffin IV holding a 21.45 altitude converted time in the 200-meter, Kristian Hansen leading in the mile with 4:08.34 (altitude converted), Negron in the mile, the mens 4400 relay at 3:13.41 (altitude converted) and Aidan Quinn in the triple jump (49-9, 15.16m). Overall, UNM has seven total top results with the added time of Kelatis 5000-meter and Negrons 3000-meter time of 9:35.17. Another highlight in the meet will be the mens 200-meter dash in which the Lobos have three of the four fastest times in the MW with Griffin, Alejandro Goldston (third, 21.81) and Carlos Salcido (fourth, 21.82). Both Griffin and Goldston will be competing in the event on Saturday, as well as the 60-meter dash, while Salcido will compete in the 400-meter dash. The meet will be streamed on FloTrack, although access will require a subscription, and live results will be available HERE. The first event, mens pole vault, is scheduled to begin at 8:45 a.m. MT, while the first track event, the womens 600-meter, is set for 11:00 a.m. MT. Fans can attend in person using their Pride Pass or can purchase tickets at the door for $5. UNM students can receive free admission with their student ID. SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DesignCon , the nations largest event for chip, board, and systems design engineers, today announced Istvan Novak, Principal Signal and Power Integrity Engineer, Samtec, as the 2020 winner of its prestigious Engineer of the Year Award. The Engineer of the Year Award recognizes the best of the best in engineering and new product advancements at the chip, board, or system level. Each year, the award winner receives a $1,000 grant or scholarship to present to the educational institution of their choice. Novak has selected to donate to the Radio Club of the Technical University of Budapest. Finalists for the Engineer of the year award were selected by the editors of Design News and DesignCon staff, and the winner was voted by the DesignCon community. The award was presented to Novak at DesignCon 2020, which celebrated its 25th edition this week at the Santa Clara Convention Center. To learn more about the award, please visit: designcon.com/engineer-of-the-year-award . Novak has made groundbreaking contributions to the DesignCon and wider signal integrity/power integrity community, said Naomi Price, Conference Content Director for DesignCon, Informa Markets. We are proud to honor his impactful design work and dedication towards mentoring early-career engineers both on his own and as part of DesignCons new early-career and new author mentoring program. Novak has single-handedly moved the needle in the test and test measurement industry by developing new instruments and methods of measurement. Furthermore, his generosity in mentorship of early-career engineers to ensure qualified engineers move up the ranks has been inspiring to the DesignCon community as-a-whole. DesignCon has become a worldwide destination, but to me, it feels like a family, said Novak. To be honored among my fellow distinguished peers is such a privilegeI believe all finalists are truly deserving of the winning title. About Istvan Novak Novak is a Principal Signal and Power Integrity Engineer at Samtec, working on advanced signal and power integrity designs. Prior, he was a Distinguished Engineer at SUN Microsystems, later Oracle. Novak has worked on new technology development, advanced power distribution and signal integrity design, and validation methodologies for SUN's successful workgroup server families. Additionally, he introduced the industry's first 25um power-ground laminates for large rigid computer boards and worked with component vendors to create a series of low-inductance and controlled-ESR bypass capacitors. Novak as also served as SUN's representative on the Copper Cable and Connector Workgroup of InfiniBand, and was engaged in the methodologies, designs, and characterization of power-distribution networks from silicon to DC-DC converters. He is a Life Fellow of the IEEE with twenty-five patents to his name, author of two books on power integrity, teaches signal and power integrity courses, and maintains a popular SI/PI website. In addition to receiving the award, Novak spoke in three sessions at DesignCon 2020 including: Stump the SI/PI Experts , Current Distribution, Resistance & Inductance in Power Connectors , and How to Become an Industry Influencer . DesignCon is partnered with The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), offering its accreditation to eligible conference attendees. Each conference hour is equivalent to one professional development hour (PDH), and 10 PDHs result in one continuing education unit (CEU) and an official IEEE certificate. IEEE accreditation can be used to meet training requirements, stand out to future employers, and maintain an engineering license. To view the entire DesignCon conference schedule, please visit here . Connect with DesignCon: #DesignCon About DesignCon: DesignCon is the world's premier conference for chip, board, and systems design engineers in the high-speed communications and semiconductor communities. This three-day technical conference and two-day expo combines technical paper sessions, tutorials, industry panels, product demos, and exhibits from the industry's leading experts, and solutions providers. DesignCon is a part of the Advanced Manufacturing portfolio, the leading B2B event producer, publisher, and digital media business for the world's $3-trillion advanced, technology-based manufacturing industry and is organized by Informa Markets. Informa recently acquired UBM to become a leading B2B information services group and the largest B2B events and exhibitions organizer in the world. To learn more and for the latest news and information, visit www.informa.com . Media Contacts: Audrey Uchimoto, (310) 496-9423, DesignConPR@ubm.com Lauren Lloyd, (310) 266-4792, DesignConPR@ubm.com Tam Nguyen, (424) 410-9797, DesignConPR@ubm.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/029ba4a4-03a1-4f0d-a126-3cbc4fd637a0 Chinese players form a major part, around 20 per cent of the auto expo this year, despite a slowdown in the Indian automobile sector in the last one year. Over two dozen top officials from various companies were planning to participate in the event, besides a group of journalists. Photograph: Kind courtesy, Auto Expo Even as the threat from coronavirus looms, no Chinese company is expected to pull out of the Auto Expo 2020, to be held in Greater Noida from February 7. This assurance was given by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam), which said it is taking adequate precautions at the venue in accordance with the instructions of the health ministry. Some of the measures include a full medical team and thermal screenings. Siam representatives met ministry officials and local administration on Wednesday to discuss the measures to be taken during the auto expo. While Siam did not disclose any information on number of Chinese delegation to attend, things discussed at the meeting and others, Rajan Wadhera, president of Siam, said, We have gone through the advisory issued by the ministry of health and are taking adequate precautions. Sources said over two dozen top officials from various companies were planning to participate in the event, besides a group of journalists. A Siam official said Chinese companies participating in the auto expo have their representatives in India. This means that these companies can take part in the event without a major delegation from China. Chinese firms, including Great Wall, which will make its foray into India this year, and British automotive brand MG Motor (owned by Chinese firm SAIC Motor), have take 3,500 sqm each. Other major Chinese companies include BYD and Haima. MG Motor said that no delegation was planning to come to the auto expo because of the Chinese New Year. While Great Wall could not be reached, sources said officials from the company have arrived in India almost a month ago. BYD also has its representatives in India. Chinese players form a major part, around 20 per cent of the auto expo this year, despite a slowdown in the Indian automobile sector in the last one year. They will showcase new technology, electric cars, and a number of new models. The participating companies include GreatWall Motor Company, SAIC (which owns MG Motors), First Automobile Works (which will debut in the Indian market through its subsidiary Haima Automobile) and BYD Okinawa along with nearly half a dozen Chinese EV two-wheeler makers. The overall number of launches is expected to cross 70 from member companies of SIAM alone. Non-SIAM numbers, including Chinese makers, would launch or showcase dozens of new cars. This will take the total number to more than what was seen in the last edition in 2018. During the Auto Expo 2020, which will be open to the public till February 12, about 10 global launches, 26 India launches, six concept vehicles, seven facelifts and 21 unveils (just display) have been planned. These launches are expected to improve customer sentiment, which in turn will lead to increase in sales, said Rajesh Menon, director general of SIAM. The numbers will increase as non-members have also lined up launches, he added. During the last auto expo, the number of launches from SIAM member firms and non-SIAM companies was around 85. A video of CNN news anchor Don Lemon laughing hysterically as his guests mocked Donald Trumps supporters went viral this week and it couldnt have been a more effective campaign ad for the president. In the video, which was clipped from a live broadcast that aired on Saturday night, Lemon can be seen crying tears of laughter, and at one point even slamming his head on his desk, because hes apparently so overwhelmed with joy and amusement. It all started after one guest, ex-GOP strategist Rick Wilson, joked that Trump would be too stupid to find Ukraine on a map, before calling Trumps supporters the credulous boomer rube demo. Lemon laughed heartily, and so Wilson continued his mocking: Donald Trumps the smart one and yall elitists are dumb! Wilson said in a heavy, stereotypical southern accent. Then, the other guest (CNN contributor Wajahat Ali) chimed in, saying: You elitists with your geography and your maps and your spelling! Your math and your reading! Wilson added. All those lines on the map! By Tuesday night, Lemon was receiving considerable backlash over the clip prompting him to address the controversy on his show: Ask anyone who knows me, theyll tell you I dont believe in belittling people, belittling anyone for who they are, what they believe. During an interview on Saturday night, one of my guests said something that made me laugh. And while in the moment, I found that joke humorous. And I didnt catch everything that was said. Just to make it perfectly clear, he added. I was laughing at the joke and not at any group of people. (Notice that Lemon stopped short of actually apologizing for his behavior.) First of all, it seems pretty clear to me that Lemons defense (that he simply didnt catch everything the panelists were saying) is a blatant lie. He is laughing, consistently, while the guests are making their jokes, and then continuing to laugh after the guests make them. You dont need to be a human-behavior expert to understand that, when someone is laughing during and after a joke, then the laughter is because of that joke. Story continues Lemon knew exactly what he was laughing at and, by refusing to apologize, he has made it clear that he doesnt see anything wrong with that, either. The thing is, though, he should regret it for his own sake. After all, its clear that Lemon hates Trump, and his performance in that segment is going to be a way bigger help to the incumbent president than anything that Trump could ever do for himself. Make no mistake: Clips like this embolden Trumps supporters. They dont see this sort of mockery and start to question their beliefs rather, it just strengthens their view that it is them (and Trump) against the world. It makes them more loyal to the president, not less. If you dont understand what I mean, just think about what happened after Hillary Clintons deplorables comment. Did that turn people away from Trump? Far from it. In fact, it prompted countless Trump supporters to use the word in their names or handles on Twitter. It prompted the Trump campaign to sell deplorable T-shirts. It prompted Trump to use the comments for his own campaigns fundraising, and to bring his supporters closer to him, as well as to present himself as the foil who would never demean them in that way. (While my opponent slanders you as deplorable and irredeemable, I call you hardworking American patriots who love your country and want a better future for all of our people, Trump said during a rally in Iowa shortly afterwards.) In other words? Rather than question their choice of alliance because of Clintons insult, Trumps supporters embraced it clearly seeing it as evidence that the people who disagree with them, in fact, dont just disagree with them; they hate them, too. They think that theyre stupid. Nobody wants to listen to anyone who just got done calling them dumb, and all Lemon did here was further solidify the narrative that liberal media elites like him think Trump supporters are fools, which, in turn, only makes them hate Trumps opposition more. Whats more, in Lemons instance, his guests usage of stereotypical Southern accents clearly intended to signify stupidity could extend the consequences of this particular blunder to include turning off those voters in rural areas who are on the fence politically. Trump can point directly to this segment as evidence whenever he makes one of his favorite claims: that his opponents dont respect his supporters or rural Americans. In fact, this clip actually also provides ammunition for another one of Trumps favorite claims: the idea that CNN is Fake News. Looking at this clip and seeing a CNN news anchor laughing at Trump supporters this way makes it easier for Trump to tell his supporters that all the news coming from CNN is tainted with this same bias, and therefore not reliable. It makes it more likely that they will blindly believe Trump, who hasnt insulted them, and less likely that they will believe that anyone affiliated with CNN could ever have a legitimate criticism. Lemon, Im guessing, didnt expect that any Trump supporters would ever see this clip of him laughing at them but, unfortunately for him, millions of them did. If he doesnt want to apologize to the people he insulted, then that is perfectly fine. He might, however, want to consider apologizing to the people who are going to actually be hurt by it the most: the people who want Trump out of office, and the network he represents. More from National Review A 25-story Los Angeles high-rise that caught fire, injuring 11 civilians and two firefighters, lacks sprinklers, the fire department said. Los Angeles has 792 high-rises, and 55 residential high-rises do not have sprinklers, public information officer Erik Scott said Wednesday evening at a news conference. "Thats because they were built prior to 1974, and theyre not currently required to be equipped with fire sprinklers," Scott said. The fire broke out Wednesday morning on the seventh floor of a Barrington Plaza tower on Wilshire Boulevard. Built in 1961, the building contains 240 units and 339 tenants, Scott said. The building was last inspected in June 2019 and was up to code, Scott said. A fire ignited in the same building in 2013, and five residents were taken to a hospital, including a child, according to news reports at the time. Los Angeles City Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas initially labeled Wednesday's fire as "suspicious" and said authorities were looking into a possible connection to an earlier fire three blocks away. By nightfall, Police Captain Randall Goddard said he would not call the fire "suspicious" and the two fires were not connected "whatsoever." Arson investigators were at the scene overnight. 'Suspicious' Los Angeles high-rise fire: 11 injured, 1 gravely, on Wilshire Boulevard A Los Angeles firefighter on a ladder rescues a man who climbed out of a 25-story high-rise apartment, escaping flames Jan. 29. More than 300 personnel and four helicopters responded to the blaze, the fire department said. Santa Monica Fire Department, the LAPD, the LA Sheriff's Department and other agencies also responded. Fifteen residents were hoisted off the roof by helicopters, Scott said. Of the 11 people injured, seven were taken to a hospital, including a 3-month-old girl, Scott said. One man, 30, required CPR and was in grave condition Wednesday afternoon. Another man, 30, was in critical condition. The man in critical condition was hanging out a window when firefighters arrived, Scott said. Firefighters brought a ladder to rescue him. Story continues Two firefighters were burned by the intense flames, Scott said. "These firefighters were literally driven to their bellies halfway through that hallway before they even got to that fire unit," he said. The building was significantly damaged by the fire, and residents were not allowed to sleep in their units overnight, Scott said. "The elevators are not functional. The fire protection system is not functional," he said. The owner of Barrington Plaza reserved rooms in several hotels for tenants and set up a website and hotline, Scott said. Douglas Emmett Inc., which owns Barrington Plaza, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Follow USA TODAY's Grace Hauck on Twitter at @grace_hauck. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Los Angeles fire: Barrington Plaza lacks sprinklers, officials say An Oregon court has ordered a canine sperm bank to pay two dog breeders $400,000 after it accidentally destroyed the frozen specimens of six star Labrador Retrievers. A Clackamas County Circuit Court jury handed down the decision this week following a four day trial, in which it was claimed a Sandy-area branch of the International Canine Semen Bank ruined the sperm during a freezer mishap back in 1997. Richard Weiner, an 81-year-old breeder who runs Sunnyview Labradors, paid the franchise to collect, store and maintain semen from his canines back in 1995. In 2012, he sold several vials of the specimen to Brad Barcroft at Driftcreek Labradors, unaware that the samples were damaged during the 1997 freezer incident. After learning that the franchise covered up the mishap for nearly two decades, Weiner and Barcroft decided to sue the International Canine Semen Bank for $800,000. An Oregon court has ordered a canine sperm bank to pay two dog breeders $400,000 after they accidentally destroyed the frozen specimen of six star Labrador Retrievers The jury awarded the pair half that sum, with Weiner receiving $300,000 and Barcroft obtaining $100,000. According to MSN.com, Barcroft estimated that the destroyed vials he owned would have produced 104 puppies, and each pup would have sold for around $2,500. Weiner, meanwhile, was left 'emotionally devastated' by the loss of the high-quality sperm. Some of the frozen specimens came from a Labrador named King, an award winning canine who was the son of the famed San Joaquin Honcho - the winner of the 1976 US National Field Champion. Richard Weiner, an 81-year-old breeder who runs Sunnyview Labradors, paid the Sandy area franchise to collect, store and maintain semen. Pups from his breeding company are pictured Lawyer Geordie Duckler, who represented both Weiner and Barcroft during the proceedings, told The Oregonian that the destroyed sperm was particularly valuable. 'You're not just buying the dog because it's a cool-looking dog,' Duckler said. 'You're buying it because it's the son of a famous dog, that was a son of a famous dog. You're buying them because of the pedigree.' Meanwhile, the International Canine Semen Bank is requesting a new trial, claiming there was 'irregularities in evidence and potential witness tampering'. 'We fully expect to prevail in a fair trial, and if our request for a new trial is denied, then we will appeal, and we fully expect to prevail on appeal,' the company's lawyer Turkey blames France for instability after Macron accused Erdogan of violating promise to stay out of Libya conflict. Turkey has blamed France for instability in Libya after French President Emmanuel Macron accused his Turkish counterpart of failing to keep his word to put an end to meddling in the North African country. The main [actor] responsible for the problems in Libya since the crisis started in 2011 is France, Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said in a statement on Wednesday. Its no secret that this country has given unconditional support to Haftar in order to have a say regarding natural resources in Libya, he added, referring to renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar who controls much of Libyas south and east. The French leader claimed earlier on Wednesday at a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis that Turkish warships accompanying Syrian mercenaries arrived in Libya in recent days. Macron said the action was a clear violation of what Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised at the Berlin conference on January 19 where world leaders pledged to stay out of the Libyan conflict. These past few days we have seen Turkish warships accompanied by Syrian mercenaries arrive on Libyan soil. This is a serious and explicit infringement of what was agreed upon in Berlin, Macron said, referring to the international summit. It is a failure to keep his word, Macron added. However, Aksoy said Macron was once again trying to set the agenda with fanciful claims. 191128070513292 Since the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, Libya has been mired in chaos, with rival administrations aligned with various militias controlling different parts of the country. Turkey supports the United Nations-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli against Haftar, whose forces are aligned with an eastern-based administration. Fighting escalated in April after Haftar launched an offensive to wrest control of the capital, Tripoli, from the GNA, headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj. Haftar, who enjoys the backing of the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, says his military campaign is aimed at removing terrorist groups from western Libya. French policy serious threat Aksoy said Frances support alongside other countries giving military assistance to Haftar who is attacking the legitimate government was the most serious threat to Libyas territorial integrity and sovereignty. The Turkish ministry spokesman added: If France wants to contribute to decisions of the [Berlin] conference being applied, it should first end its support for Haftar. 200126165333563 Ties between Paris and Ankara are increasingly strained over multiple issues, including Syria and the oil and gas exploration activities in the eastern Mediterranean. Aksoy also accused France of welcoming terrorists who threaten Syrias territorial integrity to the Elysee, in a reference to Syrian Kurdish officials meeting Macron last year at his official residence. Meanwhile, the African Unions high-level committee on Libya was due to meet in the Republic of the Congos capital Brazzaville on Thursday to discuss the situation in the war-torn country. Turkey has never recognized and will not recognize the illegal annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation. Chairman of the Turkey-Ukraine Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group, MP from the Justice and Development Party Tugrul Turkes said this during a meeting with a group of Ukrainian diplomats led by Ambassador of Ukraine to Turkey Andrii Sybiha, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "We never recognized Russia's annexation of Crimea and we [still] do not. There is no change in our stance on the issue," Turkes told reporters ahead of his meeting with Sybiha. Underlining that Ankara would continue or be "resolute," Turkes reiterated Turkey's support for Ukraine's territorial integrity "under all circumstances." During the meeting, the parties discussed the current state of Ukrainian-Turkish relations and their further development. The meeting took place ahead of the scheduled visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Kyiv as part of a meeting of the Ukraine-Turkey High-Level Strategic Council. ish As Israelis dedicated to a peaceful future for our country and for our Palestinian neighbours, we state our principled opposition to the Trump administrations plan for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This plan will not solve but deepen the conflict, engendering a degree of inequality not seen since South African apartheid. This is a Bantustan plan, caging the Palestinians into pockets of land controlled by Israel. Trump and Netanyahu are acting as two wolves negotiating how to eat a sheep. Spurred on by Trump, Netanyahu has already declared his intention to formally launch annexation of the Jordan Valley and the settlements in the West Bank. All of this is diametrically opposed to international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, including 2334 (which states that Israels settlement activity constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and has no legal validity). We are deeply alarmed by the EUs weak response so far, framing the Trump plan as an occasion to relaunch peace negotiations. The plan is no such occasion, but a roadmap to apartheid 2.0. It wont bring peace, nor a viable two-state solution. The Palestinian leadership can only reject it. We call on Europe to reject Trumps plan, too, and start taking serious measures against Israels annexation of Palestine before it is too late. Ilan Baruch, former Israeli ambassador to South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe Professor Eli Bar Navi, former Israeli ambassador to France Professor Michael Ben-Yair, former attorney general of Israel and former acting Supreme Court judge Avraham Burg, former speaker of knesset and head of the Jewish Agency Zehava Galon, former member of knesset and former chair of Meretz Party Professor David Harel, vice president of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Israel Prize recipient (2004), EMET Prize recipient (2010) Professor Moty Heiblum, EMET Prize recipient (2014), member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities Miki Kratsman, EMET Prize recipient (2011) Alex Levac, Israel Prize recipient (2005) Dr Alon Liel, former director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, former ambassador to South Africa and Turkey Mossi Raz, former member of knesset Michal Rozin, former member of knesset Professor David Shulman, Israel Prize recipient (2016) and EMET Prize recipient (2010) Professor Zeev Sternhell, Israel Prize recipient (2008) Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Show all 18 1 /18 Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Palestinian protesters burn pictures of US President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a demonstration in the West Bank against the expected peace plan proposal AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan US President and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announce Trump's Middle East peace plan in the White House AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Reuters Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Reuters Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AP Times up for the NHS Last month it was revealed that accident and emergency waiting times are now the worst on record, with one in five patients waiting more than four hours and the number of 12-hour waits at an all-time high. Behind these shocking statistics are real people: people like RAF veteran Stan Solomons, who was left waiting on a trolley at Leicester Royal Infirmary for over 12 hours last month; or like the four-year-old who made headlines in December when he was photographed lying on a pile of coats while waiting for a bed in Leeds General Infirmary, an image Boris Johnson made a shameful effort to avoid acknowledging. These shocking revelations presented an opportunity for humility and reflection. Instead, we were told that winter is always challenging an insult to patients and to staff who have endured year after year of underfunding and understaffing. This response was followed soon after by the announcement of plans to scrap the four-hour A&E target, an action the Royal College of Emergency Medicine has rightly warned will have a near-catastrophic impact on patient safety. These are not isolated incidents. They are an everyday experience for people up and down the country. We have become numb to the word crisis. But make no mistake: the situation is getting worse and without major action, there will be a breaking point. The Conservatives have promised record funding for our health service, but this is simply not true; they have promised 40 new hospitals, yet 34 of these have simply been given small amounts of money to develop plans for future work, and no funding to implement them. We want to provide the best for our patients, but it is becoming harder and harder to do so. We will make every effort to hold this government to account, for their sake. We implore you to be honest about the problems our NHS is facing, and take urgent action to restore it to good health. It is not too late to make amends. Tom Gardiner, doctor John Puntis, consultant paediatrician Peter Barton, clinical nurse specialist Marie Louise Irvine, general practitioner Joy Inns, doctor Hannah Golden, trainee psychologist Lopa Banerjee, medical student Nick Mann, general practitioner Margaret OConnor, health visitor Richard Hall, trainee clinical psychologist For the full list of 600 NHS staff members who have signed this letter, see here Jeremy Corbyn challenges Boris Johnson on the NHS Scotlands return It is apt that the EU parliament sang Auld Lang Syne to mark the UKs departure. We Scots voted to remain but were denied by Westminster. Yet the cup o kindness will be taken again when we haste back with ceud mile failte. Aye tae the EU. John Edgar Kilmaurs, East Ayrshire Can someone explain how comments from people like Emily Thornberry, who said that we have to be more careful with our language around Brexit, can justify her declarations that she hates the SNP? How is this going to bring the country together? Can she not understand that, like the UKs desire to leave the EU, the SNP merely wants to take back control and stop decisions about our country being made in a distant and unrepresentative legislature? Geoff Forward Stirling MEPs sing Auld Lang Syne as Brexit deal is approved in EU Parliament Cost-cutting So Boris Johnson wants to cull poor-value projects. May I suggest that he starts by putting his money where his mouth is: cutting the 300 per day members receive for an afternoon snooze in the House of Lords, sleeping off a subsidised lunch, would be a start. David Hooley Newmarket, Cambridgeshire Northern fail That Northern Rail is losing its franchise is great news: it shows how good the franchise system is for passengers. The government is able and willing to act on our behalf; but when the government owns and runs the rail system, no customer can challenge the incompetent. Too many people forget just how excruciatingly bad British Rail was, and how impossible it was to do anything about it. Steve Hills Milton Keynes The White House and Senate Republicans were pushing for a quick end to the proceedings, working aggressively to discount John Boltons revelations and line up the votes to block new witnesses from testifying. Trumps legal team put forth a number of arguments that immediately struck some scholars as outlandish. One was from Alan Dershowitz, who said that anything a president does to aid his re-election could be considered in the nations interest, and would therefore not be impeachable. Expect more of the same on Thursday. One of Wednesdays most startling scenes occurred just outside the Senate chamber, when Lev Parnas, a former associate of Rudy Giuliani who has been indicted over his involvement in the Ukraine affair that set off impeachment, arrived at the Senate to get a peek at the proceedings. Our colleague Patricia Mazzei got a firsthand view of what happened next. The hour before the start of Wednesdays impeachment trial found me kneeling on the floor in the office of Chuck Schumer, the minority leader, as we reporters crammed inside, seeking a front-row view of the Lev Parnas show. Parnas the Soviet-born, now-indicted businessman who worked to pressure the Ukrainian government to investigate Trumps political rivals had come to Washington in an attempt to enter the Senate visitors gallery so he could watch the trial in person. But he didnt even make it into the Capitol, for one reason: no ankle-monitoring devices allowed. Security rules. (Hes wearing one while out on house arrest, though he declined to have it photographed.) No matter. Parnas pulled a throng of us reporters along with him anyway as he abandoned the gallery and strode down narrow hallways and into elevators, eventually making his way to Schumers office. Trumpworld, he opined at one point, is like a cult. And a lot of the senators are in the cult. Bloombergs Super Bowl ad buy Sandwiched between the Super Bowls pop music-filled halftime show and the kickoff of the second half, Mike Bloombergs campaign is hoping to stop people in their tracks with an emotional ad featuring a mother who lost her son to a random act of gun violence. The 60-second ad, which cost $11 million to reserve, features a mother talking about her son, George, who was killed by gunfire while he was in college. Bloomberg himself decided the ad should focus on gun control. The campaign said it did not worry about running a weighty, emotional ad amid the lighter beer and snack-food ads that tend to fill commercial time during the actual game. The Center for Disease Control on Thursday confirmed the first U.S. case of human-to-human transmission of the coronavirus involving a Chicago woman who gave the deadly virus to her husband. This person-to-person spread was between two very close contacts, a wife and husband, Ngozi Ezike, the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said. It is not spreading in the wider community. The new case is the sixth confirmed in the U.S., but the first instance involving someone who had not recently traveled to Wuhan, China where the disease originated. The number of confirmed cases worldwide is approximately 8,000, and at least 170 people have died, all in China. The Chinese have quarantined the city of Wuhan, where the virus first sprang up, in an effort to limit its transmission. Coronavirus, which causes pneumonia-like symptoms, is related to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), a virus that originated in China and killed hundreds of people in 2002 and 2003. On Tuesday night, the State Department chartered a flight from China to evacuate 210 U.S. citizens, including diplomats and their families. After leaving Wuhan, the flight touched down in Alaska, where everyone was medically screened and cleared to continue on to California. Senator Tom Cotton (R., Ark.), who along with Senator Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) has called for a Chinese travel ban, said Thursday that the Chinese were not admitting the seriousness of the outbreak. There was a 28% increase in coronavirus cases overnight in China, Cotton tweeted. Make no mistake, though: these arent new cases. Just what China is willing to admit. Its much worse. More from National Review A screenshot from Yahoo News XR experience from University of Iowa in Iowa City. (Yahoo News) Its been a subject of debate in Democratic circles for years: Should Iowa the sixth-whitest state in the nation always be the first to vote for the presidential nominee of an increasingly diverse party? Or should other, less homogenous states get a turn? During this cycles Democratic primary which initially featured the most diverse cast of candidates in history the debate hasnt just been academic. It has actually started to crop up on the trail in Iowa itself. This story has augmented reality! Tap the video above to see how it looks and download the Yahoo News app to launch the full experience. Augmented reality is currently available to iPhone users (iPhone 8 and later) with the latest version of iOS. AR Produced by Henry Keyser and Molly Hunter In December, for instance, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro went to Des Moines and told Iowans they shouldnt vote first. Im gonna tell the truth, Castro said during a town hall. Its time for the Democratic Party to change how we do our presidential nominating process. I dont believe the two states that start the process Iowa and New Hampshire are reflective of the diversity of the country, or of our party. Castro then launched an ad again, in Iowa declaring that its time for a state other than Iowa to go first. I completely agree with Julian Castro about the Iowa caucus, a Des Moines voter named Thomas Lecaque said in the spot. Meanwhile, there are other signs that actual Iowans are starting to question the Hawkeye States first-in-the-nation status a privilege jealously guarded by local politicians and other leaders for decades. Roughly a month and a half ahead of the caucuses, Yahoo News traveled to the campus of the University of Iowa in Iowa City to ask the next generation of Iowans what they think both about having their state go first and a host of other hot-button issues. Several young voters agreed with Castro. I definitely understand both sides of the argument, said Michael Aragon, 21, a first-generation Latinx-American born in Iowa. [But] I definitely think it makes sense to have more racially diverse states caucus first and vote first in the primary because I think its more telling of America as a whole. Story continues It might not be the most representative state, agreed Guowei Qi, 21, a Chinese-American resident of West Des Moines whose family immigrated to the U.S. when he was 2. There are a lot of white people in Iowa. And [its] not that I dont love being a part of it, Qi continued. But sometimes I wonder why. A lot of people that are the face of America arent even able to attend the caucuses, added Kaylie Wilson, 22, a white political science major. So, yeah, I do think there maybe needs to be a little bit of reform. The intensifying debate within Iowa may reflect the states changing demographics. With a population that remains more than 90 percent white, Iowa boasts a Latino community that has been expanding faster than the state's population as a whole for the past decade. According to U.S. census figures, Iowas Latino population has grown by 46 percent since 2009, and projections from Woods & Poole Economics suggest that the Latino share of Iowas population will double to 12 percent by 2050. Meanwhile, Iowas Asian and black populations have increased by nearly identical amounts since 2009: 50 percent and 46 percent, respectively. Not every University of Iowa student concurred with Castro and company about Iowas proper place in the nominating process. Defending their first-in-the-nation status, some Iowans who spoke to Yahoo News cited the states long experience vetting candidates and the seriousness Iowans bring to bear on the process. As an Iowan, I 100 percent think they should continue to be first, said Carson Kephart, 21, a white biology and environment science major from Cedar Rapids. I think there [are] some big issues with Iowa being the first in the nation, because [were] not super-representative of the nation as a whole. [Yet] to Iowans credit, they lack diversity but they dont lack involvement. I feel like were setting the path for everybody else, agreed Neah Howlett, 18, a black freshman studying marketing. Its good that we start, I would say. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: The Amritsar-based parents of killed Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) chief Harmeet Singh, aka Happy PhD, want Islamabad to return his body for cremation but HT learns that this is unlikely to happen because the terrorist was living under a false identity at Nankana Sahib, Punjab, Pakistan. The KLF terrorist, a close aide of Lakhbir Singh Rode of the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF), was gunned down by a local gang at the Dera Chahal gurdwara in Lahore on Monday. The killing, HT learns, was over a financial dispute related to the drug trade. Singh was nicknamed Happy Phd because he was once a doctoral student (religious studies) at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. Experts said the presence of a terrorist wanted in India will not help Islamabads standard denial about nurturing pro-Khalistan terrorists. Documents reviewed by HT show that while Happys parents, father Avtar Singh and mother Khushbir Kaur, lived in Amritsars Chheharta area, his Pakistan documents identify him as 37-year-old Bhupinder Singh. According to his identity card, given to him according to security officials by Pakistans deep state, Happy was Bhupinder Singh, son of Sant Singh, Mohalla Balila Nard, Gurudwara Pati Saheb, Nankana Saheb. The December 12, 1983-born Happys religious identity card was valid till May 31, 2024. For the past three decades, India has been raising the issue of Pakistan fanning secessionist movements, including the Khalistan one, with Islamabad, but to no avail. The last time this issue was raised was during negotiations for the Kartarpur corridor in 2018. The fact is that Happys body will never be released or even shown to the world. His name will simply be wiped out by Rawalpindi GHQ, said a senior South Block official, who asked not to be named. According to Pakistan watchers, Rawalpindi is funding the Khalistan movement with heroin drug money; vast quantities of the drug from Afghanistan are making it to Indian Punjab. Since August 2019, 221kg of heroin has been seized by the Punjab Police. The drug money was being used to transport weapons across to India using high endurance Chinese drones with four such unmanned aerial vehicle seized by the state police. Happy had 17 cases of heinous offences including under the stringent Explosives Act registered against him by the Punjab Police, National Investigation Agency and the Central Bureau of Investigation. With the police hot on his heels, he crossed over to Pakistan in November 2008. He was the main accused in the grenade attack on prayer congregation at Nirankari Bhawan in Rajasansi, Amritsar, Punjab on November 18, 2018, in which three persons were killed and another 20 injured. Happy was accused in the murder of Brigadier (Retd) Jagdish Singh Gagneja, sanchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in Punjab on August 6, 2016. He also planned to carry out attacks in Punjab on the anniversary of Operation Bluestar in June 2019. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON After 47 years of sometimes troubled relations, the United Kingdom is leaving the European Union at midnight on 31 January At the stroke of 11 pm on 31 January (midnight in Brussels), the UK will officially leave the European Union and cease to be a member state. The divorce will be sealed, and Friday will be a point of no return for the UK and the EU. The moment will be a source of joy and celebration for some, but it will also be a source of pain and despair for others. Nonetheless, no one will notice immediate changes. The UK will enter an 11-month transition period to negotiate a new relationship with the EU. Nothing will change during 2020, as the UK will be staying in the EU single market, its customs union and paying into its budget. It will also continue to follow EU rules but have no say in making them. The real change on 31 January is legal and institutional. The Article 50 process to leave will be over and non-reversible. I think Ill cry. At 11 pm on Friday 31 January, I will no longer be a European citizen, only a British one. My children and I will not be entitled to reside or work in the European Union countries. We will have to get visas for tourism and freedom of movement will stop. These are the tangible repercussions that we will feel after the transition period ends, and they scare me, said Kat Robinson, the owner of a small business in the UK making hand-made accessories and organic candles. She told Al-Ahram Weekly that she was still in the dark regarding importing materials from the European Union after Brexit, since possible new tariffs might affect the cost of what she produces and the competitiveness of her business. Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement from the EU, the UK will enter a transitional period that will allow businesses and government to prepare for new post-Brexit arrangements and prevent sudden changes to trade rules and immigration regulations. The period will be used to negotiate what the new UK-EU relationship will look like. During the transition period, things will continue as they are now. EU citizens arriving in the UK and UK citizens arriving in the EU will enjoy the same freedom of movement. The UK will still be part of existing EU trade deals but will be able to negotiate future trade deals with the US and other countries. The UK will also remain in the customs union and single market and will not be subject to special EU regulations. Security co-operation will continue between the UK and the EU. The UK will still be subject to EU law and the rulings of the European Court of Justice. It will also effectively stay part of the EU Common Fisheries Policy. But UK citizens will no longer be EU citizens. British passport holders will continue to be able to travel and work in the EU because the country remains in the single market for the transition period up to 31 December 2020, and the freedom of movement of goods, people, services and capital applies until then. The British government says it wants to reach a trade agreement with Brussels by the end of this year. But experts are sceptical that there will be enough time to conclude a comprehensive deal that goes beyond narrow matters of trade in goods and covers arrangements including science, education, data exchange and security, the latter including approximately 40 EU measures on policing and judicial cooperation. Michel Barnier, the EUs chief negotiator, has emphasised that not everything can be done in 11 months. His officials will prioritise some topics ahead of others, likely to be trade in goods, security and fishing rights. The UK government has the option before 1 July 2020 to ask for an extension of the transition period for one or two years. Even though British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has made this illegal under domestic law, the statute could be repealed if necessary. However, if the UK government changes its mind and seeks a transition extension after 1 July, the door will be locked. At a private meeting with EU27 diplomats this week, EU lawyers said there could be no extension after 1 July 2020. Britain thus has to make up its mind and decide before July whether it will need to extend the negotiations or not, otherwise it risks the failure of the talks. This would mean that trade between London and Brussels would take place according to the rules of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Beside talks about the future relationship with the EU, the UK government must pass new legislation in four key areas to implement its vision of Brexit, with new immigration laws to replace freedom of movement and new legislation on agriculture, the environment, and trade, all of which are substantially regulated by the EU. In the queens speech before parliament earlier this year, the UK government promised bills on fisheries, financial services and international law. ON THE AGENDA: Top of the list is a trade deal to ensure the tariff and quota-free flow of goods between the EU and UK. But the EU will only agree to zero tariffs and zero quotas if the UK pledges zero dumping that is, not lowering social and environmental standards to outcompete the EU. The negotiators will almost certainly clash over the EUs refusal to bring services into the trade deal, leaving the City of London reliant on a patchwork of market-access agreements that can be withdrawn at any moment. Another early fight will be over fish, as the EU seeks to link the trade in goods to maintaining the status quo on access to British waters, a demand seen as outrageous in London. Even before the start of the talks, tension has been evident. Days after Johnson said there would emphatically be no checks on trade across the Irish Sea, the EU rejected his claims that there would be no checks on goods going from Great Britain to Northern Ireland after Brexit. The EUs chief negotiator told an audience in Belfast that the UK had agreed to these as part of a creative and flexible solution to the Irish border question. The text is very precise. I always tell the truth, Barnier said in response to questions on whether checks could be lifted. When asked how he felt about Johnsons repeated claims there would be no checks, he replied that I know what is written in the text, referring to the withdrawal agreement. I understand the fears of negative economic fallout expressed by some about these checks, but Brexit unfortunately has consequences that we must manage, he said. He added that it was the UKs decision to quit the single market and customs union and that this makes checks indispensable. Barnier expressed his perplexity at UK chancellor Sajid Javids remark in a Financial Times interview that the UK would not be aligned to EU rules post-Brexit. He said he hoped our UK friends are reflecting carefully on the matter because the EU would not agree to a close neighbour trying to seek unfair advantage through subsidies to industry or a removal of stringent standards to cut costs. The UK cannot expect high-quality access to our single market if it insists on competing on state aid or social or environmental standards, he said. The long road to the new relationship between the UK and the EU has begun, and it may be bumpy and difficult. The Brexit timetable - 11 pm on 31 January: The UK leaves the EU under the terms of a deal agreed by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The transition period begins, during which the UK is still in the customs union and single market. - 25 February: The EU is expected to agree a mandate for trade negotiations with the UK. - 1 July: The EU and UK aim to agree on fishing quotas for 2021. Deadline for the UK to request a transition-period extension. If extra time is requested, the UK will have a one-year extension by a deadline of 31 December 2021 or a two-year extension ending on 31 December 2022. If extra time is not requested, the transition period will end on 31 December 2020. New trading relations will begin based on the new trade agreement, but if the UK cannot reach an agreement with the EU, it will trade with the EU on WTO terms. *A version of this article appears in print in the 30 January, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: 3 ways the Education Dept. is protecting religious freedom for Christian colleges Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment WASHINGTON A U.S. Department of Education regulatory reform officer has assured the nations Christian colleges that the agency is taking several steps to protect the religious liberty of their institutions and students, including a proposed rule currently up for public comment. Robert Eitel, the senior counselor to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, spoke at the Council for Christian College & Universities Presidents Conference on Capitol Hill Wednesday. The secretary is committed to respecting your convictions and free exercise of religious beliefs that our Constitution has protected, Eitel told the audience gathered in the Dirksen Senate Office Building. The freedom of religion is more than simply freedom. It is much more. In fact, Secretary DeVos says the First Amendment doesnt exist to protect us from religion. It exists to protect religion from the government. Eitel, a lawyer who previously served as vice president for regulatory compliance for several post-secondary institutions, detailed various ways the administration is trying to ensure that faith-based institutions are not disadvantaged because of their religious mission. He pointed out that President Donald Trump set the table for promoting religious freedom across all federal agencies with an executive order in 2017. Also, the U.S. Supreme Courts Trinity Lutheran ruling in 2017 and then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions 2017 memorandum on religious liberty have laid the groundwork for DeVos to propose important changes to the department's regulations and rules, he added. Accreditation Last year, the department proposed a new rule to change accreditation regulations under the Higher Education Act. The final rule is set to go into effect this July. Eitel highlighted a few provisions in the rule that are of note to Christian higher education institutions. The takeaway is this, he said. An accreditation agency may not use as a negative factor the fact that you are a faith-based institution, that you have a religious mission. Concern was raised by Christian college leaders in 2018 after one accreditation agency proposed a new policy that would have removed a requirement for the agency to take into account institutions "specific and diverse" missions when assessing the schools commitment to diversity. Eitel said the new rule defines what a religious mission is under the Higher Education Act. Congress mandated that agencies respect the diversity of missions in institutions, including religious missions. But there is no definition. We provided one in our regulation, he said. He explained that the definition of religious mission as defined by the rule is: the published institutional mission that is approved by the governing body of an institution of postsecondary education that includes, refers to or is predicated by religious tenets, beliefs or teachings. What is important there is this: There are several regulatory references that relate to how accreditation agencies handle the issue of religious mission in schools. There are mandates in the regulation that require accreditation agencies to ensure consistency in decision making when it comes to faith-based institutions. There are also provisions related to procedures for submitting an application for recognition by accrediting agencies in the department and how the department [enforces] those regulations. Eitel said that the department is in the process of consulting with accreditation agencies about how they can comply with the new rule. We intend to enforce this aspect in our own review of accreditation agencies, he stated. Title IV In December, the Education Department proposed another rule that was open for public comment until Jan. 10. The rule, which is expected to be enacted in July, would expand access to Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grants so as to ensure that religious freedom rights of faith-based schools and students are respected. The rule states that the department cannot discriminate against otherwise eligible students and faith-based entities by disqualifying them from Title IV Higher Education Act programs because of their religious convictions or beliefs. We have proposed to eliminate certain limitations on the ability of faith-based institutions to participate ... and to ensure they are included in the program, Eitel said. We hope to avoid issues up the road. HBCU Eitel said that last September, DeVos told Congress that a statutory provision of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Capital Financing Program was unconstitutional. At issue was Section 344 of the Higher Education Act barring the use of loans for capital improvements to HBCU schools in which a substantial portion of its functions is subsumed in a religious mission. The Department of Education considers that provision to be unenforceable because it singles out a class of schools based solely on their religious status. Eitel compared the provision to a policy struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2017. The high court ruled at the time that the Missouri government could not discriminate against churches when handing out funding for a secular grant program. Last September, President Donald Trump vowed that his administration would lift restrictions on capital financing funds for faith-based historically black colleges and seminaries. On Jan. 17, the department published a proposed rule that is open for public comment until Feb. 18. What is important for you to know about the proposed rule is that it does a number of things, Eitel said. One deals with leveling the playing field for your schools in regards to grants and programs outside of Higher Education Act. Walter Kimbrough, president of the historically-black Dillard University in Louisiana, a school affiliated with United Methodist Church and the United Church of Christ, reached out to CP to argue that the administration is overstating its claim about how many HBCU institutions the rule change will help. In September, Trump claimed that there are 40 HBCU schools that are restricted from the Capital Financing Program. But Kimbrough said that claim is inaccurate. "There are about 40 HBCUs that are private and are church-related. That I guess is what [Trump] was talking about. But we get capital funds," he said. "I went through the recipients list. The only one I saw that didn't get it is a seminary. Based on that law, and it is written very clearly, if the primary purpose is church-related, you wouldn't be eligible. But none of our schools are primarily church-related." CCCU President Shirley Hoogstra praised the work the Department of Education is doing to clarify policies. They want to make sure there is a level playing field, nothing more and nothing less, Hoogstra told The Christian Post. When the government speaks into issues that are ambiguous and makes it clear, it actually helps everybody. It helps the accreditors so they dont get into trouble, it helps us so that we know what the parameters are for Christian higher education. The department is doing a great job of making sure there is clarity around things that are kind of fuzzy. CCCU is an association of over 180 Protestant higher education institutions worldwide. Its annual presidents conference is attended this year by representatives from 85 campuses in over 30 states and nine countries. SAN FRANCISCO For years, a determined state senator has pushed a singular vision: a bill challenging Californias devotion to both single-family housing and motor vehicles by stripping away limits on housing density near public transit. Now the state will have to look for other ways to relieve its relentless housing crisis. On Thursday, one day before the deadline for action on the hotly debated bill, it failed to muster majority support in a Senate vote. In the end, in a Legislature where consensus can be elusive despite a lopsided Democratic majority, the effort drew opposition from two key constituencies: suburbanites keen on preserving their lifestyle and less affluent city dwellers seeing a Trojan horse of gentrification. The failure marks the third time since 2018 that state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco and one of the countrys most outspoken advocates for reforming local zoning laws, has tried and failed to push through a major bill meant to stimulate housing production. This is about Californians who are hurting right now, and we have an obligation to represent them, Wiener said in a speech on the Senate floor. The bills demise is the latest turn in a long and acrimonious struggle over how much of the answer to Californias most pressing issue lies in rewriting the states rules to encourage building. Wieners measure, Senate Bill 50, would have overridden local zoning rules to allow high-density housing near transit lines, high-performing school districts and other amenity-laden areas. Supporters portrayed it as a big but necessary step toward reducing the states housing deficit and helping to curb carbon emissions from long-distance driving by fostering development in dense urban corridors. Opponents decried it as state overreach into local land-use rules. There is broad agreement that the states extraordinary cost of living and escalating homeless problem is rooted in a shortage of housing in general and a dearth of lower-cost housing in particular. But many remain skeptical of remedies involving big structural changes. The only thing that folks agree on is that we need housing, said state Sen. Andreas Borgeas, R-Fresno, who voted against the Wiener bill. How we get there, everyone has a different theory. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who came into office a year ago with bold pronouncements about a Marshall Plan for Housing, said he supported Wieners efforts to increase density near transit, but never endorsed the bill outright. Newsom campaigned on a promise to usher in reforms that would lead to the construction of 3.5 million housing units by 2025. That output would be more than quadruple the current rate, and the governor has started referring to it as a stretch goal. California is not only well behind that pace, but the number of housing permits has actually turned downward hovering around 100,000 units in 2019 despite a strong economy and a median home value, $556,000, that is more than twice the national figure. It is hard to overstate the threat posed to the states economy and prosperity. Housing costs are the primary reason that Californias poverty rate, 18.2%, is the highest of any state when adjusted for its cost of living, despite a thriving economy that has led to strong income growth and record-low unemployment. The consequences are in plain sight. Cities are struggling to deliver basic services because teachers and firefighters cannot afford to live near their jobs. A surge of sidewalk tents and homeless camps has prompted city leaders to urge a state of emergency and led lucrative business conferences to find other locations. Many Californians are moving to cheaper states, and homelessness routinely tops the polls of residents biggest concerns. Liberal and conservative economists agree that the housing squeeze arises in part from an excess of process and local rules. Attempts to reform exclusionary zoning are central to the housing plans of most of the current Democratic presidential candidates, including Sens. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar. The rub is in how to rectify that and which level of government should take the lead. The answer produced by S.B. 50 was to transfer power from cities to the state. Surprisingly, perhaps, this was an answer that many city officials, frustrated with their own intransigent development processes, endorsed. In addition to supporters like the Natural Resources Defense Council, the payments startup Stripe and unions including the United Farm Workers, the bill gained the backing of several counties and dozens of elected officials, including Mayors London Breed of San Francisco and Adrian Fine of Palo Alto both representing cities where development is notoriously expensive and difficult. But their opponents were also a diverse coalition. Take, for instance, Livable California, a group that was formed largely to oppose Wieners bill and others like it. The organization was founded by homeowners in exclusive suburbs in places like Marin County and the San Francisco Peninsula, but also counts activists from Leimert Park, a middle-class and predominantly African-American neighborhood in South Los Angeles, among its members. Nothing in this bill is giving us more say; its taking away what little say we have now, said Isaiah Madison, a 24-year-old graduate student in Leimert Park who recently joined Livable Californias board. Im not against development. I am just for communities navigating that development with a developer. We have community plans in South Los Angeles that weve been working on for 30 years that included a lot of input from a community that has historically been underrepresented in urban planning, and I think thats important to protect. The road to S.B. 50 began in the previous legislative session, when Wiener introduced a similar measure that prompted a national conversation about exclusionary land use rules that lead to segregation by income and race. It also tested the degree to which even liberal California voters were ready to embrace the higher-density neighborhoods near job centers, an approach that various policymakers and researchers say is crucial to curbing emissions that cause climate change. That bill was killed in its first committee vote in 2018. Wieners office has spent the intervening years modifying it to attract support. Among other things, provisions were added to protect tenants from displacement and to delay implementation for two years to win over cities that said the bill hampered passage of their own housing plans. Though the governors office says it still wants a big housing bill like S.B. 50, Newsom has also declared that zoning reform is useless if cities do not build in line with state housing plans. To that end, he has pushed an initiative to build affordable housing on public land, pressured cities to accommodate more housing and actually issue permits for what it zones, and signed legislation penalizing cities that do not meet their state housing goals. The governor also authorized a lawsuit against Huntington Beach, a city of 200,000 in Orange County, for failing to comply with state housing laws, and warned other cities that they faced similar action. While Wiener has been pushing his zoning bills, the legislature has passed several less sweeping but potentially significant measures that could add up over time. One prevents cities from changing their zoning laws to reduce future housing, and another that makes it legal to build three units on single-family lots across the state, regardless of local rules. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. If we hadn't made a last-minute change in the estate to be canvassed last week, I'd have sworn Deputy Martin Heydon had selected Fine Gael-friendly estate! After realising another candidate was already in the Curragh Grange, the FG team decided to move the focus to Baroda Court, Newbridge. Its tough, said Deputy Heydon. I'm trying to get to as many houses as possible as I firmly believe that a vote everyones vote is worth asking for. The first house we called to resulted in Bernie Carr coming to the door. Im giving you my number one, she enthused, without even being asked. I'm a distant relation of Michael Collins I even had a brother in the army and everyone said he was the spit of Michael. Bernie said she was voting for Martin because she knew the work he had done and continues to do locally. Im hoping, said Deputy Heydon, that the work I've done over the years for this constituency will stand to me, despite the trend against the government/Fine Gael. The next house produced another female resident, traditionally a FG voter but not happy with the current situation in the health service. A nurse herself, Chris bemoaned the state of things, especially the lack of incentive for young nurses to stay working in Ireland. The wages are low and the same for teachers. This two-tier salary system should be eradicated youre either a nurse or you're not! Chris also raised the issue of public liability and insurance costs, noting that an excessive number of claims was pushing up the costs and driving people out of business. At this point, Deputy Heydon referred to the Judicial Committee reviewing the Book of Quantum. In Germany, he said, things like whiplash are not considered an injury. If we could bring down the level of money awarded in claims, via the Book of Quantum, this would certainly help, he said, promising to the relevant info to the home owner. Next up was a visit to well-known Newbridge photographer Jimmy Fulham. Traffic congestion in Newbridge from Ballymany Cross to Johnson's before the bridge was a nightmare, he said. Too many motorists are trying to get across the main street, or up and down and too many pedestrians are going without high viz clothing on dark mornings and evenings. Deputy Heydon reiterated his resolve to push for a second bridge in the town. With two councillors, Peggy and Tracey O'Dwyer, sitting on the council, we are committed to extending the road and delivering a second bridge. Newbridge has one of the biggest populations in County Kildare and is the 10th largest town in Ireland, he said. Through Project Ireland 2040, there are so many future options and infrastructures approved but they must be all shovel ready he said and therefore its imperative that Kildare County Council approves the bridge. For the remainder of the canvass, householders raised the traffic congestion, commuting time, shortage of places at secondary schools, the health service (on which which Deputy Heydon stressed Fine Gaels commitment to Slainte Care). With each query, the candidate cited FG's manifesto and ongoing works for South Kildare, including a commitment to deliver on a 1,000-student capacity for secondary schools in the area and the positive commencement last year of a 30m sewerage plans to cater for the residential growth in Newbridge town. All of this was received with regular offers of a nice cuppa and exhortations to Come in out of the cold, will you! We even had a look at a well known Sarsfield and county players gallery of photographs. Well, perhaps Deputy Heydon will find it tougher going elsewhere on his canvass, but Baroda Court, Newbridge last week provided nothing but encouragement. Some of the residents seemed ready to make him a living saint! Since last years Trump shutdown I have repeatedly pushed my Republican colleagues to provide back pay to federal contract employees, many of whom make up janitorial and support staffs, he said in a statement. These men and women were stranded without pay for weeks through no fault of their own, and their unpaid bills did not go away when the shutdown ended. It is shameful that Republicans and the Trump Administration have blocked our attempts to right this wrong, and I will continue working to address this issue. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 29, 2020 / PROGRESSIVE PLANET SOLUTIONS INC. (TSXV:PLAN) ("Progressive Planet", "PLAN" or the "Company") announces that, further to its news releases dated December 4, 2019 and December 24, 2019, the Company has closed the second tranche of the private placement comprising of 2,010,000 "hard dollar" units at $0.06 per unit for total proceeds of $120,600. Each "hard dollar" unit comprises one common share and a share purchase warrant entitling the holder to purchase an additional share in the Company for $0.075 a share if exercised on or before July 29, 2020. Securities will bear legends restricting resale until May 30, 2020. Subscribers include Investor News Network (INN). INN is a digital media company with whom the Company has entered into a service agreement, pursuant to which INN will provide comprehensive digital media services. INN provides news and education for investors in over 40 targeted categories with the opportunity to connect educated investors with trusted companies. Proactive Investors is also a digital media company, with which PLAN recently renewed an annual contract for the provision of video and editorial services. The Company will use the proceeds from private placement for general working capital, and to repay unsecured indebtedness owing by the Company to David Richardson, a non-arm's length party to the Company for reason of holding over 10% of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company. In addition, proceeds from the private placement in the amount of $36,000 will be used to pay INN and $15,000 will be used to pay Proactive Investors for digital media services. There were no finder's fees paid with respect to the hard dollar tranche of the private placement. Progressive Planet is a Canadian based mineral exploration company with its flagship Z1 Zeolite Quarry in British Columbia and is earning an 100% option on the Z2 Zeolite Property near Falkland, BC and a 100% interest in the Buckingham Graphite Project in Quebec. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Signed "Stephen Harpur" Stephen Harpur, CPA, CGA, CEO For further information or investor relations inquiries, please contact us: 1-800-910-3072 Investors@progressiveplanet.ca www.progressiveplanet.ca Forward-Looking Statements: Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Progressive Planet Solutions Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/574608/PLAN-Closes-Post-Consolidated-Second-Tranche-of-Non-Brokered-Private-Placement EU Commissioner Phil Hogan should stay out of the election and his former party Fine Gael is politicising Brexit, Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin has claimed. On the eve of Britain leaving the EU, the two biggest parties clashed on Brexit and which is strongest to lead the next government when it comes to negotiating on Ireland's behalf. Mr Martin, during a speech at the Institute of International and European Affairs, attacked Fine Gael's claims that Fianna Fail can't be trusted to manage the economy or Brexit. He defended Fianna Fail's role in tackling Brexit and said his party, since 2015, had offered proposals to prepare for Britain leaving the EU. I think that this is necessary to say because there have been unfortunate attempts in recent weeks to politicise Brexit to say that Ireland cant have a new government because only current officeholders have the skills and knowledge to handle Brexit. What is particularly disappointing about this is that it is dismissive of the fact that Ireland should be proud of how political unity has reinforced our national strength at a time of real risk. "Indeed it ignores the reality that we had a functioning government and parliament during the threat of a crash-out Brexit solely because Fianna Fail acted. Against this background by us of positive engagement and leadership on the threat of Brexit during the past seven years, the idea that Ireland cannot change its government because of Brexit is cynical and desperate in equal measure. He also claimed Fine Gael is "politicising" Brexit and was critical of the party's plans to visit Dublin Port early tomorrow, ahead of Britain leaving the EU tomorrow night. .@MichealMartinTD doubles down on his critical of FG politicising Brexit. He says commissioner Phil Hogan should also stay out of domestic politics until after election #iestaff #ge2020 @iiea pic.twitter.com/sMtQubFU5m Juno McEnroe (@Junomaco) January 30, 2020 The last great photo-op and they're getting up at five in the morning to be photographed. That's just pathetic stuff. Mr Martin also took aim at Irish EU commissioner Phil Hogan, a former Fine Gael minister, who this week weighed in behind the outgoing coalition's warnings and said people were in a slumber ahead of looming trade EU-UK talks. I think Phil Hogan should stay out of domestic Irish politics now for the next week. That [his comments] was to me a coded, partisan intervention. Mr Martin noted Brexit talks were going well before Christmas and now, within the last 48 hours, the government has warned of a freight train coming down the tracks on EU-UK trade. There are new narratives being created that things are desperate altogether. People are going to see through that as an election creation, designed to try and frighten people into voting in a certain direction. During his speech, Mr Martin also criticised Sinn Fein for allegedly being obsessively anti-EU. "It campaigned against us joining the European Union and it has opposed every development of the Union. 100 times out of 100 it attacks the EU when the opportunity arises and it is allied with hardline anti-EU parties." The party in government would not only damage the economy, but also EU-Irish relations, he claimed. Equally, the party's push for a united Ireland would postponing any possibility of one, he told the IIEA audience adding: When the conditions are right, when sectarian tensions have been reduced, when we are able to do more than just offer a swapping of roles, when we dont just talk about reconciliation but actually practice it that is when the time will be right for a unity referendum. Armenia News - NEWS.am presents a daily digest of top news as of 30.01.2020: A soldier has died in Artsakh, Armenian MOD's spokesperson Artsrun Hovhannisyan told Armenian News - NEWS.am. Vahram Avagyan (born in 2000), sustained a fatal gunshot wound on Thursday. An investigation is underway to find out the details of the incident. A meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani FM - Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Elmar Mammadyarov- continued Thursday in Geneva, Switzerland, Armenian MFA spokesperson Anna Naghdalyan wrote on Facebook. The meeting is held with the mediation and participation of OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. The FMs met Wednesday and as Naghdalyan noted a broad range of issues related to the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are being touched upon during the meeting. The ECHR has ruled Azerbaijan violated two articles of the Convention in respect of Armenian shepherd Manvel Saribekyan who was taken into Azerbaijans captivity in September 2010. Azerbaijan called him an Armenian saboteur. Saribekyan reportedly hang himself on October 5, while Armenia claimed he was either killed or forced to commit a suicide. Azerbaijan refused to return his body for a month, but on November 4, Azerbaijan handed his body to the Armenian side under the deal reached by Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian leaders. Thus, the ECHR ruled there has been a violation of the right to life, inadequacy of the investigation and a violation of the prohibition of torture. Azerbaijan should pay over EUR 60 thousand as moral damage and legal costs. Meanwhile, an Azerbaijani judge, Latif Huseynov, has a 'dissenting opinion' on the ruling. According to him, the present complaint should have been declared inadmissible since it was filed after a six-month period. Each court ruling is posted with the votes for it and one of the judges voted against in all respects, it is not difficult to guess who exactly. The French President Emmanuel Macron was present Wednesday at the event organized by the Coordination Council of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF). He spoke about Armenian Genocide denial, French-Armenian relations and Artsakh issue. According to him, the task of France is to be next to Armenia. He also noted that France will continue investing in New Armenia. Speaking on Artsakh issue, Macron noted France is committed to its role of mediator, and no one is interested in maintaining the status quo. Referring to Armenia Genocide denial, he said one cannot create a big story on lies, politics on revisionism or denial. Macron also spoke with Turkish historian Taner Akcam and noted that the latters work against attempts to oblivion and denial is an important contribution to the deep political debate with the Turkish leadership. Macron also said he doesnt reject the idea of criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide. By the way, earlier, Macron discussed the Karabakh conflict issue over the phone with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev. Amid the outbreak of coronavirus infection in China, the Armenian doctors check temperature of all passengers at the airport, regardless of the country they arrived from, and naturally the focus is on those who come from China. According to epidemiologist at the medical checkpoint of the airport Hayk Karapetyan, the number of passengers coming from China varies from 20 to 30. Meanwhile, the situation over the virus was discussed during the meeting of Deputy FM Avet Adonts and Tian Erlong, Chinas ambassador to Armenia. Ambassador Tian noted the readiness of the Chinese side to continue close cooperation with the Armenian side to resolve issues over spread of coronavirus, which has already killed 170 people. Adonts noted that the Embassy is in constant touch with 400 citizens of Armenia currently residing in different provinces of China, 7 of whom in Hubei. The virus also spread to 16 other countries, including Japan, France, Germany, the US and others. Last week I read the painful, poignant and powerful column that my friend and colleague Marshawn Wolley wrote. Wolleys essay concerned the ongoing high murder rate of African Americans in Indianapolis the overwhelming majority of whom were killed by their fellow African Americans. As he always does, Wolley laid out a clear, cogent and well-researched polemic. From the outset, allow me to state that this column is by no means a rebuttal to, or rebuke of, Wolley. In fact, I affirm the central thesis of his column. Rather, I am reacting to one statement in particular. Wolley wrote, Defenseless Black babies were murdered in Indianapolis. He was referring to the fact that very young children, including babies, have been victims of violence unintentionally and intentionally. This statement arrested my attention in large measure because I am a dedicated father. My mind traveled very quickly from instances of shootings, to various forms of domestic violence to abortion. According to a 2019 Gallup survey, Americans are pretty evenly split between people who identify as pro-life as compared to those who identify as pro-choice. (Basically, younger, less religious, higher earning and more educated people tend to identify as pro-choice, whereas older, more religious, lower earning, and less educated people tend to identify as pro-life.) In context, it is obvious that Wolley did not intend to engage in a discussion about abortion policy. That is not my aim, either. However, as a moral imperative, it is important to understand that respect for Black lives should not begin outside the womb. (And, as I frequently remind my pro-life counterparts, such concern should not end outside the womb.) Also, to be crystal clear, I dont use the word murder in relation to abortion. Doing so amounts to word porn that does nothing to advance the cause of preventing abortions. As is the case with every major socioeconomic issue in America, race plays a role in this discourse. In this case, I am fully aware that many white pro-lifers exhibit very little concern for babies (of whatever race) after theyre born. (I refer to those people as pro-birth rather than pro-life.) In the same way that Black feminists often distinguish themselves from white feminists by referring to themselves as womanists, I distinguish my pro-life stance from the majority of my white evangelical friends. They only care about the genocide of the unborn, not Black lives. If they did, they would actively advocate for policies that assist low-income mothers and young children. Further, unlike my pro-birth friends, I strongly oppose the death penalty. My opposition is based in part on the fact that it is racially biased. I also oppose it on moral grounds, even when I am comfortable that the person was rightly convicted for a heinous crime. Why? I dont believe in the orderly, state-sanctioned murder of any human being. Yet, I dont understand how so many of my anti-death penalty friends can have so much compassion for those who are (in some cases) the most guilty, but have little or no compassion for those who are the most innocent. As I always feel obliged to do in such discussions, I affirm that the key to preventing abortion is the prevention of unwanted pregnancies. Thus, I am a strong advocate for birth control and sex education. I will also affirm that the grossly disproportionate rate of poverty and other social ills among African Americans greatly contributes to the fact that Black women are as much as five times as likely to have an abortion as white women. Finally, I would not overturn Roe if I had a magic wand. I hold that view for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that overturning it would immediately have a disproportionate and devastating effect on women who are African American and/or low income. However, even after acknowledging the preceding, consider this sobering fact: Going back at least to 2012, more Black babies have been aborted in New York City each and every year than were born there during that same timeframe. Let that sink in for a moment. Further, while exact numbers are difficult to obtain, roughly 16 million Black babies have been aborted since Roe was decided. By any objective standard, that is a tragedy irrespective of the underlying causes. Thus, for me, this issue is far beyond any political posturing. The legal and social fights regarding abortion rights are as vehement as they have ever been. Donald Trumps presidency has encouraged a spate of anti-abortion laws because he has appointed judges (and justices) who are staunchly pro-life. His current stance on abortion is one of the key drivers of his popularity in the Republican Party. I understand that my view is not popular among a substantial portion of our community. But I have learned from most of my heroes. They have all been unafraid to take a stand and to do so alone if necessary. In the end, we are cognitively and morally dissonant if we continue to call ourselves kings and queens even as we continue to sacrifice our unborn princes and princesses in such epidemic numbers. Larry Smith is a community leader. Contact him at larry@leaf-llc.com. TORONTO, Jan. 30, 2020 /CNW/ - TerrAscend Corp. (CSE: TER; OTCQX: TRSSF) ("TerrAscend" or "the Company"), the first global cannabis company licensed for sales in the U.S., Canada, and the EU, announced today that its majority owned subsidiary, TerrAscend Utah, LLC ("TerrAscend Utah") was awarded approval for a Medical Cannabis Processor License by the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food on January 29, 2020. TerrAscend Utah's processing facility will be located in St George, Utah. "We are pleased St. George will have a company like TerrAscend in our community," said Jeriah Threlfall, President, St George Economic Development. "TerrAscend has a proven record of pharmaceutical research and development of products that meet the high standards our state policymakers intended when they passed the law." "We are thrilled to have been chosen by the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food for a Medical Cannabis Processor License," said Jason Ackerman, TerrAscend's Executive Chairman. "We look forward to becoming an integral part of the St. George community and serving the patients of Utah. We will begin the process of transferring TerrAscend's cannabis processing and product manufacturing know-how, as well as our house of brands, to meet patients' needs as soon as possible." TerrAscend's minority partner in TerrAscend Utah is Spin City USA, LLC. The Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Neither the CSE 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. About TerrAscend TerrAscend provides quality products, brands, and services to the global cannabinoid market. As the first North American Operator (NAO), with scale operations in both Canada and the US, the Company participates in the medical and legal adult use market across Canada and in several US states where cannabis has been legalized for therapeutic or adult use. TerrAscend is the first and only cannabis company with sales in the US, Canada, and Europe. TerrAscend operates a number of synergistic businesses, including The Apothecarium, an award-winning cannabis dispensary with several retail locations in California; Arise Bioscience Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of hemp-derived products; Ilera Healthcare, Pennsylvania's premier medical marijuana cultivator, processor and dispenser; Ascendant Laboratories Inc., a biotechnology and licensing company committed to the continuous improvement of cannabinoid expressing plants; Solace RX Inc., a proposed Drug Preparation Premises (DPP) focused on the development of novel formulations and delivery forms; and Valhalla Confections, a manufacturer of premium cannabis-infused edibles. Additionally, TerrAscend holds a cultivation permit in the State of New Jersey and is pending approval for a vertically integrated medical cannabis operation with the ability to operate up to 3 Alternative Treatment Centers. For more information, visit www.terrascend.com. Caution Regarding Cannabis Operations in the United States Investors should note that there are significant legal restrictions and regulations that govern the cannabis industry in the United States. Cannabis remains a Schedule I drug under the US Controlled Substances Act, making it illegal under federal law in the United States to, among other things, cultivate, distribute or possess cannabis in the United States. Financial transactions involving proceeds generated by, or intended to promote, cannabis-related business activities in the United States may form the basis for prosecution under applicable US federal money laundering legislation. While the approach to enforcement of such laws by the federal government in the United States has trended toward non-enforcement against individuals and businesses that comply with medical or adult-use cannabis programs in states where such programs are legal, strict compliance with state laws with respect to cannabis will neither absolve TerrAscend of liability under US federal law, nor will it provide a defense to any federal proceeding which may be brought against TerrAscend. The enforcement of federal laws in the United States is a significant risk to the business of TerrAscend and any proceedings brought against TerrAscend thereunder may adversely affect TerrAscend's operations and financial performance. SOURCE TerrAscend For further information: regarding TerrAscend: Adam Kozak, Chief Financial Officer, [email protected], 1-905-273-0213; Jessica Bornn, Investor Relations, Mattio Communications, [email protected], 917-292-6956 New Delhi, Jan 30 : The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) on Thursday announced a partnership with Facebook to promote Auto Expo 2020 via customized conversations on its family of apps including Instagram during the event from February 7-12. The partnership with Facebook will allow a larger audience to experience the latest from the mobility ecosystem on Facebook and its family of apps - new launches from participating brands, new emission technology, safety standards, and the latest from the start-ups of the industry, the social networking giant said in a statement. "As we enter a new decade of market growth, consumer behaviour and decision making, it is important that the automobile industry takes a lead in understanding and engaging with our present and prospective customers better. Hence, the partnership with Facebook is a natural fit," said Rajan Wadhera, President, SIAM. The partnership will have regular programming on AutoExpo 2020's Facebook and Instagram handles with a special emphasis on FB and IG 'Lives' covering the latest news and events from the venue. "We are committed to enabling the auto industry move forward, and are looking forward to conversations with industry leaders and brands during the Expo," said Prasanjeet Dutta Baruah, Vertical Head-Tech, Telecom and Automotive at Facebook India. The attendees can also visit dedicated Instagram booths to enjoy AR and VR experiences. Facebook said it will kick-off its partnership with SIAM with an exclusive event for the leading auto brands and experts on February 6. The two top diplomats will meet in Kyiv Friday, January 31. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko and Secretary of State of the United States of America Mike Pompeo will be discussing issues of strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reported. At 9:30 local time on Friday, the two will meet at the MFA Headquarters in Kyiv. "During the meeting, the issues will be discussed of further political cooperation to restore sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, strengthen defense capabilities, promote internal reforms in our state, and develop economic and investment cooperation," the statement said. Read alsoU.S. joins EU, Canada in imposing fresh Crimea-related sanctions media Following the negotiations, Prystaiko and Pompeo will lay flowers at the "Wall in memory of those killed for Ukraine" Memorial. As UNIAN reported earlier, on January 31, at 12:00 a meeting will be held in Kyiv between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. According to the U.S. State Department, also in Kyiv, Pompeo will meet with Defense Secretary Andriy Zagorodnyuk, business executives, civil society activists, and religious leaders. On February 1, Pompeo will visit Minsk, where he is set to meet with President Alexander Lukashenko. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called an emergency meeting for Thursday to determine whether a fast-developing outbreak caused by a new virus in China should be declared a global health emergency. Speaking in Geneva on Wednesday, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the spread of the coronavirus had prompted him to call an emergency meeting. China is battling more than 7000 confirmed cases of the pneumonia-like epidemic, which so far has killed 170 people, according to officials. The number of cases grew by around 1,500 from Tuesday, a more than 30% increase. "In the last few days the progress of the virus, especially in some countries, especially human-to-human transmission, worries us," WHO Director-General Ghebreyesus added. Flights cancelled The scale of the deepening crisis was emphasised with the total number of infections on the Chinese mainland exceeding that of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak of 2002-2003. A growing number of governments, including the United States, Britain and Germany, have advised their citizens to avoid non-essential travel to China. Air France has announced that it is suspending all flights to the city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, until further notice. In a recent live stream with the Cardano community, IOHK co-founder Charles Hoskinson announced that the protocol will work with professional services network PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to generate a new commercial strategy. Hoskinson, having recently returned from the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, shared that PwC will be consolidating information from Cardano, IOHK, and the Cardano Foundation to build a commercial strategy. In his live stream, Hoskinson claimed that Cardanos base ledger was at least five times faster than what Ethereum has currently brought to market with its proof-of-work model, which he believes will make it attractive to enterprise users. Cardanos partnership with PwC may be in reaction to competition from Ethereum, which has just formalised the Ethereum Enterprise Alliance (EEA) to bring business users to the network and deploy enterprise solutions. The EEA, led by UniBright and Chainlink, already has business members including Intel, Microsoft, Santander, and IBM. Although Cardano is still catching up to Ethereum, its latest partnership does show that the protocol is taking the onboarding of new enterprise users very seriously ahead of full launch. ADA poised for a breakout? Yesterday, Coin Rivet reported that several key indicators were pointing towards a major breakout for ADA, which may see it move closer to its 2019 highs of $0.11. A breakout would see ADA move above the 200 EMA for the first time since last July, which could cause a rapid increase in price. Many Cardano enthusiasts have been participating in the live incentivised testnet of Cardanos Shelley phase, which marks the first time users have been able to stake their ADA or delegate it to a stake pool operator. Users who participate in staking earn passive rewards on their ADA as the protocol looks to move towards full decentralisation. Some may remember that Coinbase recently hinted at adding new assets that are sufficiently decentralised, one of which was ADA. With the full decentralisation of the Cardano protocol approaching, Coinbase could be looking to list the asset soon. You can read more about Cardano here. The post Cardano announces working partnership with PwC appeared first on Coin Rivet. The European Parliament on Wednesday decided to take up the voting against the CAA during its new session beginning March 2. With the European Parliament having postponed until March a vote on a joint motion criticising the CAA, India on Thursday said it has noted a clarification put out by the European Commission that the opinion expressed by the European Parliament and its members do not represent the official position of the European Union (EU). New Delhi/London: With the European Parliament having postponed until March a vote on a joint motion criticising the CAA, India on Thursday said it has noted a clarification put out by the European Commission that the opinion expressed by the European Parliament and its members do not represent the official position of the European Union (EU). New Delhi said it would continue to engage with the MEPs (Members of European Parliament) and other stakeholders on the matter. This comes at a time when India and the EU are in talks to hold the 15th India-EU Summit at Brussels that is expected to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The European Parliam-ent on Wednesday decided to take up the voting against the CAA during its new session beginning March 2. Following a decision by MEPs at the opening of Wednesday plenary session in Brussels, the vote on the resolution on Indias CAA has been postponed to the March session, said a statement from the European Parliament. Asked about reports of voting on the anti-CAA resolution in March in the European Parliament, New Delhi said there was a lot of time between now and March and that nobody can predict what will happen. While the decision by the European Parliament to postpone the vote is being seen as a diplomatic victory by New Delhi, it can also be interpreted as a temporary reprieve till March. The debate opened on Wednesday with a statement by Helena Dalli, the vice-president of the European Commission and high representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who spoke strongly in favour of the rich, frank and open relationship the European Union shares with India. We believe that it is the role of the Supreme Court of India to assess the compliance of the law with the Constitution and we are confident that the ongoing judicial process will contribute to appeasing the tensions and violence witnessed over the past weeks in the country, said Ms Dalli. She said the commission was looking forward to PM Narendra Modis upcoming visit to Brussels in March for the 15th India-EU Summit. She concluded the debate with a message to pursue and intensify dialogue with India as a respected democracy and valued EU partner. During the debate, a group of MEPs, mostly from Britain who will cease to be members of the European Parliament after the UK officially leaves the EU on Thursday, spoke out vehemently against the postponement of the vote to March. Pakistan-origin MEP Shaffaq Mohammed and others such as S&Ds John Howarth and VERTS/ ALEs Scott Ainslie descr-ibed the CAA as a highly discriminatory legislation and alleged that the EU had crumbled in the face of Indias diplomatic lobby. The only lobby that has won today is that of common sense and respect, countered ECRs Polish MEP Ryszard Czarnecki, one of the MEPs from Poland to speak out in Indias favour. Apple just announced that its rollout of new map data to the United States is complete. The new maps have been rolling out to the U.S. in waves, starting with northern California in 2018 and progressing through other major geographical regions throughout 2019. Apple had promised that the entire U.S. would be covered by the end of 2019, a deadline it appears to have just barely missed. Apple says the maps experience will begin rolling out across Europe in the coming months. The new maps contain much more detailed street information and coverage, tons of buildings and addresses that werent there before, and way more accurate labels. Its a night-and-day difference compared to the prior map data, and makes using Apple Maps a dramatically better experience. Apple The new map data is vastly more detailed and accurate than the old data. Whats more, the new data is entirely under Apples control, rather than being licensed from a hodgepodge of third-party companies. That means that updates and corrections can be made much more quickly. Separate from the new map data, Apple updated the Maps app in iOS 13 with a number of key features. Look around, a smoother and more detailed version of Googles Street View, does require both iOS 13 and the new map data, and is only available in parts of major metropolitan areas. There are Favorites and Collections, the ability to share ETAs, real-time transit info, and more. Belfast scouting veteran William (Billy) Sholdis had a special date with royalty yesterday when he collected his MBE from the Princess Royal at Buckingham Palace. At 81 years old, Billy, who is known affectionately as Sholdie, is still leading the Scouts in north and west Belfast, something he has been doing for many decades. Billy was rewarded for his long years of service to the scouting movement and young people in his local area in the Queen's Birthday Honours list last summer. Billy, who has lived all his life in the Shankill area, joined the Scouts as a Cub when he was just eight, and, in his own words, he "never really left". Over 70 years later the long-serving and distinguished leader is still helping the organisation on a daily basis. Every morning he walks the short distance from his home to their hall on Bray Street, off the Woodvale Road, in his role as "unofficial caretaker". Although short in stature, Billy is fondly regarded for his many years of outstanding service to his beloved 20th Scout Group (Woodvale) and scouting across the North West Belfast District. Also at the ceremony was Northern Ireland Secretary of State Julian Smith, who picked up his gong after being made a CBE. Mr Smith, the Conservative MP for Skipton and Ripon and former Government chief whip, received his honour for political and public service after being included in Theresa May's resignation honours list. The Division of Criminal Justice will assist with and review the investigation into Selena Not Afraid's death, after the lead investigating agency requested help. Big Horn County Sheriff Lawrence Big Hair on Tuesday asked for help from the Montana Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation for the investigation into the Hardin teen's death. The 16-year-old's body was recovered about a mile from where she was last seen on New Year's Day at a rest stop along Interstate 90 between Billings and Hardin on Jan. 20. She died of hypothermia, and there was no evidence of violence, according to the preliminary autopsy conducted by the state medical examiner. The DCI will begin reviewing the "investigative materials and evidence" from the county and other agencies involved in the investigation, according to a statement from DCI administrator Bryan Lockerby. "One of our primary roles in a tragic incident like this is to help provide an external professional perspective for the lead law enforcement agency," Lockerby said. "The results of our review often assist local agencies with their ongoing investigations and provide direction for a future course of action." Only a local, county, state or federal law enforcement agency can ask for help from the DCI, according to state law. The DCI averages about 60 new cases per year in its major case section, according to DOJ spokesperson John Barnes. The DCI is working on a number of cold cases of missing women, Barnes said, although he wasn't aware if they were cases of missing or murdered indigenous women. In a press release issued Jan. 23, Crow Chairman Alvin "A.J." Not Afraid asked for assistance in the investigation into Selena's death from Montana Attorney General Tim Fox. In a Monday response, Fox expressed grief at Selena's death, but said a law enforcement agency would have to request assistance before the DCI could intervene. Fox responded to Not Afraid's letter on Monday, a day before Big Hair formally requested help. A funeral service that drew more than 1,000 people was held in Hardin for Selena on Sunday. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 0 : A special court in Kumram Bheem-Asifabad district of Telangana on Thursday convicted three men of raping and murdering a Dalit woman and sentenced them to death. The court which was designated as the special court for speedy trial in the case pronounced its verdict after finding the three accused guilty under relevant sections of the IPC, Additional Public Prosecutor M Ramana Reddy said. On November 25, 2019, the body of the 30-year old Scheduled Caste woman with throat slit and stab marks was found in Lingapur mandal of the district a day after the offence. Subsequently, three men were arrested on November 27 for allegedly raping and murdering her and were remanded to judicial custody. (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 Strides Pharma Science share price spiked more than 7 percent after the company posted strong set of numbers for the quarter ended December 2019, with the profit rising 358 percent on year-on-year basis. Its consolidated adjusted profit was Rs 101.7 crore against Rs 22.2 crore in the same period last year. The companys revenue was up 28 percent at Rs 735.3 crore versus Rs 573.8 crore, YoY. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) were up 184 percent at Rs 185.1 crore against Rs 65 crore, while margin was up at 25.2 percent against 11.3 percent, YoY. The companys board allotted 12,638 equity shares of face value of Rs 10 each to the eligible employees, who exercised their stock options under Strides ESOP 2015 and Strides ESOP 2016. The pharma company received a tentative nod from the US health regulator for triamcinolone acetonide ointment used in the treatment of various skin conditions. In a regulatory filing, the company said, Its step-down wholly-owned subsidiary, Strides Pharma Global Pte Ltd, Singapore, has received tentative approval for triamcinolone acetonide ointment USP, 0.05 per cent from the United States Food & Drug Administration (USFDA). The stock price has risen over 36 percent in the last six months and was quoting at Rs 481.50, up Rs 34.60, or 7.74 percent. It has touched an intraday high of Rs 484.65 and an intraday low of Rs 442.20. By ANI NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force on Wednesday arrested Dr Kafeel Khan from Mumbai for making inflammatory statements at the Aligarh Muslim University during a protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act on December 12 last year. An FIR was registered against Khan on December 13 under Section 153-A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Civil Lines police station, Aligarh. According to the FIR, Khan addressed around 600 students of the AMU and made provocative comments. Kafeel Khan was scheduled to be present at the Mumbai Bagh protests at 11 am today. The indefinite stir by women protestors at Mumbai Bagh against the citizenship Act has entered the fourth day today. The full text of the U.S.-U.K. Cloud Act Agreement was unveiled in November, and its just as bad as we thought it would be. We joined with 19 other privacy, civil liberties, and human rights organizations, and sent a letter to Congress going through the long list of problems with the first Cloud Act deal. Some of the key problems with the U.S.-U.K. Agreement include: The agreement includes a weak standard for review, that doesnt meet the 4th Amendments warrant requirement Theres no prior judicial authorization required The deal includes no safeguards for free expression The people put under surveillance dont need to be notified, on any level The minimization procedures meant to protect U.S. persons are unfair, unequal, and wont do the job It will grant real-time access to communications, allowing foreign police to wiretap Americans conversations, ignoring the high requirements for a wiretap under U.S. law These extraordinary search powers given to foreign police can be used even for relatively low-level crimes In colonial times, the British military used general warrants to search through houses and seize property. This practice was part of what fueled the American Revolution, and formed the basis for the 4th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Congress shouldnt let an executive agreement, negotiated behind closed doors, give away rights that have been enshrined in U.S. law for nearly 250 years. TAKE ACTION: TELL CONGRESS TO STOP THE U.S.-U.K. CLOUD ACT DEAL Article source: EFF.org Joe Mullin is a policy analyst on EFFs intellectual property team, where he works on patent reform, copyright issues, and free speech online. Before joining EFF, Joe worked as a reporter covering legal affairs for the technology website Ars Technica, and American Lawyers magazine group. Earlier in his journalism career, Joe wrote for The Associated Press and The Seattle Times. He has a bachelors degree in history and a masters in journalism, both from the University of California at Berkeley. Outside of his work at EFF, Joe enjoys trail running and cycling. The last surviving fighter pilot ace who fought against the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain during the Second World War has died. Wing Commander Paul Farnes was among the 3,000 airmen who defended the skies above southern England for three-and-a-half months in 1940. The group are remembered as The Few, after a speech by prime minister Winston Churchill, who said of their sacrifices: Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. Expand Close Battle of Britain veteran Wing Commander Paul Farnes meets the Prince of Wales following a service at Westminster Abbey to mark the 77th anniversary of the Battle of Britain (Gareth Fuller/PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Battle of Britain veteran Wing Commander Paul Farnes meets the Prince of Wales following a service at Westminster Abbey to mark the 77th anniversary of the Battle of Britain (Gareth Fuller/PA) W/Cdr Farnes, from near Chichester in West Sussex, died peacefully at his home on Tuesday morning, aged 101, the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust said. The trust said he was the last member of The Few who was fit enough to be able to attend the aerial conflicts memorial day last year. It said he had proudly represented his RAF colleagues at the service of commemoration just a week before his 101st birthday in July. A tall, distinguished man with striking silver grey hair that he retained throughout his life, Paul Farnes was known for plain speaking but was generous with his time in support of trust activities, it said in a tribute. In an article on its website, the trust said W/Cdr Farnes was very proud of his Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM) which he received for his exploits in the Battle of Britain. His tally was six enemy aircraft destroyed, one probably destroyed and six damaged, the trust added. Expand Close Veterans (L to R) Sergeant Stan Hartill, Wing Commander Paul Farnes, Pilot Geoffrey Wellum, Squadron Leader Tony Pickering and Flying Officer Ken Wilkinson at the RAF Benevolent Funds commemorative dinner to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain (Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Veterans (L to R) Sergeant Stan Hartill, Wing Commander Paul Farnes, Pilot Geoffrey Wellum, Squadron Leader Tony Pickering and Flying Officer Ken Wilkinson at the RAF Benevolent Funds commemorative dinner to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain (Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA) His battle victories made W/Cdr Farnes an ace, a term taken to mean any fighter pilot credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft. There are now thought to be only two surviving members of The Few Flight Lieutenant William Clark and Flying Officer John Hemingway, both aged 100. In 2015, W/Cdr Farnes described the moving moment he and his comrades were spontaneously applauded during a service at Westminster Abbey to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. Mr Farnes, who flew a Hurricane during the war, said: It was very emotional today because, when we walked out of the Abbey, the audience applauded and its never happened before at the annual service and I was very moved by it. It is amazing that the Battle of Britain has caught on with the public and I am very proud to have been a part of it. I didnt at the time, but latterly and gradually I came to realise the importance of the Battle of Britain. The Battle of Britain claimed the lives of 544 RAF pilots and air crew. Expand Close Wing Commander Paul Farnes flew a Hurricane during the Battle of Britain (Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Wing Commander Paul Farnes flew a Hurricane during the Battle of Britain (Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA) Mr Farnes joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in 1938, later joining RAF No 501 Squadron and fighting in the Battle of France in 1940. After the Battle of Britain, he was commissioned as an officer and served as an instructor and fought in Malta with No 229 Squadron as well as serving in North Africa and Iraq. As the Second World War ended, he was in command of two squadrons in the UK. Remaining in the RAF until 1958, he retired as a Squadron Leader, retaining the rank of Wing Commander. He is survived by a daughter, Linda, and son, Jonathan. Another son, Nicholas, died in 1954. We are sad to hear of the death of Wing Commander Paul Farnes, a veteran of the Battle of Britain, who has died aged 101. Mr Farnes regularly attended our annual Battle of Britain anniversary service, most recently in 2018. pic.twitter.com/HtIWYP5fLE Westminster Abbey (@wabbey) January 30, 2020 Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies was among those to pay tribute to W/Cdr Farnes. She said: Rest in peace. I bet there were many days when he didnt imagine hed get to 101. A spokesman for Westminster Abbey said: We are sad to hear of the death of Wing Commander Paul Farnes, a veteran of the Battle of Britain, who has died aged 101. Mr Farnes regularly attended our annual Battle of Britain anniversary service, most recently in 2018. Historian and Second World War Two author James Holland said: Amazing and sad to think there are just two left. Paul Farnes was a notable pilot steely, resolute and most certainly never suffered fools. A forthright fellow if ever there was one! Quite a life thats for sure. She was overcome with emotion when she bagged Best Serial Performance at the National Television Awards on Tuesday. And Katie McGlynn has said she is willing to replace Michelle Keegan in Our Girl, after the actress, 32, stepped down from the role to spend more time with her family. Katie, 26, who departed Coronation Street last year, admitted the role in the gritty BBC drama would be a perfect fit for her because she has a 'tomboy streak'. Next chapter? Katie McGlynn has said she is willing to replace Michelle Keegan in Our Girl, after the actress, 32, stepped down from the role to spend more time with her family Appearing on Thursday's This Morning following her NTA win, Katie said: 'I could do, I've got a tomboy streak. 'I guess at the moment it's all about auditions, meetings, and then hopefully one will come up that works timing wise. 'I've had weird and wonderful offers from various things but I just want to focus on acting and yeah, to get something good.' Departure: Earlier this month, Michelle announced she was leaving BBC1 drama Our Girl after four years Earlier this month, Michelle announced she was leaving BBC1 drama Our Girl after four years. The actress played British army medic Georgie Lane on the show for three seasons but plans to leave in order to spend more time in the UK. The demanding filming schedule of the show has seen the Stockport born star travel to South Africa, Nepal and Malaysia for several months of filming a year. The show producers are currently looking for another female to play the lead in the hit series, which starred former EastEnders actress Lacey Turner, 31, for its first run in 2014. Our girl? Jacqueline Jossa's name has also been thrown into the hat as Michelle's replacement (pictured on Tuesday at the NTA's) Jacqueline Jossa's name has also been thrown into the hat as Michelle's replacement. A source told The Sun: 'Jacqueline is keen to replace Michelle on Our Girl and has been encouraged to go for it by her former colleague and pal Lacey. 'And bosses at the Beeb want a mainstream signing and feel the Queen Of The Jungle fits the bill perfectly. 'The series hasn't yet been greenlit, nor any contracts signed, but she's in a good position to bag it if it all goes ahead.' A-list: During her interview Katie discussed her NTA's win and revealed partying with David Schwimmer was a personal highlight MailOnline has contacted Jacqueline's representatives for comment. During her interview Katie discussed her NTA's win and revealed partying with David Schwimmer was a personal highlight. The Coronation Street star revealed she was left 'starstruck' by the guests at the ceremony, and it has only spurred her desire to crack Hollywood. She recalled: 'I walked past David Schwimmer, and he said 'congratulations'. And I'm like 'that's Ross from friends!' 'And also Joanna Lumnley said congratulations too!' 'My NTAs win hasn't sunk in, I was genuinely shocked. When I found out I was nominated, I was shocked, and then when I found out I was the only girl [in the category], it was so unexpected. I still can't get over it!' Joking about her lengthy acceptance speech, she confessed: 'I'd not prepared anything because I was so shocked. Starry-eyed: The Coronation Street star revealed she was left 'starstruck' by the guests at the ceremony, and it has only spurred her desire to crack Hollywood 'When you do big storyline, there's so many people to thank. That was sort of my only chance.' Katie had thanked her late grandfather Dennis in her acceptance speech, and Katie mused: 'I'm not a big believer in angels and fate, but I think in this case, there's something up there.' Katie scooped the NTA for her portayal of Sinead Tinker on Coronation Street, and her heartbreaking death from cervical cancer. The actress mused: 'It sounds so self-indulgent [to say] I'm saving lives, because I'm just playing the character. 'But you feel a certain way when young girls message you when they say "I've gone for a smear test", so I'm so glad we done it for that reason.' Overwhelmed: Joking about her lengthy acceptance speech, she confessed 'I'd not prepared anything because I was so shocked When you do storyline, there's so many people to thank' Explaining the impact the storyline had on her, she continued: 'Me and Rob [Mallard, who plays onscreen husband Daniel Osborne] were offered psychological help. 'But at the time we said we didn't need it. But if you take yourself out of it, it may affect your performance, I was concentrating on being Sinead. 'And after it, I found myself walking down the street crying, I went to speak to someone as I found it a bit odd, and they told me I was grieving'. After proving her chops as a soap star, Katie has now set her sights on Hollywood, but would also jump at the chance of more work in the UK. 'In an ideal world I would love ITV gritty drama or series on Netflix,' she explained. 'I would love to play someone evil.' On the hunt: After proving her chops as a soap star, Katie has now set her sights on Hollywood, but would also jump at the chance of more work in the UK Katie previously revealed that she plans to jet off to Los Angeles in a bid to 'chase her dreams'. She told The Mirror: 'I'm planning to go to LA at some point. It's just fitting it in. I've got some personal projects that I want to do. I've had some weird and wonderful meetings for this year. 'But I'm definitely going to go to LA at some point and chase my dream. If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen but I need to try.' Revealing how she feels about potentially starting a new life away from the ITV soap's cobbles, Katie added: 'It is nerve-racking but it's exciting. We're all here on Earth to have an exciting time.' The added that she's love to play 'a sassy or evil role', and wants to do something she could really 'get my teeth into'. Speaking fondly about her time of Corrie, she told how she has 'so many memories', having practically 'grew up' on the show. Passengers from China wearing masks to prevent a new coronavirus are checked by Saudi Health Ministry employees upon their arrival at King Khalid International Airport, in Riyadh, yesterday. Photo: Ahmed Yosri/Reuters The World Indoor Athletics Championships has been postponed until March 2021 due to the coronavirus outbreak. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri Passengers with face masks at Heathrow Airport in London after the last British Airways flight from China touched down A medical worker in protective gear walks in the street near a community health station in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province. Photo: Chinatopix via AP The city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus, remains in lockdown mode (Handout/PA) The coronavirus outbreak has placed most countries on alert including Thailand, where Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha addressed journalists at Bangkoks airport while wearing a facemask on Wednesday (Thai Government handout/AP) Ambulance crew members in protective gear walk with workers at a community health station in Wuhan (Chinatopix via AP) A health worker checks the temperature of a traveller as part of the coronavirus screening procedure at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana January 30, 2020. REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko The coronavirus outbreak has led millions of people to wear face masks in various parts of the world, such as these commuters in Taipei (Chiang Ying-Ying/AP) The World Health Organisation (WHO)'s emergency committee has declared an international public health emergency over the coronavirus outbreak. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, announced the decision after a meeting of its Emergency Committee, an independent panel of experts, amid mounting evidence of the virus spread to some 18 countries. The virus which has so far killed 170 people, infected more than 6,000 and is spreading across China and into other countries and there are concerns it could reach Ireland. The new virus has now infected more people in China than fell ill during the 2002-2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) outbreak. The number of cases has jumped to 7,711, surpassing the 5,327 people diagnosed with Sars. Expand Close Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends a news conference after a meeting of the Emergency Committee on the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Geneva, Switzerland January 30, 2020. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends a news conference after a meeting of the Emergency Committee on the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Geneva, Switzerland January 30, 2020. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse The death toll, which rose to 170 on Thursday morning, is lower than the 348 people who died in China from Sars. Speaking at the WHO press conference, Mr Adhanom said: "Over the past few weeks, we have witnessed the emergence of a previously unknown pathogen, which has escalated into an unprecedented outbreak, and which has been met by an unprecedented response. "As I have said repeatedly since my return from Beijing, the Chinese government is to be congratulated for the extraordinary measures it has taken to contain the outbreak, despite the severe social and economic impact those measures are having on the Chinese people. "We would have seen many more cases outside China by now - and probably deaths - if it were not for the government's efforts, and the progress they have made to protect their own people and the people of the world." The WHO director-general added: "I also offer my profound respect and thanks to the thousands of brave health professionals and all frontline responders, who in the midst of the Spring Festival, are working 24/7 to treat the sick, save lives and bring this outbreak under control. "There are now 98 cases in 18 countries outside China, including eight cases of human-to-human transmission in four countries: Germany, Japan, Vietnam and the US. "So far we have not seen any deaths outside China, for which we must all be grateful. Although these numbers are still relatively small compared to the number of cases in China, we must all act together now to limit further spread. "The vast majority of cases outside China have a travel history to Wuhan, or contact with someone with a travel history to Wuhan. We don't know what sort of damage this virus could do if it were to spread in a country with a weaker health system. We must act now to help countries prepare for that possibility. "For all of these reasons, I am declaring a public health emergency of international concern over the global outbreak of coronavirus." In Ireland, there is said to be a "moderate" risk of a coronavirus outbreak with health experts saying they are prepared to deal with any cases. While there have been no confirmed cases of the virus, a number of tests have been carried out on concerned patients. Speaking at a HSE briefing in Dublin, Dr John Cuddihy, director of the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), advised any members of the public who have developed symptoms and have travelled to the centre of the coronavirus outbreak to ring their GP. Expand Close Joe Ryan, Dr Kevin Kelleher and Dr Cillian De Gascun during a media briefing on Coronavirus (2019-nCoV),Seasonal Flu and Winter Plan as part of the weekly HSE update at the HSE National Communications Division Cornmarket, Dublin. Photo:Gareth Chaney/Collins / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Joe Ryan, Dr Kevin Kelleher and Dr Cillian De Gascun during a media briefing on Coronavirus (2019-nCoV),Seasonal Flu and Winter Plan as part of the weekly HSE update at the HSE National Communications Division Cornmarket, Dublin. Photo:Gareth Chaney/Collins "If somebody has travelled to Wuhan in the Hubei province and you become unwell, especially with respiratory symptoms, temperature, cough, breathing difficulties, within 14 days of returning, then we're emphasising that person should phone their GP and mention relevant concerns," Dr Cuddihy said. "Currently there are no cases of coronavirus in Ireland, and therefore you're extremely unlikely to catch a virus from somebody in Ireland. "If there were to be a case in Ireland in the future then healthcare professionals will contact anyone who's been in close contact with the infected case and advise them. "In caring for that patient, adherence to the infection prevention control and guidance that we have disseminated would make it very unlikely that the case would transmit and cause another case." The HSE has also advised Irish citizens to avoid travelling to the Hubei province unless it is essential. The group of health experts were asked about any potential cases in Ireland after it was reported on Thursday that a High Court Judge was told by a doctor that a Dublin hospital may have a suspected case. Dr Kevin Kelleher, assistant national director of Public Health and Child Health, said he had "no idea" about the case. Joe Ryan, national director of national services, said that management has been developing the plans to respond to the virus. A HSE multidisciplinary team has been working on what is needed to deal with the virus since early January. Mr Ryan said: "Our current priorities are that the HSE emergency management protocols are in place alongside our public health emergency plans, and we're using these to manage the situation." The heath experts said that, if they are seriously concerned about a patient's safety, the patient can be put into isolation. Dr Cuddihy said that, while there is a moderate chance of a case being found in Ireland, they will minimise the chance of the spread of the disease. Read More Dr Kelleher added: "We are putting a massive amount of effort into dealing with any really quite low degree of possibility of a case to ensure that we don't miss anything." Meanwhile, Samuel McConkey, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of International Health and Tropical Medicine at the RCSI, said that we need to be prepared in case of an outbreak of the virus here. "We need to start preparing for very large numbers of people coming to GP practices and emergency rooms with signs of flu, some of whom will have the traditional flu but some of whom will have this new coronavirus potentially. "It hasn't yet been detected in Ireland but it is quite possible that over the next thee, four, six or eight weeks that we might be seeing thousands of people coming to emergency rooms with that virus. "From the data in China, about 2 per cent may die, about 25pc of those people will need oxygen and hospital care to stay alive," he said on RTE Radio One's Morning Ireland today. "We're a very, very wealthy country. To put this in context the Chinese have just given 8 billion to build two big hospitals in Wuhan to deal with isolated cases - that's four children's hospitals they're proposing to build in two weeks and they probably will. "We could do that if we needed to, we have the technical ability to respond to this if it becomes an issue of extensional survival of 20,000 people in Ireland potentially. "So I think we're well organised, we've good technology, good diagnostics, very well-trained staff so I think we could survive it." He also gave an insight into how our health system can prepare for potential coronavirus patients. Professor McConkey said: "Planning, strengthening our diagnostic capacity, nobody knew this virus existed before December, so we have to develop and test new diagnostic tests. "Have them widely available so if someone does come to the emergency room, you can rapidly find out do they have it or not, just as we've done with flu. "Fortunately, some of the same technology platforms that we've been using for influenza can be transferred to work for this new coronavirus. "Secondly, teaching staff about personal protective equipment - gloves, gowns, masks - it's not all that exciting but it turns out how to take it off correctly is really important to protect staff and other patients. "The deaths from Ebola in West Africa we found were from people contaminating their skin, eyes, mouth accidentally by touching the outer surface of their gowns and masks." This comes as Tanaiste Simon Coveney confirmed that less than a dozen Irish citizens who have sought immediate evacuation from China because of the coronavirus epidemic will have to remain in quarantine in the EU member state they fly back to. Ireland has sought seats on a special aircraft organised by the French Government for evacuations from the Wuhan region starting from Friday - and Mr Coveney insisted that Ireland is now doing everything possible to prepare for the highly contagious virus. Almost 140 people have died from the new variant of Coronavirus which has prompted an unprecedented lockdown across China to prevent its spread. Mr Coveney said the priority is to protect Ireland from the virus and to ensure it never arrives here - while aiding Irish citizens in China and complying with EU health guidelines. "There are a small number of Irish citizens who are living in the region affected in China," he said. "We have reached out to them in the last few days through the (Irish) Embassy in Beijing. "It is a small number but it is still important. Our consular services want to make sure that Irish citizens in the affected area and city are given support and options. "A small number of those Irish citizens have indicated they want to leave and to be assisted in doing that. "We have set about doing that with our EU partners. "The reason that France has been mentioned is that France happens to be sending a plane into the city (Wuhan) to take out French citizens. "The UK may be doing the same for British citizens. There are not commercial flights operating in and out. "This involves essentially a special arrangement whereby EU countries may be sending specific flights to bring EU citizens out and that is being co-ordinated at an EU level." More than 600 EU citizens are in the Wuhan region hardest hit by the virus. "We have spoken to our French colleagues and we are hopeful and confident that we can secure a seat on planes that would take Irish citizens who want to leave out - then, of course, when they arrive back in Europe they will have to go through the appropriate health measures. "This will ensure that they are not carrying any infection and that their healthcare needs are being looked after as they should be. "We are working on that process and I am confident that we can support any Irish citizen anywhere in China but particularly in the region concerned. We can support them if they want to leave and we can find a way of getting them out working with other EU countries who are more than happy to help in that regard." A number of Irish citizens have opted to remain on in China - but some have sought immediate evacuation. "The number who have requested to leave is in the low single figures - I think it is better that I don't give exact figures. It is certainly not huge numbers. "They are obviously Irish citizens and will get the help of the Irish State." Mr Coveney said the self-isolation and quarantine issue was an important part of EU health regulations and the policy towards dealing with the virus. "Nothing is finalised or confirmed yet. We are working with France and other EU countries to ensure that if Irish citizens that are living in the region concerned want to leave, we will help them to leave. "France happens to be sending a plane tomorrow and we are talking to France about securing seats on that plane. "I think we should be able to do that - but we also need to be sure that if people come back to the EU that when they land they are treated in a way that is appropriate to ensure that no infection is spread and, of course, that they get any supports they might need." This will involve a fortnight of quarantine or self-isolation in the arrival EU member state. "I do want to emphasise that there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that any Irish citizen has contracted the virus. But anybody leaving that region and coming to the EU effectively means that process must be managed to contain any potential spread of the virus." Mr Coveney insisted that the Government will support Irish healthcare systems to ensure the country is as prepared as possible for any threat posed by the coronavirus. "We have a chief medical officer and a Department of Health that is very much focused on ensuring that Ireland will be as prepared as we can be should that happen," he said. "But I think the important thing is that we do everything we can to make sure that it doesn't (arrive here)." "That is why any Irish citizens who will be coming home whether it is via Paris or any other EU city...that process would be managed in a way to ensure they would not be carrying the virus into Ireland. "The EU is working together on this to make sure we do everything we can to contain any potential risk and I am confident we can do that." A lawyer representing five victims of paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein has warned Prince Andrew he can 'only run for so long' from questions about his friendship with the disgraced financier. Appearing on Lorraine this morning, Lisa Bloom added that it was time for the Duke of York's representatives to contact the FBI and open up about the exact nature of his association with Epstein. Andrew has faced mounting pressure in recent days after both the FBI and New York state attorney Geoffrey Berman accused him of 'zero co-operation'. The US officials are seeking to interview the royal about his relationship with Epstein - something that Andrew previously said he was happy to discuss with authorities. The royal furiously denied claims he had been dodging an interview, while the Queen and Prince Charles held crisis talks over the situation. Prince Andrew (left) drives himself from Windsor the day after being criticised by a US prosecutor for giving 'zero co-operation' with their investigation into Epstein Attorney Ms Bloom has now called on the Duke of York to co-operate with US authorities. She said: 'It's time for his representatives to pick up the phone call the FBI and answer their questions. 'Push has come to shove. I represent five women who say they were sexually assaulted by Epstein we are trying to get to the bottom of this so they can start healing now is the time for Prince Andrew to cooperate 'He was close with Epstein I think it's impossible he did not know what was going on, if he is innocent as he says there is no reason he would not want to talk 'Now is the time that everybody is being investigated which is why he needs to speak 'I do think he's going to have to answer questions, he can only run for so long. He can only hide behind his attorneys for so long.' Ms Bloom added that one of the women she represents claims to have seen Prince Andrew at the Tramp Nightclub with Virginia Roberts in 2001. Ms Roberts claims she was Epstein's sex slave and that she had sex with the Duke of York three times, including once in London when she was 17, once in New York and another time at Epstein's private Caribbean island of Little St James. Prince Andrew has 'emphatically' denied any relationship with the mother-of-three, who now lives in Cairns in Australia, 'in any form' and that he does not recall a 2001 picture of him with Ms Roberts being taken. Virginia Roberts says this photograph shows her with Prince Andrew at Ghislaine Maxwell's flat (she is pictured in the background) in west London in early 2001 Queen Elizabeth is joined by Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales and other members of the royal family at Buckingham Palace earlier this month Jeffrey Epstein is pictured with his associate and one-time girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell in 2005. Roberts alleged Maxwell was involved in trafficking girls for Epstein Lisa Bloom, a lawyer representing five victims of paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, has warned Prince Andrew he can 'only run for so long' and called on him to answer the FBI's questions It comes as the Queen and Prince Charles held crisis talks about the scandal. The pair took time away from estate business at Sandringham for an emergency meeting after Andrew was criticised by the FBI for offering 'zero-cooperation' with their probe into the billionaire paedophile. A royal source told The Sun: 'Both had hoped the Duke of York could perhaps be rehabilitated back into public life in time but that is now looking increasingly unlikely.' It comes amid 'growing frustration' among members of the royal family over the international attention the Duke of York's ties to Epstein is bringing. On Tuesday, Andrew furiously denied claims by New York state attorney Geoffrey Berman that he had not cooperated with the US probe, insisting to friends that he would be happy to comment but 'hadn't been approached yet'. And there was yet more attention on the Epstein case after it emerged the Met Police could reopen their own sex-trafficking investigation into the convicted sex offender, who hanged himself in his New York prison cell last year. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Andrew, Duke of York attend church at St Mary the Virgin at Hillington in Sandringham last week In an interview with BBC Newsnight the Duke of York claimed he does not remember meeting Ms Roberts. He said he was at a Pizza Express in Woking, Surrey, the night he is accused of going to Tramp nightclub with the then-teenager. Epstein was found hanged in his Manhattan jail cell last August awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges. He 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. Buckingham Palace declined to comment when asked about the meeting possible meeting between the Queen and the Prince of Wales. Cryptocurrency exchange operator Coinbase has opened new custody operations in Dublin to help its non-U.S. institutional clients store their assets. Mostly known for its retail investment platform, Coinbase has been making an institutional push over the years, selling professional trading and custody services to institutional investors with deeper pockets. Financial custodians are responsible for holding securities on behalf of their clients. The company on Wednesday announced that it would set up Coinbase Custody International, a new entity based in the Irish capital, to further expand its institutional efforts abroad. While it already acts as a custodian for clients based in Europe, Coinbase claims the new unit will be more localized to suit their needs. "In the absence of clear regulation anywhere around the world, I think folks want to be as close to home as they can be," Sam McIngvale, CEO of Coinbase Custody, told CNBC in an interview. "That's the regime that they understand and are tracking to." Europe is Coinbase Custody's "biggest geographic segment of growth," McIngvale said, adding the continent would be its "jumping-off point" for further international expansion. "We think we can service most of Asia and other international markets out of Custody International." The firm currently has over $7 billion worth of assets under custody, with just under $1 billion accounting for holdings across its European and international clients. Digital currencies have proven a difficult asset class for banks and hedge funds to swallow, primarily due to their notoriety for volatility and the legal uncertainty surrounding them. While ownership of traditional assets like stocks and bonds is well-documented and highly-regulated, cryptocurrencies aren't afforded the same privilege. Regulators around the world have been looking at how best to approach such assets, and the U.S. in particular has been racking its brains over how to bring certain digital assets under securities laws. Coinbase last year set up a ratings system with rival exchange operators Kraken and Circle to judge digital currencies on how similar they are to securities. As business slows on the weekends due to road closures surrounding construction of the FM 1960 bridge to Hwy. 6 over U.S. 290, working hours are being cut for employees and sales are declining. Weve cut back on labor some because were not as busy so we dont need as many people, said Will Bryant, manager for Harris County Smokehouse near U.S. 290. Its affecting peoples checks. Its a little rough, you know? The Texas Department of Transportation announced several detours and weekend road closures after construction began on the already delayed bridge. Months later, businesses are beginning to feel the effects of construction on their bottom line. Harris County Smokehouse is one of several businesses who have felt the effects of the construction in the form of lost business or lack of access to their building. Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce President Leslie Martone said although the chamber anticipated the trouble construction would cause businesses, there have not been many complaints from chamber members. Traffic is still going through there, its not like everyone is avoiding the area completely, she said. We havent heard a whole lot of rumblings. During the last quarter of 2019, car dealerships along the U.S. 290 corridor between FM 1960 and Jones Road, like John Eagle Honda, complained about the lack of access to their businesses due to weekend road closures and blocked exit ramps. Jon Rosenthal, representative for Texas House District 135, said he set up a meeting with TxDOT officials to remedy the issue. RELATED: Demolition of SH 6 bridge, road closures begin Sept. 5 They would put you on 290 and the first chance you got to get off was Jones Road, so if youre coming to John Eagle or one of these other car dealerships, you have to go all the way down Jones Road, turn around and come back, he said. Everybody wants the bridge, but nobody wants their businesses choked off for 15 months. Its one thing for John Eagle Honda to have their flow cut way down, but the mom and pop restaurants are another thing. After a meeting with TxDOT engineers and stakeholders affected by road closures, Rosenthalwho has experience as a systems engineersuggested adjusting the model used to measure traffic flow. Following the suggestion, TxDOT reopened the exits after realizing the estimates were inaccurate and traffic would flow smoothly if the exits were in use. After 20 years of experience in system engineering, Ive made tons of models and one thing I can say about every single one of them is they had to be adjusted when you had to apply it in reality, Rosenthal said. The number of cars that they were going to have to reroute he thought that was way too high a flow for this tiny piece of access road. Although that section has been made accessible and released the chokehold on some businesses, establishments near Harris County Smokehouse are losing business according to Bryant. He said some neighboring businesses have closed since the construction started. Bryant said Harris County Smokehouse is able to turn a profit due in part to serving breakfast, a luxury not afforded to neighboring restaurants, like Chuys, that dont serve breakfast. On my end, just from being in the restaurant, the sales are down so you look at that and you have to attribute the construction to some of that, he said. During the week youre pretty much good to go but Saturday and Sunday they close certain exits off and it makes it difficult to kind of move around. ON HOUSTON CHRONICLE.COM: Major Loop 610 closings at I-69 planned for next four weekends Mariel Alexis Albano, general manager of French Press on FM 1960, said the coffee shop has seen improved business since it had its parking lot reconstructed to allow access from nearby locations like Lazy Dog and Kelsey-Seybold. French Press opened in December 2018 when construction for the bridge was in the beginning stages. Albano said the initial presence of the construction when French Press opened has made seeing a difference in business difficult to analyze. Lazy Dog management expressed a similar sentiment, due to being open less than a year and opening in the middle of construction. We havent really seen too much of a difference, but we did get a neighbor (Your Pie Pizza) in our shopping center so that has helped, Albano said. TxDOT officials have reached out to businesses before and after construction Kristina Hadley, public information officer, said. Before the September 2019 demolition of the SH 6 bridge over Hempstead Road and the railroad tracks, TxDOT representatives visited with businesses along the SH 6 northbound frontage road between U.S. 290 and Hempstead, informing them of the upcoming construction closures and sharing detour information with them, she said. TxDOT is always available to answer any questions or comments that the stakeholders in the area may have about the bridge construction. As for finishing the bridges construction, Hadley said crews still have to install bridge column gaps, place bridge beams and pour bridge deck. The project is expected to be completed by late 2020. In the meantime, detours will be announced ahead of time on the my290 website. I know its going to be better in the long run, but its getting to that point, Bryant said. chevall.pryce@chron.com U.S. Army and British soldiers will participate in a force-on-force experiment next month to test out battlefield techs ranging from thermal-defeating woobies to exoskeleton knee braces. The Maneuver Battle Lab at Fort Benning, Georgia, will host the Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiments (AEWE) 2020 from Feb. 4 to March 17. A platoon of British soldiers will join two platoons from Benning's Experimental Company to fight against an opposing force (OPFOR) made up of a platoon from the 4th Infantry Division in an effort to create a realistic environment for evaluating dozens of prototype technologies, such as unmanned aerial systems, communications gear and sophisticated sensors. "All units, including the OPFOR, will have advanced capabilities, so what we are trying to replicate is not only what an opposing force might have now, but what they might have in the future," Eddie Davis, director of the Maneuver Battle Lab, told Military.com. "It kind of levels the playing field because other armies are getting advanced to a certain degree, so we want to make sure we are fighting a challenging threat." One piece of kit soldiers will test is a thermal-signature defeating blanket similar to the beloved poncho liner or soldier "woobie." "That is kind of what intrigues us because we have looked at thermal-defeating blankets, as a loose term in the past, and they have worked, but they were very rigid, very difficult to carry," Davis said. "So this could potentially serve as similar thing you do with a poncho liner and also have thermal-defeating capability. That is interesting to us. It gives us the ability to hide ourselves from the thermal signature, which is pretty deadly," he added. The experiment will also evaluate unmanned aerial systems that have been modified to transport blood to forward areas for emergency medical treatment. "To deliver blood on the battlefield -- it's very sensitive to temperature ... so this is just showing an application that says if you have a drone available that we could get whole blood to the forward edge of the battlefield," Davis said, adding that Benning looked at a similar technology during last year's AEWE. "Last year, we got three days where it kept it the temperature within the band of acceptability, so that is interesting," he said. Throughout the exercise, soldiers will also have a limited number of pneumatic exoskeleton braces, made by Roam Robotics, for the knee and ankle that are designed to increase performance and reduce fatigue while running, climbing or carrying heavy loads. Related: Soldiers Tell Industry What They Want from Exoskeleton Technology "We are making exoskeletons in a different way and, as opposed to the metals and motors that dominate traditional machines, we are making new devices that are primarily made out of fabrics and plastics," according to a promotional video on the firm's website. "The concept is really simple -- power is good and weight is bad. We can add more power for less weight than any machine we have seen to date." Davis said the Army routinely evaluates exoskeleton devices, and this is the first time Benning will test out the Roam Robotics technology. "We are constantly evaluating systems to try to stay tuned to what industry has ... to give us a sense of where technology might be," he said. Benning officials' plan is to brief senior leaders at the end of the experiment at a March Insights Day. "The good thing about it is we report out at that event the things that we thought were significant," Davis said. The Maneuver Battle Lab will then compile a report designed to advise the Army on possible paths forward for some of the technology. "Generally, we try to outline a path forward for that capability in terms of whether we are going to write a requirement for it ... or are we going to recommend that it be picked up by a particular lab for further development," Davis said. -- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com. Read More: Army Tests Out Drone that Can Fire Grenades into Enemy Hideouts Flash Folk musicians of Heilongjiang Art Troupe from China staged a concert in Lithuanian capital Tuesday night to celebrate Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival. Held at Vilnius Town Hall in the Old Town, the concert attracted an audience of more than 300, including First Deputy Chancellor Deividas Matulionis and head of the Group for Inter-Parliamentary Relations with China Kestutis Glaveckas. In his opening speech, Chinese Ambassador to Lithuania Shen Zhifei talked about China's current fight against the outbreak of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus, saying "We hope that the international community has full confidence in the firm determination and competent ability of the Chinese government and people in dealing with the epidemic." He also expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Lithuanian government and people as well as the international community for their sympathy, understanding and support towards the Chinese people. With the show in Vilnius as the last stop, the troupe kicked off its tour on Jan. 24 with six performances in Latvia and one in Lithuania. LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) A woman who accompanied her older boyfriend during a string of killings recounted in the Bruce Springsteen song Nebraska is seeking an official pardon, saying she was 14 years old at the time and that he had threatened to kill her family if she didn't obey. Caril Ann Fugate, who is now 76 and goes by her married name of Caril Ann Clair, said in her application for a Nebraska pardon that she's seeking peace of mind as she ages, the Omaha World-Herald reported. She was 14 when she accompanied her 19-year-old boyfriend, Charlie Starkweather, on a bloody journey that left 11 people dead, including her mother, stepfather and baby half sister, before the pair was arrested in Wyoming. Starkweather was charged with 11 counts of murder but went to trial for only one. He was convicted and executed by electric chair on June 25, 1959. Clair was charged in only one of the killings, and was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Her sentence was later reduced and she was paroled in 1976. In her pardon request, Clair, who now lives in Hillsdale, Michigan, said the Nebraska Board of Pardons has a chance to right a historical wrong. The idea that posterity has been made to believe that I knew about and/or witnessed the death of my beloved family and left with Starkweather willingly on a murder spree is too much for me to bear anymore, Clair wrote in her 2017 application, which the board is scheduled to consider on Feb. 18. Receiving a pardon may somehow alleviate this terrible burden. The infamous saga, which inspired the 1982 Springsteen song Nebraska and the 1973 film Badlands starring Sissy Spacek and Martin Sheen, began in November 1957 when Starkweather robbed and killed a 21-year-old gas station attendant in Lincoln. On Jan. 21, 1958, authorities say he went to his girlfriend's house and killed her three family members after her mother and stepfather told him to stay away. Starkweather said Clair was home the entire time, but she said she wasn't and that when she got home, he met her with a gun and told her that her family was being held hostage and wouldn't be killed if she obeyed him. The two then set off and weren't captured until eight days later near Douglas, Wyoming, which is nearly 470 miles west of Lincoln. In her request, Clair said a pardon would represent only a formal forgiveness of her crime, which she says she committed in mortal fear. When I was 14 years old, I was abducted and held captive by Charlie Starkweather. I was terrified and did whatever he wanted me to, wrote Clair, who acknowledged that she was present when one of the victims was shot and that she did hold the money taken from him. I lived in constant fear for my familys safety. Because I loved them with all my heart," Clair wrote. Among those who submitted letters in support of her pardon request were a granddaughter of two of Starkweathers victims, two of Clair's stepsons, a former prison warden and a Michigan woman who hired Clair as a nanny. Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Photo: Soho Diner/Yelp Curious where New York City's insiders are eating and drinking? It's easy to spot lines out the door, but some underlying trends are harder to see. We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to deduce which local businesses have been getting a notable increase in attention this month. To find out who made the list, we looked at New York City businesses on Yelp by category and counted how many reviews each received. Rather than compare them based on number of reviews alone, we calculated a percentage increase in reviews over the past month, and tracked businesses that consistently increased their volume of reviews to identify statistically significant outliers compared to past performance. Read on to see which spots are riding a trend this winter. Soho Diner Photo: Soho Diner/Yelp First, this diner, which has been open since December, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Diners" on Yelp. Citywide, diners saw a median 1.5% increase in new reviews over the past month. Soho Diner only recently appeared on Yelp, but while many new businesses struggle to gain reviews, it has seen strong initial popularity. Located in Soho Grand Hotel at 320 W. Broadway (between Canal and Grand streets) in SoHo, Soho Diner serves modern takes on diner favorites, like a tuna melt with aged cheddar, a BLT with crushed avocado and chili mayo, turkey potpie, all-day breakfast, a molten peanut butter banana split and more. There are veggie-friendly options, too, such as an Impossible burger, vegan banana pancakes and a vegan matcha milkshake. Soho Diner is open 24 hours a day. Casa Ora Photo: Casa Ora/Yelp Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Williamsburg's Casa Ora, the cocktail bar and Venezuelan spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data. While businesses categorized as "Cocktail Bars" on Yelp saw a median 2.1% increase in new reviews over the past month, Casa Ora appeared on Yelp relatively recently. Many new businesses struggle to gain reviews, but it has seen a surge of interest. Story continues Curious about this business? We found this in its Yelp history section: "Casa Ora serves refined farm-to-table plates and modern cocktails. Situated in the heart of Brooklyn, Casa Ora serves comfort food minus the guilt. Furnished full with the 1980s nostalgia of one's Latina grandma." Open at 148 Meserole St. (between Graham and Manhattan avenues) since last September, Casa Ora mixes up more than 20 different signature cocktails, such as the Venezuela Libre (gin, lemon, mint, cucumber), the Tio Simon (Venezuelan rum, lime, pineapple, velvet falernum, green chartreuse) and the Graham Sour (bourbon, Fernet, almond syrup). On the food menu, expect bar bites like arepitas, appetizers like fluke ceviche and pork tamales, and mains like baby shark stew with plantain, scallops with herb and squash pesto, braised short rib with yucca, and arroz con pollo for two. Casa Ora is open for dinner from 5:3010 p.m. on Sunday and Monday and from 5:3011 p.m. on Tuesday-Saturday. On weekends, it offers brunch from 11 a.m.3:30 p.m. Crab House All You Can Eat Seafood Photo: Crab House All You Can Eat Seafood/Yelp Midtown's Crab House All You Can Eat Seafood is also making waves. Open since December at 135 E. 55th St. (between Lexington and Third avenues), the Cajun seafood buffet is relatively new to Yelp but has seen a surge of new reviews, while all businesses tagged "Seafood" on Yelp saw an increase of 1.5% for new reviews in the past month. As the name suggests, Crab House All You Can Eat Seafood offers an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet, featuring crab legs, spicy shrimp, crawfish, scallops and more ($55 per person). Over the past month, it's maintained a healthy four-star rating among Yelpers. Crab House All You Can Eat Seafood is open from 2 p.m.midnight on Monday-Thursday, 2 p.m.1 a.m. on Friday, 12:30 p.m.1 a.m. on Saturday and 12:30 p.m.midnight on Sunday. Chickys And Bellerose's Chickys is the city's buzziest halal spot by the numbers. The South African-style chicken spot, which opened at 248-43 Jericho Turnpike in December, is still relatively new to Yelp but has seen a surge of new reviews. Meanwhile, the median new review count for the Yelp category "Halal" was up 2.1% over the past month. Chickys offers peri peri grilled chicken made using 100% antibiotic/steroid-free chicken. Stop by for quarter, half and whole birds, 12-piece wings, chicken sandwiches and family platters complete with sides like sweet potato fries, macaroni and cheese, coleslaw and garlic bread. Chickys is open from 11 a.m.midnight on Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Felice 56 Photo: Felice 56/Yelp Finally, Midtown's Felice 56 is currently on the upswing in the wine bar category on Yelp. While businesses categorized as "Wine Bars" on Yelp saw a median 1.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, this wine bar and Italian spot saw a surge in new reviews, despite being relatively new to Yelp. Here's more about the business, from its Yelp page: "Felice 56 offers an elegant Tuscan cuisine, preparing Italian classics with the freshest produce available by sourcing from and partnering with local farms to obtain the most flavorful seasonal ingredients. The extensive Italian-driven wine program features a collection of beloved varietals, blends and esoteric grapes that can only be found in Italy, including a large selection of vintages of Super Tuscan and Brunello wines." Open for business in the Chambers Hotel at 15 W. 56th St. since September, this spot is the sixth outpost of the local Felice chain of bars and restaurants. In addition to wines and classic Italian dishes, Felice 56 offers a cafe menu featuring daily breakfast options, espresso drinks, sandwiches and pastries. Felice 56 is open from 7 a.m.11 p.m. on weekdays, 8 a.m.11 p.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m.10 p.m. on Sunday. 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. Mumbai, Jan 30 : Uncertainty ahead of the Union Budget and rising toll of the coronavirus globally led the Indian equity markets to end in the red on Thursday. The benchmark Sensex closed below the 41,000-point mark as the government confirmed the first coronavirus case in Kerala. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said one positive case of coronavirus (nCoV) from Kerala has come to light. Stock markets across Asia and Europe fell on Thursday, with investor sentiment remaining weak on fears of an increasingly severe outbreak of the SARS-like virus that originated in central China's Wuhan and has now claimed over 170 lives. Deepak Jasani, Head of Retail Research, HDFC Securities said that the markets resumed their downtrend as the Nifty corrected sharply after the bounce seen in the previous session. The weakness came on the back of weak global cues. The Sensex closed at 40,913.82 down 284.84 points while the Nifty ended at 12,035.80 lower by 93.70 points. Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Financial Services said: "A slew of results announced so far failed to provide a picture of economic revival with banks quarterly results being disappointing due to weak asset quality that triggered profit booking." Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Tata Power lost 1.64% to Rs 59.9 after consolidated net profit rose 11.76% to Rs 245.64 crore on a 11.4% decline in net sales to Rs 7,071.03 crore in Q3 December 2019 over Q3 December 2018. Q3 FY20 consolidated revenue declined mainly due to deferred tax benefit on Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) extension in Mumbai Licensed area in Q3FY19, lower demand and lower Free On Board (FOB) coal price. Consolidated profit before tax (PBT) dropped 23.49% to Rs 349.08 crore in Q3 December 2019 (Q3FY20) as against Rs 456.27 crore in Q3 December 2018 (Q3FY19). Consolidated PAT bounced back from losses due to lower fuel under recovery in Mundra and better operational performance by all businesses during this quarter. Tax expenses tumbled 62.43% to Rs 72.50 crore in Q3FY20 compared with Rs 192.98 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. The Q3 earnings were declared after trading hours yesterday, 29 January 2020. Q3 Consolidated EBDITA was up 8% at Rs 1,970 crore (excluding one-off item in Q3FY19, EBITDA grew by 27%) as compared to Rs 1,820 crore in Q3FY19. Speaking on Tata Power's Q3 performance, Praveer Sinha, the CEO & managing director of Tata Power, stated that, "All our operations have performed well. We have reported a strong growth trajectory in renewable business and other consumer centric businesses. We are happy to share the recent Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) with CESU which has doubled our customer base to 50 lakhs. We hope to serve Odisha's consumers with 24x7 reliable power and unmatched customer services." "Tata Power Solar's order book stands tall at an approximate Rs 7,700 crore, marking a major business accomplishment for the company. Our collaboration with the Rockefeller Foundation to set up 10,000 micro-grids in India by 2026, is a testament of our commitment to provide affordable, reliable electricity for millions of rural homes and enterprises. Our new consumer-centric businesses including Rooftop solar projects for residential consumers have reached 60 cities with 100 EV charging points across 4 cities. We aim to continue this trend and create smart consumers for tomorrow by providing a range of next-gen power solutions," he added. Tata Power's principal businesses are in the areas of generation, transmission, distribution-cum-retail, power trading, power services, coal mines and logistics, strategic engineering for defense applications, solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing, and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Thousands of people are stuck on a cruise ship at the port of Civitavecchia, near Rome, because of a suspected coronavirus patient on board. The cruise ship is the Costa Smeralda, run by Costa Crociere. According to the Italian news agency ANSA, there are around 7,000 people on board, including crew and passengers. There is one suspect case, a woman from Macau. Public health authorities are verifying the situation, a spokesman from Costa Crociere told dpa. We arrived in [Civitavecchia] with the Costa Smeralda cruise ship and they are not letting us off the boat. They say its due to a health inspection, a passenger named Gaby tweeted. She added that the cruise ship was full of Asians with face masks. #BREAKING: Officials are testing two passengers for the coronavirus. The Chinese couple boarded the cruise ship five days ago.https://t.co/Td2YfkCLcI Globalnews.ca (@globalnews) January 30, 2020 The Costa Smeralda departed from Savona in northern Italy and stopped in Marseille, Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca before reaching Civitavecchia. According to ANSA, test results for the suspected patient should be ready in the afternoon. The woman, 54, has been put in isolation with her husband, who does not appear to have any symptoms. We did all that we needed to do. The situation is under control and at the moment it does not seem like there are any reasons for concern on board, coast guard commander Vincenzo Leone was quoted as saying by ANSA. In a statement, Costa Crociere said its priority is to guarantee the health and safety of guests and crew and that it would strictly comply with regulations from health authorities. Thousands of students are protesing at Jamia Millia Islami after a pro-CAA man brandished a gun and open fired at students marching to Raj Ghat on Mahatma Gandhi's death anniversary. The man, who is now claimed to be a minor, has been identified as Rambhakt Gopal. He fired a shot and injured a student outside Jamia. The student has been admitted to a hospital and is recovering. Crowd swelled at the varsity after the incident. Ealrier today, protesters breached a portion of the barricading near Jamia Millia Islamia University as the protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) continued near the campus. Police put up barricades to stop protestors from moving ahead on a march. Some protestors, including girls, had earlier climbed the barricades and shouted slogans. Earlier in the day, a Jamia Millia Islamia student was injured after a person opened fire in Jamia area where anti-CAA protests were going on. The injured- Shadab Farooq, a student of the second semester of MA Mass Communication sustained injuries in his left hand. He has been referred to the AIIMS trauma centre. Swaraj Abhiyan's Yogendra Yadav has been detained by the Delhi Police from the Delhi Gate where protesters had formed a human chain against the Citizen Amendment Act (CAA), the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR). Meanwhile, leaders of Left parties including Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury had also formed a human chain in protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act outside the Rajghat today. Protests are being held in different parts of the national capital including Jamia Nagar over the contentious act, which was passed by parliament last year. Kapil Sharma and wife Ginni Chatrath welcomed their first child Anayra on December 10, 2019. This was followed by the popular comedian sharing the first glimpse of his daughter on social media with the fans. The adorable picture of the little munchkin seems to have gone viral as a few ardent fans were seen sporting T-Shirts with baby Anayras Picture at his recent show in Dubai. A thrilled Kapil took to social media to share the image whilst thanking the fans and the audience at the venue. Kapil wrote, Thank u beautiful people u r always in my heart #love #blessings #gratitude #dubai #liveshow #tkss. (sic) For the uninitiated, the actors from the Kapil Sharma show, Chandan Prabhakar, Bharti Singh, Krushna Abhishek, Kiku Sharda, and Sumona Chakravarti performed live alongside Kapil at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on January 24. In the meantime, Kapil Sharma is also busy hosting the second season of Sony TVs The Kapil Sharma Show. The recently held live show happens to be the first outdoor shoot of the team. The TKKS 2 gang performed in a jam-packed stadium. Most of them took to their social media handles and shared many pictures and videos with their fans. ALSO READ: The Kapil Sharma Show: Kapil, Bharti Singh, Krushna Abhishek & Others Jet Off To Dubai (PICS) ALSO READ: The Kapil Sharma Show: Anil Kapoor Makes His Debut On A Popular Video Sharing App Garissa County, Kenya I heard the gunshots at 2am on January 7, a day after schools opened for the new academic year, says Safiyo Ali, 50, the headteacher of a primary school close to Kenyas porous border with Somalia. Saretho Primary School had 250 pupils and 10 teachers, nine of whom were from other parts of Kenya. About 200 boys and girls were sleeping in the school when it was attacked. Four pupils, three of whom were siblings, and one teacher were killed. The other teachers have since fled the area and the school has been temporarily closed. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Kenyan government has accused the armed Somali group al-Shabab. Police reports state that the attack was carried out by about a dozen fighters from the group, which has been fighting for more than 10 years to overthrow successive internationally-backed Somali governments. In a quiet local restaurant, Safiyo, the only remaining teacher at Saretho Primary School, gathers with other local teachers whose schools have also been closed out of fear of further attacks. She recalls the events of that night. I went under my bed with three pupils and stayed there until morning when the police arrived, she says. Her rheumy eyes drift over a photo of a pupil who was killed. I paid for his school fees because his parents could not afford it, she says as tears form in the corner of her eyes. He loved me like his mother. Safiyo says she has recurring nightmares about that night, but that the government has not provided any counselling services. The only thing the government gave me is commissioned leave for two weeks. We were 10 teachers in my school and I was the only local. The rest have gone back to their home counties. Garissa is an arid and remote region with a largely Muslim, ethnic-Somali population. Many Kenyans from other parts of the country, who are often non-Muslims, come here to work as teachers and civil servants or to take up positions with non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The county lags behind in education, with two-thirds of primary-aged children dropping out of school, according to the NGO Womankind Kenya. The state depends heavily on teachers from other parts of the country, who make up more than 90 percent of the teaching fraternity in Garissa, according to a report by the Kenyan government. Safiyo Ali, 50, sits with fellow local teachers whose schools have been closed due to violent attacks [Abdullahi Mire/Al Jazeera] We all die the same On January 13, a few days after the attack on Saretho Primary School, armed men, also thought to be al-Shabab fighters, although no group has claimed responsibility, struck the sleepy village of Kamuthe, in the Fafi sub-county of Garissa, about 35km (22 miles) from Saretho. They rounded up civil servants six teachers and a nurse who were not from the area. They executed three of the men but let one man and the three women go. I am not going back there, says 37-year-old Lucy Wanjira, one of the female teachers rounded up in that attack. This is not the first time al-Shabab has attacked us. Since 2015 they have been killing us non-Muslims with no protection from the police, she adds, wiping tears from her face. Memories are still fresh in her mind, she says, of the day in April 2015 when al-Shabab fighters stormed Garissa University College, killing 148 people, including 142 students. She was not at the university that day, but she was living in Garissa town at the time. Fatuma Mohamed, 55, an ethnic-Somali Kenyan, sits on the edge of her bed on a hot Sunday afternoon counting her prayer beads as she mumbles a prayer. Her son was killed in the attack on Saretho Primary School. I sent my son to school on Monday morning with a brand new uniform and books. He was very happy. They killed him a day later, she says. In 2012, I lost another son to al-Shabab. He was working for a Norwegian NGO. Fatumas son was killed during the kidnapping of four aid workers with the Norwegian Refugee Council. The workers were later rescued by the Somali Ras Kamboni armed group. To be honest, there is no government to protect our children, says Fatuma. Whether local or non-local we all die the same. Since December, al-Shabab fighters have stepped up attacks in counties bordering Somalia. In the last six weeks, they have carried out more than 10 attacks, which have killed at least 25 people. In early December, 10 people were killed when al-Shabab fighters attacked a bus travelling between the towns of Wajir and Mandera in northeast Kenya, outside Garissa county. Eight police officers and two non-local teachers were among those killed in that attack. Abdikadir Osman, a parliamentary representative for Fafi in Garissa county, has called for the government to arm local community leaders so that they can defend themselves from al-Shabab. Fatuma Mohamed, whose young son was killed in the al-Shabab attack on Saretho Primary School in early January [Abdullahi Mire/Al Jazeera] Spreading fear While hundreds of teachers and other civil servants of non-ethnic Somali descent have fled to safer areas of Kenya and others continue to do so, Mary John*, a non-local teacher, says she is not leaving her school in Dadaab, Garissa county. When students arent around here theres panic. You cant sleep well at night but Im paid better here and I love my job so I will not leave, she explains. Kenya sent troops into Somalia to fight al-Shabab in 2011. Since then, the group has regularly struck targets inside Kenya. Between 2013 and 2017, there were almost a dozen al-Shabab attacks on Kenyan schools. In 2018, 224 primary and 42 secondary schools were closed in Wajir county, which neighbours Garissa county, after two non-local teachers were killed in al-Shabab attacks. Nearly 1,000 teachers fled the area. Ahmed Osman, 42, sits outside his grass-thatched house with his six children in Ali Kune, a village in Garissa county. Recent heavy rains have left this normally bone-dry landscape lush with greenery. People here fear strangers, says Ahmed, who is wearing a red T-shirt over a black-and-white kanzu, an African regional robe for men. My four children will be going to school despite the teachers leaving for fear of their lives. I know my wife will not agree with me because she fears for their safety. My 14-year-old son is not happy with the turn of events. Angeline Munanie, a teacher at Warable Primary School in Garissa County, is terrified for herself and her child [Abdullahi Mire/Al Jazeera] At the local Teachers Service Commission (TSC) office in Garissa, Angeline Munanie, a teacher from another part of Kenya, is distraught. She wants to get away from the area, but the TSC, the body that employs teachers, has only transferred her a short distance away. It is not fair because the area looks the same and they [al-Shabab] may know of my transfer and follow me there, she says. I have a small child who is traumatised and I fear for her safety. *Name changed to conceal the identity The shooting incident at Jamia Millia Islamia University seems to have completed India's transition from democracy to mobocracy, a tweet on PDP president Mehbooba Mufti's Twitter handle said on Thursday. A man fired a pistol at a group of anti-CAA protesters in the university on Thursday, injuring a student, before calmly walking away while waving the firearm above his head and shouting "Yeh lo aazadi" amid heavy police presence in the area. The man, who identified himself as "Rambhakt Gopal", was subsequently overpowered by police and detained. He was taken into custody and was being interrogated, police said. "As we remember Gandhiji on the sombre occasion of his death anniversary, India's transition from democracy to a mobocracy seems complete," a tweet on Mehbooba's Twitter handle read. Mehbooba's daughter Iltija Mufti has been operating her mother's Twitter handle since August 5 last year following detention of the former chief minister in the wake of abrogation of article 370 provisions. "Interesting that certain media channels are referring to culprit named Gopal as 'shooter'. He'd be a certified terrorist only if his name was Ghazi or Ghazanfar," another tweet on the handle read, questioning the description of the shooter in certain TV channels. The entire drama in the university, which triggered panic in the area, was captured by television cameras that showed the man in light coloured pants and a dark jacket, walking away on an empty road barricaded by police, turning around and shouting at the protesters in Hindi, "Take this independence". "We were moving towards the Holy Family Hospital where the police had raised barricades. Suddenly, a gun-wielding man came out and opened fire. One bullet hit my friend's hand," Aamna Asif, a student of economics at the university, told PTI. She said her friend, Shadab Farooq, a mass communication student, was injured in his left hand and taken to the AIIMS Trauma Centre. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 30, 2020) - Steppe Gold Ltd. (TSX: STGO) ("Steppe Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has now successfully closed the previously announced US$3M convertible debenture financing with the Mongolian National Strategic Investment Fund PIF SPV. The proceeds from the debenture financing will be primarily used towards commencing gold production at its ATO Gold Mine. As of today, the Company has mined, crushed and stacked approximately 400,000 tonnes of ore on the leach pad at a grade of 1.99 g/t gold. At a gold recovery of 70%, this equates to around 18,000 oz of gold or US$28m at a gold price of US$1,550 per ounce. The Executive Chairman, Mr. Matthew Wood, said, "The Company is extremely proud to be supported by the Mongolian National Strategic Investment Fund PIF SPV, and it acknowledges its responsibilities to establish a sustainable and safe working place and increase its role in the Mongolian gold mining industry." About Mongolian National Strategic Investment Fund The Mongolian National Investment Fund PIF SPV is managed by DBM Asset Management Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Government-owned Development Bank of Mongolia. http://www.dbmamc.mn/ About Steppe Gold Steppe Gold is Mongolia's premier precious metals company and is projected to produce 60,000 ounces of gold from its ATO Gold Mine in 2020. The Company is also completing a feasibility study into the expansion of the ATO Mine to approximately 150,000 ounces of gold per annum. Steppe Gold has been selected as "The Company of the Year" by the Ministry of Mining and Heavy Industries of Mongolia and "The Investment of the Year" by the Mineral and Petroleum Authority of Mongolia in 2019, respectively. For Further information, please contact: Matthew Wood, Executive Chairman Bataa Tumur-Ochir President and CEO Shangri-La office, Suite 1201, Olympic Street 19A, Sukhbaatar District 1, Ulaanbaatar 14241, Mongolia Tel: +976 7732 1914 Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: The above contains forward-looking statements that are subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in our forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause such differences include: changes in world commodity markets, equity markets, costs and supply of materials relevant to the mining industry, change in government and changes to regulations affecting the mining industry. Forward-looking statements in this release include, among other things, statements regarding the trading of the Common Shares and business, economic, and political conditions in Mongolia. Although we believe the expectations reflected in our forward-looking statements are reasonable, results may vary, and we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. We disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/51955 Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Coveney during a press briefng by Fine Gael Photo:Gareth Chaney/Collins TANAISTE Simon Coveney launched another scathing attack on Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin by highlighting the "spine" Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has displayed in crisis situations compared to his fellow Cork TD. Mr Coveney refused to apologise for previous criticisms he directed at Mr Martin amid claims by Fianna Fail that senior Fine Gael officials were "now trying to play the man rather than the ball." Mr Martin's constituency running mate, Michael McGrath TD, warned that increasingly strident Fine Gael attacks on senior Fianna Fail officials was clearly motivated by opinion polls which indicated falling support for the Government party and a surge in backing for the Opposition. However, the Tanaiste warned while canvassing in Waterford that Ireland now faces tough Brexit challenges ahead with the impending Brussels-London talks over a trade deal. He stressed that the country needs a tough, shrewd leader. "No, I have made a statement that I think is stating the obvious, quite frankly," he said. "We have two potential Taoisigh in this election campaign, Micheal Martin and Leo Varadkar. "I have worked very closely with Leo Varadkar through the Brexit process. I think he has proven himself to be calm, intelligent and tough when he needed to be. "He has shown real spine in resisting extraordinary pressure at different times to compromise - I am comparing two people, it is one or the other." Mr Coveney rejected suggestions he was unfairly trying to target Mr Martin. "What I am saying is that I know the person I want to lead this country through the next phase of Brexit because I know how tough it is going to be," he said. "Leo Varadkar is proven in that environment and that is why I have asked people to look at the two options. "When you do, if you want a steady hand that can deliver the outcomes that Ireland needs, that can protect us - then I believe that Leo Varadkar is the person to do that." "I make no bones about that," he warned. Dining for Dollars Provides Financial Support for Vulnerable WSU Students January 17, 2020 OGDEN, Utah Sonora Grill in downtown Ogden will host its unique and tasty fundraiser, Dining for Dollars, Feb. 5 from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. to benefit Weber State Universitys Oportunidad Scholarship Fund. All sales from the day will be donated to help support first-generation or low-income students. The money also helps undocumented students, who are ineligible for financial assistance such as FAFSA, grants or loans. "The scholarship will help make higher education accessible for immigrant students who are ineligible for FAFSA grants and loans, said Enrique Romo, WSUs Access & Diversity assistant vice president. The scholarship will help students meet their education and career goals. It will also give them the opportunity they deserve so they can continue giving back to the community and country where they grew up." "There are no words to describe my gratitude for the generosity of the donors, said one student who benefits from the Oportunidad Scholarship. It is inspiring, and I hope those of us who have received support will be able to similarly give back in the future. A special scholarship menu will be offered for $14 and includes a choice of entree, chips and salsa. Regular menu items will also be available. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling 801-393-1999 or at thesonoragrill.com. Sonora Grill is located at 2310 S. Kiesel Ave., Ogden. Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University. Find all our Lessons of the Day here. Lesson Overview Featured Article: Ready, Set, Vote: Heres Everything You Need to Know for the 2020 Primaries The New York Times provides 35 timely questions and answers to queries such as: Whats the difference between a primary and a caucus? Who is likely to win the Democratic presidential nomination? What issues have dominated the campaign so far? In this lesson, you will learn more about the presidential race and the election process. In a Going Further activity, you will research a question, candidate or issue more fully. Warm Up On Monday, Feb. 3, the 2020 presidential primary season begins with the Iowa caucuses. How much have you been paying attention to the presidential campaign? Do you discuss it with your friends and family or in school? Do you have a favorite candidate or issue? Are you confused or frustrated by it all? Use this graphic organizer to create a K/W/L chart with everything you know about the election process and the 2020 presidential candidates along with any questions you might have. There are just some things that Meghan Markle may not miss about life as a royal. A palace insider who worked closely with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told U.K. Media Commentator Neil Sean that there were certain aspects about the royal life that the former "Suits" actress was too keen to ditch. Several aspects of the royal life had made it difficult for Meghan to adjust to her new life with Prince Harry. On Jan. 8, after their first appearance back from their six-week Holiday vacation, Prince Harry and Meghan announced their decision to take a step back from the royal life and their desire to work independently. Although they decided to split their time between North America and the United Kingdom, the couple emphasized that the Queen still had their full support in all her endeavors. Royal Life So Difficult? The members of the royal family are expected to act a certain way. Apart from the traditions that have been in place for a long time, the protocol that every member of the royal family must follow is a product of their job -- as their luxurious life is paid for by people's taxes. "She never really came to terms with what was expected of the royal family and the need to publicly suppress opinion," the source told Sean. The source added that Meghan did not understand members of the royal family cannot be political and their personal thoughts could not be discussed in public. As the source said, despite being told at the beginning, it seemed as if the Kensington Palace was beyond what Meghan has known before. Simple Freedom Sean told Fox News that Meghan was yearning for the simple freedoms that she once enjoyed when she was still active in Hollywood. "Meghan was used to driving herself around and felt as if she was hemmed with all the bodyguards and such," Sean explained. The Duchess of Sussex told a contact of Sean that she missed the freedom of jumping into a car and driving off into the world. This was clearly demonstrated when Meghan closed her own door in one of the royal visits she made. It was a simple act, but it broke protocol and made headlines. William Hanson, an etiquette expert, told Radio 1 Newsbeat that the closing of one's door as a royal does not necessarily break protocol. However, as a royal or dignitary, there is a staff member that is assigned to open and close the door for you. Hanson emphasized that such practice was specifically for security reasons more than anything. Not Like Family Sean also claimed that the former "Suits" star was stunned by the fact that despite being one family, one royal allegedly could not casually reach out to another royal. It surprised Markle that one cannot see another member of the royal family without making an appointment, the source told Sean. While Prince Harry was sympathetic, he wished he could make her understand that it was just how things are run in the palace. What Meghan truly missed is her voice online. Through her website "The Tig," Meghan was able to find an outlet to express herself and her take on various issues. According to the source, it was something she truly missed when "it was out and gone." While the couple will continue to work and express their support for the reigning monarch, the couple is enjoying the bit of freedom that they have at the moment. On several occasions, Meghan was seen out and about in Canada and she never looked happier. HISTORY BLACK WAVE by Kim Ghattas (Wildfire 20, 400 pp) For most people, the story of the Middle East in recent years has felt like a bloody, brutal sequence of murder and carnage. But the rubble-strewn bloodletting of today was not always the norm. Now Kim Ghattas, who was born and bred in Beirut and spent 20 years as a seasoned observer of the region for the BBC, opens this compelling saga by trying to answer a question: What happened to us? What happened to reciting poetry in Peshawar, debating Marxism late into the night in the bars of Beirut, or riding bicycles to picnic on the banks of the Tigris in Baghdad? To help find the reasons, Ms Ghattas turns to three separate major events in 1979 that led to a paranoid rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran that continues today, and which condemned the region to 40 years of darkness and oppression: four decades of hatred and competitive intolerance. Kim Ghattas reflects on three major events that led to rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran in gripping history book, Black Wave (pictured: Iranian woman attending a rally in Tehran, Iran) A landscape filled with music and song in the cradle of civilisation regressed to the Dark Ages, buttressed by religious extremism, misogyny and oppression. A place where a nine-year-old village girl could be told she would go to hell if she took off the veil, and that if she dared to listen to music she would have molten metal poured into her ears on Judgment Day. I have friends who talk warmly of their visits to Iran in the 70s, others who visited Kabul and said it felt like a Paris in the East. Not any more, and this hugely ambitious panoramic history with the narrative pace of a thriller makes everything clear. The first major event in 1979, says the author, was the Iranian Revolution, when Ayatollah Khomeini swept into Iran on a wave of religious fervour to overthrow the despotic, but modernising, Shah. Khomeini, who didnt like the Americans, was, of course, supported by Leftists all over the world, despite his fanatical puritanism. The revolution was plotted in France by Khomeini and his allies (most of whom would soon lose their lives) with the enthusiastic backing of Frances plentiful supply of Left-wing intellectuals. Iran had a long and glorious cultural history, but was now plunged into religious zealotry. It was a world of grim, brutal puritanism and public executions by stoning. It practised Shia Islam, while its neighbour Saudi Arabia was largely Sunni (the main difference between them being an arcane dispute dating back to the 7th century over who was the Prophet Muhammads rightful heir his father-in-law, as Sunnis believe, or his cousin, as Shias believe.) The second event was the less well-known siege of Mecca, when a heavily armed gang of militant fundamentalists seized Islams holiest site, the Grand Mosque, in protest at Saudi Arabias dissolute ruling family, the Sauds who, the extremists reckoned, were straying from the hard-line principles of medieval Islam. This was not the pure Sunni Islam that the rebels wanted; it was a betrayal of the Prophet. Kim said the first major event that took place in 1979 was the Iranian Revolution, pictured: a woman with a gun around the time of the revolution in Iran Eventually the rebels were all killed or captured, but only with the help of French commandos. This didnt look good for the self-appointed custodians of Islam so, to fend off criticism, the Saudis went into overdrive to prove their religious zeal, ferociously enforcing the hardline codes of Wahhabism, an ultra-conservative form of Islam that insists on a literal interpretation of the Quran, and views all non-adherents as heathen enemies. Meanwhile the Riyadh government was pouring billions into Iraq to encourage Saddam to fight Iran, which the Saudis feared was vying for leadership of the Islamic world. The third event was the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan at the end of 1979. This made unlikely allies of the U.S. and Islamic jihadists, united against Russia, as Saudi Arabia ploughed money and people into Afghanistan and tribal areas of Pakistan. While Sunni extremism was raging, a young fanatic had shown up in Peshawar in North- West Pakistan to help the fight against the Russians. The scion of a wealthy Saudi family and a religious hard-liner, he was flush with money and willing to give financial support to Arab fighters and their families in Pakistan. His name was Osama bin Laden. Soon he would want to take jihad global. The author whose friend Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in his countrys consulate in Istanbul, revealed she swings between despair and hope for the region From these three catalysts flows Black Waves blood-soaked story, encompassing the Iran-Iraq war, the fatwa on Salman Rushdie, the rise of al Qaeda, the Iraqi attack on Kuwait, the 9/11 terrorist attacks and war in Afghanistan, the U.S. invasion of Iraq, civil war in Lebanon, countless uprisings in Egypt, the Syrian civil war, the jaw-dropping brutality of Isis, and carnage in the Saudi war on Yemen. As well as a vast number of assassinations, sectarian feuds and legally sanctioned judicial massacres. It is a story as hot as todays headlines. Lurking throughout is Qassem Soleimani, battle-hardened veteran of the Iran-Iraq war and sinister head of the Iran Revolutionary Guard, responsible for overseas and clandestine military operations, and exporting the most bloody brand of Shia intolerance to other parts of the world. Soleimani was killed by a U.S. drone strike at the beginning of this year, briefly threatening to destabilise the region. He had it coming, judging by this book. BLACK WAVE by Kim Ghattas (Wildfire 20, 400 pp) Ghattas ends with the horrific murder of her friend Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi journalist and dissident who was butchered in his countrys consulate in Istanbul. But in this epic saga of a battered war-torn region, full of entrenched attitudes, bitter hatreds, and weaponised sectarian loyalties, is there any cause for optimism? Ms Ghattas admits, at the conclusion of this gripping story, that she swings between despair and hope though ultimately she settles on hope. Not because of any diminishing intransigence among the main state players, but because of what she describes as the incredible power of those who continue their relentless, courageous fight for more freedom, more tolerance, more light . . . their defiance is a source of hope, their steadiness contagious. She means the tens of thousands of people in the Middle East who have refused to bow to oppression. People like Masih Alinejad, the little Iranian girl who was told she would go to a hell if she took off her veil. She now lives in Brooklyn and her Instagram account celebrates all the Middle Eastern women who want to escape just like she did. She has three million followers; the walls in the religious stockade that has held so many countries prisoner since 1979 are beginning to crumble. The Election Commission on Thursday barred Union Minister Anurag Thakur from campaigning in the Delhi Assembly polls for three days and BJP MP Parvesh Verma for four days for their controversial remarks. The ban came into force from 5 pm on Thursday. The EC said the decision was taken as it was not satisfied with their respective replies to the show-cause notices. West Delhi MP Verma on Tuesday said what happened in Kashmir with Kashmiri Pandits could happen in Delhi, warning that lakhs of anti-CAA protesters in Shaheen Bagh could enter homes to rape and kill women. During an election rally here, Thakur egged on the crowd to raise an incendiary slogan -- "shoot the traitors" -- after he lashed out at anti-CAA protesters. The EC orders said Thakur and Verma would continue to be off the list of of BJP's star campaigners for the Delhi Assembly polls. In his reply to the show cause notice, Thakur told the EC that he had only said "desh ke gaddaron ko" (traitors of the country) and it was the crowd which responded. He maintained he had no intention to create or promote enmity between people. Thakur had sought a personal appearance before the Commission, a plea which was rejected. The EC said the BJP leader made undesirable and objectionable statement which had the tone and tenor to aggravate existing differences. It barred Thakur from holding public ralles, meetings, giving interviews, making utterances in print, electronic and social media for 72 hours (three days) beginning 5 pm on Thursday. Verma has been barred from campaigning for 96 hours (four days) for his interview in which he made remarks on Shaheen Bagh and a statement on removing mosques at an election meeting in Vikas Puri on January 28. In his reply, Verma said his remarks on Shaheen Bagh protesters were in response to a question in an interview and were misrepresented by the media. He also said his statement on removal of mosques was in context of removing illegal encroachments from government lands. Like Thakur, Verma too had sought a personal hearing before the poll panel. But it was rejected. On January 25, BJP candidate from Model Town Kapil Mishra was barred from campaigning for 48 hours for inflammatory tweets. One of the tweets was removed by Twitter and an FIR was logded against on the directions of the EC. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A proposed low-carbon fuel standard in Washington state highlights a divide in the transportation industry over regulations aimed at reducing carbon emissions that contribute to global warming. Earlier this month, for example, Alaska Airlines (NYSE: ALK) endorsed the use of sustainable aviation fuels on an opt-in basis in Washington's proposed clean fuels program. By federal law, states are prohibited from regulating jet fuel. But sustainable jet fuel suppliers and their numbers are growing could voluntarily opt in to the program and earn credits they could sell or trade to other regulated entities. Washington's trucking industry, generally excluded from the financial benefits of a credit-trading system, opposes the standard. "Our argument is pretty simple," said Sherri Call, executive vice president of the Washington Trucking Associations. "Cost, fairness and lack of alternatives." Washington has failed several times to pass a low-carbon fuel mandate. The law, similar to those in California and Oregon, would reduce the carbon intensity of fuels by 10% below 2017 levels by 2028. It would continue to reduce carbon intensity to 20% below 2017 levels by 2035. Proponents say the policy is necessary to reduce the state's transportation emissions, representing nearly 45% of Washington emissions. They also tout the policy's financial incentives and its role in developing sustainable fuel supply chains. In a letter sent to the Seattle Port Commission earlier this month, Diana Birkitt Rakow, Alaska Airlines' vice president of external relations, outlined the Seattle-based company's support for the clean fuel program. "Cost parity is critical to reduce emissions from airline fuels on a life cycle basis," Rakow wrote. "And we need positive policy incentives to help overcome the significant cost barriers that disincentivize local sustainable airline fuel (SAF) production." Businesses that opt in to the standard can generate credits when they provide transportation users with a lower carbon intensity fuel. Story continues Among those that stand to benefit are Gevo, a Colorado-based maker of biofuels. Gevo supplied wood-based fuel to Alaska Airlines in 2016 and more recently was awarded a contract with the city of Seattle providing the city's fleet vehicles with a fossil fuel alternative. The Washington legislation would make the market in the Pacific Northwest more attractive for low carbon fuel providers, Patrick Gruber, Gevo's CEO, said in an email to FreightWaves. It "would drastically increase the probability" that Gevo would invest in production facilities" in the Pacific Northwest, he said. As regulators crack down on emissions from aircraft, more airlines are seeking sustainable solutions. Earlier this month Jet Blue said it will power flights departing San Francisco International Airport with sustainable jet fuel from the Finnish company Neste. Trucking alternatives to diesel are cost prohibitive; nor are there mechanisms in place to compensate for the higher fuel prices that would result from the implementation of a clean fuel mandate, said Call, who spoke to FreightWaves from the state legislature in Olympia, where lawmakers were holding a hearing on the standard. Along with logging and agriculture, truckers are "price takers, not price makers," she said. Noting the rule's exemptions for rail, air and ocean-going vessels, Call said the freight industry is "at odds" over emissions regulations and carbon reduction initiatives. The trucking sector itself is divided on the subject "it's hard even for my board to agree how to reduce carbon," Call said. But generally speaking the association's members believe "market forces are the best solution," according to Call, and that any emissions regulation should be enacted at the federal level to ensure a level playing field for trucking companies. Washington's clean fuel proposal is one of several carbon emissions bills up for a vote in Northwest state legislatures. Notably, Oregon is trying once again to pass a cap-and-trade emissions law, following a high profile walkout by Republican legislators that derailed a similar proposal in 2019. In addition to the Washington bill, four counties in the state have proposed their own low-carbon fuel standard. That proposal, aimed at putting pressure on state lawmakers, would create even more inequities for truckers, whose fuel costs would vary depending on their geographical location, according to Call. "If the standard is bad for industry on a statewide level, it's even worse on a local level," she said. Image Sourced from Pixabay 0 See more from Benzinga 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Sir Lindsay Hoyle has said Parliaments bullying culture is over as he called for a kinder Commons where he would allow breastfeeding in the chamber. The Commons Speakers comments on Thursday came after fresh bullying allegations mounted against his predecessor, John Bercow, as he seeks to be elevated to the House of Lords. Mr Bercow, who stood down on October 31, denies all allegations of bullying, but has had two dossiers detailing allegations against him handed over during recent days. Expand Close John Bercow is being accused of bullying (Ian West/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp John Bercow is being accused of bullying (Ian West/PA) The new Commons Speaker said during a speech at a Press Gallery lunch in Parliament that MPs havent always been the best employers of their staff, as he backed trade union recognition of staff. I think people reflected on the way the chamber carried out, the way we were speaking to each other, the threats, the intimidation, it was not a nice place, he said. The bullying culture is over, we are not going to tolerate it. And Im certainly not going to tolerate people who abuse security staff who are carrying out their duties to make us safe. He said the best recourse for the row between ministers and Mr Bercow, who has accused the Government for preventing his elevation to the Lords, would be for his name to be put forward for a peerage and let his past conduct be fully scrutinised. Sir Lindsay, who served under Mr Bercow as his deputy, said he was personally not bullied by his predecessor, when questioned by journalists. Personally I can honestly say I didnt witness it but I do speak to people who may or may not have been subjected, he added. When somebodys names goes forward to the Lords people are checked and issues are reviewed about whether they are a fit person. Part of that vetting will be looking into peoples conduct. Expand Close Baroness Betty Boothroyd (Victoria Jones/PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Baroness Betty Boothroyd (Victoria Jones/PA) Baroness Boothroyd ruled that breastfeeding was not allowed in the Commons chamber in 2000 when she was speaker. But Sir Lindsay said he would not block breastfeeding when asked if he would allow it in the chamber or committee rooms. Im of the view there isnt a policy, my view is that it is up to a mother, he said. I think it would be wrong for me as a male to dictate on that policy. If it happens, it happens. I wouldnt be upset by it, lets put it that way. Labour MP Harriet Harman, who ran against Sir Lindsay, was one of the first MPs to breastfeed her child in the Commons in the 1980s. An independent review in 2016 recommended that breastfeeding should be permitted in the chamber, with MPs with children having to sit for hours listening for a debate. Equal rights campaigners have called for breastfeeding in the Commons to tackle any taboo and to allow women MPs more flexibility with their work. The Ukrainian side does not yet see a proper response from Iran to the investigation into the circumstances of the Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) plane crash near Tehran. "We work with our international partners. I have repeatedly requested legal assistance from the Iranian government. I have also sent written requests to the Prosecutor-General of Iran. We have asked for the information needed for the investigation, asked to interview certain people, to obtain certain information. However, we have not yet received any answers. We do not yet see the reaction from the Iranian authorities which we would like to see," Prosecutor General of Ukraine Ruslan Riaboshapka said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine news agency. The Prosecutor General of Ukraine said he was actively communicating with representatives of the countries whose citizens had been killed in the plane crash. "We discussed the creation of an international investigation team. There is no final result yet, but the draft agreement on the creation of the team is ready. We submitted it to the embassies of several countries, including Iran, in order to be able to work within the investigation team," he stressed. When asked about the timeline for the creation of the international investigation team, the Prosecutor General said: "I think we will have a result within a week or two." "If there is no result regarding the creation of the international team, it means that we will work in the mode of requests for international legal assistance, and this takes more time to receive information," Riaboshapka said. A Ukraine International Airlines plane (Flight PS752) heading from Tehran to Kyiv crashed shortly after taking off from the Imam Khomeini International Airport at about 06:00 Tehran time (04:30 Kyiv time) on Wednesday, January 8. There were 176 people on board nine crew members (all Ukrainians) and 167 passengers (citizens of Ukraine, Iran, Canada, Sweden, Afghanistan, Germany, and the UK). On January 11, Iran admitted that its military had accidentally shot down the Ukrainian passenger jet. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps accepted full responsibility for the downing of the Ukrainian airliner. ol TOAZ case defendants suspected of attempted bribery of Russian Supreme Court RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 15:40 30/01/2020 A criminal case over attempted bribery on an especially large scale (part 3 of Article 30 and part 5 of Article 291 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) has been instituted against the beneficiary of Togliattiazot PJSC (TOAZ) Sergey Makhlai, the former chairman of the board of Togliattikhimbank Alexander Popov and the former head of the TOAZ security service Oleg Antoshin. According to the investigation, the suspects intended to bribe judges of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation for canceling the decision to recover tax arrears from TOAZ. An order to initiate a criminal case was signed by the senior investigator for particularly important cases, Major General of Justice Mikhail Tumanov on January 24. It was publicly reported on January 28 in court, when an investigator of the Investigative Committee requested the extension of detention of Popov. The former head of Togliattikhimbank, along with other defendants in the criminal case, is charged with organization and participation in a criminal community (part 3 of article 210 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Popov is also accused of especially large-scale fraud (Part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and non-payment of taxes in an especially large amount (Part 2 of Article 199 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). A new criminal episode is connected with the charges already brought against Popov. According to the investigation, illegal schemes for the withdrawal of funds from TOAZ with the participation of Togliattikhimbank allowed not to pay taxes in huge amounts, and now the tax authorities are to collect them in court. According to the current information, only in 2008-2013 the total amount of taxes confirmed by all authorities to TOAZ was more than 3.5 billion rubles (about $5.5 million). Back in 2012, employees of the interregional inspection No.3 for the largest taxpayers of the Federal Tax Service considered that ToAZ underestimated export revenues from the sale of ammonia by more than 1 billion rubles in 2010. As a consequence, the TOAZ income tax was then increased by more than 161 million rubles. Representatives of the enterprise (according to the investigation it was Sergey Makhlai) intended to annul this decision by filing a cassation appeal with the Supreme Court of Russia. The investigation reports that in the fall of 2015, Antoshin found intermediaries to help transfer the bribe to the Supreme Court. Their candidacies were allegedly approved by Popov, who, according to the Investigative Committee, oversaw the operation. It is the ex-head of Togliattikhimbank who is suspected of collecting and transferring $ 1.2 million to the cell of a credit institution, that should have become a fee to intermediaries in transferring a bribe. However, on November 2, the judge of the Supreme Court Zavyalova T.V., having studied the TOAZ cassation appeal against the decision of the Moscow Commercial Court, the ruling of the Ninth Commercial Court of Appeals and the decision of the Moscow District Commercial Court, refused to submit the cassation appeal to the Judicial Chamber on Economic Disputes of the Supreme Court of Russian Federation. The company was accrued income tax, value added tax, as well as interest and penalties. The basis for additional income tax was the conclusion that the company understated taxable profits when exporting ammonia and urea at a price by more than 20 percent lower than market prices to an affiliate of the Swiss company Nitrochem Distribution AG. Recognizing legitimate additional accrual of income tax to the company and failure to deduct value-added tax on operations for the purchase of natural gas intended for the production of urea, the courts proceeded from determined facts that showed that the disputed amount of natural gas had never been used for production of urea, despite the information provided," the courts decision reads. A representative of the injured party in several criminal cases related to the actions of the majority shareholders of Togliattiazot PJSC commented on the new circumstances of the criminal case for RAPSI. Director for Legal Issues, JSC UCC Uralchem Dmitry Tatyanin: The initiation of a new criminal case about an attempt to bribe a judge of the Supreme Court in order to cancel the assessed taxes is a testament to the legal excesses of the owners of Togliattiazot PJSC and related persons. A new criminal case initiated under a corruption article added to the extensive list of other episodes of criminal activity already identified during the investigation into previously initiated criminal cases. Uralchem, as the minority shareholder of Togliattiazot PJSC, is well aware of the situation at the enterprise. For many years, tens of billions of rubles have been illegally withdrawn from the plant by lowering export prices for products, as well as through other channels. Illegally, a significant part of production assets was withdrawn from the enterprise. Such criminal activity caused significant damage to both TOAZ itself and its minority shareholders, as well as to the state. The Federal Tax Service additionally accrued Togliattiazot for 2009-2013 more than 3 billion rubles of unpaid taxes. The criminal case under Part 4 of Art. 291 of the Criminal Code indicates an unsuccessful attempt to evade taxes for 2010 by giving a bribe to a judge. Earlier, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation initiated criminal cases over organization or participation in a criminal community using official position (part 3 of article 210 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation); fraud on an especially large scale committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy (part 4 of Art.159 of the Criminal Code) and non-payment of taxes in a particularly large amount (part 2 of Art. 199 of the Criminal Code). The defendants in these cases were Vladimir and Sergey Makhlai, their foreign partners Andrew Zivy and Beat Ruprecht, as well as other leaders of Togliattiazot and Togliattikhimbank. Uralchem UHC JSC, as the injured party in several criminal cases related to the actions of the majority shareholders of Togliattiazot PJSC, is interested in conducting a thorough and complete investigation into all criminal cases. We hope that due to the activities of investigative and judicial authorities, the damage to TOAZ as well as Uralchem as a minority shareholder, and the state will be compensated. Thus, the initiation of a new criminal case has become yet another objective reason for extending detention of the former head of Togliattikhimbank Alexander Popov. The relevant investigators motion was considered and granted by the Basmanny District Court of Moscow. It should be reminded that in early July the Komsomolsky District Court of Togliatti found Vladimir Makhlai, his son Sergei, ex-general director of TOAZ Yevgeny Korolev and their Swiss associates Andreas Zivy and Beat Ruprecht guilty in absentia of embezzling more than 85 billion rubles ($1.4 billion) from TOAZ and its shareholders. According to the conviction, the fraudsters sold all the products exported by TOAZ in 2008-2011 at a reduced price to the Swiss offshore company Nitrochem Distribution AG, led by Ruprecht, which is part of the Zivy Ameropa AG holding. The Swiss then sold the same product at a market price. The participants in the criminal scheme distributed the difference among themselves, without paying the Russian Federation any taxes on hidden profits. The investigation believes that Popov played a key role in this fraudulent scheme that caused Togliattiazot such enormous damage. In Togliattikhimbank he managed a network of offshore companies affiliated with the accused, controlled their accounts, which received funds from the illegal sale of products, and also ensured corruption cover for fraudulent schemes. In addition, Popov took part in a scheme that allowed participants in the criminal community to underpay taxes to the budget: in 2008, two LLCs controlled by the accused evaded paying taxes to the budget totaling at least 320 million rubles. Then, a complex for the methanol production with a productivity of 450,000 tons per year and a piece of land where it was located were stolen from TOAZ. As part of this transaction, the value of the asset was significantly underestimated: at a market price of 13.5 billion rubles, the company received only 132 million rubles for it. According to a similar scheme with an understatement of the sale value, Togliattiazot also lost its ammonia unit No.7 worth 2.4 billion rubles. According to the sale contract, it was sold for only 92.4 million rubles. Damage to the enterprise and shareholders amounted to more than 1.9 billion rubles. All assets were transferred to the accounts of Tomet LLC, whose shareholders were foreign offshore companies controlled by the accused. The money transfer transactions under the contracts of sale of assets belonging to TOAZ were handled by a bank controlled by Popov. As a result, Popov and other members of the group got the opportunity to own and dispose of real estate objects and equipment owned by Togliattiazot OJSC, which had been stolen from the enterprise. In addition, the investigation noted that Popov involved many companies and individuals in the implementation of criminal schemes, mainly his subordinates, dependent on him. The court agreed with the arguments of the investigation that, while at liberty, the accused could hide, destroy evidence, continue to engage in criminal activities, put pressure on witnesses and otherwise impede the investigation. Gaborone, Botswana (PANA) - Botswana Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has allayed media reports suggesting that the countrys general elections held at the end of last year were rigged Islamabad, Jan 30 : Pakistan has taken objection to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement that the country won't be able to stand against India for even 10 days in case a war breaks out between the two South Asian nuclear-powered nations. Terming Modi's statement as "irresponsible and warlike", Pakistan also condemned the Indian leader's statements on terrorism in the Kashmir region. Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Aisha Farooqui on Wednesday said "Pakistan rejects the Indian Prime Minister's statement". She said the statement is yet another attempt to divert attention from the domestic and international criticism of the Indian government by turning to the "unpredictable Pakistan craze". Farooqui described Modi's statement as provocative. "No one should underestimate the resolve to effectively thwart any of their offensive operations by the Pakistani armed forces and the people," she said. She also referred to India's airstrikes on Balakot in Pakistan in which India claimed to have killed many terrorists. She said that Pakistan had also caught Indian Air Force pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan in retaliation and Pakistani aircraft had entered the Indian air space. Telstra has announced it will stop using supply chain financing, as the government moves to introduce legislation that addresses small business complaints about protracted payment times. Small Business Minister Michaelia Cash told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald the government would move to enact the small business payments transparency register Prime Minister Scott Morrison first unveiled in 2018. Small Business Minister Michaelia Cash will move to introduce legislation on small business payment times in autumn. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen "The government is introducing legislation in the autumn sitting of Parliament that will require Australian businesses with an annual turnover of $100 million or more to report how and when they pay their small business suppliers," Ms Cash said. Upon passage through parliament, Ms Cash said the payments transparency register would come into force by January 1, 2021. In an image-saturated world, Fotografiska a Stockholm institution that has recently established an outpost in New York aims to lure people off their phones to venture out to see photographs displayed on walls. The strategy is brilliant: provide in the real world what people seek in virtual reality. Give them a community that revolves around photographs, and which in turn will supply them with pictures they can funnel back into their Instagram feeds. Within a landmark building in the Flatiron district that stays open every night until 11 or midnight, Fotografiska offers a cafe, bar and bookstore on the ground floor and an elegant restaurant (named Veronika after the patron saint of photography) for dinner one floor up. All these dining and shopping spaces are thronged. Veronika, with an Eastern and Central European menu, is booked solid for the next month. And then, oh yes, there are the galleries. Occupying the third, fourth and fifth floors, in rooms that are windowless to preserve the photographs and characterless to allow for flexibility, hang the works that are Fotografiskas purported reason for being. Small but mighty, the state of Delaware has a long and proud history as one of the original 13 colonies, becoming a state in 1776 two months after the signing of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. What the second-smallest U.S. statewith a total area of just 1,982 square milesdoesnt have right now is a regular commercial airline service. Its the only state in the union without it, according to Airports Council International, an industry trade group. Even the smallest U.S. state, Rhode Island, has commercial flights out of T.F. Green Airport. Currently, the states nearly 1 million residents must drive to Philadelphia; Newark, New Jersey; Washington or other cities if they want to hop on a passenger airplane. Thats about to change. Frontier Airlines, which left Delaware in 2015, is coming back in May to New Castle Airport. We are happy to offer nonstop flights to Orlando this summer, making trips to the most popular leisure destination in the U.S. even more convenient and attractive, Daniel Shurz, senior vice president of commercial for Frontier Airlines, said in a press release. Delaware Governor John Carney announced the airlines return on his weekly schedule. Were pleased to welcome Frontier back to the State of Delaware and the WilmingtonNew Castle Airport, said Carney. Weve made significant infrastructure investments at the airport, and Frontiers return will give Delawareans and travelers in the region a low-cost, convenient way to travel with their families. Its not clear if Delaware will be profitable for Frontier this time around, but the airline is celebrating the announcement with a $29 fare sale. The-CNN-Wire & 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. Highlights: Terrace Global enters into exclusive genetics supply agreement with Apollo Green, a leading Canadian licensed producer of medical cannabis with a focus on specialized genetics and plantlet sales. Acquires high-THC genetics (Chem Stallion, Twisted Grape and Apollo Skunk). Commencement of genetics acquisition for its medical cannabis operation in Portugal. Terrace Global Inc. ("Terrace Global" or the "Company") (TSXV:TRCE) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a genetics supply agreement (the "Genetics Supply Agreement") with Apollo Green Inc. ("Apollo Green") whereby the parties have entered into an exclusive relationship with respect to the acquisition and importation of high-THC genetics for the Company's medical cannabis operations in Portugal. Terrace Global has commenced the process to acquire the requisite starting materials for the first phase of its greenhouse facilities in Portugal, which will be comprised of approximately 65,000 square feet of greenhouse facilities, a 5,000 square feet of E.U. GMP processing and drying facility and a 3,300 square feet administrative building. Pursuant to the Genetics Supply Agreement, Terrace Global will be acquiring the following genetics: Chem Stallion (15-25% THC, 0.5-0.1% CBD), Twisted Grape (15-25% THC, 0.5-0.1% CBD) and Apollo Skunk (15-25% THC, 0.5-0.1% CBD). These genetics will add to Terrace Global's existing inventory of high CBD genetics which were acquired from Colorado and used in its outdoor cultivation in Uruguay. "We are pleased to be working with Apollo Green to develop our genetics inventory with a view to focusing on high-THC strains that we expect to be well received by the European Union medical cannabis market participants. Apollo Green has an extensive library of genetics that include a diverse set of market leading strains and cross-breeds," commented Francisco Ortiz von Bismarck, Chief Executive Officer of the Company. "Being able to source these genetics is an important milestone in the development of European operations. Without quality genetics, there is no pathway to success in the burgeoning E.U. medical cannabis industry." Apollo Green has been accumulating an extensive library of high-THC genetics and has benefited from its relationship with Ed Rosenthal. Mr. Rosenthal is a Global Advisor to Apollo Green and is a leading cannabis horticulture authority, author, educator, social activist and legalization pioneer. "Terrace Global is building a world-class cultivation facility in one of the most attractive countries from a regulatory and climate perspective. We will be working closely with the Company to see how these genetics perform by leveraging our extensive cultivation expertise," commented Tyler LeBlanc, Chief Executive Officer of Apollo Green. "This is a meaningful partnership for us as we seek to grow our genetics and plantlet business globally. Terrace Global is the ideal partner given its extensive experience and international footprint in Uruguay, Portugal and Spain." The Genetics Supply Agreement is subject to various conditions precedent, including the issuance of the applicable export and import permits from the regulatory authorities in Canada and Portugal. About Terrace Global Terrace Global is a multi-country operator (MCO) led by experienced cannabis entrepreneurs focused on the development and acquisition of international cannabis assets. Terrace Global's focus is on federally legal jurisdictions with existing domestic demand, low cost inputs and approved for exportation. Terrace Global's existing asset platform consists of: (1) a 33.75% indirect equity interest in one of the currently two recreational cannabis operations in Uruguay; (2) 100% of Oransur, S.A., a Uruguayan company producing high CBD hemp in Uruguay; (3) 100% of Terra Nova Producao e Comercializacao de Produtos Natuis e Farmaceuticos, Lda, a Portuguese company with a pre-license issued by INFARMED for the cultivation, importation, and exportation of medical cannabis in Portugal; and (4) 100% of Pharmabinoide S.L., a Spanish company producing and commercializing hemp in Spain. MariMed Inc. (OTCQX:MRMD), a multi-state cannabis operator in the U.S., dedicated to improving the health and wellness of people through the use of cannabinoids and cannabis products, owns approximately 6% of Terrace Global. About Apollo Green Apollo Green was among the first wave of Canadian businesses to submit an application to Health Canada for a cannabis cultivation and sales license. In July 2019, Apollo Green was granted three licenses for standard cultivation, standard processing and federal medical sales. Apollo Green currently supplies premium genetic solutions and superior plantlets to Cannabis producers globally, specializing in reducing risk, space, costs, and time to its B2B customers, in a state of the art fully operational facility about 20 minutes east of downtown Ottawa. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements about the Company's future plans and intentions. Wherever possible, words such as "may", "will", "should", "could", "expect", "plan", "intend", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict" or "potential" or the negative or other variations of these words, or similar words or phrases, have been used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management as at the date hereof. Forward-looking statements involve significant risk, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results discussed or implied in the forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200129005855/en/ Contacts: Terrace Global Inc. Francisco Ortiz von Bismarck, CEO and Director info@terraceglobal.ca www.terraceglobal.ca A seven-year-old girl from Kiltybegs, Longford, who suffered a brain injury during her birth, has received an interim settlement of 5.8m in the High Court. Ellen OKane was born at Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinalsoe, Co Galway, on September 19, 2012, and her mother, Mary Brady, sued the HSE over the care provided at the time of her daughters birth. Legal counsel for the claimant Denis McCullough SC, instructed by solicitor Michael Boylan, informed the court that the baby was severely compromised because of excessive traction made at instrumental delivery. Ellen then had to be intubated after being delivered by an emergency caesarean section. The court heard that an MRI scan later confirmed a skull fracture, with the baby suffering a hypoxic ischaemic injury and that there was a failure to exercise any proper or adequate care for the safety and wellbeing of Ellen. The settlement awarded by Mr Justice Cross includes 520,000 for home schooling purposes. The case will return to court in 2035, when Ellens future care needs will be assessed. Justice Cross commended Ellens parents for the care they have given their daughter and he wished the family well for the future. Also read: Gruesome attack on foal a new low for Longford Hyderabad: Telangana BJP president Dr K Laxman on Wednesday announced that the party would fight politically and judicially against the ruling TRS partys unholy practice in snatching away two coveted posts at Thukkuguda Municipality. Addressing a gathering at Srinagar village in Thukkuguda, Dr Laxman said that the TRS had violated democratic norms in grabbing chairman and vice-chairman posts of this municipality in spite of the fact that BJP won nine of the 15 seats for a clear majority in the municipality. He said that the party would meet Governor Dr Tamilsai Soundarajan on Thursday and appraise her about the ruling partys illegal practices and irregularities during municipal elections. He alleged that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) was unable to digest the victory of BJP in municipal elections and had adopted backdoor tactics to usurp control on municipalities. Stating that BJP had won the moral battle, Dr Laxman said people of the state are looking towards Thukkuguda municipality after the development where ruling party indulged in undemocratic and unconstitutional practices. Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on media and publicity has described the call for resignation of the president by the Minority leader of the Senate, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe as foolish. Recall that on Wednesday, the Senate minority leader urged the President to resign over the increasing insecurity in the nation. Also Read: Senator Abaribe To Buhari, APC: Resign Or Be Chased Out With Stones Reacting to this statement from the lawmaker, Garba Shehu in a lengthy post on his Twitter handle described the call as foolish one. The presidential aide went on to lambast the opposition leader, as he talked about the 16 years rule of the Peoples Democratic Party in the country. See his tweet below: Activists in the U.K. are demanding that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pay back the taxpayers for their big day and private accommodations since they renounced their status as senior royal members. The activists estimated the cost of their wedding and two years of royal accommodations to be around $6.5 million. CEO of the group Republic, Graham Smith, believes that the Duke and Duchess cannot have it both ways if they want to be public officials or private citizens. Speaking to The Independent, "I think they made a pretty big mistake by making a lot of assumptions bout keeping titles and cottages and police protection," Smith said, adding that it is clear that the public would continue to pay for some of their costs by cashing in on the official titles given to them by the state. "It's less than two years we spent millions on their wedding. We spend two-and-a-half million on that house, and given then extra status with these titles," he added. Graham and the group also condemned that after 18 months, the couple is already running away and abandoning all of their royal responsibilities. "I think we should be getting millions back, and they should stop spending our money as quickly as possible," Smith furthered. However, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have already announced that they will repay the $3 million of taxpayers' money for the refurbishment of Frogmore Cottage, which will now be empty for the part of the year. For the rest of the expenses though, it is unsure if they will ever pay for them. Since moving to Canada, they have been welcomed by Canadian citizens. However, there is still an issue on who should pay for the couple's security costs -- one which has has sparked controversy. There is already a petition urging Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau not to allow the country to pay for any expenses of the royal couple. The request has already received more than 100,000 signatures. An unknown source also told The Independent that Prince Harry and Mehgan are also planning to meet any costs incurred during their stay in Vancouver Island. Sure enough, $6.5 million is a lot, but Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have their net worth and savings. However, the Republic's movement seems less concerned about the losses and more interested in punishing the Sussexes while sending a message about the needless expense of the royal family. Harvey Levin of TMZ believes that Prince Harry and Meghan will not have any problems paying the taxpayers back because, according to him, they have the potential to become billionaires. He told Fox News that the couple is "incredibly marketable." Levin also believes that the prince will follow in the footsteps of another famous couple who made a big splash in the US media: the Obamas. In Prince Harry's speech since their Megxit announcement, he initially hoped for a dual role in supporting the Queen, the Commonwealth, and military associations. Nonetheless, in the speech at a London charity event, he said that it was not possible. "The UK is my home and a place that I love. That will never change. It brings me great sadness that it has come to this." Prince Harry added. Three teenagers were killed after their motorcycle crashed into a passenger bus in Vietnams Central Highlands on Wednesday night. The accident occurred in Ia Blang Commune, Chu Se District, Gia Lai Province at around 8:25 pm, according to Le Van Hanh, deputy head of the provincial committee for traffic safety. A passenger bus of Thuan Tien Gia Lai Bus Line, driven by Le Minh Thanh, was traveling on the Ho Chi Minh Highway when it collided with a motorbike traveling in the opposite direction. Three people on the motorcycle were killed on the spot. The victims, including two girls and a boy, were later identified as Roma Oai, Siu Yen, and Ralan Thuan, all of whom were 17 years old. The three teenagers were members of an ethnic minority in the province, a local official said. Local authorities are investigating the cause of the serious accident. Carrying two people, not including the driver, on a motorbike is in violation of Vietnams road traffic law and punishable by a fine of VND100,000-200,000 (US$4.32-8.65), according to a government decree. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Viva Gold Corp. (TSX-Venture: VAU; OTCBB: VAUCF) (the Company or Viva) is pleased to provide an update on the status of work on the Tonopah gold project located on the Round Mountain extension of the prolific Walker Lane mineral trend in western Nevada, about 20 kilometers northeast of the town of Tonopah. Viva has retained Gustavson Associates of Lakewood, Colorado, to complete a PEA study to test the economic viability of an open-pit, heap-leach gold recovery mine for the Tonopah project. It is anticipated that the project will utilize three-stage crushing with agglomeration and a mining rate sized to produce gold dore over a 7 to 8 year mine life based on known gold mineral resource and not including any additional life generated from additional exploration activity. The mine plan will be based on an average gold price of $1,325 per ounce with sensitivity analysis using current spot gold prices. It is anticipated that the study will be completed in March 2020. The Tonopah project has a decisive advantage to many of the existing junior company gold projects and mines in Arizona and Nevada due to the presence of near surface high-grade gold mineralization that can be targeted for mining at the start-up of operations. We anticipate that this favorable geometry can be utilized to drive early project cash flow and accelerate economic payback potential. We believe that the PEA study will outline a project with similar capital and operating cost structures to those seen in existing operating mines of similar scale in Nevada and Arizona. In addition, we believe that the project has strong potential for increased mine life with additional exploration, states James Hesketh, President and CEO. Viva management feels that the decision to move forward on a PEA study is justified based on a number of positive factors including: A strengthening gold market with a positive outlook. Gold prices are exceeding $1,550 per ounce and the two-three year trailing average gold price has increased into the $1,300 to $1,325 per ounce range. Favorable sub-horizontal geometry for mine design where the high-grade core (average 1.32 grams per tonne) of high-confidence level measured gold resource can be mined starting at approximately 10 meters below valley floor surface gravels. Approximately 67% of the estimated resource has been drilled to the measured and indicated confidence level. Total depth of the pit-constrained resources is relatively shallow, extending to a depth of approximately 150 meters. Positive initial metallurgical test results demonstrating potential for good heap leach gold recovery, utilizing conventional crush-heap leach methods. Low cost infrastructure requirements with existing paved road access to the site, local water supply, and close proximity to existing operating mine facilities and the town of Tonopah. Exploration at the Tonopah project is conducted under a Plan of Operation and cultural agreements that are based on approved Environmental Assessment and Cultural Resources studies, which bodes well for future operational permitting activities. Historical reconnaissance drilling, combined with recently updated geophysical studies, indicate the potential for additional gold resource development both along trend and in close proximity to the Tonopah project. The Tonopah property contains a near-surface low-sulfidation epithermal gold system which includes near vertical quartz-adularia-gold veins hosted by Ordovician age Palmetto argillite and the overlying Tertiary rhyolitic volcanics all within a low-angle zone of gold mineralization which includes and often parallels an erosion surface discontinuity at the top of the Palmetto argillite. Mineralization has been identified in a series of north-striking extensional structural zones within an overall mineralized trend along the north-northwest Walker Lane trend. James Hesketh, MMSA QP, is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and is the Qualified Persons responsible for review of technical information in this news release. Mr. Hesketh is President and CEO and an insider of the Company with overall project responsibility. Financing As announced on January 15th, 2020, Viva has extended the close of Tranche 2 of its non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") through February 20, 2020. The Offering may consist of up to 2,500,000 units (the "Units") at a price of CDN$0.24 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to CDN$600,000. Each Unit will consist of one common share in the capital of the Company (a Share) and one whole transferable common share purchase warrant (a Warrant). Each whole Warrant will be exercisable to acquire one Share at an exercise price of CDN$0.34 per Share for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance. About Viva Viva Gold is a gold exploration and development company with a focus on Nevada. Viva holds 100% of the Tonopah Gold Project, a large land position with demonstrated high-grade measured, indicated and inferred gold resources, located on the prolific Walker Lane Trend in Nevada, 70 kilometers south-east of the Round Mountain mine of Kinross Gold and 20 kilometers from the town of Tonopah. Vivas management team has extensive experience in mining, exploration, development and production and are supported by a Board of Directors and advisors who are proven mine finders, deal makers and financiers. Viva trades on the TSX-V as VAU, on the OTCBB in the U.S. as VAUCF and on the Frankfurt exchange under 7PB. For additional information on Viva Gold and the Tonopah Gold Project, please visit our website: www.vivagoldcorp.com. Forward-Looking Information: This news release contains certain information that may constitute forward-looking information or forward-looking statements under applicable Canadian securities legislation (collectively, forward-looking information), including but not limited to drilling operations at the Tonopah Gold Project. This forward-looking information entails various risks and uncertainties that are based on current expectations, and actual results may differ materially from those contained in such information. These uncertainties and risks include, but are not limited to, the strength of the global economy; the price of gold; operational, funding and liquidity risks; the potential for achieving targeted drill results, the degree to which mineral resource estimates are reflective of actual mineral resources; the degree to which mineral resources can be increased in size; the degree to which factors which would make a mineral deposit commercially viable are present; the risks and hazards associated with drilling and mining operations; and the ability of Viva to fund its capital requirements. Risks and uncertainties about the Companys business are more fully discussed in the Companys disclosure materials filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada available at www.sedar.com. Readers are urged to read these materials. Viva assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking information or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from such information unless required by law. Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors The United States Securities and Exchange Commission permits U.S. mining companies, in their filings with the SEC, to disclose only those mineral deposits that a company can economically and legally extract or produce. We use certain terms in this report, such as "measured," "indicated," "inferred," and "resources," that the SEC guidelines strictly prohibit U.S. registered companies from including in their filings with the SEC. 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. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005265/en/ Contact For further information please contact: James Hesketh, President & CEO (720) 291-1775 jhesketh@vivagoldcorp.com Valerie Kimball, Director Investor Relations (720) 933-1150 vkimball@vivagoldcorp.com Shortly after the White House issued a formal veto threat warning the House against voting to repeal the 2002 Iraq war authorization, President Donald Trump contradicted his staff. The president tweeted that lawmakers should vote with their hearts on repealing the 2002 authorization, a longtime bete noire for Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif. While the House passed Lees legislation 236-166 today, only 11 Republicans found it in their hearts to support repealing the authorization that the White House used as the legal justification to kill Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad earlier this month. One of those Republicans, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., is a close Trump ally who has found himself in hot water with the White House in recent weeks for siding with Democrats on other Iran war powers issues. That includes co-sponsoring legislation with Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., to ban funding for offensive military action against Iran absent congressional authorization, which the House also passed 228-175 today. Three of Gaetzs Republican colleagues joined him in voting for the legislation, which was championed by the progressive caucus and a broad coalition of anti-war groups: Reps. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, Trey Hollingsworth, R-Ind., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky. The four wayward Republicans sided with Democrats on the bill despite a Trump administration briefing for the Republican conference on Tuesday warning them to vote no. At the conference, the Trump administration officials argued that the Khanna-Gaetz provision would have prevented the president from taking out Soleimani if Democrats had succeeded in their initial efforts to attach the provision to a defense authorization bill last year. I have real concerns that if that would ever go forward, it would tie the presidents hands, that America would be weaker, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told Al-Monitor today at a press conference. Lets compare this what is on the floor today [to] tying the presidents hands when he had intelligence of what Soleimani was going to do in the future, to deny him the ability to do it. Democrats agree with the White House and McCarthys assessment that the Khanna-Gaetz legislation would have prevented Trump from killing Soleimani, which they argue resulted in a dangerously escalatory spiral with Iran. But Gaetz himself who supported Trumps Soleimani strike rejects that analysis, arguing that his bill would have had no bearing on the attack. The Khanna-Gaetz amendment would not have prevented President Trump from killing Soleimani because it was a strike in self-defense, the Florida Republicans office told Al-Monitor. After a series of classified briefings earlier this month, Democrats rejected the Trump administrations assertion that the strike was an act of self-defense, calling on the White House to declassify the evidence so far to no avail. And while Gaetz has strongly defended Trumps broader Iran policy, he has blamed White House legislative affairs director Eric Ueland for keeping him off the defense advisory team for the presidents ongoing impeachment trial in the Senate. Ueland blasted Gaetz in Politico for siding with Democrats to pass a separate Iran war powers resolution 224-194 earlier this month. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., has said that he has enough Republican votes to pass similar legislation in the Senate under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which allows any lawmaker to force a vote on foreign military interventions that Congress has not authorized. Unlike the Iran war powers resolution, Lees repeal of the Iraq war authorization and the Khanna-Gaetz bill are likely dead on arrival in the Senate. But the White Houses twin veto threats indicate that the tug of war between the executive and legislative branches over war powers is becoming more intense than it has in decades. The White Houses Khanna-Gaetz veto threat argued that the bill would undermine the administrations reestablishment of deterrence with Iran, which could perversely make violent conflict with Iran more likely. It went on to argue that it would hinder the presidents ability to protect United States diplomats, forces and interests in the region from the continued threat posed by Iran and its proxies. Similarly, the veto threat against Lees Iraq war authorization repeal argues that it would remove critical authorities for the United States to defend itself and its partner forces as they carry out their missions against terrorist threats emanating from Iraq and in support of a stable, democratic Iraq. Democrats counter that neither bill would limit Trumps constitutional authorization to defend against imminent Iranian attacks. The intensified debate has also prompted Democratic leaders to take a second look at adding the Lee and Khanna legislation to the 2021 defense authorization bill after removing the language from last years legislation as part of a compromise with the Republican-held Senate. We didnt believe it was absolutely essential this year, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told Al-Monitor. We do believe it is absolutely essential, however, to articulate once again that going to war, sending our military to war, is a decision that the constitutional framers saw was Congress to make. House Armed Services Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., noted that he is open to including both provisions in the 2021 defense authorization bill, which the House is expected to vote on in May. Its a fight worth relitigating, said Smith. Im not 100% committed at this point do we give them half, or do we want to find a path to keep pushing these issues? I think theyre important. A North Carolina man was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for making and receiving child pornography. Ezekial Sandoval, 49, of Raleigh, pleaded guilty to one count of child exploitation and manufacturing in November, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of North Carolina. He was sentenced on Wednesday, Jan. 29, the Associated Press reports. Investigators found that Sandoval had been posing online and on messaging apps as a teenage girl, prosecutors said. Law enforcement agencies were tipped off when a father in Michigan reported that someone had encouraged his 11-year-old daughter to send explicit images and videos of herself in 2017, according to AP. The online users phone number was registered to Sandoval, investigators discovered. A search of his home and devices uncovered images the Michigan girl had sent, along with more than 2,000 other photos and 180 videos of child pornography, AP reports. Record tourist numbers at Pantheon in 2019. Rome's Pantheon attracted more than 9 million visitors in 2019 - an increase of 4 per cent on the year before - according to Italy's culture ministry. The Pantheon, which is open for free, was the most visited site in Italy last year, attracting more tourists than other "superstar" sites, all of which have entry fees. The Colosseum attracted more than 7.5 million visitors, the Uffizi in Florence welcomed 4.4 million visitors, while 4 million people visited Pompeii in 2019. Visitor numbers to the Pantheon could be even higher in 2020 as tourists flock to pay their respects to High Renaissance master Raphael - buried inside the ancient landmark - on the 500th anniversary of his death. Controversial plans to introduce an entry fee to the Pantheon were dropped by Italy's culture ministry in late 2018. Photo by Evan Qu on Unsplash. Egypts Minister of International Cooperation Rania El-Mashat and the US Ambassador to Egypt Jonathan Cohen met on Thursday to discuss bilateral economic cooperation, in line with Egypts priorities Cohen said that Egypt is an important partner to the US in the region, adding that his country is eager to maintain economic ties with Egypt as a robust US economic ally, in light of Egypt's achievements Egypt with its economic reform programme. El-Mashat said Egypt-US economic partnership will be strategic in the coming phase for Egypt to achieve its sustainable development objectives. Sherry Carlin, the USAID mission director in Egypt, said the USAID is honoured with the partnership with Egypt in a number of projects, and is looking forward to a strong economic partnership. The twos sides discussed the economic strategy between the two countries, touching upon maintaining cooperation through the American-Egyptian Business Fund which invests approximately $300 million, and through the International Development Corporation that US President Trump decided to establish to replace the US private Investment Corporation. The meeting tackled furthering cooperation between Egypt and the USAID that introduced a total of $30 billion since the beginning of cooperation between the two countries. They also discussed cooperation through Prosperity for Africa Initiative that aims to boost links between entrepreneurs and investors in the US and North Africa for the sake of enhancing trade and investment through boosting infrastructure and regional integration in the continent. Search Keywords: Short link: Hillary Clinton has twice refused to see a process server attempting to convey Representative Tulsi Gabbards (D., Hawaii) defamation lawsuit against her, Gabbards lawyer told the New York Post on Wednesday. I find it rather unbelievable that Hillary Clinton is so intimidated by Tulsi Gabbard that she wont accept service of process, attorney Brian Dunne said. But I guess here we are. According to Dunne, the server first visited Clintons home in Westchester, N.Y. to deliver the lawsuit but was refused entry by secret service agents. The agents told the server to contact Clinton lawyer David Kendall, but Kendall told the server on Wednesday that he would be unable to accept the lawsuit for the former presidential candidate. Clinton had suggested in an October podcast that Gabbard was being groomed by Russia to run for president, and further termed the congresswoman the favorite of the Russians. In response, Gabbard sued Clinton for defamation. on January 22. If Hillary Clinton and her allies can successfully destroy my reputation even though Im a war veteran and a sitting member of Congress then they can do it to anybody, Gabbard wrote in a statement announcing the lawsuit. I will not allow this blatant effort to intimidate me and other patriotic Americans into silence go unchallenged. Gabbard is in the midst of a long-shot presidential bid. She is currently polling at less than one percent nationally, according to a RealClearPolitics average. In October, Gabbard said she would not run for reelection to Congress and was fully committed to her presidential bid. More from National Review (TNS) Maine lawmakers are considering a bill that would ban the use of deepfake video technology in political advertising.Supporters say the measure is needed because the technology can be used to manipulate and mislead voters, producing what one legislator called a disastrous effect on U.S. society and democracy. But critics countered that the bill was a threat to free speech.Deepfakes videos are built with digitized images, using a form of artificial intelligence known as deep learning. The technology, which is increasingly available on the internet, can be used to produce videos, still images or audios that are highly convincing and often impossible to identify without the use of detection software.The use of deepfake videos has been a growing concern for U.S. policy makers including in Congress, where prominent politicians have been smeared by its use, especially on social media sites where the videos can be broadly shared. U.S. Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine, has also voiced concern over the use of the technology in politics.We are lucky to live in a society with technological advancements that past generations could have never imagined, the bills sponsor, Sen. Rebecca Millett, a Democrat from Cape Elizabeth, told the Legislatures Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee on Wednesday. But she also said that technological advancement could also be used to undermine the political process and public trust.Its not hard to imagine how destructive this technology could be in an election, Millett said.Millets bill, L.D. 1988 would prohibit the use of deepfake video in a campaign 60 days before an election.Although no one gave formal testimony against the measure during Wednesdays public hearing, Republican members of the committee peppered Millett with questions centered around protection of free speech rights.Rep. John Andrews, R-Paris, quizzed Millett on several aspects of the bill, asking her at one point how the American Civil Liberties Union responded to a similar bill passed in California that Millett relied on as a model for her legislation.Millett said she didnt believe the ACLU had weighed in on the California measure, but Andrews read aloud a quote he attributed to Kevin Baker of the California ACLU.Despite the authors good intention this bill will not solve the problem of deceptive political videos, it will only result in voter confusion, malicious litigation and suppression of free speech,' Andrew read. So, I dont think they supported it.The ACLU of Maine did not testify on the Maine legislation, but the bill did gain the support of the League of Women Voters.The Maine Association of Broadcasters offered neutral testimony, urging the committee to retain provisions in the bill that protected the use of deepfake material for illustrative purposes in news reporting.The association also supports a provision in the bill that makes the creator of deepfake material rather than the distributor responsible for it when its used in political advertising.Lawmakers also took testimony Wednesday on a bill that would change Maines Clean Election law by prohibiting a candidate who uses Clean Election funds to pay a consultant more than $10,000 from seeking employment with the consultant after the election.The change was offered by Rep. Kent Ackley, an independent from Monmouth, who learned that former state Sen. Garrettt Mason, R-Lisbon, had paid a consulting firm more than $100,000 from the fund during his failed bid for the governors office in 2018 . Mason later went to work for the firm. DES MOINES, Iowa - Bernie Sanders was endorsed Thursday by the 200,000-member American Postal Workers Union, an influential group that also backed the Vermont senators presidential bid against Hillary Clinton during the 2016 Democratic presidential primary. The unions support is key because it promises organizing muscle across the country. Sanders says that if turnout is high for Mondays leadoff Iowa caucuses, he will win and he believes a win there will propel victories in the next two states that vote, New Hampshire and Nevada. As with 2016, once again the Sanders campaign is boldly uplifting the goals and aspirations of workers, union president Mark Dimondstein said in a statement. Simply put, we believe it is in the best interests of all postal workers, our job security and our union to support and elect Bernie Sanders for president. Polls in Iowa and other states show Sanders bunched near the top of the polls with former Vice-President Joe Biden, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Warren and Sanders have long called for expanding the services offered by post offices, especially in rural communities, to include things like banking. National labour unions wield a great deal of influence in the Democratic primary, though many have yet to pick sides in the still-crowded 2020 field. The National Nurses United backed Sanders in November after endorsing him in 2016. Bidens campaign got a boost last year with the endorsement of the International Association of Fire Fighters. Buttigieg once worked at the high-powered consulting firm McKinsey & Company and has previously released a client list that included the U.S. Postal Service. In 2010, the Postal Service hired McKinsey and other consulting firms, and they eventually recommended ways to increase revenue, including by cutting back on daily mail service. Buttigiegs campaign released a statement in December saying he was part of a team tasked with generating ideas to increase revenue like selling greeting cards and increasing the use of flat rate boxes. It added that the candidate never worked on cost-cutting or anything involving staff reorganization or the privatization of essential post office services. In its statement endorsing Sanders on Thursday, the postal workers union said that the Trump administration has released a series of proposals that would end the universal service requirement and also would make significant changes in the pricing structure of mail products. It also noted that there have been calls to sell the federally run postal service to private corporations. When we defeat Donald Trump, were not going to privatize and cut the Postal Service. Were going to expand and strengthen the Postal Service, Sanders tweeted in reaction to the endorsement. The union promised to encourage its members and their families who live and work in all 50 states to join Sanders rallies and volunteer for campaign activities. It also said it would launch voter registration drives and urge its members, their families and their friends to choose vote by mail options in states without restrictions on absentee balloting. ___ Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game. A man was killed in a shooting Wednesday afternoon in a southeast Albuquerque neighborhood. Gilbert Gallegos, an Albuquerque Police Department spokesman, said police are interviewing witnesses and nobody is in custody. He said officers responded to reports of gunfire around 3 p.m. on Kathryn SE, between Arizona and San Pedro. Police found a man who had been shot and he later died at the hospital. Gallegos did not identify the man slain, but a woman at the scene said it was her son, 29-year-old Lawrence Howard. Cathy Howard said she and her son were at a relatives house before the shooting. She said she left to get her dog and, when she came back, saw her son lying in a nearby alleyway. He had been shot in the head. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday paid floral floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary and advised all governments to follow the path shown by the leader. "Gandhiji had said that my life is my message. If today's governments adopt it, then more than half of the problems can be solved, this is what I believe," Gehlot told reporters after paying floral tributes to Gandhi at the secretariat here. He said on the leader's death anniversary all should decide how to follow the path of non-violence, truth and brotherhood. "The whole country should follow this path, only then a perfect atmosphere for a democracy will be created," Gehlot said, adding that "a tense atmosphere" existed due to protests in the country. "There are demonstrations all around. There was no need for it but it is happening for some reasons. There is a need to contemplate on it," he said. Gehlot stressed that those who ran governments have the duty to listen to people and solve their problems. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) COLUMBUS, Ohio, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- American Electric Power's (NYSE: AEP) AEP Renewables subsidiary has signed a long-term power purchase agreement with Evergy Inc. for the output of the new Flat Ridge 3 wind project. AEP Renewables is developing Flat Ridge 3 near Kingman, Kansas. The project will include 62 wind turbines capable of producing 128 megawatts (MW) of clean, renewable energy and is expected to be operational by the end of 2020. "Our AEP Renewables business is focused on developing and operating renewable generation facilities to help meet the long-term, clean energy goals of utilities, electric cooperatives, municipalities and other companies. Flat Ridge 3 will increase AEP Renewables' contracted renewable generation portfolio to 1,430 MW, and when complete, will demonstrate a $2.03 billion cumulative investment in our contracted renewables business," said Greg Hall, president, AEP Renewables. Flat Ridge 3 will provide more than $20 million in economic development to the surrounding area, including payments to local government and landowners, and will support approximately 200 jobs during peak construction. AEP Renewables, with offices in Columbus, Ohio, and San Diego, is a wholly owned subsidiary of AEP. AEP Renewables owns and operates 1.3 gigawatts of large-scale wind, solar and energy storage in 11 U.S. states and has an active development pipeline across the U.S. AEP Renewables sells renewable energy through long-term contracts with utilities, electric cooperatives, municipalities and corporate customers. For more information, visit www.aeprenewables.com. American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions to our customers. AEP's approximately 18,000 employees operate and maintain the nation's largest electricity transmission system and more than 219,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.4 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation's largest electricity producers with approximately 31,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including more than 5,200 megawatts of renewable generation. AEP's family of companies includes utilities AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP also owns AEP Energy, AEP Energy Partners, AEP OnSite Partners, and AEP Renewables, which provide innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide. SOURCE American Electric Power Related Links http://www.aeprenewables.com BOCA RATON, Fla., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida Spine and Joint Institute, a Joint Commission Gold Seal-approved health care provider, announced today that it will rebrand its innovative practice to better reflect its growing footprint and enhanced capabilities. Beginning in February, the organization will be known as iRISE Spine and Joint. Originally opening in 2001 in Miami, FL the practice's physical presence has historically been concentrated to South Florida, but recent openings in other parts of Florida and other states, prompted the decision to rebrand. "iRISE" stands for imaging, rehab, injections, surgery and extremityan acronym that's symbolic of the comprehensive care the practice offers. "This organization has been honored to serve the people of South Florida for nearly 20 yearsand that's not changing anytime soonbut it was time for us to bring our compassionate and evidence-backed services to other areas of the country," said Ryan Fulcher, Chief Executive Officer, Florida Spine and Joint. "This rebrand is more than just a name change, it is symbolic of our comprehensive treatment offerings for patients and how we help them rise after injury." The company has recently opened facilities in Tampa, Florida and Memphis, Tennessee. Both of which offer chiropractic, interventional pain and surgical procedures. In addition to geographical expansion, the company added treatment options to various existing locations. This includes a new high field MRI, interventional pain procedures and surgical consultations in Hollywood, Florida. Chiropractic treatment in both Orlando and Ft. Myers has also been added to an already existing orthopedic practice. Since its inception, Florida Spine and Joint has worked closely with insurers, attorneys representing injured patients and workers compensation groups. The company has also developed deep relationships with urgent care clinics, chiropractic groups and primary care physicians to deliver quality care to their patients. The company offers a wide range of services targeted at conditions such as herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, torn ligaments, arthritis, and other common spine and extremity conditions. "Our goal is to help every patient achieve the best possible outcome, and sometimes that requires a continuum of care that includes a partnership with other important stakeholders like attorneys, primary care physicians, physical therapists or chiropractors," said Samuel J. Hess, MD, Medical Director, Florida Spine and Joint. "Our personalized treatment plans target the cause of a patient's pain, not just the symptoms, to help restore the quality of life they want to live." For more information on Florida Spine and Joint, visit FloridaSpineandJoint.com. Media Contact Wendy Lee White Senior Executive Vice-President Florida Spine and Joint Phone: 800-945-6001 Email: [email protected] SOURCE iRISE Spine and Joint New Delhi, Jan 30 : Actor Karanvir Bohra was flying off to Nepal, but says he got deported at New Delhi airport because he wasn't reportedly carrying the required documents. "Deported at Delhi airport on my way to #nepal. trvlng wid #adhaarcar not allowed Nepal gov alows (PP, voters ID & Adhaar by road, by air only PP & VI) Then,Y did @airindiain in Mumbai let me fly with my Adhaar? Y didn't they stop me there? #indianembassy @DrSJaishankar @IndiaInNepal," Karanvir tweeted on Thursday. Later, Air India tweeted to him: "Dear Mr Bohra please find details regarding documents required for visit to Nepal in the link http://airindia.in/travel-documentation-for-nepal-new.htm... The requirement of documents is from Immigration authorities." Karanvir replied saying: "Thank u 4 this link, & I believe not only 4 the passengers, its 4the officials2, how could they allow me to travel on an invalid document? If I was told in Mumbai itself I wud have arranged it immed & not make my guy fly down 2 Delhi to hand me the passport." He hasn't been experiencing pleasant international trips. Last year, Karanvir was detained in Moscow due to passport damage. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text The meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign Ministers Elmar Mammadyarov and Zohrab Mnatsakanyan was held in Geneva with mediation of OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs and personal representative of the OSCE chairperson-in-office, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Leyla Abdullayeva wrote on Twitter. The meeting lasted for 7 hours. It will continue on January 30. "The parties and co-chairs advocate for intensifying negotiations and achieving tangible results on all issues of the negotiation agenda," the spokesperson wrote. West Delhi MP Parvesh Verma spoke to Risha Chitlangia over inflammatory comments that led to his removal from the list of the BJPs star campaigners in the Delhi elections. Edited excerpts: The EC ordered that you should be removed from the BJPs list of star campaigners for saying that protesters at Shaheen Bagh may enter peoples home, rape and kill women. Do you regret making that comment? No, I dont. In Kashmir, Hindu pandits were in minority and were given a choice either to convert to Islam, leave the valley without their sisters and daughters or die. The types of slogans such as Pakistan zindabad, Jinnah wali azadi, Kashmir aur Assam ko alag kar do being chanted by protesters at Shaheen Bagh, and the support they have got from Delhis chief minister and his deputy, then what else can I say? Delhis law-and-order is with the Centre and directly under Union home minister Amit Shah. Is this not Centres failure that it has not been able to clear the road at Shaheen Bagh for 40 days? They (Centre and Delhi Police) are not using the force as elections are going on in the city. Election is a sensitive time We were criticised for using force at Jamia Milia Islamia. If force is used now and it leads to riots, then questions will be raised why it was done. When the Prime Minister and home minister have clearly said that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act is not against Indian Muslims, but Kejriwal is misleading people saying it is against them. Will there be police action after the elections to remove the protesters? 100%. Once the election is over, the protesters will be removed. They will be given a warning to leave. If they leave, then it is fine. There are lakhs of people who are affected due to the blockade. The government will give them time to vacate the place. If they will not leave, then force will be used. The BJP started its campaign with development agenda talking about unauthorised colonies, but now Shaheen Bagh is at the centre of BJPs campaign. The AAP alleges that the BJP is polarising the electorate as they dont have any real issues? This has happened ever since the CM and his deputy extended their support to the protesters. AAP MLAs and Congress people are funding it. They are communalising the election. I have always said that Delhi should vote on development. If they have seen any development in the health, education sector, then vote for them. But subsidy in water and electricity is not development, it is a help given by the government. The MPs visit to schools appears to have backfired as most of the MPs either went to wrong school or raised the wrong issue. I had invited the CM to come with me. There were kids studying at the building which I had visited. The estate manager showed me the PWD notice that the building has been declared dangerous. Delhi CM said that BJP doesnt have a CM face and this is why they have asked 200 MPs to campaign? He also went to campaign in Punjab, and Goa during assembly elections. AAP doesnt have anybody else. All the good people have been thrown out of the party. We have many senior leaders. DES MOINES -- Legislative Republicans have filed competing plans to increase state aid for Iowas K-12 schools, with House Republicans starting at a 2.5 percent base level addition and Senate Republicans at 2.1 percent more as they negotiate the first major piece of the fiscal 2021 budget. Republicans in both chambers also are proposing to increase funds by $7.65 million to address inequities in transportation costs particularly rural districts that face outsized expenses in running school buses and covering an extra $10 per pupil (or $5.8 million) to address property tax inequities that persists decades after Iowa changed its school funding formula. State funding streams to address the inequities were started two years ago. Senate Republicans want to add nearly $2.5 million to provide resources for schools dealing with disruptive classroom situations, which Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Michael Breitbach, a Strawberry Point Republican, said brings their state aid increase to about 2.48 percent. Overall, House Republicans are proposing a K-12 education funding increase of about $107.8 million and Senate Republicans are offering a $91.65 million increase. Earlier this month, Gov. Kim Reynolds proposed a $101.2 million funding package increase that called for a 2.5 percent boost in state foundation school aid. The current base state cost per pupil under Iowas K-12 foundation funding formula is $6,880. A 2.1 percent increase would bring that to $7,024, which would be $144 higher, and a 2.5 percent increase would result in $7,052 an increase of $172 per student, according to the Legislative Services Agency. In all, the states general fund currently devotes about $3.3 billion to K-12 education in 327 school districts. House Speaker Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, said his caucus felt the governors proposed increase was very reasonable and House Republicans felt we could afford do to it and it gave the schools some flexibility on a couple of the pieces. Grassley said he expects the Legislature will be able to comply with a law requiring state aid to Iowas school districts for the next fiscal year be set in the first 30 days of this years session. I think thats doable within the budget that weve put together and our parameters, said House Education Chairman Cecil Dolecheck, a Mount Ayr Republican, of the 2.5 percent boost. I think it gives most schools a figure that they can live with and work with to be able to help improve teacher salaries and put more into the students as well. Well see where that goes, he added. We felt the 2.5 percent was about as high as we could go within the budget constraints that were looking at. Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver, R-Ankeny, also was optimistic the Legislature could meet the Feb. 13 legal deadline. This is a reliable, sustainable, predictable amount of funding, he said. How difficult the task will be of reaching a compromise funding level depends upon if you want to spend any money on anything else in government, Sen. Breitbach said. Weve got about $240 million in new money. Theres a lot of things that were going to have to do including increasing funding for the states share of the Medicaid program as well as state universities, community colleges and preschool budget items. Dolecheck said he felt the states current surplus position puts lawmakers in a place where they can provide more state aid for K-12 schools than in past years. We have an opportunity to do a little bit more for students in the classroom than what the 2.1 percent is. Well be working to try and get to as close to our position and hopefully to our position as we can, he said. House Democratic Leader Todd Prichard of Charles City called GOP funding levels short. Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, ranking member on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said a 2.5 percent boost in state aid in fiscal 2021 is a good starting point and would be a big improvement over where weve been recently. The challenges in our classrooms are significant class sizes have grown, more challenging kids living in poverty are sitting in those seats and need more support, he said. Were moving towards a shortage of teachers in Iowa. In Iowa City, for the first time, were having trouble recruiting teachers in our district. Sen. Amy Sinclair, R-Allerton, chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee, said the funding plans are lower than some education groups had requested, but she called them realistic and achievable. We are fully funding exactly what were promising and I would suggest that most districts would prefer to have cash in hand than a promise that doesnt come true, she said. The $10 per pupil boost to address property tax inequities, Sinclair said, narrows to about $155 per pupil the disparity between districts receiving the most and the least property tax funding under the formula, which is made up of 87.5 percent in state aid. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 2 Angry 2 Labour MP Alex Davies-Jones wants breastfeeding to be allowed in the House of Commons chamber (Alex Davies-Jones) A Labour MP has called for breastfeeding to be allowed in the House of Commons chamber. Alex Davies-Jones, MP for Pontypridd, says she wants to break down the stigma for mothers. On Wednesday she posted a photo on Twitter of herself breastfeeding 10-month-old son Sullivan. I joined the @APPGIFI today. Its also Sullivans 10month b/day which means 10months of breastfeeding Only 0.5% of women in the UK breastfeed up to a year (lowest rate in the world) I want to add to that stat & use my voice to support all those who need it #Breastfeeding pic.twitter.com/AcQtaHRb8W Alex Davies-Jones MP (@AlexDaviesJones) January 29, 2020 Speaking about the decision to post the picture, she told Yahoo News UK: "I had inner turmoil for about an hour about whether I should post the picture because it's a big thing to do. "And then it hit me - why is it a big thing to do? "If I was giving him a bottle I wouldn't think twice. It's exactly the same. "I thought the whole reason why I'm in turmoil about it is exactly the reason why I should. It needs to be normalised." Fellow Labour MP Stella Creasy Labour accepts her victory in the 2019 general election with daughter Hettie in a baby sling (Getty) Davies-Jones said she was concerned she would face a backlash online after posting the picture, but in fact she was overwhelmed with positive responses. "I was worried I might get some negativity and a couple of people saying 'Why are you doing this, you're an MP and you've got your boobs out on Twitter.' "But the response has been overwhelming, I've been so happy with the response and it's been so positive. She also argues that MPs should be allowed to breastfeed in the House of Commons chamber. Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons (PA) In the year 2000 an official policy stated that breastfeeding in the House of Commons chamber and committee rooms was not allowed. Story continues Former speaker John Bercow carried out a review in 2017 to make the Commons more family friendly, but no specific policy was brought in on whether breastfeeding should be permitted. There is therefore no rule banning breastfeeding, and it is not clear what would happen if an MP did do it. Davies-Jones said she discussed the issue with speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who said that technically an MP could breastfeed and he would have to just deal with it there and then. She said: If we are debating in the chamber for hours on end and I need to be in that debate and I cant get out, what am I meant to do? she said. Theres not a clear policy in place. Read more from Yahoo Sainsburys launches breastfeeding-friendly clothing range Mum called told to 'cover up' after breastfeeding in cafe In June 2017, an Australian senator made history by delivering a speech in parliament while nursing her daughter. Larissa Waters discussed a disease affecting coal miners while feeding daughter Alia Joy. In 2018, Canadian politician Karina Gould breastfed her three-month-old son while sitting in the lower chamber. She tweeted afterwards: No shame in breastfeeding! Babys gotta eat & I had votes. A House of Commons spokesperson told Yahoo News UK: We recognise that having suitable facilities are vitally important for breastfeeding mothers, which is why the House of Commons provides a number of private spaces across the Estate. There is currently no formal policy around breastfeeding in the Chamber, however any requests from Members would be considered with sensitivity. An Oregon man faces attempted murder charges after police say he opened fire on a pair of strangers outside a Bend steakhouse while he was high on meth. Vicente Cirildo Guerra, 43, was arraigned Wednesday in Deschutes County Circuit Court in connection with the Jan. 20 shooting that occurred feet from where the suspect worked as a barber, according to police court records. Bend police said Guerra fired shots into the front windshield of an Infiniti G35 parked in front of Okawa Steakhouse & Sushi on Southeast Third Street, grazing one of the two men seated in the car. Vicente Cirildo Guerra. The drug-addled gunman then stopped off at Binkys Full Lottery, a bar, and The Spot Barbershop, both in the same commercial development as the steakhouse, police said. Guerra fled when an officer responded to the shooting and tried to confront him, police said. Police found the suspect shivering in a nearby canal a couple of hours later, according to Officer Eli Allen. Guerra remains lodged in the Deschutes County Jail. Court records show he also faces charges of strangulation, menacing and fourth-degree assault stemming from a December arrest. -- 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. KAMPALA The President of the International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI), Walid Moussa, is today, January 30, 2020, expected in the country. Mr. Moussa, who will be here up to the end of the month, is expected to assess the development of Ugandas real estate sector. He will be accompanied by FIABCI President for the Africa chapter Joseph Akhigbe and Vice President Ismail Gbenga. Addressing journalists in Kampala on Wednesday, Ms Shirley Kongai, President of the Association of Real Estate (AREA Uganda) said the group will be seeking to explore how Uganda can extend its international collaborations, and to also check the real estate investment opportunities in the country. Ms Kongai added that the group will also hold meetings with the Ministry of Lands Housing and Urban Development and later on meet President Museveni. Ugandas real estate sector is one of those areas where opportunities to innovate and advance in business are hidden in plain sight. Opportunities for developers, particularly in the affordable urban housing segment are immense. Uganda currently has a deficit of 2.1 million housing units and is expected to reach three million by 2030. The deficit, data shows, will further expand to eight million units, of which 2.5 million will be in urban centres in two decades Related Continue Reading The arrogance that Jack Evans showed Monday by filing to run for the same D.C. Council seat he vacated less than two weeks earlier to avoid being expelled by his colleagues for ethics violations is no less absurd than that scenario. His decision is more than just an insult to the citys residents. It is a bewildering knock on the Districts door by a man who is either out of touch with reality or believes he is above it. sat down with Cedra Wood to talk about camels, vultures and what drew her to draw them. Weekly Alibi sat down with Cedra Wood to talk about camels, vultures and what drew her to draw them. Sarita Nair Art Magnified The Qualities of Context The City of Albuquerque Employee Art Exhibit New Delhi: On the occasion of the 72nd death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and Martyrs' Day on Thursday, a 'Sarva Dharma Prarthana' (inter-faith prayer) will be held at Gandhi Samadhi at Rajghat here. Student unions and civil society groups have called for a demonstration against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act at Rajghat. Protestors will converge at Rajghat and form a human chain and later march towards other landmarks, including Shaheen Bagh and Khajuri Khas. DCP Central Delhi stated that some organisations have applied for permission for the human chain in and around Rajghat. However, permission has been denied as this is not a traditional route for holding a protest march. "Their permissions have been denied as it is not a traditional route, and informed to the organisers. Organisers have been requested to apply for designated places for such protests like Jantar Mantar, Ramlila ground etc," read a post on the official Twitter handle of DCP Central Delhi. Earlier on Monday, Left groups announced they will form a human chain today at Rajghat to display 'solidarity with the Constitution, democracy, and secularism'. The initiative will be conducted under the banner of 'Jan Ekta Jan Adhikar Andolan'. Protests have been going on in different parts of the country against the amended citizenship Act which grants citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist, and Christian refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, who came to India on or before December 31, 2014. On the occasion of Republic Day on January 26, Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan participated in a 620km long human chain organised by Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala demanding withdrawal of CAA. He said that the law is a "threat to secularism of this country." In Kolkata people from diverse backgrounds formed a human chain that extended from Ramkrishna Mission at Golpark to Netaji Statue at Shyambazar in order to "salute, safeguard and uphold the Constitution of India" on the occasion of the Republic Day. PM Modi pays tribute Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary, saying the Father of the Nation will continue to inspire people to build a strong, capable and prosperous country. "A tribute to the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary. The ideals of Bapu will continue to inspire us to build a strong, capable and prosperous New India," Modi tweeted. The Mahatma was assassinated here on this day in 1948. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Volkswagen India has a lot planned for the Indian market. Along with new cars, the company will also reveal its updated logo at Auto Expo 2020. The German automaker premiered its new brand direction to the world back at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show. With the new avatar, Volkswagen aims to become more digital, human and modern. Furthermore, the updated visual language will be very different from the one projected by Volkswagen to date. In essence, the new brand design marks the beginning of a new era for the popular automotive manufacturer. Besides the introduction of its new logo and brand design, the company also plans an SUV offensive at the 15th edition of the countrys biggest biennial automotive event. In fact, Volkswagen has confirmed the introduction of four new SUV products at Auto Expo 2020: T-Roc, T-Cross, Tiguan Allspace and I.D.Cross all-electric concept. In a new teaser video, Volkswagen India (now Skoda Auto Volkswagen India) has shared a glimpse of the India-specific VW MQB A0 IN SUV that will see its unveiling at Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Group Night on 3 February 2020. Obviously, it will sport a new name upon introduction. Being a teaser, minimal details of the SUV were revealed. It does come with twin-pod LED headlamps and a front fascia design in line with other modern-day Volkswagen products. The silhouette looks somewhat similar to the upcoming Volkswagen T-Cross. The upcoming MQB A0 IN also comes under the automotive groups India 2.0 Project. Under the project, Skoda Auto will receive a similar counterpart like how the Skoda Rapid sedan is to the Volkswagen Vento. The teased SUV is the second product to come out of the brands revised MQB A0 IN platform. The first product will be the production avatar of the Skoda Vision IN concept which is expected to be launched by the second quarter of 2021. Expect the SUV to come equipped with a locally-manufactured version of the upcoming 1.0-litre TSi turbo petrol engine, mated to either a manual transmission or a 7-speed DSG (DCT) unit. Certain sources also suggest the products coming under MQB A0 IN will be front-wheel-drive and chances of introducing even a front-wheel-biased all-wheel-drive product are low, at least in the initial stages. This new SUV from Skoda and Volkswagen will be launched in the segment, which is currently ruled by the likes of Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos. Volkswagen India has not been going that well on the Indian market due to multiple factors amidst the overall sales slump in 2019. With the new logo, brand design and SUV portfolio debuting at Auto Expo 2020, Volkswagen India is expected to make a strong comeback. Brian A. Pounds / Brian A. Pounds MONROE The Health Department is asking residents to check for an invisible, potentially cancer-causing gas that could be lurking in their homes. January is National Radon Action Month, and the Monroe Health Department encourages residents to test their homes for radon gas, the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. Health officials estimate that radon is responsible for more than 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States. Senior BJP leader and Member of Parliament Ramesh Jigajinagi on Thursday expressed confidence that a Dalit from the party would become the Karnataka Chief Minister someday. A Dalit himself, he, however, ruled out any personal ambitions of occupying the top job, but said he was ready to come to state politics, if the high command asks him to. "Definitely, there will be a Dalit as the Chief Minister of the state, whether someone will become (Dalit CM) today or tomorrow is not the question, but the person will be from the BJP," Jigjinagi told reporters at Vijayapura. "Whether it is in 2023 or 2025 or after my death, someone from the Dalit community will certainly become the chief minister. If a Dalit doesn't become, we will not leave," he said. Responding to a question about him becoming Chief Minister, he said he doesn't have any such aspirations and being follower of former Chief Ministers Ramakrishna Hegde and J H Patel, he wants to respectfully retire from Jigajinagi (67), who represents the Bijapur Lok Sabha constituency, had served as Union Minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation in the previous Narendra Modi- led government. Asked about talks within the BJP circles to bring him to state politics, Jigajinagi said he has had no such instructions from the party leadership so far but if the high command wants him to come to the state, he would not reject it. Noting that he was not restricted to any particular community, the MP said in over four decades of political carrier, he has not identified himself with caste B S Yediyurappa, the current Chief Minister of the state, belongs to the dominant Lingayat community. Amid speculation recently about the continuity of Yediyurappa as Chief Minister considering his age, the 76- year-old Chief Minister had expressed confidence of completing his full-term. The BJP's current dispensation under Narendra Modi and Amit Shah has retired several senior party leaders at the age of 75. However, an exception was said to have been made in Yediyurappa's case after the BJP won 25 of 28 Lok Sabha seats during the Lok Sabha election under his leadership. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images Late last year, I realized I knew very little about the second Iraq War, since, in the spring of 2003, I was more focused on how many Mountain Dews I could drink without throwing up, and worrying if the weight of having braces and glasses at the same time would be too much for the neck of a porcelain-tough sixth-grade boy. Since then, Ive listened to almost four entire audiobooks on the conflict, its misleading sale to the American people, and disastrous rollout on the ground and I havent even gotten to Fiasco yet! So when I saw that a major news agency recently posted an opening for its Baghdad bureau chief fluency in Arabic and nearly a decade of conflict-reporting experience required I asked myself, Why not me? It appears that Jared Kushner went through a similar thought process when justifying his fitness for taking on the 72-year Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Speaking with Sky News Arabia on Wednesday, Kushner explained why nepotism aside he was the right man for the job: Ive been studying this now for three years. Ive read 25 books on it, Ive spoken to every leader in the region, Ive spoken to everyone whos been involved in this. Thats all but impossible, considering that the Palestinian National Authority has rejected Trump administration invitations to come to the table, aware that any deal made by the current White House would be designed to exert power in the region and to benefit Benjamin Netanyahu. Its also outright wrong, as proved yesterday in an interview with Christiane Amanpour. When the CNN host claimed that former Israeli officials involved in past peace plans, like Yossi Beilin, admonished the new framework, Kushner dismissed his kind as random individuals who dont have a lot of say or maybe knowledge. Perhaps if he had paid closer attention to his own 25-book syllabus, he would have known that Beilin was a key figure in the back-channel deals that led to the 1993 Oslo Accords, the agreement that brought Israel and Palestine closer to peace than ever before, or since. A Silicon Valley technology company is opening a software engineering centre in Belfast, creating 15 jobs. Nebulon is pioneering on-premises, server-based enterprise storage for the cloud. Economic development agency Invest NI has offered 97,500 to support the creation of the jobs at the centre. The software engineering roles will support the delivery and development of cloud-defined storage, providing specialised cloud, security and storage expertise. Jonathan McDowell, Nebulon Belfast site lead, said: "Northern Ireland has established itself as an emerging leader in terms of skilled high-tech and IT professionals. "We are eager to tap into its talent base to successfully develop cloud-defined storage for forward-looking organisations embracing the migration to hybrid IT. "Once these initial positions are in place, we are looking to expand our team further." Derek Andrews, head of international investment at Invest NI, said: "It is great to welcome Nebulon as it begins its business expansion. Our support has allowed Nebulon to bring its innovation to Northern Ireland." State Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary, has won preliminary approval for a plan making up to $43.5 million available over the next 10 years to demolish the numerous abandoned school buildings in Gary and to repair the schools still in use. Senate Bill 416, which unanimously passed the Senate Appropriations Committee Thursday, also authorizes the cash-strapped Gary school district to enter into a public-private partnership to finance and construct new middle and high school buildings at a central campus site. "We want to ensure our children are in the best, safe, clean learning environment possible. That is the top priority," Melton said. Under the measure, which now goes to the full Senate, the Gary Community School Corp. would temporarily defer repayment of the $40.3 million it still owes Indiana's Common School Fund for loans over the past decade that were used to cover operating costs following an enrollment plunge. The district's $500,000 per month in state loan repayments instead would be deposited in a "school improvement fund" that must be used for the demolition or rehabilitation of existing school buildings in Gary. Fugitive giraffe that previously won peoples heart for his courage to escape from a convoy, was found dead in a canal on Thursday, while it was being carried away to a Thai breeding centre. The dead animal was found in a lotus clogged canal by officers who were on a hunt from the last two days. Missing since two days The giraffe was amongst the two, who made a bid to freedom by jumping from the back of the truck which was carrying it to the breeding centre. The two animals escaped while the truck slowed down on a highway amid traffic in Bangkok Highway on Tuesday. One of them was found immediately and stunned by the police officers who then took it into captivation whilst the other escaped in the scrubland. Read: Wolf Pups Can Play 'Fetch' Like Dogs Without Being Taught The Game Read: Kobe Bryant: When NBA Legend Surpassed Michael Jordan In All-time List Vs Timberwolves Both the animals were imported from an anonymous African country. According to Safari World, the fugitive animal was found dead in a lotus swamp near the main road. Reportedly vets are investigating the cause of death. Meanwhile, the Chapultepec Zoo situated in Mexico city welcomed its second baby giraffe of the year in a bid to save the species from extinction. Zoo director Juan Carlos Sanchez Olmos said on December 29 that the newborn female giraffe was announced last week after a compulsory quarantine period after her birth on October 23. He said that the baby giraffe will be named via public voting. The 96-year-old zoo located in the capital's central park has been a breeding ground for a lot of creatures. Read: Giraffe Still Missing After 2 Escape In Thailand Read: Abandoned Baby Giraffe Befriended By Dog In Africa Dies In 2019, it welcomed around 170 baby animals which include six Mexican grey wolves that are in danger of extinction. Sanchez Olmos said the birth of a new character is as unique and charismatic as a giraffe becomes emblematic for the prestige of the zoo. Nowadays, giraffes are considered as vulnerable species because they face significant habitat loss in the 17 countries situated in sub-Saharan Africa, where they reside. A team of experts including nutritionists, veterinarians and biologists take care of more than 1,000 species in the zoo. Close MEPs sing Auld Lang Syne as Brexit deal is approved in EU Parliament US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has said chlorinated chicken must be part of a post-Brexit trade deal, after dodging questions on the US suspect in the death of British teenager Harry Dunn. It comes as Liberal Democrat acting leader Sir Ed Davey urged Remain voters to come together with the rest of the country after Britains dark day on Friday, as the nation prepares to leave the EU. Meanwhile, chancellor Sajid Javid was expected to throw his weight behind the controversial HS2 rail project at a meeting with Boris Johnson and transport secretary Grant Shapps. To follow events as they unfolded, see our live coverage below KYIV, Ukraine - As the Senate lurched toward a vote to acquit President Donald Trump on impeachment charges, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo played clean-up in the country at the centre of the inquiry on Friday. Visiting Ukraine, Pompeo denied the main allegations that prompted the investigation, contradicting witness testimony that Trump withheld critical military aid and a coveted visit to the White House for the nations leader in exchange for a corruption investigation into a political rival. In Kyiv, Pompeo also sought to distance himself from heated comments he reportedly made to a radio interviewer last weekend in which he questioned whether Americans actually care about Ukraine. He said Americans value and respect Ukraine as a bulwark against authoritarianism. Pompeo met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy just hours before the Senate was to cast crucial votes that could lead to an abrupt end and acquittal in Trumps trial. Democrats accuse Trump of withholding American security aid as leverage to pressure Ukraine to investigate former Vice-President Joe Biden and debunked theories of 2016 election interference. Several witnesses at House impeachment hearings testified about the link, but Pompeo, a loyal Trump ally, denied the allegations. Its just simply not the case. We will find the right time, we will find the appropriate opportunity for a visit by Zelenskiy, Pompeo said at a press conference after meeting with the Ukrainian leader. Pompeo had not been expected to announce a White House visit while in Ukraine. Pompeo is the highest-ranking American official to visit Ukraine since the impeachment process began last year. That process started with revelations about a July 25 phone call between Zelenskiy and Trump. Ukraine is eager for good relations with Trump as it depends heavily on U.S. support to defend itself from Russian-backed separatists. Although the military assistance was put on hold, it was eventually released after a whistleblower complaint brought the July 25 call to light. The Trump administration has also supplied Ukraine with lethal defence equipment, including Javelin anti-tank weapons. The furor over impeachment had, at the least, complicated discussions about Ukraine policy and had also caused strains between Pompeo and American diplomats, who expressed concerns he was not doing enough to support them during the controversy. Yet Zelenskiy maintained impeachment had not had a negative effect on U.S.-Ukraine relations and thanked the Trump administration for its financial and military support. And Pompeo sought to reassure diplomats at the embassy in Kyiv at a closed-door meet and greet event. A senior U.S. official in the meeting said Pompeo and Zelenskiy mainly discussed investment and infrastructure and that there was no talk of impeachment or corruption investigations. The official was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on condition of anonymity. Ukraine has been a delicate subject for Pompeo, who last weekend lashed out at a National Public Radio reporter for asking why he has not publicly defended the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch. She was removed from her post after unsubstantiated allegations were made against her by Trumps personal attorney, Rudolph Giuliani. In the NPR interview, Pompeo took umbrage when asked if he owed Yovanovitch an apology, and maintained that he had defended all of his employees. In an angry encounter after the interview, he also questioned if Americans actually cared about Ukraine, according to NPR. Pompeos comments at the news conference appeared aimed at making amends for the reported comment, assuring Zelenskiy of Washingtons continued support. The United States sees that the Ukrainian struggle for freedom, democracy and prosperity is a valiant one. Our commitment to support it will not waver, he said. The United States understands that Ukraine is an important country. Its not just the geographic heart of Europe, its a bulwark between freedom and authoritarianism in eastern Europe. Its fields feed the European continent and its pipelines keep Europe warm in the winter, he said. Zelenskiy, in turn, expressed hope that the U.S. would more actively participate in resolving a separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine that has killed more than 14,000 people in the past five years. Zelenskiy also said he still wanted to meet Trump in DC as long it would be productive. I am ready to go tomorrow, he said. Pompeos trip is a hallmark visit that shows the United States has and will remain our key ally in defending territorial integrity and sovereignty, Zelenskiy said. For Ukraine, there is no doubt whatsoever in the state of the relationship. In addition to Zelenskiy, Pompeo met with Ukraines foreign and defence ministers as well as civic leaders, and toured several Ukrainian Orthodox churches. Pompeo has been criticized for not publicly supporting Yovanovitch, her now-departed successor as chief of the Kyiv embassy, William Taylor, and other diplomats who testified before House impeachment investigators. Yovanovitch and Taylor have been attacked by Trump supporters and, in some cases, have been accused of disloyalty. In his meeting with embassy staffers, Pompeo praised the leadership of the new acting ambassador and took questions that were described by several people present as polite and respectful. One official who attended was political officer David Holmes, who testified to the House impeachment panel that he overheard Trump inquire about a corruption probe on a phone call with the U.S. ambassador to the European Union. It was not clear if he and Pompeo crossed paths or spoke. Pompeo twice postponed earlier planned trips to Ukraine, most recently in early January when developments with Iran forced him to cancel. A young man has left onlookers stunned after jumping from a bridge onto the roof of a moving ferry. The shocking footage taken in Guildford in Perth's north-east showed the risk-taker go through the bridge and drop down onto the Captain Cook Cruises boat. He then started running to the back of the vessel before jumping into the city's Swan River as a group on the shore filmed the hair-raising stunt. A young man has left onlookers stunned after jumping from a bridge onto the roof of a moving ferry (left and right) One of the onlookers behind the camera said 'oh s**t' as the man landed on the boat while another called him a 'f***ing idiot'. The bridge carries a water pipeline supplying nearby suburbs and is illegal to climb, PerthNow reported. Police are investigating the incident, which was shared to social media. Captain Cook Cruises said they would work with authorities to prevent a repeat of the man's actions. It comes after a video emerged in 2018 of a young man in the Perth suburb of Fremantle leaping off a train and into the water below. A struggling hospital has been accused of 'ideological grandstanding' after turning down a $15million cash injection - because it came from a coal mining company. Wyong Hospital, on the New South Wales Central Coast, has been dogged by complaints over low nurse numbers and emergency wait times - and last October sent a one-year-old home with a fractured neck without staff ordering scans. But the hospital board has refused Wallarah 2 Coal Project's offer to donate $14.8million over the mine's 28-year life span because of 'community sentiment' and 'public health effects'. Wyong Hospital (pictured) has refused a $14.8million donation from a coal company despite myriad complaints about its limited resources The project, due to begin in 2022, has been approved by the state government and the independent planning commission, which takes into consideration pollution and health impacts. Wyong Coal Wallarah 2 general manager Peter Allonby and site manager Kenny Barry claimed a board member said hospital board members compared the handout to 'taking money from a tobacco company', The Daily Telegraph reported. Central Coast Local Health District boss Andrew Montague released a statement this week stating the offer was not appropriate 'to accept at this stage'. '[This is] due to current community sentiment and potential public health effects, particularly in relation to air quality and noise pollution,' he said. It is common for mining companies to pour money into local community infrastructure, and the state government alone rakes in $2billion from industry royalties annually. The contribution would be an average of $528,000 a year - or the wages of at least six nurses. Wallarah 2 Coal Project's $800billion mine (site pictured) has been approved and will begin construction in 2022 According to the Department of Planning and Environment, the $800million mine is expected to create more than 1,700 direct and indirect jobs. The hospital board's decision to reject the funds has been criticised by officials, but many within the community have launched online petition to stop the mine. Deputy Premier John Barilaro said the decision would impact the Wyong community. 'For them to reject what is a very generous donation from a company wanting to be a good corporate citizen is a slap in the face for that community,' he said. The father of the one-year-old sent home with a fractured neck last year also described the refusal to accept the offer as a 'slap in the face'. Did you ever wish you'd told someone that you admired them? That you hadn't let the moment pass, but rather you'd thanked them for what they had done, letting them know the world would have been a lesser place without them in it? It might be a personal thing - a teacher who changed your life and who you happen to encounter again decades after leaving school. Or maybe it's a public figure, someone who has contributed significantly on the national or global stage and whom you have long admired and then, out of blue, there they are one day, standing in the same hotel foyer as you, or strolling through an airport. Public figures, however, can be tricky customers when it comes to the admiration stakes. Remember that old adage "never meet your heroes"? So have I ever regretted not telling someone that I admired them? Yes, I have. Sitting across the room from me in Dublin's Merrion Hotel bar one evening in the late 1990s was former South African president FW de Klerk. Just sitting there quietly, having a drink with his wife, here was the man who back in 1990 had effectively slammed the door shut on apartheid, released Nelson Mandela and laid the groundwork for a new South Africa. I dithered and dithered about approaching him, just to shake his hand and express my admiration for what he had done. But I didn't do it. And I have always regretted that missed opportunity. So when last summer I was sitting outside a studio in RTE one Saturday awaiting my turn on air with the wonderful Marian Finucane, I vouched, as I listened to her current guest being interviewed that this time I wasn't going to bottle it. Seamus Mallon was on with Marian that day, talking as he always did a load of balanced sense about the North. His memoir, 'A Shared Home Place', had just been published. Now, they say that when it comes to the Beatles, there's always one question: John or Paul? (Definitely John.) Well, when it comes to the North and the SDLP, if ever asked over the years how I stood in terms of the personalities involved - as in, John Hume or Seamus Mallon? - my answer was always the same. Seamus Mallon. And now here he was, emerging from the studio, an exceedingly tall figure, but frail and somewhat stooped. I got to my feet and walked across to him, extending my hand. "You don't know me at all," I said to him, telling him my name and that I was from Coleraine in Co Derry but had lived here, in the Republic, for almost 40 years. "I have always admired you, Mr Mallon," I said. "And I just want to thank you for all that you have done for the betterment of everyone on this island." He held my gaze, and also continued to grasp my hand after our handshake. "Thank you," he said, using my first name. "Thank you for that." And I noticed tears well in his eyes. I backed away, leaving him in peace to talk to Andy Pollak, the co-author of his book, who was waiting for him. Then, as he walked past me en route to the stairs a few minutes later, he paused again in front of me, leaning over to pat my hand. "Thank you," he said again. "Thank you." And he was gone Never meet your heroes? Rubbish. It's always worth the risk. For sometimes they are the genuine article. And sometimes, like Seamus Mallon, they really are the hero that you have long imagined them to be. Ar dheis De go raibh a anam. The World Health Organization has declared the coronavirus outbreak from China a public health emergency of international concern. The virus was first reported in late December. It is believed to have spread to humans from wild animals sold at a market in Wuhan, a city in central China. Since then, it has spread across China and to more than 20 countries and territories around the world. Health officials reported Thursday that China now has more than 8,000 confirmed cases. More than 170 people have died. More than 100 cases have been reported outside mainland China, including 14 in Thailand, 11 in Japan, 10 in Hong Kong and Singapore each, and eight in Taiwan. Australia, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, India, the United States and several European countries have also confirmed returning travelers with the virus. The United States and South Korea on Thursday reported their first cases of person-to-person spread of the virus. In the United States, the husband of a woman who got sick after returning from Wuhan now has the virus himself. The case in South Korea is a of man who had contact with an infected patient. Human-to-human spread of the virus outside China has also happened in Germany, Japan, Canada and Vietnam. Speaking from Geneva, Switzerland, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised Chinas efforts to control the outbreak so far. He said the emergency declaration is not a vote of non-confidence in China. He said the main reason for the declaration was concern that the virus could spread to countries with weaker health systems which are ill-prepared to deal with it. A declaration of an international public health emergency usually brings more money and resources to affected countries. But it also restricts travel, trade and requires strict disease reporting. Preventive measures On Thursday, Russia announced it was closing its 4200-kilometer border with China. Mongolia and North Korea have already closed their border crossings with China. And Hong Kong stopped train service from mainland China to guard against the spread of the virus. Also on Thursday, a second Japanese flight carrying evacuees landed in Tokyo. Reports said nine of those 210 evacuees showed signs of a breathing sickness. Three of Japans confirmed cases were among those evacuees who had returned on another flight a day earlier. The U.S. said it has plans for more evacuation flights early next week. It evacuated 195 Americans from Wuhan earlier this week. South Korea, Britain, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and other European countries were also trying to get their citizens out. Israels El Al, Spains Iberia, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Korean Air joined the growing list of airlines suspending or reducing service to China. Chinese officials have limited transportation in and out of Wuhan and 16 other cities, trapping more than 50 million people. The government has extended its Lunar New Year holiday to Sunday to try to keep people home. Chinas online shopping and home delivery businesses have helped people to get food and other goods. The official Xinhua News Agency reported that officials are stepping up efforts to ensure continuous supply and stable prices. It noted government data showing that Wuhan has enough rice for more than 15 days, enough pork and eggs for more than 10 days and enough vegetables for about five days. I'm Caty Weaver. Hai Do adapted this story for Learning English based on the Associated Press, Reuters news reports and information from the WHO and the CDC. Ashley Thompson was the editor. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________ Words in This Story confidence - n. a feeling or belief that someone has the ability to succeed strict - adj. complete or thorough evacuee - n. a person who has been removed from a dangerous place ensure - v. to make sure stable - adj. in a good state or condition Heritage on the Edge brings users closer to Easter Island's statues which will eventually fall into the sea as a result of the climate crisis As a call to action on climate reform, Google has created digital exhibits, models, and tours of over 50 historical sites across the world to document how they've been affected by climate change. To encourage the world to take action against the climate crisis, Google launched Heritage of the Edge on Wednesday, a collection of more than 50 online exhibits, 3D models, Street View tours and interviews or about historical places touched by climate change. The selected areas, items and buildings have been chosen as a result of their national, spiritual or cultural significance. Around the world, cultural heritage sites are being affected by climate change. In partnership with @CyArk, @ICOMOS, @AKUGlobal, @googlearts is working to digitally preserve them. Explore five of these UNESCO World Heritage Sites https://t.co/8wCpezPTTE #HeritageontheEdge pic.twitter.com/G6anJQFS1W Google (@Google) January 29, 2020 This online experience, which resulted from a collaboration between CyArk -- a nonprofit digital archivist of heritage sites -- and Google Arts & Culture, brings users to places like Easter Island to view the region's iconic statues, Bangladesh to see the city of Bagerhat and Scotland to explore the Edinburgh Castle so that they can experience each one's "stories of loss, but also of hope and resilience." Story continues Complementing these exhibits are stories outlining what can be done to combat the crisis and conserve these historical sites and, therefore, human history. The Heritage of the Edge experience is available now for exploration. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRJTkTqoloc&feature=emb_logo This Week in Review A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES CALGARY, Alberta, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- New Stratus Energy Inc. (TSX.V - NSE) (New Stratus or the Corporation) is pleased to announce that it has completed a non-brokered private placement of 10,956,069 units (Units) at a price of $0.20 per Unit for gross proceeds of $2,191,213 (the Offering). Each Unit issued pursuant to the Offering is comprised of one common share of the Corporation (Common Share) and one common share purchase warrant (Warrant), with each Warrant entitling the holder to acquire one Common Share at a price of $0.30 per Common Share until January 29, 2022. The net proceeds from the Offering will be used by the Corporation for exploration activities in its block VMM-18 and general corporate purposes. Completion of the Offering is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, including final acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange. Finders acting in connection with the Offering received finders fees in the aggregate amount of $53,856, which were paid in Common Shares at a price of $0.20 per Common Share for an aggregate of 269,280 Common Shares. All securities issued in connection with the Offering are subject to a four-month hold period, which expires on May 30, 2020. Following the completion of the Offering, the Corporation has 46,995,681 Common Shares issued and outstanding. Early Warning Requirements Victnico Investments LLC (Victnico) acquired 6,550,000 Units pursuant the Offering. Victnico now owns 6,550,000 Common Shares and 6,550,000 Warrants, representing approximately 14% of the issued and outstanding voting securities of the Corporation on a non-diluted basis and 24% of the issued and outstanding securities of the Corporation, assuming exercise of the Warrants held by Victnico. The Units were acquired by Victnico for investment purposes and, in the future, it may further purchase, hold, convert, vote, trade, dispose or otherwise deal in the securities of the Corporation, in such manner as it deems advisable. An early warning report will be filed by Victnico in accordance with applicable securities laws and will be available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Contact Information: Jose Francisco Arata Chief Executive Officer jfarata@newstratus.energy PH: +1-929-433-8849 Forward-Looking Information and Reader Advisory Certain information set out in this news release constitutes forward-looking information, including information relating to the Offering and the use of process therefrom. Forward-looking statements (often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as expect, may, could, anticipate or will and similar expressions) may describe expectations, opinions or guidance that are not statements of fact and which may be based upon information provided by third parties. Forward-looking statements are based upon the opinions, expectations and estimates of management of the Corporation as at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or outcomes to differ materially from those anticipated or implied by such forward-looking statements. In light of the risks and uncertainties associated with forward-looking statements, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon forward-looking information. Although the Corporation believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements set out in this news release, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. The forward-looking statements of the Corporation contained in this news release are expressly qualified, in their entirety, by this cautionary statement. This news release is not an offer of securities for sale in the United States. Securities may not be offered or sold in the United States or to or for the account or benefit of U.S. persons (as such terms are defined in Regulation S under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act)), absent registration or an exemption from registration. The securities offered have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act or any state securities laws and, therefore, may not be offered for sale in the United States, except in transactions exempt from registration under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. 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. Washington (AFP) - The US commander for Africa said Thursday that European allies should do more to help France with airlifts and refueling in its campaign against extremists as the Trump administration looks to do less. France has warned that US cutbacks could weaken its 4,500-member Barkhane operation, which looks to crush a resurgence of the Islamic State group and other extremists in the former French colony of Mali and its neighbors. Questioned by lawmakers, General Steven Townsend, head of US Africa Command, acknowledged that the United States could reduce its presence in the continent as part of a global review. "Airlift is one thing we're supporting the French forces with, air refueling for the French fighter aircraft is another thing," Townsend said. "These are capacities that are resident in many European countries that they could provide," he told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "And I think our department is going to lead an effort to try to get some European partners to do some of those things and offset the support we're providing now." He said that the United States provided some more technical support such as surveillance that other countries were unlikely to match. President Donald Trump has long demanded that European nations contribute more in defense and is not known for his interest in Africa, although he has vowed to keep pressure on the Islamic State group after withdrawing US forces from northern Syria. The Pentagon is looking to prioritize resources in Asia, where China has been rapidly developing its military, and has sent thousands of additional troops to the Middle East as Trump confronts Iran. The United States spends about $45 million a year to assist French operations in Africa in refueling and logistical transport. The proposed capital of a future Palestinian state is just one reason why President Trump's peace plan is so widely opposed by Palestinian officials and activists. Why it matters: Palestinian negotiators have long demanded a capital in East Jerusalem. In unveiling his plan, Trump said the capital would be in "Eastern Jerusalem." In fact, it's just outside the Old City in the Palestinian town of Abu Dis. Trump's plan states: "Jerusalem will remain the sovereign capital of the State of Israel, and it should remain an undivided city." Abu Dis is a "relatively featureless urban sprawl" separated from East Jerusalem by a border wall, Reuters writes. It lacks any of the religious significance or cultural depth of Jerusalem. Zoom out: Palestinians around the world were quick to reject Trump's plan, which they played no role in crafting and which allows Israel to annex parts of the West Bank long a non-starter for Palestinian officials. What they're saying: Noura Erakat , a human rights attorney and assistant professor at Rutgers University, told CNN: "This is an Israeli plan. It consolidates all of its colonial takings for the past five decades, and it markets them somehow as a peace plan... the fact that Palestinian weren't even there today should make clear to everybody this is not a deal. This is a plan to consolidate Israel's colonial takings." , a human rights attorney and assistant professor at Rutgers University, told CNN: "This is an Israeli plan. It consolidates all of its colonial takings for the past five decades, and it markets them somehow as a peace plan... the fact that Palestinian weren't even there today should make clear to everybody this is not a deal. This is a plan to consolidate Israel's colonial takings." Diana Buttu, a Palestinian-Canadian lawyer and former spokesperson for the PLO, wrote in Newsweek: "Lasting peace requires justice and valuing Palestinian lives and needs equally to those of Israelis. It means allowing Palestinians to exercise their rights, including the right to live in freedom and genuine self-determination in their homeland. And it must be rooted in fairness and international law, not what extremist Israeli leaders say is acceptable." a Palestinian-Canadian lawyer and former spokesperson for the PLO, wrote in Newsweek: "Lasting peace requires justice and valuing Palestinian lives and needs equally to those of Israelis. It means allowing Palestinians to exercise their rights, including the right to live in freedom and genuine self-determination in their homeland. And it must be rooted in fairness and international law, not what extremist Israeli leaders say is acceptable." Omar Baddar, the deputy director of the Arab American Institute told Axios: "The plan was predictably preposterous in the sense that Donald Trump carried out many steps leading up to this moment...[Palestinians] were not only left out but basically encouraged to leave." Zoom in: "Palestinians in Abu Dis have been cut off from Jerusalem neighborhoods to the west by a high concrete wall that Israel built to stop suicide bombers and gunmen entering the city," Reuters notes. "Students at a nearby university have used the wall as a backdrop to project movies during warm summer nights when they sit outside." "The White House document accompanying the U.S. plans release said the barrier should 'serve as a border between the capitals of the two parties.'" Go deeper: Woolf was the co-author of a report published in November in the JAMA, the American Medical Associations journal, that revealed a long-term increase in death rates in the United States for people in the prime of life from 25 to 44. That study was based on mortality data from 1959 to 2017, and showed that improvements in life expectancy and a lowering of death rates peaked in the 1970s, with more gradual increases after that. In 1998, the United States for the first time fell behind the average life expectancy in peer nations, Woolf said. [January 30, 2020] Pine Labs Launches Paper POS, a Merged QR Product to Accept Payments via UPI and Bharat QR Apps NEW DELHI, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Pine Labs, one of Asia's leading merchant commerce platforms, today announced the launch of Pine Labs Paper POS for its merchants. Pine Labs Paper POS is an all-in-one solution for accepting multiple forms of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Bharat QR payments through a single merged static QR at the point of sale. Merchants can use Pine Labs Paper POS to accept payments across different kinds of UPI and Bharat QR payments, including those from Amazon Pay, Google Pay, PayZapp, PhonePe, YONO, among others. Using the Pine Labs countertop POS machines - Plutus and Plutus Smart - merchants can print a customer chargeslip, thus, immediately confirming the transaction. "We, at Pine Labs, are constantly striving to develop innovative technology solutions to cater to the requirements of our diverse merchant base and their customers. Paper POS is our latest innovation, and will accelerate the growth of electronic payments acceptance in the country. It will not only be a ne-stop solution for acceptance of all payments through UPI and Bharat QR, it will also save transaction cost," said Venkat Paruchuri, Chief Product Officer, Pine Labs. Paper POS is low-cost, easy to implement and ensures safe payment transactions. It is simple to install and helps merchants to declutter the billing counter as well as contain long customer queues. Paper POS also offers a range of other benefits to the merchants like detailed insights on the transactions as well as reconciliation of all transactions, including Paper POS transactions at one place on myPlutus web (TRM) or on the myPlutus app. The merchants can also receive instant notifications for transactions on the myPlutus app. The Paper POS sticker can also be customized with the merchant name / store name and the merchant logo on the QR sticker. The steps for accepting payments using Paper POS are simple. To begin with, the customer scans the QR on Pine Labs Paper POS using any UPI / Bharat QR app. The customer will then enter the amount on his app. In the third step, the customer will enter UPI/ Bharat QR credentials on the app to authorise the transaction. Upon successful confirmation, the merchants with Pine Labs POS terminals can print the chargeslip for Paper POS transactions. About Pine Labs Pine Labs is one of Asia's leading merchant commerce platforms. Its unique cloud-based platform enables it to offer a wide range of payment acceptance and merchant commerce solutions. Pine Labs' stored value platform offers issuing, processing and distributing digital gift cards for corporate customers. Its customer base includes prominent large, mid-sized and small merchants across India, South East Asia and the Middle East. Pine Labs is incorporated in Singapore. Its key investors are Sequoia India, Actis Capital, Temasek, PayPal, Sofina and Mastercard. To know more, please visit www.pinelabs.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/812226/Pine_Labs_Logo.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Julie Plec is departing from her longtime studio home at Warner Bros. Television, heading to Universal Television in a new four-year overall deal. The new agreement sees the prolific producer and her company, My So-Called Company, exit the studio where she created and ran The Vampire Diaries and its spinoffs The Originals and Legacies. Plec, who had been at WBTV for more than a decade, is said to have been courting multiple offers before landing at Universal with the rich four-year deal. Six months ago we made a target wishlist of talented creators we really wanted to work with. Julie Plec was at the very top of that list, Universal Television president Pearlena Igbokwe said in a statement. With all of the options available to her, Julie chose Universal Television. We are overjoyed and cant stop smiling! Julie is an expert storyteller who has created characters that have left an indelible mark on the audience. The skys the limit for this new collaboration. Also Read: Larry Wilmore Inks Overall Deal With Universal Television Im thrilled to embark on a new journey with Pearlena and the group of extraordinary women who are ruling the world at Universal Television, said Plec. Theyve made it abundantly clear just how much opportunity there is at the studio right now, with the launch of Peacock and their active relationships with the other streamers, not to mention the broadcast opportunities. I love making television that is both thrilling and emotionally powerful, and I look forward to the adventure ahead at my new home. I am also grateful for my current home, WBTV, and look forward to continuing to nourish the shows we happily built together over the last decade. Plec co-created The Vampire Diaries with Kevin Williamson in 2009 for The CW and served as showrunner on all eight seasons of the fantasy drama. She went on to co-create both spinoffs, The Originals, which ran for five years, and Legacies, which is currently in its second season and has been renewed for a third. She also directed and executive produced the pilot for The CWs Roswell, New Mexico. She has also set The Girls on the Bus, an adaptation of the memoir by New York Times writer Amy Chozick, at Netflix. Read original story Julie Plec Moves From WB to Universal Television With New Overall Deal At TheWrap Taking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday described him as "the same as Nathuram Godse who shot dead Gandhiji". Gandhi said this while addressing a huge public rally here soon after leading a 'Save the Constitution March' against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. "Today is a sad day for India, as it was on this day that the greatest man ever born in India; Mahatma Gandhiji, was shot dead by a man full of hatred and anger. Godse did not like Gandhiji as he searched for truth and wanted everyone to believe in their religion and faith. Today an ignorant man rules India and he is one who is full of hatred, anger and is a liar. Both Godse and Modi believe in the same ideology. These two people only believe in themselves and never listened to others," Rahul said. "A liar or a coward cannot look into the truth and Modi has done just that. India always showed the world how different religions, faiths, beliefs, cultures, live peacefully, but today that situation has changed and it's a war-like situation in our country. People who speak are shot dead like Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh, women are being raped, unemployment is the worst ever and the economy which grew at 9.5 per cent is now growing at 2.5 per cent," said Rahul. "And now today Indians are asked to prove that they are Indian. I am an Indian and I don't have to produce a certificate to prove I am an Indian and so is the case with 1.3 billion Indians. Modi likes only his friends and today Adani has been given all ports and airports and is now planning to give Indian railways also, but I assure you that we will finally win as we believe in love and affection. We will defeat them with our love and affection," he said. "The way out from this is we have to join hands together. Today the world is looking towards India to compete with China which leads in production. Investors are willing to invest in India, but we have a man who is ignorant as Prime Minister. But I assure you we will finally beat them and all the youths will get jobs," he added. Earlier in the day, accompanied by senior party leaders and workers from the state, Gandhi began his two-kilometre-long march from the SKMJ High School road to the new bus stand at Kalpetta. Vancouver, January 30, 2020 - Guyana Goldstrike Inc. (the "Company" or "Guyana Goldstrike") (TSXV:GYA), (OTC:GYNAF), (FSE:1ZT) is pleased to announce that the Company has selected drill targets at the Marudi Gold Project ("Marudi" or the "Property", or the "Project") located in Guyana, South America. The Company's 2018/19 trenching program successfully outlined a new mineralized area that continues for more than 1.75 kilometres along Toucan Ridge (see map below). Toucan Ridge is roughly one kilometre northeast of the Mazoa Hill Zone which currently contains the Project's mineral resource estimate (please see "Mineral Resource Estimate" below). A diamond drill program of up to 12 holes is planned and may be extended. The planned drill program will predominately focus on Toucan Ridge where a total of 2,458 metres of trenching was completed and 837 samples were taken. Drill targets have been chosen from identified magnetic anomalies and gold assays from surface trenching and sampling of the quartzite-metachert host rock. The specific drill locations will be in proximity to trenches TTR-18-7 and TTR-18-8, as priority targets, followed potentially by drilling trench areas TTR-18-9, TTR-18-11, TTR-18-12, and TTR-18-13. In 2018, trenches TTR-18-7 and TTR-18-8 assayed grades as high as 7.2 g/t Au over 3 metres. The first drill pads will be positioned to drill angled holes across the area of trenches TTR-18-7 and TTR-18-8 to an initial planned depth of 130 metres and a maximum depth of 200 metres. In preparation for the next phase of exploration, the technical team has reviewed the legacy data, including drill assays, drill angles, collar location, grade and interval lengths from past drilling on the Property in order to further refine its exploration efforts at Marudi. The compilation of these historic drill assays will provide important information that the technical team will use to calibrate drilling on the Property. The following assay highlights are from the Mazoa Hill Zone which is approximately one kilometre south west of the Toucan Ridge discovery area: Assay Highlights of Sutton Resources Diamond Drill Programs 1991-94 - Mazoa Hill Zone: - MR 91-068 - 6 metres of 29.97 g/t Au; within 72 metres of 5.11 g/t Au - MR 91-074 - 15 metres of 15.30 g/t Au; within 75.00 metres of 4.60 g/t Au - MR 94-102 - 52 metres of 4.06 g/t Au; within 190 metres of 2.39 g/t Au - MR 94-113 - 36 metres of 7.74 g/t Au; within 141 metres of 3.31 g/t Au - MR 94-115 - 45 metres of 10.82 g/t Au and 30 metres of 15.16 g/t Au; within 81 metres of 7.71 g/t Au - MR 94-120 - 12 metres of 16.65 g/t Au; within 57 metres of 4.51 g/t Au Please note: Interval lengths are not true widths. Target Area Location Map Click Image To View Full Size Mineral Resource Estimates The Mazoa Hill Zone contains the Company's current mineral resource estimate. Data analyzed suggests that the mineralized zone is open in several directions including at depth. - 243,300 indicated gold ounces within 3,637,000 tonnes grading 2.1 g/t; - 78,800 inferred gold ounces within 1,278,000 tonnes grading 1.9 g/t For further information concerning the Mazoa Hill Zone Resource Estimate, readers are encouraged to review "Technical Report: Marudi Property Mazoa Hill Mineral Resource Estimate", a technical report prepared for the Company by Global Mineral Resource Services and is available at: GYA Mazoa Hill Zone 43-101, at the Company's website www.guyanagoldstrike.com and under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned that although the Project has a mineral resource estimate and a mining license a production decision has not been reached by the Company in respect of the Project, nor has a feasibility study been completed to assess the economic viability of commercial production at the Project. Also note, mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The Company also announces that Frontier Flex Marketing (Frontier) continues to provide investor relations and marketing services to the Company. The agreement with Frontier commenced on January 2019, with remuneration of $7,000 per month. The services were put on hiatus for an extended period in 2019. The Company has re-commenced services as of January 2020. This was part of an extension and revision to an original agreement with Frontier Merchant Capital for similar investor relations and marketing services that was signed on January 2018, with remuneration of $5,000 per month. Frontier Merchant Capital were also granted 50,000 stock options of the Company at 25 cents in January 2018 and 150,000 stock options at 30 cents on October 30, 2018. About Guyana Goldstrike Inc. The Company is developing the Marudi Gold Project, which has a 17-year mining license and is located in Guyana, South America. Historic diamond drilling completed on the Project by prior operators have delineated two zones of gold mineralization: Mazoa Hill and Marudi North zones. A mineral resource estimate has been completed on the Mazoa Hill Zone. Data analyzed suggests the zone is open to mineralization in multiple directions and at depth. Through the recent exploration program, the Company has discovered a third mineralized zone, called Toucan Ridge, which is situated approximately 1000 metres to the northeast of the Mazoa Hill Zone. In addition to the known gold zones and the new Toucan Ridge zone, the Company has over 45 sq. kms of underexplored land and believes the greater land position has excellent upside potential for the discovery of new mineralized zones through the development of previously and newly identified mineralized bedrock targets on the Project. About Guyana The Republic of Guyana is located in South America adjacent to Suriname. The country is English speaking and its legal system is based on British common law with a democratically elected government. It has an established mining act and a rich history of gold production. The Fraser Institute's 2016 Annual Survey of Mining listed Guyana as the third best mining jurisdiction with regards to investment attractiveness in the Latin America and Caribbean Basin sub-group. The Guiana Shield is the geographic gold-hosting region and is world-recognized as a premier gold region that is highly prospective, under-explored and has geological continuity with West Africa. Barrick has recently announced that the Giuana Shield will be their priority region for discovery opportunities and early stage exploration.* Exxon Recently announced the discovery of 6 billion barrels of offshore oil with production scheduled for first quarter of 2020. This discovery will designate Guyana as having the fastest growing GPD in 2020, estimated to be 86%.** *https://www.reuters.com/article/us-barrick-gold-randgold-rsrcs-explorati/barrick-keen-on-guyana-shield-canada-for-exploration-executive-idUSKCN1NL276 **https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-02/meet-the-economy-that-the-imf-sees-growing-86-in-2020 Qualified Person Locke Goldsmith, M.Sc., P. Eng, P. Geo, Chief Geologist and Exploration Manager for the Company, is a Qualified Person in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Goldsmith has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical content of this news release. On behalf of the Board of Directors of Guyana Goldstrike Inc. Peter Berdusco President and Chief Executive Officer 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. This news release may contain certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target, "plan", "forecast", "may", "schedule" and other similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements or information may relate to future prices of commodities, accuracy of mineral or resource exploration activity, reserves or resources, regulatory or government requirements or approvals, the reliability of third party information, continued access to mineral properties or infrastructure, fluctuations in the market for gold, changes in exploration costs and government regulation in Guyana, status of artisanal mining activities and associated rights, and other factors or information. Such statements represent the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affections such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations. Copyright (c) 2020 TheNewswire - All rights reserved. Tate Britain museum in London has attracted controversy over offering to pay a "head of coffee" 39,500 ($51,747), an amount greater than the average salary of an art curator based in the city. The gallery advertised that the role, working 40 hours a week, would entail "sourcing, blending and roasting coffee," requiring that the ideal candidate have "extensive experience of cupping and espresso quality control." The job advertisement has received backlash for paying more than the average 37,373 annual earnings of an art curator in London, according to jobs site Glassdoor. Alan Leighton, national secretary of trade union Prospect, said the pay discrepancy was "a stark reminder, not that the head of coffee is paid too much but that highly qualified museum professionals are paid far too little." He said that heritage-specific roles in the art industry were paid "appallingly" and this could not continue. Leighton added: "Without these qualified specialist workers there would be no galleries and no museums. It's time that was recognized and those roles rewarded accordingly." Artist Grayson Perry simply tweeted a newspaper snippet of the story with the words "I give up, they've won." Tweet 1 The Tate defended the role's pay level by arguing that it was "unfair to compare a head of department with a curatorial role of a different level." "All Tate's departments have a variety of roles with different responsibilities and salaries, including curatorial, and a more accurate comparison would be a curatorial team leader", a spokesperson added. India sales growth by 18% to INR 388.6 crores (EUR 49.5 million) Germany headquartered SCHOTT AG, international specialty glass and technical ceramic materials manufacturer, has continued on its growth course in fiscal year 2018/19 (October 1, 2018, to September 30, 2019). Its key financial figures developed positively or remained at a solid level from previous year. We are pleased with the past fiscal year. We were able to meet our forecasts from last year and continued the positive business development of previous years despite the difficult global economic situation, emphasised Dr. Frank Heinricht, Chairman of the Board of Management, at the Annual Results Press Conference. The international technology group managed to increase its sales by 5.1% to around EUR 2.2 billion. The operating result (EBIT), which now stands at EUR 275 million, also improved at a consistent rate, resulting in a consolidated net profit of EUR 206 million. Business with special glass tubing for pharmaceutical packaging and the ampoules, vials, syringes and cartridges produced from it, contributed substantially to the successful year. Investments significantly higher, India and China among top markets for SCHOTT Investments in property, plant and equipment amounted to EUR 257 million in the fiscal year, an increase of 38% over the previous year. Internationally, the largest investments in the fiscal year went to sites in India and China. More than EUR 21 million (INR 165 crores) was invested into a new tank facility at the Gujarat manufacturing plant, which supplies the supreme quality FIOLAX glass tubing for pharmaceutic packaging. At the presentation of the annual results, CFO Dr. Jens Schulte pointed out that the equity ratio had remained at a solid level of 32%. The company is thus in a strong financial position and has sufficient scope to achieve organic growth as well as make acquisitions, he noted. The global number of employees rose to 16,200. Strong growth in India Record investments in India are also a result of exceedingly positive sales in the Asian market. India alone saw sales of approximately INR 388.6 crores (EUR 49.5 million) an increase of 18%. Key growth drivers for India were SCHOTTs Tubing, Pharma-Packaging and Flat Glass for Cooking. Sharing his views on growth of the tubing and pharma packaging segment, Georg Sparschuh, President SCHOTT Glass India, shared, With our Indian growth activities, we aim to further strengthen the local industry and the governments goal of making India a global pharmaceutical hub. We have committed to invest about EUR 51 million (INR 400 crores) in our Gujarat manufacturing plant from 2018 till this year, in order to further cater to the expanding domestic and Asian markets. In addition, SCHOTT also entered the Indian smartphone market last year. Its premium cover glass Xensation Up. was introduced in the country as part of the new range of vivo premium smartphones. Outlook for fiscal year 2019/2020: Key focus on expansion of capacities in India, setting of the course towards climate neutrality After getting off to a good start in the first three months of its new fiscal year, SCHOTT expects sales to increase by between 3% and 6% for the year as a whole. The technology group expects impetus to come, among other areas, from demand for specialty glass for pharmaceutical packaging and ultra-thin glass for the foldable mobile devices of the future. In fiscal year 2019/2020, SCHOTT plans to invest EUR 320 million, the highest amount in the companys history. Main international focus will remain on capacity expansions in the pharmaceutical packaging business in India and China. To achieve this, the expansion of production capacity in the existing India plant aims to further strengthen its output by mid-2020. SCHOTT has committed additional investments of EUR 28 million for another tank facility which will be operational this year. With the new production facility, the plants capacity will be doubled, allowing the group to produce its highly specialised FIOLAX tubing material for both domestic and export demands. Dr. Heinricht, Chairman of the Board of Management said, With a view towards responsible and sustainable further development, we have set ourselves a clear goal: We want to make SCHOTT a climate-neutral company. During this fiscal year, we will set the course for this and consistently take the appropriate measures. At the same time, SCHOTT intends to intensify its efforts to protect the environment and the climate. An unemployed man from Idaho was convicted of brutally beating a transgender woman after she used a womens bathroom at an Oregon coast park. Fred Costanza, 37, was found guilty Wednesday of a first-degree bias crime, second-degree assault and harassment in the Aug. 24 attack that shattered Lauren Jacksons jaw and fractured her skull, court records show. According to witnesses, Costanza walked over 100 yards across Agate Beach State Recreation Site in Newport to confront Jackson, 29, after she used the womens public restroom at the park. Fred Joseph Costanza (Lincoln County Sheriff's Office) The man pulled Jackson by the hair and struck her more than 10 times before leaving the park with his wife, witnesses told police. Jackson, who was visiting Oregon for the first time, spent the next week in the hospital. Jailed in Lincoln County since his arrest, Costanza will be sentenced Feb. 7. Second-degree assault, a Measure 11 crime, carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and 10 months. -- 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. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. In a hushed courtroom, a key prosecution witness testified Wednesday he drove Isaiah Kelson, who had a gun, and another man to New Brighton and heard shots fired as the car door opened moments before an innocent bystander was gunned down on the street. I heard a lot of shots, the witness, a convicted felon charged in the case who is cooperating with authorities, told Assistant District Attorney Andrew Botelho. The witness said he closed his eyes after the first shot was fired and did not actually see Kelson or the other man shoot. He said he believed two guns were fired, based on the sound. Kelson, 23, an alleged member of a West Brighton gang, is on trial for murder, accused of fatally shooting Frances Williams, 67, on July 10, 2018. The victim was waiting at a bus stop on Jersey Street near Pauw Street. Kelsons intended target was a man running down Pauw, prosecutors allege. The defendant believed that person was associated with a rival New Brighton gang, allege prosecutors. Kelson and others were bent on revenge after watching Robert Craigwell, a buddy of theirs, get mowed down in St. George less than an hour earlier by a van containing members of the New Brighton crew, prosecutors allege. West Brighton residents Jaleel Hewitt, 27, and Marquise Tart, 26 are also on trial, but for conspiracy and criminal facilitation stemming from the events leading up to Williams shooting. They are not charged with murder. A thin, bespectacled man, the witness took the stand for more than three hours. Clearly uncomfortable testifying against his former friends, he spoke in a low, clipped voice. His answers at times were barely audible, requiring him to repeat himself. Aided by surveillance videotape, the witness, whose name is being withheld at prosecutors request for fear of reprisal, set the scene leading up to the fatal shooting. He said he met up with Kelson and the other man he drove to New Brighton during the late morning of July 10, 2018. They were at a building on Henderson Avenue that is part of the West Brighton Houses. He said he was told Craigwell, 26, had gotten killed. Afterward, the three men went out to a gray Infiniti owned by Marquise Ancrum. The witness said he was given the keys and told to drive Kelson and the other man to the courthouse in St. George to pick up a number of their friends. The other mans identity is also being withheld at prosecutors request for fear of reprisal. The witness said that man had a white bag, but he didnt know what was inside it. He said he drove them to Elm Street in West Brighton where his passengers got a change of clothes. The witness said he heard no talk of a plan to kill anyone at any time. At one point, a black car, driven by Hewitt with Tart in the passenger seat, briefly pulled up alongside the Infiniti before driving away, he said. Under cross-examination by Rick J. Pasacreta, Tarts lawyer, and Mario Romano, Hewitts attorney, the witness said the black car stopped for a few seconds, but he could not recall any conversation between the individuals in the two cars. He said he did not plan to meet up with that car en route to the courthouse. As he drove toward the court, Kelson and the other man in the Infiniti changed clothes in the car and put on gray hoodies, he said. When they were on Prospect Avenue, one of the men saw a person on the street the witness knew as Fiji and said, Thats one of them. He was apparently referring to the rival gang. That person started running down Prospect, crossed York Avenue and went onto Pauw in the direction of Jersey, he said. The witness said he drove down Prospect to York and intended to turn right. However, Kelson, who was sitting next to him, grabbed him and made him turn left. At Kelsons direction, he said pulled the car near a hydrant on York. The witness said Kelson opened the door, and he saw the handle of a 9 mm gun in Kelsons lap. The witness said he heard a shot as Kelson opened the door, and he closed his eyes. He said he heard several more shots fired from what sounded like two guns. The witness did not see the guns being fired or anyone being hit. Moments later, he heard two of the cars doors close, and the gunfire stopped, he said. He opened his eyes and drove down York, eventually making his way back to the area of the West Brighton Houses. The witness said Kelson, the other man in the car, Tart, Hewitt, Ancrum and several others briefly met there. Later, he said, they walked to the Infiniti where Ancrum gave Tart a white bag that had been in the Infiniti. Last week, a repairman working on York testified he saw the black Mercury in which prosecutors allege Hewitt and Tart were riding pull up behind the Infiniti on York after the shooting. The Infiniti driver said he did not see the black car in the area. The witness testified he only learned Williams had been shot later that night when Kelson told him. A compilation video played by prosecutors shows the victim fall to the ground. A moment later, the man Kelson and his friend allegedly were shooting at can be seen running across Jersey. The witness testified that man, Fiji, didnt have a gun. The witness admitted he had been charged with felony and misdemeanor counts of hindering prosecution in this case. He pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate in the hope of avoiding a jail sentence. The witness also admitted he had previously pleaded guilty in an unrelated case to first-degree robbery and was sentenced to six months in jail and five years probation. The victim suffered a broken nose and other injuries, he said. Like Pasacreta and Romano, Robert Reuland, Kelsons lawyer, sought to undermine the witness credibility. The witness said he was familiar with guns from firing them at a range out of state. But he denied owning or selling any guns, despite Reulands persistent probing. The witness did confirm he was the person seen in a photo taken about three months before the shooting. In it, he was wearing yellow dish-washing gloves and holding 9 mm guns in each hand. The witness said he wore the gloves to prevent his fingerprints and DNA from getting onto the weapons. Asked whose guns they were, he responded, Kelsons, prompting derisive snickers from the audience where about 15 members of the defendants family members and friends were sitting. Later, as he was being led to a holding cell at the end of the day, a visibly irked Kelson turned to the gallery and said loudly, The truths going to come out. Assistant District Attorneys Adam Silberlight and Arda Ozdinc are also prosecuting the case. The trial resumes Thursday in state Supreme Court, St. George. WILLIAMSPORT Two suburban Philadelphia men accused of hitting a pedestrian with a car and then shooting at him have pleaded guilty to reduced charges. Robert Vettese, 31, of Brookhaven, on Wednesday pleaded guilty to a charge of possessing a firearm without a license. Co-defendant Norman James Dennis, 41, of Drexel Hill, had done the same on Monday to charges of recklessly endangering another person and simple assault. Other charges against both were dismissed. Lycoming County Judge Marc F. Lovecchio sentenced Vettese, the shooter, to 1 to 4 years in state prison and Dennis, the driver, to 11 to 24 months in county prison. The judge last month dismissed charges of attempted homicide and conspiracy to commit homicide against Vettese. The evidence presented at the preliminary hearing failed to show Vettese took a substantial step toward intentionally killing Chaz Turner on March 31, 2019, in suburban Loyalsock Twp., Lovecchio wrote. Turner testified at Dennis preliminary hearing he was walking along the edge of Robbins Road about 2:30 p.m. listening to music on a headset when he was hit from behind and knocked down by what he believes to be car. He said he turned, saw a gun pointed at him from the front passenger side window of a Nissan Maxima, heard a shot and "took off running. A passerby stopped to assist Turner and provided state police the license plate number of the car that was backing away at a high speed. That vehicle was discovered later in the parking lot of the Wal-Mart store in nearby Montoursville. Markings on bullets in the magazine of a .40-caliber handgun found in a store waste container matched those on a casing found at the scene. Neither Vettese nor Dennis said why Turner was targeted. It appears the two were asked to come to Williamsport to deal with an issue with Turner and his brother, Assistant District Attorney Joseph Ruby said. 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. Reno Omokri, a former media aide during Goodluck Jonathans administration has described the Senate Minority leader, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe as the most influential person in Nigeria at the moment. This is coming following reactions trailing the call for President Buhari to resign over the insecurity in the country by the lawmaker. Also Read: #BuhariResign: Nigerians Back Call By Lawmaker For Presidents Resignation Recall that President Buhari summoned the national security council on Thursday morning. On social media, a lot of Nigerians have also joined their voices to call for the resignation of the president. Reacting to these developments, Reno asserted that the Senate Minority leader is the most influential figure in the country at present. See his tweet below: Oil prices fell on Thursday, resuming their declines after a brief pause earlier this week, as alarm spread over the economic impact of the Wuhan virus in China, while a bigger-than-expected increase in U.S. crude stocks added to the negative tone, Trend with reference to Reuters reports. Brent LCOc1 was down 62 cents, or 1%, at $59.19 a barrel by 0623 GMT, having risen 0.5% on Wednesday. U.S. crude CLc1 was down 51 cents, or 1%, at $52.82 a barrel, after dropping 0.3% in the previous session. Prices had steadied in recent days, after a rout pushed them to three-month lows as investors tried to assess damage from the virus to economic growth and demand for crude and its products. But now the rising death toll from the virus and its dispersion around the world has again turned screens red, with Asian stock markets down sharply. The Wuhan virus outbreak and its economic fall-out on Asia, the engine room of the world, remains the most crucial issue facing oil markets, with any rally likely to have short half-lives, said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst at OANDA. Three Japan citizens evacuated from Wuhan, China, and repatriated on Wednesday have been confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus, including two without symptoms, the health ministry said on Thursday. Two people refused to be tested and Japan has 11 confirmed cases. A second flight of Japanese evacuees from Wuhan, where the outbreak started at the end of last year, landed in Japan on Thursday, with nine showing symptoms of fever or coughing, broadcaster NHK reported. Infections in China have passed 7,700 and several countries started isolating citizens evacuated from Wuhan to help efforts to prevent the global spread of the epidemic. In China, the death toll has climbed to 170 people. The World Health Organisations Emergency Committee is set for another meeting later on Thursday to reconsider whether the rapid spread of the virus should now be called a global emergency. Airlines around the world are suspending or reducing direct flights to China as travel warnings are issued by governments and passenger numbers drop. Bigger-than-expected gains in U.S. crude oil inventories last week also kept pressure on prices. Crude stocks rose by more than seven times market expectations, gaining 3.5 million barrels in the week to Jan. 24, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Wednesday. Gasoline stocks rose to a record high, increasing for a 12th consecutive week to 261.1 million barrels, the EIA said. Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said he had asked the Delhi Police Commissioner to take the strictest action over a juvenile opening fire in Jamia area and injuring a varsity student and asserted that no such incident will be tolerated. Shah said in a tweet that he has spoken to Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik over the matter and the guilty will not be spared. "I have spoken to the Delhi Police Commissioner over the incident of firing in Delhi today and have given directions to take the strictest action. The Central government will not tolerate any such incident, action will be taken seriously and the guilty will not be spared," he said. A Jamia Millia Islamia student was injured after the juvenile opened fire in Jamia area where anti-CAA protests were being held. The injured Shadab Farooq, a student of the second semester of MA Mass Communication, sustained injuries in his left hand. He has been referred to the AIIMS Trauma Centre. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Seoul is preparing to evacuate the first group of about 720 citizens from the epicenter of the emergency. Officials and residents of Jincheon and Asan raise the barricades against their transfer to two public facilities. The total number of infected people in South Korea has reached six. Seoul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Protests continue of officials and residents of two communities in the Chungcheong provinces, chosen by the government to welcome citizens repatriated from China, where a pneumonia epidemic broke out. South Korean President Moon Jae-in urges the country not to give in to the fear of the coronavirus, while Seoul prepares to evacuate the first group of about 720 citizens from the emergency epicenter - Wuhan, the capital of the province of Hubei. The total number of infected people in South Korea has reached six. This morning, the national health authorities confirmed two other cases of contagion, one of which is the first due to the transmission of the virus between humans. The first of a maximum of four scheduled flights from Wuhan was expected to leave for South Korea this morning, but was delayed for unspecified reasons. Nonetheless, departures are still expected by the end of the day. "The weapons that will protect us from the new coronavirus are not fear and aversion, but trust and cooperation," Moon said today. The president stressed that "fake news" creates excessive anxiety. These statements are a clear reference to the opposition to some administration plans to contain the health crisis. Charter aircraft carrying Korean citizens evacuated from Hubei are expected to arrive at Gimpo International Airport. From the airport, the passengers will be transferred to two facilities: the National Institute for Human Resource Development in Jincheon in northern Chungcheong Province, and the Institute for Police Human Resource Development in Asan in Southern Chungcheong Province . The government initially chose Cheonan in southern Chungcheong province, but changed positions due to local resistance. Yesterday, the Ministry of Health and Social Security said it had chosen the structures of Jincheon and Asan to host the group of returnees in the next two weeks, when the monitoring operations will take place. But municipal officials and residents took to the streets and blocked access to the two buildings with cars and tractors. Moon now tries to reassure citizens, saying that the initial evacuates are only those who have no symptoms of pneumonia; these will be kept in isolation. "The government - says the president - will take strict measures to ensure that residents in the areas where the facilities are located do not have to worry". LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Paragon Banking Group plc announced its trading update based upon the business performance from 1 October to 31 December 2019. The Group said the business has traded in line with management expectations for the quarter. At 684.9 million pounds, new business volumes were 3.7% higher than in the previous year. Net loan book increased by 1.6% during the quarter to 12.4 billion pounds. Nigel Terrington, Chief Executive, said: 'The Group has made a strong start to our 2020 financial year where good progress has been achieved in our key divisions. Our loan portfolios continue to deliver an exemplary credit performance. We look forward to the year ahead with confidence as we continue to pursue a diversification strategy.' 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. Mandhatasinh Jadeja was Thursday crowned as the 17th king of the over 400-year-old erstwhile princely state of Rajkot in Gujarat in a grand ceremony. Chief minister Vijay Rupani and several state ministers attended the event. Coronation of the new king followed the death of previous 'Thakor Saheb' of Rajkot, Manoharsinh Jadeja, in 2018. Rupani said that 'Yuvraj' Mandhatasinh should be praised "as he has followed the tradition of his family and organized such a grand function for coronation". "The ruling family of Rajkot has always upheld democracy and the rule of law," the chief minister said, recalling the contribution of Manoharsinh Jadeja to the state. Several ministers, religious leaders and members of erstwhile royal families from other parts of the country attended the event. The celebrations leading up to the event had started on Tuesday, during which 2,500 Rajput women set a record by performing a sword dance, entering the Guinness Book of World Records 'for largest number of women dancing with swords'. Manoharsinh, the previous king, was a five-time Congress MLA and had served as Gujarat finance minister. Mandhatasinh, who joined the BJP in 2009, runs a chain of heritage hotels. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Seeking to maintain their representatives' influence in government, factions of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) have set conditions for selecting the next prime minister. Meanwhile, President Barham Salih told parliamentary blocs Jan. 29 to name a prime minister. He gave them until Feb. 1 to do so, saying that otherwise he would select a candidate himself. The PMU is an Iraqi paramilitary coalition, but many of its factions support Iran. Qais al-Khazali, secretary-general of one of those powerful Iran-backed factions, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, specified in a Jan. 27 tweet the conditions for choosing the next prime minister. He noted that any candidate must be independent, must be exclusively of Iraqi nationality, must pledge to fulfill parliaments decision of ousting foreign troops and must implement the "oil for reconstruction" agreement with China. Kataib Hezbollah, another of the Iran-backed factions, had already listed its conditions for the next prime minister in a Dec. 17 statement calling for a candidate who can face the Zionist-American-Saudi project in Iraq. These conditions are being used by the PMU factions to ensure a balance of powers, which brought [Adel] Abdul Mahdi to the premiership," writer and political analyst Ihsan al-Shammari, director of the Baghdad-based Iraqi Center for Political Thought, told Al-Monitor. "His departure would shake this balance." Abdul Mahdi resigned in November under the pressure of mass public protests calling for a new government. He remains a caretaker prime minister until a new one is selected. "The conditions are among the obstacles the factions are using to hinder the selection of the next prime minister," Shammari continued. "These conditions have nothing to do with the demands of the protesters, who are calling for an independent figure who can liberate Iraq from its dependence on foreign countries. He described the PMU stipulations as political bumpers to protect the factions that want guarantees about the next prime minister's policies. These conditions could also be aimed at securing some privileges, not only at the level of the Iraqi government, but also at the level of international bodies, he said. Shammari argued that the factions' conditions also don't align with the demands of many political forces. These forces, unlike the factions, aren't demanding that the Chinese agreement be implemented. This indicates that a foreign party intervened in setting these conditions. He asserted that Khazali, through his list of conditions, seeks to entrench himself as a leader with influence, making it imperative to negotiate with him regarding Abdul Mahdi's replacement. Contrary to this view, Mahmoud al-Rubaie, spokesman for the political bureau of Khazali's Asaib Ahl al-Haq, used the term resistance movements to describe the PMU factions. He told Al-Monitor that the conditions are consistent with the demands of peaceful protesters, who must be differentiated from gangs trying to implement the agendas of hostile countries. Rubaie dismissed Salihs deadline to select a prime minister. The president of the republic is not entitled to choose any candidate, and his role is limited to receiving the names of the candidates proposed by the concerned parties, he said. Political analyst Nazar Haidar, who heads the Iraq Media Center in Washington, told Al-Monitor that although political forces and influential parties insist on setting requirements for the next premier, only the people, and the protesters in particular, are the ones who have the right to set conditions for naming the new prime minister." Where have they been since the resignation of the current government? Haidar asked. Doesn't that mean that they are setting conditions to prevent the nomination of the new prime minister? Meanwhile, a dispute between Salih and the PMU reached a head after Salih refused to assign as prime minister the candidate of the Iran-backed al-Bina coalition, Asaad al-Eidani. At the time, Kataib Hezbollah accused Salih of yielding to the US desire to reject the candidate proposed by al-Bina, which claims to be the largest parliamentary bloc. Asaib Ahl al-Haq spokesman Naim al-Aboudi told Al-Monitor, It is important for the prime minister to have the characteristics imposed by the PMU factions to be a strong leader who is not affiliated with current political forces and who meets peoples demands. Abbas Abboud, former editor-in-chief of Iraq's official newspaper, al-Sabah, told Al-Monitor political blocs "no longer have the final say in determining the character of the prime minister because the public is influential and strong and can't be tamed easily." He said early elections, if they happen, may "turn the tables on current forces, perhaps, and settle matters in favor of the public. Abboud added, however, Political forces can pull the rug from under the protesters feet with their political experience in managing conflicts." As for the PMU, its conditions "constitute a reminder that the resistance and factions have a strong presence. All these forces want what they want. The PMU factions are intervening in the choice of prime minister by imposing their conditions, at a time when protesters are calling for a prime minister that pleases them. Meanwhile, political blocs are singing a similar tune. Salih, meanwhile, seems stuck amid heated political disputes conveyed in messages, blogs and tweets from leaders of factions or political blocs. PARADISE, Calif. - The Building Resiliency Center has officially opened to the public with more space and Butte County staff is in to assist those rebuilding in the unincorporated areas of the County. On Tuesday, Feb. 4, the town will hold a community meeting for those looking into manufactured homes. Statistics Update 768 building permit applications received 529 building permits issued 40 homes rebuilt (certificate of occupancy issued) Meetings & Events Community Information Meeting: Tues. Feb. 4th, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Paradise Alliance Church - 6491 Clark Rd Paradise Town Council Meeting: Tues. Feb. 11th 6 p.m. Paradise Town Hall - 5555 Skyway PID Regular Meeting: Wed. Feb. 19th, 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. PID Boardroom - 6332 Clark Rd Fridays for Lunch Free Lunch: Fridays, Noon to 1:30 pm Paradise Lutheran Church - 780 Luther Dr. Paradise, Ca Paradise Community Dinner: Thursdays 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Paradise Alliance Church: 6491 Clark Rd Town Updates Another Business Back On The Ridge: Mid Valley Title & Escrow Co. is back in Paradise with a reopening on Thursday, Jan. 30 at 5:30 p.m. They are located at 6848 Skyway, Suite D, in the Holiday Plaza. Feb. 4 Community Information Meeting: At the Paradise Alliance Church, the meeting will be diving into manufactured housing and what that permit-approval process will entail. Staff from the Building Resilience Center will break down the process of getting rebuilding plans through the approval process and give an update on private-road tree removal. Private Road Hazardous Tree Removal: The Town of Paradise and Butte County have been notified that many private roads in the Camp Fire area are eligible for public assistance funding to remove Hazard Trees through the State Hazard Tree Removal Program. Most of the roads in the Town of Paradise are eligible and about half of the roads in the County area are eligible. The Town of Paradise is working with Cal OES and FEMA to understand which parcels are eligible, and this information on the parcel-level will be available on the Property Tree Removal Map found here by the end of January. Staff in the Hazard Tree Removal Center will gladly accept Right-of-Entry forms for the Government Program or Inspection Access Forms for the Private Program; however, staff will not be able to provide information regarding what private roads are eligible. We encourage property owners to continue checking the Private Property Tree Removal Map on ButteCountyRecovers.org which will be updated when we have further information about private roads. Rebuilding Advocates at BRC: Advocates are available to residents of the Town of Paradise and Butte County to help navigate the process of rebuilding and be on hand to help guide people through the rebuilding process. They can also help guide residents through the financial resources available to make rebuilding more affordable such as help people apply for loans and connect with contractors. Call 530-872-6291 ext. 130 to schedule an appointment. Hazardous Tree Removal Ordinance: A Town and County ordinance has passed requiring the removal of hazard trees damaged by the Camp Fire from private property that may fall into public roadways. Property owners may enter the Government Tree Program to have the trees removed by the State at no out-of-pocket cost. Enrollment in the Government Tree Program requires a Right-of Entry form. Property owners may also identify and remove hazard trees themselves but must submit an inspection form so an inspector may verify the removal of the hazard trees from the property. Property owners may also call the Tree ROE Center directly at (530) 552-3030 or submit Tree ROEs by email at TreeROE@buttecounty.net. The Tree ROE is available for download online at www.ButteCountyRecovers.org/treeremoval. ROE forms may also be picked up at the Tree ROE Centers when they open. Three Tree ROE Centers open at the Butte County Library, Paradise Branch Community Room: 5922 Clark Road, Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. Wyoming is at a crossroads according to Representative Stan Blake (D-Green River) and education will likely become a hot-button topic during the Wyoming Legislatures upcoming 24-day budget session. His cohort in the House, Rep. John Freeman, D-Green River, also sees it as a major discussion point. As coals value to the state continues to declines, money that traditionally funded education has dried up, leaving legislators with a conundrum of how Wyoming schools will be funded and if that funding should be reduced. This problem comes on the heels of efforts made by surrounding states... Florida father found dead a day after abducting 1-week-old son, police say originally appeared on abcnews.go.com The father of a missing Florida newborn was found dead in his vehicle on Wednesday, a day after he allegedly abducted the 1-week-old baby boy and fled nearly 300 miles. Ernesto Caballeiro, 49, was found dead inside his vehicle on Wednesday afternoon with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound from a riffle, according to police. But his 7-day-old son, Andrew, was no where to be found. MORE: Amber Alert issued for missing 3-year-old boy after mother found dead Caballeiro was discovered in Central Florida inside a white van that had been described as a vehicle of interest in the baby's abduction. Police had previously said that the baby might be with his father and in danger. Police said they found a pacifier in the car, but saw no sign of the baby in the surrounding wooded area. PHOTO: This photo provided by Miami-Dade Police Department shows Andrew Caballeiro. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued an Amber Alert on Jan. 29, 2020 for a father and baby who've been missing since three women were found shot to death. (Miami-Dade Police Department via AP) The Pasco Sheriff's Office shared images of the vehicle to its Facebook page on Wednesday, asking residents to reach out if they had seen the vehicle within the last 36 hours. The vehicle was found in rural Blanton, Florida, more than 300 miles north of where the baby went missing. "We had the bloodhounds out there searching and the bloodhounds found nothing. There was no indication that the child was in the area," Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco told reporters after the discovery. "As many people as we can [get] are out there right now searching. We're looking for any signs of this little baby." MORE: Missing woman's body found in U-Haul truck wrapped in plastic and cardboard: Police Nocco said a witness reported that they saw a blonde-haired woman sitting in the vehicle. He said detectives were speaking with the witness to "try to get a composite to push out there." "I sit here and pray to God that that is true and that she has the baby," Nocco said. "If that is a true fact and that woman is out there, please come forward. I promise you, all we care about is that little Andrew is OK." Story continues PHOTO: In this undated photo made available by the Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement, Ernesto Caballeiro is seen. Authorities have issued an Amber Alert for Caballeiro and a baby who've been missing since three women were shot to death. (Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement via AP) He said his office is working closely with investigators in Miami-Dade County, where the infant was reported missing by family members. Law enforcement officers with knowledge of the investigation told the Tampa Bay Times that Caballeiro was a suspect in the death of baby Andrew's mother as well as two other women. MORE: Police search for missing girl who 'willingly' left home with unknown person Family members notified police on Tuesday night, saying they were unable to get in contact with childs mother, the Tampa Bay Times reported. When police got to the home they found the three women dead, according to the report. The Miami-Dade Police Department has not publicly referred to Caballeiro as a suspect in the murders. It did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment Wednesday night. ABC News' Darren Reynolds contributed to this report. Balcones Heights police arrested a man Wednesday they say beat his 76-year-old mother to death Tuesday night. Michael Wayne Curbow, 55, was charged with murder, according to an arrest affidavit. Police were called to the Spanish Keys apartments, near the 1150 block of Babcock Road around 7 p.m. Tuesday night for a disturbance. The unidentified victim wanted Curbow removed from the property because he was yelling profanities and refused to leave, but Curbow had already left the area before police arrived, Balcones Heights Police Chief John Jahanara said Wednesday. Governor Ugwuanyi, on 4th of January 2020 lays foundation for entrepreneurial university owned by proprietor of Peace Mass Transit Company Says education remains one of the cardinal policies of his administration Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, on Saturday, performed the foundation laying ceremony of Samuel Maduka University, Agu-Ekwegbe in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of the State founded by the proprietor of Peace Mass Transit company, Dr. Samuel Maduka Onyishi. Performing the event amid jubilation, Gov. Ugwuanyi expressed delight at the driving spirit of Dr. Onyishi in envisioning a university that is entrepreneurial in content, describing it as another milestone achievement. The governor, who congratulated the founder of the university for his courage and vision in establishing the institution, reiterated the premium his administration places on education as one of its cardinal policies. He stressed that this is why in almost five years, education has taken the second position, only after Works and Infrastructure, in the state capital budget portfolio. Gov. Ugwuanyi added that his administration has provided a conducive environment for teaching and learning in both primary and secondary schools across the state and also ensured that our tertiary institutions are functional and stable. The governor therefore expressed optimism that the University when completed, will create employment, especially for the youth as well as provide the much-needed manpower for the industrial and technological growth of the country. As we are aware, one of the greatest challenges of this country is youth unemployment. An entrepreneurial University will address the issue of youth unemployment by making graduates not only to be self employed, but also employers of labour themselves. I, therefore, salute the courage and vision of this consummate entrepreneur, Dr. Samuel Maduka Onyishi in proposing this entrepreneurial University. This is where Nigeria should be in a technology-driven 21st Century, he said. Earlier in his address, Dr. Onyishi who thanked God for his goodness and appreciated the entire members of his family for their support, prayers and motivation, also applauded Gov. Ugwuanyi for his presence, unconditional support, encouragement and solidarity. Dr. Onyishi revealed that he did not conceive the university as another business, but as a social service which should improve the lives of people of all races, mould for limitless attainments, children of all people of the world, irrespective of creed or class. READ ALSO: He pointed out that the vision is to have a citadel of learning in all ramifications, founded on the best principles and run on the best ethical practices, maintaining that the institution is determined to build structures that would stand the test of time. He equally appreciated the host community for providing the enabling environment for the project, reiterating his commitment to the take off of the university. In their goodwill messages, the senator representing Enugu North Senatorial District, Senator Chukwuka Utazi and the Transition Committee Chairman of Igbo-Etiti LGA, Hon. Ikenna Nwodo, commended Gov. Ugwuanyi and the proprietor of the university for their foresight and commitment to education. The lawmakers plepledged their support towards the success of the project for the wellbeing of the people. Dignitaries at the event include the former state Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Engr. Vita Abba, Leader of House, Rt. Hon. Ikechukwu Ezeugwu, member representing Igbo-Etiti East Constituency, Rt. Hon. Ezenta Ezeani, State Commissioner for Transport, Rt. Hon. Mathias Ekweremadu, Chief Ikeje Asogwa, Hon. Cornel Onwubuya, traditional rulers, among others. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Amber Milne (Reuters) London, United Kingdom Thu, January 30, 2020 15:05 713 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2061be6b2 2 People Malala-Yousafzai,climate-crisis,London,Britain,Jane-Goodall,poverty,inequality,Richard-Curtis,United-Nations Free Nobel peace laureate Malala Yousafzai and environmentalist Jane Goodall are among more than 2,000 activists who declared a state of "emergency" for people and the planet on Thursday, in a letter demanding urgent action from world leaders. "We need you to act faster", read the open letter, addressed to world leaders who in 2015 signed up to a series of UN global goals to tackle poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030. "There are not just a few of us - there are millions with one voice and one question. How will you keep your promise and deliver dramatic progress towards the global goals this year?" Love, Actually director Richard Curtis, who has campaigned for the global goals and was among the letter's signatories, said there had been "nothing like enough progress" in the five years since the goals were set. But he said growing public awareness of issues ranging from climate change to modern slavery was forcing companies and governments to change their behavior, citing Microsoft's recent pledge to remove all the carbon it has ever emitted. "People are becoming increasingly aware of their own lives," Curtis told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "Talk to your companies about pensions, be careful about what you eat, what you wear, how you travel, and also talk to your politicians about these issues." A United Nations assessment last year found that progress has been made on the goal of ending extreme poverty, but in other areas, "progress has been slow or even reversed". The letter was co-ordinated by Project Everyone, which was co-founded by Curtis to raise awareness of global development goals, and signed by 2,020 activists from around the world. The signatories include the co-founder of Black Lives Matter Patrisse Cullors; Obiageli Ezekwesili, who co-founded the Bring Back Our Girls movement in Nigeria, and Nobel peace laureate and Yazidi activist Nadia Murad. It was published a week after the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the world to make the 2020s a "decade of action" to deliver the global goals, warning it was still "off track". "At present course, half a billion people will still be living in extreme poverty by 2030," he said. Trump in November invoked the Lautenberg Amendment when he issued the executive order that defined the new categories and lowered the overall refugee cap. He also set a new requirement that states and local governments must affirmatively request their desire to resettle refugees, a policy that is under federal court challenge. More than 40 governors have indicated they will allow refugees only Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has notified the Trump administration that he does not want more refugees settled in his state. Concurs repetat pentru selectarea unei companii sociologice, care sa efectueze un studiu tematic "Barometrul opiniei publice in domeniul schimbarilor climatice" (Newser) The latest person to be diagnosed with coronavirus in the US did not travel to China, unlike the first five. Unfortunately for him, his wife did. The CDC said Thursday that the unidentified man's case in Chicago is the first person-to-person transmission in this country, reports WGN. The man's wife recently visited China to care for her ailing father, and she was diagnosed with the illness upon her return to Chicago earlier this month. She and her husband, both in their 60s, are now hospitalized. story continues below We anticipated this, says William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University, per the AP. The kind of contact that you have in a household is very close and very prolonged. Thats the kind of circumstance where we would anticipate a virus such as this could be transmitted." Health officials think the disease spreads much like the flu, through an infected person's coughs and sneezes. Thousands have been sickened in China, and the global death toll is currently 170. (Read more coronavirus stories.) Union leaders met French officials Thursday to figure out how to find billions of euros needed to plug pension deficits, the latest phase in a hotly contested overhaul of the system that sparked the country's longest transport strike in decades. The talks were called after Prime Minister Edouard Philippe dropped his plan to balance the budget by pushing back the age for a full pension to 64 from 62, in a new "universal" pension system that does away with dozens of separate regimes. He has set a three-month deadline for finding the money, or else he will impose the so-called "pivot age" that would cut payouts for people who retire before 64, while boosting them for those who work longer. However, Philippe has already ruled out making employers contribute more to the system, saying that would make labour more expensive and crimp hiring. "I've always said that it doesn't seem possible to balance the pension system without touching the age," Philippe told French newspaper La Croix last week. "But if our social partners can agree on a cocktail of measures, including something different that the pivot age, I'll take it," he said. The government estimates the pay-as-you-go system will be running annual deficits of 12 billion euros ($13.2 billion) by 2027, because fewer workers will be paying for increasing numbers of retirees who are living longer. - Points of contention - The overhaul was a key plank in Emmanuel Macron's presidential election campaign, which promised a series of reforms to revitalise French economic growth while reining in government spending. He says the new system, in which workers will earn points based on earnings that can be converted into pension payouts, will be more transparent and fairer, especially for women and low earners. France currently has 42 legacy systems, many offering early retirement and other benefits to public-sector workers like train and metro drivers, which critics say are no longer justified. But unions accuse Macron of plotting a system that will effectively force millions of people to work longer or accept lower pensions -- or to sign up for private, US-style investment accounts. On December 5, they launched a massive transport strike that wreaked havoc on millions of commuters and travellers, punctuated by several days of mass protests that saw teachers, hospital workers and other public workers hit the streets. Yet the protests have largely ended after Philippe dropped his pivot age -- at least temporarily -- and invited union leaders to submit alternatives. "We have a very simple proposal... increasing employer contributions by one percent would balance the budget by 2030," Yves Veyrier of the hard-line Force Ouvriere union told RTL radio on Thursday. And even though the financing is still in flux, the government aims to push the overhaul through parliament quickly, with a first vote expected in early March. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, centre, opened talks with union and employer representatives on financing a planned pension overhaul in Paris on Thursday. Egypt and the UK embark on a new era of trade relations Britain hosted leaders from 16 African countries in London last week for the UK-Africa Summit. New investment deals and agreements worth billions of dollars were signed. Britain is looking to strengthen its trade prospects ahead of Brexit, which takes place on Friday 31 January after more than three and a half years of negotiations. Britons voted 52 per cent to 48 per cent in favour of leaving the European Union (EU) in a referendum on 23 June 2016. We want to build a new future as a global free trading nation, that is what we are doing now and that is what we will be embarking on 31 January, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the gathering. During the summit British Investment Firm Actis signed a memorandum of understanding with the Sovereign Fund of Egypt. Actis will provide direct support for the fund as it attempts to attract and steer private investment to critical sectors of the economy. The Wealth Funds Chief Executive Ayman Suleiman said Actis proposal reflected its interest in expanding investment in Egypt. We look forward to unlocking further appetite and value through such partnerships, added Suleiman. Among the other deals signed the UKs Development Finance Institution (DFI) agreed with Commercial International Bank (CIB) to channel $100 million to Egyptian projects. British healthcare company GSK agreed to invest $6.57 million in Egypt to upgrade production lines at GSK-Salam and SmithKline Beecham-Giza. British retailer MATALAN also announced that it will open 20 stores across Egypt in the next five years. MATALAN is a well-known British fashion and homeware retailer with over 230 stores in the UK. The UK expects to start an 11-month transition from being a member of the EU starting from 31 January after which it will be able to sign bilateral and multilateral trade deals as an independent country. London is currently seeking a renegotiation of trade deals initially signed under the EU. EU officials quoted by the Financial Times (FT) said the European Commission would send a diplomatic note to more than 160 countries with which it has international agreements as the UK seeks to navigate the unique circumstances of its post-Brexit transition period. The FT says the UK and EU will be in uncharted territory after Brexit day on 31 January when they enter an 11-month period in which the UK will still be covered by EU law, inside the blocs single market and customs union, but outside the EU. The UK has been in negotiations with many countries to try and replicate the EU trade agreements which cover more than 70 states, including Egypt, and allow tariff-free access. The UK has already signed post-Brexit era deals with Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia and Lebanon but has yet to finalise a trade deal with Egypt. Badr Abdel-Ati, Assistant foreign minister for European affairs, held a high-level meeting a few weeks ago with a delegation from the British government as part of ongoing negotiations over trade relations between the two countries. A press release issued by the Foreign Ministry said the talks came in the context of negotiations towards a partnership agreement between Egypt and the UK, the treaty framework for trade relations between the two countries after the UK exits the EU. The ministry said the third round of negotiations included representatives of all concerned ministries and authorities in Egypt and the UK and focused on ways to guarantee the new deal allows Egyptian goods and products to continue to enter the British market. The talks also reviewed ways to develop and deepen bilateral cooperation after the exit process from the EU is complete. The UK is the top foreign investor in Egypt. British investments in Egypt are estimated at $48 billion, and trade exchange is currently at $3.9 billion. Trade relations between the two countries improved in 2019, according to the latest report issued by the Egyptian Commercial Office in London (ECOL). ECOL reported that bilateral trade reached $3 billion between January and September 2019, a 9.4 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2018. Egyptian exports to the UK increased by 5.8 per cent to reach $920 million, compared to $885 million in the first nine months of 2018. Exports include electricity cables, mineral oils, petroleum products, fertilisers, fruits and vegetables, garments, chemical products, plastics, textiles, carpets and floor coverings, iron and steel products, ceramics, paper products and furniture. Imports from the UK between January to September 2019 reached $1.3 billion, up from $1.2 billion during the same period in 2018. Imports include iron and steel, pharmaceutical products, tools and machinery, potato seeds, electrical equipment, mineral and petroleum fuels, vegetables, oils, aromatic plants and plastic products. *A version of this article appears in print in the 30 January, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Twenty children are being held hostage at a house in a village here by a man, police said on Thursday. Commandos have been rushed to the spot, Director General of Police (DGP) O P Singh said. "Twenty children are being held hostage at Kathariya village," Additional Director General of Police P V Rama Shastri said. The DGP said that "we are ensuring their safe rescue. If needed NSG will also be called for the operation." The man, who local people said, was a murder accused also fired from inside. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) I had to broaden my Tinder search last month, because the only Cork people on offer were from Newmarket. (Its like they took the worst bits of Limerick and Kerry and put them in a person.) Long story short, last Friday night I was in bed with a doctor from New Ross in Wexford, dangerously close to Waterford, bit of a turn on if Im honest. When it came to orgasm time, didnt he turn into a Super Bogger GAA Man and start shouting hup the yellow-bellies, hup the yellow bellies before lying back and going to sleep. He didnt exactly check if I had enjoyed the ride if you get my drift. What do you think I should do? Orla, Model Farm Road. I rang my Posh Cousin, and said what do you reckon? She said, I need more details. I said, hes a GAA mad doctor from Wexford whos crap in the sack, whats missing? She said, whether hes a consultant or GP. (You could be looking at 100 grand a year in the difference.) Me name is Hipity Hopper, out of Dundalk so I am, amateur rapper and a bit of a sham, got a job down in Cork yo, aint ever felt so low, leaving the town a no-no, farewell to Mam, prefer Amsterdam, but the dice its been rolled and truth to be told, know nothing about Cork, step down from New York, goodbye to the girlfriend, see you only at weekend, train down to Connolly, Luas to Heuston, accents so weird, whats all of youse on, realise havent got all day, suppose trying to say, when push comes to shove, will Cork show me love? Hopper, Dundalk and Carrigtwohill yo. W T Actual F was that? Youd get more sense out of a Listowel woman with her head in a bag of geese. My nephew has taken up rapping because, according to himself anyway, the sex is terrible in Young Fine Gael. I said, who should a Dundalk rapper call if he wants to meet someone in Cork? He said, Just Eat. #ThatsLouthy #Geddit? Hey girl, so Im the leading social media expert in Western Europe measured by the number of times Ive been pranked by an undercover Channel 4 documentary who have me on camera praising a new ground-to-air missile system after they persuaded me it was a protein bar. #DidntLoseASingleFollower #InYourFaceChannel4. Anyway, I got the flu jab last week and didnt it turn me into a nymphomaniac. Im finding it impossible to open a service station without asking one of the lads on the forecourt if hed take a look at my wipers. On the one hand I might lose customers, but then maybe I should run with it and pitch a Netflix documentary about a sex-mad influencer, do you know that sort of way. So, bit of guidance like? @YouSoWishLike, Turners Cross and Monte Carlo Id steer clear of the documentary. I trapped a TV executive in a lift once and asked him if there was any interest in a 4-part mini-series story of my life. He said, describe yourself in 10 words or less. I said, borderline sex-addict, social climber, Ballinlough. He said, sorry, were looking for someone unique. Now listen up Paddy. Ive just come back from a meeting of the British Establishment where we dressed up as Big Ben, drank like Russians and ran around bumping going bong every time we ran into a minor royal. Huzzah! (And Huzzar, oodles of it.) The occasion is of course Brexit Day finally we are free from those meddling Belgians and their pitiful attempts to stop us exploiting people who didnt go to Eton. That said, I had a word with Boris at this celebration and he said Now listen up dServant-Shagger, I need you to get a message to the filthy spud-munching Micks tell them we would like be back in the EU by early next year. Then he went off to roger the help. So, could you pass that on to whoever is in charge? Lord Edmund dServant-Shagger, London. What gives you the impression someone is in charge? My nephew the political anorak gets turned on thinking about Fianna Fail transfers in Carlow-Kilkenny, it would save him a fortune in Viagra if the need ever arose. #Unlikely. I said, what are the chances of Boris being let back into Europe? He said, theyre up there with Prince Andrew googling weekend break in New York. Howre oo goin on? Herself has always been fierce competitive, so when I heard that her sister got a weekly column in the Bantry Bugle called Hot love in your 80s, I braced myself for the worst. Long story short, the wife arrived in just now and said, put on your good coat Dan Paddy Andy, were going dogging in Glengarriff. Am I wrong to hope it has something to do with greyhound racing? Dan Paddy Andy, Dunmanway Youre not completely wrong. When I suggested it to My Conor he was very quick out of the traps. He said, will we be letting people watch us having sex in our car. I said, no way, Id be mortified. He said, why? I said, we only have a 151 C Renault, that could be enough to get us kicked of Ballinlough Tennis Club. The 6,000 passengers who were held on a cruise ship off the Italian coast can now disembark after health authorities worked to diagnose an apparently sick Chinese woman before health ministry officials declared her coronavirus-free. Cruise officials have confirmed that Italian health officials diagnosed a passenger on board a ship docked in Civitavecchia, north of Rome, Italy with the common flu, according to a Thursday night statement from Carnival Cruises and its Italy-based subsidiary Costa Cruises. It said that passengers can now either disembark or remain on board overnight, at their discretion, adding that the guests scheduled to disembark will be accommodated in hotels near the port and embark on Friday. The Costa Smeralda landed in the port town of Civitavecchia when two Chinese nationals were placed in medical isolation, confirmed Giuseppe Ippolito, the scientific director of the Spallanzani Hospital. They were put in isolation as soon as the diagnosis was verified, he said in a news conference with Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and Health Minister Roberto Speranza. At the same event, Conte announced Italy would suspend all flights from China. As far as I know we are the first country in Europe to adopt such a precautionary measure, Conte said, reported the New York Times. A Costa Cruises spokesperson told The Epoch Times that medical protocols were activated after the passenger showed symptoms of illness. She was placed in isolation on the onboard hospital since last night together with her travel mate, according to the cruise operator. Cruise line spokesman Davide Barbano confirmed that 114 Americans were on the ship when it was held at the port. Some passengers complained about the day-long hold. They are doing checks on 2 Chinese passengers and for now (logical) they dont tell us anything else, Maria Cartagena, a passenger on the ship, wrote on Twitter. Kind of stressful. The scare comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday declared a global public health emergency over the virus, which has prompted quarantines and lockdowns in Wuhan, China, earlier this month. There have been confirmed coronavirus cases in about 20 other countries, including Italy. Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems, and which are ill-prepared to deal with it, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Thursday. I am declaring a public health emergency of international concern over the global outbreak, he remarked. The Centers for Disease Control also confirmed the first person-to-person case in the United States, saying the spouse of an Illinois woman who had recently traveled to Wuhan contracted the virus. The U.S. State Department also said it would send another flight to Wuhan to evacuate citizens next week. From The Epoch Times Why politicians get away with hate speech India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Jan 30: A serious of provocative speeches by BJP MP's during campaigning in Delhi Assembly elections has brought the issue of "hate speech" in focus. While Thakur had urged the crowd to raise an incendiary slogan "shoot the traitors" after he lashed out at anti-CAA protesters. The same slogan has also been raised by other BJP members, including Kapil Mishra Another leader, Verma called Shaheen Bagh protesters "rapists and murderers" and followed it up by calling Delhi's chief minister a "terrorist". Last week, a BJP candidate had called Shaheen Bagh "a mini-Pakistan" prompting the EC to ban him from campaigning for two days. Delhi Polls 2020: Anurag Thakur banned from Canvassing for 72 hours, Parvesh Verma for 96 hours The poll body, which monitors the campaign ordered the removal of BJP MPs Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma from the list of star campaigners for Delhi polls and a 72-hours campaign ban on the leaders, many times the politicians let go off. Interestingly, a ban on leaders would not make any difference for the party, which a long list of leaders campaigning for the party. But could the Election Commission have done something more than a mere slap on the wrist? Lets us have a look. What is hate speech? According to the UN human rights body, hate speech is a term for speech intended to degrade person or group of people based on their race, gender, age, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, language ability, ideology, social class, occupation, appearance (height, weight, hair colour, etc), mental capacity, and any other distinction that might be considered by some as a liability. Laws prohibiting hate speech India prohibits hate speech by several sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure, and by other laws which put limitations on the freedom of expression. What are the powers of the Election Commission in this regard? Experts say that commission's powers with respect to the Model Code of Conduct is limited as the code doesn't have a specific statutory basis and is limited to a persuasive effect with rules laid out for electoral morality. It cannot de-recognise or disqualify the candidate. Dichotomy within judiciary In 2014, the Supreme Court dismissed a PIL seeking its direction to restrain politicians from indulging in "provocative and hate speeches" saying that it cannot curtail people's fundamental right to free speech. "We cannot curtail fundamental rights of people. It is a precious right guaranteed by Constitution," a bench headed by Justice R M Lodha said, adding "we are a mature democracy and it is for the public to decide." 'Goli Maaro Saalon Ko: Union minister Anurag Thakur stokes controversy The court said that it is a matter of perception and a statement objectionable to a person might not be normal to other people. "We are 128 million people and there would be 128 million views. One is free not accepting the view of others," the bench said. While politicians indulge in hate speech for securing political mileage in their favour and the poll body merely has the power to ban them from campaigning. Where does the responsibility go? Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez at La Moncloa palace on Tuesday. JUAN MEDINA (REUTERS) The Spanish government is postponing talks with the Catalan government on the future of the northeastern region until after elections are held there. Thats according to a statement released today by La Moncloa, the official residence and workplace of the prime minister, Pedro Sanchez. The announcement came after Catalan premier Quim Torra said on Wednesday that elections would be called in the region after the budget plan had been passed by parliament. This could mean polls are held one or two months from now. The government hopes to be able to start the said dialogue once the Catalan people have spoken Statement from La Moncloa palace The government hopes to be able to start the said dialogue once the Catalan people have spoken and a new parliament has been formed, as well as a government, the statement from La Moncloa said. As soon as the elections are held and there is a new government, we will start the dialogue. The talks were agreed between Sanchezs Socialist Party (PSOE) and the Catalan Republican Left (ERC) in exchange for the latter groups commitment to abstain at the prime ministers investiture debate earlier this month in the lower house of parliament, the Congress of Deputies. The PSOE won the repeat general election of November 2019, but, as in April, the result was inconclusive and Sanchez needed the support or abstention of other parties to be voted back into power. A coalition government has been formed with the left-wing anti-austerity Podemos party, but the support of other groups is still needed in Congress for legislation to be passed. The decision to postpone the talks was not well received by the ERC. Sergi Sabria, the president of the partys parliamentary group in parliament, called the move total irresponsibility, and total non-compliance with the agreement reached between the PSOE and the republicans. We have no time to lose, Sabria wrote on Twitter on Thursday. There are many months to go before the elections. Opening the political path is urgent. An independence drive has been ongoing in Catalonia for many years now, and reached its peak in 2017, when an illegal referendum on secession was held in October of that year, followed by a unilateral declaration of independence being passed by the Catalan parliament. Last year, nine pro-independence leaders were jailed for their role in the events of 2017, including ERC leader Oriol Junqueras, who was the deputy regional premier at the time. Torra is considered by some opposition politicians to have already been stripped of his role as premier PM Sanchez will still meet with Catalan premier Quim Torra on February 6, as was previously arranged, although the encounter is being framed by the government as the necessary relationship between administrations to solve the urgent problems of Catalan society, citing as an example the consequences of so-called Storm Gloria, which wreaked havoc last week across Spain and claimed the lives of more than a dozen people. The government expresses its will to maintain that collaboration between the different ministries and will, of course, keep to the meeting with premier Torra next Thursday, the statement continued. Catalan premier Quim Torra. REUTERS Torra said that there would be fresh elections in Catalonia during a surprise institutional statement on Wednesday, after the Catalan parliament earlier this week decided to support a judicial ruling stripping the premier of his seat in the chamber. This move has evidenced a rift in the governing coalition, which is made up of the separatist parties Together for Catalonia (JxCAT) and the Catalan Republican Left (ERC), with the support of a smaller pro-independence group. Torra on Monday refused to give up his seat in the regional parliament, ignoring decisions by the Supreme Court and the Central Electoral Board stripping him of his credentials after he was found guilty of disobeying electoral rules due to his refusal to take down banners supporting jailed pro-independence leaders during an election campaign. Torra is also facing being barred from public office, but for now is continuing his duties as premier. He is not, however, permitted to cast a ballot in votes in the regional parliament. Sanchez has faced criticism for his plans to meet with Torra, who is considered by politicians such as the leader of the conservative Popular Party (PP), Pablo Casado, to have already been stripped of his role as premier due to the loss of his seat. Torras continuation as regional premier currently depends on the interpretation of the internal rules of the Catalan parliament, which ambiguously states that the regional chief should be chosen among the deputies in the chamber. The final decision on Torras political future is currently being considered by the Supreme Court. English version by Simon Hunter. A former Subway sandwich artist has revealed the fast-food giant used a legal loophole to pay her below the award wage. Caitlin Lindon, 20, from Melbourne, began working at Subway in 2018, but by the time she left in November last year she was only earning $17-an-hour. When she accepted the job offer she assumed her wages were the same as others working for fast-food retailers. Caitlin Lindon (pictured), 18, began working at Subway at 16 as a dishwasher, earning $9.04 on weekends But Ms Lindon later discovered the original contract she signed used an outdated enterprise agreement, enabling Subway to pay her under wage rules in place 13 years earlier. 'They gave me a contract, which had a few things outlined in it, but it all seemed pretty normal to me, because I didn't know any better,' Ms Lindon told 9News. 'I did talk about it a bit with my friends there too, but we all just thought they were super terrible fast food wages, and that's how it was.' Many enterprise agreements made during the WorkChoice era, before the Fair Work Act in 2009, are still in circulation because of a legal loop hole allowing them to be used past their expiry date. They are dubbed 'zombie agreements' because they don't die unless workers renegotiate them, and are estimated to be currently affecting thousands of Australian employees. WHAT SUBWAY SAY: A Subway spokesman told Daily Mail Australia: 'Anyone working in a Subway restaurant is entitled to fair pay and conditions, and Subway has zero tolerance for deliberate wage theft. 'All enterprise agreements are approved by the Fair Work Commission and can lawfully operate until a party applies to end the agreement. 'Subway undertakes proactive audits of franchisee employment records and has stringent internal workplace review requirements for franchisees. Failure to meet the law will result in enforcement action, including possible termination of a franchise agreement. 'Franchisees are provided with regular education and information about their responsibilities as employers, as well as access to employment support services. A dedicated hotline is also available for restaurant workers to report any concerns.' Advertisement When Ms Lindon first started work as a 18-year-old, she was paid $9.04 an hour on weekends. She believes the multinational sandwich company underpaid her $13,000 over two years. Under the current award wage, instated in 2010, Ms Lindon would have received $21.41 for her position as a 19-year-old casual employee and penalty rates for working weekends. Instead her agreement, written in 2017, classified her as 'part-time' despite her irregular hours, allowing the business to pay her less. Felicity Sowerbutts, Director of the Young Workers Centre union in Melbourne, said Subway franchises were notorious for operating under outdated agreements. 'With some of these old WorkChoices agreements, because they were passed prior to 2009, it means that so many young workers are not earning an hourly rate which is in accordance with the award. It's pretty outrageous,' she said. Ms Sowerbutts said many of the enterprise agreements wouldn't pass the Better off Overall Test (BOOT), which assesses payment terms, if they were negotiated today. She added that many workers on zombie agreements miss out on penalty rates, and a range of entitlements like overtime provisions or uniform allowances. Workers can be paid less than the minimum award in Australia because of two main loopholes in Australia's industrial relations system. In the first, enterprise agreements written with expiry dates will not automatically expire and remain ongoing unless they are terminated by the employee. Ms Lindon (pictured) said the Sandwich chain underpaid her around $13,000 over two years using a loophole in Australian industry relation laws The Fair Work Ombudsman slapped Subway with a hefty fine in September last year after it found Australian franchisees owed $150,000 in unpaid wages to dozens of employees And while employers need to keep up with annual pay increases for the minimum wage made by the government, it only applies to the hourly base rate in an enterprise agreement. In September, the Fair Work Ombudsman slapped Subway with a hefty fine after it found the sandwich chain owed $150,000 in unpaid wages to dozens of employees. A Subway spokesman told Daily Mail Australia: 'Anyone working in a Subway restaurant is entitled to fair pay and conditions, and Subway has zero tolerance for deliberate wage theft. 'All enterprise agreements are approved by the Fair Work Commission and can lawfully operate until a party applies to end the agreement. 'Subway undertakes proactive audits of franchisee employment records and has stringent internal workplace review requirements for franchisees. Failure to meet the law will result in enforcement action, including possible termination of a franchise agreement. 'Franchisees are provided with regular education and information about their responsibilities as employers, as well as access to employment support services. A dedicated hotline is also available for restaurant workers to report any concerns.' Third, the longer the trial drags on the greater opportunity there is for more damaging information to arrive on the Democrats doorstep. Even if gathering the two-thirds Senate vote to remove Trump from office remains beyond reach, a secondary goal of the Democrats is to make Trumps acquittal as unglorious as possible. The more an acquittal hinges on preposterous limits on disclosure of information and on preventing witness testimony, the less valid it will seem. As in the case of the Mueller report, this wont stop Mr. Trump from declaring a fabulous victory. But the Democrats, with the Republicans in control of the Senate and so far essentially united on not convicting the president and removing him from office, have to go with what they can get. Democrats publicly brush off suggestions of a Biden-for-Bolton witness swap, but that could be a negotiating position. Its odd that after three years of a Trump administration, Republicans didnt foresee the danger in putting their political careers in the hands of a man whos out solely for himself and has a very distant relationship with the truth. But they clearly felt that they had no choice, and thus they enabled Mr. Trump to take them out on his limb. They are so frightened of him and his base that they have accepted his demand that his bullying phone call with Mr. Zelensky be considered perfect. This has left them, as well as him, no wiggle room. Which makes a Bolton appearance all the more dangerous. Also, having Mr. Bolton testify offers him and his newfound Democratic allies an opportunity to make other damaging disclosures that may not yet have been discovered in his book or may not lie therein. He can elaborate on another bit of damaging goods from his book that has already been revealed: that in Boltons view (hes not alone in this) Mr. Trump has seemed particularly complaisant toward autocrats. Representative Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and lead prosecutor in the impeachment trial, had planned to investigate whether Mr. Trumps foreign policy has been guided by his business investments. Mr. Bolton may know if this occurred. Mr. Trumps company, from which he hasnt divested his interest, has property in at least two countries led by autocrats with whom hes on especially friendly terms: Turkey and the Philippines. Mr. Bolton has written that he worried about Mr. Trumps particular warmth toward the leaders of China and Turkey. Might Mr. Trumps subdued reaction to demonstrations in Hong Kong and to Turkeys decision to invade northern Syria have anything to do with Trump company business? Mr. Bolton may also know about other conversations with foreign leaders locked in the supersecret computer system where the full conversation between Mr. Trump and Mr. Zelensky was consigned. Weve only seen a scrubbed transcript of that conversation. Why? And are there other conversations with foreign leaders revealing blunders or abuses of power by Mr. Trump stored there as well? John Bolton might have answers. Democrats should strike a deal, even an implicit one, to get him on the witness stand. Elizabeth Drew, a political journalist who for many years covered Washington for The New Yorker, is the author of Washington Journal: Reporting Watergate and Richard Nixons Downfall. 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. The head of Harvard Universitys chemistry and chemical biology department, Charles Lieber, has been charged with making false statements about funding he received from the Chinese government. Lieber had lied about his involvement in the Chinese government-backed Thousand Talents Program that brought him a monthly salary of up to U.S.$50,000 and additional living expenses, according to an affidavit filed by the FBI and posted on the Department of Justice (DOJ) website. "Dr. Charles Lieber, 60, Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with one count of making a materially false, fictitious and fraudulent statement," the DOJ said in a statement. Lieber was also given more than U.S. $1.5 million by the Chinese government and the Wuhan University of Technology (WUT) to set up a lab and conduct research at that university, the statement said. Lieber made the allegedly false statements to the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health amid a nationwide probe into allegations that U.S.-based scientists have been stealing research for other countries, most of which have involved China, it said. "On or about, , 2018, during an interview with investigators, Lieber stated that he was never asked to participate in the Thousand Talents Program, but he wasnt sure how China categorized him," the DOJ said. He repeated the denial when investigators contacted Harvard, suspecting that there was in fact a relationship with WUT, it said. According to The New York Times, there are at least 180 investigations looking into intellectual property theft at 71 institutions across the U.S., with the Thousand Talents "foreign experts" program a major focus of the investigations. Investigators are also alleging that he signed a research cooperation agreement with WUT on behalf of Harvard without the authority to do so. Lieber was required to disclose any foreign collaborations and funding arrangements as a condition of the funding he also received from the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health, the DOJ statement said. Administrative leave He has been barred from Harvard's campus and placed on administrative leave, according to technology website The Verge. "The charges brought by the U.S. government against Professor Lieber are extremely serious," the university told the publication. "Harvard is cooperating with federal authorities, including the National Institutes of Health, and is conducting its own review of the alleged misconduct, Harvard said in an emailed statement sent to The Verge. According to the DOJ, Chinas Thousand Talents Program is one of the most prominent schemes used by the ruling Chinese Communist Party to attract, recruit, and cultivate high-level scientific talent to further the country's scientific development, economic prosperity and national security. "These talent programs seek to lure Chinese overseas talent and foreign experts to bring their knowledge and experience to China and reward individuals for stealing proprietary information," it said. Anyone found guilty of making false, fictitious and fraudulent statements could face up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of U.S.$250,000. The DOJ said the charges are currently only allegations, and that defendants are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law. French current affairs commentator Wang Longmeng said the Thousand Talents Program had a long history of attempts to steal high technology from around the world. "[Some] scholars and officials who live in a democratic system and enjoy all its freedoms will aid and abet those who would harm it for personal gain," Wang said. "Western countries should get hold of a list of those recruited to China's Thousand Talents Program and investigate them one by one," he said. Reported by Ng Yik-tung and Sing Man for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Jia Ao for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. 'Whether it is the unions or the politicians, they don't have to do politics over Air India, but be guided by a solitary factor -- that we don't want Air India to fly into oblivion.' Jitender Bhargava is a former executive director of Air India and the author of The Descent of Air India (Bloomsbury India), an excerpt from which you can read in the left link below this para. In the wake of the government's decision this week to offload its entire stake in Air India to a buyer, Bhargava tells Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com, "The whole of India knows what Air India's losses are, but not the assets that it owns. Air India is an operational airline with a 13 per cent market share in the domestic market and 18 per cent in the international sphere with a huge global network." You served India's national carrier for 20 years with 13 years as its executive director. How do you look at the government's proposal to divest 100 per cent stake in the company? I have done a whole book on it, The Descent of Air India, and I have advocated divestment of Air India because of the simple reason that under government ownership, the airline could just not survive or be revived. Therefore, there is a need to privatise, get a commercial-minded ownership of the airlines, which has a vision and which can provide leadership and the funds to keep Air India ahead of the others. Put conversely, with government ownership, funds will always be constrained. Government meddling is too well known; employees's productivity is low because the government system automatically means less work. These factors combined together makes divestment very essential. Has it made you nostalgic given your long association with Air India? What is nostalgia? One can recall your past days happily with good memories and recall. But you would not like to see the airline (Air India) in danger of passing into oblivion. Nostalgia for me would mean how to ensure that the brand that you worked for flourishes in the future by ensuring that the airline grows. And the point that I keep regularly making is that unless enough money is regularly pumped into the airline (Air India), it will not be able to grow. You get marginalised because private airlines keep inducting more and more aircraft going forward. It's a competitive world. So, once you get marginalised or only have a market share of 7 or 8 per cent, you are reduced into irrelevance. My definition of nostalgia is not just recalling the happy days of the past, but also envisioning a brighter future. What could be the major challenges the government could face in its bid to divest 100 per cent in Air India? There are two points to it. One, the government has learned from the past and therefore made the memorandum that they have issued (the preliminary information memorandum, PIM, which outlines the terms and conditions of the divestment), keeping attractive the factors with a potential acquirer will look at, with a rider, of course, that if there are any further changes that they (the bidders) want, the government will be willing to consider. I deem this as a very, very positive sign. That's the first part of it. The second part is, and this is my wish, that considering the compelling circumstances or the compelling arguments that one has for divesting Air India, the government could have created an environment where all stakeholders were fully convinced of the need to divest. By all stakeholders, you would mean the employees and employee unions? The employees, the unions, the politicians... You see if people say look, it (Air India) should not be divested, then the question that arises is: What is the future that we are offering for Air India? Can the government promise fund infusion in perpetuity? The answer is no. Can Air India have a future with government fellowship? The answer is no. So, one has to be pragmatic, not emotionally attached. I wish the best for the airline that I have worked for. So whether it is the unions or the politicians, they don't have to do politics over Air India, but be guided by a solitary factor -- that we want Air India to keep flying and not fly into oblivion. Given these concerns do you foresee strong opposition from the unions representing almost 21,000 employees? Unions can be explained to and convinced about the divestment. Unions also have genuine concerns. Let me put it this way to you: They have genuine concerns with regard to employment, their future, their perks and retirement benefits, having worked for 20, 25 years. You can't just dump them. The government should have logically created an environment and promised employees that their interests won't be harmed; it should have addressed their concerns, which they haven't yet. Concrete plans should have been put forth by the employers to convince the employees why this privatisation is essential. What value does Air India offers potential bidders? The whole of India knows what Air India's losses are, but not the assets that it owns. Air India offers enormous value to a potential acquirer. It is an operational airline with 13 per cent market share in the domestic market and 18 per cent in the international sphere with a huge global network. If an airline were to start today -- like say an Indigo or Vistara -- they will take a number of years and huge funds to reach Air India's present scale of operations. So you (the potential winner of the bid) immediately catapult yourself amongst the mega carriers by acquiring Air India. You don't have to push too hard for a global presence because Air India has slots globally; it flies worldwide -- the United States, Europe, Tokyo, Australia, everywhere. The moment you acquire an airline (Air India) and run it professionally, the gains are enormous. People do see a lot of value in Air India. What are the assets and liabilities that Air India has on its balance sheet? The government has this time made it clear its intention by shifting a large chunk of its debt (Rs 30,000 crore/Rs 300 billion according to some reports) to a special purpose vehicle. This debt will not be passed on to the potential acquirer. The remaining part (about Rs 23,000 crore/Rs 230 billion ) of the debt will have to be taken over by the acquirer, but that's logical debt. Wouldn't this huge debt deter investors? It will not deter and one should not read too much into it. Air India has a huge fleet of aircraft as assets. Once you are taking the aircraft as an asset, balance payments on those aircraft will have to be paid by the person who is taking the asset. Say, for example, you buy a car on EMI. You pay three EMIs and there are nine more to be payable. If you sell that car, which will not be the exact value you bought it for. You will say I paid three EMIs and you pay me this money and pay the remaining nine EMIs. This is a likewise situation. You have the aircraft, you have the pilots, you have the engineers... Where do you get readymade trained pilots? Training pilots requires huge costs. What could be the total cost for the acquirer? I would not like to make a guess. BJP MP Subramanian Swamy has threatened to go to court against the government for selling 'family silver'. There are compelling reasons for divesting Air India, to ensure Air India's survival and revival. People can have a different perspective, but the question to be asked of them is what is their knowledge and understanding of the aviation industry? What level of stake do they have in ensuring Air India's future? Did the government have no other option but to divest its entire stake in Air India? Yes, because nobody will take an Air India if you don't give away the entire stake. When you wrote The Descent of Air India in 2013, did you envisage that the situation would come to such a pass one day? Were you sure that Air India would have to be divested lock, stock and barrel? I have written about this in the book, the last chapter that Air India must be divested at the earliest. Would you blame Praful Patel, aviation minister in UPA I and II, for Air India's downfall? No. (I would blame the) government ownership which comes with a lot of inefficiencies and unproductive practices. The kind of IAS people being appointed chairmen of Air India with no domain knowledge, the whole lot of wrong decisions, unprofessional practices and, of course, certain wrong decisions taken by Praful Patel like the merger (of Indian Airlines and Air India) and acquisition of (unwanted) aircraft by him only accentuated the descent of Air India. During your tenure as the ED, did you get a feeling that it was possible to revive Air India? While one was always hopeful, it wouldn't be under government ownership. You have to understand supply chain, Inforzato said. Supply chain expands across the Midwest chain. As long as you get Japanese investment in the Midwest, Illinois and Wisconsin will benefit. I dont like competition between states and cities for investment. I know it exists. I always tell local government officials and even governments that if a Japanese company is investing in your state, it will benefit the entire Midwest. The European Parliament demanded Thursday that the EU urgently force tech companies to adopt a universal charger, setting up a clash with Apple and its widely used iPhone connector cable. A resolution, voted 582 in favour and 40 against, called on the European Commission to publish an impact assessment on introducing a common charger "with a view to proposing mandatory provisions". It cited consumer and environmental problems with having a variety of chargers on the market as an argument to finally bring in an EU law on the issue. European legislators have been pushing for a universal charger for a decade, but Apple has ferociously resisted. The US company insists that its Lightning cable that charges its iPhones is part of a stand for "innovation". Consumers currently have to decide between three main chargers to power their phones: Lightning ones for Apple handsets, micro-USB ones widely used on most other mobile phones, and USB-C ones that are increasingly being used. That range is greatly simplified from 2009, when dozens of different types of chargers were bundled with mobile phones, creating piles of electronic garbage when users changed brands. But the world still generates 50 million tonnes of electronic waste a year, MEPs said, underlining the need to take firmer measures. The EU accounts for nearly a quarter of that waste. Apple, which already uses USB-C connectors on some of its iPads and laptop computers, says legislation to force a universal charger for all mobiles in the is unwarranted. "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," it said in a statement. "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," it said. But French MEP Geoffroy Didier said after the vote: "European consumers deserve better than indecent waste and pollution dictated exclusively by the commercial interests of a few industrial groups." The European Commission is preparing an impact assessment on the possibility of forcing manufacturers to offer just one type of charger. It is due to be completed late this year, with EU officials to decide then whether to send a bill to the European Parliament to enshrine that in an EU regulation. Iran expresses outrage at Deal of Century sheer travesty IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, Jan 29, IRNA -- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Wednesday expressed outrage at 'Deal of Century', saying that it is a conspiracy to stir up hatred and violence in the West Asian region. "The so-called 'Deal of the Century' is a sheer travesty, conjured up by rogue crooks to shatter the dreams of a long suffering nation for human dignity and self- determination," Mousavi wrote in his Twitter account. He added: "It is indeed a 'Deveal (devil+deal)', descended to sow everlasting hatred and violence in West Asia." The White House claimed that this Vision is the most serious, realistic, and detailed plan ever presented, one that could make Israelis, Palestinians, and the region safer and more prosperous. "This Vision is just the first step and provides the basis for historic progress toward peace. The United States hopes this Vision will lead to direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians," it added. Palestinians took to streets in Gaza and the West Bank to protest conspiracy of Trump favoring Israel at the expense of the State of Palestine. 9376**1416 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Representative Eliot Engel (D., N.Y.), the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released a statement on Wednesday revealing that former national security adviser John Bolton had called him in September to suggest that he investigate the ouster of former ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch. President Trump is wrong that John Bolton didnt say anything about the Trump-Ukraine scandal at the time the President fired him. He said something to me, Engel wrote. [Bolton] and I spoke by telephone on September 23. On that call, Ambassador Bolton suggested to meunpromptedthat the committee look into the recall of Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. He strongly implied something improper had occurred around her removal as top diplomat in Ukraine. President Trump dismissed Bolton from his position on September 10. Trump has criticized Bolton over reports the former adviser had written in the manuscript of his book The Room Where it Happened, set for release on March 17, that Trump had conditioned aid to Ukraine on that countrys commitment to investigate Joe and Hunter Biden. Why didnat John Bolton complain about this nonsense a long time ago, when he was very publicly terminated, Trump wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. He said, not that it matters, NOTHING! Engel said in his statement that he reported his September 23 conversation with Bolton to investigative colleagues involved in the House Foreign Affairs Committee probe into Yovanovitchs firing. Engel said he did not publicize the conversation earlier due to its private nature. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the impeachment inquiry the day after Engels and Boltons phone conversation. Former ambassador Yovanovitch testified in House impeachment hearings that Trump lawyer Rudy Giulianis associates, businessmen Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, had smeared her as badmouthing the president in order to oust her and advance their own business dealings in Ukraine. Story continues Former Ukraine top prosecutor Yuriy Lutsenko reportedly offered Giuliani information on the Bidens in exchange for the removal of Yovanovitch. The former ambassador had been critical of Lutsenko and his office, and supported an anti-corruption institution in Ukraine that Lutsenko opposed. More from National Review Abu Dis, the 'Palestinian capital' that doesn't want the job Abu Dis, Palestinian Territories, Jan 29 (AFP) Jan 29, 2020 Abu Dis, the capital of an independent Palestinian state? For Donald Trump maybe, but residents of the run-down neighbourhood on the outskirts of Jerusalem are sceptical. On Tuesday the US President outlined his proposals for a Middle East peace deal, welcomed by rightwing Israelis and mockingly dubbed the "deal of the century" by Palestinians. The plan gives Israel full control of the disputed city of Jerusalem, including the predominantly Arab eastern part that Palestinians have long claimed as the capital of their future state. Instead, it would allow them a capital on the outskirts of the city, beyond a looming concrete barrier erected by Israel during the bloody second Palestinian intifada in the early 2000s. Trump's plan proposes the cramped district of Abu Dis as a capital, which it suggests could be renamed "Al-Quds" (the holy) -- the Arabic name for Jerusalem. But Jerusalem itself, with its iconic Muslim and Christian holy sites, is a powerful symbol of national and religious identity. For many Palestinians, giving it up is unthinkable. "Abu Dis can't be a capital," said Yara, a Jerusalem resident who crosses to Abu Dis several times a week to study at the local university. "Jerusalem should be a city that everyone can reach." - 'I prefer Jerusalem' - The journey from the holy places of Jerusalem's Old City to Abu Dis should take only a few minutes by car, slaloming between busloads of tourists who visit the city. But at a roundabout, the GPS gives up and a metres-high concrete wall blocks the way. Getting through involves zigzagging up and down hills, finding a highway, crossing a checkpoint and a village and passing a car cemetery -- about a 30-minute drive. From their homes on the far side of the wall, the residents of Abu Dis can see the Dome of the Rock in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the third holiest site in Islam. In the shade of the wall, covered in pro-Palestinian graffiti, 43-year-old street vendor Mohammed Hermas struggled to see how his neighbourhood could become a capital. "I really don't see what I could get out of it, whether the capital is in Jerusalem or here," he said of the Trump plan, tending to falafel furiously bubbling in a vat of oil. "There's no vision for our future." Sami, a young father with ripped jeans, was more open to compromise. "The state and religion must be separated. As long as we can pray in Al-Aqsa, the capital can be elsewhere." "But yes, I prefer Jerusalem," he added. He added that he wants to be able to go and work inside Israel to be able to earn more for his family. "Here you work for 80 shekels a day (21 euros), but in Israel you can make 400 (105 euros) for the same work." - Parliament of Abu Dis - Palestinian leaders immediately rejected Trump's plan for multiple reasons, most prominently the recognition of all Jerusalem as Israel's "indivisible capital." But the notion of Abu Dis as the capital is not strictly new. The idea it could be a trade-off for losing east Jerusalem was floated in multiple negotiations in recent decades. The Palestinian Authority once even began building a possible parliament building in Abu Dis, but the Palestinian legislature was ultimately established in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Today, the unfinished sand-coloured building sits a few metres from the concrete wall. Before the wall was built, the residents of Abu Dis often worked or studied in Jerusalem. From his office in the local library of Abu Dis, where he deals with archives of the inheritances of Jerusalem families, Khaled Elyan can see both the unfinished parliament and, in the distance, the Dome of the Rock. "Abu Dis is part of Jerusalem, it's a district of the city -- it's not an independent city. Abu Dis can't be the capital," he said. "The wall has isolated us. The goal was to separate us from Jerusalem," he said. "What Trump and (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu are selling is an illusion." A mother and son have appeared together in Londonderry's Magistrates Court charged with offences linked to the alleged rape of a woman almost 10 years ago (stock photo) A mother and son have appeared together in Londonderry's Magistrates Court charged with offences linked to the alleged rape of a woman almost 10 years ago. Heather McElwee (47) from Tamlough Park in Ballykelly is charged with intimidating the complainant by using force, threats or menaces to persuade her not to report the alleged sex offences. She denies committing the same offence twice between November 2010 and February 2012. Her son Shaun Patrick McElwee (29) from Clonmeen Drive in Strathfoyle denies raping, indecently touching and assaulting the complainant with the intention of committing a sexual offence against her between the same dates. District Judge Greg McCourt said that, having read the papers, he was satisfied that both defendants had a case to answer. He returned both defendants, on their own bail of 500, to the Crown Court for arraignment on February 25. Seven men have pleaded guilty to charges arising out of a covert MI5 bugging operation against the Continuity IRA (CIRA) in Co Down more than five years ago. The Head of the PSNI's Serious Crime Branch, Detective Chief Superintendent Raymond Murray, described it as "one of the most significant terrorism cases in recent times". The men had been due to go on trial next Monday over the undercover eavesdropping operation on a bungalow at Ardcarn Park in Newry in 2014 where CIRA meetings had been held. At Belfast Crown Court yesterday, the seven defendants were re-arraigned at the request of their defence lawyers on a catalogue of terrorist offences before Mr Justice Colton. Patrick Joseph 'Mooch' Blair (64), of Lissara Heights, Warrenpoint, Co Down; Liam Hannaway (50) of White Rise, Dunmurry in west Belfast; John Sheehy (35), of Erskine Street, Newry, and Colin Patrick Winters (48), of Ardcarn Park, Newry, all pleaded guilty to charges of belonging or professing to belong to a proscribed organisation. They admitted providing weapons and explosives training, and conspiring to possess explosives, firearms and ammunition with intent to endanger life. They further admitted conspiracy to possess explosives, firearms and ammunition with intent, along with preparing acts of terrorism. Blair, Hannaway and Winters also admitted collecting information likely to be of use to terrorists. Sheehy further pleaded guilty to attending a meeting at Ardcarn Park for the purposes of terrorist training. Winters also admitted to allowing his Ardcarn Park home to be used for the purposes of a terrorist meeting. Seamus Morgan (64), of Barcroft Park, Newry; Kevin John Paul Heaney (46), of Blackstaff Mews, Springfield Road in west Belfast, and Terence Marks (49), of Parkhead Crescent, Newry, all pleaded guilty to belonging or professing to belong to a proscribed organisation. Marks also admitted a further charge of receiving training in the making or use of explosives for terrorism. All of the offences took place on dates between August 11, 2014 and November 11, 2014. Mr Murray said: "This is one of the most significant terrorism cases in recent times given the seriousness of the offences and the number of people involved. "Today's result demonstrates our commitment to disrupting terrorism and protecting the community." Counsel for Hannaway said he would be submitting a number of medical reports to the court relating to his mental and physical health problems. Mr Justice Colton said he would release all seven defendants on continuing bail. He set the date for a plea and sentencing hearing for Wednesday, March 25. No details were given in court yesterday about the background to the charges the seven defendants pleaded guilty to. But a previous court hearing in 2014 heard that police believed Winters' home at Ardcarn Park was being used to host meetings of the Continuity IRA. MI5 had gained access to the property and planted secret listening devices in a number of rooms in the property to record conversations at the meetings. The court heard that suspects in the property had been recorded discussing potential targets for attack, including specific police officers. Potential attacks against judges were also discussed, along with weapons training, funding for terrorist activity and plans to get weapons, a prosecution lawyer added. A PSNI detective involved in the case told the court the suspects were "leading key figures of a proscribed organisation". Meghan Markle's BFF Jessica Mulroney has fought back after militant Kate Middleton fans accused her of criticising the Duchess' photos of Holocaust survivors. The Canadian fashion stylist, 40, from Toronto, released a statement on her Instagram saying she is a 'proud Jewish woman' with 'family links' to the Holocaust, and calling critics 'shameful and 'uninformed'. Earlier this week, Jessica posted to Instagram: 'Pretty pictures are pretty pictures. Strive to use your platform for good and spread stories of incredible people striving to make this world a better place.' What seemed like an innocuous comment, but was seized upon by some frenzied fans of Kate as a dig at the Duchess, following the release of her portraits of Holocaust survivors. It prompted her husband Ben, 43, to defend her online yesterday, saying that her post was linked to supporting a campaign to raise money for Canadian victims of Flight 752. The attack on Jessica is another example of the ongoing social media war between super-fans of Meghan and Kate, known as stans, who go to great lengths to defend their chosen favourite. Meghan Markle's best friend Jessica Mulroney, 38, has spoke out after her husband Ben, 45, defend her against militant Kate Middleton, 38, fans who accused her of throwing shade at the Duchess of Cambridge and her photographs of Holocaust survivors in a recent Instagram story (pictured l-r, Jessica, Ben and Meghan) Following Ben's defence, Jessica has now posted her own statement on Instagram, writing: 'As a proud Jewish woman with family links to the Holocaust, any insinuation that I would treat the anniversary of Auschwitz with anything but respect is shameful and uninformed.' The controversy unfolded when Jessica shared a video from the Canada Strong Campaign, set up by the founder of Paramount Foods, Mohamad Fakih, to raise funds for the families bereaved by Flight 752. Flight 752, a Ukrainian International Airlines Boeing 737, came down just minutes after take-off from Tehran, Iran, on January 8, killing 176 people including 63 Canadians. Jessica wrote: 'This is what matters. Helping families pick up the pieces after devastation. Mohamad Fakih is just about the best Canadian around. Jessica shared an Instagram story on the subject calling herself 'a proud Jewish woman' with links to the Holocaust, calling critics 'shameful and uninformed' Some Kate Middleton fans believed the Canadian stylist was criticising the Duchess for photographs with Holocaust survivors 'He is trying to raise money for the families who lost their loved ones on flight 752. Link in my bio to help him reach his goal. Please support. She accompanied it with an Instagram story that read: 'Pretty pictures are pretty pictures. Strive to use your platform for good and spread stories of incredible people striving to make this world a better place.' In response, one Kate fan wrote: 'This was Jessica Mulroney's IG post today after the Duchess of Cambridge's Holocaust photos were released. The vicious online rivalry between Meghan and Kate super-fans By Giulia Crouch for the Mail On Sunday Once, being a Royal super-fan meant building an enviable collection of commemorative plates, or perhaps at its extreme camping out overnight before any wedding and christening. But today the murky world of online super-fans is decidedly less wholesome. On Instagram, Twitter and across blogs there are two distinct and opposing tribes those who support Kate, and those who back Meghan. And never has their rivalry been more intense, or the insults more vicious. The news that Harry and Meghan were stepping down as senior Royals has caused widespread rejoicing among Kate's online champions who have been campaigning for 'Megxit' for some time. Meghan fans, meanwhile, are redoubling their efforts to flood the internet with positive praise for their idol, while portraying Kate as a creepy goody two shoes. The online super-fans, known as stans, are emboldened not just by anonymity but by the sheer volume of people who share their views. To be Royal super-fan now means not just wholehearted devotion to a single Duchess, but a vehement rejection of the other. Put simply, if you love Meghan, you must hate Kate and vice versa. The result is a vicious keyboard war on blogs and social media, with harmless banter escalating behind the scenes into cyberbullying, harassment and even death threats. Advertisement 'Jessica you should be ashamed. You constantly whine about being bullied, yet it turns out you are the bully.' Yesterday her husband Ben insisted an Instagram story was referring to efforts to raise money for Canadian families bereaved by Flight 752. Taking to Twitter, he wrote: 'Yesterday, my wife posted a call on her Instagram to raise funds/awareness for the families of the victims of Flight 752. Jessica was accused of throwing shade at the Duchess of Cambridge and her photographs of Holocaust survivors with an Instagram story earlier this week (pictured) Taking to Twitter yesterday, Ben defended his wife online, saying Jessica had been calling for funds and awareness for families of the victims of Flight 752 'It was accompanied by an Instagram story that conveyed that actions trump thoughts and prayers. Shame on anyone who has tried to twist it into anything else.' However despite her husband's insistence that it was to encourage more action, loyal fans of Kate's accused Jessica of throwing shade at the duchess' Holocaust Memorial Day project - which saw the royal photograph Nazi death camp survivors. One person wrote: 'Who believes that? She is Meghan Markle's lapdog, she was throwing obvious, nasty shade at Kate. There is the shame.' Some social media users had been highly critical of Jessica's Instagram story, accusing her of 'bullying' Kate Middletton Another said: 'Here is her IG story. Where does it mention action over thoughts and prayers? And why give anyone shade on how they choose to honour anything?' However, other Twitter users were keen to stick up for Jessica as they said her comment was in no way about Kate. 'This is absolutely nuts,' one person wrote. 'Why would Jessica share anything about Kate? These haters want validation so bad. Jessica should start reporting and blocking them instead of giving them the attention they crave.' THE HAGUE (Reuters) - A Dutch district court on Wednesday threw out a case alleging war crimes against former Israeli Armed Forces chief Benny Gantz brought by a Dutch Palestinian who lost six relatives in an Israeli air strike on Gaza in 2014, saying it did not have jurisdiction. The civil case for damages was filed referring to universal jurisdiction rules by claimant Ismail Ziada. Judicial authorities in countries that recognize universal jurisdiction for serious offences such as war crimes and torture can investigate and prosecute those crimes no matter where they were committed. "A Dutch judge is not competent to rule on the case of the claimant," presiding Judge Larisa Alwin said, explaining that universal jurisdiction could be applied for individual criminal responsibility but not in a civil case. In civil cases in national courts, Gantz enjoys immunity from prosecution due to his government function at the time of the alleged crimes, Alwin said. A career soldier, Gantz was chief of staff of the Israeli armed forces from 2011 until his retirement in 2015. He was commander during the 2014 war against Palestinian militants in Palestinian-run Gaza, when the incident took place. About 2,200 Palestinians are estimated to have been killed, up to 1,500 of them civilians during the conflict. On the Israeli side, 67 soldiers were killed and five civilians. During the June 2014 air strike that Ziada was trying to claim damages for, his family's home in the Gaza strip was bombed. He lost his mother, three brothers, a sister-in-law and his 12-year old nephew in the blast. Besides Gantz, he also sought the possibility of getting damages from the former commander of the Israeli air force, Amir Eshel. Ziada told reporters he was very disappointed with the verdict but said he would fight on. "Israel still enjoys impunity, everybody sees that and then the only opportunity to get justice is denied. This is unacceptable to me," he said. Story continues He is expected to appeal but said he would study the ruling before making a final decision. Gantz is the main rival facing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an election in Israel on March 2, Israels third in less than a year after inconclusive ballots in April and September. (Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg; Writing by Anthony Deutsch; Editing by Angus MacSwan) The billionaire owner of Victoria's Secret is set to sell the controversial brand and step aside from his retail empire. Leslie Wexner, 82, has been chief executive of the lingerie giant's parent company L Brands for 57 years. But Victoria's Secret has struggled in the era of #MeToo amid claims its marketing is over-sexualised. Out of touch: Victoria's Secret models at a New York Fashion show. The lingerie-maker has struggled in the era of #MeToo amid claims its marketing is over-sexualised It has also faced competition from the likes of Savage X Fenty, owned by pop star Rihanna. Like-for-like sales at Victoria's Secret fell 12 per cent in the nine weeks to January 4, while group sales fell 3 per cent. The brand has also been accused of being out of date for using scantily-clad models to market itself. It cancelled its annual fashion show last year amid declining ratings and a huge public backlash. The show once drew in millions of viewers each year and was projected on to screens in New York's Times Square, but it was increasingly branded sexist. Wexner could stand down as chief executive but may stay as chairman. Shares jumped 12 per cent to $23.10, boosting the value of the tycoon's 17 per cent holding by 90million to 840million. We dont know when humans first took to the sea, nor can historians state with absolute confidence the first vessel to sail the deep waters. By 1000 BCE however, Austronesians in Island Southeast Asia were already engaging in regular maritime trade with China, South Asia and the Middle East. Maritime is considered one of the oldest industries on the planet, with those operating within it currently transitioning from tradition to technology in the pursuit of future growth. Singapore-based Amos Group is one such organisation, attempting to forge a new digitalised path through a reinvention of value chain processes. Founded in 1974, the business is listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX), operating as a marine transportation supplier with expertise in procurement, logistics and supply chain. Shipping and maritime, being one of the oldest businesses, has been very conservative in its value chain processes, said Quinny Lei, vice president of Group IT at Amos Group. Its a huge leap to bring the industry up to another level while business peers remain traditional. This also reflects the opportunity of first mover advantage and leading with technology innovation. The business appointed CFO Dan Tan Song Boon as CEO in August 2019, following the departure of Perry Kennedy. During his 16-month tenure, Kennedy led the expansion of Amos through the acquisition of industry peer Amos International Holdings (AIH) in October 2018, in addition to helping reduce total inventories, rightsizing Singapore properties and reducing debt. Aligned to a global blueprint, Dan Tan assumed overall responsibility for investing in a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) digital platform, alongside strengthening global customer network capabilities and driving facility modernisation across 12 international locations. Amos currently operates production, logistics and fulfilment centres across Asia, the Middle East and Europe. A new facility also recently opened in Hong Kong amid plans to expand existing capabilities in Johor, Malaysia. With ambitions to build a sturdy platform leveraging SAP technologies, in partnership with IBM, Lei said Amos is attempting to create a modern technology offering capable of enhancing shipping platform integration, designed with artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and robotic process automation (RPA) as anchor points. We are implementing our ERP platform with AI in place, explained Lei, recently recognised in the CIO50 in ASEAN. We have incorporated the design to learn customer spending patterns to enable our sales support team to quote faster and accurately, in order for us to secure greater win ratios in the tender process. In my opinion, AI and machine learning are the most disruptive technologies in the market today and have enormous influence in accelerating the business to the next level of digitalisation. Central to such efforts is optimising integration with ShipServ a UK-based marine and offshore online trading platform and search engine to increase efficiencies and speed of transactions when responding to user requests. Integrating with ShipServ has created economies of scale for Amos Group as it handles increase numbers of RFQs (requests for quotation) and transactions. The project will possess a direct integration link between the marketplace portal and internal ERP systems to streamline processing times and support business growth. Alongside AI and machine learning elements, hybrid cloud technologies have also been maximised to support package flows while achieving higher conversion rates. We measure the level of success in the adoption of technologies through customer experience and capabilities to enable business growth, Lei added. We have close ties with our customers and are constantly seeking valuable feedback and look for areas of improvement through collaboration and partnership. We have seen receptiveness by customers following the integrations we put in place, which are designed to create the connectivity of streaming the business and enhancing response times. Using IoT [internet of things], such as mobile and scanners, to carry out electronic proof-of-delivery for customers has also seen improvement through paperless interaction. Alongside prioritising the completion of the ERP roll-out, Lei said key priorities in 2020 centre around synchronising network forest architecture and implementing SD-WAN capabilities. Furthermore, the business is tapping into RPA solutions to reduce repetition and manpower activities through RFQ processes. Digital innovation should not be seen as cost, Lei added. It is creating a leeway for revenue growth and without such initiatives, businesses soon perish. A company who can stay afloat 15 years ago may not be sustained if it stops innovating. The drive comes from not just customer experience but also employee experience, with technology enabling employee talent and retention. Our business leaders no longer need to be convinced to innovate through technology. Modern-day responsibilities Reporting into the CEO, Lei runs the global IT office comprising five core technology pillars: enterprise application; IT security, network and infrastructure; operations; e-commerce, and the companys Centre of Excellence. Prior to Lei joining the business in June 2018, IT was structured as two teams operating two separate divisions. My role involved reorganising the department, starting with rewriting and communicating new job descriptions to each team member, Lei said. I was tasked with growing the workforce talent and evaluating a one source of truth platform for the business. This ran on nine different applications, two different domains and two different email platforms. Furthermore, Lei was charged with driving the unification of network and infrastructure operations, as well as writing and implementing IT policies within the business. Building a Centre of Excellence was also an agenda item, alongside introducing IT audits, hardware standardisation, SLA (service-level agreement) implementation and ecosystem security enhancements. I view challenges as opportunities and the biggest opportunity for CIOs today is perhaps around data security and protection, she said. Data breaches are viewed as one of the leading technology threats and we must not let it slip through our eyes. The more we try to secure, the more potential there is of becoming penetrated, which is especially the case in an industry hosting sensitive information. Fast forward to today and Lei is balancing keeping the lights on with innovating through digitalisation and customer experience. This is a partnership with the business, she said. CIOs need to be well informed, passionate about technologies and the beauty of innovation. CIOs today no longer sit in the office and run the IT, we are outgoing and exchange stories with peers. Senators have a second day to question House managers and defence who argued for and against Trumps removal. The impeachment trial of US President Donald Trump moved into its second day of senator questions on Thursday, nearing the end of the initial phase of the proceedings. On Wednesday, Republican and Democratic senators, alternating in submitting their written questions that were read aloud by presiding officer Chief Justice John Roberts, attempted to challenge or support the narratives presented over the previous six days of arguments by House managers and the presidents lawyers. During Wednesdays questioning, Trumps lawyers, in one particularly noteworthy response, argued that even if Trump had withheld aid from Ukraine in exchange for investigations into his rivals, he should still not be removed from office if he believed he was acting in the public interest in securing his re-election. Meanwhile, Democrats largely focused their time on rebutting the claims made in the defences case, while stressing the need for more documents and evidence in the trial. The proceedings will move next, likely on Friday, into the much-anticipated debate over whether more evidence including subpoenaing witnesses and documents will be permitted. That debate has grown more fraught in recent days, with reported revelations in a draft book by former National Security Advisor John Bolton further stoking Democrats calls for him to testify. As the trial moves into the second day of the question and answer portion, here are all the latest updates as of Thursday, January 30: Republican Alexander will not vote for witnesses Key Republican Lamar Alexander will not vote for witnesses, he announced on Twitter. I worked with other senators to make sure that we have the right to ask for more documents and witnesses, but there is no need for more evidence to prove something that has already been proven and that does not meet the U.S. Constitutions high bar for an impeachable offense, Alexander said on Twitter. There is no need for more evidence to conclude that the president withheld United States aid, at least in part, to pressure Ukraine to investigate the Bidens; the House managers have proved this with what they call a mountain of overwhelming evidence.' he added. There is no need for more evidence to conclude that the president withheld United States aid, at least in part, to pressure Ukraine to investigate the Bidens; the House managers have proved this with what they call a mountain of overwhelming evidence. 3/15 Sen. Lamar Alexander (@SenAlexander) January 31, 2020 Alexander was seen as a possible swing vote on the question of witnesses. Republican Senator Collins to vote for witnesses Republican Senator Susan Collins said in a statement she will vote to allow witnesses. I believe hearing from certain witnesses would give each side the opportunity to more fully and fairly make their case, resolve any ambiguities, and provide additional clarity, Collins said in a statement posted on Twitter. I will vote in support of the motion to allow witnesses and documents to be subpoenaed. My full statement: https://t.co/VuhZv6CO5e pic.twitter.com/LhQlnvPaoc Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) January 31, 2020 Key Republican to issue statement soon on decision on witnesses Republican Senator Lamar Alexander said he will issue a statement soon on his decision on how he will vote on the question of witnesses. Alexander is seen as a key swing vote on witnesses. Question time ends The Senate has adjourned for the night. It will reconvene at 1pm (18GMT) for four hours of debate before the question of witnesses will be settled. Trump calls impeachment a happy period for us Trump in Iowa slammed Democrats for his impeachment, but said: This is a happy period for us. We call this impeachment light. Crazy Schiff Shifty Schiff. But you know what? Today I hit my highest poll numbers since I got elected. The American people, and frankly people around the world, know it is a hoax. Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa [Leah Millis/Reuters] Key Republican senator says he will announce witness vote on Thursday A key Republican Washington is looking to in the battle over witnesses said he will announce his decision over whether to call witnesses after the Senate ends its Thursday session. Im going to make my decision after the last question tonight, he told CNN, adding that he planned on making an announcement on what he decides on Thursday night. Trump in Iowa rails against Democratic rivals Trump lashed out at his top Democratic presidential rivals, taking his fight to the first-in-the-nation caucus state of Iowa and the crucial battleground state of Michigan. With Democrats set to hold their nominating battle on Monday, Trump slammed former Vice President Joe Biden for his small campaign crowds, mocked Bernie Sanders as crazy Bernie and ragged on Pete Buttigieg for his difficult-to-pronounce last name. He also rehashed old grievances and digs at his 2016 Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, but said the current field of Democratic contenders offers him stiffer competition than the former secretary of state. Supporters of Trump react during a campaign rally at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa [Leah Millis/Reuters] During this campaign season, the good people of Iowa have had a front-row seat to the lunacy and the madness of the totally sick left, Trump said. I think Im the smartest person, he said. Republican suggests she may vote for more impeachment witnesses Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski suggested she may break with her party and vote in favour of calling additional witnesses, including former NSA John Bolton, in the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump. This dispute about material facts weighs in favour of calling additional witnesses with direct knowledge. Why should this body not call Ambassador [John] Bolton? Murkowski asked in a question for the presidents lawyers read aloud by Supreme Court Justice John Roberts, who is presiding over the proceedings. And we are back Senators are resuming questioning. If they take the full time, expect the session to go for nearly three more hours. The Capitol building in Washington, DC [J Scott Applewhite/AP Photo] Key questions asked during Trumps impeachment trial Heres a look at some of Thursdays more notable exchanges: Democratic Senators Sherrod Brown and Ron Wyden: If President Trump remains in office, what signal does that send to other countries intent on interfering with our election in the future and what might we expect from those countries and the president? The question came in response to an argument a night earlier from deputy White House counsel Patrick Philbin, who said foreign involvement in an election is not by itself illegal if it is simply bringing to light credible information about a candidate for office. Those comments instantly angered Democrats, and Thursdays question from the senators pointedly noted that FBI Director Chris Wray has said anyone with information about foreign election interference should immediately contact law enforcement. Representative Hakeem Jeffries, a House impeachment manager, said he was shocked by Philbins suggestion that there could be scenarios in which it was acceptable to receive dirt on an opponent from a foreign national. This is not a banana republic. Its the democratic republic of the United States of America. Its wrong, Jeffries said. Republican Senators Mike Braun and John Barrasso: The House managers said the country must be saved from the president and he does not have the best interests of the American people and their families in mind. Do you wish to respond to that claim? The question was part of a long-running effort by Republicans to paint the impeachment as a partisan effort to remove the president rather than a fact-finding mission. It provoked an animated sometimes snide defence of the president from Trumps lawyer Eric Herschmann, who rattled off a series of what he said were the administrations accomplishments, including the killing by the US military last fall of ISIL (ISIS) founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. If all that is solely, solely in their words, for his personal and political gain and not in the best interest of the American people, then I say, God bless him, Herschmann said. Keep doing it. Keep doing it. Keep doing it. If House managers stop harassing him and his aides with letters and investigations, Herschmann added, maybe we can get even more done. Republican Senators Susan Collins, Marco Rubio, Mike Crapo and Roy Blunt: Are there legitimate circumstances under which a president could request a foreign country to investigate a US citizen, including a political rival, who is not under investigation by the US government? If so, what are they and how do they apply to the present case? Any question from Collins is important because she is among the Republicans whose perspective on both witnesses and acquittal are being closely watched for clues. In this question, she appears to be grappling with whether there are instances in which conduct similar to Trumps who asked Ukraines leader to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden and his son might be reasonable. Representative Adam Schiff, the lead House impeachment prosecutor, said he could not imagine such a circumstance. The president, Schiff said, has affirmatively and aggressively sought to investigate his rivals. Philbin contended that Trump did not specifically ask Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a general investigation into the Bidens, but instead to look into the firing of a Ukraine prosecutor at the same time that Hunter Biden served on the board of a Ukraine gas company. He said it could be perfectly legitimate to seek an investigation overseas into someone suspected of violating the laws of that country. Republican Senators Krysten Sinema, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins and Democratic Senator Joe Manchin: Will the president assure the American public that private citizens will not be directed to conduct American foreign policy or national security policy unless they have been specifically and formally designated by the president and the State Department to do so? The lead-up to the question referenced the Logan Act, an obscure and virtually dormant law that prohibits private citizens from negotiating without authorisation with foreign powers. The question posed by senators of both parties also made an oblique but unmistakable reference to Rudy Giuliani, the residents personal lawyer and a central figure in the impeachment saga for his efforts to press Ukraine for the investigations the president wanted and for the removal of the US ambassador to Ukraine. Philbin took exception to the question, saying there was no conduct of foreign policy being carried on here by a private person. Giulianis outreach to Ukraine was not formal foreign policy, Philbin argued. And in any event, he said, presidents since George Washington have relied on confidants and others outside their administration to carry messages to other countries and to function as a go-between. Dinner break The Senate is on a 45-minute dinner break. When senators come back, they will have two hours and 53 minutes left for questions. Second video shows Trump with former Ukraine fixer Lev Parnas A secretly recorded video released on Thursday shows Trump associating with Lev Parnas, the indicted businessman who says he worked to pressure Ukraine to investigate one of Trumps Democratic political rivals. It is the second such tape to emerge in a week and would appear to undercut Trumps claim that he does not know Parnas, a former associate of Rudy Giuliani, Trumps personal lawyer, who now faces federal campaign-finance charges. The two recordings show that the Republican president was at private events with Parnas twice in just 10 days in 2018. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Schiff proposes limiting witness testimony Facing a looming battle over whether witnesses should be called, lead House manager Adam Schiff proposed limiting the depositions of any witnesses to one week. Republican leaders have warned those within their party that if witnesses are called the trial could lead to a lengthy process. Trump heads to Midwest before Mondays Iowa caucuses Trump is serving up counterprogramming to his impeachment trial on Thursday by promoting his new trade deal and rallying supporters in two Midwestern states that he views as crucial to his re-election. Trump addressed workers at a manufacturing plant in Michigan to celebrate the new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico that he signed into law a day earlier. From there, he was headed to Iowa for a campaign rally in Des Moines before Mondays first-in-the-nation caucuses. But during his visit to Dana Industries in Warren, Michigan, one of the largest US-based suppliers to vehicle manufacturers, Trump could not hide his anger over the impeachment trial. He complained that the Senate trial was overshadowing the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The USMCA is the fairest, most balanced trade agreement weve ever signed into law, Trump said. What do they do? They impeach you. And were back Expect Thursdays session to go well into the night. Senators take brief recess The trial will resume at 4pm (21 GMT). Democratic senators ask who is paying Giuliani Democratic Senators Tammy Duckworth, Jack Reed and Kamala Harris asked both the House managers and the defence who is paying Giulianis international travel, legal fees or other expenses. The short answer to the question is, I dont know whos paying Rudy Giulianis fees, lead House manager Adam Schiff said, adding, but if other clients are paying and subsidising his work in that respect, it raises profound questions. 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] Trumps lawyer Jay Sekulow, for his part, referenced Hunter Biden sitting of the board of a Ukrainian gas company while his father oversaw the fight against corruption in the country. And youre concerned about what Rudy Giuliani, the presidents lawyer, was doing when he was over trying to determine what was going on in Ukraine? Sekulow said. Braun: Republicans discussed possibility of 50-50 tie Republicans have discussed what happens in the event of a 50-50 tie in motions voted on in the Senate impeachment, particularly whether new evidence will be allowed, Senator Mike Braun told reporters on Thursday. Theres a lot of uncertainty in terms of what happens with the presiding officer, said Braun. Because Chief Justice John Roberts is constitutionally mandated to preside over a presidential impeachment, he theoretically, like the vice president who fills the role in regular Senate proceedings, has the power to break a vote tie. However, the chief justice could not vote and the motion would not pass, as it would fail to meet the simple majority of 51 votes. Republicans currently hold 53 seats in the 100-seat chamber. Report: Nadler says it might be good idea for House to subpoena Bolton if testimony not permitted in Senate The head of the US House Judiciary Committee has said it might be a good idea for the House of Representatives to subpoena former NSA John Bolton if the Senate does not call him as an impeachment trial witness, CNN reported. If tomorrows vote fails, they will not permit him or anyone else to testify. I expect hell talk publicly and we will see, panel chairman Jerrold Nadler said on Thursday, according to a CNN reporter on Twitter. Asked if he thought it would be a good idea for the House to subpoena him, Nadler said, That might be. Revelations in a draft of former National Security Advisor John Bolton book have renewed calls for him to testify [File: Luis M Alvarez/The Associated Press] Dershowitz challenges critics to a town hall debate President Trumps defence lawyer Alan Dershowitz, whose controversial argument on Wednesday has been widely pilloried, challenged critics to a townhall-style debate. Dershowitz, tweeting during Thursdays proceedings, said: I challenge my critics especially those who are deliberately misinterpreting my arguments to a Lincoln/Douglas-type town hall debate in which name-calling is prohibited and intellectual arguments must be responded to with other intellectual arguments. I challenge my critics especially those who are deliberately misinterpreting my arguments to a Lincoln/Douglas-type town hall debate in which name calling is prohibited and intellectual arguments must be responded to with other intellectual arguments. (MTC) Alan Dershowitz (@AlanDersh) January 30, 2020 Dershowitz had argued on Wednesday that a president could not be impeached for how they try to secure re-election if they thought that their re-election was in the public interest. On Thursday, he accused the media of the intentionally misinterpreting his statements, and said he was actually arguing that a president could not be impeached if the motives behind their action included both the service of public interest and their re-election interests. He said that a president could be impeached if they committed a crime or an impeachable act But a lawful act holding up funds, sending troops to vote, braking a promise about Syria does not become unlawful or impeachable if done with a mixed motive of both promoting the public interest and helping his Re-election. Trumps defence argues withholding requested witnesses not a sign of guilt Trumps defence lawyer Patrick Philbin said that House managers suggesting that the presidents categorical refusal to provide documents and witnesses from his administration during the House impeachment inquiry indicates guilt is contrary to the very spirit of our American justice system. Philbin said Trump using constitutionally grounded prerogatives of his office is within his rights, and refusing to waive those rights cannot be interpreted as guilt. Democrats not answering questions about whistle-blower: White House The White House, in a tweet, said there are many questions and concerns about the alleged whistleblower and potential conflicts of interest. Democrats arent answering any of them, the tweet continued. There are many questions and concerns about the alleged whistleblower and potential conflicts of interest. Democrats aren't answering any of them. pic.twitter.com/KLN3KmqZpO The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 30, 2020 Chief justice declines to read Pauls question Chief Justice John Roberts has declined to read Republican Senator Rand Pauls question. On Wednesday, Pauls question was rejected because it named the whistle-blower whose complaint led to the House inquiry. My question today is about whether or not individuals who were holdovers from the Obama National Security Council and Democrat partisans conspired with Schiff staffers to plot impeaching the President before there were formal House impeachment proceedings. Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) January 30, 2020 Why didnt the House reissue subpoenas after it passed the impeachment resolution? The question and answer portion has restarted, with Democratic Senator Patty Murray asking the House managers: Why didnt the House reissue subpoenas after it passed the impeachment resolution? Paul to push for his question to be read Republican Senator Rand Paul is expected to push for his question which named the whistle-blower whose complaint launched the investigation to be read during the Senate trial on Thursday, the New York Times reported. Pauls question had previously been rejected on Wednesday. Senator Paul believes it is crucial the American people get the full story on what started the Democrats push to impeach President Donald Trump, as reports have indicated Obama appointees at the National Security Council may have discussed organizing an impeachment process in advance of the whistle-blower complaint, Pauls office said in the statement, the newspaper reported. Senator Rand Paul has pushed for a question that would out the whistle-blower [File: Jacquelyn Martin/The Associated Press] Pelosi: Trump will not be acquitted if no witnesses are called in Senate trial Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, in her weekly news conference, has said President Donald Trumps acquittal would be meaningless if no new witnesses or documents are presented in the trial. He will not be acquitted, Pelosi said. You cannot be acquitted if you dont have a trial, and you dont have a trial if you dont have witnesses and documentation and that. McConnell says in regards to a vote on impeachment on Friday: We will see what tomorrow brings When asked on Thursday if a vote on acquitting the president could happen on Friday, according to ABC News, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said: We will see what tomorrow brings. A vote on whether new evidence will be submitted is expected for Friday. If it does not pass, many Republicans have expressed the desire to end the trial quickly. Two Republican sources told the news network that McConnell has indicated he has the votes to strike down a motion to introduce witnesses. Schumer says he didnt take Dershowitzs class at Harvard Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Harvard Law School graduate, took a shot at Trumps defence lawyer Alan Dershowitz, a professor emeritus of law at the prestigious college, before the 10th day of the impeachment trial. When asked during a news conference if Schumer took Dershowitzs class, he responded: No. Thats why my arguments are cogent. Boltons manuscript is in the same desk drawer as the presidents tax returns Democratic Senator Richard Durbin raised scepticism over the National Security Councils claim that Boltons draft book contains classified information and may not be published in its current form. Durbin said he feared John Boltons manuscript is in the same desk drawer as the presidents tax returns. The president, despite prior promises, has never released his tax returns. Dershowitz backtracks on impeachment trial statements Trump lawyer Alan Dershowitz has backtracked on an argument he made on Wednesday that a president cannot be impeached if they believed they were acting in the public interest to secure their re-election. On Wednesday, Dershowitz said: Every public official that I know believes that his election is in the public interest. And mostly youre right. Your election is in the public interest. And if a president did something that he believes will help him get elected, in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment. I did not say or imply that a candidate could do anything to reassure his reelection, only that seeking help in an election is not necessarily corrupt, citing the Lincoln and Obama examples. Critics have an obligation to respond to what I said, not to create straw men to attack. Alan Dershowitz (@AlanDersh) January 30, 2020 On Thursday, in a tweet, he said: I did not say or imply that a candidate could do anything to reassure his reelection, only that seeking help in an election is not necessarily corrupt, citing the Lincoln and Obama examples. Critics have an obligation to respond to what I said, not to create straw men to attack. Trump resumes attacks on Schiff Trump resumed attacks on the House manager leading the case for his removal from office. On Thursday, before the 10th day of the impeachment trial, Trump, after quoting the Fox News programme Fox and Friends, said Schiffs home district is in terrible shape. He went on to call Schiff a corrupt pol and mentally deranged. Schiff blasted for not focusing on California homeless. @foxandfriends His District is in terrible shape. He is a corrupt pol who only dreams of the Impeachment Hoax. In my opinion he is mentally deranged! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 30, 2020 Former federal prosecutor calls Dershowitz argument outrageous An argument made by defence lawyer Alan Dershowitz that a president cannot be impeached if they commit misdeeds in order to gain re-election if they believe they are acting in the public interest is outrageous, a former federal prosecutor told Al Jazeera. As Representative Adam Schiff responded, it just cant be the case that a president can solicit assistance from a foreign government as long as it helps him politically, Barb McQuade, a former federal prosecutor and law professor at the University of Michigan, told Al Jazeera on Thursday responding to Dershowitz comments from the day prior. Senator Lisa Murkowski has said she will vote no on witnesses [File: Patrick Semansky/The Associated Press] While McQuade said many senators on Wednesday were merely tossing softballs to their own side to give them an opportunity to make arguments favourable to their position, she said some key senators appear to be using the questions portion to make up their mind. Senators [Lisa] Murkowski and [Susan] Collins asked if Trump ever showed any interest in corruption in Ukraine before Joe Biden announced his candidacy for president. Senator Romney asked the date Trump ordered the freeze on military aid, perhaps trying to understand his motive, she said of three Republican senators considered possible swing votes. On Thursday, I will be looking for more questions from these three senators that indicate a genuine interest in understanding the case and deciding whether to remove the president from office, she said. All eyes on a few Republican senators With a vote on whether or not new evidence including subpoenaing witnesses and documents is expected for Friday, attention has turned to just a few Republicans who could possibly break from party ranks and give Democrats the majority they need. Such a move would likely draw the ire of restless colleagues who want the lengthy proceeding to come to an end. That end would likely be swift if no new information is allowed in the trial, as a very unlikely two-thirds majority vote is needed to remove the president from office. To date, only Republican Senator Mitt Romney has said he wants to hear from former National Security Advisor Bolton in light of revelations reported earlier this week. Several other Republicans are considered open to more witnesses including Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Lamar Alexander. On Wednesday, two closely-watched senators, Martha McSally and Cory Gardner, Republicans facing re-election in swing states, said they would not vote for more witnesses. I have heard enough. It is time to vote. Martha McSally (@SenMcSallyAZ) January 30, 2020 Who is Trumps defence team? Read more about the key senators in the trial here. Who are the House managers? Seven House managers presented the case for Trumps removal from office and spent Wednesday fielding senators questions. What happened on Wednesday? In a striking shift from President Trumps claim of perfect dealings with Ukraine, his defence asserted on Wednesday that a trade of US military aid for political favours even if proven could not be grounds for his impeachment. Trumps defence lawyer Alan Dershowitz told senators that every politician conflates his own interest with the public interest. If Trump thought working to secure his re-election was in the public interest: It cannot be impeachable, he said. Meanwhile, Democrats pressed hard to force the Senate to call more witnesses to testify, but new revelations from former National Security Advisor Bolton were countered by the presidents lawyers, who used Wednesdays unusual question-and-answer session to warn off prolonging the proceeding, insisting senators have heard enough. Read more about what happened here. This artist sketch depicts White House counsel Pat Cipollone speaking in the Senate chamber during the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump [File: Dana Verkouteren/AP Photo] Catch up on what happened since the start of the trial? As the tenth of the impeachment trial begins, catch up on what has happened over the last two weeks. The trial officially began with a ceremonial start on January 16 that saw the swearing-in of Chief Justice Roberts, who is presiding over the proceedings, and the 100 members of the Senate. The next week began with nearly 12 hours of debate culminating in senators voting along partisan lines to approve Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells rules resolution. Meanwhile, 11 amendments introduced by Democrats were blocked. Read more about that day here. The Democratic House managers then presented their arguments for three days on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, followed by Trumps defence arguments Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 22:22:38|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close RAMALLAH, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas threatened on Thursday to quit all peace agreements with Israel if Israel annexes the West Bank territories, two days after the U.S. peace plan was announced, a Palestinian official said. Abbas issued the warning in a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mahmoud Aloul, deputy chairman of Abbas' Fatah Party, told reporters. "The letter highlighted the Palestinian rejection of the American Deal of the Century," said Aloul, adding the Palestinian Authority hasn't informed Israel of freezing the bilateral security cooperation yet. Earlier in the day, Israeli Public Radio reported that Abbas' "strongly worded" letter to Netanyahu noted the U.S. deal "annuls Oslo accords signed between Israelis and Palestinians in 1993." The Palestinians will have the right to withdraw from all the signed agreements including the bilateral security cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, Abbas said in the letter. Hussein al-Sheikh, a member of Fatah party's central committee, handed over the letter to the Israeli side, adding Abbas will call on the Palestinians to join popular protests against the deal, according to the radio report. Meanwhile, Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, also said the U.S. deal "has practically ended Oslo peace accords." "It's time to redefine the relationship with Israel on all levels, including security, military, political, legal and economic levels," she noted. S Lalitha By Express News Service BENGALURU: Even as GoAir and Spicejet on Wednesday joined Air India and IndiGo in banning comedian Kunal Kamra for heckling television anchor Arnab Goswami, it appears that the major initiative by aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to create a national No-Fly list to deter unruly flyers has not been very fruitful. The rules for this list were notified on September 8, 2017. Over two years down the line, but only one Mumbai-based jeweller has been listed under it, said a highly placed aviation source. Kamra is a potential candidate for becoming the second flyer to make it to the notorious list, he added. The DGCA created this list as an aftermath of the physical assault on an elderly employee of Air India by a Shiv Sena MP over seat allocation issues. The rules fall under the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) Section 3, Air Transport Series M Part VI. The only one on the list, Birju Kishore Salla (37), a multi-millionaire who was on a Mumbai-Delhi Jet Airways flight, earned notoriety by writing a false note on hijackers and bomb in the cargo area of the flight forcing an emergency landing of the plane at Ahmedabad airport, he explained. The note had also asked for flight to be flown to Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. The then Civil Aviation Minister recommended Sallas name be put on the list. Sallas reasons were romantic as he wanted his girlfriend who works for Jet Airways in Delhi to return to Mumbai and hoped this episode would force Jet to shut shop. CAR rules recognise three categories of unruly behaviour, with category three the harshest one and deals with issues affecting the safety of the aircraft and the individual faces a two-year ban from flying. With Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Suri calling upon airlines to ban him and the DGCA too backing Indigos six-month ban, Kamra is set to make it to the list. "Definitely not under the third category but he could make it to the first or second one," an airline source said. DGCA SAYS INDIGO ACTION AGAINST PASSENGER AS PER RULES The DGCA on Wednesday backed the stand taken by IndiGo in connection with passenger Kunal Kamra and asserted that it falls under the purview of rules prescribed by it. A decision on banning the passenger for six months will be taken by the DGCAs internal committee within 30 days and this would be binding on the airline, said an official statement. "Punishment for different types of unruly behaviour is also prescribed in CAR and the internal committee will have to adhere to it," the DGCA added. - Nelson Boateng, a businessman in Ghana has started using plastics as 'concrete' to build houses and roads - The founder and CEO of Nelplast Ghana Limited indicates that his motive is not to destroy cement businesses but to save the planet - He indicates many advantages that come with the use of plastic bricks apart from just saving the planet Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in A young and vibrant Ghanaian businessman by name Nelson Boateng has launched a business called Nelplast Ghana Limited which uses plastics as 'concrete' to build roads and houses. In a short documentary sighted by YEN.com.gh, the founder and CEO of Nelplast spoke about the relevance of his venture, saying it is not in any way meant to kill the cement businesses that exist. Nelson explains that his only motive is to make sure that the planet stops getting destroyed by the numerous plastic waste that is churned out on a daily basis. READ ALSO: Ghana Policeman feeds poor man on the streets with food bought with own money (Video) Watch the video documentary below: It is reported that Ghana generates about 22,000 tons of plastic waste on an annual basis and the greatest portion of this number just ends up in gutters, oceans and the environment. Given that plastics take about 500 years to start decomposing, it is crucial that something is done to put them into a commercial use before the entire planet gets 'chocked'. According to Nelson, the concrete producers in the country currently produce about 20,000 bricks a day but his company is able to do 1,500. READ ALSO: Top gym instructor dies hours after jokingly posting about death on Facebook Speaking about the advantages of using plastic bricks, the gentleman affirms that the plastic bricks do not only save the planet from waste pollution. He indicated that the plastic bricks do not grow algae if exposed to water as concrete bricks do. Also, they are strong, resilient to adverse weather conditions and lasts a lifetime. In other news, a Ghanaian policeman whose name has not been disclosed has been captured in a viral video exhibiting a profound act of kindness to a stranger who was lying half-dead on the street at Spintex Road. It is indicated that the policeman was on duty when he received a call to assist a caller at Community 19 in Spintex. Rushing to the scene together with his team, they found the man lying motionless. It is reported that many of the people who were around thought the man was dead. Enjoy reading our stories? Download YEN's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news! This is what makes 4-year-old Nii Omanye aka Kwame Nkrumah the smartest child in Ghana| #Yencomgh Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh How Books and Buckets program in Long Beach aims to keep kids away from gang violence BOSTON, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Block & Leviton LLP ( www.blockesq.com ), a securities litigation firm representing investors and whistleblowers nationwide, is investigating Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPR) and certain of its officers and directors for potential violations of federal securities laws. In December 2019, Spirit AeroSystems commenced a review of its accounting process compliance and determined that it did not comply with established accounting processes related to certain potential contingent liabilities. On January 30, 2019, Spirit AeroSystems announced resignations of both its Chief Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer for failure to comply with accounting rules on contingencies. On this news, the companys share price dropped more than 5% in early morning trading. If you have purchased or otherwise acquired Spirit AeroSystems securities and have questions about your legal rights, or possess information relevant to this investigation, you are encouraged to contact attorney Mark Delaney at (617) 398-5600, by email at mdelaney@blockesq.com , or by visiting https://shareholder.law/spr . Block & Leviton LLP was recently ranked 4th among securities litigation firms by ISS for recoveries in 2017. The firm represents many of the nation's largest institutional investors and numerous individual investors in securities litigation throughout the country. Indeed, its lawyers have recovered billions of dollars for its clients. This notice may constitute attorney advertising. CONTACT: Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he and Mahatma Gandhis assassin Nathuram Godse believe in same ideology. Nathuram Godse and Narendra Modi believe in the same ideology, there is no difference except Narendra Modi does not have guts to say he believes in Godse, Gandhi said while addessing a public meeting in his constituency Wayanad in Kerala. He drew the analogy on the Martyrs Day today, which is observed in honour of Mahatma Gandhi who was assassinated by Nathuram Godse on January 30, 1948. Nathuram Godse shot Mahatma Gandhi because he did not believe in himself, he loved no one, he cared for nobody, he believed in nobody and that is the same with our Prime Minister, he only loves himself, only believes in himself, Gandhi further said. He also attacked the government for clearing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA and its plans for a National Register of Citizens (NRC). CAA and NRC are not going to get jobs in India. The situation in Kashmir is not going to get jobs. Burning Assam is not going to get jobs for our youth, the Congress leader said. While there are rise in rape cases, unemployment is highest in last 45 years, youngsters cannot see a future, Indians are being made to prove that they are citizens of this country. Who is Narendra Modi to decide if I am Indian? Who has given him the license to decide who is Indian and who is not? I know I am an Indian & I do not have to prove it to anybody, said Gandhi. Before addressing the rally, he took part in the Save the Constitution March against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA. Accompanied by senior party leaders and Congress workers from the state, Gandhi began his march from the SKMJ High School road to the new bus stand at Kalpetta - a distance of two kilometres. Gandhi is in Wayanad on a two-day visit. He won the Lok Sabha elections from Wayanad, the second constituency he chose apart from the family stronghold of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh. Gandhi was defeated by BJPs Smriti Irani from Amethi. Congress in Kerala has been organising protest marches across the state against the CAA under the leadership of its MPs, MLAs and local leaders since the past few days. Standardized tests are not necessarily a reflection of how successful a student is, or can be, Westerns Interim President Martin Abraham said in October. We feel that the grade point average is a good indicator of a students academic ability as the GPA encompasses not just grades achieved on exams, but for projects, homework and more. Its a reflection of the work a student puts into his/her overall schoolwork in order to be successful. New Delhi, Jan 30 : Delhi AAP MLA and Waqf Board Chairman Amantullah Khan was booked by the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Wednesday for alleged financial discrepancies. ACB chief Arvind Deep said: " Irshad Qureshi, a resident of Azad Market area, lodged a complaint against Khan alleging misappropriation of Waqf Board's funds. Besides, some other serious allegations were also levelled against the AAP legislator." The complaint, a copy of which is with IANS, said: "The MLA and his henchmen have committed several economic discrepancies in the purchase of vehicles from the Waqf Board fund. In order to investigate these points extensively, the Delhi government's Anti Corruption Bureau registered a case against him." (Sanjeev Kumar Singh Chauhan can be contacted at sanjeev.c@ians.in) The Goa government on Thursday urged Union Health Ministry to install thermal scanners at the state's lone airport to detect suspected cases of the novel coronavirus, whose outbreak has been reported from China. Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said on Thursday he met Union health ministry officials and requested them to install scanners at the international airport in Dabolim, around 25km from here, where hundreds of domestic and foreign tourists arrive everyday. At present, screening is being done at various airports, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Cochin, Bengaluru and Hyderabad for passengers returning from China and Hong Kong. The minister said passengers arriving in Goa by cruise ships at Mormugao Port Trust harbour should also be screened. Rane said "around four people" who had travelled to either China or Hong Kong recently have been admitted in the isolation ward of the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) near here. Earlier this week, the first suspected case of the coronavirus was detected in the state. A foreigner, who had arrived in Goa from China, was kept under observation at the GMCH's isolation ward after he showed symptoms similar to the coronavirus infection. A thermal scanner checks the body temperature of a person and shows if he/she has symptoms of viral infections. The coronavirus is a large family of viruses that causes illnesses ranging from the common cold to acute respiratory syndromes, but the virus that has killed people in China is a novel strain and not seen before. Common symptoms of the novel coronavirus strain include respiratory symptoms 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.) The Congress on Thursday accused the BJP of "polarising" the Delhi assembly polls and said the firing incident at Jamia Milia Islamia is the live manifestation of the "spectre of hate and terror perpetrated by the NDA government" at the Centre. Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said the hate that assassinated Mahatma Gandhi is today mutilating the soul and the economy of India. "The manner in which an unknown person opened fire at Jamia Millia Islamia University is a result of this hatred, the atmosphere that's been created in this country in the last one month," he told reporters. "It is unfortunate that the hatred that killed the Father of the Nation- Mahatma Gandhi, is now prevalent in the power corridors of India," Tewari said. The senior Congress leader said what happened in Jamia Millia Islamia University a couple of hours ago, is "a live manifestation of this spectre of hate and terror which has been perpetrated across this country by the NDA-BJP government, especially since the end of the winter session of Parliament". Tewari said by looking at the kind of statements emanating out of the BJP leadership during its campaign for the Delhi assembly elections, it seems that they have even dropped the pretense of any civility. "The way campaigning for Delhi Assembly is happening and the statements coming from the BJP, they are fuelling this atmosphere of hatred. In a concerted way, responsible people are trying to polarise this country, especially Delhi," he said. "Such crass and naked communalism being perpetrated from the top most echelons of the BJP and this government cannot but be the most eloquent testimony to the manner in which they seek to reduce the social and political discourse in this country to the basest level," he said. The Congress spokesperson hoped that a proper investigation would be conducted into the incident. "Now is this a calibrated plan to polarise the entire country because the economy is in deep trouble and this government does not have a clue as to what it really needs to do with the direction of this nation or is it only specifically aimed at the Delhi Assembly polls," he said. "I think the jury will remain out in that for a couple of days but the fact remains that if somebody can actually in broad daylight with hundreds of people watching pull out a gun and with impunity try and go around shooting people, it is a reflection of an atmosphere which has been deliberately vitiated and nobody except the current NDA-BJP government is responsible for it," he said. Asked about the Election Commission banning Union Minister Anurag Thakur and BJP MP Parvesh Verma for their controversial remarks, Tewari said the poll panel acted in accordance with whatever it thought was the best course of action but, he added, this was "not co-incidental" as ministers in the Union government were adopting the "stridency". "The fact is that they have shed all vestige of even any civility in terms of the attempt to completely and absolutely communalize the Delhi elections. The question which people in Delhi need to ask themselves is that are they going to be misled by this very crass and completely vitiated campaign which tries to appeal to the most wild and basic instincts of a person or would they actually want a more forward looking, progressive, future oriented discourse to take place in this country," the Congress leader asked. "Thakur and Verma are only symptoms of the problem," he said. Tewari said it is only the Congress which is progressive. "The AAP is one big balloon which unfortunately has managed to try and convince people that they have done something for Delhi which they have not because if you look at it, the city on every benchmark has actually deteriorated over the past five years," he alleged. Tewari said the Congress was a tried-and-tested option and given a chance to serve the people of Delhi for 15 years. "If the people of Delhi do give the Congress party a chance again, I think the Congress Party would be able to do justice to the kind of development and governance that Delhi requires," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The jury in the trial of a man accused of the capital murder of Garda Adrian Donohoe has been shown a photograph of his gun still clipped into its holster while he lay on the ground, having died from a single shotgun blast. Detective Garda Eoin Conway told prosecuting counsel Lorcan Staines SC that he photographed the scene hours after Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe was shot dead in the car park of a credit union in Co Louth on January 25, 2013. A forensic tent had been set up around Det Gda Donohoe's body beside a Toyota Avensis, which the witness said was an unmarked garda car. The windows had been smashed and he photographed a spent shotgun cartridge nearby. Inside the tent was a Samsung mobile phone that had come free from its cover. He also took a photograph showing what he told the jury was Det Gda Donohoe's official firearm on his belt with the holster clipped. Det Gda Conway said he took photos of anything that gardai thought might be important, including cigarette butts, drinks cans and three sets of keys found on the ground in different places nearby. He also took photographs of three cars in the car park. One was a red Nissan Micra with the doors open. Another photograph showed a Mazda with the windows above all four doors smashed. Aaron Brady (28) from New Road, Crossmaglen, Co Armagh has pleaded not guilty to the capital murder of Det Gda Adrian Donohoe who was then a member of An Garda Siochana on active duty on January 25, 2013 at Lordship Credit Union, Bellurgan, Co Louth. Mr Brady has also pleaded not guilty to a charge of robbing approximately e7,000 in cash and assorted cheques on the same date and at the same location. Gareth Caldwell, a civilian major crime forensic adviser for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said he went to the scene of a "completely burnt out" vehicle on January 27, 2013. The vehicle was, he said, located a "considerable distance down a stone laneway" off the Cumson Road in Co Armagh. The witness identified a photograph taken of the burnt-out vehicle. Civilian scenes of crime investigator with the PSNI Fiona Doherty said she took possession of the vehicle on January 28 that year and put it into secure storage. She photographed it and anything that was recovered from it by investigators. Fire officers then removed the roof of the vehicle to allow investigators "excavate" the car by going through "every piece of debris" with a sieve to recover any piece of possible evidence. Under cross examination Ms Doherty told defence counsel Michael O'Higgins SC that crime scene investigators would "definitely" go to a house if they believed that the suspects in a crime had been to that house. Mr O'Higgins asked what would happen if the suspects said they were at a particular location at the time the offence of which they were suspected was committed. She said investigators would go there to try to "prove if they were there or weren't there". She agreed that if a suspect said they were laundering fuel at a particular location she would go to that location if requested. The witness was not aware of any request to go to an address on Concession Road in Armagh. The trial continues in front of Justice Michael White and a jury of eight men and seven women. The last round of negotiations, which is seeing an extension to a third day, is the latest bid to secure an agreement over the Ethiopian dam Talks are still ongoing between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia in Washington over Addis Ababa's Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), an informed source told Ahram Online on Thursday. The latest round of talks, which began on Tuesday and Wednesday and is seeing an extension to a third day, is the latest bid to secure an agreement on the dam, which has stirred months of conflict and an impasse in negotiations between Cairo and Addis Ababa. The last round of negotiations, sponsored by the US Treasury and the World Bank, aims to reach an agreement on rules regulating the filling and operation of the Ethiopian dam. It comes few weeks after Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan reached a preliminary consensus in a round held earlier this month in Washington ahead of a critical deadline to finalise an agreement on the disputed dam. Prior to Washington's latest round of talks, Khartoum hosted a consultative meeting of the technical and legal delegations from Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia on the GERD, where they determined some elements and key terms regarding a final agreement on the dam's operations, as well as the measures to be followed during times of drought, so as not to harm Egypt's water quotas. Tensions have been building between Egypt and Ethiopia in recent months after talks on the technical details governing the operation of the dam failed to make progress. Ethiopia hopes that the massive $4.8 billion project on the Blue Nile, which has been under construction since 2011, will allow it to become Africas largest power exporter. Search Keywords: Short link: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday directed the state Public Works Department to find an alternative route for the road proposed through the playground of iconic Baring Union Christian College in Batala. Taking note of the protests by students and local residents over the PWD proposal, the CM said the 140-year-old heritage building would not be allowed to be spoilt in any manner, a government release said. The chief minister said it was not in the interest of people of the region to allow the road through the college playground as the purpose could have been served easily by an alternative route. The CM said his government was totally committed to protecting interests of all people, including minorities, and would not undertake any initiative that would damage those interests. He directed the PWD to take into account the historic importance of buildings before initiating any development plans in future. Meanwhile, Congress MP Partap Bajwa, who had objected to the construction of road, thanked the CM for his intervention. The college building initially known as the Anarkali palace belonged to Maharaja Sher Singh. The institution was started by a missionary, Henry Francis Baring, in April 1878 as Baring Boys Boarding School. The school was converted into Baring Union Christian College on June 29, 1944. At the time of the Partition, the institution was the only Christian college in East Punjab. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) From flying cockroaches to nonvenomous snakes, San Antonio is home to a range of animals and insects that roam the city. While most avoid humans, some aren't always so shy just like the goat that was captured by San Antonio police in December at a busy intersection. She's remained candid about her battle with multiple sclerosis after going public with her diagnosis toward the end of 2018. And Selma Blair looked ready to put her cares aside if only for a moment to enjoy a cup of coffee in Studio City, California on Thursday morning. The 47-year-old actress kept things casual in a sweater and jeans ensemble while out and about in the San Fernando Valley. Dressed down: Selma Blair looked ready to put her cares aside if only for a moment to enjoy a cup of coffee in Studio City, California on Thursday morning The Cruel Intentions star sported a cream colored sweater over a black graphic tee while pounding the pavement. Selma wore a pair of thick frames over her eyes and showed off her classic style with a pair of black-and-white checkered vans. She carried a dark green Maison Goyard bag across her shoulder, which retailes upwards of $1,500. Walk this way: The 47-year-old actress kept things casual in a sweater and jeans ensemble while out and about in the San Fernando Valley Blair, who's mother to eight-year-old son Arthur with her fashion designer ex, Jason Bleick, showed off her shaggy, salt-and-pepper hair which she's been growing back since ending chemotherapy treatments. She recently announced the end of her relationship with British Beau David Lyons and began pursuing a new romance with an old flame, Ron Carlson. 'People come into our lives. And sometimes they go. Or you go. And you go on. And you try to put the pieces together in your mind to make sense of it,' she said on Instagram. Besties: Selma shares eight-year-old son Arthur with her fashion designer ex, Jason Bleick Blessed: She recently announced the end of her relationship with British Beau David Lyons and began pursuing a new romance with an old flame, Ron Carlson 'And sometimes, when you are ready, you may find that person again. Unexpectedly, loving them in ways you couldn't before. I have had really good people in my life. I am the luckiest woman. This is the person I want to lean on as well as hold up. For good. I love you @ronnniecarlson.' Selma bravely came forward in 2018 to reveal she had been diagnosed with the disease, in which the immune system attacks nerves in the body and creates difficulties with speaking and moving. And after previously battling an alcohol addiction, Selma who uses a cane for mobility was afraid people would think she had relapsed. 'I didn't want people to think that I was drunk, because I have a history of that. I'm sober and I'm so proud of that,' she said. 'So that's really the reason. I'd rather someone think, "Oh, she's going to be in a wheelchair," rather than that I'm up in the minibar.' When it comes to acceptance and LGBT Canadians, the race for leader of the Conservative Party of Canada is like a broken, erratic clock: one hand inches into the future while the other jumps back. Peter MacKay, Marilyn Gladu, and to a certain extent, Erin OToole, are candidates presently riding the forward moving hand. Social Conservatives Richard Decarie and Derek Sloan are riding the other hand into an ugly past. MacKay and Gladu revealed this month that they intend to walk in Torontos Pride Parade. (OToole will not walk unless uniformed police join him.) Meanwhile, Decarie and Sloan went on television to discuss what is on almost nobodys mind in the year 2020: whether or not being gay is a choice. You think thats a choice? CTV host Evan Solomon asked Decarie on TV last week. I think its a choice, Decarie said. I think government has a responsibility to encourage the traditional values we have had for the past years. Solomon posed the same question to Sloan who said no being gay is not a choice, in his opinion. Then came the caveat: But this is a complicated issue and I am not a scientist, he said. Im not a scientist either, Mr. Sloan, but Im pretty sure I can attest to the fact that its not all that complicated, because though I got a D in high school biology I have an A+ in firsthand lesbian experience. I did not choose my sexual orientation anymore than you chose yours. But even if I did, who cares? More specifically, even if I did choose to marry a woman when I could have been just as happy with a man (this is a hypothetical question; Id be miserable with a man), why should I have? In the aftermath of social conservative candidates outdated comments this month, it was extremely heartening to read condemning responses from reasonable voices within the CPC. Being gay is not a choice and nobody should be running for office on a platform to roll back hard-won rights, MacKay tweeted in response to Decarie. Whats frustrating though, is that because of people like Decarie, the current conversation around LGBT rights in Canada is centred not on acceptance of diverse identities but on the origin of and reason for those identities. Are people born gay or do they end up that way because they watch too much Ellen? Its a question that well-meaning people Lady Gaga among them tend to counter: Of course theyre born that way! But the truth is that we may not be. There is no fabled gay gene (at least not that we know of). Not everybody knows from the moment they hit puberty that they are queer. My wife, for example, was a seemingly contented heterosexual before we got together. She had meaningful relationships exclusively with men before we fell in love. She didnt have an oh no, Im gay existential crisis. This doesnt mean she chose to be attracted to women, but it does mean she chose to pursue that attraction rather than (as Decarie might prefer) suppress it. Its important to note that when social conservatives suggest there is a choice element to being gay, theyre not usually suggesting same-sex attraction is a choice. Theyre suggesting same-sex attraction can be successfully suppressed. That for example if youre a cisgender, bisexual or pansexual person, you can choose to strictly pursue members of the opposite sex and snuff out the part of yourself that desires someone of the same sex. But why should you have to? Choice is good in all things, romantic love among them. (What scares social conservatives more than fixed queer identities are unfixed ones. LGBT youth are increasingly rejecting labels.) The best way to respond to Decaries argument isnt to assert that being gay isnt a choice, but that it doesnt matter either way. The question itself is stupid and harmful. Whoever they are and however they got there, just let people be. To her credit, Conservative Party MP Michelle Rempel Garner made a statement in response to Decaries comments, in which she managed to condemn his ideas without legitimizing the choice question. I vehemently reject this message, she tweeted. I will not serve under someone whose leadership pitch is that someones sexuality is something to be fixed. I am full on tired of this type of shit defining the conservative movement in Canada. Giddy up, youre going to have to go through me. Way to go Michelle. Make that clock run on time. David Holmes, a senior diplomat at the embassy, testified in November that he overheard Trump on a phone call inquiring about the Biden investigations in an account that Trump publicly denied. Holmes also corroborated other officials claims that a White House meeting with Trump was contingent on a Ukraine investigation into Biden and the Ukrainian energy company his son used to work for. It was made clear that some action on a Burisma/Biden investigation was a precondition for an Oval Office meeting, Holmes said. By Ba Do January 30, 2020 | 12:47 am PT Visitors are stopped for temperature check at Cam Ranh Airport in Khanh Hoa Province, central Vietnam, January 13, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Xuan Ngoc. Residents from coronavirus-hit areas face visa restrictions as Vietnam aims to stamp out the viral outbreak. The Ministry of Public Security, which issued the request Wednesday, said the nCoV viral outbreak is significantly complicated by the fact that Vietnam shares a vast border with China, where the disease first broke out last December. Outbreaks have so far affected 30 out of 31 direct jurisdictions across China, including the epidemic epicenter, Wuhan, and major cities Beijing and Shanghai. The ministry required strict entry and exit control at all border gates, from land to air and sea, and including both people and goods. It specifically prohibited the import and transportation of wild animals to Vietnam and required strict medical quarantine. Also on Wednesday, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam suspended all flights to and from coronavirus-hit areas in China. The virus has spread from mainland China to Hong Kong, Macao, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan, Australia, the U.S., South Korea, France, Germany, Canada, Vietnam, UAE, Nepal, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, India and the Philippines. Chinese authorities said 170 people had died of the disease as of Thursday morning. The number of confirmed infections has topped 7,700. No Vietnamese has contracted the virus yet, with the two confirmed victims being Chinese nationals. The government has deployed various measures to combat the virus, including keeping out tourists from Chinas epidemic-hit areas and quarantining Chinese workers returning to Vietnam after Tet. New coronavirus fears have prompted Vietnam's top destinations Da Nang, Khanh Hoa and Lao Cai to turn their backs on Chinese visitors, a mainstay for all. As of Wednesday Vietnam reported 97 suspected cases with signs of fever and coughing, all from affected areas. Of these, 32 are in quarantine pending test results. Greece wants to install a floating barrier to stop refugees and migrants from reaching its shores, government officials have said. The 1.7-mile fence is expected to be set up in the Aegean Sea off the Greek island of Lesbos within the next three months after a private contractor is found to build it. A resurgence in the number of migrants and refugees arriving by sea to Lesbos and other eastern Greek islands through Turkey has caused severe overcrowding at refugee camps. The net-like barrier will rise 50cm above water and carry flashing lights to make it visible at night, according to a government document inviting vendors to bid for the contract. The defence ministry estimates it will cost 500,000 (423,000), which includes four years of maintenance. The depth of the refugee crisis across the world Show all 20 1 /20 The depth of the refugee crisis across the world The depth of the refugee crisis across the world Mexico A mother washes her baby as she waits for her fast-track humanitarian visa at the Mexico-Guatemala border in Ciudad Hidalgo. Unicef/Bindra The depth of the refugee crisis across the world Uganda Refugee children and youngsters from host communities play at a park in Palabek Refugee settlement, during the mid-morning break. This facility is supported by Unicef with EU financial assistance it also provides psychosocial support to refugee children as well as a place to play, learn, interact, sing and dance after all the traumatic experiences they may have gone through. Unicef/Nabatanzi The depth of the refugee crisis across the world Jordan Ali, two, rests on his fathers chest. His family are Syrian refugees and came to Jordan six years ago. Ali has just received his winter clothing kit from Unicef and its partner Mateen. Unicef/Herwig The depth of the refugee crisis across the world Bangladesh Children enjoy a ride on a homemade ferris wheel during Eid al-Ftr in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. They are celebrating the holiday in Balukhali, a Rohingya refugee camp sheltering over 800,000 people. The camp is one of the largest in the world, and is bracing for the onset of the monsoon rains. Unicef/Modola The depth of the refugee crisis across the world Colombia Yulis Rivas, three, draws a picture of her parents in a Friendly Space in Cucuta, where Unicef provides learning activities for migrant children and parents from Venezuela. Unicef/Arcos The depth of the refugee crisis across the world Greece A young girl holds her doll in front of her tent at the refugee camp in Moria, on the Greek island of Lesbos. This is an overspill area of the camp, known as the jungle or the olive grove. In 2018, approximately 12,000 refugee and migrant children arrived in Greece by sea. Unicef/Haviv VII Ph The depth of the refugee crisis across the world Uganda Pupils play at Bidibidi refugee settlement in the Yumbe district of Uganda. Their school is supported by Unicef. Unicef/Bongyereirwe The depth of the refugee crisis across the world Colombia Hundreds of pupils cross the Venezuela-Colombia border at 5am to meet a bus that will take them to school in the Colombian city of Cucuta. Unicef/Arcos The depth of the refugee crisis across the world Jordan Ayman, 11 days old, receives his vaccinations in one of the Unicef-supported health clinics in Azraq refugee camp in Jordan. Unicef/Herwig The depth of the refugee crisis across the world Ethiopia Sabirin Nur, 18, is a Somali student volleyball captain at Unicef-supported Melkadida primary school, helping to run sessions for other pupils. Sabirin says: As a female, many of us face challenges with our parents, like forced marriage or relatives trying to get us married. They want us to go home and be wives. Unicef/Ayene The depth of the refugee crisis across the world Uganda Pupils sing and play at Bidibidi refugee settlement in Uganda, where migrants have fled from South Sudan. The centre is funded by UK aid and Plan International provides positive parenting services, early learning and recovery for children from war-related stress disorders. Unicef/Bongyereirwe The depth of the refugee crisis across the world Syria Khalid, 10, receives a measles vaccination in Tabqa city in Raqqa governorate. Khalid was uprooted due to escalating violence near his home, and returned a year ago. Unicef/Souleiman The depth of the refugee crisis across the world Lebanon Syrian refugee children in an informal settlement near Terbol in the Bekaa Valley. Unicef/Modola The depth of the refugee crisis across the world Daily life at the refugee camp in Moria. Unicef/Haviv VII Ph The depth of the refugee crisis across the world Colombia A baby has checkup in a Colombian medical centre that receives support from Unicef. Every day, about 40 migrant children are vaccinated in this centre. Unicef/Arcos The depth of the refugee crisis across the world Rumichaca, border of Ecuador with Colombia Katty Baez helps her one-year-old Alfredo insert the straw into a juice box that was given to them by a stranger. Katty is traveling to Peru with her two children to meet her husband, who has been there for eight months, and does not know that the family is on the way. Katty wants to surprise him, because he has been working hard on a fishing boat and the children miss him. In this area, Unicef Ecuador is supporting the government to ensure access to safe drinking water, sanitation, education and health services. Unicef/Arcos The depth of the refugee crisis across the world Ethiopia Pal Biel Jany, 15, wants to be the future president of South Sudan. He goes to school in Makod primary and secondary school in Tierkidi refugee camp in the Gambella region. Unicef/Mersha The depth of the refugee crisis across the world Lebanon Syrian refugee children play in Housh al Refka informal settlement in Bekaa Valley. Unicef/Choufany The depth of the refugee crisis across the world Rumichaca, border of Ecuador with Colombia Thiago Patania, 18 months old, takes a nap in the Unicef tent next to the Ecuadorian customs office in Rumichaca, while his mother waits in line to complete the immigration procedures for her passport to be stamped. Unicef has set up temporary child-friendly spaces and rest tents, as well as supplying thermal blankets, baby kits, and hygiene kits. Unicef/Arcos The depth of the refugee crisis across the world Cameroon Twelve-year-old Waibai Buka (centre) skips rope as a friend records a video of her with a computer tablet provided by Unicef at a school in Baigai. Waibai had to flee her village after an attack by Boko Haram. She has not seen her father since the attack and fears he might be dead. Unicef initiated a pilot project in January 2017 called Connect My School. Six solar-powered units help provide internet to schools in different parts of Cameroon. Two of the units were installed in schools in Cameroons Far North region one in Minawao refugee camp, the other in Baigai, near the Nigerian border, where some 50 per cent of children have been displaced by Boko Haram-related violence. Unicef/Prinsloo The governments description says the floating barrier system needs to be built with non-military specifications and specific features for carrying out the mission of (maritime agencies) in managing the refugee crisis. If the fence is successful, it is understood more parts may be added and it could reach up to eight to nine miles. A government official, who asked not to be named, said: This contract process will be executed by the defence ministry but is for civilian use a process similar to that used for the supply of other equipment for [camps] housing refugees and migrants. Nikos Panagiotopoulos, the countrys defence minister, said it would act as a natural barrier. Recommended Greece has lost tens of thousands of people in the refugee crisis He told Skai Radio: If it works like the one in Evros, I believe it can be effective, referring to a cement and barbed-wire fence Greece set up in 2012 along its northern border with Turkey to stop a rise in migrants crossing there. Greeces six-month old centre-right government has promised to take a tougher stance on the migration crisis and plans to set up detention facilities for migrants denied asylum and to speed up deportations back to Turkey. Under a 2016 migration agreement between the European Union and Turkey, the Turkish government was promised up to 6bn to help stop the mass movement of migrants to Europe. Nearly 60,000 migrants and refugees made the crossing to the islands last year, nearly double the number recorded in 2018, according to data from the United Nations refugee agency. Additional reporting by agencies A state judge sentenced a man to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter in connection with the killing a teenager in New Orleans East. Kevin T. Green, 24, pleaded guilty under an agreement with prosecutors on Wednesday as his trial was set to start before an Orleans Parish Criminal District Court jury. Authorities said Green fatally shot 17-year-old Leonard Warren Jr. in the 6600 block of Warfield Street, in an area known locally as The Goose, about 6:30 p.m. on May 16, 2018. Prosecutors said they offered a plea deal because a critical witness said on the eve of trial that he would refuse to testify for fear of falling victim to violence himself. Man pleads guilty to being accessory in New Orleans East homicide A man charged with being an accessory in a May homicide in New Orleans East pleaded guilty Tuesday (Nov. 13) and was sentenced to probation. There was video surveillance showing several people in the area but New Orleans detectives were mostly met people who claimed they knew nothing, prosecutors said. Green will receive credit for time served since his June 2018 arrest. 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 Defense attorneys Nandi Campbell and Sarah Chervinsky said in a statement that it wasn't a witness's reluctance but a shoddy police investigation that hamstrung the case. "Our client took a deal because his family did not want to risk him going away for life," they said. A co-defendant, 24-year-old Dwayne Daggs, pleaded guilty in 2018 to being an accessory to second degree murder. He received a five-year suspended sentence and three years of probation. Assistant District Attorneys Daniel Smart and Hannah Sharp prosecuted Green. Judge Keva Landrum-Johnson oversaw the case. LANSING, MI -- Michigan medical and recreational marijuana products may soon be accompanied by warning labels for pregnant women. The proposed laws, House bills 4126 and 4127, would require all marijuana product packaging include the following: Warning: Use by pregnant or breastfeeding women, or women planning to become pregnant, may result in fetal injury, preterm birth, low birth weight, or developmental problems for the child. Additionally, dispensaries and retail stores would be required to make available to customers 3.5-by-5-inch pamphlets with " safety information related to marijuana use by minors and the Poison Control Hotline number." Revised versions of the House bills sponsored by Reps. Thomas Albert, R-Lowell, and Daire Rendon, R-Lake City, passed the Senate 34-2 and 35-2, respectively, on Wednesday, Jan. 29. Sen. Curt VanderWall, R-Ludington, and Sen. Aric Nesbitt, R-Lawton, cast the sole no votes. The legislation now returns to the House for a vote on the substitute bills and from there, pending passage, head to Gov. Gretchen Whitmers desk to be signed into law. Rep. Albert, when the first versions passed the House in September, said the proposed label is meant to educate women considering continuing to use marijuana while theyre pregnant, and hopefully convince them to protect their unborn children. He said the label will likely look similar to whats currently used on alcohol products. If somebody is a very hardened drug user, theyre not going to look at a warning like this - thats not the demographic that this bill is trying to target, he said. Were looking at moderate users of marijuana and making sure they have the right information. Due to limited and at times conflicting research, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists advise against marijuana use for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. There is no known safe limit for marijuana use during pregnancy or by women who are breastfeeding their children. Medical marijuana products in Michigan must display a universal symbol declaring the product has THC, a tracking bar code and a label that says the product is for patients only, could impair driving and must be kept out of the hands of minors. In Colorado and California, where marijuana is legal for both adult use and medical purposes, warning labels are required to include information about risks to pregnant women. -- 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: Marijuana weed labels gain traction Marijuana regulators forbidden from looking at their own data Michigan recalls Savage Sticks vaping products Michigan recalls nearly 65,000 vape cartridges Michigan bans vitamin E acetate in vaping products Michigan marijuana industry supports vitamin E acetate ban Michigan issued first recreational licenses WASHINGTON The White House told former national security advisor John Bolton that a book he has written reportedly containing damaging evidence for President Donald Trump cannot be published in its current form because it breaks secrecy laws. The warning was made in a letter to Bolton's lawyer dated January 23 but only made public on Wednesday as Trump's impeachment trial intensified in the Senate. The National Security Council said after preliminary review of the manuscript a vetting process applied to any White House employees writing books that it contained "significant amounts of classified information." "Some of this information is at the TOP SECRET level," the NSC said in a letter to Bolton's lawyer Charles Cooper, adding that "the manuscript may not be published or otherwise disclosed without the deletion of this classified information." Bolton's lawyer pushed back at the White House claims in a letter sent the next day, which he also made public on Wednesday. "We do not believe that any of that information could reasonably be considered classified," Cooper wrote. Democrats are pressing for the Senate to subpoena Bolton after reports that his White House memoir "The Room Where it Happened" corroborates the key abuse-of-power impeachment charge against Trump. Bolton reportedly writes that the president personally told him in August that a freeze in military aid to Ukraine was directly linked to Trump's demand that Kiev announce investigations into Joe Biden, the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination. In his letter, Cooper asks the NSC to rapidly conclude its review of the manuscript, in light of the possibility Bolton may be subpoenaed to appear at Trump's trial. "If he is called to testify, it seems certain that he will be asked questions that will elicit much of the information... dealing with his involvement in matter relating to Ukraine," wrote Cooper, who said he had received no response as of Wednesday. Several hours before the NSC letter went public, Trump lashed out at Bolton on Twitter, saying he had written a "nasty & untrue book. All Classified National Security." Despite the formal review process of Bolton's book, drafts have already circulated around Washington, where the passages describing Trump's relationship with Ukraine caused a sensation. At a news conference in Davos last week, Trump indicated he was worried about Bolton, whom he fired in 2019. Trump said the veteran foreign policy advisor "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?" AFP The United Arab Emirates announced Wednesday its first case of the new coronavirus, in a family from Wuhan, in what is thought to be the first confirmed case in the Middle East. The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention announced a case of the new coronavirus affecting people from one family coming from the city of Wuhan in China, the state news agency WAM reported, without saying how many were infected. The health condition of those affected was stable and under medical monitoring, it cited the ministry as saying. Gulf airports, including Dubai which is home to one of the worlds biggest aviation hubs, said last week they would screen all passengers arriving from China amid the outbreak of the deadly virus. The disease has spread to more than 15 countries since it emerged out of Wuhan late last year, with the death toll soaring to 132 and confirmed infections nearing 6,000. First apparent case in Middle East All confirmed fatalities have so far been in China. Confirmed cases have been reported across the Asia Pacific region and in North America and Europe, but the Wuhan family in the UAE appear to be the first in the Middle East. Dubais government said Thursday that some 989,000 Chinese tourists visited the glitzy emirate last year a number expected to cross the one million mark in 2020. About 3.6 million Chinese transited through the emirates main airport in 2019. The UAEs Abu Dhabi International Airport, another major hub, has also begun screening passengers arriving from China. Between them, the two Emirati hubs operate dozens of flights a week with Chinese cities. China is the UAEs top trading partner and Abu Dhabi is among the 15 top crude oil suppliers to Beijing. Several hundred Chinese companies have offices in the UAE. 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 humans via the respiratory tract. Story continues The UAE health ministry said it has taken all the necessary precautions in line with standards approved by the World Health Organisation. It said that the countrys health system works very efficiently and that the ministry is closely following the situation in a way that guarantees the health and safety of everyone. (AFP) WASHINGTONThis conduct is not America First, its Donald Trump first, Rep. Jerry Nadler said last Thursday during the prosecutions presentation in the Senate trial of the U.S. president. Now, with the trial appearing set to conclude Friday, the presidents defence has proposed that there may be no difference between those two things. Every public official that I know believes that his election is in the public interest and, mostly, youre right your election is in the public interest, Trump lawyer Alan Dershowitz told senators on Wednesday. If a president does something which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment. Absent a direct financial interest or a clearly delineated violation of criminal law, the argument went, a president is entirely justified in using his office to help his campaign. This is an attitude letat, cest moi that many of Trumps opponents have long attributed to the president. But as a defence of his actions, it is potentially transformative of the long-held understanding that the United States was formed to throw off the rule of kings. Trumps harshest critics have argued that hes a narcissist who cannot separate his personal interests from those of the nation he leads. Trump proposes a presidency that elevates the expressive and personal dimensions of the office over everything else, Susan Hennessey and Benjamin Wittes write in their recently published book, Unmaking the Presidency. It is one in which the institutional office and the personality of its occupant are almost entirely merged merged in their interests, in their impulses, in their finances, and in their public character. Hennessey and Wittes were condemning the president, but a similar argument is now being offered in his defence. At one time and at his own insistence Trumps defence boiled down to no quid pro quo, and his Republican defenders insisted that was the line in the sand. Then came leaks about former national security adviser John Boltons forthcoming book, in which he reportedly claims Trump told him there was a clear quid pro quo between the U.S. supplying Ukraine with military aid and Ukraine announcing investigations into Trumps political opponents. At the very least, this would seem to justify calling Bolton as a witness as House managers prosecuting the case continued to argue in the Senate at every opportunity on Thursday, and as 75 per cent of Americans told pollsters they should. But it seemed increasingly likely that a majority of senators will vote Friday against hearing from witnesses. They now say such testimony is besides the point. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who once said such an exchange of favours would be wrong, is now saying the important thing is that Trump did nothing wrong in his mind. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz told Fox News this week that its a red herring. It doesnt matter if there was a quid pro quo or not. To be sure, Trumps lawyers Jay Sekulow and Patrick Philbin continued to argue Thursday that military aid and the request for investigations were not linked. But they argued this on the basis that no evidence pointed to a link, while depending on senators to vote against hearing evidence on the matter. They were presenting Dershowitzs position as a supplement, a common legal tactic: My client didnt do it, the argument goes, but even if he did, it wasnt illegal. Dershowitzs arguments that abuse of power is not impeachable, and that the quid pro quo the president is accused of seeking might have been a fair use of his power seemed to better reflect the underlying logic of the many vocal Republicans standing in judgment. On Thursday afternoon, Dershowitz tweeted that he wasnt saying a president can do anything he wants to serve his re-election, but rather that a mixed motive that includes his own electoral interests cannot make what would otherwise be a legal act (such as withholding foreign aid) into an impeachable one. This trial began with many Republican senators openly saying they had already made up their minds to acquit Trump. As it continued, some have argued there is no point extending the trial to hear more evidence since the outcome is predetermined. From the outset, they appeared to see their own interests tied to Trumps by partisanship. Now theres an argument that those partisan interests are synonymous with the national interest. Dershowitz might not claim the same position, but Trump once insisted that the U.S. Constitution gave him the right to do whatever I want as president. His colleagues in the Senate appear ready to signal they agree. Read more about: A leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal, which has been uncomfortable about the contentious citizenship law, on Thursday asked the BJP government not to pass legislation that divides people. Lawmakers should not pass legislation which will hurt citizens and the minorities, Akali Dal leader Sardar Balwinder Singh Bunder told an all party meeting on Thursday. The Rajya Sabha members remark comes against the backdrop of protests in parts of the country against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act passed during Parliaments Winter session. The Akali Dal has gone along with the Bharatiya Janata Party on the citizenship law all along but had recently tweaked its position on the law for a few weeks. Earlier this month, the party had also called off its alliance with the BJP for the Delhi elections and cited their disagreement over the citizenship law as a key factor. The Akalis later changed the partys position and have extended its complete support to the BJP in the Delhi elections. Akali Dals Sukhbir Singh Badal yesterday attributed their previous disagreement to a misunderstanding. We have always supported the citizenship amendment act as it directly affects the Sikhs who suffered at the hands of Taliban in Afghanistan and in Pakistan, Sukhbir Singh Badal told reporters on Wednesday, sitting next to BJP boss JP Nadda. It was in this context that the Akali Dal representatives emphasis on minorities at Thursdays all-party meeting came as a surprise to many opposition leaders. Opposition leaders have been critical of the law, charging the government with introducing a religion test to extend fast-track citizenship requests from undocumented migrants from three neighbouring countries. At Thursdays meeting, all of them except the AIADMK were severely critical of the citizenship law and the proposed National Register of Citizens. Opposition leaders, including Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ram Gopal Yadav, also called for the release of former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A man who stole everything bar a cuddly toy from a a number of shops in Derry, was today jailed at the city's Magistrate's Court. Shane Martin Stokes, 23, of Racecourse Drive in the city, admitted a series of thefts that occurred in 2017 and 2018 from various shops. The court was given details of the incident on 24 November 2018 when two males and two females entered a shop and collected items in a trolley. Stokes was seen with a flatpack bed and tried to leave the shop without paying. He was identified but police had difficulty locating him as it was believed believed he had gone to England. The court heard police received a report of a theft from Lidl on the Buncrana Road on 25 April the same year. The thieves made off in a car which police stopped a short time later. Although the goods were not found, evidence of debris from them was found. The goods were later given to police. The court was further told that on 14 December 2017 two males one of them Stokes entered a jeweller's and asked to see rings. While they were looking at the rings, a distraction was caused and the defendant made off with a ring. On 21 December 2018 Stokes was identified by police as being involved in the theft of goods including a DVD player. The court also told about the theft of 1,300 worth of goods from Homebase on 22 November 2018. Again, police were able to identify Stokes as one of those involved. Stokes was also identified as being involved in thefts from Tescos at Lisnagelvin on 30 November and one from Boots in the same month in 2018. Defence solicitor, Seamus Quigley, said that Stokes could have dragged this one outt but didn't. He said the delay was due to the fact Stokes was resident in England. Deputy District Judge, Liam McStay, said it appeared Stokes was pursuing a career as a professional shoplifter. He sentenced him to a total of seven months in prison and ordered him to pay more than 1,000 in compensation. Ukraine is ready to involve experts from Iran, France and Canada in the process of reading "black boxes" from a Ukrainian passenger airliner that was shot down near Tehran and insists that flight recorders be analyzed in Ukraine, Prosecutor General Ruslan Riaboshapka has said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine. "The point is not that there is no answer on 'black boxes,' but that these answers change several times a day. Different officials in Iran provide different information, so we don't have a final understanding," Riaboshapka said. "Our position was and is that the boxes should be examined in Ukraine," he said. When asked whether the French side will be involved in the process, Riaboshapka said: "We are ready, and the French are ready too. They said they would provide their experts for analysis. We are ready to involve not only representatives of Iran but also French and Canadian experts in this process." The prosecutor general said that two investigations were actually underway. One is civil, being conducted as part of the Convention on International Civil Aviation and the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air, and the other is a criminal investigation. He also added that the results of the ICAO investigation could be added to the criminal investigation. "In general, a criminal investigation is then held on the basis of conclusions of a civil investigation. That is, it can be a big and important part of a criminal investigation," he added. When asked where the trial of those guilty of downing the Ukrainian Boeing 737 should take place, Riaboshapka said: "There are different perspectives on this. Since the accident occurred in Iran, Iran needs to ensure an effective investigation and trial. We also have to carry out our own investigation." A Ukraine International Airlines plane (Flight PS752) heading from Tehran to Kyiv crashed shortly after taking off from the Imam Khomeini International Airport at about 06:00 Tehran time (04:30 Kyiv time) on Wednesday, January 8. There were 176 people on board nine crew members (all Ukrainians) and 167 passengers (citizens of Ukraine, Iran, Canada, Sweden, Afghanistan, Germany, and the UK). On January 11, Iran admitted that its military had accidentally shot down the Ukrainian passenger jet. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps accepted full responsibility for the downing of the Ukrainian airliner. op BJP secretary Tarun Chugh has advocated Union Minister Anurag Thakur's statement "desh Ke gaddaron Ko, goli maaro saalon ko" and termed Shaheen Bagh as "Shaitan (devil) bagh". The BJP leader further said that the party will not let Delhi to become Syria. Chugh's tweet roughly translated in English from Hindi, read, "'desh Ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro saalon ko' is not wrong. We will not let anybody break India's integrity. Shaheen Bagh means Shaitan Bagh. They are adopting the same module as ISIS which had used women and children. The ideas of Hafiz Saeed will not be tolerated in India." "We will not let Delhi become Syria and allow them to run an ISIS-like module here, where women and kids are used. They are trying to create fear in the minds of the people of Delhi by blocking the main route. We will not let this happen. (We will not let Delhi burn)," Chugh said in his second tweet. This comes after Thakur had raised the slogans of 'desh Ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro saalon ko' during an election rally in Delhi's Rithala area on January 27. Assembly elections in Delhi are due on February 8. The counting of votes is scheduled to begin on January 11. Protests have been going on at Shaheen Bagh since December 15 last year against the CAA due to which Kalindi Kunj road has been shut for traffic movement. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police officers in Scotland are investigating the theft of two tractors worth around 110,000 from farms in Clydesdale. The high value thefts happened sometimes between 17 and 18 January, Police Scotland said. A blue coloured New Holland tractor, registration number SF64 AJV, was stolen from a farm near Thankerton. In another incident, a green coloured John Deere tractor, registration number PO14 CKA, was stolen from a farm near Symington. The total value of the two tractors is around 110,000. Constable Elaine Marshall at Lanark said: It appears that the tractors have been driven from the farms, across fields, to a disused sand quarry, where they have been loaded and taken away in a larger vehicle. The entrance to this quarry is off the A73 road between Thankerton and Symington. I am appealing to anyone who may have been in the Thankerton or Symington area on the Friday night or early Saturday morning to call us if they saw any suspicious activity. I would also like to hear about any vehicles seen entering or leaving the old sand quarry. Anyone with information has been urged to contact the police on the 101 number and quote reference number 2098 of January 18, 2020. Anyone who wishes to pass on any information and remain anonymous can do so through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Operator: Welcome and thank you for standing by. Todays conference is being recorded. If you have any objections you may disconnect at this time. All participants are in a listen-only mode and to the question and answer session of todays presentation. To ask a question at that time, please press star bun. I would like to turn the call over to your host, Benjamin Haynes, thank you. Haynes: Thank you, Michelle, and thank you for joining us for todays briefing, I am joined by Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of CDCs national center for immunization and respiratory diseases, who will provide opening remarks before taking your questions. I would now like to turn the call over to Dr. Messonnier. Messonnier: Thank you for joining us today. Im pleased to give an update on the ongoing 2019 novel coronavirus situation in the united states. As promised, we updated our web site earlier today with our lab results. This morning, we have 165 persons under investigation or PUIS with 68 persons testing negative and only 5 confirmed positive. The remainder are samples in transit or being processed at CDC for testing. We have uploaded the full genetic sequence for all five viruses detected in the united states to date, and were working quickly through the process to get the CDC -developed test into the hands of public health partners in the united states and internationally. CDC is expanding entry screening to 20 U.S. Ports of Entry where CDC have quarantine stations. Also, in collaboration with customs and border protection, CDC is expanding distribution of travel health education materials to all travelers from china. 350,000 travel education cards are ready for distribution. The good news here is that despite an aggressive public health investigation to find new cases, we have not. The situation in china is concerning. However, we are looking hard here in the united states. We will continue to be proactive. I still expect that we will find additional cases. Another development today, the federal government was able to successfully return a plane full of U.S. Citizens living in Wuhan, china to this country. We have taken every precaution to ensure their safety while also continuing to protect the health of our nation and the people around them. 195 passengers have been screened, monitored and evaluated by medical personnel every step of the way, including before takeoff, during the flight, during a refueling in Anchorage, Alaska, and again in California. Twenty CDC staff are present to help manage this process. All of the 195 passengers are without the symptoms associated with novel coronavirus. And all have been given assigned living quarters at the air force base. All of the 195 have agreed to remain on base voluntarily. CDC has now begun a second stage of further screening and information gathering from the passengers. The passengers will be offered testing as part of this thorough risk assessment. And samples will be sent to CDC. We will be processing them with the appropriate speed. I want to thank everyone who worked so hard over these past few days to bring these Americans home. I heard that the people on board cheered loudly when the plane touched down safely in anchorage. I want to thank those now safely returned from Wuhan for their cooperation and patience as we safeguard their health and the health of all Americans. I understand that many people in the united states are worried about this virus and whether it will affect them. Outbreaks like this are always concerning. Particularly when a new virus is emerging, but we are well prepared and working closely with federal, state and local partners to protect our communities and others nationwide from this new public health threat. At this time, we continue to believe that the immediate health risk from this new virus and the general American public is low. Haynes: Thank you, Dr. Messonnier, Michelle, we are ready to take questions. Operator: Our first question will come from mike stobbe with ap, your line is now open. Stobbe: Hi, thank you for taking my call. Yeah, thank you, doctor. I wanted to ask you, there was a press event from Riverside, and it was a little confusing. First of all, you used the number 195. The number 201 has been used earlier. Are you saying it was actually 195 people on the flight? And the people who from the flight, could you tell us exactly what the restrictions are for those folks at the base? You have already said that theyve all agreed, but there was supposed to be a three-day period, and there was some confusion about whether if someone decided they wanted to leave before three days even if there isnt a federal quarantine order, are they allowed to do that. And why three days? How did you all arrive at three days if the incubation period is up to 14 days according to a paper in the new England journal today is five days, and the flight was supposed to go to the Ontario airport. Whose decision was it to divert it to the air force base and why was that decision made? Thank you. Messonnier: Sure. So, I know that the numbers have been confusing and as you know, we pride ourselves on precision. Some of this is the desire to communicate quickly. So, the correct number is 195 passengers. Its 195 passengers who have been screened. Thanks also for the opportunity to clarify around what the status of the travelers are. You know, quarantine is a regulatory authority. Its used to isolate someone because they pose a threat to the health of their family or their community. In this instance, we have 195 travelers who are willingly undergoing isolation for the purpose of medical evaluation and investigation of their risk. These passengers are happy to be back in the united states. We at CDC are happy to help them return to their communities at the completion of their risk assessment. All of the parties are committed to reducing the spread of this illness, so the 72 hours, you know, we hope that we will be able to assess their risk more quickly than that, get these patients through the process, after giving them perhaps a little time to rest and recuperate and were trying hard to make sure that we can get them on their way as quickly as possible, knowing that it may take a little while to let them rest and fully assess their risk, which is something were doing jointly with these passengers, so were hoping that you give them and us a little time to make sure that we take our time to do this risk assessment fully, but also mindful of the stress that these passengers have been under. We also want to give them a little time to recuperate before we ask them the detailed set of questions that we think will help us help them make the appropriate risk assessment. Haynes: Next question, please. Operator: Next question will come from Eden David with ABC news medical unit; your line is now open. David: Hi, thank you for taking the time to update us, so I understand that you are isolating these particular 195 passengers but what about the commercial flights that are still coming in from china? Youre not isolating them or why the extra precautions for this specific this specific subset of passengers and what would be your comment on why youre not taking the same initiative or interventions for the commercial flights coming in? Messonnier: Thanks for the opportunity to clarify. These are passengers from Wuhan, and the number of travelers coming from commercial airlines from Wuhan has drastically dropped in the past days since the airport at Wuhan was closed. So, the numbers of passengers directly coming from Wuhan drastically dropped. We are still doing active screening of any passenger who was coming from Wuhan in the five airports where we initially set that up, and the kind of screening that were doing is in the same category as this screening. It is a similar risk assessment where were understanding where theyve been, who theyve been in contact with. Of course, looking for any medical illness and quantifying their risk into the set of categories that help us define the next steps. These passengers are undergoing something similar. It is more detailed, partly because of whats been going on in Wuhan the past few days. And because of their situation, we thought that out of the desire to make sure that they have time to rest and recuperate before theyre getting asked those questions, we wanted to make sure that they had a place where they could safely do that. And this offers us that place. It is in the same kind of setting that were offering risk assessment for other passengers coming back from Wuhan as well as anybody in the united states. For example, the individuals who have been identified as close contacts of the confirmed patients were also stratifying their risk as well, and our guidance for those individuals differs based on their risk. For example, somebody who was directly in close contact of a coughing patient with Wuhan would have a higher risk of somebody for example who passed them on the street a week before they became ill. But all of those people are at risk, but the risk is different, and in these returning travelers, these 195 people, we want to take our time to make sure we fully assess their risk, and that we have worked with the people to do it. Again, I want to compliment them. I also want to thank the folks from Alaska as well as California who have been with us every step of the way. We appreciate their patience. As we said before, the cooperation of the patients with this novel coronavirus as well as their close contacts, as well as their these other travelers are essential for us to be able to protect the health of these people, the health of their families and the health of the communities. Haynes: Next question, please. Operator: Next question will come from eben brown with FOX News, your line is now open. Brown: Thank you, Dr. Messonnier, for doing the call this afternoon. Its been mentioned that the screening is being done at 20 airports or at 20 metro areas where the CDC has their standing quarantine stations but is it just only airports or will there or are there screening stations underway at sea ports or land-based border crossings? I mean, its always possible someone could have flown from china to Cancun, got on a cruise ship and came to Miami. Is that something thats being addressed or what would be the criteria to start addressing those types of scenarios? Messonnier: Sure. Thank you. So, I actually think its a great opportunity to differentiate the active enhanced screening that we were doing at the five airports for folks coming out from Wuhan from what were doing to enhance the screening at these 20 quarantine stations. So as part of our regular business at those 20 quarantine stations, we look and work with customs and border protection to identify people who are returning to the united states with illness. That is part of our regular business and at these 20 quarantine stations, what were actually doing is enhancing the staffing at those airports so that we can do more of that illness detection. Its called a standard illness protocol. Part of our normal business, but were enhancing those activities. There are two of the 18 airports actually include two land borders that are also quarantine stations and also searching those for illness response. Detecting people that come into the united states ill is part of our normal business, and its relevant here, but we should remember that some of our five cases werent ill when they crossed back into the united states. They became ill later. So its equally important to use that opportunity and for CDC to work with cbp to provide all of these returning passengers educational materials, those educational materials specifically point out what the signs and symptoms of novel coronavirus are and we tell them if they have a fever and they have respiratory symptoms, specifically a cough, they need to contact their health care provider. This is part of the method we use in a layered approach to try to protect all of us from any such illness that comes into the united states. Haynes: Next question, please. Operator: Our next question will come from Richard Harris from npr. Your line is now open. Harris: Thanks, Ive got two quick questions, one of which is, if these folks get screened with the CDCs pcr test, and they call come back negative is there any biological reason to continue the 14-day surveillance of them or is that just, is that belts and suspenders up because it would seem like if everyones negative for carrying the virus, that would be end of story. And the second question is about w.h.o. Which today said CDC would not be part of their new scientific efforts to go into china and learn more, and I was wondering if the CDC has any progress to report on getting a CDC team into china. Thanks. Messonnier: Sure. The answer to the first question is were being appropriately cautious as one should be when there is a new virus with which we only have limited experience, and so we really will continue to work with these individuals to make sure that theres appropriate monitoring. As were doing for all of the as were doing for all of the close contacts of the confirmed cases in the united states, and so I think its I wouldnt call it belts and suspender, I would call it an appropriate degree of caution for a new disease. As we learn more about the disease from investigations here in CDC, as well as around the world, our procedures may change but right now were taking what we consider to be an appropriately proactive and cautious approach around potential contacts as well as around travelers. In terms of the in terms of the w.h.o., I dont know that thats a confirmed report, and actually, we expect that we will be invited to be part of the this w.h.o. Expert group, so we actually will, as I understand it, we are working with w.h.o. To put together a team to go to china as soon as possible and well provide an update on the teams departure as well as activities when more information becomes available. Haynes: Next question, please. Operator: Next question will come from Erica Edwards from NBC, your line is now open. Edwards: Hey, thank you. I have two quick things. One is just to clarify something that was said earlier. I know that the number of passengers changed from 201, now to 195. Can we assume that the other six were crew members? And also, Im wondering if you can say anything more about the close contacts in the confirmed cases here in the U.S., particularly that patient in Washington state? I believe were at or near the end of the 14 days since he arrived back in the U.S. Is that person still hospitalized and if so, why? Messonnier: Yeah, so the 195 is the correct number. The other people on the plane were state department employees, medical officers and pilots. In terms of the clinical status of the patient in Washington state, as I said before, you would really need to direct that question to the state health department, but just know that we are actively engaged with these patients and their clinical care making recommendations to their clinicians and the health department as to how long they need to stay in hospital. I think that as you can imagine, with a new disease, we are being cautious and I think their clinicians in their health departments are being cautious as we learn more, but those decisions will be coming from the state health department, local decisions, not from CDC, over. Haynes: Next question, please. Operator: Our next question will come from Nathan Weixel from the hill, your line is now open. Weixel: Thanks for taking my question. I just wanted to clarify, just about whether CDC is actually going to be part of this w.h.o. Group, you dont know that youre a part of it yet or you dont know that youre going to china, you just expect that? Messonnier: So, the information that I have right now is that we are invited to be part of this W.H.O. mission and that we are working with W.H.O. through the particulars of that team. I think there are logistic questions and such about this, but again, my understanding is that there has been preliminary outreach and that CDC at this point, the plans are to include CDC as part of that team. Haynes: Michelle, we have time for two more questions. Operator: Our next question will come from Lisa Krieger from san Jose mercury news, your line is now open. Krieger: Yes, hi, thank you very much. Granted that the travel to Wuhan is the single greatest risk factor, I wonder if you could answer a readers questions about how do I tell the difference between, you know, symptomatically between a cold, the flu and a new coronavirus? Messonnier: I actually think thats a really important question for the American public because the symptoms of this disease early are fever and cough and respiratory disease, and as I think your readers astutely pointed out, that is similar to what we say as the early symptoms of influenza as well as other viral respiratory diseases. Thats why its really important for Americans to know right now that the risk factors that we have identified in the united states are travel to Wuhan, but the second group of people that were especially concerned about are people who are close contacts of people who are traveling to who have traveled to Wuhan, and thats why the health department is working with CDC, have been Im sorry, its Hubei province. You said Wuhan so I said Wuhan, but the answer is people who have recently traveled to Hubei province, and thats all of our five cases have had that recent travel history but the second group that were concerned about is people who have had close contact with people who have traveled to Hubei province, and other countries that already identified cases among those groups that have had close contact with people who have traveled and thats why we have been working with our state health departments to be very proactive and aggressive in identifying potential contact of confirmed patients and monitoring them closely. That is, you know, we expect to see additional cases in the united states. We think there could be in travelers returning from Hubei province but we also think that its likely we may have cases among close contacts of patients who have returned, that would be human-to-human transmission, so were expecting that, but right now, there is no sign in the united states that we have broader community transmission, and thats why people who are not in one of those groups either traveling themselves or having close contact with a confirmed case, we dont think those Americans need to be especially concerned, because we judged the risk in the general American public to be low. Haynes: Last question, please. Operator: and our last question will come from Issam Ahmed from AFP, your line is now open. Ahmed: Hi, Nancy, just another clarifying question, so its the volunteer isolation period is 72 hours, and then what was the 14 days for, and Im sorry, and will everybody have to submit a specimen or is that also voluntary, which will be tested at the CDC? Messonnier: Im sorry if some of this got confusing as we tried to work quickly through a complex problem. We said it might take up to three days because we thought it might take up to that long for us to do a full risk assessment with these returning travelers and built in there some time to make sure that they also had enough time to rest and recuperate after what sounds like a difficult ordeal. So, we said up to three days because we thought that gave us a little room to make sure that we had enough time to do all the things that we needed to do. Its not a specific time line. It is just a period of time for our medical officers who evaluate each patient. Each passenger in giving the passengers time to work things through with us as quickly as possible. What I can say in general is that we are working with we at CDC are working as quickly as we can to return our fellow Americans to their lives but we also want to make sure were doing it in a way that no one represents a risk to themselves or their families or their communities and right now, all 195 of these travelers are willing and eager to cooperate because they also want to make sure that theyre taking care of their own health, the health of their families and the health of their communities. So, they are voluntarily cooperating with us, and in these kind of situations, thats in general how our fellow Americans react. They want to make sure that theyre protecting themselves and their communities and we want to compliment them on their eagerness to help, and we have full expectation that well continue to have that kind of cooperation. Haynes: Thank you, Dr. Messonnier, and thank you all for joining us for todays update. Please visit the 2019 novel coronavirus web page for continued updates and if you have further questions, please contact the main media line at 404-639-3286 or by e-mail at media@cdc.gov, thank you. Operator: This concludes todays conference, all participants may disconnect at this time. Please disconnect at this time. Thank you. When Remainers protested against Brexit: Thousands of protesters gather in London on September 09, 2017 in London, England. Barcroft Media It's been more than three years since a slim majority of Brits 51.9% voted to leave the EU. For those that wanted it, Friday 31 January dubbed "Brexit Day" as the U.K. finally leaves the EU will be a day of celebration. For the 48.1% that voted to stay in the EU, however, leaving the bloc could be a day of acute loss, regret and sadness. CNBC spoke to Londoners, a city that voted overwhelmingly in favor of remaining in the EU, about how they feel about "Brexit Day" and impending life outside of the European Union. "I think it's the worst thing that will ever happen to this country. I think it's absolutely disastrous," Gary, a remain voter from London, told CNBC Tuesday. Asked how he'll feel Friday when Brexit actually happens, he said "I'll feel really, really sad." "I think we'll live to regret it in a few years' time. They're (the EU is) our closest neighbors so we want to get closer to them, not further away from them, it's just common sense," he added. Pro-Brexit and pro-Remain protests have dominated Westminster since 2016. Mike Kemp Like most Brits who voted, Gary has experienced the division the referendum caused, with many families split over the arguments in favor of remaining or leaving. "My mum voted to exit (the EU), as did a lot of the older generation, and it's caused a massive rift for all of us. I've given up talking about it now and we've been talking about it for three years and both sides are adamant that their view is right." 'Life's still going to go on' Since the referendum in June 2016, the country has seen political turmoil and division not witnessed in recent years, as lawmakers have grappled with the unwieldy beast that is Brexit. There have been false starts March 29, 2019 was meant to be the original Brexit day and hopes and fears (in both the remain and leave camps) that Brexit might not happen. It has also caused political casualties along the way, including former Prime Minister Theresa May who, presiding over a minority government, could not get a majority of lawmakers in Parliament to approve her Brexit deal, leading to her eventual resignation and Boris Johnson taking office. Johnson faced the same resistance in Parliament to his revamped Brexit deal and a stalemate set in last summer leading to an eventual snap election in December. By that point, the British public were largely fed up with Parliament's shenanigans and Johnson's message to "get Brexit done" chimed with many voters, even among those who had traditionally never voted for the Conservative Party. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson (C) speaks to activists and supporters on December 8, 2019. WPA Pool Remain voter Josh told CNBC that "the last election might have been our last stand" and there is little chance of a Brexit reversal now, particularly as the U.K. leaves the EU now and embarks on trade talks with the bloc in a bid to strike a deal before the end of 2020. "There are not many options left. I don't think many people's feelings have changed but I don't think there are any avenues for how we could actually stop it now." Brexit was "a bad thing but at the same time, it's not going to be the end of us," Josh added. "Life's still going to go on, we're still going to be here living and breathing. There will be an adjustment period. The actual outcome might be reduced opportunities in the future, it's not like we're going to get wiped out. It's just one of those things really. I don't think it's a disaster, I think it's a setback." 'Keep calm and carry on' Up until the election on December 12, there was still some hope among opposition parties that wanted to remain in the EU that a second referendum, or a "People's Vote," could be held to decide on the Brexit deal. But the election resulted in such a political thumping of the main opposition party Labour, and a lackluster result for the consistently anti-Brexit party, the Liberal Democrats, that the wind seemed to be taken out of the sails of remainer lawmakers. The 80-seat Conservative majority in Parliament empowered Johnson to push his Brexit bill (or Withdrawal Agreement) through the House of Commons in January with little resistance and it passed through the upper chamber of Parliament, the House of Lords, last week too. While church bells might ring in staunchly "Leave" parts of the country on Friday (though it was decided that Big Ben in London, under renovation, would be too expensive to "bong for Brexit"), it is likely to be greeted with a stony silence in areas that voted to remain. Brexiters outside the British parliament in Westminster, on 31st October 2019, in London. Richard Baker The Supreme Court Thursday asked Poonam Bhagat, socialite estranged wife of industrialist Jaidev Shroff, to "locate a premises of her choice" in Mumbai as her estranged husband agreed to pay the rent till the final disposal of their divorce plea by a family court. A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde asked senior lawyers P Chidambaram and Shyam Divan, counsels for the woman, that they should take instruction from her and intimate it on the next date of hearing. The senior lawyers "state that she will locate a premises of her choice as her residence" said the bench which also comprised Justices B R Gavai and Surya Kant. The bench noted the submission of senior advocate A M Singhvi, representing Jaidev Shroff, that his client was willing to pay the rent of any premises of her choice till the final adjudication of the divorce petition by the Bandra family court. Singhvi said the counsel for the other side should not be insisting that she would be living in the house of his client. Chidambaram said Bhagat be allowed to live in their matrimonial house in Mumbai as her husband lives in London and comes to Mumbai only for two-three days. "You locate a house of your choice. He will pay the rent. Why you are behind his house," the bench said, adding that the rent will be paid till the family court finally decides their divorce petition. The bench asked Bhagat's lawyers to intimate it about her views after two weeks and indicated that it may direct the family court to decide their divorce plea within a particular time frame. Earlier, the Bombay High court had permitted Bhagat to enter their "shared household", a bungalow at tony Pali Hill in Bandra. At the outset, Singhvi said that Shroff -- had lodged an FIR against his wife for allegedly trying to administer drugs through orange juice with the help of a 'Bengali Baba' and even the charge sheet has been filed in that case. The other side vehemently denied the allegations. Singhvi said he had offered Rs 90 crore towards full and final settlement of the divorce dispute, but it was not agreed upon. The bench has now posted the matter after two weeks. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) NATO Secretary General welcomes Albanian Prime Minister and Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Edi Rama at NATO Headquarters NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 29 Jan. 2020 NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama on Wednesday (29 January) and thanked him for his country's participation in NATO's operations, missions and deployments in Kosovo, Afghanistan and in the Baltic States as "solid contributions" to the Alliance's shared security. Welcoming the Mr. Rama also in his role as Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE in 2020, Mr. Stoltenberg said that the OSCE is a crucial forum to discuss arms control, military transparency, and confidence building measures. "We welcome the role it plays in Ukraine and other conflict areas. These are all important issues for NATO. So you can count on our support in your role as OSCE Chair this year", he said. Mr. Stoltenberg said that NATO can count on "Albania's active and positive commitment to stability and cooperation in the Western Balkans region" and on Albania's "active role in promoting NATO's Open Door policy". "I am encouraged by Albania's efforts to invest more in defence. And I support you in this endeavour", he said. He stressed that NATO's investment in Kucove airbase shows NATO's commitment to Albania and to the region. In the afternoon Prime Minister Edi Rama was meeting with the North Atlantic Council for an exchange of views on the priorities of the Albanian OSCE Chairmanship-in-Office in 2020. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Opposition BJP on Thursday took potshots at the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh for organising a recital of the Hanuman Chalisa to mark the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Chief Minister Kamal Nath had organised a recital of the popular hymn -- said to be composed by Tulsidas in the 16th century -- by spiritual guru Pandit Vijay Shankar Mehta at the old Vidhan Sabha building here on Thursday evening. Mehta's disciples across the world participated in the chanting in their respective countries simultaneously. Commenting on the event, the state BJP said those who opposed the construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya were now seeking the blessings of 'Ramdoot' (as Hanuman is called) for votes. At the recital programme, Nath said Lord Hanuman and Mahatma Gandhi left deep influence on his life. "Hanuman-ji can't be associated with any particular religion. Similarly, Mahatma Gandhi can not be identified with a particular political party," the chief minister said. Nath also took to Twitter, inviting people for this programme, saying it was for happiness and prosperity of the state's 7.5 crore population. State BJP chief Rakesh Singh said it was the Congress which called Ram a fictional character in the Supreme Court. "It is surprising when such people start reciting Hanuman Chalisa. Congress leaders provoke the minorities by creating frenzy among them, on the other hand the same people are trying to attract the majority community by holding religious events like Hanuman Chalisa recital," he alleged. Leader of Opposition in MP Assembly Gopal Bhargava also tweeted about the event. "Politics is strange. These people opposed the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya....Some self-proclaimed intellectuals called Lord Ram and Ram Setu an imagination. These people are now seeking shelter of Ramdoot for votes," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has met with U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Jorgan Andrews to discuss various aspects of the work of the National Police of Ukraine and the issues of its development, the press service of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry has reported. "The development of the Patrol Police Academy project, the further implementation of the Community Police Officer initiative and the joint fight against cybercrime were discussed at a meeting between Interior Minister Arsen Avakov and U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Jorgan Andrews, who oversees INL programs in Europe and Asia," the report reads. Avakov thanked the United States for its overall support and assistance to the reforms being implemented by the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, in particular, for supporting police reform and assistance in the training of the KORD rapid response force. "Thanks to the support of the U.S., we have launched the Community Police Officer project in 11 regions of Ukraine. This year we plan to continue the initiative and launch this project in a number of towns," Avakov said. He stressed that the Ukrainian Interior Ministry plans to build three new Patrol Police Academies - in Chernivtsi, Kryvyi Rih and Rivne so that 5,000 patrol police officers could graduate from these educational institutions every year. The parties also discussed cooperation in combating drug trafficking and cybercrime. Andrews, in turn, expressed gratitude for joint work and partnership and expressed hope that all the planned projects could be implemented in 2020. op Democrats were worried that Joe Biden wouldnt be the best candidate against the President. Now some are worried that Bernie Sanders, surging in the Iowa and New Hampshire polls, might win. Of course lots of voters have worried all along that Elizabeth Warren would win because, you know shes a, well, woman, and everyone knows thats a problem. While Democrats worry, Donald Trump motors along at rallies in places like Wildwood, New Jersey, doing what Donald Trump does well: energizing his base. Editorial cartoons from this week include: Thursday, January 30th, 2020 (10:29 am) - Score 1,389 Cable broadband ISP Virgin Media UK has completed their community driven project to roll-out a 1Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network across 12 rural villages in the Test and Dun Valleys of Hampshire and Wiltshire, which since starting in 2018 (here) has now covered a total of 4,000 local homes and businesses. As first reported in 2017 (here), local residents had spent years campaigning to get Virgin Medias broadband network into the area (TVNeed4Speed) and that was partly because the operator already owned an old cable duct along the Test Way, which is now being used as a springboard to provide a genuine all-fibre network via their latest FTTP infrastructure. NOTE: The 12 villages include: Broughton, Chilbolton, Clatford, Firsdown, Goodworth, Houghton, Kings Somborne, Michelmarsh, Stockbridge, Timsbury, West Tytherley, Wherwell and Winterslow. In order to ensure that the build was commercially viable the operator had to establish a new initiative, which required that at least 30% of premises commit to taking up its service once the work had completed. The target was achieved with a 38% sign-up average across the valley (some villages reached 78%), although the campaign FAQ noted that locals also had to pay a one-off flat-rate Network Installation fee of 300 per property. Since then Virgin Media has laid 60 miles of micro duct and fibre optic cables through the 12 villages. The operator also minimised disruption on the narrow, country lanes by using a mole plough to dig 9 miles of channels through farmers fields to lay fibre. As part of that local landowners also agreed to grant the operator wayleave access to carry out the necessary work on their land. To get locals online quickly, Virgin Media also made use of Openreach cable ducts as part of the build, taking advantage of Ofcoms Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) remedy to connect 137 tricky premises in Broughton, Kings Sombourne, Timsbury, Winterslow & Wherwell. Rob Evans, MD Network Expansion at Virgin Media, said: Our network investment and expansion in Test and Dun Valley has brought life-changing connectivity to an area forgotten by other providers. This was a completely new concept for us which required a unique approach in what was one of our most rural broadband builds to date. It has been a real collaborative effort from the start and it wouldnt have been possible without the support from residents and landowners. Were proud to give this community the broadband boost it deserves. Caroline Nokes, MP for Romsey and Southampton North, said: I am absolutely delighted with the works carried out in the Test and Dun Valleys over the last two years by Virgin Media. The community vision to bring this project together deserves the utmost praise and I know that it would not have been possible without the community champions, the generosity of local landowners and Virgin Media. We had some of the slowest internet connection speeds in the country, but now we have some of the fastest. Rural connectivity is key to our economic growth and I am so pleased to hear that Virgin Media are looking at options to mirror the success in the area to other parts of the country. The completion of this network is excellent news for locals and as a reward the operator has now provided free connectivity for two village halls in Broughton and West Tytherley (theyre also in discussions to connect more community areas in other villages). Overall we believe that Virgin Media funded the bulk of construction costs (estimates suggested it could cost up to 20m) and this was complemented with support from locals. In todays announcement the operator reiterated that they expect this innovative investment model to lead to similar community-backed projects across the UK, although theyve yet to name any other projects. Naturally not all areas will be so fortunate as to have an existing optical fibre cable / duct running nearby. NEW HAVEN Winstanley Enterprises LLC, a major biotech developer in the city, has plans to bring lab incubator space to a building that would sit in front of Alexion on reclaimed land from Route 34. For sometime, the city and Yale University officials have hoped that Carter Winstanley would come through to help fill the gap in laboratory space needed in New Haven for new research companies that are now at capacity or soon will be as the life sciences sector continues to grow in New Haven. The city, in the past, has counted on lab projects developed by Winstanley who filled up 300 George St. with companies in four years, after it sat empty for a decade. Now Alexion at 100 College St., built by Winstanley, soon will be filled, and there is a lack of space at Science Park, which he also developed. Economic Development Administrator Michael Piscitelli said the city has had a memorandum of understanding since the spring with Winstanley for another building that would be a minimum of 350,000 square feet, although it could be bigger, that would add a significant amount of lab space. Other uses, such as traditional offices, would also be part of the construction, as will a public plaza. Piscitelli said the negotiations have been positive, but some technical details are still being worked out as are equitable employment concerns. Ultimately the project would have to be approved by the Board of Alders, City Plan and the state Department of Economic and Community Development. It is a significant opportunity for the city, he said, given the $800 million neuroscience center approved for the St. Raphaels campus of Yale New Haven Hospital and the success of such companies as Biohaven and Arvinas, both of whom have gone public. These successes continue to attract more development. Yale Universitys Office of Cooperative Research has attracted an average of 10 venture-backed startups in the last three years. A total of 75 companies have emerged in the last 15 years from research at Yale, with 50 in the New Haven area, according Jon Soderstrom, who directs the OCR. More News Yales views New Haven as partner in growth of biotechs The office, which is the universitys tech transfer department, takes faculty innovations and research and connects them to venture capital opportunities to develop commercial products or services. Soderstrom recently said the university continues to have a robust pipeline of businesses moving up from startups. The story on Winstanley Enterprisess plans for New Haven was first published by New Haven Biz. The city is currently in construction on Phase 2 of the Downtown Crossing which has been reclaiming the land that was the Route 34 corridor. Alexion was the first building constructed on the new acreage. Phase 2, which extends Orange Street across Route 34, is currently in construction, while phase 3 will extend Temple Street to the Hill, connecting it to downtown. Piscitelli said the city, in any final agreement, would work in tandem with Winstanley on the Phase 3 portion. Phase 2 is expected to be completed in the summer of 2021, while Phase 3 will start at the end of 2020 and take two years to complete. Some aspects of both phases have been blended to make up for the $20 million federal grant, which was half of what the city had sought. The address of the new building would be 101 College St., in front of Alexion at 100 College St. Winstanley has traditionally had commitments from companies that need this expensive laboratory build-out before investing in it, but that need has been confirmed by Yale and the city for a long time. Another recent positive development for the growth of the life sciences was the purchase of the 145,000-square-foot former Higher One headquarters on Munson Street by a joint venture of Twining Properties, L+M Development Partners and the Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group which plans to put $25 million into renovations with labs possible in some 75,000 square feet of the structure. mary.oleary@hearstmediact.com; 203-641-2577 Interior and Safety Minister Chin Young, center, bows to residents of Asan during his trip to the region Thursday./ Yonhap Jincheon, Asan residents asked to accept the gov't decision By Kim Se-jeong It is time for residents of Jincheon and Asan to accept the government's decision to house 720 Korean evacuees from Wuhan when they arrive home, conflict resolution experts said Thursday. "There's nothing wrong with a protest and I understand their anger," Park Su-seon from the Conflict Resolution & Peace Center told The Korea Times. "But a problem appears when their protest only serves their personal interest. It is a time of national crisis. I would advise them to put themselves in the shoes of people who are coming back from China and who are sick." On Wednesday, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said the 720 evacuees would stay in the National Human Resources Development Institute in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, and the Police Human Resources Development Institute in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, for the next two weeks, drawing fierce opposition from local residents. Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip gets his jacket pulled by angry Jincheon residents during a visit to the region Wednesday night. / Yonhap In Jincheon, people parked tractors in front of the designated site as part of their protest. They threw water bottles at, and grabbed the hair of, Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip who was visiting for talks on Wednesday night. Health Minister Park Neung-hoo visited Asan, Thursday, only to have eggs thrown at him. Almost 1,000 police were sent to the sites in a governmental show of force. By Thursday afternoon, the tractors were gone. In Asan, residents gathered outside the Police Human Resources Development Institute waving placards with messages saying the evacuees were not welcome. (Alliance News) - US Solar Fund on Thursday said its investment manager New Energy Solar Manager fell victim to fraud totalling USD6.9 million. The company, which invests in solar power assets, said the fraud was in relation to contracted construction payments made from the US bank account of a USF project company to a third party US bank account. US Solar Fund said it is has launched an investigation in collaboration with relevant US authorities, account banks, the construction counterparty, and insurers. No other information was disclosed. The stock closed 4.4% lower at 77.00 pence each on Thursday in London. By Ife Taiwo; ifetaiwo@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Cases against the people, who had been arrested on charges indulging in violence and rioting while protesting against the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act in different parts of Uttar Pradesh last month, have been failing to stand judicial scrutiny. Hundreds of CAA protesters, who were arrested by the cops, have been granted bail by the courts in the past few days as the police failed to produce any evidence to link them with the offences they were charged with. In many cases, the courts trashed the police allegations saying that there was no evidence to support them. In some cases, the police were forced to drop serious charges, including those of attempt to murder, against the protesters in a desperate bid to thwart their bail pleas in the courts. On Wednesday, a district court in Bijnore, about 425 kilometres from here, which had witnessed large scale anti-CAA protests, granted bail to 48 protesters after the cops failed to produce any evidence to back the charges. In the state capital of Lucknow also, a majority of the protesters, including some high profile ones, were released on bail again after the failure of the cops to furnish even prima facie evidence against them. Human rights activists said that the UP police had made arrests under pressure of the state government. ''The police did not have evidence yet they arrested the protesters and charged them with serious crimes,'' said an activist while speaking to DH here on Thursday. A senior UP police officer admitted that the arrests were made in haste. ''It (granting of bail and the observations of the courts) is an embarrassment...but we had made it clear that innocent people will not be harassed,'' the officer said in an apparent bid to defend the police. As many as 21 people were killed and around one thousand arrested during the anti-CAA protests in the state last month. Heavy and persistent showers in Port of Spain yesterday afternoon brought a worrying discovery. The newly renovated and restored Red House, which opened on Monday to much praise and amid much splendour, has various leaks. Most of them were small, but the major one is around the skylight in the rotunda. Donald Sinclair October 3, 1933-January 19, 2020 Doctor Donald Sinclair, OAM, was one of Victorias foremost educators, a prodigious textbook author, an Antarctic tourism pioneer and a globe-trotting geographer and humanitarian. His strongest childhood memory was the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan and little did he know that 40 years later the British observer to the Nagasaki blast would be having tea and biscuits at the family dining table in suburban Melbourne. Donald Arthur Sinclair was born at Jessie McPherson hospital in Melbourne, the first child of Noel and Isabel. His father was a structural draftsman, responsible for the design of the circular forecourt shelters that adorned Mobil petrol stations in the 70s. Isabel was a haberdashery store proprietor. They lived in McKinnon, Williamstown, country Victoria and Maryborough, Queensland. Don was largely unimpressed with his early education until he won selective entry to Melbourne Boys High School. Over the ensuing 40 years he obtained a masters degree from the University of Alberta and a doctorate in educational administration and practice from La Trobe University. He was determined to engender change for the better in his career as a newly qualified high school teacher. He developed innovative practices well ahead of their time. The Train of Knowledge was his co-ordination of the air force, service organisations of the Country Womens Association, Lions Club and the Victorian Railways. He chartered trains to travel the extensive Victorian country network with the aim for students to understand rural industry, geography, trade and transport integration. He produced daily newspapers and study guides ready for student topic immersion. Student-led banking was another practical initiative to bring reality of potentially dull business principles to life. Korean airlines are suspending flights to mainland China amid the rapid spread of coronavirus. Korea's No. 2 flag carrier Asiana Airlines said on Wednesday that it will temporarily halt flights between Incheon and Guilin, as well as Incheon and Haikou, from Saturday. It will suspend flights between Incheon and Changsa from next week. Budget carriers Air Seoul and Jeju Air have suspended flights to China and Eastar Jet and Jin Air will soon follow suit. Some airlines are also waiving cancellation fees on flights to China. On the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi's death anniversary, Rahul compared Modi to Nathuram Godse, stating that the prime minister's ideology was similar to the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday fired a fresh salvo against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP. On the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi's death anniversary, Rahul compared Modi to Nathuram Godse, stating that the prime minister's ideology was similar to the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi. "Godse shot Gandhi because he didnt believe in himself. He loved no one, he cared for no one, and he believed in nobody. That is the same with our Prime Minister. He only loves himself. He only believes in himself. He is not interested in listening to the billions of voices in this country," Rahul told a rally in Kerala's Kalpetta. #WATCH Rahul Gandhi, Congress in Kalpetta, Kerala: Nathuram Godse shot Mahatma Gandhi because he did not believe in himself, he loved no one, he cared for nobody, he believed in nobody and that is the same with our Prime Minister, he only loves himself, only believes in himself. pic.twitter.com/itx4GKiVIM ANI (@ANI) January 30, 2020 "He is so full of hatred and anger, that he cannot understand what Indias strength is. The same way we fought Godses ideology, we will fight Modi. And, Im telling you, we will win," Rahul added. Rahul is on a three-day visit to the state, where he reached Wednesday night, to hold a series of programmes against government policies like Citizenship Amendment Act and the state of economy. On Thursday morning, he led a mass protest march against the amended CAA at Kalpetta in Wayanad district on Thursday. Holding party flags, hundreds of workers are taking part in the two kilometre-long "Save the Constitution" march, which began from the SKMJ High School in Wayanad, Gandhi's Lok Sabha constituency. Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly Ramesh Chennithala, KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran and AICC secretary K C Venugopal were among the senior leaders who participated in the rally. He would also address the party workers after the rally. The Congress unit in Kerala has been holding protests across the state, led by its MPs, MLAs and local leaders, over the last few days. While the Save the Constitution march was held in Wayanad, in the other 13 districts of the state the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) organised a "human map of India" with the participants making formation of the country's map. With inputs from PTI MARYSVILLE, Calif., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Yuba County Treasurer & Tax Collector's Office will utilize Bid4Assets.com to host its online auction tax-defaulted property sale. By bringing the sale online, Yuba County is exposing it to Bid4Assets' national buyer base in order to return a greater amount of distressed properties to the tax rolls. Yuba County has not conducted a tax sale since 2017. Online bidding will open Feb. 22 with 68 parcels available. Auctions will close at staggered times on Feb. 25 beginning at 12 p.m. PT (3 p.m. ET). Properties in the sale include 220 acres at 5024 Highway 20 in Browns Valley starting at $25,000, a two-unit commercial building in Marysville starting at $11,000 and a single-family residential property across the street from Johnson Park Elementary School starting at just $14,000. All auctions in this sale will be no reserve, meaning the highest bid at or above the minimum will win the property. "We've had a very positive relationship working with Bid4Assets on our tax sales," said Dan M. Mierzwa, Yuba County Treasurer & Tax Collector. "With approximately $2 million outstanding in tax-defaulted parcels, holding an auction is a necessity. We are working diligently to get the parcels redeemed, but if we have to auction any properties, Bid4Assets has a large database of real estate buyers, which will help maximize proceeds for the owners of those properties as well as returning the properties to timely paid standing. Their services come at zero cost to Yuba County and the residents we serve." "This promises to be an exciting sale that offers our bidders many opportunities to find great property in Yuba County," said Jesse Loomis, CEO of Bid4Assets, Inc. "Bid4Assets is heavily promoting this sale; we're mailing letters to Yuba County landholders, investment property owners and adjoining parcel owners to make sure we're reaching a wide audience of bidders to participate in the auction. If there's a buyer out there for a tax-defaulted property on Bid4Assets, we're going to find them." Bidders must register a free Bid4Assets account and fund a $2,000 deposit before they can participate in this sale. Deposits are due Feb. 18. To view a list of available properties and additional sale details, visit Bid4Assets.com/Yuba. Bid4Assets ( http://www.bid4assets.com ) is an online auction site based in Silver Spring, Maryland. The privately held company auctions distressed real estate for the federal government, county tax-collectors, financial institutions and real estate funds. Bid4Assets is particularly active with county governments in California, where it has conducted tax-defaulted property sales for the counties of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Riverside, Santa Barbara, Fresno, Alameda and Sacramento, to name a few. Since its inception in 1999, the company has sold more than 125,000 properties nationwide and grossed over a billion dollars in auction sales. Contact: Sean McLaughlin Bid4Assets Marketing Manager 301-562-3427 [email protected] Related Images yuba-county-california-seal.jpg Yuba County, California, Seal Over 60 parcels will be available in the sale with minimum bids starting as low as $4,000. Related Links Yuba County Tax Sale Property List SOURCE Bid4Assets Inc. Related Links http://www.bid4assets.com Lone Star College-Tomball Community Library opened their new innovation lab Jan. 28, offering modern technologies for novice and experienced inventors and artists in the community. The new lab offers a variety of equipment, including 3D printers, laser cutters, robotics and coding tools, as well as virtual reality headsets, and is open people of all skill levels. The Tomball Innovation Labs grand opening coincides with a weeks worth of events celebrating LSC-Tomball Community Librarys 15th anniversary. Related: Lone Star College-Tomball Community Library to celebrate 15th anniversary Janna Hoglund, director of LSC-Tomball Community Library, called the innovation lab their gift to the community, celebrating the 15-year partnership between LSC-Tomball and the Harris County Public Library system. Hoglund said the lab was based on community drive, interest and feedback over the last year when they started working on the idea. We were thinking at that time of a possible makerspace, but as we were moving forward, our community helped us tailor and refine it into something more, something bigger, Hoglund said. The innovation lab is where we open to new ideas, collaboration, innovation and creativity, where we dont limit ourselves. HCPL Programming Services Manager Jennifer Schwartz said the library system hopes to continue creating spaces like this. We are continuing to grow these services and empower makers across the county, and by the Spring of 2020, we will have 15 maker locations in place and continuing to grow every day, Schwartz said. The Tomball Innovation Lab was brought about through partnerships between HCPL, LSC-Tomball and several community entities such as Harris County Pct. 4, HCA-Houston Healthcare Tomball, Greater Tomball Area Chamber, city of Tomball, Tomball ISD and the Tomball Economic Development Corporation. LSC-Tomball President Lee Ann Nutt called the Innovation Lab a joint effort between the community and the college, and said the blurrier the lines between those entities, the better for the community and students. Jarek Eaton, LSC-Tomball Student Government Association president, thanked the college and the community for the addition of the innovation lab. Libraries have traditionally served as a repository of the biggest ideas of mankind, a documentation of our achievements and deepest thoughts, Eaton said. If that werent enough, our own Tomball library is now offering a space to promote the development of those great ideas. Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce President Bruce Hillegeist said he remembered as a child when Tomball had just a 300-square-foot library, then a 15,000-square-foot library in the 70s, the opening of LSC-Tomballs library in 2005, and now the opening of the innovation lab. To see the evolution of education through this LSC-Tomball and the partnership, we really do want it to be blurred, Hillegeist said. All of us are Tomball. We dont mind who gets the credit as long as it gets done, and its getting done. It was a partnership with NetEdge Services that led to the addition of virtual reality to the lab, something the school could not afford by themselves. Eddie Martin, NetEdge Services President, said VR could be something fun and beneficial for the community. Related: Lone Star College-University Park opens Leos Shelf food pantry for students One of our goals is there have got to be a lot of ways that this can accomplish things for social benefit, Martin said. Helping with senior living, autismVR presents a unique platform to almost start again looking at new ways to do things. The innovation labs schedule for February offers VR tours from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Feb. 4, with many other programs such as Microsoft Office applications courses, laser cutter and 3D printing orientations, and soldering basics. paul.wedding@hcnonline.com BANGALORE, India, Jan. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, CIS Global celebrates the official Grand Opening of their newest Power Distribution Unit manufacturing facility in Bangalore, India. The new factory is the second for CIS Global; the first is located in Wuxi, China. CIS Global celebrates the official Grand Opening of their newest Power Distribution Unit manufacturing facility in Bangalore, India. "Celebrating the grand opening of our newest state-of-the-art factory is invigorating," said Shubhayu Chakraborty, Chief Operating Officer at CIS Global, "Especially at this time: during our company's 65th Anniversary year. Our presence in the PDU market has been strong for years, and now that we have the capability for additional manufacturing capacity, I am confident in our 2020 growth." The factory in Bangalore employs more than 50 CIS Global associates, with a capacity to manufacture 50,000 PDUs annually in the 25,000 square foot facility. The space features cutting edge automation and precision engineering, with two automated assembly lines, injection-molding capabilities, and advanced applications engineering test lab. CIS Global's grand opening in Bangalore comes just 4 months after the EN2.0 line of PDUs were released to market. "Our brand new, company-owned factory is equipped with automated technology to guarantee the highest quality with fast lead time," said Mike Jansma, Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at CIS Global. To learn more about CIS Global or Enlogic's EN2.0 series of PDUs, go to www.enlogic.com. About CIS Global and Enlogic: Founded in 1955, CIS Global specializes in electro-mechanical products and solutions for the data center market. Today, it is the leading global design manufacturer of IT server rails and the fastest growing design manufacturer of private label and CIS Global's own Enlogic branded power distribution product line. With more than 2 million PDUs manufactured to date, CIS Global's products are providing advanced power distribution in data centers throughout the world. For more information, press only: Jennifer Greffet 636-821-5256 [email protected] For more information on the CIS Global and Enlogic, a Division of CIS Global: www.cisww.com www.enlogic.com Related Files EN2.0-PDU-Enlogic-Brochure.pdf Related Images cis-global-celebrates-grand.jpg CIS Global Celebrates Grand Opening of New PDU Manufacturing Facility in Bangalore, India CIS Global celebrates the official Grand Opening of their newest Power Distribution Unit manufacturing facility in Bangalore, India. Related Links Power Distribution Units Inline Energy Meters SOURCE CIS Global NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that his government is open to discussion on all issues of concern during the upcoming Budget Session of Parliament. The PM made this remark after the all-party meeting convened by the Centre ahead of the Budget Session. Speaking to reporters after an all-party meeting today, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said, In the all-party meeting, the Prime Minister said the government is ready to listen to oppositions views and is open to discussion on all issues.'' The PM further said that we should focus on how we can turn the global scenario in favour of India and in this Budget Session, and in the beginning of the New Year if we can give a proper direction to countrys economy it would be in the best interest of the country,'' Joshi said. Live TV During the all-party meeting, the PM also cautioned the Opposition leaders to introspect upon their stand on the Citizenship Act that has been passed democratically in Parliament, he added. The Opposition should introspect as the amended Citizenship Act has been passed democratically in Parliament, Joshi said, in response to criticism from the Opposition that the government was not listening to it on the issue. The Budget Session of Parliament will commence on January 31 and conclude on April 3. It will go into recess on February 11 and resume on March 2. The Union Budget 2020 will be tabled in Parliament on Saturday, February 1, by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. During the meeting, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad put forth a demand from opposition parties to release Lok Sabha MP Farooq Abdullah so that he can attend the session. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will start the Budget 2020 speech at 11 AM on February 1 in the Parliament. Expectations are high from the Centre as people believe there will be income tax relief for the middle class. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 29) President Rodrigo Duterte maintained on Wednesday that banning travel between the country and China will not be easy, despite the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak that originated in the East Asian nation. "Mahirap 'yang ano, sabihin mong [It is hard to say that] you suspend everything because they are not also suspending theirs and they continue to respect the freedom flights that we enjoy," Duterte told reporters in an ambush interview. However, he said the government is ready to repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan the Chinese city which sits at the center of the outbreak should they seek to come home to the Philippines. "We are always conscious of our citizens [and] their health and if they are going home, we are ready to ferry them back to the Philippines but all precautions must be in place," he added. The Foreign Affairs Department earlier said two charter planes are on standby to fetch Filipinos in Wuhan once they get the go signal from Chinese officials. Duterte added that he will leave the precautionary measures to the proper authorities. Health Secretary Francisco Duque was also reluctant to recommend banning Chinese nationals from entering the country. Duque said they are looking at the ban as an option but he raised that China might question why the Philippines is not imposing the same restriction on other countries. "If we do this, then the concerned country China in this case might question why we're not doing the same for other countries that have reported confirmed cases of novel coronavirus," said Duque during a question hour at the House of Representatives. The secretary maintained that the Department of Health has intensified surveillance on travelers who may have symptoms of the virus. He said they are now strictly monitoring not just visitors from Wuhan but from the entire Hubei province, where the city is located. "As I have said, we have scaled up, we have leveled up border surveillance. Our quarantine officers are well equipped," he added. Chinese Consul General Jia Li also argued that a ban would be unnecessary, given that China has already imposed a travel lockdown. "As of now, we cannot understand why there is a need to impose a ban on Chinese nationals. I wish that the mayors carefully study the proposals and talk with the DOH before they decide if it is really needed," the diplomat said in Chinese through an interpreter during a press conference in Cebu. On the other hand, Senator Christopher "Bong" Go said he supports a travel ban to prevent the virus from spreading in the country. He initially said he would recommend this measure to the President. "Kung saka-sakaling kakailanganin ay irerekomenda natin kay Pangulong Duterte yan.... Nakatutok tayo dito, ang ating mga health officials, foreign officials. Antayin lang natin ang kanilang rekomendasyon. Kung sakali, pabor ako diyan," he said in a statement. [Translation: If it is needed then we will recommend that to President Duterte...Our health officials and foreign officials are monitoring this. Let us wait for the recommendation. If ever, I am in favor of it.] The most recent data tallied over 6,000 cases of the novel coronavirus in 18 countries, namely, mainland China, Hong Kong, MaDutretcao, Australia, Cambodia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Taiwan, the United States and Vietnam. However, 5,972 of these cases, including the total 132 deaths, have been in mainland China. Duque said there are still no confirmed cases yet in the Philippines but they are waiting for test results from a reference laboratory in Australia on samples from suspected patients. He said there are 23 people under investigation for the 2019-nCov with four others having been released earlier. The four are still being monitored, the secretary added. The Philippines has already suspended all flights from Wuhan City and the issuance of visas upon arrival for Chinese nationals. Meanwhile, Hong Kong closed some of its border crossings with mainland China to contain the virus. Taiwan also temporarily suspended visa applications for all Chinese nationals and banned entry for those from Hubei province. Some high-profile companies such as Facebook and Ford also instructed their employees to refrain from traveling to China. On the other hand, British Airways suspended all flights between the United Kingdom and the East Asian country. The Philippines welcomes a number of Chinese tourists every year. In 2019, the Tourism Department reported over one million arrivals from China from January to October, the second most number of visits, following Korea. CNN Philippines' Senior Correspondent Ina Andolong, Correspondent Xianne Arcangel and Cebu-based journalist Dale Israel contributed to this report. H ealth chiefs sounded the alarm today over the very fast spread of killer coronavirus as British diplomats were locked in talks with the Chinese authorities to permit UK nationals and their families to fly home from the city at the centre of the crisis. With the official death toll from the virus hitting 170, and the number of those infected 7,711, the World Health Organisations emergency committee was reconvening today to decide whether the virus should be declared a global emergency. About 200 Britons in Wuhan, where the outbreak started, were waiting for a repatriation flight to be allowed by the Chinese authorities. Officials are believed to have been refusing to allow non-British citizens on board, which would mean families being split up. Some of the stranded British citizens have been told that the British government-chartered plane, which is thought to now not be in Britain, could be in Wuhan for a departure early tomorrow morning local time. 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 The FTSE 100 and other European and Asian stock markets fell as it was confirmed that the virus has now reached every region of China, where the vast bulk of cases have been reported. Peter Openshaw, professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London, told Sky News: This is a very worrying situation now it looks like this virus has spread very fast. It looks like it has spread pretty widely, it may be very hard to contain. We have to do everything we can to slow this one down. With evidence suggesting it is taking off much more sharply than the 2002/03 Sars outbreak, Professor Openshaw stressed the big concern was how it would spread in less developed parts of the world, including highly-populated areas, where there is little medical care. Dr Michael Ryan, executive director at the WHO health emergencies programme, said the decision to reconvene was due to the increasing number of cases and evidence of person-to-person transmission of the virus. World Health Organisation Health Emergencies Programme head Michael Ryan / AFP via Getty Images The whole world needs to be on alert now, the whole world needs to take action and be ready for any cases that come, either from the original epicentre or from other epicentres that become established. Ministers are also understood to be concerned at the pace of coronavirus spreading, though it is not thought to be as deadly as Sars. Scientists believe the infection is likely to arrive in the UK and an analysis of international air travel suggested London is the European city most at risk of an outbreak. Countries were scrambling to repatriate their citizens from Wuhan. The British flight had been expected to take off early today but there were delays in getting the necessary permits from the Chinese authorities. Coronavirus: Britons will not fly home from Wuhan on Thursday Minister Nick Gibb told Sky News: There are some difficult issues that are being negotiated at very senior levels between the British Government and the Chinese government. Our priority is to ensure the safety and welfare of British nationals in Wuhan and ensure they do return to the UK as soon as possible. Japan and America have succeeded in airlifting hundreds of nationals out of Wuhan but other countries are believed to be facing similar problems to the UK. Tom Tugendhat, the newly re-elected chairman of the Commons foreign affairs committee, said: I hope British people in China will be able to follow [Foreign Office] travel advice without difficulty and families will be able to stay together. Anthony May-Smith, one of those waiting to be evacuated, told Sky News he now expects the flights to take off tomorrow. British citizens had been told to make their way to a meeting point some three kilometres from the airport, he added, and they would then be taken there by bus. The British plane, which will have three military medics on board, is expected to fly directly to a military base, possibly RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, with the evacuees then to be taken to an NHS facility to be quarantined for two weeks. Infections have been reported in at least 16 other countries, including France and Germany, with 105 confirmed cases, but no deaths have occurred outside China. The number of cases has jumped to 7,711, surpassing the 5,327 people diagnosed with severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) during the 2002/03 outbreak. MILLWOOD, Va., Jan. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Project HOPE is mobilizing critical supplies and other support for frontline health workers in Wuhan, China, who have been battling the new coronavirus outbreak since December 2019. Project HOPE is preparing vital stocks of personal protective equipment donated by Latter-day Saint Charitiessuch as facemasks, coveralls, and glovesfor airlift to Wuhan in the days to come. "Personal protective equipment is often the only barrier between a doctor or nurse and the critically ill patient during a disease outbreak," said Rabih Torbay, President and CEO of Project HOPE. "When we heard health workers in Wuhan were avoiding taking breaks on their eight-hour shifts because it would require donning a new set of protective gear from their hospitals' dwindling supplies, we knew we had to act immediately. The items being flown to Wuhan will help replenish stockpiles in hospitals on the front lines of this outbreak, some of which Project HOPE has supported for nearly 20 years." Departing from Latter-day Saint Charities' Salt Lake City and Atlanta warehouses and bound for Wuhan in the coming days, these two flights will carry a total of 220,000 facemasks, 870 pairs of protective goggles, and more than 6,500 pairs of protective coveralls. Project HOPE staff in Wuhan will work with local officials to help support last mile delivery of these critical personal protective equipment supplies to medical facilities. Project HOPE has a long history in Wuhan, having collaborated with Wuhan University for nearly 20 years to establish the HOPE School of Nursing one of its strongest and longest-running health workforce programs, which has trained thousands of nurses. Many of the nurses trained at the HOPE School of Nursing are now tirelessly working to screen and treat those with flu-like symptoms in hospitals in Wuhan. Project HOPE's team on the ground in Wuhan continues to work in close coordination with local officials to learn additional ways we can support health workers and health systems in areas affected by the new coronavirus outbreak. For more information on our response to the coronavirus outbreak, visit www.projecthope.org. Contact: Rebecca Gustafson Project HOPE +1-202-602-8312 [email protected] SOURCE Project HOPE Related Links www.projecthope.org Deep within startups lies the passion of their founders who challenged their rivals and dreamt of influencing people's lives. From the perspective of the CEOs, running their companies can be adventurous, obnoxious, thrilling or triumphant. Among them are young and talented individuals who took up the challenge. And they might not realize that their fledgling careers can inspire those wondering what the entrepreneurs are like outside the workplace, what they usually think off-duty and how their businesses will shape their lives. Because we understand such a personal realm can mean a meaningful impact for many, The Korea Times has come to begin "10 Questions for Startup CEOs," a relay interview series for those aspiring figures. The interviewees are selected by their antecedents. Think of this as the "ice bucket challenge" without ice buckets. ED. Leo Kim checks crops at his n.thing smartfarm, a shipping container-turned-indoor agricultural space controlled by computers to create an optimal environment for the plants. Courtesy of n.thing Kim found motivation to start n.thing from the animation "One Piece," self-help book "Business Stripped Bare" by Richard Branson, and from other movies and books. Courtesy of n.thing 1. MY COMPANY DOES Provide module-type smartfarms and fresh vegetables-on-demand based on IoT. Develop smartfarms to cultivate and distribute safe and fresh crops whenever, wherever. 2. WHAT I DO OUTSIDE THE OFFICE Read, physical exercises, meet people from different industries and visit unfamiliar places. Separating my private life from working hours is hard I think about work even in dreams. That's why I view running startup as a type of lifestyle. You get inspirations from what you see and hear and link them to your work. 3. MEMORABLE MOVIES OR BOOKS Movie: "Pirates of the Caribbean," "The Founders," "The Current War" Book: "One Piece," "Fullmetal Alchemist," "Business Stripped Bare" by Richard Branson I like adventure films and business founders' biographies where I can learn decision-making, facing dangers and bold mindsets. One Piece and Business Stripped Bare motivated me the most into venturing n.thing. 4. WHAT GOT ME INTO STARTUP Curiosity about many things, do-or-die personality. Brazenness behind launching my very first startup had shaped my willpower. I first mulled about a startup as I ran a school homepage when I was a high school student, built websites for shops in my neighborhood and later worked at an agricultural farm in Uzbekistan. I saw many opportunities in 2011 when iPhones first hit the Korean shelves. It was the time after I had seen the "dot.com bubble" during high school and the onset of the mobile era. 5. PROSPECT FOR MY INDUSTRY Smartfarms are gaining popularity and attracting investment on a global scale. It reflects a huge industrial shift that began with climate change, the global population hike, rising interest in fresh and safe food, traditional distribution entering the world of e-commerce. Cheaper LED costs also made launching n.thing feasible. Kim values good people in running his company, a lesson he learned after the firm downsized from 18 to eight. Courtesy of n.thing Warplanes struck a town in a rebel-held enclave in northwestern Syria, killing at least 10 people including some who were fleeing the bombs, opposition activists and a rescue service said Thursday. The attack, believed carried out by Russian warplanes backing a Syrian government offensive, put a local hospital out of service, they said. The late Wednesday night assault on Ariha, a town in Idlib province, comes as the rebel-held enclave is under intense fire amid Syrian government advances on the area, which had been controlled by the opposition for nearly eight years. The Russian Defense Ministry rejected claims it was behind the attack, calling them a provocation. The ministry said Russian warplanes did not fly any combat missions in the area. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the death toll from the airstrikes was at least 10 civilians. The rescue group Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, said 11 people, including a child, were killed when the Russian warplanes hit a road used by displaced people trying to leave Ariha. Both the Observatory and the White Helmets said a local hospital and a bakery were struck.- At least 24 people were wounded, including a doctor, a White Helmet volunteer, three women and two children, the rescuers said. An Associated Press video shows the damaged hospital in a residential area, with medical equipment broken, supplies strewn over the floor and windows and doors dislodged from their frames. At least six people, relatives of patients, were killed as they waited outside the hospital, said Zuheir Qarat, a surgeon. An anesthesiologist was critically wounded, Qarat said, and remained at the hospital for over an hour until rescuers were able to evacuate him after the raids ended, along with 15 patients. Hospital generators and one hospital car were burned, he added. No patients were hurt. Qarat described three raids before midnight, within minutes of each other. It destroyed the hospital and put it out of service, Qarat told the AP in a voice message from Ariha. There were also people injured from neighboring buildings. The Ariha hospital, also know as al-Shami, is the only medical facility in the area with surgical facilities. There are no government-run hospitals in opposition-held areas, where health and education services are based on donations and international aid. Hospital director Waguih Qarat said the hospitals coordinates have been shared with the U.N. for three years and said the government and Russia know it is a medical facility. He said the strikes came hours after dozens of dead and wounded from a separate airstrike in a village nearby were transported to the hospital. Most the patients were wounded in that strike. Attacks on hospitals and health facilities by Syrian government forces and their Russian ally illegal under international law have been systematic throughout the war. Physicians for Human Rights recorded over 530 attacks on health facilities by Syrian and Russian forces as well as more than 900 deaths of medical professionals, over 90 percent of them blamed on the government. Footage from Ariha showed the main road blocked with rubble from destroyed buildings. The raids sparked several fires in residential apartments, said a rescuer. He gave only his nickname, Abdel-Karim, because of concerns for his safety. He added that his team of volunteers were going through the area to ensure no survivors remained buried under the rubble. Qarat said that striking the hospital is a message a warning to evacuate, adding that Ariha residents started fleeing after the raids. The hospital was the third that Qarat had worked in, after the previous two were also bombed. The U.N. Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock described to the Security Council on Wednesday the dire conditions in the rebel-held areas. At least 20,000 people were displaced in the last two days, he said, adding that 115,000 left their homes in the past week, bringing total of those uprooted by the violence since December to 390,000. Many families are moving multiple times. They arrive in a place thought to be safe, only for the bombs to follow, so they are forced to move again, he said. This cycle is all too familiar in northwest Syria. In the Russian-backed offensive, Syrian troops captured Maaret al-Numan, one of the largest and most strategic rebel-held towns in Idlib province on Wednesday. The town, which had been in rebel hands since 2012, sits on the highway linking Damascus with Aleppo and is considered critical to President Bashar Assads forces. It was mostly empty after intense bombardment in recent weeks. The government offensive now appears to be eyeing Saraqeb, a town to the north, which if captured, would secure the governments hold on the highway. Farther north, government forces began an offensive on the western suburbs of Aleppo in an attempt to secure the other side of the strategic highway. The president of Turkey, which backs Syrias opposition, said hes in contact with Russia to urge it to stop the bombing in Idlib or our patience will run out. Syrias nearly nine-year conflict has killed close to half a million people and displaced half of the population, including more than 5 million who are now refugees, mostly in neighboring countries. SOURCE: AP | PHOTO: AP In the changing environment today, the audience is the new age storyteller. ZEE has always told extraordinary stories of ordinary people and today we are taking this one step further curating real stories from real India. ZEE, a pioneer in building the creative ecosystem, has always believed in nurturing homegrown talent and providing the platform to showcase their stories to a pan India audience. This current quest titled 'ZEE Katha Caravan Come tell us an extraordinary story', will see ZEE travel across 10 cities looking for storytellers with the Bedhadak Bharat spirit at the core of their narratives. The best stories will be brought to life on the television screen. Ms Prathyusha Agarwal, CMO, ZEEL, said, In a country as vibrant and diverse as India, there are uniquely charming characters every 100 km with a story to tell. As a storyteller fuelling culture, we strive to bring this viewer's soul to screen. Most stories at the core are driven by innate human truths but the cultural context of that truth really dictates the connect a story and its characters make with that culture. ZEE Katha Caravan is a step ahead in looking for culturally rich stories, stories of a Bedhadak Bharat that is vibrant, spirited and taking charge of its destiny like never before. We at ZEE, recognize there is an abundance of talent across the many Bharats who have a strong story that is waiting to be told. ZEE Katha Caravan shouts out to all the storytellers to come to tell us an extraordinary story that we can together bring to life. ZEE Katha Caravan is conducted in partnership with Kommune a performing arts-based startup that pioneered storytelling and spoken word in the country. This is a great initiative by ZEE and Kommune to bring authentic storytelling into television. The unique voices of the depths and breadths of our country often don't get the platform they deserve and this is a step in the correct direction said Roshan Abbas, managing director at Kommune. Kommune is home to art and artists and does content across platforms and events, including Spoken Fest- the largest spoken word and storytelling festival and is a great partner for such a remarkable step forward in television. Storytelling enthusiasts with stories that reflect the varied culture and lore of our country and the very soul of our nation can also write to us at kathacaravan@zee.esselgroup.com YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. Former Deputy Speaker of Parliament Arpine Hovhannisyan has been denied inclusion into the Specialized Commission for Constitutional Reforms due to a political decision, Minister of Justice Rustam Badasyan told reporters. Lawyer-academicians and representatives of NGOs have been elected to the commission. We appreciate Arpine Hovhannisyans sincere motivations that she is ready to help. I am not questioning Arpine Hovhannisyans professional skills, but I have to note that the persons included in the commission do not have political affiliations, Rustam Badasyan said. Hovhannisyan served as Justice Minister from 2015 to 2017. Badasyan said they didnt whatsoever have any objective of selecting oppositionist or pro-governmental candidates to the commission. She was involved in the 2015 constitutional amendments works, and this was mentioned in her application, which in itself cant deserve positive assessment. Having participated in those works in 2015 couldnt have been considered a positive thing in the selection of this phase, but I have noted that Ms. Hovhannisyan is willing to help us with sincere motives, we will not refuse from that help, Justice Minister Rustam Badasyan said. On January 29, the Ministry of Justice released the results of the selection of members of the Specialized Commission of Constitutional Reforms. The Justice Ministry selected lawyer-academics Anahit Manasyan, Artur Ghambaryan, Armen Mazmanyan, Arsen Tavadyan, Levon Gevorgyan and Tigran Markosyan; NGO representatives Karen Zadoyan (Armenian Association of Lawyers) and Daniel Ioannisyan (Union of Informed Citizens). Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan HONG KONGThe world is quickly learning how much it depends on China. Apple is rerouting supply chains. Ikea is closing stores and paying staff to stay home. Starbucks is warning of a financial blow. Ford and Toyota will idle some of their vast Chinese assembly plants for an extra week. On Wednesday, British Airways and Air Canada suspended all flights to mainland China, while Delta joined the growing number of carriers reducing service. Japans leaders are bracing for a possible hit and the U.S. Federal Reserve is very carefully monitoring the situation. Hotels and tour operators across Asia are watching fearfully as the worlds largest source of tourism dollars tightens its borders. The mysterious coronavirus that has killed more than 100 people and sickened thousands has virtually shut down one of the worlds most important growth engines. Desperate to slow the fast-moving virus, Chinese authorities have extended the countrys national holiday to Monday, and crippled land, rail and air transport. Entire cities have shut down. An impoverished nation just four decades ago, China has become an essential part of the modern global industrial machine. It alone accounts for roughly one-sixth of global economic output and is the worlds largest manufacturer and trader. Chinas importance goes beyond what it makes. Its consumers buy more cars and smartphones than anybody else. When they go abroad, Chinese tourists spend $258 billion (U.S.) a year, according to the World Tourism Organization, nearly twice what Americans spend. But it has become so crucial to the operations of U.S. companies that some members of the Trump administration cite that dependence as a justification for the trade war that began two years ago, an economic conflict that is forcing businesses to consider shifting their factories in China to countries with better relations with Washington. Global companies were reconsidering their China strategies even before the trade war began. Its growth is slowing, its labour costs are rising, local companies are increasingly competitive and the government has become less accommodating. Still, its skilled worker base, extensive highway and rail systems and vast consumer market make China tough to quit. What is clear is that businesses were already reeling from multiple sources of uncertainty, said Sameer Samana, senior global market strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute. Its one more thing, he added. The full extent of the hit to the broader business world is not yet clear. The obvious comparison is to the deadly SARS outbreak 17 years ago, which began in China and killed hundreds globally. In early 2003, SARS slowed Chinas growth substantially. There will clearly be implications, at least in the near term, for Chinese output, the Federal Reserve chair, Jerome H. Powell, said during a news conference Wednesday. We just have to see what the effect is globally. Most of China had already been shut down since at least Friday for the annual Lunar New Year holiday, a weeklong nationwide hiatus. But with the outbreak showing no signs of slowing, many companies are already preparing for a longer slowdown. Our members are dealing with varying degrees of disruption in their businesses, including supply chain issues, temporary closings of some retail outlets and factories, and other challenges, said Jake Parker, the senior vice-president of the U.S.-China Business Council, which represents major companies. If travel restrictions and quarantines are expanded or the holiday extended further, he said, that will amplify these problems. Many companies are now looking for temporary stopgaps. Automakers like General Motors and Nissan plan to close their factories until the week of Feb. 3 to comply with the longer mandated holiday, while Toyota and Ford said this week that they would close some of their factories a week longer than that because of virus-related disruptions. Companies like GM, Honeywell, Facebook and Bloomberg restricted travel for employees in China and established their own self-quarantine measures. On Tuesday, the Seattle-based coffee company Starbucks said it had closed more than half of its 4,292 stores in China, its second-biggest market after the United States, and said it would take a quarterly and full-year financial hit. Tim Cook, the chief executive of Apple, said Tuesday that the iPhone maker was looking for alternative suppliers to make up for any expected production loss. Foxconn, a Taiwanese company with an extensive network of factories in China that make gadgets on behalf of Apple and others, said its factories would continue to follow the new holiday schedule. Apple is not the only company that has had to pivot quickly. Just last week, executives of Honeywell, the U.S. engineering company, travelled to Wuhan for a ceremony related to its plans to open an innovation headquarters. Two days later, Wuhan was put under lockdown by authorities. Honeywell has since restricted travel to certain parts of China. Wuhan in particular appeals to major companies because it is a major national transport hub. The auto industry, including General Motors, Honda, Nissan and many others have set up shop there, and many of their suppliers have followed. It is the home to more than one third of all French investment in China. On Monday, PSA Group, the French automaker, said it had set up crisis communications between Wuhan and its Paris headquarters to determine the potential impact on production. The company employs about 2,000 people in Wuhan through its joint venture and was evacuating 38 expatriates. The Swedish retail giant Ikea, which employs 14,000 people in China, said Wednesday it would temporarily close nearly half of its 30 stores in the country. Employees at the stores will be asked to stay home until further notice with paid leave. It is not clear how quickly businesses will bounce back. During the SARS outbreak 17 years ago, some factories paid higher wages to bring workers back and get factories humming again. Right now, businesses do not know enough to make those kinds of plans. Cummins, an Indiana company that makes engines and generators, does not know whether it will be able to open its seven sites in Wuhan after the Feb. 3 holiday extension because the city remains under lockdown. The facilities make fuel and power systems for rail and marine industries. Literally, we are evaluating on an ongoing basis in real time, said Jon Mills, a spokesman for Cummins, and I imagine other places are in the same position as we are. Ford, which does not have any operations in Wuhan, said several of its major plants would nevertheless be idled until Feb. 10. A spokesman declined to disclose further details. The factories in four cities churn out nearly half a million vehicles a year, or an average of 9,400 cars a week. Businesses in other countries are also trying to determine the impact. If the situation takes longer to subside, were concerned it could hurt Japanese exports, output and corporate profits, Yasutoshi Nishimura, Japans minister of state for economic and fiscal policy, told a group of reporters this week. Chinese visitors account for about 30 per cent of all foreign tourists, and Chinese companies are major buyers of Japanese-made components, like semiconductors and lenses. In Thailand, Chinese sightseers spend nearly $18 billion annually, totalling about a quarter of tourist spending. Chinese tourists are the No. 1 tourists to Thailand, said Yuthasak Supasorn, the governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand. He added that the government was exploring ways to compensate business owners who had lost money from the drop in tourists over the past few weeks. The government was even considering reducing parking fees for airlines and excise tax on jet fuel to lure more tourists, he said. Anan Buates, 45, runs a business driving tourists. Chinese tourists are crucial to his business. So he grew alarmed when tour operators started making last-minute cancellations as the coronavirus emerged. Then, last week, China cancelled overseas group tours. Its their right and its their policy to prevent the spreading of the coronavirus, Anan said. Still, he knows he faces a daunting challenge. We survive the whole year because they come the whole year. Read more about: LONDON Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared the Chinese Communist Party the central threat of our times on Thursday, even as he sought to talk up the prospects of a United States trade deal with Britain, which rebuffed American pressure to ban a Chinese company from future telecommunications infrastructure. The scathing criticism of the Chinese government was the strongest language Mr. Pompeo has used as the Trump administration seeks to convince American allies of the risks posed by using equipment from Huawei, a Chinese technology giant. At the same time, Mr. Pompeo sought to reassure British officials that even though the two countries saw the issue differently, it would not undermine the strong bond between them. Mr. Pompeos reassurances come at a delicate moment for the British government as it begins the process of forging new stand-alone trade deals after it formally leaves the European Union on Friday. Government has advised local farmers not to panic over the desert locusts that have invaded East Africa, as systems have been put in place to monitor their movement. The invasion by the migratory pests poses a threat to food security in the sub region. The locusts have so far affected Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia. Zimbabwe is a member of the International Red Locust Control Organisation for Central and Southern Africa (IRLCO-CSA). The IRLCO-CSA promotes and undertakes effective control of significant populations of red locusts in recognised outbreak areas in the territories of contracting governments. The organisation also offers services within limits of resources in the coordination and reinforcement of national action in the region against red locust swarms, which escape from recognised outbreak areas. The IRLCO-CSA also undertakes control of migrant pests in member countries, including armyworm, grain-eating birds and tsetse fly. When one of the member states is attacked by locusts, the organisation dispatches planes and pesticides. Department of the Plant Quarantine and Plant Protection Services Institute (PQPPSI) under the Department of Research and Specialist Services entomologist, Mr Shingirayi Nyamutukwa, said they were working with IRLCO-CSA in monitoring the movement of the pest. If there are any indications they may come to Zimbabwe, farmers will be advised accordingly. We are monitoring the movement of locusts regionally to see which directions they are taking, he said. We also receive reports and updates on the pests. We will be checking on the migration pattern of the swarms. If we see that they are coming, we will alert farmers. Mr Nyamutukwa said the outbreak of the locusts was a result of favourable breeding conditions. locusts feed on anything green and cause extensive damage and great loss. DETROIT Neil Kalina, a former priest facing felony criminal sexual conduct charges as a result of Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessels clergy abuse investigation, waived his rights to a preliminary hearing Tuesday in Macomb County District Court. Kalina, 64, is scheduled for arraignment in Macomb County Circuit Court at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 10 on two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a person between the ages of 13 and 16. The Michigan Attorney Generals Office announced that the incidents reportedly occurred in 1984. Kalina was originally charged with two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a person under 13 years old. However, after further investigation and the discovery of new information, the Attorney Generals office dismissed those charges. When the assaults reportedly occurred, Kalina was a priest at St. Kieran Catholic Church in Macomb Countys Shelby Township. The church is housed within the Archdiocese of Detroit. Kalina is also believed to have provided the victim with alcohol and drugs. The Attorney Generals investigation into clergy abuse involves the seizure of 1.5 million paper documents and 3.5 million electronic documents from Michigans seven dioceses through search warrants executed in October 2018. The investigation has resulted in several priests being charged with multiple crimes: Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador faces growing criticism after erecting a wall of security forces near the Guatemala border this week. Mexico has been preventing Central American migrants from reaching the United States border since the middle of last year. And with the Mexican government facing threats from the US president, that is leading some to call the country Donald Trumps wall. Al Jazeeras John Holman reports from Mexico City. OlegAlbinsky/iStock(WASHINGTON) -- A former congressman allegedly linked to Rudy Giulianis shadow campaign to oust Americas then-ambassador to Ukraine appears on video, obtained by ABC News, meeting with President Donald Trump. Trump, who is in the midst of his impeachment trial, has insisted he does not know the two businessmen, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, who also helped Giuliani dig into since-discredited allegations that Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden corruptly sought to protect his son from a Ukrainian investigation he was in office. But the tape, provided to ABC News by a lawyer for Parnas, is the second video to surface in the past week showing both Parnas and Fruman meeting with Trump in early 2018. The latest tape was apparently recorded on April 20, 2018 at a Republican-sponsored meet-and-greet ten days before the meeting captured on video made public last week. Only a few minutes into the latest recording, then-congressman Pete Sessions, R-Texas, can be seen walking into a dining room at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. "You guys, let me introduce myself to everybody. I'm Pete Sessions," the prominent Texan can be heard telling those gathered to meet with Trump, including Parnas, Fruman and two pro-Trump women who emigrated from Syria but were not identified. Late last year, Parnas and Furman were indicted in New York federal court for allegedly scheming to circumvent campaign finance laws and raise $20,000 for a then-sitting congressman, since identified as Sessions. Both Parnas and Fruman have pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors also allege that Parnas and Fruman enlisted help from a former congressman to have veteran diplomat Marie Yovanovitch recalled as ambassador a move that has figured prominently into the narrative of Trumps impeachment. Sessions recently told ABC News he is cooperating with the federal probe. In May 2018, Sessions sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging him to remove Yovanovitch, insisting with no evidence that Yovanovitch had been working against Trump. Parnas told Trump the same thing a couple of weeks earlier, during a small gathering on April 30, 2018. Get rid of her, Trump appears to respond, according to a recording of the encounter reviewed by ABC News last week. "Get her out tomorrow. I don't care. Get her out tomorrow. Take her out. OK? Do it. That recording is in the custody of federal prosecutors in New York. Trump has distanced himself from Parnas, and the presidents supporters have questioned his credibility and motives. "I don't know him," the president recently said when asked about Parnas. "I don't know Parnas other than I guess I had pictures taken, which I do with thousands of people, including people today that I didn't meet. But I just met him. I don't know him at all. Don't know what he's about, don't know where he comes from, know nothing about him. I can only tell you this thing is a big hoax." The latest recording shows Trump meeting with Parnas and Fruman, and according to sources, the meeting would be the first of two held in a two-week-period in early 2018. For more than 30 minutes, during the meeting that sources tell ABC News was held on April 20, 2018, Trump entertained questions from the group of supporters, discussing matters ranging from Trumps handling of Syria to Republican representation in Congress. We're losing a lot of people, Trump said of a recent wave of Republican retirements. Pete, maybe you can talk a little about this. We win when we are together, Sessions responded. We win when we gather ourselves together around a common theme, and that is the president of the Unite States that wants to make America great again. There was no discussion of Yovanovitch in the meeting apparently held on April 20, 2018. It was not until a year later that Yovanovitch was recalled from her position -- in April 2019. Yovanovitch has said the decision was based on "unfounded and false claims by people with clearly questionable motives" that she was disloyal to Trump. In public testimony, many of her colleagues have agreed. House investigators have been attempting to document in part with text messages supplied by Parnas -- an almost year-long effort on the part of Parnas and Giuliani to get Yovanovitch removed from her post. Trumps supporters, meanwhile, have maintained that no evidence has been put forward directly linking Trump to any of the alleged impeachable actions. And Trump and the White House have maintained that removing Yovanovitch was within his right. "Every president in our history has had the right to place people who support his agenda and his policies within his Administration," White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said last week. A spokesman for Sessions declined to comment for this article. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. MIDDLETOWN A lifelong resident and chairman of the local GOP town committee is hoping to be elected to the South Fire District Board of Commissioners next week. William Wilson went through the Middletown Public School system and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School. He has been a member of Fellowship Church in Middletown since 1978, according to a press release. There, Wilson has volunteered in many ways, including child care, ushering and being a part of the greeting team. Voting will take place Monday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the annual meeting. There is one seat open on the board. Also hoping to win are resident Daniel Penney and former mayor, mayor candidate Sebastian N. Giuliano. Wilson has been involved in city government since being elected to the Republican Town Committee in 1994 and serving as the chairman for the last three years. He also served on the Personal Review Board in 1996, until the board was disbanded in 2000. I am running for South Fire District Commissioner because I feel the state of Connecticut has provided the district with insufficient funding. For example, the funding that is provided for Connecticut Valley Hospital, Whiting Forensic Hospital, and Riverview Hospital is unacceptable. It is not the responsibility of the taxpayers to foot the entire cost. My goal is to ensure proper funding for the South Fire District, he said in a prepared statement. Wilson was also elected to the Planning and Zoning Commission in 2001 and served for four years, he said in the release. He was a commissioner on the Board of Assessment Appeals for two years. He is also vice chairman of both the Cable Advisory Board and Harbor Improvement Agency, with a combined service of 24 years. Apple is in trouble again over patent infringement by one of its chip suppliers. A jury has awarded the California Institute of Technology a $1.1 billion compensation from Apple and Broadcom for infringing on CalTechs Wi-Fi patents. The bulk of the sum is owed by Apple, $837.8 million, while Broadcom is on the hook for $270.2 million. Apple called itself merely an indirect downstream party (trying to shift the blame onto Broadcom) and plans to appeal the verdict. Broadcom will appeal too. The relationship between Apple and Broadcom is important for both companies. Just last week the chip maker signed a deal worth $15 billion. Also, Apple accounts for a fifth of Broadcoms revenue. A year ago, Qualcomm successfully won a suit against chip suppliers Qorvo and Intel, which led to the ban of iPhone 7 and 8 models. Source Thomas Valva died last week after being made to spend the night in a freezing garage The grieving mother of an autistic eight-year-old boy who died of hypothermia after he was 'starved, beaten and forced into a freezing garage overnight' by his NYPD police officer father was seen fighting back tears at her son's wake on Wednesday. Justyna Zubko-Valva arrived at the gathering held for little Thomas Valva in Long Island, New York, hand in hand with her two surviving sons - and Thomas' brothers - six-year-old Andrew and 10-year-old Anthony. Zubko-Valva, dressed in black, fought back tears as she spoke to media inside Mangano Funeral Home in Deer Park, on the same day that his father Michael Valva and his fiancee Angela Pollina were indicted for the boy's murder. 'This could have been preventable,' said Zubko-Valva, according to Newsday. 'But the people who protect children were protecting the abuser instead.' The heartbroken mother said mourners attending the wake wanted justice for Thomas who died after social services repeatedly ignored reports that the child and his siblings were being abused by the suspected killers. She was awarded temporary custody of Andrew and Anthony on Monday. 'His life is never going to be forgotten,' she said. 'His story has affected so many people. People want to fight for justice. They want to make sure another child does not experience what Tommy did.' Photos taken inside the wake show pictures of Thomas smiling and a tapestry with the young boy's face set against a backdrop of a blue sky and teddy bears. Justyna Zubko-Valva (above) fought back tears as she spoke to media inside Mangano Funeral Home in Deer Park Zubko-Valva arrived at the gathering held for little Thomas Valva (pictured on a memorial tapestry inside the wake) in Long Island, New York, with her two surviving sons - and Thomas' brothers - six-year-old Andrew and 10-year-old Anthony Memorial cards had Thomas' photo on and read 'Safely home' A poem on the tapestry reads: 'When tomorrow starts without me do not think we are apart. For every time you think of me, remember I am right here in your heart.' A giant teddy bear dressed in a Correction Officers' Benevolent Association uniform is also on display among a spread of flowers and gifts from the heartbroken community for the young boy's family. Memorial cards had Thomas' photo on and read 'Safely home'. Hundreds of mourners packed into the funeral home to pay their respects to Thomas and offer support to his distraught mother. The wake took place Wednesday from 2 to 4 p.m. and from 7 to 9:30 p.m., ahead of Thomas' funeral mass at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Roman Catholic Church in Melville. Valva and Pollina were indicted by a Suffolk County grand jury Wednesday for the alleged murder of Thomas. Pollina's lawyer told The Post that neither of the accused appeared in court when the indictment was handed. 'This could have been preventable,' said Zubko-Valva, according to Newsday. 'But the people who protect children were protecting the abuser instead' A giant teddy bear dressed in a Correction Officers' Benevolent Association uniform is also on display in the wake Mourners left a spread of flowers and gifts for the young boy's family Thomas' heartbroken mother said mourners attending the wake wanted justice for Thomas who died after social services repeatedly ignored reports that the child and his siblings were being abused by the suspected killers The funeral home where Thomas' mother said of her son: 'His life is never going to be forgotten. His story has affected so many people. People want to fight for justice. They want to make sure another child does not experience what Tommy did' Thomas died on January 17 after allegedly being forced to sleep in the freezing garage of Long Island home he lived in with Valva, Pollina, Andrew, Anthony and Pollina's 11-year-old twin daughters and her six-year-old son. Authorities were dispatched to the home around 9.40am following reports that Thomas had fallen in the driveway and lost consciousness. Responding officers found Valva performing CPR on Thomas in the basement before he was rushed to Long Island Community Hospital and pronounced dead. Valva's initial story that Thomas was trying to catch the school bus and died after falling in the driveway - quickly came apart as homicide detectives investigated the death. 'The medical examiner has ruled it a homicide with a major contributing factor of hypothermia. We believe certainly that Thomas was kept in the garage overnight preceding his death,' Suffolk Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart said, according to NBC News. The incident started when Valva beat Thomas at their Bittersweet Lane home in the Center Moriches hamlet in Long Island, New York Daily News reports. Thomas' (pictured) body temperature was just 76 degrees - 21 degrees below a normal temperature - when doctors attempted to revive him the night he died Thomas (pictured) also suffered head and face injuries that were not consistent with his father's story Then, Valva allegedly forced Thomas outside into the garage when the area was a frigid 19 degrees that night. Thomas' body temperature was just 76 degrees - 21 degrees below a normal temperature - when doctors later attempted to revive him. Before calling 911, Valva is said to have placed the boy's cold body in a warm bath to raise his core temperature. In addition to hypothermia, Thomas also suffered head and face injuries that were not consistent with Valva's story. Social services are now under investigation after it emerged that teachers and the boy's mother had reported her sons were being abused by their father for years. Thomas was taken away from his mother, who is a Rikers Island correctional guard , when she and his father divorced. It is not clear why Zubko-Valva lost custody but she has suggested it is because she is a Polish migrant and was on the back-foot during their custody case because she did not have a lawyer. She also alleged that her ex falsely accused her of abuse. Michael Valva (left) and Angela Pollina (right) were indicted by a Suffolk County grand jury Wednesday for the alleged murder of Thomas Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said on Monday he would launch an investigation into how her complaints were handled. 'As a parent, I am horrified by what happened to this beautiful boy. 'As county executive, I want to know if there is anything else that could have been done under existing law to prevent this from happening. 'Beyond that, I want to know if anything in this case suggests that changes should be made to existing policy or law,' he said. After news of her son's death emerged last week, Justyna wrote on Twitter: 'I want to personally thank each one of you for love and support towards me and my children. 'I am still extremely heartbroken, and devastated over the cruel and tragic death of my little angel Thomas that could have been preventable. 'Please continue keeping us in your prayers.' Since 2018, she has been publicly accusing Valva of abusing their boys on a Twitter page where she showed videos of them telling her they had been told to hate her. The videos also showed the boys saying they were scared they were going to be put 'outside' by their father. Records show that New York state's Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) received a complaint back in February that Anthony was coming to school in soiled clothes after being forced to sleep in the garage. They show that a phone call was made to child services, by an unnamed caller, on February 27 stating that the boy, 10 at the time, was forced to sleep in the garage because he was wetting the bed. 'For the past week, Anthony (9) has been coming to school with his clothes and backpack soaked in urine,' states the record, seen by The Post. Thomas' mother Justyna had regularly reported her concerns to child services but her son was allowed to carry on living with his father Teachers also reported their concerns to Justyna. They claimed in letters to her that the boys showed up at school hungry, dirty and sometimes in urine-soaked clothes. Justyna reported her concerns but nothing was done to take the boys away from their father. Her last tweet before that was in November 2018, when she wrote ominously: 'I don't even know if my children are alive at this point.' According to police, cameras and microphones that had been set up in Valva's home captured audio of him and Pollina taunting Thomas as he froze to death. They sniggered 'he's hypothermic' and laughed when he 'face-planted' the floor. Pollina remarked: 'You know why he's falling?' to which Valva replied: 'Because he's cold.... boo f*****g hoo'. An investigation has been launched into the response of child services. The suspected killers, Valva and Pollina, will be arraigned next week, where the charges against them will be announced. Thomas was one of six children in Mike and Angela's care who were living at the home Letters from school psychologists and teachers paint a worrying picture of the boys' life We are always working on adapting the latest technology, but at the end of the day, if we dont have a human-first focus on how we design our processes and systems, the focus easily shifts to numbers and results" Pac Biz, a 24/7 customer-focused call center based in Phoenix, Arizona and Dumaguete, Philippines, will be hosting a Think Tank discussion on empathy at this weeks CCW Winter Conference at the JW Marriott in Nashville, TN. The discussion will be led by Pac Biz CEO and co-founder Eric Mulvin and will be centered on using design thinking principles to bring a better and more human-focused customer experience. Also joining Pac Biz will be one of their clients who is operating a San Diego-based health and wellness company and works with Pac Biz for omnichannel support. They will be on hand to also share their experience on empathy in the contact center, where delivering empathic customer experience is key to retaining customer loyalty. Pac Biz is also excited to have Operations Manager Jake Cayang from Dumaguete, Philippines on hand in Nashville during the Think Tank discussion, sharing his leadership experience on what it takes to bring about change and drive a more empathic experience for customers. "I've been working with Eric Mulvin for 7 years now, and with Pac Biz since day one and I've seen the difference over the years on how we've improved the customer experience for our clients," Cayang said about what he can bring to the Think Tank. Running a contact center means we all are 100% in the people business, shared Pac Biz CEO, Eric Mulvin. We are always working on adapting the latest technology, but at the end of the day, if we dont have a human-first focus on how we design our processes and systems, the focus easily shifts to numbers and results, and in the long run, that delivers poor results to our staff and to our customers. Mulvin believes contact center leaders of any role or industry would benefit from the empathy Think Tank. Regardless of if attendees have been using the design thinking principles for years or they are learning the concept for the first time, everyone should come away from this with actionable tasks that they can take back to their organization and try out this new way of thinking, added Mulvin about what guests can expect. You can find Pac Biz this Friday. January 31st at the 10:50 a.m and 11:40 a.m session. Pac Biz will not have a booth at the CCW Winter Conference but will be on hand throughout the conference and will be available to meet on Saturday morning on-site or around Downtown Nashville. To meet with Pac Biz, please text CX to (480) 771-3009. About Pac Biz Pac Biz helps ecommerce and transportation companies improve service levels by 421% or more and helps improve the customer experience for their clients with amazing contact center agents. Pac Biz is a 24/7 quality-focused call center ran from Phoenix, Arizona but operated out of Dumaguete, Philippines. Established in 2015 with over 200 staff today, Pac Biz agents provide voice, email, chat/messaging support with clients in the US, Canada, and the UK. For more information, visit Pac-Biz.com About Customer Contact Week (CCW) Started in 1999 at Call Center Week, CCW is the worlds largest customer contact event series. With the balance of conference and expo, CCW is the place where customer care, CX, and contact center leaders come together. CCW is brought to you by the Customer Management Practicethe Analyst, Advisor, and Industry Network for all things Customer Management. For more information, visit customercontactweekdigital.com Former minister of aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode has slammed Garba Shehu over his statement that Senator Abaribes call for President Muhammadu Buhari to resign is a foolish one. Recall that earlier, the presidential aide labelled the Senate Minority leader as a an armchair critic following Abaribes call to President Buhari to resign over the security situation of the country. Also Read: Senator Abaribe To Buhari, APC: Resign Or Be Chased Out With Stones Reacting to this statement, Fani-Kayode queried when Garba Shehu will stop saying rubbish. Going further, Fani-Kayode expressed that the presidency is cursed. See his tweet below: ALBANY It's been a little less than a month since a series of sweeping bail reforms went into effect in New York and now everyone wants to hear from law enforcement. The reforms, tucked into last year's budget, eliminated the use of pre-trial detention and cash bail for most misdemeanors and non-violent felonies. Republicans have quickly identified the issue as their largest priority heading toward the November election, accusing Democrats of letting dangerous criminals back on the streets without the input of police officers, district attorneys and other stakeholders who are seeing the changes unfold in their day-to-day. But, at least over the past week, it looks as if lawmakers across the aisle can't hear enough from law enforcement officials. On Wednesday, state Senate Republicans announced a new "Repeal Bail Reform" task force that will host public hearings around the state with law enforcement officials and other stakeholders who may oppose the legislation. The task force, chaired by Senate Minority Leader John Flanagan and Sen. George Borrello, R-Chautauqua County, will make its first stop in Buffalo on Feb. 6, followed by hearings in Long Island, the Hudson Valley and Syracuse. The roundtables will include testimony from police officers, prosecutors, victims and other stakeholders who, Republicans say, were not given a voice last year as Democrats negotiated the reforms. Democrats did not host public hearings before a final vote but did gather input privately from some stakeholders. "This is not justice," Flanagan said in a statement. "It is an insult to crime victims and their families, to the public and to every person who serves to uphold our law. The Senate Republican Repeal Bail Reform Taskforce will listen to the facts about how this is impacting communities as we continue to fight to repeal this disastrous law." Meanwhile, Senate Democrats have been privately meeting with law enforcement leaders, advocates and district attorneys to discuss the law and possible changes, as first reported by Newsday. Several Democrats have introduced legislation to offer judges more discretion to detain someone ahead of a trial, including state Sen. Monica Martinez, D-Suffolk, who said this week that she would not approve a budget without amendments to bail reform. Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers, told reporters Tuesday that the meetings have reiterated information Democrats heard last year before implementing the changes. "We met with all of these groups before, and, again, it's less than a month in effect," Stewart-Cousins said. "And so we are continuing to meet with everyone as we see the effects of our change in the law." Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Patrick Phelan, the president of the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police and chief of police for Greece in Monroe County, said Senate Democrats reached out to arrange a meeting and hear out their concerns about bail reform. His group, like others, is asking lawmakers to re-evaluate offenses eligible for cash bail and consider judicial discretion. They spent a lot of time with us and listened to all our concerns, Phelan said. I dont know what that will translate into, but I certainly didnt get the impression that it was a meeting just to say they met with us. Meanwhile, Assembly Democrats have indicated little to no interest in revisiting bail reforms. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, D-Bronx, has stood by the changes, which Democrats passed with the intent of improving a system they said had long criminalized poverty and disproportionately affected people of color. "People want to misrepresent the truth and fact of the law to score political points," Heastie wrote on Twitter Tuesday in response to criticism of the law. "Shame on those who do that." Dan Clark contributed reporting. A North Carolina man is facing a human trafficking charge after police alleged he kept a person in sexual servitude for five years. Salvador Espinoza Escobar, 48, of Asheboro, was arrested Wednesday when the investigation into the trafficking accusations began, according to a news release from the Randolph County Sheriff's Office. The National Human Trafficking Tip Line alerted Randolph County officials about Espinoza Escobar, who the release says kept a person in sexual servitude "by withholding basic needs in exchange for forced sexual acts since January 2015." Espinoza Escobar was arrested without incident, the release said, and was charged with one count of felony human trafficking. He appeared in court Friday and according to CNN affiliate WXII, he told the judge that he would be hiring his own attorney. He was released on $100,000 bail on Friday evening, according to the sheriff's office. CNN attempted to contact Espinoza Escobar but has not been able to reach him. CNN has reached out to the Randolph County Superior Court Clerk and the District Attorney's office but has not heard back. The Randolph County Sheriff's Office is working with World Relief Triad, a non-profit working with vulnerable groups, and the state's Division of Social Services to provide services to the victim. Authorities will not release the name or the condition of the victim for protection and privacy, the release said. The case remains under investigation. DAKAR, Senegal - The head of U.S. military forces in Africa argued Thursday against troop cuts on the vast and booming continent, saying strategic partnerships in combating a growing extremist threat and assertive Chinese and Russian influence cannot be sacrificed. A secure and stable Africa remains an enduring American interest, Gen. Stephen J. Townsend told the Senate Armed Services Committee. In the past, maybe weve been able to pay less attention to Africa and be OK in America. I dont believe thats the case for the future. It is not clear when Defence Secretary Mark Esper will decide on possible military cuts as part of a global review with the goal of tightening the focus on China and Russia. Esper on Thursday said that we are not going to totally withdraw forces from Africa and acknowledged the concerns that have included a rare bipartisan outcry in Congress. The prospect of U.S. military cuts worries allies such as France, especially in the arid Sahel region of West Africa as fighters affiliated with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group move into more populated areas. And in East Africa, three Americans were killed this month in the al-Qaida-linked al-Shababs first attack against U.S. forces in Kenya, with several U.S. aircraft destroyed. Its obvious we were not as prepared there at Manda Bay as we needed to be, he said of the airfield that was attacked. We cannot take pressure off major terrorist groups like al-Qaida and ISIS, Townsend added. These groups and many others remain an inconvenient reality in Africa. Some of the groups threaten the U.S. homeland, the U.S. Africa Command chief warned, including the Somalia-based al-Shabab. The U.S. military currently has about 6,000 personnel across Africa, with about 4,000 located at the only U.S. permanent military base on the continent in the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti a short distance from Chinas first overseas military base. Another nearly 1,300 U.S. personnel are in the Sahel, the vast region just south of the Sahara Desert. Frances military is leading efforts in the Sahel and recently committed another 220 troops to its existing force of 4,500. While France is pressing the U.S. not to reduce its presence in Africa, Townsend again called on other European nations to step up. Thats something they can and should do, he said, saying European countries could take on some of the current U.S. support efforts such as airlifts and air refuelling for French fighter aircraft. But he said not a lot of the countries have the exquisite level of technological intelligence available to U.S. forces. Townsend warned, however, that if we were to withdraw our support from the French precipitously, then that would not go in a good direction. He also stressed that U.S. interest in Africa goes beyond the fight against extremism, highlighting the continents economic potential, burgeoning population, vast amount of natural resources including rare minerals and its strategic position overlooking a global crossroads. Africa is key terrain for competition with China and Russia who are aggressively using economic and military means to expand their access and influence, Townsend said. He also pointed out the first visible sign of co-operation weve seen in Africa between the militaries of China and Russia, who participated in a joint naval exercise off the coast of South Africa last year. China and Russia are seeking to counter the strategic access that we need for American security and American prosperity, he said. Russia has been pursuing extractive ventures in the continents rich mineral resources, while China is offering African countries smart cities technology equipped with facial recognition technology. Of course we know they are reporting back to China first, before the country where its established, Townsend asserted. He also acknowledged the worries of African countries as the possible U.S. troop cuts are considered in Washington. The thing they always looking for is, can we count on you as a partner? he said. ___ Anna reported from Johannesburg. Robert Burns in Washington contributed. Pressure is mounting on ministers to ramp up building to tackle the UK's housing crisis. Work started on just 39,510 new homes between July and September last year, down 11 per cents on a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Over the 12 months to the end of September, work began on 157,550 new homes, down 7 per cents on a year earlier. Slowdown: Work started on just 39,510 new homes between July and September last year, down 11 per cent on a year earlier, according to Government figures Clive Docwra, managing director of construction, consulting and design agency McBains, said: 'The Government has set a target of 1m homes in five years, yet today's figures show that the industry is way off those rates. 'The Government needs to set out how it intends to boost building, such as freeing up more land and cutting red tape on planning.' The report showed 46,000 homes were completed between July and September, up 11 per cent on a year earlier. Homes completed in the 12 months to September rose 9 per cent to 177,980. The Academy Awards used to serve a fairly simple purpose. They were Hollywoods way of patting itself on the back, of acknowledging the best the industry had to offer. It Happened One Night, The Best Years of Our Lives, Lawrence of Arabia, The Godfather: these were all great movies that Hollywood was proud of, and audiences loved them too. A Best Picture Oscar only validated their good taste. But today audiences want a different kind of validation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the rise of streaming platforms that sharpens that appetite also makes its fulfillment less likely: having more movies, and more choices, means more favorites. Consensus seems hopeless. A few years back, the organization took steps to diversify its ranks, inviting more women and people of color into its membership. The impulse was great. But if this awards season is any indication, its not clear that the changes have done much good. Joker, a hit movie that seeks pity for a violent, white male character whos been failed by society, leads with 11 nominations. Todd Phillips dark take on Joker earned 11 nominations, including Actor in a Leading Role for star Joaquin Phoenix, Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture | Warner Bros. Meanwhile, Greta Gerwigs Little Women, which focuses on a family of womenand which has also been popular with audiencesearned nominations in several categories, including Best Picture. But Gerwig wasnt nominated for Best Director, an oversight that feels like a slap to many women struggling to have their work recognized in the industry. Furthermore, many critics were frustrated that Jennifer Lopez failed to get a nod for her terrific turn in Hustlers; likewise, Lupita Nyongo was overlooked for the intricate performance she gave in Us. The outrage on social media has been deafening. Wethat is to say, anyone who hopes for a progressive, democratic, open societywant our movies to better reflect the diversity of the world we live in, and were desperate for the Academy to follow suit. But while its normal to want change, and to want to fix everything thats wrong with Hollywood, the bigger question is this: Are we sure were not looking to Hollywood to fix us? Story continues How a movie like The Farewellan unequivocally American film, though it features a nearly all-Asian or Asian-American cast and is largely in Mandarin, with subtitlesgets out into the world can make all the difference. The rise of streaming platforms is good news, to a point, for new filmmakers hoping to break in or for established filmmakers who have been unable to get even a small, independent project off the ground. In years past, Netflix provided a home for fine work from directors like Tamara Jenkins (Private Life) and Dee Rees (Mudbound)but unlike The Irishman or Marriage Story, two powerhouse Netflix releases from last year, those films werent positioned for optimum Oscars attention. Martin Scorseses The Irishman, his 3-hour epic Mob movie for Netflix, received 10 nominations | Netflix In a directors roundtable sponsored by the Hollywood Reporter late last year, Lulu Wang, director of The Farewell, pinpointed the problem. She said that while streaming deals can be favorable for established directors like Martin Scorsese or Noah Baumbachwhose names are extremely valuable in helping Netflix build its brandher preference, as a relative newcomer, was to go with a small studio, A24, though one of the streaming platforms had offered her twice as much money. As of December, The Farewell had been playing in theaters for almost five months. That theatrical release granted it a legitimacy it might not have gotten from a streaming platform. I know for a fact that if I took that bigger money, [the streamer] wouldnt have the energy to put behind someone like me to build my brand, Wang saidespecially when there are now so many established directors who are open to streaming deals. Wangs decision against streaming highlights a conundrum that all filmmakers seeking to break in will have to think about. The rise of streaming services has already changed what kinds of stories get told and who gets to tell them and stands to alter the landscape further: according to a recent Los Angeles Times article, Netflix released 19 original movies from first-time directors in 2019; 11 more are already scheduled for 2020. About half the directors making Netflix debuts last year were women, and several were filmmakers of color. A bracing war drama shot in the style of one continuous take by director Sam Mendes, 1917 was nominated in 10 categories | Universal But if directors like Scorsese and Baumbachthat is, male, white and establishedhave everything to gain and little to lose from releasing a movie on Netflix, a filmmaker seeking to build a name will find it harder to stand out from the pack. Having more movies out there means more movies to slip through the cracks, especially if they dont come with a big-ticket directors name attached. Netflixs Dolemite Is My Name, made by experienced director Craig Brewer, is a terrific picture about blaxploitation impresario and entrepreneur Rudy Ray Moore, starring a dazzling Eddie Murphy. But the film received no Oscar nominations. With streaming, the public may have greater access to good movies that perhaps couldnt otherwise have been madebut that doesnt necessarily mean those movies will get the awards attention they deserve, which in turn grants those filmmakers more freedom to tell worthy stories. People who love movies have so much invested in the Oscars suck! argument that we see our foot stomping as being somehow productive. But fixing the Oscarsto the extent that its even possiblewont solve societys bigger problems. Many filmgoers are torn between claiming that this elite institution doesnt matter and agitating for it to change. We cant have it both ways. Both Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio were nominated for their performances in Quentin Tarantinos Once Upon a Time in ... Hollywood | Sony The healthier approach might be to follow the lead of Bong Joon-ho, director of Parasite, which has been nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Pictureits the first Korean film to have earned that honor. In October, as Bong was bringing his film to various festivals (it had already won the top prize, the Palme dOr, at Cannes), he was also in the midst of the obligatory Oscars campaign, a routine that was new to him. When a reporter from Vulture asked what he made of the fact that no Korean film had ever been nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, despite the Korean film industrys size and worldwide influence, he responded with a tongue-in-cheek but potent answer. Its a little strange, but its not a big deal, he said. The Oscars are not an international film festival. Theyre very local. Hollywood is a big-business tiny town, and its awards body is never going to be the answer to the publics prayers. Its our job, by buying tickets and being thoughtful consumers, to show it what to thinknot the other way around. JANUARY 30, 2020 Chris Combs, the Dee Howard Endowed Assistant Professor in UTSAs Department of Mechanical Engineering, is one of 40 young researchers who will receive a grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Researchs Young Investigator Research Program. The three-year grant, totaling $450,000, will support Combs as he investigates the effects of hypersonic shock waves on future U.S. Air Force flight systems in his research effort titled Effects of ablation-induced distributed roughness on shock-wave/boundary-layer interactions. The Young Investigator Research Program fosters creative basic research in science and engineering while enhancing early career development of outstanding young researchers. Hypersonic flight, with velocities faster than five times the speed of sound, is an emerging national priority that has the potential to be a truly disruptive technology with an impact on commercial aviation, defense and space exploration. Hypersonic speed, or Mach 5, is a velocity of roughly 4,000 miles per hour. Hypersonic wind tunnels like UTSAs Mach 7 facility are rare. Sustained flight at these speeds has obvious appeal when one considers that a hypersonic trip from New York to Los Angeles would take only 30 minutes. This flight regime is also significant for military and defense applications, since a rapid-response capability to hotspots and crisis points around the world is highly desirable. Recent demonstrations of hypersonic technology by Russia and China have put pressure on the United States to develop hypersonic systems of its own; however, hypersonic flight poses many technical and engineering challenges owing to the extreme flow velocities, temperatures and pressure loads imposed on a vehicle system. One of the many issues with sustained and reusable hypersonic flight is the extreme heat experienced by these vehicles, which can approach the temperature of the surface of the sun. For this reason, most hypersonic cruise vehicles employ protective surfaces called thermal protection systems that are designed to keep the system safe. These thermal protection systems are often designed to ablate, which means that a sacrificial outer surface is designed to burn and erode away as heating loads are applied to protect the primary vehicle. Previous research has shown that this ablation can generate roughness on a vehicle surface. Some thermal protection systems are also designed using woven composite materials, which naturally have a complex, textile and rough surface architecture, like a thick wool blanket. Very little previous work has been conducted to study the impact of these rough surfaces on a hypersonic flow. The design of hypersonic systems is further complicated by the presence of shock waves on the surface of a vehicle. These shock waves are generated by fins and control surfaces and can create catastrophic pressure and thermal loads leading to vehicle damage or failure. Moving at such high speed, if a shock wave is interacting with a vehicle surface it can quite literally burn a hole through your aircraft, so thats obviously something wed like to avoid, said Combs. The problem is that the underlying physics of these interactions is very complex and the necessary experiments and computations are quite challenging. So after over 50 years of research in this area we still do not have a good feel for how to control or mitigate these interactions, particularly when they occur over realistic vehicle surfaces. Learn more about the new Ludwieg Tube facility at UTSA. Explore UTSA's College of Engineering and research by Chris Combs, To address these issues, Combs will employ real-world materials to study the effect of surface roughness on the dynamic behavior of hypersonic shock-wave interactions in UTSAs Mach 7 Ludwieg Tube facility. Coupled with the deployment of a variety of laser-based experimental measurement techniques, this approach should reveal key insights into the nature of these flows that will aid in the design of the next generation of Air Force flight systems. The hypersonic Ludwieg Tube facility, which is anticipated for completion in March 2020, consists of a long section of pressurized pipethe driver tubewhich creates a hypersonic flow in the test section by exhausting through a nozzle and into a vacuum reservoir. Ludwieg tubes are classified as impulse test facilities that are characterized by a rapid release of energy and short windows (tens to hundreds of milliseconds) of test time. However, by using high-speed data acquisition these relatively short test windows still result in hundreds of thousands of data points for each wind tunnel run. Hypersonic wind tunnels like UTSAs Mach 7 facility are rare, with approximately one dozen Mach 5+ facilities at U.S. universities. Once complete, UTSA will be operating one of only three Mach 7+ hypersonic facilities housed on an academic campus in the United States WINDSOR, Ontario, Jan. 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The city of Windsor will soon welcome an exciting new fintech startup, as former Lendesk Technologies Chief Financial Officer Hash Aboulhosn today announced he has left the company to reboot Edison Financial, a digital mortgage firm that has applied for a mortgage brokerage license in Ontario. In conjunction with opening the business, Edison Financial also today announced it had secured seed funding from Rock Holdings Inc., the parent company of Quicken Loans, the largest mortgage lender in the United States. Aboulhosn founded Edison Financial in 2017 before winding down the firm in 2018 to join Lendesk, which was acquired last year by Rock Holdings. During the past year at Lendesk, I have witnessed first-hand the power and capability of the companys innovative technology platform to transform the mortgage experience for brokers and their clients, Aboulhosn said. The power of innovation, paired with what Ive learned about building strong entrepreneurial cultures from Quicken Loans, helped reignite my passion for building Edison Financial into something amazing in Canada. Edison Financial will be using Lendesk Spotlight as its lender submission platform of choice, leveraging the systems modern APIs and industry leading technology as its core platform to help in providing service that is unmatched in Canada today. Having used the last year to really get to know Hash, and to understand his passion, there was nobody better positioned to truly build a world-class brokerage in Canada, said Jay Farner, Chief Executive Officer of Rock Holdings. When Hash approached us with his vision for Edison, we saw an opportunity to showcase the potential of Lendesks technology while backing a talented entrepreneur who embodies the culture of Rock Holdings and Quicken Loans. Quicken Loans and Edison Financial have also entered into a marketing agreement that will allow Canadian visitors to Rock Holdings websites to be connected with Edison as a preferred Canadian partner at www.EdisonFinancial.ca . Edison will also lease dedicated office space at the Rocket Innovation Studios located in Windsor, Ontario. Story continues Edison is actively recruiting mortgage agents and underwriters in Windsor and looking to partner with lenders and insurers to bring its vision to life. For more information, please contact recruiting@edisonfinancial.ca . Terms of the Rock Holdings investment were not disclosed. About Edison Financial Edison Financial is a Windsor-based digital mortgage startup that will serve the needs of consumers across Canada in partnership with Canadas leading broker channel lenders. The company was founded by Hash Aboulhosn in 2017 with the goal of giving Canadian homebuyers a friendly, transparent and convenient mortgage experience. Edison is in the process of applying for its Ontario mortgage brokerage license with plans to expand to British Columbia and other provinces in the near future. For more information, visit EdisonFinancial.ca or contact us at info@EdisonFinancial.ca. A joint motion, combining five different resolutions tabled by Members of the against India's Citizenship Amendment Act, was debated at the Plenary session in Brussels, with an expected vote on the motion on Thursday postponed until March. The debate opened with a statement by Helena Dalli, the Vice-President of the European Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who spoke strongly in favour of the "rich, frank and open" relationship the European Union (EU) shares with India. She highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Brussels in March for the 15th India-EU Summit. "We believe that it is the role of the Supreme Court of India to assess the compliance of the law with the Constitution and we are confident that the ongoing judicial process will contribute to appeasing the tensions and violence witnessed over the past weeks in the country," said Dalli, who concluded the debate with a message to "pursue and intensify" dialogue with India as a "respected democracy" and valued EU partner. Two Indian-origin MEPs, Dinesh Dhamija and Neena Gill, were among a host of members who spoke up in India's favour to point out elements of "disinformation" around the CAA and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) within the parliamentary motion. Thierry Mariani, a French MEP, alluded to the "hand of Pakistan" in the motion being tabled, while others condemned it as meddling in another country's internal affairs. Pakistan-origin MEP Shaffaq Mohammed and others such as S&D's John Howarth and VERTS/ALE's Scott Ainslie described the CAA as a "highly discriminatory" legislation and alleged that the EU had crumbled in the face of India's diplomatic lobby and prioritised trade and business interests over human rights concerns by postponing a vote on the motion. "The only lobby that has won today is that of common sense and respect," countered ECR's Polish MEP Ryszard Czarnecki. Earlier, the had announced that the vote on the motion would be postponed to the Plenary session in March. "Following a decision by MEPs at the opening of Wednesday Plenary session in Brussels, the vote on the resolution on India's Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) 2019 has been postponed to the March session," said a statement from the One of the groups behind the motion, the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament (S&D), said the reason for the postponement was because the CAA was undergoing a legal process in India. "As the Supreme Court in India will rule in the coming days linked to this issue and, as such, the law may be adapted, it was considered better to vote on the resolution in the European Parliament when there is full clarity on the situation," a spokesperson said. However, another group GUE/NGL, objected to the postponement, saying they "disagreed" with the delay. Meanwhile, the government sources in Delhi claimed a diplomatic victory over the vote delay and said friends of India prevailed over those of Pakistan in the European Parliament. "Strenuous efforts of outgoing British MEP Shaffaq Mohammad to have a resolution passed by the European Parliament against India on the penultimate day before Brexit were defeated," a source said. The motion takes note of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) statement last month, which described the CAA as "fundamentally discriminatory in nature", and also of other UN as well as the European Union (EU) guidelines on human rights as it calls on the Indian government to "repeal the discriminatory amendments". The debate on CAA on Wednesday followed the European Parliament's historic ratification of the Brexit bill, under which the UK is set to formally leave the economic bloc on Friday. "While the CAA's stated goal of protecting persecuted groups is welcome, an effective national asylum and refugee policy should be just and holistic in nature and apply to all those in need," notes the motion, which describes the CAA as "discriminatory in nature and dangerously divisive". The Indian government has maintained that the CAA, which was passed by the Indian Parliament last month, is an internal matter of the country and stressed that the goal is to protect the oppressed minorities of neighbouring countries. It has been extremely critical of the move in Brussels, which the European Commission the executive arm of the economic bloc has sought to distance itself from. "As members of Inter Parliamentary Union, we should respect sovereign processes of fellow legislatures, especially in democracies," Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday wrote to European Parliament President David Maria Sassoli. The European Parliament motion is critical of any protection being denied to Muslims and that even though India also shares a border with Bhutan, Burma, Nepal and Sri Lanka, the CAA does not bring Sri Lankan Tamils under its purview, who form the largest refugee group in India and who have been resident in the country for over 30 years. "Amnesty India has pointed out that the CAA does not bring under its purview other persecuted minorities, including Muslim populations such as the Rohingya in Burma, Ahmadis in Pakistan, Hazaras in Afghanistan and Bihari Muslims in Bangladesh," it notes. Job Title: Training Officer Organisation: United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) Vacancy Code: 20-Human Resources-DPO-127308-R-Entebbe (R) Duty Station: Entebbe, Uganda Reports to: Field Training Support Team Leader About US: The Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) is dedicated to assisting the Member States and the Secretary-General in their efforts to maintain international peace and security. DPKO provides political and executive direction to UN Peacekeeping operations around the world and maintains contact with the Security Council, troop and financial contributors, and parties to the conflict in the implementation of Security Council mandates. The Department works to integrate the efforts of UN, governmental and non-governmental entities in the context of peacekeeping operations. DPKO also provides guidance and support on military, police, mine action and other relevant issues to other UN political and peacebuilding missions. Key Duties and Responsibilities: Within delegated authority, the Training Officer will be responsible for the following duties: Oversees the design, development, delivery and evaluation of training, learning and development programmes for field mission personnel, to support mandate implementation. Coordinate the preparation of an annual Training Plan that addresses identified training needs and the priority strategic and job-specific and technical training priorities transmitted from headquarters, while minimizing duplication. Assesses and determines organizational and programme needs for new or modified training policies or practices; conceiving, formulating and testing new approaches, processes or techniques, advocating the learning strategy and policies; and planning and monitoring the introduction of changes to training and practices. Coordinates the preparation and implementation of the training budget in accordance with the Training Plan and other planning documents including the Result-Based Budget, provides and ensures that resources are allocated appropriately so that training is cost-effective and has the maximum operational impact. Monitors the implementation of the Training Plan and regularly updating Senior Management and ITS/DPET on implementation and constraints, including in relation to resourcing. Ensures the periodic evaluation of conducted training. Manages and coordinates the work of all Training Officers and Training Assistants to ensure that training and development activities are implemented in accordance with the Training Plan and established standards. Liaises with other civilian, military and United Nations Police personnel in respect of the training functions and delivery of programmes. Performs other duties as required. Qualifications, Skills and Experience: The ideal candidate for the United Nations DPKO Training Officer job placement should hold an advanced university degree (Masters or Doctorate degree, or equivalent) in training or learning, management, or related fields such as education or social science. A first-level degree (Bachelors degree or equivalent) in the specified fields of studies with two additional years of relevant work experience in training and development may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. At least seven years of progressively responsible experience in learning and development, adult learning or training is required. At least 3 years of substantive experience in the management of a training section/unit within a field office/mission is required. A minimum of 4 years experience, within a training function, in the design, management, evaluation, and practical delivery of formal peacekeeping training sessions and programmes is required. Experience working in a multicultural and/or international work environment and field mission or post-conflict environment outside of your home country is required. Participation in a formal training certification programme is desirable. Languages: fluency in English is required; and fluency in French is desirable. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage. Competencies Professionalism: Knowledge of course design, development, and delivery to include classroom, distance learning, and practical training techniques. Ability to manage and lead training teams. Demonstrates proven research, liaison, analytical and coordination skills to include the identification and promotion of training requirements. Able to conduct training evaluation. Ability to prepare and implement budgets. Shows pride in work and in achievements. Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter. Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results. Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns. Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively. Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately. Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication. Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience. Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. Planning and organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies. Identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required. Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work. Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning. Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary. Uses time efficiently. How to Apply: If interested in joining the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) in the aforementioned capacity, please click on link below to visit website and create profile or express interest if you already have a profile on the UN system Click Here Deadline: 12th March 2020 For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam on Thursday advised Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Jitendra Awhad to "live in the present to avoid political blunders." This comes after NCP leader Jitendra Awhad on Wednesday said that history will repeat itself today just like former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's attempt to strangulate democracy in the past was defeated by students. "Maharashtra Minister Jitendra Awhad has clarified that his statement was misconstrued. This means he has gone back on the statement he gave yesterday. This is right. He had yesterday accused late Indiraji of strangulating democracy. The ministers should live in the present rather than in the past to avoid political blunders," Nirupam's tweet, roughly translated in English from Hindi, reads. "Indira Gandhi had also strangulated democracy, nobody was ready to speak against her. Then, students from Ahmedabad and Patna protested and JP's movement started leading to her defeat. This history will be repeated in Maharashtra and the country," Awhad had said in a public meeting in Beed on Wednesday. Awhad said this in an apparent reference to the amended Citizenship Act brought by the Centre, which is being opposed by various state governments and protests, by citizens, are also being held across the country against it. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India reported its first case of the new coronavirus on Thursday, saying a woman in the southern state of Kerala had tested positive in an outbreak that originated in China, killing 170 people, and spread abroad, Trend with reference to Reuters reports. The patient was an Indian student of Wuhan University in China, Indias government said in a statement, adding the patient was stable and in isolation in hospital. The central Chinese city of Wuhan is the epicenter of the outbreak. We had sent blood samples of 20 people from Kerala, of which 10 returned as negative. Out of six that were pending, the sample of a female student from Wuhan has come back as positive, Keralas health minister, K.K. Shylaja Teacher, told reporters. The patient was being treated in an isolation ward in the district of Thrissur, Teacher said. India is the worlds second most heavily populated country after China. The government has taken measures to ensure that all people arriving from China report to the health authorities. A total of 806 people recently returned from China were under observation in Kerala for any signs of the virus, the state government said on Wednesday. A senior Indian government official said bringing Indian nationals home from Wuhan was not the best option due to the risk of infection but that an aircraft was on standby and facilities to quarantine them have been identified. Infections have been reported in at least 16 countries, with 105 confirmed cases, but no deaths have occurred outside China. Eighteen victims of the 2017 Tubbs Fire whose cases were supposed to be the subject of a trial this month now have court-authorized settlement deals with PG&E Corp. The judge overseeing the bankruptcy case of the company and subsidiary Pacific Gas & Electric Co. on Wednesday approved the settlements that avoid a trial about the fire, which destroyed thousands of homes and killed more than 20 people in the Santa Rosa area. California investigators announced a year ago that the Tubbs Fire was not caused by PG&E unlike a series of other blazes that ignited around Wine Country on the same night in October 2017. But fire victims attorneys believed the state got it wrong, and they later convinced PG&Es bankruptcy judge to let them bring 18 clients cases against the company to trial in San Francisco Superior Court. The trial became unnecessary after victims lawyers reached a $13.5 billion deal with PG&E to pay victims of catastrophic conflagrations in 2015, 2017 and 2018, including the Tubbs Fire. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Montali, who is presiding over the PG&E case, approved that deal last month. PG&E is still working on a broader bankruptcy exit plan that must be approved in court by June 30 in order for the company to access a fund to protect it from future fire costs. Under terms of their settlements with PG&E, the amounts paid to the 18 Tubbs Fire victims will remain confidential. No funds will be released until PG&E emerges from bankruptcy and a $13.5 billion trust is established to compensate victims of many fires blamed on the company, including the 2018 Camp Fire. Lawyers representing more than 1,000 Camp Fire victims objected to the confidential terms of the Tubbs Fire settlements, saying they could not figure out how the agreements would impact the amount of money available for their clients. Attorney Rafey Balabanian told the judge at a hearing in San Francisco on Wednesday that he did not know how to advise his clients whether this is a good or bad deal for them if they have absolutely no window into this issue. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes Montali said he did not disagree with the general notion that, in a case as massive as PG&Es bankruptcy, transparency is beneficial. But in Bankruptcy Court, certain discrete aspects need to remain confidential, he said. PG&E last week reached a separate settlement with a group of bondholders who wanted to take over the company. That settlement, under which the bondholders would withdraw their competing plan to resolve the bankruptcy case, will be considered by Montali on Tuesday. PG&E also continues to face criticism from Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has demanded changes to the companys exit plan and threatened a state takeover. Stephen Karotkin, an attorney for PG&E, told Montali on Wednesday that the company continues to speak with Newsoms office and believes it will be able to resolve those concerns. J.D. Morris is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jd.morris@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thejdmorris RALEIGH, N.C., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Elevate Homes is kicking off its second award-winning active-adult neighborhood in the Triangle with a grand-opening celebration for Adalyn Place in Fuquay-Varina from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 12. Like Forge Creek in Clayton, Adalyn Place has a variety of floor plans and amenities aimed at meeting the lifestyle needs of energetic adults. Elevate Homes' offerings include more functional indoor and outdoor spaces, accommodations for pets, outdoor privacy, modern casual interiors and "Elevate rooms" (spaces that can be configured to meet an array of interests). "We have been very pleased with the market response to our Elevate Homes offerings," said Jay Lewis, DRB Raleigh Division President, "and are proud that our home designs and community-lifestyle elements have hit the mark and resonated with homebuyers. We are focused on serving the needs and wants of the Zoomer life and will continue to refine our approach as we grow." The Valentine's Day-themed event on Feb. 12 will feature lunch from Catering by Design, champagne, chocolate fondue and live music from Chris Overstreet. The first five attendees will receive Starbucks gift cards and there will be a drawing for a David Yurman bracelet valued at $1,250 ( terms and conditions ). There will be tours of the Curator model throughout the event. The entrance to Adalyn Place is 101 Judd Parkway, Fuquay-Varina, N.C. 27526 If you are attending the Adalyn Place kickoff, please RSVP to Peyton Davidson at [email protected] by Feb. 5. About Dan Ryan Builders | www.danryanbuilders.com Founded in 1990, Dan Ryan Builders offers new homes in six states (Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina) and 12 metro markets. Dan Ryan Builders has built nearly 16,000 homes for families across the Mid-Atlantic predominantly for first-time and first-move up buyers. In addition to Dan Ryan Builders homes, DRG Group now includes Fielding Homes and active-adult communities from Elevate Homes. Media Contact: Andy Cagle 910.995.2122 [email protected] Marketing Contact: Peyton Davidson Phone 919.747.4970 ext. 4039 [email protected] Corporate Contact: Char Kurihara Phone 301.696.0200 ext. 1200 [email protected] SOURCE Elevate Homes Related Links https://www.elevate-homes.com Police today launched a desperate search for two teenage schoolboys, 13 and 14, who have gone missing together. Fletcher Glen, 13, and Bailey Webb, 14, vanished from their homes in Withernsea, near Hull, yesterday evening. Detectives believe they are still together but are unsure where they might have been going. Bailey Webb, 14, (left) and Fletcher Glen, 13, (right) vanished from their homes in Withernsea, near Hull, yesterday evening. Humberside Police appealed for help on Twitter, where they called one of the boys 'vulnerable'. 'Help us find 13-year-old Fletcher Glen. 'He was last seen late yesterday evening in Withernsea. He is 5'9' tall, short mousy, blond hair, wearing grey Nike trainers and a black puffer jacket. 'He is vulnerable and his whereabouts are unknown.' The force added: 'We are also looking for 14-year-old old Bailey Webb, also missing in Withernsea. '5'11' tall, dark brown hair, grey Superdry jacket, Cream coloured joggers with black and blue Nike trainers. We believe he may be in company of Fletcher Glen.' WICHITA, Kan., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Spirit AeroSystems [NYSE: SPR] announced today that it reached an agreement with Boeing relating to the 737 MAX production rate. Under the agreement, Spirit will restart production slowly, ramping up deliveries throughout the year to reach a total of 216 MAX shipsets delivered to Boeing in 2020. Spirit does not expect to achieve a production rate of 52 shipsets per month until late 2022. The parties are continuing to negotiate other terms. The rate agreement is based on several assumptions including Boeing's expected production rate and the successful return of the 737 MAX to service. As previously disclosed, the 737 MAX contractual agreement is a requirements contract between Boeing and Spirit and the rate may change at any time. On the web: www.spiritaero.com On Twitter: @SpiritAero About Spirit AeroSystems Inc. Spirit AeroSystems designs and builds aerostructures for both commercial and defense customers. With headquarters in Wichita, Kansas, Spirit operates sites in the U.S., U.K., France and Malaysia. The company's core products include fuselages, pylons, nacelles and wing components for the world's premier aircraft. Spirit AeroSystems focuses on affordable, innovative composite and aluminum manufacturing solutions to support customers around the globe. More information is available at www.SpiritAero.com. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" that may involve many risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "aim," "anticipate," "believe," "could," "continue," "estimate," "expect," "goal," "forecast," "intend," "may," "might," "objective," "outlook," "plan," "predict," "project," "should," "target," "will," "would," and other similar words, or phrases, or the negative thereof, unless the context requires otherwise. These statements reflect management's current views with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown. Our actual results may vary materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements. We caution investors not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in such forward-looking statements and that should be considered in evaluating our outlook include, without limitation, the timing and conditions surrounding the return to service of the 737 MAX and any related impacts on our production rate; our reliance on Boeing for a significant portion of our revenues; our ability to execute our growth strategy, including our ability to timely complete and integrate our announced Asco and Bombardier acquisitions; our ability to accurately estimate and manage performance, cost, and revenue under our contracts; economic conditions in the industries and markets in which we operate in the U.S. and globally; our ability to manage our liquidity, borrow additional funds or refinance debt; the on-going review of our accounting processes and the potential effect on our financial statements; and other factors disclosed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These factors are not exhaustive and it is not possible for us to predict all factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in our forward-looking statements. These factors speak only as of the date hereof, and new factors may emerge or changes to the foregoing factors may occur that could impact our business. Except to the extent required by law, we undertake no obligation to, and expressly disclaim any obligation to, publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. SOURCE Spirit AeroSystems Related Links www.spiritaero.com Tedros praised Beijing for its response. "China's efforts to contain the outbreak at the epicenter have been essential for preventing the further spread of the virus," he said. "China identified the pathogen in record time and shared it immediately, which led to the rapid development of diagnostic tools." WHO's International Health Regulations Emergency Committee decided last week that the outbreak did not constitute a public health emergency of international concern. The committee will meet Thursday afternoon in Geneva to review the latest data and reassess its determination. "Although the numbers outside China are relatively small, they hold the potential for a much larger outbreak." Tedros said of the 6,065 confirmed cases of the respiratory virus, 99 percent are in China, while there have been 68 cases in 15 other countries. All 132 deaths have been in China. The number of coronavirus cases now exceeds the number of SARS cases in the 2002-03 epidemic that killed 800 people worldwide. "The continued increase in cases and evidence of human-to-human transmission outside China are, of course, deeply concerning," Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters Wednesday at WHO headquarters in Geneva, a day after he visited Beijing. The head of the World Health Organization said the agency would decide Thursday whether to designate the coronavirus outbreak as a global health emergency. His decision came as several nations evacuated their nationals from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the epicenter of the outbreak, and international airlines suspended direct flights to China. Evacuations In the United States, White House officials reportedly told U.S. airline executives at a meeting Tuesday that the administration had not decided if it would impose a travel ban, but that it was continuing to assess the situation. A U.S. chartered jet evacuated about 200 Americans from Wuhan on Wednesday on a flight to Anchorage, Alaska, where they passed a rescreening before continuing to California. Another chartered jet flew 206 Japanese nationals from Wuhan to Tokyo's Haneda airport. Japanese officials told reporters in Tokyo that 12 of the passengers were taken to a hospital after complaining of feeling ill. Medical personnel were on board the flight to screen the passengers before takeoff and again when the plane landed. Japanese officials also said they were sending a second chartered flight Wednesday evening to evacuate more nationals. Australia, New Zealand, France, Russia and other nations also announced plans to evacuate their citizens this week. International Flights Suspended British Airways and Germany's Lufthansa said Wednesday that they were suspending all direct flights to and from mainland China. Hong Kong is halting all high-speed rail and ferry services from the mainland beginning Friday, while the territory and Malaysia have banned entry to visitors from Wuhan. Mongolia has closed its vast border with China. United Airlines, a major American airline, announced Tuesday that it was suspending flights to Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai from Feb. 1 to 8. A United Airlines pilot who will be on the last flight out of Beijing told VOA that he and other company personnel who will accompany him were taking precautions. The pilot said his food consumption in China would be limited to goods he packed in his suitcase, and that he and his colleagues would remain in their hotel rooms during their stay. Kazakhstan, which shares a border with China, said all flights to China would be suspended Wednesday and train service would be canceled Thursday. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned against nonessential travel to China. Authorities have imposed a virtual quarantine on Wuhan, banning people from traveling into and out of the city. Several other cities in Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, are facing heavy restrictions on movement. Wuhan is racing to complete two new field hospitals to treat the growing number of patients. The virus is believed to have emerged late last year at a local seafood market illegally selling wildlife. 'Very Good Effort' Dr. Nathalie MacDermott, an epidemic response expert at Kings College London, applauded China's efforts to contain the virus. "It's a very good effort and hopefully it will reduce the spread of the virus, but I think it's not going to be feasible for China to quarantine every single one of its cities," MacDermott said in an interview with VOA's Mandarin service. "And so we as a public health authority here in the U.K., and every public health authority, need to be prepared to deal with a case if they arrive in their country and to try and identify them promptly, and isolate them and treat them promptly to try and reduce ongoing transmission in their country." 1st Case Confirmed in Middle East The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday confirmed that a family who had recently arrived from Wuhan had been diagnosed with the new coronavirus, making them the first confirmed cases in the Middle East. The UAE has now joined a list of more than a dozen countries with confirmed cases, including Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam. The World Health Organization said most of those affected were people who had a travel history in Wuhan, with several others having had contact with someone who traveled there. The virus hit China just as it was beginning celebrations to mark the Lunar New Year, resulting in the canceling or the scaling back of festivities for tens of millions of Chinese. Officials took an extra step Sunday to extend the holiday by three extra days to try to cut down on group gatherings. 390,000 Syrians forced to flee in 2 months in Idlib, UN Russian and govt airstrikes targeting schools and hospitals (ANSAMed) - BEIRUT, JANUARY 30 - Some 390,000 Syrian civilians, mostly women and children, have been displaced over the past two months in the northwestern province of Idlib. Since December the province has been subjected to an intense air and ground campaign by Russian and Syrian government forces against Syrian opposition fighters. The number was given by the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in a statement ANSA received a copy of. The UN noted that the civilians displaced since January 15 have left their places of residence and IDP camps more than once in a short period and that this has increased their vulnerability in an area of ongoing conflict. Schools, infirmaries, clinics, and hospitals have been destroyed or damaged by Russian and Syrian government airstrikes and have been put out of use, the UN noted. It added that about 3 million civilians in the Idlib province are in urgent need of humanitarian support. The statement stressed that rough winter condiments and the continuing devaluation of the Syrian currency are rendering the situation for IDPs trying to flee the violence even more difficult. (ANSAmed). Amnesty International says governments across Asia are attempting to "uproot" fundamental freedoms, sparking a wave of youth-led protests against "escalating repression." In its annual report on the Asia-Pacific region, released on January 30, the London-based human rights watchdog noted that governments in China, India, Pakistan, and other countries across South and Southeast Asia are increasingly active in silencing dissent and the media, reducing the space for peaceful protests, and introducing legislation that punish online critics. "2019 was a year of repression in Asia, but also of resistance," Nicholas Bequelin, Amnesty International's regional director for East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said in a statement. "Online and offline, youth-led popular protests are challenging the established order," Bequelin added, citing Hong Kong's mass protest movement against growing Chinese encroachment and protests in India against "anti-Muslim policies." The report said Chinese leader Xi Jinping's efforts to crack down on dissent and impose the absolute control of the ruling Communist Party translated into increased persecution of human rights activists and others. In the northwestern region of Xinjiang, Chinese authorities subjected Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups to intense surveillance, arbitrary detentions, and forced indoctrination. In Pakistan, Amnesty International said that "enforced disappearances continued relentlessly, as did cases of torture, violence against women, media censorship and the harassment of ethnic and religious minorities." Human rights defenders, journalists, and members of the Shi'ite Muslim community were among the hundreds of people who were "disappeared" by security forces, often detained without charges or trial, it said. Laws against sedition and defamation were used to curtail media freedoms and political activism, while anti-blasphemy laws continued to be used to "harass individuals and enable human rights violations." "It has become increasingly difficult to fight for human rights in Pakistan at a time when the authorities continue to forcibly disappear people, censor journalists, crack down on peaceful demonstrations and enforce repression through draconian laws," said Omar Waraich, South Asia deputy director at Amnesty International. Last year also saw Pakistanis taking to the streets in large and peaceful rallies in support of women's rights and students' rights and against enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, according to Waraich. In Afghanistan, civilians continued to pay the price of the ongoing conflict as justice proved elusive for the victims, Amnesty International said. The watchdog cited the International Criminal Court's refusal to authorize an investigation into crimes under international law in Afghanistan and the country's authorities' failure to investigate human rights violations. "In 2020, the world must shake off its indifference to this long-running conflict, and provide the people of Afghanistan with the protection they need and the justice they are owed," Waraich said. In the first nine months of 2019, 2,563 people were killed and 5,676 were injured, mainly in attacks carried out by armed groups such as the Taliban and the so-called Islamic State of Khorasan. Silverwood Cir., unit block, 6 a.m. Jan. 22. A male driver was sitting in his rental car with the engine running and talking with a man outside the vehicle. Suddenly, the man outside grabbed the drivers cellphone through the window. The driver got out of the vehicle and chased the man around the vehicle. The man jumped into the rental car and drove away. The vehicle was recovered parked and unoccupied at 8 p.m. the same day in the unit block of Silverwood Circle. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 14:15:43|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close SEOUL, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in's approval rating fell 2.1 percentage points over the week to 44.9 percent this week, a weekly poll showed Thursday. The negative assessment over Moon's management of state affairs added 0.5 percentage points to 50.4 percent in the week, according to the Realmeter survey. The major rival parties saw support scores fall this week. Support for Moon's ruling Democratic Party declined 2.2 percentage points to 38.4 percent, while the main conservative opposition Liberty Korea Party's support rate slipped 2.3 percentage points to 29.8 percent. The minor progressive Justice Party garnered 4.4 percent of support, trailed by the minor conservative Bareun Future Party with 3.9 percent and the minor right-wing New Conservative Party with 3.9 percent. The results were based on a poll of 1,508 voters conducted from Tuesday to Wednesday. It had plus and minus 2.5 percentage points in margin of error with a confidence level of 95 percent. A cyclist wearing a facemask passes bicycles (C) piled up as a barricade to block a side entrance to a residential compound, forcing visitors to register with guards at the main entrance, in Beijing on Jan. 30, 2020. Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images WHO Fumbles Pandemic Preparedness for Coronavirus Commentary The coronavirus test ran on Oct. 18, 2019. The goal of a global health consortium was to see what it could learn from a computer model simulating an outbreak that rippled out of South America. Three weeks later, armed with data on 65 million virtual people killed, the group reconvened with world health experts to discuss Event 201. The consortium, made up of John Hopkins University, the World Economic Forum, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, named the Event 201 as the next big one after the 200 epidemics the World Health Organization (WHO) monitors each year. What did they find in the analysis of the data? Governments and health agencies are nowhere near prepared to slow down, let alone contain mass infections due to a novel coronavirus pandemic. Lo and behold, in a quirk of absurd timing, a new coronavirus outbreak took root in Wuhan, China, shortly after or in parallel with the Event 201 conference in early- to mid-November. That forced John Hopkins University to issue a statement, as many speculated the consortium was somehow involved with the Wuhan flu. The statement read, in part: Recently, the Center for Health Security has received questions about whether that pandemic exercise predicted the current novel coronavirus outbreak in China. To be clear, the Center for Health Security and partners did not make a prediction during our tabletop exercise. For the scenario, we modeled a fictional coronavirus pandemic, but we explicitly stated that it was not a prediction. Such speculation emerged from an October article by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), titled Canadian government scientist under investigation trained staff at Level 4 lab in China. The Level 4 Lab resides within the Wuhan Institute of Virology at the Chinese Academy of Science, located 20 miles from the origin of the coronavirus outbreak. The CBC (10-3-19) article stated: A Canadian government scientist at the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg made at least five trips to China in 2017-18, including one to train scientists and technicians at Chinas newly certified Level 4 lab, which does research with the most deadly pathogens, according to travel documents obtained by CBC News. Xiangguo Qiuwho was escorted out of the Winnipeg lab in July amid an RCMP investigation into whats being described by Public Health Agency of Canada as a possible policy breachwas invited to go to the Wuhan National Biosafety Laboratory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences twice a year for two years, for up to two weeks each time. Super-Low-Latency Virus What makes 2019-nCoV so terrifying is that it operates differently than any strain that came before. Scientists discovered that the novel coronavirus can spread in the first phase of a double latency period. First, incubation, then followed by the emergence of flu-like symptoms. In such stealth mode, those infected show no signs of fever, cough, or the chills for the first seven to 10 days. Unwittingly, they can spread the disease to people they come in contact with their daily lives, work, or travel. With the first cases appearing in Wuhan in early December, meaning the silent outbreak began undetected a few weeks earlier, China didnt notify the WHO until later that month, with an official announcement on the 31st. That gap, stretching back to mid-November, enabled the virus to spread far and wide across the Chinese industrial city of 11 million residents. In a stunning confession, the Wuhan City mayor admitted that as many as 5 million migrants and residents had gone home for Chinese New Year. Like in the Event 201 simulation, the Chinese Communist Party lost the opportunity to contain the virus. So, too, did the WHO, with its admission that human error caused the global health agency to downplay the severity of the virus. In the first half of January, the Chinese began constructing thousands of hospital beds in record time. But thats not the same as dealing with the disease outbreak. Vaccines Offer Little Hope The next gap to medically stem the tsunami of coronavirus infections is a long one: Fast-track development of a vaccine would take six to eight months if all things go well. But Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan told CNBC that developing a coronavirus vaccine will take over one year and that we need to really use epidemiological controls to really get this situation in a better place. With such a long lead time to produce a vaccine, while the virus spreads exponentially, the plan to immunize couldnt possibly work in 2020. Grounded by this reality, China is now examining 30 off-the-shelf drugs to see what punch they might bring by treating the host, and not trying to prevent a disease with a vaccine that may or may not work. What can people do in the meantime? The WHO, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Gates Foundation admitted by their own actions and statements to be woefully unprepared for a pandemic. Treating the Host This very scenarioa global pandemic with a vaccine development timeline that would stretch beyond a yearhas been seen twice before by Dr. David S. Fedson. First, with the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in Hong Kong, and then in the 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa. In the latter, Fedson ran into the industry gauntlet of the WHO and CDC, with their single-minded, vaccine-only focus on preventing disease through immunization. The problem he realized then, as China is discovering now and what the Event 201 consortium proved last autumn, vaccines are not a cure-all. They take time to develop, test, refine, mass-produce, and then distribute. And thats if they get the vaccine right and the virus doesnt mutate significantly during production. Fedson is also aware that the WHO and CDC marketing terms pandemic preparedness and global health security arent a solution to a crisis. They do nothing to address the underlying problem or the threat of a deadly virus. When people get infected, whether from Ebola or a coronavirus, time is rarely on the side of those who are gravely ill and dying. Why, in the 21st century, do the health care gatekeepers continue to rely on slow, ineffective treatments when epidemics occur? Why dont they possess a pandemic rapid response program? The CDC does have a strategic national stockpile of vaccines, antiviral drugs, antibiotics, and medicine stored in secret locations around the United States. But why doesnt that stockpile include vitamin C, glutathione, and other medications that would boost ones immune system and block the virus from attacking? WHOs Blindspot to Pandemic Response Fedson explained why, in a telephone interview from France. He said: The U.S. medical authorities are not in agreement. First, with its [WHOs] inexorable march to make an Ebola vaccine since 2002, while ignoring all other less costly and more effective non-vaccine treatments. This pattern of ignoring existing technologies and medicines was repeated for Zika. In Congo, fighting the frontlines of Ebola today, healthcare workers need, sensibly used, 260,000 vaccines in refrigerated storage at temperatures as low as -60o F in a hot climate. The logistics for distribution in remote areas have huge costs with vaccine contracts, while the WHO sets up surveillance networks that add even more super expensive costs for such a program. Congress budgeted $5 billion for Ebola response with ICU specialized units and biosafety teams in Africa. International organizations, the Gates Foundation, Welcome Trust, the CDC burn through tens of millions of dollars in such responses. They see a gold mine to leverage. But for generic treatments, the WHO isnt interested in advocating research, as it would jeopardize their funding mechanisms to raise capital for future emergencies. In seeing how the 2014 Ebola outbreak killed more than 11,000 people, with mortality as high as 50 percent, Fedson saw the patients who die of Ebola had elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines (small proteins responsible for cell signaling). He had seen the same issue in people with sepsis and arrived at what a cardiovascular physician would do to thwart sepsis: Use the common drugs of statins and angiotensin receptor blockers. This treatment targets the host. People survive instead of die as the persons own immune system can respond. Doctors can take these medicines off the shelf; know they are safe to use in patients. It will allow those sick to shore up a host response with the biology of evolution to fight the next outbreak. Children survive a flu epidemic more than adults because it comes down to energy metabolism. Any pediatrician can build upon that observation. This treatment is more benign with better odds at survival. Fedson is a lifelong clinician who served as clinical associate in the Laboratory of Clinical Investigation at the National Institutes of Health and Chief Medical Resident at the University of Chicago, was a member of the U.S. Public Health Services Immunization Practices Advisory Committee (ACIP) (198488), served on the Task Force on Adult Immunization of the American College of Physicians (198290), became Director of Medical Affairs for Aventis Pasteur MSD in Lyon, France (1995), and was a graduate of Yale Medical School (1965). The frustration in his voice lingered with each breath. Over a distinguished career, with his research establishing the epidemiologic rationale for hospital-based influenza and pneumococcal immunization, Fedson has seen it all. Evolution is staring us in the face in how the bodys immune system can respond if given a fighting chance. No scientist can replicate that in a lab, he said. So why havent the medical gatekeepers in the WHO, CDC, and John Hopkins University done more research on existing medicines and treatments to fight the next contagion? For the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, millions may indeed die from the outbreak. But it wont be the Event 201 model that haunts societies around the world. It will be the missed opportunity that will scar the collective memory when this terrible pandemic burns out. James Grundvig is a contributor to The Epoch Times and the author of Master Manipulator: The Explosive True Story of Fraud, Embezzlement, and Government Betrayal at the CDC. He lives and works in New York City. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Big businesses were in panic mode yesterday as the coronavirus outbreak threatened to engulf their Asian operations. Airlines, car makers, technology and consumer businesses moved to shut down their China operations to cope with the worsening outbreak. The virus, which originated in the central city of Wuhan, has affected over 6,000 people, more than the 2003 SARS epidemic, and claimed the lives of 132. Fallout:The stock market in Hong Kong suffered its worst session in six months, tumbling 2.8 per cent on its first day of trading since the coronavirus outbreak Yesterday, the stock market in Hong Kong suffered its worst session in six months, tumbling 2.8 per cent on its first day of trading since the outbreak. Investors fear that the fallout could cause permanent damage to the global economy, as business is disrupted and companies protect staff and customers. British Airways suspended flights to China 'with immediate effect' until at least March and United Airlines grounded 24 planes. Starbucks closed half of its 4,300 Chinese branches, and has ditched a planned upgrade to its profit forecasts. Uniqlo, H&M and Ikea followed suit, closing dozens of stores, while McDonald's has closed all its restaurants several hundred in the Hubei province. Car producers Toyota and Hyundai kept plants shut and pulled foreign staff out of the country, while global banks suspended business travel and told staff to work from home. The price of gold rose 0.3 per cent to $1,571.07 as investors moved to protect money against fears the disease will lead to a slowdown in the Chinese and global economy. On Western markets, airline stocks have taken a battering since the outbreak was announced in mid-January, with BA-owner IAG down 12 per cent, Luftthansa down 7 per cent and Air France-KLM down 13 per cent. Even firms that do not operate in China, such as Easyjet and Ryanair, have seen shares dip. Luxury brands are also expected to suffer if Chinese tourists stay put. Shares in Burberry have fallen 13 per cent since the middle of the month, Mulberry has dropped 7.9 per cent and Louis Vuitton-owner LVMH is down 7 per cent. Hotel groups have suffered, with Holiday Inn group Intercontinental Hotels losing 8 per cent. Disney stock has fallen 5 per cent after it closed its theme parks in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Cruise companies, such as P&O Cruises owner Carnival, banned passengers that had recently left Wuhan from their ships and cancelled sailings. Evacuations are well under way to remove Western staff and tourists. French manufacturer PSA, which makes Vauxhall, Peugeot and Citroen cars, is repatriating international staff. Nissan said it was evacuating its Japanese staff in Wuhan. Facebook, Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley told their Hong Kong staff to work from home for two weeks, while UBS and Goldman Sachs have imposed travel restrictions. Apple is monitoring the situation, and has shortened opening hours in its Chinese stores. Hong Kong, the home of numerous banking staff and luxury brands, raised its response level to 'emergency' on Saturday. Markets in Tokyo, London and New York have shown signs of stabilising after a fortnight-long decline. But the price of copper, regarded as a bellwether of the global economy's health, fell for the tenth consecutive day. The oil price is also under pressure. Official Chinese data two weeks ago showed the slowest economic growth in 29 years. A Chinese government economist said the outbreak could cut China's first-quarter growth from around 6 per cent to 5 per cent or lower. Smriti irani Union minister and Amethi MP Smriti Irani on Thursday claimed that political parties which failed in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections are supporting protests like those at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh, where "anti-national slogans" are being raised. "There is anger in the entire country that in Shaheen Bagh, AAP and other political parties which had failed to win the 2019 Lok Sabha elections are supporting talk of dividing the country," the Union minister who is on a visit to her constituency told reporters. She alleged that anti-national slogans are being raised and the Constitution criticised at Shaheen Bagh, where continuous protests are going on against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act since the law was passed in Parliament last month. "Today on the death anniversary of Bapu, I will only say that even Mahatma Gandhi is being cursed from the platform of Shaheen Bagh. AAP leader Manish Sisodia has given his support to the protesters of Shaheen Bagh," she claimed. "I would like to ask the leaders who are indulging in politics through Shaheeen Bagh and giving anti-national slogans. Has their standard of politics touched so low that after defeat in the Lok Sabha polls, they are not able to accept it and are speaking about dividing the country from these platforms? They are talking about 'Jinnah wali azadi' and about digging graves. Countrymen are looking at these things," she added. To a question on the ongoing 'Ganga Yatra' in the state, she said, "It would be my good fortune that I will be taking part in it in Rae Bareli and Pratapgarh." She however evaded questions on Congress president Sonia Gandhi and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi's visit to the state earlier this month. Addressing a gathering in Bhetua block after laying foundation stones and dedicating to the people 20 projects worth over Rs 5 crore, Irani claimed that solar lights which were earlier installed at the houses of leaders will now be provided to common people. She also visited Bhareta village to meet the families of the victims of a road accident on January 20 that left six people dead. During their visit here, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi had also met the bereaved families on January 23. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration has not yet decided whether to curb intelligence sharing with the United Kingdom over its decision to give Huawei Technologies [HWT.UL] a limited role in its 5G network, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Thursday. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Kudlow also brushed off concerns China hawks in Congress could derail a trade deal that the United States and United Kingdom are hoping to ink following Brexit. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson granted Huawei a limited role in Britains 5G mobile network on Tuesday, frustrating a global attempt by the United States to exclude the Chinese telecoms equipment giant from the Wests next-generation communications systems. The U.S. government has pointed to Huaweis close ties to the Chinese government and argued the company could spy on consumers for Beijing, allegations Huawei denies. The Trump administration had also threatened to withhold intelligence from governments that allow the worlds top provider of telecoms equipment into their networks, but there is little clarity on whether the United States will follow through on the threat. We havent made any decision on that, said Kudlow, reiterating the administration was disappointed in the UK decision. We will be working with our UK cousins ... and try to get through this. This post originally published in March 2019. In the 1930s, the federal government launched the Historic American Buildings Survey, a program aimed at documenting the nation's historic architecture. Photographers in the decades since the program's inception have aimed their cameras at dozens of prominent buildings in the Lehigh Valley. Some of the local buildings depicted in the project's earliest photos have been lost to time, but most still stand today and have become landmarks to Valley residents and reminders of our rich history. Don't Edit The source The photos are held by the Library of Congress. They are among more than 550,000 documents catalogued in the library through the survey and two companion programs: the Historic American Engineering Record and the Historic American Landscapes Survey. The photos below are available digitally on the Library of Congress's website and are considered public domain. Most were taken between the 1930s and 1980s, although exact years are not provided. Don't Edit Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS The Parsons-Taylor House, shown here in the 1930s, still stands today at South Fourth and Ferry streets in Easton. Don't Edit Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS These are the cement kilns off North Main Street in Coplay. Don't Edit Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS The Anchor Hotel sits behind a barn at the Lehigh Canal in Walnutport. Don't Edit Don't Edit Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS An advertisement adorns the wall of the Luckenbach Grist Mill off Old York Road in Bethlehem. Don't Edit Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS The Goundie House at 501 Main St. in Bethlehem now serves as a museum and information center. Don't Edit Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS The Allentown train station at Race and Hamilton streets was later the site of a nightclub. Don't Edit Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS The George Hellick Coffee warehouse was located at 38-40 Sitgreaves St. in Easton. Don't Edit Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS The Glendon Hotel is shown here in the borough. Don't Edit Don't Edit Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS Bethlehem Steel's No. 2 Treatment Shop is on property proposed for redevelopment. Don't Edit Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS The remnants of Henry Gun Factory is shown here in the 1930s in Bushkill Township. Don't Edit Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS The Rialto Theater had already closed when this photo of the building was taken along the old Hamilton Mall in Allentown. Don't Edit Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS The Waterworks in sits near Monocacy Creek in Bethlehem. Don't Edit Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS The shuttered Bethlehem train station on Lehigh Street is now home to The Wooden Match. Don't Edit Don't Edit Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS The Neuweiler Brewery currently sits abandoned on Front Street in Allentown. Don't Edit Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS The Gemein House is at 62-66 W. Church St. in Bethlehem. Don't Edit Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS This photo shows the Pettinos Brothers Graphite Manufacturing Mill on Sand Island in Bethlehem. Don't Edit Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS The Grist Miller's House at 459 Old York Road sits on grounds below Hotel Bethlehem. Don't Edit Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS The Single Sisters' House is shown in the 1930s at 44 W. Church St. in Bethlehem. Don't Edit Don't Edit Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS The Tannery in Bethlehem is shown here before its later restoration. Don't Edit Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS The Bell House on West Church Street in Bethlehem is shown in the 1930s. If the pregnancy has to be terminated in 20 weeks, the opinion of one doctor is required. The statement said the upper gestation limit for medical termination of pregnancy will not apply in cases of substantial foetal abnormalities diagnosed by the medical board. (Photo: Rep[resentational/Pixabay) New Delhi: In a significant move, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved extending the upper limit for permitting abortions from the present 20 weeks to 24 weeks for special categories of women, that would include rape survivors, incest victims, differently-abled and minors. The Cabinet gave its nod to the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill 2020, to amend Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act 1971, and it would be introduced in Parliaments Budget Session that will start on January 31, official sources said. Addressing the media after the Cabinet meeting, I&B minister Prakash Javadekar said the upper limit for allowing abortions has been extended from the present 20 weeks to 24 weeks. He also said this will ensure safe termination of pregnancies and give women reproductive rights over their bodies. The extension will help victims of rape, girls with disabilities as well as minors, who may not realise they are pregnant until much later, he said. An official statement later said one of the salient features of the proposed amendments is enhancing the upper gestation limit from 20 to 24 weeks for special categories of women, which will be defined in the amendments to the MTP Rules and would include vulnerable women including survivors of rape, victims of incest and other vulnerable women (like differently-abled women, minors), etc. If the pregnancy has to be terminated in 20 weeks, the opinion of one doctor is required. But beyond that, the opinion of two doctors would be needed and one of them has to be a government physician, Mr Javadekar said. The name and other particulars of a woman whose pregnancy is terminated shall not be revealed except to a person authorised in any law in force, the statement said. In a progressive reform and giving reproductive rights to women, the limit of 20 weeks of medical termination of pregnancy has been increased to 24 weeks. This is important because in first five months there are cases where the girl concerned doesnt realise and has to go to court. This was discussed with various stakeholders, Mr Javadekar said. This will reduce maternal mortality, he added. The statement said the upper gestation limit for medical termination of pregnancy will not apply in cases of substantial foetal abnormalities diagnosed by the medical board. Gun control bills passed Virginia despite show of force from opponents originally appeared on abcnews.go.com The Virginia state legislature passed a package of gun control bills Thursday, more than a week after thousands of the legislation's armed opponents marched through Richmond. Virginia's House of Delegates approved seven pieces of legislation aimed at curbing gun violence, including universal background checks, a monthly limit on handgun purchases and "a red flag" law, which would give judges and police officers the authority to remove a weapon from an individual if they pose a threat. PHOTO: Gun rights advocates stand outside the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, Va.on Jan. 20, 2020. The rally was hosted by the Virginia Citizens Defense League but drew interest from groups across the country. ((Mike Morones/The Free Lance-Star via AP) The state Senate, which -- along with the House -- gained a Democratic majority for the first time in more than twenty years this year, passed five similar bills two weeks ago. Proponents of the gun control measures said the bills would ensure fewer injuries, deaths and suicides around the state. "I want this body to put the lives and safety of our constituents first. For too long this body has put the convenience of gun owners over everybody else," Del. Patrick Hope said before he made his vote. Gov. Ralph Northam has expressed strong support for the bills. The bills were met with some opposition from delegates, who argued that they infringed on the second amendment rights of their constituents. Del. Les Adams contended that the bills would not decrease crime in the state. "Bills that chip away at those rights are strongly resented by our people," he said. Last week on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, several gun rights groups including the Virginia Citizen Defense League lobbied against the bill in a tense rally. MORE: Thousands of armed protesters turn out for Trump-supported gun rally Northam issued a state of emergency following credible threats of violence on Lobby Day, and banned all weapons from the state Capitol grounds while the rallies took place. Despite the order, 16,000 armed gun rights activists marched through the streets of Richmond outside of the prohibited areas. Story continues MORE: Pro-gun rally at Virginia capital draws thousands of armed protesters The Virginia Citizen Defense League didnt immediately return messages for comment on Thursday's vote. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence hailed the passage and pushed the Virginia Legislature to enact more gun control measures. "Weve seen steady progress from the Virginia legislature in considering and passing common sense policies that will make our Commonwealth safer," its president, Kris Brown, said in a statement. He also has to forfeit 25 properties in Oregon and California and more than $16 million in Tesla stock. Here's how much time he'll serve. Afghan Forces Free 62 Soldiers From Taliban Prison By Ayaz Gul January 29, 2020 Officials in Afghanistan said Wednesday a commando operation in a northwestern region has freed 62 security personnel held in a Taliban prison. Meanwhile, the insurgent group, in a fresh attack elsewhere, says it has killed at least 18 Afghan security forces. A Defense Ministry statement noted the overnight commando raid targeted the insurgent-run detention center in the restive Bala Murghab district in Badghis province. It captured five Taliban guards and inflicted casualties on several others, the statement said. The freed captives were mostly members of the Afghan National Army (ANA). There was no immediate reaction from the Taliban. Officials, meanwhile, said a major insurgent assault late Tuesday targeted a military base in the troubled northern Kunduz province, killing at least 18 security forces, mostly ANA personnel. A Taliban statement claimed its fighters overran the base in Dashti Archi district, killing 35 Afghan forces and capturing four others, though the group often exaggerates its battlefield actions. On Monday, an insurgent attack on a police base in neighboring Baghlan province killed at least 13 government forces. Afghan officials say counterinsurgency ground and air offensives in different provinces inflicted heavy casualties on the Taliban over the past few days. There has been a sharp increase in Taliban attacks in recent days in the northern provinces of Afghanistan despite an unusually harsh winter. Heavy casualties reportedly have been inflicted on government forces being trained and advised by the United States. The U.S. special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction explained to Congress on Tuesday reasons for the increase in insurgent attacks on Afghan security forces. "The biggest problem we have seen and our trainers have seen with the Afghan military, is they're not aggressive, they are not moving out and are usually getting attacked and wiped out by the Taliban," said John Spoko quoting U.S. military commanders on the ground. He added corruption was another major factor undermining the ability of Afghan forces to contain Taliban advances. Qatar peace talks Meanwhile, fresh challenges are facing ongoing peace talks between U.S. and Taliban representatives in Qatar. Washington wants the insurgent group to commit to a "significant and lasting" reduction in violence before signing a peace agreement the two adversaries have negotiated over the past year. The deal, if reached, could set the stage for a gradual drawdown of U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan, closing America's longest war. It would also open the way for Taliban-Afghan negotiations on governance-related matters. Taliban envoys have proposed a week-long reduction in violence in a bid to conclude the peace deal with American interlocutors. But sources in the insurgent group say the U.S. side is demanding a reduction in insurgent hostilities for a prolonged period and until the intra-Afghan negotiations begin. The Taliban insisted in a statement last week it had already shown "enough flexibility" by offering a reduction in violence for a limited duration. The insurgent group said that "the ball is now in their [U.S.] court" to move the Afghan peace forward without wasting more time. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Beijing, Jan 30 : With a confirmed case of coronavirus reported in Tibet, the disease has reached every region in mainland China, a media report said on Thursday. With the death toll from coronavirus outbreak rising to 170, Chinese health authorities have said there were 7,711 confirmed cases in the country as of January 29, BBC reported. Infections have also spread to at least 15 other countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) will meet on Thursday to again consider whether the virus constitutes a global health emergency. "In the last few days the progress of the virus, especially in some countries, especially human-to-human transmission, worries us," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday. He named Germany, Vietnam and Japan, where there have been cases of people catching the virus from others who have been to China. "Although the numbers outside China are still relatively small, they hold the potential for a much larger outbreak," the WHO chief said. More people have now been infected in China than during the Sars outbreak in the early 2000s, but the death toll remains far lower. Sars, also a coronavirus, caused acute respiratory illness. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) [January 30, 2020] Smart Decision Announces Accelerating Demand in CBDSmartDecision.com Platform Affiliate Requests BOCA RATON, FL, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Smart Decision, Inc. (OTCMKTS: SDEC) ("Smart Decision" or the "Company"), a next-generation consumer-based LED & CBD algorithm innovator, is excited to announce further rapid growth in requests by CBD brands for inclusion on the CBDSmartDecision.com platform. As of January 24, platform membership had grown to twenty-eight (28) participating CBD product brands. Based on the continued growth in interest from suppliers and producers, the Company now expects to have over fifty (50) leading CBD brands on board by the time the Smart Decision team arrives to give an advanced preview of its platform technology currently under development at the USA CBD Expo 2020 in Las Vegas, NV on February 13. Adam Green, Smart Decision CEO, stated, The ideal scenario, from our perspective, is enough interest and enthusiasm on the part of CBD brands to create competition among brands for access to our platform as participating member affiliates. That will allow us to negotiate the most favorable terms once the technology development process is complete and we launch the fully-enabled iteration of the Smart Decision platform. At this point, we are already solidly heading for that ideal scenario, which is well ahead of even our most optimistic assumptions as of 60 days ago. As outlined in prior releases, the Company is in late-stage development of an algorithmic CBD consumer solution designed to help new adopters in the CBD trend understand the overly complicated CBD product landscape and quickly find the right product to suit their needs without frustration or confusion. The Smart Decision platform, which is being designed in partnership with MIT-trained computational data engineers, is on-schedule in the development timeline and the Company plans to launch a beta version by the end of March. An advanced preview of the platform will be granted in person to attendees at the USA CBD Expo 2020 in Las Vegas, NV, which takes place from February 13-5. Striking the right balance will be important, and we may have to cap membership before long, continued Green. We want consumers to see CBDSmartDecision.com as a comprehensive representation of the universe of CBD products available, which means we need to have enough brands involved to make the site a one-stop shop and a primary ecommerce hub for CBD shopping. But we also want to protect our shareholders interests by cultivating a scarcity value for access to the platform, which will drive the most robust financial performance for the Company and present a number of advantages from a brand management perspective for Smart Decision. About Smart Decision Inc. Smart Decision Inc. has researched and is developing algorithms for the consumer and business LED Lighting and CBD markets. With their patent-pending Smart Decision algorithms, the confusion of selecting the right product(s), whether for LED or CBD, will be significantly reduced. Ultimately, Smart Decision Inc. believes that selecting the right product the first time, dramatically cuts down on product returns and creates a positive purchasing experience for the consumer. Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such statements include, but are not limited to, any statements relating to access to capital, liquidity, increased visibility, our growth strategy and product development, updates on the CRADA, and any other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could negatively affect our business, operating results, financial condition and stock price. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated are: risks related to our growth strategy; risks relating to the results of research and development activities; our ability to obtain, perform under and maintain financing and strategic agreements and relationships; our dependence on third-party suppliers and partners; our ability to attract, integrate, and retain key personnel; the early stage of products under development; our need for substantial additional funds; government regulation; patent and intellectual property matters; competition; as well as other risks described in our SEC filings. Important factors that may cause the actual results to differ from those expressed within may include, but are not limited to: the success or failure of Smart Decisions efforts to successfully market its camera; systems, other products and services as scheduled; Smart Decisions ability to attract and retain quality employees; the effect of changing economic conditions; increased competition; the ability of Smart Decision to obtain adequate debt or equity financing. We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in our expectations or any changes in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by law. For more information, please contact: Adam Green, CEO Number: +1-(877)-26-SMART Email: [email protected] Corporate Website: http://smartdecisioninc.com Consumer Website: https://cbdsmartdecision.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Chestnut Hill, Mass. - Refugees from Bhutan and Somalia report high rates of approval for a new intervention program developed "for refugees, by refugees" to help strengthen immigrant families as they settle in the US, according to a new study by the Boston College team that developed and implemented the community-based initiative. Members of the Massachusetts Bhutanese and Somali Bantu communities who participated in the project remained with the program at a rate of 82.5 percent, the researchers reported recently in the Journal of Adolescent Health. Among the Bhutanese and Somali Bantu caregivers supporting the new immigrants, 81.5 percent were satisfied with the initiative, known as the Family Strengthening Intervention for Refugees. "What is important about this project is that it uses community-based, participatory research methods to identify community issues facing children and families," said Boston College School of Social Work Professor Theresa Betancourt, the lead researcher. "We worked collaboratively to adapt an evidence-based family strengthening intervention to the culture and context of Bhutanese and Somali Bantu refugees resettling in New England." The researchers studied 80 families - half of them Bhutanese, half Somali Bantu - to assess the program, its acceptance and any trends in improving child mental health and family functioning. Nationwide, approximately 100,000 Bhutanese and approximately 10,000 Somali Bantu have settled in the U.S.. While resettlement can impact refugee mental health, there are few preventative interventions, especially when it comes to mental health and family functioning, said Betancourt, the Salem Professor in Global Practice and director of the Research Program on Children and Adversity at BC. "We set out to answer if a family-based, home-visiting, preventative intervention done for refugees, by refugees could be feasible, acceptable, and impactful on the wellbeing of youth and families." In addition to the high rates of satisfaction and engagement, the study uncovered other important trends that bode well for its full implementation and evaluation of effectiveness. For instance, children in the study group reported less traumatic stress reactions. Parents and other caregivers reported fewer child depression symptoms, when compared to a control group of families who did not receive the intervention. Bhutanese children reported less arguing among family members and fewer symptoms of depression. While caregivers noted improved child behavior among Somali Bantu children in the control group, they found families in the study group had fewer conduct problems compared to the control group, according to the journal article, titled Family-Based Mental Health Promotion for Somali Bantu and Bhutanese Refugees: Feasibility and Acceptability Trial. Given the small number of participants, trends on its impact will be explored further in a planned long-term evaluation of the effectiveness of the program in a study involving 300 families. Betancourt cautioned that until that effectiveness study is done, it is too early to draw sweeping conclusions about the intervention impact, particularly given the relatively small number of participants. But the early findings point to a program that is promising and can be successfully implemented in refugee communities by lay workers who receive strong training and ongoing supervision to support resettled families from refugee communities. The researchers say the study results suggest the program can be used, with minor adaptations, to support immigrants from other countries. "Overall we were very happy to see that an intervention delivered by refugees, for refugees could be acceptable and feasible even during these very difficult times when the national dialogue on refugees can be very negative," said Betancourt. ### Leah Sharibu's family responds to reports that she gave birth to Boko Haram commander's son Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The family of abducted Nigerian Christian teenager Leah Sharibu has spoken out after reports published over the weekend suggested that their daughter has given birth to the son of a Boko Haram commander and that she was forced to accept Islam. A source close to the Borno-based Islamic extremist group told Sahara Reporters that Sharibu has given birth to a baby boy after she was forced to accept Islam and forcefully married to an unnamed Boko Haram commander. Dr. Gloria Puldu, a spokesperson for the family and a lecturer at the University of Jos, considered the reports to be nothing more than rumors. I have seen reports that Leah had a baby boy. That is just a rumor as far as we are concerned, Puldu told The Punch. What we even desire is to see a proof-of-life so that we see Leah by ourselves. If they are able to have Leah safe, we will understand. Sharibu was kidnapped along with over 110 other schoolgirls taken from a school in Dapchi in February 2018. Although about girls five died and all others were eventually released, Sharibu continues to be held by Boko Haram, which is known for its kidnappings and killings across the Lake Chad region. Sharibu was reportedly held back by the terrorist group because she refused to renounce her faith in Christ. Puldu stressed that the most important thing to the Sharibu family is to have their daughter back alive with or without the rumored child. And if she is alive, we will praise God for that, Puldu said. They should release her, despite whatever condition she is in. That is all. It doesnt matter whether she is pregnant or with a baby. Is it not better to have your child alive? So it doesnt matter; all we are interested in is her life and safety. Puldu spoke with one woman who escaped from Boko Haram captivity last week. I was able to speak with her one-on-one and she told us that she did not see Leah in captivity, but she was with Alison Gada, who informed her that Leah was alive, healthy and not dead," Puldu said. Sharibus father, Nathan, told the Hausa service of Voice of America that he has not been contacted by authorities with an update on his daughter and was not sure of the credibility of the recent reports. Nigerian investigative journalist Ahmed Salkida, who regularly breaks news related to Boko Haram, offered his confirmation that Sharibu gave birth to a child. Why, I wonder, do we pretend that leaving Leah behind won't result in pregnancy? Salkida wrote in a tweet. Since the terror group announced condemning her to slavery, is there any step or collective focus on preventing similar occurrences? She's a mother, but I don't know about the gender of the baby. Dede Laugeson, the executive director of the U.S.-based nongovernmental organization Save the Persecuted Christians, told The Christian Post in a statement that Sharibus life is in a constant horrific state of terror, violence, mental anguish, and rape. Save the Persecuted Christians collaborated with the International Committee on Nigeria and the Leah Foundation to bring Sharibus mother, Rebecca, to Washington, D.C., last June to advocate for her daughters release. The story of Leah, and the missing Chibok girls, and the Christian girls of Pakistan, Egypt, Syria and Iraq who are taken, tortured, and killed, cannot be forgotten, Laugeson emphasized. Christians who defend life must defend it even for the least of these mothers no matter how they came to be mothers. Nigeria ranks as the 12th worst country in the world for Christian persecution on Open Doors USAs 2020 World Watch List. Although there were fewer Christians killed in Nigeria in 2020, Open Doors USA notes that it is because of a change of tactic by Boko Haram to focus on more kidnappings. They have gone from assassination and these kinds of things to roadside assaults on Christians and kidnappings, Open Doors USA CEO David Curry said earlier this month. Last week, Boko Haram executed Rev. Lawan Andimi, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigerias chapter in the Michika Local Government Area of Adamawa State. Andimi was taken captive by the group on Jan. 3. The Christian Association of Nigeria called for three days of prayer and fasting following the news of Andimis killing. With Indias economic growth at its slowest in 11 years, the governments options in its upcoming budget appear limited. New Delhi, India SK Jain has seen many economic ups and downs in the decades he has been running his car parts company in a satellite city on the outskirts of the Indian capital, New Delhi. But these are exceptionally bad times, he says. In the past things would move by hook or by crook, but nothing is moving at all now, Jain told Al Jazeera. Weve been in this business for 30 years and Ive never seen it this bad. Once the worlds fastest-growing major economy, growth in India has skidded in recent months, creating a serious challenge for the government as it gets ready to present its annual economic report and its budget for the financial year starting April. For the three months ending September, the countrys economy grew by 4.5 percent, according to the latest official data. That was its slowest pace in more than five years, and significantly slower than the 7 percent clip it clocked up in the same period a year earlier. The main reason for the slowdown was a drop in private investment and consumption. Part of the blame for the deceleration lies in factors beyond the governments control, including a global slowdown brought about by a trade war between the United States and China and tensions in the Middle East that have driven Indias imported energy bill higher. But it has also been exacerbated by some poorly calculated economic reforms that could have been avoided. And the outlook for people like Jain and others in India appears to be gloomy. The government recently projected economic growth of 5 percent for the current financial year, down from 6.8 percent last year, which would make it the slowest pace in 11 years. Without the economy growing at a healthy clip, everything from government revenues to individual incomes is being adversely affected, analysts say. Demand has collapsed What we are witnessing now is a new phenomenon, Sunil Sinha, principal economist at India Ratings, a Fitch unit, told Al Jazeera. Demand has collapsed. Weve never had this before. Under such situations, policy-making is tricky, he said, as the government has few resources to boost the economy. Its options are very limited, he added. The slowdown can be traced back to controversial flagship reforms by Prime Minister Narendra Modisgovernment implemented in the past few years. Many small businesses in India were caught out by the governments move in 2016 to remove large denomination notes from circulation [File: Amit Dave/Reuters] These included a sudden clampdown in November 2016 on more than 80 percent of the currency in circulation in a bid to crack down on illegal activities. That was followed by a significant sales tax overhaul the following summer that created confusion and compliance burdens for many small companies, leading to a drop in business activity. This, along with a government decision to not increase the minimum price it pays farmers for their produce, hit incomes in both urban and rural areas, curbing the spending power of many people. In a November 14 note, Anthony Nafte, senior economist at Hong Kong-based capital markets and investment group CLSA, warned that the Indian economy was now in a form of recession, the kind in which banks prioritise protecting their capital bases rather than making new loans. Meanwhile, companies and households are prioritising the repayment of loans rather than taking out new borrowings for investment and expansion, he said. Government data released in December shows that 18 out of the 23 industry groups in the manufacturing sector experienced negative growth during the month of October 2019 as compared with the same period last year. Of those, 10 saw a double-digit dip and the electricity sector saw a record contraction of 12.2 percent, the third consecutive month it had shrunk. During a debate in parliament in December, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman acknowledged that there was a slowdown but said there was no recession. Growth may have come down, but its not recession yet or it wont be recession ever, she said. India Ratings Sinha said what the government needs to do to revive the economy is a no brainer. At the top of his wish list is for the government to push money into infrastructure, especially in rural regions, as doing so will create jobs for those most in need, who will, in turn, help drive sales of everything from tea and biscuits to soap and toothpaste. The problem, however, he points out, is that because of the economic slowdown, where will you get the money to fund that? The bigger problem with the slowdown, warns Madan Sabnavis, chief economist at CARE Ratings, is that no one knows whats the solution. Weve entered this trough. Economies dont recover that fast. Letting go of the purse strings Modis government has taken several steps, including cutting corporate taxes, implementing a bailout package for the cash-strapped housing sector, promises to speed up infrastructure spending, rolling back newly introduced taxes on foreign investors, and schemes to hand cash to farmers to boost investments and encourage spending. The Indian government has promised to boost spending on new infrastructure as part of a package of measures to accelerate economic growth [File: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters] But they have not given the economy the boost the government intended. And in the process, it also appears to have run out of options, Sabnavis told Al Jazeera. The only way out, he says, would be for the government to become more profligate. Currently, the government limits itself to spending more than it makes in revenues by no more than 3.3 percent of the size of the Indian economy. Sabnavis suggests that the government could loosen that rule, and expand the so-called fiscal deficit by at least another half a percentage point, or $15bn. Thats an ideological call, but its the only practical way of pushing forward the economy, he said. When times are bad, companies would rather conserve their cash than invest in new plants, equipment or people, if they believe that demand for their products is falling. And when companies slow down, so do tax revenues for the government. That makes it all the more important for the government to boost spending during downturns, even if it means expanding the deficit, Sabnavis says. No sales, no margins Car parts maker Jain, like many other business people, agrees that this is not the time for him to invest. His three factories in Gurgaon on the outskirts of the Indian capital where he makes components for transmission systems for Indias largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki, as well as Mahindra and Mahindra and Toyota, are running at 70 percent of their full capacity. Revenues for the current year are already down 15 percent after also taking a hit in the last financial year, owing to the governments tax overhaul and demonetisation policy. Maruti Suzuki is one of Indias top carmakers to have experienced a sharp drop in sales [File Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters] His pain has been particularly acute because 65 percent of his revenue comes from Maruti, which has seen an 18.6 percent drop in sales of passenger vehicles in India in the current financial year starting April through December and reportedly shed 3,000 temporary jobs last year. We are under tremendous pressure. There are no sales, no margins, he said. Were like the beggars on the street who have to manage with what they have. While domestic players like Jain are holding off investing for lack of demand at home, exporters in at least some sectors who should theoretically be able to take advantage of overseas demand are also feeling the pinch because of government policies. Garment exporters have traditionally benefitted from tax refunds that they factor into their prices while bidding for export orders. In the past several months New Delhi has rolled those refunds back and promised to replace them with new ones. But it has not. We cant quote our prices because we dont know what the refund will be, Animesh Saxena, who exports womenswear including dresses, skirts and blouses to clients in the US and Europe, told Al Jazeera. Bidding for contracts without that refund results in his firm, Neetee Clothing Pvt Ltd, being priced out by Saxenas rivals, in a sector that operates on razor-thin margins. The whole sector is in jeopardy and we have not been able to compete internationally. Were losing on orders placed earlier and we havent been able to book new ones. Its badly hurting our bottom line, he said. Jain says his margins are also being squeezed, as he feels the pressure to maintain jobs and provide his employees with a sense of security. People have been working with us for years and we want to look after them but how long do we sustain them? The costs are increasing with all of this. How do we manage? Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 04:37:55|Editor: yan Video Player Close LIMA, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Some 16 people have died as a result of last week's gas tanker truck explosion in Peru's capital Lima, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday. The latest victim to succumb to his injuries was identified as Joaquin Ambrosio Navarrete, 27, who had been in critical condition at the Loayza Hospital since the Jan. 23 blast left him with severe burns on his entire body. As many as 31 people remain hospitalized, including 10 minors, said the ministry, meaning the death toll could still rise. Brazil's Ministry of Health announced it sent Peru 20,000 centimeters of human skin for transplants on the burn victims. Another 11 people who sustained minor injuries in the accident were released from hospital the same day as the explosion in the city's Villa el Salvador district. Authorities say the tanker truck apparently hit a bump in the road that led to a gas leak, sparking a fire and explosion which damaged several nearby homes. A section of the faculty and students of Visva-Bharati University Thursday demanded an explanation from the vice-chancellor for the manner adopted in expelling a student from the hostel for shooting and sharing a video of his purported speech on the Constitution at a Republic day function. A platform of Left students 'Chhatro-Chhatri Oikyo' (Student Unity) in a statement said the student who was expelled did not commit any crime by filming the speech of VC Bidyut Chakraborty at a 'public function' and circulating it among his friends. "The VC should offer an explanation in public why his proctor forced Bijju Sarkar (the student) to sign on the letter which expelled him from the hostel and on what ground. The VC should ensure that the student is allowed to return," Somnath Sou, SFI leader and one of the convenors of 'Chhatro- Chhatri Oikyo', said. President of the Faculty Association of Visva-Bharati, Sudipta Bhattacharya said that the proctor issued his one page hand-written order without any letterhead or seal "but duly approved by competent authority," which cannot be called legal. He further said while the authorities described the video as "disruptive and defamatory", nothing had been added to the VC's speech in it. The VC while unfurling the national flag at Purbapally Senior Boys Hostel (PSBH) premises had purportedly commented on the Constitution, the possibility of amendments in future, the supremacy of Parliament and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in the presence of some students. Bijju, a student of BA History was asked to leave his room in Purbapally Hostel of the central university on January 28 after preliminary findings proved that he was behind the filming and circulation of a video which showed the VC purportedly making some comments during a hostel function on Republic day. He was served a letter signed by the proctor of the central university and left the hostel the next day, a university official said. "This is regarding recording and formal transmission of video of the VC's speech at PSBH compound shot on your mobile. As you are aware of the method and manner of external posting of your video on social media, you are hereby asked to further remove all your personal belongings within next 24 hours," the letter had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) There's a great line from the movie I, Robot that often springs to mind when it comes to politicians. Will Smith plays a cop, and he is the only one in the city to realize there's a problem with the newest line of robots, which have already killed at least one person despite hardwired programming to the contrary. In the scene, he's confronting one of their design scientists, who is brilliant but willfully blind to the obvious problems. He yells, "You are the dumbest smart person I know!" "Dumbest smart person" should be engraved on an award. Mitt Romney and the three other Republicans considering calling witnesses in President Trump's impeachment trial would be the final four. Clearly, Romney, Collins, Murkowski, and Alexander are all smart people. They're successful. They've managed to get elected to the Senate. Romney himself is a near-billionaire in his own right. But they are willfully blind to the obvious-to-everyone-else tactics of the Democrats. Romney especially as a businessman should know better. He should know that insiders can become blind to problems that someone from outside the system can see clearly. That's the entire point of business consultants. Romney himself was a consultant. And yet, now that he's a Washington insider, he appears to have forgotten what he once knew about strategy. The Democrats' strategy is (or should be) clear to one and all: use the impeachment trial as the means to retake the Senate. It is not about impeaching Trump. If it were, Democrats would have put together a rock-solid impeachment case, one that senators would be compelled to vote for, not have to be convinced or cajoled to vote for. An actual attempt to impeach Trump would not be articles based on supposition about Trump's intent and vague charges of "abuse of power" and "obstruction of Congress." Given such standards, any sitting senator or congressman could be impeached under "abuse of power" every time he exploits his elected position to send endless mailers to his constituents to brag about his successes, whereas his challengers have no such ability. A veto could be considered "obstruction of Congress." The Democrats have always known they do not have the votes to remove the president especially not based on these weak and vague articles. The weakness of their case belies their actual strategy: retake the Senate. How? By using the tools they always use. Innuendo. Suspicion. Accusations of "hiding" the truth. The snowballing effect of people "suddenly" convinced of the case to add even weight to the charges. None of these tactics is new. They've been used in the Russia collusion hoax. They were used in the Mueller probe. They were most recently used in the Ukraine "whistleblower" rollout. (Note especially how Trump blew up their planned snowballing of "other whistleblowers" who were all going to come forward until he released the transcript.) And yet, despite the obvious-to-everyone-else tactics, fearful Republicans like Romney want more witnesses. Seventeen witnesses have been called. The only witness with firsthand knowledge, Sondland, confirmed Trump said no quid pro quo. So why is it that there are 17 witnesses who are effectively on the opposite side of what John Bolton alleges, and yet one witness, Bolton, will somehow now prove the Democrats' case? Trump himself says Bolton is wrong. Why is it Bolton should be believed but Trump shouldn't be? "Dumbest smart person" once again springs to mind. Opening the door to Bolton will not stop the flood. Democrats will yammer for still more witnesses "out there" who have "the real truth." By surrendering, Romney et al. empower the Democrats' strategy to string this out, give weight to suspicions, and thereby create the appearance of potential guilt. When the Senate eventually acquits Trump, which it most certainly will, the Democrats will have their rallying cry: "We could have impeached if only we'd had the Senate." The Senate is where Democrats know that Trump is doing the real, long-term damage to their progressive agenda. He's remaking the courts with record-breaking conservative appointments to courts at all levels. Because progressive agendas are not popular to win on a national level or even garner legislative wins, progressives have (and successfully so) turned to legislation from the bench. How often have Republicans like Romney and Collins and Murkowski and Alexander all warned against this? So if the goal is to retake the Senate using the strategy of impeachment, then why are Republicans willing to play the Democrats' game? On their turf? And even handing them the ball? The best counter-strategy, as Romney well knows (or used to), is not to play your opponents' game. Where are Romney's answers to take the ball away and play a different game? He used to be a strategist. This is an opportunity not only to turn the impeachment on its ear, but to turn around his own flailing image. Be a warrior, Romney. Isn't that why Utah elected you? The best answer is to dismiss the articles of impeachment solely on constitutional grounds. It's simple: the merits of the case do not meet constitutional standards. That's the vote. Do these charges rise to the level of constitutional grounds for impeachment? No. Doing so changes the dynamics and public perception. Instead of "they're hiding something," it becomes "this isn't constitutional." The case should be scoffed at because it truly is weak. It also changes the dynamics of who is "at fault." It puts the blame on Democrats for not proving their case and for bringing unconstitutional accusations. It's not the Republicans' fault that the Democrats plowed ahead with a shoddy case. Thus, instead of impeachment failing because of "unfair Republicans" or because Democrats don't control the Senate, it fails because of the Constitution itself. That's a very, very different message to the average voter. Democrats simply failed to meet minimum constitutional standards. If the Democrats want to go back to the drawing board and they can continue to double, double, toil and trouble in the Capitol basement fine. Let them. Think of the message that sends. Meanwhile, Republicans can get on with improving the economy, incredible trade deals that will build on the last three years of success, and solving other problems real Americans really care about. So we'll see. Are Romney et al. smart smart persons? Or are they truly the dumbest smart persons? Mark Anderson holds an MBA and is all but dissertation in his doctorate. He hosts I Spy Radio, a conservative talk show in blue Oregon. Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr. ALTON Andrea N. Schrader has joined the law firm of MillerKing LLC as an attorney concentrating in the area of family law. She has 13 years of experience. Before joining MillerKing, she was a staff attorney for Land of Lincoln Legal Aid. She is a member of Tri-City Bar Association, the Madison County Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar Association. She graduated cum laude from Illinois State University with a Bachelor of Social Work. While attending Illinois State University, she was a member of the Division I Womens Swim Team. InterXion Holding N.V. (NYSE: INXN), a leading European provider of carrier and cloud-neutral colocation data centre services, today announced that it has filed a Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the Company's pending strategic stock-for-stock combination with Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: DLR). The Schedule 14D-9 contains the InterXion Board's recommendation that shareholders tender into Digital Realty's exchange offer, pursuant to which InterXion shareholders will receive a fixed exchange ratio of 0.7067 Digital Realty shares per InterXion share. It also contains important background information regarding the transaction, as well as the financial fairness opinions received by InterXion from each of Guggenheim Securities and Moelis Company. InterXion also plans to file a proxy statement for its Extraordinary General Meeting to consider proposals in connection with the transaction. The Schedule 14D-9, proxy statement and other filings related to the transaction will be made available on the Investor Relations section of InterXion's website, as well as www.sec.gov. The Extraordinary General Meeting of InterXion is scheduled to take place on 27 February 2020, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Central European Time. The meeting will be held at the Novotel Hotel, Taurusavenue 12, 2132 LS Hoofddorp, The Netherlands. InterXion shareholders will consider proposals related to the post-offer reorganization of the Company following completion of the exchange offer. The proposals to be voted on at the Extraordinary General Meeting are in respect of customary Dutch transaction formalities to be taken following the completion of the exchange offer, which would result in Digital Realty becoming the sole owner of all or substantially all of InterXion's business operations. The proxy statement will contain the InterXion Board's recommendation that shareholders vote in favor of the proposals to be considered at the Extraordinary General Meeting. All shareholders of record of InterXion ordinary shares as of the close of business on 30 January 2020 will be entitled to vote their shares either in person or by proxy at the Extraordinary General Meeting. "InterXion's combination with Digital Realty brings together two highly complementary businesses, allowing each to continue building on its existing business while enabling the combined company to better serve its global customer base," said David Ruberg, InterXion's Chief Executive Officer. "We operate in a dynamic industry, in which greater scale, global reach and stronger balance sheets will enhance our ability to meet the evolving requirements of our customers and create a significant opportunity to generate long term value for all of our stakeholders." Mr. Ruberg continued, "As outlined in our filing made yesterday, over the past five years, the InterXion Board and management team assessed a wide range of strategic options to drive long-term value creation. The Company and its advisors held substantive discussions with eight other parties in addition to Digital Realty, resulting in six of the other parties meeting with InterXion's senior management, three submitting written proposals, and two making oral proposals. As a result of this comprehensive review, and as compared to the long-term potential of our standalone plan, the Board concluded that the proposed combination with Digital Realty represents the most compelling opportunity to maximize value for all InterXion stakeholders." As previously announced on 29 October 2019, the combination of InterXion and Digital Realty will create a global provider of data center, colocation and interconnection solutions with enhanced scale, capabilities and leadership in high-growth markets. The benefits of the combination of InterXion and Digital Realty include: Expanding Communities of Interest Across a Broader Global Platform: The opportunities for InterXion to instill and implement its proven expertise in generating valuable communities of interest in highly connected data centers across Digital Realty's international footprint are substantial. Complementary European Footprint and Product Offering: InterXion's European business is highly complementary to Digital Realty's European footprint, and together, the companies will create a leading pan-European data center presence, offering consistent, high-quality services with low-latency access to approximately 75% of the GDP in Europe. Enhances Ability to Serve Customers Across Market Segments: The combined organization will be able to meet the growing global demand from cloud and content platforms, IT service providers and enterprises seeking colocation, hybrid cloud and hyperscale data center solutions. Creates Substantial Anticipated Cost Efficiencies and Financial Benefits: The size and scale of the combined company is expected to produce an enhanced and efficient cost structure, reflecting a combination of cost synergies and reduced cost of capital. The Combined Business will be Well Placed to Benefit from Global Secular Drivers: The industry backdrop is characterised by favorable secular trends driven by immense growth in data, which needs to be collected, processed and transmitted around the world with minimal latency. At the same time, legacy IT architectures are being progressively re-engineered to remain relevant as modern business platforms gain presence. InterXion and Digital Realty expect that the transaction will close in the first half of 2020, subject to approval by InterXion and Digital Realty shareholders, completion of certain regulatory conditions, completion of the exchange offer and satisfaction of other customary closing conditions. Guggenheim Securities is acting as financial advisor and rendered a fairness opinion to InterXion, and Moelis Company also rendered a fairness opinion to InterXion. Debevoise Plimpton LLP and Greenberg Traurig, LLP (Amsterdam) are acting as legal advisors to InterXion. InterXion shareholders who need assistance in completing the proxy card, need additional copies of the proxy materials, or have questions regarding the Extraordinary General Meeting of InterXion may contact InterXion's proxy solicitor: Innisfree M&A Incorporated Phone: (888) 750-5834 (from the U.S. and Canada) Banks Brokers: (212) 750-5833 About InterXion InterXion Holding N.V. (NYSE: INXN) is a leading provider of carrier and cloud-neutral colocation data centre services in Europe, serving a wide range of customers through more than 50 data centres in 11 European countries. InterXion's uniformly designed, energy efficient data centres offer customers extensive security and uptime for their mission-critical applications. With over 700 connectivity providers, 21 European Internet exchanges, and most leading cloud and digital media platforms present across its footprint, InterXion has created connectivity, cloud, content and finance hubs that foster growing customer communities of interest. For more information, please visit www.interxion.com. Additional Information and Where to Find It This communication is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any proxy, vote or approval with respect to the proposed transaction or otherwise, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. In connection with the proposed transactions, on December 5, 2019, Digital Realty filed a Registration Statement on Form S-4 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), that included a proxy statement of Digital Realty, which also constitutes a prospectus of Digital Realty. The Registration Statement was amended on January 7, 2020 and January 24, 2020 and was declared effective by the SEC on January 27, 2020. On January 29, 2020, Digital Realty caused its subsidiary to file a Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO (the "Schedule TO") with the SEC and soon thereafter InterXion filed a Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9 (the "Schedule 14D-9") with the SEC. Also, in connection with the exchange offer, Digital Realty intends to mail a definitive proxy statement/prospectus to shareholders of Digital Realty and InterXion. The solicitation and offer to purchase shares of InterXion's ordinary shares is only being made pursuant to the Schedule TO and related offer to purchase. This material is not a substitute for the proxy statement/prospectus, the Schedule TO, the Schedule 14D-9 or the Registration Statement or for any other document that DIGITAL REALTY or InterXion may file with the SEC and send to Digital Realty's or InterXion's shareholders in connection with the proposed transactions. BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING OR INVESTMENT DECISION OR DECISION WITH RESPECT TO THE EXCHANGE OFFER, WE URGE INVESTORS OF DIGITAL REALTY AND INTERXION TO READ THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT, PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS, SCHEDULE TO (INCLUDING AN OFFER TO PURCHASE, RELATED LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL AND OTHER OFFER DOCUMENTS) AND SCHEDULE 14D-9, AS EACH MAY BE AMENDED OR SUPPLEMENTED FROM TIME TO TIME, AND OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED BY DIGITAL REALTY AND INTERXION WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT DIGITAL REALTY, INTERXION AND THE PROPOSED TRANSACTIONS. Investors will be able to obtain free copies of the Registration Statement, proxy statement/prospectus, Schedule TO and Schedule 14D-9, as each may be amended from time to time, and other relevant documents filed by Digital Realty and InterXion with the SEC (when they become available) at http://www.sec.gov, the SEC's website, or free of charge from Digital Realty's website (http://www.digitalrealty.com) or by contacting Digital Realty's Investor Relations Department at (415) 848- 9311. These documents are also available free of charge from InterXion's website (http://www.interxion.com) or by contacting InterXion's Investor Relations Department at (813) 644-9399. Participants in the Solicitation Digital Realty, InterXion and their respective directors and certain of their executive officers and employees may be deemed, under SEC rules, to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from Digital Realty's and InterXion's shareholders in connection with the proposed transactions. Information regarding the officers and directors of Digital Realty is included in its definitive proxy statement for its 2019 annual meeting filed with the SEC on April 1, 2019. Information regarding the officers and directors of InterXion and their ownership of InterXion ordinary shares is set forth in InterXion's Annual Report on Form 20-F, which was filed with the SEC on April 30, 2019. Additional information regarding the persons who may be deemed participants and their interests will be set forth in the Registration Statement and proxy statement/prospectus and other materials when they are filed with SEC in connection with the proposed transactions. Free copies of these documents may be obtained as described in the paragraphs above. Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Digital Realty and InterXion caution that statements in this communication that are forward-looking, and provide other than historical information, involve risks, contingencies and uncertainties that may impact actual results of operations of Digital Realty, InterXion and the combined company. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements about anticipated satisfaction of closing conditions and completion of the proposed transactions contemplated by the purchase agreement between them. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that those expectations will prove to have been correct. Those statements are made by using various underlying assumptions and are subject to numerous risks, contingencies and uncertainties, including, among others: the ability of Digital Realty and InterXion to obtain the regulatory and shareholder approvals necessary to complete the anticipated combination, on the anticipated timeline or at all; the risk that a condition to the closing of the anticipated combination may not be satisfied, on the anticipated timeline or at all or that the anticipated combination may fail to close; the outcome of any legal proceedings, regulatory proceedings or enforcement matters that may be instituted relating to the anticipated combination; the costs incurred to consummate the anticipated combination; the possibility that the expected synergies from the anticipated combination will not be realized, or will not be realized within the expected time period; difficulties related to the integration of the two companies; disruption from the anticipated combination making it more difficult to maintain relationships with customers, employees, regulators or suppliers; the diversion of management time and attention on the anticipated combination; adverse changes in the markets in which Digital Realty and InterXion operate or credit markets; and changes in the terms, scope or timing of contracts, contract cancellations, and other modifications and actions by customers and other business counterparties of Digital Realty and InterXion. If one or more of these risks materialize, or if underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those expected. You should not place undue reliance on forward looking statements. For a more complete discussion of these and other risk factors, please see (i) Digital Realty's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and (ii) InterXion's filings with the SEC, including its annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2018 and subsequent reports on Form 6-K. This communication reflects the views of Digital Realty's and InterXion's management as of the date hereof. Except to the extent required by applicable law, Digital Realty and InterXion undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005461/en/ Contacts: Investors Jim Huseby Investor Relations (813) 644-9399 IR@interxion.com Media Matt Sherman Mahmoud Siddig Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher (212) 355-4449 Indias first confirmed case of novel Coronavirus has been detected in Kerala. A student who had been studying at Wuhan University tested positive for the virus. The ministry says in a statement that the student has been kept in isolation and is being monitored at a hospital. It's not clear when the student returned to India from China. Passengers who have travelled to China recently are being screened for symptoms in at least 20 Indian airports. The virus which originated in China has so far killed 170. AFP The patient was a student of Wuhan University in China, India's government said in a statement. The patient is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the statement added. A senior Indian government official said bringing Indian nationals from Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus, was not the best option due to the risk of infection but increased pressure from the citizens, most of them students, and their parents had forced them to keep an aircraft on standby. This week, India readied a state-carrier airplane to travel to Wuhan but was waiting for a nod from Chinese authorities who were trying to sequence the whole evacuation process. "Only those nationals who don't have the virus will be airlifted, they will be brought into a quarantine facility outside Delhi," the official said, requesting anonymity. Reuters Demands from South Asian nationals intensified after countries such as the United States and Japan began pulling out their nationals. Shahied Dawan pleaded not guilty to bribery and related charges in federal court in Philadelphia on Jan. 30, 2020. Read more A former executive of the South Philadelphia community development and charter school organization founded by Philadelphia record-industry legend Kenny Gamble pleaded not guilty in federal court Thursday to charges that he ripped off the company and bribed a city councilmember. Shahied Dawan, 68, the former chief financial officer of the nonprofit Universal Companies, is one of two ex-executives of the firm charged with bribery for allegedly paying nearly $67,000 in 2013 and 2014 to education consultant Dawn Chavous, the wife of Philadelphia Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson. After entering his plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard Lloret, Dawan was released without having to post bail and left the courtroom without commenting. His attorney, Thomas O. Fitzpatrick, said the charges against Dawan are bombastic and the details of the alleged conspiracy do not apply to him. Mr. Dawan doesnt have anything to hide and he doesnt have anything to hide from, Fitzpatrick said. He has done nothing wrong. He is not guilty. The arraignment for Abdur Rahim Islam, 62, the former CEO of Universal, was moved to Friday. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Dubnoff and Eric Gibson told the judge they were prepared to argue that Islam should be jailed. But Lloret ruled that Islam would remain free until the hearing and ordered both defendants to turn over their passports before leaving the Market Street courthouse. Islam and his attorney, David M. Laigaie, declined to comment after Thursdays hearing. Federal prosecutors contend that the payments made by the defendants to Johnsons wife prompted the councilmember, a three-term Democrat, to intervene on the nonprofits behalf by protecting some of its properties from seizure, and introducing and shepherding the passing of legislation that increased the value of one property that the nonprofit sold in 2014 for 15 times what it had paid in 2000. In a 43-page indictment, prosecutors on Wednesday charged Johnson and Chavous with accepting bribes from Islam and Dawan. Johnson, 46, and Chavous, 40, are scheduled to make their first court appearances Friday. Islam and Dawan are charged with racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud, and tax evasion stemming from more than $500,000 they allegedly embezzled from Universal over two years to enrich themselves and to fund a separate bribery scheme in Milwaukee, where Universal operated two charter campuses. Gamble, 76, who rose to fame in the 1970s with songwriting partner Leon Huff as the owners of Philadelphia International Records, founded Universal in 1993 with the goal of redeveloping South Philadelphia, where he was born and raised. He has not been charged, and federal prosecutors said the crimes committed by Islam and Dawan were committed behind his back. As alleged in the indictment, Universal Companies, including its real estate and education arms, constituted a [racketeering] enterprise, hijacked by the defendants Islam and Dawan to engage in a pattern of criminal activity that spanned two states and several years, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams said Wednesday. Fitzpatrick said Dawans record and reputation during his time at Universal and elsewhere were unblemished. My client has a long history of service to the community, both through his work with Universal and with organizations prior to Universal, he said. We look forward to having tons of character support and testimony on his behalf. Los Angeles Sentinel Ride Along with Los Angeles County Fire Department Public Safety Officer Captain Brian Jordan What started out as a desk video/audio interview to learn more about what goes into the day-to-day work of firefighters and paramedics for print and radio broadcasts turned into a ride-along with Los Angeles County Fire Department Public Safety Officer Captain Brian Jordan, and a front seat to one of the most publicized health crises to strike L.A. area schools in recent times. Literally. Contributing writer Charlene Muhammad went to Fire Station 171 in Inglewood to interview staff as part of a fellowship with Ethnic Media Services to learn about the daily challenges and work of firefighters. ADVERTISEMENT On the way, the Sentinel contributor learned that a low flying Delta plane had to make an emergency landing, and dumped fuel in-flight on January 14. In the process, it doused school children on a playground, homes, and businesses in communities from Inglewood near Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Orange County. Low and behold! As Jordan explained preliminary details, he and this writer whisked away into his department SUV, sirens blazing! But wait! We were supposed to be at a desk, she exclaimed. But it was happening. Much of what was heard in the emergency vehicle on the way could not be recorded or shared due to privacy laws, but picture this: Approximately if not more than a dozen emergency response fire engines, ambulances, Hazmat and police vehicles, crowded on a modest streetgroups of parents huddled on the school yard, just feet away from the fence separating them from their children, yet all they could do was wait until paramedics completed check ups to children affected and they were cleared. Children and staff at Park Avenue Elementary School in Cudahy complained of itchy, burning skin and eye and throat irritations, among other things. At the time, there were approximately 30 patients at the school. The skin and other irritations werent isolated to those at the site. Before entering the perimeter, in fact approximately 3 or more miles away, fumes permeated the vehicle and it became increasingly harder to breath. This writers throat became scratchy and her eyes began to burn. She could only imagine being right there on site. That became a reality very quickly. They park, and enter the organized yet chaotic scene. Organized because fire and other emergency response personnel appeared to have everything under controlchaotic because parents and reporters were anxious for answers. ADVERTISEMENT It was very bad, said an unidentifiable woman, as the pair headed to the command post. My eyes and face are still burning, the woman said. Same here, the ride along reporter echoed aloud, as she asked Jordan for a gas mask. The Sentinel reports more facts about the dumping incident and the aftermath, including a lawsuit filed by several teachers and a recent town hall meeting attended by Congresswoman Maxine Waters to determine the facts and hear residents in this issue. Meanwhile, back inside the SUV as this writer literally screamed at drivers and pedestrians, Get out of the way! Pull over! To the right! Wait! on the way to Park Avenue Elementary, Jordan patiently answered questions about how an increase in parcel taxes through Measure FD on the March 3 ballot would help L.A. County firefighters and paramedics in incidents like the fuel dumping. (See Sentinel report on Measure FD in this issue.) We need all types of resources, right down to technology like ipads, he stated. People expect us to fix things, and we have to. And, we do it very well, said Fire Captain and Safety Officer Jordan, who has been with L.A. County Fire for 34 years. He pointed out how fortunate people regarding the fuel dumping crisis, because more fire engines and staff happened to be available at the time as emergency incidents were a bit quiet then. However, typically that isnt the case, he said. Firefighters and paramedics are aware of the challenges in a lack of resources, right down to radios for communication, so they are prepared to do the job regardless, said Jordan. But again, its nice to have an exorbitant amount of resources, where it makes the job more beneficial to our customers, who are everybody reading the article in the Sentinel, he told the Sentinel. We want everyone to live a safe happy life; partly due to what we do in the background. Ride alongs are allowed with Deputy Fire Chief approval; with the intent of teaching people what we do, Jordan said. English French TORONTO, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sunwing was announced winner of the Consumer Choice Award earlier this month in the category of Best Tour Operator in Quebec. Sunwing has previously received numerous Consumer Choice Awards in the categories of Best Charter Airline and Vacation Provider across Toronto, London, Hamilton/Niagara, Halifax, St. Johns, Regina, Saskatoon, Edmonton and Vancouver. However, this was the first time Sunwing received this recognition in Quebec. Established in 1987, the Consumer Choice Award is the only organization in Canada to conduct independent market research surveys to determine brand reputation and customer satisfaction. The Consumer Choice Award is only bestowed upon a very select group of business owners and entrepreneurs recognized by customers for their business excellence. Businesses are ranked based on customer surveys carried out by some of the largest independent Canadian-owned research companies. Lyne Chayer, General Manager of Sunwing Quebec, welcomed the news, We are honoured to have been recognized as the Best Tour Operator by customers in Quebec. We have operated out of the province for almost 14 years and continue to expand our offerings to sun-seeking vacationers throughout the province. We believe our wide range of destination options, convenient vacation packages and departures from five local airports across the province has made us a popular choice with Quebecers. Sunwing is the only tour operator to offer vacation packages across the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America from five airports across the province including Montreal, Quebec City, Saguenay, Val-dOr and Mont-Joli. This season, the tour operator expanded their operations in the province with the addition of a new flight service from Quebec City to Mazatlan in Pacific Mexico. Sunwing also offers year-round flights out of Montreal and Quebec City. For more information or to book, visit www.sunwing.ca or contact your travel agent. About Sunwing The largest integrated travel company in North America, Sunwing has more flights to the south than any other leisure carrier with convenient direct service from over 33 airports across Canada to more than 45 popular sun destinations across the U.S.A., Caribbean, Mexico and Central America. This scale enables Sunwing to offer customers exclusive deals at top-rated resorts in the most popular vacation destinations as well as cruise packages and seasonal domestic flight service. Sunwing is consistently voted the top leisure airline by travel agents and is the perennial winner of the Consumer Choice Award. Customers can look forward to starting their vacation off with award-winning inflight service, which features a complimentary glass of sparkling wine*, non-alcoholic beverage service; together with a buy on board menu of light meals and snacks, including kids choices, the new World Famous Original Smoked Meat from the iconic Montreal-based Schwartzs Deli along with delicious menu options inspired by Food Network Canada Celebrity Chef, Lynn Crawford. Sunwing customers also benefit from the assistance of the companys own knowledgeable destination representatives, who greet them upon arrival and support them throughout their vacation journey. Sunwing supports the communities where it operates through the Sunwing Foundation, a charitable initiative focused on the support and development of youth and humanitarian aid. Sunwing matches all donations the Foundation receives through its Spare Change Program on board Sunwing Airlines, no administrative fees are collected and 100% of the proceeds go to charity. *Service may be unavailable on select flights For all media enquiries, please contact: Rachel Goldrick Senior Corporate Communications Manager Sunwing Vacations 1-800-387-5602 | media@sunwing.ca https://www.facebook.com/SunwingVacations https://twitter.com/SunwingVacay https://www.instagram.com/sunwingvacations https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzjZ-lcuaqBQH7Sq0u3ru7A A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a941c56a-d6f9-4094-9084-f53375e004dd AMSTERDAM, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A survey of IT Security leaders commissioned by Kaspersky revealed that the role of Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) analyst is amongst the most challenging to hire, with almost half (49%) of chief information security officers (CISOs) agreeing with this. Understaffing in this area may result in a tough situation when existing experts are overloaded with work. To help CTI analysts get relevant information from a single entry point instead of searching for and matching different sources, Kaspersky is collaborating with EclecticIQ. The Threat Intelligence Platform (TIP) from EclecticIQ collects intelligence from open sources, commercial suppliers and industry partnerships and makes them available in a central resource empowering threat and SOC analysts with the latest actionable and relevant context on cyberthreats. This allows the analysts to stop or swiftly respond to threats through their existing security infrastructure. With this integration, users can draw on Kaspersky's threat intelligence, including access to latest Threat Data Feeds, online search through historical CTI using Kaspersky Threat Lookup (which contains petabytes of information about threats), legitimate objects and their various relationships, and Kaspersky APT Intelligence Reports revealing methods, tactics, and tools used by advanced malefactors. EclecticIQ's cyberthreat intelligence analysts also use the data to provide additional services to clients through its Fusion Center. The center delivers thematic intelligence bundles, providing customers with a curated single source of relevant cyberthreat information from leading suppliers that is optimized for their organization. "We are delighted to now offer our threat intelligence to EclecticIQ customers. EclecticIQ is focused on providing security intelligence to governments and enterprises, especially ones from the financial sector. Kaspersky Threat Intelligence Services have been proven to be a source of curated data helping to defend businesses. And, through this collaboration, customers can benefit from more convenient access to up-to-date and proven insight on the global threat landscape," comments Veniamin Levtsov, VP, Corporate Business, at Kaspersky. "EclecticIQ is constantly thriving to provide CTI analysts with the best possible tools for their work. Through the partnership with Kaspersky, we are able to present our customers with a variety of integrations that bring high-class intelligence to their analyst teams. In conjunction with the capabilities of our Threat Intelligence Platform, businesses and enterprises alike will be able to perform deeper and more informed analyses," said Pim Volkers Executive Vice president at EclecticIQ. Kaspersky is continuing to work with a variety of partners to deliver threat intelligence feeds to more cybersecurity professionals worldwide. Further information about Kaspersky Threat Intelligence Services and how to incorporate them into your security infrastructure can be found here. More about the Threat Intelligence products and services of EclecticIQ can be found here. About Kaspersky Kaspersky is a global cybersecurity company founded in 1997. Kaspersky's deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into innovative security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company's comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and a number of specialized security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky technologies and we help 270,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at www.kaspersky.com. About EclecticIQ EclecticIQ enables intelligence-powered cybersecurity for government organizations and commercial enterprises. We develop analyst-centric products and services that align our clients' cybersecurity focus with their threat reality. The result is intelligence-led security, improved detection and prevention, and cost-efficient security investments. Our solutions are built specifically for analysts across all intelligence-led security practices such as threat investigation and threat hunting, as well as incident response efforts. And we tightly integrate our solutions with our customers' IT security controls and systems. EclecticIQ operates globally with offices in Europe, the United Kingdom, and North-America, and via certified value-adding partners. Learn more at www.eclecticiq.com Photo(s): https://www.prlog.org/12808070 Press release distributed by PRLog SOURCE EclecticIQ Related Links https://www.eclecticiq.com The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said the opinions expressed by the European Parliament (EP) members in the draft resolution do not represent the official position of the European Union (EU) on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). "We have noted the decision of the EU Parliament not to put the CAA resolution to vote today. We have also noted the European Commission's clarification that the opinions expressed by the European Parliament and its members do not represent the official position of the EU," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in his weekly briefing. "However, we will continue to engage with the MEPs, the EP and other EU stakeholders in this matter," the spokesperson added. Reiterating India's stance over the controversial legislation that has triggered countrywide protests since its enactment last month, Kumar said that "CAA is an internal matter" of the country. In a major diplomatic victory for India, there will be no voting in the European Parliament on the resolution on the CAA on Thursday, government sources told ANI. The voting in the Parliament was scheduled for Thursday on a five-page resolution. The resolution alleged that the CAA is not only "discriminatory" and "dangerously divisive" but also a "violation of India's international obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights". A Pakistan-origin Member of European Parliament (MEP) Shaffaq Mohammed is reportedly behind the draft resolution against the CAA. The sources said that Mohammed's efforts to get the resolution passed were "defeated." The sources had also called on those members of the European Parliament (MEPs), who intended to move the resolutions, to engage with the Indian government to get a "full and accurate assessment of the facts before they proceed further." The amended Citizenship Act grants citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist, and Christian 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.) Bank strike today: List of services which will be affected Bank strike Day 2: PSB bank services hit, unions warn may go on like farm stir Bank Strike on 16 and 17 December: List of Banks which are closed 2 day bank strike from today: 10 lakh employees to stay away from work Bank strike: Services at branches, ATMs could be hit for two days India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Jan 31: Banking services across the country likely to be affected for the next two days as several bank employee unions have called for a two-day bank strike from today, January 31, 2020. The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body of nine bank unions, including All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC), All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) and National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW) have called for the strike, seeking wage revision, a demand that has been pending since November 2017. The strike will coincide with the beginning of the Budget session of parliament and presentation of union Budget 2020-21. What the bank employees union says The call was made after a meeting with the Chief Labour Commissioner remained inconclusive, PTI quoted AIBOC President Sunil Kumar as saying. "Today's talks with Indian Banks' Association (IBA) failed on-demand from unions, so strike call stands," AIBEA General Secretary C H Venkatachalam said. The rigid approach adopted by IBA has left unions with no option but to go on strike, Venkatachalam said. "We appeal to the banking customers to bear with us for this disruption in services due to the strike but the same has been forced on us by the bank managements and IBA," he said. What is their demand The unions are demanding wage revision settlement at 20 per cent hike on payslip along with adequate loading. The last wage revision, which was for the period November 1, 2012, to October 31, 2017, the employees got a 15 per cent hike. Banking and ATM services to be hit Several banks including the Stata Bank of India (SBI) have informed customers in regard to the 2-day bank strike from 31st January 2020. SBI said that it is likely that work in its offices and branches may be impacted to some extent by the strike. WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Thycotic , provider of privileged access management (PAM) solutions for more than 10,000 organizations worldwide, including 25 of the Fortune 100, today announced a rise in total worldwide revenues of 67 percent in 2019. Thycotic's global indirect sales were up by 35 percent year on year, helped considerably by strong business demands for PAM solutions from worldwide Channel partners including Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs). Additionally, there were significant contributions from professional services, enablement and marketing support. Recent portfolio additions like Account Lifecycle Manager , Cloud parity for Thycotic products and DevOps Secrets Vault have allowed partners to offer their clients a full end-to-end solution. A new Named Partner approach has been especially effective, creating a genuine team environment with a small number of key partners that are 100 percent committed to grow their PAM business. This coupled with structural investments in channel support systems and processes have made 2019 a formative year for Thycotic's Channel worldwide strategy and sets up to enter 2020 with dedicated and highly knowledgeable partners focused on delivering the best possible value for their end-user customers. Highlights of Thycotic's 2019 channel performance also include: 48 percent growth in value of overall channel opportunities created in global markets 42 percent year-on-year rise in partner sourced leads following newly introduced marketing-led lead generation program 296 percent increase in Thycotic Certifications helped advance the professional credibility of our partners in their knowledge of PAM, 50 percent increase in staff numbers 20 percent increase in value of deal registrations Success of professional services and partner enablement programs Members of Thycotic's channel leadership team were recognized by CRN in several award programs in 2019, including Channel Chiefs, 100 People You Should Know and Women of the Channel. "In our experience the top vendors are the ones that iron out all the wrinkles so partners can stay centered on serving the clients to the best of their ability," said Mark Weatherill, marketing director at UK distributor Alpha Gen. "Thycotic's professional services and partner enablement programs manage all the back-end processes while enhancements to the deal registration system keep everything conflict-free ensuring everything works smoothly and efficiently." "Thycotic has been unwavering in their support to help us grow our business particularly with the Department of Defense (DoD)," affirms Jeff Bloom, principal of Waimanalo Blooms. "Thycotic's commitment to send staff to attend key meetings and deliver the message in person has made quite an impact. With consistent marketing and field support and sending staff to speak at major events has added credibility and built serious inroads in a vertical which is very hard to penetrate." Going into 2020, Thycotic is increasing investments to supercharge the channel growth. The company is investing in state-of-the-art software to streamline sales processes, enable partners to find more opportunities and support them with new incentive programs. Heading to RSA Conference, February 24 28, 2020, in San Francisco? Visit Thycotic booth #655 in the South Hall and you could #DriveAwayFromRSA in the CEO's Jeep! Not attending? Join the conversation virtually with Thycotic CISO, Terence Jackson, on Tuesday, February 25, 2020, at 10:30 a.m. (PT), as he participates in the live video panel, " The Changing Face of Compromise ," presented by BrightTALK. For more information on Thycotic and its Partner Program, visit www.thycotic.com . For further information, please contact: Steve Kahan Jacqueline Velasco Thycotic Lumina Communications T: 202-802-9399 T: 408-680-0564 E: [email protected] E: [email protected] SOURCE Thycotic Related Links https://thycotic.com Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, on Wednesday met with the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, at the force headquarters, Abuja, over the South-West security outfit, Operation Amotekun, as well as the raging local government crisis in Oyo state. The governor explained that he deliberated with the police boss on the issues surrounding the Western Nigeria Security Network, adding that the IG agreed to hold a meeting with the South West governors to review the situation. Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Makinde assured that the governors were working to get everyone to align with the essence of Operation Amotekun. He stated, Everybody is aware of the issue with Amotekun, so we deliberated, we had an agreement in principle to have the governors of the South West to meet with him (IG) to review the situation. We are trying to build a new country where the rule of law is supreme, so everybody should be law-abiding, ensure that they dont do anything that would create lawlessness. When asked about the status of Amotekun, Makinde said, It is work in progress, we are trying to operationalise it and in doing that, all the relevant stakeholders would have to align. British Airways Suspends All Direct Flights To and From China Over Coronavirus Outbreak Sputnik News 07:11 GMT 29.01.2020(updated 11:10 GMT 29.01.2020) The Foreign Office previously advised against "all but essential travel to mainland China" after the city of Wuhan became the epicentre of the Novel Coronavirus outbreak that claimed more than a hundred lives. The airline subsequently halted bookings of direct flights to Beijing and Shanghai. British Airways has suspended all direct flights to and from mainland China amid the spread of the new coronavirus that has been first detected in the city of Wuhan earlier this month. "We have suspended all flights to and from mainland China with immediate effect, following advice from the (UK) Foreign Office against all but essential travel", BA said in a statement quoted by AFP. The airline's website currently only offers indirect flights with layovers for January and February, while all direct flights are unavailable for purchase. Meanwhile, the UK will quarantine British citizens evacuated from Wuhan for two weeks. The previously unknown type of the virus was first detected in China's city of Wuhan in late December but later spread to other major cities. As of Wednesday morning, over 6,000 verified cases of the virus, and 132 related deaths have been confirmed in China, according to the country's National Health Commission. Apart from China, at least 15 other countries have reported cases of the virus. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Swedens leading newspapers and broadcasters have together called on their government to take stronger action against China for its unacceptable repeated attacks on the countrys media, which have included visa bans and threats, The Guardian reports. In a strongly worded statement, Utgivarna, which represents Swedens private and public sector media, complained that journalists had been put under intense pressure by Chinese government representatives. Time and again, Chinas ambassador Gui Congyou has tried to undermine the freedom of the press and the freedom of expression under the Swedish constitution with false statements and threats, the statement read. It said journalists had been denied visas, while editors received a near-constant stream of threatening and critical emails and phone calls. It is unacceptable that the worlds largest dictatorship is trying to prevent free and independent journalism in a democracy like Sweden. These repeated attacks must cease immediately, the statement said. It said the government should raise the issue at EU level and together with other member states strongly protest over the attacks on press freedom. Internal BJP survey finds many against Shaheen stir. New Delhi: The blatant use of hate speeches and inflammatory rants is a well thought out electoral strategy unleashed by the BJP to win the Delhi Assembly elections. For the saffron pundits, the incessant verbal attacks against the minority community, particularly those protesting at New Delhis Shaheen Bagh, have begun showing results. The BJPs strategists claimed the partys tactical move to polarise votebanks was rapidly consolidating the Hindu vote in its favour. As the Election Commission on Wednesday ordered the removal of BJP MPs Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma from the partys list of star campaigners, on Wednesday evening, Mr Verma, West Delhi Lok Sabha MP, attended a public meeting addressed by Union home minister Amit Shah in Nazafgarh Assembly constituency. On the ECs order, the BJP said the party has not yet received copies of the EC order. BJP vice-president Shyam Jaju argued what the EC had said was a suggestion, not an order, and that the EC has not banned them from campaigning. The party has not received any communication from the EC and will make a representation to the commission as and when the order is received, said Mr Jaju, who is the BJP in-charge for Delhi. Earlier, the Election Commission issued a showcause notice to BJP MP from West Delhi Parvesh Verma and Union minister Anurag Thakur for their controversial statements, saying that prime facie the remarks had the potential of disturbing harmony. Raising an alarm, Mr Verma said: They will enter your houses, rape your sisters and daughters, kill them... Theres time today, Modiji and Amit Shah wont come to save you tomorrow. Raising the pitch, Tarun Chugh, BJP national secretary, not merely described Shaheen Bagh as Shaitan Bagh but also endorsed Mr Thakurs speech Desh ke gaddaron ko... goli maaro salo ko. Mr Chugh, who is also the Delhi BJP co-incharge and convenor of election management committee, also tweeted: We will not let Delhi become Syria and allow them to run an ISIS-like module here, where women and kids are used. They are trying to create fear in the minds of the people of Delhi by blocking the main route. We will not let this happen. (We will not let Delhi burn). #ShaheenBaghKaSach. It is learnt the saffron party has conducted a three-day survey among people in public transport and other places to know the general sentiment over the ongoing protests at Shaheen Bagh against the CAA and NRC. Two-thirds of respondents in the survey held in the Delhi Metro, buses and places frequented by people shows that the majority are against the Shaheen Bagh protest and they feel the stretch must be cleared of the protesters at the earliest, said a senior party leader who is privy to the findings of the survey. Based on the findings of the survey held last week, BJP strategists decided to use public sentiments to turn the tide in its favour, and from Monday hate speeches and inflammatory rants became part of the partys campaign strategy. A senior BJP leader said that in coming days there will be an increase in inflammatory rants or hate speeches as part of its strategy to polarise voters on religious lines for the February 8 Assembly polls. More players (party leaders) will be toeing the line taken by Anurag (Thakur) and Parvesh (Verma). But who all will be toeing their line... only the senior party leadership will take a call on this matter, he added. A Delhi BJP leader said there was increase in demands by party candidates to send Mr Thakur and Mr Verma to campaign in their constituencies. Mr Thakur is likely to campaign in over a dozen constituencies in the next few days. Mr Verma will also campaign across the city, apart from the 10 Assembly seats in his Lok Sabha segment. At a public meeting in Rithala on Monday, Mr Thakur shouted desh ke gaddaron ko, to which the crowd responded goli maaro saalo ko (sic) (shoot down the traitors). On Tuesday, Mr Verma had said: What happened in Kashmir with Kashmiri Pandits could happen in Delhi also. Lakhs of people gather at Shaheen Bagh, they could enter houses rape and kill your sisters and daughters. The people need to decide now. The Trump administration launched a task force with a brief to protect the United States from the fast-spreading coronavirus, as the country prepared to evacuate more of its citizens from the epicenter of the outbreak in Wuhan, China. In a statement on Thursday, the U.S. State Department said Washington would arrange extra evacuation flights from Wuhan with capacity for private U.S. citizens, on or about Feb. 3. It did not say how many planes it would deploy for how many people, but that passengers would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring requirements. Nearly 200 Americans, mostly U.S. diplomats and their families, were evacuated from Wuhan this week and are being held in voluntary quarantine at a military base in California. Overnight, the White House announced the formation of a presidential task force to lead the administration's response to the virus, including monitoring and containing the spread of the disease. The 12-person group of officials, led by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, has been meeting daily this week and will also make Americans have the latest health and travel information, the White House said in a statement late Wednesday night. "The risk of infection for Americans remains low, and all agencies are working aggressively to monitor this continuously evolving situation and to keep the public informed," it said. Top officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Homeland Security, the Transportation Department and the Department of State will also serve on the task force, according to the White House. Search Keywords: Short link: The monitor on his right ankle tracked all of Parnass wrong turns. It tracked him as he entered the Dirksen Senate Office Building at 11:04, through a metal detector, which beeped as he passed through (he raised one overlong pant cuff to show the guard the device and continued on his way). It tracked him as he walked through the hallway that connected to the Hart Building, past the aides pressed up against the glass in the office of Kyrsten Sinema, the Democratic senator from Arizona, then up to Schumers office, where he sat in the lobby and failed to make small talk with the press. By IANS NEW DELHI: The firing at the Jamia Millia Islamia student march to Rajghat, here on Thursday, is the story of an assailant brandishing the firearm, opening the fire in public and the police remaining a moot spectator. When the assailant, brandished the gun and threatened to shoot at students, barely 10 metres away was standing Jamia SHO Upendra Singh along with dozens of police personnel. But they did nothing to prevent the firing, despite the students shouting hoarse for the police help. When the accused fired his pistol, it hit Shadab Farooq, a mass communication department student, injuring his hand. READ| Jamia firing: Boy who opened fire on anti-CAA protestors is a 'minor' And the police got into action -- albeit in slow motion. Only one cop moved to get his hands on the assailant. They also didn't remove the barricade or attempted to take the injured student to hospital -- Shadab had to climb the barricade and run to seek medical attention. DCP Chinmay Biswal said, "I was at the Holy Family Hospital gate when the firing took place. I don't know what happened there. I just rushed there on hearing the gunshot." The firing took place when the march had just moved 60 metres, from Gate No. 7 towards the main road at the Fortis Hospital crossing. The students were raising slogans and singing. Zaheer, a student, said, "When we saw him brandishing a pistol, we shouted for the police attention. But they didn't intervene until the person opened fire on us." After the firing, the students formed a human chain around protestors and moved towards the police barricades. They didn't even allow baton-wielding cops in plain clothes to come near. "we know certain people want to create violence. But we will not allow that," said a student protestor. A U.S.-Israeli woman jailed for trafficking cannabis through Russia has received a formal pardon from President Putin granting her early release from her seven and a half year sentence. Naama Issachar, 27, was ten months into her jail term when Mr Putin freed her on humanitarian principles, ahead of talks in Russia with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss Trumps Israeli-Palestine peace deal. Mr Netanyahu thanked his friend Putin for pardoning the female backpacker who was arrested last April when police discovered nine grams of cannabis in her luggage during a stopover at Moscow airport on a trip from India to Israel. The right-wing Israeli leader will fly back to Israel with Ms Issachar today in what is perceived to be a political boost for the Prime Minister, who has repeatedly appealed to Mr Putin for her release. Yaffa Issachar, Ms Issachar's mother, told The Jerusalem Post: It has been a long journey that I would not wish upon anyone. Now, all I want is to hug my daughter Naama. Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara receive flowers from Putin during their meeting in the Kremlin in Moscow (EPA) Extending her heartfelt thanks to both prime minister Netanyahu and president Putin, she told The Times of Israel: Im excited, I imagined it [her release] many times, she did too. But we never imagined the prime minister would come and bring her. Mr Putin met Ms Issachars mother last week during a trip to Israel where he assured her everything will be ok. The decision to free the 27-year-old dual national has been linked to an earlier decision by Israel to transfer ownership of the Alexander Courtyard, a Russian Orthodox Church, to the Kremlin ending a decade long dispute over the land. Both countries have strongly denied claims there was any political bargaining, with a senior Israeli official asserting there was no deal with Russia. The timely release of Ms Issachar is thought to bode well for Mr Netanyahus upcoming election prospects with the third election of the year taking place on 2 March 2020. News of the young woman's release came hours after Mr Netanyahu was formally charged for fraud, breach of trust, and bribery linked to three corruption cases all of which he denies. Students who participate in the FFA program offered through Katy Independent School District value skills learned that are useful later in life such as leadership and public speaking. To help foster those qualities in others, the not for profit Old Katy Originals formed five years ago to raise funds to support students, said Cole Young, chairman. Since it formed the group has awarded more than $145,000 to local FFA students, impacting more than 200 Katy students. It will be among the buyers groups participating in the 2020 77th annual Katy ISD FFA Livestock Show and Rodeo Feb. 11-15 at the Agricultural Sciences Center, 5825 Katy Hockley Cut Off Road in Katy. The livestock auction will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15. The group tries to facilitate fundraising opportunities to raise dollars for students, he said. Morning Report: Get the top stories on HoustonChronicle.com sent directly to your inbox Katy ISD Livestock Show Tuesday, Feb. 11 3:30 p.m: All swine must be in place 4 p.m.: Swine Weigh-in 5 p.m.: Rabbit Show Wednesday, Feb. 12 10 a.m.: Special Rodeo 3 p.m.: Steers, Goats and Lambs must be in place 3-4 p.m.: Steers, Goats and Lambs Weigh-In 5 p.m.: Broiler Show By 6 p.m.: Pre-Sale Barn forms must be turned in at Front Ticket office Thursday, Feb. 13 8 a.m.: Swine Show 1 p.m.: Steer Show 7 p.m.: Rodeo Performance Friday, Feb. 14 7:30 a.m.: Goat Show 10 a.m: Lamb Show 1 p.m.: Auction Sale Meeting 7 p.m.: Rodeo Performance Saturday, Feb. 15 7 a.m.: Barn Sale 9:30 a.m.: Parade 11 a.m.: Buyer's Luncheon (By Invitation Only) 1 p.m.: Auction 7 p.m.: Rodeo Performance See More Collapse Caps in the school colors of high schools of Katy ISD with the logo of the Old Katy Originals will be sold for $25, he said. A fall event at MKT Distillery last year raised funds and will return again this year, he said. Every member in this group in some way or another was involved in the FFA program, said Young, whose father Gerald Young was the longtime ag teacher at Katy High School and has the agricultural sciences center named after him. Were looking for warm bodies that can actively pursue our vision in terms of fundraising, volunteerism and community service, said Young. A new feature this year will be the Top Hand Award with top students at the high schools receiving a 2019 Old Katy Original buckle for their essay. The essay can focus on their agriculture experience, what they learned and how they will be community stewards moving forward, he said. The buckles will be presented at the February livestock show. Breaking News: Get email alerts from Chron.com sent directly to your inbox The tri-county area of Katy was rural in nature and suburban but with increased development its taken on the look of an urban center, he said, perhaps, increasing the importance of supporting the FFA. We feel that FFA is the best youth group we can support with our resources, continued Young. He explained students involved in the program learn about where food and clothing comes from and the responsibility and care of animals. They get into really good practices as young students working toward adulthood, he said. It gives life skills no other organization provides. And he pointed out a student to participate in the FFA program doesnt have to be big or an athlete or anything else. Every year the nonprofit has given more back to Katy ISD than the prior year, he said. There are no carryover funds from year to year. Were looking to bring in new members and new people who want to help with new ideas, he said. People can visit www.oldkatyoriginals.org for information and to donate or mail donations to Old Katy Originals at P.O. Box 468, Katy, Texas 77492. Last year the show had some animals that didnt sell in the sale, according to Young. I want to spread our money across the board to raise bottom sale prices, he said. We need financial support to do that. Its a call to action to anyone who remembers and had skills in the program, who knows about the skills people appreciate in agriculture in a more urban-type setting and people who have kids coming up in the program to make sure buyers groups are supported, said Cole. karen.zurawski@chron.com The black Twitter user who accused ITV newsreader Alastair Stewart of calling him an 'angry ape' has said an apology would have been enough' after he quit his job of more than 40 years. Lobbyist Martin Shapland, 34, says he 'takes no pleasure' in Mr Stewart, 67, standing down and described his decision as 'regrettable'. Mr Shapland deleted his old tweets after he too was accused of racism following Twitter rants about 'f***ing white privilege'. He said he 'considers the matter closed' and claimed he received a 'death threat' after Mr Stewart, who was Britain's longest-serving male broadcaster, stepped down. Martin Shapland (pictured) was in a debate with Alastair Stewart on Twitter when the veteran newsreader quoted a passage from Shakespeare that included the words 'angry ape' Mr Shapland previously highlighted 'f***ing white privilege' in a series of social media posts In previous messages, he referred to a discussion on diversity last July (left), saying: 'This panel is so rich and so white it's basically a cheesecake'. Then in reference to a tweet from Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg (right) about him campaigning in the rain last November, Mr Shapland said: 'This is so white and miserable it's like eating a cheesecake that's quite soggy' Mr Shapland, of east London, said today: 'No one is perfect. We are all human. An apology and commitment to be more careful about language was all that I would have asked. 'It is regrettable that he has decided to stand down and I take no pleasure in that. He has evidently gone through and ITN and ITV process and I respect his choice'. He added: 'I consider the matter to be closed, accept Mr Stewart's expression of regret and wish him the best for the future.' Accusations that Mr Shapland has 'issues with White people' came after he was revealed to have described groups of white people as 'cheesecakes'. In previous messages online, Mr Shapland referred to a Radio Times discussion on diversity in radio last July, saying: 'This panel is so rich and so white it's basically a cheesecake'. Then in reference to a tweet from Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg about him campaigning in the rain ahead of the General Election last November, Mr Shapland said: 'This is so white and miserable it's like eating a cheesecake that's quite soggy.' According to his LinkedIn page, Mr Shapland obtained a degree in modern history and political sciences from Birmingham University. He has been a policy manager at the Institution of Civil Engineers for the past two years and was previously a House of Commons researcher. Twitter account Socialist Voice, which has 70,000 followers, posted a series of old social media messages from Mr Shapland, saying he has 'issues with white people'. Who is Martin Shapland? Former Lib Dem researcher, 34, with a history degree Martin Shapland, of Stratford, East London, is a former Liberal Democrat researcher Martin Shapland, 34, is a former Liberal Democrat researcher who lives in Stratford, East London. According to his LinkedIn page, Mr Shapland obtained a degree in modern history and political sciences from Birmingham University. He has been a policy manager at the Institution of Civil Engineers for the past two years and was previously a House of Commons researcher. His LinkedIn page says: 'A professional with a background in campaigns, communications, policy and research working in Parliament and for volunteer organisations over the last eight years.' The block where he lives has flats ranging in value from 220,000 to 560,000, according to Zoopla. It is not clear whether he has a partner. Mr Shapland, whose Twitter account includes the description 'Tweet in haste, repent at leisure', told MailOnline at his home today: 'I have just put something on Twitter and I have said all I have to say.' Asked about the Twitter row between Me Stewart and its employee, an ICE spokesman said: 'It is a private matter.' Advertisement They added: 'Martin Shapland's Twitter feed is full of anti-white bigotry - he also compares white people to 'cheesecake' and refers to white privilege.' Today, Mr Shapland said a 'private apology would have been more than sufficient' from Mr Stewart, adding that it was 'regrettable' that the presenter quit last night. Mr Shapland added that he had received a 'torrent of abuse' from people calling him 'n***er ape', a 'f***ing idiot', a 'c**t', 'f***ing ape' and 'thick as s***'. Another accused him of putting forward a 'baseless accusation of racism' and said he 'should be ready to be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life'. The 67-year-old newsreader said last night he was quitting after 'a misjudgement which I regret' on Twitter and told friends he was 'very sad it was ending this way'. Mr Shapland responded for the first time this afternoon to the reports of Mr Stewart quitting on Twitter. He tweeted: 'Thank you to those who have been in touch in the last few days about Alastair Stewart. I apologise for not getting back to media enquiries more quickly in particular. 'I am not planning to make on or off the record comments beyond the statement below and a few clarifying tweets.' But he posted a statement that said: 'In so far as Mr Stewart caused hurt and upset, intentionally or otherwise, in an exchange earlier this month, there is a wider context. 'There was not a single post as has been widely reported, but several posts written by Mr Stewart, which have all now been deleted. 'I understand that Mr Stewart has acknowledged the words he used were misjudged and has expressed regret at what happened. I thank him for that. 'Civil and political discourse has become far too vicious in the last five years. I would ask that we try to treat each other with a little more respect, kindness and understanding. 'In that spirit I consider this matter closed and I wish Mr Stewart the best in his future endeavours.' Mr Shapland added: 'Much of the context of the discussion was lost after tweets were deleted and I won't go into detail here. 'I do, however, want to clarify that I don't know how ITN, ITV and Mr Stewart came to a conclusion or what background there was beyond any exchange I had with him.' The Twitter account Socialist Voice, which has 70,000 followers, posted a series of old social media messages from Mr Shapland, saying he has 'issues with white people' Alastair Stewart, pictured in November 2018, has stepped down from his presenting role at ITN he added 'I have taken the step of removing all of my Twitter posts. I have been on the receiving end of a torrent of abuse, and, by the same token, condemn any similar behaviour toward figures like (ITV presenter) Ranvir Singh, who I understand has faced similar comments.' The Shakespeare quote at the heart of Alastair Stewart's Twitter rift - and is it racist? In a Twitter row Mr Stewart decided to quote a short passage from Measure by Measure by William Shakespeare. The play was written in either 1603 or 1604 and is a dark comedy about a judge, Angelo, who leads the government in Vienna while the Duke is away. The specific part Mr Stewart tweeted is a short speech by a character called Isabella, who has come to plead with Angelo for her brother's life after he is sentenced to die. Angelo refuses her request, and in response to him she says: 'But man, proud man, 'Dress'd in a little brief authority, 'Most ignorant of what he's most assur'd 'His glassy essencelike an angry ape 'Plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven 'As makes the angels weep; who, with our spleens, 'Would all themselves laugh mortal' Experts say Shakespeare's simile 'like an angry ape' used in Isabella's tirade at Angelo is to show his reversion to a human being's basic instincts such as self-preservation rather than a racist trope. Advertisement Speaking at his home in East London today, Mr Shapland told MailOnline: 'I have just put something on Twitter and I have said all I have to say.' Mr Stewart and Mr Shapland were debating the Royal Family's finances online when the news anchor cited a passage from Shakespeare's Measure for Measure that included the phrase 'angry ape'. Mr Stewart wrote: 'But man, proud man, Dress'd in a little brief authority, Most ignorant of what he's most assur'd His glassy essence like an angry ape.' Describing Stewart as a disgrace, Mr Shapland shared the tweet and said: 'Just an ITV newsreader referring to me as an ape.' Colleagues have leapt to Mr Stewart's defence, saying the broadcasting 'legend' had been 'shunted out'. One insisted last night: 'Alastair is not a racist.' ITN said Mr Stewart was stepping down following 'errors of judgement in Alastair's use of social media which breached ITN's editorial guidelines'. It refused to give more details but several sources said it related to a Twitter spat on January 13. Mr Shapland's Twitter account includes the description 'tweet in haste, repent at leisure'. In later tweets in his spat with Mr Stewart he described the presenter's behaviour as 'ignorant bullying' and suggested he should take lessons in etiquette. Asked about the Twitter row between Mr Stewart and its employee Mr Shapland, a spokesman for the Institution of Civil Engineers said: 'It is a private matter.' Mr Stewart's decision to step down comes after the black Twitter user claimed he 'called him an angry ape' three weeks ago. Mr Shapland later branded Mr Stewart a 'disgrace' In a statement, Mr Stewart said: 'It was a misjudgement which I regret, but it's been a privilege to bring the news to households throughout the UK for the past 40 years.' Alastair Stewart: News veteran with 40 years in front of the camera Broadcasting giant Alastair Stewart's decision to step down from presenting duties comes after a 40-year career in front of the camera. Mr Stewart, 67, was born on June 22 1952 in Gosport, Hampshire, to parents who both served in the Royal Air Force. He attended the state Madras College in Fife, Scotland, before moving to the independent Salesian College in Hampshire, then St Augustine's Abbey School in Ramsgate, Kent. Mr Stewart studied economics and politics at University of Bristol before going on to work for the National Union Of Students between 1974 and 1976. His first steps into television came when he joined Southern Television in Southampton as a reporter and presenter. Mr Stewart was one of the last to interview Lord Louis Mountbatten before he was murdered by the IRA in 1979. He joined ITN in 1980 as industrial correspondent - and the broadcaster would become his professional home. Soon after he was invited to join the roster of additional newsreaders and, from 1983 to 1986, he was a presenter and reporter with ITN's Channel 4 News. In 1989 he moved to ITV's News At Ten where he became the lead presenter on the flagship show's major news bulletins. Until his departure from the broadcaster Mr Stewart's portfolio of work saw him move between the lunchtime, evening and 10pm shows while presenting special programmes. He married Sally Ann Jung in 1978 and has four children. Mr Stewart famously kept his cool in August 2017 as a toddler took over his live news broadcast. He was conducting a segment about milk allergies on the ITV Lunchtime News with a mother and her young son and daughter, when the little girl got up and ran around the desk. She then climbed up on the desk in front of Mr Stewart, often creeping into his shot, for the remainder of the piece. As the toddler got up to run around, Stewart said that she 'will do whatever she chooses to do for the next couple of minutes', before continuing with the interview. Having stifled laughter while continuing the broadcast, the veteran newscaster joked at the end of the segment: 'Mary Nightingale, I think, will have a more peaceful time at 6.30. 'From all of us, a very good afternoon to you.' A fan of rock music, Mr Stewart won Celebrity Mastermind in December 2009 with The Rolling Stones as his specialist subject. He briefly appeared in the West End in a 2015 production An Evening With Lucian Freud by Laura-Jane Foley. He played a hapless interviewer appearing on video alongside Cressida Bonas, Russell Grant and Maureen Lipman. Mr Stewart presented ITV News' coverage of the European Union referendum in 2016. Advertisement In June 2018, Mr Stewart used the same 'angry ape' quote in an exchange with another Twitter user who was not identifiably black. Supporters said he appeared to have a habit of using the phrase to make a point about those he felt were claiming to be experts in a certain field. An ITN insider said: 'He would have thought he was being clever and it was merely an innocent put-down. He is certainly not a racist in any way. 'Alastair is a hugely popular figure, well liked, kind and something of an institution. 'It is sad if he has had to go because of this. He accepts the error of judgement, but many believe that, if this was the reason he is going, it was wrong, and he will be the first man ever fired for accurately quoting Shakespeare.' Mr Stewart, who is married with four children, was the nation's longest-serving male newsreader. He started on Southern Television in 1976 and joined ITN in 1980. An OBE came in 2006 for services to broadcasting. Amid an outpouring of support last night, fellow ITV News presenter Mary Nightingale tweeted: 'Very sad about the departure of Alastair Stewart. He was a good friend and mentor.' News anchor Julie Etchingham tweeted: 'So sad to learn this we have worked on many big stories together & Al is a trusted friend and guide to many of us.' Former ITV News boss Richard Frediani called him 'a loyal friend, colleague, mentor, guide and much more to many, many journalists', adding: 'Simply the best on and off screen. A broadcasting legend.' A source at ITN, which produces news programmes for ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, said the newsroom was in shock, but that there was a 'mixed view', with some younger staff agreeing with the decision to remove him. More senior staff shared their theory that it was an excuse to get rid of the veteran, who was on a six-figure salary. One insider said: 'Officially he quit, but it was a fait accompli a case of 'resign, and do the honourable thing'.' Michael Jermey, director of news and current affairs at ITV, said: 'Alastair has been a long-standing, familiar figure to viewers of ITV News, both reporting and presenting with distinction. We wish him the very best for the future.' ITN chief executive Anna Mallett added: 'We would like to recognise Alastair's contribution as one of the UK's foremost journalists and TV presenters and to thank him for his commitment to delivering high-quality broadcast news over many years.' Last night the door to Mr Stewart's home in Hampshire was answered by a young man who said: 'Yeah he is not going to be saying anything tonight.' In his long career, Mr Stewart has fronted everything from election coverage to Police, Camera, Action! a job he lost after crashing his Mercedes into a hedge while three times the drink-drive limit. Support for Mr Stewart also came from broadcaster Danny Baker, who was sacked last year from BBC Radio 5 Live for likening Prince Harry's son Archie to a chimp. Baker retweeted a comment by comedian Rory Bremner who praised Mr Stewart as 'a good friend' and called him 'generous, supportive and quick to correct unfairness or nonsense, authoritative, kind and one of life's enthusiasts'. Edo state governor, Godwin Obaseki has threatened to deal with the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) if he (Oshiomhole) continues his activities in Edo State.Obaseki said this when he attended a meeting of the 18 APC local government Chairmen in the state. This comes after a rally which held last weekend in Auchi, Etsako WestObaseki said this when he attended a meeting of the 18 APC local government Chairmen in the state. This comes after a rally which held last weekend in Auchi, Etsako West local government area where thousands of people from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) defected to the APC. A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC and former General Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gras, NUPENG, Frank Kokori says President Muhammad Buhari is fast losing fame.According to him, the president must be alert by shinning his eyes because there is a cabal running his government. According to him the way the thing is now with three persons nominated by one man running that mighty organization is very unconventional especially for a place like the Niger Delta region, it is not possible. The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Director-General (DG), Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim has confirmed that the Federal Government has approved N33,000 allowance for Corps members.The NYSC-DG made the announcement while speaking to Corps members at the NYSC Bauchi State Secretariat during his working visit to the State. Following the rate of insecurity in the country, accompanied with massive killings, the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe has asked the President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress, APC-led government to resign immediately. Speaking on the floor of the Senate to kick start debate on the Motion entitled, Nigerian Security Challenges: Urgent need restructure, review and reorganise the current Security Architecture, Senator Abaribe said that Nigerians are coming with stones to chase out the present government. A Federal High Court in Asaba, Delta State will on February 12 hear a suit filed by Anthony Okolie against the Department of State Services [DSS] and President Muhammadu Buharis daughter, Hanan. The petitioners counsel, Tope Akinyode, who is also the National President of Revolutionary Lawyers Forum, said on Tuesday that the matter would be coming up next month. Adams Oshiomhole, national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says the party is winning elections, despite rumours of internal crisis. The APC national chairman said this on Tuesday in Abuja when he received a delegation of APC members led by Umar Ganduje, governor of Kano state.He said, When I pick up newspapers and they say APC is in crisis, by the time you take the next page, they say APC has won this election, APC has won that election And Im like, if crisis means winning elections, let us be The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has directed the House to commence constitutional amendment to give Amotekun the legal backing. Gbajabiamila stated this during his welcome address at the house on Wednesday. The Speaker in his statement noted that Amotekun was created due to the gaps in the security architecture in the country. The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2019 general election, Atiku Abubakar, has revealed why violence and killings persist in Nigeria. The former Vice President pointed out that the failure of the judiciary to ensure that perpetrators of crime are punished are responsible for the continuous killings in the country. Senators are getting their last chances to ask questions in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. Follow along for live updates (all times Eastern). 11:05 p.m. Sen. Lamar Alexander, a Republican from Tennessee, just announced he will vote against witnesses and documents. Here's his statement: I worked with other senators to make sure that we have the right to ask for more documents and witnesses, but there is no need for more evidence to prove something that has already been proven and that does not meet the United States Constitutions high bar for an impeachable offense." 11:00 p.m. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she does not plan to announce her decision on the witness vote tonight, only saying she was going back to her office to keep reading. 10:55 p.m. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a Republican, said late Thursday she would vote in support of witnesses in the impeachment trial. "I will vote in support of the motion to allow witnesses and documents to be subpoenaed," Collins wrote in a statement. 10:40 p.m. The question-and-answer portion of the trial has ended. The Senate has adjourned until 1 p.m. Friday. 10:30 p.m. Sen. Lindsey Graham and several other Republican senators including closely watched GOP members Lisa Murkowski and Lamar Alexander asked the president's team about what relevant testimony John Bolton might provide if he were called as a witness. Here's how they worded their question: Assuming for argument sake that Bolton were to testify in the light most favorable to the allegations contained in the articles of impeachment, isn't it true that the allegations still would not rise to the level of an impeachable offense, and that, therefore, for this and other reasons, his testimony would add nothing to this case? Deputy White House counsel Patrick Philbin repeated the talking point from the president's team that there was "no quid pro quo." He said that even if you take everything Bolton alleges as true, his allegations "don't as a matter of law rise to the level of an impeachable offense" because the House has not "characterized them as involving a crime." Philbin continued: "But taking for the sake of argument the question as phrased, even if Ambassador Bolton would testify to that, even if you assumed it were true, there is no impeachable offense stated in the articles of impeachment." The House managers were next asked to respond to the president's team. Rep. Adam Schiff said the White House's response to the senators' question was basically, 'Too bad, there's nothing you can do. That's not impeachable." Schiff added that the president's counsel's argument is: "'The president of the United States can withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in aid that we appropriated, can do so in violation of the law, can do so to coerce an ally in order to help him cheat in an election and you can't do anything about it...That's non-impeachable.'" "I think our founders would be aghast," he added. 9:55 p.m. In response to a question from Democrats asking what the Senate owes to the American public to ensure that all relevant facts are made known in this trial and not at some point in the future, Schiff reiterated his case to spend a week on witnesses. Schiff said the Constitution gives the Senate "the sole power" to make the decision about witnesses. "And under your sole power, you can say, we have made a decision. We're going to give the parties one week. We're going to let the chief justice make a fair determination of who is pertinent and who's not. We're not going to let the House decide who the president's witnesses are. We're not going to let the president decide who the House witnesses are. We will let them submit their top priorities and let the chief justice decide who is material and who's not. That is fully within your power." 9:25 p.m. The senators are back from a brief break. The question-and-answer part of the trial now continues. 9:15 p.m. Mitch McConnell just announced a five minute break. After that, they'll resume the question-and-answer portion of the trial. 8:40 p.m. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Republican from Alaska, asked counsel for the president to explain why they think the Senate should not call John Bolton to testify. Here is how Murkowski said: You explained that Ambassador Sondland and Senator Johnson both said the president explicitly denied that he was looking for a quid pro quo with Ukraine. The reporting on Ambassador Bolton's book suggests the president told Bolton directly that the aid would not be released until Ukraine announced the investigations the president desired. This dispute about material facts weighs in favor of calling additional witnesses with direct knowledge. Why should this body not call Ambassador Bolton? Deputy White House counsel Patrick Philbin responded, "I think the primary consideration here is to understand that the House could have pursued Ambassador Bolton." He continued: "The House considered whether or not they would try to have him come testify and subpoena him. They chose not to subpoena him." Philbin added that the Senate has to consider the precedent that will be set by how they vote on witnesses. "Because whatever is accepted in this case becomes the new normal for every impeachment proceeding in the future," he said. 7:37 p.m. The Senate's impeachment trial has resumed. 6:39 p.m. The Senate has taken a break and expects to reconvene at 7:25 p.m. 5:41 p.m. A question is asked whether its within a U.S. presidents authority to personally address the issue of corruption with the leader of another country. The question was in the context of when the commander-in-chief believes U.S. actions toward battling corruption have been unsuccessful. Patrick Philbin, a White House lawyer, said the short answer is yes. He said its been made clear since the early 1800s with Supreme Court decisions that the president is vested with the authority to be the sole voice of the nation in foreign affairs. 5:07 p.m. Pat Cipollone, a White House lawyer, said House impeachment managers accusations that the president tried to cheat in an election are false. He wondered how taking President Donald Trump off the ballot was different. Talk about cheating, he said. You dont even want to face him. 5:02 p.m. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., a House impeachment manager, characterized an argument with a warning about future acts. Jeffries said the president solicited dirt on a political opponent in exchange for nearly $400 million in military aid and a White House meeting. If this Senate said thats acceptable, then this could take place all across America going forward, he said. Jeffries said the president could withhold money to mayors, county executives and governors unless they endorse the president in an election or help the commander-in-chief in some way. 4:51 p.m. White House lawyer Patrick Philbin said its rather preposterous to suggest the Senate would be engaging in a cover-up if they make a decision thats different from the evidence the House gathered. The switch now to say, 'Well, no, we need more witnesses, I think just demonstrates that they havent proved their case, Philbin said. They dont have the evidence to make their case. 4:26 p.m. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif, an impeachment manager, offers to have one week of depositions of witnesses. He said the trial should model the impeachment of former President Bill Clinton. 4:04 p.m. The Senate's impeachment trial has resumed. 3:39 p.m. The Senate is taking a break and is scheduled to reconvene at 4 p.m. 3:18 p.m. Patrick Philbin, a White House lawyer, is answering a question about due process for President Trump. Philbin said the proceeding was deficient in due process from the start to beginning. It produced a record that is totally unreliable, he said. The Constitution not individual members, a committee or the speaker gives the ability to the House to start an impeachment inquiry, he said. Philbin said the House needed to give authority to a committee. 2:40 p.m. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., a House impeachment manager, said you cant condition aid for a corrupt purpose to cheat in an election. No one has suggested you can't condition aid, but I would hope that we would all agree that you can't condition aid for a corrupt purpose, to try to get a foreign power to cheat in your election, he said. 2:19 p.m. Patrick Philbin, a White House attorney, is reviewing points about quid pro quo and said theres no proof it occurred in this case, speaking about the July 25 call between Ukraines president and President Donald Trump. He noted that both a bilateral meeting and temporary pause on military assistance took place, and he added that theres nothing in a phone transcript that linked those two as a quid pro quo. Philbin also said there can be situations where one government wants some action from another and makes conditions on policies. He said it happens all the time, noting Trump held aid to Afghanistan because Trump was concerned about corruption. Philbin said theres nothing wrong in those types of situations. 1:41 p.m. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., a House impeachment manager, said the administration has been arguing that subpoena work leading up to a potential impeachment finding is void. He said that is not the law. It would make legislators oversight function meaningless, Schiff said. 1:37 p.m. Chief Justice John Roberts declined to read an impeachment trial question by Republican Sen. Rand Paul. The chief justice did not say what was in the note. Paul, of Kentucky, has said he believes that the whistleblower may have conspired with House staff aides in writing the August whistleblower complaint. Paul said on Twitter after Roberts declined to read his note that the question involved whether or not individuals who were holdovers from the Obama National Security Council and Democrat partisans conspired with Schiff staffers to plot impeaching the president before there were formal House impeachment proceedings." That was a reference to House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who led the impeachment inquiry. Paul left the Senate impeachment proceeding to hold a news conference on the topic. He claimed his question was not aimed at outing the whistleblower. I dont know who the whistleblower is. Adam Schiff doesnt know who the whistleblower is. My questions not about the whistleblower, Paul said. 1:27 p.m. White House attorney Jay Sekulow is responding to issues with President Donald Trumps impeachment by the House. The speaker allowed the articles to linger, Sekolow said. Speaking sarcastically, he said the issue was such a nationally urgent manner that the articles could linger for a month. 1:14 p.m. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., a House impeachment manager, said in the case involving former President Richard Nixon, the judiciary committee needed a House resolution to delegate subpoena power. She made the remarks in response to an argument about the timing of the current House's impeachment inquiry and ultimate vote in regard to the judiciary committee's previous work. Lofgren argued the Nixon example was related to a specific use of the committee's powers, specifically, subpoenaing witnesses. The Associated Press contributed. ___________________________________________________________________________ Original story: The Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump moved away from opening arguments Wednesday and into questions. As senators are not allowed to speak openly on the floor, they instead submitted written questions that were then read aloud by Chief Justice John Roberts, who presides over the trial. Questions from senators will continue Thursday, with a vote on allowing witnesses expected as soon as Friday. Both sides are likely to follow similar lines of questioning seen in Wednesday's proceedings. House impeachment managers, led by Rep. Adam Schiff, will receive questions from Democrats asking to expand on why witnesses are important, a central issue of the opening arguments. They'll also likely receive sharp questioning from GOP members of the Senate, asking if a president should investigate corruption in countries receiving aid from the United States. Trump's defense team, led by Alan Dershowitch and Kenneth Starr, will likely be asked by allied GOP senators to expand on possible dangers of impeachment, as well as what constitutes the need for impeachment. Democratic senators will contrast with questions focusing on what precedent would be set by not impeaching. The issue of whether to allow witnesses, and if so, how many, has underscored the impeachment trial in the Senate. House impeachment managers argue that a trial without witnesses isn't a real trial, while Trump's defense team argues against the relevancy of bringing in witnesses. A single bench headed by Justice Arvind Chandel granted them anticipatory bail in the case. Bhopal: Former chief minister Ajit Jogi and his son Amit were on Wednesday granted anticipatory bail by Chhattisgarh high court in the case relating to the alleged fixing of an Assembly by-election in Chhattisgarh in 2014. The father-son duo has earlier moved the court for an anticipatory bail in the wake of an FIR filed by Congress leader Kiranmoyee Nayak in a local police station in Raipur in Chhattisgarh. A single bench headed by Justice Arvind Chandel granted them anticipatory bail in the case. The case relates to allegation of fixing of by-elections in the Antagarh (ST) assembly constituency in Bastar division in Chhattisgarh, held in September 2014. Congress candidate in the seat in the by-election Manturam Pawar had withdrawn nomination at the last moment then denying his party to field an alternative candidate. BJP had then won the by-polls. The by-election was necessitated following the election of sitting BJP MLA Vikram Usendi to Lok Sabha then. The audio surfaced nearly six months after the by-elections in which voices of people were heard making deals to woo Pawar to withdraw from the by-polls for `7 crores. Blay was born two months after his mother underwent surgery to correct spina bifida [Photo: SWNS] A baby with spina bifida underwent groundbreaking surgery while still in the womb in the hope it might give him a chance of walking when hes older. Joanne Crellin, 37, went under the knife when she was 26 weeks pregnant to try to correct her unborn child's condition. The mum-of-four had been shocked to be told her unborn son, Blay, was suffering from the condition at her 20 week scan, particularly as an earlier scan hadnt revealed any issues. According to the NHS Spina bifida is when a babys spine and spinal cord dont develop properly in the womb, causing a gap. This leaves vital nerves exposed as the pregnancy progresses and can cause irreparable damage, potentially lead to walking difficulties after birth. Having learned about her unborn childs condition, Joanne was also told that Blay also had hydrycepahlus (fluid on the brain), a symptom of spina bifida. Joanne Crellin underwent groundbreaking surgery at 26 weeks pregnant [Photo: SWNS] Doctors told Joanne it was possible for her to undergo surgery during her pregnancy but it would need to be carried out quickly, and as there were no surgeons available in the UK, she had to rush to Belgium. Initially Joanne, who has three other children, aged two, 11 and 19, was unsure about having the operation, but she changed her mind after researching the debilitating condition. At first I wasn't sure about having it but I went home and researched what the outcome was, she says. Because in spine bifida the nerve endings are on the spine, it's the amniotic fluid around the baby that actually causes the damage. As the pregnancy progresses the baby is getting bigger and pressing the nerve endings against you - which are getting squashed. All the damage is done in the womb but the foetal surgery covers the exposed nerve endings so you can't have further damage. The scar Joanne was left with after after the surgery [Photo: SWNS] The operation to close the gap would avoid Blay needing to have a device fitted known as a shunt to drain the fluid from his brain. Additional surgery is often needed to change the shunt as the child grows up or if it becomes clogged or infected. Story continues Ms Crellin said having a shunt fitted after Blay was born would have meant travelling long distances to the hospital if it became blocked. Joanne, a personal trainer, underwent the groundbreaking procedure in October 2019 with surgeons able to close the gap in Blay's spine by cutting into the womb, reducing any further nerve damage or fluid leaking to his brain. Blay was born two months later via caesarean section on December 6 2019 at the Liverpool Women's Hospital where he remained in intensive care for four days. He was then moved to Alder Hey Hospital where staff pulled out all the stops to get him home in time for Christmas. READ MORE: Mum, 21, 'almost dies' after giving birth following placenta poisoning Though the full effects of the surgery wont be known until Blay grows, Joanne, from Douglas on the Isle of Man, is happy that she's given her son a fighting chance of walking. When I touch his feet they don't move at all - they don't clench, she says. It's quite obvious he doesn't have any feeling. He won't have full sensation - it would be deluded to think so. But he might have another operation which can bring back a bit. It's now a matter of waiting to see how successful the surgery was as Blay continues to grow - but there's every reason to be hopeful. He no longer has hydrocephalus and his cerebellum was pulled down but now it's coming back into its proper position, she explains. You can't tell if he will need a shunt but I'm feeling positive that he won't and he does have feeling in his legs apart from his feet. It's known as a 'snowflake disability'. You can have a baby that has the area on their spine affected in exactly the same place but the outcome won't be the same. You don't know which nerve endings have been damaged. Little Blay with his parents and older sister [Photo: SWNS] READ MORE: Baby whose scan showed spina bifida born 'totally healthy' after surgery in womb Joanne and her partner Shaun, 44, have chosen to speak out about the surgery in a bid to encourage mums and dads-to-be to take their 20 week scan more seriously. It's seen as a bit of a gender reveal, she says. Shaun and I were laughing on the way into the hospital - that's what gets me. They gave me a leaflet after I was told [about the spina bifida] and I couldn't even look at it - I felt physically sick. It's still something that really upsets me. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-31 00:56:56|Editor: yan Video Player Close NEW DELHI, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Over a dozen children and a woman were taken hostage Thursday evening by a murder convict who is out on parole in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, police said. The victims include the convict's wife, children and other children of his neighborhood. The hostage crisis is ongoing at Mohamadabad area of Farukkhabad district, about 188 km northwest of Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh. "This evening a person namely Subhash Batham (a murder convict who was out on parole) invited some children of the neighborhood and held them hostage in the basement of his house along with his own children and wife," a police official said. According to the police official, the number of children held hostage can be beyond 12. An eyewitness said a huge crowd including parents and neighbors of the children has gathered outside the house, watching the crisis. Reports said that when some local residents tried to break down the door, the man started firing from inside and even hurled a crude bomb to scare them away. "A special team of trained personnel is at the spot, and we have kept commandos on standby. Our priority is to ensure the safety of the children and rescue them at the earliest," Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police O P Singh told reporters. "It is a difficult situation and all senior police officers are at the spot. We want to rescue the children without any collateral damage. Local legislator Nagendra Singh is also trying to talk to the man." Police said so far the man has not made any demands against the release of hostages. Health officials said the man has not attended any large gatherings, taken the "L" or a train recently, and is sharing details of his activities from the last several weeks. He mostly uses his car to get around, said Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, at a news conference Thursday. NEW BRITAIN, Conn., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK) announced that it received a perfect score of 100 percent on the 2020 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) and has been named as a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality for the second consecutive year. Compiled by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the CEI is the United States' top benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. Stanley Black & Decker is one of approximately 680 major U.S. businesses that also earned a perfect score this year. "Fostering a workplace culture that embraces diversity and inclusion is essential to achieving our company's vision and fulfilling our purpose as a company that stands 'For Those Who Make the World,'" said Jim Loree, president and CEO of Stanley Black & Decker. "To attract the most talented people and to drive sustainable results, we have to build a workplace that embraces employees of all backgrounds, skills, abilities and perspectives. I'm proud that the efforts our company is taking to create an inclusive culture at Stanley Black & Decker are being recognized, while knowing that we still have ambitious work to do." Stanley Black & Decker continues to strengthen its policies, programs and partnerships to create a more diverse and inclusive workplace. For example, the company partners with its Pride & Allies employee resource group to foster a positive and safe workplace environment through events and community-building activities. It has introduced enhanced policies and training resources for its global workforce. And, it has leveraged its participation in external forums such as the Business Roundtable Diversity & Inclusion Index and the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion to advance workplace diversity and inclusion across the business community, as well as partnering with Out & Equal Workplace Advocates to support global workplaces where all people are equal. As part of this, Stanley Black & Decker was a major sponsor of their 2019 summit, which focused on creating inclusive workplaces. "The impact of the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index over its 18-year history is profound," said HRC President Alphonso David. "These companies know that protecting their LGBTQ employees and customers from discrimination is not just the right thing to do -- it is also the best business decision. In addition, many of these leaders are also advocating for the LGBTQ community and equality under the law in the public square. "From supporting LGBTQ civil rights protections in the U.S. through HRC's Business Coalition for the Equality Act, to featuring transgender and non-binary people in an ad in Argentina, to advocating for marriage equality in Taiwan -- businesses understand their LGBTQ employees and customers deserve to be seen, valued and respected not only at work, but in every aspect of daily life," David said. To receive a score of 100, companies have to satisfy all of the CEI's criteria, which fall under five broad categories: Non-discrimination policies Employment benefits Demonstrated organizational competency and accountability around LGBTQ diversity and inclusion Public commitment to LGBTQ equality Responsible citizenship To learn more about Stanley Black & Decker's diversity and inclusion strategy, please visit: https://www.stanleyblackanddecker.com/careers/our-inclusive-workforce The full 2020 CEI report is available here: www.hrc.org/cei. About Stanley Black & Decker: Stanley Black & Decker is a $14 billion revenue, purpose-driven industrial organization. Stanley Black & Decker has 58,000 employees in more than 60 countries and operates the world's largest tools and storage business, the world's second largest commercial electronic security company, a leading engineered fastening business as well as Oil & Gas and Infrastructure businesses. The company's iconic brands include Black & Decker, Bostitch, CRAFTSMAN, DEWALT, FACOM, Irwin, Lenox, Porter Cable and Stanley. Stanley Black & Decker is a company for the makers and innovators, the craftsmen and the caregivers, and those doing the hard work to make the world a better place. Learn more at www.stanleyblackanddecker.com. SOURCE Stanley Black & Decker Related Links http://www.stanleyblackanddecker.com Video PlayerClose Musicians perform "Gift" during a Lunar New Year Concert by New York Philharmonic in New York, the United States, Jan. 28, 2020. [Xinhua/Wang Ying] The New York Philharmonic has welcomed the Lunar New Year with an annual celebration since 2012. This year's Lunar New Year fell on Jan. 25. NEW YORK, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) The New York Philharmonic presented its ninth annual Lunar New Year Concert on Tuesday night with celebrated and emerging artists to ring in the Year of the Rat. Featuring famous musical pieces from America and Asia, the program included a violin concerto The Butterfly Lovers with American violinist Gil Shaham as soloist, and George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue with 29-year-old Chinese pianist Zhang Haochen. The event also marked Zhang's Philharmonic debut. As the Gold Medalist of the 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Zhang studied under American classical pianist Gary Graffman, who was the soloist for the New York Philharmonic's performance of Rhapsody in Blue on the soundtrack of Woody Allen's 1979 film Manhattan. Chinese pianist Zhang Haochen (Front) performs "Rhapsody in Blue" with the orchestra during a Lunar New Year Concert by New York Philharmonic in New York, the United States, Jan. 28, 2020. [Xinhua/Wang Ying] The virtuoso performance given by the young pianist won a standing ovation from over 2,700 people at the David Geffen Hall. Many of them were New Yorkers who grew up listening to the piece, which as a composition for solo piano and jazz band premiered in New York in 1924. During a meeting with local press on Monday, the Shanghai-born pianist described the concert's program as a beautiful musical exchange between China and the United States. "I think the Chinese traditional music and the American jazz are as remote as you could get in terms of artistic aesthetics," said Zhang. With a program in which a Chinese pianist gets to play The Rhapsody in Blue and an American violinist plays The Butterfly Lovers, "it really made a statement of what musicians are trying to do with music in cultural exchange," he added. American violinist Gil Shaham (C) performs "The Butterfly Lovers" with the orchestra during a Lunar New Year Concert by New York Philharmonic in New York, the United States, Jan. 28, 2020. [Xinhua/Wang Ying] Shaham, one of the most acclaimed violinists in the world, recorded The Butterfly Lovers with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra in 2007. His performance on Friday night demonstrated his special connection with the classic piece, with an interpretation that blended both Chinese and Western music styles. The concert also marked the U.S. premiere of China-born composer Zhou Tian's Gift, and the New York premiere of Korean composer Texu Kim's Spin-Flip. Chinese conductor Yu Long conducts "The Butterfly Lovers" with the orchestra during a Lunar New Year Concert by New York Philharmonic in New York, the United States, Jan. 28, 2020. [Xinhua/Wang Ying] The Philharmonic was under the baton of world-renowned Chinese conductor Yu Long, who has conducted a highly acclaimed list of orchestras throughout the world, including New York, Los Angeles, Munich, and Tokyo philharmonic orchestras. Currently vice president of the Chinese Musicians Association and artistic director and chief conductor of the China Philharmonic Orchestra, Yu collaborates frequently with many of the world's most celebrated soloists, such as Lang Lang, Yo-Yo Ma, and Wang Yujia. The New York Philharmonic has welcomed the Lunar New Year with an annual celebration since 2012. This year's Lunar New Year fell on Jan. 25. (Source: Xinhua) Delta, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 30, 2020) - Desert Gold Ventures Inc. (TSXV: DAU) (FSE: QXR2) (OTC Pink: DAUGF) ("Desert Gold" or "the Company") is pleased to present, recently acquired and reviewed, geophysical data over the Company's SMSZ Project in Western Mali, near the border with Senegal. The ~400 km2 SMSZ Project is both named after, and, overlies a 38 km section of the Senegal Mali Shear Zone (see Figure 1), which is related to 5 large mines located both to the north and south, along strike, including B2 Gold's Fekola Mine, Barrick's Gounkoto and Loulo Mines and AngloGold Ashanti/Iamgold's (now Allied Gold's) Sadiola and Yatela Mines[1]. To the Company's knowledge, the SMSZ Project is the largest, contiguous, non-producer land package over this very prospective structural feature. Exploration targets within 5 km of the Senegal Mali Shear Zone, are considered by management to be high priority, exploration targets. Induced Polarization (IP) surveys were carried out over the project area in 2011 for TransAfrika Resources, a precursor to Desert Gold. This work led to the definition of 15 strong anomalies that are presented in Figures 2 and 3, along with select drill results, the inferred location of the Senegal Mali Shear Zone and select geological data. Of these anomalies, 4 anomalies, B, E, F and I, are deemed to be tested with each of the 4 related to known gold zones. The remaining 11 geophysical anomalies have either not been adequately tested or tested at all. A summary of the anomalies is presented in Table 1. Testing of these geophysical anomalies is planned to begin in 1H, 2020. Jared Scharf, Desert Gold's CEO comments "This newly evaluated geophysical data, further emphasises the potential of the SMSZ Project. We are defining new targets in a great structural setting, in generally, laterite and/or overburden-covered areas, that would not have been picked up by conventional soil sampling and mapping. As well, most, if not all of these anomalies are of sufficient scale for the discovery of a new, significant, gold deposit." Story continues Figure 1 Property Scale Compilation Map* To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4954/51956_d8f226e824abdbd4_001full.jpg *All gold grades over width, with the exception of the Soa prospect, represent drill holes with the true widths, for most holes, ranging from 70 to 95%. **The Soa Prospect result is from a trench with true widths unknown. Estimated true widths for the Berola Prospect are unknown. True widths at the Gourbassi Zones range are estimated to range from 60% to 90%. Figure 2 Colour-contoured IP Chargeability Inversion data for -168 metre level To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4954/51956_d8f226e824abdbd4_002full.jpg Figure 3 Colour-contoured IP Resistivity Inversion data for -168 metre level To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4954/51956_d8f226e824abdbd4_003full.jpg Technical Details Induced Polarization surveys were carried out over an approximate 3 km by 8 km part of the project area in 2011 for TransAfrika Resources, a precursor to Desert Gold. The geophysical surveys consisted of a Time Domain, Pole-Dipole IP survey that was conducted with 6 x 100 metre dipoles. The results were modelled using the Geotomo Software inversion package. This work led to the delineation of 15 anomalies with color-contoured inversion data presented at the approximate 168-metre vertical level, well below the base of oxidation (see Figures 2 and 3). The IP summary data presented in Figures 2 and 3 also show three critical, regional scale geological features, including the Senegal Mali Shear Zone in the lower left portion of the figures, a northeast-trending shear zone corridor and two, larger granodiorite intrusions in the upper right of the figures. Regionally, the Senegal Mali Shear Zone is associated with 6, >1 million-ounce gold deposits that are located within 5 kilometres to the east of the shear zone. The inferred location of the Senegal Mali Shear Zone is based on an abrupt change in resistivity across the projected structure. The granodiorite intrusion may have been emplaced in an area where the dominantly north-trending Senegal Mali Shear Zone, locally trends more northwesterly. The northeast-trending shear zone, which controls the location of the carbonate-hosted Barani East Zone and a few other gold zones, appears to offset the granodiorite intrusion, in a left lateral sense, by 500 to 1,000 metres. A potential geological scenario, is early movement on the Senegal Mali Shear zone, emplacement of the granodiorite intrusions, which are in turn are both cut by the Northeast Shear Zone, which is in turn cut by the reactivated Senegal Mali Shear Zone and a series of related north- to northwest-trending splay structures. Second and third order shears appear to have developed as splays off of the Senegal Mali Shear Zone and are focussed along, and locally within, the granodiorite intrusion. Gold mineralization is hosted by siltstones, sandstones, carbonates, felsic intrusions and gabbroic intrusions, or essentially any rock types that are intersected by stronger shear structures. Alteration consists of typical carbonate sericite zones with disseminated to veinlet pyrite, quartz veining and local hematization and tourmalinization. Both iron-(hematization) and tourmaline-enrichment are associated with most of the large deposits in the region and thus are viewed as positive aspects in this overall target area. IP chargeability anomaly highs appear to indicate increased in pyrite content as evidenced by increased pyrite content in the known gold zones, which are associated with chargeability highs. However, chargeability highs can also be related to other conductive materials, like graphite, which may or may not be related to gold mineralization. Resistivity highs in this area denote intrusive rocks or general rock type changes proximal to the Senegal Mali Shear Zone, and areas of abundant quartz veining. Resistivity lows can represent graphitic shear zones. While gold zones, related to the IP chargeability highs, would be the easiest to follow, gold zones can also occur on the flanks of the geophysical anomalies. Table 1 - IP Anomaly Summary IP Anomaly Chargeability Resistivity Strength Length (m) Comment A (Target Area 58) high Low to flank strong 1,500 May be western contact of GD. Strongest at depth. Open to North. B (Target Area 37) high Flank to high Mod to strong 2,100 Barani East Zone. Deviates from NE trend north toward GD. Northern portion not tested. C (target Area 56) high Low to flank to high Weak to strong 3,200 Recently tested with 2 RC holes. May be two anoms. Northern half aligned along western GD contact D (Target Area 57) high moderate medium 600 Parallel trend to Barani East Zone. Not tested. E (correlates with Barani Zone) high moderate Medium to strong 4,000 Northern half correlates with Barani Zone. Southern half not tested F (correlates with Barani Zone) moderate low moderate 850 Part of Barani Zone, open off grid to north. Good correlation with drill intercepts G (Target Area 55) moderate Low to flank moderate 2,400 Not tested. Consider auger line H moderate Flank to high moderate 260 Likely a shear in the GD. Intrusion-hosted-type target. Open to North. I (correlates with Keniegoulou Zone) strong Wk to mod to flank moderate 2,500 Eastern flank of Keniegoulou Zone, partially tested. Patchy assoc Au. AC holes tested northern portion J (Target Area 59) moderate Moderate to flank moderate 1,300 Not tested, open to South. Appears to cut GD. May be related to Target Area #3 K (Target Area 51) strong strong strong 1,600 Not tested. Seems to lie immediately to west of SMSZ L (Target Area 48) moderate Moderate to flank moderate 2,300 Partially tested, weak auger correlation, Au to 4.88 g/t over 2 m. parallels target area #2. Could use a few holes to test. M (Target Area 49) Moderate to strong moderate moderate 2,400 Not tested, may be strike continuation of K, but, N-trending vs NW, on west side of SMSZ? N (Target Area 53) moderate moderate moderate 1,000 and 300 Not tested. May be southern strike extend of anomaly G, splay off SMSZ? Anomaly pair O (Target Areas 1 and 52) moderate Weak to flank moderate 500 and 750 Not tested. Eastern anom correlates with at zone wt tour. Target area #1. West anom correlates with 380 ppb Au soil. May extend to south for another 1,400 m Exploration Plan These target areas will be evaluated in a sequential fashion. Wide-spaced auger lines will initially test for gold enrichment along the IP anomalies that are covered by laterite. If anomalous gold values are delineated over the anomalies, then more systematic auger drilling will be carried out to better define the gold anomalies prior to first pass testing by AC drilling. IP anomalies that have been validated by existing soil surveys and/or geological mapping, will be tested by AC if the rocks are weathered (saprolitic) and RC if the rocks are fresh. Additional drilling is planned both to depth and along strike of known zones with a goal to delineate mineral resources. Recent work at the Barani and Keniegoulou Zones suggests a flat plunge, which would support continuing to test high grade zones, along strike, at or about the same vertical level. The Barani East Zone, which is controlled by a different structure, appears to plunge moderately to shallowly to the southwest, with new drilling targeting down plunge of the known lenses and along strike, with a goal to discover additional lenses. The company, also plans to extend the IP geophysical surveys to the north, since many of the anomalies are open to the north and the favorable northwest orientation, of the Senegal Mali Shear, appear to persist for approximately an additional 2 km before appearing to trend northeast for approximately 4 km and after that, northerly. This press release contains certain scientific and technical information. The Company is solely responsible for the contents and accuracy of any scientific and technical information related to it. Don Dudek, P.Geo a director of Desert Gold and a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this press release. [1] Mineralization hosted on adjacent and/or nearby properties is not necessarily representative of mineralization hosted on the Company's SMSZ Property. About Desert Gold Desert Gold Ventures Inc. is a gold exploration and development company that holds 3 gold exploration projects in Western Mali (SMSZ, Segala West and Djimbala) and its Rutare gold project in central Rwanda. The Company's current focus is its 391 km2 SMSZ Project that spans approximately 38 km of the prolific Senegal Mali Shear Zone. On Behalf of the Board of Directors "Sonny Janda" ____________________ Sonny Janda, Chairman Contact: Jared Scharf, President & CEO Email: jared.scharf@desertgold.ca Tel. No.: +1 (858) 247-8195 For further information please visit our website www.desertgold.ca or information available on www.SEDAR.com under the company's profile. Certain statements contained in this release may constitute "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" (collectively "forward-looking information") as those terms are used in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and similar Canadian laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words "could", "intend", "expect", "believe", "will", "projected", "estimated", "anticipates" and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on the Company's current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. Actual future results may differ materially. In particular, this release contains forward-looking information relating to the business of the Company, the Property, financing and certain corporate changes. The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof and the Company is not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Because of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the securities described herein in the united states. The securities described herein have not been and will not be registered under the united states securities act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the united states or to the account or benefit of a U.S. person absent an exemption from the registration requirements of such act. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/51956 With their breezy chemistry and banter, Kartik Aaryan and Sara Ali Khan continues to keep fans guessing about their relationship status. The two stars recently went on singing reality show Indian Idol 11 to promote their upcoming release Love Aaj Kal, where they made a few candid confessions. Mumbai Mirror reports that Kartik has no plans to get married in the near future, as he is neck deep in professional commitments. Sara put him in the spot as she jokingly asked him, You are ready for a relationship but not marriage? Kartik also reportedly told host Aditya Narayan during a game that he cannot stay friends with his ex-girlfriends. However, Sara said that she had no qualms in maintaining friendly relations with her exes. Also read | Deepika Padukone on Chhapaak being downvoted on IMDb after JNU visit: They have changed my rating, not my mind Speculation has been rife that Kartik and Saras romance spilled off screen during the making of Imtiaz Alis Love Aaj Kal. She has gone on record to admit that she has a crush on him, and has also expressed her desire to go on a date with him. At the trailer launch of Love Aaj Kal, Kartik was asked to stop being coy and set the record straight about his feelings for Sara. He said, When she confessed her crush on me on national television, I developed a crush on her. After that, I started getting shy. Kartik also claimed that he did not know how to answer the question. He said, Jab bhi aap mujhse aise sawaal poochte hai ya inse aise sawaal poochte hai, toh jawaab kya dein? Inhone toh seedhe bol diya tha, main wahaan pe atak gaya tha ki main haan bolun ya Tu haan kar ya na kar, tu hai meri Sara (Whenever someone asks me or her such a question, what answer should we give? She directly said it on national television, I got stuck whether I should said yes or Whether you say yes or no, you are mine, Sara). Love Aaj Kal, which also stars Arushi Sharma and Randeep Hooda, will hit the theatres on February 14. Follow @htshowbiz for more The MEA said permission had been sought from China, adding that the Indian Embassy in Beijing was working on the logistics with Chinese authorities. New Delhi: India has requested China for permission to operate two evacuation flights from the Hubei province to fly back Indian nationals from Wuhan City and other parts of the province in view of the Coronavirus outbreak there. The MEA said permission had been sought from China, adding that the Indian Embassy in Beijing was working on the logistics with Chinese authorities. India had on Tuesday began the process of evacuation of its nationals stranded in Wuhan City and other parts of Hubei province of China following the outbreak of the dreaded Coronavirus there. India said it was working out the logistics with the Chinese government. We have begun the process to prepare for evacuation of Indian nationals affected by the situation arising out of the nCorona-2019 virus outbreak in Hubei province, China. Our @EOIBeijing (Embassy of India in Beijing) is working out the logistics and is in touch with the Chinese govt. authorities and our nationals on this matter. We will continue to share updates, MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had tweeted. YEREVAN. The situation related to the spread of a new type of coronavirus in China was discussed during the meeting of Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts and Tian Erlong, Chinas ambassador to Armenia. Ambassador Tian underscored the readiness of the Chinese side to continue close cooperation with the Armenian side to resolve different issues arising from the spread of coronavirus. During the meeting, the issues the citizens of the Republic of Armenia are currently facing and the steps to be undertaken to address those issues were comprehensively touched upon, the Armenian foreign ministry said in a statement. The Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia noted that 400 citizens of Armenia currently residing in different provinces of China, seven of whom in Hubei, were registered at the Embassy of Armenia in China and the Embassy is in constant contact with all of them. The Embassy of the Republic of Armenia also takes measures to address the questions and issues of the Armenian citizens as far as possible. Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts also added that the Foreign Ministry of Armenia and the Embassy of Armenia in China have been in constant contact with the Government of the Peoples Republic of China and other partner countries, concerning the evacuation of the citizens of Armenia. January 30 : A team of population mapping experts at the University of Southampton, UK, have identified some cities and provinces in China and in other countries worldwide, which are at high-risk from the spread of coronavirus. The University's WorldPop team found Bangkok in Thailand to be most at risk from the spread of the deadly virus, which originally took place in China. This indication is based on the number of air travellers that have been predicted to land in Bangkok from China. The second in the list of high risk is Hong Kong, followed by Taipei in Taiwan. Some other international cities that face high risk are Sydney, which is on the 12th position, New York at 16th, and London at 19th position. So, the most at high risk countries are Thailand at first place, followed by Japan, Hong Kong, USA, Australia and the UK. The research found that high risk cities in mainland China are Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Chongqing, along with the provinces of Guangdong, Zhejiang, Sichuan and Henan. It is essential to understand the movement of people within China and globally. This will clearly show how the deadly virus is spreading within China as well as globally, said Andrew Tatem, Director of WorldPop and professor at the University of Southampton. The researchers identified these high-risk areas to help public health interventions in China and other countries like screenings and effective healthcare preparations. According to Dr Shengjie Lai of the University of Southampton, the team is closely monitoring the epidemic, which is spreading fast. WorldPop is making efforts to provide up-to-date analysis of the likely spread of new coronavirus. Dr Shengjie Lai also suggests that transport lockdown in Chinese cities will be beneficial and can stop transmission of the virus by people returning from the Lunar New Year holiday in China, which has been extended to February 2, 2020. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Read what is in the news today: Society -- Two men were found dead from an alleged drug overdose on the edge of a forest in Quynh Luu District in the north-central province of Nghe An on Wednesday morning. -- There have been 198 traffic accidents, 133 casualties, and 174 injured people during the past seven days of the Lunar New Year holiday, according to Vietnam's National Traffic Safety Committee. -- A passenger bus stalled on a section of the Ho Chi Minh City Long Thanh Dau Giay Expressway in southern Vietnam, causing serious congestion for a few hours on Wednesday evening when droves of people returned to Ho Chi Minh City after the Tet, or Lunar New Year, holiday. -- Authorities in Hoi An City, home to the namesake UNESCO-recognized ancient town in the central province of Quang Nam, have been giving away free masks to tourists since Tuesday in the context of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak. -- A Facebook user was summoned by authorities in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue on Wednesday for spreading false news on the most popular social media site in Vietnam that one Chinese national infected with the 2019-nCoV was being quarantined at a local hospital. -- Vietnams Ministry of Transport on Wednesday afternoon suspended all flights to areas with confirmed cases of the 2019-nCoV in China. Business -- The Nguyen Hue Book Street, stretching from the Nguyen Hue intersection with Ngo Duc Ke Street to Mac Thi Buoi Street in downtown Ho Chi Minh City, generated some VND3.6 billion (US$155,553) in revenue after its seven days of opening from January 22 to 28 during this Tet, up 28.5 percent year-on-year. Lifestyle -- A festival was held at the Dong Da Mound special national relic site in Hanoi on Wednesday to mark the 231st anniversary of the Ngoc Hoi-Dong Da victory over Chinese Qing invaders. -- An art delegation of Vietnam is joining the 2020 Chingay Parade celebrating the Lunar New Year in Singapore from Wednesday to February 4. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Mitch McConnell set up the rules for the Senates current impeachment hearing so that there would be an early vote on whether to call witnesses, or simply proceed to an up or down vote on impeachment. Either way, the result is foreordained, just as the impeachment process itself was foreordained when the Democrats captured the House in 2018. The president will be exonerated. The vote on whether to proceed with witnesses apparently will take place on Friday. I assume that McConnell thought it would be easy to get 51 votes in favor of terminating the Senate proceeding, but John Boltons ill-timed and ill-advised tell-all book has thrown a monkey wrench into that plan. The White House has gone after Bolton, entirely appropriately, in my view, as with President Trumps tweets: .many more mistakes of judgement, gets fired because frankly, if I listened to him, we would be in World War Six by now, and goes out and IMMEDIATELY writes a nasty & untrue book. All Classified National Security. Who would do this? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2020 I was never a big Bolton fan, and now have lost whatever respect I once had for him. Four Republicans need to betray the President, their party and the American people to allow the impeachment farce to continue. The New York Post thinks it is too close to call. What infuriates me is Mitt Romneys attitude: I think its important to hear from Mr. Bolton, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) told reporters Wednesday. No, actually, it isnt important. Nothing Bolton says about President Trumps desire to have Ukraine conduct investigations into 1) Ukrainian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, and 2) corruption in the Obama/Biden administration, could possibly make out an impeachable offense. The whole thing is a bad joke, and the sooner it is put out of its misery, the better. The Hill is a little more optimistic: GOP senators believe they have the votes to block witnesses. It was clear to Senate Republicans on Wednesday after a morning meeting between Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) that the question of having additional witnesses is settled, and the Senate will vote Friday to wrap up the impeachment trial of President Trump. There was no discussion of witnesses at a Senate GOP lunch meeting Wednesday, which was held a couple hours after McConnell and Murkowski met for about 20 to 30 minutes. That was seen as a sign by several senators that Democrats will fail to convince four Republicans to join them in calling for witnesses. Without a vote to hear from witnesses, the trial could end as soon as Friday. Were going to get it done by Friday, hopefully, Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said following the meeting. Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), emerging from the lunch, said, I think I can say the mood is good. I hope that assessment is correct. It certainly deserves to be. The Democrats had all the opportunity they wanted to prove their case, such as it is, in the House, where theyand only they!could call whatever witnesses they chose. The fact that these witnesses had nothing significant to say is hardly the Presidents fault. And John Boltons sour grapes add nothing to what we already know. So lets hope the Senate does its duty on Friday. Two final observations. First, the White House is touting this 2019 video of John Bolton talking about Ukraine and the presidents meeting with President Zelensky. I dont know whether it specifically contradicts anything in his book, but its tone is quite different from the Democrats portrayal of Boltons hypothetical testimony: Adam Schiff: "Ask John Bolton." John Bolton in 2019: @realDonaldTrump's phone calls with President Zelensky were "very warm and cordial the success of Ukraine [maintaining] a free market economy free of corruption is high priorit[y] of the US" pic.twitter.com/w6lAuDCKmR Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) January 29, 2020 Second, President Trump was correct in calling on Ukraines government to investigate both Ukrainian interference in the 2016 election, as reported by Politico in January 2017, and corruption in the Obama/Biden administration involving the natural gas company Burisma. Both of those matters should have been investigated before now, but it is not too late. I hope that before long, President Zelenskys administration will look into them. The European Union stopped short of an outright ban on Huawei Technologies Co. and other Chinese 5G suppliers, seeking to navigate a path between warnings from Donald Trump and provoking Beijing. In a set of commonly agreed guidelines on how to mitigate risks stemming from the roll-out of next generation telecoms networks, the EU said companies based in non-democratic countries could be excluded from the procurement of certain core components, following assessments by security agencies. But despite intense U.S. lobbying, the so-called toolbox of measures released Wednesday doesnt recommend a preemptive blanket ban of Chinese equipment, a decision that follows the U.K. on Tuesday allowing Huawei components into non-core networks. EU member states have until April 30 to implement the mitigating measures included in the toolbox. We know that the decisions the EU and its Member States will take on these matters will have an impact in the way we relate with our partners, Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice President in charge of digital affairs, said at a press conference. What we are defining today is a European approach to 5G security. The EUs position reflects a balancing act between concerns about the risk of Chinese espionage and the blocs reluctance to pick a fight with its second-biggest trading partner, which over the past decade has been expanding its presence in the continent with large-scale investment projects. The fudge is an effort to navigate Beijings warnings of repercussions if companies like Huawei were banned, and U.S. threats of sanctions, such as cuts in intelligence sharing, if Chinese equipment is used. In a press briefing ahead of the announcement, EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said he met with U.S. President Trump in Davos last week to discuss the blocs 5G plans. I dont have a fear, he said of the potential U.S. reaction, adding we explained very clearly our strategy and I think he understands, but now we will see what will happen. Calling it a non-biased and fact-based approach, Huawei welcomed the EUs announcement, which it said enables Huawei to continue participating in Europes 5G roll-out. Representatives of the U.S. State Department said it would publish a statement later Wednesday. The Chinese Mission to the EU didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. The new policy document urges EU member states to apply ad hoc restrictions on merit for certain suppliers of key 5G components, including core, network management, access network, and orchestration functions. The assessment criteria, already published in December, include a strong link between the supplier and a government, and the lack of legislative or democratic checks and balances in the home-country of the company. Mitigating Measures While these guidelines may encourage some governments to restrict the participation of Huawei and other Chinese companies in parts of their next-generation broadband, they also leave room for interpretation and dont call for a de facto ban. Decisions are left to individual member states, as the EU doesnt have the competence to regulate centrally in this area. The proposals also include bolstering the role of national authorities, audits of telecom operators and measures to ensure diversity of suppliers for any single telecommunications operator. In addition, the EU proposes stricter screening of foreign direct investment in the area of 5G and possible anti-dumping duties and other penalties for companies benefiting from state subsidies. An EU diplomat said the blocs countries can also use other legislation, such as rules for procurement in the areas of defense and security, to further limit the use of Huaweis equipment. The EU is also preparing beefed up rules that would raise the price of bids placed in Europe by companies based in countries with protectionist procurement legislation, such as China. Telecom operators welcomed the EUs announcement but urged national governments to avoid disproportionate actions that negatively impact the investment climate as they implement the guidelines, ETNO, the association of some of Europes largest telecom operators, said in a statement. The operators added they would continue to pursue a multi-vendor strategy. Still, the overall stance, first reported by Bloomberg News on Jan. 22, may come as another blow to the U.S. a day after the U.K. risked a rift with President Trump by giving Huawei the green light to help develop Britains 5G networks. U.S. officials expressed regret at the decision even though the U.K. announced it would keep high-risk vendors out of the most sensitive core parts of its networks. Breton said the U.K., which leaves the bloc Friday, was involved in designing the toolbox and played an active role in the definitions around what is considered high risk. U.S. officials have long urged European governments to exclude Huawei from all sections - core and non-core of their networks, arguing it threatens their national security. The EU partly shares these concerns, as 5G will connect everything to networks, making societies more susceptible to sabotage and espionage. In a review published in October, the bloc warned against a nightmare scenario whereby hackers or hostile states assume control of everything from electricity grids to police communications and even home appliances. Huawei and Chinese officials have repeatedly denied the company poses a spying risk. Now read: Huawei sold the most 5G smartphones in 2019 Youve probably yelled it once or twice at a driver of a German luxury car blasting through a red light somewhere in the city. As it turns out, there might be something to the expletive. A new study out of Finland has found that argumentative and egotistical men are particularly likely to drive cars like Mercedes, Audis or BMWs, and those same personality traits can also explain why these people can be such aggressive and unethical drivers. In laymans terms: Its a study into why high-status cars attract so many a--holes. (Thats not our word, its from the title of the study, published this week in the International Journal of Psychology.) The paper asked 1,892 Finnish car owners about their cars, wealth and consumption habits, as well as their personality traits using a framework to assesses a persons conscientiousness, neuroticism, extroversion, agreeableness and openness to experience. The result was clear: Men who drove high-end German cars had less empathy, they are more disagreeable, and they are more willing to fight, said lead author Jan-Erik Lonnqvist, who spoke to the Star from Helsinki while on his commute home from work by bus. That result wasnt a huge surprise, Lonnqvist said. During his everyday life in the Finnish capital, he said he had often noticed that drivers who broke traffic rules tended to be behind the wheel of high-status cars. He attributes that in part to exceptionalism. The drivers might also feel that the traffic rules do not apply to them, he said. Other studies had already established that high-end car owners are more likely to commit traffic violations, Lonnqvist said. But theres been a debate on whether this was perhaps because of the corrupting effect of money on a persons morality. The new study suggests its not the wealth itself that corrupts, but rather that already disagreeable men are particularly drawn to high-status products. But not all BMW drivers are jerks, the study found. People who scored high for conscientiousness were also more likely to own luxury cars. This is somewhat surprising for Lonnqvist, a professor of social psychology at the University of Helsinkis Swedish School of Social Science. But it may be because these cars, in addition to being flashy and expensive, are also seen as high quality. Conscientious people see themselves as reliable and dutiful, So they might want to purchase a car that will last and is high-performing, he said. Interestingly, the Finnish study did not find that disagreeable women were drawn to high-status cars. This kind of car is not such a status symbol for women, Lonnqvist said, hypothesizing that they maybe women have other stuff that they can show off with. He cautions that the results may be culturally specific, as Finland is a particularly egalitarian society, in which men who drive flashy cars can really stick out. In Toronto, men driving high-end cars have regularly appeared listed in recent police reports of serious collisions in the city, but not noticeably more often than male drivers of lower-end brands. Toronto police do not have any publicly available statistics on aggressive driving and luxury cars; Traffic Services spokesperson Jason Kraft said he was not aware of any similar study on the subject. Unfortunately, Lonnqvist said not everyone has appreciated his findings. Since the study was published, he said he has received a staggering number of hateful messages from the owners of high-end cars. Disagreeable men who are calling me up and telling me that they are not disagreeable, that theyre actually nice people and my study sucks, Lonnqvist said. That has been somewhat surprising, he said. But it goes to confirm the findings. Press Release January 30, 2020 SC dismissal of habeas data petition may embolden attacks vs women - De Lima The Supreme Court's recent dismissal of her habeas data petition on Mr. Duterte may embolden attacks against women as it shows how political power can be used to escape the repercussions of abusing women like her, Senator Leila M. de Lima has warned. De Lima, the first prominent political prisoner under the Duterte regime, made the remark after the High Tribunal, in a resolution dated last Oct. 15, dismissed her petition for a writ of habeas data against Mr. Duterte on the ground that the President is immune from suit. "While I respect the Resolution, I cannot help but think that the Supreme Court has allowed Mr. Duterte to hide, like a coward, behind the protection of the 'Office of the President' for his personal and despicable words and deeds," she said in her recent Dispatch from Crame No. 706. "I cannot help but think that the Supreme Court's decision has the effect of emboldening attacks against women by undermining the acts of two branches of government that passed a law protecting women, and stripping Filipino women of the protection that the judiciary is mandated to afford them," she added. The SC resolution, belatedly released to the media only last Jan. 22, ruled that ordinary suits against Mr. Duterte may be filed only after his tenure, either through resignation or impeachment, expires. It may be recalled that De Lima filed the petition for habeas data in November 2016 after Mr. Duterte delivered derogatory speeches against her, arguing that Duterte's public statements violate her rights to privacy, liberty and security. In her petition, she also asked the High Court to stop the President from using government resources to gather personal information against her, noting how he had hinted that he was purportedly monitoring her through the help of a foreign country. De Lima, a known human rights defender here and abroad, maintained that she believes that the presidential immunity from suit is meant for the Office, and not for the man "who abuses its powers and destroys its dignity." "[T]he acts of the occupant of that Office attacking a woman, contrary to the explicit protections under the Magna Carta of Women--a law validly passed by two branches of Congress, including the Office of the President--may not fall within the ambit of that legal shield. Sadly, our Supreme Court held otherwise," she said. The lady Senator from Bicol said partisan politics should never be an excuse to gain a "get-out-of-jail-free card" for abusing women because no one is above the law. "Not even if your surname is Duterte. Because Duterte the man, who harassed a woman for daring to exercise her right to participate in public discourse, is not Duterte the President. The Office of the President signed a law protecting women; it is the man who violates it. And for that he deserves no protection," she said. "This development only makes it clear to me that accountability for the wrongs done to me and being done to me by my chief oppressor, while he remains in power, lies in the global sphere, as exemplified by the recent actions from the US Congress and, earlier, the Opinion rendered last Nov. 2018 by the UNHRC Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD)," she added. Last Dec. 20, US President Donald Trump signed the US Fiscal Year 2020 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill which includes a provision banning the entry of Philippine government officials involved in De Lima's "wrongful imprisonment." Early this year, the US Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution, logged as Senate Resolution 142, calling for De Lima's immediate release from wrongful imprisonment and imposing Global Magnitsky sanctions against her persecutors or those "responsible for orchestrating her arrest and prolonged detention." Little Peanut Reuters A video captured a robot named Little Peanut delivering food to some of the people under quarantine in China amid the outbreak of the Wuhan coronavirus, 2019-nCoV. Passengers on a flight from Singapore to Hangzhou, China, are being held under quarantine in a hotel after two of over 335 people on the plane were found with a fever, according to a Reuters report. "Hello everyone. Cute Little Peanut is serving food to you now," the robot said, according to a translation. "Enjoy your meal. If you need anything else, please message the staff on WeChat." As of Wednesday morning local time, the novel coronavirus had killed 132 people in China and infected nearly 6,000 people worldwide. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. A robot named Little Peanut is delivering food to people being quarantined after traveling on a flight with patients thought to be infected by the Wuhan coronavirus. A video filmed in a hotel in Hangzhou, China, shows a robot with shelves of food moving from door-to-door carrying food to residents, Reuters reported. "Hello everyone. Cute Little Peanut is serving food to you now," the robot was saying, according to a translation. "Enjoy your meal. If you need anything else, please message the staff on WeChat." China Xinhua News (@XHNews) January 27, 2020 Multiple robots were employed on each floor of the 16-story hotel on Monday and Tuesday to reduce human contact and prevent spread of the novel coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, Reuters reported. The passengers from a flight to Hangzhou from Singapore are in quarantine after two of the more than 335 people on the plane were found with a fever, according to the Reuters report. As of Wednesday morning local time, the novel coronavirus had killed 132 people in China and infected nearly 6,000 people worldwide. It has spread outside mainland China to Australia, Cambodia, Canada, France, Germany, Ivory Coast, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, the US, and Vietnam. Read the original article on Business Insider A land of lakes and river and endless forests, Finland is a place full of natural beauty. Nestled on islands and surrounded by waterways, the picturesque streets in Finland are home to trendy boutiques and upmarket shops. Apart from its historic centres and old wooden buildings, there are many things to explore in the city. Here is a list of the five biggest cities in Finland you must explore if you are visiting the country. ALSO READ: Nail Trends For Christmas Season | Tips For Perfect Nail Art Ideas Helsinki Owing to its lovely architecture and the countrys rich heritage, Helsinki is a delightful city to visit. Citys boulevards are lined with boutiques, shops and galleries that show off creative and innovative fashion. The city is full of colours. There is so much to do in the city and you are never too far from nature either. Summer is definitely the best time to visit the place. Espoo Popularly known as the home of Nokia, Espoo is a commuter city that is not far from Helsinki. The place is a great option for one day trip if you are looking to get out of the capital for a bit. With some great shopping centres and lovely flea markets, Espoos main attraction is the brilliant Museum of Modern Art. In the museum, you can find a massive collection of artworks from the 20th century onwards. Tampere Tampere is a laid back city that has a rich art and cultural scene for its visitors. Once an industrial powerhouse, the old buildings now have been repurposed, and museums, cinemas and galleries have now replaced the manufacturing businesses that used to flourish here. With sculptures dotting the town, some lovely art on show, and a packed schedule with cultural events, Tampere is a popular city to visit. ALSO READ: White Christmas: The Best Places In India To Experience A Magical Time Vantaa Vantaa is mainly an industrial area with a few large shopping centres scattered throughout. The peaceful Keravanjoki river gives Vantaa some much-needed greenery and beautiful scenes. While it is short on attractions, lots of people pass through the city and it is home to the Helsinki-Vantaa National Airport. However, the fantastic Heureka science centre is also a must-visit place in the city. Oulu Oulu is a place which is a must-visit in the midst of winter. It is also a great base to visit if you want to see the Northern Lights properly. The city located on several islands that are connected by small bridges that cross the waterways. The place is also regarded as a living lab of Europe as residents here experiment with new technology at a community-wide scale. ALSO READ: Winter Destinations: Hill Stations In India To Enjoy The Snow This Winter ALSO READ: Finland: Check Out The 5 Coolest Things To Do In This European Paradise Wes Wilson, who helped create the trippy look associated with the second half of the 1960s through the vivid, swirling posters he made for rock shows by the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and others, died on Jan. 24 at his home in Leanne, Mo. He was 82. His son Jason confirmed his death. No cause was given. Beginning in 1966, Mr. Wilson made posters for Bill Graham, who produced rock shows at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, as well as for Chet Helms of Family Dog Productions, who started at the Fillmore but soon moved to the Avalon Ballroom, not far away. Posters had been used to advertise stage shows for decades, but most were utilitarian conveyors of date, time and place. Mr. Wilson, along with several other poster artists, took the form to a different level, one full of loud colors, attention-getting imagery and vibrant typography. He was especially known for the free-flowing block lettering on his posters, which he adapted from a font created by the Austrian designer Alfred Roller. Coming against the backdrop of the European Parliaments decision to defer the resolution condemning the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, or CAA, to its March plenary session, external affairs minister S Jaishankars February 17 meeting with his EU counterparts in Brussels will decide whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends the March 13 European Union summit. According to South Block officials, while India has noted the postponement of voting to the plenary session between March 30 and April 2, it understands that the move is temporary, with the anti-CAA resolution going to vote after PM Modi attends the EU summit. Indian diplomats are wary that EU High Representative Joseph Borrell will allow the anti-CAA resolution to be put up for voting once PM Modis visit is done. However, South Block is satisfied that it was able to brush aside a push from British Members of the European Parliament wanting the resolution to be passed before they leave the European body on account of Brexit on January 31. A total of 73 British MEPs have to bid adieu to the largely Left of Centre EU Parliament with Brexit kicking in. At the forefront of the effort to pass the resolution was Mohammed Shaffaq, who hails from Pakistan. It is clear that EAM Jaishankar will seek assurances from his EU counterparts at Brussels against the CAA resolution being put to vote. It is only after this that the decision on PM Modis trip to EU will be finalised. As of now, PM Modi is attending the EU summit on March 13 after which he goes to Dhaka, said a senior foreign ministry official who asked not to be named. When in Brussels, Jaishankar will also prepare counter to Pakistans plan to raise the issues of the nullification of article 370 and CAA at the UN Human Rights Council session from February 24 to March 20. With neither all-weather friend China nor constant supporters Turkey and Malaysia in the 47-member body, Pakistan will largely depend on support from the 59-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. It is understood that Pakistans charge at UNHRC will be led by the countrys foreign minister Makdoom Shah Mehmood, Qureshi with the Indian counter coming from MEA secretary (West) Vikas Swarup. The Indian strategy to counter Pakistan and its supporters will be decided in the coming week. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Taranjit Singh Sandhu appointed Indian Ambassador to USA Senior Indian Foreign Service officer (IFS) Taranjit Sandhu has been appointed as Indias ambassador to the United States (US), the Indian Ministry of External Affairs announced on Tuesday. Sandhu, currently Indias high commissioner to Sri Lanka, will succeed Harsh Vardhan Shringla, who took charge as the countrys new foreign secretary on Wednesday. Sandhu, a 1988-batch IFS officer, was Deputy Chief of Mission at the Indian embassy in Washington between July 2013 and January 2017. Photo courtesy: Twitter/@IndiainSL Sandhus appointment comes at a time when New Delhi is looking to balance its strategic ties with the US amid tricky trade relations. India is also readying for a visit from US President Donald Trump next month. Sandhu, a 1988-batch IFS officer, was Deputy Chief of Mission at the Indian embassy in Washington between July 2013 and January 2017. Sandhu also held the position of First Secretary (Political) at the Embassy of India, Washington from 1997-2000. Between July 2005 and February 2009, Sandhu was posted at Indias Permanent Mission to the UN in New York. Indian-Americans, business and think tank communities in the US have welcomed the appointment of Sandhu. "Amid dynamic political and policy challenges and growing economic focus on India, Amb Sandhu will be an experienced leader for Indian Embassy in US to navigate both the opportunities and challenges in the bilateral relationship," said Nisha Desai Biswal, the former Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia. She is currently president of the US India Business Council. "Congratulations to Ambassador Taranjit Sandhu on his appointment as the next Ambassador to the US. We look forward to a long and enduring partnership to take ties to greater heights," said the US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum. "Looking forward to working with Amb Taranjit Singh Sandhu in taking forward our Strategic Partnership with the United States of America," tweeted India's Deputy Ambassador to the US, Amit Kumar. A poll on a united Ireland will only take place when the time is right and sectarian tensions ease, the leader of Fianna Fail has said. There have been increased calls for a poll on Irish unity, with Sinn Fein stating preparations must begin and that the poll should be held within the next five years. Micheal Martin used his address at the European Institute on Thursday to play down calls for such a poll in the next few years. In relation to the issue of unity, the very last people who should be listened to are those who use it as an issue for party politics and ignore the fundamental challenge of building a unity between communities, he said. When the point is reached that we can have a referendum in a constructive and respectful atmosphere, with all issues about what might happen dealt with openly and conclusively, then no party will be more energetic in campaigning for it than Fianna Fail. But that point will only be pushed off further into the future if we continue seeing the essentially sectarian and partisan approach to this issue promoted by one party. We have lost a lot of time in recent years, time which should have been spent on building bridges was thrown away on senseless inter-party disputes, and this has delayed the process of deeper understanding without which nothing positive can be achieved. Mr Martin also criticised Sinn Fein as being an anti-European party and said they would not be suitable to be in Government as Ireland got ready to partake in the next round of Brexit negotiations. The Sinn Fein party has been loudly demanding that it must be allowed into government no matter who leads the government, he said. Ive discussed at length the many reasons why that party is not acceptable to us, and it is a basic tenet of democracy that each party has a right to determine how it uses its own mandate. On top of Sinn Feins destructive agenda and policy of always putting its own interests ahead of the public interest, there is the fact that it is Irelands most consistent and obsessively anti-EU party. (Sinn Fein) never has anything good to say about the EU, and its Euroscepticism is hardwired into the partyMicheal Martin, Fianna Fail leader It campaigned against us joining the European Union and it has opposed every development of the Union. A hundred times out of 100 it attacks the EU when the opportunity arises and it is allied with hardline anti-EU parties. It never has anything good to say about the EU, and its Euroscepticism is hardwired into the party. This can go to ridiculous lengths, such as its spokespeople standing up in the Dail and blaming the EU for Russias decision to invade and partition Ukraine. Sinn Fein in government would mark a decisive move away from a constructive, active and effective policy of being positive to the EU. This would do enormous damage and undermine one of the basic foundations for Irelands economy. Earlier this week, mere days out from the Iowa caucuses, the Associated Press ran a carelessly reported story on Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Given the publications reach and reputation for solid reporting, Paste Politics felt the need to go on record and lay out the facts. On Tuesday, the AP published an article suggesting that Senator Sanders had been hypocritical in criticizing Joe Biden for supporting cuts to Social Security over a four-decade period, which included one disputed instance in 2018 where the former Vice President had called for adjustments to the program. The AP, however, claimed to have found an opinion article written by Sanders back in 1996 for the Burlington Free Press in which hed used the same terminology, conceding that [a]s our population ages, it is clear that we will have to make incremental adjustments to Social Security taxes and benefits as Congress has done in the past. The AP pointed out that 1996 was an election year and that past congressional actions to save Social Securitys trust fund had involved benefit cuts and tax increases. It pointed out that Sanders had praised a 1983 bill that increased taxes, froze benefits, and raised the age of eligibility an example of Congress coming together at a 1999 press conference. The AP was quick to couch these finds in the context of a similar story by Bloomberg published the previous week about the Senator using the term adjustments vaguelyalso in 1996. To really paint its picture, the AP also made reference to a video uncovered by CNNs KFILE earlier in the week of Sanders praising the allocation of funds for crime prevention in Bidens 1994 crime bill, which hed notably criticized. Though the AP did give the Senators campaign column space for its allegation that the outlet was taking quotes out of context, it immediately dismissed the suggestion as the same rebuttal Bidens campaign has invoked in response to attacks by Sanders and his allies. The piece concluded with a discussion of Bidens evolution on the issue over a long public career, much of which was centered around his tenure as centrist senator and deal maker. Paste Politics agrees with the Sanders campaign. We found the Burlington Free Press clipping the AP based its story on. Published in October 1996, it is not an opinion article at all, as the AP asserted. Rather, it was a submitted answer to a reader question for an election-year Q&A column the paper was running called, You Ask the Candidates. The readers question was: When the Bipartisan Commission on Entitlement and Tax Reform issued its report to the president in 1994, the group stated, Unless changes are made, projected outlays for entitlements and interest on the national debt will consume all tax revenues collected by the federal government by 2012. Since we have no control over the interest, how would you propose to reduce the cost of entitlements? Although the AP did not outright misquote Sanders, it changed the tenor of his statement. Immediately preceding his discussion of Social Security, Sanders wrote, It is absurd for anyone to be talking about slashing important entitlement programs for the elderly and the sick while leaving alone an unfair tax system which enables millionaires to become richer at the expense of almost everyone else. In terms of Social Security, our largest entitlement program, Sanders continued, we should be aware that the Social Security Trust Fund is projected to be solvent for the next 34 years, until 2030. The APs presentation is baffling. Beyond changing the nature of what Sanders said, it left out any discussion of the Vermont Senators record on the issuesomething CNN did not do in the cited crime bill article. A fuller examination of Sanders roughly 30-year record shows that he has consistently sought to protect funding for Social Security and other social programs over the years. What follows are selected clippings from that record: In 1990, even before he was a congressman, Sanders called out congressional leaders for pushing a government spending freeze that would have affected Social Security benefits. A Burlington Free Press article from August 1990 quoted him: Its unfair and unreasonable to use the Social Security program to solve problems that were created elsewhere, Sanders said. At the time, Democratic chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee Dan Rostenkowski was pushing for a deficit reduction plan that included a one-year freeze on Social Security benefit increases. Five years later, in January 1995, Sanders spoke out against the proposed Balanced Budget Amendmentthe centerpiece of the Republican House Majoritys Contract With America. Sanders, who went on to vote against the amendment, addressed the House and warned of the dangers the proposal posed to programs like Social Security. The Balanced Budget Amendment approach being brought forth by the Republican majoritywithin the context of asking, as I understand it, for a $60 billion increase in military spending and major tax breaks for the wealthiest people in this countryleads all serious economists to the conclusion that Balanced Budget Amendment will be a disaster for working people, for elderly people, for low-income people, Sanders warned. It will mean, in my view, the destruction of the Social Security system as we know it; it will mean savage cuts in Medicare, in Medicaid, in the opportunity of young people to get grants and loans to go to college; it will mean major cutbacks in nutrition programs for hungry children; it will tamper with the unemployment compensation program, as we heard earlier; it will be a disaster for the vast majority of the people in this country. Just a few short months later in May, Sanders, seemingly cognizant of the fact that the revenue loss would provide a convenient excuse to go after social programs, made similar arguments in response to the Seven-Year Balanced Budget Reconciliation Act of 1995. With the two minutes he was allocated to speak, Sanders excoriated Republicans for pushing tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans while there was concern over the deficit. Mr. Chairman, I rise in very strong opposition to the proposal presented by the Republican leadership, Sanders declared. At a time when this country has a very large deficit, a $4.7 trillion national debt, it is vulgar, it is crass to be giving huge tax breaks to the wealthiest in this country and to the largest corporations. In March 1997, Sanders team sent out a press release titled Sanders Will Oppose Social Security Cuts, which led off by announcing Representative Bernie Sanders (I-VT) announced today that he will oppose efforts to cut Social Security benefits, including proposals to lower the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The release quoted Sanders as having said, Some politicians are trying to cut the CPI, which determines Social Security Cost of Living Adjustments. At a time when many of our elderly citizens are trying to survive on $7,000 or $8,000 a year, cutting the C.P.I. would cause a lot of pain for people who are already struggling. The next month, Sanders wrote an op-ed in the Burlington Free Press titled, Social Security Program Not In Jeopardy, in which he argued that while the program would remain solvent for decades, the solution to ensure continued solvency was raising the programs tax cap rather than cutting benefits. I regard it as vulgar that any member of Congress would want to balance the budget on the backs of some of the weakest and most vulnerable people in America, Sanders wrote. In May, Sanders published a press release titled, Cries of Crisis Threaten a Healthy Social Security, sharply criticizing proposed spending cuts that would affect the program. Notably, the release made mention of how he would adjust Social Security by making the rich pay more into it. While there is no crisis in Social Security today, we should begin working to make certain we avoid a problem 30 or 40 years from now, Sanders wrote, explaining that [e]veryone, whether the richest person in America or a $20,000-a-year worker, pays the Social Security tax at exactly the same rate and that while most Americans must contribute to Social Security based on their entire income, the wealthy pay Social Security taxes on only a fraction of what they earn because any salary above $65,400 a year is exempt from Social Security taxes. If we are serious about saving Social Security, not raising taxes on the middle class, and not cutting back on benefits desperately needed by many senior citizens, we must adjust this artificial ceiling on Social Security taxes and make the Social Security tax more progressive, he continued. Three months later, in July, Sanders again spoke out against the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 when it came up for debate, citing cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and veterans programs. We do know that in a time when millions of elderly people are unable to pay for their prescription drugs; when they are paying more and more for private insurance to cover what Medicare does not cover; we do know that we are going to be asked to cut Medicare by $115 billion, Sanders said. That is wrong. We also know there are significant cuts in the Social Security Administration and in veterans programs. That is wrong. Sanders added that in order to pay for the cuts in Medicare, in the Social Security Administration, and in veterans programs, what the Congress is proposing is to provide huge tax breaks for the wealthiest people in this country, unfortunately: precisely the people who do not need it. [W]hat is going to happen is, 10 years from now, when we have, all of these loopholes for the wealthy and for large corporations, we are going to be back here again with another huge deficit and we are going to have Members here saying, we have got to cut more into Medicare; more into Social Security; more into veterans programs; more into housing, he continued. So my friends, before we pass a budget like this, first of all, have the courage to look at it and, second of all, let us not balance the budget on the backs of the weak and the vulnerable in order to give huge tax breaks to the wealthy. In February the following year, during his appearance at the United Auto Workers Community Action Conference, Sanders reiterated his commitment to the program. So many gems in @BernieSanders' back catalog. This riff on the consolidated corporate media's role in isolating & demoralizing American workers is from a 1998 @UAW Community Action Conference. pic.twitter.com/lWnRsxz5NE Every nimble plane is a policy failure. (@KindAndUnblind) January 23, 2020 Let me briefly tell you about the 'crisis' in Social Security, he said. It's a short speech. There is no crisis. Sanders went on to explain that the trust fund had a $73 billion surplus and could pay out full benefits for the next 30 years, exclaiming, Now that's a hell of a crisis. Do we need to make changes so that Social Security goes on in perpetuity? Yeah, we do, Sanders said. One of the things we may want to doand this is a very radical idea, but let me just mention this one fact here: Right now if you have some guy that making a million dollars, some person who's making $65,000 a year, they both make the same contribution into the Social Security trust fund. Might be a radical idea to say 'let's lift that ceiling; let's ask the millionaire and the billionaire to contribute more then the system will go on even decades after that. In September 1998, Sanders sent out a press release boasting about how he'd opposed cuts to Social Security: WASHINGTON, D.C. Rep. Bernie Sanders took to the floor of the House today to blast a Republican proposal to raid the Social Security trust fund in order to provide tax cuts six weeks before an election. Sanders said he would support a Presidential veto of that legislation, which passed by a 229-195, largely partisan vote. Sanders said he supported targeted tax cuts for the middle class if they were paid for by eliminating tax-loopholes that exist for billionaires and cuts in corporate welfare. Three months later, in December, another press release to the White House was sent out. Sanders outlined his principles for approaching Social Security in the future, including 1) recognizing that the program was not in financial crisis, 2) opposing lowering benefits and raising the retirement age, 3) raising the tax cap, and 4) not privatizing it. [I]n this, the wealthiest nation on earth, we should not be doing what many members of Congress are already advocating lowering benefits and raising the retirement age, it read. Cuts in Social Security, combined with cuts in Medicare, veterans' programs and other senior needs, will only increase the already obscene gap between the rich and the poor, and make life harder for future retirees. Sanders spent the next two months opposing Social Security privatization, sending out a pair of press releasesone in January 1999 and the other in February. The latter focused on how women would be disproportionately affected by a privatization scheme. Social Security is a vital program for millions of Americans, and it is especially important for women who rely on retirement and survivor's benefits, Sanders was quoted as saying. Its progressive structure helps women make up a small portion of the ground they lost during their working years, when they were paid less than men, and it protects women who choose not to work outside their homes and who must rely on their spouses Social Security benefits to help them with retirement. Privatization takes that away and, with it, Social Security's basic promise to women security. Further review of Sanders' archived house.gov website from a January 10, 2001 screenshot, shows that, sure enough, his plan to keep Social Security solvent at the time revolved around raising the tax cap. Social Security has served as a safety net, providing nearly 60 percent of retirees with at least half of their income, and providing the only disability protection for 75 percent of all workers. However, a market-driven system would abandon the fundamental protections in the current system, it read. One possible solution to this would be to lift the cap on earnings. Currently, only the first $72,600 of earnings is taxed. This means that the CEO of a major corporation contributes on the first $72,600 he or she earns. The remaining millions are completely tax free as far as Social Security is concerned. This language remained on the website through December 2006. Sanders assumed office as a Senator on January 3, 2007. Five years into his first Senate term, Sanders led the charge against the Obama administration's proposed Social Security cuts in the form of the chained CPI. In a December 12, 2012 statement, Sanders condemned the plan. Do not balance the budget on the backs of the men and women who have already sacrificed for us in Iraq and Afghanistan, Sanders said. Do not balance the budget on the backs of the wives, husbands, and children of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. And, do not balance the budget on the backs of the men and women who served our country in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, and other conflicts by cutting Social Security benefits. Four months later, on April 16, 2013, Sanders grilled Treasury Secretary Jack Lew over the proposal. In your compromise efforts, what have you gotten from our Republican friends? Sanders asked. Will any of them stand here and tell me that they're prepared to support more revenue now? Watch this video of @SenSanders taking the Obama administration to task over its proposed cuts to Social Security as a bargaining chip with the obstructionist GOP. pic.twitter.com/kKcGfYpjkm Walker Bragman (@WalkerBragman) January 10, 2020 During his 2016 presidential bid, Bernie Sanders ran on expanding Social Security. Today, he is still running on expanding Social Security. Given the stunning consistency his record demonstrates, we feel confident that Sanders was not endorsing the idea of Social Security cuts in 1996 when he mentioned that the program might eventually need tax and benefit adjustments. We also reject the false equivalence the AP story creates. When the former VP called for adjustments, it immediately followed a pitch for means-testing benefits. Now, I dont know a whole lot of people in the top one-tenth of one percent, or the top one percent, who are relying on Social Security when they retire, Biden said. I dont know a lot of them. Maybe you guys do. So we need a pro-growth progressive tax code thatraises enough revenue to make sure that the Social Security and Medicare can staystill needs adjustments, but can stay. The statement did not occur in a vacuum. Bidens record of supporting Social Security cuts goes back longer than Sanders congressional record opposing such measures. Beginning in the early 80s, Biden pushed total government spending freezes onby his own admissionfour separate occasions. In 1995, he spoke forcefully forcefully in favor of and voted for the GOPs Balanced Budget Amendment, telling his colleagues that without such an amendment all of the things I care about will be gone. This past December, Biden told CNBC reporter John Harwood, that while he no longer favored such a measure, he did not regret his vote. [W]ere in a different place now, he explained. I hope its not true, but were likely to inherit a recession, at least a significant economic slowdown. That [amendment] doesnt make sense. In 1996, Biden voted for the Balanced Budget Act, which steeply cut Medicare. During his 2007-2008 presidential bid, he was talking about putting cost-of-living adjustments and raising the retirement age on the table, at one point even telling a room full of Iowa donors a room full of Iowa donors that when it came to Social Security, we cant grow our way to a solution. According to Biden, Americans were ready to make tough decisions. Years later, as VP, he led the Obama administrations negotiations to cut the program as part of a so-called grand bargain with congressional Republicans. Even though Bidens campaign platform calls for expanding Social Security today, there is no comparison between his record on the issue and Sanders. This reporting for this article was done by Walker Bragman. It has been substantially updated from its previous version to reflect the fact that Paste uncovered the 1996 Burlington Free Press clip the AP relied on for its story. NEW DELHI: Zee News on Thursday captured the video of a young man who opened fire on students protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Delhi's Jamia area. According to the Delhi Police, the man who brandished a gun and opened fire in Jamia area has been identified as 17-year-old shooter. He is a resident of Jewar area of Gautam Buddha Nagar District (Uttar Pradesh). Sharing more details of the incident, DCP Chinmay Biswal said, ''We have earlier warned the protesters that anyone can take advantage of the crowd and untoward incident can take place. We were vigilant and captured the man as soon as we saw him.'' Zee News camera captures man firing at anti-CAA protests at Delhi's Jamia pic.twitter.com/7bIAxT3AFB Zee News (@ZeeNews) January 30, 2020 Live TV Sharma had put up several posts on Facebook making his intentions clear that he would indulge in violence to "end" the Shaheen Bagh protests. The shooter has written several posts on Facebook claiming that he would "end the protest" at Shaheen Bagh by January 31. The women and residents of Shaheen Bagh are protesting against the controversial CAA and the NRC for the past one month. As the students were set to start their march from Jamia Millia Islamia to Rajghat, he took out a country-made .315 bore pistol and opened fire a student sustained an injury in his hand. Before opening fire, the youth had shouted, "If you people have to stay in India then you will have to say Vande Mataram, and now I am going to give you your freedom." Even before firing the pistol, the youth was heard raising slogans of "Jai Shri Ram". While scrolling through his Facebook posts, it was found that the juvenile shooter went live a number of times from outside the campus of Jamia and made a number of posts in which he mentioned that he was a lone Hindu in the area and none of the mediapersons covering the protest were Hindus. In one of his posts, he also asked the people to help his family in his absence and as a last wish, he wrote that his body should be wrapped in the saffron cloth and people should raise the slogan of "Jai Shri Ram" on his last journey. In one post he also mentioned that he will avenge the death of Chandan Gupta, who died in firing while taking out a bike rally in Uttar Pradesh`s Kasganj two years ago. In a January 28 post, he said that "everyone should take his Facebook profile seriously". Meanwhile, the student who received a bullet injury has been identified as Shadab Farooq, a student of MA Mass Communication. He was shifted to Holy Family Hospital for treatment. A Los Angeles firefighter on a ladder is seen trying to reach a desperate resident clinging to the buildings edge in Los Angeles, Calif., on Jan. 29, 2020. (Los Angeles Fire Department) Fire Rips Through Downtown LA Building, 8 Injured At least eight people were injured, including a 3-month-old baby, in a Los Angeles high-rise fire on Jan. 29, the citys fire department said in a statement while adding that the fire was started under suspicious conditions. Right now, were labeling this a suspicious fire, Los Angeles City Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas said, reported USA Today. Its very, very early in this investigation, Deputy Chief Justin Eisenberg said. We dont know really whether we have an arson or an accident at this time. Officials said the majority of those who were injured suffered from smoke inhalation, six were hospitalized, and one person was in grave condition, according to the fire department in a statement. Fire and smoke damage is seen on the exterior of a residential building in Los Angeles, Calif., on Jan. 29, 2020. Los Angeles firefighters rescued terrified residents from the rooftop of a 25-story high-rise apartment building where a fire broke out on a sixth-floor balcony and sent choking smoke billowing through the upper levels. (AP Photo Damian Dovarganes) Fire officials added that while there were reports of people jumping out of the high-rise buildings windows to escape the fire, we surmise that such person/s may have appeared, disappeared (returned briefly inside) and returned to the buildings exterior in an area heavily charged with smoke. The eyewitnesses likely believed the person had jumped rather than temporarily retreated into the building. It is likely the jumper/s in question was the man later safely rescued by an LAFD Firefighter atop an extended aerial ladder. A helicopter flies over a residential building that is on fire in Los Angeles, Calif., on Jan. 29, 2020. Firefighters swarmed the building on the citys west side and people could be seen on the roof as flames and smoke rise from the sixth floor. A helicopter was hoisting people off the roof. (Megan Feldman via AP) We had two people who had contemplated jumping, Deputy Chief Armando Hogan told USA Today. No one jumped. There are no fatalities at this incident. Puja Oza, a resident, told The Associated Press that they saw a man on the buildings edge before he was rescued. He was literally like Spider-Man, Oza said. Terrazas told KTLA that helicopters were used to rescue residents. We have rarely done rooftop evacuations, said Terrazas. Its a valuable resource for our helicopters. They worked effectively. Very successful. No firefighters were injured in the incident, according to the fire department. An investigation is underway. Washington The White House told former national security advisor John Bolton that a book reportedly containing damaging evidence for President Donald Trump cannot be published because it breaks secrecy laws. The warning was made in a letter to Bolton's lawyer dated January 23 but only made public on Wednesday as Trump's impeachment trial intensified in the Senate. The National Security Council said after preliminary review of the manuscript -- a vetting process applied to any White House employees writing books -- that it contained "significant amounts of classified information." "Some of this information is at the TOP SECRET level," the NSC said in a letter to Bolton's lawyer Charles Cooper, adding that "the manuscript may not be published or otherwise disclosed without the deletion of this classified information." Democrats are pressing for the Senate to subpoena Bolton after reports that his White House memoir "The Room Where it Happened" corroborates the abuse-of-power impeachment charge against Trump. Bolton reportedly writes that the president personally told him in August a freeze in military aid to Ukraine was directly linked to Trump's demand that Kiev announce investigations into Joe Biden, the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination. Several hours before the NSC letter went public, Trump lashed out at Bolton on Twitter, saying he had written a "nasty & untrue book. All Classified National Security." Despite the formal review process of Bolton's book, drafts have already circulated around Washington, where the passages describing Trump's relationship with Ukraine caused a sensation. At a news conference in Davos last week, Trump indicated he was worried about Bolton, whom he fired in 2019. Trump said the veteran foreign policy advisor "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?" IBM shares jumped as much as 5% on Thursday after the company said Arvind Krishna is becoming its 10th CEO, replacing Virginia "Ginni" Rometty. The change is effective on April 6, according to a statement. Jim Whitehurst, Red Hat's former CEO, is becoming IBM's president, the company said. IBM completed its $34 billion Red Hat acquisition in July. Rometty, 62, became IBM president and CEO on January 1, 2012, replacing Sam Palmisano. Earlier she had responsibilities in sales, marketing and strategy. Rometty studied computer science and electrical engineering at Northwestern University. Ginni Rometty, CEO of IBM, speaking at the Business Roundtable CEO Innovation Summit in Washington, DC on Dec. 6th, 2018. Janhvi Bhojwani | CNBC Her official biography on IBM's website credits her with leading "the successful integration of PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting, creating a global team of more than 100,000 business consultants and services experts." Under Rometty, IBM made cloud services a bigger priority, and it exited some businesses, including the low-end server unit it sold to Lenovo in 2014. At the same time the company has stuck around in core markets like mainframe computers and database software. During her tenure as CEO IBM's stock has fallen about 26%, while the S&P 500 has grown 160%. In 2018 Rometty's total compensation exceeded $17.5 million, according to the company's most recent proxy statement. Rometty will remain the company's executive chairman through the end of the year, IBM said, when she will retire after joining in 1981. SVP and Director at IBM Research Arvind Krishna speak on stage during the 2016 Wired Business Conference on June 16, 2016 in New York City. Brian Ach | Getty Images In India, five days are declared as Martyrs Day in honour of those who laid down their lives for the nation. Of these, the first falls on January 30, the day when Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse in 1948. Mahatma Gandhi led the struggle for Independence that culminated in India getting freedom from British rule on August 15, 1947. Bapu, as he was lovingly called, played one of the most prominent roles in Indias freedom struggle through non-violence and peaceful methods. Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi Mahatma Gandhi was shot in Birla House compound in New Delhi at the age of 78. He was killed by Nathuram Godse, who had opposed Gandhis views on the Partition of India. How is Martyrs Day celebrated Martyrs Day or Shaheed Diwas sees the President, Vice President, Prime Minister and Defence Minister gather at Mahatma Gandhis Samadhi at Raj Ghat. The top-most leaders of the country lay wreaths in remembrance of the Mahatma. They are joined by three service chiefs as well. This year, We The People Of India, a citizens initiative has called for the formation of a human chain on January 30 to remember Mahatma Gandhis martyrdom. The organisers have said they will form a human chain, observe day-long fasts and light candles to observe the occasion. The other Martyrs Day observances in India March 23 is celebrated as Martyrs Day to remember the deaths of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru. October 21, which is the Police Martyrs Day, is observed by police departments nationwide. This day marks the ambush of a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) patrol party at the Indo-Tibetan border in Ladakh by the Chinese forces. The death anniversary of Lala Lajpat Rai, another well-known Indian freedom fighter, which falls on November 17 is also observed as Martyrs Day. November 19 celebrates the birthday of Rani Lakshmibai and honours those who gave their lives in the rebellion of 1857, also known as the First War of Indian Independence. Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter James H. Morris is a retired professor of computer science and dean of the School of Computer Science as well as the Silicon Valley campus of Carnegie Mellon University. In a series of blogs for Pittsburgh Quarterly he writes about some of the computing pioneers he encountered during his career. Although he was less approachable than Alan Perlis or Allen Newell, Herb Simon was a significant presence in my undergraduate education. He could often be found in one of the card-punching rooms, happily creating his own programs with us. He gave beautifully clear and compelling lectures without notes or pictures. How to be creative, was the most memorable lecture of my undergraduate days. He described how Galileo seized a new tool, the microscope, to scan the heavens. He said that Newell and he were using computer programs, a new tool, to test psychological theories. He explained that chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer became so obsessed with chess that he had played more games by the age of 14 than anyone had ever played in a lifetime. Herbs general approach to creativity was to deny importance of talent and focus on the particular behaviors that led to success. This led him to uncover relatively simple mechanisms that created interesting, even intelligent behavior. It also fit perfectly with the Carnegie Institute of Technology motto, My heart is in the work, and the image of Pittsburgh. He seemed to be saying: Dont fret about how smart you are. Just work long and hard. Decades before Malcolm Gladwell, Simon declared that one had to spend 10 years to become world-class at anything. One of Simons other trenchant observations was that information was abundant while human attention was precious. He never read newspapers or magazines, let alone watch television. He certainly would have avoided the Internet. He said he depended on colleagues to inform him of any events worthy of his attention. In January, he might scan a dependable publication to review the events of the past year, in case he had missed anything. The only conversation I had with Simon during my undergrad days ended with him saying, Young man, you have Charles River fever. He had been trying to persuade me to enroll in his new psychology Ph.D. program rather than attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He and Newell were resentful of Harvard University and MITs preeminence and their automatic presumption of greatness. Newell once claimed that any professor who left Carnegie Mellon University became unproductive. Herb said my scientific career would be better if I stayed, and he was right. But I was anxious to extricate myself from Pittsburgh. Upon arriving at MIT I found the building where all of its the U.S. Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency money went. I searched for and found the famous artificial intelligence pioneer, Marvin Minsky, sitting in front of a big computer studying a spiral pattern on its display. I introduced myself and said I had come from Carnegie Tech. He barely looked up. Apparently the presumption of greatness was about him, not me. MIT has a chillier atmosphere than Carnegie Mellon. Simon was combative about his ideas, especially artificial intelligence. He would berate any colleague who questioned his belief that machines could think. For several years he fought a war of dueling journal articles about one of his theories. In later years, at meetings of the computer science department, Herb would rail about the blindness of mathematicians. Mostly, he was dismayed that neoclassical economists had taken over his business school, ignoring his theory of bounded rationality. At one of my first faculty meetings I suggested that we consider hiring a visiting professor working on my project. I said he was a reasonable guy. Simon thundered, We dont want reasonable people. We want people who disrupt and redirect their fields. Ok, I said to myself, the next time, Ill say he walks on water in the presence of witnesses and deals lightening with both hands. Herb was all businessthe business of science, that isto the point of obtuseness. He began his eulogy to Allen Newell by saying, Allens first priority was to do science, so I think thats what Ill do today. He then launched into a lecture explaining some aspect of their theory of cognition. At a dinner party once, Simon heard a professors wife making casual small talk about some political issue that he deemed incorrect. He delivered a two-minute refutation of her observation causing an awkward silence. We invited Herb and his wife to one of the occasional Sunday lunches we held for groups of the faculty. He appeared late remarking, Dorthea is still at church, but I was at home working at the computer. I guess that is my god. At the memorial service honoring Herb after his death at 85, there were many speakers who he had hired and other who those people had hired, and so on. Simon had populated much of the university with brilliant, workaholic versions of himself. Over the course of 50 years, he had created a new university. It might never have happened if it werent for the charm of Northumberland Avenue. Let me explain: Herb had come to Carnegie Tech in 1949 with other future Nobel Prize winners to start the business school. They pioneered the scientific approach to business. When Stanford University and MIT got wind of it, they raided the business schools faculty. Only Simon stayed. I learned from Herbs autobiography that one of his great pleasures was walking to campus from his modest house on Northumberland. He was a crusty Midwesterner, skeptical of the fame-seeking denizens of the coasts. He once he said, I was never very famous, but famous scientists knew what I did. Simons impact on the world has been substantial. While Perlis had a 30-year goal of solving the programming bottleneck, Simon seems to have had a 100-year goal of recreating human intelligence with computers. Someone once suggested that a statue of him should join those of Shakespeare, Michelangelo, Galileo and Bach in front of Pittsburghs Carnegie Institute. At the time, I considered this a bit over the top, but now I dont. Artificial intelligence has gone from a conceit of science fiction to a reality, and finally to a challenge to humanity. Simon was not one to have misgivings about his creations, but I wonder what he would say today. Here is something he did say: The definition of mans uniqueness has always formed the kernel of his cosmological and ethical systems. With Copernicus and Galileo, he ceased to be the species located at the center of the universe, attended by sun and stars. With Darwin, he ceased to be the species created and specially endowed by God with soul and reason. With Freud, he ceased to be the species whose behavior was potentially governable by rational mind. As we begin to produce mechanisms that think and learn, he has ceased to be the species uniquely capable of complex, intelligent manipulation of his environment. I am confident that man will, as he has in the past, find a new way of describing his place in the universe a way that will satisfy his needs for dignity and for purpose. But it will be a way as different from the present one as was the Copernican from the Ptolemaic. This phrase, needs for dignity and purpose haunts me today when unemployment, opioid addiction, and death stalk American men. Maybe these dudes should get over the dignity thing by changing a few diapers. It is ironic that Carnegie Mellon, whose motto is My heart is in the work, is working so feverishly on artificial intelligence to eliminate work. A few of our colleagues, Seth Goldstein, Mark Kamlet, and Illah Nourbakhsh along with some in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute have approached Simons challenge to design the human future. Gardai believe that the target of a reckless criminal who fired two shots at unarmed officers yesterday morning is a member of one of the country's most prolific burglary gangs. Two uniformed gardai were responding to reports of suspicious activity when they were threatened with a handgun at point-blank range - before being shot at minutes later during a chase with a hardened criminal who sources said last night "had murder on his mind". His target is living at an address near Gorey, Co Wexford, close to where the armed hitman was spotted hiding in a ditch by a member of the public. The Garda patrol car that reacted to the situation was later fired upon twice by the criminal, who detectives suspect was in the area to murder a key member of a Tallaght-led organised crime mob. "On arrival, the two gardai encountered a male who pointed a handgun in their direction and threatened them," a Garda spokeswoman said. No arrests had been made last night in the investigation as a major armed garda hunt continued for two suspects, including the lone gunman who fired at the two officers before leading them on a high-speed chase. A motive for the suspected botched gang hit had not yet been established last night, "but it is rooted in serious criminality". The two gardai who were shot at were being comforted by friends and family. The shocking incident unfolded at 8.30am yesterday and sources revealed last night that the suspected target has previously been warned of an active threat against his life. Gardai on patrol came across the gunman, who detectives believe was acting as a lone hitman. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who was at an event in Co Wexford yesterday, described the events in north Wexford as a matter of "serious concern". "I only have some very basic information on that - I heard about the events in Gorey, but I don't want to comment on them until I know what the full facts are," Mr Varadkar said. "I think everyone in the country is worried about the spate of violence and violent crime that we have witnessed in the last couple of weeks in different parts of the country." The suspected hitman was on his own in the Gorey Hill area when he was confronted by brave gardai who then pursued him for around 6km before he was met by a waiting accomplice. "This car was followed by a uniform patrol car and failed to stop for gardai along the Gorey to Carnew road R725 driving erratically and dangerously," a Garda spokeswoman said. "On two occasions the driver of the car slowed down the BMW and discharged shots from a handgun at pursuing unarmed uniform gardai." This gunman is described as 6ft tall and slim. He was wearing a long black jacket and a hat and had a scarf over his face. The unarmed gardai were forced to back off and by the time armed back-up arrived, the gunman's BMW had been discovered burnt out in a rural location. "This car was subsequently discovered burnt out in the townland of Banntown, Co Wexford," said the spokeswoman. "Gardai are appealing for any information on the activities and location of this blue BMW, 318 06W1012, overnight and in recent days." Superintendent Gerry McGrath said: "The illegal discharge of a firearm is a reckless act at any time, but the discharge of a firearm at unarmed uniformed members of An Garda Siochana responding to public needs is an outrageous act. "I will ensure that this criminal act is investigated fully and I appeal to any member of the public with any information, no matter how small, to call An Garda Siochana with that information to bring this dangerous culprit to justice." Anyone with information is asked to contact Gorey garda station on 053 9430690. Photo Illustration by Kristen Hazzard/The Daily Beast/Getty Senate rules in the Trump impeachment trial call for 16 hours of written questions from senators, to be read by the Chief Justice. Republican and Democratic senators alternate questions. I have none for Republican senators to ask the House managers, but here are 20 for Democratic senators to ask the Trump defense team: The GOPs DGAF Impeachment Defense For White House Counsel Pat Cipollone: 1). If you do not favor hearing critical fact witnesses, why should we believe that you and your client have any interest in learning the truth? 2). You argued that NATO Ambassador Gordon Sondland only presumed there was a quid pro quo and that wasnt good enough. Why should we not summon John Bolton to testify so we can get to the bottom of the question you raised? 3). The White House says that the manuscript of John Boltons book went only to the National Security Council lawyer, not to you, the White House Counsel. Wouldnt you agree that, in retrospect, you should have reviewed it instead of blindsiding the Senate, as the majority leader put it? 4). Bolton is prepared to testify that President Donald Trump told him that aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations of Democrats. Mr. Trump adamantly denies this. In any normal trial, we would hear from both men. Why not in this case? 5). When you learned on Sunday night of Boltons first-hand knowledge of the central issue in this case, why did you nonetheless persist in presenting an argument that no one had direct knowledge of the president holding up military aid to pressure Ukraine? 6). On the first day of the trial, you asserted that "Not even Mr. Schiff's Republican colleagues were allowed into the SCIF. This reference to the way the House Intelligence Committee handled the depositions in this case is factually untrue. Assuming you made a mistake rather than intentionally mislead the Senate, would you please admit to your error now? For Deputy White House Counsel Michael Purpura: Story continues 7). You argued on Monday that if witnesses were not called in the House investigation, they could not be called in the Senate. But given that witnesses in many prior impeachment trials testified for the first time in the Senate, would you not agree that there is ample precedent for calling Bolton and other new witnesses to testify? For Alan Dershowitz: 8). On Monday, you argued that Nothing in the Bolton revelations, even if true, would rise to the level of an abuse of power. Are you seriously arguing that withholding aid to get political dirt on your opponents to influence the next presidential election does not constitute abuse of power? 9). You have argued that only crime-like abuses are impeachable. Suppose a president put a bust of Hitler in the Oval Office and started saying Jews should be rounded up. Should he, too, not be removed? 10). You argued for a shoe-on-the-other-foot test. In that spirit, lets say Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was worried about opposition from Donald Trump in the 2016 election so she told the president of Turkey that she will authorize the release of U.S. aid to Turkey only if the Turkish president announces an investigation into the Trump familys suspicious financing of Trump Towers Istanbul. Would that be abuse of power? 11). You said on Monday that you favored Nixons impeachment. Article Two in 1974 was abuse of power. Are you now saying you have changed your mind about that case? For Jay Sekulow: 12). You have argued the president held up the military aid because of concerns about burden-sharing. But isnt it true that our European allies in this case were giving much more military aid to Ukraine than the United States, suggesting that burden-sharingwhile a legitimate complaint in other contextswas irrelevant to this particular decision to withhold assistance? For Pam Bondi: 13). Is there any evidence of any kind that Vice President Joe Biden took any improper action of any kind because his son was on the board of Burisma? 14). Why did you not mention that the European Union, the IMF, and other relevant bodies agreed with official U.S. foreign policy that Viktor Shokin was a corrupt prosecutor and had to go? Or that Burisma was not being investigated by Shokin during the period when Biden was calling for Shokins ouster? 15). For the three years of Hunter Bidens tenure on the Burisma board, the Republican Party controlled both houses of Congress. If this reflected so badly on Joe Biden, why was there not a single hearing held or single critical public statement from a Republican member of Congress? 16). Can you cite any precedent for an American president asking a foreign government to investigate an American citizen? 17). If Joe Biden did something wrong, why was there no Department of Justice investigation or request by President Trump for one? 18). Why should any American be held accountable for the behavior of adult children if there is no evidence the parent has done anything wrong? For Kenneth Starr: 19). In a 2009 law review article, Brett Kavanaugh said the 1998 impeachment of President Bill Clinton was a mistake. Given your decrying of what you call the age of impeachment, why wont you admit the same thing? For Jane Raskin: 20). You argued that Mr. Giuliani is just a minor characterthat shiny object meant to distract you. But given his many contacts with the president on the matters at issue in this trial, how can Giulianis testimony and documents not be relevant? The Q and A session is the Democrats' best opportunity to cement the case for witnesses and to shred the argument that abuse of power is not grounds for removal from office. The Democrats need to think not like loquacious senators but tough journalists and cross-examining lawyers. 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. Press Release 30 January 2020 HENDERSONVILLE, Tennessee - The U.S. hotel industry reported mixed year-over-year results in the three key performance metrics during the week of 19-25 January 2020, according to data from STR. Advertisements In comparison with the week of 20-26 January 2019, the industry recorded the following: Occupancy: -0.3% to 57.8% Average daily rate (ADR): +0.6% to US$125.07 Revenue per available room (RevPAR): +0.3% to US$72.24 St. Louis, Missouri-Illinois, registered the largest jump in RevPAR (+19.6% to US$57.74), driven by the only double-digit lift in ADR (+12.1% to US$107.42). Washington, D.C.-Maryland-Virginia, experienced the only double-digit rise in occupancy (+12.4% to 56.2%). Oahu Island, Hawaii, recorded the second-highest increases in ADR (+8.4% to US$246.12) and RevPAR (+17.9% to US$227.29). Overall, 15 of the Top 25 Markets reported a RevPAR increase. Anaheim/Santa Ana, California, saw the steepest decline in occupancy (-8.7% to 71.7%) and the largest drop in RevPAR (-18.6% to US$108.76). San Francisco/San Mateo, California, reported the largest decrease in ADR (-14.1% to US$218.18). Download STR's weekly U.S. hotel review. WASHINGTON -- Mykola Semena, a Crimean contributor to Radio Free Europe/Radio Libertys (RFE/RL) Ukrainian Service, has been released from house arrest in a case that has become synonymous with Russias efforts to silence independent voices on the peninsula. Semena, 69, received papers on January 28 documenting a January 14 decision by a court in Simferopol, the Crimean capital, to terminate his sentence and clear him of all charges. The ruling allows him to move freely and resume his journalism. Reacting to the news, RFE/RL President Jamie Fly said, Mykola is a free man free to be with his family, to receive the medical care he needs, and, of course, to write. Commenting further, Fly said, Journalism is not a crime. Mykolas arrest for publishing criticism of the annexation was politically motivated and a profound violation of his basic rights. We are very happy that his important journalistic voice will be heard again. Semena spoke to RFE/RL after his release, saying about his conviction, The hardest thingwas to accept the fact...that it was not a judicial court, but a court that was shaped by orders from above. He said it was particularly painful that, while the international rights community understood that his case violated international law, the judicial machinery just kept moving on. The whole process crossed about four years out of my life. Although he has been declared free, Semena says he does not expect to remain in his native Crimea. His release comes just 10 days after Taras Ibragimov, another RFE/RL Crimean contributor, was barred by Russias Federal Security Service from entering Crimea for a shocking 34 years. Human Rights Watch has described the ban as an effort by Russia to choke the flow of information about their crackdown on Crimean Tatar activists and other abuses. Semena, who has contributed to the Ukrainian Services Crimea.Realities unit, was arrested by Russia-backed authorities in April 2016 and charged with acting against the "territorial integrity of the Russian Federation" after publishing an article challenging Moscows forcible annexation of the peninsula in 2014. He was found guilty of separatism in 2017 and given a three-year conditional sentence that confined him to house arrest and banned him from public speaking, publishing in the media, or posting on social networks. He was vilified in Crimeas official media for his pro-Ukrainian position and called a traitor to the motherland and a foreign spy. His case drew public outrage, with the United States, the European Union, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and numerous media watchdogs and human rights groups condemning his conviction and demanding his release. In March 2017, 10 members of the U.S. Congress sent a letter to Crimeas prosecutor-general urging that the charges against Semena be dropped; in October that same year, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for his freedom. In 2018, Semena was awarded the prestigious Andrei Sakharov Order For Courage. In September 2019, U.S. Charge dAffaires in Ukraine William Taylor publicly recognized Semenas persecution by Russian authorities, calling him a hero...not with us today because [he is] in unfreedom. RFE/RL's Crimea.Realities project was launched just months after Russias annexation of Crimea in 2014 to provide accurate news and information in the Ukrainian, Russian, and Crimean Tatar languages to audiences otherwise captive to Russian state media. Its launch inspired Donbas.Realities, a similar project for audiences in the regions of eastern Ukraine currently under Russia-backed separatist control. Both are part of RFE/RLs Ukrainian Service, which sets a standard in the Ukrainian media market for independence, innovation, and professionalism. 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 Murder suspect Fotis Dulos had a new girlfriend who fronted thousands of dollars in cash in order for him to make bond, DailyMail.com has learned. Anna K. Curry, 42, put up $147,000 in cash and said she would pay an additional $272,000 to secure the $6million bond that Dulos posted after he was charged with the murder of his estranged wife, Jennifer Farber Dulos, who has been missing since last May, according to documents obtained by DailyMail.com. Curry was seen at Dulos' home at 4 Jefferson Crossing in Farmington, Connecticut, on Tuesday in the hours before he was due to attend a hearing at Stamford Superior Court where he feared his bond would be revoked and he would be jailed. She left Dulos' home around 10.30am to run errands and returned to find police officers fighting to revive him on the driveway, according to sources. Before his suicide attempt and death two days later, Fotis Dulos had a new girlfriend Anna K. Curry who paid 147,000 in cash in order for him to make bond, DailyMail.com can reveal Curry, 42, (pictured in 2005 with Ralph Lauren's daughter Dylan) was seen at Dulos' home in Farmington, Connecticut, on Tuesday just hours before he was due to attend a bond hearing and before his attempted suicide. He died on Thursday Dulos is pictured being transported into Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx on Tuesday after attempting to kill himself with carbon monoxide poisoning in his garage in Connecticut before a court appearance. He never recovered and died Thursday Shortly before midday, police officers performing a wellness check when he did not show at court, found Dulos, 52, inside his garage with a hosepipe taped to his exhaust in an attempted suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning. At one point he was legally dead, before being revived. He remained in a critical condition at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, New York, after being airlifted on Tuesday until Thursday afternoon, when he died. Curry, 42, also said she would pay an additional $272,000 to secure the $6million bond for Dulos, who was charged with the murder of his wife Jennifer Sources confirmed that Curry, who bears a striking resemblance to Dulos' missing wife Jennifer and his ex-girlfriend Michelle Troconis, who has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, was in a romantic relationship with him. A neighbor told DailyMail.com: 'A young woman has been at Fotis' house several times over the past few months. They've been out jogging together. She's been driving one of his cars.' Curry lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, and works in financial services. She worked at Capgemini, a consulting firm in New York, as a senior consultant in wealth management strategy for four years from 1999 until 2003, according to her LinkedIn. Dulos overlapped with her time at the company when he was a manager at Capgemini for seven years from 1997 until 2004. Curry went on to take other senior positions in wealth management at New York firms until 2013 when she relocated to North Carolina, where her family are based. She graduated magna cum laude from Duke University in Durham with a BA in history in 1999. Social media pictures appear to show she is a keen equestrian. On Curry, Dulos' lawyer Norm Pattis said in a earlier statement: 'It is my understanding and belief these were old friends who developed a friendship years ago at work and out of loyalty to that friendship she has assisted Mr. Dulos. We should all be lucky enough to have such a loyal friend.' Pattis confirmed to DailyMail.com in a text message that he was representing Curry. He declined to elaborate on Dulos and Currys relationship. The brunette bears a striking resemblance to Dulos' missing wife Jennifer (left) and mistress Michelle Troconis (right) who has also been charged in the disappearance Emergency workers are shown trying to revive Fotis Dulos at his home in Farmington, Connecticut, on Tuesday. Officials said he died after trying to poison himself with carbon monoxide in his garage Curry left Dulos' home around 10.30am to run errands and returned to find police officers fighting to revive him on the driveway, according to sources The Hartford Courant first reported that Curry wrote two checks for a total of $147,000 on January 9, according to public records, in order to pay the bail bondsman his fee on the $6million bond. Dulos contributed a check for $1,000. The conditions of Dulos' $6million bond meant putting up 7 per cent of that amount or $420,000 in cash, to prevent him awaiting trial in jail. In the documents, seen by DailyMail.com, Dulos lists Curry as his 'best friend'. He also lists the names of his five children and his sister, Rena, who lives in Athens, Greece and was due to arrive at the hospital to see her brother. According to the filing, Curry agreed to pay the balance of just over $272,000 in 15 installments until April 2021. Palmetto Surety Company, which originally posted the bond, had recently learned that two properties offered as collateral, including the real estate developer's mansion in Farmington, were subject to foreclosure and a third was overvalued by over $300,000. At Dulos' rescheduled bond hearing on Wednesday, the judge ruled that Dulos would not have to deal with issues over his bond unless he recovers. If his bond had been revoked, it may have prevented family from visiting him in hospital. Curry worked at a consulting firm in New York from 1999 until 2003 and Dulos overlapped with her at the company when he worked there from 1997 until 2004 Fotis was found in his car inside his garage. The exhaust pipe he used to try to kill himself is shown attached to his vehicle Pattis told the court that guards were watching over Dulos at Jacobi Medical Center for his own protection. He was alive when she testified. His family have flown in from his native Greece and are due at Jacobi Medical Center today. Dulos' attorneys were seen at the hospital on Thursday morning. Rena Kyrimi, his sister and closest living adult relative, has traveled to New York with his niece Angelika. Dulos had unsuccessful treatment in a hyperbaric chamber for carbon monoxide poisoning. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is used to raise the level of oxygen in a patient's blood and to reduce carbon dioxide levels as quickly as possible in cases of acute carbon monoxide poisoning. Sources told DailyMail.com that before the suicide, Dulos was 'losing his mind' at the prospect of having to go back into custody and that he tried to take his own life because of it. Dulos called Mark Motuzick of Capitol Bail Bonds in Hartford on Tuesday morning about taking over his bond. Motuzick had a conversation with Dulos around 10.30am when he called him back, and Motuzick said that Dulos had sounded out of breath and 'loopy'. The body of mother-of-five Jennifer Dulos never been found. During a search of Dulos' home, officers found a note proclaiming his innocence but no other evidence that could reveal the location of Jennifer Dulos' body Jennifer and her husband had been locked in a vicious custody battle for the last two years. In 2017 divorce documents, Jennifer said she was 'afraid' of Fotis and he would 'harm' her Officers found Dulos in the garage of his home with the car running shortly before midday. It is understood that he had been in the car for some time. Cops broke into the car to drag him out and perform CPR. Drone footage of the life-saving measures was captured by a news crew who had been at his Jefferson Crossing home on the intent of following Dulos to court for his hearing. He was then taken to UConn Health via ambulance before being airlifted to New York. After Dulos was discovered on Tuesday, there was confusion over his condition with his lawyer Norm Pattis initially saying that he was dead. He was later told that Dulos had a pulse. Law enforcement sources told the Hartford Courant that during a search of Dulos' home, officers found a note proclaiming his innocence but no other evidence that could reveal the location of Jennifer Dulos' body. Dulos' five children, aged 9 to 13, are in the care of their maternal grandmother, Gloria Farber, in New York City. Farber was seen being driven around New York City on Wednesday. Farmington Police Department have not responded to multiple requests for comment from DailyMail.com. Former Social Democratic Party (PSD) leader Liviu Dragnea declared on Thursday at the Supreme Court that he did not want to pay "any price" in order not to go to prison, stating that he wanted a fair trial. "Although in the press it was said that I am trying to get out of prison at any price, it is not so. I could have paid a price, but I did not want to, I wanted to have a fair trial," said Dragnea, in front judges of the Supreme Court. Asked by journalists, when exiting the courtroom, which was "the price" he was referring to, Liviu Dragnea replied: "The price was Romania". AGERPRES Macron accuses Turkey of breaking Libya promises After his meeting with Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis, the French President also announced a strategic security partnership which included an increased presence of the French Navy in Greece. French President Emmanuel Macron accused Turkey of breaking promises made at a conference on Libya after Turkish ships arrived in the north African country. I want to express my concerns with regard to the behavior of Turkey at the moment, which is in complete contradiction with what President Tayyip Erdogan committed to at the Berlin conference, Macron told a joint news conference with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. "TURKEY HAS BROKEN ITS PROMISES" Macron claimed Ankara of violating Libyas sovereignty and endangering European and West African security. We have seen during these last days Turkish warships accompanied by Syrian mercenaries arrive on Libyan soil. This is an explicit and serious infringement of what was agreed in Berlin. Its a broken promise. On Jan. 12, parties in Libya announced a ceasefire in response to a joint call by the leaders of Turkey and Russia. But two days later in Russia, talks for a permanent ceasefire ended without an agreement after Haftar left Moscow without signing the deal. A week later, Haftar accepted terms in Berlin to designate members to a UN-proposed military commission with five members from each side to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire. YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. The ruling My Step faction of the Armenian parliament is holding a meeting with acting Police Chief Arman Sargsyan. The closed-format meeting has kicked off at the headquarters of Civil Contract party. Before the start of the meeting Arman Sargsyan promised the reporters to talk to them after the meeting. On January 16 the My Step faction had a meeting with foreign minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan. That time faction head Lilit Makunts announced about their plans to hold such a meeting also with the acting Police Chief. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan The telecom company countered it saying it had applied for closure of all past licences that were due and has not taken any fresh licence since April 2018 because of no requirement. New Delhi: The Director General of Foreign Trade has Blacklisted telecom operator Bharti Airtel on the grounds of not meeting the export obligations and has put it on "Denied Entry List", official sources said. Government sources said Airtel failed to fulfil export obligation under Export Promotion Capital Goods Scheme. "Airtel has not taken any such licence since April 2018 as there is no operational requirement. In fact, the company has already applied for the closure of all past licences that were due and is awaiting approval from the authorities", sources in the Sunil Mittal company said. Companies under 'Denied Entry list' lose their import licence. The import-export licence of Bharti Airtel has been stopped, according to sources. The company, however, did not disclose the items of export and import as part of those licences. Bharti Airtel was put in this list due to non-fulfilment of export obligations under the export promotion capital goods (EPCG) scheme that the government has introduced. Under EPCG scheme, import of capital goods is allowed at zero customs duty for manufacturing goods and services. This is against an export obligation equivalent to 6 times of duty saved on the capital goods. BOSTON - The Boston Symphony Orchestra has cancelled its coming tour of Asia amid concerns about the deadly virus in China. Andris Nelsons, the orchestras music director, said Thursday that the decision was made out of concern for the health and well-being of its musicians. Please know that we are all passionately committed to a future visit to East Asia soon, he said in a statement. Most importantly, our hearts and prayers are with everyone who has been affected by the coronavirus. The esteemed orchestra had been scheduled to go on a four-city tour that included Seoul in South Korea, Taipei in Taiwan and Shanghai and Hong Kong in China from Feb. 6 to 16. Mark Volpe, the orchestras CEO and president, said the orchestra decided to scrap the entire tour after organizers in China cancelled the Shanghai performance. Unfortunately, this includes the BSOs performances in Seoul, Taipei, and Hong Kong areas much less impacted by the virus as it remains unclear how travel in and out of these regions will be affected in the coming weeks, he said in a statement. China has reported 170 deaths and at least 7,800 infections have been confirmed worldwide from the virus, which emerged last month in the central city of Wuhan. Sports and cultural events have been cancelled across the country and over 50 million people are under a government lockdown in central China. The Asia trip was to be the Boston orchestras 29th international tour and its first visit to Seoul since its founding in 1881. But the orchestra said its not unprecedented for its international performances to be cancelled suddenly. An appearance in Seoul during its 1960 tour was cancelled because of political unrest, and a performance in Beijing in 1999 was cancelled due to the accidental bombing of the Chinese embassy in the former Yugoslavia, the orchestra said. The orchestra said its considering scheduling concerts and special events in Boston during the time it was supposed to be on tour. On Wednesday, in the morning, at Government House, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC and Mrs Kaye de Jersey hosted a morning tea to officially launch the Governor's Courtyard, and the Governor addressed guests and unveiled two plaques. In the afternoon, at the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal, Brisbane City, His Excellency attended the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal Re-opening and 10 Year Celebration, and the Governor addressed guests and unveiled a plaque. In Budget 2020, it is fervently hoped that the government will focus on genuinely empowering the farm sector. In Budget 2020, it is fervently hoped that the government will focus on genuinely empowering the farm sector. It is a hope that this will not be done through doles and sops, as has been the case quite often. One hopes that the government will be capable of making some fundamental changes in the way it views agriculture and farm remuneration. Impoverished farmers First, contrary to what most people believe, the average farmer earns pathetically little (see chart). The datawhich has been compiled by NABARD shows that income from cultivation is pathetically low. The farmer usually augments this income through other means of livelihood. Had he depended only on cultivation, he and his family would have to die of starvation. That could explain why the highest number of suicides can be found among farmers. Of course, these are average figures. For instance, while the average farmer gets only Rs 711 a month from livestock rearing, farmers in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu and other progressive states get around Rs 100 per milch cattle per day for 300 days a year (the remaining days the cattle are allowed to go dry to prepare for the next round of insemination and lactation). So, even one cattle head could have generated around Rs 3,000 for the farmer per month, not Rs 711. And most farmers have two or three cattle in their backyard on an average. The reason the figure is low is that most farmers are exploited in most parts of the country. Except in the states where the Verghese Kurien-type cooperative movement is strong, or where there are progressive corporate players like Hatsun, Heritage or Nestle, farmers get precious little for the milk they produce. Somehow, many state governments have not worked towards ensuring that farmers get the same price for milk that farmers in Gujarat or Tamil Nadu get. That is a shame. Look at the incomes of farmers state-wisefigures once again taken from NABARD. The so-called progressive states like |Andhra Pradesh, even Maharashtra, can be quite exploitative. Farmers in Gujarat do earn a lot more, but not as much as farmers in states like Kerala and Punjab, where farmers are less exploited, and the states have taught them to go in for value addition. And this brings us to the crux of the problem confronting agriculture. Except for pampered farmers who grow rice and wheat (where the Food Corporation of India (FCI) procures their produce), and plantation growers, most other farmers get pathetically for their farm produce. Vegetable growers get barely 10 percent of the market price for their produce. Growers of grains like pulses are lucky to get 30 percent. This is a far cry from what Verghese Kurien of the White Revolution fame wanted. He always said that the most important player was the farmer. He had to earn more than the processor, the trader and the marketing distribution guys. His minimum benchmark was 50 percent but he managed to ensure that Gujarats farmers got 80-85 percent of the market price for their milk. Compare this with the 10 percent that vegetable growers get, or the 30 percent other grain producers get. Therefore, when the prime minister talks about doubling farmer incomes, it is inadequate. The farmer should get at least 50 percent (doubling would mean just 20 cent for the vegetable grower). How does one do this? Simple. Just get the FCI to purchase (non-rice and wheat) grain from the commodity exchanges at the minimum support price (MSP) declared by the government. Without procurement, the MSP is only a paper figure, and is a joke. Both MCX and NCDEX had proposed this. But the government continues to sleep over this proposal. Even a 5 percent procurement will compel traders to pay the farmers more. That will allow the farmers to earn more, even though it will mean squeezing the traders. The government can urge corporates and malls to enter into contract farming agreements with farmers for offtake of vegetablesbut at 50 percent of the market price. There are many other things that the government can do. Just push for such changes through the budget. Dont make a beggar out of farmers through doles. Dont teach him to be dishonest through loan waivers. Create a method for him to earn more. And please ensure that imports do not destroy market prices, ever. Do remember that this is what almost happened when some bright boys from the commerce ministry almost allowed New Zealand to seal 5 percent of its exports to India. The farmer lobbies howled in protest, and media reports showed how stupid these bright boys could be. Thanks to those protests, the government suddenly had the good sense to back off. Revival through the rural sector Why should the farmer be so crucial? There are at least three reasons which explain why the rural sector is crucial for an economic revival. First, remember that 50 percent of Indias population depends on agriculture. When 50 percent of Indias population of 1.3 billion depend on this sector, the government just cannot ignore it. It is part of the economy, even if it contributes just 14 percent to Indias GDP. Also remember, that the rural economy contributes only 14 percent because its produce is priced very low. Pay 50 percent of the market price, and the contribution of this sector will swell to 25 percent. Second, do appreciate the fact that unlike all the Asian tigersSouth Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and the likewhich grew because they were export-oriented, India is not an exporting economy. It is a consumption story. So if consumption is good, industry does well, and it can export as well. Hurt consumption, and you hurt industry and you also hurt exports. And that brings us to the third inescapable realisation that consumption depends also on the 650 million people staying in rural areas. That this 50 percent of Indias population is a purchasing community. It needs to purchase seeds, fertilisers, cement for houses and canals, harvesting equipment, tractors and motorcycles among others. And it purchases consumer products as well. If this 50 percent loses purchasing power, it purchases less. That hurts industry, and the slowdown can become acute. That is why the purchasing power that the rural sector enjoys is crucial for Indias economic revival. That is also one more reason why the Budget should categorically warn frenzied mobs who stop meat wagons under the specious excuse that the meat could be cows meat. Much of the meat coming to the market currently is buffalo meat. If the government want to protect cows, do so, but why hurt buffalo owners? In any case, in states where this gau rakshak madness has become frenzied, most farmers are switching over to buffaloes. That helps also because buffalo milk has more fat content. So the farmer gets more money for buffalo milk than for cows milk. But when a meat wagon is stopped, even if the traders life is dpared, the meat becomes rotten, unfit for human consumption, if it lies around for more than a few hours. The trader loses money, and he resolves not to purchase old cattle from farmers any more. The trouble is that the farmer gets around Rs 20,000 for each old cattle head. If he cannot sell the old buffalo, he loses Rs 20,000. He used to add another Rs 20,000 (sometimes even by borrowing this sum) to purchase a new buffalo. Now he cannot do so because the seed capital of Rs 20,000 is not forthcoming. Worse, he has additional expenses because he has to look after old cattle. As a result, the farmer loses purchasing power. The leather and beef industries which are both employment generators and forex earners lose money, and the economic depression becomes more severe. The losses on account of the ban on bovine slaughter could be costing the farmerson the aggregateanywhere between Rs 18,000 crore to Rs 30,000 crore (see table above). And this is without counting the losses in future income for the farmer, the losses caused to the cobbler and the leather merchandise industry and to the carabeef industry as well. It is time this madness is stopped, because one of the reasons for farm distress is the squeeze on cashflow and revenue generation because of these frenzied mobs who seek to stop meat wagons. The Budget must make a mention of this if the government want to show the country the solution to achieve an economic revival. Dear Finance Minister, you know how the country is hurting. And if you look closely, much of this hurt is on account of the distress in the rural sector (see chart). Some of this could be explained away as administrative oversight. Some of it may require a policy rethink. And some of it has to do with law and order, and the need to ensure that cash flows of the rural sector, the leather industry and the carabeef export industry are not adversely affected. Do this, and the government can hope for an economic revival within six monthsthe farming sector will become buoyant, and cash flows will return. That will trigger purchasing power, and in turn the wheels of industry will begin to move faster. (The writer is a senior journalist. He tweets @rnbhaskar1) Follow full coverage of Union Budget 2020-21 here Photo: Eight Row/Yelp Food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending today? We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp and SafeGraph, a dataset of commercial points of interest and their visitor patterns, to discover which restaurants have been in the limelight this month. To find out who made the list, we first looked at Seattle businesses on Yelp by category and counted how many reviews each received. Rather than compare them based on number of reviews alone, we calculated a percentage increase in reviews over the past month, and tracked businesses that consistently increased their volume of reviews to identify statistically significant outliers compared to past performance. Then we analyzed foot traffic data from SafeGraph to validate the trends. Read on to see which spots are on a hot streak, right now. Champagne Diner photo: champagne diner/yelp Open since August, this cocktail bar and diner is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Cocktail Bars" on Yelp. Citywide, cocktail bars saw a median 1.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Champagne Diner saw a 35.7% increase, with a slight downward trend from a 4.5-star rating a month ago to four stars today. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, Champagne Diner's review count increased by more than 330%. It's not the only trending outlier in the cocktail bar category: Rupee Bar has seen a 38.5% increase in reviews, and Kin Len Thai Night Bites has seen a 16.9% bump. Located at 945 Elliott Ave. West, Suite 201 (between Prospect and Roy streets) in Interbay, Champagne Diner serves up a champagne omelet served with summer vegetables, country ham and toast; a chilled mussel roll; a vegetable pot pie; and more. A slew of snacks and sides are also on offer, as well as mixed drinks, draft cider, wine by the glass and champagne bottles, which are available in its Bottle Shop. Champagne Diner is open from 11 a.m.10 p.m. on Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.11 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m.11 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m.3 p.m. on Sunday. (It's closed on Monday.) Story continues Eight Row Photo: eight row/Yelp Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Green Lake's Eight Row, the beer bar and New American spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data. While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 0.9% increase in new reviews over the past month, Eight Row bagged a 21.8% increase in new reviews within that time frame, with a slight downward trend from a 4.5-star rating a month ago to its current four stars. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 3.0 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance. Open at 7102 Woodlawn Ave. NE (between 72nd and 71st streets) since August 2019, Eight Row offers fried eggplant, pumpkin gnocchi, bison tartare, duck breast and more. Eight Row is open from 4 p.m.10 p.m. on Tuesday-Friday and 10 a.m.10 p.m. on weekends. (It's closed on Monday.) Watson's Counter Photo: tiffany z./Yelp Ballard's Watson's Counter is also making waves. Open since March 2019 at 6201 15th Ave. NW (between 62nd and 63rd streets), the popular Korean and breakfast and brunch spot, which offers coffee, tea and more, has seen a 7.4% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1% for all businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp. Watson's Counter offers a lineup of all-day eats like honey butter chicken and waffles, Fruity Pebbles French toast and Korean poutine fries topped with braised brisket in a housemade beef red-eye gravy and Beechers cheese curds. Over the past month, it's maintained a healthy 4.5-star rating among Yelpers. Watson's Counter is open from 8 a.m.4 p.m. daily. Mr. Lu's Burgers & Seafood photo: tr s./yelp The University District's Mr. Lu's Burgers & Seafood is the city's buzziest seafood spot by the numbers. The popular spot to score seafood and burgers, which opened at 4752 University Way NE (between 47th and 50th streets) in 2008, increased its new review count by 0.9% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1% for the Yelp category "Seafood." According to SafeGraph foot traffic data, visits to Mr. Lu's Burgers & Seafood increased by 50% over the past month. It's not the only trending outlier in the seafood category: Taylor Shellfish Farms - Seattle has seen a 0.7% increase in reviews. Mr. Lu's Burgers & Seafood offers fish and chips, grilled salmon sandwiches and Phoenix fries waffle fries topped with a medley of crumbled bacon, jalapenos, grilled onions, melted cheese and house Cajun sauce. The restaurant also serves up chicken wings, onion rings and fried mushrooms. Mr Lu's Burgers & Seafood is open from 11 a.m.10 p.m. on Monday-Saturday and noon10 p.m. on Sunday. According to SafeGraph, people visit Mr Lu's Burgers & Seafood most on Mondays and Sundays, and it attracts half of its total visitors over those two days, with a slowdown on Thursdays. New Leaf Bistro Photo: i r./Yelp West Seattle's well-established New Leaf Bistro is currently on the upswing in the noodle category on Yelp. While businesses categorized as "Noodles" on Yelp saw a median 1.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, this Vietnamese spot, which offers noodles and more, increased its new reviews by 1.2% and kept its rating consistent at four stars. Visits to New Leaf Bistro increased by 48% over the same time frame, according to SafeGraph's foot traffic data. Open for business at 2342 California Ave. SW (between College Street and Admiral Way) since 2015, New Leaf Bistro offers pho, banh mi sandwiches, pineapple fried rice, grilled pork chops and more. When it comes to drinks, look for Thai iced tea, bubble tea, coconut juice and Vietnamese coffee. New Leaf Bistro is open from 11 a.m.9:30 p.m. daily. According to SafeGraph, it's usually busiest at 3 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., and people visit New Leaf Bistro most on Saturdays and Fridays, with a slowdown on Sundays. 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. A clerk explains a product from LG Household & Health Care's luxury brand "The History of Whoo" to customers at a department store in Shanghai, China, in Jan. 2019. / Courtesy of LG Household & Health Care By Kim Jae-heun LG Household & Health Care has become a "serious competitor" with AmorePacific as a whopping sales increase of its signature products significantly helped it narrow the gap in sales here. LG's two luxury cosmetics labels "The History of Whoo" and "SU:M37" were the "right contributors" in helping the LG affiliate continue its bullish run in Chinese sales, according to officials and analysts, Thursday. Right after China's apparent retaliatory measure against South Korea banning Chinese tourist groups from visiting the country in 2016, the LG affiliate made a swift decision to keep its business momentum alive by beginning the sale of its products in Chinese department stores. In the third quarter of 2019, LG Household & Health Care's sales in China increased by 35 percent, year-on-year. A source in the cosmetic industry said the company's focus was on how to appeal to customers with high purchasing power in China. Chinese President Xi Jinping's wife Peng Liyuan also bought Whoo items when she visited Seoul in July 2014. The Chinese first lady has reportedly been recommending Whoo cosmetics at social parties there since then. LG Household & Health Care launched its popular high-end brand in China in 2006 as a follow-up to "Sulwhasoo," another Korean luxury label by the country's No.1 cosmetics maker AmorePacific. The brand opened shops in major department stores in Beijing and Shanghai to grow as a global firm and it owns 206 stores now. In 2018, it became the first Korean brand to reach sales over 2 trillion won ($16.8 billion). Last year it marked a new record, achieving annual sales over 2.58 trillion won. LG Household & Health Care's total sales have already beat its rival AmorePacific, but LG's cosmetics sector only contributes to 57 percent of the firm's profits. However, it seems it will only be a matter of time until LG Household & Health Care's cosmetics sector alone outperforms AmorePacific given the continued sales increase of its two flagship brands, officials and analysts said. Whoo, in particular, saw a 208 percent sales growth during Singles' Day, or the Chinese version of America's Black Friday, last year compared to that in 2018. It now ranks fourth in the luxury cosmetics sales in China after Estee Lauder, Lancome and SK-II. Heavy dependence on China is cited as the biggest challenging factor for the LG affiliate as rival AmorePacific is on track to expand its product lineups to the United States, Europe and countries in Southeast Asia. Park Hyun-jin of DB Financial Investment said both LG Household & Health Care and AmorePacific will now need to come up with the next luxury brand to succeed Whoo and Sulwhasoo. "It is hard to compare two brands directly in how much they are contributing to the success of their mother companies in the cosmetics sector. Luxury cosmetics lines are definitely the main businesses that contribute to both beauty firms' sales but they own different channels. What is important is that both LG Household & Health Care and AmorePacific need new luxury brands as growth engines," Park said. Vancouver, January 30, 2020 - Pure Energy Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: PE) (OTCQB: PEMIF) (the "Company" or "Pure Energy") is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Ann Fehr as Interim Chief Financial Officer, effective February 1, 2020. Ms. Fehr is a Chartered Professional Accountant, CGA with more than 25 years' experience which includes experience in mergers, corporate finance, financial reporting, governance, compliance, and management. She has held part time officer positions for venture listed companies since 2009 and is the founder and president of Fehr & Associates, which provides consulting services to a number of mineral exploration company clients. Ms. Fehr currently serves as CFO for two other TSX Venture listed corporations. Pure Energy Minerals wishes to thank Mr. Frank Wells who has acted as Interim CFO since November of 2018. The Company appreciates the important services provided by Mr. Wells in the past year and during its transaction with Pure Energy's strategic partner, Schlumberger Technology Corporation, which closed May 28, 2019. Mr. Wells plans to continue as a director of Pure Energy and chair of the audit committee. The Company also reports that a payment of US$250,000 to GeoXplor Corp. for option of its Clayton Valley mineral properties was made, as required by the underlying option agreement. About Pure Energy Pure Energy Minerals is a lithium resource developer that is driven to become a low-cost supplier for the growing lithium battery industry. Pure Energy has consolidated a pre-eminent land position at its Clayton Valley Project ("CV Project") in the Clayton Valley of central Nevada comprising 948 claims over 23,360 acres (9,450 hectares), representing the largest mineral land holdings in the valley. Pure Energy's CV Project adjoins and surrounds on three sides the Silver Peak lithium brine mine operated by Albemarle Corporation. The Company has completed a Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") for the Clayton Valley Project (news releases of June 26, 2017 and April 6, 2018) which includes an updated resource calculation and a preliminary economic evaluation. The economic analysis presented in the PEA is based upon inferred mineral resources only. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. There is no certainty that the Project envisioned by the PEA will be realized. In May of 2019, Pure Energy signed an Earn-In agreement with Schlumberger Technology Corporation ("SLB"), over the CV Project, which requires significant investment by SLB to include the design and construction of a pilot plant capable of processing lithium-bearing brines for high-quality lithium hydroxide monohydrate and/or lithium carbonate products at a specified rate. SLB will act as operator of the CV Project and will assume all costs and direction related to the project during the earn-in period. SLB has a 3-year period in which to achieve the goals to execute the Earn-In Agreement. SLB's costs, technical parameters and ultimate technology are anticipated to differ from Pure Energy's published PEA study. For further details, refer to Pure Energy's Annual General and Special Meeting Management Information Circular dated April 4, 2019, available on Sedar.com. Quality Assurance Walter Weinig, Professional Geologist and Qualified Person as designated by the Mining and Metallurgical Society of America (MMSA registration #01529QP), is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and supervised the preparation of the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for this news release. Mr. Weinig is not independent of the Company, as he is a former officer. On behalf of the Board of Directors, "Mary L. Little" Director, Pure Energy Minerals Ltd. CONTACT: Pure Energy Minerals Ltd. (www.pureenergyminerals.com) Email: info@pureenergyminerals.com Telephone - 604 608 6611 Cautionary Statements and Forward-Looking Information The information in this news release contains forward looking statements that are subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in our forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause such differences include: changes in world commodity markets, equity markets, costs and supply of materials relevant to the mining industry, change in government and changes to regulations affecting the mining industry. Forward-looking statements in this release may include future exploration and development on the CV Project. Although we believe the expectations reflected in our forward-looking statements are reasonable, results may vary, and we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except as required by applicable laws. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR DISSEMINATION DIRECTLY, OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/51934 The former director of the Sweetwater County Combined Communications Center and his wife were booked at the Sweetwater County Detention Center Monday. Robin Etienne, 50, of Ogden, Utah and his wife, Laura Etienne, 55, of Ogden, Utah, both face charges in Sweetwater County. Robin, the former director of the combined communications center, is charged with theft of an amount greater than $1,000, unlawful use of a credit card and wrongful appropriation of public property. Laura is charged with theft of an amount greater than $1,000 and unlawful use of a credit card. The two made their initial... President Donald Trump's White House has launched another disinformation campaign against a former staffer. This time John Bolton, the last national security adviser, is the target, thanks to revelations from his unpublished book. Trump said Monday that Bolton's claim about withholding aid to Ukraine in a quid pro quo "was only to sell a book." The president later added that Bolton "begged" him for a job and proffered advice that would have led to "World War Six by now." But he still hired Bolton. I know what Bolton is going through very well because Trump did the same to me. After I criticized him, the president started calling me a "nut job" and said I "wheedled" my way into his campaign. He and his administration officials did the same thing with his attorney Michael Cohen, his attorney general Jeff Sessions, his chief of staff John Kelly, and his defense secretary James Mattis. The obvious truth is that Trump can't simultaneously be the great leader and manager he says he is and then consistently flay every employee who manifests an independent opinion about something. Trump is either incapable of managing and working with the "best people," or he is not hiring them. Or maybe it's a hybrid: He has fired or forced the resignation of the best, and the ones who remain have become intimidated sycophants. It's what you would expect for a man whose temperamental management style is: Nobody else can shine, and whatever I say, even on a whim, is the final word. His tweet about Bolton Wednesday openly admitted he didn't listen to the national security adviser. The way to create more power is by giving it away and empowering staff to achieve your goals. But Trump is incapable of this. He has hobbled the executive branch and made it extremely difficult for the Cabinet departments and agencies to coordinate. He has left most of these agencies understaffed, and the heads of the agencies are afraid to do things because of the president's fickleness. Nobody feels empowered and they worry if they make a mistake, the president will come hunting for their heads. It's especially difficult when the officials in charge come up against extra-governmental policy efforts, like the one Trump had Rudy Giuliani running in Ukraine - the one that resulted in the recall of the ambassador to Ukraine, over Bolton's objection. Trump relies on (highly uninformed) instinct and eschews any sort of process. If Trump were the head of a public company, its board would immediately terminate and replace him. But politics is different. There, people tolerate the boss, even embrace him. Trump aides rationalize this work to ourselves in a cycle that I call Trump Employment Syndrome. The typical person that has worked for Trump or who currently supports him at one point found him very odd. Ted Cruz, Mike Pompeo, Kellyanne Conway, Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul and I all have one thing in common: We have each made public statements against then-candidate Trump and criticized his bizarre taunts and misbehavior. But when Trump won, we tried our best to see the positives, beginning a process of cognitive dissonance and moral equivocation. "Yes, it is impossible to justify the bullying, the ranting and inappropriate sociopathic behavior and the in general lifetime of morality," we tell ourselves. "But he is the president of the United States and we are eager to serve." Respect for the office of the presidency allows us to normalize what he is doing. We also have issues related to human weakness and are attracted to power, even when we have previously been people of ethics and principles. (While I thought I was helping the president and constantly giving him the benefit of the doubt, my wife was very disturbed by it and saw it exactly for what it is.) Lastly think of the judges, deregulation and tax cuts and the president's own words about how your 401(k)s (or 409(k)s if you are typing too quickly) are rising "beyond your wildest expectations." But all of this comes to a head in the third stage of Trump Employment Syndrome, which is binary: Eventually, after you've realized you can't mitigate the worst outcomes or moderate the president at all, you must either disavow your self-worth and personal integrity or else stand up and speak out. Bolton chose the latter when he resigned (even if Trump says he fired him) and then spoke out. People in the former category understandably don't want to weather the tweet storms from the president and his acolytes, so they remain compliant, despite the pleadings of their loved ones who aren't in the cult or broke free. I predict that many of these people who are stuck in stage two will regret their stage three choice when with the demagogic fever one day breaks. This national nightmare will eventually end, and when it does there will be lots of lives that will need to be repaired and plenty of apologies rendered. Until then, we will endure more disinformation campaigns against people like Bolton. I, for one, never felt more alive than with the president of the United States called me an "unstable nutjob" on Twitter. His bullying and intimidating methods have frozen many in his party, but when I began receiving them myself, I realized I was finally free. Bolton might learn that speaking the truth is the best method of recovery for Trump Employment Syndrome. _ _ _ Scaramucci, founder and managing partner of SkyBridge Capital. was fired as White House communications director after 11 days. EDITORS NOTE: On March 10, NJ Cannabis Insider hosts its first semi-annual, daylong industry conference, featuring leaders in the medical marijuana, hemp and legal cannabis industries. Early-bird tickets are now available. Those watching the weed world have likely heard of CBD and THC by now. But theres a new compound to watch out for in the alphabet soup: CBG. Thats short for cannabigerol, a cannabis compound thats legal when it comes from hemp, marijuanas mild cousin, but hard to find over the counter in New Jersey. Anecdotally, some say CBG is a better anti-inflammatory and anti-anxiety treatment than CBD or marijuana, and that its less likely to make a user groggy or paranoid. Some claim its particularly useful for treating glaucoma, and may even play a role in slowing the growth of cancerous cells. As many states, New Jersey included, await weed legalization, both customers and companies are taking advantage of legal cannabis products. Chief among those, the CBD market could be raking in as much as $16 billion by 2025, analysts have estimated. But as the market grows, questions remain. And with more than 100 identified, unexplored cannabinoids, its not clear why CBG is the latest to step into the spotlight. We just dont know a lot, said Dr. Matthew Mintz, a Bethesda, Maryland-based primary care physician who specializes in medical marijuana. Its one of these cannabinoids that has some potential to be particularly useful. Its just way too early, way too soon to tell." CBGs more-known relative, CBD, or cannabidiol, is found in hemp and marijuana. When derived from hemp, marijuanas legal, mild cousin, it will not make a user feel high. Its sold widely as a holistic treatment for inflammation and anxiety, although evidence to support those claims remains largely anecdotal. THC, the most famous cannabinoid, is the one found in significant quantities in marijuana, and produces a high. CBG can be found in small amounts in each plant. Isolating CBG, some animal studies show, may have increased medical benefits if only researchers can start digging deeper. Years of cannabis prohibition have built up testing roadblocks that have given little scientific proof of CBDs supposed benefits, also those have also blocked research into CBG. Right now, Dr. Mintz said, he would not recommend it to patients, due to a lack of research. He does, however, recommend full-spectrum CBD products, which contain other cannabinoids like CBG, rather than the isolated compound. Ethan Russo, the director of Research and Development at the International Cannabis and Cannabinoids Institute, said formal clinical trials on CBD remain lacking. The current roadblocks to cannabis research are formidable in the USA, and will certainly make it difficult to initiate proper studies here, in spite of the fact that CBG seems to have no drug abuse liability, Russo previously told NJ Cannabis Insider. For now, its difficult to track down outside of Europe and the West Coast, he said. An online search for CBG calls up far fewer results than CBD, but capsules are available. Forging ahead, some growers are experimenting with genetic manipulation and crossbreeding of plants to boost CBG, and others in New Jersey are paying attention. At medical marijuana Harmony Dispensary in Secaucus, most of the products have less than 1% CBG, but some strains have closer to 2%, said Adam Johnstone, the director of cultivation. Theres too little information on the compound for Harmony to begin isolating it, but Johnstone said there are strains with a good amount of the potent compound left behind from the metabolized process that allows the plant to produce THC or CBD. For patients interested in getting a bit more CBG now, its important to take a close look at the compounds present in certain strains. We encourage consumers to research the full spectrum of cannabinoids that are available from this plant to experience a more holistic approach to healing, Johnstone said. Amanda Hoover can be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandahoovernj. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Investigators have seized two trucks as evidence that belonged to the family of a prime suspect in the cold case disappearance of California college student Kristin Smart who vanished 24 years ago. Authorities revealed details of the new evidence on Wednesday in a long-awaited investigation update in the 1996 disappearance of the 19-year-old Cal Poly student. The two trucks now in evidence were confiscated from the family of Paul Flores - the Cal Poly student who was the last known person to see Smart the night she vanished. Flores has long been the primary suspect in Smart's disappearance but he has never had any charges filed against him. Authorities investigating the 1996 disappearance of 19-year-old Kristin Smart revealed on Wednesday they had new evidence in the case In addition to the two trucks, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office said they had submitted 37 pieces of evidence from the early days of the investigation for modern DNA testing. Paul Flores is the Cal Poly student who was last known person to see Smart the night she vanished. He has long been the primary suspect in Smart's disappearance but he has never had any charges filed against him Authorities also revealed they have recovered 140 new items of evidence, carried out 18 search warrants and conducted 91 interviews since 2011. The sheriff's office disclosed that they have spent about $62,000 in investigative expenses related to the Smart case. Authorities took the unusual step of releasing the case update following the large number of public inquiries related to Smart's disappearance. The case was recently catapulted back into the public eye due to a local podcast about the Smart investigation. Smart's mother also revealed earlier this month that she had been contacted by a former FBI agent who warned her to be ready for news related to her daughter's case. Smart was last seen in the early hours of May 25, 1996 when she returned to her dorm after a party near the California Polytechnic State University campus. The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office said they had submitted 37 pieces of evidence from the early days of the investigation for modern DNA testing in relation to Smart's disappearance Smart was last seen in the early hours of May 25, 1996 when she returned to her dorm (pictured above) after a party near the California Polytechnic State University campus Authorities also revealed they have recovered 140 new items of evidence, carried out 18 search warrants and conducted 91 interviews since 2011 Flores was the last person to see her alive, according to investigators. He told police at the time that he walked Smart back from the party but parted ways with her about a block from her dorm. She was reported missing two days later by a friend but a search didn't begin until days later due to a miscommunication between authorities. During the investigation, four different search dogs trained to pick up the smell of human remains led police to Flores' dorm room. No evidence was found in Flores' room. Smart was officially declared dead in 2002 but her body has never been found. Various search efforts have been carried out over the years, including the excavation of three different hillside locations near the campus in 2016. At the time, an investigator said a lead strongly suggested her remains might be buried near a large concrete letter 'P' that is the school's landmark. The search ended with no trace of Smart's remains. Smart was officially declared dead in 2002 but her body has never been found. Her parents and siblings are pictured above after she vanished The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has backed a protest march to be held by Bord na Mona workers in Shannonbridge, County Offaly on Saturday, February 1. The rally and march have been organised by Bord na Mona workers and pensioners in protest at the failure to deliver a Just Transition for the affected workers and communities, across the Midlands. The initiative enjoys widespread support among local communities and energy sector workers in the region. It also follows news that the power station in Shannonbridge will be demolished along with Lough Ree at the end of this year. A statement from the ESB read: As required by our planning permission and environmental licence, the station at West Offaly will be demolished and the site remediated following cessation of operations. Speaking ahead of the February 1 demonstration in Shannonbridge, Congress General Secretary Patricia King said the failure to implement a fair and Just Transition had created fear and anxiety across the Midlands. To date, government has borrowed the language of Just Transition but failed utterly to deliver on the substance. The workers and communities had already signed up to the transition to a low carbon economy but made it clear it had to happen in a fair manner and that workers and communities would not be left behind. That means creating good quality replacement jobs and opportunities to make up for those being lost in peat production. That means investing in areas like retrofitting and renewable energy production in order to address that jobs shortfall and to assist with the countrys overall shift to a low carbon economy. To date that has not happened and workers in the Midlands rightly fear their region being abandoned in the years to come. Their campaign has the full support of Congress and affiliated unions and we would urge voters on February 8 to exercise their vote accordingly, Ms King said. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES TORONTO, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Euro Sun Mining Inc., (TSX: ESM) (Euro Sun or the Company) is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced non-brokered private placement financing of common shares (the Offering) for total gross proceeds of C$3,300,000. Pursuant to the closing of the Offering, the Company issued 11,379,310 shares of the Company at a price of C$0.29 per share for gross proceeds of C$3,300,000. Euro Sun intends to use the proceeds of the Offering for the advancement of its Rovina Valley Project and for general corporate purposes. The common shares issued under the Offering are subject to a hold period that expires on May 30, 2020. The securities referred to in this news 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 applicable securities laws of any state of the United States, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) or persons in the United States unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and any other applicable securities laws of the United States or an exemption from such registration requirements is available. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of these securities within any jurisdiction, including the United States. Corporate Update The Companys focus for 2020 continues to be on the successful completion of our three major initiatives. At the project level we are working on our Urbanization Certificate, which is split into two parts; the first is our Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and the second being our re-zoning plan. As previously press released, we have retained international environmental consultancy ERM, through their local offices in Romania, to conduct the EIA process and public audience as part of our Urbanization certificate for the project. Additionally, we continue to advance the Urbanization certificate for the plan of the project through the completion of the ongoing survey and cadastral registration as we move the current project footprint through the necessary re-zoning plan with the local county level authorities. During 2019 management spent considerable time and effort to optimize the parameters of the project in preparation for our feasibility study. We conducted numerous trade-off studies focused on optimizing the project without increasing the initial capital required for the project. As such, the feasibility study will now focus on the inclusion of the Rovina open pit sequentially to the Colnic open pit. We now expect to deliver a much larger project than that of the preliminary economic assessment of 2019 with higher gold and copper production through a longer mine life. Our staged approach to exploiting the project with the inclusion of Colnic and Rovina will maximize the economics of the project while still leaving tremendous upside with the Ciresata deposit to be developed at a later stage. The Company just returned from the Vancouver Resource Investment Conference where we introduced our outstanding project to many new investors. Euro Sun has also been invited to present at the 29th BMO Global Metals and Mining Conference being held in Hollywood, Florida from February 23rd-26th, one of the pre-eminent global mining conferences by invitation only. We would also announce that Stan Bharti has resigned from the board of directors effective immediately. About Euro Sun Mining Inc. Euro Sun is a Toronto Stock Exchange listed mining company focused on the exploration and development of its 100%-owned Rovina Valley gold and copper project located in west-central Romania, which hosts the second largest gold deposit in Europe. Further information: For further information about Euro Sun Mining, or the contents of this press release, please contact Investor Relations at info@eurosunmining.com Caution regarding forward-looking information: This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, without limitation, statements regarding the Offering, use of proceeds of the Offering, project optimization, the anticipated results of the feasibility study, project economics and advancement of the Urbanization certificate. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including risks inherent in the mining industry and risks described in the public disclosure of the Company which is available under the profile of the Company on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Company's website at www.eurosunmining.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. 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. The TSX does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) absent such registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. Superstar Akshay Kumar will be sharing screen space with Sara Ali Khan and Dhanush in filmmaker Aanand L Rai's next "Atrangi Re". The film, which reunites Dhanush and Aanand after their 2013 critical hit "Raanjhanaa", will feature Akshay in a "special role", the makers have said. "I am thrilled to be working with Aanand L Rai, I have always admired the way he has showcased his stories. When he narrated the film to me I said yes to it within ten minutes. "It is a very challenging character to play but at the same time it is such a special role that my heart just couldn't say no to it and I will remember it for the rest of my life," Akshay said in a statement. The 52-year-old actor also said that he looks to forward to working with the two lead actors. "My combination with Sara and Dhanush truly makes it true to its title - 'Atrangi'! And I know that Aanand in his special and simple way of storytelling will only add magic to it. As I said, my heart just couldn't let this one go," Akshay added. Aanand hailed the superstar for saying yes to the part. "It takes a secure actor like Akshay to do such a role. He has been pushing the envelope and is always up for challenges," he said. About his film's lead actors, Sara and Dhanush, the filmmaker said, "Their pairing is quite interesting and exciting. Fans will love the freshness these two will bring on the big screen." The director described "Atrangi Re" as a musical from noted composer A R Rahman and a project that is close to his heart. T-Series head Bhushan Kumar said he is happy to have joined hands with Aanand for the new film. "I'm overwhelmed to be associated with such a unique film. Working with Aanand L Rai yet again is really special. He's such a fine filmmaker and this time around we have three brilliant actors on board. It definitely can't get better than this," Bhushan said. Aanand will direct the film from a script by National award winner Himanshu Sharma. Presented by T Series, Colour Yellow Productions and Akshay'a Cape Of Good Films, "Atrangi Re" will go on floors on March 1. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Developing a therapy to combat cancer remains one of the most difficult challenges in medical research. Cancer owes its notorious identity to the fact that the cancer cells use the host's own immune system to grow and spread, ultimately becoming deadly. Immune cells like macrophages, which ordinarily fight to protect normal cells, are hijacked by malignant cancer cells, and populate the environment around the tumors, becoming tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). In fact, it was found that the cancerous tissue of patients for whom immunotherapy was not successful was indeed rich in macrophages, confirming the link between the cancer and the TAMs. It is these TAMs that produce signaling proteins like chemokines and trigger the inhibitory immune checkpoint releases that create an immunosuppressive tumor environment, which protects the cancer cells and allows their accelerated growth. Since it is the TAMs that facilitate the spreading of cancer cells, regulating them as a therapeutic strategy for combating cancer has gained attention in recent years. A research group led by Yuya Terashima from the Tokyo University of Science saw this as an opportunity to explore the realm of developing novel anti-cancer drugs. Their seminal work in Nature Immunology 2005 reported the discovery of a new target protein called FROUNT, which is linked to regulation and movement of the TAMs. Since FROUNT amplified "chemokine signaling," a type of cellular communication, an integral process for TAM accumulation and activity, it was therefore linked directly to TAM regulation. The team decided to expand on these findings, in order to investigate whether a therapeutic strategy can be formulated and have published their findings in Nature Communications. Through animal experiments, the researchers found that by regulating FROUNT expression in TAMs, cancer growth could be suppressed. Then, in order to reduce any side effects, the team also developed an independent strategy of limiting the effect of FROUNT on chemokine signaling by inhibiting the interaction between the two. The team screened 131,200 compounds and zeroed in on disulfiram, a drug used to treat alcoholism, and known for its potential as an anti-cancer drug. This drug was found to directly bind to the FROUNT site, making FROUNT unavailable for interaction with the components of chemokine signaling. Reflecting on the results, Terashima explains, "When tested on mice, disulfiram inhibited the movement of macrophages and suppressed the growth of cancer cells. Therefore, our findings present a new cancer treatment strategy that can suppress the growth of cancer cells that are difficult to respond to by immune checkpoints when used in combination with disulfiram." The team is now further pushing the boundary of the finding and has started clinical research at the National Cancer Center Hospital East. Illustrating the outline for further research, Terashima comments, "since macrophages pose as a problem in various types of diseases, the indications for FROUNT inhibitors for a wide range of diseases may be considered." Indeed, the team expects this this to be the first therapeutic strategy to regulate TAMS, and are hopeful that a better understanding of the correlation between the inhibition of the target protein FROUNT and TAMs paint a promising picture for the future of novel therapeutic strategies. ### 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 Dr. Terashima from Tokyo University of Science Dr. Yuya Terashima is a junior associate professor at the Department of Biological Sciences, Tokyo University of Science. He discovered a chemokine signal regulator FROUNT which directly binds to the receptor, and has been studying for the family of the chemokine-receptor associating molecule, aiming for therapeutic applications of their functional inhibitors. He works with his team to understand the molecular mechanisms of living organisms with a specific perspective on inflammation and immunology, and drug discovery. Funding information This study was supported in part by Practical Research for Innovative Center Control (JP19ck0106422) and Project for Cancer Research and Therapeutic Evolution (P-CREATE, JP19cm0106204) from the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) and JSPS KEKENHI. The Trump administration said Thursday that it will continue _ at least for now _ its policy of not sanctioning foreign companies that work with Iran's civilian nuclear program. But to signal that its pressure campaign against Tehran continues, Treasury announced new sanctions targeting the head of Iran's nuclear program and the agency he directs. Brian Hook, US envoy to Iran, said the US would renew for 60 days sanctions waivers that permit Russian, European and Chinese companies to continue to work on Iran's civilian nuclear facilities without running afoul of US sanctions. The waivers are among the last remaining components of the 2015 nuclear deal that President Donald Trump pulled out of in 2018. Hook told reporters at the State Department that although the waivers will remain in place, the US would closely monitor all aspects of Iran's nuclear program and said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo can ``end these projects as developments warrant.'' Iran hard-liners in Congress, including Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Tom Cotton of Arkansas, have argued that the waivers should be revoked because they give Iran access to technology that could be used for weapons. Those who supported the US participation in the nuclear deal say the waivers give international experts a valuable window into Iran's atomic program that might otherwise not exist. They also say some of the work, particularly on nuclear isotopes that can be used in medicine at the Tehran reactor, is humanitarian in nature. New sanctions against Iran that the US announced on Thursday target Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and its director, Ali Akbar Salehi. The sanctions freeze any assets that Salehi has within US jurisdiction. The new sanctions come amid heightened tensions between Iran and the US since Trump unilaterally withdrew America from Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers in May 2018. Since then, Iran has begun breaking terms of the deal, which limited its enrichment of uranium. ``The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has played a big role in Iran breaching its key nuclear commitments. It has exceeded the limits on its uranium stockpile and enrichment levels,`` Hook said, adding that Salehi personally inaugurated the installation of new advanced centrifuges to expand Iran's uranium enrichment capacity. Separately, Treasury announced that a new financial channel for humanitarian goods has been created with Switzerland to benefit medical patients in Iran. Hook said four shipments of cancer and transplant drugs have already been delivered to Iran. ``Iranian cancer and transplant patients are receiving treatments through this channel, which is subject to strict due diligence measures to avoid misuse by the Iranian regime,'' Treasury said in a statement. Search Keywords: Short link: Four Indian nationals, including two children, belonging to the same family died of suffocation after they were crushed beneath a pile of gunny sacks in Nepal, the second tragedy to strike Indians in the Himalayan nations this month. The incident happened in Gallamandi Pipariya area of Siddharthanagar Municipality in province No 5 of western Nepal. According to Nepal Police, Sahajad Hussain, 30, his wife Saddab Khatun and their two-year-old daughter and six-year-old son were found dead beneath a pile of sacks in their rented room. They belonged to Bihar. The four, who had been working as rag pickers for one and a half decade in the area, might have died of suffocation, according to preliminary reports. Their bodies have been kept in a hospital in Rupandehi district for post-mortem. The police said they are conducting further investigation into the matter. Eight Indian tourists, including four minors, from Kerala died in Nepal last week after they fell unconscious due to a suspected gas leak from a heater in their room at a resort in Makwanpur district. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) UK is set to become first country to leave the European Union. Here is your guide to what will happen next. On Friday evening, as the clock strikes 23:00 GMT, Britain will leave the European Union. More than three and a half years since the EU referendum, during which the country has seen two general elections and much political wrangling, the wishes of 17.4 million Britons will be realised. But do not expect an end to the drama. January 31 marks a single page-turn in the Brexit odyssey and the next chapter could be just as fraught. A transition period will run for at least 11 months, Prime Minister Boris Johnsons ideal timeframe, while negotiators thrash out the future relationship between the United Kingdom and the EU. Unpicking 40 years of integration promises to be a testing process and there is scepticism on both sides of the English Channel. Many are simply wondering: What next? Here are five things to know: What actually happens on February 1? Little will change immediately. The UK will enter the transition period and it will be out of EU political institutions but still for at least the next 11 months ruled by EU laws. 200102081337546 Britons and EU nationals will continue to benefit from free movement and live in their countries under the rules and regulations they are used to. When the divorce is finalised, free movement for British immigrants in EU countries will end, according to the Withdrawal Agreement, but they will be afforded rights. EU nationals living in the UK are being urged to apply now for the UKs EU Settlement Scheme, but they can wait until the deadline June 30, 2021, if a deal is reached, or December 31, 2020, if the conclusion is a no-deal Brexit. Will there be a UK-EU trade deal? A trade deal is likely but not certain. A comprehensive trade deal with the EU, the UKs largest trading partner, is the British governments ultimate goal. But negotiating one will not be easy, especially in the UK-mandated 11-month timeframe. Before talks can begin, both sides need to publish their negotiating objectives. The EUs chief Brexit figure, Michel Barnier, must also obtain a formal negotiating mandate from the blocs leadership. This is unlikely to happen before the end of February. At that point, talks can start in earnest. Reports have said discussions will begin early March. If industry really creates a fuss about loss of market access, extending might look nicer to Mr Johnson than slogging it out. Alan Winters, economics professor and head of the UK Trade Policy Observatory at the University of Sussex Johnson is pushing for a Canada-style agreement, one modelled on the EUs arrangement with Ottawa. CETA, as the deal is known, removes 98 percent of tariffs on traded goods, though sizeable restrictions remain. Despite being less ambitious than the proposed UK-EU pact, it still took seven years to be finalised. Johnson has also ruled out alignment with European regulations. Barrier-free trade is an aim Brussels shares with London, but only if a level playing field can be agreed code for convergence on the likes of labour, taxes, the environment, and state aid. Having already removed former Prime Minister Theresa Mays promise to safeguard workers rights in line with EU standards, Johnson faces a fight. Alan Winters, economics professor and head of the UK Trade Policy Observatory at the University of Sussex, said the sticking point is one of enforcement. Brussels will demand the invocation of EU law when solving commercial disputes, but the UK has been unwavering: No European Court of Justice (ECJ) involvement post-Brexit. It is a contentious area that will require a unique solution, and therefore time, said Winters. #BrexitDay THREAD Tonight as the clock strikes eleven, Britain will leave the EU. Here's your guide to what will happen next: https://t.co/sEHMepRpKf pic.twitter.com/Och2LG2TRj Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) January 31, 2020 If no compromise can be reached, the UK will leave without an agreement. That would mean regulatory barriers, tariffs, and quotas. In all likelihood, the UK will strive for at least a bare-bones deal that covers the trade of goods and perhaps some services by December. That is unless Johnson backs down on extending the transition period. This is unlikely but not inconceivable, said Winters. If industry really creates a fuss about loss of market access, extending might look nicer to Mr Johnson than slogging it out, he said. Does UK now have full control over immigration? The argument to bolster Britains borders was crucial in the Leave campaigns victory. In terms of migration, little will change on January 31. A member of Europes single market for the duration of the transition period, Britain must keep its frontiers open to EU citizens. No passport impediments, no visa requirements complete freedom of movement. But Brexits chronic uncertainty will likely see EU arrivals continue to fall, said Sophie Barrett-Brown, a London-based immigration lawyer. The general trend of dwindling numbers will continue for the majority of the year due to uncertainty and also lack of awareness of the relevant EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) deadlines. Unless the government agrees to an extension of the transition period, there is likely to be a significant drop in the number of arrivals from January 2021 onwards, she said. Nigel Farage, former leader of hard-right UKIP, sparked controversy when he unveiled this poster in London to encourage people to get behind Brexit [Stefan Wermuth/Reuters] In 2019, net migration from Europe fell to its lowest level since 2003. Fewer than 50,000 EU nationals moved to Britain last year a fraction of the 200,000 that arrived in the run-up to the 2016 referendum. The shortfall is cause for concern for British industry. There are deficits at every level of the UK job market, business groups have said, caused in part by the decline in EU arrivals. Johnsons plan for post-transition period immigration has been met with equal unease from rights groups and some businesses. A three-tier points-based system is in the works: Exceptional talent, skilled workers, and temporary staff. The government says it will be fair, but not all are convinced. Johnson should waste no time in providing thorough details, according to the British Chambers of Commerce, which has warned of costly delays for businesses anxious to plan their post-2020 employment programme. Will UK still be subject to EU law? During the transition period, the UK will continue to obey EU rules, for example, employment regulations, consumer standards and competition legislation. On areas of EU law, the European Court of Justice will continue to exercise its jurisdiction though the UK will have no say in the creation of new laws, nor will the ECJ feature a British judge. In time, Brexit will see the repatriation of laws governed by Brussels to London. But not in the short term and in some cases, not for years. Beyond the transition period, Johnson is adamant that the Luxembourg-based body holds no further sway over the UK. A poster aimed at EU citizens living in the UK encourages EU nationals to apply to the governments post-Brexit EU settlement scheme [File: Adrian Dennis/AFP] Michael Dougan, a professor of European law, said the prime ministers Withdrawal Agreement allows for continued EU oversight on specific policy areas. After the transitional period, the Withdrawal Agreement provides for the ECJ to continue to exercise certain forms of jurisdiction in relation to the UK, for example as regards interpretation of the provisions on citizens rights [and] the Protocol dealing with Northern Ireland. Likewise, for up to four years after the end of the transition period, the European Commission will be able to bring infringement cases against the UK for breaches of EU law prior to December 2020. What will happen with Northern Ireland? On Saturday morning, the UK will share a 483-kilometre (300-mile) land border with the EU: The frontier between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. It will remain open and free-flowing for the duration of the transition period. Soon after Brexit day, special committees of British and EU representatives will meet to thrash out a future settlement. The Northern Ireland Protocol the arrangement designed to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland will be fleshed out and, all going well, agreed without delay. But the talks promise to be tough. The Protocol seeks to keep Northern Ireland in the UKs customs territory while simultaneously applying EU rules on agricultural and manufactured goods. This will remove the need for a customs border on the island, a politically tense proposition given Irelands history of sectarian violence, but means a de facto regulatory frontier emerging in the Irish Sea. Northern Ireland could suffer financially in this scenario, said Katy Hayward, an author and reader in sociology at Queens University Belfast. We can expect to see a rise in paperwork and thus in costs for the movement of goods across the Irish Sea, and consequently a rise in prices for consumers in Northern Ireland, plus the risk of a disruption to supply chains, she said. It will require new levels of political maturity among elected representatives here to ensure that this period of flux does not give rise to growing polarisation and recriminations, she added. Samsung has more foldable phones planned for later in the year Samsung released its Q4 2019 financial report earlier today which showed a decrease in profits, but a very healthy smartphone division. As part of the report Samsung outlined its plans to launch more foldable smartphones later in the year which isnt surprising as the company estimates it can sell 5-6 million foldables in 2020. Previously DJ Koh confirmed that Samsung will significantly increase the sales of foldable smartphones next year. The new financial report also outlines this goal as Samsungs mobile division will focus on flagship and foldable phones in 2020. Furthermore, Samsung will differentiate its premium smartphones by bringing even more 5G-capable phones and introducing new designs for foldable phones. Samsung expects both product categories to help keep revenues steady. We already know Samsungs second foldable phone - the Galaxy Z Flip is expected to launch on February 11. It will bring a clamshell design with an Ultra thin glass (UTG) display which should offer improved durability. The rest of the spec sheet includes the Snapdragon 855+ SoC, two 12MP cameras and a 3,300 mAh battery with 15W quick charging. Source | Via Renowned accordion player Ned Kelly will travel to Belfast next month to receive an Outstanding Contribution Award at the TG4 Gradam Ceoil - but he'll be back in the calving shed the next morning on his dairy farm in Millbrook, Nenagh. "You wouldn't be idle," Ned (46) jokes - indeed the first calf of the 2020 season had just dropped moments before he picked up the phone. The Tipperary man, who along with his father William (a hardy 75) milks 130 cows and finishes cattle, is all set for his busiest time of on the farm. "It's like anything in life, when you get stuck into the middle of it there nothing you can do only embrace it," he says. Ned's musical talents have brought him acclaim all over the country and further afield. A four-time All-Ireland Fleadh Ceoil-winning accordion player, he has been involved in the promotion of traditional music among young people since landing his first title in 1992. Neither of his parents were musicians, although there was a great love of music in his house as a child. Ned became interested in playing the accordion at a young age. "I started learning properly when I was 10 or 11. I went on then to compete in Fleadhs and won a good few All-Irelands," he says. Pupils "When I got to 18, I started teaching, and I've been lucky over the years that a lot of my pupils did very well in Fleadh Ceoils." Ned was instrumental in the establishment of a traditional youth orchestra, explaining that he became inspired by the story of Donal Walsh and set about raising funds through traditional music. "The first traditional youth orchestra concert and CD made 30,000," he says. "Following the success and thinking the project was over, we disbanded the orchestra, but there was war with all the teenagers, who wanted the orchestra set up on a continual basis. "So six years later we're still here and have raised well over 250,000 for different charities." Ned believes the future of traditional music is secure, saying there has been a massive increase in interest among young people. "When I was getting more and more into the music, some of my family thought I was stone mad with a busy farming at home," he says. "Nowadays, there's a massive interest in it because more accessible to learn. Parents now can afford fairly expensive instruments at the drop of a hat, and there are more teachers around. "Back in my day, it was tough to get in with a teacher; there wasn't that many teaching traditional music. "Nowadays we have a couple of hundred kids involved in our local branch of Comhaltas. "It's not going to die out now anyway, that's for sure." Even with all his commitments, including his wife and three kids, Ned still has time to run his substantial dairy and beef farm in Tipperary. "There are times of the year you'd be going out the road and meet yourself coming back," he says. "I'm lucky to have my dad. I wouldn't be gone that often, but if was going to do a concert on a particular day, he'd cover milking for me. "Often I'd be going to a concert somewhere, and the bus would be leaving at 8.0 in the morning, and the milk lorry could be going before it, and the cows could be in for milking at 4.45am. "That doesn't happen to happen - but that's what you have to do if you want to make it work." Ned's father started farming from scratch in Millbrook in the mid-70s and built the operation up slowly over the years. The Kellys, like many dairy farmers, are increasing the cow numbers at the moment and will be milking 130 cows this year. However, they still retain a beef enterprise, partly because their land is fragmented. "It's a thing we always did, and we love the cattle. Okay, there are times when you're not making a lot, but if you're going to banks and borrowing money you have that asset," Ned says. Ned worries that too many farmers are growing their herds too quickly. We have been growing the cow numbers gradually over the years and learning as we go. Mentaility "However, it seems like no one has any interest in 50 cows anymore," he says. "The mentality seems to be 'go into the bank and borrow 600,000-700,000, put up state-of-the-art everything and then start off with 150 cows'. "While there are some brilliant operators out there, there's an awful lot of lads that are going to the wrong fellas for advice. "I don't think a lot of them realise the work that's in it." Ned says many young dairy farmers are caught in a situation where they have huge cow numbers and no help. "Some of them can become bitter men then," he says. The 2020 Gradam Ceoil TG4 music awards are coming to Belfast on February 23 to honor an array of talented Traditional Irish and international musicians. Tickets for TG4 Gradam Ceoil Awards 2020 are available now from www.waterfront.co.uk or +442890334455 NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- J.F. Lehman & Company ("JFLCO"), a leading middle-market private equity firm focused exclusively on the aerospace, defense, maritime, government, and environmental sectors, is pleased to announce that an investment affiliate has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Global Marine Group ("GMG" or the "Company"), headquartered in Chelmsford, UK. With a legacy dating to 1850, Global Marine Group is a leading provider of subsea cable maintenance and installation services to the telecommunications, offshore wind and utility markets worldwide. GMG owns and operates a highly specialized fleet of marine equipment and vessels, including three cable installation and repair vessels, four cable maintenance vessels and 19 crew transfer vessels, enabling the Company to provide its suite of highly technical offshore engineering services quickly and effectively to customers anywhere in the world. "Global Marine Group has been a market leading provider of critical marine services for decades and is an exciting addition to the JFLCO portfolio of companies," said Alex Harman, a Partner with JFLCO. "The Company's strong market positions, comprehensive suite of unique services and assets, and talented workforce align well with our investment strategy." Will Hanenberg, a Principal at JFLCO added, "We believe the Company has significant opportunities for growth in its core telecommunications and offshore wind markets, and we look forward to supporting the Global Marine Group team as it executes its exciting vision for the future." Dick Fagerstal, Chairman of Global Marine Group commented, "I believe JFLCO is an excellent partner for GMG to help facilitate the next phase of our growth. Together with Ian Douglas, CEO of GMG, and the rest of the Global Marine Group management team, we look forward to leveraging JFLCO's extensive maritime experience and considerable capital base in further developing GMG's core business in the telecommunication and offshore wind markets."Ian Douglas added, "Additionally, we are excited about the prospect of developing new investment opportunities in related service areas while continuing to deliver high quality subsea solutions to our global customer base." The agreement, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2020. Debt financing for the transaction was provided by Deutsche Bank. Winchester Capital served as financial advisor to JFLCO and Jones Day (lead counsel) and Blank Rome (maritime) provided legal advice. Deutsche Bank and ABN AMRO served as financial advisor to Global Marine Group and Hogan Lovells provided legal counsel. About J.F. Lehman & Company, Inc. Founded in 1992, J.F. Lehman & Company is a leading middle-market private equity firm focused exclusively on the aerospace, defense, maritime, government and environmental sectors. The firm has offices in New York and Washington, D.C. For more information about J.F. Lehman & Company, please visit www.jflpartners.com. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/349934/j_f__lehman___company_logo.jpg Guwahati, Jan 30 : Following the Bodo peace accord, 1,615 members of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) laid down arms at a ceremony in Guwahati on Thursday. The move comes in the wake of the January 27 tripartite Bodo peace accord between the Union government, Assam government and the NDFB, in New Delhi. The event took place in the presence of Assam Chief Minister Sarbanand Sonowal, state minister Hemant Biswa Sarma and top police officials, at the Guwahati Medical College Hospital auditorium here. The peace accord signed in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Sonowal, provides for the economic and political development of Bodos without affecting the territorial integrity of Assam. SALINA, N.Y. -- A 59-year-old Mattydale man has been charged with second-degree manslaughter following a June 2019 crash that killed a man in Salina, according to the New York State Police. Bryan K. Walters was arraigned Thursday in Onondaga County on the manslaughter charge, police said. He was released and ordered to return to court on Feb. 13. Shortly before 2 p.m. on June 1, Walters was driving a 2017 Dodge Charger south on Plymouth Avenue when he drove through two stop signs, police said. The car crashed into a house at 202 Mohawk Drive, went through the front wall and into the living room, police said. The car hit the homeowner, Eugene F. Addison, 70, who was sitting in the living room, police said. He was pinned under the car, police said. Addison was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Walters was taken to St. Josephs Hospital, where he was treated and released, according to police. 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. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has joined associations in Pakistan in calling on the country's parliament to reject a "draconian" proposal for regulating web TV and online video-streaming services, saying it shows the "authoritarian" broadcast-media regulator's intent to censor content "relentlessly." The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) published a proposal earlier this month to regulate content on video platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo and streaming services such as Netflix. RSF said in a statement on January 29 that a "parallel and much more drastic proposal for regulating content censorship" is being circulated to federal government agencies. "By means of pressure and harassment, the Pakistani authorities have been forcing more and more journalists to censor themselves in the traditional media, with the result that the Internet has become one of the few remaining spaces where independent voices can make themselves heard," said Daniel Bastard, the head of the Paris-based media-freedom watchdog's Asia-Pacific desk. "We urge parliamentarians to reject this proposal outright because, even in the toned-down version published by the PEMRA, it reflects a determination to control all information," he added. Earlier this week, scores of citizens' groups and journalists' organizations in Pakistan slammed the government's "attempts to curtail freedom of expression, right to information and digital rights; and appropriation of internet and cyberspace." "The environment for free speech for the citizens and the media is already heavily curtailed in Pakistan as part of an ongoing process of suppressing civil liberties and engendering a climate of censorship," they said in a joint statement. "These newly proposed regulations and measures...can and will be used to censor online content and curb freedom of expression and right to information of media practitioners and citizens." According to the PEMRA document, online TV operators would have to pay up to 10 million rupees ($65,000) for a license -- a sum few individuals or media outlets would be able to afford to operate an ordinary YouTube channel, according to RSF. It said video media outlets could also be suspended for violating PEMRA's existing code of conduct, which the regulatory authority used last year to "summarily" interrupt several TV news channels. RSF said PEMRA lacked independence, with its members being unable to resist the influence of the military establishment and intelligence services. Pakistan is ranked 142nd out of 180 countries in RSF's 2019 World Press Freedom Index. The musician and multimedia artist, whose new show will open at the Hirshhorn Museum this spring, has long been haunted by a particular image: As the wind passes through windows and slips under doors we meet the characters in the book. If any Times readers know which Balzac book this wind is in please let me know. What books are on your nightstand? I read as a survival strategy. I wake up every morning full of dread and disbelief. Then I start reading. Sometimes poems, sometimes history or books about dreams or consciousness. Once in a while I look at a few pages of Sapiens, by Yuval Noah Harari, or review The Uninhabitable Earth, by David Wallace-Wells. I read until I feel better. Im an optimistic person from then on. Whats the last great book you read? Rebel in the Soul: An Ancient Egyptian Dialogue Between a Man and His Destiny, translated by Bika Reed from fragments of hieroglyphics between Old and Middle Kingdom Egypt (2500-1991 B.C.). And Album for Kamila Stosslova, by the composer Leos Janacek, which includes transcriptions of conversations overheard in trams and on the street with pitch and rhythm notations that Janacek used to compose music. Are there any classic novels that you only recently read for the first time? I read A Woman of Thirty while looking for a Balzac book that begins with an image that has haunted me for a long time. Its a book that begins with a wind that blows through town. As the wind passes through windows and slips under doors we meet the characters in the book. If any Times readers know which Balzac book this wind is in please let me know. An elderly woman with dementia whose adult children disagreed over her future care is to be moved from a community nursing unit to the home of a daughter, a High Court judge has directed. High Court president Mr Justice Peter Kelly noted the daughter had said all her siblings would have access to their mother and the entire family have her best interests at heart. He told them he hoped they would not show any rancour between them before her and they owed it to her to make the very best of whatever time she has left. Aged in her seventies, the woman is a ward of court who has been in a community nursing unit for some months. Mr Justice Kelly, who manages the wards of court list, was asked today to decide whether she should go to a nursing home, return to her own home, where some family members live, or go to the home of the daughter. David Leahy BL, for the general solicitor for wards of court, the committee representing the womans interests, said the adult children have different views as to where she should live. In evidence, a doctor involved in the womans care said the nursing unit is not intended for long-term nursing care and may have difficulties with the Health Inspection Quality Authority if it keeps her much longer. He expected her condition to deteriorate but that deterioration has not been as speedy as he had anticipated in previous reports. She was physically well as of now and, while she would ultimately need nursing home care, did not require that as of now. Her prognosis is dependent to some degree on whether she contracted bugs and infections, he added. When discussing prognosis and infections, the doctor remarked to the judge, as an aside, he had received a text from a colleague concerning a potential coronavirus case. In reply to the judge, he stressed that potential case is not in the nursing unit but arose from an individual having attended the A&E department of a Dublin hospital. Separately today, the HSE said there have been no suspected or confirmed cases of coronavirus here. During the High Court hearing, solicitor David Hickey, who met with the woman to ascertain her views, said he considered she lacked the capacity to decide where she wished to live and had expressed no clear view. The court also heard Sage Advocacy, which advocates for older people, had in a letter stated the womans face had lit up when the prospect of returning to her own home was raised. That property was described by Mr Hickey as unsuitable for reasons including it is old with no bathroom on the ground floor. The woman has continence issues, is at risk of falls and needs 24-hour supervision, the court was told. Having heard from all parties, Mr Justice Kelly said he considered the best option is for the woman to live in a family environment with one of her daughters in the latters modern home. A nursing home or other institution is not appropriate for her at this stage for reasons including she would be more prone to contracting bugs and infections, which pose a greater risk for persons with dementia. The daughter had generously offered to facilitate access by her siblings to their mother, he hoped the arrangement would work out and she would be happy and content. All of the options put before him carried risks, he could not foresee the future, he said, but he considered this option posed the least risk. Because of the downward trajectory of her dementia, nursing home care will have to be considered in the future, he added. Simon Matthews, country manager of ManpowerGroup in Vietnam Vietnam has seen some recent improvements in labour quality. According to the Total Workforce Index 2019 from ManpowerGroup, the Vietnamese highly-skilled workforce in 2019 makes up 11.6 per cent of the local total workforce of 57.5 million, an increase from 10.8 per cent the previous year. Vietnam ranked 57th across the globe in 2019 (down from 43rd in 2018) and 13th across the Asia Pacific region (compared to 12th in 2018) for sourcing, hiring, and retaining workforce skills. Despite the improvement, the quality of the local workforce remains a big challenge. While the country has an abundant young workforce, skills remain low thus not yet meeting with national development and global integration. In fact, training and education have yet to satisfy market demands. Unemployment among young people, especially among university graduates, remains high and is an alarming issue. This has urged Vietnam to take more actions to upskill its workforce. Preparing for a new decade This year marks a new decade of development which will see the rapid scaling of digital initiatives across industries. It is also the last year of Vietnams current development period, and comes while preparing for the new 2021-2025 term in which Vietnam will sets a number of socio-economic development targets. In particular, the country is working on a new foreign direct investment (FDI) attraction strategy in a move to increase its quality. Thus, to achieve these all development goals, Vietnam needs a strong enough workforce to increase its attraction. Among the governments policies to develop and upskill its workforce, training and education should be listed among the top priorities. Moreover, businesses should take initiatives in working with training institutions to meet their labour demands. Nowadays, automation is changing the skills companies need from workers, yet the speed with which this is happening across functions within organisations varies. The demand for IT skills is growing significantly and with speed: 16 per cent of companies expect to increase headcount in IT five times more than expect a decrease. Meanwhile the availability of tech talent is increasingly scarce, and the education and experience employers require versus what exists is presenting a mismatch. According to ManpowerGroups annual survey in over 40 countries, in 2019 talent shortages sat at 54 per cent, the highest in a decade from a mere 30 per cent in 2009. With new skills appearing as quickly as old ones disappear, more companies are planning to build talent than ever before. Companies are realising they can no longer expect to find just-in-time talent, on tap. To cope with this talent shortage, the role of human resources needs to continue to evolve to help organisations drive growth and profitability. We need a new talent strategy to help all companies integrate automation with human skills in Industry 4.0. Companies need to be able to adapt to quicker talent cycles than they have done in the past. They need to create agile teams, multi-functional and multi-skilled. People need to use quality assessments and data to predict performance and have full transparency of others capabilities. Thats how they can know an individuals skills, strengths, and styles, beyond just the manager-worker perspective. And thats how they can know where to move talent around so people can perform to their potential. People will need to do new work with new skills. This will require continuous learning and it is why learnability is so important. People with high learnability will be able to develop in-demand skills, while those without will need to be developed in their job or helped to move elsewhere. Companies can no longer be purely consumers of talent. They need to be builders of talent, helping people develop their resilience and ability to move from this role to that. In the skills revolution, this is how people will augment robots rather than be replaced by them. Talent strategies for the skill revolution focus on the 4B solutions of build, buy, borrow, and bridge. More companies are planning to build talent within their workforce than ever before. Around 84 per cent plan to upskill employees this year an exponential increase from 21 per cent in 2011. Companies are realising they can no longer expect to find last-minute talent, even if they are willing to pay the premium for it. By 2022, over half (54 per cent) of all employees will require significant reskilling and upskilling. Of these, about 35 per cent are expected to require training of up to six months, 9 per cent will take from six to 12 months to reskill and 10 per cent will require additional skills training of more than a year. Learning will be essential, and companies are deploying a myriad of approaches to address this. To really compete in the skills revolution, companies need to promote a culture of learning, provide career guidance, and offer short, focused upskilling opportunities. People need to know how to prepare for high growth roles of the future and that their employer supports their learning. The return on investment for upskilling is clear: in North America the cost of turnover and replacement can exceed 30 per cent of wages, while the cost of training remains less than 10 per cent of wages. Wages are rising for those in demand. 79 per cent of employers plan to buy the skills they need, either paying higher market prices or improving compensation for existing staff. Organisations have long been used to being able to spend to find the skills they need, when they need them but not so today. Companies are happy to pay more for sought-after skills. Nearly a third (29 per cent) are offering higher salary packages to solve recruitment problems and 46 per cent are paying more to attract and retain existing staff. The challenge comes when those skills are not available. Regarding the borrow solution of the 4Bs, digitisation has created new ways of working and new generations of workers who are increasingly comfortable clocking in part-time, working on a contract or project basis and pursuing other forms of alternative labour. But heres the rub: 87 per cent of workers say they are open to these next-generation work approaches yet only 32 per cent of employers are offering alternative ways of working. Companies need to address this disconnect to be able to attract next-gen workers while retaining and motivating those they have today. The bridge solution, meanwhile, refers to redeploying, reassigning, or releasing. Over half of organisations (56 per cent) are helping people move on, move up, or move out to new roles inside or outside the organisation. Bridging requires tools including assessment, big data, and predictive performance to define adjacent skills, identify strengths, and help workers create clear career paths. Companies need to treat workers fairly and with compassion if their skills are no longer required. Recruitment trends Talent shortage is growing around the world, and Vietnam is not an exception. Our Talent Shortage 2020 report shows that in 2019, 36 out of 44 countries (82 per cent) reported talent shortages. Slovenia, Sweden, Finland, Hungary, and the United States reported the greatest increases compared to 2018. In Vietnam, the country was estimated to lack 70,000-90,000 IT workers last year when it saw a trend of digital transformation among businesses in Vietnam, thus resulting in an increase in recruitment of IT workers. The top 10 most in-demand roles in 2019 globally are trending each year: 80 per cent of them were also in short supply in 2018. Healthcare professionals enter the top 10, reflecting an ageing population. Meanwhile office administrators, contact centre staff, project managers, lawyers, and researchers fall out of the short list, reflecting the rise in automation of routine tasks. And as technology disrupts work the most in-demand roles may look similar, yet the skills required continue to evolve rapidly. The demand for tech and digital skills is growing across all functions yet employers place increasing value on human strengths as automation scales and machines prove better at routine tasks. While 38 per cent of organisations say it is difficult to train in-demand technical skills, 43 per cent said it is even harder to teach the soft skills they need such as analytical thinking and communication. Candidates who can demonstrate higher cognitive skills, creativity, and the ability to process complex information together with adaptability and likeability can expect greater success throughout their careers. According to ManpowerGroups report Humans Wanted: Robots Need You, by 2030, demand for human strengths both social and emotional will grow across all industries by 26 per cent in the US and by 22 per cent in Europe. We believe that Vietnam will be no exception. Seven thousand or 40,000? 3 per cent or 7 per cent? As the Chinese hunker down for an extended Lunar New Year break forced upon them by a raging epidemic, they're turning to wild guessing games over two crucial figures: How many more will be infected by the SARS-like coronavirus, and how big a selloff we will see when the mainland market reopens on Monday. So far, China has confirmed about 7000 cases, but the actual number including those in the incubation stage could have already exceeded 44,000. As for the stockmarket, the world has turned upside down since its last trading day on January 23, when only 830 infected cases were confirmed. The 3.1 per cent correction of the benchmark Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 Index that day could just be the beginning of a long way down. Chinese investors are bracing for potentially heavy losses when the sharemarket reopens on Monday. Credit:AP Unlike the US, China is prone to deeply bearish slides. In 2015, its blue-chip index lost more than 40 per cent of its market value in just three months. In 2018, it tanked 25 per cent. Filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra has said the aim behind his upcoming movie "Shikara", about the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from Kashmir, is not to make anyone feel sorry for the community but to present how these people stood tall in the face of tragedy. At the special 30-minute screening of the movie on Wednesday, the filmmaker said the film showcases how Kashmiri Pandits rebuild their lives in the aftermath of the tragic event. "All of our homes were snatched. It's quite something that we stood strong on our feet... it took courage to tell this story. And tell it in such a way that people come to watch it. We didn't want to make a film where two people watch and say 'oh look how bad happened to them.' "We wanted to make a film where you see what happened to us, and despite that we are standing tall, with hope in our lives, we are settled here. We aren't beggars, we didn't open our hands in front of the government, we stood on our feet. It's a big deal, not a small feat," Chopra told reporters. Chopra said the team has made sure that "Shikara" is an entertaining film, but one which does not sell its soul to lure people into the theatres. "It was tough to write this because I always thought I'll write in a way where people go and watch it in theatres. Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman had said, 'you shall entertain. You shall entertain without selling your soul.' "This is very difficult, to make a film which people watch without selling your conscience. I'm proud that all of us here, my entire crew, didn't sell our conscience. We haveshown what has happened," he added. The filmmaker said he dedicates his movie to his mother who passed away in 2007. "My mother came here for the premiere of 'Parinda' with one suitcase but could not return. She came for a week and couldn't go to Kashmir for ten years. When I was making 'Mission Kashmir', I took her along because I had security. It was then she visited our house, which was by then ruined. "I've made this film for my mother, and for all the mothers and people whose lives turned upside down in a month, in a day." Featuring Aadil Khan and Sadia, "Shikara" is slated to be released on February 7. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Three years from now, you will be able to drive from Delhi to Mumbai in 12 hours with the construction of a new highway that will cut the travel distance on the route by 280 km, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday. "We are building a highway worth Rs 1,03,000 crore between Delhi and Mumbai. I assure you that within three years from now, you will be able to drive to Mumbai from Delhi in your car and reach there within 12 hours," the Minister for Road Transport & Highways and MSMEs said. He said the land acquisition for the highway has been completed and 32 contracts out of 60 have already been awarded. "The highway starts from Sohna near Gurugram and will cut the travel distance between Delhi and Mumbai by 280 km," Gadkari said at a conference of Assocham. The minister also said Rs 16,000 crore have been saved on land acquisition for the project, owing to the highway passing through socially and economically backward tribal areas of five states, including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Haryana. "Had we taken the alignment of Delhi-Ahmedabad-Surat-Vadodara-Mumbai, the land acquisition cost would have come to Rs 6 crore per acre, but now, this cost has come to Rs 80 lakh per acre," Gadkari said. Besides, on the 59-minute-loan scheme for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) launched earlier, the minister said a review of the loan disbursement record by banks shows that several loans have been sanctioned but have not been disbursed by lenders, owing to conditions not being fulfilled. He said a scheme has been prepared whereby Rs 10,000 crore have been earmarked under a fund of funds and the Centre will fund 10 per cent equity of an MSME coming forward to enter the capital market. "Our target is to raise the contribution of the MSME sector in the country's growth to 50 per cent in the next 5 years so that we can achieve our target of making India a USD 5-trillion economy," Gadkari said. The minister said it has also been decided to raise the MSME sector's contribution to India's exports to 60 per cent and create five crore new jobs. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) This Sep. 24, 2018, file photo shows the inter-Korean liaison office in Gaeseong, North Korea, with the Korean unification flag hung on the exterior windows of the building. Joint Press Corps By Jung Da-min The two Koreas have agreed to suspend operations of their joint liaison office located in North Korea's Gaeseong as a part of efforts to prevent the spread of a deadly new coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China. According to the Ministry of Unification, Thursday, liaison representatives from the two Koreas held a meeting earlier in the day and agreed on the suspension until the danger of the coronavirus is dissipated. South Korean personnel currently on duty at the Gaeseong office were brought back to the South later in the day, a ministry official told reporters. Seventeen South Korean government officials and 41 support staff are now on site. North Korea Cuts Off Trade With China on Fears of Coronavirus 2020-01-29 -- Authorities in North Korea have suspended all trade with China in an attempt to prevent the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus into the country, as several confirmed cases of infection have occurred in Chinese cities on the border with North Korea, RFA has learned. Sources say that trade between North Korea and its northern neighbor came to a halt Friday, and the North Korean consulate in China has posted a notice saying that it is suspending the issuance of visas for travel to North Korea. "From today, freight-car-traffic from Dandong, China through the Sinuiju customs office [in North Korea], has been completely stopped," a source in North Pyongan province told RFA's Korean Service Tuesday. "Although the customs offices of both countries have not officially closed, North Korea has preemptively blocked trade with China," the source said. "This morning, the Chinese trading partner of a North Korean trade worker tried to check in with its North Korean counterpart in Sinuiju but was denied entry because authorities today ordered the cessation of freight transport across the border in response to the horrible epidemic spreading in China," the source said. The source said that North Korean health officials are investigating a list of trade officials and people who have entered China for other reasons that have returned to North Korea through Sinuiju since mid-January. "They want to see if they have been infected with the new coronavirus," the source said. "People are saying that only a limited number of people are allowed to enter North Korea from China and that the customs office is conducting strict health screening," the source added. The source said that trade workers in China are stranded and people within North Korea that have exit visas are only allowed to leave the country on a limited basis. "In addition, the movement or residents of the border area to inland areas [of North Korea] is also being strictly controlled," the source said. Another source, a North Korean resident visiting Shenyang, China told RFA Tuesday, "An official notice was posted at the North Korean consulate in Shenyang yesterday, saying they will not issue visas to enter or leave North Korea because of the outbreak of the new virus." "The notice shows that North Korean authorities are doing what they can to prevent Wuhan pneumonia from entering North Korea," the second source said. The second source also said that staff at the consulate in Dandong had special orders. "[They] were told to refrain from having contact with Chinese people, to take special measures to prevent the virus from infecting them, and to report to authorities immediately if they believe [one among them] is infected," the second source said. Virus spreads in Chinese border cities Sources say North Korean and Chinese traders are currently on high alert because several cases of Wuhan pneumonia have been confirmed in Dandong. "As of this morning, four confirmed coronavirus cases have been reported in Dandong," a trade source in Dandong said Tuesday. "The news of the confirmed patients is spreading rapidly through the online messaging platform WeChat," the third source said. "This morning news of those four [in Dandong] and six in nearby Dalian and Shenyang is spreading like wildfire," the third source added. "The actual number of confirmed cases may be higher, considering that intercity bus service as well as the express bus service to the Dandong outskirts have been suspended since the afternoon of the 25th," the third source said. Kaesong quarantine Meanwhile in the southern region of North Korea, authorities are tightening quarantine inspections of South Korean personnel at the inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong. Seoul's Ministry of Unification told reporters Tuesday that North Korean authorities have asked South Koreans in Kaesong to wear masks, and are being screened with a thermal imaging camera. The ministry added that all visitors to the North are provided with hand sanitizer and masks by the South Korean government. Reported by Hyemin Son, Joonho Kim, and Jeong Eun Lee for RFA's Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong. 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 NEW YORK -- The infamously aloof Mr. Darcy had a hard time attracting members of the opposite sex in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. But the same cannot be said for a sex pheromone named for him, called darcin. In a new study, a Columbia University-led team of researchers has now uncovered the process by which this protein takes hold in the brains of female mice, giving cells in the brain's emotion center the power to assess the mouse's sexual readiness and help her select a mate. These findings, published today in Nature, illustrate the power of a single protein to change the brain and drive behavior. They also demonstrate how a cluster of cells in one brain area integrates information from the outside world with the animal's own internal state. "Pheromones act as powerful scent messages to signal the presence of danger, food or prospective mates," said Ebru Demir, PhD, the paper's first author. "With today's study, we've mapped the route that the pheromone darcin takes from the nose to the brain, bringing much-needed understanding to the mechanisms by which animals use scents to communicate," added Dr. Demir, who is an associate research scientist in the laboratory of Nobel Laureate Richard Axel, MD, at Columbia's Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute. While the existence of pheromones in humans is controversial, rodents and many other animals rely on pheromones as a way to signal everything from potential danger to a willingness to mate. Darcin is one such pheromone, discovered in 2010 by Robert Beynon, PhD, and Jane Hurst, PhD, and their team at the University of Liverpool. Dr. Hurst and her colleagues found that male mice release darcin in their urine to mark their territory and to initiate courtship displays. Sniffing a male's darcin helps a female to both identify him and decide whether to mate with him. This entire process is initiated in a biologically unusual way. Normally, mice make sense of odors using olfactory receptors in the nose. These specialized proteins send information about a scent to a designated location in the brain for further processing. Dr. Axel, who is codirector at Columbia's Zuckerman Institute, received the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly with Linda Buck, PhD, for their work identifying the genes that encode these receptors. Pheromones, such as darcin, are processed somewhat differently. They interact with a second, parallel olfactory system, which exists in animals like mice but not in people. "Unlike people, mice have essentially two functional noses," said Dr. Demir. "The first nose works like ours: processing scents such as the stinky odor particles found in urine. But a second system, called the vomernasal nose, evolved specifically to perceive pheromones like darcin." For today's study, the research team, which also included Dr. Hurst, Dr. Beynon and co-senior author Adam Kepecs, PhD, of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, first exposed female mice to darcin-scented urine and monitored their behavior. Nearly all of the female mice showed an immediate attraction to darcin. Then, after about 50 minutes, some females began leaving their own urinary scent markings. They also started to sing, at ultrasonic frequencies too high for the human ear to hear. Both of these behaviors are an indicator of increased sexual drive. Not all females performed these displays. Lactating mothers, for example, appeared to largely ignore the darcin-scented areas after an initial sniff of interest. The reason for this difference, the scientists proposed, may lie in a brain region called the medial amygdala. The research team identified a subset of brain cells, or neurons, in this brain area, called nNOS neurons, that switched on in the presence of darcin. "By artificially activating those neurons, we could simulate the animals' response to darcin and elicit the same behaviors," said Dr. Demir. "When we silenced these neurons, the animal lost interest in darcin entirely." The neurons' location in the medial amygdala was particularly intriguing. This brain area is generally associated with hardwired emotional responses, such as fear or anger. In the case of the darcin pheromone, though, the medial amygdala may serve another role. "Our results suggest that nNOS neurons in the medial amygdala do not simply pass along information about darcin," said Dr. Demir. "These neurons seem to be integrating sensory information about the pheromone with the internal state of the animal, such as whether she is a lactating mother and therefore not interested in mating." Going forward, the research team plans to delve deeper into the neural circuitry that responds to pheromones and how changes to that circuitry drive behavior. They also hope their findings will serve to update how pheromones are defined. "Pheromones have long been associated with an innate, immediate behavioral response, but here we have shown that darcin can elicit complex behaviors that are dependent on the internal state of the animal," said Dr. Demir. "As we continue our investigations, it's possible that other pheromones may also act on the brain in similarly unexpected and complex ways." ### This paper is titled "The pheromone darcin drives a circuit for innate and reinforced behaviours." Additional contributors include Kenneth Li, Natasha Bobrowski-Khoury and Joshua Sanders, PhD. This research was supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the Robert E. Leet and Clara Guthrie Patterson Trust Fellowship. The authors report no financial or other conflicts of interest. Columbia University's Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute brings together a group of world-class scientists and scholars to pursue the most urgent and exciting challenge of our time: understanding the brain and mind. A deeper understanding of the brain promises to transform human health and society. From effective treatments for disorders like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, depression and autism to advances in fields as fundamental as computer science, economics, law, the arts and social policy, the potential for humanity is staggering. To learn more, visit: zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu. The Queen and Prince Charles have held crisis talks about the scandal engulfing Prince Andrew over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. The pair took time away from estate business at Sandringham for an emergency meeting after Andrew was criticised by the FBI for offering 'zero-cooperation' with their probe into the billionaire paedophile. A royal source told The Sun: 'Both had hoped the Duke of York could perhaps be rehabilitated back into public life in time but that is now looking increasingly unlikely.' It comes amid 'growing frustration' among members of the royal family over the international attention the Duke of York's ties to Epstein is bringing. Queen Elizabeth is joined by Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales and other members of the royal family at Buckingham Palace earlier this month Jeffrey Epstein is pictured with his associate and one-time girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell in 2005. Roberts alleged Maxwell was involved in trafficking girls for Epstein Yesterday, Andrew furiously denied claims by New York state attorney Geoffrey Berman that he had not cooperated with the US probe, insisting to friends that he would be happy to comment but 'hadn't been approached yet'. And there was yet more attention on the Epstein case after it emerged the Met Police could reoped their own sex-trafficking investigation into the convicted sex offender, who hanged himself in his New York prison cell last year. Earlier this week, Berman stood outside Epstein's New York mansion and accused the Queen's son of failing to respond to requests by the FBI and US prosecutors for an interview over his friendship with the financier. Roberts sued Epstein in 2015 and claims she had sex with the Duke of York three times, including once in London when she was 17, once in New York and another time at Epstein's private Caribbean island of Little St James. The claims against the Duke of York in that case were struck out by a judge for being 'immaterial and impertinent. Prince Andrew has 'emphatically' denied any relationship with the mother-of-three, who now lives in Cairns in Australia, 'in any form' and that he does not recall a 2001 pictured of him with Ms Roberts being taken. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Andrew, Duke of York attend church at St Mary the Virgin at Hillington in Sandringham last week Virginia Roberts says this photograph shows her with Prince Andrew at Ghislaine Maxwell's flat (she is pictured in the background) in west London in early 2001 In an interview with BBC Newsnight the Duke of York claimed he does not remember meeting Roberts. He said he was at a Pizza Express in Woking, Surrey, the night he is accused of going to Tramp nightclub with the then-teenager. Epstein was found hanged in his Manhattan jail cell last August awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges. He 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. Buckingham Palace declined to comment when asked about the meeting possible meeting between the Queen and the Prince of Wales. WASHINGTON - The United States has asked Iraq for permission to put Patriot missile systems at bases hosting U.S. troops to improve defences against attacks like the Jan. 8 Iranian missile strike that caused brain injuries to more than 50 U.S. troops, Pentagon officials said Thursday. That is one of the matters we have to work on and work through with the Baghdad government, Defence Secretary Mark Esper told a Pentagon news conference. He and Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made clear that they want Patriots in Iraq as part of an effort to improve protection of U.S. forces there. The commander responsible for U.S. forces in Iraq feels he needs the Patriot defences, Esper said, and we support the commander. He did not say what reasons the Iraqi government may have given for not approving the U.S. request thus far. The United States has about 5,000 troops in Iraq to train and advise Iraqi security forces in their fight against extremist groups like the Islamic State. The relationship is especially rocky in the aftermath of the American airstrike Jan. 3 that killed Qassem Suleimani, Irans most powerful general, at Baghdads international airport. The Iraqi government has indicated it could expel all foreign forces, although it has not yet taken action against the U.S. presence. There were no Patriots or other air defences in Iraq capable of shooting down ballistic missiles at the time of the Iranian strike that hit Ain al-Asad air base in western Iraq. Milley said the missiles were armed with 1,000-pound and 2,000-pound high-explosive warheads. He said it was fortunate that the attack caused no American loss of life or limb. Milley said that in addition to securing Iraqi government permission, the U.S. military needs to work through mechanical and logistical issues to move a Patriot battalion to Iraq. There was not already one there because U.S. commanders judged that Iraq was a less-likely target for an Iranian ballistic missile attack than other Persian Gulf countries. Asked whether the Iranian missiles could have been shot down before reaching their target if Patriots had been deployed at Ain al-Asad, Milley said, Thats what theyre designed to do. Cant say for certain, obviously that they would have succeeded. "A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon, you're talking real money." Everett Dirksen, the American politician credited with that saying, was thinking in terms of a large nation. For an individual, say Isabel dos Santos, being a millionaire a thousand times over means possessing real money - and Forbes magazine estimates her worth at $2.1bn (1.9bn). How did the daughter of the former president of Angola amass such wealth? If recent press reports are to be believed, dos Santos did not get her fortune by years of tough slog. The current Angolan government accuses her of "money laundering, influence peddling forgery of documents, among other economic crimes". Dos Santos denies all illegality. Leaving aside the legal questions, consider some basic economic ethics. Does dos Santos deserve to have so much wealth? Indeed, does anyone merit a billion-dollar net worth? Enthusiasts for free markets would say that billion-dollar fortunes are the product of successful investments, often in shares of companies founded and managed by the billionaires themselves, or at least by their parents or ancestors. These capital gains are the market's reward for cleverness and hard work. Dos Santos's hoard might not be the best example of this principle. The vast majority of her fortune was built, ultimately, on the foundation of Angolan oil revenues, which the country's central bank reports are currently running at a $36bn annual rate, equivalent to about $1,000 a year per resident. Her level of wealth seems out of place in a country where 42pc of the population live in poverty, according to an estimate by the Catholic University of Angola. The contrast between dos Santos's affluence and her compatriots' misery is particularly sharp, but she is not alone. Many billionaire fortunes come from nothing more worthy than having the right parents, good friends in high places, or the opportunity to take unfair advantage of weak governance. Fortunes made in more competitive markets are not so obviously dodgy. Still, there is a good economic reason to be uneasy about all the 2,057 people on Forbes' list of billionaires, from the $131bn attributed to Amazon's Jeff Bezos down to the $1bn of Du Sha, founder of the Chinese retailer Home World Group. These entrepreneurs undeniably contributed a great deal to their companies' success, but the rewards are still disproportionately large. Early equity investors suck up gains which rightly belong to the larger economy. The persistent growth of large fortunes also suggests that free-market economies are less competitive than they claim to be. In the mid-19th century, Karl Marx complained about capitalists getting too much while labourers get too little. The low-paid workers at Amazon warehouses might agree with his analysis. However, Marx's thinking was too narrow. Prosperity, both as a whole and in a particular enterprise, is too much of a common good for any individual to capture a 10-digit reward. If this argument is right, then dos Santos is a particularly doubtful example of a broader social problem. Once the silent social contributions to wealth are recognised, then a substantial portion of all the plutocrats' billions looks ill-gotten. Justice requires restitution to the society that helped create the wealth. The "Giving Pledge" is one way to do that. That is a commitment from a group of billionaires to dedicate "the majority of their wealth to philanthropy". The most prominent member is Microsoft founder Bill Gates, whose fortune is being used for anti-poverty programmes, health research and other good causes. But donations can be seen as less a restitution of unjustly garnered wealth than an extension of unfairly great influence. In the current system, wealth taxes are probably the most effective way to ensure that corporate gains are distributed more widely. Economists such as Gabriel Zucman usually promote these levies as reducing the social strains created by wealth inequality. That argument is appealing, in Angola as well as in the United States. But the recent proliferation of billionaires suggests a more basic flaw. Some individual rewards have gotten out of line with economic reality. Google is no stranger to reproducing historical sites online, but it's now pushing technical boundaries to recreate those sites at risk of vanishing due to the ravages of climate change. It's launching a "Heritage on the Edge" collection in Arts & Culture that will include over 50 exhibitions illustrating the effect of an evolving climate on historical landmarks, including five locations recreated in detailed 3D (with 25 models total) using a mix of scans, photogrammetry and drone footage. You can see vivid depictions of the statues at Easter Island's Rapa Nui, the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh, the trading port of Kilwa Kisiwani in Tanzania, Bangladesh's Mosque City of Bagerhat and Peru's ancient city of Chan Chan. There will also be mobile-only augmented reality Pocket Galleries for inside views of two locations, the Nine Dome Mosque in Bangladesh and Gereza Fort in Tanzania. Easter Island's Rapa Nui - 3D model Easter Island's Rapa Nui - 3D model Google created the models through help from ICOMOS and the archival nonprofit CyArk, and is making a point of publishing the data. "Anyone" can download CyArk's source material to use it for research or other projects, Google said. It's also helping site managers both conserve their historical treasures and present their efforts to the public. These models won't prevent the locations from succumbing to rising sea levels or fiercer rainfall. Google is no doubt hoping they'll spur attempts to mitigate climate change, though. And if nothing else, these will ensure there's a digital record of what these historical sites looked like before they crumbled away. A Congressional candidate who recently quit the race after accusing a political operative of bullying her will help write legislation aimed at protecting people who run for office or work on campaigns in New Jersey. Tiffany Kaszuba of Howell said she remains disappointed Democratic leaders in Monmouth County did not adequately respond to her concerns about Bill Robinson, a former member of the partys executive committee who was assisting her run for Congress in the 4th District against incumbent Republican Rep. Chris Smith. Kaszuba had accused Robinson of excessively calling and texting, asking others about her whereabouts and blowing up at her over small disagreements. She said she went to party leaders with her concerns after she learned Robinson had pleaded guilty in 1996 to stalking. He served five years probation, according to court records. But she called Sen. Vin Gopals intentions to draft an anti-harassment bill to protect campaign staff and volunteers a good first step toward ensuring women are adequately represented in government and the political process. Gopal, a Monmouth County Democratic Senator, named Kaszuba and CEO of the Preferred Behavioral Health Group Mary Pat Angelini, a former Republican Assemblywoman, to co-chair a working group that would advise him on how to make the bill more inclusive and survivor-focused," he said in a statement Tuesday. I believe it is essential for this bill to be shaped by and accountable to members of those communities who most experience these issues," Gopal said in the statement. Kaszuba said she was gratified that my experience has helped to raise awareness about this issue. I am looking forward to working with Mary Pat and other stakeholders to make sure this bill includes provisions that would prevent and address experiences like mine and protect every future woman and man working on a political campaign, said. Other members of the group include Monmouth County Clerk Christine Hanlon; Republican strategist Jeanette Hoffman; Democratic activist Jess Alaimo, Tinton Falls Council President Tracy Buckley; Psychotherapist Tiffany Miller; former Red Bank Councilwoman Juanita Lewis; and former Neptune Township Mayor and LGBT activist Randy Bishop, Gopals statement said. Gopal also asked Patricia Teffenhart, executive director of the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault, to consult on the bill a step Kaszuba said gave her confidence in the process. Gopal announced on Jan. 14 he would sponsor legislation that would impose long-needed oversight over campaigns, governing how they respond to allegations of harassment and misconduct. The pledge came after Kaszuba announced on Dec. 3 she intended to quit the race because she said Gopal and Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Dave Brown did not do enough to address her concerns. She also accused party leaders of questioning her mental health because she is a sexual abuse survivor. Brown has begun to sow doubt among members of the party about my character and mental health, Kaszuba said in a statement announcing her departure from the race. This includes attempts to blame my past experience with sexual assault and mental health for my concern about Mr. Robinson. Robinson did not return a call seeking comment Wednesday, and did not responded to numerous calls and text messages for a previous story on Kaszubas claims. Brown and Gopal said in a statement after she quit that they had hired outside counsel to conduct an inquiry into the allegations and told Robinson not to have contact with her. Robinson disregarded the order, Kaszuba said. NJ Advance Media Staff Writer Matt Arco contributed to this report. Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. By SA Commercial Prop News Pareto Group buys 25% stake in Atterbury Europe, whose portfolio includes investments like Iulius Mall Iasi in Romania. The Pareto Group, a sister company to Pareto Limited which owns Durban's Pavilion Shopping Centre, said on Monday it had concluded a deal to acquire a 25% stake in Atterbury Europe Holding B.V. Offshore property was one of the best money-spinning sectors in the world last year. SA property investors will have to brace themselves as SA-focused real estate investment trusts cut payout ratios. Pareto said it had been fortunate in Europe, having timed its entry well and managing to partner with Atterbury Europe. Atterbury Europe's portfolio includes assets in Romania, Cyprus and Serbia, with a combined gross lettable area of 524,052m2, split between retail and offices. This acquisition provides the Group with the opportunity to diversify its portfolio outside South Africa, reducing its concentration risk whilst venturing into jurisdictions with robust economies and significant fiscal strength, said Malose Kekana, the Group CEO of Pareto. The Romanian portfolio includes 4 retail shopping centres in Timisoara, Cluj, Suceava and Iasi, as well as 4 office towers that anchor the retail centres, which are owned 50% by Atterbury Europe. In Cyprus, the 98% portfolio owned by Atterbury, comprises of two retail shopping centres which are located in Nicosia, being the Mall of Cyprus and the Mall of Engomi. These shopping centres houses international brands such as ZARA and six other Inditex brands, Marks & Spencer, Mango, Armani Exchange, Lacoste, Tommy Hilfiger, OVS and Intersport. Usce Shopping Centre, Immocentre 1 as well as Mercator, all located in Belgrade, form part of the Serbia portfolio and is owned 25% by Atterbury Europe. Atterbury Europe also owns a 50% stake in the BEO Beograd shopping centre located in old Belgrade with a GLA of 43,630 m2 currently under construction and opening in the European Spring this year. An investment into Europe will assist in building Paretos growth story as well as ensuring that the Group remains on par with its peers. This investment also improves access to international brands to anchor the Groups leasing pipeline. concluded Kekana. The UK is leaving the EU at 11pm on January 31 (AP) For many Britons living in towns and villages across Europe, the arrival of Brexit on Friday night will mean losing the right to vote and run for office. From being active participants in the communities where they have spread roots and paid taxes, British expatriates in France, Germany and elsewhere in the European Union will suddenly find themselves on the outside with no say. Andrew Nixey must give up his seat on the elected council in Saint-Martial-sur-Isop, the village in west-central France where he has lived and raised cattle for 20 years. He said: The fact that we cant vote is illogical. We pay taxes, why should we not vote? In the German village of Brunsmark, Brexit is forcing Scotsman Iain Macnab to cut short his third term as mayor which was not due to end until 2023. German authorities told him last year that his voting rights and his mayorship of the village of 170 people must end with Britains EU withdrawal. Todays vote was not a vote in favour or against #Brexit. It was a vote for an orderly Brexit & against a hard one. This is not an 'adieux', but merely an 'au revoir' https://t.co/TCygycbnk8 Guy Verhofstadt (@guyverhofstadt) January 29, 2020 Mr Macnab said: The guillotine is there. I will have a glass of sparkling wine with the local council on Friday and then thank them for doing an excellent job, and I will disappear into the twilight, ride off into the sunset. Many details of Britains separation from the EU still must be sorted out, and there will not be many visible changes on Saturday, after the tortuous divorce process finally becomes official. However, the loss will be felt by Britons who left years ago to make new lives on the continent. Already disenfranchised by British electoral law, which prevents expatriates from voting in the United Kingdom after 15 years overseas, Brexit will for many usher in an uncertain future with no ability to vote anywhere. We have reached the point of no return. pic.twitter.com/Yj2OyVhl9Q Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) January 29, 2020 The problem could be fixed by becoming citizens of where they have chosen to live which can be a drawn-out process. However, some expatriates do not meet the requirements, some have applied but are still awaiting the paperwork, and some simply do not want to change citizenship. Others have not got round to it, waking up late to the fact that they will soon have nowhere to vote at all. Mr Macnab said he does not want to be a German citizen, despite having lived in Germany for 40 years, because he may choose to move back to the UK some day. I have been 70 years a Scot, he said. I dont want to ruin the chance of going back to Britain and being covered by the National Health Service. Expand Close MEPs embrace after a vote on the UKs withdrawal from the EU (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp MEPs embrace after a vote on the UKs withdrawal from the EU (AP) The right for all EU nationals to vote and stand in municipal elections where they live, even if they are not citizens of that country, was enshrined in the 1992 Maastricht Treaty which established the EU. However, rules in Europe are not uniform for non-EU citizens, which is what Britons will become after Friday night. Some countries allow non-EU citizens to vote in municipal elections. So even after Brexit, Britons should still have a voice at the local level in Denmark, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands and in two cities in Slovakia. In Finland, they will need to have been residents for two years, while the residency requirement is five years in the Netherlands. Britain also has been negotiating directly with other EU nations to extend the ability of British expatriates to vote and run for office after Brexit. The UK Government said it has deals with Spain, Portugal and Luxembourg and is continuing talks with other administrations. It said British expatriates should also still be able to vote locally in Belgium, Estonia, Ireland, Lithuania, Malta and Slovenia. But they will no longer be able to vote or stand locally in France, which has tens of thousands of long-term British residents and many more part-time residents of holiday homes. The French interior ministry said 757 Britons serve on municipal councils, more than any other expatriate group. To our British friends pic.twitter.com/FAtDRazU36 Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) January 29, 2020 They will keep their seats until municipal elections in March, but they will not be able to run or vote then if they have not gained French citizenship. For Briton Elaine Bastian, this has come as a blow. She has been proud to serve as an elected councillor since 2014 in the village of Blond, which has 700 residents and boasts a fortified medieval church. She said: I do feel robbed, almost, of my little crown, my hat of responsibility. It makes me angry more than anything. I really dont like other people being able to make my life choices. It was my life choice to be a councillor. Mr Nixey said his application for French citizenship is stuck somewhere in a Brexit-induced backlog. He is not optimistic that he will get it in time to stand again for re-election in Saint-Martial-sur-Isop. What PM @BorisJohnson will be doing when the UK leaves the EU on Friday. #PeoplesPMQs pic.twitter.com/xd23j2a431 UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) January 29, 2020 Mr Nixey said that serving on the village council, dealing with the minutiae of local services like refuse collection and road repairs, helped integrate him and his wife, Margaret, into the rural community where they raised two children. He also feels it allowed him to play a bridge-building role between newly-arrived Britons and their French neighbours. About one third of the 140 residents of Saint-Martial and its immediate surroundings are British, many of whom were attracted by cheap housing and land. Mr Nixey worries that communication will suffer if he is not around to translate and help smoothe out problems and misunderstandings. Mr Nixey said: Its one more wall being built to prevent the further integration of people. It is a real shame. I know the ropes. My French is good enough. Saint-Martial mayor Pierre Bachellerie said that excluding the British expatriates will be a big loss for his and other villages which have been revived by the arrival of British workers and retirees. He said: What really upsets me is that they repopulated our villages. We are lucky to have them. For me, its an aberration that they can no longer vote. New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 30 : The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday said one positive case of Novel Coronavirus from Kerala has come to light. "One positive case of Novel Coronavirus -- a student studying in Wuhan University -- has been reported from Kerala," said a statement released by the Health Ministry. The patient is kept in isolation in a hospital. "The patient is stable and is being closely monitored," said the ministry statement. A Kerala report said Health Minister K.K. Shailaja has called for an emergency meeting of top health officials. "We were waiting for the test results of six samples and we received the result of five which were negative," said the official who did not wish to be identified. According to the figures put out on Wednesday night by Kerala health authorities, around 800 people are under observation with 10 in hospitals and the rest at their homes. Wuhan city of China witnessed an outbreak of the new strain of coronavirus last month. Since then the death toll in China from the new coronavirus has risen to 170 with 7,711 confirmed cases, as repatriation flights for foreign nationals continued. Outside China, Hong Kong and Macau, other countries with confirmed cases include Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, South Korea, Japan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Canada, the United States, United Arab Emirates, Australia (two new cases reported on Thursday), France and Germany. Finland reported its first case on Wednesday. Several cases in Taiwan were also included in the national count. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text The University of New Mexico's psychology department has played a pretty huge role in recent years in providing legitimate scientific study of the effects of cannabis on both patients and the culture at large. It's been the source of studies on cannabis' effectiveness as a pain reliever, the therapeutic benefits of THC andmore recentlythe relationship between access to cannabis and reduced sales of over-the-counter sleep aids. Now, the university is backing an effort to bring marijuana education to the public through a website and YouTube channel under the name Cannabis Connection University. UNM Associate Professor of Psychology Jacob Vigila local hero for his involvement in cannabis researchis headlining the channel with help from his graduate and undergraduate students. The content will include lectures, interviews and instructional videos. I'm willing to carry the burden that our government has failed to provide thus far in general education and guidance, Vigil told me. I think that there is still a strong need out there for folks to have confirmation about what they feel is intuitive and what they've heard about the relief and cost benefits of [cannabis] compared to other medications, and they need somebody with the right credentials to confirm those intuitions. Vigil says that most of the online lectures will be education- based Vigil and his students presenting cannabis research and topics tailored to the layman. He says the subjects will delve under the hood and go beyond the average internet content regarding the subject. (I'm guessing that means no killer bong reviews.) But Vigil says the lectures and interviews will cover some cultural issues, too. I spoke with a spiritual leader recently, he said. He was telling me some amazing stuffsome new perspectives I've never heard regarding cannabis and its ability to sensitize people to their spirituality. Local politics and state legislation will also be regularly visited topics. We would like to approach this by being straight with folkscautious, but also transparent, Vigil told me. We're willing to highlight some of the fallacies and limitations and inadequacies in this game of science. The team has already released a number of videos in the scant weeks that they've been operating, and Vigil says there's much more content on the way with improved production values and even more niche information. Psilocybin Trademarked Last week, a California-based candy company announced that it had trademarked the word psilocybin, the psychoactive compound found in psychedelic mushrooms. Psilocybin chocolate's website says the brand was created to begin educating, enlightening and supporting the community in upgrading their inner vibrations in order to get everything they want of their time here on earthwhatever that means. What's most notable about the gourmet chocolate line is that it doesn't appear to involve the chemical psilocybin at alleven though it's described as medicinal on the website. This has some mushroom advocates concerned about the legal implications. The question of how trademarking the scientific name of a natural compound would affect companies and nonprofits involved in mushroom research and advocacy was immediately raised after Psilocybin founder Scarlet Ravin made the announcement. It seems that there won't really be any issue, though. The brand may have received a trademark from the US Patent and Trademark Office, but it's only listed on the supplemental register for educational purposes. The company would have to prove that it's earned distinctiveness if the issue ever went to courtso it probably won't. Meanwhile, Ravin seems to have doubled down amid criticism and says her brand is meant to educate the normies about the healing powers of mushrooms (whichonce againare not used in the making of these chocolates). Our messages are downloads from universal guidance, says Psilocybin chocolate's website, and here to impart to you whats next and on the frontier of our evolutionary awakening we are all experiencing together.[sic] So far, no one has called Ravin a visionary. I've seen her called other names, though. Mexico to Legalize Mexican lawmakers are looking to legalize recreational cannabis in April. Since Canada already legalized marijuana, the US will start looking like a soggy mess in the middle of a weed sandwich. Last year, the Mexico Supreme Court gave lawmakers an October deadline to submit a cannabis legalization bill. The Senate received 13 proposals, but a bill was never finalized before the deadline. The Supreme Court granted an extension with a new deadline of April 30, however, and lawmakers are reportedly on track to have it ready in time. According to Marijuana Moment, the amended bill, which was jointly submitted by the Justice and Health Committees, would legalize the possession of up to 28 grams (one ounce) of cannabis for personal use and would allow individuals to cultivate up to six plants. The new bill would also establish the Mexican Cannabis Institute, a regulatory body that would be responsible for licensing cannabis cultivation, retail distribution, exports and imports, marketing and research. Lawmakers say there's still a chance that the bill will not be passed as written. In 2018, the Mexico Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to penalize the personal use of cannabis, forcing the government to reform its cannabis laws. Opalesque Industry Update - Arc70 Fund II reached its hard cap of $230 million in capital commitments, exceeding its initial target of $200 million, in less than five months. The heavily oversubscribed fund received strong support from both new and existing top tier institutional investors, including notable asset managers, family offices, and high-net-worth individuals. Arc70 is a San Francisco-based investment firm focused on financing the development of affordable housing. The firm is active across the United States and concentrates its efforts on communities where housing affordability needs are the greatest. Arc70 takes a long-term approach to partnering with stakeholders to create significant social impact and value to their investment partners. Eaton Partners, a wholly owned subsidiary of Stifel Financial Corp. acted as exclusive placement agent for the second fund for Arc70 Capital. "Arc70 has leveraged its deep sector experience to create a unique, sophisticated strategy within affordable housing, and the investor appetite for this tax advantaged, uncorrelated investment was in high-demand from institutional investors," said Peter Purcell, Director at Eaton Partners. "We look to partner with differentiated investment platforms like Arc70 and it has been a pleasure to work with this team on an efficient, successful fundraise," added Peter Martenson, Partner at Eaton Partners. Denny Hou, Co-Founder of Arc70 said, "We are extremely grateful for the continued support of our investors and partners. We appreciate Eaton Partners' expertise and its focus was instrumental to the success and speed of this process." Adrian Garcia, Co-Founder of Arc70 added, "We are excited to build on the success of our first fund. We believe Arc70 is well-positioned to identify and capitalize on affordable housing investment opportunities." France's equivalent of the Oscars has fuelled feminist fury against Roman Polanski after the controversial director's film 'An Officer and a Spy' topped this year's nominations. The 86-year-old has been a fugitive from American justice since admitting to the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl in 1977. Last November, Valentine Monnier, a French photographer, claimed he raped her in 1975 when she was 18 after beating her "into submission". He "absolutely denied" assaulting her, telling 'Paris Match': "I have no memory of it because it is false." Yesterday, his period drama about an anti-Semitism case that rocked France was nominated for 12 Cesars, the "French Oscars". Feminists and some film critics denounced the nominations. "If rape was an art, give all the Cesars to Polanski," Osez le Feminisme (Dare to be Feminist), the French women's group, tweeted. ( Daily Telegraph, London) Please register or log in with Independent.ie for free access to this article Register Already have an account? Log In WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Small Business Administration and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation have released two updates to the popular Money Smart for Small Business curriculum. The updated modules focus on banking and credit. They are available for SBA Resource Partners, financial institutions and economic development organizations to help train entrepreneurs and small business owners. Money Smart for Small Business is an instructor-led training curriculum that consists of 13 modules, in English and Spanish, that provides practical financial management to small businesses. The updated tools can help strengthen bank and community partnerships that support small business development and growth. "Money Smart for Small Business has been an excellent resource over the years for entrepreneurs in getting fully equipped to compete in and contribute to the nation's economy," said Allen Gutierrez, Associate Administrator for the SBA's Office of Entrepreneurial Development. "I value our partnership with FDIC as we continue to provide small businesses with updated tools to prepare them for success." The updated Banking Services module now includes a discussion of traditional banking products, non-bank financing options and sources, and how to avoid fraud and scams. Similarly, the updated Building Strong Credit module explains how a business owner's personal credit history can impact their business, how business credit reporting works, and how a potential lender evaluates the overall creditworthiness of a small business. A case study brings both modules together and asks participants to put the lessons they have learned into practice. The materials were updated based on input from industry experts and other practitioners, including more than two dozen organizations that have used previous versions of the Money Smart materials. "Money Smart for Small Business aims to help small business owners and entrepreneurs understand how a strong banking relationship can help them achieve their vision," said Elizabeth Ortiz, Deputy Director for FDIC's Consumer and Community Affairs. "The relationship between banks and small businesses is symbiotic: when one succeeds, so does the other." To download the updated modules and to learn more about the Money Smart curriculum, visit www.fdic.gov/smallbusiness. 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. Contact: [email protected] (202) 401-3059 Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Blogs & Instagram Release Number: 20-10 SOURCE U.S. Small Business Administration Related Links http://www.sba.gov Pursuant to Section 13-6, seventh paragraph, second section of the Financial Institutions Act, The Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway (FSA) has decided that in addition to the minimum and buffer capital requirements, Bank Norwegian AS and Norwegian Finans Holding ASA shall have a Pillar 2 capital requirement of 5.8% of risk weighted assets, corresponding to at least NOK 2 030 million. The bank is also expected to keep a management buffer of 1.0%. The Pillar 2 capital requirement comes into effect 31.03.20. From this date, the CET1 requirement for Norwegian Finans Holding ASA is estimated at 18.5%, a reduction of 0.4 percentage points from the current CET1 requirement including the 3.0% buffer requirement required for distributing excess capital. As of 30.09.19 Norwegian Finans Holding ASA had a CET1 ratio of 20.2% and Bank Norwegian AS a CET1 ratio of 20.6%. Contact persons: Head of treasury Mats Benserud; phone +47 95891539 CFO Pal Svenkerud; phone +47 93403904 This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan concluded on Thursday two days of fresh negotiations on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict which official Baku said were the most intensive in years. Zohrab Mnatsakanian and Elmar Mammadyarov met in Geneva for two consecutive days in the presence of the U.S., Russian and French diplomats co-heading the OSCE Minsk Group. The two ministers and the mediators shed little light on the talks in an ensuing joint statement issued there. The statement said that the intensive discussions focused on possible next steps to prepare the populations for peace; principles and elements forming the basis of a future settlement; and timing and agenda for advancing the settlement process. The mediators again stressed the importance of confidentiality in the settlement process and the need for creativity and a spirit of compromise, it said. The Ministers agreed to meet again in the near future under Co-Chair auspices, added the statement. It gave no further details. The Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministries also issued separate and largely identical statements. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Leyla Abdullayeva, described the Geneva talks as the most intensive discussions between the sides over the last years. The sides held thorough discussions over agenda items presented by the OSCE [Minsk Group] co-chairs, she tweeted in English. Both parties to the Karabakh conflict support the intensification of negotiations, Abdullayeva wrote after Wednesdays meeting which she said lasted for seven hours. Mnatsakanian and Mammadyarov previously met in Slovakias capital Bratislava on December 4. Mammadyarov described those talks as tough. The mediators said, for their part, that the two ministers will meet again in early 2020 to intensify negotiations on the core issues of a peaceful settlement. Mammadyarov claimed later in December that the Bratislava meeting touched on the most recent version of a framework peace accord originally drafted by the mediators in 2007. He said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov presented it to the conflicting parties two years ago. The Armenian Foreign Ministry insisted, however, that no document is being discussed by the parties at present. It may have been a rough Christmas season for Longfords cystic fibrosis warrior, Jillian McNulty, but our Jillian is nothing if not resilient, a fighter, and determined to get back on her feet. After weeks of updates from her brother, Fran, the local lady finally took to her own social media last week to post her first video of the year, updating her followers on her recovery and the progress she has made since coming out of the ICU. When I came out of ICU, I was very confused. I didnt know whether I was awake or asleep. I didnt know where I was. Some of the most bizarre things were going through my mind. I thought the nurses were drugging me. I thought they were trying to kill me, so I had to see a psychiatrist who had to put me on tablets because apparently this is all normal after being in ICU, especially for the length of time that I was in it, Jillian explained, adding that she had finished the tablets that day. Id wake up in the morning and Id be screaming. I wouldnt know where I was. It would take them ages to calm me down. That stopped last week but they left me on the tablets just in case it might linger, but it hasnt. Read also: Well wishes pour in for Longford's CF champion Jillian McNulty in ICU Jillian also had a test with the occupational therapist last week and, as she said herself, she blitzed it. Its a memory test. Last week I didnt do too well, but this week I got 98 out of a hundred and she said that thats actually the highest that anybody has ever scored, so I was like yeah, make sure you tell everybody that, Jillian laughed. Jillian has had to learn to walk again to retrain her brain so that she can get back on her feet properly. One of her proudest moments so far was when she managed to stand up for the first time. Theres a test I have to do because Im very unsteady on my feet, she said. I can walk but Im like bambi, literally shaking. My legs are jelly and if I turn around, I go to fall over. But I did a test with the physio and the total score is 24. Physiotherapists thought Jillian would get 16, 17 or maybe 18 out of 24 but the inspirational Longford woman clocked up a score of 21, losing points only for needing to hold a railing when going up steps, or getting wobbly when looking up or down while walking. Jillian spent a lot of time on IVs over the past several weeks but those were stopped last week. Shes back on dialysis at night and she says everything is going the right way. In fact, going home is on the cards for Longfords CF champion, with doctors considering letting her home sooner rather than later. Im kind of keen to get out and get going. I really want to get home. I know Im going to struggle at home for the first couple of days because obviously its completely different to being in hospital. And I want to give myself a couple of days rest before the ball, she said. Because, yes, shes still planning her annual Valentines Ball to raise money and awareness for Cystic Fibrosis Ireland and St Vincents Hospital, Dublin. Read also: Longford CF warrior Jillian McNulty sitting up and smiling at last following Christmas in ICU Im really looking forward to the ball. Literally, this is going to be a celebration of my second chance at life and I have been given a second chance at life and Im so, so grateful, said Jillian. And the ball is going to be my comeback party, so please buy tickets. Numbers are down but Im trying not to worry because its obviously going to be different this year. I was hoping to have videos and collages there but obviously Im just not up to it this year, so its going to be slightly different. And I kind of think back to the video I posted just before I got sick saying that I wasnt going to hold another ball until I got my kidney. Clearly, the IVs were affecting my brain because already Im thinking about next years ball and my mother is going oh my god, stop it Jillian. I just knew there was something not right with me and I did say that I felt like I was dying and I was actually right. So Im glad it wasnt just in my head, Jillian added. But yeah, the ball is going ahead. The ball is going ahead next year, 2021, 2022, 2023. It aint stopping. Ive always said my aim is to create awareness and funds for cystic fibrosis and Im going to continue to do that, regardless. Shes certainly done that from her hospital bed and while in ICU. Her brother, Fran, posted regular updates to Facebook to let Jillians large number of supporters know just how well she was progressing. Speaking to the Longford Leader last week, Jillian explained that it was touch and go for a while. They didnt think Id survive the first ten days. It was touch and go but on the eleventh day, I moved my finger or nodded my head or something and it just went from there. They are amazed at how quickly Im progressing. They didnt expect such a quick recovery. Thankfully Im still here to tell the tale, Jillian told the Leader. Now shes just eager to get out of hospital so that she can go to Dundrum and buy a pair of shoes to match the dress she plans to wear to the ball. If you know anyone that wants a brilliant night out, a fantastic meal in gorgeous surroundings, then please let them know about the ball, Jillian said in her video to the masses. The ball will take place on Saturday, February 15 at Lough Rynn Castle, Mohill, Co Leitrim. Tickets are 65 and include a prosecco punch reception at 7.30pm sharp, a delicious four-course meal, music by harpist, Aine McLaughlin, followed by Gobsmacked, and a raffle on the night. Jillians parting message to all her well wishers was one of gratitude. Thank you for all your well wishes Im so glad Im back. Woohoo! For more information on the ball, or to purchase tickets, see Valentines Ball for Cystic Fibrosis on Facebook and send a message to get your tickets booked. Read also: Longford's CF champion Jillian McNulty on the mend WILLIAMSPORT Will the killing of two dogs sway jurors when they decide the fate of Lycoming County man charged in a murder-for-hire scheme? Defense attorney E.J. Rymsza believes it will, so hes asking that charges related to the dogs deaths should be severed from those accusing Edward Heck, 50, of paying a man $10,000 to kill his wife. Jurors hearing testimony about two defenseless animals being bludgeoned may reach a conclusion on guilt without fully considering defense evidence on the homicide and related charges, he argued. Lycoming County Judge Marc F. Lovecchio agreed that people have strong feelings about their pets but questioned whether the dog killings would influence jurors in a homicide case in which the victim was murdered in a more horrendous fashion. First Assistant District Attorney Martin Wade opposes severance pointing out that if hed killed a family of four, there would not be one trial on the killing of the adults and another on the childrens homicides. Further, the prosecution alleges killing the dogs was part of the Aug. 16, 2018, episode that resulted in Sonja Rowe Heck being killed, Wade said. Lovecchio reserved his decision on the severance motion and several other pretrial issues raised by the defense in the death penalty case. Hecks co-defendant Kenneth Wayne Smith, 34, Tuesday pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and other charges and was sentenced to life in prison. He admitted killing the dogs while waiting in the basement of the Heck house in Williamsports west end for word that Sonja Heck had gone to sleep. Geno and Peanut, both pugs, were hit on the head with a hammer, and it appears from puncture wounds they also were struck with an instrument, possibly a screw driver, police said. Rymsza questions whether Heck wanted the pugs killed but Wade referred to a text message he sent Smith asking what it was like killing the dogs. After Sonja Heck went to sleep, Smith said he went upstairs, hit her twice on the head with a hammer and slashed her throat. Smith, of Nanty Glo, and Heck, who had met 18 months earlier on social media, then drove to Lebanon, Ind., where both were arrested. Heck was extradited to Lycoming County but Smith was released but arrested later in Muskegon, Mich. Besides homicide he is charged with conspiracy to commit homicide, aggravated assault and cruelty to animals. He is being held without bail. Among the other issues Rymsza has raised are the constitutionality of the death penalty and whether inmate rights are violated when jails give police tapes of their telephone calls. He acknowledged inmates receive proper warning their calls are recorded but he argued they are not advised the tapes can be shared with authorities and the content used against them. WASHINGTON - Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross suggested Thursday that the viral outbreak in China might offer an unexpected benefit for the U.S. economy: It could encourage American manufacturers in China to return to the United States. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/1/2020 (713 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. FILE - In this Oct. 21, 2019, file photo, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross listening to President Donald Trump speak during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington. Ross suggested Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, that a viral outbreak in China could offer an upside to the U.S. economy by encouraging manufacturers to move back to America. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File) WASHINGTON - Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross suggested Thursday that the viral outbreak in China might offer an unexpected benefit for the U.S. economy: It could encourage American manufacturers in China to return to the United States. I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America. Some to U.S., probably some to Mexico as well, Ross told Fox Business Network. The new virus, from the coronavirus family, has paralyzed business in China. The industrial hub of Wuhan and other Chinese cities are on lockdown. China has reported more than 7,700 cases and 170 deaths. The crisis has also begun to ripple through U.S. companies with operations in China. Apple CEO Tim Cook has said that the company's suppliers in China have been forced to delay reopening factories that closed for the Lunar New Year holiday. More than half of Starbucks stores in China are now closed. McDonalds has closed several hundred restaurants in China. Ross emphasized that he didnt want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease. He added, though, that the fact is, it does give businesses yet another thing to consider when they go through their review of their supply chain. Even before the viral outbreak, many U.S. and other foreign companies had been rethinking their presence in China and considering their options for relocating elsewhere, possibly elsewhere in Asia. That is partly because President Donald Trump has imposed tariffs on $360 billion in Chinese imports in a war over Beijings economic policies and partly because Chinese labour and other costs have been rising. But skeptics doubt that many American companies with deep roots in China might abandon the country purely over the virus. For one thing, no one knows how long the viral outbreak will last or how much damage it may inflict. And it takes significant time for companies to choose suppliers or locations for their factories. Rosemary Coates, whose Blue Silk Consulting firm helps companies make such decisions, said it was ridiculous to think the viral outbreak would result in a significant return of business to the United States. You cant snap your fingers, she said. It can take 18 months or two years to find another supplier. It isnt easy. Its complicated. Wuhan, a centre of Chinas steel industry, has attracted General Motors and many other foreign manufacturing giants. You cant just say General Motors is going to pick up and move away, Coates said. They have a manufacturing plant there and expertise there. Their supply chain runs through there. In fact, U.S. direct investment in China, which includes factories, continued to rise even after the SARS outbreak disrupted the Chinese economy in 2003. And labour costs will continue to remain far higher in the United States than in China and other Asian countries such as Vietnam. 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. Companies that are leaving China are not coming to the U.S., said Coates, who is also executive director of the Reshoring Institute, a non-profit that researches issues surrounding corporate decisions on whether to return to the United States. Theyre going to other Asian countries .... If low cost is the only goal, then the U.S. is not the answer.'' After Ross' comments drew criticism, the Commerce Department issued a statement: As Secretary Ross made clear, the first step is to bring the virus under control and help the victims of this disease," it said. It is also important to consider the ramifications of doing business with a country that has a long history of covering up real risks to its own people and the rest of the world.'' Asked about Ross comments, Larry Kudlow, Trump's top economic adviser, declined to endorse the notion that the U.S. economy stands to benefit from Chinas health crisis. This is not about trade, jobs or any of that, Kudlow told reporters. He added: "The president has a lot of compassion for the Chinese situation. The threat of large numbers of people dying is a terrible thing. We just want to help. ___ Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report. Health care ranks as one of the most important issues to voters in the Democratic primary. The Medicare for All Act of 2019 backed by Senator Bernie Sanders would create a single federal insurance program to cover all U.S. residents. Penn Wharton Budget Model (PWBM) has produced the first integrated analysis of the Medicare for All Act of 2019, capturing health and demographic effects, interactions with other government programs, and macroeconomic changes. PWBM projects: Under current law, the percent of the population without medical insurance will grow from around 10 percent today to over 27 percent by 2060. Under Sanders Medicare for All, the uninsured rate would essentially fall to zero by design. Sanders Medicare for All would improve population health by 2060, reduce the share of the population that is seriously ill from 15 percent to 13 percent, increase life expectancy by two years, grow the population three percent, and increase worker productivity. Taken literally, Sanders Medicare for All Act lacks a financing mechanism, which by long-standing Congressional Budget Office and PWBM convention implies deficit financing. Under deficit financing, the plan would reduce GDP by 24 percent by 2060, despite large efficiency gains from lower overhead and reimbursement costs. As a presidential candidate, however, Senator Sanders has stated his intent to raise taxes, although without details. We analyze two alternative financing mechanisms. With premium financing, where most workers pay the same insurance premium (subsidized for lower-income workers), GDP increases by 0.2 percent in 2060. With payroll tax financing, where workers with higher wages pay more, GDP falls by 15 percent. We also present alternative scenarios. Without expanding benefits to include long-term care or dentalbut still eliminating most deductibles while covering all workersGDP increases by 12 percent with premium financing. These results indicate that Medicare for All can be designed in a way that boosts economic growth. For more information, see the PWBM Sanders Medicare for All analysis and background brief. Media inquiries: Wharton Media Relations, (communications@wharton.upenn.edu), +1 (215) 898-8036 About the Penn Wharton Budget Model PWBM is a nonpartisan, independent applied research organization housed at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. PWBM works directly with policymakers and staff, serving as an honest broker by providing accurate, accessible and transparent economic analysis of the fiscal and economic impact of public policy without advocacy. PWBMs estimates are regularly referenced by policymakers and top news outlets. For more information, visit https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/ About the Wharton School Founded in 1881 as the worlds first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is shaping the future of business by incubating ideas, driving insights, and creating leaders who change the world. With a faculty of more than 235 renowned professors, Wharton has 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA and doctoral students. Each year 13,000 professionals from around the world advance their careers through Wharton Executive Educations individual, company-customized, and online programs. More than 99,000 Wharton alumni form a powerful global network of leaders who transform business every day. For more information, visit http://www.wharton.upenn.edu. NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- WeissLaw LLP, a national class action and shareholders' rights law firm with offices in New York, California and Georgia, announces an investigation of ResMed Inc. (NYSE: RMD) ("ResMed," or the "Company"). If you own RMD shares and wish to discuss this investigation or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests, visit our website: http://www.weisslawllp.com/resmed-inc/ Or please contact: Joshua Rubin, Esq. WeissLaw LLP 1500 Broadway, 16th Floor New York, NY 10036 (212) 682-3025 (888) 593-4771 [email protected] The investigation focuses on possible breaches of fiduciary duty and violations of federal securities laws by ResMed's Board of Directors for the alleged dissemination of materially false and misleading information in connection with the Company's operations. ResMed recently paid $37.5 million to settle claims by the U.S. Justice Department relating to whistleblower complaints concerning alleged kickbacks to doctors for inducing prescriptions for its continuous positive airway pressure ("CPAP") machines to patients suffering from sleep apnea. WeissLaw is investigating whether ResMed's Board breached its fiduciary duties to the Company and its shareholders by (1) misrepresenting and/or failing to disclose material information about the Company, its business practices, and its customer-base; and (2) engaging in certain business practices that would expose the Company to liability and regulatory scrutiny. WeissLaw LLP has litigated hundreds of stockholder class and derivative actions for violations of corporate and fiduciary duties. We have recovered over a billion dollars for defrauded clients and obtained important corporate governance relief in many of these cases. If you have information or would like legal advice concerning possible corporate wrongdoing (including insider trading, waste of corporate assets, accounting fraud, or materially misleading information), consumer fraud (including false advertising, defective products, or other deceptive business practices), or anti-trust violations, please email us at [email protected] SOURCE WeissLaw LLP Related Links http://weisslawllp.com One of the most gripping and most watched series on Netflix, is Narcos! However, after three seasons of this series, the makers decided to make a companion series to Narcos, which starred Wagner Moura as the lead character Pablo Escobar, the dreaded Columbian drug lord! The first season of Narcos: Mexico, premiered on Netflix in 2018 and esablished the characters of Kiki Camarena (Michael Pena) as a hardened DEA agent and Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo (Diego Luna) as the head of the Guadalajara Cartel. This series followed the establishment of the modern Mexican drug trade. The first season ended with the death of Kiki Camarena and the second season's trailer is set to follow the fortunes of the Guadalajara Cartel, with the various bosses trying to take control and divide the cartel. Scoot McNairy will be seen as DEA Agent Walt Breslin and Diego Luna will be reprising his role as Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo! Netflix began promoting the second season with the teasing quote - "Wanna take down an empire? Divide it." They have also announced that the second season of Narcos: Mexico would be premiering on February 13th! By Olga Rosca Turkey's renewable energy production is receiving a boost with an EBRD loan of US$ 37 million to finance the expansion of the Kiyikoy wind farm in the northwest of the country. The Bank's loan will be used for the development, construction and operation of a 72 MW extension to the 28 MW wind farm located on the west coast of the Black Sea in the Kirklareli province. In parallel, ICBC Turkey is providing a loan for the same amount. The funds will also refinance a leasing facility provided by a local leasing firm for the original wind farm. The wind farm developer is Alenka Enerji Uretim ve Yatirim, set up by Borusan EnBW Enerji, a joint venture between the German utility Energie Baden-Wurttemberg (EnBW) and the Turkish conglomerate Borusan Holding. The joint company manages a portfolio of renewable energy projects with a total generation capacity of 505 MW. This includes eight wind farms, two solar power plants and a hydropower plant. The extension of the Kiyikoy wind farm is a step towards the government's objective of installing 27 GW of renewable energy capacity other than hydropower by 2023, of which 20 GW is expected to be wind energy. The Kiyikoy extension will also help save approximately 99,700 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. Supporting Turkey's sustainability goals is among the EBRD's priorities in the country. To date, the Bank has financed, both directly and through local banks, 3 GW of installed capacity, or 7 per cent of the total installed renewable energy capacity in Turkey. Aida Sitdikova, EBRD Director, Energy Eurasia, said: "Renewables in Turkey represent not only a viable, but also a financially attractive investment opportunity. We are proud to have been a frontrunner in the sector - both as an investor and as a partner of the authorities in policy reform. To date we have financed a significant share of Turkey's total installed renewable energy generation capacity and are delighted that in Borusan EnBW Enerji we have found a like-minded partner who shares our ambitions." The EBRD is a major investor in the country. Since 2009 it has invested almost 12 billion in various sectors of the Turkish economy. Half of this investment is in projects that promote the sustainable use of energy and resources. The EBRD's 6.7 billion portfolio in Turkey is the largest among the 38 economies where the Bank invests. Express News Service By NEW DELHI: Ravinder, 34, works as a security guard with a private firm. Born and brought up in a lower-middle-class colony of south Delhi, he voted for the Aam Aadmi Party in 2015, just like many others from his social strata. Five years later, his support for the AAP has not diminished. The party has provided free electricity, free bus rides to women and installed street lights at many places, he said, revealing the reasons for his faith in Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his party. But in the past one week to 10 days, a new element has crept into the discourse in his social circle. From only bijli, paani, schools and mohalla clinics, the success stories the AAP loves to trumpet, Shaheen Bagh, Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the tukde-tukde gang have entered the topics of discussion. When there was violence (during the CAA protests) the AAP didnt say anything and played safe. (Narendra) Modi is a good Prime Minister and thats why people voted for him (in 2019), Ravinder said. Recently people from the AAP came and said the Bharatiya Janata Party is spreading wrong information on CAA. But why would they spread wrong information? So far whatever Modiji has done, they were for the benefit of the nation. I dont see anything wrong in CAA, said Kushal Chand, 44, who runs a grocery shop and is an AAP supporter. ALSO READ | Delhi elections: Parties to bring out top guns as poll campaign enters its final phase Come February 8 when Delhi will cast its vote, both Ravinder and Kushal will most likely vote for the AAP, but they admitted that Shaheen Bagh and CAA also occupied their mindspace. This was not so until even 15 days back, when conversations in the Delhi Metro, salons, roadside eateries, parks and drawing rooms centred mainly around free water and subsidised power. The AAP was also setting the tone of the campaign till just a fortnight ago, bringing out a report card of its tenure and a guarantee card on its promises. The BJP and the Congress were forced to play catch-up, reacting and debunking every AAP boast of its work. ALSO READ | 'Fake' video on Delhi government schools: AAP seeks 48-hour campaigning ban on Amit Shah But ever since Union Home Minister Amit Shah descended on the election track with a shrill and aggressive campaign on Shaheen Bagh, CAA and nationalism, the narrative is no longer only about bijli, paani. Such is the BJPs pitch that the AAP is now forced to react. For instance, on JNU student Sharjeel Imam, when Shah attacked Kejriwals silence, he was forced to respond. Voters torn between development and nationalism Sharjeel talked about cutting off Assam from the country. You are the home minister of the country. It is your responsibility to get him arrested, Kejriwal tweeted. For many, Shaheen Bagh and nationalism are issues they have heard about and are important, but what matters more is work on the ground. Kejriwal has done the best thing by cutting electricity and water charges for us poor people so I will vote for him. I have heard about Shaheen Bagh but the protest should be such that it does not hamper routine work, said Chitranjan, a casual labourer. In agreement is Ram Yadav, a security guard in north-west Delhi. Where is the question of Pakistan in the Delhi elections? Jhadu (AAPs election symbol) should come back as they have provided relief to the poor people, he said. But Arun Kant, a small shopkeeper living in south-east Delhi, is not convinced. Modiji thinks about the country and we should support him. I voted for the AAP in 2015 but now I am in a dilemma, so will I decide at the eleventh hour, Kant said. ALSO READ | Smriti Irani attacks Kejriwal over women's security in Delhi Taxi driver Rajesh Yadav of north Delhi is also undecided. CAA and NRC are good steps but I have not made up my mind. Work done in schools in the last five years is also something that should be appreciated, he said. But there are others who swear by nationalism and see a threat to the Hindu Rashtra. Devinder Khanna, who runs a shop in East Delhi, said nationalism is the first thing, the rest are useless. My electricity bill is the same as before so I dont care about personal benefits. For me, the party that guarantees the countrys security will get my vote. Social activist Sunita Maurya of East Delhi sees a grave threat to the nation. Look at the blunder happening at Shaheen Bagh. We have to save the Hindu Rashtra from the blunder of ours sisters and daughters, Maurya said. But the AAP claimed it was not perturbed. People of Delhi are smart and will see through this negative campaign of the BJP. Delhi citizens will vote on work done, everyone that we are meeting and the feedback from the ground is that people are speaking about vote on work and developmental policies, said Pankaj Gupta, national secretary of AAP. However, the BJP said people of Delhi have a right to decide if they want a nationalist government. Our objective was to make people understand whether they want a government that supports Jinnahwali Azadi or the tukde-tukde gang. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said he stands with Shaheen Bagh. What does it mean? His government didnt give sanction to prosecute Kanhaiya Kumar and others in the JNU sedition case, said Harish Khurana, spokesperson of the Delhi BJP. For its part, the Congress dismissed the BJPs high pitch campaign on nationalism. We are better placed than the two parties and the people of Delhi understand the divisive game being played by the BJP, while the AAP has failed miserably despite a massive mandate, said Congress in-charge of Delhi P C Chacko. (Reported by Richa Sharma, Siddhanta Mishra, Somrita Ghosh & Rahiba Parveen) D onald Trump's alleged quid pro quo with Ukraine was in the public interest if it helped his re-election prospects, the Presidents defence has told the Senate impeachment trial. The bombshell claim which left Democrats stunned marked a striking shift from Mr Trumps insistence he had perfect dealings with Kiev. He has repeatedly denied freezing a US military aid package to the eastern European country to pressure its government into investigating his Democrat rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter. If a President does something which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment, argued former Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz. Alan Dershowitz, an attorney for President Donald Trump, during the impeachment trial against Trump in the Senate / AP Every public official that I know believes that his election is in the public interest, he added. The change in strategy was designed to pour more cold water on Democrat claims that Mr Trump abused his position as politicians pondered a key vote tomorrow on whether to call more witnesses. If Republicans vote along party lines and block any new testimony, it is almost certain they will use their majority in the upper chamber of Congress to swiftly acquit the President. Attempting to bring proceedings to a close, both the White House and Republican leaders in the Senate last night tried to discredit revelations by former national security adviser John Bolton, who reportedly contradicts Mr Trumps defence with claims in a new book that there was a quid pro quo. Some moderate Republicans have suggested they were interested in hearing Mr Boltons testimony at the trial. Playing down the importance of Mr Boltons alleged claims, Professor Dershowitz said that even if there was a quid pro quo that would not necessarily be grounds for impeachment. The only thing that would make a quid pro quo unlawful is if the quo were, in some way, illegal, he added. Mr Trump, who is charged with abuse of power and obstruction of justice, is hoping to be cleared before his State of the Union address next Tuesday. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell was said to be quietly confident he had succeeded in heading off threats by some Republicans to vote to hear more witnesses. CHICAGO - Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren joined former Vice-President Joe Biden on Wednesday in a presidential campaign pledge to avoid the use of fake news, manipulated images or online misinformation. The declaration signals that viral misinformation is becoming a growing concern for the campaigns as the Democratic primary season nears. Both Biden and Warren have been victims of online viral smear campaigns built on trending hashtags, heavily edited video and memes. We need more candidates stepping in and speaking against disinformation, said Kanishk Karan, a misinformation researcher at the Atlantic Council, a Washington, D.C.-based think-tank . The discussion, by and large, is coming from the people who have experienced this sort of disinformation effort against their candidacy and thats an important point: the ones whove experienced this sort of attack against their reputation are standing up for it. Earlier this month, for example, social media users flooded Twitter with snake images and the term #NeverWarren to attack the candidate during a spat with fellow Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders. In some cases, hashtags were used to spread misinformation, with Twitter users accusing her campaign of fabricating a mean-spirited text message from a Sanders campaign volunteer. His campaign later confirmed to The Associated Press that the text was sent by a rogue Sanders volunteer, who was booted from the effort. Meanwhile, a video of Biden was selectively edited just this month and used on social media to wrongly claim he made racist remarks. He has also been targeted with misinformation in recent months, with many Republicans falsely claiming that he pressured Ukraine to fire a top prosecutor who was investigating Burisma, the energy company his son worked for at the time. In fact, the investigation was dormant when Biden pressed for the firing. Biden signed a pledge last year that he would not use doctored images and videos or fabricated information during the campaign. Warrens pledge released Wednesday is part of a regulation proposal she promised to implement if elected president. Warren has long been a critic of the tech companies that operate online platforms sometimes used to spread misinformation and once called for breaking up tech giants like Facebook and Google. Her plan to fight digital disinformation appears to be the first of its kind among the presidential candidates. President Donald Trump, who has been reluctant to acknowledge that Russia used online disinformation campaigns in an attempt to influence U.S. voters during the 2016 election, has been criticized for not safeguarding the presidential race from such attacks again this year. Warrens plan calls on the tech companies to label propaganda that was written or produced by state-funded media outlets or the government and to ban accounts that put out false information about voting rules, times and locations. In a statement, Facebook said it agrees with Warren on the importance of combating disinformation and believes there needs to be a more substantive partnership between government private industry to better secure our elections. One of Warrens ideas quickly became a casualty of online misinformation Wednesday. Some Twitter users inaccurately suggested she plans to criminalize disinformation all together, calling it a violation of free speech rights. Her plan is actually more specific, saying that she would push for civil and criminal penalties only for people who knowingly disseminate information that has the explicit purpose of undermining the basic right to vote. Twitter users easily circulated misleading comments about her plan, in part, because its long and complicated, said Jennifer Grygiel, an assistant professor of communications at Syracuse University. Yes, its important for us to be talking about disinformation ... (but) politicians need to figure out how to package their ideas into memes, Grygiel said of Warrens plan. We need to distill these ideas down for the public. If she doesnt package the narrative, somebody else will. And criminalizing misinformation could be tough, Karan said. Many people on social media might unknowingly spread misinformation by sharing it with their friends in a Facebook post or retweeting it. But they didnt necessarily create the misinformation. Its really hard to expose the source of disinformation, he said. That could become a challenge. ___ Associated Press writer Barbara Ortutay in San Francisco contributed to this report. ___ Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game. Bank unions have decided to go on a two-day nationwide strike from Friday as talks with management of public sector lenders on wage revision have failed to reach a consensus. Many banks, including SBI, have informed customers that operations may be impacted to some extent due to the strike. The strike will coincide with the beginning of the Budget session of parliament and presentation of union Budget 2020-21. The strike call has been given by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body of nine bank unions, including All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC), All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) and National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW). Earlier this week, a meeting with the Chief Labour Commissioner remained inconclusive, AIBOC President Sunil Kumar said. The wage revision for employees of public sector is pending since November 2017. "Today's talks with Indian Banks' Association (IBA) failed on demand from unions, so strike call stands," AIBEA General Secretary C H Venkatachalam said. IBA's rigid approach has left unions with no option than to go on strike, Vekatachalam said, adding, "We appeal to the banking customers to bear with us for this disruption in services due to the strike but the same has been forced on us by the bank managements and IBA." In a circular, UFBU accused the IBA of a rigid approach towards demands for a fair wage revision settlement. A meeting of UFBU held at Mumbai on January 13 came to the unanimous conclusion that intensified agitational actions have to be taken to press our demands, NOBW Vice President Ashwini Rana said. During the recent period, prices have gone up steeply and the workload on the banking workforce has also gone up enormously, UFBU said, adding that bank staffers expect a fair and reasonable hike in wages in the current settlement. Unions are demanding 20 per cent hike on pay slip components with adequate loading. In the past wage settlement, which was for the period November 1, 2012, to October 31, 2017, the employees got a hike of 15 per cent. A section of bank employees had gone on a day-long strike on January 8 in support of 10 major trade unions' protest call against the government's "anti-people" policies. Jacob Rees-Mogg has deemed it would be allowable for UK citizens to drink French wine in a spirit of sympathy to Europe on the eve of Britains formal departure from the EU. The Commons leaders apparent jibe came in response to a warning from SNP MP Patrick Grady, who cautioned the government against any kind of triumphalism about all of this. Tomorrow is not the end of Brexit, it is only the beginning, the Glasgow North MP warned. Mr Grady said communities across Scotland would gather to say au revoir, not adieu to fellow members of the EU, claiming many in the EU will be leaving a light on for Scotland so the country can find its way back home to Europe as an independent member state. I too am very keen that we should maintain cordial relations with our friends in the European Union but without being governed by them, and that seems to me an extremely satisfactory way to be proceeding from now on, Mr Rees-Mogg said. Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Show all 20 1 /20 Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Britain votes to leave the European Union - 23 June 2016 A referendum is held on Britain's membership of the European Union. Fifty-two per cent of the country votes in favour of leaving AFP via Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? David Cameron resigns - 24 June 2016 David Cameron resigns on the morning of the result after leading the campaign for Britain to remain in the EU Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Theresa May takes the reins - 13 July 2016 Theresa May becomes leader of the Conservative party and prime minister, winning the leadership contest unopposed after Andrea Leadsom drops out Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? High Court rules parliament must vote on Brexit - November 2016 - 3 November 2016 The High Court rules that parliament must vote on triggering Article 50, which would begin the Brexit process Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Article 50 triggered - 28 March 2017 The prime minister triggers Article 50 after parliament endorses the result of the referendum Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? May calls snap election - 18 April 2018 Seeking a mandate for her Brexit plan, May goes to the country Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? May loses majority as Labour makes surprise gain - 8 June 2017 After a disastrous campaign, Theresa May loses her majority in the commons and turns to the DUP for support. Jeremy Corbyn's Labour party makes gains after being predicted to lose heavily AFP/Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Negotiations begin - 19 June 2017 David Davis and Michel Barnier, chief negotiators for the UK and EU respectively, hold a press conference on the first day of Brexit negotiations. Soon after the beginning of negotiations, it becomes clear that the issue of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic will prove a major sticking point AFP/Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? MPs vote that withdrawal deal must be ratified by parliament - 13 December 2017 The government suffers a defeat in parliament over the EU withdrawal agreement, guaranteeing that MPs are given a 'meaningful vote' on the deal Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Boris Johnson resigns as foreign secretary - 11 July 2018 Following a summit at Chequers where the prime minister claimed to have gained cabinet support for her deal, Boris Johnson resigns as foreign secretary along with David Davis, the Brexit secretary Reuters Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Draft withdrawal agreement - 15 November 2018 The draft withdrawal agreement settles Britain's divorce bill, secures the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and vice versa and includes a political declaration commiting both parties to frictionless trade in goods and cooperation on security matters. The deal also includes the backstop, which is anathema to many brexiteers and Dominic Raab and Esther McVey resign from the cabinet in protest Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? May resigns - 24 May 2019 After several failed attempts to pass her withdrawal agreement through the commons, Theresa May resigns Reuters Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Johnson takes over - 24 July 2019 Boris Johnson is elected leader of the Conservative party in a landslide victory. He later heads to Buckingham Palace where the Queen invites him to form a government Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Parliament prorogued - 28 August 2019 Boris Johnson prorogues parliament for five weeks in the lead up to the UK's agreed departure date of 31 October. Stephen Morgan MP Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Prorogation ruled unlawful - 24 September 2019 The High Court rules that Johnson's prorogation of parliament is 'unlawful' after a legal challenge brought by businesswoman Gina Miller Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Johnson agrees deal with Varadkar - October Following a summit in Merseyside, Johnson agrees a compromise to the backstop with Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar - making the withdrawal agreement more palatable to Brexiteers Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Final Say march demands second referendum - 19 October 2019 As parliament passes the Letwin amendment requiring the prime minister to request a further delay to Brexit, protesters take to the streets in the final show of force for a Final Say referendum Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Johnson wins 80 seat majority - 12 December 2019 The Conservatives win the December election in a landslide, granting Boris Johnson a large majority to pass through his brexit deal and pursue his domestic agenda Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Withdrawal deal passes parliament - 20 December 2019 The withdrawal agreement passes through the commons with a majority of 124 Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? EU parliament backs UK withdrawal deal - 29 January 2020 Members of the European parliament overwhelmingly back the ratification of Britain's departure, clearing the way for Brexit two days later on 31 January. Following the vote, members join hands and sing Auld Lang Syne AFP/Getty On Wednesday, the European Parliament approved Boris Johnsons withdrawal agreement, with anti-Brexit MEPs breaking into a farewell chorus of Auld Lang Syne immediately after the vote. Brexit Party MEPs later broke the parliaments rules by waving Union Jack flags, earning a reprimand from the speaker before they left the chamber for the final time. We dont want to be triumphalist about it but I think, in a spirit of sympathy to Europe, it would be allowable for some of us at 11pm on Friday to drink some French sparkling wine, Mr Rees-Mogg added on Thursday. I dont think thatd be unduly unreasonable. Mr Rees-Mogg was conspicuous by his absence during the general election campaign, after he suggested those who had died in Grenfell Tower lacked common sense in following official stay put advice. While he has retained his cabinet position, his comments about French wine suggested he remains somewhat out of the loop, as it emerged crates of English sparkling wine had been spotted being delivered into Number 10 earlier this month. But Mr Rees-Mogg appeared jovial, adding: Id just say one thing about leaving the lights on I thought the SNP was very environmentally-friendly so I hope theyre carefully investigating the carbon cost of this. On Wednesday, Holyrood voted to back Nicola Sturgeons demand for a second independence referendum. The motion calls on Westminster to reach an agreement with the Scottish government on such a referendum taking place on a date and in a manner determined by the Scottish parliament. Additional reporting by Press Association by Sarah Mahoney @mahoney_sarah, January 29, 2020 Shes outlasted more trash-talking and cultural shade than the average 60-year-old fashionista, and Barbie is still a badass in toy sales. And as the industry gets ready to rally past several years of Toys-R-Us-driven declines, Mattel is poised to outperform, with Barbie leading the charge. Mattel, which has been steadily adding Barbie sheroes and role models since it started its girl-power themed makeover back in 2015, has just unwrapped its most inclusive line yet. New this year are a Barbie with a prosthetic leg, a hairless doll, one in a wheelchair and a version with vitiligo, a skin condition. All told, there are now more than 170 looks for the doll, with nine different body types, 35 skin tones and 94 hairstyles. But the industry overall is still struggling. The NPD Group, a Port Washington, New York-based market research company, just released its annual tally and says U.S. retail sales of toys fell 4% to $20.9 billion in 2019, from $21.8 billion in 2018. advertisement advertisement Still, sales in the earlier part of the year were still up against prior-year liquidation sales from Toys R Us, as well as a shorter holiday selling season. And fashion dolls which includes L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. fashion dolls and Disney Frozen as well as Barbie grew the most in terms of dollar sales. Experts see a comeback in the making. We believe the U.S. toy industry can return to better growth in 2020 after consecutive years of declines, primarily driven by the Toys R Us bankruptcy, writes Tami Zakaria, an analyst for JP Morgan, in its report initiating coverage. While the birth rate may be declining, Zakaria sees an increased parental focus on childhood development and playtime as part of the categorys strength. And she says Mattel, with its early-stage turnaround well under way, is looking like the best long-term value play. Much of that comes from momentum in the El Segundo, California-based companys core brands, especially Hot Wheels and Barbie. Barbie represents about 23% of Mattels gross revenues, up from 16% three years ago, with a global market share of 54%. Zakaria says the companys massive reinvention of Barbie a shift that has involved more careers and inclusivity, with the acknowledgement that girls want dolls that look more like them is working. The companys re-enlivened Barbie product portfolio that debuted in late 2015 has seen healthy growth since and continues to gain share, she writes. We believe this inflection point is indicative of the endurance of the Barbie brand, illustrates that customers were ready for a change and that buyers and customers are excited about Barbies new image. Following the companys 14% jump in revenue in 2018, tied to Barbies 60th birthday and expected continued double-digit gains in 2019, Zakaria forecasts growth of 2% in 2020. And overall, she anticipates gain of 6% in dolls, as the struggling American Girl franchise stabilizes. A man convicted of raping a vulnerable and frail elderly woman after breaking into her Perth home has been sentenced to more than 17 years in prison. Mugahed Adam Eldouma, 40, got into the 76-year-old victim's Armadale house in June 2018 through a window and sexually assaulted her before being apprehended and claiming to police that he was the woman's carer. In the District Court of WA on Thursday, Eldouma was jailed for 17 years and six months for the daytime attack which Judge Bruce Goetze described as 'appalling'. Scroll down for video Mugahed Adam Eldouma, 40, got into the 76-year-old victim's Armadale house in June 2018 through a window and sexually assaulted her before being apprehended and claiming to police that he was the woman's carer 'The state of the house probably indicates that she was unable to really look after herself in the home,' the judge said. 'And this really shows then her defencelessness which makes your sexual offending all the more appalling.' The victim has since died. She managed to call triple-zero and provide her address when Eldouma refused to leave but he still persisted with the attack, punching her in the head and body before repeatedly sexually assaulting her. When police arrived and arrested him in the backyard, Eldouma told multiple lies including that he had a close relationship with the victim and was like a son to her. He did not admit to committing the attack until the eve of his sentencing. Judge Goetze noted Eldouma had experienced trauma during his upbringing in Sudan and had a long history of substance abuse. But he said the offending would have had a significant impact on the victim. 'With her age, she was vulnerable and unable to defend herself given her physical ailments,' Judge Goetze said. 'She was alone, she was in her home where she ought to feel safe from any interference.' TOKYO, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Three Japanese who returned from Wuhan, China, on a government-chartered flight on Wednesday have been confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus, public broadcaster NHK reported on Thursday, citing the health ministry. Two of the three had not shown any symptoms, the ministry said, according to NHK. They had returned on Wednesday. (Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Kim Coghill) Group management tools help band directors communicate information, share photos, videos, and files, and even manage finances at their fingertips. Band directors spend an inordinate amount of time each week managing communications within their programs. Students, staff, parents, volunteers, and boosters all need to remain in the communication loop. Managing communications, however, can overwhelm even a seasoned director. The extra time and energy managing all the components of the program really took a toll on my health, says Lesley Moffat, director of bands at Jackson High School in Mill Creek, Washington, and author of I Love My Job but Its Killing Me: The Teachers Guide to Conquering Chronic Stress and Sickness. Luckily a plethora of software can help directors get their message across as well as manage other aspects of their programs. Eliminating the Clutter After trying a variety of communication tools including apps, calendars, websites, and paper documents, Chris Roberts, the assistant corps director of the Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets in 2019 and visual caption head for multiple high school marching bands, finally settled on the BAND app. The BAND mobile group communication tool allows Roberts to integrate calendars, send private messages, and create private chats. BAND users avoid distractions from ads and other social media issues while enjoying privacy on a protected platform. When youre dealing with students, you have to be really careful about who and what has access to them, Roberts says. Group members can receive the communications within the app or a desktop browser or through text or email. As director of operations for Hillgrove High School Bands in Powder Springs, Georgia, Lori Sweet also uses BAND, but her base management software is Cut Time, a cloud-based tool that is a service of sheet music provider J.W. Pepper. Sweet keeps everyone in her program on point by sending out a weekly newsletter via Cut Time. Our goal is to ensure the details and plans of our busy band program are communicated effectively and [in a] timely [manner], and our families can respond easily when questions arise, Sweet says. Moffat, whose band program has 300 students, began using Charms Office Assistant, a Vanco Company, to manage her program 15 years ago. It allows her to eliminate clutter by filtering her emails and her calendar, so that relevant information reaches those who need it. Charms also allows her to keep track of fundraising, equipment inventory, attendance, and the music library instead of maintaining a variety of tools like Excel, Quicken, physical notebooks, binders, lesson plan books, and notecards like she did in the past. Now her programs information is in one place. Moffat says Charms fills all her needs and has been a game-changer. Controlling the Narrative Some programs allow users to communicate with one another while others dont. BAND gives Roberts complete control over who can communicate with whom. Depending on their rights, users can post and chat. The post feature lets Roberts broadcast messages like rehearsal information. We always post the schedule connected to a calendar connected to a pin drop, Roberts says. Then we hashtag it because posts are hashtag searchable within the app. To let students critique themselves, Roberts records all rehearsals and attaches each video to a post. [Students] are able to practice their parts on their own, Roberts says. They can comment on the posts and create other posts. From a directors standpoint, this is where we use it to control our narrative, Roberts says. Using BANDs settings, Roberts determines which chats are public and which are private. He eliminates all public chats except for the one that includes all members. All members can create private chats. A section leader will create a private chat that will include only [his or her] section of people, Roberts says. David M. Marshall, coordinator of fine and performing arts at Somerset Berkley Regional and Somerset Public Schools as well as director of bands at Somerset Berkley Regional, uses BANDs chat feature to communicate with subgroups. If I want to give a certain assignment to the saxophones, for instance, I can send a message just to the saxophone section, he says. If I want to communicate information to the staff members of [an] ensemble, I can create a chat group for them and communicate information directly to them. Charms also gives directors control over what users can see on their devices and how they can communicate with one another. For example, when one of Moffats volunteers helps with managing the music library or posting payments to accounts, she can give the volunteer access to the specific section of Charms needed to complete the task. [Volunteers] can be helpful but not have too much access, she says. It allows me to manage the whole program while allowing me to let others help with specific tasks. She can allow users read-only access or allow them to add information. She can permit parents to send emails on her behalf and, if shes so inclined, to require approval by her. Its as easy as clicking a button. Its my choice, Moffat says. There is so much control and flexibility that it makes it easy for the director to maintain control. Branding is essential to marching bands and corps. When Roberts and his staff are designing a new show, BAND protects their imagery from the outside world. He and his staff share audio and video of their ideas through uploads without having to worry about outside eyes. Its on a private platform, so that its not out for the world to see, and its not searchable on Google or Bing or any kind of searchable platform, Roberts says. Managing Classrooms Band directors at every level teach multiple classes throughout the school day. James Worthy, band director at Merry Acres Middle School in Albany, Georgia, uses the Remind messaging app to send announcements to multiple classes at once. Worthy uploads pictures and documents to an announcement that hes created and connects it to his Google Classroom. He can also create group and individual conversations for his students to communicate within the app. In an instant, Worthy can communicate with hundreds of students and parents, who have access through text, the app, or email. Remind also notifies the sender when a message is delivered. This helps me know whos seen it or if a phone number is no longer in service, Worthy says. The Remind system is extremely user-friendly. Remind is a hit with parents, Worthy says. In the past he would send home paper announcements, but many of his students couldnt keep up with the many papers theyd receive from all their teachers. Important announcements would end up at the bottom of a backpack, arrive home torn, or not at all. Hed try to make contact with parents, but sometimes the two parties would have difficulty finding a convenient time to meet or speak by phone. Remind all but eliminates that problem. I send [parents] a message about a concern and usually end up texting that parent for quite some time using the Remind app, Worthy says. I hardly ever have to make a phone call anymore. Moffat, who teaches up to 60 or more students at a time, uses Charms in her classrooms. We have every student sign in for attendance in class as they come in the door, helping us keep accurate records and save a ton of time, says Moffat who also uses Charms to help manage class field trips. Featuring Financial Efficiency Of all the features Cut Time offers, its financial feature is Sweets favorite. She and her staff track payments of fees and other expenses, add obligations, post payments, and run reports indicating whos paid and who hasnt. Using Cut Time, she sends monthly statements to everyone and a weekly email to those whose payments are past due. This has allowed us to manage our financials more efficiently, Sweet says. We have had an increase in payment of fees and also received feedback from many parents that the Cut Time statements are much easier to understand. This has significantly cut down on emails and questions to our treasurers. Like Cut Time, Charms has robust financial management features. Moffat uses it to keep track of trip costs, fundraising, budgets, and inventory replacement costs. Its especially helpful because it allows kids and parents to check it 24/7 from anywhere when they want to see how much they owe, how much theyve earned from a fundraiser, or if they have any fines, Moffat says. Managing all the non-instructional aspects of being a music teacher, especially a high school band director, is overwhelming, Moffat says. It can quickly take on a life of its own and consume all your time, Moffat says. One of the reasons I wrote my book is because this job is so amazing, but the hours and hours of work spent each week on managing a successful music program can be daunting on top of our teaching duties. [Charms] allows me to spend more time focused on instruction-related activities and less time on keeping track of details. Once you determine which tool youd like to implement, read this article for tips to help you work with your administration to fund your request. Video PlayerClose Visitors take a selfie with a light installation during the second Chinese Festival of Lights at the Kalemegdan fortress in Belgrade, Serbia, Jan. 24, 2020. [Xinhua/Shi Zhongyu] Celebrating Spring Festival is such an important tradition for overseas Chinese that government officials from many European countries not only join the locals to celebrate, but also take the occasion as a chance to boost ties with China. FRANKFURT/BELGRADE/WARSAW, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) The spacious lobby of Rosengarten, a congress center in downtown Mannheim, Germany, was decorated with Chinese red. Crowds gathered in front of exhibit booths where folk artists from China's northwestern Shaanxi province showcased their skills of paper-cutting, woodblock printing and calligraphy. Nine-year-old Anja was holding her calligraphy work that reads "Shu Nian Da Ji" (A Happy Year of the Rat). "I've tried the tea ceremony, Go, and calligraphy. I will show this piece to my classmates and teachers at school," she said. A German girl dressed in traditional Han-style costumes attends a celebration event to greet the Chinese Lunar New Year in Mannheim, Germany, Jan. 23, 2020. [Photo by Yu Li/Xinhua] Artists from Shaanxi brought an evening gala later that night to local audience like Anja. It is a part of the "Happy Chinese New Year" cultural event taking place across the world. It is the also first time that the event comes to the Frankfurt consular district in Germany. Zeng Shengli, Anja's mother, said she drove two and a half hours to attend the event. "It's not the first time we celebrate the Spring Festival with cultural activities like this, but the variety and quality of the show this year is really impressive." Dancers of an art troupe from southwest China's Guizhou Province perform during a cultural event in downtown Berlin, Germany, Jan. 10, 2020. [Xinhua/Wang Qing] A NEW TRADITION This year's Spring Festival fell on January 25. While residents from and around Mannheim had the chance to enjoy the culture and history of Shaanxi, people in Berlin welcomed the art troupe from southwest China's Guizhou Province. A gala featuring singing, dancing, and music has offered the Berliners a glimpse of the musical traditions of ethnic minority groups living in Guizhou. On January 15, for the ninth consecutive year, Berlin's historic Red Town Hall rolled out red carpet and lit Chinese red lanterns for the "Happy Chinese New Year" gala. Sawsan Chebli, the State Secretary for the Berlin Government, said that hosting Chinese new year celebrations has become an important cultural tradition in Berlin, which also signifies the all-around cooperation between Berlin and China, particularly between Berlin and its sister city Beijing. Addressing the opening ceremony of this year's gala in Berlin, Chinese Ambassador to Germany Wu Ken also stressed that cultural and tourism exchanges between the two countries play an increasingly crucial role in bringing people from two sides closer, and sound people-to-people ties lay the very foundation for bilateral relations. Visitors view a light installation during the second Chinese Festival of Lights at the Kalemegdan fortress in Belgrade, Serbia, Jan. 24, 2020. [Xinhua/Shi Zhongyu] For people in Belgrade, Serbia, celebrating Chinese New Year with lights and fireworks in the city center is just in vogue. On January 24, the countdown to Chinese New Year was staged at the Kalemegdan park-fortress in Belgrade where citizens gathered to enjoy in the second Chinese Festival of Lights. A fairytale world of colorful flowers, flamingos, chariot horseman, Chinese dragons, lanterns and other light sculptures has been built in cities of Belgrade and Novi Sad. The event will last until mid-February. Tasovac, a Belgrade citizen, said he learned about the light exhibition from local media and enjoyed it very much. "It was eye-opening," he said, "It was a great opportunity to allow us to feel the festivity of the Spring Festival here in Belgrade. I've always had an interest in Chinese culture." At the British School Warsaw, a top-rated international school in Poland, Chinese teachers from Warsaw University of Technology were invited to introduce the custom and habits of celebrating the Chinese New Year to students from more than 70 countries. Justyna Babik, a teacher at the British School Warsaw, said the celebration was a very enriching experience for the students. "I think it's important to celebrate different cultures, especially in an international school such as ours. We celebrate Chinese New Year every year and I'm sure we will continue to do so." A girl dances during a Chinese Lunar New Year parade in London, Britain, on Jan. 26, 2020. [Xinhua/Han Yan] CLOSER TIES Celebrating Spring Festival is such an important tradition for overseas Chinese that government officials from many European countries not only join the locals to celebrate, but also take the occasion as a chance to boost ties with China. On January 24, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson participated in a "Lion Awakening Ritual" in front of 10 Downing Street by painting the eyes of the Chinese Lions during a performance. The office doorway was decorated with Spring Festival couplets, Chinese phrases of good wishes written on pieces of red paper. In North Rhine-Westphalia, a Western German state, officials have made it a custom to record video messages addressed to the Chinese living in the region ahead of the Spring Festival. Andreas Pinkwart, economic minister of the federal state, said in this year's video that the Year of the Rat represents qualities of reliability and persistence, and the ability to turn the unfavorable situation into a favorable one. "These are characteristics that we particularly need in today's times when the world trade system is facing growing challenges," he said. Performers interact with spectators during a Chinese Lunar New Year parade in London, Britain, on Jan. 26, 2020. [Xinhua/Han Yan] North Rhine-Westphalia is home to almost a quarter of all the overseas Chinese living in Germany. Pinkwart said the relationships between North Rhine-Westphalia and China are "closely woven," as there are over 1,100 Chinese companies in the German state and over 1,000 North Rhine-Westphalian companies in China. In 2019, well-known Chinese smartphone brands such as Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo announced their investment plans in the region. Mayors of cities like Duesseldorf, Cologne and Duisburg all sent their Chinese New Year wishes through videos. All three cities have forged close relationships with China. Thomas Geisel, mayor of Duesseldorf, said he hopes the city will maintain close exchanges with China in the coming year and expects the two sides to deepen dialogue in the face of common challenges such as climate change. (Source: Xinhua) International concern is growing over the 2019-nCoV coronavirus that was identified in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December of last year. The number of person-to-person transmissions being reported is increasing. With 7,183 confirmed cases in less than a monthof which just 68 are outside Chinathe number of people infected has already surpassed the 2003 SARS coronavirus pandemic during the same time frame. The lethality of the present epidemic is lower at this point, however, with SARS causing 349 deaths in mainland China compared with 170 deaths thus far caused by 2019-nCoV. On January 23, the Chinese government took the extraordinary step of effectively placing the entire city of Wuhan and its population of 11 million under quarantine. It has since extended the measure to neighboring cities in Hubei province, restricting the movement of up to 50 million people. According to the mayor of Wuhan, however, as many as five million people had already left the city before the quarantine, primarily to visit family in other parts of China or the world for the Lunar New Year celebrations. In some cases, it is believed that people who were infected with 2019-nCoV left to seek medical care because they could not get treatment in overwhelmed hospitals and clinics. Thai people wearing face masks walk in a overhead bridge in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020. [Credit: AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe] The governor of Hubei province, Wang Xiadong, informed reporters that the epidemic was now severe in Huanggang, a city of 7.5 million neighboring Wuhan, with over 1,000 confirmed and suspected cases. He echoed previous officials who have reported significant shortages in medical supplies. Medical teams are being deployed and makeshift hospitals are being erected to handle the growing number of infected individuals. Cases have now been confirmed in at least 17 countries, including a number of Asian countries, the United States, Canada, Australia, France and Germany. The United Arab Emirates has reported the first case of 2019-nCoV in the Middle East. Dr. Michael Ryan, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Emergencies Program, told a press conference yesterday: The continued increase in cases and the evidence of human-to human transmission outside China are of course most deeply concerning. Although the numbers outside China are still relatively small, they hold the potential for a much larger outbreak. The United Nations agency UNICEF has rushed six tons of respiratory masks and protective suits for use by the Chinese medical workers on the front line of treating victims. UNICEF executive director Henrietta Fore stated in a press release: This coronavirus is spreading at a breakneck speed and it is important to put all the necessary resources into halting it. We may not know enough about the viruss impact on children or how many may be affected, but we do know that close monitoring and prevention are key. Time is not on our side. The 16-person WHO expert committee that has been monitoring the virus will meet again today to consider whether to officially declare the outbreak a global public health emergency. Prior to such a declaration, however, countries and international airlines have moved to restrict movement in and out of China. On Tuesday, Hong Kong placed a ban on entry for anyone traveling from the mainland. Cross-border transit has been severely limited and ferry and rail services to China halted. British Airways has suspended all flights to China while the UK government has warned British citizens against unnecessary travel during the epidemic. South Koreas Seoul Air and Singapores Jetstar Asia have suspended or curtailed flights. American Airlines has been the latest US carrier to announce it will cut back on flights between the US and China until the end of March. The White House is considering a complete ban on travel, while the US State Department has escalated its travel advisory warning for travel to Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak. The governments of a number of countries have already, or are preparing to, evacuate their citizens from Wuhan. US diplomats and selected citizens who were flown out of China were cleared through Anchorage, Alaska, and arrived in California. European states are arranging flights for their citizens, while the European Union is partially paying for two flights. The Australian government has announced that its citizens in Wuhan can leave if they choose one dedicated flight, but they will be taken and quarantined on the remote Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean. The island has become infamous around the world as it is the location of a detention center where refugees seeking to reach Australia were imprisoned. On Monday, markets tumbled due to fears of the economic impact of the spread of the epidemic. These include forecasts by Forbes that there will be at least a 75 percent decline in passenger traffic between the US and China. San Francisco can expect 344,000 fewer passengers and Los Angeles, 702,000, if the restrictions on flights last for six months. The disruption to economic activity across China has already led to production shutdowns by major transnational corporations and export industries and is likely to slash its overall growthwhich accounts for one-third of all global economic expansion each year. The head of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Alex M. Azar II, told a press briefing on January 28: The president and I have been speaking regularly about this outbreak, and I have been speaking with the senior officials at HHS and the White House multiple times each day since the outbreak began to represent an international threat. We are working hard to keep you safe, we are constantly preparing for the possibility that the situation could worsen, and your health and safety has been and will be our top priority. These remarks are contradicted by the fact that President Trumps federal budget proposal has recommended huge cuts across the federal government, including a 12 percent cut to the HHS and a 10 percent cut to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The disregard and unpreparedness of national governments for the threat of global pandemics poses immense dangers to the worlds population. The cholera pandemic of 19101911 killed more than 800,000 people. The Spanish flu of 1918 claimed anywhere from 20 to 50 million lives. The Asian flu in the mid-1950s killed more than two million. The flu pandemic of 1968 took another one million lives. At least 36 million people have died from HIV/AIDS and the disease continues to claim lives despite the achievements in retroviral drug treatment, because the cost is so high people in less developed countries cannot afford it. While the coronaviruses that have broken out over recent decadessuch as SARS, MERS and now 2019-nCoVhave not caused such massive death tolls, scientists expect they will continue to emerge and there is always the potential for a severe strain to develop. Zheng-Li Shi, a Wuhan Institute Virologist and expert on the SARS pathogen, and her colleague Peter Daszak, president of EcoHealth Alliance, a private research organization based in New York, told the New York Times: Weve been raising the flag on these viruses for 15 years, ever since SARS. Their work demonstrated that the SARS pathogen was common to local bats but had been able to move into people and use them as hosts. At this point, 2019-nCoV is believed to have originated in either bats or snakes that were sold for human consumption at live food markets in Wuhan and then mutated to transmit from human to human. With the sheer scale of the movement that takes place of people between regions and countries in a globally integrated and interdependent economy, the premium must be on international scientific collaboration to identify new viruses as quickly as possible and develop vaccines that can be made freely available as rapidly as possible. The chief obstacle to such work is the capitalist profit system and nation-state divisions. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 Trend: Turkey continues to make efforts towards finding ways to resolve the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a meeting with representatives of the International Federation of Journalists in Ankara, Trend reports Jan. 30. The minister stressed that the Turkish side will pay special attention to the Karabakh issue this year as well. If Russia uses its influence in this issue, we will solve it, Cavusoglu said. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts. On Tuesday earlier this week, US President Donald Trump announced the details of his deal of the century to bring peace between Israel and the Palestinians. With a beaming Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu by his side, Mr Trump released the 180-page plan he has been touting ever since he entered the White House three years ago. There was a carnival-like atmosphere at the launch. Jared Kushner, the Presidents son-in-law and author of the plan, celebrated the occasion with members of Israels hardcore right-wing lobby in the US, all staunch supporters of Mr Netanyahu. A jubilant Bibi Netanyahu then described Mr Trump as the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House. Mr Trump called it the ultimate deal. This triumphalism was fully justified the plan meets every item on Israels wish list. Israel would have a united Jerusalem as its capital; it would annex 30 per cent of the West Bank, where 400,000 of its setters have been accommodated; it would also occupy the fertile Jordan Valley, which has a mere 12,000 settlers, but which gives Israel a secure border with Jordan. There would be no return of refugees; they would receive financial compensation from a special fund. The Palestinians would have a limited claim to statehood this state would be demilitarised; its territories would be non-contiguous enclaves, and, with the Jordan Valley a part of Israel, they would have no link with any Arab country. Its capital would be the village of Abu Dis, a couple of kilometres from East Jerusalem. Israel would maintain full security control over this state. The realisation of this so-called state will be conditional; it will come into being after a four-year period, by which time Hamas should have been eliminated as a political and military entity and the Gaza Strip brought under the control of the Palestinian Authority. The Palestinians will also recognise Israel as a Jewish state. For the Palestinians, this is the new Balfour Declaration, the harbinger of a new naqba (catastrophe). What the Palestine state will seek to offer impoverished Palestinians is economic opportunity: modern infrastructure will be constructed, with a tunnel or a high-speed railway linking the West Bank with Gaza. It will have access to two Israeli ports, whose waters would remain under Israeli control. The infrastructure and economic zones will be financed by a $50 billion fund, mainly based on the Gulf sheikhdoms pledges at the economic conference in Bahrain in June last year. Not surprisingly, Mahmoud Abbas, head of the Palestinian Authority, has called Mr Trumps plan the slap of the century, and reminded the US President that Palestinian rights are not for sale. Palestinian observers have noted this plan has actually been under implementation since Mr Trump recognised united Jerusalem as Israels capital in 2017 and accepted as legitimate Israels annexation of the West Bank settlements in November last year. Given the ongoing political contentions in West Asia, Arab opinion is deeply divided. The ambassadors of Bahrain, the UAE and Oman attended the Trump announcement at the White House, but those of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan stayed away. Their opposition is perhaps lukewarm: in a telephonic conversation with Mahmoud Abbas, Saudi Arabias King Salman bin Abdulaziz assured him of the kingdoms continued support for the Palestinian cause. But the foreign office thanked the Trump administration for its efforts in developing a comprehensive peace plan that could initiate direct peace negotiations under US sponsorship. Most observers see the plan as a non-starter. US diplomat Nicholas Burns believes it forfeits any pretence of fairness and condemns the Palestinians to live permanently as stateless people. US Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has called it a rubber stamp for annexation. Aaron David Miller, a former US peace negotiator, feels the plan has harmed American credibility and integrity. Clearly, the plan has little to do with peace and all to do with the immediate personal and political interests of both Bibi Netanyahu and Donald Trump. The plan was announced a few hours after the Israeli attorney-general indicted Mr Netanyahu on corruption charges, compelling him to face trial within a few weeks. Over previous weeks, Mr Netanyahu is said to have been pressuring his friends in America, particularly Jared Kushner, to get Mr Trump to release the plan at a high-profile event in Washington a little before the Israeli elections on March 2. This is to shift attention away from the charges against him and present him as the prime ministerial candidate most capable of swinging the best deals for Israel from the US, including the acceptance of claims that have not found favour with any previous US administration. This could allure to his Likud party those voters who had moved away in earlier elections, thus ensuring victory in a close campaign. In return, Mr Netanyahu will help consolidate Christian evangelist backing for President Trump, who is facing impeachment and possible removal for gross misconduct. However, a Netanyahu victory is not assured. Some Israeli commentators view the Trump-Netanyahu orchestration of the peace plan announcement as a crass and blatant intervention in Israels political process. Another problem is that some right-wing elements in Israel find even the idea of a limited Palestinian state unacceptable and could blame Mr Netanyahu for this concession. Whatever the calculations of the beleaguered US and Israeli leaders, Israels actions to implement the plan through annexations of occupied territories and creation of fresh realities on the ground will only make the Palestinians more frustrated and, perhaps, more desperate. This could lead to an escalation of violence which, in the already contentious regional scenario, could widen the conflict zone and bring in Hamas and Hezbollah, and possibly Iran. Thus, a region-wide confrontation cannot be ruled out. The sense of isolation and abandonment among the Palestinians could also have the effect of bridging the gap between Hamas and Fatah and encourage national unity, a cherished goal that has eluded them over several decades. A united Palestinian front could pose an even greater threat to Israel. The Trump plan is an opportunistic and cynical ploy by two desperate and discredited politicians for short-term electoral advantage, with little regard for its deleterious implications for regional or even Israeli security. The writer, a retired diplomat, has served as Indias ambassador to several West Asian capitals AAM AG Executes Placement Agent Agreement Perth, Jan 30, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Altech Chemicals Limited ( ASX:ATC ) ( FRA:A3Y ) is pleased to announce that it has been advised by Altech Advanced Materials AG (AAM) ( FRA:AMA1 ) that AAM has executed an engagement agreement with a European headquartered global investment bank, for the bank to act as Placement Agent for AAM's planned private share placement.The AAM announcement is as follows:"Altech Advanced Materials AG ("AAM") is pleased to announce that an engagement agreement has been executed between AAM and a Swiss international Investment Bank. AAM commenced working with the bank during the last quarter to reach agreement on the scope of the engagement, conduct due diligence and satisfy the bank's KYC (know your client) requirements.The engagement is for the bank to act as Placement Agent in relation to the issuance of equity or other equity instruments (securities) by AAM via private placement, which will be scheduled to follow the planned re-introduction of the rights offer to existing AAM shareholders.In addition, the bank is mandated to assist with the structuring of any transactions including the preparation of a timetable and the determination of the appropriate transaction structure. The bank is compiling an initial list of potential investors and approaching them with the project financing opportunity, in preparation for road-show presentations by AAM and ASX listed Altech Chemicals Limited ("Altech")."About Altech Chemicals Ltd Altech Chemicals Limited (ASX:ATC) (FRA:A3Y) is aiming to become one of the world's leading suppliers of 99.99% (4N) high purity alumina (Al2O3) through the construction and operation of a 4,500tpa high purity alumina (HPA) processing plant at Johor, Malaysia. Feedstock for the plant will be sourced from the Company's 100%-owned kaolin deposit at Meckering, Western Australia and shipped to Malaysia. HPA is a high-value, high margin and highly demanded product as it is the critical ingredient required for the production of synthetic sapphire. Synthetic sapphire is used in the manufacture of substrates for LED lights, semiconductor wafers used in the electronics industry, and scratch-resistant sapphire glass used for wristwatch faces, optical windows and smartphone components. Increasingly HPA is used by lithium-ion battery manufacturers as the coating on the battery's separator, which improves performance, longevity and safety of the battery. With global HPA demand approximately 19,000t (2018), it is estimated that this demand will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30% (2018-2028); by 2028 HPA market demand will be approximately 272,000t, driven by the increasing adoption of LEDs worldwide as well as the demand for HPA by lithium-ion battery manufacturers to serve the surging electric vehicle market. YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. Newly-appointed Ambassador of Ukraine to Armenia Ivan Kuleba presented today his credentials to President Armen Sarkissian, the Armenian Presidents Office told Armenpress. The Armenian President congratulated and wished success to the Ambassador, expressing confidence that he will serve his experience and abilities for the strengthening of the relations between the two countries. The sides stated that the peoples of the two countries are connected with each other with deep historical roots which creates a firm base for the further development of the Armenian-Ukrainian relations. President Sarkissian said its time to take practical steps in the bilateral relations, noting that the cooperation opportunities are much more than the current level. The Ukrainian Ambassador said during his tenure he will do the utmost to further strengthen and push forward the bilateral mutually beneficial cooperation in various areas. Talking about the expansion of economic cooperation the officials attached importance to the activities of the Armenian-Ukrainian joint inter-governmental commission on economic affairs. In line with the traditional cooperation sectors they also highlighted the cooperation in new technologies, agriculture, food safety, etc. The sides highly valued the role of the Armenian community in Ukraines public-political, economic and cultural life. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan A Chinese visitor wears a protective mask as she tours the grounds of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, on Jan. 27, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) Chinese Authorities Hide True Scale of Deadly Outbreak From Citizens, Fueling Crisis News Analysis As a deadly coronavirus outbreak ravages China, the communist regimes omission of critical details about the viruss spread have come to light. The coronavirus, first confirmed by Chinese authorities on Dec. 31weeks after the first patient was diagnosedhas now spread to all regions and provinces of China. Outside the mainland, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and 14 other countries around the world have also reported infections of the deadly virus. Revelations from doctors, whistleblowers, and government officials demonstrate that a culture of cover-up and deceit within the Chinese Communist Partys bureaucracy contributed to the diseases spread. In order to avoid political blame, authorities didnt disclose to Chinese citizens details about the disease nor the true scale of the outbreak. Information about the first infected patients in the disease epicenter Wuhan was omitted, while authorities restricted testing of the disease, thus effectively capping the number of people who could be diagnosed. As a result, many Chinese were unaware of the perils until it was too late. For example, Yang Jun, a Beijing resident and vice president of solar energy firm Trine Solar, started feeling unwell and exhibiting pneumonia symptoms on Jan. 15 after returning from a trip to Wuhan, according to a report by state-run newspaper Beijing Daily. Yang didnt know about the severity of the disease. Neither did he wear a facial mask when outdoors. At that time, Chinese authorities had said that there was no obvious evidence that the virus could be transmitted between humans. On Jan. 20, Yang participated in a parents meeting at his childs school in Beijing. The meeting was attended by more than 600 parents. He was diagnosed with the disease on Jan. 22. Five days later, Yang passed away at 50 years old. His daughter, a high school student, was also diagnosed with the coronavirus. Wrong Data The medical journal The Lancet published a Jan. 24 study on the clinical features of the first 41 patients who were infected with the new coronavirus in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province. The study was authored by a team of 29 doctors from Beijing, Wuhan, and other areas of China. The data was collected from Wuhan hospitals by Chinas Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The information was starkly different from what Wuhan health authorities had claimed initially. In its initial report confirming the presence of a new virus outbreak, the Wuhan health commission originally said that the first patient exhibited symptoms on Dec. 12, 2019. The commission later revised the date to Dec. 8, without explanation. But The Lancet study said, The symptom onset date of the first patient identified was Dec. 1. Wuhan authorities also claimed that most of the initial 41 patients were elderly and already had other health issues. The study revealed that the median age was 49, and that less than half had underlying diseases (13, including diabetes (eight), hypertension (six), and cardiovascular disease (six). Chinese authorities also initially denied that the disease could be transmitted between humans. On Jan. 20, Zhong Nanshan, a leading expert working for the central government, officially announced at a press conference in Beijing that the disease has limited human-to-human transmission. But The Lancet study revealed that the first known case of human-to-human transmission happened much earlier. The first person to have died from the virus perished on Jan. 9. He had continuous exposure to a fresh food market that Wuhan authorities said is the likely source of the outbreak. Five days after he exhibited symptoms, his wife, a 53-year-old woman who had no known history of exposure to the market, also presented with pneumonia and was hospitalized in the isolation ward, the study said. She was later diagnosed with the coronavirus. So, the virus must have infected the wife before Jan. 9. Cover-Up On Jan. 28, the Party boss of Wuhan, Ma Guoqiang, made a surprising revelation. At a press conference, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) secretary Ma said that the central government didnt allow the Hubei CDC to diagnose the disease until Jan. 16; previously, patients samples had to be sent to Beijing. Even then, the Hubei CDC only had enough capacity to run about 300 tests per day, he said. On Jan. 24, Beijing finally allowed nine Wuhan hospitals and the citys CDC to also diagnose. All these organizations had the certifications before but werent allowed to make diagnoses. Similarly, Wuhan Mayor Zhou Xianwang blamed his higher-ups for mismanaging the crisis. During a news program that aired on state broadcaster CCTV on Jan. 27, Zhou said that the central government made the decision to withhold information about the outbreak. He said the city government also didnt publish information in time, and failed to properly contain the virus. Disclosures about the outbreak were not timely. As the leader of a local government, I could only publish information after I received permission from the authorities [central government], Zhou said in the interview. Data Manipulation Long Can, a Chinese independent reporter based in Los Angeles, shared screenshots of since-deleted social media posts written by Meng Xin, a researcher at Chinas National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention in Beijing. Meng said that he and his colleagues received biosamples from Wuhan on Jan. 2 and successfully separated the virus on Jan. 7. We worked day and night. Within one week, we separated the virus and obtained the genome sequence. In the next two weeks, we developed the diagnosis kits and distributed them to each provincial CDC, he said. However Wuhan continually reported no new cases, Meng said. He accused government officials of withholding information in order to maintain an illusion of safety and security. Our institute had an all-staff meeting on Jan. 19. Ma Xiaowei, the director of Chinas National Health Commission, gave us the instruction: Politics is the first priority; then its safety; the third priority is science, Meng said. Chinese portal websites recently reposted a leaked letter from a doctor who works at a Wuhan top-tier hospital. The letter, addressed to Ma, was originally posted on the internal messaging board of the China CDC website. The doctor wrote that since Jan. 12, a large number of pneumonia patients had visited his hospital. The infections on their lungs are abnormal. We highly suspect that its the coronavirus. But the Wuhan health commission didnt report any new confirmed cases between Jan. 12 and 16. The doctor said the patients CT scan results showed infections consistent with symptoms of the novel coronavirus, but our managers didnt allow us to give a diagnosis report of coronavirus to the patients. The doctor said many of these undiagnosed patients were moving all around Wuhan without wearing a mask. Even medical staff working in other departments of the hospital refused to wear a mask before the city was quarantined on Jan. 23. An insider told the Chinese-language Epoch Times on Jan. 24 that Chinas CDC manipulated the number of confirmed cases by controlling the number of diagnosis kits available to hospitals. The insider, who works at an organization licensed to give out such diagnosis kits, said that only certain qualifying hospitals could obtain them, and that the number of kits theyre supplied with is less than 10 percent of what they needed to test patients. That explains why all of a sudden, China reported more than one hundred newly confirmed cases in a couple days. Theyre manipulating the tally. The real number of patients is far greater, he said. Zhongyuan Huadian Tech, a Wuhan company, sent an open letter to the Wuhan government on Jan. 22, in which it said the Tongji Hospital refused to treat its employee Zhang Xin and his father. The company quoted the hospitals response: We dont have a diagnosis kit, and we dont accept patients who are not confirmed through diagnosis. Chinese independent media Significant People reported on Jan. 24 that Wuhan First Hospital, No. 6 Hospital of Wuhan, Wuhan Red Cross Hospital, and Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital are designated hospitals for treating coronavirus, but they are all rejecting patients due to insufficient supply of diagnosis kits. The report quoted several Wuhan health officials who said that the national CDC decides the allocation of diagnosis kits to each hospital. MEXICO CITY, Jan. 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Terrafina (TERRA) (BMV: TERRA13), a leading Mexican industrial real estate investment trust (FIBRA), externally advised by PGIM Real Estate and dedicated to the acquisition, development, leasing and management of industrial real estate properties in Mexico, announced today the signing of a binding contract for the construction of a built-to-suit (BTS) property and the expansion of an existing property in Chihuahua. Terrafina finalized the negotiation for a BTS property of more than 359,000 square feet and the expansion of more than 43,000 square feet for an existing property in the aviation sector. A total estimated investment of US$14.7 million (excluding taxes) will be made through a joint venture scheme with a property manager for the BTS property of which Terrafina will invest US$7.4 million and US$4.2 million for the expansion. As a result of these investments, Terrafina estimates it will generate a development yield over stabilized net operating income (NOI) of approximately 10%. Both leases were signed for a 10 year-term. Alberto Chretin, Terrafinas CEO, stated, The work carried out with our property managers has been a key part of Terrafinas business model as we continue to seize opportunities that generate additional value, as with the development of this new inventory. Through our joint venture business schemes, Terrafina maintains an active role in the development of new leasable properties as well as its market leadership in the aviation sector, which allows us to strengthen our cash flow generation with long-term contracts. We will continue to focus our work on new developments that will drive a higher growth and profitability for Terrafina. Contacts: Francisco Martinez Investor Relations Officer Tel: (+52) 55 5279-8107 E-mail: francisco.martinez@terrafina.mx Ana Maria Ybarra Miranda IR Tel: (+52) 55 3660-4037 E-mail: ana.ybarra@miranda-ir.com About Terrafina Terrafina (BMV:TERRA13) is a Mexican real estate investment trust formed primarily to acquire, develop, lease and manage industrial real estate properties in Mexico. Terrafinas portfolio consists of attractive, strategically located warehouses and other light manufacturing properties throughout the Central, Bajio and Northern regions of Mexico. It is internally managed by highly-qualified industry specialists and externally advised by PGIM Real Estate. Terrafina owns 300 real estate properties, including 289 developed industrial facilities with a collective GLA of approximately 41.8 million square feet and 11 land reserve parcels, designed to preserve the organic growth capability of the portfolio. Terrafinas objective is to provide attractive risk-adjusted returns for the holders of its certificates through stable distributions and capital appreciations. Terrafina aims to achieve this objective through a successful performance of its industrial real estate and complementary properties, strategic acquisitions, access to a high level of institutional support, and to its management and corporate governance structure. For more information, please visit www.terrafina.mx About PGIM Real Estate PGIM, the global investment management business of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE), is one of largest real estate investment managers in the world, with more than $175.3 billion1 in gross real estate assets under management and administration, as of June 30, 2019. Through its PGIM Real Estate and PGIM Real Estate Finance businesses, PGIM leverages a 140-year history of real estate lending on behalf of institutional and middle-market borrowers2, a 49-year legacy of investing in commercial real estate on behalf of institutional investors, and the deep local knowledge and expertise of professionals in 31 cities around the world. PGIM Real Estate, the real estate investment management business of PGIM, has been redefining the real estate investing landscape since 1970. Combining insights into macroeconomic trends and global real estate markets with excellence of execution and risk management, PGIM Real Estates tenured team offers to its global clients a broad range of real estate equity, debt, and securities investment strategies that span the risk-return spectrum and geographies. For more information, visit www.pgimrealestate.com. 1 AUA equals $US36.0 billion. 2 Includes legacy lending through PGIMs parent company, Prudential Financial, Inc. About Prudential Financial, Inc. Prudential Financial, Inc., a financial services leader with more than US$1.5 trillion of assets under management as of June 30, 2019, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Prudentials diverse and talented employees are committed to helping individual and institutional customers grow and protect their wealth through a variety of products and services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds and investment management. In the U.S., Prudentials iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. For more information, please visit www.news.prudential.com. Forward Looking Statements This document may include forward-looking statements that may imply risks and uncertainties. Terms such as "estimate", "project", "plan", "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", and other similar expressions could be construed as previsions or estimates. Terrafina warns readers that declarations and estimates mentioned in this document, or realized by Terrafinas management imply risks and uncertainties that could change in function of various factors that are out of Terrafinas control. Future expectations reflect Terrafinas judgment at the date of this document. Terrafina reserves the right or obligation to update the information contained in this document or derived from this document. Past or present performance is not an indicator to anticipate future performance. File image Kamlendra Kanwar In 2003, when Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray decided to pass the party mantle on to his son Uddhav Thackeray, preferring him over his nephew Raj Thackeray, many had blamed Balasaheb for showing blatant bias towards his less charismatic son. In retrospect, while Uddhav inherited a strong party machinery and went on to become Chief Minister of Maharashtra through clever manoeuvring and seizing the moment, Raj has failed to make much headway with his party, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), formed in 2006 out of a sense of estrangement with Uddhav. Finding that by forming the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in coalition with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Uddhav has done scant justice to his Hindutva roots, Raj has seen an opportunity to make common cause with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Shiv Sena had parted ways with the BJP after being its NDA ally for more than two decades. After being critical of the BJP in the last four years, Raj recently snuggled up to it by first calling on former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and then by the MNS declaring its support for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which has been a bone of contention with many opposition parties. Recently, Raj thundered that illegal Pakistanis and Bangladeshi Muslims must be thrown out of India, and that India was not a dharamshala. This must have been music to the BJPs ears. Uddhav, on his part, has been sticking his neck out, declaring his steadfast loyalty to the Hindutva cause, which is anathema to the Congress, and then mollycoddling the Congress in his own way to balance things somewhat. Keeping the Congress in good humour is essential for him retaining the CMs post. The NCP, it would appear, is playing a dubious part in its strategic game. By announcing that he will undertake a trip to Ayodhya on the completion 100 days in office, the Shiv Sena chief has left one foot in the Hindutva camp. By doing so he is ensuring that he retains his core vote-bank, and, if need be, make peace with the BJP at an appropriate time. Strategically, Uddhav has not been overly critical of the predecessor Fadnavis and this could be to leave a door open for reconciliation with the national party. What effect such manoeuvring would have on the electorate is yet to be seen, but it is not without reason that Raj sees an opportunity in it for his party. As if to meet Rajs challenge, Uddhav said recently on Bal Thackerays birth anniversary that the Shiv Senas colour and conscience were still saffron. As things stand, Raj may now be focussing on the Marathi manoos plank while Uddhav may look to widen his net to address the larger Hindu vote base. It is indeed conceivable that Uddhav may fall between the stools while Raj too may end up with nothing because of his shift in stand. However, unlike Uddhav, Rajs political quotient is abysmally low now. He has no representation in Parliament and his party has only a token presence in the assembly. For him, this may well be a last chance to redeem himself and plan to resurrect the MNS. Even within the BJP there are some who have reservations over a tie-up with Raj. At the same time, a lot depends on how long the Uddhav-led MVA government lasts. The longer it lasts, the more difficult it will be for Uddhav to claim to be the Hindutva torchbearer in Maharashtra. Recently, Uddhavs support to freedom fighter Veer Savarkars legacy did not go down well with the Congress and the Shiv Sena had some behind-the-scene explaining to do. Such bones of contention would surface later too because the Shiv Senas ideology is poles apart from that of the Congress. When and if the breaking point would come remains to be seen, but the coalitions credibility would constantly be on test. Tencent and Dragoneer each to invest $125 million in Convertible Senior Notes Extends the existing relationship in the luxury category between Farfetch and Tencent Farfetch Limited (NYSE: FTCH) (the "Company"), the leading global technology platform for the luxury fashion industry, today announced that it has agreed to issue and sell, via a private placement, convertible senior notes (the "Notes") in an aggregate principal amount of $250 million (the "Transaction"). Tencent, a global technology pioneer headquartered in Shenzhen, China, has committed to a strategic investment by agreeing to purchase $125 million of the Notes, and San Francisco-based investment firm Dragoneer has agreed to purchase the remaining $125 million of Notes. Closing of the Transaction is subject to customary conditions. The financing will supplement Farfetch's current liquidity position. As of December 31, 2019, the Company's cash and cash equivalents balance amounted to approximately $320 million. The additional capital supports Farfetch's long-term strategy of delivering a global technology platform for the luxury fashion industry and facilitates the Company's continued focus on executing its growth plans, including in the key China market, and driving towards operational profitability. Tencent's investment in Farfetch elevates the ongoing relationship between the two companies, which, through Farfetch's role as the premier luxury gateway to China, is helping western luxury brands reach the Chinese consumer through Tencent's WeChat platform. Farfetch currently powers a roster of more than 80 luxury brands on WeChat, including Moncler, Balenciaga, Saint Laurent, Armani and Ralph Lauren, and is a partner to these brands for new developments and launches on WeChat, pioneering the use of key opinion leader ("KOL") mini-programs such as Mr. Bags, Shiliupo and ByFresh. The Notes will be issued upon closing pursuant to an Indenture (the "Indenture") with Wilmington Trust, National Association, as trustee. The Indenture includes customary covenants and sets forth certain events of default after which the Notes may be declared immediately due and payable and sets forth certain types of bankruptcy or insolvency events of default involving the Company after which the Notes become automatically due and payable. The Notes will mature on December 31, 2025, unless earlier converted, redeemed or repurchased in accordance with their terms. The Notes will be senior, unsecured obligations of the Company, bearing interest at a rate of 5.00% per year, payable quarterly in arrears on March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31 of each year, commencing on March 31, 2020. The Notes may be converted at an initial conversion price of $12.25, which reflects a 31% premium to the 30-day VWAP share price when the Transaction was agreed in principle on December 19, 2019. Upon conversion, the Notes will be settled, at the Company's election, in Class A ordinary shares of the Company, cash, or a combination of cash and Class A ordinary shares of the Company (subject to certain exceptions set forth in the Indenture). Holders of the Notes will have the right to require the Company to repurchase all or some of their Notes for cash at 100% (or 150%, in the event of a change in control, as defined in the Indenture) of their principal amount, plus all accrued and unpaid interest to, and including, the maturity date, upon the occurrence of certain corporate events, subject to certain conditions. The Company may not redeem the Notes prior to the fourth anniversary of the closing date, unless certain changes in tax law or other related events occur. The Company may redeem all, but not less than all, of the Notes, at its option, four years after the closing date, but on or before the 35th scheduled trading day immediately preceding the maturity date, at a redemption price equal to 165% of the principal amount of the Notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, and excluding, the redemption date. Jose Neves, Farfetch Founder, CEO and Co-Chair, said: "I am pleased to have Tencent and Dragoneer as part of the Farfetch investor base. Tencent's deep technology expertise and ongoing relationship with Farfetch, paired with Dragoneer's expertise in supporting growth-oriented technology companies, makes both investors outstanding partners to support Farfetch's next chapter of growth. As we continue to execute on our long-term strategy, we believe that this investment supports Farfetch in delivering on the significant opportunity we see and scaling our business to achieve profitability in the medium term." Martin Lau, President of Tencent, said: "We are excited to build on our cooperation with Farfetch and support the Company as it accelerates its growth in China and enhances its customer experience and offerings in the region. Tencent looks forward to supporting Farfetch's mission to be a global technology platform for luxury fashion, and especially where we can support its efforts in China." Marc Stad, Founder and Managing Partner of Dragoneer Investment Group, said: "We are delighted to have the opportunity to invest in Farfetch at this stage in the Company's growth story. Under Jose's leadership, Farfetch has established itself as the leading global technology platform for luxury fashion, capturing market share and delivering a unique service to its growing customer base and its community of brands and boutiques. We look forward to the Company's continued execution on its strategic vision to take the business to the next level." Forward Looking Statements This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Transaction described above, benefits of the Transaction including future opportunities and anticipated business levels, future financial or operating performance, planned activities and objectives, anticipated growth resulting from the Transaction, market opportunities, strategies, competition and other expectations, and assumptions underlying such statements, as well as statements that include the words "expect," "intend," "plan," "believe," "project," "forecast," "estimate," "may," "should," "anticipate" and similar statements of a future or forward-looking nature. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to: uncertainties regarding the Transaction, including that we may not achieve expected benefits attributable to the Transaction within our expected time-frames or at all; our indebtedness could adversely affect our financial health and competitive position; our indebtedness may restrict our ability to pursue our business strategies; and the Transaction may result in harm to our brand and reputation. In addition, with regard to Farfetch, a number of important factors could cause our actual future results and other future circumstances to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: purchasers of luxury products may not choose to shop online in sufficient numbers; our ability to generate sufficient revenue to be profitable or to generate positive cash flow on a sustained basis; the volatility and difficulty in predicting the luxury fashion industry; our reliance on a limited number of retailers and brands for the supply of products on our Marketplace; our reliance on retailers and brands to anticipate, identify and respond quickly to new and changing fashion trends, consumer preferences and other factors; our reliance on retailers and brands to make products available to our consumers on our Marketplace and to set their own prices for such products; fluctuation in foreign exchange rate; our reliance on information technologies and our ability to adapt to technological developments; our ability to acquire or retain consumers and to promote and sustain the Farfetch brand; our ability or the ability of third parties to protect our sites, networks and systems against security breaches, or otherwise to protect our confidential information; our ability to successfully launch and monetize new and innovative technology; our dependence on highly skilled personnel, including our senior management, data scientists and technology professionals, and our ability to hire, retain and motivate qualified personnel; Jose Neves, our chief executive officer, has considerable influence over important corporate matters due to his ownership of us, and our dual-class voting structure will limit shareholders' ability to influence corporate matters, including a change of control; and the other important factors discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on March 1, 2019 as such factors may be updated from time to time in our other filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. In addition, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements that we may make. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release are inherently uncertain and may not occur, and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, you should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. In addition, the forward-looking statements made in this release relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this release. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. J.P. Morgan served as sole structuring agent to Farfetch in connection with the transaction. End About Farfetch Farfetch Limited is the leading global technology platform for the luxury fashion industry. Founded in 2007 by Jose Neves for the love of fashion and launched in 2008, Farfetch began as an e-commerce marketplace for luxury boutiques around the world. Today, the Farfetch Marketplace connects customers in 190 countries with items from more than 50 countries and over 1,200 of the world's best brands, boutiques and department stores, delivering a truly unique shopping experience and access to the most extensive selection of luxury on a single platform. Farfetch's additional businesses include Farfetch Platform Solutions, which services enterprise clients with e-commerce and technology capabilities; Browns and Stadium Goods, which offer luxury products to consumers; and New Guards Group, a platform for the development of global fashion brands. Farfetch also invests in innovations such as its Store of the Future augmented retail solution, and develops key technologies, business solutions, and services for the luxury fashion industry. For more information, please visit www.farfetchinvestors.com. About Tencent Tencent uses technology to enrich the lives of Internet users. Tencent's communications and social platforms, Weixin and QQ, connect users with each other and with digital content and services, both online and offline, making their lives more convenient. Tencent's targeted advertising platform helps advertisers reach out to hundreds of millions of consumers in China. Tencent's FinTech and business services support its partners' business growth and assist their digital upgrade. Tencent invests heavily in talent and technological innovation, actively promoting the development of the Internet industry. Tencent was founded in Shenzhen, China, in 1998. Shares of Tencent (00700.HK) are listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong. About Dragoneer Dragoneer is a San Francisco-based, growth-oriented investment firm with over $8.5 billion in long-duration capital from many of the world's leading endowments, foundations, sovereign wealth funds, and family offices. Dragoneer has a history of partnering with management teams growing exceptional companies characterized by sustainable differentiation and superior economic models. The firm's track record includes public and private investments across industries and geographies, with a particular focus on technology-enabled businesses. Dragoneer has been an investor in companies such as Airbnb, AmWINS, AppFolio, Dollar Shave Club, Etsy, Flipkart, MercadoLibre, PointClickCare, ServiceNow, Slack, Spotify, Square, Twilio, Uber, and others. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005449/en/ Contacts: Investor Relations Contact: Alice Ryder VP Investor Relations IR@farfetch.com Media Contacts: Susannah Clark VP Communications, Global susannah.clark@farfetch.com +44 7788 405224 Brunswick Group farfetch@brunswickgroup.com US: +1 (212) 333 3810 UK: +44 (0) 207 404 5959 LYNDHURST, N.J., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Penny Elizabeth DeFranco, MD, is being recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Pinnacle Lifetime Achiever in the field of Nephrology for her dedication and leadership as the Founder of South Mountain Nephrology. Board-certified in Nephrology by the American Board of Internal Medicine, Dr. DeFranco boasts over 34 years of medical expertise, serving the last 18 years in her current capacity. Her area of expertise is nephrology, specializing in the study of kidney function and disease, prevention of disease, treatment of disease, and post-transplant care. Dedicated to quality patient care, she is unmatched in her field. Located near Belleville, New Jersey, South Mountain Nephrology is a group practice specializing in Nephrology. Offering extended hours and convenient online scheduling, this practice is devoted to the exceptional care of the citizens of Northern New Jersey. On account of its adaptability and knowledgeable physicians, the practice has become one of the most trusted providers in Northern New Jersey. In preparation for her career, Dr. DeFranco attended Utesa University Medical School in Santiago, Dominical Republic. She completed both her internship and internal medicine residency at St. Luke's hospital in Missouri. In addition, Dr. DeFranco completed her nephrology training at St. Louis University Medical Center in St. Louis. Dr. DeFranco's opinion is highly respected in her field. She remains professionally affiliated with several medical centers including Hackensack Meridian Health, Mountainside Medical Center, Clara Maas Medical Center, and St. Barnabas Medical Center. In her free time, Dr. DeFranco is an active member of the American Society of Nephrology and the Clara Maas Women's Physicians Group. She also participates in The National Kidney Foundation walks. Dr. DeFranco would like to dedicate this recognition to her parents, Domenick and Joan DeFranco, in loving memory. Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected] SOURCE Continental Who's Who Related Links http://www.continentalwhoswho.com Britain has received clearance to evacuate around 200 of its citizens from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the epicentre of a deadly virus outbreak, the government said on Thursday. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the charter flight would leave early on Friday morning local time, after receiving the necessary clearance from Beijing. "We are pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities that the evacuation flight from Wuhan airport to the UK can depart at 0500 local time on Friday, 31 January," he said. "The safety and security of British nationals is our top priority. "Our embassy in Beijing and consular teams remain in close contact with British nationals in the region to ensure they have the latest information they need." London had hoped the flight could leave the central city of Wuhan on Thursday morning UK time but on Wednesday evening was forced to tell those waiting to board that it would be delayed. A spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said a number of countries had similar issues. The flight is due to return to a UK military base, and those on board will be isolated for 14 days at a medical facility. The Wuhan metropolis is at the heart of the coronavirus epidemic that has so far killed 170 people and spread to at least 15 countries around the world. China reported its biggest single-day jump in new coronavirus deaths on Thursday, deepening global fears about the extent of the outbreak. Thousands of foreigners have been trapped in Wuhan since it was sealed off last week. Japan and the United States became the first countries to organise airlifts out of Wuhan for their citizens on Wednesday. Britain is joined by Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, among others, in planning similar operations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The bloodstained vest worn by King Charles I at his execution 371 years ago is to go on public display later this year. King Charles I, born into the House of Stuart as the second son of King James VI of Scotland, was found guilty of treason and subsequently beheaded outside the Banqueting House in Whitehall, London on 30 January 1649 in one of Britain's most high-profile public executions. Following the monarch's decapitation, his body was undressed and items of his clothing were distributed to people present. Pictured: The bloodstained vest that Charles I wore on the day of his execution to stop from shivering in front of the public Pictured: Fragments of Charles' I's cloak which he wore at his execution and are now going on display at the Museum of London The vest was presented to the Museum of London for acquisition in 1925 with a note of authentication attached that stated the vest was worn by King Charles I on the day he was beheaded and it was given to the physician who had attended him. The vest is knitted of fine, high-quality, pale blue-green silk with several large visible stains down its front. They 'fluoresce' under UV light like blood or other body fluids, although they could also be sweat, vomit or another substance. Pictured: The gloves that Charles I wore on his day of execution for treason outside Banqueting House in Whitehall, central London The king's vest, described as one of the Museum's 'rarest and most intriguing objects' will go on display as part of a major exhibition, Executions, opening in October Usually kept in restricted access in the Museum of London's dress and textile store due to its age, rarity and importance, museum officials say its inclusion in is intended to play a key part in exploring the 'uncomfortable yet undeniable past' of public execution. Museum curator Meriel Jeater said today: 'Being able to include this incredibly rare vest in a major exhibition is exciting, as it is key in telling the story of one of the most infamous executions that occurred in the capital. 'However, it's important to remember that public executions were not reserved only for the distinguished, but that thousands of ordinary Londoners were sentenced to death for many types of crime, from the most serious offences to those that we would consider minor today. 'The exhibition covers nearly 700 years, a time when public executions were more frequent in London than any other town, attracting huge crowds several times a year at locations across the capital. 'Public executions became embedded in the landscape and culture of London, influencing people's everyday lives. Hints of this uncomfortable past can still be seen in the city's streets today.' The Museum also holds other items said to be from Charles I's execution including his gloves, a sash, fragments of a cloak and a handkerchief - all of which will also be on display. From his succession in 1625, Charles quarrelled with the Parliament of England, which sought to curb his royal prerogative. Charles believed in the divine right of kings, and was determined to govern according to his own conscience. Many of his subjects opposed his policies, in particular the levying of taxes without parliamentary consent. Charles fought the armies of the English and Scottish parliaments in the English Civil War. After his defeat in 1645, he surrendered to a Scottish force that eventually handed him over to the English Parliament. He refused to accept his captors' demands for a constitutional monarchy, and temporarily escaped captivity in November 1647. Re-imprisoned on the Isle of Wight, Charles forged an alliance with Scotland, but by the end of 1648 Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army had consolidated its control over England and Charles was tried, convicted, and executed for high treason. The monarchy was abolished and Cromwell's Commonwealth of England was established as a republic. Catholic leaders in the region are critical of the "agreement of the century" sponsored by the White House. A project that "does not take into account" the rights of Palestinians and "endorses" the claims of only one party, Israel. The invitation to all the Churches in the world to renew the prayer for peace in the region. Jerusalem (AsiaNews) - "This plan will bring no solution but rather will create more tensions and probably more violence and bloodshed". This is the blunt condemnation of the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land of the so-called "agreement of the century", the peace plan between Israelis and Palestinians presented on January 28 by US President Donald Trump. The religious leaders warn that this plan "does not take into account" the rights of Palestinians, while it "endorses" the claims of only one side, the Israeli side. The plan formulated by the White House, welcomed by Israel and rejected by the Palestinian leadership, provides four fundamental points: for Trump Jerusalem will remain the "undivided capital" of Israel, while that of the future Palestinian state will be on the eastern outskirts of the holy city, beyond the security barrier; no possibility of a return of Palestinian refugees who fled or were expelled during the 1948 war and are today part of the Israeli state and little compensation; in violation of international law, existing colonies would remain virtually unchanged and part of Israel; Gaza and the West Bank will be linked by a tunnel, to be built within the next four years, including a high-speed train. The Catholic leaders in the area consider this plan harmful and unfeasible, with a view to true peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Meanwhile, clashes broke out yesterday between Palestinian demonstrators and security forces in different areas of the West Bank. Demonstrations were also held in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Further protests and clashes in the area are also expected in the coming days; for this reason the Israeli army has announced the allocation of additional troops. Here is the note from the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land sent to AsiaNews: Catholic Ordinaries of Holy Land react to Peace to Prosperity plan, invite world Christian Churches to pray Statement on the Peace-to-Prosperity Plan The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, for decades, is at the center of many peace initiatives and proposals for solution. As said many times in the past, we think that no proposal and not serious perspective could be reached without the agreement of the two peoples, Israelis and Palestinians. These proposals have to be based on equal rights and dignity. The plan Peace-to-Prosperity presented yesterday does not contain these conditions. It does not give dignity and rights to the Palestinians. It is to be considered a unilateral initiative, since it endorses almost all the demands of one side, the Israeli one, and its political agenda. On the other hand, this plan does not really take into considerations the just demands of the Palestinian people for their homeland, their rights and dignified life. This plan will bring no solution but rather will create more tensions and probably more violence and bloodshed. We expect that the previous agreements signed between the two parties be respected and improved upon the basis of complete human equality among peoples. We invite all world Christian Churches to pray for the Holy Land, to work towards justice and peace and to be the voice of the voiceless. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace. (James 3, 18) Chennai, Jan 30 : Bulk of the banking operations would come to a standstill on January 31 and February 1 with about 10 lakh bankers in government and private sector striking work over wage revision, said a top All India Bank Employees' Association (AIBEA) leader. Interestingly, the bankers have called strike on the day when the Economic Survey will be presented on January 31 and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman would be presenting her second budget on February 1. "The talks with Indian Banks' Association (IBA) has failed. So the two day strike on January 31 and February 1 stands," C.H. Venkatachalam, General Secretary, AIBEA told IANS. According to him, majority of the 80,000 bank branches will remain closed on the two days. The strike will be spear-headed by United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body of nine unions in the banking sector. The UFBU had earlier announced that after January 31 and February 1 strikes, there will be three-day strike, starting March 11, and an indefinite strike from April 1 to highlight their demands. A TRUSTED member of Patricia OConnors family accepted he went with her alleged murderer on a shopping spree for tools the day before her body was found dismembered in the Wicklow mountains, but told gardai he did not "put two and two together." Keith Johnston said in interview he believed the saws, axes and other items they bought were to replace lost and damaged tools and I wasnt involved in any murder. He did not accept they were "the exact tools you would need to cut up a body." Mr Johnston (43), the ex-partner of Ms OConnors daughter Louise, is alleged to have assisted murder accused Kieran Greene in the purchase of implements to conceal Patricia OConnors remains. He is also accused of carrying out bathroom refurbishments at the house where she was allegedly killed to conceal or destroy evidence. Mr Johnston is one of four people on trial over the death of the grandmother-of-seven in 2017. Louise O'Connor's then-partner, Mr Greene (34), is charged with murder while Mr Johnston, Louise (41) and their daughter Stephanie O'Connor (22) are accused of impeding the investigation. The four have all pleaded not guilty. Patricia OConnor (61) was allegedly murdered on May 29, 2017 at the house at Mountainview Park, Rathfarnham she shared with family including Louise, Stephanie and Mr Greene. Her remains were found scattered in the Dublin and Wicklow mountains between June 10 and 14, that year. The jury was today hearing continued evidence of Mr Johnstons garda interviews at Bray station after was arrested on September 26. Gardai said to him the body of Patricia OConnor was cut up and asked him any idea where Kieran got the tools? The shed, best guess, he said. There was all sorts in the shed, he said; including hammers, chisels, a tile cutter and pick axes; loads of tools there. Half were Richards (Louise O'Connor's brother) and half were Mr Johnstons, he said. Mr Greene didnt use tools and someone gave him a saw, he said. Ive seen it in the shed, it showed up the week I was doing the step, he said. I asked him where he got it from, dont know where it is now. Kieran never bought tools, only cheap stuff in the pound shop, he said. Gardai asked when he thought Mr Greene chopped up the body. The day before the Dublin match I presume, he said. He was asked if he had any knowledge of Mr Greene getting tools to chop up the body. No, everything was in the shed. Not that I know of, he said. Asked about where the saw came from, he said Mr Greene told him the name of a fella. It was an electric saw with a small blade, he said, similar to a hedge trimmer. I never seen anything like it, Mr Johnston said; he was curious about it and Mr Greene showed him how to use it. I used it to cut the new board for the step (in the bathroom), he told gardai. He was asked if he ever went shopping for tools with Mr Greene and said plenty of times, to get stuff for the house, and not even his house, as Mr Greene would give him a lift if he needed stuff. He was asked if he had any knowledge of Mr Greene buying things to cut up the body. No, never, he said. He was shown receipts from shops in which Mr Greene had bought tools and other items on June 9, the day before Ms OConnors remains were first found in Wicklow. A receipt showed he bought a tow rope, utility knives, tape and a jerry can at Mr Price. Mr Johnston said he did not remember why Mr Greene bought them. He gave me a lift, he said. This was the day before the body was found cut up and gardai asked Mr Johnston if he associated this. No I didnt put two and two together, he said. He was also shown a receipt for two pairs of wellington boots bought at Shoezone, and said he was a size 9. He did not know Mr Greenes size. He said they were for fishing and they left them in the car. Mr Johnston did not remember where else they were and was shown receipts from Woodies, where blades and two axes were bought. The axes were for wood for the fire and had been going cheap so we picked them up, he said. He was asked if they bought a saw. Mr Johnston said yes, because he wrecked his own saw on the screws in the bathroom. Gardai said they had bought two saws and he replied that Mr Greene had bought one for himself. Other items were to replace stuff" he got in the house. I buy tools all the time, he said, and gardai said he had told them Mr Greene never buys tools. They are not tools, they are items, he said. He denied any knowledge of Mr Greenes reason for buying the tools. He was shown CCTV from Mr Price where he was carrying the petrol can. He said he did not ask Mr Greene what it was for and he was not curious. He was asked what the shopping spree was for and he said to replace lost and damaged tools and fishing. Mr Greene replaced my hacksaw because he damaged mine, he said. He did not know where the tools were now. Mr Johnston was shown matching items the gardai had bought in controlled purchases and asked if it jogged his memory. Some of it does, he said. When gardai asked why he had not told them about this shopping spree, he said he had told them where he was. A memo of what he said previously was read to him and he said: I know for a fact I said B&Q and Woodies, f**k off, lying swines. You got sucked into this, the interviewer said. I wasnt sucked into it, he replied. Gardai believed the first body part found on June 10 was put there late on Friday, June 9 or early Saturday June 10 and they asked Mr Johnston where he was on Friday 9. At home, he said. He did not remember what time he left Mr Greene or when saw him next. He did not think he was up late that night and he had no visitors. He was shown the black refuse sack Ms OConnors head was found in and was asked: those bags bought in B&Q. Where are they now? The last he saw of them was in the car, he said. He was shown a black bag from the shed and said they are found in every house. Gardai put to him that both bags had been examined by a scientist and there was strong support that the two bags were made by the same machine. You mean they dont know, he replied, then: what they do with their bags is their business. They put it to him again that he was sucked into it and replied: stop saying that, I didnt do anything, go back and live in your fantasy world. He said he understood he was arrested for obstruction of justice. Gardai said he had been with Mr Greene buying exactly what you might need to chop up a body. He had earlier told them he thought when he was working in the house that he might be cleaning up a crime scene. Stop twisting my words, he said. They asked him again about a saw. Kieran bought that, ask him, he said. You told us he doesnt buy tools, the garda said. He was asked if he was down at the grave in Wexford. No, no way, I wasnt there, he said. They asked if Mr Greene was useless with a shovel and he said yeah, worse than useless. Did you have to go down to help him? the interviewer asked. What, dig her up? Are you kidding? No, I have told you everything I know. The answer is the answer, its not going to change, I told you 20 times already, he said. He was shown CCTV footage from Mountainview Park on May 29 and did not know who was closing the back door at 10.06pm. Gardai asked him what he thought of what Mr Greene had done. Horrendous, he said. He was angry about the others being arrested. Gardai said Mr Greene had involved Stephanie and Louise and he said there was no way they were involved and they wouldnt get involved in a murder. You became involved with them because of the cleanup operation, he said. No, I didnt, he replied. Asked if there was an agreement that Kieran would admit to all this, he replied: No, I dont know. In his fourth interview, gardai asked when he really knew Patricia was dead. When Mr Greene handed himself in, he said. He again denied going down to Wexford to dig her up, saying you have your facts wrong, stop asking me about things I know nothing about. Gardai said Mr Greene did not know what he was doing and didnt know one end of a saw from another. Come on, hes not a two-year-old, Mr Johnston replied. What is all this? gardai asked. A big steaming pile of sh**e, he said. Asked where do you see it ending? he said off a cliff. Gardai said they had taken a DNA sample and asked if his DNA would turn up in Wexford. No, not a hope in hell, no, he replied. In his fifth interview, gardai said Ms OConnor had died between 7pm and 9pm on May 29. That is not what I have been told, he said. Gardai believed that Louise, Stephanie and Patricias husband Gus were all aware she was dead on the night. No, he said. The interviewer said there was a very nasty environment in the house that blighted all their lives. He again said no. He said he was not back living in the house, It was put to him he helped clean the murder scene. No I didnt, he said. Put whatever you want in your notebook, it doesnt make it true. Yous are a joke Im not involved in any murder, he said. He was asked if he helped or assisted Mr Greene in any way. No, I told you I had nothing to do with it, he said. He said he had not denied to them anything about the shopping spree and he honestly didnt remember until it was put to him. He was asked would it not have gone off like a light bulb on June 12, when Mr Greene told them what happened. It should have but it didnt, he said. Mr Johnston told gardai in his fifth interview he was staying "some weeks just a night or two" at the house, there was "nothing romantic going on" with Louise and that was "all in the past." The house was different now and there was a "dark cloud hanging over," he said. "Worst case scenario, everyone goes to jail," he said. Gardai asked if he thought it was a possibility he might go to jail. "Yeah, I suppose so, hope not," he said. At the end of the interviews, gardai told him nobody was saying he killed anyone but he had a case to answer on the offence he was arrested for. "It's all a mess," the garda said and Mr Johnston replied: "tell me about it." On May 30, 2018 he was re-arrested and brought again to Bray Garda Station but nothing of probative value emerged from his detention at that time, the jury heard. Later in the afternoon, a forensic scientist, Nora Lee told the jury she compared a black plastic bag found in the shed at Mountainview Park with the bag Patricia OConnors head and hands were found in. There was very strong support for the proposition that the bag containing the body parts and the bag from the shed came from the same roll, she said. The bag containing the body parts did not match a bag from B&Q she examined, but she could not eliminate that the bag was bought at B&Q. Prof Anthony Hooper said he examined Kieran Greene while he was in custody at Rathfarnham Garda Station on June 14, 2017. Mr Greene gave him a history of having been injured two weeks previously, saying I was hit by a hurley and that he received three or more blows; to the right wrist, temple and side of trunk and to the stomach. The last winded him and he got sick, he told Prof Hooper. Mr Greene had said he blacked out and could not remember the duration. He did not seek medical attention at the time and put deep heat on it. Prof Hooper noted a number of lesions - an area of tenderness on the right temple, a healing scrape on the right forearm and an area of tenderness on the lower ribcage. There was no visible bruising. These lesions could have been the result of direct or indirect trauma, or from getting a bang or banging against something. It was not possible to tell which was which, but the injuries were consistent with the history he was given. In cross-examination, Conor Devally SC said there were signs on the body that could be the result of impact and asked if this could be consistent with fending off something, a defensive gesture. "It could," Prof Hooper replied. The trial continues. MEXICO CITY - Authorities have found the body of a missing farm leader who was active in protecting the wintering grounds of the monarch butterfly in Mexico, prosecutors said Wednesday. Investigators in Michoacan state said the body had been identified as Homero Gomez Gonzalez, who had not been seen since Jan. 14. Last week, prosecutors called in 53 local police officers for questioning in the disappearance of Gomez Gonzalez,who was head of the management council of the El Rosario butterfly reserve. Officials did not give any information on the cause of death. Activists said his death could be related to disputes over illegal logging, water or income from visitors fees. Authorities did not immediately speculate on a motive in the apparent killing. Homero Aridjis, an environmentalist and poet who is a longtime defender of the butterfly reserve, called the death of Gomez worrisome. If they can kidnap and kill the people who work for the reserves, who is going to defend the environment in Mexico? Aridjis said. Gomez Gonzalez was a former communal land officer who led efforts to preserve the pine and fir mountaintop forests where the butterflies spend the winter. Millions of monarchs come to the forests of Michoacan and other areas after making the 3,400-mile (5,500-kilometre) migration from the United States and Canada. They need healthy tree cover to protect them from rain and cold weather. Mexico has clamped down on illegal logging, which was once a major threat to the reserves but which has fallen to about one-third last years level. But there have been reports of increased salvage logging of supposedly sick trees. Disputes over water from mountain springs have also occurred in the region, and avocado planters have long coveted the area, which has near-ideal growing conditions for the valuable fruit. Abu Dhabi Distribution Company (ADDC), a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Power Corporation (ADPower), has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with LuLu International Group. The MoU will enable ADDCs demand-side management programme, Tarsheed, to implement its Green Corner initiative in Lulu stores in an effort to attract store customers to energy-efficient products, said a statement. The MoU was signed by Saeed Al Suwaidi, managing director of ADDC, and Saifuddin Rupawala, chief executive officer of LuLu Group International, in the presence of senior officials of ADDC and LuLu Group, in a ceremony held at LuLu Hypermarket in Abu Dhabis Khalidiyah Mall. The Green Corner initiative is expected to be implemented at select locations in Lulus chain of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain stores. It is part of Tarsheed's strategic programme to reduce 20 per cent of Abu Dhabi's water and electricity consumption by 2030. Saeed Al Suwaidi, managing director of ADDC, said: Our company continues to build on its commitment to the sustainable use of resources in line with Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030. Our relationship with Lulu provides the opportunity to empower customers in their purchasing decisions, enabling them to use water and electricity more efficiently. We will continue to develop sustainable initiatives to manage these vital resources for future generations, he added. Lulu Group International CEO Saifuddin Rupawala said: We are honoured to contribute to the Abu Dhabi Government's goal of reducing energy consumption for the coming years, which will positively impact the environment through the efficient and sustainable use of water and electricity resources. We are delighted to align with the UAE's energy agenda by providing high-efficiency appliances to the residential sector in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and we will do our utmost to preserve the honourable environmental heritage of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahayan and his great initiatives to preserve the environment, he added. Using the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (Esma) rating system, Tarsheeds Green Corner initiative helps customers choose appliances that have Energy Efficiency Labels, which provide customers with information on appliances annual energy consumption rate. The initiative also provides customers with detailed information on the expected level of savings in their water and electricity consumption, it stated. TradeArabia News Service Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan Thu, January 30, 2020 09:12 713 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2061a936c 1 National flood,landslide,Central-Tapanuli,North-Sumatra Free At least seven people died during severe flooding and landslides that struck six districts in Central Tapanuli regency, North Sumatra, following heavy rain in the early hours of Wednesday, prompting local authorities to declare a state of emergency. The flooding, which occurred at around 1 a.m., also damaged several homes and public infrastructure, effectively cutting off access to the road that connects Barus and Pakkat districts. Central Tapanuli Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) head Safaruddin Ananda Nasution said that, as of 5 p.m. on Wednesday, seven people, namely a married couple in Barus district and five residents of Andam Dewi district, were confirmed dead. Two victims [died] after being washed away by floodwaters in Barus district, while five victims in Andam Dewi were buried under landslides, Safaruddin said. North Sumatra BPBD head Riadil Akhir Lubis said the 2-meter-high flood happened when most residents were sleeping, so they were left with a small window of opportunity to evacuate themselves. Barus and Andam Dewi districts suffered the worst flooding, he said. At least 22 residents were injured [in the disaster], Riadil told The Jakarta Post. Hari Susanto, the search and rescue (SAR) coordinator in Sibolga, said three of the bodies had been identified, including a 50-year-old resident of Andam Dewi district. In Barus district, the SAR team managed to recover and identify the bodies of a wife and husband. The couple were found dead in their car, which had been dragged away by a strong current, Hari said. He went on to say that the SAR team had cooperated with the BPBD, the military and the police to rescue the remaining victims. The team in the field is currently assessing the losses and damages inflicted on homes and public infrastructure as a result of the disaster, Hari said. The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) in Medan had previously warned the public of heavy rain, strong winds and thunder that was likely to occur across the province on Tuesday evening. Ahmad Darni, a resident of Mudik village in Barus district, claimed that the recent flooding was the worst to have struck Central Tapanuli since the floods of four years ago. The current was so strong it actually damaged homes. Some of us were lucky to have gotten out in time and evacuated ourselves to a safer area, Ahmad told the Post. Central Tapanuli BPBD secretary Agus Haryanto said the administration had declared a state of emergency that would remain in effect over the next seven days. He said the police and the military had helped set up emergency shelters and public pantries in Barus and Andam Dewi districts. The victims need immediate logistical support, such as clothing and baby products, Agus added. (rfa) Once one of the worlds top-selling dolls, Barbie struggled to stay relevant in the early 2000s as other toy companies began manufacturing dolls that showed more diversity and as parents steered their children away from a doll that had become an emblem of unrealistic and even toxic beauty. In 2010, the company was forced to apologize for a book about Barbie and computers. New Delhi: The Delhi High Court said circle rate cannot be the sole basis to determine the value of a property. It said that at best it can be one of the factors and nothing beyond. Circle rate is nothing but a guidance given by the higher ranking administrative officer to the subordinate officer whenever any instrument comes up for registration under the Act. On the basis of this circle rate, the registering authority can, at best, mechanically determine the valuation of the instrument, but whenever a dispute arises, the exact market valuation, ought to be arrived at, by the Collector.., a bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar said. The courts judgment came on an appeal by a private company that had challenged an order of a single judge who had set aside an order passed by the Collector of Stamps, Delhi government, fixing the market value on the basis of the circle rate. The single judge had also sent back the matter to the collector of stamps. This order was challenged by the Collector of Stamps and on November 15, 2019, the bench held circle rates cannot be the only governing factor. .suffice it to say that the circle rates are not the only factors to be kept in mind by the Collector. The circle rate can be one of the factors to be kept in mind by the Collector for determination of the value under section 47A of the Indian Stamp Act, 1899, especially, when the person who has approached for registration of the sale deed is disputing the valuation pointed out by the registering authority. The court also deprecated the mechanical approach of the Collector only to follow the circle rates. According to the plea, the company had struck a deal for a purchase of a property worth Rs 36,00,00,000 and paid stamp duty of Rs 2,16,00,000. However, the registering authority objected that there was an under valuation in the transaction because the circle rates are higher. The matter was referred to the Collector for fixing market value under the Indian Stamp Act, 1899. On July 22, 2017, the collector passed an order on the basis of the circle rate against which an appeal was preferred. However, it was dismissed and hence the petitioners moved the Delhi High Court. Its the last tolerated prejudice. But Femails had enough. Its time we called out those day-to-day moments when were patronised for no longer being young... The grey pound. Dont underestimate it, retailers. According to the International Longevity Centre, we could add 47 billion to the UKs GDP by 2040. This headline caught my eye as I was out shopping for underwear the other day. Nice smalls: the older I get, the more of a pleasure they become. And, yes, I am willing to spend more on them now than I would have done as a younger woman. Christa D'Souza, 59, (pictured) argues UK manufacturers don't make big pants as pretty as thongs and are much more ageist than French lingerie designers Why, though, must all the styles be thongs? Why cant UK manufacturers understand that not all women enjoy that picking-the-dental-floss-out feeling and make big pants pretty too? If youre willing to spend obscene amounts of money, there are plenty of French lingerie designers the French, lets face it, are much less ageist than us who have got it right. They understand full-coverage pants can be devilishly sexy too. So do certain U.S. brands, such as Hanky Panky. But who wants to pay for the shipping? So, British shops, listen up! Across the UK, there are big-pant-lovers like myself who demand equal rights with thong-wearers. And youll make some money off us, too. A woman who travelled on the same plane as a man infected with the coronavirus has claimed she was told to 'wash her hands' when she called health officials for advice. Melissa Jong, 29, boarded a Tigerair flight to Melbourne in the Gold Coast on Monday shortly after two Chinese nationals who were diagnosed with the disease had flown into the city on the same aircraft. A 44-year-old man and 42-year-old woman, were among eight tourists from Wuhan who were travelling to the Gold Coast on flight TT566 from Melbourne. The man began showing symptoms on the flight, but became more ill after arriving in Queensland where he called an ambulance and was taken to hospital where tests revealed he had the virus. Melissa Jong boarded a Tigerair flight to Melbourne in the Gold Coast on Monday shortly after a passenger who was diagnosed with the disease had flown in on the same aircraft A 44-year-old man and 42-year-old, who had spent five days in Victoria, were travelling to the Gold Coast on flight TT566 with eight other tourists from Wuhan, when he began showing symptoms (stock image) Some 170 people have died from the virus in mainland China and more than 7,000 have been infected worldwide Fearing for her health, Ms Jong said she phoned officials to ask whether she was safe to go to work or needed to isolate herself. But when she contacted the Department of Health in Queensland she claims she wasn't given any information on the virus and was just told to follow general hygiene etiquette. 'I wouldn't call a health organisation to be told to wash my hands,' she told 9News. 'I want to know what the advice is, should I stay at home, should I not visit my elderly grandparents?' Fearing for her health, Ms Jong said she phoned officials to ask whether she was safe to go to work or needed to isolate herself, only to be given general hygiene advice Ms Jong said she also contacted Victoria's health department only to be told to call the airline, which she claims 'didn't know what' to tell her. Tigerair gave her a statement on how the airline was working with health authorities on the matter, she said. A total of 41 people who have symptoms after being in China in the last fortnight were being tested for the virus in Queensland on Thursday. China Eastern Airlines cabin wear a protective face masks at Brisbane International Airport While the man with coronavirus also spent time in Melbourne, Dr Young said she was most concerned about the 171 people who shared his flight, or others who came into contact with him on the Gold Coast. Dr Young said anyone who spent two hours or more exposed to an infectious person in a confined space could be at risk. The flight time from Melbourne to the Gold Coast is about two hours. Tiger Airways says it's in the process of contacting affected passengers and crew members, and would direct them to see their doctors. Anyone who was on the flight has also been urged to call Queensland Health to ensure they take the safest and most appropriate action. There are now nine cases of the virus in Australia, four in NSW, three in Victoria and two in Queensland. Beijing World health officials expressed "great concern" Wednesday that a dangerous new virus is starting to spread between people outside of China, a troubling development as China and the world frantically work to contain the outbreak. For a second day, the number of infections grew dramatically. The new virus has now infected more people in China than were sickened there during the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak. On Wednesday, the number of cases jumped to 5,974, surpassing the 5,327 people diagnosed with SARS. The death toll, which rose to 170 on Wednesday, is still less than half the number who died in China from SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome. Scientists say there are many questions to be answered about the new virus, including just how easily it spreads and how severe it is. In a report published Wednesday, Chinese researchers suggested person-to-person spread among close contacts occurred as early as mid-December. Based on the first 425 confirmed cases, the researchers estimate that each infection led to 2.2 others on average. That's a bit more than ordinary flu but far less than some other respiratory diseases such as whooping cough and tuberculosis. The rate for SARS, a cousin to this new virus, was estimated to be 3. "Considerable efforts" will be needed to control the spread if this ratio holds up elsewhere, researchers wrote in the report, published in the New England Journal of Medicine. More than half of the cases in which symptoms began before Jan. 1 were tied to a seafood market, but only 8% of cases after that have been, researchers found. They reported the average incubation period was five days. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization's emergencies chief said the few cases of human-to-human spread of the virus outside China in Japan, Germany, Canada and Vietnam were of "great concern" and were part of the reason the U.N. health agency's director-general was reconvening a committee of experts on Thursday to assess whether the outbreak should be declared a global emergency. Dr. Michael Ryan spoke at a news conference in Geneva after returning from a trip to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other senior government leaders. He said China was taking "extraordinary measures in the face of an extraordinary challenge" posed by the outbreak. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. To date, about 99 percent of the nearly 6,000 cases are in China. Ryan estimated the death rate of the new virus at 2 percent, but said the figure was very preliminary. With fluctuating numbers of cases and deaths, scientists are only able to produce a rough estimate of the fatality rate and it's likely many milder cases of the virus are being missed. In comparison, the SARS virus killed about 10 percent of people who caught it. The new virus is from the coronavirus family, which includes those that can cause the common cold as well as more serious illnesses such as SARS and MERS. Ryan noted there were several aspects of the new virus outbreak that are extremely worrying, citing the recent rapid spike in cases in China. He said that while scientists believe the outbreak was sparked by an animal virus, it's unclear if there are other factors driving the epidemic. "Without understanding that, it's very hard to put into context the current transmission dynamics," he said. Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Libyan ministry of foreign affairs and international cooperation of the government of national accord (GNA) Wednesday called on Libyan citizens not to travel to China in case of absolute need because of the spread of the coronavirus epidemic that broke out in the countrys central city of Wuhan Are We Setting Up For A Stock Market Waterfall Selloff? Most traders understand what a Waterfall event is if youve been trading for more than 3 years. Nearly every downside price reversion event initiates in a breakdown event (the first tier of the waterfall event) which is followed by additional deeper waterfall price collapses. Almost like price breaks lower, finds support, settles near support, then breaks lower targeting deeper price support levels. SPY Daily Chart This example SPY chart from October 2018 through December 2018 highlights this type of event almost perfectly. With each tier in the waterfall event, price searches for new support levels as price weakness drives price lower throughout each breakdown event. Weve highlighted these breakdown events with the MAGENTA lines drawn on this chart. The recent downside price rotation after the world was alerted to the Wuhan virus presented a very clear first-tier waterfall event. This first move lower is often rather condensed in size and scope yet often within days of this first event, a bigger second downside waterfall event takes place confirming the bearish breakdown has momentum. We believe this first move lower could be the first real tier in a broader global market waterfall event which may result in a much deeper price reversion event. We believe the total scope of the Wuhan virus will not be known for at least another 20 to 30+ days. After that span of time, well know where and how aggressive this pandemic event has spread and what real capabilities we have for containment. Therefore, we believe the downside price concern within the global markets is very real and just starting. Very much like what happened in October 2018, the initial downside price move initiated on the US fed news and expectations. When the Fed announced a rate cut, which shocked the markets, investors waited to see how the markets would react and within only 5+ days, the markets reacted violently to the downside. Friday, January 24 was the trigger date for the breakdown in global markets from the news of the Wuhan virus. We believe any further downside risk to the global markets will be known within another 5 to 10+ trading days as more information related to the spread and containment capabilities of the virus are known. Therefore, we are attempting to alert our followers and friend to the very real potential of a price breakdown event, a Waterfall Event, that may be set up in the global markets. Daily Transportation Index Chart This Daily TRAN chart highlights the recent breakdown in price that could be considered the first tier of the waterfall event. The support level, highlighted in LIGHT BLUE, suggests price may attempt to stall near 10,800 before any further price breakdown happens. A second waterfall tier could push the price well below the 10,000 level as the next real support exists near 9,9250. Daily 400 Midcap Index Chart This Daily MC (S&P 400 MidCap) futures chart highlights a similar price pattern. The initial breakdown tier is very clearly illustrated where the price fell to immediate support near 2050. We believe any further waterfall tier even may push the price below the 2000 level and target real support near 1952. Daily Financial Sector Index Chart This XLF (Financial Sector SPDR ETF) Daily chart, again, highlights the first tier breakdown in the price of the potential Waterfall event. This is actually one of the clearest examples of how price operates within this type of rotation. The initial downside tier broke through support near $30.00 and has begun to rally back above this level. The LIGHT BLUE highlighted support range shows us where the first tier may stall. Any further breakdown in price may push the price below the $28.50 level as price searches for new support. Weve referenced the 1855 Third Plague Event that hit in China and quickly spread to India, SE Asia, and other neighboring countries as an example of what may happen with the Wuhan virus. The 1855 event killed over 15 million people (nearly 1.25% of the total global population at the time) and lasted until 1960 when the Plague cases dropped below 200. We urge all traders and investors to prepare for a broader downside market event in the future possibly a waterfall event. Well know more about the size and scope of this potential pandemic within 30+ days but this may become a much bigger issue across the globe very quickly. The volatility this event may create in the global markets is an ideal setup for skilled technical traders. In the last week, we locked in profits on two trades SSO for 6.5% and TLT for 3%. Learn how we can help you find and execute great trades related to this wildly volatile event. Join my Wealth Building Newsletter if you like what you read here and ride my coattails as I navigate these financial markets and build wealth while others lose nearly everything they own. Chris Vermeulen www.TheTechnicalTraders.com Chris Vermeulen has been involved in the markets since 1997 and is the founder of Technical Traders Ltd. He is an internationally recognized technical analyst, trader, and is the author of the book: 7 Steps to Win With Logic Through years of research, trading and helping individual traders around the world. He learned that many traders have great trading ideas, but they lack one thing, they struggle to execute trades in a systematic way for consistent results. Chris helps educate traders with a three-hour video course that can change your trading results for the better. His mission is to help his clients boost their trading performance while reducing market exposure and portfolio volatility. He is a regular speaker on HoweStreet.com, and the FinancialSurvivorNetwork radio shows. Chris was also featured on the cover of AmalgaTrader Magazine, and contributes articles to several leading financial hubs like MarketOracle.co.uk Disclaimer: Nothing in this report should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. Technical Traders Ltd., its owners and the author of this report are not registered broker-dealers or financial advisors. Before investing in any securities, you should consult with your financial advisor and a registered broker-dealer. Never make an investment based solely on what you read in an online or printed report, including this report, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isnt well known. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report has been paid by Cardiff Energy Corp. In addition, the author owns shares of Cardiff Energy Corp. and would also benefit from volume and price appreciation of its stock. The information provided here within should not be construed as a financial analysis but rather as an advertisement. The authors views and opinions regarding the companies featured in reports are his own views and are based on information that he has researched independently and has received, which the author assumes to be reliable. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content of this report, nor its fitness for any particular purpose. Lastly, the author does not guarantee that any of the companies mentioned in the reports will perform as expected, and any comparisons made to other companies may not be valid or come into effect. Chris Vermeulen Archive 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. Harris County on Thursday sued Watson Grinding and Manufacturing over last weeks fatal explosion in west Houston, asking a judge to keep the site shut down. Earlier in the day, City of Houston attorneys were in court during a hearing for one of the blast victims, seeking to have a street near the Watson site reopened because city officials feared liability from rubble strewn in the street. The county asked a judge to impose an immediate halt on all activity at the company until the site and surrounding area are deemed safe from fires and explosions. County officials also want a detailed inventory of materials on the premises as well as all air, water and soil samples and studies. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is also a party to the suit, as required by law. Daniel Keeney, representative for Watson, said he could not comment on pending litigation, but added, Our hearts go out to everyone affected by last weeks incident, including our dedicated and hardworking employees. City attorneys appeared at a hearing Thursday for the family of Frank Flores, a worker killed in the explosion, who have sued Watson and sought to preserve evidence at the site of the blast and not to allow any disturbance of the evidence from the explosion, including the rubble on the nearby roads. The city lawyers were seeking to help the public works division reopen a road near the blast site. According to Muhammad Aziz, the lawyer representing the Flores family, the city asked that the family shoulder a $500,000 liability bond to cover possible injuries if the street remained closed during the recovery of evidence. City officials were concerned that the rubble in the roadway could present a hazard to those with or without permission to be on the site. District Judge Tanya Garrison granted the familys requested injunction to keep the road closed. The proposed bond was not granted. Now Playing: Drone Videos: West Houston explosion Video: Houston Chronicle Mary Benton, Mayor Sylvester Turners press secretary, said in a statement: The City of Houston advised the Court that allowing the plaintiffs attorney and experts to have control over a city street covered with debris would risk injury to them, to third parties and could lead to potential additional litigation. Thus, she indicated, the city was seeking to protect itself from the risk of injury on the closed street. Benton said that the bond requirement for any injunction is not a demand for payment. Benton said that such an injunction by law would require bond to cover liability. County lawyers in documents filed later in the day said that preservation of the site was crucial to the investigation. Lawyers from County Attorney Vince Ryans office said they were worried that essential evidence could be compromised if the county didnt jump into action. We were genuinely concerned that all the evidence may not be preserved, so we wanted to play an active role in making sure the evidence was preserved, said Robert Soard, spokesman for the county attorneys office. Lawsuits have begun trickling in seeking injunctions in the blast and its aftermath. The county lawsuit says Watson violated environmental, regulatory, nuisance and common law following the explosion involving ultra-hazardous chemicals last Friday at its Gessner facility. It says the company violated the Clean Air Act by exposing the public to unauthorized emissions, imperiling public health, general welfare, physical property, basic air resources and visibility. The county also states Watson created a public nuisance and violated Texas code by failing to report dangerous emissions and through unauthorized outdoor burning and air pollution. Watson discharged air pollutants into the atmosphere including propylene and byproducts of combustion when a 2,000 gallon tank exploded, the lawsuit says. Were not new to the world of environmental enforcement, said Sarah Utley, managing attorney for environmental lawsuits for the county. We want to make sure that as we clean up the site everything is properly handled and disposed and to make sure no records are destroyed. Its scary to people this happened in the middle of their neighborhoods, she said. County Judge Lina Hidalgo echoed these concerns, saying families should never have to fear being jolted awake at 4 in the morning because of an industrial explosion. The events of the past year show we simply cant rely on industry or state and federal agencies to safeguard the quality of this countys environment, she said. This is not compatible with raising safe, healthy families. The lawsuit describes flying glass and debris injuring many residents while they slept and preventing many people from returning home while others were living in damaged structures. As of Thursday, the emission event had not been reported to the TCEQ or to Harris County Pollution Control, according to the county. Watsons use of propylene was an ultra-hazardous activity and the company failed to exercise its duty of care to protect the public, the county attorneys office, particularly when the facility is located in a neighborhood. The lawsuit says Watson officials were negligent in failing to maintain equipment and properly store chemicals. Its failure to properly train, supervise and monitor employees endangered lives and damaged property, according to court documents. Due to the high degree of risk involved in Watsons conduct, Watsons subjective constructive awareness of this risk, Watson operated in a reckless manner demonstrating a conscious indifference to welfare and safety of others, including employees and residents of Harris County, the suit says. The county will seek exemplary damages for gross negligence, according to documents. The county has roughly 15 major environmental cases pending now that involve damages, injuries, deaths or significant environmental harm, Soard said. The office opened about 300 new environmental lawsuits against companies in 2019, Soard said. But some of them are quite small, including mobile home parks with sewage leaking. Perla Trevizo and Julian Gill contributed to this report. gabrielle.banks@chron.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 30, 2020 Publicly listed Bank BJB will boost its digitalization program through the use of QR-code payments to further increase its fee-based income. The banks director for information technology, treasury and international banking, Rio Lanasier, said the bank planned to use the QR-code payment technology in 3,000 traditional markets and shopping centers in West Java and Banten by end of this year. In December 2019, we launched QR-code payment at Pasar Baru [trade center] in Bandung with more than 4,000 merchants as part of a pilot project for the use of QR Indonesian Standard [QRIS] nationwide, Rio Lanasier told the audience at an investor gathering in Central Jakarta on Wednesday. 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 Although Arizona hasn't (yet) legalized recreational cannabis, sales of medical marijuana are growing robustly in the state. According to data from the Arizona Department of Health Services, dispensaries there sold 165,722 pounds of medical pot in 2019, a nearly 36% increase over 2018's tally. Estimates are that total sales for 2019 came in at around $580 million. The increase was due partially to a rise in the number of patients qualifying to purchase marijuana. The Department said that 18% more individuals were registered with the Arizona medical cannabis program in 2019, for a total of almost 220,000. According to the Department's numbers, the overwhelming majority of the patients -- almost 90% -- were taking medical cannabis for chronic pain. Among individual conditions, cancer came in a far distant second, at less than 2%. People with two or more conditions accounted for about 4.7% of the overall patient base. Medical marijuana in Arizona was made legal in a statewide ballot measure in 2010. Currently, grassroots efforts are underway to get one permitting recreational use on the ballot for the 2020 election. As is the case in other states that have legal marijuana markets, the Arizona cannabis sector is relatively small and scattered. One publicly traded marijuana company that has a presence in the state is Cresco Labs (OTC:CRLBF), via the Reef dispensary brand it purchased in September from privately held Tryke. Currently, Cresco Labs operates two Reef stores, one in Phoenix and one in the nearby town of Queen Creek. Cresco Labs shares were down slightly in late-afternoon trading Thursday. In 2014, Julia Cox moved into a two-bedroom rental with a balcony in Brooklyn Heights. The neighborhood reminded her of her native Philadelphia, she said, with lower-scale buildings and older architecture. She thought the apartment with a rent in the low $4,000s might feel extravagant for a person living alone, but as it turned out, that wouldnt be for long. A month later she met Tom Limongello, who was living in a Murray Hill bachelor pad. He joined her in the two-bedroom; the couple married soon after, and she took her husband's last name. As they awaited the birth of their daughter, they pondered another kind of arrangement: a multigenerational household, where Mrs. Limongellos parents could live with them part-time. [Did you recently buy or rent a home in the New York metro area? We want to hear from you. Email: thehunt@nytimes.com] The Limongellos began the hunt for a home with room for everyone, but it was hard to find something suitable. My favorite pastime is randomly scrolling through StreetEasy and Zillow, and I did that for a whole year, said Mrs. Limongello, 36, who manages construction for a real estate developer. What she found, though, was while the exteriors are beautiful, the interiors are often old and dated. Their aim was to stay in or near Brooklyn Heights. For three bedrooms and two bathrooms, ideally with private outdoor space and a washer-dryer, their budget started at around $8,000. Early on, they decided against a duplex in a charming two-family brick row house. It was super old-school, and you can imagine they had heating and other types of issues, said Mr. Limongello, 42, a product manager for an advertising technology company. When their daughter, Livia, started crawling, the two-bedroom began to feel cramped. Her room was the size of a large walk-in closet in a suburban home, Mrs. Limongello said. Mr. Limongello worried that he would bump the baby in the tight space. Mrs. Limongellos parents, Malcolm and Rosalie Cox, live near their other daughters family, outside of Philadelphia, but planned to spend about a third of their time in Brooklyn and contribute about a third of the rent. Among their choices, all with three bedrooms and two bathrooms: Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has found her mojo. But even she, in private, must be surprised at how well her party appears to be doing in this general election campaign. After Sinn Feins poor local election results last year, Mary Lou was in a spot of bother. Under her leadership, Sinn Fein had dropped to 81 council seats, from 159, and had lost two MEPs. (One of those former MEPs, Liadh Ni Riada, had polled only 6% in the presidential election of 2018.) There was a lot of bad mood music around Sinn Fein and Brexit and empty seats in Westminster, as well as a non-functioning Stormont. Mary Lou had shone so brightly as deputy leader. But taking over from Gerry Adams, who had legendary status, was never going to be easy. Ive written before of how much there is to admire in Mary Lou as a politician; she is often an excellent example of what a talented and determined female can bring to politics. She had to have grit to rise to the top in an organisation so full of machismo. But she was also comfortable in the company of people to whom the sacrifice of human life, for the cause, was acceptable. When she joined the party, the culture of secrecy and control was more prevalent. So, I hugely admired her for a variety of reasons, yet had significant reservations. It is not that long ago that Mary Lou stood four square behind Adams in the midst of a major party controversy about the handling of sexual abuse allegations. One could only conclude that for her to retain her position within the party, she had no choice but to back Adams. In recent weeks, Mairia Cahill, who has spoken so eloquently about how she suffered at the hands of the IRA and Sinn Fein in the wake of her sexual abuse, must be looking on with some bemusement at the partys surge in the polls. Then, there are the well-aired allegations of bullying in the party. Attempting to understand, you use the type of logic that applies to normal political parties. The behaviour and reactions can be so puzzling. Are there other forces at work? Or as Micheal Martin put it on the RTE leaders debate on Monday night: is the party still answering to old provos? Mary Lou said, during the debate, that it was incredibly arrogant and obnoxious for Fine Gael and Fianna Fail to disregard her party from a coalition government. But the logic of Leo Varadkar and Micheal Martin is sound. Post-election, if the numbers prove too tempting, and they change their mind, there would be uproar. A decision like that, no matter how much the numbers appear to demand it, would spell pain. Sinn Fein and Mary Lou will end up in government one day, but, as of now, it is too soon. The party has too much baggage. This is a pity, given Mary Lous political talents and the talents of a number on her front bench, including Pearse Doherty, Eoin O Broin, Louise OReilly, and David Cullinane. But its like having a child over on a play date who is so scarily well-behaved and polite that you find yourself wondering what goes on behind their front door. You wonder, similarly, about the discipline among the Sinn Fein ranks. It has relaxed ever so slightly in recent times, but have we really moved that far from the cult-like terms in which the party was spoken about, not that long ago? TDs and senators, purely by dint of putting themselves forward for election, show they have fairly healthy egos. If they are elected, this often enhances that strong self-belief. This makes even more intriguing the seemingly slavish adherence of elected members to any party line. The Sinn Fein spokespeople are never shy in promoting the party policy, yet we are to believe there are never contentious issues, nor even the usual bickering that goes on in political parties, sometimes personality-based, and which can make its way into the public arena. Its not a tolerance for the likes of the very outspoken Fianna Fail TD John McGuinness, for instance, thats being sought here. He wouldnt survive a wet week in the Sinn Fein ranks. But it is a little eerie how nothing leaks out from Sinn Fein party ranks. Who, or what, maintains this level of control, this force of will, where everyone keeps schtum, always? You cant see, for instance, the old Provos needing to get too involved in O Broins proposals for solving the housing crisis. But logic and suspicion certainly apply for something like a border unity poll. In August 2018, Mary Lou said this question should be put to one side, until the dangers posed by Brexit were sorted. However, a day later, in what was seen as a dizzying U-turn, she said that if there were to be a hard Brexit the following year, there would have to be a border poll. Then, there are questions about the role of the partys ard chomhairle, to which Mary Lou and all Sinn Fein candidates sign a pledge to be guided by its instructions. These queries follow on from the revelations that arose from the Norths cash-for-ash inquiry, where SF minister for finance, Mairtin O Muilleoir, via email, sought clearance from an unelected party member to sign off on a particular element of the heating scheme. Clearly, Peader Toibin, the leader of Aontu, has his own beef with Sinn Fein, his former party, not least in that he has set up his own organisation in opposition. It is also true that backbench TDs of all political parties complain that they are only lobby fodder. They grumble that they have no power, are told what to do, and told how to vote by unelected officials in the inner circle of their political leader. But if those backbenchers were in Sinn Fein, I suspect these deputies would truly know the meaning of toeing the line. Toibin paints a convincing picture of a lack of proper discussion in Sinn Fein on policies, and of decisions being made by a tight group of unelected officials, with the decisions then handed down. Fine Gael and Fianna Fail have been failing to convince people that they can tackle the issues facing the country, particularly on health and housing. Voters are seriously looking elsewhere. The lure of Sinn Fein is understandable. But as things stand, the buyer beware principle should be to the forefront of their considerations, when they go to cast their votes on Saturday week. There is a growing danger of discrimination against those of Chinese origin because of the current viral health scare. The Federation of International Employers ( FedEE ) is warning employers that they will face litigation and loss of reputation if they allow such prejudice to enter the workplace. Such abuse is particularly a problem in France where one region's newspaper has just used a photograph of an Asian person in a mask under the headline "Alerte Jaune" (yellow alert). The newspaper has since apologised, but the Chinese community have started using the hashtag "JeNeSuisPasUnVirus" (I am not a virus). In Canada too there are reports from Toronto of stigmatisation of the Chinese community. Many reports of open harassment in public have been made and there is likely to be a surge of prejudice that may well centre on the workplace - not just in France and Canada, but all around the World. According to Robin Chater, Secretary-General of FedEE, "This social disease will be institutionalised once those of Chinese origin are denied jobs, refused hotel accommodation or access to transport. Linking a disease to racial prejudice is something new, as it never arose over HIV/AIDS in respect to those of African origin or for those of Arabic origin over MERS. Perhaps it is driven by the same underlying spirit of economic envy as that which Trump's America has for China - a deep seated prejudice just waiting for the right trigger to emerge." What is FedEE? The Federation of International Employers ( FedEE ) is a leading corporate membership organisation for multinational companies. It was founded in 1998, with financial assistance from the European Commission. Today it is an independent body with corporate members all around the globe. For further information please contact Eustace Fernsby at the FedEE Press Office on [email protected] and 0044 203 608 4412. On Wednesday, IMG Model Bella Hadid shared behind-the-scenes footage from the Sardinia set of Missoni's SS/20 campaign, which was photographed by Mert Alas + Marcus Piggott 'a few months ago.' The half-Palestinian, half-Dutch 23-year-old was ready for her seaside close-up thanks to styling duo Vanessa Reid + Mobolaji Dawodu, hairstylist Alex Brownsell, and make-up artist Lauren Parson. Bella - who boasts 29.4M Instagram/Twitter followers - gushed of the crew: 'I love this group so much, we had the most fun time ever!' 'A few months ago': On Wednesday, IMG Model Bella Hadid shared BTS footage from the Sardinia set of Missoni's SS/20 campaign photographed by Mert Alas + Marcus Piggott Arched back: The half-Palestinian, half-Dutch 23-year-old was ready for her seaside close-up thanks to styling duo Vanessa Reid + Mobolaji Dawodu, hairstylist Alex Brownsell, and make-up artist Lauren Parson In one shot, Hadid received a helping hand out of the shallow water while showcasing her slim 5ft9in figure in nothing more than a ruffled bikini. The DC-born, Malibu-raised socialite also donned a plunging dress as she trudged through the surf of the secluded Mediterranean island. Bella's post came a day after the Italian fashion house - founded in 1953 - dropped the official commercial for its SS/20 'Mesmerizing' campaign. Bella - who boasts 29.4M Instagram/Twitter followers - gushed of the crew: 'I love this group so much, we had the most fun time ever!' Scantily clad: In one shot, Hadid received a helping hand out of the shallow water while showcasing her slim 5ft9in figure in nothing more than a ruffled bikini Fresh-caught sardines? The DC-born, Malibu-raised socialite also donned a plunging dress as she trudged through the surf of the secluded Mediterranean island Hadid has modeled for Missoni as far back as 2015 when she first walked in their Milan Fashion Week presentation. The Jean-Paul Gaultier catwalker got very up, close, and personal with 23-year-old Irish model Aubrey O'Mahony for the serene shoot. Bella comes from a family of models including her older sister Gigi, younger brother Anwar, and their mother Yolanda - who enjoyed a 15-year career as a Ford Model. Repping the brand since 2015! Bella's post came a day after the Italian fashion house - founded in 1953 - dropped the official commercial for its SS/20 'Mesmerizing' campaign Onscreen leading man: The Jean-Paul Gaultier catwalker got very up, close, and personal with 23-year-old Irish model Aubrey O'Mahony (R) for the serene shoot DUBAI, United Arab Emirates A tectonic shift in relations quietly underway for years now was on full display as representatives of Gulf Arab states attended President Donald Trumps unveiling this week of an Israeli-Palestinian plan that heavily sides with Israel and all but crushes Palestinian aspirations. The audience at the White House, when Trump presented the plan alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, included Christian Zionist leaders and staunch pro-Israel supporters, such as Republican party donor Sheldon Adelson. Rounding out the crowd were ambassadors of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman, who posed for a photo at the White House ceremony for the plan, which Palestinians have outright rejected. For the Arab perspective, however, Saudi Arabias reaction was the one most closely watched. The kingdom expressed support for the Trump administrations efforts, but did not sends its ambassador to attend the ceremony. The Saudi response was also significant for what it didnt say the kingdom did not endorse the plan, but also made no explicit mention of long-held Arab demands for a Palestinian state on occupied land with east Jerusalem as its capital. Rather, Saudi Arabia encouraged Palestinians to start direct peace negotiations, essentially urging the Palestinians to accept the White Houses framework as the starting point for talks. The Saudis crafted their message to appeal to two audiences: their domestic public and the Trump administration, Kristin Diwan Smith, a scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, said. Their formal statement, she said, does nothing to offend Trump or deter the Israelis. With the exception of Kuwait, all Gulf Arab countries have engaged in outreach with Israel or pro-Israeli figures in recent years. The effort has accelerated as Saudi Arabia and Israel share a common threat in Iran. Avi Berkowitz, a White House staffer intimately involved in drafting the plan, immediately thanked Saudi Arabia for its statement. In five separate tweets, he shared the Saudi response, as well as an article on the conservative Fox News network that carried the headline: Saudi Arabia backs US-Israel efforts to achieve Mideast peace. That tweet was shared by Trumps daughter Ivanka Trump, whose husband Jared Kushner was the chief architect of the plan. Prominent Israeli-American Zionist figure Joel Rosenberg, who has led two Christian evangelical delegations to Saudi Arabia for meetings with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, described the Saudi statement as quite positive. The optimistic spin on the Saudi response underscores how important the kingdoms support is to any future peace deal. Less talked about, though, was a second Saudi statement published minutes after the first, announcing that King Salman had spoken with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and affirmed Saudi Arabias steadfast stance on the Palestinian issue and the rights of the Palestinian people. Palestinian officials said that during their call, Abbas explained to the 84-year-old monarch why the Palestinians reject the plan and emphasized the issue of Jerusalem. They said King Salman told Abbas that Saudi Arabia supports any decision the Palestinians make. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing a confidential diplomatic matter. Relations between the Palestinian leadership and Trump fell out after he recognized Jerusalem as Israels capital and moved the U.S. Embassy there. In a show of support for Palestinians that year, King Salman renamed the 2018 Arab League conference The Jerusalem conference and pledged $200 million in aid for Palestinians. Still, Saudi Arabia appears to have shelved its own Arab Peace Initiative, drawn up in 2002, that offers Israel normal ties with Arab states in return for Palestinian statehood on territory captured in 1967 a plan that now starkly contradicts the White Houses blueprint. The U.S. plan skews in favor of Israel and shunts many of the Palestinians core demands by keeping some 750,000 Jewish settlers in place, recognizing Israels sovereignty of the strategic Jordan Valley, and asserting Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel. Saudi Arabias position has shifted with the rise to power of the kings son, Prince Mohammed. Unlike his fathers generation, the 34-year-old crown prince appears primarily concerned with thwarting Iran and not with defending the Palestinian cause. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain have sought close ties with Trump and have used interfaith efforts to build ties with his evangelical base and pro-Israeli Jews, chiefly to counter Irans footprint in the region. As Trump campaigns for re-election, hes counting on his base of Christian evangelicals, who hold support for Israel at the very core of their faith. Most believe the return of the Messiah can take place only after the Jewish Temple Mount is rebuilt on the site of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in east Jerusalem. Bahrain last year hosted a White House workshop to shore up Gulf Arab financial incentives that could woo the Palestinians to back the plan. Oman, which has ties with Iran, hosted the Israeli prime minister in a surprise visit last year that served to remind Washington of its unique ability to be a conduit for talks. The extent of Gulf Arab ties with Israel is still mostly kept private, though. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have allegedly used Israeli spyware to go after government critics. In an interview with the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya news channel this week, Kushner emphasized the threat of Iran as he tried to the sell the channels pan-Arab audience on his plan. The biggest threat right now is not Israel, he said. Iran is the big threat, Iran is whos shooting rockets at your airports and shooting rockets at your palaces. Israel could be the biggest ally to Saudi Arabia in terms of helping them have more advanced technology and defense and being safe, Kushner said. Saudi Arabia this week rebuffed suggestions again it could normalize ties with Israel before Palestinians reach a settlement. Thats in part because Saudi kings have long used their custodianship of Islams holiest sites to vie for ideological supremacy over rivals Turkey and Iran. Each has historically competed to show their defense of Muslim claims to Jerusalem. Responses to the White House plan fell along these political fault lines once again. Turkeys Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned that Jerusalem is our red line while his Iranian counterpart, Mohammed Javad Zarif, told Muslims to wake up and reject any notion of the U.S. as an honest broker. A column in the Saudi Al-Riyadh newspaper said Turkey and Iran could try to use the moment to gain political and social advantage through slogans of resistance to Trumps plan in the name of Islam and Palestinian rights. Prominent Saudi writer Abdulrahman al-Rashed, who has close ties with the kingdoms crown prince, penned a column carried by several Saudi-owned news outlets urging Palestinians to grasp this opportunity to begin talks. The greatest danger to Palestinian interests now is to do nothing and continue waiting for a miracle, he wrote. ___ Associated Press writer Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report. ASHLAND Police and school officials said Wednesday it is possible a teenager now in custody had a firearm with him while on campus a day earlier. The 17-year-old boy, who has not been identified because he is a juvenile, was arrested Tuesday afternoon about 3 miles from A-C Central Middle School-High School, 601 W. Buchanan St. Illinois State Police said the teen was arrested on charges of felony possession of a firearm and felony disorderly conduct. He was being held Wednesday in the McLean County Juvenile Detention Center. Illinois State Police informed me (Wednesday) that the suspect remains in custody and charges have been filed, Superintendent Timothy M. Page said. During the investigation that followed, they did recover a firearm and it is possible that he had it with him while he was on campus. Police were called to the school about 3:15 p.m. Tuesday after there was a report of a suspicious person, according to reports. Although most students had left for the day, the school was placed on lockdown until the situation was cleared by police. Please know that our students safety and well-being is our prime concern and we continue to take every precaution we can to ensure the safety off all students and staff, Page said in a statement. I want to say again that I am extremely proud of all students and staff for their response to the crisis. The school day began Wednesday with a meeting to let students and staff know what was happening and Page said counselors and social workers were being made available to students. The Cass County States Attorneys Office is reviewing the case to determine formal charges against the teen. HIROSHIMA, Japan, Jan 30, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - Mazda Motor Corporation celebrated its 100th anniversary of its founding on January 30, 2020.Centenary official comment by Akira Marumoto, Representative Director, President and CEO:"Mazda originated as a company producing cork and then took the path to manufacturing automobiles. Now, our cars have found friends with many customers from over 130 countries and regions. We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the customers, dealers, suppliers, business partners, and the local community, who have supported us over the years through good and bad times, to whom we owe our 100 years of existence. As we look ahead to the next 100 years, we will continue to put people first and cherish our 'uniqueness of co-creating with others.' As we strengthen co-creation and cooperation with all those connected with the company, we will continue to challenge ourselves to create unique products, technologies, and experiences that our customers love."Mazda plans to express our gratitude throughout the year taking part in Geneva International Motor Show in March, with centenary anniversary-themed exhibits and during Mazda Open Day 2020, an open house event at Mazda's headquarter from May 22 through 24, 2020.A ceremony to commemorate the 100th anniversary of its foundation took place today at an auditorium in the company's headquarters in Hiroshima to express appreciation to all stakeholders who supported the company and reaffirmed resolution for the next one hundred years of future. Approximately 500 people including executives, employees and representatives of workers' union and affiliated companies attended the ceremony.About MazdaMazda Motor Corporation (TSE: 7261) started manufacturing tools in 1929 and soon branched out into production of trucks for commercial use. In the early 1960s, Mazda launched its first passenger car models and began developing rotary engines. Still headquartered in Hiroshima in western Japan, Mazda today ranks as one of Japan's leading automakers, and exports cars to the United States and Europe for over 30 years. For more information, please visit www.mazda.comSource: MazdaCopyright 2020 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. The Punjab government has sought fresh medical reports -- within three days -- from former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to decide on his application seeking an extension of his stay abroad for medical treatment, local media reported. In a letter written by the provincial Home Department, dated January 28, Sharif has been asked to submit the requisite reports, failing to which the concerned authorities would decide on his application, seeking an extension of his stay abroad, on the basis of existing records, Dawn reported. Sharif had gone to London in November 2019 after the government gave him one-time permission to travel abroad for medical treatment during his bail period of four weeks without the condition of submitting indemnity bonds. Followingly in December, last year, the former Prime Minister had sought an extension in his stay abroad on the expiry of the four-week period granted by the Lahore High Court. Earlier this month, a picture of Sharif at a restaurant in London had gone viral following which Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government leaders have raised questions over the 'critical' nature of his health. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 14:45:47|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani security forces conducted two separate operations in different areas of the country late Wednesday night and killed 10 terrorists, local media and security sources said on Thursday morning. A security official seeking anonymity told Xinhua that two soldiers also lost their lives in one of the two operations. Security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation on the presence of terrorists in Datta Khel area of North Waziristan tribal district in the country's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The operation concluded successfully in which five terrorists were killed, but two security personnel also lost their lives, the official added. According to local reports, security forces also conducted an operation against terrorists in Buleida area of Kech district of southwest Balochistan province and killed five militants inside a compound. The forces also recovered a huge cache of weapons and ammunition in the two operations. The security official told Xinhua that the killed terrorists were planning attacks at public places and law enforcement agencies in other parts of the country but were eliminated with solid intelligence information. The Anti-Corruption Bureau booked AAP MLA and Waqf Board Chairman Amanatullah Khan on Wednesday for alleged misuse of the board's funds New Delhi: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) booked AAP MLA and Waqf Board Chairman Amanatullah Khan on Wednesday for alleged misuse of the board's funds, ahead of the 8 February Delhi Assembly polls. ACB chief Arvind Deep said the MLA had allegedly misappropriated Waqf Board funds and carried out "irregular recruitment". An officer, requesting anonymity, said, "We have registered an FIR against him. We are ascertaining the total amount of misappropriated funds and other irregularities that he has committed." The allegations against Khan mainly revolve around the use of Waqf Board funds during the recent anti-CAA protests. Asif Khan (name changed), a law student in the Jamia Millia Islamia University, said, "Amanatullah Khan is the chairman of the Waqf Board and he has all the powers to use the board's money for the welfare of the (Muslim) community. He has helped my fellow student Mohammad Minhajuddin, who lost an eye, by giving him Rs 5 lakh and a job in the Waqf Board. He has also helped four persons, who were injured during mob lynching." Khan was criticised for allegedly supporting the anti-CAA protests outside the Jamia. The university falls under his Okhla constituency. The AAP leader is eyeing to retain the seat in the upcoming Assembly polls. When contacted, Khan said, "I am going through the complaint and will talk about it after that." Despite attempts, Waqf Board Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mohammad Abid remained unavailable for comments. Khan won from Okhla in the 2015 Assembly polls, defeating the previous MLA from the seat, Brahm Singh. His appointment as the Waqf Board chairman was challenged in the Supreme Court last year. The apex court had sought answers from the lieutenant governor, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the MLA in connection with the matter. An Indian ministry says homeopathy and other traditional remedies could help fight the new China virus. (AFP/Philippe HUGUEN) The ministry that promotes the country's booming yoga, naturopathy and homeopathy sectors released an advisory listing herbal oils to be rubbed into the scalp to purportedly ease the symptoms. It also suggested ingesting Arsenicum album-30, a homeopathic treatment. "The dose should be repeated after one month by following the same schedule in case coronavirus infections prevail," the Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Homoeopathy) said in a statement" The ministry also issued general advice on maintaining personal hygiene to prevent the spread of the virus. The advisory came as the Dalai Lama, in exile in Dharamsala in India, said on Facebook that followers concerned about the virus should chant a mantra that would be "helpful" in dealing with the situation. India claims to have natural remedies for everything from cancer to the common cold. The government in recent years has launched a drive to promote traditional remedies as it seeks to cash in on the multi-billion dollar global market for holistic medicine. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a yoga practitioner, has said he wants the world to make Ayurveda "a way of life". Ayurvedic medicine - which means the "science of life" in Sanskrit - treats the physical and mental sources of illness through, for example, prescribing herbs in conjunction with yoga or massage. The ministry said that homeopathy, the treatment of diseases with alternative medicines prescribed in minute doses, is the main source of healthcare for some 10 per cent of India's 1.3-billion population. The Unani system is a mix of traditional medicines from Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Persia, India, China and other Middle East countries, according to the ministry. Apart from the recommended Ayurvedic, homeopathy and Unani treatments, the ministry also advised Indians who fear they have been infected to "wear a mask and contact your nearest hospital immediately". New Delhi family physician Sanjiv Zutshi told AFP the recommended course of action for patients suspected of having the virus was for them to be tested and treated in hospital. No cases of the virus have been reported in India. Tughlakabad Delhi Assembly Constituency Election Results 2020 Live Updates - Read Tughlakabad constituency vidhan sabha chunav latest news, party, constituency, candidate name wise winner, loser, leading, trailing live updates online at Firstpost.com. Tughlakabad Assembly Election 2020 | With 3,192 votes, BJP's Vikram Bidhuri is leading in the Tughlakabad constituency with a meagre margin of 76 votes. Bidhuri's vote share is 49.3 percent, while the trailing AAP candidate Sahiram's vote share is 48.12 percent. One of the most economically backward areas of Delhi, civic issues like regular water supply and sewage lines are likely to be the main poll issues in Tughlakabad Assembly constituency, especially in unauthorised colonies. The fight in this constituency, which falls under the South Delhi Lok Sabha constituency is between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). While the AAP has fielded the incumbent MLA Sahi Ram Pehlwan, the BJP has given the ticket to Vikram Bidhuri, a Gujjar leader and nephew of the incumbent South Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri. The constituency will be voting on 8 February. Here is a brief profile of the constituency: Constituency Name: Tughlakabad Constituency Number: 52 District Name: South Delhi Total Electors: 1,55,327 Female Electors: 60,480 Male Electors: 94,837 Third Gender: 10 Reserved: No Results in previous elections: After tasting defeat in the 1998 polls, Ramesh Bidhuri, the incumbent South Delhi MP, won the Tughlaqabad seat thrice between 2003 and 2014. Currently, the seat is held by Sahiram Pehelwan of the AAP, who defeated Bidhuri by nearly 34,000 votes in the 2015 Assembly election. Demographics: Gujjars are the predominant community in Tughlaqabad. Both Bidhuris Ramesh and Vikram belong to this community. Migrants from Purvanchal and Rajasthan are also found in sizeable numbers. Citizens, journalists, artists, human rights organisations and journalists unions gathered on January 29th in Brussels to call on the Belgian government to do its utmost to protect Julian Assange and impede his extradition to the United States. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ and EFJ) joined the two Belgian civil society organisations, Carta Academica and Belgium4Assange, in two public actions organised in Brussels to defend freedom of expression, freedom of the press and our right to know in general, and Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning, Sarah Harrison and Edward Snowden in particular. Over 120 personalities, artists, activists and journalists and a dozen organisations, including the International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ and EFJ), signed a joint petition to the Belgian authorities to urge action on Julian Assanges case. The text asks the Belgian government to recognise Julian Assange as a political prisoner, send observers to his trial, grant him international protection and do its utmost to impede his extradition to the US. "This text calls on the Belgian government to recognise Julian Assange as a political prisoner, to send observers to his trial, to grant him international protection and to do everything possible to prevent his extradition to the United States," said Vincent Engel, representative of Carta Academica, at the Palais des Academies. The event also served as a ceremony to grant an Academic Honoris Causa title to four whistleblowers for their contributions to citizens right to know by denouncing crimes and state secrets. This honorary title was granted to Chelsea Manning, Edward Snowden, Sarah Harisson and Julian Assange, whose father, John Shipton received it on his behalf. We are receiving lots of support from all over the world, also in Europe. Recently, the Council of Europe voted unanimously against Julians extradition and calling for his immediate release. All these actions are very important. Thank you all for all the efforts you are doing, especially to the IFJ", John Shipton said after receiving the title. IFJ General Secretary, Anthony Bellanger, also sent an official request to the Commune of Brussels the local council of the city- to provide Julian Assange with the Brussels honorary citizenship. The request was rapidly accepted by its mayor. I solemnly asked today the commune of Brussels and its mayor to recognise Julian Assange as an honorary citizen of Brussels. Assange's father, John Shipton, said he will be delighted to come to the Grand Place, in the heart of Europe, to receive the title on behalf of Julian. I am at the disposal of the Mayor of Brussels to organise everything", said Anthony Bellanger. "I am very happy today to celebrate with you these modern-day heroes who have sacrificed themselves to defend the citizens right to know" said Edwy Plenel, founder and president of Mediapart", Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning and Sarah Harrisson are the resistance fighters of the 21st century. They sacrificed their freedom and lives for telling the truth," added Anthony Bellanger, standing on the fourth chair of Davide Dormino's sculpture, "Anything to say", at Place de la Monnaie in Brussels, renamed Place Julian-Assange for the occasion. The closure of a long standing factory in Mountmellick, Laois with the loss of 26 jobs is "a disaster" says Sinn Fein TD Brian Stanley. The closure of the Standex factory is a disaster for the town of Mountmellick. For the workers in the factory, some of whom have been there over 3 decades, this is a huge blow. The impact will be severely felt in the area as there are few opportunities in alternative employment in the area," he said. The factory is one of two run by Standex Ireland Ltd in the town. The announcement was made to shocked workers yesterday morning January 29. The jobs are understood to be phased out within a year. A consultation period has started between the SIPTU union and management of the factory, which is owned by a US company. "What this underlines is the urgent need for new industries to be located in what is the second largest town in the county. The IDA and Enterprise Ireland need to up their game in terms of attracting and supporting new industries in the area," Dep Stanley said on Thursday January 30. "For my part if re-elected as a TD I will be raising this issue in the Dail with the incoming Minister for Employment and I will also be seeking an early meeting with both the IDA and Enterprise Ireland. Mountmellick has seen a succession of job losses over the last 3 decades and it is time to reverse this trend," he said. When mysterious glowing stripes of green lit up Finnish skies in 2018, it didn't go unnoticed by avid aurora chasers. The pattern of light was unfamiliar and strangely perfect, reaching out toward the horizon like a set of celestial sand dunes. Sure enough, the light show dubbed by the citizen scientists as "the dunes" turned out to be a new type of aurora. This aurora is formed by the dramatic dance of gravity waves and oxygen atoms, according to new findings published today (Jan. 29) in the journal AGU Advances . The path to discovery began years ago when a group of aurora enthusiasts emailed Minna Palmroth, a professor of computational space physics at the University of Helsinki, asking her to join their Facebook group. The goal? Have Palmroth explain the physics behind the auroras they were photographing. Related: Aurora Photos: Northern Lights Dazzle in Night-Sky Images Palmroth was happy to do so. After a while, she realized her answers were becoming repetitive so she went on to publish an aurora guidebook. But in October 2018, the aurora chasers came back to her with images of a puzzling aurora. "Then I realized that oh no ... I haven't seen these before," Palmroth told Live Science. Upon first look, these stripes looked to be the result of gravity waves, or density disturbances in the upper atmosphere. The upper atmosphere is streaked with many different gravity waves that run in different directions and are of different frequencies and sizes. But that explanation didn't seem possible, because the waves were so evenly spread. This new aurora, discovered by citizen scientists and dubbed "the dunes" extends out horizontally in waves. Scientists hypothesize that they are visible representations of underlying gravity waves. (Image credit: Kari Saari) So Palmroth and her team organized a campaign for the evening of Oct. 7, gathering scientists and citizens throughout Finland to photograph the dunes. By analyzing these photographs, the team began to understand the physics behind the phenomenon. This isn't the first time aurora chasers have identified a new celestial phenomenon; citizen scientists also discovered the sky glow affectionately dubbed STEVE in 2018. "Collaborations with citizen scientists are getting increasingly important because they can become 'mobile sensors' that chase interesting aurora easily and catch new features that scientists didn't notice before," said Toshi Nishimura, a research associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Boston University's Center for Space Physics, who was not part of the study. The dunes (marked by the magenta circles) as seen from two different locations in Finland (Ruovesi and Laitila) on Oct. 7. (Image credit: AGU Advances/Palmroth et. al.) Invisible gravity waves Auroras result when the sun hurls charged particles toward our planet. Those particles travel along the magnetic field lines at our planet's poles and slam into the atoms and molecules in our atmosphere, causing those molecules to emit light. These stunning light shows can come in many different shapes and colors; oxygen glows in green and red while nitrogen glows in blue and purple, according to NASA . Astronomers also use the shape of auroras to learn what's happening in the upper atmosphere where they form. While most auroras extend vertically, the dunes extend out toward the equator horizontally in undulating waves. No one had observed such a wave-like structure in an aurora before, Palmroth said. The scientists theorize that the dunes are lighting up a type of rare atmospheric gravity wave called mesospheric bores. These mesospheric bores occur when a gravity wave that's rising up in the atmosphere becomes bent and sandwiched between two relatively colder layers of the atmosphere the inversion layer, 49.7 miles (80 kilometers) high, and the mesopause, 62 miles (100 km) high. In this channel, the waves propagate horizontally and over long distances without subsiding, creating alternating folds that are either enriched with oxygen or depleted of oxygen. When the electrons from the sun stream in, the folds with higher oxygen levels light up more than the places lacking in oxygen, creating the characteristic stripes. Rarely, a gravity wave rising up in the atmosphere can be sandwiched between the mesopause and an inversion layer, causing it to propagate horizontally and travel long distances without subsiding. (Image credit: Jani Narhi) "This is a very interesting observation," said Steven Miller, the deputy director of the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere at Colorado State University, who was not a part of the study. "My first reaction when seeing the pictures were that those might be atmospheric gravity waves that are being 'highlighted' by the auroral activity it appears that this is the hypothesis of the authors as well." Mesospheric bores can account for the patterns seen in the dunes, but "I surmise that [these] 'dunes' are in fact a subset of a much more widespread region of atmospheric gravity waves that happen to be highlighted by the aurora," Miller told Live Science. By using stars in the photos as reference points, the team was able to calculate the altitude of the dunes to be around 62 miles (100 km) high, which is typical of auroras. But this poorly studied region of the atmosphere is too high to measure with radars and balloons, and too low to send spacecraft without them burning up. So it's sometimes called the "ignorosphere," Palmroth said. "This is the first time these gravity waves are observed," Palmroth said. "In general the bores are rather a rare phenomenon." But observing the dunes could reveal more about the bores, Palmroth said. For instance, scientists found that the dunes occur at the same time and in the same region where electromagnetic energy from space transfers to the upper atmosphere, which Palmroth suspects could be connected to the creation of the inversion layer mesospheric bores. "We want to see whether this is really true," she said. Originally published on Live Science . The Haryana government on Thursday said a Science City will be developed in Gurgaon to promote science and help inculcate scientific temper among people. The Science City will be set up in collaboration with the central government on about 30 acres of land, it said. Additional Chief Secretary, Science and Technology Department, Haryana, Amit Jha said this while chairing a meeting with officials at Gurgaon. Jha said students will get an opportunity to learn scientific principles in the city. The development of Science City will also provide direct and indirect employment opportunities to the people of the region, he said. He said the Indian Space Research Organisation will be roped in to set up a space gallery at the site. Jha said an innovation hub will also be developed where students will be able to work on their ideas. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Comedy is at the centre of this weekend, with stand-up almost every night and a comic play at the Belltable. You can also see a stunning dance act at the Lime Tree, an up-and-coming indie gig in Pharmacia and one of the world's best bluesmen in Dolan's. It's a packed weekend in Limerick! Thursday (Jan 30) Sharon Shannon, Frances Black and Mary Coughlan play a triple-header gig at the University Concert Hall this Thursday night. They're undeniably three of Ireland's most talented musical acts, with a cumulative century of live performances behind them. All three were at the core of the A Woman's Heart project, which continues to make its mark on the Irish musical scene. Each of them will perform a solo mini-gig with their own musicians, before combining their forces in a giant Captain Planetesque finale. 8pm, tickets are 30. The Fureys are at the Longcourt House Hotel in Newcastle West this Thursday evening. These days there are more non-Fureys than Fureys in the band but Eddie and George Furey continue to keep the Ballyfermot torch lit in Ireland's longest-living folk band. They're still playing the same music that has kept them popular on the Irish trad-folk scene for 40 years and, by the looks of it, they'll keep touring as long as there's one of them able to stand. Doors at 8pm, tickets are 30. Jason Byrne has become one of Ireland's most reliably hilarious comedians over the past two decades and he's in Dolan's Warehouse this Thursday with his Wrecked But Ready tour. It's a nice brisk walk from the city centre to Dolan's, so wrecked but ready is how I feel any time I go to a gig there. Jason Byrne has been solidly funny since he first shouted "those are fake hands!" at Father Ted so it's always worth the time and ticket price to see him perform live. Doors at 7:30pm, tickets are 25. Friday (January 31) Farmer Michael and Kathleen are doing their comedy routine in the University Concert Hall on Friday night. Galway comedians Stevo Timothy and Sinead McGrath play Michael, a shouty farmer who doesn't understand anything, and Kathleen, his long-suffering partner. They've been shockingly popular on YouTube and are currently on a UK and Ireland tour with the act. I have to be honest: I find the whole thing roughly as funny as watching Danny Healy-Rae talk about climate change, but my taste is not your taste, so if you're in the mood for unrestrained culchie satire, this is your show. 8pm, tickets are 22.50. A Holy Show, at the Belltable this Friday and Saturday, is a play set during the 1981 hijacking of an Aer Lingus flight by an ex-Trappist monk who demanded to be told the Third Secret of Fatima. It premiered on the Abbey Theatre's Peacock stage in Dublin Fringe Fest two years ago and the two-hander play sees the performers flick between 20 characters - everyone from the supposedly petrol-doused hijacker, to the plane's staff, passengers and periodic appearances from Mary of the bible, Fatima and other visitations in small towns. There's plenty of comedy in this show, although most of it comes from a 21st century audience laughing at the social limitations of Irish people in the early 80s. There are definitely far worse ways to spend an hour at the theatre. Bring your own miracle. 8pm both nights, tickets are 15 on Friday and 18 / 16 concession on Saturday. Carvin Jones is well-renowned as one of the finest blues guitarists ever to walk the planet and you can catch him in Dolan's Warehouse this Friday. He's played with BB King, Joe Cocker and REO Speedwagon, been lauded by Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana, and plays about 300 gigs a year without breaking a string. If you're a fan of the blues or just like seeing a guitar virtuoso in action, I think you're in for a treat this Friday. Doors at 8pm, tickets are 28. Saturday (February 1) In Limbo is a dance piece summoned by a question: What is Irish dance... and the space between? If that seems highfalutin, don't worry, there won't be an exam at the end. Developed by Kristyn Fontanella at the Irish World Academy, the show was one of the highlights of the 2017 Limerick Fringe and is finally on tour. Six dancers and four live musicians take the traditions of Irish dance at the Lime Tree this Saturday and blend it with the best of contemporary practice to create something that you definitely won't have seen before. I very much recommend the experience. 8pm, tickets are 18 / 15 concession. You can see six comedians for less than the price you'd usually pay for one at Mic Drop Comedy's monthly night of stand-up at The Commercial's Record Room this Saturday. Karl Spain, John O'Keeffe and Sarah Lydon headline. As usual with multi-comedian nights, if you're stuck with someone you don't find in any way funny, don't worry - you'll have a different act on stage in just a few minutes. Doors at 8:30pm, tickets are a fiver. DIY LK's first gig of 2020 features Dublin post-punkers Extravision. Catchy riffs, pointed lyrics, I think they're going to go a long way. See them while tickets are cheap. 10pm at Pharmacia, tickets are just a fiver. Sunday (February 2) The Milford annual 10km run takes place this Sunday. It's in aid of the very worthy Milford Care Centre and will cost you 25 to enter. If your morals or religion prohibit you from running, they're totally cool with that - you're allowed to walk it if you prefer. The run will start from outside the UL Arena at midday and I'm sure there's at least one enterprising ice-cream seller en route for Sunday. No. 1 Pery Square hosts a Women Of Yore Afternoon Tea this Sunday, a few hours dedicated to Irish countesses at the Tudor court, female protagonists in literature and an operatic celebration of Catherine Hayes. That sounds a fancy afternoon where you're expected to wear a shirt AND shoes, and it has a price to match - 53 - but you can take it as a personal challenge to eat 50 quids worth of fancy pastries before you get asked to leave. It kicks off at 2pm. All weekend Static Vision is at Ormston House until February 1. Free to see. That's your lot for this weekend and, as always, if you go to things, there will be more things! WAYNE, Pa., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Evolve IP, the world's leading provider of Purpose-Built cloud solutions, today announced that it has released the Evolve IP Unified Workspace, a browser-based platform that unifies identity and access management, hosted and SaaS application delivery, and cloud desktops. Evolve IP's Unified Workspace drives productivity by enabling workers to access all of their critical business applications from any PC, tablet or mobile device. The service also makes IT professionals more efficient by unburdening them from managing and maintaining legacy desktop software and hardware. HOW DOES IT WORK? Evolve IP's Unified Workspace provides business users with a secure portal that is purpose-built with just the services and applications they need. For example, some users may only require SaaS applications, like Salesforce.com and collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams, while power users might need a full cloud desktop with Windows OS and hosted applications. All associates simply login to Evolve IP's Unified Workspace, enter their single-sign-on ID, and are presented with their personal Workspace wherever they are. HOW DOES IT BENEFIT BUSINESSES? Evolve IP's Unified Workspace makes working better and is transformative for both employees and IT. Employees can work securely anywhere, from any device, enjoying the same user experience, resulting in significant improvements in productivity and an improved work-life balance. The service also improves IT efficiency; enabling self-service for employees and eliminating the dependence on IT to complete mundane and time-consuming tasks. Major benefits for employees include: Allows associates to use the devices they prefer from any location; provides the same application experience on each device Enabes work flexibility and improved work-life balance Makes working easier with a single network password and an application 'Home Page' Increases communication, collaboration, and engagement Eliminates complicated connection procedures, slow VPN, and cumbersome "work" PCs Major benefits for businesses and IT staffs include: Enables and simplifies the hiring of remote workers while allowing them to feel as though they are in the office Maximizes employee productivity with a simplified approach; 'SaaSifies' legacy applications for access on multiple devices Improves security with single-sign-on (SSO) and multi-factor authentication (MFA) Drives employee self-service and automation; significantly reduces helpdesk requests Supports a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) strategy Simplifies onboarding and termination for employees and contractors Facilitates the speedy rollout of new applications and capabilities without touching end-user equipment Reduces expenses by decreasing hardware and software total cost of ownership "Business adoption of SaaS applications is now over 50%, mobile working is the norm, and employees are communicating and collaborating all the time; from almost every location imaginable," said Scott Kinka, Chief Technology and Product Officer of Evolve IP. "The proliferation of these services, and the dramatic increase in employee mobility and BYOD, has taken IT out of the data center and landed them squarely in the integration business. Evolve IP's Unified Workspace makes IT's experience better by delivering just the services their users need; without having to deal with multiple passwords and disparate systems or spreadsheets to manage it all." Evolve IP's Unified Workspace also integrates seamlessly with the company's award-winning collaboration and communications services as well as the Evolve Contact Suite, an analyst-acclaimed omnichannel contact center solution. The combination of delivering unified workspaces with integrated collaboration, communications, and contact center is completely unique in the market. WHY CLIENTS CHOOSE EVOLVE IP Evolve IP makes the work experience better. We take the tools you'd typically use at the office, like a phone and the apps on your desktop, and deliver them from a single portal that users can access on any device. Employers are increasingly aware of the importance of a 'work anywhere' mindset where employees want to be more productive and collaborate in meaningful ways no matter where they are, or what time it is. Evolve IP enables employees to contribute to the business in ways that fit their lifestyles while their company's IT becomes more secure, more dependable and much easier to manage. Our Purpose-Built cloud solutions unify collaboration and communications, SaaS and hosted applications, access management, cloud desktops, and contact centers and leverage industry-leading technology partners like Microsoft, Cisco, Citrix, VMware, and our own intellectual property. We are fully invested in building lasting relationships with our clients because our success is built around businesses expanding their services within the Evolve IP OneCloud. This focus keeps us dedicated to driving successful client outcomes and has resulted in Evolve IP scoring consistently at the top of verified analyst and client satisfaction rankings. It has also led to our solutions being deployed to over 500,000 users around the globe at thousands of enterprises; including some of the world's most well-known brands. PRLog ID: www.prlog.org/12808060 SOURCE Evolve IP Related Links http://www.evolveip.net FastestVPN is much faster than the last time we tested it. The service is very affordable, allows up to 10 simultaneous connections, and its privacy policy says it wont log your online activity. The desktop app on Windows is newly revamped and very good. Overall its a fine choice for those looking for an affordable solution. FastestVPN in brief: P2P allowed: Yes Yes Business location: Cayman Islands Cayman Islands Number of servers: 250+ 250+ Number of country locations: 30 30 Cost: $30 per year $30 per year VPN protocol: IKEv2 IKEv2 Data encryption: AES-256-GCM AES-256-GCM Data authentication: MS-Chap v2 and TLS MS-Chap v2 and TLS Handshake: SHA-II IDG FastestVPN with an active connection. Last time we looked at FastestVPN in early 2019, we werent that impressed, and the name? Not accurate in our experience. What a difference a year makes. The company added new country locations, and the overall server count has gone up from 150 to 250. As for the claim its the fastest? The company is more persuasive this time around. Note: This review is part of our best VPNs roundup. Go there for details about competing products and how we tested them. Features and services FastestVPN gave up on the single-pane design we saw last year for a more traditional desktop look. It still has the trademark yellow lightning bolt we saw in 2019 for its connect button. You have a left rail with a variety of options, but the only ones youre likely to use are Home and Locations. The other two (About and Account) are informational. IDG The settings screen for FastestVPN. Settings is accessible from the upper-right corner of the home dashboard. This screen is very similar to what we saw in the last version of the app. You can switch your VPN protocol by simply clicking on one of five buttons: IKEv2, L2TP, PPTP, TCP, and UDP. IKEv2 is the default and is the right choice for most people. Below the VPN protocol options is a series of checkboxes. The Internet Kill Switch is still there, as is the Launch at start option that is enabled by default. FastestVPN also added a default option to reconnect if the VPN connection drops, the option to autoconnect at launch, and to diconnect the VPN connection automatically if you shut down the app. Going back to the default home screen you have the option to choose the country you want to connect to, or you can click Smart Connect. This is a new feature for FastestVPN, but one weve seen from other VPNs. The basic idea is that it finds the fastest VPN server compared to your real location. Typically, thatll be the server thats closest to you but not always. The app on Windows also does ad blocking and malware protection. These two features are enabled by default and cannot be turned off as they are happening server-side. The company says it is able to provide ad blocking by blocking blacklisted (known ad network) domains based on the DNS requests users make. In our experience, the ad blocking was very effective. IDG FastestVPNs About screen on Windows. FastestVPN now supports U.S. Netflix and Disney Plus streaming. To use these streaming services, you can connect to the USA Miami server. Another option is to open the settings, switch the VPN protocol to UDP, and then youll see an option for USA Netflix on the server list. In our tests, the Netflix feature worked just fine, but Disney Plus was more problematic on the Miami server. Every time we went to the splash page it wouldnt display the buy now options, and we couldnt log in. Disneys anti-VPN measures arent as extensive as Netflixs, however, and switching to another U.S. server made everything work out just fine for Disney Plus. We asked the company about the issue with the Miami server, and whether the ad blocking features were preventing these buttons from displaying; the company said that was unlikely. Nevertheless, we cant see any other reasonable explanation for it. FastestVPN also plans to add split tunneling to its Windows app, but the feature wasnt ready for release at this writing. Split tunneling, whereby traffic can be divided between the VPN and direct connection to internet per user specification, is currently available on the Android and iOS apps. The norm for VPN services is to offer five simultaneous connections per account. FastestVPN doubles that and allows one account up to 10 device connections at once. Performance IDG FastestVPNs country list on Windows. Last time around we saw FastestVPN hitting about 30 percent of the base speed, which is pretty average for a VPN service. This time around speeds were commonly hitting 45 percent of the base spee, which is very good. As usual, those results dont tell the whole story. FastestVPNs speeds were outstanding in the U.S., UK, and Season 1, Episode 2: Maps and Legends In the second episode of Star Trek: Picard, we learn about a super secret group of Romulans, called Zhat Vash. I admit Im not sure if Im spelling that correctly, which is partially a good sign: It means theres something new being introduced in the familiar Trek universe (or old, depending on how you look at it). Ill also overlook the old television trope of there always being a villain that is truly behind the villains we are already familiar with. But I found this offering of Picard to be just as compelling as its premiere. It has some key elements of what made the best episodes of The Next Generation strong. For example, characters like Laris and Picard, use deductive reasoning to solve a problem instead of brute force. The stakes are gradually raised as Picard finds out he has some sort of syndrome that is likely terminal. It is unclear whether this is the Irumodic Syndrome that Picard discovers he has in the series finale of Next Generation, but nevertheless, it gives Picards story a bit more urgency. By the end of the episode, weve uncovered a mysterious Starfleet-related conspiracy that could destabilize the Federation. In this case, Laris refers to the Romulan group as a cabal and that the Tal Shiar, seen often throughout different Trek iterations, are merely a front for this cultlike institution with a secret. This organization of radicalized Romulans has a particular antipathy for synthetic life-forms for a reason that is yet to be revealed. There are other mysteries that need solving, like why the late Dahj seemed to be created only three years before Picard met her. There has been unease in the JD(U) after Mr Kishor and Mr Varma defied the partys official stand on the issue of the CAA, NPR and NRC. Patna/New Delhi: The political potboiler in the run-up to the Bihar Assembly polls later this year kicked off formally on Wednesday when Janata Dal (United) president Nitish Kumar expelled senior party leaders Prashant Kishor and Pavan Varma on disciplinary grounds. Both were quick to hit back, thanking Nitish Kumar for expelling them and hinting that he would do anything to retain the chief ministers chair in Patna. The move comes a day after Prashant Kishor openly revolted against Mr Kumar and called him a liar for claiming that he was inducted into the JD(U) on the advice of Amit Shah. There has been unease in the JD(U) after Mr Kishor and Mr Varma defied the partys official stand on the issue of the CAA, NPR and NRC. On a number of occasions earlier, both leaders had urged chief minister Nitish Kumar to reconsider his decision to support the CAA. Recently he had raised the political pitch by challenging home minister Amit Shah to implement CAA and NRC in the same chronology that he had earlier announced. The differences deepened when recently Pavan Varma sought ideological clarity from Mr Kumar over the partys alliance with the BJP in Delhi. I fail to understand how the party has formed an alliance for the Delhi elections given his (Nitish Kumar) own views on the BJP and the massive national outrage against the divisive CAA-NPR-NRC scheme, Mr Varma said in a letter to the Bihar CM. JD(U) leaders in Patna told this newspaper that a series of tweets and statements by both leaders were causing a dent in the NDA, which was preparing for the Bihar Assembly elections to be held later this year. On Tuesday, Mr Kumar had said, referring to Mr Kishor: He is free to stay in the party till the time he wants and may quit whenever he feels like. He works as a strategist for other parties, but he must understand one thing ... that if he wants to remain in the party he will have to follow the basic structure of the party. Mr Kishor, who was widely credited for Nitish Kumars return as chief minister for a third term, had joined the JD(U) in September 2018. Thank you, Nitish Kumar. My best wishes to you to retain the chair of Chief Minister of Bihar, Mr Kishor said in a tweet soon after being expelled. He is currently working as a strategist for Arvind Kejriwals AAP in Delhi. Speculation is rife that after the Delhi polls Mr Kishor may join hands with the Congress and float an alternate front before the Bihar polls in September-October. Sources claim a section of the RJD has been trying to woo him for the Bihar elections. Both leaders were, incidentally, handpicked by Mr Kumar and are the best known examples of lateral entry into the JD(U). Mr Varma, a former diplomat who had been ambassador to Bhutan and other countries, was inducted into the party in 2014 and he in turn introduced Nitish Kumar to Mr Kishor, who subsequently became the architect of the 2015 Assembly win of the Congress-RJD-JD(U) grand alliance, that catapulted the JD(U) chief to the chief ministers chair. However, he soon left the Congress-RJD alliance to switch over to the NDA in 2017 and remained chief minister with the BJPs support since then. The recent trouble in the JD(U) began with the JD(U) supporting passage of the Citizenship Amendment Bill in Parliament, and Mr Kishor and Mr Varma coming out in open revolt against the CAA/NRC in public. Mr Verma went to the extent of writing an open letter accusing Mr Kumar of saying one thing in private and another thing in public on the NRC. On Wednesday, a statement by JD(U) spokesman K.C. Tyagi expelling the two leaders said: Partys decisions, discipline and loyalty for leadership is the fundamental requirement. It added: It is imperative that Kishor be removed from the party, so that he doesnt fall any lower. Pavan Varma said: Thank you Nitish Kumarji for freeing me from my increasingly untenable position of defending you and your policies. I wish you well in your ambition of being CM of Bihar at any cost. Mysuru: Actor Akshay Kumar on Wednesday reached Mysuru to join British adventurer Bear Grylls in his shoot for `Into the Wild with Bear Grylls`. The show is inspired by the enormously popular show `Man Vs Wild` which also featured Grylls. Akshay and Grylls will commence filming for an episode at Bandipur National forest on Thursday. Discovery has also signed Rajinikanth to feature in the first episode of a new format series called `Into The Wild with Bear Grylls`. The show marks the television debut for Rajinikanth, admiringly addressed as Thalaiva, who has gained cult status for being a humane superstar - simple, humble, generously loved - and adored by millions for more than four decades. The British adventurer also shared a picture with Rajinikanth which was clicked during the shooting of the special episode of his television show in Karnataka. `Into The Wild with Bear Grylls` is produced for Discovery Communications India by The Natural Studios and Banijay Asia, where Grylls, Delbert Shoopman and Deepak Dhar are executive producers. Tawal, a leading Saudi ICT infrastructure service provider, showcased major breakthroughs in the global tower scene at the seventh annual TowerXchange Meetup hosted at Le Meridien Hotel in Dubai amid 250 elite players across Mena. Todays telecommunications infrastructure industry is witnessing drastic and fast-paced changes. At Tawal, we are keen to abide by these nationwide developments and deliver unmatched business models that address our clients needs, said Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Alhakbani, CEO of Tawal. It is part of our responsibility to play a vital role and bring forth ground-breaking technologies that aim to raise the bar of the telecom sector in the Kingdom. We are also working to expand our outreach to further cover the outskirts of Saudi Arabia. He then added: We are delighted to be present at the 7th Annual TowerXchange Meetup in Dubai. It gives us pleasure to contribute to the advancement of the industry and to be sharing Tawals expertise and knowledge in the field. Such opportunities pave way for the exchange of the latest global practices and provide an integrated platform in favour of the markets expansion and development. Tawal is a pioneering Saudi company that owns and manages an impressive portfolio of more than 14,000 telecom towers, which constitute 40% of Saudis towers and stands at the forefront of the telecommunication infrastructure industry. The company exerts its efforts to build a cross-connected digital community that bolsters a thriving economy and supports the Vision 2030s digital transformation. Founded in 2012, TowerXchange is an independent community for operators, towercos, investors and suppliers interested in EMEA, CALA and Asian towers. TowerXchange Meetups have become the definitive gathering for business leaders in telecommunications infrastructure. It strives to create supportive regulatory environments, unlock investment in passive infrastructure environments, optimize site opex and capex through efficiency measures, and explore infrastructure sharing strategies for the 5G and Smart City era. - TradeArabia News Service Muhammed Salah, who was put on the U.S. specially designated terrorist list in the 1990s after being arrested in Israel with large sums of money, was the only Bridgeview resident to be charged with a crime as a result of the communitys surveillance. He was acquitted by a jury in 2007 of racketeering charges but convicted of obstruction of justice and sentenced to 21 months in prison. He died in 2016 in Bridgeview. Shares of Reliance Industries (RIL) fell over 2 per cent in intraday trade on Thursday after global brokerage firm Macquarie downgraded the stock to 'underperform' from 'neutral', saying most of the positives are already priced in. The rating agency has maintained the target price of Rs 1,300 as it believes several bullish factors have already been factored in. The brokerage said investors should stay long on Reliance Industries if they want 'growth at any price'. In case an investor expects 'growth at reasonable price', then one should book profit, it added. On Thursday, RIL share price declined as much as 2.60 per cent to touch an intraday low of Rs 1441.20 apiece on the BSE after opening higher at Rs 1483.95 against previous close level of Rs 1479.70. Meanwhile, the BSE Sensex was trading 290 points, or 0.70 per cent, lower at 40,908. In a similar trend, RIL shares were trading 2.32 per cent lower at Rs 1,445.55 per cent on the National Stock Exchange (NSE). The scrip opened flat at Rs 1,479and touched a day's low of Rs 1,440.60 apiece. Also Read: RIL-Aramco deal signals expansion in oil business, not retreat: market analyst Bernstein Macquarie highlighted some of the key risks, including deal with Saudi Aramco, Reliance Jio's average revenue per user (ARPU), concerns over IMO benefit, and increasing competition in the retail segment. During December quarter, Mukesh Ambani-led firm reported a 13.5 per cent rise in its net profit at Rs 11,640 crore against Rs 10,251 crore in the corresponding quarter last year. This is the highest quarterly net profit earned by any private company, surpassing its own previous best of Rs 11,262 crore clocked in the July-September quarter of current fiscal. RIL's stellar performance in Q3 came after a turnaround in oil refining business coupled with the continued rise of retail and telecom arms. In Q3 of FY19, RIL posted consolidated revenue of Rs 1.68 lakh crore in comparison to Rs 1.71 lakh crore in the same period last fiscal. Also Read: YES Bank share price falls 6% as Ind-Ra maintains negative rating for lender By Chitranjan Kumar Hotels in the Capital Region showed gains in occupancy last year as a multi-year building boom slowed, data from industry monitor STR show. Schenectady County's hotels filled their rooms 60.7 percent of the time, a 3.2 percent increase from the previous year, while the revenue per available room rose 5.2 percent to $73.04 a night. The gains came despite a 4.5 percent increase in the supply of rooms. Saratoga County, where the increase in rooms slowed after several years of strong growth, saw a 2.7 percent increase in occupancy, to 62.6 percent, while revenue per available room increased 2.8 percent to $91.09 a night. Rensselaer County posted 1.3 percent gains in occupancy, which rose to 65.9 percent, and revenue per available room, or revpar, also up 1.3 percent, to $75.60. Revpar is the total revenue divided by the number of rooms available. Albany and Warren counties both showed slower growth, with occupancy up just 0.3 percent in Albany County and 0.6 percent in Warren County. Revpar rose 1.1 percent in Albany County to $65.71, and was up 2.1 percent in Warren County to $80.66. At least three hotel projects are in the works in Albany County. A new Tru by Hilton off Albany Shaker Road across from Albany International Airport has just been completed, while work is progressing on a downtown Albany project that will include a 132-room Hyatt Place hotel at Quackenbush Square. Dakota Legacy Group, which is building a Hyatt House hotel on a parcel at 144 Wolf Road in Colonie owned by local developer Tom Burke, didn't return a call for comment. Burke said "the ball's in their court," when asked about the project's status. In Saratoga County, occupancy got a boost with extended stays by construction workers building a new training center at the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory in Milton, said Darryl Leggieri of the Saratoga Convention and Visitors Bureau. The bureau also is heavily promoting the Sunday through Wednesday period during the thoroughbred racing season to groups and meeting planners, now that both Monday and Tuesday are off days at the Saratoga Race Course. The supply of rooms "zeroed out" in 2019 as hotel projects were completed and no new ones were launched. In 2017, by comparison, Saratoga County's room supply grew by 12.2 percent, Leggieri said. Meanwhile, Live Nation concerts at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center also have helped draw visitors. Leggieri credited the SPAC schedule with "helping us have a really strong summer" last year. The New York City Ballet and Philadelphia Orchestra also perform at SPAC each summer. In Schenectady County, construction on several hotel projects has been completed, and right now there's "nothing on the horizon," said Becky Daniels, executive director of Discover Schenectady. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "The success we've seen with the hotels has just been fantastic," she said Wednesday afternoon. "We've seen some steady growth" in meeting and convention business, she added. Major drivers of the hotel business include General Electric Co., Union College and Schenectady County Community College, the new Rivers Casino and Resort, and Proctors. The inaugural Schenectady County Hotel Week will run from Feb. 16 to 21, she said, calling it a great idea for a staycation. In addition to targeting local residents, the Hotel Week is also being marketed to those in Utica, Syracuse and other drive-in markets, Daniels said. Schenectady also has a new downtown train station within walking distance of several hotels and restaurants. It's not clear how great an impact Airbnb and other home-sharing platforms have had on the hotel business. "The home-sharing economy is still something we're working on (with) the city and county to come up with a way for all home-sharing platforms" to pay an occupancy tax, said Leggieri. "Right now they don't contribute to marketing" the region. Tourism officials in Albany and Rensselaer counties couldn't be reached before deadline. Leftist leader Kanhaiya Kumar was on Thursday thwarted from addressing a rally in protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in West Champaran district of Bihar, where he was detained by officials who told him that permission for the event had been "cancelled" at the eleventh hour. There was heavy deployment of police when Kumar arrived at the Bhitiharwa Ashram, set up by Mahatma Gandhi, at around 10 am as per schedule, along with hundreds of supporters. The former JNU student leader was allowed to enter the premises, garland a statue of Gandhi and take part in singing of devotional songs on the occasion of his death anniversary. "When we were about to leave for the venue of the rally in Bettiah, an official came forward to inform that he was the sub-divisional magistrate and we were being detained since permission for our rally was cancelled. He, however, did not produce any official communication in this regard," Kumar told PTI over phone. As his supporters grew agitated, Kumar urged them to stay calm and send across the message that they are law-abiding people. He delivered a brief speech, video footage of which was shared on social media and which he signed off in his typical style, with rendition of "azadi" verses. Kumar was let off after a couple of hours and he subsequently left for Motihari, the headquarters of adjoining East Champaran district to address another rally. Officials in West Champaran remained tight-lipped over the development though sources in the local administration said on condition of anonymity that the measure was taken in view of the district being "communally sensitive". "The permission for rally at Bettiah was cancelled without any valid reason. We were detained and let off after the local administration received instructions from higher authorities," Kumar said. "There was simply nothing in our programme that the administration could have taken exception to. The rally was being held not under the banner of any political party. It was not aimed at any electoral gains," Kumar, who made his electoral debut as the CPI candidate from Begusarai Lok Sabha seat last year but lost to BJP's Giriraj Singh, said. "Of course, our objective is political, in as much as we are opposed to this divisive legislation which is nothing but a diversionary tactic on part of the ruling dispensation to deviate the national discourse from real issues unemployment, poverty and inadequate education and health care facilities," the 32-year-old Leftist leader said. "But we are not being political in a narrow sense. It is not for nothing that we were let off after strings were pulled by Congress MLA Shakeel Ahmed Khan whose party is not an alliance partner of the outfit to which I belong," Kumar pointed out. At the rally in Motihari, he deplored the firing incident at Jamia Milia Islamia and launched a veiled attack on the BJP-RSS, saying "people are invoking the name of Lord Ram to convert the country into the land of Nathuram (Godse)". Kumar has embarked on a statewide 'Jan Gan Man Yatra', which would conclude with a rally on the theme 'naagarikta bachao, desh bachao' (save citizenship, save the country) in Patna on February 29. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Brussels: The impact of India's growing influence in the international world is beginning to be seen in the European Parliament. Voting on the joint resolution relating to five different resolutions tabled in the European Parliament (EP) against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has been postponed till March due to heavy opposition from India and pressure from its friends. At the same time it is also being said that after the debate on the first proposal on Wednesday, voting was to be held on Thursday. Pakistan had tried to vote on the proposal with the help of some of its European allies, but it has had to face it here too. Shafaq Mohammed tried to get the anti-India resolution passed: On the other hand, sources in the Indian government said that India's friends in the European Parliament prevailed over the friends of Pakistan. It is also being said that the European Parliament approved the decision of Britain's separation from the European Union on Wednesday itself. At the same time, while going from the European Parliament, member of Britain and friend of Pakistan, Shafaq Mohammad tried his best to get the anti-India resolution passed. Sources said that India hopes that fair members of the European Parliament will understand its stand. Voting on the motion was deferred until March: The statement issued by the European Parliament stated, 'On the proposal presented to the CAA after the decision taken by the members of the European Parliament (MEP) when today's session starts in Brussels. Voting has been postponed till March. However, nothing has been said about the reasons for postponing the voting. Alsi Read: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces difficulty, declared accused in corruption case Iran missile attack revealed the terrible injury in American soldiers Source of spreading corona virus revealed, strange animals created chaos These 30 countries including India join the list of Corona virus [January 30, 2020] TokenSoft launches self-managed investment accounts for security tokens SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- TokenSoft, a leading security token issuance and asset servicing platform, announced it is launching TokenSoft Investment Accounts as a technology solution providing self-managed wallets for investors in security tokens. "We're excited to bring a multi-signature wallet security packaged in a self-controlled, easy to manage brokerage-style experience to the over 100,000 investors using our platform," said Mason Borda, CEO of TokenSoft. Many of the existing storage solutions for investors are designed for general applications with inadequate cybersecurity measures and are complicated to use. Investment Accounts provided by TokenSoft gives issuers and their investors: Native, brokerage-style experience for prospective investors Seamless access to dividend distributions and automated reinvestment opportunities Multi-signature key model used by wallets holding over $1 billion in asset in asset Supports compliant security token standards such as ERC-1404 for Ethereum and FA1.2 for Tezos Integrated reporting for Issuers delivering financials and other disclosures to investors "The ability for non-technical individuals to self-custody is going to change the way assets under management models work in traditional finance. Wallets like TokenSoft Investment Accounts will put pressure on financial institutions to provide better client servicing, value-add services, and investment management tools to earn investors' business," said Jordan Davis, VP of Business Development at TokenSoft. "People will be able to add or remove service providers from accessing their assets the same way you can add or remove profiles from your Netflix subscription." Financial Institutions and Issuers wishing to offer self-managed investment accounts to their investors may contact us at tokensoft.i o . Investors interested in a TokenSoft Investment Account can request early access at https://tokensoft.io/investors. TokenSoft is a leading platform for issuers and investors in security tokens and other financial assets on blockchains. From financial institutions to IPOs, our technology supports the full lifecycle of a security including investor onboarding, distribution, custody, and ongoing asset servicing. FAQs One Liner: TokenSoft Investment Accounts enables the everyday investor to manage and self custody their security tokens with a traditional brokerage-style experience. Who should care about TokenSoft Investment Accounts? TokenSoft Investment Accounts are a value add to issuers of security tokens seeking to offer a technology solution that provides a simple and intuitive investment experience to their investors. TokenSoft Investment Accounts provides a seamless experience where investors can manage their investments, receive dividends, and monitor key market data relating to their investments. How does TokenSoft Investment Accounts integrate with TokenSoft's affiliates? TokenSoft Investment Accounts enable investors to directly manage and control their investments natively in the TokenSoft platform using a self-controlled, multi-signature wallet. What can TokenSoft Investment Accounts hold? TokenSoft Investment Accounts can hold any blockchain-enabled security whether it represents an interest in equity, debt, real estate, or a fund. Who can use TokenSoft Investment Accounts? TokenSoft Investment Accounts is a technology solution available to individuals or entities. Investor onboarding procedures may be required. Who controls the security tokens and funds in my TokenSoft Investment Account? Each investor directly controls his or her individual TokenSoft Investment Account and the custody of any assets placed there. This includes ownership of the majority of the private keys of your Investment Account wallet. TokenSoft uses advanced encryption tools to deliver the security of a multi-signature wallet in a browser-like login experience. Why did you launch TokenSoft Investment Accounts? We started TokenSoft to build infrastructure for blockchain-based securities first issuers and now for investors. We're excited to roll out a self-controlled, traditional, brokerage-style experience to security token investors. How much does TokenSoft Investment Account cost? TokenSoft Investment Accounts is free for investors and is included in TokenSoft's issuance platform for Issuers. Do I need to pay any blockchain network fees TokenSoft Investment Account wallet? No, TokenSoft pays for the network fees for your TokenSoft Investment Account. What assets does my TokenSoft Investment Account support? All TokenSoft customers' security tokens will be supported by TokenSoft Investment Accounts at launch and other security tokens will be added over time. At launch, we will only support the assets listed in the TokenSoft Investment Accounts and we will be regularly adding new assets based on issuer and investor demand. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tokensoft-launches-self-managed-investment-accounts-for-security-tokens-300995730.html SOURCE TokenSoft, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 22:29:39|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close JAKARTA, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia has set a higher composition of renewable energy in the country's energy consumption as the government aims at reducing reliance on fossil fuels and safeguarding energy security. The policy was supported by abundant sources of renewable energy which can be used to generate power and a huge amount of crude palm oil outputs as raw materials for biofuel. Indonesian Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources Arifin Tasrif said the government increase the target of renewable energy usage to 13.4 percent this year from 12.5 percent in the previous year, media reported Thursday. The composition would be persistently increased in the coming years, by 14.5 percent, 15.7 percent, 17.9 percent and 19.5 percent for 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 respectively, Minister Arifin said. "The goal is to support the economic growth with qualified expansion," he stressed. According to the minister, the electricity generated by renewable energy is expected to rise by 700 megawatts to 10,843 megawatts this year. Indonesia has various sources of renewable energy including waters, winds, geothermal heat and crude palm oil. As the world's largest producer of crude palm oil, Indonesia has commenced using bio-diesel fuel with higher bio-content of 30 percent (B30). The government plans to carry out road tests for bio-diesel fuel with higher bio content of 40 percent this year and 50 percent at the beginning of next year. Less reliance on fossil fuel would help reduce Indonesia's import of the commodity which has significantly contributed to trade deficit. Indonesia's oil outputs have been dwindling due to aging wells and lackluster new reserves in recent years, making the country a net oil importer, according to SKK Migas, an Indonesian special unit that undertakes upstream oil and natural gas. Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. The coronavirus outbreak, which began in early December in the Chinese city of Wuhan, had as of Wednesday sickened more than 6,000 people across at least 15 countries and claimed more than 130 lives, all of them in China. Experts dont yet know how contagious, or how deadly, this new virus is. But the growing crisis has inspired panic. Cities around the world are bracing for a potential wave of infections. Stock and oil prices are tumbling. And experts in just about every global industry are fretting over the many supply chains that could be disrupted from prescription drugs and surgical masks to rare earth metals if the outbreak grows into an even wider epidemic. Given the scope of these anxieties, its a wonder more hasnt been done to prepare for an outbreak like this one. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have long warned that the rate at which new pathogens emerge is increasing (partly as a result of global warming). The agency identifies new ones every year, and disease outbreaks especially those involving viruses that leap from animals to humans, as the coronavirus did are hardly surprising. China, the center of the current outbreak, appears to have learned at least some lessons from the last such crisis it confronted. In 2002, when SARS first emerged, the countrys leaders waited roughly three months before notifying the World Health Organization. By then, the virus was on its way to reaching more than a dozen countries. (SARS is also caused by a coronavirus, variants of which are fairly common around the world but rarely affect humans. When they do, they generally cause upper-respiratory infections.) Chinese officials appear to have moved much faster this time around. They alerted the W.H.O. within a month of detecting the first coronavirus cases and moved quickly to sequence the new virus and to contain it: Some 56 million people, including the entire city of Wuhan, have been placed under quarantine. As on Wednesday, 132 people have died in China nearly all of them in Hubei province, where the virus started in December. Hyderabad: Several international airlines, including Air India and IndiGo from India, have suspended their flights to China as the deadly coronavirus spread rapidly in the country. Airlines would refund full fare to customers. As on Wednesday, 132 people have died in China nearly all of them in Hubei province, where the virus started in December. Of 6,078 people infected by the virus across the world, 5,987 cases were reported in China, including Hong Kong and Macau. A representative of Air India said flights to Shanghai from Delhi and Mumbai would be suspended from January 31 to February 14. Discussions on cancelling flights to Hong Kong are underway. As of now, they will run as usu-al, he said on Wednesday. Indigo Airlines would suspended its Delhi-Chengdu and Bengaluru-Hong Kong flights from February 1. Its flight to Guangzhou from Kolkata flight would continue to run, but it would be monitored on a daily basis. And for our operating crew, we are ensuring that they return to India on the inbound flights without any layover in China, the low-cost carrier said. Other airlines, including British Airways, Air France, United Airlines, Air Canada, Lion Air have already cancelled some flights to China. Reflecting seriousness of the epidemic, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday ordered the military to shoulder responsibility to contain the coronavirus outbreak. Indians rush to cancel their plans to visit China Mr Xis call to the military came as the number of confirmed cases of the infection reported from 16 more countries. The virus has already spread to 16 countries, which includes Thailand with 14 infected people, Singapore (10), Taiwan (8), Japan (8), Malaysia (7), Australia (7), US (5), South Korea (4), France (4), Germany (4), Canada (3), Vietnam (2), UAE (4), Cambodia (1) and two from South Asia one each from Nepal and Sri Lanka. The number of coronavirus infection has surpassed those witnessed during the SARS or severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak, which had caused havoc in China in 2002-03. Over 800 people, mostly in China, died during the SARS epidemic. According to travel agents, Indians are cancelling their trips to China after the outbreak of coronavirus epidemic. There is definitely a drop in interest from people wishing to go to mainland China and Hong Kong. Those, who have already booked their tickets for China, have cancelled their plans, said travel agent B. Sharan Kumar. Cathay Pacific said it would be reducing the number of flights to China and Hong Kong due to low demand, while Scoot would continue to operate flights to China, except the city of Wuhan. Country stars Robert Mizzell and Kieran McAree will perform at the annual Bundoran RNLI Lifeboat Dance which will take place this Friday, January 31. The dance which will take place this year at the Allingham Arms Hotel in Bundoran is the flagship fundraising event of the volunteer crew and has been a staple of the annual event calendar for more than 40 years. Robert Mizzell is looking forward to playing the event: Since Ive moved to Ireland Ive become very aware of the amazing work the volunteers of the RNLI do so selflessly. It is my great pleasure to be invited back to play at their annual dance this year. I look forward to seeing many of the supporters of this great charity on the night. Event director Cormac McGurren is reminding supporters that not only is it a great night of music but theres some great prizes in the monster raffle too, local businesses have once again been so generous in donating prizes for them for the raffle . They would like to thank traders in Bundoran and Ballyshannon for their great support. Mr Oilman is donating 250 worth of oil on the night. Tickets are just 15 and are on sale now from crew members, The Allingham Arms, Bundoran Tourist Office and other venues locally. All support appreciated. People participate in a protest in Times Square against military conflict with Iran on January 08, 2020 in New York. Spencer Platt | Getty Images The Democratic-led House of Representatives voted on Thursday to approve two measures that will constrain President Donald Trump's ability to go to war with Iran. One of the measures would block funding for any use of offensive military force in or against Iran without congressional approval. It passed 228-175. The other would repeal the 2002 resolution that authorized military force against the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq and has since been invoked by successive presidents pursuing fights against new enemies. It passed 236-166. Tensions between the U.S. and Iran are still high following the deadly American strike on Gen. Qasem Soleimani, a top Iranian military official, earlier this month. That strike prompted the Iranians to retaliate with missile attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq. Democrats, wary of getting bogged down in a new Middle East conflict, have sought to require Trump to seek authorization for future uses of military force. Trump has threatened to veto both measures, though on Wednesday he took to Twitter to urge members of both parties to "vote their HEART." The first measure passed on Thursday, sponsored by Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., would block the Trump administration from using any federal funds for military force in Iran unless Congress first declares war. Presidential contender Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced a companion resolution in the Senate. Khanna, alongside Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., had proposed a similar amendment to the annual must-pass defense spending bill, but it was not included in the final version that Congress approved late last year. "The American government has spent trillions of taxpayer dollars fighting endless wars across the Middle East," Khanna said in a statement after his measure passed. "Today, Congress passed two historic pieces of legislation to reassert our authority over matters of war and peace." The second measure, to repeal the 2002 Iraq war authorization, was led by Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., and co-sponsored by 131 Democrats, two Republicans and the independent Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan. Lee tweet After her resolution passed, Lee said in a statement that it was "a historic step to reassert our Constitutional authority and stop our endless wars." "We cannot afford to leave outdated AUMFs on the books indefinitely," she said. "It is past time for Congress to finally do our Constitutional duty and vote on matters of war and peace. That extends beyond the 2002 AUMF we must now work to repeal the overly broad 2001 AUMF." The 2002 military force authorization is separate from the more expansive resolution passed in 2001, just days after the September 11 attacks, which authorized force against all those who "planned, authorized, committed, or aided" the individuals who coordinated the strikes. The 2001 resolution has been used as an authority for 41 operations in 19 countries, according to a 2019 report by the Friends Committee on National Legislation, an anti-war advocacy group. The 2002 resolution was used by the Obama administration as an "alternative statutory basis" for the campaign against the Islamic State and by the Trump administration to assert authority for the use of force in "Syria or elsewhere," the report found. Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) speaking about the situation in Iran and Iraq at a press conference organized by the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), Jan. 8, 2020. Michael Brochstein | Echoes Wire | Barcroft Media | Getty Images WASHINGTON For years, multinational oil companies have fought back state and federal carbon pricing schemes, holding out for a nationwide carbon tax as the most equitable means of addressing climate change. But now that strategy could be starting to buckle. The British oil giant BP is running an advertising campaign supporting cap-and-trade legislation in the state of Washington, breaking with an industry that had maintained state-by-state regulation is too costly. The move represents a pointed statement on climate change by BP as pressure on fossil fuels increases and the oil and gas industry seeks to steer regulation in a direction that allows it to more easily adapt its business to a low-carbon economy. Just two years ago, the British oil major, which operates the largest refinery in Washington state, joined with other energy companies to defeat a ballot question that would have imposed a carbon tax there. We believe the world is on an unsustainable path, and where there is legislation and policy being developed is on the state level, said Phil Cochrane, senior government affairs director for BP Fuels North America. We have decided to engage there instead of waiting for a holy grail to come together. A spokesman for Royal Dutch Shell, which also operates a refinery in Washington but took no position on the 2018 carbon tax issue, said the company would likely support the legislation as well, absent drastic and/or unforeseeable changes. On HoustonChronicle.com: Natural gas companies call for carbon tax The Washington Legislature is considering a cap-and-trade system, under which the amount of carbon dioxide that companies can emit is capped. Companies that stay below the cap receive credits, which they can sell to those that exceed the threshold, creating a market that determines the price of carbon. The cap is lowered over the years, providing additional economic incentives to release less carbon dioxide, a major contributor to global warming, into the atmosphere. A carbon tax or fee provides similar incentives through the government assessing a cost or price for each ton of carbon dioxide emitted by business. Supporters of the Washington cap-and-trade legislation maintain the proposal is more expansive than the 2018 carbon tax plan, doing away with many of exemptions that BP argued left it and other large polluters unfairly burdened. With most oil companies either holding out for a nationwide scheme or more often fighting against carbon pricing all together, it remains an open question whether the industry can come together with environmentalists on carbon pricing legislation. As European companies, BP and Shell are perhaps special cases. They are under intense pressure from their home governments in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands to reduce their contribution to climate change, a position unique from their competitors in other countries. But with growing public awareness about the risks posed by climate change, oil companies are getting more engaged on the issue, said Bob Perciasepe, president of the nonprofit Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. Late last year, the American Gas Association, which represents companies including Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips, announced it was calling for carbon pricing, the first oil and gas trade group to do so. If you went back 10 years, you did not see this kind of activity in the oil and gas sector, Perciasepe said. From my conversations with these major oil companies, they do support (a carbon tax), and its real. That said, they have strongly held views on how those prices are constructed, whos covered (and if its) fair and equitable. Leading the way on carbon pricing for large oil companies is the Climate Leadership Council, founded in 2017 to push a plan for a revenue neutral carbon tax forged by former Secretaries of State James Baker and George Shultz, both Republicans. Instead of a state-by-state approach with 50 different sets of rules, their plan is to create a $40 per ton national carbon tax on all emissions. Rising 5 percent a year, it would replace existing regulations on greenhouse gas emissions, with all the revenue raised by the levy going back to American taxpayers. Members including Exxon, ConocoPhillips, Shell, BP and Total have each put at least $1 million into funding lobbying efforts to get legislation before Congress, said Ted Halstead, chairman of the council. Their view is lets not do generic carbon pricing of any flavor. We need a very specific plan where all sides win, he said. We think our proposal will be introduced on a bipartisan basis by mid-year. But a new tax that would likely raise the costs of fuel, electricity and other goods on Americans remains a tough sell in Washington. One political consultant recounted how an oil company told him that whenever they raised the issue in private meetings on Capitol Hill, they found a dearth of interest among politicians of either party. And among many environmentalists, there is resistance to the idea of replacing regulations that limit greenhouse gas emissions with a carbon pricing system. If they can get out of complying with regulations for public health, they will take that deal for a minimum carbon price, said Liz Perera, climate policy director at the Sierra Club. They also know a small carbon tax is not going to impact the use of oil and gas, so theyre hedging their bets. More: Read the latest oil and gas news from HoustonChronicle.com In Washington state, BPs decision to endorse the cap-and-trade program has won the company accolades. The bill is state Democrats third attempt to put a price on carbon. The last one, the 2018 ballot measure, would have created a $15 per ton carbon tax, rising to roughly $55 a ton by 2035, while exempting certain polluting industries such as mass transit and agriculture. After initially signaling support for the tax, BP pulled back from negotiations, claiming refineries were unfairly targeted. BP joined with other companies, such as the San Antonio refiner Valero, to run a campaign opposing the carbon tax plan. Washington voters defeated the ballot measure 56 percent to 44 percent. Im not sure (BP) doomed it, but it certainly hurt it, said Doug Ray, chairman of Carbon Washington, a nonprofit advocating for climate action. Were really pleased (this bill) has the support of BP. Theyre such a big player in the private sector. And BP says it isnt done yet. Theyre currently working with Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, on a similar cap-and-trade bill there. james.osborne@chron.com twitter.com/osborneja SpiceJet and GoAir announced on Wednesday that they have banned stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra from using their services, a day after he posted a video of him heckling television anchor Arnab Goswami on board a Mumbai-Lucknow IndiGo flight an incident that prompted the intervention of aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri. Within hours of the video being posted, IndiGo on Tuesday said he will not be allowed to fly on the airline for six months. State-run carrier Air India followed suit, announcing Kamra would be banned on its fleet till further notice. Puri, who on Tuesday advised other airlines to follow IndiGos move, said he felt compelled to sidestep laid down procedures because he wanted zero tolerance for aberrant behaviour. This was not a normal case. It left me with no choice. It could have led to a scuffle on board and endangered security. It doesnt matter whether it is Arnab or XYZ; a zero tolerance [policy] will apply universally and will be ideology and politics neutral. The message had to go out that such behaviour is unacceptable, the minister told HT. Kamra on Tuesday posted a 1 minute, 52 second video in which he is heard talking to Goswami, in a style that he claimed was mimicking the news anchors. Kamra is heard constantly referring to the Republic TV founder as a coward and attacks his coverage of the 2015 suicide of Hyderabad Central University student Rohith Vemula. This is for Rohith Vemulas mother whose caste you were discussing on your [expletive] show, the comedian is heard saying, while Goswami is seen sitting and staring at his laptop with earphones plugged in. Shortly afterwards, IndiGo Airlines announced in a tweet that it will put Karma on a no-fly list for six months. While quoting IndiGos tweet, minister Puri wrote: Offensive behaviour designed to provoke and create disturbance inside an aircraft is absolutely unacceptable and endangers safety of air travellers. We are left with no option but to advise other airlines to impose similar restrictions on the person concerned. The move by the four airlines has been criticised as a case of overreach. According to the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) notice published by regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), such cases must be raised through a complaint by the pilot-in-command which is then passed on to a committee. According to the rules, other airlines are not obliged to ban passengers blocked by one carrier. Such action, which can be classified as a level 1 offence, can attract a maximum ban of three months only. Kamra can challenge the bans in an appeal to DGCA. In this case, the man who has taken the offensive clip, he has himself brought it into the public domain. He is using the four-letter word, there is a threatening tone in that. If the other passenger hadnt shown restraint, there would have been scuffle on the plane, said Puri, adding, after reviewing the clip, I felt that we had to send a strong deterrent message to the people. The minister also said that Kamras case was not comparable with that of Member of Parliament Pragya Thakur, who held up a flight last month after an altercation with fellow passengers. That was about seat allocation. She was not being offensive. The other passenger was being offensive. If the passenger had filed a complaint with the DGCA, the aviation body would have examined it. Hindustan Times reached out to Indigo, Spicejet and GoAir but they did not comment on their action. However, Air Indias Dhananjay Kumar said that they were going by the air regulators CAR and a three member committee will decide final action within 30 days. A person familiar with developments at Vistara said that the airline has decided to wait for a formal notice from DGCA or the civil aviation ministry before taking any action against Kamra. Kamra did not respond to requests for a comment. In new posts made on Twitter, he defended his actions and said he did not jeopardise passenger safety or disobey flight crew. Congress president Rahul Gandhi attacked the government as well as Goswami over the issue. Those who use their news cameras as 24x7 tools of propaganda, should show some spine when the camera is turned on them, he said in a tweet. Mumbai attack mastermind and Jamat-ud Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed's lawyers finally completed their arguments before an anti-terrorism court here on Thursday in terror financing cases against him. The Anti-Terrorism Court-I (ATC) indicted Saeed and his close aides - Hafiz Abdul Salam, Muhammad Ashraf and Zafar Iqbal - on terror financing charges on December 11. "The anti-terrorism court adjourned the hearing in terror financing cases against Saeed and others till Saturday after his lawyers completed arguments on Thursday," a court official told PTI. Saeed's lawyers - Advocates Naseeruddin Nayyar and Imran Fazal Gull - presented their arguments declaring their client innocent. Saeed and his aides were brought in the court in high security. Saeed has already recorded his statement before the court in two terror financing cases against him in which he pleaded "not guilty". The cases of terror financing have been registered against him in Lahore and Gujranwala cities on the application of Counter Terrorism Department of Punjab police. Cross examination of prosecution witnesses against Saeed and his three close aides by the defense counsel has already been concluded. The prosecution had produced a good number of witnesses against Saeed. The CTD had registered 23 FIRs against Saeed and his accomplices on the charges of terror financing in different cities of Punjab province and arrested him on July 17. He is held at the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore. Saeed-led JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the Lashkar-e-Taiba which is responsible for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attack that killed 166 people, including six Americans. The US Department of the Treasury has designated Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and the US, since 2012, has offered a USD 10 million reward for information that brings Saeed to justice. The US has also welcomed Saeed's indictment, urging Islamabad to ensure a full prosecution and expeditious trial of the charges against him. The indictment followed growing international pressure on Pakistan to stop militant groups from collecting funds in the country and to take immediate action against those still involved in militant activities. Page Content Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs met with the commander of the Royal Dutch Marechaussee (RDM) Hans Leijtens during a recent working visit to St. Maarten. The introductory meeting was held together with the Minister of Justice Egbert Jurendy Doran and Secretary General of the Ministry of Justice Russell Ursula. The Ministers along with their senior staff members were given a breakdown of the role of the Marechaussee in the region, in particular, their role on St. Maarten. This mainly involves border control, and combating human trafficking and human smuggling. The Marechausee reiterated that their members work under the command of the police force, KPSM (Korps Politie St. Maarten). They work alongside the local police officers as well. Commander Leijtens informed government that they currently provide assistance at the airport regarding immigration and customs and that trainings have taken place in this regard. Commander Leijtens concluded by assuring the Ministers that the Marechaussee are also open to assisting country St. Maarten in any other areas deemed necessary. The Bombay High Court on Thursday said it will have to pass some directions to social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and search engine Google to remove any content that reveals the identity of sexual assault victims. A division bench of Justices Ranjit More and S P Tavade was hearing a public interest litigation filed by city residents Priyanka Deore and Noel Kuriakose, seeking directions to the state and union government to strictly follow the provisions of law which prohibits disclosure of names and photographs of rape victims. The petitioners' lawyer Madhavi Tavanandi told the court that revealing the identity of victims of sexual offences is a cognizable offence and punishable up to two years in jail under section 228 A of the IPC. She pointed out the recent Hyderabad rape and murder case where the victim's name and photograph was published across Twitter and other social media platforms. The lawyer further said that this content is still available online. "Some directions are required to be given to such social media platforms asking them to remove these content. Everybody is expected to follow the law," Justice More said. The court further noted that as per section 228 A of IPC, revealing the identity of a victim of sexual assault is a very serious offence. "It is a non-bailable offence," the court said. The bench directed the petitioners to serve a copy of their petition to the union and Maharashtra government and also Twitter, Facebook and Google. It posted the PIL for further hearing on February 26. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) She did not put up all her Christmas decorations because, she said, she could not carry them down from the second floor. She also has not been able to travel like she would like, she said. Medical staff from the Army Medical University based in Chongqing head to Wuhan to fight the pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus there. Redoubled efforts, better coordination of resources urged to prevent pandemic President Xi Jinping is calling on the People's Liberation Army to shoulder its responsibility and continue contributing to the country's uphill battle to control the recent novel coronavirus outbreak and prevent a pandemic. Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, instructed the PLA about efforts to contain the spread of the virus. In the instruction, which was published on Wednesday, Xi commended the military for resolutely carrying out the decision of the CPC Central Committee after the outbreak and promptly launching an epidemic prevention and control mechanism and dispatching elite forces to the front line of the battle against the virus. The situation remains challenging and complex, and the PLA must keep in mind its purpose and respond to orders, he said. He noted that the military has been assigned the task of medical treatment at Huoshenshan hospital, an emergency specialty hospital in Wuhan, Hubei province, which is under construction. That assignment indicates a high level of trust from the Party and the Chinese people, Xi said. It is important for the military to step up its organizing and leadership functions, enable closer coordination with local authorities, adhere to the principles of scientific treatment and ensure self-protection, he said, adding that by doing so in this mission, it will live up to its high standard of trust and honor. Military hospitals must make all-out efforts to accept and treat patients, and research institutions should press ahead with their research and development to contribute to victory against the outbreak, he said. A meeting, presided over by Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday, underlined the importance of targeted measures to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus nationwide. The meeting of the central leading group on coping with the outbreak stressed the need to scale up the country's ability to treat patients in critical condition in cities around Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The country's top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, said on Wednesday in a phone call with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that China attaches great importance to the safety of all foreigners in the country, including those from the United States, and will maintain close coordination and cooperation to prevent and control illnesses related to the coronavirus. Despite heightened disease control and prevention efforts, the coronavirus continues to spread, and some areas will see a spike in the number of infected people, a statement released after the meeting said. Maximum effort and scientific measures to curb the spread of the outbreak are needed, it said. Epidemic control and prevention efforts in Wuhan and throughout Hubei province must be further bolstered so that medical resources can be better coordinated and refined to treat patients and reduce deaths, the statement said. It also called for an effective and coordinated epidemic control and prevention mechanism between provincial-level areas. Research and development of vaccines must be accelerated, and approvals and clinical use of pharmaceuticals that have already proved effective should be expedited, the statement said. It also urged local authorities to get manufacturers of protective suits, surgical masks, safety goggles, negative pressure ambulances and drugs back in full production as soon as possible. Favorable tax policies and financing will be researched by the authorities, it said. Some employers should allow staff who traveled away from places of higher risk of infection for the Spring Festival holiday, as well as people with non-critical jobs, to delay their return. People at higher risk of infection, should stay at home for medical observation or be allowed to work from home, it added. Infants of mothers who smoke during early pregnancy appear to have an increased risk of fractures during the first year of life, according to a study. The results, published in The BMJ, show no long-lasting effect on fracture risk later in childhood, and up to early adulthood. This suggests that smoking in pregnancy only has a short term influence on bone health, the researchers said. Many studies have found a link between smoking during pregnancy and growth problems in infants. However, evidence of the impact of smoking during pregnancy on bone health and risk of fractures in children at different stages of life is scarce and inconsistent. The researchers from the Orebro University in Sweden set out to study the impact of maternal smoking during pregnancy on fractures in offspring from infancy to young adulthood. The findings are based on over 1.6 million people born in Sweden between 1983 and 2000 to women who smoked (377,367) and did not smoke (1,302,940) in early pregnancy. Offspring were followed up from birth to an average age of 21. During this period 377,970 fractures were identified. The researchers also carried out sibling comparison analyses to control for any unwanted effects of unmeasured familial -- genetic and environmental -- factors shared by siblings, making the results more likely to be reliable. Overall, maternal smoking was associated with a higher rate of fractures in offspring before one year of age. In absolute numbers, the risk of fracture in those exposed to maternal smoking was 1.59 per 1000 person years compared with 1.28 per 1000 person years in those not exposed -- a small difference in fracture rate of 0.31 per 1000 person years in the first year of life. This is an observational study so can't establish cause, and the researchers point to some limitations, such as the possibility that some women will not admit smoking during pregnancy or might under-report the number of cigarettes smoked. They said the data covered a large number of people and addressed risk of fractures during different developmental stages of life. "The results of this study indicate that maternal smoking during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of fractures before one year of age," the researchers said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Aerial mapping provider Nearmap says a slowdown in the autonomous vehicle sector was among the factors that forced it to cut revenue targets, a move that sent shares in the high flying tech stock tumbling. The company told investors on Thursday morning it would be revising its contract revenue predictions for 2020 from $116 to $120 million to $102-$110 million. Shares promptly dropped at the market open and by 3:30pm were down to $1.71, a drop of 29.4 per cent. Rob Newman, chief executive of Nearmap, said four factors out of the company's control had affected earnings. Credit:Jesse Marlow The company, which was founded in Perth in 2007, offers 2D and 3D mapping tools for clients in sectors like insurance, architecture and telecommunications and for the autonomous vehicle sector. The stock has traded as high as $3.78 last June. Chief executive Rob Newman told investors the company had been impacted by "four unforeseen events" in December that would end up having a material impact on revenue. Seeking to corner the ruling AAP over its claims of revolutionising education and healthcare in Delhi, the BJP has come out with a video of the Mohalla Clinics. With voting for assembly polls on February 8, just a week ahead, the BJP released the video on Thursday targeting Kejriwal government's flagship scheme. The video was tweeted by the BJP president JP Nadda. "Kejriwalji, you promised to open 1,000 mohalla clinics every year. Whatever small number of clinics you opened lack even the basic facilities, Nadda tweeted. The video sought to establish a lack of basic facilities at the Mohalla Clinics. The tweet by Nadda was also retweeted by Union Home Minister Amit Shah saying that the video exposed "healthcare revolution" of Kejriwal government. Shah earlier said the "education revolution" claimed by Kejriwal government was exposed by a visit of Delhi government schools by party MPs. The seven Lok Sabha MPs in Delhi and Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Goel had recently visited Delhi government schools in different parts of the city, alleging lack of basic facilities there. "After education, now the health revolution of Kejriwal government has been exposed. Will Delhi's poor get their operation done here? For the sake of your selfish politics, you kept Delhi's poor away from Modi ji's Ayushman Yojana. You have to give answers for the sin that you have committed," Shah tweeted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bridgewater's Ray Dalio said he has no idea what the extent of the coronavirus will be, but for now he believes the best investment strategy is to diversify across geographic locations, asset class and currencies to protect against the unknowns. "Terrible, unimaginable things could happen anywhere. What we don't know is much greater than what we do know," wrote Dalio in a note Jan. 28. The hedge fund investor said Bridgewater studied past pandemics to put the latest coronavirus in perspective and expects to do more homework on the topic. Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, said he has no knowledge about the economic or market impacts from the virus, but Bridgewater does know pandemics have happened in the past and have had major impacts. "Generally speaking these once-in-a-lifetime big bad things initially are under-worried about and continue to progress until they become over-worried about, until the fundamentals for the reversal happen," meaning the virus switches from accelerating to decelerating, he wrote. In the case of SARS, the Hong Kong stock market was affected by it and reversed when the number of cases peaked, and then started to decline. "This is all logical and would be the type of market action we would expect if the coronavirus crisis remains concentrated in China," he noted. He would expect the greater Chinese and Hong Kong markets to be impacted more than world markets and the impact could reverse as the number of new cases starts to fall. Bridgewater also looked at the H1N1, or swine flu, virus in 2009 and 2010. With this virus and SARS, the markets acted in a risk-off way, responding to falling growth and the flight to quality. Stocks fell, while gold and bond prices went higher, but these market moves faded and markets could have been responding instead to policy and economic developments that weren't related to the virus. H1N1 also coincided with the beginning of the financial crisis. The deadliest pandemic in modern history was the 1918 outbreak of the Spanish flu, which coincided with World War I. The war itself contributed to the outbreak, which infected 500 million people and killed 50 million. The peak of the disease came at the end of the war. "The impacts of the war and the pandemic are hard to disentangle in market and economy charts, but it looks like positive developments in the war were overshadowed by the pandemic, marking the end of an equity rally," he wrote. The U.S. economy appeared to go into a sharp downturn during the Spanish flu outbreak. A study by the Federal Reserve of St. Louis looked at headlines form the era and found references to the retail grocery business being reduced by a third, and coal mine operations reporting production was cut in half. Merchants in Little Rock, Arkansas, also reported a decline in sales of 40%. "So far, China's response is much more transparent and decisive compared to the SARS outbreak, which affects both the statistical comparison and the rate of dealing with the problem," he wrote. I know the cost of protesting against Israel and fear more Palestinians will die as a result of Trumps plan. Trumps deal of the century for Israel and Palestine is an absolute farce that has left me imagining a third Intifada, more curfews, military assaults and detentions. I can feel the sadness of my grandparents, who were uprooted from their home during the Nakba in 1948, and the disappointment of my parents who grew up as part of the revolutionary generation in Jabalia refugee camp during Israels occupation of the remaining 22 percent of our lands. Palestinians will and must resist and fight back and there will be more loss of life and more of what we witnessed every Friday at Gazas Great March of Return protests. I know only too well the response to even peaceful protest. The Israeli occupations brutal repression of any kind of resistance is a reality I grew up with. Six years ago, on January 17, 2014, I went to plant olive trees as part of a peaceful protest against the imprisonment of two million people in the ghetto that is Gaza. Instead, I had a bullet planted in my leg. This happened at the eastern buffer zone where some of the Great March of Return protests took place. The buffer zone is a no-go zone that extends along the northern and eastern portion of Israels heavily fortified fence with Gaza, its creation meant the loss of about 30 percent of Gazas most fertile agricultural land. During the second Intifada (2000-2005), scores of citrus and olive trees had been bulldozed and uprooted from the landscape of Gaza to make way for this buffer zone, in the process targetting farmers who simply wanted to cultivate their land. For Palestinians in Gaza, the vulnerability and precariousness of life are starkly apparent on a daily basis. Living in constant fear has left the inhabitants scarred by multi-generational layers of trauma. Losing our natural resources because of the conflict has led only to more hardship as we can no longer farm our land. This is why I and the protest group I co-founded in 2013, the Intifada Youth Coalition, decided to stage a symbolic but peaceful protest by the fence surrounding the buffer zone by planting new olive trees. The Intifada Youth Coalition is made up of young people from various refugee camps, grassroots groups and parties. We would get together to hold demonstrations at the buffer zone every other Friday and sailed alongside others to protest against the naval blockades on our coastline as a Palestinian-led flotilla. The day I was shot After a long week of preparing to plant the trees, the day arrived. I had sent out a notification about our protest, outlining our peaceful intentions, to embassies, consulates, press and human rights organisations in the Palestinian territories, Brussels, Geneva and New York, hoping that they would relay our vision and message to the world. We also hoped the publicity would encourage restraint by soldiers guarding the no-go zone. We were, after all, exercising our right to protest under international and human rights law; we just wanted to plant some trees. It was a sunny Friday and the sky was blue, albeit filled with drones. My mother, Halima, woke me up and called me to breakfast with my family. She prayed that this breakfast would not be my last. My father, Ismail, who was a freedom fighter in his youth, was unusually silent. He has always been good at suppressing his feelings but I could tell he was scared for me. They could not stop me from going, however, so they opted to show trust and support for the statement my friends and I wanted to make. After all, my parents themselves spent their youth protesting in Gaza. Both led non-violent demonstrations in the Jabalia and other refugee camps, where I grew up, during the first Intifada (1987-1991). When I reached the fence that morning, I could see, in the distance, on the other side where my grandparents once lived and cultivated the land in peace, an Israeli soldier standing on a high point. Just as I finished planting an olive tree, we were surrounded by tear gas and the soldier shot directly at me. I could barely breathe or see and I stayed down to try to keep out of range of the bullets landing close by. A bullet grazed my hand. There were a few seconds of silence when I tried to run, and that was when another seared through my leg. My friends heard my screams and the sound of the bullet and started calling: Majed, Majed. People, Majed is shot, Majed is shot! I wonder now if the soldier heard those cries and how he felt if he did. I examined my leg and could see the bullet had passed straight through, creating a hole big enough for me to put my finger in it and see the finger from the other side. I could only crawl slowly. I ripped my jeans and tried to tie the material above the entrance wound to stop the blood until my friends could reach me and carry me quickly through the cloud of tear gas and rain of bullets. My friends struggled to lift me, so more arrived to help until we reached a safe distance. I knew there was a risk that I might not be able to walk again, but the thought that weighed heaviest on my mind in those moments was how my mother would react. I hoped that my parents were not watching the local news and that they would not find out what had happened to me until after I knew the extent of my injury. But, of course, the news reached them almost immediately. Yaser Murtaja, a photojournalist and a good friend who was tragically killed by Israeli security forces during protests a year later, was with us. He was carrying his camera, his only weapon, and managed to document every second. He took the photo that accompanies this article. My friends managed to take me in a tuk-tuk to a car, which transported me to the hospital. It was a 10-minute journey but it felt so much longer. The pain was excruciating and I kept passing out. At the hospital, I could see my fathers relief when the doctors told him I should be able to walk again in three months. I spoke to my mother, who had fainted when she heard that I had been shot, on the phone. It means you are alive and will be home soon, she told me. What would you say to the soldier who shot you? The bullet wound has left me with lifelong complications. A small piece remains embedded in my badly scarred leg and causes muscle spasms. Last year, I was unable to walk for several days until doctors in Germany, where I am now based, decided to carry out two operations on my knee. I was in hospital for seven days, made easier by the care of my friends in Berlin. These days I spend my time between Zurich and Berlin, working with refugees and organisations including the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement. What would you say to the soldier who shot you? I have asked several friends, to get them to imagine being in my shoes. This question has stayed with me and I have often felt the urge to communicate with this anonymous soldier, to show how his actions affected me. I want to ask: How can it be so easy to pull a trigger aiming at another human body? Is it like playing a video game? Why did you shoot me when I was clearly a civilian who posed no danger? What does it take to dehumanise me and therefore yourself in order to do so? I want to know: Does that soldier think of my parents? Has he ever wanted to know who I am and whether I lived or died? Was he shooting to kill? The moment a bullet pierced my leg was one of the most traumatising of my life. I know I am lucky to have survived, given the number of protesters who have lost their lives in Gaza. But emotions still overwhelm me whenever I recall that moment. Along with two Israeli fellow members of the BDS movement, Majed Abusalama is currently on trial in Germany on charges of trespass over the disruption of a talk by Aliza Lavie, an Israeli member of the Knesset, at Humboldt University in 2017. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. RALEIGH, N.C., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Real estate tech innovator and pioneer Offerpad, celebrated its first anniversary in Raleigh in January. The tech-enabled home buyer and seller became available to consumers in the area starting January 2019, during the company's second year of a very successful tenure in Charlotteconsidered among the top five iBuyer markets by transaction count. Raleigh has been a reliable market for Offerpad; it operates in 87 cities across eastern North Carolina. Current cities include Clayton, Knightdale, and Raleigh proper. The company works with townhomes, condos, and single-family homes in both selling and buying. These are generally homes that range between 1,000 to 3,400 in square footage, worth $75,000 to $500,000, and include three to five bedroomsbut Offerpad appraises and presents offers on homes in Raleigh with varying specifications. Founded in Arizona in 2015, Offerpad began to carve a niche in single-family residential real estate. iBuying is now gaining considerable traction and attention among consumers nationwide and especially in the Raleigh and Charlotte markets. Five years later, the modern home selling method is only a part of what Offerpad provides to allow people the best real estate experience possible. "One year in, Offerpad is working all throughout the Raleigh-Durham metro area," said Kyle Rush, the company's Carolinas market director. "We will soon be expanding south into the Sanford area which will increase our footprint from Raleigh, south to Pinehurst, and over to Fayettevillewe will have the largest footprint of all iBuyers in the Carolinas market." Offerpad is present today in about 800 cities across the country, including nearly 300 cities in the Carolinas; it also operates in the Charlotte market stretching into the Fort Mill and Rock Hill areas of South Carolinaas well as upstate areas including Greenville and Spartanburg. In these places, the company offers its signature iBuyer home selling solution as well as additional options including creative consumer home buying options, home loans, home customization, renovations, and more. In addition, Offerpad is now powering Keller Offers, the iBuyer division of Keller Williamsthis partnership has been live in Raleigh as of December 2019. Offerpad has reached significant milestones during its first year in Raleigh, both locally and around the country: Offerpad's operations in Raleigh are always advancing as the company looks to provide the best way for residents of the Triangle area and beyond to buy and sell a home. About Offerpad Offerpad is a leading technology and real estate company with a mission to provide the best way to buy and sell a home. Leading with firsthand real estate experience and utilizing powerful technology developed in-house, Offerpad provides direct home offers to deliver modern, consumer-centric home buying and selling solutions that help more people move freely. On average, Offerpad receives a new offer request from homeowners every 30 seconds and acquires a home every 20 minutes throughout regular business hours. Offerpad is a privately held company headquartered in Chandler, Arizona, operating across the country in 800 cities and counting. Visit Offerpad.com for more information. Media Contact: David Stephan, (602) 825-3135, [email protected] SOURCE Offerpad Related Links http://offerpad.com/ It is remembered as one of the most joyous days in history, with vast crowds filling central London and street parties across the land as Britain marked Victory in Europe on May 8, 1945. Now, 75 years on, the whole country is preparing to celebrate all over again. Such is the public demand for a commemorative event in the Royal Albert Hall on May 8 supported by the Daily Mail that plans were announced yesterday to screen the show live in cinemas all over Britain. The commemorative event of Victory of Europe Day on May 8, 1954, at the Royal Albert Hall (pictured) is to be broadcast at more than 400 cinemas across the UK. It features the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, the Military Wives Choirs, special guests, VIPs, members of Sir Winston Churchills family and, above all and veterans Tickets sold out almost immediately after we announced our spectacular night at the concert hall. However, you do not need to be in central London to enjoy an evening of fabulous music, wartime classics, historic readings and unalloyed patriotism in aid of our oldest Forces charity. The whole show featuring the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, the Military Wives Choirs, special guests, VIPs, members of Sir Winston Churchills family and, above all, the veterans will be broadcast live to more than 400 cinemas on the night. Todays Daily Mail includes details of how win two free tickets at a cinema of your choice, with 500 pairs set aside for our readers. The evening will raise funds for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, which has been supporting service personnel of all ages and their families for 130 years. Last night, the charitys chief executive, Sir Andrew Gregory, welcomed the news that everyone can now be part of the action. Sir Andrew Gregory, of the armed forces charity SSAFA, said 'bringing the nation together' to commemorate the date in world history is 'absolutely fitting'. Pictured is Prime Minister Winston Churchill being mobbed after his VE Day broadcast Bringing the nation together to commemorate this pivotal date in world history is absolutely fitting and we are delighted that this poignant concert will be accessible in cinemas for the public as a whole on VE Day, he said. Yesterday, with 100 days to go before the anniversary, the Royal British Legion unveiled plans to include as many members of the wartime generation as possible for events commemorating both VE and VJ Day, which marks Victory in Japan in August. To mark the 100-day countdown, the Legion took Second World War veterans on a tour of schools around Britain. Among them was Sandhurst Primary School, chosen because it endured great tragedy during the war. On January 20, 1943, the school in Catford, south-east London, was hit by German bombs, which killed six teachers and 38 children. Crowds cheer as King George VI and Queen Elizabeth with Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret appear on the balcony on May 8, 1945. Now, 75 years on, the whole country is preparing to celebrate all over again Year 6 pupils at Sandhurst heard from veterans including former soldier Mervyn Kersh, 95. He was only 19 when he set foot on Gold Beach in Normandy on D-Day, following a party of ten comrades that was torpedoed leaving just one survivor. They also heard from Marzena Schejbal, 95, who was 20 when she was among 5,000 women who fought in the Warsaw Uprising before seeing out the war in a German prisoner of war camp. The civilian-led revolt was triggered after Soviet forces arrived to liberate Poland in 1944. For further details of VE Day 75 With The Daily Mail click here As I followed the murder trial in person, I started wondering if and when Slovak society would sincerely begin to look into the mirror. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled As I followed the murder trial of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova live in person in court over the last two weeks, I started wondering if and when Slovak society would sincerely begin look at itself in the mirror. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement According to the indictment, crooked real estate entrepreneur (Mgr.) Marian Kocner ordered Kuciaks murder, annoyed by his articles on his shady business deals. Kocners personal friend Alena Zsuzsova commissioned the murder crew made up of cousins Ing. Tomas Szabo and Miroslav Marcek, a former policeman and professional soldier respectively. She did so through Zoltan Andrusko, who confessed and got a plea bargain with a 15-year prison sentence. On the opening day of the trial, Marcek testified in court that he shot the couple, and described how he did it in an emotionless monotonous voice as if he was talking about assembling furniture. Both Zsuzsova and (Mgr.) Kocner pleaded not guilty. All four of the accused face 25 years to life in prison if found guilty. Marcek and Ing. Szabo are also accused of killing businessman Peter Molnar in 2016. The opening session had a very Slovak moment when the main judge in the panel spent a few minutes on deciding whether to use the title Mgr. when addressing Kocner, who is a graduate of the Comenius University school of journalism. WASHINGTON Bernie Sanders is surging in Texas, just three weeks before voters start casting early ballots for their pick to take on President Donald Trump in November. The Vermont Senator and self-described Democratic socialist has jumped to second in the state, cutting former Vice President Joe Bidens lead to just two percentage points, according to a new Texas Lyceum poll released on Wednesday. Biden still leads the pack of Democratic presidential contenders at 28 percent, though his lead over Sanders who stood at 26 percent was within the polls 2.8 percentage point margin of error. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts senator who lived for a decade in Texas, was in third at 13 percent. Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox The poll shows Texans are still largely unsettled on who they support in key races including the tight Democratic presidential primary and the still wide-open race to earn the partys nomination to take on U.S. Sen. John Cornyn even as some believe the Democrats can be more competitive in 2020 than they have been in a generation. Sanders rise in Texas comes as his campaign announces a $2.5 million TV ad buy in Texas and California. It also coincides with his apparent surge nationally just days before Iowa caucuses, putting some moderate Democrats on edge. That has a lot of Democrats scared out of their minds, said U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz a Texas Republican who won the Iowa caucus in his 2016 presidential bid who recently spoke about Sanders rise on his podcast. There are an awful lot of Democrats who, I think, think if Bernie gets the nomination, it reelects Donald Trump, which is obviously not what Democrats are looking to do. But in Texas, at least, the Texas Lyceum poll suggests Sanders may have as good a shot as Biden at tackling Trump in November. Though Trump polled better than all of the Democrats in the race, it found Sanders bringing in 47 percent to Trumps 50. Biden was next, at 46 to 51. Warren had 44 to Trumps 52. For subscribers: Democratic presidential contenders turn attention to Texas Sanders appears to be a big draw for Texas independents, 44 percent of whom would vote for him, compared to Trumps 41 percent in a head-to-head matchup. Biden polls significantly worse with independents. Just 28 percent would vote for him, compared to 57 percent for Trump in a direct matchup. Sanders, meanwhile, waded into another primary fight in Texas on Wednesday, endorsing Jessica Cisneros, a 26-year-old immigration attorney from Laredo, in her insurgent bid to unseat conservative Democrat Henry Cuellar, whos held his South Texas district for 15 years. More Information Texas primary election dates Feb. 3 - Last day to register to vote in time for the Democratic and Republican presidential primary elections Feb. 18 - The first day of early voting Feb. 28 - Early voting ends March 3 - Election day See More Collapse "This is the most important election in our lifetime and I'm proud there are so many candidates running for Congress who understand that real change comes from the bottom up, not the top on down," Sanders said. "Jessica is a strong advocate for real change and together we will build a movement to transform this nation so that it works for all our people." The crowded Democratic primary for Senate, meanwhile, still appears to be wide open, with 42 percent of respondents still undecided. Former Air Force pilot MJ Hegar drew the most support with 11 percent. Next was state Sen. Royce West at 8 percent and longtime Austin labor organizer Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez at 7 percent. Texas is always a difficult state for candidates to introduce themselves to the voters due to its sheer size and multiple, large media markets, said Joshua Blank, the polls research director. But in a year in which the political oxygen has been sucked up by the Democratic Presidential Primary and impeachment, its clearly been a major challenge for those seeking to take on John Cornyn to break through with the Texas electorate. Cornyns campaign cheered the findings. Todays poll confirms that Texas Democrats dont know who their candidates are and dont care, said Krista Piferrer, a spokeswoman for the campaign. We will be ready for whichever Elizabeth Warren clone emerges from the runoff in May. Texans, meanwhile, are still split on impeachment. Forty-five percent say the Senate acquit the president, though 44 percent say Trump should be removed from office. Nine percent are undecided. Texans are mostly sour on the Trumps job performance, however: Fifty two percent disapprove, while 47 percent approve. And 36 percent of Texans think the president is doing a very poor job, while just 27 percent think he is doing a very good job. The 1,000-person telephone survey was conducted Jan. 10-19. It carries a margin of error of plus or minus 2.83 percentage points. ben.wermund@chron.com Both the Italian and Israeli governments announced Thursday that they are suspending all flights from China amid escalating fears of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan. Health Minister Yaakov Litzman said his country would not allow any flights from China, adding that all travelers coming back from China will be placed in isolation at home for two weeks, reported Haaretz. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte made a similar announcement on Thursday evening, saying all flights to and from China will be suspended, Bloomberg News reported. We shall not allow any flight in the near future from China to land in this country, not one, Litzman stated during a press conference. There have not yet been any confirmed cases of the viruswhich prompted quarantines and lockdowns in Wuhan and Hubei Provincein Israel, the health ministry said, adding that it was only a matter of time. Israeli carrier El Al suspended service along its Beijing route, but El Al flights to Hong Kong are still operational, according to Haaretz. Chinas Hainan Airlines announced it would suspend most international flights, including to Tel Aviv, Israel. It will continue operating flights from Jerusalems Ben-Gurion Airport and Shenzen, China. Litzman said in the Thursday news conference that the Israel-China flight ban would remain in effect until further notice and didnt offer a time-table, reported The Times of Israel. The World Health Organization (WHO), meanwhile, declared the coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency on Thursday. Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems, and which are ill-prepared to deal with it, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Thursday. I am declaring a public health emergency of international concern over the global outbreak, he remarked. WHO has described the kind of circumstances requiring the global health emergency declaration as an extraordinary event which 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. Cases of the virus outside of China have been confirmed by U.S. health authorities in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, Australia, Cambodia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, the United States, and Vietnam. India s health agency on Thursday announced the countrys first case. In the United States, health authorities announced the countrys first person-to-person transmission case, saying that a patient contracted the virus without having been to China. The patient, from Chicago, is the spouse of a woman who had recently traveled to Wuhan in mid-January. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said both patients were isolated and in stable condition. This person-to-person spread was between two very close contacts, a wife and husband, Ngozi Ezike, the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, told reporters on a phone call. The virus is not spreading widely across the community. Highlighting the growing concerns of the viruss spread, Italian officials ordered the hold of a cruise ship off its coast as health authorities attempted to determine whether a Chinese woman on board tested positive for coronavirus. Later on Thursday, Italys Health Ministry confirmed the woman had the H1N2 strain of influenza. As soon as the suspected case was detected, the medical team on board immediately activated all the relevant health procedures to promptly isolate and manage the case, Costa Cruises said in a statement. The local mayors office said that the ship, which had about 6,000 people on board, was placed on lockdown as health authorities investigated the case. Zachary Stieber contributed to this report. From The Epoch Times Bundling of competencies optimizes workflow of customer projects Further expansion of laboratory space to continue through 2020 Company continues to invest strongly in its future Vetter, a global operating Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) has brought together its development laboratories in one Ravensburg site end of last year. Designed to improve workflow and enhance customer benefits within the daily support in complex development projects, the services at the 1,800 sqm building include process development as well as functional and specification testing of packaging systems, chemical-analytical and biochemical analysis and particle characterization. State-of-the-art non-GMP laboratory space and equipment combined with a leading-edge GMP analytical laboratory now allow for increased capacity and optimized work spaces. At present, more than fifty employees work in the new labs. By bringing the laboratories under one roof, employees easily share expertise and know-how to improve and simplify information exchange, leverage synergies and reinforce an overall positive work atmosphere. Overall customer will benefit from the alignment. Prior to the bundling of its laboratories, the development studies and the corresponding analytical services for testing during process or packaging material development took place in several labs at different locations in Ravensburg and Langenargen. By sequencing these services, processes have been synchronized and handling issues reduced, all leading to numerous benefits primarily for customer projects, but also for projects undertaken within the company. "Our customers are excited and impressed with the new and modern development laboratories and their increased capacity. Now they can follow a complete development process and its individual steps, since it proceeds throughout the labs, all within the same building," said Dr. Claus Feussner, Senior Vice President Development Service. Expansion will continue within the building throughout the year and includes still more lab space and the provision of additional innovative analytical equipment and lyophilizer capacity. Vetter is also committed to further process optimization and capacity expansion in filling and secondary packaging of injectables at all its sites. This is based on increased global customer demand for the development and commercialization of promising new compounds. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005558/en/ Contacts: Vetter Pharma International GmbH Markus Kirchner Corporate Spokesperson Media Relations Eywiesenstrasse 5 88212 Ravensburg Germany Phone: +49 (0)751-3700-3729 E-mail: PRnews@vetter-pharma.com Two Vancouver schools sent stranger danger alerts to parents Wednesday after separate incidents in which a woman apparently tried to convince a student to get in her vehicle. A girl was waiting for her ride home Monday around 3:35 p.m. in the 8400 block of Northwest Ninth Avenue, across the street from Jason Lee Middle School, according to the message sent out to parents. A woman driving an early 1990s tan Toyota Camry with tinted windows told the girl her grandmother told her to pick her up (not true), the message says. The girl ran away and told an adult what happened. A similar incident involving a woman driving a white van happened Jan. 14. The message, sent to parents with kids at Jason Lee and nearby Eisenhower Elementary School, did not include additional details about that earlier incident. The woman driving the Camry was described as 50 years old with gray and white hair and a medium build. She was wearing a black hoodie, a wedding ring and dark-framed glasses with silver temples. Law enforcement was contacted and a police report was filed, the message says. The Columbian See Full Image Gallery >> The Nissan Ariya concept. YOKOHAMA, Japan Nissan is planning aggressive cost cuts to deal with an unexpected slump in sales as the expansionist strategy it inherited from fugitive former Chairman Carlos Ghosn flounders, four people familiar with the plans said. Japan's second biggest carmaker is set to eliminate at least 4,300 white-collar jobs and shut two manufacturing sites as part of broader plans to add at least 480 billion yen ($4.4 billion) to its bottom line by 2023, two of the people told Reuters. The moves come on top of a turnaround plan unveiled in July and are likely to include cutting Nissan's range of cars and the array of product options and trims in each line, slashing jobs mostly at head offices in the United States and Europe, and reducing advertising and marketing budgets, they said. "The situation is dire. It's do or die," a person close to Nissan's senior management and the company's board told Reuters. Most of the planned cuts and measures to enhance efficiency were presented to Nissan's board in November and received its general blessing, two sources said. A Nissan spokeswoman declined to comment on new restructuring measures or the view that weaker-than-expected sales were the catalyst for a global overhaul. Under Ghosn, Nissan embarked on a global expansion, boosting capacity to add new models, driving more decidedly into markets such as India, Russia, South Africa and southeast Asia and spending heavily on promotions and marketing to hit targets. Now, many of those models are missing sales goals, and executives at Nissan's Yokohama headquarters estimate up to 40% of its global manufacturing capacity is unused, or under-used. Some executives are worried Nissan, part of an alliance with Renault and Mitsubishi, could post another loss at its carmaking business in the last quarter of 2019 and possibly for all its operations in the fiscal year ending in March. Story continues One source said that would most likely hinge on whether Nissan books big restructuring expenses in its current financial year, or waits until the year ending in March 2021. Reuters spoke to nine people familiar with Nissan's plans. All declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the subject. Missed targets In July, Nissan said it would cut 12,500 jobs from 14 sites around the world, from the United Kingdom to Spain, Mexico, Japan, India and Indonesia and reduce its model range by 10%. At the time, Nissan officials told Reuters that meant shutting one production line at each plant. Now, Nissan is considering shutting two plants permanently, on top of the reductions at the 14 other sites, people close to Nissan's management and board with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. They didn't say which two new sites were at risk. People familiar with the plans said the axe was also likely to fall at Nissan's North American head office in Tennessee and its European headquarters in Geneva, as they were bloated with high-spending sales and marketing staff. One source with direct knowledge of the turnaround plan said Nissan's marketing teams globally gobble up nearly 1 trillion yen a year, or about 45% of Nissan's annual fixed costs of 2.1 trillion. Nissan had been saddled with the excess, "thanks to (Ghosn's) highly aggressive, expansionist volume goals, which we failed to achieve," the source said. A spokeswoman for Ghosn said he declined to comment for this story. Ghosn told a news conference in Beirut on Jan. 8 that Nissan's poor performance since 2017 was down to Hiroto Saikawa, who formally took over from him as Nissan CEO in April 2017. "He was CEO and he was responsible for it," Ghosn said. In addition to cuts in Nissan's fixed costs, managers are also considering plans to kill off unprofitable models, accelerate the pace of new product development and reduce the average age of its lineup to 2 years, down from 5 now. The new plans aim to add 480 billion yen to Nissan's bottom line by the end of March 2023, with 300 billion from cuts in fixed costs and 180 billion from an array of cars to be launched in the next three years, people familiar with the matter said. Nissan is aiming to achieve an operating margin of 6% on revenue of 14.5 trillion yen by March 2023, compared with 3.0% from 13.0 trillion forecast for the year ending in March 2020, according to plans announced in July. But since July, Nissan's operating performance has worsened by more than expected, making it likely its new management team will have to find savings significantly above the 480 billion yen currently envisaged to hit its targets, three sources said. 'Phase Two' To be sure, Nissan has plenty of cash in its coffers to cope with setbacks. According to quarterly results, it had 1.14 trillion yen in net cash at the end of September. Still, sources said Nissan was no longer adding freshly generated cash to its war chest, mainly because of its high fixed costs and the sales slide. Furthermore, it has expensive car launches in the next few years that could eat into reserves. "Even if we had one trillion yen in cash, that could be depleted in no time if we didn't pay attention," a person close to Nissan management told Reuters. Three of the people said the collapse in Nissan sales around the world was a major factor in forcing the company to consider restructuring above and beyond the measures outlined in July. They said Nissan's global sales would likely fall to 5 million vehicles, or slightly above, way short of its sales goal of 5.5 million for its current financial year. The worse-than-expected downturn, which has forced Nissan to spend more on promotions to cushion the fallout, has created additional urgency to take more drastic steps, sources said. Of particular concern is the U.S. market, where sales fell 10% in 2019, and the continued sluggishness of the Chinese market, which left Nissan's sales volumes down 1.1% from 2018. One especially troublesome issue for Nissan has been its sales efficiency. In 2018, it had 69 models and sold 5.2 million vehicles or 75,000 on average per model line and it was planning to expand its lineup to 73 by the end of 2022. Now, it is aiming to cut its range to 62 and boost average sales per line to 87,000, the equivalent of Toyota's average last year, according to calculations and forecasts by the team formulating Nissan's recovery plan. "We thought by now we would be selling 6 million cars a year. But the truth of the matter is our selling ability is about just north of 5 million," one source said. Open road? People familiar with Nissan's internal discussions said there was even some concern the new measures being considered, known as "Phase Two" cuts, might not be enough to achieve its three-year turnaround goals if sales don't recover fast enough. "Those Phase Two measures will most likely fall short," said one person familiar with restructuring plans, making a point echoed by several people close to the management team and board. To make matters worse, the restructuring efforts have been disrupted by the political turmoil following Ghosn's departure in 2018, his flight from Japan in December and subsequent accusations against former colleagues at Nissan. According to five sources, the upheaval rattled Nissan's top management team so much that it paralyzed their ability to execute many of the planned restructuring moves smoothly. The latest turmoil lasted from December to mid-January, when the board curbed the influence of "anti-alliance" forces sabotaging the plans, two sources said, declining to elaborate. Nissan's new CEO Makoto Uchida took the reins at the start of December with Ashwani Gupta, who has worked at Mitsubishi, Nissan and Renault, as chief operating officer. "Whoever the action was aimed at, the upshot is that Gupta is now completely freed from pressures from those anti-alliance forces to carry out all the planned turnaround measures," one of the people said. "He should do so without hesitation as the board has cleared the way." Related Video: Click here to See Video >> A bill that would have made it much easier for cities to approve high-density housing close to transit hubs and job centers failed again in the California Legislature Thursday. Senate Bill 50 by state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, fell short of passing a Senate floor vote with 18 senators voting yes and 15 voting no. The bill also failed by the same margin Wednesday, but senators voted to allow it back for another shot after Wiener asked for a reconsideration. "I think the takeaway from the defeat of SB 50 is that this is a really hard issue and the aggressive, bold action we need is going to be controversial," Wiener said during a news conference after the vote. "The reason why it was so controversial ... is because it's a bill that makes significant change," he said. "If it was a bill that didn't do very much, it probably wouldn't have drawn the excitement or opposition that it did." The bill would have essentially changed the zoning rules across the state to require local governments to allow developers to build taller buildings with more dwelling units if those buildings are within certain distances of "transit-rich" or "jobs-rich" areas. It would have also required that those projects either include affordable housing or contribute money to a local affordable housing fund. It was designed, in part, to outmaneuver local opposition to new housing by inserting state-mandated zoning rules into local jurisdictions, which in California have the final decision-making authority over land use. Much of the opposition to the bill came from city and county governments, which have a long history of fiercely beating back state efforts to curtail local control over housing and land-use policies. John Dunbar, mayor of Yountville in Napa County and president of the League of California Cities, said his organization agrees that the state needs more housing, but opposed SB 50. "Any solution will require a long-term commitment that matches the scale of a crisis that has been decades in the making," Dunbar said in a news release Thursday after the vote. Wiener, who had been pushing hard for the bill since 2018, called its defeat deeply disappointing but vowed to keep working on housing supply and affordability legislation. "We'll be introducing several housing bills, so stay tuned," Wiener said. "Fundamentally this is about addressing California's debilitating housing shortage," he said, noting that the state is roughly 3.5 million homes short of its need. 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. Dare to Dream: Finding Your Purpose and Fulfilling Your Destiny: a persuading handbook that will fill the readers hearts with hope and pushes them to fulfill their dreams. Dare to Dream: Finding Your Purpose and Fulfilling Your Destiny is the creation of published author Alice Brown. She is a writer and a businesswoman who lives in southeast Pennsylvania and enjoys taking long walks, enjoying nature, and spending time with friends. She is also a mother to twin sons and grandmother to two grandchildren. Brown writes, Dream seeds are the beginning of finding the things in our life that give us purpose and fulfillment. Excerpts from the book in your hand: One of the obstacles to dreaming and fulfilling our destiny is fear. Deep within every person, very deep down inside, is a spark of life crying out to fulfill something for which we were created. Without a life purpose as the compass to guide you, your goals and action plans may not ultimately fulfill you. I believe there is something inside of us that tells us we were made for greatness, and it creates in us a longing to know our purpose. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Alice Browns new book shares a fascinating read for everyone as the author urges them to fulfill their dreams in life, but at the same time, never lose hope no matter what happens along their way. This novel does not only help the readers achieve their dreams, but also teaches the readers to wait patiently and trust in Gods perfect timing. View a synopsis of Dare to Dream: Finding Your Purpose and Fulfilling Your Destiny on YouTube. Consumers can purchase Dare to Dream: Finding Your Purpose and Fulfilling Your Destiny at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about Dare to Dream: Finding Your Purpose and Fulfilling Your Destiny, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. Polygamist Kody Browns four wives, Meri, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn Brown, have often kept mum about physical affection and sex on TLCs Sister Wives. The fundamentalist Mormon family usually likes to keep their private lives, well, private. The four wives trade off nights with Kody and tend not to be romantic, snuggly, or sexual with their husband in front of the other three. But on the Jan. 26 episode of Sister Wives, A Not So Merry Christmas, Kodys second and third wives seemed to hint at a possible sex- and affection-related reason that Christine isnt in favor of living together as a family under one roof in their new hometown of Flagstaff. Meri, Janelle, Kody, Christine, and Robyn Brown | Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images Third wife Christine said she wanted to be more physically affectionate with Kody While Janelle, Robyn, and Meri all seemed somewhat open to the idea of sharing a home, third wife Christine was adamantly opposed to the plan. She said straightforwardly, Im not going to do it. The reason? In part, Christine wants to have physical affection with Kody without having to worry about other wives walking in. (During her explanation, TLC producers showed a clip of Kody walking by and smacking Christines butt affectionately in private.) I know that, for a lot of people, living under one roof makes the most sense because its one big family, so why wouldnt we want to live as one big family? the Sister Wives star told producers. And they have a point. But I cant tell you how good it feels to be in charge of my own domain. She explained further that she never felt she could be truly intimate with Kody physically on a regular basis in their shared home in Utah. Living all together kiboshes intimacy. It just does, she said. So I knew what kind of a wife I wanted to be when we all lived together. But I really couldnt be that wife because there were always other wives around. Christine got even more detailed about the restrictions she felt in her marriage, explaining to Sister Wives producers, We couldnt be physically affectionate with each other except for in our rooms, our bedrooms. Every wife deserves to be loved in her kitchen, and her living room, and wherever, outside. You could never really be an intimate couple, because there was always a chance that another wife could and would and did walk in at any time. Second wife Janelle was open to the idea of one big community and said Christines bedroom placement might affect her decision Kody lived in one large home with his four wives in their home in Lehi, Utah. Robyn, who joined the family last, said their communal living situation in Utah was actually one of the things that drew her to the Browns in the first place. But after Robyn joined the family and they went public on Sister Wives, the Browns moved to four homes in a Las Vegas cul-de-sac to avoid potential prosecution for polygamy in Utah. According to Kodys second wife Janelle, the familys past living situation, and what Christine might have heard from other wives and Kody, might have soured her against living in a shared home. When we lived in Lehi, Utah, Christine had somebody above her, the Sister Wives star explained. You know, there really is an axiom in plural families, you dont ever put one wife above another. You know, you hear the walking around, you hear the laughing and everything. And I think that thats just not healthy, its just not healthy. Theres no privacy. But Janelle said Kodys new blueprint for a shared home in Flagstaff might be able to solve that problem. This house has privacy and autonomy, she said. For me, its more about community. I love communityI love that idea a lot. Kodys first wife Meri refused to give a straight answer While Janelle and Robyn seemed open to the plan, and Christine was vehemently opposed, Meri didnt offer her opinion one way or another. This was strategic, Kodys first wife told TLC producers. In part because Meri is estranged from Kody and the rest of the family, she didnt want to rock the boat. I was kind of quiet, the Sister Wives star admitted. Im careful to say what I think until I find out what everybody else thinks. When TLC producers pushed Kodys first wife to share what she thought, she refused, saying she wanted to let her sister wives make the final decision. I think Id rather just let it go and kind of let them decide. If it goes in my favor, then that would be good, she said. I do have a strong opinion about this. But if its different than the other three, then my opinion really wont matter. Not that it doesnt matter, but, majority rules, kind of a thing. in the categories of Best Tasting, Best Presentation, Most Creative, and People's Choice at the Berkshire Hills Country Club from 5:30-8 p.m. In addition to samples of these sweet treats, attendees will receive an Italian dinner provided by Pittsfield Unico. At the end of the evening, all attendees will be eligible to bid on a dozen full-size cupcakes from each participating bakery! Tickets are available online and at Elm Street Hardware (129 Elm St. in Pittsfield). Tickets are $35 in advance or $40 at the door. NAMI members receive $5 off the price of admission. All proceeds support NAMI Berkshire County, which provides information, referrals, classes, workshops, support groups and advocacy to family members and caregivers of people living with mental illnesses throughout the Berkshires. Hillary Clinton and her aides have refused to be served with legal papers in a defamation dispute with Tulsi Gabbard, it has been claimed. Gabbard's lawyers say they were turned away by the Secret Service and later by Clinton's attorney when they tried to deliver the paperwork. The Democratic presidential hopeful is suing Clinton for $50million over an interview last year in which the 2016 nominee suggested that Gabbard was the 'favorite of the Russians'. Gabbard's attorney Brian Dunne told the New York Post that Clinton was 'so intimidated by Tulsi Gabbard that she won't accept service of process'. Democratic presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard (pictured on the debate stage in Atlanta last November) is suing Hillary Clinton for $50million Dunne, the attorney, said Gabbard's representatives had tried to deliver the papers in person at the Clinton residence in Chappaqua, New York. However, they were allegedly turned away by Secret Service agents who protect the home. Gabbard's camp says the agents directed them to Clinton's lawyer David Kendall, who said he could not accept the papers on her behalf. Dunne said Gabbard's team was now considering its next move. Gabbard filed the lawsuit in federal court in Manhattan last week, accusing Clinton of promoting 'extremely dubious conspiracy theories'. The lawsuit alleges that Clinton 'harmed her political and personal rival's reputation and ongoing presidential campaign'. The former Secretary of State is also accused of starting a 'damaging whisper campaign based on baseless, but vicious, untruths'. Gabbard's lawyers claim that Clinton holds a 'special hatred and animosity for Tulsi' for backing Bernie Sanders in the 2016 primary campaign. Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill last week described the lawsuit as 'ridiculous'. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (pictured in California earlier this month) suggested that Tulsi Gabbard was a 'favorite of the Russians' As a public figure, Gabbard must show that the defendant acted with actual malice to recover damages from Clinton. In addition, US courts have said in the past that 'rhetorical hyperbole' associated with politics is constitutionally protected speech. The row turns on a podcast last year in which Clinton suggested to former Obama aide David Plouffe that Gabbard was the 'favorite of the Russians'. 'She's the favorite of the Russians, they have a bunch of sites and bots and other ways of supporting her so far,' Clinton said. Clinton did not name Gabbard, but there have been no claims of Russian backing for any other female Democrat in the race. Her spokesman Merrill later indicated that Gabbard was the candidate she had in mind, saying: 'If the nesting doll fits'. Gabbard retorted by calling Clinton 'the queen of warmongers... and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party for so long.' The 38-year-old has long been regarded as an outlier in the Democratic party and raised eyebrows by visiting Syria's president Bashar al-Assad in 2017. She also questioned whether Assad was behind a chemical weapons attack which killed dozens in Syria the same year, as intelligence services believe. Gabbard also voted 'present' on the two articles of impeachment against Donald Trump, saying he was 'guilty of wrongdoing' but should not be removed from office. OPEC is considering moving up its March meeting as the effects of the deadly coronavirus continues to exert strong downward pressure on oil prices, signaling that the oil cartel may be more concerned about the effects on the oil market than it had originally let on, S&P Global Platts reported on Wednesday. "It is very likely to advance to February the OPEC meeting, initially scheduled for the beginning of March, so that we can find the means to ensure market balance," Algerias energy minister Mohamed Arkab said on Wednesday, according to state news agency APS. S&P Global Platts already reported that the OPEC secretariat was preparing a report on the coronavirus and its effects on the oil market, for OPEC members to consider. On Monday, the cartel was said to be discussing an extension of the current production cut agreement, and that all options were on the table. At the same time, however, both Saudi Arabia and the UAE tried to downplay what it referred to as a market over-reaction to the possibility that the virus could dent oil demand in the worlds largest oil importer, China. It is important that we do not exaggerate projections related to future decreases in oil demand due to events in China, and the market does not over-react based on psychological factors, driven by some traders in the market, the UAEs energy minister Suhail al-Mazrouei said on Monday. But the virus has progressed since then, and so too has the effects on demand. With the death toll reaching 132 and the number of infected reaching nearly 6,000, many flights have been cancelled to and from China, posing a tangible threat to jet fuel demand. The decision about moving the meeting up will be made in the coming days Arkab said. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Mr. Bourne said that when he choreographed Swan Lake, he hadnt set out to alter ideas about men in dance; but he was conscious of wanting to create something for a group of men that had beauty to it, that played a part of expressing a different kind of masculinity. Speaking from Washington, where he was rehearsing, he said he had been surprised by the strong reactions to the piece. Before Swan Lake, there were often gay elements in my work, or homoerotic relationships, and I never thought about it as a problem, he said. But its when you take something so iconic and change it; that image of the woman in a white tutu and point shoes is so imprinted, and here you had a man taking that place. Aside from its gender reversal, what was important about Swan Lake was that it returned the dramatic male dance performance to center stage, said Luke Jennings, a former dance critic for The Observer in Britain. Mr. Bournes work appeared at the point when male dancing was more and more riveted on technique and tricks, he said. But here, you needed the old-fashioned business of charisma, drama, acting, understanding, pacing and nuance. Mr. Bournes Swan Lake also helped to bring more men into dance by offering a true-to-life range of physical types and personalities to emulate, said the former Guardian dance critic Judith Mackrell. If you were funny or weedy or magnificent or strange, if you were a guy who werent sure how your body or personality fitted into the dance landscape, she said, here was something for you. Mr. Bourne said that his ballet, along with Billy Elliot which featured a short segment from the Bourne Swan Lake gave opportunities to male dancers and provided different types of role models, which dance on television does in a similar way now. Dublin, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells: Global Markets" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This study is focused on the market side of iPSCs rather than its technical side. It has been over 10 years since the discovery of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology. The market has gradually become an important part of the life sciences industry during recent years. Particularly for the past five years, the global market for iPSCs has experienced rapid growth. The report includes: An overview of the global market for induced pluripotent stem cells Analyses of global market trends with data from 2018 and 2019, and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2024 Information on induced pluripotent stem cell research products, including various assays and kits, culture media and medium components, such as serum, growth factors and inhibitors, antibodies, enzymes Complete understanding of the key technologies adopted for induced pluripotent stem cell research Discussion of important manufacturers, technologies, and factors influencing market demand, such as the driving forces and limiting factors of induced pluripotent stem cell market growth Profiles of major players in the industry, including Applied StemCell Inc., BlueRock Therapeutics, Corning Life Sciences, EMD Millipore, Lonza Group Ltd., Promega Corp. and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. The report has identified several key drivers for the rapidly growing market: iPSCs hold promising hope for therapeutic solutions for diseases without ethical issues. A series of technical breakthroughs were made in recent years for improving cellular reprogramming, differentiation and large-scale production of GMP- grade iPSCs derived cells toward clinical usability. Advances in genetics such as NGS technologies have promoted the progress on precision medicine, where the availability of iPSCs from a variety of genetic, lifestyle and environmental backgrounds will help make precision healthcare a clinical reality. iPSC banking together with related technologies is developing into a platform for precision and personalized medicine, which is experiencing rapid growth globally. In recent years, several iPSCs clinical trials have been or are going to be launched for a variety of diseases. The first human iPSC clinical trial started in August 2014, and the recent report of the first macular degeneration patient treated with the sheets of retinal pigmented epithelial cells made from iPSCs was encouraging. The progress toward clinical practice will drive the growth of the clinical market and the research market as well. The pharmaceutical industry needs better cell sources such as iPSC-derived functional cells for drug toxicity testing and drug screening. The U.S. government has been encouraging the marketing of stem cells, including iPSCs. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been authorized to provide orphan drug designations for many of the therapies developed for rare diseases such as Parkinson's and Huntington's using stem cells. The provisions of grants from organizations, such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) have been encouraging for the research institutes to venture into iPSC research. Rapidly growing medical tourism and contract research outsourcing drive the Asia-Pacific stem cell market. Cellular reprogramming, including iPSC technology, was awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize. New biotechnologies such as CRISPR/Cas genome editing technology are advancing iPSCs into more and better uses. For example, the hypoimmunogenic derivatives of engineered iPSCs have shown lost immunogenicity which would become a potential novel therapy to treat various diseases. Key Topics Covered Chapter 1 Introduction Study Goals and Objectives Reasons for Doing This Study Intended Audience Scope of Report Methodology Information Sources Geographic Breakdown Chapter 2 Summary and Highlights Key Drivers for Market Growth Chapter 3 Overview Introduction History and Current State Evolution of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Research Advantages and Disadvantages of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Advantages Disadvantages Technology Overview Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Generation Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Differentiation Current Challenges to iPSC Applications Chapter 4 Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Applications Academic Research Pharmaco-Toxicological Screening Drug Discovery and Development Disease Modeling Tissue Engineering Cell Therapy Chapter 5 Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Market Segmentation and Forecast Market Overview Application-Based Market Overview U.S. Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Product Market Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Tissue Cell Market Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell and Derivative Cell Market Major Suppliers and Manufacturers of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Products Market for Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cells by Application Market for Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell by Product Function Global Market Regional Markets Research Market Compared with the Clinical Market Application-Based Markets for Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cells Market for Human Cardiomyocytes Derived from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Market for Human Hepatocytes Derived from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Market for Human Endothelia Cells Derived from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Regional Markets Market for Human Neural Cells Derived from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Regional Markets Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and Their Derived Cells Market by Species Global Market Regional Markets Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Culture Markets Chapter 6 Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Research Application Market Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Research Product Types Major Players Major Commercial Entities Major Non-Commercial Organizations Market Shares and Projections Chapter 7 Drug Discovery and Development Market Product Types Major Players Market Shares and Projections Chapter 8 Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Contract Service Market Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Contract Service Types Major Players Market Shares and Projections Chapter 9 Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Clinical Application Market Product Types Regulations Market Projection Chapter 10 Research Market Trend Analysis Grant Analysis Patent Analysis Scientific Publication Analysis Driving Forces Chapter 11 Clinical Application Market Trend Analysis Clinical Trials Age-Related Macular Degeneration Ischemic Heart Disease Parkinson's Disease Graft-versus-Host Disease (GvHD) Spine Cord Injuries Cornea Repair Cancers Driving Forces Limiting Factors Technologies Regulations Market Acceptance Clinical Efficiency Chapter 12 Company Profiles ABM (Applied Biological Materials Inc.) Addgene Allele Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals Inc. Alstem LLC Applied Stemcell Inc. ATCC Axol Bioscience Bio-Techne Bluerock Therapeutics Bristol-Myers Squibb (Ipierian) Cell Signaling Technology Cellular Dynamics International, A Fujifilm Company Corning Life Sciences Creative Bioarray EMD Millipore Fate Therapeutics Genecopoeia Gentarget Inc. ID Pharma Co. Ltd. Invivogen Lonza Group Ltd. Megakaryon Corp. Mti-Globalstem, A Part Of Thermo Fisher Scientific Ncardia Newcells Biotech Opsis Therapeutics Orig3N Inc. Peprotech Plasticell Ltd. Primorigen Biosciences Promega Corp. Promocell Gmbh Qiagen N.V. Reprocell Inc. Roslin Cell Sciences Sciencell Research Laboratories Sigma-Aldrich, A Part Of Milliporesigma Stemcell Technologies Stemgent Inc., A Reprocell Group Co. System Biosciences Inc. Takara Bio Usa Inc. (Clontech Laboratories) Thermo Fisher Scientific Viacyte Inc. Waisman Biomanufacturing Chapter 13 Conclusions For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/tvap34 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Britain is finally set to leave the European Union but its dealings with the bloc are far from over. The last three years have almost entirely been about hammering out the terms of the UK's divorce from Brussels. Now the two sides must try to agree all of the details of their future relationship before a standstill transition period ends in December. The EU is adamant that 11 months is not enough time to get the job done, but Boris Johnson is refusing to agree to an extension, setting up a fresh Brexit 'cliff-edge' at the end of the year. Here is a breakdown of all the key dates in the next chapter of the Brexit saga. Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, pictured in Downing Street on January 8, will spend 2020 trying to hammer out a post-Brexit trade deal between Britain and Brussels Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator pictured in Strasbourg on January 14, will lead talks for the EU Today: The UK formally leaves the European Union at 11pm after more than three years of tortuous wrangling. The two sides enter into a standstill transition period during which they will try to agree the terms of their post-Brexit relationship. EU rules will continue to apply to the UK for the duration of the transition. The Department for Exiting the European Union ceases to exist. February 2020: The UK will be free to pursue trade deals with whoever it wants. Japan and the US are expected to be Britain's top targets with initial talks likely to start immediately after Brexit. The UK will also want to kickstart talks with the EU - but the bloc will make Britain wait. End of February/early March 2020: Before trade talks can start between the UK and the EU, the bloc must agree a negotiating mandate. This mandate will set out the broad terms of what the EU will be striving for during negotiations and will also spell out Brussels' red lines. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has suggested the mandate may not be finalised until the end of February or early March. March 2020: Formal trade talks between the UK and the EU are expected to begin. A group of 40 officials called 'Taskforce Europe' and based out of the Cabinet Office will lead negotiations for the UK. The taskforce will be headed up by David Frost, a diplomat and one-time business lobbyist who was appointed Mr Johnson's Europe adviser last year. Mr Frost is expected to negotiate directly with the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier. April/May 2020: Trade talks between the UK and EU - as well as talks with other nations - will intensify. If major progress has not been made with Brussels then there is likely to be increasing pressure on Mr Johnson to agree to extend the transition period. The terms of Britain's divorce from the bloc state that the standstill will finish on December 31 and the PM has been adamant he will not agree to an extension. But the Withdrawal Agreement does include a pressure valve mechanism which states that the transition can be prolonged by one or two years if both sides agree. The EU has already said it does not believe the transition period is long enough to finalise a comprehensive agreement so if talks stall in the first half of the year then Brussels could step up demands for a delay. June/July 2020: The Withdrawal Agreement states that a decision to extend the transition period must be agreed by both sides before July 1, 2020 if it is to go ahead. The PM is expected to stick to his guns and refuse to agree to a delay, setting the stage for transition to end in December, with or without a full deal in place. July to November 2020: Assuming no transition extension has been agreed, the second half of the year will be fraught with activity as the UK and EU rush to get everything decided. The UK will also be hoping that by this time agreements with Japan and the US will be taking shape, putting pressure on Brussels to work quickly. Brexit plagued Theresa May's time as prime minister as she failed to persuade MPs to support her EU divorce deal. She is pictured at a summit in Brussels in March last year September/October 2020: Downing Street is thought to want to have a trade deal with Japan in the books by the autumn to show the EU and the rest of the world it means business. It would be the UK's first post-Brexit trade deal. November 3, 2020: The date of the US presidential election. The White House has said it wants a trade agreement with the UK in place before the end of the year and will not want talks to clash with Donald Trump's bid for re-election. That means a US-UK trade deal could be done and dusted before November. December 2020: The UK and EU will either be on course to end the transition period with a full agreement in place or just a partial agreement. EU bosses have suggested that a lack of time will mean having to prioritise certain issues during talks, potentially leaving others to be resolved at a later date. The UK believes it is possible to get everything done. If no extension has been agreed then the two sides will be going their separate ways regardless. December 31, 2020: The point at which the Brexit transition period will come to an end and when EU rules and regulations will cease to apply to the UK. January 1, 2021: EU freedom of movement will be brought to an end and the UK's new post-Brexit immigration system will be rolled out. The Australian-style points-based system is expected to treat migrants from across the world the same, ending preferential treatment for those from Europe. President of Liberty University, Jerry Falwell Jr. at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 21, 2016. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Conservative Virginia Counties Float Seceding to West Virginia A long-shot proposal for Virginia counties to secede and become part of neighboring West Virginia gained momentum after conservative leader and Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. endorsed it this week. The proposal by grassroots conservative activists, dubbed Vexit, calls for redrawing the border of Virginia, whose legislature recently flipped to Democrats, allowing some of the Old Dominions westernmost and most conservative localities to join West Virginia. The plan, which has been openly mocked by Democratic lawmakers in Virginia, surfaced as conservatives became dismayed by a raft of left-wing policy proposals. In particular, they are alarmed that stronger gun control rules, including a ban on so-called assault weapons, have gained traction in Virginias General Assembly. Opposition to the proposals is strong at the local level. More than 100 Virginia communities have recently adopted measures declaring support for the Second Amendment or promising noncompliance with gun-control measures they say violate the U.S. Constitution. West Virginia, formed in 1863, is the only state to have been carved from a Confederate state during the Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln ignored dissent in his own cabinet while Congress approved legislation creating the new state. After the war, Virginia challenged its territorial loss in the Supreme Court but lost, according to a report by WSET. The legislatures of both statesand maybe the U.S. Congress as wellwould have to consent to newly proposed boundary changes for them to take effect. On Jan. 13, the West Virginia Senate adopted a resolution reminding residents of Frederick County, Virginia, that the county has a standing invitation from 1862 to join West Virginia. Gun-rights activists in Virginia are taking the invitation seriously, saying Americans civil rights are in jeopardy in Virginia. Pending bills there would shutter shooting ranges. One proposal from Democrat Dan Helmer of Virginias House of Delegates would prohibit indoor shooting ranges at offices housing more than 50 employees, which apparently would include a popular shooting range at the Fairfax headquarters of the National Rifle Association. In response to Virginias changing gun policies, West Virginia state Sen. Randy Smith, a Republican, sent a letter to the NRA on Jan. 20 as Second Amendment supporters held a massive rally with tens of thousands of people at the Virginia state Capitol, inviting the organization to relocate its headquarters to West Virginia from Virginia. Meanwhile, on Jan. 27, Falwell and West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, a Democrat who became a Republican in 2017, held a press conference at a community college in the Mountain State to express support for the Vexit plan. Whats happening in Virginia right now is a tragedy in the making, Falwell said, according to a copy of his remarks obtained by The Epoch Times. Democrat leaders in Richmond, through their elitism and radicalism, have left a nearly unrecognizable state in their wake and they are using their power to strip away the God-given rights held by every person in the state, despite their due protections under the U.S. Constitution. The Democrats are anti-life, anti-Second Amendment, anti-liberty, and even anti-business with their oppressive environmental regulations, he said. The palpable yearning in Virginia for a pathway to greater freedom with our family in West Virginia grows greater by the day. Petitions are already circulating and one group has dubbed the movement VEXIT! Justice appeared on Fox News Channel on Jan. 29 to promote Vexit, encouraging Virginians angry about advancing gun-control bills to relocate to West Virginia. I dont really want to meddle nor will I meddle with whats going on in Virginia, but if youre unhappy with where youre at, and West Virginia is going like West Virginia is going, we want you to come, Justice said. He added that his state stands with President Donald Trump, who has campaigned on protecting Second Amendment rights. Vexit received mixed reactions from Virginia residents contacted by The Epoch Times. A Republican strategist who didnt wish to be named said the proposal would help Virginians who leave for West Virginia, but would have the effect of weakening the Republican Party in Virginia by making the state even more Democratic. Activist Kat Vanatt said the idea may be constitutional but I think its probably very impractical. Vanatts nonprofit group, United in Strength for America, with the American Policy Center held a pro-Second Amendment conference near Richmond the weekend before the Jan. 20 rally. Its a tempting proposal. It would be very nice to have a conservative-values state, she said. Maria Simpson, a longtime Democratic operative, dismissed the proposal. The conservative reaction to the changing demographics of Virginia is literally to break up the Commonwealth, instead of addressing the real challenges and demands of our core constituencies, Simpson said. Falwells and Governor Justices support makes no sense as this idea is literally the opposite of governing the citizens who elected these representatives. As Virginians, Jerry Falwell Jr. and Liberty University could begin this process themselves of seceding to West Virginia or any other state that will accept them. Strigolactones (SLs) are a class of chemical compounds found in plants that have received attention due to their roles as plant hormones and rhizosphere signaling molecules. They play an importantrole in regulating plant architecture, as well as promoting germination of root parasitic weeds (*1) that have great detrimental effects on plant growth and production. This study was conducted as part of the SATREPS(*2)(Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development) program by Dr. Wakabayashi, Prof. Sugimoto and their colleagues at the Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Tokyo and Tokushima University. They discovered the orobanchol synthase responsible for converting the SL carlactonoic acid, which promotes symbiotic relationships with fungi, into the SL orobanchol, which causes root parasitic weeds to germinate. By knocking out(*3)the orobanchol synthase gene using genome editing, they succeeded in artificially regulating SL production. This discovery will lead to greater understanding of the functions of each SL and enable the practical application of SLs in the improvement of plant production. The results of this study were published in the International Scientific Journal Science Advances on December 18, 2019. Main points >Strigolactones are known to have various functions such as the development of plant architecture, promoting mutually beneficial mycorrhizal relationships with fungi and serving as germination signals for root parasitic weeds. >Strigolactones are classified into canonical and non-canonical SLs based on their chemical structures. Canonical SLs have an ABC ring, whereas non-canonical SLs have an unclosed BC ring. >This study discovered the synthase gene responsible for converting the non-canonical SL carlactonoic acid into the canonical SL orobanchol. >The group succeeded in generating tomato plants with the synthase gene knocked out in which carlactonoic acid (CLA) accumulated and orobanchol production was prevented. The germination rate of root parasitic weeds was lower for these knock out plants. Research Background Strigolactones (SL) are a class of chemical compounds that were initially characterized as germination stimulants for root parasitic weeds. SLs have also received attention for their other functions. They play an important role in controlling tiller bud outgrowth and also in promoting mycorrhizal symbiosis in many land plants, whereby plants and fungi mutually exchange nutrients. Up until now, around 20 SLs have been isolated; with differences in stereochemistry in the C ring and modifications in the A and/or B rings. In recent years, SLs with unclosed BC rings have been discovered. Currently, SLs with a closed ABC ring are designated as canonical SLs, whereas SLs with an unclosed BC ring are non-canonical SLs. However, it is not clear which compounds function as hormones and which compounds function as rhizosphere signals. If SL production could be suppressed, plants would induce the germination of fewer root parasitic weeds and their adverse effects on crop production would be mitigated. By increasing SL production, on the other hand, plant nutrition would be improved through the promotion of relationships with mycorrhizal fungi. Furthermore, manipulation of the endogenous levels of SL would control plant architecture above ground. Understanding the functions of individual SLs would lead to the development of technology to artificially control plant architecture and the rhizosphere environment. Consequently, there is much interest in how these SLs are biosynthesized. It has been elucidated that SLs are biosynthesized from-carotene. Four enzymes are involved in conversion of-caroteneto carlactonoic acid (CLA), a common intermediate of SL biosynthesis. In Japonica rice, conversion of CLA into orobanchol proceeds with two enzymes catalyzing two distinct steps. However, the biosynthesis pathway for orobanchol in other plants remained unknown. This study discovered the novel orobanchol synthase, which converts CLA into orobanchol in cowpea and tomato plants (Figure 1). Research Methodology This research group had isolated orobanchol from cowpea root exudates and determined the structure. From metabolic experiments using cowpea, it was predicted that cytochrome P450(*4)would be involved in the conversion of CLA into orobanchol. In this study, cowpea plants were grown in phosphate rich and poor conditions, where orobanchol production was restricted and promoted, respectively. The genes expressed in the roots of plants in both conditions were comprehensively compared. The group screened for CYP genes whose expression correlated with orobanchol production, expressed them as recombinant proteins, and performed an enzyme reaction assay. From these results, it was understood that the VuCYP722C enzyme catalyzed the conversion of CLA to orobanchol. Furthermore, the SlCYP722C gene, a homolog (*5) of VuCYP722C in tomato was confirmed to be an orobanchol synthase gene. The SlCYP722C gene was knocked out (KO) in tomato plants using genome editing. In contrast to the wild type (control) tomato plants, orobanchol was not detected in root exudates of the KO plants, with CLA being detected instead. Thus, the research group proved that SlCYP722C is the orobanchol synthase in tomato that converts the non-canonical SL CLA into the canonical SL orobanchol. The architecture of the KO and wild-type plants was comparable (Photo 1). This demonstrated that orobanchol doesn't control plant architecture in tomato plants. It is thought that these KO tomato plants would still be able to benefit from mycorrhizal fungi, as the activity of CLA against the hyphal branching of the fungi was comparable with that of canonical SLs. Furthermore, it was found that the germination rate of the root parasitic weed Phelipanche aegyptiaca was significantly lower in the hydroponic media of the KO tomato plants (Figure 2). P. aegyptiaca causes great damage to tomato production all over the world, especially around the Mediterranean region. This research showed that it is possible to limit the damage that this parasitic weed does to tomato production by knocking out the orobanchol synthase gene. Further Research This research group succeeded in preventing the synthesis of the major canonical SL orobanchol and accumulating the non-canonical SL carlactonoic acid. The same method can be utilized to elucidate the genes responsible for the biosynthesis of other canonical SLs. Further understanding of the functions of various SLs would allow plants to be manipulated in order to maximize their performance under adverse cultural conditions. Root parasitic weeds detrimentally affect not only tomato but a wide range of other crops including species of Solanaceae, Leguminoceae, Cucurbitaceae and Poaceae. These results will lead to the development of research to alleviate the damage inflicted by root parasitic weeds and increase food production worldwide. ### Glossary 1. Root parasitic weeds These are weeds that connect with other plants underground and feed off them. Root parasitic weeds can cause great damage to food crops. For example, Orobanche spp. parasitize a wide range of crops including species of Solanaceae, Leguminoceae, Curcurbitaceae and Umbelliferae. The root parasitic weed Striga spp. have a particularly detrimental effect on grain crops, reducing their yield. The establishment of effective countermeasures is an urgent research topic because the damage inflicted by root parasitic weeds to crops is serious across the globe. 2. SATREPS SATREPS is a Japanese government program that promotes international joint research, co-sponsored by JST (Japan Science and Technology agency) and JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency). It aims to find solutions for global issues by promoting 3-5 year research collaborations between researchers from Japan and developing countries. JST provides funding for research within Japan and outside the partnership country. If funding is necessary for the partnership country, JICA provides ODA within the framework of technical cooperation projects. The two organizations work together utilizing their respective strengths; JST's expertise in funding domestic research projects and JICA's expertise in technical cooperation in developing countries. 3. Genome editing and gene knock out Genome editing is a type of genetic engineering which involves making specific modifications to the DNA of a living organism. The DNA is cut at a specific sequence by an engineered nuclease. This cut is repaired through non-homologous end-joining by the cell, resulting in a change to the targeted sequence. This allows small additions or deletions to be made to the DNA and for the function of a specific gene to be removed (knock out). 4. Cytochrome P450 Part of the hemoprotein family. It is called "P450" because the maximum wavelength of the enzymes' absorption is 450 nm when in its reduced state and complexed with carbon monoxide. The existence of cytochrome P450 has been confirmed in a variety of organisms. These hemoproteins are involved in the synthesis of hormones and secondary metabolites, and drug metabolism. 5. Homolog A gene that resembles another gene due to shared ancestry. Acknowledgements This research was supported by the JST/JICA SATREPS program (JPMJSA1607) 'Improvement of Food Security in Semi-arid Regions of Sudan through Management of Root Parasitic Weeds (Striga)'(Principal Investigator: Professor SUGIMOTO Yukihiro), and the JSPS KAKENHI (19H02897) for the 'Elucidation of strigolactone BC ring formation mechanism aiming at elucidation of the active ingredient as branching inhibitory hormone' (PI: Professor SUGIMOTO Yukihiro) among others. Japan's Emperor Akihito waves to well-wishers during a public appearance for New Year celebrations at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan, January 2, 2019. Reuters-Yonhap Japan's former emperor Akihito, who stepped down last year, has recovered after a brief loss of consciousness on Wednesday, a palace spokesman said. The popular Akihito stepped down from the Chrysanthemum Throne in April, following three decades as emperor, an event marking Japan's first abdication in roughly 200 years, and his son, Naruhito, became emperor. Akihito, 86, was examined by a neurologist and had a head MRI scan on Thursday morning. "But there were no abnormalities detected, especially nothing suggesting anything like a stroke," a spokesman of the Imperial Household Agency said, adding that Akihito's condition will continue to be monitored. Akihito had an episode of nausea and dizziness in July 2018 attributed to a condition caused by insufficient blood flow to the brain, but had not lost consciousness then, added the official of the agency managing the imperial family's affairs. Akihito, who now holds the formal title of emperor emeritus, had breakfast as normal on Thursday, Kyodo news agency said. He has had heart surgery and has been treated for prostate cancer. His 85-year-old wife, Empress Emerita Michiko, had surgery for early stage breast cancer in September and the palace said in December she had been unwell and lost weight since. Akihito, the first monarch under a post-war constitution that defines the emperor as a symbol of the people without political power, said in 2016 that he feared his age would make it hard for him to carry out his duties. Concern over his health was a top trending topic on Japanese Twitter. "At his age, this kind of thing is worrisome," one user wrote on Thursday. "I guess all his hard work up to now is having an impact. Please make sure you take a good rest." (Reuters) When youre assigned to a piece of geography, you not only have ownership in the results that you achieve because that is now the turf that youre responsible for, but youre also much more likely to engender trust if you work with the same community and begin to understand that community in a much better way," he told the Tribune. Part of community policing is being responsive to the community in the way that you police, and our most responsive people are the ones that are tied to that geography. And I want that to be part of what our detectives feel too. There are, so far, no confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Central Asia. But like governments around the world, especially those bordering China and those with significant economic and travel ties to the country, Central Asias capitals have taken various precautionary measures, The Diplomat writes in the article Wuhan Coronavirus: What About Central Asia? As of January 28, there have been 4,673 confirmed cases of the virus around the world. The vast majority, 4,473, and the only deaths, 107, have occurred in China. According to a live map created by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, which visualizes reports about the outbreak using data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization, Chinas CDC, and other sources, there have also been confirmed cases in Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, Singapore, Japan, Australia, the United States, Malaysia, South Korea, France, Vietnam, Cambodia, Canada, Germany, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. On Tuesday, Kazakhstan announced restrictions on Chinese citizens obtaining visas. Kazakhstans deputy foreign minister, Shukhrat Nuryshev, told reporters that the state would stop issuing electronic visas to Chinese citizens on arrival and would require medical certificates for those looking to get visas. Nuryshev also said there were no plans to close the border with China completely, but other reports stated that the Kazakh side of the Khorgos free trade zone will be shut down until at least February 15. Almaty regions six border checkpoints have been equipped with thermal scanners to screen those crossing. Nuryshev said Nur-Sultan had requested that Beijing allow 98 Kazakh students in Wuhan to leave. Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, has been on lockdown since January 23. Various other countries have made plans to evacuate their citizens; its not clear what Kazakhstans plan would be. Health Minister Yelzhan Birtanov told reporters that of the Kazakh citizens who have returned from China since the outbreak, four have been hospitalized with suspected infections but no cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed yet. Kyrgyzstan, which also shares a border with China, has taken measures to screen people returning from China and the Health Ministry set up a hotline for citizens to get more information. The Foreign Ministry recommended that Kyrgyz not travel to China and provided a bevy of phone numbers, for hotlines and consuls in China, should Kyrgyz run into trouble. According to official figures, there are 14 Kyrgyz students in Wuhan, and 4,600 elsewhere in China. On Tuesday, RFE/RL reported that six Kyrgyz students attending Xinjiang University in Urumqi arrived in Bishkek and are being kept in quarantine. The Kyrgyz-Chinese border, according to reports in 24.kg, has been temporarily closed from January 24 to January 30. The closing, however, isnt related to the coronavirus, but is instead an annual closure, at Beijings behest, during the Chinese New Year. (For example, here is a report on the 2018 closure). Tajikistan, the only other Central Asian state sharing a border with China, refuted rumors that the virus had spread to the country. Uzbekistan has introduced screening measures, especially for flights from China. There are more than 30 Uzbek students in Wuhan, according to a Kun.uz report; Uzbek officials have said they are working on bringing the students back. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the symptoms of the virus are mild to severe respiratory illness with fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. Its not clear exactly how contagious the virus is, though person-to-person transmission has been confirmed in China. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 09:37:19|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close MOGADISHU, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Somali and U.S. forces destroyed an al-Shabab camp in an airstrike Wednesday in the militants' stronghold in the southern region. No civilians has been killed or wounded in the attack after the allied forces stepped up military operations in and around al-Shabab-controlled town of Jilib, said Somali government spokesman Ismael Mukhtar Omar. "One al-Shabab occupied compound was destroyed in the strike. This inability to control their own territory highlights the weakness of al-Shabaab's grip on power," Ismael said in a statement issued here. He said this week Somali forces and international partners have carried out a number of successful military operations in and around Jilib. "Only a few years ago al-Shabab dominated most of southern Somalia, but now they have been forced to retreat under pressure from Somali, African Union, and American military forces," said Ismael. He said the latest strike further highlights the determination of the Somali government to bring to justice the al-Shabab terrorists who have exploited Somalis in their campaign of violence and fear. Somalia and partner forces have intensified military operations into territory formerly controlled by al-Shabab after driving the insurgents out of Mogadishu in 2011. Since 2017, the African Union, Somali and U.S. forces have stepped up air and ground military raids against al-Shabab, which is trying to overthrow the internationally-backed Somali government. Al-Shabab still controls some parts of rural southern and central Somalia and continues to carry out high-profile attacks in Mogadishu and elsewhere. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Kharishar Kahfi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 30, 2020 14:57 713 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2061bdf87 1 National human-rights,student-protest,Amnesty-International,law-enforcers Free The year 2019 saw the rise of a new generation of resistance movements in Asia, including in Indonesia, where protests were staged amid the governments failure to protect human rights and crackdown on freedom of expression, according to Amnesty International's latest report. The human rights watchdog, in its report Human Rights in Asia-Pacific: Review of 2019 released on Wednesday, said that setbacks to freedom and human rights occurred in Indonesia and followed a trend emerging across the continent. The report was based on Amnestys observations in 25 Asian countries. 2019 was the year of repression and resistance in Asia. When governments across the region attempted to revoke basic freedoms, residents have actually fought back with the young standing on the front line, Amnesty International East Asia and Pacific regional director Nicholas Beguelin said in a statement made available to The Jakarta Post. He added that young people led protests on the streets as well as in the online sphere, such as in the prodemocracy protests in Hong Kong and protests in India against a new citizenship law that many believe marginalizes Muslims in the world's largest democracy. Amnesty International Indonesia director Usman Hamid echoed Beguelin's statement, saying that similar things had also happened in Indonesia. Students have taken to the streets to march against a revision to the Corruption Eradication Commission [KPK] Law that weakens the countrys graft fight and discriminatory actions against Papuans, he said in the joint statement. Read also: Students lead the way, again Usman referred to a series of rallies where thousands of university students staged protests against controversial bills in front of the House of Representatives from late September to early October last year. Protesters used the hashtag #Reformasidikorupsi (Reform corrupted), which became the tagline for nationwide rallies in the country. A series of protests also broke out in many cities across Papua in August and September last year following the use of racist slurs and discriminatory attacks against Papuan students, who claimed that they were discriminated against by the majority of Indonesians. Students protest against planned revisions of the Criminal Code and Corruption Eradication Commission laws in front of the House of Representatives in Senayan, Jakarta, on Sept. 24, marking the biggest student movement since 1998. JP/Anggie Angela (JP/Anggie Angela) Amnesty also highlighted that Indonesian authorities had failed to defend human rights defenders and were responsible for restricting freedom of expression. According to the watchdog, there were at least 203 criminal charges against those found to have criticized state officials, their spouses or state institutions either through social media or during protests between October 2014 and March 2019. The watchdog also highlighted the use of the Criminal Code, particularly provisions on treason, to charge Papuans who protested and demanded a referendum. Law enforcers were also allegedly responsible for violating human rights with little to no punishment against those violators. They had used excessive force in handling the protests and during other operations to maintain security and order in some regions, Usman said. Read also: Activists say protest supporting Papua not act of treason Amnesty said some protesters in Jakarta died during the postelection riots from May 21 to 23, 2019, from gunshot wounds that allegedly came from security personnel. Law enforcers also arrested dozens of protesters including minors during the #Reformasidikorupsi rallies, which took place from Sept. 23 to 30, 2019. Two students participating in a protest on Sept. 26 in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, died allegedly due to gunshot wounds. The police also arrested individuals for rallying calls for the liberation of Papua. Amnesty also found that at least 5,000 residents in Papua were displaced from their homes due to escalating conflicts across Indonesia's easternmost island. Usman urged authorities to release those detained in Papuan clashes. This should be followed up by an independent investigation on the defendants as well as other efforts to solve long overdue cases of human rights violations, he said. Family and supporters will gather over the next two weekends to continue searching for 5-year-old Dulce Maria Alavez, who was reported missing more than four months ago. Dulce was visiting Bridgeton City Park on a family outing Sept. 16 when she disappeared without a trace. Bridgeton Police, the Cumberland County Prosecutors Office and the FBI are working to locate the girl. A reward currently stands at $75,000. Jackie Rodriguez, who has acted as a spokeswoman for Dulces family, is organizing searches the next two Sundays, Feb. 2 and 9, and she hopes volunteers will step up to help. Searchers will meet at Buckshutem Road School, which Dulce attended as a kindergartner, at 10:30 a.m. both days and search a wooded area behind the school property. The idea to search that spot came from information provided by a psychic, Rodriguez said. There was a video released by a psychic and for some reason everyone is just wanting to check that location, she said. A lot of people have reached out to me to go out this weekend. Im surprised that after four months Ive gotten so many calls and emails from people wanting to set something up. We can use any kind of help right about now. Police are not involved in the upcoming searches, but Bridgeton Police Chief Mike Gaimari said they had previously checked the area in question and vetted staffers at Dulces school. While Dulces family members will take part, her mother wont be there for safety reasons. Noema Alavez Perez is pregnant with her third child. Shes due any day now, Rodriguez said. I know its pretty soon. While Alavez Perez awaits that joyous occasion, shes also struggling with the ongoing search for answers in Dulces disappearance. Shes been very sad, I guess because shes going to have this new baby girl and shes thinking about Dulce, Rodriguez said. She told me that Dulce was excited to meet her sibling. Alavez Perez didnt know she was having a girl at the time Dulce vanished. Dulce would have been very excited to know shes having a little sister, the mom told Rodriguez. Investigators say the search for Dulce remains a top priority. Police issued an Amber Alert for a man reportedly seen ushering the girl into a van at the park on the day she disappeared, but authorities later said they just wanted to speak with the person described in the notice. In October, police released a sketch of a man seen at the park with young children around the time Dulce disappeared. Authorities did not describe him as a suspect, but someone they wished to interview. The case has received national attention, including an appearance by Dulces mother on the Dr. Phil TV program, and the childs photo has been displayed on fliers and billboards across the region. Anyone with information about Dulce is asked to call the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit at 609-882-2000, ext. 2554, or the Bridgeton police at 856-451-0033. Tips may also be phoned in to 1-800-CALL-FBI and select option 4, then select option 8. Anonymous tips may be sent by text to TIP411 with Bridgeton in the message line. For more information about the upcoming community searches, email Rodriguez at Jackierodriguez421@gmail.com. Participants are asked to bring shovels and rakes. Noema Alavez Perez, right, with her mother, Norma Perez Alavez, left. Noema's daughter, 5-year-old Dulce Maria Alavez, has been missing since September 16, 2019.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. 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 California sex offender has been charged with murdering and torturing five of his children when they were less than six months old over 30 years ago. Paul Allen Perez, 57, who is also facing charges of assault on a child under eight, was first arrested in connection with a 2007 cold case of the death of one of his children. The body of three-month-old Nikki Lee Perez was found by a fisherman on March 29, 2007, in a sealed and weighted container in a waterway near the city of Woodland. Paul Allen Perez, 57, who is also facing charges of assault on a child under eight, pleaded not guilty to the murders of his five children who were all less than six months old at the time of their deaths Yolo County Sheriff, Tom Lopez, told CNN: 'In my 40 years in law enforcement, I cannot think of a case more disturbing than this one.' The murder remained unsolved until October last year when DNA technology identified the baby as Nikko, born on November 8, 1996. Officers then discovered that Nikki wasn't an only child and believe that four of his siblings had been murdered in the same way. Four other babies - Kato Allen Perez, was born in 1992; Mika Alena Perez, born in 1995; Nikko Lee Perez, born in 1997; and Kato Krow Perez, born in 2001 - are all believed to have been killed as infants but the remains of three of them have not yet been found. Perez was arraigned on Tuesday, where he pleaded not guilty, and is being held in Yolo County jail until his court hearing on Friday When Perez was arrested he was already in jail at the Kern Valley State Prison for auto theft and evading a police officer, according to the Yolo County District Attorney's Office. He was due to be released on Monday but may now face the death penalty or life in prison. Perez was arraigned on Tuesday, where he pleaded not guilty, and is being held in Yolo County jail until his court hearing on Friday. Perez's public defender, Tracie Olson, told CNN: 'It appears the DNA evidence has only been successful in identifying Perez as the biological father of one child. Nothing more.' Egypt said it will start arrangements to bring back home Egyptian citizens from the Chinese city of Wuhan. The cabinet ordered a special jet to return the expats city from the epicentre of the deadly Coronoavirus. In an official statement on Thursday, the Egyptian cabinet said Egypt's ambassador in China has obtained the necessary approval from Chinese authorities to start arrangements to bring back home Egyptian citizens from Wuhan city as per their request. "The Egyptian prime minister asked civil aviation authorities to provide a plane, with medical teams and equipment on board, to accompany Egyptian passengers, as a precaution against the spread of the deadly virus. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly held a meeting on Thursday with Health Minister Hala Zayed, who said her ministry is currently preparing a medical quarantine for Egyptians returning from Wuhan, putting into consideration they be accommodated and monitored for 14 days (the incubation period of the virus). The cabinet called on Egyptians seeking to return from Wuhan to communicate with the Egyptian Embassy on [email protected] or via the phone on 010 6532 2541 from China. Madbouly "thanked the Chinese authorities for their approval and cooperation to facilitate the return of Egyptian citizens, expressing Egypt's support for China's efforts to combat the virus on behalf of the world," the cabinet statement said. On Thursday, Egypt's national carrier EgyptAir said it is suspending flights to and from China as of February due to the outbreak of Coronavirus in the East Asian country. In an official statement, EgyptAir said it is suspending flights to the Chinese city of Hangzhou effective 1 February, and Beijing and Guangzhou starting 4 February, until further notice. EgyptAir said it has adopted the measure to maintain the safety and health of travellers and flight crews. The company added it is committed to returning Chinese tourist groups currently in Egypt, and that the last group is set to leave the country on 4 February. EgyptAir operates a daily flight to Guangzhou, and three weekly flights to Beijing and Hangzhou. The statement added that the civil aviation ministry and EgyptAir are following developments on the matter to determine when flights will be resumed. EgyptAir is joining a list of global airliners in the suspension or scaling back of flights to and from China, including British Airways, United Airlines, American Airlines, Air Asia, Cathay Pacific, Air India, IndiGo, Lufthansa and Finnair. The epidemic has killed at least 170 people in China, with thousands infected worldwide. China has started quarantining hundreds of citizens evacuated from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the disease. Far right movements that are skilled at imposing their agendas on society and shaping social and political discourse are gaining momentum in Ukraine, Georgia and Armenia, a new report by Freedom House says. In case of Armenia, the report cites Adekvad group which reflects typical antiliberal, antiglobalist ideology, calling for a return to traditional values. However, according to the report, taking into account the current conditions in Armenia, the rise of reactionary, far-right ideology does not come as a surprise. Author April Gordon suggests that the Armenian society has many of the characteristics that have proven to be fertile ground for budding far-right movements. Despite Adekvads young cofounder Artur Danielyan attempts to present the movement as a means of legitimizing ultraconservative and antiglobalist discourse in the country, and European movements such as Alternative for Germany as allies, the group is also widely rumored to receive significant support from the Kremlin. In an interesting departure from the established pattern in Ukraine and Georgia, Armenias government adopted a severe stance against Adekvads far-right activities early on, the report notes. Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan as vehemently criticized the group, publically accusing it of being secretly affiliated with the former government and with Russia and even labeling it as men in black. Moreover, once the group announced its intention to form a political party, Danielyan and several other members of Adekvad were subsequently detained for several hours by police. These arbitrary detentionsperceived as having been ordered by Pashinyanbackfired. Instead of turning public opinion against Adekvad, the group received sympathy over what were widely regarded as unjustified arrests, the report says. While analysts generally acknowledge that Adekvad has no ability to claim political power in the near future, the movement is an increasingly influential presence within Armenias political discourse, particularly among youth and social media users. Overall, the author believes that the rise of far-right groups in Ukraine, Georgia, and Armenia has serious consequences for the continued political development of these societies. Thus, Eurasias far-right groups have an impact that carries well beyond the formal political arena, as they are both adept at shaping social and political discourse in their respective societies and pose a direct physical threat to vulnerable minority populations. Moreover, such groups can be and often are exploited by malicious actors seeking to serve their own ends. Unless serious action is taken, far-right influences will continue to flourish in these societies, marring their potential for further democratic development. At the same time, the report notes that it is detrimental for the state to crack down on far-right groups without clear legal justification as this forces them underground and causes further radicalization of far-right elements. As demonstrated in Armenia, it may also cause large segments of society to view the radical groups more sympathetically than they might otherwise, the author notes and urges governments in Ukraine, Georgia, and Armenia to treat far-right groups fairly under the letter of the law, adopting attitudes that are neither too lax nor too strict. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 18:03:08|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close KABUL, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- A pro-government local leader and a local intelligence official have been killed in two Afghan provinces as daily violence and clashes have been continuing in the country, authorities said Thursday. In one incident, Taliban militants shot dead local leader Mohammad Rahim, who led a pro-government tribal militia group, known as local uprising fighters, in Arghanjkhaw district of northern Badakhshan province on Wednesday, Sanaullah Ruhani, provincial government spokesman, told Xinhua. The attackers fled the scene of shooting which occurred in Shashpul area of neighboring Baharak district, the spokesman said. In eastern Kapisa province, Zulmai Sanjani, head of Alasay district intelligence agency branch, was shot and killed in Tagab district of Kapisa on the same day, according to local officials. The provincial officials have started investigations into the incidents. Taliban militants fighting government forces have claimed responsibility for the attacks. In addition, an Afghan National Army (ANA) pilot and one of his friends were wounded after Taliban spread bullets on them in Kandahar city, capital of southern Kandahar province, late on Wednesday, Jamal Barakzai from provincial police told Xinhua. Kumar Ritesh, Founder and CEO of CYFIRMA, a predictive cyber-threat visibility and intelligence analytics platform company backed by Goldman Sachs and Zodius Capital, has been accepted into Forbes Technology Council, an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs, and technology executives. Ritesh was vetted and selected by a review committee based on the depth and diversity of his experience, proven a track record of successfully impacting business growth metrics, as well as personal and professional achievements. He spent the first half of his career as the head of a cyber-intelligence agency, gaining first-hand cyber threats and risks insights on a global scale before transitioning into the commercial arena as a senior executive for multi-national corporations. Ritesh has a strong track record of developing successful cybersecurity strategies, products, policies, standards, and solutions, in addition to running complex cybersecurity programs. He has developed prototypes for data loss prevention, social profile risk assessment, web content assessment management, intelligence-led cyber risk management, and adaptive cyber threat intelligence tools. He is also the co-inventor of several patented technologies. "We are honored to welcome Ritesh into the community," said Scott Gerber, founder of Forbes Councils, the collective that includes Forbes Technology 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 a member of the Council, Ritesh will collaborate with other industry leaders in the areas of digital transformation, organizational resiliency and cybersecurity. He will also 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. "Responsible and sustainable growth can only be achieved when government and business adopt resilient measures to create a safe space for commerce and communities to thrive. Cyber-attacks and security breaches will derail these growth plans. Organizations must utilize reliable cyber-intelligence to devise effective security strategies to protect people and assets," said Ritesh. "CYFIRMA's cyber threat intelligence platform provide real-time insights, threat visibility, and situational awareness so that proactive actions can be taken to prevent financial, infrastructural and reputational damage. Our predictive capability gives organizations deep insights that correlate data, providing valuable context to every threat, and increasing accuracy of threat alerts. I look forward to sharing our vision of building a safer society with all council members, Forbes readers and the wider business community." 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 Technology Council, visit forbestechcouncil.com. To learn more about Forbes Councils, visit forbescouncils.com. ABOUT CYFIRMA Headquartered in Singapore and Tokyo, CYFIRMA is a leading Predictive Cyber Threat Visibility & Intelligence Platform company. Its cloud-based AI and ML-powered Cyber Intelligence Analytics Platform helps organizations proactively identify potential threats at the planning stage of cyberattacks, offers deep insights into their cyber landscape, and amplifies preparedness by keeping the organization's cybersecurity posture up-to-date, resilient, and ready against upcoming attacks. CYFIRMA works with many Fortune 500 companies. The company has offices and teams located in Singapore, Tokyo, and India. Official websites: https://www.cyfirma.com/ https://www.cyfirma.jp/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200129005307/en/ The former Royal Theater, at 15th and South Streets in Kenyatta Johnson's 2nd Council District, was Philadelphia's first black-owned theater when it opened in 1920. Read more A federal indictment alleges that Councilman Kenyatta Johnson leveraged his influence over land use in his district to secure sham contracts for consulting work for his wife, political consultant Dawn Chavous. Here is how the indictment says two deals played out. The Royal Theater 2000: Universal Companies, a South Philadelphia nonprofit founded by music producer Kenny Gamble, purchases the Royal Theater for $286,252. The theater is in disrepair and is in Johnsons 2nd Council District. 2012: The Department of Licenses and Inspections issues citations to Universal for the dilapidated state of the building. Summer 2012: Universal tries unsuccessfully to sell the theater. 2013: Universal applies to the Philadelphia Historical Commission to demolish the theater and build on the site. May 2013: A resident near the Royal Theater files an action under the states Act 135 law to award the property to another developer because of its blighted condition. May 2013: Universal enters into a contract with Chavous Consulting, a company founded by Chavous. From August 2013 through September 2014, Chavous receives $66,750 in consulting fees from Universal. The indictment says Chavous performs very little work for Universal. June 4, 2013: Two Universal executives charged in the indictment, Abdur Rahim Islam and Shahied Dawan, hold a fundraiser for Johnson. July 10, 2013: Islam meets with Johnson to discuss plans for the theater. Oct. 30, 2014: Johnson introduces a bill in Council for a zoning variance for the theater property to allow large commercial development on the site. December 2014: The zoning variance is approved by Council, forcing withdrawal of the Act 135 suit. September 2016: Universal sells the Royal Theater to developer Robert Roskamp for $3.7 million, netting a $2.7 million profit. READ MORE: Feds charge Philly City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson with using his office to enrich himself and his wife READ MORE: Key counts in the indictment against Kenyatta Johnson and his wife 1309-13 Bainbridge St. Jan. 27, 2005: The Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority agrees to sell land at 1309-13 Bainbridge St. for a nominal fee of $3 to a partnership that includes Universal Companies. The agreement requires Universal to begin construction of 109 single-family units within 18 months or the authority could reclaim ownership. January 2014: The redevelopment authority begins the process of reclaiming the properties. The land was undeveloped, trash-strewn, and the subject of neighbors complaints. An authority official contacts Johnson for his support. Jan. 16, 2014: Chavous, while on a consulting contract with Universal, emails Islam to alert him that the redevelopment authority intends to reclaim the Bainbridge Street properties. Shortly afterward, Johnson advises the authority that he would not support reverting the properties to its ownership. Johnsons stance keeps the properties in Universals partnership. As of 2015, the properties were valued between $2.6 million and $3.5 million. READ MORE: Wife of indicted Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson: I havent done anything wrong | Jenice Armstrong New Delhi, Jan 30 : Bajaj Auto Chairman Rahul Bajaj will step-down from his role as a whole-time director of the company from April. Accordingly, he will be appointed as a non-executive director with the designation continuing as Chairman from April 1, 2020, subject to approval of the shareholders. The announcement came as his tenure in the role of Executive Chairman expires on March 31, 2020. Bajaj has been a director of the company since April 1, 1970. He was last re-appointed by the Board for a five-year term with effect from April 1, 2015. The company said that approval of shareholders will be taken by special resolution by way of postal ballots for his appointment as non-executive Chairman. "Due to certain commitments and other pre-occupation, Rahul Bajaj has decided not to continue as a Whole-time director of the company after the expiry of his current term on March 31, 2020," the company said in a regulatory filing. "The Board of Directors at its meeting held today and as recommended by Nomination and Remuneration Committee has approved the appointment of Rahul Bajaj as Non-executive director with the designation continuing as Chairman of the company w.e.f. 1 April 2020, subject to approval of the shareholders," it added. CPI Rajya Sabha MPs D Raja and Binoy Viswam were detained by Delhi Police along with several others while they were protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the Register of Citizens (NRC) at Rajghat. "We went to Raj Ghat to take part in the human chain, in protest against Citizenship Amendment Act- Register of Citizens. Delhi Police has arrested other leaders and me. We don't know where they are taking us," Raja told ANI. Earlier in the day, Viswam condemned the shooting incident in the Jamia area where a man had opened fire. "On this day in 1948, Mahatma Gandhi was murdered by Nathuram Godse, an RSS leader and ideologue. Today, 72 years later, while peaceful protestors gathered near Jamia Milia University to honour the memory of Gandhiji, a young man opened fire on them. This incident is a clear manifestation of the communal hatred spread by the RSS-BJP Government and lays bare their plan to instigate the people of India against each other," he said. The CPI leader also questioned police response over the incident and said, "The police must explain how this miscreant was allowed to brandish a weapon with complete impunity while hundreds of policemen were deployed in the area. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) American Hospital Dubai, part of Mohamed & Obaid Al Mulla Group, has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with United Imaging, one of the global leading company in advanced medical imaging and radiotherapy equipment. As per the agreement signed during the Arab Health 2020, high-performance (PET/CT) scan machine manufactured by United Imaging to be installed at American Hospital Dubais Nuclear Medicine Department, and both companies will be engaged in intensive cooperation in clinical and scientific research. A Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan is an imaging test that helps reveal how your tissues and organs are functioning. A PET scan uses a radioactive drug (tracer) to show this activity. This scan can sometimes detect disease before it shows up on other imaging tests. The new technology is useful in revealing or evaluating several conditions, including many cancers, heart disease and brain disorders. The newly installed United Imagings high-performance PET/CT uMI780, with high sensitivity and ultra-high resolution, offers exceptional image clarity that enable healthcare professionals to find small lesions and to help improve diagnostic and treatment precision. Besides, with its 30cm ultra-large Axial FOV, a whole-body scan can be completed in as few as 3 bed positions and 5 minutes for fast throughout and improved patient comfort. Sherif Beshara, Chief Executive Officer of Mohamed & Obaid Al Mulla Group, said: In line with our commitment to abide by the overarching goals set by the UAEs foresighted leadership, we continue to partner with globally reputed companies that would assist us to improve the quality of healthcare we provide using their products, and services. This partnership will make American Hospital Dubai an important clinical application reference site and help us to better serve the patients from the UAE and across the region. James Xia, Co-President of United Imaging said: We are pleased and honoured to be a strategic partner of American Hospital Dubai, one of the top private group hospitals in Gulf Area and the whole Middle East Region. We believe our state-of-the-art products and industry-leading innovation capabilities will provide strong support to American Hospital Dubai in building a world-class hospital and providing top-notch healthcare services across the region and beyond. -- Tradearabia News Service Georgian citizens to be evacuated from China among others by Turkey - GeorgianJournal Palestinian Leader to Take Trump's Peace Plan to UN Security Council By Margaret Besheer January 29, 2020 Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will come to the U.N. Security Council in February to press the Palestinian case against President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan. Abbas will undertake a round of shuttle diplomacy in the next two weeks, starting Saturday in Cairo at a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers. After that he will meet ministers from the Organization of the Islamic Conference and Non-Aligned Movement, as well as the African Union summit. "These consultations will be culminated in a visit by President Abbas within the next two weeks to the [U.N.] Security Council, in which he will put before the entire international community the reaction of the Palestinian people and the Palestinian leadership against this onslaught against the national rights of the Palestinian people by the Trump administration," Palestinian U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour told reporters Wednesday. Palestinian resolution Mansour said they also hoped to put forward a draft Security Council resolution, although he did not go into details on what it would aim to do. "Of course, we would like to see a strong, large opposition to this Trump plan, and to reflect the language of the global consensus," Mansour said. The Palestinians are unlikely to find redress in the Security Council, where the United States holds a veto. The Palestinian leadership is furious following the release Tuesday of the Trump administration's long-awaited plan for resolving the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Trump unveiled the proposal, which he has called "the deal of the century," at the White House, standing alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. No Palestinian representative was present at the East Room event. Abbas rejected the 80-page proposal and its $50 billion in promised economic incentives before even seeing it, saying, "Jerusalem is not for sale. All our rights are not for sale and are not for bargain. And your deal, the conspiracy, will not pass." The proposal has had mixed reviews in the region, with representatives of Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates present at the announcement, but other states, such as Iran and Turkey, rejecting it. Saudi Arabia and Jordan were muted in their response. The U.N. secretary-general said through his spokesman that the U.N.'s position remained rooted in relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions. Land swap, rail link Under the plan, Trump said, the Palestinians will "double" their land, but they must give up about a third of the West Bank to Israel for it to have an eastern border. In exchange, the administration proposes they take two separate pieces of land in the Negev desert. The plan also includes some unusual proposals, including a high-speed rail link between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, according to U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman. While it gives the Palestinians four years to come to the negotiating table to find a path to statehood, Israel could begin annexing land where Jewish settlements sit as soon as this weekend. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Nigel Farage was immortalised in art today as he proudly showed off a portrait of himself called 'Mr Brexit'. The eurosceptic chose the surroundings of the L'Escargot French restaurant in London to unveil the work by Dan Llywelyn Hall less than 36 hours before the UK is set to leave the European Union. Brexiteer comedian Jim Davidson was among those present at the Gallic Soho eaterie to show off the artwork, which will be auctioned to raise money for charity. The day after sitting as an MEP for the last time in Brussels he took a pop at the Belgian capital and its own lunch spots, which he has enjoyed during his 20 year career. Reflecting on his decades in the heart of the EU establishment he said: 'I won't miss Brussels because it's a dump. 'But I will miss Strasbourg which has got lots of family-run restaurants and yeah, of course, I am going to miss that.' The eurosceptic chose the surroundings of the L'Escargot French restaurant in London to unveil the work by Dan Llywelyn Hall (right) The day after sitting as an MEP for the last time in Brussels he took a pop at the Belgian capital and its own lunch spots, which he has enjoyed during his 20 year career Brexiteer comedian Jim Davidson was among those present at the Gallic Soho eaterie to show off the artwork, which will be auctioned to raise money for charity Mr Farage had earlier defiantly insisted Brexiteers will have a good time at his Brexit party tomorrow night despite a ban on booze, live music and fireworks. He claimed the 'Establishment' had done everything it possibly could to make the event in Parliament Square tomorrow night a 'damp squib'. But he said 'none of that matters' and the restrictions would not stop him and his fellow Leave voters from marking a 'remarkable piece of history'. Mr Farage had earlier defiantly insisted Brexiteers will have a good time at his Brexit party tomorrow night despite a ban on booze, live music and fireworks He told MailOnline: 'Everything that could be done to make the event a damp squib has been done by the Establishment. 'From Big Ben which was able to bong on Remembrance Sunday and for New Year, to no fireworks and no alcohol. 'But do you know what? None of that matters. We are there to mark and celebrate two things. 'One, a remarkable piece of history. And two, the victory of ordinary people against the political establishment. It can rain if it wants to. It does not matter.' DUBLIN, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Impact of Unicorn Companies: Inhibit or Stimulate Competition?" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This report provides an overview of unicorns and the positive/negative impact they have on the sectors and geographies in which they operate. Some of the challenges facing unicorns and their investors are also reported. In modern age, the term unicorn is used to describe a financial behemoth. This usage was coined by the venture capitalist Aileen Lee in 2013 to describe a privately held company with a billion-dollar valuation. She called such companies unicorns because they were few and far between; no more than forty existed when the term was coined. The report includes: An overview of unicorn markets and discussion on how the presence of unicorn impact the market Comparative study on U.S. Unicorns and Chinese unicorns and discussion on how Chinese unicorn affecting U.S. unicorn market Information on competitors involved and venture capital in the industry Key Topics Covered Introduction What Are Unicorns in the Financial Market? How Are the Current Unicorns Doing? What Sectors Do These Unicorns Come From? Who Backed These Unicorns and Helped Them Reach Their Status? Are Any of These Unicorns Disruptive? What Has Been the Global Impact of the Unicorns? How Do These Unicorns Help Their Markets? When Does a Unicorn Stop Being a Unicorn? Is the Unicorn Wave Still Worth Surfing or Has the Tide Receded? Profitability Growth Laws and Regulations Fundamentals End Goal Market Monopoly and Competition from More Unicorns Unicorn Struggle Conclusion Information Sources List of Figures Figure 1: Unicorns vs. Dinosaurs Figure 2: Newly Minted Unicorns, by Year, 2014-2018 Figure 3: Organizations in Top 10 Unicorn List Figure 4: Unicorn Classification in 2018 Figure 5: Youngest Unicorns of 2019 Figure 6: Top Investors in Unicorns, Since 2013 Figure 7: Investors in the New Unicorns of 2019 Figure 8: Top Tech Unicorns in Each U.S. State Figure 9: Chinese VC Deals Over the Last Five Years, 2014-2019 Figure 10: State of India's Top 10 Unicorns in 2019 Figure 11: Unicorn and Potential Unicorn Status in Europe For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8e8dsj 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 Cafe Society: Great grinds at Gallery Cafe by Pinky A well-established bistro, cafe and bar, Gallery Cafe by Pinky is a popular favourite with locals and expats alike. Impeccable service, a delicious, creative menu and some of the very best coffee on the island keeps customers coming back for more. Dining By Amy Bensema Thursday 30 January 2020, 10:00AM Latte made from fresh pulled espresso at Gallery Cafe Powered by the petite Pinky Jatikavanich, Gallery Cafe has been a staple on the island for a number of years. The cafe features a menu full of Western breakfast favourites such as classic eggs benedict, a variety of salads, sandwiches and pasta as well as delicious local Thai food. Gallery Cafe by Pinky is also well-known for its affordable Sunday roast options. In addition to its great food offerings, Gallery Cafe by Pinky also has an extensive menu of coffee drinks. For years, the cafe has been my go-to for a perfect latte and a comfortable place to get some laptop work done. The baristas at each Gallery Cafe by Pinky location are well trained. Their ability to create the perfect latte art never ceases to amaze me, and drinks are always served with a smile. The cafe uses coffee beans sourced from northern Thailand, many of which are organic, to prepare their robust caffeinated drinks. If you are in the mood for a satisfying cup of coffee, I highly recommend you give Gallery Cafe by Pinky a try. In my opinion, the cafes latte is the very best on the island. For those who are looking for something a tiny bit more creative, give the Matcha Latte a try its a smooth, creamy drink and perfect for lovers of Japanese Green Tea. The signature Affogato also goes down as a real treat on a hot day. An Italian coffee-based dessert, the Affogato at Gallery Cafe by Pinky features a scoop of delicious vanilla ice cream drowned in a strong shot of hot espresso. Its a lovely lush drink enjoyed any time of the day. For those looking for something sweet to accompany their coffee, rest assured that Gallery Cafe by Pinky has you covered. The cafe has a variety of homemade desserts including a decadent, moist chocolate cake, a light carrot cake, muffins, protein balls and a delightful assortment of raw and vegan dessert treats as well. Freshly baked croissants and gluten-free breads are also available. Each branch of Gallery Cafe by Pinky is unique and has a distinct flair. The cafes are spacious and bright and have colourful art pieces adorning the walls. Free WiFi is available at each location, and the long wooden sharing tables make a nice place to sit and talk to a stranger over a hot cup of coffee or a meal. Gallery Cafe by Pinky has four branches strategically placed across the island. The Phuket Old Town branch is open daily from 8am-5pm, Cherng Talay is open daily from 8am-5pm, Chalong is open daily from 8am-8pm and the Nai Harn branch is open daily from 8am-10pm. Follow Gallery Cafe by Pinkys socials to learn more about daily early bird coffee specials and new menu items. Find the cafe on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GalleryCafePhuket/ or follow their delicious Instagram feed www.instagram.com/gallerycafephuket/ Cafe Society is a monthly column which chronicles one girls search for the perfect cup of coffee. Have a cafe to recommend? Contact Amy via email at bensema.amy@gmail.com or follow her caffeinated adventures as @phuketstagram on Instagram. Designing a Better Airline Lounge Experience The competition for the premium traveler is one of the fiercest in all of the aviation industry. Theres an escalating standard across the board, but particularly in the end-to-end of the experiences. Lounges play a huge role in this. Despite the investment and polish that goes into them, however, theres still a lot of original thinking that is missing, especially as wellness and balance come front and center. Here are a few ideas for airline executives as they plan out their ground experiences for passengers. Cleanliness How many times have you sat in a crowded lounge filled full of used plates? Having marked busing stations allows a well-mannered guest to drop off a used coffee cup or plate on her way out. It saves the churn and burn on the employees and also provides people with an option to leave the lounge as it was when they first arrived. Alaska Airlines does this well with its lounges. In the words of the author and behavioral writer James Clear, The central idea is to create an environment where doing the right thing is as easy as possible. Context shifting People are in lounges with lots of different contexts: solo travel, larger group family travel, group work travel. Some people want to relax and zone out, some people need to figure out a way to work on a quick group presentation en route to the client. Theres a very intriguing case to be made for smart, modular context shifting. Cathay Pacific and Swiss do this well with their lounges: There are lots of different use cases for every conceivable type of passenger. Fresh air The ability to take a gulp of non-airport air is a luxury. Outdoor terraces are a luxury. Swiss is best in class at this, and its interesting to see more brands like Delta invest in outdoor spaces in JFK and Atlanta as a differentiator. Durable design Lounges take a severe beating. So why not design around it? More resilient finishes on walls, using the right furniture, and a strategic understanding of the pressure points and traffic points allow materials and design to protect appearances. When this is not done well, its apparent. Black scuff marks on white walls from errant Rimowa suitcases and worn, stained carpeting can ruin an experience. Story continues Wellness Having a space to stretch out with some yoga or sit quietly for a few minutes of meditation will be the new normal. Qantas has been executing this particularly well with its wellness-focused lounge in Perth. Expect these types of spaces to be more common and roll out globally. Showers Showers are a must-have for long-haul travelers to have a quick refresh. Water pressure and cleanliness are table stakes. The design imperative here is how quickly this room can be turned around by a cleaning team to get the next passenger in. All too often shower rooms are too ornate or too complicated when they should be easy to just hose and wipe down. Turnaround time on these in-demand products are key, but again, most of the time the design thinking is lacking. Rest areas Having a dedicated rest area for a lounge is also a luxury, where passengers with longer layovers can grab some Zs. The trick here is designing for privacy and space and also enforcing the rules. Though the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan business lounge in Doha is notoriously overcrowded, it does have perfectly designed rest areas close to the (hidden) shower rooms. Other airlines can crib from this approach. Fresh coffee No one likes robot coffee. In premium lounges with lower foot traffic, a well-trained barista is a welcome addition. Qantas does this nicely in its First lounge at LAX, and when its open, Alaska offers a similar service to its paying lounge members. Hydration I watched an American Airlines employee at the New York flagship lounge painfully pack up an entire fridge filled with boxed waters. On the packaging of the box, it touts its incredible sustainability. Aside from the wasted effort and time from the employee, you know what is truly sustainable? Providing a tap of filtered still or sparkling water for people to fill up their water bottles. Im surprised that the calls for sustainability that have swept hotels with their plastic amenities havent yet reached the airline lounges. Brilliant basics A lot of lounges try to get too clever or too decadent. Why not just execute the basics brilliantly? Instead of meh food that was outsourced to a lackluster catering service, why not double down on something that reflects your brand properly? I love Cathays noodle bars in its lounges. Its incredible comfort food that is relatively easy to execute and maps to the heritage of the brand. Thai also does this well with its lounges. I dont need some custom guacamole bar or some dumb pop-up that probably looked great in a slide deck but has no reason to exist. Noodles at Cathay Pacifics The Pier business class lounge at Hong Kong International Airport. Photo: Cathay Pacific Brand alignments As I wrote in an earlier column, hospitality experiences can introduce you to brands in a contextual way. Australian luxury skincare brand Aesop did this brilliantly when it partnered with hotels and restaurants. Now, as a new wave of direct-to-consumer brands are competing for peoples attention, a progressive-thinking airline lounge would be an interesting place for a brand to show up. Airlines should: (1) Make these types of deals easy to do and not be a black box, and (2) look at it as a revenue opportunity. All too often the external brands you see in a lounge are a bad business magazine that no one reads. The power of print Speaking of print, lounges should still have a range of international magazines and newspapers and not just ones that blithely point me to their PressReader app. Its not just a service for people who want to read. Most importantly, it contributes to the ambience of the lounge. It also shows all of the places your airline flies to, and dare I say, might remind people of the more elegant and more civil ages of air travel. Dont look at this as a cost center, look at it as a brand-building opportunity. Children or family areas Some lounges have a childrens area that is surprise! never used because it has the appeal of a dated McDonalds Play Place. Why not think about a space where parents can sit and children can play that balances the two properly, and keeps hyperactive children out of the main lounge? Nix the complicated freebies The free facial or branded treatment in lounges are more often than not way too good to be true. They are generally never available unless you show up six hours before your flight and are more often than not underwhelming. Because of this, the complimentary amenity creates a negative impression of Clarins or whatever brand is behind it. Airlines should scrap these, unless they can be consistent with them, likely only in limited-access first class lounges. The power of silence Manners have gone out the window, and people think its now perfectly normal to watch their TikTok videos on full volume without headphones. Lounges need to have a posted policy and empower employees to enforce the rules. Also, phone call booths that are insulated are always a good idea. Rude people ruin the ambience for high-paying customers, and airlines need to recognize this. Subscribe to Skift newsletters covering the business of travel, restaurants, and wellness. Clarion call for gender equality in the seafood sector January 30,2020 | Source: The Fish SIte The international organisation for women in the seafood industry (WSI) has called for a massive movement in favour of gender equality and women empowerment (SDG5) in the seafood industry. As we are entering 2020, a decade remains before reaching the United Nations Development Goals. WSI concretely ask stakeholders to join WSI and become gender equality champions. Because the seafood industry is worth it! the organisation urged in a statement released this morning. In September 2015, the United Nations led a process seeking to end poverty, to fight inequality including gender inequality, and tackle climate crisis. It resulted in the worldwide adoption of 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including gender equality and female empowerment to be fixed by 2030. WSI observes that the fisheries and aquaculture industries may have developed numerous actions towards achieving SDG 14 (marine resource sustainability) but next to nothing for gender justice. According to WSIs reports on the issue, published in 2017 and 2019, not much has been initiated and even less achieved. If the seafood industry were a country, it would be one of the most gender unequal in the world. According to WSI, the most frequent forms of inequality include: Invisibility - WSI argues that female contributions to the industry are in many cases not taken into account, invisible into national and sectorial statistics. Unpaid or underpaid auxiliary work allows fishing activities by men to continue even when the activity is not profitable (mending nets, administration, selling). Womens labour is considered as a hidden subsidy. Exclusion - WSI notes that by law, by habits, by tradition in all but a handful of progressive countries, women are excluded from decision making arenas, from being elected in representative bodies, from public policy designing. Discrimination - WSI argues that women meet impediments to accessing inputs such as financial capital, bank loans, new technology and immaterial capital such as training. Stereotypes and social norms prevent women from getting some jobs, such as fishers, high profile and well paid jobs." According to WSI, women make up 90 percent of the seafood processing industry workforce, but less than 10 percent of corporate board members and 1 percent of CEOs. "They even are grossly discriminated to speak at conferences and we should all remember that family burdens lie disproportionately (time, cost) on women shoulders, WSI observe. The organisation goes on the say that the mainly male leaders of the industry are unaware about the actual gender imbalance and the detrimental impacts on the entire business. According to a WSI survey, 55 percent of male leaders consider that this problem is solved and 85 percent admit that they dont pay attention to it. The organisation concludes that: "the cost of inaction will be bigger than the cost of action, because gender equalities clearly benefit both gender and the business." As a result WSI is offering to help fishing and aquaculture stakeholders set up "concrete projects to progress in gender balance". 2000 ? 2020 ? 5m Publishing, Benchmark House, 8 Smithy Wood Drive, Sheffield, S35 1QN, England. Theme(s): Others. Press Release January 30, 2020 Villanueva: Issue labor advisory on nCoV to remind employers about obligations under OSH law Employers should not hesitate to send home workers who show symptoms of the flu but continue to report to work and consider the occupational health and safety of their entire organization, according to Senator Joel Villanueva. At the same time, Villanueva urged the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to issue a pertinent labor advisory reminding private companies of their obligations to comply with labor standards particularly the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) law. "While the public's awareness of the prevailing health scare concerning the novel coronavirus (nCoV) remains high, our labor officials should seize the moment to reiterate that the health and safety of our workers must be of paramount concern to employers. Our OSHS law states this principal clearly and unequivocally," said Villanueva, chair of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment, and Human Resources Development. "The labor advisory will also serve as a warning for companies who think that they can tip toe around prevailing regulations without any consequence." In a statement, Villanueva also credited the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration for issuing a timely bulletin to its overseas welfare offices across the world about the nCoV using information from the World Health Organization. The advisory, dated January 24, 2020, contains travel precautions and related advice to the public, which is clearly directed to overseas Filipino workers in various parts of the world, the senator said. In the local perspective, the DOLE could take cue from their counterparts in the Department of Health, which have been aggressive in informing the public of the proper precautions to avoid nCoV and the suspected and confirmed incidences in the country, according to the lawmaker. "We hope to see this similar resolve from our friends in the labor department for the benefit of our workers," he added. "The most important action we can do is preventing the spread of illnesses as simple as the flu." Right now, the practical approach on preventing an outbreak is a sustained information drive on the issue for workers and employers, Villanueva pointed out. He also appealed for calm after the DOH confirmed the first case of nCoV in the country on Thursday afternoon. To minimize work disruptions, Villanueva encouraged the private sector to adopt telecommuting as a work arrangement for employees whose tasks can be done remotely. Republic Act No. 11165, or the Telecommuting law which Villanueva principally authored and sponsored, institutionalizes telecommuting as a work arrangement and harmonizes its principles with the Labor Code. Manila (CNN Philippines Life) The title of the Lauren Greenfield's Imelda Marcos-centric documentary The Kingmaker (Lauren Greenfield, 2019) was worrying for some people is it really okay to bestow such a legal and powerful label to a person who has been found guilty of seven counts of graft and still clings to the vestiges of her familys former power? The films poster featured Imelda Marcos in a gilded frame, all regal amid a background of one of the poor areas in the city. Theres an accompanying pullquote that read Perception is real, and the truth is not. Will this just be another mouthpiece for Imelda Marcos to revise history? The Kingmaker treads murky waters. It tries to elicit a little compassion for the Marcoses (Imelda as a loving mother who sacrificed everything for her family, Bongbong as a dutiful son who wants to restore the familys former glory). At the same time, it paints how dire the situation is in the Philippines, using the Marcos vanity project in Calauit Island and its remaining animals (some sickly giraffes and zebras) as a parallel picture to the inbreeding thats happening in Philippine politics. Whether youre confused, angry, or dumbfounded after watching the film (which is nominated for Best Documentary at the Writers Guild Awards), heres a list of articles weve published from the past to contextualize the extent of the effects of the martial law era and what we can still do to tell the stories of the victims and survivors. Screencap from SHOWTIME/YOUTUBE That thingy called martial law The bare essentials that can get you started in your re-education. This is by no means an exhaustive and encompassing guide but rather a jumping-off point. Photos by JL JAVIER Martial law survivors: Sa panahong ito, ano ba sa tingin niyo ang bayani? When it comes to martial law in 1972, the collective memory, it seems, has not decided on what narrative it should believe. As the nation remembers Proclamation 1081 which was pronounced on Sept. 23 but predated to Sept. 21 two main narratives emerge in present day: one that, despite proof to the contrary, remembers Marcos dictatorship as a glorious era of discipline and prosperity, and another that remembers it as a time of struggle, repression, and widespread corruption. For Zeny Mique, the divergence of narratives is not new. Yung mga Marcos loyalist, dati nang andyan yan. Mas naging visible lang sila ngayon noong nagsimula si President Duterte, kung saan kaalyado niya yung mga Marcoses, at dito parang lumakas loob ulit ng mga Marcos loyalists, she says. Yun yung tingin ko na nagpalala ng divide; yung nakaupong administrasyon ngayon ay kaibigan ng mga Marcos, Mique adds. The story of martial law from Ferdinand Marcos confidante and press secretary Primitivo Mijares was tasked with a difficult job: to tell the glorious, swashbuckling narrative of Ferdinand Marcos. As the media czar of an era of no free press and no free speech, Mijares was, plainly and simply, a propagandist. But he did not buy his own story, the one he had been trusted to tell. So he told what he knew to be true: that Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos had a conjugal dictatorship, and were robbing the people of their money. Mijares wrote what he had known from his time as a trusted aide of the regime in The Conjugal Dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, which was published, after quite a hurdle, in 1976. A price was paid for it: two lives. The author and his son Boyet joined the growing list of desaparecidos the disappeared. 5 takeaways from Playboy's 1987 interview with Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos In an excerpt of the interview, Imelda Marcos recounts a near-mutiny among the staff in Hawaii. To appease the staff, she claims that Marcos gave a quick speech where he invoked his namesake Ferdinand Magellan and their exile to the circumnavigation of the globe. In her recollection, Magellan likened his men and himself to gods, and Marcos supposedly recited this passage to them. Here is how the conversation that follows reads: PLAYBOY: You think of yourselves as gods, then? IMELDA: Yes, because we are on a divine mission. PLAYBOY: Which is? IMELDA: To return to the Philippines to reclaim our destiny. FERDINAND: We are part of the achievement of being a god. That is what we are about now. An ordinary mortal would not be able to stand it. All of our statements now have to prove that we have not gone back to being ordinary mortals. IMELDA: And even if we fail FERDINAND: Well fall as martyrs for the cause; well fall with honor. Photo by ANNA BUENO How do you bury a dictator? As soon as former Commission on Human Rights Chairperson Etta Rosales, wearing a raincoat on stage, acknowledged it Ang langit po ay kasama natin ngayon; siya ay lumuluha tulad natin, sapagkat ayaw niya na ilibing si Marcos sa Libingan ng mga Bayani! the rain, as if in agreement, poured in torrents, as the sound of simultaneously blooming umbrellas momentarily cut through Rosales fiery speech. Rosales, among those tortured during Martial Law, soldiered on. Wala namang korte na lalaban para sa amin, she said. Pero isa lang ako sa libu-libong napakarami, doon sa Davao, si Karenano nga ba ang pangalan niya? Teka muna, basang-basa na ang aking papel! a light moment where the audience laughed Si Karen, isang batang aktibista, pinaslang ng mga sundalo sa Davao mismo. There are thousands more like Rosales and Karen. Rosales stated that there are 75,700 claimants tortured, killed, and kidnapped by the dictator, all of whom should be evidence enough that he was not a hero worthy of interment at the Libingan. Seventy-one-year-old Hilda Narciso is one of the 75,700. She stood at the back of the crowd, her silver hair held tight in a bun, her smile radiating a bit of warmth amid the chill brought by the habagat. Before the program started, Narciso had been interviewed by two journalists, supposedly from Finland. They asked her why Marcos is not a hero. She contemplated for a while on her answers. Infrastructures lang ang nakikita ng millennials, di nila nakikita ang contextpero ang di ko nasabi doon [in the interview with the Finnish journalists], tignan din nila kung bakit may Human Rights Commission, kung bakit na-itayo iyon. At kung bakit merong PCGG. An online museum that immortalizes years of martial rule Since its declaration in 1972, martial law has always carried with it two opposing narratives one perpetrated by Marcos propaganda that depicted martial law as the herald of a New Society that will bring about 'change' and 'progress,' and the other, which displayed the various human rights violations, evidenced by curtailed freedom of speech and accounts of individuals who were tortured, jailed, and/or killed. The opposing narratives are what the newly launched online portal, Martial Law Museum, seeks to address. Spearheaded by the Ateneo de Manila University, the platform is a community response to reclaim national memory and promote engaged citizenship; a resource with a mission to reveal extensive information gathered of the 14-year dictatorial rule in order to educate the public of the truth. "Like it or not, this dichotomy is out there in the public arena and to deny its existence is to fool ourselves into a state of mindless oblivion or deliberate forgetfulness," says historian Maria Sereno Diokno, during her keynote speech at the launch of the online museum. OPINION: The frailty of our Martial Law education The easiest way to comment about Martial Law, and Philippine history classes about Martial Law, is to describe the terrible legacy of the former, and the tepid quality of the latter. It has been three decades since the EDSA Revolution, but the tragedy is that a generation of young Filipinos remains largely ignorant of the narrative of Martial Law. These were only children during, or born after that period, and sheltered by parents who would rather not discuss what they had endured for so long. An even greater tragedy, however, is that there are many older Filipinos who experienced Martial Law as adults and continue to support the memory of Ferdinand Marcos today. Within this category are Filipinos who either honestly do not know the extent of the excesses of the dictatorship, or even benefited from Marcos rule, and describe the period as the so-called Golden Era of Philippine history. When we use the word education, we are referring not just to what is taught in the classroom, through our textbooks and our teachers. For most of the period after EDSA, the narrative transmitted throughout elementary and secondary school was a watered-down version of Martial Law. Abuses by the military and paramilitary units, and the plunder committed by the Marcos family and their cronies, were routinely downplayed, while emphasizing the positive accomplishments of the regime, as if it were a balance sheet. 7 outrageous things the Marcoses have said We never spent government funds for our personal purposes. If we did, we replaced them immediately. I have committed many sins in my life. But stealing money from the government, from the people, is not one of them. Ferdinand Marcos said this in 1986, in reply to ABCs Nightline correspondent Ted Koppel, who had at one point in the interview asked about his wifes extravagance. Stealing was in fact one of the sins he would be charged of fast. The Presidential Commission on Good Governance, tasked to recover the Marcoses ill-gotten wealth, has estimated it between US$5 to 10 billion. Koppel also mentioned how critics slammed the first ladys supposed 3,000 shoes, which Marcos quickly disputed saying, Where did the money come from? It came from our private funds. Did they prove that it came from public funds? Did they prove that this was the reason why the people dont have any money? It was Imeldas duty to not just be a housewife but to represent Filipinos, he added. And Imelda, for her part, would stick to this same script. Many Americans are hitting the road this year but planning a dream vacation on a budget can be hard. Airfares and vacation rental prices could surge this summer due to demand. Don't give up hope just yet on saving a few bucks. There are still ways to get good deals on all of your travel plans. Here are 22 tips and strategies for getting the best prices with the least hassle on airfares, cruises, hotels and vacation packages. Fly When No One Else Wants to Fares rise and fall with air traffic so says the law of supply and demand. In general, plan to fly on a Tuesday or Wednesday or in the afternoon on Saturday to bag a cheaper domestic flight. Early mornings and late nights are also less popular and more affordable times to fly, as are Thanksgiving and the eves and days of Christmas and New Years. If you want to find the best month to take your trip, plug your home airport and getaway location into Google Flights or Kayak Explore to see the cheapest times to fly. Besides saving money, avoiding peak travel days will often mean youll travel on slightly less-crowded flights and go through shorter airport security lines. Be Flexible About Where You Go You can use features available on Kayak to pinpoint on a world map all the destinations you can visit within your airfare budget. This interactive tool lets you select a departure city and time and duration of travel, then adjust a sliding scale to set a maximum ticket price. Airfares that fit into your budget will populate a map, and you can click on a destination for details. It also lets you be flexible on timing, too you can search by month and see if certain days come with cheaper fares. (But if you need to stick with exact travel dates, you can specify your search, too.) Sign Up for E-mail Alerts Sign up for free e-mail alerts from airlines or other travel sites such as Google Flights, Scotts Cheap Flights or Airfarewatchdog to get early access to coupon codes and flash sales. Plus, getting pinged regularly with ticket prices can help you develop a point of reference to recognize good deals. Or, you can follow Twitter handles such as @TheFlightDeal for flights. Buy Your Tickets at the Right Time There is much debate about when to book your flight to get the best deal. For a domestic trip, you should get your ticket 21 to 115 days before your trip. Ticket prices during that window will be within 5% of its lowest point, according to a CheapAir.com survey. For an international flight, book the trip at least six months in advance, according to the travel website The Points Guy. As for cruises, cheap last-minute deals have dried up over the years, so you may find fare sales posted 2 to 3 years in advance. Also, be sure to set a price alert on Kayak. Just enter your itinerary, and the site will keep track of price trends. Going Last Minute? Consider Buying a Vacation Package If youre booking a last-minute flight, consider buying a vacation package. Online travel agencies lock in lower fares early and combine them with cheap hotel stays. At the eleventh hour, when airfares may spike elsewhere, these bundles may cost less than purchasing the flight alone. Keep an Eye on Fares, Even After You book You have the right to change or cancel your flight plans for free within 24 hours of booking, thanks to rules introduced by the Department of Transportation in 2012. So if you find a better fare within that window, you can snatch the savings with no penalty. Because of COVID-19, many airlines are also waiving fees for canceling or changing a flight. You could book a flight and then set a Google Flight alert to notify you if the price changes. You then rebook at the lower rate, though you will usually get the price difference in a credit to the airline rather than cash. Avoid Extra Baggage Fees Check your airline's policies and fees for both checked and carry-on bags. If you fly with a certain airline you may want to open up one of its credit cards to avoid a checked bag fee. Plus, as a bonus, at least one of your travel companions on the reservation can enjoy a free bag, too. Southwest continues to allow two free checked bags. If youre the gambling sort, you can see if your airline announces "complimentary checked luggage" at the gate. This sometimes happens if flights are full and overhead bin space is expected to fill up quickly. But fair warning: Your bag still has to be considered carry-on size. Add a Free Destination Prior to the pandemic, international travelers were able to squeeze an extra destination into their itinerary at no cost--or for a smidge more than what they were already paying for the flight. For example, Icelandair lets passengers hop off in Iceland when traveling between North America and Europe. However, some airlines suspended this option during COVID-19. Check your airlines policies before booking the trip. If you cant find details online, call the airline to inquire about no-cost stops on your route. Get a Travel Rewards Card Keep these ingredients in mind when shopping for a travel-friendly credit card: no foreign transaction fee, a microchip and generous rewards. The Chase Sapphire Reserve Visa ($550 annual fee) offers a chip for secure transactions. You earn 60,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 within 90 days of opening your account. If you would rather trade significant rewards for no annual fee, consider the PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature, which is chip- and PIN-enabled. Stay in Hotels Off Season Going off season is a particularly savvy strategy if you select a destination thats designed for large peak-season crowds. When desperate to fill rooms, hotels will slash rates or throw in perks, such as spa credits. For example, consider business or convention hotels after the suits have departed for the weekend and beach resorts in the late spring (after spring break) or fall. Book Directly Through a Hotels Website Many places offer lower rates for online booking. You can also sign up to get hotels e-mails about special promotions and discounts. Just remember the lowest rates are usually prepaid and non-refundable. If you think your plans might change, youll have to pay the higher, more flexible rates. Keep Tracking Lodging Rates After You've Booked Dont forget to take advantage of best-rate guarantees from hotel chains such as Hyatt and Marriott Bonvoy when booking directly. If you find a better rate on a third-party site for the same hotel and room type within 24 hours of making your reservation, Marriott Bonvoy, for example, will beat the lower rate by up to 25% or you can choose to receive 5,000 points. Orbitz offers a similar guarantee to its rewards members. After booking, if you find a better rate on another site or Orbitz.com within 24 hours of booking, the online travel agency will refund or credit you the difference. But your claim has to meet all the parameters of Orbitzs price-guarantee checklist. Pick Up the Phone Sometimes a call can yield greater savings than booking on the web. For hotels, contact the front desk and see whether the agent can beat the online rate. Mention anything that could get you a discount, such as being a senior, a member of AAA or a government employee. If the agent wont budge, ask for the duty manager. Book Blind for Rock-Bottom Rates "Priceline Express Deals" and Hotwire.coms "Hot Rates" can cut up to 60% off regular hotel rates. With either site, you specify your length of stay, preferred neighborhood and a guaranteed minimum star class. But you wont know the exact hotel or location until after you pay a bigger risk when visiting unfamiliar areas, particularly overseas. (Blind booking works great for car rentals; a sedan is a sedan is a sedan. Its more of a gamble for flights because you wont know exact departure times or airlines.) Fight Back Against Resort Fees Call your hotel to confirm an online reservation especially if you booked at the last minute and check to see whether youre being charged additional fees. Hotels may be willing to waive fees, especially for frequent visitors or rewards-program members. Also, request a copy of your bill the night before you check out so that you have time to dispute any extra charges that got tacked on. Exploit Website Quirks Say youre booking a hotel for a five-night stay starting on Saturday night. Check to see if the price of each night is the same as the total cost of booking the five-night stay all at once. In most cases they should be, but if not, book for individual nights and call the front desk to link your reservations. Or you can consider switching to a cheaper, comparable hotel midway through your trip. Check Airline Vacation Packages Hotels and airlines dont like to advertise sales because it hurts the brand. However, theyll often package a trip to disguise the discount. Online travel agencies (think Travelocity) are well known for their bundled bargains. But dont forget to check packages offered directly by airlines, such as United Vacations and Southwest Vacations, as well as smaller travel operators such as Apple Vacations and Gate 1 Travel. Daily deal sites have gotten in on the act, too, with Groupon Getaways and LivingSocial Escapes. Find All-Inclusive Deals Seek all-inclusive deals to pay just once for your whole vacation including lodging, food, drinks and activities and make it easier to stay within your budget, especially if youre traveling with children. As the peak summer season cools off, beach resorts should get more generous with their perks. Or, you can price it a la carte to see if a package makes sense. Defy Hurricane Season Cruise lines offer the most enticing deals for travel from June 1 to November 30, which is hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean. Demand is low because of the risk of storms, but ships can generally circumvent the worst of the bad weather. If your cruise is canceled (which rarely happens), youll receive a refund or credit toward a future cruise. Check out Cruise Critics "Hurricane Zone," which provides storm updates and links to hurricane-season deals. Warning: the cruise company wont reimburse you if rerouting delays force you to shell out for extra hotel nights or other itinerary changes. You may want cover your bases by booking travel insurance through a third-party provider, such as Squaremouth. Use a Travel Agent to Book Cruises Especially for first-timers, cruises can prove more complicated than your standard trip by air or land. A good cruise agent can help you avoid any costly booking snafus, as well as score you solid deals, cabin upgrades and other extras. At CruiseCompete.com, submit your cruise preferences, and the site will relay your request to a variety of travel agents, who will then make you their best offers. But beware of upselling: Agents typically receive a commission from the cruise line, so its in their best interest if you book a cruise bundle that includes airfare and hotel. Think twice and check flights and hotels on your own before purchasing one. Book a River Cruise Cruise lines are known to nickel-and-dime passengers. So if youre looking for a less expensive but still relaxing trip, consider a river cruise. Most ships bundle wine and beer and shore activities into the price, whereas mainstream cruises charge extra. Plus, youll typically get a more intimate experience with a smaller group of passengers. Priyanka Chopra continues to make headlines for her appearance at the Grammys, courtesy her statement-making dress with a plunging neckline. However, designer Wendell Rodricks, who was criticised by actor Suchitra Krishnamoorthi for making fun of Priyankas appearance, has now explained his earlier post on social media. Commenting on Priyankas Ralph and Russo gown, Wendell had shared a sarcastic post and commented how the neckline goes all the way from LA to Cuba. The designer had deleted another post (a collage of Priyankas pictures from the event) after Suchitras comments. Soon after, Wendell shared another close-up picture of Priyanka and Nick along with an explanation that his comments were more about dress shaming than body shaming. Also Watch | Grammys 2020: Priyanka Chopra, Billie Eilish, Camila Cabello slay at red carpet Giving a stern reply to trolls on Instagram, he wrote, For all those that said some really nasty things about me body shaming, here is my retort. Did I say anything about her body? No. Many women did. I just said the dress was wrong for her despite it being couture. It was more dress shaming than body shaming. Stop this sermon from high and read the post before you speak. There is an age to wear some clothes. Men with huge bellies should not wear tight T shirts. Same with women who wear minis past a certain age. If you dont have it, dont flaunt it. I stopped wearing Bermudas as I have a few varicose veins. Dont make every issue body shaming, sexist or whatever. Or you can be false and fake resorting to being politically correct and not be truthful. If you dont like my posts unfriend me. However, not many agreed with his viewpoint. A reader wrote, And u r a designer! I feel for ur models. Guys like u r the reason models become anorexic ! Real women have curves! Take ur sexist comment and go away... and ur modern saree collection, they r tame and demure???? Wen u r bold it is beautiful and wen it s others u ve become bold and the dress s not ? I am really scared for the women working for u! Unnecessary opinion from an irrelevant people. Another wrote, Was not body shaming but certainly was aligning with stereotypes... Talk about choices that people choose to create their own sense of comfort in fashion that is created... As you choose to not wear bermudas cis of your varicose veins i choose to wear them flaunting my body which includes the bulging varicose veins... Thats body accepting. Also read: Priyanka Chopra pens introspective post about love and hate after Grammys navel-baring dress uproar Meanwhile, Priyankas fans continue to support the actor. One wrote, Theres never a look of pc which doesnt leave us shell shocked.. Wowsome... Fashion on point. Another Instagram user wrote, LA to Cuba passing through the Grand Canyon...but yes she totally nailed the look - risque & classy at the same time. Follow @htshowbiz for more Fine Gael refused to allow Senator Catherine Noone to do broadcast interviews to explain herself after she described the Taoiseach as "autistic". Ms Noone held talks with party officials where she requested that she be allowed to explain herself in a broadcast interview. However, senior party figures, including director of elections Paschal Donohoe and general secretary Tom Curran, decided against this after she underwent a mock interview with officials from the party's press office. Meanwhile, Ms Noone "apologised profusely" to Adam Harris, a leading autism awareness campaigner and a brother of Health Minister Simon Harris, in a phone call on Tuesday night. A spokesman for Mr Harris's AsIam autism charity said last night: "As far as we're concerned, the personal issue about Catherine Noone is closed. She apologised profusely, we accepted her apology. There is a broader issue in relation to autism awareness, but that's the end of the matter insofar as it relates to Catherine Noone as far as we're concerned." Fine Gael has faced calls to abandon Ms Noone's Dail campaign. The Fine Gael candidate in the Dublin Bay North constituency said she was "truly sorry" and withdrew remarks made about Mr Varadkar to a journalist from 'The Times' website while she was canvassing last week. "He's autistic, like, he's on the spectrum, there's no doubt about it. He's uncomfortable socially and he doesn't always get the inbetween bits," she said. Speaking in Wexford, Mr Varadkar said the senator had called him yesterday morning to apologise for the remark. "I said she did not need to apologise to me, she needed to apologise to the members of the autism community." VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Search Minerals Inc. (TSXV: SMY) (Search or the Company) is pleased to present the Companys plans to position our rare earth element (REE) project in the North American REE supply chain. Search has a Critical REE District that currently consists of 43-101 resources at DEEP FOX and FOXTROT. Search has also completed 2 continuous pilot plants which each have produced a 99% high purity mixed rare earth concentrate. The last step to enter the REE supply chain is to separate our mixed rare earth concentrate into the individual oxides. Solvent extraction is the traditional successful method to carry out this separation process. Our goals and objectives for 2020, subject to financing, include the following: GOALS AND OBJECTIVES FOR 2020 Evaluate further separation and refining processes to produce individual rare earth oxides for entry into the rare earth supply chain Continue and support Canadian and US government collaboration efforts to establish a North American REE earth supply chain; Update capital and operating costs for the processing facility, using information from successful pilot plant operations; Design a 1/100th scale demonstration plant to be built on site in St. Lewis, Labrador; Complete 3000m Phase III drill program of Deep Fox to test for extension of the resource; Continue channel sampling program at Fox Meadow to make this prospect drill ready; Further exploration on Silver Fox and Awesome Fox projects. Greg Andrews, President and CEO of Search Minerals states, We are very encouraged with the recent Canada and US collaboration announcements, the US Department of Defense request for funding proposals. Search has participated in the process outlined by Defense Protection Act (Title III), as Canadian projects are considered a Domestic Source, and are eligible to apply for these funding initiatives. Search continues to provide information under these US led funding programs. Search has become more than a mining story; it is a story about our possible role in the REE supply chain. Our pilot plants have produced a high purity mixed rare earth concentrate which allows Search to test commercial routes to rare earth separation. The expanding Electric Vehicle (EV), wind turbine, and other green and clean technology markets, validates the need for our rare earth oxides. The European REE supply chain also needs developing; Search can play a significant role there as well. The preliminary economic assessment is preliminary in nature and includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves, and there is no certainty that the preliminary economic assessment will be realized. The preliminary economic assessment includes the results of an economic analysis of mineral resources. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability Evaluating Processing Facility Capital and Operating Costs We have completed two pilot plant operations at SGS Canada to optimize our proprietary direct extraction process and have produced a 99% high purity mixed rare earth oxide concentrate. Samples of this concentrate are being used to test either the proven solvent extraction process or new separation technologies. We are engaging our engineering consultants to use the information from our successful pilot plant operations for internal purposes only. The report will provide management with a better understanding of the updated capital and operating costs of a processing facility. The new information includes increased recoveries, improved modifications to the flow-sheet and modified reagents usage; each with the goal to reduce capital and operating costs. Design 1/100 scale demonstration Plant Our engineers will be engaged to design and cost a 1/100th scale demonstration plant to be built on site in St. Lewis, Labrador. This report will be used internally to facilitate any government funding initiatives. The design will use the updated capital and operating costs for a full scale processing facility. The demonstration plant will be used to produce additional high quality REO concentrate for separation testing, training purposes, and further optimization of the flowsheet. The anticipated cost of the demonstration plant will be approximately $ 10M ($CDN). We expect a significant portion of this funding from various Canadian and U.S. government agencies and collaboration partners; all looking to build and establish a North American REE supply chain. Complete 3000m Phase III drill program of Deep Fox The current Deep Fox resource (see Search Minerals News Release Oct 1, 2019) is based on the 5000m Phase I and Phase II drilling programs ($1,000,000 total cost). This resource is based on drilling to the 100m level. The 3000m Deep Fox Phase III drill program ($600,000 expected cost) is designed to delineate the resource below the 100m level. We expect to access flow-through funding for this drill program, which should commence by mid year of 2020. Continue channel sampling program at Fox Meadow to make prospect drill ready Preliminary UAV (drone) magnetometer data indicates that the Critical Rare Earth Element (CREE) mineralization at FOX MEADOW is up to 650 m long. When the additional channelling, totalling 310m in 6 channels, is compiled with previous channels (see Search Minerals News Release, March 14, 2019) the mineralized zone appears to have a strike length of at least 625m and a width of up to 124m. We will continue our channel program with the expectation to have Fox Meadow drill ready for the 2021 drill season. Continue with Silver Fox and Awesome Fox exploratory work Further channel sampling will take place at Silver Fox and Awesome Fox prospects as part of our 2020 Exploration program. This exploration work will depend on upcoming assay and UAV results that should be available in the near future. Qualified Person: Dr. Randy Miller, Ph.D., P.Geo, is the Company's Vice President, Exploration, and Qualified Person (as defined by National Instrument 43-101) who has supervised the preparation of and approved the technical information reported herein. The company will endeavour to meet high standards of integrity, transparency, and consistency in reporting technical content, including geological and assay (e.g., REE) data. About Search Minerals Inc. Led by a proven management team and board of directors, Search is focused on finding and developing resources within the emerging Critical Rare Earth Element (CREE) District of South East Labrador. The Company controls a belt 70 km long and 8 km wide including its 100% interest in the FOXTROT and DEEP FOX Projects, which are road accessible and at tidewater. Exploration efforts have advanced Fox Meadow as a new CREE prospect very similar to and in close proximity to FOXTROT and DEEP FOX. The FOXTROT Project has a capital cost to bring the initial project into production ($152 M), a short payback period and is scalable due to Searchs proprietary processing technology. All material information on the Company may be found on its website at www.searchminerals.ca and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com For further information, please contact: Greg Andrews President and CEO Tel: 604-998-3432 E-mail: info@searchminerals.ca Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Not for distribution to U.S. Newswire Services or for dissemination in the United States. Any failure to comply with this restriction may constitute a violation of U.S. securities laws. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This news release includes certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively forward-looking statements) within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, without limitation, statements relating the future operating or financial performance of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as expects, anticipates, believes, intends, estimates, potential, possible, and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results will, may, could, or should occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements in this news release relate to, among other things, technical results from the Companys drilling program and closing of the Offering. Actual future results may differ materially. 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. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the respective parties, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation, the risk that the Company is not able to find suitable investors for the Offering or does not receive the approval of TSX Venture Exchange. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these times. Except as required by law, the Company does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change. Terrorists kill 2 civilians in bomb attack in Syria A bomb-laden truck detonates in the customs area in Tel Abyad. At least two civilians were killed and four others injured Thursday in a bomb attack in northern Syria, an Anadolu Agency correspondent on the ground reported. THE BOMB DETONATED IN THE CUSTOMS AREA According to initial reports, a bomb-laden truck targeted the northern Tel Abyad district. Tel Abyad was cleared of terrorists in October by Turkey's anti-terror Operation Peace Spring in northern Syria, launched to eliminate YPG/PKK terrorists from east of the Euphrates River to secure Turkeys borders, aid in the safe return of Syrian refugees, and ensure Syrias territorial integrity. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Infosys announced on Thursday that it has signed a multi-year, multi-million contract with ABN AMRO Bank to accelerate its cloud and DevOps (development and operations) transformation journey. As part of this renewed contract, the Bengaluru- headquartered IT major will enable ABN AMRO Bank to achieve its business and operational goals by aligning its IT transformation with its cloud platform strategy, an Infosys statement said. "Leveraging its expertise in cloud and data management services, Infosys will help ABN AMRO Bank to navigate to a single public cloud to deliver agility and cost efficiency in business operations," it said. The Congress-led Chhattisgarh government is likely to table a resolution in the state Legislative Assembly against the recently enacted Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). The state cabinet on Thursday passed a resolution opposing the Act and urged the Centre to repeal it, citing protests across Chhattisgarh. During the budget session of the Assembly, the state government is likely to table an anti-CAA resolution, parliamentary affairs minister Ravindra Choubey said here. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel also wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, making a formal appeal in this regard. Kerala, West Bengal and Congress-ruled Rajasthan and Punjab have already adopted resolutions against the Act, calling it discriminatory. The Act provides for grant of citizenship to non- Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who arrived in India before 2015 fleeing religious persecution. Choubey said the Act was "against the sentiments of the people of Chhattisgarh". "Chhattisgarh is witnessing massive peaceful protests against the Act by different sections of society. Chhattisgarh originally has inhabitants belonging to Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, OBCs," Baghel said in his letter to Modi. "And a huge chunk of the state's population lives below poverty line, are landless and illiterate. They will surely face difficulties in fulfilling the formalities required by the Act. The CAA erodes the Constitution's fundamental structure on secularism," the chief minister wrote. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) AIMPLB says that it is for the follower of Islam, who seeks fatwa, either to accept the same or not. New Delhi: The All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that there was no prohibition on the entry of women in the mosques for offering namaz but it is not obligatory for them to join weekly Friday congregation at the mosque. The entry of women in the Mosque for offering prayer/Namaz, inside the mosque, is permitted. Thus, a Muslim woman is free to enter masjid for prayers. It is her option to exercise her right to avail such facilities as available for prayers in Masjid, the AIMPLB have stated in its reply to PIL petitioner Yasmeen Zuber Ahmed Peerzada seeking the quashing of a fatwa prohibiting the entry of women in mosques. The reply by the AIMPLB is rooted in a hearing by the nine-judge bench of the top court on the larger issue of legality and essentially of religious belief and practices discriminatory to women. The hearing is likely to commence from February 3, 2020. Refusing to comment on any contrary religious opinion to this effect, the AIMPLB has said, Islam has not made it obligatory on Muslim women to join congregational prayer nor is it obligatory for woman to offer Friday namaz in congregation though it is so on Muslim men. The Muslim woman, AIMPLB has said, is differently placed because as per doctrines of Islam she is entitled to the same religious reward (Sawab) for praying as per her option either in Masjid or at home. Referring to views of different religious scholars within Islam, the AIMPLB says that though Friday prayer is obligatory for every adult except four: child, slave, woman, and patient. On the prayer of the PIL petitioner seeking the quashing of Fatwa restraining the Muslim women to enter into Mosque, AIMPLB has said that the relief sought by PIL petitioner becomes irrelevant in view of no bar on the entry of women in mosques AIMPLB says in its reply that the stand taken by it is as per Islamic texts, that entry of woman into Mosque for Namaz is permitted. Any other fatwa to this effect may be ignored. Further dwelling on the sanctity of fatwa, the Board has said, it is an opinion based upon religious texts, doctrine and their interpretation and has no statutory force. However, Boards says that the top court by its order cannot restrain the issuance of fatwa or opinion based on religious texts and their interpretations as same shall directly hit the right and freedom of religious belief of an individual. Upon having received the opinion, AIMPLB says that it is for the follower of Islam, who seeks fatwa, either to accept the same or not. The Boeing BA 737 MAXs duel crashes killed 346 people, devastating relatives and putting shareholders back on their heels. Boeings #1 selling aircraft was grounded for most of 2019. This caused rippling financial impacts that could cost Boeing up to $20 billion in total. 2019 was the first year in decades that this defense giant has posted a full-year loss. BA is down 11% over the past 52-weeks, and Im surprised the losses werent more extensive. The shares downward trajectory will only continue for Boeing the longer the MAX is grounded. As of January, Boeing has completely halted the production of the aircraft, pending the FAAs re-evaluation of the 737 MAX. This grounding has allowed Airbus EADSY to take some market share in the aerospace sector. Shares of this European aerospace giant have climbed over 32% in the past 52-weeks gaining from every price drop of its primary competitor, BA. David Calhoun has recently taken the helm at Boeing. His stock driving performance as CEO at Neilson gives me confidence in his leadership abilities. Analysts and investors remain optimistic about BAs long-term outlook. Boeing conservatively told airlines not to expect the 737 MAX in the air until the second half of 2020, but the FAA recently suggested that the MAX may be off the ground before that. 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 Boeing Company (BA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Airbus Group (EADSY) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The chief executive of Royal Dutch Shell is preparing for a tough and uncertain energy market, amid heightened fears China's fast-spreading coronavirus could suppress oil demand growth. It comes amid speculation that OPEC and allied non-OPEC producers could soon step in to extend production cuts in order to support falling oil prices. Financial markets have been spooked by the spread of a deadly pneumonia-like virus, with energy market participants trying to assess the potential economic fallout. International benchmark Brent crude traded at $58.40 a barrel Thursday morning, down nearly 2.4%, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) stood at $52.13, around 2.2% lower. Oil prices had steadied in recent sessions, after a rout pushed both crude benchmarks to their lowest level since October on Monday. Brent has now fallen almost 15% since climbing to an early January peak, with WTI more than 17% lower over the same period. "The coronavirus, I'm sure, will keep a lot of people on edge and rightly so," Ben van Beurden, CEO of Royal Dutch Shell, told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" on Thursday. "It is a very concerning development, a lot of people will be anxious and of course we are monitoring very closely what is happening," he added. "I am absolutely convinced and that is what we are seeing at the moment that it will not help sentiment," he warned. "At this point in time, sentiment in oil markets is not so much sentiment about supply, it is all sentiment in demand." She'd previously jetted to Jamaica with husband Mark Wright to celebrate his 33rd birthday. And Michelle Keegan was displaying her incredible tanned physique in a skimpy white bikini as she enjoyed a relaxing beachside stroll in Barbados on Wednesday. The actress, 32, looked incredible in the two-piece with a knitted camel skirt as she soaked up the sunshine during the relaxing break. Beautiful: Michelle Keegan, 32, was displaying her incredible tanned physique in a skimpy white bikini as she enjoyed a relaxing beachside stroll in Barbados on Wednesday As she walked alongside the crystal clear ocean, Michelle showcased every inch of her amazing figure in a white bikini with a waved print. The former Coronation Street star looked right at home in the sun as she teamed the two-piece with a knitted camel skirt and rattan handbag, and opted to go barefoot feel the white sands between her toes. Michelle didn't seem to have a care in the world as she enjoyed the sunny stroll, after jetting to Jamaica days earlier for a peaceful break with husband Mark. Stunning: The actress, 32, looked incredible in the two-piece with a knitted camel skirt as she soaked up the sunshine during the relaxing break Jaw-dropping: Michelle looked as if she didn't have a care in the world as she strolled along the ocean, carrying her essentials in a rattan handbag It comes after Michelle and her husband Mark shared a glimpse of their romantic Jamaican break, as the Heart Radio DJ celebrated his 33rd birthday. The couple offered a rare insight into their relationship as they uploaded snaps onto Instagram on Sunday, which documented a boat ride and a peek at their five-star hotel. In one snap, the pair were the picture of happiness as they soaked up the sun on a boat while giggling amongst themselves. Just the two of us: It comes after Michelle and her husband Mark shared a glimpse of their romance Jamaican break, as the Heart Radio DJ celebrated his 33rd birthday Uploaded onto the birthday boy's platform, the hunk captioned the beaming image: 'Happiness summed up in 1 pic. Living, Laughing, Loving. 'Jamaica you made my birthday week so special. @sandals_uk #family #laughter #gifted #sandalssouthcoast #birthday.' [sic] Former soap star Michelle also treated fans to a glimpse at her break as she posed in a black bikini and sheer sarong while enjoying the view of the country's clear blue sea. Bikini babe: The former TOWIE star and the ex-Corrie actress shared a rare insight into their relationship as they uploaded snaps onto Instagram on Sunday Lucky for some! Former soap star Michelle treated fans to a glimpse at her break as she enjoyed the view of the country's clear blue sea The delighted thespian penned: 'Aslong as I have sun, sea and views like these im happy... oh and good food... and a cocktail, preferably a pina colada... @sandals_uk #ad.' Earlier this month, Michelle announced she is leaving BBC 1 drama Our Girl after four years. The actress played British army medic Georgie Lane on the show for three seasons but plans to leave in order to spend more time in her home country. The demanding filming schedule of the show has seen the Stockport-born star travel to South Africa, Nepal and Malaysia for several months of filming a year. The Wright Way: The pair were joined by their loved ones, including Mark's sisters Jess and Natalya, as well as his parents Carol and Mark Sr Nearest and dearest: The birthday boy and the Our Girl star packed on the PDA as they held hands during a family dinner Girls just wanna have fun! TV personality Jess, 34, displayed her sensational figure in a white two-piece as she rang in her sibling's birthday in style What a difference: The host was in his element as he sipped on a refreshing drink on a boat, before sharing another snap of himself back in chilly London Cheeky! In another photo, the shirtless star poked fun at dry January as he held up a selection of alcoholic beverages Moving on: Earlier this month, Michelle announced she is leaving BBC 1 drama Our Girl after four years (pictured) When speaking with The Sun about her decision the ex-Coronation street star said: 'Ive had the most incredible four years on the show and I want to thank the BBC for giving me such an amazing opportunity. 'Playing Georgie has been a life changing role for me. Ive loved every second of the adventure so it was a very hard decision to make not to return. 'I feel it is the right time to explore other exciting opportunities but Im so happy to be part of the new series coming soon so its not the end just yet.' New venture: The photos come as it was announced Mark will go head-to-head with Scottish rugby legend Jim Hamilton in fitness test GUINNESS presents the Calcutta SAS Bootcamp The show producers are currently looking for another female to play the lead in the hit series, which starred former EastEnders actress Lacey Turner, 31, for its first run in 2014. Meanwhile, Michelle's husband star Mark left his dream presenting role in 'lonely' LA to be back with his gorgeous wife in February last year. The stunning couple met on a New Year's break in Dubai back in December 2012, with the pair tying the knot in an idyllic ceremony in May 2015. The photos come as it was announced Mark will go head-to-head with Scottish rugby legend Jim Hamilton in fitness test GUINNESS presents the Calcutta SAS Bootcamp. The SAS inspired bootcamp will see Mark lead a team of English fans against Jim Hamilton and his team of Scots - honouring the rivalry of the Guinness Six Nations. Photo: The Canadian Press In a striking shift from President Donald Trumps claim of perfect dealings with Ukraine, his defence asserted at his Senate trial that a trade of U.S. military aid for political favours even if proven could not be grounds for his impeachment. Trump's defenders relied on retired professor Alan Dershowitz, a member of their team, who told senators that every politician conflates his own interest with the public interest. "It cannot be impeachable, he declared Wednesday. Democrats pressed hard to force the Senate to call more witnesses to testify, but Republicans appeared intently focused on bringing the impeachment trial to a vote of acquittal, possibly in a matter of days. Even new revelations from former national security adviser John Bolton were countered by the president's lawyers, who used Wednesday's unusual question-and-answer session to warn off prolonging the proceeding, insisting senators have heard enough. Democrats argued Bolton's forthcoming book cannot be ignored. It contends he personally heard Trump say he wanted military aid withheld from Ukraine until it agreed to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden the abuse of power charge that is the first article of impeachment. The vote on calling witnesses is expected by Friday. As Chief Justice John Roberts fielded queries, Texas Republican Ted Cruz asked if it mattered whether there was a quid pro quo? Simply, no, declared Dershowitz, who said many politicians equate their reelection with the public good. That's why it's so dangerous to try to psychoanalyze a president, he said. Rep. Adam Schiff, the Democrat leading the House prosecutors, appeared stunned. All quid pro quos are not the same," he retorted. Some might be acceptable, some not. And you don't need to be a mind reader to figure out which is which. For one thing, you can ask John Bolton." With voting on witnesses later this week, Democrats, amid the backdrop of protesters swarming the Capitol, are making a last-ditch push to sway Republicans to call Bolton and others to appear for testimony and ensure a fair trial." Trump faces charges from the House that he abused his power like no other president, jeopardizing Ukraine and U.S.-Ukraine relations by using the military aid as leverage while the vulnerable ally battled Russia. The second article of impeachment says Trump then obstructed the House probe in a way that threatened the nation's three-branch system of checks and balances. Over two days, senators are grilling the House Democrats prosecuting the case and the Republican president's defence team. Dozens of questions were asked and answered Wednesday in five-minute clips, with senators under orders to sit silently without comment, submitting their questions in writing. They finished shortly past 11 p.m. and were expected to keep going Thursday. Democratic leader Chuck Schumer asked whether the Senate could really render a fair verdict without hearing from Bolton or acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, both potential eyewitnesses to Trump's actions. Dont wait for the book. Dont wait til March 17, when it is in black and white to find out the answer to your question, Schiff told the Senate. A municipal review of Chain Bridge reconstruction plans aimed at cutting costs has got the go-ahead from Budapest city lawmakers. The Budapest Assembly accepted a proposal by Gergely Karacsony, the citys mayor, to reassess the project won through a public procurement tender, as well as the conditions set down in the tender, with 19 votes in favour and 3 abstentions. Karacsony said that given the urgency of refurbishing the bridge itself, the original plan to revamp the Castle Tunnel nearby at the same time may have to be reconsidered. Budapests municipality lacks 10 billion forints (EUR 30.0m) in funds for the planned reconstruction of the citys iconic Chain Bridge, and will have to curb the technical aspects of the revamp should the government not top up funding, the group leader of the opposition Socialists in the Budapest Assembly said. Speaking to a press conference ahead of the first assembly meeting this year, Csaba Horvath said the high prices set by companies close to the government stop the city from launching the reconstruction. Meanwhile, the assembly also passed amendments regarding procedural rules that Karacsony insisted would make the assemblys operations more democratic while broadening citizen participation. He said the changes also aimed to fortify the assembly oppositions right to examine laws and procedures and to improve transparency. The amendments were accepted with 18 votes in favour, 6 against and 7 abstentions. Zsolt Lang, the leader of the Fidesz-Christian Democrat group in the assembly, insisted, however, that the draft regulations failed to ensure basic democratic rights while curbing councillors rights. It also allows the mayor to chair meetings in a strongly authoritative manner while running afoul of the law on local authorities, he said. Several amendment proposals of the opposition had been incorporated into the draft. Also, in a unanimous vote, the assembly allocated 35 million forints (EUR 104,000) for a monument to women raped during the world wars. The proposal declares that gang rapes by Soviet troops during the second world war are a part of our collective memory and this was treated as taboo during the communist era. The memorial aims to create a space to process the trauma and remind future generations of things that should never happen again, the proposal signed by Karacsony said. In a separate development, the assembly has approved a proposal to order a new feasibility study for the Romai embankment along the Danube in the citys northern Csillaghegy bay area, and cancel on environmental grounds an earlier plan to place the main dyke near the riverbank. The assembly supported this with 19 votes in favour, 2 against and 6 abstentions. Last November, the assembly introduced a ban on making changes to the Romai embankment in order to maintain professional and social dialogue to decide the necessary flood protection measures. The new feasibility study will be expected to include an analysis of various locations for a new dyke. Until a final solution is found for flood protection in the bay, the Metropolitan Sewage Works will carry out this task, if necessary by raising the level of the current dyke. MTI Photo: Balogh Zoltan Forward-looking: UPS and Waymo have announced a partnership that allows UPS to dip its toes into autonomous deliveries. The company thinks that Waymo's driverless tech can transform how it delivers packages. While UPS isn't the only company looking to leverage self-driving cars, this partnership is yet another stepping stone to a future where both packages and people can be transported without a driver. Waymo, the Google subsidiary best known for its self-driving cars, is teaming up with UPS for a limited package delivery pilot program. The program involves Waymo's Chrysler Pacifica minivans delivering packages from UPS stores to sorting facilities within Phoenix, AZ. The minivans will not deliver to people. UPS and Waymo are exploring automated and autonomous technologies to enhance network operations, said Scott Price, UPS chief strategy and transformation officer. Getting packages to our sortation facilities sooner and more frequently, while also creating an opportunity for later drop-offs for next-day service, can add enormous value for our customers. Waymo already operates a Level 4 autonomous driving fleet in Phoenix that is completely driver-less. However, the vans that are shuttling packages between UPS locations will still have a safety driver. UPS says the primary goal is to "explore how autonomous ground vehicles improve customer service and network efficiency". That said, the company did not rule out any long term partnership if the pilot goes well. The partnership isn't exclusive to UPS, however. Waymo already has a fleet of autonomous semi-trucks for freight delivery and regularly makes deliveries for auto retailer AutoNation. Furthermore, both UPS and the United States Postal Services piloted autonomous mail trucks last year via self-driving startup TuSimple. Autonomous cars seem to be getting better and more sophisticated. Just a few days ago, we reported that Uber is bringing its self-driving cars to Washington, D.C. Although, unlike other cities deployments, Uber's cars in D.C. will be manually driven. The slower, methodical approach is probably better considering the controversy over Uber allegedly using Waymo's technology. Regardless, a future in which packages and people are transported without a driver is coming fast. Kolkata Police have arrested three persons including two members of reputed business houses on the charge of blackmailing, and found in their possession videoptapes of intimate moments of 182 women. The videoptapes were allegedly recorded by the two members of business families over a period of seven years, a senior police official said on Thursday. The third person arrested was an employee of one of the two, who used to call a potential victim and extort money by blackmailing her to release the intimate videotapes on the internet, the IPS officer said. He said Anish Loharuka - a member of a family owing several hotels - and his friend Aditya Aggarwal - a scion of a popular ethnic wear chain - have started recording such videotaping since 2013, he said. "First, they used to befriend a woman and then develop physical relationships with them. During intimate moments, they recorded photographs and videos and preserve them on computers. After sometime, they came out of the relationship. Their main intention was to squeeze money from these women," he said. While investigating a complaint lodged in November last year by a woman at Kolkata Police's Cyber Crime section, police nabbed one person, identified as Kailash Yadav, on January 10 for allegedly making calls to the complainant to blackmail her, a senior police officer said. After questioning him, the police arrested Loharuka and Aggarwal on January 28, he said adding that they did not want their names to be involved and used Kailash to make those threat calls. Police so far have seized videotapes of intimate moments involving 182 women, which the two businessmen had recorded in the past seven years, the IPS officer said. A laptop containing the photographs and videotapes have been seized and sent for forensic tests. It allegedly belonged to Loharuka. "We have found several messages sent to the victims in the mobile phone Yadav used. We have also retrieved call records of his device," he said. The complainant has claimed she had paid Kailash Rs 5 lakh but when he demanded another Rs 10 lakh, she lodged a complaint with the police. The trio, when produced before a city court, were remanded to police custody till February 6. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Shakur Basti Delhi Assembly Constituency Election Results 2020 Live Updates - Read Shakur Basti constituency vidhan sabha chunav latest news, party, constituency, candidate name wise winner, loser, leading, trailing live updates online at Firstpost.com. Shakur Basti Assembly Elections 2020: Delhi cabinet minister Satyendar Jain has won the election from Shakur Basti against the Bharatiya Janata Party's SC Vats by a margin of 7,592 votes. The constituency is situated in north Delhi. Pitted against Jain were BJPs SC Vats, Congress Dev Raj Arora, BSPs Asha Ram and Akhil Bharatiya Jan Shakti Partys Praveen Yadav. Constituency Name: Shakur Basti Constituency Number: 15 District Name: North Delhi Total Electors: 1,47,262 Female Electors: 71,326 Male Electors: 75,935 Third Gender: 1 Reserved: No Results in previous elections: Shyamlal Garg of the BJP won the seat in 2008 by a narrow margin of 4,000 votes. He defeated SC Vats of the BJP, who had been a former two-time Congress MLA. Garg was, however, defeated by Satyendar Jain of the AAP in the 2013 polls. Jain retained the seat in 2015 too. Jain is currently the home and health minister of Delhi. Demographics: Shakur Basti has a diverse demography, with planned areas, colonies, low-income settlements as well as slums. It also has a large trader community. According to reports, civic issues like lack of proper roads, piped water supply and sewage lines are likely to dominate the poll narrative in this constituency, which is densely populated. The constituency has a sex ratio of 943 - above the states gender ratio of 824. Residents said since the last demolition drive in the slums, netas, across political parties, seldom visited them. While hailing the governments targeted schemes for the poor, locals lamented the lack of infrastructure development in the slums. However, those living in the relatively affluent areas of Pitampura and Paschim Vihar showered praise on the AAP MLA, New Indian Express reported, adding that long-pending work was completed quickly and government schemes were brought into effect in a timely manner. [January 30, 2020] INVESTIGATION REMINDER: The Schall Law Firm Announces it is Investigating Claims Against Westpac Banking Corporation and Encourages Investors with Losses to Contact the Firm The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, announces that it is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Westpac Banking Corporation ("Westpac" or "the Company") (NYSE: WBK) for violations of the securities laws. The investigation focuses on whether the Company issued false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose information pertinent to investors. Westpac was charged on November 19, 2019, with more than 23 million violations of Australia's Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act ("AML-CTF Act") by the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre ("AUSTRAC"). AUSTRAC's Statement of Caim alleges that the Company failed to detect and prevent money laundering and risky payments from and to Southeast Asia that were related to the sexual exploitation of children. AUSTRAC claims that Westpac knew of the connection to child exploitation and that its senior management team was "specifically briefed" on the danger in 2016. Based on this news, shares of Westpac fell by almost 4.5% in the next trading session, harming investors. If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate. We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall of the Schall Law Firm, 1880 Century Park East, Suite 404, Los Angeles, CA (News - Alert) 90067, at 424-303-1964, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com, or by email at [email protected]. The class in this case has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member. The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005682/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force has arrested Dr Kafeel Khan from Mumbai airport for allegedly making inflammatory statements at Aligarh Muslim University during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act last month, officials said. Khan was arrested on Wednesday night with assistance from Mumbai Police at the airport when he arrived in the city to attend anti-CAA protests, an official said. "Officials of the UP STF arrested Dr Kafeel Khan in a case which was registered at Civil Lines Police Station under section 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups) of IPC. Our police team helped our UP counterparts on their request," said an official from Mumbai Police. He claimed that Khan had made inflammatory statements on December 12 last year during the protest near Bab e Syed Gate outside the Aligarh Muslim University in front of more than 600 students. The official also alleged that the Gorakhpur doctor had made objectionable comments against Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The FIR against Khan mentions that Swaraj India's president Yogendra Yadav was also present during the speech at AMU. Following the arrest in the case, Khan was taken to the Sahar Police Station and after completing formalities he will be taken to UP on transit remand, the official said. Khan, a paediatrician, had come to the limelight in 2017 when a controversy broke out after the death of over 60 children in less than a week at the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur, UP. US President Donald Trump will visit the Sabarmati Riverfront in Gujarat during his India trip in February, the said state chief Minister Vijay Rupani. New Delhi: US President Donald Trump will visit the Sabarmati Riverfront in Gujarat during his India trip in February, the state Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said on Wednesday. Rupani said this while addressing an election rally in north Delhi's Shastri Nagar. "In entire Asia, the Sabarmati river has become the cleanest river which was ensured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Prominent leaders like Japan and Israel prime ministers also visited the riverfront and got surprised to see it. "US President Trump will also come (to India) in February and he will also visit the riverfront," the Gujarat chief minister said. However, he did not specify the dates. Earlier this month, government sources said Indian and US officials were engaged in talks to finalise the dates for Trump's visit to India. "Both sides are in discussions to finalise the dates," a source said. Trump's two-day visit to India could take place from 24 to 26 February. India had invited Trump to grace the Republic Day parade as the chief guest last year but the US president could not come due to scheduling issues. Recounting the hellish conditions of eight years spent on death row on blasphemy charges but also the pain of exile, Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi has broken her silence to give her first personal insight into an ordeal that caused international outrage. Bibi was sentenced to death on blasphemy charges by a Pakistani court in 2010 but then dramatically acquitted in 2018. She now lives in Canada at an undisclosed location. French journalist Anne-Isabelle Tollet, who has co-written a book about her, was once based in the country where she led a support campaign for her. She is the only reporter to have met Bibi during her stay in Canada. In the book Enfin libre! (Finally Free) -- published in French on Wednesday with an English version due out in September -- Bibi recounts her arrest, the conditions of prison, the relief of her release but also the difficulty of adjusting to a new life. You already know my story through the media, she said in the book. But you are far from understanding my daily life in prison or my new life, she said. Depths of darkness I became a prisoner of fanaticism, she said. In prison, tears were the only companions in the cell. She described the horrendous conditions in squalid jails in Pakistan where she was kept chained and jeered at by other detainees. My wrists are burning me, it is hard to breathe. My neck... is encased in an iron collar that the guard can tighten with a huge nut, she wrote. A long chain drags along on the filthy ground. This connects my neck to the handcuffed hand who pulls me like a dog on a lead. Deep within me, a dull fear takes me towards the depths of darkness. A lacerating fear that will never leave me. Many other prisoners showed her no pity. I am startled by the cry of a woman. To death! The other women join in. Hanged! Hanged!. At what price? Blasphemy is an incendiary charge in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where even the whiff of an unsubstantiated allegation of insulting Islam can spark death at the hands of mobs. Her acquittal on the charges, which stemmed from an incident in 2009 when she argued with a Muslim co-labourer, resulted in violent protests that paralysed the country led by firebrand cleric, Khadim Hussain Rizvi. Bibi, who vehemently denied the charges against her, argued in the book that the Christian minority in overwhelmingly Muslim Pakistan still faces persecution. Even with my freedom, the climate (for Christians) does not seemed to have changed and Christians can expect all kinds of reprisals, she said. They live with this sword of Damcoles over their head. And while Canada gives her a safer and more certain future, Bibi also has to come to terms with likely never setting foot in her homeland again. In this unknown country, I am ready for a new departure, perhaps for a new life. But at what price? My heart broke when I had to leave without saying goodbye to my father or other members of the family. Pakistan is my country. I love my country but I am in exile forever, she said. [January 30, 2020] Resonate Blends, Inc. Announces Shareholder Update Resonate Blends, Inc. (OTCQB:KOAN), a cannabis-based holding company ("the Company"), announced today an update to shareholders regarding the progress of its growth and strategic initiatives from CEO and Chairman of Resonate Blends, Inc., Geoffrey Selzer. Dear Shareholders, We started Resonate Blends with a simple mission --- to demystify cannabis. We developed the Resonate System to make Cannabis understandable, accessible and predictable to support the Wellness lifestyle. We empower people to live their best lives by developing proprietary and innovative branded products built on science and plant medicine. We are raising the concept of effect targets to a fine art. Koan, the Resonate Blends product family, is based around a comprehensive system of interconnected experience targets that allow people to select the products that best fit their lifestyle and health objectives. Koan products are dedicated to the efficacy and precision of functional experience targets across a broad range of product categories. We are currently finalizing development in cooperation with an award-winning strategic partner in preparation for the launch of our first product line of six products. These multi-use products deliver specific, predictable, reliable, effects in a format that is completely unique in the industry. The company has formalized contracts with the leading logistical and marketing partners and we are on target for our upcoming product release. This release will be followed before year end with our second product line that is already in full development. Resonate recently made an investment into Joiant, the top selling CBD:THC pre-roll brand in California (according to BDS Analytics) with the option to fully acquire the company by March 26, 2020. Joiant is led by former Co-Founder of Pandora (News - Alert) Media, Jon Kraft and Jiant Founder Lindsey Kirk, a former KIVA Confections ambassador. We are delighted with the Joiant deal as it supports several strategic goals of the holding company including a jumpstart for distribution to support the launch of our Koan products. In addition to preparing for the release of the Koan products, we are also refocusing and building the Holding Company. After market analysis, we determined that the greatest value creation is in value-added brands. Therefore, Resonate's growth strategy is to avoid investments in heavily commoditized assets and to incubate and integrate synergistic companies and partners. Vertical integration will occur only to support our product needs and or to provide consistent product quality that yields expected results and to manage margins and profitability at scale. As a public company we can rapidly speed our growth through highly targeted acquisitions in the market place that support and enhance organic growth. We are in the process of restructuring our balance sheet to align capital raising and acquisitions with our long-term strategy which means raising and supporting long term capital vs short term capital raises. We appreciate your support of our company and we look forward to sharing more news with you in the near future. About Resonate Blends, Inc. (OTCQB:KOAN) Based in Calabasas, California, Resonate Blends, Inc. is a cannabis holding company centered on valued-added holistic Wellness and Lifestyle brands. The company strategy is to ignite future growth by building a purpose-driven portfolio of research organizations, innovative and emerging brands, and retail channels. The holding company's focus is finding mutual value between product and consumer by optimizing quality, supply chain resources and financial performance. The Company offers a family of premium cannabis-based products of consistent quality based on unique formations calibrated to Resonate Blends effects system, the industry gold standard in user experience. For more information: www.resonateblends.com Safe Harbor Provision: Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, the information presented in this news release constitutes "forward-looking statements" made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements in this press release as they reflect Textmunication Holdings' current expectations with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risks described in Textmunication Holdings' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this news release and any document referred to in this press release. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005728/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam Thu, January 30, 2020 19:15 713 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2061c6310 1 National coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,Batam,port,Singapore Free Embung Fatimah General Hospital (RSUD) in Batam, Riau Islands, says one of its patients may have been infected with the novel coronavirus and is being treated in the isolation ward. The patient, identified only as R., 40, arrived at the Batam Center International Ferry Port from Singapore on Wednesday. The thermal scanner at the port did not detect a fever. "He arrived in Batam from Singapore and passed the thermal scanner test because he had taken fever medication," Batam Health Agency head Didi Kusumayadi said at a news conference on Thursday. Read also: [UPDATED]: Suspected Wuhan coronavirus in Indonesia: What we know so far Didi said the patient worked on a tugboat at Jurong Port, Singapore, where he interacted with workers from various countries. On Jan. 20, R. came down with a fever and breathlessness. He took a home remedy, but the symptoms returned. He was then instructed by his superior to return home to Batam. R. took the Majestic ferry from Singapore at 12 p.m. Wednesday to Batam. Soon after arrival, R. went to RSUD at 3:30 p.m. with respiratory problems. After consulting a lung specialist, he was suspected to have contracted the coronavirus. "R. has all the symptoms according to Health Ministry [guidelines], although he has no record of having traveled to China. But because the coronavirus has spread to Asia, including Singapore and Malaysia, he fits the pattern [of coronavirus infection]," Didi said. He said R. would remain in isolation and be closely monitored. The Batam Port Health Office (KKP) has also been enlisted to diagnose the man. "We have sent a specimen from the patient to Jakarta. Perhaps by afternoon it will have arrived at the Health Ministry laboratory," Didi said. Read also: Indonesia well prepared to handle coronavirus outbreak: WHO He said the test results on whether the man had the coronavirus would be ready to announce in three days or by next Monday. "We will not be the ones to [publicly] reveal the results, whether [the patient] is positive or not; that's for the director general or health minister," Didi said. He said that besides taking fever medication, the patient could have passed the thermal scan undetected because of unruly passengers. Batam KKP quarantine control and epidemiology surveillance department head Romer Simanungkalit said that because other people could have come into contact with the coronavirus, the office would cooperate with the Batam Police, Rempong and Galang (Barelang) officers, the immigration office and the Population and Civil Register Agency to track down passengers who were on the same ferry as R. "We are cooperating with the police to track down passengers on board with him. There were 16 passengers -- four Indonesians and the remainder foreigners," Romer said, adding that the police had tracked down the Indonesians but had not been able to locate the foreigners. A tourist leaves a pharmacy in the Myeong-dong shopping district after buying a box of masks amid mounting fears over the spread of the deadly coronavirus, Monday. / Yonhap By Jun Ji-hye A 37-year-old office worker who works for a trading company in downtown Seoul frequently visited the Myeong-dong shopping district for lunch with his clients. But he is now looking elsewhere for his lunch meetings amid mounting fears over the spread of the deadly coronavirus that originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan. "As the Myeong-dong district is one the most popular tourist attractions especially among Chinese tourists, my colleagues and I have become reluctant to visit the area," he said, Thursday. Street vendors and owners of shops in Myeong-dong said the district has become quieter than usual following the recent outbreak of the new coronavirus. Pharmacies that sell masks were the only places that were crowded, they said. Besides Myeong-dong, the public appear to have been avoiding visiting other popular tourist attractions in Seoul such as Namdaemun Market and department stores as the fears over the Wuhan coronavirus are igniting anti-China sentiments, or "China-phobia." 368 Korean evacuees from Wuhan sent to two state-run facilities Korea reports 1st human-to-human transmission of coronavirus 'Desperate time calls for desperate measures' Some restaurants in areas crowded with tourists have even posted signs saying "No Chinese allowed". A 34-year-old man who runs his own business in western Seoul said he felt fear when he realized a Chinese person was standing next to him on a crowded subway on the way home a few days ago. "At the time, not only me but also many other passengers looked at the person out of fear, with some even wrinkling their brows," he said. "I know that it is not rational to have an antipathy to all Chinese people, but I could not help myself due to concerns." A 29-year-old office worker is planning to go on a business trip to the United States in early February to visit a global exhibition, but is "feeling uneasy as many people from China are also expected to visit the event." The death toll has already reached about 170 in China, with the viral illness having already spread to other parts of the world quickly. Amid the growing China-phobia, Grand Korea Leisure (GKL), which runs foreigner-only casinos in Korea, has restricted access to Chinese tourist package groups. Lotte World, which has been also popular among Chinese tourists, saw an 18 percent decrease in the number of visitors during the Lunar New Year holiday that ran from Jan. 24 to Jan. 27, compared to last year. Boo Sang-il from the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, who is preparing to run in the general election in April on Jeju Island, asked Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae to temporarily suspend Jeju's visa-free program for Chinese visitors amid the virus outbreak. Hotels and duty-free stores have been suffering a blow from fear of the virus as well. When passers-by in Lancaster County saw Champ lying on the ground, they called the police to help the horse. But nothing could be done, and Champ had to be euthanized. Now, his owners are accused of neglecting and starving him. According to the Lancaster County District Attorneys Office, Kenneth Breneman, 64 and Jean Breneman, 63, of West Donegal Township, were charged Wednesday with felony aggravated cruelty and three related misdemeanors. According to investigators, the Northwest Regional Police Department was first called to their home on Stonemill Drive Dec. 13 to help the horse. A veterinarian was called in to assist and said nothing could be done for the horse. An examination of Champs body revealed that he died of emaciation, investigators say. Champ also had severe dental disease and other conditions. Police filed charges Wednesday, and the Brenemans were both arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Randall Miller with bail set at $250,000 unsecured. One of the misdemeanor charges was related to a goat found at the home. The goat is now in the care of the Pennsylvania SPCA. Their preliminary hearing is set for Feb. 26. 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. JOHANNESBURG (AP) A South African billionaire businessman has apologized for telling U.S. President Donald Trump that "Africa loves you" during the World Economic Forum in Davos last week. A video of Patrice Motsepe's remarks to Trump went viral on social media and sparked outrage from people who disagreed with Motsepe and lambasted him for speaking on Africans' behalf. In the video, Motsepe can be heard telling Trump during a group dinner that Africa loves America. Africa loves you. It is very, very important. We want America to do well. We want you to do well. The success of America is the success of the rest of the world." In response to Motsepe's introduction, Trump said: "You've done a great job, thank you very much." Motsepe's comments drew criticism even among some South African cabinet ministers, with Finance Minister Tito Mboweni saying the billionaire's views did not represent those of the government. KwaZulu-Natal province premier Sihle Zikalala was more blunt, saying Trump was not a friend of the ruling African National Congress party and that South Africa had nothing to benefit from the U.S. president. Trump has been criticized for his comments about Africa, including one comparing African nations to a dirty latrine, which led to widespread anger from Africans and even heads of state. In a statement released Tuesday, Motsepe said the debate over his remarks had exposed him to different views. "I have a duty to listen to these differing views and would like to apologize. I do not have the right to speak on behalf of anybody except myself," he said. Motsepe said his remarks were partly aimed at encouraging discussions between the Trump administration and African political leaders amid increasing feedback from certain American political and business leaders that South Africa and some African countries are anti-America and its political leadership. Motsepe, the first black African on the Forbes billionaires list and brother-in-law of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, was attending a dinner of business leaders from around the world including FIFA president Gianni Infantino, the CEOs of Siemens and Saudi Aramco and the Ivory Coast-born CEO of Credit Suisse, Tidjane Thiam. After facing setbacks in successive polls, the JD(S)leadership is planning to hold talks with poll strategist Prashant Kishor on plans to revive the party for the future, top party sources said on Thursday. JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy is slated to hold talks with Kishor soon on organising the party for the days ahead. "Kumaraswamy is at it...his strategy has worked out in Bihar and other places, so we can try here also," a top party leader told PTI, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Sources close to Kumaraswamy said the former chief minister has not yet held any discussions with Kishor, but they will meet very soon and the date is yet to be finalised. "It is to discuss the strategy to build the party. Kishor is also said to have expressed keenness to meet Kumaranna (Kumaraswamy), they will meet soon," he added. Not wishing to divulge details, JD(S) state president H K Kumaraswamy merely said there was nothing wrong in taking such help in the interest of the party. "We can take advice from such people to build and organise the party. We have already began work towards organising the party from the grassroots level, and it will get a boost after the national level meet of the party on February 10 and 11," he added. The JD(S) that bagged only 37 seats in the 2018 assembly polls and came to power in alliance with the Congress with H D Kumaraswamy as chief minister managed to win only one seat in the state during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Party patriarch and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda was also defeated in the parliamentary polls. The party also failed to win even a single seat during the December 2019 bypolls to 15 assembly constituencies in the state. The Kishor-led Indian Political Action Committee (I- PAC) is currently helping the AAP in the Delhi assembly polls. The political advocacy group also helped in the electioneering campaign of Narendra Modi in 2014 when he was BJP's prime ministerial candidate. The I-PAC has worked on a number of successful campaigns since 2014, including the one that brought JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to power in 2015. The organisation also helped Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy win both state and Lok Sabha elections. Kishor, who was the Janata Dal (United) national vice-president, was on Wednesday expelled from the party following a bitter fallout with its chief Nitish Kumar. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi, Jan 31 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is now trying to make an emotional appeal to voters by saying they should press 'Broom' if they consider him their son. If they consider him a terrorist, they should press Lotus. The Chief Minister changed the poll campaign tone after a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader on Wednesday allegedly called him "terrorist". Addressing rally in Babarpur on Thursday, Kejriwal touched upon the "terrorist vs son" issue as he listed the works done by him in the last five years. The Chief Minister held roadshows in four Assembly constituencies -- Timarpur, Model Town, Ghonda and Rohtas Nagar -- and addressed rallies in Babarpur, Wazirpur and Shalimar Bagh seats. At Wazirpur, he said the BJP would scrap all the subsidies if elected. "While they will take away your subsidy, I will ensure it continues. Students too will get subsidised travel in DTC," he said. He also spoke about cleaning Delhi, Yamuna and improving the city transport. "We will clean Yamuna together. I will ensure that just like Ganga, you can take a dip in Yamuna." At Timarpur, he said they had worked hard with "sheer honesty" in the last five years. "We have worked to improve electricity, water, schools, hospitals, sewers and roads. We have been providing teerth yatra to the elders. We still need to do a lot in the next five years," the AAP leader said. Kejriwal said he hoped the AAP would win all 70 Assembly seats this time, three more than the 67 seats it won in 2015. "I met a few people from the Congress just a while ago. I want to appeal to the BJP and the Congress supporters, please be with your party, but vote for the AAP this time. That's because no other party in the last 70 years have improved schools, hospitals, water and electricity. If you vote for a different party, it will deteriorate the condition. I have not come to ask for votes for myself, but please vote for the AAP for the development and progress of Delhi and the nation," said Kejriwal. Delhi will go to polls on February 8 and the results will be declared on Fegruary 11. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 Trend: Editor-in-Chief of The Washington Free Beacon online newspaper Eliana Johnson has published an article about the activity of the Quincy Institute in the US, Trend reports Jan. 30. Comments about Managing Director of the Quincy Institute Sarah Leah Whitson, are one of the notable points in the article. Sarah Leah Whitson has helped fundraise for the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), the largest Armenian lobbying organization in the United States, reads the article. ANCA advocates for the Armenian annexation of Nagorno-Karabakh, an area within the borders of Azerbaijan that the UN and the International Criminal Court consider Armenian-occupied Azerbaijani territory. Presenting this position by the influential US newspaper regarding Armenias occupation policy and publication of the article during the negotiations between the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers in Geneva on resolving the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, are aimed to remind Armenia about the US position. On the other hand, it is a kind of message of the international community to Yerevan in response to Armenias disclosure of a document submitted by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, including the US, as a peace plan for the two countries involved in the conflict. 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. / -- The 6th edition of the International Young Chef Olympiad was flagged off to a glamourous and colourful start on 28th January 2020 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi. Organised by the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM), in partnership with the International Hospitality Council (IHC) London, YCO 2020 has participants and mentors coming from 55 countries of the world. The gala event was attended by various dignitaries along with the iconic chefs from around the world including Chef Brian Turner, Chef Chris Galvin, Henri Brosi, Chef John Wood, Chef Enzo Oliveri and several other iconic international and Indian judges. YCO 2020 will be held across five Indian cities- Delhi, Pune, Goa and Bangalore and Kolkata. The Opening Ceremony started with participants marching in with their mentors led by their national flag and taking their seats on the stage. India's cultural heritage is always a feast for the eyes at any international event and to give the event a glamorous start, a short classical Kathak dance performance by Anushka Chhabra, a student of IIHM and a disciple of Uma Sharma, set the stage on fire. As YCO 2020 has embraced an important and significant theme of Sustainability, Anushka performed to the 17 SDG song that was recorded and launched in 2019. "Organising YCO is a huge logistical challenge that team IIHM and Team YCO overcome every year. But the satisfaction comes when in a divided and fragmented world, YCO stands as a shining example of world unity. This is the United Nations of Young Chefs. We can see almost the entire world in front of us," said Dr Suborno Bose, CEO of International Hospitality Council (IHC) and Founder YCO, in his opening address. "We are all living in a divided and fragmented world but we all forget that when we come to YCO. I think food has proved to be the most important unifier of the entire planet and nothing can be more satisfying that this. As hospitality ambassadors we need to emphasise on the cultured teaching of hospitality because hospitality and culinary skills is what we in India stand for," added Dr Bose. Prof David Foskett, the chairman of IHC and the Chairman of the Jury in YCO 2020, said in his address, "This is not just a competition, but it's a celebration of youth, brining young people together through the medium of culinary arts, the passion and love for food. The theme is Sustainability because these young people are the future of the planet." The significant part of the evening was the historic unveiling of the YCO trophies on stage by Prof David Foskett, Dr Suborno Bose in the presence of all the eminent judges present at the ceremony. Glimpse of the Evening can be seen at https://www.facebook.com/iihmhotelschool/videos/2454633328132745/ Prior to the Opening Ceremony, Dr Suborno Bose and Prof David Foskett held a press conference at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium along with chief judge Chef Brian Turner and other senior judges Chef Chris Galvin, Chef John Wood, Chef Enzo Oliveri and Ron Scott. Members of the press asked questions on the vision of YCO, the Sustainability theme and the competition and judging process on the whole. The competition has commenced from 29th January. The first two rounds will take place at Delhi, Pune, Bangalore and Goa. The final round will take place in Kolkata followed by the prize distribution and closing ceremony on February 2. The winner will be presented with the trophy, medal, a Gold Toque and a prize cheque of $10,000. The United World of Young Chefs, a unique programme where the participants will cook and present their national dishes will take place on 1st February at the Hyatt Regency, Kolkata. About IIHM IIHM (International Institute of Hotel Management) is the largest chain of premier hospitality and hotel management schools across India that started its journey in 1994 at Kolkata. IIHM is a part of Indismart Group, the conglomerate that operates the Indismart Hotels. IIHM campuses are located across ten national and international cities with the associate institute IAM-IHM located in Kolkata, Goa and Guwahati. Students passing out of IIHM are armed with an international degree from the University of West London and equipped with global hospitality skills that enable easy placements in any hospitality brand across the world. IIHM is dedicated to its pursuit of excellence in teaching and placements. Real time experience is the key to success in hospitality and that makes the institute popular. In recent years, IIHM has been instrumental in organizing the Young Chef Olympiad, a unique idea and initiative inviting young culinary talents across the world to participate in the biggest cookery reality shows of all times. The institute has bagged several prestigious awards in the past 24 years. The list includes the Best Education Brand Award from Economic Times consecutely in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Was featured in Forbes Magazine as Great Indian Institute and Great Place to Study consequently in the year 2018 and 2019. IIHM was also awarded as one among the World's Greatest Brands & Leaders 2015-16 by URS International (IMEA - Process Reviewer PriceWaterhouseCoopers PL) and also received the Best Institute in Hospitality Education 2017 Award by Assocham from Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey, Hon'ble Minister of State for HRD (Higher Education), Govt. of India. For more information, please visit: http://www.iihm.ac.in Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1084106/Opening_Ceremony_Culinary_Olympiad.jpg Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1084107/IIHM_Logo. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been slammed by critics for throwing their weight behind a Canadian phone company criticised for its role in the death of a vulnerable man. On Wednesday, the pair shared images on their official Instagram page, Sussex Royals, promoting 'Bell Let's Talk', which is run by telecommunications giant Bell. The initiative, in which high profile participants including the Sussexes and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were not paid to take part in, aims 'to raise awareness and combat stigma surrounding mental illness in Canada.' The critics include Canadian criminal lawyer Michael Spratt said Harry and Meghan, who said they were 'so happy' to be involved, should do their research into local issues before wading in. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (seen at Canada House this month) posted an Instagram story announcing a their new mental health charity collaboration The campaign shows people from around the world holding up signs with positive messages emblazoned on them, and was previously supported in a tweet by Prince William, Prince Harry and Kate Middleton in 2017. Sharing pictures of people taking part in the annual #Bellletstalk Day, they wrote: 'We are so happy to be supporting Bell's mental health campaign. 'Each time you watch @bell_letstalk official video on Instagram, Bell will donate 5 cents towards Canadian mental health initiatives. Sharing pictures of people taking part in the campaign, they wrote: 'We are so happy to be supporting Bell's mental health campaign 'So please share, please talk and be part of the solution', they said, adding an emoji of the Canadian flag. The campaign is the first they have promoted on their account since they stepped down as senior royals and announced they would be splitting their time between London and Canada. However, Bell has been widely criticised for its high costs and its role in the death of Canadian prisoner Cleve Geddes. The campaign, called Bell Let's Talk, shows people from around the world holding up signs with positive messages emblazoned on them He was found unresponsive in his cell in Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre on February 8th 2017, having hanged himself. He died two days later. An inquest heard that he had been attempting to make a call to his family but couldn't get through because the service, run by Bell in a string of prisons across the country, doesn't allow prisoners to call mobile phones, only landlines. Geddes, a paranoid schizophrenic, had been arrested the week before by police investigating a threats complaint made by his father - and should have been in a hospital for a psychiatric assessment. This could be the Sussexes' path to collaborating with media and commercial companies, as they embark on their path to become financially independent However, there weren't enough beds so Cleve was 'thrown in with the wolves,' as a former fellow inmate put it during an inquest into his death. Bell has also been criticised for making calls too expensive for prisoners, cutting them off from crucial counselling sessions and chats with family members. Calls start at $1 per call for local calls (58p), and up to $30 (17.50) for a 20-minute long distance call, the same as public calls, The Sun reported. The call must be a collect call and must be accepted by the person on the other end of the phone. The coroner at the inquest into the 30-year-old's death called for reform to 'make it easier for inmates to make outgoing phone calls'. But changes are yet to be made by the huge company. They say the current contract expires in June this year and they have 'submitted a new proposal in response to the government's request.' The campaign appears to be the couple's first new venture since they stepped down as senior royals and announced they would be splitting their time between London and Canada A spokesman for The Toronto Prisoners' Rights Project said Bell contributes to 'making it so much harder' for inmates to get help. Speaking to The Sun, they said: 'In 2017, Cleve Geddes committed suicide in an Ottawa prison after trying to reach out during a mental health crisis. He was unable to contact his support system via phone. 'So why does Bell, a company that promotes itself through mental health initiatives, contribute to these conditions and make it so much harder for those in prison to get help? 'What use is Bell Let's Talk Day if Bell is making things worse the other 364 days of the year?' The campaign was previously supported by Prince Harry, Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2017 from Kensington Palace They added that the company should end 'this inaccessible phone contract' or 'its clear to all of us that what you actually care about is profit.' Bell said the Let's Talk Day saw $7,719,371.25 (4,459,404) more Bell funding for Canadian mental health. Criminal lawyer Michael Spratt said Harry and Meghan, who said they were 'so happy' to be involved, should do their research into local issues before wading in. 'I would urge Meghan and Harry to talk to experts, talk to service providers and talk to the people who are in the trenches and who live in the country they want to call home for half the year,' he told The Sun. Bell Canada is a Canadian telecommunications company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the incumbent local exchange carrier for telephone and DSL Internet services in most of Canada east of Saskatchewan and in the northern territories Bell's $50 million mental health campaign was founded in 2010 with a view to create a 'stigma-free Canada' and 'drive action in mental health care', before being renewed in 2015 for another five years, with a target of raising $100 million. The initiative encourages social media platforms to engage individuals in raising awareness of mental illness. The annual 'Bell Let's Talk Day' sees the corporation donating money to mental health funds, depending on the number of messages and social media posts shared that day with the hashtag #bellletstalk. Wikipedia cites Twitter as claiming 'the #BellLetsTalk hashtag was the most used Canadian hashtag of 2018 on Twitter'. Buckingham Palace have been approached by Mail Online for comment. A Bell spokesperson told CBC the province, Ontario, set the terms of its contract. Ukraine and Russia agreed to move back more of their forces from the current front line in eastern Ukraine (D0nbas). In early December there was an agreement to exchange prisoners and continue discussing measures to reduce the violence, most of it instigated by Russian-backed Donbas separatists. Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany have agreed to meet in Germany during April to continue negotiations to end the Donbas stalemate and resolve the problems there. Apparently Russia has lost its appetite for further confrontation in Ukraine. There have always been some Russian leaders who backed leaving Donbas, and maybe even Crimea, to get the sanctions lifted. Ukraine wants all its territory back. That is a hard sell for Russian leaders, who spent a lot of money seizing and later subsidizing Crimea and Donbas, in addition to the even larger economic costs of the sanctions. Crimea was seized quickly in early 2014 but the subsequent mid-2014 effort to repeat the process in Donbas backfired when Ukraine mobilized its decrepit armed forces and resisted the Russian attempt to take the two east Ukraine provinces that comprise Donbas. The best the Russians could do was grab about half of Donbas and by 2015 the front line had become a stalemate line. Nothing the Russians could do made much difference and now the get out faction in Russia is dominant. These peace efforts may eventually fail for any number of reasons but as long as the discussions make progress, no matter how small, there is reasonable hope for a solution ending this expensive mess. Turkey Regrets Russia and Turkey are enemies in Libya, where each backs a different faction in a civil war. Russia backs the better organized, more united and more successful HoR (House of Representatives) government based in eastern Libya. Turkey backs the more recent, UN approved GNA (government of national accord) which is more tolerant of Islamic groups, including some radicals. The GNA was also dependent on many militias for military and police operations. The HoR rebuilt the armed forces as the LNA (Libyan National Army) and since 2014 have gained control over most of the country. The GNA now only controls two large cities (Tripoli and Misrata) on the northwest coast. Recently Russians and Turks have been killing each other near Tripoli and neither will back down. The confrontation in northwest Syria (Idlib province) is closer to home for Turkey because Russian support for the Syrian (Assad) government offensive to eliminate the last rebel (and Islamic terrorist) stronghold in Syria is driving hundreds of thousands of civilian refugees, along with many Islamic terrorists disguised as refugees trying to get into Turkey. The Turks are on good terms with some of the Islamic terror groups in Idlib, as they are with Islamic groups in Libya. The Russians are generally hostile to all Islamic terrorist and Islamic political groups. For that reason, the Turks are openly calling on the Russians to decide if they are a friend of Turkey or not. The Russians dont want to make an open declaration, at least not yet. Turkey is a new customer for Russian weapons and helpful against the sanctions Russia is operating under. In Libya, there are hundreds of Russian combat advisors and trainers. Most of them have been there since 2018. These troops are civilian contractors working for the Wagner Group, which also has several hundred Russian technical advisors in Libya to keep LNA heavy weapons operational. Earlier in 2019 Russia revealed that it had increased its logistic and maintenance support for the LNA. This support had been going on since late 2018 and returned hundreds of Cold War era Russian armored vehicles and artillery to working order. This work was done with the battle for the Libyan capital Tripoli in mind. The LNA expected to begin this campaign in early 2019. While Russia has been backing the LNA since 2016, the Turks only recently (mid-2019) came to the rescue of the GNA, which is trying to defend the city of Tripoli, its last stronghold. The Turks favor the GNA because it is largely a collection of militias, several of them described as Islamic although not Islamic terrorists. Turkey is apparently also receiving financial backing from Qatar for this Libyan effort. The Turkish intervention is part of a larger conflict. Turkey is allied with Iran and Qatar against the rest of the Moslem world, especially Egypt and the Gulf Arab oil states. That is a major incentive for the Turks to get involved in Libya. One reason for Russia not publicizing their Libyan efforts is because Russia and Turkey are allies in Syria. Turks dont have any military or contractor personnel at the front lines but some have been killed or wounded by LNA airstrikes. The Russians are seen as reliable allies of Libya, even though it was Russia which supplied Libya with most of its weapons throughout the Kaddafi era (1960s to 2011) and is now delivering fewer but more modern ones, like ATGMs (anti-tank guided missiles) and portable anti-aircraft missiles to bring down UAVs. The Turks are seen as a former imperial overlord trying to make a comeback. The Turks also ignore the fact that most Libyans oppose the Islamic conservative militias that the Turks support and see the Turks as more of a threat than the Russians or Arabs who are backing the LNA. The Eastern Threat Many Chinese neighbors are actively resisting Chinese offers of more trade, large investments and loans for building transportation and other economic infrastructure because these nations know what it means; eventual annexation of some or all their territory because after all that Chinese investment there are a lot more Chinese living, working and investing in the area. Even Russia and North Korea are threatened by this. Former Soviet Union provinces in Central Asia, independent since 1991, are seeking closer ties with nuclear-armed Russia for defense against these Chinese moves. China would be all over North Korea if it werent for the fiercely nationalistic North Korean dictatorship. All Koreans know that the historical Greater Korea used to include large portions of northeast China that once had majority Korean populations. These areas now have a large Korean minority populations but are indisputably Chinese. The same thing is happening in northwest China where Xinjiang province was once known as East Turkestan with a majority Uighur Moslem population. Centuries of Chinese efforts to turn Xinjiang from a conquered province into a Han (ethnic Chinese) majority region have succeeded in many respects. A similar effort is underway in Tibet, where the local population are distant cousins to the Han but have for over a thousand years resisted Chinese occupation and domination. Tibet is losing that battle. There is a similar situation in Chinese Inner Mongolia, a portion of neighboring Mongolia, where centuries of Chinese trade and Han migration turned a large portion of Mongolia into what is now the Chinese province of Inner Mongolia. China started its Hanification of the area in the 14th century, after the Mongol dynasty in China was overthrown and China sought to eliminate any future Mongol threats by gradually absorbing Mongolia. Currently, the rest of Mongolia is called Outer Mongolia by the Chinese and is independent only because of alliances with Russia. In time the Chinese will make all of Mongolia Chinese. Russia faces the loss of its far eastern (Pacific coast) territories. Communist China never renounced Chinese claims on these territories and there was some fighting on the border over that in the 1970s. January 29, 2020: China has apparently become the second-largest weapons producer on the planet, ousting Russia from that position. Despite secrecy about such matters in both countries, SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute), an independent defense research organization tracks such things and has a good track record for accuracy. A year ago SIPRI declared that as of 2017 Russia had become the second-largest arms manufacturer in the world. Russia passed Britain for the first time since the Cold War ended in 1991. The United States remains in first place, with $227 billion in sales by 42 major firms. Russia was second with $38 billion and Britain third $36 billion. Taken together Western European nations had total sales of $94 billion which is about the same as Chinese arms firms, whose published data shows about $95 billion for 2017. SPIRI notes that it leaves China out because it has not got comparable data for China going back to 2002, which is when the current data begins for the Top 100 Defense firms. During the Cold War SIPRI did not include Russia or other communist nations with command economies (most of East Europe, Cuba, North Korea, Vietnam and China) for the same reason. But unofficial (and eventually verified) estimates put Russia in second place during most of the Cold War. SIPRI was founded in 1966 with the help of the Swedish government to compile and publish, among other things, unclassified (open source) data on weapons production and exports to be used as a basis for negotiation arms control agreements. SIPRI has been pretty strict about using only reliable sources and that was a problem with the larger communist nations which produced a lot of weapons. These communist nations tended to sell to anyone who can pay and that practice did not end with the collapse of most communist nations in the late 1980s and early 1990s. January 28, 2020: The U.S., in cooperation with Canada, imposed sanctions on six Russian individuals and one transportation company for illegal activities in Crimea and the use of the Kerch Bridge across the Kerch Straits. These sanctions were developed in cooperation with Ukraine which is being economically harmed by Russian activities in Crimea, especially their use of the new Kerch Bridge to restrict access to the Sea of Azov and Ukrainian ports there. January 27, 2020: The government confirmed that Russia would provide the American space program six RD-180 rocket engines in 2020. So far Russia has supplied the United States with 116 RD-180s. Thats over $1.2 billion for Russian manufacturers. Since 2014 Russia has refused to allow American sanctions to halt shipments of RD-180 rocket engines to the United States. Russia did threaten to halt RD-180 shipments. The U.S. protested to Russia, without much effect, that halting the RD-180 shipments was breach of contract and that breaching this particular contract would do enormous damage to Russian exports in the future because now many countries and firms would assume that a contract with a Russian firm could be canceled by the Russian government for any reason. This was always seen as a risk when doing business with Russia and many Western firms declined to do so or have pulled out of Russia since 2000 because of the growing unreliability of Russia as a business partner. The RD-180 affair got a lot of publicity, all of it bad with regard to future Russian exports of manufactured goods. Europe, which gets about a third of its natural gas from Russia, is already looking for alternate sources and investors are fleeing Russia (and taking their money with them). After a few months, Russia admitted that it was going to continue shipping the RD-180s because it needed the money. It was no secret that the profits from the RD-180 sales were keeping several Russian firms (rocket engine design firms and the engine manufacturer) in business. Unofficially Russian trade officials had warned their bosses about the problem with the loss of future export business and this was apparently listened to, but could not be mentioned officially. The corruption in Russia and the problems foreign firms are having with that, and the eternally difficult Russian bureaucracy are all known problems inside Russia but have proved impossible to fix so far. Russia needs the exports, even though the official line is that the sanctions are not hurting. January 26, 2020: In eastern Syria (Hasaka province) a Russian convoy was stopped at an American checkpoint and turned away. The road led to a Kurdish controlled oilfield. This is the fourth time since the 18th that American troops have blocked Russian efforts to drive past Kurdish oil facilities in Hasaka and Deir Ezzor provinces. January 25, 2020: The UN reports that at least seven nations are violating the Libyan arms embargo and supplying weapons and other military aid. The biggest offenders currently are Turkey and Russia. January 24, 2020: Bulgaria expelled two Russian diplomats who had been accused of involvement in illegal espionage. Bulgaria has long been subject to Russian pressure for all sorts of things. Since 2004 Bulgaria has been a member of NATO, in the hope that getting rid of its Russian-backed communist government in 1990 and joining NATO would get Russia to back off. That strategy has limited success. January 23, 2020: In northwest Syria (Idlib province), rebels launched an offensive against Syrian troops and drove them back enough so the rebels could again occupy two villages. This was a rare setback because for the last few months the government forces have been slowly but relentlessly pushing the Islamic terrorist rebels back. This is with the assistance of Russian and Syrian airstrikes, often over a hundred a day. As a result, many rebels who do not retreat are killed by the many airstrikes. The rebel advance was followed the next day but massive airstrikes and attacks by Syrian and Russian ground forces. Turkey accuses Russia of responsibility for the current Syrian offensive against the Idlib rebels, which has sent about 400,000 Idlib civilians towards the Turkish border. Without Russian support, Syria could not have carried out such an effective offensive, which began in May 2019. Turkey thought they had Russian agreement to a ceasefire in Idlib but that never worked and the Syrians keep advancing. January 22, 2020: The government has announced bonuses for security forces who must deal with the growing number of public protests. The bonuses will be up to an additional month's pay for months in which security personnel deal with protesters. Apparently there have been morale and motivation problems among security personnel as they continued to face civilians who were complaining about the same government corruption and mismanagement that hurt the families of security personnel. The government also noted that there were 155 illegal (without a permit) protests took place in Moscow during 2019. These illegal protests led to over 3,000 arrests. The protest activity was up 50 percent compared to 2018. More economic data became public. GDP growth in 2019 was only one percent and few Russians have seen their living standards improve. Per capita, GPD has increased since 2018 but most of that went to the wealthiest men in the country. For most Russians, the economy is still in trouble. Sanctions brought on by invading Ukraine and lower oil prices caused by increased North American production are the main culprits but the high levels of corruption are also a major factor. Exports are way down as a result, although there are exceptions. Exports to North Korea increased in 2019, from $32 million in 2018 to $42 million in 2019. Imports from North Korea were also up, to $2.31 million from $1.98 million in 2018. North Korea is under more extensive sanctions than Russia but some legal trade is allowed. Russia is also accused of a lot of illegal trade with North Korea. January 21, 2020: Russia has shipped 120 S-400 missiles to Turkey, which received two battalions of S-400 systems in mid-2019. Turkey expects to have these two battalions operational by mid-2020. The new S-400 equipment cost the Turks $2.5 billion, which included training, technical assistance and a 20 month warranty. Russia revealed that it had moved one of its own S-400 batteries to eastern Syrias Hasaka province. The battery is stationed outside the border city of Qamishli, which is controlled by Kurds, but also has Syrian troops present to prevent an attack by the Turks. This S-400 battery is now 100 kilometers from the Iraq border and the S-400 search radar has a range of 600 kilometers, meaning it now covers most of the Iraqi border with Syria. Russia claims that it tracked six American F-35s flying along the Iran-Iraq border on the 7th. This was when Iran fired 16 ballistic missiles at American bases in Iraq. The U.S. had no comment on the F-35s. January 20, 2020: Belarus has rebuffed Russian demands that the two nations merge. Since the late 1990s, Russia has been trying to persuade Belarus to rejoin Mother Russia. Two decades of persuasion has not worked. Belarus had good reason leave the collapsing Soviet Union in 1991 and Russia, viewed from Belarus, has not changed much since the Soviet Union shed nearly all its non-Russian citizens and became a majority ethnic Russian state with a lot of territory but half the population of the Soviet Union. In 2014 Russia persuaded Belarus, Kazakhstan and Armenia to join a new economic union with Russia. This Eurasian Economic Union became effective in January 2015 and allowed goods to move freely member countries without customs levies. Kyrgyzstan considering joining but never did so. Nor did anyone else. Kazakhstan did agree to become part of a unified multi-national air defense system sponsored by Russia and other nations showed interest. These Russian led organizations never caught on because the non-Russian nations know what is going on. All this is more than helping out a neighbor with their defense or economic needs. This is the less violent Russian approach to rebuilding their empire. For over a decade Russia has been proposing things like customs unions, military cooperation and rebuilding the old Soviet air defense system that used to defend everyone in the empire. Ukraine refused to consider joining the union or air defense system and made it clear it preferred closer ties with the West. Russia took violent exception to that attitude but that has led to more complications. Now Belarus is looking towards the West for help in avoiding Russian entanglement and assimilation. Central Asian nations that were once part of the Soviet Union are more willing to cooperate to avoid economic and political domination by China. But none of the Central Asian states or any former parts of the Soviet Union want to rejoin a Russian empire. January 19, 2020: In northern Syria, near the Hmeimim (or Khmeimim) Russian airbase Syrian troops activated at least one battery of their new Russian S-300 air defense systems. It has taken nearly a year for the Syrian crews to be trained. Russia is believed to still have a veto over when the Syrian S-300s can be used. In Germany, an international conference assembled to deal with the stalemate in Libya. Those invited included the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France, Italy, the EU, UN, AU (African Union), Arab League, Republic of Congo, Algeria, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey. GNA and HoR representatives also showed up but would not meet with each other. GNA and HoR representatives attended and agreed to discuss a peace deal, which is supposed to include the dissolution of the militias in Tripoli and Misrata that are the remaining obstacle to peace in the country. The LNA has suppressed Islamic terrorists and tribal rebels in most of the country and has been trying to take Tripoli since April. January 18, 2020: In eastern Syria (Hasaka province) a Russian convoy taking a Russian general to the Turkish border was stopped and rerouted when the convoy sought to drive near Kurdish controlled oil fields. This was apparently the result of poor planning because the Kurdish held oilfields have been off-limits to Russians since 2018 when Russian military contractors tried and failed, to take control of the oilfields in neighboring Deir Ezzor province. January 16, 2020: Corruption remains a major problem for Russia and years of well-publicized efforts to deal with it have failed and Russia is stuck near the bottom of the list when it comes to clean government. For 2019 Russia ranked 137th out of 180 nations compared with 135 in 2017 in international rankings. Corruption in the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index is measured on a 1 (most corrupt) to 100 (not corrupt) scale. The most corrupt nations (usually Yemen/15, Syria/13, South Sudan/12 and Somalia/9) have a rating of under 15 while of the least corrupt (Finland, New Zealand and Denmark) are over 85. The current Russian score is 28 (versus 29 in 2017) compared to 30 (30) for Ukraine, 45 (44) for Belarus, 58 (60) for Poland, 80 (81) Germany, 65 (61) for Taiwan, 39 (40) for Turkey, 41 (40) for India, 39 (41) for China, 57 (54) for South Korea, 14 (17) for North Korea, 37 (35) for Vietnam, 85 (84) for Singapore, 73 (73) for Japan, 40 (37) for Indonesia, 38 (38) for Sri Lanka, 29 (33) for the Maldives, 34 (34) for the Philippines, 32 (32) for Pakistan, 26 (28) for Bangladesh, 26 (30) for Iran, 16 (15) for Afghanistan, 29 (30) for Burma, 71 (71) for the UAE (United Arab Emirates), 60 (64) for Israel, 69 (75) for the United States, 26 (27) for Nigeria, 44 (43) for South Africa, 20 (18) for Iraq, 39 (40) for Turkey, 53 (49) for Saudi Arabia and 28 (28) for Lebanon. The Russian corruption score has not changed much since 2012 when it was 28. January 15, 2020: The Russian government (the ministers of major departments) resigned to allow president Putin to carry out his recently announced constitutional reforms. As the law currently stands Putin will not be able to run for a president again after 2024. Putin has made a lot of enemies during his 21 years in power and he does not see peaceful retirement as an option. So he wants to reorganize the government, via constitutional changes, that will give him options to disperse power away from the presidency to posts that can be held indefinitely, like parliament leader or head of the State Council. Putin does not want to do away with democracy, but he does want to establish tighter control over it by making it easier to manipulate elections and ensure that only his party regularly wins them. Prime minister Medvedev, a longtime Putin henchman, also resigned and agreed to take a lesser post in the Defense Ministry. Medvedev has been identified in too many corruption investigations and is considered a political liability for Putin. January 14, 2020: In Syria, Israeli airstrikes again hit the T4 airbase in Homs province, killing at least three pro-Iran soldiers and destroying a lot of structures and equipment. This airbase, in central Syria near Palmyra has been hit by Israeli airstrikes several times in 2019 and many more times in earlier years. The T4 airbase is the largest in Syria. This is where Iran moved its UAV operations in 2018 after its original UAV base in Syria was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike. Russia later revealed that its electronic jammers, which were supposed to disrupt the guidance systems of missiles attacking Syrian bases failed to do so during the 2018 T-4 attack. Details were not given, only that the Russian jammers were interfered with by external forces. Russia is embarrassed by the apparent ineffectiveness of its air defenses when used against Israeli airstrikes. The Israelis dont rub it in and generally respond with no comment when asked about it. January 12, 2020: In Libya Russia and Turkey got both the GNA and HoR to agree to and implement a ceasefire. LNA supreme leader general Hiftar went to Russia to discuss the matter with his largest foreign supplier of military assistance. Hiftar agreed to the ceasefire but refused to sign the agreement. Turkey and Russia are allies, sort of, in Syria but Turkey, like the GNA, is tolerant of Islamic militias. Actually Turkey regularly supports cooperative Islamic terrorist groups but has not sent any of those to Libya to reinforce the defense of Tripoli. Instead, Turkey has sent about 2,000 trusted members of its FSA (Free Syrian Army) mercenary force. The FSA has been doing most of the fighting for the Turks in Syria, in return for good pay and eventual Turkish citizenship. Some of these Turkish mercenaries in Libya already received their citizenship, plus about $2,000 a month for serving in Libya plus a large payout to next of kin if they are killed. Russia hopes to do business with Libya after the war but is also dependent on Turkey financially. Turkey has become a major customer for Russian weapons and Russia, under heavy sanctions for invading Ukraine, needs the money. At the same time Russia recognizes that Hiftar and his LNA are the most effective military force in Libya and also the most effective at dealing with Islamic radical groups. January 9, 2020: In the Persian Gulf a Russian electronic intelligence ship came dangerously close to an American destroyer. The Russians later denied that the incident occurred but the Americans had captured it all on video. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 18:38:11|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong witnessed the biggest decline in annual goods exports last year, weighed on by a lackluster global economy, official data showed Thursday. The value of total exports of goods dropped by 4.1 percent year on year in 2019, and the value of imports decreased by 6.5 percent, according to the Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government. Trade deficit stood at 426.8 billion Hong Kong dollars (about 55 billion U.S. dollars), equivalent to 9.7 percent of the value of imports. Exports to major destinations also decreased, with the United States down 14.8 percent, India down 12 percent and Germany down 8.9 percent. A government spokesman said Hong Kong's export performance is still subject to high uncertainties in the near term. In December, exports resumed a modest year-on-year growth of 3.3 percent driven by a visible increase in exports to the Chinese mainland. Imports dropped 1.9 percent year on year. A 23-year-old man from Tripura died in a Malaysian hospital after being infected from a new strain of coronavirus, his family member has claimed. The youth, identified as Manir Hossain, hailed from Purathal Rajnagar village in Madhupur police station area. He had gone to Malaysia back in 2018 and used to work there in a restraunt. Speaking to ANI, Hossain's grandfather Abdul Rahim said that he received the news of his grandson's death from the Malaysian authorities on Wednesday morning. "My 23-year-old grandson had gone to Malaysia around two years ago. We got a phone call from the Malaysian authorities on Wednesday morning, informing us of Hossain's death due to coronavirus," Rahim said. Rahim urged the government to make arrangements for the early repatriation of Hossain's body to India. The virus, which originated in China, has claimed the lives of 170 people in that country alone, while confirmed cases have been reported in several countries across the world. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Harrisburg police have responded to three shootings since 5 p.m. last night, and are trying to find the reason for the sudden spate of violence, said Deputy Police Chief Deric Moody. Moody was speaking from the scene of the third shooting, which occurred about 1:30 p.m. on North 13th Street. He said the male who had been shot was currently in surgery at a nearby hospital. The injured boy told passersby who stopped to help him that he was 17. He appeared to have been shot in the leg, said one of those passersby, Jamie Hyers, of Hummelstown. She said he told her "he was 17 and he wanted his mom and someone walked up and shot him in the leg, said Hyers, who with her friend, Hannah Peiffer, of Colonial Park, administered first aid. The shooting came on the heels of another shooting that took place about 10:30 a.m., at Kittatinny Street and Fishel Alley. One person who had been shot was found nearby, in the 400 block of South 14th St. Another person, identified as 21-year-old Jason Hill, was killed in a shooting that occurred shortly before 5 p.m. Wednesday in the 500 block of Curtin Street. Moody said police have some theories that were working on about the reason for so many shootings in such a short span. He noted that all the people who were shot are relatively young. "Were still trying to put our arms around it, he said. This is not usually the time of year when we see an uptick in shootings. 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. A Lebanon man was killed in a crash on Interstate 5 in Salem on Saturday morning, according to a news release from the Oregon State Police. Duco, the global provider of self-service data integrity and reconciliation services, today announced the formation of a Growth Advisory Council to support its product and market expansion. The group consists of leaders in financial services and technology, including senior management of leading global institutions: Philippe Buron, formerly of Societe Generale and BNP; Don Callahan, formerly of Citi; Mandy DeFilippo, of Morgan Stanley; Jonathan Greenwood, of ABN Amro; Doug Hague, formerly of Bank of America; James Hardy, of State Street; Ignacio Lopez-Perea, formerly of BBVA; Slava Shafir, of Barclays; Stuart Sinclair, board member at Lloyds Banking Group and QBE. Many members have been in executive positions overseeing large scale data programmes, digital transformation initiatives, wholesale cloud strategy changes, regulatory compliance implementations and associated operational changes. The Growth Advisory Council will be focused on strategic thinking for the next five to ten years, anticipating market demand and particularly mega-trends such as the evolution of data functions in large businesses, the impact of regulatory and data protection fragmentation across the globe, and the evolution of machine learning. "Data is a key board room subject for the world's biggest businesses, but it is a difficult and abstract area for major companies, with much noise in the market and lack of clarity on where investment is needed," said Christian Nentwich, CEO of Duco. "We are pleased that we managed to bring such a prestigious group of people together to help us connect the technology and board agenda, and to make sure that we lead the industry forward." About Duco Duco is a global provider of self-service data integrity and reconciliation services. Our mission is to make managing data easy. The cloud-based Duco platform empowers end users to aggregate, normalise and reconcile data on demand without infrastructure projects. Firms rely on us to increase business agility, reduce risk, stay compliant with regulation and dramatically improve efficiency across a range of mission critical tasks. Customers can be live in 24 hours, with results in 7 days and tangible business value in 30 days. Headquartered in London, with offices in New York, Luxembourg, Edinburgh, Wroclaw and Singapore, Duco's customers include global banks, brokers, asset managers, exchanges and middle and back office outsourcers. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200130005417/en/ Contacts: Chris Peacock press@du.co +44(0)2031119294 Overseas students are increasingly selecting London as their study destination of choice; this is especially true for Indian students, with 2018-19 representing a record year for international students in the UK capital in the past decade. According to new data from the Higher Statistics Agency (HESA), the total number of international students grew 5.8 per cent, representing uplift in overseas students for the sixth consecutive year, reinforcing London's reputation as a top higher destination on the global stage. The total number of international students at London's universities in 2018-19 was 125,035, up 5.8 per cent from 2017-18 and rise on last year's growth rate of 5.3 per cent, demonstrating the UK capital's growing appeal for prospective students. It marks an impressive period of growth for India, which returned to being London's third-largest international student market after falling to the fourth position three years earlier. Indian student numbers grew by 34.7 per cent in 2018-19, seeing the largest numbers since 2011-12. However, China remains London's largest international student market, with 25,650 students enrolled at universities in the UK capital. Applications may have been encouraged by the recent reintroduction of the two-year post-study visa for international students by the UK government, allowing overseas graduates a longer period of time to look for employment after their studies. London leads the way in university rankings In September, four London universities were listed in the top 40 in the Times Higher (THE) rankings, more than any other city in the world. Universities included were Imperial College (10), University College London (15), London School of Economics and Political Science (27) and King's College London (36). Best student city London holds the crown as the world's best city for students, according to the QS Best Student Cities Ranking, by global education consultancy QS Quacquarelli Symonds. London beat international cities Tokyo (second) and Melbourne (third) to first place for the second consecutive year in July 2019. "I'm delighted to see so many young people from across the world choosing London to pursue their higher education. In doing so, they're becoming part of a global community that has produced some of the world's most exciting and innovative companies. With its world-leading universities, thriving ecosystem and unrivalled cultural landscape, studying in London offer the opportunity to be part of a city at the forefront of creativity and innovation", said Rajesh Agrawal, Deputy Mayor of London for "These new figures are a resounding endorsement of our world-leading universities and our great city. Whether it's fashion or financial economics, accountancy or art history, prospective international students know when they choose London; they are choosing a first-class education and a cultural experience like no other. We look forward to welcoming more international students to the capital this year!" said Lalage Clay, Director of Education and Talent at London & Partners which runs Study London. 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.) For many Britons living in towns and villages across Europe, the stroke of midnight Friday will mean losing the right to vote and run for office, with Brexit acting as an electoral guillotine on those privileges. From being active participants in the communities where they have sunk roots and pay taxes, British ex-pats in France, Germany and elsewhere in the European Union will suddenly find themselves on the outside, with no say. Andrew Nixey must give up his seat on the elected council in Saint-Martial-sur-Isop, the village in west-central France where he has lived and raised cattle for 20 years. "The fact that we can't vote is illogical," he said in an interview in the kitchen of his lovingly restored farmhouse. "We pay taxes, why should we not vote?" Many details of Britain's separation from the EU still must be sorted out, and there won't be a lot of visible changes on Saturday after the tortuous divorce finally becomes official. But the loss still will be felt especially hard by Britons who left their island nation long ago to make new lives on the continent. Already disenfranchised by British electoral law, which prevents ex-pats from voting in the United Kingdom after 15 years overseas, Brexit will for many ushers in an uncertain future with no ability to vote anywhere. The problem could be fixed by becoming citizens of where they've chosen to live - an often drawn-out process. But some ex-pats don't meet the requirements, some have applied but are still awaiting the paperwork, and some simply don't want to become French, German or whatever. Others just haven't got around to it, waking up late to the fact that they'll soon have nowhere to vote at all. The right for all EU nationals to vote and stand in municipal elections where they live, even if they're not citizens of that country, was enshrined in the 1992 Maastricht Treaty that established the EU. But rules in Europe are not uniform for non-EU citizens, which is what Britons will become after Friday night. Some countries allow non-EU citizens to vote in municipal elections. So even after Brexit, Britons should still have a voice at the local level in Denmark, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands and in two cities of the Slovak Republic. In Finland, they will need to have been residents for two years, while the residency requirement is five years in the Netherlands. Britain also has been negotiating directly with other EU nations to extend the ability of British ex-pats to vote and run for office after Brexit. The British government says it has dealt with Spain, Portugal and Luxembourg and is continuing talks with others. It says British ex-pats should also still be able to vote locally in Belgium, Estonia, Ireland, Lithuania, Malta and Slovenia. But they'll no longer be able to vote or stand locally in France, which has tens of thousands of long-term British residents and many more part-time residents of vacation homes. The French Interior Ministry says 757 Britons serve on municipal councils, more than any other ex-pat group. They will keep their seats until municipal elections in March, but they'll not be able to run or vote then if they haven't secured French citizenship. For Briton Neil Baxter, an elected councillor in the French village of Mortemart, not being able to vote any more is another blow from Brexit. "We just can't believe it has happened and it's happening and now that you have explained to me that finally, we're not going to get a vote anywhere, I'm just gob-smacked," he says. Nixey, the beef farmer, says his application for French citizenship is stuck somewhere in a Brexit-induced backlog. He is not optimistic that he'll get it in time to stand again for re-election in Saint-Martial-sur-Isop. He says that serving on the village council, dealing with the minutiae of local services like trash collection and road repairs, helped integrate him and his wife, Margaret, into the rural community where they raised two children. He also feels it allowed him to play a bridge-building role between newly arrived Britons and their French neighbours. About one third of the 140 residents of Saint-Martial and its immediate surroundings are British, many attracted by cheap housing and land. Nixey worries that communication will suffer if he's not around to translate and help smooth out problems and misunderstandings. Saint-Martial Mayor Pierre Bachellerie says excluding the British ex-pats will be "a big loss" for his other and other villages that have been revived by arrivals of British workers and retirees. "It's sad. For me, it's incoherent and it's stupid, I find, to lose these people from our village electorate. Because they bring life to our little villages and they pay taxes, like the French," he says. [January 30, 2020] Hyperledger Announces Hyperledger Fabric 2.0 SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyperledger, an open source collaborative effort created to advance cross-industry blockchain technologies, today announced the general availability of Hyperledger Fabric 2.0 . This major release of Hyperledger Fabric , a distributed ledger framework that's been under development by the Hyperledger community since 2016, delivers a number of features and enhancements needed to increase the efficiency and security of production deployments. Much of the work on Hyperledger Fabric 2.0 focused on new ways to manage the chaincode (or smart contract) lifecycle to maximize flexibility, remove bottlenecks and create more options to distribute governance. Security and data privacy were also big development priorities, so many features and enhancements are geared towards delivering more granular control of private channels and minimizing vulnerabilities. Key Hyperledger Fabric 2.0 features include: Decentralized governance for smart contracts Hyperledger Fabric 2.0 introduces decentralized governance for chaincode, with a new process for installing a chaincode on your peers and starting it on a channel. The new Fabric chaincode lifecycle allows multiple organizations to come to agreement on the parameters of a chaincode, such as the chaincode endorsement policy, before it can be used to interact with the ledger. The new model offers several improvements over the previous lifecycle, including requiring multiple organizations to agree to the parameters of a chaincode, creating a more deliberate chaincode upgrade process and simplifying endorsement policy and private data collection updates New chaincode application patterns for collaboration and consensus The same decentralized methods of coming to agreement that underpin the new chaincode lifecycle management can also be used in your own chaincode applications to ensure organizations consent to data transactions before they are committed to the ledger. Organizations can add automated checks to chaincode functions to validate additional information before endorsing a transaction proposal. Additionally, human decisions can be modeled into a chaincode process that spans multiple transactions. The chaincode may require actors from various organizations to indicate their terms and conditions of agreement in a ledger transaction. Then, a final chaincode proposal can verify that the conditions from all the individual transactors are met, and "settle" the business transaction with finality across all channel members. External chaincode launcher The external chaincode launcher feature empowers operators to build and launch chaincode with the technology of their choice. Use of external builders and launchers is not required as the default behavior builds and runs chaincode in the same manner as prior releases using the Docker API. Private data enhancements Hyperledger Fabric 2.0 enables new patterns for working with and sharing private data, without the requirement of creating private data collections for all combinations of channel members that may want to transact. Specifically, instead of sharing private data within a collection of multiple members, you may want to share private data across collections at a transaction or state key level with selected channel members. Each private data collection may contain a single organization, or perhaps a single organization along with a regulator or auditor. State database cache for improved performance on CouchDB When using external CouchDB state database, read delays during endorsement and validation phases have historically been a performance bottleneck. With Hyperledger Fabric 2.0, a new peer cache replaces many of these expensive lookups with fast local cache reads. Alpine-based docker images Starting with 2.0, Hyperledger Fabric Docker images will use Alpine Linux, a security-oriented, lightweight Linux distribution. This means that Docker images are now much smaller, providing faster download and startup times, as well as taking up less disk space on host systems. Alpine Linux is designed from the ground up with security in mind, and the minimalist nature of the Alpine distribution greatly reduces the risk of security vulnerabilities. For more on the features and enhancements, see What's new in Hyperledger Fabric 2.0 . "Hyperledger Fabric has established itself as a popular and practical distributed ledger famework and has powered much of the transition from conceptualization to commercialization we've seen in enterprise blockchain," said Brian Behlendorf, Executive Director, Hyperledger. "Fabric 2.0 is a new generation framework developed by and for the enterprises that are building distributed ledger capabilities into the core of their businesses. This new release reflects both the development and deployment experience of the Fabric community and confirms the arrival of the production era for enterprise blockchain." Hyperledger Fabric is already widely deployed in PoCs and production networks of all sizes and scales. To ensure smooth transition to this new version, there is a range of documentation specifically for Upgrading to the latest release . There's also documentation on Upgrading your components and Updating the capability level of a channel, as well as a specific look at the Considerations for getting to Fabric 2.0 . Community quotes: "The release of Hyperledger Fabric 2.0 is an important step forward in the on-going evolution of DLT, and was developed based on feedback from real-world use, including improved chaincode management capabilities and performance enhancements," stated Rob Palatnick, Managing Director and Global Head of Technology Research and Innovation at The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) and Governing Board Chair at Hyperledger. "DTCC's work with Hyperledger enables us to bring DLT expertise and knowledge in-house while contributing our learnings and progress on enterprise-scale projects with the DLT community. We look forward to our continued efforts around Fabric 2.0 and in working with Hyperledger." "I am delighted to see Hyperledger Fabric v2.0 released," said Nao Nishijima, Researcher, Hitachi, Ltd. "Hitachi has contributed to the social innovation through the development of superior, original technology and products since its foundation in 1910. Hitachi believes that Hyperledger Fabric v2.0 and related blockchain technologies will further expand the possibility to merge sustainability and business and to resolve social issues through the contribution to the initiatives like Society 5.0 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Hitachi continues to contribute to the Hyperledger community and to provide blockchain solutions for various industries." "IBM is excited about this key milestone in Hyperledger Fabric's development lifecycle," said Jerry Cuomo, IBM Fellow and VP of Blockchain Platform, IBM. "We are proud to have been part of the community that has collaborated on its development, and we are eager to upgrade the IBM Blockchain Platform -- industry's first multi-cloud implementation of Hyperledger Fabric -- to leverage the new capabilities and improved performance in this milestone release." "IntellectEU is grateful to have been a part of the Hyperledger community since the very beginning," said Thomas Bohner, VP of Blockchain at IntellectEU. "The release of Hyperledger Fabric 1.0 was a breakthrough for enterprise blockchain. Today we are excited about the Hyperledger Fabric 2.0 release. More specifically the private data enhancements that will drive adoption for our clients in the financial services industry. Our engineering team will be applying decentralised governance for chaincode when helping our clients migrating to Fabric 2.0." "Oracle is excited about Fabric 2.0 GA release," said Mark Rakhmilevich, Senior Director, Blockchain Production Management at Oracle. "Hyperledger Fabric underpins Oracle Blockchain Platform, which is used by numerous customers in production, and a number approaching production deployments. The new capabilities in this release will directly benefit these customers who are looking for greater data privacy capabilities, increased performance, and decentralized consensus mechanism. I also think the new decentralized governance model for chaincode updates and organization-specific extensions will enable broader flexibility and help with the chaincode update process in consortia environments. These practical improvements will help to accelerate adoption of Fabric across our enterprise customers and government organizations. Oracle is very committed to Hyperledger Fabric and we'd like to congratulate the Fabric community on this important milestone." "We're excited to stand alongside our friends as they launch Hyperledger Fabric 2.0," said Troy Ronda, Chief Scientist for SecureKey Technologies Inc. "This release demonstrates a mature project with enhanced performance and deployment features that will allow for innovative identity projects to come to fruition, like our Verified.Me service. Hyperledger's projects such as Fabric and Aries provide important open source components for building ecosystem services like Verified.Me, and we're happy to contribute to such an excellent and dedicated community." Additional Resources: Download Hyperledger Fabric 2.0 Hyperledger Fabric 2.0 Read Hyperledger Fabric 2.0 documentation Learn more about Hyperledger Fabric 2.0 and what this release means with via the blog Plug into the Hyperledger community at github, Chat, wiki or the mailing list Follow Hyperledger on Twitter, like on Facebook, follow on LinkedIn or subscribe to the YouTube channel Register for Hyperledger Global Forum 2020 to see a demo of Fabric Private Chaincode or attend a workshop like Architecting Production-Worthy Solutions with Hyperledger Fabric About Hyperledger Hyperledger is an open source collaborative effort created to advance cross-industry blockchain technologies. It is a global collaboration including leaders in finance, banking, healthcare, supply chains, manufacturing and technology. Hyperledger hosts many enterprise blockchain technology projects including distributed ledger frameworks, smart contract engines, client libraries, graphical interfaces, utility libraries and sample applications. All Hyperledger code is built publicly and available under the Apache license. The Linux Foundation hosts Hyperledger under the foundation. To learn more, visit: https://www.hyperledger.org/ . Contact Emily Fisher Hyperledger/Linux Foundation [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hyperledger-announces-hyperledger-fabric-2-0--300995783.html SOURCE Hyperledger [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] (Alliance News) - UK Chancellor Sajid Javid is set to throw his weight behind the controversial HS2 rail project. Javid is minded to support the high speed train initiative at a meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on Thursday. The PA news agency understands that having reviewed costs and alternatives the Chancellor will "broadly back" the high-speed line from London to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. Shapps has insisted that no decision on the controversial infrastructure project a the biggest in Europe a will be announced this week. It has been estimated the scheme, which was allocated GBP56 billion in 2015, could cost up to GBP106 billion. The prime minister told the Commons on Wednesday that a decision on the project would be made "very shortly". He said: "I just want to reassure all of my honourable friends and everybody, whatever persuasion they may be about HS2 across this Chamber, that there will be an announcement and a decision very shortly." Some GBP8 billion has already been spent on the scheme. The meeting comes as Javid has put pressure on Cabinet colleagues to identify where cuts of 5% could be made in their departmental budgets. In a letter, co-signed by Johnson, the Chancellor urged ministers to identify projects that could be abandoned ahead of his first Budget as Chancellor in March. The intervention was seen at Westminster as a bid to find resources to fund Tory election promises on infrastructure, health and law and order. Whitehall's spending watchdog said this month that HS2 is over budget and behind schedule because its complexity and risks were under-estimated. The National Audit Office warned that it is impossible to "estimate with certainty what the final cost could be". Phase One between London and Birmingham was due to open in 2026, but full services are now forecast to start between 2031 and 2036. Business chiefs in the north of England have argued that pushing forward with HS2 is key to boosting transport links across the region and providing increased capacity on the overcrowded rail network. Construction firms warn that scrapping it would cause major damage to the industry. However, opponents insist HS2 is too expensive and the money would be better spent elsewhere, while several environmental groups say it would cause huge damage to natural habitats and ancient woodland. By Shaun Connolly, PA Political Correspondent source: PA Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. A new law in Rhode Island, which went into effect at the start of the year, now prohibits restaurants in the state from providing customers with single use plastic straws unless the customer specifically asks for one. The measure is the latest attempt by lawmakers to reduce plastic waste. Do you support this new law? Why or why not? Let us know in this week's poll question below. You voted: Mumbai, Jan 30 : With high real estate prices, low availability of tech talent and crowded public transportation inadvertently restricting the growth of start-ups in Mumbai, building a global innovation hub could turn the equations in favour of the city, says a new report from KPMG and not-for-profit organisation TiE. The combined market valuation of all start-ups in Mumbai was estimated at $12 billion in 2019. While funding has been consistent across the last few years, the number of deals has witnessed a decline indicating an increase in the average ticket size. Recently, the government launched various schemes to extend support such as Maharashtra State Innovative Startup Policy 2018, Fintech Policy 2018 and Maharashtra State Innovation Society. However, despite the government support and the presence of major financial institutions, Mumbai ranks third, after Bengaluru and Delhi NCR, in terms of the total funding raised by start-ups, said the report. "With an aim to overcome the existing challenges in Mumbai, KPMG in India in association with TiE, is recommending to build 'Mumbai Innovation Central (MIC)' - through PPP (public-private-partnership) model - which would be a co-living and co-working incubation space in the heart of the city," said Pradeep Udhas, Office Managing Partner - West, KPMG in India. In a "Foreword", Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said the government would provide full support to the initiative and will work towards making Mumbai the No. 1 start-up destination. To implement the idea of Mumbai Innovation Central (MIC), the government and the governing body would have to establish an advisory board, identify ecosystem partners and introduce key mentorship programmes, among other initiatives, said the report. Mumbai's wait for its first unicorn ended on a sweet note when it witnessed the inclusion of two companies to the unicorn club in 2019. The first was the fantasy gaming platform - Dream 11 with a net valuation of $1.5 billion and the second was CitiusTech, a health tech startup valued at $1.8 billion. Jeanine Cummins will not be coming to Portland this Friday after all. The publisher of Cummins new novel American Dirt has cancelled the remainder of her promotional tour, including Friday evenings event at Powells City of Books. The novel, about a Mexican mother fleeing to the U.S. border with her young son after the assassination of her journalist husband, hit shelves last week on a wave of celebrity encomiums -- including from Oprah Winfrey, whose thumbs-up typically guarantees massive sales. But critics have lambasted American Dirt for what they consider ill-informed depictions of Mexicans. One Mexican-American writer called the novel a pastiche of stereotypes and melodramatic tropes of the sort one might expect from an author who did not grow up within Mexican culture. Another critic called it the marketing of brown and black pain. Cummins, who is of Irish and Puerto Rican background, hoped to avoid exactly the controversy her book has ignited. She wrote in the books authors note that she had wished someone slightly browner than me would write it. But then I thought, if youre a person who has the capacity to be a bridge, why not be a bridge? But Flatiron Books has pulled the plug on Cummins effort for now, citing safety concerns for the author. Jeanine Cummins spent five years of her life writing this book with the intent to shine a spotlight on tragedies facing immigrants, Flatiron president Bob Miller said in a statement Wednesday. We are saddened that a work of fiction that was well-intentioned has led to such vitriolic rancor. Unfortunately, our concerns about safety have led us to the difficult decision to cancel the book tour. Cummins, 45, had made a handful of promotional appearances since her book was released, but over the past few days the St. Louis-based Left Bank Books had called off an event and Flatiron had cancelled interviews in California. The tour for her heavily promoted book had been scheduled to last at least through mid-February, with planned stops everywhere from Seattle to Oxford, Mississippi. Flatiron instead hopes to organize a series of town hall gatherings with Cummins and her critics, calling it an opportunity to come together and unearth difficult truths to help us move forward as a community. On Wednesday, a spokesperson for Winfrey confirmed that Winfrey will meet as planned with the author next month and that the discussion will air in March on Apple TV Plus. American Dirt was the third novel picked by Winfrey since she began a partnership with Apple last year. Powells has updated its events calendar to note the cancelation of Fridays event at its downtown Portland store. The Associated Press contributed to this report. -- Douglas Perry @douglasmperry Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Criminal case filings in Missoula were down in most categories, including violent crime, last year, according to a year-end review published Wednesday by the Missoula County Attorneys Office. The annual report shows criminal cases in 2019 were down to 2,142 total filings, which compiles felony, misdemeanor and juvenile cases. Thats below the 2,184 cases filed in 2018, but still higher than every other year since 2012. Recent studies have shown meth is an identifiable driving force for much of the criminal activity in Missoula, the report states. Between May 2018 and April 2019 violent crime, which includes homicide, robbery and aggravated assault, fell by 18.5% compared to the previous 12 months, according to the report, which adds those violent crime filings have fallen another 11.9% percent in the time since. Weve had some fluctuations over the years but its a great indicator, Missoula County Attorney Kirsten Pabst said Wednesday. Hopefully its not an anomaly and more of a trend. Pabst credited the drop in violent crime to work done in concert with county prosecutors federal counterparts in the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort, which opens the lines of communication between the two parties, Pabst said. Dependent and neglect cases have been falling since a spike in 2017, though last years decline looks more like year-over-year numbers are stabilizing, Pabst said. In 2019 the County Attorneys Office filed 109 dependent and neglect cases, compared to 118 in 2018. Thats following 195 cases filed in 2017. Seeing these numbers go down two years in a row now is really, really welcome, but, like I said, were being cautiously optimistic, Pabst said. The number of reports statewide have not gone down, and the number of reports to the state reporting system have not gone down, but I know the department is working hard to work with families informally before a case is filed. Two double homicide cases filed before 2019 both wrapped up, with Augustus Standingrock and Tiffanie Pierce, both charged with the gruesome slayings of two people in a basement in 2017, were sentenced to life in prison. Caressa Hardy, following a jury trial in which prosecutors secured a conviction, was given four life sentences in prison for killing two men at a home in Frenchtown. Hardy has appealed the sentence to the state Supreme Court. The report also touts the office's pre-trial diversion program, Calibrate, which launched in 2019. The program is the first of its kind on Montana, according to the report, and seeks to divert low-risk defendants from criminal conviction by addressing underlying causes of criminal behavior, such as addiction. The Secondary Trauma Program at the Missoula County Attorney's Office, which started up in 2016, was also recognized in two prosecutor-focused publications last year. The program seeks to address secondary trauma incurred by installing a curriculum to teach resiliency tools for prosecutors who have to deal with some "really gruesome material" on a regular basis, Pabst said. Pabst is actively sharing the program with agencies across the country, including San Diego a couple weeks ago and Mississippi in the weeks ahead. "It's taking off like wildfire," Pabst said. The full report is available online. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Kingsley Moghalu, former presidential candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), says Nigeria needs not just an Igbo President but a visionary and competent leader. Moghalu was reacting to comments credited to Chris Ngige, minister of labour and productivity, that his mistake on presidency shouldnt be repeated by the Igbo. Ngige was also quoted to have said that Moghalu couldnt realise his presidential ambition because he converted under a relatively unknown party. Read Also: Tribalism Is Nigerias Biggest Ailment Moghalu However, in a statement on Thursday, Moghalu, a former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), said he is a change agent, not a visionless, recycled politician that claims mandates on the basis of rigged elections. He added that he was a Nigerian candidate for the Nigerian presidency, not an ethnic candidate for Igbo President. That candidacy was based on a clear vision for our country, competence, and a clear policy agenda: to build a real and stable nation based on equality and justice by managing Nigerias diversity effectively, he said. We need not just an Igbo President. Nigeria needs a visionary and competent leader. A person fired a shot in the presence of police personnel while chanting Jai Shri Ram slogans, injuring a Jamia student, while they were marching to Raj Ghat on Mahatmas Gandhi death anniversary. The student has been shot on hand and taken to a hospital. Reuters The man was chanting pro-CAA slogans and brandished a gun. He was seen asking kisko chahiye azaadi? Ye lo azaadi (who wants freedom? I'll give you freedom), when he shot the student. Man shouting anti Jamia slogans shot, injured Jamia student. Is this a result of all the "gaddaron ko goli maaro" talk? Delhi Police arrested shooter. Can we trust the police who are blaming Jamia students for marching to Rajghat to remember Gandhi ji? https://t.co/2rtqXXPpK8 Kavita Krishnan (@kavita_krishnan) January 30, 2020 A man openly moving around with a gun around Jamia. No action taken by the police. A student has been shot on hand, and has been taken to the hospital!#JamiaMilliaIslamia #Jamia pic.twitter.com/Lo5lDpe9kC The Second Angle (@TheSecondAngle) January 30, 2020 #Jamia @ 1:50 PM | 30th January A man with gun was walking shouting he is gonna shoot and the police did nothing, he shot towards us, A Student has been shot on the hand and is being taken to hospital. pic.twitter.com/WkTYuhwEID CAA / NRC Protest Info. (@NrcProtest) January 30, 2020 #Jamia A miscreant flashed a gun chanting pro CAA slogans and fired a shot injuring a Jamia student at protest site in Jamia. pic.twitter.com/uitBhGWX5J CAA / NRC Protest Info. (@NrcProtest) January 30, 2020 SOS: Jamia Student shot by a goon when they were marching for Jantar Mantar They tried to repeat the assassination of Gandhi #gandhiji pic.twitter.com/Iyafk1vhzE Fahad Ahmad (@FahadTISS) January 30, 2020 The incident happened in the presence of Delhi police personnel. TORONTO - Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he will travel to Washington, D.C., next week and will unveil the province's new trade strategy with the United States. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/1/2020 (713 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Ontario Premier Doug Ford is seen during a news conference in Toronto, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020. Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he will travel to Washington, D.C., next week and will unveil the province's new trade strategy with the United States. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston TORONTO - Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he will travel to Washington, D.C., next week and will unveil the province's new trade strategy with the United States. 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. Speaking at the Canada 360 Economic Summit in Toronto, Ford said he has a way of potentially getting around Buy American policies. Ford and Economic Development Minister Vic Fedeli are set to attend the winter meeting of the National Governors Association. Ford also says that in April, a delegation of American governors is coming to Ontario for an infrastructure study tour. The premier says that strengthening economic ties with U.S. states, it will create opportunities for Ontario businesses to bring their products and expertise to markets there. Ontario is the top trading partner with 19 states and the second-largest trading partner with nine others. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2020. WARSAW, Poland - Two co-founders of a prominent Jewish history museum in Warsaw urged their third partner the Polish government to comply with an agreement to reappoint the museums former director, arguing Thursday that a failure to do so threatens the museum and is damaging to Polish-Jewish relations. A standoff over the leadership of the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews has dragged on since May, when former director Dariusz Stola won a competition to serve a second five-year term at the museums helm. Polands culture minister so far has refused to put Stola in the post, accusing him of being politically biased against the countrys right-wing government. On Thursday, the city of Warsaw and the Association of the Jewish Historical Institute of Poland demanded government action on Stolas reappointment. We can no longer accept the situation in which one of the most important institutions of culture in Poland remains in a state of limbo, Warsaws mayor and the board chairman of the private Jewish historical association said in a joint statement. A Culture Ministry spokeswoman countered that the situation at the museum is stable and does not give rise to concern under the acting director, Zygmunt Stepinski. Museum statutes limit an acting directors stewardship to a year, Stepinskis term expires in late February. In their statement, Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski and Piotr Wislicki, chairman of the board of the Association of the Jewish Historical Institute, said that as that deadline approaches, the museums functioning is threatened and international partners find this impasse beyond comprehension. They said that Culture Minister Piotr Glinski was failing to abide by an agreement to honour whoever won the competition to be chosen as director, saying that the rules and members of the jury were selected and agreed on by all three partners. But Culture Ministry spokeswoman Anna Pawlowska-Pojawa insisted in a statement carried by the Polish state news agency that the final decision belongs to Glinski. She said the functioning of the museum is not in any way endangered, and one also cannot speak of a crisis. Opened in 2013, the museum presents the nearly 1,000-year history of Jewish life in Poland and the Holocaust. Polin is a Hebrew word meaning rest here, and reflects the overall story of the Jewish life that flourished in Poland for many centuries until being nearly destroyed by Nazi Germany. The museum is also a conference and educational centre that hosts debates, films and other events. It has been visited by 3.75 million people since it opened in 2013, while nearly 2 million have visited the core exhibition, which opened in 2014. Some 44% of visitors come from abroad, with the largest group of foreign visitors from Israel, followed by the United States. Weighing in to support Stola reinstatement, Polands chief rabbi, Michael Schudrich, said: Because POLIN is recognized worldwide as outstanding, it is not enough for our museum to be stable and good, it must be groundbreaking and fantastic. It took the Jordanian government less than an hour to respond to the US peace plan following its release by President Donald Trump Jan. 28 at a ceremony held at the White House. Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said in a statement published by The Jordan Times that the national interests of Jordan and its established and unwavering positions and principles toward the Palestinian issue governs the way the government deals with all proposals and initiatives aimed at resolving the conflict. Safadi reiterated his countrys support for an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital based on the two-state solution, which is the only way to achieve long-term peace. He also warned against the dangerous consequences of unilateral Israeli measures, such as the annexation of Palestinian lands, the building and expansion of illegal Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian lands, and encroachments on the Holy Sites in Jerusalem, that aim at imposing new realities on the ground. This was Jordans diplomatic way of rejecting Trumps plan without saying so directly. The Trump peace plan contradicts Ammans position as well as that of the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002. The plan recognizes Israeli sovereignty over 30% of the West Bank, including the Jordan Valley. It also underlines that Jerusalem will remain the undivided capital of Israel. Jordanian officials have been in flux since the United States announced that Trump was getting ready to release his peace plan. Without access to its details, they knew beforehand that it departs from the classical two-state solution, which Jordan considers to be the only path to a just and lasting peace. In an interview with France 24 TV station Jan. 14, Jordan's King Abdullah II said, We need to have the plan unveiled for us to be able to see it from a point of view of the glass half full. Trumps son-in-law and the man behind the plan, Jared Kushner, had not visited Amman for more than a year. But every time he was here, King Abdullah told him that Jordan remains committed to the two-state solution and to East Jerusalem being the capital of the state of Palestine. In the White House ceremony Jan. 28, Trump referred to King Abdullahs role over Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem. But on Jan. 29, Jordans Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Sites warned against changing the status quo at Al-Aqsa and forcing a new reality. In a statement, it said there can never be a partnership (division) of the holy site, and Jordan has sole custody over it. During a meeting with officials in the southern city of Aqaba Jan. 26 and in response to a question on the so-called "deal of the century, the king said his position is well known to everybody and our answer is no, which is clear to everyone. His reference to no resonates with statements he made last year on a number of occasions. The last was on March 27, 2019, when he said that Jordan will never accept relinquishing its role in Jerusalem, nor will it accept settling Palestine refugees in Jordan or become an alternative Palestinian homeland. One informed source told Al-Monitor that Trumps plan is, in reality, Benjamin Netanyahu's plan, written by him and offered to him. The Israeli prime minister was by Trumps side at the White House as he talked about his peace plan. The Jordanian ambassador in Washington declined an invitation to attend the ceremony. The ambassadors of Oman, Bahrain and the UAE attended the event. Jordan will come under pressure in the coming weeks as it defends the two-state solution at a time when there are worrying signs that support for Trumps plan may be gaining traction in some Arab and European capitals. For Amman, it is not the immediate effect of the plan that is the major concern but its long-term ramifications. There is a belief here among senior officials that Israels far right will never accept a Palestinian state under any condition in the West Bank, and that once full annexation takes place all eyes will be on Jordan to assume a role in running Palestinian population centers. There are also fears that the demographic problem that will arise from the Israeli annexation of the West Bank will be resolved at Jordans expense through the fulfillment of an Israeli far-right claim that Jordan is Palestine. To pre-empt rumors that Jordan was considering canceling a 1988 decision to disengage from the West Bank, Safadi told reporters Jan. 25 that such rumors were false and such an issue was never under consideration. The key issue now for Jordan is how it will react if and when Israel annexes the settlements and the Jordan Valley. Last September, King Abdullah told MSNBC that annexation will have a major impact on the Israeli-Jordanian relationship and also on the Egyptian-Israeli relationship because we are the only two Arab countries that have peace with Israel. It is no secret that ties between Jordan and Israel are already at a historic low. In his France 24 interview, the king admitted that the West Bank is an issue that has tremendous, I think, negativity toward the Israeli-Jordanian relationship. With Netanyahu bent on carrying out the annexation as soon as possible with US blessing, the king understands that room for maneuverability is getting smaller. Fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi, fighting extradition to India on charges over the nearly USD 2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud and money laundering case, was produced for a regular remand hearing at Westminster magistrates' court in London on Thursday and further remanded in custody until February 27. IMAGE: A file photo of fugitive businessman Nirav Modi at the Westminster magistrate's court, London. Photograph: ANI Photo. The 48-year-old, who has been lodged at Wandsworth prison in south-west London, appeared via videolink from prison before district judge David Robinson. I am told that your case is proceeding in accordance with the directions for a final hearing on 11 May, the judge told Modi, as he set the next 28-day remand hearing via videolink for February 27. Modi's extradition trial is scheduled for five days starting May 11, with the case management hearings in the case set to begin once all the evidence has been handed in to the court for the trial. He had made a last-ditch bail application in November last year with an unprecedented house arrest guarantee, akin to those imposed on terrorist suspects, as well as citing mental health issues from being behind bars at Wandsworth since his arrest in March 2019. But the bail plea was turned down by chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot over continued fears of witness intimidation and failure to surrender before the court for his extradition trial this year. The UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which represents the Indian government in the extradition proceedings, said there was no further prospect of an appeal for bail in a higher court as the UK high court had already turned down Modi's plea earlier last year. Modi is meanwhile expected to appear for call-over hearings every 28 days at Westminster magistrates' court until the case management hearings for his extradition trial kick in. The diamond merchant denies the charges of fraud and money laundering and his defence team, led by barrister Hugo Keith, has claimed that the Indian government has wrongly blackened Modi's name as a world-class schemer. As part of the change in circumstances required for a fresh bail application, Modi's lawyers had offered to double the bail bond security offered to the court, from the previous GBP 2 million to GBP 4 million. They had also informed the court of attacks on their client from fellow inmates at one of England's most overcrowded prisons. Modi has been behind bars at Wandsworth since his arrest on March 19 on an extradition warrant executed by Scotland Yard on charges brought by the Indian government. During subsequent hearings, the UK court has been told that Modi was the "principal beneficiary" of the fraudulent issuance of letters of undertaking (LoUs) as part of a conspiracy to defraud PNB and then laundering the proceeds of crime. His extradition trial is scheduled between May 11 and 15 this year. Aditi Khanna is a journalist with PTI. She can be contacted at money@rediff.co.in. With a team of more than thirty public and private organisations and a budget over 200 million euro, ERA4TB aims to radically transform the way in which new therapies are developed for the treatment of tuberculosis. Tuberculosis, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is the leading cause of death from infectious disease in the world. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), it is estimated that 10 million people became ill with tuberculosis in 2018 and 1,6 million died from the disease. Although its incidence is decreasing, the drug-resistant variety of the infection constitutes a growing threat to the safety of the world's population. The UN has thus committed to ending the tuberculosis epidemic by 2030 through the joint action of its member states. The standard treatment of tuberculosis consists of the combined administration of three or four antibiotics, all of which were developed more than 60 years ago. The minimum duration of treatment is six months, although if the infection is of the resistant type, the treatment needs to be e extended to about two years. "The appearance of these bacteria resistant to conventional treatments forces us to look for new drugs which, in combination with others which are in use, can fight the new strains," the researchers explain. "This represents a challenge for Europe as well as a global issue, since if we do not fight against multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, the disease could become a global problem." ERA4TB focuses on a drug's development phase which begins once a new potentially effective drug has been identified and runs until the first clinical trials. This phase, in which the safety and efficacy of the compound are verified and the best dosage is determined, is a process that costs between 10 and 20 million euro and can last up to six years. Therefore, if a new treatment is developed in which four compounds are combined sequentially, the waiting time is more than twenty years. The ERA4TB project proposes abandoning this sequential scheme in order to adopt a parallel development pathway that allows for the simultaneous research of more than a dozen potentially effective molecules against tuberculosis. This approach, which would take the form of an adaptive collaborative network, will allow ERA4TB to optimise the costs of developing new drugs against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and, more importantly, to significantly reduce the times taken developing the new combined treatments needed to eradicate this epidemic, the researchers say. We are very excited about the launch of ERA4TB, a unique collaborative project in the field of tuberculosis, in which the experience of public partners and a portfolio of promising preclinical candidate drugs from pharmaceutical companies come together in order to accelerate the development of new clinical candidates. The ultimate goal is to provide an innovative and distinctive combination regimen for the treatment of tuberculosis, which can play a key role in the programme for the eradication of the disease," David Barros, project leader and vice-president, Global Health R&D, GlaxoSmithKline Barros is also the head of research at the tuberculosis unit. The project has two significant goals. First, to take at least six new antibiotics to clinical trials as well as two combinations of these which are safe and effective treatments against any form of tuberculosis. And, secondly, to guarantee that the network created in the project is sustainable so that the capacities and the collaboration built between experts and institutions last over time and become well-established in Europe, so it can also be used for the development of other drugs to fight antimicrobial resistance. One of the keys to achieving these objectives lies in the collaboration between the 31 partners that make up this consortium, who come from the academic world, the pharmaceutical industry and from non-profit organisations who specialised in the fight against tuberculosis. "This is a major initiative that consists of partners from Europe and the US and which will make Europe a centre of knowledge in this area of research. The collaboration between institutions is evident in that both industrial partners and non-profit entities bring to the consortium their own compounds which are potentially effective against tuberculosis, so that the research into the effectiveness of these molecules and their combinations might begin from the first day of the project," the researchers explain. Stewart Cole, scientific leader of ERA4TB and President of the Institut Pasteur, said "ERA4TB has assembled an impressive array of resources to seamlessly harness the agility and innovation of academia with the pragmatism and professionalism scientific expertise of pharma. I am confident that this powerful European initiative will speed the path to tuberculosis elimination." Spain, a force in the fight against tuberculosis "The ERA4TB project will turn Spain into an important pole of research against tuberculosis at a global level, due to the significance and the number of organisations that form the main core of the initiative," says Juan Jose Vaquero from the UC3M's Department of Bioengineering and Aerospace Engineering and coordinator of the project. Four of the Spanish participating entities are located in the Madrid region: the UC3M, the Madrid Health Service (SERMAS in its Spanish acronym), GlaxoSmithKline and Synapse Managers. In addition to coordinating the project, the group led by Professor Vaquero at the UC3M is responsible for the initiative's biomedical imaging activities. This group plays a very active role both in the development of new diagnostic imaging equipment and in the implementation of artificial intelligence technologies, such as deep learning, which allow the researchers to quantify the progression of the disease by interpreting the images acquired. The SERMAS, through the Pharmacology Department of the La Paz University Hospital and its Clinical Trials Unit (UCICEC) will be responsible for coordinating the studies of the first administration to humans planned within the project. It will also make its hospital infrastructure (La Paz and La Princesa University Hospitals and the San Carlos Clinic) available to the consortium to carry out the necessary studies. The GlaxoSmithKline company is leading the project and providing scientific resources and a significant number of the new compounds which are to be investigated in the project. The company Synapse Managers, specialised in international biomedical research projects, will be in charge of managing the consortium. Lastly, another Spanish organisation is participating in the initiative, a mixed team of researchers from the ARAID Foundation and the University of Zaragoza (UNIZAR). A facility will be fitted out in the latter organisation which is unique in Europe in the public field dedicated to Hollow-Fibre Infection Model (HFIM) technology, a bioreactor in a level 3 biological safety environment that allows for the manipulation and investigation of human pathogens, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In addition, the team from this university will develop a new system of analysis which will allow for the identification of antibiotics with the capacity to interfere with the systems by which the bacteria interacts with the infected patient. ERA4TB (European Regimen Accelerator for Tuberculosis) is funded by the European Union (EU) Research and Innovation Framework Programme, Horizon 2020 (GA853989) and by the European pharmaceutical industry through the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). It is conducted under the auspices of the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI), a public-private partnership between EFPIA and the EU to accelerate the development of better and safer medicines for patients. In the middle of the night, Hilliard was seen mopping up a trail of blood from his bedroom to the back door of the apartment he shared with three other people. Turner, 21, whom Hilliard had been dating, was nowhere to be seen. In the morning, Hilliard was seen sitting on his bed, cleaning a hammer. Later in the day, he tossed the mattress. Vinay Kumar Sharma, one of the convicts in the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case awaiting execution, has sent a mercy petition to President Ram Nath Kovind, his lawyer A.P. Singh told IANS on Wednesday. Tihar Jail authorities have already started preparations to hang the four convicts facing death row for their involvement in the horrific incident of December 16, 2012 -- wherein a 23-year-old para-medical student was gang-raped in a moving bus. With the February 1 deadline for hanging nearing, the convicts are taking all possible steps to delay the executions by using all the legal options available to them. For the last 15 days, some of the accused are visiting courts to use their legal rights. However, they have not got any favourable response from any court so far. On Wednesday, Vinay, one of the four convicts currently lodged in Tihar Jail, sent a mercy petition to the President, hoping to get some relief. Now, he is waiting for the President's response. Turkeys deployment of troops to war-torn Libya to head off the threat of private Russian military contractors threatens a significant escalation in the months-long conflict, the top US military officer in Africa said today. Africa Command chief Gen. Stephen Townsend said the ongoing fighting in the country has left the international community paralyzed with no real progress toward a political solution. Turkeys recent deployment of troops and hardware to counter the Russian PMCs risks a significant escalation as both Russia and Turkey are attempting to tip the scales in their favor, Townsend said in a statement entered into the congressional record. A potential bad outcome for both the US and NATO is Russia gaining access to oil and military bases with long-range anti-access area denial (A2AD) capabilities on NATOs southern flank. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan first acknowledged that intelligence operatives supporting the Government of National Accord in Tripoli had deployed to the country in January, adding to a steady stream of weapons. The UN-backed force that has faced a nine-month onslaught from eastern warlord Khalifa Hifter, who has received support from Russian private military contractors such as the Wagner Group, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. A detachment of US marines left the country as Hifter began his advance in April 2019. Townsend, who is facing a cut in his commands 6,000 troops in Africa in an ongoing Pentagon review seeking to shift US resources to face down threats from China and Russia, said Moscow has strong links to Hifter's self-described Libyan National Army despite denying involvement. The Pentagon is already concerned that Russia could be deepening its presence in Libya, which Townsend said is frequently employed to secure Russian investments at the expense of Africans, to prop up corrupt regimes and establish a broader Russian military footprint globally. Russias goals are predominately to gain access to extractive resources, Townsend said. In November, Russian military contractors almost certainly downed an unarmed US drone using an advanced air defense system, Townsend said. Russia sold $1 billion in military equipment across Africa in 2017 and has military technology agreements with 36 countries, according to a summary provided by Africa Command. But amid a potential cut in resources, members of the Senate Armed Services Panel expressed support at a hearing on Thursday to keep more resources in Africa Command, where 5,100 American troops are involved in combating terror. How much are you going to get accomplished with 6,000 people? asked Senate Armed Services Chairman Jim Inhofe at the annual posture hearing with Townsend and US Southern Command chief Adm. Craig Faller. If the object here is to reduce and to reposition, youre talking about the two areas where there arent enough people to reposition. We never thought wed see the day. Photo: Liz Clayman In 2020 America, festooning a pizza pie with pepperoni isnt an inherently radical act unless youre Anthony Mangieri, owner of Una Pizza Napoletana. If youre familiar with Mangieris work and past proclamations regarding canonical pizza-making strictures, the thought of him putting pepperoni on his pizza is hard to imagine, like Pavarotti yodeling or Isaac Stern playing The Devil Went Down to Georgia on the violin. In certain pizza-nerd circles, this could be Dylan going electric, Dylan warbling Christmas carols, and Dylan doing that Victorias Secret commercial combined. Mangieri, the Jersey-born, Italy-inspired dough savant, you see, has hewed to stricter-than-Neapolitan standards for nearly a quarter-century, politely declining requests to slice pies or offer optional toppings, let alone besmirch the surface of a tender, springy, naturally leavened crust with something as ignoble as pepperoni (which, by the way, doesnt exist in Italy, where the word peperoni refers to bell peppers). But things change, philosophies evolve, and producers like Columbus, Ohios Ezzo Sausage Company and Chicagos Tempesta Artisan Salumi start giving the lowbrow domestic salami a good name a name that even Anthony Mangieri, who now uses a combination of both pepperonis on his pizza, can get behind. It also helps that Mangieris eight-year-old daughter Apollonia is a persistent pepperoni pitchwoman. Honestly, the initial catalyst for the pepperoni was my daughter, says Mangieri, because every time she came into the pizzeria, she was like, Why dont you do a pepperoni? Mangieri was already acquainted with Bill Ezzo from the pizza-expo circuit, so when he finally told the meat maven that he was interested in trying out his product after eschewing pepperoni his entire career, Ezzo replied, It takes a big man to admit when hes wrong. Once in full experimental mode, Mangieri also started testing pepperoni from Tempesta, his longtime supplier of nduja and soppressata, and discovered he likes the contrast between the two: Ezzos pepperoni is spicier, crispier, and more compact; Tempestas has a gamier flavor and looser texture. The result is fantastic, in keeping with Mangieris minimalist style and surely the most elegant pepperoni pie in town. And pepperoni is just one of four extra toppings that Mangieri added to his menu beginning in late November along with three new special pies, bringing the total to one for each of the six nights hes open. The marinara, plus anchovies and Calabrian peppers. Photo: Liz Clayman Not to suggest that UPN has suddenly morphed into CPK, but how to interpret this surprising new direction? Ironically, according to Mangieri, the recent embrace of toppings was spurred on by a rededication to dough. When the pizzaiolo teamed up with Fabian von Hauske Valtierra and Jeremiah Stone of Wildair and Contra in the spring of 2018 to open the Lower East Side restaurant, each partner contributed his specialty to the menu inventive, offbeat appetizers and classic desserts by the Contra team, pizza by Mangieri. But lukewarm reviews and sparse crowds confirmed Mangieris growing sense that the pieces of the puzzle werent fitting. I really wanted to get rid of the small plates, says Mangieri, who believed that anything beyond what emerged from his wood-burning oven diluted the effect and enjoyment of the pizzerias raison detre. At first, he took more control over the menu and began to simplify the starters. But that wasnt enough. I would rather have anchovies on a marinara pie than have a salad before that, he says. Even the burrata I loved our burrata dish, I hated getting rid of it. I realized, This should just be a pizza. A pizza that we control. And so now, after months of testing and running the new items as specials, customers can supplement any of the four original classici pizzas with pepperoni, Calabrian long hot peppers, salted anchovies, or pedigree Parmigiano extras Mangieri describes as very basic, old school, and rooted in tradition. He is still a stickler when it comes to the speciali. No substitutions allowed on the nightly combos hes named for relatives, including his nonna Anna (Mondays pizzafication of that burrata plate, with cherry tomatoes and dabs of nduja) and his mother Catari (Tuesdays mildly spicy white pie garnished with raisins, pine nuts, capers, and sesame). The pizza takes only ninety seconds to cook, but if you must nibble something right away, you have the option of Mangieri-sanctioned spuntini like olives or lupini beans, neither of which will unduly jeopardize your appetite. Mangieri has also assumed pastry-chef duties, incorporating sheeps-milk ricotta in dulce-de-leche-like salted-caramel gelato. And all we have to say about this is that it seems unfair that someone who makes such stupendously good pizza can churn out such exquisite ice cream. In the midst of these changes, Mangieris also preparing to open a new pizzeria in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, in a space he leased as a backup plan when it seemed the Orchard Street spot might not make it. Now, the self-sufficient pizzaiolo finds himself in the unfamiliar position of trying to figure out how to be in two places at the same time. But his chief concern remains his dough, the unpredictable, naturally leavened life force whose conquest remains frustratingly out of reach. Im never really happy, he says, focusing on the occasional disappointments instead of the puffy-rimmed, delicately charred triumphs. When a particularly beautiful specimen emerges, though, he might take a moment to daydream. Wouldnt it be amazing if it could be like this forever? One of three new weekly specials, Mondays Anna showcases a ball of burrata on a base of buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, and dabs of nduja. Photo: Liz Clayman Shaved pecorino and lots of fresh herbs distinguish the sweet and spicy Catari, the Tuesday special. Photo: Liz Clayman Wednesdays Genni balances rich toppings like porchetta and smoked buffalo mozzarella with rosemary, lemon zest, and red onion. Photo: Liz Clayman Before service, Mangieri churns ice cream like a dense and tangy salted caramel; fruit sorbetto and classic cannoli are also made in-house. Photo: Liz Clayman. Before service, Mangieri churns ice cream like a dense and tangy salted caramel; fruit sorbetto and classic cannoli are also made in-house. Photo: Liz... more Before service, Mangieri churns ice cream like a dense and tangy salted caramel; fruit sorbetto and classic cannoli are also made in-house. Photo: Liz Clayman. Eat like the experts. Sign up for the Grub Street newsletter. 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. Paige Fugger The UniVoIP Scholarship Program, an initiative designed to support the next generation of cloud technology professionals, is proud to announce its first scholarship winner. At its core, UniVoIPs Scholarship Program is a company-wide commitment to helping future technology leaders by breaking down the barriers that prevent students from entering technology-related fields. Understanding the profound impact each generation of professionals entering the workforce has on cloud-based technological advancements, UniVoIP is dedicated to improving overall information and education accessibility to as many young, tech-minded individuals as possible. We are thrilled to be assisting students to achieve academic goals through our scholarship program and look forward to seeing the positive contributions they will be making to the future of cloud-based technology and the overall modernization of technology in our society. Celine Akrey, Sr. Director of Marketing With that said, UniVoIP is excited to announce that Paige Fugger, an Industrial Engineering Major at the University of Illinois, is the winner of the UniVoIP Scholarship Programs video submission contest. High school, undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled in schools around the United States entered to win a $1000 scholarship by submitting a 60-second video answering the question, The 2020s are here. Share your thoughts and predictions on the future of cloud communications and UCaaS. Identify changing expectations and how demands in the workplace are causing new cloud-based technology innovations to meet these demands. How will those innovations benefit the workplace? Discussing everything from major shifts in the business communications landscape to collaboration, productivity and mobility demands of the modern workplace, Fuggers submission most accurately addressed the new-age requirements and predictions for emerging cloud-based technologies and unified communications. Visit univoip.com/scholarship to watch the winning video submission. ABOUT UNIVOIP UniVoIP is a leading provider of UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) solutions with a focus on customer satisfaction. UniVoIP serves medium to large enterprises everywhere by leveraging best-of-breed integrated business communications platforms that deliver advanced multimedia contact center functionality, cloud-based collaboration tools, mobility applications, and a world-renowned suite of advanced IP phones including mobile integration. Powered by a team with over 40 years of experience together, UniVoIP is an industry leader, delivering comprehensive UCaaS solutions to a variety of industries including education, legal, finance, nonprofit, real estate, and healthcare. Visit univoip.com. An Australian man who has been trapped in Wuhan amid the deadly coronavirus outbreak has shared footage of his daring foray into the city to buy food after spending weeks in quarantine. Daniel Ou Yang, from Sydney, is among the 600 Australians who remain stuck in the Chinese city after it was placed into lockdown to prevent the spread of the virus. For two weeks, the 21-year-old, who was visiting his grandparents, has been unable to leave his home as residents have been told to not even open their doors. Mr Yang stepped outside for the first time to buy food and necessities on Thursday, only to find empty shelves at the supermarket, deserted streets and few supplies left. Scroll down for video Daniel Ou Yang (pictured) was visiting his grandparents when he became trapped in the city after it was placed into lockdown to prevent the spread of the deadly virus The 21-year-old from Sydney, shared a video of his foray into the city where he found empty shelves at the supermarket, deserted streets and little supplies Mr Yang admitted he had been 'nervous' about venturing into ground zero of the deadly virus He shared a video of his trip into the city which he described as an 'emotional' experience. 'We went for a supply run to get groceries and seeing my once bustling city streets empty, the people nervous, really breaks my heart,' he said. 'Most of the snacks, preserved food, meat, and sanitisers are out of stock on the shelves. We didn't even bother to look for masks. It was nice to get out of the house finally though.' He admitted he had been 'nervous' about venturing into ground zero of the deadly virus saying people are 'hesitant to get close to you' and are 'wearing full body coverings.' In an earlier video, he shared the view from his apartment, giving a bird's eye view of the ghost town. 'We've got two main roads on both sides of our apartment which is normally congested in traffic 24/7, and this is the first time we have ever seen it like this. My city has become a ghost town,' he said. 'All the light rails, buses, taxi services, trains everything's stopped.' Mr Yang first took to social media on Sunday to notify his friends and family that he had been quarantined in Wuhan, describing the alarming conditions. The streets on Wuhan, the epicentre of China's deadly virus, are empty as the city is forced into lockdown Mr Yang said he was desperate to get home to Sydney to see his girlfriend and get back to his real estate business but was not sure about the living conditions on Christmas Island if he's evacuated there Some 170 people have died from the virus in mainland China and more than 7,000 have been infected worldwide 'The situation however is pretty bad over here, and it's worse than the government let's out. 'Our hospitals are full, and we are rushing to set up a brand new hospital in a week from now. Doctors are only taking emergency status patients, and anyone else are being turned away to self isolate at home. 'We are being advised to not even open our doors. There's definitely more infected and dead than what is being reported.' More than 7,000 people have been infected with the coronavirus worldwide, and some 170 have died. Nine cases in Australia have been confirmed - four in NSW, three in Victoria and two in Queensland. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a plan on Wednesday to evacuate Australians trapped at the epicentre of China's deadly virus and quarantine them on the remote island for 14 days. Mr Yang found out about the evacuation through friends messaging him news articles after the prime minister made the announcement in Canberra. Nine cases in Australia have been confirmed - four in NSW, three in Victoria and two in Queensland Daniel Ou Yang is an Australian in the Chinese city of Wuhan and fearful of his uncertain future (stock image of Christmas Island) He said he has not heard from the Australian government in four days. But he admitted he was sceptical about the government's plans, fearing he would be treated as a 'detainee'. 'I know we would be kept in the detention centre and the treatment of detainees is not the best,' Mr Yang said. On Thursday, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said images of the Christmas Island facility would be released in a bid to alleviate concerns about the centre's standards. Priority will be given to the elderly and children and those who have been in Wuhan for the least amount of time. If anyone has the disease they will be transferred to an Australian hospital, Mr Dutton said. As the global health threat from the coronavirus continued to mount, the outbreaks growing impact is evident at San Francisco International Airport, one of the U.S. hubs with direct flights to China. United Airlines, which already had canceled eight round-trip flights between SFO and Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai from Saturday to Feb. 8, said Thursday that the reductions would last until March 28. Uniteds announcement is a big deal, said Henry Harteveldt, a travel analyst with Atmosphere Research in San Francisco. They clearly believe it will be six or more weeks until travel will start to return. Other airlines have seen travel decline between SFO and China. American Airlines, which offers flights to China via Los Angeles International Airport, plans to end those flights Feb. 9. Its pilots association sued the airline Thursday to force it to end those and other flights to China sooner. Blanchard; John Air China, which has one daily flight to Beijing from SFO, said flights to China were empty but those coming back were full, so it wasnt modifying its schedule at this point. The situation remains fluid, with the World Health Organization declaring a global health emergency Thursday and the State Department issuing a do not travel warning for China because of the virus the strongest possible advisory it issues and stating that travelers should be prepared for travel restrictions to be put into effect with little or no advance notice. Mike Boyd, CEO of aviation consultancy Boyd Group International, said that air traffic between the U.S. and China was spinning into free fall. He predicted that flights between China and North America will be down 75% or more. My gut is you may see a complete cut of nonstop international flights to China, he said. No one awake and sober is going to take a vacation in China. Its been destroyed as a leisure destination. San Mateo residents Angela Pan and her husband flew to Guangzhou nine days ago to visit family for the Lunar New Year, bringing their 11-month-old son for his first trip to China. But a day after their arrival, China shut down Wuhan, the center of the coronavirus outbreak. Panic set in, and people stayed inside in Guangzhou a four-hour bullet train ride from Wuhan. Pans family holed up in an apartment and canceled their Lunar New Year celebrations. Then they booked an earlier flight home. We had nothing to do there, Pan said, adding that she thinks people are more educated than they were during the SARS outbreak (which peaked in 2003) and are cooperating with the Chinese governments directive to stay indoors. She was disappointed she didnt get to introduce her infant son to her extended family, but as long as everybody stays healthy, thats important, Pan said Michelle Du of Belmont, who returned home on a direct flight from Guangzhou on Thursday, said she and her husband enjoyed the holiday, except that they had their temperature taken often and had to stay indoors a lot due to coronavirus concerns. Grace Shi like more than a quarter of travelers in the area outside security at the International Terminal on Thursday wore a face mask as she organized her bags after checking in for a China Airlines flight to her hometown of Beijing. She planned to keep it on throughout the flight. Shi had vacationed in San Francisco for 10 days. She didnt delay her return because doing so could leave her stranded in the U.S. as airlines cancel flights to China. She plans to work from home to avoid the risks of a crowded office. Hopefully its over as soon as possible, Shi said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are screening incoming passengers from China at 20 U.S. airports. Screenings at SFO started almost two weeks ago for travelers from Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus. SFO and New Yorks John F. Kennedy International were the only two U.S. airports with direct flights from Wuhan. SFO had three round-trip flights with Wuhan, all operated by China Southern. All travel out of Wuhan and 15 other cities has been suspended in the largest quarantine in history as China tries to contain the virus. More Information Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the time it takes to travel between Wuhan and Guangzhou. The cities are four hours apart by bullet train and 11 hours by car. See More Collapse At SFO and other airports, travelers from China are given brochures about coronavirus symptoms by customs officials. Anyone who self-reports symptoms such as respiratory distress or fever is screened on-site by CDC staff in a quarantine station a clinical room that is always set up at the airport, said Scott Pauley, a spokesman for the agency in Atlanta. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes That screening could include taking blood samples and putting the passenger into isolation until results come back. Pauley said no passengers have needed that quarantine. If someone should appear symptomatic, however, San Francisco officials said Monday that they are ready with an emergency operations center and local hospitals that could quarantine and care for infected people. Business travel to China is plunging as major companies like Apple and Google shut down Chinese operations and others like Amazon restrict employee travel there. Computer manufacturer HP said it is monitoring the situation and has implemented unspecified travel restrictions for employees traveling to and from China. Microsoft said in an email it is advising employees in China to work from home and to cancel all nonessential business travel until Feb. 9. San Francisco State University spokesman Kent Bravo said in an email that all study-abroad programs and employee travel to China have been suspended. Despite the cancellation of flights between SFO and China, Harteveldt, the travel analyst, felt the overall impact on the Bay Area would be muted. The good thing for San Francisco is that there are a lot of other people from elsewhere who visit here, he said. In 2019, San Francisco had 518,000 visitors from China, its second-biggest source of international visitors after Mexico, according to SF Travel. Thats about 2% of the citys annual 25 million visitors. We have not heard of any cancellations or visitors who are stuck and we dont have any information yet that would allow us to forecast potential impacts to inbound tourism to California, said Laurie Armstrong Gossy, a spokeswoman for SF Travel. Lubica Batakoua, manager at Samovar Tea in SFOs International Terminal, said sales have dropped 30% to 40% this week. Its usually busier here, she said, gesturing at the handful of customers in the near-empty restaurant. I would say its coronavirus. San Francisco Chronicle staff writers Mallory Moench and Chase DiFeliciantonio contributed to this report. Carolyn Said and Anna Bauman are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com, anna.bauman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid, @abauman2 ALTON A man who phoned in a terrorist threat to Lewis and Clark Community College in 2018 pleaded guilty Wednesday and was sentenced to seven years in prison. Mintai A. Bedford, 34, whose last known address was in Godfrey, was charged Aug. 18, 2018, with allegedly calling police and saying someone is going to shoot up Lewis and Clark Community College today. The call was intended to intimidate or coerce and significant portion of the population, according to the charging document filed in August 2018. The charge is a Class X felony, punishable by a prison term of between six and 30 years. The state sentence may be served concurrently with a 2009 federal conviction for possession with intent to deliver cocaine. He was sentenced to 72 months in prison on that charge, but released on parole. After the most recent charges, Bedford was ordered back to federal prison where he must serve out his term. He will also have to serve three years of supervised release on his terrorist threat charge consecutive to his federal sentence. Bedford also has convictions for aggravated battery, carrying a firearm near a public school, two counts of violation of probation and seven misdemeanor convictions. Bedford previously filed a notice in court that he will not accept any plea agreement. I have to be proven guilty; no preponderance elements. I look forward to seeing you in court, he wrote. The South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, who is to take over the rotating presidency of the African Union (AU) for one year in February, outlined the main priorities of his mandate, excluding the Sahara issue from his agenda. In a long speech made Tuesday before African ambassadors in Pretoria and his cabinet members, Ramaphosa spoke of a special attention to the conflicts in Libya and South Sudan, noting that his government is already actively working for solutions to these two issues. To the great displeasure of the Polisario and Algeria, the South African President, whose country supports the pseudo Sahrawi republic SADR, did not utter a word about this entity and its separatist movement. This omission will certainly irk the separatists and their mentors in Algiers, who counted heavily on South Africa to support them and stand up against Morocco in the pan-African organization. But Mr. Ramaphosa ignored the issue of Western Sahara and excluded it from his priority agenda as Head of the AU. Instead, the South African president focused on economic issues, including the completion of the African Free Trade Area and the inclusion of women in the African economic fabric. The Polisario group has thus been abandoned everywhere in the globe including the UN, Europe and Latin America because its scam has been exposed: its a phantom entity with no history or legitimacy, as put on Tuesday by Brazilian newspaper O Globo. When Morocco raised the Sahara issue at the UN in the 1960s, the Polisario simply did not exist then, explained the largest-circulated Brazilian paper, recalling that the entity was created, in the context of the Cold War, by Libya and Algeria, as a guerrilla group before turning, after its defeat, into a separatist movement. The White House has issued a formal threat to former national security adviser John Bolton to keep him from publishing his book, "The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir," sources familiar with the matter tell CNN. In a letter to Bolton's lawyer, a top official at the National Security Council wrote the unpublished manuscript of Bolton's book "appears to contain significant amounts of classified information" and couldn't be published as written. The letter, which is dated January 23, said some of the information was classified at the "top secret" level, meaning it "reasonably could be expected to cause exceptionally grave harm to the national security." "The manuscript may not be published or otherwise disclosed without the deletion of this classified information," the letter read. The White House had no comment. Neither Bolton nor a spokesman for the publisher, Simon & Schuster, responded to a request for comment. Later Wednesday, Bolton's attorney Charles Cooper released a follow-up letter that he sent to the National Security Council about the manuscript. "As you are no doubt aware, the House Managers in the Senate impeachment trial have made clear their intention to seek Ambassador Bolton's testimony at trial, and although no one yet knows whether the Senate will subpoena him to testify, he is preparing for that possibility," Cooper wrote in a Friday email to the official at the National Security Council. "If he is called to testify, it seems certain that he will be asked questions that will elicit much of the information contained in the chapter of his manuscript dealing with his involvement in matters relating to Ukraine. We do not believe that any of that information could reasonably be considered classified, but given that Ambassador Bolton could be called to testify as early as next week, it is imperative that we have the results of your review of that chapter as soon as possible." In a statement accompanying the letter, Cooper added that he had "received no response whatever to my urgent request for the NSC's immediate guidance as to any concerns it may have with respect to the chapter of the manuscript dealing with Ambassador Bolton's involvement in matters relating to Ukraine." The letter comes in the midst of President Donald Trump attacking Bolton on Twitter, and Bolton's lawyer accusing the White House of corrupting the vetting process for Bolton's book by sharing the contents of the book with those outside the National Security Council's Records Management Division. Trump's tweets attacking Bolton Wednesday morning suggested he knew the contents of the manuscript. Reports from The New York Times suggest that Bolton's book details a time last August when the President directly linked $391 million in security aid to Ukraine with that country's government launching investigations into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. The President has repeatedly made unfounded and false claims about Joe Biden relating to Ukraine. The President's defense attorneys in his Senate impeachment trial have criticized the House impeachment managers for not producing any first-hand witnesses alleging that any quid pro quo came from the president himself. Bolton has said he would be willing to testify in the Senate trial if subpoenaed. Trump has suggested that he might attempt to assert executive privilege and block Bolton's testimony, though legal experts say the President's tweets describing his conversations with Bolton about Ukraine might undermine any such assertion. Hillary Clintons representatives have refused to accept legal papers relating to the $50 million defamation lawsuit filed against her by Tulsi Gabbard, according to the Hawaii congresswoman's lawyer. Ms Gabbard, who is currently seeking the Democratic partys 2020 presidential nomination, filed the suit against Ms Clinton after the former secretary of state and 2016 presidential candidate insinuated that she was the favourite of Russians. Brian Dunne, Ms Gabbard's lawyer, told the New York Post that a first attempt to serve the documents to Ms Clinton at her home in Chappaqua, near New York City, was rebuffed by Secret Service agents. The server was instructed to deliver the documents to David Kendall, Ms Clintons lawyer in Washington, DC. However, his firm, Williams & Connolly, also said it was unable to accept the papers. The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions testimony. She has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord Vice News The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a special meaning for the Latino community in the US Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty I find it rather unbelievable that Hillary Clinton is so intimidated by Tulsi Gabbard that she wont accept service of process. But I guess here we are, Mr Dunne told the Post. The basis for the lawsuit stems from an interview Ms Clinton gave in October in which she said that a Democratic presidential candidate was favoured by the Russians and may be groomed as a third party candidate. Ms Gabbard was never mentioned by name, but when asked if Ms Clinton had been referring to her, spokesperson Nick Merrill said: "If the nesting doll fits..." Responding on Twitter, Ms Gabbard called Ms Clinton: The queen of warmongers, embodiment of corruption, and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party for so long From the day I announced my candidacy, there has been a concerted campaign to destroy my reputation. We wondered who was behind it and why. Now we know it was always you, through your proxies and powerful allies in the corporate media and war machine, afraid of the threat I pose, she continued. Mr Merrill was quick to reply, saying: Divisive language filled with vitriol and conspiracy theories? Cant imagine a better proof point than this. The lawsuit was filed on 22 January in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. It alleges that Ms Clinton's false assertions were made in a deliberate attempt to derail Ms Gabbards campaign. While the suit does not mention a specific amount of damages, it does claim that Ms Gabbard has suffered actual damages of $50 million and counting. Mr Dunne told the New York Post that his team is weighing their next steps. Laura Guitar and Lisa Ross co-authored this article. As the global tourism industry gears up for the inevitable coronavirus (2019-nCoV) contagion in new markets, its worth noting that the outbreak poses industry risk well beyond the reality of the health hazards involved. The greater threatthe one thats driving elections, impacting industry and, in recent cases, decimating destinationsis our collective psychology of irrational fear. Consider that, while the coronavirus is serious, it doesnt appear to be nearly as deadly as MERS (with a 34 percent mortality rate) or SARS (with a 10 percent mortality rate). In fact, some scientists are warning that the greater concern this time of year should be the flu, which has killed 8,200 people and hospitalized 140,000 during this flu season alone, according to the CDC. But why let facts and common sense stop a good social media-driven panic at this point? In todays information cycle, its never been truer that perception outplays reality. And no one, sadly, is going to compel the masses by sharing scientific data points when alarm draws more attention. For this reason, travel companies would be wise to align communications to traveler perceptions of the outbreak beyond just the facts of the situation. Its one thing to tell travelers in most of the Western world that they have little to worry about. Its another to do so when speaking to a population awash in ongoing cycles of click-bait headlines and misinformation. Media outlets regularly refer to the disease as a never-before-seen strain and a mysterious new coronavirus, which are true but lack the context that the common cold is also a coronavirus. Venerable outlets like the New York Times run alarmist headlines such as What if We All Get Sick? Social media channels are scrambling to stop the spread of misinformation about the virus on their platforms, amounting to little more than a game of Whac-A-Mole. And the fact that the virus originated in China just compounds the issue. Unfounded rumors that the Chinese government started the virus, unverifiable user photos breaking through its Internet firewall and intentional fake news of a new hospital being built to treat the illness remain front-and-center online. Which leaves the tourism industry with a question: how to communicate in an era of irrational fear? For example, if we really are more afraid of shark attacks than driving a carand studies show we areis it effective to explain how comparatively dangerous driving is? Or should we focus on everything being done to prevent shark attacks? In this case, does it work to put the coronavirus in its appropriate context at this point in time? Or should we treat is as the public believes it to be: a disease thats likely to impact me personally at any moment? Speaking for myself, Im unwilling to walk away from the facts: cars are more dangerous than sharks and people should focus on not catching the flu before losing sleep today over the new coronavirus. Yet, if our job is to deliver messages in a way they are heard by all our stakeholders, that approach alone doesnt work. Increasingly, issue management in the tourism industry means communicating beyond the facts to address paranoia at the level it manifests. This means speaking to all the quality systems, protocols and procedures we will employ to address an illness, in a way that is outsized to the risk factors at hand. It means that sharing our capacity to respond to a possibility that doesnt exist and may never manifest. It means meeting our stakeholders where they are, even if its in a whirlwind of irrational fear. *** Laura Guitar is Executive Vice President and Partner at rbb Communications. Lisa Ross is President of rbb Communications. Child specialist Dr Kafeel Khan, arrested for allegedly making inflammatory statements at the AMU during protests against the CAA last month, on Thursday raised apprehension in a court here about being killed in an "encounter" by the Uttar Pradesh police. Khan expressed the apprehension when he was produced in a court in suburban Bandra by the UP police for seeking his transit remand. Khan was arrested on Wednesday night from the Mumbai airport in a joint operation by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) and the city police when he arrived to attend anti-CAA protests in the metropolis, an official said. He was produced in the court, which sent him in three- day transit remand, his lawyers said. According to his lawyers, Khan claimed in the court that he has been "falsely" implicated in the case by the UP police. Khan told the court "there is a chance that he will be killed in an encounter if transit (remand) is given," and insisted that he be kept in Mumbai, his lawyers said. Khan fears encounter "because he has full information about the people responsible for the death of children (in a UP hospital", his lawyers told reporters outside the court. The UP police assured the court Khan would be taken safely and no harm will be caused to him. The UP police will have to produce the accused at the chief juridical magistrate's court in Aligarh within three days. "Officials of the UP STF arrested Dr Kafeel Khan in a case which was registered at Civil Lines Police Station under section 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups) of IPC. Our police team helped our UP counterparts on their request," said an official from the Mumbai police. He claimed Khan had made inflammatory statements on December 12 last year during an anti-CAA protest near Bab-e- Syed Gate outside the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in front of more than 600 students. The official alleged the Gorakhpur-based doctor had also made objectionable comments against Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The FIR against Khan mentions that Swaraj India's president Yogendra Yadav was also present during the speech at AMU. The paediatrician had come to the limelight in 2017 when a controversy broke out after the death of over 60 children in less than a week at the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, where he was posted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Student injured in firing at Delhi during anti-citizenship law protests India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Jan 30: One student has been injured after a man opened fire during the protest against the citizenship law at the Jamia area in Delhi on Thursday. The incident took place when the students were marching towards Rajghat. The accused has been taken into custody, while the injured student has been admitted to the Holy Family hospital. The condition of the student is stable. EU Parliament postpones voting on resolution against CAA, India hails it as diplomatic win|Oneindia News agency ANI shared a clip that shows a man brandishing a pistol. He points the pistol towards the media persons and protesters. The man in the video is heard shouting, 'who wants Azadi.' 3 Delhi metro stations shut as man opens fire at Jamia Student The police are currently questioning the accused who has said that his name is Ram Gopal. The police said that the condition of the injured person is stable and he is being attended to at a hospital. The police say that prior to the incident, the accused was live on Facebook. He had said 'Shaheen Bagh khen katam.' A bakery in New York is sending cakes to all 53 Republican senators asking them to let former national security advisor John Bolton testify in the Senate, where impeachment trial against President Trump is underway. The bakery called 'Butter and Scotch' shared photos of the cakes on Instagram, with captions like "Don't go baking my heart" or "This trial is half-baked without witnesses". But each of them shared one line reading the same message over and over: "Let Bolton testify," reported The Hill. The Republicans in the Senate have faced increased pressure from Democrats and the public in the recent days to let Bolton testify after a report appeared in the New York Times about damaging claims Bolton allegedly makes about Trump in his forthcoming memoir. According to NYT, Bolton claims in the manuscript that the President had said he wanted to withhold millions of dollars in aid to Ukraine until the country announced investigations into his political rivals. While the White House is working to block publication of some aspects of the book, Trump has maintained the reported claims as untrue. The US President is accused of abusing his power by pressuring Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, who served on the board of a gas company in Ukraine, as Trump withheld USD 391 million in military aid that he later released. The President is also accused of subsequently obstructing a congressional probe into his actions. The Republican Party holds a 53-47 majority in the chamber and conviction requires a two-thirds majority. This means if all Democrats voted to convict, then 20 Republicans will also have to vote for Trump to be convicted and removed from office. (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 Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, January 30, 2020 19:19 713 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2061c6f81 1 World TNI,Australia,bushfire,Indonesia-Australia,diplomacy Free The Indonesian Military (TNI) is set to send personnel to aid Australia in fighting the ongoing bushfires in that country following approval from the House of Representatives. The decision was a follow-up to an offer made by President Joko Jokowi Widodo to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the beginning of the year. The offer of aid support for the prevention of and recovery from the Australian bushfires was conveyed by the President to PM Scott Morrison in a letter dated Jan. 3, Foreign Ministry Director General for Asia-Pacific and African affairs Desra Percaya told The Jakarta Post on Thursday. The offer was confirmed by Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi in a meeting with representatives from the Australian Embassy in Jakarta three days later, who then responded through the Australian Defense Force (ADF), which expressed a need for support in the rehabilitation of areas affected by the disaster, Desra said. Follow-up discussions were held involving various parties in Indonesia and Australia from mid-January, including a visit by an assessment team comprising TNI and National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) personnel to Canberra and Sydney from Jan. 21 to 24. "Assistance from Indonesia is provided in accordance with the current needs of the Australian people and government, Desra said. TNI commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto said that SST Zeni, an Army engineering unit, would be dispatched to Australia on Feb. 1. We plan to send them to Australia through Kupang using a Hercules aircraft, Hadi said as quoted by Kompas.com. He added that his personnel, as well as several BNPB representatives, would help the Australian government in handling the bushfire at their assigned locations. (dpk) Special note: coronavirus has nothing to do with the beer with the same name regardless of the photo above meant to be entertaining. Millions of people are quarantined. There is fear and concern as a new disease dubbed coronavirus is spreading. While we dont have all the answers about this new disease, we have been here before. Over the last two decades, SARs, Bird Flu and Ebola raised similar concerns. Each time although the diseases were serious, the panic was way overblown. Could this time be different? Perhaps. It is unclear. What we do know is aside from the health issues and unfortunate deaths, there are other issues to consider. People who are not yet sick are not happy about being isolated from one another and as a result, some worry they will not honor quarantines unless they are forced. In addition, some businesses are closing offices meaning the typical work day and colleague interaction comes to a stop. There are a number of technologies helping to ease the problem: 1) Robots are delivering medications, food and supplies to people who have the disease. As one of the doctors who first treated the disease unfortunately died, it is great that society has robots available to help people affected. Robots are being used to deliver food to quarantined guests due to the #coronaravirus outbreak. https://t.co/3XuQtjXnvK Craig Shepheard (@FMExpert) January 29, 2020 2) Telemedicine is a great way for doctors and other health professionals to assist affected patients. Even those who are quarantined have a problem unrelated to the virus can be treated in this manner as doctors may not be able to access them in-person. 3) Handheld Thermometers are an amazing innovation especially to those who remember a time when taking your temperature was a more intimate experience. 4) 3D-Printing is an essential technology when we need to build huge buildings quickly. China has worked overtime to build quarantine hospitals. 3D-building printers would make this happen even faster. Timelapse video showing the 4th day of constructing Huoshenshan Hospital, a new facility providing 700 to 1,000 beds for #coronavirus patients in #Wuhan. The hospital is expected to complete on Feb 2. pic.twitter.com/iuTCWFRvPK Rich Tehrani (@rtehrani) January 28, 2020 3D printing buildings will avoid a great deal of waste! pic.twitter.com/JqxA838zEn Rich Tehrani (@rtehrani) November 2, 2019 5) AI was said to first detect the Corina Virus using artificial intelligence to rapidly identify new diseases means we can reduce the speed of its spreading and work on a cure far more rapidly. By the way, AI in search algorithms can detect the spread of disease determining if there are clusters of searches for terms like coronavirus symptoms. https://twitter.com/marialmejiamesa/status/1222560775325278215 6) Unified Communications as well as 4G, WiFi and 5G will help people feel connected at a time when people will be more isolated than ever. 7) Collaboration is obviously related to communications collaboration tools like Slack, Facetime, BlueJeans and others will help people feel connected, even when they are not. As offices are forced to close, workers are able to stay in touch with the latest tools. 8) Future of Work is a superset of collaboration. It also adds in AI smarts meaning techologies like chatbots can be used to take the place of workers when they cant work. 9) Social media is often described at as the ultimate waste of time when you are locked away for days or more, thank heavens it exists. 10) CRISPR is a technology that mimics the process a bacteria uses to fight viruses. In this manner, it can more rapidly perform gene editing and sequencing. It is responsible for quickly reading the coronavirus genome determining it is related to SARS and that it jumped from a bat to a human via an intermediary. Want to learn more about the latest technologies to help keep your business operating? See the ONLY UCaaS, CPaaS and Collaboration vendors that matter at the ITEXPO #TECHSUPERSHOW: Amazon, Cisco, Google, IBM, 88, ClearlyIP, Avaya, Vonage, 88, Comcast Business, BlueJeans, CoreDial, Dell, Edify, Epygi, FreeSWITCH, Grandstream, Granite, Intrado, Frontier Business, Fujitsu, Jenne, West, Konftel, Intelisys, Martello, NetSapiens, OOMA, Oracle, OpenVox, Peerless Network, Phone Sentry, Phone.com, Poly, QuestBlue, RingByName, Sangoma, SingTel, Spracht, Spectrum, Sprint, Tallac, Tech Data, Telarus, TCG, Teledynamics, Teli, Telinta, Telispire, Telstra, Unified Office, Vital PBX, VoIP Supply, Voxbone, VoIP.MS, Windstream, XCALY, XORCOM, Yealink, Yubox, and ZYCOO. Full List. Join others with $8.5B+ in IT buying power who plan 2020 budgets! Including 3,000+ resellers! A unique experience with a collocated Future of Work Expo, SD-WAN Expo, and MSP Expo Feb 11-14, 2020, Fort Lauderdale, FL. Register now. The Federal High Court Abuja has fixed February 10 for counsel in the ongoing alleged N2.5 billion fraud case against the Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Ishaq Modibbo, to adopt their final written addresses. The judge, Folasade Giwa-Ogunbanjo, fixed the date on Thursday after the ICPC Counsel, Henry Emore, moved his application requesting for extension of time to respond to the defendants no case submission. When the matter was called, Mr Emore said the business of the day was for adoption of written addresses. He, however, prayed the court for additional time to enable him to respond to the no case submission. The matter is for adoption of written addresses but I have a short response to the no case submission. So, I have a motion seeking an order of court to extend the time for us to serve our response to the no case submission on the defendants and to deem our motion properly filed and served. Mrs Giwa-Ogunbanjo ruled that the application was ordered as prayed and adjourned the matter until February 10. Mr Modibbo, Lucky Omoluwa, Chairman of Pinnacle Communications Ltd, and Dipo Onifade are facing trial over allegations of fraud in the Digital Switch Over project of the federal government. The ICPC charged them with 12 counts of fraud. (NAN) Dublin-based aircraft lessor SMBC has closed a $600m (545m) syndicated financing transaction, which the company said will underpin delivery of its future growth. The transaction includes a $200m term loan and a $400m revolving credit facility with a consortium of Asia-Pacific and European banks. The proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes. SMBC Aviation Capital said the transaction had generated "strong interest" from the banking market, resulting in attractive terms that it said reflect its status as one of the industry's highest-rated investment grade aircraft lessors. SMBC Aviation Capital, which is owned by firms in Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui banking group, appointed Australia and New Zealand Banking Group to act as the global coordinator, while six banks acted as mandated lead arrangers and bookrunners on the five-year facilities. The general syndication saw eight additional banks in the transaction as lead arranger and arrangers. Eight of the 14 banks that entered that transaction are new banking relationships for SMBC Aviation Capital. "The level of interest in this transaction further demonstrates the market's confidence in our business and our commitment to diversifying our funding sources," said SMBC Aviation Capital chief financial officer Barry Flannery. "Together with our corporate bond programme and ongoing shareholder support, this will underpin the delivery of our future growth with $6.5bn of liquidity currently available to the business," he added. The firm is one of the world's biggest jet lessors. For the British government, a successful Brexit means re-asserting economic sovereignty and landing a trade deal with Europe. Trawler captain Stephane Fait and his fellow French fisherman could sink that plan. Based in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France's busiest fishing port and a major European processing centre, Fait and his crew earn the bulk of their income from fish caught in British waters. In negotiations on a post-Brexit trade deal that get underway after Britain's Jan. 31 exit from the European Union, Britain will say EU vessels like Fait's Notre Dame de Boulogne ... Just days before he arrived in New Delhi on a state visit, Brazils president Jair Bolsonaro declared on his weekly Facebook podcast: Indians are undoubtedly changing They are increasingly becoming human beings just like us. The insult was directed not at his forthcoming hosts but at indigenous Brazilians, which has been par for the course ever since the former army captain surfaced as a serious political contender. His bigotry is by no means restricted to the descendants of Brazils original inhabitants. Bolsonaros repertoire ranges across racism, misogyny, homophobia, climate change denial and an irresistible attraction to militaristic authoritarianism. This presumably made him a suitable choice for chief guest at Indias Republic Day extravaganza, although it isnt hard to conjure up a rogues gallery of alternative contenders, given the unusually generous sprinkling of fairly obnoxious individuals with autocratic ambitions in the international leadership ranks. Bolsonaros penchant for crudity is reminiscent of Rodrigo Duterte, but he wears with pride the tag Trump of the Tropics. Among his most troubling tendencies is shameless nostalgia for the brutal military regime that presided over Brazils misfortunes for 21 years from 1964. And perhaps whats particularly tragic is that his worst characteristics were very much on public display when he was voted into office with a 55 per cent majority in October 2018. Like Donald Trump, he has thereafter consistently defied predictions that he would become more presidential. Back in 2016, he dedicated his vote for then president Dilma Rousseffs impeachment to the memory of colonel Carlos Alberto Brilhante Ustra, the head of an infamous military torture unit whose victims had included Rousseff. And last September, following criticism of police violence in Brazil by the UN high commissioner for human rights, former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, Bolsonaro responded that if Pinochets people had not defeated the left in 73 among them your father Chile would be a Cuba today. Bachelets father was an air force general who opposed the military coup led by Augusto Pinochet against Salvador Allendes government; he was imprisoned (like his wife and daughter), tortured, and died in jail of a heart attack. Its not particularly surprising that Pinochet is idolised in Bolsonaros political milieu, and the admiration extends beyond the sheer viciousness of the regime to its pioneering experiments in neoliberal economics. A government-funded Brazilian research institute last week announced plans to hold a Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan week, featuring lectures and exhibitions about the disastrous Anglo-American duo. Of course the Bolsonaro regime extends beyond the individual. The presidents sons are frequently in the news, with allegations of corruption and links to death squads swirling around the family. A few months ago, one of them, Eduardo touted as a possible ambassador to Washington, and who represents Steve Bannons organisation The Movement in the region held out the possibility of a new AI-5, a particularly egregious 1968 law whereby the army shut down freedom of expression and assembly. Among other luminaries in Bolsonaros ruling circle, his foreign minister describes climate change as a Marxist plot, his education minister tweets about his dog defecating on national newspapers, and his culture minister was obliged to resign this month after posting a video about a new award that borrowed its talking points about heroic and national art from a speech by Joseph Goebbels. As someone said, journalist Mauro Ventura recently said of the presidents appointees, they seem to have been picked for their IQ: thats to say their quotient of imbecility, inability, idiocy, incompetence, ineptitude or impiety. Academic Monica de Bolle says the choices point to the totally nuts nature of a fundamentalist regime. Among those choices is Justice Minister Sergio Moro, who was rewarded for, in his capacity as a prosecutor and judge, hounding former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva into prison on a highly dubious corruption charge. After ending his two terms as president with an 87pc approval rating, Lula was again the leading contender for the post in 2018. Disqualifying him made way for Bolsonaro. The long-running car wash anti-corruption inquiry nailed culprits across the political spectrum, but in mid-2019 evidence emerged that the investigation itself was corrupt, with Moro colluding in illegal behaviour. Last week, Glenn Greenwald, the Brazil-based journalist who broke the news, was accused of cybercrimes. The absurd charge prompted an immediate backlash both within Brazil and internationally. Even before that, Greenwald required round-the-clock armed protection. Meanwhile, in responding to a far-right regimes excesses, Brazilians would do well to borrow a few pages from the unfolding Indian playbook. By arrangement with Dawn Lashing out at the Mamata Banerjee government, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday said the TMC dispensation needed to do some soul searching to find out why the "rule of law has broken down in Bengal". The ruling Trinamool Congress, however, was quick to return fire, claiming that the "governor is behaving like a cadre of a specific political party". "The rule of law has completely broken down in the state. There is total lawlessness. Law and order situation has completely collapsed. The state government needs to do some serious soul searching..." Dhankhar told reporters at Gandhi Ghat in North 24 Parganas, where he had gone to pay tribute to the 'Father of the Nation' on the occasion of Martyrs' Day. The governor's comments came moments after he took umbrage at Barrackpore Police Commissioner Manoj Verma reading newspapers, while the programme was underway. Dhankhar also slammed Verma for "negligence of duty". "How could you do this? How can you behave in such a manner that when the governor of the state is present, you are reading newspapers. "Shame on you. I want the names of all the police officers who were sitting in the front row," a livid Dhankhar told Verma, who remained silent. Reacting to the development, TMC secretary-general and the state's Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Partha Chatterjee, accused the governor of misbehaving with a senior police officer in public. "This is the same police officer who had brought peace in Bhatpara area (last year). I think the governor has a problem with the fact that Verma brought the situation in control in Bhatpara, where the BJP wanted to create trouble," Chatterjee alleged. Another senior TMC leader and state minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay said Dhankhar should stop behaving like an "activist of a political party, as his conduct is unbecoming of a governor". Meanwhile, West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh said the state government should stop insulting the post of the governor. Dhankhar had been engaged in a bitter standoff with the West Bengal government over a host of issues since assuming charge in July last year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Joe Bidens lead in the Democratic presidential race in Pennsylvania has fallen by 8 percentage points since October, according to a new poll of registered Democrats in the state. The poll was released Thursday, five days before the Iowa caucuses begin the partys nomination process and three months before the Pennsylvania primary. Biden was the choice of 22% of registered Democrats surveyed, down from 30% in October, according to the Franklin and Marshall College poll. In addition, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg debuted at 7% among Democratic candidates, after spending massively in the state. President Donald Trumps approval rating ticked up despite his ongoing impeachment trial, and voters are closely split on an issue already being discussed in the presidential race in Pennsylvania: fracking for natural gas in Pennsylvanias vast Marcellus Shale formation. Pollsters interviewed 628 Pennsylvania registered voters from Jan. 20 to 26, and the results are subject to a margin of error of plus or minus 6.2 percentage points. Sub-samples of registered Democrats are smaller and subject to a higher margin of error. Biden, whose campaign is based in Philadelphia and who often touts his Scranton roots, has argued that he is best positioned to beat Trump in Pennsylvania and other critical swing states in the general election. His shift coincides with Bloombergs entrance into the race and a 3 percentage point gain for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the choice of 15% of Democrats polled, in line with his rise in other primary states. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, meanwhile, has dropped in the Keystone Poll from 21% in August to 14%. Bloomberg debuts In the two months since he entered the race, Bloomberg is already polling ahead of both former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Since announcing his run, he has averaged $1 million a week in television and radio advertising across Pennsylvania, according to data compiled by the ad-tracking firm Advertising Analytics. Its an unprecedented $10.6 million investment in a state that wont vote until April 28. Bloomberg also opened a campaign field office in Old City and has 35 staffers already on the ground, with plans to scale up to 90 people in the state. Bloomberg, who is self-funding his campaign, isnt spending in the earlier voting states betting that they will render split decisions and that he can do well on Super Tuesday, March 3, when about 40% of delegates will be allocated. Impeachment hasnt depressed Trumps approval ratings The impeachment trial in the Senate has done little to change how Pennsylvania residents feel about Trump. About two in five registered voters 38% believe he is doing an excellent or good job, up slightly from October. Of respondents who approve of the presidents job performance, 83% said theyd vote for him no matter who runs against him. Conversely, three in five Pennsylvania voters said its time for a change. Of those voters, four in five (87%) said theyd vote against Trump no matter who becomes the Democratic nominee. Pennsylvania is split on fracking Pennsylvania residents are largely split on fracking, a contentious issue in the northeastern and southwestern regions of the state. Proponents of fracking natural gas drilling that uses hydraulic pressure to separate it from shale emphasize that it has led to an increase in U.S. oil and gas production and created jobs. But the practice can cause contamination through groundwater and air pollution, among other concerns voiced by environmentalists. Slightly more voters support (48%) than oppose (44%) fracking or shale drilling in the state. Opinion on whether fracking should be banned didnt necessarily line up with opinion on the environmental risks. More people said they believe the environmental risks outweigh the economic benefits (49%) than the other way around (38%). Support for a ban on fracking was highest in Philadelphia and Allegheny County. In the southwestern part of the state, where most of the fracking business is concentrated, only 28% of those polled said theyd support a ban, 55% said theyd oppose a ban, and 17% did not know. Of the top-polling Democrats, Sanders and Warren want to ban fracking. Biden, Bloomberg, Klobuchar, and Buttigieg have said they want to limit or better regulate it. Trump, in Wildwood on Tuesday, said Democrats plans for a Green New Deal, which includes restrictions on fracking, would cost people jobs. Extreme liberals in Washington want to shut down U.S. energy, including through the so-called Green New Deal, Trump told the crowd Tuesday. Close your factories, get rid of your cows. Staff writer Andrew Seidman contributed to this article. January 30 : Television actress, Mouni Roy is one of the most searched celebrities when it comes to fashion looks. She sizzles up the internet traffic with her teasing photos and those lovely poetic quotes. This dreamy Bengali beauty is all about love, beauty and she knows to stay on top of the fashion game always. She posed in a cute mini dress that was white in colored and had pretty black leafy prints to give that chic look. The Naagin actress flaunted her sensual collar bone and was an absolute stunner in this one-shoulder dress. The dress draped perfectly around her hourglass figure and also exhibited her long sassy legs in such a mesmerizing manner. Not sure why she made such a hidden pose- under a lamp, but still it showed her assets in a very artistic manner, The actress went in for cheek highlighters, some notable pink lipstick, and dewy makeup. In short, the Made in China actress was dressed like the perfect date for Valentine Day 2020. Watch the video She could surely make any lover go weak on their knees with this mini dress. She shared the post, and captioned it as, Ease dance laze lit luck abode & the downtowners!. Previously, she had shared a couple of vacation photos in Dubai. The actress was not to be seen on screen after her romantic drama in Made in China with Rajkummar Rao. But soon, we can get to see her grace and Desi vibes in a negative role. She will be seen in Ayan Mukherjees Brahmastra along with Alia Bhatt, and Ranbir Kapoor. Americas credit unions fulfill their Congressionally bestowed mission by helping communities advance, CUNA Chief Advocacy Officer Ryan Donovan wrote to all 535 Congressional offices Tuesday. Donovan highlighted how credit unions provide everything from short-term emergency loans to future-building investments like mortgages and small business loans. Because credit unions are owned by the communities we operate in, helping those communities grow is vital to who we are and how we were formed. Its why were always working to get to yes when securing and growing your constituents financial futures, Donovan wrote. The message also notes: B ritons being evacuated back to the UK from the Chinese city at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak will be quarantined for two weeks on the Wirral. The evacuating flight, which will carry around 150 Britons, has been delayed by two hours and is due to leave Wuhan at 7am local time on Friday, which is 11pm on Thursday UK time. The flight, which will have military medics on board, will land at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on Friday morning, around 10.45am UK time. Passengers will then be taken to an NHS facility thought to be former NHS staff accommodation on the Wirral for a quarantine period of 14 days. There, they will have access to medical staff, and it is understood they will have the internet and be able to make contact with family. Coronavirus: The confirmed cases around the world Fifty foreigners mainly from EU countries will also be on the evacuation flight from Wuhan. A Number 10 spokesman said: I can confirm passengers will include around 50 foreign mainly EU nationals. Once the flight has landed in the UK to drop British nationals off the flight will land in Brize Norton British nationals will get off and the flight will continue on to Spain. The spokesman added: The plane was chartered from a Spanish company so it made sense for us and the Spanish government to allow EU nationals to return via Spain. In a statement, Dominic Raab said: The safety and security of British nationals is our top priority. Our Embassy in Beijing and consular teams remain in close contact with British nationals in the region to ensure they have the latest information they need. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab / Getty Images Speaking at a Policy Exchange event in Westminster earlier, Mr Raab said officials in the Foreign Office had been working tirelessly to get citizens out of Wuhan. He added: Weve been working with the Department of Health flat out, 24/7, to try and make sure we can identify British nationals in Wuhan, get them to a muster point and get them to a flight, a chartered flight in and out. Some 56 million people across China are on lock down to stop the virus' spread. However, the Chinese government has agreed to allow Brits to be evacuated, following similar departures of US and Japanese nationals. Mr Raab said: Weve been working with the Department of Health flat out, 24/7, to try and make sure we can identify British nationals in Wuhan, get them to a muster point and get them to a flight, a chartered flight in and out." We are hopeful now of doing that this evening. But, of course, this depends on the decisions taken by the Chinese government." It comes as European countries stepped up efforts on Thursday to contain the coronavirus sweeping through central China. A chartered plane was sent to evacuate hundreds of European citizens as more commercial flights were scrapped and Russia closed its land border with China. An A380 evacuation flight took off on Thursday morning from a former Portuguese military airport at Beja, 120 miles south-east of Lisbon, carrying just its pilots and crew. The Czech Republic also announced it was stopping issuing visas to Chinese citizens due to the outbreak. This morning health chiefs sounded the alarm over the virus spreading very fast. With the official death toll from the virus hitting 170, and the number of those infected 7,711, the World Health Organisations emergency committee was reconvening today to decide whether the virus should be declared a global emergency. As the crisis grew: British Airways cancelled all its flights to mainland China for a month, though flights to Hong Kong were unaffected. A Scottish government source said: It is highly likely we will have a positive case of coronavirus in Scotland in the coming days. So far 130 tests carried out in the UK have been negative. Some 6,000 people are being kept on board Italian cruise ship Costa Smeralda moored at Civitavecchia, north of Rome, as coronavirus tests are carried out on a middle-aged Chinese couple, a spokesman for the Costa Crociere cruise company said. Russia temporarily stopped issuing electronic visas to Chinese nationals in response to the outbreak, with the Czech Republic also reported to have halted the issuance of visas to Chinese citizens. India and the Philippines reported their first cases. Demand for face masks in the UK was rising, with packs of surgical face masks sold out on Bootss website. The US government was laying on extra evacuation flights from Wuhan within days. The FTSE 100 and other European and Asian stock markets fell as it was confirmed that the virus has now reached every region of China, where the vast bulk of cases have been reported. Peter Openshaw, professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London, told Sky News: This is a very worrying situation now it looks like this virus has spread very fast. It looks like it has spread pretty widely. It may be very hard to contain. We have to do everything we can to slow this one down. With evidence suggesting it is taking off much more sharply than the 2002/03 Sars outbreak, Professor Openshaw stressed the big concern was how it would spread in less developed parts of the world, including highly-populated areas, where there is little medical care. Dr Michael Ryan, executive director at the WHO health emergencies programme, said the decision to reconvene was due to the increasing number of cases and evidence of person-to-person transmission of the virus. The whole world needs to be on alert now, the whole world needs to take action and be ready for any cases that come, either from the original epicentre or from other epicentres that become established. Scientists believe the infection is likely to arrive in the UK and an analysis of international air travel suggested London is the European city most at risk of an outbreak. In February last year, Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio declared a state of emergency over sexual and gender-based violence. Claiming there was no time to spare, his move allowed the government to immediately introduce new regulations without consulting parliament. These included new provisions for victims and more severe punishments for offenders. The president's actions occurred during a series of high-profile cases and rising discontent over the issue. These included the case of a five-year-old girl who had been severely assaulted and left paralysed from the waist down. Gender-based campaigns were also becoming more vocal. These included gender activist Asmaa James' Black Tuesday and the First Lady's Hands off Our Girls movements. To cap it all off, new figures also showed that the number of sexual assault cases reported to the police in 2018 had more than doubled to 8,500. A third of the cases involved young girls. Maada Bio's emergency measures were widely applied. But there was uncertainty about the legality of using state of emergency procedures to effect deep legislative changes without parliamentary involvement. In June the state of emergency was quietly revoked. The government instead introduced a full-blown legislative programme through the usual parliamentary channels, which passed the amendments in September. Opinions about the value of the short-lived state of emergency vary. Interviews suggested that the president was given bad legal advice and should never have declared it. This has now created a situation where the regulations passed during this period were only temporary, leaving some offenders in limbo. Others have supported the president's declaration because it refocused much-needed attention on sexual violence and fast-tracking cases in the courts. One gender activist stated that it had unlocked new donor funding for her organisation. Despite the mixed reaction, there's no denying that it created momentum, which ultimately led to substantial legal changes that intend to better protect women and girls. The new law Numerous amendments have been made to the country's 2012 Sexual Offences Act. Many activists regard the original act as a robust piece of legislation, but with shortcomings. For example, it failed to address how cases should be managed. This included how they should be handled prior to prosecution, during investigations as well as court case management and sentencing. The act also failed to provide a minimum sentence for sexual offences against children, resulting in some outrageously low sentences being passed. The 2019 Amendment addresses some of these criticisms. Among other things, it increases the minimum sentence for rape from five to 15 years for adults (with a maximum of life imprisonment). It can allow cases to go directly to the high court for trial, without the need for a preliminary investigation at the magistrate court. The new law also includes provisions for new offences including solicitation by persons in authority such as teachers, religious figures, doctors and aggravated sexual assault. Significantly, it criminalises individual involvement of anyone be it a family head, religious leader or chief attempting to settle a sexual assault or rape case in their community instead of reporting it to the police. Offenders face a fine of 10,000,000 Leones ($1,000) and could also face jail. Unfinished business The new provisions have been greeted as a positive step. But they also bring new challenges and controversies. For instance, sentencing guidelines still need to be set out by the chief justice. Also, provisions for a sex offender register don't include details on how it will work. And while victims are supposed to be able to access free medical care in relation to their assault, there are no guidelines around this. The other unresolved issue is that Sierra Leone's correctional centres are already overcrowded. The potential for longer sentences means this will only get worse. Perhaps the most controversial change is that people below the age of 14 can now be prosecuted for sexual offences. There is also criticism that recent attention has focused disproportionately on sexual violence, particularly of young girls, and neglected other types of gender-based violence. Broader structural issues also need to be addressed if the state really intends to tackle sexual and gender-based violence. Firstly, most Sierra Leoneans don't use the formal, state-sanctioned legal system. Police stations are often very far from where people live and it costs time and money to report crimes. Police facilities are poorly staffed and underfunded, especially outside big cities. There are also concerns that, due to the potential for significant sentences, the new laws may negatively affect sexual crimes being reported. Evidence already suggests that people don't report assaults to formal authorities because of the ripple effects it can have in tightly-knit communities. The notion that someone in the community could go to jail for a longer period may make people even more cautious about coming forward. Finally, the fact that trying to broker a deal has been made a criminal offence could affect local power structures. It's not uncommon for chiefs and community leaders to intervene as part of the practice in rural areas of trying to resolve cases using informal channels. Criminalising compromise may drive a further wedge between the formal legal system and traditional authorities. As ever, the remaining challenge is to ensure that Sierra Leoneans have access to, and faith in, the social and criminal justice services that exist to uphold these new laws. A version of this article was also published in African Arguments. 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. By Laura S. Martin, Global Challenges Research Fellow, University of Sheffield And Simeon Koroma, PhD candidate, University of Edinburgh The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday appointed Vinay Mohan Kwatra as India's next ambassador to Nepal. The diplomat is presently serving as India's ambassador to France. He will be replacing Manjeev Singh Puri, the current Indian ambassador to Nepal. He has served as Third Secretary and then Second Secretary in the Permanent Mission of India in Geneva until 1993. Between 1993 and 2003, Kwatra served as Desk Officer at Headquarters dealing with the United Nations, and subsequently in the Diplomatic Missions in South Africa and Uzbekistan. Between 2003 and 2006, he also served as Counsellor and later as the Deputy Chief of Mission in the Embassy of India, Beijing, China. He represented India at the SAARC Secretariat in Nepal as head of the Trade, Economy, and Finance Bureau from 2006 to 2010. He served as Minister (Commerce) in the Embassy of India, Washington, from May 2010 till July 2013. Between July 2013 and October 2015, Kwatra headed the Policy Planning and Research Division of the Ministry of External Affairs and later served as the head of Americas Division in the Foreign Ministry where he dealt with India's relations with the United States and Canada. From October 2015 till August 2017, Kwatra served as a Joint Secretary in the office of the Prime Minister of India. Belonging to the IFS batch of 1988, Kwatra is expected to take up the assignment shortly, the Ministry added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The U.S. appeals court in New Orleans won't review its ruling that found a key piece of the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. The judges voted 8-6, largely along party lines, with conservative judges outvoting more moderate ones. The ruling leaves intact access to health care for millions of Americans, who face the loss of coverage if the law is wiped out entirely. In December, a three-judge panel ruled that the law lost its constitutional footing when Congress eliminated the penalty for individuals who refused to buy health insurance. A decision now lies with a trial judge to see if the rest of the law can survive without the mandate. Final resolution on whether Obama's signature health care law lives or dies probably won't come before the 2020 elections. Health care is a central issue in this year's presidential election, with Democrats vying for their party's nomination debating over how far-reaching government involvement should be. They're united that ACA protections shouldn't be undone though. President Donald Trump has also weighed in, even as his administration fights to dismantle Obamacare. Typically the party that loses in the appeals court asks for the case to he heard again with the court's full panel of judges, but Nicholas Bagley, a health law professor at the University of Michigan, said in this case the request came from one of the judges on the court. Because the ruling split so narrowly, he said it suggests at least six active judges on the court were concerned about the ruling from the three-judge panel. ADVERTISEMENT "It's really unusual, but nothing about this case is usual," Bagley said. Five of the six appellate judges who favored review were appointed by either Democratic Presidents Barack Obama or Bill Clinton. One was appointed by Republican President Ronald Reagan. All eight of the judges who voted against the review were appointed by Republican presidents. The fight could still end up before the U.S. Supreme Court. By leaving the law in limbo, the appeals court's decision will stoke further political debate. On one side are a Texas-led coalition of mostly Republican states and the Trump administration fighting to kill Obamacare. On the other are a California-led band of mostly Democratic-controlled states and the U.S. House of Representatives. Democratic lawmakers jumped in to defend Obamacare when the Trump administration refused to do so. ___ (c)2020 Bloomberg News Visit Bloomberg News at www.bloomberg.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The Avast antivirus -- which is being used by hundreds of millions of people -- handed over sensitive personal data to companies. The investigation finally reached the conclusion that the users were being tracked and monitored online behind their backs. (Photo: ANI) A shocking report has revealed that the cybersecurity company Avast tracked and sold the web browsing data of its users. As reported by New York Post, the Avast antivirus -- which is being used by hundreds of millions of people around the world -- handed over sensitive personal data to companies such as Google, Pepsi, Home Depot and McKinsey & Co., through the channel of its subsidiary named Jumpshot. A joint investigation by Motherboard and PCMag led to this revelation. The data that is being sold even includes the porn search history of the users and the videos that they finally watched. According to the New York Post, Avast claimed that it sought the prior permission of its users to opt-in to the tracking, and the data thus received was kept anonymous. However, Motherboard was told by experts that in some cases it "could be possible to deanonymize certain users". The investigation finally reached the conclusion that the users were being tracked and monitored online behind their backs. Avast -- which is no stranger to controversies similar to this -- responded by stating that: "implementing an explicit opt-in choice for all new downloads of our AV, and we are now also prompting our existing free users to make an opt-in or opt-out choice, a process which will be completed in February 2020." The company further said: "seriously the responsibility to balance user privacy with the necessary use of data for our core security products." By Lee Min-hyung Foreigners' preference toward tech-related stocks here remained strong despite growing fears over the rapid spread of coronavirus, data showed Thursday. Starting from mid-January, the deadly virus has roiled Seoul bourses, but foreign investors kept purchasing major IT stocks here in the hope of seeing further growth. The benchmark KOSPI has in recent days continued a losing streak amid widening market uncertainties, as investors here and abroad kept fretting over worries about the respiratory virus. But tech companies topped the list of the most favorable stocks for foreign investors in January, according to data compiled by the Korea Exchange. Stocks of Samsung Electro-Mechanics, the manufacturer of electronic components, took the first place in terms of foreigners' net purchase during the period between Jan. 1 and 29. They purchased stocks worth 205.6 billion won ($173.53 million) amid hopes of the firm seeing a major turnaround in 2020. Samsung Electronics, the world's largest memory chip vendor, came in second, with foreigners' net purchase reaching 197.7 billion won during the same period. Samsung SDI, the battery manufacturer, followed on the list on expectations of more battery sales and a rosy market outlook with the rapid rise of electric vehicles. "Foreigner investors have recently engaged in a purchasing spree of major IT and hardware stocks here, and their stock prices remained robust even amid the coronavirus-driven volatility in the local stock market," Meritz Securities analyst Ha In-hwan said. The outlook for major IT industries, as well as for semiconductor and battery producers is bright enough, so most stocks in the areas will be affected very little by the spread of the virus, according to the analyst. "Our view is that investors need to purchase chip stocks even at this period of time when the outbreak of the virus is fueling stock market declines here," he said. Other promising IT stocks that foreigners paid attention to included Naver and Kakao. Foreign investors' net purchase of the latter exceeded 110 billion won in January. Kang Bong-ju, another analyst at the brokerage firm, also said only a few stocks, such as IT, hardware and healthcare, were able to largely avoid the negative effects of the virus due to their strong fundamentals. "Stocks in those sectors were defended against the external uncertainties, while those from industries such as cosmetics and hotels, reported a big drop in their valuation," he said. Willow Creek apologizes for allowing Bill Hybels mentor to teach at church despite abuse allegation Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Six months after closing the chapter on their embattled founder Bill Hybels with a call for him to repent as needed for his role in a sexual misconduct scandal, Willow Creek Community Church in suburban Chicago is now apologizing for allowing Hybels' mentor, Gilbert Bilezikian, to keep teaching at the church despite abuse allegations against him. Over the weekend, a longtime Willow Creek congregant made her personal story of abuse public. This story involves Dr. Gilbert Bilezikian (widely known as Dr. B), a mentor to Bill Hybels. We are heartbroken for what this congregant experienced and are deeply sorry for the pain this has caused her and her family, Willow Creek elders began in an update Tuesday. In addition to being Hybels mentor, Bilezikian, who is a retired Wheaton College professor, is also credited with helping him start Willow Creek. The churchs statement on Tuesday came after longtime Willow Creek member Ann Lindberg disclosed in an extended post on Facebook Saturday how Bilezikian victimized her for years and suggested he would have had sex with her had she allowed it during a relationship that lasted from October 1984 to 1988. It began with subtle flirtations after weekend services, and grew to include hand holding, emotional sharing and intimacy, kissing and fondling, and pressure to have sex. Dr. Bilezikian confided about his unhappy marriage, his lack of joy, and desire for a better partnership. He told me I was the type of woman he wished he had married instead of his wife Maria. I was young in my faith, new to church, and hungry for someone to invest spiritually in me. He made me feel special, and he was a spiritual authority in a large church, and I did not feel like I could say no to him, even when my gut was telling me this was not appropriate, Lindberg wrote. I was too naive to figure out there was no way God wanted that for me, no way to maintain the friendship in a godly way, and that that had never been Dr. Bilezikians intent. I believe we would have had sex if I had allowed it, but I think he was very good at reading people and knew just how far he could push me before I would stop having anything to do with him, she recalled. One night, as we were walking to my car, he turned around in a hallway, pushed me hard against a wall, grabbed a breast and stuck his tongue down my throat. I pushed back, in complete disbelief, but he began skipping down the stairs like a child. Other times, we would meet during the day time and take walks down the Wheaton prairie paths or around Wheatons small downtown streets. He would warn me that no one could see us together, that it would ruin his reputation, yet in the next moment, he would shove me into the doorway of a storefront or behind a truck and begin wildly kissing me. I would push him away. When we walked down the prairie paths, he would reach for my hand, my waist, and other places, she said. Lindberg said Bilezikian told her how much their relation gave him energy and hope as he walked through a depression he said only she could help him through. She said he rejected the idea of marital counseling, joining a mens group or even sharing his struggles with Hybels. I would ask him to attend marital counseling, he would tell me it was too late; he was trapped and would never be able to divorce Maria and still preach. I would ask him to get into a mens group. He said he didnt like men. I would suggest he get individual counseling. He would refuse; it was too late; he was too old. I would ask him to talk with Bill Hybels. He said Bill would never understand. He told me I was the only one in the world he could really talk to, that everyone else had an agenda. He knew how to manipulate my weaknesses, and I honestly believed that I was the only one who could help him, she said. Lindberg got married in 2006, but said she did not feel "strong enough" to tell her story until 2010 when she was ready to "confront the spiritual abuse." She also expressed concern that other women might have been harmed. After reporting her story to Willow Creek, however, she did not feel it was treated seriously. This is a story I take no pleasure in telling. I have waited a very long time and been in numerous private meetings with Willow leadership and others since 2010 and accomplished very little to date. It is my hope it is not too late for Willow, that the die is not yet cast with no hope for rebirth. So many truths are still concealed. My goal is for Willow leadership to finally be ready to repent, apologize specifically to the survivors from the Willow stage, and to make sweeping structural change within to prevent this from ever happening again, Lindberg added in her Facebook post. In their statement on Tuesday, Willow Creek apologized for how Lindberg was treated without naming her. While Dr. Bilezikian has never been an employee of Willow Creek, he has been active in the life of the church for decades. At the time, the churchs Elder Response Team (ERT) met at length with the woman and with Dr. Bilezikian. The team believed the womans claim that Dr. Bilezikian engaged in inappropriate behavior dating back to the mid-eighties, including but not limited to hand holding, hugs, kissing, inappropriate touching, and sending overly personal communication, the statement from the elders said. The ERT did restrict him from serving, but the restriction was not adequately communicated, resulting in Dr. Bilezikian serving and teaching in various capacities over the years. This was wrong, and we are sorry, they continued. Over the past years, behavior has been brought to light that is both harmful and unacceptable for a Christ follower. This sinful behavior that we believe was demonstrated by Dr. Bilezikian and Bill Hybels was wrong, and we hold any person entrusted with leading at Willow Creek Community Church to a higher standard. Leaders carry a mandate to shepherd the body of Christ and guard against sinful behavior (1 Peter 5:24), the elders added. They then requested prayer for all involved in the situation and urged any past or present victim abuse from Willow Creek leadership to call 630-682-9797, ext. 1291. Advocate for the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder convicts, AP Singh on Thursday moved a petition in a Delhi court seeking a stay on the execution of the convicts, scheduled on February 1. Singh,who is representing convicts Akshay Thakur and Vinay Sharma, said that according to the Delhi Prison Rules, none of those convicted can be hanged untill all of them have exhausted all legal options including the mercy petition. The matter will be heard by Additional Sessions Judge AK Jain today at 2 pm. Earlier this month, a Delhi court had issued the death warrant for Akshay Thakur, Mukesh Singh, Pawan Gupta, and Vinay Kumar Sharma, and ordered their hanging on February 1. Through an application seeking postponement of execution, AP Singh also apprised the court about the recent development. Recently, Vinay Sharma filed a mercy petition with President Ram Nath Kovind. Earlier, Mukesh Kumar too had filed a mercy petition, which was rejected by the President. He later challenged the rejection of his mercy petition which was dismissed by the Supreme Court. The case pertains to the gang-rape and brutalising of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012, by six people including a juvenile in Delhi. The woman had died at a Singapore hospital a few days later. One of the five adults accused, Ram Singh, had allegedly committed suicide in the Tihar Jail during the trial of the case. A recommendation for Northern Irelands next Deputy Chief Constable has been unanimously ratified by the Policing Board. (PA) A recommendation for Northern Irelands next deputy chief constable has been endorsed by the Policing Board. The move came during a special meeting of the board on Thursday evening. Justice Minister Naomi Long will give the final go-ahead for the appointment. Expand Close Justice Minister Naomi Long will approve the appointment of Northern Irelands next deputy chief constable. (Press Eye/PA) PA Media / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Justice Minister Naomi Long will approve the appointment of Northern Irelands next deputy chief constable. (Press Eye/PA) The appointment was not expected to be announced on Thursday evening. A Policing Board spokesman said: Following a special meeting of the Policing Board this evening, the recommendation of the deputy chief constable Appointment Panel was unanimously ratified by the Policing Board. The Board Chair will now formally seek the approval of the Justice Minister for the appointment in line with legislative requirements. Outgoing acting deputy chief constable Stephen Martin revealed earlier that he has taken legal advice over not being shortlisted for the permanent position. He previously announced he would retire in February. He told the BBC he was shocked at missing out on the shortlist for the role. Mr Martin issued his final tweet as a police officer on Thursday afternoon, describing his 34 years in policing as often challenging, at times heart breaking but always a privilege. My final tweet as a police officer. I loved every day of my 34 years service. Often challenging, at times heart breaking but always a privilege. I remember with pride & sadness my fallen colleagues &, in particular, my Dad, who died on duty 27 years ago & who inspired me to join. pic.twitter.com/o1I3xNUUqN Stephen Martin (@SMartinOBE) January 30, 2020 Earlier in the week Ulster Unionist MLA Alan Chambers announced he had withdrawn from the DCC interview panel over concerns about the process. He wrote to the Policing Board, saying the process needed to be rigorously fair. The board defended the process, issuing a statement which said: The recruitment process for the deputy chief constable position is based on the principles of merit, fairness and openness. It incorporates independent scrutiny at all stages to provide additional probity and transparency. The family of a 38-year-old man who died after falling into a wood chipper at a St. Joseph sawmill is suing the manufacturer of the machine. The St. Joseph News-Press reports that the minor children of Joshua Hill allege in the lawsuit filed last week that Williams Patent Crusher and Pulverizer Co. didnt have any built-in safety features for its XR430 Hog Wood Chipper. Hill fell into the machine in March 2018 while working for American Walnut Co., which makes lumber products for gunstocks and furniture. As the operator, Hill was supposed to be stationed in a small shed above the machine where wood pieces were fed into an opening in the machine. The petition says the machine lacked an automatic shut-off, an emergency stop button or rope, guards, flaps or other methods to protect operators of the wood chipper. It also alleges that no warning signs or instructions were provided with the machine. The St. Louis-based manufacturer didnt immediately return a phone message from The Associated Press. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Missouri TORONTO, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Celestica Inc. (NYSE, TSX: CLS), a leader in design, manufacturing and supply chain solutions for the world's most innovative companies, today announced that its Annual General Shareholders Meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 29, 2020 at 9:30 a.m. EDT at the Novotel Toronto North York Hotel, 3 Park Home Avenue, North York, Ontario. Celestica also announced that it has set Friday, March 13, 2020 as the record date for determining shareholders of the company who are entitled to receive notice of, and to vote at, the meeting. Shareholders should expect to receive the company's proxy statement and related materials in mid-March. About Celestica Celestica enables the world's best brands. Through our recognized customer-centric approach, we partner with leading companies in aerospace and defense, communications, enterprise, healthtech, industrial, capital equipment, and energy to deliver solutions for their most complex challenges. As a leader in design, manufacturing, hardware platform and supply chain solutions, Celestica brings global expertise and insight at every stage of product development - from the drawing board to full-scale production and after-market services. With talented teams across North America, Europe and Asia, we imagine, develop and deliver a better future with our customers. For further information on Celestica, visit www.celestica.com. Company's securities filings can be accessed at www.sedar.com and www.sec.gov. Protesters criticise the government in Amman, arguing Jordans pro-Palestinian values and environment are at stake. Amman, Jordan With her fist raised high, Ibtisam stands at the vanguard of hundreds of protesters who have gathered in Amman to rail against a natural gas deal they believe jeopardises Jordans values, its energy sovereignty and the environment. The people of Jordan do not compromise! What a shame, what a shame! An agreement full of shame, the protesters chant in unison. The January 17 gathering was the second, held since the beginning of the year when a United States-Israeli consortium began pumping natural gas from Israels offshore Leviathan gas field to Jordan. We will burn firewood, the middle-aged Ibtisam tells Al Jazeera. Anything, she says, but gas from the occupation. Over half of Jordans population is of Palestinian descent. Ibtisam, who asked Al Jazeera to withhold her surname to protect her privacy, is a Palestinian refugee. She is part of a grassroots movement that began in 2014, when a letter of intent was first signed between Jordans state-owned National Electric Power Company (NEPCO) and the Leviathan field partners, Texas-based Noble Energy and Israels Delek Group and Ratio Petroleum. The deal, which was formally signed in 2016, will see an estimated $10bn worth of Israeli gas sold to Jordan over the next 15 years. International human rights and environmental justice organisation Platform released a report in partnership with the Jordanian Coordination Committee Against Importing Gas from Israel estimating that over half of the expected revenues will go directly into Israeli government coffers. It is an agreement of humiliation and shame, said Mahdi Suleiman, a retired military officer. He joined the protest holding a photo of his son who is being held in an Israeli prison. Wadi Araba is not peace Opposition to the gas deal has galvanised unions, political parties, military veterans and womens associations who argue that it forces normalisation with Israel on every Jordanian household, sidelining Palestinian rights. Its a movement against injustice and settler colonialism, campaign organiser Hisham Bustani told Al Jazeera. Its about holding up an ethical position. Broader geopolitical forces are also in the protesters crosshairs. Campaign organiser Hisham Bustani says that even if Israeli gas were cheaper, there are moral and political costs that Jordan should not pay [Marta Vidal/Al Jazeera] During the January 17 demonstration, people raised their voices in unison against the Wadi Araba peace treaty, signed between Jordan and Israel in 1994. Wadi Araba is not peace! protesters shouted. Wadi Araba is treason! Demonstrators also pointed to the role the US has played helping to cement Israeli-Jordanian energy ties. The US administration played a huge role in orchestrating this deal, said Bustani. In 2011, Hillary Clinton, then the US secretary of state, reportedly raised the gas issue with Jordans King Abdullah II. And Jordan is not the only regional customer for gas from Israels Leviathan field. Egypt also started importing it this month. Economic benefits The terms of the gas deal were only made public in 2019 by an opposition MP, leading to charges of a lack of transparency. The Jordanian government maintains that the gas deal will help stabilise energy prices and generate annual savings of at least $500m helping to reduce a chronic budget deficit. But some experts have questioned the deals economic benefits, arguing that Jordan gets enough liquefied natural gas (LNG) largely from Qatar through the Aqaba gas terminal built in the south of the country. Jordans Ministry of Energy and NEPCO did not respond to Al Jazeeras requests for comment. Jordanians protest against the energy deal with Israel, with many people demanding that the government not normalise relations [Marta Vidal/Al Jazeera] On January 19, the Jordanian parliament approved a draft law to ban imports of Israeli gas. The government said it would review the motion. But if the past is any guide, it is unlikely to find traction. While the members of the parliament are elected, the cabinet of ministers that forms the government is appointed by the king. In December 2014, the parliament also voted against the deal, but the government pressed ahead with the agreement and has continued to defend it. Investing in renewable energy Opponents also question the value of ploughing money into fossil fuel infrastructure. Instead of investing in Jordan to develop the economy and to create job opportunities, we are spending billions of dollars to buy subordination, said Bustani. Environmental campaigners argue the money would have been better spent developing sustainable energy sources. Jordan has a very big potential for renewable energy, says Rami Barhoush, president of the nonprofit Arab Group for the Protection of Nature (APN). We have more than 310 days of sunshine a year and vast areas of land capable of producing wind energy, he told Al Jazeera, adding that the gas pipeline had destroyed land and affected several villages in Jordan. APN has led planting initiatives to replace trees uprooted by the pipeline. This month, Jordans ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and its permanent representative to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) said some $5bn has been invested in the countrys sustainable energy sector, and renewables are on track to provide 20 percent of the countrys total power output by 2021. In 2017, Jordan announced the Green Corridor, a new project to allow solar and wind power produced in the south of the country to be transmitted to population centres. But in January 2019, the Jordanian government suspended approvals for large-scale renewable energy projects until technical studies to assess the capacity of the electrical grid are completed. Protesters in Amman emphasised criticisms about supporting the occupation of Palestinian territories, but environmental concerns have also been expressed [Marta Vidal/Al Jazeera] Experts say Jordan is already generating more energy than it consumes but does not have the storage capacity to fully utilise it. This decision was made because the network needs to be updated, said Ahmad Harb, a professor at the German Jordanian University who specialises in renewable energy. Until this problem is solved, we are limited in our production of renewable energy, he told Al Jazeera. Since the deal obliges Jordan to import a certain amount of gas over 15 years, experts fear it will restrict the introduction of renewable energy to the grid and the development of local energy resources. It would be better if the government invested in upgrading the network and allowed more investment in renewable energy, said Harb. Energy and environment expert Ayoub Abu Dayyeh also told Al Jazeera the gas deal is a blow to efforts to produce clean, sovereign energy. Why pay those $10bn for energy coming from the outside? he asked rhetorically. Are our governments democratic enough to take decisions that look after the wellbeing and interests of the population? 2 items in this article 2 items on sale! Photo: Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP Update: As of April 3, the CDC now recommends people wear cloth face masks in public settings. To read more about those, along with where to buy them and how to make them, click here. If hourly news updates on the spread of the coronavirus have you constantly reaching for the Purell and your Xanax (or anxiety remedy of choice) youve probably wondered if its time to buy a face mask. Currently, the CDC only recommends that doctors and nurses treating patients who are, or may be, infected with the virus wear N95 respirator masks the face masks certified to filter out at least 95 percent of airborne particles. Residents of impacted cities in China have been encouraged to wear masks in public, too. While no such recommendation has been issued for those in the U.S., that hasnt stopped many panicked people from buying up all the masks they can find. Thats a problem for more than just the nervous among us: As the New York Times reported yesterday, mask hoarding might actually cause a shortage for health-care workers who actually need them. Weve noticed the run on masks locally as well. Earlier this week, a sign went up on the door of the Duane Reade on the corner of Broadway and Grand Street that said, in English and Chinese: Sold Out of Masks. Strategist managing editor Maxine Builder even spotted two opportunists hawking N95 masks for $25 each (you can normally buy a ten-pack for around $20) in Fulton Center. You wont fare much better online: A little Amazon perusing uncovered only a handful of equally marked-up masks, mostly from shady-looking third-party sellers. So, we asked three infectious disease doctors, whats a hypochondriac to do? I would not recommend somebody going out and getting a N95 mask because the value of using those masks is demonstrated when people are properly fit with the right size mask and using it in the right way, says David Hirschwerk, an infectious disease specialist at North Shore University Hospital. Waleed Javaid, director of infection prevention and control at Mount Sinai Downtown agrees. Because the N95 masks used in hospital settings require an exact fit to eliminate gaps between the mask and the skin, along with training for proper use, for most people they arent going to be effective, he says. If you still feel the need to cover up your nose and mouth, you can get some protection from a basic surgical mask. But only some. Unlike an N-95 mask, a surgical mask has a looser seal against the face so theres room for germs to get in. Aaron E. Glatt, chair of medicine at Mount Sinai South Nassau and a spokesperson for the Infectious Diseases Society of America, says a surgical mask works as a physical barrier, but its not clear how much benefit youre getting because you also breathe in the air around the sides of the mask, where there is potentially infectious material as well. And Javaid cautions that youll only reap the benefits if you use it properly: washing your hands after taking it off, not touching the outside of the mask, only using each mask once, and replacing it if it gets wet. If youre still worried about getting sick, youre better off following common-sense advice on avoiding illness. Everybody wants masks, says Glatt, but he instead stresses basic good hygiene: Stay home [if youre sick], dont infect anybody, wash your hands appropriately, and get vaccinated. In fact, all three doctors we consulted say youre much more likely to catch the flu than the coronavirus, so definitely get vaccinated if you havent already. We have more advice from doctors on avoiding colds here, but below are the two most important items you can add to your cart, whether youre trying to avoid the coronavirus, the flu, or an everyday cold. Mrs. Meyers Clean Day Hand Soap Lemon Verbena $13 for 3 According to doctors, good old-fashioned hand soap is your best defense against germs. Handwashing is critical, says Javaid. Its far more important right now than wearing a mask. Always wash your hands before eating or touching your eyes (like for putting in or taking out contacts) and after touching a person or surface that might be contaminated, and youll be well on your way to staying healthy. Doctors say regular soap is fine theres no need to spring for antibacterial and to just make sure youre spending a good 2030 seconds at the sink. Some nice-smelling Mrs. Meyers will do the trick. $13 for 3 at Amazon Buy $13 for 3 at Amazon Buy 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. True story: I almost burned my house down yesterday afternoon. My nearly fatal mistake was to put on a pot of my favorite peas to warm on the stove before sitting down to watch a few minutes of the impeachment trial. I woke up to the smoke detector screaming about the kitchen filled with smoke. My first instinctive thought was to wonder how someone had managed to shoot me with a tranquilizer dart within the safety of my own home. After airing out the house, I decided that from that point forward, I'd stay on my feet to watch what might have best been described as Hollywood for ugly people. Joe Manchin asked a pretty good question: in the past three hundred years, what has changed in the definition of high crimes and misdemeanors? At some point in his reply, one of the president's defense counselors (I apologize for not taking notes) managed to make the point that President Clinton had actually been accused and proved to have committed criminal behavior, but Democrats and enough Republicans to prevent his removal from office decided that the chief law enforcement officer of the land could break the law with impunity, as long as the crime was related to personal indiscretions of a sexual nature. Alan Dershowitz made a few excellent points and got a little feisty when Jerry Nadler claimed he was the only legal scholar ever to take the position that high crimes and misdemeanors ought to include actual, serious crimes like treason and bribery. He got so passionate in his rhetoric that John Roberts eventually had to tell him to wrap it up because Mitch was ready to take their dinner break. Before this process began, most of the speculation was that Republicans would ask questions of the Democrat managers, and Democrats would question President Trump's defense counsel. The reality has been that each side has been playing a congressional game of tee-ball, setting itself up with softball questions to see how far its people can hit them. When one side makes a decent point, the next question is inevitably from the opposition leader and says, in essence, okay, let me tee this up for you, and you'd better hit it farther than they just did. Kind of like a poker tell, the audience can sort of guess whether or not the question recipient likes having to answer by how his response begins. If he smiles and says, "Thank you for the question!" he feels confident in his answer, but if he says, "I appreciate your question," the confidence isn't the same. Major points were scored by the Republicans when it was pointed out that President Trump provided Ukraine with Javelin anti-tank missiles after President Obama adamantly refused, inflicting serious damage to the argument that American national security had been threatened by Trump for refusing military aid to Ukraine. Probably the best work was by Jay Sekulow, who hammered home that the House had rushed through the process to force this debacle into the Senate, and if new witnesses like John Bolton are brought in after the investigation phase was supposedly complete, it sets a new precedent for perpetual impeachment, where the following month, it can be a new demand for testimony from Mick Mulvaney, or whoever will give the Democrats what they think they need to justify Trump's removal. We almost got into an argument over dinner when Adam Schiff claimed he didn't know the identity of the whistleblower and I audibly called him a liar. (My son isn't thirty yet and has a heart, so he's still a liberal. If he turns forty and remains a liberal, I'll start to consider myself a failure as a parent and worry that he doesn't actually have a brain.) Alan Dershowitz hit several home runs by making analogies to President Obama. He asked if Obama should have been impeached for drawing a red line on chemical weapons in Syria and then failing to take action when Assad used them, and if we assumed that his refusal to sell the Javelin missiles to Ukraine was a political calculation. House manager Garcia might have cost the Democrats a crucial vote on additional witnesses when she bristled at a question from Lisa Murkowski about why the witnesses were not called by the House during impeachment and called it a "red herring." You need Murkowski, Democrats. Otherwise, you can turn out the lights, because this party is over. I'm no expert on reading the political tea leaves, but my best guess is that after yesterday, you can stick a fork in the impeachment of Donald Trump, because we're done. The deathblow might have been delivered by Senator Hawley from Missouri. His question: "When he took office, Viktor Shokin, Ukraine's prosecutor general, vowed to investigate Burisma. Before Vice President Joe Biden pressed Ukrainian officials on corruption, including pushing for the removal of Shokin, did the White House Counsel's office or the office of the Vice President's legal counsel issue ethics advice approving Mr. Biden's involvement in matters involving corruption in Ukraine or Shokin despite Hunter Biden's presence on the board of Burisma, a company widely considered to be corrupt? Did Vice President Biden ever ask Hunter Biden to step down from the board of Burisma?" The Republican response to the question was enlightening. When Joe Biden's staff was approached about the appearance of a conflict of interest by Ambassador Kent, staffers blew him off with the excuse that Joe was distracted by Beau's illness. Obviously, the question exposed a major chink in the Democrat's armor protecting Joe Biden from scandal because the House manager began her response, "I appreciate the question..." Meaning she really didn't. As a parting aside, after typing in that well worn, familiar cliche, I had to wonder if I might be accused by some liberal of racism for typing the word "chink." How brainwashed by political correctness and afraid of offending others by accident have we all become? It wasn't that many years ago that I occasionally said things to offend people on purpose. John Leonard writes novels, books, and occasional articles and blog posts for American Thinker. You may follow him on Facebook or his website (and blog, which includes the AT "rejected" pieces) at southernprose.com. By ANI ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government has decided not to repatriate its citizens stranded in China from the coronavirus-hit Wuhan city to show "solidarity" with China, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Zafar Mirza said on Thursday. "We believe that right now, it is in the interest of our loved ones in China [to stay there]. It is in the larger interest of the region, world, country that we don't evacuate them now," Dawn quoted him while addressing the media at a press conference in Islamabad. "This is what the World Health Organisation is saying, this is China's policy and this is our policy as well. We stand by China in full solidarity," he said. On Wednesday, Mirza had announced that up to four Pakistani students in China were diagnosed with the coronavirus. A large proportion of the Pakistanis living in China were students of which over 500 students were based in the central city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the new virus. READ| Over 200 Chinese exhibitors to participate in auto component show despite coronavirus outbreak However, refuting the idea of repatriating the citizens from the East Asian country, the official said, "Right now the government of China has contained this epidemic in Wuhan city. If we act irresponsibly and start evacuating people from there, this epidemic will spread all over the world like wildfire." "So far, China has not allowed evacuation [of people]," he said. "You will, of course, remind me the United States has evacuated its diplomatic staff -- not all citizens. This is a condition of the Vienna Convention which dictates that the host country can allow diplomats to leave if their country wishes for them to return," he added. Mirza said that the embassy in China was in contact with the Pakistani citizens and once again expressed faith in China's policies to contain the virus. According to media reports, a total of 7711 confirmed cases have been reported in China and 170 people have died due to the virus. Some countries, including India, Canada and the United States, have started evacuating their citizens from Wuhan. Heath camps have also been set up in different countries to screen passengers arriving from China. An Australian man has shared chilling footage from within China's Wuhan - which has become a ghost town since the coronavirus outbreak. Daniel Ou Yang, 21, was visiting his grandparents when he became trapped in the city after it was placed into lockdown to prevent the spread of the deadly virus. He is one of about 600 Australians trapped at epicentre of the outbreak, which has claimed more than 100 lives. Mr Yang shared a video he took from his apartment in the centre of Wuhan - a city of 11 million people - showing the eerily empty streets. Many of those who are trapped in the city have shared how they are living in fear, believing they will either die of starvation or the virus. Daniel Ou Yang, 21, (pictured) was visiting his grandparents when he became trapped in the city after it was placed into lockdown to prevent the spread of the deadly virus Mr Yang said he was desperate to get home to Sydney to see his girlfriend and get back to his real estate business but was not sure about the living conditions on Christmas Island if he's evacuated there Pasnicha Krutdamrongchai, a student at Wuhan University, has begged the Thai government to evacuate its citizens from the city. 'Right now most students over here don't have enough food because we didn't stockpile food in advance due to the sudden shutdown,' she posted to social media. 'We can't go outside to buy food anywhere and supermarkets nearby run out of food.' Ms Krutdamrongchai said she didn't know if she would die first from the virus or from starvation. A Thai student trapped in Wuhan said people are running out of food and doesn't know whether she will starve to death or die of coronavirus first Pasnicha Krutdamrongchai, a student at Wuhan University in China took to social media on Sunday to beg the Thai government to evacuate people The streets on Wuhan, the epicentre of China's deadly virus, are empty as the city is forced into lockdown 'We've got two main roads on both sides of our apartment which is normally congested in traffic 24/7, and this is the first time we have ever seen it like this. My city has become a ghost town,' he said in the Facebook post Mr Yang's view from his apartment shows exactly how dire the city appears, with the streets of the once bustling city now bare. 'We've got two main roads on both sides of our apartment which is normally congested in traffic 24/7, and this is the first time we have ever seen it like this. My city has become a ghost town,' Mr Yang said in the Facebook post. 'All the light rails, buses, taxi services, trains everything's stopped,' he said. Tim McLean, who is from Ulladulla on the New South Wales South Coast, moved to Ezhou last year to be with his partner Qiong Xu last year. Ezhou is in the east of the Hubei province of China and near the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak and was one of the first cities to be locked down. Mr McLean has shared how he wears two masks every time he steps outside as he fears he will contract the virus. Mr McLean moved to China last year to be with his partner. He had no idea the hell he was about to step into. Since the city was forced into lockdown, Mr McLean says it feels as though they have been abandoned. The streets of the normally bustling city, which is home to more than one million people, have been abandoned. 'Yesterday I was out in the street and I saw hospital staff walking around in full white protective clothing, head gear, totally airtight, walking with what looked like patients,' he told the ABC. 'I put two masks on when I go outside, just in case.' People wearing facemasks to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city, wait for medical attention at Wuhan Red Cross Hospital in Wuhan on January 25 While he said he has no regrets about moving over, the impending risk of contracting the deadly virus, which has already claimed more than 100 lives, is scary. There is also the looming threat that food may come to a grinding halt in a couple days, he said. Helen Chen, a student at ANU, said she's worried and uncertain but has tried to keep herself busy with university assignments while trapped inside her Wuhan family home for one-week. 'The last time I went out was probably a week ago, I wore a mask, and most people were wearing masks,' she told Reuters. Tim McLean, who is from Ulladulla on the New South Wales South Coast, moved to Ezhou last year to be with his partner Qiong Xu 'And when my parents went out this morning to do groceries they wore masks as well, I made sure they brought hand sanitisers and they wore gloves, just to be extra careful.' Mother-of-two Jenny Zhu is also stuck in Wuhan and has begged the Australian government to bring her children home. Ms Zhu and her Australian-born sons, Thomas, 9, and Andrew, 5, haven't been outdoors in seven days due to the outbreak. 'Last time they went out of the house was on the 20th. They only get some fresh air on the balcony every day,' she said. She said the family just want to return home to Sydney and hopes the Australian government is considering the wellbeing of all the children involved. WHO officials said Wednesday it's possible that coronavirus could be spread by touching surfaces after infected people have - like railings or medical tools , then touching ones mouth or nose (file) Symptoms of the virus include fever, cough, sore throat and shortness of breath 'My youngest boy has asked every day when he can go to kindy because he's really looking forward to school,' Ms Zhu said. Wuhan is now in lockdown with travel both in and out of the city and surrounding areas cancelled. Japan rescued its citizens on Tuesday, while South Korea will charter a plane into Wuhan on Thursday. Medical staff members wearing protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city, arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital in Wuhan 'I'm still waiting for help from Thai government. If I continue living here, I don't know if I'll starve to death or die of the virus first. I really want to go. I'm waiting with hope,' she said. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a plan on Wednesday to evacuate Australians trapped at the epicentre of China's deadly virus and quarantine them on the remote island for 14 days. Mr Yang said he was desperate to get home to Sydney to see his girlfriend and get back to his real estate business but was not sure about the living conditions on Christmas Island if he's evacuated there. China has confirmed there are now more than 6,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 132 deaths. The virus is believed to have originated late last year in a food market in the Chinese city of Wuhan that was illegally selling wildlife. Health experts think it may have originated in bats and then passed to humans, possibly via another animal species. The World Health Organization (WHO) was alerted to several cases of pneumonia in Wuhan at the end of December. Chinese authorities confirmed they had identified a new virus a week later. The new virus, identified by scientists as 2019-nCoV, is a coronavirus, a family of viruses that include the common cold and more serious diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Coronavirus infections have a wide range of symptoms, including fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties. It is unclear how deadly the new virus is. Although severe cases can cause pneumonia and death, there may be many cases of milder disease going undetected. Many of those who have died had pre-existing medical conditions or were elderly with weakened immune systems. All but around 70 of the more than 6,000 cases so far identified have been in China, mostly in and around Wuhan. The other countries with confirmed cases include Australia, Cambodia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, the UAE, the United States, and Vietnam. The Chinese government has put Wuhan into virtual quarantine to try and stop the spread of the virus. A number of foreign governments have advised against non-essential travel to China and have begun flying their citizens out of Wuhan. It appears the about 500 excavators seized during the intense crusade against illegal small scale mining popularly called 'galamsey' between 2017 and 2018, are not missing contrary to statement by the Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, Professor Frimpong Boateng. Members of the Concerned Small Scale Miners Union of Ghana say they know the whereabouts of the earth moving machines. President of the Union, Richard Kojo Peprah speaking to Citi News said some of their members traced their excavators to various illegal mining sites in parts of the country. We were able to find some of these machines in Tamale. Some of these machines had tracking devices. So we are able to trace them. When they take the machine in the Ashanti region then, they send it to the Northern region. They are engaged in one activity or the other. Some are even engaged in galamsey. Background The chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, Professor Frimpong Boateng disclosed last week that most of the seized excavators are missing. The minister is quoted as saying that though the excavators were seized and taken to the district assemblies, the heavy-duty machines disappeared later from the premises of the assemblies. ---citinewsroom WASHINGTON The U.S. Army has awarded SRC Inc. of Cicero a $22 million contract for technology that counters small, low-flying drones on the battlefield. The contract extends by six months a previous Army agreement with SRC for its counter-drone technology worth $108 million. SRCs mobile systems use radar, cameras, jamming technology and other sensors to help the Army detect, track, identify and defeat hostile drones. The Pentagon considers small, slow and low-flying drones an emerging threat to U.S. forces around the world because they are difficult to detect and can evade radar. An Army assessment found that more than 600 types of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), or drones, were in use in more than 80 countries. The Islamic State also used small, low-flying drones in battles with U.S.-allied forces in Iraq and Syria. SRC, a not-for-profit research and development company, has sold its counter-drone systems to the Army and Air Force since 2017. The Cicero-based company announced plans in 2017 to double its workforce over five years by hiring about 1,000 new employees for its offices in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. An SRC spokeswoman said the company now employs about 1,100 people in Central New York and 1,600 worldwide. SRC reached an agreement last year to buy a fifth office building at Beacon North Office Park in Cicero to house its growing workforce. 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. Part of the point of collecting art is that you neednt leave home to look at it. This is especially comforting when life becomes too complicated for you to visit museums or galleries. On account of Mrs. Ts latest, I had to pass up seeingof abstract paintings by Hans Hofmann, an artist whose work I love passionately. Fortunately for us, Mrs. T and I had a Hofmann of our ownand now, to my surprise and delight, we have two. Hofmann wasnt greatly interested in printmaking, and his paintings are too expensive for us to even fantasize about owning one. (When it comes to collecting, Mrs. T and I are strictly small-timers.) So far as I know, he made only two screenprints,and the other in 1961, and Id never been able to find an affordable copy of either one. Then I got lucky last August and succeeded in knocking down, a small silkscreen with hand coloring in oil that was printed in an edition of fifty copies. Because Hofmann made only two color prints, this one is quite scarce and typically costs more than we feel comfortable paying. The copy in question, however, was put up for auction by an Italian house at a three-figure reserve that was, to my astonishment, roughly a tenth of what we would have had to bid in the U.S. (Hofmann isnt well known in Europe). Whats more, nobody else bid on it. Buying art from Italy turns out to be a horrifically complicated business, so much so that it took nearly four months for me to untie all of the requisite bureaucratic red tape. But I sliced through the final Gordian knot a couple of weeks ago, and Composition (1961) arrived by overseas courier yesterday, just in time to console me for not having been able to see Hans Hofmann: The Nature of Abstraction in Massachusetts. It is what print collectors call a rich impression, one whose illusion of depth is so powerful that I gasped when I took it out of the package and saw it in the flesh for the very first time. It happens that Mrs. T doesnt much care for Womans Head, the Hofmann that I bought back in 2005, just before we met, which hangs over our living-room couch alongside equally striking prints by Milton Avery, Richard Diebenkorn, John Marin, and Joan Mitchell. Im guessing, however, that Composition (1961) will fit neatly into the space previously occupied by Womans Head, and my plan is to hang it as soon as it comes back from our trusty framer. First, though, Ill bring it to New York-Presbyterian so that she can get a look at the latest addition to the Teachout Museum, which is small enough for me to tuck under one arm. She hasnt seen any art since entering the hospital in December, and my hope is that itll brighten her life to hold Composition (1961) in her hands and imagine how it will look over the couch. Thats another joy of collecting art: sometimes you can take it with you. UPDATE: Heres how it looks on the wall. The Assam government wants to bring Sharjeel Imam, arrested in a sedition case over his controversial "cut off-North-East-from-India" remark, to Guwahati for interrogation, state Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday. Sarma, who also holds the charge of the Education and the Health departments, was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an arms laying ceremony by the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) factions here. "We have already made the requisition (based on a case filed here on Wednesday by Assam Police). We want Sarjeel Imam in Guwahati because we apprehend that the violence we have seen in Guwahati on December 11 and 12 must have some connection with his outcry...," the minister said. Sarma said police are analysing "certain information" received from the Central Forensic Laboratory regarding the role of the PFI in the violence here. Director General of Police (DGP) Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta said Assam Police will bring Imam to Guwahati after taking a production warrant for interrogation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SYRACUSE, N.Y. Police are investigating a robbery this morning of the Key Bank at 1510 West Genesee St. A man wearing a black-and-white skull bandana around his neck entered the bank at 9:24 a.m. today and demanded cash. Then he fled on foot west on West Fayette Street. The man is described as having a heavy build and standing 5 feet, 8 inches tall. He wore a gray Nike hoodie, a winter cap, the bandana and gray gloves. Police are asking anyone with information to call the departments Criminal Investigation Division at (315)442-5222. For long, in corporate law and conduct, the shareholder who offers risk capital to new businesses was king. As we step into the third decade of the 21st century, other players are making their mark on capitalism. And, the starkest sign of this new age of capitalism comes from Wall Street icons Blackrock and Goldman Sachs in January as they espouse the causes of other stakeholders with tangible and time-bound signals for change to their clients. While Goldman, one of the biggest investment banks on Wall Street, has chosen diversity as a precondition to going public for its clients, Blackrock, the world's largest asset manager, has chosen to focus on climate change. Blackrock's Chairman & CEO, Larry Fink said in his letter to CEOs, "I believe we are on the edge of a fundamental reshaping of finance," while pitching harder for reporting and disclosures attuned to climate change as a means of better risk management. For broader sustainability information, Fink pushed for the standards provided by the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB). And in evaluating and reporting climate-related risks, he pointed to Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). He urged investee companies to start making these disclosures by the end of 2020. Fink's letter carried an explicit threat for the CEOs in bold too. "Given the groundwork we have already laid engaging in disclosure, and the growing investment risks surrounding sustainability, we will be increasingly disposed to vote against management and board directors when companies are not making sufficient progress on sustainability-related disclosures and the business practices and plans underlying them," Fink said. Given that Blackrock has close to $6.9 trillion assets under management, that is a really big stick that Fink has been unveiled. Likewise, at Goldman Sachs, one of the world's top investment banks, David Solomon, Chairman and CEO, hitched his bank's influence behind diversity on Boards. In the US and Europe starting July, Goldman Sachs, therefore, is committing to taking public only those companies which can boast of a diverse Board i.e. at least one member who can be considered to add to the diversity. And, that requirement will go up to two such members the following year. Solomon continues to believe his bank's primary duty is to deliver high returns to his shareholders. Yet, he is clear that those high returns in the medium to long term come from attention to all stakeholders. "This is the best advice for companies that want to drive premium returns for their shareholders," he said to television channel, CNBC at Davos last week. While these moves from the biggest players on Wall Street are likely to be currently confined to the more mature markets, they have the potential to reshape the agenda globally as more and more players take these cues. Boards will have to take note and act accordingly as new aspirational and market-based benchmarks kick in for governance. Climate change is likely to inch up to the top of the risk agenda. And with that will come new accounting norms for CFOs. Company managements and CFOs looking to raise funds for their companies will find a hard governance premium or discount in the market in line firm's efforts at dealing with all kinds of stakeholders. U.S. health officials confirmed on Thursday the nation's first person-to-person transmission of the coronavirus that has already killed at least 171 people in China and infected more than 8,200 since emerging less than a month ago. The new patient is the husband of the Chicago woman who brought the infection back from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak, CDC and Illinois health officials said during a press briefing. Health officials said the man, in his 60s, has "some underlying medical conditions" but was in good condition. His wife was doing well but remained in isolation at a local hospital, they said. Public health officials are also monitoring 21 patients in Illinois for possible infections. [To see the latest updates on the coronavirus, visit CNBC's live blog here.] Serious situation "This is a very serious public health situation," said Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. "Moving forward, we can expect to see more cases, and more cases means more potential for person-to-person spread." The virus, which emerged Dec. 31, has already spread to more people than the 2003 SARS epidemic, which sickened roughly 8,100 people across the globe over nine months. The transmission makes the U.S. at least the fifth country where the infection is now spreading through human-to-human contact, including China. Officials of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there are at least nine cases of human-to-human transmission outside of China, as of Thursday. As of Thursday afternoon, 8,137 cases were confirmed in mainland China alone, according to Chinese state media, and more than 100 cases were confirmed elsewhere around the world bringing the global total to at least 8,248. Containing the outbreak U.S. officials are working to contain the outbreak from spreading in the country, including by increasing travel warnings and expanding screening at 20 U.S. airports. Trump administration officials have said they are constantly evaluating the situation and could take more drastic action if needed. Health officials said Thursday that they still don't know whether the virus is infectious before symptoms. Officials are working with hospitals to make sure health-care providers are "protected," Messonnier said. "Despite the case that we are reporting the first instance of person-to-person transmission in the United States, it is important to note that these two individuals were in close contact," she added. Passengers wear protective masks to protect against the spread of the Coronavirus as they arrive at the Los Angeles International Airport, California, on January 22, 2020. Mark Ralston | AFP | Getty Images Emergency WHO meeting The World Health Organization on Thursday declared the fast-spreading virus a global health emergency a rare designation that helps the international agency mobilize financial and political support to contain the outbreak. The coronavirus has spread to a handful of people through human-to-human contact outside of China, Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO's health emergencies program, said at a news conference at the organization's Geneva headquarters Wednesday. "These developments in terms of the evolution of the outbreak and further development of transmission, these are of grave concern and has spurred countries into action," Ryan said. "What we know at this stage, this is still obviously a very active outbreak and information is being updated and changing by the hour." WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the "continued increase in cases and the evidence of human-to-human transmission outside of China are, of course, most deeply disturbing." The illness produces a range of symptoms, with about 20% of the patients developing severe illnesses, including pneumonia and respiratory failure, he said. "Although the numbers outside China are still relatively small, they hold the potential for a much larger outbreak," Tedros said. The number of confirmed cases is likely to grow, health officials said. There are more than 12,100 suspected cases in China that are either awaiting test results or haven't been tested yet, on top of the 8,137 that have already been confirmed in the country, according to WHO and China state media data released Thursday. Although the coronavirus doesn't appear to be as deadly as SARS, which had a mortality rate of about 11%, it is spreading significantly faster. The WHO data shows there are roughly 1,400 people in China who are severely ill. Cruise ship lockdown In Europe, Costa Cruises is holding 6,000 passengers aboard the Costa Smeralda near Italy after a Chinese woman came down with a fever, raising concern that she may have the virus, Italian news agency Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata reported. The cruise line Costa Cruises said in a statement that it is holding the 54-year-old woman from Macao in isolation along with her travel companion. "The Health Authority has been immediately notified and is now on board to conduct all the pertinent measures," the company said. "It is our utmost priority to ensure the health and safety of passengers and crew." US flight Keesler Federal Credit Union, which describes itself as Mississippis largest, has expanded into Alabama with two branches in Mobile. We looked at several markets for expansion and Mobile just made the most sense, Andy Swoger, Keesler Federal CEO and President, said in an announcement released Thursday by the company. We know the region, the banking services needed and the best ways to serve members. This will be a good fit for Keesler Federal and our existing and potential members. Keesler Federal was founded in 1947, originally to serve Keesler Air Force Base employees. It now has more than 240,000 members and $3 billion in assets. Those who live, work, worship or attend school in most of Mobile County can become a Keesler Federal member and open an account, said the release. The new locations are 7756 Airport Road in the Westwood Plaza shopping center and 100 N. Florida St. in Midtown. Hours for both are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday. Keesler Federal now has 38 locations in all, including six in Louisiana. According to the company it has grown rapidly in the last four years, with assets increasing 29 percent and loans 92 percent, while reducing risk and exceeding required capital reserves. The European Union gave its final, formal approval to Brexit on Thursday, clearing the way for Britain to reverse 47 years of integration with the Continent and leave the bloc on Friday night, The New York Times reports. Following a sometimes emotional vote in the European Parliament on Wednesday, the governments of the 27 countries still in the union gave a unanimous seal of approval to Britains withdrawal, officially ending nearly four years of impassioned wrangling over whether, when and how it would happen. In the end, the way the decision became final was vintage Brussels: bureaucratic and undramatic. Diplomats from the remaining member countries were given plain instructions over email just after 8 p.m. Wednesday: Answer these four dry, procedural questions with yes, no, or abstain and send them in an email to the European Council, which represents the nations leaders. At 1 p.m. Thursday, the replies came in a foregone conclusion, but the last step needed for the withdrawal agreement to take effect. All member states answered yes to all the questions, a European Union official said. On the biggest questions, the European Council meets in person, often with presidents and prime ministers representing their countries. But on Thursday, as if to emphasize how anticlimactic the event was, it used a vote-by-email process reserved for technical decisions that dont require top officials or august gatherings. And it cloaked the news in the drabbest possible language. The council has adopted, by written procedure, the decision on the conclusion of the withdrawal agreement on behalf of the E.U., the European Council said in a brief statement. The withdrawal agreement will enter into force upon the U.K.s exit from the E.U., on 31 January 2020 at midnight in most of Europe, 11 p.m. in Britain, it added. From that time on, the U.K. will no longer be an E.U. member state and will be considered as a third country. For the first time ever, the iconic "Casino Royale" itself, the Casino de Monte-Carlo will host a red carpet premiere and a black-tie post-premiere after party. All proceeds from the event will be directed toward a new Princess Grace Award named in honor of long-time Monaco resident, and a founding member of Princess Grace Foundation-USA, the late Sir Roger Moore. The Sir Roger Moore Film Scholarship will be endowed in perpetuity and the first recipient will be announced at the 38 th Annual Princess Grace Awards Gala in Monaco in October 2020. His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco said, "It is my distinct privilege to welcome the premiere of No Time To Die to Monaco. It is particularly meaningful for us to honor the late Sir Roger Moore and Princess Grace Award winner Cary Joji Fukunaga here because of the special ties that connect them to us. Sir Roger Moore was a dear friend to my Mother and we remain grateful for his guidance establishing the Princess Grace Foundation-USA. We are equally proud of Princess Grace Award winner Cary Joji Fukunaga's masterful direction of No Time To Die, and to know that my Mother's legacy lives on through his flourishing career." Princess Grace Foundation-USA CEO Brisa Trinchero said, "We are thrilled to bring Princess Grace Award winner Cary Joji Fukunaga's most high profile film to Monaco. He represents all for which a Princess Grace Award winner standsan exceptional artist with boundless capacity. During Her lifetime, Princess Grace brought the glamour of Hollywood to Monaco. We are delighted to be carrying on Her legacy with this extraordinary event. We are also grateful to HSH Prince Albert ll of Monaco for opening up His home to host this extraordinary event that will help create a new scholarship to assist future emerging filmmakers." Cary Joji Fukunaga said, "Becoming part of the Princess Grace Awards family has been incredible. I received a scholarship that helped propel my career in a multitude of ways. Several years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Sir Roger Moore in Monaco when I received my second Princess Grace AwardI never would have imagined that just five years later I would be helming No Time To Die." Christian Moore said, "My father was a great man, a beloved actor and deeply committed to the arts. He adored Princess Grace and believed in Her mission to support emerging talent and ensuring the arts community remained vibrant and impactful. My family thanks the Princely Family for their generosity recognizing my father by bestowing him with this named Award. I know he would be truly humbled." Purchase VIP tickets now at pgfusa.org. General premiere tickets will be available at the Grimaldi Forum on February 17. ABOUT THE PRINCESS GRACE FOUNDATION-USA The Princess Grace Foundation-USA is a non-profit, publicly-supported foundation, headquartered in New York City and established in 1982 by Prince Rainier III of Monaco to honor His wife, Princess Grace's [Kelly] legacy. The Foundation's mission is dedicated to identifying and assisting emerging talent in theater, dance, and film by awarding grants in the form of scholarships, apprenticeships, and fellowships. Since the Foundation's inception, more than 850 recipients have been awarded nearly $1 million annually. Some notable Princess Grace Award winners in Film include: Emmy Award winner Cary Joji Fukunaga, director of No Time To Die and HBO's True Detective; Jon M. Chu, director of Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights; Stephen Hillenburg, creator of SpongeBob SquarePants. Theater recipients include: Tony Award winner director, Anna D. Shapiro; Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner playwright Tony Kushner; Golden Globe Award winner Oscar Isaac; and Tony Award winner Leslie Odom, Jr.; Dance/Choreography recipients include: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Artistic Director Robert Battle; American Ballet Theatre's Gillian Murphy and Isabella Boylston and New York City Ballet's Tiler Peck; and choreographers Kyle Abraham and Camille A. Brown. For more information about the Princess Grace Foundation-USA, please visit www.pgfusa.org SOURCE Princess Grace Foundation-USA Related Links http://www.pgfusa.org We look forward to welcoming a new CEO to lead Advancing Justice-LA in the fight for a more equitable and just future for our communities. Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles (Advancing Justice-LA) has launched a nationwide search for a new Chief Executive Officer. The search is a first for the organization, which was previously led by civil rights leader and attorney Stewart Kwoh. Kwoh founded the organization in 1983 and built it into a leading voice for Asian Americans in the U.S. "We look forward to welcoming a new CEO to lead Advancing Justice-LA in the fight for a more equitable and just future for our communities," said Nita Song, chair of the Advancing Justice-LA Board of Directors. "For the past 36 years under Stewarts leadership weve spearheaded civil rights advocacy for vulnerable Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities at the local, regional and national level. Were looking for a dynamic leader and visionary who can build on this legacy of impact and progress." In 2019, Stewart Kwoh announced the transition from his role as President and Executive Director of Advancing Justice-LA due to health and personal reasons. He will continue to hold the title of Founder, working with the organization on development and coalition-building. Koya Leadership Partners, a leading executive search and strategic advising firm exclusively dedicated to mission-driven executive recruitment, is spearheading the CEO search in conjunction with the Advancing Justice-LA Board of Directors and staff. Interested candidates can contact Koya Leadership Partners Managing Director Michelle R.S. Bonoan at mbonoan@koyapartners.com. About Advancing Justice - LA: Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles (Advancing Justice-LA) is a leading national legal and civil rights organization for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI). Through direct services, impact litigation, policy advocacy, leadership development and capacity building, Advancing Justice-LA focuses on the most vulnerable members of Asian American and NHPI communities while also building a strong voice for civil rights and social justice. MEDFORD, Mass., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its continued growth, GreenLight Biosciences, Inc. has expanded to open a new location at the Alexandria Center for AgTech in Research Triangle Park (RTP), North Carolina, the largest research park in the United States. The new facility houses the company's insect, fungal and plant-based initiatives alongside a flexible greenhouse facility. "RTP is an area known for scientific innovation, and we saw value in being surrounded by hundreds of companies focused on disrupting technologies," said Andrey Zarur, Ph.D., co-founder, president and CEO of GreenLight. "The work we are doing to create sustainable options for growing food and developing vaccines is an example of the types of radical solutions that are needed to address today's challenges, and we believe a presence in RTP will help us continue to attract top talent and ideas to bring these solutions to market." GreenLight moved into the new facility in late December. The fully-integrated facility will provide bioinformatics, field testing, formulations, and operational support all under one roof. An adjacent greenhouse will offer plenty of space to study the impact of GreenLIght's RNA-based agricultural products. Approximately 30 employees representing different industries and job roles will work at the facility. The company is hosting a Grand Opening on January 30th. Please reach out to [email protected] if you would like to join. About GreenLight Biosciences, Inc. GreenLight is a bio-performance company with a unique, cell-free production platform that delivers high-performing RNA solutions to human, plant and animal challenges. GreenLight develops RNA products for plant and life science applications, and collaborates with industry leaders to advance vaccine development, pandemic preparation, crop management, and plant protection. The cutting-edge, natural platform delivers higher-quality RNA at a lower cost and higher speed than was ever before possible. The GreenLight team values diversity, inclusion, and equality and promises to use collaboration to remain scientifically imaginative and passionately focused on making a difference in the world. For more information, visit https://www.greenlightbiosciences.com/. SOURCE GreenLight The mother of one of two teenage girls murdered on an Indiana hiking trail has criticized the police investigation as authorities continue the hunt for their killer three years on. Liberty German, 14, and Abigail William, 13, vanished on February 13, 2017 after a relative dropped them off for a hike near an abandoned railroad bridge close to their hometown of Delphi. They failed to show up at a pre-arranged pickup location and their bodies were found the next day following a widespread search in a wooded area about half-a-mile away. Liberty's mother, Carrie Timmons, has now spoken out about the police investigation in a new HLN podcast - Down The Hill: The Delphi Murders - that is being released ahead of the three-year anniversary of their deaths. Liberty German, 14, and Abigail William, 13, vanished on February 13, 2017 after a relative dropped them off for a hike near an abandoned railroad bridge close to their hometown of Delphi 'I feel like they haven't done their jobs fully,' Timmons said in the podcast about the authorities and their investigation. When asked if she thought the investigation was botched, Timmons said: 'I hate to say that but yeah.' Liberty's mother, Carrie Timmons, has now spoken out about the police investigation in a new HLN podcast - Down The Hill: The Delphi Murders - that is being released ahead of the three-year anniversary of their deaths The murders shook Delphi, a small town of 2,877 people set amid farm fields, about 60 miles northwest of Indianapolis. When police first started searching for the girls after they were reported missing, dozens of locals also set out on their own to look for them. Timmons believes now that the sheer volume of volunteers hindered the investigation. '(Police) taped it off but there were people everywhere. To me that screams tainted crime scene,' she said. Indiana Police Superintendent Doug Carter, however, says he doesn't believe the crime scene was tainted. He described the number of volunteers as 'awesome' and that while the end result 'wasn't good there was nothing compromised by what they did'. Carter said the case was '100 percent solvable'. Liberty's mother also believes her daughter's killer will be caught but says she hopes it happens before she dies. Within days of the killings, authorities released these grainy photos of a suspect walking along the abandoned railroad bridge. In April last year, authorities also released an FBI artist's composite sketch of the suspect Liberty had posted photos of herself on Snapchat walking on the bridge on the same day she and Abigail vanished The girls vanished after a relative dropped them off for a hike near the Monon High Bridge. Pictured above is a Snapchat photo Liberty posted before they failed to show up at a pre-arranged pickup location TIMELINE OF THE DELPHI MURDERS: February 13, 2017 1pm: Liberty and Abigail are dropped off near Monon High Bridge in Delphi to go hiking on a day off school. 5.30pm: Girls are reported missing after failing to show up at a pre-arranged pickup location. Search teams scour the area for hours but are forced to stop due to limited light. 12am: Authorities say there is no reason to suspect foul play and they are mainly concerned about exposure to the elements. February 14, 2017: Search resumes for missing girls, including dive teams and K-9 units. 12pm: The bodies of Liberty and Abigail are located half-a-mile from the bridge. February 15, 2017: Police release the grainy image of a man walking on the same bridge Liberty and Abigail were on. February 19, 2017: Police say the man in the grainy image is officially a suspect in the murders. February 22, 2017: Officials release audio taking from Liberty's phone of man saying: 'Down the hill'. July 17, 2017: Police release sketch of suspect after witnesses report seeing him Delphi. April 22, 2019: Police reveal new sketch and video of suspect on the bridge. They say the killer likely lives or works in the Delphi area. Advertisement Police have only disclosed few details in their three-year investigation into the slayings. They have never publicly revealed how the teenagers were killed despite autopsies being carried out. Within days of the killings, authorities released two grainy photos of a suspect walking along the abandoned railroad bridge the two girls had visited. Liberty had posted photos of herself on Snapchat walking on the bridge on the day she and Abigail vanished. Authorities also released an audio recording of a man believed to be the suspect saying 'down the hill'. The images and recordings came from Liberty's cellphone and police hailed her as a hero for recording the potentially crucial evidence. In April last year, authorities released the sketch and footage of the killer on the Monon High Bridge where the girls had been. They also released updated audio of the killer speaking that was retrieved from Liberty's cellphone. In releasing the footage, investigators urged people to examine the way the man walked to see if it was someone they recognized. Police, who are still searching for the man, said they believe the man is between the ages of 18 and 40 and either lives or lived in Delphi or works in the area. Investigators on a multi-agency task force have gone through tens of thousands of leads looking for the man who forced the teenagers off the trail. Liberty and Abigail were eighth graders at Delphi Community Middle School when they were killed. Both girls played softball and were gearing up for spring practices before they died. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal CIUDAD JUAREZ On the one-year anniversary of the Migrant Protection Protocol, known as remain in Mexico and MPP, critics said the policy has endangered thousands of asylum seekers, including children, while the Trump administration said it is an effective tool for deterring smugglers. This is a policy which is damaging peoples lives and which is also eroding our countrys historic commitment to asylum so, brick by brick, asylum is crumbling here at the border and we have to stand up to protect it, said Dylan Corbett, director of the Hope Border Institute. The Trump administration has praised Mexico for its role in MPP, and the Department of Homeland Security has said the policy is working. The U.S. and Mexican governments 100% support MPP, which is firmly authorized by bipartisan Congressional statute and has allowed the U.S. to provide the opportunity for due process to more than 57,000 migrants, said Heather Swift, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security. The faith-based, nonprofit Hope Border Institute, which advocates for migrants in the El Paso, Ciudad Juarez, Las Cruces region, was among organizations that issued scathing reports on the impact of the MPP on the anniversary of the policy. All said that rather than finding protection, migrants were preyed upon in Mexico while waiting for a decision on their asylum cases in U.S. immigration court. Many of them fear even leaving their shelters. They dont know the place, they dont know the city, so their mobility is compromised, said Edith Tapia, Hope Border Institute research analyst during a webinar Wednesday detailing the report on MPP. Nearly 60,000 migrants have been sent to Mexico. About 25% are children. An estimated 20,000 migrants have been returned to Juarez, according to the Hope Border Institute report. During the past year, migrants in Juarez interviewed by the Journal said extortion and kidnapping for ransom are the biggest threats. Some said they had also been robbed, beaten and threatened. Others expressed fear of being caught in the crossfire as violence escalates in Juarez and other border cities. The number of murders in Juarez climbed steadily last year to a total of 1,500. This year, the violence has continued, with 20 murders in 24 hours this past weekend according to local media reports in the city. A group of Cuban asylum seekers living in a hotel in downtown Juarez said they often heard gunfire in the streets at night. Were desperate because this is not our country and everything is different, and we face a lot of danger, said Ramon Pinero Alvarez, 67, a carpenter from Cuba. Alvarez and his wife, a nurse, have been in Juarez for 10 months. Their first court appearance is Feb. 12. He said they had both witnessed and experienced crime, but he was reluctant to provide details because he did not feel safe talking about delicate things. The Mexican border states where asylum seekers are waiting for U.S. court dates have active U.S. State Department travel advisories. The state of Tamaulipas, which borders south Texas, has a level 4 warning status, the same as Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia. MPP began on the border in California last January and was expanded in March to the El Paso border region, which includes migrants who crossed into New Mexico. During the summer, locations on the border in south Texas were included. This month, the first location on the Arizona border was added. DHS is always looking at ways to expand and strengthen the program to include new locations, populations and procedures in order to further enhance protections for migrants, and ensure safe and lawful migration, while deterring smugglers and traffickers, said Swift. Of the 17,517 cases assigned to the MPP court near the border in El Paso, about 8,000 were still waiting in Juarez for their first hearing, according to data through December 2019 from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. Less than 3% of the applicants had access to legal representation. Critics calling for the end of MPP argue it outsources U.S. immigration policy by sending asylum seekers to Mexico. On the one-year anniversary, we have to double down as human rights advocates, as border communities to make sure that the American public doesnt close their eyes to whats happening on the border, said Corbett. BETHALTO Employees of 1st MidAmerica Credit Union volunteered 3,955 hours at various events throughout their local communities during 2019. Employees volunteer at community events such as career fairs, Relay for Life, Bucket Brigade, Community Expos, and parades. Hours volunteered at credit union sponsored events like shred days, high school financial literacy programs, financial seminars, and blood drives are also included in the total. Even in their personal time, employees are volunteering for animal rescues, scout troops, and school parent organizations. Japanese prosecutors on Thursday issued arrest warrants for a former US special forces operative and two other people accused of helping former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn jump bail and flee the country. The prosecutors also issued a warrant for Ghosn for leaving the country illegally, after he escaped to Lebanon via Turkey last month. Warrants were issued for Michael Taylor, 59, reportedly a former US special forces operative-turned-security consultant, 26-year-old Peter Taylor, who local media identified as his son, and George Zayek, 60. They are suspected of taking Ghosn to a hotel in Osaka, western Japan, and hiding him inside a case before taking him to Kansai airport where they allegedly helped him evade a security inspection. The warrants are the first official confirmation of the reported details about how Ghosn slipped past security and jumped bail shortly after Christmas. Ghosn has refused to confirm or deny the various reports on how he gave Japanese authorities the slip. The escape of perhaps the most high-profile suspect on bail in Japan left officials red-faced and they have demanded Ghosn returns to face trial. Lebanondoes not have an extradition treaty with Japan. Ghosn was arrested in November 2018 and faced four charges of financial misconduct, which he denies. He has said he did not believe he would get a fair trial, and accused Nissan executives opposed to his plans to integrate the firm further with its French partner Renault of effectively cooking up the charges against him. Japan prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for three men accused of helping Carlos Ghosn skip bail and flee the country - Member of Parliament for the Tamale North Constituency in the Northern Region has said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo wears a crown of shame - He made this comments following Transparency Internationals assessment of Ghanas fight against corruption - Making reference to the CPI on TV3s New Day, the Tamale North legislator observed the countrys fight against corruption is the worst under Akufo-Addos watch Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in Member of Parliament for the Tamale North Constituency in the Northern Region has said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo wears a crown of shame following Transparency Internationals assessment of Ghanas fight against corruption. Ghana was recently ranked 80th out of 180 countries on the 2019 global Corruption Perception Index (CPI) with a score of 41 per cent, an exercise carried out by international organisation Transparency International (TI). Making reference to the CPI on TV3s New Day, the Tamale North legislator observed the countrys fight against corruption is the worst under Akufo-Addos watch. READ ALSO: Honest Ghanaian lady returns GHC8k she found in customer's garment to bosses; gets heavy praises The president has been crowned internationally, unfortunately, as the worst president we have ever had in this country in terms of his fight against corruption. The Transparency International is an international agency and according to its report on his performance in the fight against corruption so far is the worst, and that is the crown of shame that he wears, he said. According to him, one of the specific instances where the president performed poorly which influenced the ratings negatively was in the area of nepotism, arguing that was a benchmark for the assessment. Yes, they used the word nepotism, the need to deal with nepotism in government, its one of the recommendations, he argued. Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), a local chapter of TI, which released the report recommended that government must take a critical look at elements that promote public sector corruption including patronage, clientelism, nepotism and suspiciously close ties between politics and business. He insists the President does not walk the talk of fighting corruption. Its clear he has conveniently or deliberately forgotten what even constitutes corruption and touts himself as being incorruptible and one that doesnt tolerate corruption, he said. But Communications Director at the Energy Ministry Nana Damoah disputed the allegations of the Tamale North MP, reminding him of the controversial Ford Expedition vehicle that was given to former President John Mahama. According to him, that onerous act of bribery scandal at the highest seat of government was enough evidence of which a president, insinuating Mr Mahama, was not committed to the fight against corruption. He maintains all allegations of corruption including the PDS deal, the contracts for sale saga and that of the galamsey expose are being investigated. READ ALSO: NPP Primaries: Man who challenged Akufo-Addo in 2014 prevented from picking forms In other news, the Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei-Kyei Mensah Bonsu has revealed that it would be deadly for the New Patriotic Party(NPP) to allow other persons to contest him and others in the partys upcoming parliamentary primaries. The majority leader in an interview said the NPP would do itself a great disservice if it allows persons such as himself, the First Deputy Speaker and the Minister of Education to be contested. According to him, due to the nature of their jobs in Accra, they hardly find time to visit their constituencies to interact with them. READ ALSO: NPP will suffer if someone dares contest my seat - Osei-Kyei Mensah Bonsu How convenient is it to use the new GHC 200 note at the market? | #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 ARMONK, N.Y. - Ginni Rometty, the first female CEO in IBMs century-long history, is leaving the helm in April. Rometty will remain IBMs executive chairwoman until the end of the year. Her departure caps nearly 40 years with a technology giant famous for its conservative corporate culture. Rometty became IBM CEO eight years ago after previously overseeing sales and marketing. IBM said Thursday that Arvind Krishna will take over as CEO starting April 6. He has been IBMs senior vice-president for cloud computing and cognitive software and also has a long career at the company. IBM has been trying to revitalize its business to become a leader in cloud technology. Cloud computing, in which services are delivered over the internet from remote computers, has become a growing portion of IBMs revenue. But the company has been overshadowed by top cloud rivals Amazon, Microsoft and Google in competing to sell its internet-based computing services to businesses. In a risky effort to catch up to the competition, IBM announced in 2018 that it planned to spend $34 billion to buy North Carolina-based software company Red Hat. It was the biggest acquisition in IBMs century-long history -- one which the company says Krishna was a principal architect in making happen. Dershowitzs argument Wednesday extended a line of reasoning he had advanced earlier this week, when he contended that even if proved, the charges against Trump would not constitute impeachable offenses. Some GOP senators were quick to latch on to that earlier argument, especially in the wake of leaks from an unpublished book by former national security adviser John Bolton directly linking Trump to the conditioning of security assistance to Ukraine. Bolton wrote about a conversation in which Trump discussed delaying the aid until Ukraine announced politically charged investigations, including into former vice president Joe Biden, a front-runner for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, and his son Hunter. Supreme Leader: Deal of Century will never materialize IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, Jan 29, IRNA -- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said in a message thaat the US evil policy against Palestine and the so-called 'Deal of Century' will never materialize. "To the dismay of US politicians, the satanic, evil US policy about Palestine the so-called #DealOfTheCentury will never bear fruit, by the grace of God," Supreme Leader official Twitter account reported. "About the Judaization of #alQuds and saying it should be in the hands of the Jews, they're talking foolishly & unwisely," he added. "The issue of #Palestine will never be forgotten, Supreme Leader noted. He reiterated: "The Palestinian nation and all Muslim nations will definitely stand up to them and not allow the so-called #DealOfCentury to be realized." The White House claimed that this Vision is the most serious, realistic, and detailed plan ever presented, one that could make Israelis, Palestinians, and the region safer and more prosperous. "This Vision is just the first step and provides the basis for historic progress toward peace. The United States hopes this Vision will lead to direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians," it added. Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said in a message that Iran is ready for cooperation with regional countries for standing against the big conspiracy "Deal of Century" which posed a threat to the Islamic Ummah. 9376**1416 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address LOS ANGELES, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- National architecture and engineering firm HED is proud to announce that it has joined JUST , a program of the International Living Future Institute (ILFI). JUST serves as a tool to help organizations measure their progress on a range of indicators about social justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and sustainability. The firm is embracing this transparency tool as a way to communicate its intentions and commitments in these realms with the firm's 470-person team, its clients, its communities, and its industry peers. HED's organizational mission is to create positive impact for its clients, the community, and the world. The firm seeks to achieve these goals through maintaining a company culture that supports happy, healthy, engaged people, and one that fosters social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. "The JUST program felt like a perfect lens for the measurement of these core organizational goals," says Petrina Gooch, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Assoc. AIA. Gooch is a Principal with HED, the firm's Corporate Human Resources Leader, and a member of HED's Board of Directors. The JUST label gives firms a "grade" on a number of indicators -- such as gender and ethnic diversity, pay equity, and others -- and the grades are made publicly available by ILFI. The overall label offers an annual snapshot of the firm's progress on a number of measures. According to Gooch, "JUST is a valuable tool that helps us measure and transparently share -- with our team and the world -- how we are doing on key measures that at the core, impact the reality of social justice for every worker," she says. For example, HED excels in the Worker Benefit category: HED scores three of three possible stars in two topics in that category: Worker Happiness and Continuing Education. Tania Van Herle, AIA, is a Principal with HED and serves as the Corporate Systems Leader. "JUST creates a way for us to have meaningful, transparent dialogue about the impact of social justice in our workplaces and in our world," she says. "We expect the dialogue to advance our own contribution to these critical topics in the communities we serve. We welcome the opportunity to help other companies in this journey to make improvements along with us to better the whole." Gooch adds that she is encouraged by this step because "it is helping us demonstrate that our policies and efforts on these fronts are not just talk or short-lived optics that will quickly vanish," she says. "We are actively engaged in continuous improvement of this growing organization, which is something we want our people and our community to see and experience as they work with us." ABOUT HED HED seeks creative solutions that have a positive impact for its clients, the community, and the world. HED has earned a reputation for excellence in all facets of the designed and built environment, including architecture, consulting, engineering, and planning services. The firm of more than 470 people serves clients in a broad range of markets from eight U.S. offices (Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and Sacramento). See how HED advances your world at www.hed.design . ABOUT JUST JUST is a "nutrition" transparency label and voluntary disclosure tool for socially just and equitable organizations. JUST is not a certification program, it is a transparency platform for organizations to disclose their operations, including how they treat their employees and where they make financial and community investments. Organizations can use the label on their website or marketing to demonstrate their commitments to these issues. The International Living Future Institute also transparently posts the detailed information in the publicly viewable JUST database. This approach requires reporting on a range of organization- and employee-related indicators. Each of the indicator metrics asks for simple yet specific and measurable accountabilities in order for the organization to be recognized at a One, Two, or Three Star Level, which is then summarized elegantly on a label. Media Contact: Kira Gould, [email protected] , 415.690.0182 SOURCE HED Related Links https://www.hed.design WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) Another person who suffered critical injuries from an eruption of a New Zealand volcano last month has died, bringing the death toll to 21, police said Wednesday. Police Deputy Commissioner John Tims said the person died Tuesday night at Auckland's Middlemore Hospital. Police have not yet identified the victim. Tims said they would do so after the person's wider family has been informed. There were 47 people visiting the tourist destination of White Island when the volcano erupted Dec. 9, killing 13 people initially and leaving more than two dozen others hospitalized with severe burns. Eight more people have died in hospitals in New Zealand and Australia in the weeks since the eruption. Experts say super-heated water that burst from beneath the crater's surface caused the burns, which in some cases covered large portions of the victims' bodies or damaged their lungs. Many of those killed and injured were Australian tourists who had been traveling aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Ovation of the Seas. One of the people who died in the weeks after the eruption was 42-year-old Atlanta area woman Mayuari Singh, whose husband was also hospitalized with injuries. American honeymooners Lauren Urey, 32, and Matthew Urey, 36, from Richmond, Virginia, were also hospitalized with injuries. Their families said last month the couple had been progressing as well as could be hoped for given the extent of their injuries. Two weeks ago, the organizer of a crowd fundraising effort for the Ureys said the couple hoped to return home soon. New Zealand authorities are investigating the circumstances around the disaster. Many have questioned why tourists were allowed on the island after its alert level was raised by authorities three weeks before the eruption. As today marks Mahatma Gandhi's 72nd death anniversary, people of the country are remembering him and everything he has done for India. Even actor Riteish Deshmukh decided to take the opportunity to talk to his sons Riaan and Rahyl about 'Bapu' and his 'core values'. He shared the adorable video of himself discussing Mahatma Gandhi with his two kids on Twitter and well, his son has the answer to one of the biggest questions ever - why does Mahatma Gandhi wear spectacles? Did you know? Well, the answer is simple - he just watched too much TV. Riaan & Rahyl discussing #MahatmaGandhi ji with me. Gandhijis core values will be relevant across generations. @geneliad pic.twitter.com/kUkIsNZNaE Riteish Deshmukh (@Riteishd) January 30, 2020 Such a cute little explanation. Actually, the entire video is great. When Riteish asked Riann what he would say to Gandhi when he meets him, he said, "Gandhiji is in the sky so I cant meet him." Continuing the discussion, Riteish then asked him, "Gandhi ji is a great, great, great man, do you know that?" To that, he innocently replied, "No," but added, "Gandhi ji is very big, he is bigger than all of us. He is bigger than Baba and he is bigger than Aajoba." Agreeing with him, the actor said, "Baba is very, very small compared to Gandhiji." Overall, a very wholesome video. Good job man. Both the kids are, of course, receiving lots of love on Twitter, along with a lot of praises for Riteish for being a great dad. Aw adorable Tara Sharma Saluja (@tarasharmasaluj) January 30, 2020 Sure. This is called Sanskar , vikram andhale (@KINGANDHALE11) January 30, 2020 Oh, for sure. Good Upbringing ! Keep it up Faraan (@Faranshakeels) January 30, 2020 Adorable kids. we need to educate our child like @Riteishd is doing give love to this two lovely kid (@khushbootripa12) January 30, 2020 Yep. Ohhh so adorable bigger than Ajoba Vijay Deshmukh (@Vijaydesh7) January 30, 2020 Hmm. How Lashkar operatives planned on burning down the Secunderabad-Darbhanga Express Why NIA arrested former Congress MLAs daughter-in-law in an Islamic State case Bhima-Koregaon: NIA seeks transfer of all case records from Pune to Mumbai India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Jan 29: The National Investigation Agency has filed an application in a Pune sessions court seeking transfer of all records in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case. The NIA informed the court that a fresh FIR has been filed in the case and hence all records be transferred to the Special NIA court in Mumbai. Earlier this week an NIA team arrived in Pune and started the process of formally taking over probe into the Koregaon-Bhima- Elgar Parishad case. Invoking federalism, Sena questions move to hand over Elgar Parishad probe to NIA The three-member team of the central agency landed on Monday morning and later met officials of the city police handling the sensitive case, which has triggered a new round of war of words between ruling and opposition parties in Maharashtra, the sources said. The case, in which human rights activists have been arrested, pertains to caste violence that took place near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial in Pune district on January 1, 2018, following alleged provocative speeches at the Elgar Parishad conclave held the previous day. A top official said the NIA team, led by a Superintendent of Police-rank officer, met senior police officials, including the investigation officer, and handed them a letter, informing that the case has been entrusted to the central agency and they will take over it. EU Parliament postpones voting on resolution against CAA, India hails it as diplomatic win|Oneindia He said relevant authorities in the state government have been informed about the move. The NIA team also took a review of the case from officials concerned. Another official associated with the probe said they have already informed the DGP office in Mumbai about the developments related to the NIA starting the process to formally take charge of the case. "Once the DGP office orders us to handover case- related documents and evidence, we will do so," he said. Earlier in the day, the special court in Pune hearing the Elgar case maintained it has not yet received any formal communication from the Centre about its decision to transfer the matter to the NIA. A lawyer representing one of the accused said that on raising in the court the issue of the central agency taking over the case, the prosecution and the judge informed him they have not received any official communication about it. NIA team takes over probe into Bhima Koregaon case The NIA matter was raised in the court during a regular hearing regarding handing over of 'cloned copies' of electronic evidence to accused. The case was transferred by the Centre from the Pune police to the NIA, an agency that handles terror-related matters, on Friday, a move criticised by the three-party ruling coalition in the state. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had on Friday night condemned the Centre's decision to transfer the case to the NIA without consent of the state government. The NCP minister had termed the move as unconstitutional. The opposition BJP, however, welcomed the move. The Pune police have claimed speeches delivered at the conclave, held on December 31, 2017, led to the violence at Koregaon Bhima the next day. The police have claimed the conclave was organised by people having Maoist links. Explained: What the Bhima Koregaon case that the NIA is taking over During the probe into the violence, police arrested human rights activists and intellectuals Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Shoma Sen, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Sudha Bharadwaj and Varavara Rao for alleged Maoist links. They were booked under relevant sections of the IPC and also UAPA, an anti-terror law. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, January 30, 2020, 11:38 [IST] Subsea Integration Alliance awarded FEED contract offshore Brazil Luxembourg 30 January 2020 - Subsea 7 S.A. (Oslo Brs: SUBC, ADR: SUBCY) announced today the award to Subsea Integration Alliance(1) of an exclusive contract by Equinor for the Front End Engineering Design (FEED) study on its Bacalhau (formerly Carcara) project, offshore Brazil. The Bacalhau field is located 185 km from the coast of the State of Sao Paulo, in water depths of 2050 metres. The awarded work is required to finalise the technical definition of the proposed development prior to Equinor making final investment decisions (FID) late 2020. Subsea 7 has recognised the FEED award in its order backlog. The contract is based on a two-step award. The FEED and pre-investment are starting now, with an option for the execution phase under a lump sum turnkey set-up which includes engineering, procurement, construction and installation for the entire SURF and SPS scope. The development will include 19 wells, approximately 130 km of rigid risers and flowlines and 35 km of umbilicals. Furthermore, Subsea Integration Alliance will be responsible for subsequent life of field support, representing a fully integrated contract model across the entire field lifecycle, from engineering, early engagement to after-sales services. The value of the EPCI contract will only be recognised by Subsea 7 in its order backlog after FID, and will represent a major(2) project award. Project management and engineering will take place in Rio de Janeiro with support from Subsea 7s Global Project Centre in UK, France and various OneSubsea offices. Offshore installation activities are scheduled for 2022 and 2023. Bacalhau is Brazils first ever integrated SPS and SURF project. The award today is a significant endorsement of Subsea Integration Alliances strong position within the integrated market, Subsea 7s long-established local presence in Brazil and the Groups commitment to support Equinors strategy of long term growth in the region. Stuart Fitzgerald, Deputy CEO for Subsea Integration Alliance LLC said: The award to Subsea Integration Alliance of the FEED contract for the Bacalhau project builds on our early engagement expertise and successful track record of major integrated projects. It underlines the breadth and strength of our product portfolio, quality of onshore and offshore assets and our extensive project management and engineering capabilities in Brazil and worldwide. We look forward to supporting Equinor in this and future developments. Marcelo Xavier, Subsea 7s Vice-President Brazil, said: This contract award builds on our successful track record of solutions developed for deepwater projects in Brazil and demonstrates our capability to maximise asset value through early engagement and an integrated approach. Subsea Integration Alliance is a non-incorporated strategic global alliance between Subsea 7 and OneSubsea, the subsea technologies, production and processing systems division of Schlumberger, bringing together field development planning, project delivery and total lifecycle solutions under an extensive technology and services portfolio. As one team, Subsea Integration Alliance amplifies subsea performance by helping customers to select, design, deliver and operate the smartest subsea projects. This eliminates costly revisions, avoids delays and reduces risk across the life of field. For more information, visit www.subseaintegrationalliance.com . Subsea 7 defines a major contract as being over USD 750 million. Subsea Planner is a mark of Schlumberger or Schlumberger companies. ******************************************************************************* Subsea 7 is a global leader in the delivery of offshore projects and services for the evolving energy industry. We create sustainable value by being the industrys partner and employer of choice in delivering the efficient offshore solutions the world needs. ******************************************************************************* Contact for investment community enquiries: Katherine Tonks Investor Relations Director Tel +44 20 8210 5568 katherine.tonks@subsea7.com www.subsea7.com Contact for media inquiries Tracey Miller Group External Communications Manager Tel +44 1224 265733 Tracey.Miller@subsea7.com Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements made in this announcement may include forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by the use of words like anticipate, believe, could, estimate, expect, forecast, intend, may, might, plan, predict, project, scheduled, seek, should, will, and similar expressions. The forward-looking statements reflect our current views and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. The principal risks and uncertainties which could impact the Group and the factors which could affect the actual results are described but not limited to those in the Risk Management section in the Groups Annual Report and Consolidated Financial Statements 2018. These factors, and others which are discussed in our public announcements, are among those that may cause actual and future results and trends to differ materially from our forward-looking statements: actions by regulatory authorities or other third parties; our ability to recover costs on significant projects; the general economic conditions and competition in the markets and businesses in which we operate; our relationship with significant clients; the outcome of legal and administrative proceedings or governmental enquiries; uncertainties inherent in operating internationally; the timely delivery of vessels on order; the impact of laws and regulations; and operating hazards, including spills and environmental damage. Many of these factors are beyond our ability to control or predict. Other unknown or unpredictable factors could also have material adverse effects on our future results. Given these factors, you should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Attachment The sixth edition of the International Young Chef Olympiad was flagged off to a glamorous and colourful start on January 28th, 2020 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi. Organised by the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM), in partnership with the International Hospitality Council (IHC) London, YCO 2020 has participants and mentors coming from 55 countries of the world. The gala event was attended by various dignitaries along with the iconic chefs from around the world including Chef Brian Turner, Chef Chris Galvin, Henri Brosi, Chef John Wood, Chef Enzo Oliveri and several other iconic international and Indian judges. YCO 2020 will be held across five Indian cities- Delhi, Pune, Goa and Bengaluru and Kolkata. The opening ceremony started with participants marching in with their mentors led by their national flag and taking their seats on the stage. India's cultural heritage is always a feast for the eyes at any international event and to give the event a glamorous start, a short classical Kathak dance performance by Anushka Chhabra, a student of IIHM and a disciple of Uma Sharma, set the stage on fire. As YCO 2020 has embraced an important and significant theme of Sustainability, Anushka performed to the 17 SDG song that was recorded and launched in 2019. "Organising YCO is a huge logistical challenge that team IIHM and Team YCO overcome every year. But the satisfaction comes when in a divided and fragmented world; YCO stands as a shining example of world unity. This is the United Nations of Young Chefs. We can see almost the entire world in front of us", said Dr Suborno Bose, CEO of International Hospitality Council (IHC) and Founder YCO. "We are all living in a divided and fragmented world but we all forget that when we come to YCO. I think food has proved to be the most important unifier of the entire planet and nothing can be more satisfying than this. As hospitality ambassadors we need to emphasise on the cultured teaching of hospitality because hospitality and culinary skills are what we in India stand for", added Dr Bose. "This is not just a competition, but it's a celebration of youth, bringing young people together through the medium of culinary arts, the passion and love for food. The theme is Sustainability because these young people are the future of the planet", said Prof David Foskett, the chairman of IHC and the Chairman of the Jury in YCO 2020. The significant part of the evening was the historic unveiling of the YCO trophies on stage by Prof David Foskett, Dr Suborno Bose in the presence of all the eminent judges present at the ceremony. Prior to the opening ceremony, Dr Suborno Bose and Prof David Foskett held a press conference at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium along with chief judge Chef Brian Turner and other senior judges Chef Chris Galvin, Chef John Wood, Chef Enzo Oliveri and Ron Scott. Members of the press asked questions on the vision of YCO, the sustainability theme and the competition and judging process on the whole. The competition has commenced from January 29th. The first two rounds will take place at Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru and Goa. The final round will take place in Kolkata followed by the prize distribution and closing ceremony on February 2. The winner will be presented with the trophy, medal, a Gold Toque and a prize cheque of USD 10,000. The United World of Young Chefs, a unique programme where the participants will cook and present their national dishes will take place on February 1st at the Hyatt Regency, Kolkata. This story is provided by PRNewswire. 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.) NASA will soon have just one astronaut on the International Space Station, hurting its ability to conduct maintenance and research, if Boeing and SpaceX dont start flying U.S. astronauts soon. And both companies have significant work to complete before they can launch people, according to a report released Wednesday by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. NASA has spent years prepping commercial companies to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station, part of its efforts to develop a robust economy in the near reaches of space so government resources could be put toward the moon, Mars and beyond. But Boeing and SpaceX are years behind schedule and the delays have forced the U.S. to continue paying Russia for transporting its astronauts on the Soyuz spacecraft. On HoustonChronicle.com: Axiom Space gets NASA nod to start developing new space station As a result, just one U.S. astronaut, Chris Cassidy, will be on the space station starting in April. Hell likely be more focused on space station maintenance than research, though even some maintenance tasks wont be possible. Spacewalks, for instance, need two U.S. astronauts, though NASA is training Russian cosmonauts to perform critical spacewalk activities in case an emergency were to occur. NASA said its negotiating the purchase of one or two additional Soyuz seats, potentially on its launch in the fall, to ensure continuous U.S. presence aboard the International Space Station. This meets the recommendations of several advisory committees, including the GAO, NASA Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel and the NASA Office of the Inspector General to provide additional back-up capability in case U.S. crew flights are delayed, a NASA spokesperson said in an email, and ensures NASA fulfill (sic) its obligations and commitments to the stations international partners. NASA also said it will take the time necessary to thoroughly review Boeing and SpaceX missions in its Commercial Crew Program. These companies must complete several milestones before launching people into space, with several of these tasks already completed. SpaceX successfully launched a test flight without crew members to the space station last March. Morning Report: Get the top stories on HoustonChronicle.com sent directly to your inbox And a week and a half ago, the company successfully demonstrated its spacecrafts escape system, which propels the craft holding the crew away from the rocket if something goes wrong during ascent. There were no people in the spacecraft during the test. The GAO audit, conducted between May 2019 and January 2020, did not include the most recent SpaceX test. But a spokesperson said the report would not have changed substantially. Before SpaceX can complete what the report calls an operational mission, it must finish building hardware, conduct a flight test with crew members onboard, receive NASA certification and train astronauts. In response to a request for comment on the GAO report, a company spokesperson referred to a video of a press conference after the January test in which SpaceX founder Elon Musk said a test with crew members could occur in the second quarter of this year. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine mentioned the possibility of preparing the SpaceX test crew members for a longer duration flight. If its going to be a longer duration, then we have to have some additional training for our astronauts, Bridenstine said, to actually be prepared to do things on the International Space Station that we werent planning to have that initial test crew necessarily do. Boeing conducted its test flight without crew members in December. It launched and landed its spacecraft, but it did not reach the International Space Station due to an anomaly with the mission clock. The anomaly is being investigated, yet Boeing still anticipates carrying crew this year. While NASA will ultimately decide if an OFT (Orbital Flight Test) re-flight is necessary, a Boeing spokesman said in an email, Boeing is as committed as ever to safe flight, mission assurance and helping our customer meet its crew transportation needs. On HoustonChronicle.com: Boeings Starliner spacecraft will not dock with space station due to software issue The GAO concluded its report with a recommendation that would improve communication between NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration, which licenses SpaceX and Boeings launch and reentry operations. The FAA grants waivers for changes that do not jeopardize public safety, such as changes in launch trajectory. NASA should know about these waivers as a change in launch trajectory, for instance, would affect the crew if they needed to abort the launch. But NASA and the FAA have not yet formally decided how they will communicate on these waivers. Both NASA and the Department of Transportation, which oversees the FAA, agreed to the reports recommendation. NASA said it should be addressed in the first quarter of this year. andrea.leinfelder@chron.com Twitter.com/a_leinfelder Kendra Horn, D-Okla., leads the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics; she is seen here during a hearing about NASA held on Sept. 18, 2019. NASA 's authorization bill will proceed further through the House of Representatives without, so far, any amendments addressing major concerns raised by the agency's administrator about its effect on lunar exploration . The House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics approved the bill's passage with minor amendments to the full committee on Wednesday (Jan. 29). Subcommittee members agreed to postpone some of the amendment discussions about the moon until the bill moves further along the process. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has said the bill, dubbed HR 5666 , "imposes some significant constraints on our approach to lunar exploration." Bridenstine's statement, posted to NASA's website on Monday (Jan. 27) , said he was concerned by the 102-page bill 's directive that the human lander system for the Artemis moon program be "fully government-owned and directed." He called this approach "ineffective" since it would limit participation by commercial partners. Related: NASA's Artemis Moon Program Just Photobombed a Spacewalk (Photo) "The approach established by the bill would inhibit our ability to develop a flexible architecture that takes advantage of the full array of national capabilities government and private sector to accomplish national goals," Bridenstine wrote. At stake are the details of NASA's approach to send humans back to the moon. President Donald Trump's administration tasked NASA last March to land humans on the moon's south pole in 2024 , four years earlier than the agency had previously planned. HR 5666 would push that deadline back to 2028, but allow NASA to proceed sooner if a mission were deemed fiscally feasible and safe. The Trump administration's 2024 mandate requires NASA to safely and swiftly undertake large programs such as designing and testing new lunar spacesuits and certifying a massive new rocket (the Space Launch System ) to carry humans, all in less than five years. And so NASA is heavily emphasizing commercial partners on this lunar venture, both to build large systems like the lander and to provide a cargo supply chain. Bridenstine's concern is that the new House language could interfere with that arrangement. Two members of the subcommittee from Florida, where NASA's Kennedy Space Center is located, echoed Bridenstine's concerns. But both agreed to discuss amendments later in the bill approval process. "The bill, as written, would limit commercial competition and participation in the moon and Mars program," Charles Crist, D-Fla., said during the subcommittee meeting, adding it could cause "a lot of heartburn for a lot of people." Michael Waltz, R-Fla., said he shared Bridenstine's worries and criticized the budgetary process for leaving just a few days between the bill's introduction late last week and the markup meeting. "There was not enough time to receive adequate feedback from the committee," Waltz told subcommittee members, saying that a bit more breathing room "would have led to better agreement on some difficult issues." Multiple subcommittee members reassured NASA that it could keep to the 2024 timeline for landing on the moon, as long as it was financially feasible and safe to do so. "This bill is not about rejecting the Artemis program and delaying humans on the moon until 2028 ; NASA can work to get there sooner," subcommittee chair Kendra Horn, D-Okla., said in her opening remarks. Horn also emphasized the importance of positioning NASA's moon push in the context of a human Mars-orbiting mission, which HR 5666 asks for in 2033. The Red Planet deadline is in line with previous statements from Bridenstine, who has hinted at such a mission in the mid-2030s. Amendments to HR 5666 approved on Wednesday concerned matters such as commercial use of NASA facilities and access routes to launch facilities at Kennedy Space Center. HR 5666, however, proposes several significant changes to NASA's programming, most of which were discussed only briefly at the meeting. These include directives such as extending the International Space Station's lifetime beyond 2024 to 2028 and creating a moon-to-Mars program office to oversee human exploration at those worlds. The bill suggests moving the proposed Gateway space station from lunar orbit to the vicinity of the moon to allow the structure to support Mars exploration as well. HR 5666 also discusses various science missions (including support for the high-profile Europa Clipper ), aeronautics technologies and the need to keep an eye on Chinese space exploration . While HR 5666 proceeds to discussion among the full committee, it will eventually need to be reconciled with the Senate's separate version for NASA. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation approved a bill in November that included an ISS extension to 2030 and a human Mars mission after the lunar return. Remittances into Vietnam in 2019 exceed US$2.5 billion, up by 12 per cent compared with the previous year. A bank branch in HCM City. The biggest remittance flows came from Vietnamese guest labourers working in Japan, Taiwan and South Korea, with many of the remittances sent in early December. Vietcombank sent an average US$8 million of remittances per day, according to bank official Doan Hong Nhung in HCM City. Le Thanh Phong, deputy general director of HDBank, said since the end of December 2019 the number of remittance recipients at the bank rose by 20 per cent. Remittance through HDBank in 2019 rose by nearly 40 per cent, with a major increase from Australia. Remittance flows from the US remained stable, he said. Nguyen Minh Tam, deputy general director of Sacombank, said that remittance through Sacombank in the last three months of 2019 rose by 30 per cent compared with the quarter of the previous year. Tam said remittances to Viet Nam came mostly from Viet kieu (overseas Vietnamese) in the US, UK, and Canada. In addition, remittances from guest labourers from Japan, Taiwan and South Korea were also on the rise. Remittances from Overseas Vietnamese communities have not only been used as financial support sent to relatives, but also for investment in business activities at home. Vu Thanh Trung, deputy general director of Dong A Remittances Co., said that Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong were the major remittance resources for Viet Nam in 2019. The volume of remittances from these territories was expected to increase in 2020. The labour markets in these countries and territories had been stable in the last few years, said Trung. Doan Hong Nhung, head of the sales management division at Vietcombank, said remittance to central coastal provinces including Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Thanh Hoa grew well this year. However, policies to restrict remittance output from Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong had affected the flow of remittances to Viet Nam this year, said Nhung. Bank accounts The amount of remittances through private bank accounts rose by 75 per cent compared with the same period last year. According to sources from HCM City banks, many bank clients prefer receiving remittances through bank accounts because there is no difference between the exchange rates at the banks and the free market. Because of this, the number of adults who can open accounts at banks is on the rise. Banks and remittance companies have also launched and renewed services. Nguyen Minh Tam, deputy general director of Sacombank, said that Sacombank had diversified remittance services, such as paying remittances at the banks cashiers, and paying through clients accounts through ATMs (automatic telling machines). A remittance receipt service can be done in two minutes, said Tam. Meanwhile, a spokesperson from Vietcombank said the bank and its foreign exchange companies had also improved its remittance services. Clients could receive remittances promptly at home, even on peak days. VNS A Vietnamese called Ho Van Lam is running a successful business in Udon Thani province, Thailand, which sells grilled fermented pork rolls. Mr. Ho Van Lam, the owner of VT grilled fermented pork rolls restaurant chain in Thailand. (Photo: truyenhinhdulich.vn) This Vietnamese specialty is included in the Thai royal menu and is popular with many Thai people. The VT brand grilled fermented pork roll owned by Ho Van Lam is widely known in Thailand, especially in Udon Thani province. Lam, whose Thai name is Thong Kulthanwat, is President of the Thai-Vietnam Business Association. He runs a 6-hectare food court with a capital investment of more than 30 million USD. Its hard to believe Mr. Lam could set up such a complex with the money he earned from grilled fermented pork rolls. Ho Van Lam is the third child of a Vietnamese family who moved to Thailand in 1945. Lam earned a living dong different jobs, including lathe operator, clock and watch repairman, and tailor, but eventually turned to the food sector as the best way to promote Vietnamese culture to the world. When I was young, I wanted to become a lathe operator and planned to open a workshop. Later, I changed my mind. Now, my lathe skills are applied in manufacturing machines to make grilled fermented pork rolls, said Lam. Lam learned the recipe for grilled fermented pork rolls from his mother. As a businessman, Lam gives priority to providing healthy, nutritious food to his customers, according to VT employee Ta Khay. Ive worked for the VT brand for more than 10 years. Mr. Lam is a prestigious businessman. He always puts health first in his products, said Ta Khay. VT brand grilled fermented pork rolls. (Photo: truyenhinhdulich.vn) Mr. Lam is very strict about selecting good ingredients. Pork is purchased from well-known companies. His business has a section that specializes in growing organic vegetables. He regularly talks with customers so he can cater to the tastes of the locals while still keeping the authentic flavor of Vietnams central region. I think there is some similarity between Thai and Vietnamese cuisine. Thai people like spicy food. Vietnams grilled fermented pork roll is flavored with several kinds of herbs which are very delicious and healthy, said Muathong, a Thai customer. VT brand has opened more than 40 stores around Thailand. VOV 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 The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. Secretary for administration for Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party, Paul Mangwana has downplayed the visit to South Africa by Movement for Democratic Change leader Nelson Chamisa, to seek assistance in resolving the current crisis. Mangwana said there is no crisis in Zimbabwe that warrants mediation. A plane crash killed three people and a dog amid foggy conditions in Springfield, Illinois, on Tuesday, according to the Sangamon County Sheriff. The Sangamon County Sheriff reports the airport tower and pilot recorded the plane was having trouble due to the weather and the plane's instruments prior to impact, according to WRSP. "At the time of the crash, the Springfield airport was reporting clouds down to around 500 feet, with visibility reduced to 4 miles at ground level due to fog," AccuWeather Meteorologist Derek Witt said. CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP "Also, temperatures were a couple of degrees below freezing, so ice formation would have been possible due to the low clouds and fog," Witt said. According to KSDK, Springfield Airport Authority executive director Mark Hanna said the plane went down around 3 p.m. as it was attempting to land at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield and missed two houses before impact. The plane was headed to Springfield from Huntsville, Alabama from Sarasota/Bradenton International Airport in Florida, authorities reported. The FAA currently has control of the scene. This is a developing story and will be updated when more information is confirmed. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios Congress leader Rahul Gandhi led a mass protest march against the amended Citizenship Act at Kalpetta in Wayanad district on Thursday. Holding party flags, hundreds of workers are taking part in the two kilometre-long "Save the Constitution" march, which began from the SKMJ High School in Wayanad, Gandhi's Lok Sabha constituency. Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly Ramesh Chennithala, KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran and AICC secretary K C Venugopal were among the senior leaders who participated in the rally. The former Congress president, who reached here on Wednesday night, would also address the party workers after the rally. Upcoming political events in the Bay Area: SUNDAY Achieving social change: Activist and sociologist, George Lakey and author Kazu Haga facilitate a workshop on How We Win, to give details about how to achieve needed social change. 2:30 p.m., 1924 Cedar St., Berkeley. More information is here. MONDAY Watch party: For Iowa caucuses returns. Free. 5 p.m., Mannys, 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here. TUESDAY 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. Guns and responsibility: A moderated discussion of guns and gun control, hosted by the League of Women Voters Berkeley, Albany, Emeryville. Free, registration required. 5:45 p.m., 2530 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. Registration and 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. WEDNESDAY 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. FRIDAY Watch party: For the Democratic presidential candidates debate. $10. 6 p.m., Mannys, 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here. SATURDAY Rock the Primary: Performances by bands including the Basementals, the Robs, Matt Jaffe, Amalgamation, Splat! and Edens Lost. Nonprofit and political clubs will discuss issues, candidates and upcoming ballot initiatives. Free. 3-11:30 p.m., Ferment.Drink.Repeat Brewing Company, 2636 San Bruno Ave., 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. 11 Socialist feminism: A reading group focused on Gloria Martins Socialist Feminism: The First Decade, recording the formation of theirst Marxist socialist feminist party, the Freedom Socialist Party. First of two sessions hosted by Freedom Socialist Party; second session is at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 12. $3-$5 donation. 7 p.m., New Valencia Hall, 747 Polk St., San Francisco. 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. 16 Rep. Pramila Jayapal: Washington state congresswoman and Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chair in conversation at Mannys. $15. 2 p.m., 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here. FEB. 19 Iran Reframed: A Talk by Narges Bajoghli, assistant professor of Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins University and an anthropologist, filmmaker and writer. Free. 4 p.m., Room 587, Humanities Building, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave., San Francisco. More information is here. 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 Primary ballot explainer: An overview and conversation of key housing and workforce and labor ballot measures on the March 3 primary ballot, hosted by TechEquity Collaborative. Free. Online, 344 Thomas L. Berkley Way, Oakland. More information is here. 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 Dismantling racism: Screening of the documentary film When They See Us, followed by discussion groups focused on building bridges for the purpose of dismantling white supremacy and racism. Hosted by San Francisco Black and Jewish Unity Group. Free. 1 p.m., Calvary Presbyterian Church, 2515 Fillmore St., San Francisco. More information is here. 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 1 Rep. Jackie Speier: Peninsula Democrat in conversation for KQED-FMs Live on Stage With Michael Krasny. $25. 5 p.m., Osher Marin Jewish Community Center, Hoytt Theater, 200 North San Pedro Road, San Rafael. 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. Mexicos government-owned oil company just laid claim to most of the countrys biggest private discovery, putting it on a collision course with Talos, the Houston firm that made the find five years ago. Speaking during the Mexican presidents daily media briefing Wednesday, Petroleos Mexicanos CEO Octavio Romero Oropeza said the majority of the giant Zama field is probably the property of the state. Talos Energy, however, says it has a 60 percent stake in the discovery it made with partners in 2015. In Pemexs analysis, we consider that we have the largest portion of the field, Romero said. Independently of who has what, Pemex will drill exploratory wells to confirm this information. Pemex is in talks with Talos and the Mexican Energy Ministry over an agreement that would see it receive a share of the production from Zama. Oropeza also said he expects production from Pemexs Asab well, which is adjacent to Zama, to begin production in 2021. Earlier this month, Talos said 60 percent of Zamas total resources are in an area won in Mexicos first competitive oil auction by Talos, Sierra Oil & Gas and Premier Oil, according to an independent study by Netherland, Sewell & Associates. The evaluation put Zamas reserve estimate at 670 million barrels of recoverable oil equivalent. With the broader offshore energy sector watching this case to see how Mexico treats foreign investors, Talos Chief Executive Tom Duncan is hopeful his company will ultimately remain the lead operator. Its concerning that the development of our world class discovery, which also entails up to $28 billion in total revenue for the Mexican government and a significant boost in production for Pemex, could end up being delayed by other non-Zama exploratory plans from Pemex, Duncan said. He noted that Talos has remained ahead of schedule on the field discovery, well appraisal and other preparatory work, spending hundreds of millions of dollars in the process. We are prepared to stay on that pace and we are working daily in our capacity as operator of Block 7 to get this discovery into development so we can reach first oil, but obviously we need to make progress on the unitization discussions, Duncan added. Pemex will need to verify the information after presenting the results of its drilling plan, Alma America Porres Luna, a commissioner of the National Hydrocarbons Commission, said Wednesday during an energy conference in Mexico City. What is planned is for Pemex to drill the Asab well, and we are waiting for it to be drilled, she said. Pemex and the Talos-led consortium are supposed to negotiate who would be operator and how revenues would be split, but the decision could be made by the Energy Ministry if the parties dont reach an agreement. The challenges for private oil investment have grown under Lopez Obradors administration, which has sought to dial back the energy reforms of the previous center-right government. Under Lopez Obrador, Mexico has sought to strengthen the debt-laden Pemex, suspending competitive oil auctions and joint venture agreements that would have allowed Pemex to share the burden of developing Mexicos oil territory. Investors have warned that if the Zama deal isnt reached, it could have reverberations across the oil sector. Premier Oil is seeking to sell its stake in Zama. International oil companies will do the bare minimum of investment on current oil contracts if the outcome of the Zama deal is perceived as negative for the private sector, said Ferris Hussein, a Carlyle Group managing director focused on global infrastructure and energy opportunities. Jordan Blum of the Houston Chronicle contributed. Anil S By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The face-off between Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and the Kerala government was expected to end in a showdown, but there was a twist in the long-drawn drama when the assembly met for the budget session on Wednesday. Contrary to expectations, the governor chose to read out the state governments stand against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in his policy address but clarified that he did not agree with the view, much to the chagrin of the opposition UDF, which was quick to allege a secret pact between the governor and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. ALSO READ| Ex-governors NN Wanchoo, B Rachaiah faced similar protests earlier Opposition MLAs, holding placards, interrupted the proceedings by raising slogans and boycotted the address. Khan, who has been highly critical of the Left governments opposition to the CAA, said he was reading out the portion regarding the law to honour the chief ministers wish. ALSO READ| Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan's security raised to 'Z Plus' After UDF legislators, who heckled him inside the House for about 10 minutes for his pro-CAA stance, were forcibly removed by the watch and ward staff, Khan took his position on the dais and read out the entire speech, which contained a slew of harsh remarks against the Centre. "Our citizenship can never be on the basis of religion as this goes against the grain of secularism which is part of the basic structure of our Constitution. This august body unanimously passed the resolution requesting the central government to abrogate CAA 2019, which my government believes goes against the cardinal principles underlying our Constitution," the governor read out. It was widely expected that the governor would skip the anti-CAA remarks in the speech. "Ill read out the paragraph because the chief minister wants me to read it although I hold the view that this doesnt come under the definition of policy or programme. The chief minister himself has said this is the view of the government. I disagree with it. But to honour his wish I am going to read it," Khan said before reading out the remarks, amid applause from the treasury benches. ALSO READ: 'Guv go back!': Arif Mohammed Khan heckled by UDF legislators in Kerala Assembly The beginning of the budget session witnessed dramatic scenes as the UDF -- quite aware that the government would not support its resolution to recall the governor -- staged protests in the House. Earlier, when Khan entered the House along with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan, UDF MLAs blocked his way and asked him to go back, even terming him an RSS agent. As they refused to move despite requests from the CM and Speaker, the watch and ward staff were called in. In the ensuing melee, some legislators and security staff fell on the floor. When the governor began his policy address, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala expressed the UDFs dissent over CAA. The UDF later alleged its MLAs were manhandled by the watch and ward staff and urged the speaker to take action against them. GUVS DECISION LEAVES UDF IN FIX The governors decision to read out the entire speech has landed the UDF in a fix. It can now be certain that the ruling front will not support its resolution demanding recall of the governor. #WATCH Kerala Governor in state assembly: I'm going to read this para (against CAA) because CM wants me to read this, although I hold the view this doesn't come under policy or programme. CM has said this is the view of government, & to honor his wish I'm going to read this para. pic.twitter.com/ciCLwKac3t ANI (@ANI) January 29, 2020 DRAMA IN ASSEMBLY BAY CITY, MI Police have released the name of a Whittemore man killed when he drove the wrong way on Interstate 75 in Bay County and crashed head-on into a Michigan Department of Natural Resources truck. Thomas Barylski, 71, was driving a white 2006 GMC Envoy south in the northbound lanes of I-75 the evening of Wednesday, Jan. 29. Bay County Central Dispatch at 7:10 p.m. put out a broadcast advising the Envoy was entering Bay County from Arenac County, according to Michigan State Police troopers. Bay County Sheriffs deputies who were in the area responded and spotted the Envoy south of Coggins Road. They paralleled Barylski and attempted to stop him, troopers report. Around 7:22 p.m., an on-duty DNR conservation officer was traveling northbound on I-75 in Fraser Township. He was unaware of the wrong-way driver as he headed toward Lewiston in a black 2015 Chevrolet pickup patrol vehicle. Barylski ended up crashing into the DNR truck head-on near the 174-mile marker, troopers report. He was wearing his seat belt. Responding medical personnel pronounced Barylski deceased at the scene. The DNR officer, whose name police are not disclosing, was taken to an area hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. He has since been released and DNR officials said he is mending. Traffic was rerouted onto Linwood Road at exit 173 in the collisions immediate aftermath. An MSP crash reconstructionist is assisting with the investigation. Police do not believe alcohol or drugs were contributing factors. The investigation is on-going and is pending autopsy, toxicology, and reconstruction reports. Anyone with information is asked to call troopers at 989-439-2590. Wrong-way driver on I-75 crashes into Michigan DNR officer A bar has come under fire for a 'tasteless' poster advertising Corona beers for $6.50 'while the pandemic lasts'. House on Hood, in Hamilton, New Zealand, posted a photo to their Facebook page of two men in hazmat suits and face masks holding up bottles of the Mexican beer. 'Virus or no virus, we still think Coronas are pretty great, so while the pandemic lasts, we're selling Coronas for just $6.50, all day, every day,' the caption read. 'Mention your corona loving mates to let them know about this great deal and you could be sharing a free one-metre pizza this Friday at House.' Beverage company Lion, which distributes Corona beer in New Zealand, said it wants the ad taken down immediately. House on Hood, in Hamilton, New Zealand, posted a photo to their Facebook page of two men in hazmat suits and face masks holding up bottles of the Mexican beer along with the 'tasteless' caption The bar then posted a second tongue-in-cheek advert on Thursday, showing a Corona beer bottle wearing a gas mask 'We were unaware of the promotion and we do not condone it. We will be asking that it is discontinued,' it said. Social media users were also outraged by the bar making light of coronavirus, which has killed 133 people and infected more than 6,000 worldwide. 'Worst advertisement ever. More than 130 people have died and many more is still suffering, whereas you guys are making fun of it, just to earn more money for your business,' one person wrote. 'Yikes. Not in the greatest taste, but go off I guess,' said another. 'How on earth do you think this is ok?! You wouldn't run a '$6.50 on all aussie beers for the entire bush fire season' so why is this okay?!,' another comment read. So far, the coronavirus that began in China last month has spread to over 6,000 people in more than a dozen countries 'You gotta take this down aye. You're making a mockery out of so many deaths'. 'If the deaths would have happened in NZ then these guys wouldn't have used this ad. Are they saying that people dying far off do not deserve the same empathy or respect and that their deaths don't matter,' another said. But some were amused by the ad, calling it 'brilliant' and 'pure genius'. 'Bloody good advertising! Let's hope the beers keep flowing,' someone wrote. 'Love it! Pure genius,' said another. John Lawrenson, CEO of the Lawrenson Group, which owns and operates House on Hood, said there is a 'small but loud minority of people who get offended by everything'. 'So I'd just like to say thanks to all the snowflakes for the free advertising and thanks to everyone else with a sense of humour who liked the post,' he said. House on Hood then posted a second tongue-in-cheek advert on Thursday, showing a Corona beer bottle wearing a gas mask. Poll Is the coronavirus-themed Corona promotion in bad taste? Yes No Is the coronavirus-themed Corona promotion in bad taste? Yes 32 votes No 120 votes Now share your opinion So far, the coronavirus that began in China last month has spread to over 6,000 people in more than a dozen countries. Its source hasn't been officially identified, but most evidence points to animals sold at a seafood market in Wuhan. The outbreak in mainland China is now bigger than the 2003 SARS epidemic, when 5,327 cases of the killer virus were confirmed. However, it is still behind the total toll of the outbreak, which infected 8,000 people. In New South Wales, coronavirus testing is ramping up as authorities await lab results for 16 new possible cases referred for investigation. NSW chief medical officer Kerry Chant urged recent visitors to the Chinese province of Hubei - the epicentre of the viral outbreak - to come forward. 'We want to get the message out that people with low-level symptoms need to come forward,' she said. 'We want to detect those cases and it will help us to better understand the disease.' Dr Chant on Wednesday afternoon confirmed 16 possible coronavirus cases were being investigated in NSW, including a two-year-old child. Two people confirmed to be infected in NSW have improved significantly and could soon be released from hospital isolation, Dr Chant added. There have been more than 40 people tested for the infection in NSW. There are now seven confirmed cases of the virus in Australia, including four in NSW, two in Victoria and one in Queensland. Australians trapped in the Chinese city of Wuhan due to the viral outbreak will be evacuated to Christmas Island. C omedian Jim Davidson has helped unveil a portrait of Nigel Farage entitled Mr Brexit with just over a day before the UK leaves the EU. Mr Farage reflected on Brexit, which he earlier called "the achievement of my lifetime", at an event in Soho. He said he "won't miss Brussels because it's a dump" but "will miss Strasbourg which has got lots of family-run restaurants". The portrait was created by artist Dan Llywelyn Hall and was revealed at L'Escargot Restaurant. It will be auctioned to raise money for charity. Mr Farage said: "I will miss the drama. I will miss being the pantomime villain who gets up and 500 people boo. "I won't miss Brussels because it's a dump. But I will miss Strasbourg which has got lots of family-run restaurants and yeah, of course, I am going to miss that. "I suppose my level of notoriety is relatively high at the moment and I am hoping we can auction this off for a magnificent charity." Mr Farage said he wouldn't "miss Brussels because it's a dump" / PA The money raised by the painting will go towards veteran support charity Care After Combat. Following his fiery departure speech at the European Parliament on Wednesday, which saw him having his microphone cut off and being told to leave "and take your flags with you" by the deputy speaker, Mr Farage said he found it hard to believe Brexit was happening. He said: "As I walked out, for just a second, I did feel something. And then I thought, stiffen up, the cameras might get that. "It has been a huge chapter of my life. I gave up a career in business to go up and becoming an MEP, arguably it had a very damaging effect on family life and other things." He said he will now be spending more time in America: "There is a big election coming up in November. It is no great secret I am a friend of the president's, I want to see him elected. He may be a bit rough around the edges for some people but on the big stuff, I am joined at the hip with him." The engineer who was driving a train when it fatally derailed on a new faster route between Seattle and Portland is suing Amtrak. In a lawsuit, Steven Brown alleges that he did not receive adequate training and that the vital life-saving technology that could have prevented the disaster, which killed three and injured countless more in 2017, was not installed. The lawsuit alleges: '[The] Plaintiff suffered physical and emotional injuries as a result of the derailment.' An Amtrak train derailed near DuPont, Washington in 2017 - causing multiple injuries and fatalities The train derailed while crossing a bridge over Interstate 5, causing at least one car to crash onto the freeway below The lawsuit alleges that Brown, who joined the company in 2003 but was promoted to engineer in 2013, was unaware of how to properly use the controls of the locomotive. In 2018, investigators discovered the train, which derailed during its first-ever run along a faster new route between Seattle and Portland, was travelling at 81 mph on a curve with a 30 mph speed limit. It was not clear how fast the train was moving at the precise moment when it derailed. The solid route is the updated line that opened on the day of the crash. Because it's straighter than the old Puget Sound route, trains could go faster The disaster near DuPont in Pierce County in 2017 could have been prevented if Positive Train Control, a piece of technology that slows trains down when they're going to fast, was installed. According to Brown's lawyer, Fred Bemseth, the engineer is 'as much of a victim as anybody else'. 'He's a great engineer, a great human being,' Bemseth added, according to the seattletimes. According to the newspaper, a report last year found that Brown was travelling double the speed limit and had lost track of where he was. The report also decided that Brown had not been sufficiently trained to drive the train. Many of the injured passengers and staff on the train filed lawsuits in the years after the crash, with a jury awarding almost $77 million to a number of plaintiffs in a single case last year. Flash The European Parliament voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to approve the Withdrawal Agreement between the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom. The vote was 621 in favor, 49 against and 13 abstentions. After this ratification, while the agreement entering into force is practically beyond doubt, it still needs to be "subject to a final vote (by qualified majority) in the Council" of the EU, according to the European Parliament. The vote was preceded by an emotional debate of the Members of the European Parliament, who bid farewell -- sometimes with words of love and warmth -- to Britain's 41-year stay in the world's largest trading bloc. After the vote, a chorus of Auld Lang Syne sang by MEPs reverberated across the legislature's Hemicycle chamber in Brussels. "We will always love you and you will never be far," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. Guy Verhofstadt, an MEP and the EU legislature's coordinator on Britain's withdrawal, said that it's "sad to see a nation leaving, a great nation that has given us so much... culturally, economically, politically, even its own blood, in two world wars... It's sad to see a country leaving that liberated Europe twice." There were also voices imagining in the future that Britain could return to the bloc, with Verhofstadt saying "today's vote was not a vote in favor or against #Brexit. It was a vote for an orderly Brexit & against a hard one. This is not an 'adieux', but merely an 'au revoir'." This unprecedented global task cannot be ignored just because it is considered impossible. The world is closer than ever to apocalypse. The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists (BAS) was founded in 1945 by scientists who developed the atomic bomb. These bombs destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the single greatest act of state terror. Two years later, the BAS created the Doomsday Clock (DDC) using the imagery of apocalypse (midnight) and the contemporary idiom of nuclear explosions (countdown to zero) to convey threats to humanity and the planet. At the beginning of the Cold War, the clock was set at seven minutes to midnight. Since then, it has been reset 24 times by the BAS in consultation with its board of sponsors which today includes 13 Nobel laureates. The DDC came as close as two minutes to midnight after the hydrogen bomb tests of the US and the USSR in 1953; and again after the failure of world leaders to address the twin challenges of the nuclear threat and climate change in 2018. On Jan 23, 2020 it has been set at 100 seconds (one minute and 40 seconds) to midnight! In its latest assessment, the BAS noted that humanity continues to face two simultaneous existential challenges 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. This has happened in the Anthropocene geological epoch in which human activity, instead of natural processes, is the major factor in determining the rate of global warming. Some experts date the beginning of this epoch to post-World War II when the second industrial revolution took off. If not checked and reversed, very soon this human exacerbated climate change will become irreversible, exponential and increasingly difficult to adapt to. This death era is expected to begin between 2030 and 2050. It will terminate human society as we know it by the end of the current century or the beginning of the next. This is no longer scientific conjecture. It is scientific consensus. There are currently four broad responses to this scientific consensus: (a) it is wrong; (b) if not, there is little we can do about it, so ignore it; (c) even if we could do something the national and international structures of power would prevent us; and (d) we have a small but closing window of opportunity in which to do what is required on a scale and at a speed never done before. This last opportunity is a green new deal in which climate change policies are integrated with transformational political, economic and social policies. This unprecedented global task cannot be ignored just because it is considered impossible. Otherwise, increasingly frequent and devastating natural disasters; food, water and clean air losses; new and unstoppable epidemics; planetary incapacity to carry the current population; an explosion of climate refugees; ever rising and never falling global temperatures; resource wars in and between countries; and pathologically racist ideologies that will advocate selective mass culling of surplus, inferior and disposable human populations will overwhelm the human capacity for rational, ethical and humanitarian thinking and policies. Roz-e-Hashar shall have arrived! Tragically, the current world, regional and national leaderships are by and large morally incapable of urgently implementing on the global and multi-level scale such policies that they know to be the condition for human survival. The old man who embodies this evil irresponsibility above all others is the President Trump. The young woman who embodies humanitys struggling hope to survive against the odds is Swedens 17-year-old Greta Thunberg. He represents insatiable Corporate American greed and its miserable minions who are destroying the world. She represents the determination of the youth to save the world through implementing the consensus of the scientists. According to the latest BAS report, the world is sleepwalking through a newly unstable nuclear landscape. The arms control boundaries are being steadily dismantled. The US withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), re-imposed sanctions on Iran, and assassinated General Qasim Soleimani which resulted in Irans announcement it would no longer observe limits of the JCPOA on the number of its centrifuges to enrich uranium. As a result, the world is headed into an unregulated nuclear environment in which deterrence calculations become more complicated. An unconstrained North Korea could further destabilise the nuclear landscape. For similar reasons, ignoring the unfolding tragedy in Jammu and Kashmir is unconscionable. By arrangement with Dawn Trump signs bill authorizing $375M in grants for houses of worship to defend against violence Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The Trump administration has authorized millions in federal grants for churches and other houses of worship and nonprofit organizations for the purpose of defending against violence amid rising hostility to religion, specifically anti-Semitism. In remarks last week in the East Room of the White House before a gathering of American mayors about the economy and community renewal, President Donald Trump noted that "in the face of attacks on synagogues, mosques, and churches in our community something that is just so horrible we must work together to reject the monstrous evils of anti-Semitism and anti-religious bigotry." "I will sign legislation authorizing $375 million for federal grants to help houses of worship and other faith-based and non-profit organizations defend against violence," Trump said to applause, adding, "Its crazy; whats going on is crazy." "We are committed to building a nation where every community is secure, every family is safe, and every child can grow up in dignity and in peace." The bipartisan authorization, which substantially increased the funding for the Nonprofit Security Grants Program, allows houses of worship to apply for $100,000 grants to be used for things like fencing, cameras, stronger doors and the hiring of security professionals. The bill passed the U.S. House by voice vote and passed through the Senate via Unanimous Consent. The move follows increasing anti-Semitic violence and attacks in New York and New Jersey and, most notably, two separate synagogue shootings that occurred in Poway, California, in April and in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in October 2018. For Christian churches, the issue of taking more steps toward greater security measures rose to the fore following the massacre at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, where 26 people were shot and killed in November 2017. Such considerations are being discussed again after a shooter entered a church in White Settlement, Texas, late last month and began shooting. Two were killed but the shooter was taken out by an armed member of the congregation, Jack Wilson, who was the head of the congregation's volunteer security team. His quick action was praised as heroic and was credited with preventing further carnage. The Texas Tribune reported last week that the Krugerville, Texas-based National Organization for Church Security and Safety Management has seen an increase in interest in the past few weeks in light of the recent church shooting. For someone to go through the training, churches pay approximately $800 per person to be fully certified, which includes the program and the state licensing. CalPrivate Bank and Clearinghouse CDFI are committed to creating a positive impact in Southern Californias low-income neighborhoods Clearinghouse Community Development Financial Institution (Clearinghouse CDFI) announced today a $250,000 Class A equity investment from CalPrivate Bank based in La Jolla, California. This is the Banks first investment with Clearinghouse CDFI. We are proud to have partnered with Clearinghouse CDFI in our collective mission of supporting and making a positive impact in the communities we all serve. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership, said Rick Sowers, President of CalPrivate Bank. Clearinghouse CDFI will use this investment to benefit low-income and distressed communities in California. The $250,000 investment will help Clearinghouse CDFI continue financing community facilities, affordable housing, commercial real estate, and other projects that create jobs and services in underserved areas. CalPrivate Bank and Clearinghouse CDFI are committed to creating a positive impact in Southern Californias low-income neighborhoods, said Douglas J. Bystry, President and CEO of Clearinghouse CDFI. We are pleased to welcome them as one of our newest investors. Community development projects previously financed by Clearinghouse CDFI include: Monarch SchoolA $3.8 million loan for a K-12 school serving homeless children in San Diego Capistrano Terrace OrganizationA $9.86 million loan for low-income, elderly, and disabled residents to acquire and save their mobile home park Orange County Community Housing CorporationA $1.14 million loan and a $100,000 grant for a nonprofit to acquire a new company headquarters Clearinghouse CDFI has funded $1.8 billion in total loans for over 1,860 community projects over the past 23 years. These projects have created or retained more than 20,000 jobs and benefit over 1.8 million individuals. This includes the rehabilitation of more than 18 million square feet of blighted properties. These projects have benefited over 670 separate underserved communities throughout California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Indian Country. About Private Bancorp of America, Inc.: Private Bancorp of America, Inc. (OTCQX: PBAM), is the holding company for CalPrivate Bank. CalPrivate Bank provides a Distinctly Different banking experience through unparalleled service and creative funding solutions to high net worth individuals, professionals, locally owned businesses and real estate entrepreneurs. Customers are serviced through offices in Coronado, San Diego, La Jolla, Newport Beach, El Segundo and Beverly Hills as well as efficient electronic banking offerings. The Bank also offers various portfolio and government guaranteed lending programs, including SBA and cross-border Export-Import Bank programs. CalPrivate Bank is an SBA Preferred Lender. About Clearinghouse Community Development Financial Institution: Clearinghouse Community Development Financial Institution (Clearinghouse CDFI) addresses unmet credit needs in California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Indian Country in the Western United States. For over 23 years, Clearinghouse CDFI has helped bridge the gap between conventional lending standards and the needs of low-income and distressed communities. Clearinghouse CDFI is also a B Corpa certification received from the nonprofit B Lab. B Corps are companies who meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability, and use business as a force for good. More information is available at: http://www.ccdfi.com. Grundy County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Tony Bean (left) and his son, Sgt. T.J. Bean, pose for their official sheriff's office portraits. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. A father-son duo of sheriff's deputies in rural Tennessee for years beat up handcuffed arrestees, failed to report their uses of force, discouraged other officers from turning on their body cameras and bragged that their behavior was "the Grundy County way," federal prosecutors alleged in recent court filings. A grand jury in July indicted Anthony "Tony" Bean, the chief deputy at the Grundy County Sheriff's Office, and his son Anthony "T.J." Bean, a sergeant at the same agency, on federal civil rights charges stemming from two alleged assaults. But prosecutors said in a Dec. 31 court filing that they have compiled additional evidence showing the Beans altogether assaulted seven people over a five-year span in a pattern of misconduct that pervaded the culture of their small law enforcement agency and scared potential witnesses into keeping quiet. The new excessive force allegations mark the latest trouble for the sheriff's office in Grundy County, a poverty-stricken community with a population of about 13,000 that sits 45 miles northwest of Chattanooga. In less than two years, the agency which Sheriff Clint Shrum estimated has a total of 40 deputies, school resource officers and jailers has fired a jailer after allegations he had sexual contact with female inmates, decommissioned a deputy indicted on manslaughter charges in a woman's shooting death and saw yet another deputy hit with federal charges he assaulted a handcuffed man. When reached by the USA TODAY Network's Knoxville News Sentinel last week, neither Shrum nor Grundy County Mayor Michael Brady said that they had heard of the new allegations against the Beans. Shrum, who expressed surprise when the Beans were indicted after a lengthy FBI investigation, took office in late 2014 and was sheriff at the time of all but one of the alleged assaults. "I appreciate the call and documents," Shrum wrote in an email after a reporter sent him the Dec. 31 court filing. "I have not been privy to any of this. Because this is still ongoing, I will have to decline any comments." Story continues The Beans have remained on paid leave since being indicted. "I expect him to be acquitted of all charges," Russell Leonard, attorney for T.J. Bean, said Wednesday. "He is not guilty." A lawyer for Tony Bean did not return a request for comment. Punches to the face Tony Bean, 59, faces four counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, while T.J. Bean, 29, faces one count of the same charge. Prosecutors say the charges stem from two alleged assaults one committed by the father while he was chief of the Tracy City Police Department in 2014, the other committed by father and son while working for the Grundy County Sheriff's Office in 2017. On Dec. 30, 2017, a police chase ended when a man, identified in court records only by his initials, was arrested after crashing his vehicle into that of Tony Bean. The second-in-command at the sheriff's office was with his wife, who is not a police officer. Witnesses said Bean "repeatedly and unnecessarily" punched the man in the face while he was complying with officer commands, according to the motion filed last month. During the attack, Bean allegedly yelled, "You hit me and you almost killed my (expletive) wife." He later bragged he hurt his punching hand, according to the motion. After the man was handcuffed and placed in a cruiser, witnesses said T.J. Bean opened the door, chastised him for hitting "daddy" and repeatedly punched him in the face while he was "seated, handcuffed and compliant," the motion states. On Aug. 10, 2014, Tony Bean was chief of the Tracy City Police Department in Grundy County when prosecutors say he repeatedly punched another handcuffed man in the face. Bean's wife was at the scene, and prosecutors say the attack came after the man called her an "obscene name." 'How did that steering wheel feel?' In the motion filed Dec. 31, prosecutors seek to introduce evidence of five more assaults to bolster their case and to help explain why law enforcement officers who may testify against the Beans at trial did not come forward sooner. The motion describes the additional allegations as follows: On April 8, 2015, a police chase ended when the vehicle crashed into that of Tony Bean. Witnesses said Bean then hit the driver in the face with a gun or flashlight while the man was sitting inside the vehicle with his hands up. Bean said, "How did that steering wheel feel?" The man suffered broken bones in his face. Body camera footage captured Bean telling the man he would kick his "jaw off" and beat his "brains out." Bean later bragged the sheriff would need to buy him a new gun because he damaged it during the assault. On May 20, 2016, Tony Bean ran after a man, then repeatedly punched him in the head while he was lying face down with his hands cuffed behind his back. Bean was wearing gloves he used when he planned to "tune-up," or assault, an arrestee. On July 30, 2017, Tony Bean went with other officers, including T.J. Bean, to arrest a man in his home. Tony Bean told at least one other officer not to turn on his body camera because he planned a "tune-up." When the man tried to run, Tony Bean punched him "unnecessarily." Part of the arrest was captured by a body camera. On Aug. 8, 2017, Tony Bean said, "I'll teach you to sue us," and struck an arrestee in the head while the person was "restrained" and lying face down on the ground. On April 23, 2019, T.J. Bean shocked a man with a Taser after a car chase. The man was standing next to his vehicle at the time. T.J. Bean told the man to "keep his mouth shut" about what happened. "Evidence that the defendants discouraged officer-witnesses in the present case from recording or reporting the defendants' excessive force and told them that excessive force is the 'Grundy County Way' is admissible because it is intrinsic to the witnesses' testimony," the motion reads. "These witnesses will testify that these statements affected their conduct on the scene of the December 30, 2017, incident and afterward." A judge has not yet ruled on whether the evidence will be admissible. The case is set to go to trial April 20 in U.S. District Court in Chattanooga. A plea deadline has been set for April 6. Kathryn Gilbert and Rebekah Bailey of the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case alongside Assistant U.S. Attorney James Brooks. Follow reporter Travis Dorman on Twitter: @travdorman Maryland man shot while handcuffed: Family of handcuffed man fatally shot expresses sorrow, relief after officer charged Border tunnel: 4,309-foot-long tunnel in San Diego is longest ever discovered along Southwest border This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee father-son police officers beat up arrestees, feds say Fernando Alonso's deal to contest the Indy 500 in May will be announced imminently, according to sources. On January 10, the Spaniard - who failed even to qualify for last year's race at the fabled American oval with McLaren - said he wants to be with "the best possible team" for 2020. In 2017, Alonso made his Indy 500 debut with a McLaren entry that was supported by top Indycar outfit Andretti Autosport, and he was competitive until he retired with technical problems. On January 21, McLaren confirmed that Alonso has formally split with McLaren. Andretti boss Michael Andretti said of the Alonso negotiations recently: "We want it to happen. I just have to find out how to finance it." Our sources report that Alonso, 38, and Andretti have now reached an agreement and signed a contract, with an announcement scheduled for the next few days. Interestingly, Andretti uses Honda power, even though Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko recently ruled out signing Alonso for the future - because of Honda. "It won't work because our engine partner Honda won't have it either," he said. "Just the name Alonso makes the hair stand up on the back of their necks." (GMM) During an interrogation with the Delhi Police's special cell, Sharjeel Imam, an anti-CAA activist and student from JNU, confessed that the video of his inflammatory speech is genuine. Sharjeel ruled out the possibility of the video being doctored but claimed that while his speech was almost an hour-long the viral video of his speech is an edited version. Police has made a video recording of his statements during interrogation. Sharjeel purportedly admitted that he said those things but in the heat of the moment. However, officers of the Crime Branch and Special Cell who interrogated Sharjeel believe that he gave the speech as a deliberate strategy. According to the special cell, Sharjeel has no regrets on his speech and he will continue with his protest. Live TV On Wednesday, a Delhi court had remanded him to five-day custody of the Delhi Police Crime Branch. Sharjeel had been arrested on Tuesday from Bihar's Jehanabad. In the video shot on January 25 at Delhi, Sharjeel had made objectionable comments on Assam. An FIR was filed against him under IPC sections 124 A (an offence by words, either spoken or written cause disaffection against Government established by law), 153 A (promoting enmity between different religious groups with an intent to create disharmony) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) by the Delhi Police on January 26. Apart from Delhi, five other state police departments including Bihar, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Manipur have booked Sharjeel under the relevant sections of the IPC. New Delhi, Jan 30 : The Supreme Court Thursday attempted to mediate between art patron Poonam Jaidev Shroff, and industrialist husband Jaidev Shroff, who once dominated the Page 3 circles in Mumbai, by assuring the wife that it is "concerned with a roof over her head." The couple has been in the throes of serious criminal and bizarre allegations against each other, as they navigate through their divorce proceedings. A bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and Surya Kant observed that it's not conducive to allow the wife to live in the shared household. In April 2016, the family court in Mumbai had issued an order banning Poonam's entry into her Pali Hill residence. She moved the Bombay High Court with an appeal against this order. The Bombay High Court had allowed Poonam access into Jaidev's house for two hours. In 2017, the apex court in an interim order said her representative can pay a visit to her matrimonial home in Pali Hill to collect her passport and personal belongings. The apex court was hearing the matrimonial dispute between the couple where wife has expressed willingness to continue residing at the couple's posh Pali Hill home. She claimed her husband is on the list of 500 richest people in the world. Jaidev has offered Rs 90 crore as settlement. The bench queried Poonam's counsel, "This demand for the house is a problem, take Rs 90 crore and live wherever you want." Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Jaidev, said his client is willing to pay the rent of the house. The allegations in the matrimonial dispute have become increasingly dramatic as the high-profile criminal case reaches its crescendo with intense arguments breaking out in the court over the choice of premises and its size. The Chief Justice told senior advocate P Chidambaram, representing Poonam, "Move to a house of your choice on rent...in six months divorce will be settled." Another senior counsel representing Poonam said the couple was living together until some apprehensions of Bengali Baba popped up. "Can a mother and daughter be kept out of their matrimonial house? The daughter is 13-year-old." The Chief Justice told the wife's counsel, "You need to work it out, we ordered mediation twice but it did not work...We are concerned about the roof over your head at this stage, and make a choice to rent a house." The Chief Justice emphasized that the court is willing to record that she wants to relocate to a premises of her choice, and this arrangement will continue till the disposal of the couple's divorce petition before a family court. The court also asked husband's counsel to pay the rent for the premises of her choice equivalent to the current residence. The apex court has listed the matter after two weeks. Jaidev is the executive director of United Phosphorous. In 2015, he filed a divorce suit against his wife on grounds of cruelty against him and his two daughters from his first wife. He got separated from first wife in 2000 and married Poonam in 2005. ROCHESTER HILLS, MI A Michigan pastor is set to ordain all six of his daughters at once. Apostle Keith Barr, whose ministry has taken him across the United States and abroad, will do the honors during a special ceremony at the Quality Inn, 2537 Rochester Court, in Troy, at 7 p.m. on Feb. 9. All six of his daughters, Gina, Katrina, Christina, Sabrina, Angelina, and Tina, were born in Pontiac and have ministered with their father since the early 90s. This is believed to be the first time that six sisters will be ordained at one time, in one service by their father. I love that Im able to do this with my sisters, Christina said. We all encourage and inspire each other, and its my prayer that we can do the same for other women and men. Ministry truly is the family business. In 2004, his four eldest daughters traveled with their father to the Philippines. The Barr family has also ministered in Nigeria, Kenya, Mexico, Guatemala, Canada, and across the U.S. The four oldest daughters are known for their singing, while the three youngest have formed a gospel rap group, BLT, a play off on their initials (Bina, Lina, Tina). Some of the daughters began preaching as young as 9. Others have been leaders in youth groups at school, led revivals, and braved the mission field multiple times. The Barr family, which includes wife and mother Isabelle, will be joined at the ceremony by friends, family, national and local political leaders and ministers from across the country. Though theyre all sisters, they all minister uniquely, with perspectives that speak to a wide range of people, Apostle Barr said. Their mother and I have encouraged them to think for themselves, challenge each other, and challenge the norm. Im proud theyve done that in the best possible ways. Barrs only son, Keith Gino Barr Jr., is already ordained and has a congregation in Rochester Hills. [January 30, 2020] First Light of Day: A Cautionary Tale of Our Future PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, cybersecurity breaches, loss of privacy, data brokering, and cryptocurrencies are changing society in dramatic ways. What will the cumulative impact of unchecked technology development have on our lives long-term? Michael J.T. Steep, founder and executive director of Disruptive Technology and Digital Cities Program at the Stanford School of Engineering, and of the one of today's leading experts in technology innovation, examines this in his book, First Light of Day: A Cautionary Tale of Our Future published by Silicon Valley Press. The book is two things. First, its a disquieting look at life in 2045 after a technology revolution has profoundly changed society. Second, its a non-fiction look at the technologies available today that make this revolution possible and even probable. General Stanley McChrystal, partner, McChrystal Group, commented: Steeps First Light of Day paints a picture of the not-too-distant future, illuminating the dangers of a world of our own creation, but not of our own design. Inso doing, Steeps lucid and heartful narrative makes an impassioned case for each of us to remember our humanity, especially in the digital age. In the fictional part of the book, the world is on the brink of creating the first truly sentient machines. Technology has changed everything, even personal relationships. High-end knowledge workers enjoy all the benefits of this highly sophisticated life, while most people are considered economically superfluous. The characters inner struggles are intellectual, philosophical and spiritualand they are running out of time before they will lose control of their lives to their own technological creations. The non-fiction part of the book is an overview of the 10 categories of technology that play crucial roles in the story and are shaping our world today: Agents and devices Privacy and the acceleration of Moores Law Supersonic transport Self-conscious artificial intelligence Encryption and crossing the data layer Cybersecurity and warfare Human-machine interaction Cryptocurrencies Climate change Humans and work The author, Michael J.T. Steep, has witnessed first-hand some of the greatest breakthroughs and transformations within organizations and entire industries through his work at such industry giants as PARC (formerly Xerox PARC), Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Microsoft, and Apple. About the Book: Title: First Light of Day Author: Michael J.T. Steep Publisher: Silicon Valley Press Publication: January 30, 2020 ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-7339591-0-0 ISBN (e-book): 978-1-7339591-1-7 US$28.00 (hardback) US$22.00 (e-book) For More Information: Amy Foster (347) 502-9539 [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] WASHINGTON U.S. Sens. Robert Menendez and Cory Booker got their first chances to speak during President Donald Trumps impeachment trial. Menendez and Booker, D-N.J., each announced they had submitted a question to Chief Justice John Roberts, who then read them out loud. The questions were the House Democratic impeachment managers, to help them further make their case that Trump should be removed from office. The ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Menendez said that Trump approved a total of $1.5 billion in aid for Ukraine more than 45 times, but then claimed he was holding up assistance last year because he was worried about corruption. "Why did the president suddenly become concerned about corruption? Menendez asked. He became concerned about corruption supposedly in early 2019 because Vice President Biden was running for election for the presidency," responded Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo. That is what the overwhelming amount of the evidence shows, because theres no other legitimate reason. The Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, found that the Trump administration broke federal law by withholding the congressionally approved assistance. The first article of impeachment charged Trump with withholding the aid to pressure Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky into announcing an investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden. Trump also requested a probe of the discredited claim that Ukraine and not Russia intervened in the 2016 presidential election. Former White House national security aide Fiona Hill said those allegations were politically driven falsehoods that so clearly advance Russian interests. Booker asked, "can you comment on whether executive privilege allows a president to conceal information from Congress, particularly if the evidence cannot be obtained elsewhere? The president has ordered the entire executive branch to defy our constitutionally inspired impeachment inquiry, said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Blanket defiance is what has taken place. There is no right to do that. Booker also joined with several senators to ask whether lawmakers should assume that Trumps refusal to provide documents and witnesses means that they would not support his case. Here, one party, the president, has prevented witnesses within his control from testifying or providing documents, the senators asked. "Do the House managers believe senators should apply the missing witness rule here, and if so, what adverse inferences should we draw about this testimony and documents? We do believe that you should draw an adverse inference against the party resisting the testimony, said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. 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. Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast / Photos Getty The U.S. Navy promoted Chief Petty Officer Tony DeDolph four months after he admitted to choking a Green Beret to death. DeDolphwho will be back in court Thursday for a preliminary hearingwas formally charged in November 2018 with felony murder, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, burglary, hazing, and involuntary manslaughter in the strangulation death of Army Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar, a Special Forces soldier assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group. Melgar was nearing the end of his deployment when he was killed in the West African nation of Mali in June 2017. He was part of an intelligence operation in Mali supporting counterterrorism efforts against al Qaedas local affiliate, known as al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Days after Melgar was strangled, DeDolph, at the time a petty officer first class, was sent back to his base in Virginia Beach under suspicion of murder. Despite that, DeDolph found himself on the promotion list for chief petty officer in August 2017; he was frockedmeaning he began wearing the insignia of the higher rankon Sept. 15, 2017, according to defense officials. He didnt start drawing chiefs pay until December. Slain Green Berets Widow Speaks: I Knew They Were Lying Three days before DeDolphs promotion, the medical examiners report was signed. It concluded, based on a June 8, 2017, autopsy at Dover Air Force Base, that Melgars cause of death was asphyxiation and the manner of death was homicide, according to documents reviewed by The Daily Beast. A defense official familiar with the case said Naval Special Warfare Development Group, commonly known as Seal Team 6, didnt flag DeDolph because he was not formally charged or a person of interest in an ongoing investigation. He was a participant in the investigation but no charges were filed until November 2018. Retired Brig. Gen. Donald Bolduc, the former commander of Special Operations Command-Africa, told The Daily Beast this week that he authorized an investigation after he learned of Melgars death. Bolduc alerted Army Criminal Investigation Command and told commanders in Mali to preserve evidence. He didnt understand why DeDolph was promoted when he returned to his unit in Virginia Beach. Story continues It is another failure of leadership, Bolduc said. I mean senior leadership. Its unfortunate. He should have never been promoted. The investigation was started right away. They whisked them out of there as fast as they could. When asked if he was surprised by the news, Bolduc said no. Im disappointed, he said. But not surprised. Its utter bullshit. Navy prosecutor Lt. Cmdr. Benjamin Garcia declined to comment on the promotion because DeDolph is part of an ongoing investigation. DeDolph has remained a member of Naval Special Warfare throughout this process, said Navy Capt. Tamara Lawrence, a spokeswoman for Naval Special Warfare. It is paramount that the rights of the service member are protected, thus any additional information regarding this case will not be discussed. Phil Stackhouse, DeDolph's civilian attorney, did not return calls or text messages seeking comment. Melgars widow, Michelle, declined to comment on the story. DeDolphs case is just one of several high-profile incidents that have exposed issues in the SEAL culture. Members of SEAL Team 7 were expelled from Iraq in 2019 after allegations of drinking and sexual assault. Six SEALs tested positive for cocaine last year. Then theres the case of Chief Special Warfare Operator Edward Gallagher, a former member of SEAL Team 7, who faced a court martial for war crimes charges including murder, but was convicted of posing for a picture with a dead body and granted clemency by President Trump in November 2019. Trump Tells Allies He Wants Absolved War Criminals to Campaign for Him Some of the same issues were present in Mali, where there was widespread alcohol use, partying, and prostitutes at the safehouse, according to sources familiar with the investigation. It was like a frat house, one source said, when asked to describe what the safe house in Bamako was like. In response to the recent incidents, Rear Adm. Collin Green, head of Naval Special Warfare Command, sent a memo last year to his subordinate units declaring the whole SEAL community has a problem. Some of our subordinate formations have failed to maintain good order and discipline and as a result and for good reason, our NSW culture is being questioned, Green wrote in the July 2019 memo. I dont know yet if we have a culture problem, I do know that we have a good order and discipline problem that must be addressed immediately. Gen. Richard Clarke, the head of Special Operations Command, ordered an ethics review last August following several high-profile incidents. He acknowledged in a memo to service members on Tuesday that unacceptable conduct had been allowed to occur as a result of lack of leadership, discipline and accountability. The 71-page report summing up the ethics review warned of what Clarke described as an emphasis on force employment and mission accomplishment over the routine activities that ensure leadership, accountability, and discipline. Chief Petty Officer Adam C. Matthews, who was in Mali doing an assessment of the mission there, testified in August he felt it was his duty to haze Melgaron DeDolphs recommendationto teach him a lesson after Melgar ditched the team in Malis capital city of Bamako on his way to a party at the French embassy. Investigator of Green Berets Murder Had Romantic Relationship With Witness, Lawyer Says DeDolph, Matthews and two Marine RaidersGunnery Sgt. Mario Madera-Rodriguez and Staff Sgt. Kevin Maxwellspent the rest of the night plotting to choke Melgar into unconsciousness, pull his pants down and videotape the incident and then show it to him later to embarrass him. When Melgar became unresponsive, Matthews and DeDolph tried to resuscitate Melgar with CPR and opened a hole in his throat. The SEALS with Sergeant First Class James Morris, Melgars supervisor, then rushed Melgar to a French medical facility, where he was pronounced dead. At the clinic, DeDolph admitted to an embassy official he choked Melgar, according to NBC News and subsequent reports. Maxwell and Matthews have already pleaded guilty in exchange for plea agreements with prosecutors. Matthews, 33, pleaded guilty to hazing and assault charges and attempts to cover up what happened to Melgar. He was sentenced in May 2019 to one year in military prison. Maxwell, 29, was sentenced to four years of confinement after pleading guilty in connection with Melgars death in June 2019. DeDolph and Madera-Rodriguez are the last of the four men who carried out the attack to stand trial. Both men are expected to face courts martial this spring. An exact date has not been selected, according to Navy officials. 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. A student has reportedly been injured after an unidentified person opened fire at protesters, who were agitating against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), near the Jamia Millia Islamia University in Delhi. #WATCH A man brandishes gun in Jamia area of Delhi, culprit has been detained by police. More details awaited. pic.twitter.com/rAeLl6iLd4 ANI (@ANI) January 30, 2020 The culprit has been detained by the police, news agency ANI has reported. According to CNN News18, the person was opposed to those protesting against CAA and NRC. He shouted "Who wants Azadi, come I'll shoot you and then fired at the protesters," students who witnessed the shocking incident told the TV news channel. The injured student was hit by the bullet in his arm and has been admitted to the Holy Family hospital in Jamia Nagar. His condition is stated to be stable. Meanwhile, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has closed the entry and exit gates of Jama Masjid, ITO and Delhi Gate metro stations. The incident comes close on the heels of several BJP leaders giving communally charged speeches at poll rallies in Delhi. This include Minister of State (MoS) for Finance Anurag Thakur, who had earlier this week, led chants of shoot the traitors at a poll rally in north Delhis Rithala. The minister prompted "desh ke gaddaron ko..." to which the crowd responded "...goli maaro sa***n ko". The chant translates to "shoot down the traitors who betray the country". He has been banned from campaigning for 72 hours ahead of Assembly elections in Delhi. Amid ongoing nationwide protests over the Citizenship Amendment Act, a man, brandishing a gun, opened fire at protesters near Jamia Milia Islamia, injuring one Jamia student Amid ongoing nationwide protests over the Citizenship Amendment Act, a man, brandishing a gun, opened fire at protesters near Jamia Milia Islamia, injuring one Jamia student who was identified as Shadab Farooq. ANI has tweeted a marksheet of the attacker, which shows that he is about three months short of 18 years, and thus a juvenile. Earlier, media reports had quoted the police as saying that he is 19 years old. Delhi Police sources told News18 Delhi that the accused is a resident of Jewar in Greater Noida. His father runs a paan shop, the sources said. Although there is not much information available on the shooter, currently, we tried to piece together a brief profile from his Facebook page, which has now been deleted. The Times of India quoted a statement from Facebook as saying, "There is no place on Facebook for those who commit this kind of violence. We have removed the gunmans Facebook account and are removing any content that praises, supports or represents the gunman or the shooting as soon as we identify it. The attacker had written a post on Facebook before firing, in which he said that he intended to avenge the death of Chandan Gupta, who was killed during the Kasganj violence that took place in January 2018. He had also done other livestream videos recently, in which he was walking around the Jamia neighbourhood, where people have been protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Other posts on the attacker's Facebook profile also show that he was hinting at carrying out such violence for quite some time. One of his posts reads, "On my last journey, take me draped in saffron and shout slogans of Jai Shri Ram." Yet another of his posts said, "Shaheen Bagh...Game over!" Follow LIVE updates on Jamia shooting here He further wrote on his Facebook profile on Thursday, "I am the only Hindu here", "There is no Hindu media here" and "Ye lo azadi" (Here's your 'freedom'.) He also made an appeal to people to take care of his family. According to NDTV journalist Sreenivasan Jain, the attacker had also posted a picture on Facebook with a man named Deepak Sharma. Sharma was said to have made a video thrashing a boy for making religious memes in 2017. According to him, Sharma's Facebook profile shows him posing with BJP leaders, including Union Minister Giriraj Singh. According to a Jagran report, Sharma and the Jamia attacker from Thursday's incident were part of a group that gheraoed a police station in Jewar after an alleged incident in which religious sites were damaged. WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. Commerce Department on Wednesday said it launched anti-dumping investigations into wood moulding and millwork product imports from Brazil and China worth about $500 million annually. In a statement, the Commerce Department said it estimated possible anti-dumping duties of 86.7% for products from Brazil and 181.2% to 359.2% from China. The agency also is conducting an anti-subsidy investigation into the moulding millwork products from China. The investigation is being launched following a petition earlier this month by the Coalition of American Millwork Producers, made up of seven U.S. manufacturers. The Commerce Department said it is scheduled to make preliminary determinations in the cases on Feb. 24. (Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Tom Brown) [January 30, 2020] Insurtech Leader Policygenius Announces $100M Series D Round, Led by KKR NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Policygenius , the leading online marketplace for comparing and purchasing insurance, announced today $100 million in Series D funding led by global investment firm KKR. Existing major investors in the company, including Norwest Venture Partners, Revolution Ventures, Susa Ventures, AXA Venture Partners, MassMutual Ventures and Transamerica Ventures, also participated in the round. Since raising its $30 million Series C round in early 2017, Policygenius has grown annualized revenues to $60 million, a 10 times increase. Policygenius will use the investment for hiring and for broader consumer financial protection products it will unveil in 2020. Founded by Jennifer Fitzgerald and Francois de Lame in 2014, Policygenius provides a digital experience for consumers to navigate the entire insurance buying process. Policygenius has built integrations with the most trusted insurance carriers and industry-leading technology for quoting, underwriting and fulfillment. Since its founding, Policygenius' proprietary technology and in-house operations have delivered impressive growth. Policygenius is the fastest-growing life insurance distributor with $45 billion in life coverage issued to date. In 2019, Policygenius launched a new property and casualty insurance offering, which scaled to more than $10 million in revenue in less than 12 months. Collectively, consumers can shop for several types of insurance, including life, home, auto, disability and renters. Buoyed by this growth, the company added about 180 new employees and opened a second headquarters in Durham, North Carolina in 2019. "Our technology platform delivers a seamless and easy experience for comparing, buying and switching insurance, at scale, nationwide. But hat we're exceptionally proud of is how Policygenius removes the complex and often misleading aspects of the insurance purchasing business entirely," Jennifer Fitzgerald, CEO and co-founder at Policygenius, said. "With the support of our investors, we look forward to expanding our reach and product portfolio to broader financial wellness." "With increased competition in the insurance sector, we believe there's a need for platforms where customers can easily manage their relationships across a number of insurance policies and carriers throughout their lifetime," Allan Jean-Baptiste, at KKR, said. "Policygenius has created a model to provide for exactly this, set apart by its sophisticated proprietary technology, and the traction of its marketplace platform among carriers and consumers alike." "We are thrilled to be working with Jennifer, Francois and their dedicated team as they continue to transform consumer financial protection," added KKR's Jake Heller. KKR will be making its investment through its Next Generation Technology Fund II, which held its final close earlier this month. Allan Jean-Baptiste and Jake Heller will represent KKR on Policygenius' Board of Directors. About Policygenius Policygenius is the nation's leading online insurance marketplace, with headquarters in New York City and Durham, North Carolina. We've helped more than 30 million people shop for all types of insurance like they shop for everything else online. We launched in 2014 and are one of the early insurtech pioneers. We were named one of Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces for 2018 and 2019 and ranked in the top ten of 2019's Crain's Fast 50. You can see more about open career opportunities with Policygenius by visiting: https://www.policygenius.com/careers/. About KKR KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate and credit, with strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns for its fund investors by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving growth and value creation with KKR portfolio companies. KKR invests its own capital alongside the capital it manages for fund investors and provides financing solutions and investment opportunities through its capital markets business. References to KKR's investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR's website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co. Media Contacts Policygenius Brooke Niemeyer Associate Director of Media Relations [email protected] KKR Kristi Huller or Cara Major 212.750.8300 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/insurtech-leader-policygenius-announces-100m-series-d-round-led-by-kkr-300995710.html SOURCE Policygenius [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Coben spoke on the phone last week from his home in New Jersey, describing his ever-evolving relationship with TV and why so many second seasons arent just unnecessary; theyre also unfair. These are edited excerpts from the conversation. What do you enjoy about working in television? I think my new book, The Boy from the Woods, is my 31st or 32nd novel, and thats a lot of time alone in a room. [Laughs.] So to get the chance to collaborate with people I respect and like has been joyful. Maybe I would not have been nearly as interested in doing this 15 or 20 years ago. But I was lucky to have a very positive experience when I did [the 2006 French film] Tell No One with Guillaume Canet, where they kept me involved and I didnt experience the nightmare stories you hear about Hollywood. Are those stories part of why your books have been adapted so much outside of the United States? Was it just easier outside of Hollywood? When I optioned Tell No One with France, people thought I was nuts. But I knew I had a much better chance of getting a good film made by Guillaume. And because I like changes, to me its interesting to move the storys location a bit, to have a hybrid of an American sensibility and a European sensibility. I think its worked for us. Can you talk a bit about those changes the ones you make in your adaptations? The title character in The Stranger, for example, is a white man in the book, but on Netflix shes a biracial woman. Part of it was, when we started to audition people, the men just werent working. It didnt look or feel right. Once I saw Hannah do it, there was no one else for me. She has the right touch of being a little cool, a little damaged, really interesting and mysterious. Shes a great actress, and with Richard in that very first scene, they just worked. Exports during January fell 15.8% from the previous month to an estimated US$19 billion, with the domestic sector having shipped US$6.31 billion worth of goods abroad, down 23.1%. The foreign sector, in the meantime, recorded total revenue of US$12.69 billion, including oil revenue, a decrease of 11.6%. The United States remained the largest buyer of Vietnamese goods, purchasing US$4.8 billion in January, followed by China and the EU with US$3.7 billion and US$2.6 billion, respectively. Vietnamese exports to ASEAN and Japan were both at US$1.6 billion while exports to the Republic of Korea reached US$1.3 billion. On the opposite side, Vietnam imported US$19.1 billion worth of goods in January, down 14.4% compared with the previous month. Imports by the domestic and foreign sectors dropped 17.7% and 11.3%, respectively. China was the largest source of Vietnams imports, with an estimated US$6.2 billion in the first month of 2020, followed by the Republic of Korea and ASEAN at US$3.2 billion and US$2.4 billion, respectively. Vietnam imported US$1.5 billion worth of goods from Japan and US$1.2 billion each from the EU and the United States. No, these African-American fans of Barack Obama werent instructed by Iowans to support him in 2008. Photo: Chris Hondros/Getty Images Many Iowa Democrats are proud about their caucuses giving Barack Obama his first electoral win in 2008, in part because it showed Obamas cross-racial and trans-partisan appeal (his campaign conspicuously turned out independent and even Republican voters in Iowa). In response to the perennial complaint about the states unrepresentative demographics, Iowans often tout their role in Obamas rise as evidence of their broad-mindedness and lack of racism. But these understandable claims have become conflated with the less defensible proposition or myth as its critics rightly call it that Iowas white Democrats allowed African-Americans in later states like South Carolina to support him. The myth has come back up in connection with dubious suggestions that whoever wins Iowa may suddenly experience a breakthrough with the black voters currently inclined to support Joe Biden. Astead Herndon has the story: It has become political lore, repeated on cable airwaves and by Democratic campaign consultants, even presidential candidates. In 2008, as the story goes, black voters were uncertain about Barack Obamas presidential candidacy until he won the Iowa caucuses, after which they rallied around him over the onetime front-runner, Hillary Clinton The persistence of the narrative that Iowa made Mr. Obama has long irritated some of his advisers, who said that this recollection from 2008 had led campaigns astray since then, discounted the agency of black voters and minimized the robust grass-roots strategy that Mr. Obamas team undertook in the South Black voters arent waiting for white people to tell them what to do, [Obama pollster Cornell] Belcher said. Its racist. Its racial paternalism. I sympathize with Belchers complaint. As I noted in a post earlier this year on Kamala Harriss failure to implement Obamas 2008 strategy, the future president was already doing well with black voters nationally and in South Carolina before his Iowa win (unlike Kamala Harris at a similar juncture in this cycle): A late-July 2007 Pew survey of African-American Democrats showed Obama winning 34 percent trailing Hillary Clintons 47 percent in that demographic but still within striking distance. By contrast, a late-July 2019 Quinnipiac poll had Harris at 7 percent among black voters, far behind Bidens 55 percent Obama was running very close to Clinton among black South Carolina Democrats in August 2007 (Clinton was at 44 percent, Obama at 41 percent, according to Insider Advantage). Meanwhile, a late-July 2019 Monmouth poll of black South Carolina Democrats showed Biden leading Harris by 51 percent to 12 percent Obama had built a solid 54-21 lead over Clinton among South Carolinas African-Americans by December 2007, before Iowa. Afterward, he did surge to his eventual 78-19 landslide among black voters in the Palmetto State, but he built that win over an extended period of time. Now is it a myth much less a racist myth to say that his performance in Iowa gave Obama a significant boost among African-Americans in later states? No, because then, as now, black and white voters alike care about electability, and nothing raises confidence in electability like winning, particularly if you are a freshman senator hoping to become the first African-American president of the United States. If a 2020 Iowa winner gets a bounce in South Carolina or New Hampshire, or Nevada, or anywhere else it wont be because voters elsewhere are looking to Iowans and yearning for enlightenment. It will be because prevailing in the first actual real-live test of the cycle is a good sign for a candidate hoping to go the distance and take on Donald Trump. Nigel Farage was celebrating ahead of Britains last full day in the European Union (Yui Mok/PA) Britain has begun its last full day in the European Union after Prime Minister Boris Johnsons Brexit deal was given its final seal of approval. British MEPs are packing up their offices in Brussels and millions of new coins will go into circulation promising friendship with all nations as the country prepares to exit the bloc at 11pm on Friday. It comes as Mr Johnson prepares to deliver a speech next week saying he is willing to accept border checks after Brexit, with sovereignty prioritised over frictionless trade. The Prime Ministers speech will come in apparent defiance of EU warnings that Britain must accept the blocs standards on goods for the best trade agreement, The Daily Telegraph reports while citing Whitehall sources. There were emotional scenes in the European Parliament on Wednesday as MEPs voted by 621 to 49 in favour of the Withdrawal Agreement and linked hands to sing a final chorus of Auld Lang Syne. In contrast, Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage had his microphone cut off during a fiery departure speech in which his partys MEPs cheered and waved union flags as he said the UK was never coming back. He told the PA news agency: The book is about to close and we are going to leave in 48 hours and that is for me, in a way, the achievement of my lifetime political goal. For most MEPs, who have long wanted Britain to stay, it was a moment of deep regret. Today is a day full of emotions: we are grateful for the contribution the UK has made to our Union and the role British Members have played in this Parliament. Inevitably, things will be different but regardless we remain close friends and partners. https://t.co/V3WY42JSNk pic.twitter.com/d1Wzat8v5f David Sassoli (@EP_President) January 29, 2020 Addressing the parliament, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she was determined the EU and the UK should remain good friends and good partners. We will always love you and we will never be far. Long live Europe, she said. The parliaments Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt said the departure of a country which had twice given its blood to liberate Europe was a sad moment. He predicted, however, that the UK would eventually rejoin, with many British people deeply unhappy at the prospect of leaving. So this vote is not an adieu, this vote, in my opinion, is only an au revoir. Mr Verhofstadt poured scorn on claims by supporters of Brexit that it would mean Britain recovering its sovereignty. What is in fact threatening Britains sovereignty most the rules of our single market or the fact that tomorrow they may be planting Chinese 5G masts in the British islands? he said. Sir Robbie Gibb seemed optimistic as he wrote in The Daily Telegraph that things have changed and there is no turning back. The vote in Brussels follows the completion last week of the passage of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill through the British Parliament at Westminster. The agreement settles the terms of Britains departure, including future citizens rights, the arrangements on the Northern Ireland border and the UKs divorce settlement. It also allows for an 11-month transition period, during which the UK will continue to follow EU rules while talks take place on a free trade agreement. Sir Robbie, Theresa Mays former communications director, was confident that there would be no extension to the transition period and a basic free trade arrangement with additional provisions for the aviation and haulage industries would be settled. Expand Close Boris Johnson wants a comprehensive deal with the EU by years end (Stefan Rousseau/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Boris Johnson wants a comprehensive deal with the EU by years end (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Fears that a deal will need to be ratified by every EU government are unfounded as the Government believes it is asking for nothing more than already sits within scope of the European Commission, he added. Mr Johnson has said he wants a comprehensive deal covering all aspects of Britains future relationship with the EU, including security by the end of the year. He has been adamant he will not contemplate any extension of the transition period beyond the end of 2020. But senior EU figures have repeatedly warned reaching such a wide-ranging agreement will not be possible within such a tight timetable. (Newser) Lawyers for a woman who accuses President Trump of raping her in the 1990s asked Thursday for a DNA sample, seeking to determine whether his genetic material is on a dress she says she was wearing at the time. Advice columnist E. Jean Carrolls lawyers served notice to a Trump attorney for the president to submit a saliva sample by March 2 for "analysis and comparison against unidentified male DNA present on the dress," the AP reports. Carroll filed a defamation suit against Trump in November after the president denied her allegation that he sexually assaulted her in a New York department store. Her lawyer then had the black wool coat-style dress tested. A lab report with the legal notice says DNA found on the sleeves was a mix of at least four people, at least one of them male. story continues below Several other people were tested and eliminated as possible contributors to the mix, according to the lab report. Their names are redacted. The White House and Trump's lawyer did not respond to a request for comment Thursday. Trump lost an attempt to have a judge throw out Carroll's lawsuit earlier this month. That decision cleared the way for discovery and depositions to begin, per the New York Times. Carroll said she's only worn the dress once since the day she happened to run into Trump in the department store. The lab report said there was no indicator of semen on the dress. "Unidentified male DNA on the dress could prove that Donald Trump not only knows who I am," Carroll said in a statement, "but also that he violently assaulted me in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman and then defamed me by lying about it and impugning my character." (Read more E. Jean Carroll stories.) Cancun residents capture, beat two alleged robbers Cancun, Q.R. Two men who allegedly intended to rob a pharmacy in the Los Heroes subdivision, were captured by area residents who physically assaulted them before tying one to a pole for police. The subjects were allegedly caught in the middle of robbery at a branch of Farmacias del Ahorro. Both were repeatedly hit by the angry area residents. One of the men was then tied to a pole with a note saying Ratas en los Heroes. Police eventually arrived to sort out the matter, taking the two alleged thieves into custody. The mother of a missing sex worker who vanished more than a month ago today begged for help in finding her daughter as detectives launched a murder inquiry. Drug user Natalie Jenkins, 32, of Thornaby, near Middlesbrough, Teesside, was last seen on CCTV at 7.55pm on December 10. Her mother Sylvia Jenkins, wept as she read a statement at a news conference where police confirmed they were treating her disappearance as a suspected murder. She said: 'I am begging people to come forward. Someone knows what has happened to Natalie and if they come forward to tell police, I would help them. 'We will never stop looking for Natalie and this is never going to go away. 'I am asking for people to contact police if they have seen or heard anything that will bring my beautiful daughter home to me.' Drug user Natalie Jenkins, 32, (left) was last seen on CCTV at 7.55pm on December 10 in Middlesborugh. Her mother Sylvia (right) has today issued an appeal to find her daughter as police launched a murder inquiry Cleveland Police also released new CCTV of her walking along Parliament Road in Middlesbrough on December 10. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Dimelow said Ms Jenkins may have been at her home in Thornaby the following day, although this was unconfirmed. He said that she was particularly vulnerable as she was a drug user and sex worker. Mr Dimelow said detectives were not currently linking their inquiry to that of missing Naheed Khan, also from Thornaby, who was missing and presumed murdered. Cleveland Police also released new CCTV of her walking along Parliament Road in Middlesbrough on December 10 Her mother Sylvia Jenkins, wept as she read a statement at a news conference where Detective Chief Inspector Mark Dimelow (pictured left) confirmed they were treating her disappearance as a suspected murder He said his team was looking through 1,000 hours of CCTV, have distributed posters and leaflets and spoken to hundreds of people. Mr Dimelow told reporters: 'Natalie has not been in touch with her family or friends, which is highly unusual. 'She has no access to a bank account, does not have a passport, and had a number of phones over a short period of time which were regularly lost or broken. 'Whilst there is no specific evidence that a crime has been committed, there is no proof of life and in my professional judgment I believe that she has come to serious harm. In CCTV (right) released at the beginning of this month, it showed Ms Jenkins (left, and 16) as she walked from Westbury Street to Stockton Road in Middlesbrough 'As a result I have classified the case as one of suspected murder and have launched a murder investigation.' He described Ms Jenkins as white, of slim build, 5ft 5in, with fair skin and straight brown hair. She had a tattoo saying 'Swann' on her neck and 'Swanny' on her wrist. Anyone with information is asked to call 101. With Govt of India pushing for CNG equipped cars, more and more manufacturers are launching company fitted CNG cars. In line to get factory fitted CNG now is Hyundai Grand i10 Nios. Bookings have opened at dealerships. Once launched, one can choose from Grand i10 NIOS 1.2 MT CNG Magna or CNG Sportz. Both variants will be available in metallic and non-metallic colours. Based on the Grand i10 NIOS, Hyundai launched the Aura sedan last week. This compact sedan is available with company fitted CNG for the 1.2 MT petrol S trim. The cost difference between the petrol S trim and CNG S variant is Rs 83k, ex-sh. Similar price difference is expected in the Grand i10 NIOS petrol and its respective CNG variant. New Hyundai Grand i10 Nios was launched late in August 2019. At the time of launch magna MT petrol was launched at a price of Rs 5.85 lakhs, and Sportz petrol MT at Rs 6.38 lakhs. As on date, that price is up by about 5k for both models. Expect the Grand i10 NIOS CNG variants at a price higher by upto 80-90k. The same platform underpins both Grand i10 Nios and the recently launched Aura. The duo also share engine options, features, parts, etc. Getting more CNG vehicles onboard bodes well for Hyundai Motor India. The company has for long settled as the countrys second best performer when it comes to sales. Maruti Suzuki, which leads from the front already has a range of factory fitted CNG vehicles. The most recent launch were the Maruti Alto CNG BSVI models for Lxi and Lxi (O) variants. The vehicles are priced at 4,32,700 and 4,36,300, respectively. For Hyundai Motor India to be able to maintain its position as major competitor to MSIL, the manufacturer could benefit from a wider range of CNG vehicles. The availability of a factory fitted CNG option is attractive to customers who find CNG to be a convenience. With sustainable and alternate fuels being a major focus in recent years, CNG is already at the forefront compared to newer alternate fuel options, which are yet to gather steam. In 5 months, Nios sales have contributed over 40 percent of total Grand i10 sales for 2019, and is a successor to Grand i10. Theres no talk of the Grand i10 being discontinued, so for now, both vehicles continue to be sold together. Top variants of Grand i10 have been discontinued though. Following Nios CNG launch, theres talk of a Nios Turbo launch. The 1.0l petrol MT engine in question, is already featured in Venue and Aura. On board the Venue, Hyundai claims that over 85% of their petrol option buyers, are going for the Turbo variant. This has resulted in the company launching the turbo engine option in the Aura, and soon in the NIOS. Another Catherine Murphy had her turn at being the leader of the Social Democrats, taking over from her co-leader, Roisin Shortall. And People Before Profits Richard Boyd Barrett handed the hard left baton to Mick Barry, the Solidarity TD. Boyd Barrett had been one of the shining lights the first night but there was no chance that he would be put out again. The PBP/Solidarity alliance is still together against all previous form on the left and that takes a lot of delicate balancing. They arrived at the Virgin Media Studio between 8.15pm and 8.45pm, some of them looking slightly the worst for wear from the miles. All except the Taoiseach stopped to throw a few morsels out to the waiting media pack. Mick Barry said he was looking forward to debating tweedledum and tweedledee. Mary Lou McDonald said she would go on the attack and in the debate she was true to her work. And then Eamon Ryan was asked about his strategy. Be honest, speak the truth, speak your mind, he said. And with that he ambled into the fray. Ivan Yates began proceedings by lobbing in a bomb, calling the seven a bunch of chancers. This is a fundementially dishonest election, he said. Picture: Maxwells Leo asked not to put on the bold step with the others as he had overseen a government that had been prudent. That set the tone for the evening. Matt Cooper got stuck into Micheal Martin who was having none of it. Matt, you interrupted me twice now, he said. Then Mary Lou came in for it. Her figures were not endorsed by the Department of Finance, Yates told her. She said she didnt accept that giving a break to people was some kind of a reckless giveaway. That was a signal for Martin and Varadkar to jump in to tear apart the Shinners manifesto. And on it went with skin and hair flying, loads of heat but not a lot of light. Eamon, get a grip, Yates said, when the Greens leader suggested we should increase the size of the state. You have been less promiscuous, Yates told Brendan Howlin and then asked him whether the election was dishonest. The fare jumped all around the place, from property tax to income tax to tax and spend. The whole thing was very taxing. What quickly became obvious was that the moderators had come to the conclusion that the campaign had not yet really come to life and this was an opportunity to see the cut of their respective jibs. Picture: Maxwells The theory was sound, the intent true but the execution turned out to be unwieldy. With seven leaders to negotiate and Ivan in particular practically throwing himself into the fray at times, it all got a bit out of hand. In the end the perennial question was left hanging in the studio. Will it make any difference to how people are going to vote? Only polling day and the long view of history will be able to answer that. The Trump administration has imposed sanctions on a Moscow-based private railway company that last month opened passenger service between and Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula that annexed in 2014. The sanctions target Grand Service Express, its CEO and seven people who were slapped with European Union sanctions earlier in the week for their role in organizing Russian local elections on in September. The EU and the US imposed economic sanctions on after the annexation and refuse to recognise Moscow's authority over the region. The Treasury Department handed down the new sanctions on Wednesday two days before Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is due in Kyiv to meet with the Ukrainian president and other officials. They may be intended to send a message of support from the Trump administration during the impeachment trial of President over his dealings with Ukraine. "Treasury's action, taken in close coordination with our allies and partners, reiterates our unwavering support for restoring free and fair democratic processes in Crimea," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. The sanctions may also serve to reduce the sting of Pompeo's recent disparaging comment about Ukraine. Following an interview last week with NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly, she said he shouted obscenities at her for asking about Ukraine and asked whether she thought Americans really cared about the country. The railway connection to was inaugurated in late December by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who rode a train across the 12-mile (19-kilometer) bridge. The project is intended to bolster links between Russia and by increasing the transport of cargo and encouraging the flow of tourists. The big picture: After looking into national security concerns about the surveillance potential of drones made in China, the US Interior Department has chosen to ground its fleet and use it only in case of emergency. Interestingly, this isn't just about Chinese espionage as DOI officials want to assess all possible actors that might represent a threat in this regard. While the trade tensions between China and the US have eased a bit thanks to new agreements signed by presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, it doesn't mean there's less paranoia in town. Recently, the secretary of the Interior Department has issued a no-fly order for all drones made in China or using parts built in the region, with the sole exception of situations where they are needed to aid rapid response teams, such as for natural disasters and rescue operations. This is just a step up from what the US Department of the Interior did last year when it grounded its fleet consisting of around 800 drones, mainly because of concerns that they might be sending sensitive information back to China to aid in spying operations. The DOI uses these drones for a number of different tasks like monitoring dams, erosion, endangered species, as well as energy and transportation infrastructure, so this raises the question whether to trust that they aren't used for espionage by foreign entities. During an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said that he came to the recent decision after investigating the potential security risks from drones, so his department will make exceptions for tracking wildfires or saving human lives, as well as training flights. And while China wasn't mentioned directly, it is definitely the main target of the order. Bernhardt says "it does not specifically mention Chinese [drones] because we wanted to leave it open in case there are additional foreign-made sources that may be issues." Popular drone maker DJI was quick to slam the order as "part of a politically-motivated agenda to reduce market competition and support domestically produced drone technology, regardless of its merits." The manufacturer argues that such decisions ignores the fact that the industry relies on a global supply chain and that validation tests made by US federal agencies haven't found any reasons for suspicion. According to Interior representative Carol Danko, 121 of the DOI's drones are made by DJI, while the rest use Chinese parts but are made by other manufacturers. The DOI's decision adds on top of other governmental bans and restrictions that have been placed on telecom infrastructure equipment from Huawei and surveillance system manufacturer Hikvision. And while DJI's defensive statements do look similar to Huawei's, it's hard to ignore that even if the concerns are warranted, the US hasn't exactly filled the technological gap with locally-produced drones. Some speculate this is all part of a "New Cold War," but the more pressing matter is that those drones present cost and safety advantages over using human-flown helicopters and planes. A former DOI firefighter attests to these benefits, but rising national security concerns seem to trump them anyway. The way the fabric of space and time swirls in a cosmic whirlpool around a dead star has confirmed yet another prediction from Einstein's theory of general relativity , a new study finds. That prediction is a phenomenon known as frame dragging, or the Lense-Thirring effect. It states that space-time will churn around a massive, rotating body. For example, imagine Earth were submerged in honey. As the planet rotated, the honey around it would swirl and the same holds true with space-time. Satellite experiments have detected frame dragging in the gravitational field of rotating Earth , but the effect is extraordinarily small and, therefore, has been challenging to measure. Objects with greater masses and more powerful gravitational fields, such as white dwarfs and neutron stars, offer better chances to see this phenomenon. Related: Albert Einstein: Biography, theories and quotes Scientists focused on PSR J1141-6545, a young pulsar about 1.27 times the mass of the sun. The pulsar is located 10,000 to 25,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Musca (the fly), which is near the famous Southern Cross constellation. A pulsar is a fast-spinning neutron star that emits radio waves along its magnetic poles. ( Neutron stars are corpses of stars that died in catastrophic explosions known as supernovas; the gravity of these remnants is powerful enough to crush protons together with electrons to form neutrons.) PSR J1141-6545 circles a white dwarf with a mass about the same as the sun's. White dwarfs are the superdense Earth-size cores of dead stars that are left behind after average-size stars have exhausted their fuel and shed their outer layers. Our sun will end up as a white dwarf one day, as will more than 90% of all stars in our galaxy. The pulsar orbits the white dwarf in a tight, fast orbit less than 5 hours long, hurtling through space at about 620,000 mph (1 million km/h), with a maximum separation between the stars barely larger than the size of our sun, study lead author Vivek Venkatraman Krishnan, an astrophysicist at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, Germany, told Space.com. The researchers measured when pulses from the pulsar arrived at Earth to an accuracy within 100 microseconds over a period of nearly 20 years, using the Parkes and UTMOST radio telescopes in Australia. This allowed them to detect a long-term drift in the way the pulsar and white dwarf orbit each other. After eliminating other possible causes of this drift, the scientists concluded that it was the result of frame dragging: The way the rapidly spinning white dwarf pulls on space-time has caused the pulsar's orbit to change its orientation slowly over time. Based on the level of frame dragging, the researchers calculated that the white dwarf whirls on its axis about 30 times an hour. Previous research suggested that the white dwarf formed before the pulsar in this binary system. One prediction of such theoretical models is that, before the pulsar-forming supernova occurred, the progenitor of the pulsar shed nearly 20,000 Earth masses' worth of matter onto the white dwarf over the course of about 16,000 years, boosting its rate of spin. "Systems like PSR J1141-6545, where the pulsar is younger than the white dwarf, are quite rare," Venkatraman Krishnan said. The new study "confirms a long-standing hypothesis of how this binary system came to be, something that was proposed over two decades ago." The researchers noted that they used frame dragging to yield insight into the rotating star that caused it. In the future, they said, they can use a similar method to analyze binary neutron stars to learn more about their internal composition, "which, even after more than 50 years of observing them, we do not yet have a handle on," Venkatraman Krishnan said. "The density of matter inside a neutron star far exceeds what can be achieved in a lab, so there is a wealth of new physics to be learnt by using this technique to double neutron-star systems." The scientists detailed their findings online today (Jan. 30) in the journal Science. Follow Charles Q. Choi on Twitter @cqchoi . Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook . Consul General Zeev Boker, Israel Barak, Cybereason CISO and Daniel Agranov, Deputy Consul General were the headline speakers at the recent SecureMA meeting. Cybereason, creators of the leading Cyber Defense Platform, recently hosted a SecureMA meeting with the Israeli Consulate of New England and staff members of various elected leaders of the New England congressional delegation. Israel Barak, Cybereasons Chief Information Security Officer, Israeli Consul General for New England Zeev Boker and Israeli Deputy Consul General Daniel Agranov headlined the meeting. Cybereason and the Israeli Consulate of New England invited staff members from the New England congressional delegation to the gathering to discuss election security and the impact Israeli-founded companies are having on the New England economy, including employing nearly 30,000 workers throughout New England. Hundreds of Israeli-founded companies are scattered throughout New England. Total invested capital to date for Cybereason is approximately $400 million. Cybereason has previously raised capital from CRV, Spark Capital and Lockheed Martin since its founding in 2012. Cybereason is among the fastest growing cybersecurity companies in the world, with distribution in all major global markets. Cybereason has more than 500 employees around the world and more than 600 customers. About SecureMA SecureMA was launched by Cybereason in 2017 and convenes periodically to empower IT professionals with free information, resources and tools to defend against cyber threats. There is no program that currently exists like SecureMA where small businesses, non-profits, local law enforcement agencies and citizens can collaborate and share information on cyber threats. About Cybereason Cybereason, creators of the leading Cyber Defense Platform, gives the advantage back to the defender through a completely new approach to cybersecurity. Cybereason offers endpoint prevention, detection and response and active monitoring. The solution delivers multi-layered endpoint prevention by leveraging signature and signatureless techniques to prevent known and unknown threats in conjunction with behavioral and deception techniques to prevent ransomware and fileless attacks. Cybereason is privately held and is headquartered in Boston, with offices in London, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Tokyo, Asia-Pacific and continental Europe. Learn more: https://www.cybereason.com/ Follow us: Blog | Twitter | Facebook Media Contact: Bill Keeler Senior Director, Global Public Relations Cybereason bill.keeler@cybereason.com (929) 259-3261 By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Assembly witnessed violent protests on the Governors policy address day only in two instances earlier. On 31 January 1974, governor NN Wanchoo was trapped in the aisle of the Old Assembly Hall when CPM legislators led by MV Raghavan surrounded him. The protestors sat around him shouting slogans demanding the resignation of some ministers in the C Achutha Menon Cabinet who faced corruption allegations. ALSO READ | Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan's makes a surprise move after note from CM Pinarayi Vijayan After around 15 minutes, the watch and ward managed to rescue the governor who then delivered the address. The second incident was on January 21, 1995, when governor B Rachaiah had to avoid the customary path to the podium after LDF legislators raised protest demanding the resignation of chief minister K Karunakaran over ISRO espionage allegations. by Brad Camara | Nuggets Correspondent | Thu, Jan 30th 6:19am EST Jamal Murray (ankle) will not play Thursday against the Jazz. (TJ McBride on Twitter) Fantasy Impact: Murray will miss his seventh straight contest due to a sprained left ankle. He is currently day-to-day. His next chance to return will be Friday's tilt against the Bucks. Look for Monte Morris to see an expanded role with Murray sidelined. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-31 03:32:09|Editor: yan Video Player Close BEIRUT, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Norwegian Ambassador to Lebanon Leni Stenseth said on Thursday that Norway is committed to supporting Lebanon in its current crisis, the National News Agency reported. "We will continue cooperating with Lebanon in a way that meets interests of both countries," Stenseth said during her meeting with Lebanese Foreign Affairs Minister Nassif Hitti. Stenseth said that both Lebanon and Norway share the same interests and they work according to international laws. "We also emphasize the importance of implementing UN Resolution 1701 in addition to supporting the UNIFIL in south Lebanon," she said. The ambassador also said that her country is keen to keep on working to establish peace between Palestine and Israel based on negotiations and decisions by the United Nations. US President Donald Trump created a working group to combat the spread of the new coronavirus from China, it included the leadership of several departments, the White House said. According to presidential spokesman Stephanie Grisham, the working group has already held three daily meetings. Trump announced the next meeting on Wednesday evening. The working group will coordinate the administrations efforts to track, control and prevent the spread of the virus, and will ensure that Americans have the most accurate and up-to-date information regarding healthcare and travel, the statement said. The White House assured that the risk of infection for Americans remains low and that all departments will fight against the possible penetration of the virus into the US. Currently, five cases have been confirmed on American territory. The working group included the Minister of Health Alex Azar, National Security Advisor to the President Robert O`Brien, as well as Robert Redfield, current Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The group was joined by First Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, acting First Deputy Minister of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli, Acting Deputy Transport Minister and a number of Trump's aides. Chinese authorities has earlier reported an outbreak of pneumonia of unknown origin in Wuhan. The first cases were related to the seafood market. Experts previously established that the causative agent of the disease was a new type of coronavirus - 2019-nCoV. According to recent data, the total number of patients with pneumonia caused by a new type of coronavirus in China reached 7,711 people, of whom 170 died. Cases of infection have also been recorded in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, the US, Canada, Vietnam, Singapore, Nepal, France, Australia, Malaysia, Germany, and Finland. A 61-year-old man who was lost in the Outback has revealed how he made it out alive by surviving off 'crunchy ants' and leaves. Phillip Blampied, from Waroona, south of Perth, was rescued on Monday after spending nearly four weeks battling extreme weather conditions in the Pilbara, in Western Australia's north. After running out of petrol, the experienced traveller became stranded in the middle of the Canning Stock Route with nothing but 10 days' worth of supplies. He was forced to live off the land for sustenance, feeding on leaves and ants, and slept in a makeshift camp. Phillip Blampied, from Waroona, south of Perth, was rescued on Monday after spending four weeks battling extreme weather conditions in Pilbara, in Western Australia' The 61-year-old was forced to live off the land for sustenance, feeding on leaves and ants, and slept in a makeshift camp (pictured) 'You actually lose control because there's nowhere you can go. You can't call anyone, you can't talk to anyone. You are absolutely alone,' he told 9News. 'Ants are crunchy, brown ants are OK, some of the leaves were OK but others were just too toxic.' Mr Blampied (pictured after his rescue) lost 14kg during his ordeal before finally being found He spent a total of 24 days in the wilderness and lost 14kg before finally being rescued by search crews. Mr Blampied had set out on the 1,500km trip in December but ran into trouble in early January when his 1998 Nissan Patrol was low on fuel and his water supplies were running out. He stopped at one of the 51 wells scattered along the historic track, but when he arrived at Well 4 on January 13, he found it was bone dry. He turned around to go back to Well 6, where he knew there was water and places he could seek shelter from the volatile weather. But his car ran out of fuel 20km short. Mr Blampied stayed with the vehicle for a few days before setting off on the 12-hour walk to Well 6, carrying food, water, a tent - and leaving a note for potential rescuers. 'Have gone back to Well 6. Out of fuel!,' he scribbled on the notepad, recording the date and time. 'Have gone back to Well 6. Out of fuel!,' he scribbled on the notepad, recording the date and time The experienced Outback traveller realised he was in trouble in early January while driving through the vast landscapes along the Canning Stock Route (pictured) Another setback came about halfway through the 12-hour trek, when torrential rain forced him to set up his tent and sleep the night. He continued on the next morning and made it to Well 6, where he stayed until his food supplies ran out. By this time, he had been reported missing and police had launched a massive aerial search. Mr Blampied returned to his vehicle on January 23, this time without incident, where he wrote a final letter saying he was heading back to Well 6 and had enough supplies to survive seven more days. A charter helicopter was dispatched and rescue teams reached Mr Blampied's car - and discovered his note. He was found at Well 6 at 8.30am on Monday He'd only have to wait four. Late on Sunday, a search plane spotted Mr Blampied's abandoned car. 'The area it was found in had received a large amount of rainfall during January due to the cyclone activity,' police said, adding the conditions made it difficult to search the area. The following morning, a charter helicopter was dispatched and rescue teams reached Mr Blampied's car - and discovered his note. He was found at Well 6 at 8.30am on Monday. Police shared images of Mr Blampied's makeshift camp and posed for photos with the relived Outback traveller moments after he was found. They said the incident served as a 'timely reminder' people travelling in the Outback should always carry a Personal Locator Beacon. A fter more than three years of false starts and shifting deadlines the UK has left the EU. It is no longer a member of the European Union as 11pm GMT on January 31, 2020. British citizens who hope travel to European destinations after Brexit might wonder what new rules they will have to navigate. The government has said duty-free shopping when visiting EU countries could return but only in the case of a no-deal Brexit. Will you be able to buy cheaper gifts at the airport post-Brexit? / AFP via Getty Images When was Brexit? Brexit took place on January 31, 2020 although months of negations will still take place after this date. While the UK has agreed terms of its EU departure, both sides need to work out their future relationship. A transitional period or implementation period will be in place until December 31, 2020. This timeframe will allow both the UK and EU to potentially work out a new free trade agreement. There will be a grace period for the UK and EU / AFP via Getty Images Will duty free make a return after Brexit? The government has said UK citizens travelling to the EU will be able to take advantage of duty free shopping - meaning they will not have to pay duties on cigarettes and alcohol - if Britain leaves the EU without a deal. Boris Johnson is trying to avoid the phrase "no-deal" Btexit, and it has instead been replaced with the term "Australian agreement". The UK and the EU have until the end of the year to hammer out an agreement, with Westminster hoping to be independent of Brussels rules while Europe wants close regulatory alignment. If a deal is not finalised during the transition period duty free is expected to return. In this scenario, a bottle of wine could be as much as 2.23 cheaper when bought in a terminal by a departing passenger. People returning from the EU would have a choice when it comes to duty free goods. They could continue to purchase and bring home unlimited amounts of cigarettes and alcohol with duty paid or instead buy limited amounts at duty-free shops in EU countries. Travelling from the EU, UK citizens could choose duty-free options under a no deal Brexit / AFP via Getty Images In September 2019, Chancellor Sajid Javid said: As we prepare to leave the EU, Im pleased to be able to back British travellers. We want people to enjoy their hard-earned holidays and this decision will help holidaymakers' cash go that little bit further." When can we expect it to come back? As mentioned above, the return of duty free is not as simple as it sounds as it would only apply to Britain if there was no deal after the transition period has finished. The December 31, 2020 grace period can also be extended until 2023. What was the row over cheap booze and cigarettes? A row broke out between the Treasury and the Department for Health and Social Care over an advert promoting the "benefits" of people being able to buy duty free cigarettes and alcohol from the EU in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Health Secretary Matt Hancock criticised the Treasury for an official tweet, which appeared with a video announcing that: "Duty-free shopping with the EU is coming back, if we leave without a deal." Two different government departments came to a head over duty-free no-deal Brexit tweets / AFP via Getty Images Mr Hancock said he did not think the announcement was "seen from within a public health context". While some people mocked the Treasury's announcement others said questions needed to be asked about whether the government had breeched its own rules by promoting cheaper cigarettes. How will travelling to Europe change? Warnings were issued last year about potential restrictions for foreign travel in the event of the UK withdrawing from the EU without an agreement. Quarterly Activities Report Perth, Jan 30, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Hastings Technology Metals Ltd ( ASX:HAS ) ( FRA:5AM ) continued to progress development activities during the quarter with key accomplishments including the following;- 18% increase in Ore Reserves, mine life extended by 2 years to 13 years- 13% increase in Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources- Increase in Total Rare Earths Oxide (TREO) of 8,200t or 5% to 171Kt in the Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource Categories.- Increase in Neodymium and Praseodymium Oxide (Nd2O3+Pr6O11) of 4,000t or 7% to 59Kt in the Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource Categories.- Probable Ore Reserve tonnes increased 18% to 12.20 million tonnes at 1.13%TREO including 0.40% Nd2O3+Pr6O11- Project NPV increased by 6% to A$549 million confirming outstanding project economics.- Capital raising of A$12m was successfully undertaken during the quarter to sophisticated investors and shareholders.- 95% Recovery of Ore and 52% improvement in head grade from bulk ore sorting trialThe Engineering, Procurement, Construction Management (EPCM) contract with DRA was signed on the 18 October 2019 with work including finalising the EPCM services specification, EPCM scope of work and EPCM performance guarantee for the EPCM contract.The gas pipeline engineering development continues with OSD Pipelines managing the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) portion of the study. This will allow the design to be refined to the point where it is ready for permit application purposes and competitive tender pricing. Progress included:- Completion of the ground survey and alignment review.- Cathodic protection survey was undertaken by pipeline corrosion experts.- Constructability review was undertaken by pipeline construction experts. This included consideration for road access, staging areas for pipe laydown yards, temporary accommodation village and water access.The Dampier to Bunbury (DBP) customer requirements form was submitted to Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG) to initiate the process to engineer the off take/metering station. Next steps include finalising heritage and flora/fauna surveys prior to Hastings submitting the required pipeline permits.The Power-station tender package has been developed and has gone out to market with submissions for the construction and operation and maintenance packages due back in late February 2020. The tender package calls for an EPC pricing submission for the construction of the gas fired PowerStation and waste heat recovery system, and for the operation and maintenance of the facility.Hastings has formally nominated preferred construction contractors for structural, mechanical and piping and electrical and instrumentation packages.To view the full quarterly report, please visit:About Hastings Technology Metals Ltd Hastings Technology Metals Ltd (ASX:HAS) (FRA:5AM) is advancing its Yangibana Rare Earths Project in the Upper Gascoyne Region of Western Australia towards production. The proposed beneficiation and hydro metallurgy processing plant will treat rare earths deposits, predominantly monazite, hosting high neodymium and praseodymium contents to produce a mixed rare earths carbonate that will be further refined into individual rare earth oxides at processing plants overseas. Neodymium and praseodymium are vital components in the manufacture of permanent magnets which is used in a wide and expanding range of advanced and high-tech products including electric vehicles, wind turbines, robotics, medical applications and others. Hastings aims to become the next significant producer of neodymium and praseodymium outside of China. Hastings holds 100% interest in the most significant deposits within the overall project, and 70% interest in additional deposits that will be developed at a later date, all held under Mining Leases. Numerous prospects have been identified warranting detailed exploration to further extend the life of the project. Brockman Project The Brockman deposit, near Halls Creek in Western Australia, contains JORC Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources, estimated using the guidelines of JORC Code (2012 Edition). The Company is also progressing a Mining Lease application over the Brockman Rare Earths and Rare Metals Project. Hastings aims to capitalise on the strong demand for critical rare earths created by the expanding demand for new technology products. There were no Ukrainian army casualties in the past day. Russia's hybrid military forces on Wednesday mounted nine attacks on Ukrainian positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine. Read alsoMinsk talks: Parties agree on resuming search for missing persons in Donbas "The armed forces of the Russian Federation violated the ceasefire nine times on January 29," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation said in a Facebook update as of 07:00 Kyiv time on January 30, 2020. The enemy opened fire from proscribed 120mm and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of various systems, heavy machine guns, and small arms near the town of Maryinka, and the villages of Pisky, Lebedynske, Orikhove, Novotoshkivske, and Novoluhanske. There were no Ukrainian army casualties in the past day. Since Thursday midnight, Russian-led forces have been observing the ceasefire. EUGENE, Ore. -- A Eugene mother has been accused of giving her son a black eye and twisting his arm for not cleaning his room, court documents show. Cymbre Valentine, 30, was charged Jan. 20 with first-degree criminal mistreatment. Police said she sent her son to school with a black eye and tried to disguise the bruise with makeup. After a counselor at a Eugene elementary school talked with the boy, it was discovered Valentine had also twisted the boy's arm. Court documents show the boy also told the counselor his mother wanted him to lie and say he had a "freakout" when she was holding him. He also said he was afraid to tell the truth because he believed his mother would hurt him again. Valentine will be back in court March 2. This is a developing story. Coronavirus fears have been sparked in York after a hotel guest reported to be Chinese was rushed to hospital by paramedics said to be wearing hazmat suits and face masks. The visitor was staying at the tourist hotspots Staycity apart-hotel complex when witnesses saw him being treated by medics in protective gear on Wednesday night. His room has since been sealed off and marked for a deep environmental clean, the hotel has said. The mans condition and diagnosis remained unclear early Thursday afternoon with both Public Health England and York Teaching Hospital NHS Trust refusing to provide information. But the sight of paramedics taking such precautionary measures in a UK city centre has sparked concerns that the deadly coronavirus which originated in China may have reached the UK for the first time. 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 In a statement, the Staycity hotel group said it had been in close consultation with PHE. Keith Freeman, chief executive, said: We have been advised that the risk is absolutely minimal and that nothing has been confirmed thus far. The health and safety of our guests and staff are paramount and as such the apartment containing the groups belongings has been sealed off, after which it will undergo a thorough environmental clean and disinfection, as is company policy. Staff initially believed he was Chinese because he appeared to speak the language with fellow guests, a spokesperson said although his nationality has not yet been confirmed Coronavirus originated in the city of Wuhan and has now spread across the country, with more than 7,700 confirmed cases and some 170 deaths. In the last week it has also been reported in 15 other countries including France and Germany. There have been no confirmed cases in the UK so far but 130 people have been tested for coronavirus, most of them travellers who had recently returned from Wuhan. Jetstar Asia has stopped flights to three cities in mainland China as the deadly coronavirus continues to spread. The decision comes as more than 7,000 people globally have been infected with the virus, including nine Australians. At least 162 people have now died, most of whom lived in Wuhan the deserted Chinese city at the heart of the outbreak. Jetstar Asia, a joint venture airline which offers charter flights out of Singapore, will freeze all flights into Hefei, Guiyang and Xuzhou until at least March 31. The final flights into each city will depart Singapore on Thursday. A spokesman for Jetstar Australia told Daily Mail Australia the decision is largely based on a group travel ban which has led to a decreased demand in flights to and from the country. Chinese tourists wearing protective masks queue at Don Mueang airport in Bangkok, Thailand, as they wait to board flights back to China Jetstar will freeze all flights into Hefei, Guiyang and Xuzhou until at least March 31 in an attempt to isolate the disease 'Given Chinas temporary ban placed on international group travel there has been a significant decline in demand for these services which are popular with Chinese travel groups,' he said. 'Services are suspended until 31 March 2020, when the situation will be reviewed again.' Passengers who have been affected by the airline's decision will be contacted and offered a full refund. The decision comes after a Chinese man with coronavirus shared a flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast with up to 200 others when he was sick. Four fellow travellers have already fallen ill. Queensland health authorities are trying to track down everyone who was on the man's Tiger Airways flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on January 27. Pictured: Medical staff with coronavirus patient in Wuhan, China The killer coronavirus outbreak has now killed 162 people and struck down more than 7,000 in 19 different countries. Cases have been spotted in Canada, US, France and Australia He had started to exhibit symptoms of the potentially deadly virus at the time he took the flight, and got steadily sticker after arriving on the Gold Coast. The 44-year-old spent about 24 hours in the community before calling an ambulance and being taken to hospital where tests revealed he had the virus. Queensland's Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young says eight other people were in a tour group with the man, and four of them are sick. 'There are eight other people who were in that tour group and they are all currently in isolation in the Gold Coast University Hospital. Four of them are unwell and being tested today,' she told reporters in Brisbane. 'We'll get those results later today. Four of them are well at this time, but we will continue to monitor them.' Since the outbreak of coronavirus at the end of December, Chinese authorities have placed 56 million people in lockdown. Pictured is a Chinese health worker taking a patient's temperature While the infected Queenslander spent time in Melbourne too, Dr Young said she was most concerned about the people who shared his flight or came into contact with him on the Gold Coast. 'My concern is the 150 to 200 people on that plane when he started getting symptoms, and then the 24 hours in the community on the Gold Coast,' she said. Dr Young said anyone who spent two hours or more exposed to an infectious person in a confined space could be at risk. The flight time from Melbourne to the Gold Coast is about two hours. She said she did not know where the man was staying but media reports say it was in large, high-rise accommodation at Broadbeach. The man came from Wuhan - the Chinese city at the epicentre of the virus outbreak - and flew to Melbourne via Singapore, landing there on January 22 and then heading to the Gold Coast on January 27. Wuhan residents wear facemasks as they wait for medical attention at Wuhan Red Cross Hospital to prevent the spread of the deadly virus which began in the city Tiger Airways says it's in the process of contacting affected passengers and crew members, and would direct them to see their doctors. 'The safety of our passengers and our crew is always our number one priority and we are working closely with the Queensland Health department on this matter,' the airline said in a statement. Anyone who was on the flight has also be urged to call Queensland Health to ensure they take the safest and most appropriate action. Global airlines including British Airways have already suspended all flights to Mainland China to help stop the spread of the disease. Others across the globe have significantly cut back their fleet's trips to the nation. Qantas is monitoring the situation and will follow health warnings. A former lawmaker representing Kaduna central senatorial district in the National Assembly, Senator Shehu Sani, has been released from the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission after perfecting his bail conditions. Sani, who is facing trial for alleged name-dropping and extortion of $24,000, had spent four weeks in the EFCC custody before being released on Thursday. Photographs showing the embattled ex-lawmaker had flooded the internet and social media. An EFCC official confirmed the development. The Federal High Court in Abuja had, on Monday, granted bail to the former senator in the sum of N10m. The judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, granted his bail application after Sani was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on two counts of fraud involving alleged extortion of $25,000 from a businessman in November 2019. He was said to have fraudulently represented the money as bribe for the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the acting Chairman of EFCC. The former senator, who was produced in court for the first time on Monday since his arrest and detention by the EFCC on December 31, 2019, pleaded not guilty to the two counts. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Diamond Princess is the first cruise liner to have arrived in the port in the Year of the Rat. The cruise tourists are from various countries in America, Europe and Asia. They are scheduled to visit Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO-recognised World Natural Heritage Site, and take a city tour to places of interest in Ha Long City, before casting off towards Hong Kong (China). Japans Diamond Princess, built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Co., Ltd., is one of the countys largest vessels at nearly 280 metres long with a capacity of up to 2,700 passengers. The five-star fleet offers cruise trips to Asian countries including Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Brunei, Hong Kong (China), China, and Japan. He made me confront a lot of things that I didnt know that I could do. He proves that you dont have to be limited to a reality that is currently here. There is more inside us, and there is more that we have to give birth to in our world. That is the hope that he presents to me. A pizza restaurant has taken the extreme step of screening its customers for symptoms of the coronavirus before allowing them to step inside their building. Verace Pizzeria, in Sydney's north, issued the warning to its customers this week as the number of Australians infected with the deadly virus continues to rise - with nine cases now confirmed. 'We take the health and safety of all our customers and staff extremely seriously and as a result have decided to impose health restrictions on all people entering our restaurant,' the Facebook post read. Verace Pizzeria, in Sydney's north, issued the warning to its customers this week as the number of Australians infected with the deadly virus continues to rise - with nine cases now confirmed (stock image pictured) A pizza restaurant has taken the extreme step of screening its customers for symptoms of the coronavirus before allowing them to step inside their building (pictured: Verace Pizzeria, in Sydney's north) 'No person of any age or nationality will be allowed to enter the restaurant if they present with ANY flu like symptoms including but not limited to; running nose, coughing, sore throat, fever or signs of any upper respiratory infection. The post said the restriction was in place to ensure their 'extremely busy restaurant helps prevent any spread of the virus to the people of Sydney'. 'We want you to leave our restaurant with a smile, a full belly and perfect health.' The restriction is in place until further notice. The restaurants new policy has drawn a mixed reaction, with some saying they are being 'over the top'. The Verace Pizzeria owner told Daily Mail Australia they were within their rights to protect their staff and customers by implementing any health policy they deem appropriate. He said it was no different to policies some schools put in place to protect children from the spread of disease. 'If you're sick, be responsible,' he said. 'We have a duty of care to our staff and our customers and we are able to enforce health regulations. 'It's a general courtesy not to come into a restaurant when you are sick.' The owner said in most cases they were flexible with someone coming in sick but with the coronavirus they wanted to do their part preventing it from spreading further. 'Given the severity of the virus ... we want to play our part to keep its spread small.' The restaurant is known for its globally award winning pizza and as a result people travel from all over Sydney to eat there. The warning comes as two more cases are confirmed in Australia - taking the total number to nine (Pictured: Passengers wearing protective masks arrive at Sydney International Airport in Sydney, Thursday) Verace Pizzeria, in Sydney's north, issued the warning to its customers this week as the number of Australians infected with the deadly virus continues to rise - with nine cases now confirmed 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 'Do you have to pass a medical to eat at your restaurant?' one person asked. However, others thought the restriction was a good idea. 'Hopefully by doing this you guys have set the example for other busy places and encourage unwell people to isolate themselves,' one woman wrote. The disease, which has killed at least 162 people around the world, is believed to have come from Wuhan, a city of 11 million people. The virus is believed to have spread from the Huanan Wholesale Seafood Market. Such 'wet' markets sell meat and seafood alongside live animals such as dogs, rats, snakes, civets and supposedly koalas. The proximity of people to live and dead animals makes it easy for humans to contract viruses. The SARS virus which broke out in 2003 also likely started in wet markets. SARS was originally hosted by bats which infected other animals. Those animals transmitted SARS to humans. All but around 70 of the more than 6,000 cases so far identified have been in China, mostly in and around Wuhan. Symptoms of the virus include fever, cough, sore throat and shortness of breath The other countries with confirmed cases include Australia, Cambodia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, the UAE, the United States, and Vietnam. The Chinese government has put Wuhan into virtual quarantine to try and stop the spread of the virus. A number of foreign governments have advised against non-essential travel to China and have begun flying their citizens out of Wuhan. By Trend Azerbaijan's Central Election Commission (CEC) has been holding exit-polls in the country since 2005, CEC Deputy Chairman Rovzat Gasimov said at a meeting of the commission on Jan. 29, Trend reports. To this date, there have not been any serious differences between the results of organizations holding the exit-polls, and official results. There are several organizations in Azerbaijan that are quite experienced in this field," he said. Gasimov also added that conducting exit-polls is very important. The parliamentary election in Azerbaijan will be held on February 9. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz San Francisco, Jan. 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Dawoodi Bohras, a global Muslim faith with approximately one million members, are stepping up efforts to clean coastlines and rivers in their communities around the world. The Bohras Turning the Tide initiative part of a global drive to eliminate single-use plastic and rid bodies of water of plastic pollution involves men, women, and children of the faith regularly volunteering in cities ranging from San Francisco to Dubai to Mumbai to clean up waterways in their neighborhoods and encourage everyone to lead more sustainable lives, with the goal to #BeatPlasticPollution. Taikhoom Mohiyuddin, a member of the Turning the Tide initiative, said, Plastic pollution is choking our marine ecosystems, wildlife and human health. We are all responsible for plastic pollution. But, by working together, we really can turn things around. That is why Bohras all over the world under the guidance and instruction of the Head of our community, His Holiness Dr. Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin are working harder than ever to clear up our rivers and coastlines, and help others reconnect with nature. Turning the Tide is a global effort by the Bohras: Bohras in San Francisco, USA, regularly clean up and restore the Alameda Creek near Masjid-e-Mohammedi in Fremont, removing trash and invasive plants. In Mumbai, India, Bohras have joined forces with Afroz Shah, environmental activist and United Nations Champion of the Earth, to expand beach-cleaning operations and to highlight the problem of marine pollution. In Kenya, students of the Nairobi campus of Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah, the Bohras world-class Arabic university, spend their weekends cleaning and rejuvenating the Mbagathi River. In Singapore, community members recently braved high temperatures to clear plastic pollution from a 1.15 kilometer stretch of beach, collecting over 20 kilograms of recyclable and non-recyclable waste. Bohras in Dubai, UAE and Vancouver, Canada have initiated clean-up drives of local streets and parks. A new video by the Bohras, Turning the Tide Against Plastic Pollution The Dawoodi Bohras, explains more about the initiative and calls on everyone to harbor a greater sense of responsibility to the environment. The video can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXXdIQNOnlo&feature=youtu.be. Mr. Mohiyuddin continued, For many years, the Dawoodi Bohra community has been leading practical efforts to protect and enhance the environment. Nurturing nature is something that Bohra communities everywhere do on a daily basis. But now the need to act is becoming more urgent and widespread. Plastic pollution is a major factor that affects us and generations to come. The Dawoodi Bohra community has stepped up to the challenge to beat plastic pollution once and for all. Speaking in the video, U.N. Champion of the Earth Afroz Shah said of the Dawoodi Bohras, They are very very ecologically sensitive. Their love for nature is unprecedented. And this stems from their faith and belief that we exist as a species on this planet with other species. The Dawoodi Bohra faith is renowned the world over for its community service. Turning the Tide is part of Project Rise a global Dawoodi Bohra initiative working in partnership with government bodies and local organizations around the world to help alleviate hunger, raise health and hygiene levels among children and families, and preserve and protect the environment. Reducing single-use disposable plastic is an important part of this program. For example, over 27,000 Bohras that recently gathered in Sri Lanka to commemorate Ashara Mubaraka, an annual event in the Dawoodi Bohra calendar, eliminated all food waste by controlling portions and distributing leftovers to the homeless and needy, and avoided all single-use plastic products. About the Dawoodi Bohras Dawoodi Bohras are Muslims hailing mainly from West India. With approximately one million members around the world, Bohras play important roles in their local societies. As part of a deep commitment to their faith, Bohras place great emphasis on women empowerment, enhancing the natural environment, engagement with other faiths, a love for ones country, and personal health and hygiene. Many of the values at the core of the Bohra faith including eradicating poverty and hunger, improving health and education, empowering women, avoiding waste, and preserving the natural environment align very closely with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. For centuries, Bohras have been living their daily lives according to these principles, taking practical action to support members of society who most need help. For more information, please visit www.thedawoodibohras.com. Attachments A Co Kildare teacher living in the Chinese city at the centre of the deadly coronavirus outbreak in recent days has said that he is wearing swimming goggles and a mask to try prevent himself from contracting the virus. Ben Kavanagh is originally from Kilcullen and he is working as a teacher in Wuhan, the capital of central Chinas Hubei province. The city is at the centre of the contagious infection, which has been linked to a seafood market, and it has a population of 11 million people with over 2,000 cases reported in the city. Speaking to the Leader this week, Ben explained that he has lived in Wuhan for almost two years. I teach psychology to high school students and I also still have family in Kildare, my family are also living in Athy at the moment, he said. Ben said people in Wuhan are taking precautionary measures such as wearing surgical masks as the virus forces the city into emergency lock-down mode. All of the schools are closed including the high school where I work, they were closed for the Chinese New Year which has been extended in the country due to this virus. Im in my flat just taking it easy. I went out for a big shop on Sunday to the shops to get supplies that I needed, the shops were well stocked with food and water and toiletries. People are pretty worried, it seems that the elderly people are most at risk, but at the moment it seems like theres nothing to do except sweat it out, said Ben. "It is almost as if you are suspicious of everyone else. If you heard anyone cough you would be terrified. It has gotten to the stage where you are fearful of other people even though we are all probably healthy and it is only really affecting the elderly, he said. Ben was due to fly out of the area to Amsterdam next week but the flight has since been cancelled, with all flights cancelled out of and into Chinese cities. In fairness the airlines have been really understanding, theyre reimbursing people who cant leave the country, he explained. However, there are fears that the lockdown could continue into March. I am hoping it is not another three month thing like SARS but I wouldn't be surprised. Being cautious is most important. I am as safe as I can be. There is no need to worry unless its time to worry, I used my surgical mask and my goggles whenever I went out and Im home now so Ill be staying put for the time being, he said. It is understood that no cases of coronavirus have been reported in Ireland, but staff in airports and in the health service have been told to be on heightened awareness of people with respiratory symptoms who have returned from Wuhan in China. Arrangements have been made for a special incident response team from the ambulance services to transport suspected cases of infection to hospital, where patients will be placed in isolation. GPs have been told to isolate patients who satisfy these criteria in side-rooms, pending transfer to hospital. Symptoms of the coronavirus include flu symptoms such as a runny nose, headache, cough, sore throat, as well as a general feeling of being unwell. The Senate impeachment session for Thursday ended. The trial is expected to begin again on Friday at 1 pm. Below is a recap of how things played out. Direct evidence? Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, presented one of the final questions of the evening, asking if there was any evidence that anyone was directed by President Trump to tell the Ukrainians that security assistance was being held on condition of investigation into the Bidens?" House Manager Adam Schiff said there were two pieces of direct evidence of the conditioning of aid: U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondlands testimony, and the statements from acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney. The president made the direct link to Ambassador Sondland, and Sondland talked with the Ukrainians about the linkage, Schiff explained. Schiff also mentioned Mulvaneys press conference in which the Trump administration aide had told reporters aid had been contingent on the opening of investigations, though Mulvaney later walked the remarks back. Michael Purpura, counsel to the President, disagreed. "In the House record before us, there was no evidence that the president told anyone to tell the Ukrainians that the aid was linked. He cited Sondlands testimony and Sen. Ron Johnsons statements that Trump had told them there was no quid pro quo and no connection between investigations and aid. Former Republican senator calls for witnesses in Senate trial Late Thursday evening, former Sen. John Warner, a Republican who represented Virginia from 1979 until 2009, issued a statement calling for witnesses in the Senate trial of President Donald Trump. "As a lifelong Republican and a retired member of the U.S. Senate, who once served as a juror in a Presidential impeachment trial, I am mindful of the difficult responsibilities those currently serving now shoulder," Warner said. Warner said the Senate could not risk Americans believing the trial was a "sham" because of a lack of additional evidence, so he would urge the Senate to follow "judicial norms" and welcome "relevant witnesses and documents as part of this impeachment trial." Story continues During President Bill Clinton's trial, Warner voted against charges of perjury but for obstruction of justice. - Nicholas Wu Murkowski asks why Senators shouldnt call John Bolton as a witnesses Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska., who is a potential swing vote, asked White House lawyers Thursday night why the Senate should not call former national security adviser John Bolton since the reported comments in his upcoming book contradict the president's legal team. This dispute about material facts weighs in favor of calling additional witnesses with direct knowledge, the question asked, also pointing out the contradictions between Ambassador Gordan Sondland, Sen. Johnson, and Bolton on whether there was a quid pro quo. Why should this body not call Ambassador Bolton?" Philbin answered that the Senate shouldn't finish the House's job in terms of witnesses while adding Bolton hasn't verified reports about his manuscript. Ambassador Bolton has not come out to verify that to my knowledge, but then we should have this chamber called new witnesses and establish the new normal for impeachment proceedings as being that there doesn't have to be a complete investigation in the House, I think that is very damaging for the future of this institution, Philbin said. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., grimaced slightly as his name was mentioned when Chief Justice John Roberts read out the question. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., an undecided vote on witnesses, looked up from the book he was reading and stared over at Murkowski. Bolton allegedly wrote in the book that Trump demanded Ukraine investigate a political rival in exchange for foreign aid, an accusation that is central to the impeachment case against the president. - Savannah Behrmann, Nicholas Wu Democrats see hope in having Chief Justice Roberts break a tie Senate Democrats see hope in having Chief Justice John Roberts break a potential 50-50 tie vote on witnesses tomorrow. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, told USA TODAY Roberts should help break ties on witnesses. "I would like him to step up for the traditional system and help us bring witnesses," Brown said. Roberts should absolutely break a tie, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., told USA TODAY. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., told reporters Roberts has "got the precedent if he wants to use it." "In Andrew Johnson's impeachment trial, the Chief Justice broke two ties in terms of the questions of the visibility around witnesses and evidence, so he's got the precedent if he wants to use it," Coons explained. One Senate Democrat, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., submitted a question during the trial pointed at Roberts and his role in the process. At a time where large majorities of Americans have lost faith in government, does the fact that the Chief Justice is presiding over an impeachment trial in which Republican senators have thus refused witnesses or evidence contribute to the loss of legitimacy of the Chief Justice, Supreme Court of the United States and Constitution? Warren's question read. Republicans disagreed. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., a former clerk for Roberts, told reporters he would be surprised if he broke the tie. Hawley explained the prior precedent for then-Chief Justice Salmon P. Chases tie-breaking votes during Johnsons impeachment trial was fiercely controversial, with multiple motions introduced in the Senate to try to overturn them, though they all failed. I think he would probably take an out because it gets political at that point, said Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind. -Nicholas Wu and Savannah Behrman Ex-Giuliani associate gives more material to impeachment investigators Brace yourself for the possibility that House impeachment investigators might disclose more information from Lev Parnas, the Ukraine-born businessman who helped President Donald Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, seek damaging information about former Vice President Joe Biden. Parnas' attorney, Joseph Bondy, told a federal judge in New York on Thursday his office has downloaded material from his client's Apple iCloud account and turned it over to the House Intelligence Committee. "We're doing everything possible to cooperate" with a subpoena issued last year, Bondy said. More material will be handed over as it is downloaded, he said, adding that he might make some of it public even if impeachment investigators do not. During a Wednesday news conference with Parnas outside the U.S. Capitol, Bondy told reporters some of Parnas' material could implicate Trump. Bondy discussed the evidence after a hearing in a campaign finance case in which Parnas, business associate Igor Fruman, and two co-defendants are charged with funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars in foreign money to U.S. election candidates and committees. The case includes a $325,000 contribution that Parnas and Fruman allegedly made under false pretenses to a super PAC supporting Trump. Unlike Fruman, Parnas has broken ranks with Giuliani and Trump who maintains he does not know Parnas, despite a video showing Parnas with his arm on the president's shoulder during a gathering at Trump's Mar-a-Lago mansion in Florida. Another hearing in the case is set for Monday. Attorneys for all but one defendant said their clients would prefer to waive their right to attend. But not Parnas. "We couldn't keep him away, your honor," Bondy said. - Kevin McCoy Trumps lawyers say Giuliani did not carry out U.S. diplomacy The first bipartisan question of the trial came from Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Susan Collins, R-Me., Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., and Joe Manchin, D-W.V., to Trumps lawyers, asking them to assure the American public private citizens would not carry out American diplomacy. "I want to make clear that there was no conduct of foreign policy being carried out here by a private person, said Deputy Counsel Patrick Philbin, noting the question likely referred to Trumps personal attorney Rudy Giuliani. Witnesses in the impeachment inquiry described Giuliani as part of a parallel track of American diplomacy to pressure Ukraine to open politically motivated investigations, and Giuliani has said his actions in Ukraine were part of legal work to defend his client, Trump. The presidents policy is always to abide by the laws and continue to do so, Philbin said, responding to a part of the question that noted unauthorized diplomacy by U.S. citizens was prohibited under the Logan Act. Philbin also referenced precedent from previous presidents who had asked private citizens to act as messengers to foreign countries, as President George Washington had asked Gouverneur Morris to do with France. That is a remarkable admission, House Manager Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said later in the trial. They have now acknowledged that the person in charge of this was not conducting policy. So the investigations that Giuliani was charged with trying to get Ukraine to announce were not policy, Schiff said. Instead, they were domestic political errands, Schiff argued. - Nicholas Wu McConnell huddles with key vote hours before witness vote Hours before the Senate will decide whether it will consider additional witnesses and documents as part of the president's impeachment trial, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell huddled with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a key vote, for several minutes on the Senate floor during a break. While the two were talking, Sen. Susan Collins, another key Republican vote, was approached by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, one of the Democrats who is thought to be considering Trump's acquittal. The two locked arms and Manchin escorted Collins to the back of the chamber, where the pair talked for several minutes then left together. Manchin also greeted Sen. John Thune, the Republican whip attempting to unify the GOP in voting against witnesses, with a handshake that turned into a hug. - Christal Hayes Trumps lawyer claims Trump didn't ask Ukrainian president to investigate the Bidens Several Republican senators asked both President Donald Trumps lawyers and Democratic impeachment managers under what circumstances a president could request a foreign country to investigate a US citizen including a political rival who is not under investigation. Deputy Counsel Patrick Philbin answered the question by going back to the record of Trumps July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump had asked Zelensky to do us a favor and look into allegations against former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden. Philbin, however, asserted that Trump had not called for an investigation necessarily into Vice President Biden or his son, but the situation in which the prosecutor had been fired, referring to the ouster of Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin. Republicans have argued Trumps conduct on the call was justified because of his concerns about the Bidens and corruption. Philbin continued, arguing that potential malfeasance by an American overseas would be perfectly legitimate" to ask about, even if its not something that would mean a criminal investigation here in the United States. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Me., Roy Blunt, R-Mo., Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, had posed the question. Collins is a key undecided vote on both allowing witnesses and Trumps conviction or acquittal. Democrats disagreed. House Manager Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said it would be hard for me to contemplate circumstances where that would be appropriate. Citing reforms made after the Watergate scandal, Schiff said such an ask would be contrary to the history of our legal traditions. - Nicholas Wu Schiff cites the Justice Departments argument against Trumps lawyers Arguing in support of the obstruction of Congress charge, House Manager Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., cited arguments made by Department of Justice lawyers today about the remedy for failure to comply with subpoenas. Schiff said the Justice Department had argued Congress had the power to impeach the president if subpoenas were ignored an incongruity, he said, that was in the category of you cant make this stuff up, What more evidence do you need of the bad faith of this effort to cover up?, Schiff asked senators. Trumps defense team has argued throughout the trial that the president cannot be impeached over failure to comply with subpoenas because of executive privilege. The Democratic side of the chamber erupted in laughter and sounds of exasperation as Schiff spoke, and many Democrats looked at each other and shook their heads in disbelief. Senator Jeff Merkley, D-OR., threw his hands up in the air. As Schiff kept speaking, and eventually answered the original question from Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, about the withholding of aid to Ukraine, many Republican chambers left the chamber and walked into their cloakroom off the Senate floor. By the end of Schiffs remarks, USA TODAY counted 13 empty seats on the Republican side of the chamber. - Nicholas Wu and Savannah Behrmann Jeffries: US 'is not a banana republic' Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, one of the House managers in the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, declared that the United States is not a banana republic in blasting the presidents willingness to accept information from foreigners in his political campaign. Its wrong in the United States of America, said Jeffries, D-N.Y. This is not a banana republic. The articles of impeachment accuse Trump of pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, while withholding $391 million in military aid. Jeffries was responding to a question from Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., about the implications of foreign countries interfering in U.S. elections. The House managers had just played a video of Trump telling ABC News in the Oval Office that he would listen to what a foreign country offered. Another video featured Trump outside the White House telling reporters that China should investigate Biden. Theres nothing wrong with listening, Trump told ABC News. If somebody called from a country Norway we have information on your opponent. Id think Id want to hear it. Its not an interference. They have information. I think Id take it. But Jeffries said Trump and his defense team were wrong, that foreign interference is illegal and disqualifying. He quoted FBI Director Christopher Wray saying the FBI would want to know about foreign election interference. Jeffries also quoted Ellen Weintraub, a member of the Federal Election Committee, who issued a statement on June 13, 2019, about foreign influence. I would not have thought that I needed to say this. pic.twitter.com/T743CsXq79 Ellen L Weintraub (@EllenLWeintraub) June 13, 2019 It is illegal for any person to solicit, accept or receive anything of value from a foreign national in connection with a U.S. election, Weintraub said. This is not a novel concept. Electoral interference from foreign governments has been considered unacceptable since the beginnings of our nation. In a fiery summation, Jeffries said foreign influence is at the heart of the case about why the Senate should remove Trump from office. It is wrong. It is corrupt. It is lawless. Its an abuse of power. Its impeachable, Jeffries said. And it should lead to the removal of President Donald John Trump. - Bart Jansen Justice Roberts refuses to read question from Sen. Rand Paul WASHINGTON Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., submitted a question during the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump that Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts refused to read. The presiding officer declines to read the question as submitted, said Roberts, who did not offer further explanation. Paul walked out of the chamber after Roberts declined the question. He told reporters his question didnt name the alleged whistleblower - although his question, which he wrote in a tweet, mentioned the name of an official some Republicans have speculated is the whistleblower. The question revived allegations from some Trump allies that the whistleblower conspired with a House committee staff member to reveal information that would lead to the presidents impeachment. Paul did not offer evidence for the claim. It was an incorrect finding to not allow a question, Paul said, but declined to say why he did not force a vote to overrule Roberts. Before the question, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., opened the question session by assuring Roberts that the Senate would respect his "unique position in reading in reading our questions." I want to be able to continue to assure him that that level of consideration for him will continue," he said. - Bart Jansen Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill on Thursday. Pelosi: Trump 'will not be acquitted' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that President Donald Trump can't be exonerated if senators don't call witnesses in his impeachment trial. He will not be acquitted, Pelosi told reporters. You cannot be acquitted if you dont have a trial. And you dont have a trial if you dont have witnesses and documentation. The speaker was responding to repeated questions from reporters about Democrats next move if the Senate clears Trump. Were still prayerful, hopeful, she insisted, that the Senate will have the courage to hear the truth. Does she think Trump will be chastened and understand that Congress is watching him, she was asked, or will he be emboldened? Pelosi restated the question before answering. Does the president know right from wrong? I dont think so, she said. Thats all I can say. Attempt to block book: Donald Trump security officials threaten to block publication of John Bolton's book House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks during a press conference Thursday in the U.S. Capitol. Channeling Paul Revere, Pelosi warned that democracy and the nations system of government are at stake. The Russians are coming. The Russians are coming, she said. And the president has led a clear path for them to interfere, once again, in our election as they are currently doing. Pelosi, who has said before that all roads lead to Russia, added: I dont know what the Russians have on the president, politically, personally or financially, but he doesnt see Russia as an adversary. Maureen Groppe Dershowitz responds to criticism of 'mixed motives' argument Trump defense attorney Alan Dershowitz pushed back Thursday against criticism of his argument during the first day of questions in the trial that said it was not impeachable for elected officials to act for their own political benefit if they believe their election is in the public interest. He said that engaging in a quid pro quo that broke the law, or was for personal financial gain, would be impeachable, however. Critics, such as 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, said Dershowitzs argument placed the president above the law and paved the way for unrestrained abuses of power. And many compared it to former President Richard Nixons infamous declaration that no presidential act can be considered illegal. Dershowitz said his argument was being willfully misconstrued and elaborated on his answer in a series of tweets. He said he was responding to the House impeachment managers claim that any electoral benefit would constitute an impeachable quid pro quo. He said his point was that a president could act out of mixed motives that were both in the national interest and his or her own political interest. - William Cummings Alan Dershowitz: Trump lawyer Dershowitz argues president can't be impeached for an act he thinks will help his reelection Another 8 hours of questions on tap Thursday The Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump resumes Thursday with up to another eight hours of questions to House Democrats prosecuting the case and the presidents defense team. The second and final question session begins at 1 p.m. With opening arguments out of the way for each side, the question phase sets up pivotal votes Friday about whether the Senate will call witnesses such as former national security adviser John Bolton. Many of the questions Wednesday focused on Bolton because the New York Times reported that his pending book says Trump demanded Ukraine investigate his political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, in exchange for military aid. Trump has denied saying it and his defense team attacked Bolton as a disgruntled former worker. 'Is that true?': Here are questions senators asked during Trump's impeachment trial Bolton's accusation could serve as confirmation of the central House impeachment allegation. But the National Security Council contends the book contains classified information, which could hinder its publication scheduled in March. The House managers led by Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., contend that the trial wont be fair unless the Senate calls witnesses such as Bolton and acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney. But Trumps defense team called the House case half-baked and said if witnesses were necessary, the House should have called them. Trumps team also said the testimony could potentially be blocked by executive privilege, in order to protect confidential advice from top aides. Several questions focused on the burden of proof senators should weigh in deciding whether to convict Trump and remove him from office. The presidents removal is unlikely because it would require a two-thirds majority in a chamber with 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats. What are senators thinking?: Senators' questions at Trump impeachment trial show most minds are made up Trumps team has argued that the impeachment is unconstitutional because it isnt based on violations of criminal statute, but on vague accusations of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The defense lawyers argued that the House managers should have to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt, as with a criminal case. House managers contend that the article on abuse of power has been used in past impeachment inquiries against former Presidents Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton. In this case, Schiff said the charge is akin to bribery or extortion because Trump demanded an investigation in exchange for $391 million in military aid. The House managers said senators should use their own judgment in deciding whether to remove Trump. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Senate impeachment trial of Trump resumes with questions The Lake County coroner's office is seeking the public's help in finding relatives of a deceased woman. The woman's roommate indicated to the coroner's office that the deceased's name is Pamela Lindsey, with a last known address of 440 Pierce St. in Gary, according to a news release. She was found dead Tuesday at the Pierce street home. She is an African American female. She is 5 feet, 3 inches tall, and about 164 pounds with natural black and gray hair. Anyone with information regarding Lindsey can call the Lake County coroners office at 219-755-3265. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. India has over 5,000 years of history, can't consider Gandhi as father of nation: Savarkar's grandson Kangana now targets Mahatma Gandhi, says 'offering another cheek' gets 'bheek' not freedom We want Mahatma Gandhi's India, people of Kashmir cannot live with Godse's India: Mehbooba Mufti Why January 30 is observed as Martyrs Day 2020 or Shaheed Diwas? India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Jan 30: Fifteen countries in the world including India, celebrate Martyrs' Day to give respect to their freedom fighters. And in India, Shaheed Diwas is celebrated every year on January 30 and March 23 to pay homage to the victims who fought for the freedom, glory, welfare and progress of India. Why is Martyrs' Day celebrated on January 30? Mahatma Gandhi, the most renowned name in the history of India's freedom struggle was assassinated by Nathuram Godse at Gandhi Smriti in the Birla House during evening prayers on January 30, 1948. He was 78 at that time. The day is also observed as Martyrs Day. He was a strong supporter of maintaining India as a secular and a non-violent nation due to which he had been facing criticism. Nation pays homage to the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi on his 72nd death anniversary today. March 23 is also marked as Martyrs' Day because Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were hanged on that day. EU Parliament postpones voting on resolution against CAA, India hails it as diplomatic win|Oneindia How is Shaheed Diwas celebrated? On the occasion of Martyrs Day, the president of India, vice president, prime minister and defence minister come together at Rajghat, Mahatma Gandhi's Samadhi. All dignitaries pay homage to Gandhi and remember his brave contributions during the freedom struggle. The Armed Forces personnel and Inter-services Contingent of the country give an honourable salute to the martyrs. The people gathered at the place keep silence for 2 minutes in the memory of Bapu and other martyrs of the country. Pennsylvania wants to be a player in the presidential primary, instead of an afterthought. The state Senate on Wednesday unanimously approved a bill that would move up Pennsylvanias primary elections in presidential election years by five weeks, starting in 2024, in a state where critics say its presidential primary clout is often diminished by its relatively late vote. The change would mean holding Pennsylvania's primary election on the third Tuesday in March in all presidential election years, rather than what current law dictates, the fourth Tuesday in April. The bill goes to the state House of Representatives for consideration. This year, Pennsylvania's primary election is April 28, among the last states to vote, despite Pennsylvania's having the fifth-most pledged delegates in the competitive Democratic presidential nominating contest. The bill's sponsor, Sen. John Gordner, R-Columbia, said the change would allow Pennsylvania voters to have a significant say in the outcome of presidential primaries, while not violating any rules of the Democratic National Committee or the Republican National Committee. This year, Pennsylvanias primary will be held the same day as those in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maryland and Delaware. Arizona, Florida, Ohio and Illinois are holding primary elections this year on the third Tuesday in March. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Indeed, the worlds no.1 job site, has partnered with TikTok, worlds leading destination for short format videos to launch their new campaign #IndeedPeDhoondo. Targeted at millennials and Gen Z, this campaign aims to create awareness about how the job search experience can be a simple process on a platform like Indeed. If there is any job on the internet, you can find it on Indeed, and this is the proposition that the brand conveys through this tie-up. Set to a catchy rap verse, Indeeds new campaign grabs the attention of potential job seekers and introduces them to the brand that can help them find their dream job. In line with its earlier campaigns, Indeed continues to work towards creating awareness among job seekers while strengthening its audience connect by leveraging newer channels that are native to the latest cohort to join the workforce. Indeed has teamed up with popular creators of TikTok to start conversations around #IndeedPeDhoondo. The creator community of the platform is coming together to spread awareness about the challenges one encounters when searching for a job, and how Indeed offers a one-stop job search solution. The campaigns key message centres on urging the new India towards employment, through Indeeds seamless and user-friendly job search options. Speaking about the partnership, Sashi Kumar, Managing Director, Indeed India said, Our mission is to help people get jobs, and we work consistently to empower job seekers to find the job that is best suited to them through our offerings. With a platform like TikTok that hosts a varied and expansive user base comprising millennials and Gen Z, it is the perfect place for us to engage with job seekers. Indeed understands the requirements of the Indian job seeker, and aims to engage with the digital natives on their preferred platform. Sachin Sharma, Director Sales & Partnership, TikTok India said, TikTok has championed the art of creative content marketing with its unique ad formats. This partnership is a testament to TikTok being an effective platform for brands belonging to diverse verticals. #IndeedPeDhoondo is a unique campaign that targets the millennial and Gen Z audience on the platform. We are very excited to see the users benefit from this collaboration and continue our quest to bring more such relevant campaigns for our users. U.S. Arrests Harvard Chemistry Professor For 'Making False Statements' About China Ties 2020-01-29 -- The head of Harvard University's chemistry and chemical biology department, Charles Lieber, has been charged with making false statements about funding he received from the Chinese government. Lieber had lied about his involvement in the Chinese government-backed Thousand Talents Program that brought him a monthly salary of up to U.S.$50,000 and additional living expenses, according to an affidavit filed by the FBI and posted on the Department of Justice (DOJ) website. "Dr. Charles Lieber, 60, Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University, was arrested this morning and charged by criminal complaint with one count of making a materially false, fictitious and fraudulent statement," the DOJ said in a statement. Lieber was also given more than U.S. $1.5 million by the Chinese government and the Wuhan University of Technology (WUT) to set up a lab and conduct research at that university, the statement said. Lieber made the allegedly false statements to the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health amid a nationwide probe into allegations that U.S.-based scientists have been stealing research for other countries, most of which have involved China, it said. "On or about, April 24, 2018, during an interview with investigators, Lieber stated that he was never asked to participate in the Thousand Talents Program, but he "wasn't sure" how China categorized him," the DOJ said. He repeated the denial when investigators contacted Harvard, suspecting that there was in fact a relationship with WUT, it said. According to The New York Times, there are at least 180 investigations looking into intellectual property theft at 71 institutions across the U.S., with the Thousand Talents "foreign experts" program a major focus of the investigations. Investigators are also alleging that he signed a research cooperation agreement with WUT on behalf of Harvard without the authority to do so. Lieber was required to disclose any foreign collaborations and funding arrangements as a condition of the funding he also received from the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health, the DOJ statement said. Administrative leave He has been barred from Harvard's campus and placed on administrative leave, according to technology website The Verge. "The charges brought by the U.S. government against Professor Lieber are extremely serious," the university told the publication. "Harvard is cooperating with federal authorities, including the National Institutes of Health, and is conducting its own review of the alleged misconduct," Harvard said in an emailed statement sent to The Verge. According to the DOJ, China's Thousand Talents Program is one of the most prominent schemes used by the ruling Chinese Communist Party to attract, recruit, and cultivate high-level scientific talent to further the country's scientific development, economic prosperity and national security. "These talent programs seek to lure Chinese overseas talent and foreign experts to bring their knowledge and experience to China and reward individuals for stealing proprietary information," it said. Anyone found guilty of making false, fictitious and fraudulent statements could face up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of U.S.$250,000. The DOJ said the charges are currently only allegations, and that defendants are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law. French current affairs commentator Wang Longmeng said the Thousand Talents Program had a long history of attempts to steal high technology from around the world. "[Some] scholars and officials who live in a democratic system and enjoy all its freedoms will aid and abet those who would harm it for personal gain," Wang said. "Western countries should get hold of a list of those recruited to China's Thousand Talents Program and investigate them one by one," he said. Reported by Ng Yik-tung and Sing Man for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Jia Ao for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. 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 Knitted pale green silk vest or waistcoat said to have been worn by Charles I at his execution (Museum Of London/PA) A vest said to have been worn by Charles I at his execution is going on display on the anniversary of his death. The vest has stains on its front, which could be sweat, vomit or another substance. King Charles I was found guilty of treason and beheaded outside Banqueting House in Whitehall, London, on January 30 1649. Following his decapitation, the monarchs body was undressed and several items of clothing were given to people who had watched the execution. Expand Close Fragments of a cloak said to have been worn by Charles I at his execution (Museum Of London) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Fragments of a cloak said to have been worn by Charles I at his execution (Museum Of London) When given to the Museum of London in 1925, the vest came with a note of authentication attached, stating it was worn by Charles I on the day he was beheaded. It said the garment, made from fine, high-quality, pale blue-green silk, was handed to the physician who attended him. The Museum of London also holds other items said to be from Charles Is execution, such as gloves, fragments of a cloak and a handkerchief. They will go on display in an exhibition exploring public execution in Londons history through the stories, objects and legacies of those that lived, died and witnessed events from 1196 to 1868. Expand Close King Charles Is gloves (Museum Of London) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp King Charles Is gloves (Museum Of London) Video of the Day Curator Meriel Jeater said: Its important to remember that public executions were not reserved only for the distinguished, but that thousands of ordinary Londoners were sentenced to death for many types of crime, from the most serious offences to those that we would consider minor today. The exhibition covers nearly 700 years, a time when public executions were more frequent in London than any other town, attracting huge crowds several times a year at locations across the capital. Public executions became embedded in the landscape and culture of London, influencing peoples everyday lives. Hints of this uncomfortable past can still be seen in the citys streets today and Executions will allow visitors to explore this grim but fascinating aspect of Londons history through a major exhibition for the first time. Executions opens on October 16 at the Museum Of London. HAVE A NOTE? Or a Sez You? E-mail them to notester@thesunchronicle.com or drop them in snail mail addressed to Restaurant Notes, The Sun Chronicle, Box 600, Attleboro, MA 02703. joe and hunter biden Teresa Kroeger/Getty Images for World Food Program USA Senators are preparing for a vote, expected on Friday, on whether to call witnesses to testify in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial. Democrats are pushing to hear from four key witnesses, including acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and former national security adviser John Bolton. The majority of Republicans oppose calling witnesses, but if at least four defect from their party on the issue, many will demand to hear from Hunter Biden, whom Trump wanted Ukraine to investigate. Most Democrats argue Biden's work in Ukraine isn't relevant to the president's alleged abuse of power and obstruction of Congress the issues at the heart of impeachment. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Senators are preparing for a vote on whether to call witnesses to testify in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial. Democrats are pushing to hear from four key witnesses, including acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and former national security adviser John Bolton, both of whom were direct witnesses to the president's pressure campaign on Ukraine that is at the center of impeachment. Republican leadership and the majority of the GOP caucus is staunchly opposed to calling witnesses. They're arguing a few things, among them that they already have all the information they need to come to a judgment and that calling witnesses will drag the trial out indefinitely. Republicans say if the Senate votes to call witnesses, the former vice president's son, Hunter Biden, should be required to testify. Biden, a lawyer and lobbyist, served on the board of a Ukrainian natural gas company, Burisma Holdings, from 2014 to 2019. Trump request that the Ukrainian government investigate possible corruption committed by both Hunter and his father in their dealings with Ukraine is at the center of the president's impeachment trial. Story continues "I'll make a prediction: There will be 51 Republican votes to call Hunter Biden, Joe Biden, the whistleblower and the DNC staffer at a minimum," GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, who's said he opposes calling the younger Biden to testify, told reporters on Tuesday. A handful of prominent Democrats have said Biden's work for Burisma, for which he was paid up to $50,000 per month, could be perceived as corrupt. Biden's father was vice president at the time he joined Burisma and the company's president came under criminal investigation by Ukrainian authorities while Biden sat on the board. But there is no evidence that either Biden committed any wrongdoing. On Wednesday, one Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, said Biden's testimony is "relevant" to Trump's impeachment. "I don't have a problem there," Manchin told MSNBC. "Now, I think that he could clear himself ... but being afraid to put anybody that might have pertinent information is wrong no matter if you're a Democrat or Republican, and not go home and say well, I protected one. No. If it's relevant, then it should be there." Most Democrats say Trump's impeachment concerns whether the president committed an impeachable offense when he allegedly withheld military aid to Ukraine on the condition that it investigate his political rivals not what the Bidens did in Ukraine. They point out there's no evidence either Hunter Biden or the former vice president committed any wrongdoing in their dealings with Ukraine. And they argue the Bidens' actions are a distraction from the president's alleged abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. "Hunter Biden is not on trial. Joe Biden is not on trial," Democratic Sen. Ed Markey told CNN Wednesday. "Donald Trump is on trial. Hunter Biden doesn't have any ... relevant information about anything that Donald Trump was doing to extort an investigation of the Biden family out of the Ukranian government." Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer argued that if Republicans call Biden to testify it'll prove Trump's request of Ukraine was political, rather than in the national security or strategic interests of the US. Some Republican lawmakers have also said they want to hear testimony from House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff and the intelligence community whistleblower who first accused Trump of wrongdoing in the Ukraine scandal. Democrats would almost certainly oppose calling both of those witnesses as well. Read the original article on Business Insider The head boy of a Co Tyrone school who created a calendar in memory of a popular English teacher has raised 10,000 since it went on sale. Omagh teenager Jamie Harkin, a pupil at Drumragh Integrated College, created 366 Pockets of Positivity, which is filled with inspirational quotes in tribute to Graham Peters, who passed away from cancer in 2017. But after the story was published in the Belfast Telegraph in early December, demand for the desk calendar went through the roof and the 18-year-old was forced to go back to the production line to keep hundreds of customers happy. Last night, Jamie told this newspaper he was "absolutely amazed and incredibly proud to have raised a whopping 10,000" for the Care for Cancer charity. He said his late teacher's wife Karen had told him she was very proud of the "fitting legacy" he had left for her husband. "It's a huge amount to be handing over and it shows you just how much can be achieved with hard work," he said. "Everyone is over the moon and Mrs Peters told me she's proud of us and that I should be proud of myself. "She also said her husband will be looking down on all of us with immense pride." He added: "It was important to me to pay Mr Peters a fitting tribute and Mrs Peters said this was a great legacy." Jamie said he was shocked by the runaway success of the desktop calendar, costing 10, which contains positive quotations - one for every single day - from Mr Peters and other inspirational sources. The budding entrepreneur conceived the idea because he wanted to do something to honour Mr Peters, who loved words and had covered his classroom walls in quotes to reflect his passion for them. "In class, if we ever needed inspiration or motivation, all we needed to do was turn to one of the four walls," he explained. "Mr Peters would always point to one during the week, a sort of quote of the week, so that's where this idea came from." Having turned his original concept into a calendar just weeks before Christmas, the prospective law student struck a chord with people here and beyond, with orders coming in from the Republic, Australia, South Korea, Austria, Los Angeles, New York, Spain and Italy. "Myself and a few family members were packaging orders all night in the weeks running up to Christmas to keep up with the demand," Jamie said. "It was a huge amount of work but the end result made this so worthwhile, and knowing there are 1,500 calendars out there hopefully making an impact on people's lives brings me great happiness." After its initial publication in the Belfast Telegraph, the calendar story was highlighted on local radio and television and followed up by the Huffington Post and other media. "Since the media coverage of the calendars the school has been inundated with messages of support," he said. "I received letters and notes in the post from strangers who had been personally touched by my story and were inspired by what I had done. "Things like this from people you have never met make this so worthwhile. "I never expected this kind of response but the impact the calendars have had on people has been truly heart-warming." Jamie, who has a younger sister Jenna (14), said dad Ciaran (44) and mum Ciara (43), who run their own successful car export company, gave him great encouragement. The young businessman, who spent three months "collating quotes and choosing the best ones" for the calendar, said he hoped people would find its daily message "uplifting and positive". "Mr Peters always used to say: 'I'm not leaving until I see you smile'," said Jamie. "It was one of his huge quotes, so we printed that inside the front cover as a reminder of him. "I just hope that in some small way we've helped spread some of Mr Peters' positivity to others." Drumragh principal Nigel Frith said the calendar "combines Jamie's heart for those who are hurting with his skill in developing an inspirational project that will touch lives and make a difference". A Philadelphia city car is parked illegally on the median of the Ben Franklin Parkway, while another city car makes an illegal U-turn. The vehicles were in front of Embassy Suites, a popular hotel for tourists and business travelers. Read more Philadelphia has become so shined up over the last decade, with glassy apartment towers and craft breweries sprouting well beyond Center City, that it is easy to assume this contented city has finally overcome its scratch-your-back ways and penchant for cash-stuffed envelopes. Then the FBI goes and charges Councilman Kenyatta Johnson with monetizing his office, and reality sets in. That brings the number of indicted city legislators to two, not enough for a quorum, but the most since the Abscam sting in the 1980s. They say a fish rots from the head down. If you want to see firsthand how the culture of impunity extends down the municipal ladder, step out of the odorous confines of Councils City Hall chambers and stroll over to the glorious Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Starting at 16th Street and moving west to Logan Square, the painted yellow median is regularly lined with parked cars, a significant number of them bearing municipal government markings. You may recall from drivers ed that its illegal to park on those hatched yellow lines. But the same day that the feds were preparing Johnsons paperwork, no less than six city cars were in the median and two more on the shoulder of the Logan Square traffic circle. Those last two were parked at the exact spot where motorists prepare to pick up speed for the straightaway to I-676. I had come to Logan Square to photograph Philadelphias majestic Roman Catholic cathedral for a different column, but the city employees cars ruined the view. Philadelphia has a long history of strategically overlooking such infractions, particularly on the lower reaches of South Broad, where parking in the median is still seen as a cute feature of the local culture. Dipping into The Inquirer archive, I found that the celebrated columnist Steve Lopez (now at the Los Angeles Times) lobbed one of the first salvos against the practice in 1994 long before we had a housing boom to blame for our parking difficulties. There was a brief hullabaloo over median parking on the Parkway after the new Barnes opened in 2012, and then it passed. Certain Philadelphia stories always seem to be on shuffle. Three years ago, 5th Square, an advocacy group and PAC with an urbanist agenda, declared war on median parking. The group went to court to force the city to clear the center of Broad Street. But the lawsuit was quickly tossed out by the judge, who did that Philly shrug thing. His leniency seems to have served as a green light for aspiring scofflaws. The contagion has since spread from South Broad to Washington Avenue, from Spring Garden to North Broad and, now, to the citys most Parisian of boulevards. Everyone is starting to do it, Richard Montanez, the citys deputy commissioner for transportation, conceded in an interview. He and others at the Streets Department were quick to add that the city forbids median parking by government employees and the public alike. In 2017, the managing directors office issued guidelines for employees using city cars, stating that government vehicles shall be parked legally at all times. Warning memos have gone out several times since then, instructing employees not to leave their cars in the Parkway median, according to a city spokesperson. But, apparently no one has followed up with actual enforcement. I asked Martin ORourke, the spokesman for the Philadelphia Parking Authority an agency feared for its ruthless efficiency why it doesnt ticket motorists who park on the Parkway median. His answer coyly suggested the city didnt want the PPA to get involved. With limited enforcement resources, the PPA enforces in conjunction with the citys priorities and at their direction, ORourke wrote in an email. The result is that city employees continue to enjoy convenient, free, and, of course, illegal parking on the Parkway median. Back in October, I snapped a few photos of the de facto municipal parking lot, filing them away for future use. A few days later, I noticed intensive median parking on North Broad, just south of Erie Avenue. I regularly see cars parked in Washington Avenues median, especially in front of Chicks bar at 18th Street. Parking in the center of the street is clearly not just a quaint South Philadelphia custom. To paraphrase Rep. Adam Schiffs recent impeachment speech in the U.S. Senate: We know these things happen. But does breaking this law really matter? I think it does. 5th Square found significantly more pedestrian deaths in areas where median parking was the norm. When I stood on North Broad that October afternoon, I saw people sprinting across that fast-moving roadway to collect their children at Shake, Rattle & Roll Learning Center. Some bolted in the other direction to grab a take-out pizza from the popular City View Grill. Its always dangerous to cross Broad Street in the middle of the block. Darting out from between parked cars increases your odds of getting hit. It takes an extra dose of chutzpah to break the law on the Parkway, since its within throwing distance of Philadelphias government center. (Then again, after this weeks indictment, maybe not.) The disregard for the law reflects badly on the city in other ways. The Parkway is the citys answer to the Champs-Elysees, a museum-and-park-lined boulevard that connects the Beaux-Arts palace of City Hall to the columned Greek temple of the Art Museum. Its the citys most inspiring vista, and a magnet for tourists who flock there in pursuit of the ultimate Instagram shot of Philadelphia. What they get now is a photo of a linear parking lot with gorgeous landscaping. By the way, the Parkway is a designated heritage corridor overseen by the Department of Parks and Recreation. That didnt stop two department employees from parking their cars there. Maybe those city employees were just running into City Hall for a quick meeting. The problem is, once regular motorists see city cars in the median, they feel emboldened to park there, too. Why would you pay to park at a meter when you can park for nothing with no risk of a ticket in the median? The parking free-for-all isnt limited to the citys median strips. A recent story by my colleague Jason Laughlin described how South Philadelphias sidewalks are now being pressed into service for parking, with almost no enforcement by the PPA. Rather than bother to protect the public, they have become enablers for lazy motorists. Pedestrians, particularly those with disabilities and limited vision, are left on their own to navigate these perilous obstacle courses. The reasons for the hands-off treatment of illegal parking is no mystery: Parking is the third rail of Philadelphia politics. Of course, there are known policy solutions that could help manage the problem. Philadelphia could expand its permit parking program and use airline-style pricing to discourage people from warehousing their cars on city streets. That would free up legal spaces for people who cant get by without a personal car. Instead, City Hall continues to wink at the lawbreaking. If officials wont grapple with common, everyday wrongdoing, is it any wonder that old-style municipal corruption may still exist at the highest levels of Philadelphia government? WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. Theresa Mayer, executive vice president for research and partnerships at Purdue University, will be appointed to the U.S. Presidents Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). The White House announced Tuesday (Jan 28) that President Donald Trump intends to nominate and appoint Mayer and Hussein Tawbi of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to PCAST. It is a tremendous honor to be selected to serve on such a vital advisory team, Mayer said. Our nation has been the driver of significant advances in science and technology, particularly in artificial intelligence, microelectronics, hypersonics and quantum information science, all areas at which we at Purdue excel. It is incumbent on us to remain a global leader in these areas. I look forward to getting started. Mayer is internationally recognized for her research in applications of nanotechnology to electronic and photonic devices and microsystems, and her work in directed assembly of nanoparticles has been used to address a variety of device and manufacturing challenges, ranging from low-power integrated nanosensor circuits to nontraditional patterning processes. Dr. Mayers expertise as an electrical engineer makes her well-positioned to provide valuable counsel for advancing the nations research enterprise, Purdue President Mitch Daniels said. Her immediate predecessor at Purdue was chosen just over a year ago for the National Science Board. We are extremely proud that Purdues leadership in the scientific community continues to be recognized. A Purdue alumna, Mayer returned to the university in August. She had served as vice president for research and innovation and a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Virginia Tech University since 2016. Prior to those positions, Mayer was at Pennsylvania State University for more than 20 years, serving as a distinguished professor of electrical engineering, and associate dean for research and innovation in the College of Engineering. She also had served as site director of the National Science Foundations National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network and as director of the Materials Research Institute Nanofabrication Laboratory. Mayer holds a bachelors degree from Virginia Tech and a masters degree and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Purdue. The function of PCAST is to advise the president on matters involving science, technology, education and innovation policy. Its members are leading scientists and engineers. Trump reinstituted PCAST in October. Although similar science advisory committees date to 1933 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the first PCAST was appointed by President George H.W. Bush in 1990. PCAST will include 16 total members in addition to the Chair of the Council. The first meeting of 2020 will take place on Feb. 3-4. Current appointed members of the Presidents Council of Advisors on Science and Technology: Catherine Bessant, Chief Technology Officer, Bank of America Dr. Shannon Blunt, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, the University of Kansas Dr. Dario Gil, Director of Research, IBM Research Dr. Dorota Grejner-Brzezinska, Professor of Engineering and Associate Dean, Ohio State University Dr. Sharon Hrynkow, Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs, Cyclo Therapeutics Dr. H. Fisk Johnson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. Dr. A.N. Sreeram, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Dow Chemical Shane Wall, Chief Technology Officer and Global Head of HP Labs, HP Inc. Dr. K. Birgitta Whaley, Director of Quantum Information and Computation Center, University of California, Berkley Writer: Tom Schott, 765-494-9318, tschott@purdue.edu Source: Theresa Mayer, tsmayer@purdue.edu Victoria Police's most-senior lawyer has claimed he is the one who exposed Nicola Gobbo's role as a secret police informer. The force's legal services director Fin McRae was overcome with emotion and had to rush from the witness box on Thursday during the royal commission into the woman dubbed Lawyer X as he spoke about the toll the legal scandal had taken on him. Victoria Police's head of legal services Fin McRae gives evidence on Thursday. Mr McRae, who has been the force's head lawyer for more a decade, told the public inquiry he had worked to expose Victoria Police's actions since he found out about the gangland barrister's role as Informer 3838 in 2010. "I'm the one who has exposed this over the years, relentlessly," he said. "Our Graber Design Guide is a tool that our associates enjoy in developing, and they scour the Earth literally to pull together the content," said Rachel Hyslop, Director of Channel Marketing for Graber. "From traveling to international textile shows and furniture markets to meeting with the industry's most respected resources and following the latest market trends, to say our team is thorough when they're developing this tool is an understatement." Hyslop continued, "At Graber, our custom window treatments are designed to be the perfect finishing touches and these trends can provide additional inspiration to perfect the look of your home." Graber's 2020 Design Guide features trends for virtually any home decor style from nature-inspired to bright and bold. The specific trends featured in the Guide include: Blue & Serene From deep ocean blue to bright, Caribbean aqua, shades of blue bring a refreshing energy to every space. While blue is a natural choice for a coastal-style home, these fresh, serene colors are beautiful for draperies, shades and home accessories in any interior style from modern to traditional, eclectic to farmhouse. From deep ocean blue to bright, aqua, shades of blue bring a refreshing energy to every space. While blue is a natural choice for a coastal-style home, these fresh, serene colors are beautiful for draperies, shades and home accessories in any interior style from modern to traditional, eclectic to farmhouse. Timeless as a Tux or Little Black Dress Inspired to be elegantly balanced and the cornerstones of formal wear nothing says sophistication quite like black and white. No matter how patterns, solids and finishes are mixed, this strong, simple palette is always striking and there is no shortage of fresh and elegant options from wood blinds to Roman shades. Inspired to be elegantly balanced and the cornerstones of formal wear nothing says sophistication quite like black and white. No matter how patterns, solids and finishes are mixed, this strong, simple palette is always striking and there is no shortage of fresh and elegant options from wood blinds to Roman shades. Playful & Vibrant Inspired by the bold and bright. Drapery, cellular, roller and Roman shades are the perfect way to add a pop of color against a neutral wall, or to create strong contrast with a bold wall color. Confidence and vibrancy will be on display, whether a home is modern, eclectic, traditional or coastal. Inspired by the bold and bright. Drapery, cellular, roller and Roman shades are the perfect way to add a pop of color against a neutral wall, or to create strong contrast with a bold wall color. Confidence and vibrancy will be on display, whether a home is modern, eclectic, traditional or coastal. Soft & Peaceful With gentle neutrals layered for a peaceful and quiet ambiance, these soft hues can be gossamer and airy or warm and tranquil, depending on fabrics and light control. Creating a personal sanctuary in peaceful, subdued tones can be done with any type of window treatment, from shutters to natural shades. With gentle neutrals layered for a peaceful and quiet ambiance, these soft hues can be gossamer and airy or warm and tranquil, depending on fabrics and light control. Creating a personal sanctuary in peaceful, subdued tones can be done with any type of window treatment, from shutters to natural shades. Rustic & Natural Celebrate the simplicity of distinctive woods, reeds and palettes found in nature. Wood blinds, shutters, natural shades and textured pleated shades are a few ways to bring a finely crafted, natural look to the home. An obvious fit for a cottage or modern farmhouse decor, these versatile window treatments add a touch of artful craftsmanship and rustic beauty. These trends are used in the development of all Graber products including the recently launched Cellular and Pleated shades collection and the updated Roller and Solar shades collection. Graber products are available at more than 10,000 dealers in the U.S. and Canada. For more information on Graber, including how to order free product swatches or to view our Trend Guide, visit GraberBlinds.com. ABOUT GRABER Graber, a Springs Window Fashions company, has elevated the standard for window treatments since its inception in 1939, when John Graber invented the very first example of Graber craftsmanship. Through innovation and insight, Graber began and continues to be a committed, trustworthy partner for both dealers and consumers, ensuring the perfect customized solution for any window. As a dedicated expert, Graber's attentive nature and solution-oriented approach builds relationships enduring for this project and every one after. With its assortment of quality materials, fresh styles and cost-effective pricing, Graber has been a preferred brand in the dealer community for more than eight decades. ABOUT SPRINGS WINDOW FASHIONS Springs Window Fashions, the Best Experience Company, supplies leading retailers and distributors with a complete line of blinds, shades, specialty treatments and window hardware. Bali, Graber, SWFcontract, Mecho, Horizons, Mariak and SunSetter are brands of Springs Window Fashions. Based in Middleton, WI, the company has facilities in nine locations in the United States and Mexico and employs approximately 8,000 associates. For more information, visit www.springswindowfashions.com. SOURCE Graber Related Links https://www.graberblinds.com michael barbaro From The New York Times, Im Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily. [music] Today: China says it has made lifesaving reforms since the last time it was the source of a public health crisis 17 years ago. So why is the deadly coronavirus spreading so rapidly across the country? My colleague, Javier Hernandez, reports from the center of the outbreak. Its Thursday, January 30. Javier, how did you first hear about this outbreak? javier hernandez Well, we started hearing reports in early January that there was this mysterious virus that was affecting Wuhan, which is a city in central China. archived recording Staff at Wuhan Hospital are working around the clock to identify a mystery virus. javier hernandez People were falling ill to this kind of pneumonia-like virus, which scientists were calling a coronavirus. archived recording Experts believe this is a new kind of coronavirus, which typically causes symptoms of the common cold, but in some rare cases, can lead to pneumonia. javier hernandez Its a very frightening virus that spreads from animals to humans. It was believed to be behind some very serious respiratory illnesses, so it sounded pretty scary. But the official narrative was that this strain couldnt pass from human to human. It would only go from animals to humans. archived recording The potentially deadly coronavirus is thought to have spread from animals into humans at a live produce market in Wuhan. javier hernandez And at that point, they were saying that it was all originating at a single meat market in central China. This meat market sold wild animals, things like bamboo rats, badgers, wolves even. And the assumption was that people had come into contact with these animals and picked up this virus. michael barbaro And it sounds like because it was one meat market, and because this virus could only pass from animals to humans, that this is a pretty small problem. javier hernandez At this point, the reports were that only about 130 people had been infected and that, of those, only about four had died. archived recording Chinese officials say the outbreak is under control. javier hernandez And so the prognosis was that the outbreak was controllable, that it was treatable and that things would be O.K. michael barbaro And Javier, what are you thinking when you hear the Chinese government talking this way, saying that everything is going to be O.K.? javier hernandez We were a bit skeptical. We knew that the Chinese government had a history of downplaying outbreaks like this. And as we saw more and more reports in the international media of this virus spreading, we began to question whether the officials were being totally upfront about what was happening. michael barbaro And what do you mean when you say a history of downplaying situations like this? javier hernandez Well before this virus, there was the outbreak of SARS 17 years ago. And it turned into this global health crisis that infected more than 8,000 people. It killed more than 800 people. And a big part of the reason that it spread so violently was because the Chinese government didnt tell the world. And there was this period of months and months when it was spreading very rapidly in China, and the world just didnt know about it. And for a lot of Chinese today, that experience with SARS makes them very skeptical of anything that the government says when it comes to public health. michael barbaro And I imagine a reporter like you would be similarly skeptical. javier hernandez Right. We really wanted to make sure that we got this one right. We wanted to double check that this was, in fact, a small scale outbreak as the government was portraying it. And we wanted to talk to people who were getting sick with this virus to get a sense of what it was like for them how severe it was, whether they were getting the care they needed. michael barbaro And so what do you do? javier hernandez So I live in Beijing. So I rushed to our bureau here and grabbed masks, enough to last me a couple days, and then headed to the airport and boarded a flight to Wuhan. And I just remember everyone on board, almost everyone, was wearing a mask. I was just struck by that. You never see people wear masks on this scale. And so it felt like there was this sense of anxiety already in the air even before we landed. [music] Once I got there, I rushed off to meet an ambulance doctor who had been posting on social media about this outbreak. And we had contacted him because he was challenging the official narrative about what was happening. He was saying he didnt believe the official numbers. He thought that this could be another SARS-like outbreak. michael barbaro And what was happening to his posts once they went online? javier hernandez They lasted for a while, and then they would be taken down, just disappeared. It was clear that the government was cleaning and trying to scrub the internet of any critical questions about official data. And so we wanted to talk to him about what he was seeing on the ground. michael barbaro And what did he tell you? javier hernandez He told me that he felt like people werent taking enough precautions, that the government wasnt being urgent enough. And he worked in a hospital and had a lot of interaction with doctors and other medical workers. So he felt like his job could be at stake if he were to come forward publicly. michael barbaro So the numbers the Chinese government is providing are relatively small. This ambulance doctor youre meeting with is saying the problem is bigger. So what do you do to try to reconcile those two pieces of information? javier hernandez We wanted to find the people whose relatives had fallen ill to this virus. And so we were looking online for people who were reporting symptoms of fever, cough, basically anything that was associated with this kind of virus. And we stumbled on a guy from Shanghai. He was a 40-year-old architect, and he told me that his stepmother had died just a couple of days earlier from a mysterious pneumonia-like illness. And so I found him, sent him a message, and we agreed to meet at a cafe. [CHATTER] michael barbaro And what is the story of what happened to his stepmom? javier hernandez He tells me that she was a very healthy, normal 65-year-old woman who, a couple of weeks earlier, had started to feel like she was having a flu. So she had some coughing. She had kind of a sore throat, but it didnt seem like anything that bad. But it suddenly began to worsen. She was having a fever. She needed a respirator to breathe. And all very suddenly she was sent to a contagious disease ward, and the family was told that she would likely die. michael barbaro And what did she or her stepson understand about what was behind her illness? javier hernandez They didnt really understand much. For days and days, according to Mr. Wei, the family had tried to get her tested for this coronavirus, this mysterious virus that was spreading across Wuhan. And the doctors and other medical workers refused. He pulled out his phone and showed me her death certificate, and all it said was that she died of severe pneumonia. michael barbaro But why wouldnt they test her, and what does it tell you that they wouldnt test her? javier hernandez It became clear to me in that moment that there seemed to be something going on here. Were these hospitals just not prepared? Did they not have enough testing kits? Were they running out of tests? Had they tested so many people that they didnt have any tests left? Were they just not counting people anymore because they werent even diagnosing them? And if she wasnt diagnosed with this illness, then maybe she wasnt even included in the official count. And one other thing really stuck with me from my interview with Mr. Wei. And that was that the hospital, according to him, told them that his mothers body had to be burned immediately, had to be cremated immediately. [CHATTER] michael barbaro And what does that tell you? What does that mean to you that theyre burning these bodies? javier hernandez It began to put in my head the sense that the hospital workers were beginning to think that this illness was contagious. And the fact that they wanted that body burned immediately began to suggest that perhaps they thought it posed a threat to other people. Her death got us thinking about whether there were other people like her. And when you went online and search social media, you could quickly find others who were reporting similar experiences people saying that they went to hospitals, they brought their sick relatives and were simply turned away. We began to kind of add things up, and it seemed like the numbers werent right. michael barbaro So at this point, it sounds like your skepticism is growing, and its sounding pretty warranted. So what do you do next? javier hernandez So I head back to my hotel and start to try to make sense of all of this. And as Im sitting there in my room, I begin to see these reports emerging on social media archived recording For the first time since the mysterious pneumonia-like illness broke out in China, the countrys health authorities admitted the disease could be contagious. javier hernandez that one of Chinas top health experts has acknowledged that this virus is now spreading from person to person, which had never been the case before. archived recording (zhong nanshan) [SPEAKING CHINESE] archived recording (translator) We considered risks of this before, but now evidence has confirmed that it is contagious among humans. javier hernandez And hes an 83-year-old guy that they dug out of retirement essentially. He was a renowned expert during the SARS crisis. And suddenly, hes all over social media, telling people that this crisis is much worse than had been previously known. michael barbaro So this doctor is very much validating what you have been hearing. javier hernandez Yes. Hes saying that there was even a case where one patient was able to infect 14 medical workers. michael barbaro Wow. javier hernandez And I begin to see the panic kind of spread across social media. archived recording 1 Say I have coronavirus. Could I give it to you right now? archived recording 2 Its possible, if youre coughing and sneezing. If you have a fever, it can be transmitted. archived recording 3 But the spread of Corona virus is accelerating. javier hernandez This is the moment when the world begins to wake up. archived recording 1 Meanwhile, new cases are being confirmed outside of China as well. archived recording 2 Thailand has reported the first case of the Wuhan coronavirus found outside of China. archived recording 3 because now theyre talking Thailand, Singapore, possibly Scotland. The U.K. is bracing for it to go in there. We have airports here in the United States very concerned about it archived recording 4 That are doing surveillance. archived recording 5 here in New York, Chicago and L.A. Every day it seems growing exponentially. archived recording 6 It is. Its growing. javier hernandez The numbers after that point just keep spiraling and spiraling. archived recording 1 The number of people who have died archived recording 2 The death toll climbing once again overnight. archived recording 3 The death toll from a deadly viral outbreak of the new coronavirus archived recording 4 26 deaths so far from the archived recording 5 has now passed 40. archived recording 6 [SPEAKING CHINESE] archived recording 7 Its not just Chinese people who are worried. Everyone is worried. Theyre all afraid of dying. javier hernandez You just hear people wondering whether the virus is ever going to be contained. michael barbaro Well be right back. And Javier, what are you thinking and feeling at this moment? Because youre in this city. Youre interacting with people who are taking care of those who are sickened and infected by this illness. javier hernandez Yeah. michael barbaro Are you anxious? javier hernandez Well Im beginning to feel like this is much worse than I thought. And I think a sense of paranoia can easily settle in sometimes in these situations. I had masks. I was washing my hands all the time. But I couldnt help but think about every button in the elevator that I touched, every surface and every cough or sniffle that I saw around me. The virus could be anywhere, so I had to be careful. michael barbaro I mean, understandably. javier hernandez So I finished up my reporting, and I grabbed a flight back to Beijing. archived recording Just one day before Chinas massive Lunar New Year holiday, as hundreds of millions crisscross the country to celebrate with families, an unprecedented act. javier hernandez And then the very next day, I hear archived recording Today, the entire city of Wuhan, population 11 million, is on lockdown. javier hernandez The Chinese government has placed this entire city under lockdown. michael barbaro Wow. archived recording Trains, flights, buses, and ferries have been canceled. Even public transport within Wuhan has ground to a halt. michael barbaro So the city you have just left has basically told everybody else who remains that theyre not going anywhere. javier hernandez Right. This city is being closed off in a way that China has never done before or even any other major modern city, really, hasnt done it in recent times. archived recording Across China tonight, an expanding lockdown to contain an epidemic. javier hernandez And it was quickly becoming clear to the government that this wasnt just a local problem. archived recording Travel bans in over a dozen cities affecting 35 million people. javier hernandez They quickly expanded it to not just Wuhan, but to other cities, so that there were tens of millions of people who were essentially forced to stay at home and not allowed to go out. Theyve just put in place the biggest lockdown that weve ever seen and what experts are saying is the biggest experiment in public health that theyve ever seen. archived recording 1 Despite their efforts, authorities say the virus has not been stopped. archived recording 2 Much depends on whether the measures set in place by the Chinese government will prove effective. michael barbaro Its hard to imagine most any other country being able to mount that kind of a response. I mean, Im just trying to fathom an American city somehow being locked down. javier hernandez So this is what it looks like when Chinas authoritarian system is in full force. Theres no choice for people to leave. Many people are stuck there. They are going to hospitals that are overcrowded, but they cant get the health care they need. Doctors are complaining about a lack of medical supplies and critical items like masks and goggles. And you get the sense that people are kind of stuck with what they have, and thats the bargain theyve made by living in this system. They have no choice but to follow the governments orders. They cant push back. They cant swim against the current here. Everyones essentially forced to comply with this mass lockdown. michael barbaro You know, from everything weve learned about China and its authoritarian government, it seems like it controls every aspect of its citizens lives and it surveils every aspect of citizens lives. And youve just walked us through how they were able to essentially suddenly drop a wall around Wuhan. So knowing all that, shouldnt Chinas government have been able to identify and control this outbreak before it got out of hand? javier hernandez You would think that, because the government is so well known for being able to pull off these massive displays of citizen mobilization its been known to be able to pull off these technological feats. But at the same time, theres a flip side of this coin, which is that Chinas authoritarian culture, in many ways, set the stage for this crisis. michael barbaro What do you mean? javier hernandez Well for decades, China has built this system, this ruthless system in which if you are an official in the Communist Party, you are expected to be almost perfect. If anything goes bad, you are the one who is going to take responsibility. You are the one who is going to fall. And this has created an incentive system where local officials fear saying anything about bad news. They worry that if they are found to have done something wrong, that they will lose their power. So in a situation like this, the incentive is to cover up. Its to conceal. Its to delay. Its to try to get a handle on these problems on your own, hoping that perhaps nobody will ever hear about it. michael barbaro So by the time something like, say, a medical crisis gets really big, it may be too late for the local officials who have been trying to contain it themselves and keep it from Beijing. javier hernandez Exactly. These kinds of dynamics played a huge role in the scale of the SARS outbreak. It was clear in this case that local officials knew exactly what was going on. They knew that people were dying of this illness. But for months and months, they didnt want to report it up the chain. Instead, they tried to cover it up. They tried to see if they could perhaps deal with it secretly, and maybe nobody would ever find out about it. They hoped that Beijing would know about it. But eventually it broke. michael barbaro So did China learn from that experience with SARS, that dynamic that led to that breakdown, that cover-up? javier hernandez China said it would make a lot of changes to its system after the SARS crisis. It said that it would expand its disease reporting system so that these kinds of reports from the local provinces would come to the central government in a more timely fashion. They promised to be more transparent in the release of data and other things. But what they didnt change was this authoritarian culture, where people fear bringing bad news. And so that has actually gotten worse under President Xi. michael barbaro Why? javier hernandez He has made himself out to be the most powerful leader since Mao. He is somebody whos always speaking about this great ascendant moment for China in which China is going to be this superpower. And anything that goes against Xis vision of this harmonious, resurgent China is going to be seen as a problem. And the people who are creating that problem will pay the consequences. And when I was there in Wuhan, I could sense the fear just rippling across all parts of the society. There were people like the ambulance doctor, who was afraid of challenging the official statistics. There were hospitals that seemed to be paralyzed, that didnt want to test patients for fear of knowing the results. They didnt want to be seen as speaking out or telling the truth or bringing this unsavory story into public view. michael barbaro So that had trickled down all the way to the frontline health care workers, who are supposed to be treating this and sounding the alarm. javier hernandez Right. Theyre fearful of being seen as responsible for this crisis. They dont want to stand out. And when you think about where this virus might be headed next to other provinces, to other cities you have to wonder if these same dynamics would be playing out again. If people will stay silent, if they will not report official cases, because they fear for their jobs and they fear for their livelihoods. michael barbaro So it seems like whatever reforms the Chinese government made after the failures of SARS, that in the end, none of them really matter, because it hasnt changed the problem thats at the root of this. javier hernandez At the root of all this is a sense of fear that is both the Communist Partys strength, but its also a huge weakness. They can mobilize entire cities to be on lockdown. They can convince people to stay indoors. They can scrub social media of information that counters their narrative. Thats all very effective when youre trying to get the public behind your policies. But at the end of the day, the fear is also a huge vulnerability. It creates this system where people are unwilling to speak out, unwilling to bring problems that are really important and that affect peoples lives. michael barbaro Right. I mean, for the Chinese leadership, that works until it doesnt, right? Until you very much need for people to stop being afraid and to speak out about something like a public health crisis. javier hernandez Exactly. And so when you look at the culture, you wonder whether China can actually contain these viruses, whether we will continue to live in a world where the internal politics of the party are going to put lives around the world in danger. michael barbaro Javier, thank you. javier hernandez Thanks, Michael. michael barbaro On Wednesday, the total number of people infected by the coronavirus in mainland China surpassed those infected with the SARS virus during that epidemic. As of Wednesday evening, the virus had infected more than 6,000 people in mainland China. Later today, the World Health Organization will convene its emergency committee to determine whether the outbreak amounts to a public health emergency of international concern, its most severe classification. Well be right back. Heres what else you need to know today. The Times reports that the White House has sent former national security adviser, John Bolton, a letter, warning him not to publish a book in which he recounts speaking to President Trump about the quid pro quo with Ukraine at the heart of the impeachment trial. In the letter, the White House claims that the book contains significant amounts of classified information that could harm U.S. national security. The letter was sent before The Times published a story describing the books contents, a story that has further fueled calls for Bolton to testify in the Senate trial. Senators are expected to vote on whether to call witnesses like Bolton later today. [music] The TRS and opposition Congress and BJP were on Thursday locked in a war of words over the outcome of the recent urban local body polls in Telangana, swept by the ruling party. The Chandrasekhar Rao-led party took exception to the opposition making light of its massive victory in the municipal elections, while the Congress and BJP alleged that the ruling party indulged in electoral malpractices, including use of money power. Addressing a gathering at the party headquarters here, TRS working president K T Rama Rao said the Congress and the saffron party had made tall claims about their growing popularity which "fell flat" in the polls. The opposition allegations against TRS amounted to "insulting" the electorate, he said. He pointed out that it was TRS that won successive elections in the state, including assembly polls, rural and urban local body elections. Telangana Congress Chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy, who spoke at an event here, accused the TRS of winning elections by "distributing money and liquor among voters" and described the trend as a "big threat" to democracy. He claimed that it was ridiculous that the ruling party was celebrating the polls which were won through "irregularities" and "misuse" of official machinery. Meanwhile, the BJP state president K Laxman called on Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and sought her intervention to "protect the Constitution." The BJP also demanded a high level inquiry into the alleged irregularities, misuse of powerand violation of Constitutional norms by ruling TRS in the Urban Local Bodies (ULB) elections, a party release said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Australian, American, Canadian and RFS flags hung behind a table bearing medals and three bunches of native flowers. Photos of captain Ian McBeth, first officer Paul Clyde Hudson and flight engineer Rick DeMorgan jnr look out over the solemn crowd who gathered to remember them, while an aircraft loomed in the distance. About 100 people, including NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, RFS staff and RAAF crews, gathered at the Richmond RAAF base in western Sydney to commemorate the men who died when their water-bombing tanker crashed north-east of Cooma on January 23, in a "ball of flames". The three US firefighters who died a week ago when their aircraft crashed have been commemorated in a memorial service. Credit:NSW RFS As the family and friends of the three men entered the memorial service, attendees saluted or held a hand over their heart. U nilever today raised the prospect of selling its 3 billion tea arm, which includes three of its best-known brands, PG Tips, Lyons and Lipton. A year after his arrival as chief executive, Unilevers Alan Jope has kicked off a review of the division, expected to conclude this year. The struggling arm has been rumoured as a sale prospect for years as younger consumers move away from black tea towards coffee and herbal infusions. Unilever had attempted to counter this by launching new products but black tea still makes up the bulk of its sales. Finance director Graeme Pitkethly stressed no decision had been taken, with a full sale or a joint venture among the options on the table. I do not want to pre-judge exits. All sorts of futures will be considered, he said. The Anglo-Dutch company has been reshaping its portfolio of brands amid tough global conditions in consumer goods. Speaking of his new CEO, Pitkethly said: Alan has undertaken a review of all aspects of the business and there really are no sacred cows. In 2017, it sold its spreads arm, including the Flora brand, for 6 billion to private equity house KKR. Unilever shocked the City in December by issuing a sales warning amid struggles in Africa, the Middle East, North America and India. Today it struck a more upbeat note with green shoots in North America. Profits crashed 38% to 6 billion (5.1 billion) in 2019 compared with 2018, which was boosted by the spreads sell-off. Sales rose 2% to 52 billion and the shares moved up 67p, or 1.5%, to 4505p. Ed Monk, of Fidelity Personal Investing, said: Jope has talked tough on executing on his plans for brands with purpose. That needs to happen and bring rewards because 2020 is shaping up to be another difficult year. The history of PG Tips 1869 Arthur Brooke opened his first tea shop in Manchester 1930 Pre-Gest-Tea launched as before-digestion drink, Tips added as drink only uses top two leaves of plant 1956 First TV ad airs. Chimpanzees then star in ads until 2002 1960 PG Tips launches first teabag 1980 Majority of Brits drink from mugs, not using a pot 1990 Pyramid teabag launched By Marine Strauss and John Chalmers BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Brexit cleared its last formal hurdle in Brussels on Thursday, setting Britain's Jan. 31 exit from the European Union in stone, but it was an unceremonious moment and a party in the heart of the EU's capital to say "au revoir" was a rain-drenched washout. The 27 EU member states that Britain will leave behind at midnight in Brussels on Friday approved the withdrawal agreement reached last October after more than three years of tortuous negotiations. Their green light came by so-called "written procedure", shorthand for an email from each member state. That stood in stark contrast to the emotion and drama that gripped the European Parliament's vote on the historic agreement on Wednesday, as British Brexit Party lawmakers cheered and waved mini Union Jack flags, while others wept over Britain's departure from the EU after nearly half a century of membership. Britain will no longer be an EU member state from Saturday, and it will be considered a third country. However, it will enter a transition period until the end of December that is meant to give citizens and businesses time to adapt. During the transition, Britain will continue to apply EU laws but will no longer be represented in EU institutions. A concert organised by the city of Brussels to celebrate its friendship with Britain got off to a miserable start on Thursday as rain lashed the majestic Grand Place. Tourists scurried across the square as music blared before a light show that would project the colours of the Union Jack onto buildings. There was a London black cab on display and a traditional British red telephone booth that had to be covered over with plastic sheeting because the rain was leaking through. Nearby, the famous statue of a little boy urinating the Manneken Pis had been dressed in a Union Jack waistcoat. Despite the cold and wet weather, a more raucous party, called by British Green EU lawmaker Magid Magid via Facebook, took place later in the day at the bar-lined Place Luxembourg, a few steps from the EU parliament, where young people working for EU institutions regularly meet on Thursday nights for drinks. Story continues "I am sad, but also it is good that Brexit is finally done, they've taken so long," said Tomaso, 25, an Italian assistant to a member of the European Parliament. Tomaso, who studied in Britain and has a girlfriend there, came to show support to his British colleagues, many of whom lost their jobs as assistants as British MEPs returned home. Among the Brits at the event at Place Luxembourg, the mood was sombre. Amy, 23, a Briton working for a nongovernmental organisation in Brussels, expressed sadness and added that she was worried she would no longer be able to stay in Belgium. "It all happened because there was a lot of fake news, disinformation, a sense of trying to regain an empire," she said, "but now there isn't anything we can do about it, it's happening." "UKmissEU" Brexit Day will be more muted in Brussels than across the Channel, where its supporters in London's Parliament Square will celebrate their triumph 3-1/2 years after a referendum in which Britons voted to leave the EU. A Union Jack in the building of the European Council in Brussels will be lowered at 7 p.m. local time (1800 GMT) on Friday, and put away with the flags of non-EU countries. "They have to keep them in case (UK Prime Minister) Boris Johnson ever wants to come here," said an EU official, who declined to be named. The European Parliament plans to place one of its British flags in the House of European History, a nearby museum that recounts the history of Europe since 1789. At the UK's Representation Office in Brussels, the EU flag will be lowered at the end of the working day on Friday. On Saturday the name plate outside the building will be replaced, and it will now be known as the UK Mission to the European Union, which some have already dubbed "UKmissEU'. (Writing by Guy Faulconbridge and John Chalmers; Reporting across Europe by Antonio Denti, Emily Roe, Christian Levaux, Ciara Luxton, Marine Strauss, Deborah Kyvrikosaios, Vassilis Triandafyllou, Lewis Macdonald, Dominik Starosz, Polly Rider, Ben Dadswel and Jan Strupczewski, Editing by William Maclean and Jonathan Oatis) After Ross' comments drew criticism, the Commerce Department issued a statement: As Secretary Ross made clear, the first step is to bring the virus under control and help the victims of this disease," it said. It is also important to consider the ramifications of doing business with a country that has a long history of covering up real risks to its own people and the rest of the world.'' The next wave of the United States opioid addiction crisis is lapping at the nation. The worst of this phase of a deadly epidemic can be avoided, but only if political and public health authorities give the problem the urgent attention it deserves. This wave comes in the form of fentanyl, an opioid 10 to 100 times more potent than morphine. Fentanyl is also a chemical trickster. Tweaking the drugs molecular formula create analogues that are every bit as addictive as fentanyl but remained technically legal on the street. The federal Drug Enforcement Agency responded in 2018 by imposing a classwide ban on all fentanyl analogues. Thats worked, but the agencys authority for such action expires on Feb. 6 unless Congress acts. The U.S. Department of Justice, supported by the attorneys general of 52 states and territories, has asked Congress for an indefinite extension of the DEAs classwide fentanyl ban. The House and Senate, despite being embroiled in impeachment, should approve such legislation without delay. Opposition to an extension comes from opposite corners of the ideological landscape the American Civil Liberties Union on the left and FreedomWorks on the right. Both argue that an effective response to the opioid crisis must focus on treatment and prevention, not law enforcement and incarceration. Theyre right or they would be, if robust treatment programs were up and running and if prevention programs alone could stanch the flow of fentanyl and its analogues. Despite state and federal governments welcome turn away from harsh prison sentences for drug users, the opioid epidemic demands action on all fronts, including a robust law-enforcement element. Americas opioid epidemic began in the 1990s, when too many physicians, with the encouragement of pharmaceutical companies, began over-prescribing addictive painkillers. The second wave rose a decade later, when a crackdown on prescription opioids led many addicts to switch to a cheaper and more readily available drug: heroin. Fentanyl, the third wave, arrived in 2013. Its cheap, potent and, until the DEA curbed analogues flowing from overseas drug labs, was quasi- legal. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fentanyl overdoses accounted for 28,466 deaths nationwide in 2017 39% of all opioid-related fatalities. Western states have dodged the worst of the fentanyl scourge so far. The CDC reports that in 2017, fentanyl caused only 7% of overdose deaths west of the Mississippi. One reason is the prevalence of black-tar heroin in the West, which doesnt combine with fentanyl as easily as the powdered heroin more commonly found in the East and Midwest. Communities must do all they can to arrest and reverse this alarming trend as well as help those who already suffer from substance use disorders. An important part of that effort involves supporting legislation to give the DEA the permanent authority it needs to pursue those who make, import and distribute fentanyl and all its deadly chemical cousins. The Press Democrat, Santa Rosa, California The Turning At the Cinemark (PG-13) Grade: C- The Rolling Stone popped the cork on The Turning with gusto: The Turning doesnt make you feel like youve watched a failed adaptation of a horror-lit landmark, The Turn of the Screw, they wrote. It just leaves you feeling totally screwed over. Well said. But the good news is that not many Helena moviegoers will suffer. For curious reasons, I saw the first half of The Turning, and then left. Three hours later, I came back to watch the second half. Both times I was the one and only moviegoer. If a movie falls and nobodys there to listen, did it make a sound? Good seats available, folks. No need to sleep outside the night before. Lets start at the end, best summed up simply as: Thud. I havent seen an ending that abrupt since the Seahawks chose to pass from the one-yard line in 2015 Super Bowl. Hey, Pete! The Beast, Pete! Now lets back up to the original source, Henry James classic 1898 novella, The Turning of the Screw, a gothic horror story with deliciously ambiguous threads weaving through the pages At least this mystery was compelling in the James original. In this adaptation, the deliciously ambiguous becomes less tasty. The story, perhaps? Sure. An unsuspecting inexperienced nanny takes a job tending a couple kids who might be described as high maintenance. The kids seem to be hiding secrets as they terrorize this unsuspecting Mary Poppins. Eventually, ghosts appear. Or, perhaps, ghostly visions appear. Weve never sure which. The nannys mom is institutionalized. We hear a rather unsubtle line, pondering whether our nannys DNA might be to blame for the ghosts. But these ghosts make quite a racket, perhaps a little too loud for hallucinations? Maybe theyre real, after all? Films like this can sometimes be carried by sets, costumes and cinematography. Theres a distinct look and feel to Gothic storytelling that can sometimes make for compelling visual cinema. The Turning has its moments as we wander through the old mansion, climb up the winding staircase and squeeze down narrow secret passages. The technicians deserve polite applause three fingers on palm of other hand -- for a respectable rendering of Gothic moods. But we needed high art to compensate for the lifeless storytelling. None of the performances are particularly compelling. Theres no internal nuance in Mackenzie Davis portrayal of Nanny Kate. The housekeeper settles for big-eyed weirdness. And the two kids havent swallowed enough demons to make us squirm. The best moments of The Turning occur when the nanny overcomes her fears and tries to love the children back to normal. She connects with Flora, and they begin caring for one another. But creepy teen brother Peter appears to be unsalvageable. And then theres the ghostly images floating about rustling the curtains, hiding in mirrors and running their fingers through your hair. Finally, theres one inexplicable you-say-what? moment when a disembodied hand starts feeling people. Comes pretty close to an HR violation, Id say. Not much more to say. January, the dump month in Hollywood, once again lives down to its billing. A respected piece of writing by a fine writer has been rendered lifeless by unimaginative moviemaking. Not the first time, of course, and certainly not the last. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned that China is the 'threat of our times' today as he met Boris Johnson amid anger over the Huawei decision. Mr Pompeo said Beijing did not have the same 'values' as the UK and America, and refused completely to rule out downgrading intelligence sharing. He insisted that the US would always be ready to tell Britain 'what the heck are you doing' when it disagreed with moves such as allowing the Chinese firm a role in the 5G network. But Mr Pompeo also stressed that the Special Relationship was strong enough to survive the differences. Speaking at a think-tank event alongside Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab before heading for Downing Street, Mr Pompeo said: 'The truth is it is your best friends you call up and say ''what the heck are you doing''.' Mr Pompeo said he recognised the UK had come up with safeguards to provide 'adequate protection for their citizens'. But he said the decision on Huawei 'creates risk' and cautioned that the US will not let secret material pass over networks it does not believe is secure. 'The Chinese Communist Party presents the central threat of our times. It is an enormous economy to which the American economy is deeply tied,' he said. Mr Pompeo added: 'We think putting Huawei anywhere in your system is very very difficult to mitigate and therefore not worth the candle.' Boris Johnson met US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo today as he desperately tries to defuse the spat over allowing Huawei a role in 5G Speaking before talks with Mr Johnson, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Beijing did not share the 'values' that the UK and America stand for Mr Pompeo was speaking at a think-tank event alongside Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab Mr Pompeo went to Downing Street for talks with Mr Johnson after the event with Mr Raab Huawei has been classified as a 'High Risk Vendor' but ministers concluded that banning the firm altogether would delay the roll out of 5G by up to three years Mr Johnson has been desperately trying to defuse the spat and avoid a full-scale Tory revolt after the announcement on 5G. Huawei has been classified as a 'High Risk Vendor'. But ministers concluded that banning the firm would delay the roll out of 5G by up to three years, with massive knock-on costs for consumers and the economy. In a compromise deal, the firm will be banned from involvement in 'core' infrastructure which has access to sensitive data, and will instead be restricted to supplying the 'edge' of the system, such as masts and antennae. The firm's total market share will be capped at 35 per cent. Why is Huawei's involvement in UK 5G controversial? Huawei has come under scrutiny over allegations of close ties to the Chinese state. Founder Ren Zhengfei's past links to the military have been cited as a concern, as has China's history of state sponsorship and surveillance. Chinese law can also compel firms to co-operate with Chinese national intelligence work, which some critics have suggested could see Beijing require Huawei to spy on people through so-called 'back doors' in its telecoms equipment. Huawei has vehemently denied the allegations of any ties with the Chinese state and says it abides by the laws of every country in which it operates. Advertisement The Prime Minister told Donald Trump earlier this week that Britain would work with Western allies to diversify the technology market and 'break the dominance' of companies like Huawei. Mr Johnson's charm offensive with the US President appeared to head off immediate reprisals from the US President, which had lobbied hard for a blanket ban on Huawei. But as he arrived in the UK last night Mr Pompeo insisted Britain should 're-look' at the step. 'We'll have to wait to see what they actually do and importantly how they implement what they've laid out,' he said. 'There's also a chance for the UK to relook at this as implementation moves forward.' He added: 'We will make sure that when American information passes across a network we are confident that that network is a trusted one. 'Our view of Huawei is: putting it in your system creates real risk. This is an extension of the Chinese Communist Party with a legal requirement to hand over information to the Chinese Communist Party. We'll evaluate what the United Kingdom did.' Downing Street insisted that the Huawei decision would have 'no impact' on the UK's ability to share sensitive intelligence with allies, including the US, as this was already conducted via secure networks. However, the PM is facing a growing mutiny among Tory MPs who want the Government to limit the firm's use further or ban it altogether. Mr Pompeo (pictured centre) and US ambassador Woody Johnson (third from left) dined with ministers including (right to left) Julian Smith, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and Mr Raab last night. Home Secretary Priti Patel (fourth from left) and Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick (second from left) also attended the dinner Ex-Cabinet minister Damian Green said yesterday that the scale of the revolt could even be big enough to overturn Mr Johnson's huge 80-strong Commons majority. Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said he would be pressuring the government to ensure the 35 percent market share cap on Huawei is forcibly reduced in the years ahead. 'We want to see modifications and changes made,' he said. 'We want to see commitment to actually getting Huawei out of the system over a period of time. They've got more to do.' Another senior Tory MP said rebels were considering possible amendments to the 5G legislation designed to either reduce the 35 per cent market share allowed to Huawei or to set out a legal timetable to exclude the Chinese firm by a set date. Floods and landslides caused by heavy rainfall in southeast Brazil's Minas Gerais have lead to displacement of more than 30,000 people. 54 people have died, while 18 have been reported missing, the authorities said. Almost half of those deaths occurred in the metro area of state capital Belo Horizonte, which is facing the rainiest month of January in 110 years, said the authorities on Wednesday, Xinhua news agency reported. On Tuesday night, it rained almost 180 mm in three hours in Belo Horizonte, causing severe damage to dozens of streets. Entire neighborhoods were swamped, causing homes to tumble down hillsides. Flooded roads created violent rapids, sweeping up victims, cars and other debris. A total of 101 towns in Minas Gerais state declared a state of emergency over the past days, as more than 30,000 people had to leave their homes. Those displaced are being housed in shelters in churches, schools and fire stations. Local authorities called out for help in the form of donations of clothes, sheets and mattresses for the victims. The situation is expected to get worse in the region, as the civil defence service issued a storm warning for the next hours. Weather forecast indicates even more rain and the possibility of hail in Minas Gerais. Minas Gerais has suffered the most in recent storms, while other states in Brazil's southeastern region also registered deaths and severe damage. Billy Joel's Long Island home in New York was reportedly broken into over the weekend, leaving dozens of his beloved motorcycles vandalised. Nassau County Police Department explains that the burglary took place sometime between Saturday and Monday. They explained that the burglars entered the house by smashing the glass door leading into the garage. The extent of the damage has yet to be revealed. For the past decade, the Piano Man has run 20th Century Cycles, a motorcycle gallery dedicated to preserving and maintaining vintage wheels, and updating them with modern technology to create "rideable, practical machines with a nod toward the past." 20th Century Cycles also built a custom motorcycle for the Boss, Bruce Springsteen, back in 2013. However, it broke down three years later while Springsteen was taking part of Veteran's Day ride and Joel offered an apology onstage, "It's all over the national news: 'Bruce's Bike Breaks Down. So I'm reading this, and I'm thinking, 'Oh shit, I hope it wasn't the bike I built for him.' It was, but the Boss held no grudges." Over the same weekend, Jon Bon Jovi joined Joel on stage to perform two songs together. Watch it here. New South Wales six-month inquiry will look into the effect of climate change and how it responded to the emergency. New South Wales, the Australian state worst hit by this seasons enormous bushfires, has announced an independent inquiry into the continuing blazes, including the reasons why they started and the role that climate change may have played. The six-month inquiry that will begin this week will examine how state authorities prepared and responded to the unprecedented 2019-20 bushfire crisis, state Premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Thursday. It would be crucial to leave no stone unturned, Berejiklian said. She said the inquiry will be led by two experts former state police Deputy Commissioner Dave Owens and former state chief scientist Mary OKane, who will travel to affected communities and take submissions from the public. They will not hold public hearings. Weve asked them to start during the [bush fire] season to ensure that they can do all the work they need to do for now because we want to report in a timely fashion, we want it ahead of the next season, Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney. The inquiry will look into how climate change, drought, hazard-reduction burns which are conducted to reduce fuel load before the bushfire season and human activity contributed to the fires. The relationship between state authorities and federal authorities during the crisis will also be examined. Billions of dollars in damage Australias conservative federal government led by coal industry-promoting Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been heavily criticised for climate inaction and over its handling of the crisis. SBS online reported Morrison had also been at odds with New South Wales Environment Minister Matt Kean over the fires and climate change. Morrison had dismissed Keans proposal for the federal government to take on a bigger role in dealing with climate change in the wake of the fires, it reported. The prime minister has also defended the countrys coal industry, saying he is protecting jobs. But critics say coal and climate change have contributed to the unprecedented bushfires continuing to burn. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian (left) looks at a map of fire-affected areas of the state before the news conference on Thursday [Paul Braven/EPA] Since September, more than six million hectares of land (14.8 million acres) has already burned in New South Wales, with dozens of fires still not under control. A total of 2,400 homes have been destroyed and 25 people have died, while an estimated one billion animals have also perished. The bushfires damage is estimated at 2 billion Australian dollars ($1.3bn. Although heavy rain and lower temperatures this month have helped put out some fires, the threat has not diminished. During the news conference on Thursday, Berejiklian said the bushfire season was still not over. While we are focused on the rebuilding process we are mindful of the remaining fire threats, she said. An Indian-American doctor and his associate admitted their roles in a conspiracy to bill federal insurance programmes and private health insurance companies over two million dollars for services fraudulently claimed to have been provided by a licensed medico. Parminderjeet Sandhu, 66, of New Jersey and Paramjit Singh, 62, of Ohio pleaded guilty before US District Judge Peter Sheridan in Trenton federal court to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, the US Attorney's Office in New Jersey said in a press statement on Wednesday. The two will be sentenced in April. Under terms of the plea agreement, both will be sentenced to 18 months in prison. In addition, Sandhu and Singh have each agreed to pay USD 1.1 million in restitution as well as forfeit a similar amount. US Attorney Craig Carpenito said Sandhu defrauded Medicare, US' national health insurance programme, and private insurers "and, worse, put his patients at risk" by allowing those patients to be treated by Singh, who had lost his medical license. FBI Newark Special Agent in Charge Gregory Ehrie said Sandhu put his patients at risk while defrauding them as well as their insurers. According to the documents filed in the case and statements made in court, from August 2014 through October 2017, Sandhu and Singh caused USD 2.2 million to be billed to Medicare and private health insurance companies for health services claimed to have been provided by Sandhu. In reality, those services were actually performed by Singh, whom Sandhu had hired to treat patients, despite knowing that he had lost his license to practice medicine anywhere in the US. Sandhu issued prescriptions, including for opioids, in his name for patients seen by Singh, even though Sandhu never met with them. As a result of the conspiracy, Sandhu's medical practice was paid USD 1.1 million for treatment fraudulently provided by Singh. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Nigerian Senate on Thursday urged the Federal Government to allocate more funds to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). The funds, the lawmakers said, will be used to acquire the latest and most recent equipment that there is for research and diagnosis of tropical diseases disrupting human existence as prevention is always better and cheaper than cure. This is a response to the rapid spread of deadly Coronavirus across the world. Coronavirus is a type of common virus that infects humans and seven different types of the virus have been identified to be spread through the air by coughing, sneezing, personal contact, touching an object or surface contaminated with the virus. It is mainly characterised by running nose and sore throat. Public health agencies around the world have been on high alert since the report of the outbreak of the virus in China. It started from Wuhan province in December and as of January 28, has spread across all provinces except one in the vast country. The disease has also been exported to about 15 countries and there are uncertainties as to how many countries would be reporting confirmed cases of the disease any time soon. Already, most cities in China are already on lockdown due to the rapid spread of the virus and millions of people in the country have been quarantined. As at last count, the death toll in China has risen to 106 and more cases are still being reported. The call for increased funding was one of the resolutions taken by the lawmakers after debating on a Point of Order raised by Chukwuka Utazi (PDP, Enugu). The call comes barely 24 hours after the federal government advised Nigerians and non-Nigerians planning to travel to China to suspend their trips, if possible, until further notice. The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, had said Nigeria will not be stopping passengers from China from entering the country once they have been screened at the airport, in the wake of the outbreak of Coronavirus. In his presentation, Mr Utazi noted that the NCDC has closely monitored the outbreak and the aviation regulatory agency have stepped up surveillance operating at the international airport. This, he said, they have done in a bid to contain coronavirus while collaborating with the federal government travel advisory. The lawmakers commended the Federal Ministry of Health through the NCDC for its efforts at stemming the Coronavirus Infection in Nigeria and urge them never to lower their guard until this fight is won internationally and here in Nigeria. The Senate also advised Nigerians desirous of travelling to Asia, especially to China, to heed the federal government travel advisory and put their travel arrangements on hold till the virus is over. READ ALSO: This is even as it tasked the Federal Ministry of Aviation to ensure that persons arriving from China or any country that had the major disease outbreak, self-isolate by staying indoors. Nigerians were told to report any case or cases, likely infections or with symptoms that are approximate with those of the Coronavirus to visit the hospital for health check and advised to wash their two hands with soap preferably from a running tap. A group of traditionally orthodox conservatives met on Saturday at ClearBranch United Methodist Church in Trussville to talk about what kind of new, post-split denomination they could form. We wanted people to get information, said the Rev. Vaughn Stafford, lead pastor of ClearBranch. We wanted those who are hurting and scared to get inspired and motivated. So far, the plan for a United Methodist split is unofficial, but realistic enough that people are beginning to prepare for a new denomination. A plan called the Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation, released Jan. 3, could be voted on at the General Conference in May. It proposes splitting the United Methodist Methodist Church into two groups. Activists on both sides see the potential for a split that would allow conservatives opposed to same-sex unions to walk away, keep their church buildings and start a new denomination. Progressives would keep the denominational structure, and then be able to update policy to allow same-sex unions. Some of my progressive friends, they dont want to fight either, said the Rev. Paul Lawler, pastor of Christ United Methodist Church in Shelby County and president of the North Alabama chapter of the Wesleyan Covenant Association, which has about 1,500 affiliated traditionalist churches in the nation. In our candid conversations together, we both hope it (a split) will end the pain, Lawler said. We want to do it in a way that is God-honoring and we can potentially bless one another. Stafford said a leadership team of about 60 people has been meeting for a year and a half to discuss the best path for traditionalists. We are seeing matters such as interpretation of scripture differently to such a degree, it would be wiser to part ways, Lawler said. The North Alabama conservative leaders this week started a web site, www.NewMethodistmovement.org curated by Stafford and Lawler. It went live after Saturdays meeting. Stafford held a town hall meeting for the ClearBranch congregation on Jan. 12 to discuss the possibility of a denominational split and more than 500 people attended. Its by no means easy to predict what will happen at the United Methodist General Conference, to be held May 5-15 in Minneapolis, Minn. Thats the law-making body of the denomination, with 850 delegates gathering from as far away as Africa and Asia. Its a big question mark right now, Stafford said. Whether or not we are able to get something passed is a question. Its our best shot to get something passed. The North Alabama Conference would then be faced with a vote to become part of a new traditional Methodist church yet to be formed. That would take a 57 percent vote. The Alabama-West Florida Conference would have its own vote, as would conferences across the country. There is a likelihood our entire conference could vote to join the traditional denomination, Lawler said. The majority of Methodist churches in North Alabama are traditionally orthodox. Many in Birmingham may seek to go with the progressive expression of Methodism. Then each of about 670 churches in the North Alabama Conference could vote on which direction they want to go. Church leadership would determine whether it would be a simple majority or two-thirds majority to leave the conference. Getting churches realigned nationwide is the big challenge that would await, Lawler said. Its like a new birth, he said. Births are a blessing. Births are messy. The protocols proposition that churches could leave and take their property helped rally support for a split. Thats a very emotional thing for people, Lawler said. You marry, you bury, you establish life-long relationships on a church campus. The Traditional Plan adopted at the 2019 specially-called General Conference kept the bans on same-sex weddings and ordination of gay clergy adopted in 1972. That angered progressives who want the denomination to approve same-sex weddings. Meanwhile, conservatives who oppose gay marriage are tired of the efforts to change church teaching and many are ready to leave the church if they will be allowed to take their property with them. The question we get asked the most is, Why do we who have upheld the Book of Discipline have to leave? Stafford said. But he sees an opportunity for a fresh start, without the constant political battles. This is not a coming apart as much as coming together, he said. Stafford anticipates that African and Asian Methodist churches will want to join a new traditionalist denomination when it forms. The disagreement over same-sex marriage is only the tip of the iceberg of broader theological differences, Lawler said. Were at a constitutional crisis - people not abiding by bylaws - as well as a theological crisis, Lawler said. Our real issues are much deeper than that, Lawler said. Its about the nature of Jesus, the person of Jesus, the interpretation of scripture. We needed to band together with traditionally orthodox Wesleyans. The progressive and traditionalist wings of the United Methodist Church are separated by a deep theological gulf, Stafford said. Thats really the bigger issue, Stafford said. Human sexuality is the presenting issue. Weve been a creedal church. We believe in the Virgin Birth the Resurrection of Jesus. There are those within the denomination that would call that the Jesus myth. I believe those things. Ive given my life to those things. Stafford said that holding to traditional Christianity including the part of the Methodist Book of Discipline that says the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching" does not mean they hate homosexuals. Were going to love every single person that comes in the doors of our church, whatever sins and struggles they have, he said. The giant boulders fell from a hillside that has endured pounding rain and repeated freezing and thawing of the rock because of harsh winter conditions, said Gary Leaming, a spokesman for the Oregon Department of Transportation. The driver of the Toyota SUV came around a curve on the windy and rural highway near Prospect, Oregon and swerved to miss the first boulder, but crashed into the second. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Global Security-as-a-Service (SaaS) market revenues totalled US$ XX in 2016, and are anticipated to grow at a staggering CAGR of XX through 2026. Key factors propelling the adoption of SaaS services include proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing. The key end use sectors for SaaS include telecom and IT, BFSI, and healthcare remain the largest end-users of SaaS, with telecom and IT particularly witnessing robust adoption. By 2026, the revenue share of telecom & IT is expected to reach XX, whereas BFSI sector will account for XX of total revenues. Request For Report Sample: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/3017 Concerns about potential security threats to confidential and important information is influencing telecom & IT companies to invest in SaaS. Consequently, providing end-to-end security solutions remains a lucrative mode of operation of SaaS companies. Prominent SaaS companies, including Intel Security, Cisco Systems, Inc., and Oracle Corporation are focusing on offering customised solutions to their clients. While IT & telecom will continue to remain the most lucrative end-user, gains will be steady in the healthcare and BFSI sector. Global SaaS market revenues remain equally concentrated between large players and local vendors. It is projected that by 2026, large companies and multinational corporations will account for over XX share, with the rest remaining fragmented among small and medium enterprises.A key trend in the global SaaS market is that service providers are focusing on becoming integrators of holistic solution providers rather than just offering one particular type of service. Reluctance to adopt cloud based solutions is steadily waning, and as more companies come on board, the SaaS market is anticipated to gain further traction.It is projected that the SaaS delivery market will grow at a higher rate as compared to traditional software. File sharing continues to be the leading end-use for SaaS globally, with virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) being the otherleading segment.For global players, growth of the security services of IoT and cost advantages remain key opportunities to leverage during the forecast period. Although the outlook on SaaS remains positive, longstanding challenges, such as difficulty in storing unstructured data and risk of organized attacks remain key challenges. Further, easy accessibility to data makes confidential information vulnerable to cyber-attack and hacks.Some of the leading market players profiled in this report include Intel Security, Oracle Corporation, Cisco Systems, Inc., Gemalto NV, Qualys Inc., Alert Logic Inc., Trend Micro Inc., Proofpoint Inc., Zscaler, Inc., and Okta, Inc. Get Complete TOC with Tables and Figures at : https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/requesttoc/3017 North America and Western Europe remain the two largest markets for SaaS, with the former accounting for over XX revenue share of the market in 2016. The North America SaaS market was valued at US$ XX billion in 2015, and is anticipated to grow at a staggering XX CAGR through 2026. Western Europe, the second largest market globally, will also be the fastest growing market after North America. It is worthwhile to mention that SaaS market in North America will be completely dominated by the U.S., with Canada accounting for only XX share of the market. This is expected to further decline to nearly XX by the end of the forecast period. Make an Inquiry before Buying@ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/checkout/3017/Single 1923 Main Street: A Daddy Daughter Disney Travel Podcast (1923mainstreet.com) offers a fresh new spin on Disney travel podcasting (TRAVPR.COM) UNITED STATES - January 29th, 2020 - Toronto, 29 January 2020 / Co-hosted by Mike Belobradic, an accomplished Disney travel author, blogger and media personality, and his 11-year-old daughter Amelia Belobradic, 1923 Main Street: A Daddy Daughter Disney Travel Podcast (1923mainstreet.com) offers a fresh new spin on Disney travel podcasting. In each episode, listeners get two perspectives on popular discussions about Disney travel planning. This unique co-hosting duo makes the podcast ideal for any listener, but particularly for listeners who have children. Informative and helpful information is combined with the thoughtful unfiltered insights from a younger Disney travel, making for a fun and informative Disney travel podcast unlike anything else. "Disney travel has been a part of my life since I can remember. I love writing about Disney travel, but podcasting offers a unique sense of freedom and the ability to share Disney travel information in a whole new way," said Mike Belobradic. "Co-hosting the show with my daughter Amelia is more fun than I ever thought possible. She has a sharp and quick wit, and really knows her stuff. She doesn't hesitate to speak her mind during an episode and listeners love her for that," he added. Launched in January 2020, 1923 Main Street: A Daddy Daughter Disney Travel Podcast releases new episodes every week on Tuesday. Topics cover everything to do with Disney travel, including Walt Disney World and Disneyland vacation planning tips and advices, Disney Dining, Disney VIP tours and special events, Disney Vacation Club Resorts and much more. The most recent episode (Episode 5, released January 28, 2020 featured helpful advice on how to turn a Disneyland vacation into a California beach vacation. Fans of the podcast can contact 1923 Main Street via email at contact@1923mainstreet.com or on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @1923MainStreet. Mike and Amelia welcome listener feedback and ideas for the podcast. 1923 Main Street: A Daddy Daughter Disney Travel Podcast is available on all major podcast players or directly at 1923MainStreet.com About 1923 Main Street 1923 Main Street was founded by Mike Belobradic, an accomplished Disney travel expert, author, media sources and blogger. Mike is founder of the Luxury Disney Travel Blog (mikebelobradic.com) and is often sought by media sources for comments on Disney travel topics. With over 100 vacations to Walt Disney World alone from Toronto, Canada since 1971, Mike and his daughter Amelia (nearly 30 Disney vacations at age 11) came together to create the 1923 Main Street podcast as a way of bringing different perspectives to listeners about Disney travel topics. Kids and adults don't necessarily view things the same way, making each episode of 1923 Main Street a valuable source of information for Disney travelers of all ages. Learn more at 1923mainstreet.com ### Senior BJP leader and Defence minister on Thursday claimed that he felt "foreign forces" were trying to "weaken" India by "misleading" people against the amended law. Addressing an election meeting in Jangpura Assembly constituency, Singh reiterated that the (Amendment) Act was not going to take away any Indian Muslim's but still misunderstanding was being created among them. "No Indian citizen including Muslims will loose their citizenship due to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Still, if the citizenship of a Muslim is questioned by anyone, the BJP will stand with him," he said. "Misunderstanding is being spread to mislead the people. I feel there certainly is the hand of foreign forces behind this, who want to weaken India. The decision is to be made by you, where do you want the country to head," Singh said. He said India is not a Hindu nation and its history is written with love. "India is not a Hindu nation, it's a secular state. Some people are trying to write history of the country through the ink of hatred. But we have scripted our history through the ink of love and affection," the Union minister said. He said around 600 Pakistani Muslims were given Indian citizenship in the last five-six years, asserting that the CAA was not against the minority community in India. ALSO READ: West Bengal becomes fourth state to pass resolution against Citizenship Act "We have not committed any crime by giving citizenship to minorities including Hindus and Sikhs persecuted in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. We are not the people who practice Hindu-Muslim politics," he said. Singh also said political parties were free to discharge their duties as the Opposition but they also needed to keep in mind "their duty towards the nation in terms of the CAA". Seeking vote for the BJP, he slammed the Kejriwal government alleging that it not only failed to fulfil its promises with the people of Delhi but also did not implement the Modi government's schemes for them including the Ayushman Bharat health scheme. "No leader in a democracy has the right to cause loss of people for his own benefit. But he (Kejriwal) did this by obstructing the Ayushman Bharat and other schemes of the Centre, thinking Prime Minister Narendra Modi will become popular among the people," Singh said. He cited the Modi government's achievements, including abrogation of Article 370 provisions, and said Kashmir will witness "such a development" in coming years that even people of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) will demand to merge with India. SIOUX CITY, Iowa - With five days until the Iowa caucuses, Joe Biden is fending off a new onslaught of GOP attacks over his sons business overseas and facing piling pressure to show Democratic voters he can handle the incoming. As Republicans amplified their allegations against the former vice-president, accusing him of nepotism and worse in a series of charges stemming from the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, Biden mounted an aggressive counterattack ahead of Mondays first nominating contest. Character is on the ballot. Americas character, Biden says in remarks prepared for an event Thursday in Waukee. I dont believe were the dark, angry nation we see in Donald Trumps tweets. Trump himself plans a nighttime rally in Des Moines, offering something of a preview of the election ahead should Biden be the Democratic nominee. Biden made his case Wednesday by openly mocking Florida Sen. Rick Scott, a Republican, for running a digital ad in Iowa that repeats Trumps discredited theories about Bidens work in Ukraine as vice-president and his sons private business dealings there. The ad came a day after Trumps impeachment defence team repeatedly framed Hunter Bidens tenure on an energy firms governing board as the real corruption in need of investigation. A senator from Florida, sitting in Washington, has decided to start running negative ads against Joe Biden just days before the Iowa caucus, the elder Biden told several hundred Iowa voters in Sioux City. What do you think thats about? Look, its simple, he said, returning to an oft-used line: Theyre smearing me ... because they know if Im the nominee, Im going to beat Donald Trump like a drum. Biden adviser Anita Dunn was even more pointed, saying of the Scott ad: Well pay him to keep it up. Biden campaign manager Greg Schultz said, This is all a help to us because it valid Trumps fear. Thats quite a turn from October, when the Biden campaign sent letters to Facebook, Google and Twitter pressuring the online platforms to block ads from Trumps reelection campaign that contained similar debunked allegations against the Bidens. But Dunn and Schultz suggest that their new posture could be the better path to turning a potentially damaging story line into an electoral asset. We are going to call out the lies. We are going to confront him, Dunn said of how Biden will handle Trump going forward. If Joe Biden has proven one thing in this race, its that hes the person to stand up to Donald Trump. Yet there are Democrats who see the Biden controversy as a replay of 2016. In that campaign, Trump deflected myriad stories of his own conflicts of interests and business dealings by hammering away at Democrat Hillary Clinton, her use of a private email server as secretary of state and the foreign contributions to the Clinton Foundation created after her husband Bill Clintons presidency. Whether theres anything to it or not, theres going to be a lack of trust and doubt that we could end up like we did four years ago, said Iowa Democrat Emma Thompson, 63, who is considering caucusing for Biden, but is also considering Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg and Andrew Yang. These arent perfect parallels. During the Trump-Clinton campaign, the FBI was actively investigating whether Clinton or her aides subjected classified material to disclosure, and the agency did not close the case without any criminal charges until well after Trump was in office. There has been no evidence of wrongdoing by Biden or his son. The elder Bidens efforts to oust a Ukrainian prosecutor reflected the consensus of the U.S. government and its Western allies. And theres no evidence the U.S. government has ever actively investigated Hunter Bidens dealings at Burisma, even under Trumps Justice Department. Still, Vicky Rossander, an Iowa caucus precinct captain for Sen. Amy Klobuchar, said shes wary: I dont want to spend the whole election hearing about Burisma and Ukraine. Republicans appear eager to have the fight. Besides Scott, GOP senators including Sen. Lindsey Graham have argued that Hunter Biden or the former vice-president himself should be called as impeachment trial witnesses. Joe Biden has said hed comply if called, but sees his testimony as irrelevant to the charges that Trump abused his power and obstructed Congress. Biden aides said Wednesday that they see no indication of serious movement toward calling Hunter Biden or his father. Trumps 2016 campaign architect, Steve Bannon, confirmed in a recent Bloomberg News interview a deliberate strategy: Isolate and amplify the most damaging charge against the strongest Democratic candidate and hammer into voters minds until Election Day. And Iowas Republican Sen. Joni Ernst joined the chorus this week, emerging from the Senate proceedings to wonder aloud to reporters how this discussion today informs and influences Iowa caucus voters. ... Will they be supporting Vice-President Biden at this point? In Sioux City, Biden thanked Ernst for screaming the quiet part into the bullhorn. She spilled the beans, didnt she? Biden said, laughing. The whole impeachment trial is about whether or not the president tried to interfere in the choice of a nominee for the Democrats. Outlining his preferred outcome, he continued: Now all caucusgoers can have a twofer. One, you can not only ruin Donald Trumps night if I win the caucus you can ruin Joni Ernsts night, as well. ___ Associated Press writers Thomas Beaumont in Mason City, Iowa, and Sara Burnett in Chicago contributed to this report. ___ Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game. Fifty US military personnel have now been diagnosed with concussions and traumatic brain injuries following the Iranian missile attack on US forces in Iraq earlier this month, according to a statement Tuesday from the Pentagon. That's an increase of 16 from late last week when the Pentagon said 34 cases had been diagnosed. "As of today, 50 U.S. service members have been diagnosed with TBI," Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Thomas Campbell said in the statement. "Of these 50, 31 total service members were treated in Iraq and returned to duty, including 15 of the additional service members who have been diagnosed since the previous report. 18 service members have been transported to Germany for further evaluation and treatment. This is an increase of one service member from the previous report. As previously reported, one service member had been transported to Kuwait and has since returned to duty," the statement added. Several Pentagon officials told CNN that the number of diagnosed cases is likely to continue to change. Approximately 200 people who were in the blast zone at the time of the attack have been screened for symptoms. Although traumatic brain injuries are not always apparent immediately after they've been suffered, the disclosure of injured US service members indicates that the impact of the attack was more serious than initial assessments indicated. Tuesday's announcement is the third time the Pentagon has updated the figures for the numbers injured. The Pentagon and President Donald Trump had initially said no service members were injured or killed in the January 8 Iranian missile attack, which was retaliation for the January 2 US drone strike that killed a top Iranian general. Last week Trump said he does not consider potential brain injuries to be as serious as physical combat wounds, downplaying the severity of the injuries suffered in Iraq. During the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump was asked to explain the discrepancy between his previous comments that no US service member was harmed in the January 8 Iranian missile attack on Al-Asad airbase in Iraq, and the latest reports of US troops being treated for injuries sustained in that attack. "No, I heard that they had headaches, and a couple of other things, but I would say, and I can report, it's not very serious," Trump replied during a news conference. An influential veterans group demanded Trump apologize for those comments. "The VFW expects an apology from the President to our service men and women for his misguided remarks," William "Doc" Schmitz, Veterans of Foreign Wars national commander, said in a statement Friday. "And, we ask that he and the White House join with us in our efforts to educate Americans of the dangers TBI has on these heroes as they protect our great nation in these trying times. Our warriors require our full support more than ever in this challenging environment," Schmitz added. The most common form of TBIs in the military are mild TBIs, according to the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center. The nationwide death toll from China's novel coronavirus epidemic has jumped to 170 with 38 more fatalities reported mainly from the worst-affected central Hubei province, the government said on Thursday, while confirming more than 1,700 new infections. IMAGE: A community worker checks the temperature of courier in an express station in Hubei Province, Wuhan, China. Due to a transit shut down and lack of supplies, couriers have became the city's suppliers. Photograph: Getty Images The coronavirus outbreak began in Wuhan, capital of China's Hubei province, in December and has now spread across the globe. The Chinese authorities are trying to contain the epidemic while other countries, including India, are working on plans to evacuate their citizens from Wuhan and other cities in Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak. Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called the coronavirus a "demon" which should be brought under control, pledging that the government would be transparent and release information on the virus in a "timely" manner. China's National Health Commission said on Thursday that 7,711 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus had been reported in 31 provincial-level regions and in the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps by the end of Wednesday. A total of 170 people have died of the disease, it said. It said in its daily report that 1,370 patients remained in critical conditions, and 12,167 people were suspected of being infected with the virus by the end of Wednesday. A total of 124 people have been discharged from hospital after recovery. A total of 1,737 new confirmed cases, including the first in Tibet, and 4,148 new suspected cases, and 38 deaths - 37 in Hubei Province and one in Sichuan Province - were reported by Wednesday. Also, 131 patients became seriously ill, and 21 people were discharged from hospital after recovery, it said. A total of 88,693 close contacts had been traced, the commission said, adding that among them, 2,364 were discharged from medical observation on Wednesday, with 81,947 others still under medical observation, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. By the end of Wednesday, 10 confirmed cases had been reported in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, seven in Macao Special Administrative Region and eight in Taiwan, the commission said. A number of global airlines, including Air India, British Airways, Lion Air and Indigo airlines on Wednesday suspended their flights to Chinese cities as Beijing struggled to contain the rapid spread of the virus. India, the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany have already issued travel advisories against travelling to China. Beijing too has been asking Chinese not to travel at home and abroad in view of the virus. Air India suspended its flights on Delhi-Shanghai route from January 31 to February 14. IndiGo airlines also suspended its flights on the Bengaluru-Hong Kong route from February 1 and on the Delhi-Chengdu route from February 1 to 20. Besides India, several other countries including the US, France, Japan, South Korea, are making arrangements to airlift their nationals from central Hubei province and its capital city Wuhan. Over 23,000 Indian students of which 21,000 are medical students are studying in China. China has ramped up efforts to contain the virus. The country has extended the New Year Festival holidays till February 2 to prevent reverse migration of millions of migrants works to return to their work from holidays. Universities, primary and middle schools and kindergartens across the country will postpone the opening of the spring semester until further notice. The government is focussing efforts to prevent mass gatherings and mass travel to ensure the virus is not spread fast. Beijing has also launched temperature detection at 55 subway stations, including stops at railway stations and Beijing airport. Passengers with abnormal body temperatures will be sent to hospital. Sky News Deep in the North Sea, 150 miles directly east of Aberdeen, lies an enormous and as yet undrilled gas field called Jackdaw. Its owner Shell has described the field as "critical" to its North Sea strategy. In October 2021 the government's environmental regulator for the offshore fossil fuel industry rejected Shell's plans to drill on as-yet unspecified environmental grounds. RENSSELAER COUNTY, N.Y. Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin and County Public Health Director Maryfran Wachunas are joining other public officials across the state to make preparations and increase awareness about the Wuhan Coronavirus, a new and potentially deadly respiratory illness. The Wuhan Coronavirus originated in Wuhan City, China, is fast-moving and believed to have arrived in the United States and Europe. The federal Centers for Disease Control are now screening passengers from China at five major airports and have issued a travel warning. This is a serious health issue nationally, and we are taking steps in Rensselaer County to stay current with a fast-moving situation and ensure necessary steps are taken to prepare, McLaughlin said in a news release. County health officials were recently part of a call from the state Health Department, which urged county officials across the state to be alert about the virus. Dozens in the country are now being monitored for the illness. Federal health officials believe more cases of the disease will be discovered in this country in the coming days. McLaughlin said the county Health Department will also be monitoring the situation and working with state officials as more information comes in regarding the Wuhan Coronavirus. County officials said they will be in regular contact with state health officials to ensure an effective exchange of information as the illness is tracked in the country and the state. Additionally, county health will continue to ask any participants in the health clinics offered by the county their recent travel history, along with being observant for any unique symptoms related to the Wuhan Coronavirus, he added. I want to thank Mary Fran and her staff for very quickly preparing to monitor this important health situation. Screening participants in our clinics gives our county one line of defense in fighting this illness, McLaughlin said in the release. In a diplomatic victory for India, there will be no voting on the resolution on CAA in the European Parliament on Thursday. Official sources said Indian lobbyists prevailed over Pakistani lobbyists in the European Parliament on Wednesday, turning around the situation in favour of India. The resolutions against India were pushed by Pakistan-origin British member of European Parliament Shaffaq Mohammad, close to the Imran Khan establishment in Islamabad. "Strenuous efforts of outgoing British MEP, Shaffaq Mohammad to have a Resolution passed by the European Parliament against India on the penultimate day before Brexit were defeated," a source said. The Narendra Modi government has maintained that the CAA is an internal matter to India and has been adopted through a due process and democratic means. "We expect that our perspectives in this matter will be understood by all objective and fair-minded MEPs," a source said. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the prime target of the Bharatiya Janata Party campaign for the 1 February elections, on Thursday sought to put the spotlight on a BJP leaders controversial remark, asserting that it was for the people of Delhi to decide if he was a terrorist. The controversy over BJP lawmaker Parvesh Verma calling chief minister Arvind Kejriwal a terrorist had erupted yesterday when a video clip of the BJP leaders speech at a public event emerged. In this clip, Verma was heard saying, If Kejriwal comes to power again, Madipurs streets will become Shaheen Bagh. There are many Natwarlals (cheats) like Kejriwal and aatankwadis (terrorists) like Kejriwal hiding in Delhi. We have to throw them out. I fail to understand if we should fight terrorists in Kashmir or against terrorists like Kejriwal in Delhi. ALSO WATCH | Delhi will decide if Im their son or terrorist: CM Kejriwal hits back at BJP As Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party hit back, Verma claimed that he meant to call Kejriwal a naxalite. It didnt help. Kejriwal tweeted he was dismayed. I have been working day and night for Delhi for the last five years. Today in return, the Bharatiya Janata Party is calling me a terrorist ... It is very sad, he said in a tweet in Hindi. Kejriwal followed up on his tweet with an emotional pitch on Friday. The chief minister recalled how he had given up his job as an income tax officer to sit on a hunger strike against corruption. Im a diabetic and take insulin 4 times a day. If a person with diabetes is on insulin and doesnt eat anything for 3-4 hours, they collapse and die. In such a situation, I have done hunger strike against corruption twice, once for 15 days and then 10 days, Kejriwal said, according to news agency ANI. As chief minister, Kejriwal said he had worked for improving the quality of education, healthcare, free pilgrimage for old citizens. Are these steps that a terrorist would take? he asked. In the last five years, these people have used all their power against me. How am I a terrorist? he said, mounting a direct attack at the BJP. Today, I leave the decision up to the people of Delhi if they think of me as their son, brother or a terrorist? he said. Arvind Kejriwals party has already filed a formal complaint with the election office. Parvesh Verma has openly called Arvind Kejriwal a terrorist. This is an allegation aimed at tarnishing the image of a democratically elected chief minister. This is a blatant violation of model code of conductIt is requested that an FIR be registered against Verma and CEO Delhi may ban him from campaigning in Delhi assembly elections 2020, the letter read. Police in Hawaii say the mother of two missing Idaho children has been found in the state, along with her new husband, but the children still have not been located. The Kaua'i Police Department announced Sunday that Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell had been staying on Kaua'i and that they were served with a legal document on Saturday ordering Lori Vallow to produce the children. On Sunday, police executed a search warrant. Tylee Ryan, 17, and Joshua JJ Vallow, 7, have been missing since September 2019. Police say their mother, now named Lori Vallow Daybell, and her new husband initially lied to investigators about where the children were. When police returned to their home in Idaho to question them, the adults had disappeared. Lori Vallow's estranged husband, Charles Vallow, was shot and killed by her brother, Alex Cox, in Arizona last summer. Cox also died in December of an undisclosed cause. Mom of 2 missing kids said she was a god: Threatened to kill husband, divorce papers show Daybell's last wife, Tammy Daybell, died in October of what the family called natural causes, but police in Idaho have since exhumed her remains for further investigation. The findings of that investigation have not been released. Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell were married two weeks after Tammy Daybell's death. Neither Lori Vallow nor Chad Daybell has been charged or arrested, Kaua'i police said Sunday. Officials with the Madison County and Rexburg police, both in Idaho, confirmed in a statement on Monday that they have obtained a court order asking that Lori Vallow present the children within five days to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. "Child protection actions are normally confidential and sealed to protect the anonymity of the parties," the statement said. "The Madison County Prosecutors Office asked the Court for permission to unseal and disclose the existence of the Child Protection Action and the above-mentioned Order to alert the public and anyone with knowledge of the location or health and safety of the children." Story continues Possible link: 2 Idaho children have been missing since September. Their stepfather's ex-wife is dead. There could be a link, police say Vallow's estranged former husband, Charles Vallow, was killed in Arizona in July. Charles Vallow, 62, came from Texas to visit Lori Vallow and their children. But after he arrived to pick up his son, Charles and Lori Vallow started arguing. Lori Vallow's brother, Alex Cox, intervened and killed Charles Vallow, police said at the time. On Dec. 12, Cox died. Police were awaiting autopsy results to determine the cause of death. The children lived, at least for a time, in Arizona. And, when initially questioned about Joshua Vallow's whereabouts, Rexburg police were told he was staying with a family friend in Arizona, which ended up being false, police said. On Dec. 20, the Rexburg Police Department , posted on Facebook that it, along with the Fremont County (Idaho) Sheriff's Office and the assistance of the FBI, was investigating possible ties between the two missing children and the death of a Fremont County woman. The Rexburg Police Department released these photos of Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow, who are wanted for questioning. Vallow's children have been missing since September, police said, and Daybell's previous wife was found dead in October. The woman, Tammy Daybell, was Chad Daybell's wife. She died in her home at age 49. On Nov. 26, Rexburg police tried to do a welfare check on Joshua Vallow, who is adopted and has special needs, at Lori Vallow's home. Family from outside Idaho had not been able to speak to Joshua since September and were concerned, police said. On Nov. 27, Rexburg police searched locations associated with Lori Vallow in an attempt to find Joshua. During these searches, investigators discovered Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell had "abruptly vacated" their home and left town, police said. Joshua did not appear to be with them, police said. He last attended school in Rexburg on Sept. 23. Tylee Ryan, Lori's 17-year-old daughter, also has not been seen or heard from since September, police said. Investigators contacted extended family members, none of whom had been in contact with the children since September. The children had not been reported missing. Cult connections? Man links 'radical' religious group to his attempted murder in Arizona and 2 missing child Friends and family members have spoken out in the media with their concerns over Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell's religious beliefs and focus on the end of the world. A Facebook post by Kay Woodcock, Joshua's grandmother, says Lori was a "wonderful, loving, attentive mother" until things started changing in the past 18 months because of her involvement with a new religious group, which Woodcock called a "cult." Chad Daybell, who says on his website that he is a Latter-day Saint, has written and self-published more than 25 books, some of which focus on near-death experiences, including Daybell's own. Other books fictionalize the end of the world. Both Daybell and Vallow were involved in an organization called "Preparing A People," which has said it is "not a 'group' and is not a 'Cult' or something people join" in a posted statement on its website. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Missing Idaho kids: Mom Lori Vallow found in Hawaii with new husband Swaraj India president Yogendra Yadav on Thursday claimed he and activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan have been detained by the police while protesting at the Delhi Gate. Yadav alleged they were dragged and pushed into a bus and were being taken to an unknown destination. "Prashant Bhushan, myself and about 50 protesters have been detained from Delhi Gate. We were just standing with national flag and singing the national anthem. "Police confirmed: no 144 in force, served us no order. Yet dragged and pushed into bus. Being taken to unknown destination," Yadav tweeted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) We have suspended all flights to and from mainland China with immediate effect following advice from the Foreign Office against all but essential travel. We apologise to customers for the inconvenience, but the safety of our customers and crew is always our priority. Customers due to travel to or from China in the coming days can find more information on ba.com. The Constitutional Court of Armenia held a session chaired by President of the Constitutional Court Hrayr Tovmasyan, but judge of the Constitutional Court Vahe Grigoryan didn't attend the session for no good reason. This is reported on the Facebook page of Chief of Staff of the Constitutional Court Edgar Ghazaryan, who particularly wrote the following: On January 30, 2020, under the chairmanship of President of the Constitutional Court of Armenia Hrayr Tovmasyan, the Constitutional Court held a session based on the application of the Human Rights Defender to consider the compliance of certain articles of the laws on medical aid and service for the population, psychiatric assistance and the rights of children with the Constitution. Judge of the Constitutional Court Vahe Grigoryan, who was elected by the seventh convocation of the National Assembly of Armenia, was the only judge who had an inexcusable absence. BEIJING, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping has ordered Chinese military to keep its mission firmly in mind and shoulder responsibility to make contributions to winning the battle against the novel coronavirus epidemic. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in a recent instruction to the military on the prevention and control of the outbreak of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus. The military resolutely implemented the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee after the novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan of Hubei Province, Xi said, adding that the armed forces rapidly initiated the joint prevention and control mechanism and sent elite medical teams to combat the epidemic at the frontline. Xi said the epidemic prevention and control remained grim and complex and demanded the armed forces shoulder their responsibility, fight the hard battle and actively assist local authorities in fighting the epidemic. The armed forces are tasked with treating patients in Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, which reflects the high level of trust that the Party and the people place in them, Xi said. To meet the expectations and fulfill the task, the military must strengthen leadership, enhance coordination with local authorities, adhere to scientific treatment, and pay attention to their own protection, Xi added. Huoshenshan Hospital, which is under construction, is a makeshift hospital dedicated to treating patients infected with the novel coronavirus. Xi ordered military hospitals engaged in the epidemic control to treat patients with all-out efforts and military research institutions to step up scientific research to contribute to winning the battle against the epidemic. CLEVELAND, Ohio Mayor Frank Jackson signed legislation Wednesday clearing the way for the city to hire designers for a new police headquarters to be built in the Kinsman neighborhood along the Opportunity Corridor. The legislation, approved Monday by Cleveland City Council, allows Jacksons administration to design and build on a city-owned site that will front the new roadway. The campus-like complex will allow Cleveland to consolidate police units now scattered around the city, provide meeting space for public gatherings and activities to become an integral part of the neighborhood. The project is expected to cost about $60 million. It would accommodate about 600 officers for several decades. The complex will be built in the area where Grand Avenue and East 75th Street now intersect. The site is just up the street from Orlando Baking Co.s headquarters. Related story: Cuyahoga County to lease Justice Center space to Cleveland police for another year Design work for the station is expected to begin this year and be finished by sometime in 2021, Matthew Spronz, Jacksons director of capital projects, told City Council this week. Construction could begin by late 2021 and be complete in 2023. The roadway for the Opportunity Corridor is expected to be finished by 2021. Site work, such as utility improvements, is to be complete by 2022. Police headquarters has been based at the downtown Justice Center for more than 40 years. The citys original plan was to renovate the building at 1801 Superior Ave. that is home to cleveland.com. But that deal fell through in 2018, and the city began looking for another site. After no affordable sites that met the needs of the department were found in the downtown, the city expanded its search area. The Kinsman site chosen by the administration has easy access to highways via the Opportunity Corridor, which will connect Interstate 490 at East 55th Street, and streets that allow for easy north and south connections, said David Ebersole, the citys director of economic development. The Opportunity Corridor will connect with University Circle. Ample on-site parking will make the location more accessible than the downtown site, he said. And, an RTA station nearby allows for access to Rapid and bus transportation, Ebersole said. More from Cleveland City Hall Cleveland plan for reducing single use bags could involve fees to protect retailers, exemptions for the poor Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson signs legislation to eliminate fines, jail time and court records for low-level marijuana possession Cleveland Councilwoman Dona Brady taps attorney with roots in ward as successor Mayor Frank Jackson warns passage of City Council reduction issue would steal Clevelanders voices in government Martin Hauserman made a career as keeper of Clevelands history, documenting city government and life of the people Get insider texts about Cleveland City Hall on your phone from Robert Higgs. Cut through the clutter of social media and communicate directly with cleveland.coms City Hall reporter, just like you would with your friends. Sign up here and give it a try. Its just $3.99 a month, which works out to about 13 cents a day. (CNN) Countries are scrambling to evacuate their citizens from Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak in Hubei province, as the number of cases overtake the 2003 SARS outbreak inside mainland China. Flights have been chartered and various quarantine measures have been put in place, ranging from a special medical center to being placed in a detention center in the Indian Ocean. It comes as the worldwide total rose to more than 6,000 confirmed cases of the virus -- after a 30% increase in reported infections on mainland China overnight. Australia Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Wednesday the evacuation will be aided by the country's flag carrier Qantas Airways. There are more than 600 Australian citizens in Hubei, according to CNN affiliate Nine News, and Morrison said there will be a focus on repatriating "the young, especially infants, and the elderly." "I stress that this will be done on a last in, first out basis," he said. "They would have been shorter-term travelers to that area, they would not have been living there for many years and we are particularly focused on the more vulnerable component." The returning Australians will be quarantined on Christmas Island -- more than 1,000 miles away from Australia in the Indian Ocean. Once there, the Australians will be quarantined for as long as 14 days. "But that will be subject to the medical advice we receive," Morrison added. The decision has drawn uncomfortable comparisons with the plight of refugees living in a controversial detention center for asylum seekers attempting to reach Australia by boat. There have been repeated allegations of abuse and even torture of those held in Australia's offshore detention facilities. Morrison said Australian returnees would be quarantined for as long as 14 days -- subject to medical advice. European Union Two planes will be sent to Wuhan to help evacuate European Union citizens, Janez Lenarcic, the EU commissioner for crisis management, said in a statement Tuesday. The first plane left France on Wednesday morning, "while the second one will leave later this week," the statement added. Other flights may follow in the coming days. Around 250 French citizens will be transported in the first aircraft, while 100 people from other EU countries will take the second plane. "EU citizens in the region who want to be repatriated to their home countries can request it, no matter their nationality," the statement added. Countries within the EU, such as France and Germany, have planned their own repatriation procedures. Germany German evacuations are planned to start in the next few days, the Germany Foreign Ministry said Wednesday. France A plane will be sent Thursday to repatriate French citizens, according to France's health ministry. It is expected to take passengers without symptoms of the virus. "A second flight carrying French nationals who may be carrying the virus is also being planned," Deputy Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari told French television channel CNews on Tuesday. There are around 800 French citizens in Wuhan. Italy Italy said it would begin repatriating its citizens from Wuhan this week. The flight, set to depart Italy on Thursday, will come with medical personnel. Spain Spain's government is working with China and the European Union to repatriate Spanish nationals from the Wuhan area, Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya tweeted Tuesday. "Close coordination is being carried out with the rest of the European partners to expedite the necessary procedures, and also with the Chinese authorities in compliance with the sanitary protocols required for repatriation," Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said a communique published Monday. India The Indian government has begun the process of "preparing to evacuate" Indian nationals affected by situation in Hubei Province, a spokesman confirmed Wednesday. Screening of passengers started at various airports in India, the Ministry of Health tweeted Wednesday "Screening of passengers started at #Mohali airport, while medical teams in preparedness at Raja Sansi #Amritsar airport," tweeted the Health Ministry New Zealand New Zealand will evacuate its citizens in joint cooperation with Australia, its government said Wednesday. It is unclear whether the New Zealanders will join the repatriated Australians on Christmas Island. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a statement that "specific details of the evacuation plan, including the medical protocols that will be applied to returning New Zealanders and access arrangements on the ground in China, are being worked through by officials." Japan A flight carrying 206 Japanese nationals arrived in Tokyo on Wednesday morning on a chartered flight operated by ANA. Around 440 more Japanese citizens wish to return, and the government is arranging a schedule. Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the government is preparing to send a second and third chartered flight to Wuhan. The passengers who return to Tokyo will be quarantined on board and those with any pneumonia-like symptoms will be taken to a special medical center for treatment. Passengers without symptoms will be taken to separate hospitals for further screening. Japanese citizens who live close to the Huanan Seafood Market -- pinpointed by Chinese authorities as the likely source of the virus -- and highly-populated areas in Wuhan were given priority on the first flight. South Korea Four charter flights were sent to Wuhan on Wednesday, where almost 700 South Korean citizens have applied to fly out. Citizens will bear the cost of the flight, and those who wish to fly will be inspected by a medical team from Seoul before being allowed to board the plane. Returnees will be quarantined in a government facility. Turkey More than two dozen Turkish citizens in Wuhan will be evacuated in the next couple of days, the Turkish ambassador in China, Abdulkadir Emin Onen, told Haberturk news channel on Wednesday. The 32 citizens are a mix of Wuhan residents, tourists and people there for business, he said, adding they are in good health with "no virus detected," but will be quarantined for some time on their return to Turkey. It is unclear whether the plane will land in the capital, Ankara, or Istanbul. United Kingdom Britain expects to repatriate around 200 passengers on a charter flight Thursday, Britain's Press Association reported. "We are working hard to get British nationals back from Wuhan. Public safety is the top priority," UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock tweeted Wednesday. "Anyone who returns from Wuhan will be safely isolated for 14 days, with all neccessary medical attention." United States A chartered plane carrying approximately 201 US citizens -- mostly diplomats and their families -- arrived at March Air Reserve Base in southern California on Wednesday, where health officials were screening passengers. More Americans remain in Wuhan, hoping to be evacuated at a later date. The State Department said it was unable to accommodate everyone on the flight because of space limitations but is working to identify alternative routes for US citizens to depart Wuhan by land. "The way this plane was put together, the upper level with the crew was completely separated from the lower passengers," Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska's chief medical officer, said in a news conference. "So air flow, every sort of interaction between the top and bottom were completely isolated and the crew never got off in China; and there was never any interaction with the passengers," Zink explained. There was no blanket quarantine for the passengers when they arrived in California, though several said they would stay at the base voluntarily, said Dr. Chris Braden of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The plan is to hold the passengers for three days, monitoring them for a fever and other symptoms at least twice daily, Braden said. This story was first published on CNN.com, "These countries have evacuated citizens from Wuhan because of the coronavirus." By MARC LEVY, Associated Press Motivated by a growing struggle with health hazards in aging big-city school buildings, Gov. Tom Wolf unveiled a new $1.1 billion package Wednesday intended to help eliminate lead and asbestos contamination in Pennsylvanias public schools. Initiatives in the package include money in Wolf's upcoming budget proposal and expanding existing grant programs. Smaller amounts, primarily in federal funding, could become available for replacing lead lines in public water systems, testing for lead in drinking water in schools and child care centers and removing lead paint from housing and child care centers. One key element would expand the state's primary bond-funded redevelopment grant program by $1 billion and make the money available for lead and asbestos cleanups in schools, although the proposal runs into a yearslong trend in the Republican-controlled Legislature of lowering the program's borrowing cap. Wolf, a Democrat, said the grant program is the fastest way he has of getting the money out to school districts, and said every Pennsylvania family and child deserves to live free of asbestos and lead. "It's unfortunate that Pennsylvania's rapid growth took place at a time when lead and asbestos were widely used," Wolf told reporters in his crowded Capitol conference room. "But we have a chance to correct the past and to build a brighter future for all of us." The program currently allows governors and lawmakers to direct hundreds of millions of dollars every year to favored projects, both private and public, but it traditionally has not been used to fund school construction or improvement projects. Expanding it by $1 billion would not require a tax increase, Wolf said. Wolf is scheduled Tuesday to send a budget proposal to the Republican-controlled Legislature for the 2020-21 fiscal year starting July 1, with this package included in it. At the news conference, Wolf stood with Democratic lawmakers, the head of Philadelphia's teachers' union and superintendents from Allentown and Scranton, but no Republican lawmakers. On Wednesday, top Republicans took no position on it. The office of Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre, said Republicans look forward to discussing the proposal as part of the budget process. The office of House Majority Leader Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster, said something similar. While Wolf's relationship with top Republican lawmakers is generally stable, he has not won their approval of his most expansive spending proposals since taking office in 2015. Still, Wolf said he is hoping that getting Republicans on board "will not take a lot of convincing." In the meantime, legislation approved by the House last month would allow the state to borrow $275 million for the redevelopment assistance capital program in the current fiscal year, but tighten borrowing from the current limit of $3.25 billion. A 2-year-old law requires the borrowing limit to shrink by $50 million this fiscal year and next year to $3.15 billion, and the bill, pending in the Senate, would extend that reduction to $2.975 billion in 2025. No child should be exposed to health hazards in the comfort of their homes or when they go to school. Today I announced my $1 billion plan to fix toxic schools and address lead. It's an investment in the health and well-being of PA kids. Learn more: https://t.co/X9A3HfdZ56. pic.twitter.com/yfidnb9WVq Governor Tom Wolf (@GovernorTomWolf) January 29, 2020 Wolf's proposal comes as school districts, including Philadelphia and Scranton, are increasingly grappling with environmental hazards in aging and deteriorating school buildings, such as lead, mold and asbestos. In Scranton, state authorities are investigating what school officials knew about lead in the water in 2016. Wolf has discussed the need in the past, saying that a sprawling infrastructure plan he floated last year could have been a source of help. But that plan never saw a vote. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania, beset by post-recession budget deficits, shut down a roughly $300 million-a-year school construction program five years ago. That left even the poorest school districts since then to pay for improvement projects themselves, and many are holding off on major projects in hopes of the state reviving an assistance program, school officials say. Schools practically everywhere in Pennsylvania are old. At least one-third were built before 1960, according to figures in a report last year by the Joint State Government Commission. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Chinese coronavirus affecting Phuket tourism PHUKET: A meeting was held on Tuesday (Jan 28) at Phuket Provincial Hall to discuss and analyse the impact of the Chinese coronavirus on the Phuket tourism sector and to determine a prevention strategy to protect locals and tourists from any threats. tourismimmigrationhealthChinesedisastersCoronavirusCOVID-19 By The Phuket News Thursday 30 January 2020, 03:40PM Meeting officials discussing not only the impact of the coronavirus on Phukets tourism sector but preventative measures to safeguard locals and overseas visitors from the virus. Photo: Phuket government PR Dept. Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana presides over the meeting at provincial hall to discuss the impact of the Chinese coronavirus on the islands tourism sector. Photo: PR Dept The meeting was chaired by Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana; Phuket Vice Governor, Supoj Rotreuang Na Nongkhai, and other relevant officers were also present. Governor Phakaphong said that the Phuket government has been working closely with many organisations to devise measures to protect and prevent international tourists from being infected by the virus. Phuket Public Health Office Chief Thanit Sermkaew confirmed that so far there have been no tourists infected from the coronavirus. There have been 23 suspected cases where 13 have been cleared and 10 are still under observation. Chief Thanit also confirmed PPHO officers and staff are checking and screening all tourists arriving from China at the airport. Flight cancellations The aviation industry has been sharply disrupted by the virus outbreak and many airlines are now cutting back on or outright cancelling flights to and from mainland China, which has had a detrimental impact on tourist numbers visiting the island. The Chinese government enforced a lockdown on the city of Wuhan, effectively grounding all outbound flights. Air Asia confirmed that all 20 of its direct flights from Wuhan have been cancelled until Feb 29. Charter flights from Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou province in Southwest China, were similarly cancelled. As a result of these cancellations many tourists were left stranded in Phuket, unsure as to how they would be able to return home. Officers from Phuket government are working on contacting relevant organisations to take them back to China. Phuket Government has set up an official team under the name Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) which includes officers from various tourism related organisations to update information and help Chinese tourists, commented Governor Phakaphong. We need to understand the exact numbers of tourists affected by flight cancellations in order to be able to plan and assist them. At this stage, we are still brainstorming to find a best solution to help them, he continued. There are 160 flights coming into Phuket International Airport every day. Usually, during the current period that coincides with Chinese New Year, 40 of these flights are from China, bringing approximately 8,000 tourists per day. Right now, factoring in the flight cancellations, the number has declined to about 2,000 per day. Despite the drop off, Chinese still provide the largest number of overseas tourists from any country to Phuket. Thailand and China have always maintained good relations, so we ask everyone to please take care of our visitors like your relatives, said Governor Phakaphong. Impact on hotels and accommodation President of The Thailand Hotels Association Southern chapter, Kongsak Khongphongsakorn, confirmed that they are working on collecting data on the number of hotel rooms that have been cancelled. He stated that the Chinese governments restriction on its citizens travelling overseas, particularly in Wuhan where all outbound flights have been grounded, will have a profound effect. Information shared by three hotel managers confirmed that 20% of bookings have been cancelled, especially in hotels that cater specifically for tour groups, common among Chinese. However, bookings from independent travellers have not yet been cancelled as, typically, they do not tend to book their accommodation too far in advance. Mr Kongsak explained that, fortunately, tourists from other parts of the world are still coming as there have not been any cancellations of bookings registered yet. ST. LOUIS A teenager from Belleville who admitted his role in a 2018 robbery and carjacking spree was sentenced Wednesday in a case that prosecutors say is an example of an increased focus on juveniles involved in violent crime. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul DAgrosa said Timothy Blassingame, now 19, and another man stole a womans 2004 Ford Escape at gunpoint on May 28, 2018, then drove it to the Metro East, where they robbed two convenience stores with a pistol and a shotgun and tried to rob another. They then carjacked a 2003 Chevy Trailblazer three days later but the owner, Robert Wayne, was able to track his phone, which was still in the car, DAgrosa said. That sparked a police chase involving multiple departments that ended with a crash near Jennings Station Road in north St. Louis County later that night, according to DAgrosa and Blassingames plea agreement. The second man who accompanied Blassingame was identified by authorities as Andre D. King Jr., 22. Both men were charged with federal crimes in Missouri and Illinois. Defense attorneys and federal prosecutors in both places reached a deal in which Blassingame will face 21 to 25 years in prison and King will face at least 20 years, DAgrosa said. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: A student from Jamia Millia Islamia was injured when a man opened fire at a group of anti-CAA protesters on Thursday afternoon, triggering panic, eyewitnesses said. Even after the firing incident, the demonstration continued with a huge deployment of police along with other security agencies and barricades blocking their way. Hundreds of protesters crowded near the barricades that were placed close to the university and some tried to break through. In an attempt to disperse the protest, the police resorted to a mild lathi-charge. The accused, identified as Gopal, was apprehended by the police immediately after the incident. According to police, the man was standing among the protesters and came out to point his countrymade pistol at the crowd. In a viral video, he can be seen chanting slogans of Jai Shri Ram and threatening the protesters -- mainly Jamia students, screaming "dete azadi tumko" (will give you freedom). The policemen, in the meantime, surrounded and caught hold of him. Deputy Commissioner of Police, Southeast, Chinmoy Biswal said that Gopal was being interrogated and investigations in the case are on. He said that a medical report of the injured was awaited. A university official said the victim was Shadab Farooq, a second-semester student of MA Mass Communication. "Shadab was a member of Jamia's Drama Club (theatre) during his graduation days. He is a good singer, great voiceover artist and budding photographer," he said. Shabab was first treated at Holy Family Hospital near the area of the protest and later shifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). "We were moving towards the Holy Family Hospital where the police had raised barricades. Suddenly, a gun-wielding man came out and opened fire. One bullet hit my friend's hand," Aamna Asif, a student of economics at the university, told PTI. Al-Ameen, another student, said the man was brandishing his pistol and shouted "Yeh lo azaadi (Here, take your freedom)". There was heavy police and media presence when the incident took place. After the incident, the students headed to Mahatma Gandhi's memorial at Rajghat but were stopped at the Holy Family Hospital near the university. Students squatted in the area, asking the police to go back. As they raised slogans of "Go back, go back", police officials asked them to maintain peace and conduct their protest peacefully. The DCP said they didn't have permission to protest or walk till Rajghat, which is why barricades were placed. Gopal was live-streaming the protest on his Facebook profile that described him as "Rambhakt Gopal". Later in the day, his account was deleted. Before joining the protest, he drafted several posts against those opposing the CAA and NRC at Shaheen Bagh. "Shaheen Bhag(h) khel khatm (Shaheen Bagh game over)," he posted. "Meri antim yatra par mujhe bhagwa me le jaayen aur jai shree ram ke naare ho (During my funeral procession, wrap me in a saffron cloth and there should be slogans of 'glory to lord Ram')," he said in another post. The injured student has been identified as Shadab, he is from AJKMC faculty, a journalism student.#JamiaMilliaIslamia pic.twitter.com/ZdPjvxd3lo Tarique Anwer (@tanwer_m) January 30, 2020 Further, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation tweeted that entry and exit gates of Jama Masjid, ITO and Delhi gate have been closed for security reasons. Security Update Entry & exit gates of Jama Masjid, ITO and Delhi Gate are closed. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (@OfficialDMRC) January 30, 2020 (With agency inputs) A Delhi court on Thursday sentenced two men to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for abducting and raping a five-year-old girl in east Delhi in 2013, an incident that came close on the heels of the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman in December 2012. The judge on Thursday said the 2013 crime was committed in an extremely demoniac and barbaric manner so as to arouse intentions and extreme indignation of society. The judge also said the accused left the victim to die in the room and also held them guilty of attempt to murder. The court also directed the Delhi Legal State Authority (DLSA) (east) to pay a compensation of 11 lakh to the rape survivor for her rehabilitation. Additional sessions judge Naresh Kumar Malhotra also imposed a fine of 31, 500 each on the convicts Manoj Shah and Pradeep Kumar, who were found guilty by the court on January 18 of raping the minor girl, who later came to be known as Gudiya, at their rented house in Gandhi Nagar in April 2013. According to investigators, Shah lived in a rented accommodation in the same building as the girls family and, along with his friend Kumar, kidnapped her. After raping her, the two locked their house and fled. The girl was found nearly 40 hours later, on April 17, by a neighbour who alerted her parents, who had already filed a missing persons report. When rescued, the girl was found with three candles and a hair oil bottle inside her body. However, the girls uncle expressed his disappointment about the sentence and said he would appeal against it before a higher court. Legal experts said that had the amendment in the rape laws been brought prior to the date of this crime [April 15, 2013], the convicts would have handed a death penalty. Even if the bill was passed earlier, the amendment in the rape laws came only in August 2019. So it cannot be used for cases which have happened prior to the amendment. The maximum imprisonment for rape read with Pocso [Protection of Children from Sexual Offences] is life imprisonment for the remainder of ones life, said advocate Prabhsahay Kaur, who works with Bachpan Bachao Andolan, an NGO. The two convicts were in court on Thursday, along with their respective defence counsels, and did not seek mercy despite the judge giving them an opportunity to do so. Shah even dared media persons present to take photos or videos of him while being taken out of the courtroom. On January 18, Shah had allegedly slapped a female journalist for making a video of his while he was being escorted out of the courtroom following the conviction. Shah was brought to the courtroom around 2.15pm, in handcuffs. His legs were also chained following the orders of the judge who had taken a cognisance of Shahs behaviour against the journalist on January 18. On Thursday, while passing the order, the judge noted that the aggravating factors have overweighed the mitigating circumstances of the convicts being from poor backgrounds and intoxicated while committing the crime. The judge said there was a demonstration of exceptional depravity and extreme brutality. Noting that extreme misery was inflicted upon the victim, the court said that the pain which the victim had undergone is beyond imagination. Both the convicts had committed ghastly and horrendous act with the victim, the court said while adding the manner in which the offence has been committed shows the perversion on the part of both the convicts. ..the cumulative effect of the above mentioned facts taken together is conclusive in establishing the guilt of both the accused persons. The chain of circumstances is complete and does not leave any reasonable ground for conclusion consistent with the innocence of both the accused persons. The chain of circumstances is able to show that both the accused persons committed rape and sexually assaulted the victim.. and they had also cause disappearance of evidence, the judge said in his 92 page judgment. Advocate RS Juneja, counsel for Shah, said, We will go through the judgment and decide on the future course of action. The court said that due to the penetrative sexual assault the victims internal organs were damaged as well. It also said blood stains were present the shirts the accused persons were wearing. Shah and Kumar were found guilty of abduction (Section 363 of the Indian Penal Code), wrongful confinement (342) destruction of evidence (201), 307 (attempt to murder), gang rape with common intention (376D), and under relevant sections of the Pocso Act. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Congressman Tom McClintock View Photo Washington, DC Congressman Tom McClintock is opposing efforts by Democrats to stall the Trump Administrations efforts to revise the Federal Endangered Species Act. Changes were made last August to end protections for newly deemed threatened species, but still keep in place protections for the more severe level, endangered species. There is also a new rule requiring federal agencies to consider the economic impact on communities for placing animals on the endangered list. The changes spurred a lawsuit from a group of states, including California. Attorney General Xavier Becerra argued the federal government should instead be looking at ways to strengthen our biodiversity, not to destroy it. Speaking at a House Natural Resources Committee Hearing yesterday, McClintock stated, I would suggest everyone take a deep breath and calm down. Deep breaths, everyone. He added, I understand why this is troubling to some on the left. The costs of listing decisions are often jaw-droppingly high, especially when land costs, litigation and lost productivity are taken into account. For example, listing just one species, the Sage Grouse, costs an estimated $5.6 billion in lost annual economic output according to one study cited by NBC. $5.6 billion. Every year. There are 1,651 listed species. You do the math. You can read McClintocks speech below: Mr. Chairman: After all the hyperbolic and hysterical rhetoric over the Administrations rules changes on endangered species listings, it appears that the most endangered species in this discussion is the truth. I would suggest everyone take a deep breath and calm down. Deep breaths, everyone. Now lets discuss what is actually changed. We hear that the changes put a price tag on priceless species by allowing the almighty dollar to decide what species are saved. It does no such thing in fact, the rule specifically quote acknowledge[s] that the statute and its legislative history are clear that listing determinations must be made solely on the basis of the best scientific and commercial data available. The five statutory factors in making a listing are not changed by the new rule and the agencies are not given authority to use the economic impact of a listing as grounds for their decision. The only change is that the old rule forbids referencing possible economic impacts, and the new rule allows the economic impacts to be reported. It doesnt change the criteria for a listing decision. It merely allows the public to be informed of the economic impact of the regulation. I understand why this is troubling to some on the left. The costs of listing decisions are often jaw-droppingly high, especially when land costs, litigation and lost productivity are taken into account. For example, listing just one species, the Sage Grouse, costs an estimated $5.6 billion in lost annual economic output according to one study cited by NBC. $5.6 billion. Every year. There are 1,651 listed species. You do the math. Except you cant do the math, because under the old regulation you werent allowed to. The new regulation says, we at least ought to know. The left would prefer to keep the public in the dark. Whats the second change? Were told it guts the protections for threatened species. Not hardly. When the ESA was adopted, Congress made a distinction between endangered species those that are actually going extinct and threatened species those that may go extinct in the foreseeable future when it comes to the take prohibition. The take prohibition forbids activities that affect any member of a species or its habitat. Originally, the take prohibition was required for endangered species, and was not required for threatened species, unless the agencies quote deemed it necessary and advisable. The distinction between endangered and threatened species for the purpose of applying a take prohibition was removed by the Department of Interior, which governs terrestrial species but not by the Department of Commerce, which governs marine species. The new rule merely restores this distinction to reflect the original provisions of the ESA and bring Interior regulations back in line with Commerce regulations which have always made the distinction. And thats important, because automatically applying the take prohibition to potentially future endangered species creates perverse incentives for landowners to shoot, shovel and shut-up. And dont forget, under the new rule, the take prohibition can still be imposed when the agencies deem it necessary and advisable. Whats the third issue? It involves critical habitat. Critical habitat designations come with sometimes severe land use restrictions. Critical habitat could be land already occupied by a species but it can also be land where a species hasnt been seen for decades. Up until 2016, regulations required that all occupied habitat had to be designated as critical before you could start designating unoccupied habitat. These regulations were changed in 2016 and the administration merely changed them back. The left doesnt like this because it has designs on tying up vast new tracts of land well beyond the actual habitat of a species. Finally, there are technical changes to the interagency consultation process. Agencies are required to get approval of Interior or Commerce if their activities affect listed species. If the activity jeopardizes a species or modifies its habitat, it is prohibited. The new rules streamline the process to reduce the time and money necessary to undertake the review. This is not likely to cause major changes, since one study reported that not a single jeopardy finding was issued between 2008 and 2015. This takes the delay out of the process the left loves endless permitting requirements. Since its hard to find any paper bags to breath into anymore, I hope the facts will suffice to calm everyone down. Finally, I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record a paper by the Cross Industry Coalition, representing millions of American jobs, filed in support of the administrative rules changes. Fingrid Oyj Stock Exchange release 30 January 2020 at 11:15 EET Proposals of Fingrid's Shareholders' Nomination Board to the Annual General Meeting 2020 The Shareholders' Nomination Board of Fingrid Oyj proposes to the Annual General Meeting 2020 that the meeting would decide as follows: 1 Number and composition of the Board of Directors The Shareholders' Nomination Board proposes that the Board of Directors would consist of five (5) members and that the current members of the Board of Directors Juhani Jarvi, Paivi Nerg, Sanna Syri ja Esko Torsti would be re-elected for the term of office ending at the end of the next Annual General Meeting. The current Board member Anu Hamalainen has informed that she will not be available for re-election to the Board of Directors in the next Annual General Meeting. In addition, Shareholders' Nomination Board proposes that Hannu Linna will be elected as new Board member for the same term of office. Hannu Linna, M. Sc. (Tech.), eMBA, Finnish citizen. Earlier Linna has acted as a CEO for Vaasan Sahko Oy during the years 2001-2018 and as a CEO for Korpelan Voima (federation of municipalities) during the years 1994-2001 aand as a CEO for Mellano Oy during the years 1992-1994. In addition, Linna has acted earlier, among others, as a Boord member for EPV Energia Oy 2001-2019), Voimapiha Oy (Indalsalven), (2013-2018) and Vapo OyVapo Timber Oy (2009 2017 and 2014-2017). In addition, Shareholders' Nomination Board proposes the Juhani Jarvi would be re-elected as the Chairman and Paivi Nerg re-elected as the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors. Of the proposed Board members, Juhani Jarvi and Sanna Syri are independent from the company and its significant shareholders. Paivi Nerg and Esko Torsti are independent of the company, but not of the signifigant shareholders, since they are currently employed by a significant shareholder. All of the proposed Board members have given their consents to their appointments. 2 Remuneration for the Board of Directors The Shareholders' Nomination Board proposes that the remuneration paid to the members of the Board of Directors remain unchanged. According to the proposal, the Chair shall be paid EUR 2,400/month, the Vice Chair EUR 1,300/month, and the Board members EUR 1,000/month, in addition to which, members shall be paid a meeting fee of EUR 600 for attending Board meetings and meetings of the Board's committees. Additional information about the members proposed by Fingrid's Shareholders' Nomination Board is available on the company's website. The Nomination Board's proposals will be included in the invitation to the Annual General Meeting. The Chair of Fingrid's Shareholders' Nomination Board is Juha Majanen (nominated by the State of Finland), and its members are Jukka Reijonen (llmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Company) and Erkko Ryynanen (nominated by Aino Holdingyhtio Ky). Contact information: General Counsel, SVP Marina Louhija tel. +358 40 519 0627 Russia's law enforcement agencies have detained a man who reported a fake bomb threat at Moscows Sheremetyevo International Airport, an emergency source said. "The administration of Sheremetyevo airport received a message claiming that a bomb had been planted in a runway. No explosive objects were found during the search. The man who reported a hoax bomb threat has been detained. His identity and motives are being established," TASS cited the source as saying. The airport is currently operating as usual. A freight train narrowly avoided being derailed after the tracks collapsed beneath it during a flash flood. The footage was recorded by an onlooker in Prairie in Queensland, Australia, at 6.30am on Sunday. In the video, the murky brown waters can be seen rushing past the section of railway that has been almost entirely engulfed during a period of flash flooding. A yellow Pacific National train has come to a stop on the right-hand side of the screen. It pauses momentarily before beginning to steadily reverse. The section of railway immediately in front of it can be seen bowing under its weight as the track begins to collapse. The driver continues to edge the fully-loaded freight train backward before it safely reaches solid ground and the video ends shortly after. The footage was recorded by an onlooker in Prairie in Queensland, Australia, at 6.30am on Sunday as the Pacific National freight train attempted to cross the track that was almost entirely engulfed by water The section of railway immediately in front of it can be seen bowing under its weight as the track begins to collapse. The driver continues to edge the fully-loaded freight train backward before it safely reaches solid ground and the video ends shortly after It is thought that the increased level of water had washed ballast away from the track which resulted in the loss of stability. The person who filmed the scene said: 'I went to Prairie Creek for a look at the water levels after a night of heavy rainfall. 'I noticed that the train was stopped near the creek. 'When I got closer, I witnessed the train on the eastern side of the bridge as the bridge had started to collapse under the train. 'I am unaware of the exact events, however it looked like they had taken the safest option to pull the train up until notified to reverse it back off the tracks, which they were able to do safely.' Jim Benstead, Queensland Rail's regional head, said some sections of the railway line remain closed. Speaking to the North Queensland Register, he said: 'Our crews are monitoring the situation and undertaking track inspections where conditions allow. It is thought that the increased level of water had washed ballast away from the track which resulted in the loss of stability 'Detailed track inspections in some areas - including at Prairie - cannot take place until flood waters have receded and we have visibility of the track. 'We will work to re-open the line as quickly as possible once if it safe to do so.' Australia has recently been subject to increasingly volatile weather conditions including bush fires that started in September 2019 before eventually being hit with torrential downpours and flash floods. When a U.S. Air Force jet crashed on January 27 on a remote plain south of Kabul, killing at least two crew members, it was initially described by the governor of Afghanistan's Ghazni Province as a civilian passenger plane. Since then, international media have variously described it as a "modified private business jet," a "spy plane," an "electronic surveillance" aircraft, and a hub for "WiFi in the sky." So what exactly was the role of the Canadian-built Bombardier E-11A aircraft that crashed some 150 kilometers from the Afghan capital? Richard Aboulafia, vice president of analysis at the Virginia-based aviation consultancy Teal Group, tells RFE/RL that the plane was much more significant than an ordinary surveillance or communications aircraft. It was one of just four Bombardier E-11As that were purchased by the U.S. Air Force and "outfitted with a suite of signals intelligence and signals transfer capabilities" known as the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN), Aboulafia says. The BACN is a multimillion-dollar communications system that translates and relays real-time battlefield communications between ground troops and aircraft used by the U.S.-led international coalition forces in Afghanistan. It is able to relay voice communications, video, photographic images, and other data between aircraft and ground troops that are often using different types of communications networks. 'High-Value Asset' Aboulafia says that made the E-11A a "very high-value asset" that would have performed "command-and-control battle management" functions as well as communication, electronic warfare tasks, and surveillance. From an altitude high above the range of any Taliban weaponry, Aboulafia says the E-11A would have carried out "a combination of battle-management functions, communications functions, and a little bit of signals intelligence -- which does involve some surveillance." "Basically, 'WiFi in the sky' is one way of looking at it," he says. "But when you are a signals intelligence plane, there are a whole host of applications for that." Designed to fly at an altitude "way above 40,000 feet," Aboulafia says the E-11A is not a go-to plane for monitoring Taliban radio or cell phone communications. He says that task would usually be carried out by smaller planes that conduct "lower-level signals monitoring," including turbo-propeller aircraft. But, from their position high above the battlefields and mountains of Afghanistan, Aboulafia says the E-11A's crew would have received and relayed intelligence that had been obtained from Taliban communications by lower-flying surveillance aircraft or ground monitors. "The E-11A collects signals intelligence," Aboulafia explains. "There might be people on board analyzing it, disseminating it, transferring it -- everything like that. There is a whole host of work involved with signals on the battlefield." "The idea is to pick up as many signals as possible -- anything from radios to cell phone calls -- and transfer that information," he says. "It also transfers communications between friendly forces. It's a kind of giant signals processor." Technically, calling the E-11A a "modified private-business jet" also is correct -- but leaves out significant details about the plane's mission. The air frame of the E-11A is an adaption of "one of the most expensive private-business jets you can buy -- a very high-altitude aircraft that typically seats eight to 12 people" known as the Bombardier Global Express, Aboulafia says. Some countries have modified the plane for use as a military air-ambulance, a cargo-transport plane, or for specialized military-surveillance missions. Battlefield Disaster GlobalSecurity.org, a U.S. based security think tank, says the U.S. Air Force developed the E-11As BACN payload in response to "communications shortfalls" that led to a 2005 battlefield disaster for U.S. forces in northern Afghanistan. Operation Red Wings -- a joint mission involving U.S. Navy SEALs, U.S. Army Special Operations Forces, and U.S. Marines -- was meant to target Taliban fighters in the Pech district of Kunar Province. But the mountainous terrain prevented a four-man Navy SEAL reconnaissance team from establishing reliable communications with their command center. Within hours of their arrival, the team of U.S. Navy SEALs was attacked by the Taliban. Three were eventually killed. A Taliban rocket-propelled grenade then struck a Chinook helicopter as it attempted to land an extraction team -- killing 16 more U.S. special forces. Marcus Luttrell, the only surviving member of the initial Navy SEALs team, described the events in detail in his 2007 book Lone Survivor. A Hollywood film adaptation of Luttrell's book was released under the same title in 2013. "Due to Afghanistan's mountainous terrain and lack of existing communication infrastructure, serious communication challenges prevented the four-man SEAL patrol from effectively establishing contact with their combat operations center, leaving them vulnerable to the attacks that claimed the lives of 19 U.S. special operations service members," GlobalSecurity.org says. The U.S. military has rejected Taliban claims that its fighters shot down the E-11A in Ghazni Province, saying the cause of the crash is still under investigation but that there is no sign it was shot down. Aboulafia says video footage of the wreckage posted on a Taliban website shortly after the crash supports that Pentagon statement. Crash Landing? Rather than a widespread field of debris, the footage shows the plane's upright fuselage still connected with the tail section -- suggesting it had made a crash landing rather than being downed by a rocket or antiaircraft fire. The footage does show the top of the plane completely burned away. But there are few signs of fire on the underside of the plane. That reinforces a statement by an Afghan provincial government official who said the plane caught fire only after it hit the ground. Aboulafia says it is unclear whether the plane burned because of the crash or if one of its crew members engaged a self-destruct mechanism after the landing to ensure that the high-tech equipment would not fall into the hands of Taliban fighters, several of whom were near the scene shortly after the crash. But he said it would be a top priority for the Pentagon to prevent the BACN system from being transferred to Iran or Russia, where jamming mechanisms could then be developed to disable its vital battlefield communication links between U.S. ground troops and their command centers. Two burned bodies are seen in the video footage near the wreckage. The Pentagon said on January 28 that helicopter-borne U.S. forces recovered those remains and the plane's flight recorder a few hours after the crash. In a statement, the U.S. Defense Department added that those U.S. forces also destroyed the remnants of the aircraft. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said on January 28 that Taliban fighters on the ground counted six bodies at the site of the crash. Unidentified U.S. officials initially were quoted as saying the plane was carrying fewer than five people when it crashed. Later, U.S. military officials said the entire crew consisted of the two people who were killed and retrieved. Samsung Electronics said on Thursday it expects earnings to bounce back in 2020 after a fourth-quarter slump, helped by a gradual recovery in memory chip demand from data center customers and 5G smartphone makers. The cautiously optimistic outlook from the world's biggest memory chip and smartphone maker draws a line under its worst year since 2015. It also echoes positive guidance from peers like Intel Corp and TSMC, signalling a rebound in chip prices after a lengthy slide. The South Korean conglomerate reported operating profit of 7.16 trillion won ($6.13 billion), down 34% and in line with its own previous estimate. Net profit fell 38% to 5.2 trillion won, with revenue easing 1% to 59.9 trillion won also meeting estimates. "Looking ahead to 2020, Samsung expects improvements in overall business performance but also sees continued uncertainties in the global business environment," Samsung said in a statement. It didn't identify particular issues that could affect its operations. The United States and China reached an initial deal late last year to resolve a long-running trade row that had disrupted global business, though some issues remain unresolved. Samsung rival Apple earlier this week used a wider-than-normal prediction range for a revenue forecast citing uncertainty created by the coronavirus outbreak in China which economists fear could hurt the global economy. For first-quarter 2020, Samsung said it expected earnings to fall reflecting low seasonal demand. Fourth-quarter operating profit more than halved to 3.45 trillion won in Samsung's mainstay chip division, while mobile division profit improved nearly 67% to 2.52 trillion won. Samsung said the pace of 5G smartphone expansion and its effects should be monitored closely, but the company sees demand picking up around mass-market models as major manufacturers expand their 5G lineups. Shares fell 1.4% by 0125 GMT, trailing the wider market's 0.6% drop. Samsung shares rallied 44% last year, as expectations of an easing of U.S.-China trade tensions fueled hope of a rebound in the chip industry. Tibet reported its first confirmed case of coronavirus on Thursday, involving a person hailing from the Chinese province of Hubei, local health authorities said. The 34-year old patient, surnamed Zhang from the city of Suizhou had arrived in Lhasa by train from Wuhan on January 24 and was hospitalised the next day, the Xinhua news agency reported. The region on Wednesday had activated the top-level emergency response to contain the coronavirus epidemic. Coronavirus originated in Wuhan, a Chinese city of more than 11 million people and has since then spread to various countries around the As many as 170 people have been killed, while over 1700 cases have been registered in China alone. Health authorities around the are taking action to prevent a global pandemic as the virus continues to spread, with cases reported in Australia, France, the United States and several Asian countries besides China. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Insurers in Europe may need to put aside money to protect their policyholders should they become insolvent, and regulators should be able to be shut them down swiftly without the need for taxpayer bailouts, a top EU official said on Wednesday. However the European insurance industry body said it opposed such moves, saying there were already safeguards in place and that the new requirements could hit the sectors global competitiveness. Valdis Dombrovskis, vice president of the European Commission and responsible for financial services, said the 11-trillion-euro ($12.2 trillion) European insurance sector faced growing cyber and climate risks. The European Union is about to review its four-year old capital rules for insurers known as Solvency II, and Dombrovskis said a gap may need plugging. There is no EU-wide resolution regime for the insurance sector in the event of distress, and no minimum EU rules on insurance guarantee schemes, he said in a speech in Brussels. The bloc introduced a recovery and resolution regime for banks after the 2007-09 financial crisis, a set of requirements that enable regulators to close down ailing lenders in a quick and orderly way without taxpayer bailouts. An insurance guarantee scheme, already available in some EU states, provides last-resort protection to consumers when an insurer becomes insolvent and unable to pay out on a policy. If every EU country had insurance guarantee schemes, it would benefit policyholders, taxpayers and the insurance sector as a whole, Dombrovskis said. EU states and the European Parliament are already looking at this concept as they finalize new rules for car insurance, he said. The blocs insurance regulator EIOPA has been asked for advice on creating a resolution system. However trade body Insurance Europe said there was already a global framework for dealing with systemic risks and EIOPA wanted to gold plate it. Given all the protection already offered by Solvency II, this makes no sense and is definitely not helpful to EU insurers global competitiveness, Insurance Europe president Andreas Brandstetter said. The review will also look at whether requirements on insurers to report data on their activities could be lightened. But Dombrovskis said he will ask an EU advisory body on accounting to work on new standards requiring insurers and other companies to give sufficient and reliable information on sustainability issues. The EU will assess how insurers integrate climate and environmental risks, and how to strengthen the sectors resilience to natural disasters, Dombrovskis said. Insurance Europe says Solvency II is too punitive in capital requirements on long-term savings and investments, and Dombrovskis said these issues would be looked at. The European Commission has powers to propose changes to Solvency II that would need approval from EU states and the European Parliament, a process that would take several years. ($1 = 0.9014 euros) (Reporting by Huw Jones; Editing by Pravin Char) Topics Carriers Cyber Europe joe biden bernie sanders REUTERS/Carlos Barria; REUTERS/Sam Wolfe Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are far ahead of the pack in the 2020 Democratic presidential race. But there are still have 10 other candidates crowing the polls. We ran a polling model that analyzed what would happen if everyone else dropped out. The results show that it'd be a tossup. Neither the moderate or progressive "lane" of the Democratic party would give either candidate a clear path to victory. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. As the Iowa caucuses approach on February 3, two candidates have distinguished themselves as the leaders in the 2020 democratic presidential race. Former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders lead in both Iowa and national polls by significant margins. In the latest polling averages, the two are at 21% and 24.2% in Iowa respectively, and 28.1% and 23.8% nationally. The two candidates also lead in other major states that hold primary elections soon afterward New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina although other candidates hold closer third-place positions in those races. Yet while Biden and Bernie lead, there are still a total of 12 nominees in the race. Some have lost support in recent weeks but remain popular, like Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg. Some have surged, like Michael Bloomberg. All of them, as of now, are significantly less likely to cinch the nomination than Biden or Bernie. But by remaining in the race, they crowd out the two leading contenders against President Donald Trump in the general election. So: What if we just got rid of them? If only Bernie and Biden remained in the race, would there be a clear winner? Thanks to the unique way Insider conducts its polls, we can test that. joe biden bernie sanders debate REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton Unlike with other polling methods, Insider/Surveymonkey's poll asks intended primary voters which candidates they would be "satisfied" or "unsatisfied" with if they were to become president, rather than asking them to name a single candidate. Using that data, we ran a model that analyzed what it would look like if we eliminated every candidate except for the top two and re-allocated those voters to Biden and Sanders, based on the seven most recent surveys we ran on SurveyMonkey Audience, which ranged from mid-November to late January. Story continues If all of the other candidates Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, Michael Bloomberg, Amy Klobuchar, Andrew Yang, Tulsi Gabbard, Tom Steyer, Deval Patrick, John Delaney, and Michael Bennett all dropped out of the presidential race today, here's what the polls would look like, according to Insider's data. 24% of primary voters would be happy with Bernie Sanders as the nominee, but would not be satisfied with Biden. 22% would be happy with Joe Biden as the nominee, but would not be satisfied with Sanders. 24% of them would be fine with either candidate as the nominee. 30% wouldn't be satisfied with either of them as the nominee. Basically, there's still no clear winner If you thought the Democratic primary was nasty now, it'd get even worse in a two-way Biden-Bernie race. Democrats still wouldn't have a clear nominee. It'd be a tossup. Both candidates have their diehard fans, but those numbers are roughly even 22% and 24% for Biden and Bernie respectively. Neither of them, in current polls, would have a clear path to consolidating party support. These results also muddle the narrative that Biden or Bernie are substantially hobbled by other candidates in their "lanes." Bernie Sanders Jan 24 Business Insider As the narrative goes, there are two main "lanes" in the Democratic primary. There are moderates, of which the leading candidate is Biden. And there are progressives, of which the leading candidate is Bernie. Weaker moderate candidates, like Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg, are supposedly crowding out votes that would otherwise go to Biden, therefore giving Bernie and edge. And progressive candidates, mainly Warren, are taking away voters who would otherwise go to Bernie, giving Biden an edge. The primary's weird delegate selection process particularly in Iowa requires candidates to receive 15% of the vote in a state to get any delegates. That's made it an urgent issue for some leading campaigns to try to siphon support from lower-performing candidates. According to the New York Times, the Biden campaign recently tried to form an alliance with the Klobuchar campaign an entreaty the Klobuchar campaign rejected. Joe Biden Business Insider But as these numbers show, if everyone got out of the progressive lane except for Bernie, and if everyone got out of the moderate lane except for Biden, the race would still be hopelessly split. Neither candidate would be better than the other at consolidating the party around them. In reality, appealing to that half of respondents who would not have a preference between Biden and Sanders is the entire point of a campaign in the first place, and the lack of satisfaction is not specifically a cause of dissatisfaction. Respondents were not forced into selecting satisfaction or dissatisfaction, and neutrality likely explains why plenty of people are not yet game for a Biden or Sanders candidacy. This is still a primary with deep divisions between the major wings of the party. But lost in that shorthand is the idea that there's some significant overlap in appeal between the two men that is drowned out amid the punditry. But there is some serious polarity. 32% of Sanders supporters said they explicitly would not be satisfied if Biden were the nominee. Among Biden supporters, 26% would not be happy were Sanders the winner of the primary. It's clear that if either candidate wants to break the deadlock, they still have a lot of work to do convincing Democratic voters that they're the right person to face Trump. Read the original article on Business Insider Prince Andrew promised to cooperate with the Jeffrey Epstein investigations after his chaotic BBC interview. However, instead of helping and proving his innocence, he has kept his mouth closed and refuses to cooperate. According to U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman, the FBI and prosecutors, with the help of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, tried to contact the Duke of York's lawyer numerous times. The group wanted to set another interview with the prince about Epstein's crimes, but they still did not receive a word from Prince Andrew who "provided zero cooperation." His current gestures are far from what he promised in November when he said that he was "willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations if required." During Berman's appearance at a news conference outside Epstein's Manhattan mansion, he announced: "It's fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that public commitment." The Buckingham Palace has not yet responded about the news nor provided an explanation why Prince Andrew chose to be silent about the pressing issue. The promised cooperation with authorites came after Prince Andrew appeared in an ill-judged BBC interview, during which he received plenty of criticisms. In the said interview, he spoke to Emily Maitlis about his friendship with pedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein and the allegations of sexual impropriety with a then-underage Virginia Roberts. The FBI Moves Before they tried to communicate with him, the Times of London reported that the FBI started making their moves to sit with Prince Andrew and discuss his relationship with the convicted pedophile last year. A source from the Justice Department divulged information about the current discussions between the FBI and the department to interview the Duke of York. Prince Andrew piqued FBI's curiosity more after a report circulated saying that his friend and Epstein's confidante Ghislaine Maxwell was the one who brought underage girls to him. "If he agrees to an interview, he could potentially provide some very unique and helpful insights and make a considerable difference to the investigation," The Times source said. In 2019, the FBI was not able take a step forward despite Prince Andrew's intent to help "any appropriate law enforcement agency." They will only be able to proceed with the interview if Prince Andrew agrees to cooperate fully in the investigation. Even Prince Charles Wanted It The heir to the throne was the first one to make a move and talked to his brother to resolve the worsening matter. As soon as he jetted back from a 12-day-tour in New Zealand in 2019, Prince Charles travelled straight to Sandringham to meet his father, Prince Philip. The Prince of Wales reportedly sought his father's advice regarding Prince Andrew's BBC interview on his involvement with Epstein and opened up about his plans to meet his brother for a "crisis meeting". Aside from talking to Prince Philip, Prince Charles also asked for a piece of advice from Sir Nicholas Soames, a grandson of Sir Winston Churchill. "He has told his brother to be completely upfront, open and honest with him - and if there is anything else he thinks could come out," a source exclusively revealed to Mirror. But ever since the talk with Prince Charles, Prince Andrew kept on staying out of the limelight. He even skipped the engagement party of his daughter, Princess Beatrice. Abdul Mahdi is under increasing pressure to end, or at least renegotiate, the agreement that allows more than 5,200 U.S. troops to help fight the Islamic States remnants in Iraq. Last week, as many as 200,000 Iraqis joined a march backed by an influential Shiite cleric to call for a U.S. pullout. A woman tries out a new Apple 11 Pro during an Apple product launch event at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California on September 10, 2019. Apple has beaten Samsung on quarterly smartphone shipments for the first time in two years, according to figures from several industry analysts. The iPhone maker saw shipments surge to 72.9 million units in the fourth quarter of 2019, according to Counterpoint Research, climbing above the 70 million Galaxy phones sold by Samsung. Strategy Analytics said Apple held the most market share in the quarter, with 70.7 million units sold versus Samsung's 68.8 million in the final three months of 2019. Another industry tracker, Canalys, reached a similar conclusion. One firm, IHS Markit, put Samsung at 70.7 million and Apple at 67.7 million. But the figures nonetheless showed strong momentum for Apple as consumers flock to buy its latest model, the iPhone 11. "Apple has surpassed Samsung thanks to iPhone 11 popularity and improvement in upgrade cycle from the larger base of iPhone 6S, 7 and user base," Neil Shah, partner and vice president of research at Counterpoint, told CNBC by email. Still, China's Huawei managed to outpace its U.S. rival during the whole of 2019, taking the number two spot behind Samsung despite headwinds related to the U.S.-China trade war. The company accounts for a whopping 39% of the Chinese market, according to Canalys, with Apple trailing behind on 11.8%. Ahmet S. Yayla, a counterterrorism police sergeant, had a surprising encounter when he arrested a suspected terrorist with ties to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in 1998. No one Ive gone to arrest has ever shown me such respect," Yayla said. "He was respectable and warm. He was prepared. Yayla said most terror suspects aggressively resist arrest and deny wrongdoing. But the man he arrested admitted ownership of criminal materials and behaved calmly, at least until he was outside his house. His attitude changed when he saw the media and his supporters outside. He started acting like a classic rebellious terrorist, he said. Ahmet Yayla is now living in the United States and has had his Turkish passport revoked on suspicion of being connected to the Gulenist network which the Turkish government believes was behind the July 2016 coup attempt. The Gulenists have been hostile toward ultra-secularists in Turkey. The man arrested and imprisoned was Dogu Perincek, a long-time leader of Turkey's ultra-secularists and the founder and leader of Turkeys ultranationalist Patriotic Party, or Vatan Party. Today, even though his party doesn't have a single seat in parliament and won only 0.2% of the vote in the 2018 election, Perincek wields significant influence over Turkeys foreign policy, and is responsible not only for Turkey strengthening ties with Russia and China but also re-embedding an ideology within Turkeys establishment that advocates severing relations with the United States and EU. This ideology, known as Eurasianism, promotes the view that Turkey should distance itself from the West and NATO and act independently from the Western bloc by aligning with the Russia and China axis. In Turkey, Eurasianism claims that Western powers are trying to divide Turkey through their support of Kurdish separatism, whereas Russia and China are better allies that provide equal and mutually beneficial cooperation, Perincek told Al-Monitor. Manifestations of this philosophy include Turkish cooperation with Russia on Syria and Libya; the purchase of the Russian made S-400 defense system; the TurkStream pipeline; and President Recep Tayyip Erdogans reluctance to criticize Chinas suppression of Uighur Muslims, all the while threatening to shut down the Incirlik NATO air base and respond in kind to the threat of US sanctions. Supporters of American politics should be worried, Perincek said. Another strange moment in Turkish politics took place in March 2014, when Perincek was released from prison after serving only six years of a life sentence for his alleged involvement in a plot, known as Ergenekon, to overthrow Erdogan. Perincek believes they were behind his imprisonment in 2008. About Yayla, Perincek told Al-Monitor: "He fled to the United States and from there he is serving as a psychological operative." After his release, however, Perincek began cooperating with Erdogans government. Asked about his role in Turkish politics today, the man dubbed the shadow defense minister, oddly referring to himself in the third person, said, After 2014 he has especially been in the position that determines the orientation of Turkey's security and foreign policy. Perincek was born in Turkeys southeastern border province of Gaziantep in 1942. He studied law at Ankara University and has a doctoral degree in the same field. Throughout his education, he was a leftist activist. He became president of what would come to be called the Revolutionary Youth Federation of Turkey, a Marxist organization with offshoots responsible for deadly terrorist attacks, including the murder of three NATO employees in 1972. He has served a total of 14 years in prison on different occasions for leading and supporting terrorist organizations, including the PKK, which Turkey and the United States consider a terrorist organization. Perincek today opposes the PKK. His leftist anti-Western organizations and political parties have operated under various names. For example, in 1992 he formed the Workers Party, which was rebranded the Patriotic Party in 2015. He continues to lead this party with the aim of uniting nationalists, populists and socialists. His alliances have changed almost as much as his organizations names. For years, Perincek was close to the PKK, but now he uses fears of Kurdish separatism to win the support of leftist nationalists and Kemalists," said Ahmet S. Yayla, now director of the Center for Homeland Security at DeSales University. "His party realized their alignment with the PKK was harming them politically so they changed course, not because ideologically they arent in sync with the PKK. Rather, they changed course to get more political and ideological support from Kemalists. Regardless of his changing alliances domestically, one thing has remained stable: his connections with Russia and China, dating back to the Cold War. The Patriotic Party has had relationships with the Chinese Communist Party, based on mutual trust, since the early 1970s. "Our relations with the administration of the Russian state, which started particularly in the 2000s on the basis of the Eurasian strategy, are developing in a healthy way, Perincek said. His relationship with Russia is aided by controversial Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin, who is believed to be close to the Kremlin. We have a friendship with Mr. Alexander Dugin that has passed tests," he said. "Russian patriotism and Turkish patriotism meet in the Eurasian cause. In our meetings with my dear friend Dugin, we exchange very productive views on the course of the world and West Asia. During the Cold War, Perincek recruited many military students to his ideological cause. Many of those students went on to become high-ranking generals. His influence in the military has also provided him influence in many other areas. He was very powerful inside the judiciary and in the past in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," Yayla said. "He has been able to infiltrate into the most important parts of the Turkish republic. This may explain the discrepancy between his behavior in and outside of his home at the time of his arrest in 1998. Perincek and his co-ideologues have friendly connections with elements of the state, but he must present himself as an outright enemy of the state to the public. There are a lot of calculations behind his moves, Yayla said. Perincek, however, offered the following reason: My self-confidence and comfortableness in the face of such arrests comes from my experience and my personality. I am not afraid of pressures, arrests, bullying. In Turkey, I have always stood up and fought against US imperialism and plots. That is why those who fight against the United States trust us and inform us at all times. Perinceks Eurasianist military co-ideologues include people like Lt. Gen. Zekai Aksakalli and retired Lt. Gen. Ismail Hakki Pekin, former head of the Turkish Armed Forces' Military Intelligence and now deputy chair of Perinceks party. His military allies, though secularists opposed to Islam, share an enemy with Erdogan: Gulenists. The Gulenists were once allied with Erdogan under political Islam and were Atlanticists, meaning they were pro-US and NATO Perincek claims the Gulenists were behind his imprisonment in the 2008 Ergenekon case, because they wanted to purge the influence of secular Eurasianists. However, after Erdogan and the Gulenists had a falling out over a power struggle, Perinceks sentence was overturned. The AKP [Justice and Development Party] needed the support of the Vatan Party against the Gulen movement, said Selcuk Colakoglu, an adviser to the Center for Strategic Research at Turkeys Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As Erdogans suspicion that his new enemies were cooperating with NATO and the United States to oust him grew, someone who could provide closer ties to Russia and China became valuable. With the purge of the Atlanticists from the army, vacant posts were filled by Perinceks Eurasianists. Asked about their role, Perincek said, The Asia Anew Initiative strategy, which is officially used by the government, is created and led by the strategy of the Vatan Party. While many in and outside of Turkey see the country as a bridge between the East and West, Perincek doesnt subscribe to this view. Humanity has entered a new era, where Asia is on the rise," he said. "Turkey is at the forefront of this era. Turkey, heading toward Eurasia, is on a road with no turning back to the Atlantic system. However, just as a power struggle led to Perinceks current prominence, it could lead to his ostracism. This Islamist-Eurasian coalition is only for a short run, and a conflict is inevitable, Colakoglu said. For Yayla, its not clear who will win the conflict. Right now these two need each other, but in the very near future, one will have to topple the other, he said. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend: Delegation of The Belarusian State Concern for Oil and Chemistry (Belneftekhim Concern) will visit Kazakhstan next week (Feb. 3 to Feb 9) to hold negotiations on import of Kazakh oil to Belarus, Trend reports with reference to the press office of the government of Belarus. This agreement was reached during the meeting of Prime Minister of Belarus Syarhey Rumas and Kazakhstans Prime Minister Askar Mamin held in Almaty. Rumas notified Mamin that Belarusian government was authorized to sign the corresponding agreement, the report said. Earlier this months, by a decree 27, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko authorized the countrys government to carry out negotiations with Kazakhstan on the topic of trade and economic cooperation in area of oil and petroleum goods import to Belarus, as well as on the agreement draft and its signing when it is approved. According to Kazakhstans then Minister of Energy Kanat Bozumbayev, during Lukashenkos visit to Kazakhstan in April 2019, parties signed a preliminary agreement on export of Kazakhstans oil and petroleum products to Belarus and on overall cooperation in the area. As noted earlier by Asset Magauov, Kazakhstans Vice Minister of Energy, Kazakhstan is counting on signing the agreement on oil export to Belarus in the beginning of 2020. Kazakhstan is planning to export from 1 to 3.5 million tons of oil and petroleum products a year to Belarus. --- Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh Morocco promised Wednesday to help Somalia enhance its capacities in water management, tackle flooding and solve water drainage issue. The pledge was made by Moroccan Minister of Equipment, Transport, Logistics and Water Abdelkader Amara during a meeting with his Somali counterpart Fawzia Mohamed in Rabat. The two sides also agreed to establish a bilateral partnership framework aimed at providing technical assistance to Somalia through expertise sharing and visits exchanges by experts. The North African country will thus share its expertise in the development and management of water resources, preservation of water quality, transfer of technology as well as improvement of water knowhow. The Somali delegation is visiting Morocco while Moroco has just launched a seven-year National Drinking Water Supply and Irrigation Program worth 10.8 billion. The plan aims to strengthen and diversify drinking water resources, optimize the demand management, reinforce the drinking water supply in rural areas, and extend and rehabilitate distribution networks and wastewater treatment plants. Morocco and Somalia, bound by good relations, last year signed three Memorandums of Understandings to strengthen their cooperation in politics and diplomacy. Novel can derail Chinese smartphone makers' India plans in 2020 as China lockdown in the long run can severely impact the flow of key components required to assemble smartphones at their manufacturing plants in India. According to industry experts, if the lockdown continues for over a month or so, it will hamper the time-to-market strategy of nearly all Chinese brands as China provides bulk of various semi-knocked down (SKD) components like memory chips, touch panels/cover glasses along with semiconductors for smartphone assembling lines in India. Unlike the completely built-up (CBU) units that are final products, SKD requires labour to assemble five-six key components which are imported and China is the main supplier, along with Vietnamm and Taiwan. Most Chinese brands are currently involved with nearly 100 per cent SKD-level production in the country. "The long-term impact of will impact upcoming smartphone launches as various brands will find it difficult to maintain their time-to-market planning in the wake of delay in SKD arriving in India," Tarun Pathak, Associate Director, Counterpoint Research, told IANS. "With SKD components stuck at warehouses in China, the whole supply chain will be affected as this is a seamless, effective, time-bound process for any smartphone brand to gain footprint in the highly-competitive Indian market," Pathak added. Currently, nearly 12 per cent SKD components are being sourced locally while rest of the 88 per cent come from China, Taiwan, Vietnam and Japan - with China being the biggest supplier. ALSO READ: China orders farmers to ramp up food production amid coronavirus outbreak "The entire global supply chain will be affected, pushing the launch dates further if the virus is not controlled fast," Pathak noted. According to Varun Mishra, Research Analyst at Counterpoint, supply chains have been upset, causing various companies to rethink their strategies and reduce dependence on single markets. "2020 will likely see efforts to further diversify investments across geographies to mitigate risks. The current outbreak in China is the latest issue to threaten supply chains," said Mishra. Sensing the upcoming troubles, Chinese smartphone makers are currently in a huddle and strategizing Plan B in case the supply chain remains affected for a long time. A well-established Chinese brand told IANS that at the moment, travel plans are affected and those who have gone to China on business travel, have been were asked to remain there till the situation is under control and the threat is minimised. "There is a complete travel ban. Those who are based here, are in continued discussions with the Chinese counterparts to understand and how to control the supply-chain issue once arises. Right now, things appear to be in place," a company employee told IANS on the condition of anonymity. India had to import $13 billion worth of components in 2018. "Not many high-value components are being sourced from India. As a result, local value addition in India was at 17 per cent during 2018. "This helped the country save $2.5 billion in forex but increased assembly operations in India led to imports of mobile phone components going up to $13 billion," said Pathak. The possibility of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to source chips locally is still nearly four to five years away. "Sourcing of chips locally will happen only once the component ecosystem for low-value components is strengthened and export incentives are brought into force," said Pathak. Half of the handsets sold in India in 2018 were imported as SKDs while only 34 per cent were imported as CKDs. However, by the end of 2019, handsets imported as CKDs were forecasted to reach 75 per cent while 25 per cent will be in the form of SKDs. Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Andleeb Abbas on Thursday said that Pakistan Embassy in China had established a round the clock hotline to coordinate with Pakistani students in Wuhan, the city of Hubei province of China an epicenter of deadly coronavirus ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jan, 2020 ) :Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Andleeb Abbas on Thursday said that Pakistan Embassy in China had established a round the clock hotline to coordinate with Pakistani students in Wuhan, the city of Hubei province of China an epicenter of deadly coronavirus. Responding to a calling attention notice regarding difficulties being faced by Pakistani students in China due to corona virus, she said, "the hot line was established by the Pakistani embassy and it was working round the clock and was in close touch with the students in Wuhan province of China." "The government was also in contact with the families of the Pakistani students," she added. She said that about 28,000 students were studying in various universities of China while 500 to 800 students were getting education in Wuhan province. She said that the government of China was providing food to students on daily basis, while the canteen in the university also opened for two hours every day for students. She said that students were also being provided online food delivery facility in the university. To another question, she said that presently relocation of students from Wuhan was not possible as per the medical guidelines of World Health Organization. She said that at this point, relocation would not benefit the students as well their families. She said as per the medical guideline, the residents in the affected province will have to stay there for 14 days. She said that Chinese government was providing medical assistance to students. She said at present, virus had been confirmed in one student. However other affected students were in stable condition. He said that the Pakistan government while following the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) had taken all preventive measures to control the spread and it was keeping suspects under observation and making a strategy to cope with the situation in case of emergency. She said that passengers traveling from China were being screened in three ways including filling out of forms, examining of temperature and its assessment. She said that an Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) had been established at National Institute of Health (NIH). He said that the Chinese government had taken appreciable decision by putting under quarantine the most infected areas of the country to control the spread. Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood said that the government was considering bringing back Pakistani students from Wuhan. Responding to a point of order raised by the lawmakers, he said as per the latest information four Pakistanis affected by the virus were recovering and in stable condition. Earlier, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said that prime objective of the Parliament was to make the legislation for the welfare of people of the country. He said it was unfortunate that government was not taking opposition into confidence on important legislation. State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan assured that the government will take into confidence the opposition on important legislation. - Marcos Rojo has joined Argentine club Estudiantes on a six-month loan deal from Manchester United - The defender has just managed to make nine appearances for the Red Devils under Solskjaer this season - The 29-year-old previously featured for Estudiantes for three seasons before moving to Russian side Spartak Moscow Marcos Rojo has returned to Estudiantes, his home club back in Argentina on a six-year loan move from Man United. The 29-year-old has previously been linked with a move out of Old Trafford having failed to nail a permanent place in United. READ ALSO: Michy Batshuayi: Chelsea star acquires KSh 650,000 customised Rolex watch READ ALSO: 10 Liverpool stars who have never tasted Premier League defeat at Anfield since joining Rojo almost signed for Everton in 2019 but the deal fell through and decided to stay with the Red Devils for this season. The Argentine defender has made just nine appearance under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the 2019-20 campaign. Estudiantes have since taken to social media to announce his re-signing with a stunning welcome message. READ ALSO: Bruno Fernandes admits he had eyes on EPL move as Man Utd reach deal to sign him You always return to the places where you were happy. Because of the sense of belonging, it's stronger," the club posted. Your dream and that of the Pincha family come true. We meet again. We are thanking you for coming back, Marcos. We welcome you with our hearts," they added. PAY ATTENTION: Install Pitch Football app for FREE to easily access stats, news and live updates Solskjaer had earlier suggested that Rojo would not be sold in the winter window, as he remains under contract at old Trafford until 2021. Rojo was in attendance for the Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium, taking his place among the fans during the 1-0 victory. He made 43 appearances for Estudiantes between 2008 and 2011, before moving to Europe to play for Russian giants Spartak Moscow. Do you have an inspirational story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Tuko news. My husband left me after I made him a millionaire - Mary Miriti | Tuko Talks | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Additional evidence is needed for the murder case of journalist Pavel Sheremet to go to trial, Ukrainian Prosecutor-General Ruslan Ryaboshapka said on January 30. "The volume of compiled evidence isn't enough," he told the Interfax news agency in an interview. Ryaboshapka said that, in order to determine whether the suspects were guilty or innocent, "written instructions were prepared for the investigating prosecutors and the terms of the investigation were accordingly set." Sheremet, a Belarusian-born Russian citizen who had made Kyiv his permanent home, was leaving his apartment to head to a broadcast studio where he hosted a morning radio program when an improvised explosive device planted under the vehicle he was driving exploded on July 20, 2016, killing him instantly. Sheremet's killing underscored concerns of a climate of impunity for attacks on journalists and others who challenge the authorities, while the government has faced persistent criticism over a perceived lack of progress in solving the case. Investigators suspect three people of involvement in the murder, all of them with ties to the war taking place in two eastern regions of Ukraine. They are former special operations Sergeant Andriy Antonenko, army medic Yana Duhar, and pediatric surgeon and volunteer Yuliya Kuzmenko. Police have also named two persons of interest in the investigation -- married couple Inna and Vladyslav Hryshchenko. William Taylor, the former U.S. charge d'affaires in Ukraine, has suggested Interior Minister Arsen Avakov isn't certain that the people who were charged with the murder are guilty. Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a France-based media watchdog, has called the probe a "flawed three-and-a-half-year investigation." In a statement on January 10, RSF raised concern about "inconsistencies in the evidence for the Ukrainian authorities' claim to have solved [Sheremets] murder, and urged them to continue the investigation and to be more transparent as they do so." This investigation "offers the opportunity to really begin combating impunity," said Jeanne Cavelier, the head of the Paris-based media freedom watchdog's Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk. "Not just the perpetrators but also the instigators should be identified and brought to trial," Cavelier insisted. Sheremet's mother, Lyudmila Sheremet, told RFE/RL in December that she does not know if the suspects are guilty or not, but that she is afraid "that innocent people may be hurt" as officials try to show they're making headway in the case. Jerry Lara / Staff photographer No Texan is naive enough to think that U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz actually want witnesses to testify at the impeachment trial of President Trump. The GOP game plan is clearly to speed through this trial as quickly as possible and vote to acquit the president. But if this crucial issue comes to a vote on Friday as expected, both Texas senators and other Republicans should accept the growing national momentum and approve at least some witnesses. Frankly, if the vote is carried by a few Republican moderates, senators like Cornyn and Cruz have nothing to lose except more of their respect and their place in history. The issue of witnesses has been in the background for weeks but surged to the forefront with a news report disputed by no one that the upcoming book by Trumps former National Security Director John Bolton confirms that Trump was withhold military aid to Ukraine until that countrys leaders would announce an investigation into alleged corruption by the Biden family in Ukraine. Two brothers who killed their next-door neighbor in the town of Cherykau were sentenced to death this month by a Belarusian court. The country is the last in Europe to impose the death penalty. In interviews with Current Time, the convicts' mother and sister expressed their grief, saying that the sentence also inflicts a harsh punishment on the family. The Oneida-Herkimer BOCES has canceled a long-planned trip to China due to mounting concerns about the coronavirus outbreak. One of the trip organizers says they have already paid for the trip, and are working to get a refund. U.S. health officials have advised people to avoid travel to China if possible. About 30 students across the state, who take a Mandarin-Chinese class, were planning to visit China during school break in April. There have been confirmed cases of the coronavirus in 18 countries, with more than 6,000 people diagnosed. The virus has also caused 132 deaths across the world. AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Petros PACE Finance, LLC (www.petros-pace.com ) has closed two Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) transactions totaling $4.9 million with Ross Group, a Tulsa, Oklahoma-based commercial real estate owner and developer, to finance energy-saving building measures in the redevelopment of two properties into hotels in downtown Tulsa. Ross Group secured $3.2 million in C-PACE financing for the recently completed renovation and conversion of the historic Tulsa Club building into a 90-room Hilton Curio hotel, in addition to $1.7 million in C-PACE financing for the construction of the 116-room Holiday Inn Express & Suites - Downtown Tulsa. The deals mark the first C-PACE transactions to close in Oklahoma. "We are excited to be the first to bring C-PACE to the Oklahoma market as a new, low-cost financing tool that can help improve returns for sustainable development," said Mansoor Ghori, CEO of Petros PACE Finance. "These two projects demonstrate the role C-PACE can play in efforts to revitalize urban cores and we look forward to working with innovative Oklahoma developers like Ross Group." Ross Group will use the funds for sustainable design elements, which were incorporated into the redevelopment of the two properties, including efficient heating, cooling, plumbing and lighting systems, along with building envelope improvements. The Tulsa Club's 1920s-era building was home to a prominent social club in the city, but sat vacant for years before its recent conversion into a hotel. The site of the Holiday Inn Express Downtown Tulsa was previously occupied by two older commercial buildings. C-PACE is a relatively new financing tool for energy and water efficiency projects, which has grown quickly in recent years. As a low-cost, long-term permanent financing product secured as a property tax assessment, it provides developers with an alternative to mezzanine debt and equity that lowers overall capital costs and allows them to invest in higher efficiency building designs. "Ross Group is committed to development practices that improve our community's infrastructure," said Warren Ross, Chairman and President of Ross Group. "C-PACE financing is a cost-effective financing tool to include in the capital stack of future developments that promote sustainability and economic development." PACE Financial Servicing serves as the administrator of the Tulsa County, Oklahoma PACE program. Ross Group Construction Corporation is the owner and developer for the Tulsa Club Hotel Curio by Hilton and the Holiday Inn Express & Suites - Downtown. Oklahoma marks the sixth state where Petros has closed the first C-PACE transaction and expands the firm's national footprint to eleven states and Washington, D.C. About Petros PACE Finance Petros PACE Finance, LLC is the national leader in the C-PACE marketplace, dedicated solely to providing long-term C-PACE financing to commercial property owners seeking to lower energy costs, reduce their carbon footprint and increase property values. Leadership has decades of executive-level experience in commercial lending and structured finance, with direct long-term institutional investor relationships. With billions in committed capital, Petros is able to close transactions in eligible C-PACE markets nationwide. To learn more about Petros PACE Finance visit our website at www.petros-pace.com/. Contact: Kylie Fitzpatrick 512-599-9042 [email protected] SOURCE Petros PACE Finance, LLC Related Links http://www.petros-pace.com Jared Kushner, Donald Trumps son-in-law and the architect of his Middle East peace plan, has trumpeted his knowledge of the decades-long conflict by mentioning that he has read 25 books on the matter. He told Sky News Arabia: Ive been studying this now for three years. Ive read 25 books on it, Ive spoken to every leader in the region, Ive spoken to everyone whos been involved in this." On Tuesday, Mr Trump unveiled the Peace to Prosperity plan alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. The plan calls for the creation of a State of Palestine with its capital partially located in east Jerusalem. Mr Trump characterised the deal as a historic opportunity for Palestinians to have their own state, and called it the deal of the century and a win-win. Mr Kushners interview comes in response to criticism of the Middle East plan, including but not limited to its total lack of input from Palestinian leaders, its proximity to the Israeli elections in March, and its defence of Jewish settlements that have roundly condemned as illegal under intentional law. The plan also hands the Jordan Valley over to Israel, which is home to 65,000 Palestinians and grants Palestinians access to the River Jordan, which feeds the fertile agricultural lands in the valley. Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Show all 18 1 /18 Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Palestinian protesters burn pictures of US President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a demonstration in the West Bank against the expected peace plan proposal AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan US President and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announce Trump's Middle East peace plan in the White House AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Reuters Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan Reuters Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan EPA Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AFP via Getty Palestinian protests against President Trump's Middle East peace plan AP In an interview with CNNs Christiane Amanpour, Mr Kushner defended the plan, warning that the Palestinian leadership had better not screw this up. The Palestinian leadership have to ask themselves a question: Do they want to have a state? Do they want to have a better life? If they do, we have created a framework for them to have it, and were going to treat them in a very respectful manner, Mr Kushner told Ms Amanpour. If they dont, then theyre going to screw up another opportunity like theyve screwed up every other opportunity that theyve ever had in their existence. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas roundly rejected the plan and vowed to resist it through peaceful, popular means. After the nonsense that we heard today we say a thousand nos to the Deal of the The Century, Mr Abbas said. According to a report from the Associated Press, Palestinian protestors responding to the plan burned tires and pictures of Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu. I say to Trump and Netanyahu: Jerusalem is not for sale; all our rights are not for sale and are not for bargain. And your deal, the conspiracy, will not pass, Mr Abbas said. Mr Kushner intimated that a Palestinian rejection of the deal would cost them sympathy in the eyes of the international community. If they screw up this opportunitywhich, again, they have a perfect track record of missing opportunitiesif they screw this up, I think that they will have a very hard time looking the international community in the face, saying they are victims, saying they have rights, Mr Kushner said. This is a great deal for them. LUDZIDZINI - His Majesty King Mswati III was presented with a Charter of the Commonwealth as he officially welcomed the visiting Commonwealth Secretary General, Patricia Scotland. The secretary general arrived in the country on Monday afternoon, but the King personally welcomed her into the country yesterday morning when he met her at Ludzidzini Royal Residence. This is Scotlands first ever visit to the kingdom since she became the Secretary General of the Commonwealth. Her visit is also part of her goal of familiarising herself with Commonwealth member States. In his remarks, the King told Scotland that the country was pleased to receive her as such a visit provided on important opportunity for her to appreciate and understand the kingdoms programmes and initiatives that it was engaging in as a member State. During the courtesy call, the King said they would discuss various issues of mutual interest that included, but not limited to, social, political and economical affairs. Cooperation He said they would also discuss possible areas of cooperation and support by the Commonwealth to the kingdom. Thereafter, the King shared the countrys vision of attaining First World status by 2022 and told Scotland that the kingdom would count on her support towards realising the national aspirations. Furthermore, His Majesty thanked the Commonwealth for the support it extended to the kingdom in the past and present. He also acknowledged that the Commonwealth was conducting workshops in the country through a team of experts from the secretariat. We appreciate this expertise and we are looking upon you (secretary general) to ensure that help is provided whenever the country is in need, the King said. Meanwhile, Scotland, who appreciated the warm welcome from the King and country, presented the Charter of the Commonwealth to the King as a gift. According to the Commonwealth website, the charter sets out the values of the organisation as well as the commitment of its 53 member States to equal rights and democracy among others. During her visit in the country, the secretary general will meet several government structures and will attend the official State opening of the second session of the 11th Parliament today. BOSTON and SAN DIEGO, Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sensible Financials Founder, Rick Miller and Senior Financial Advisor Frank Napolitano have been selected to present at the National Association of Divorce Professionals Experience 2020, the nations premier conference for divorce-focused service providers, taking place May 14-16, 2020 in Las Vegas. The National Association of Divorce Professionals (NADP), the first of its kind, is an association unifying highly-vetted professionals who serve those going through divorce. Focused on making a positive impact on the divorce process through strategic alliances, divorce-centered education and comprehensive professional development, the conference, in its second year, boasts a stellar cadre of divorce professionals. Miller and Napolitano will present on The Lifetime Balance Sheet: A Holistic Approach to A Better Settlement Agreement. The talk will explore how applying family economics to divorce negotiations can improve settlement outcomes for divorcing couples and their families. Miller will explain the theory of life-cycle economics and the concept of consumption smoothing, which focuses on trying to optimize lifetime living standards by ensuring a proper balance of spending and saving during the different phases of life. Then, Napolitano will show how the traditional approach leads to short-term decisions that can have negative long-term, and often, expensive consequences for clients. Hell demonstrate how incorporating a lifetime balance sheet approach into the divorce process can help divorce professionals improve client outcomes. Divorce professionals usually rely on the traditional balance sheet to divide property in a divorce, but this approach has major shortcomings which can lead to unfair settlements, said Frank Napolitano. While divorce is never pleasant, we believe that a thoughtful, analytically rigorous approach can lead to better, more sustainable results. Incorporating the lifetime balance sheet into the divorce process benefits clients. Our methods provide a deeper understanding of how families manage their resources over an entire lifetime which puts us in a better position to optimize the outcomes of divorce. Rick Miller, Ph.D., CFP founded Sensible Financial Planning and Management in 2002. He is a CFP certificant, and a member of the Financial Planning Association and NAPFA, the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors, where he has served as the program director for the Boston chapter and on the faculty of NAPFA University. Miller has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, Businessweek.com, NPRs Nightly Business Report, and other local and national media, and is a regular Forbes.com contributor. Frank Napolitano, J.D., CFP , is Senior Financial Advisor at Sensible Financial. He is a founding member of the NADPs San Diego chapter, and heads up the Sensible Financial divorce planning program, which aims to provide individuals going through divorce with high-quality financial advice. Prior to joining Sensible Financial, Napolitano worked as a Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. He holds a B.A. from Harvard University and a J.D. in Business and Financial Law from Boston University School of Law. He is a CFP certificant, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder, a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association and the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA). For more information about NADPs Experience 2020 or Miller and Napolitanos presentation, visit: https://nadp.certitrek.com/ . About Sensible Financial Sensible Financial Planning and Management was founded in Waltham, Massachusetts in 2002 to make state-of-the-art, unbiased and personalized financial advice more widely available, especially to people who havent been comfortable using a financial advisor. The team specializes in providing objective financial planning and investment management with the goal of helping clients attain their most important goals through all of lifes stages. Sensible Financial has been recognized by the Financial Times as a top registered investment advisor, by AdvisoryHQ as a top rated financial advisory firm, and by InvestmentNews with their Adviser Technology Best Practices Award. Learn more at SensibleFinancial.com. Media Contact: Crystal Woody Crystal@carltonprmarketing.com Yuejichina.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 9 Jul 2014, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. The total number of people who shared the yuejichina homepage on StumbleUpon. The total number of people who shared the yuejichina homepage on Delicious. The total number of people who shared the yuejichina homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the yuejichina homepage on Twitter + the total number of yuejichina followers (if yuejichina has a Twitter account). This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the yuejichina homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if yuejichina has a Facebook fan page). Basic Information PAGE TITLE - ,, DESCRIPTION ,,,,,. KEYWORDS , , , 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. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. Domain and Server DOCTYPE XHTML 1.0 Transitional CHARSET AND LANGUAGE UTF-8 DETECTED LANGUAGE SERVER nginx/0.7.67 OPERATIVE SYSTEM Character set and language of the site. Type of server and offered services. The language of yuejichina.com as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Operative System running on the server. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world. Referring domains for yuejichina.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 URL of the found Facebook page. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. The type of Facebook page. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. 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 Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 03:50:50|Editor: yan Video Player Close ALGIERS, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of Algeria's two leading political parties on Wednesday vehemently criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan, also known as the "Deal of the Century." Azzedine Mihoubi, leader of the Democratic National Rally (RND), the second largest bloc in the Algerian parliament, said the deal was nothing but a "plot announced most brazenly at the expense of an unarmed people and usurped lands". Mihoubi tweeted that the deal will end up in failure, just like previous deals, adding a solution based on keeping away the Palestinian people and tampering with their rights is not going to be viable. Meanwhile, Abdel-Razzaq al-Maqri, leader of the Movement of Society for Peace, the third largest power in parliament, affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood group, said on his Twitter account that the deal is a "slap by agents who retain their power in office through capitulation and treachery". Trump, in a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had announced on Tuesday his plan for peace in the Middle East. So maybe it wasn't the best choice to send Rudy Giuliani to Ukraine. Well, let's just make sure it doesn't happen again, a group of bipartisan senators seemed to say during Thursday's Senate impeachment trial. The second day of impeachment questioning from senators brought the first inquiry from a bipartisan group: Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Kirsten Sinema (D-Ariz.). "Will the president assure the American public that private citizens will not be directed to conduct American foreign policy or national security policy unless they have been specifically and formally designated by the president and the State Department to do so?" they asked, essentially asking that Trump's future envoys have further permission to do their jobs. It's an obvious reference to the fact that Giuliani traveled to Ukraine to push for Trump's agenda something Trump insists he didn't tell Giuliani to do. Trump's lawyer Patrick Philbin similarly claimed Giuliani wasn't conducting foreign policy. House impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) then pointed out impeachment witness Fiona Hill called Giuliani's work a "domestic political errand," and then concluded Philbin had just confirmed Hill's assessment. More stories from theweek.com Mitch McConnell's rare blunder John Bolton just vindicated Nancy Pelosi All the president's turncoats In Parliament today: Bill to amend CVC and Delhi Police Special Act to be tabled today Sharjeel Imam feels India should be an Islamic State: Delhi Police sources India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Jan 30: Sharjeel Imam who is in the custody of the Delhi Police said during his interrogation that he has no remorse over his arrest. He also told the police that his videos making inflammatory speeches have not been tampered with. Delhi Police sources tell OneIndia that Imam believes that India should be an Islamic State. He is highly radicalised, the police officer also said. Further, the police are also checking if he has any connections with the Islamic Youth Federation. The videos of him making the speeches have been sent to the forensic sciences laboratory. The Delhi Police is also examining his links and social media accounts. Anti-CAA stir: Sharjeel Imam arrested on sedition charges for inflammatory speeches at AMU Imam, arrested on sedition charges was remanded to five days of police custody on Wednesday. Imam was produced at the residence of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Purushottam Pathak in the evening amidst high security, said advocate Mishika Singh, appearing for the JNU research scholar in the matter. EU Parliament postpones voting on resolution against CAA, India hails it as diplomatic win|Oneindia The police had sought a six-day remand for Imam's custodial interrogation, the lawyer said. Imam was arrested from Bihar's Jehanabad on Tuesday for allegedly making inflammatory speeches at the Jamia Millia Islamia University here and in Aligarh. He was brought to Delhi on Wednesday. The situation in the Patiala House Courts Complex was tense after the Delhi Police informed that Imam would be produced before the magistrate there. Some lawyers raised slogans against Imam, held up posters calling him a "traitor" and demanded that he be hanged. JNU student Sharjeel Imam's house raided in Bihar, relatives detained One of the lawyers said, "We are here to protest against those who talk about breaking the country. All lawyers are united against such traitors. He does not deserve to be outside the jail. Strict action should be taken against him." There was laughing and singing at North Ossetia State University (NOSU) in Vladikavkaz on January 25. It was Student Day, a Russian holiday, and would-be scholars put down the books to party. Amid the festive frenzy on campus, two young people emerged from the crowd and began to dance in a sexually suggestive way. Their grinding moves were filmed by someone in the crowd and uploaded to social media, triggering a torrent of rage and threats against the dancing duo in the predominantly Muslim and socially conservative Russian North Caucasus region of North Ossetia. Terrified, the two -- an African student at NOSU, and a young Russian woman studying at a local textile institute -- quickly took to social media that same day to issue separate video apologies, admitting their raunchy dance was out of step with local mores. That, however, didn't satisfy some. Three thugs confronted the young woman outside her home in Vladikavkaz the next day and demanded she apologize again, this time with them filming it, which she did. On January 27, local police said they were looking into online threats that followed the publication of the dance clip. Some have likened the treatment the two have faced to the persecution usually witnessed in neighboring Chechnya, where allegations of immoral behavior -- particularly involving gay people -- can be cause for cruel treatment under the regime of local strongman Ramzan Kadyrov. "I didn't like the terrified look in the eyes of the girl afterward," Batraz Kuchiyev, chairman of Iudzinad, a local NGO that promotes and supports North Ossetian culture. "We blindly follow the actions of the head of the neighboring region," Kuchiyev told RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service on January 28, referring to Kadyrov. Some have come to the defense of the two, especially the young woman, who has not been named in media reports. A local artist called for a flash mob under the hashtag, I'm not an ideal dancer -- #___ -- to dance in defense of the two. Video Goes Viral In the video, which was uploaded to YouTube, the two can be seen twerking, as a group of mainly young males encircles them. Judging by the video, there wasn't much condemnation from the crowd. In fact, hooting and howls of approval can be heard as the young couple grooved. However, threats and outrage followed once the video was uploaded on social media. Later the same day, January 25, the African student issued a video apology that was ultimately uploaded on the Facebook page of Novosti Ossetii. "I want to apologize to the Ossetian people for my indecent behavior," he said in halting Russian. "I arrived recently in Ossetia and didn't know that I can't act that way. I promise that nothing similar will ever happen again." The young woman followed suit, issuing her own mea culpa. "I'd like to apologize for my dance," she said in a video that also appeared on the local news outlet's Facebook page. "If someone had stopped us, all this wouldn't have happened. Next time, I ask everyone who sees something like this to not remain indifferent and to intervene to prevent all of this. True, we only thought about this after it was already too late." However, the message was apparently not seen as sufficient for some. The woman was confronted by three young males on the street near her house in Vladikavkaz on January 26 and told to apologize again on camera, RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service reported. She said they warned her she would face bigger problems if she didn't do as they said. "I ask for forgiveness from the entire Ossetian nation for what happened. It was not proper, not polite. And something like that, honestly, will not happen again," the woman, visibly shaken, said in the second video, which was uploaded to Telegram and in which she was made to reveal her first name. A group took their grievances to the deputy director of NOSU, Batradz Gudiyev, who said the school was trying to find out who filmed the dance. Those who confronted him, many attired in tracksuits, asked if police had been present at the Student Day festival, and, if so, why they had not interceded once the couple began grinding. Police did get involved after the event. On January 27, the regional Interior Ministry said it was probing the threats the girl received. "The dance by the young people at the festival, filmed on video that sparked a negative reaction on social-media networks, has a moral element and is the responsibility of the organizers of the event. A check is being carried out regarding threats and harassment directed at the participants in the video," the Interior Ministry press service told RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service. The university was not pleased by the unflattering spotlight the incident shined on the institution. "The university is not a place for vulgarity. This incident highlights that we still have some work to do. However, the desire to point out only the negative disturbs us," the NOSU press service said. Kuchiyev downplayed the incident and put down the "mistake" to youthfulness. "I don't think it was a tragedy. Yes, it doesn't completely conform to our outlook [mentality], our traditions, but they began to film them and didn't say anything," Kuchiyev explained. "These are young people. Young people make mistakes." Anna Kabisova, an artist from Vladikazkaz, called for flashmobs to dance in support of the condemned couple and to upload videos of the protests to social media. According to a January 29 news posting on the Caucasian Knot website, the girl said the number of threats she's received had subsided. Public Apologies Common In Caucasus People being forced to apologize on camera is not uncommon in the North Caucasus, although in most cases it's not left to the mob but local rulers. In 2017, two men in Daghestan were beaten and forced to apologize after they publicly insulted the Russian region's leader, Ramazan Abdulatipov. In 2019, a tearful, terrified, Chechen teen was forced to apologize on camera for criticizing the authorities. In Chechnya, forced apologies are not limited to locals. In 2019, a video blogger from England who visited Chechnya, apologized on video for using the phrase "Chechen chick." Such treatment pales in comparison, however, to what activists have called a "purge" of people believed to be gay or lesbian in Chechnya. A campaign of abuses -- including abduction, torture, and murder -- against gay men in Chechnya was first reported in April 2017 by the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, triggering a global outcry. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and other media outlets subsequently published personal accounts from others who said they were victims of the abuse. Only a few have spoken on the record, citing security concerns. Human Rights Watch later said it had confirmed that police in Chechnya rounded up, tortured, and humiliated dozens of gay or bisexual men during the spring of 2017 in "an apparent effort to purge them from Chechen society." Findings of a four-year study released in 2019 showed that attitudes in the North Caucasus are changing quickly with the authority of elders and clans declining, and gender roles changing. But the impact of Islamization also means conservatism on these issues, especially among men, is intensifying, according to the report. Written by Tony Wesolowsky based on reporting by Alisa Volkova of RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service. SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- People's Daily Online West USA produced a documentary about Florence Fang in November 2019. Mrs. Fang explains how she believes she has two mothers: one is China and one in the United States. Ms. Florence Fang in an interview with People's Daily Online Mrs. Fang is a well-known overseas Chinese leader, a renowned Chinese entrepreneur and social activist in the U.S. She is an American newspaper tycoon, entrepreneur, and patriotic foreign Chinese leader. The American media dub her "the steel magnolia." The Hearst family owned 95 newspapers and 110 companies in its heyday. Mrs. Fang acquired San Francisco Examiner, a mainstream English language newspaper in the U.S., on March 17, 2000, becoming the first female Chinese chairman of the Examiner. On the day of acquisition, the front page of the San Francisco Examiner published the word SOLD in a super large font, which became a famous historical event. Florence Fang also runs several English-language media, including Asian Weekly and Independent. Having lived in the U.S. for 60 years, Mrs. Fang concludes: Chinese people know Americans better than Americans. In the documentary, Mrs. Fang shares her experience of living in the United States for 60 years. She tells People's Daily Online West USA that, in the future, she hopes to contribute even more towards the friendship between China and the United States. She passionately said, "I have two mothers, China is like my biological mother, and the U.S. is like my adoptive mother. I am much attached to my two mothers. The healthy and stable development of China-U.S. relations is my lifelong wish." To this end, she travels between China and the U.S. for friendly cooperation and exchanges. Wei Deng Phone: 669.900.2566 Email: [email protected] Related Images florence-fang.jpg Florence Fang Ms. Florence Fang in an interview with People's Daily Online Related Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi14yOo57pA SOURCE People's Daily Online West USA The transgender flag, a gender-neutral alternative to Santa Claus and the famous extinct dodo will all be represented in new emoji to be released in 2020. In total, 117 new characters and images have been approved for addition to the emoji library, as announced by the Unicode Consortium. The 'version 13.0' list of new emoji also includes a mustachioed person in a veil, as well as a women in a tuxedo and a person bottle-feeding a baby. Last year, same-sex couple and gender-neutral emoji were added to the library to improve representation, but there was criticism over the lack of the transgender flag. This has now been added to the library alongside the transgender symbol. Other additions include the woolly mammoth, people hugging and a pinched-finger gesture, commonly referred to as 'Italian Hand Gesture' or 'Pinecone', where the tips of the fingers and thumb meet vertically to convey disagreement or confusion. The full list of new emoji will come to most platforms in the second half of this year. A collection of the new emoji images approved for use in 2020, incluidng the transgender symbol and flag (bottom right) and, for natural history lovers, the dodo and the mammoth US non-profit the Unicode Consortium is the central bank of all approved emoji. Companies including Apple, Google and Microsoft apply stylised versions of the designs to their own operating systems. No release dates have been confirmed for the emoji on different operating systems, although they are traditionally rolled out later in the year when new versions of Apple's iOS and Google's Android software are released to the public. Gender-inclusive 'Mx Claus' comes with a variety of skin tones and will be rolled out later in the year along with the other new emojis 'Announced today by the Unicode Consortium, the 117 new emojis form part of Emoji 13.0 and will come to most platforms in the second half of 2020,' said Emojipedia, which is part of the Unicode Consortium and details icons found in updates. 'Variations of existing emojis now approved for 2020 include a woman or gender-inclusive person in a tuxedo, as well as a gender-neutral person or a man in a veil.' The inclusion of a gender-inclusive alternative to Santa Claus and Mrs Claus, named Mx Claus, will is part of an 'ongoing effort to make more consistent set of gender options across the board,' Emojipedia said. 'Mx' is an alternative to Mr and Mrs titles for people who do not wish to be referred to by their gender. This addition also expands upon the 138 new gender-neutral emojis added in late 2019 as part of Emoji 12.1, Emojipedia said, which included a judge and a red-haired person with no identifiable gender. Emojipedia noted that some versions of the new emoji, including the transgender flag and the woman in a tuxedo, are already available on Twitter. Jeff Ingold, head of media engagement at LGBT campaigns group Stonewall, said: 'Taking action to make tools of communication, like emojis, more inclusive and diverse is always a welcome step. 'So we're glad to see the inclusion of more gender-neutral emojis and a trans flag emoji. The new emoji of a transgender pride flag consists of blue and pink lines, representing the traditional colours for baby boys and girls with a white line for people somewhere in between 'Visibility is really important and companies can always be thinking of more ways to promote trans equality.' The transgender flag consists of two horizontal lines, representing those born as a boy, two pink lines for those born as girls and a white line for those transitioning or without a gender, according to its designer, trans activist Monica Helms. Also among the list of approved emoji is a ninja, a pinched finger gesture, lungs, heart, seal, bison, dodo, fondue set, olive, blueberries, pinata, boomerang, bathroom plunger, toothbrush, magic wand and military helmet. Evening Standard Britons who are asymptomatic who return a positive lateral flow test will no longer need to get a confirmatory PCR test, the government has confirmed. It comes after the self-isolation period for fully vaccinated people who have Covid was cut to a week last month in a bid to reduce staff shortages. The UK Health Security Agency said the new testing regimen was temporary and the chances of a false positive result were very low because Covid is so prevalent. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 By Leman Zeynalova - Trend: Zenith Energy Ltd. of Canada has established its fully owned Norwegian subsidiary, Zenith Energy AS (Zenith Norway), Trend reports citing the company. Zenith said it intends to use Zenith Norway as a vehicle for intended participation in future licensing bids to be organized by the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, as well as to actively pursue the potential acquisition of working interests in mature energy production assets across Northern Europe. To this end, the company said it will mandate a leading Norwegian law firm to advise on the process of obtaining pre-qualification status for the acquisition of participating interests in Norwegian Continental Shelf energy production licenses. The pre-qualification process entails a general assessment by the Norwegian authorities of Zenith's eligibility to become a licensee. Upon the successful achievement of pre-qualification status, in order to qualify as a licensee, Zenith will need to complete a transaction and obtain approval to become a licensee or operator for the specific production license from the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy and the Ministry of Finance, reads a message from Zenith. The necessary formalities for Zenith Norway's establishment are expected to be completed within 7 working days, said the company. Zenith Energy is the operator for the development of Muradkanli-Jafarli-Zardab block of fields onshore Azerbaijan. Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR and Zenith Aran Oil Company signed a REDPSA in March 2016 for a block that includes the Muradkhanli, Jafarli and Zardab oil fields. Zenith Energy Ltd established its subsidiary company Zenith Aran Oil Company Ltd for production operations in these three fields. Production under the agreement began in August 2016. Zenith holds an 80-percent participating interest in the three fields within the contract area, while SOCAR retains the remaining 20 percent. The agreement is for 25 years, with a potential extension by five additional years. --- Follow the author on Twitter:@Lyaman_Zeyn Police say 50-year-old Trisha Lynn Ebbs attacked the woman at a Hops N Drops in Keizer, Oregon, on the night of January 24 An Oregon teacher has been arrested after allegedly assaulting a woman she recognized as the victim of a 2017 sexual assault. Trisha Lynn Ebbs, 50, was dining at a local Hops N Drops restaurant in Keizer, Oregon, with the parents of the man who was convicted of the sexual assault, police say. The teacher then noticed the victim - who is now 20 - sitting at a table with her father and another person. The woman was the victim of a sexual assault that was investigated by the Marion County Sheriff's office in 2017. The male suspect in that case - now 21 years old - was charged with sexual assault against the woman and another, minor female. Shocking security camera footage shows Ebbs walking up to the woman's table at the restaurant, and shouting at her Police say Ebbs screamed 'various expletives attributable to Trisha Ebbs belief about the circumstances of the 2017 crime', KPTV reported. The footage shows the woman's father shoving Ebbs as she yells at his daughter. Ebbs recognized the woman as having been a victim of a sexual assault that was investigated by the Marion County Sheriff's office in 2017. Ebbs was dining with the teacher Footage shows her walking up to the woman's table and screaming at her before getting shoved by the woman's father That prompted a much larger scuffle that involved men from both parties. Witnesses told police that Ebbs was 'on top of them' when describing her behavior toward the victim. The group was eventually separated by restaurant personnel until police arrived. That prompted a much larger scuffle that involved men from both parties. Ebbs was eventually arrested for disorderly conduct Ebbs was arrested for disorderly conduct and processed at the Marion County jail. The woman was identified as a health teacher at North Salem High School by people in the comments under the police department's post. Ebbs had previously been employed at McNary High School as a wellness teacher. A spokesperson for the Salem-Keizer Public School District said in a statement to KPTV that Ebbs was placed on administrative leave Monday. Police confirmed they carried out a new search of Fotis Dulos' home on Wednesday, as a bail bondsman has revealed he was the last person the murder suspect spoke to before he tried to kill himself on Tuesday. Connecticut State Police executed a new search warrant at the Farmington home, the day after the suspected murderer attempted suicide with carbon monoxide poisoning. Brian Foley, assistant to the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection commissioner, confirmed that the Western District Major Crimes unit had obtained the warrant for the home and conducted the search Wednesday afternoon, NBC Connecticut reported. Authorities did not divulge what they were looking for. Dulos is awaiting trial on murder charges for allegedly killing his wife Jennifer, who disappeared back in May and has never been found. The suspected killer, 52, was found unresponsive in his parked car in the garage of his home after he failed to show up at court for an emergency bond hearing. His lawyer confirmed he died Thursday in a hospital in The Bronx, New York. Scroll down for video Police searched Fotis Dulos' home on Wednesday, the day after the suspected killer tried to kill himself with carbon monoxide poisoning on Tuesday A bondsman (pictured) who had been working with Dulos since his first two arrests has come forward revealing he may have been the last person to speak with him before his suicide attempt Connecticut State Police executed a new search warrant at the Farmington home (above) Brian Foley, assistant to the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection commissioner, confirmed that the Western District Major Crimes unit had obtained the warrant for the home and conducted the search (above) Wednesday afternoon Authorities did not divulge what they were looking for in the latest search The latest search comes the same day the mother of Dulos' allegedly murdered wife Jennifer was seen walking through New York on Wednesday. It's the first time she has been seen since her estranged son-in-law's suicide attempt. A bondsman who had been working with Dulos since his first two arrests has come forward revealing he may have been the last person to speak with the suspected killer before his suicide attempt. Mark Motuxzick, a bondsman for Capitol Bail Bonds, said he spoke on the phone with Dulos just hours before he was found lifeless in his parked car in his garage. Fotis Dulos was found in his home in Connecticut on Tuesday where he attempted suicide. He was awaiting trial for murdering his wife Jennifer. Prosecutors repeatedly asked for him to be denied bail as recently as last week, but the judge allowed him to remain on house arrest The mother of Dulos' 'murdered' wife was seen out in New York Wednesday for the first time since her estranged son-in-law tried to kill himself Motuxzick told NBC Connecticut Wednesday that the suspected murderer called him at 9:53 a.m. Tuesday morning asking if he could take over the bond that was up for the emergency hearing that Dulos missed later that day. 'He asked me what do I need to take over, those were his words, the bail that he's referring to the $6 million,' said Motuxzick, who was the first bondsman to try to secure Dulos' most recent $6 million bond. 'I stated that I would give him a call back in a little while because he said he was on his way to his attorney's office.' He said when he called Dulos back about 40 minutes later at 10:34 a.m., he noticed he sounded different and like he was 'out of breath'. 'He was like it's all set something to that effect,' Motuxzick said. 'It sounded like he was working out it was almost like he was kind of I don't know out of breath.' 'Unfortunately I don't know if it just all got to him at that point and he said to heck with it,' said Motuxzick. The bondsman told NBC Dulos always told him he loved his children and that he had an explanation for the accusations against him but the bond might have 'put him over the edge'. 'Whatever happened along the way with the bond being posted I think this was possibly a something that just might've put him over the edge,' Motuxzick said. Fotis Dulos, 52, was found unresponsive in his parked car in the garage of his home (above) after he failed to show up at court for an emergency bond hearing Dulos remains in a 'dire' condition in the hospital, his lawyer said on Wednesday after appearing in court for a bond hearing without him The mother of Dulos' 'murdered' wife was seen out in New York Wednesday for the first time since her estranged son-in-law tried to kill himself. Gloria Farber, Jennifer Dulos' mother, was spotted heading into a New York hotel the day after Dulos' suicide attempt. Farber, dressed in jeans, trainers and a navy jacket with the hood up, was using a walking cane and appeared to be smiling. She was given full custody of the children Jennifer and Fotis Dulos share after she filed a custody motion the same day Fotis was arrested for evidence tampering and hindering prosecution in relation to Jennifer's disappearance. She continues to care for them in her Upper East Side apartment on Fifth Avenue. At one point, Farber's apartment was being guarded by armed security. Gloria Farber (pictured), Jennifer Dulos' mother, was spotted heading into a New York hotel the day after Dulos' suicide attempt Farber, dressed in jeans, trainers and a navy jacket with the hood up, was using a walking cane and appeared to be smiling Farber (in a car) was given full custody of the children Jennifer and Fotis Dulos share after she filed a custody motion the same day Fotis was arrested for evidence tampering and hindering prosecution in relation to Jennifer's disappearance The company which insured his $6million bond and got him out of jail reneged on it on Tuesday. Sources told DailyMail.com he was 'losing his mind' at the prospect of having to go back into custody and that he tried to take his own life because of it. On Tuesday night, he was airlifted to Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx where he died. On Wednesday, New York bail bondsman Ira Judelson went to Stamford to offer up the bond. Dulos' attorney Norm Pattis was also there. The judge issued a warrant for Dulos re-arrest and added $500,000 to his bail. In practical terms, it puts the case on hold until he is no longer in a critical condition. Fotis Dulos is transported into Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx on Tuesday after attempting to kill himself with carbon monoxide poisoning in his garage in Connecticut before a court appearance Fotis is filmed being put into a helicopter at UConn Health in Connecticut on Tuesday Emergency workers are shown trying to revive Fotis Dulos at his home in Farmington, Connecticut, on Tuesday. Officials said he tried to poison himself with carbon monoxide in his garage Fotis was found in his car inside his garage. The exhaust pipe he used to try to kill himself is shown attached to his vehicle Speaking after the hearing, Pattis said he never anticipated his client would try to take his own life. 'A lawyer's commitment is to be a shepherd to his client and to walk them through the valley of the shadow of death... 'Sometimes you make a call where you think your client is self destructive. That is based on the best judgement you can see. 'I saw nothing that made me believe that so I look back and wonder what I missed,' he said outside court. Dulos, 52, had been on strict house arrest since last Thursday and could only leave his mansion to see a lawyer, a doctor or attend a religious service. He faced the prospect of having his $6m bond revoked at emergency court hearing Tuesday over doubts over the equity of the real estate assets he put up as security. Pattis said that the potential for bond revocation was 'devastating'. Fotis was due in court at noon on Tuesday, but when he failed to show up, police were asked to check on him at his home. Dulos' attorneys Norm Pattis (right) and Kevin Smith (left) in court on Wednesday at the bond hearing Pattis with Stamford State's Attorney Richard Colangelo after the bond hearing on Wednesday They arrived and saw him through a window, sitting in his vehicle in the garage, showing 'obvious signs of medical distress'. They broke into the car to drag him out into the fresh air and perform CPR. He was then taken to UConn Health via ambulance where he remains in a critical condition. He was airlifted to the hospital in the Bronx to have treatment in a hyperbaric chamber, later in the afternoon. Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy is used to raise the level of oxygen in a patient's blood and to reduce carbon dioxide levels as quickly as possible in cases of acute carbon monoxide poisoning. The patient typically lies down on a stretcher before being slid into a giant acrylic tube before the pressure is raised and oxygen is pumped inside. Medics say serious carbon monoxide poisoning can lead to severe long-term cognitive damage, raising the prospect that Fotis could have suffered irreparable brain damage. Dulos is shown being wheeled into Jacobi Medical Center after the air ambulance on Tuesday He is expected to be put in a hyperbaric chamber to increase the oxygen levels in his blood and decrease the amount of carbon monoxide in his system 'There's a real possibility of permanent brain damage and damage to the heart. He may never be the same again,' a friend told DailyMail.com. 'Of course that raises the question of whether he will ever be fit to stand trial or provide answers about Jennifer's death. It's a tragedy for both families.' Pattis told NBC that his main concern for his client is that he may never recover. 'Not once did I consider he was at risk of suicide,' he said. 'He was held up to the world as a man who murdered his wife... I think the weight of it is difficult to bear. I don't think that people who haven't been accused can understand the savageness of the criminal justice system. 'People have a presumption of innocence in this country for a reason and all the folks who harped on Mr Dulos can take some grim satisfaction from today's event. My message to each and every one of them is - shame on you.' A woman, who has not been named publicly but has been identified by local outlets as a friend of Fotis and local businesswoman whose signature is on his bond, went to the house at 11.18am. It is unclear if she got inside or if she spoke to him. The call to police for a wellness check did not come in until 11.54am. It is unclear if she has any significant role in what happened on Tuesday. Friends told DailyMail.com that Fotis had 'lost his mind' on house arrest. 'Fotis was calling people up and telling them he was losing his mind being stuck at home,' a friend told DailyMail.com. Police are refusing to confirm whether or not Dulos left a suicide note. 'He was so desperate to get out of the house he even tried to schedule an impromptu meeting with his legal team just as excuse. 'He was told in no uncertain terms that it would be a violation of his house arrest unless he had permission. 'The prospect of having his bond revoked and being locked up again would have sent him completely off the rails.' The friend added, ominously: 'If he tried to kill himself once, he will try it again. As far as Fotis is concerned, he definitely isn't going to jail. 'He gives the impression he's in control and that he's a tough guy but he's terrified of being locked up.' There was initial confusion over Dulos' condition. When he was found, multiple media sources reported he was dead. Doctors shielded Dulos behind a sheet as he was stretchered onto a chopper to be taken to a different hospital Dulos is shown being removed from the ambulance and wheeled towards the air ambulance Jennifer's family are also believed to have been told that he was dead after he tried to kill himself. Fotis faced the prospect of going to jail on Tuesday. The company which insured his $6million murder bond, Palmetto Surety Company of Columbia, South Carolina, had expressed doubt over some of the collateral he offered and they wanted to revoke it. DailyMail.com understands that on Tuesday morning, New York bail bondsman Ira Judelson was asked by Fotis' team if he would step in to replace Palmetto should they back out. Judelson said he'd agreed but was then blind-sided by news of Fotis' apparent suicide attempt. Fotis was awaiting trial on murder charges for the death of his wife Jennifer, who vanished last May after dropping their five kids off at school. Fotis and Jennifer were in the middle of a contentious divorce and custody battle when she vanished and Fotis was swimming in debt. TIMELINE OF THE FOTIS DULOS CASE 2004: Fotis Dulos and Jennifer Farber get married. It is his second marriage In the same year, her father Hilliard starts loaning him money for his property business, Fore Group. 2015: Fotis and Michelle Troconis start taking trips he paid for which he claimed were for business. They later start an affair. January 2017: Hilliard Farber dies March 2017: Gloria Farber takes over his estate June 2017: Jennifer files for divorce, saying she is afraid of her husband February 2018: Gloria Farber sues Fotis Dulos for unpaid loans May 24 2019: Jennifer vanishes after dropping off her five children at school June 2019: Fotis and Michelle Troconis are arrested for evidence tampering Gloria Farber files an order for custody of the children. August 2019: Troconis 'turns' on Dulos in police interviews, admits she lied when she said she had an alibi for him September 2019: Fotis is arrested again for evidence tampering January 2020: Dulos and Troconis are charged with murder January 28: Dulos is found unresponsive at his Farmington home Advertisement He always denied having anything to do with his wife's death and vowed to fight the charges. Prosecutors repeatedly asked for him to be denied bail including as recently as last week, but the judge allowed him to remain on house arrest. He was accused of attacking Jennifer in the garage of her rented home in New Canaan in May after she returned from dropping their five kids off at school. Police never found her body, but they did find pools of blood in her garage which someone had attempted to mop up and clean. They also found traces of her blood in her car - which was later found abandoned in a parking lot - and in the vehicle Jennifer was driving on the day she vanished. Fotis and his then girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, were also allegedly filmed on surveillance footage dumping trash bags at various locations in Connecticut which were later found to contain traces of Jennifer's blood. Troconis initially gave her boyfriend an alibi and said they had been together all morning. She then flipped her story in a second interview with police and, according to arrest affidavits, said he'd given her an 'alibi script'. Fotis maintained that he was innocent. He said police had no evidence against him and at one stage, his lawyer Norm Pattis suggested Jennifer had killed herself in a Gone Girl-style plot to exact revenge on him. The suggestion sickened her friends and family who said she was afraid of him. In their divorce papers, Jennifer said she was afraid her husband would hurt her. She described him as a brutally strict parent to their children. It has since emerged in unsealed arrest affidavits and search warrants that their nanny described seeing him chase her through their home. The nanny also said Jennifer once told her Fotis had tried to run her over. It was Fotis' second marriage. A Greek native and competitive wake boarder, the pair got married in 2004. The scene outside Dulos' home in Farmington, Connecticut, where he is believed to have tried to take his own life by inhaling carbon monoxide in his garage before a court date which could have sent him to jail The scene in Dulos' garage on Tuesday after he was found in his car having tried to kill himself Cop cars were seen parked outside the mansion in the hours after he tried to take his own life Jennifer came from a wealthy family and her parents, Hilliard and Gloria, embraced him. After they got married, Hilliard started giving Fotis loans to bolster his real estate development business. Hilliard put up the cash for him to buy properties and flip them. When he sold them for a profit, he repaid his father-in-law the loan plus interest. Their marriage started to disintegrate in 2017 when, according to court papers, Dulos had an affair with Troconis. Michelle Troconis, Fotis' live-in girlfriend, is also awaiting trial for murder She filed for divorce and sought immediate custody of all five kids. He disagreed and they were granted shared custody until the end of the divorce proceedings. 'I am afraid of my Husband. I know that filing for divorce, and filing this Motion will enrage him. 'I know he will retaliate by trying to harm me in some way,' she said. He was still allowed to keep seeing them under supervision, however. In February 2018, Jennifer's mother Gloria filed a lawsuit seeking $2.5million from her estranged son-in-law. She said he owed it to her family's estate in unpaid loans from her late husband, who by that point had died. Fotis fought it. He moved Michelle Troconis into his palatial mansion in Farmington, one of many homes he owned under his property company. On May 24, a week after an unsuccessful attempt by Fotis to have unsupervised visits with his children, Jennifer vanished without a trace. She dropped the kids off in the morning but then missed several appointments in New York City which raised the alarm with friends and family. Her car, a Chevrolet Suburban, was found not far from her home, abandoned in a parking lot. They found her phone there but there was no sign of her. Police combed surveillance footage and phone records from the state and, specifically, from where Fotis had been. It revealed crucial gaps in the timeline of the morning Jennifer vanished. Dulos' phone remained in the area of Farmington throughout the day. Financial decline: $7m in debit and funneling insurance payments The desperate state of Fotis' finances were revealed in court documents after he was charged. He was $7 million in debt, was lapsing on loan interest payments and funneling money from his and his wife's joint checking account into his own personal account. By the end of May 2019, at the time Jennifer disappeared, Fotis' total outstanding debts at added up to $4.5 million, in addition to mortgages taken out on his various properties, the documents say. Fotis and Jennifer were married between 2004 and 2017 He also faced lawsuits from Jennifer's own mother, Gloria Farber, who accused him of failing to pay back various loans. Fotis had claimed they were gifts that he wasn't obliged to repay. In early 2019, Fotis began scrambling to inject cash into the main bank account of his business Fore Group. He opened a new line of credit with People's United Bank as he maxed out an existing credit line with the Savings Bank of Danbury, investigators say. In March, April and May, he missed interest payments on the People's United Bank loan, which totaled about $530,000, according to documents. Then in April 2019, he received a wire for $149,500 from a cash advance operation based in Utah the type of high-interest loan that businesses turn to in moments of desperation. It was during this time period that Fotis received three checks from Chubb Insurance Group totaling $193,610.50 and made out to 'Fotis and Jennifer Dulos.' Bank records show that all three checks were deposited into a joint checking account held by Fotis and Jennifer, but that Jennifer did not sign any of the checks. Following each deposit, the funds were immediately withdrawn and deposited into Fotis' personal bank account, some of which was then transferred to the Fore Group account, according to investigators. None of the insurance money went to Jennifer. Investigators say that each of the Dulos' five children had a trust fund established by Gloria and her late husband, Hilliard Farber. 'In the event of Jennifer's disappearance, and in the subsequent event that Dulos gained custody of his children, Dulos would have expected some level of access to the children's trust funds,' cops wrote in the warrant affidavit. Divorce turns ugly as they battle for custody of children Fotis met Jennifer when they were students at Brown University, and the couple married in 2004. He went on to complete an MBA in finance at Columbia University, and worked as a builder and developer of luxury homes in Connecticut's Farmington Valley. The couple raised their five children in a massive $4.2 million mansion in Farmington - a palatial 15,000-square-foot residence with six bedrooms and 7.5 baths. But investigators say that behind the opulent facade lurked dark secrets. Jennifer had filed for divorce in 2017 and moved out of the Farmington mansion. The divorce battle turned ugly as the pair battled for custody of their children. Court documents filed in the divorce case say Jennifer feared Dulos would harm her in some way in retaliation and she noted he had a gun. Jennifer's rented home in New Canaan where she vanished on May 24 Jennifer had primary custody of the children with their father getting to see them every other weekend. After Jennifer went missing, Dulos asked the divorce case judge to grant him custody of the children. Jennifer's mother Gloria filed a custody motion on the same day Fotis was arrested for evidence tampering and hindering prosecution in relation to her disappearance. Her mother was given full custody and continues to care for them in her Upper East Side apartment on Fifth Avenue. At one point, Garber's apartment was being guarded by armed security. Dulos had attempted to visit his children on the weekend that his estranged wife went missing but was turned away by the private security. Extensive search for Jennifer's body and the explosive evidence against Dulos Despite extensive searches, Jennifer's body has never been found after she was last seen dropping the children off at school in May. Investigators are convinced that she is deceased. It emerged in court documents that Chief Medical Examiner James Gill had determined that Jennifer likely was killed by 'some combination of traumatic, blunt-force injuries such as a bludgeoning/beating, and/or sharp-force injuries such as a stabbing/slashing.' Gill concluded there was so much blood loss - evidenced by bloodstains at her home, apparent cleanup efforts and blood spatter analysis - that there was no way Jennifer would have survived without medical treatment. Fotis Dulos in his first mugshot (left) and Michelle in hers (right) It took eight months for murder charges to be brought against Fotis in his estranged wife's case. His arrest warrants listed a wealth of physical evidence, including trash bags and zip ties covered in Jennifer's DNA. The warrants also reveal why investigators are so convinced that Jennifer is dead -including a complete lack of financial and cell phone activity following her disappearance and extensive blood stains discovered in her Land Rover and home. Police say they have surveillance video from Hartford allegedly showing Dulos in a pickup truck with girlfriend Troconis disposing of garbage bags of items, some of which were later recovered and found to be stained with Jennifer's blood. Sources told the Hartford Courant that police later recovered blood-soaked sponges and a Vineyard Vines shirt that Jennifer was wearing when she went missing. They also have traffic and school bus camera footage of a man they believe was Dulos driving a pickup truck to New Canaan on the morning Jennifer disappeared; surveillance video of Dulos getting the truck washed and detailed days after she vanished; and evidence that Jennifer's DNA was found on the truck's passenger seat, according to the warrant. A page from the hundreds of warrants show the list of the blood stains found inside Jennifer's garage Dulos is shown on May 29 withdrawing $500 cash before visiting a car wash to clean his employee's car on the day Jennifer vanished Surveillance footage (pictured) shows the last known images of Jennifer driving home, where police say Dulos 'lay in wait', after she dropped her children at school at around 8am on May 24 State's Attorney Richard Colangelo Jr. said in court last year that Jennifer's blood also was found mixed with Dulos' DNA on the kitchen sink faucet of her home in New Canaan. In the warrant, authorities alleged that Dulos drove an employee's red Toyota Tacoma truck to New Canaan, lay in wait for Jennifer to return home from the school run and later drove her body away. Shortly after 8am, Jennifer was pictured arriving home from the school run. 'This photograph is the last known photograph of Jennifer alive,' the warrant states. Sometime in the next two hours police say 'the crime and clean up' takes place. At around 10.20am, Jennifer's SUV was seen leaving her house but police claim that Dulos was driving the car. It is unclear where the Toyota Tacoma was at this stage. Dulos was then allegedly picked back up by surveillance cameras at 11.20am, in the Tacoma again, making his way back to Farmington. He is not thought to have gone home, instead driving to a property which he owned. He then had lunch with Troconis at 1.30pm. The most explosive claims in the warrant came from Pawel Gumienny, the employee whose Toyota Tacoma truck Dulos allegedly used. Gumienny told police that on May 24 he drove one of Dulos' cars - a Ford Raptor - to New Canaan for a job. It was common for him to use his boss's vehicles, he said. His car, the red Toyota Tacoma, was at Dulos' home in Farmington. Gumienny said that at 2.30pm, he received a text from Dulos asking when he would be returning to 'the office' and he responded 4.30pm. When he arrived at Dulos' home, his boss was not there. He then found Dulos, Troconis and his truck at a different property where they appeared to be 'cleaning'. Dulos asked him to help him shuttle some other vehicles there back to his home. By the time Gumienny got back to the property for his Tacoma truck, Troconis had vanished with the keys, he said. Dulos, he says, then urged him to keep his Raptor for several more days but Gumienny declined, saying he wanted the Tacoma back. Five days later on May 29, Gumienny was surprised to learn that Dulos and Troconis had taken his Tacoma truck to be washed without his knowledge. Over the course of the following days, Dulos urged Gumienny to remove the Tacoma's seats and replace them. He described Dulos as insistent and 'pushy', to the point of Dulos growing angry that he had not yet changed out the seats. In future conversations, Dulos, he said, referred to the seats as hardware. The tribute outside Fotis home in Farmington to Jennifer, the wife he is accused of murdering By May 31, when police first encountered Gumienny at Dulos' home, he had switched out the backseat of his truck with seats from a Porsche, which belonged to Jennifer. When interviewed, Gumienny said that Dulos instructed him to do it and that he also instructed him to get rid of the Tacoma's seats. Gumienny told police that when he asked Dulos why he was so adamant about changing or getting rid of the truck, Dulos provided a story that on May 12, Mother's Day, he hugged Jennifer during a visit to her home. Dulos claimed that because his estranged wife had been missing for days and no suspects were named, he was worried police might find a 'hair' in the backseat and try to link him to her disappearance. Suspicious, Gumienny said he decided to keep the Tacoma's original seats and gave police permission to test them. Police said they found a 'bloodlike substance' containing Jennifer's DNA, despite Dulos' alleged attempts at cleaning the car as seen in surveillance video from Russell Speeders Car Wash. Fotis and his attorneys, however, have previously argued that Jennifer is not really dead. They have argued she likely faked her own death and planted blood in an attempt to frame her estranged husband for murder. The ex-girlfriend and a civil attorney: The other two charged in Jennifer's disappearance Kent Mawhinney, Dulos' civil attorney Dulos' girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, and his friend and civil attorney, Kent Douglas Mawhinney, are charged with conspiracy to murder for their alleged roles in plotting and covering up Jennifer's death. Dulos and Troconis had previously been charged with evidence tampering and obstruction in Jennifer's disappearance. Dulos' criminal attorney has previously proposed that Mawhinney could provide an alibi that cleared him of wrongdoing. Troconis is accused of helping him dispose of evidence on the day of Jennifer's disappearance. They were both captured on surveillance disposing of the items that tested positive for Jennifer's blood. Mawhinney is accused of digging a grave and stocking it with lime before she disappeared. The grave was later discovered and found not to have been used. According to arrest warrants, Mawhinney had a prearranged meeting with Dulos on the morning of his wife's disappearance, was at Dulos's office and had his cellphone with him. He also was mentioned in what police described as 'alibi notes' found in the trash at Dulos' business, according to the warrants. Mawhinney once represented Dulos in lawsuits filed by Jennifer's mother, who claims Dulos never repaid her late husband for about $3 million in loans he gave Dulos to develop expensive homes. Mawhinney is charged in another case with sexually assaulting his estranged wife in South Windsor last year and violating a protective order. He has pleaded not guilty. In court documents in those cases, Jennifer told authorities she believed Mawhinney was plotting to have her killed and Dulos made contact with her as part of the plot. To that end, the mayor presented Olivia Guzman Villalon with a Mayors Award, and announced that from this day forward, Miguels birthday, Dec. 31, would be known as Miguel Villalon Day in the city. He also said that beginning this year, the city will hold a special celebration around Memorial Day for Gold Star families in the city - families who have lost someone in war. Custodian accosted A 911 caller fended off a woman who tried unsuccessfully to steal her keys Tuesday night, according to Longview police. The caller told dispatchers she is a custodian of a building in the 1700 block of First Avenue. She said she was in the parking lot when another woman tried to grab her building keys, claiming to have permission to have them. The suspect, who fled in a two-door white car similar to a Honda Civic, is described a tall, white female around 40 years old with long blond hair. Advertisement A mansion developer claims he's ready to test the market with his $500 million Bel-Air super pad, seven years after building began. What would be America's most expensive home is to hit the market for a cool half a billion dollars; complete with a nightclub, beauty salon, 20 bedrooms and sweeping views of LA and the Pacific Ocean. The mansion, dubbed 'The One' and developed by former film producer Nile Niami, sits atop a hill in the affluent Los Angeles neighborhood of Bel Air and is expected to be ready for sale soon. The 100,000sq ft house has a number of perks including a nightclub with its own V.I.P room, 20 bedrooms including a 5,500sq ft master suite, between four and seven swimming pools depending on your definition (does the moat and indoor spa count?), five elevators and a beauty salon. An earlier plan was to line one of the bedrooms with jellyfish in glass tanks but Niami and his team gave up on the underwater theme, saying it was too much of a task. An aerial photograph shows an image of The One sitting atop a hill in the affluent neighborhood of Bel Air in Los Angeles, California A 100,000 square-foot hilltop mansion in Bel Air, Los Angeles is expected to go on the housing market soon and has an asking price of $500million, which would make it the most expensive house in America. The property features views of the City of Angels and the Pacific Ocean The One is set to include a ten-pin bowling alley, a nightclub with its own V.I.P room, 20 bedrooms including a 5,500-square-foot master suite There will also be 45-seat IMAX movie theater and between four and seven swimming pools depending on one's definition five elevators and a beauty salon Other perks, per a previous report on its construction by Caters News Agency, include a 30-car parking garage and a 45-seat IMAX movie theater. According to experts, the vast array of specifications and amenities tacked on to the home could alienate buyers in the notoriously small market of Los Angeles real estate. Niami, however, disagrees and claims the special features are helping to draw buyers who he is currently in conversation with. The home was originally to include a room with jellyfish in glass tanks on the walls Despite making prospective allowances for delays and financial setbacks, Niami said he's almost ready to open the doors of the deluxe crib for viewings. Rejecting claims that he is over-inflating the price to get attention for the luxury listing, the ex film-producer turned property developer said he will not budge. 'When you have something thats as rare as the Mona Lisa you can command whatever you want for it,' he told Bloomberg. 'When the house was started, I had no basis to ask $500 millionnow there are so many triple-digit sales in L.A. and the world that the asking price is not unreasonable anymore.' The master suite in 'The One' by itself is larger than most New York City apartments and comes complete with its own pool, kitchen and office. The home is spread over multiple different buildings. The main house will have 13 of the 20 bedrooms, the New York Times reported in 2017. Neighbors include 'Friends' superstar Jennifer Aniston and technology guru Elon Musk. Pictured is an artist's rendering of 'The One's' infinity pools, along with a small view of the hills of Southern California Bel Air rises from Westwood, where the University of California, Los Angeles is. It borders the similarly hilly and posh neighborhoods of Beverly Hills and Holmby Hills At the time, it had been reported that the lawn, spanning 20,000 feet, would be artificial in order to comply with the state's drought laws It of course remains to be seen whether the property will actually sell for its asking price; real estate experts have scoffed at the $500 million price tag. Niami told the New York Times that he imagines the eventual buyer will own multiple other properties and likely only stay in the home a few times per year. He added that he is developing a third property which as yet does not have a name but will have jellyfish aquariums, in addition to a gold giraffe sculpture. His property portfolio includes an $18 million house sold to Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, the entrepreneurial twin brothers who sued Facebook. To help finish construction of 'The One', Niami obtained an $82.5 million loan and has a repayment deadline for October, according to Bloomberg. Pictured is an indoor pool in 'Opus', adjacent to a dining room for pre-or post-meal swims. 'The One' has between four and seven pools, depending on whether one includes the property's moat and indoor spas 'The One', with a speculated asking price of $500 million, costs nearly four times more than the most expensive house ever sold in America - a home in New York state's Hamptons that sold for $137 million in 2014. The home is just one of a portfolio of super cribs the developer is touting. For a slightly more reasonable price of $85million, one might fancy a house called 'Opus,' a 21,000 square-foot Beverly Hills home which comes with a complimentary $12million worth of Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce vehicles. There is also an unnamed house that has a gold giraffe and a hot yoga room. Complimentary items in the $85million Opus, meanwhile, include a Lamborghini and a cellar stocked with dozens of bottles of Cristal Champagne. The uptick prompted the OIG to launched a new tool last November so victims could file complaints online. Barely 10 weeks after the launch, we had received over 111,000 complaints, Social Security Inspector General Gail Ennis told senators. Two key messages from Wednesday's hearing: Anybody can become a victim and making people aware of the scam through outreach and education is key to stopping the crooks. One victim, Machel Andersen, 56, of North Odgen, Utah, told senators she lost $154,646 to a Social Security scammer in December. "The emotional and psychological tolls for those who have lost hard-earned life savings are beyond measure, observed Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who chairs the committee. The Aging Committee maintains a toll-free Fraud Hotline, 855-303-9470, to take reports about fraud and scams. Collins announced the top reports to its hotline in 2019, and in first place was the Social Security impostor scam. The scam barely registered among reports as recently as 2017, she said, but has bumped the notorious Internal Revenue Service impostor scam out of the top spot, which it had held for five consecutive years. Saul, the Social Security chief, said the agency now is heavily into outreach to raise public awareness. It gave materials to members of Congress to spread the word. He has appeared in a public-service announcement (PSA) and said SSA was arranging radio campaigns and TV appearances. The agency is also sending emails to people with My Social Security online accounts and putting scam-awareness messages on its envelopes, he said. In addition, Social Security is partnering with other government entities and expanding its work with groups such as AARP. Saul said he recently met with the nonprofit's chief executive, Jo Ann Jenkins, and they are working on a joint PSA. Saul's own message is blunt: If you receive a suspicious phone call from somebody seeking your money or sensitive personal information, hang up. Likewise, officials said, ignore strange emails, texts and letters asking for the same things. At the hearing, senators assailed the bad actors behind the scams as they heard how cunning, creative and sophisticated they are. There is a special place in hell for people who prey on former military personnel and older Americans, said Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), an Air Force veteran. Inspector General Ennis was among those at the hearing to praise news from the Justice Department on Tuesday that it had taken civil action against firms in New York and Arizona alleged to be conduits for hundreds of millions of robocalls that reach the U.S. every month. Her agency was a leading partner in that effort, since robocalls are often the entry point for Social Security scams. Yet Ennis sounded a note of caution, saying scammers are inventive and known for changing tactics. "The scammers are very creative, she said, and the minute we plug one hole, they will find another one." Police in Northern Ireland have been warned to check those they have restrained are not having breathing difficulties (Niall Carson/PA). Police in Northern Ireland have been warned to check those they have restrained are not having breathing difficulties. The Ombudsman said a man appeared to pass out while being taken into custody. He had been struggling and aggressive after he was arrested in Londonderry in September 2018. His hands had been cuffed behind his back and leg restraints fitted before he was placed into the police car to be taken from Derry to a police custody suite in Coleraine. The officers involved had requested the use of a cell van, but none had been available. I would urge police officers to refresh their knowledge of the guidance so that they remain mindful of the risks of certain restraint techniques and alert to the danger signs of positional asphyxiaMarie Anderson The Police Ombudsman investigator who dealt with the case, said: The man continued to struggle but quickly became less active and could be heard telling police that he could not breathe. He then began to make gurgling noises, and police body worn video footage shows him becoming quiet and motionless. Thankfully police stopped the car and checked on his condition. When he came round he almost immediately became aggressive again. Officers restrained him, then placed him into a more appropriate upright position between two officers and continued their journey to the custody suite. Once there, he was examined by a police doctor. Ombudsman Marie Anderson said officers should be aware that certain restraint techniques could interfere with peoples ability to breathe, with potentially fatal consequences. She said: A face-down position is recognised as a risk factor, as are alcohol or drugs. It can happen to people who are being restrained, and is also known to be a risk for infants if the positioning of their head and body obstructs their breathing. I know that police have provided training on this issue, and guidance for officers is available on the PSNI website. I would urge police officers to refresh their knowledge of the guidance so that they remain mindful of the risks of certain restraint techniques and alert to the danger signs of positional asphyxia. The police officer who had been in the rear of the police car said he could not recall the man having been lying face down for a long period of time. He acknowledged that he had received training and was aware of police guidance on positional asphyxia, and said he had tried to ensure that the man had enough air and room to breathe. The Ombudsman found that the officer should have been more alert to the risks of a person being restrained while face down, and to danger signs such as the person making gurgling noises. She recommended that he be disciplined. The PSNI accepted that there had been failings and the officer was given advice and feedback by his line management. Superintendent Jon Burrows said: PSNI acknowledge the findings of the Police Ombudsman, and the officer in question has been given advice and feedback by his line management. I want to reassure the public, PSNI officers receive training and guidance on restraint-related risks as part of mandatory training. PSNI will further reflect upon the findings of the Ombudsmans investigation to identify if there are any other learning opportunities. Flight attendants wear medical masks at Novosibirsk International Airport imposing strict health control measures, officials remotely taking temperature of passengers arriving from China in connection with the outbreak of a pneumonia-like coronavirus in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019. Russia is to close its border with China as a measure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, according to the country's state media. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said Thursday morning that he had signed an instruction to close the state border in the Far East, Russian news agency TASS reported. "A corresponding instruction was signed today. Work on it is already in progress. We will inform all those concerned properly about the measures to close the border in the Far Eastern region and other steps the government has taken (to prevent the spread of coronavirus in Russia)" the news agency quoted him as telling a cabinet meeting on Thursday. Sixteen out of the 25 crossings along the Russian-Chinese border will be closed as of midnight January 31, the decree said, according to the Moscow Times. Russia's Foreign Ministry said Thursday that it had temporarily suspended the issuing of electronic visas to Chinese nationals. The move by Russia comes as the pneumonia-like virus, first identified in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of December, continues to spread. China's health authorities say the number of cases has now exceeded 7,711 and the death toll stands at 170. Most of the cases are in China but the virus has also been found in France, Germany, Cambodia, South Korea, Singapore, the U.S., Thailand, Sri Lanka and Japan. The Philippines and India confirmed their first cases on Thursday too. So far, there have been no reported cases of the virus in Russia. The World Health Organization is to decide later Thursday whether to declare a global health emergency over the outbreak. Opinion Article 29 January 2020 The idea behind the sharing economy is that individual consumers share under-utilized resources with their peers. The sharing nature of such a business promotes interactions between the service provider and the customer(s). Advertisements One selling point of a home-sharing service, for example, is that it gives travelers unique social interactions with the host, which is usually not found in hotels. Early literature about home-sharing services also confirms that travelers appreciate the interactions with the local hosts. An argument, however, arises that the "sharing" economy is actually an "access" economy. Some travelers only pay for permission to use someone else's facility with no interest in social interactions. If travelers merely want to "access" a home-sharing facility, the differences between a home-sharing stay and a regular hotel stay become nebulous. Today, more hotel chains and entrepreneurs are getting into the home-sharing business. It becomes crucial for relevant stakeholders to gain a deeper understanding of such a social-interaction phenomenon in the sharing economy. For example, marketers may be able to promote state-of-the-art facilities, convenient locations, and differences in prices to travelers who tend to access a lodging facility. Meanwhile, they may also be able to highlight the public space for socialization for travelers who value social interactions. The research study and the research questions With that in mind, I worked with three researchers, Drs. Karen Xie, Chih-Chien Chen, and Jiang Wu, on a research project. We aimed to use consumers' real booking data on a home-sharing website to answer two research questions in this study: Do travelers tend to choose the same type of home-sharing facilities for the next trip as what they stayed in the past? (There are three types of home-sharing facilities identified in this study: to share with a host, to share with other travelers, or to access a facility.) Do travelers' frequency of visits to a destination affect their choice on the types of home-sharing services for the next trip? That is, if travelers visit a destination more often, will they become more independent and hence choose to access a home-sharing facility? The research setting, the data, and the analysis We collected the consumer data from Xiaozhu.com, which is also known as "the Airbnb of China." The website allowed us to obtain individual travelers' travel history as well as a broad measure of the home-sharing services in which they stayed. Different from Airbnb, Xiaozhu chronologically archives the travel history of individual travelers. Our sample includes 1,005 home-sharing facilities that were actively operated by 261 hosts in Beijing, China, from July 31, 2012, to April 27, 2016. We built two datasets. One comprises the information on travelers' past stays of home-sharing facilities from their travel history. The other one includes the characteristics of the home-sharing facilities, as well as the host information of the facilities. The dependent variable is a traveler's choice on the type of a home-sharing facility in a given visit (i.e., to share with a host, to share with other travelers, and to access the facility). The independent variables include the traveler's cumulative number of past stays in each type of the home-sharing facilities as well as the traveler's frequency of past visits to Beijing, plus a series of controlled variables about the host who runs the facility and the facility itself. We performed a series of analyses using econometric models of multinomial logistic regressions. The results were published in the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management. The results Close to 70% of travelers choose to access a home-sharing facility (to share with no others), whereas 20.9% and 10.45% of travelers choose to share the facility with a host or with other travelers, respectively. Travelers tend to choose the same type of home-sharing facilities that they have used in the past. Regardless of how many times the travelers have visited a destination, those who stayed with either a host or other travelers in the past would very likely choose the same type of home-sharing facility for their next stay. Travelers who merely accessed the home-sharing facilities in the past, however, would become more likely to choose to stay with a host as they visited a destination more often. The implications The above findings add empirical evidence to the debate of whether sharing economy in the lodging sector mainly for "sharing" or for "access." Practically, we recommend: Policymakers and hoteliers must pay significant attention to the home-sharing facilities in the market, because close to 70% of travelers chose to access home-sharing facilities over the other two types. When travelers search for a home-sharing stay, home-sharing websites and OTAs (online travel agents) should encourage the same type of accommodation options as what they chose in the past. For the travelers who visited a destination often in the past, home-sharing websites and OTAs may also consider promoting facilities with shared spaces with the host. Hotels and OTAs should promote the functional space for social interactions to the travelers who usually share with a host or with other travelers in a home-sharing facility. Hotels and OTAs should promote the physical environments and the upkeep of the facilities to the travelers who usually access a home-sharing facility. On one hand, hosts managing a facility with shared space with the travelers may want to highlight their friendliness and the friendships that they built with the past customers in their profile descriptions. On the other hand, hosts managing a facility with no shared space with the travelers may want to focus their marketing messages on how nice the place looks. Do you notice people tend to stick to the same type of home-sharing facilities when they travel? Recalling your previous stays in a home-sharing facility, did you stay in a place where you will share some space with a host, with other travelers, or with nobody? For what reasons? During an election rally in Delhi, Thakur egged on the crowd to raise an incendiary slogan 'shoot the traitors' after he lashed out at anti-CAA protesters. New Delhi: The Election Commission on Thursday barred Union Minister Anurag Thakur from campaigning in the Delhi Assembly polls for three days and BJP MP Parvesh Verma for four days for their controversial remarks. An EC official said the decision was taken as the poll panel was not satisfied with their reply to the show-cause notices. West Delhi MP Verma on Tuesday said what happened in Kashmir with Kashmiri Pandits could happen in Delhi, warning that lakhs of anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protesters in Shaheen Bagh could enter homes to rape and kill women. During an election rally in Delhi, Thakur egged on the crowd to raise an incendiary slogan "shoot the traitors" after he lashed out at anti-CAA protesters. Advertisement Harvey Weinstein hired a Mossad-linked security agency to spy on his accusers and offered a $300,000 'success fee' if they prevented damaging articles on his alleged assaults from being published, his rape trial heard today. The embattled 67-year-old producer smiled as he left court on Thursday where four supporting witnesses testified. The prosecution said Weinstein hired Black Cube, an intelligence and corporate espionage agency operated by agents who used to work for Mossad, the national intelligence agency of Israel, to spy on his accusers and journalists. Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzi said Weinstein's lawyer David Boies signed two contracts, one on July 11, 2017 and another on August 10 that year with the agency. The movie mogul allegedly sent an email to the director of Black Cube with a list of people to target saying the 'red flags are the ones of interest'. Rape accuser Sopranos actress Annabella Sciorra was on that list. Four ancillary witnesses were called on Thursday to corroborate Tarale Wulff and Dawn Dunning's testimony shared yesterday, where they both accused the movie mogul of assaulting them in the 2000s, and other claims made against the producer. Harvey Weinstein smiled as he left court on Thursday where four supporting witnesses testified at his rape trial in New York Weinstein grinned as he left court with attorney Arthur Aidala. On Thursday the jury heard about how Weinstein hired a Mossad-linked security agency to allegedly spy on his accusers and offered a $300,000 'success fee' if they prevented damaging articles from being published about him Weinstein seemed to be in good spirits leaving the courthouse Thursday after four witnesses shared their testimonies Lawyer Dev Sen (above leaving court) confirmed Thursday that Boies Schiller Flexner, a powerhouse New York law company that used to represent Weinstein, signed a contract with Black Cube in 2017 at the producer's behest Weinstein signed two contracts with security and espionage agency Black Cube, the jury heard Thursday, that allegedly spied on his accusers for him. Black Cube was promised a 'success fee' of $300,000 to 'prevent articles (about Weinstein) being published', it was claimed today The witnesses that took the stand Thursday were Weinstein accuser Dawn Dunning's ex-fiance Lincoln Davies, Boies Schiller lawyer Dev Sen, Cipriani manager Maurizio Ferrigno and film casting director Monika Mikkelsen. Wulff and Dunning are so-called 'Molineux' witnesses who testified about the producer's 'prior bad acts' on Wednesday. But, Weinstein isn't facing charges in those cases due to the statue of limitations and other legal issues. Prosecutors are using their testimony to bolster their case against the embattled producer. The charges Weinstein faces come from the assault allegations of Mimi Haleyi, who accused him of forcibly performing oral sex on her in 2006 and who testified Monday, and Jessica Mann, who will testify Friday and claims Weinstein raped her in a New York hotel 2013. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and claims all encounters were consensual. Black Cube brought up at Weinstein trial On Thursday Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzi introduced how Weinstein hired Black Cube, an intelligence and corporate espionage agency operated by agents who used to work for Mossad. Dev Sen, a corporate law partner at Boies Schiller Flexner, a powerhouse New York law company that used to represent Weinstein, confirmed that they signed the contract with Black Cube on July 11, 2017. Sen said that the contract was signed at the 'instruction of Mr Weinstein.' Witness Dev Sen pictures testifying in court Thursday as a serious Weinstein looks on The jury was shown that email sent by Weinstein in August 2017 to the director of Black Cube showing that target list of dozens of people including Annabella Sciorra, whose name was in red. Sciorra pictured leaving Manhattan court last week after she testified how Weinstein allegedly raped her one night in 1993 or 1994 Illuzi asked: 'Was that contract entered into on July 11, 2017 by Boies Schiller but on behalf of Harvey Weinstein?' Sen said: 'Yes.' Weinstein allegedly hired Black Cube to stop damaging articles from being published about him. The articles in question eventually appeared in the New Yorker, in an expose written by Ronan Farrow (above), and the New York Times. In Farrow's book Catch and Kill he reports being stalked by Black Cube agents Illuzi said that Weinstein sent an email to the director of Black Cube with a list of people to target saying the 'red flags are the ones of interest'. The jury was shown that email sent by Weinstein in August 2017 to the director of Black Cube showing that list of dozens of people including Annabella Sciorra, whose name was in red. During the testimony of Annabella Sciorra last week, the court heard that Weinstein had tried to hire a different private investigation company and sent them the same list. It contained dozens of people and Sciorras name was in red, meaning she was a priority. Illuzi told the court that the contract between Weinstein and Black Cube stated they would use an investigative journalist to find out who might be talking about him. Black Cube was promised a 'success fee' of $300,000 to 'prevent articles (about Weinstein) being published'. The articles in question eventually appeared in the New Yorker, in an expose written by Ronan Farrow, and the New York Times, in a piece written by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, in October 2017 and led to Weinsteins downfall. In Farrow's book Catch and Kill he reports being stalked by Black Cube agents. Dawn Dunning's fiance testifies how she came home crying after Weinstein 'offered her movies roles in exchange for a threesome' Accuser Dawn Dunning testified on Wednesday that Weinstein put his hand up her skirt during a business meeting at his New York hotel suite in 2004 and he offered her movie roles in exchange for a threesome, claiming, 'This is how the industry works!' Dunning's fiance at the time, Lincoln Davies, was the first to take the witness stand on Thursday and corroborated her account, saying she came home 'appalled' after Weinstein propositioned her. Davies said that Dunning came home 'pretty shocked, upset and angry' and burst into tears after Weinstein propositioned her for a threesome at the Intercontinental Hotel in Manhattan in 2004. On Thursday Lincoln Davies, the ex-fiance of witness Dawn Dunning who testified that Weinstein offered her movie roles in exchange for a threesome on Wednesday, spoke before the jury. Davies (pictured leaving court) said Dunning came home 'appalled' after Weinstein propositioned her Former aspiring actress Dawn Dunning, 40, took the witness stand Wednesday and broke down as she recounted how Weinstein invited her to a hotel for a business meeting and allegedly opened the door wearing an 'open bathrobe' and asked for a threesome Davies said that Dunning did not tell him about the initial up the skirt assault, but did tell him about Weinstein's alleged threesome proposition. Pictured leaving court Thursday In that meeting the producer wore a bathrobe with nothing underneath and suggested this was how he made Charlize Theron, Salma Hayek and Uma Thurman stars. Assistant District Attorney Meghan Hast asked Davies if he recalled a night when Dunning returned from a meeting with Weinstein where he had met her at the hotel room door in a bathrobe. On Thursday the ex-fiance of Dawn Dunning (pictured left with actor James Belushi in 2011) supported her claims that Weinstein propositioned her for sex Davies, a restaurateur who lives in Los Angeles, said he did. Describing her demeanor, he said: 'She was pretty shocked, upset, angry. Overall she was appalled I would say. It was an arc of emotions with anger..we spoke about it for half an hour. She ended up crying.' Dunning has testified that she did not tell Davies or anyone else about the previous incident at a hotel in SoHo when Weinstein allegedly invited her for a business meeting then put his hand up her skirt. The first time she came forward was last summer when she told the Manhattan District Attorney. Under cross examination by Damon Cheronis, Davies said that before the meeting at the Intercontinental, Dunning was 'looking forward' to seeing Weinstein. Cheronis asked: 'She was excited because it was her dream to become an actress?' Davies said: 'That's fair to say' Cheronis asked: 'Miss Dunning never told you that a few weeks before that meeting that Mr Weinstein had put his hand up her skirt?' Davies said: 'She didn't tell me that' Cheronis said: 'She never told you she was sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein before she went (to that meeting)' Davies said: 'Correct' Dawn Dunning pictured right sobbing as she was questioned by Assistant District Attorney Meghan Hast as Weinstein looked on at Wednesday's trial. She accused him of offering to sign her for three movies if she conceded to having a threesome with him and his assistant Lincoln Davies pictured testifying in court on Thursday Dunning first met Weinstein when she was 24 years old at a Manhattan nightclub called PM in 2004. She told him she was an aspiring actress and gave him her number. In the spring of 2004 he allegedly put his hand up her skirt and inserted a finger into her vagina in that meeting during a business meeting at a SoHo hotel. Then a few weeks later Weinstein allegedly propositioned her for sex asking for a threesome with his assistant at the Intercontinental hotel in New York wearing a bathrobe with nothing underneath. 'There was a coffee table and I noticed three stacks of paper... He cut to the chase and said heres three contracts for three films. I will sign them today if you have a threesome with me and my assistant,' Dunning told the jury Wednesday. When she asked questions thinking he was kidding, he became enraged and roared, 'Youll never make it in this business! This is how the industry works! This is how these three actresses got to where they are.' When asked to name those actresses Dunning said: 'It was Charlize Theron, Salma Hayek and I believe Uma Thurman.' Weinstein lawyers demolish Tarale Wulff supporting witness After Davies took the stand, Cipriani manager Maurizio Ferrigno was called to support Tarale Wulff's allegation. He claimed he saw Weinstein and Wulff heading up a stairway. But, he conceded under cross-examination that prosecutors helped jog his memory of the moment. On Wednesday, Wulff testified that Weinstein masturbated in front of her while she was working as a cocktail waitress at the upscale New York club Cipriani and raped her at his New York City apartment in 2005 after calling her in for an audition. On Thursday Weinstein's lawyers demolished Tarale Wulff's supporting witness Maurizio Ferrigno (above), who worked as the manager of Cipriani's and admitted he couldn't exactly remember seeing Weinstein walk off with Wulff Maurizio Ferrigno was forced to admit he couldnt say if he actually saw Weinstein with Tarale Wulff at Cipriani, where Weinstein often went, or if he only remembered when prosecutors told him. Ferrigno was the manager of the upstairs lounge of the bar in the mid 2000s when Wulff claims the incident happened. She has testified that Weinstein led her by the hand, up some stairs and to an unused terrace where he masturbated in front of her. Under questioning by Assistant District Attorney Meghan Hast Ferrigno initially claimed that he saw Wulff on some stairs in the back area with Weinstein. But under intense cross examination from Weinsteins lawyer Damon Cheronis, Ferrigno couldnt remember what year it took place, or even what season of the year. Cheronis said that Ferrigno only began to remember the incident after prosecutors told him about it. Cheronis said: 'Are you testifying because you actually remember that or because (prosecutors) told you what Miss Wulff said?' Ferrigno struggled to answer. Cheronis asked: 'Are you testifying because you actually remember seeing Mr. Weinstein going upstairs or are you testifying because Miss Wulff made that claim?' Ferrigno said: 'I cant say yes or no.' Tarale Wulff (center in yellow turtleneck) took the witness stand at Weinstein's trial Wednesday. She claims he allegedly masturbated in front of her at the Cipriani's club in New York and on a second occasion allegedly raped her at his apartment 'Thats when my red flag finally went up. I told him I cant. He said dont worry, Ive had a vasectomy. I just froze,' Wulff testified Wednesday as Weinstein watched on Judge James Burke asked if Cheronis wanted to ask the question again but Cheronis swatted his hand through the air and said: 'I think he answered it just fine.' Wulff was an aspiring actress working as a cocktail waitress at the members-only lounge of New York's upscale club Cipriani's when she met Weinstein in 2005 and he offered her career help. Later that night, Weinstein approached her while she was by the bar and he 'led me by my arm' through a door to a back area and up some stairs and masturbated in front of her. On a second occasion she said Weinstein's assistant called her and asked her to come in for an audition but she was instead whisked off to Weinstein's New York apartment and allegedly raped. 'I told him I cant. He said dont worry, Ive had a vasectomy. I just froze,' she testified Wednesday. Casting director testifies on Weinstein's empty promises Casting director Monika Mikkelsen was called the stand as well on Thursday. She was in charge of casting for the Weinstein-produced movie Pulse, which was released in 2006. Wulff hoped to audition for a role in that movie in the summer of 2005 when Weinstein allegedly raped her. Mikkelsen said she cast the movie in late 2004 and the start of 2005, well before that alleged rape took place, meaning Weinstein's invitation to include Wulff in the film was an empty promise. Casting director Monika Mikkelsen testified Thursday. She was in charge of casting the Weinstein-produced film Pulse, which Wulff hoped to audition for. She said another actress had been offered the role Wulff was invited to read for Mikkelsen said that another actress had already been made an offer a year earlier for the same role Wulff was invited to read for. Prosecutors said Weinstein dangled a part for Dunning in Pulse, even though his brother Bob Weinstein was actually in charge of production, meaning his offer didn't actually carry much weight. On Friday, the second complaining witness in the case, Jessica Mann, will testify. A third and final Molineux witness is slated to testify on Monday, which will complete the bulk of the prosecution case which begun last week. Weinstein faces a total of felony counts: Two counts of predatory sexual assault, one count of first-degree criminal sexual assault, one count of first-degree rape and one count of third-degree rape. Weinstein was seen raising a fist as he entered the courthouse on Thursday the jury will hear from as many as five witnesses including Dawn Dunning's ex-fiance, a Cipriani employee, and a casting director MUSKEGON, MI -- Amy Herrington and Yolanda Burris will tell you they were just doing what they were trained to do when they resuscitated a 2-year-old boy who nearly drowned in a hotel pool. But the boys mother believes the pair of Muskegon nurses deserve more credit than that. After all, her youngest of three children is home, safe and healthy, thanks to the two women and a little divine intervention. God makes no mistakes, they were there for a reason, Passmore said. They dont even live in that area, but Im so grateful they were there. They are forever heroes in my book. Herrington and Burris -- nursing instructors at Muskegon Community College -- were in Livonia on Friday, Jan. 24 for the Michigan Nursing Student Association Convention. The women checked into the Holiday Inn Express & Suites hotel for the weekend with three of their MCC students. On Friday, around 8 p.m., Herrington and Burris were working out at the hotel. Meanwhile, Passmores family was celebrating her daughters ninth birthday at the hotel pool. Muskegon Community College nursing instructors Amy Herrington (left) and Yolanda Burris. (Courtesy photo | Peter Koryzno) The celebration turned nearly tragic when Passmores youngest, K.J., went underwater and didnt resurface. Screams for help came from the pool area as the mother tried to recall her CPR training. Im a (certified nursing assistant) and I tried to do CPR but seeing him in that condition, it really took me over the edge, she said. Seeing someone like that, someone you love, I tried but all the CPR went out the window. Herrington and Burris heard shouting from the hallway and headed toward the pool area where the infant was unconscious on the deck. They saw the mother attempting CPR, but determined it was ineffective and took over. Herrington, a mother of two small children of her own, pushed the woman out of the way and began sets of chest compression. Burris assisted by breathing into the boys mouth, while their nursing students called 911 and helped to control the crowd around the pool. The life-saving efforts lasted minutes, but felt like hours. We didnt think he was going to come back, Burris said. We didnt hear any breathing. He wasnt responding. He wasnt doing anything and I could hear Amys voice increasing. The two nurses switched CPR roles. I remember thinking if this kid is not OK, then I am never going to be OK, Herrington said. The young boy began breathing and made faint whimpering sounds as he regained consciousness. Herrington placed him on his side for a few seconds and then scooped him into her arms. Mama Bear in me just went into effect," she said. "I knew he needed a hug. He cried for a minute, so thats when I turned so he could see his mom. Paramedics arrived on the scene shortly thereafter and transported the toddler to a local hospital for evaluation. Passmore said he had gotten the water out of his lungs but his oxygen was low, so doctors monitored him overnight before releasing him Saturday. By Wednesday, Jan. 30, Passmore said her very adventurous son was back to his normal self. Which means playing outside and watching The Grinch and Paw Patrol on repeat. KJ turned 2 in December. His mother doubts hell remember the incident as he gets older. But shell never forget it. Our family has had a lot of losses the past year or so, she said. "My grandma passed away last year. I just lost my Godmother who was a big part of my life. My cousin was killed last year ... and my dad had a heart attack two days before what happened at the pool. I could not fathom taking another loss. So when I say Im beyond grateful, my heart is so heavy from this." Herrington and Burris took the following morning to debrief with their students during breakfast before the days conference activities. One student, Brittany Johnson, said she was inspired by the strength, courage and natural instincts shown by her instructors. Later that day, the nurses received a text message from K.J.'s mother, followed by messages from other family members who wanted to show their appreciation. Passmore said she plans to keep in touch with the women. Shell continue to send them photos and videos of the life they saved and what they gave me back. I wish I could hug you both a million times because I thank you a million times more," Passmore wrote to the women. "You both forever will be our gift from God at a very dark moment. I believe God makes no mistakes and he sent his two angels on earth to save my son. I truly, truly thank you ladies with everything within me for saving my babys life. Harrington and Burris agreed with the notion that divine intervention was at play. I feel like he gives us the gifts and the qualities that we pass on to other people, Herrington said. He put us there because he knew we could do it. There are a lot of things that led us to being at that spot. Burris, a native of Lake Charles, Louisiana, was a clinical nursing adjunct faculty member at Muskegon Community College from 2011 until January 2016, when she became a full-time faculty member. Herrington is a Rockford native and graduate of Saranac High School and Ferris State University. Shes been a registered nurse since 2005, and joined the MCC nursing department in January 2017. READ MORE: Hamilton cast member returns to his West Michigan roots Child safe after stolen car found Final decision is in: Cameron Martinez sticks with Ohio State Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 20:27:22|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close BEIRUT, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Russia is planning to loan 1 billion U.S. dollars to the Lebanese banking system for 30 years to restore confidence in the country's banking sector, al-Akhbar newspaper reported Thursday. Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab and Russian Ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin discussed the step in the past two days, said al-Akhbar. The loan may also be offered as a donation to Lebanon if officials show transparency in using the money, it added. Russia is also considering opening a bank in Lebanon or investing in one of the local banks, according to the report. The Lebanese banking sector has been suffering from a shortage in dollar mainly because of the drop in remittances from Lebanese expatriates. Many economists expect the Lebanese authorities to seek funding by the International Monetary Fund amid difficulties in financing its expenses in 2020. [January 30, 2020] DMICDC Logistics Data Services Bags the Prestigious 'Best Container Tracking Solution Company' Award NOIDA, India, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- DMICDC Logistics Data Services (DLDS) clinched the 'Best Container Tracking Solution Company Award' at the India Cargo Awards, held at Crowne Plaza, Greater Noida on 27th January, 2020. The honor celebrates DLDS's achievement in bringing transparency and visibility in the container logistics segment of India. Speaking on this achievement DLDS CEO, Ichiro Oshima said, "DLDS is proud to be the winner of this award that signifies operational and logistics excellence. This mark of distinction is an affirmation that our trailblazing project LDB has continually improved logistics performance and eased EXIM trading in the country." Organized by the DDP group, India Cargo Awards is recognized as a benchmark by industry stalwarts. LDB (Logistics Data Bank) is a single-window, ICT-based real-time container tracking solution aimed at improving the container logistics system in the country. It started its operations in the western crridor, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) in the year 2016 and extended it to the Hazira and Mundra ports of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) in the year 2017. LDB currently handles 96% of India's current container traffic and has recently completed the milestone of successfully tracking 22 million EXIM containers. LDB is currently integrated with 25 port terminals, 55 toll plazas, and over 139 CFSs and ICDs with plans to extend to other parts of the country. LDB offers analytic reports to stakeholders every month, presenting actionable insights on their performance. The reports help in identifying bottlenecks to ensure better planning and streamlining of the processes. Since the commencement of operations, LDB has reduced the earlier port time (import cycle) to 46% and dwell time (export cycle) by 22%. About DMICDC Logistics Data services: DMICDC Logistics Data Services (DLDS) is a joint venture between the Government of India represented by the National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT) and Japanese IT major NEC Corporation, with 50:50 equity participation. DLDS was formed to effectively leveraging ICT across the Indian Logistics Sector, inculcate best practices across the various processes and work towards bringing efficiency in the supply chain. The company aims at bringing visibility and transparency in Logistics environment, streamline the operations across the supply chain and help in the government's plan of improving the 'Ease of Doing Business' in India. The objective is to provide the Export-Import Container visibility service across the Western corridor of India along with comparative performance metrics for all Logistics Container Operators to enable the users in making informed decisions. The flagship product of the company 'Logistics Data Bank System (LDB System)' is an overarching solution that integrates the information available with various agencies across the supply chain to provide detailed real-time information within a single window. For more information, visit: https://dldsl.in/ Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1084175/DLDS_India_Cargo_Awards_2020.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] As we look at the Phase 1 trade agreement between the United States and China, we want to briefly look at the history of U.S. agricultural exports. In the early 17th century, tobacco smoking became fashionable in England so farmers in Colonial America received favorable prices for all that they could produce. The prices were so profitable that colonial farmers increased production to the point that 40 years later, the price had dropped to a point well below the full cost of production. A similar story can be told for both indigo and cotton production. By the 19th century, the production of cotton in the U.S. exceeded the amount that English cotton mills could weave into cloth and market. As a result, a once profitable crop was being produced at an extremely low price. In the mid-19th century, as a sea of men flooded California in search of gold, some ended up in the Central Valley as farmers where they raised wheat on the flat, fertile land. Their market was England and Europe and the prices were good, despite significant shipping costs. And then farmers in Argentina began to grow wheat, and with lower shipping costs, the California wheat market collapsed. Regular readers of this column are familiar with the agricultural boom of World War I and a bust subsequent to the signing of the Armistice. A farm depression in the 1920s was followed by the Great Depression in the 1930s. World War II triggered an increase in production, followed by a slow slide in ag prices into the 1950s and beyond. ADVERTISEMENT The Soviet Unions purchase of U.S. wheat in 1972 triggered a surge in optimism about ag prices and farmers were encouraged to plant fencerow to fencerow. They did, and the price spike turned again into a slump that resulted in the farm crisis of the 1980s. In the early 21st century, the combination of the Renewable Fuels Standard increasing the use of corn to make ethanol to nearly 6 billion bushels along with below trendline yields in 2010 and 2011, ahead of the 2012 drought, doubled and tripled corn prices, only to have them plummet in the centurys mid- to late-teens. It is our observation that exports have been the great hope and heartbreak of U.S. agriculture while steadily growing domestic demand has been ignored. When faced with a new source of demand for one or more agricultural products, U.S. farmers have repeatedly shown the ability to increase production to meet that demand to the point of overproduction and falling prices. Export demand is ephemeral depending on the needs of others. Historically, long-term high levels have not been sustainable. While we dont want to minimize the importance of the trade agreement with China; we think a little restraint in expectations is in order. We have been told to expect $50 billion in agricultural exports to China;previously, the largest sales to China totalled $26 billion in 2012. The bulk of American soybeans the Chinese buy are used to feed hogs. Right now, the Chinese hog herd has been decimated by African Swine Fever, tempering any increase in the need for soybeans. The most reliable long-term source to increase demand for U.S. ag products is domestic demand. Perhaps then we should design our production systems and agricultural policies to meet this demand at a profitable price and treat exports for what they are: icing on the cake. MEDIA COURTHOUSE A 52-year-old Philadelphia woman was sentenced to two years of probation Monday after pleading guilty to a simple assault stemming from a parking spot dispute. Aretha Robinson, of the 1100 block of West Chelten Avenue, was arrested following the March 10 confrontation at the 69th Street Wawa in Upper Darby, where she clubbed another customer in the head with a tire iron. According to an affidavit of probable cause, Robinson got into a heated argument with the victim in the parking lot, which continued inside. Robinson followed the victim into the store and threatened to harm her. Robinson then left the store, retrieved a tire iron from her car and re-entered the Wawa, where she began following the victim. When the other woman turned away from Robinson, she struck her in the side of the head with the iron. Upper Darby police officers John Millison and Travis Hall were dispatched to the store just before 7 p.m. and found Robinson standing with the tire iron in hand. The victim did not seek medical treatment at the scene, though Millison observed a large contusion on the right side of her head. Robinson, who has been free on 10 percent of $15,000 since March 15, was initially charged with felony aggravated assault and three simple assault misdemeanors, as well as terroristic threats and possession of an instrument of crime. The remaining charges were dismissed under the negotiated guilty plea worked out by Assistant District Attorney Geoff Paine and defense counsel Baltazar Rubio. In addition to probation, Robinson was ordered to have no contact with the victim and to attend anger management classes. By Trend The Azerbaijani State Agency for Compulsory Medical Insurance has approved "Medical Territorial Zones in accordance with the Azerbaijani Administrative Territorial Division", Trend reports on Jan. 29 referring to the Agency. The medical territorial zone covers a group of medical institutions subordinated to the Administration of the Regional Medical Divisions (TABIB) of Azerbaijan in accordance with the administrative territorial division of the country. These zones have been formed taking into account the size of the population, geographical location, transport infrastructure, medical facilities and their potential, as well as the number of doctors and paramedical personnel. In total, the Agency has formed 13 medical territorial zones. Every zone includes state medical institutions in several cities and districts. The interregional state medical institutions have been determined for all except for three medical territorial zones. This was carried out to ensure the efficient use of resources and personnel potential of medical institutions, optimize their activity, improve public access to the various types of medical care. When paying the amount of co-financing, the administrative territory of the insured's registration, as well as the medical territorial zone in which the medical institution is located are taken into account. A certain part of the cost of medical services that must be paid by the insured is called the amount of co-financing and it will be applied to the insured persons if they dont comply with the conditions specified in the Services Package. The terms of payment of this amount are determined by the Services Package, and it must be paid directly to the medical institution. The introduction of the co-financing mechanism will be launched on April 1, 2020. Thus, if a citizen without a family doctors referral appeals to a medical institution at the place of registration for outpatient services, for each insured event he or she will have to pay the cost of co-financing in the amount of 5 manat ($2.9). If a citizen appeals to a medical institution located in another administrative territory for outpatient services, for each insured event he or she will have to pay the cost of co-financing in the amount of 5 manat. If a citizen, without a family doctors referral, appeals to a medical institution located outside the medical territorial department where he or she is registered for outpatient services, for each insured event he or she must pay the cost of co-financing in the amount of 15 manat ($8.8). In case if a citizen, without a referral from a medical institution at the place of registration or residence, appeals for in-patient services to a medical institution located in another administrative territory, but inside a medical territorial department, for each insurance case the cost of which exceeds 100 manat ($58.8), he or she will have to pay the cost of the joint financing in the amount of 30 manat ($17.6). If a citizen without a referral from a medical institution located in the administrative territory at the place of registration appeals for in-patient services to a medical institution located outside the medical territorial department where he or she is registered, for each insurance case the cost of which exceeds 100 manat, the citizen will have to pay the cost of co-financing in the amount of 90 manat ($52.9). At the same time, for each magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography service provided on the outpatient basis, a citizen must pay the co-financing in the amount of 20 manat ($11.7). All medical services to the insured are provided according to the relevant referral. All laboratory and diagnostic services, without undergoing appropriate examination of a doctor, are carried out at the expense of the citizen. If the conditions specified in the Services Package are met (appeal to a family doctor, appeal to a specialized doctor based on the referral from a family doctor, etc.) while providing emergency medical care, outpatient (excluding CT - computerized tomography and MRI - magnetic resonance imaging) and inpatient care, no payment of the cost of co-financing is required. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Micheal Martin has hit out at claims that Fianna Fail could not manage Brexit if in government and attacked cynical and desperate attempts to politicise Britain's EU exit. He defended Fianna Fail 's role in addressing Brexit and said his party, since 2015, had offered proposals to prepare for a possible Brexit. During a speech to the Institute of International and European Affairs, Mr Martin also emphasised the need to prepare Ireland for Brexit in the years ahead and to repair relations with the British government. Ahead of Britain's departure from the EU tomorrow, Mr Martin, in a veiled criticism of Fine Gael, criticised suggestions there could be no new government after the general election because of concerns about Brexit. Fine Gael ministers during the election campaign have warned of letting Fianna Fail back into government, including how they might negotiate Brexit issues. Mr Martin defended Fianna Fail 's role in keeping the country stable and addressing Brexit, telling the audience: I think that this is necessary to say because there have been unfortunate attempts in recent weeks to politicise Brexit to say that Ireland cant have a new government because only current officeholders have the skills and knowledge to handle Brexit. What is particularly disappointing about this is that it is dismissive of the fact that Ireland should be proud of how political unity has reinforced our national strength at a time of real risk. "Indeed it ignores the reality that we had a functioning government and parliament during the threat of a crash-out Brexit solely because Fianna Fail acted. Against this background by us of positive engagement and leadership on the threat of Brexit during the past seven years, the idea that Ireland cannot change its government because of Brexit is cynical and desperate in equal measure. Mr Martin also criticised Sinn Fein for being anti-EU as well as recent, what he called, "sectarian" attempts to force debate about a united Ireland. On top of Sinn Feins destructive agenda and policy of always putting its own interests ahead of the public interest, there is the fact that it is Irelands most consistent and obsessively anti-EU party, said Mr Martin. Korean employees are not 'bargaining tool' The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) has begun sending notices of a potential furlough starting April 1 to some 9,000 Korean employees. This comes amid the protracted negotiations between Seoul and Washington over how much Seoul should pay for the upkeep of some 28,500 American soldiers stationed here. So it is quite natural for some Koreans to feel that the U.S. is "taking hostages" of Koreans working at its military bases here to pressure Seoul to pay more. The allies have held six rounds of negotiations from last year to renew the cost-sharing deal, called the Special Measures Agreement (SMA), but failed to reach an agreement. Diplomats here say the two sides have been narrowing their differences through these talks, but reaching a deal may take more time. The next round of SMA talks is scheduled for February in Seoul. The USFK said in a press release that the notice to the Korean staff of a potential administrative furlough resulted from the lapse of the previous SMA at the end of last year and the continued absence of a subsequent agreement. It said if the SMA is not renewed in time, the Korean workers will be placed on "temporary nonduty and nonpay status" from April 1, adding it has offered the 60-day notice as required by U.S. law. "This action is being taken solely for reasons outside of USFK control," it said. This is the first time for the USFK to send furlough notices to Korean employees individually because of a delay in the SMA talks. Last year, the USFK reportedly spent some 500 billion won in labor costs for its 9,000 Korean employees about half of the 1.03 trillion won it received from the Korean government under the previous SMA. The U.S. side reportedly demanded a fivefold increase of South Korea's payment this year in the initial stages of the ongoing SMA talks, drawing a backlash from South Koreans, but has since reduced the desired amount, according to diplomatic sources. It is sad that USFK's Korean employees are being victimized as the SMA talks drag on. Some members of the Korean Employees Union at USFK said in media interviews that they are worried that the government may sign an unfair deal because of them. What is best for the Korean staff and the governments of both countries is an early resolution to the cost-sharing issue. Certainly, the USFK's furlough notices are worsening Korean sentiment toward the U.S. troop presence here. It is worrisome that the Korean employees at USFK are being used as a "bargaining tool" in the SMA talks. Even if the allies end this year's negotiations successfully, it will remain as a fundamental problem for the South Korean side. If possible, Seoul should demand Washington separate labor costs for the Korean staff from other issues in the SMA talks. Corporate clean energy surges in 2019 ICR Newsroom By 30 January 2020 The world witnessed a surge in corporate sustainability commitment in 2019 as corporations purchased a record amount of clean energy through power purchase agreements (PPAs), which were up by 40 per cent from the previous years record. A total of 19.5GW of clean energy contracts were signed by more than 100 companies in 23 different countries in 2019, according to 1H 2020 Corporate Energy Market Outlook, published by BloombergNEF (BNEF). In 2018 the figure reached 13.6GW and in 2017 it was less than a third of 2019s level. In terms of total global renewable energy capacity added last year, this represents a share of more than 10 per cent and an investment of US$20-30bn. Corporations have purchased over 50GW of clean energy since 2008. That is bigger than the power generation fleets of markets like Vietnam and Poland. These buyers are reshaping power markets and the business models of energy companies around the world, according to BNEFs lead sustainability analyst, Jonas Rooze. North America accounted for 15.7GWA of the total, mainly through investments in the USA (13.6GW) while in Europe, Middle East and Africa, renewable energy investments to the tune of 2.6GW were made. Latin America signed up for an additional 2GW with Brazil and Chile as front runners. Corporate PPA activity in Asia Pacific proved muted. Published under Wednesday's impeachment hearing allowed senators to ask questions of House managers and Trump's attorneys. For the most part, both sides reiterated their earlier arguments. At one point, though, Adam Schiff, who had opened the House's unofficial impeachment proceedings by lying about what President Trump said during his telephone call with Ukraine's President Zelensky, introduced a bizarre hypothetical in which he essentially repeated his earlier lie. This allowed Jay Sekulow, one of the president's attorneys, to remind everyone present what the Obama administration did to candidate Trump. To set the stage, remember that President Trump released the transcript of his July 25 telephone call with Zelensky. That transcript revealed that Trump complained that Europeans, especially Germany, were not helping Ukraine as much as Americans do. Zelenksy agreed. Trump, a man who knows perfectly well (better than most) how to use the words "I" and "me," then stated, "I would like you to do us a favor though because our country has been through a lot..." The italicized language makes it obvious that Trump was trying to get to the bottom of an American problem, not to improve his own standing. The favor he asked was that Zelensky investigate CrowdStrike, a company that emerged as a significant player in the whole Russia hoax. Again, Zelensky agreed. Trump, who had no reason at this point to trust either the DOJ or the FBI, also asked Zelensky to work with Rudy Giuliani, in significant part, said Trump, because he was concerned that former ambassador Yovanovitch was "bad news," as were her contacts a reasonable statement, given that Yovanovitch apparently bad-mouthed her boss to foreign leaders. Only then, long after Zelensky had already expressed gratitude for the foreign aid money he was expecting, and without Zelensky knowing that Trump was worried about Ukrainian corruption, did Trump say: The other thing, there's a lot of talk about Biden's son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the attorney General would be great. Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution so if you can look into it... It sounds horrible to me. In other words, Trump gave voice to rising concerns in his political party about a video in which Biden boasted that he blocked an investigation into his son's Ukrainian business dealings by threatening to withhold foreign aid. And that's all Trump said. No quid. No pro. No quo. But that's not what Schiff described in his opening statement to the House back in September. He promised House members that he was giving them "the essence of what the president communicated" and then he lied about every word, turning Trump into a knee-capping mafia don: The Ukraine Call Transcript was so damning that Adam Schiff had to completely rewrite it and make up quotes that werent in it.pic.twitter.com/bkB6RxLFjV Benny (@bennyjohnson) September 26, 2019 When called upon his lies, Schiff said he was just parodying the president, a peculiar thing to do in a profoundly consequential House proceeding. Schiff is obviously unrepentant, because he repeated many of the same lies on Wednesday before the Senate. Offended by what he called the "whataboutism" of references to Obama's "I have more flexibility" promise to Putin via Medvedev, Schiff offered what he promised would be a more apt hypothetical. In this version, Obama explicitly promises Putin that he will withhold aid to Ukraine if Putin investigates Romney "and announce[s] that you've dug up dirt" on Romney: Schiff presents hypothetical scenario to senators: Obama asks Russian prime minister to announce investigation into opponent Mitt Romney in return for aid. "Do any of us have any question that Barack Obama would be impeached for that kind of misconduct?" https://t.co/esubYC6OT8 pic.twitter.com/fhJl1gT7eM ABC News (@ABC) January 29, 2020 While the hypothetical bears no relationship with the phone call as revealed in the transcript, it does closely align with the lies Schiff told the House in November. Additionally, as Jay Sekulow, one of Trump's defense attorneys, demonstrated to the Senate, the hypothetical perfectly matches what Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and the DNC did to Donald Trump in the 2016 campaign: they approached a foreign national (Steele) for dirt, he got the dirt from another foreign country, and then they announced what they'd dug up in an effort to destroy Trump's campaign: This If you're talking about foreign-solicited dirt to start sham investigations into your political rivals look no further than...the DEMOCRATS and Obama's FBI! And it's not a hypothetical! pic.twitter.com/EGukzBhRpz Elizabeth Harrington (@LizRNC) January 29, 2020 Schiff likely won't change Republican minds with his grandstanding, but it's quite possible that Sekulow's intelligent and apt response will change Democrat minds. Correction: Crowdstrike was described as a company with Ukrainian ties. The company's offical statement says: CrowdStrike is an American company that was founded in California and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. CrowdStrike's founders have no connections to Ukraine. Photo Illustration by Sarah Rogers/The Daily Beast / Photos Getty Donald Trumps presidency may be resting on the whims of the 100 members of the U.S. Senate, but the White House isnt sweating it. Despite a whirlwind few days, in which it was revealed that President Trumps former National Security Adviser John Bolton had copped to there being a quid pro quo to dig up dirt on his domestic political opponents, Republican congressional sources say the White House has remained relatively hands-off in trying to keep the party in line. With lawmakers considering whether to call additional witnessesincluding Boltonthere has been modest directive offered by White House aides about how to handle such a situation beyond talking points that could be deployed. The president has made his wishes known through his favorite mediumTwitterand his legal team has argued against additional witnesses before the chamber. Additional signals have been public and not particular subtle, such as when Trump thanked senators attending a Wednesday trade deal signing. "Maybe, the president joked, Im being just nice to them because I want their vote. But beyond that, aides say, the White House has not felt compelled to use all the carrots and sticks at its disposal. I dont think there has been much lobbying or heavy lifting and there has certainly been no efforts to quote, unquote, keep people in line, said one senior Republican Senate aide. The White House has shown, in the past, that it is willing to aggressively lobby the Hill on matters directly tied to the presidents agenda. That theyve adopted a different approach to this critical juncture of impeachment illustrates the hold that Trump believes he has over his party and a strategic assessment thatin certain casessuch outreach may prove unnecessary or counterproductive. Its a strategy that the presidents team has been practicing for weeks, as The Washington Post reported. And its one they continue to believe will result in acquittal. Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), a confidant of the presidents and a lead defender of his during the impeachment trial, said Wednesday that Trump has had little contact with the Republicans who are weighing the fate of his presidencya stark departure from the House process, when the White House was actively wooing GOP lawmakers with presidential face-time and other perks to shore up their standing. Story continues Its a different process, obviously, Meadows told The Daily Beast. You have a trial going on now, on the House side it was an investigation. A senior member of the Senate GOP, Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO), said a hands-off approach was probably the right way to go. There are plenty of opportunities for members to reach out if they wanted to, if they had advice or thoughts, and I imagine some of that's happened just during the time the President's team has been here, he said. Even Senate Democrats that the White House is hoping to lure to make an acquittal vote bipartisan say theyve heard little, if anything at all, from the president. He hasn't heard from the president or anyone else, said a spokesman for Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), who on Wednesday showed hed be amenable to some Republican demands by expressing support for calling Hunter Biden as a witness. He hasn't talked to the president in a while. People familiar with Team Trumps strategy say that White House officials have opted away from a heavy-handed approach not simply because they are confident that Republicans already know how Trump would react if they did not vote to acquit. There is also a belief that some Republican lawmakers would prefer to have a bit of distance from the president, if only to keep up the appearance of impartiality; and theres fear that any effort to push GOP fence-sitters like Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Mitt Romney (R-UT) on the constructs of the trial would have the opposite effect. Asked if a personal pitch from Trump to these senators could backfire, Meadows demurred. But he did say, I dont see that as something that he would do, and I dont see if its something that hes even contemplating. Mainly, however, there is an expectation inside 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) can do much of the heavy lifting without the presidents help. The thinking is to let Cocaine Mitch do his thing and get his people in line, said a source close to the White House, using a nickname coined by a former opponent of McConnell that the senior senator from Kentucky has since adopted. All of which is not to say the White House has done nothing. Tony Sayegh, a senior communications official in the Trump White House, has helmed a weekly Senate GOP communicators meeting on Capitol Hill on Mondays. And following The New York Times reporting on Boltons forthcoming book, the presidents team sprung into action to say all was well. The facts remain unchanged, Sayegh told the gathering in his Monday meeting, according to a source who was in the rooma line that Senate Republicans dutifully repeated later in the day and week, much to the pleasure of Trumps senior staffers in the West Wing. By mid-Monday, the Trump White House had blasted out a list of talking points to surrogates and media allies decrying the Bolton-related Leaks, according to a message obtained by The Daily Beast. In its messaging, Team Trump encouraged surrogates to compare the ongoing situation to what occurred during the confirmation hearings for Trumps Supreme Court pick Brett Kavanaugh, who was accused of attempted rape, and in doing so again stresses that the juicy tell-all changes nothing in Democrats favor. These selective leaks do not change the actual evidence and are being done purely to influence the Senate, the same playbook we saw during the Kavanaugh hearings, reads one of the talkers. Despite the Bolton bombshells, the GOP line on witnesses has held. However, with the unpublished manuscript still looming and new information coming out every day, Trump and his allies are not out of the woods yet. The latest example of such came Wednesday morning when House Foreign Relations Chairman Eliot Engel (D-NY) released a statement about a call hed had with Bolton on Sept. 19. Ambassador Bolton suggested to meunpromptedthat the committee look into the recall of Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, Engels statement read. He strongly implied that something improper had occurred around her removal as our top diplomat in Kyiv. Engel had kept the conversation private because he and Bolton have a longstanding relationship. Indeed, the only reason he chose to come forward now, a Democratic aide said, was Trumps repeated assertion that Bolton never spoke out following his departure from the White Housean assertion Engel believed to be wrong. He did not speak to Bolton before releasing the statement. 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. LONDONSecretary of State Mike Pompeo declared the Chinese Communist Party the central threat of our times Thursday, even as he sought to talk up the prospects of a U.S. trade deal with Britain, which rebuffed American pressure to ban a Chinese company from future telecommunications infrastructure. The scathing criticism of the Chinese government was the strongest language Pompeo has used as the Trump administration seeks to convince U.S. allies of the risks posed by using equipment from Huawei, a Chinese technology giant. At the same time, Pompeo sought to reassure British officials that even though the two countries saw the issue differently, it would not undermine the strong bond between them. Pompeos reassurances come at a delicate moment for the British government as it begins the process of forging new stand-alone trade deals after it formally leaves the European Union on Friday. Speaking at an appearance with the British foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, Pompeo referred derisively to a 2016 warning from President Barack Obama that Brexit would place Britain at the back of the queue in any trade negotiations. We intend to put the United Kingdom at the front of the line, Pompeo said. Still, while Britains security and economy depend on a close relationship with Washington, China is a significant investor in the country and a growing buyer of British goods. That was reflected in Britains decision this week to allow Huawei to play a limited role in its systems for the next generation of high-speed mobile internet, known as 5G. With Washington pressing governments across Europe and elsewhere to ban Huawei equipment from new 5G networks, leaders have had to walk a fine line, trying not to antagonize either economic giant while not falling behind in the race to build the next generation of information technology. Pompeo said that U.S. concerns were not about any one company but, rather, the Chinese system. When you allow the information of your citizens or the national security information of your citizens to transit a network that the Chinese Communist Party has a legal mandate to obtain, it creates risk, he said. While we still have to be enormously vigilant about terror, there are still challenges all across the world, the Chinese Communist Party presents the central threat of our times, he said. While Pompeo was particularly blunt in his criticism of the Chinese government Thursday, it was in keeping with his warnings to European leaders as he has sought to persuade them to keep Huawei out of their new networks. China has inroads too on this continent that demand our attention, he told reporters in June during a trip to The Hague, in the Netherlands. China wants to be the dominant economic and military power of the world, spreading its authoritarian vision for society and its corrupt practices worldwide. Pompeo said he was disappointed by the British decision but said the two countries would work through the issue and reaffirmed Britains vital role in the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance with the United States. Still, he cautioned it could still affect the way information was shared. We will never permit American national security information to go across a network we do not have trust and confidence in, he said. Pompeo also mentions Iran regularly as a threat, but not using language as strong as what he applied to China on Thursday. London was Pompeos first stop on a five-nation tour that includes Ukraine, where he will become the first U.S. Cabinet member to visit the country since President Donald Trumps July phone call with the newly elected Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy. That call, during which Trump urged Zelenskiy to look into issues related to the 2016 U.S. election and to former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, provoked a whistleblower complaint and led to Trumps impeachment and his trial in the Senate. Pompeos trip was originally scheduled to take place just after the new year but was delayed because of concerns about escalating tensions with Iran. In addition to the United Kingdom and Ukraine, Pompeo is scheduled to make stops in Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Pompeo left the United States trailed by controversy after the State Department barred National Public Radios diplomatic correspondent from the trip. It came after a dust-up with a veteran reporter from the organization, Mary Louise Kelly, who questioned him about the Trump administrations firing of the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. In an extraordinary statement, Pompeo lashed out at Kelly and said the news media was unhinged. And the decision by Britain to allow Huawei to provide some of the equipment in its 5G network, coming just days before Pompeo arrived, was a bitter disappointment. British officials sought to convince the Americans that in limiting the role of Huawei, they would keep their critical infrastructure safe. Without naming Huawei, the British guidelines noted the dangers posed by high-risk vendors and said they would be limited to parts of the countrys wireless infrastructure, such as antennas and base stations, that were not seen as critical to the integrity of the entire system. Pompeo said that while the Trump administration disagreed with that assessment, the issue would not undermine the deep bond shared between the two countries. The truth is it is your best friends you call up and say What the heck are you doing? he said. Pompeo then went on to Downing Street for a meeting with Britains prime minister, Boris Johnson, which he summed up as fantastic. Read more about: SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. When classic cars hit the auction block these days, $3 million seems to be the new $10 million. As the global economy has endured a trade war and other uncertainties, some of the exuberance in this billion-dollar business, which surged after the last recession, is showing signs of ebbing. The Arizona Auction Week, one of the markets two annual tent-pole events, just completed its mid-January run with sales down 3 percent from last year. That drop was nowhere near as disastrous as the 34 percent slide at the industrys other tent-pole extravaganza, last August in Monterey, Calif. But the falloff in Arizona to $244 million, from $251 million in 2019, still felt ominous. A US-Israeli woman sentenced to more than seven years in prison was freed today after receiving a pardon from President Vladimir Putin. Naama Issachar, 26, was arrested in Moscow in April 2019 after more than nine grams of marijuana were found in her luggage and jailed for drug smuggling. Her release came ahead of talks in Moscow between Mr Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who flew in from Washington to discuss US President Donald Trumps Israeli-Palestinian peace plan. Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot reported that Issachar would return on Mr Netanyahus plane following todays meeting. Toronto, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 30, 2020) - Minera Alamos Inc. (TSXV: MAI) ("Minera" or the "Company" or "Buyer") is pleased to announce it has entered into an Equipment Purchase Agreement ("EPA") with Mako Mining Corp., Marlin Gold Mining Ltd. and Oro Gold de Mexico S.A. de C.V. (collectively the "Sellers") to acquire a complete crushing, screening and agglomeration system for the future growth of the Santana gold project. "This agreement leverages the financial flexibility provided by our relationship with Osisko Gold Royalties to take advantage of a unique opportunity that presented itself and that will significantly reduce longer term capital and operating costs for the development of the Santana project," stated Darren Koningen, Minera Alamos CEO. "The acquisition for this excellent collection of equipment is a small fraction of the original purchase cost and underscores our philosophy of finding innovative ways to build our projects with some of industry's lowest capital intensity." Photo 1 - The Crushing Circuit previously in operation at the La Trinidad mine in Sinaloa, Mexico To view an enhanced version of Photo 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4183/51963_e2d36ed6644309a2_001full.jpg Equipment Details and History The acquired crushing system was originally installed at Mako Mining's La Trinidad gold heap leach operation and was in commercial service for a relatively short period of time until it was shut down in 2019. The circuit was fully operational up to the point that the operation shut down. Highlights include: Design capacity of approximately 300 tph (5,000-6,000 tpd) taking run-of-mine ("ROM") heap leach material and crushing/screening (three stage crushing) to a fine size passing 3/8". Also included is equipment to agglomerate the final ore before it was conveyed through a series of portable conveyor sections to a radial stacker which deposited the final material on the leach pad. Operations are controlled via an advanced PLC automation package which monitors/controls all individual unit operations from a central control area. All the equipment was transported back to the United States after mine shutdown and has been inspected and considered to be in excellent condition. Opportunities to Minera The Company is planning to start initial operations at Santana using contractor portable crushing equipment until optimal crushing strategies are better understood. The new system will allow for the Company to transition to a larger capacity crushing operation capable of accommodating Minera's future plans for significant increases in the production profile at Santana as the overall scale of the project increases through its ongoing exploration. Such a move towards an in-house (non-contractor) crushing system will be significantly less costly as a result of the purchase of the system and is expected to yield significant savings in crushing unit costs. In addition: The system as purchased has multiple stages that can easily be rearranged making it flexible to suit whatever arrangement is optimal for the different future ore sources/pits at the Santana project. Existing capacity is excellent and can be expanded further by increasing the ultimate crush size that is generated (testwork to date at Santana has demonstrated optimal crush sizes significantly greater than 3/8"). An additional crushing/screening stage(s) could be incorporated to expand capacity even further. The PLC control system automation is decidedly beneficial as it allows for easy operation with minimal personnel. The system was just recently packaged and shipped to Arizona, U.S. for storage and is in excellent condition to easily ship back across the border to Sonora, Mexico. Terms of the Equipment Purchase The aggregate purchase price to be paid to the Sellers is C$1.2 million in a series of staged payments. C$300,000 upon execution of the equipment purchase agreement; C$700,000 on the Closing Date (April 30th, 2020 or such other date on or before September 30, 2020 agreed to in writing by the Buyer in its sole discretion); and C$200,000 on the earlier date of the shipment of the equipment from storage in Pearce, Arizona and June 30, 2020. Minera is examining finance options that could include a "lease-to-own" arrangement with third parties that will cover the full acquisition cost and will provide additional information in due course on this arrangement should it be consummated as planned. Photo 2 - The additional stacking equipment included as part of the Crushing Circuit equipment To view an enhanced version of Photo 2, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4183/51963_e2d36ed6644309a2_002full.jpg For Further Information Please Contact: Minera Alamos Inc. Doug Ramshaw, President Tel: 604-600-4423 Email: dramshaw@mineraalamos.com Website: www.mineraalamos.com Victoria Vargas de Szarzynski, VP Investor Relations Tel: 289-242-3599 Email: vvargas@mineraalamos.com About Minera Alamos Inc.: Minera Alamos is an advanced-stage exploration and development company with a portfolio of high-quality Mexican development assets, including the La Fortuna open-pit gold project in Durango (positive PEA completed and change of land use permit granted) and the Santana open-pit heap-leach development project in Sonora (permits received). The Company's strategy is to develop low capex assets while expanding the project resources and to continue to pursue complementary strategic acquisitions. Mr. Darren Koningen, P. Eng., Minera Alamos' CEO, is the Qualified Person responsible for the technical content of this press release under National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Koningen has supervised the preparation of and approved the scientific and technical disclosures in this news release. Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain forward-looking information and Minera Alamos cautions readers that forward-looking information is based on certain assumptions and risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations of Minera Alamos included in this news release. This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements", which often, but not always, can be identified by the use of words such as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". These statements are based on information currently available to Minera Alamos and Minera Alamos provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements with respect to Minera Alamos' future plans with respect to the Projects, objectives or goals, to the effect that Minera Alamos or management expects a stated condition or result to occur and the expected timing for release of a resource and reserve estimate on the projects. Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results relating to, among other things, results of exploration, the economics of processing methods, project development, reclamation and capital costs of Minera Alamos' mineral properties, the ability to complete a preliminary economic assessment which supports the technical and economic viability of mineral production could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements for many reasons. Minera Alamos' financial condition and prospects could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements for many reasons such as: an inability to finance and/or complete an updated resource and reserve estimate and a preliminary economic assessment which supports the technical and economic viability of mineral production; changes in general economic conditions and conditions in the financial markets; changes in demand and prices for minerals; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; technological and operational difficulties encountered in connection with Minera Alamos' activities; and other matters discussed in this news release and in filings made with securities regulators. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of Minera Alamos' forward-looking statements. These and other factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on Minera Alamos' forward-looking statements. Minera Alamos does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by Minera Alamos or on its behalf, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. The Company does not have a feasibility study of mineral reserves, demonstrating economic and technical viability for the Santana project, and, as a result, there may be an increased uncertainty of achieving any particular level of recovery of minerals or the cost of such recovery, including increased risks associated with developing a commercially mineable deposit. Historically, such projects have a much higher risk of economic and technical failure. There is no guarantee that construction will proceed as planned or that production will begin as anticipated or at all. Failure to commence production would have a material adverse impact on the Company's ability to generate revenue and cash flow to fund operations. 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. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/51963 Exhibit of pastels by Lee Skalkos of Newtown: Runs through Feb. 29. Library, 62 Main St. South. People, Places and Things - exhibit of works by Susan Grisell of Gaylordsville: Runs through Feb. 29. Presented by library at librarys temporary gallery at 19 and 23 Kent Green Boulevard. To RSVP to the reception, call 860-927-3761. MARBLE DALE/NEW PRESTON Journeys, A Retrospective - works by Grace Scharr McEnaney of Newtown: Runs through Feb. 9. The Loft Gallery at The Smithy, 10 Main St. ROXBURY The Artists Dance - works by Peter Frisbie: Exhibit runs through Feb. 22. Library, South Street. SHERMAN Water and Sky - works by Beth Carlson: Runs through Feb. 19. Library, Sherman Center. WASHINGTON Moving Parts - exhibit of works by Jen Abbott-Tillou: Runs through March 14. Library, Wykeham Road. Music/Dance KENT Live Irish music: Tuesdays, 7-10 p.m. Bulls Bridge Inn, 333 Kent Road. For more information, email davepatonmusic@gmail.com. SHERMAN Open mic night: Thursdays. Sign-up, 6 p.m. Performances, 7 p.m. Jewish Community Center, 9 Route 39 South. $5/performer. $10 admission/member and non-member. SPECIAL EVENTS BRIDGEWATER Pete the Cat event: Feb. 1, 10 a.m.-noon. Library, 62 Main St. South. In recognition of Take Your Child to the Library Day. For more information and RSVP, call 860-354-6937. Hilltop Center (Bridgewater Senior Center) activities: Mondays: line dancing, 11 a.m. Tuesdays: Dawn MacNutt visits, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Computer Group, 10 a.m. Sliver Needles, 1 p.m. VNA blood pressure check (second Tuesday each month), 1 p.m. Wednesdays: Tai Chi, 10:30 a.m. Mahjongg 1 p.m. Thursdays: special events. Fridays: poker, 10 a.m. Chair yoga, 10:30 a.m. Canasta, 1 p.m.Hilltop Center, 132 Hut Hill Road. For more information, call 860-355-3090. Artists Salon: Meets second Wednesday each month, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Library, 62 Main St. South. With artist and expressive art facilitator Pamela Hochstetter. Bring snack or beverage (non-red wine and beer welcome) to share. For more information, email pamelahochstetter@gmail.com. KENT Chocolate Fest: Feb. 12, 3:30-5:30 p.m. Snow date, Feb. 13. $5. NEW MILFORD Al-Anon family group meetings: Tuesdays, 7-8:30 p.m. Fridays, 7-8 p.m. Trinity Lutheran Church, 107 Kent Road. Bereavement support group: First and third Thursday of each month, 6:30-8 p.m. Facilitated by Bob OKeefe, LCSW at New Milford VNA & Hospice, 68 Park Lane Road (Route 202). For individuals grieving the death of a loved one For more information, call 860-354-2216. Living Without a Partner support group: Second and fourth Tuesday, 10-11:30 a.m. Hosted by New Milford VNA & Hospice at senior center, 40 Main St. Facilitated by Catherine Vlasto, LCSW. For anyone grieving the death of a spouse. For more information, call 860-354-2216. Bingo: Thursdays. Doors open, 4:30 p.m. Food available to buy, 5:15 p.m. Games, 6:30 p.m. VFW hall, Avery Road. Caregivers Support Group: Feb. 4 and 18, 10 a.m. Meets first and third Tuesday each month, 10-11:30 a.m. Senior center, 40 Main St. For more information, call 860-354-2216. Echoes of Sinatra musical program: Feb. 8, 7- p.m. Canterbury School, Aspetuck Avenue. $50. Benefits New Milford Refugee Resettlement group. For more information and tickets, visit www.brownpapertickets.com. Second Saturday Stars program: The Real North Star: Feb. 8, 7-9 p.m. John J. McCarthy Observatory, behind New Milford High School, Route 7 South. Spaghetti suppers: Feb. 11 and June 13, 5-7 p.m. New Milford United Methodist Church, 68 Danbury Road. $10/adult. $4/child 6-12. Free/child 5 and under. Greater New Milford Parkinsons Support Group: Feb. 12, 9:15-10:15 a.m. Meets the second Wednesday of each month, 9:15-10:15 a.m. Senior center, 40 Main St. For more information, call 860-355-6075. Musical Arts Conference competition: Feb. 15, 5-8 p.m. At New Milford High School, Route 7 South. $15/adult. $8/child under 10. Roast beef dinner: Feb. 15, 4:30-7 p.m. Held third Saturday each month, 4:30-7 p.m. Odd Fellows Hall, 25 Danbury Road. $14/adult. $12/senior. $5/child 4-12. Free/child under 4. SHERMAN Connecticut Audubon Societys Deer Pond Farm offerings: Feb. 2: nature walk, 2-4 p.m. Feb. 8: backyard birding, 11 a.m.-noon (at Jewish Community Center in Sherman). Feb. 19: Trees in Winter: Adaptations & Identification, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Feb. 22 and 26: bird walk, 10 a.m.-noon.Connecticut Audubon Societys Deer Pond Farm, 57 Wakeman Hill Road. Free/member. $5/non-member. $10/non-member families. For more information and RSVP, call 860-799-4074. Author talk and book signing: Feb. 1, 5:30 p.m. Library, Sherman Center. With Jamie Jackson Spannhake, author of The Lawyer, the Lion & the Laundry. WARREN Program about one-room schooling and Warrens Brick School: Feb. 9, 2 p.m. In lower level meeting room of town hall. WASHINGTON Puppetry festival: Feb. 1: Sleeping Beauty by Tanglewood Marionettes, 10:30 a.m. Feb. 8: Shadows Around the World by Jim Napolitano, 10:30 a.m. Feb. 15: A Woodland Cinderella by Deborah Costine, 10:30 a.m. Feb. 22: Mary Puppets by Rosalitas Puppets, 10:30 a.m. Washington Montessori School, 240 Litchfield Turnpike (Route 202). $8 at door and at www.washingtonmontessori.org/puppetshows. Free/child under 2. Movie screenings: Feb. 3: Motherless Brooklyn (R), 1 p.m. Feb. 10: The Good Liar (R), 1 p.m. Feb. 24: Ford v. Ferrari, 1 p.m. Library, Wykeham Road. For more information and RSVP, call 860-868-7586. Book discussion and signing with Ramin Ganeshram: Feb. 4, 6:30 p.m. Snow date, Feb. 6. Library, Wykeham Road. Author of The Generals Cookbook. For more information and RSVP, call 860-868-7586. Green swamp cleaning products workshop: Feb. 4, 8:45 a.m. Washington Montessori School, 240 Litchfield Turnpike (Route 202). For more information and RSVP, call 860-868-0551, ext. 2161. Program and book signing: Feb. 11, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Snow date, Feb. 25. Library, Wykeham Road. With Jamie Jackson Spannhake, author of The Lawyer, The Lion & The Laundry: Three Hours to Finding Your Calm in Chaos. Amadeus in Retrospect: Feb. 13, 6:30 p.m. Library, Wykeham Road. With Dr. Vincent P. de Luise. For more information and RSVP, call 860-868-7586. THEATER SHERMAN Auditions for Whodunnit: Feb. 9, 2-5 p.m. Feb. 10, 7-9 p.m. Sherman Players, 5 Route 39 North. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal Spaceport America is poised to become a major economic engine in southern New Mexico with nearly $1 billion in accumulated economic benefits for the state by fiscal year 2024, according to a new report unveiled at the Legislature on Thursday morning. The study, prepared by accounting firm Moss Adams under contract with the NM Spaceport Authority, says the Spaceport has already achieved positive returns on the states $220 million investment, with $33 million in direct economic impacts in FY 2019 alone, and $141.5 million in total accumulated impacts between FY 2016 and FY 2019. Apart from such direct benefits as new high-wage jobs, the totals include indirect impacts from increased spending at local businesses, plus induced benefits from increased economic activity in general as more money circulates through the local economy. Taking all those things together, the report projects $956 million in total accumulated economic impacts for the nine-year period between FY 2016 and FY 2024. That reflects an expected ramp up in activities as Virgin Galactic begins commercial spaceflights this year and as other companies increase their operations at the Spaceport, said Moss Adams Consulting Director John Tysseling, who discussed the new report at a news conference in the Roundhouse with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Spaceport CEO Dan Hicks. As of FY 2013, the Spaceport became a positive revenue generator in economic and fiscal terms for the state of New Mexico, and projections show the picture just keeps getting better, Tysseling said. We expect a dramatic expansion of activities. Apart from Virgin Galactic, which is widely expected to begin flying tourists to space this year, other companies are intensifying their suborbital launch activities at the Spaceport, and new firms are signing agreements to operate there. At Thursdays news conference, the governor said two more space firms, TMD Defense and Space and White Sands Research and Developers LLC, are preparing to launch vehicles for the first time this year at Spaceport America. TMD, a 30-year-old company that primarily manages contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense, will begin testing ballistic missiles at the Spaceport this fall. Its relocating 10 engineers and support staff from its current headquarters in El Paso to Las Cruces, with plans to do four to six launches a year, as well as ground testing at the Spaceport. Las Cruces-based White Sands Research and Developers has a proprietary suborbital rocket that it has launched seven times since 2015 from other places, but going forward, its launch operations will be based at the Spaceport, beginning with two rocket flights this year. With Virgin Galactic gearing up for commercial spaceflight and other companies establishing operations here, New Mexico is emerging as a national and international leader in the space industry, Lujan Grisham told event participants. This is the year we demonstrate just how successful our aerospace investments are, the governor said. This year well lead the world in a brand new industry and frontier. The Moss Adams report presents three potential forecasts on economic impact through 2029, including a conservative baseline projection, considered the most likely development scenario; an optimistic outlook with much higher benefit projections if Spaceport activities accelerate faster than expected; and a pessimistic estimate if activities evolve slower than anticipated. Under the baseline scenario, the report projects annual direct economic impacts to grow from $33 million in FY 2019 to $119 million by 2029. If indirect and induced benefits are included, the total impact would expand from $56 million last year to $197 million in 2029. The Spaceport workforce is projected to grow from 150 full-time employees now to 429 by FY 2024, and 516 by FY 2029. The report lists government revenue or the fiscal impact from fees, leases and taxes separately from economic impacts. That income is expected to grow from $16.6 million collected in FY 2019 to $32.2 million in FY 2029. The report also compared Spaceport Americas competitive advantages with 11 other U.S. spaceports now licensed to operate by the Federal Aviation Administration and concluded that New Mexico is in a leading position to compete with other facilities. Among the key advantages is the Spaceports location next to White Sands Missile Range, allowing it to operate in 6,000 miles of restricted airspace, an area larger than the state of Connecticut. In contrast, all other U.S. spaceports must work with the FAA to divert commercial airlines every time a rocket is launched. In addition, apart from Space Florida, Spaceport America is the only other U.S. spaceport that offers both vertical and horizontal launch capabilities. Although the report didnt quantify the Spaceports impact on education and workforce development in New Mexico, it emphasized the facilitys significant potential to reinforce science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, education in the state. Spaceport educational outreach efforts have reached thousands of K-12 and university students around the state, helping to inspire interest in STEM careers, Lujan Grisham said. (The Spaceport) helps diversify our economy with productive, competitive and exciting careers for young people, the governor said. Apart from encouraging STEM education, its creating high-wage jobs that generally start at $80,000 a year. Among other things, the facility hosts the annual Spaceport America Cup, the worlds largest advanced rocketry and engineering competition, which brought about 1,500 university students from 14 countries last June. Engineering teams from the University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University both competed in the rocket launch competitions, while also competing against each other in a separate Chile Cup face off. Lujan Grisham presented an award to the winning UNM team at Thursdays news conference. Through the Chile Cup, were highlighting some of the worlds best engineering and STEM students who are being educated right here in New Mexico, the governor said. $1B in Spaceport impact projected by FY 2024 New report says facility generating positive returns Winning both Iowa and New Hampshire doesnt guarantee the nomination, but every major-party candidate whos done it has gone on to become their partys pick for president. And right now, those odds look very good for Sen. Bernie Sanders. According to Oddschecker.com, a British-based betting site, oddsmakers have picked Sanders as the favorite in three of the first four contests: Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. South Carolina is the one state where Bernies in the back of the pack. Sanders odds are particularly strong in New Hampshire where, according to the website, the state looks almost certain to go to Sanders as his current price of -175 is indicative of a 63.60% chance. Betting on political contests is both legal and common in Britain, where they closely follow American politics. The oddsmakers give Sanders a better shot than the current polling averages from RealClearPolitics and FiveThirtyEight, but they arent far off. In Iowa, the RCP average has Sanders at 17%, about four points behind Joe Biden. FiveThirtyEights forecast gives Biden a 36% chance of winning, with Sanders in second with a 22% shot. In New Hampshire, Sanders has a narrow one-point lead over Biden in the RCP average and is essentially tied in the FiveThirtyEight projections. This is a significant shift from how bettors viewed the race just a few months ago when they were wagering on Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Oddschecker representative Pete Watt told NHJournal, Just six weeks ago, Elizabeth Warren was a clear favorite among oddsmakers and bettors alike in New Hampshire, with an implied percentage chance of 61.90% from odds of -162. However, a swift fall from grace has seen her fall to fourth behind Pete Buttigieg, who has also seen his odds lengthen in recent weeks. Sanders trajectory couldnt be more diametrically opposed after his price rocketed to 63.60%, comfortably clear of Joe Biden who is the only other candidate to see his chances really improve since the turn of the year. Research indicates that betting markets are often more accurate at forecasting than polls. Polling and betting averages are an example of the wisdom of crowds, but the informed elites seem to think Sanders fortunes are on the rise as well. Hillary Clinton, who still harbors resentments over the 2016 election, called Bernie out in a recent interview, claiming nobody likes him. In New Hampshire, former Democratic state party chair (and high-profile 2016 Hillary supporter) Kathy Sullivan endorsed Elizabeth Warren this week, after writing an op-ed critical of Sanders. How worried should the Democratic establishment be? As New York Times polling analyst Nate Cohn says of Sanders: Hes gaining, and he has some considerable advantages he lacked in 2016. Michael Graham is politics editor for InsideSources.com. Representative Image Tesla Inc has entered into a partnership with South Korea's LG Chem Ltd and China's CATL for supply of batteries used in its electric cars, the company said on Wednesday. Tesla, which has a long-standing battery supply agreement with Japan's Panasonic Corp, said its pact with LG Chem and CATL was at a smaller scale. LG Chem declined to comment, while CATL did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Tesla was not immediately available to comment on the details of the new partnership. Last year, Reuters reported on Tesla's talks with LG Chem to source batteries for vehicles to be made in its Shanghai plant. A source had also told Reuters that the electric carmaker may source batteries from CATL in the future. Celebrity couple, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian reportedly want to reignite the spark in their romance so desperately they turned to a love doctor to help them save their troubled marriage. The couple who share four children reportedly began to grow apart in the wake of Kanye Wests religious awakening and the birth of their fourth child via surrogate in May 2019. According to Radar Online, the 42-year-old rapper and his 39-year-old wife had to turn to a love therapist in a bid to save their failing marriage by focusing on their problems in the bedroom A source who disclosed this to Radar Online, said things appear to be getting better since the couple started counselling. They have therapy sessions at least once a week where they each vent about their frustrations to an expert, who gives tips about how to open up and communicate better. The therapist is giving them suggestions to put the sizzle back in their sex life, They tried counseling a couple of years ago, and it essentially saved their marriage. Theyre hoping lightning can strike twice, the insider added. The source claimed Kim Kardashian was allegedly not happy with her really strange marriage to her outspoken husband. Kanye is going through a really tough time right now. It is really hard for Kim to deal with. She is stressed dealing with his mood swings and manic episodes, the insider said of how Kim struggles with her husbands ongoing battle with his mental health. The source noted Kim hired a team of therapists to be on call 24/7 for when her troubled husband went on tour. Kanye will be watched, even if he doesnt know about it, one source had noted. He says hes fine and doesnt need help but Kims nervous so shes making sure hes under a watchful eye or 5, the source said. Kim and Kanye married in 2014 and share daughters North, 6, and Chicago, 2, as well as sons Saint, 4, and their newest 8-month-old baby Psalm. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 09:50:20|Editor: Liu Video Player Close TRIPOLI, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- The suspension of oil exports due to the closure of oil fields and ports has cost more than 500 million U.S. dollars so far, Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) said on Wednesday. "On 28 January 2020, oil production reached 288,181 barrels per day. Total value of losses since the beginning of blockades has reached 562,323,991 U.S. Dollars as of Tuesday 28 January 2020," the country's state oil company said. "National Oil Corporation (NOC) renews its call for all blockades to be lifted to allow the Corporation to resume production immediately," it added. Tribal leaders in eastern Libya closed oil ports recently, accusing the UN-backed government of using oil revenues to support armed groups against the east-based army. The east-based army had been leading a military campaign since early April 2019, attempting to take over Tripoli from the UN-backed government. On Saturday, NOC issued a statement, saying the suspension of oil exports has incurred a loss of nearly 256.6 million dollars, as of Jan. 23, 2020, following a significant reduction in production. By Express News Service HYDERABAD: Two persons who arrived at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) from Delhi were nabbed by the air intelligence officials on Wednesday for attempting to smuggle foreign currency to Dubai through a Delhi-bound flight. Foreign currency in various denominations equivalent to Rs 16.5 lakh was recovered from them, officials said. In another case, acting on a specific report, the authorities seized foreign cigarettes illegally being transported into the country. Ten cartons of cigarette packets were seized from 10 passengers who arrived in Hyderabad from different locations including Malaysia, Cambodia, and Dubai. The seized property is worth `50 lakh, officials said. Africas agricultural business will be worth $1 trillion by 2030, the African Development Bank President (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, has said. Mr Adesina explained that this could be achieved due to the need to feed the expected continents increased population that is estimated to hit 2.5 billion by 2050, double its current 1.2 billion. The AfDB president said this on Tuesday, while receiving an honorary doctorate award by the Federal University of Agriculture, FUNAAB in Abeokuta, Nigeria, according to a press release by APO, a public relation firm, and made available to PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday. According to the statement, he was awarded by the institution because of his work in agriculture and food security across the continent. The size of food and agriculture in Africa will rise to $1 trillion by 2030. The population of Africa, now at 1.2 billion, will double to 2.5 billion by 2050. They all must eat. And only through food and agribusiness can this be achieved, he said. Mr Adesina commended the Nigerian governments promotion of agriculture and agri-business in Nigeria. He also disclosed that the AfDB is investing $25 billion over a ten-year period to transform the continents agriculture sector. What Africa does with food will determine the future of food, given that 65% of the arable land left to feed the world is here, Mr Adesina said. Agriculture is the most important profession and business in the world. He also pledged to continue the work of transforming Nigerias agriculture sector. I am delighted to see so many of our young people engaged in agriculture arising from the Youth Employment in Agriculture initiative launched when I was minister to get the youth into agriculture as a business. From their innovations in the use of drones, food processing, packaging, transport and logistics and marketing, they are already unlocking the opportunities in agriculture, he said. He, therefore, urged agricultural universities to optimize their role in linking research, innovations and technologies to farmers and the food and agriculture industry. Africas youth must become leaders to help feed our world, he said. Meanwhile the FUNAAB Chancellor, Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi-Otu, described the bank head as a global household name whose exploits in promoting value chain addition in agricultural produce have remained unparalleled. by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, January 29, 2020 Google on Wednesday temporarily shut its offices in Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong due to the Coronavirus outbreak. The offices are currently closed for the extended Lunar New Year holiday, but Google now plans to keep the offices closed in accordance with government guidance. Google also will place temporary business travel restrictions on flights to mainland China and Hong Kong. The company advised employees in China, and employees who have immediate family members returning from the country, to return home as soon as possible and to work from home for at least 14 days from their departure date, a spokesperson told The Verge. The move is part of a wave of U.S. companies closing office and retail stores or asking their employees to work from home in the affected areas. Starbucks closed more than 2,000 stores in mainland China this week. Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson pointed to two immediate priorities during an earnings call with analysts that caring for the health and well-being of our partners and customers in our stores [and] playing a constructive role in supporting local health officials and government leaders as they work to contain the coronavirus." advertisement advertisement Apple also is limiting travel and has closed one retail store. Apple CEO Tim Cook said on Tuesday the company began limiting employee travel to China and has closed one store in mainland China and reduced operating hours for other retail locations. Facebook and Microsoft began restricting employee travel for only business-critical situations and asked employees in the areas to stay at home. Companies said they would follow updated guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and U.S. State Department issued earlier this week. Some people get their day started by enjoying a great cup of coffee. However, in Alberta, Canada, a man used his cup of coffee to rescue kittens that were frozen in the snow. While studies have confirmed coffees health benefits to humans, this man proved that with some creativity and quick thinking, coffee can be used as a life-saving substance. Grab your tissues, because this is a story of an incredible act of kindness. Coffee used to rescue kittens in distress On Wednesday, January 22, a Canadian oil worker named Kendall Diwisch from Alberta, was out inspecting wells near Tomahawk when he surprisingly came across 3 kittens that were abandoned. They were likely to be a few months old. It appeared to be just another day for him, and little did he know that he would be using his coffee to rescue kittens' lives that day. Diwisch thought that he had seen a pile of trash in the snow, but upon further investigation, he heard incessant and despairing cries from the kittens. Unfortunately, two of the three kittens' tails were frozen to the ground, rendering them immobile and helpless. He suspected that the kittens were frozen for the entire night. Thankfully, he got to them in time before they froze to death. A heroic rescue Diwisch acted quickly and returned to his truck to grab his cup of coffee. In an effort to melt the ice, he began to pour the warm coffee to rescue the kittens from their frozen prison. As if by instinct, the kittens began to drink the coffee, prompting laughter from Diwisch. Sadly, though, the amount of coffee he had didn't suffice. Therefore, they needed a little extra help. Despite their discomfort, Diwisch decided to gently pull their tails from the ice. The kittens were neither scalded nor injured during the rescue. Discuss this news on Eunomia He then took them back to his truck and drove them home, where they were fed and warmed up. He also had them dewormed. The video that went viral The oil worker later posted the rescue video on Facebook, which went viral. Poor things were frozen into the ice so they had to have been there all night, he wrote. In the video, he described the abandonment of the kittens in the snow as cruel." Diwisch's post has been shared more than 5,000 times and has received many comments praising his heroism and quick-thinking. Finding a forever home As if things couldnt get any better, Diwisch said that he several offers to adopt the kittens, and shortly after, all three of them found a new home. "Cause for Critters", a local animal shelter in Drayton Valley, made an announcement in a post that the kittens were adopted by a family that is also in Drayton Valley. Now thats a happy ending and it is one of our favorite Viral Stories! A positive case of Novel coronavirus has been detected in Kerala's Thrissur district and the patient kept in an isolation ward, State health minister K K Shylaja said, as the state government scrambled to tackle the emergency. The condition of the patient, a student from Wuhan university, was stable, Shylaja told reporters here. The patient was in isolation ward at the general hospital in Thrissur. Health officials were awaiting a result of one more test-- Gene sequencing-- only after which it can be conclusively stated that the patient was affected with the virus, the minister said. Three others, who had returned from China, are also in isolation wards in Thrissur, she said. The union Health Ministry had earlier in the day said a positive case of Novel coronavirus has been reported from Kerala and confirmed that the patient is a student of Wuhan University. "Of the four students who returned from China, one of them has been tested positive. A total of 20 samples were sent for testing at National Institute of Virology in Pune, of which 10 were found negative. But one has been found positive," Shylaja told reporters here. The other results are awaited. Asserting that the state health network was capable of handling any emergency, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said: "We have initiated a series of measures to tackle the emergency; contact tracing, case isolation, quality care and community engagement are being done diligently. Care must be taken to not spread rumours over social media," Vijayan tweeted. It was unfortunate that there was a confirmation of coronavirus in the state, but the state had earlier faced similar situations and has the experience to deal with it, he told reporters. "We have that experience and well equipped to face this issue. Now one case has been confirmed. We are taking further steps. Its seems like one more test needs to be done. There is no need to panic but we need to stay vigilant," Vijayan added. Shylaja even though the state has been vigilant since the past two weeks and has made necessary arrangements to deal with the situation, there is need to exercise utmost caution. "We need to be very cautious as our neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka, Nepal have confirmed cases of corornavirus," the minister said. She urged those who have returned from China to approach the health ministry or hospitals and get themselves checked. The Health minister and officials will convene a high-level meeting at Thrissur to upgrade facilities at the medical college there to handle the situation. At least 806 people, who returned from China in recent days, are under observation in Kerala for possible exposure to the novel coronavirus, Health officials had said. Of the 806, 173 persons had arrived in the state on Wednesday. While 10 of them are under observation in isolation wards at various hospitals across the state, the remaining are under home quarantine. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Longtime soap opera actress Marj Dusay has passed away on Tuesday at 83 years of age, according to her stepdaughter Elizabeth Perine. Perine confirmed Dusay's death on the Facebook page of Dusay's fan club that she 'passed away peacefully yesterday morning in her sleep.' 'She was quite a woman and had quite a grand life. She was deeply loved and will be deeply missed,' Perine's statement concluded. RIP: Longtime soap opera actress Marj Dusay has passed away on Tuesday at 83 years of age, according to her stepdaughter Elizabeth Perine Confirmed: Perine confirmed Dusay's death on the Facebook page of Dusay's fan club that she 'passed away peacefully yesterday morning in her sleep' Quite a woman: 'She was quite a woman and had quite a grand life. She was deeply loved and will be deeply missed,' Perine's statement concluded Dusay was born Marjorie Mahoney on Feb. 20, 1936, and raised in Russell, Kansas, and attended Kansas University. She started her career as a model in New York City, where she moved to for her husband John Dusay's medical internship. Dusay started her acting career in 1967 with guest-starring turns on Occaisional Wife and Get Smart, along with her feature debut as a waitress in Clambake starring Elvis Presley. Early life: Dusay was born Marjorie Mahoney on Feb. 20, 1936, and raised in Russell, Kansas, and attended Kansas University Career start: Dusay started her acting career in 1967 with guest-starring turns on Occaisional Wife and Get Smart, along with her feature debut as a waitress in Clambake starring Elvis Presley She was also well known among Trekkies for a guest-starring role in the third and final season of the original Star Trek series, where she played Kara, an alien who removes Spock's (Leonard Nimoy) brain and takes it to her home planet. The actress worked regularly in guest-starring spots throughout the 1970s and she also played Mrs. MacArthur, the wife of Gregory Peck's General Douglas MacArthur in the 1977 biopic MacArthur. She also played Monica Warner, the mother of Lisa Whelchel's Blair Warner on the hit sitcom The Facts of Life, but she was best known for her work in soap opera shows. Star Trek: Trekkies: She was also well known among Trekkies for a guest-starring role in the third and final season of the original Star Trek series, where she played Kara, an alien who removes Spock's (Leonard Nimoy) brain and takes it to her home planet Wife: Regular work: The actress worked regularly in guest-starring spots throughout the 1970s and she also played Mrs. MacArthur, the wife of Gregory Peck's General Douglas MacArthur in the 1977 biopic MacArthur Mother: She also played Monica Warner, the mother of Lisa Whelchel's Blair Warner on the hit sitcom The Facts of Life, but she was best known for her work in soap opera shows She made her soap opera debut as Myrna Clegg in Capitol, which she starred in from 1983 to 1987. Dusay played Pamela Capwell Conrad in the soap Santa Barbara from 1987 to 1991 and Vivian Alamain in Days of Our Lives from 1992 to 1993. She moved right on to play Alexandra Spaulding on Guiding Light from 1993 to 1997 before moving on to All My Children as Vanessa Bennett from 1999 to 2002. Debut: She made her soap opera debut as Myrna Clegg in Capitol, which she starred in from 1983 to 1987 Soaps: Soap star: Dusay played Pamela Capwell Conrad in the soap Santa Barbara from 1987 to 1991 and Vivian Alamain in Days of Our Lives from 1992 to 1993 She ultimately returned to Guiding Light, where she remained until the show was canceled by CBS in 2009 She also starred in movies such as Pride & Loyalty and Made in Heaven, along with numerous TV guest starring spots in shows like Hogans Heroes, Hart to Hart and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. She was married to John Dusay from 1955 to 1962, and they had two kids, a son and a daughter, and she married Thomas Perine from 1967 until his death in 1987. Shows: She also starred in movies such as Pride & Loyalty and Made in Heaven, along with numerous TV guest starring spots in shows like Hogans Heroes, Hart to Hart and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Return: She ultimately returned to Guiding Light, where she remained until the show was canceled by CBS in 2009 An Australian man who moved to China to be with the woman he loves has shared the hellish conditions he is stuck as multiple cities are forced into lockdown. Tim McLean, who is from Ulladulla on the New South Wales South Coast, moved to Ezhou last year to be with his partner Qiong Xu. Ezhou is in the east of the Hubei province of China and near the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak. The city was one of the first to be locked down this month. Travel both in and out of the city and surrounding areas cancelled to prevent the virus from spreading. The streets of the normally bustling city, which is home to more than one million people, have been abandoned. Tim McLean, who is from Ulladulla on the New South Wales South Coast, moved to Ezhou last year to be with his partner Qiong Xu 'Yesterday I was out in the street and I saw hospital staff walking around in full white protective clothing, head gear, totally airtight, walking with what looked like patients,' Mr McLean told the ABC. 'I put two masks on when I go outside, just in case.' A simple trip to the supermarket is an ordeal Mr McLean. Before stepping into the store customers are met by a government official holding a thermometer. They must have their temperature taken before they can even step inside. Mr McLean moved to Ezhou to be with Qiong Xu after the pair met while she was studying in Australia. He returned to China in mid-January after spending Christmas in Australia. He had no idea the hell he was stepping into when he arrived back. Mr McLean moved to Ezhou to be with Qiong Xu after the pair met while she was studying in Australia While he said he has no regrets about moving over, the impending risk of contracting the deadly virus, which has already claimed more than 100 lives, is scary. There is also the looming threat that food may come to a grinding halt in a couple days, he said. 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 He said they had been told get a bulk supply of rice and sit it out for a week and a half. Mr McLean is one of about 600 Australians trapped at epicentre of the outbreak. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a plan on Wednesday to evacuate Australians trapped at the epicentre of China's deadly virus and quarantine them on the remote island for 14 days. Mr McLean said he has struggled to contact the Australian embassy in Shanghai as it appears to have been closed for Chinese New Year, from January 27-29. Mr McLean has been spending his days riding his bike through the empty streets. 'It's quiet. It's about zero degrees. It can be minus degrees at night. It's a bit overwhelming, to be honest.' China has confirmed there are now more than 6,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 132 deaths. The virus is believed to have originated late last year in a food market in the Chinese city of Wuhan that was illegally selling wildlife. Health experts think it may have originated in bats and then passed to humans, possibly via another animal species. The World Health Organization (WHO) was alerted to several cases of pneumonia in Wuhan at the end of December. Symptoms of the virus include fever, cough, sore throat and shortness of breath Medical staff members wearing protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city, arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital in Wuhan Chinese authorities confirmed they had identified a new virus a week later. The new virus, identified by scientists as 2019-nCoV, is a coronavirus, a family of viruses that include the common cold and more serious diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Coronavirus infections have a wide range of symptoms, including fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties. It is unclear how deadly the new virus is. Although severe cases can cause pneumonia and death, there may be many cases of milder disease going undetected. Many of those who have died had pre-existing medical conditions or were elderly with weakened immune systems. People wearing facemasks to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city, wait for medical attention at Wuhan Red Cross Hospital in Wuhan on January 25 WHO officials said Wednesday it's possible that coronavirus could be spread by touching surfaces after infected people have - like railings or medical tools , then touching ones mouth or nose (file) All but around 70 of the more than 6,000 cases so far identified have been in China, mostly in and around Wuhan. The other countries with confirmed cases include Australia, Cambodia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, the UAE, the United States, and Vietnam. The Chinese government has put Wuhan into virtual quarantine to try and stop the spread of the virus. A number of foreign governments have advised against non-essential travel to China and have begun flying their citizens out of Wuhan. If you've had a doctor's appointment in the South Texas Medical Center, you may have driven down Wurzbach Road to Golden Wok. The San Antonio staple, which now has two locations, has been serving up solid dishes from kung pao chicken to a build-your-own stir fry bar for nearly 50 years. In the past, it has won Reader Choice awards for one of the best places in the city for Chinese dim sum. READ ALSO: Review: Golden Wok Chinese restaurant in San Antonios Medical Center going strong after almost 50 years So how did this San Antonio Chinese restaurant chain become so popular? We dug through recent articles and the company's history to learn more about Golden Wok. Click through the slideshow above to reveal 10 things every San Antonian needs to know about the local Chinese restaurant. Candice.Garcia@express-news.net | Twitter @_candicegarcia A Limerick belly dance tutor has failed in her unfair dismissal action against retail giant Dunnes Stores. This follows the Labour Court throwing out belly dancer, Ms Kati Kipli's claim that she was unfairly dismissed by the retailer on June 2, 2016. The ruling by the Labour Court after a two-day hearing in Limerick affirms an earlier ruling by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) that Ms Kipli was not unfairly dismissed. Ms Kipli was employed as a part-time sales assistant by Dunnes Stores from December 2007 to June 2016. The retailer sacked Ms Kipli after mounting a one-person snoop operation that found Ms Kipli was giving a belly dance class at a local hotel after she called in sick complaining of a kidney infection earlier that day. On May 17, 2016, Ms Kipli was rostered to work from 5pm to 9pm. However, Ms Kipli contacted the Human Resources (HR) Manager at Dunnes Storess Harvey's Quay outlet on Henry Street by telephone at 1pm that day to let her know that she felt unwell with a kidney infection and to advise she would be unable to work her shift. Ms Kipli telephoned again at 4pm and advised that her condition had not improved and that she was going to bed for the night. The HR Manager was aware that Ms Kipli was scheduled to run a belly dance class that evening. The HR Manager telephoned the Strand hotel and was told that the belly dance class was proceeding that night. The HR Manager asked a colleague, the stores Check Out Manager, to attend to see if Ms Kipli was present at the hotel and the Check Out Manager witnessed Ms Kipli at the hotel wearing a purply-pink outfit where the belly dance class was to take place at 8.30pm, along with a group of ladies attending the class. The following day when Ms Kipli reported for work she was quizzed about the belly dancing class. Ms Kipli initially denied that she had attended her dance class at the hotel but then admitted that she had been there after the HR Manager stated that she had been observed in the room immediately prior to the commencement of the class. As a result, the store's Grocery Store Manager conducted two meetings to investigate the events of May 16. Arising from the meetings, Dunnes Stores fired Ms Kipli on June 2, 2016. The dismissal letter told Ms Kipli that she admitted to engaging in other paid employment whilst on sick leave from the company. The letter said: This constitutes misconduct which is a serious breach of the Company Code of Conduct. Dunnes told her that it has made the decision to terminate your contract with immediate effect. We have considered other sanctions but after taking everything into account dismissal is the only appropriate sanction to be taken. The Grocery Store Manager told the Labour Court: The reason she was dismissed was because she attended her belly dancing class while she should have been at work. Dunnes stated that Ms Kipli conducted the class knowing that she would get paid under the company's sick leave scheme. Ms Kiplis solicitor submitted that the entire process beginning with the back-to-work meeting of May 18, 2016 - that culminated in Ms Kiplis summary dismissal was unfair and that the decision to dismiss her was pre-determined. The Labour Court found that the deficiencies in Dunness procedures were not of such gravity as to imperil the fairness of the process to dismiss Ms Kipli. The Labour Court found that Ms Kipli had admitted that she had both attended and taught the dance class having first denied that she had done so. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday moved a Pune sessions court, seeking possession of all documents and material related to the Elgar Parishad probe by Pune Police, even as the Maharashtra government continued to look at more legal options to challenge the probes transfer from the state to the Central agency. The state will present its case in court on February 3. While the states home, law and judiciary departments said the government had no legal crutch to challenge the Centres decision, legal experts felt the state could point to the advanced stage of the Pune Polices probe to seek permission to continue with the investigation. The Centre, empowered by a provision in the NIA Act, had last week directed the NIA to take over the Elgar Parishad case, which was being investigated for suspected Maoist links. The police were investigating whether provocative speeches were made at the conclave held on December 31, 2017, which allegedly led to caste-based violence in Bhima-Koregaon the next day. One person was killed in the violent clashes. The [NIA] Act mentions concurrent jurisdiction [when two or more courts from different systems have jurisdiction over a case simultaneously] and by using it, we are tapping into the possibility of asking for permission to continue with the ongoing probe. The probe is at an advanced stage and Pune Police have already filed two charge sheets. If not the entire probe, the state police should be allowed to continue with a partial probe, said a highly placed officer in the home department. On NIA moving court, a defence lawyer said an application was submitted by an NIA officer in the court of additional sessions judge SR Navander, scheduled under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). Rohan Nahar, an advocate representing one of the accused, Varavara Rao, a Telugu poet, said, An application was made by NIA for transfer of all records and proceedings to a special NIA court, Bombay. It also indicated that a fresh NIA FIR was registered on January 27, 2020. The Pune Police on Monday refused to granted NIA officials access to the case papers, saying they had no instructions from the state director-general of police (DGP). Home minister Anil Deshmukh told Hindustan Times that the state government will present its say in the sessions court by Monday. We have received the file from the home department with the opinion from the law and judiciary department. We are seeking advice from legal experts too. We have got three more days to take a decision, he said. Deshmukh has also alleged that the case has been shifted to the NIA to cover up the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) involvement in the Bhima-Koregaon violence. He said the BJP government at the Centre wants to save some people related to right-wing outfits. Meanwhile, defence lawyers will be opposing the NIAs move, citing the lack of legal provisions for a court to take such a decision suo motu. The state representative, district government pleader (DGP) Ujwala Pawar, will be filing a response to the NIA application on Monday. The court has also scheduled on Monday a hearing in the case between the accused and the Pune Police. The nine arrested accused in the case are lodged at Yerawada Central Jail. Rights activists and workers of the Dalit movement were booked for making provocative speeches at the December 31, 2017 conclave-Elgaar Parishad-, organised at Shaniwar Wada in Pune. The activists were arrested and booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). After the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government comprising Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress NCP chief Sharad Pawar had last month alleged the Pune Police misused its power and arrested writers and activists for raising their voice against the state. Last week, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and Deshmukh had held a review meeting with top home department officials and officers from Pune Police last week. The state was considering setting up a special investigation team (SIT) to review the case. Deshmukh had said the decision about constituting a SIT will be taken after more details sought from the investigating officers were submitted. The Centre, however, shifted the case to the NIA on Friday. Warren Buffett is selling his ailing newspaper business in another disheartening sign for local publications that serve smaller U.S. cities, like Buffalo, New York, and Richmond, Virginia. The newspaper-loving billionaire's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is selling BH Media Group, which operates 30 daily newspapers and about 47 paid weeklies, to publisher Lee Enterprises Inc. for $140 million in cash. The companies have worked together since mid-2018, when Berkshire hired Lee to run all of its newspapers except The Buffalo News, which Buffett has owned for more than 40 years. The deal announced on Wednesday includes that publication as well as Omaha World-Herald, Buffett's hometown newspaper in Nebraska. Buffett, who was a newspaper delivery boy as a teen, will still have a foot in the industry; his company is providing the long-term financing for the deal. advertisement advertisement Berkshire is lending $576 million at a 9% annual rate to Lee, which will use the money to buy the newspapers, refinance $400 million in existing debt and close a current credit line. Lee also will sign a 10-year lease on BH Media's real estate for a starting cost of $8 million a year. As the sole lender to Lee, Berkshire still needs the business to survive to make a steady return. Lee will run 81 daily newspapers, including news outlets that it previously owned, such as the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Arizona Daily Starin Tucson. We had zero interest in selling the group to anyone else for one simple reason: We believe that Lee is best positioned to manage through the industrys challenges, Buffett stated, when announcing the deal. As recently as 2013, Berkshire had touted the long-term viability of local newspapers in explaining why it had acquired more than two dozen publications for $344 million. "People will seek their news -- what's important to them -- from whatever sources provide the best combination of immediacy, ease of access, reliability, comprehensiveness and low cost," Buffett wrote. Later, he would lament the loss of classified advertising revenue to sites like Craigslist, saying that newspapers were "toast." Berkshire's sale comes as private-equity firms and hedge funds are buying up local newspapers and slashing costs. New Media Investment Group, which is controlled by private-equity firm Fortress Investment Group, bought Gannett last year to form the biggest newspaper chain in the United States. McClatchy Co. is negotiating a government takeover of its pension fund and warned that it may file for bankruptcy. Alden Global Capital, a hedge fund known for slashing costs, became the biggest shareholder of Tribune Publishing Co. in November. The deal spurred reporters at the Chicago Tribune to plead for another company to buy the newspaper and save jobs. With Buffett's sale, the industry loses one more billionaire who once had a benevolent view of the newspapers. Asian airlines, already fighting stiff competition, now face more turbulence as the spreading coronavirus triggers fears of a repeat of the SARS-induced industry slump in 2003. On Thursday, Japan's ANA Holdings became the latest Asian airline to warn of a fallout from the coronavirus outbreak, which has spread to at least 15 countries from China in the past month, infecting more than 7,700 people and killing 170. "Bookings for flights from China have fallen by half" from a year earlier for the month of February, ANA Executive Vice President Ichiro Fukuzawa told a news conference. Bookings for flights to China from Japan have also dropped 40%, he added. The company, however, kept its earnings outlook unchanged for now, saying that it would keep an eye on the situation. Analysts have been predicting a drop in passenger traffic, as people stayed home and avoid business trips for fear of catching the virus on flights and in crowded airports. China's "Big Three" -- Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines -- are the hardest hit by the outbreak, according to Paul Yong, analyst at Singapore's DBS Group Holdings. Data from flight tracking website Flightradar24 show almost 20% of domestic flights are being cancelled as Beijing imposes a lockdown on some cities, a Nikkei analysis finds. FORBESTOWN, Calif. The Butte County Sheriffs Office said they arrested three Sacramento men in Forbestown after they stole a large quantity of marijuana and led police on a vehicle pursuit. Two victims called the sheriffs office saying three people came to their home located in the 100 block of Happy Hollow Lane in Forbestown, for the purpose of purchasing marijuana. The victims told deputies one of the men showed a firearm and then took a large quantity of marijuana from them. Shortly after, deputies spotted the suspect vehicle and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. The suspect vehicle began speeding after realizing deputies were trying to stop them. After a short pursuit, the vehicle was pulled over near Gold Country Casino, deputies said. The driver of the vehicle was identified as 20-year-old Kevin Mendez. The passengers in the vehicle were identified as 30-year-old Apolinar Arias and 21-year-old Rishabh Kunwar. Deputies then searched the vehicle and located 75 pounds of marijuana and over $50,000 in U.S. currency. The identified suspects were responsible for the robbery and placed under arrest on Monday evening, deputies said. Mendez was arrested for felony evading, robbery, conspiracy, and possession of marijuana for sale. Kunwar was arrested for robbery, possession of marijuana for sale, conspiracy, and a violation of probation. Arias was arrested for robbery, possession of marijuana for sale, and conspiracy. The Sheriffs Office is asking anyone with information about this investigation to contact Will Brewton at 530-538-7671. World News: Asian countries are making tough but necessary choices about the environment by Sholto Byrnes January 30,2020 | Source: The National AE The environmental problems the global east faces are well-documented and serious. According to a 2018 United Nations Environment Programme report, 92 per cent of Asia and the Pacifics population are exposed to levels of air pollution that pose a significant risk to their health. Anyone who has experienced the choking haze that periodically afflicts many countries, including India, Malaysia and Indonesia, needs no reminder of that. The mighty Mekong, a river which flows through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, has been so damaged by the overbuilding of hydropower dams that levels in Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in South-East Asia, reached record lows last year. Species of fish, finding it harder and harder to swim upstream to spawn, are going extinct, while the sediment that for centuries has nourished flood plains on the Mekongs banks is being blocked by the dams; both are already having devastating effects on food production and prices. Recent research suggests that much of Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City, as well as Jakarta, could be below high-tide levels by 2050, and 70 per cent of those threatened by rising seas live in China, Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Japan. Attempts to be cleaner and greener have not always worked out. In 2017, the Chinese authorities made a commendable effort to reduce burning coal for power and heating in the north of the country. They were so successful, however, that there ended up being a power shortage. After children were pictured at school in sub-zero temperatures and a major factory shut down, a big coal-fired power plant had to be turned back on. But at least efforts are being made. Asian countries are showing a willingness to make the tough but necessary choices. China recently announced a ban on single-use and non-biodegradable plastic bags to be implemented in its major conurbations by the end of 2020 and countrywide by 2022. Single-use straws and throwaway plastic cutlery will also be banned. Thailand is aiming for an end to single-use plastic by the end of 2021. Malaysia has declared a roadmap towards the same goal. These moves represent major change in countries with far lower levels of environmental consciousness that in the West. (When I ask a local driver to pick up some oranges from a roadside stall for me, he appears baffled when I hand him reusable plastic bags. No need they come free with the oranges, implies his look.) And they will be hugely disruptive especially to a food industry that is super-reliant on single-use plastic. In Malaysia, even teh tarik, the national tea drink, always comes in a plastic bag, never a possibly reusable cup, if you want to take away. In the US, the current administrations views on such matters are hardly a secret; the US president has repeatedly said in the past that he thought climate change was a hoax made up by China. Americas abdication of leadership on the environment has an outsize effect, but its government is not alone in its belief that industrial interests are far more important than preserving areas of virgin wild lands. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaros plans to allow more mining in the Amazon were criticised for amounting to "genocide and ecocide" by indigenous leaders this month. They will not be appeased by his creation of a new Amazon Council and environmental police force, both of which they suspect will in fact work to support the mining conglomerates, rather than the peoples of the rainforest. In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson may well at times be influenced by his green activist partner, Carrie Symonds, but there are many in his Conservative Party who strongly agree with well-known climate sceptics like James Delingpole and Matt Ridley. We will see what trade agreement the UK reaches with the EU by the end of 2020, but a host of top Tories will be hoping that it will lead to the country igniting a bonfire of the regulations and that includes environmental ones. Countries in the global east are not perfect, and there are environmental implications of their continued development. Some objections, however, are ludicrous. A recent commentary by a group of academics observed, in relation to Chinas Belt and Road Initiative infrastructure projects, that new roads, in particular, have the potential to cause habitat loss and fragmentation, increased wildlife mortality from roadkill and the opening up of frontier landscapes. Try telling that to the Iban tribespeople in Borneo jungles whose only mode of transport is currently boat. Critics who want to keep them in a timeless idyll dont have to live in it. It is monstrous too, that countries in a West whose industrialisation was the primary cause of the climate crisis should now not only seek to evade responsibility but to take steps that will make the situation worse. The global east may have had to learn some lessons from the global west in environmental protection in the past. Now, to what ought to be the shame of Mr Trump and others, it looks like the reverse. The quarrel between the couple married for nine years, according to prosecutors, quickly escalated after Smith threatened to call the police on McCoy, who responded by tossing her phone through a window in the apartment, Scaduto said. Smith responded by throwing a jean jacket at McCoy, which is when the handgun fell from coat, she added. The weapon discharged as both grabbed different ends of the gun. Afghanistan has fired two mortar shells in the area of Pakistan today. According to Pakistani media, the Pak Foreign Office has confirmed this. Earlier in October 2019, there was firing from the Pakistani Army in the border area of Afghanistan. Three women died in it. On this, the Afghan army alleged that Pakistan had tried to build a checkpoint on the disputed border of the Nari district of Kunar, the eastern border province of the country. The Pakistani army fired mortars and rockets when stopped by the Afghan army and local fighters. Rahul targets Modi government, says- "Move on from CAA and focus on unemployment" An alert was also issued last year, according to which the Pakistani army recruited 60 Afghan fighters for infiltration from across the border. These terrorists were recruited to carry out attacks on security forces in Jammu and Kashmir. After this, the Indian security forces were also instructed to be vigilant. According to the alert, about 40 to 60 Afghan terrorists of various terrorist organizations were recruited by the Pakistani intelligence agency. These terrorists will infiltrate Jammu and Kashmir armed with sophisticated weapons. Corona wreaks havoc, China says 'Do not leave the country' On Tuesday, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's cousin Noor Jahan died in Peshawar, Pakistan. Pakistani media reports say that Noor Jahan's younger brother Mansoor Ahmed has confirmed this. He told that she had been battling cancer for some time. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces difficulty, declared accused in corruption case Lo Lo Chai village seen from the Lung Cu National Flag Tower (Photo: dulich.realtimes.vn) The village is nestled in the rocky plateau of Ha Giang province and considered one of the most remote villages in the north of the country. Visitors to the village can easily spot the flagpole, which is about 1.4km away. The village offers some wonderful sightseeing, with green colours falling into the rocky mountains, not to mention the unique culture and architecture. Lo Lo Chai has also become a community-based cultural tourism village with homestays. The main road, which leads into the village centre, is full of daisies. Visitors should traverse the road at a leisurely pace and see the village. They will recognise familiar trinh tuong (earthen) houses which appear after the stone fences, with maize hung on the houses and peach trees grown in front of them. Near the village is a large natural lake which makes the atmosphere more fresher. With the difficult, mountainous terrain, and frequent bad weather, especially in the winter, locals live in a self-sufficient way by growing maize, rice and vegetables. According to Sin Di Gai, head of Lo Lo Chai, the village is home to nearly 100 households, with some 90 per cent of them Lo Lo ethnic minority. Lo Lo Chai village is the only place in the province still home to the traditions of the Lo Lo people, with their earthen houses with rammed-earth walls, clay roofs, stone fences, traditional industries such as embroidering, woodwork; and traditional festivals such as le cung than rung (ceremony of forest worship) and le mung lua moi (new rice ceremony). According to Tran Van Manh, a Hanoian backpacker, visitors should sleep one night in the village to experience the daily life of people here. Waking up with a cup of tea, seeing the thoughtful elderly, chattering children as well as women dyeing cloth or making cakes, you will be very happy as you notice that life is very simple. Time seems to stand still here, said Manh. Manh said there are many homestays in Lo Lo Chai, such as Homie homestay, Cuc Bac (North Pole) homestay, Sisters homestay and Bar as well as Lo Lo Chai homestay. The homestays have been designed and renovated on existing foundations of houses built by Lo Lo people. In addition to cultural experiences, visitors can also enjoy local traditional dishes such as chicken, black pork, buffalo meat, buckwheat flower wine and maize wine. In the weekend evenings, cultural performances take place at the village's cultural house. According to Manh, in Lo Lo Chai, you should check out the North Pole Cafe which is the most famous destination in the village. The founder of this cafe is Japanese Yasushi Ogura, who loves Ha Giang for its pristine beauty and unique culture of local ethnic communities. He invested his money to help Diu Di Chiens family construct a coffee shop to help improve the lives of locals and boost community-based tourism. The shop is an upgrade of Chiens house. The original architecture of the house has been maintained with a fence made of stones and a thick wall that keeps it warm in winter and cool in summer. Ogura then invited people to teach Luc Thi Van, Chiens wife, English as well as how to make coffee and drinks. After that, Ogura handed over all business activities to Van and her husband. In front of the cafe sit old peach trees. In the spring, they have many crimson flowers, while in the summer, they are full of fruit. Thanks to its charming culture and unique architecture, in recent years, the beauties of Lo Lo Chai has become known to many tourists and it's a must-see place in Ha Giang. Chris Carson, Co-Founder & CEO, Hayden AI, has said of the release, "We're really excited to release our technology to the public. Our Safe Sense App uses the camera on your mobile phone alongside machine learning algorithms to automatically collect real-time data to support the enforcement of traffic safety laws. This cost-effective and scalable approach empowers everyone with the tools needed to help improve traffic safety, eliminate traffic fatalities, and encourage transportation efficiency in their city." The app facilitates civic engagement in how it allows users to effortlessly report traffic safety violations such as the illegal passing of school bus stop-arms, running of red lights and stop signs, reckless driving, speeding, and more all straight from a user's phone. By joining the Safe Sense network, citizens in cities across the world can help eliminate traffic fatalities and mitigate congestion through real-time reporting of dangerous driving behavior. All with the aim of putting city safety back in the hands of its citizens. The Safe Sense App turns your mobile phone into an AI-powered dash cam that automatically detects traffic safety violations and reports them to city agencies all while earning you rewards. Vaibhav Ghadiok, VP of Engineering added, "The app also uses your mobile phone to create a radius around your vehicle where, if any other Safe Sense App reports a traffic violation within that radius, you'll get an alert on your phone. This gives you the chance to avoid danger while effortlessly helping your community to improve overall traffic safety." To learn more about the Safe Sense App or sign up to become a beta tester, visit: www.safesense.app About Hayden AI Hayden AI has developed an AI-powered platform for smart and safe city applications. We partner with the world's most innovative cities to deploy our vision-based mobile solution in a city's existing transportation fleet and private vehicles to collect real-time data. This data generates insights that help improve traffic safety, eliminate traffic fatalities, and encourage transportation efficiency. Hayden AI was founded in 2019 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. SOURCE Hayden AI Related Links https://www.hayden.ai Etihad Rail, the developer and operator of the UAE's integrated railway network, has launched the construction works of Package A of Stage Two of the pan-emirates railway network. Package A will run 139 km long from Ghuweifat on the UAE-Saudi Arabia border to Ruwais in Abu Dhabi, where it connects with Stage One of the network. Speaking at the launch, Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court, and also Etihad Rail, said: "As 2020, the year of preparing for the next 50 years, begins, we launch the construction works for this pivotal national project that will generate a paradigm shift in the countrys transport sector, consolidating the UAEs position at both regional and global levels." "With this launch, we are witnessing a remarkable day for Etihad Rail as we see the transition from planning and design to actual implementation of the project on the ground, following in the footsteps of our founding fathers and as we implement one of the nations most strategic projects, one that contributes to the economic development of the country by providing a safe, reliable and integrated alternative mode of transport," stated Sheikh Theyab in the presence of the company's board of directors. He later received a detailed presentation on the construction works to be carried out on Package A. This includes utilisation of 700,000 cu m of ballast besides involvement of 30 million tonnes of earthworks and installation of over 450,000 concrete sleepers provided by Etihad Rails own manufacturing plant. After the launch, Sheikh Theyab attended the signing of a contract between Etihad Rail and a joint venture between India's leading construction conglomerate Larson and Toubro (L&T) and Power China International for the construction of freight facilities for the railway network at a total cost of Dh1.87 billion ($509 million). Under the terms of the contract, the two companies will be jointly responsible for the surveying, design, construction, equipment installation, testing and pre-commissioning of each facility, said the statement from Etihad Rail. Etihad Rail CEO Shadi Malak signed the contract with Anupam Kumar of L&T and Hong Lee of Power China International in the presence of SN Subrahmanyan, the managing director of L&T and Wu Wenhao, President of Power China International. Etihad Rail is building a series of freight facilities in Ruwais, Industrial City of Abu Dhabi (ICAD), Khalifa Port, Dubai Industrial City (DIC), Jebel Ali Port, Al Ghayl and Siji, Fujairah Port and Khorfakkan Port capable of undertaking all loading and unloading operations, in addition to providing container storage and maintenance. The planned port facilities will provide a full service to Etihad Rail customers, including direct access to trains on the dock, easing container movements between ships and trains. These facilities, will become the UAEs main rail transit system for local, regional and international distribution and logistics, with bonded storage and customs on-site, said Sheikh Theyab. Meanwhile, the other facilities centres will serve several sectors, including building materials, as they will contribute to transporting more than 30 million tons of various types of raw materials from their sources in the north of the country to the main markets in Abu Dhabi and Dubai for use in the construction industry, stated the top official. With this award, Etihad Rail has completed the contract-awarding process of Stage Two of the national network which will connect Fujairah and Khorfakkan on the UAEs east coast to the UAEs Saudi border at Ghuweifat, he added.-TradeArabia News Service Other U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter more freely, said the United States gradually reduced funding over the course of the last decade for the blood transfusion service from a high of almost $6 million per year to $1.4 million last year. They emphasized that the U.S. government had been satisfied that the Kenyan government was ready to take control of it when the funding was withdrawn. The Indian Railways, through RRC West Central Railway, Bhopal, has called for online applications from eligible and interested candidates for filling 200 Apprentice vacancies in multiple trades comprising Fitter, Welder (G&E), Electrician, COPA, Secretarial Assistant, Painter, Mechanic (LMV), Mechanic (Repair and Maintenance) and CNC Programmer-cum-Operator through direct recruitment to be posted in various departments. The registration-cum-application process towards the same started on January 27, 2020 and closes on February 26, 2020. CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts Apprentices Organisation RRC West Central Railway, Bhopal Educational Qualification Class 10/Matriculation or equivalent with 50% marks (aggregate) with ITI in relevant trade Experience Freshers can apply Job Location Bhopal Salary Scale As per the Apprenticeship norms Industry Railways Application Start Date January 27, 2020 Application End Date February 26, 2020 Age Criteria And Fees Candidates interested in applying for Apprentices post through West Central Railway must have attained 15 years of age as on January 21, 2020 and not be more than 24 years of age (Gen/UR), 27 years (OBC) and 29 years (SC/ST) respectively as specified in the notification. Candidates must pay a prescribed amount of Rs. 170 (including GST) as application processing fee through online (debit card/credit card/net-banking) mode only. SC/ST/PWD/Women applicants, however, are exempted from paying the application fee. EXIM Bank Recruitment 2020 For Managers And Administrative Officers Post Before February 22 Trade Wise Vacancy Details Trade Name No. Of Vacancies Fitter 50 Welder (G&E) 20 Electrician 60 COPA 10 Secretarial Assistant 05 Painter 30 Mechanic (LMV) 05 Mechanic (Repair and Maintenance) 10 CNC Programmer-cum-Operator 10 Total 200 Educational Criteria And Eligibility Candidates applying for Apprentices post through West Central Railway must have passed Class 10/Matriculation or equivalent with 50% marks (aggregate) with ITI in relevant trade from NCVT/SCVT recognised Board/Institute as specified in the notification. Selection And Pay Scale The selection of candidates to Apprentices post through West Central Railway will be done based on the percentage of marks obtained by the candidates in their Matriculation as well as ITI examination in the concerned trade. Candidates selected as Apprentices through West Central Railway will be paid a monthly stipend as per the Apprenticeship norms. AAI Recruitment: Apply Online For Consultants Post Starting Today, Earn Up To Rs. 75,000 A Month How To Apply Candidates applying for Apprentices post through West Central Railway can click here Applicants must submit their applications on or before February 26, 2020 at https://wcr.indianrailways.gov.in/ Read the detailed notification about West Central Railway Recruitment for Apprentices post here (Natural News) Fears of a deadly global pandemic of the kind not seen since Medieval times are quickly rising as the Coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China, in the central region of the country, spreads. In fact, experts are already concerned that Chinese authorities perhaps as a way to conceal the severity and scope of the virus in order to quell public anxieties and keep order moved too slowly to quarantine the bug. As reported by Agence France Presse, the virus has already managed to go global, reaching other parts of Asia, Europe, and the Western Hemisphere. On Sunday, USA Today reported that five cases had turned up in the United States. I think we have passed the golden period of control and prevention, said Guan Yi, an expert on viruses at Hong Kong University, AFP reported. Chinese authorities did not start cutting off transport links out of Wuhan, a city of 11 million, until Wednesday. Since then, several other cities have been added to the quarantine list; in all, some 56 million Chinese have been quarantined for the time being. But the death toll from the virus continues to rise and since its already clear the virus has spread, many experts believe Beijing may have acted too late. Guan noted that huge numbers of people left Wuhan just before the lockdown and could have been harboring the virus already as they headed out ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. (Related: Hundreds of Thousands of Chinese Fled Wuhan by ROAD as Quarantine Targeted Railways and Airports.) In fact, as USA Today reported, medical experts note that the infection has been found to spread before the afflicted exhibit any symptoms. Agence France Presse noted further: Meanwhile, new gaps in the security web in Wuhan and its surroundings will likely emerge over coming days, even as China deploys its formidable security forces. They are manning road blocks that have been set up, while train and plane services have been suspended. Historically, quarantines have proven ineffective After noting the situation in Wuhan up close and personal, Guan said he was pessimistic that the disease could be contained. Ive never felt scared, Guan said. This time Im scared. Others noted the difficulty of containing Coronavirus. Especially people with money and connections, theyre going to make a run for it and theyll probably be successful, Zi Yang, a senior analyst at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, told the news agency. Prof. Adam Kamradt-Scott of the University of Sydney, a global health security expert, told AFP that just a handful of countries could even pull off a mass quarantine. He said the United States was one of the few that could, using assets that are already in place such as state-level National Guard units. However, he said that U.S. officials would likely face a lot of pushback given that Americans are used to having many more civil liberties than are Chinese citizens. The expert also noted that because of Chinas hyper-efficient security apparatus, I cant imagine there would be too many countries that would be able to do something on this scale as quickly. But then again, other experts say relying on quarantines of entire populations is foolhardy because it almost never works. In fact, the concept is purely an illusion, Bruno Haloua, a medicine historian at the University of Paris IV. Quarantine has never worked. Each time, there have been problems, he said. Global health experts who are also familiar with Chinas habit of underreporting calamities in order to quell dissent and keep its people from panicking believe Beijings Communist leadership is already fudging the death and infection numbers. For example, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that the death of a 53-year-old fitness trainer, who checked into a hospital in Wuhan about a week earlier, was listed as severe pneumonia as its cause, not the Coronavirus. Sources include: News.Yahoo.com WSJ.com NaturalNews.com THUMBS UP! To Decaturs amnesty on late parking fees. Scofflaws with outstanding and unpaid tickets will be contacted with a Feb. 1 mailing. The program ends May 1. City officials says hundreds of thousands of dollars of fines are outstanding. Heres a chance to get some of that cash in the coffers. THUMBS DOWN! To Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. The governor declined to suspend the Illinois automatic voter registration program, even in the aftermath of people being registered mistakenly. Pritzker declared the glitchs discovery and fix was enough for him. The decision leaves open the door for more questioning of the voting process. In the current climate, that is not what we need. THUMBS DOWN! To the Decatur Public Schools administration and school board. The problems with the public schools district are numerous. Some are bad fortune, some are unanticipated, but others come from a lack of forethought. The ongoing tone deaf responses from the administrators and board show an utter lack of awareness of the perceived chaos surrounding them. These complaints are widespread. Theyre not just coming from a couple of malcontents. A vote of no confidence in Assistant Superintendent Jeff Dase by several speakers, including Decatur Education Association president Chrissy Pettit and Decatur Federation of Teaching Assistants president Paula Busboom appears to have been given no consideration. The failure to allow public comment on the Montessori school discussion was questionable. The apparent desire to deal with (or ignore) public questions by insisting on email communication hinders communications. THUMBS UP! To Decatur native Andrew Craig Brown. The Cerro Gordo High School and Millikin University graduate received a Grammy for his contribution to the Best Opera Recording of Fantastic Mr. Fox. The release of the recording came after Brown stopped singing professionally to work as a mechanic. The winning recording was done in 2014, and Brown had almost forgotten about it. THUMBS DOWN! To more virus news that sounds like it comes from a horror film but is, in fact, real. Fallout continues over the Wuhan coronavirus that has hit China and circulated around the word. Numbers of those infected and those who have perished continue to escalate. We have to trust medicine and science to lead us through this. We also have to realize this isnt the last time well see this kind of transmittable terror. THUMBS UP! To the idea of keeping Bagelfest. Mattoons Lenders Bagels and its baking factory has been acquired by Bimbo Bakeries USA. While the company has released no information about its plans in Mattoon, well cast a vote in favor of keeping Bagelfest around. Bagelfest was created in 1986 by Mattoon community leaders to introduce the newly open Lenders to the city. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 13 BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Turkeys export of grains and legumes to China dropped by 17.4 percent in 2019 compared to 2018 and amounted to $37.1 million, Turkeys Ministry of Trade told Trend on Jan. 30. In December 2019, export of grain and legumes from Turkey to China increased by 25.3 percent compared to December 2018, and exceeded $3.1 million. In 2019, Turkeys export of grains and legumes increased by 1.6 percent compared to 2018, amounting to $6.7 billion. In December 2019, export of grain and legumes from Turkey increased by 5.9 percent compared to December 2018 and amounted to $628.8 million. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu The European Court of Human Rights on Thursday ordered France to pay thousands of euros in damages to dozens of inmates after ruling that authorities had not taken sufficient measures to end prison overcrowding. The case was filed by 32 inmates from six prisons including one of France's largest at Fresnes, outside Paris, which holds 2,500 people -- nearly double the number of beds at the site. "The court considered that the personal space allocated to most of the applicants had fallen below the required minimum standard of three square meters (32 square feet) throughout their period of detention," it said in a statement. It also criticised a "lack of privacy in using the toilets" at the six facilities. France has about 70,800 people behind bars at 188 penitentiaries according to official figures from October 2019. Official capacity is 61,065, for an occupancy rate of 116 percent. Nearly 1,500 mattresses are placed on the floor because no beds are available. Conditions in French prisons have long been an embarrassment for the state, with President Emmanuel Macron himself once describing them as "disgraceful". An official report on conditions at the Fresnes prison in 2016 found it to be infested with rats, with prisoners sleeping three to a 10-square-metre cell. It also criticised a shortage of personnel, a widespread problem that was a major complaint by guards during two weeks of nationwide strikes in January 2018. Macron has promised to create space for 7,000 additional prisoners by the end of his term in 2022, and has implemented a series of sentencing changes aimed at finding alternatives to jail time. But the rights court said "overcrowding in prisons and the dilapidated state of some prisons acted as a bar to the full and immediate cessation of serious breaches of fundamental rights". It recommended the adoption of "general measures aimed at eliminating overcrowding and improving the material conditions of detention," and ordered France to pay the plaintiffs damages of 4,000 to 25,000 euros ($4,400-$27,500) each. - 'Huge victory' - Patrice Spinosi, a lawyer with France's International Prisons Observatory (OIP), which coordinated the prisoners' cases, called the decision "a huge victory". He urged the government to undertake a "global rethink on sentencing" in order to combat the chronic overcrowding, instead of simply building new prisons. "An overcrowded facility is one that lacks sufficient activities and work for inmates, that lacks equipment, and one where access to care is difficult," said Nicolas Ferran, the OIP's head of litigation. France's justice ministry said it had "taken note" of the court's ruling, adding that it had steadily increased budgets for prison upkeep in recent years. Beyond the 7,000 additional spots being created for 2022, it said it aims to have an additional 8,000 in place by 2027. The ministry also expects to thin prison populations with the phasing in of recent court reforms, including the elimination of sentences of under one month and automatic probation or public service for people ordered to serve six months or fewer in jail. The European court has also faulted other European countries for prison overcrowding, including Hungary, Italy and Romania. A cell at the Fresnes prison near Paris, one of France's largest, which holds some 2,500 people -- nearly double the number of beds at the site. YARDLEY BOROUGH >> The Yardley Borough Police Department report the following incidents and arrests: WARRANT (DOMESTIC ASSAULT) >> At approximately 7:55 p.m. on January 11 a victim fleeing a domestic assault in her vehicle was entering the parking lot at police headquarters when her car was struck by another vehicle. The striking vehicle fled prior to police arrival. A follow-up investigation... Some of us, as a matter of principle, cannot begrudge the well-meaning Ghanaians who have been challenging former President Mahama to rather come up with alternative policies and programmes to counter Akufo-Addos numerous and well-received poverty interventions such as the Free SHS, the One District One Factory, the One million per Constituency, the One Village One Dam, Planting for Food and Jobs, Planting for Export and Rural Development, Rearing for Food and Jobs, National Builders Corp (NABCO), among others. Even though former President Mahama hasnt officially come up with 2020 electioneering campaign message, upon a critical assessment of his numerous pronouncements on the countless policies and programmes of the Akufo-Addos administration, we can confidently glean a slew of possible NDCs 2020 campaign messages. We can, therefore, draw an adverse inference that per the NDCs relentless criticisms of Akufo-Addos advantageous policies and programmes, Mahamas 2020 electioneering campaign message will most likely focus on how to reverse or suspend those poverty interventions. Let us, however, remind ourselves that it was former President Mahama who found it somewhat convenient to cancel the Teachers and Nurses Allowances while in office. In fact, dearest reader, if you may remember, Ex-President Mahama vowed, somewhat unequivocally, not to restore the allowances, and that he would rather prefer to lose the 2016 general elections than to offer stipends to the Trainees. Despite the numerous pleas by the Trainee Teachers and Nurses, the former president decided to spurn their earnest supplications anyhow. But lo and behold, the disheartened Trainee Nurses and Teachers found a redeemer in Nana Akufo-Addo, who promised wholeheartedly to restore the allowances if voted into office in 2016. The dispirited Trainee Teachers and Nurses nonetheless reposed their absolute trusts in the candidate Nana Akufo-Addo to set them free from the untold economic hardships and massively voted him into power on 7th December 2016. True to his word, a few months into his administration, President Akufo-Addo graciously restored the allowances to the utter delight of the Trainee Teachers and Nurses. Tell me, dearest reader, what has been Mahamas message on the Teachers and Nurses Allowances then? Your guess is as good as mine. If we revisit memory lane, one particular campaign message that dominated the 2008, 2012 and 2016 general elections was the poverty alleviation Free SHS. While candidate Akufo-Addo and his NPP were promising on all those occasions to implement Free SHS if voted into power, candidate Mahama and his NDC were all over the place campaigning vigorously against the policy. Interestingly, however, Ghanaians mistakenly bought into NDCs message in two consecutive elections (2008 and 2012) and turned down the seemingly advantageous Free SHS offer. Nevertheless, on 7th December 2016, the good people of Ghana saw the light and gave the Free SHS promiser (Akufo-Addo) a massive endorsement. To his credit though, within a year into his four year mandate, President Akufo-Addo estimably implemented the Free SHS to the delight of Ghanaian parents and their children. It is also true that no less a person than Ex-President Mahama has conveniently and persistently been criticising Akufo-Addo for implementing the Free SHS policy. The former president has been alleging that the Free SHS has been implemented at the expense of other developmental projects (see: Free SHS crippling other sectors-Mahama, classfmonline.com/ghanaweb.com, 24/02/2018). Former President Mahama was quoted to have lamented during one of the NDCs unity health walks: The problem this government is facing and it is in their own interest, is that, Free Senior High School is absorbing all the fiscal space they have and so almost every money you have, you are having to put it into Free Senior High School. So you cant pay District Assemblies Common Fund, you cant pay NHIS (National Health Insurance Scheme), you cant pay GET Fund (Ghana Education Trust Fund), you cant pay other salaries and things because all your money is going into Free Senior High School. Dearest reader, what has been Mahamas message on the poverty alleviation Free SHS? Your guess is as good as mine. Deductively, in fact, observers can draw and adverse inference from the preceding criticisms that Mahama does not fancy the Free SHS, and therefore he is not ready to spend huge amount of money to run the policy. It is, therefore, not the least surprising that Mahama and the minority NDC operatives prefer progressively free (whatever that means) to NPPs comprehensively free. In fact, unless I come across as the worst performer in mathematics, I cannot fathom how and why the NDCs Progressively Free SHS of GH48 per student is better than the NPPs GH1844.27 per student a year. There is no denying or hiding the fact that NDC has a penchant for running down or cancelling crucial social interventions. It is a sad case of social democrats who do not know how to initiate and manage social interventions. Indeed, the erstwhile NDC government wilfully cancelled/collapsed the Nurses Allowance, the Teachers Allowance, SADA, GYEEDA, NHIS, the Maternal Care, the School Feeding programme, the Mass Transport System, amongst others. Since the inception of the Fourth Republican Constitution, the self-proclaimed social democrats have been opposing social interventions that have been proposed by the successive NPP governments such as the Free Maternal Care, the NHIS, the Metro Mass Transport, the School Feeding Programme, the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), , the Free SHS, amongst others. Given the circumstances, it will not come as a surprise at all, if the future NDC government decides to cancel the Free SHS, NABCO and the Teachers and Nurses Allowances altogether. Mahama, indeed, has promised to undertake a stern review with the view to reversing, cancelling or suspending the NPP governments advantageous policies and programmes. K. Badu, UK. [email protected] Bipartisan bills to boost the availability of better-fitting body armor for female troops and require a report on preventable injuries attributed to bad fits are gaining support in both the House and Senate. "I'm proud to cosponsor the bipartisan Female Body Armor Modernization Act" aimed at ensuring that body armor and personal protective equipment (PPE) is readily available for women in the ranks, Sen. Gary Peters, D-Michigan, a former Navy Reserve lieutenant commander, said Tuesday in a statement announcing his support for the legislation. Last week, Sens. Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina; Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts; and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, also announced their support. "The growing bipartisan support for this legislation demonstrates just how important and common sense it is," Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who introduced the bill and who served in Iraq and Kuwait before retiring as a lieutenant colonel in the iowa Army National Guard, said in a statement. Related: SOCOM Is Field Testing Lightweight Body Armor Originally Developed for Its 'Iron Man' Suit Similar legislation backed by Rep. Joe Wilson, R-South Carolina, who served in the Army Reserve, and Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-New Jersey, an Annapolis graduate and helicopter pilot who left the Navy as a lieutenant commander, has been introduced on the House side. Ernst and Peters cited a 2018 report from the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services, which said that, despite efforts by the military to accommodate a variety of body types, "servicewomen continue to lack accessibility to this new equipment for both training and deployment." "Now that all military occupations have been opened to women, there is an increased need for female-appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and combat gear," DACOWITS said. The report went on to say that the supply of female-specific gear was limited and only issued to women about to deploy. In May 2018, then-Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford acknowledged the problem and said the service branches had to move faster to get gender-specific body armor into the field. "We knew in 2016 that the standard equipment -- particularly as women began to occupy fields where they hadn't historically been, and they were wearing combat armor, packs, those kinds of things [that] had been built for the average male and not the average female -- that we would have to adjust that," he said at a hearing of the Senate Defense Appropriations subcommittee. The bills in the House and Senate would require more studies on better-fitting equipment and call for the Defense Health Agency (DHA) to track data on injuries attributable to the issuance of new PPE. Under the legislation, the DHA would also have to report to Congress in fiscal 2025 on the prevalence of preventable injuries attributed to ill-fitting or malfunctioning personal protective equipment. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Read more: Pentagon IDs 2 Airmen Killed in Afghanistan Crash New Delhi, Jan 30 : As part of Indo-Bangladesh defence cooperation, a joint military training exercise is being organised at Umroi in Meghalaya from February 3 to 16 where both armies will jointly practice counter terrorist operations in a controlled and simulated environment. "Exercise SAMPRITI - IX is an important bilateral defence cooperation endeavour between India and Bangladesh and will be the ninth edition of the exercise which is hosted alternately by both countries," Indian Army spokesperson Colonel Aman Anand told IANS. During the joint military exercise SAMPRITI-IX, command post and field training exercises will be conducted. For both the command post and field training exercises, a scenario where both nations are working together in a counter terrorism environment will be simulated under the UN Charter. The field training exercise curriculum is progressively planned where the participants will initially get familiar with each other's organisational structure and tactical drills. Subsequently, joint tactical exercise will be conducted wherein the battle drills of both the armies will be practiced. "The training will culminate with a final validation exercise in which troops of both armies will jointly practice a Counter Terrorist Operation in a controlled and simulated environment," said Colonel Anand said. In addition, to understand each other at a tactical level, greater cultural understanding will be emphasised to strengthen military trust and cooperation between the two nations. While the overall U.S. response to climate change is up to elected officials, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on Wednesday, the Fed can play a part in keeping global warming from destabilising U.S. banks and financial markets. "The public has every right to expect and will expect that we will ensure that the financial system is resilient and robust against the risks of climate change," Powell said at a news conference following the Fed's January meeting. Asked why the Fed has not joined dozens of other global central banks in the Network for Greening the Financial System, an international effort to better understand risks from rising temperatures, Powell signalled it is just a matter of time. "We've been looking at joining in one form or another ... we probably will do that at some point," Powell said, adding that Fed representatives have been participating in the group's meetings. Scientists say human-generated carbon dioxide is a key cause of global warming that has exacerbated wildfire seasons, helped spawn increasingly destructive hurricanes, and initiated a rise in sea level that threatens coastlines around the world. While regulators in Europe, led by outgoing Bank of England chief Mark Carney, have begun to take such risks into account in their supervision of markets and banks, U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month dismissed those worried by climate change as "perennial prophets of doom." U.S. regulators including the Fed, wary of wading into a subject that is politically divisive, have taken few steps to bring public attention to the threats that a warming planet can pose to the financial system. That has begun to change, with the San Francisco Fed last year hosting the central bank's first-ever conference on climate change and economics. A panel convened late last year by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission is currently examining climate threats to the financial system and expects to issue a report midyear. "Society's overall response to climate change needs to be decided by elected officials, and not by the Fed," Powell said. But the Fed does have a role in ensuring financial stability even as the climate changes, he said. "We are in the very early stages, as are other central banks, in understanding just what that means, he said. "There is quite a lot of work going on around the world, at other central banks, and at the Fed too, to think that through." Lincoln and Start Up EV Company Rivian To Produce First Lincoln Electric Vehicle Rivian Who? Rivian News Archive Lincoln and Rivian will work together to develop an all-new fully electric vehicle, based on Rivians skateboard platform Building on Lincolns product momentum, the all-electric vehicle will progress Lincolns Quiet Flight DNA and feature advanced and intuitive technologies Introduction of this zero-emissions electric vehicle advances Lincolns electrification plan that includes the Aviator and Corsair Grand Touring plug-in hybrid vehicles DEARBORN, Mich., Jan. 29, 2020 The Lincoln Motor Company announced today that it is working together with Rivian to develop an all-new electric vehicle previously announced as part of Ford Motor Companys original investment in Rivian. Lincolns first fully electric vehicle will join the Aviator and Corsair Grand Touring plug-in hybrid vehicles, further solidifying Lincolns commitment to electrification. The zero-emissions vehicle will feature connected and intuitive technologies designed to create an effortless experience for Lincoln clients. Working with Rivian marks a pivotal point for Lincoln as we move toward a future that includes fully electric vehicles, said Joy Falotico, president, The Lincoln Motor Company. This vehicle will take Quiet Flight to a new place zero emissions, effortless performance and connected and intuitive technology. Its going to be stunning. Lincoln has introduced four new SUVs including Corsair, Aviator and Navigator in the past three years. The all-new lineup has helped Lincolns global SUV sales grow 7 percent year-over-year and enabled the luxury automaker to deliver its best U.S. SUV sales in 16 years. As Lincoln adds a new luxury electric vehicle to its lineup, production of the MKZ sedan will end this year in order for the Hermosillo Assembly Plant in Mexico to prepare for production of new Ford vehicles. The Lincoln battery electric vehicle will be built off of Rivians flexible skateboard platform and is part of Ford Motor Companys planned equity investment in Rivian. This all-new vehicle also is part of Fords previously announced investment of more than $11.5 billion into electrification, which includes the Mustang Mach-E and a fully electric version of the best-selling F-150 pickup. Our vehicle development partnership with Ford is an exciting opportunity to pair our technology with Lincolns vision for innovation and refinement. We are proud to collaborate on Lincolns first fully electric vehicle, said Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe. Two ambulance drivers were detained for spreading rumours about a coronavirus infection in Kazakhstan, a Central Asian country that borders China, Kazakh police said Thursday. The two men were detained on suspicion of "spreading false information about an illness from the coronavirus," said Sergei Neznayev, a spokesman for police in the region surrounding Kazakhstan's largest city Almaty. "They heard something somewhere and began to spread the information" via the WhatsApp messenger services, Neznayev told AFP. Neznayev said the rumours had been "checked and disproven" during the course of the investigation. Spreading false information is punishable by up to a year in jail under Kazakhstan's criminal code. The former Soviet republic is one of a number of nations that have clamped down on Chinese visitors as the new coronavirus, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, continues to spread across Asia. Authorities on Wednesday announced that visas to Chinese citizens were no longer being issued and pledged to suspend key transport links over the coming days. Kazakhstan has not announced any cases of coronavirus infection. Rumours about infections have become rife in the Central Asian countries that border China and look to Beijing for investment and loans, however. In Tajikistan, which also borders China, major carrier Somon Air denied a rumour that a passenger on one of its flights died aboard the plane after becoming infected by the virus. The outbreak has killed 170 people in China and infected over 7,000 worldwide. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) COLUMBUS, Ohio State Republican lawmakers, who have a supermajority in the Ohio General Assembly, said Thursday they want to learn more about the proposal out of Washington to cap a portion of Medicaid dollars. President Donald Trumps administration announced a new Medicaid program called Healthy Adult Opportunity, which would be voluntary for states. It would dole out health care bucks in the form of a block grant or capped amount of dollars for non-disabled adults aged 65 and younger. Medicaid is a joint state-federal health care program for disabled and low-income adults, which has about 2.8 million Ohioans receiving benefits. Trumps plan is a dramatic change to how Medicaid has been funded since 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a bill creating it and Medicare for older Americans as part of his Great Society initiatives. The decision on whether Ohio were to switch to block grant funding would fall on the administration of Gov. Mike DeWine. The legislature could force Ohio Medicaid to take a block grant, as it did when it imposed the department to create work requirements. Department of Medicaid Director Maureen Corcoran was noncommittal about block grants. The block grant program released today by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services demonstrates the federal governments openness to try new approaches to supporting our members, said Corcoran in an emailed statement. CMS has been a partner to Ohio Medicaid as we work through program improvements and move toward a re-imagined, person-focused health care delivery model for Ohios 2.7 million members. In the General Assembly, 10 lawmakers belong to the Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee, which closely tracks the state agency since its the largest expense in Ohios budget, as it is in most other state budgets. Sen. David Burke, a Marysville Republican who is the committees vice chair, said he wants to exercise caution before embracing a block grant model, which would likely affect the 600,000 Ohioans who are enrolled through the Medicaid expansion made possible through Obamacare. If the program just changes how money is sent to Ohio, hes not interested. He said it would be a problem because if a person qualifies under federal law for Medicaid, then theyre entitled to it and there will be lawsuits if people dont receive health care, he said. What happens if a state is not effective at delivering those benefits, runs out of money before the next block grant, and the patient is still entitled to the benefit? asked Burke, a pharmacist. Who would pay for it? On the other hand, Burke said he is interested in what the program provides Ohio Medicaid to pay for services that arent directly health care, but are strongly tied to health. For instance, he would like Ohio Medicaid to be able to help people with child care, housing and transportation. You ask the federal government to free up federal dollars, so we could put more into daycare and less into dental, he said as a hypothetical. You develop a pathway that meets that persons needs. Rep. Mark Romanchuk, an Ontario Republican and chairman of the oversight committee, said he needs to study details. Generally, Im always going to be in favor of block grants because of the flexibility it gives the states, he said. Because when we want to make changes we have to go to (the federal government) to get it approved. With a block grant it that means well get more flexibility. Ohio Sen. Bill Coley, a Cincinnati-area Republican and a member of the Medicaid oversight committee, is enthusiastic about Trumps program. It sounds perfectly situated for Ohio, he said. Sen Nickie Antonio, a Lakewood Democrat who is the committees ranking member, opposes block grants because she thinks theyre illegal. The Trump administration says its goal with the block grants is to control Medicaid costs, but Antonio believes people will ultimately lose health care. When we expanded Medicaid in the state of Ohio, the data showed people got healthier, she said. People get healthier when you make health care and mental health and addiction support services and treatment services available to people. They get healthier and then they can go on to be more fully employed. When you take away these things and when you punish people, that does not happen. She noted the Ohio Medicaid is trying to clean up some issues with payments and its computer system and the number of uninsured kids is falling. Shed prefer the state spend energy addressing those matters, she said. Other Ohio Medicaid stories: State reveals $1.2 billion Ohio Benefits system riddled with defects a year out from Medicaid work requirements Number of uninsured Ohio kids increases by 28 percent 7th highest jump in U.S. Ohio lays out how it will implement Medicaid work requirements: Capitol Letter Planned Ohio Medicaid work requirements call for case workers to contact recipients before theyre cut off Ohio Medicaid enrollment for children and adults is falling. 6 possible reasons why. The Bombay high court (HC) appointed state wetland and mangrove panel has directed the City Industrial Development Corporation Ltd (Cidco) to hand over all mangrove areas under their jurisdiction to the forest department for better protection. Considering the latest case of 724 trees being hacked near Seawoods, Navi Mumbai, Cidco was also directed to stop any work carried out or proposed near already identified wetlands within its jurisdiction. The decisions were taken during the committees 10th meeting on Thursday, which was appointed within a month after the Bombay high court (HC) ordered a blanket ban on mangrove destruction in the state on September 18, 2018. Considering repeated cases of mangrove and wetland destruction in various areas of Navi Mumbai all the way up to Uran, the Konkan commissioner said this cannot continue and directed Cidco to transfer approximately 1,500 hectare mangrove forests to the state mangrove cell without any delay, said Neenu Somraj, member secretary of the committee. If Cidco fails to follow the order, the matter will be presented before the HC for further action. Cidco confirmed the development. We have already informed our planning department about the committee direction. The hand over process has begun and mangrove zones under our jurisdiction are being identified. We have told the committee that as soon as the planning department completes the work, the handover will be done, said Pramod Patil, nodal officer (environment), Cidco. Other decisions by the committee on Thursday included the responsibility for restoration of degraded wetland sites where debris has been dumped along the Konkan coast needs to be completed by the planning authority of the area and further overseen by the district wetland and mangrove committee. District committees have been directed to file compliance reports for mangrove and wetland destruction within the same month the complaint is received, said Virendra Tiwari, additional principal chief conservator of forest, state mangrove cell. Stalin added that district administrations along Konkan were directed to identify vulnerable zones and install CCTV cameras for better vigilance. The Maharashtra Remote Sensing Application Centre will be asked to provide updated satellite maps every six months to monitor the changes across all wetland zones, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 04:07:52|Editor: yan Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- China's ambassador to the United Nations (UN) on Wednesday called for more humanitarian assistance to Syria. Zhang Jun, permanent representative of China to the UN, said there are still a large number of people in need of humanitarian assistance in Syria, while the political, economic, security and counter-terrorism situation is complicated and closely related to the humanitarian situation. He told the Security Council that to solve humanitarian problems, overall plans and comprehensive approaches must be taken. The Chinese envoy urged the international community to improve the living conditions of the Syrian people by lifting unilateral economic sanctions and supporting reconstruction projects. Noting that unilateral economic sanctions and insufficient reconstruction funds are major challenges to improving the humanitarian situation in Syria, Zhang said it means "a lack of fuel for heating, food for hunger and medicine for disease treatment for Syrian civilians." He added China will actively participate in Syria's reconstruction process under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, provide humanitarian assistance to Syria within its capabilities, train more reconstruction talents, and help enhance Syria's independent development capability. 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. South Africa's Massmart Holdings says that it intends to restructure its operations after forecasting an annual loss for the full year. The company, majority owned by U.S. retail giant Walmart, has been battling tough trading conditions And the announcement comes after - earlier this month - it already said it could cut over 1,400 jobs and close some stores. Low growth, high unemployment and a rising cost of living have hurt South Africans' spending power. Massmart expects to report a headline loss per share of between 342.9 and 384.5 cents for the year ending December 29. Massmart, which says it is the second largest distributor of consumer goods in Africa, announced it will now reorganize its wholesale, warehouse, hardware and discount stores businesses into just two divisions - wholesale and retail. The company owns brands such as Makro, Game, and Builders Warehouse. A number of Massmart's rivals, such as Shoprite, have also struggled amid difficult market conditions as well as currency weakness elsewhere in Africa, especially Zimbabwe and Nigeria. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 07:06:07|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close HELSINKI, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Finnish Minister for Employment Tuula Haatainen said on Wednesday that employers are suffering from lack of personnel and foreign labour is required to realize the existing growth potential. There are people interested in coming to Finland for work, "but the process is terribly slow", the minister said at a press conference after a cabinet seminar. At the seminar, the Finnish government rolled out emphasis on work-based immigration following the change of ministry duty. At the start of the year, processing of work permit applications from non-EU citizens was transferred from the Ministry of the Interior to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. The official reasoning for the change was that the decisions on immigration would then be closer to the labour market. Interior Minister Maria Ohisalo said after the seminar that work would begin under the new ministry location to "make Finland more attractive" to immigration. Currently most recruitment of non-EU blue collar workers must be preceded by a necessity appraisal to make sure the jobs could not be filled with EU nationals. Expert level foreigners can be recruited without necessity appraisals, but companies have complained loudly that the work permit processes in Migri, the Finnish immigration authority, have taken too long time. The industries have called for a total lifting of the assessment requirement, but the idea has been opposed in the unions, for fear that a wider entry of foreign labour to impact salary levels. The ministers also talked to the media on measures to reach by the end of the summer the goal of 30,000 people increase in the labour force. The employment rate in Finland is now 73 percent but the cabinet wants to increase it to 75 by the end of the parliamentary period. JK Tyre & Industries on Thursday reported a 61.8 per cent decline in its consolidated net profit at Rs 10.27 crore for the third quarter ended December 31, 2019. The company had posted a net profit of Rs 26.89 crore for the October-December period of 2018-19. Total income rose to Rs 2,207.07 crore for the period under review as compared with Rs 2,741.73 crore for the same period of previous fiscal. "It was indeed a challenging quarter for the automotive industry. Passenger and commercial vehicles have witnessed a drastic cut in production," JK Tyre Chairman and Managing Director Raghupati Singhania said in a statement. The company has dealt with this difficult situation by focusing on replacement sales and exports, he added. JK Tyre shares on Thursday ended 7.33 per cent down at Rs 77.75 apiece on the BSE. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) If a president believes that getting himself re-elected is in the public interest, then why impeach him for using his powers to smear political rivals? So said Alan Dershowitz, one of Trumps lawyers and former OJ Simpson defender, during his impeachment trial in the Senate this week. In response, Adam Schiff replied that what we have seen over the last two days is a descent into Constitutional madness. But what Schiff doesnt understand is that the actual truth of whats good for the country isnt as important as what the president believes. We have moved at supersonic speed past any usual expectations here. We went from that was a perfect phone call to that was a somewhat unorthodox phone call without a quid pro quo to so what if there was a quid pro quo if it's for the good of the country when presidents do that all the time? to so what if it was a quid pro quo specifically to benefit the president if the president believes he is America, goddammit? faster than a bullet from a good guys gun called forth to stop a school shooting by thoughts and prayers. Few saw Dershowitzs defense of delusion coming at least not from the presidents own attorney. A seasoned politico may have opined that Democrats would use it to question Trumps judgment and prove that he cant be trusted not to pursue quid pro quos in his own personal interest while using the architecture of the presidency to do so. That would have been a little more predictable, a little more within the bell curve of normal distribution. But Alan Dershowitz marching confidently into one of the most hallowed rooms in the US to announce that hes here to defend a man he apparently believes psychologically unable to realize he is not the sole savior of the American people was not normal. It was not predictable. It wasnt just a descent into Constitutional madness. It was a descent into actual batsh*t insanity. It was the sort of we have always been at war with Eurasia doublethink that most eleven-year-olds would be sanctioned for trying to employ during a sixth grade debating contest. And isnt that just kind of exciting and great? This is, of course, the administration of alternative facts, of fake news, of trials which dont need witnesses, of abandoned press conferences and open Twitter wars. This is a time of the BEST. COVFEFE. EVER, threatened by bigly LOSERS and a HOAX and a whistleblower who should and shouldnt be revealed and punished but cant be anyway because he doesnt exist. This is the first administration to stand up against live, screaming babies being ripped from evil atheist mothers wombs and thrown into trashcans by abortion doctors and WHO IS GOING TO STAND UP AGAINST THAT except the evangelical president, the beneficiary of the prosperity gospel, the man who got RESPECT back for AMERICA by being laughed at during a speech at the UN, the one who puts all those four-year-old Mexican rapists behind bars at the border where they BELONG before they can hurt American interests and his sidekicks who know that satanic pregnancies should MISCARRY RIGHT NOW? 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 Strap on your MAGA hat and your Mitch McConnell merchandise because were going off into the deep end now and we need your unquestioning faith in Republicanism to guide us. If the president believes he isnt committing an impeachable offense then he isnt. If getting foreign countries involved in your democracy doesnt feel wrong then it isnt. If the only way you can win the election is by digging up dirt on your political rival, then WITCH HUNT and why are you even reading to the end of this sentence, you commie? Yes, if Joe Bidens son is corrupt, then hes corrupt. Just nod along. And if Trump 2020 and Trump 2024 and Trump 2028 is good for the country, then why not make that a reality? If pink unicorns sent from Obamas real mom in Africa made the economy look worse than it is in Trumps mind, well then thats just a problem of perception for the people of America. Lucky the president charitably chooses to see what the rest of us cant, or wed be in real trouble. We were on the precipice for a long time. Alan Dershowitz just tipped us over the edge. So welcome to the party, everyone. Doesnt it feel good to stop struggling? The POCO X2 will become official on February 4, and the device just surfaced in renders and real-life images. The POCO X2 will become the very first POCO-branded device since the POCO F1 which was announced back in August 2018. This will also become the second POCO-branded device ever, as the company did not announce a phone since the POCO F1 / Pocophone F1. Just to be clear, the POCO and Pocophone refer to the same company / phones. POCO is being used in India, while the Pocophone branding is used everywhere else, pretty much. Advertisement At least that was the case with the Pocophone F1, well see what the company is planning this time around. The POCO X2 will make its debut in India, hence the name. Well see if the company will release it in other markets, though, but it probably will. Leaked POCO X2 renders more or less prove it will look like the Redmi K30 If you take a look at the gallery below this article, youll get to see real-life images of the POCO X2. Renders are shown in an image below this paragraph. It is not yet confirmed this is the POCO X2, but chances are this information is accurate. Lets take a look at the renders first, shall we. Both renders of the phones front and back are shown here, one of each, in the same image. This basically proves that the phone will look like the Redmi K30. Advertisement The POCO F2 was rumored to be a repackaged Redmi K30, but it seems like the POCO X2 will be instead. So, the POCO X2 will be made out of metal and glass, while it will have that specific camera module design on the back. Its rear cameras will be vertically-aligned, while two cameras will be included on the front. Those two cameras will be included in a pill-shaped cutout. Advertisement The phone will include a 120Hz display, and the Snapdragon 730G The source also claims that the POCO X2 will feature a 6.67-inch 120Hz RealityFlow Display. A 64-megapixel camera will be included on the phones back, while the Snapdragon 730G is expected to fuel the phone. A 4,500mAh battery will also be a part of this package, while the device will arrive with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Well, at least one variant of the device will. Based on this image, that variant of the phone will be priced at Rs. 18,999 ($266) in India. That is not a bad price tag if the specs info is accurate, not bad at all. Advertisement You can also check out several real-life images of the phone in the gallery below. These images pretty much prove that the leaked renders are accurate. One of them proves that MIUI 11 will come pre-installed on the device, POCOs version of it. Seabrook Police A longtime Deer Park ISD art director has been placed on administrative leave after being charged with prostitution this week. Barry Talley, 61, was arrested and charged Jan. 28 by the Seabrook Police. Court records show Talley allegedly agreed to pay a prostitute for oral sex. From Abhiyan to Nritya Sarita and Ganga Jamuna, Indian tunes were the flavour of the Beating Retreat ceremony. A view of illuminated Rashtrapati Bhavan, South Block and North Block during the Beating the Retreat ceremony in New Delhi on Wednesday. (Photo: PritamBandyopadhyay) New Delhi: Beating Retreat ceremony at the Rajpath on Wednesday kept the tradition of Abide with Me as the final tune. However, national song Vande Mataram was not played during the ceremony despite being on the list which was shared with the media last week. Earlier there were reports that hymn Abide With Me will be replaced with Vande Mataram, as the last tune during the ceremony, in an attempt to Indianise the ceremony. The 45 minutes Beating Retreat ceremony is conducted every year on January 29 at the Vijay Chowk, which marks the formal conclusion of Republic Day festivities. Lowering of flags at dusk against the backdrop of the setting sun is followed by lighting up of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, North Block, South Block and Parliament House in unison. From Abhiyan to Nritya Sarita and Ganga Jamuna, Indian tunes were the flavour of the Beating Retreat ceremony. The function began with President Ram Nath Kovind arriving at the venue in his ceremonial motorcade. Abide with Me, which was written by Scottish poet Henry Francis Lyte and composed by William Henry Monk, is being part of the Beating Retreat ceremony after the Mysore palace band was invited to perform in the Republic Day celebrations of 1950. The hymn was also favourite of Mahatma Gandhi There were 25 tunes composed by Indian musicians, including Madhumari, Marhapeka, Jauna Solti and Vijay Bharat. Vice-president M. Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Rajnath Singh, Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane, Air Force Chief Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria and Navy Chief Admiral Karamvir Singh were present on the occasion. Beating Retreat is a centuries old military tradition dating from the days when troops disengaged from battle at sunset. As soon as the buglers sounded the Retreat the troops ceased fighting, sheathed their arms and withdrew from the battlefield. It if for this reason that the custom of standing still during the soundings of Retreat has been retained to this day. After fidgeting their way through six days of opening arguments in the impeachment trial of President Trump, rank-and-file senators were at last allowed to participate, as Wednesday kicked off up to 16 hours of question-and-answer time spread over two days. Roughly speaking, this was the impeachment version of a cross-examination, minus the drama and edge of a regular trial. Impeachment Q. & A.s are designed to avoid direct confrontation. Senators submit questions for counsel in writing, on small tan cards that are handed to Chief Justice John Roberts to read aloud. The only time the senators speak is when informing the chief justice that theyre sending a question to the desk. As such, Wednesdays proceedings must have been frustrating for lawmakers. On the one hand, they were getting to ask questions. On the other, they werent allowed to pose the questions themselves, thus eliminating the opportunity for showboating. This is a little like forbidding your dog to bark at squirrels. It goes against the laws of nature. The chief justice, by contrast, was at last getting to do something other than gavel the sessions open and closed and try not to hoot at some of the outlandish legal arguments that have been floated this past week. Back and forth he went with the questions serving up one from the Republicans, then one from the Democrats round after round. A team of researchers and students at the HCM City University of Science have succeeded at making a prototype lithium-ion rechargeable battery from rice husks, a common agricultural waste in Vietnam. Vu Tan Phat, the leader of the team, makes battery prototypes from rice husks at the HCM City University of Sciences standard applied physical chemistry laboratory. Leader of the team, Vu Tan Phat, said: Rice husks are rich with silica (silicon dioxide: SiO2). In order to develop low cost anode materials and good properties (less than $10 per kilogramme) for Li-ion rechargeable batteries, our research aims to use rice husks from Long An Province in the Delta and carry out a treatment process to create useful anode electrode materials. Unlike the costly process to create pure silicon, rice husks as the raw material source could be promising for low-cost and functional SiO2 , which has a high energy efficiency, is environmentally safe, and can be easy to scale up for synthesis, Phat said. The process only takes two to three days for treatment of rice husks to make battery prototypes. Associate Professor Tran Van Man, head of the division of science and technology at the University of Science, said: Silicon materials in recent years have been used because of the ability to provide far higher capacity than commercial carbon graphite used for lithium-ion rechargeable battery anodes. However, the synthesis of silicon materials requires high costs and is a complex process, he said. The university team's synthesis from silica materials derived from rice husks, however, is simple and cost-effective, and provides a capacity comparable to silicon. This is a promising direction for the development of Li-ion rechargeable battery factories in Viet Nam. Rechargeable batteries are an important energy storage device, and the demand for charging devices such as mobile phones and laptops, especially electronic vehicles, is very high. The team's research has high potential for practical applications in the future, he added. The rechargeable batteries made from materials from rice husks, however, is only a prototype. It could be mass-produced if it receives the attention of the state and investors, he said. The cost for making the battery is low, so the price for selling it on the market is US$20-25 per unit, but for existing batteries it is only $38. Eighty per cent of the $38 are for costs for imported items, he added. Duong Van Minh, a student participating in this project, called the research "very important" and that environmentally friendly batteries could be useful not only in Viet Nam but around the world. When electrode materials become available in Viet Nam, then a Li-ion rechargeable battery production line can be set up and batteries will no longer need to be imported from other countries, or the number of imports will be reduced substantially. As a student, I learned new knowledge through taking part in research, Minh said. Phat added that the next step is registration for intellectual property and call on investment to commercialize their research. The research in December won first prize at the Viet Nam Social Innovation Challenge, a competition to support and provide assistance in incubating outstanding ideas, technologies, products, services and methods to address urgent social and environmental issues. The team will take part in the Mekong Challenge Finals, which is open to all university students and recent graduates in the Mekong Region plus Bhutan. It will be held in Myanmar on February 14 and 15. The winning team will travel to the US to compete in the International Business Model Competition in May 2020. VNS Gia Loc India is among the countries on the UK government's target list for a new post-Brexit trade campaign from Saturday, a day after the country formally leaves the European Union, as it seeks to strike new ties with partners around the globe at the end of 47 years of EU membership. Mumbai is among 18 cities across 13 countries to be part of the drive, designed to push the message that Britain is now free to do its own new trade deals with countries around the world as a non-member of the soon-to-be 27-member economic bloc, after 47 years of UK membership ends on Friday. "On 1 February, the new GREAT Ready to Trade' campaign will launch in 18 cities across 13 countries outside the EU, as the UK seeks to deepen our relationships with future global partners, Downing Street said in a statement on the eve of Brexit. The campaign will initially feature digital outdoor advertising in signature locations across the chosen cities and later expand to other activities. Besides India, the others on the list include Australia (Perth, Melbourne, Sydney), Brazil (Sao Paulo), Canada (Toronto), China (Shanghai, Hong Kong), Japan (Tokyo), Mexico (Mexico City), Singapore (Singapore), South Africa (Johannesburg), South Korea (Seoul), Turkey (Istanbul), UAE (Dubai) and USA (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago). The UK's Department for International Trade, leading the new drive, says its GREAT brand has already proved successful around the world, with surveys indicating those who recognise it are almost twice as likely to say they would trade with the UK in the next three years than those who don't. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged a new and improved trading relationship as part of a truly special UK-India relationship on the election campaign trail last year. But as a member of the EU, the UK was not permitted to open up any separate negotiations with other countries. With the EU Withdrawal Agreement, the so-called divorce bill costing the UK around GBP 30 billion, now having been formally passed by the European Parliament on Wednesday evening 621 votes to 49, the UK's exit on Friday at 2300 GMT (04:30 IST on Saturday) remains a mere formality. It would then set off a transition period until the end of December this year, during which time the UK is free to conduct trade negotiations not only for a new agreement with the EU but also around the world. It therefore marks a key milestone in the process set off by the Brexit vote in the June 2016 referendum. Friday marks an important moment in the history of our United Kingdom, said Johnson, in his Brexit message. No matter how you voted in 2016, it is the time to look ahead with confidence to the global, trail-blazing country we will become over the next decade and heal past divisions. That is what I will be doing on 31 January and I urge everyone across the UK to do the same, he said. Brexiteer demands for the under-refurbishment Big Ben to be briefly revived to chime in the final hours of the UK's EU membership on Friday night were not approved due to cost considerations. However, Downing Street has set out a series of activities to mark the historic moment of the UK leaving the bloc after 47 years. A commemorative 50-pence coin will come into circulation, with Johnson being presented the very first Brexit coin which reads Peace prosperity and friendship with all nations'. The coin has come under some criticism for a missing comma after peace, but around 13,000 people have already registered their interest in the coin with the UK's Royal Mint. Other activities to mark Brexit Day will include a Special Cabinet on tour with the meeting of Johnson and his top team set for an undisclosed location in the north of England as a message of unity. The UK prime minister will later address the nation just before the final Brexit hour, marked by a commemorative light display in Downing Street. The UK's Union Jack flags will line Parliament Square and the Mall in London on Friday, with government buildings in Whitehall lit up in its red, white and blue colours throughout the evening. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Eskoms current situation can be attributed not only to the lack of new power stations being built, but also to the pervasive lack of maintenance on existing infrastructure. This is according to NECSA Chair and retired Eskom chief nuclear officer Dave Nicholls, who was speaking at a Free Market Foundation event in Johannesburg. Nicholls said that in the mid-1990s, Eskom projected that it would run out of power in 2007. However, at the time the power utility had an excess generation capacity of 30-40%. At this point, engineers at Eskom were saying we must starting building now to avert the crisis, Nicholls said. This plan to build additional power stations was never actioned, however, and when 2008 arrived, Eskom was presented with a crisis due to the lack of maintenance on its existing power stations. Kombi taxis In order to maintain a high energy availability factor (EAF), Eskom neglected to maintain its coal power stations properly, Nicholls said. The energy availability factor shows the percentage of Eskoms generation capacity which is available, taking into account planned maintenance and unplanned breakdowns. We ran a coal fleet like a series of kombi taxis, but we reached a high EAF, he said. The power utilitys EAF dropped from above 90% in the mid-1990s to below 65% in 2019. This decline was attributed mostly to a lack of maintenance and the effect of breakdowns at ageing power stations. This is demonstrated clearly by looking at the frequency of energy generation orders at Eskom. Emergency generation orders are sent out when the grid is in danger of being overloaded. These orders require power plants to continue functioning no matter what to prevent a power generation crisis. Nicholls said that in the mid-1990s, these were sent out on a few days every year, and it was a major issue when this occurred. This increased in frequency as the lack of maintenance on existing power stations began to take its toll, however. By the time we reached 2007, we had an emergency generation order every working day, he said. Impact on economy Nicholls said that Eskoms lack of generation capacity has seriously stunted South Africas most important economic sectors manufacturing and mining. In 2006, industry was told that Eskom could not supply the power they wanted, he said. If you have four shafts on your gold mine and you dont have the power to run them, you dont sink another shaft. He said that by this point, Eskom was telling companies that it would not be able to supply them with power if they built new factories and other large installations. From 2007 onwards, supply determined consumption. Anybody who uses the word demand for power past 2007 is fooling themselves. This problem continued to get worse, with Exarro Resources CEO Mxolisi Mgojo recently labelling the current state of Eskom the death knell of the mining industry. The current state of Eskom is going to be the one thing that is going to be the death knell of this industry, Mgojo said. Without fixing Eskom we dont have a mining industry. It is as dire as that. Abschied der Briten aus der EU Funf Szenarien fur den Brexit - und die Tories traumen weiter Was wird nach dem 31. Januar, dem formalen Austritt der Briten aus der EU, passieren? Denis MacShane, ehemals Spitzenpolitiker im Kabinett von Tony Blair, entwirft funf Szenarien - von einem weitreichenden Freihandelsabkommen bis zu einem Scheitern der Verhandlungen zum Jahresende. Von Denis MacShane Moodys Analytics, a global provider of financial intelligence, has earned the #1 ranking in five categories in the new Center for Financial Professionals (CeFPro) Fintech Leaders 2020 report: This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200129005359/en/ Balance Sheet Management Credit Risk Model Risk Regulatory Reporting Stress Testing We are the only firm to rank #1 in five of the reports thirty individual categories. The report also features a Top 50 Overall Ecosystem Rankings, in which we rank #5. Were honored to be recognized in CeFPros Fintech Leaders report, said Andy Frepp, Executive Director at Moodys Analytics. We build modular and scalable technology solutions that harness our industry-leading data and analytics, all with the goal of helping customers make better, faster decisions. This strong showing validates our efforts and highlights our extensive capabilities. FinTech Leaders places Moodys Analytics in pole position in no less than five categories and this can be considered an endorsement by the industry, with an impressive overall ranking of fifth in the FinTech Leaders Ecosystem, said Andreas Simou, Managing Director, CeFPro. The votes cast by the industry that resulted in their first-place rankings reflect the breadth of Moodys Analytics offerings. CeFPros research and analysis team surveyed finance, technology, operations, risk, legal, and compliance professionals to decide the category rankings. Votes and follow-up interviews by CeFPros Fintech Leaders Advisory Board (listed in the report) followed, with final review by the Managing Director of CEFPro. The overall rankings were based on votes cast for individual categories. Our performance in the CeFPro report follows a banner year for Moodys Analytics technology solutions in 2019. Six category wins in the 2019 Risk Technology Awards were among more than 50 awards we won last year. View the full list of our awards and industry accolades. Moodys Analytics, Moodys, and all other names, logos, and icons identifying Moodys Analytics and/or its products and services are trademarks of Moodys Analytics, Inc. or its affiliates. Third-party trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. About Moodys Analytics Moodys Analytics provides financial intelligence and analytical tools to help business leaders make better, faster decisions. Our deep risk expertise, expansive information resources, and innovative application of technology help our clients confidently navigate an evolving marketplace. We are known for our industry-leading and award-winning solutions, made up of research, data, software, and professional services, assembled to deliver a seamless customer experience. We create confidence in thousands of organizations worldwide, with our commitment to excellence, open mindset approach, and focus on meeting customer needs. For more information about Moodys Analytics, visit our website or connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn. Moody's Analytics, Inc. is a subsidiary of Moody's Corporation (NYSE: MCO). Moodys Corporation reported revenue of $4.4 billion in 2018, employs approximately 10,900 people worldwide and maintains a presence in 44 countries. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200129005359/en/ Organisers of what has been described as a magical evening in Derry city centre have spoken of their pride at how the local community supported an event aimed a easing the lives of those in the city facing hardship. Derry has always been known as a city that comes together when times are hard. A city that shows fantastic community spirit. The night of 17 December was no different. That was the night a group of local artists decided to give something back and did so by way of a site specific performance of a new drama performed on the Guildhall steps to an overwhelming audience of support. Brief Synopsis: Closed Shutters is a tragic comedy full with social commentary, spoken in a Derry voice but has a global resonance. It is a story of three homeless alcoholics, set at the mouth of Christmas and takes place over 12 hours in their lives. The creative decision was made to perform the piece outside, as the team wanted the story to resonate with the audience. Let them feel the cold. This is what is faced by many people on our streets nightly. Preparations began in September, with the assembly of the creative team and rehearsals. From the very beginning, everyone involved in the production made a collective decision to waive any fees. Everyone devoted their time and energy for nothing in order to give as much back to the community as possible. PICTURED: Presentation of cheques to Derry Well Woman, Foyle Food Bank and North West Methodist Mession. Call outs went out on social media asking for donations of cold weather items; hats, coats, scarves, gloves, blankets, sleeping bags the list goes on. As well as the physical items, the team set up a gofundme page to raise money. They were not expecting the response they got! In the lead up to the event, as word started to spread about what was happening, the donations began and they didnt stop. The team reached out to the North West Methodist Mission first and were delighted when they agreed to come on board and help out, donating 300 worth of brand new sleeping bags, all to be distributed to the homeless. As well as this, they provided all of the props needed and transport on the day. By way of a thank you for their kindness, North West Methodist Mission then received 18 bags of cold weather gear, as well as bags of food, toys and blankets. All of which went straight to those in need. A gofundme page raised 715 which, in turn, was given to the North West Methodist Mission, to repay the investment they had made in the project, plus some extra. On the day of the performance, volunteers gathered around the city centre with collection buckets, while others gathered bags of cold weather items in the Guildhall. The total raised on the night was 1,080 which was then split between and recently presented to two local charities who do great work within the city - Derry Well Woman and Foyle Food Bank receiving 540. JP Conaghan, director, said: To say the support was overwhelming is an understatement. The people showed up and witnessed our gift. They humbled me to a level words cannot describe. I want to say a massive GRMA agus GRA MOR to each and every one who donated so kindly a week before Christmas. The team have extended a heartfelt and huge thank you to everyone who supported the project in any way, whether that be by donation or by turning up on the night and sitting through the cold and wet air to watch the performance. Fiona McLaughlin, pro- ducer, said: We cannot thank everyone enough. We never thought we could have this much of an impact. It just goes to show you what can be done if we all give a little of our time to those less fortunate. Derry City you are beautiful! Although the project may have come to an end, the homeless epidemic in our city has not. Dont let this be the end. Andrew Doherty, writer, said: With Small charitable acts of kindness, we as a community avoid falling into the pitfalls which are destroying our community. Together we raised 1,767, and hopefully through word of mouth, social media and mediums like this, the project can continue to make a difference and the pos- sibilities are endless. Superannuation fintech hopeful Sargon is facing uncertainties after action from a Chinese state-owned insurance company creditor triggered the appointment of McGrathNicol to Sargon Capital a holding company for the business. The company, which is headed up by entrepreneur Phillip Kingston, counts former federal senator Stephen Conroy as a director and until last week was chaired by former Crown Resorts chair Robert Rankin, had been attempting to float on the sharemarket at a reported valuation of $1 billion. Sargon chief executive Phillip Kingston. Credit:Arsineh Houspian It has also been lobbying government for better regulation of the fintech industry and was the first witness in a public hearing on Thursday for a senate inquiry into the sector. Sargon Capital operates "trustee cloud infrastructure", or technology suites for superannuation providers and retirement and trustee services and operates in Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 10:59:27|Editor: ZD Video Player Close CANBERRA, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Australian scientists have warned that rare dolphin species are under threat from pollution in the iconic Great Barrier Reef. According to a study published by Flinders University, Fitzroy River and humpback dolphins in Queensland are being exposed to dangerous levels of water contamination. Researchers found that between 2009-2010 and 2014-2016, the amount of pollutants found in the skin and blubber of the rare dolphins increased between two and seven times. More than two thirds of the dolphins studied had accumulated contaminants above the level considered dangerous to their long-term survival. The increase was attributed to the level of pollutants in the dolphins' prey rising from land-based pollutants in the Great Barrier Reef. Detected pollutants included run-off from shipping, landfill, urban development, sewage treatment, coal mining and power stations. "High contaminant levels add to the number of existing threats including climate change, coastal development, underwater noise and vessel disturbances, fishing by-catch and prey depletion faced by these vulnerable dolphin species," Guido.J Parra, associate professor from Flinders University said in a media release. The build-up of these dangerous contaminants can lead to population decline, said the professor, adding this could have implications on the long-term survival of the entire dolphin populations in Queensland. The study revealed that water flowing in the reef is classified as poor quality, which could be exacerbated by ports and mining developments currently underway on Queensland's coast. I can 99.9 percent guarantee you've never witnessed a wedding quite like Ericka and Caleb Sommer's. The CrossFit-loving Colorado couple, who wed in 2019, incorporated their passions for food and fitness into every moment of their wedding day, from hosting a weightlifting contest on the dance floor to throwing back shots of pre-workout supplement on the altar. Iconic doesn't even begin to sum it up, and thanks to our friends at Be Inspired, we got the inside scoop on their one-of-a-kind nuptials. "We wanted the ceremony to reflect our personalities: hungry, outgoing, and a little bit crazy." Fittingly enough, Ericka first met Caleb when she visited his Denver gym, Project Rise Fitness, which they now run together. When it came time to tie the knot, they knew they didn't want to have just any ol' wedding. "We wanted the ceremony to reflect our personalities - hungry, outgoing, and a little bit crazy - so our officiant fed me fried chicken and then we did shots of pre-workout with our guests," the bride told POPSUGAR via email. "He knew I'd be hungry if we stood too long in our 20-minute ceremony, so he brought me a snack." Umm, are "officiant goals" a thing? Because theirs sounds like the real MVP. Oh, and those pre-workout shots were mixed with vodka and also enjoyed by guests during the ceremony, in case you were wondering. I told you this wedding was iconic! Related: I'm Not Shredding For My Wedding, but I Am Finally Getting Healthy "No one remembers you slow dancing to an Ed Sheeran song. People remember you deadlifting in your wedding dress." The real highlight, though, was their "first dance," a three-part performance Ericka and Caleb choreographed themselves just three weeks before the big day. The first portion was a mini dodgeball game between the bride and groom, chosen because they played the same game against each other early on in their relationship. Next up they had a Jell-O-eating contest as a nod to their penchant for competitively eating while out at restaurants together, followed by a deadlift competition. "No one remembers you slow dancing to an Ed Sheeran song," Ericka told POPSUGAR. "People remember you deadlifting in your wedding dress and diving on the floor to go face deep in a pie pan of colors-that-stain Jell-O." Feeling a tinge of FOMO from Ericka and Caleb's wedding day? Same here, but luckily we have all the pictures, snapped by photographer Adam Houseman, so we can live vicariously and pretend we were there. Watch their wedding video ahead, then keep reading to admire every single gorgeous snapshot from the unforgettable day. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal Astronauts are expected to launch a satellite from the International Space Station on Friday that was developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base. The satellite will help monitor the effects of the Van Allen radiation belts on spacecraft orbiting the earth. The satellite known as the Very Low Frequency Propagation Mapper, or VPM was launched in December on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and carried to the station in a SpaceX Dragon resupply capsule. Air Force Capt. Stephen Tullino, VPM mission manager, said the satellite will be sent to a higher orbit and ejected by a Northrop Grumman Cygnus resupply capsule. Its a big collaboration by the AFRL, NASA and the Space Test Program, he said. The VPM was built at the Space Vehicles Directorate at Kirtland by a team of about 60 people, Tullino said. It is the result of a 2-year effort. The VPM program cost roughly $4.5 million. The spacecraft itself, we used commercially available parts, he said. Its mission is to collect data from the Demonstration and Science Experiments, or DSX, satellite the Air Force launched in June 2019. The DSX was also developed at Kirtland and is in the middle of experimental operations, DSX deputy program manager Rachel Delaney said. VPM is a CubeSat satellite that measures 4 inches long, 8 inches wide and 12 inches high whose mission is to measure very low frequency, or VLF, waves within the magnetosphere, Tullino said. It will primarily be a third-party observer satellite to the DSX mission to prove that VLF waves can be injected within the magnetosphere. Ones a shouter (DSX) and the other is a listener (VPM), Michael Starks, space environment mission lead, said of how the two satellites will be working together. Understanding the workings of Van Allen radiation belts and their impact on satellites is among the goals of the mission. Theyre really looking to understand the dynamics of those radiation belts, Starks said. He said the particles can affect the electronics of satellites. They dont just sit there, they change. And they are driven by these little frequency radio waves. They are listening with whats going on in nature we know this wave causes that to happen and that wave causes this to happen. If we can understand that, then we can predict what they are going to do. The VPM will be operated by a team at Kirtland Air Force Base. Tullino said his team is expected to hear from VPM within an hour after it is ejected from the Cygnus and into orbit. My guys will be operating the satellite and Dr. Starks guys will take the science data that we download and analyze it, Tullino said. He said there will also be team members from Stanford and from the University of Colorado in Boulder. VPM will also test commercial communication systems during its mission. It will be one of the first Department of Defense missions to use the global communication network known as Kongsberg Satellite Services. VPM will remain in low-Earth orbit for a total of 364 days. Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-30 10:12:22|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close FRANKFURT/BELGRADE/WARSAW, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- The spacious lobby of Rosengarten, a congress center in downtown Mannheim, Germany, was decorated with Chinese red. Crowds gathered in front of exhibit booths where folk artists from China's northwestern Shaanxi province showcased their skills of paper-cutting, woodblock printing and calligraphy. Nine-year-old Anja was holding her calligraphy work that reads "Shu Nian Da Ji" (A Happy Year of the Rat). "I've tried the tea ceremony, Go, and calligraphy. I will show this piece to my classmates and teachers at school," she said. Artists from Shaanxi brought an evening gala later that night to local audience like Anja. It is a part of the "Happy Chinese New Year" cultural event taking place across the world. It is the also first time that the event comes to the Frankfurt consular district in Germany. Zeng Shengli, Anja's mother, said she drove two and a half hours to attend the event. "It's not the first time we celebrate the Spring Festival with cultural activities like this, but the variety and quality of the show this year is really impressive." A NEW TRADITION This year's Spring Festival fell on January 25. While residents from and around Mannheim had the chance to enjoy the culture and history of Shaanxi, people in Berlin welcomed the art troupe from southwest China's Guizhou Province. A gala featuring singing, dancing, and music has offered the Berliners a glimpse of the musical traditions of ethnic minority groups living in Guizhou. On January 15, for the ninth consecutive year, Berlin's historic Red Town Hall rolled out red carpet and lit Chinese red lanterns for the "Happy Chinese New Year" gala. Sawsan Chebli, the State Secretary for the Berlin Government, said that hosting Chinese new year celebrations has become an important cultural tradition in Berlin, which also signifies the all-around cooperation between Berlin and China, particularly between Berlin and its sister city Beijing. Addressing the opening ceremony of this year's gala in Berlin, Chinese Ambassador to Germany Wu Ken also stressed that cultural and tourism exchanges between the two countries play an increasingly crucial role in bringing people from two sides closer, and sound people-to-people ties lay the very foundation for bilateral relations. For people in Belgrade, Serbia, celebrating Chinese New Year with lights and fireworks in the city center is just in vogue. On January 24, the countdown to Chinese New Year was staged at the Kalemegdan park-fortress in Belgrade where citizens gathered to enjoy in the second Chinese Festival of Lights. A fairytale world of colorful flowers, flamingos, chariot horseman, Chinese dragons, lanterns and other light sculptures has been built in cities of Belgrade and Novi Sad. The event will last until mid-February. Tasovac, a Belgrade citizen, said he learned about the light exhibition from local media and enjoyed it very much. "It was eye-opening," he said, "It was a great opportunity to allow us to feel the festivity of the Spring Festival here in Belgrade. I've always had an interest in Chinese culture." At the British School Warsaw, a top-rated international school in Poland, Chinese teachers from Warsaw University of Technology were invited to introduce the custom and habits of celebrating the Chinese New Year to students from more than 70 countries. Justyna Babik, a teacher at the British School Warsaw, said the celebration was a very enriching experience for the students. "I think it's important to celebrate different cultures, especially in an international school such as ours. We celebrate Chinese New Year every year and I'm sure we will continue to do so." CLOSER TIES Celebrating Spring Festival is such an important tradition for overseas Chinese that government officials from many European countries not only join the locals to celebrate, but also take the occasion as a chance to boost ties with China. On January 24, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson participated in a "Lion Awakening Ritual" in front of 10 Downing Street by painting the eyes of the Chinese Lions during a performance. The office doorway was decorated with Spring Festival couplets, Chinese phrases of good wishes written on pieces of red paper. In North Rhine-Westphalia, a Western German state, officials have made it a custom to record video messages addressed to the Chinese living in the region ahead of the Spring Festival. Andreas Pinkwart, economic minister of the federal state, said in this year's video that the Year of the Rat represents qualities of reliability and persistence, and the ability to turn the unfavorable situation into a favorable one. "These are characteristics that we particularly need in today's times when the world trade system is facing growing challenges," he said. North Rhine-Westphalia is home to almost a quarter of all the overseas Chinese living in Germany. Pinkwart said the relationships between North Rhine-Westphalia and China are "closely woven," as there are over 1,100 Chinese companies in the German state and over 1,000 North Rhine-Westphalian companies in China. In 2019, well-known Chinese smartphone brands such as Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo announced their investment plans in the region. Mayors of cities like Duesseldorf, Cologne and Duisburg all sent their Chinese New Year wishes through videos. All three cities have forged close relationships with China. Thomas Geisel, mayor of Duesseldorf, said he hopes the city will maintain close exchanges with China in the coming year and expects the two sides to deepen dialogue in the face of common challenges such as climate change. Reuters Senator Adam Schiff, lead impeachment manager in the Senate trial of Donald Trump, has called arguments made by the presidents defence team a descent into constitutional madness. Mr Schiffs indignation with the presidents defence came in response to comments made by Mr Trumps lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, who argued his client couldnt be impeached for an action he thought might get him re-elected. Its astonishing on the floor of this body someone would make that argument. It didnt begin that way in the beginning of the presidents defence. What we have seen over the last couple of days is a descent into constitutional madness because that way madness lies, Mr Schiff said. Mr Dershowitz made his argument on Wednesday in response to a question from Senator Ted Cruz asking if there was any significance to Trump engaging in a quid pro quo. Every public official that I know believes that his election is in the public interest, Mr Dershowitz said. And if a president does something which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment. Mr Dershowitz did make exceptions for quid pro quo agreements that included illegal acts or those made solely for personal gain. Mr Schiff said that only someone who knew their client was guilty would make that argument. The only reason you make that argument is because you know that your client is guilty and dead to rights. That is an argument made of desperation, Mr Schiff said. Mr Dershowitz isnt just taking flak from his opponents in the Senate. While arguing that the constitutional framers did not believe abuse of power to be a removable offence for an impeached president, Mr Dershowitz frequently cited Harvard law professor Nikolas Bowie, who took to Anderson Coopers show on CNN to roundly disagree with Mr Dershowitz. Abuse of power is a crime, there are people around the country who have been convicted of it recently, theyve been convicted of it since this country was founded. Its a criminal offence, Mr Bowie said. To equate it with maladministration, as my colleague Professor Dershowitz does, is the equivalent of saying criminal corruption is the same thing as getting a bad performance evaluation. Story continues Mr Dershowitz attempted to clarify his statements on Thursday afternoon in a series of tweets, claiming that media outlets willfully distorted the answers he had given. They characterised my argument as if I had said that if a president believes that his re-election was in the national interest, he can do anything, Mr Dershowitz tweeted. I said nothing like that, as anyone who actually heard what I said can attest. Despite Mr Dershowitzs protest that he was misunderstood, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he wasnt buying the self-correction. He gives a statement on the floor and then spends the next day correcting it. What a load of nonsense, the leading Democrat said during a press conference. Possibly most damning was the response to Mr Dershowitz that came at the hands of Senator Jerry Nadler, who played a video of Mr Dershowitz from 1998 during the impeachment of president Bill Clinton in which he argues that there need not be a technical crime to impeach a president. It certainly doesnt have to be a crime. If you have somebody who completely corrupts the office of the president and who abuses trust and poses great danger to our liberty, you dont need a technical crime, Mr Dershowitz said in the video. Despite the flood of criticism for his arguments, the lawyer whose previous clients have included Jeffrey Epstein and OJ Simpson maintained well into Thursday that he was being smeared based on a misunderstanding. The American public would be informed better by a debate than by childish epithets such as those that are being hurled at me by partisan pundits, academics and politicians, he tweeted. Please respond if you accept. Five former Moscow police officers have been charged for their roles in the attempted framing of Russian investigative journalist Ivan Golunov by planting drugs in his backpack and apartment last year. The Basmanny district court's press service said on January 30 that the former officers of the Moscow narcotics unit were charged with abuse of service duties, falsification of evidence, and illegal handling of drugs. Denis Konovalov, Akbar Sergaliyev, Roman Feofanov, Maksim Umetbayev, and their former supervisor, Igor Lyakhovets, were detained and questioned on January 29 before being charged. Feofanov pleaded not guilty, according to an investigator at the court. Pleas for the other officers were yet to be released. OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir on January 29 tweeted that he was following the investigation "with great interest," saying it was "important that perpetrators face justice." The 37-year-old Golunov, who works for Latvia-based Meduza, was arrested in June 2019 in Moscow for allegedly attempting to sell illegal drugs. He was released several days later after the charges were dropped following a public outcry. The case sparked an investigation into his detainment over the charges and also into why Golunov suffered bruises, cuts, a concussion, and a broken rib during the ordeal. In mid-July, three police officers and their supervisor were fired for violating Golunov's rights while detaining him. After Golunovs release, Russian President Vladimir Putin fired Major General Yury Devyatkin, the head of the Moscow police department's drug-control directorate, and Major General Andrei Puchkov, the police chief in Moscow's West administrative region, over the case. Authorities announced in November that the case had been classified, a decision harshly criticized by Golunov's lawyers, who called the move an attempt to cover up the "wrongful arrest" of their client. With reporting by Interfax and Dozhd TV To have reached that level of mathematics, it certainly implies that you are in love with mathematics, said Michel Broue, a mathematician at the University of Paris. And if you love it, its terrible to leave it. Cedric always loves a challenge, said Sylvia Serfaty, at New York Universitys Courant Institute, and who studied with Dr. Villani at Pariss Ecole Normale Superieure in the 1990s. The Fields Medal was a challenge for him. He did it, he got it. So once that was done, I think he was also just needing a new challenge. He entered European politics about a decade ago, and moving in those circles, he met Mr. Macron, with whom he shared a neither left nor right mantra. Nonetheless, when courted to run for Macrons party, Dr. Villani declined, twice. He was director of the Henri Poincare Institute and had big plans in the works. Then, a few weeks before the presidential election in 2017, came the fake news, as he called it, proclaiming that he was indeed a candidate. I saw that the idea was popular, Dr. Villani said so he reconsidered. He asked the advice of Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, a former director of Institut des Hautes Etudes Scientifiques and the outgoing president of the European Research Council. Dr. Bourguignon told him it was a bad idea. I feared that his weight as a scientist would be jeopardized by becoming a political statesman, he said. I was concerned that he would diminish his impact, rather than increase it. Dr. Villani is still wrapping his head around the transition. Sitting on the sofa, peering at his smartphone, he noted that the title of his latest book Immersion: From Science to Parliament has multiple meanings. Immersion describes his deep dive into politics (he considered titling it Plunge). And with a little mischief, he wrote in the introduction, immersion also refers to a mathematical operation by which one transports a geometric object, without changing its intrinsic nature, into the heart of a new ambient geometry. A combinatorial puzzle The National Organiser for National Democratic Congress (NDC), Joshua Hamidu Akamba says Jean Mensa and her deputy commissioner Bossman Asare are scheming to rig the elections for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP). Joshua Akamba disclosed that the NPP wants to undermine the electoral process with its diabolic schemes owing to the fact that the ruling party has lost touch with the people whom they promised heaven on earth. According to him, this is a clear indication that the New Patriotic Party wants to rig the 2020 elections. We are informed that it involves the procurement of a new biometric registration system, the cost of which is estimated at a gargantuan sum of over GHS 443,646,663 or 4.436 trillion old cedis. And we are going to do this at a time when teachers are crying, nurses are crying, contractors are crying, drivers are crying and students are crying,this is a waste of tax payers money, Joshua Hamidu Akamba told Kwame Tutu on Anopa Nkomo on Accra-based Kingdom FM 107.7. He intimated that the Jean Mensa and Bossman Asare who head the EC are pushing for a new register as part of moves to create opportunities to suppress votes in the NDCs strongholds, especially Volta Region, and artificially boost voter numbers in the NPPs strongholds. The reason for which the NDC together with some parties lined up on the streets of Tamale, Kumasi, and now planning for Accra to kick against the exercise. The Electoral Commission says it has awarded the contract for the construction of the new Production and Disaster Recovery Datacentre to Persol Systems Limited, which has begun the processes for construction. The commission has also expressed the hope that it will complete the exercise by May 30, 2020. Commonwealth chief Baroness Scotland 'circumvented' the organisations rules to hand a 250,000 contract to a fellow Labour peer, a damning internal report revealed today. The multi-nation organisation's secretary general was accused of going around procurement rules to commission KYA Global, run by Lord Patel of Bradford. An internal report found that the agreement to audit the Commonwealth Secretariat that she leads risked ''serious reputational if not actual damage' to the organisation, the BBC reported. It claimed that KYA Global was 'apparently insolvent', with debts of more than 40,000, at the time it was awarded two contracts - something lawyers for the Baroness said was not true. The Secretariat's audit committee hired accountancy firm KPMG to investigate contracts worth 90,000 and 162,000 to KYA Global in 2016, for a total of nine months' work. It found that at the time the company had assets of 971 and debts of 48,762, with the committee's November report noting that 'awarding an apparently insolvent company two contracts totalling 252,000 is unusual'. Baroness Scotland was accused of 'circumventing' procurement rules to commission KYA Global, run by Lord Patel of Bradford (pictured with her in 2017, above) An internal report claimed that KYA Global was 'apparently insolvent', with debts of more than 40,000, at the time it was awarded two contracts by the secretary general (right, with Prince Harry) It added that Baroness Scotland instructed a deputy to issue a waiver around tendering rules for the deal, an action that 'circumvented a fundamental control in the procurement process'. The BBC reported that the report concluded: 'The audit committee is concerned that the acts and omissions set out above as well as the absence of any explanation for those failures endangers the integrity of the Secretariat. 'At the very least the failures identified risk serious reputational if not actual damage to the Secretariat.' Baroness Scotland is a former attorney general under Gordon Brown who became secretary general in 2016. She sat on the Labour benches with Lord Patel in the House of Lords. Her lawyers at City firm Carter-Ruck issued a statement denying wrongdoing, saying that the contracts were awarded 'on the basis of its proven track record in change management consultancy'. It added that the firm's skills were 'dearly needed' when Baroness Scotland took over. It said: 'This decision was wholly justifiable and SG Scotland was advised that this complied with the procurement procedures that were in force at the time. 'SG Scotland began her post as Commonwealth Secretary-General on 1 April 2016 when the Secretariat was in a very poor financial position and was in dire need of reform. 'She was tasked with transforming the organisation urgently. 'The appointment of KYA, a leading change management consultancy, was one of the steps SG Scotland took to bring about that change in haste.' The firm also also said KYA 'has never been deemed insolvent and it is false to insinuate otherwise'. ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The Anchorage Assembly has voted to send a 5% tax on alcohol to the citys April election ballot. The assembly voted 9-2 in favour of the tax Tuesday, surpassing the necessary eight votes. The estimated $11 million to $15 million collected per year would be used to pay for additional first responders, homeless shelter beds and programs to reduce substance abuse, child abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence. The proposal includes an amendment to Anchorages charter so it can be passed by a simple majority of voters. The new tax would go into effect in 2021 if voters pass the measure. We know its a positive public health measure, we know the revenue will be well spent and we feel better about its passage than we ever have before, said Tiffany Hall, executive director for Recover Alaska, which helped lobby the assembly to put the tax on the ballot. The proposition is similar to a measure residents rejected last year, but advocates said they are now more prepared to rally public support. We asked a lot of voters why it did or didnt pass last year, and we made a lot of significant changes to this years version, Hall said. Also, were going to actually run a campaign. Representatives of the alcohol and hospitality industries have said they will fight the measure. Editor's note - This story has been updated to correct the location of the alleged crimes and to clarify the nature of the charges. One of two men accused of raping two 14-year-old girls agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of criminal endangerment and received a four-year deferred sentence Wednesday in Lewis and Clark County District Court. Zachary Craig Shanholtzer was initially charged with two counts of sexual intercourse without consent for allegedly having sex with two girls under the age of consent in Lewis and Clark County. The Lewis and Clark County Attorney's Office agreed to amend the first count to the lesser charge and dismiss the second count as part of the plea agreement. Deputy County Attorney Jeremy Gersovitz said he went "back and forth in hammering out the plea agreement" with Shanholtzer's defense attorney. "I just want the court to know that this is not something that was tossed off easily," Gersovitz said during Wednesday's hearing. District Court Judge Mike Menahan said he felt as though a deferred sentence was warranted considering Shanholtzer's lack of prior offenses and the belief of both the prosecution and defense that he will not pose a problem for the Probation and Parole Division of the Montana Department of Corrections. Shanholtzer does not have to register as a sex offender as long as he follows through with the standard conditions applied to his sentence, including any recommended treatment and after care. Shanholtzer is also prohibited from contacting the victim and the victim's immediate family and can only have contact with individuals under the age of 18 with prior approval from his probation officer. On Nov. 2, 2017 a detective and officer learned that one of the girls had been assaulted multiple times between May 15, 2016, and Nov. 2, 2017, including a sexual assault that occurred on Oct. 31, 2017. According to court documents, Shanholtzer was 17 and Tucker John Reisbeck, the second of the two accused of the crimes, was 20 when they brought alcoholic beverages to drink with the two victims. Shanholtzer allegedly laughed after he tried to touch one of the girls, and she told him "no." He allegedly choked and hit her after he tried touching her again and she told him "no." Court documents state Shanholtzer then raped the girl forcibly while she was telling him "no," causing her to scream because of the pain. Shanholtzer and Reisbeck allegedly laughed at her, and Reisbeck then began having sexual intercourse with her. Reisbeck allegedly filmed the victim without her consent, the court documents state. In January 2018, a detective conducted an interview with Shanholtzer about the events that happened in 2016 and 2017. Shanholtzer waived his Miranda rights and told the detective that all sex with the girls was mutual, and he admitted that Reisbeck had taken photographs. Shanholtzer did clarify that he and Reisbeck had sexual intercourse with the girls and believed that they were 15 or 16, according to court documents. Shanholtzer also said that Reisbeck is just into younger girls. Reisbeck was also scheduled for a change of plea and possible sentencing hearing Wednesday, but that hearing was continued. Love 27 Funny 13 Wow 11 Sad 27 Angry 337 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. Teens are pretending to have coronavirus for likesand theyre succeeding. A teenager in Vancouver, Canada, on Tuesday posted a Tik Tok video of a boy wearing a breathing mask and hoodie in a school lunch room and coughing into trash cans in a hallway. The person behind the video is shown dialing 9-1-1, though its unclear if he actually does so. Then, a screenshot of a news article appears: First presumptive case of coronavirus confirmed in B.C. Our friend was being monitored for Coronavirus, the clip reads. He had to call 911 if he started coughing violently. Turns out he had it [grimacing emoji]. Thats him appears onscreen, pointing to the picture of the unidentified friend in the article. The poster captions the clip, Not a joke and soundtracked it to yungtubesocks Oh no! (I got a disease), a popular TikTok soundbite. The video has gone, well, viral, with 4.1 million views, 817,000 likes, and 5,100 comments on TikTok. It is also bogus. Its fake. Hes doctored the news story in the video, Stephen May, a spokesman for the British Columbia Department of Health, told The Daily Beast. The actual story doesnt have a picture of that person in it. We only have one confirmed case in B.C., and thats the one thats been reported. The diagnosed patient is a man in his forties, May noted. The 2019 novel coronavirus has spread rapidly from Wuhan, China across the globe, killing at least 132 people, infecting 6,000, and forcing 50 million into quarantine. It has also spawned thousands of memes on TikTok, where paranoia and hoaxing have run rampant, much in the way fear of World War III did on the platform earlier this month amid conflict between Iran and the United States. Coronavirus is breeding more substantial misinformation on TikTok as well: videos pushing conspiracy theories about the Chinese government and other entities have accrued thousands of likes, according to Deseret News, though none as many as the Canadian hoax. Story continues Zach Oldham, the name used by the person behind the bogus Canadian coronavirus clip, later posted another video claiming he had to be under monitoring for the infection himself. He commented, We are being moved to quarantine. May deemed Oldhams assertion unlikely, given the falsity of the preceding video. Oldham did not immediately respond to requests for comment. TikTok removed the video following an inquiry from The Daily Beast. While we encourage our users to have respectful conversations about the subjects that matter to them, we remove deliberate attempts to deceive the public, a TikTok spokesperson said. Videos like this one may begin as pranks and grasps at viral fameOldham describes himself as the founder of a digital marketing agency on his Instagram profile, and on TikTok, his profile states he is CEO of Coronavirus and that followers should follow my IG before I die. But they also contribute to the challenge of disseminating accurate information to those in need of it, May argued. These types of videos are not helpful, he said. May said he had flagged the video to other public health officials in the area, and that he was considering alerting the platform to it, as well. I have to find someone with a TikTok account first, he said. 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. New York, Jan 30 : United States President Donald Trump has signed the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) that revamps the trade arrangement between the three neighbours replacing a pact strongly criticised by him. The USMCA signed on Wednesday sets the framework for the annual $1.4 trillion trade between the three neighbours and replaces the 26-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). USMCA is the only major legislation that got Trump the backing of Democrats, although the party leaders were shut out of the White House ceremony. The rare example of bipartisan cooperation during Trump's volatile three years in office, the signing took place while Trump was being tried in the Senate on charges brought by the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives. Making trade fair from the US point of view has been one of the cornerstones Trump's election manifesto and the USMCA is his second victory following the signing of the first phase of the China deal this month in the middle of his many trade wars. Although she disagrees with the president on most issues, Democrat Speaker Nany Pelosi conceded last month, "There is no question of course that this trade agreement is much better than NAFTA." While the Mexican Senate has also approved it, the agreement has yet to be ratified by Canada and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority government is trying to get support for the pact, which may not get the OK till April. NAFTA came into force in 1993 while Bill Clinton was president, although it was negotiated by his predecessor, George Bush and mainly slashed tariffs between the three countries encouraging companies to shift to low wage Mexico. "We have replaced a disastrous trade deal that rewarded outsourcing with a truly fair and reciprocal trade deal that will keep jobs, wealth and growth right here in America," Trump said at the signing ceremony. Trump, who had attacked the NAFTA during his election campaign saying that it led to the loss of jobs in the US and and was weighted against the country. The new agreement includes several environmental and labour provisions that were pushed by the Democrats during their negotiations with the White House. These measures were directed mainly against Mexico, whose lower labour and environmental standards gave that country a big advantage over the US. Trump's base of workers suffering from NAFTA's impact, as well as unions that lean towards the Democrats supported the USMCA. The pact, for example, requires that to qualify for lower tariff at least 40 per cent of vehicles have to manufactured where workers are paid at least $16 an hour, and that 75 per cent of the components in an automobile has to come from within North America. The agreement also seeks to provide greater access for US farm and dairy products to the other two countries, mainly affecting Canada. In dealing with a contemporary issue that has entangled others like India and European countries, the USMCA blocks restrictions requiring data to be stored within a country. Trump said that the USMC would increase US growth by 1.2 per cent and his officials have said that it would add several hundred thousand jobs, both of which are questioned by economists. (Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter @arulouis) The Shiv Sena, in its editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana, has backed the Centre over the action of Delhi Police against Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Sharjeel Imam. In the editorial on Thursday, the party also advised Union Home Ministry not to play politics over the issues and immediately finish insects like Sharjeel Imam. The editorial also said that if political venom is used to give rise to terrorism of educated people, then such incidents would keep occurring. Sedition charges have been slapped against Imam, who was arrested from Jehanabad in Bihar on Tuesday, after multiple videos allegedly showing him making incendiary remarks and threatening the integrity of Indian state surfaced on social media. In the purported video, Imam is heard urging to cut off Assam and the entire northeastern region from India by laying siege to the Chickens Neck - a narrow stretch of highway about 22 kilometre in Siliguri that connects the region with the rest of India. Sharjeels speech was not only provocative but also against the country... by making such a speech Sharjeel has lowered the heads of Muslim community in the country... Therefore, the Home Ministry should not play politics over this and immediately finish such insects, the editorial said. The Sena said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has got what it wanted in form of Imams speech to use during the Delhi Assembly election campaign. The Shiv Sena claimed that the social and religious unity of the country is almost gone. There is a conspiracy to create a class struggle, endless chaos and civil war like Iran and Afghanistan. Efforts are being made in a political laboratory, the Saamana editorial said. Urban Naxalism is already there. Along with that, if efforts are on to put political venom to increase terrorism of the educated then what else would happen? One Sharjeel Imam is arrested but no more Sharjeel Imams should be produced. The government should ensure that. It is their responsibility, said the editorial in Saamana. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The beginning of the school year when you got to show off your new duds, new cars, new looks! Sports! Playing, cheering, watching high school athletics. The arts: Dramatic arts, musical groups and shows, graphic arts groups, debate, etc. The prom! No dancing the night away or punch bowl antics. The daily interactions. Just being with the group, hanging with friends and classmates. Access to college recruiters and advisors its harder to line up higher education. Walking onstage to get a diploma while all the family is watching with everyone elses family. Vote View Results EuroLife's Subsidiary to Launch Third-Party Retail-Focused Cannabis Education Portal Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 30, 2020) - EuroLife Brands (CSE: EURO) (FSE: 3CMA) (OTC Pink: EURPF) ("EuroLife" or the "Company"), a vertically integrated enterprise focused on the pan-European hemp, cannabinoid, and health and wellness sector, is pleased to announce it has finalized an agreement with a leading global cannabis company with a market cap greater than $1 billion, to develop its online education portal, accessed by many hundreds of cannabis retailers and staff across Canada. The budtender portal was designed to facilitate knowledge retention by having each user complete a quiz after each module and complete a final-course exam. Upon completion of each module and a final course exam, budtenders earn an e-learning certificate showing proof they have completed the course. "Through EuroLife's technology division, we are uniquely positioned to deliver an intuitive, user-driven online portal with required level of education to ensure budtenders are familiar with cannabis products and deliver a high level of customer service relating to the cannabis company's products," said Shawn Moniz, Chief Executive Officer, EuroLife Brands Inc. "We are pleased to partner with a leading cannabis company to deliver a refreshed budtender education portal. Continuous education is valuable in all industries and cannabis is no exception. Retail locations striving to deliver high quality and knowledgeable service will be able to complement existing training programs with our budtender portal." EuroLife has leveraged the skills of its design and technology teams to design and develop a budtender education portal. The concept will include easy access to product information and educational articles on topics ranging from cannabis taxonomy, safety in the household, responsible usage and a strong focus on vaping. The platform also incorporates dynamic and interactive elements to facilitate learning with detailed reporting and analytics, options for gamification and social elements such as shareable completion badges. Once launched, legal cannabis retailers across Canada will have the opportunity to direct employees to the platform to learn in more detail about the product brands while increasing their knowledge of all aspects of cannabis through visually stimulating educational content. The objective of the project is to create a secure and effective education portal to budtenders nationwide to be well versed with the cannabis company's brands and branded products. Budtenders will register for the portal access through a secure online application process and once accepted, they will be able to begin working through a number of courses on cannabis 101 topics, brand products and processes, as part of their certification. Launch of the Canada-wide budtender learning portal is projected for the first quarter 2020. Development and ongoing maintenance fees of the online portal will contribute to the financial success of the EuroLife Brands group of companies. The Company also announces it has granted incentive stock options to purchase a total of 3,300,000 common shares at an exercise price of $0.05 per share for a period of two years to certain directors and officers in accordance with the provisions of its stock option plan. About EuroLife Brands Inc. EuroLife Brands (CSE: EURO) (FSE: 3CMA) (OTC Pink: EURPF) is a leading global markets cannabis brand empowering the medical, recreational and CPG cannabis industry worldwide through a data-driven CBD marketplace supported by exclusive and unbiased physician-backed cannabis education and detailed consumer analytics. For additional information: Contact: ir@eurolifebrands.com or visit EuroLifeBrands.com No stock exchange or securities regulatory authority has reviewed or accepted responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Some of the statements contained in this release are forward-looking statements, such as estimates and statements that describe the Issuer's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Issuer or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature, they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulators, which are posted on www.sedar.com. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/51897 Police are urgently searching for a newborn baby boy after his father was found dead following the discovery of three women's bodies in a Florida home. Miami-Dade officers began hunting for 49-year-old Ernesto Caballeiro and his one-week-old son, Andrew, who is still missing, on Tuesday. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued an Amber Alert on Tuesday for the father and son after three women were found shot dead Tuesday in a rural area in south Miami-Dade County. On Wednesday, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office announced in a Facebook post that the van described in the Amber Alert was found in rural Blanton, Florida, which is more than 300 miles from where the women's bodies were discovered. Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said later during a news conference that K-9 units searched a wooded area near the van and found a dead man with what appeared to be a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound from a rifle. Scroll down for video Florida police have found the body of 49-year-old Ernesto Caballeiro (left) who matches the description of a father sought by authorities in the disappearance of his infant baby, Andrew (right) Authorities found Caballeiro's body in a wooded area on Wednesday but they didn't find Andrew (pictured) Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said during a news conference that K-9 units searched the wooded area near the van (pictured) and found Caballeiro with what appeared to be a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound from a rifle Authorities said the man matches Caballeiro's description. Caballeiro was related to at least one of the women found killed, but had not been named as a suspect, police said. Deputies searched the area between Blanton and nearby Interstate 75 on Wednesday. 'All we care about right now is that we get that baby back,' Nocco said, adding that authorities are hoping Caballeiro handed the child off to someone else. In a Thursday morning Facebook post, police said: 'After an exhaustive search of the area identified by Sheriff Nocco in last night's press conference, there has been NO evidence discovered at the scene that confirms Andrew Caballeiro was with Ernesto Caballeiro in Pasco County. Police said their investigation has revealed that Caballeiro left the Miami Dade County area about 'four and half hours before arriving at the location in Pasco County, and was only in this location minutes before fatally shooting himself'. On Tuesday, authorities found the three women, who were all Hispanic and aged between 40 and 80, dead from gunshot wounds inside a home in a remote neighborhood in south Miami-Dade. Officers were called to the home after a family member stopped by the residence. The relative had made several unsuccessful attempts to contact the family and found the bodies of the three women, Lee Cowart, a spokesman for Miami-Dade police said. On Tuesday, authorities found the three women, who were all Hispanic and aged between 40 and 80, dead from gunshot wounds inside a home (investigators at the scene) in a remote neighborhood in south Miami-Dade Lee Cowart, a spokesman for Miami-Dade police (above), said Caballeiro was related to at least one of the women found killed, but had not been named as a suspect Authorities also shared a map that suggests the most likely route of travel for Caballeiro. Officers have urged anyone along the route to report any sightings or information to their local law enforcement The last known contact the women had was at about 10.30am that day, police said. Police said Caballeiro lived at the home where the triple homicide happened. The home and surrounding road were taped off by police and much of the neighborhood was placed on lock down The infant is described as white, Hispanic, with black eyes, measuring 20 inches and weighing about seven pounds. Authorities also shared a map that suggests the most likely route of travel for Caballeiro. The white van has decals saying 'Nesty School Services' and 'Caution: Transporting Children.' Officers have urged anyone along the route to report any sightings or information to their local law enforcement. Anyone with information should call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS, or to call 911. Tested new exploration strategy, opening potential for resource expansion and new discoveries Generated data-driven, high priority oxide gold drill targets Defined clear targets for drilling sulphide "feeder" structures Next Steps (H1 2020) Apply new exploration strategy to remainder of current deposit (Q1 2020) Complete ground geophysics on northern half of deposit (underway) Complete re-logging and multi-element analysis of historic drilling Develop drill program for highest priority targets and commence permitting (late Q1 2020) Scott Trebilcock, President and CEO of KORE, stated, "Long Valley is a large, intact epithermal gold deposit historically drilled for near surface oxide gold, leaving the underlying sulphides un-tested." Mr. Trebilcock continued, "KORE's exploration team developed a new exploration strategy for both oxides and sulphides and looks forward to testing the highest priority targets." In H2 2019, the KORE exploration team re-logged 232 of 896 drill holes, conducted geological mapping, and collected rock and soil samples. The team also conducted two lines of ground induced polarization ("IP") and magnetic geophysics coinciding with drill holes that were re-logged and soil sampling lines. The objective of the work was to prove up a new exploration strategy, testing it against known mineralization and generate drill targets. Figure 1 shows the location of the IP geophysics surveys and cross sections. Figure 2, Cross-Section 250 attached to this release, shows the current oxide mineralized area as a chargeability low. Immediately below the current oxide mineralization is a resistivity high, thought to be a feeder structure for the mineralization. Using this model, there are four new near surface oxide targets outlined by chargeability lows and two sulphide feeder structures, outlined by resistivity highs. Near surface oxide targets are coincident with anomalous gold in soil sampling. Figure 3, Cross-Section 600 is available on KORE's website by clicking here. The cross-section again shows current oxide mineralization as a chargeability low that is above a resistivity high, thought to be a feeder structure for the mineralization. There appear to be four near surface oxide targets outlined by chargeability lows and three sulphide feeder zone targets, outlined by resistivity highs. Near surface oxide targets are coincident with anomalous gold in soils and rock outcrop sampling. Figure 4 and 5, Soil Geochemistry and Rock Geochemistry Maps is available on KORE's website by clicking here. Anomalous gold in soils, gold in rocks, and mapped alteration of surface outcrop, significantly expand the exploration footprint of the deposit, well beyond the current limits of drilling, creating numerous potential areas for oxide gold mineralization expansion. The on-going additional ground geophysics lines will enhance the oxide targeting and potential for more sulphide feeder zone targets. About Long Valley Gold Project Long Valley is a 100% owned epithermal gold project located in Mono County, California. Within the Project, is the Long Valley deposit, an intact epithermal gold deposit ("Deposit") with a large 2.5 by 2 kilometer oxide gold footprint. A total of 896 holes have been drilled on the Project, the majority being completed by reverse circulation with lesser core, rotary and air track. Figure 1 shows the claims, drill collar locations and mineralized area. The current mineral resource estimate is 1,247,000 ounces of Indicated gold and 486,000 ounces of Inferred gold from 66.8 million tonnes of 0.58 grams per tonne and 23.6 million tonnes of 0.65 grams per tonne, respectively. The mineral resource consists of oxide, transition and sulphides. The estimate was prepared Neil Prenn, P.E., and Steven Weiss, C.P.G. of Mine Development Associates with an effective date of November 15, 2019. More information is available in the technical report filed on www.sedar.com and on KORE's website at www.koremining.com. The Long Valley deposit is an intact low sulphidation epithermal gold/silver deposit, hosted within a melange of fine to coarse volcanogenic sedimentary lithologies. Mineralization at the Long Valley deposit has developed due to a combination of deep-rooted fault structures and a resurgence of rhyolite within an active caldera. The Hilton Creek Fault structure transects and served as a fluid conduit for interaction with the underlying hydrothermal system, while the rhyolite resurgence caused brittle fracturing of sediments and created voids or traps for mineralization and gold deposition. The combination of these factors yields strongly altered kaolin and quartz-hematite zones that are the primary host for gold mineralization. Detailed Results and Conclusions Historic drill core re-logging included multi-element analysis by XRF and short-wave infrared ("SWIR") spectroscopy. The analyses enable data-driven determination of the mineralized and un-mineralized alteration mineral assemblages. Key observations from core re-logging: Hilton Creek Zone appears partially oxidized to the base of drilling opening potential for further oxides at depth; appears partially oxidized to the base of drilling opening potential for further oxides at depth; South Zone has numerous open prospective areas at depth and between drill holes; and SWIR mineral analysis concluded that Dickite and Illite were the key mineralization-related alteration minerals and can be used to target exploration. Key observations from bedrock mapping, rock and soil sampling: Spatial relationship between intense kaolin and quartz-hematite alteration zones at the unconformity contact between the rhyolite and volcaniclastic sedimentary rock Anomalous gold in rock and soil samples occurs along traces of the Hilton Creek Fault in areas that have not been drill tested, representing important targets within the claim group Field and drilling observations point to a mineralization model controlled by: Positioning of deep-rooted fault or "feeder" structures; Well-developed alteration and fracture network at the rhyolite dome front; and Stratigraphy permissible to quench and trap hydrothermal fluid (i.e. sandstone/tuff). An implication of deep-rooted fault systems in low sulphidation epithermal systems is that mineralization can occur at all levels between the magmatic source and the surface. Low sulphidation epithermal systems typically form distal to magmatic sources when compared to other epithermal system types. Presuming a structural or lithological 'trap' were present at lower levels in the stratigraphy closer to the magmatic source; it is theorized that sulphide-type mineralization could be present at depth along and adjacent to faults. Key observations from ground (IP) geophysics: High resistivity anomalies correspond with the Hilton Creek Fault and relatively high grade gold mineralization; Low chargeability anomalies correlate directly with the known gold-oxide zone; and High chargeability anomalies occur marginal to the Hilton Creek Fault. In general, resistivity delineates the fault system and chargeability differentiates oxide vs. sulphide mineralization potential at depth. This geophysical 'fingerprint' of the deposit has resulted in promising new prospective zones for oxide and sulphide mineralization types. The new geological model of exploration coupled with results from geophysics, bedrock mapping and soil and rock geochemistry has generated data-driven, drill-ready targets supported by all four data sets (see Figures 1-5). About KORE KORE is 100% owner of a portfolio of advanced gold exploration and development assets in California and British Columbia. KORE is supported by strategic investors Eric Sprott and Macquarie Bank who, together with the management and Board own 66% of the basic shares outstanding. Further information on KORE and its assets can be found on the Company's website at www.koremining.com and at www.sedar.com, or by contacting us as [email protected] or by telephone at (888) 407-5450. On behalf of KORE Mining Ltd "Scott Trebilcock" Chief Executive Officer (888) 407-5450 Technical information with respect to Long Valley deposit and project contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by David S. Smith, CPG, who is KORE's designated independent qualified person for the purposes of this news release. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to sell any KORE common shares in the United States. 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 Statement Regarding Adjacent Properties and Forward-Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the future operations of the Company and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects" and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the future plans and objectives of the Company are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements, and any assumptions upon which they are based, are made in good faith and reflect our current judgment regarding the direction of our business. Management believes that these assumptions are reasonable. Forward looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. For further information on the Company's Long Valley Project, please see the Company's NI 43-101 Technical Report dated November 15, 2019, entitled "Amended Technical Report and Resource Estimate for the Long Valley Project, Mono County, California, USA" filed on the Company's website and also available under the Company's issuer profile on www.sedar.com. Such factors include, among others: risks related to exploration and development activities at the Company's projects, and factors relating to whether or not mineralization extraction will be commercially viable; risks related to mining operations and the hazards and risks normally encountered in the exploration, development and production of minerals, such as unusual and unexpected geological formations, rock falls, seismic activity, flooding and other conditions involved in the extraction and removal of materials; uncertainties regarding regulatory matters, including obtaining permits and complying with laws and regulations governing exploration, development, production, taxes, labour standards, occupational health, waste disposal, toxic substances, land use, environmental protection, site safety and other matters, and the potential for existing laws and regulations to be amended or more stringently implemented by the relevant authorities; uncertainties regarding estimating mineral resources, which estimates may require revision (either up or down) based on actual production experience; risks relating to fluctuating metals prices and the ability to operate the Company's projects at a profit in the event of declining metals prices and the need to reassess feasibility of a particular project that estimated resources will be recovered or that they will be recovered at the rates estimated; risks related to title to the Company's properties, including the risk that the Company's title may be challenged or impugned by third parties; the ability of the Company to access necessary resources, including mining equipment and crews, on a timely basis and at reasonable cost; competition within the mining industry for the discovery and acquisition of properties from other mining companies, many of which have greater financial, technical and other resources than the Company, for, among other things, the acquisition of mineral claims, leases and other mineral interests as well as for the recruitment and retention of qualified employees and other personnel; access to suitable infrastructure, such as roads, energy and water supplies in the vicinity of the Company's properties; and risks related to the stage of the Company's development, including risks relating to limited financial resources, limited availability of additional financing and potential dilution to existing shareholders; reliance on its management and key personnel; inability to obtain adequate or any insurance; exposure to litigation or similar claims; currently unprofitable operations; risks regarding the ability of the Company and its management to manage growth; and potential conflicts of interest. In addition to the above summary, additional risks and uncertainties are described in the "Risks" section of the Company's management discussion and analysis for the interim period ended September 30, 2019 prepared as of November 28, 2019 available under the Company's issuer profile on www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. There is no certainty that all or any part of the mineral resource will be converted into mineral reserve. It is uncertain if further exploration will allow improving the classification of the Indicated or Inferred mineral resource. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. A full set of high-resolution Figures including both sections, rock and soil sampling are available on KORE's website here (or copy and paste this into your browser: https://www.koremining.com/exploration-highlights). SOURCE Kore Mining Related Links http://www.koremining.com/ News Madison, Wisconsin - Remarks by Vice President Pence at the Wisconsin School Choice Student Showcase: THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, hello, Wisconsin! To Secretary DeVos, Governor Tommy Thompson, Congressman Steil, Speaker Vos, Majority Leader Fitzgerald, state legislators who are gathered here, to teachers, to parents, and students near and far all these great kids that got off school today (applause) youre welcome it is great to be here in Madison to celebrate the 10th annual National School Choice Week. No better place. (Applause.) And how about another round of applause for our student performers with La Casa de Esperanza and Wisconsin Lutheran. Didnt they do a great job? (Applause.) And thank you to Mikayla Harris of Messmer High School for stepping up and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance with such dignity and beauty. Great job, young lady. (Applause.) Proud of you. You know, as we gather here in Madison, there are tens of thousands of events all across America celebrating National School Choice Week. But Im here in Wisconsin because this is where it all began. (Applause.) Its true. Thirty years ago, Governor Tommy Thompson made history when he created the first school choice program in America. Governor Scott Walker built on that progress when he expanded the program statewide. (Applause.) And, today, thanks to their leadership and the support of the people of Wisconsin, more than 40,000 students are able to attend the school of their choice. Governor Tommy Thompson, thank you again for your extraordinary vision and leadership. (Applause.) And as we mark this National School Choice Week, Im also grateful to be here with someone who, many of you already know, has literally spent decades working to expand choices and opportunities for some of the most vulnerable families in this country. Shes someone who believes that every child, regardless of their income or their ZIP code, should be able to choose a world-class education. Join me in thanking our great Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos. Thank you for loving our kids (applause) doing such a great job for America. And thank you all for coming out today. Its great to be here with so many advocates and friends and kids. But as I begin, allow me to bring greetings from another friend of mine a man who loves the Badger State, who is a great champion of educational choice and opportunities for every American family. I bring greetings from the 45th President of the United States of America, President Donald Trump. (Applause.) You know, its an honor for me to be here today because I was for school choice before it was cool. (Laughter.) I mean, literally, I watched this movement grow over the last 30 years. Ive seen firsthand the thousands of promising young lives that its touched in my home state of Indiana and all across this country. And its deeply meaningful for me to have played some small role in that story in in my state, and now having an opportunity to support programs like this all across America. You know, Im proud that over my term as governor of Indiana, we expanded our school choice program. We made it one of the largest in the nation. In fact, one of the very first conversations I had with our President when he was considering asking me to be his running mate was about Indianas school choice program. And Im here to tell you: President Donald Trump stands for school choice for every American and every American family. (Applause.) In fact in fact, as a candidate, President Trump promised that the American people that he would be the nations biggest advocate for school choice. And hes delivered on that promise. In just his first few months in office, this President authorized the Washington, D.C., Opportunity Scholarship Program the only federally funded voucher program in America. And under the leadership of this President, enrollment in the D.C. voucher program is up by nearly 50 percent. (Applause.) We also passed tax reform for working families, businesses large and small. But it included changes in our tax laws so that now parents can use college savings accounts to send their kids to a quality school at every level of education. (Applause.) And as we speak, the President and I are now working with the Secretary of Education and many of the great champions here to create a new program to provide more than $5 billion in school choice programs across America. The time for Education Freedom Scholarships is now. (Applause.) Now, you just heard, in this National School Choice Week, we just hit 100 co-sponsors in the United States House of Representatives. And that number is already growing. You know, I could tell you to call your member of Congress and ask them to support the Education Freedom programs, but you dont have to call any Republican members of Congress from Wisconsin because every single Republican representing Wisconsin in Washington, D.C., supports school choice. (Applause.) Join me in thanking your delegation. And, Congressman Bryan Steil, thank you for being a champion for Wisconsins families and educational opportunity. You know, Education Freedom Scholarships, I believe, would have a transformational impact on working families all across this country. They build on the progress that youve made right here in Wisconsin. For the past 30 years, Wisconsin has shown again and again that when parents are given the opportunity to choose the best school for their children whether thats public or private, parochial, Christian, or homeschool outcomes improve, kids do better, and education improves for everyone. Wisconsin has an extraordinary record of success with school choice, and every family in Wisconsin should be proud. (Applause.) Its true. I mean, Im told: On average, Wisconsin students on the Parental Choice Program score higher on the ACT test than their peers. In Milwaukee, kids from underserved communities who go to choice or charter schools get better test scores and are more likely to graduate. According to one study, students in choice programs are also more likely to go to college here in Wisconsin. But whats even more remarkable is that when parents get a choice, kids get better grades and not just the kids who go to choice schools, but every child, no matter where they go to school, does better when the parents get to choose. (Applause.) You know, but I hope, for all of you and people all across this country, whats most meaningful, as we mark National School Choice Week its meaningful to the President and to me is that that many of the people who benefit the most, many of the children who benefit the most come from our underserved communities that face unique challenges. And thanks to what youve done here in Wisconsin, its been particularly minority communities that have benefitted again and again. Thousands of African American and Hispanic parents that wouldnt be able to do otherwise have been able to choose where their children go to school here in Wisconsin. (Applause.) And just look at the results: At choice and charter schools, Hispanic American students perform better in math and English. And, in fact, 14 of the 20 highest-performing schools for Hispanic students in Wisconsin are choice and charter schools. (Applause.) And thats why, as we stand here today, overwhelming majorities of African Americans and Hispanic Americans support school choice for our families, for our children, and for our future. (Applause.) Its true. I mean, the families that have benefited from this program, Wisconsin, for three decades know firsthand that when parents can choose where their kids go to school, amazing things happen and amazing stories unfold. In fact, let me tell you the story about the difference that school choice can make. There was a young man I heard about on the way here on Air Force Two. He was struggling in his local public school. And I want to respect his privacy, so well just call him Hector today. By the time Hector was in third grade, Im told, that he still couldnt read or write, and he had a hard time fitting in. But his parents heard about Wisconsins Choice Program and they decided to sign him up. They enrolled Hector at Lighthouse Christian School in Madison. (Applause.) Hector has now learned how to read and write. Hes gotten good at math. And by the end of the fourth grade, he was testing right at the same level of all of his peers in one short year. (Applause.) Hectors story is like so many others. So would you just - would you please join me in showing our respect for all the teachers, the students, Hectors family, Hector, and the principal at Lighthouse Christian School, Tia Sierra. Great job. (Applause.) Great job. You know, and the thing is, you hear these statistics, you hear the numbers theyre undeniable about what school choice has meant here in Wisconsin and across America. But I have to tell you, what I find more moving is one story at time, one life at a time. You know, I heard about a young Wisconsinite who, Im told, is also here with us today. Shes from Milwaukee and she used to think that shed never have a chance to go to college. In fact, when she enrolled at Wisconsin Lutheran, she had to take entry-level courses, Im told, just to catch up with her peers. But thanks to the School Choice Program here in Wisconsin she was able to catch up fast. And today, Im proud to report, shes taking advanced classes and shes about to become the first in her mothers family ever to go to college. Would you join me in congratulating Trinity Moore? (Applause.) Lets not just hear it for Trinity, who is doing a great job, who is going to do a great job in college - but how about her dad, Cal, and her mom, Shawntel? Give them a big round of applause. (Applause.) Thats what its about. Its about family. And I just heard about a great Catholic school here in Milwaukee that just had their first graduating class last year. Its a brand-new school, made possible because of this great School Choice Program in Wisconsin. Im told that more than 90 percent of the graduates are Hispanic Americans. And all 85 of last years graduates are going to college, and theyll be the first in their family to ever go to college. (Applause.) So would you join me in congratulating the valedictorian of the Cristo Rey High School Class of 2019, Giselle Vera? Where are you, Giselle? (Applause.) Arent they something? You know, Trinity and Giselle, all the graduates of Cristo Rey are really emblematic. Theyre emblematic of success stories made possible by the School Choice Program here in Wisconsin and the generosity of the people of this state. And, frankly, its success that were seeing not only all across Wisconsin, but were seeing it all across America. When you think about these great stories, its no surprise that support for educational choice for families is growing all across America. Since 2011, the number of Wisconsin schools and students participating in the Parental Choice Programs have doubled, Im told. And last year alone, participation in Wisconsins statewide program increased by 37 percent. Now one in eight Wisconsin students is educated with public funds at the school of their choice. (Applause.) And when you look at the growth and participation in school choice, its clear, in Wisconsin and all across America, school choice is an idea whose time has come. (Applause.) Its true. More and more Americans agree that the decision about where our kids should go to school should not be up to bureaucrats, or a students ZIP Code, or their familys income; parents should decide where their kids go to school. (Applause.) And let me also say, when youre talking about the wellbeing of our kids and their future, this shouldnt be a partisan issue. You know, but sadly, in these divided times, I know that parents, teachers, and advocates in this room have at times faced fierce resistance fierce resistance from special interests and politicians they support. It hasnt been easy to start this program in Wisconsin 30 years ago, and it hasnt been easy to sustain it. In fact, I learned on the way here that theres a bill being introduced in the Wisconsin legislature that would actually phase out school choice in this state. AUDIENCE: Booo THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, I I know the Governor couldnt be with us here today, so lets make sure he hears us: Were not going to let that happen (applause) Wisconsin, for our kids, for our families, for our future. School choice is here to stay! (Applause.) And Ill make you a promise. Ill make you a promise: As you labor to expand educational opportunities to every family, regardless of their income, regardless of their background, I promise you, everybody whos gathered here today, you will always have the support of President Donald Trump and this administration. (Applause.) Well be with you every step of the way. You know, as the President said just a couple of days ago in his annual School Choice proclamation, we believe in school choice, because as the President said, In America, every child deserves a fair shot at the American Dream. And thats really what this is all about. Its the same core belief in the American Dream that that drives each and every one thats participating in this program. And its about opening up the American Dream to every child, regardless of their background, regardless of their experience. So I want to I want to say thank you to a few people. First off, I want to say thank you to all the parents who are here. Thank you for being there for your kids. Thank you for believing in your kids and in their future. (Applause.) And let me also say, Ive been married to a school teacher for 35 years. So lets give some thanks to the teachers who are gathered here today for pouring yourselves into these kids lives. (Applause.) Youre making a difference every day. Thank you, teachers, for the late nights, the early mornings, the lesson plans, the homework grading. Thanks for, every day, the sacrifices you make on behalf of these kids that have given them given them a shot at a boundless American future. And, finally, to all of kids who are here: Were proud of you. We believe in you. When Wisconsin said yes to School Choice 30 years ago, they were saying yes to your future. And we need you to do the same. To all the kids who are here today, remember that old proverb, that, To whom much is given, much will be required. So the opportunities that you have been given, you need to seize those. Keep striving. Keep learning. Keep believing in your dreams. To all the kids, I want to tell you there is a truth about America that is as soon as you learn it, will open up doors that you never thought could open before. And its simply this: You need to know that, in America, anybody can be anybody. Whether youre a small-town guy from southern Indiana that grew up with a cornfield in his backyard, whether you grew up in a big city whatever your circumstances, I want to promise you that if you work hard, you study hard, you listen to people that care about you, you stay away from things that can derail your dreams: Young men and women, the skys the limit. This is America. Go live your dreams. (Applause.) I always tell young people my motto is: study hard, pray harder. Dont let anybody tell you anything is impossible, because with God, all thing are possible. (Applause.) So its National School Choice Week in America. And its great to be in Wisconsin. Wisconsin has been leading the way for 30 years. Thanks to the pioneering work of this state, youve changed lives here and youve inspired change all across this country. Youve opened doors of opportunities for children and families all across this state now for more than a generation, and all across this nation youve inspired change. And Im absolutely convinced, being with all of you here today, that as this movement continues to grow in this great state and grow all across this nation, that here in America well continue to give parents the right to choose where their kids go to school public, private, parochial, or homeschool. And all our families, all our schools will benefit for all of our children. And the best days for Wisconsin and America are yet to come. (Applause.) Thank you very much. God bless Wisconsin. God bless America. Twitter has started directing people looking for information about coronavirus to official websites, amid false rumours and lies. The social network's new update is just the latest attempt to quell the anxiety and confusion created by the vast amount of misinformation being spread about the disease. Twitter said the tool was being used to try and ensure that people are being sent to correct, authoritative information about the virus and its spread. When searching for the term "coronavirus" on the site, users are presented with a link to the Department of Health and Social Care website and its official Twitter account, where official updates are issued. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "Public safety is our top priority and as this is a rapidly evolving situation, it's absolutely crucial everyone is able to access reliable, accurate information on coronavirus. 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 "I welcome that Twitter is taking action to direct users to official Government health advice, helping to tackle misinformation and ensure the public is well informed. "This action is hugely important, and I want to see more social media companies follow their lead. "I want to stress there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK and we have world-leading clinicians and expert teams working to protect UK patients and staff to the highest standards possible." Twitter said the tool had been introduced in response to increasing online discussion about the virus outbreak. "Given the rapidly evolving nature of the issue and the growing international response, we've launched a new dedicated search prompt to ensure that when you come to the service for information about the coronavirus, you're met with credible, authoritative information first," the company said in a blog post on the feature. The number of cases of coronavirus has jumped to 7,711, with 170 deaths. India confirmed its first case on Thursday, as did the Philippines. In the UK, 161 people have tested negative for the virus as of Thursday. An evacuation flight to bring British nationals back to the UK from the Chinese city at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak will leave on Thursday night, the Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said. Additional reporting by agencies Tulsans could be asked to go to the polls this year to decide whether gender-specific pronouns in the City Charter should be replaced with more inclusive language. City Councilor Kara Joy McKee pitched the idea Wednesday during a council committee meeting, saying shes heard from several constituents who are concerned about the issue. I believe the charter, when referring to individuals, uses he/him as a pronoun to encompass everyone, McKee said. The city councilor made her proposal during a discussion of possible charter amendments that could be brought to the public this year. He/she/they could work, she said. Or as Councilor (Connie) Dodson suggested, something more like citizen or resident. Councilor Lori Decter Wright said she did not think the charter change would be a heavy lift that no one has done before. Councilor Phil Lakin noted that Tulsa would not be the first U.S. city to make such a change. Nashville, Tennessee, has made its charter gender neutral, he said. The Connecticut Audubon Societys Deer Pond Farm in Sherman will offer several programs in the coming weeks. They will include a nature walk Feb. 2 from 2 to 4 p.m.; backyard birding Feb. 8 from 11 a.m. to noon (at the Jewish Community Center in Sherman); Trees in Winter: Adaptations & Identification Feb. 19 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and bird walks Feb. 22 and 26 from 10 a.m. to noon; The following events are planned for the upcoming week throughout the region: Jurassic Quest, featuring more than 100 life-like dinosaurs, dinosaur themed rides, live dinosaur shows and more, opens Saturday and runs through Jan. 23 at the Pennsylvania Convention... It might seem like a scene taken directly out of a movie, but WWE twins Nikki and Brie Bella are pregnant at the same time. Interestingly, their due dates are roughly two weeks apart! Twin Pregnancies In an interview with PEOPLE on Wednesday, Brie Bella confirmed that she and her twin sister Nikki are both pregnant. She revealed that they, too, were surprised to find out that they were pregnant at the same time. "People will think it's a joke!" the former WWE star said. Brie also hinted that people might think that they planned it, but they did not. "You can't really plan pregnancy!" she exclaimed Brie is married to professional wrestler Daniel Bryan. The couple has been trying to conceive for eight months but there was no positive result until now. The couple share a two-year-old daughter named Birdie. After not being able to get pregnant, they decided to stop trying. They thought that maybe trying for more is not going to work. "We were in France to meet Artem, Nikki's fiance, when I felt a little off," Brie narrated. She added that she felt irritated all the time and was uncomfortable with her body. At that time, Brie had no idea that she was pregnant at all. When they got home from the trip, the former WWE star said that she decided to take a pregnancy test two days before Thanksgiving and that was when she saw the positive sign. Nikki, on the other hand, revealed that her pregnancy really came as a total surprise for her. She added that it took her a good two weeks to come to terms with the situation. "Oh my gosh I'm pregnant. I'm not ready for it," Nikki revealed. Nikki and her fiance were not trying to conceive at all, but her gut feel pushed her to take a pregnancy test. Initially, she assumed that the irritability and mood swings were because of her twin's pregnancy rubbing off on her. "I didn't tell Artem about it. I felt I had to do it on my own," Nikki shared. And then she had to break the news to her fiance. She entered the room, "sit down for a second" and announced the news to Artem that she was pregnant. Excited For Motherhood Although she was taken aback by the positive news, Nikki admitted that she has always been family-oriented. She added that she has always wanted to become a mom. "I couldn't imagine my life without experiencing childbirth and raising a child," the retired WWE pro added. Nikkie and Bries' twin vibes are now stronger than ever. They practically go through the same pregnancy symptoms together, as they have been feeling nauseous all the time. Nikki also opened up about the pregnancy symptoms she has been experiencing, saying she has been feeling sick most of the time. Despite that, however, she cannott help but feel excited about the growing person inside her. "I am excited to have this person I will take care of for the rest of my life. That's amazing!" The twins have announced their retirement from WWE last year after Nikki learned about her brain cyst. Taking a step back from the wrestling scene has not slowed her down one bit, however. The Bella Twins continue to be active as they became part of USA Today's Wine and Food Experience. MASON, Ohio, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Undiagnosed chest pain sends 8-10 million Americans to Emergency Departments annually, making it the second most common complaint. Emergency physicians must rapidly identify patients whose chest pain is cardiac-related. A new pilot study has found that a resting 90-second magnetocardiography (MCG) scan shows promise in evaluating emergency department observation unit (EDOU) chest pain patients for Acute Coronary Artery Syndrome. The publication also indicates that CardioFlux MCG may provide additional information to support the usual clinical pathway of Stress Testing and Coronary Angiography. Genetesis, Inc. today announced the publication of the company's initial pilot study of its CardioFlux FAC Magnetocardiograph, conducted by a team of emergency medicine physicians at a major cardiac hospital in Detroit, MI. CardioFlux MCG is a novel medical device that can now non-invasively measure and visualize the well-studied electromagnetic function of the heart. A CardioFlux scan is performed at rest and without the use of radiation or pharmaceuticals to record the magnetic field map generated by the electrical activity of the myocardium. These fields have previously been shown to change with cardiac ischemia due to dysfunction of the ion channels responsible for repolarization and depolarization of the myocardium. The study titled "A 90-second Magnetocardiogram Using a Novel Analysis System to Assess for Coronary Artery Stenosis in Emergency Department Observation Unit Chest Pain Patients" was published online by the International Journal of Cardiology Heart and Vasculature on January 8th, 2020. Only a small minority of patients will ultimately be diagnosed with Acute Coronary Syndrome yet most are still placed in an observation unit for additional tests and monitoring. This leads to longer hospital stays, a higher cost of care, and unnecessary downstream tests that expose patients to radiation and pharmaceuticals. CardioFlux has the potential to substantially reduce cost and wait times while improving patient experience and outcomes. "Having a non-invasive diagnostic test that can be performed rapidly with almost no patient preparation in the emergency department observation unit or possibly incorporated into the ER workflow would be a game-changer in the evaluation of ED patients presenting with chest pain" says Dr. Margarita Pena, lead author of the pilot study. "This has a lot of potential to screen patients out [for] Coronary Artery Disease, not to mention the benefits of avoiding risks to the patient associated with radiation, adverse reactions to pharmacologic and contrast agents, as well as risks associated with hospitalization." In the prospective emergency department observation unit clinical study, 101 low-intermediate risk chest pain patients were administered a 90-second noninvasive heart scan using the CardioFlux MCG. Cardioflux identified different magnetic field maps for patients with and without myocardial ischemia diagnosed via standard of care evaluation. CardioFlux performed competitively relative to stress testing and coronary angiography, with a demonstrated specificity of 78.3% and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 92.3%. These results are the beginning of a robust set of data demonstrating that CardioFlux shows promise as a "feasible and comparable testing option" relative to standard of care stress testing. The data were previously presented at the American College of Emergency Physicians Scientific Assembly in October 2018. Dr. Pena notes that further research on CardioFlux is underway. "Now they're looking at the high-risk population of patients that get [catheterized] so that we can see how this compares to catheterization," says Pena. "While previous studies of magnetocardiography have yielded promise in the detection of coronary artery disease, this is the first time a scalable iteration of this technology has been made available to emergency medicine in their difficult task of diagnosing ACS." Dr. Alisa Niksch, Genetesis Chief Medical Officer, stated. "This data has given Genetesis the momentum to expand research into other populations at risk for ischemic heart disease." The CardioFlux FAC MCG system is FDA cleared and is available for sale in the United States. About Genetesis Genetesis, Inc. is a medical technology company focused on redefining the way myocardial ischemia and coronary artery disease are detected. By combining CardioFlux, our noninvasive biomagnetic imaging technology, with proprietary cloud-based web services and machine-learning capabilities, we seek to become the standard of care for diagnosis of clinically significant myocardial ischemia in the acute care setting. Genetesis was founded in 2013 and is based in Mason, Ohio. https://genetesis.com Contacts Genetesis Rhea Malhotra, 513-309-1440 Director, Product, [email protected] CincyTech Peg Rusconi, 617-910-6217 Director of Communications, [email protected] Ohio Innovation Fund Bill Baumel, 408-550-5342 Managing Director, [email protected] SOURCE Genetesis Inc. Tropical peat swamps are not only the native habitat of orangutans and sun bears, theyre also one of the worlds most important ecosystems. Found commonly in warm countries, including Malaysia and Indonesia, the worlds tropical peat forests suck carbon dioxide out of our atmosphere, storing it in the peat and limiting the concentration of warming gases in our atmosphere. But since the 1990s, swamp forests have been destroyed for agricultural use, usually to produce palm oil a cheap vegetable oil used in food, cosmetics and biofuels. Because palm oil trees cant grow in wet, swampy conditions, plantation owners clear the swamp, then drain the area until it is unrecognisable from its original state. So far, our research found that 3 million hectares of tropical peat swamp forests in Malaysia and Indonesia have been replaced by palm oil plantations. Even as you read this article, new areas are being cleared at record rates. This is a serious problem once the swamp dries out, the long-stored peat is rapidly converted to greenhouse gases. Our research investigated how the process of converting a peat swamp forest to a palm oil plantation contributes to global greenhouse gas emissions. We found that gas emissions resulting from the conversion of palm oil plantations in southeast Asia are up to 0.8 per cent of total global greenhouse gas emissions. This is the equivalent of almost half that of global aviation emissions. Our team carried out field measures in a swamp in north Selangor, Malaysia. We wanted to know the amount and type of greenhouse gases released at different stages of the conversion process, from swamp to plantation. Knowing the type of greenhouse gas is important, as some have a greater effect on the climate than others. For example, nitrous oxide which is produced by bacteria in soil is nearly 300 times more damaging than carbon dioxide. After collecting our measurements, we then used satellite data to calculate what percentage of southeast Asias emissions are caused by palm oil plantations. Our data shows that palm oil plantations on peatland contribute between 16.6 per cent and 27.9 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions from Malaysia and Indonesia. Astonishingly this is between 0.44 per cent and 0.74 per cent of annual global emissions. Changing land-use policies for peat swamp forests will be critical for reducing national greenhouse gas emissions in Malaysia and Indonesia. Indonesia is the worlds third-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, mainly through deforestation (AFP/Getty) (AFP via Getty) Our research also identified when these greenhouse gases are released in the land-conversion process, which was previously unknown. Our data shows the highest emissions are produced by new plantations (up to five years old) that have a young palm oil crop more than double the emissions produced by mature ones. This is because there is more food for microbes to feed on when the land has only recently been converted from a swamp. Once the most easily accessible nutrients and carbon are lost, the microorganisms have less food to convert to greenhouse gases so emissions are lower in older plantations. To get a true measure of greenhouse gas emissions produced by deforestation and plantations, we must measure across the full life cycle of the plantation otherwise we can miss the highest emissions. Converting other forests around the world into palm oil plantations poses a serious risk. The potential contribution of these areas to global heating is large perhaps even worse than emissions from global aviation. Prohibiting further agriculture on tropical peatland environments is crucial in the race to mitigate against rapid climate warming. But this is not often easy. People living in these forest areas are mostly poor and face serious economic challenges and palm oil plantations can provide income. And once a swamp has been cleared, it will take millennia for the carbon to be stored back in the ground, even if the forest were restored. Sofie Sjogersten is an associate professor in environmental science at the University of Nottingham. This article was originally published in The Conversation (theconversation.com) A fabric art design for the exhibition "Sida's dream" / Courtesy of Chun Tae-il Memorial Seamstresses open up about conditions in factories from past to present By Park Ji-won South Korea had to start from scratch after the Korean War (1950-53). The war-torn country had nothing but human resources as the entire nation had become a battlefield and was ruined. Korean nurses and miners flew to Germany to earn cash and the income they sent to their families was used as "seed money" for the nation's industrialization. While the nurses and miners were lauded as heroes for their contribution to the economy, there was another group of workers who deserved similar acclaim but were largely forgotten. Assistant seamstresses, called "sida" in Korean, were a key part of the garment industry, one of the fields that drove Korea's miraculous economic growth in the 1970s. The term sida was derived from the Japanese word "sita" meaning "under." To become a seamstress, a woman had to work as an assistant for years to master the necessary professional skills. Sida was also broadly used to mean people who were underemployed in the garment industry they worked hard for long hours but their wages were shockingly low. Due to their long work hours and a lack of proper rest, it was hard for sida to find time to think about their career or dreams. To meet production deadlines, they had to sleep in the dusty factories after working late into the night and consumed caffeine pills or energy drinks almost every day to keep them awake during the day. Many of the sida were urban migrants who flocked to Seoul for jobs and some were breadwinners responsible for feeding and supporting other family members in poverty-stricken rural areas. They themselves were elementary or middle school graduates but their incomes were used to finance their siblings' education. The late Chun Tae-il was a sida. Unlike other sacrificing garment industry workers who endured inhumane working conditions for their family members, Chun was a labor activist who tried hard to improve the conditions of fellow laborers. This year marks the 50th anniversary of his death. To commemorate the anniversary, the Chun Taeil Memorial, a facility founded by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to remember his legacy, hosted the exhibition, "Sida's Dream," to revisit the lives of the sweatshop workers. Four sida seamstresses Park Gyung-mi, Jang Kyung-hwa, Kim Kyung-sun and Hong Kyung-ae are still working in garment factories after more than three decades and their artwork is on display. Chun worked as a sida and cloth-cutter in various garment factories in Seoul from 1965. He became an activist fighting for garment industry workers after realizing the discrimination and abusive labor practices in the industry. He chose to set himself on fire on Nov. 13, 1970 to raise the public's awareness about the abusive working conditions of those in the garment industry. Various artists, four famous novelists, Cho Hae-jin, Lee Ju-ran, Chung Se-rang and Choi Jung-wha, photographer Jeon Kyung-sook and artist Ban Jae-ha joined hands to show the dreams and the realities of the garment workers in various art forms. A fabric art creation at the "Sida's dream" exhibition. Courtesy of Chun Taeil Memorial An art piece named "Shirt and Shirt" by Ban Jae-ha on display at the memorial hall. Courtesy of Chun Taeil Memorial On the first floor, the fabric art designs of photographer Jeon and the four garment workers are on display. Jeon printed photos on muslin fabric and the workers embroidered them later. On the second floor, infographics on the labor conditions of the garment workers in the mid-1970s are shown in addition to films scripted by former factory workers. On the third floor, there are four rooms themed around each of the four workers, including short stories written in collaboration with the authors. An art piece named "Shirt and Shirt" by Ban is also on display on the third floor, comparing two almost identical shirts one produced by a local seamstress and the other from Japanese fast fashion company Uniqlo. A fabric art design for the exhibition "Sida's dream" Courtesy of Chun Taeil Memorial "Instead of giving a lecture on their lives, this exhibition helps visitors see the lives of the four garment workers. The exhibition shows the situation for workers in the past but also features what things are like currently," "Sida's Dream" exhibition planner Kim Ji-yeon wrote in the exhibition catelogue. "The reality they faced forced them to only dream and no one actually paid attention to them. So this exhibition confronts the hypocrisy of people, as well as the deep-seated anger and remorse of a group of people who cannot overcome yesterday. The exhibition helps us think about their lives and what we can do for them." In fashion shows, Hong Kyung-ae said people can see the list of names of fashion designers and models. "But our names are omitted despi the fact that we are the ones who made the clothes. It makes me sad all the time when I don't see any names of seamstresses," Hong told The Korea Times. "I'm over 50. But I'm the youngest person in my factory No one is trying to work as a seamstress because our working conditions are not good. We work even without basic insurance. (Through the exhibition,) I hope people will pay attention to our working conditions," Hong added. This free exhibition runs through March 29. However, it is temporarily closed until Feb. 2 due to the spread of coronavirus. For more information, call 02-318-0903. Four garment workers and four novelists pose after participating in an event held on the sidelines of the exhibition "Sida's dream" at the Chun Taeil Memorial, Seoul, Jan. 19. From left in the first row are seamstresses Jang Kyung-hwa, Park Kyung-mi, Hong Kyung-ae and Kim Kyung-sun. From left in the second row are novelists Chung Se-rang, Lee Ju-ran, Choi Jung-wha and Cho Hae-jin. Courtesy of Chun Taeil Memorial Customers queue to buy groceries at a supermarket following a new coronavirus outbreak in Hong Kong, China, Jan. 29, 2020. Reuters-Yonhap By Chan Ho-him Hundreds of people queued up for face masks across Hong Kong on Wednesday amid a shortfall of protective gear in a city gripped by the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak. At some outlets of Thai lifestyle chain AbouThai which has 14 stores citywide some buyers showed up as early as 7am five hours before new batches of masks arrived for retailers. Many accused the government of failing to assuage fears after Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced a partial border shutdown with the mainland, instead of a complete closure as suggested by lawmakers and health care workers' unions. Hong Kong recorded two more cases of infections after a two-day lull, bringing the local total to 10, while on the mainland, the number of cases has crossed 6,000, with more than 130 deaths. In a statement, the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau said it had met members of the retailing and business sectors over the availability of protective products on Wednesday, but did not give updates on the government's pledge to ramp up supply of surgical masks in the city. "The government will do everything possible, and through discussing and cooperating with the business sector, increase the supply of protective resources," it said. People line up to receive free face masks to protect themselves against the Wuhan coronavirus, at a pharmacy in Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong, China, Jan. 28, 2020. EPA-Yonhap The bureau added that importers who had problems with shipment clearance could provide information for follow-ups. University of Hong Kong microbiologist Dr Ho Pak-leung estimated that the city would consume about 300 million surgical masks monthly amid the outbreak. "For a person who needs to go outside they will use up to three disposable masks," Ho said. "If 1 million belong to this category, that's 3 million masks per day, 90 million per month." He also said health care workers in public hospitals used as many as 300,000 masks daily at the peak of the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic. Lam Wai-man, chairman of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Pharmacy, said 80 per cent of surgical masks sold in the city were manufactured on the mainland. As the virus has spread to almost all provinces in China, he said the internal demand for masks was large and Hong Kong "will have to queue". "We've asked Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan, who all said they have no stock," Lam added. He also said while the bureau had promised to help importers on matters of clearance, this depended on whether there were any shipments at all. People queue up waiting to purchase face masks outside a shop in Hong Kong, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020. AP-Yonhap At AbouThai's Tai Koo outlet, hundreds of people formed a massive queue, but only 300 boxes of masks were distributed, leaving many disappointed. Its outlets at Tai Po, Hang Hau and Diamond Hill were also crowded on Wednesday morning before opening hours. Each customer was limited to one box of 50 masks. A box cost HK$68, but prices varied depending on type and brand. Jeffrey Chen, 28, who works in the creative industry, said he was the 21st person in a line of 300 at Tai Koo. He started queuing at 8.30am and the first few before him had arrived at 7am. Chen, who lives with his family of five including his wife, who is pregnant, said he had been searching for masks nearly every morning over the past few days, but always left empty-handed. "They were all sold out, and it was not just masks, but also disinfection products such as alcohol and bleach," he said, adding that his family had avoided going out, and were down to three or four boxes of masks at home. Another man, in his 60s and who gave his surname as Sit, had queued up for more than four hours from 8am. "We don't know when the epidemic is going to end, and we also don't know whether there will be a continuous mask supply in future," he said. While the retail chain has given staff from the Hospital Authority, as well as health, immigration, and customs officers priority to buy masks, such government workers were also required to queue up at the Tai Koo outlet because of the surge in demand. A Mass Transit Railway official speaks on his radio while checking a passenger at the high speed train station in Hong Kong, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020. AP-Yonhap An immigration officer surnamed Ho, 25, said he felt saddened by the scenes, criticising the government for only closing six of 14 border checkpoints. "These measures are too late, although that's still better than nothing It's worrying especially for people like us who have to work at borders and come into contact with many people from the mainland," he said. A nurse, who identified herself as Mary Chan, said she worked at an isolation ward in a public hospital. Chan said the government should have done more to ensure a steady supply of masks for the public. "If the government can make such a promise, at least everyone won't be so worried, for instance, they could have followed in the footsteps of Taiwan, which stopped exporting masks, or act like Macau, which has officially imposed quotas on individual purchases." They could have followed in the footsteps of Taiwan, which stopped exporting masks, or act like Macau, which has officially imposed quotas on individual purchases May Chan, nurse Meanwhile, two distributors of surgical masks in Hong Kong said they were out of stock and unsure of when next shipments were due. In a message to private clinics, the Hong Kong office of medical supply firm Henry Schien said it was out of masks and alcohol hand sanitisers. "As to when we can restock and ship orders out, we do not know at this moment." A staff member said the company's local office had tried to get more stock globally, but in vain. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam wears a mask, following the outbreak of a new coronavirus, during a news conference, in Hong Kong, China, Jan. 28, 2020. Reuters-Yonhap The government has unearthed about 80,000 companies that have duped the system by availing financial incentives worth Rs 300 crore from the Centre for a flagship scheme meant to create jobs in the formal sector, Business Standard reported. The report suggests that nine lakh beneficiaries of its Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana (PMRPY), a job formalisation scheme, have been found to be ineligible. This is because they were already a part of the formal economy, even before the scheme was brought in. The Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has blocked the provident fund accounts of these employees, the report stated. It has, so far, also recovered Rs 222 crore from the employers concerned. The number of beneficiaries was included in the EPFO payroll database, which is used by the government to show job creation in the formal sector. PMRPY, a central scheme designed to incentivise employers for generating new employment, was launched in 2016. Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report. Under the scheme, the government pays full employers' contribution of 12 percent (towards EPF and Employees' Pension Scheme both), for a period of three years, in respect of new employees who have been registered with the EPFO on or after April 1, 2016, with salary up to Rs 15,000 per month. The scheme is implemented by the Ministry of Labour and Employment through the EPFO. The government claims that PMRPY has a dual benefit as the employer is incentivised for creating employment and a large number of workers would get jobs opportunities in such establishments. This gives these employees access to social security benefits of the formal sector. In January 2019, the government had said that the number of employees benefiting from the scheme had crossed the one-crore mark. Expel Chinese Diplomats Who Interfere With Free Speech on Canadian Campuses, MP Says Chinese diplomats who are involved in encouraging overseas students to attack free speech on Canadian campuses should be removed from their position, says Conservative MP Garnett Genuis. If there is direct, demonstrable involvement by a foreign diplomat interfering in Canadian institutions in a way that is designed to limit the free speech, or intimidate students who attend events, then the folks who do that should no longer be diplomats in Canada, Genuis said in an interview. Earlier this month in the House of Commons, Genuis raised the issue of foreign governments act[ing] to undermine freedom of speech on Canadian campuses, including an orchestrated campaign of harassment against a Tibetan student leader, and the Chinese Consulate in Toronto praising Chinese students disruption of an event highlighting human rights abuses in China. In February 2019, the Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) at McMaster University issued a letter condemning an event hosted at the university to raise awareness about Beijings human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims. During the event, the speech of human rights activist Rukiye Turdush was disrupted by Chinese students, as described by Turdush. The Chinese Consulate later publicly praised the students on its website, saying, We strongly support the just and patriotic actions of Chinese students. CSSAs are known for their strong links with Beijing, with many of them funded or openly supported by Chinas consulates or embassies. Genuis pointed out in the House that there was no response from the government to what he called the gross abuse of our sovereignty by the consulate. The attitude of the current Liberal government is that we should do everything possible to avoid giving offence, being critical, and therefore by extension, not take a stand and push back against things that obviously go against our interests and our values, he told The Epoch Times. I would suggest that that is a policy of appeasementof accepting outrageous interferences in our sovereignty that no other country would acceptand that makes us more vulnerable to further attacks. The Epoch Times contacted the Minister of Public Safetys office requesting comment, but received no response. The CSSA at McMaster was recently stripped of its official club status by the student union due to its alleged links to the Chinese Consulate. The Tibet-related free speech suppression incident Genuis cited involved Chemi Lhamo, an outspoken activist against Chinas human rights abuses in Tibet. After she was elected president of U of T Scarboroughs student union, Lhamo faced an organized campaign of online attacks, receiving thousands of hateful comments, including death threats. There are less obvious examples of speech suppression as well, Genuis says, such as students self-censoring to avoid upsetting the Chinese regime. He cites the example of the Carleton International Relations Society asking their members not to raise controversial topics during a visit to the Chinese Embassy in late November 2019. Softer influence are obviously harder to deal with, and I think this is an area that requires greater study and dialogue in institutionshow we can help strengthen them in terms of being able to resist these influences, he says. [Ottawa should] deal with the egregious cases first, right away, and then begin the work and analysis on how to confront the subtler, less obvious cases. In the House on Jan. 20, Genuis asked a special committee to look into the situation of foreign interference with students freedom of speech at universities, saying that preserving the integrity of academic institutions is something in which there is a pressing national interest. Universities are supposed to be places where free and open conversation flourishes, he says, but if they fail in that due to foreign interference or other problems, then the dialogue cant happen and opportunities for positive social change are lostespecially regarding international students. The hope would be, of course, when international students come, theyre able to learn about and, in many cases, adopt the kinds of values that we have here in Canada and then use those lessons to pollinate change in their home country, Genuis says. But when those students face ongoing intimidation and monitoring by their home government, along with threats, possibly, to members of their family if they dont act in the way the home country thinks they should, then we miss that opportunity to advance these values of freedom and democracy, human rights, and the rule of law that we believe in and want to spread.